Food For Thought #7

Bonus photo is our red bud tree at night.

Appetizer: When it comes to the weekend, do they usually measure up to your expectations?

I tend to wish they were longer, so I'd have a day with nothing I felt obligated to do. But, on weekends at least I get to do the "work" I like (teaching knitting) and I get to see my friends at church and usually sing something, which is another thing I like to do. So, those aren't horrible obligations. I always hope to get a LOT of knitting done, but to also do fun things with the family. One of those usually happens!

Soup: What good thing happened this week that you were not expecting?

My oldest son gave me a birthday gift, but more wonderful, a hand-made card that was really, really funny. Those are the kinds of things you will always treasure. I keep carrying it around and showing it to people.

Salad: If one end of a scale is, “I like to have every second of my day planned and executed according to that plan”mand the other end is “I like to take life as it comes, completely spontaneously,” where do you fit?

I'm in the middle, I guess. I would like to know I am going out of town, but if we took a different road or went somewhere else, that would usually be fun. And I like knowing we are going out to eat, but where is not important. I generally want weekends unstructured, if I can swing it.

Entré: Do things just happen, or do we control what happens in our lives?

I have a strong existentialist bent, which would mean that there's no master plan out there, but I think each decision we make affects what direction things will go in.

Dessert: What are your plans, if any, for the weekend.

Teach knitting, move the bird to a new spot in the house, go to a birthday dinner with family and friends and see a friend's new band, go to church and see the youth service, go to a fund-raiser concert in the evening. Next weekend is a baby shower.

Food for Thought #2

Lee is calling this "Food for Thought" Now, so I will too. Not much else is happening, so this should be fun.

Appetizer: Look to your left. What color do notice see first?

Black. My laptop case is next to me. Most everything here is black, gray or white, unless it is that shade of blue in the corporate logo. I am at work, eating lunch.

Soup: What type of beans do you enjoy most?

The attractive and delicious black-eyed pea, about which I rhapsodized at New Year's. I love that smokey flavor.

Salad: What was the most interesting thing that happened during the last week?

Since Lee was sick and nothing much else was going on, probably the new Bruce Springsteen album was it for me.

Entré: What was the most difficult decision your had to make in the last year? How did you decide?

In the past week or so I have had to come to the decision to have poor old Gwynnie euthanized. She is almost unable to walk and is losing control of her bladder. She has so much trouble getting around. She just can't be enjoying life any more. Now I just have to get it done. I do not like this, but it is probably the kindest thing to do.

Dessert: Among your friends and family, who has the next birthday?

My friend Deana has a birthday in mid-February and so does Jody. There are probably others. I am not good with birthdays. My dad is February 25.

Friday's Feast! Friday's Feast!

Thanks to my fine husband, who decided to do it himself, Friday's Feast is back. Let's see what questions his cold-medicine delirium came up with for me to answer (and note that you are welcome to do this and post to your own blog!)...

Appetizer: Who is the person physically nearest you right now? What is that person doing?
Daniel is quietly typing. That's all he does, other than occasionally make a munching sound. Quietest coworker ever (I am writing this on lunch break).

Soup: Hit Shuffle on your mp3 player. What do you like most about the song came up? (If you don’t have an mp3 player, use the song currently on your favorite radio station.)
My MP3 player is at home. And I can't get radio in here. The song in my head is "Oklahoma" and I have no clue as to why it's there. But, it's a frequent feature on Suna's internal radio. I hope others have internal radios, too.

Salad: What is your favorite restaurant?
It used to be the Greek restaurant right down Golf Road from Meacham in Schaumburg, Illinois. But, I'll never get to eat THERE again due to anti-Suna rays or something. So, here in the greater Austin/Round Rock area, I think it would be Z Tejas. Every entree I ever had there was superb, and I love the vegetables and potatoes, too. I also love Kerbey Lane, but both of those are out because they are too loud for Lee to enjoy (the Kerbey Lane near us just moved and suddenly became cacophonous) . Of the restaurants I actually get to eat at, it would be a tie between Kim Phung (Vietnamese/Chinese) and Johnny T's Barbecue (home of the barbecue from our wedding). (I'd will say I like to GO to Mesa Rosa, but I wish they have a more varied menu.)

