We went hiking

I have a sunburn. We went to Seven Falls. Neil said six grandmas on the hike asked him if he was for sale. Happy Easter.

Saturday

Note to self: Using "SPF 5" sunscreen is kind of like smoking "low-tar" cigarettes.

The weather today was idyllic. My friend's boyfriend had a birthday party in the park and his friend from a long time ago visited from New Orleans, wearing '80s wristbands. He staged his entrance by "accidentally" tossing a frisbee into our area. The frisbee hit a baby stroller, but the baby was with her mother.

The flower shop 60 seconds away from our house (on foot) has gerber daisies.

In December, we went hiking with Brian and our friend Andrew (who I hope is having a good time in Texas). It was freezing but really fun.

Oh -- OH! The big news is that I learned how to thread a bobbin. With no small amount of help from Amye! So far since yesterday I've made 7 pillow cases. Maybe tomorrow ... applique???

March fantasy

Sometimes I dream about going to Hawaii. I could probably go there as an SLP traveller. Sometimes it's scary to think about picking up and moving. Although the extremely, extremely loud party directly outside our bedroom window last night from midnight till forever made it a tad easier to fantasize about living elsewhere.

Sometimes I dream about making a quilt. About being so adept at making a quilt that I can go to the fabric store and pick out mouthwatering colors/patterns and go home and make a quilt. Piece of cake.

Sometimes I dream about being tan and warm in Puerto Penasco and running on the beach and playing Scrabble by sunlight with my best friend and playing with kids and floating.

Today I didn't make it to the boot camp class because I woke up too late because certain parties were screaming flirtatious obscenities through the window into my ear between swigs of cheap beer all night, but I went to the gym anyway and discovered a new setting on the elliptical machine that was very, very hard and therefore fun. I listened to the Talking Heads and Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell, which helped.

It's not rocket science, people

Just in case anyone hasn't read this recent McCain exchange.

Food for thought

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama (my health insurer) does not cover oral contraceptives for the purpose of birth control.

But it covers Viagra.

I think I'm getting an inkling of what life was like before women's lib.

I may go on strike.

Life before plastic??? What??!!!

Have you ever wondered how babies drank milk and juice before the advent of modern-day bottles*?

Of course you have. This picture is an example of a terra-cotta baby bottle from 450 b.c. Parents of ancient Greece served a mixture of wine and honey from this hanging shrew-shaped vessel.

Romans figured out how to blow clear glass around the beginning of the first millennium, A.D., but glass went out of style and didn't regain popularity until the 20th century.

During the 13th through 16th centuries (and possibly others), it was common throughout Europe for babies to be fed from cow horns to which nipples (made from cloth-filled leather or dried cow teats) were affixed.

Around the end of the 16th century, Germany and Italy started using bottles of wood or leather, which quickly were replaced in favor of pewter. Why would anyone want to drink out of metal? Ew.

Banjo-shaped glass bottles were pretty popular at the end of the 19th century, but they were impossible to keep clean and posed grave hygiene risks.

Emerging around the same period, banana bottles saved the day with their easy-to-clean design.

In the early 20th century the upright bottle came into style, but it was narrow-necked and far more difficult to clean than the banana. The neck was later widened, retaining the pull-over nipple feature.

And then plastic and screw-on tops were invented!

Believe me, the information I have just related is a mere gloss of the bottle information available out there. I love when all the headlines get writ and I have a little time on the computer to explore important subjects.

* Relatedly, please consult these stories for important information about modern baby bottles, drink containers, dental sealants, cans, and various other common, hard plastic apparati.

My eyes itch

We organized every single shred of paperwork in our house into, like, 40 files. Divided into two folders: current and archives/non-changing stuff. Alphabetized.

We have a budget. (Translation: I have a budget. Neil doesn't spend money with near as much abandon.) And so far, 6/7 into Week One, I've kept it with no problemo. It is probably the 20th budget I've ever tried and the first that I've had any success with whatsoever.

I don't buy lunch anymore, except maybe on Fridays.

My favorite stores are Old Navy and Target.

I feel good and centered this week, and it may be related to the above points. If the good/centeredness holds for another week or so, I think it can serve as substantive scientific data.

I want to see the waxed body exhibit that runs through May in Phx.

Late.

I'm kind of hungry

New haircut:

But more importantly, today I was leaving the supermarket and much to my delight three 10-year-olds called out, "Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?"

"YEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I tried not to look like too much of a maniacal freak. "Why, yes, girls ... What kinds do you have?" I wanted to sit down with them and relate my misery in not having got ANY Girl Scout cookie solicitations the whole season. I wanted to tell them about how I was convinced that the GSC moment had been lost forever and I would NEVER get to savor the beloved Samoas or crisp Thin Mints that haunted my dreams. And how my faith in GSCs was now, against all odds, redeemed by their simple offering.

