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The Creative Nerd
Pretentious Blogging Meme 2
Sunday Stealing: The Pretentious Blogging Meme 212. How many drafts of potential blog posts do you have right now? Only a handful saved in my blogging software. A few jotted in notebooks.
13. In what medium do you draft your posts? Mostly right in my blogging platform. If I'm away from the 'puter, I write it out longhand.
14. How often do you completely scratch or delete drafts or blog post ideas? The only time I delete is when I go hunting for something to publish only to find some weird post title with a line of text or a link. More often than not, I have no idea where I was going with the idea, so I delete.
15. If you had to leave your blog in your will to another blogger, who would you choose? I don't think I would leave it to another blogger. I would want my best friend Kate to take it up. I'd be happier if she started her own before I kick the bucket, but at least keeping my domain active would be a start.
16. Are there other blogs that you feel are similar to yours in content, style, or voice? I have no idea. Readers, do you have any thoughts?
17. Has anything surprised you since you started blogging? Bloggers are nice and helpful. I heard so much about drama, but I seldom see it.
18. What are your goals or plans for your blog going forward? Keep on rolling. I would love to blog more often and with more meaning behind each post, but the best I can promise is to keep writing.
19. Do you make any money from your blog? (optional) about how much a month? Some, but not enough to make blogging worth it if I wasn't going to do it anyway. It varies from month to month.
20. What blogging system do you use? GoDaddy's Quick Blogcast.
21. How did you come up your blog name? My URL is my first and last name and The Creative Nerd is a description of the parts of myself I write about here.
22. How many blogs do you have? What was your peak? This is my only active blog. I have Window in the Web which I have started and stopped a couple times. It was I also own a domain for a food blog my husband Chris and I have been planning to start for a couple years.
23. Are you having as much fun as when you started? Blogging is like romance. The fun changes as the relationship deepens. I don't get starry eyed at the thought of being published for all to see like I did in the beginning. Sometimes I have to work harder to see the blog posts in everyday life. But, I know for sure I'm a blogger and I'll always be a blogger. Blogging is comfortable and therapeutic pleasure.
24. Where do you find other bloggers like you? My RSS Feeder is constantly overfilled with amazing content. All I have to do to find more bloggers I'll like is to click links on blogs I already read.
25. What’s your one wish when it comes to blogging? I'd like to be more active in making friends with other bloggers. Much like in real life, I tend to do my own thing and keep to myself.
Barbie's Dressmaker
My little niece, Sabrina, has gotten in Barbie in a big way in the last year. As her mommy, my best friend Kate says, they have more blondes than Hugh Hefner.
I've been waiting since they knew Sabrina was a girl to get to buy Barbies. Even more so, once I moved to Missouri and knew I'd get to play with them, too. The most important toy of my childhood was, by far, Barbie. I love the clothes and endless creative play. I had so much stuff for my Barbies. The three story dream house and the beach house, furniture, appliances, everything but plumbing fixtures.
As I've shopped for Barbies for Sabrina, I've found the options for clothes less than impressive. It's all small and shiny and overpriced. None of it appeals to a five year old. And even less of it appeals to two twenty-somethings enjoying the benefits of having a kid's toys to play with.
Months ago, I planned to take Barbie's wardrobe into my own hands. As with any of my craft projects, the inspiration and trip to the craft store often precedes the work by half a year. I finally have gotten a few things made. I hadn't sewn anything from a pattern since I was about ten. And that was Barbie clothes.
For your enjoyment, here is my personal model with the outfits I gave Sabrina for her birthday.
The purple dress isn't perfect. For one thing, it was meant to be floor length, but I didn't notice I needed two of the piece for the skirt until I'd already cut. That's what happens when you stay up real late crafting. I also didn't get the pleats in the skirt as the pattern intended. But I still like it. And so does my model.
The denim is from an old pair of my jeans. I was worried about the jacket - lots of pieces - but it came out perfect.
The stretch denim was easy to work with until it came time to putting the Velcro closure on the top. It's a hassle, but makes play much easier. Plus, with the newer Barbies are slimmer in the bust and thicker in the hips. The pattens, however, are made for the old style dolls.
I can't claim this outfit is less shiny than the commercially made clothes, but it is better.
My personal favorite is this orange number. I wasn't sure the cotton fabric would work with the fancy dress, but it was perfect. Who would expect a quilting square from Walmart could shine up so nice?
Sun Belt Software: Anti Virus without the Slowdown
The following post is sponsored content. The opinions expressed are all mine.
While I don't understand it, there are still people who don't use antivirus programs every time they connect to the internet. The only thing I would use a computer without anti virus software to do is go download anti virus software. No checking email. No Twitter.
If you are not currently running antivirus and anti spyware programs right now, please stop reading my review and click over to Sun Belt Software to download their antivirus software.
For those of us already protecting our computers from the nastiest online elements, we can evaluate the benefits of different programs.
