Halloween 2004

Happy All Hallows Eve to you!
A quick update of things since my last post.

* I ended up being quite boring in my costume choice for Friday. I wore my pajamas, a robe, slippers, and carried a bear. The kids all wanted to know what I was (if they didn't think I was a doctor, which was often guess #1....)

* Saw a play on Thursday night with a fellow Iolanthe fairy.... A Servant of Two Masters. It was very funny and well done. Bravo, Brighella, if you read this.

* All day rehearsal yesterday for Iolanthe. With 5 rehearsals to go before our first show, shouldn't the director stop trying to re-block the scenes???

* I'm not into horoscopes, but was curious as to what my "Costume horoscope" was, so here it is: Geminis may enjoy dressing as a dictionary or Scrabble board this Halloween. Born under the sign of the Twins, this sign might also pair up and go as a famous duo. Bert and Ernie, Mary Kate and Ashley, or Bonnie and Clyde are all great choices. Well, considering I had nowhere to go, and no friends to go with, I have not donned a costume today. Maybe I'll just eat the chocolate that we bought for the zero trick-or-treaters we've had ring our bell.

* Do you ever think that you are getting a handle on one of the crazy-out-of-control pieces of your life just to have life throw it back into your face?

* I am frightening myself with the crazy thoughts of running away lately. It's amazing how attractive it seems. I know it wouldn't do me much good - life would just catch up with me - but the little voice keeps telling me to run anyway... and fast!

Red Ribbon Week

This week is National Red Ribbon Week - anti-drugs, etc. Our school participates with a whole week of events -

Monday: Team up against drugs - wear sports team stuff
Tuesday: Tie one on against drugs - wear a tie
Wednesday: Turn your back on drugs - wear clothes backwards
Thursday: Drugs and I don't mix - mismatched clothing day
Friday: Say "boo" to drugs - wear costumes (but only after lunch)

I wasn't around Monday, which is good since I have no sports things, but I wore a tie and had (some) clothes on backwards and today was quite the sight - a striped sweater, multicolored scarf, my red Hawaiian print skirt, rainbow tights and purple shoes. A chuckle occurred when a first grader said to me, "But Miss President, you aren't wearing mismatched things!"

...I still need to decide what to do for tomorrow...
Do some good!

Happy Cotton Anniversary, Woods!

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wood! Thanks for being a good example of a healthy relationship for those of us who are more relationally challenged. Year two of the marriage is supposedly the "cotton" anniversary... and I contemplated sending you a bag of cotton balls or some Q-tips... but, alas, I did not get so creative. So enjoy the thought, if you can! :)

It's funny... Peter's post for today mentioned 63,072,000 Seconds... and ironically I was recently contemplating a post with similar number equivalents, on a whole range of topics... maybe I will do that some time this week... since computer time at the moment is short.

Reflections on the Weekend... a long post.

Back from the wedding weekend of my cousin Dawn, now Mrs. John West. It was a crazy-busy trip, and I will be glad to slow down and sleep in my own bed after such a weekend!

Left home at 6am Friday to get to the airport. Flight at 9-something. Arrived in Jacksonville close to 12. Waited for my Aunt to arrive from CO, then got the car and drove 2 hours to where my grandparents live. Visited with them, then slept at the lodge. Left there Saturday around 10am (grandmother in tow) to drive to Orlando, getting to the hotel around 3:30 (frequent stops and lunch delayed arrival time.) Got to the church after 5... luckily the ceremony was a little late in starting! Then there was waiting for the pics to be done, cocktail hour, and reception. It was a nice wedding, quite fancy for Florida. Sunday am: breakfast brunch with the family at the hotel (nice hotel, very posh) and then the 4+ hour drive back to Dowling Park... dinner with both grandparents and sleep again at the lodge. Left for Jacksonville this am around 8, flight left at 12ish, then waited for the car to pick us up at the airport... the original driver assigned to us broke down, so we had to wait for another. (and I'm planning on going to rehearsal tonight?? Am I crazy?!)

Total time in the air/plane: less than 4 hours.
Total time on the roads in Florida: at least 12 hours. (yawn.)

