"You say its your birthday...

well its my birthday too!"

So far, this birthday has been one of the silliest, and its not even over yet! its almost 6pm and I have a dinner at 7 and a "something" at 11pm. On the silly front I have received a total of 11,000 baci (so far), been bombarded with some very silly ecards each one sillier than the previous, and there seems to be a competition of sorts- Naples, IT vs Lauderdale, MN, Naples is ahead by 1, Braintree, UK behind by 3 and 2 respectively (and not so silly either, LOL! I have to be careful as one of the cards said something about kidnapping me.)

No sign of the sailor, maybe because the ports are frozen ;-)

Okay, I off into the snowy night...

Laurie made this comment,
Happy, happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
comment added :: {ts '2005-11-28 21:31:10'} GMT-06


Susan made this comment,
Thanks Laurie!!!

Meme of Four

I found this over at www.geoffarnold.com who found it at 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera:


Four jobs you’ve had in your life: head hunter(executive recruiter), Emergency Medical Technician, V. P, Marketing,

Four movies you could watch over and over: The Lion in Winter; Children of Paradise; Dangerous Beauty; A Man for All Seasons/Princess Bride
Four places you’ve lived: Chicago; Boston; Pittsburgh; Twin Cities of Minnesota
Four TV shows you love(d) to watch: Due South; Chef; Monty Python; Masterpiece Theater/Mystery
Four places you’ve been on vacation:  Epcot Center; Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Berlin; Edinburgh for the Festival (mainly the fringe)
Four websites you visit daily: usually the BBC; Fashion-incubator- a pattern makers blog, Lit, patternreview.com
Four of your favorite foods: chocolate, clementines, shrimp, dim sum
Four places you’d rather be: traveling, asleep, with my friends, with my family
 Your turn….

Hmm thought I published this back in December, I guess I didn't ;-)

Getting into winter-first part written November 30

oh its gorgeous out!  The snow, light and fluffy, brushes off the car with no scrapping, decent traction to walk in.  Its not too cold, about 15 above, the air is crisp and fresh.  The trees limbs outline with a line of snow. 
Its funny but yesterday I was freezing and it was warmer!!!  Last night I couldn't get warm, took a shower to warm up, wore my floor length terry robe for a while but then when it was time to sleep in my summer night shirt or one of my large holey t-shirts, I was cold again!  The night before I slept nude because everything was in the wash, but my arms were cold.

I wore out my granny gowns over the past few years, one I kept going with patches and additional lace, but when I finally put my foot through it I knew it was gone!   I was going to make another one but I haven't yet.  I got a beautiful green double faced flannel that I have been staring at wondering  what to make.  I'd like to make a big heirloom gown that buttons down the front with smocking, lace and ribbons like a lanz gown but better, very subtle of course, because I am not into that romantic antebellum thing.  So last night I looked at the fabric and decided I was too lazy right now and besides I wanted to be warm NOW! 

Then I remembered some 100% blue cotton knit I had gotten for a summer nightshirt in May.  I had even cut it out but decided it would be too warm. I dug it out and decided I was too lazy to do the original bias bound neckline.  So I dug out some blue lingerie lace which didn't feel too scratchy. So at about 11:15pm I began to sew it up.  First, I stablized the shoulders using tailoring tape (lazy), then measured and placed the lace.  The lace was really do wide for the v-neck but I used it anyhow, the v is a bit more revealing than I intended but ....   So anyway I sewed it up,  I was too lazy to thread up my cover stitch machine so I didn't bother with the hem or sleeves hems.  This was a high tech, down and dirty. A friend said you just whipped it up?  I said sure, anyone can with the right tools and materials.
Fabric- 100% cotton knit interlock
Tools:
cutting table, rotary cutter and mat/press board
steam iron
fusible tailoring stabilizer
very fine silk pins
chalk
thread- 3 cones serger, one spool 50 wt cotton for sewing machine
sewing machine
serger
tailors points
applique scissor for trimming lace
temporary adhesive spray
optional LOL! to finish the hems- cover stitch machine

I have some more cotton knit in Red and peach, maybe I will make a few more.  Might use heirloom lace next time and see how that feels.

Finished night shirt. I slept in it last night and it was so warm and toasty I didn't want to take it off this morning.

Here's a picture of it.

This is written today.

The first night in it was great but the second was more like the princess in the pea, the lace occasionally brushing my skin drove me nuts, and like the girl who ripped the bed curtains down from the ceiling one night because they bothered her, I kept pulling on the lace until I eventually took off the nightshirt.  The next morning instead of being found asleep among curtains, rods and bits of plaster, I just found the nightshirt on the floor with a few rips in the lace. 

I patched the lace but didn't find a solution until just now. I backed the lace with too layers of matching illusion, not as cool looking but more sensible.  To liven it up a bit I top stitched the edge of the lace with matching Haloshimmer, a Mylar holograph thread, it might be a little much, I will see how it goes.  I suppose I should finish the cuffs and the hem ;-)  I suppose I should take some update pics...

Fabric: 100% nylon stretch tricot illusion
Tools:
serger
sewing machine
thread- 3 cones serger, one spool 50 wt cotton and holograph for sewing machine
microserrated scissors
wonder tape

The next one will have cotton heirloom lace or nothing!

A total daredevil, you're the reindeer with an edge!

You Are Comet

A total daredevil, you're the reindeer with an edge! Why You're Naughty: You almost gave Santa a heart attack when you took him sky diving Why You're Nice: You always make sure the sleigh is going warp speed

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

taken from Geoff's Blog

walking barefoot!!!!!

I walked barefoot last night no problem, after 5 years!
My left foot worked just like my right foot, can running and climbing be far behind?

I have no idea what happened, I just put my foot down and it felt different so I tried it and wow!

maybe there is hope for my neck?

Okay, I realize this is no big deal to most people, but it is to me!

Background-About 5 yrs ago I badly broke my leg and tore the muscles in my foot. I have been as my current ortho says "PTed to death." I was in a wheelchair for a few months then on crutches (and night traction :-( ) for several years, followed by using a hiking stick to help push off. This was the 3rd time I have relearned to walk since 1990.

Now I walk perfectly most of the time, but I can't run, not even across a street, or climb, don't have enough dorsi flexion yet... Sometimes I have go down stairs sideways, but its so much better than the "semi controlled fall" of a few years ago.
Until recently could only walk barefoot after warming up for quite a while and it was still limited. I work on my leg every day, and I try to walk barefoot too, usually it doesn't work that well, last night was different.

I am very excited about this!!!!



Laurie made this comment,
Congratulations!!
comment added :: {ts '2005-12-23 10:52:52'} GMT-06

Foundations

I have never knowingly abandoned anyone, never walked away without explanation.  

If I tell someone something, give my word then I try my hardest to keep it, and live up to it.  If I find I can't do it, I take the time to explain, listen to those I have let down, apologize and make whatever amends I can.

I do not turn my back on friends when they are hurt or in trouble, or belittle and/or negate their concerns.  I try to help whenever and wherever I can.  If I hurt someone or cause a misunderstanding I try to understand what happen and find ways to prevent it in the future. If there is a problem in a relationship I try to find a solution with the other person that we both can live with.

This is how I live my entire life, personal and professional.  I make no distinctions between them in that manner.


Laurie made this comment,
Good philosophy.

Insanity diary

work and child labor laws.

