Fatale Abstraction

I made a 100 on my first Pscyhology paper.

2012-01-31T00:01:00.002-06:00

YAY!

Sorry if this is a one-note symphony, but I do dearly hope that I have cause to make everyone sick of hearing that I made a 100 in one or other of my classes.

The first paper in Psych was meant to be an imagining of a conversation between one of any 4 pairings of famous early Psychologists. I felt it was probably the trite choice, but I went for Sigmund Freud and JB Watson, and was meant to be a lighthearted treatment of the subject. I started to do a convo between the two of them talking about Lindsay Lohan and her hosed-up family, but I felt that was too arcane a Gordian knot to tackle in one page of text. I decided to have them interact on a more personal level. It started off:

Dr. Freud: You have an interesting way of staring at my cigar.
Dr. Watson: You have an interesting way of holding your cigar.

...and it was downhill from there. The professor said "Nice job" and that was good enough for me, coupled with the 100.

I'm nervous about the quiz tomorrow in Anatomy. I've been studying, but we are in the chemistry end of the business and the complexity of all these teensy little things is staggering. But I can learn this. If other people can do it, then so can I.

**********************

Wow. This year is 1/12th over.

Amazing, innit?

**********************

Puppehs had their annual trip to the vet today and they are healthy and up to snuff. Praline is 14.5# and Chuy is 16.8 or somesuch, which is down a few pounds. I think the bluejays have been staying out of the yard so he's been short on diet supplements. Then again, it's almost baby bunny season again, heaven preserve us. This year the pups are going in March for a fresh round of rattlesnake vaccinations. It's hard to believe I've been out here almost 3 years. Praline will be 4 in May and Chuy will be 4 in August. Anyway, out here and as dry as the summers have been, I do worry about seeing more rattlesnakes in town around where people live, so I need to keep them vaccinated, little darlings.

**********************

Oh! Guess what-- at least one starlet wore sensible shoes to the Golden Globes. See Vibrams in pic below:

a song that always makes me happy

2012-01-30T00:01:00.002-06:00

I was delighted to find this stripped down version of the Supertramp classic Breakfast in America featuring only its composer Roger Hodgson on vocals and keyboard and a soprano sax. He's producing good vocals more than 3 decades down the line from the first time I heard this, and it's nice to hear a voice still sounding in its prime because it's been properly used. Still love this song for its its bouncy optimism and the wistful, lovely melodic line.

I first heard this around the time my family moved from Arkansas to Texas, and though I love the Ozarks and always will, this was the gateway to a happier time in my life, and this feels like moving forward in a very good way. :)

Come on you little fighter
no need to get uptighter
Come on you little fighter,
and get back up again.
It's Raining Again by Supertramp

Here's hoping we all have a bouncy, optimism-worthy week.

Cheers, darlings!

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: Pup o' the morning!

2012-01-29T09:03:00.003-06:00

Or, pups, rather. My dreamlings wanted to get up, so I popped some laundry in the washer while they fed and did the outdoors thingie, and now we are back to bed for more power-napping.

Life is sweet!

For your viewing pleasure, two pup-centric photos from the perspective of my pillow this morning:

Theatre

2012-01-28T06:06:00.001-06:00

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I made a de-motivator!

2012-01-27T17:08:00.003-06:00

find your happy place

2012-01-27T05:19:00.001-06:00

This week has been a total grind, but this is the last week I'll have with such a brutal schedule, since the show starts tonight and there won't be more rehearsals on weeknights. Next week I expect to settle back into a routine of yoga classes and rigorous study every evening, and maybe I'll even try to make a dent in the Close Encounters pile of laundry. Or not.

Anyway, I'll be less stressed out, and that is certain. Oh, and maybe I'll get more than 5 hours of sleep tonight. I'm just proud of myself for making it through this week without cracking into a beer or a bottle of wine, because I really couldn't afford to wake up the next day with things any more throwed off than they were going to be anyway.

In the meantime, a lovely diversion: John Fluevog is having a shoe sale! I probably won't buy any, but these certainly do tickle my fancy. Purdy!

Have a great weekend. I'll post about opening night tomorrow, but don't look for the post to be early. I plan on having a much-deserved lie-in tomorrow. I may sleep till the afternoon. Or not. I'll probably pop awake at 6am out of habit. Hopefully not, though. Hopefully visions of sugar-plum candy-colored Fluevogs will be dancing through my head.

Oh wait, they always are. :P

Did I really used to stay up til 3 or 4 every night?

2012-01-26T00:01:00.002-06:00

Yeah, but back then, I didn't get up until the crack of noon so I could be to work on time by 2PM. This getting home after 11 every night sucks big green donkey whongers. Thank goodness tomorrow's the last night of rehearsal.

What's kind of a shame is that a bunch of people mutinied and went home at 10PM (or was it 10:30?) tonight.

Tomorrow I have A&P at 8AM, then work until 4, then A&P lab at 5:30, then straight to rehearsal which will no doubt run until 11 again. Fingers crossed that we've gotten the worst of the kinks worked out of the show.

The sad thing is that Friday with 8 hours of work and a performance is going to seem like a light day after all this week. Saturday night after performance, Mama is gonna drink somethin', y'all.

You can't dust for vomit.

2012-01-25T23:19:00.001-06:00

For some reason, I've been thinking of this scene from the classic mockumentary This is Spinal Tap.

*devil horns*

Tired but happy.

2012-01-24T23:50:00.001-06:00

This is final week of rehearsal, thank goodness. Took this photo when I took off my costume tonight but before I de-spackled my face. The show is really coming together and I always hear people laughing when I

say my lines. Whether they are laughing with me or at me matters not. I'm having fun. :)

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I spent too much time in the art and music buildings before.

2012-01-24T07:37:00.001-06:00

The science building is by far the coolest on campus.

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Blogging should return to normal soon...

2012-01-23T00:01:00.002-06:00

or sort of normal. I've just been busier than a one-armed paper hanger.

Worked a full day Friday then tooled into Dallas and hit Ikea and then on to Nordstrom Rack where I did some serious damage. Took 3 large bags of stuff over to Mom and Pop's and tried stuff on from my 30 minutes in Nordstrom ($$$ spent, needed to be sure). Spent the night, went to brekky with Mom and Dad and heard some great stories about uppity old ladies in the town in Arkansas where Dad grew up, and they'll have to be shared here soon.

Bought a little pair of diamond earrings for my niece, and she seemed thrilled. I told her she is MY diamond. It's amazing how much love you can have in your heart for a youngster, isn't it? And it's wonderful, too. I treasure every second I get to spend with her. And my nephew, too. :)

Good stuff.

Went to Norstrom at the Galleria and couldn't find my shoes for stage. Bought the first decent coat (on a very good sale) that I've had in years, and this one will last me for years, so long as I don't let wild puppies walller it. Had my hair cut, had an incredible Thai chicken salad at Panera, and got shoes! Shoes! But no shoes for the stage, alas. TOok my returns to Nordstrom Rack where I spent more hours, and headed home from Dallas about 4 hours later than I'd originally intended.

RETAIL THERAPY.

I feel invigorated. Can't wait to wear my bitchy new shoesies. YAY!

A FEW WORDS ON TOLL ROADS IN THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH AREA: Every illegal alien who has run into me on roads in Dallas has never had car insurance. Qu'elle suprise! I have observed an absolute dearth of rattle-trap broke-down P.O.S. - type vehicles on the toll-roads in the Metroplex where one must fork over hot, fresh dosh to drive thereupon. I deem that this toll is a small price to pay for traffic that flows smoothly, and is populated nearly entirely by people who care about not banging up their chariots. Count me in. I plotted my course in and out of the shopping areas on those Toll Roads. (I remember when Hwy 121 was just another regular road, btw, but I'll take this-- good quality roadway, new, no cars on fire on the median.) Well worth it at twice the price.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? If you must drive in the DFW area, it's well worth your while to seek out the toll roads. Spend five minutes on hoi polloi expressway (Stemmons) and you'll wish you were on the George Bush turnpike. Srsly.

heartwarming story. :)

2012-01-22T22:45:00.001-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: A friend in need

2012-01-22T22:20:00.002-06:00

Himself is still under the weather with pneumonia, and Miss Praline was very sweet and attentive. Chuy was on his lap, and I think you may be able to see his nose somewhere in the photo. Anyway, Himself's right ear got a proper swabbing. Isn't that sweet?

