April 2006 Archives

We're back from Boise! And I have no clue what time it really is! We had no idea that Boise is on Mountain Time so we've been losing/gaining an hour and my circadian rhythm is totally screwed up! All I know is I am tired. So very tired! But I have pictures and exciting adventures to tell, and so much more!

I have to say that I am a patient person. I've waited four years to eat at Cracker Barrel, and soon I shall be enjoying their two types of ham, pot roast, hash brown casserole, and spending time in their gift shop pleading with Pooky why I need to buy a little bit of everything.

I love going on road trips. There's just something special about seeing the landscape fly by at 70 mph. We'll be going through the Columbia Gorge, some of the most fascinating terrain I've seen because it goes from being an evergreen forest to absolute desert in a couple of hours. The river is majestic, too.

So until Monday when we return, if you live near a Cracker Barrel you may want to think of how lucky you are not to have to drive 7 hours to go eat at one, or you may want to think how insane and obsessed that I am for planning a whole weekend trip around eating there. Take your pick. Perhaps a little of both?

Now, if only I had 4 or 5 stomachs so I could eat as much as I'd like off of the menu!

I have a new tenant to tell you about! Rusty's blog is called New Beginnings and she's a knitter! This is what she says about herself:

Me. In a nutshell.
* Wife. Mother. Daughter. Digital Diva. Zen Knitter. Liberal. Zen Kabbalist Tantric Taoist Wanna-Be. The moderately insane and often contradictory life of a woman in recovery and my journey to find balance in life. Warning: babbling and swearing may ensue.

She also participates in Thursday 13 and she just posted her first one! (I think her #5 is excellent!) So encourage her to keep participating.

Be sure to stop by and make her credits spent worthwhile!

Thirteen Places That Have Magic & Charm Shrone, Ireland. I've never been there but I know intuitively it is my native soil. Mt. Rainier. The mountain is like my comfort food of Nature. Ecola State Park, Oregon. On a postcard picture perfect day, nothing is more powerful and awesome as seeing the Pacific Ocean. Eckley Miners' Village. I was blessed to live in a state recognized historical village. The presence of the past was palpable. Hershey, Pennsylvania. Imagine a town that has the aroma of chocolate! Cape May, New Jersey. Pooky and I had a very nice stay at a B&B. The Redwood Forest. This is where I want to run away to and join the elves. The Oregon Vortex. There's definitely something peculiar happening here! Shades of Death Road, NJ. This little road is not spooky, but it is located in a very wonderful spot of the New Jersey countryside. It is magical to drive along the road at twilight in the summer and see the fireflies blinking! Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. I wish that this was my own backyard! Snoqualmie Falls, Washington. This is where Pooky and I took our Leap of Faith. I've also married 2 or 3 couples at the falls. It's beautiful any time of year. Victoria, British Columbia. I could visit this city every year and not get tired of it. Hot Dog Johnny's. The best place on Earth to eat a hot dog!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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I've been wanting to eat at Cracker Barrel for four years. We went through Boise in May of 2002 on our roadtrip relocating to Seattle. I vowed one day we'd return because Boise has the nearest Cracker Barrel restaurant to us. Pooky said if we're going to drive for 7 hours we may as well take in some of the local attractions of Boise. Can you believe there aren't any weirdnesses to absorb in the land of the russet? Well, in the state there are, but not around the area we'll be traveling. (I use the website Roadside America to find my bits of Americana weirdness to visit.)

I scoured the tourism to Boise websites, requested their brochures. Besides eating ourselves silly at the CB, we'll be taking in the local farmer's market, but more thrilling will be the Basque Musem! Who are the Basques? Well, that I don't rightly know other than they live in a bit of land between Spain and France. Interestingly, their language is so unique it is felt that it isn't related to any other languages on earth!

I actually didn't think much of the Basque museum until this weekend in which during lecture Angeles Arrien was mentioned. She is the only Basque person I can name. I thought that the coincidence of her being mentioned and my recent search to find something to do while in Boise, all signs pointing to Basque-ness, along with my step-mom also mentioning that there are Basque things to encounter, has made me think I need to investigate and bask in the Basque.

I just hope when we are in Boise that the Buddhist monks don't appear. Lately whenever I've gone to Seattle I encounter a group of monks! I swear it is rather eerie to keep bumping into them! My last encounter was at McDonald's. It made me determine that eating at McDonald's incurs negative karma. I've tried to glean a special message from the universe about seeing the monks, but none comes to mind. I won't really worry about it until I see the monks in a real unlikely place, like the Basque museum in Boise.

