Oh FFS - the things people toss out!
My mind instantly flew to Croila this morning. Not related to, but relevant, today is trash day in the subdivision. Someone had put out a stuffed animal - no doubt either their cats had peed on it or it was just too farking big for the kid's room...
4 feet tall if it was an inch.
Fluffy "boa" type scarf around it's neck.
Bright Shocking Pink Furry Plushie Monkey.
Again, there I am with no camera! BAH!!!
The new neighbors have a new dog. He's some sort of little white terrier-looking fella, VERY friendly and highly excitable. I like him. He sniffed me and wiggled and wagged and sniffed again but he didn't lick. I got to rub his tummy and make "girly" noises at him. Then the lady from the house opposite came out with her trash and we all talked about wasps on the fences, so I gave each of them one of my little black caps to put on their gate latches. Our "alleyway" will be just that bit more wasp-free. Woot.
So the taxes are done and in - my #4 pair of shoes is the most comfortable yet - but they make this wet-squishy-juicy noise when I walk. The hell with it - they're comfy. I think I will go back and see if they have more like them in other colors. If they do, I'll pick up 3 or 4 pairs so that I don't have to go shoes shopping for a while.
Today is the day Amanda said they are closing on their house - I hope it all goes well and that they have a smooth time and no nasty surprises. Good luck, Sweetie!
278 days
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Pardon me, Roy...
Ok, this shoe-buying thing is nifty and all that, but there is a serious down-side. The serious down-side is this - my feets and legs are not accustomed to walking balanced on the balls of feets and toes only, and so last nite was nasty in foot & leg land. Throbbing muscles, sore knees, and kinked-up toes. Certainly it will get better eventually, but as of last nite I was wondering if perhaps just living with the tendonitis wouldn't have been preferable.
As for the title - it's part of the punch line of a joke:
Roy Rodgers had just gotten a brand-new pair of boots, and decided to break them in by going out for a ride on Trigger. They rode across the pasture, over the fence, and up into the hills.
Suddenly from out of nowhere, a ferocious mountain lion leaped out and tried to bite Roy's leg off. Instead of getting a mouth full of Roy, however, the lion got hold of his boot, which slid off as Trigger valiantly tried to save Roy.
Turning to run, Roy found the mountain lion again aiming for his leg and kicked out - losing his other boot in the process. The last sight Roy had of the beast, it was gnawing on one of the boots in frustration, watching him gallop away.
Angry at the loss of his new footwear, he grabbed his rifle and another pair of boots and hopped back on Trigger to take vengance on the animal. With a single shot, he brought down the fierce mountain lion. To prove he had rid the neighborhood of the menace, he draped the carcass across the back of Trigger and headed for home.
At the house, Dale Evans walked out onto the porch, and as he approached, she asked: "Pardon me, Roy - is that the cat who chewed your new shoes?"
Which is much funnier if you can SING the punch line...
Which you'd only get if you're a Glenn Miller fan....
279 days
As for the title - it's part of the punch line of a joke:
Roy Rodgers had just gotten a brand-new pair of boots, and decided to break them in by going out for a ride on Trigger. They rode across the pasture, over the fence, and up into the hills.
Suddenly from out of nowhere, a ferocious mountain lion leaped out and tried to bite Roy's leg off. Instead of getting a mouth full of Roy, however, the lion got hold of his boot, which slid off as Trigger valiantly tried to save Roy.
Turning to run, Roy found the mountain lion again aiming for his leg and kicked out - losing his other boot in the process. The last sight Roy had of the beast, it was gnawing on one of the boots in frustration, watching him gallop away.
Angry at the loss of his new footwear, he grabbed his rifle and another pair of boots and hopped back on Trigger to take vengance on the animal. With a single shot, he brought down the fierce mountain lion. To prove he had rid the neighborhood of the menace, he draped the carcass across the back of Trigger and headed for home.
At the house, Dale Evans walked out onto the porch, and as he approached, she asked: "Pardon me, Roy - is that the cat who chewed your new shoes?"
