Just Do What They Ask

Hey, hey! Reporting for Saturday Scavenger Shots duty, suuurrr! I had such a time trying to come up with something that would fit in with the word that Jasen @ Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections chose. The word, ADAPT, could be ADAPTed to work in many different ways. I just wasn't sure how I would approach this challenge!

Finally, this is what I decided to go with. Please, don't all get too excited. My genius is delicate and loud noises may disrupt the fragile balance of my mind :)

This is a very tiny lizard I photographed on an outside wall of my apartment building. I wouldn't mind some lizard-like ADAPTions, such as being able to climb walls and regenerate my tail if it were removed. Wait, what?  Um, anyway, just ADAPT to my oddness and we'll all be okay.

Okay. We get a little bored at work sometimes and things happen when we try to amuse ourselves. My friend Milly was able to ADAPT this kid's Reader of the Week entry to create her ideal man. The photo isn't great, but it says: Aidan is 44 years old. His favorite song is blue Monday and he likes bananarama. Aidan enjoys coloring. He also enjoys 80s music especially ABC.

 

I hope that you were able to ADAPT yourself to my current weirdness. I also hope that unlike me, all of you are getting to enjoy a full three day weekend, celebrating the laborers among us!

 

At his Saturday Scavenger Shots post, Jasen has asked for a volunteer to choose the next word. If you have an idea you'd like to photograph or you'd like to see us photograph, say the word! Thanks.

Red, Gold, and Green

This is the definition of karma at the Simple English Wikipedia site - Karma is the universal principle of cause and effect. Our actions, both good and bad, come back to us in the future, helping us to learn from life’s lessons and become better people. In religions that include reincarnation, karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well.

I say this to you to get us started on this week's Choose and Defend Wednesday. There are more complicated definitions related to specific religious beliefs, but I imagine everyone understands the basic concept of karma. And what I wanted to ask is, do you harbor a belief in karma?

NO

OR

YES

Feel free to expand upon a yes or no answer. I'd love to hear how you see, or don't see, the effects of karma in your defense!  We are here. It is Wednesday. Choose and Defend!

This Musical Message is For All the Sinners Crawl

She Turned Her Tender Eyes to Me

I chose the word POETRY for our Saturday Scavenger Shots, because I thought it would be a little challenging to put it into photos and I like a small challenge! I love POETRY and enjoy writing short, simple poems from time to time. It is really more like doggerel than true POETRY. I'm okay with that, because there is lots of great POETRY already out there in the world. 

Here are the photos I came up with to illustrate POETRY -

On the refrigerator in the break room at work, we have those little magnetic words that you can put together in different ways. I think it is called a magnetic POETRY kit. It has been up there so long that most people just ignore it. I rarely use the break room, but occasionally I wander in there and switch things up.

The Children's POETRY section is fairly substantial. It is dominated by a couple of poets that kids tend to really enjoy because of their humor.  They can never get enough Jack Pretlutsky or Shel Silverstein. I love showing kids the POETRY section!

This is one of my favorite poems. It is by e.e. cummings, one of my favorite poets. I admit to getting a larger enjoyment out of more compact POETRY. I am, no doubt, too simple to fully enjoy more epic types of POETRY...at least on a regular basis. But give me something that makes me feel the message without a lot of analysis and a lot of my precious time and I am smitten.

I hope you have enjoyed my little POETRY display here. I enjoyed putting it together and love the opportunity to think about POETRY! I wonder what Jasen will choose for next week?

PS - If you ever get the urge to see my feeble attempts at POETRY, check out my Tumblr page, where I sometimes post something up. :)

Friday 5 (or More) - You Too?

 I wandered over to Friday 5 today and, as always, was glad that I did. Scrivener is in fine form today. Here is what he had to say -

"Here are six questions taken directly from lyrics by U2. Because I’m in a U2 kind of mood today. I’m offering six because I have a feeling everyone will consider at least one of these questions pretty lame, so pick your favorite five of the six."

I'm going to answer all six!

1. Is it getting better, or do you feel the same? (from “One”) - I want to believe it is getting better. It almost has to be. Still...I guess as long as it doesn't get any worse, I can live with feeling the same.

2. Do you shiver when you dream? Is there a pounding in your heart? (from “You’re the Only One that’s Real”) - This makes me think of vivid dreams that you awaken from with a start and remember long after your day has begun. That doesn't happen to me very often. Very little shivering and heart pounding in my dreams. Daydreams? I maybe could get myself a little worked up, if I'm willing to put in the effort....

3. Is the sweetest melody the one we haven’t heard? Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear? (from “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”) - I think I've heard some pretty sweet melodies, but the unheard ones are unknown...could be awful, could be great. I will let you know after I've given them a listen. Perfect love now...what is that? But I don't get the feeling that anything drives out all fear.

