Moving

It's a topic for me this week. I think about it and realize that we do it all the time. In my understanding, we as Americans move frequently within the span of our life. Some moves are across the country and some are "just down the street." Since I first moved out of my parents house 7 years ago, I have moved three times. From a house to an apartment to a house. My parents on the other hand have stayed in the same house for about 23 years. I guess you could defend the longevity of the stay in one home by age claiming that you are are more likely to move when you are first married and without children. The other side of this would be that once you have your children, you will stay in the same location for their sake. Your younger years (20's and 30's?) is the time in your life when you are moving up in your career, increasing your salary, and increasing your lifestyle with few ties to one location (geographically or just an apartment builiding).

I know it's a little off subject, but from time to time I wonder what it was like when the settlers first settled. A family would get some land, build a house, bring in the neighbors to raise a barn roof. Then, when their children grow up the wives of the sons move into the family house and the daughters marry and move in with their husbands family. If they don't move into the same house with their parents, they build another house on the same family farm inviting the neighbors over again for another roof raising. Nothing much changed outside of aging. Same people you live with. Same neighbors nextdoor. Same farm land to plow, seed, and harvest. Same one room schoolhouse for your children as was there for you. The same old "schoolmarm" teaching multiple generations. A large supper every day with your family rather than our standard now of one per year on either christmas or thanksgiving. It seems that only 200+ years later a family of four can easily pin down the United States or even the world by living in the furthest corners from eachother. They head out "looking for a bright new world," I wonder if they ever find it.

Moving

So I'm planning a move of our house. About 20 - 40 miles. That's it. It still requires packing. It still requires movers. It still requires figuring out how to do all this in the next 2 weeks. No, I would not say I am stressed about it. I would say I am intriuged by why people do this. Nest in one place to pick up and make a new nest in another place. I will give credit to the birds, they just leave it all and start new. The female robin does not hold tight to a piece of string that she found and have to take it with her. The male robin does not reminisce about a couple sticks and how he wrestled a bluejay for the rights to them and demand they figure out a way to bring all 3 sticks with them. No. They just leave it all behind. Done and done. Off to the new. Although when birds do that they pick up more sticks, string and leaves from the ground for free. If we left our couch, I am not sure if we would be able to get another without spending a dime. Unless we find one on the side of the road. As Jeff Foxworthy says, "If that's there after dark, it be in my living room."

Daily Comics

I enjoy a few comics on a daily basis. As I do not get the newspaper daily, I check out the websites to see these few comics. There was a time when I would read all the comics, just to pass the time, and decided there are only a few that I enjoy for the humor or for the storyline or both. I wonder if people can be divided into those two categories... read the few they like or read them all. I would think so, but I've been wrong before.

I would like to meet the guy (or girl to be pc) who reads comics they do not like, seeks out one or two each day, to see if they have gotten better or to see if they are suddenly funny. For instance, do I suddenly find a fat cat funny or a group of guys on an army base? Maybe the sandwich guy did something I'll laugh at today.... nope, he's taking a nap and I don't find naps laughable. I wonder if this person exists, the always optimistic in regards to the comics guy who hopes each day that the next one he reads about the heavy girl shopping will make him laugh.

Is it spring when the squirrels start romping?

Yesterday afternoon, I watched as two squirrles played chase outside my office window. They hopped from tree to tree and then back to the ground only to run in a circle and do it all over again. They paused once or twice to eat flowers off the tree that is blooming.

Everything is that bright shade of green that only comes with new blooming in the spring. The flowers are peaking up out of the ground. And this morning I have the space heater under my desk on as it is only 40 degrees outside and in my office building. But my toes are toasty warm.

Click-Click Type-Type Say No More

Let's start off by admitting I am an internet shopper. Done and out there. I am an internet banker, bill payer, take out orderer, reservation maker... if I can do it online, I wonder why I would consider doing it any other way.

