Good Things about Thursday

Today I had a good day. A handful of small things come to mind that made me smile or laugh or touched me in some way.

First, on the news this morning, the winning lottery ticket for the $365 million jackpot story made me smile.

Later, I went to Chick-fil-a for lunch (which is a good thing all in itself) and when I came back to the office, I made the day of one of our IT contractors by telling him where the nearest Chick-fil-a was located.

Back in the car, I decided to turn on my cd player instead of the radio and found unexpected music from my youth that made me smile and sing along. We Didn't Start the Fire got a double play even.

Finally, driving down to Aurora, I passed a large dump truck that had a giant Transformer Autobot sticker on the driver's side. It caught my eye and I laughed out loud as I passed the truck.

Somedays it's the small stuff. Today was one of those days.

Day of Quizzes

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

The Story of the little Christmas Tree

My mother still has her Christmas tree up. She's got a project this year to write down all the stories associated with all the lovely ornaments she's collected and displayed over the years. I'm going to help.

Here's the story of the little felt Christmas tree that hangs on her tree every year, usually in the back, because I made it when I was six. The tree itself is green felt, with a bit of stuffing between the two sides, with a silver corded ribbon and some shiny sequins shaped like candles, stars and moons glued on with Elmer's glue.

The day I made the little felt tree I was in kindergarten. Some time before the craft happened I was pulled away from the group, probably to take some medicine. I tended to be a sickly child and was always taking some sort of medicine, usually some pink bubblegum flavored syrup. By the time I got back, all the big gold star sequins were taken to top the other children's trees. I gathered what I could, which looks like two gold moons, two red stars, two gold candles, and a tiny blue star, which topped my tree. I decorated the tree with the glue in paper dishes in the middle of the table (which is why there is glue on the front sides of the ornaments) and had the nice teacher stuff and glue it together. The teacher also wrote "To Mommy 1978" on the back of the tree.

Today when I was sitting in Mom's living room waiting for her to get ready for the play we were going to see, I looked at the little Christmas tree and started to cry. I took it down and turned it over in my hands and realized that the nice teacher, so many years ago, had spelled Mommie wrong, on top of everything else. I really was feeling sorry for myself. I had a very trying day at work, was told I was letting things get to me, that everyone felt the way I felt, that I shouldn't be as frustrated as I clearly felt, and not to make a scene as it wasn't good for the team. As I looked at this little ornament, I felt like my whole life had gone the same way as that long ago craft project. Everyone got to the table before me and got the good stuff, and I was left to make the best of what I got, which was pretty pathetic and sad. Every time I try, it seems I fall on my face, and everyone has something I want, but I am too afraid to go after it. Hell, I don't even know what my gold star would be at this point.

Since getting home from the play, I sat down to finish writing this post. I'm not saying that I had any epiphany and now realize that if I'm given lemons I should make lemonade, but I did think that I'm possibly the only child who still has their little ornament from kindergarten on the family Christmas tree. I'm just trying to decide if that's enough.

Good Day

I had a list of things to do today, and as I was writing them down I thought that it might be too many things. Sometimes I get carried away and write lists and lists of things I want to accomplish that would take an entire week, and I want them done in a day or a weekend. Not so with this list. except for the cleaning (one specific cleaning thing) I did everything on the list. Huzzah!

Silly, I know, but it made me happy in many ways to get a pen and cross the things I'd finished off my list. Maybe I'll make another one tomorrow.

(And as a post scriptum of sorts, I posted two days in a row...)

Writing

I feel that for too long I've been too busy to write. I'm not talking about the wonderful and crazy time in November, but just every day, every week kind of writing. I don't think I'm ever going to be an every day blogger; I just don't see having that much interesting to say, let alone having the time every day. I have a daily journal that I manage to find the time to write five lines about my days, and most days that's more than enough to write. I know people who do write daily, who make the time every single day for one if not more entries on their blogs. These people inspire me; their dedication and devotion to their writing, no matter the subject, is amazing.