Looking into Sun Belt Software antivirus software has me impressed for a couple of reasons. The biggest advantage in this new program is how you won't even notice it's running. You know how antivirus always seems to make your computer drag? This all new program doesn't slow a computer down. As an impatient computer user, I love it. Since it's not such a drain on the resources, it's ideal for Netbooks.
Let's not forget about value. For about thirty bucks a year, you get protection from all kinds of bugs. And at the end of the year, they will not zap your credit card until you tell them it's okay. The product must be good if they know you'll renew without the arm twisting.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
My friend Kate and I have decided we haven't read enough classic literature. One of the hardest thing about reading classics is feeling like one ought to like them. We have formed a two person book club to correct the problem. The difference between this and our usual sharing of books is getting to copies and reading at the same time. Having a like minded reader to discuss and validate opinions which many be outside the accepted analysis. I even got Kate to write up her thoughts as guest post. The bold text at the bottom of the post is hers.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
is a story deeply implanted in our cultural psyche. To me, it makes reading the original story all the more complicated. It is hard to separate my preconceived notions from the story as it was written. One interesting note is the description of Hyde in the story is an underdeveloped and deformed in body, along with being the evil monster we are familiar with. In the movies, Hyde is built more like Frankenstein
's monster than hunchbacked Igor. I imagine Hyde would have trouble getting a good rate on life insurance due to overall poor health. Robert Lewis Stevenson explains how Dr. Jekyll developed his good traits, so his darker tendencies manifest as a small and weak man. Less impressive for horror films, of course, it also seems to illustrate how evil was viewed in his time and ours. Now for some thoughts from Kate, who you can find on Twitter @Katerbell81:
People assume I'm smart and I never correct them. Thus, I felt connected to Dr. J in his self-imposed virtuous exile. People assume he's nice and he has never corrected them. He simply doesn't want to be good anymore. Really, who can blame him? Nice people has massive amounts of expectations placed upon them. They must not just be nice but nice ALL the time and to EVERYone. Nice people never turn to the ever present annoying person and say, "Do you like games? I've got a great new game. It's called hide and go ---- yourself. You start." So Dr. J is simply finding a way to express his dual nature and we get an amazing view on the human condition. Mr. H is malnourished and (unlike his movie star likeness) short, diminished, and ill-fit. I enjoy this view as it greatly demonstrates the restraint Dr J has maintained. The book is not a favorite and I probably won't revisit it. The story lacks rhythm and flow for me. We are simply told Dr. J has desires and impulses, but they are never fleshed out. The implied is they are sexual in nature but without description or detail I am left wondering. Is Dr. J into some odd S&M fantasy? under-aged girls?or horror upon horror for a prominent man of the era is he simply gay? All we the readers are sure of is the separation of good and evil allows for Mr H to displace Dr J as the man in charge, thus eventually resulting in death. Personally I find Dr J to be weak in the story. He wants to allow his inner desires to be fulfilled but creates not an alter ego that he can exercise control over but an entire different being so as to avoid culpability. Smacks of wussy behavior and leaves me doubting his inherit goodness from the start. Reading this paragraph I notice several contradictions, I have decided to allow them to stand as is. I am my own Hyde.
Pretentious Blogging Meme
Sunday Stealing: The Pretentious Blogging Meme1. How long have you been blogging? My first blog was on MySpace. I started around September 2006. I registered TinaKubala.com in July 2007.
2. What made you start? My primary reason was to use blogging as a journal and to get back in the habit of writing. My goal was to be ready to start writing a novel in a year. Didn't happen.
3. Who inspired you? It sounds awful, but I hadn't read other blogs when I started. I was more inspired to follow in the footsteps of great authors who always advise that work comes before inspiration. That was before I saw blogging as an end in itself. Now, of course, I read too many blogs. I am constantly inspired to be a better, more honest and faithful blogger by too many to name.
4. About how many hours a week would you estimate you spend on your blog? It varies. First, we have to ask if visiting other blogs to leave comments and using Twitter count as time on my blog since they are extensions of blogging. Writing posts would be five to ten hours a week.
5. What kind of experience or background do you have with writing? Hundreds of hours writing in spiral notebooks from the time I was ten years old until high school. Journal entries, poems, short stories and other scribbles. It sounds sad, but I never had much of a social life, so I held the conversations about life with a steno pad. I don't feel sad about it, because I loved sitting at my desk with the blinds closed on a Friday night filling pages in response to some book I read.
Back then, too, I wrote letters. Remember when long distance phone calls at ten cents a minute was cheap? I was separated from friends Kate after seventh grade and Renee during sophomore year. I would keep a running letter for a week or two before mailing.
My formal writing background is only school stuff. I took as many English credits as possible. Lots of essays and book reports, plus creative writing. I miss it. And blogging fills the gap.
6. Talk about how you come up with blog topics. Where do you get your ideas? The best ideas come about naturally while going about my day to day life. An experience or conversation that screams "I'm blogging that" has a natural energy when translated into a post. Otherwise, I blog about books, movies, television, current events or do memes.
