orchid drawings by my Aunt Sarah

Dendrobium cucumerinum
“The Cucumber Orchid”
(Australia)
© Sarah Stifler Jesup

Oncidium arizajulianum
2-14-69
(Dominican Republic)
© Sarah Stifler Jesup

Oncidium bicallosum
(Central America)
©Sarah Stifler Jesup

Paphiopedilum niveum
(Malay Archipelago)
3-29-69
© Sarah Stifler Jesup

Dichaea ciliolata
(Panama)
2-25-69
© Sarah Stifler Jesup

The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow

This book bowled me over.

I loved the main character, Gertie, from page one. The first few chapters were blissful, but I knew that the rug would be pulled out from under.

When it was (she moved her children from a Kentucky farm to join her husband in a Detroit tenement), the contrast was stark and heartbreaking and infuriating. And all the more so because I know that Gertie's story is true (this book is fiction, but you know what I mean) and was repeated over and over in the twentieth century.

As an embodiment of rural migration to the city, Gertie's story includes many of the horrors of modern life: living on credit, bearing the war between corporations and unions, children becoming "wiser" in the ways of the world than their parents, enduring the prejudices and religious intolerance of neighbors, and witnessing the degradation of quality (mass-produced goods). Plus the war and anti-communist paranoia and lack of equality for women... but it all stays human because we follow Gertie through each descending step, as her oldest child runs away, as two of her children become accustomed to the city and scornful of the farm, and as her peers and her husband drive her to a betrayal of her fourth child, Cassie Marie, that leads to the girl's unbelievably wrenching death.

The dolls that Gertie whittles undergo a transition, too. To make them ever more cheaply and quickly, she bends to modern ideas and inevitably begins to hate the products. Her grand opus, the sculpture-in-progress on which she labors throughout, becomes the symbol of what has changed in her life, and in the end, the scapegoat -- the Judas -- of her choices and failures.

Beautiful, smart, haunting, and sad.

Reading -- never thought of it this way

"THE FACT THAT PEOPLE don't like to read may trouble many of us in the Reading Class, but it shouldn't. For in truth, we have misidentified the "problem" facing us: it is not the much-bemoaned reading gap, but rather a seldom-mentioned knowledge gap. Though it is immodest to say, we readers genuinely know more than those who do not read. Thus we are usually able to make better-informed decisions than non-readers can. If we lived in an aristocracy of readers, this maldistribution of knowledge might be acceptable. But we don't; rather, we live in a democracy (if we are lucky). In a democracy, the people – readers and non-readers alike – decide. Thus we would like all citizens to be knowledgeable so that they can make well-informed decisions about our common affairs."
—Marshall Poe

more Ursula, to tie together the two previous posts

"The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often very pleasant to look at and handle, that can last decades, even centuries. It doesn't have to be plugged in, activated, or performed by a machine; all it needs is light, a human eye, and a human mind. It is not one of a kind, and it is not ephemeral. It lasts. It is reliable. If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell it to you again when you're fifty, though you may understand it so differently that it seems you're reading a whole new book."

Ursula LeGuin on publishing

"Books are social vectors, but publishers have been slow to see it. They barely even noticed book clubs until Oprah goosed them. But then the stupidity of the contemporary, corporation-owned publishing company is fathomless: they think they can sell books as commodities.

"Moneymaking entities controlled by obscenely rich executives and their anonymous accountants have acquired most previously independent publishing houses with the notion of making quick profit by selling works of art and information. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that such people get sleepy when they read. Within the corporate whales are many luckless Jonahs who were swallowed alive with their old publishing house—editors and such anachronisms—people who read wide awake. Some of them are so alert they can scent out promising new writers. Some of them have their eyes so wide open they can even proofread. But it doesn't do them much good. For years now, most editors have had to waste most of their time on an unlevel playing field, fighting Sales and Accounting."

Only you, not only me

some "old folks" said to younger folks (http://www.overcomingbias.com/2011/09/aged-wisdom.html):

"You might look inside yourself and think you know yourself, but over many decades you can change in ways you won't see ahead of time. Don't assume you know who you will become. This applies all the more to folks around you. You may know who they are now, but not who they will become."

I also have found this to be true, even in my relatively short lifespan.

