It's Christmas

The other day, I was listening to a podcast and the hosts were answering a question about celebrating a "secular Christmas".

First of all, how can you have a secular Christmas? No matter how much you want it to be so, Christmas isn't secular. Celebrate the season, the holidays, Yuletide--all great secular events. But the very concept of Christmas requires a Christ, ergo faith. Hence, not secular.

Second, they talked about how you could still tell the story, which is an important tradition for a no longer religious person. But, when you strip out the faith aspects, the story (according to the hosts) boils down to this: there was a refugee family who had a child in very uncomfortable circumstances, and it's important to remember that.

Sounds lovely. But here's the thing. How does that story--a refugee born far from home in bad circumstances--warrant the celebration of Christmas? A season of joy, and hope, and happiness? There is only joy in the story because of Who that baby was. And He wasn't just another refugee. He was the Savior. The person who literally saved the world. Who enables us to obtain immortality and eternal life. He wasn't just another of the billions of human beings who had a hard life. He was Jesus Christ.

I get that not everyone believes that. And I'm sad, because they are missing out. But, you can't have Christmas without Christ--a divine Christ. And that's a fact.

Too Far

In general, I really like humanity. I'm very pro-humanity. But every now and then, humanity does something that makes me want to disown them. Like this:

Really?!?!?!?!? REALLY?????????!!!!!!!!!!! THIS is what we've decided is the best and most valuable use of our resources? WHY?!?!?!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!??! *sobbing*

This should not be a thing. Toilets should not have remotes. I'm sorry, but you've crossed a line. I concede the value of smart phones. I roll my eyes at the internet-connected vacuum cleaners. But this is too far.

Sigh.

December Is Here

SNOW!!!!

Tis the Season

After a rainy (well, maybe just drizzly) day, it finally started snowing. A very wet snow, granted, but it's snow.

And so, for just a small moment, things are right with the world.

Bliss

Have you ever seen a panda play in snow? I haven't in person, but I have seen some great videos of pandas playing in the snow, including a new one that just came out this week--good ole Bei Bei made the most of the first snowfall in his neck of the woods. Here's the thing about pandas playing in the snow: there is a lot of tumbling and slipping and wallowing in the snow.* But most of all, there's a lot of sheer pleasure. I don't know how you could possibly be certaian, but they sure look like they are having the best time of their life. It is super hard not to just be happy too when you see a panda playing in the snow.

My favorite panda in the snow video is of the panda at the Toronto Zoo taking on a giant snowman. It's amazing. And I have especially good memories of watching this with each of my two-year old nephews. One was sick and feeling miserable, so I showed him this on my phone and every time that panda fell off the snowman, he just laughed! I can't even count how many times we watched it. But it made him smile, which made everyone feel better. Then I showed it to his cousin a few days later. I wasn't sure I'd ever get my phone back. I think he watched that panda 40 times in a row. And loved it every time. Now I can't watch that happy panda without remembering that cute, sick little two-year old and his cousin enjoying Panda's antics. Happiness points are automatically doubled.

Anyway, to all the pandas out there enjoying snow, thank you. You make the world a better place.


*No joke. They can't get enough of the snow. It's amazing!

Cultured

I had the chance to go to the symphony last week, which was cool. First, the building was amazing, so just seeing that was totally worth it. And the music was good, too. But I did realize that I probably don't quite have the symphonic appreciation that I maybe ought to have.

See, symphonies are not the most visual form of entertainment and my mind kept wandering, only it was wandering with a soundtrack provided by very talented musicians*. This probably wasn't helped by the fact that I was super tired (I know, I'm always tired). Also, there were no distractions--no books, no TV, no tablet, etc.--so my brain really cranked up the thought processes. Clearly, I need to disconnect more often so that instead of cramming 5 million thoughts into a 2 hour symphony concert, my brain can present them to me on a more regular and manageable basis.

But when you think about it, it's pretty cool that we still have symphony concerts. I mean, this was THE entertainment for people up until about 100 years ago. There was no radio, no TV, nothing like that. To hear music, they had to go to concerts. And we still do that, even though we have all these other ways to access music. It's pretty awesome!

Also, the conductors are really fun to watch. My friend sent me this TED talk by Itay Talgam about how conductors lead and it was fascinating to see the different styles. I found myself watching the conductor at the symphony and  it was super interesting. The first numbers--Bach and Boulez--he was very hands off. At certain parts, you might have thought an audience member was standing on stage to get a better view, because it was all very laid back. But the second part, Copland, it was almost like watching a dancer. I kind of wondered if it was a different conductor (but the program says no) because it was such a different style--very involved, very engaged. It was cool to watch.

And I learned that there is such a thing as a piccolo trumpet and a piccolo violin. Who knew? So you can see it was a very educational experience. Even with the wandering mind and sleep head.

*I have learned 4 different musical instruments in my life and have never come close to being that good. I did have a moment of inferiority syndrome/what am I doing with my life? I am all around average but I can't think of a single thing I really excel at. Is that a bad thing? Or are we all good with this? Anyone else out there a well-rounded average soul?

Trade-offs

This week a colleague and I were talking about the brave souls who came west in the mid-1800s and maybe just the past in general. Or maybe we were talking about the present and all the madness that's going on (seriously, peeps, the world has lost its mind!). I don't even remember, which shows something, I'm sure, but the important thing is that during this conversation, I mentioned that if it is a trade-off between crazy today and going back 175 years to no indoor plumbing, I'll take today.

Does the "Internet"* drive me nuts at least fifty percent of the time? Yes. Do I want to blush and put on those fake glasses with the nose and mustache attached almost every time anything comes out of the DC government? Pretty much. Do I want to pull my hair out every time we hook up another appliance (say, a vacuum cleaner) to the internet and give it artificial intelligence? ABSOLUTELY (why? Why does my vacuum need the internet? Or a pseudo brain? Why?!?!?!)

But, I do like the internet**, mostly. And I LOVE indoor plumbing. And planes. And grocery stores, where I can buy cheese, rather than having to work on a farm and make it myself (although I can see some attraction to that. Not enough to wish I lived in the 1850s, though). So, if the trade-off to having all of these things is the 24 hour news stations and selfies and WAY too many memes, I guess that's okay.*** I know how to avoid that and just get the good stuff I want.

And it definitely beats outhouses.


*"Internet" being the version of the internet that has been anthropomorphized into some sort of actual person/entity. As in, "The Queen did such and such and the Internet lost its mind." Or, "Suzy Q wore such and such on the red carpet and the Internet can't get enough of it." Can we make the "Internet" not a thing?
**the internet: "the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide". Thank you, Wikipedia. The internet is pretty great. 
***As long as they don't force me to view all this stuff. 

These things happen

I am sitting at home listening to Christmas music.

I am fully aware that it is barely November*. I know that Christmas is 2ish months off. I know there are standards for these things.

But today needed Christmas music. Needed.

There is a part of my brain that thinks if I look outside there will be snow and lights, but considering it rained yesterday and sprinkled (in the absolute sprinkliest of sprinkly ways) today, well, maybe it's no wonder I need Christmas music.**

But don't worry, I won't decorate the tree for at least a week.

