The Mad House

Let the Chaos Begin

2007-10-29T05:05:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I did it.

I signed up for NaNoWriMo and now I have that jittery feeling like I've chugged too many pots of coffee and am about to give a major presentation in front of a zillion people I don't know. You know, the feeling that you've got racing weasels in your stomach...

I went to the site and signed up before my rational brain had a chance to say "Don't be an idiot."

So, here we are.

umm...maybe I need to think about a topic.

help.

dog brilliance!

2007-08-21T08:40:00.001-04:00

We are not having a good week here in our house.

This is Mr. Filch. He ripped a toenail to the quick and had to have it pulled out by the vet.

But since he can't stop biting at the bandages and keeps making the wound bleed, he had to wear an E-collar. He now bashes around and forces himself through whatever he gets stuck on.

Luckily, his checkup is good and we can now take the E-collar off!

shrieking eels

2007-08-18T20:23:00.000-04:00

I'm Max. I'm not really an 18 year old Pionus--I'm a dragon. When my mommy passed away I was very sad but her daughter took care of me and now I have a happy home. I like my new friends--because Ali says I'm the boss bird and can do what I want.

I'm Gabbi. I'm a Yellow Naped Amazon. I just had my first birthday in April. I even got my first yellow neck feather just in time! Mom says I'm getting blonder every day...

I love to serenade everyone with lullabies I make up every evening. But my favorite past time is to induce the dogs to bark--and then yell at them to "Get outside!"

Mom's sister is trying to teach me the opening to Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" because she thinks it is funny. I am doing my best to learn quickly--I've got the shrieking "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh" down.

I'm Linus the Eclectus. I celebrated my first birthday this spring, too. Since I'm bigger than everyone else, that makes me think I am the boss. Mom sometimes gives me a time out if I act too bossy.

I love food. If you have it, I shall come to thee and gobble it down. Your dinner is mine, sayeth the Linus. Gabbi's dinner is mine. My dinner is mine. [I fear Max and leave his dinner alone.]

I also have a fascination with glasses. Mom has a nice shiny pair that she puts away when I am near. Apparently, she thinks I might destroy them...

Start Your Day With Hope

2007-08-14T09:28:00.000-04:00

This is a YouTube video from The Secret.

Enjoy.

Walk out into the world and make it a better place--make it the place you want to be.

Breathing Room

2007-08-14T07:57:00.000-04:00

Take it all in...

The space. The view. The lack of neighbors.

Sometimes I think how fun it would be to run away and live in some shack where no one could find me. And then I remember how much I like grocery stores and central heat.

So, I just close my eyes and remember how beautiful Montana is every time I drive through. I sometimes wish the Midwest wasn't so claustrophobic.

Potter-infomania

2007-07-31T10:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, as we know...I am a Potter fan.

With the help of modern technology (and MSNBC) here are a few of the J. K. Rowling interview snippets from July 29, 2007.

The link will take you to a page with the interview fragments.

Also, here is the link to the Bloomsbury Q&A session for fans on Mugglenet.com from July 30, 2007. I tried to get the Bloomsbury.com link to work for the transcript, but couldn't get it to load. There are tons of questions to which JKR gives some very interesting answers.

Romantics with a Soapbox Interlude on World Politics

2007-07-28T10:19:00.000-04:00

In the first article on this subject, one's imagination must certainly be buzzing: the bride of fourth street. Romance. Tragedy. Maybe a young Miss Havisham?

In truth, perhaps that is not too far from the mark. In a follow up article, they identified the girl by the serial number on the wedding ring she carried with her.
_________________________________

*Sigh*

Perhaps I really do want to live in a nineteenth century novel? Hate. Love. Betrayal. Scandal. It all seems so personal, so deeply cutting.

With everything on the news about perpetual war and political liars, I feel very abstracted. Actually I feel very little at all except anger. My life seems so small and mundane next to the world stage--which at the moment is filled with idiots. We've forgone local knowledge for global knowledge believing it is better. That is NOT the truth when we talk only of war and what weapons this country may or may not have. The knowledge that is important: what matters to that group of people?

I want to know about art--show me pottery and paintings and books and jewelry. I want to know what forces shaped that culture. I want to know what makes them laugh. How do they spend their family time? What do they believe in [not necessarily in a religious context]?

