My Life is Fun

I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to do a little post today about things that make life outside of work fun. It has been a very, very busy day (at work) so I am only just getting to it now! Anyway...there are the sort of universal things that I think we all take pleasure in...our family, friends, music, good food...there are so many things we all share in and they are always worth celebrating. For this post, I thought I'd just toss in the one thing in particular that has made me feel the fun that is my life most recently.

Feeling Connected



There was a long period in my life where it was hard for me to feel connected to much of anything outside of my immediate sphere. Lately though, I feel myself opening up and feeling like part of the wider world. This is not a very clear thought, and I apologize for that. The result is clear, in any case. I am happier than I have been for many, many years.

A bonus aspect of this feeling of being connected is that it helps me not to worry about the "all alone" aspects of my life. I'm single. My kids are growing up and don't need me in the same ways...I mean, I'm not an empty nester, but things have changed so much since the days when I was herding five kids around with me everywhere. Anyway, sometimes, yes, I feel alone. But because of my connection to the world at large I am able to take a deep breath and realize that I am no more alone than most people. And we are all in it together. Again, I know I'm not explaining myself well. But I hope what I am saying is making some sense.

My life is fun. Note to self: Your life is fun :-)

The Libeary is Fun

I just wanted to do this little post for when I am feeling less than good about my job. Note to self: Do not complain about your job. Your job is fun. Here are a couple of reasons why it is fun:

A Saturday at Work

Buster Balloon came to perform for us. Here he is with one of his creations...the balloon, not the kid. The kid is the creation of our Circulation Supervisor and his wife...

It is fun to see people come out for the shows excited and happy. We pretty much filled the auditorium for two shows. Very cool.


After the show, the people come into the Children's Room looking for their Summer Reading Program rewards and seeking their perfect next book. It feels good to help them.

A Monday at Work

It was our company picnic. We all got In-N-Out for lunch. They were actually making the burgers to order off the truck, which was nice...but also meant that I didn't have time to order, and wait, and eat my food at the park. I had to eat at my desk after I rushed back because I was scheduled to be on the public desk. That is okay though. Free burgers are good burgers. This was our last big event for this fiscal year. Given the way things are going, I'm sure this event is off the table for next year. But it was fun while it lasted :-)

Thanks for joining me in a celebration of work...can you believe such a thing even exists? Tomorrow, I believe I will talk about things that make non-work life fun. Let's all remember to seek out and appreciate the fun, shall we? Yesssss :-)

This Musical Message is For Dancing (Yes, 80s Style)

My Idle Ways Are the Talk of the Town

Welcome to another Saturday. Since today is Saturday, we get to show off our mad Saturday Scavenger Hunt skills! This week's word, FUNCTION, comes to us from new participant 3GirlKnight. I wasn't sure where I was going to go with this but then I started thinking about...things. Things and their FUNCTIONs. And, since I am entirely self-centered, I thought of my things and how they FUNCTION for me! Here are some things that FUNCTION well for me, helping to make me a happier person. It turned into kind of an homage to appliances or electronics or something. Unfortunatly, my favorite could not be pictured here. Keeps me happy, but you know...it's personal. Ahem...moving on...

You will recognize this as a computer. It is mine and it's FUNCTION is to connect me to the outside world. Sometimes, I feel a bit addicted, but I assure you that my children make sure that doesn't happen :-)


Here is my television. In addition, I was able to honor Netflix here...see? That is a DVD of Six Feet Under on the screen. I think you can see me as a ghost in the background. But I'm getting off track here. Shocking. Um, the FUNCTION of my television (and Directv and Netflix) is to keep me entertained when I just can't read anymore. Yes, it happens.


No post about appliances / electronics FUNCTIONing to keep me happy would be complete without mentioning my Mr. Coffee. I have the most basic one, but he FUNCTIONs like a champ, brewing my coffee whenever I need it. He's always there for me. *sigh*

Now, now, save your judgement! I know my relationship with my things may be a FUNCTION of my somewhat loner-ish life! I see it, I admit it. Still, something on earth should have as it's main FUNCTION making my life a little better. I deserve this, don't I? Sure I do. We all do. Run along now. Just please...don't ask me what my major malFUNCTION is. I couldn't begin to answer.