Which is much funnier if you can SING the punch line...
Which you'd only get if you're a Glenn Miller fan....
279 days
Monday, April 14, 2008
Taking the Easy Way Out
Day Tripper mentions it that way. One of Kal Traumaqueen's long-term net friends took it this last week. BBC has been advising Lea to take it - and apparently myself as well. I defy ANYONE to claim truthfully that they haven't at least once in their lives either contemplated the act - or wished they hadn't been born, which is kind of like the same thing but different.
Sure, I've thought about it. Even on a couple of occasions I've considered "how". Unfortunately, having read Kal's blog, and that of a couple of other medical folks, I've come to the conclusion that all my "hows" would have been less than satisfactory, in execution (NO pun intended) and in efficiency - not to mention side-effects.
In the end, however, the biggest reason I never did - and won't - is that my personal philosophy says that life makes no sense whatsoever unless it is a learning experience. We sign up for a course of instruction - "Life" - and are given lessons, "labs", opportunities, challenges and tests. I think dying/death - is one of these. Some folks go in their sleep, quietly without fanfare, pain or struggle. Others fight bitter battles with disease or injury before succumbing.
Taking the Easy Way Out essentially is the equivalent of dropping out of school. "This is too hard, I'm going to quit." Unfortunately, just like in THIS life, dropping out without learning all the lessons doubtless leaves you grotesquely unprepared for the NEXT part of existance. Dropping out of school limits your choices, has the potential to limit your income. Since nobody has actually risen up from the grave recently, we don't have a first-hand account by an uninterested observer (Jesus doesn't count, if he was the Son of God, then he's biased...), so we don't know what the "Next Thing" is like, or what sort of preparatory lessons one needs to succeed in the Next Thing.
Since I don't know what I'll need for "Next Thing", I figure I'd best take all the courses I'm given, and do the very best I can at those courses. Sure, I'll do better at some than at others, and I'm sure I'll utterly make a mess of a few - but then, I couldn't figure out why I needed to take Geometry in School.
Until I started designing quilts...
280 days
Sure, I've thought about it. Even on a couple of occasions I've considered "how". Unfortunately, having read Kal's blog, and that of a couple of other medical folks, I've come to the conclusion that all my "hows" would have been less than satisfactory, in execution (NO pun intended) and in efficiency - not to mention side-effects.
In the end, however, the biggest reason I never did - and won't - is that my personal philosophy says that life makes no sense whatsoever unless it is a learning experience. We sign up for a course of instruction - "Life" - and are given lessons, "labs", opportunities, challenges and tests. I think dying/death - is one of these. Some folks go in their sleep, quietly without fanfare, pain or struggle. Others fight bitter battles with disease or injury before succumbing.
Taking the Easy Way Out essentially is the equivalent of dropping out of school. "This is too hard, I'm going to quit." Unfortunately, just like in THIS life, dropping out without learning all the lessons doubtless leaves you grotesquely unprepared for the NEXT part of existance. Dropping out of school limits your choices, has the potential to limit your income. Since nobody has actually risen up from the grave recently, we don't have a first-hand account by an uninterested observer (Jesus doesn't count, if he was the Son of God, then he's biased...), so we don't know what the "Next Thing" is like, or what sort of preparatory lessons one needs to succeed in the Next Thing.
Since I don't know what I'll need for "Next Thing", I figure I'd best take all the courses I'm given, and do the very best I can at those courses. Sure, I'll do better at some than at others, and I'm sure I'll utterly make a mess of a few - but then, I couldn't figure out why I needed to take Geometry in School.
Until I started designing quilts...
280 days
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Getting in Touch with my Inner Imelda Marcos
So I went to the Dr. on Thursday - I'm ok, just a 3-month checkup to make sure I'm not snarfing down all the chocolate in Illinois and destroying my blood sugar levels. While I was there I asked about my ankle/heel/foot thingy, and Dr. Nick agreed it sure does sound like Achilles Tendonitis.