We live on a very small planet. I'm tired of Who won't talk to Who for Reason XYZ. I'm tired of foreign policy or non-policy. Wake up! If we don't learn to get along with everyone else, none of us will be left. Every leader needs to suck it up and talk to everyone else. Break out the beer and fire up the grill. Sit down like human beings and share a meal. Find what you enjoy about each other. Find the common ground--we all want to live in peace and have a prosperous life and comfort for our families. So, how can we all work together to get that done? What can we provide that will help your country? What can you provide to help others? How can each of us do this so it doesn't destroy the planet?

And someone should set an international mandate: if you are willing to send troops to war--you must also be willing to send yourself to the front line as well [not to mention your spouse and your children]. No bodyguards. Nothing more than your comrades in arms. If you believe it, you should fight it. End of story.

{Soapbox moment concluded.}
__________________________________

Anyway, back to being dreamy and romantic...

A few years ago, PBS hosted a series called Regency House Party in which five men and six women are sent to live in a manor house for a nine week house party. There are chaperones and staff. Quite a few guests arrive to give mini-lectures and dinner conversation on everything Regency. All the rules of the age apply--no co-mingling without chaperones, no sun exposure, and extensive gossip and plotting. Watching this was enormous fun!

Of course there is always the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. Ah, the dreamy Mr. Darcy--how could any woman resist Colin Firth and his dark yumminess? I keep trying to watch the recent big screen version but I just haven't made it through yet. I'm afraid that my view of Mr. Darcy will always and forever be Colin Firth. I was so young and impressionable...

Deep Dry Summer

2007-07-26T09:06:00.000-04:00

Although I am a firm believer in the abolition of humidity, this summer has been terrible. Don't get me wrong, we have had a few humid days. But, usual summer here requires that walking outside feels like swimming. Or breathing underwater.

About a week ago, we had our first storm. Late July! We live in a huge storm alley--we are used to thunderstorms and pouring rain. They usually start up in April and occur frequently through the summer. But wow! Rain poured and there was more thunder that I can remember hearing. A few claps sounded like several explosions in a row! I was amazed that our power didn't go down. One of the local TV stations was off the air for several hours because their power went out.

The storms rolled in hard and heavy. When one would finish, there was another about fifteen minutes behind. All night this went on... Walls rattled. Lightning flashed.

After living out West and getting used to the lack of thunderstorms, moving back to the Midwest has been disagreeable. I have never been a fan of big storms (even as a kid). I don't mind low rolling thunder, but giant cracks and booms freak me out. Add lightning--not pretty light flashes in the clouds, but true cloud to ground lightning that leaves a burning streak on your retina as you close your eyes. I can't sleep through them anymore.

Then, yesterday, the rain started. This is not storm rain, but just good summer rain. The local meteorologists say this is one of the driest summers on record. So, hopefully, we'll get eased back to normal.

However, the one fabulous thing about no rain: I've only mowed the lawn twice since April. But, that won't last. The front yard is beginning to look like Albert Einstein.

Possible New HP Book!

2007-07-25T00:44:00.000-04:00

Please let this be true! [See http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19935372/]

Me and half a zillion other people are now waiting...

Hooray Miss M

2007-06-18T11:53:00.001-04:00

Welcome Miss M to our little corner of the blogosphere! I know you are a busy little bee out there in the big industrial machine of LA, but I'm glad you made it! Oh, and btw, HOW did you get out of grad school without the HP? LOL.

Feel free to wax poetic (or prosaic) on any topic. Add pics. Pretend we're at Winger's and commiserating over Mile High Chocolate Chip Pie or whatever it was called.

Now we are just waiting on Mrs. M.

Hmm...I feel like I should have a name beginning with M too. But no. No capital M. No lower case m stuck somewhere. Not even a silent m! Just one big giant A...(and three lower case a's).
I'll have to work on this.

_______________________

Anyway, I started reading Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson last night. I found this book when I caught him on Book TV--the taping was from February 2007. I've also seen him on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert. He is a very engaging speaker. The book is no different...

Potter Prep

2007-06-14T10:16:00.000-04:00

What a fabulous birthday present for me--Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out for my birthday! Technically I just get to wait in line with a zillion other people on my birthday. But, just as my birthday expires, I'll get my own copy. Not a bad birthday.

I've been trying NOT to think about what might or might not happen.

What I am curious about:

1) Is Snape a double agent? Or did Dumbledore have a "guarantee" of sorts--perhaps another Unbreakable Vow? If so, Snape must have promised to follow all of Dumbledore's orders (even grudgingly) no matter what. This would have included killing Dumbledore. I think there was a non-verbal exchange on top of the tower at the end of HBP--probably about the urgency of saving Draco (to keep Snape's UV to Narcissa Malfoy), the demand to draw everyone away from Harry, and because of circumstances to release Dumbledore from the pain of the poison.