Into Words

Frans B M de Waal:
"The evolutionary reasons for altruistic behavior are not necessarily the animals' reasons."
From iPhone

Golf Country

It's funny the look Arizonans give you when you say you don't play golf. A mixture of two parts incredulous and one part "flee the leper"

From iPhone

Bad Hair Fortnight

Well, it turns out I can't be a western woman, of leisure or otherwise. My hair HATES this climate. Flat and blah. Humidity may cause the frizz, but I'll deal with that in exchange for some pouf.

From iPhone

Snap Time!

From online New York Times:

Which is worse...

...spelling it right but pronouncing it wrong (shudder) or jumping all the way in and spelling it wrong?

Unfortunate Acronyms

North American Directory Services

Leaping Frog

Rocky mountain high

I feel so AWAKE.

I'm having less caffeine than normal, but my alertness is doubled (without troubling my sleep).

Is it the altitude? Or just lack of having to work?

Something got screwed up somewhere, because clearly I was meant to be a Western woman of leisure.

From iPhone

2 skwrls

Monday

Sitting in the bright sunshine, everything shiny clean after the many loud and torrential storms during the night, drinking exceptionally good iced coffee, an occasional golfer on the third tee in our back yard, quiet, content. No driving today.

Don't you just hate Mondays?

From iPhone

Wow

I have now seen TORNADOES live and in person!

(and small and distant enough not to fear for myself or much damage to others)

From iPhone

Lark Bunting

The beautiful lark bunting (Colorado's state bird) seems to be fairly common. Unfortunately, every time I try to say its name aloud, it comes out "bark lunting."

From iPhone

Aaaawwww!

We were hoping for the imaginary mayonnaise!

Trip day one

Up at 4:30, two flights of around five hours, four-hour drive through AMAZING scenery, checked in, exhausted, waiting for a burger and a margarita. Not necessarily in that order. Tomorrow, up at 6, another four-hour drive to Fort Carson to see Andrew!

From iPhone

favorite typo (lately)

Spychological

words with no English equivalent

from Andrew Sullivan, but his site makes you jump around to see them all

Zhaghzhagh (Persian)
The chattering of teeth from the cold or from rage.
Yuputka (Ulwa)
A word made for walking in the woods at night, it’s the phantom sensation of something crawling on your skin.
Slampadato (Italian)
Addicted to the UV glow of tanning salons? This word describes you.
Luftmensch (Yiddish)
There are several Yiddish words to describe social misfits. This one is for an impractical dreamer with no business sense. Literally, air person.
Iktsuarpok (Inuit)
You know that feeling of anticipation when you’re waiting for someone to show up at your house and you keep going outside to see if they’re there yet? This is the word for it.
Cotisuelto (Caribbean Spanish)
A word that would aptly describe the prevailing fashion trend among American men under 40, it means one who wears the shirt tail outside of his trousers.
Pana Po’o (Hawaiian)
“Hmm, now where did I leave those keys?” he said, pana po’oing. It means to scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten.
Gumusservi (Turkish)
Meteorologists can be poets in Turkey with words like this at their disposal. It means moonlight shining on water.
Vybafnout (Czech)
A word tailor-made for annoying older brothers—it means to jump out and say boo.
Mencolek (Indonesian)
You know that old trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them? The Indonesians have a word for it.
Faamiti (Samoan)
To make a squeaking sound by sucking air past the lips in order to gain the attention of a dog or child.
Glas wen (Welsh)
A smile that is insincere or mocking. Literally, a blue smile.
Bakku-shan (Japanese)
The experience of seeing a woman who appears pretty from behind but not from the front.
Boketto (Japanese)
It’s nice to know that the Japanese think enough of the act of gazing vacantly into the distance without thinking to give it a name.
Kummerspeck (German)
Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. Literally, grief bacon.
L'esprit de l'escalier" (French)
to think of a witty response to someone after the moment has passed.
Tocayo (Spanish-Mexican)
It is only used by people with the same name. So that one person named Ricardo might call another person named Ricardo "Tocayo."
biritilulo (Papua, New Guinea)
literally means "to argue over yams" but is actually a great, loud row deliberately started between two angry parties as a way of letting out tension. It allows everyone to realize that the conflict in question is silly and to get on with life.
sobremesa (Spanish)
sitting around the table in leisurely conversation after the meal is over.
saudades (Portuguese) 
the pain and the pleasure of missing someone or something.  The pain part is obvious; the pleasure is because the realization that you have a connection with a person or place that is so strong it causes you pain.  And, more generally, it's joyous to remember what you love. Soldiers looking at pictures of their lovers or family are experiencing saudades.
Fremdschämen (German)
feeling shame or embarrassment on behalf of someone else (versus Schadenfreude, taking pleasure in others' pain)

embarrassment of riches

folk art bookmark

love this idea -- had to hack the picture from the website, http://www.designsbysick.com/details/xsfolkartbm