I have decided to start keeping an insanity diary at work for my sanity.  I am working on the winter class schedule, website, some tax stuff, insurance audits, sales tax and end of year payroll tax issues for which it would be nice if I left alone to do it.

today's items are:
child labor laws
the cabinet
the bobbin case
the number

child labor laws- every so often we have this discussion of why we can't hire the "owner's" girlfriend's 10yr old grandson.  During one of the early discussion I was asked by the GF why I "have to be so negative about everything?"  To which I replied that I only object to things that would be unethical, illegal or unsafe.   My priority is, as it always has been, the future of the business.
Today the GF informed me that it wouldn't be illegal, he just couldn't work certain hours, with the owner nodding! In response I took the labor poster that these people walk past everyday on the way to the bathroom or kitchen! off the wall, took a pink highlighter and highlighted the minimum age which is 14!
Showed it to the owner, who appears to have read it, and then his GF.  She read it and then said "I understand what YOU are saying"  What I am saying????  This is state and federal law!

the cabinet-I am back in the office working on books, the GF is showing a customer a cabinet.  She asks the owner who makes the cabinet, he isn't sure.  She has the cabinet book but she can't find it. They call me, I come out, look at the cabinet, notice it is for a flat bed machine (ie pre 1960's!!!) so unless this customer has such a machine, it doesn't really matter who makes it. Its an easy thing to notice, there is a square cut out with 2 hinges to go into the back of the machine.  I point out that its for a flatbed, to which everyone goes "oh that won't work" and I retreat to the office.

the bobbin case- a customer comes in with a sewing machine needing a bobbin case. He needs a class 15 case, the most common case for inexpensive machines.  If you get an oscillating machine with a bobbin case, almost any machine under $400, chances are fairly good that it is a class 15 case. So the owners asks his gf to look in the drawer of cases, but she can't find the drawer. Its in a rack of drawers directly behind the register, he finally finds it and there is not one in it, so he decides we don't have one and need to order one this very minute.  Some day I will do an entire post on ordering. 
At that point, after hearing loud words about "bobbin cases" and "ordering" I come out, find out what they need, go back to the bench and grab a bunch of class 15 bobbin cases, give one to the owner for the customer and restock the drawer.  We only have some in the drawer upfront for people who lose theirs, normally we replace them as part of a service so they are in the back in the same place they have been for years. The owner should know this, as should his gf, esp since both of them have gotten the cases from the box in the past couple weeks!
Sometimes I feel like a figure in one of those mechanical clocks, I come out, do something obvious and then go back inside the office.

The number- This has to a bit do with ordering which I should really explain in a completely separate post but anyway.  We are supposedly ordering some cabinets and then going to the bank.  The owner has the list of cabinets and manufacturers in front of him.  He picks up the phone calls somewhere and says "yes I will hold."  he then asks his GF "what do we need?" 
 "the cabinets on the sheet!!!" 
"no what do we need for notions"
"it depends, who are you calling?" 
he names a local distributor of notions!
" we need those cabinets"
" but I am talking to these guys"
he asks me through my window
"what do we need?" 
I remind him that we aren't supposed to order from them unless we want it shipped, we just go to their warehouse and pick what we need, its faster and cheaper.  He says
"well, um, I want to ask them something different" 
The GF and I both give him "the look"  He hangs up the phone and goes off to work on a machine, not having ordered any cabinets or gone to the bank.
Realizing that this could go on all day, or even the rest of the week, I offer to order the cabinets, he decides no, he will do it, and finally does it.  After much weirdness I end up going to one bank and he to the other.  When we both get back, I ask what he needed from the local distributor. He wanted the phone number of the scissors company because we receive a bad scissors.  Now we bought this scissors through yet another company, but that is another matter.  So I tell him we could look it up online, but he could just look in the box that comes with the scissors. 
The scissors display with lots of boxes with numbers on them is about 3 feet from his chair.  He looks at the box, calls them but since by then it is 3:39 cst and they on est, they are closed.  So I imagine it will start all over again another day...

I have been working at home today...  I will go in soon though.


Laurie made this comment,
Great post! I feel like I was at work with you. I need to lay down.

Okay, I have enough chocolate for now, how about a bit more world peace and silly men?

I think I have too much chocolate. In the past 24 hrs, I received 4 Cadbury fruit and nut bars of which I have eaten 1/2 of one, a small Hershey chocolate covered marshmallow bell (eaten), from our local custom chocolatier- a bag of dark chocolate sponge (eaten 3), a box of dark jumbo vanilla marshmallow (eaten none), and a bar of seriously dark chocolate (eaten none). I also had a small sliver of cake last night, and one for breakfast.

So the dinner went well, except there was too much food, but it was modest by the hostess's standards*
My friend K. had her birthday on the 14th so we had a joint cake!
The cake is a dark chocolate flourless, dairy free cake and is similar to eating a dark chocolate bar with a mousse center that melts in your mouth. I suspect there was some espresso in it too, because I was definitely buzzed, or it could just be all the dark chocolate. Since I don't drink coffee or soft drinks with caffeine, I have a very low tolerance to it, I kind of bounce off the walls from it.

I had a small sliver of cake last night, and one for breakfast and I am so chocolated out, I doubt I could even eat one of my favorite mozart kugel if I had some. I may be off chocolate for a while.

Oh I now have a flickr account so I can link to pictures, eventually I will figure out how to put actually images in.

Laurie made this comment,
I've had too much chocolate just from reading that. I can't wait to see your pictures on flickr. I bet you have some great ones!
comment added :: {ts '2005-11-28 21:29:45'} GMT-06


Susan made this comment,
Don't mention the C word! Still working on the pictures, did you check out our cake?

note to would be kidnappers-I am sure the C word will be just fine later on, hope you guys are feeling better
comment added :: {ts '2005-11-28 21:48:47'} GMT-06


Laurie made this comment,
Did I check out which cake? I still don't see any pictures? Are there pictures?
comment added :: {ts '2005-11-30 06:45:05'} GMT-06


Susan made this comment,
For now, you have to click on the word "cake" to see the picture of it but hopefully I will get pictures down soon.
comment added :: {ts '2005-11-30 09:37:06'} GMT-06

Laurie made this comment,
The cake was beautiful! I need to try that Flickr thing myself.

Snow

So we have snow, and it was cold. About 10 at night. Yesterday, I hibernated for most of the day. I was getting so sleepy, that after a while I couldn't sleep. After being tortured, ie massage and traction on tues, followed by serious meds, on Wednesday I finally slept, so hard in one position that I wrinkled my face! At some point in the night I threw a pillow at a cd rack in my bedroom and knocked some cds out of it, as well as stuff off the top of the bed side tables (its a 2 story ;-)), this was not enough to rouse me although I do remember the crash in my dreams.
I got up about 10:45am picked up checked some bank statements for work, faxed them off and went back to sleep on and off for much of the day, occasionally imming with the usual suspects as I got up for food, drugs and bathroom. At one point I attempted to do the payroll, but then I figured screw it, I'd rather sleep. After 5pm I took a shower, mainly because I was COLD, got dressed and started my abbreviated day.

Laurie made this comment,
I heard you had more bad weather today. It makes me cold just thinking about it.
comment added :: {ts '2005-11-28 21:34:18'} GMT-06


Susan made this comment,
Well I swear it was 60 when I wandered out the door this morning! Rumor had it that it was going to rain like mad, drop to 25 at 6pm, freeze solid and then snow on top of it. By about 4pm it was in the 40's, 6pm it started to rain, its still raining, its almost 10 and its 42 out so freezing is unlikely right now. West of here was a different story. Blizzards, roads closed. Its still a nice warm heat wave here though.

Update, Some Good News

J. went home for an overnight visit!!!! He is doing remarkable well.

My mom has recovered enough from her mono that my parents are coming here on Tues.

The someone else, well... They seem in fairly good spirits, considering.

the original post

Iconoclasts was Dinner last night ;-)

"Grey Goose Entertainment and Sundance Channel are hosting an advanced screening of the premiere episode of the Sundance Channel original series, ICONOCLASTS.

Each episode of ICONOCLASTS brings together two innovative leaders from different fields including film and television, architecture and design, fashion, food, music, and sports and presents an intimate, unpredictable portrait of today's provocative creative leaders.

Join us and watch acclaimed actor Samuel L. Jackson go one-on-one with basketball legend Bill Russell.

Wednesday, November 2, 2005
7:00 PM Cocktails & hors d'oeuvres
8:00 - 9:00 PM ICONOCLASTS screening"

So I said why not, it might be interesting. The amount of info needed on the RVSP seems a bit odd, name, name and spelling of guests name, normally they don't ask about the guests name. I often blow these things off, but I am glad I didn't this time.