Now that we have the context out of the way, my sister has introduced me to audiobooks online from the library. Now this combines two of my favorite things: accomplishing daily tasks online and free stuff. (yes, I consider the library free stuff... I have to give it back so it's free borrowed stuff, but still I didn't pay for it). This works by signing into the library website, downloading the mp3 file(s) that comprise the book and playing it on your computer in the next 20 days before the file is "due back" so it dissappears. The marvel that is modern technology. If we tried just a little, we wouldn't ever have to leave our houses. We click-click type-type and bing bam boom (UPS truck that is, what can brown do for you?) there is every daily errand we used to leave the house to accomplish.

Seriously, what (other than associating with the three-dimensional people) can you not do from the comfort of your house in your pj's if you desired?

Morning coffee

cof·fee (kôf, kf) n.
1. a. Any of various tropical African shrubs or trees of the genus Coffea, especially C. arabica, widely cultivated in the tropics for their seeds that are dried, roasted, and ground to prepare a stimulating aromatic drink.
b. The beanlike seeds of this plant, enclosed within a pulpy fruit.
c. The beverage prepared from the seeds of this plant.
2. A moderate brown to dark brown or dark grayish brown.
3. An informal social gathering at which coffee and other refreshments are served.

So tons of people wake up in the morning to the beverage prepared from the seeds of any of various tropical African shrubs or trees of the genus Coffea. We buy the seeds that have been roasted, grind them up, run boiling water through them and drink it with sugar and cream. We say we are grouchy without our morning coffee. Some people go so far as to say they are not morning people. Some people will pay four bucks for someone else to prepare their morning coffee. All because of the beanlike seeds of a pulpy fruit from a tropical African shrub?

Crazy lights

Ry and I were driving home through the country roads of Southern Virginia last night (it might be central Virginia, but it feels like the deep south down there). As we are driving on a dark road surrounded by farms, a light shines directly at us from ahead. It's in our lane. It circles about. We gasp and swerve into the other lane - luck would have it that at 11:00 p.m. the farm roads are sparse of traffic. As we pass the light, we realize that it is a man, walking down the middle of our lane, flailing his arm about with his flashlight in it. There was another man walking with him who had chosen to walk on the shoulder of the road.

This post may not do it justice, but it was weird. white lights darting about in front of you late at night on a lonely road. If we had been drinking beer it might have been a UFO story.

MySpace to determine the future of the USA?

So today's story is one of technology and I guess how far we've come. Quoted from the linked story, "...there's a new marker of the elusive "it" factor: The number of people who have added you as a MySpace friend." I'm not sure I want to publically admit it (wait, it's online, isn't that already public admittance?) but I have a MySpace page. I have reconnected with some high school and college friends through MySpace. It's been a good place to share comments, stories, and photos as well as catch up on everyone's life. My sister, on the other hand, believes anyone with a college degree and a MySpace page needs some help. Now don't get all mad at her yet, she's not saying that cruely, but just stating her opinion that MySpace is a playground for teenyboppers to share their latest crushes and dating stories ("OMG, my BFN and I totally HH for 10 min!")

But back to the link at hand... So if the primaries are a popularity contest and your friends on MySpace are the voters, then yes the democratic candidates are ahead. But if the primaries are still when you go into a booth with a little curtain and push a button on a touch screen that says in big green letters "VOTE" then maybe we don't have anything here. I guess I'll say you decide.

Eggs, it's whats for breakfast

So saturday morning our alarm clock sounds the "News, Traffic and Weather" of the local radio station. The traffic report includes a story about a tractor trailer that has spilled its contents on the capital beltway causing a back up and delays. Not uncommon for the DC Metro area, what was uncommon was the contents being eggs.

This morning, MSNBC lists the story on their website. Just one more joy of living in this city.

Singing in the car

So I read Scott Adams' Blog almost daily. Today's entry now has me concerned.

Here is my confession... I am a car singer. I am also a shower singer, hallway singer, sing at my desk and along with any song that is playing at any time anywhere if I want to. I never considered everyone around me not liking it. Maybe that's selfish. But suddenly, I read his blog entry and got scared. Maybe I sing outloud in public so frequently that it bothers other people.