Crocheted bracelet

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Knit update

Two horizontal sections done




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Knit update

First horizontal row of color




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logic through the ages

I'm reading Andersonville, a memoir of a Civil War POW, and came upon this passage:

All whom we met were eager to discuss with us the causes, phases and progress of the war, and whenever opportunity offered or could be made, those of us who were inclined to talk were speedily involved in an argument with crowds of soldiers and citizens. But, owing to the polemic poverty of our opponents, the argument was more in name than in fact. Like all people of slender or untrained intellectual powers they labored under the hallucination that asserting was reasoning, and the emphatic reiteration of bald statements, logic.

Applicable today.

Knit update

Done with the border




After knitting the whole thing, I'll fold over the border and sew it, sort of like this:





But I have much to do before then -- tomorrow I begin COLOR from this promising pile:



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New knit project

Starting a throw blanket for (the other) Sarah. Here is the progress I was able to make on the drive back from Maine:








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Web flight

Did you ever read Charlotte's Web? Charlotte's children climb to the top of (whatever), spin some silk, and fly away.

I just saw it happen. Sitting on Nick and Sarah's front steps (Bob is helping put in a walkway), I noticed a little spider that kept climbing up my leg (and I kept removing her and placing her in the grass). A while later I saw her at the top of the railing, and before I could blink, she had launched herself over my head. I watched her cross the yard, hovering 4 to 3 to 2 feet, before I lost sight of her.


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Time travel

Driving north to Maine, going back in time, seeing the hawthorn bloom again


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End

Finished reading John Adams just after midnight. Now bereft.


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Shiva's Eye

Turns out, the filed-shell jewelry (usually a cabochon) that I love has a name: Shiva's Eye. It is the operculum of many shelled marine animals.

Also true

In last night's dream, I told a friend about a dream.

True story

Last night I dreamed that I was sleeping.

incredible book

...unfortunately one of those things that make me despair of ever making something worthwhile myself! just LOOK at this!

Really, the only possible flaw is that the type is not embroidered, too.

separated at birth: music edition

Sometimes I mix up Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. Am I a bad person?

Try this jewelry

http://jmnt.me/hGyfSR

(no commitment necessary)

(don't like it? no harm, no foul)

Spider Mating Dance

too funny -- how does evolution come up with these things??? Good stuff starts at around 2 minutes.

too lazy to look it up

Ordinals question: why are the ordinal forms of "one" and "two" "first" and "second"? (instead of, say Onth and Twain or whatever)

what are the roots of "first" and "second," I guess is my question.

books and TV

still loving John Adams -- and being entertained by hints of Jefferson, too:

Alone is his upstairs parlor at Seventh and Market, Jefferson went to work, seated in an unusual revolving Windsor chair and holding on his lap a portable writing box, a small folding desk of his own design which, like the chair, he had had specially made for him by a Philadelphia cabinetmaker.

At which point, of course, I had to put the book down and find this video:

and bless, again, Dame Maggie Smith.

music tastes: a taste

I still haven't gotten very far in sorting out my thoughts about good/bad music, etc., let alone writing them down.

But here's a quote from Tina Fey (she was responding to a man saying women aren't funny):

“It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don’t like something, it is empirically not good. I don’t like Chinese food, but I don’t write articles trying to prove it doesn’t exist.”

So that's sort of my riff when it comes to music collections and value and time. More to come (honest).

I'm such a sap

but this is so awesome:

Surprise song trio

The wood song
Wooden ships
Woodstock


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morning bird report

Our juncos are still in town (yay! I love their coloring and spunk), the goldfinches joined us a week or two ago, and this morning we have house finches. I've heard the nuthatches in the neighborhood, but they may be mad at us for taking down the trees, I haven't seen them.

font decisions

this is awesome:


http://julianhansen.com/files/infographiclarge_v2.png

what he said

You know what interferes with my writing? Good writers.

Because I read something like this, from Ryan O'Connell (requoted by Andrew Sullivan, as usual):

Here’s what it comes down to: Any victim of sexual assault is in no way responsible for the attack. “Oh, I apologize that my super cute dress from Zara caused you to force yourself on me. Next time I’ll wear a burka!” As fucking if. How does anyone expect women to advance as a gender if we subscribe to these rules?

and I think, Ditto. Why come up with my own screed when someone has already done it so well? (I'm thinking of you, Tracy -- ditto to everything you write...)

