Like I said on facebook,

I usually veer pretty far away from "Christian" writing. From that stuff that's all full of jargon and talk about feelings and personal relationships with an intangible, invisible being, and feelings, and Bible verses and Bible analysis and some flowery metaphors (ok, I'm a hypocrite) and maybe some more stuff about feelings. I don't know how to say this, and maybe it's because I don't have an example of said writing in front of me (because, um, it's not the kind of thing I tend to bookmark), but there's just a whole atmosphere to it that makes me want to run the opposite direction. All those things--relationships and churchspeak and feelings--those are all things that I just don't get. But this girl--Jamie the Very Worst Missionary--this girl I like. Even if you're not particularly a person of religious bent, you might like what she has to say--particularly in this post. Check her out.

I have too many tabs open.

Weird, I know.


This is a slideshow that looks really excellent, but which I haven't even come close to watching all the way through. Done by the BBC, so it's probably quality.


This is a really great mug that I want to buy. Made in the USA. Please check it out. You will probably laugh, and/or feel smug.


An article from The Onion on the disappearing grown-up.


I want this. Read the description. There's a pretty funny video about it that someone posted on facebook, but I've already closed my facebook tab, so you're sol unless you Youtube it.


Don't believe in evolution? Don't be ridiculous. Open your eyes. (And before you get out your pitchfork, please remember that this sentence is being typed by a Christian type person.) Here are seven animals that are evolving right before our very eyes.


What Spiderman should have been inspired by. I never realized how awesome tarantulas were until just now.



And lastly, the world's smallest stop-motion animation. Now with 3D printing! And quite cute.

In its completely raw, unedited form

Because I am tired and lazy and short on time. Here are notes I wrote down two nights or so ago after working outside and driving over the river and walking Miley under the moon, and then never fleshed out. I've put them in chronological order and left the "and" before the robins, because I feel like it.

and the little red-breasted robins, hopping around on the newly turned earth as I worked.

the surreal beauty of the tall, straight, slender trees by the river.

the bare cold fingers of winter and the soft lacy sprays of spring, with the moon shining through.

Here are links from my facebook news feed and from other sources, some of which I have not actually yet read:

Here is a trailer for an indie film on the consequences of a childhood removed from nature. I'm not sure I feel like the trailer is extremely well put together, but I am interested in the concept.

Orange is not the only rhymeless word! This sounds like a good challenge.

Misplaced Mama is one of my favorite blogs. Probably my favorite, actually. I like this, about roots.

This I haven't read yet, but I love linguistics, so I'm planning to when it's not 1:30 am and I'm not late to meet Sara, etc. Evidently analyses show that all languages may have originated in Africa. GO FIGURE. (Given that anthropologists believe that human life originated in Africa, this doesn't seem too shocking. Still interesting though. Or I hope it will be.)

It seems that wolves have been removed from the endangered species list, not because they are no longer endangered, but because people don't like them. AWESOME.

"My Drunk Kitchen" on youtube. So classy.

Starting production on The Hobbit! Best thing of my life!

A smorgasbord

Have you seen that Direct TV commercial ("Opulence. I has it.")? The one with the miniature giraffe? Oh, excuse me: the petite lap giraffe. This is ridiculous.

I really have a thing for Star Wars. Possibly I haven't mentioned this, as I haven't been actively obsessive about it in a very long time, but my deep affection remains. And no, no, I do not mean episodes I-III. Those really hardly count as being part of the Star Wars canon. Anyway, I saw these bookends somewhere the other day, and I want them. I want them so bad. Unfortunately, I can't really afford to spend $200 on them. $200 bookends! WTF? They're extremely well-rendered though, so I guess I can sort of understand. And I love the idea of taking a scene from A New Hope where the characters are actually pushing against the walls and transforming it into bookends where they're pushing against the books. The timeline is slightly off, but I will accept this, as messing up the timeline allowed them to include the swamp monster thing (I actually used to know what this was called--that's how obsessed I was--but I've forgotten. Probably it's for the best) and Luke being thrown around by it.

You may have noticed that I've been kind of into Ok Go lately. I mean, more so than usual. Here is the link to their appearances in the NPR archives.

Speaking of Ok Go, there's a song on their album that I didn't really notice the first few times through. It's called "Needing/Getting," and it's awesome. If it had existed when David and I broke up (or at least, if I had been aware of its existence), it would have pretty much been the anthem of my life. Have a listen:

And here are the lyrics, if you're interested:

I've been waiting for months, waiting for years, waiting for you to change*.
Oh, well there ain't much that's dumber, there ain't much that's dumber
than pinning your hopes on change in another.

Oh, yeah I still need you--but what good's that gonna do?
Needing is one thing, but getting? Getting's another.

So I've been sitting around, wasting my time, wondering what you've been doing,
oh it ain't real forgiving, it ain't real forgiving
sitting here picturing someone else living.

And oh, yeah I still need you. But what good's that gonna do?
Needing is one thing, and getting, getting's another.

I've been hoping for months, hoping for years, hoping I might forget.
Oh but it don't get much dumber, it don't get much dumber
than trying to forget a girl when you love her!

And oh, yeah I still need you--but what good's that gonna do?
Oh needing is one thing, and getting
getting's another.

Other things:

Yesterday I was told that I "work like a Jamaican." I don't, really, but it was amusing to hear. I kept remembering that phrase today while I was standing outside pressure washing a tool shed. It's rather wet work, especially when the jet of water hits a corner in the woodwork and throws everything back onto you. It's like standing in your own little private rainstorm. On the upside, rainbows.