It's amazing how knackered you can get...

2012-01-19T21:59:00.001-06:00

... When you go to a class in the morning, work a full day, go to a lab and then go to a rehearsal.

I can't believe I made it through the whole day without caffeine, but here I am, in bed before ten. Feels good.

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I will be sad when the USPS goes out of business, but...

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-06:00

I have to say that when it comes to shipment tracking, UPS beats the pants off the US Postal Service.

Case in point-- before the holidays - I was expecting the arrival of a holster I ordered for Himself(more on this later). It was shipped Priority Mail on Tuesday from a city not 150 miles from here. And yet, when on Thursday it had not arrived in late afternoon, the clerk in my local friendly post office told me the tracking number was not a good number.(?!) The movements of my package did not appear at USPS.com until AFTER the delivery. It didn't come on Friday, December 23. Thank goodness the local nice folks at the post office cased mail on Christmas Eve and put the package in one of their lobby lockboxes, because that meant I still got it in time for Christmas present for myself and Himself.

Contrast that with experience this week. I decided to celebrate going back to school with a new perfume, which I ordered from Nordstrom on Sunday. The package went into shipment on Monday afternoon and I expect it to be delivered sometime tomorrow. It came from Illinois or somesuch place, and it's moved like a little rocket on its way to me, and I didn't even request express or fast delivery-- this is just the standard shipping.

I know the USPS has the technology to do the same thing, but I wonder what the kink in their system is? *le sigh*

All at once the clouds are parted. Light streams down in bright unbroken beams.*

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-06:00

*in which the milkman of human kindness left me an extra pint
Thursday when I went to orientation, I scrambled to consolidate my poo, and I had my student ID card made, got me parking sticker and my school books. All was ready. Except that I misplaced the parking sticker. I'd been looking for it since Thursday and was worried I'd have to park in some visitor lot in BFE and go buy another sticker.

Monday night I got my book bag together, replete with a fresh bottle of water and cough drops and kleenex. My outfit was chosen and waiting for me, and all that I needed to do was get some sleep (somehow) and get up in time to make it there and get decent parking.

Got out of bed Tuesday morning with no problems, ate my yoghurt and honey, quick shower, a bit of preening then off I went a full hour before class time. Got to the school in about 15 minutes and went to the police station to buy another parking ticket. Their office was still closed and when I climbed back in my car, lo and behold there was my parking sticker under the accelerator pedal. Yee haw! Went over to my building and I got the most primo spot in the parking lot. It was glorious. Went into class geekily early and had my choice of seats. It seemed like all was falling into place.

So class is going to be tough, but I think with hard work, I'll make it through just fine. What other people can do, I can do.

Class let out about 15 minutes early so I moseyed over to the local community college to see if they would let me in their online General Psych class. The couselor who saw me said she'd just checked and that class was completely full. She opened up the screen and said "someone must have just dropped, because 2 places just became available" and so I was in that class, which is a pre-requisite for an online class I need to take this summer. SCORE! Went to the bookstore and stood in line for a bit and realized it was going to take me longer to get my books than it did to register, and one of the other students said to me that if I wasn't paying for books with financial aid, I could go to the express checkout. So I got registered for the online class AND paid for it and got my books all in less than an hour. I call that pretty cool. :)

Went to the rehearsal for the musical Tuesday night and was really worried how the director would react to me arriving 15 or 20 minutes late on this Thursday and the next one, but she was quite civil and thanked me for letting her know. Actually, most of the big stars of the musical have missed an entire rehearsal or two, so I don't feel terrible. It was a relief, though, to come clean about it. I have my A&P lab on Thursday nights.

This is going to be tough, and it's going to take a lot of hard work, but I think I'm going to be fine. Getting my butt in gear was harder than I can convey, but at this point, I'm pretty pleased. And the end of May will be here before we all know it, right?

Okay, Teacher. Bring it.

2012-01-17T07:47:00.001-06:00

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Is this video true?

2012-01-17T00:01:00.001-06:00

Is there actually a variety of giant redwood in England?

The Christmas decorations are down!

2012-01-16T00:01:00.001-06:00

And it's not even Valentine's Day yet. Have you seen those giant storage bags from Ziploc? I LOVE those things. All the garlands and decorations pretty much fit into 3 of those. I have some Christmas stuff ready to go to Goodwill, but at least it's all sorted and out of sight. I can imagine the owners of the immaculate property kitty-corner to me must have been losing their minds over my failure to remove the decorations. Furthermore, it wouldn't have happened without the capable and gallant Himself, who generously lent a hand on staple pulling and what not, particularly on the high bits on Sunday morning.

I was sort of in a cleaning frenzy Sunday in efforts to get things really ready for when I go to school on Tuesday morning. I don't know why, but it's extraordinarily difficult for me to keep horizontal surfaces free of clutter. Yeah, I know I should put things away immediately after using/bringing them in from the store/etc, but it seems nigh impossible. Nearly half the stuff on the dining table is related to painting the trim (or is the corner and divider blocks for the molding) and it seems impossible to not have renovation-related stuff littering up table tops, etc.

My front door is one of those steel-clad kind (with, I'm sure, a foam-core of some sort), and it's white and I'm befuddled as to how, but it was extremely grungey. I'm a devoted fan of Lysol Dual Action wipes with the textured side for de-glopping things. Still, I don't get how this door got so dirty. It's not as though I have a cavalcade of booger-coated chilluns running in and out but there were unidentifiable muck and oomska on the door. Needless to saym, the Lysol Dual Action Wipes were put to some serious hard use there. My cheapie front door is still a pig's ear, but at least it's a clean piggy, now. I was surprised to see how the (apparent) action of the Christmas wreath moving against the door worked a little gouge into the powder-coated paint. Odd.

Ah, well, it's all a work in progress, innit? The living room is clean again, and that alone seems like a miracle. Most of the laundry is done, too. Hopefully with a little effort tomorrow night, I'll have the dining room completely cleaned up, too. I need the table for homework.

I know it probably seems odd that since my tendency is clutter that I should feel a desperate need to have it all clean before class begins. Maybe it's just a psychological line of demarcation for me? I dunno. I just know I feel like I'll go nuts if this is not all sorted out by this time tomorrow night.

I'll get there.

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: a subtle hint that it's bedtime

2012-01-15T03:31:00.001-06:00

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Overheard in wal-mart

2012-01-14T15:54:00.001-06:00

Me: I think it's so smegged-up that Justin Bieber has a line of cosmetics and perfume.

Himself: I just think we need to be ready when he sheds his earthly body and begins to feed.

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Happy 15th birthday to a most beloved niece

2012-01-14T10:11:00.001-06:00

You may already be several inches taller than me, but no matter how tall you ever become, you'll always be my little lamb. I love you very much!

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Orienting myself.

2012-01-13T00:01:00.003-06:00

Orientation was a bit of a goat-rope on Thursday. It seemed a little over-long, but finally they corraled us all to our respective departments. Because I don't have all the prerequisites for applying for nursing school, I knew I'd have to get some out of the way, so I went in as an undeclared major and that meant I ended up not in the right place. The man in the wrong department told me to go over to the head of the nursing program and talk to her before I committed to some other class schedule.

I went into her office and waited-- she wasn't there. She breezed into the office, a flurry of energy. She was wearing high black boots, a short sweater dress, and she has a lot of flair, with short, spiky bleached hair. She looked amazing, actually. Hot. She said she'd have to review my records, that there were certain standards for the nursing program and my previous academic record would be significant. She directed me to sit near her and she pulled up my transcripts in her system. "Boy, you WERE a music major, weren't you?" she said as she flipped through the dozens of music credits in my file. Several times she said my grades were great and finally that she didn't think there would be a problem with me being accepted to the nursing program. :) She seemed happy to help me and gave me a paper to have someone sign to override the class limit for an Anatomy and Physiology I class that was already full, and I was IN. Class starts Tuesday. Books were $335. Srsly.