I mean, really

I was just googling whether the post office will close if the govt shuts down.

WTF, if the govt SHUTS DOWN???

How is this something that any sane person will accept?

How are we not fomenting revolution a la Adams and Jefferson?

We have water treatment plants, roads, mail, hospitals, snow removal, police and fire -- all paid for by our taxes and set up long ago. The idiots don't need to even think about that stuff.

So they can use our money to bomb Libya and limit abortion rights, BUT THEY CAN'T BALANCE A FRICKING BUDGET?????

you know what else?

Why do we have such a bunch of idiots in our government that they can't just run something that's totally been set up for them for years? And why are we so blithely letting them stay there?

(and yes, I mean all of them. beloved obama is pissing me off)

what is opinion, what is truth, what is good, what is popular

Freddie Deboer, requoted by Andrew Sullivan (re-requoted by me):

I worry about the urge towards conformity. I worry about Twitter. I worry that all of those retweets and all of those "right on"s contribute to a kind of coarse postmodernism, where what the truth becomes what is most agreed on. I worry that dissent is confused with a lack of etiquette. And I particularly worry about the echo chamber effect, and the way that small groups of people who are just like each other can come to think of themselves as representing the opinions of everyone.

I'm thinking of a reply post to Tracy's "music machine" (http://bighipsopeneyes.blogspot.com/2011/04/music-machine.html), about changing tastes (through time, through our lives) and why we devalue things in our past. Whether music that is loved is good by definition. Whether someone (anyone, even a music connoisseur) is justified in throwing someone else's CD out the window.

Stay tuned... 

Snap Time!

I'm going to have to make a special snap category just for the new york times, they've been messing up so often! Is it budget cuts?

Today's online front page story:

"The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday morning granted a temporary stay of execution to Cleve Foster, a former Army recruiter convicted of killing a woman he met in a Fort Worth bar who was scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening in Texas. It is the second time he has been spared hours before his appointed death by the Supreme Court."

what a coincidence! he met a woman who was scheduled to be executed, too?!

good news in sunglasses

I just read on The Sartorialist that Wayfarers are back! They are my all-time favorite sunglasses style.


http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/22511GDlaugh0468Web1.jpg

Snap Time!

I am disheartened to give a sad snap to David McCullough (and his copyeditors):

"...Adams was Jefferson's senior, both in years and political experience."

On the bright side, the book correctly spells the possessive of Adams.

book report

A year or two ago, I downloaded John Adams by David McCullough on my kindle-for-iphone. I knew I wasn't up to reading it right away, but that someday I would be.

This past weekend, I had lunch with my WONDERFUL dear friend Stephanie. We hadn't seen each other in a few years, and I was thrilled to spend a couple of hours with her over Turkish food.

She is perhaps the most constant reader I know, and when we were trading recommendations, I mentioned that I wasn't in a reading mood right now (a feeling foreign to her). But when she start talking about one book, discovery of witches, I thought it sounded good, and wrote it down...

but then she said, "and then she meets the vampire!"

so I just can't stomach another vampire book

found myself disappointed and started to get the reading craving again

but it was after bedtime and I didn't want to turn the light on and bother Bob

so I trolled my iphone for entertainment

took a deep breath, and started John Adams

No surprise—I love it. The story—so iconic, yet so foreign—of our years of struggling for independence should be revisited more often. (I find many parallels today, in my disagreements with our government.) But most riveting is the love story—the clear conclusion that Abigail's influence was vital to John's success, and that her intelligence and wit were of utmost allure.

McCullough, it hardly needs to be said, writes so wonderfully that I am gripped by every paragraph.

our pets, ourselves

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the death of my sister’s cat Leia. As kittens, Leia and her brother Luke were Christmas presents from me to my niece (Olivia) and my nephew (Andrew). After a long puzzling illness, Leia had a stroke and was euthanized. She was 10.

(Note to medical copy editors: “euthanized” is considered the verb of choice when discussing veterinary matters, unlike laboratory matters.)

Olivia was 5 when Leia joined the household, and because the kittens were a girl and a boy, they were generally regarded as belonging to the same-sex child—Luke was Andrew’s and Leia was Olivia’s. Of course, both were everyone’s, and have been loved by all, but the focus of grief after Leia’s death has to be on Olivia.