Here is an example. My husband and I were at dinner with some friends the other night. Chatting away, eating away, when one of the friends asked if I like karaoke. I realized I had been singing along to the music in the restaurant. His question brought up an entire conversation related to karaoke so I didn't think about it. Now I am. Was his comment a statement about my singing ability and that maybe I shouldn't be signing at a dinner table in a crowded restaurant?

Rain

When I walked out to our car today, it had been raining all night. The fallen fall leaves were all over the ground, creating mini dams and forcing the rainwaters to find another way to flow across the parking lot. I stepped in a mini lake of a puddle held in place by one of the leaf dams.

Good Samaratin

So today I had an odd experience with a good samaratin.

My Ryan and I were commuting to work together as we do most mornings (with him driving and me half asleep in the passenger seat) and driving congested traffic slow on the captiol beltway, a gentleman pulls up next to us on the left shoulder of the highway. GS rolls down his window and motions for Ryan to do the same. Then GS informs us that our rear tire is low and he just wanted us to know. GS said that it is not flat, but rather low and that we might want to inflate it when we get where we are going.

My first reaction was thankful. That could be dangerous and good for someone to let us know as we are unable to see our rear tire while driving our car on the highway.

My second reaction was thinking what a weird situation. Who is so bored in traffic or such a good person these days that they feel the need to pull up next to you on the shoulder while you are both inching along at about 5 or 10 mph and inform you that your tire is low. You would most likely notice it when you got out of your car at your destination.

Then I just wondered about how odd the entire situation was, but I guess anything to liven up the morning commute. So if you read blogs Mr. Good Samaratin on the Beltway who drives a white Jeep, Thanks! Thanks for the heads up on our tire and thanks for the excitement during the commute.

It's like a new years resolution....

... I keep thinking I will post more, but I never tell anyone so that no one will hold me accountable when I don't. Don't give me credit for that thought, I borrowed it. However I do enjoy the breif moments when I log in and blog a little something.

Today I am thinking about what I think about. I know it's a little twisted (maybe deep?) but just try it for one whole day. Take conscious note of all your thoughts. Are they positive or negative. Are they about concepts or people. You read that your thoughts are not a byproduct of your attitude as much as your attitude is a byproduct of your thoughts. You have more control over what you think about, so stop thinking about how bad today is and start thinking about how good it is going to get. I find it helps me to keep a smile on my face. Maybe it will work for yours?

Knitting

I have always been a half-crafter. I get all excited about making something crafty but somehow it ends up in the land of unfinished projects (somewhat like the land of lost toys?). My husband just sighs and rolls his eyes when I take on a new craft.

First it was the quilt, I made him go fabric shopping with me at 8 p.m. one night because I was going to make a quilt. I made about 8 squares and quit at that. It's sitting in the project basket.

Then my sister taught me to cross stitch. Tons of fun! I made 2 or three, and then quit after starting the 3rd. It got hard? It's also in the basket.

Then my mother re-taught me to crochet. That's fun! I made a blanket for my new nephew. I made a purse for my sister. I started a wrap and that's sitting in my car.

My sister came to visit and was knitting a blanket. It looked fun. She re-taught me to knit. the blanket is sitting about 1/4 finished in the project basket.

Now I want to learn to knit bigger things, and read patterns, and make sweaters or something. Will it happen? Who knows. I like to believe that I'll finish all of these projects and start many more. I like to think I'm crafty...

Parking Lot Carnivals

Let's start with an explanation... These are when the five or six flashing light rides and the twenty or so "win a stuffed toy" games come and take up residence in the K-Mart parking lot for a week or so. You pay a couple dollars to get in and you pay for tickets to ride rides and you pay for carnival food and you pay to play games to win a prize that you could have bought inside that K-Mart for less than you spent to win it.