*although, given the way time is functioning these days, tomorrow will be December, so it's fine, right?
**It could also have to do with the fact that I really just can't wait to go visit family for Christmas. Maybe I just really really need time with the kiddos. I think I need a vacation.

Chocolate

Some something somewhere on my phone or some other electronic device informed me that today is Chocolate Day. Which I totally used as an excuse to eat chocolate, not like I ever need one. But of course, I then had to verify.

A quick Google search informed me that, yes, today is National Chocolate Day but there are 2 National Chocolate days (apparently the US National Confectioners Association knows a good thing when they see it). There is also a World Chocolate day (13 September) and a Chocolate Day (no national about it), on July 7. And then they have days for specific types of chocolate--milk chocolate day, white chocolate day*. So, chocolate lovers, be excited. There are loads of days for you.

But here's the thing I don't get. Why would you choose 28 October and 28 December as national chocolate days? I mean, really. Do they think we aren't eating chocolate in the lead up to Halloween and the post-Christmas goody binge? It makes no sense. We already get it--chocolate is a thing and we should eat it! We don't need a day to tell us that in October or December.

Nah, the answer here is simple. Reduce it to one National Chocolate Day (I mean, 2 is just super pretentious. And confusing. And overkill--and that's coming from a fan) and move it to August. August needs some rockin' holidays. I mean, "start of school" just isn't cutting it, guys. It's the perfect time to have a chocolate holiday.

In the meantime though, happy National Chocolate Day.

This post was brought to you by:

• Whatever it was that brought National Chocolate Day to my attention
• the US National Confectioners Association. Check out all their candy holidays here.
• August. It wouldn't be a year without it.
• Halloween. And Christmas.
• ten typing fingers and the 8th grade keyboarding teacher who taught me to type.

*Does white chocolate really need its own day? One could argue it needs a day more than milk or dark chocolate or even chocolate in general. Maybe it's the only one that deserves a day...

Like riding a bicycle

Way back in the day, when the world was saner (it seemed) and I was an awkward young adolescent (rather than an awkward middle-aged adult), I taught myself how to play the flute. Now, my mom had already taught me how to play the piano, and I learned to play the clarinet in band at school, which I pursued for 3 years. Then my grandpa helped us obtain a flute* and I wanted to learn but was already doing my 3rd year of clarinet in band. So, I somehow managed to teach myself the basics and I saved up so I could attend a week long flute camp at the University. I was really committed. I practiced the flute more than I did my band music on the clarinet, acted like I was having lessons and all. And it was playing the flute that got me blue ribbons at the Music Fest they held every year.

Then at some point, I became less focused on the flute**, just because there was so much else to focus on I imagine. I'd planned to switch over to the flute in band, but ended up dropping band due to scheduling and credits and wanting to graduate and all. Before I knew it, I had a niece who was old enough to be in band who wanted to play the flute, so I loaned it to her and life went on.

But my niece graduated last year and didn't have time for the flute in her college studies and now she's off on a mission, so on my last trip down to visit, I reclaimed the flute. It has been sitting in my room for about 6 weeks and I hadn't touched it except maybe once just blowing in the mouthpiece for 30 seconds. I've had dreams about picking it up and trying to play it and not being able to get a sound out--very realistic dreams, I might add, although I don't think that's why I never picked it up.

Finally, yesterday I assembled the flute and I am pleased to report that I figured out most of the fingerings after a few minutes (not that I could tell you which note lined up with which fingering) and even busted out a tune. I was absolutely able to make a sound, with the exception of one time changing registers, but I got there. And it was kind of exciting!

I would like to say I'm going to start practicing every day but that's not likely to happen in the next few weeks. I've got this test I need to study for that I want to take by the end of the month, a bunch of books I need to make, some trips to take, a couple of stories to write (hopefully by the end of the month as well!), and a bunch of other projects and only a few hours each night to work on them. But, I do hope to tuck the flute in here and there. Hopefully it will keep being like riding a bike.

And maybe now I can stop dreaming weird dreams about it.

*He was always doing things like that, my grandpa. 
**seriously, the story of my life. 

The end of the world as we know it

So, a patron walks into the library and reports that today would be the end of the world. Which is actually a true story and, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, turned out not to be the case. But it did get me thinking that if it were the end of the world, what was I doing at work? Actually, I do think we should have an end-of-the-world holiday once in a while. Then we could all go out and do the thing we'd want to do if it was the day the world was going to end.

Personally, I'd hop a plane and visit family. Or maybe they could all hop a plane and we could congregate in a central location, because there are a few of us and I could never make it to all of them in 24 hours. I think I would want to just hang out with them most of all. Because I always enjoy that and if it is going to be the last day, you should make sure you enjoy it.

Plan B would be to travel somewhere I'd never been. Maybe Iceland--it is on my wish list. Or the UK. Maybe I could merge Plan A and Plan B and we can all meet up in Iceland. That could work.

Plan C might be to just sleep through it. Or maybe I'll bump that down a few letters as the desperation back up plan if all else fails. I expect the end of the world is going to be rather messy, so I'm not convinced I actually want to participate. But that's the end end, not the lead up to the end. In the lead up, I would definitely need to be distracted because otherwise I would get super stressed and then I'd be out in the street shouting at the skies, "Just end it already!!!" I have no patience with waiting for impending stressful events, like the destruction of earth. Just git 'er done, I say.*

Or maybe I'd rent a car and just start driving. Just to get a good look at the world. Although, if everyone is taking the same day to act like it's the last day on earth, traffic is probably going to get bad. So maybe we should stagger our celebrations. We can divide it up somehow--maybe go alphabetically or by birthdays. Or maybe I will just celebrate this myself, and all y'all can just pretend I never pitched the idea. Or we can all just pick a random day to celebrate the end of the world. There are options.

The good news is, it's not the end of the world and I will still get my Saturday.** And,  I suspect many more days to come. But don't be surprised if I take one or two of them here and there to be my last.

*Which is why, if were ever a zombie apocalypse, I wouldn't waste time trying to avoid getting bitten. I'd just get it over with. I just don't want to prolong the stress and anxiety of wondering if/when I'm going to go. Fortunately, I do not believe in zombie apocalypses, so this is really dead issue. Ha ha. 
**When we do hit the end of the world, I vote it come on a Sunday night. No sense losing a weekend. 

Do Over

Yesterday was an awful day. It wasn't anything particular, just the whole day was awful and frustrating and ended in tears (there was just no other way for it to end). Now, if there is one thing I have learned about days like that, it's this: take a nap. Honestly, if you just go to sleep for a little while, things get better. It breaks the cycle of stress and emotion and offness just beautifully.*

I failed to squeeze a nap in yesterday so instead, this morning, I gave myself permission to treat the morning like a sick day. I stayed in bed until my headache wasn't noticeable anymore**. I stayed in my pajamas and wrapped up in a blanket. And I felt soooooooo much better. The headache did come back, and I'm still a little glum about yesterday, but hey, moving on! Life's not all doom! Things are going to be okay! And in a couple of days, the glum-shadow will vanish, the headache will not come back, and I will have had contact with other human beings and moved on to the next crisis.