I've recently been told that I should blog more. My jaunts through blogland show that it is possible. I know that a few people consistently read my blog. I find that I want to be entertaining, and I'm not sure if I achieve that. (No, I'm not looking for validation here; I have a fairly good view of my own writing - I just am thinking on the screen here.) I suppose not every day is a circus.

More than the blog, which can be a good source of discipline and feedback, I'm thinking of my other writing, what I write for the various groups I engage in and what I write that inspires me. Weekly, I sit with mostly like-minded writers and lately I tend to use the time as social and kick back time. I should be using it more for the actual process but I think I've needed a place to blow off steam and to have no requirements. Which is probably why I haven't finished any of the assignments given.

I think some blame belongs with my day job (which incidentally I just mistyped day joy) and the extremely hectic and stressful last two months. I got so run down that I got sick (just a little head cold but more than enough to slow me down a lot and make me feel woozy and unproductive). I'm working to get through the next month on a more even keel and just do my hours and leave; no over time, no late nights, no taking work home. I am working personally on letting all the junk the last two or three months go; getting past the anger, jealousy, resentment, frustration, and under-appreciation is important for my own mental and emotional, not to mention physical, health. As I work through that junk, I expect I'll become more productive in my professional life as well as more productive in my personal life. Free of all the negativity, I will be able to shake off this seeming cloud over my writing and get down to it.

I want this year to be a very productive year. I expect to have a large body of work, whether it be short stories, exercises, poems, or a novel or two, by December. I want to page back through the files, touch the pages, and generally tap the reservoir of ideas and stories I know I have in me to tell.

Lone Wolf

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Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! I don't really have any resolutions as such, so I won't share what I don't have. But I do want to make this year better than last year. I will strive to have my attitude to be a more loving and accepting one, both of others and of myself. I suppose that is a resolution, but don't tell anyone. I just want a better year ahead, to use my gifts to the best of my ability.

May you all have a blessed and peaceful New Year.

NaNoWriMo Finish

I finished my NaNovel (back on Nov 29th) and I'm so glad it's done! I am thinking of getting back to it in a week or so, give it some time to simmer, and start editing. This year I finished the book and the word count which was my goal.

Contgratulations to all other winners including these fine folks I consider my friends and Novelists all:

Girlzoot, Sasha, EDog, Survivor, and DaveToe

Huzzah for a great November!

You want to take a bite...

Ok, my NaNovel this year is about a stripper and I've been chatting with my writing buddy EDog about the whole book. We were talking about how there are no "adult" smilies on the IM service we use, but how you could dress your avatar like a hooker.

Now we were just being silly and it was pretty funny, but after we made our female hookers, we went to the male wardrobe and made some. Here's my favorite, the manwhore with his big smile and wink and his shirt open to the world. He's practically saying, "You want to take a bite..." in some heavy sexy accent of undetermined origin.

Ok, so I'm a little looped out on the lack of food and needing a shower and about 6000 words today, but I am still laughing.

Princess Princess I'm a Fairy Princess (aha!)

The Fairy Princess

You are youthful, cheery, and exuberant with a
sunny disposition and a mischievous sense of
humor. You are very lively and are always up
for a good bit of fun. You have a deep love of
nature and animals.

Role Model: Titania

You are most likely to: Convert a pumpkin into a
useful mode of transportation.


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Princess Princess I'm a Fairy Princess

Well, not really, but here is what I got on the test.


The Noble Princess

You are just and fair, a perfectionist with a
strong sense of proper decorum. You are very
attracted to chivalry, ceremony and dignity.
For the most part you are rather sensible, but
you are also very idealistic.

Role Models: Guinevere, Princess Fiona (of Shrek)

You are most likely to: Get kidnapped by a stray
dragon.


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Thanks to Girlzoot for posting her results.

All About Sevens

I learned something out at the Boulder NaNoWriMo Kick Off Dinner at Conor O’Neill’s, Tuesday night. Actually, two things. I just realized I hadn’t posted it.

First of all, I learned a practical and quick way to calculate the tip on a meal. If you take the amount you owe and divide by seven, you come darn close to a 15% tip. So, an easy one, if your meal was 14 dollars, your tip is 2 dollars. The exact 15% tip would be $2.10. So it’s pretty close.