Entré: What are you most looking forward to in the Obama administration? What do you most fear? (Even Republicans has something to hope for, and even Democrats have something that they fear.)
I look forward to being able to actually trust my government's leaders to be acting with the country and world's best interests at heart, and not just with the interest of the richest people on earth at heart. My fear is that hate-filled nut-cases will do foolish things, which seems to happen to so many people with strong moral compasses and the guts to stand up to extremists.

Dessert: What made you laugh hardest in the last 24 hours?
It was not a particularly funny 24 hours. There were layoffs at work that directly affected people I care about, my husband was very sick, the sick dog peed all over the carpet, and I had a semi-frustrating visit to the cable company offices. I remember laughing at something Stephen Colbert said, but I can't remember what it was. Gee, most days I'd do better on this question.

PS: I didn't have a Wednesday Wonder this week because I was too sick and tired on Wednesday to post. It would have been Obama anyway. And I think we've all heard enough presidential gushing for a while. Next week, someone less predictable!

8 Things for 08/08/08

[Eek, I accidentally posted this to the knitting blog yesterday (I am writing this on the 9th, but back-dating the post). Luckily eagle-eyed Lee spotted the mix up. OOOPS.]

Well, poop, no Friday's Feast again. It's been a month, so I guess it is dead. Fine. I will make up my own thing.

Suna's Eight Great Assertions on 08/08/08

1. It is my friend Diana's birthday. How cool to have such a fun day for your birthday! I know a lot of weddings are going on today, too!

2. The high school band season starts today. We go to the "Watermelon Social" today, which includes a frenzy of buying band booster stuff.

3. I feel good, really good, for the first time in a long time. It's like the universe shifted and things are more favorable to me. I will enjoy that as long as it lasts! Maybe it's that happy rock Nancy gave me.

4. I got a really cool present from my first significant other, whom I have known since 9th grade. It was so exciting to see his handwriting on the envelope! More details to come when I have a picture.

5. Lee planted me some new flowers. Even a hibiscus! They are near the front door, so I will see them a lot. Plus, he put some more on the side yard, and those sunflowers are growing like crazy. Even in the third hottest summer ever, we have some nice, cheerful plants. (Lee also has fixed some of the weird wiring on our light switches. Soon they will be back to how they were before XH re-did them for his X10 system.)

6. My "be a better friend" campaign is going well, too. I get to go bead shopping with TWO friends tomorrow. Maybe three, who knows? And I sent an online friend a whole bunch of dishcloths, which I hope cheer her up. Plus, I sent a stranger some leftover yarn. I don't usually do all the "exchanges" and "secret pals" knitters do, but I saw a request for some yarn and I actually had some. Why not?

7. I get to see Lee do music in public again on Sunday. He's playing guitar at the church service.

8. I like my job. I haven't been able to say THAT since March 2007. I am glad to be back. Even if it's a place with low morale, it's low morale with nice, straightforward people.

I hope you have 8 great things in your life today. Heck, I even have MORE. Maybe I'll go on some more tomorrow!

Friday's Feast, A Week Late

Mutant Bluebonnet
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I never got around to doing last week's Friday's Feast, so we will have that one for today. At this point, there isn't one for this week posted. And also, here's a photo of a mutant bluebonnet on the square in Burnet, Texas. It is made out of some kind of foam and is quite a conversation starter.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

A week ago. As soon as I knew I had the contract job, I felt OK with spending the money to get my hair done.

Soup: Name one thing you miss about being a child.

The yard in the house I grew up in, which was two lots that my dad had covered in beautiful azaleas, camellias and other plants, all under huge oaks.

Salad: Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

Butter. It makes everything yummy. Just use in moderation.

Main Course: If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

Mandarin, since I guess they'll be taking over sooner or later. And, slightly more seriously, because I never was very good with tone languages--I sucked at Thai.

Dessert: Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

Getting ready to take Tuba Boy to grad school, moved out of this suburban house to somewhere less crowded, and enjoying time with Lee.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: What is the weather like today where you live?