Speaking of water jets, Jr and I were driving down my street yesterday, and there was a sprinkler on! A sprinkler! (I just typed "sprinklet" by accident. I like it.)

Something I've been trying to figure out and put into words lately: maybe these aren't warring sides in every person, but they are warring sides in me: stoicism and hedonism/epicurism**. These aren't quite a dichotomy, but that doesn't mean they can't fight. For me, stoicism almost always wins. It's not that my actions are never decided by my hedonistic/epicurean side, but that's in the moment. Hedonism, or my brand anyway, is all in the moment, and in the long run, it doesn't make me happy. Stoicism is long-term: it keeps on walking after hedonism lies down to take a nap--and that's when it turns around, looks at what the hedonist has done, and passes judgment. So. Yeah.

From thefreedictionary.com:

Stoic:

1. One who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain.

2. Stoic A member of an originally Greek school of philosophy, founded by Zeno about 308 b.c., believing that God determined everything for the best and that virtue is sufficient for happiness. Its later Roman form advocated the calm acceptance of all occurrences as the unavoidable result of divine will or of the natural order.

Hedonism:

1. Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.

2. Philosophy The ethical doctrine holding that only what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good.

Epicurean***:
         1. Devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially to the enjoyment of good food and comfort.















*Just to be fair and to be clear, I wasn't just waiting around for David to change. We both needed to change. Things in general needed to change--but they didn't. Or not in the way that we (or I) might have hoped. But they're pretty good now. Things are pretty good.

**I usually work so hard to avoid putting two colons in one sentence. Sometimes though, I just don't feel like rewording the whole thing for the sake of pet peeves. I'm not actually even sure that that's technically incorrect, but it feels like it would be.

***Please forgive the fact that these are different parts of speech. Probably you aren't as much of a perfectionist as I am and didn't even notice, but it's killing me. I'm leaving it because the definition of "stoic" on this particular website is better than the definition of "stoicism."

The art of navel gazing.

I'm a pusher.

Am I an introvert? I've always said yes, and in a way I believe that I am--but I tend to fall so squarely on the line that I can't really be completely sure. Somehow that's an odd feeling.


I'm about 98% positive that a dating website is not the thing for me. So why am I still there? Maybe it's a way to kill time. You know, because I need more help killing time in the middle of the night. Clearly screwing around online is a better idea than sleeping at 3 am.


Ok so I'm reading this article from Psychology Today on introversion (almost an obsession lately--I know, weird), and OMG look at this:

"In a series of studies in which subjects were presented with an effortful task such as taking a test, thinking rationally, or giving a speech, introverts did not choose to invoke happy feelings, reports Boston College psychologist Maya Tamir. They preferred to maintain a neutral emotional state. Happiness, an arousing emotion, may be distracting for introverts during tasks. By contrast, extraverts reported a preference to feel "happy," "up," or "enthusiastic" and to recall happy memories while approaching or completing the tasks."


It's me. It's me. I hate emotion when I'm trying to think. Or focus. Or relax. I pretty much just hate emotion. Imean, it has its place. I know it does. But that's a thing I need to keep telling myself, or I'll forget. 


(Don't know what's up with the font sizes. Sorry about that.)


"Even a simple opener of "Hello, how are you? Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you about X," from anyone can challenge an introvert. Rather than bypassing the first question or interrupting the flow to answer it, the introvert holds onto the question: Hmm, how am I? (An internal dialogue begins, in which the introvert "hears" herself talking internally as the other person speaks.)

Even if the introvert responds, "I'm good," she's probably still reflecting on how she is: Good? That's not quite right. I really have had a pretty crummy day, but there isn't a quick way to explain that. She wants to first work out privately her thoughts and judgment about the day. She also may evaluate the question itself: I hate that we so often just say 'good' because that's the convention. The other person doesn't really want to know. She may even activate memories of how the question has struck her in the past.

While the introvert is evaluating the question on at least two levels (how she is feeling and what she thinks about the question, perhaps also what this says about our society), the speaker is already moving on to sharing something about his day. The introvert must take the incoming message from the speaker and tuck it into working memory until she can get to it, while more information keeps flowing in that demands tracking, sorting, searching, and critical analysis."

For me at least, I'd say that calling "hey, how are you, I've been meaning to tell you [x]" a "challenge" is a little strong, but it can be an irritation. My brain really will run straight off track just like that. Actually, the thing about "good" just being the convention might as well be a direct quote. Original, right? I know. The best part of all this is that I'm not naturally an auditory learner, so that "tuck it away for later" thing doesn't work well for me. I try automatically, but it doesn't so much work out. I've been working on the auditory processing thing, and it's improving, but it takes a lot of focus.
Anyway though, here's the article: "Revenge of the Introvert." It's a little long, but pretty good and very informative. I especially like the "things never to say to an introvert" section at the very end.

And this is why I love my facebook news feed.

Murder in the Time of Cholera pro bono investigation:
This is historically fascinating, and I don't have a problem with the author putting the "paranormal investigation" stuff into the article--but to end with it, as though that's the whole point and this is a glorified ad for "Ghost Hunters," seems a little extreme. And stupid.

The care and keeping of your introvert:
I am, as usual, interested to read an article on "how introverts are" vs "how extroverts are," and find that I fit into neither category. People make me tired, so I consider myself to be an introvert. But people sometimes make me feel energized in the short term, so I can appear to be an extrovert. I do not feel that I am shy, but I am often reserved upon meeting strangers, particularly groups of strangers. However, around people I know well, I can sometimes be gregarious to the point of obnoxiousness. I do tend to "think by talking (or writing)," which the author cites as an extroverted tendency, but I value my time alone, and I'll almost literally collapse if I try to go too long without it. Yes. Interesting.