One item I hope to find at the Basque Market is a special wine called patxaran. It's made from sloe berries and anise. Sounds like something I'd love the taste of because I've got a thing for licorice flavored anything.

We'll be taking off on Friday and making a weekend of it. I got our room for $38/night by using Priceline.com. I just love going to that site and getting a hotel room for a steal! I do the same for all of my flights and car rentals.

If only Smee were up to joining us! I do find myself overly attached to my Little Ami. Today he pasted himself to my body and we were one human-feline blob for many hours.

Red Warrior

Introducing Ruari (Rory) Calhoun! It is means Red Warrior or thereabouts. It is also a variant spelling of the stage name of a character actor. I was inspired by watching an episode of The Simpsons in which Mr. Burns named a greyhound Rory Calhoun. It just felt like a cello's name, too! I decided to upgraded my cello yesterday to the more creamery instrument. I am paying $12 more per month, but I think in the end this is worth it. According to the terms of rental, 80% of rental fees will be applied to the purchase of a cello. The lease to own instruments are even better than the rentals!

I can hardly wait to pet and swoon over Ruari. I have that special cake of rosin I purchased, just waiting to be applied to her bow. Hopefully Mister Doo won't think that Ruari needs to become his scratching post! I do keep her in her case when not in use so that the beasties won't be tempted to pluck at the strings!

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about Nabisco Dixie Drumstick Crackers? In the early 1980s my mom worked at the local grocery store. Our town was so small that we had just two supermarkets: a Safeway and then a family owned business. She worked at the family owned one. She therefore brought home new items and a bag of groceries just about every day. One item that I had to constantly eat was Nabisco Dixie Drumstick crackers. They were shaped like chicken legs and they had a chickeny-salty seasoning on them that I couldn't get enough of. Then they were discontinued. Why must products go away into the annals of history? So many great foods have been lost due to the trends of the day. But recently while trying to find out about my memory of these crackers I discovered that Nabisco still manufactures them in Australia! I don't know if I'll order any from the available sites that list them for sale, but I am tempted. I've long since forgotten how they actually tasted. All I recall is how delicious they were, how I constantly ate them. The seasoning was so yummy that I'd eat the crumbs in the box!

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I've returned from the mini module and I met with some of the people who are the Systems Counseling students that I will be joining in the fall. I also met with students who are part of the first year Winter track in the same program. I really connected with some people in the Winter track and lamented that I wish I could be joining them. However, the people I did meet from the Fall program also left a good impression on me.

Maybe it's because I have been through the program for a year, and maybe it's because the students I met have been through enough of the program that they have some experiences under their belt—whatever the functioning behind it all is, I felt different and interacted different with this collective group, and they interacted with me in a different way. I don't have the words to describe it just yet. Different is all that I can recognize.

This may be my last non-automated entry for awhile. I have my Thursday 13 stuff set up for the next couple of weeks. I have things that need to be done and am committed to getting them accomplished. If I did blog it would probably be to share passages from the scholarly books I've been reading and I doubt my audience would care to be informed about relationship triangles, self-focus, circular questioning, solution focused therapy, and so on.

Without fail my period has begun and I go to Mini Module tonight. I swear during my first year in the program my period would strike during Module, as if there is an energy field contained within the Module that induces such things to occur. Of course it has long been known that groups of women living together, such as in a dorm, will synchronize their cycles, but I don't know about Modules counting. We only meet for 4-5 days and I don't know how much time bodies need to get into synchronicity.

All I know is I think the Tylenol I've taken is being beaten to death by my cramping uterus. I don't have anything stronger. I think I'll go to the drug store and get some Pamprin. I recall that Pamprin doesn't exactly tame the cramps, but it makes you not care that you have them.

I suppose I should pack my clothes and things for the weekend. I already miss Smee terribly! This will be our first time away from each other. Smee is like my lint and shadow. We start the day together with love and end the day with love. I've never had a cat so attached to me and I to him. I'm going to have to call him tonight and talk to him. Hopefully that will soothe his nerves and mine too.

I think our closeness comes from raising him as a kitten. From the start I took to him, seeing immediately that he was a luckdragon and that he needed special attention if he was to make it. He never raced to the bottle like the other two, so I'd pick him up and pet him and make sure he got his fill of milk.

It's going to be a nice, sunny vernal day! If the wind calms down, which I hope it will, I will have to change my mind about it being a crappy month weather-wise.