The night they went to the vet to put Leia to sleep, Olivia stayed with her mother and the cat through the whole process. Elizabeth was very proud of how Olivia handled herself and stuck it out. Although she is only 16, Olivia is wise in many ways, and Elizabeth and I agreed that although this scene was very difficult, it was good that Olivia witness it, that she was old enough to understand and handle it.

(When I was 16, my dog Black Jack had to be put to sleep—I declined to go with my mother that night, and I’ve always regretted it. I should have been there.)

Last week, it was my turn. After several years of declining health, Bella had a stroke on Tuesday. I came home to find her able to stand if I gave her a boost, but unable to swallow or walk. I’m not sure she could see, although she seemed to know when I was next to her.

I called Bob, who rushed home, and the vet. I took Bella outside in the sunshine while we waited for Bob. I told her what a beautiful girl she was, how much I loved my Bella, and I radiated as much gratitude as I could. She was confused and upset, but I felt her respond with my presence and attention. I was able to say goodbye.

me and Bella waiting for Bob to come home

The vet was great. Bob was great. The end was easy and peaceful. I am confident that I did the right thing. I have known for a long time that this day was near, and I had thought a lot about whether I would know for sure that it was time for Bella to die. These events were so clear that I just felt grateful to her and the universe for not making me guess.

I don’t want to give the impression that I was unaffected. I cried—a lot. I cried the most when the final IV was going into her leg. That surprised me, that last rush of emotion. The loss of my Bella, of her presence, her (?) soul.

And I miss her.

But I am okay, and I will be okay.

* * *

Olivia is a good writer, and a month or two ago, she started a blog. Then after Leia died, she did not write any posts for a while (understandably). Last week, she wrote a short paragraph saying how her outlook had changed, that her sense of hope and her view of the future had changed, that she had struggled with the idea of letting go (of Leia, I infer).

This post surprised me. I knew she was grieving over Leia, obviously, but I had forgotten what it’s like to be 16. I had forgotten that at one time, my views of life and death were not so codified (my own code, not someone else’s, but a code nonetheless). I had forgotten that every experience is new, when you are that young. And although Olivia is a wise 16, she remains an adolescent who is just learning about the ups and downs of these earthly days.

And so I turn back to myself—my 44-year-old self, not the enshrouded, scared 16-year-old I once was—and wonder how Bella’s life and death have changed me.

But first I keep coming back to one important difference that divides these experiences. Bella was 16 and had lived a full life; she still had good days, but mostly she was in pain with arthritis and could not hear or see well. Her life was, truly, over. I had given her all I could.

Bella and Smokey

Leia was still young, so the pain of her death is compounded by the unfairness of disease and fate. When a grandmother in her 80s dies, it is sad but within the norm. When an aunt in her 40s dies (as my Aunt Sarah did), it is sadness exponentially wrenched by unfairness.

Bella has been my companion, my child, and my responsibility; I had the primary role in optimizing her life and death. I am at peace.

Olivia’s role in Leia’s life and death was circumscribed by her age and position—she was Leia’s playmate, not parent, and responsibility for Leia’s care was not primarily hers. Can she view Leia’s death as anything other than tragedy, the loss of a friend too soon? I know that she will think about these things for many years.

How do we reconcile the love we have for our pets with the knowledge that their lives are so short compared with ours?

As much as I sift these thoughts around and around, I can’t get beyond the trite truth: I do it by knowing that when I had the chance, I gave of my time and love to make Bella’s stay here better.

grammar question

I guess I could look this up but instead I'm sending it out to you all for arbitration.

I just said to someone, "Can I entrust this with you?"

Leaving aside that the spoken word gets more leeway than the written, was my grammar correct? Or is only "Can I entrust you with this?" correct?

thanks

fear of AWK

As a teenager and young adult, I was terrified of people. People I knew, people I didn't know, people in my family -- all potential subjects for e-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s-i-n-g.

I actually used to recite those letters in the moments after a perceived embarrassing encounter. Spelling it over and over to myself. I'm sure this helped my self-esteem.

Yeah. (I say again, thank you, prozac.)

My high school English teacher used to mark run-on or clunky phrases with "AWK." Too true.

The article linked below gave me one of those oh-so-rare "someone managed to put into words exactly what I feel all the time!"

http://www.theawl.com/2011/03/i-can-awkward

Less so these days, but still, fear of AWK applies.