So my friend and I get there a few mins early having found the perfect free parking space. I tend to be good at finding those, but that's another post. So we are standing about talking when this guy walks up to us and starts talking about the screening. Then he says "have we met?" and I answer "I don't think so" then he says "at convergence?" Oh no, I was at Convergence one night (until -2:30am but still), not in costume and only at the parties, and only a few parties at that. Turns out he only does the parties too, but we were not at the same ones, very strange, the place was packed and somehow he remembers me, hmmm....

Then it was time to go in, we do the guest list thing, admire the ice craving (I took a pic) and view entire the space through a corridor of tables with special "Iconoclast" boxes full of popcorn so I grab one thinking, I hope this isn't the "hors d'oeuvres." Beyond the tables of popcorn are wait staff holding trays of cocktails. I ask about non alcoholic and they tell me I can ask for anything I want at the bar. So I get a spirit with star fruit in it.
The room had been an old art house theater with the seats ripped out. Oriental carpets on the floor, tiers with tables on either side, platform with tables, couches, armchair in the back and small tables around and in front of the stage. It was a bit dark but there was a mirrored disco ball going, and large lengths of iridescent cloth artistically draped from the ceiling, and a huge movie screen. The tables all had low lamps or candles. My friend and I picked a front table slightly to the right.

The music playing was very upbeat mixture of Latin, hip hop, Motown, dance music. The hors d'oeuvres started coming: polenta with sun dried tomatoes, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, stuff mushrooms, incredibly great beef kabobs, Indian spiced chicken, sushi, huge peeled shrimp. It was great, there was nothing with wheat or milk in it. I only had to avoid the sushi, stuff mushrooms and the salsa which had red bell peppers in them, not hard at all. The cocktails had something from Grey Goose in them, I think Vodka or something and they were going faster than the dish washer could keep up with. From 7 to 8 it was seemingly endless free flowing drinks and food.
The music was a bit loud but fun, my friend and I were bopping in our seats between rounds, it was hard not to. I was happily singing and dancing along to "Upside, boy you turn, inside out, and round about." I found myself doing a rib circle on the "round about" part without really realizing it. My friend started laughing and I realize what I did, then I thought oh no, I shouldn't have done that, I am not warmed up! I also thought of another friend, who I think would have loved this, and his ribs ;-)
I talked to everyone who wanted to talk, I figured I should because they were feeding me so nicely, besides there were a lot of interesting people to meet. Artists, film people, Sundance people, people in very interesting outfits, suit people, whacky sunglasses, everyone was very nice and after an hour of cocktails...
We invited a few people to join us, 2 of them turned out to be the president and director of a black movie festival or film board, One was a mother of 5 daughters, ages 18 to 4! They offered to put me on their screening list, so I gave them my email.

At 8pm the endless army of food and drink bearers stopped and we viewed the program. I don't want to spoil it for any of you who see it so I won't say too much. I was afraid I would be bored to tears because I knew nothing about Bill Russell, and don't follow basketball, but I wasn't!
It was very good, a documentary of sorts with Samuel L Jackson interviewing Bill Russell and vice versa. Parts were very funny, they are funny guys, and surprisingly likable. Bill Russell has a whirlpool jacuzzi I would love to have! It was deep enough that I could be submerged up to my ears while sitting and big enough to hold a party in! The series which will have 6 episodes premiers with the episode we saw on Thursday November 17 at 10pm e/p on the Sundance Channel. I recommended seeing it. Iconoclasts

It was a lot of fun, but I wonder why they did the screening for a 6 episode show, but I am doing my part and telling you guys to see it!

Waiting

"Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something's coming, something good,
If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is,
But it is
Gonna be great!

With a click, with a shock,
Phone'll jingle, door'll knock,
Open the latch!
Something's coming, don't know when, but it's soon;
Catch the moon,
One-handed catch!

Around the corner,
Or whistling down the river,
Come on, deliver
To me!
Will it be? Yes, it will.
Maybe just by holding still,
It'll be there!"
Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

I am really not very good at waiting for most things, its so hard to do! I want to jump in a car, jump on a plane, do it now! Conversely, I have yet to get out of my house today at all. Did the shower, got dressed, did some work online but still I had plans to be out. Didn't happen. Unfortunately life does not stop just because I seem to.
Did some things I was planning do around here. Took apart the convection oven and ran the pieces through the dishwasher. Rebent the underwires and put them back into the bra I made at the workshop last weekend. Tried it on again, well... it fits but underwires are still evil!!! I can feel their hardness, I have been told if they fit, you can't even feel them, HA! Without underwires the pressure is on my shoulders and the center section doesn't lie flat against my chest, seems to be a weight issue.

Looks like my sailor may possibly be traversing his way back, not sure. Not sure what happens...

Another quiz

You fit in with: Humanism Your ideals mostly resemble that of a Humanist. Although you do not have a lot of faith, you are devoted to making this world better, in the short time that you have to live. Humanists do not generally believe in an afterlife, and therefore, are committed to making the world a better place for themselves and future generations. 20% scientific. 80% reason-oriented.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

You know you're from Minnesota when...

The weather is usually 80% of your conversation.

When you say "down south" you're referring to Iowa.

You call highways "freeways."

Snow tires came standard on your car.

You've never taken public transportation.

75% of your graduating high school class went to the University of Minnesota.

"Perkins" was the only hangout option in high school.

You assume when you say "The Cities" people know where you're talking about.

You can list all the "-dales."

People from other states love to hear you say words with "o"s in them.

In a conversation you've heard someone say "yah sure, you betcha" and
you didn't laugh.

You could pinpoint exactly where each scene in the movie "Untamed
Heart" was filmed.

You hate the movie "Fargo" but realize you and your entire family have
that same accent.

You get mad at people who think Fargo is in Minnesota.

You know what Mille Lacs is and how to spell it.

You have fish boiled in lye for Christmas.

You know what "uff-da" means and how to use it properly.

You know the 2 sports-related reasons why we hate Dallas.

Nothing gets you madder than seeing a Green Bay sticker on a MN car.

The only reason you go to Wisconsin is to get fireworks.

You're a loyal Target shopper.

You've frozen your tongue on a metal handrail before.

You own an ice house, a snowmobile, and a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

You wear shorts when it's 50 degrees outside in March, but you bundle
up and complain in August when it goes below 60.

You have gone trick-or-treating in 3 feet of snow.

You've not only walked across a lake, you've driven across one.

Everyone you know has a cabin or, at least, access to one.

You know that Lake Wobegon isn't real and you know who made it up,
where they live, and exactly what you want to do about it.

You have friends who schedule their wedding in the middle of January
without a thought about weather conditions.

You consider a six inch snowfall a blessing for "the cities" because
it provides instant urban renewal.

You keep the snow tires on your truck all year because it ain't worth
taking them off for only two months.

Your local Dairy Queen is closed from December through February.

You believe the only REAL vehicles have skis in front and a loud motor
under your seat.

You consider snow banks to be "just another rough" on the golf course.

You have worn shorts and a parka at the same time.

You were delighted to get a miniature snow shovel for your 3rd birthday.

Your town isn't trying to be ironic when it plans a "winter carnival."

The temperature in March is above freezing for three days in a row,
and you think it's summer.

You laugh out loud every time you see a news report about a blizzard
shutting down the entire East Coast.

You think happiness is owning a "piece of lakeshore."

You never meet any celebrities except The "BODY"

You know what and where "Dinkytown" is.

When you talk about "opener" you are not talking bout cans.

You have refused to buy something because it's too "spendy."

You believe that the Vikings would have won four Super Bowls by now if
they were still playing in Metropolitan Stadium.

You are convinced the Twins will never win the pennant because the
owners are too cheap to pay the good players, so they all leave.

Your town has an equal number of bars and churches.

You grew up thinking rice was only for dessert. You think that ketchup
is a little too spicy.

Your gas station thinks "full service" means filling your gas tank,
washing the windshield, checking the oil and being friendly to the
customers.

You (or your parents) voted for Mondale.

You've seen "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in Uptown.