Isn't life grand?

*This is why, when I unofficially ran for president in 2016, naps was an important plank in my platform. I think it would make a huge contribution towards world peace. 
**Yes, I had a headache yesterday. No, it didn't help. 

Worth getting up for

On Sunday, I noticed a flash flood warning had been put out for my neck of the woods for today. I was super excited about it all day yesterday. At the very least, some rain. At best, a flash flood!*

Yesterday,  none of my coworkers believed my news about the flood potential.**And when I got to work today, it was looking like we might not even get rain. I made it very clear that if it didn't rain--and hard--there was no point in my having gotten out of bed this morning. And whaddya know, by the time I headed back from lunch, it was raining. And then it rained some more later this afternoon. And now, there is a load of thunder and more thunder, and maybe lightning (but I'm inside so I can't tell. I live in a basement apartment). And just now a HUGE clap of thunder! And I can hear the rain pouring down and I can smell it and feel the cool rain air.

Aaaaah. Yep, totally worth getting out of bed for***. Now I'm going to go to bed, so I can fall asleep listening to the rain. Brilliant.

*I have no idea why I want a flash flood. It was probably mostly driven by the hope that maybe they'd send us home from work, which was a long shot. But I think there was also just the lovely thought of wading through rivers of water without a care in the world.
**until we had a 15 minute downpour.
***Although, clearly, not flooding (yet). And I am obviously not sloshing through puddles. But there's always tomorrow. 

Growing old

I hope someday to be a beautiful old person. One of those old folks with beautiful wrinkles who radiates contentment. Not because their life has been perfectly content, but because despite all the sorrows, it has been overall a good life. Because there is so much to love and be happy about. Because the tears eventually faded into solace and one day there was joy again. 

I don't have any noteworthy wrinkles yet, but I do have a few stray gray hairs. They aren't noticeable, because my hair is a fairly light brown and they kind of blend in. And I have no intention of dying them or otherwise hiding them at this point. I have earned those gray hairs, every one of them. there is a life behind them. I'm not saying no one should ever dye their gray hair, or even that I won't ever--who knows what I'll do in another 20 years?! And dying them doesn't erase the life I've lived. Really, I'm just lazy about my hair and dying requires too much maintenance for a lazy bum like myself. 

But I do also kind of like those random gray hairs. And I hope that someday, I have more of them, with a lovely set of wrinkles to match. I hope I become a beautiful old person.

To buy or not to buy

I haven't had a car for the last five years, give or take. There was some weather, stuff happened, and a prayer was answered. But that's a different story. Anyway, so I'm car-less, which is great for the environment, not that that's why I am car-less. Mostly I get by on public transportation and car rentals. And every time I rent a car, I kind of wish I had my own car.

I've currently got the money for a car. And there are a lot of pros to acquiring one: grocery shopping would be so much easier, I wouldn't have to plan hours around any single errand, I could get out to some new places to practice photography (which I know you are all dying for) and generally just get away when I wanted to, the social life would be much easier. There are loads of reasons to go for it.

But then I hear people talking about all of their car troubles--repairs, registration, maintenance. There's also the cost of insurance and gas and my rent would go up to include parking And don't get me started on parking in this town. Or even just driving around! And to buy a car I have to deal with the person selling the car. Who wants to deal with salespeople?! Let's be honest, that's the real reason I've been putting off the car-buying. I just don't want to deal with the salespeople. A hassle I don't look forward to in my life.

So if anyone knows of any great car buying tips or cars for sale, let me know. Or if you want to buy a car, I'll totally reimburse you.

Good eats

Food is not my favorite. I mean, food is great, it's figuring out what to eat and then you have to fix it and it is a lot of effort and dishes and work. These days, my favorite food is literally anything I didn't have to come up with and cook for myself.

This week I ended up staying late at work one night, so a friend and I went to grab something to eat to tide us over. Well, there's a place nearby and I thought maybe I'd grab a cinnamon roll there (they are really good. And it would hit that sweet-carb craving. Simple, tasty, perfect). Sadly, they didn't have any cinnamon rolls, but my friend said, "Oh, rolls and honey butter. That would be so good!" Which was a genius idea, and what I got, and it was amazing. I've been eating them for breakfast the past couple of days and they have totally hit the spot every time.

Also, it is Sweetango apple season again, and what goes better with rolls and honey butter than an apple (and maybe some cheese). The simple foods really are among the best.

A Saturday at Last

Now that I'm back from my 'globe-trotting' (in one small part of the globe, at least), today was the first Saturday in over a month that I have been home. For the last four weekends, I have been traveling. It was incredibly fun and I got to see almost all of my nieces and nephews and a lot of family. I took family pictures, played Legos, went to the zoo, shot Rocket Copters, played lots of Candyland and baked a cake. I made S'mores over the stove, played Farkle, and gave an impromptu talk at a baptism. I did a bit of weeding, a bit of reading, a lot of chatting, and quite a bit of laughing. And I basked in the joy of little kids.

And now I'm back. Today, I went grocery shopping, made a book, and prepped some fruit for drying. Waaaaay more exciting, right? I think I need to plan a few more trips.

Home again home again

I have spent 3 of the last 4 weekends out of town. It was delightful. But now, I guess it is time to settle back into the routine of things. I've got a VERY lengthy list of things to work on that I have not been getting to that await my attention.

Which unfortunately, hasn't yet returned from my travels. Possibly this is due to the constant uprooting and lack of weekends (sorry folks, but when I go away for a weekend, my attention is on the weekend. I always take a project as a backup, but we all know there's no way I'm gonna work on it. And what's the point of going away if you aren't really gone? It's just a waste). Possibly because the routine is seeming a bit, well, too routine. Or possibly because I am just sleep deprived from late nights on the weekend without getting to sleep in (too much going on) and then late nights during the week for no identifiable reason except that I'm too tired to go to bed. Which sounds ridiculous, but it is a real thing. I see it with my nieces and nephews all the time, especially the 3 and unders. They are so exhausted and they really just need to sleep but they are so exhausted they can't' stop crying and just sleep. I get the same way, only without the crying. So I sit around wasting time even though I'm ready to drop and I dawdle and start on last minute things* and get to bed late and am continually exhausted.**

Anyway, I knocked off a couple of to-do items tonight, and I guess I'll just keep plugging away. And maybe I'll give myself a couple of weekends before I start traveling again.

*like a blog post!
**we adults pretend we have outgrown our childhood habits, but I have discovered that half the time, when I'm angry or frustrated, I'm really just hungry and tired. We should all embrace our inner child, have a snack, and take a nap. 

Not Bad

I think if a four year old thinks you are a nice aunt and wants you to stay at his house forever, you are doing alright in life.

Stop and enjoy the scenery

About two weeks ago, I went to my family reunion in a rural neck of the woods. It was delightful to spend time with the family, particularly the kids (I love the adults too, but let's be honest. It's hard to compete with an 18-month old with cute chubby cheeks who gets SUPER excited every time he sees one of the inn's cats).