I have to take A&P II, Microbiology and a whole raft of other stuff sciencey before I'm admitted to the nursing program, but I'm really, really excited. I feel on much surer footing than I did 24 hours ago. I feel encouraged.

Thanks for all the well-wishes in comments. You really are a lovely bunch of folks. I feel like I'm at the edge of an ocean I have to swim. It's kind of scary, but it's exciting. Into the drink! I'll holler if I need a life-raft, mkay?

Hey, RUTH!

2012-01-12T21:03:00.001-06:00

Somewhere along the way, I've lost darling friend Ruth's phone number. Ruth, if you'll post me a comment with your phone number and email address here, I'll be able to call you sometime when I'm in Dallas, and I'll email you my jam recipe. :)

school days...

2012-01-12T00:01:00.002-06:00

I think I first enrolled at UNT (was then NTSU) in 1987 then abruptly stopped, and then Tarrant County Jr College (now Tarrant County College) in 1989for a couple of semesters, and then went back to UNT in 1996 with summers getting core classes out of the way at another area community college. Then last spring I got a math credit out of the way at yet another community college. I have 95 hours accumulated. I remember feeling vaguely oldish at the time I went back to school in 1996. I wonder what it will feel like at orientation later today, when probably most of the people my age are faculty or parents bringing their young'uns to college?

Odd.

Anyway. Today is orientation and whatnot. Here goes nothing.

my ring tone

2012-01-11T23:05:00.001-06:00

The whistling is my ring tone. Not the anemic singing, although I'm okay with that, too. Fun!

Standoff.

2012-01-11T11:25:00.001-06:00

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Fresh chickpeas!

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-06:00

I have no idea what to do with them. Anyone have experience cooking these? I had to try them, having only seen them dried or canned before.

Spent Monday night prepping for 2 more batches of cranapeno jam, the first of which I'll make tomorrow after work. I may make both batches tomorrow. Once you've got the whole shebang going, it's relatively easy to turn around and make another. But you sure do get tired of the process before it's over-- it's pretty exhausting, and you're working around dangerously hot glass and molten sugary liquids, so you have to stay on your toes not to get burned. Anyway, it seems like the most time-consuming part of this is prepping the cranberries and the jalapenos. You've got to hand-pick through the cranberries and toss out the bad ones, and for the neutered version, you have to get the seeds and veins out, which always makes me cough, a nice accompaniment to the stinging eyes. Anyway, it will all be worth it, and hopefully these two batches will go like clockwork. :)

Anyway - let me know if you have any tips on the fresh garbanzo beans!
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music I'm digging right now

2012-01-09T23:01:00.000-06:00

Love this song. Can't find it on iTunes or Amazon, though. *fume*

Lofticries by Purity Ring

Jam Session 2012 1.0

2012-01-09T00:01:00.004-06:00

Sunday night I made two more lots of cranberry/jalapeno jam in what may be the last batch I make of the stuff until next Fall. This is my favorite jam, period. One thing that's been challenging is to make it hot enough for the people who like a lot of heat in their jalapeno products. I do two batches- one which tries to be hot, and the other is a neutered version. This time I did something different. I made both batches on the same night and started with the neutered batch. I cleaned all the seeds and membranes from the peppers for the first lot, and then I put those membranes and seeds in with the massive pile of peppers on the second batch. I think I've at last achieved a fair bit of burn with the jam. Chopped up in the food processor, I had about 2 cups of jalapeno, or more.

The batch on the lower shelf is the neutered, and ended up only being 9 half-pint jars, and the upper level batch is the hot stuff. Honestly, I like this year-round on biscuits or turkey sandwiches or whatever. The bright spike of pepper is a nice foil for the bitterness of the cranberries, and that seems to balance out the sweetness, so it's not so cloying a jam as the usual fruit stuff. Then there's that perennial party favorite, cranapeno jam dumped over cream cheese and served with crackers. nom nom nom!

Turns out, both cranberries and jalapenos are excellent anti-oxidants, so you can feel slightly less self-indulgent for slathering it on whatever.

Some of this batch is for friends, some is for Tolewyn who helped me with a car battery emergency at the end of December, and the rest will be my personal stash. Amazingly, they still have about 10 bags of decent-looking cranberries at the market in town. I may snag those and make one more batch. It'd be a shame to run out of the stuff, wouldn't it?

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: Where's Praline?

2012-01-08T22:26:00.003-06:00

I thought this post went up about 12 hours ago from my iPhone, but apparently it failed.

Can you find the pretty doggie in this picture?

Molding. Yays!

2012-01-07T15:22:00.001-06:00

First 4 lengths of molding are up.

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happy dance

2012-01-06T12:48:00.001-06:00

Just found out I was accepted into local State university. Yays!!!

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But I'm not an athlete!!!

2012-01-06T00:01:00.001-06:00

I have to admit I've been in a serious funk for a couple of weeks. Himself sagely surmised that the puppies wanted me to have a sensational pair of shoes for Christmas, and so the puppies got me the shoes. Alas, I have not been able to wear them because one of my toes has gone full-on athletic. Actually, it is on the mend, but I'm at a loss as to where I may have picked up athlete's foot. The only place I've been near the bare feet of strangers has been at the Yoga studio. *ew* You take off your shoes in the foyer there and leave them on racks. I think I'll be wearing socks in and out, from now on.

Anyway, it's miserable stuff. From commercials I've half-way paid attention to, I thought athlete's foot itches. This hasn't itched-- it's hurt like a screaming mofo. Like wake-me-up-at-4AM hurting. Apparently some people have this on and off for years. I don't know how anyone stands that. I hope this is a one-time thing for me, too. *le sigh*

I want to wear my new shoes.

Maybe it'll all be better when I wake up in the morning?
There's no place like home. *click* *click* *click*

Icelandic folk song about a raven

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-06:00

I love the percussive energy of these vocals and the way the tones glance off each other in a way which suggests the opposite of bubblegum.

Un-decking the halls

2012-01-04T00:01:00.001-06:00

Not great pictures, I know, but I wanted something to remember my Christmas decor by. I thought my little house looked so cute be-swagged in red lights and greenery. On the porch columns I did this little fishnet effect with some cheapie green garland and wee plastic red ornaments and florist wire, and I wasn't terribly precise with it, but I still think it turned out very cute. Of all my houses, this is the first time I really did exterior ornament of any kind for Christmas, and I really liked it.

Unfortunately, though, I don't want to alarm the neighbors. Inside, I have left a Christmas tree up past Valentine's day before, but I don't think I could get away with this on the exterior for very long. It's coming down tomorrow.

*le sigh*

It was fun, though. I plan to do it again!

potty humour from Cagney and Lacey on the Graham Norton Show

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I know it's tacky, but it's really funny. Killer moment for me was when Sharon Gless said "I don't remember eating that." I noticed she referred to Tyne as "Mary Beth", so I suppose this was an in-character moment.

Meaning no offense to anyone, but I hope this gives you a grin. These ladies are really funny. :)

True story: man uses handgun to free 3 children from submerged car

2012-01-02T10:55:00.002-06:00

Odd situation, but nice to see a news story featuring an example of a firearm being used in the rescue of 3 young children. :)

I'm not trying to judge the driver of the vehicle, but I would not have left the car without securing my children and/or my puppies first. If that meant my own death, then so be it. Very odd, indeed. I could not have lived with myself otherwise had any of them died.

Oddly enough...

2012-01-01T15:26:00.002-06:00

...there is a watch for high winds throughout most of the midwest for today and early this week, with a high wind warning particularly for Iowa. In light of Tuesday's primary, I think this comes as no surprise for Iowans.

