I must have been busy doing gloriously amazing things.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Hello Sunday...
Indulging in Sunday morning tradition of sharing coffee in bed with The Man and cuddling the fabulous Holly dog. Our Zen.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
...Fais do-do
Oh, I had a doozy of a song stuck in my head today! "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road". You can guess what I encountered on the drive to work that got this started. So, being the sharing person that I am, I put it on Facebook as soon as I got to work. I was a bit disappointed that only one person got the reference (and the desired effect of the endlessly looping ditty), but it was a looong time ago. 1972-73, as a matter of fact. Written and recorded by Mr. Loudon Wainwright III - songwriter, folk-singer, humorist, and actor. Now don't go thinking I just knew this. Curiosity got the best of me after several hours of the chorus in my head, which was the only part of the song I could remember, so I had to look it up this evening. I began wondering if there was any more to the song than that, as it seems a pretty silly topic. But, no. It was just a novelty song about the smell of dead skunk. And as weird as that may be, it also made me smile with recollection. I remember the song playing on the radio, and I can remember singing it and laughing with my mother. And then any time we'd smell a skunk while driving, we would start singing. Pure silliness, from the long-dormant memory of a 5 year old. So thank you, Mr. Dead Skunk. Your stink made me smile.
We saw the 'Glee' 3D Concert Movie today. Yes, I'm a Gleek. Even more so now than I was before the movie. It was Fantastic!! Not just because it is the Glee characters and songs that we love, but because of the stories related between the songs that show how the characters have influenced the lives of a handful of teens. It was truly inspirational, in my opinion. Or maybe I'm just a big ol' sap. But the beauty of Glee is that it's not about celebrating the A-list teens. It's about embracing who you are, popular or not, and celebrating yourself. And with the show's rise in popularity, this way of thinking has really affected the lives of real people. Kids (and let's be real, adults too) have identified with the characters, overcome challenges and fears, and have gained confidence and joy in their lives. And the movie shows this. I think that's a beautiful thing. It's a shame the movie hasn't been more successful. I think many people didn't really know what it had to offer. I certainly didn't know it would be the uplifting fun that it was. Or maybe some people were put off by critics that underrated it because it didn't offer a lot of backstage hangouts with the cast. Meh. I think it was excellent the way it was. The songs were very well done, as they always are on the show, but with even more energy and enthusiasm. It really is impressive to realize how truly talented these kids are. That's what makes it so enjoyable to me. Not the silly relationships between the characters, but the characters themselves and the talents they share. And can you imagine what a trip this all must be for these kids? They went from relative obscurity to rock-star status. From being part of a hit TV series, to now having a real concert tour around the world. All the while inspiring others. I danced in my seat. I laughed. And I was verklempt. All at the same time. It was wonderful!
Geez, who knew I had a Glee soap-box? Actually, I guess it's just my Underdog soap-box. But I have one more thing to say about the movie: Thank Glee I have much better songs looping in my head now!!!
I'm digging this random thought journaling much more than a gratitude journal.
Hell continues: High Temp Today = 107F; Heat Index = Inferno. We complain because we are uncomfortable. And because the electric bills are so high. But the big downer is that there are people in the state losing their livelihoods. Farms that are burned up, and ranchers having to just sell off herds because there is nothing to feed them. There are no politicians or big business to rant about for this. There's just helpless waiting. And a 7-day forecast looking just like today.
But to end on a good note... My favorite late night smells: #1. Earl Gray Tea. It smells like peace and calm in a teabag. How I lived without experiencing this for more than 40 years is just beyond me! #2. Wildflower Honey. Oh, you lovely bee geniuses! #1 + #2 = Om.
Fais do-do. Go to sleep.
Yes, cajun dances are known as fais do-do...because that's what they used to tell the children so that they could get on with dancing once the little ones were abed. Interesting, no?