If Snape is NOT a double agent, he stands between Harry and Voldemort.

2) Will Wormtail stand up and honor his debt to Harry?

3) Who will die? Obviously, Voldemort will have to be vanquished--that's just the way the story should be. But, will Harry survive? Theoretically, Harry will have accomplished his mission. Like heroes before him (think Frodo, King Arthur), will he be able to remain in the world? And how many of his friends will survive to get him to the final battle? Will the Weasley clan (all 9) remain whole and intact? Will the OOTP members survive their battles?

Aack!!!!! I'm on pins and needles...

The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show

2007-06-11T11:05:00.000-04:00

How could you pass up a book with that title?!

I found this book in a very odd way. Originally I was looking at Ariel Gore's book How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead [pub. March 2007] somewhere online--probably Barnes & Noble (the enablers of my book-habit). I did a search of her other publications and, along with several books on motherhood, there was this FABULOUS title. So under the provisions of my book purchasing ban, I had to go to the library.

OMG! My local library actually had this book! Believe me when I say I was stunned. Most of the books I am looking for are never there or have any chance to be there. Usually I feel that most of the books are too out of date (academic, reference) or they are things I don't have any inclination to read. But they had this one! Hooray for me!

This book did not take very long to read--which is both good and bad. I like to be able to breeze through a book, but not when I want it to continue! The characters are quirky and fun--Pia, Magdalena, Tony, Lupe and Manny, and Barbaro. They resemble a cross section of people I have known through college and after. They are the people who become family because we make it so.

Even the main character, Frankka, a bit self-absorbed and superior, recognizes her own faults. And when haven't we all been there? Who hasn't broken down and blamed everyone else--even when you know you share a giant chunk of the blame?

Through all the retold stories of the saints, we remember that people are just people no matter what.

What a wonderful book. Thanks for the fabulous read, Ariel Gore!

Want more info? Go to http://www.arielgore.com/.

Plain Ol' Fun

2007-06-07T10:42:00.000-04:00

Through all the celebrity drama and "be afraid" news, I've come to enjoy the small bits of information that are actually fun.

This morning I was flipping for weather information while getting ready for work. All well and good, I got my local weather [sunny with high of 92F and gusty winds--although I am smack in the middle of the DARK RED severe storm graphic]. Then someone started in on measuring the storm system over the middle of the country. They did a millibar measurement of the system--something like 980mb. Apparently, the storm that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald in Nov. 1975 registered 983mb. So, hmmm...I won't be sailing the Great Lakes today. Really! Since I'm on dry land, I am more concerned about 1) severe thunderstorms and 2) tornadoes--and are they going to affect me TODAY?

When did weather start pandering for ratings?

(Ok...that wasn't the fun part.)

I did happen to flip across a small news blurb about something called Wizard Rock[http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?name=features&id=1561807&vid=155155]. What's this?! All these small bands with Harry Potter-inspired names and music! I never knew. So I looked it up.

I found a place called WizardRock.org [http://wizardrock.org/] that is a catch all news block for all things in WR. They've got a list of 59 bands and an open call for any others out there wishing to join. Some of them have fantastic names: Philosopherock [http://philosopherock.com/], Severely Snaped [http://www.myspace.com/severelysnapedwizardrock], and We-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named [http://www.myspace.com/wewhomustnotbenamed1]. It makes me smile--and maybe I'll just have a listen to the music.

I can appreciate the homage to J.K. Rowling and her creations. Perhaps being an English Major would have been a heck of a lot more fun if we could have done something creative in league with all those books instead of critiquing them to death! (I won't rampage about my intense hatred of lit theory here.)

I deserve a lollipop today.

Again with the files

2007-06-06T16:13:00.000-04:00

I am finally re-installed and updated. [I told you it takes forever!]

Now comes the CDs again. At last check, I had a week of continual music without having to repeat a song. I love my music. So here we go again.

I figured I'd start with the mellow stuff--just in case someone tells me I need to do yet another re-installation. These are the chants, classical, and music with few words--stuff like Anonymous 4, Achillea, Lesiem, and soundtracks to LOTR and Last of the Mohicans. To be honest, this is what I sink into after a long day at work.