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: first pup-snap of the year

2012-01-01T08:22:00.001-06:00

The pups have been fed and outdoored, and Chuy seemed contemplative before deciding to get back under covers. Miss Praline, of course, had already taken her narrow self back undercovers, because it was cold outside. Happy new year!!!

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Is it weird?

2011-12-31T23:58:00.001-06:00

... That when I look up at a monitor in a bar or a restaurant, that I prefer the football people with big bellies? Is that odd?

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Rarely has pulling a lever for a presidential candidate been an undiluted pleasure for me, but...

2011-12-31T14:06:00.004-06:00

...if current trends continue, I don't see any candidate I could vote for without the bile rising in my gorge. I think I'll be writing in my preference in November.

*le sigh*

Hungry Ghosts

2011-12-30T00:01:00.002-06:00

This lovely group disbanded in 2001, but I'm so glad of the internet, for I have found them at last. This is haunting and lovely. Apparently, there is currently a UK band called Hungry Ghosts, and they are different from this one.

Very nice, like a super-slow tango, or something. Charming.

New favorite toy/ pupdate

2011-12-29T00:01:00.001-06:00

You see the pink piggy toy, eyes bulging, quaking with fear, futilely trying to scooch itself to safety under the lap throw on the sofa? Alas, poor piggy! It's doomed! Doomed! Doomed, I tell you! No amount of scooching could save piggy from the rapacious maw of Miss Mandible.

doomed.

Praline chewed piggy for hours and finally decided a game of fetch was what this party needed. She dropped the toy on the sofa by my leg and sat there wearing patience like a statue until I noticed my wee hairy obsessive one sitting, staring at me and awaiting my pitch of the beloved object. This happened over and over, and I would realize she'd been waiting patiently and silently for no-telling-how-long, as I watched a film on the DVD. This one could give seminars on focus.

I will say this piggy gets major points for staying power. Mumsy's little FurGirlie is a ferocious toy de-squeaker(sometimes only taking a minute or two to disembowel a toy), and she has had this toy for over 10 hours without putting the kibosh on the squeak. I chalk this up to the thickness of the hard rubber on the toy-- it actually takes a huge effort for her to squeeze hard enough to make it squeak. Now, it did have two little appendage ears, but we snipped those off when it looked like she was going to eat them, and she's been obsessing over piggy ever since. She finally wore herself out and is passed out in her kennel cab with piggy.

We'll see how much longer this lasts, but it's already a record-breaker, methinks. More pupdates to follow.

A few hours ago...

2011-12-28T23:11:00.001-06:00

my sister sent me a text telling me to go to Netflix and watch Mary and Max immediately. I absolutely loved it. Very sweet. Not for kids, though.

Douchebaggery 101

2011-12-28T10:54:00.002-06:00

There's a guy who's apparently a famous football player anmed Deion Sanders who announced his divorce online. Problem with that was, well, he hadn't bothered to inform his wife of 12 years in advance of that announcement, and she was, well, surprised.

I don't need to add anything to that at all, do I?

Let's see if there is hue and cry about this, hmm? Surely this is more of an outrage than some guy kneeling when he's scored a touchdown, right?

Shamelessly purloined...

2011-12-27T13:48:00.001-06:00

...from Bayou Renaissance Man, comes this exquisite, haunting Macedonian melody, performed by two cellists on one cello.

Gorgeous!

A sweet song about time with family at Christmas

2011-12-27T09:07:00.002-06:00

He sings to his jet-lagged baby girl (he and his family live in London but hail from Australia) that she'll won't understand, but with the family she'll be handed round like a puppy at a primary school, and she'll come to understand one day that these are the people who make her feel safe.

This song is incredibly sweet and still manages to be funny occasionally. If your parents did it right, you'll be yearning to spend Christmas with them. My parents did it right, and I had a lovely time with Mom and Dad. I hope your Christmas was as warm and happy as mine was. :)

Amazing Roman aqueducts

2011-12-27T00:01:00.001-06:00

Have you looked a photos of ancient Roman aqueducts still standing around the planet? A few are even still functional, after 2000 years, including at least one in Rome itself. Impressive.

Here's a great site that shows examples called Bridges that Babble, and features 15 amazing Roman aquefers. The scale of the architecture is breathtaking, and the skill of the craftsmen who built these water delivery systems is nothing short of exquisite.

I also found this one online at Nerja, on the Southern coast of Spain.

A scene from Greater Redneckia

2011-12-26T06:08:00.001-06:00

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Merry Christmas From The Family

2011-12-25T00:01:00.001-06:00

This one is endlessly mesmerizing to me.

Feliz Navidad!

David Sedaris on Dutch Christmas tradition

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

Pup o the mornin' to ya!

2011-12-23T11:13:00.001-06:00

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A proper bath.

2011-12-23T00:01:00.001-06:00

It seems for weeks and weeks there's been sore little time to really relax. I've been involved in rehearsals or making jam or doing Christmas-related things or trying to get things more organized and I just realized Thursday that it's been absolute ages since I've had a bath rather than the usual shower.

In fact, recently in a store, I took a chance on a little box of bath melts. I was not familiar with the brand, Heyland and Whittle, and I really didn't know the contents of the melts, but the packaging looked quite refined and the fragrance of the contents seemed sweet and heady, so I indulged and sprang the dough. In truth, I spent over an hour worth of pay on this box, so I figured this had better be amazing stuff. Looking at their website now, I see the box of bath melts was comprised of skin-loving shea butter and I paid about half the UK retail value. Not only am I proud of myself for my little splurge, I'm vowing to go back and buy up the lot of what is left in the store. They are that good. I officially have a new love in the bathtub. The English know herbs, and it's no surprise that some of the most scrumptious bath products hail from there. (think Lush and Crabtree & Evelyn).

About Thursday night - I managed to get out of work about 30 minutes early and I tottered off to town. Hit Sam's for some goat cheese (which I love on greens instead of salad dressing) and then a swing by a salon where I allowed myself to be talked into a pedicure. Then back home, managed to have an indulgent evening despite getting some laundry done. Bowl of pasta with pesto and goat cheese on the sofa with the puppies and the latest version of Jane Eyre running and a not-bad(believe it or not) screw-top bottle of Spanish plonk, then it was on to the bathtub to try out the new bathmelts. I expected fizz, but it only melted and made my skin feel softer and smoother. Nice! I used the marigold, btw, and it's shocking how glorious it smells, considering I've always found marigolds to be on the stinky side. :P

So there I was, enveloped in all that lovely fragrant warmth, and occasionally puppies peeked over the side of the tub to give me quick little kisses. It was quite restorative. I feel so much better. I do love the claw-foot bathtub, but I have to say that looking up at the ceiling, its relief burnished with the glow of a candle, I was very happy with my selection of house in general, for all its shortcomings, and it felt very good to have earned a nice bath.

Now into the wild rush of the holiday weekend. I hope you, too, can find a moment for yourself to throw on the breaks and savor something nice all by yourself. Life is sweet.

Why is there a permanent dimple in my leather recliner?

2011-12-22T00:01:00.001-06:00

Hmmm...

Somehow, I just can't muster madness at that sweet little face. As long as she doesn't chew shoes or holsters, she's pretty much got carte blanche.
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Dragon Leatherworks: A very nice holster for a very special gun

2011-12-21T00:01:00.004-06:00

My carry gun in recent years has been an Airweight J frame, but in recent times I've wanted to explore upping the firepower of what I'm carrying. Himself gallantly bequeathed me the gun that killed Santa Claus, and the search was on for a suitable holster for same. Having long admired the look of Dennis Badurina's holsters over at Dragon Leatherworks, I was thrilled to acquire a quite smart-looking Flatjack with gorgeous stingray hide inset detail.

I don't claim to be any kind of gun expert. Though I love to shoot, I don't shoot nearly so often as I would prefer. I'm just a regular, rapidly-hurtling-into-middle-age woman with tastes related to comfort as well as style and sheer functionality. I'm short but I'm not tiny, and though I do have an approximation of a waistline, I have a junky trunk and angular things don't tend to fit well on my person. Generally, I've carried the J frame in an inner pocket of my handbag, but I feel like my posture is being affected by that carrying method. A couple of pounds wouldn't seem like they'd make that much difference, but they really have. The J frame seems sticky-outie in that small holster when on my belt, and was bad to catch on clothing due to the angle. Other methods for carrying the J frame are in the offing, but that will be talk for another time.