7. What or who inspires you and your blog? I'm inspired by the great and powerful idea that anyone with an internet connection exchange ideas with anyone else in the world. In the totality of human history, this is unprecedented.
8. Where and/or how do your brainstorming for your blog? Doesn't everyone brainstorm in the shower?
9. Do you have any blogging rules or guidelines you follow? I follow a simple rule in all my online activities: I am the same online as I am in person. In all reality, I'm a little nicer and a little more social on the web. Blogging under my first and last name helps keep me honest.
10. Is there anything you will not blog about? I do not air other people's dirty laundry. No matter what frustrations I deal with in interpersonal relationships, I don't blog about it. Goes back to number nine, plus I loathe drama and gossip.
11. Do you have any sort of a publishing schedule in terms of day of week or topic? The calender at my sidebar answers for me. I'd love to publish more often, but it doesn't always work out.
Self Portrait with a Little Help
I broke the Self Portrait Sunday rule of using a picture from the last week. My niece Sabrina took this a few months back on an evening that I babysat. The angle is less than flattering, but I'm enjoying the few years she'll be shorter than I am.
Don't you love the wall paper in the kitchen?
I have trouble consitering it babysitting when it's Sabrina - it's more like going over to play.
This was the same evening Barbie had a pool party in the kitchen. I will trade childcare for access to Barbies. Is there drug rehab for toy addicts? And are the meetings held in a town with a Toys R Us? I'd really love to see what new stuff is in.
A Little Magic
(Logo lovingly borrowed from
The Magic House Website)
Little Sabrina is newly five. I'm biased, of course, but independent sources confirm she is an exceptionally bright child. No surprise, she is highly verbal with a vocabulary that rivals many adults. Watching the world through her eyes is amazing. She'll tell you exactly what she is thinking.
Visiting a place like The Magic House a few times a year is especially cool, because we can watch her development against a static environment. Not to mention, the experience is a workout and a half. Since they have expanded, a membership would be a better weight loss plan than food that burns fat.
On our latest trip, I made a point to take some pictures to post here on the blog - so without the child in them. Lucky for us, her teddy bear, Bear, still goes everywhere with her.
Bear posed with Curious George
at the special exhibit on loan from another children's museum. 
In the last couple years, The Magic House has doubled in size. Much of the new stuff is better suited to older kids. One thing the younger set has a love/hate relationship with is the Soy Beanstalk pictured above. It runs from the first floor to the third floor with an outlet on each floor. Too small for grown-ups, running up and down the spiral staircase around it is pretty much the only way to keep an eye on little kids. If they get stuck or scared, all you can do is talk them down. Kate and I are always glad when Sabrina decides she has had enough.
A super cool new exhibit they call the Star-Spangled Center. It features a senate chamber, Oval office, and court room. I would love to take a middle school social studies class to enact mock government proceedings.
Pictured above is Bear on the witness stand. As his attorney, I objected on the grounds he is unable to participate in his own defense. Judge Sabrina overruled it and Bear took the stand.
Fun was has by all. As always, I highly recommend taking the kids in your life to your nearest children's museum.
Consumer responsibility and spam
Moved from my old blog. Originally published December 11, 2006. This rant is as true today as the day I first wrote it.
I saw a piece on Fox News a day or so ago about spam that frustrated me. Supposedly, 90% of email world wide is the unsolicited advertising and scams that were dubbed spam in the earliest days of email. When I open my Yahoo mail, I know that I got spam, because I see the number of messages in my spam folder. Yahoo is very good at flagging spam, so I hardly ever see it in my inbox. So, unlike the newscaster I saw, spam does not bother me. What few unwanted messages that make it passed the filter, I just hit the little flame button – no harm done.
What bothers me is the idea that obviously someone out there in cyberspace is indeed opening those messages about a low cost home loan or natural penis enlargement. Not only are they being opened by someone, someone is buying these products and services based on the spam they receive. I've never known anyone to admit to it, but they are out there.
How do I know this? It's simple economics. If in the last ten years – if we consider only the time this writer has been online – no one had responded to or spent money based on a piece of spam, then spam would have ceased to exist.
As hard as it is to imagine, much time, money and thought goes into sending out mass email with the subject line "hot barely legal nude girls" or "shampoo for hair loss." If spammers had gotten no incentive from the beginning, then we would again be able to think of Spam as a canned meat product.
Whoever you are, stop, okay? Just because it's in your email doesn't mean you need to open it. If you need a dating service, mortgage, or herbal supplement, Google it. For one thing, the service you find will be much more reputable. Most important, you will help stop one of the time wasting nuisances of the modern world.
Remember, it is everyone's responsibility to stop Spam.