Scientists create the first [stable] artificial leaf:
SCIENCE FTW. I am even more impressed with the fact that PopSci has (evidently) published an article on a scientific advance that has actually happened. The comments thus far on this article are pretty amusing, by the way.

Teen girl pistol-whips misguided mother for used sports car:
I just want to say, WTF. Not only that some girl actually pistol-whipped her mother for a used car, but that her mother did not press charges because she wanted to make sure that her sociopath of a daughter could still go to YALE. Or whatever other Ivy-League school. Has she even heard of priorities? What is WRONG with people?

"Safer Birth in a Barn" (speaking of mothers):
Obviously there are things that can go wrong with a birth, and I agree that it's good to have a doctor nearby in case of an emergency. In this article, which is about a horse, hence the barn setting, there is a vet nearby. The difference is in perspective, in motivation, in trust, and in respect. And, if you ask me, in idiocy. Thoughts?


Lastly, this. Jessica's Daily Affirmation:

UNTITLED. Because I do what I want.

In what world is it acceptable for the outside temperature right now to be 28 degrees? Miley and Faith and I are all curled up warmly in front of the wood stove, and that's great. but very soon I am going to have to take Miley outside. I'm not looking forward to it.


On another note, here (http://writeordie.com/) is a really awesome program that I bookmared yages ago and then completely forgot about. It is awesome. I think I might buy it, if only to support sheer awesomeness on principle.


Speaking of buying, I did not buy any Leona Lewis albums after all. I did buy a couple (a few?) of her songs.

Also, I'vce realized that (I think) that yesterday's reference to Marcus was the first I'd posted here, and it was negative. That's not really the impression I want to give. Marcus is super cool. I just, you know, suck at communicating with people I haven't known since infancy. It's an issue.


LASTLY, I just want to say that almost all of the above was typed without looking at the screen, because I am comfortable and don't feel like picking my head up off my arm. This would make more sense if you realized that I am literally lying on my stomach on the floor in front of the wood stove. Anyway, this is why I put the "write or die" link in parenthesis instead of as a hyperlink, and this is also why there are typos--because I am proud of there not being many, and I have therefore decided to leave the typos that I couldn't correct without looking because, you konw, there aren't that many.

Daydreaming, and also the relatively near cosmos.

Kelly just posted this on my facebook wall, which prompted yet another (visibly escalating) brainstorming/daydreaming session about the greatest, most awesome, most utterly childish and wonderful house ever, which was recorded thus in my comments on her post:

-Dibs. I wish they'd shown more of the house though than the slide and the bookshelves. I mean those are awesome things. I'm just saying. Five (out of nine) slide pictures seems a little excessive.

-My slide would have more colors.


And maybe a water feature.

-Facebook just reloaded in the middle of the best house description ever. I will kill it.

Now I have to retype the whole thing! Please stand by.

-...Also, the floor of the "courtyard" would be a trampoline. And there would be a rooftop garden. And a fireman's pole. And a room made entirely of mattresses. And the hallway of bookcases (ZOMG) would include a reading nook. And windows all along one wall. Also, there would be a double (treble?) wrap-around porch. And there would be a shower-bathroom like the one at my cousin's house, where the whole bathroom is also a shower. And there would be a hot tub someplace. Probably in a corner of the rooftop garden. Also, hammocks aplenty. Hammocks for all! All the times! Different types of hammocks, even, with different colors and some with tassels. Possibly the floor(s?) would be painted with the yellow brick road. That is undecided. Also there should be a bathroom with enough plants in it that when you shower it is like showering outdoors in a jungle. Possibly this could be accomplished by the installation of a shower amidst the greenery of the rooftop garden, but clearly that would be seasonal. Additionally, there could be a swinging rope bridge going from one of the porches across the yard into the most epic fabulous tree house of all time ever. I would consider the installation of a moat, only probably not crocodile-infested. Duck-infested, maybe.

[end quotes.]

It's fun to get carried away with absurd dream-home dreams. Don't judge me.



On another note, it seems that they have found (or believe that they may have found) another planet in our solar system. Once you get that far out, of course, you're using the term "solar system" fairly loosely. It is in our solar system because it orbits our sun. From a long, long, long way away. Anyway, apparently rumors of this planet have been circulating for some time. There was evidence that was debunked (irregularities in Neptune's orbit), and now there is more possible evidence that is being analyzed. So we'll see. What gets me though is that this "ninth" planet is going to be called Tyche if, indeed, it exists. I know I'm being unreasonable, but I want them to call it Pluto.

There are, at the very least, three reasons that that is a stupid idea. I know this. You do not have to argue the point.

Here is the dictionary.com article on the name "Tyche," and (ish) on the planet. The comments are especially good. I particularly liked "is it safe for astronauts to go there?" The state of our educational system... it's just not very good. In case anyone is unclear about the distances of things in our solar system, here is some information for you. Light travels at approximately 186,282 miles per second. It takes the light from the sun eight minutes to reach the surface of the earth. By contrast, it takes the light of the sun between four and seven hours to reach Pluto, depending on its location in its orbit. Tyche, if such a planet exists, would be significantly further still from the sun even than Pluto. Considering that our astronauts have never even been to Mars, the question of whether they would be safe on Tyche is a moot point. And anyway, the answer is no. Tyche is/would be a gas giant with roughly 4x the mass of Jupiter. Any astronauts would be crushed rather quickly.