The Dragon Leatherworks holster arrived much sooner than I expected it, and it was visually and tactilely pleasing. The craftsmanship is quite well-executed, and the color options make for increased potential to put your personal touch on what you are wearing. I can't say enough how beautiful the stingray hide is. If I could, I'd cover a wall in the stuff-- it's that neat, and it seems far more durable than I would have imagined it to be. I also take the pretty underwear approach to holster aesthetics: though I would not show all and sundry the very pretty bra I'm wearing, I like knowing it's there. Same thing with my holster-- I pray there's never need for anyone around me in a non-sport-shooting setting to know that I'm even carrying, but I like knowing that the holster is something in keeping with my own style. To this end, the flatjack is very satisfying.

As for functionality, as you see in the photo above, the Flatjack sits nicely against my round hip, and yet the butt of the pistol does not cant out at an angle that would grab excessively on other things. In this photo, I have a long sweater pulled up to reveal the gun, but I can actually wear that sweater down over this pistol/holster combination without printing.

The pistol fits smoothly and snugly into the holster, but I also don't have to struggle to pull it out.

The best thing I can say about this holster comfort-wise is that I don't notice it being in the way or uncomfortable. I have started to notice not having an ache between my shoulder blades due to a heavy handbag, and I don't seem to have any ill physical effects from the weight being held snugly against my person. Neither the pistol nor the holster dig into my ribs or my side or my hip, which was something I worried would happen with my short waist and this larger gun.

I think this design and model of holster is an excellent value, and I hope Dennis has a long and distinguished career in this art. I definitely plan to buy his holsters for more of my pistols in future.

I've always admired the penetrating intellect and startling wit of Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-20T00:22:00.000-06:00

Christopher Hitchens has died and I want to link here what I posted in Spring of 2007.
I highly recommend this clear-thinking article by Christopher Hitchens:
She's No Fundamentalist - What people get wrong about Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
There, Christopher Hitchens calls media pundits on the carpet for mis-characterizing Ayaan by calling her a "fundamentalist" and dismissing her views as "absolutist."
What was she thinking, that uppity woman, to shoot her mouth off about Islam? Doesn't she know we're all supposed to be towing (or toeing?) the politically correct party line? We can't afford to piss anyone off - shhhh! - they might bomb us.
Here are some great links & blog posts from Zelda at Sleeping Ugly about Ayaan and what she's been going through in recent years. Zelda's first post in that grouping features a link to a clip of Bill Maher's show on which Ayaan makes minced meat of the empty-headed windbags on the panel, including Maher. Her elegant, directly stated observation is the ultimate soft answer which turns away wrath, and impossible to refute.
What I'm wondering is if Islam is the religion of peace, as so many of its clueless defenders in the self-loathing Western media claim (indeed, they are so Godless that they admire anyone who can muster fervent belief in anything -- with the exception, of course, of Christianity), then where are the men of Arab and/or Muslim origin who are standing up to this fundamentalism which nakedly aspires to dismantle Western civilization? Where are all these supposed Muslims who are opposed to fundamentalist agression? Either they are cowardly, or they do not exist.

Yet one mere woman dares to raise her voice in opposition to the culture of violence and oppression to which she was born. It's nice to know someone has the cojones to call a dog a dog, even if that someone is female-- someone has to be one of the first to scramble over the barricade.

Thank God for uppity women.

Thanks too, to Christopher for all the energy and thought-provoking observations he brought to every argument. He will be missed.

South Park creators won't have Kim Jong Il to kick around any more

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-06:00

Then again, sometimes a dead horse wants more beating, so I hope they keep it up.

I give you Big Dwarf Rodeo from Reverend Horton Heat's 1991 Smoke 'em If You Got 'em.

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: morning glories

2011-12-18T10:32:00.001-06:00

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At karaoke [insert operatic laugh]

2011-12-17T22:11:00.001-06:00

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sorry for the minimal posting of late.

2011-12-17T16:45:00.004-06:00

There's not been a lack of inspiration of late, but a lack of time to document same. Not doing a Christmas tree this year-- alas-- but I did decorate the exterior of the house for a change, and I'll try to get a picture up soon. Work has been very busy with two interviews for promotions (didn't land the assignments, but at least I do get to continue to work from home with the puppies nearby for the foreseeable future) and the usual shopping scramble one expects this time of year. I've got baking to do and cranapeno jam to make, so I expect I'll be a busy bee for the next week. To make matters worse, I've tried to post occasionally on the fly from my iPhone, and the darned thing has been failing to upload the posts. Meh. As if I wasn't busy enough already, I've applied for a local State university, and pending their receipt of transcripts from all my other schools including the community college I attended in Spring, I hope to be enrolled in one or two classes for the coming semester. Wish me luck on that one.

I've bought some new furniture and shelving recently and I'm trying to get the house more organized, but the net effect is that it looks more like a tornado hit the place. Darkest just before dawn, eh? At least I have a lower bed now and I will worry less about Chuy and Praline doing long-term damage to their joints and spines with the leap onto/off of the bed. Plus now I don't have to climb up, either. Everybody wins, on that one. :)

Is this a feature or a flaw?

2011-12-15T00:01:00.002-06:00

I must seem incredibly accessible to total strangers, because it's startling the wide range of random crap people say to me in stores. Recently I was in big home improvement store in the paint department and a lady walked up to the counter with a fistful of paint chips and started raving about how perfect my scarf was with my hair and coloring, etc, and then she remarked upon my nail polish and she apologized for her hands- said she kept beating them up and I said that in a few days I'd be painting and mine would be all to' up as well. My paint freshly mixed, I said "bye" and walked on.

I went over to the light fixtures and got a new one for the bathroom, then moseyed over to light bulbs and then to the checkout stand. I was facing the checkout, waiting for the guy in front of me to finish, and I noticed paint chip lady was standing there, kind of in my personal space. If I was facing 12 o'clock, she was at about 3:30, and verrrrry close. I turned and smiled at her and she looked startled and said "I'm not trying to buggy-f**k ya."

Wot? omg. It was especially odd because she didn't even have a buggy.

This utterance made it my turn to look startled, then she started prattling about having lived in Germany for a long time and how those Germans just love to buggy-f**k ya even when you can't possibly move forward at all, and she would never be doing that to me because she hates having that done to her. I smiled and said "It's okay. I wouldn't let you if you wanted to."

How strange is that, though? I mean, have you ever even heard of "buggy-f**king" and if so, how long has this been going on?

Just when I think I've heard it all...

Kickaxe!

2011-12-14T00:01:00.002-06:00

I love Axe Cop!

And I'm so having Portal Gun envy. Just dial where you want to go, and shoot out a portal!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Now! MOAR exclamation pointses!!!!!!

Join the ranks of the young and exotic.

2011-12-13T20:23:00.002-06:00

or not. Or just listen to this groovy holiday track from Combustible Edison.

10:03 and I'm in bed early for a change

2011-12-12T22:11:00.001-06:00

It's not just getting ready for the holidays and all that-- I've been incredibly busy in and out of work. There's a seasonal surge in my industry around the holidays so I've been working overtime quite a few days lately.

I had a bad day at work last Tuesday, and I applied for a state university in the area that day. I've gotta get my transcripts ordered from all other school and then I'll at least be back on the slow boat to china with regards to my education.

I interviewed for a position a couple weeks ago and knew I wasn't a fit for the posting even before the interview. This really took the pressure off, and I hope I was able to make a favorable impression on a neat new boss lady. But if I never get promoted, I stay homE with my pups, right???

I'm not seeing a down-side.

I'll try to post more, m'dears.