Read around...see how everyone else is FUNCTIONing today...and don't forget to check with 3GirlKnight to see who he is tagging for next week!

The Final Word (Almost)

Whenever I get too carried away waxing nostalgic about the 80s, I just think of this:
...and it all goes away. Fast. Makes me happy to be living in the naughty aughties! Someday we'll look back on this fondly too...right?

Almost Completely and Utterly Random

Oh, I confess. AlienCG has me all caught up in reliving the 80s. Yeah, I'm into it. So, yesterday sitting at the desk here at the library, I put the term "80s" into the iBistro catalog search and this is what came up:

1. Billboard top rock 'n' roll hits of the 80's
2. The elfish gene : dungeons, dragons and growing up strange
Barrowcliffe, Mark
3. Bono : rock star activist
Trachtenberg, Martha P
4. Vintage t-shirts : more than 500 authentic tees from the '70s and '80s
Kidner, Lisa
5. Billboard #1s. The '80s [sound recording]
6. 20th century pop culture : the 80s
Epstein, Dan
7. Retro '80s : authentic transcriptions with notes and tablature
8. The best of 80's rock
9. Corporate welfare: the megabankruptcies of the 80s and 90s
Kallen, Laurence H
10. 80s style, designs of the decade
Bangert, Albrecht, 1944-
11. Generation of swine : tales of shame and degradation in the '80s
Thompson, Hunter S
12. Solo! : the best monologues of the 80's (women)
Earley, Michael
13. Pâté : the new main course for the '80s : a menu cookbook
Cutler, Carol
14. Decoration and design for the 80's
Ferguson, Pamela

iBistro at ARCADIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Your Electronic Library on the Web
Copyright © 2000 - 2005, SirsiDynix

Pretty interesting, right? Or do you have to be a librarian to think so? I don't know...to me this selection just says so much about the 80s... And don't even ask, because I already rushed right over and grabbed The elfish gene : dungeons, dragons and growing up strange by Barrowcliffe, Mark. Heck yeah!


In a bonus 80s moment, at lunch today Milly and I watched an 80s episode of Quincy. It was the one where he gets married and his bride looked quite Victorian. She was all about those blouses that were rather puffy, with big bows at the neck. She had some puffy 80s hair too.

I apologize to anyone who might be over the 80s...but I have to ask, are any of us ever really going to be over them? And this leads me to the question...when you look back over your life, what is the one time or place or event that really stands out for you? I know it is hard to pick just one...but try!

Living in Oblivion

Today's Choose and Defend Wednesday post is named after a five disc set of 80s music that I have and love. Again, thought I'd join AlienCG in his week long mission to celebrate all things 80s. So...cast your mind back. Think of the music you heard in the 80s. If you are younger, you'll still be familiar with 80s music. Nostalgia looms large, especially around this decade's musical contributions. And you know the game! Choose. Easy enough. Then, Defend your choice so that the rest of us can understand what you could have possibly been thinking! I give you today's choices... 80s music had a few prominent genres. Here are two of the biggies. Do you prefer:

New Wave
OR

Hair Metal

What's your 80s pleasure? Oh my gawd! Like, Choose and Defend!

A Timeless Activity

I'll be brief today. Aw, so sad, I know ;-P Summer Reading Program is kicking into gear here. Many, many patrons and also many teen volunteers to wrangle. It is good fun, but all very time consuming. I am excited that my storytimes are starting back up again tonight and tomorrow morning. Those storytimes are one of my very favorite parts of my job.

Anyway...so in lieu of anything more fascinating to recount for you reading pleasure, here is a picture for you. Girlie Girl and I had Miss Personality over for the night on Sunday. She was so happy to come for a sleepover, although she is very restless at night without her own bed. She was a very good girl though, and as a reward her auntie gave her a salon style manicure, complete with warm towels for her hands and lots of lotion, along with the lovely nail polishing.



Some people find a manicure relaxing. I do not. Personally, I could go for a good massage. I've never had one professionally...and um, not even really one personally...like a really good one. So, I guess it is only a theory of mine...that is what I would find really relaxing. Since that may not ever happen, my second choice is curling up with a good book and something caffeinated (which I know is not supposed to relax you, but whatever!) What relaxes you? Maybe you've all got something I could try as these next six weeks shriek by :-)

Fond Rememberies

Having AlienCG celebrating the 80s brings back many memories for me. Yes, it is true. I lived through the 80s! My age is no secret...it is right there in my "all about me" thing...I'm 46. So...I graduated from high school in 1980. Greatest class ever, I assure you.