Then he look at my shoes.
Ruh roh, Reorge...
Apparently running amok in my bare feets at home, and wearing my cute and previously oh-so-comfortable ballet flats is somewhat taxing to one's Achilles tendon. Boo. Hiss. Phooey.
So! The solution, says Dr. Nick - is to go buy shoes!!! Buy shoes with heels - they don't need to be HIGH, just a bit of a heel to take some of the pressure off the tendon.
Whatta guy - a Dr. who gives you a prescription to go SHOES SHOPPING!!!!
*smile*
Now, he did say to get a pair of tennies for at home - but that's just not likely to happen, as my feet don't like shoes at all at all at all at all, so when we are home and it's just me and the cats and the toes - the toes get to run amok naked. bleh.
In other news - someone's going to be rather upset when their dog gets home tonight.
Eau de Pepe LePew is in the air. I heard a dog making some rather upset noises, and now the delicate aroma of "skunk" is floating on the breeze.
281 days
Then he look at my shoes.
Ruh roh, Reorge...
Apparently running amok in my bare feets at home, and wearing my cute and previously oh-so-comfortable ballet flats is somewhat taxing to one's Achilles tendon. Boo. Hiss. Phooey.
So! The solution, says Dr. Nick - is to go buy shoes!!! Buy shoes with heels - they don't need to be HIGH, just a bit of a heel to take some of the pressure off the tendon.
Whatta guy - a Dr. who gives you a prescription to go SHOES SHOPPING!!!!
*smile*
Now, he did say to get a pair of tennies for at home - but that's just not likely to happen, as my feet don't like shoes at all at all at all at all, so when we are home and it's just me and the cats and the toes - the toes get to run amok naked. bleh.
In other news - someone's going to be rather upset when their dog gets home tonight.
Eau de Pepe LePew is in the air. I heard a dog making some rather upset noises, and now the delicate aroma of "skunk" is floating on the breeze.
281 days
Friday, April 11, 2008
Commuting Musings
Goose Greifs
There are too many Canadian Geese in my area. There are hordes of them, and while Horde is good and Alliance is baaaad, (do not trust the living...), these hordes are a nuisance. They're mean - they hiss and snap at you if you get too close. They're filthy - anywhere they choose to hang out becomes a goose-sewage-treatment-facility within hours. This morning, however, I felt sorry for the geeses.
I was coming up to a red light when I noticed a van in the next lane was stopped about 10 yards behind the car in front of him. In front of the van were 2 geese, honking quietly and walking in confused circles. Then I saw the third goose. He was on the line between my lane and the turn lane - quite deceased. Apparently quite recently deceased.
The van would not move until the geese totally cleared his lane. I let them walk thru my lane, and watched as they walked around their "friend" and honked a bit, then made their way to the median strip and I swear that if geeses could cry, these would have.
Anthropomorphism, I know. But it seemed very sad.
Squirrels In Love
Or maybe having a fight.
Two little red squirrels (I guess they'd be "ginger" to the UK group) chasing each other down the alley, up and over a fence into someone's back garden, back over the fence, along top of the fence and back down - all the time no more than 12 inches from the tail end of the front one to the nose end of the back one. I LOL'd - for real. If it wasn't a fight, they looked to be having one hell of a good time.
The Interwebs as a Community
When I first discovered the "Internet" it was back in the days whendinosaurs roamed the earth GUI's were the "new thing" and WIN3.needtoupgrade was the HOT "new thing".
Even if I never get near a fax machine again in my life, I'll still always be able to replicate the SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE bbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr OOBAHOOBAHOOBAH of a modem connecting. I'll never forget the interminable "blue line" of AOHell every single stinking time you switched screens...
I still keep in touch with a number of people I met in those dark old days before flashing banner ads and popups/unders. Most of them are near my age and are professionals who were also expected to "Find out what this "internet" thingy is all about" for our bosses.