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Sunday Puppy Sunday: a good investment

2011-12-11T23:24:00.003-06:00

The house is toasty warm with all the new insulation in the attic and the new windows, but the floor is still a bit chilly. When the weather started getting colder, Chuy wanted to spend the whole day on my lap, and that's not conducive to me getting work done, so last week I purchased a heated pet bed for them, and they like it a whole whole bunch. :) And on my lap or not, they remain my teeny tiny toasties.

Ivan probably blame this on my iPhone, but...

2011-12-11T21:24:00.002-06:00

[thank you, auto-blood-correct on my iphone -- subject line was meant to be "i can probobably", not "ivan probably"]
I'm having a bear of a time updating my blog, of late. I've been dizzyingly busy in a good way, and the phone updates I've attempted to post have failed more than half the time. This time, I'm trying to post with no photos, and hopefully that will make the difference. I hope you are all having a grand holiday season with your dear ones. I'm cherishing every moment with my sweet puppydogs. Cheers to you all, and I'll post at greater length very soon.

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Scrooge up your courage.

2011-12-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

In and out of stores lately I've heard enough jingle music to choke a barge brim-full of goats. It was therefore refreshing that when I went into Tuesday Morning several days back I heard that gloriously composed and quirky song Lush Life, a nice version of which evades me on Yootoob, and I'll therefore not post it here. Lush Life is a beautiful but sad song, and, frankly, depressing. It was such a downer of a contrast from the shoulder sagging weight of the usual high-test Christmas vivarin-laced cheer that it made me feel oddly peppy and happy.

I'm not feeling grumpy, but I'm kind of tired of all the pop tart noodling, them hosing up the Christmas standards they way the intercourse up the National Anthem before games of every stripe.

Nope. Not gonna do grumpy, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate some vicarious grumping. Here's Miles Davis' Blue Christmas. You'll recognize the vocalist Bob Dorough (Multiplication Rock) from some of the Schoolhouse rock songs. Good stuff! Also known as Blue Xmas, I think?

The astonishing musical stylings of Jeff Buckley

2011-12-08T00:01:00.001-06:00

Remarkable vocalist, extraordinarily gifted guitarist, lost too soon.

My thoughts are with FarmFamily today

2011-12-07T09:33:00.001-06:00

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A quick glimpse at some wonderful glassworking by William Gudenrath

2011-12-06T23:52:00.001-06:00

A superlative day with a fragrant ending...

2011-12-06T00:01:00.001-06:00

I'm working on this customer. I normally will spend my day on the phone with possibly a couple dozen customers. Monday I spent about 4 hours making calls to vendors, internal calls, trying to resolve issues for this one lady who is a cornucopia of neuroses and, uh, special circumstances. I hate this and I love it. The people who are negative vortices of energy are the biggest triumph when you ride them out and make them fans anyway, and that's always my goal-- show them they can't wear me down and that I'm going to surpass their expectations no matter how committed they are to their disappointments and failures. I feel I turned the corner with her and it's all going to be okay. And then, if against all reason, they are still disappointed at the end of the day, I can reasonably conclude they are clearly insane not to fall utterly in love with me and I move on with my life and to hopefully help someone more deserving of my exceptional attention to service.

After two months of generally feeling sick and crappy, the last week I've been feeling healthy again. I feel [touch wood] that exercising won't put me into a pneumonia-vulnerable state any more, so I only worked an hour late Monday. After work, I showered with a lovely lavender soap and went to yoga for the first time in over 2 months, hair swept up in a long ponytail. It felt amazing and I loved the smell of the soap and the fresh workout gear. I arrived at this class, and classical music was playing as the teacher put us through a slow-flow fusion of yoga styles. The studio was nearly dark, with a couple of indirect soft lights, and there was a nice scent-- vetiver or somesuch. Some poses were utterly unfamiliar, and some were glove-fit-perfection, and the first half hour was pretty rigorous, but by the end, laying in corpse pose felt like a great reward, eyes closed. The instructor put a cloth over my eyes and a nice lavender sachet on top of that. The scent was heady and relaxing.

Driving home afterward, feeling turbo-chilled and like nothing but nothing could possibly harsh my mellow, the path curved around when too late my headlamps illuminated the roadway ahead leaving void a distinctive wodge of negative space waddling into the roadway, white stripe cleaving its middle like a belligerent middle-finger waggling the threat of olfactory horrors my way. Whoopsie. Having swerved over as far right as I might without leaving the roadway, my left front tire still managed to squish the varmint soundly and I was in paroxysms of squick as I drove the rest of the way home, suddenly unmellowed to a profound degree. Went to the little supermarket in my town and noticed the folks seemed -- something-- odd-- I didn't think about it too much. I approached the cashier and she smiled then her face clouded as I drew near. I suddenly fancied I smelled something undesirable and blurted "do you smell skunk?" and she seemed not to want to say so, kind of screwed up her face and said, meekly, "kinda."

I stink of skunk. Goody.

I got home and the pups seemed to think I smelled interesting. Too interesting. Clothing got bunged in the washer and I gave meself a proper scrubbing and hair-washing. *shudder*

Later, dear friend Daniel came by in his luxurious new sedan and took me for a ride around the block. I asked if he smelled skunk. He said he didn't but then again, he'd just run over one about 20 minutes earlier that had recently been killed. What are the odds that your friend in a new car will run over the skunk you just killed? Anyway, I suppose if you're going to have friends, it's nice if you're all inured to the same kind of stink, innit?

Ooosh!

2011-12-05T11:23:00.001-06:00

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View from my office.

2011-12-05T07:51:00.001-06:00

I let teh puppehs out about 4:00am and it was 37 degrees and no snow. Awoke 3 hours later to a blanket of white. :)

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A Grand Lady has passed away.

2011-12-04T18:16:00.003-06:00

The past few Fall seasons, the kind and generous FarmFamily has hosted a gathering for shooting and fellowship, and I've been honored to be included among the guests. Always, we have been welcomed into the home of the lovely and lively Mamaw. Mere months after the gathering last year, she was diagnosed with a very agressive form of cancer. I've been in touch most closely with FarmMom and she's kept me updated on Mamaw. When I saw her in October, I thought she looked quite peachy considering what she had been through. The most telling signs of her ordeal was a troublesome cough and baldness I'd not thought to expect, nor to ask FarmMom about. Amazingly, Mamaw wore baldness with an adorable frankness that showed what a plucky and fearless woman she really was. Friday her struggle came to an end. I'm honored to have known her for these past few years-- a time all too brief-- and I pray the FarmFamily is much comforted by the warm memories of her courageous spirit and deep well of strength. I know one reason they are such remarkable people is because they were born of women like Mamaw. May she rest in peace, and may all who grieve her be comforted.

Sitting in rehearsal Thursday night...

2011-12-02T00:01:00.001-06:00

I sat next to an older woman, and she and I pretty much amused ourselves the whole time. The group consisted of about 40 or so people, and it was a very chaotic practice session. She and I quipped and twittered sotto voce until the chorus director finally called for a break about 3/4 of the way through the ordeal. I wandered off to the loo and came back and sat beside her and she said "what is your name?" I told her my name, and she gasped, grinned and nodded as if she knew something about me that I didn't know my ownself. She proceeded to tell me that for 21 years of military service, when she went out to kick up her heels and whoop it up, if someone asked her name, she'd say "My name is Rita" and generally operated on the premise that someone with such a naughty name should be forgiven pretty much anything. The previous time I've heard a story like this was when a fabulous woman told me her shopping persona (with very expensive taste) was named Rita.

I like these stories. I'm sticking to them. Or they are sticking to me.

You can't handle teh Kewt!

2011-12-01T10:07:00.002-06:00

Excuse messy house. Teh Kewt trumps messy.

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**looking at this later, I'm enjoying the redneckery of the tennis-racket shaped handheld bug zapper on the coffee table.

Sarah Vowell is hilarious.

