I've Turned My Cheek

Choose and Defend Wednesday. Don't think I've forgotten about you! If it wasn't for my regular features, my blog my whither away. It is funny...I have plenty to say, but lately when I think of blogging my thoughts I get a bad case of brain freeze. But Choose and Defend Wednesday comes to my rescue.

This week, I am going to let you rid yourself of some of the inconvience in your life. It is within your power! Which one of these two things will you eliminate?

Bad Drivers

OR

Long Lines

 

So, there you go. Just a couple little things to make your life more pleasant. And you can Choose one! And you can tell us why (Defend)!  Thank you for Choosing and Defending and helping to keep my blog alive :)

This Musical Message is For Hey, Buy the Rights

Head Over Heels I've Fit In Before

My good blogger friend Jasen from the land of Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections chose the word SMASH for this week's Saturday Scavenger Shots theme. He has his reasons, and you can see for yourself if you go check out his blog. 

I decided to use this word to refer obliquely to what's been on my mind lately. I can't be too straightforward, because what's been on my mind doesn't only affect me in this case. So, let's see if I can protect the innocent and still lay it out for you.

SMASH. A slapstick word...a violent word...could even be a celebratory word.

Last weekend it seemed like it might be fun to get SMASHed on rum and cola. And it was, actually. But it had unforeseen consequences. At least unforeseen by me. Keep in mind that I virtually never drink.  I am not a teetotaler, but I was married to an alcoholic for many years. I had to think about drinking in a different way than some other people might have to.

Anyway, after the fun came the aftermath. Again, I can't be too revealing here...but let me just say that -SMASH- my perception of how things were going in my world was rapidly twisted and turned until I really didn't recognize it anymore. It was like someone had adjusted the lense on a microscope and suddenly an image I couldn't make out before became shockingly clear.  Want to SMASH your heart open and watch it bleed? Ask questions that you aren't going to like the answers to.

I will end this here. Hoping that I can be more clear eyed in the future. Hoping I can deal with what has come up in a realistic and productive way.  Hoping that this whole thing won't SMASH my basic optimism. Hoping this post wasn't too much of a puzzler and too much of a drag.

Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the weekend. Have yourself a SMASHing good time, why don't you! You deserve it.

But He Stayed in the City, and Kept On Changing Clothes

I am over here dragging around today. Hoping for a sudden infusion of energy. Maybe some Choose and Defend Wednesday will help.

Today, a simple classic....Would you rather have...

Bionic Hearing

OR

X-Ray Vision

You know the rules! All you have to do is make your choice (Choose) and then use your most persuasive language to assure us all that you've made the best choice (Defend). 

Thanks in advance for playing Choose and Defend Wednesday!

Happy Birthday Secret Agent Man / Late Sat Scav Shot

PART I

I wanted to start this post by saying Happy Birthday to my Paul Secret Agent Man. Today my second son is 26, which of course seems impossible. We are having a family dinner tonight at WTG's house in Secret Agent Man's honor, so that is something to look forward to today. Finally, a family event we can count on this guy to show up at! He isn't called Secret Agent Man for nothing :)  ♥♥♥

Secret Agent Man to your left, looking menacing. Shown here one Christmas eve at grandma's house with Social Animal.

 

PART II

 



Now. I am hoping that anyone eagerly anticipating my Saturday Scavenger Shots post (although who that would be, I'm not sure) was able to exercise PATIENCE. Here it is, Monday...and here I am finally posting a Saturday post.   This week's word was choosen by Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti.

I tend to think of myself as possessing PATIENCE. Other times, though, I feel more like what passes for PATIENCE is more like inertia or fear of rocking some boat. Still, PATIENCE is a virtue, or so it is said. So I will try and take some credit here for possessing at least the semblance of some virtue!

Having to wait until Monday to post gave me an extra opportunity to find the right photo for the theme.  Yesterday (Sunday) DR and I had Little Prince over for a few hours while his mom was having her graduation from Nursing school. It is always fun, and a bit easier, to have one of the kids at a time.

Having a four year old to care for exercises my PATIENCE in a way that I don't get much practice at these days. Little Prince is such a good boy. Very easy going and happy. I know he doesn't look too happy here! He is staring intently at Spongebob Squarepants...and I think we'd tired him out in the pool.  But anyway, even very good small children do require the PATIENCE it takes to listen constantly. They so want to interact in every moment. I am someone who can easily zone out...and I have a lot more room to do that now that my own children are fairly grown. But with younger children it seems very important, to me, to give them that feedback and stimulating conversation that they tend to enjoy. So....PATIENCE :)

I hope you all had a good weekend and will have the PATIENCE to wait through another week for yet another weekend. Now, we just have to see who Tara tags for this coming week.