It will be 100F by the end of the day. It has been the hottest June ever. There is a tiny chance of rain. We are already in drought, and that usually doesn't start until July. Ugh.

Soup: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?

3. I chose doing what I loved over doing what made money, and it backfired horribly. I am now 50 years old and still in "starter" jobs. I am highly educated and smart, but did all the wrong things, including spending over a decade at a nonprofit organization that many people dislike so much that they hold it against you in other jobs. Right now, I just want something that pays enough to cover my bills. I just want to knit.

Salad: What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?

There are wood blinds in the office and dining room. The rest of the house has really nice blinds that save energy. In the media room they are the type that can lower from the top or raise from the bottom. There are toppers in the family room that match some of my kitchen things, and the kids rooms and guest room also have curtains. The master bedroom has some long drapey thing. There are no curtains or blinds in the little formal living room. I never have figured out what I want. It's been eleven years.

Main Course: Name something that instantly cheers you up.

Lee and the kids. And things with pansies on them.

Dessert: How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?

0. Now that I am an unemployed slacker, I ignore Lee's phone alarm. When I am working, I get up the moment the alarm starts. I hate listening to alarms.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose?

That would be Europe. Including islands offshore of it.

Soup: Which browser do you use to surf the Internet?

Firefox

Salad: On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country?

8. I am not a historical scholar, but I certainly know enough to be literate and understand the news. I realized how little I knew when my son was taking AP US History and asked me questions. I often knew the answers, but there were some events I hadn't heard of.

Main Course: Finish this sentence: Love is…

...really complicated

Dessert: Have you ever been in or near a tornado?

WAY too many times for comfort. I am really spooked by them because of it. Examples:

1. Tornado that hit our elementary school and knocked a tree on my brother's kindergarten classroom. Same tornado where my dad was stuck in traffic and saw a truck picked up and set back down going the other way.

2. Tornado that hit north of our town and wiped out my dad's friend's farm. All the hogs were gone. The house was gone (luckily they had gone to check on the grandparents at the next house). And it looked like a road was being paved through their woods. A wide road.

3. Tornado that hit west of town and woke up my college roommate and me. Snapped off the tops of pine trees all over town. Hit at the trailer park where my boyfriend's dad had just bought a used mobile home. The dog next door disappeared. "Our" mobile home just got a big dent.

4. Leaving tornado-prone Gainesville, Florida, there was the huge tornado we watched come toward us in Champaign, Illinois, since we worked near the top of the tallest building in town. We had to FORCE the business owner to go to the basement, away from his email. We told him we needed our jobs.

5. Then we moved to Texas. Tornadoes hit Jarrell Texas in 1997, then waltzed across the countryside, scaring the pee out of the dudes building my house, who had a very clear view, then hit Cedar Park, Texas, including the neighborhood of one of my new friends. The radio said it was coming straight at us. I had a 3 and 6 year old and was living on the third floor of an apartment building. We had NOWHERE to hide. This traumatized Beccano for life.

6. Last month the poor boy and unwittingly I drove home into a tornado warning. Ran inside to hide in the laundry room. He fell apart.

And I have left out a few other close calls.

Friday's Feast

More good job news. I sent in a resume yesterday and heard back immediately from a recruiter, who set up a time to come in and talk to him today. He asked me to write up a paragraph on my instructional design credentials, which I did this morning. A half hour after I sent that off, he called back and said the company wanted to do a phone screening at 5 this afternoon! That's quick action. I'll have to remind myself of all those instructional design terms, like "Bloom's Taxonomy" and such, then I will be ready for that. It feels a bit better to have multiple possibilities.

To relax, Lee and I had a nice Mexican dinner at our favorite nearby restaurant, with our favorite amusing server to entertain us. Then we took a drive through the countryside (hey, it's cheaper than a movie, though barely). We checked out his old house and were really pleased to see what a nice job the new owner has done renovating it. I am glad to see the house living up to its potential. Now it can gather happy memories. We also drove by a lake and saw some interesting old houses and churches.