I saw a piece on Fox News a day or so ago about spam that frustrated me. Supposedly, 90% of email world wide is the unsolicited advertising and scams that were dubbed spam in the earliest days of email. When I open my Yahoo mail, I know that I got spam, because I see the number of messages in my spam folder. Yahoo is very good at flagging spam, so I hardly ever see it in my inbox. So, unlike the newscaster I saw, spam does not bother me. What few unwanted messages that make it passed the filter, I just hit the little flame button – no harm done.
What bothers me is the idea that obviously someone out there in cyberspace is indeed opening those messages about a low cost home loan or natural penis enlargement. Not only are they being opened by someone, someone is buying these products and services based on the spam they receive. I've never known anyone to admit to it, but they are out there.
How do I know this? It's simple economics. If in the last ten years – if we consider only the time this writer has been online – no one had responded to or spent money based on a piece of spam, then spam would have ceased to exist.
As hard as it is to imagine, much time, money and thought goes into sending out mass email with the subject line "hot barely legal nude girls" or "shampoo for hair loss." If spammers had gotten no incentive from the beginning, then we would again be able to think of Spam as a canned meat product.
Whoever you are, stop, okay? Just because it's in your email doesn't mean you need to open it. If you need a dating service, mortgage, or herbal supplement, Google it. For one thing, the service you find will be much more reputable. Most important, you will help stop one of the time wasting nuisances of the modern world.
Remember, it is everyone's responsibility to stop Spam.
Online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership
The following post is sponsored content. The opinions expressed are all mine.
Being out in the corporate world without a college degree has taught me a couple of things. First, not having a degree keeps even the most experienced and best workers from moving up beyond the most basic positions. Second, staying motivated year after year in a job where it's hard to see any greater good coming out of your daily labor isn't easy. I'm all for business and customer service, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't always make a worker warm and fuzzy.
One thing I notice is the higher up in an organization a person is, the more job satisfaction they appear to have. I know part of it is better salary. Still, I don't believe it is the only reason. Having a bigger picture of the organization can make work feel more purposeful. Also, the opportunity to make a positive impact on employee's lives. Being the person who negotiates better health care coverage, for example, would feel better than being the person who gets yelled at by customers forty hours a week.
The question becomes how to go from the lower end of the pay and prestige scale to the higher end. Education is the answer. For busy working adults, an online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Lewis University is a ticket out of entry level positions.
With five concentrations to chose from, no matter what kind of organization you want to work with, there is a degree program for you. From the corprate world to non-profit and school settings, Organizational Leadership course teach prized skill sets.
Getting ahead is just a degree away.
The Negativity Meme
gSunday Stealing: The Negativity MemeFoods which disgust the crap out of me: Oysters - food that looks like boogers is always gross.
TV show I loathe: American Idol. I know I'm in the minority, but I can't deal with that show. The whole idea of picking who should be famous is silly.
Movie I loathe: Freddy Got Fingered. Why my brother, then 16, thought it was a good idea to see it with me and the folks is beyond me.
Music genres I loathe: I don't do rap or anything really heavy and dark. Neither suits me.
Magazine which annoys me: Cosmo. I read when a friend has a copy, but it makes me crazy. For one thing, the articles are exactly the same advice over and over. I swear, buy a year and just read them again. Worse, it the "Cosmo girl". Lives in a big city, preferably NYC, works in an office, buys a new wardrobe of designer clothes every season... I've never met a woman who lives like this.
Makes me cranky at restaurant: people who treat waitresses like crap, then don't tip. Or just plan don't tip.
Makes me cranky in public: Grouches who don't want to make polite conversation.
Makes me cranky in general: lack of caffeine and chocolate
Pisses me off at home: when the phone rings and it's not someone on the short list of people I care about.
Pisses me off at work: not getting a straight answer to a simple question.
Pisses me off in general: willful ignorance.
Makes me impatient at home: when the computer isn't as fast as I think it should be. I think everything should happen instantly.
Makes me impatient at work: customers who refuse to understand and accept information from the expert they call - you know, me.
Makes me impatient in public: when someone in the 10 items or less lane has a complex transaction. Even if you have less then 10 items, if you are paying with two different methods or exchanging, use a regular lane.
Celebrity I hate: Sarah Silverman. I have no problem with dirty, sophomoric humor - I love South Park, for example. I just find her dirty for the sake of dirty. That's just not funny.
Music artist I hate: hard to say I hate any certain artist. I dislike artists who seem to be popular because they are popular. I like music that sounds as good ten years after it was made then it does when it is played every hour on the radio.
I could care less about: keeping up with trends.
Annoys the crap out of me weekdays: working.
Annoys the crap out of me weekends: the short amount of time and many things I have to accomplish.
Blogger's habit that annoys you: Oh, so many answers. Number one is auto-play music and sound. It's just rude. One thing that annoys me with some bloggers, but not others is TMI posts. It's all in how you blog details about intimate topics. One blogger can gross me out talking about her period while another can discuss herpes simplex in a way that is interesting, not disgusting.
Feature on your blog you hate: I hate not blogging as much as I'd like. I would like to post five days a week, but it seldom happens.