For reference, here is the NASA article on Tyche.

Jumble sale reprise

I just saw someone's blog entry entitled "Falling In Love?" and when I saw it I had the feeling of reading a piece of a fairy tale. I wondered, "do people do that in real life?" Then realized what I was thinking. Interesting..

Forgive the following change in font. I copy/pasted from another post-in-progress. Here were my notes, and I'll be explaining each as a bullet point in lieu of actual paragraphs, because it's late and I'm tired and lazy and need to be taking a shower instead of mucking about online.

tuneless whistling/humming/singing/marching


I never understood how a person could do this until I found myself whistling tunelessly while walking the other day. And the whistling and the walking fell into time with one another, and I ended up marching to my endless unrepeating made-up song. It was like marching to pi...

cairn o'mohr


The wine made by these people is so good. I mean, it is unbelievably good. I don't even like wine very much. I will admit to my sweet tooth, so you'll have to take what I say with a grain of salt (yes, ha-ha), but seriously. So good. Unfortunately they only ship on the UK mainland. CRUELTY TO HUMANS.

3d printing > food synthesizer


There's a link about this, but apparently I didn't copy it. There's a link about 3d printing. You can probably google that yourself, though. They get an inkjet-type machine to print successive layers of something, only with plastic or metal or whatever instead of ink. Someone made a working clock this way. Someone made a serviceable violin. Anyway the food synthesizer bit is a reference to Larry Niven, but I couldn't find a L.N. food synth link that I like. My point here is that they want to make the 3D printers into food synthesizers. I heard this on NPR, so it must be true. (Yes, ha-ha.) This is obviously a PopSci-type idea, and we're obviously nowhere near that level of sophistication, but still--intriguing. 

wind = dance with trees


I was thinking about this the other day during the wind storm that blew through. I was driving to work and saw the leaves whirling across the road, and suddenly I felt like the wind and the trees were dance partners. Or best friends. Or lovers. Or all. The trees are so still so much of the time, and when the wind passes through them it's like a smile. (Yes. I know. Don't judge me. I do what I want.) But it feels that way. And when the wind whips them up into a frenzy they sway and snap and bend and rustle, and all the old dead parts drop off and blow away. There's so much energy in a wind storm. I love to watch it.

River? <3


 I've known her forever. Almost since she was born. She lives behind me (or vice versa). We hung out the other day. She is awesome. The end.

http://bookshelfporn.com/tagged/favorites


Bookshelf porn. Editor favorites. If you love books, and you are not looking at this website, you are missing out.

http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2011/02/15/last_ringbearer/index.html


In the genre of "stories told by the losers." There's probably another name for this. The Wide Sargasso Sea and Wicked are others I've read. Apparently this one is downloadable for free! FREE BOOKS FTW.




Lastly, there was a note on the first "jumble sale" entry the other day, and I addressed it in a return note, and I'll copy the text of that here in case anyone else had the same "you need help" thoughts:

No, I'm not in therapy, though I have been before. I've never really found a therapist with whom I have/had good chemistry, though I've found some friends who are sometimes as effective as therapists.

Upon reflection I guess I did sound really sad, and I guess I was a little sad, but it was more a writing of reflection (there I go again with the late-night redundancy, but I choose to ignore this) than of raw emotion. I have often felt, this past year, that I am emotionally healthier than I have ever been, or than I have been since I was very small. It can be hard to tell, though, as (as I said) my depression has a history of hiding itself from me. Sometimes other people notice before I do. Even so, I have made enormous progress--and without therapists. I guess that's a point of maybe-slightly-masochistic pride, but also I'm cheap/relatively poor, and don't want to spend what money I have on arguably-ineffective therapy. (That isn't to say that there aren't effective therapists--only that those are few and far between, and hard to find, and often expensive.)

Lastly, about the loneliness: generally, I think I'm not. I'm just alone a lot of the time, and sometimes I think that maybe this is a symptom of an issue I haven't noticed or fully worked out, or sometimes I just feel guilty for not seeing or speaking to people often or whatever. But dammit, I am an introvert. I came this way, and I am this way, and I like it. SO THERE, WORLD.
























PostScripts:


1. Anna posted a facebook status: "I want you to tell me how we met. And I want you to lie." I posted it too, with some modifications. Just thought I'd post it here in case anyone felt like telling stories about strangers.


2. I got the Blue Screen Of Death midway through this post, and I have two things to say about this.
      a) Thank God for blogger's autosave feature.
      b) EFF.

Stuff I need to do

Introduce sparkles to my wardrobe.

Apply for this thing.

Get my jacket off the sofa.

Stop participating in this pattern: stay up till 3 (or 2 or 4) am; sleep till 9; be awakened for some unforeseen thing at 9 or 10; lie angrily or dejectedly in bed, trying in vain to lose consciousness, for a couple of hours; get up and do stuff.

Look at this picture some more.

I'm pretty sure I forgot something, but I think it'll be ok.



I have been interested to mull over the idea that when I make these grand (or perhaps not so grand) proclamations about myself or the way I feel about things, they are actually just snapshots of moments. I feel this way in this moment, and this moment may last for ten seconds or for a year, or two, or more. That my life is (I began to type "just," but thought better of it) a continuous, interlinked strand of moments. That I am a collection of moments. That all of my relationships, and all of yours, are built of them.


