Harassment Training

Today I spent three hours, with a large number of other city employees, getting the facts about harassment. The lawyer who presented it did a fine job, making every attempt to make it interesting and relevant for us. It is just that the very nature of these events seems to numb my mind. I spent the time listening, of course....oh, who am I kidding? I did sudoku, which I don't even really enjoy all that much. When I completed it I gave myself a star and commented "Good job". Positive enforcement is really important. I also played a great deal of word association games with myself as the speaker sang out certain mind capturing words and phrases. My notes look like something a lunatic wrote. Oh, right.
Tonight, I am starting a new book. It is called Conversations with the Fat Girl. It looks lover-ly! xo

I (Heart) Einstein

Isn't he the greatest?

What is My Power Color?

Your Power Color Is Blue

Relationships and feelngs are the most important things to you. You are empathetic and accepting - and good at avoiding conflict. If someone close to you is in pain, it makes you hurt as well. You try to heal the ones you love with your kind and open heart.

What's Your Power Color?

What Happened Today?

Some people were born on this date. I'm talkin' 'bout Zeppo Marx, Anthony Burgess, Edward Gorey, and George Harrison. Some people died on this date. Like, Thomas Moore and Tennessee Williams. For me, nothing seems to be happening on this date. I'm at work, it is quiet for a Saturday. Just me and Heat here, just as I like it. I am actually glad to be working today, as my oldest son and his family are moving house today and I have a legitimate excuse not to be helpful! Hey, I just did a major move a little over a year ago. I am NOT up for that particular joy again...that is what their friends are for :-)
Milly just gave me another cd today. It is Eveningland by Hem. I am all about getting more music lately. Yesterday, I bought a couple of cds with a gift card, so more free music! I chose Motown Number 1's and Garden State Soundtrack. So, at least I got all that going on...but thats about it. Haven't heard from the Swordsman in days and that has me a bit down I'll admit. Huh.

Good Day to Drive, Miss Daisy!

Today I had to drive into Burbank for a Children's Librarians Share Fair. Coming together to pool our ideas for programming, basically. Anyway, those meetings are usually pretty fun, because you get to meet new people who tend to like the same things you do and you get to see other people that you don't get to see to often...like my old boss and other people I've worked with. The drive in was rather bad with a great deal of traffic. When the meeting ended at noon, though, and I drove back here, there was almost no traffic and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I put my top down, my radio up, and cruised on in feeling great! I have to admit I love my new car. Aaahhh.
In other news, I have been listening to some new cds courtesy of Milly. She gave me the latest from Belle & Sebastian, Tracy Chapman, and Sufjan Stevens. They are all really, really cool. I am especially into Belle & Sebastian's The Life Pursuit. Every single track is a keeper, but my favorites are 4 and 9 :-)
I am almost finished reading Persepolis.I had been wanting to read it for quite some time, but finally picked it up when Milly lent me a donation copy that came across her desk. I'm loving it and can't wait to read the sequels.
Do you sense how empty my life would be without the Milly influence? haha! Best Bear ever!

Back to Work, Serf!

Back after my three day weekend and the patrons are also back with a vengence. They always come in droves when we are closed an extra day. Ah, well.
My weekend wasn't so bad. The weather was bad, but the activities were okay after all. Little guy lost a game and won a game on Saturday. It was freezing during his outdoor game in the morning, but I had a nice cupa to warm me. Sunday was the baby's birthday party. It wasn't raining so it ended up being at the park and it went fine. I brought my delicious campfire beans and some extra soda. There were also hot dogs, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, chips n salsa, and of course, the cake. I was glad when it was over though, or when I could comfortably leave. It was freezing and I was sort of bored. Eh. Monday I saw Winter Passing. I liked it, but now can't think how to describe it to people who ask.
More mañana. xo

My Weekend is Looking Suckadelic

Here I am at work, having a nice quiet day, as that is how Fridays will tend to be be here. However, I am forced to contemplate the coming weekend which is not tickling my fancy all that much. Well, tomorrow is fine. A couple of basketball games...I can handle that definitely. Sunday brings a family party that I am just not looking forward to for one reason or another. It is not MY party (not for me, not hosted by me) but I feel a little responsible and may have to actually use my house to host it if the park idea gets rained out. The people coming? I don't really want them at my house. Pray for sunshine, would you?
Oh, it is a long weekend, so I get a bonus day off Monday. I'll spend the day honoring Washington and Lincoln in some way...perhaps I shall polish up my wooden teeth and free my slaves. Party on!