Anyway, this was a busy decade for me. I went to college. Cal State Fullerton. Go Titans! Woo! In a twist of fate that brought me, if nothing else, my superb children, I met WTG. Boo! (Except, you know..the kids!) I had 3 babies in the 80s!
Lived in Vegas for a couple of years. Worked a few different retail jobs trying to make ends meet, but still be home with the babies.

You'd think I wouldn't really remember much about such a packed decade...but I remember everything! The neon clothing. The "I'm really a dancer" clothing The big hair. The assymetrical hair. The music...which over the past 25 years or so has grown oh, so alluring to me.

Since I don't have scanner my pictures from the 80s are all still in actual photograph form...like, in albums. I need to get stuff digitized. Here is one of the few things I have...coming to you from 1981:I posted this on my blog here a couple of years ago. This is me and Gerard back in the day. That is a very bright shirt I'm wearing...and G has some seriously feathered hair, that I assure you he combed much more often than I combed mine. haha!

I'm going to enjoy this week, thinking back to this rather monumental decade in my life. I mean, they all were, really, in their way. But the 80s...day-um, brother! Like, gag me with a spoon! Oh my gawd!

This Musical Message is For Choice

Now They Laughed at His Fantasy World

Wow, it is already Saturday again and time to show what we have managed to scavenge and hunt. This week's word is QUIXOTIC and comes to us from the mind of NoRegrets. Clearly, she is someone who wants to see us pull out our dictionaries, put on our thinking caps, and get creative! What was I able to dig up for our Saturday Scavenger Hunt?

Of course, as I work in la biblioteca I had to go right to the source of the word! Here is a copy of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. The behavior of this seminal character in literature gave us the word QUIXOTIC to describe impractical, wild-eyed romanticism.


Don Quixote fought windmills in the fanciful belief that they were ferocious monsters. If I were QUIXOTIC, here is a nearby windmill that I could battle. As you can probably see, it is, yes, a Denny's. But let us not focus on that. Instead, let us channel our QUIXOTIC emotions into tilting at windmills and going mad with our chivalry.

Meh. I don't know. I may be more of a Sancho Panza type :-) But it was fun to spend a bit of time being QUIXOTIC with all of you. I can't wait to see everyone getting all QUIXOTIC up in here. Could it possibly be anything less than fascinating? I think not. Also...can't wait to see who NoRegrets tags for next week. The fun never ends! It doesn't!

Who's This All About? One Guess...That's All You'll Need

This award comes to me from our friend across the pond, Daffy @ Almost There. If you aren't reading her, you should be. She's so funny and sweet...and she gave me an award! It comes with stings attached though...can you believe it? Luckily, I love talking about myself. No, really, I do. :-P

Okay...I must list:

5 Obsessions

1. I get obsessed about tv shows now and again. Right now it is all about "So You Think You Can Dance", "Nurse Jackie", "True Blood", and "Time Warp".

2. Getting geared up for the Summer Reading Program. Yes, they pay me to obsess about this, but I'm into it apart from that. It is a busy time, but quite fun.

3. It is birthday season in my family, so I have that to obsess upon. That is a pretty fun obesession too.

4. Okay. This is silly, but I go through phases with foods that I'm obsessed with. Mostly snacky type foods. A while ago it was barbeque flavored mini rice cakes...not such a bad thing. Right now it is 7-11 iced coffee. Probably not so great. But it will pass.

5. Taking pictures of random things that I think I might use in my blog one day. I take them with my phone camera, which is my only camera. They tend not to look so impressive. Still, I find it very enjoyable. That's what counts, right?

5 Dislikes

1. Not having air conditioning at work. You all know about that, as I bitch about it regularly. By next week it should be cool again and I can shut up. Probably.

2. Books by Nicholas Sparks. Not to offend anyone, but they are so saccharine sweet! They are very popular, as are the movies made from them. But I'd have to say I dislike them.

3. Abba Zabas and other caramel and taffy types of candies. I don't dislike much in the way of sweeties, but this stuff kills my teeth. If you don't want me to eat your candy get very sticky, chewy things and I will leave it alone.