Until I return from Mini Module....

When I embarked on my deliberate spiritual pursuits many years ago I most identified with the color indigo and have felt that this is my aura color. Though I don't fit into the typical identified age group of Indigo Children, I believe I also share traits of being one. Interesting how this quiz matched up with my own experience of myself. Now if only there were to be a quiz that after answering questions it would generate a letter of recommendation!

Swiped from Mama Kelly's blog!

Thirteen Hospitals In Some Way I've Experiencedt Centralia General. I was born here and have stayed here quite often. Chehalis General. This was were I stayed when I had my first bout of ulcerative colitis. It has since been turned into a nursing home. St. Peter's in Olympia. I was four years old when I stayed in this hospital for treatment of colitis. I recall this visit fairly well. Virginia Mason, Seattle. I was diagnosed here with ulcerative colitis, but my first visit here was for treatment of breast cysts when I was 12 years old. Children's Hospital, Seattle. I had my total colectomy here and I was a frequent visitor for the next 6 months. Hazleton General, Hazleton, PA. A local hospital in which I found out that I would need more surgery. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey. I had my second temporary ileostomy installed here. Wilkes-Barre General. I got to take a week "vacation" here when a rectal abcess exploded. St. John's, Longview. Here I had my third but permanent ileostomy. Swedish Hospital, Seattle. I've had numerous rectal dilatations here as an out-patient. Pocono Medical Center, Stroudsburg, PA. I was in the emergency room for about 6 hours while they were trying to figure out why I was having profuse rectal bleeding. Harborview, Seattle. I went to the emergency room to have some abdominal pain investigated and left because after being there and over hearing a conversation that people had been waiting 24 hours for diagnostic procedures, I left. University of Washington, Seattle. I stayed here as I was part of some research being conducted to see if a blood product would improve recovery and possibly prevent more episode of ulcerative colitis.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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When the movie adaptation first came out I admit I had no idea that there was a book first. The Never Ending Story by Michael Ende is a fantasy in the spirit of Narnia.

If you've only seen the movie then you are missing quite a bit of the book! The movie only covers about 25% of the actual never-ending story. It's what happens after Bastian enters into Fantastica (not Fantasia as it is called in the screen version) that the rest of the story unfolds. Bastian must discover what he truly wishes for, but every wish he makes comes at the price of losing one of his memories of the human world.

Ideally, I'd like to own a hardcover first edition of this book because each chapter has ornate artwork that I think is in color in the original. Plus, the story contains the original luckdragon. I have my own: Smee!

Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Recommendation: 5 out of 5

Please welcome my current Blog Renter Tara of Coffee Crochet! Points of Interest regarding her blog: Free patterns, plus now crocheters have the power to make Canadian Maple Leafs and thereby Canadianize things!

You need not be a coffee drinker or crocheter to enjoy her blog!

Luck of the Draw

I think my karma must have been taking a nap which allowed me to win one of Sara's (Crochet All Day) drawings. Here's what I got for my commenting efforts. It changed form a bit from the original, just a color swap. ;-)

Secret Reveal

My C'Ville Secret Pal was Alison! Here's the gorgeous yarn she sent:

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about Mrs. Walker? I didn't know Mrs. Walker very well. She lived across the street from my familial home, down a very long, tree covered driveway that had a very spooky and mysterious aura about it. The driveway went past the Johnson's house and they kept a vicious German shepard who would attack, so going to visit Mrs. Walker was not easily done, unless you wanted to be chased by the dog. Once you got to the end of the very long driveway and braved the spookiness of the trees, you would arrive at a little house, more like cottage, tucked inside a stand of trees that to me was The Forest. Mind you I was less than 5 years old during this visit I recall having with her. Mrs. Walker was a typical elderly lady, living alone, but she did have the Johnson family who looked out for her. I believe she had been married, her husband having died many years before. I don't think she had any children. All I know is that she was old. Older than my own grandparents. Older than the neighbor lady, Roberta, with whom I would frequently visit. I recall during this visit that was made with my sister and brother, that Mrs. Walker talked to them more than me, as I was a shy child, and I really was afraid of old people back then. I wish I had paid better attention to what she talked about. Looking back on it now, I think she would have been a great resource for local history. She had lived in her cottage house for many years and had witnessed many changes. Her house was typical "old lady" in that it was filled with things that young children weren't permitted to touch. By no means would she have been mean to me if I had broken something. She was soft-spoken, kind, gentle. If I could travel back in time I'd like to redo that afternoon with her, be more aware of what was going on, not be so afraid, and ask her as many questions as my mind could generate. And I have no idea what her first name was. I just knew her simply as Mrs. Walker.