Plus, I heard from the kids and they are back in the States. Soon they'll be at their dad's house, and Sunday back here!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

I'd prefer the term "realist." I like to look on the best side of things, but if I have evidence to the contrary, I don't like sugar-coating things. As someone who's doing a pretty good job not letting other people's opinions of me get me down, I think I can be optimistic when justified!

Soup: What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

PURPLE.

Salad: How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

I've only had my nails done professionally 3 times. I enjoyed it, but since I have been painting my own very long nails since I was 14, I feel like I do a fine job myself. Since having the kids I haven't been painting my nails as consistently as I used to, but in the summer I do keep the toenails some fun color, and I'd say about 1 week out of 6 my fingernails are painted. They look OK bare since they aren't stained from polish like they used to be. Mostly I spend a lot of time trying to keep them as short as is fashionable now. My nails like to grow and grow. As a teen they were really long and many colors, often all at once.

Main Course: Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

I was the first person to finish a sock in a knitalong, and I won a skein of sock yarn. Ironically the lady sent me yarn in the same color I made the first pair in.

Dessert: In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

LOL, that's a good one. The desktop model is in my office. The laptop roves, though is usually in the media room (where I am now). The kids' computers tend to be in their rooms, though Beccano has a laptop that moves. Lee has his desktop in the office, plus one that runs his MP3 collection through the sound system. He has some number of laptops, too.

O-bla-di-o-bla-dah

Front Yard Edging
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Yeah, life goes on. I am actually recovering a bit from some of the stress of recent months. That is such a relief. I'm getting a whole lot of knitting done, too. And looking for work like crazy.

The good news is some of that is paying off. I am up for a couple more contract positions, and have an actual interview for a REAL job I applied for, but not until next Tuesday. I don't know what to do about that--it sounds like a GREAT place, but I am so worried about income that I might have to accept a contract position before those interviews are over. And I am not going to dump a contract in favor of a job with benefits again, after that last experience. In any case, it feels good to have some action going on.

Speaking of action, Lee has finished the project pictured here in an almost-finished state. This bed in front of the house was getting overgrown, so he expanded it a foot at least on all sides and has put more of those wonderful landscape rocks around it. With the flowers added, our front yard looks wonderful (of course, no one can see it due to Tuba Boy's car blocking the view). Other than the annuals, the entire bed is native plants, so it is very little work. Now our front yard looks very coordinated and well-kept. I sure am grateful to Lee for all his very hard work on this.

The next project on the list is tree trimming. Lee got a little electric chain saw and I can't WAIT until we get ahold of a big ladder so he can trim limbs away from our chimney. You see, the wind has blown for three days straight. Up to 40 mph winds yesterday. The giant tree in the back yard has grown up and around the chimney this year. Limbs bang and bang. Plus, they are banging on windows on all sides of the house. Time for another trimming. Actually, once things settle, we will have fewer trees. I don't want the house damaged. And I need to sleep. We tried sleeping in the guest room last night, but it had its own banging limb.

I love trees, though. I hate to cut them down.

We are taking things very easy right now. With no kids around, we are eating inexpensively and with the notable exception of me spending money at a yarn shop on Wednesday, we not doing much, to conserve money.

Well, friends, I thought I had all sorts of blog fodder, but I feel so out of it that all I can do is paste in Friday's Feast, which is back from vacation, anyway. Please send supportive comments and/or emails. I will appreciate them.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup?

Because I drink so slowly, ice tends to water my soda down, and pouring diminishes the bubbles. So, I guess I prefer it from a bottle or can. I am not really particular about it, though.

Soup: What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch?

The Daily Show and Colbert Report. Actually, I used to stay up and watch Craig Ferguson, too, but Lee is already grumpy that I like to watch the first two, so I have given up on that. When I had to get up before 6, of course, I could not manage that latest one, anyway.

Salad: Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant.

Ravelry, the knitting online community. They have done a great job with that.

Main Course: Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas?

Heavens yes. I'd do it just to have three days off, so I'd have time to go to stores that are only open during "business hours" every so often.

Dessert: If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself?