I've walked away from any number of internet communities - chat rooms, BBS's, forums, &etc. Some I've walked away from sadly, wishing the community hadn't changed so drastically that I didn't feel comfy anymore. Some I walked away from because they had always BEEN uncomfortable and I wasn't comfy being uncomfy... yes, that DOES make sense in there somewhere!
What I've noticed as a trend lately is that the "fad" of blogging seems to be running its course. Lots of bloggers are leaving the "blogosphere" and moving on to something else. One wishes them luck. One also wishes they wouldn't delete their farking blogs!
I can understand someone deleting a blog if it had become, for instance, an addiction and that if they knew it still existed they couldn't stop - but a large number of folks seem to just wantonly decide "Well, I'm done with this, so out it goes..." - and I find both of these reasons annoying. I understand them - but they annoy me. Because I've learned a lot from other bloggers.
I've gotten recipies, and I've learned about diseases and how to pronounce words I knew to see but not to say. I've learned a lot about other cultures, and found some terrific resources from the blogs of others. Thing is, I have been known to lose links or forget something - and like to be able to re-read and reacquaint myself with those gems of knowledge. Which I can't do if YOU DELETE THE DAMN BLOG.
Just sayin'
283 days
There are too many Canadian Geese in my area. There are hordes of them, and while Horde is good and Alliance is baaaad, (do not trust the living...), these hordes are a nuisance. They're mean - they hiss and snap at you if you get too close. They're filthy - anywhere they choose to hang out becomes a goose-sewage-treatment-facility within hours. This morning, however, I felt sorry for the geeses.
I was coming up to a red light when I noticed a van in the next lane was stopped about 10 yards behind the car in front of him. In front of the van were 2 geese, honking quietly and walking in confused circles. Then I saw the third goose. He was on the line between my lane and the turn lane - quite deceased. Apparently quite recently deceased.
The van would not move until the geese totally cleared his lane. I let them walk thru my lane, and watched as they walked around their "friend" and honked a bit, then made their way to the median strip and I swear that if geeses could cry, these would have.
Anthropomorphism, I know. But it seemed very sad.
Squirrels In Love
Or maybe having a fight.
Two little red squirrels (I guess they'd be "ginger" to the UK group) chasing each other down the alley, up and over a fence into someone's back garden, back over the fence, along top of the fence and back down - all the time no more than 12 inches from the tail end of the front one to the nose end of the back one. I LOL'd - for real. If it wasn't a fight, they looked to be having one hell of a good time.
The Interwebs as a Community
When I first discovered the "Internet" it was back in the days when
Even if I never get near a fax machine again in my life, I'll still always be able to replicate the SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE bbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr OOBAHOOBAHOOBAH of a modem connecting. I'll never forget the interminable "blue line" of AOHell every single stinking time you switched screens...
I still keep in touch with a number of people I met in those dark old days before flashing banner ads and popups/unders. Most of them are near my age and are professionals who were also expected to "Find out what this "internet" thingy is all about" for our bosses.
I've walked away from any number of internet communities - chat rooms, BBS's, forums, &etc. Some I've walked away from sadly, wishing the community hadn't changed so drastically that I didn't feel comfy anymore. Some I walked away from because they had always BEEN uncomfortable and I wasn't comfy being uncomfy... yes, that DOES make sense in there somewhere!
What I've noticed as a trend lately is that the "fad" of blogging seems to be running its course. Lots of bloggers are leaving the "blogosphere" and moving on to something else. One wishes them luck. One also wishes they wouldn't delete their farking blogs!
I can understand someone deleting a blog if it had become, for instance, an addiction and that if they knew it still existed they couldn't stop - but a large number of folks seem to just wantonly decide "Well, I'm done with this, so out it goes..." - and I find both of these reasons annoying. I understand them - but they annoy me. Because I've learned a lot from other bloggers.