Morning Bird Report

This morning, at least two pairs of chickadees were flirting all over the place. (and, I assume, more than flirting)

Snap Time!

with Guest Host, BVD!

from the online New York Times:

THEATER REVIEW | 'THE BOOK OF MORMON'

Missionaries With Confidence in Sunshine

By BEN BRANTLEY

“The Book of Mormon,” a collaboration between the creator’s of “South Park” and the composer of “Avenue Q,” is an old-fashioned, pleasure-giving musical.

"The proofreader," says BVD, "is the same person who fell asleep in the air traffic control tower at Reagan."

who thinks of these things?

My friend Dan (who also takes amazing photographs in abandoned buildings, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/danm85) doing some off-road unicycling:

First Robin

The singing birds this morning seem to have decided it is spring, snowcover be damned.

Surprise Song Trio

Brown-Eyed Girl
Buffalo Soldier
Build Me Up Buttercup

Snap Time!

Heard this morning on the inane radio show:

DJ One:

DJ Two, objecting because of the events in Japan: "In lieu of recent events, how can you say that?"

_________

Yeah, I know ad-libbing should get more leeway than writing, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

help, humor deficit

I don't understand the cartoon below. Any assistance would be appreciated.

http://i.imgur.com/fReaw.jpg

(it would be further appreciated if everybody agreed that it is ununderstandable I am not out of the loop. thank you.)

Surprise Song Trio

for the last month or so, I've been listening to all the songs on my ipod in alphabetical order by song title

this method puts songs in unusual juxtaposition ... creating parallels previously unseen ...

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
Black Water
Blackbird

tsunami video

Riveting beginning to end, but things get really interesting around 4:30

Happy Pi Day

But only to three decimal places. Gosh, 2016 is going to be a PAR-TaY!

(I wonder what the celebration was in the year 1592? Six decimal places, baby!)

Beyond Belief

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

Hover your mouse from right to left to see the before and after. No words.

Weekend

Love having Nick and Sarah here! Just had a great dinner at Martha's in Nashua.


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Snap Time!

Too early to joke about the tsunami etc., but this post has to be given the snap:

"She tweets, 'A tsunami just hit. I am taking pictures from the second floor of my house. The flooding continues and I am afraid of being left behind. Please come to my rescue!!' The tweet was followed by her address and a grizzly picture."

Do you expect a big bear to be riding the waves into Japan?

(ps, the picture is not so much grisly as astounding and scary: here)

NO LIMP FISH!

NOTE to EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD:

People assess you based on your handshake.

Do some research and improve yours.

Snap Time!

Hey, 40% more! That's great!

When grocery prices all seem to be rising and contents shrinking, it's nice to see a...

wait a minute...














you've got to be kidding.

(dear french's marketing team:
i see what you did there)


related: xkcd.com/870/

Her Favorite Place Was the Porch

tornado visualized

amazing video -- start at 0:25 or so



the videographer gets quite close at the end

Goodbye

Farewell, Leia, little wiggleworm.

You may have been my sister's cat, but I loved you as my own.

Surprise song trios

for the last month or so, I've been listening to all the songs on my ipod in alphabetical order by song title

this method puts songs in unusual juxtaposition ... creating parallels previously unseen ...

ain't misbehavin'
ain't no sunshine
ain't no woman (like the one I've got)


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Earworm

Played the word "stooge" in scrabble, after contemplating "stogie" instead. So now I have roger miller's King of the Road in my head.


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Special delivery

In our mailbox this afternoon: bills, junk mail,a magazine, an unopened jar of Jamaican jerk sauce, and a single knitting needle (bamboo, size 7).


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kumihimo

Japanese braiding - new interest - uses a braiding board, notched; makes round or flat braids; can incorporate beads


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Easter candy

Brach's "orchard" jelly beans are miles better than normal ones or jelly bellys. Just saying.


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me too! for freelancers

Caveat: I truly like and like working with MOST of my freelance clients. There have been, however, the few who make this kind of invoice inviting:

http://jhische.com/sneakpeek/day-ruining-invoice.jpg

Ha.

Sounds cute, maybe I should change my name...


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Volpe Medway Musicals

I saw South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and My Fair Lady. I participated in Oliver, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, and Music Man.

On the iphone, btw, autocorrect turns "Volpe" to "Color."


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Dream

a kitten was playing in a corner of olivia's room
it was chasing something that belonged to olivia, a little vial containing powdered perfume
a little girl that I didn't know, blonde, started playing with the vial and spilling it
I told her sternly to stop and she wouldn't

[later Bob asked who I had been yelling at and I remembered the dream]

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