Tuesday, January 22, 2002
("Sherman, set the Way-Back Machine for Jan 2002....")
Ooo-kay, so my weekend blew by in a big frenzied cloud of...something. I think I did a lot of things, but it's all a blur now. Not even the kind of blur where you figure you MUST have had a good time. Oh well.
Thanks to Mike's prodding, I did finally get out the House Design CD and begin to mess around with it. I learned how to make lines and boxes so far. Theoretically this will turn into an adorable little guest house cum hot tub shack one of these days....
Thanks to Mike's prodding, I did finally get out the House Design CD and begin to mess around with it. I learned how to make lines and boxes so far. Theoretically this will turn into an adorable little guest house cum hot tub shack one of these days....
Saturday, January 19, 2002
I got a lot of business-y stuff done today, which pleases me much, but I know it would be utterly boring as narrative. So we just won't go there.
Want to see a funny x-rated (and yes I mean that sincerely) cartoon music video? I watched this last night and have been flashing back to it all day:
Better not click here if you are allergic to the F word!
Want to see a funny x-rated (and yes I mean that sincerely) cartoon music video? I watched this last night and have been flashing back to it all day:
Better not click here if you are allergic to the F word!
Friday, January 18, 2002
I am very happy that my unique and strange and way too expensive glasses came today. Yes, I can now read fine print again! I meant to try a self-portrait thingie to show them off, but I forget when I had the camera out. Maybe tomorrow.
I got some brand new items up on eBay for the first time this year! Had to relist the damn coffin, because the buyer didn't follow through last time. Very annoying, but I guess when you sell weird stuff, you have to expect weird customers.
One of the coolest things I've had up in a while is the set of vintage girlie decals I put on tonight, non-explicit nudes playing with rainbow shaded bubbles. I actually bought them on eBay from someone who didn't know how to promote them. It was a slight struggle for me, because I would really like to use them as the decor basis of a highly decadent bathroom someday. But if I don't earn money to pay bills, I won't ever HAVE the new house with a big decadent bathroom (with HOT TUB!)....
I got some brand new items up on eBay for the first time this year! Had to relist the damn coffin, because the buyer didn't follow through last time. Very annoying, but I guess when you sell weird stuff, you have to expect weird customers.
One of the coolest things I've had up in a while is the set of vintage girlie decals I put on tonight, non-explicit nudes playing with rainbow shaded bubbles. I actually bought them on eBay from someone who didn't know how to promote them. It was a slight struggle for me, because I would really like to use them as the decor basis of a highly decadent bathroom someday. But if I don't earn money to pay bills, I won't ever HAVE the new house with a big decadent bathroom (with HOT TUB!)....
Thursday, January 17, 2002
Having one of those "Where the heck did my day GO?" lookbacks. Something like this:
Wake up, shower, errands, email, make dinner, eat dinner, do stuff with Mike, watch part of stupid TV show (Glory Days, written by morons), email, about 15 minutes of actual WORK, read a book (Shape of Danger, 1945 war novel, quite good), email and Blog. Oh, and I watered the plants.
I am sure all that ought not to have taken 14 hours.
By the way, that mouse from yesterday, or its body double, showed up on the living room carpet.
Wake up, shower, errands, email, make dinner, eat dinner, do stuff with Mike, watch part of stupid TV show (Glory Days, written by morons), email, about 15 minutes of actual WORK, read a book (Shape of Danger, 1945 war novel, quite good), email and Blog. Oh, and I watered the plants.
I am sure all that ought not to have taken 14 hours.
By the way, that mouse from yesterday, or its body double, showed up on the living room carpet.
Wednesday, January 16, 2002
There was a mouse in the air conditioner today.
Not that I ever actually saw it. But Painty and Nicky Jr said so, and I know they wouldn't lie about something like that. So I took the front of it off for them. They still could not reach it, but at least it got nervous and I stopped hearing those chewing noises you do not like to hear coming from inside your almost new $600 air conditioner....
They took turns on guard duty on the couch all afternoon, but somehow the mouse slipped by them. Luckily (for everyone but the mouse) when it got away it took refuge in a box on the floor which was within my reach.
I was kind of ticked when I uncovered it, though. It skittered up to the edge of the box and just FROZE there, with Nicky six inches away, and she didn't DO anything!! *I* was going to grab it, but I was TRYING to be polite and not horn in on the cat's ancestral territory. So much for that! The mouse bolted and got away AGAIN!!
Enter Painty, the frail and wispy cat girl who doesn't even like meat most of the time. Shortly after Nicky's total failure, she GOT the mouse. I saw her creeping downstairs with it so Nicky couldn't steal it. Probably this means I will step on half a mouse when I go downstairs next, but at least it won't be eating up my important devices!