4. Do you feel anything at all? (from “Miracle Drug”) - I feel everything. Ugh.

5. It’s gonna itch and burn and sting; do you want to see what the scratching brings? (from “Staring at the Sun”) - I guess I do want to see what the scratching brings. Not that I want to draw blood or anything, but who can resist scratching an itch?

6. Do you feel loved? (from “Do You Feel Loved?”) - I feel loved. Sometimes it seems more of an abstraction than a reality. But...I don't feel unloved, let's say.

Bonus Dan Fogelberg question:   I have debated the tone of the final line in Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne.” I contend that “and as I turned to make my way back home, the snow turned into rain” is a sad, sad, sad lyric. Most of my friends say that while it is certainly wistful, it’s not an unpleasant wistfulness that the persona communicates. Some go so far as to say it’s kind of a happy thing, like looking back and seeing how far you come and how much you’ve grown because you sometimes need reminders of your past to illustrate it. My question for anyone who cares to expound (call it a Friday 6) is: is that a happy note or a sad note that Fogelberg ends on?

I guess I've mostly thought of that as a wistful ending. The snow makes everything kind of magical, in the same way that our past can acquire a sparkle over the years. When it turns into ordinary, slogging rain...it isn't tragic, but that soft focused view of the world of our youth is gone and we're ourselves again, stuck in our imperfect present.

So, there you have it...my Friday 5 6, with Bonus Dan Fogelberg thought!  Hope this entertained anyone stopping in. Please feel free to ponder the mysteries of U2 and Mr. Fogelberg on your own blog or in comments 2!

It Don't Run in Our Blood

Welcome to Choose and Defend Wednesday, Your Majesty! That's right...today you are royalty. The question is, which kind of royalty would you prefer to be?

Actual Ruler of the Land

OR

Privileged Figure Head

 

I'm not sure how much anybody likes royalty anywhere nowadays (or any days, come to think of it) but if you must be royal...  Maybe with plenty of money and some or all of the power, being liked isn't such a big deal. I don't know. You tell me. Choose and Defend! 

This Musical Message is For I Turned All My Dreams Off

Don't Sit Under the APPLE Tree With Anyone Else But Me!

Jasen @ Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections chose this week's Saturday Scavenger Shots word. The word is APPLE. Pretty straightforward. There is, of course, the fruit in its many lovely varieties. I forgot to get any shots when I stopped into the grocery store yesterday. Then, it turns out the only fruits I have in my house are raspberries, tangelos, and a banana. Okay...there is also APPLE products. So many different APPLE iThings :) But I don't own any of those. *sigh*  What to do?  Ah, I know! Here you go -

I remembered that when storytimes start up in September again, one of my themes will be APPLEs! So naturally I have my little craft for the kids all ready to go. Many an APPLE to be had. Make one of those fancy trees that has all different colors of fruit! Or make yours all yellow or red or green. Your APPLE tree, your call.

 

Thanks for stopping by for some Saturday Scavenger deliciousness! Can't wait to see what my compadre Jasen does. Also, if you'd like to do an APPLE post, please do! Next week's word will be POETRY :)

Here I Am Waiting For You

This will be my Fifth Annual Chris Isaak and the Silvertones concert post! My partner in crime, Ceku, and I returned to a venue we visited a couple of years ago. The Pechanga Casino is a small, excellent venue.

We got there and had a bite to eat. The casino has a convenient, inexpensive food court, in addition to their fancier eateries. Ceku got a Bihn Ma sandwich and I had a delicious cheeseburger and fries. Then...time for the concert!

Our seats were fairly far back, but the size of the theater makes it pretty impossible to get a bad seat. Most importantly, we were again on the aisle.  The concert began. There was no opening act, just right on to the good stuff. As always, their energy and engagement with the audience was off the chart. We had already noted where the stage steps were and thought that we were probably on the wrong side to get a pass by if Chris came out into the audience as he always does. But guess what? He was in a real roaming mood and as he was singing I Want Your Love he came towards our section. Everyone was shaking his hand...he got to us and we had our hands out...he shook Ceku's hand (she had the aisle seat proper) but not mine...at that point we thought he was turning to go another way, but he came around the stair railing and slid right on to Ceku's lap! Oh. Em. Gee. He was on her lap and sitting right next to me, coincidentally. I couldn't help reaching over and touching the silky, light blue, embroidered suit he had on. His sleeve was so soft...and his face was so close! It was quite surreal. He said, "Am I heavy?" which Ceku doesn't remember. She might have blacked out a little while all this was going on...understandably! Of course neither of us had our cameras out at that magical moment and I guess it would have been hard to actually capture that moment anyway....what, with it being so close up and all. I don't know what to say. It was very exciting :)