I also had a conversation with Sara earlier about things I am afraid of doing, and how I should probably allow for the possibility of them happening anyway, even though almost everything in me rebels against the idea. (I'm not good at opening up to people. It doesn't feel safe to me.) And after I came home from tutoring tonight*, I was suddenly having trouble remembering why I shouldn't just stay closed off and keep myself safe that way. Why should I try to connect with people, again? Then I remembered.

Look. I tried living out of fear. I tried shaping my life around the avoidance of things I was afraid of. It was no kind of life. That's why.























*It's finals week, and I missed four sessions over the holiday and Scotland, so I tutored Suzanne for two hours last night and two hours, fifteen minutes tonight. English yesterday and social studies today. It was great. I should maybe ditch this swim thing and find more people to tutor. Does anybody need tutoring in anything?

Delicioso

We discovered and became quickly addicted to these whilst in Scotland. Thank you, Fisher's In The City (best seafood in Scotland) restaurant. From the bottom of my minty heart.



They, along with scone mix and clotted cream (foods of the gods, I am telling you), can be had here.

When does winter officially start, again?

People often say (and I considered saying tonight) that stars are like diamonds. I stopped to consider this, though, and I have to say that we're getting it the wrong way around. A transparent little stone doesn't have much on a bright star shining through the cold night and bare November branches. It just doesn't.

As I was looking for a suitable picture of a diamond I found this post on blood diamonds. Not that it's particularly informative, but it is a good reminder of the things that go on for the sake of profit*. And come on! Diamonds aren't even rare!**



I resisted the leaf pile at the bottom of the hill tonight. This was more difficult than I originally anticipated, because it has grown substantially and because tonight the sky was clear and dark, and the stars were, as I said, brilliant. As I walked down the next block I thought about how I wished I could call David and ask him to come over and lie in the leaf pile with me. (Sometimes these things are better when shared.) Obviously that isn't really an option because we're still exes and haven't quite progressed to "friends" again, in the sense that lying in a leaf pile wouldn't be okay. As usual I wondered whether this was an "I want David" thing or an "I want someone" thing, and I came to the conclusion that the idea of lying in a leaf pile with an anonymous "someone" seemed a far less attractive prospect. I think that in this case, what I want is to lie in a leaf pile with someone I love, who knows me, whom I know. A person with whom I share a relationship based on love and understanding and mutual comfort-in-the-presence-of-you. What's the right term for that? A soul friend? Sara would probably qualify, minus the added bonus of hand-holding that would come with David if that were possible, but she's still in Scotland. It's an issue. I'm sure there are people with whom leaf pile star gazing would be enjoyable, but I'm not good at coming up with names.

Would you believe that I put more time into editing than I did into writing last night? I don't plan to do that again this evening. Just a heads-up. Can you even see a difference? Don't spare my feelings here. It's not a big deal.***


I listened to Christmas music on Lite 98 today. It has begun! I've been thinking lately that the "Christmas music from Thanksgiving to the 25th" thing is probably a marketing gimmick. Just a friendly reminder in case some idiot walks in the store without remembering that he's supposed to be emptying his bank account.

I still love Christmas music, though. Mostly.


I forgot some other things that I meant to say. Ah, well. I wonder if somewhere in my mind there is the equivalent of a grease trap. Or perhaps a more appropriate analogy would be, I wonder if somewhere in my mind there is the equivalent of that horrible space between the counter top and the refrigerator, the final resting place for all manner of spoons and cooking utensils, cheap magnets and important notices and bits of nastiness that fell from one or the other. I bet there is. Now if only I could find a way to move the refrigerator, I'd be in business.
























*Wikipedia claims that 2-3% of the market is made up of blood or conflict diamonds.

**I am trying to find an actual statistic on this, but thus far all I have is this quote, again from wikipedia: "The image of diamond as a valuable commodity has been preserved through clever marketing campaigns."

No, okay, here. I have something more substantial. Blame De Beers.


***Evidently it is late enough that I am getting self-conscious and defensive. Bed time?

Just a quick note.

I may have created yet another blog. The idea behind this is that I become irritated because I feel the need to qualify and state my reasons every time I post irrelevant links here. The reason is almost always this: I have been reading this stuff and I have a million tabs open because I am an addict, but I don't want to close them or lose them and I am too lazy to make good use of universal bookmarks, so I am putting them here. So now, if things go as planned, I will be putting most of them here instead. That's the same link again, in case you missed it the first time. It seemed convenient. Anyway, if you are ever looking for things to read and aren't satisfied with http://www.latfh.com/ or http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ or the http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/ family, feel free to stalk the stuff I've been reading.

Mostly about money

I had this referral link to today's Groupon deal (which is great, by the way), but I lost it through sheer idiocy and an unforgivable lack of familiarity with the workings of Blogger's "link" button. This would have allowed you to get $20 worth of food at Sprout for $10. You can still do that, but I won't get any credit for you having done so. Even if you don't live in my town, Groupon is awesome.

Actually, I found it, or found one that will direct you to the main website if not the specific deal of today. Go save money!

Sprout is a part of the really great locavore movement. The idea (fact, actually) is that though we talk about gasoline consumption as being strictly related to our driving habits, far more of it is used in the (often wholly unnecessary) transportation of food*. At the grocery store recently I saw two bags of onions sitting next to each other. They seemed pretty identical and cost roughly the same amount, but one was filled with onions grown in the US (unfortunately, the state was not specified), and the other with onions grown in Chile. Chile isn't actually very close to Virginia, and I don't even want to know what tiny percentage of the price of those onions was going to the poor Chilean grower. After thousands of miles of transportation and multiple middle men, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that it wasn't much. And even transporting a lot of onions, it takes a lot of gasoline--and money--to travel that far. If I had been able to buy Virginia-grown onions, the ratio of gas money to farmer profit would have been far, far higher, and I would have been supporting my own, local economy. You know, the one that's suffering from a lack of jobs and money. So basically what I'm saying is that you should eat at Sprout.