SuperSuna. Duh.

Stormy Weather and Friday's Feast

Emo Beccano
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Here is a pensive Beccano, in what is called an "Emo Photo" because it is just part of him, and it has been subtly colorized. OK, it fits his mood in the story below.

Storms

I wanted to write yesterday, but I caught up with my tarot blog instead. Lee did a nice post in his blog, though, about the storms we went through on Wednesday night. We had three waves of very severe weather come through the northern and central Austin area. Beccano and I drove into a tornado warning unwittingly because I turned off the radio on the way home from choir to chat with him (he has really enjoyed the math tutoring he is getting from a fellow choir members' daughter). We saw green lightning, then a friend of his called to say, "Where are you?" because he wasn't on AIM. Then we knew we had to boogie home. By the time we got there, a funnel cloud had been sighted. I was sorta freaked out because, well, I have been through more tornado warnings than I'd prefer, and seen way too much horrible damage to people I know. I have tried SO hard to not convey that, but Beccano is also freaked out because we had a bad tornado warning 11 years ago (the tornado leveled a town north of here and damaged the grocery store and neighborhood the next city up from us) when we were in a third-floor apartment and had nowhere to hide. He still remembers.

So, we huddled as long as we could in the very stuffy laundry room with Buddy the dog panting nervously and exuding heat, Beccano shaking or sobbing, me knitting nervously, and Lee wishing he could go be with his precious dogs, who mostly were in their kennels because they would not come in the tiny room. Tuba Boy was at work, huddled in the locker room (he works in a huge, mostly glass gym). Then he went to the New Asian Girlfriend's nearby house until it was safe to drive home, between surges. After the first surge, which delivered hail and a lot of rain, we watched the radar on the second one, which just brought sideways rain (which caused some damage to our bedroom ceiling). The third surge was after we went to bed, though not much sleep was had by anyone, and Gwynneth woke me up pacing and panting in our room at 5 am, because the dogs were locked in the house.

Our neighborhood got by OK, though as Lee reports, he did find a tiny beautiful warbler who was a storm victim. Central Austin was a MESS. You could see it get worse and worse as the bus got closer to campus. There was really bad hail, some of which lingered until morning. The roads and ground were carpeted in oak leaves and branches. There were many downed trees, many broken windows, and such. Our building lost some windows, and the poor old greenhouse next to us looks real bad. A coworker's brand-new house they haven't even moved into yet got a lot of water damage. Much of the day was spent sharing tales of damage and where people huddled. At least it was a time for bonding. And no people were hurt, other than Beccano's friend who got hit by hail while trying to cover his car. Beccano said he had a VERY bad bruise.

Oh yeah, and as mentioned above, Tuba Boy is on the third girlfriend in the past month or two. I guess hormones have settled in. This one seems nice, too. Of course, he would only pick nice ones. But he is following my trend of consoling someone who just got dumped. I may need to have a chat with him on how that can backfire.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: What is the nearest big city to your home?
There are well over a million people in the greater Austin area, so I'd say that's it. I am also near the fairly large suburbs of Round Rock and Cedar Park, Texas.

Soup: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?
To be honest, I'd say an 8. Sometimes there are things that concern me so much that I talk to Lee or a very close friend about them.

Salad: Describe your hair (color, texture, length).
Hmm. My hair is medium-dark brown, with fine texture. It is very thick, so there are a lot of fine hairs. It is also curly/wavy. It doesn't make ringlets like the kids' hair does, but when dried properly, it has nice waves. It can also be dried fairly straight. I am getting some gray in it, more in the front. My family grays slowly, so it isn't too bad. However, for the past few years I have been playing with hair color, so my avatar picture has it when it was a reddish blonde. Right now it is a dark red. I will probably let it grow out after the wedding, since my new income precludes spending a lot of money on hair coloring.

