The Misadventures of Inertia Girl

On the Road Again (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:17:00 +0000

We decided to return to driving for our Colorado vacation this year. Durango is the closest airport but airfare for the two of us was going to be what we thought was exorbitant. We could have flown into Colorado Springs but that would have meant renting a car and driving at least 5 hours each way, which was more expense and meant time in the car anyway. So, a 17 hour drive it was. Our normal long-range drive M.O. is to split up the trip on the way out and do a full-on, non-stop run for home on the way back. This trip was no exception.

The best place to stop for the night on the way out was Albuquerque, which just so happens to be home to a friend of mine from junior high. She and I have reconnected on Facebook in the last couple of years. We weren't close friends back in the day; we were in athletics, choir, and some classes together but didn't pal around together outside of school. It's funny how time changes our interactions, though. Some of the people I interact with the most on Facebook are people that I didn't know all that well back in the day.

Once she knew we would be coming through town, she offered to put us up for the night. The thing about seeing people after a long absence is that you don't really know whether even a remnant of the connection that you had back then still exists. Added to that uncertainty, I knew we'd be coming in late and would most likely be super cranky grub monsters from our long car ride, so I suggested that we meet for breakfast the next morning before we headed north to Colorado. My friend offered up her husband's fantastic blueberry pancakes. We set a time for our arrival and all parties involved had the guaranteed exit strategy of the Intertia's need to be in Ouray to check in to our rental house, should one of us discover that the other has morphed into some kind of crazed superfreak in the intervening years.

Suffice it to say, we had an absolutely wonderful visit. My friend is, in every way that I could see, still that sweet person I knew back in 1984. Her husband and son were absolutely delightful. (Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet her daughter, who wasn't at home.) We talked and laughed and got reacquainted (or in the case of the spouses, got acquainted) and totally blew our exit strategy out of the water. My friend and her family may have been thinking, "Why won't these people leave?!" but I never got that feeling and we could have stayed all day. I look forward to seeing them again sometime soon.

Our return trip was a little like Smokey and the Bandit. We left Ouray at 4:15 am MDT and arrived at our house at 10:15 pm CDT. We saw the sun come up and go down. We stopped for gas and bathroom breaks and little else. It was a very long 17 hours in the Jeep but what a great trip. Couldn't have asked for more.

On the Road Again (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:39:00 +0000

The second point for our vacation itinerary was near Mancos in the Southwestern part of the state. It's the Jersey Jim Lookout--a decomissioned U.S. Forest Service fire tower. It's 55 feet tall with no running water or electricity, and a bathroom at the bottom of the tower. Run by a non-profit group, it's available for one or two night rentals from mid-May through mid-October. It looks something like this:

This wasn't our first rodeo. We had been there five or six years ago and really loved the experience. Admittedly, it isn't for everyone. Between the height, the stair climbing, and the lack of amenities many people wouldn't consider it for a part of their vacation experience. The Ritz, it ain't. But oh, the view. You've got a 360 degree view of some beautiful country with stupendous sunsets.

Without the city lights, the stars are absolutely brilliant. The first night, I awakened at 3:30 am and really had to go to the bathroom. I tried to roll over and go to sleep, but nature was calling too urgently. I got up, put on some shoes and a jacket, grabbed the flashlight and headed down the stairs. Once I got to the bottom and looked up, I could see a million stars and the Milky Way was truly a haze of starlight spanning the width of the sky.

Our second day there we decided to hike the Sharkstooth Pass trail, which is just to the left of the peaks in the second picture above. It was a two mile hike that ended at 12,000 feet at the top of the pass. It was a great hike with wildflowers, marmot sightings, and a birds eye view of two valleys. Here is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. Sharkstooth Peak is in the background.

My next post will describe our time in the Jeep as well as our visit with a former schoolmate that I hadn't seen since 1984.