Time is money and they had a lot of boxes to sell, so I skipped the confessional and bought three boxes. Which hopefully will last 24 hours.

In other news, it's finally warm! 86 today and I'm not looking back. I might ask for the day after my birthday off. I might sign up for classes in the fall and do my job per-diem. Voice lessons are going really well. Neil is working super hard, at work and home. He got free peppercorns at work today.

I dare the sun to shine tomorrow

Ode to Sadness by Pablo Neruda

Sadness, scarab
with seven crippled feet,
spiderweb egg,
scramble-brained rat,
bitch's skeleton:
No entry here.
Don't come in.
Go away.
Go back
south with your umbrella,
go back
north with your serpent's teeth.
A poet lives here.
No sadness may
cross this threshold.
Through these windows
comes the breath of the world,
fresh red roses,
flags embroidered with
the victories of the people.
No.
No entry.
Flap
your bat's wings,
I will trample the feathers
that fall from your mantle,
I will sweep the bits and pieces
of your carcass to
the four corners of the wind,
I will wring your neck,
I will stitch your eyelids shut,
I will sew your shroud,
sadness, and bury your rodent bones
beneath the springtime of an apple tree.

But I am not sad. I really want to read "I Am a Strange Loop". I like my haircut. I swear to God, I am sick of being cold. I HATE IT!!! But I'm in luck, because spring approacheth. There's a new bakery on University from which I got walnut bread and it is good. The bakery and the walnut bread both. Has anyone ever used an exercise ball, those big ones people sit on and stretch out on? I used one for the first time yesterday and I think a large part of the week will be spent in recovery. Wild!

on my mind/nice haircut

mardi gras

Hey what's up.

It's past my bedtime.

imdb changed its layout. Maybe three weeks ago. Maybe yesterday. But it doesn't matter when.*

There is a Nature Valley cereal commercial I frequently see on HGTV where this Matthew McConaghey-esque hiker forages through a forest to find an old woman sitting at a table and offering him cereal. The woman's voice sounds familiar ... like something from 16 Candles ... but I can't place it. Eliza, please go ahead and watch HGTV for a week, then get back to me.

Thanks.

That's all. Neil's a camera stud. I'm whizzing through Unix (inasmuch as one can whiz through an online course that requires you to take online open-book tests whenever you get around to it). Unix is cool. I made a file by typing "touch neil." :)

Any tips on buying a house, please send them our way.

We look forward to spending Q.T. with friends and family this summer. We look forward to being with Molly and Rick on their wedding day! The weather is kind of getting warmer. I just dyed my hair "espresso" but I suspect the difference will be minute. Whatever. I am bored last year of Anna Nicole Smith news.

I got stamps at the grocery store.

This morning in swallow group I had to stop a man from stabbing his pencil with a butterknife.

"I thought it was a carrot."

Bye.

*although I bet Neil knows!

Goodbye, cold snap

Sunday morning, praise the dawning

Neil is reading about Barack Obama and will be able to provide the definitive word on his qualifications for the presidency. Mmm, maybe I should get Living History for his birthday.

In recent news: A Catholic elementary school in Warwick, R.I., banned talking in the cafeteria during lunchtime, subsequent to three choking incidents (or two, if you believe the headline). The logic is that staff can't hear children choking if other people are talking. Telling children not to talk during lunch sounds like a dangerous science experiment.

Also in the news, I have paid for my Unix class, ordered the book, and completed the first assignment of e-mailing the instructor. Whoo-hoo! I'll be sure to post when I receive the book and open it!

Also, a few Chinese men recently were detained for their role in killing women and planning to sell them as ghost brides! That's when a dead bachelor is buried with a recently deceased woman, so she can keep him company.

No comment.

We are going to Phoenix today, to see my miraculously recovered Aunt Sheila (of the Tarpon Springs Plunketts) and spend brief but quality time with the splendid Phoenix Godfreys. The sun is bright, the forecast is 71, and I'm almost ready for my shower. On second thought, I took one yesterday. ... A shower every day is a trifle excessive, don'tcha think?

snow

My sister is hot

Jon too.

I have worked every day since Christmas, not including Christmas. I will work through Friday. I am happy. I came upon a new principle while hiking two weeks ago. Sometimes we work hard and get return (e.g., hiking leads to healthier body). Sometimes we work hard and get nothing (e.g., hiking in 35-degree weather in short shorts is not useful in any respect, especially when at least an hour of it is through very sharp thorns with every step). So when we are working really hard and feel exhausted, or emotionally spent, or psychically weary, or all scratched up, it may be useful to remember the hiking principle and understand that just because we are putting out doesn't mean that we are getting equally replenished.