Movie star you despise: Tom Cruise pisses me off with the whole Scientology thing about not believing in medication for mental illness makes me so mad. We are barely at the point where it's okay to admit to mental illness, so any distrust of treatment is scary.
Politician that you hate: I hate to get hateful when it comes to politics. I'll have to decline to answer on the grounds that I've hardly watched the news in years.
Reading List 2010
Everyone knows I love books. I seek them out like some ladies search for best under eye cream. Reading is a daily ritual, even if I only sneak a few minutes in before bed. I have even confessed to reading in the bathroom. Not like anything else I do there takes brain power.
In 2008, I started off posting a running list of the books I read as I finished them. It lasted about half the year before I lost track. I did better with my 2009 list. I finished out the year without missing any as far as I know. A quick count reveals fifty-three books. So, about one a week. It's a low average, but I read some long books - namely two Ayn Rand novels. I also read a huge amount of science fiction. It was a good year in books.
My plan for 2010 is to not only keep a list, but do a better job at blogging about what I read. Might or might not happen, of course, but I'm going to try.
What I've read 2010:
(Listed with date finished. Linked to Amazon for your convenience. Yes, I'm an Amazon associate. Will add link to my reviews if/when published.)
Date unrecorded: The Android's Dream
by John ScalziJanuary 20: Bloodthirst (Star Trek)
by J. M. DillardJanuary 25: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson, blog postFebruary 3: Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
Online Degree Program in Education
The following post is sponsored content. The opinions expressed are all mine.
As I have stated on this blog on too many occasions to count, I plan to being college as soon as possible. Life has gotten in the way for a while now, but this is the year. For one thing, I am reasonably certain I know what I want to be when I grow up. It seems obvious to everyone but me that I ought to teacher secondary English. I have a passion for books and language.
One program I've looked into is the online degree program from Western Governors Online University. Unlike many online universities, Western Governors is affordable. There is a good reason for it. As a non-profit organization founded by the governors of 19 western states (get it?) to serve the needs of working adult students.
The online teaching degrees offered include Bachelors and beyond. Another great advantage is their competency based education model. This means, once a student learns the material and can pass the exam, they are able to move on to more advance work. It also save money because the price per term is the same no matter how many credits are earned.
If getting an education is the only thing standing between you and career happiness, consider Western Governors Online University. Maybe this year will be your year, too.
Keeping Respiratory Troubles Away
The following post is sponsored content and a review of a product sample I received free of charge. The opinions expressed are all mine.
Cold and flu season is in full swing. With my weak lungs, I cannot be to careful about catching whatever is going around. I get bronchitis every time I get sick. Early last year, I came down with pneumonia. I believe it was the direct result of taking an antibiotic to clear up a chronic cough. I've seldom been so miserable. It was months before I felt totally well. I resolved then to make a real effort to avoid illness.
My plan for keeping healthy is simple - support my immune system. A daily multivitamin, of course. Whenever someone around me is sick or I start to feel a little under the weather, I buy one of a number of herbal and vitamin concoction. So far, so good. I've avoided being respiratory illness.
When I was asked to test an herbal flu vaccine from Respiratory Guard, I jumped at the chance.
The product is a simple little lozenge, taken twice daily. What makes it unique is the key ingredient - elderberry. The focus on nature fits nicely with my belief that nutritional elements are the key to health. I was interested to read that elderberry was a traditional folk remedy for colds. In Europe, it is still popular as a syrup or made into wine. The lozenges contain key elements from elderberries, but are flavored with blueberries to suit the American pallet.
I waited until several of my coworkers were sick to being my usual regiment of dietary supplement with Respiratory Guard's flu vaccine as the centerpiece. I am happy to report I didn't come down with anything. Not even a sniffle.
Trivia About Me (Meme)
Sunday Stealing: The Trivia About Me Meme
Opening…
Do you get regular massages? Not professionally, but my husband has served admirably be I in need of a shoulder or foot massage.
Do you have an answering machine? Dude, voicemail.
What cuss word do you use the most? Kate and I have coined "S!F!D!" as our frustrated playing Mario profanity of choice, but only on those occasions where we are playing without her daughter.
Are you underweight or overweight? If I was underweight, I would know how to fix it.
Can you see your veins? A few. For instance, in the back of my hands. In my arm where they like to take blood, they run deep enough to make me a hard draw. Most of the time, I just have them take it out of my hand. It bruises but it beats them digging for a vein.
Favorite…
Soap? Anything with lots of moisture. I've either been buying Dove or Olay.
Fruit? Clementines.
Kind of red meat? Nice juicy hamburger.
Fish? Tuna, but it's not worth the trouble to eat when you live with cats.
Candy bar? Chocolate. Fun sized Kit Kats, Twix and Hershey with Almonds can almost always be found in my house for snacking.
Have You Ever…
Eaten a whole bag of potato chips? Other than the single serve pouches, no. I'm not a chip person. They are a side dish to me.