We saw the 'Glee' 3D Concert Movie today. Yes, I'm a Gleek. Even more so now than I was before the movie. It was Fantastic!! Not just because it is the Glee characters and songs that we love, but because of the stories related between the songs that show how the characters have influenced the lives of a handful of teens. It was truly inspirational, in my opinion. Or maybe I'm just a big ol' sap. But the beauty of Glee is that it's not about celebrating the A-list teens. It's about embracing who you are, popular or not, and celebrating yourself. And with the show's rise in popularity, this way of thinking has really affected the lives of real people. Kids (and let's be real, adults too) have identified with the characters, overcome challenges and fears, and have gained confidence and joy in their lives. And the movie shows this. I think that's a beautiful thing. It's a shame the movie hasn't been more successful. I think many people didn't really know what it had to offer. I certainly didn't know it would be the uplifting fun that it was. Or maybe some people were put off by critics that underrated it because it didn't offer a lot of backstage hangouts with the cast. Meh. I think it was excellent the way it was. The songs were very well done, as they always are on the show, but with even more energy and enthusiasm. It really is impressive to realize how truly talented these kids are. That's what makes it so enjoyable to me. Not the silly relationships between the characters, but the characters themselves and the talents they share. And can you imagine what a trip this all must be for these kids? They went from relative obscurity to rock-star status. From being part of a hit TV series, to now having a real concert tour around the world. All the while inspiring others. I danced in my seat. I laughed. And I was verklempt. All at the same time. It was wonderful!
Geez, who knew I had a Glee soap-box? Actually, I guess it's just my Underdog soap-box. But I have one more thing to say about the movie: Thank Glee I have much better songs looping in my head now!!!
I'm digging this random thought journaling much more than a gratitude journal.
Hell continues: High Temp Today = 107F; Heat Index = Inferno. We complain because we are uncomfortable. And because the electric bills are so high. But the big downer is that there are people in the state losing their livelihoods. Farms that are burned up, and ranchers having to just sell off herds because there is nothing to feed them. There are no politicians or big business to rant about for this. There's just helpless waiting. And a 7-day forecast looking just like today.
But to end on a good note... My favorite late night smells: #1. Earl Gray Tea. It smells like peace and calm in a teabag. How I lived without experiencing this for more than 40 years is just beyond me! #2. Wildflower Honey. Oh, you lovely bee geniuses! #1 + #2 = Om.
Fais do-do. Go to sleep.
Yes, cajun dances are known as fais do-do...because that's what they used to tell the children so that they could get on with dancing once the little ones were abed. Interesting, no?
Bon jour...
Kitty-Mania erupts in my bed every morning between 4:30-4:45. They're silent as ninjas, I'll give them that, but they feel like flailing Sumo wrestlers on top of me. Who can sleep with that going on?? The Man, that's who. Totally oblivious. Lucky bastard. Anyway, this nonsense is almost always started by the aforementioned bratty-cat supreme, Zumi. He gets up from his place at my side, where he cuddles peacefully all night, stands on top of my legs, and proceeds to gently smacking on little Nom-Nom. I think it's his I'm-The-King moment. He lets her sleep in his (our) bed all night, as long as she stays out of His Zone, until that time that he must wake her with kitty domestic violence. And then they slap and kick and roll and body slam each other quite gloriously until I intervene. It's kind of annoying, but also really funny and cute, so it's hard to be mad at them. When they wrestle any other time there is much caterwauling and usually some drama, but not at The Awakening. They're Sumo Ninjas. Sumo Ninja Ingrates.
My favorite early morning smells: #1. Really good coffee brewing. Current house choice is Cafe Du Monde's Coffee and Chicory from, of course, Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. Maybe I can't bodily go there right now, but my mind spends a good bit of its time there. (My mind is always going somewhere!) #2. Turbinado sugar. I love sugar, and Turbinado raw sugar is the richest, made by only partially refining the sugar cane. Imperial Sugar has the best one I've tried. It's dense and oh-so-slightly moist still, and the fragrance is dark and thick and rich and a bit reminiscent of molasses, but without the harshness. If you're discerning enough to not drink peasant-coffee, you'll love what Turbinado does to your brew.