We played games,  went to the lake, ate food, hiked, did crafty things, chatted, held a lawn game Olympics, and hung out, all of which was delightful. I was introduced to the concept of a reverse pinata (which is amazing) and my nieces and I invented Yoga Twister.

And I did manage to sneak out and do some photography. I mean,  I got lots of photos of the family, but I also did some hobby photos. Which I will share with you because no one's personal life will be exploited if I do. Sorry. You don't get to chuckle over the mud-coated children at the beach. But enjoy the cows and kittens!

How fortuitous

I've had three delightful instances of 'luck' in the past few days and I feel like I should thank the Powers That Be.

First, I went to the store the other day, which was a miserably hot walk (fortunately only a few blocks) and when I got to the checkout I couldn't find my debit card anywhere. So I had to abandon my groceries and walk back home in the hopes that my card turned up. Which it didn't, but I also forgot to trace my steps part of the way. Not that I was very hopeful of finding it en route. But it also wasn't in my house. Well, I grabbed my credit card, decided I'd probably have to cancel the debit card, and trekked back to the store, still in the miserable heat. And what do you know, as I walked past the dairy section, I spied something red on the ground, just the size of a debit card, kind of kicked under the overhang of the cooler. I was talking to my brother at the time, and was delighted to report that I had found my debit card. Hooray!

Then, that night, which was a holiday out where I live, I convinced myself to go up the hill and watch the fireworks. Mostly because I wanted to get a picture of fireworks, or at least see if I could. But when I got there, I was really not in the mood. I was tired, I didn't want to stay up late, I didn't want to set up my camera, I just didn't want to be there. Also, I couldn't see any fireworks that were worth trying to photograph. Well, I reminded myself that this would not be the last time I would ever see fireworks and I didn't have to be there if I didn't want to be, and left. I headed down the hill and when I got to the top of Main Street, I had the perfect view of the fireworks. So, I busted out my camera, right there on the street corner, and spent maybe 10 to 15 minutes getting some firework shots. Which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't felt like going home.

Maybe not the most scenic view, but a clear view, and a fairly close one.

Finally, on Wednesday, I had an appointment to be at at 6:00. I was going to stay late to print off a project I was working on, but got caught in conversation with a co-worker and by the time I finished the project, I was running late (as in, I had 3 minutes to get to my appointment. Which wasn't far, but not close enough to be there in 3 minutes). I got out of the building and was going to text to let them know I'd be a tad late, and they had moved the appointment to 6:15! And then I realized I'd left my keys in the building. Which was locked. And I can never remember the number for security, who would be able to let me in. But just as I got to the building, someone was coming out and they kindly held the door for me (even though we really shouldn't because of security. Thankfully, she'd been in my shoes, and knew I worked there!). So I got my keys and wasn't late and then the gal I had the appointment with fed me and my friend dinner! And gave me leftovers!! 

So, a lot of nice little blessings this week, and I'm really grateful because I was feeling really stressed out when the week started. Thanks, Powers That Be!

Algorithms don't get me

I am going on record to say I am not sold on algorithms. Try as I might, they just don't seem to understand me.

For example, Netflix. I tell it which recommendations I don't like, it can't seem to figure out that one of the key criteria is that I have no interest in shows rated TV-MA. Same with Amazon Video. It can't seem to figure out that Rated R doesn't figure into my interests.

Then there's the rest of Amazon. Why does it think that when I've just bought a new pair of sneakers, I want to buy another pair of new sneakers? I'm sure there are some people who do that, but not the majority of us.

And then there is Google's attempt to provide me news. For some reason, it thinks that having read the first story published about Prince Louis' christening, I then want to read every other story with the same content that gets published for the next week. It also can't seem to figure out that when I say I have no interest in the Kardashians, I really have no interest in them. None. I don't care who is publishing it. And how have they not figured out I have no ties to University of Arkansas Pine Bluffs? I've told them multiple times that I'm not interested in stories from them, but they keep popping up UAPB stories. And how can they not figure out, after I dismiss every story about abs, pecs, toning, HIIT, and every other fitness trend on earth, I'm not interested in any physical fitness stories. From any source.

Yeah. Algorithms really don't know me at all. And it's not that I haven't put in the time. I think they just aren't trying hard enough. I've definitely done my work in this relationship but now I think it's time to break up. So, algorithms? we're done.

Suggestion

Dear Online Print Newspeople,

I know you have a lot going on right now and have your hands full with disgruntled customers, so I hate to add to your load of complaints. However, I think mine is pretty simple to take care of. It's quite fixable.

For reasons beyond our control, a lot of news is happening in the form of tweets. And I get it. You get your quotes where they are being published. My complaint has to do with the practice of including the text of the tweet in the article AND including a screenshot of the just-quoted tweet.

Isn't this overkill? I can see how you might consider the screenshot to be an "image" and not text. But guess what? It's an image of text! No one is studying it for its visual value. We're reading it. And getting annoyed that it is exactly what we just read. Why does the tweet need to be typed into the article itself and included as a screenshot? I'm literate; if I can read the one, I can read the other. No value add. The screenshot just becomes an annoying obstacle preventing me from moving on in the story.

Like I say, I know you have a lot of other, and larger, concerns. But, most of those can't be easily fixed. This one? Easy peasy. It's a quick win. And can't we all use one of those?

All the best.

Me

Tick

So, it's not the most amazing photo, but I have ALWAYS* wanted to get a photograph of lightning. And, after standing around doing continuous shooting for about 1000 photos, I did it. Again, it isn't professional quality or anything, but I am kind of thrilled.

And here are a few others just for fun.

I completely blame the sunset for making me late getting to bed. 

*Always being since I got into photography, so maybe few years?

One sweet day

I read today that it is Chocolate Day. Now personally, I'm not sure when it isn't chocolate day, but I guess that since today is officially the day, you gotta go along with it and eat some chocolate. Now, I partook by getting a chocolate mousse dome from a local restaurant. Basically, chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and the whole thing dipped in chocolate. Pretty darn good way to get your chocolate intake, as far as chocolate goes.

Anyway, I hope you had some chocolate and that it was tasty. Because chocolate day deserves to be observed.

Social Studies

I read an article in grad school that had this random paragraph interjected about how elevators make great laboratories for studying human behavior. I would like to agree with that and submit another great lab: the women's class on Sunday in my Church. The specific topic of study is passing a clipboard.

Let me give you an idea of the set up of this experiment. First, the room is probably more than twice as wide as it is long, so we have two sections of chairs, with an aisle down the middle. But to complicate matters, we also have chairs lining the 'long' side of the room (which is really the short side). And on one side, there is room for 3 chairs along the back wall before the built in cupboards start. So, it is not a straightforward layout.

Which is why I have put very simple directions on the front of every clipboard explaining how to pass the clipboards (we always have 2). Because, there is actually a really beautiful system that, if followed, makes everything work out perfectly. Since we have a lot of new faces all the time, it's easiest to just put some instructions on to help people out. And how well does this work out, you ask?