Main Course: What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?
I like to drive legally and politely. But, I am not slow. I think the thing I aim for is efficient driving, taking the quickest route in the smoothest, least stressful way possible. I don't think I am in a race. I want to, as they used to say on Florida license plates "arrive alive." I once heard an interview on the radio with Jackie Stewart, the former race-car driver. He explained that when driving on the road, he didn't try to get there the fastest. He wanted it as smooth as possible. So he left space for easy lane changes, made smooth stops, did gradual accelerations. He pointed out that there was more than one challenge to driving, so speed is not everything. Both I and my ex have remembered that for years.

Dessert: When was the last time you had a really bad week?
I believe that most of April consisted of bad weeks. The time between when the boss said I sucked and no one liked me and the time when she said I actually didn't suck and people were happier with me was incredibly, numbingly stressful.

Friday's Feast

Lung Guitar
Originally uploaded by sunasak

OK, I am late, but you get the bonus photo of a sculpture by a middle school student from the exhibit of local students' art, which was at the Performing Art Center where the boys had their annual final band concert of the year. I found the lung guitar quite a creative concept.

Feast:

Appetizer: When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

I guess. Most people don't smile at me, probably because I am so scary. LOL. No, really, I see nothing wrong with looking pleasant at people who are trying to do the same.

Soup: Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

Most of the house has deep green carpet, which I picked because I could. Why put in beige for resale when by the time you sell the house you'll need new carpet anyway? And after three puppies in 11 years, we do need new flooring. Lee is talking about tile downstairs. We have large tiles in the bathrooms and entry. The kitchen has really boring vinyl tile in bad shape. That is getting replaced in the not-too-distant future, too.

Salad: Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

Suna sure slept soundly Sunday.

Main Course: Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

Plenty.

Dessert: Name 2 blue things.

Robins' eggs and my bird, Skylight, who has been playing with Lee all morning.

Friday's Feast

OK, I am less whacked out (marginally), so I will try to get back to this.

Appetizer: What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?
A tie between Mighty Mouse and Alvin and the Chipmunks. I wanted them to be my children.

Soup: Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?
I would get a dachshund that was an adult and not a crazed barker. I'd probably give her a fun German name. Maybe Brunhilde and call her Brunie.

Salad: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?
That would be a 10. I love dressing up, and have hardly any occasion to. However, I don't like crowds, so often I don't enjoy the events.

Main Course: What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?
I mostly listen to NPR on my commute (mostly on the bus these days). At any other time I listen to either a quirky oldies station that the whole family can agree on or the local independent Americana/Rock for Old People station.

Dessert: When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?
We are sort of looking for a clock for the media room. Prior to that, the last new clock I got was a gift, the bird clock in the office (we turned the sound off).

Friday non-Feast

I'm doing what Sam did, which she said she got from Stephanie, since Friday's Feast took a day off.

F- Favorite Flower?

Pansies. You are supposed to already know that about me, since I have a large collection of pansy items.

R - Favorite Singer?

Linda Ronstadt. Period.

I- Favorite Music Group?

It's a tie: The Who and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band

D - Favorite Meal of All Time?

Gosh, I don't know. Maybe it was the time I made Nancy Jo watch me eat a boatload (not a real boat, large serving dish shaped like a boat) of delicious sushi in the far-western suburbs of Chicago.

A - Favorite Poet?

Emily Dickinson

Y - Favorite Game?

BOGGLE (Specifically, Big Boggle, the Game of Linguists)

Friday's Feast and Obama

Pre-smoked wood
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I hope someone's reading here. Sometimes I wonder. But then, it's mostly for me, anyway! The photo is a cool tree in Lee's woods that had been struck by lightning.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.

I grow weary of this forced creativity.

Soup: Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.

Linda Ronstadt. It's perfect.

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?

8. The inside is nice and clean, and I keep it that way. I have a hard time getting it washed often enough, so it has been covered by oak pollen. Rain has washed off some today, I hope, while it's resting at the Park and Ride place.

Main Course: How do you feel about poetry?

Poetic.

Dessert: What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?

A ball of yarn. I took more stash photos a few days ago, but have not cataloged them.

Obama

Judy, a colleague from my past "career" who usually posts pretty photos of flowers from her coastal New Jersey garden on her blog, linked to this really nice article on Barak Obama today. So, I'm sharing. Read it. It gives you a small bit of optimism in a rather pessimistic time in history (like, aren't they all?)