Not that I ever actually saw it. But Painty and Nicky Jr said so, and I know they wouldn't lie about something like that. So I took the front of it off for them. They still could not reach it, but at least it got nervous and I stopped hearing those chewing noises you do not like to hear coming from inside your almost new $600 air conditioner....
They took turns on guard duty on the couch all afternoon, but somehow the mouse slipped by them. Luckily (for everyone but the mouse) when it got away it took refuge in a box on the floor which was within my reach.
I was kind of ticked when I uncovered it, though. It skittered up to the edge of the box and just FROZE there, with Nicky six inches away, and she didn't DO anything!! *I* was going to grab it, but I was TRYING to be polite and not horn in on the cat's ancestral territory. So much for that! The mouse bolted and got away AGAIN!!
Enter Painty, the frail and wispy cat girl who doesn't even like meat most of the time. Shortly after Nicky's total failure, she GOT the mouse. I saw her creeping downstairs with it so Nicky couldn't steal it. Probably this means I will step on half a mouse when I go downstairs next, but at least it won't be eating up my important devices!
Tuesday, January 15, 2002
I was going to say something about today, but now I can't think what it was.
So, here we are, almost halfway through the first month of 2002. Is that the most clever thought in my mind tonight?
Looks like.
So, here we are, almost halfway through the first month of 2002. Is that the most clever thought in my mind tonight?
Looks like.
Monday, January 14, 2002
This is actually last night's blog. Sleep happens.
The movie of the decade FINALLY came to our little town this week. I've been excited about seeing LotR ever since the buzz started, well, buzzing. But since even the TV previews were a bit intense for Mike, we knew we wouldn't be going as a family group. So we prevailed on the kindness of our neighbors, and thanks to them got to enjoy a Girls Night Out!
I did enjoy the movie, although this first time around I was pretty much in compare/contrast to the books mode, which made it difficult to get immersed in the experience. Overall I thought it was very well done, and I expect it to improve with time and multiple viewings. Yes, I will want the full-blown director's cut DVD with all the trimmings!
Because I still had a few self-assigned tasks at home, after I put Caro and Mike to bed I watched a Netflix DVD while doing them. It was Message In A Bottle, with Kevin Costner. I think it ran a little long, but maybe that's because I wasn't paying close attention to it. Plus, although Kevin is reasonably charming, I hope he grabbed the opportunity to take "aging seriously well" lessons from Paul Newman. If it had been me as the romantic lead, I would have changed goals and gone for the silver early on!
The movie of the decade FINALLY came to our little town this week. I've been excited about seeing LotR ever since the buzz started, well, buzzing. But since even the TV previews were a bit intense for Mike, we knew we wouldn't be going as a family group. So we prevailed on the kindness of our neighbors, and thanks to them got to enjoy a Girls Night Out!
I did enjoy the movie, although this first time around I was pretty much in compare/contrast to the books mode, which made it difficult to get immersed in the experience. Overall I thought it was very well done, and I expect it to improve with time and multiple viewings. Yes, I will want the full-blown director's cut DVD with all the trimmings!
Because I still had a few self-assigned tasks at home, after I put Caro and Mike to bed I watched a Netflix DVD while doing them. It was Message In A Bottle, with Kevin Costner. I think it ran a little long, but maybe that's because I wasn't paying close attention to it. Plus, although Kevin is reasonably charming, I hope he grabbed the opportunity to take "aging seriously well" lessons from Paul Newman. If it had been me as the romantic lead, I would have changed goals and gone for the silver early on!
Saturday, January 12, 2002
Did you ever learn something that just, to use a phrase that dates me like
carbon-14, BLOWS YOUR MIND?
Check this out, the Ref Desk Fact of the Day:
Bore-hole seismometry indicates that the land in Oklahoma moves up and down
25cm throughout the day, corresponding with the tides. Earth tides are
generally about one-third the size of ocean tides.
***
This means the supposedly solid ground you and I are walking around on is
GOING UP AND DOWN as much as 10 inches throughout the day!
OK, I just think it's weird, that's all.
carbon-14, BLOWS YOUR MIND?
Check this out, the Ref Desk Fact of the Day:
Bore-hole seismometry indicates that the land in Oklahoma moves up and down
25cm throughout the day, corresponding with the tides. Earth tides are
generally about one-third the size of ocean tides.
***
This means the supposedly solid ground you and I are walking around on is
GOING UP AND DOWN as much as 10 inches throughout the day!