2011-11-30T00:01:00.001-06:00

Speaking at a University, Sarah Vowell was asked what she thinks of all the people in the audience who were sending and receiving text messages during her time at the podium. Here is her response:

1.5 years later, still experiencing thermostat rage

2011-11-29T11:34:00.003-06:00

I don' t know what happened to distract me (new job? general house renovations, etc?), but in summer of last year I vowed to sashay out to the hardware store for a new thermostat. I have as yet to fulfill that vow, but about 4AM I awakened to a bloody boiling house. In winter, I generally keep the thermostat anywhere between 60 and 65 F. This keeps me comfortable and makes for a good temp for snuggling pups, and keeps me from getting hot if I bustle about the house.

The digital thermostat I have in now keeps re-setting itself to heat the house to 70, which is much too hot for my tastes. I'd already prepared for a cold night by putting on a down comforter and a large heavy blanket, plus installing after-burnered furballs in bed for area heating purposes. Praline sleeps by my feet (toasty!) and Chuy is always against by stomach or my back, so I'm pretty much covered for furry hot-water bottle style heat.

Anyway, I'm going to get the old manual toggle style thermostat, since this one clearly answers to Sauron, and no amount of fiddling on my part will compel it to do my bidding. Piece of crap. Yes. This one's going to be blown to bits on some upcoming range day.

...and speaking of range days... I'll be posting my view soon of a gorgeous holster from Dragon Leatherworks. Watch this space.

First morning with new bedroom curtains

2011-11-28T07:55:00.001-06:00

I painted the new wood on 3 of my 14 windows yesterday. Made coverings/curtains for 9 of them, and hung 8 of those. Waking up today, the place has a decidedly more cheerful aspect. Gone are the ghetto sheet/pillowcase curtains. Yay!

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Sunday, Puppy Sunday: pup-sprung.

2011-11-27T21:34:00.003-06:00

I bought a new recliner (my first, in truth) about 2 months ago and the pups just LURVE perching on the top of it. Consequently, the top of the recliner has a sort of deflated look. Of course, I don't scold the puppies-- this is their home too-- because they are just wallowing in a bit, and not clawing or chewing and being actively destructive. Lucky for me I'm short enough that I don't really need the top part much, anyhow. :P

Yes, btw, the puppies DO love their sweaters. They seem to have observed that the sweaters have a warm-making effect, and on the cold nights and days, they are happy for the wee extra bit of insulation. :)

Baby, it's cold outside.

2011-11-26T11:35:00.002-06:00

Or at least it's getting that way quickly, the mercury having dropped about 15 degrees since I first awakened today. I have today and the next 3 days off, and I'm determined to get a lot done on the house, so I suppose it's just as well that it's stay-at-home weather. Still, I'd love to curl up with a mug of hot tea and the book I'm reading all weekend. One thing that is glorious is how the house is staying warmer with all the new windows. This is a relatively small house and it has a LOT of windows (14, I like a bright home), so those old single-pane aluminum ones seemed to wick cold (or heat, ugh) into the home with remarkable efficiency. This is much better, and they look much prettier. :) I need to do some rudimentary window coverings this weekend so I can take down the sheets, which probably look rather ghetto. :P

I have a pot of beans cooking in the slow cooker with some nice spices and a heaping helping of roasted Hatch chiles. I can hardly wait. There may be cornbread in the offing later on, too. Teh puppehs have their sweaters on, and it's time to roll up the old sleeves.

I have all my crown molding for the house. I need to paint that and to prime and paint the remainder of the corner and divider blocks for that trim. I really want at least one room of crown molding up before I go back to work on Wednesday.

I decided to dispense with mitering the corners by using these corner blocks, and I already have two rooms' worth primed and painted and ready to go up. Several weeks back at Seconds and Surplus in Dallas, I was able to purchase a pre-primed wood crown molding for the entire house for less than $250, including tax. However, due to the limitations of my glorious little chariot, I could only buy the 8' lengths, rather than 16', so nearly every wall in the house would need a mitered join for the molding. I've decided to put a divider block (not the size on ad, btw) on each wall, obviating the need to miter the molding, thus sparing the horse wot am performing the odious task for me. The rooms are not huge, so I hope that breaking of the line of the molding with dividers doesn't make the rooms look even more chopped up and wee. I definitely don't need things to look more small and cluttered than they already are.

Pictures soon to follow. Hope you have a great weekend!

The goats who stared at pumpkins

2011-11-26T11:32:00.002-06:00

And ate them.

Took these pictures on Wednesday when it was all sunny and bright. I pass this herd of goats quite frequently and think the kids are so adorable.

mmmm. Cabrito. Yum!

Happy music for a happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T12:53:00.001-06:00

Ferrofluid

2011-11-23T00:01:00.002-06:00

Have you heard of ferrofluid? Ferrofluids are colloidal liquids made of nanoscale ferromagnetic, or ferrimagnetic, particles suspended in a carrier fluid (usually an organic solvent or water), and they become strongly magnetized in the presence of a magnetic field.

There's loads of videos of these on YouTube, but I like this one in particular. Fascinating stuff.

Where's Chewie? purse Wookie update

2011-11-22T22:48:00.002-06:00

Mosey over to Brigid's to see the latest sighting of Chewie the Purse Wookie.

Kitten bowling

2011-11-22T00:48:00.001-06:00

That is all.

Just because you CAN laser-etch anything into granite or marble doesn't mean you should.

2011-11-21T00:01:00.001-06:00

Shamelessly purloined from-- oh, several places.

I actually hope this is fake.

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: yin/yang pups

2011-11-20T18:55:00.002-06:00

Sorry the posting has been sporadic lately, but I've been super-busy, and my iPhone Blogger application has not been cooperating, for the most part, so I haven't even been able to post on the fly, most of the time.

Today's puppy photo is of the pups cuddled on a blanket on the sofa. Sorry for the poor lighting, but hopefully you have an inkling of how sweet the moment was.

Fix-A-Flat Ass

2011-11-19T14:29:00.003-06:00

A woman in Florida has been arrested for surgically enhancing the rears of other people by injecting them with a mixture of cement, superglue and Fix-A-Flat.

Um. Wow.

true conversation from my living room 5 minutes ago

2011-11-19T14:24:00.002-06:00

LawDog: How many people are in Columbus?

aepilot_jim: It's the capitol of Ohio.

LawDog: So... 5,000 people?

aepilot_jim: Spoken like a true Texan.

landed a small role in the musical.

2011-11-19T08:12:00.003-06:00

I was excited to learn that I'd been cast in a small role in the musical, and then I went to the theater company's website and saw photos of their current production, all singers wearing small headset microphones. Oh, dear. My singing is full-voiced, and I'm nervous about how that is going to affect the other singers who only croon. Maybe they can ramp the amplification down on my mic? I was excited because this is an older musical with big chorus parts that simply beg for full-voice, classical singing, and it didn't occur to me that the company would use mics on stage.

*sigh*

Still, I'm pleased to be in the cast and I'll do my best to fit in while not hiding it under a bushel.

careerbuilder.com's last-ditch attempt to reel me back in.

2011-11-17T00:01:00.002-06:00

When I was looking to make a change and move away from Dallas, I dipped my toe in the pool with careerbuilder.com. Even with extensive customer service and management experience, I didn't get a single email or call from any interested parties in the area where I wanted to move. Within several months of seeing this was a dead-end, I stopped biting at the leads they dangled, and eventually blocked their address from my email.

They seem to have retooled their email address, because this week I got a new come-on from them with a whole bevy of new career prospects for me. The top match for me?

Funeral Director/Embalmer.

Among the requirements: Must have a current Funeral Director/Embalmer license with the state

Hmph. Let me check my little index of certifications. Embalmer license? Check. Embalmer license for the State O' Texas? Curses! Foiled again!

How they made the leap from my job history/qualifications to Funeral Director/Embalmer is a mystery to me. And not to disparage that job type at all-- I'm sure they make metric butt-tons more money than I do now, and obviously, they fill a necessary niche that is not for everyone. I'm still just baffled this was sent to me as an option.

By the way, careerbuilder, I don't have an arc-welding license or a degree in rocket surgery, either, FWIW.