Friday's Feast and Tarot Ritual in Life

{I wrote this for my tarot blog, but thought I'd share it here, too. The card in the image is the Wheel of Fortune, which has come up a lot lately. To some it means "luck." To me it means experiencing the gamut of emotional responses to a situation.}

I was trying to figure out why in the world I am so consistent about writing to my tarot blog daily. Even when I don't have time to write in my knitting blog or personal one, I get this one updated. I only miss one or two days a month, at most (usually travel days). Why is it a priority for me to put in images, index the cards, and write up my little daily reaction, when no one other than perhaps Lee and rarely Jody even looks at the thing? No one's hanging out at bloglines waiting for my tarot post to come through (other than Lee maybe), and I'm not exactly sure what I am going to do with many years of tarot data (we already have over a thousand posts in the blog).

One possible explanation is that it's a little bit of discipline, like people who write "morning pages" every day, no matter whether they feel like it or have a topic, or not. It's nice to have some order and predictability to one's day, something under your control. And it provides a bit of focus to that bleary-eyed waking up period (I usually remember to select cards first thing in the morning).

Also, it's a daily link to my spirituality, such as it is. A little daily ritual. Drawing the cards forces me to focus inward for at least a few minutes a day, and at the same time to think about the larger influences there are on my life. It's like lighting the chalice Beccano made before meals at home--it is a small personal ritual that reminds me that I am linked to the universe in someway I don't understand, regardless of whether I believe in some Official Deity. It's nice to know that there are ways to express the human urge for connection without bringing in the more narrow definitions of god and community that most religions promote.

I know my experience of tarot is not like that of a lot of people--I do it more at a gut level rather than "by the book" or following some rules, but then when I read other people's views, I often see a similar attitude, that it is more of a way of helping you see connections that you might consciously be blocking or missing for other reasons. I do have that intuitive streak, too, and it comes in as well. Still, I enjoy reading the interpretations other people have made for cards, because they can draw me back in if I've strayed far from a card's properties or message. As with most things, I take tarot as a blend of extremes, and aim for the middle ground. I have noticed that my failings and failures lurk way in the corners where I am still more extreme. I need to remember that!

Friday's Feast

Enough of that philosophical stuff, here's the feast:

Appetizer: What does the color dark green make you think of?

My first thought was that the dark green in the kids' school colors does not contrast enough with the dark blue to make it work in knitted items. Otherwise, it reminds me of a deep forest, which makes me feel safe.

Soup: How many cousins do you have?

I have 18 first cousins, all on my dad's side. No clue about more distant ones.

Salad: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

8. My urge to not hurt people messes up that total honesty thing sometimes.

Main Course: Name something that is truly free.

Human milk. Geez, just can't get away from the former career path.

Dessert: Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

Suna pursued righteous indignation, not grace.

LOLZ.

Chatty Stuff and Friday's Feast

Cool Bug
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Things are a bit better with Beccano--he got a good grade on an exam (in a Pre-AP course!) and did math tutoring well yesterday. I hope he will just keep it up. In his honor, here's a photo I took of a really cute bug on his pineapple plant. Up close the picture is interesting--you can see webs on the leaves.

I am having trouble keeping up with things. Stuff's happening to online friends that I can't even manage to comment on, and I want to be supportive! But I need to focus on the family (that would be a good name for an organization, huh?). In family news we went back to a barbecue restaurant we used to go to when we first moved here, which was under new management. The pulled pork barbecue was incredibly good (really tender and flavorful yet not fatty), as were the very crisp sweet potato fries and an odd but delicious side dish of mashed potatoes, cheese and tortillas. Glad we went back. Even Lee's odd-sounding barbecue ranch chicken sandwich was good. So, that was a fun event for me, Lee and Beccano!

Tuba Boy had the night off and went to visit each of his friends, it appears. He is spending more time with a variety of friends, which pleases me.

OK, here's the feast.

Appetizer: Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

Normally I'd say the country, but with gas prices now, I am wondering what to do.

Soup: Who is the cutest kid you know?