It doesn't. Well, sometimes it does, but just as often it doesn't. I think most of the time, they just don't even look at the cover sheet. But a couple of weeks ago, I saw someone look at the instructions (which say pass it forward) and then pass the clipboard behind her. I've also seen people just set the clipboard on the chair beside them, rather than pass it down three or four chairs to the next person. I'm pretty sure that some people get it from the person behind them and pass it to the person in front of them, instead of the person next to them. Some people sit with one clipboard for about 10 minutes, even though it only has one or two sheets on it.

This isn't that surprising. It seems like passing a roll or sign-up sheet or clipboard should be really straightforward but it just isn't. Ever. Also, people don't read signs. I work in a library. Trust me, people don't read signs.

So, the best way to handle this situation? Don't sit on the end of a row. Problem solved. Unless you are the unlucky winner of the end seat. Then you can just take comfort that it really probably isn't a life or death situation and you shouldn't spend any time worrying about it after you pass it on.

The Friday that isn't

For individuals around the world, today marked the weekly celebration of Friday--that glorious end of the work week and being at your employer's beck and call to being at someone or something else's beck and call. Like cleaning the house, or grocery shopping, or running kids to soccer games or completing the to-do list you've been handed by your spouse. I don't know on some of those because I have neither kids nor spouse, so weekends really are my own time.

But not this weekend, not for me. Tomorrow I get to march right back into work and help researchers.

And I really shouldn't complain. This happens to me maybe once a month, and I have shortened hours, not a full day, and I get to take a full day off during the following week. Usually I don't mind too much at all. But this week really really seemed to drag on and 5:00 today just didn't have the same excitement as other Fridays because I have 5-6 more hours before my work week ends.*

So, as you all enjoy your Saturday, well, just enjoy it.


*And they are weird hours, 10-3. So, too early to really sleep in much but too late to get anything done beforehand. And when I get off, most of the day is shot. Now, I confess, some Saturdays I'm not showered until 3, and the day is shot. But somehow that is less offensive because my day is still mine (although I do always regret days like that). 

A small item of follow up

So, last time I mentioned that I don't remember the details of finding out about 9/11. Naturally, the thing to do was to look in my journal. Which was very informative. Not only did I find out about where I was, but I learned that 38 year-old me finds 21 year-old me really annoying.

I don't find all 21 year-olds annoying.* They are young. They have a different perspective of the world. I don't expect them to be 38 in their mentality. It would be unfortunate if they were. I just find 21-year old me annoying. Because it's me and I was so smarmy and so not like me today.

Also, I don't think I have the same tone in my journal as I do in person. I was writing to an unknown audience, an older me and an invisible and hypothetical posterity. It's a little different than writing to someone who is going to see what you wrote immediately. Hopefully, I was less over the top in person.

The good news is I've grown a bit since 21. The bad news is there's a very real possibility that my 55 year-old self might be equally annoyed by 38 year-old me.

But what can you do, eh?


*Also, I don't know how to hyphenate ages and am too lazy to look it up. 

Getting to know me

I have already started organizing my personal papers (I'm an archivist, okay? This is what I do). Not that anyone will ever want them, but there are about 5 boxes of things I own that document my life. The rest of my possessions are just stuff. 

I like math. I miss doing math. A few weeks ago, I sat down and did algebra problems for fun. And I enjoyed it.

I am a terrible professional presenter because when all eyes are on me, I feel compelled to entertain. 

I understand how approximately 1% (give or take 0.9999%) of the world thinks. Most people's way of viewing the world is incomprehensible to me. I just don't get their process. 

I do not remember how I found out about 9/11. I think I learned when I went to class and it was cancelled, but I'm not sure. I am skeptical about a lot of my memories, really, and have a weird habit of saying so.*

I really want to see more of the world, but I'm a bit of a chicken and don't want to do it alone. I need adult supervision for something like that.

I am really bad at planning my life. I assumed certain things would happen (which didn't), but I don't have any five-year plan or anything like that. Most of the things I'd want to plan are out of my control, anyway. 

Have I mentioned that I hate surveys and questionnaires and rating things? It's all terribly subjective (what does "I really liked it" mean to you? does it mean the same thing to me?) and they never give you enough context to be able to answer the question accurately.

I'm better at ideas than execution. Which makes me a terrible hostess, but a great partner in planning and helping out.

This is not one of my best posts but it's what you get.

*Context: I was listening to a podcast about memory and a study found that about 60% of people misremember where they were and what they were doing when 9/11 happened. I have never been able to clearly remember to begin with. Am I weird?

The Break Room

There's a real drawback to the communal break room in the work place. You see, today I took my lunch* up to the break room, heated it up, and sat down to eat. And then my co-worker came in with pizza. Which looked SO much better than my lunch. And someone else heated up their lunch, and it looked way better and smelled better. And all I had was my mediocre meal. And boy, I had a case of food envy. How do you not?

It's not that my food would have tasted so much better if I had been eating alone. I just wouldn't have had anything to compare it to which would have been a minor improvement.

So, beware of the pitfalls of break rooms, people. 


*which was nothing really amazing because 1) I'm lazy and didn't put in the effort to fix anything, 2) I'm going to a conference for the rest of the week so why go to the effort of making something for a whole week, and 3) it was one of those "just add water and cook it" kind of things, which 8 times out of 10 are kind of meh. They are never as good as you think they will be.

Trade-offs

On Monday, I went to the grocery store, which is not as straightforward as it sounds because I ride the train. Well, light-rail. And I have to switch trains, which is an insignificant hassle. On Monday, though, it was raining which, in my book, makes things better. I LOVE walking in the rain. I walked from my transfer to the store (a little over 10 minutes, so not a big deal). It didn't really count as walking in the rain, though, because it was really just sprinkly. Still, it was nice.

On the way home, I didn't do much walking - half a block to the train stop and a block home. But, it was raining harder and I gave myself permission to just stand in the rain and soak it in. Not so good for my cereal boxes but who cares. It was great. But very wet. And when I got off the train, I had to step down to the door, and when I did, I lost my footing (it was wet, guys!) and slipped and fell. I'm now sporting a very bruised shin and a very bruised upper arm. Although you can't actually see the bruise on my shin.* And the bruise on my arm only started to show today.**

So, getting drenched in the rain at the cost of a couple of bruises. You know, I think it was worth it.

*It sure hurts, though. I will lean against things when I stand around and I cross my legs and it just hits that spot every time. Grrrr.
**It also hurts. And t-shirt sleeve hems happen to hit right where the bruise is. 

Hum drum ho hum

It seems like there is a lot going on lately but there also isn't. There's a lot of cerebral stuff in my life the last couple of weeks but cerebral is boring and quite frankly, I've had it going non-stop in my head for so long, the last thing I want to do is think about it more. There is a project at work that was unexpected and has taken up a chunk of time, but it is also not that interesting, other than it was unexpected. I need something of interest to occur, and by something of interest I mean something fun and hilarious that would be worth writing about. NOT something calamitous and tear-jerking.

I don't even have really great photographs to share. I did try to photograph a robin sitting in her nest, but she was out when I got to the nest. Maybe I'll have more luck tomorrow. I do have lots of flower pictures but I've already done those and they are also a few weeks old, which feels like cheating. Although, who doesn't need some flowers in their life?

