Warning Label
Sep 29, 2006
This hairdryer will malfunction (burnout) if used in ski boots.
|
2
comments
Homework!
Sep 27, 2006
Somewhere in the last decade I forgot how time consuming homework can become. I've just written my first hand-coded web page, and I cannot believe how much time it required. When I was in college the first time, I spent a considerable amount of time writing code. This time around is much easier, but still...the time. *yikes*
And no, you curious cats, I will not post a link to my page. One's first try should not be made public.
A+
Sep 22, 2006
"Your [last assignment] was so very well-written that I might even hire you as a consultant. Your [work] was exactly what I envisioned when I designed this assignment – very well done."
Note to Self
Sep 15, 2006
Do NOT watch sentimental chic flick after a very long week of travel and homesickness. No good can come of it.
Strange Tidings
This afternoon, I drove through Baker City, Oregon. In the foothills (small mountains) above the town, and about two miles from my location on the interstate, it was SNOWING. In September! Snow!! Will wonders never cease?
Wisdom & Regrets
Sep 13, 2006
Dinner in Anacortes, WA, included locally-grown field greens, regional wine, and The Dunton Sisters. At first, and to ameliorate the loneliness of a solitary meal, I wished for my iPod. Soon I was grateful for its absense.
They began singing "God's not dead; He's still alive," an old southern spiritual that I remember from my childhood, a song my family sang in my grandparents' living room a quarter-century ago. I cannot count the hours spent in that room, my grandmother on the piano, someone on a harmonica, and occasionally, my dad on banjo or guitar. There is a soft, hazy glow to those memories, but the girl I was did not appreciate the joy of those moments.
I'm from a Southern family, whose roots go far deeper into the soil of the South than even my own. And musical ability was inherent, necessary. My father is a bass; my mother, a soprano; my sister has the range many vocalists covet. Part of growing up in our family included the ability to sing, including harmony and counter-melody, and play an instrument if you had the aptitude. (And sometimes even if you didn't.)
Hearing bluegrass hymns in the Pacfic Northwest (while enjoying a meal any salad snob would approve) reminds me sharply of what I had as a child and of what I've lost.
It's an unhappy truth that one must mature thirty years to appreciate that parents and grandparents are people with lives, thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams. Sadder still is the truth that one's forebears have passed through the veil and taken their music with them.
Travel, Travel, and More Travel
This week, I'm at a different hotel every night. And somehow, miraculously, I've lucked out with nice rooms and comfortable beds. This also means that I'm logging a lot of miles on the road - about four or five hours worth every day.
You may already know that I listen to audiobooks to help pass the hours, and this week is no different. I'm listening to Lord of the Rings, which is about a million hours long and should last me a while. Anyway, as I drive across three states, I get to see a wide variety of country (plains, high-desert, river valleys, mountains, etc., etc., etc.) and I'm struck by by how quickly the scenery passes.
In LOTR, much of the quest occurs on foot, and forty-five leagues (about 135 miles) in three days is considered uncommonly fast travel. I traverse that distance in a morning between meetings! I wonder how my life would be different if I had to cross my distances on foot or horseback - what an adventure that would be. And how uncertain and perilous. Still, it's fun to think about.
An Observation and a Question
Sep 9, 2006
Everytime I get into my car, I have to fasten my seatbelt, as does every person traveling with me. If I am stopped by a law enforcement officer, I will receive a ticket if those seatbelts aren't fastened. It's a safety measure enforced by state law.
If I were to drive a motorcycle, however, there is no seatbelt requirement. And, if I have the appropriate insurance waiver, I can even forgo a helmet. There is no passenger safety restraint or helmet requirement, either.
It seems to me that driving an open-air, two-wheeled vehicle is inherently more dangerous than driving an enclosed passenger vehicle, but the safety requirements seem to be inversed. Why is that?
33rd & 3rd
Last Sunday was my 33rd birthday. In 1973, the 3rd of September was on a Monday, and I was well into middle school before I learned that Labor Day was something other than a celebration of my birth. I still believe the nation takes a day off just for me...a least, that's what I tell myself (and everyone else, for that matter.)
Handsome and I took six days away from work to enjoy My Holiday. I must admit that I have The Best Husband EverTM. He bought me jewelry AND took me shoe shopping. And he introduced me to Lost. How did I miss this show?! Now, I'm addicted, and it's all TBHE's fault.
The recent Lost addiction explains the rest of my absense from this space. I've been too busy catching up on Season One to form complete sentences that don't include references to my new favorite show. I even discussed it with my stylist at the salon yesterday.
In other news, Leah gave me the Best Birthday Card EverTM. You see, we have this little challenge going. Well, I should admit that I started it. (As the older sister, it is my responsibility to "start things.") Anyway, every year for our birthdays, we try to send each other cards that will make the other cry. And this year, she wins. There is no way I can out-do her in November. So, here it is:
(front cover) image of sisters hugging. "...and when she told her sister she'd never let go..."
(inside) "...she absolutely meant it."
I love you too, Le.
*sniffs...wipes tear from cheek*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)