4. Having confrontations of any kind. This is something I am always working on, because I know sometimes it has to be done. But that doesn't mean I have to like it :-)

5. Which leads to this one...a certain co-worker of mine. She has been working my last nerve for the past couple of months. I've been letting it go and letting it go, but I am growing to dislike her in a pretty strong way. And I dislike that feeling, too.

5 Tagged

Alright. Hm. Tagging. I will give this award to 5 people. I'd love it if you would do the meme too. However, I am a reasonable person (unlike Daffy, who made some horrible threats...just kidding!!!) Do them, don't...I still love you and your blog.

Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti
Ananda Girl @ Oodles of Funch
Churlita @ Churlish Figure
NoRegrets @ Woman with No Regrets
Crazy4Coens @ Raising Sunny

"Lovely Blog" award seems kind of girlie, so I went with my girlies. And yeah, I know a couple of you, not naming names, who do not dig on memes at all. Not a problem. You still have lovely blogs :-)

The Middle Child

Today is a special day in our family, as our little Cory Social Animal turns 20. When I remarked upon him leaving his teens, he said, "I guess I'm a young adult now" That was so cute. He is, though, a very nice young adult. Social Animal and I have always gotten on especially well. We seem to have a similar sense of humor...he can work the sarcasm almost as well as I.

When Social Animal came along, I already had a 3½ year old and a 2½ year old. He came right into the mix and made his mark, always a happy baby. As he grew up he was busy, busy, busy. I had to just run after him constantly. He was one of those kids that did all these sitcom kid things. Name it and chances are Social Animal gave it a whirl. He has always been soooo smart. He read early and has always had this great affinity for math. It all makes sense to him and he can explain it to you if you want. When he was in second grade, he and his best friend wrote this huge serialized adventure story. His teacher loved it. She would take the sections home that they'd written and she and her fiance would take turns typing it up. We ended up with this enormous notebook, a couple hundred pages typed. Okay, there might have been a little repetition...they were 7. But that is what often comes to mind when I am thinking of Social Animal...how he goes all in. He got his name for a reason. He's always been a true social animal, with many, many friends. Busy as he was when he was younger, he maintained that, but eventually I didn't have to run after him anymore. I just watched the dust as he sped off :-) Now Social Animal is a college student studying Psychology and he works as an EMT. Yes, that tattoo above is his. He got it a couple of months ago and was so excited. It is sort of the same one his grandpa, dad, and uncle have...although theirs are smaller and on their upper arms. Those Injuns :-) *sigh* What can I say? My baby with a big cow skull tattoo on his sweet little back.

I love and admire him so much. Such a fine young adult.

Happy 20th Birthday, Social Animal!

You Aren't Going to Be Able to Go This Time

You know why? Because today is the day you have your weekly lesson scheduled...the one you are forced to take for your own good. You'll appreciate it later on! Since it is Choose and Defend Wednesday, you get to pick your lessons though. Choose what you are willing to learn and Defend your choice to the rest of us. You have your reasons...so share! Yes, it is true that there are only two choices, that's how we roll here. So, fellow bloggers, what are you going to learn in order to better yourself?

Ballet
Or

Piano

Choose and Defend! After you are through, you'll probably get a treat of some sort for your cooperation and hard work. Might just be my thanks, but wouldn't that make you feel good? Choose. Defend. Wednesday. Oh yeah.

Hey There. I'm Kool and This is My Gang.

I don't have so much to say today. I just wanted to show you the Super Fun Happy Puppy Bow Wow Time part of my weekend. Based on a Japanese variety show, um...maybe. Anyway, bad pictures of cute people. Okay, three cute people and moi.

Here is Little Prince communing with his giant pretzel. He only has two teeth, but he can gum stuff with the best of them. In back of him, you can see one of Handsome Lad's old decks. For some reason the little guys like to get those out when they come for a visit.

Love Bug is reading Green Eggs and Ham. I read it to them several times, but she seemed to prefer her more understated narration. Claims I'm way too into it.

Here is a shot of Miss Personality and I together. I just had my hurr did by Missy, so I am probably looking unusually well groomed. She kept going into the bathroom to get a bit of water in her hands to smooth me down...at one point she came back and started smoothing my hair and I smelled...not water, but my delightful coconut lavender body lotion. Bee-ay-you-tee-ful.