I found this article somewhere the other day about IHOP (prayer, not pancakes). I had heard of them before I guess, but that was about it. I am now interested.



Also, I am having issues with David. Not the kind where he did anything bad, but the other kind where he still matters a lot to me.




Lastly, this song is very pretty. It seems to be a combination of Greensleeves and Streets of Laredo, or possibly I am missing something.























*There are of course other factors, such as plastic, but let's not get into that at the moment.

I need more Milk Duds in my life.

Perhaps it's time for a trip to the cinema. Not much beats a bag of popcorn with a box of Milk Duds dumped into it, unless it's a bag of popcorn with a bag of Reece's Pieces dumped in. Thank you, Sara, for teaching me so much in my youth.


I did make the new blog I mentioned--it is www.pavedwithwhat.blogspot.com. If you're ever interested in finding out why I didn't sleep enough last night, the answer should be right there for your viewing pleasure.

Yesterday I got paid for this painting stuff, the day before I was told that my Planet Shoes return had been received and my account would be credited and also that my invoice for tutoring had been processed, and today Sara's mom called and asked if I could housesit again, beginning tomorrow. I'm going to be rich. Relatively speaking.



I am still dying for Milk Duds. Isn't the period of time following Halloween one which is supposed to be characterized by a lot of great candy lying around? We really fell down on the job this year. NO M&M's, NO Skittles, NO Milk Duds. What the heck? All we have are stupid Almond Joys and plain Hershey bars and stuff I don't want to eat. I don't know what we were thinking. I might need to go to the store. OMG--they might have a candy sale.

Things discovered (aka shared)

A link I have seen recently on facebook, but didn't click until today: "WTF has Obama done so far?" This is worth the very little time it takes to click over.


My friend Zach is a fantastic writer and a moving-vehicle wizard. Unfortunately he has a weakness. More than one, really, but I don't have links to any of the others at the moment.


Shared with me by my dad the other day, a short NYT article about vegetables. He emailed me the in-line text, so I'll just copy it for you:

Learning to Love Veggies: Readers Weigh In

By JANE E. BRODY

I’m overwhelmed! A recent column asking for suggestions on how to entice Americans to eat more vegetables drew nearly 600 e-mailed responses and a long, long menu of food for thought.

Most of the suggestions came from people who love vegetables and have already figured out ways to incorporate them into their own and their families’ diets. But equally instructive were those from people who said they were not especially fond of vegetables and suggested ways they could be made more appealing.

A recurring theme was that we should stop trying to sell vegetables for their health value (and stop scolding people for failing to eat enough of them) and instead focus on the positive — the delicious flavors and colors that can add so much variety to meals and snacks. Another was the importance of teaching people fast and simple techniques for achieving mouthwatering results.

As Elif Savas Felsen wrote, “If you teach Americans how to cook vegetables and stop yelling at them like some righteous food-health nut, they will learn.”

And Katherine Erickson urged that we “stop calling vegetables ‘sides’ ” and instead design meals around them.

Start Young

Give children a taste for fresh vegetables early on — very early. As soon as my sons could pick up pieces to feed themselves, minimally cooked mixed frozen vegetables adorned their food trays.

“Don’t give up,” L. K. Schoeffel wrote. “Keep making all those veggies a central part of your family meals.” If at first the children balk, reintroduce them again and again. And be sure to eat them yourself.

Introduce vegetables as fun foods, perhaps by reading, together, “The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond” (Ceres, 2007), cleverly written by Steve Charney and David Goldbeck and beautifully illustrated by Maria Burgaleta Larson, complete with poems, jokes, riddles, geography, recipes and ways to grow food.

Create a sense of ownership. If possible, have children help plant a little vegetable garden or grow something edible on the deck or window ledge. Get them involved in choosing vegetables in the store or at a farmers’ market, remark about their interesting shapes and colors, and let children help prepare them. Even a 2-year-old can rinse cherry tomatoes and toss them in a salad.

“Ask them how many peas they can pick up with their forks,” Edward Batcheller suggested. “Help them cut up string beans. Let them learn how to peel carrots. Come up with all sorts of vegetables, fruits, etc. that they can put together to make a good drink with the blender.”

Many readers urged schools to reinstate cooking classes for both girls and boys — learning about food can also reinforce lessons in math, science and geography — with a focus on fresh vegetables that are also served in the lunchroom. But lunch offerings of overcooked, tasteless vegetables will win no converts.

Children and adults often learn to experience new vegetables at other people’s houses — or while shopping. Supermarkets, big-box stores and other retailers can prepare vegetable tastings for anyone to sample.

As in decades long past, children should be served the same foods the grown-ups are eating. No special “kid food,” as several readers put it. Likewise in restaurants, dishes on the children’s menu should include lots of tasty vegetables in place of fries.

Dr. Susan Gardner of Houston asked: “Where are the parents of yesteryear who simply put varied and nutritious foods on the table and assumed that their active and busy children would eat them? No wheedling, no begging, no comment.” Carol Caputo of New York had a similar thought: “Parents today ask their kids what they want to eat. You are the parent, you decide. Don’t discuss food, just serve it!”

For that witching hour when the kids are hungry but dinner is not yet ready, serve cut-up fresh carrots, cucumber, celery or red pepper, or a combination, with a dip like hummus, salad dressingor seasoned yogurt. Edamame beans are a great snack — children love popping them out of the shells.