OK, I just think it's weird, that's all.
I've been trying to think of a way to make what I did all day sound interesting.
There isn't one.
I basically sorted several huge heaps of Stuff into a number of boxes, bins and other places in the house. I even threw some stuff away. No, this is not exciting. But at least now I ALMOST have all the zillion little pieces of paper relating to my business all in one large box, so I can spend next week doing 8 months worth of record-keeping and be ready to do taxes....
Nope, not really all that fun and interesting.
There isn't one.
I basically sorted several huge heaps of Stuff into a number of boxes, bins and other places in the house. I even threw some stuff away. No, this is not exciting. But at least now I ALMOST have all the zillion little pieces of paper relating to my business all in one large box, so I can spend next week doing 8 months worth of record-keeping and be ready to do taxes....
Nope, not really all that fun and interesting.
Friday, January 11, 2002
Yoga. Makes you think of yogurt and meditation and peacefulness and stuff, right? So maybe I'm crazy to be looking at it as a way to ease back into the workout life....
And yet, tonight I went to my first yoga class ever, taught by my friend Mary from the Post Office. With my bad right knee and overstuffed abdomen, some of the positions were hard to manage. I may be in serious pain tomorrow (though that's nothing new--would actually be rather nostalgic). I guess basically I am in wait-and-see mode here.
And yet, tonight I went to my first yoga class ever, taught by my friend Mary from the Post Office. With my bad right knee and overstuffed abdomen, some of the positions were hard to manage. I may be in serious pain tomorrow (though that's nothing new--would actually be rather nostalgic). I guess basically I am in wait-and-see mode here.
Thursday, January 10, 2002
Today at the grocery store the bag boy helping us with carryout became animated when he found out which vehicle he was heading towards. "That's YOUR pickup with all the stickers?" he asked. He particularly wanted to know where I got the sticker saying "All Your Base Are Belong To Us", which he proceeded to mis-inform me was the poorly translated slogan of a Japanese guitar company.
I didn't have time to explain the whole convoluted joke about the true origin, so I just smiled and nodded and drove away.
I didn't have time to explain the whole convoluted joke about the true origin, so I just smiled and nodded and drove away.
Wednesday, January 09, 2002
Today was the annual meeting where Mike's teachers and aides and special instructors get together to discuss plans and goals for the next year. I know that for many parents this is a nightmarish horror struggle, so I am very grateful that in our case, it's not. In fact, it's much more like the annual meeting of the Mike Fan Club. Not that the boy doesn't have his issues, and his needs. But most of the people here have known him since as far back as kindergarten, and are openly delighted with how much he has progressed. Makes it kind of nice.
For the first time, we skipped over the part of the form about behavior plans, because he has grown into the norm, where just the same sorts of interventions and strategies that work with the regular kids work for him too! Really made my day!
For the first time, we skipped over the part of the form about behavior plans, because he has grown into the norm, where just the same sorts of interventions and strategies that work with the regular kids work for him too! Really made my day!
Tuesday, January 08, 2002
Yes, I did get quite a bit accomplished today, thank you so much. Nothing earth-shattering, but none of us want a shattered earth anyway, right? Thought so.
It was an astonishingly lovely day out today, considering it was the 7th of January. Warm and spring-feeling. Not that unusual for southeast Colorado, where unusual IS usual, weather-wise. Almost made me want to garden something.
It was an astonishingly lovely day out today, considering it was the 7th of January. Warm and spring-feeling. Not that unusual for southeast Colorado, where unusual IS usual, weather-wise. Almost made me want to garden something.
Monday, January 07, 2002
And so ends another Christmas break. Fittingly, we finally got the tree down and dragged outside to the truck. If we haven't dallied too long it can join the others waiting to be hauled off by the Fish and Game Department, to make baby fish sanctuaries and other naturalistically beneficial things.
Tomorrow between 6 and 7 am I will be struggling to hold onto the gauzy edges of sleep as Caro and Mike prepare to head off to their assigned educational abodes. Then after a few more hours of sweet dreamland I expect to bounce out of bed and attack the first real day of my self-proposed schedule, designed to increase both productivity and general enjoyment of life.
Yes, I know. But hey, it's worth a try!
Tomorrow between 6 and 7 am I will be struggling to hold onto the gauzy edges of sleep as Caro and Mike prepare to head off to their assigned educational abodes. Then after a few more hours of sweet dreamland I expect to bounce out of bed and attack the first real day of my self-proposed schedule, designed to increase both productivity and general enjoyment of life.
Yes, I know. But hey, it's worth a try!