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I'm feeling overly saturated by reading too many blogs. I spend too much time blogging. I may as well be a cyborg.

The darn thing is, one thing I've learned about running my own business is that people expect rapid-fire responses to their e-mails, because typically the first person they hear back from is the person they hire. There is no such thing as waiting a reasonable amount of time for a reply. The typical endurance of people has gotten to be under an hour!

No wonder we are driving ourselves batty. When there is a lack of patience then there is frustration. Frustration is the cousin of anger and rage.

Take a breath. Breathe deep. Relax. Patience.

I need to take a journey into patience. I feel tightly wound, non-productive, un-motivated, and smothered. It's all self-imposed. I'm not required to read anyone's blog, but I enjoy the visiting of far-away friends because I don't have anyone locally I can see each day or thereabouts.

I need some seclusion time. Time to read. Time to finish painting the cabinets that I started back in December! Time to seek an internship in earnest. Time to write portions of the novel Pooky has asked me to write. And so on...

Maybe just a few days will make the difference. I won't feel so "blogged" down (ha! a pun!) and will feel more zestful if I take a vacation from the blogosphere? Until later then...

P.S. You can use this time to explore my ARCHIVES! Sadly, a portion of my blog was forever lost, and there is a whole bunch of stuff I haven't uploaded that is from 2003, but there's a goodly amount to sift through.

I've been in the mood to read current young adult to children's best selling fiction. One of the books on my list that I finished reading is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

The idea behind the story, that the story comes to life—literally—reminds me of The Never Ending Story (at least the movie version). The two main characters, Meggie and Mo (a daughter and father team), have the ability to read aloud characters and objects out of the stories they read. Unintentionally, Mo reads out a villain and assorted characters from a book his wife adores. His wife is read into the book in exchange. The villain of the story, Capricorn, seeks Mo to read him back into the story, or at least do his evil bidding.

I did enjoy this story and will read the sequel. I liked the idea of the story and it was nicely written. It was slow to get going with a lot of hinting and luring in the first quarter of the book.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Recommendation: 4 out of 5

Thirteen Favorite Foods cheeseburgers pizza (plain cheese is fine) mac & cheese rib steak pancakes hot dogs potato chips tea rice cashew chicken from a Thai restaurant rotisserie chicken cheesecake tacos Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Sara

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The trio at about one month old. They all look so small and delicate!

A Very Happy Birthday, My Babies!

The kittens,Smee, Stash, and Theodore Montague, will celebrate their first birthday, transitioning from kittenhood into official cat-dom!

They would welcome birthday wishes from you and kindly thank you for your acknowledgement of their special milestone birthday! Click on their name to send them an e-mail: Smee * Stash * Theodore Montague

Friends of Smee, Stash, and Theodore Montague

Andrea | David, Kari, the boy, and Hambut | Topper, Arnold, Bat and Ash and our Human Sara l BB, Tiger, Tux and Goofball (and the humans too but they don't really count do they?) | SheCrochets | Ryaira

Saw this over on Trish's blog, via Laura's.

Meme instructions: Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you might read, cross out the ones you won’t, underline the ones on your book shelf, and place parentheses around the ones you’ve never even heard of.

The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy – Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby– F.Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird– Harper Lee
(The Time Traveler’s Wife) – Audrey Niffenegger
His Dark Materials-- Philip Pullman
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling
Life of Pi– Yann Martel
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story– George Orwell
The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
(The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) – Mark Haddon
Lord of the Flies– William Golding
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
1984– George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J. K. Rowling
(One Hundred Years of Solitude) – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Memoirs of a Geisha– Arthur Golden
(The Kite Runner) – Khaled Hosseini
(The Lovely Bones) – Alice Sebold
Slaughterhouse 5– Kurt Vonnegut
Angels and Demons – Dan Brown
Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
(Neuromancer) – William Gibson
(Cryptonomicon) – Neal Stephenson
(The Secret History) – Donna Tartt
A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
Wuthering Heights– Emily Bronte
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis
Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
(Cloud Atlas) – David Mitchell
The Lord of the Rings– J. R. R. Tolkien
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
(Good Omens) – Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
(Atonement) – Ian McEwan
(The Shadow Of The Wind) – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
The Handmaid’s Tale– Margaret Atwood
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
Dune– Frank Herbert

When I make an offer to rent my blog I can accept or deny someone wanting to rent my space. I had to approve Morten's blog because of the photo-comic featured on his blog. It's a series of finger puppets posed with captions! Something I might be creative enough to do if I own finger puppets and the creative dialogue inside of my head.

