Category Archives: Blogging

April 9 (H)…Hell Hath No Fury…

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…like a woman scorned.

While many attribute the quote to William Shakespeare, it actually comes from a play called “The Mourning Bride” (1697) by William Congreve.  The complete quote is “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”

Congreve(1670-1729) was an accomplished practitioner of the wit and cynicism made famous by his contemporaries Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. His last play, “The Way of the World,” (1700) is considered a classic of Restoration comedy.

The late 17th and early 18th century is often considered the golden age of satire. Writers took advantage of classical forms to cleverly castigate the royal and aristocratic classes. This was the era when the poet Alexander Pope could sum up his literary competition in a book entitled “The Dunciad,” and Jonathan Swift modestly proposed solving the Irish famine by encouraging them to eat their own children.

Source: Ask Yahoo

Gruesome of coure, but satire is not satire unless it harpoons the object of its scorn, unless there is an underlying truth to the humorous (but nevertheless hurtful)  language.  And even though we laugh…and we do…at the idea that a woman scorned is more damaging that Hell itself, truer words were never spoken.

 …like a mother scorned.

Oh, that this were not true, and that it were not a natural progression of being (already) a woman scorned.  I confess this is conjecture only, but I have often wondered if one of the reasons that weight (particularly my weight) was such a major focus for my mother was that it was also a major focus for my grandmother.  Could it be that my grandmother’s own scornful attitude about excess weight was expressed so often – to her own daughters – and perhaps in criticism of their weight – that it created (or encouraged) a visceral scorn for the very same in them?  Is it possible that their own bodies & weight were critiqued routinely…and imperfections point out?  Could it also be possible that my grandmother criticized my mother for allowing me to be “overweight?”  Is it possible that she made critical, embarrassing comments about me to my mother, which were then passed along to me?

I don’t know the answers to these questions.  But I do know this…

…like a daughter scorned.

Indeed, the poem could have very easily read “nor hell a fury like a daughter scorned.”  Put in a situation where she at the mercy of a weight-obsessed mother, largely unprotected, and (because these are private matters, handled where others can not see) backed into a corner of indignation & fury but expected to behave respectfully & properly, the choice is to crumble or fight.  And crumble I did…while choking back the bitterness, frustration & anger because it was expected of me.  And in fact, not learning to (really) fight my way out of that corner until I was past 30 years old.

This happens no longer, and for that I am eternally grateful.  But I am still battling the bitterness.  Some days are good…really good.  Some days aren’t.  My prayer is that as the months and years go by, the good days will outnumber the others to such a degree that this painful part of my childhood and adolescence will be only a memory, no longer bringing with it this emotional turmoil.

…like a friend scorned.

I know that Congreve, in The Mourning Bride, was not speaking of the friendship between women, but he certainly could have and uttered the very same words in reference to a friendship gone awry.  I have marveled many times at the ease with which men carry on friendships, have (major) disagreements, and seem to move past them and forward with their friendship as before, with little change in the tenor of their relationship.  Maybe there are women for whom friendship is that unflappable, but I think it is more rare.  We are emotional creatures by nature.  Our disagreements can, in an instant, turn personal & bitter, and sideline what seemed the most solid of friendships.  Usually temporarily.  Sometimes for years.  Sometimes forever.  When you’re the one doling out the scornful words, with no thought for the repercussions, the backlash is unexpectedly stunning.  Where did the vengefulness come from?  Oh, I did it.  That is a crushing realization, especially so because it can’t be undone.

Looking retrospectively at the friendships I have had over the course of 40ish years, how grateful I am that my hand has tolled the death knell on only a handful.  It is a devastation responsibility to live with, even when done reluctantly and out of necessity.  How grateful I am, too, for those friendships that have weathered a fall out over harsh words and strife, righted and reconciled…and continue on.  And how grateful I am, really truly grateful, for girlfriends who, whatever our past has been, are as close to me as my own heart, and who will always be.

Politics, Schmolitics.

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Thank you Facebook, for today’s blog post!

So the following discussion occurred this morning on a friend’s Facebook page.  I have taken quite the hiatus from discussing and/or debating things political, as it was causing my politically snarky attitude to spill over into regular life.  Now I like to snark as much as the next person, but there comes a point when I must hit the pause button on perpetually banging my head against the wall while being summarily dismissed with a barbed insult.  Wanting to kill people on a daily basis is not good for my overall attitude, so…

  • No more Soapboxers Facebook group for a while (Hear that, Dwight Klovstad & Cleave Frink?).
  • Keeping my political opinions more to myself (on FB, anyway) than not.
  • When I do jump in, it is because conviction & principle compell me to do so.
  • And if it’s going to make me want to kill my friends, leave it (and maybe blog about it later…:-D).

With that preample, here is a good, substantive exchange from a good friend’s FB wall, which I have reproduced here with his permission.