There has to be a better way of dealing with all this hair than having to spend so much time blow-drying in the morning. I have other things I'd rather be doing, thank you. I love my hair. But I don't want to have to 'do' it.
I dislike having to work on Saturday mornings. Dislike is too mild. Yes, I'm grateful to have a job (don't get me started on the lack of available jobs), but I really hate going to work on Saturday morning. If I had a telecommuting job I wouldn't mind (and oh, how I wish I did!). So there's my bit of negativity for the morning. Well, that and the hair.
So, to not end the morning's thoughts on negativity (which is bad juju for the day): Let's go out into the world today and not be mean to each other. Mean sucks. Being snarky is okay, but don't be mean.
Off I go...
My favorite early morning smells: #1. Really good coffee brewing. Current house choice is Cafe Du Monde's Coffee and Chicory from, of course, Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. Maybe I can't bodily go there right now, but my mind spends a good bit of its time there. (My mind is always going somewhere!) #2. Turbinado sugar. I love sugar, and Turbinado raw sugar is the richest, made by only partially refining the sugar cane. Imperial Sugar has the best one I've tried. It's dense and oh-so-slightly moist still, and the fragrance is dark and thick and rich and a bit reminiscent of molasses, but without the harshness. If you're discerning enough to not drink peasant-coffee, you'll love what Turbinado does to your brew.
There has to be a better way of dealing with all this hair than having to spend so much time blow-drying in the morning. I have other things I'd rather be doing, thank you. I love my hair. But I don't want to have to 'do' it.
I dislike having to work on Saturday mornings. Dislike is too mild. Yes, I'm grateful to have a job (don't get me started on the lack of available jobs), but I really hate going to work on Saturday morning. If I had a telecommuting job I wouldn't mind (and oh, how I wish I did!). So there's my bit of negativity for the morning. Well, that and the hair.
So, to not end the morning's thoughts on negativity (which is bad juju for the day): Let's go out into the world today and not be mean to each other. Mean sucks. Being snarky is okay, but don't be mean.
Off I go...
Friday, August 19, 2011
...Lights Out
This life-sucking heat is just so defeating. Running a few early afternoon errands rendered me totally useless. We hide out in our bedroom in the late afternoon because it's the furthest from the West side of the house. Like a cave. Except it really makes me want to decorate more in there. Make it a pretty cave.
I realized today that the time spent laying in a tanning bed is a great opportunity for meditative breathing exercises. Of course this realization would come to me on the day that I cancelled my membership with the facility due to the financial affliction. Which would explain the anxiety-driven hyperventilation I'd had fun with all morning. Anywho, yes, laying in the quiet chamber of light is a great place to really breathe and focus. Yes, I know tanning is not a really healthy thing to do, but I delusion-ally reassure myself that it's not so bad because I don't do it very often.
What is it with all the "i"-whatsits everywhere? Why on earth did Steve Jobs not copyright that? Maybe you can't copyright a single letter. I don't know. But I do know that product naming and marketing is getting i-ridiculous. Today's example: " i-Cool Menopause Relief Product " i-Kid you not. A few weeks ago it was a billboard for "iLasik". Seriously? Is that laser eye surgery by iPhone? I'll keep my glasses, thank you! I know, and truly do understand, that it all stems from the wild success of the actual i-Products. But for some reason it strikes me as notably wacky. Somewhat teetering on the brink of idiocracy. Or would that be iDiocracy? I think I'm going to look forward to sharing these products as often as I find them. We'll call it the " iWTF? ".
Is there an app for that? Yes, a selection from the actual apps that do so often gleefully embrace idiocracy (my so far ultimate favorite): "Confession. A Roman Catholic app for i Products". Yes, indeedy. Salvation via iTunes. Because you know they have a direct line to God. (Well he's probably hanging out with Steve Jobs anyway.)
I love the movie She's Out Of My League!
