Do you have...
Do you have triggers, like I do?  Those little things that hit you and tip you over?  Those little things that take you out of your good mood?
I'm sensitive to them at times like these, only this late.  Any other time I'm fine.  But when the sky goes black, well, you know, I'm blue.
I'm stealing lines from movies and wishing I were more original, wishing I were more in love, wishing I were someone to someone.
Maybe I would've done something else today if I had taken a different path.  Maybe I'd be on a different path if I'd done something different.
But maybe I'm just on the only path there's ever been for me, the only path there ever will be, and I could do whatever I want and still be here.
Maybe I could do ten different things tomorrow and still end up in the same place in a few years.
Maybe I could do one thing the same tomorrow and end up ten different places.
I guess it's just a little disappointing, or a little disquieting.
When what was comfort just seems like delusion.
And the tethers turn to lead chains.
And I sink.
Again.

Two needlework finishes: (so I can get them off my desk):

Sweetheart Tree's "Lavender Radiance"



This kit was a real pain in the ass to complete.

1.) There wasn't enough of the main lavender color.

2.) The four quadrants of the design were not printed symmetrically.

3.) It was a bad lot of beads - at least 1/4 of them had malformed holes. And the linen was poor quality - a lot of variation in thread weight, plus a whole punch of unsightly wads and puffs.

4.) The beads were placed in such a way so that it was impossible to use a consistent means of attaching them.

But aside from those problems, I think it turned out rather well. I am not looking forward to doing the other kit I have by this company, though.


Mill Hill 2007 Mountaineer Santa - Mt. Ranier



Sorry for the washed out image - I hsot one that was too dark, and one that was too bright, and then the camera ran out of battery. I really liked the balance of stitching:bead on this one, but that may just be because I am really tired of beading at the moment.

• 01:04 Sleep, momentarily. Tonight's improv practice highlights include multiple international rubber duck factories.
• 01:05 Setting alarm to go swimming in the morning. And possibly hiking with @iiyoyoguy?
• 13:46 Workin'. 4 mile hike this morning and the fastest swim ever (J only went in up to his knees) has me focussed.
• 15:08 for @tonithegreat -- tinyurl.com/5r58vs
• 19:54 Heading home (to work some more).
• 20:56 Yum, pork chop. Also, @shig23 makes the best mashed potatoes known to mankind.

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Another thing I wanted to mention. Last night as I was driving home, I passed through an intersection (Hudson & Joyce) where there are two gas stations. Across the street from the gas stations was a man about my age standing there with a little girl of about seven. He was holding a handwritten sign on a stick, black marker on brown cardboard. There was way too much writing crammed on the sign, but I stopped at the red light and was able to read it. It looked too long for him to be begging. It said:

Everything wE
MAKE goes
in The TANK!
Quit RIPping
us Off!!!

I'm guessing he doesn't have a clue about Peak Oil, OPEC, or anything else affecting the price of gas. In fact, I think, perhaps, this may have been meant to be a protest against one or both of these particular gas stations. It's their fault gas prices are high! They're just charging too much, y'know, those gas stations that make a whole cent or three per gallon off us poor working stiffs. Bastards. :o) Still, it says something that he was moved enough to go out and protest with the support of no one but this little girl.

just made bacon deep fried in peanut oil. its a yes.

Originally published at notetoself.net. Please leave any comments there.

Considering the starvation wages and general abuse, would someone please explain to me why working for a bookstore is supposed to be so glamourous? (And before anyone starts, this article does a pretty good job at illustrating a whole load of unsympathetic people. Unfortunately, bookstores seem to attract unsympathetic people, both in the rank and file and in management. It's those very same people that are the reason why I have less and less patience with bookstores in general.)

Hello,

What's happening this week? Here it is!

The weird event of the week has got to be the American Gerbil Society Show. May 16-17. Best Western Plaza Hotel, 340 Great Road. Bedford, MA. 781-275-6700. Complete with gerbil olympics, judging, animal treasure hunt, banquet dinner. http://agsgerbils.org/NEShow2008/

Also weird! Also with animals! The Audubon Society Birdathon asks teams to compete to see who can find the most birds. May 17. Somehow this benefits charity. http://www.asri.org/Events/raise-money-for-Audubon-by-identifing-birds-on-one-day.html

The World's Largest Pancake Breakfast is May 17 in Springfield, MA. It's a "feast" of pancakes and entertainment of dancing and singing which looks very local. However, the bomb squad will have a display and they'll have clowns and pony rides and hay rides. 413-733-3800. http://www.spiritofspringfield.org/breakfast/