So be sure to visit my new tenant located on the side bar!

My Personal Dna Report

As swiped from Stacey

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about my best friend in grade school? My best friend in grade school, up until 7th grade, was Susan. She was born on September 16th, and I was born on September 19th. We were like two peas in a pod. Together we loved Garfield, and we'd make up songs and play Spy International, a made-up spying agency that we became obsessed with. We never spied on anyone, but we would make up these quizzes and give them to each other about how to be a perfect spy and other such silliness. Our hero was Carl Sagan. We thought he was the bee's knees. She was tested first for the gifted program and was admitted. A year later I was tested and also admitted. We got along swimmingly. We'd call each other almost every evening on the phone, although we had spent the day together at school. We never did do routine sleep-overs, in fact, I only spent the night at her house once, and she never stayed over at mine. In 7th grade I began to really question Christianity and since she was involved in a fundamentalist church, we began to clash. The unrelenting questioning of religion was too much of a strain and we split apart. What was interesting to me is after our friendship ended, she started hanging out with kids who were a lot more relaxed than I was and it seemed she had her own rebelous phase in high school. We were still in touch through our freshman year in high school. I recall her calling me to say that her mom was pregnant! It was a shock to us both to say the least. I had been 11 years old when my younger brother was born. She was 14 when her younger sister was born. The last I had heard about her, through reading the local newspaper, is that she had married her high school sweetheart and in 2003 had given birth to a son. She apparently is a teacher in the state of Oregon.

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So far this year, taking into the trend of the first quarter of 2006, if the current frequency of marriages that I perform continues, I'm on a path to unite 40 couples by the time all is said and done! Which means a doubling of my business!

Here's a sample of how it has been. Yesterday I was scheduled for a wedding that had been booked about two months ago. I get a call at 11 am with a frantic sounding bride wanting to know if I could marry her and her fiancé that day, after my scheduled wedding. The couple is in the naval area of the state and so in a matter of a couple of hours we figure out the when and where of how to do the ceremony.

When we get home from that spontaneous wedding there are two messages on the machine from two different people inquiring about weddings! One wants to marry this week, the other seemed to want to schedule ahead.

What's really good is that my phone book ad (the one I shelled out $800 for) is starting to pay for itself. Plus, the business cards I print on my own and give to the courthouse are also my next best way of getting business. The website is still my best source of advertisement.

The first three months of the year are typically my slowest times for weddings, but so far I'm busy. I think ahead to my busy months of July, September, and October, and think how much more busier those months are going to be, and my head swims! It may be a good thing that Pooky is also ordained and can marry people, too, because we might need to conduct multiple weddings at multiple times.

I've done three weddings in one day, and think I could possibly manage about 4-5, depending on where they are geographically. I have to be well prepared for multiple couples and I think I've gotten a system of keeping who's who so I don't slip up and call people by the wrong names.

As of today, Pooky and I have married 59 couples. Does this make us polygamists?

Small world syndrome: At the wedding I performed this past Friday, one of the guests attending was a gal I had married during my first year of being in business. I have to confirm it, but I think the new violinist who joined orchestra last week is one of the first people I married!

The First Annual Paps of Shrone Award goes to Lady Linoleum! Truly a Shrone Among Shrones, Lady Linoleum proudly wears crocheted turbans, and isn't afraid to put an eyeball on common everyday objects, especially objects, critters, and creatures she's crocheted.

Be sure to give her three cheers for being the inaugural recipient of this highly esteemed award and honor!

I needed to check my perceptions, and thankfully I have a sister who has worked with children and parents (she's a schoolteacher turned school librarian) with whom I could bounce my brain upon regarding the situation with the Little Sister falling through.

When I relay a situation to someone, I try to give as much objective description as possible. I don't speak of myself in the third person, but I do present both sides, the details and events as I recall them. It's the story writer in me that makes me convey things verbatim as people said things, etc.

Some things in my mind didn't add up. One being that the Little was highly excited about doing something with me and wanted to go do something right then and there. She wanted to sleep over at my house, was interested in doing all sorts of things with me. We shared so much in common it was freaky. I don't think children can fake or put on pretenses: they are transparent with their emotional states (until they get old enough to learn to censor themselves and to dampen emotional reactions that adults have taught them are inappropriate or unwanted).