This Musical Message is For Drop Your Drink Then They Bring You More

Friday 5 - Specific Favorites

Hey there all you chin waggers and silent partners!  Having a fairly quiet Friday, so I thought it would be fun to enjoy some Friday 5 goodness. This time, it is personal! Well...it is always somewhat personal, but anyway....

Here are my answers and photos for illustrative purposes :) 

1. Where is your favorite tree? My favorite tree is at Big Tree Park in Glendora, CA. It is called a Moreton Bay Fig. Every family in Glendora takes at least one big family photo amidst the roots.

2. Where is your favorite chair? My favorite chair seats two. It could be called a love seat, which I always thought was a very nice name. But for today, it is a chair. This picture was taken in the shop, before we brought it home to our livingroom.

3. Who has your favorite hair? My son Social Animal has fantastic hair! Long or short, I think it is superb!

4. What’s your favorite mug (or other drinking vessel) like? My favorite drinking vessel once held strawberry lemonade. Now I keep it at work, filling it with cold water throughout the day. It is cheerful and I like drinking out of glass containers.

5. Where’s your favorite parking spot (not at home)? I have my spot at work that I like to get when I can. It is next to a no parking area, so there is only another car on one side. It is one of the closest spots to the door I like to enter through. Today, I got my spot!

Thanks for coming around these parts for some Friday 5. I hope you'll play along in comments or on your own blog. As always, I look forward to hearing from you!  Stop in tomorrow to see what I can come up with for PATIENCE. Hmmm.

An Awkward Pause, Then 'What's My Line?'

Hello all you scamps and rascals! Welcome to Choose and Defend Wednesday here on me little blog. I tried to think of something Autumn-y, but it is just not very Autumnal here yet. By the end of the week it is meant to cool down into the 80s....so we'll see. 

Anyway, I decided to go with a simple movie question. I think everyone has one...or perhaps several movies, that they enjoy watching over and over. Sure, you take a break sometimes, but then it happens to be on and you get sucked right back in. What kind of movie is mostly likely to have that effect on you?

Comedy

OR

Drama

Feel free to take these categories as widely as you like. Also, feel free to name some of your favorite multiple-view movies in comments, if you'd like. I'd love to hear about them! Choose and Defend!

Oh My Gawd! Gag Me With a Spoon!

 Saturday night found me reliving that colorful decade known as the 80s. The first time around I went from 16 to 26. From being a high school student to being the mom of three. Quite a decade!

It was Totally 80s at the Hollywood Bowl. DR and I picked up a couple of sammiches at Subway, caught the bus, and got to the Bowl about an hour before the show started. We were able to relax in our seats before the crowds arrived to press in upon us. If you've ever been to the Hollywood Bowl, you know how they can work those bench seats to fully fill the place.

Me and DR enjoying the relative quiet before the storm of clarinet and keyboard and many surrounding bodies....

The first act was Bow Wow Wow. I literally know one of their songs. I Want Candy. Their other songs sound sort of similar. The things I like best about them are their Ant Music-like drums and the girl singer.

Next up, The Motels. They sounded good and  I know a few of their songs well enough to sing along a bit. Luckily, the noise level prohibits anyone else from hearing my gnarly voice traipsing alongside the actual tune. Martha Davis was in fine voice, but has apparently spent some time honing her stage presence under the tutelage of Liza Minnelli. Lots of wide-eyed drama going on.

The Psychedelic Furs were fun to hear and see. I don't remember being a big Furs fan back in the day, but apparently they were everywhere, because I know a lot of their songs. I'm pretty sure their music has made its way on to several soundtracks. Richard Butler is still really cute, I am happy to report. They played a good long set and were very well received.

The headliners were the Go Go's (I've been forced to ruminate on why they chose to spell their group's name in the possessive form). Those ladies were amazing. Their playing was tight, their voices were harmonious, and they were all beautiful! The crowd was crazy for them and there was so much singing and dancing in the packed Bowl. This was, for me, one of my less dance-y concerts. Not that the spirit didn't move me...but dang! This was a long show that came after a day of work. Maybe I was a little tuckered out. But I did enjoy the show very, very much.