You know that everyone has a city preference -- Minneapolis or St. Paul.

You can honestly claim Germanic / Scandinavian ancestors, and have
been known to say "ya" instead of "yes"

Upon seeing an ocean for the first time, you say, "Hey! That looks
like Lake Superior!"

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Minnesota.
(Thanks Bill!)

##########

Okay, I got this list from a Floridian and I am not actually FROM Minnesota but I understand most of it having been here almost 20 yrs.
I will just list the things that are true for me:
I use highway and freeway interchangeably. My car cute UTE has all weather tires, I know uff-da, I like Target, i wear sandals until its hits freezing, we in Saint Paul have THE best winter carnival south of the border ;-) I do laugh about blizzards, I know "Dinkytown."

Laura made this comment,
I'm not from MN-nor have ai been there-BUT, I was born in upstate New York and grew up in Southern California and they are called Freeways. I know Uff-da, LOVE Target, have worn sandals in the rain, laugh about blizzards (went to high school in the Rockies), know Lake Wobegon isn't real, and have worn a parka and shorts at the same time (in a rainstorm, in a convertible with no top.) And I got most of those jokes. (I have an in-law from MN and an uncle from MN...)


Susan made this comment,
Come and visit, you would fit right in ;-) Come for winter carnival!!!

Haven't seen any other Tiki dolls yet, but everyone asks about it and wants one, all non-natives of course...

Random wanderings on belly dancing

Something strange happened to me last night.

I went to my first belly dance class of the semester, its was actually the second class as I missed the one last week for another class. The class was huge! Almost too big for the room, certainly too big to do lots of floor work, which is fine by me, I don't like floor work that much. I always have to do some alternative thing because they choose a position that happens to have us pivoting on one of the bones I have broken or muscle I have ripped.

In my class we warm up for an hour and then do dance stuff for about 1/2 hr. Because the class was so large, it started late. By large I think it was maybe 30 people of various abilities, attitudes. The room was cold, it dropped to freezing last night, so we were warming up by walking in a huge circle, semi Egyptian walking. There were so many people that you had to take baby steps. So we walked to warm up, then did floor, where my feet froze and got all stiff and hard again, then we did standing stuff and my left ankle was not bending well. I didn't warm up my neck enough and ended pulling the muscle that goes from behind my ear to my shoulder, but it was okay, I kept it from spasming. When I got home I stood under a hot shower forever, took orrudis & flexeril and had no problems when I woke up this morning (ie I could move my neck!)

They didn't do zils (finger cymbals) either because there were too many people and we should wear earplugs if that many people are doing zils in a confined space. we did a no zil, just finger, practice. This is also fine with me, I have a very hard time doing zils, hand injuries, the noise, music is one rhythm, body is another, zils yet another, and I get overwhelm and everything stops for me. I get sensory overload.

My belly dancing buddy was there and now her mom is taking class on Saturdays at another studio, same school. She asked if I wanted to going with them. Even though it was a pretty horrid class last night, some I hope will drop out or something, I found myself saying yeah if I don't have to teaching lingerie 2 this Sat, I will. Somehow, something happened last night that changed me from a once a week class to twice a week.

I used to take classes early Saturday morning at the main studio which is your typical dance studio, top floor, hot in the summer, drafty in the winter, no easy parking, etc... I started belly dancing at the suggestion of my ortho to cross train my ankles after a bad break. I was still using a cane to walk when I started, and the hardest thing was the 4 stories of stairs I had to go up and down. I walk perfectly now, without a limp, I can't really run though, I tried to run the other day and it was disastrous, you need more dorsi flexion that I have in my left ankle, but hopefully someday...

For the last year or so I have been taking class on Thurs nights at a new community rec building, ac in the summer, heat in the winter (except last night!), so very nice. The studio I will go to for tomorrow's class is an Arthur Murray one, so I imagine there will be heat. It will be a new teacher, I have had 2 main ones so far, and a few subs. I like different teachers because they give you a variety of ways to tackle something, like snake arms. The movement has to eventually be the same, but the way of thinking, of getting your muscles to do it varies.

I am wondering where this will lead, the teachers at my school, who are all dancers with the company my school is part of, tell me this is what happened to them, first twice a week, then more until they were doing classes almost everyday. I know this summer when I was traveling, I missed it. In May, when I was driving, listening to Al Stewart's "Beach full of shells" repeatedly, from Chicago to St Paul, I found myself practicing shoulder punches (which I hate- they are boring, a bit hard because of injuries ) to "Rain Barrel", and neck moves/slides to "Immelman Turn." Since then I have noticed that I practice rib circles, hip lifts and occasional attempt stomach rolls at stop lights if the music is feels right.

I find it very strange that I don't feel anything but joy when I do this, not self conscious at all, and yet I rarely dance in public or for people I know. Its like dancing in the rain for me, its for me, a private thing I guess, and I want to protect that part of me??? Not sure. I have had so much loss of people and things that have brought me joy, so maybe...

In Vegas when I was trying out this amazing green coined hip scarf, I had to hear it as I moved! I was with a friend, but I was so comfortable with him that I was in my own space, not sure he even noticed. Unfortunately the amazing hip scarf had an amazing price to go with it, but I really liked it.

I like how belly dancing feels, I like using all these muscles I worked so hard to regain control of, I like that I can walk many different ways, I like that I get more and more flexible, I like the positive effect it has on other aspects of my life and I like the music. Someday I want to be able to dance so slow and controlled, my body moving like a snake slithering over shifting sands...

So it looks like tomorrow, I start doing class twice a week...

Laurie made this comment,
Whoa! While I wasn't looking, you were blogging up a storm. Sounds like I need to look into this belly dancing thing. I'm not self conscious about dancing at all so this might be dangerous.

Susan made this comment,
Yep, I am tricky. You go away... Belly dancing has other advantages too.

You learn quickly not to be dangerous, I could tell tales ;-)

Teachers and performers in Texas http://www.shira.net/dir-us-t.htm#Texas

Gorgeous men that I can't have because they're dead...

Well, its that time again, the uncluttering my life time, or at the very least uncluttering my living space, which in a sense is symbolic of my life, I guess... Out with the old, make room for the new...

So of course, since I have such a short attention span, it is also weird movie time!!!

This is how I do it, I get a few weird movies from Hollywood Video, or the library, and make a list of areas-old car, closet annex (the couch), kitchen, bathroom, studio, balcony, hall and bedroom. I set out a time to work on stuff usually 45 mins, with a 15 min break. I do one area for 45 mins and then watch weird movie for 15, then the next area 45 mins, and so on. Yesterday I was doing 30 mins and 10 mins, it varies with the day.

The movies this time are from the library.

First was "the Bride with White Hair" which I had never seen.
Hong Kong fight film with the gorgeous, and unfortunately late, Leslie Cheung, beautifully choreographed battles, fantastic sets, surreal yet amazingly erotic love scenes, the fingers in the mouth one was so cool, you could almost touch it. Honor, death, magic, good guys, bad guys, blood drinking, flying fighting (and love!) scenes, and of course women rule. What more could I want in a weird movie?

Second was "8 women" Huppert, Ardant, Deneuve, Beart, wow!!! Its a murder mystery of sorts. Classic in a cozy way. isolated house, snowstorms, phones down. However, its definitely French, a song and dance musical(!), with great costumes. Its seemed to be a period piece but not all the costumes were from the same period, but it worked. Twists and turns right down to the very end. ALL of the characters were seriously strange. It felt very much like a stage play, I mean I could see it down that way. I still have the theme song going through my head. Afterwards I watched the trailer, on the recommendations of my librarian, and he was right, from the trailer you had no idea that the entire movie, except 1 line is in French!

I didn't get a lot done, but I made a good start. I have Himalaya and then Raising Helen next. The balcony is now closed.

Mistakes will happen; fixing them so that they won't be repeated is the challenge.

The Jewish high holidays are Rosh Hashana (New Years) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the ten day period between them is called Teshuvah. Although this is a religious ritual that I do not follow as a matter of religion, the steps outlined in the article are the process I use when I have done something wrong. I also believe that people can do bad things without being bad people.