Mostly, life is just life and it's the same old stuff as usual. I really need a vacation--even a day trip to someplace new. Or maybe I should just cut my hair or buy a car or move. Those just seem like a lot of work. Maybe I'll just try eating my lunch outside in a new spot all week--weather cooperating, of course, which is has been really iffy lately. Or maybe I'll buy some exotic produce. Or a new shirt.

Or maybe I'll just go to bed and get some good sleep and see if things look brighter in the morning.

Camels

I just finished reading Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel. It's about a camel who was brought to the U.S. as part of the United States Camel Corps, which, yes, was a thing. In the 1850s, the military tried to find ways to use camels in the desert areas of the Southwest and found they were very useful for hauling things but then they got super busy with the Civil War, and kind of forgot about the camels, and then they had railroads, so didn't really need the camels. So some of the camels were sold and some were let loose, and word on the street is, there were random camels roaming around in the southwestern US for decades after. All of which is kind of cool and one of those stories that make people think, "Why don't they tell the cool stories in history class?"

Anyway, this book talked about camel wrestling, so I was curious, and this really is a thing. Camels do it naturally, to win a mate, but  camel owners actually will enter camels into sporting events where they wrestle. And, can I just say, camels might just have the most disgusting mouths ever. When they are wrestling, their mouths foam and it gets pretty gross. Also, bactrian camels are WAY shaggier than dromedaries. I have no idea why, but bactrians are very hairy. Or furry. It looks furry, but I'm not sure, scientifically speaking, what the difference is.  And in terms of weird mouths, you should check out camel racing. Their bottom lips are crazy!

Also intriguing is their back legs. They have a lot of joints, it seems, and their back 'knees' bend in what we might call the wrong direction (which is obviously the right direction for a camel). Which then got me wondering if all four-legged animals are like that, so I checked out horses, and it doesn't look like horses actually bend their hind legs when they are sitting. Maybe they do, and the internet just doesn't have photos. But a camel actually bends his back legs underneath his body and does the same with their front legs, so that their hooves are all pointing at each other. And if that isn't weird enough, have you ever heard a camel? It is not the sound you expect but then somehow, once you hear it, it kind of seems obvious that that is what a camel would sound like.

Camels are just weird critters, but they are also super cool. Seriously. Nature is kind of amazing.

One hot July day, downtown was overtaken with livestock, including this guy, so I got some pictures. 

Can't go back

There are these little moments in life - those moments that are little and big all at the same time, but they somehow make a mark on your life. And they are a huge deal and maddening and you start trying to unravel the snarl that led to that moment and you feel like it's this mark that you have to carry around for the rest of your life and it's just a huge mess. After a while, though, you move on and you adjust to that little chink and go on with life and it gets a little less of a big-deal-little moment. But somehow, it does manage to come back and haunt you.

Phlbbbbbt. I hate those moments.

Detox

I've mentioned before that I listen to a lot of podcasts. I had the history podcasts, news podcasts, humor, economics, and whatever else peaked my interest.

But lately, I've been feeling disinterested. Especially the newsy ones. Somehow, they seem monotonous. There are still a couple that I listen to, that go more in depth on one topic, and of courses I listen to the news-comedies. But I couldn't take on the same old same old that has been the topic of discussion for 2+ years. It's completely non-productive.

There are other podcasts I've let drop off the radar, and even those that I still have in my rotation, I've lost the compulsion I felt to listen to every episode. This has been incredibly liberating. Why should I listen to something I'm not interested in? Time is a limited commodity.

Anyway, it's been very nice. I feel like I have been detoxing and I highly recommend it to everyone. Let's all make the world a better place!

Behind the Lens

Last night, I spent some time with my niece to celebrate a big event*. And, as usual, I was the camerawoman, a position I enjoy and sometimes am terrified of because I'm fairly certain I'm not as good a photographer as people think they are getting. But mostly I don't mind, and I end up there because I carry an actual camera instead of a phone camera. And in this case, it was fine and the pictures did turn out nicely.

The thing is, though, I realized on the way back that I didn't get a picture of me and my niece. I never seem to think about doing that. So I have all these photos documenting events in my life and I'm not in any of them! It's not a super big deal, but there is currently no photographic evidence that I'm aware of (maybe on someone's phone somewhere, but why would they photograph the photographer?) of me watching my niece open her mission call. Except for the fact that I have photographs of the event on my camera. So I guess in a way I'm in every single photo, you just never see my face. When I'm dead and my papers make it to an archive (ha ha!), researchers will have to study me through my lens, and research my life based on the photos I took, not the photos I am in.**

Now, I understand why people don't ask if I would like them to take a photo. A camera like mine I think is intimidating. It's a DSLR and it looks big and scary, but it really isn't. It has the functionality of a point and shoot, but how would they know that? Also, we live in the world of selfies; does anyone ask anyone to take photos for them anymore?*** But it does mean that photographs of me are sort of rare.

So, if you think about it, maybe ask if the photographer would like to be in the picture. They might just say yes.


*She received a mission call to serve in the Singapore Mission, Malaysia region. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
**Which does make copyright a little easier, because I took them all so if I donate my photographs I can transfer the copyright. Whereas, if I'm in the photograph (assuming it isn't a selfie, which it most likely isn't if I'm the one taking the photo), it means someone else took the picture, which complicates the copyright. Yes, people, I am an info professional. We care about copyright.
***Answer: Yes. Not often, but yes. I know, because people have asked me. And I have asked if they would like me to on occasion.

Embracing the stereotype

I think it's pretty typical for people to think of librarians (and hence, archivists, since it's typical for people to think that archivists are librarians) as eyeglasses-on-the-tip-of-the-nose, hair-in-a-bun, cardigan-wearing individuals. Well, as an archivist, I don't wear glasses to work and I can't get my hair in a bun worth having, but as far as the cardigan thing goes, it's true.

Not that I limit myself to cardigans. I do have several, along with jackets bordering from fleece to suit. And I always have one at work, for very good reasons. First, archives are chilly. They kind of have to be, because they exist to preserve records and that means they have to be temperature controlled--records like cooler temperatures. 

But in the last couple of years, I've discovered the real value of sweaters/jackets at work: security. As adults, it is frowned upon for us to carry security blankets. But there is still nothing quite as comforting as a blanket--preferably on a bed, accompanied by pillows, but barring that, blankets do wonders. Given this social norm, I make do with sweaters and jackets and such. It's almost as good as a blanket.

People will see me bundled up in a fleece jacket and ask in surprise, "Are you cold?" And, sometimes I am, but usually I just tell them that I'm missing my bed and so I'm making do with the next best thing. And you know what? I think they understand. 

So here's to the delightful stereotype that has definitely paid off for me. 

Another weekend come and gone

Here we are again: Sunday night. The last few moments of the weekend, ticking away, the sands of our free time slipping through the hourglass as we contemplate how we wasted these precious moments of life that aren't committed to anyone else, ours to do with as we wish.

In theory. Of course that's never the reality. Mentally, my weekends feel spent before I even get to them. I have this tendency to vastly overestimate how much time I will need to do things and so my weekends feel super packed because I have a list of things to do, like clean the house, do laundry, wash the dishes, and buy milk. None of which really takes an entire weekend, and if I'd sleep less on weekends, I'd have more time to do stuff.