One thing I learned this weekend... I guess it's something I already knew, but saw it in action. We, the young, certainly shouldn't think we have a lock on the concept of love. Sure, we feel its hormonal/emotional/giddy side perhaps more than the "veterans", but what they have is perhaps more beautiful - longevity and experience - a love which transcends the emotions of "falling in love" - love in which you choose to love, even when the chips are down. I saw both in action this weekend.
My cousin and her husband were the picture of happy, truly glowing, looking ahead to an incredibly bright future. But then, to see my grandparents and their love in action was almost more amazing - two people who have been together for over 60 years, have seen incredible hardship and tough times (both socially and in their relationship, I am sure), and yet there still exists such a sweet love - my grandmother's concern at leaving my grandfather to come with us to the wedding - my grandfather sweetly taking a nap in my grandmother's bed while she was away.... I can only hope and pray for that kind of love, dedication, selflessness and collective faith in my lifetime.

Supermarket Man

Ok. Only one response to the "analyze the shopping list" game. Too bad for the rest of you. You lose!!

Here's my thought on the scenario:
One of two types of people are coming. Either the girlfriend or the parents. Makes sense, no?

click me!

'Tis a puzzlement....

I often find it interesting to people-watch in the checkout line at the supermarket. You can sometimes learn a lot about a person that way - whether they have kids, live alone, are on a diet, etc, just by what they buy. As is true everywhere, sometimes someone is just more interesting or noteworthy than the rest.

Take a look at the items purchased below, and see what you make of the man in the line next to me last night..... then hit the "comment" button below and tell me your thoughts on his story. (I'll share my ideas about him tomorrow.)

A toilet brush
Fumigation spray
Carpet deodorizer (the sprinkle-and-vacuum kind)
Air freshener/neutralizer
Shaving gel

...hmmm. I have two theories on the items, although both are related...

Two links for the start of the week...

#1. Tee hee hee. I agree with the tiger. :)

#2. Free. A good deed. Takes two seconds. And is appropriate for October. What more could you want?

Knitting and Murder

(interesting combination, no?)

Now that the weather is turning cooler, I am in a knitting mood again. It's not easy to knit in the summer... too hot for all that yarn. But fall makes me think of chilly days and bundling up in cozy things, which makes me want to be crafty. This summer, I had an early inspiration - I was going to take on the big project I'd been afraid of - a sweater. I had a recipient in mind and was ready to start searching for patterns and yarn... but alas, the road of life threw me a nasty blind curve, and that project has been scrapped. I still like the sweater idea, but need a person if I am to make one, since I am not ready to put that much effort on something for myself at the moment. I guess I need some inspiration. Anyone have any ideas for a project?

Oh yes. Now to the "murder" portion of the post. I saw the movie Mystic River last night. I had no inclination to see it when it had been in the theatres, even after it was nominated for Academy Awards. Anyway, saw it last night and found it to be very interesting. Basically, it's a murder mystery set in Boston involving three men who had been childhood friends who ended up taking very different paths in life, and how their lives intertwine again through the murder of one man's daughter. I thought it was well done, with some strong performances (Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won Oscars for it, and I thought Marcia Gay Harden was very good as well) and an ending I didn't anticipate. My dad had wanted to see it because it was directed by a favorite of his, Clint Eastwood. I recommend it, but suggest that if you're not a fan of excessive use of the "f" word, you may want to avoid it.

One last thing: almost bought the "Law and Order" book today at B&N. It was on sale for $4.95! Had a lot of interesting stills of crime scenes they created and the making of the series. Maybe I'll go back for it, being the addict I am... like I need another book! (doink doink!)

"...We are fairies down to the feet."

Today was a day-long rehearsal for Iolanthe. Such days are both a blessing and a curse - good, in terms of getting a lot done - bad, in terms of the looooong hours. I came prepared for what I thought would be a lot of "hurry-up-and-wait" time... a knitting project, notecards to be written, the score on CD to practice, etc... only to get to none of it. We didn't even really get a lunch break! They kept us uber busy a large majority of the time. It was a good rehearsal, though - costume fitting, pretty much solidifying the finales of acts 1&2, etc. However, considering the lack of a proper lunchbreak and the overabundance of goodies brought to rehearsal, I must confess that I am guilty of consuming half a bagel, two donuts (chocolate and Bavarian creme), a brownie and coffee (and triscuts and carrots I brought from home). How is one to remain in fairy form with such things around?? (any friends of Atkins would have had a coniption fit!)