If you missed the art-buying opportunities last week, plenty more are coming in 2008. For one thing, the weekly South End Open Market (SoWa Open Market) opens May 17 and runs every Sunday through Oct 28. I've been and they have good stuff, but it's really more a vendors thing than a meet-the-local-artists thing. 540 Harrison Avenue. Boston, MA. 617.481.2257. http://southendopenmarket.com/

Nearby, and preferred, the SOWA Art Walk is May 17-18. It's the same thing as an "open studios" event. Boston, MA. http://www.sowaartwalk.com

Let's hope living in upscale Newton doesn't pop the bohemian bubble of the artists who live there. The Newton Open Studios is May 17-18. Newton, MA. (617) 332-9967. 12-6pm. As usual, you walk into local artists private homes and work studios, meet them, and potentially buy stuff. There are so many nice homes in Newton (and Brookline) it's worth a walk around just to see! http://www.newtonopenstudios.com

Question of the week: what other neighborhoods have enough mansions that it's fun just to stroll aroud?

This one's just gross. "Surgery in the British Army During the Revolution" is all about -- you guessed it, a re-enactor who demonstrates various medical tools of the era. May 17. Old State House Museum. Boston, MA. 617-720-1713. 10:30am to 2:30pm. http://www.nps.gov/ner/customcf/apps/eventcalendar/events/bostevent59997515.html

Also gross. Have you heard of the Bad Museum of Art? I am not making this up. They're not only in Dedham, MA but have opened a 2nd branch in Somerville. Dedham Community Theatre, 580 High Street, Dedham, MA, just outside the men's room in the basement. Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square Somerville, MA, in the basement near the bathrooms. http://www.museumofbadart.org

Barcamp is an "unconference" being held May 17-18. I guess the idea is that if they don't choose a compelling name and don't publish a schedule (the Web site is full of crap like "Schedule #1", "Schedule #2"), maybe people will come. It seems to be mainly tech topics. Matignon High School, 1 Matignon Rd. Cambridge, MA. http://BarCampBoston.org

Every summer the Larz Anderson Museum, which is an amazing automobile museum in Brookline, holds a number of summer events on their lawn, all car themed. They open the season with Cadillac Day, May 18. Brookline, MA. http://www.mot.org

More directly philanthropic, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. You walk. Breasts walk. It's alllll good. May 17-18. UMass Boston Campus. Boston, MA. 800-510-WALK. Starts at UMass Boston Campus. http://www.avonwalk.org

There's also the Brain Tumor Society Ride for Research. May 18. As far as I can tell, you ride a bike, you earn money. There does not seem to be a festival or 'event' waiting for you when you finally arrive in Waltham, MA. http://www.tbts.org/calendarDetail.asp?date=5/28/2008&eventCat=all&eventID=407&categoryID=1

Laugh if you like! But I've been to a quilt show and they're full of quilts that are real art, not grandma-style. Well, ok, a lot of grandmas attend. But they're hot. Chelmsford Quilter's Guild Quilt Show. May 16-17. All Saints Church, 10 Billerica Road. Chelmsford, MA. Over 150 quilts. One of two big quilt shows I found in New England. http://chelmsfordquiltguild.com/

Like architecture? The national architect's group is having their convention in Boston this year. AIA National Convention. May 15-17. http://www.aiaconvention.com/

The new Indiana Jones movie open on May 22. Where better to see it than the Mendon Drive-In? They're the closest to Boston and my favorite, because you can go see the Southwick Zoo the same day, which is also in Mendon, MA. Their opening night just happens to be May 22 and they'll run all summer long. Hint: arrive 90 minutes early and have dinner there at their 1950s-style diner.

Heads up, Gloria Estefan, the pop star, will perform at Foxwoods on May 23. And Jay Leno is still coming June 21 to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

Continuing events:

-- Pre-buy tickets for Neil Gaiman, who comes May 23 to MIT, http://cms.mit.edu/events/specialevents.php

-- Brimfield Antiques Festival, May 13-18, http://www.brimfield.com

-- David Copperfield, in Providence on May 13, http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/Boston or http://www.davidcopperfield.com

-- The Great Park Pursuit, to Jun 14, http://www.greatparkpursuit.org/

-- Annual Beacon Hill Hidden Gardens Tour, May 15, from 9am-5pm rain or shine, $25. http://www.beaconhillgardenclub.org

-- Dragonfly Theatre Festival, to May 20, http://www.devtheatre.com

-- Boston Gay and Lesbian Film/Video Festival, at the MFA through May 18. http://72.5.117.145/calendar/sub.asp?key=12&subkey=51

-- Ancient Fishweir Project, through May 28, http://www.fishweir.org

I could use some advice about promoting this blog. I've never tried.