The concert went on after that and was fantastic. They did a lot of their popular favorites, including a section of their Beyond the Sun recordings.  During one song, the amazing guitarist Hershel Yatovitz came out into the audience. He passed just below us and of course I tried to get a photo. It came out like a photo of a beam of light. So. But he's adorable. The band members wore their fancy, bolero looking black suits. The silky, light blue embroidered suit I mentioned was new and looked cooler and lighter than some of the dazzling suits Chris has worn in the past. Still pretty though! And as things wound down, he didn't disappoint us, but changed into his mirrored suit! It is like a disco ball and has to weigh a ton. I love when he wears it. The only thing missing from the experience was the presence of Kenney Dale Johnson, the Silvertones' drummer. He's currently being treated for cancer. The guy they had in was very, very good...but I couldn't help missing Mr. Johnson.

On the way in, Ceku and I had noted where the tour buses were parked. So, after the concert ended, we decided to go stand around near them and see if we could recreate the good luck we had last year in Anaheim. There were a few other people standing around too and they don't seem terribly worried about beating people back or anything. But somehow, after standing there for awhile sneaking glances at the open door of the building, we started to feel kind of stupid. We were like, "What are we going to do? Yell at them? Wave at them?" We decided we'd had enough excitment and headed on home. Another great Chris Isaak experience for me and Ceku.

So Transpose or Stop Your Lies

Today, my youngest son headed back to school for his Junior year. He isn't a huge fan of school, but I was heartened by the fact that he went cheerfully and seemed in a positive frame of mind about the year to come. This gave me the ammunition that I needed for an easy Choose and Defend Wednesday! Every new school year is a new beginning...a new chance to learn, a new chance to gain interests, and of course, a new chance to get new things!

What was your favorite part of going back to school as a kid?

New Clothes

 

OR

New School Supplies

Think back upon those days and remember what really gave you that push you needed to feel great about giving up all that wild, running around :)  Sure, there were your friends, but let's leave them out of this! Choose and Defend! 

This Musical Message is For I'm Promising You

Let Her Pale Light in to Fill Up the Room

Welcome to a very MYSTERIOUS Saturday Scavenger Shots. I choose today's word because I had Night Vale on the brain, thanks to Jasen the Alien @ Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections. Not sure that I have any photos that are truly MYSTERIOUS, so as always, I just had to do my best.

Both early and late in the day, there are times when trees against the sky are dark silhouettes. They seem somehow MYSTERIOUS to me and make me feel somewhat uneasy. I still don't know what this is about.

Here are some MYSTERIOUS lights across a dark, nighttime lake. Probably not that MYSTERIOUS, but everything is more MYSTERIOUS in the dark!

And of course, I couldn't have a MYSTERIOUS post without a picture of my most MYSTERIOUS son. Secret Agent Man, so MYSTERIOUS...or just private :-)

Thank you for joining me for this MYSTERIOUS Saturday Scavenger Shots post! I hope all the mysteries in your life turn out to be good ones. Jasen will be choosing the next word, so watch for that.

So I Held My Breath

Time for some Choose and Defend Wednesday. Wednesdays come and go, but not without a Choose and Defend to get through first! This week, you get to travel again - time travel! And don't concern yourself with all those picayune details about how time travel mistakes could change the course of history. Just, whatever. You have a choice to make, and a defense of that choice to follow up!

Would you rather go and visit -

Your Ancestors

OR

Your Descendants

It is totally up to you how far back or forward you go. Feel free to tell us about in your comment. Who gets the pleasure of your company? Choose and Defend!

Made Me a Mom

Happy Birthday to Audie Kick Back Dude, who turns 28 today! Can't believe I've been a mom for such a long time :) It is a cliche, sure, but time truly does fly.

I'm so proud of Kick Back Dude. He is a kind man...easy going, as his name implies. He is such a wonderful father to his three beautiful children. Although his relationship with their mother didn't work out, he is the primary and most stable influence in their lives.

Here are a couple of blurry photos -

Here is the man himself, back in his high school Cross Country and Track star days.

 

Here he is more recently, as we hung out at the park with the kids.

 

I posted the earlier Musical Message in his honor. He was, of course, a 90s kid. The song's happy, sort of silly feel reminds me of him...and the singer kind of reminds me of him too!

 

Happy birthday and many, many more!!! 

This Musical Message is For Just Go Ahead Now

Man It's Getting Me Down

Saturday Scavenger Shots are nigh! This week's word is NUTS and it comes to us from the mind of Jasen @ Swamp Gas & Moonlight Reflections. Seems like a good word to me. I try not to let too many things drive me NUTS, because, you know, it takes so much energy! Also, I like NUTS in a food sort of way. So I have that going on :)

I found a couple of photos that I'm NUTS enough about to post here.