This is the other dilemma. My brain is so exhausted that doing anything on the weekend seems an overwhelming prospect. Once I get going, though, it's fine, it's just tricking my brain into action that is the challenge. This weekend, I did get a few things done, but not nearly as many as I had on my list. Which means I'm going to have to be very sneaky to get my brain into gear this week. And of course, I'm contemplating all the work I have to do that didn't get done because last week was packed with meetings and have been battered over the head with the realization that I'm behind before my work week even starts. Sigh.

Times like this, there's only one thing to do: go on vacation to Iceland.

Ho Hum

Things are very dull of late. Just not much that is note worthy. But, it occurs to me I do have some fun pictures from Easter weekend, which is at least something. Enjoy!

Lots of fun bright colored eggs. 

And the hands that died them.

This one's for the birds.

Casting Call

If I were to choose the movie genre for my life, it would be comedy, all the way. I mean, why would you choose anything else? Pass on horror, pass on westerns*, no thanks on war movies or sci-fi**. Can't stand suspense***. Romance? Well, I am down with love, but I don't know if I do romance. Not even rom-com. Too much drama. And I'm definitely not cut out for drama.

So, you can imagine how irritating it is that I find myself in a drama. There are some situations that have come up that just seem SO serious and I literally woke up one morning thinking, "This is crazy! No way can this stuff be this serious! It's just too dramatic!" And there is this part of my brain that just wants to laugh it off, because is any of it really that big a deal?

Well, yes. But I do wish we could get together, say "Isn't this crazy?", laugh at how crazy it is, and then fix the problems and get on with life. Without the drama. Or melodrama. Because meanwhile, there are going to be lots of hurt feelings, lots of frustration, and a lot of stress. Down with this.

Anyway, whoever did the casting for this gig? I think you ought to try again.


This post was brought to you by:
Chocolate--essential for all dramatic situations
Genres--a very archivist-y thing to have
Movies--mostly making me glad that's not my life
Laughter--the duct tape of life
Humanity--keeping life interesting

*unless it was a comedic western, but honestly, I really like indoor plumbing and computers
**unless I get to be an archivist with a Tony Stark style computer, because that would make digital archiving sweet
***I'm the person that, in the zombie apocalypse, will just let the darn zombies bite me because I can't take the stress of trying to avoid the inevitable

Rules to live by

Years ago, I found myself in Puerto Rico and I saw this really great hat that I wanted to buy. But, being a poor exchange student, I tried to be responsible and ended up talking myself out of it. Or maybe I was too shy to drag my fellow exchangees in there to buy it. I don't even know anymore (memory is funny like that). But either way, I didn't buy the hat, and I've regretted it ever since. I've even tried to find one like it, but no luck (again, memory is a funny thing and I'm not sure I even know what I'm looking for).

A couple of summers ago, I was in Nauvoo and one of the shops sold these great pioneer hats for boys. And girls, too, but who wants a girls pioneer hat, all bonnety with ties? No thanks. Anyway, I could have purchased one right there, but did I? Of course not. Dumb responsible me talked me out of it. But I couldn't get it out of my head and one of the first things I did when I got home? Got online and bought me a hat.

And let's not forget the squid hat affair. Granted, it is a way better story with my co-worker going back with me the next day and talking the guard into letting us in the gift shop. But still. Are we noticing a pattern here?

What do we learn from this?

I should always buy the hat.

Things that Go through My Head at an International Folk Dance Performance

Wait, why are there numbers that are just music?
What is this narration stuff? I just wanna see them dance!
I should ask my sister how authentic Chinese women dancing in pantsuits is.
How much of this is the actual cultural dance and how much is artistic liberty?
Who thinks of dances? Where did it all start? I mean, did a group of 30 people just sit down in Indonesia one day and say, "Hey, let's make a TOTALLY AWESOME dance that is really all about our hands!"? How did it evolve?
What will people think of our dances in 200 years?
Does the US have anything that is considered a folk dance that isn't a country dance? Okay, the Charleston. But is there one that we still actually do that isn't country?
I wonder how widespread folk dances were. Did everyone in the town do them? The region? The whole country?
Why do all of the European/American dances seem to involve a lot of stomping of feet? Did I just miss that on the Asian ones?
What is the history of dancing? Not the dissertation, but it would be so cool if there was an actual book that was readable about how dancing became a thing. Seriously. How similar are all dances? How are they different?
These songs that they're singing are basically 3 lyrics over and over and over. Weird. Not sure what I think.
Shoot, I forgot to email so-and-so.
Why is my phone vibrating? Wait, does the alarm make noise even if it's silenced? I'm gonna turn off the alarm at intermission.
Is it offensive that most of these dancers are white? Or is it appreciated that they have learned a bit about the culture and are trying to honor it through dancing?
Oh my gosh, they have got to be so worn out. I do that move in my workouts, and it's killer, and I only do it for 30 seconds.
And the clothing - that has to tie in with the dancing. But why those clothes for that dance? I mean, how does it all tie in? What is the evolution or anthropology of dancing? I really want to know.
How do you ever learn all the stuff there is to know? There's too much!
I remember when I was the age of these kids. They are so young. They think they have life all figured out, and they are probably juniors and seniors, so they are the ones at the University that have got it down. But they are such babies! They aren't grown up at all! Does that make me old? I don't feel old. Age is so weird.
Why don't my nieces seem like babies? They are freshmen, so younger than these guys, but it's different somehow. I mean, they really are young, but I know them, too, and have their whole lives. Somehow that's different.
I really don't want to clap in rhythm with this whole dance. Sorry, don't be offended! I'm really enjoying it!
I'm hungry. Gotta figure out something to eat when I get home, but it will be after 9:00. Ugh, I hate figuring out food.
Okay, wearing your hair in a knot on the very top of your head is a horrible hairstyle for going to a performance. You gotta think about the people behind you. C'mon! Flat hair, guys. Flat hair.
I should probably stop focusing on one group of the dancers and try to see the big picture. Not that knot-hair helps, but I guess it's good for my posture.
Seriously love Bollywood dancing. Is it just very westernized Indian dancing? I REALLY need the anthropology of dancing! I think all my favorite dances so far have been Asian.
Indonesian totally the best one of them all. Maybe tied with the Ukrainian Hopak. Good thing I don't have to vote.
Alright, I'm sneaking out--not going to meet the cast, no offense. That was a good time!

This is NOT a thing

Has anyone else noticed the trend in gimmicky headlines to say things like, "The Internet (fill in the blank)"? And is anyone else bothered by it?

I noticed it a lot during the Olympics. Which I didn't really watch, but based on the headlines, "the Internet" probably needs to be either hospitalized, sent to therapy, or go on a vacation. I don't know how many things broke "the Internet" or how many times 'the Internet' expressed an strong feeling about something ("So-and-so just did xyz and the Internet is not happy") or thought something. And it continued through the Oscars.