"Teshuvah: Dry Cleaning for the Soul
By Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Editor's Note: The following are excerpts from an article at www.aish.com.

Done something wrong? We all have. Here's how to fix it. Once and for all.

Many people misunderstand the concept of sin. They think someone who sins is a "bad person."

Actually, the Hebrew word chet does not mean sin at all. Chet appears in the Bible in reference to a slingshot which "missed the target." There is nothing inherently "bad" about that slingshot! Rather, a mistake was made-due to a lack of focus, concentration or skill.

The same is true with us. When we engage in irresponsible or destructive behavior, we have simply misfired. Every human being has a soul, a pure piece of Godliness that distinguishes us from the animals. When we do something wrong, it is because the soul's "voice" has become temporarily muted by the roar of the physical body-but our essence remains pure. We only need to make a few adjustments.

This is the idea of Teshuvah. Teshuvah literally means "return." When we "do Teshuvah" during the High Holidays, we examine our ways, identify those areas where we are losing ground and "return" to our own previous state of spiritual purity. And in the process, we "return" to our connection with the Almighty as well.

The process of Teshuvah involves the following four steps:

# Step 1: Regret. Realize the extent of the damage and feel sincere regret. This step is the most crucial, because unless a person truly feels regret and can distinguish between right and wrong, he or she will most likely continue in his/her errant ways.
# Step 2: Cessation. Immediately stop the harmful action. Can you imagine trying to ask forgiveness from someone while you continue to wrong him/her at the same time? Without stopping the bad action, all the heart-pounding in the world won't help.
# Step 3: Confession. Articulate the mistake and ask for forgiveness. In admitting our mistake, Jewish law prescribes that it be articulated verbally. The Torah requires us to be humble and contrite as we ask forgiveness. This is crucial in enabling the "victim" to heal.
# Step 4: Resolution. Make a firm commitment not to repeat it in the future. What concerns the Almighty is whether we're making a sincere effort to move in the right direction. This means making a serious commitment to change-and taking the right steps at the right time. Nothing can stand in the way of persistence and determination. An individual doesn't need to have all the answers right now. The key is the commitment to change."

What kind of Leading man am I?

Cary Grant You scored 23% Tough, 9% Roguish, 28% Friendly, and 38% Charming!

You are the epitome of charm and style, the smooth operator who steals the show with your sophisticated wit and quiet confidence. You are able to catch any woman you want just by flashing that disarming smile. When you walk into a room, the women are instantly intrigued and even the men are impressed. When you find yourself in trouble, you are easily able to charm your way out of it, or convince others to help you. You're seen as dashing, suave and romantic. Your co-stars include Katharine Hepburn, Irene Dunne, and Joan Fontaine, stylish women who know a class act when they see it. Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 32% on Tough You scored higher than 27% on Roguish You scored higher than 45% on Friendly You scored higher than 83% on Charming

Link: The Classic Leading Man Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Update on my post: its been really weird

J. is waking up!!! Off Ventilator! Can communicate a small bit, can brush teeth (demands to brush own teeth), paralyized on left side still :-(
Its going to be a long haul, having had a brother with a brain tumor, it all seems so familiar. J. will be going to the same rehab place.

His sister has a website up for updates,pics of happier times, and a guest book. She tells me about her days since this happened, I remember them. She is upbeat but realistic, she and his wife have acquired that morbid sense of humor that you do when you are pushing for survival. They have already shocked one doctor with it so I think they are doing well!

My momma is getting the hang of having mono, and starting to go out a bit more, then sleeping a long time. We are making plans for her trip up here for the sewing show, she even wants to do an all day class the day before. I had better bank some sleep myself.


Laurie made this comment,
I'm glad things are looking up.

Update on my post

Update on my post: click here


J. is waking up!!! Off Ventilator! Can communicate a small bit, can brush teeth (demands to brush own teeth), paralyized on left side still :-(
Its going to be a long haul, having had a brother with a brain tumor, it all seems so familiar. J. will be going to the same rehab place.

His sister has a website up for updates,pics of happier times, and a guest book. She tells me about her days since this happened, I remember them. She is upbeat but realistic, she and his wife have acquired that morbid sense of humor that you do when you are pushing for survival. They have already shocked one doctor with it so I think they are doing well!

My momma is getting the hang of having mono, and starting to go out a bit more, then sleeping a long time. We are making plans for her trip up here for the sewing show, she even wants to do an all day class the day before. I had better bank some sleep myself.

From P & T land

Long ago and far away, I hung out on the Penn and Teller board and I joined the mofotightcircle. I don't go to the board anymore, but I still get tightcircle digests, and I know people there.

When I am in Vegas I do the post card thing for those mofolk who ask me too. I have never seen P&T live, but I loved their magical mystery tour series from the CBC-India, China and Egypt, China is the best.

Anyway today on the mofoTC someone posted this link about Teller, I thought it was funny. Warning: it has some language and references to P&T humor that may not be suitable for everyone, and some sad Katrina stuff but overall its funny, and Teller is wonderful.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/maralily/#entry_45424

Laurie made this comment,

I'll read the link later (got to go to work) but I loved the post or e-mail or something you sent me about Penn getting caught on a latch during a magic trick.

Its been really weird recently

My mom, age 70! got full fledged mono with everything and her liver tests were off. She is getting better now, liver function fine, still has mono though. She is in fact doing better than most 20 somethings I know who have had mono. In the beginning she was complaining that she felt okay, it was just hard to get up!!! We responded then don't get up! She seems to be getting the hang of it. Its been less than a month and last night she went off to a village board meeting, my dad assured me he would go pick her up if needed.

My dad reacted in his usual way, letting her do whatever and then getting her back to the bed or couch when she collapses. When she has been hospitalized in the past she usually heads for the parking lot, with my father trailing, they have this routine down pretty good after all these years.

My dad had shingles a few years ago, he was back riding in a few weeks. My parents are usually healthier than their children, so it is quite scary when they actually do get sick.

####

On a very bad note, J. had a massive stroke about two weeks ago. He's in a drug induced coma and we all hope for the best.

This is hard to explain the relationship, so I will say he is the son of a
close family friends, brother of current friend, husband of a woman who
worked for me and my childhood friend. I have known these people literally all my life, his mom who worked in the hospital saw me right after I was born. Our parents went to college together. They have 3 children, and we have 4, we are the same ages at they are, except my baby brother. J. and I are the oldest of the children. Our families used to go camping together, I lived with his parents when I first came to Minnesota. I was at his wedding as well as numerous dinners, parties, ect... Needless to say this is very upsetting, a kind of a resigned helplessness.

We used to think we were the unlucky ones, with my brother's brain tumor, my car accident injuries, my other brother, but this is so beyond that right now.

####

a bit worried about someone else too.

Laurie made this comment,

I hope your mom is better soon and I'm so sorry to hear about your friend's stroke.

Susan made this comment,

Thanks Laurie!

Oh she will be, she has a sewing show to attend with me up here in Nov.

yes, it is definitely not good, but maybe he'll be okay eventually.

Katrina vs SF 1906

From http://www.livejournal.com/users/anguisetteowner/339297.html


"Here is a timeline to use in comparing the government reaction in New Orleans to the government reaction the last time an American city was destroyed—The San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906:

* The earthquake struck at 5:13 AM.
* By 7 AM federal troops had reported to the mayor.
* By 8 AM they were patrolling the entire downtown area and searching for survivors.
* The second quake struck at 8:14 AM.
* By 10:05 AM the USS Chicago was on its way from San Diego to San Francisco; by 10:30 the USS Preble
had landed a medical team and set up an emergency hospital.
* By 11 AM large parts of the city were on fire; troops continued to arrive throughout the day,
evacuating people from the areas threatened by fire to emergency shelters and Golden Gate Park.
* St. Mary's hospital was destroyed by the fire at 1 PM, with no loss of life, the staff and patients
having already been evacuated across the bay to Oakland.
* By 3 PM troops had shot several looters, and dynamited buildings to make a firebreak; by five they
had buried dozens of corpses, the morgue and the police pistol range being unable to hold any more.
* At 8:40 PM General Funston requested emergency housing - tents and shelters - from the War
Department in Washington; all of the tents in the U.S. Army were on their way to San Francisco by 4:55 AM the next morning.
* Prisoners were evacuated to Alcatraz, and by April 20 (two days after the earthquake) the USS
Chicago had reached San Francisco, where it evacuated 20,000 refugees.
Note-- this was an earthquake which, unlike the hurricane, came without warning. Not only that, it was in 1906; telephones were barely in use.
Source for times and dates: http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist10/06timeline.html
found at the Daily Kos, via thebitingfairy"


Thanks Brian!