Beccano.

Salad: Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

...the results of the most recent Board of Directors elections at the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization I used to work for.

Main Course: If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

Olay Regenerist serum, because it really has helped my face be less read and flaky, for years now.

Dessert: What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

None. I try to eat healthy foods and extract vitamins from them.

Friday's Feast

If you are looking for stuff on my dad's visit or my new job, you might want to visit Lee's blog, since he is more caught up than I am. He got to work from home this week. He has pictures and everything.

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

8. It used to be a 9, but I have gotten less neat with my aging process. I love to look at old notes I took or papers I wrote by hand in high school or college. I certainly write better than my kids, who inherited a very illegible style from their dad's family.

Soup
Do you prefer baths or showers?

Showers. I want one of those showers with multiple shower heads. MMM.

Salad
What was the last bad movie you watched?

I remember watching something with Beccano that was absolutely awful, but now I can't even remember what it was. Flushed the memory, I guess. I'll see if he remembers and add it later.


Main Course
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.

Knitting. It makes me happy, relaxed and entertained. It is also an excellent substitute for my teenaged nail biting habit. I need to keep my hands busy, due to my preferred learning style or something, so until I started knitting constantly I bit my nails. Now I am pretty much knitting or typing all day, so it's good. Knitting satisfies my need to see beauty and feel it, too. I love to touch and look at yarn. Thanks to knitting I am never bored, and it has also led me to meet some really great people, my yarn shop friends and students!

Dessert
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?

Uilleann pipes (Irish pipes). The sound of these is hauntingly beautiful, not at all like the bagpipes of Scotland. You can hear them in some of Enya's music, especially on the Watermark CD. I wish I could remember the name of the beautiful song that is mostly on Uilleann pipes. Oh, here's a site with some samples to listen to.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?

Jon Stewart

Soup: On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?

1

Salad: Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).

I have donated both my money and sanity to La Leche League International. Currently my money goes to Planned Parenthood.

Main Course: What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?

Salmon sushi or butternut squash.

Dessert: Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?

I almost said no, but then realized that Lee nearly died from the pneumonia resulting from his flu repercussions not so long ago. So, yes.

Friday's Feast

Ooh, hope I still have time to do this next week...we will see!

Appetizer: Who was the last person you hugged?
That would be Lee, this morning before he went to work. He got all enthused.

Soup: Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.
The way I get my hair to stay curly longer is to spray both curl enhancer AND a hairspray into my hair before blow drying with the diffuser. This way, even though my hair is fine, the curls do not wilt. My hair is not as curly as my kids' hair, so it needs a bit of help. The same technique with a smoothing agent will make it stay straight if I want to do that.

Salad: What does the color yellow make you think of?
The kitchen in my parents' house in Florida, which had yellow gingham wallpaper (and festive avocado green 70s appliances). Or the fact that our yarn shop owner doesn't like yellow, so at first she hardly ordered any yellow yarn for the store.

Main Course: If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?
Flowers. I could look at flowers all day, every day.

Dessert: What was the longest book you ever read?
The longest book I ever read every bit of was probably A Woman's Book of Myths and Secrets by Barbara J. Walker. The longest book I own is a gigantic Kenkyusha Japanese-English dictionary.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

I can't remember doing one, unless it was a group thing. I am not really fond of them. Party pooper, huh.

Soup: What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

My favorite ones were two cute pigs, but one broke. Right now we have three sets we use in the kitchen and dining area. All are plexiglass or plain glass. Two have grinders. Boring but functional.

Salad: Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?

I guess it will be Lee's dad's house. If I am truly back to being a contractor it means no vacation, and ALE does not send contractors anywhere.

Main Course: What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?

I have some rose cream from L'Occitane d'Provence or however you spell it. I like that best. There is also some nice rosewater stuff from Crabtree and Evelyn that I like. Mostly anything rose scented. Living in Texas, dryness isn't often a bad problem. Humidity.

Dessert: Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name.

Essence of Nummy: It's a calorie-free wafer that tastes all gooey and rich like a chocolate-covered caramel. A dieter's dream. It's what I want right now.