Now this is something semi-new to me. I don't ever remember doing these as a kid. Since I've been older I have taken my brother-in-law to the fair (much the same concept but in a field rather than a parking lot) and I have seen these all over the place.

So last night, Ryan and I passed one of these fairs at about 9 at night, so we turned around and went. We ate a funnel cake (with only powdered sugar, none of that fruit stuff on my funnel cakes!) and we rode a ride. We got off of the ride laughing so hard and headed home. I guess it's a little odd that we did all that just for one ride, no prizes and a funnel cake. Sometimes you just have to be a kid again.

In case I've inspired you... http://members.aol.com/parklinks/carnivals.htm

Immigration Strike/ Protest/ What?

With the debate on immigration and illegal immigrants (aka undocumented aliens) and their right to citizenship in the united states, I just have one question... What?

I understand the debate, I see both sides, and here I sit in the middle somewhere not taking a strong stance to either side. However... that is not what I am wondering "what?" about. My question is if you are going to take a stand, can you just take one?

Let me detail. A few weeks back, all across america people marched in major cities to show that they did not agree with congress' discussion on sending all illegal immigrants back home. They wanted to show that immigrants are an important part of our country and that they need to be treated as people. Well to commentate from me, no argument there. Many people immigrate to this country every day for differing reasons and some do so illegally (or again, undocumented) as the process of immigrating is not an easy or inexpensive one. I am not making a judgement call on whether the people who have entered the united states without the "proper documentation" are right or wrong, instead I am just stating that it happens.

This march was very effective in getting the issue to the forefront of every news show, every newspaper and in the minds of everyone across the country. That is, everyone who is not worried about Tom Cruise and Katie (I'm sorry, Kate now?) Holmes starring in a movie together and will this effectively ruin their marriage. Therefore, they (who are they anyways? the organizers of the march?) decided to stage an immigrant strike. Prove to the americans that immigrants are important to the economy and that we can't send them back to their home countries. So May 1st, every immigrant (legal and illegal?) planned to not go to work, school, and not do any shopping. Thus showing everyone else that immigrants are important to society.

Now here comes the confusion, and I'm not talking about whether this is supported and which groups are telling people to do so and which are saying don't or if they gave congress enough time after the march to choose to escallate the protests, etc. Nope, none of that is my confusion. I am confused in that this is a country founded on immigration. Who are we talking about when we say that this is a protest by all immigrants. Unless you are a native american indian, I think you shouldn't be working, learning, or shopping today. I thought the debate was about illegal immigrants and whether we should offer them ways to get citizinship or whether the government should round them up and send them back to their home countries. I thought the people who immigrated legally were not up for discussion at this point. My understanding is that here in america we understand that we need these people to fill the jobs they are filling as we have given them a work visa to do so? Or maybe this issue has been confused by too many people wanting to utilize this platform to push an agenda. Even when those who planned this boycott (all of those, 3 or 4 major groups across the country) specifically said in today's news that is not the case and that they care most about the immigrants rights.

Blogs

I have had some "free time" at work and have been reading blogs from time to time. Just anyone's. No rhyme nor reason for the ones I pick, just that they are there...

I find it interesting to voyer into other's lives. I think I have said this before.

It makes me wonder who reads my blog. Anyone? Will I ever know. I wonder if some random person is reading my blog right now. And do they enjoy it?

I hope so. And if you are reading, I'll leave you with a thought... one of my favorite deep thoughts from Jack Handy... If you are ever robbing a bank and your pants suddenly fall down, I think it's okay to laugh. And to let the hostages laugh too. Because come on, life is funny.

Springing Spring

Spring came and went already this year. And it didn't stick around too long.

That's not true... It just cooled down.

So, with the advent of spring comes the flowers blooming. When was the last time you stopped and looked at the flowers. Admired the varying colors. Maybe even, although cliche, stopped to smell the flowers? I look up and see buds on the trees, look down and see sprouts poking out of the ground. And even my potted calalilly in my kitchen is starting to poke through the dirt again (I thought I may have killed it but kept watering the dirt anyway).