I think she was capable of expressing her like or dislike because at the beginning of our meeting she was emotionally open enough to say she was feeling embarrassed and she was shy about talking at first. I was impressed with her ability to sense and convey her internal emotional state. She wasn't afraid to vocalize that she was feeling embarrassed about having to talk. But once we broke the ice everything flowed nicely.

About 30 minutes into the meeting the case manager said it was time for her and me to do the Getting to Know You Q&A by ourselves. The case manager returned about 15 minutes later to check on how things were going and were we ready to return to having her dad come back and have us all talk? The Little said very certainly and right away, "We need more time! We have more questions to go through!" She was enthusiastic, engaged, and I think she was happy and enjoying herself.

My point being: For her father to say that his daughter felt pressured to agree to the match is not in alignment with her previous responses or behaviors. Therefore, it is my conclusion, along with my sister's sage interpretation of things, that the father has an issue. We'll never know what that issue is.

Though I am getting less and less surprised by people's inexplicabale behavior, I don't think I'll ever be surprised by how people will deny a really good thing in their life when it is presented to them. Yes, I think I can make such a statement because I've been guilty of casting out goodness when it has come my way. I've been mighty pissed at it, too, for showing its really good self, and I cursed it away.

I went into being a Big Sister to learn more about families, parent-child relationships, and children. Looks like I've plunged in the deep end already. In my inner sanctum of my soul I know that I will be matched with a Little, someone with whom we'll have a great time together. It's meant to be, the Universe is just waiting for the right moment to spring it on me.

Sandal weather is nigh upon us...

1. Do you wear any footwear that exposes your feet?
I have two pairs of Salt Water sandals and one other pair of sandals that I bring out when it is really, really warm.

2. Do you prefer flip-flops or slides?
Didn't these used to be called thongs? I don't care for anything that blisters the spaces between my toes.

3. Have you worn sandals yet this year? Is there a special time when you traditionally break them out?
It's got to be at least 110 degrees before I wear any summery clothing. Year to date: Our hottest temp has been about 62°F

4. What are your feelings on the increasing popularity of flip flops and their appearance at the White House last summer?
I didn't know this had been happening. It all depends on what people's feet and toes look like. If you've got wicked toes, best to not show your shame.

5. What kind of shoes are you?

You scored as Sensible Flats. You are Sensible Flats. Practical and comfort-oriented, you'd rather go through life without the pain of a pulled arch. Still, you might want to walk on the wild side a litte more. Sensible Flats 90% Classic Pumps 67% Quirky Shoes 53% Flip-Flops 30% Sexy Heels 10% What Kind of Shoes Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

I got home today to find a message on my answering machine from Big Brothers Big Sisters saying that the dad had called and that he didn't feel comfortable with me living 20 miles away, and that his daughter felt pressured to say yes to the match yesterday during the meeting. The case manager said she had explained to him where and how far away I lived, but my assumption about it is that people will exploit various reasons for their decisions and behaviors instead of being honest about what is really at the heart of the matter. And what is usually at the heart of the matter? That they are fearful, uncomfortable, insecure, challenged, and eschew change or doing something outside of their zone of contentment.

Perhaps it is just a matter of my living 20 miles away (which to me is like blinking because I travel constantly for business, school, shopping, etc.) yet my gut says that this was a reason honed in on that could be made to sound serious enough to cover up something else. Unless I am totally duped, I don't think the something else is about me personally, but what I represent. It's more about what is being imagined than what is real. People in a short space of time can create an internal story about a situation based upon their beliefs and assumptions and this fictional creation is so true and real to them that they consider it to be the Truth and Reality As We All Know It. In most cases, people are so enmeshed in their story that they deny reality. Which is why people seek consensus because it is a validation that their story is true and is reality. When they encounter someone who doesn't support their internal story there is usually confrontation, conflict, total avoidance, anger, retreat, attack, and our dear friend: denial.

I think it would have been a good match. One in which we could have mutually benefitted, but with like so many things in life, nothing is set in stone. Not everything is meant to be, and to me it is more important to find the right match so that the relationship stands a chance of enduring. I sensed that there would have been issues with the father; I sensed a lot of things that I have no idea of knowing if they are wild-ass guesses or some kind of intuitive insight. Even before going into the meeting was canceled last week I had my doubts about this match being the right one, but was willing to go ahead with it because I don't trust my inner intuitive voice.