If everything goes well, I'll move on to the classics: Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac, CSN, and Janis Joplin. Then pop/rock miscellany: Aerosmith, Dixie Chicks, Heart and the Little River Band. Perhaps even a daring fling toward disco: BeeGees and ABBA?

And we haven't gotten to my wide array of world music, folk, or opera! I guess that will happen during those few moments I have between work panic and work manic...

Reading Lists

2007-06-04T13:56:00.000-04:00

I just discovered a place called Library Thing [http://www.librarything.com/]. What a fabulous place to go--lists of books on member bookshelves, reviews, ratings. It is like book crack. Yeah, just what I need! Membership is free and you can list up to two hundred books you own. After two hundred, you can get a paid membership: $10/year or $25/lifetime. As you see, I have a widget to my own catalog there...very easy to create with their customizable widget under Tools.

Also after listing my books, I realized I have a crapload of reading to do! Actually, some is reading I should have completed during undergrad and grad work. You know, English major. I had ratloads of assigned reading either I never finished or never bothered with. I even feel a tinge of guilt--no one ever assigned or have I bothered to pick up Moby Dick by Herman Melville! But I did read (and intensely disliked) Bartelby, the Scrivener and Benito Cereno and Billy Budd. So maybe that lets me off the hook?

Mostly, my 2007 summer book possibilities stand thus:

SHOULD BE READ LIST

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence

Middlemarch by George Elliot

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Princess Casamassima by Henry James

WILL PROBABLY GET READ LIST

Summerland: A Novel by Michael Chabon

Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi

Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

IMMINENT READING LIST

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show by Ariel Gore

I guess we'll see how it goes. More than half the time I never bother with the list in the first place. Maybe I'll remember why I am giving up cable TV...?

June Already

2007-06-04T13:20:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it is already the 6th month of the year! Time is flying so fast.

I just picked up The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist by Neil deGrasse Tyson at the library. It seems almost like a chat over a cup of coffee rather than a memoir. Not bad--easy reading.

I am forbidden to purchase any new books for the year. This came after I realized I have NO room for new books. Everyone thinks I'm joking. I'm not. The full wall bookshelf my dad built in the basement is full. The Hoosier cabinet in the dining room has books in it and on top of it. The "cookbook" shelf in the kitchen island has more than its fair share of fiction and non-fiction (mostly unrelated to cooking). Not only are there two enormous 3.5'x7' bookshelves in the office/guest bedroom, but the closet hides more than a few. My bedroom has two metal towel stands from Target which are full as well as several stacks on the floor, nightstands, and TV. The only rooms in the house which don't seem to have books are the laundry room and bathrooms!

So, back to the library I go. Except now it is pouring rain...

Armpit, USA

2007-05-31T15:53:00.000-04:00

Do you ever feel as if you live in a cultural vacuum? A locale filled with beige personalities? Welcome to my hometown.

I am happy we actually have a large Hispanic influx just so I can look at the colorful houses and businesses that have popped up along some streets! Now there is something other than every tone of brown all winter long.

The town officials are concerned that all the young people are not returning after college. Let me clue you in: we are a town built on manufacturing. We aren't a techno-hub and many of the chemical/pharmaceutical plants moved out a long time ago. There is very little to offer in the way of arts/entertainment in the downtown. We have a very silent art community. Mostly, this town, although growing in size is NOT growing in culture. Too many people in charge are stuck in that small town 50's mentality. Does this sound like a place you'd come back to if given a way out?

I am back because it was my mother's last horrible joke. She was an amusing woman, but a terrible with jokes. Now I'm here passing time.

I'd like to start building an active arts community. I'm not talking about our weekend "art fair" and weekend "jazz festival". I mean a group of working artists in all genres donating time to give classes and lectures for the whole community to participate in. I need to feel like this community is vibrant and fun and creative instead of soul-sucking and dour.

Creativity inspires and inspiration brings creativity. There is no reason that I can't generate a reason to stay here. The town needs help and I am so tired of living in Armpit, USA.

Wish me luck.

I Love Science Geeks!

2007-05-30T10:21:00.000-04:00

I truly adore them--each and every one.

Perhaps I feel this way because I have such a loosey goosey artistic background. Perhaps it is because I always felt I could be my own science geek had someone explained WHY math was important and what it could really do (and not given the "because I said so" speech). Perhaps I just admire people who contemplate the mechanics of the universe.

I would LOVE to pick their brains--find what makes them tick.