As long as their parents don't ask me TOO often, I have the best time with my tiny little friends :-)

What the....What?

Here is this random message that I got on a social networking site that I belong to. I've mentioned it before...TeeBeeDee. Kind of a Facebook with more discussion forums and fewer applications.

But what? I wasn't sure what to do with this... Um, could have ignored it, but that is no fun. Okay. Here is the message I got:



Okay, I will give you a little information on me. Never did the on line dating thing, before, but I have been in relationships pretty much non stop since I was 16.

Just ended a 10 year gig.

I raised my daughter from my first marriage and she is a attending Rutgers in NJ. I am gone a lot(2-3 weeks a month), traveling the US, Canada, Mexico, South America, The Orient and Europe.

A full time, relationship may not ever work for me , but I enjoy a good time and good company when home in the OC but simply do not have the time to meet anyone without help.

Here is my reply:

Thanks for the message, Frank.

Honestly, I don't know how anyone meets anymore, between work and family commitments. It does sound like it would be difficult for you to be in a relationship with all of your traveling...yet you have done it one way or another for the past 30 years or so.

So, what do you see as the next step for yourself? I guess since you've been in so many long term relationships, and you now are not, it is the perfect time for you to be trying this new internet dating thing. I am not sure how people meet without the internet at this point! It is kind of THE thing now. You could potentially meet someone new each time you come back into town, if you timed things right. It would take some planning, but you strike me as organized.

This seems to be a particularly good place to meet people and the fact that it is more of a social network than a dating site helps a lot, I think. So...now you've met me...so to speak. See how easy? I'm not sure what I could do to help, as I am certainly no expert. However, I do know at least one or two people around here who are quite the little matchmakers. I bet there are many women, although quite a few of them might be married or in a relationship, who would like to just hang out once a month or so providing some good times and company. Could be very convenient! Let me know if you want an introduction or two...I'll see what I can do.

Best of Luck,
Laura

I didn't want to be overtly hostile...but I was hoping to be just snotty enough to knock him down a peg. I mean maybe he didn't know how he sounded. Maybe he didn't know it was a weird message to send to someone he'd never before talked to. Maybe now though, he gets it.

What do you think? Was I too mean? Too nice? Please don't say I should have ignored this...how could I, really? Okay, you can say it if you want. Maybe I was too subtle after all. I don't know...WWYD? (What Would YOU Do?)

This Musical Message is For Common People

By the Time You Hear the Siren It's Already Too Late

Hey-ey-ey...come out and PLAY. So says AlienCG and so it shall be. It is time for all children, good and bad, to put up their Saturday Scavenger Shots. Are you in? Wanna PLAY? Fun word, good choice for the beginning of summer vacations! There are so many ways to PLAY.

Here is my sophisticated sounds system. When I'm in my palatial estate, this is where I PLAY my CDs. Um, yes, I still PLAY CDs. Well, no...I guess I know my sounds system is not much of a system...and doesn't produce much sound. Okay, fine I was exaggerating about my palatial estate. Maybe you just better push PLAY and hush now.

Do you all remember my lovely Princess Unicorn? A Christmas gift from Girlie Girl. I don't really PLAY with her. She must stay in her very special box. But I imagine they all get up to some sort of PLAY in my under-the-desk circus when I'm not looking. Maybe I've been PLAYing the fool, but I believe my various dolls and action figures when they tell me they can be trusted...

Aw! You knew it was coming, didn't you? Yeah, you did. Here are my sweetie babies PLAYing in the bath together. They are happy to PLAY there for as long as anyone will let them. Watching them PLAY is way too fun. Seriously.

Say, say, oh, PLAYmates...thank you for PLAYing. You all PLAYed a fine game, but there can only be one winner...wait, what? Oh, sorry. Huh. Well, just be sure to check with the Alien to see who is tagged for next week...when we will PLAY again!

My Fictional Dinner Party

I had some time to kill yesterday evening, so my friend Brain and I were emailing each other questions that required interesting or humorous answers. I came up with this one. Well, it isn't an original idea. It is a sort of parlor game or something. In fact, one late night on Facebook David in DC and I played a variation on it. That was different. This one...well, I have to say I amused myself. And better, I amused my friend.