At night we like to watch the news and together we sometimes watch shows on HG and TLC, like Flip this House. Addictive! We love The Golden Girls. Also the Travel Channel. And House M.D., when it's not a rerun, although Neil now expresses boredom with the show. I think it's jumped the shark several times already. Last week I watched Trial by Choir on TLC. It was cool, like a documentary. I think working through the weekend has changed my perspective somewhat: I am seriously thinking, "Oh cool! Only 4 more days of work till the weekend!" I would like to win a trip to somewhere. If I think of it in the morning I will check the Travel Channel Web site and see if they are having a contest.

I can't sleep.

I wish I could sleep.
I wish a wave of relaxation would wash over my back.
I wish I felt Kensho at work.
I wish people didn't get cancer.
I wish my mind didn't take imprints of people during the day.
I wish my mind would be fully present and fully not engaged.
People are like quicksand.
Or I am an idiot.
(As in, don't step in and you won't fall down.)
I wish I wasn't an idiot.
I wish I didn't move so fast.
I wish there was a place within walking distance of work that had really good sushi.
I wish Health South would pay back my whole student loan.
I wish we could afford a house before I'm 40.
I wish I had ever gone to a James Brown concert.
I wish there was time (and a place) to go for a 20-minute jog every day at lunch.
I wish I could do speech therapy in a treehouse.
I wish there was a pulley system whereby 85-year-olds could come up without too much trouble.
I wish they would like it.
I wish we could eat the sushi up there.
I wish birds would land on branches near the treehouse.
I wish lizards would wiggle nearby, too.
I wish I ever practiced the violin.
I wish work was done every day at 2.
I wish I could take the long view.
I wish I did something productive with my energy.
I wish I felt as good every afternoon as I do every morning.
I wish the sun was shining and Neil and I were on a walk.

Grilled cheese and cartoons

The boys of my generation resemble each other.

Soko fumu na
Yube hotaru no
Ita atari

-Issa

Do not tread on the grass
Where fireflies glowed
Last night

(Tr. Asataro Miyamori)

Brain symmetry

I was thinking last night about symmetry in nature, and what biologists and physicists and mathematicians understand about it. Maybe there are natural elements that appear to exhibit symmetry (e.g., a leaf is split down the middle), but the cellular composition is actually much more complex. (Although something could be symmetrical and complex. I wonder what the opposite of symmetrical is, besides asymmetrical. Random is perhaps going too far.) Anyway, I was wondering how deep the symmetry goes. If it does go deep and it is a feature of organic structure, I wonder if it can then be a sort of lens that organisms can be seen through. So if there is an organism (or organ) that appears not to demonstrate a lot of symmetry, I wonder if it could be examined with specific symmetry parameters in mind, and then that same organism would reveal a symmetrical composition that had been previously unnoticed. Specifically, the brain. I know there's the right and left hemispheres, but I wonder how deep symmetry goes in the brain, in terms of structure but also nerve patterns. It would be interesting to explore the latest research on specific areas being sites for specific cognitive functions (e.g., left hemispehere: language) in terms of symmetry, especially because if other parts of the brain also are mildly activated during a cognitive task, they could be seen as part of the pattern. Of course, maybe even if symmetrical characteristics are common to organisms, they are also common to non-organisms, like raindrops and rocks. But that doesn't mean that the questions couldn't be tested anyway.

interesting mapping format

www.kartoo.com

English is fun

Her response was lukewarm.

Wrong, but you're getting warmer.

My husband is hot.

If I get home late, I'm toast.

Simmer down!

Starbucks was sizzling after class got out.

My brain is fried after that test.

We got so baked last night.

The boss roasted me for wanting time off.

She said no? Oh man, you got buuuuuurned!

Googolplex

First definition: "one, followed by writing zeroes until you got tired."

Awesome.

Google has jobs in Phoenix. And internships, which I think are paid. And also they have free lunch and dinner, which might include grilled cheese. All we'd need is, like, some computer-science education. I set the heat turn-on temperature higher last night, so the heat actually went on during the night. I think that was a good move, as I am not in my usual near-shivering state. I feel comfy. Hopefully I can stave off shivers all day. Unlikely. Maybe when my toes ice-crystalize I will tuck my fingers into my armpits and fantasize about Google's probable free grilled cheese. Yum!

My foot hurts

OMG, I totally need to go to the gym. And jog. Maybe tomorrow I can get some good stretches in when I'm teaching my mom downward dog.