If I wasn't cynical about careerbuilder.com before, I certainly would be now. As it is, this only pushed me farther around the bend.

Pshaw.

Howard Garrett - the Dirt Doctor

2011-11-16T00:01:00.002-06:00

A few weeks back I did an important post on Fidotoxicity which I hope will help spread the word on this serious occurrence. Some wrote and asked for links to Howard Garrett's site and for information on his radio show. You can go to his site here and here's a link to his excellent radio show information,which you can listen to online. Howard's methods are for organic gardening and his show is where I've learned much of what I know about letting nature work for you by using native perennials to have a garden scheme that is hardy to your region's weather and soil. Though his focus is on the heat-hardy perennials for the North Texas region, he also has a wealth of information on the site related to things which are universal, such as proper depth for planting a tree to engineer the long-term health of same. He also touts the importance of letting nature help you control pests with beneficial insects like ladybugs and mantids. One thing I highly recommend is his recipes for soil amendments like compost tea. These things are easy and just take a little bit of effort, and are ultimately cheaper than using toxic pre-packaged chemical stuff the stores sell.

The ladybug thing may be regional, though, FWIW. I was visiting my Great Aunt L. and her husband in the Ozarks one Autumn when the days were still warm but nights were chill, and there were swags of thousands of ladybugs trying to get into her house at the windows and doors. I would buy a bag of about 1000 ladybugs at Redenta's or some such garden centerin Dallas, but Aunt L couldn't give them away. The "one man's trash ..." principle applies here, I suppose.

Can't believe I let someone goad me into this, but...

2011-11-15T19:42:00.001-06:00

I'm at an audition for a musical. I'm like the oldest person here. They're all children.

Maybe they need a crone in this production...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Guilty pleasure - Craig Colton on UK X Factor

2011-11-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that I adore Craig Colton's voice and song stylings on X Factor UK. So many of those pop idol shows are chock full of predictable, trite singing that's just like what already pollutes the airwaves, and Craig is actually quite gifted and unique. He doesn't fit the usual popstar mold, and I like him all the more for that, plus he makes a Lady Gaga sound better than I knew it could. Plus, he's a Scouser.

The singing on the video starts about 1:40, but it's fun to hear his charming accent, too. Check it!

un-asked for diagnosis.

2011-11-14T18:52:00.002-06:00

Went to the dr today, and they xrayed my lungs and there is no pneumonia. In fact, the radiologist said everything from heart to lungs is normal or not unusual. The dr said I need to see a pulmonologist to test for lung function. She said that a cough can linger a couple months after an illness. Goody.

They gave me a printout of the analysis of my films from the radiologist, including the one from when I went in two weeks ago. I pulled into my drive at home and looked at the printout and noticed this little depth-charge: Mild degenerative disc disease is demonstrated at multiple interspace levels in the thoracic spine, it said.

Uh, what?

The first person I told about this said "it's an age thing, sweetie."

Um, ouch.

How did this getting old thing start happening to me?
Cough or no, I'm getting back into the yoga studio. Even if I only do half the stuff and end up laying in corpse pose for half the time, at least I'll feel like I'm doing something, instead of feeling held hostage by a cough like I have for the past 5 weeks. I don't think I have symptoms of the disc thingie yet. Let's hope I continue not to have...

Remiss in my posting, correcting a neglected duty with regard to Veteran's Day.

2011-11-13T22:09:00.003-06:00

Roberta says it here, perfectly: We are indebted to the men and women who have nobly served our nation, and under the weather on Veteran's Day on Friday, I didn't post at all, but I did pause to consider them and to give thanks for their commitment. Saturday I tipped a five spot into a VFW can at the local grocer and took a lovely little poppy for my lapel, which I'll keep wearing.

I'm still reeling from the aftermath of illness. Last week's business trip seems not to have helped. I'll work at least part of the day tomorrow, but this cough is still so bad that I'll probably go to the dr tomorrow. The dr a week ago yesterday told me that after all the shots and 20 days of oral antibiotics, I pretty much could not possibly still be sick and this must be allergies. I think tomorrow I'm going to insist upon another lung xray - because I still think this is pneumonia. Tuesday will make 5 weeks I've been sick.

Not good.

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: worn out puppies

2011-11-13T00:53:00.000-06:00

Chuy and Praline are ready to go to bed when the sun goes down, and they actually seem indignant that I don't go to bed then, too, and now that delay is even more pronounced since it's getting dark so much earlier. Here they are asleep early last night, poor little lambs.

Happy Birthday, Marines!

2011-11-10T20:27:00.004-06:00

I first met the Marine in my family when he was a tall, skinny teenager dating my sister during their high school years. He was and always has been a quiet, reserved guy, occasionally opening his mouth to bowl us over with great wit. He and my sister broke up sometime around the end of high school and they went their separate ways. In the way life has of serving up a do-si-do, she and he circled back to one another several years later and all grown up, they were wed. I'll never forget how they were the loveliest couple I've ever seen at their wedding-- she with her post-punk artchick short shock of white hair and cooly unconventional but very romantic gown and he in his Dress Blues looking every bit the bad-ass buff Marine with arm-candy bride. I can see him in my gorgeous niece and nephew, too, and I know that so much of the principles of the Marines have been formative in their lives.

I'm thankful for S. and all the Marines who serve our great nation. We are indebted to you.

Happy Birthday, Marines!

Fatale Abstraction

I made a 100 on my first Pscyhology paper.

a song that always makes me happy

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: Pup o' the morning!

Theatre

I made a de-motivator!

find your happy place

Did I really used to stay up til 3 or 4 every night?

You can't dust for vomit.

Tired but happy.

I spent too much time in the art and music buildings before.

Blogging should return to normal soon...

heartwarming story. :)

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: A friend in need

It's amazing how knackered you can get...

I will be sad when the USPS goes out of business, but...

All at once the clouds are parted. Light streams down in bright unbroken beams.*

Okay, Teacher. Bring it.

Is this video true?

The Christmas decorations are down!

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: a subtle hint that it's bedtime

Overheard in wal-mart

Happy 15th birthday to a most beloved niece

Orienting myself.

Hey, RUTH!

school days...

my ring tone

Standoff.

Fresh chickpeas!

music I'm digging right now

Jam Session 2012 1.0

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: Where's Praline?

Molding. Yays!

*happy dance*

But I'm not an athlete!!!

Icelandic folk song about a raven

Un-decking the halls

potty humour from Cagney and Lacey on the Graham Norton Show

True story: man uses handgun to free 3 children from submerged car

Oddly enough...

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: first pup-snap of the year

Is it weird?

Rarely has pulling a lever for a presidential candidate been an undiluted pleasure for me, but...

Hungry Ghosts

New favorite toy/ pupdate

A few hours ago...

Douchebaggery 101

Shamelessly purloined...

A sweet song about time with family at Christmas

Amazing Roman aqueducts

A scene from Greater Redneckia

Merry Christmas From The Family

David Sedaris on Dutch Christmas tradition

Pup o the mornin' to ya!

A proper bath.

Why is there a permanent dimple in my leather recliner?

Dragon Leatherworks: A very nice holster for a very special gun

I've always admired the penetrating intellect and startling wit of Christopher Hitchens

South Park creators won't have Kim Jong Il to kick around any more

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: morning glories

At karaoke [insert operatic laugh]

sorry for the minimal posting of late.

Is this a feature or a flaw?

Kickaxe!

Join the ranks of the young and exotic.

10:03 and I'm in bed early for a change

Sunday Puppy Sunday: a good investment

Ivan probably blame this on my iPhone, but...

Scrooge up your courage.

The astonishing musical stylings of Jeff Buckley

My thoughts are with FarmFamily today

A quick glimpse at some wonderful glassworking by William Gudenrath

A superlative day with a fragrant ending...

Ooosh!

View from my office.

A Grand Lady has passed away.

Sitting in rehearsal Thursday night...

You can't handle teh Kewt!

Sarah Vowell is hilarious.

1.5 years later, still experiencing thermostat rage

happy dance