I've gotten recipies, and I've learned about diseases and how to pronounce words I knew to see but not to say. I've learned a lot about other cultures, and found some terrific resources from the blogs of others. Thing is, I have been known to lose links or forget something - and like to be able to re-read and reacquaint myself with those gems of knowledge. Which I can't do if YOU DELETE THE DAMN BLOG.
Just sayin'
283 days
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Cars again
Because I'm bored during my commute lately.
Petite young lady driving an SUV - a "Soccer-Mommy-mobile" - with the entire front end missing - 1 fender, the bumper, 1/2 the hood, the grille... you could see inside the engine compartment, FFS.
Now, yes, this obviously was a bad accident. The scarey part is - she had TEMPORARY license tags on it. (Illinois issues these until your permanent tags come in the mail for new cars)
Yikes
So I see Honda doesn't put turn signals on their cars anymore. I feel sorry for that poor bloke in front of me who was switching lanes back and forth and probably had NO IDEA that he wasn't signaling his changes. Really, Honda, I think those are MANDATORY.. please put them back!
Who ever told Honda that Americans want Japanese "Styling" in our SUV's??? That "Element" is just too ugly for words. It brings new meaning to the word "FUGLY" - looks like a bad anime cartoon! Now, there's another one, not sure of the manufacturer or model because I try to stay FAR away from them - but it seriously looks like a fried-rice box with wheels. Every time I see one I cringe.
Yeah, I know - this is boring stuff. Right now I'm trying to write another post but it keeps getting sidetracked and I don't intend to hit "publish" until I know what I'm saying and all that. (Yeah, right, mouse... like that's gonna happen...)
285 days
Shaddup, self.
Petite young lady driving an SUV - a "Soccer-Mommy-mobile" - with the entire front end missing - 1 fender, the bumper, 1/2 the hood, the grille... you could see inside the engine compartment, FFS.
Now, yes, this obviously was a bad accident. The scarey part is - she had TEMPORARY license tags on it. (Illinois issues these until your permanent tags come in the mail for new cars)
Yikes
So I see Honda doesn't put turn signals on their cars anymore. I feel sorry for that poor bloke in front of me who was switching lanes back and forth and probably had NO IDEA that he wasn't signaling his changes. Really, Honda, I think those are MANDATORY.. please put them back!
Who ever told Honda that Americans want Japanese "Styling" in our SUV's??? That "Element" is just too ugly for words. It brings new meaning to the word "FUGLY" - looks like a bad anime cartoon! Now, there's another one, not sure of the manufacturer or model because I try to stay FAR away from them - but it seriously looks like a fried-rice box with wheels. Every time I see one I cringe.
Yeah, I know - this is boring stuff. Right now I'm trying to write another post but it keeps getting sidetracked and I don't intend to hit "publish" until I know what I'm saying and all that. (Yeah, right, mouse... like that's gonna happen...)
285 days
Shaddup, self.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Certified Used?
The Honda dealer on the corner where I turn to go to work has signs in the windows of all the vans on the East side of the lot that say "Certified Used".
I'm happy he has these signs. The fact that it is a 1985 van might just make me sceptical if I thought it was a NEW 1985 van that nobody thought was good enough for them to buy in over 20 years on the lot.
You would think - or, at least *I* would think - that considering the pressure that car lots get from the manufacturers for turning over inventory, that at SOME point they would have marked down this van enough that SOMEONE would buy it, no matter how ugly the upholstry or flakey-sounding the engine, or wimpy the tires when kicked.
However, this sign lets me know that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME climbed into this van, breathed deeply of the New Vinyl and Formaldehyde scent, Took the proffered keys and drove off the lot happy with their new baby.
Yes, the fact that this car is CERTIFIED to be USED is comforting.
Lexus goes one step further - they call them "CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED" - because Pre-Owned is the Posh and Snobby way to say "Used". Lexus doesn't have "USED" car salesmen - it has "PREOWNED" car salesmen - which does, in fact, seem to insinuate slavery in some rank and dismal way - as who would REALLY want to have a car salesman as a slave, sex or otherwise? Not to mention getting "sloppy seconds" on the slave owning and all. *shudder*
You know - it would be nice if these cars, Certified as OLD AND USED UP AND PROBABLY 2 WEEKS AWAY FROM BLOWING A TRANNY, would come with something a bit more useful - like a warranty or something...