I just hope it won't take quite as long to find me a match. As Quiz Kid Donnie Smith said in Magnolia, "I really do have love to give; I just don't know where to put it."

My match meeting with my Little took place todday. It was a success! My new Little Sister is Georgie. She'll be 9 years old in September. She loves cats! Her favorite food is mac & cheese (that was my favorite at that age, too!) and she wants to play the violin. And she loves cats!

We spent an hour asking each other questions, and she's a real sweet girl. Her dad has been in a wheelchair for half of his life. I didn't ask how he got there. It is something I'm sure I'll eventually learn.

She was so excited about having our first outing together! She said she'd like to go to a movie, dress up, go shopping, all sorts of things! I said we could go to the $3 theater in town and see Nanny McPhee. I think for Saturday we'll come home and I'll make up a batch of mac & cheese because Pooky doesn't eat it and I now have a companion to share it with, and then we'll go to the show and then we'll spend a little more time talking and then that will be our day.

I've already mentioned to Mr. Doo that there will be a child visiting soon and that the child isn't for him to day-dream about eating. He once spied a little girl riding by on her pink bicycle and I could tell he wanted to hunt her down and slay her.

Georgie strikes me as being good natured, fun loving, and quite possibly a Junior Shrone. She said to me, "I like to think about getting dressed up in high heels, wearing dresses, and then imagining going out on a date with my boyfriend." I told her we can play dress up, and in good time she can include a boyfriend.

I think we ended our first meeting both feeling very excited and looking forward to our first day of starting our new friendship!

I did something today I've been wanting to do for ages. There is a violin shop in Olympia and I wanted to find out what kind of cellos they sold and rented. The shopkeeper, a friendly man who knew his stuff, informed me that their cellos for rent are a step up from a standard music store. They outfit their cellos with real strings, hand-cut bridges, German crafted tailpieces, real wood bows and horse hair, and the front piece of wood is carved from a solid sheet.

When he lifted the lid on the case I gasped! It was a beauty! I could tell it wasn't cheap like the one I am renting. He said sit down and play. My sister was with me. She wanted me to play a tune. So I took it in hand and did the Jaws theme. Hey, I don't know any tunes, but the shark music came out sounding like real creamery butter, not margarine! I could feel the cello was lighter. The shop keeper said, yes it is lighter. I could feel the strings were better, and the rich tone was really noticeable to my poorly trained ears!

I was in love! I then asked if he happened to have any other cellos, one in a nice red hue. He said that the cello I was holding was the one he had in rental stock, but in about two weeks they were going to get more and that he'd call me with the news of their arrival. Perhaps one in this bunch will be visually pleasing to me. I am already sold on the sound.

And I should be. The basic cello he sells is $1500 whereas the one I am renting retails for $695. For about double the price there is a definite difference! I was asking about eventually buying a cello, a for real one, and he said he has them in all price ranges. He showed us the $18,000 on display! Yikes! He said in the back they just got in an $80,000 one! I joked that you have to pay to see that one!

Well, it looks like for now I'll switch over my rental when I can. They also had a list of cellists in the area who offer lessons. My dreams of being a would-be cellist are unfolding at a speed that I never though possible! I will have to make some phone calls tomorrow and find out how much the going rate and availability for lessons are.

I did buy a cake of $11 rosin. I never thought rosin would make a difference, but it does. I probably won't use it on the rental I have now. I'll wait until I can get the new outfit.

Of course this means that I'll have to conduct a new blog poll for the name of the upcoming replacement. I'm almost uncertain about naming the rentals because I know that they are just a stepping stone. But it is nice to name them even if they are only visitors in my life.

Thirteen Things That Really Changed My Life The birth of my younger brother at age 11 My diagnosis of ulcerative colitis at age 15 Getting married at age 17 then divorced at age 18 Moving to Pennsylvania at age 20 Graduating from college at age 28 Finding three kittens in the basement window well My sister leaving home to live in Japan at age 16 Taking a Leap of Faith on Leap Day with Pooky Starting my first blog in July 2003 Having a permanent ileostomy Discovery of the cello by watching the Lawrence Welk show as a child Reading East of Eden once summer when I was 10 years old Becoming a wedding officiant Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Sara

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Another memorable doily from Ultimate Doilies by Patricia Kristoffersen! If only I could recall what this one was named...Oh, yeah Memorable!