Sunday, January 06, 2002
Sometimes I am such a hypocrite! Today I finally had time to do my monthly inventory of books I have for sale, which involves reading over my various web site listings as well as actually checking out the volumes physically present in my house.
So while I was at it, I decided to spot check some of the books that have been listed quite a while, to see if mine are still competitively priced. So there I was, checking books, muttering and griping whenever I found someone had undercut my previous price. And my response to this? Why, to do the sensible good-business-practice thing and lower MY price to undercut THEM!
So while I was at it, I decided to spot check some of the books that have been listed quite a while, to see if mine are still competitively priced. So there I was, checking books, muttering and griping whenever I found someone had undercut my previous price. And my response to this? Why, to do the sensible good-business-practice thing and lower MY price to undercut THEM!
Saturday, January 05, 2002
Friday, January 04, 2002
Started today with the fate worse than. Had to get up after only about 4 hours sleep and try to cope with the demands of real life. Man, I hate it when that happens. Mike needed to go to have another blood draw to check his Vit C levels because something happened to ruin the LAST one we got up at 6am and went out in 11 degree weather to let them draw.... Anyway. Caro followed us because her car Golly needs his brake light repair repaired, and we have doinked all the way through Christmas vacation and not taken him in. And so of course today the shop is a man short and we had to postpone it.
So I slogged through the rest of the day, looking forward to getting a nap, and of course when I finally was free to lay down, the phone rang off the hook. (Caro was at school doing HER put-off library chores so she will be ready when school starts up again Monday.)
But actually it was a reasonably pleasant and productive day. So I will stop complaining for now.
So I slogged through the rest of the day, looking forward to getting a nap, and of course when I finally was free to lay down, the phone rang off the hook. (Caro was at school doing HER put-off library chores so she will be ready when school starts up again Monday.)
But actually it was a reasonably pleasant and productive day. So I will stop complaining for now.
The most spectacular thing that happened to me today was that my Secret Pal Robin sent me a neon fish. (I know who she is because our group, The Dock, Revealed All after Christmas.) A lumescent piscine such as this would be a cool thing for ANYONE to get, but since it ties together the Neon theme with my House of Unruly Fish, well, it makes me feel extremely special.
I am scared to death I will mess up and drop it while trying to hang it on the wall, but I'm equally scared something will happen to it before I can mount it. So here I am, petrified between two courses of action....
I will hang it soon, though, and after I do I will attempt a photograph, which I will display to the world on my home page.
I am scared to death I will mess up and drop it while trying to hang it on the wall, but I'm equally scared something will happen to it before I can mount it. So here I am, petrified between two courses of action....
I will hang it soon, though, and after I do I will attempt a photograph, which I will display to the world on my home page.
Thursday, January 03, 2002
Oh, yeah, it's 2002! And oh yeah, I was planning on doing more writing and stuff when the holiday rush was over....
I guess technically it's not OVER yet, since I still have quite a lot of people's things to mail, which they bought from me on eBay because I went completely insane and listed about 150 auctions in one day just because it was Free Listing Day. I am hoping that by the time school starts again for Caro and Mike we will have the tree down and decorations put away, because maybe then I will find some of the sold items which are currently tucked away in a Good Safe Place that I can't recall the location of. *sigh*
It doesn't seem like the New Year to me yet. Probably because for the first time since I was, oh, 8 (in other words 40 years or so) I did NOT stay up till midnight to go out and yell and bang pots and pan lids. I had just returned that evening from a fun but full 6 day visit to Denver, and I was packing a head full of cold germs, my least favorite Christmas present. I struggled through till about 11:30, then decided to 'rest'. Caro came in to check on me at 5 minutes before midnight, as she promised, but I guess I just made stupid snarfy noises and drifted away again.
Oh well.
I guess technically it's not OVER yet, since I still have quite a lot of people's things to mail, which they bought from me on eBay because I went completely insane and listed about 150 auctions in one day just because it was Free Listing Day. I am hoping that by the time school starts again for Caro and Mike we will have the tree down and decorations put away, because maybe then I will find some of the sold items which are currently tucked away in a Good Safe Place that I can't recall the location of. *sigh*
It doesn't seem like the New Year to me yet. Probably because for the first time since I was, oh, 8 (in other words 40 years or so) I did NOT stay up till midnight to go out and yell and bang pots and pan lids. I had just returned that evening from a fun but full 6 day visit to Denver, and I was packing a head full of cold germs, my least favorite Christmas present. I struggled through till about 11:30, then decided to 'rest'. Caro came in to check on me at 5 minutes before midnight, as she promised, but I guess I just made stupid snarfy noises and drifted away again.
Oh well.