Dream on, Mouse.
287 days
I'm happy he has these signs. The fact that it is a 1985 van might just make me sceptical if I thought it was a NEW 1985 van that nobody thought was good enough for them to buy in over 20 years on the lot.
You would think - or, at least *I* would think - that considering the pressure that car lots get from the manufacturers for turning over inventory, that at SOME point they would have marked down this van enough that SOMEONE would buy it, no matter how ugly the upholstry or flakey-sounding the engine, or wimpy the tires when kicked.
However, this sign lets me know that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME climbed into this van, breathed deeply of the New Vinyl and Formaldehyde scent, Took the proffered keys and drove off the lot happy with their new baby.
Yes, the fact that this car is CERTIFIED to be USED is comforting.
Lexus goes one step further - they call them "CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED" - because Pre-Owned is the Posh and Snobby way to say "Used". Lexus doesn't have "USED" car salesmen - it has "PREOWNED" car salesmen - which does, in fact, seem to insinuate slavery in some rank and dismal way - as who would REALLY want to have a car salesman as a slave, sex or otherwise? Not to mention getting "sloppy seconds" on the slave owning and all. *shudder*
You know - it would be nice if these cars, Certified as OLD AND USED UP AND PROBABLY 2 WEEKS AWAY FROM BLOWING A TRANNY, would come with something a bit more useful - like a warranty or something...
Dream on, Mouse.
287 days
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Tiny Home Improvements
Well, I've spent all winter being a lazy git and only doing the smallest of the "I really ought to do this around the house while it is winter and I'm stuck inside" chores. Last night I did one of the first of my "It's spring, time to get the garden spruced up" chores - which was a TINY, TINY thing - but very important to me.
See, I have this stupid latch on my gate that the condo association decided was the best latch for our gates - in their infinite stupidity. The latch consists of this weird "catcher" thing that moves up and down when it's not frozen in place, and is supposed to grab hold of this piece of 3/4"o.d. pipe that is flattened on one side and rivetted to the gate.
2 problems with this design. Well... more than 2....
First off, when it gets below freezing, the weird catcher thing freezes in place and the gate cannot be opened until it thaws or the iced up blockage is removed. As long as I am on the inside of the gate, this isn't a huge problem, because I just keep a metal spade in the back yard and whack the hell out of it until it moves. If I am OUTSIDE, however, I'm S.O.L.
Secondly, the guys who put in the fence posts did a crapass job of it and so when the weather changes, the fence posts heave up and down and many times the catchy thing cannot catch the pipe.
and not necessarily last, and certainly not least - the pipe is a pipe. A round object with a dark round hole. Attached to a WOODEN fence. Wasps make houses in these.
So - my itty bitty yet hideously significant chore was to stop at Ace Hardware, buy some of those plastic caps that you put over the bottoms of chair legs, except these were very thin and black and 3/4" inside diameter - and a bottle of all-purpose super-adhesive. I glued one of the little things onto the end of the pipe thing. Hopefully nobody will EVER be able to remove it. Hopefully the farking Association will never notice it is there. Wasps cannot get into it. I hate wasps.
Not too fond of your average W.A.S.P. either, for that matter.
291 Days
See, I have this stupid latch on my gate that the condo association decided was the best latch for our gates - in their infinite stupidity. The latch consists of this weird "catcher" thing that moves up and down when it's not frozen in place, and is supposed to grab hold of this piece of 3/4"o.d. pipe that is flattened on one side and rivetted to the gate.
2 problems with this design. Well... more than 2....