Hungry children are likely to eat what is readily available. If instead of cookies and chips, there is a platter of ready-to-eat vegetables or a bowl of cherry tomatoes handy, they just may eat them.

Even the most reluctant consumer of vegetables can handle them if they are grated or puréed and hidden in stews, soups, pasta sauces, loaves, quick breads and muffins. My family’s favorites included pumpkin and zucchini breads.

Missy Chase Lapine, who has won fame as the Sneaky Chef, suggested “slipping veggies in the meals people already like to eat, like spaghetti and meatballs. Once people realize that the meal they just loved contained spinach, they become more open to trying spinach straight up.”

Focus on Flavor

“Never boil them,” Walter Jacobsen wrote. “Even if they’re frozen, I think they taste much better, are much crunchier, if sautéed in a flavored oil.” A popular refrain: “What’s wrong with a little fat — olive oil or butter — to make vegetables more palatable?” As some noted, if you reduce the meat portion and buttered bread, there’s ample caloric room for some oil or butter — even pancetta or bacon bits — to season the vegetables.

A very popular idea was a vegetable-rich soup (I used to purée the vegetables my boys rejected on sight), perhaps with tiny meatballs, chicken cubes or seasoned tofu. Consider making a big batch to eat for a few days, perhaps freezing some (labeled and dated) for another day. My lunch the other day was split pea soup that I’d made and frozen in 2008. Beneath it I found turkey andcabbage soup I cooked last year.

Many readers suggested my own favorite: stir-frying vegetables in a little olive oil seasoned with garlic, onion, shallots or balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Another of my favorites: grilling vegetables, which can be done on the stovetop in a ridged grill pan as well as on a barbecue grill.

Roasting vegetables, either individually or mixed, in the oven or toaster oven was another popular suggestion. Cut the vegetables into approximately equal sizes, toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper or herbs, and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until they reach the desired texture.

Roasted kale crisps for snacks were mentioned often. Margaret P. Mason suggests spreading a single layer of kale pieces on a cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake at 375 to 400 degrees. Turn them after about five minutes, making sure they don’t burn.

Juiced vegetables were frequently mentioned, too. Chester Chanin thinks restaurants should offer “appealing fresh vegetable juices as a complimentary side drink before the meal arrives.” I’ll drink to that!

[end article]

I have to say that I love being able to copy-paste something here and not have it screw up the margins, font, color, and text size for the rest of my entry. I'll drink to that. Thank you, New York Times, for using Times font. 

-It smelled like snow last night.

-My wrist appears to be re-injured.

-I am seriously considering starting another blog which will do nothing but list the reason, each day, that I did not go to sleep on time the night before.

-I commented on the most recent entry at www.misplacedmama.blogsome.com and received a response! How nice. I like her.

-People (Beth, Art, Tim, Sara) keep trying to convince me to participate in Nanowrimo this year. Thoughts?

Links

Video skyping is pretty awesome. I like having a webcam again.


TED talks: also pretty awesome. Here's one on an idea (already in use) to replace styrofoam used in shipping and packaging with mycelium. They upcycle agricultural waste products into shipping materials. It's super cool, but call me when it can be used for disposable cups and takeout containers.


Next:
I was told tonight by my dad about Evernote (just www.evernote.com), which is a free online storage-and-bookmark thing, as far as I can tell. I haven't really tried it yet, but he seems enthusiastic.

Also, I think that all of you should get formspring accounts and make my afternoons more entertaining.

ALSO, I just found this when I was trying to figure out whether mycobond (the mycelium antistyrofoam) can be utilized to form food-safe containers. I never did find information on that, but I stumbled across this. It seems to be a sort of database of innovative ideas with regard to materials ranging from cloth to lighting. The stuff I'm finding is really, really awesome. Go check it out. You will not be sorry.

And Badger Balm. They sell it at Cracker Barrel, among other places. They have a sale. I want to buy things, but my car is a jealous lover.

It's in the eye of the beholder.

Mostly trash, in my opinion: tv. I know I harp on it sometimes, and I know I watch it sometimes, but honestly? I don't plan on buying one when I get my own place, or even having one unless one is given to me. If it is, I must admit that it'll probably live in the closet (to be pulled out for special occasions), or under the kitchen table and against the wall like last time. I dislike it enough that I get really annoyed when I am outside at night and I can hear the sounds of a television floating out through someone's open window, or see the lights flashing out through the open curtains and into my very yard. Is that unreasonable?


On a more positive note, I made it back to my hometown with minimal incident today, and even minimal issues with traffic considering that I barely scraped through DC and NoVa before rush hour really hit. The total "car issues" bill for the past seven days is currently hovering around $265, not including gas or the WD-40 I bought to replace that which I had stupidly allowed myself to use up. Please, no more.


Something super cool, and again regarding the title of the post: how open-minded are you about swimming? You can make a skate park out of a pool, but out of what can you make a pool? I realize that in the eyes of some I'm a little behind the times on this. Months behind. I don't read the news, okay? I just follow links. Don't judge me.


Speaking of which, ways in which I am becoming my father #1: I have begun listening to NPR while driving in the car (you know, as opposed to driving in the sofa) or working in the kitchen. Don't... you know. I do what I want.

Today has been lovely.

I woke up to the rain.


I knew when I heard it that the rain was falling into my missing car window, but this area was cleaned out and not cushioned, so I didn't really care. Eventually I got up and put a piece of canvas, anchored with a split log, over the hole, but mostly this morning I lay in bed and dozed to the rainfall, guiltless, knowing that I couldn't drive anywhere without soaking the entire interior of my car. It was lovely.