On the Road Again (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:34:00 +0000

TLS and I have been sweltering here in Texas (along with about 25 million of our closest friends). Add to that the fact that we only took a stay-cation last year, and we were quite ready to get outta town for a real, honest-to-God vacation this year. I have a theory about people: you are either a mountain person or a beach person. You can appreciate the beauty of your "opposite" place, but for absolute soul nurturing, it's gotta be one or the other. I, for one, am a mountain person. There is something about the views and the crisp mountain air that refreshes me like no place else. I spent many vacations of my childhood in the mountains of Colorado and had introduced TLS to the central mountains of Colorado. It had been several years since we'd been there, having gone to Yellowstone and northern Michigan on our last two vacations and I thought it might be nice to branch out to a new area of Colorado. I'd heard great things about Ouray, so I found a rental house right on a creek and booked a week there.

I guess there's only one word that describes my reaction to the area around the Ouray: WOW. The peaks around there and Telluride (about a 30 minute drive west) are just spectacular. They are just "peak-ier"--sharper and more rugged. It's an area with a wide assortment of hiking trails. Our second day in town, we were looking at books on off-road trails in the local bookstore. The scene went something like this:

TLS: There's a trail called The Devil's Punchbowl. It's a moderate trail. No wait, it's extreme.
Me: (laughing) Yeah, anything called The Devil's Punchbowl has got to be extreme.
Woman seated nearby deciding on books to purchase: (laughing) I'd agree with that.
Me: Oh, I see you have In the Woods. I read that this year and it was wonderful.
Woman: Oh, thanks for the recommendation.

Everyone goes back to doing what they were doing.

Woman (getting up to make her puchase): Are you guys also going to be hiking while you're here?
Us: Yes.
Woman: I went on a hike to Blue Lakes today and they are just amazing. Are you from around here?
Us: No, near Dallas.
Woman: Oh, well, the lower lake hike isn't too bad. The first part is steep but as long as you take enough water and take your time, you should be fine.
Us: Thanks!

We ended up taking her suggestion later in the week and I'm certainly glad we did. Although, dang, she was definitely NOT kidding about the first part being steep. I said at one point to TLS, "It's probably not a good sign when you can feel your heart beat." Kudos, Woman seated nearby deciding on books to purchase. It's because of you that we were able to see this:

Next post, I'll talk about our second destination where we stayed in an old Forest Service fire tower.

Another Good Book

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:50:00 +0000

I just finished reading A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano. Loved it. The author took the famous author Flannery O'Connor and her hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia and crafted a fictionalized story of love and loss on top of them. A couple of plot points flirted with melodrama and cliche, but Ms. Napolitano's beautiful prose made them rise above the ordinary. I have a feeling that I'll be thinking about this one for days, wondering what the characters did after the end of the novel. Someone in Hollywood will want to make this into a movie and I admit that I'll most likely end up buying a ticket. And bringing a hankey.

I'm Not Crying. I Just Have Something in my Eye.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:07:00 +0000

One of my favorite blogs is A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago. It's kind of difficult to classify their niche but it is mostly pop culture, baseball, and the absurd. (I know. I said it was difficult to classify. And I'm really not doing it justice. Check it out.) They had a post this week about movies that can reliably make people cry. Researchers determined in the late '80's that the scene where the father dies in the movie The Champ is the most tear-inducing. ALOTT5MA asked which movies made in the interim were as or more sad.

I'm going to admit upfront that I'm a crier. I get choked up at books, movies, and even commercials. Does anyone remember the Polaroid commercial with the two brothers (cousins?) running around at a family reunion taking pictures of everyone that they ultimately use to make a photo collage for their elderly grandfather? That one always reduced me to tears. There are several movies that are guaranteed to make me cry.

They are (in no particular order and I'm going to issue a blanket spoiler alert warning right now):

Steel Magnolias
(Two scenes) When they turn off the Shelby's life support machine and M'Lynn sits with her daughter while she passes away and the scene in the cemetary when M'Lynn loses it after looking at her "brown, football helmet hair" make me blubber like a baby.

Lars and the Real Girl (a small, underappreciated film - check it out)
Bianca's funeral. When I saw it in the theater, I sat between two of my friends. I started to cry but had no idea whether they were even enjoying the movie, so I just leaned back and let the tears slide off the sides of my face. I then saw one of my friends reach up to wipe away the tears and heard the other start sniffing. When the movie was over, my friend D said, "I can't believe they made me cry over a plastic woman!" And that, my friends, is the whole point of this quiet little movie.