I am awaiting the first storm of the spring. Not a little sprinkle. I'm looking forward to a nice big thunderstorm. The kind that would have come with a tornado if I was in the midwest.

Assignment #4, Really: Adbusters

I guess I'll call this assignemnt 4 as well. I might have made up the number for my previous #4. . . However, here is today's assignement that I will write: "For your blog assignment #4 take a look at the website "Adbusters." Cruise through the site until you find something interesting--something about which you have an opinion or can take a stand. You might have to do some further research before you can come to some conclusions. Then in your blog tell us what you have to say, tell the whole world what to think about this issue. Use links to other sites to support your message."

When scanning the Adbusters site, I came across the article about Buy Nothing Day. Now I am not a big shopper, I just have never enjoyed stores very much as they are often crowded and usually I end up buying things I do not need. Also, I believe that consumerism is a problem in that we buy for the sake of buying. We watch commercials that make us want things, we go to the store and buy those things, however we never needed the things to begin with. I think it would be interesting to live without for a while. Not without the things we need, but without the things we want. These things including television, video games, computers -- maybe a vacation at Amish Acres. But I am getting a bit off of topic.

The idea of Buy Nothing Day is for people to take back control and not shop. For a whole day. Is it possible to do this? Especially around Christmas? I wonder if we would buy any gifts for our family and friends if we only bought someone a gift that we thought they needed. Would your brother get anything? I know I would be doing a lot less shopping for my husband's siblings. Not that I don't love them, but I don't think that they need anything. I think we buy them things to have bought them something.

Looking further into the ideas on Buy Nothing Day, I came across Buy Nothing Christmas. They ask "But wait. Without the plastic gifts, how will you show you care?" Then they have people post ways to show you care at Christmas without the buying of "plastic gifts." So many ideas were posted from giving to charity, buying things for those who are in need, giving homemade gifts, and just spending time with those you love.

If you type "Christmas Gifts" into Google's Search Engine, you get 33,900,000 hits, the first one being a website www.christmasgifts.com. Seriously? That is one way to ensure a non-personal gift. I went to this website and it offered me a list of everything that I can purchase in any category and then linked me to stores that sold each item. This alone states the problem of consumerism today. So look the site up, and even if buying nothing for Christmas is too much for you, do celebrate Buy Nothing Day on November 26 and go ahead and buy nothing that day.

Assignment #6: Word Games

I know, I have gotten out of order on the assignments. However, with no grade at stake, I feel that I am able to do these in any order I please. Assignment #6 states, "These are the top five word games at the Yahoo Games Site: Literati, Text Twist, Bookworm, Flip Words, Word Mojo Gold. Play at least 2 of them and then discuss whether these are time wasters or good practice/learning tools. Don't just give your opinion--support your opinion with facts (details!) from your experience."

Without taking the time to play these games today I am able to answer this assignement as I regularly play the word games both on Yahoo Games and on other sites. I feel that these games can be both learning tools and time wasters.

We'll begin with learning tools. These games assist in spelling, vocabulary, and the ability to do these quickly. I have become spoiled by Microsoft Office as it not only has the button for spell check, but also has auto-correct which will fix common words that I mistype or just have never learned to spell correctly (the i before e rule always catches me). Bookworm, in particular, is beneficial for vocabulary as it gives you the definition of the more uncommon words that you spell. Finally, these games are beneficial in the same way that Minesweeper is beneficial to those new to a computer. They help you learn computer usage, specifically mouse skills.

At the same time, however, these games can be time wasters. I could spend (and have) an afternoon just playing Bookworm or Text Twist. I could easily stay up 2 hours later than I should just to beat my high score. Like all video games, you can easily play for too long and therefore the game can be a time waster. I believe, however, that "wasting time" is an opinion. While I may feel that playing Text Twist for two hours was a waste of time, someone else may not feel the same if he has gained enjoyment and learned some new words in his two hours of playing Flip Words.