First off, when it gets below freezing, the weird catcher thing freezes in place and the gate cannot be opened until it thaws or the iced up blockage is removed. As long as I am on the inside of the gate, this isn't a huge problem, because I just keep a metal spade in the back yard and whack the hell out of it until it moves. If I am OUTSIDE, however, I'm S.O.L.
Secondly, the guys who put in the fence posts did a crapass job of it and so when the weather changes, the fence posts heave up and down and many times the catchy thing cannot catch the pipe.
and not necessarily last, and certainly not least - the pipe is a pipe. A round object with a dark round hole. Attached to a WOODEN fence. Wasps make houses in these.
So - my itty bitty yet hideously significant chore was to stop at Ace Hardware, buy some of those plastic caps that you put over the bottoms of chair legs, except these were very thin and black and 3/4" inside diameter - and a bottle of all-purpose super-adhesive. I glued one of the little things onto the end of the pipe thing. Hopefully nobody will EVER be able to remove it. Hopefully the farking Association will never notice it is there. Wasps cannot get into it. I hate wasps.
Not too fond of your average W.A.S.P. either, for that matter.
291 Days
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
The earth - it thaws...
This morning I left for work and noticed that ALL 4 of my little mini-solar-powered lights were laying on the ground. The freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw had worked the spikey bits all the way to the top and they'd fallen. The first time this happened, I had to stick the light into a flowerpot because the ground was frozen solid and I couldn't even get the spikey part to go back into the ground at all, not even in the same hole where they'd fallen from.
This morning, however, I was able to stab them all back into the flowerbed nice and neat and in a row like they belong to be. Yay.
I should go get some seeds for sweetpeas - this is a good time to plant them because they take forever to grow, and then I get flowers a little earlier, even if it does freeze again, they can take a bit of cold-abuse.
I've been sleeping with the window cracked open the last few nights, but last night the wind was blustering so much that I had to close up. It's been nice having the window open, the "fresher" air, and the MOIST air, rather than the Sahara-dry forced-air-heat atmosphere was great. No need for my little spaceship-shaped air hydrater thingy (not really a "vaporizer" or a "humidifier" - kind of a hybrid)
It is time, I think, to start picking out in my head what kind of flowers and veggies to plant this year. I love Spring!
293 days
This morning, however, I was able to stab them all back into the flowerbed nice and neat and in a row like they belong to be. Yay.
I should go get some seeds for sweetpeas - this is a good time to plant them because they take forever to grow, and then I get flowers a little earlier, even if it does freeze again, they can take a bit of cold-abuse.
I've been sleeping with the window cracked open the last few nights, but last night the wind was blustering so much that I had to close up. It's been nice having the window open, the "fresher" air, and the MOIST air, rather than the Sahara-dry forced-air-heat atmosphere was great. No need for my little spaceship-shaped air hydrater thingy (not really a "vaporizer" or a "humidifier" - kind of a hybrid)
It is time, I think, to start picking out in my head what kind of flowers and veggies to plant this year. I love Spring!
293 days
Monday, March 31, 2008
Perception - Point of View
Over the last few days I've seen the power of perception and point of view in action. As stated in the previous post - I found out last week that one of my closest friends has been diagnosed with Cancer. This is not "internet drama" - yet someone has told me that they percieved it as such.
Sorry to disappoint.
There are 3 kinds of lies, alledgedly according to Mark Twain - Lies, Damned Lies, and statistics.
I think many of the "Lies" problem comes when one person's vision of the "Truth" collides with someone else's vision of the "Truth".
Perhaps the eye-witness to a traffic incident would say "The guy was all over the road, weaving and swerving as if he was drunk!!"
Perhaps someone with another angle viewpoint would say "The guy was doing great, a bit over the speed limit - but when the little kid ran into the road, he swerved to avoid hitting her. I think he over-corrected, though, because he had a bit of back-and-forth before he got things straightened out again"
How much pain is "pain" - for instance?
I'm gonna admit something here - and Lea is gonna get mad at me. I wasn't sure she was being entirely up-front with me.