I need to clean this computer keyboard but I'm not sure with what. Windex? I wrote a paper and Powerpoint last night and tried to save them to a cd but the only option it was giving me was to "burn" them. That's for music, not 2-page essays! So when I take the disc to work today I'll find out whether they saved or not.

My digital-arts teacher says that if a cd jumps around, like it has scratches on it, and you copy it on your computer, the new cd will be virtually jump-free. He also says that the information is stored at the top of the cd, where the picture is, not at the bottom.

I wish I could listen to Yo Yo Ma playing Bach all day. I want to plow through roads in my mind and leave meadows.

Who's acting now: Limbaugh diagnosed with Parkinson's

Just kidding.

Besides shaking, shuffling and festination*, PD symptoms and effects include (but are not limited to) drooling, inability to successfully swallow (leading to aspiration pneumonia, and eventually death; the alternative being a food tube inserted into the stomach), depression, anxiety, difficulty with orientation and attention, difficulty with impulse control, memory loss, dementia, dizziness, fainting, and incontinence.

But Michael J. Fox was obviously exaggerating.

I'll bet GOP legislators are already drafting a letter thanking Rush for the great boost he's given their candidates in Thursday's elections!

* Festination: a combination of stooped posture, imbalance, and short steps. It leads to a gait that gets progressively faster and faster, often ending in a fall. -Wikipedia

a band apart

this should be like a celebrex ad or somethin.

Workin' on Saturday night

This weekend we met our new niece Norah, who is exceptionally beautiful. Like her mother. Also, I learned to play Rummikub. It's really fun. I am totally in the mood to cuddle [with Neil] in blankets tomorrow and watch Back to the Future. Did you know that members of Congress have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to their party campaign coffers? Of course, it comes out of their own coffers, which isn't as bad as if it came out of their wallets. The money then goes to support candidates in the tightest of races throughout the country. Isn't that kind of communistic? But the money=political stature system we have right now is totally capitalistic. So it's communism within capitalism. Please correct this assertion, via comment, if you have better information. Senators apparently are not expected to pay. Speaking of, John McCain supports Prop 107, which not only would make same-sex marriage illegal (redundant, since it already is illegal), but apparently would retract any domestic-partnership benefits currently in place for heterosexual couples. Would that anti-same-sex-marriage activists would go feed children or something.

Girl at Mirror

Norman Rockwell

Soft, sweet

GRAZER: Chanda Hagen coaxes Matilda, a Babydoll miniature sheep, to feast on weeds in Clos Pepe’s Pinot Noir vineyard. (Stephen Osman / LAT)

From The Blood of Others, by Simone de Beauvoir

"You'll regret it," said Blumenfeld. "So you think that Hitler will stop at Austria? You'll see. France's turn will come."

Gauthier looked coldly at Blumenfeld. "Is it possible to stop a country from committing suicide? Everything that you've told us amounts to a suicide story."

He was so sure of his pacifism, so sure of himself. "I am a pacifist." He had given a definition of himself once and for all, he had only to act in accordance with his own idea of himself, neither looking to left or right, as if the road had been already marked out, as if the future had not, at every instant, been that gaping void.

It's fall

It doesn't rain so much these days. I can't believe the pope said that. Even if he was quoting.

I am planning to work this Sunday. Maybe I can trade it for a day off next week! And Neil and I will go rollerskating.

My contact lenses have been threatening me for about an hour. But first there were so many things that I had to do. Switching to glasses takes 1.5 minutes and, worse, requires a shift in thinking.

That's weird: If you're at the computer you can do different things, like read the news and alternately peruse jcrew.com, but on the other hand you're still at the computer. Like, if there was an fMRI of the brain during computer use, and you were reading a science article about water, would there be a greater alteration in brain patterns/areas if you A. got up to get a drink of water or B. created a new tab and checked out jcrew.com?

Speaking of Mrs. Hoff, am in complete support of these findings.

Monday.

I loathe about.com.

I wish I'd majored in classics.

I wish I'd majored in English and paid more attention.

"Some" is a really weird word.

I am meeting Anne at Yoga Hour for $4.

It will be an adventure because I don't know if Yoga Oasis takes debit.

Also, I don't have a mat.

Today's News

So would the prospective benefits of mandatory voting be worth the insult to our God-given freedoms to burn ballots and shirk the polls for Beavis and Butthead reruns? Further, I can't wait to reach into my plastic baggie next time I want to buy a soda or put on lipstick. Kate Spade should seize the market. Off to swallow group. Abracadabra, homes.

A Not Unattractive Site

Positive and enlightening inspiration for aspiring would-be writers everywhere:

Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean.

-Jim Guigli Carmichael, CA

For more rich and pithy selections, please click here.