Hope you all had a totally tubular weekend! It is supposed to be hot this week, at least in these parts, so send some cooling thoughts my way :)

This Musical Message is For the Queens We Use Would Not Excite You

Tall Tales for All

I was lucky....I got to choose this week's Saturday Scavenger Shots word! I knew I'd be up to my ears in a program today, so I choose something that I could do easily :) The word is CREATIVE. And....here you go...

Here is something to start the CREATIVE process.

 

Add some CREATIVE supplies.

 

Soon, you too will have your very own Tall Tale hero! This one is called Silly Sally Soupcan. Here special talents are telling hilarious jokes, flying, and able to talk to animals. She has a frog side-kick named Ribbit. How CREATIVE!

 

Actually, the kids will probably get much more CREATIVE, but I wanted to get this up while there was time. After my Tall Tales for All program, I am getting off early so that DR and I can go to 80s Night at the Hollywood Bowl! Hearing the Go Gos, Psychedelic Furs, The Motels, and Bow Wow Wow will be a CREATIVE way to pretend I am a Youth again :-D

 

Happy Saturday! Hope you have a chance to get CREATIVE.  And Tara...tag!!!!!

Everybody Gets a Nice Autographed Picture

We've made it to Wednesday, thus we deserve some Choose and Defend. This week you get to be a star! At least for awhile :)   Which of these "look at me" moments would you most enjoy doing?

Guest Star on Your Favorite TV Show

OR

Sing the National Anthem at the First Game of the World Series

To make it interesting...and to get a more honest look at what you'd REALLY want to do...let's say you won't embarrass yourself at either one! If you want to sing, you can. If you want to act, you can. Get it? So Choose and then Defend your choice! Come on, Super Star, shine!

Thia Musical Message is For My Thoughts, I Confess...

And I Feel My Finger On Your Trigger

HAPPINESS. What a great word and a beautiful thought. All thanks to Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti for making this week's Saturday Scavenger Shots so pleasurable.  Please share my HAPPINESS.

Music = HAPPINESS. I love all kinds of music. And I love brick and mortar record shops like this one near my house. I could spend all day and be perfectly content browsing and chatting with the clerk about which bands were the shit back when KROQ was meaningful :)

My kids are at the heart of my HAPPINESS, always. Some of that HAPPINESS comes from the special little things I enjoy with each one of them. As illustrated here, Handsome Lad, my youngest, and I like to go out for Thai food together every so often. It is our little thing. We also share that love of music and even have some similar appreciations.  My oldest, Kick Back Dude and I have a good relationship and I think we both find it very easy to talk about almost anything together. My daughter Girlie Girl and I have our shows, the occasional manicure that she'll perform for me, and the bond of two women who lived in a house of men. My middle child Social Animal and I have our talks too. He is a very deep thinker and I feel energized and excited by discussions with him.  My second oldest Secret Agent Man and I have a less evident bond...but it is old and deep. He was very possessive of me when he was a very little boy. He's always felt so close to my heart. As a young man, he has become very independent, but I feel sure of our love. Plus, he has a "Mom" tattoo :) So much HAPPINESS. I am very fortunate.

Here is my DR. I believe I caught him mid rico suave face here :) I feel so much HAPPINESS that he is in my life. When I think of the series of circumstances that brought us together I sometimes want to gasp in amazement. He calls it Absolute Fortuitous Happenstance. I call it my good luck. Things aren't always easy, but I do think at the heart, the HAPPINESS and love is very deep. 

So, this is my HAPPINESS post! Thanks for stopping in to look. It was a so pleasing to greedily count my piles of treasure. I wish each of you all the HAPPINESS in the world.

Friday 5 - Where to Go

I noticed I haven't done a Friday 5 in quite some time. I need to remedy that, as I do enjoy them very much.  This particular one is great, what with it featuring food and all! One of my favorite things :)

Won't you join me in exploring where I go for great treats? Please feel encouraged to play along in comments or on your own blog!

1. Where do you go for a great cup of coffee or tea? If I have a gift card, I will admit to being a sucker for the omnipresent Starbucks. However, on most occasions, if I don't get my brews at home I am more than happy to stop in at 7-Eleven. My friend Millie and I call their coffee Gucci Coffee, because it tastes so fancy!

2. Where do you go for a great doughnut? Mmmmm...Donut Man. What up?!?!?

3. Where do you go for a great sandwich? I like Subway, sure. (Bring back the Seafood Sensation, dangit!) But the most delicious, crave-worthy sandwich comes from this great place near my house called Plaza Produce. Everything is so fresh and delicious. My favorite thing to get is a tuna on squaw bread. The tuna is mixed with yogurt instead of mayo...no relish in the mix. OMG. I am almost at a drool right now. 