Eaten lobster? Both sides of my family are deeply rooted in Maine. Oddly enough, I have never eaten lobster. I didn't grow up in the North East and my mom doesn't like it. As an adult, I figure my general dislike of seafood is enough reason not to order an extravagant menu item.
Climbed a mountain? I've been up the kind of mountains you can drive up.
Been skydiving? No. I'd be more likely to skydive then go mountain climbing.
Been water skiing? Do I look like an extreme sports kind of girl to you? I love being in the water. Going really fast on top of it is something I can do without.
Do You…
Wish you could change something about your life? Broken record... I'd have a college degree by now.
Like your nose? It has served me well.
Like salt and vinegar chips? I can eat a few with a sandwich.
Eat salsa? Rarely. I like the fresh, chunky kind.
Own a boat? The argument could be made for our Suburban being a boat.
What Is…
A small thing that people let slide but that actually has dire consequences? Getting yearly check-ups and recommended tests. It's amazing how many people (especially guys) will run anti virus programs on their computers and upgrade a KVM switch as needed, but don't get bloodwork done to see if their bodies are functioning properly. Don't even get me started on Pap tests and mammograms for the ladies.
Your most macho trait? Ummm... I'm not very macho. Most of the stereotypically male interests I have are more on the nerd/geek end. Science fiction is thought of as a male interest and is decidedly lacking in machismo.
The longest relationship you’ve ever had? Define relationship. I've been best friends with Kate since 1991. My husband and I have been together since August 1999. Yes, that makes me feel old.
Your most embarrassing thoughts? Why would I tell you? The few thoughts I don't blurt out are private.
Your most shameful moment? I'm sure it happened in junior high.
This/That…
Bath/Shower? Shower. Even if I take a bath, I shower afterward.
Markers/Crayons? I love them both. Crayola Crayons, however, have the most emotional impact.
Pens/Pencils? It's always hard for me to choose between office supplies. My handwriting looks better in pen, yet pencil offers clear advantage in some situations.
Jelly/Cream Cheese? Finally, an easy one. Cream Cheese. It's spreadable cheese, for crying out loud. What's not to love?
Bagel/Toast? The toaster is my friend. I love a good bagel. With cream cheese, please.
Finish…
My greatest weakness is… chocolate. You mean besides chocolate? Procrastination.
I wish I was… independently wealthy.
Three things I wouldn’t do for a million dollars are… beyond me right this moment. Please, make an offer. I will surely consider.
The oddest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth is… nothing especially odd.
Firsts…
Credit card you had? I'll let you know if someone issues me one.
Loan you got was for? I had a car loan for a couple thousand.
Paycheck was for how much? Maybe $100 or less. I had more control over where it went back then.
Time you had stitches? I've never had stitches or broken any bones for that matter.
Time you went to the hospital for something? I spent many hours of my young childhood at various hospitals receiving physical therapy.
Lasts…
List everything you ate in the last 24 hours? In reverse order: chocolate chip cookies, Hawaiian Punch, birthday cake and ice cream, spaghetti and meatballs, bagel with cheese and chicken, Diet Coke, Ritz and cheese, tea, Earl Grey, hot.
Last thing you used a credit card for? Used my debit card at Walmart for all those things you buy at Walmart.
What was your job previous to the one you have now? A different call center, working for another phone company in a different department. Same job with some small changes.
Last thing you celebrated? Sabrina's birthday.
Last time you were at a sports bar? I don't know if I've ever been to an honest to goodness sports bar.
Dressed Up For Eddie Izzard
Last weekend, Kate and I went to see Eddie Izzard at The Fox Theater in Downtown St Louis. Most people I told had no idea who I was talking about. You would think I was telling them about Richard Willich, not Eddie, the hysterically funny comedian behind such bits as Death Star Canteen.
These pictures were taken after we got back to Kate's house around 1:30 am which account for any droopiness. It was a long day full of fun and awesomeness. The show could not have been better. The whole experience was even better since we got dressed up and made a day of it.
Penguin Walk
In the winter, St Louis Zoo takes their penguins out for a little walk on Sundays, weather permitting. It was definitely perfect weather for penguins yesterday - didn't make it out of the teens. Kate, Sabrina and I bundled up and braved the cold to get up close and personal with natures most formal bird.
The keepers were so calm. They kept either in front of or in back of the birds. More than once they had to herd one back from behind the line of on lookers.
If I didn't know better, I would think those penguins were trained to walk in line.
The birds appear to be as curious about us as we are about them.
We ducked back inside the exhibit after the parade went by. We quickly found the temperature inside the penguin exhibit was warmer than outdoors.
We caught the end of the parade as the penguins head back inside. We were even closer to them.
This determined fellow was back inside long before his friends.
Despite the cold, or maybe because we suffered for our fun, we loved the Penguin Parade. If you are within medical travel distance of St Louis, I would recommend visiting my new feathered friends.
What if...