When she told me she was having pain from her "gall bladder" - but that it wasn't "all that bad", I was somewhat skeptical. Not that she had pain!! But Lea has a high threshold for a lot of things (she eats Thai food that brings out the entire kitchen staff to see if her head explodes from the spices, for instance) - and what I was afraid about was that she was DOWNplaying the actual severity of the problem because of her resistance to pain and stubborn (yes, You, Lea!) refusal to push herself forward and "inconvenience" other folks.
Do I suggest that she was "lying"? No.
Am I lying about that? NO!!
The fact is - I could not personally feel what Lea was feeling - and I've had gallbladder disease in the past, so I know what gallstones feel like and all - FOR ME. But even *I* have a fairly high pain threshold, so I'm not blind to the possibility that what would be "excruciating" for one person is "mild discomfort" to another. Listen to 20 women tell you about their childbirth experience and you'll get the general idea.
I think this hit me strongest when Lea made a comment about something she'd made arrangements for if "the worst" happened. She thought I would be angry at what she was proposing - I'm really not sure why - but from her POV, it was something I'd disapprove of. From mine, it was a very sweet something to plan on doing for someone she loves.
I don't know how to resolve these things. One person's "Truth" is another's blatant lie - or something similar. And yet I also know that there are relatively few "Dr. Evil's" in the world. Bush and Cheney and their ilk are an abberation, not the norm.
If we can be at such opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of those we respect and care about (LOVE!) - how can we possibly expect to ever find peace and harmony with those who have proven by their actions and words to be completely 180 degrees opposite our own thoughts/feelings/beliefs - Truth?
294 days
Sorry to disappoint.
There are 3 kinds of lies, alledgedly according to Mark Twain - Lies, Damned Lies, and statistics.
I think many of the "Lies" problem comes when one person's vision of the "Truth" collides with someone else's vision of the "Truth".
Perhaps the eye-witness to a traffic incident would say "The guy was all over the road, weaving and swerving as if he was drunk!!"
Perhaps someone with another angle viewpoint would say "The guy was doing great, a bit over the speed limit - but when the little kid ran into the road, he swerved to avoid hitting her. I think he over-corrected, though, because he had a bit of back-and-forth before he got things straightened out again"
How much pain is "pain" - for instance?
I'm gonna admit something here - and Lea is gonna get mad at me. I wasn't sure she was being entirely up-front with me.
When she told me she was having pain from her "gall bladder" - but that it wasn't "all that bad", I was somewhat skeptical. Not that she had pain!! But Lea has a high threshold for a lot of things (she eats Thai food that brings out the entire kitchen staff to see if her head explodes from the spices, for instance) - and what I was afraid about was that she was DOWNplaying the actual severity of the problem because of her resistance to pain and stubborn (yes, You, Lea!) refusal to push herself forward and "inconvenience" other folks.
Do I suggest that she was "lying"? No.
Am I lying about that? NO!!
The fact is - I could not personally feel what Lea was feeling - and I've had gallbladder disease in the past, so I know what gallstones feel like and all - FOR ME. But even *I* have a fairly high pain threshold, so I'm not blind to the possibility that what would be "excruciating" for one person is "mild discomfort" to another. Listen to 20 women tell you about their childbirth experience and you'll get the general idea.
I think this hit me strongest when Lea made a comment about something she'd made arrangements for if "the worst" happened. She thought I would be angry at what she was proposing - I'm really not sure why - but from her POV, it was something I'd disapprove of. From mine, it was a very sweet something to plan on doing for someone she loves.
I don't know how to resolve these things. One person's "Truth" is another's blatant lie - or something similar. And yet I also know that there are relatively few "Dr. Evil's" in the world. Bush and Cheney and their ilk are an abberation, not the norm.
If we can be at such opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of those we respect and care about (LOVE!) - how can we possibly expect to ever find peace and harmony with those who have proven by their actions and words to be completely 180 degrees opposite our own thoughts/feelings/beliefs - Truth?
294 days
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