The set up: You are having a dinner party. You may invite any five fictional characters to attend. Who are they and why do you think they'd add something to the gathering?

Here are my answers -

1. Alice the Maid - She could cook, serve, and clean up. But she could eat with us too. She seemed like she might have a few things to say about those Bradys if she had a chance...and I want to ask her what she and Sam really got up to on those dates of theirs.

2. Max Cherry - He's the detective played by Robert Forster in Jackie Brown. He was a consummate professional, but he had this darling crush on Jackie Brown...it made him go out and buy an album he heard her listening to. I love stuff like that. We could talk about the crazy things love makes you do.

3. Llyod Dobler - Played by John Cusack in Say Anything. Ask any woman of a certain age who they wished were courting their heart and they will give up Lloyd. But, like, if he wanted to, he could just show us some kickboxing moves after dinner.

4. Harriet the Spy - Sure, it is a bit of a hassle having a kid at the table. However, she would be sure to liven up the conversation with sudden rude remarks and she'd probably take great notes about what was going on in case we wanted to remember it later.

5. The Most Interesting Man in the World - You know...from the Dos Equis campaign? Self explanatory, I think.

Now....who is coming to your dinner party? Oh, and if you haven't played yet...make sure you Choose and Defend in my post below. Please?

So Cool. So Hot. Oh Baby.

Wednesday Choose and Defend is here and it wants to know if you can come out and play. Go ask your mom. We'll wait. Yes? Yay! Alright then, lets get down to it... It is almost officially summer, and as of Friday here, it is certainly unofficially summer. Maybe you are celebrating. Maybe you are in mourning for winter. I don't know. But you can sort of clear that up for me, can't you.

Tell me...tell us... What do you enjoy more?

Trying to Keep Cool in Summer
Or

Trying to Keep Warm in Winter

Both have things to recommend them. I bet you can pick your favorite though. Feel free to take it a bit further and tell us about your favorite method of cooling down or warming up. Your pleasure is ours. Um...hey. Does your mom have any kool-aid? Or hot chocolate? Just asking...

Tutu Twosday

I know...I know you guys cannot bear (haha!) to keep hearing this, but I am so effing hot at work! When I sit at my desk, I feel like I'm taking a steam. And it lasts for eight or nine hours, depending on if I leave the building for lunch or not. Ah, but it should be over by the end of this week.

And in spite of being uncomfortable, I feel happy. It is a short week for me. I am taking Thursday off, as it is my kids' last day of school...and it is my regular Friday off...so it is kind of like a three day week...if you don't count the fact that I work Saturday. I'm choosing not to think about that :-) I'm thinking about those two days off...the last day of school and the first day of summer. What a treat! I'm ready for summer. I even feel ready for the great big summer crush at work. I'm ready! And for some reason, I just feel good today. My moods are insane, of course. That much is clear. But today is good and I know enough to be thankful for that. So, thanks to the mood gods! Any small gods you want to thank? Let's hear it...

More Morrissey. I Can't Help It!

Aw, no one wanted to listen to Morrissey. That's okay. But will you read the lyrics?

Let Me Kiss You

There's a place in the sun, for anyone who has the will to chase one
And I think I've found mine, yes, I do believe I have found mine, so

Close your eyes, and think of someone, you physically admire
And let me kiss you, let me kiss you

I've zig-zagged all over America, and I cannot find a safety haven
Say, would you let me cry, on your shoulder
I've heard that you'll try anything twice

Close your eyes, and think of someone, you physically admire,
And let me kiss you, let me kiss you

But then you open your eyes, and you see someone, that you physically despise
But my heart is open
My heart is open to you

He speaks to the adolescent whiner in me. I'm like, "Yes, Morrissey..you get it, don't you!" haha! Someday I will be a grown up. That is kind of a long term goal of mine.

My weekend was fine, thanks. Saturday was quiet and Sunday was not. So...that seems fair enough. I will try to pull myself together and have a nice post for you tomorrow if at all possible. For now, here is a picture of Little Prince, a man who loves me when no one else will :-)

This Musical Message is for Trying Anything Twice

How Could a Person Like You Bring Me Joy?