Sunday Stealing: The "What If" Meme1. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up? If I must, let's explode some serial killer who is guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt. Overall, I'm not a violent person.
2. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence. Which one will it be? I'd say Kanye West. It's not so much his music as his willful ignorance. Although, I would hate to wipe out the episode of South Park about him. It's hilarious, but not for the easily offended.
3. Who would you really like to just punch in the face? Again with the violence. I've never punched anyone in the face. It is unlikely I would start now. Not to say I haven't thought about it...
4. What is your favorite cheese? Sharp cheddar. Swiss. Cream cheese. Just give me some high quality cheese.
5.You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your immediate disposal. What kind will you make? I'd build my sandwich on a fresh baked baguette. A fine layer of mayo, then cheese - some of the sharp cheddar I was thinking of in question four. Chicken. Baby Spinach. Cucumber. Tomato. Green pepper. Sprouts. To top it off, a layer of Swiss on top. Yummy veggies.
6.You have the opportunity to sleep with the movie celebrity of your choice. We are talking no-strings-attached sex and it can only happen once. Who is the lucky celebrity of your choice? My choice is the factor which makes this happen? Yeah, right. The answer often changes, but after a discussion today about Men of a Certain Age I'd have to say Scott Bakula. He looks every bit as good as he did in Necessary Roughness.
7. You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who do you pick? I've never been into the groupie type.
8.Now that you’ve slept with two different people in a row, you seem to be having an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Holy shit, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it? I'd take my husband out for a nice dinner. The rest would work itself into the budget.
9. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? Seattle.
10.Upon arrival to the aforementioned location, you get off the plane and discover another hundred-dollar bill. Shit! Now that you are in the new location, what are you gonna do? Take my folks and brother and sister-in-law out to dinner.
11. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. It is…? I'm not into alcohol. I'd love a lifetime supply of Diet Coke.
12.Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you get there? To the early 80s to invest in Apple stock. Really anytime before the invention of MP3 players would work.
13. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules.What is the first rule you put into place? No drama. It's not junior high, so get over it.
14. You have been given the opportunity to create the half-hour TV show of your own design. What is it called and what’s the premise? Nerds. Loosely based on Kate and I as young teens.
15.What is your favorite curse word? I like British curses. Especially "Bloody" and "Bollocks."
16.One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do? Yell for my large, intimidating husband. So useful.
17.Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in here and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the item? Laptop. My life is on this thing.
18.The Angel of Death has descended upon you. Fortunately, the Angel of death is pretty cool and in a good mood, and it offers you a half-hour to do whatever you want before you bite it. Whatcha gonna do in that half-hour? Spend it with my husband.
19. You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables.They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What’s it gonna be? Flight. Fast enough to be across the country in an afternoon.
20. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again? My wedding ceremony. It went so fast and I was nervous so it was kind of a blur.
21.You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? Getting separated from my family at the Aloha Stadium swap meet when I was around twelve. It was horrible at the time and not of such lasting effect that if it hadn't happened I'd be much different than I am.
22.You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world! Bitchin’! What country are you going to live in now? England. It's practically my honorary nationality anyway.
23. This question still counts, even for those of you who are under age. Check it out. You have been eternally banned from every single bar in the world except for ONE. Which one is it gonna be? I wouldn't care. Again, not a drinker. So pick one with awesome food.
24. Hopefully you didn’t mention this in the super-powers question…. If you did, then we’ll just expand on that. Check it out… Suddenly, you have gained the ability to FLOAT!!! Whose house are you going to float to first, and be like “Dude, check it out…I can FLOAT!”? I guess flying and floating aren't exactly the same. I'd, of course, float over to Kate's house.
25. The constant absorption of magical moonbeams mixed with the radioactive vegetables you consumed earlier has given you the ability to resurrect the dead famous-person of your choice. So which celebrity will you bring back to life? Issac Asimov.
26.The Celestial Gates of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person, etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back? I have been lucky in life to have lost very few people I love. So the choice is clear. My Uncle Danny.
27. What’s your theme song? I'm Going Slightly Mad because it had to be Queen. Runner up Mika's Big Girl (You Are Beautiful).
The Plan 2010
My best friend Kate says plans are how you know what isn't going to happen. Then we laugh. We both love making plans despite the regularity with which our plans fall through. The success ratio is about the same for our individual or joint plans. Sometimes our plans just never happen. You know how life veers off course to where the original plan simply doesn't fix. Just as often, especially together, our plans go awry while we are implementing our well thought out undertaking. We are famous for our wacky comedies of error.
I could tell you stories...
I just might sometime...
Yet, every year, I love to plan the big things I intend to work on for the coming year. Not resolutions. I don't so resolutions. Plans.
My next couple of months are sewn up. I'm in training for my new job. I'm still working in a call center, just a different third-party vendor and a different national cell phone carrier in a slightly different department. Big companies don't like employees talking about them on the internet. I've got one more week of classroom, than back to the phones. Eight weeks after that, I will qualify for the work at home program. Thank goodness, too, because the drive is making working pretty much a zero sum game. If it was an option, I'd pack up our apartment for motorhome towing.