I'm not sure why I find this so annoying. Maybe it is too much like someone referring to themselves in the 3rd person. Maybe I just hate the arrogance of assuming that the American Internet is "The Internet". Maybe I just think it's idiotic to try to personify something as incoherent as the internet. Maybe I'm just getting old. Or maybe it's just that every time a headline uses "the Internet", it is bound to be about something totally trivial. "The Internet" is a very obnoxious entity.* 

Whatever the reason, I find "the Internet" really annoying and I'm opposed. Boo on "the Internet"!

*As opposed to the internet, which, while sometimes obnoxious, is just a useful tool. 

When I was a kid

A while back, while a tech guy was setting up a new computer, we got to talking about The Oregon Trail. Which, if you don't know what that is, sad days for you. Anyway, we started joking about how playing Oregon Trail was our version of "When I was a kid, I walked to school uphill both ways in a blizzard". So, in preparation for the day when I may get to say stuff like that, here is my list of "uphill both ways in a blizzard":

When I was a kid, the phone was connected to the wall.
When I was a kid, the best computer game we had was Oregon Trail.
When I was a kid, there was no internet.*
When I was a kid, you had to watch TV on the TV. AND you had to watch the commercials.
When I was a kid, you sent letters using stamps. At the Post Office.
When I was a kid, we had to write our homework by hand. On paper. With pencils.
When I was a kid, there were only 2 kinds of M&Ms. (Maybe 3).
When I was a kid, you had to lock all of the car doors individually. And you had to unlock them by putting the key in the lock on the car door.
When I was a kid, people listened to music on cassette tapes. Or on the radio. And they had to listen to whatever the radio station played.

Just a short list of my "very very challenging childhood." Ha.

*I would like to note that I am NOT that old. The internet is just very very young.

I doth protest

Can anyone tell me when February happened? Because it can't really be almost March. What has happened to the year? I mean really, people. We just barely got a little bit of winter (at least six inches over President's day weekend and on Friday, it snowed all day. It was amazing! And wintry!) and now it's getting time for that winter to spring transition.

Anyway, I protest that we are already this far into the year. And I protest that I had to work on a day when it snowed giant fluffy snowflakes all day long. At the very least, we should have all taken a hot cocoa break and sat and watched it snow for 10 minutes, right?

I also protest the "Taste of Texas BBQ Payday", which is criminal.*

And I protest "RompHims". Again, who hated the world so much that they unleashed this on us? A woman trying to get back at men for nylons?**

Also protesting daylight savings time, which happens to be on my birthday this year and is, quite frankly, an abomination every year, whether it's my birthday or not. My exhaustion does not need random fiddling of the clocks. Plus, we just barely got the computers in the reference room at work fixed from the last daylight savings switch.

I protest whoever thought that spreading all your peanut butter out and freezing it so that you can just whip it out of the freezer and slap it on your pb and j whenever you need to is a life hack.*** Just no. And whoever came up with the phrase "life hack". Just on principle.

While I'm at it, I'd like to protest the whole "buy this new movie release digitally but then we aren't going to let you buy it on actual physical mediums for another week. And, oh yeah, forget about pre-ordering anything but the digital" trend. Really? Weirdos.

Finally, I protest general meanness, lack of sleep, and having to think of what to fix for dinner.

Soap box out.

*And yet, a real thing. WHO sat down and said, "You know, this Payday candy bar is pretty tasty, but it needs a little something. Hmm, what could it be? I know, barbecue sauce!" Because that person needs help. 
**That's fair. I mean, I could kind of support that. 
***Although, based on internet search results, she's been protested plenty, so I hereby retract my protest, because at this point it just feels mean. 

A little something something

Something I've been reading:
Thank Heaven Fasting by E.M. Delafield. It was a bit depressing. Feminists would gnash their teeth. I also read an article about Wyatt Earp and the shootout at the OK Corral in the context of police shootings and how judges rule, which was very interesting.

Something I'm looking forward to this week:
I have made an actual meal for lunch this week. This is a huge achievement and I'm looking forward to eating it. Also, I'm looking forward to visiting family this weekend. And hopefully seeing Black Panther.

Something I actually accomplished last week:
Uh....oh, yeah! I did do something. I finally did all my mending.

What I wish I was doing right now:
Sleeping.

Something I've been watching:
Monk. And last night, I watched Captain America: Winter Soldier. For the record, I think that one has some of the best music of the Marvel movies.

Something that I bought this week:
Birthday presents for my nieces. But I can't decide which one to give to the younger one. I may have to consult her parents. It's so hard to shop when you don't know what they already have!

Something I listened to:
Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex. I've been terrible at listening to podcasts lately. I think I just got very tired of everyone always being so cranky about everything. And sounding like 5 year olds fighting. "Did not!" "Did too!" "Am not!" "Are too!" So, I've been doing audiobooks more.

Something I learned this week:
There is a book called Five Centuries of Base Metal Spoons. I may have actually learned that last week, but I'm counting it. There does not appear to be a companion volume for forks.

Something I discovered this week:
I really need to clean up my computer. Files everywhere, a lot that need to be scrapped. It's a disaster.

Something I'm glad I did this week:
I went to the temple. On my day off. Which was nice, because I could go in the morning. And then I grabbed a sweet roll from the cafeteria. Totally worth it (and not just because of the sweet roll).

Something isn't right

Dear Mother Nature,

Greetings! I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing. You see, I'm just a little concerned because, well, the weather seems to be a bit off. So I wanted to make sure you're doing okay.

It's not that I don't appreciate the near 60 degree days we've had of late. I mean, it's beautiful and supremely pleasant. But, I'm sure you noticed--it's only February. maybe you just want to change things up a bit. I'm sure the usual spring-summer-fall-winter routine gets a little boring after a while. But, you know how it is. Winter brings us the snow we need so that we don't burn to the ground in the summer. No biggie, but it would sure be helpful to get a bit of snow.

Anyway, my apologies if I sound like I'm complaining. I just wanted to make sure you're doing alright.

All my best.

And now it's just sad

I finally took down my Christmas tree on Saturday. In fairness, I took all the ornaments off the week before. And on Saturday morning, as I was riding the bus to meet up to go snowshoeing, I did ride by a house that still had their tree up. So I am not alone in liking Christmas decor.

Anyway, I took the tree down on Saturday and now my living room is incredibly empty. And boring. And kind of sad. Who knew that a tree made such a difference? I should be thrilled to have more room, but nope. It's just kind of a bummer.

On the bright side, ten more months and it can go up again. :)

Check Mark on the Bucket List

Today, I finally got to cross something off my bucket list: I went snowshoeing.

Snowshoeing has been on my bucket list for a few years. I tried to go a couple weeks ago, but there wasn't really enough snow. Instead, a thin layer of packed down snow that boots were good enough for, and then halfway up a lot of ice. And snowshoes don't work so great on ice.

But today, I tried again with a friend, and it was great! I like hiking (not super duper crazy hiking. I don't know if I have the stamina, I'm a bit of a wuss. But, nice, day hikes), and I like snow, and I like mountains, so this was a combination of all three and I really enjoyed it. It was good exercise and a nice day outdoors.

And,  of course, I took photos:

Clearly, a fun weekend for me. So, now I can move on to the next thing on my bucket list. As soon as I figure out what that is.