Toy Story 3
The scene in the incinerator when all the toys accept their fate and hold hands to wait for the end brings tears to my eyes. I knew the first time I watched this movie that Pixar wasn't going to kill off those sweet little toys, but it was still suspenseful and oh so sad. I also get choked up at the end when Andy is going off to college and he gives all his toys to his mother's friend's little girl. So sweet and so emotional.

Up
Pixar has the keys to my heartstrings. The five minute "scenes from a marriage" montage at the beginning of the movie so wonderfully captures a lifetime of happy marriage without any dialog. It is absolutely brilliant but the portion where they start to plan for a baby, go to the doctor who shakes his head, Ellie ends up in the backyard just sitting and staring, and Carl goes out to comfort her has special meaning to me because of our trials with infertility. By the time Ellie dies before they can live their dream of going to South America, I'm a basket case. The interesting thing is that Up has been in heavy rotation on one of the movie channels and I always watch (I know, I know, I'm a glutton for punishment). I call TLS "the tin man" because he likes to act like he doesn't have a heart, but he totally does. I had no idea that he was as affected by that montage until I was watching it one afternoon just as the scene was about to start. He was walking through, glanced at the TV, shielded his eyes with one of his hands, and said, "Oh no, the sad part is coming on."

Out of Africa (my all-time favorite movie)
The very end of the movie is a shot of a pair of lions lying on the patch of ground where Denys Finch-Hatton is buried. There's a haunting voice-over by Meryl Streep describing the scene that says, "Denys would like that. I shall have to remember to tell him." Those damn lions on the grave get me every.single.time. And still I watch it again and again.

Does anyone else have movies that always make them cry?

Things We Think But Often Do Not Say

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:19:00 +0000

I actually started this post back in 2008. I guess I just had to let the idea marinate for a few years.

_______________________________________________________________________

I read an article yesterday about a US Army Major (Andrew Olmstead) who was an avid blogger and was, unfortunately, killed in Iraq earlier this month. He had written a post to be published in the event of his death. His last post manages to be erudite, funny and touching. I wish I had been reading his stuff sooner (and under better circumstances) and it makes me think that we could have been friends if we'd happened to live/work/be in the same place. Anyone that quotes Team America--World Police, The Princess Bride, and Plato is someone I can hang with. Here's the link if you're interested in reading it.

My interest here is not to get into a political or polemic discussion about the war in Iraq. Everyone has his or her opinion, to which he or she is more than entitled. But it seems to me that the majority of the time, despite discussion, people's minds or opinions aren't changed and everyone just ends up being irritated.

What struck me most about the idea of a "Last Post" is that the things that are most likely to be included are things that really should be said while you are still alive. I have no doubt Major Olmstead expressed his sentiments to his wife and family prior to his death and that he only used his blog as a public forum for them, but it inspired me to be more mindful of telling the people around me how greatful I am to have them in my life. And since I have a (potential) world audience, I'd like to do some expressing of my own.

I have said before that TLS is one of the best things to happen to me and I mean that with all of my heart. He is smart, funny, kind, and generous to a fault. He'll happily give you the shirt off his back, help you build a fence, and give you a killer gift for a special occasion. He's a friend to animals, has an amazingly quick wit, keeps our household in good running order, and does the difficult but necessary deeds that seem to be beyond my ability to bear. He makes me laugh--daily. And he ain't hard on the eyes, either. We've laughed and cried our way through almost 20 years together and I cannot wait to see what the next 20+ has to offer.

An Actual Conversation at Casa Inertia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:46:00 +0000

Feeling nostalgic for blogging, I've scoured my planner for my password, which I had completely forgotten, and used it to log on. I'm looking at the dashboard and contemplating whether or not I want to actually post something.

TLS: (walking through the kitchen, glancing at my laptop) Whatcha doing? Oh, The Misadventures of Inertia Girl. Are you resurrecting her?

Me: Maybe. Thinkin' about it.

TLS: Do you want me to start writing for you? I have some time on my hands.

Me: I think I might pay money for you to guest blog.

TLS: (walking away) ...laughter...

And ... scene.