Made with size 10 Manuela thread in a lavender color on a size 0 Clover Soft Touch steel hook. It took almost the entire ball of thread—I cut it very close to not having enough! Eeek!

What will become of this doily? Dunno yet. I made it because I liked the center design with the raised stitches. It looks pretty snazzy. And yes—I've started another one by PK. The special thread I ordered hasn't arrived yet. Grr!! It should arrive tomorrow.

Please visit my new blog renter! She paid good credits to rent from me. I'd like for her to feel she got her credit's worth. She's located in Bristol, England, so you can read about life in another country.

I had some interesting dreams that I recall from this morning. I shal share them with you for our mutual amusement.

Adventure With NakedJen

I think it's been quite awhile since I've followed the life of NakedJen through her blog. What allures me to her is the fact that she's just one groovy gal, not afraid to pose naked in the most public of places. Her life is extraordinary beyond words.

Well, my dreamscape found me in this cabin in the woods type location, a public park where you can rent a cabin, and I was with other people—could have been my sister & her DH, maybe Pooky was with us, but next thing I know I see NakedJen and know it is her and I introduce myself and we talk. Everyone gets along very well, and then NakedJen takes out a pipe filled with weed and we pass it around, enjoying the consciousness-altering effects of the THC. We giggle, laugh, and we promise that some year we'll meet at the Oregon Country Fair.

Stacey, Do You Recall What We Talked About?

Then in another dream installment, I met with Stacey and we talked and talked and talked, but I don't recall what we shared—do you?

I know we were talking up a storm. Some of may have been about crochet, but I think we just had regular conversation about stuff that interested us. I hate it when I can't remember! I do have a vague feeling that we had a very pleasant, thoughtful conversation—that we clicked on the mental level.

Recapitulation, Reiteration, Repetition

Last night began rehearsals for the Spring Quarter of the Pacific Northwest Chamber Orchestra. We have 9 new songs to master by the June 5th concert. We're doing soloists with accompanying orchestrations. Now, in case you aren't music savvy, the cello plays the bass line. What does this mean, really? I play notes that make the beat, keep time, provide the rhythm. It can be fun, but it can also be very, very, very, very repetitive! A couple of the pieces we'll be doing, the notes aren't written out, they are a type of shorthand that indicates I'm to play 8th notes over and over across an infinite amount of measures. Sounds easy, but if you aren't counting, you can get lost quickly.

What's Up, Doc?

One of the tunes we'll be performing is the classic Barber of Seville. Before we began to sight-read it last night, I leaned over to the cellist next to me and I say to him, "This is from Bugs Bunny." He looked at me blankly like I had spoken in a foreign tongue. He's 22 years old. I thought he would know about Bugs Bunny. Seeing his blank look, I sung a few lines from Bugs using the melody, "Welcome to my shop / let me cut your mop..." He still stared unphased. "You don't know Bugs Bunny?" I asked. "No, we don't have TV at home." But I think it was more than just the fact he comes from one of those peculiar Christian families that don't let their kids watch TV because they think it is run by the liberal left (Interesting, I've heard liberals proclaim that TV is run by the conservative right. I tend to think TV is run by those dedicated to providing whatever entertainment they think will make them lots and lots of $$, because $$ is their deity of choice). I honestly think that the classic Bugs that I recall watching on Saturday mornings as a child has not been part of the mainstream for a couple of decades. Oh well.

Cello Name Decided

Thanks to the awesome voting from those who clicked away at my nifty Blog Poll, 32% of you thought that Trinity would be an excellent name. Thus, my rented cello shall be known as Trinity. I am thinking, however, that my rental of her will be temporary, as I've found a violin shop in Olympia that makes them, and I've got this itch to have a real-made cello. Only I'm not sure yet how I'll pay for it...Perhaps it can be my graduation present from me to me next June (2007) when I finish my schooling?

I am terribly slow in acknowledging a wonderful, thoughtful kindness from Micky of Charmingly Wicked! She gifted me with a copy of a favorite childhood book that I've always wanted to own a copy of, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. She presented to me her own copy—it touches me that she was willing to part with it.

But what also came with the book was a total surprise! Some coloring pens and crayons, a Kermit/Muppet coloring book, and a journal/sketch book. How fondly I recall spending countless hours as a child just coloring in coloring books. I thought the colors had personalities, identified them as male or female, and even came to dislike some colors based upon the personality I gave them! (No, I don't think I'm off my nut, just very imaginative.)

A big hug to you Micky, for your kindness!