-Johnny

Remember how I've been going on for a while that since I already have the smile for the job, I might as well get the chrome teeth to go with it. One trip to the dentist today, and it looks as if I might get my wish. One white gold crown down, and three more needed. I'm not surprised that 25-year-old fillings are finally breaking, but then I also never figured that I'd live to see 40, either. On the bright side, I was able to take the cast of the left side of my mouth home with me, as they were going to throw it out if I didn't want it. Since the new crowns need to go in the right side, I'll have the beginnings of an interesting art project by the time I'm done. And so it goes.

Other than that, it's been a ridiculously mundane day, and I'm enjoying it to no end. 36 days to go before everything shuts down, and I'm looking forward to it.

Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals,

- Albert Schweitzer

Whether or not you subscribe to a specific religion or faith or non-religion, extending your circle of compassion can only bring forth greater joy and greater acts of kindness. Just sayin.

Two reviews in a row where I actually liked the movie!




Read my review of The Descent at Blood Blade and Thruster.

Last year at the zoo in Seattle, a giraffe.



( In the fur. )

Dear Bostonians,
So I have a dilemma, my current lease ends one month before my next lease starts, so my roommates & I need someplace to store our beds & desks for the month of August... anyone have any good experiences w/ storage facilities that hopefully don't make you sign a lonnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg contract?

Thank you!

And yea, I looked up some stuff on the internet, but it's always better to hear a good review. ;-)

x-posted most likely

My friends and I are hoping to get our fortunes told this Thursday, and I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations for somewhere fairly inexpensive but still entertaining. We don't really care what medium they use to tell the fortunes, but it needs to either be in Waltham/Newton or T-accessible. Thanks!

We spread cedar mulch in the front garden on Sunday. The scent was pretty potent for a day or so, but it's toned way down now. Mike guessed (correctly) that I would enjoy being down on my hands and knees smoothing out the mulch into an even layer. I only buried one plant, and we noticed it less than an hour later. "Um, wasn't there a little salvia around here?" The columbines are blooming like mad, and the blanket flower has one bloom and another bud.

We found a patch of feral lemon balm near the fishpond. I've transplanted it to the herb garden because I'm amused by a plant that smells so very strongly of lemon that isn't actually a lemon.

At work, I was supposed to have my summative meeting with the principal, but I failed to click the "submit" button on my self-appraisal, so they didn't get it in time. I'm re-scheduled for tomorrow. I was in there long enough to discuss whether I thing it would be a better idea to have a classroom with science lab access, or if I should just hold class in the lab room all the time. I think having the lab as the class would be best, so we aren't always having to pick up and head in there, wasting time. On the downside, I've really enjoyed having carpet this past year. It looks like I'll be back on slippery tile floors again. Sigh.

Dogwood

( a few more )

My head is not so much in the sand that I can ignore what is going on in the world. I need to figure out what to do instead of sitting in my car and crying. Because that is my current response.

I am trying to write a dirty story about being a flight attendant. I've got 400 where I need 4000 and the deadline is the 15th. I don't think it is going to happen.

Poor Jim had to listen to me rant in the kitchen this evening about how I have no passion, how I have not really had any drive and passion for anything since the summer of 2004**. I poured so much into that; I am afraid to get attached to anything else. Because in my vision of things passion leads inevitably to burn out so, I'll just skip both things and not get passionate.

I had to leave the house and my children this evening after dinner. Jim thought I was going out to have a drink and write. Instead, I can to the library (I did write about 250 words) and got a pile of graphic novels wile complaining that the library didn't have beer.

I think I should go bact=k to therepy and Curves but those things are pipe dreams for now. So, instead, I come to the library. I really don't know what I will do when they close for renovations. Head to the bar for real, I suppose.

So, I am still wondering about your passion. What is it, how did you find it? How do you keep it and keep from being burned out from it? Any answers are good. Your answers for you. I still don't have any. I just keep on keeping on.

To quote a great man--And so it goes.

**Mamagathering 2004 and the birth of Xavier James

This Saturday.

Tupperware party from 3:30pm, and housewarming party later. We will be firing up the spa and I will be baking yummy things. If you need the address just respond here, or LJ message me, or e-mail me, or e-mail Matt, or SMS or call either of us. They all work.

Oh, and did I tell you? It is SO GOOD to be able to walk without crutches.

I found this stuffed bear stuck in a tree in the woods behind a cemetery :)

big for day_on_earth.

( on the island )