Has My Brain Gone Missing?

This rarely happens, but I find myself completely unable to finish the last book I took out, The Reasons I Won't Be Coming. I just could not get into it. I actually felt like I was reading...babble, more or less. Was it just me? I know the book has been well reviewed. I don't know. At any rate, I have decided to set it aside and am just doing some 'work' reading. I like to occasionally pick up a Children's book and see what the kids are reading. So, I am enjoying Flipped. Very cute and I can understand what is going on :-) That shouldn't take me long to read, so my next book is ready to go. I'm going to try The Accidental. It has won the Man Booker and the Whitbread awards...it looks like something I might like...and if I can't read it I may have to do some serious thinking about the state of my brain!

A Day Late....

....and a dollar short, all the sweet cookies in the store been bought. The prize fish in the creek been caught. Everything choice is gone, might as well travel on. Where am I remembering this little tune from? I'm not sure. Anyway, I meant to write yesterday! I wanted to ask all y'all to Be My Valentines

Also, ahem, a belated Happy Burfday to me. It's my party. I can cry if I want to. Luckily, though, no crying. I had a nice day. Lots of good wishes from lots of good people. The Swordsman surprised me and called and was oh, so sweet. Why must I constantly underestimate him? He is a lovely, kind person in spite of his intensity.
All in all, I'd have to say life is pretty good right now.

A Big Surprise

Yesterday morning the family got together for my birthday brunch at Peppertree, our usual gathering spot. It was a nice time and all of the kids managed to show up, minus my nephew. My big present was....wait for it....a new car! Okay, not new new, but 10 years newer than my old car. It was WTG's doing. He can be great like that...when he is not being a bastard. It was a total surprise and a lovely one at that. I also got some candy, lots of socks, some new shirts, a Wxx-Mxxx gift card ($100 goes a long way at that place). I also got a sweet framed picture of the five kids together at the Big Tree. It was a lovely celebration. Today at work they gave me a cake and a card. It was so sweet. I just love birthdays...and it isn't even really my big day just yet! Well, the actual day I guess will be a bit anticlimactic. I can live with that :-)
Oh, Team C gave me a gift last time we got together...I was so thrilled he remembered! It means a lot to me. I don't think the Swordsman even knew when it was, but I sort of let it drop last Friday. Yeah, I like to get the word out. He doesn't seem like the type to go out of his way to acknowlege something like that, but I just thought I'd put it out there and see....

Da Good Life 2.0

Yesterday was...I have no words. The thing about the Swordsman is the little Cult of Personality thing he has going on. I've never experienced anything like what I experienced with him yesterday. That sounds more grandiose or something than I mean for it to sound. He is just so sure of what he wants and I guess I find that very powerful. I would be hard pressed to explain it. And I just tried out a couple of sentences, but had to delete them as they were not what I wanted to say. I guess I'll just close by saying that I am changed in some way, at least temporarily, and it feels great.

My Habitual Confusion Surfaces Again

Ugh. I bore the bejeebers out of myself. I can't imagine how anyone else tolerates me. Okay, so yesterday I saw Team C. ohmygodohmygodohmygod... It was like that, you know? Amazing. Makes my heart pound just thinking about it. Today, however, I can barely bask in the glow, because I am busy worrying about tomorrow when I am supposed to see Master Swordsman. I haven't actually seen him in so long and we've been just talking and writing and writing and talking. I get worried and nervous. There have been so many times when I am reminded that he really is a kind man and has had occasion to be a friend to me. Still, I also get the feeling sometimes that when he is thinking about things he is thinking of something much different than me...well, that isn't a clear sentence, but perhaps you get the gist? With him, there is always the worry that I am going to disappoint him or he is going to...I don't know...scare me, sort of.