Most of the artsy people I know are drawn to other artsy people. I can't do it. I feel one artsy person in a relationship creates enough drama to be getting on with. I need structure and pragmatism from my better half.

But there seems to be something in me that wants to absorb the brains of all scientists--what amazing things I could learn! Perhaps my fascination is knowledge in general...

Imagine what the human race could accomplish if we stopped acting en masse like spoiled toddlers. We could save the planet. We could feed everyone. We could provide health care for all. [This is where the music comes to crescendo and I say: "Start small, start locally. Be willing to do what government (by virtue of self-preservation) refuses to do."]

Sorry about my soapbox moment.

Now, back to my adoration. To the Astrophysicist, Astronomer, Mathmetician, Theoretician, Chemist, Biologist, Botanist, Physicist, and all other scientific brains everywhere: Thank you. You enlighten the world and also prove that there is no end to mystery.

I Need a Frustration Vacation

2007-05-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

I would like a new life. A quiet life.

During elementary school, I wanted to be a nun. Odd choice since my family wasn't Catholic. Perhaps it was because I was an only child until I was seven? I was so used to living in a quiet home and entertaining myself. That ended when my sister was born.

She hated to sleep because she thought she would miss something. Then she learned to talk--and honestly hasn't stopped since. Of course that was between the fights and the "cooties" and general mayhem that ensues with two girls in the house. Eventually I moved away and so did she. We were separated by colleges and jobs and several states for about ten years. But now, we are running a business together. And yes, there are still major skirmishes every other week or so.

Ok, I can handle the snits with my sister. But then I come home to a dog that has shredded every pillow in the house (all couches, all beds). This includes the feather pillows--of which I am still so furious and still picking feathers out of the carpet and clothes in the closet. Now he has shredded not only my duvet cover--which was a very lovely pink flower pattern--he actually shredded my duvet! My beautiful NZ wool duvet that my mom bought me. He also shredded two other bedspreads in the house. Wool and cotton batting from my living room to Timbuktu! [Can you feel the urge to murder this dog?]

So beyond the destruction, he has now taken to barking non stop at anyone he can see out the window. It would be one thing if he was yappy and small--but Filch is a Great Dane. AND he has my other Dane, Dobby, wound up just as much. So from 6 to 9 (or as long as daylight holds), both dogs bark their heads off at anything that moves. Kicking them out into the back yard doesn't help--the neighbor dogs start Filch off. Even my Yellow-Nape Amazon screams "Outside!" at the top of her lungs when they start in on the barking.

I can handle every noise in the house but the barking--my nerves are overstretched. Calgon can't even "take me away".

I decided when both these dogs go, I am done. Dogs may be man's best friend, but they sure aren't mine. I have finally figured out I am truly a cat person. Cats aren't needy beasts and they sure are NOT loud--unless they break something.

optimism

2007-05-23T16:56:00.000-04:00

i am excited because i finally found powdered boric acid to make ant killer. a nest of carpenter ants has set up housekeeping under the threshold of my front door! and since i've got pets, i've been trying to find an organic way to kill them. and i did! here's the link: http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww36eii.htm it mentions the boric acid powder which you can get at the drug store. my sister thought it would be in the cleaning aisle, but you actually have to ask the pharmacist.

if this works, i'm going to start using it on the ants in the yard. lately it seems that we are sitting on a giant ant hill. not that they truly bother us most of the time, but digging any hole in the back yard seems to yield nothing but ants! so before they decide to invade the house or unsettle the foundation of the house, they'll be gone.

ants in the garden, fine. ants at the end of the driveway, fine. ant hills in most of the backyard and off the front porch--NOT COOL.

i'm wondering if all these ants started when my mother planted those stupid peonies... in truth, the peonies are gorgeous and smell lovely. but ants adore them too--swarms of them.

Attitude Adjustment

2007-05-22T17:19:00.000-04:00

I don't often lose my temper at service people trying to help with my computer problems. But today was not a normal day.

After continuing computer problems that were "unsolvable" by other means, I had to blow out my computer system and reinstall EVERYTHING last Monday (May 14). This includes needing to download almost three years of computer updates from Dell and Microsoft (not to mention other installed programs). I have dial-up. Do I even need to explain the time it takes to download just a small update? Grrr.

Today, my computer locked up any time I tried to do more than stare blankly at the screen. The CPUs were locked up by one svchost.exe--which disconnected my Internet connection when I stopped that process. MSN's solution was to reinstall MSN. Problem one: my computer wouldn't let me uninstall MSN. Finally after fighting with my computer for an hour, I figured out how to disable a few programs to allow MSN to uninstall. Yay! Problem solved!