However, I became the joke of the day after an incident between my derriere, a bench, and a cup of mint tea. (You're smart, figure it out.) Hey - at least I was minty fresh?

Uy. Yeah, it's time for bed. Night night.

Interesting Observation

I am eons behind in filing any of my 'important paperwork' and discovered some recent cell phone bills in the pile of file-able things. Compare and contrast two bills... August and September of this year:

Plan: 300 general minutes, unlimited nights and weekends.

7/21-8/20: used 223 general, 447 unlimited. (670 min.)
8/21-9/20: used 28 general, 148 unlimited. (176 min.)

...interesting how things change...

vineyard photographic moments

Peter was not as prolific as usual with photos this weekend, but some nice ones can be found here. I like this one of my 'brass ring ride' on the Flying Horses, and this one in Edgartown at the bus stop.

Can't I just go and live there? Or at least hide there for a while? The idea of running away from home is rather appealing these days...

Columbus Day 2004

It was a very good idea to get away for the weekend. With the way that things have been going, some kind of escape was overdue. Here are some tidbits and observations from the past 3 days:

1. I have decided that I really must live near the ocean. I don't care how. It needs to be done. I want a beach house. And I really don't care if it is my only house, either. I guess I'll have to start buying lottery tickets or something... that's the only way it will work, knowing that anything, anywhere with a ocean view is going to cost more than I could ever make in a lifetime.
2. I hate driving by myself. Locally/short distances, fine. Long distances... absolutely not. Especially when you get stuck in endless miles of traffic in Connecticut on the way home. There is no one there to distract you, so instead you go insane. (this must be amusing for other drivers to watch, however.)
3. Went on the Flying Horses on Sunday. Guess who caught the brass ring? :) woo hoo!
4. Next time I go to the Vineyard, (if it is not the summer) I am bringing my Jeep. I'll suck it up and pay the $70. I want to drive around.
5. It really really bites that my closest friend lives over 200 miles away.
6. My favorite mode of transportation really is by boat. It doesn't matter what kind. Rowboats, sailboats, ferries, cruise ships... heck, I'd even love a raft made out of logs. The water and the wind and the salty air are lacking in my life.
7. I really don't like being a third wheel. I got spoiled for a little while, but my old place has returned. Grr... blast and wretch. (B&P, I adore you and do honestly like hanging out with you... please don't take this grumpy girl's words the wrong way!)
8. Forgot to buy some fudge to bring home today, but did eat some. Yum. Fudge and salt water taffy are such 'beachy' sweets.
9. Thank you, Peter, for the books. It was sweet of you to think of them after reading my book post the other day. :)
10. How did the Lowe's know that wallpaper removal yesterday morning would be just the therapy I needed after the craziness of last week? It's amazing how satisfying it can be to rip things off the walls...
11. How much do I really want to just run away from my life and go back and hide here in a lovely blue house called Five Gates ? Especially since I know where they hide a spare key?

Thank you, Lowes and Woods, for a lovely weekend. I really did have a good time, and it was so necessary. Thank you thank you thank you!

Yawn. Time for a hot shower... my bed is calling my name, and unfortunately there is work tomorrow. (at least it is a short week and there is a payday at the end of it... it's the small things.) How many days until the next day off??

Good, Not-so-good...