Go to sleep. Tomorrow's another day...
I realized today that the time spent laying in a tanning bed is a great opportunity for meditative breathing exercises. Of course this realization would come to me on the day that I cancelled my membership with the facility due to the financial affliction. Which would explain the anxiety-driven hyperventilation I'd had fun with all morning. Anywho, yes, laying in the quiet chamber of light is a great place to really breathe and focus. Yes, I know tanning is not a really healthy thing to do, but I delusion-ally reassure myself that it's not so bad because I don't do it very often.
What is it with all the "i"-whatsits everywhere? Why on earth did Steve Jobs not copyright that? Maybe you can't copyright a single letter. I don't know. But I do know that product naming and marketing is getting i-ridiculous. Today's example: " i-Cool Menopause Relief Product " i-Kid you not. A few weeks ago it was a billboard for "iLasik". Seriously? Is that laser eye surgery by iPhone? I'll keep my glasses, thank you! I know, and truly do understand, that it all stems from the wild success of the actual i-Products. But for some reason it strikes me as notably wacky. Somewhat teetering on the brink of idiocracy. Or would that be iDiocracy? I think I'm going to look forward to sharing these products as often as I find them. We'll call it the " iWTF? ".
Is there an app for that? Yes, a selection from the actual apps that do so often gleefully embrace idiocracy (my so far ultimate favorite): "Confession. A Roman Catholic app for i Products". Yes, indeedy. Salvation via iTunes. Because you know they have a direct line to God. (Well he's probably hanging out with Steve Jobs anyway.)
I love the movie She's Out Of My League!
Go to sleep. Tomorrow's another day...
Rise and Shine...
Why does Zumi Cat insist on waking me up to let him out of the bedroom 30 minutes to an hour before my alarm goes off? He knows that I get up at the same time every morning. Does he really think he's going to perish in that last hour if I don't let him out Right Now??? Cats. He's lucky he's gorgeous.
We had a power blinkage at some point in the wee hours. You would think it would be during the day when all the power is being sucked up by the 'burbs trying to stay cool, but not this time. So I'm discombobulated because little things did not come back on after the blink: the air purifier that keeps our room from being like a tomb of silence, the little light over the stove that keeps me from tripping over previously mentioned bratty cat as I stumble to the kitchen, and the timer that is set on my Beloved maker-of-coffee. Yes, I had to actually flip the switch myself and, I hope you're sitting down, WAIT for it to brew. I know, I know. But I'm okay.
Thank goodness my alarm is on my cell phone so it doesn't fail with power outages! It only lets me down when my phone takes a trip to New Mexico at rising time. Fortunately it goes to New Mexico at various times of the day, so it only left me without an alarm once. I'm not sure what it does when it goes there, but I'm almost jealous that it travels out of our time zone far more than I ever have. Except that it just goes to New Mexico. That one is pretty far down on my We-Have-To-Go-To-There list.
On that note, I can't wait til the current financial affliction is over so that I can get an iPhone. I'm pretty sure I'm the last person without one. My boss, who can barely comprehend text and email, has one. Hordes of small children have them! Anyway, I can't wait to have my own iPhone so I can get the groovy apps for enlightenment, such as Yoga, and Shiva Nata ( http://shivanata.com/ ). Isn't that awesome? Yeah, I'll be one of the cool kids.
Are jellyfish thinking anything???
We had a power blinkage at some point in the wee hours. You would think it would be during the day when all the power is being sucked up by the 'burbs trying to stay cool, but not this time. So I'm discombobulated because little things did not come back on after the blink: the air purifier that keeps our room from being like a tomb of silence, the little light over the stove that keeps me from tripping over previously mentioned bratty cat as I stumble to the kitchen, and the timer that is set on my Beloved maker-of-coffee. Yes, I had to actually flip the switch myself and, I hope you're sitting down, WAIT for it to brew. I know, I know. But I'm okay.