This year - 2010 - will be the year I start college. The fact I will also turn thirty shorty after is something I'd rather not think about. The summer semester at our local community college will start shortly after I start working at home.
In a truly overwhelming gesture, Kate promised to pay for my first semester as my Christmas present. Since my attempt to go through University of Phoenix left me with nothing but student loans, money has been the one obstacle standing between me and education. Words cannot express how much her support means. Not just the cash. Not everyone understands why it is so important. Would you believe she also got me a Wesley Crusher action figure, too?
Awesome, no? He even has Dilithium crystals for his science experiments.
I plan to start with the intermediate algebra I'll need, an English class, and Spanish. Nothing crazy.
Beyond the big stuff, 2010 will be pretty much like 2009. Cast of characters is the same. Day to day life with include the same struggle for balance. With any luck, I'll make more time to be creative. And for blogging. Combining the two is a fond desire. In twelve months, I'll check back in to see how these plans worked.
A Year in Review 2009
In the week between Christmas and New Years is a sort of limbo. The feeling is not as strong as it was when Christmas break gave me a week where I was free to take in a year's worth of change. This year, I have only Christmas day and New Years day off from work. I don't keep a paper journal anymore, so my written year end reflections are public. Scary, I know.
On the surface, 2009 was not an eventful year. I live in the same apartment with my dear husband and our cats. My weekends involve my friend Kate and her daughter.
Up until the week before Thanksgiving, I worked at the same job. I quickly found a position in the same industry. Currently, I'm in training. More information may or may not follow. I don't consider it very interesting or important.
From the inside out, 2009 was a big year.
In 2008, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. In February of 2009, I brought home my CPAP machine. I never knew it was possible to wake up so refreshed. Sleep is finally my friend. And I've never had fewer migraines. I feel really good more days then not.
While not life changing like rest, I love my laptop. It came home in May. I know it sounds strange, but having two computers has lead to Chris and I spending more time together. Instead of trading off computer time, we can both do our thing at the same time before or after spending time together. Two bloggers in the family takes time.
In early October, Chris found a great freelance writing gig. He is writing three articles a week for a body building and sports site. I'm not going to lie, the money is a great help. Mostly, I'm thrilled he is being recognized for his amazing depth of knowledge. Writing about sports is the job he has been training for his whole life. I am very proud.
Life is good. It's not flashy or exciting. Just how I like it. Here's to an uneventful 2010.
The Final Week of 2009
Sunday Stealing: The Final Week of 2009 Meme1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? Went to Memphis.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? For 2009, I kept it simple. My only resolution was to eat cheese. Not even eat more cheese than the year before. And guess what? I did it. Almost daily. For 2010, I do have things I'm planning, but not exactly resolutions. I'm not putting rocker switches in my apartment, but I do plan some spring cleaning and organizing.
3. How will you be spending New Year's Eve? I expect to spend the evening with my dear niece, Sabrina. We will play Barbies and Wii Mario.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Over the summer, someone at work died. I was not extremely close, but we had been on a team together. I considered him a friend. It was so sad.
5. What countries did you visit? Stayed in the US all year.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Wining Lotto ticket? In all seriousness, 2010 should see me enrolled in our local community college. It's exactly what I'm looking for.
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 24. Last day at my old job. Lots of new opportunities.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Sometimes the biggest achievement is living day to day life.
9. What was your biggest failure? Define failure.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had pneumonia in February. It was awful. I don't think my lungs will ever get back to normal. I also went back on antidepressants. Wellbutrin is an amazing drug.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Laptop. I love my laptop.
12. Where did most of your money go? Rent, cable and food. Being an adult is so expensive.
13. What song will always remind you of 2009? Anything on Mika's Life in Cartoon Motion. Listen to Big Girl and Grace Kelly. I dare you not to think of Freddie Mercury.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of? All things creative. I didn't blog nearly as much as I wanted. I had plans for other projects, but didn't do as much as I wanted.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of? Stress.
16. What was your favorite TV program? Big Bang Theory. I <3 Sheldon.
17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No. That short list has stayed stable.
18. What was the best book you read? Old Man's War by John Scalzi. I read all four books that take place in that universe. It's been a long time since I've been so fired up about a new (to me) author.
19. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm musically set in my ways. Kate introduced me to Mika.
20. What was your favorite film of this year? Star Trek. It was awesome.
21. What did you do on your birthday? I don't remember. I'm not much for birthdays.
22. What kept you sane? My loved ones. My books.
23. Who did you miss? Far flung family members and friends. I can never have everyone I love geographically close.
24. Who was the best new person you met? I've gotten to know my cousin Trina through Facebook and instant messenger. I always knew she existed, but if we ever met it was when I was a baby.
25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: I am forever learning my plans don't have to pan out for life to work itself out. Or as Kate says, plans are how you know what won't happen.