Laurie made this comment,

Note-- this was an earthquake which, unlike the hurricane, came without warning. Not only that, it was in 1906; telephones were barely in use.

That final note on the post was exactly what I was thinking the whole time I was reading it. Amazing.

Susan made this comment,

Yes, amazing isn't it? When I used to travel frequently to San Fransisco, I used to like to stay at this small hotel off of Union Square called the King George which has survived the 1906 quake

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when? Hillel-30 BC-9AD

From Terry k's blog today:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/pecunium/131557.html

#############
God I wish I had something else to write about.
An author friend of mine once said he wrote about things which pained him, this seems to be one of the times this is what moves me.

What we did on our vacation by way of Making Light

Words fail me.

Gretna, well right now I want to wipe them from the face of the map. It's not a good response, not a rational one, and one which; if induldged wouldn't really make me feel any better; but the more I see of the venality of those who might have helped the colder runs my blood, the more coherent becomes my rage and the more I want an Old Testament God of wrath and smiting to manifest himself and show these people how they have failed their fellow man.

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am for myself alone, what am I? If not now, when?"

When indeed, and what are they?

#########

I understand Terry's want of "an Old Testament God of wrath and smiting to manifest himself and show these people how they have failed their fellow man."

Throughout the New Orleans/Katrina Tragedy I have many times been reminded of religious texts, particularly the Torah/OT/Books of Moses. I have seen some people write that this is punishment for the sins of the city, but it would be hubris to think so, one only has to look at the Book of Job to see that.

On a humanity level so many people have failed in so many ways, though there are also the brave and compassionate. I know people are looking for heads to roll, so there will be heads. Maybe those really responsible will be held accountable but in my scepticism I truly doubt there will be more than scapegoats.

"No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee." -- John Donne

As promised

to my friend Cynthia, and dedicated with much love to all the troublesome men in our lives:

I Hate Men from Kiss Me Kate by Cole Porter

I hate men.
I can't abide 'em even now and then.
Than ever marry one of them, I'd rest a maiden rather,
For husbands are a boring lot and only give you bother.
Of course, I'm awfully glad that Mother had to marry Father,
But I hate men.
Of all the types I've ever met within our democracy,
I hate most the athlete with his manner bold and brassy,
He may have hair upon his chest but, sister, so has Lassie.
Oh, I hate men!
I hate men.
They should be kept like piggies in a pen.
Avoid the trav'ling salesman though a tempting
Tom he may be,
For on your wedding night he may be off to far Araby,
While he's away in Mandalay is thee who have the baby,
Oh I hate men.
If thou shouldst wed a businessman, be wary, oh, be wary.
He'll tell you he's detained in town on business necessary,
His bus'ness is the bus'ness with his pretty secretary,
Oh I hate men!
I hate men
Though roosters they, I will not play the hen.
If you espouse and older man through girlish optimism,
He'll always stay at home at night and make no criticism,
Though you may call it love, the doctors call it rheumatism.
Oh, I hate men.
From all I've read, alone in bed, from A to Zed, about 'em.
Since love is blind, then from the mind, all womankind should rout 'em,
But, ladies, you must answer too, what would we do without 'em?
Still, I hate men!

Interesting places

Spoons Story illustrates what it's like to spend a day with a chronic illness. [via Etoile, via tikva]:

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/spoons.htm



Where the word dork really came from:

http://www.lileks.com/institute/dorcus/index.html

Its pretty funny.

Nerd, Geek, Dork

Pure Nerd 65 % Nerd, 34% Geek, 8% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in all Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd. The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations!

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 57% on nerdiness You scored higher than 50% on geekosity You scored higher than 7% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on Ok Cupid

Need to travel more

create your personalized map of europe
or check out our Barcelona travel guide

Provinces

create your own personalized map of Canada

States visited

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

Laurie made this comment,

Wow! You've been all over the place. I've only been to 11 states and, with the exception of Colorado and Nevada, they're all south of the Mason-Dixon line. Pretty pitiful.

made it!

Well I made it through the month of July! Its been a long one, lots of changes.
Another friend is MIA, or at least someone I thought was a friend, so what else is new? makes me very sad though. It was a hard month for many reasons, the hardest being memories of the previous July and the July before that.

Saw a lot of old friends, 4 out of town ones, did some trips, helped with house sales, it was hot and humid, altered a skirt for a 3 yr old to go to a wedding in, she was amazingly patient for the fittings, taking a bagging tutorial, inadvertently joined an exclusive bespoke tailoring lounge online, I am now one of 300 men it seems.

Made it!

Well I made it through the month of July! Its been a long one, lots of changes.
Another friend is MIA, or at least someone I thought was a friend, so what else is new? makes me very sad though. It was a hard month for many reasons, the hardest being memories of the previous July and the July before that.

Saw a lot of old friends, 4 out of town ones, did some trips, helped with house sales, it was hot and humid, altered a skirt for a 3 yr old to go to a wedding in, she was amazingly patient for the fittings, taking a bagging tutorial, inadventently joined an exclusive bespoke tailoring lounge online, I am now one of 300 men it seems.

quiz 2-nerd or geek- thanks C. Lee

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

silly test with pretty strange pictures from C. Lee

Thunder ~ 48% Water ~ 77% Wind ~ 59% Earth ~ 70% Fire ~

Change the street change the decade Still the longing's left inside... Your colours are the light blue of the sky and its exact opposite, the fiery crimson. You are likely energetic, ambitious, inquisitive and honest. However, you may sometimes appear insensitive or restless. You could try wearing a Jasper that inspires compassion and tranquillity, or a Peridot that relives irritation and inspires comfort and thus bring you a bit closer to harmony. In detail: Your Ground Chakra, which is associated with the element of fire and represents our basic desires and driving force, and your Throat Chakra, which is associated with the element of wind and represents our desire to learn and communicate, are predominant. Your Creative Chakra, which is associated with the element of earth and represents our need to preserve and grow, and your Heart Chakra, which is associated with the element of water and represents our sense of love and compassion are not quite as prominent. These are the results you will get if you score highly on... None of the four elements: Balance Wind: Gust Fire: Blaze Water: River Earth: Valley Wind & Fire: Thunder Wind & Water: Clouds Wind & Earth: Canyon Fire & Earth: Lava Fire & Water: Tornado Water & Earth: Trees Wind, Fire & Earth: Storm Wind, Fire & Water: Stars Wind, Water & Earth: Forest Fire, Water & Earth: Avalanche All four elements: Harmony

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 28% on water You scored higher than 52% on wind You scored higher than 42% on earth You scored higher than 57% on fire

Link: The Elemental Balance Test written by Nitsuki on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Ever wonder what happens when you send chocolates in the summer?

Today, at work, I found a large package sitting on my chair from Lindt USA. Fragile and next day air stamped on it. Oh Chocolates!!!!!!
I opened the box, and found an ice chest inside with still cold ice packs! Bubble wrap with a 85% cocoa dark chocolate bar inside, and the huge Ultimate bag of truffles.
Absolutely perfect, even though it had sat overnight in a UPS truck oven.
So now I have an incredible strong, like expresso, chocolate bar, tons of truffles, and a new cute little ice chest for the car.
It seemed a bit strange to me, not what I expected, exceedingly generous, but very nice just the same.

Astrid made this comment,

So how much of your chocolate bar and truffles is left today? Don't tell me your dog ate it all!!!