Hahahahaha! I was sooooo naive! Problem 2: Now my computer wouldn't let me reinstall MSN. [This is the point where I am about to cry.]

Ok, maybe I will call Dell for the three thousandth time in two weeks. So I do. Problem 3: I ended up with a not so nice--we'll call him personality challenged--individual. He mumbles. He mutters. He talks to me like I am an idiot. Now this brings Problem 4: He wants me to blow out my system again.

I got a bit shirty.

So here we are and I am once again REINSTALLING absolutely everything and waiting for updates. All on dial-up.

{I should put in that I am usually happy with my Dell techs. Most of them are funny enough to make me forget that it might be easier to toss the stupid computer out the window.}

Writing

2007-05-21T11:32:00.000-04:00

I am a statistic.

Well, I would be if I actually knew what the numbers were. I know that a good hunk of people who pursue a writing MFA never actually end up writing. Ooh, ooh! That's me!

I am sure there are tons of articles about how to overcome the things that life throws at you if you truly want to write. There are authors who struggle and persevere--you know, rock the baby cradle with your toes while sitting with a notebook at the kitchen table; learned to type with toes; dyslexic; homeless; penniless. All noble hurdles. But does anyone actually ask someone why they don't write? I am sure there are reasons beyond the "excuses".

I could say I lost both parents, a great aunt, and grandfather (not to mention two very dear dogs) in the space of four years--all before 30. I could say I had to move back home to a town I swore I would never live in again so I could take care of everyone's estates. I could say I am busy being a gift shop owner. I could say I have to clean the house before I can sit down to write. I could say I should actually finish up the bookkeeping so my accountant can finally file taxes. Whatever. None of that is a reason. It may be true, but it isn't why I don't write.

I don't write because I have succumbed to laziness. I don't write because I have succumbed to apathy. I don't write because I have little to say in a sustained format.

My attention span is shorter than the length of the average commercial. I haven't even been able to sit here and write this blog without getting up twice--well, that partially has to do with helping customers. But you get the gist...

Perhaps one day I'll think of something to say...

Off kilter Mondays

2007-05-21T10:53:00.000-04:00

I never feel very competent on Mondays. I feel a bit off the mark like I am somehow stretched between "here" and "not all here". Perhaps my brain is still sleeping?

I guess dial-up doesn't help. Plod. Plod. Plod.

5 am

2007-04-24T05:07:00.000-04:00

Wow. It's five am. And, I've been up since four.

Filch woke up Dobby just because I am not in bed. Now there are two large Great Danes wandering around the house lost. Neither one wakes up before 9am if they can help it--lazy dogs!

I have been online doing business law research on the Indiana State Library of Congress website and having little luck. I'm trying to discover if Indiana has some sort of business compensation rule when a business is shut off during construction. If anyone can help, please let me know...

The birds outside are singing and the sun isn't even visible. I guess this is that darkest hour of night that writers expound on...although it doesn't seem so miserable with the hope of birds singing. At last, eternal optimism has sprung upon me. There is even a bright star (although I am very sure it is a planet)--it might be Venus? in the southern sky. I can't remember if Venus is out for spring mornings/fall evenings or if it is spring evenings/fall mornings. I guess it doesn't matter...whatever planet it is, it looks lovely from here.

Have a gorgeous day!

PS. If you need a cheer-me-up, go to http://www.tut.com/mmm.shtml and sign up for Notes from the Universe. They show up in your email M-F and are especially wonderful if you are having a bad day straight out of the gate. Think of them as chocolate for your soul.

Fun Diversion

2007-04-19T13:02:00.000-04:00

Ok, well, it's actually a time waster (or as I prefer to say, brain rest)...

I stumbled across this website called House of Tartan in the UK. On their site they have an "interactive weaver" where you basically choose colors and create your own tartan pattern! It is tons of fun and you'll never make the same pattern twice--unless you are obnoxiously methodical or perhaps obsessive.

Here's the link: http://houseoftartan.co.uk/interactive/weaver/index.html

After you create a pattern you enjoy, you can have them weave it for you! Or, like me, you can just play with the pretty colors and fun patterns.

assimilation

2007-04-19T12:32:00.000-04:00

I am succumbed to the blogosphere.

You know, someone should put up a poster at every login entrance of the Internet that reads: "resistance is futile. you will be assimilated."