We'll see whether I can come up with enough material on my own or if I need to put TLS on the payroll. One day (or post) at a time. And in the meantime, I've changed the template to mix things up a bit.

So what's been up with you?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:29:00 +0000

I knew it had been a long time since my last post--mostly because I had completely forgotten my Blogger password--but had no idea it has been over a year. Of course, there really aren't too many things that are different from June 2009. Still in grad school (with this being my last semester of course work, thank the lord), still happily married to TLS, still refusing change unless it is forced upon me. Yup, same ol', same ol'.

That being said, I have started a new job. What, you might ask, brought this on? Well, the prior job had become almost unbearable. Not because of the people (who were great) but because of oppressive management and a general boredom on my part. But me being me, I didn't set out to make a change. I just sat back and let it come to me. And, almost magically, it did. A couple of former co-workers contacted me and said that their company was looking for an administrative person and asked if I was interested. I initially told them that I wasn't looking to make a change because I was getting close to graduation and it wasn't in my new chosen field. They continued to woo me and we ultimately came to realize that their administrative needs included information needs that I was pretty uniquely qualified to provide. It has really been a win-win situation. I guess it just goes to show that inertia does have its upsides--occasionally.

It's good to be back in the blogging world and I hope to be a much more frequent poster, which is really not a very high bar to set for myself!

Farm Livin' Is The Life For Me.. (or How to Major Market Tease Your Blog)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:20:00 +0000

We've had a garden for the last few years. Or, more accurately, TLS has had a garden the last few years. He definitely puts in the backbreaking hard labor and I just reap the spoils. (Love you, honey!!) We normally put in tomatoes, jalapenos, black eyed peas, sunflowers, radishes, onions, and eggplant. This year we decided to go hog wild and plant potatoes, garlic, cucumbers, and lettuce in addition to the usuals. We've harvested the first of the "newbies" and last night had roasted potatoes and garlic along with a salad with our own lettuce, cucumber, and the first of the tomatoes. It was all dee-lish! (If I do say so myself.) I got to use one of the new cookbooks I bought a few weeks ago (Mark Bittman's How to Cook Anything -- highly recommended) for the roasted potatoes and in the words of TLS, they were "almost orgasmic". Well said, honey. Well said.

I took some pictures of the harvest and completed meal, but you'll have to wait for those.

It Was Like Night of the Living Dead Around Here

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:14:00 +0000

So, you might have noticed that I've been away from blogging for a while. (I didn't really realize it had been almost two months until I logged in this morning. Sorry!) School really kicked my boot-ay this semester. I ended up taking two classes that were extremely assignment heavy. Like weekly reading/writing/project-y type assignment heavy. At one point I described my experience as living in a zombie horror movie. In one of those movies, the plucky survivors have to mow down waves of zombies coming to eat their braaaaains. Once they kill the first wave, there is another right behind the first, and so on. That's what the assignments were like. I'd do the reading summaries, exercises, information hunts, and other assorted projects due for the week and then have to turn around and have to immediately start the next week's. It was not much fun. I'm 95% done for the semester, though. (That extra 5% is due to taking an incomplete in one class. Doing that was like admitting failure. "Yes, Ms. Extremely Understanding Instructor, something has got to give.") I have one more project to complete to be totally done. I calculated my grade and I only have to make a 58 to make an A and an 8 to make a B, so I think I'll be alright.

It Isn't Nobel Prize Winning Stuff, But It Did Make Me Feel Good

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:00:00 +0000

The caveat to this story is that I know my (teeny, tiny) good deed isn't on par with curing cancer or brokering world peace, but I did do something nice that gave me a glad heart. Oh, but now I'm writing about it so I'm not sure if that negates any of the intrinsic goodness, though.