Thank goodness my alarm is on my cell phone so it doesn't fail with power outages! It only lets me down when my phone takes a trip to New Mexico at rising time. Fortunately it goes to New Mexico at various times of the day, so it only left me without an alarm once. I'm not sure what it does when it goes there, but I'm almost jealous that it travels out of our time zone far more than I ever have. Except that it just goes to New Mexico. That one is pretty far down on my We-Have-To-Go-To-There list.
On that note, I can't wait til the current financial affliction is over so that I can get an iPhone. I'm pretty sure I'm the last person without one. My boss, who can barely comprehend text and email, has one. Hordes of small children have them! Anyway, I can't wait to have my own iPhone so I can get the groovy apps for enlightenment, such as Yoga, and Shiva Nata ( http://shivanata.com/ ). Isn't that awesome? Yeah, I'll be one of the cool kids.
Are jellyfish thinking anything???
Thursday, August 18, 2011
...and Good Night
Today I was kissed by a Dachshund puppy, a now-adult Golden Retriever that I first met as a puppy, a kitty that was the white version of my black Zumi (oh, how I would love to have them both!), and a beautifully enthusiastic young German Shepherd girl. These moments are the best part of my job.
What is up with the change of meaning for the term "Flash Mob"? It was the term used to describe the seemingly-spontaneous outbreaks of choreographed dancing by mobs of people in celebration of any number of things. Now the news is full of stories of "Flash Mobs" that are nothing more than violent looting attacks by larcenous dregs of society with entitlement issues. Who felt that it was a good idea to use the same term to label two radically different groups of people??? They couldn't come up with anything else...anything...to describe the recent looters? Did they try out "Sorry POS Thugs" first? What about "Worthless Scum Movement"? Come on, I'm sure there is a plethora of descriptors that would be better suited than simply hijacking the already publicly-recognized name for a group of people who devote THEIR free time to celebrating moments and sharing joy with dance.
I'm quite certain that my soul is from County Clare: http://t.co/UYXQBTA The Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, the Poulnabrone Dolmen. Cumha I ndiaidh an bhaile a bheith ort...
Tomorrow is Friday. A short work day. This is good. Tonight I wish to dream of Fall. And Ireland. And puppies. Goodnight, chickens.
Good Morning...
I'm in love with my coffee maker. We've been together for many years now, but the passion is still strong. And how could it not be? I give it less than 2 minutes of attention at night, and it makes for me fresh, hot, delicious java before I even make it into the kitchen each morning. If it could bring it to me in bed on my days off, I might just marry it. (kidding...I'm not one of *those* people!)
No more watching news, especially political discussion news programs, before bed at night. I do not need all of those people in my head in the dark!
WHAT is with the "hook-up" followers on Twitter? Does anyone really think these are real hot-babes that are going to make all their dreams come true? It's not my deal to judge, I suppose, but eww...could you do me the favor of not following me? You're making the place smell bad.
Per our weather man this morning: "Day #52. Today we tie 1954 for 3rd place. Highs of 106 today...107 Friday, 105 Sat, 103 Sun, Mon & Tue. If we're lucky...only 100 Wed!"
If this isn't Hell, we're definitely the neighbor next door!
Per the Dalai Lama: "Moral ethics are the basis of world peace." *sigh* That's why world peace has become a fairy tale.
No more watching news, especially political discussion news programs, before bed at night. I do not need all of those people in my head in the dark!
WHAT is with the "hook-up" followers on Twitter? Does anyone really think these are real hot-babes that are going to make all their dreams come true? It's not my deal to judge, I suppose, but eww...could you do me the favor of not following me? You're making the place smell bad.
Per our weather man this morning: "Day #52. Today we tie 1954 for 3rd place. Highs of 106 today...107 Friday, 105 Sat, 103 Sun, Mon & Tue. If we're lucky...only 100 Wed!"
If this isn't Hell, we're definitely the neighbor next door!
Per the Dalai Lama: "Moral ethics are the basis of world peace." *sigh* That's why world peace has become a fairy tale.
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