***

And as I spoke here, he responded to an email I sent him earlier confessing to my feelings and he wrote back the best message ever. He sure does have a knack for calming me down after he has gotten me all wound up...

***

Oh, and I know this sounds bad, but it is not as bad as it sounds! Yes, there are two things going on in one week...but think of ALL those weeks when NOTHING is going on anywhere with anyone!

Da Good Life

Feeling good lately, feeling calm. Things at work are plodding along, but happily, Milly is back from her vacation. When she is gone my inbox is so static! I was sort of good and had yogurt and Pretz for dinner. I can't say it was all that satisfying.
I am reading a couple of different books right now. One is a re-read called Real Life. This has been a sentimental favorite of mine for years and I re-read it now and again. I started it because I had nothing new this weekend. Monday, I did get a new book and am also working on that. It is called The Reasons I Won't Be Coming. I sort of stumbled onto it and had been meaning to read Seven Types of Amibiguity, but hadn't gotten to it yet...
In tv news, House is back on tonight! Yay! I hang my head with shame and admit that I am watching more lame reality shows than I ever have in my life. I have somehow become devoted to American Idol (well, of course), Dancing with the Stars, Skating with Celebrities (I know, I know), plus Intervention...I think there are even more, but I need to stop listing them because I am freaking myself out...
Oh! Good news for me. I have a super secret lunchtime mission on the calendar with Team C tomorrow. Tres, tres exciting. I adore Team C.

Weekend at l.b.'s

Finally, a weekend when I didn't feel like the victim of a driveby. It was quite pleasant. Went to a movie and dinner with WTG on Friday night after work. We are trying, still and again, to not be so rat-in-a-cage despairing about our situation. The movie was Match Point and it was superb. Really well done and provocative. You couldn't begin to guess that it was a Woody Allen film...which these days is pretty much a great thing to have achieved. Luck, luck, luck....
The dinner was at Matt Denny's, which is usually good, but on that night was not so good. Too bad.
Saturday my little guy had not one, but two basketball games. It is so much easier and more fun to go to games now than it sometimes was back in the day when I had three playing and two more little ones to drag around from court to court. Now I just stroll in, beverage in hand, and sit nicely to enjoy the game.
Sunday, I went to the movies alone and saw Brokeback Mountain. OMG, it was amazing. I have heard so much about it at this point and read so many reviews that I was prepared to be underwhelmed. This movie was so lovely, though. So sad and sweet and beautiful. All of the actors were working at the top of their form. Oh, I just loved it.
So, all in all, it was a fine weekend and I am hoping for a fine week full of adventures.

How Will I Be Defined in the Dictionary

lb -- [noun]: A master blogger 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Of course :-)

I Am So BORED!

For some reason, work has felt especially boring lately. I'm not sure what my issue is, but I am feeling very understimulated mentally. We won't even get into the physical (not right this moment, anyway)
Well, I had my nice lunch with Milly and DMB3 yesterday. Today it was yogurt while watching part of Chinatown with Mil. DMB3 came in briefly to share with us her insights about the film. Okay, that was kinda boring too...
I did some more editing for the Swordsman yesterday. That was at least more interesting than anything else I had going on. He's lucky to have all this time to write. Although even if I had time, I'm sure I wouldn't take advantage of it properly. I do have my mental blocks, thats for sure.
I sent Team C a card, but don't expect to hear back from him. He makes me sad like that, but I try not to take it too personally. I guess I do get what I need from him in the end, so I can't complain.
Oh! And here is Punxsutawny Phil's call for this year:

Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter!
Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/06 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Around the country there are many imitators of me.

In Harrisburg there is Gus who appears on TV
working for the lottery.

Then all around town,
Cute groundhog statues abound.
They all look like me, I found.

Today on the Knob as I'm doing my job,
I don't like this likeness of me.

It's my shadow I see. Six more weeks of mild winter there will be.

Back to me: Oh well. Happy Groundhog Day. More winter, so suck it up.