The other thing I learned is about measurements, precisely how to tell the difference between a butt-load, a shit-load, and a fuck-load. Imagine you are at dinner and with your dinner roll you get a pat of butter. One pat of butter is a normal amount. Now, to reach the first unit of measure multiply the normal amount by seven, you have seven pats of butter, and that’s a butt-load. For the next level, you raise that by another level of seven, you have almost 50 pats of butter, and really, that’s a shit-load. And if you had seven times that, you would reach nearly 350 pats of butter, which no one would argue is a fuck-load. So that’s the secret.

And my friends and I always thought a butt-load was six. Hey, we were close!

Price Gouging?

I saw this gas sign on the way to my NaNoWriMo Kick Off meeting tonight and I did a double take. I pulled into the lot and looked at the sign from the other side and took a picture. Prices here in Colorado have come down some 50 cents over the last few weeks, however someone forgot to tell these folks.

Perhaps it was due to a shortage of fuel at this particular station. But the same company, just 20 blocks up the road (and it's a big road) had a much more normal spread. I pass that station every day and I believe it was 12 cents between 85 and 87 octane, and another 14 between 87 and 91. And another 20 blocks was a station I didn't get a chance to photograph, but it was a normal spread as well.

I sure wouldn't pay for this, and even when it was at it's highest, I don't think I paid quite as much as the premium price on the sign is. But after all this, you probably guessed that I pay a little attention to gas prices.

New Kitty Picture

Things in my house are pretty quiet right now. All the doors are open and I have one kitty on my hassock and one kitty in the bedroom. Everyone seems to have survived the first few days with the new kitty (Deke) here. There is some hissing and spitting, to be expected as they work out their pecking order (and everyone has to listen to me - especially about not eating the bird).

As quiet is good, I'm taking a moment to post a new picture of my new kitty. His grandma told me that he has a heart on his side, can you see it in the picture?

Kitty's Coming!

I'm adding a new baby boy to my household, one of the four-footed furry kind. I have some pictures from August, but I'm excited and posting this away from my home computer. I'll post pictures soon!

Deke should already be on the ground in Denver now and I get to go pick him up after work. I wish I could have taken time off today to go get him but I took tomorrow off entirely so I could spend it (barring the quick trip for kitty food and toys) with him and his new brother, my big fat sassy cat, Alec.

I am a little nervous, but I'm sure everything will work out fine. I am so excited to get him to my little home.

More soon!

Following the Yellow Brick Road

As I have so many other things to do today, I have been sitting with my laptop and bouncing around Blogland. Here are a few of the gems I picked up along the way:

Heimlich Maneuvers
Stories from Rick's Cafe
the study of an honest contradiction

And some really strange wild things that I couldn't understand due to a language barrier.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

You Should Get a PhD in Liberal Arts (like political science, literature, or philosophy)

You're a great thinker and a true philosopher. You'd make a talented professor or writer.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Guess I should go back to school... I'd be talented at it :)

What Serenity Character are you?

Which Serenity character are you?

Kaylee Frye 94%

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Birthday Blues

I am a big fan of birthdays, and I always try to have a good time on mine. Last year I went to San Diego and stayed on the coast so I could see the ocean. We walked on the beach every night, and ate lots of seafood and got sand in our shoes.

This year I just took the day off, as this week was packed with bright and shiny meetings and necessary work things (such is the life of a corporate accounting specialist). It was not the most stellar day, as when I got to my mom's house she informed me that her dog, Charlie, which was also my dog from high school, had died that morning. So the rest of the afternoon dealt with the great loss of a very dear friend and part of the family.

I'm kind of at loose ends this weekend, I've got nothing to do and a whole lot of time to do it in. And all I can think about is the fact that everything in my life from that time in my life is slowly slipping away. And there is nothing I can do to stop the sands running through my fingers, no matter how hard I cry.

Fun Game

Reply with your name and
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written

I'm very late in posting this. Girlzoot, Shaych, and Valium, please accept my apologies.