I have a friend from childhood that I haven't seen in over twenty years that I have reconnected with on Facebook. (Have I mentioned how much I love Facebook? I know that there's no real purpose for being on there but it's just fun to be able to keep track of your friends and reconnect with people you haven't seen in a million years. Of course, I have had a few people send me friend requests that I had to look up in an annual and even though I then remembered them from junior high or high school, I can't recall having had a single conversation with them. Which leaves me to wonder if a) we really were pretty good friends and I just don't remember them (the thought of which makes me feel kind of sad and somehow ashamed) or b) I was somehow more important to them than I know (the thought of which makes me feel even sadder, somehow) or c) they are just trying to inflate their Facebook friend count. But I digress. Again. Shocker, I know.) This friend is a now a licenced personal counselor (LPC) and is in the process of getting her personal practice built up. In order to get enough hours for the LPC, she worked (and still continues to work) at the men's prison. One of the many things she does there is to take the book cart around the pod so that the guys can pick out something to read. She mentioned in her blog a couple of months ago that someone else had given her a gift card to buy books and something about that made me want to help too. Although it took me a while, I was able to put together two (smallish) boxes of books and a couple of gift cards and shipped them off. This action, which really only cost me a half hour or so of time and a little bit of money, made me feel like I was spreading around a little bit of my good fortune. Good karma brought to me by Facebook, who'd a thunk it?

Why I Think Turning 40 Rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:45:00 +0000

1. I got some major birthday love from my friends and family. Right back at you, guys!

2. I got the majorly awesomely cool Kindle e-reader for my birthday. I can download 1,000 books into one paperback sized machine. I'm like a kid in a candy store. Seriously. It is the greatest present since last year's iPod Touch.

3. I am healthy, happy, and loved. [Furiously knocking on wood so as not to invoke any hubris]

Well, that's the top 3 reasons, anyway. Don't want to get too introspective and soppily emotional...

Ode to Bluebonnets

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:24:00 +0000

I saw my first bluebonnets of the season this week and it again warmed the cockles of my little Texan heart to see them. I was moved to write a haiku to commemorate the occasion. Here goes:

Bluebonnets

jaunty bluebonnets

vivid blue and starkest white

roadside happiness

Here's my bluebonnet post from last year in case anyone wants to brush up on my bluebonnet-loving ways.

File This Under: Things That Are Interesting Only To Me

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:54:00 +0000

I read an interesting fact about the sleep patterns of giraffes (I KNOW. I'm *such* a nerd.) on Wednesday. (Are you ready for me to share the interesting fact? Well, I'm going to tease you just a bit longer.) Then on Friday, my Discover Magazine arrived and it had the same fact in it. I've never heard this in (almost) forty years and then, POW, twice in one week. I think there should be an official name for this phenomenon, maybe something like Factoid Synchronicity.

Oh! The fact: Giraffes only sleep for an average of 1.9 hours a day. (Look in the table at the bottom of this article for corroboration.) I guess they spend the other 22.1 hours of the day loping around the savannah and trying not to get eaten.

What-Ifs and Whys

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:44:00 +0000

I must have woken up in a very philosophical frame of mind this morning because this was the first real conversation of the day with TLS.

Scene: TLS is in the kitchen making sure he has everything he needs before he heads out to run errands.

Me: (Walking in the kitchen, still in jammies. Smiling.)
TLS: Why are you so happy this morning? (Pause) Just happy to be alive?
Me: (hugging TLS) Just happy that you're here.
TLS: Where else would I be?
Me: I meant that in more of a what-if-we-hadn't-met kind of way.
TLS: Oh. That's a weird thought. Where would we be?
Me: It is weird. You'd probably be here...
TLS: (interrupting) In [our town]?
Me: Yes.
TLS: (laughing) Nah, I'd probably be in [names of high end suburbs] living with my doctor wife, playing golf every day.
Me: (also laughing) You wish!

It made me think that we never really know what kind of differences that the consequences of our choices make. What if I had married the jerky Air Force ex-boyfriend? What if I had gone to library school earlier? What if TLS had finished college earlier? It all makes my head spin a little bit, but I have to say that I'm glad things happened the way they did. I have a hard time believing that I could be any happier than I am right now.

Sitting and Watching the Cursor Blink

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Look, I know I haven't been the best blogger of late. And I hate to trot out the old "I don't have anything to say" excuse. Been there. Done that. And how interesting is that for the blog reading public? Not very, I'd have to say.

I came out to Blogger.com today determined to write an entry and I must have sat watching the cursor blink for about five minutes. Literally. I was desperately waiting for the arrival of the blogging muse, but she must be keeping different hours and routes, 'cause I got nothin'.