Good: Today was Lee Denim Day at work. Donate $5 to Breast Cancer Research and get to wear jeans to work. yay. Another good way to do something for Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to click here. Free and helpful to others... definately good.
Not-so-good: I should be watching the presidential debate. I should be trying to educate myself on the political front. I should care about voting for a president. But I really don't have the energy to care... and would just rather move to Canada. Or maybe England. Or maybe start my own country.
Good: Educator Appreciation weekend at Border's. They had a reception today - raffle tickets for baskets of books and things, free coffee and cookies and cake, and a 'goody bag' with a load of promo stuff, a book of poetry, a children's book, 2 CD's, etc. And 25% off books and music. Muy Bueno.
Not-so-good: The fact that in recent weeks my personality has come to resemble that of a favorite children's character... Eeyore. Grey cloud and all.
Good: Columbus Day weekend. No work on Monday. Leaving to go to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow morning. Actual socialization with friends, a big novelty when you find that all of your friends live far away. An escape from the monotony and humdrum existence at home. Very necessary, even if I don't look forward to the long drive by myself.

I could keep this up, but I am dead tired and need to get a good start in the morning. It's been a long week, both emotionally and physically. I dragged myself through most of it rather reluctantly, practically counting the minutes until 3:00 this afternoon. Well, here's to the weekend - and hopefully a better state of mind when I return... which would be good.

Book stuff

Time to update the whole book thing. I decided to add a new catagory of books I've recently finished. Lately I've been doing a lot more reading, for various reasons, and figure I should share. A lot of it has to do with faith and religion and relationships... hmmm. I wonder why. (It's a long post. So beware.) Let me know if any of the links are screwy.

Wrestling With God. This one was excellent. Among other things, it compares The Wizard of Oz, The Matrix, Star Wars (the original ones) and the story of Jesus in the desert (being tempted and tested) - with how we all end up with some kind of crazy catalist in our lives (the "tornado") which spins us into a strange, frightening and lonely place of self-discovery and crisis and questioning (the desert). It's not preachy. I've read other "Christian" books before, and this one is quite different. It inspires you to seek actual faith, not just rely on 'religion' as a crutch.

The Christian Culture Survival Guide. This was amusing, from the same publisher as the one above. It was written by a guy who grew up in a real strict Southern Baptist Bible thumpin' family and has since explored many other genres of Christianity as well. He finds a way to explain things that only the 'church kids' have experienced. Really, the subtitle says it all... The Misadventures of an Outsider on the Inside. (I can relate!) I got this one out of pure curiosity - and it was on sale!

The Dirt on Breaking Up. This one was sent to me by my aunt, who I adore and think is wonderful. It had some helpful information, but was geared more towards a much younger crowd (as evidenced by the website.).

Two more on the "Currently Reading" front:

Mere Christianity, by C.S.Lewis. I was required to read it in freshman seminar in college, and honestly remember nothing about it except the title and author. Now, I find it is much more interesting, and appropriate. It's not big in size, but amazingly dense... it argues Christianity and principles/doctorine from an interesting angle - Lewis was a staunch Atheist for most of his life, and then became a man of faith through personal searching, questioning, rationalizing, and through conversations with other intellectual and literal friends like Tolkien. So much of what he has said (so far) resounds with me. I highly reccomend it to both people who agree and who disagree with Christianity... I think it provides interesting food for thought.

Define the Relationship (A candid look at breaking up, making up, and dating well.) Also from my dear Aunt E.. I am still only in the midst of chapter 1, but I will be able to report more at another time. So far, it has started to open the can of worms called communication (or should it be called miscommunication?). I just hope it won't be too preachy... I hate that.

Still reading Things You Should Know By Now (see sidebar for the link) but I will probably put it aside for a while since my dearest pal Rebecca wants to borrow it... and I will see her this weekend, on Martha's Vineyard! :)

(In looking at this post, I see a big need to read some fiction. Any good suggestions as to non-depressing good lose-yourself-in-them-books?)

Answer

Well, congratulations are in order to my mystery comment person... Someone plagued with harpaxophobia suffers from a fear of thieves or robbers (or thievery/robberies).

Anonymous... if you are indeed so smart, then why hide yourself?

strange tidbit

I learned this word at dinner last night...

HARPAXOPHOBIA

Do you know what this is a fear of? Leave a comment if you do. Answer to follow...

Hmm. Kind of scary, if you think about it...

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deson't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

(Yes, this was a forward that I got. I'm sure you've gotten it, too - but it's just so strangely fascinating to me, so I shared.)