What Fresh Hell is This? welcomes you to Saturday and the Scavenger Hunt! The word this week is SIGN and it was chosen by Hot Mom Chulita of Churlish Figure. SIGN, SIGN, everywhere a SIGN. Signals and portents are everywhere if you know what to look for. In the words of Steely Dan - Won't you SIGN in, Stranger?

All of us going around looking a bit android is nothing but a SIGN o' the times. I use my blue tooth in the car only, because it kind of annoys me...but it is also kind of fun being able to talk away while making my commute.

This is my dark bathroom. It is a SIGN that I need to shop because the light bulb burnt out and I haven't got one to replace it. During daylight hours, no problem. It is a nice light room. Night is, of course, a whole different animal. The hall is very bright though, so if you don't mind keeping the door open you'll be able to see where you are peeing in the middle of the night.

This fan and many others just like it are a SIGN that the air conditioning system at the library is still being overhauled. Trust me, it is just not the same, no matter how many fans they set around.

Here, finally, an actual SIGN! Okay, you can tell this picture was taken at my work, with their nice camera. You can actually see two SIGNs...this very nice stone SIGN on the corner of the lot and the SIGN over the entrance of the building is in the background. I'm sorry to say that they are soon tearing down that pretty stone SIGN to widen the turn lane at the corner of Santa Anita and Duarte. The new one is supposed to be nice as well, but I really like this one. I'll miss you SIGN.

Thanks for SIGNing on for this odd little trip into my world of SIGNS. I look forward to seeing your SIGNs and to seeing who Churlita tags for next week :-)

Thises and Thats

You're gonna get a little of each today. Here we go!

Things I Appreciate About My Apartment (Another Eclectic Calendar Celebration)

-I can afford it.
-It is small and cozy.
-I have neighbors nearby to keep an eye on things.
-The kickass red door.
-If anything goes wrong, I don't have to fix it.
-The pool.
-The lizards that live in the bushes out front.
-Feeling safe and happy there.

Books You Might Want to Read

-Round Rock - Michelle Huneven
-Jamesland - Michelle Huneven
-The Music Teacher - Barbara Hall
-Last Standing Woman - Winona LaDuke

Fun Songs to Hear on a Friday While Driving to Work

-Poison by Bell Biv Devoe
-O.P.P. by Naughty By Nature
-Fantastic Voyage - Coolio
-Shoop - Salt n Pepa

Things You Don't Want to Deal With at Work

-The disgruntled co-worker situation. Dude, you didn't get the job. Get over it or move on, because you are stressing the rest of the department right the fuck out.

Things I Now Know About Monorails

-We could run them along our flood control channels.
-They can be built and operated at about one third to one half of the cost of light rails.
-For some reason the people in charge of mass transit in this country cannot be persuaded to take them seriously or even consider them casually.
-They would look cool and futuristic. I'd ride them!
-People who are interested in monorails can talk for a really, really, really long time about why they are interested.

After a Really Long Day, It is Nice to Come Home to...

-A package mailed just to you, with fun stuff inside and an awesome note. Long live snail mail.

I bet you have lots of thises and thats built up by the end of the week too. I'd love to hear about some of them...or all of them, even!

Getting All Stuart Smalley On You

Hey, did you know that today is Self Affirmation Day (”I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and…doggone it! People like me!”) That's the word over at Eclectic Spaghetti. It has been awhile since I've celebrated an Eclectic holiday and this one strikes me a one I could use.

So...self-affirmations. Always so hard, don't you think? Let's see...Oh! I meant to mention this...here is a good one. On Sunday, my Musical Message was also my 1,200th post. So, I may not be the best blogger in the world, but I'd say I'm showing some stamina or something, right? Yay 1,200!!! What else? I have raised / am raising 5 human beings to adulthood without doing any serious damage that I know of. Right on! Um, hm...even though at work I am a paraprofessional rather than a professional, I think I behave in a professional manner. I know of a professional or two here who are far less professional than I am. Of course this is all just semantics :-) But I'm a good worker. Rah! I can be sarcastic, but I believe that I am basically a kind person who is willing to think the best of people...and that seems to me a very positive trait. So I'm giving myself kudos for that too.