In the spirit of giving it the old college try, here's all I could come up with. Enjoy.

Spring is starting to make itself known. The trees are just starting to bud out and we've planted some vegetable seeds in the little seed terrariums to be transplanted when the danger of the last freeze has finally passed. (The radishes have already sprouted and I can almost taste their zippy tang.) I'm betting that another month or so will bring another one of my bluebonnet posts. Maybe if you're lucky I'll feel led to write a bluebonnet haiku. (Try and keep yourselves under control!)

One Way to Know That You're Turning 40

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:24:00 +0000

The only piece of real mail that came yesterday was my notification that it is time to schedule my first screening mammogram. Yippee.

In other unrelated news: work is a pain, school is a pain, but I'm surviving. Hopefully, more witty things to report soon.

Heroes, Librarians & Class

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:42:00 +0000

This article regarding the pilot, Sully Sullenberger, who flew the plane that crashed into the Hudson river a few weeks ago, made me (as a librarian in training) very, very happy.

I Could Go for a Xanax About Now

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:26:00 +0000

A few years back I had what I would delicately call (after coughing behind my hand) a female problem. No one really wants all the gory details but what it came down to was experiencing a lot of pain in an area of the body that about 99.99999% of the time you don't even think about having. My doctor could diagnose the problem as generic "inflammation" but wasn't able to pinpoint the cause...or alternately, provide much in the way of treatment options. As you might imagine, this made me more than a little cranky and depressed. I sought the counsel of a wonderful psychiatrist who tried prescribing an antidepressant, but as I am extremely sensitive to prescription drugs (and probably the illicit ones too, but as we've established previously, I've never done any of those before) I wasn't able to continue taking the Zoloft she prescribed. As a result, she gave me a prescription for the anti-anxiety medication, Xanax, with a stern warning that it would not be given long-term due to its propensity for addiction and abuse. And after taking it, I could understand why. I used to take a half of the smallest dose (1 mg as I remember, but it's been a few years so I could be wrong about that) and that was enough to spread a warm feeling throughout my whole body. Oh sure, my problems were all still there, but I just didn't care. It was a delicious feeling, but I was smart enough to use it only on the most dire days--when I was having a hard time of it--holding myself together with duct tape and baling wire, which seems to be an extremely Texan saying. Long story short, I was able (through help from my mom and mother-in-law) to find a holistic treatment that made me pain free (Hooray!) and I didn't need to use the Xanax anymore.

I could definitely be talked into using my little friend "Xan" for the last month or so, though. My company experienced some layoffs in January that directly influenced my workload (and not in a good way). Don't get me wrong, I am happy to have a job in today's economy, but added to my schoolwork this semester I seem to want to escape to "Xan" island. Things have been better in the last couple weeks but anxiety seems to be my constant companion these days. Sigh.

Back In The Saddle Again

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Spring semester has officially arrived, peeps. I started my web-based class last night, which included beginning the readings I have to do before next Tuesday (four book chapters with eight journal articles to use to create a 400-500 word reaction paper). Tonight is the first in-class section. Should be a hoot. Wish me luck.

Just When Your Faith In Humanity Was Just About Shot...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:15:00 +0000

I have to admit upfront that I am a crier. Movies, TV shows, books, commercials even. Doesn't matter the format, I've cried tears of sorrow, happiness or sentimentality more times than I care to admit. I did it again this morning when I read this article. Since I'm at one end of the spectrum, I can't guarantee that you'll all have the same reaction, but I'd be willing to bet that at the very least you'll "get something in your eye" as TLS likes to say.

(Hat tip to my cousin, Brittany, for the link.)

Haiku Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:18:00 +0000

In my very younger days, I used to write poetry. They were very earnest poems, full of angsty teenage feelings. I'm pretty sure that I threw them all away at some point and probably rightly so. I have a feeling that they would be almost painful to read from my (much) older and (much) wiser vantage point. That being said, however, I do still like to put pencil to paper for something creative.

I was driving home one day last week just as the sun was setting. The sky was a beautiful orange color and there was the barest hint of a cresent moon right next to the planet Jupiter. It was so gorgeous that I was moved to write the following haiku*. Enjoy!