Eventually the rain stopped and my uncle called with a new (to me) window from the junkyard in hand and a directive to make my way immediately to the auto glass guys. Timing was important, as this installation was to take place outside. The rain made it a no-go for a while. Why did my uncle pick up this glass for me? Partly because I didn't have the tools to remove it myself, and partly because he is an angel. So is the guy at the auto glass place, whom I had met before and whom I really like. A lot. I guess he's in his fifties or so (I am awful at guessing ages, truly), and has the kindest face and manner I think I have seen. Not that I haven't met other friendly people, but at S S Auto I actually feel at ease, and that's saying something. Anyway I think he shouldn't really have installed my window because he's a dealer, not an installer, but again: angel. The whole thing took less than an hour, and since the new window has an antenna in it, my radio reception has improved dramatically.

I went home for an hour and sorted Phase 10 cards for my tutoring session at four, then made my way over. Today we played Go Fish with the 1-9 phase 10 cards. My student doesn't have good number recognition at this point, but she can count, so I made a chart on the dry erase board I had brought. I wrote the numbers 1-9, and then underneath drew a corresponding number of dots. When she came upon a number she didn't know, she could find it on the board and count the dots to figure out what it was, or if she knew she wanted a "7" and didn't know what a seven looked like, she could count dots until she came up with seven, and find the corresponding number. Five year olds are pretty distractible, but otherwise it worked well. We also began to make our way through the alphabet, sorting through the Scrabble Slam cards I bought last night and finding A, then B, then C, etc, and then practicing writing them on the dry erase board. Again, she (like any kid her age) has a very short attention span, but otherwise it went well. We worked a little bit on phonics too, using the board and the Scrabble cards, and she sounded out and spelled "sun" (she had been drawing one and it's a simple word, so I went with it), and then she sounded out the word "swamp," which I had written. I think she (mostly) had fun, because at the end she gave me a strand of green Mardi Gras beads, "so we can be best friends."

<3

From thence I finally went to the bank to deposit checks, and on my way home David texted me asking if I wanted to have lunch tomorrow. (Earlier in the week I had asked if he wanted to meet up next week to trade his book--which I've had for months--for the mixed cd his brother John made for me but didn't quite get delivered this weekend. I  said next week because I wasn't sure how this week would go with trying to get my window fixed before leaving for MD.) Clearly that wouldn't be possible, so we had dinner tonight instead at Ellwood Thompson's hot bar. Have I mentioned how much I love this store? I really, really do. I should shop there more. From their hot bar tonight I gathered, among other things, real mashed potatoes, cider braised chicken, collard greens cooked with ham, ratatouille, and cassoulet. Holy crap, is cassoulet delicious. Usually I only get it at Christmas when one of my aunts makes it--or when I eat at the E.T. hot bar. And all of their food is made from real ingredients, by hand, in their store. Much, if not all, of it is organic, and they have a selection of vegan food as well, and a salad bar (which I missed out on tonight because I ran out of plate space before I remembered that it was there), and even some "plant food untouched by fire" for people who go in for that sort of thing.

Cassoulet!

The dinner was nice. The cd is awesome so far.

Somehow I was still hungry after eating this giant plate of food (I feel like this has been happening a lot lately, despite the fact that I haven't been eating much during the day so really my stomach should be smaller), so after we left I attraversato...d* the parking lot to visit the Ellwood Cafe in hopes of finding some iced cream.** Luckily I was stymied, and instead found a large cup of ambrosia hot chocolate and a warmed pumpkin muffin to go. Thursdays are open mic nights, and when I walked in two men were singing a really great version of "Only Living Boy in New York." It was pretty magical. So were the hot chocolate and pumpkin muffin.

I worked a little after this, the heat gun died, I drove home magically not cold in the cold night air and my cosy blue two-sizes-too-big cashmere sweater with the windows open, listening to my new mixed cd. It was lovely.



Tomorrow: Brunch/lunch with Anna (and people I don't know)! Driving to Maryland! Dinner with Jill (and people I don't know)! I am looking forward to these things. Should be lovely.



























*For some reason I was thinking here of the Eat, Pray, Love moment during which E. Gilbert discusses her favorite Italian word, which is similar to that which I have typed and which means "let's cross over." Don't judge me.

*Which was ridiculous, because it was about 53 degrees and misty outside.

Things That Really Need To Be Shared

1. BANANARCHY. Why, oh why are you not in Va? Other than making this stuff myself, I don't know what I am going to do. Cry, probably.

2. The Black Sheep. I really want to eat here. Really. So bad. No, seriously. Read their menu, and try not to drool on your keyboard.

I mean, I will be eating there, on Friday, as a wing(wo)man for Anna's lunch not-date*, but I mean like in a non-awkward, money-to-burn sort of situation.

3. Sprout! And these guys are in town! Thank you Jesus. Also, they are (or seem to be) significantly cheaper than TBS (which is also in town). They have a menu up as well, but as they only sell local food, their menu changes pretty much all the time. Anybody want to go?


Now, less flashily gustatorily exciting but important and good nevertheless,

Nuride. You sign up, you walk or carpool or ride your bike or take the bus, and you get coupons. Sometimes for food! How great is that? Pretty great.


And lastly, the ever-awesome Jo(h?)n Stewart.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
An Energy-Independent Future
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

*She and I both really need to find some way to be able to say, "I'm sorry, I'm just not that into you." It just feels so heartless!