Susan made this comment,

Well no truffles are left and about 86% of the chocoale bar is still in my refrigerator. In my defense, there were 5 flavors of truffles and I gave away the white chocolate and peanut butter flavors to friends, so I only ate 3/5 of the bag. I ate the last 2 truffles yesterday. No dog to eat it, besides isn't chocolate poisonous to dogs?

traceofbliss made this comment,

Mmmm... you just gave me the HUGES chocolate craving I've ever had. And I LOVE dark chocolate truffles. Mmm..... Thanks... I must run off to hunt me down some brown, delicious candy like morsels.

Susan made this comment,

I don't want to ruin anyone's life, but I found this cool new dipping chocolate. Its called Baker's Dipping Chocolate and it comes in dark and milk. http://www.kraftfoods.com/bakerschocolate/ba kers_dipping_choc.html All you do is microwave it until it melts, whisk it until the chocolate is smooth and glossy, and start dipping. Yesterday I dipped a few strawberries and a banana, its is great. It keeps for 2 weeks in your frig. Some tips-refrigerate the the dipped items until they look kind of matte, that is what they look like when the chocolate is hardened, also put the dipped items on parchment paper, its easier to remove them. This stuff is amazing, much easier than the standard method.

Good Film, Bad film, thoughts on art and film

Every so often my brother gets 99 cent coupons for films at Hollywood Video which he gives to me. You can rent three movies at 99 cents each, so I go and pick out three that catch my fancy at the moment. I don't bother reading reviews, I just grab what might be interesting. Usually I end of up with decent if not good films, this time I was not so lucky on one of them. I haven't watch the third one yet.

"Last Life in the Universe" a strange Thai film, maybe the first Thai film I have seen, as opposed to films shot in Thailand, there are tons of those. It was quite intriguing, a mystery of sorts. I imagine it might be harder for a viewer totally unaware of Thai and/or Japanese culture, but maybe not. I quite liked it, parts are dreamy, it is not a simple film. The sets, the costumes, the scenery are great. The main actor and actresses are amazing. I strongly encourage seeing it. its in Thai, Japanese and English, with English subtitles. I saw it once through and then the 2nd time with the cinematographers commentary.

"the Kiss" was dull, I was not drawn into the story, not the current one or the story within the story, the scenes were okay, the sex was dull, I liked the dog best of all the characters. Some stuff was just stupid, one of the characters has the same short hair style in her 20's as in her 30's, and both times its silver? Not worth my time, not worth my $1.05.

I have seen a lot of films over the years. While in college, I interned for Redstone Theaters/Showcase Cinemas and got comps at all the local theaters, I also had friends who worked in various art house theaters, still do. For many years I saw almost a film a night. I am like that with classical music too, when I could get free or very inexpensive seats ($1-2) to the orchestra, I would go every night. I guess when possible I prefer a high level of artistic input in my life. I like to have live music in the background when I am writing or sketching out ideas. I go through periods of practically living at the local art museum as well, its easy to write or create there. I don't really care what critics think, I know what I like. Some critics I agree with, some I don't, but I still prefer to make up my own mind.

Nowadays, I frequently get invited to opinion maker preview screenings of independent films, I go when I can. Those are usually fun because the director is often there and you can ask questions. I saw the Chorus that way (you MUST see that). I also like them because they are free, and are about the only time I see a film in the theater at night. I have only walked out of one, "High Art" because I was bored, drugged slow lesbian sex just doesn't do anything for me, and the film felt slower than "Round Midnight" that was at least a decent film with good music.

Get sorted

be sorted @ nimbo.net


Congratulations on making Gryffindor!

Basically, you're brave, daring, chivalrous, and pretty much.. an all around good person. Of course, some see you as a goodie-two-shoes. But hey, it's true! You're really good at winning, and normally always come out as the hero. Everybody likes you.. except, maybe, the Slytherins. You're too perfect. No, really.. You're too perfect. It's annoying to watch you win, repeatedly. Oh well. Be proud anyway.

from Laurie

Sir Brian made this comment, Heh heh... does this mean i'm not supposed to like you? check out my Info page on LJ ;-) http://anguisetteowner.livejournal.com/
		Laurie made this comment, Didn't you think that was cool?! I've only read one of the books though. As soon as I finish the Vonnegut and Kerouac I'm reading, I think I'll read another.

The Great Race, http://www.greatrace.com has begun. My friend Laura is doing her third race!!! This year she is doing support, previously she has raced as a navigator and also done support for the same team.

I am going to meet her on route next week!!!! I am so excited!

Anyone on the route, please stop by and say hi! Go see all the cool cars and great racers.

her team's site is:
http://www.landroverparts.us
a daily update link can be found there

the schedule can be found here:
http://www.landroverparts.us/greatraceSchedule.html

Her team's car is #45, the only Landrover on the race

Got a new toy today

I went off to Office Depot questing for some transfer paper I heard was on clearance, it may have been earlier but it was all gone when I got there. What was there was a Motorola Bluetooth Portable Wireless Speaker for $30 which seemed reasonable so I got it!

I charged it up and tried it out, it sounds better than my phone's speaker phone and has a volume control and voice dial. Unfortunately, everyone I have on voice dial is asleep except one lucky person who is at a concert, so I called and heard a Pink Floyd song, and it sound fairly good.

It came with a neat little carry case to attach to the visor of your car. 3 hrs talk time, 100 hrs standby. Not bad.

Laurie made this comment, I was there. I was there!!! I was wondering why he just kept holding the phone and not saying anything. That's so funny! The festival was great. I'm sure Wang Chi will post reviews tomorrow. I hope he let you hear more than one song! comment added :: {ts '2005-06-26 00:39:58'} GMT-06
	Brian made this comment, Sounds cool! It was good to talk to you again. We will have to do so more often. comment added :: {ts '2005-06-26 12:21:19'} GMT-06 ::

Yikes my tongue is blue!

Why is my tongue blue? Well the day started out strange, strange emails, not pretty storywriting, an assortment of offline ims I wasn't expecting. I went to work, it was dead, worked on sales tax and a red and black bra during my breaks. I don't normal wear black but it is the only color of powernet I have that seems to go with the red I wanted so once I decided on that, I thought might as well accent it with black picot edge elastic. After I closed the store, I worked on it for another hour or so, got everything done but the back clasp and the straps done. Don't know if it will fit but hey it looks interesting.
Maybe I can be like those people who fill their library full of never read leather bound books, except I can fill my lingerie drawer with funky lingerie...

Anyway (or anyways-for Laurie) back to the blue tongue, so I decide to stop on the bra, I am kind of sick and getting rather feverish, so I decide to find myself a place to swim as it was about 85 out. I kind of remember that there are two lakes north of the store with beaches, though one is closed. I look at a map, yes that does occasionally happen! I only have a state map, but it does show the general vicinity of two lakes beginning with the letter J, Johanna and Josephine, so I decide they might be ideal places to swim. The fact that I do not have a swimsuit with me I decide is immaterial, ones doesn't need a swimsuit to swim. I am wearing a long sleeve shirt and light loose trousers that are tight at the ankles, and my current hat of favor, no problem I have swum in worse or less or something. I have even swum in this particular hat.

So I drive north until I find Lake Johanna, the one that is closed. There is a sign clearing saying closed and part of the road is blocked off, the rest of the road is full of parked cars, including a couple police cars. The park is full of people, having picnics and bar-b-ques. So I join the illegal parkers and head down to the beach, take my sandals off and start into the water, at which point a very nice policeman tells me I can't swim because the park is supposed to be closed. A few people come over to listen to him explain that the park really is closed despite the number of people in it, he points out that they all know this too because none of them is the water! I concede it his point and am starting to leave when the listening people invite me to their bar-b-que, since I can't swim ;-)

Now my blue tongue and I are dancing along with a Bollywood music video on PBS, great fun, a mixture of dance styles!!!