Winter Evening
Lovely orange sky
Crescent moon, planet glowing
Dusk is falling fast

*A short poem in the Japanese style consisting of 17 syllables broken into three lines with five, seven, and five syllables, respectively.

One Of Those Lists That No One Wants To Read

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:16:00 +0000

The author of one of the blogs I read religiously posted her answers to these questions. I am always open to "borrowing" good ideas so, despite no one asking for them, here are mine:

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Flew in a glider (and actually flew it for about 10 minutes) in front of the Tetons. It was super awesomely fantastically wonderful. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Let's see. As I recall, my resolution last year was to stay away from vodka. I believe that I kept it fairly well. I'm not big on the new year's resolutions, so I'd have to say that I don't have any for 2009.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. My friend Amy O. had an adorable little boy, Trey.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No. Thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit?
Does Idaho count?

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Can't think of a thing. Well, aside from world peace. Oh, and a pony.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I've got nothing for this one. Just as 2008 didn't have any reeeealy bad things, there weren't any "stop the presses this is awesome" ones either.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting up off my duff and actually starting grad school.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Keeping my crankiness in check.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Unless you count the dreaded 21 day cold from November/December, nope.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Okay, I didn't buy it, but it has to be my iPod Touch. Awesome! (Thanks, TLS.)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Drawing a blank on this one. Can't even come up with something amusing.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
See answer #12.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Hmm. Mortgage, car payment, electric bill, gasoline. Okay, this answer is depressing me. Moving on...

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Making an "A" in SLIS 5200 (Introduction to the Organization of Information a.k.a. The A**-Kicker)

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
For sheer numbers of radio plays, Flo Rida "Low" (And how sad is it that an almost forty year old lists a hip-hop song for this question. Think young, think young, think young.)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Same
b) thinner or fatter? Same
c) richer or poorer? Same, apparently, I'm nothing if not consistent

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading, travelling, catching up with friends

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Homework. Ugh.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve with the in-laws and Christmas Day with my mother and brother

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope. Just happy to still be in love with the darling TLS. (And glad that the feeling is mutual.)

22. What was your favorite TV program?
(Tie) Pushing Daisies and Life

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is such a strong word. Let me think. ... Still thinking. ... Nope, no added hatred.

24. What was the best book you read?
Oy! This is a hard one. Must be Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris. It was well-written, funny and poignant. Recommended.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Has to be last.fm You can listen to music and create your own "radio station" by typing in a favorite artist name and they will stream songs from similar artists.

26. What did you want and get?
A 4.0 for my first semester of grad school

27. What did you want and not get?
Can't think of anything. I must be lucky that way.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Well, technically this was from late 2007, but I'm going to have to say Lars and the Real Girl. If you haven't seen it, give it a try. It has a fairly wacky concept (lonely, alienated, eccentric guy buys a life-size doll and pretends that she's real and the whole town plays along) but it had more true heart that most of the traditional relationship movies I've ever seen.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Had a small surprise party with some friends put together by TLS. I was the dreaded 39.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Winning the lottery. Yeah, that's about it.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Just glad the clothes still fit.

32. What kept you sane?
My friends and TLS

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Daniel Craig ain't too hard on the eyes.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election is finally over.

35. Who did you miss?
My grandma.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
My school BFF Mary. She kept me sane during SLIS 5200.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
You can do anything you put your mind to. (Dorky and not very original, I know, but it's all I've got.)

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
In the "getting motivated" column, from the song, Believe by The Bravery
Waiting for our ship to come but our ship's not coming back
We do have time like pennies in a jar
What are we saving for?

All Is Quiet On New Years Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:22:00 +0000

New Years Day checklist:

The Making and eating of my spicy black eyed pea recipe? CHECK.

Putting up the new Christmas card photos on the fridge? CHECK.

Happy New Year! May 2009 be even better than 2008.

New Subscription List

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:15:00 +0000

I heard from several people that the NotifyList link was not working properly, so now I am using Feedburner. There is a new widget off to the right to sign up for notification emails when I post new content. Give it a try; I think this one will work better. Fingers crossed!