Waiting. Waiting in a boring, sterile waiting room. That is enough to make anyone a bit NUTS after awhile. Fortunately, I try to keep a book with me at all times. Having something to read keeps me from going NUTS in many a trying situation.

 

 Here are some delicious NUTS. Chocolate covered cashews to be specific. Cashews are the king of NUTS...and then with chocolate? Divinity is achieved. These are currently the only NUTS I have access to, which is surely TMI. But you know me...I love to share!

 

There you have it. I'm NUTS, but only a very little. The word for next week is MYSTERIOUS! Doesn't that sound fun? Anyone can post a Saturday Scavenger Shot. Feel free to join in the good times :) 

All We Need Are the Necessities and More

I am somehow all thrown off on my days, but was still able to recognize this as a Choose and Defend Wednesday. Way to go, brain. We have completed the Summer Reading Program here at the library. The month of August is our quiet, planning month. We like it and need it, but the public seems to grow mildly depressed. Anyway, a change will do us all some good, surely! Here is your choice for this week's Choose and Defend.

Would you rather take a two week vacation in -

A Secret City Built on the Moon

OR

The World of Your Favorite Movie

 

Don't worry, you can bring whomever you like along with you. You will return in two weeks...unless of course you love it so much you never want to leave! Then enjoy an endless vacation in another world :) All that's left to do is Choose and Defend. Thanks!

There's Only Us

Getting to my Saturday Scavenger Shots and it is only Monday. Better late than never, right? This week's word, SUPPORT, was chosen by me. It is a theme in my life right now...well, always, really. I actually wavered between RECOVER and SUPPORT, but decided SUPPORT was more what I wanted to feature.

Up front, things have been challenging lately for a number of the people I love. Lots going on. Of course, some of it is good, but as I said, there have been some challenges. So this post is for the people I will always SUPPORT, no matter what they need.

 Times are a-changin' and times are tough right now in the little family. But I will SUPPORT my beautiful babies through it all as best as I can. They will never do without.

 

 DR has also been facing down a challenge. So, of course, it is my challenge too. I will always SUPPORT him. He'd do the same for me.

 

Well, kind of a somber theme. But there is something reassuring about it too. Everyone needs SUPPORT once in a while. If you are able to provide it, you feel fortunate and you draw strength from that capability. If you are the one who needs SUPPORT, and you receive it consistantly, you can feel confident that you have probably done something to earn it. So either way, it is a gift :)

 

Thanks for stopping by the blog, even when I'm late. It is that kind of SUPPORT that keeps me posting!

 

(Also, supposed to tag someone. I must confer with my collegue, but will return with a tag. Thank you, again.)

This Musical Message is For Tigers on a Gold Leash

Friday 5 - At the Movies

Look at us, all Friday 5 -ing and such! Today, we are off to the movies. I really enjoy going to the movies, in spite of the increasingly prohibitive cost. But I don't go nearly as often as I used to. I am more than happy to take some time today to give movies some thought. In fact, I am at work and getting ready to screen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for the patrons, so yay movies!  As always, please feel free to participate in this Friday 5 either on your own blog or here in comments.

1. Where in the theater do you like to sit when you’re at the movies? I am one of the few people I know who are fairly flexible about this. Many people seem to have definite preferences, but I honestly don't care all that much. I've even sat right up front and been fine. Oh...just give me the absolute middle of the theater. There.

2. What characteristics does the ideal movie companion have? He or she is pro-snack and anti-talking during the movie. But be ready to dish afterward! Let's relive those magical moments together!

3. What memory do you have of things not going quite as usual at the movies? I guess most of my movie going experiences have been very uneventful. I do remember wincingly, when my dad insisted on treating myself and all of the kids to a showing of Star Wars Episode One right when it came out. So, I had a kid just turning 2 in the theater. I apologize retroactively. And even my older kids, ranging from 14 to 6 could not have cared any less. It wasn't really their thing. It felt like a very long outing to me. Pretty sure...no, positive...that my dad hasn't offered to take us all to the movies since.

4. What are your feelings about commercials and movie previews playing before the film you’re there to see? I like seeing the previews! And I like the little trivia games a lot of theaters run on the screen before the previews. Sometimes, by the time we are through watching previews, I've almost forgotten what I actually came to see.

5. Who is an actor or director whose involvement in a film is enough to make you want to see it? Oh, goodness. I will have to make a little list here. Not that I've seen everything these actors or directors have done...but their involvement will at least make me take a closer look -
My Top 10 Actors at this moment - Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Sam Rockwell, Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, and Michelle Willams.
My Top 5 (or 6) Directors at this moment - Wes Anderson, Coen Brothers (count as 2?), Paul Feig, Richard Linklater, and Paul Anderson Thomas. 

There you have them. My movie thoughts for the day. Thanks to scrivener who provides the great Friday 5 questions. He says to have a reel good weekend. hee hee!