I wrote this a while ago and meant to post it, can't remember why my tongue was blue now :(

Baran (Rain)

I just watched the movie, Baran (Rain). A surprisingly interesting Iranian film about love and change. Most of it is set in a dipladated construction site where it seems none of the workers ever get paid, but food and tea is provided. Not your standard love story at all. It has a nice water theme as well.

Dark Chick flick?

Saw "the Seagull's Laughter" the other night, it was fun. A dark Icelandic comedy of sorts, the main characters are all women so by some guy's definition it is a chick flick. However, this is not a tear jerker but an empowering film where "women are asserting their independence and men are keeling over." It not rated in Icelandic with English subtitles. I recommend it. The portrayal of life in a remote Icelandic village in the 50's is also interesting.

Astrid made this comment,

I was in Iceland once, not in the fifties though, but loved it with all my heart. Hey, and if you thought Chicago was windy, go to Iceland, and think again!!!

comment added :: {ts '2005-07-17 06:59:35'} GMT-06 ::

Just finished watching a the movie "The Young Visitors or Mr. Salteena's plan" a somewhat surreal movie based on a story written by a 9 yrs old girl in 1890 in 12 days. It is almost satire about love, relationships, materialism, strange insight for a young girl to write. When I switched the dvd off and back to TV on PBS there appeared to be the former Cat Stevens singing Sad Lisa, a song I can easily relate to having been on both sides of it:

"She hangs her head and cries in my shirt
She must be hurt very badly
Tell me what's making you sadly
Open your door, don't hide in the dark
You're lost in the dark, you can trust me
'Cause you know that's how it must be

Lisa, Lisa Sad Lisa, Lisa

Her eyes like windows tricklin' rain
Upon her pain getting deeper
Tho' my love wants to relieve her
She walks alone from wall to wall
Tho' I know she likes to be near me

Lisa, Lisa Sad Lisa, Lisa

She sits in a corner by the door
There must be more I can tell her
If she really wants me to help her
I'll do what I can to show her the way
And maybe someday I will free her
Tho' I know no one can see her"
Sad Lisa-Cat Stevens


I think of a lost friend, who helped take me from the darkness, regain my silliness, optimism, dreams, just be me again. I could just be me, that was enough, whatever me was from moment to moment, I was so comfortable in that space we shared, I could go out and take on the world again. I could bring new people, relationships into my life, be support of my gf who is dying, be creative, deal with fire inspectors, put the past behind me and once again believe that life would get better somehow, and it did.

Then when darkness began to overtake him I did everything I could, it seemed to both of us that I was helping but somehow he got lost. I know I am part of the darkness, as well as the light, nothing I can do but wait hope and try to be the person he helped me find again.

When he left the last time in July, he said he would be back and I said I would be here. He said don't you dare waste away, just continue to be you, knowing you are you is good enough for me.
Sometimes, in the stress and worry of the lingering uncertainty, I get upset, hurt and angry. I forget who he is, who I am, how we are linked, kindred spirits, that none of this is intentional, that we are lucky.

I try to keep going forward, to have faith, to not think of the lost of time. Sometimes it is so frustrating, I want to tell him so much: I got a new car, I am traveling, making swishy skirts, designing pants with strange pockets, seeing old friends, haven't broken or ripped anything all year! Anna moved back to England. I have been only in the er once this year! I am getting to know someone I really like, am considering more conventional relationships, saw Al perform, heard (and talked with) Richard Thompson.

There are also the things that are the same- its mid June and the garden is not fully planted, I still didn't finish the curtains, I have the same job (for now...), and he is still my rock, wherever he is, however lost and wobbly he may be. I know he would be here if he could. I will try to remember that.

Dorothy made: this comment, So sad....reminds me of a female version of "Sundown, Yellow Moon...." comment added :: {ts '2005-06-17 14:44:47'} GMT-06
	Laurie made this comment, I thought I left a comment yesterday but it isn't here. I must be skipping a step. I think I said I hope everything comes out okay and I hope you're okay. If that isn't what I said, it's what I'm feeling for you today. I hope you're okay. comment added :: {ts '2005-06-17 16:40:11'} GMT-06
	Susan made this comment, Dorothy-"Sundown, Yellow Moon...." ??? I had to look that up. Well umm, we never had a falling out, and we had no idea it would be so long, I guess its more like "Fire and Rain" if you know the story behind it, but hopefully this one will end better. Laurie-Thank you, I hope everything comes out okay too, and SOON!!!! I am mainly okay, 5 out of 7 nights okay this week ;-) You had asked about July...

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

This morning it smelled like a candles being extinguished in my kitchen while I was unloading the dishwasher. I checked all the kitchen appliances and unplugged a few for good measure. Then I was writing the previous blog entry while being immed like mad by dbird who just got home from college for the summer and has a bit too much time on his hands ;-) anyway, I then smell something burning like wood embers. I open a window, no smoke, check the apartment hallway, nothing. Then one of the light bulbs by my computer starts flickering, its a compact fluorescent, so I shut off the lamp, lift up the shade and its burning!!!!!

Never seen that before, and I wonder if it was because I was reading Laurie's post about being a "funny shit magnet"


Laurie made this comment,
Girl! Thank God you were home!! I have two of those torchiere lamps in my living room and I read somewhere that they tend to catch fire. (Hey, they were cheap.) So, I never leave them on when I leave the house.

A friend basically asked me this tonight. All I could say is that with this particular man treats everyone he loves badly, just look at how he treats his own child. He feels because he is in an intimate relationship with her, he need not be be courteous, kind or even polite anymore. He balances kindness with abuse, intimacy with rejection, and he has done this almost since the beginning of their relationship.
She seems to believes that if he really loved her, he would magically become a different person, like a fairy tale of some sort, that love is a magic pill.

For several years I have watched, listened and comforted her as their relationship goes through the same cycles over and over again. There are things she can do to change the patterns, which she does occasionally, but she can't be consistent, it is as if she does not value herself enough to hold him accountable. In many ways she rewards his bad behavior by giving him her complete attention whenever he does something. So many times when she thinks this guy is leaving her, she calls upset that her world is ending. He'll never leave her for real, why should he? She always goes back to him, and he gets what he wants. It has been very depressing and upsetting to watch.

UPDATE-11-07-She finally broke free of him, YEAH!!!

For Laurie

Three Things...

This was passed to my by my newest blogging friend, Laurie ...

* Three screen names that you have had: Carpe Cavy, Lily, Astarte
* Three things you like about yourself: my inability to get bored, I don't give up, I am a fighting survivor
* Three things you don't like about yourself: I get so distracted, some commitment problems, can't handle suspense
* Three parts of your heritage: Anabaptists, Yiddish, DAR ;-)
* Three things that scare you: people disappearing, drunk drivers, being trapped
* Three of your everyday essentials: comfortable place to sleep, clean warm water, decent food
* Three things you are wearing right now: swishy skirt, sandals, watch
* Three of your favorite songs: Songs out of clay, awake, awake, sexual healing
* Three new things you want to try in the next twelve months: a certain Baron ;-), coaching classes, monogamy
* Three things I want in a relationship: laughter, love, passion
* Two truths and a lie: I could sell you your grandmother if I wished, I can't sleep if I am upset, I wear makeup daily
* Three things you can't do without: my family, my friends, my mac
* Three places you want to go on vacation: Lhasa, Kathmandu, New Zealand
* Three things you just can't do: ice skate, like the taste of alcohol, be a serial monogamous
* Three kids' names: Maya, Alexander, Evgenia
* Three things you want to do before you die: see all my friends, change the world, be at peace
* Three Celeb crushes: Don't really have any, but ones I think might be fun-Teller, Pedro Almodóvar, Rufus Sewell.
* Three people I nominate to complete this exercise: Wang Chi, Geoff Arnold, Pickle




Geoff made this comment,
I think I already did a version of this - see http://www.geoffarnold.com/mt-archives/000546.html
comment added :: {ts '2005-06-07 19:25:20'} GMT-06 :: http://geoffarnold.com

Laurie made this comment,
Thanks for doing this. I hope you get to go to all of those fabulous places!
comment added :: {ts '2005-06-09 16:53:50'} GMT-06