Okay. This is weird. Self-affirmation feels so boastful. I know it is to make you feel good about yourself. I prefer to hear it from other people...but I know we shouldn't need that...we should be able to find it in ourselves. So, I tried. You should too. Tell yourself (and us, if you would like) about all the things that make you good enough, smart enough, and so gosh darn likeable!

Waste Not, Want Not?

You came! Thanks. Now you get to play Choose and Defend, because it is after all Wednesday...the day to dig deep and show us how your mind works. Today's Choose and Defend is about things we all waste on occasion. It just happens. But...which is worse? Which bothers you more? And why?

Is it worse to waste....

Time

or

Money

Think it through before you answer...which one really bothers you most...and why? Choose and Defend! Show us what is going on up there in that big brain of yours.

What Pet Are You Like?

You Are Like a Cat

You are independent and a bit stubborn. You are content to do your own thing. You are curious about the world but still an individual. You prefer to be a solo explorer. You enjoy your alone time, but you also like some quiet company from time to time. You crave companionship, even if it means just spending time in the same room together.

What Pet Are You Like?

Um-hm. I knew it! Puuurrrr....

Don't Argue with a Twelve Year Old

You might come out on top, but you'll feel like crap. haha! I know...after five kids I should have known. I do know. Still sometimes Handsome Lad and I just have to duke it out. He is a VERY emotional kid.Here he is enjoying a giant icee in happier times.
haha! I get it...I am kind of emotional too. Presumably, though, I've learned to take better charge of my emotions. Sometimes it works that way...mostly it does, but not always. In the end though, it didn't do any damage. We both said what we wanted to say and I think he was reminded that people outside of his own head have feelings too. We all forget that once in awhile.

Other than that little bit of bad mommy-ing my weekend was good enough. I worked on Saturday with my new boss. She had this great idea to split our desk time down the middle of the day day. She asked if I would do 10-2 and she could do 2-6. Usually we do 1 to 2 hours on the desk at a time and alternate with whoever is here. But I was all over this idea. She was giving me the less insane 4 hours...and also giving me 4 hours in a row free! Well, not free...still plenty to do, but not public oriented. Anyway, I thought it was fine, but I'm not sure if she'll ever ask to do it again :-)

Saturday night both Girlie Girl and Handsome Lad were out, so I just hung around on Facebook. It gave me a chance to catch up on my many, many gifts from my friends (Randall, do you ever read here...you are the champion!).. I let them build up for awhile, but they accumulate suprisingly quickly...so usually once a week I go through my request list accepting things and sending things back because I am a good Facebook friend like that. There is almost always someone to chat with there, too. Facebook on a Saturday night. Don't be jealous.

On Sunday, I slept in. It felt like heaven. My son, Social Animal, called and invited me to come have pizza at the park with he and his friends.This is the company Social Animal works for as an EMT while he is going to school.
I'm not sure what inspired him to throw a pizza luncheon, but it was nice to be invited. When I got there, it was Social Animal and four of his friends sitting around just talking and eating pizza. I joined them and it was fun to talk with them...and to just sit quietly and listen to them talk. They are all young men on the brink of adulthood...Social Animal will be 20 in a couple of weeks...but they are still so sweet and childlike in some ways. After lunch they decided to go on a hike, so I excused myself and went on home to watch the last episode of Six Feet Under, season one. I am making my way through that series again on Netflix. So far, it is just as awesome as I remember it to be. Also watched the season finale of Breaking Bad. Oh. My. Gawd. That show is amazing and very dark. Again, I can't recommend it strongly enough.

I also got a phone call and invitation from my friend The Activist. He wants me to come out to a screening on Thursday evening in Echo Park. I am not clear on all the details, but it seems to involve some sort of video and speaker...and the subject is monorails. Well, yeah, why not? What the hell else do I have going on? Nothing wrong with learning more about a clean, quiet alternative form of transportation. And we do stuff like this for our friends, right? Right.

....Yikes...just now Princess Diva texted me and told me she had taken Miss Personality to the doctor for a rash and it turned out to be scabies. Ew. I know it isn't that uncommon, but I am a little grossed out...I can't help it. Sorry Miss Personality. I still love you, but I'll see you guys when this is aaaaallllll gone. Add bad grandma to my resume, s'il vous plait.

Um, hmmmm...well, now it is Monday. Let's see how it all goes, shall we? Talk back is welcomed, as always :-)