4. Where do you go for a great bowl of soup? I am a big fan of the french onion soup at Red Robin. As their little song says...Yummmmm....

5.Where do you go for a great post-midnight snack? Go out after midnight to eat? Me? Even be out after midnight and need food? Not likely. My older kids and their friends seem to be big supporters of the Dollar Menu at McDonalds though. I will give them their say for this one, because I'm sure you don't want to hear me say - Uuuhhh...my fridge?

And there you have it! A Friday 5 that has whet my appetite :) Please check back in tomorrow to see my HAPPINESS for Saturday Scavenger Shots. Will it be food related? Oh man...I hope not....

(-.-)

I Shoulda Learned to Play Them Drums

It is Wednesday which can mean only one thing here in Fresh Hell....it is time to Choose and Defend. This week, you get a new job. Yay! Well, maybe not yay, exactly. It isn't a spectacular job, but it pays pretty well, you have a pleasant working environment, and you are fully able to do or learn all aspects of your new position. And guess what? Since this is Choose and Defend Wednesday you even get a choice. There's a twist for you :)   You get to decide what sort of work you'd prefer to do, to a degree....

Would you rather

Work Exclusively with Co-Workers

 OR

Work with the Public

I'm really interested to hear which you'd choose and why. This is your Choose and Defend Wednesday. Go!

This Musical Message is For I Was Never One to Believe the Hype

And Nobody Knows How She Got That Strong

Saturday! A working Saturday, but still a Saturday...and so, we shall have some Saturday Scavenger Shots.  This week's word was chosen by our fine friend Jasen over at Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections. The word is PARCEL. What shall we do with this? I don't have my own PARCEL of land to show you. We do get many PARCELs here at work though. Items are always coming and going around here. Check this out.

Several large PARCELs arrived at the library last week. I felt a great urge to build a fort from the boxes left on the loading dock. What would a PARCEL like this contain?

It turned out to be some new furniture for the special space we've carved out for our Middle School students. A very nice PARCEL to have received. 

 

Here is a smaller PARCEL I received at home, just yesterday -

These are some very cool card/bookmarks that a Twitter friend of mine sent me. Nothing...NOTHING beats getting a little PARCEL in the mail. Thanks @inmybook ! If anyone wants to check out her merch. you can do it HERE

Thanks for stopping in to check out my Saturday Scavenger Shots. Looking forward to the coming week and what comes next :)

You Don't Know How Lovely You Are

Hey. Ho. For this week's Choose and Defend Wednesday you get to be a scientist. Or maybe just someone looking in the right place at the right time. Who knows? In any event, this week you get to make a discovery all your own. Given the choice, which of these discoveries would you prefer to make and why?

A New Comet

OR

A New Dinosaur Fossil

Imagine either of these things, completely undiscovered before, and then you announce your find! You probably even get to name whatever it is you've found! What will it be? That is the Choose part. And if you can explain your preference, that would be the Defend part.

Thanks for stopping in and noticing that I am in a better frame of mind mid-week :) Choose and Defend!

The Lumpish One

WARNING. THIS IS A COMPLAIN-Y POST.

 

Me on Saturday. And Sunday.

 

I spent this past weekend being incredibly unmotivated. You know I go on about how I love the heat of summer, but for the past few weeks I've just felt miserable. It is so hot and so humid. When I am at work in my little ice box of a library, of course I am unbothered. But when I am off work and meant to be enjoying myself I am always just sweating! I'm at work or I'm sweating.

Part of it is my fault. I tend not to run my ancient air conditioner because of the cost. I have been struggling financially lately, so I guess I'm afraid to press my electric bill higher. My daughter has her own air conditioner in her room which she runs constantly, so she's fine. I do force DR to suffer along with me and he is very kind about it and doesn't complain as I do.

So anyway, this weekend it was just hot and I was just tired and all I did was sit like a lump on my couch trying not to do anything that would cost me any money or make me feel hotter. I'm tired of being so broke, as well as being so hot. The struggling with temperature, money, and my own moods is exhausting. Because of my lumpish weekend though, I do feel less tired as this week begins.

And I try and try and try to remain positive, because there is a lot to be positive about. So much is good. It will get cooler and I will soon enough be complaining about that! I will catch up at some point with the bills or get desperate enough to let something go and there will be some relief. And I will take those lumpish weekends when I must. But maybe next weekend we deserve to do something fun. Let it be :)