SB:  These are possibly the 5 best sentences you’ll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:
1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4…. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.
LWS:  Amen.
ND:  This is true, but the issues we are dealing with in our country are not part of this. We do have well fair programs, but it serves individuals who are in difficult situations. The issues needing solved in our country deal with the wages people who are working get. Changing the minimum wage to a living wage. As well as everyone paying a fair share of taxes. No one in our country is asking rich people to provide for the poor. People are asking for our country to find mire opportunities for the poor to better themselves. More jobs, better pay at existing jobs.
LWS:  That is not the government’s job, [ND], and the only way the government can do that is to take money from someone who has it & give it to someone who doesn’t.  The government does not produce wealth, people do, and when they are penalized for doing so, it creates the shortage of opportunities for the poor to better themselves.
KC:  Amen [LWS].
SB: Welfare by and large serves to enslave people to that system, Nathan. There are 2nd, even 3rd generation Welfare recipients who have no desire ( but plenty of bodily ability ) to do better by themselves and FOR their families. It is just another government lie that’s been fostered on ignorant and lazy people. For those who are truly disabled and unable there is a difference. I have no respect however for able bodied men and women who can and should work to continue living on the government nickel–which is really my nickel and your nickel! http://www.facebook.com/SolaGratiaSB/posts/112965362159563
TP:  The unfortunate thing is that none of those five points matter to people whose fundamental idea is economic justice is only achieved by absolute income equality.  When that’s their bedrock concern, then these five issues are responded to with:
1. Prosperity isn’t what they’re worried about at bottom;
2. income is a human right, so there is no proper notion of “earning”;
3. the government’s job is to regulate the nation’s income and distribute it according to its principles;
4. They’re not concerned about multiplying wealth – only evenly distributing it;
5. As long as the income produced is enough to feed, clothe and house everyone via the nanny state, they’re happy.
ND:  If business owners don’t choose to pay people a living wage then how else can it be done? The government creates laws. Some laws are good for the country. Some are not. Some laws could help create more opportunities. How do you suggest solving the issues many working Americans face? There aren’t great paying jobs just waiting for everyone.
SB:  Spot on [TP]!
LWS:  [ND], the government arbitrarily setting whatever constitutes an agreed upon idea of “living wage” will never be an actual living wage.  Why?  Because when business are required by law to pay an arbitrary minimum, prices are always (ALWAYS) adjusted to absorb the cost of it.  The end result is that everything gets more expensive.  When the market is allowed to freely work as it should, and businesses have to compete with each other for workers by paying truly competitive wages, everyone wins.  If a company is not paying a “living” wage, then people will not take the jobs.  They will go elsewhere and take a job with a wage they can live with (or live on).  Further, these minimum wage jobs that you state should be “living wage” jobs were never meant to be career jobs on which to support a family.  Are you saying that a breadwinner who has made no efforts to do anything other than flip burgers or drop fries is entitled to a wage that should rightfully be the result of acquiring more skills and moving up the ladder?  That promotes laziness.  You’re ok with that?
SB:  Working hard ass jobs, low paying Jobs were the best motivator for me to haul my sorry butt to college, [ND].   I knew no one would hire me to make a high wage with just a H.S diploma.   I had my fill of assembly line work, mind  & body numbing manual labor.   Obviously, abilities vary.   I knew I wanted more than mind & body numbing, so I set out to remedy the problem the best way I could.  That task was not easy either, working full time and going to college almost full-time was difficult, but rewarding.
That’s what this country is all about–the land of opportunity to do better for one’s self and family.
LWS:  Keyword = opportunity.  NOT results.
LWS:  “There aren’t great paying jobs just waiting for everyone.” <– And there shouldn’t be.  Those jobs are earned…they are not gifts.
TM:  When I lost my job in ’09 and applied for unemployment, the processor was so proud and excited when she told me that I could draw unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks thanks to the extensions the Obama administration had passed.  I was in shock. Certainly thankful for the availability of the benefits should I require them that long.  But after I left the office it dawned on me…if most people could only find jobs with wages that paid the same or less than they could draw in unemployment, most of those people would probably just as soon sit at home and wait for the unemployment check than to actually get a job and work to earn the same or less.  In that scenario there is no incentive for people to find a job until their benefits run out.  My response to the processor was “I pray to God I don’t have to rely on it for that long (it also hit me that the 99 weeks calculated into almost 2 years!).  After a couple of months of sending out resumes and no job, I enrolled in real estate class, got my license and went to work selling real estate. I didn’t sit by and hope there would be more extensions for benefits and expect the government to take care of me.  But it’s clear that if we continue down the path we’re headed that’s exactly where we’ll end up, with a nation of people who are completely and utterly dependant on the U.S. government for their provision.
SB:  Well said [TB]!
ND:  Why would you assume the extension is bad. It makes sense in an economy where it has been hard for people to find jobs. Also you have to have a job that pays into unemployment to get unemployment when you get laid off. It a safety net to help people until they find work. An extension might not be needed in every case, but for those who need it that might mean the difference of losing their home.
ND:  There are many college students graduating with degrees and passion which can’t find jobs. My reference to “great jobs waiting for everyone” was related to that. Not that anyone should get a great paying job just because.
SB:  One of the reason WHY your college friends can’t find work has everything to do with all the Hope & Change you were promised in Obama and his policies, Nathan.   Instead you’ve seen business tank on a grand scale as a result of his socialistic policies.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrg1CArkuNc

www.youtube.com

From a lecture given by Dr. Milton Friedman in Erie, Pennsylvania (1978). This i…s essentially a restatement of the “parable of the broken window.”
SB:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmqoCHR14n8

www.youtube.com

Milton Friedman explodes the myth that government can provide goods and services… at no one’s expense.
ND:  Actually its been reported the economy is slowly improving.
SB:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKc6esIi0_U

www.youtube.com

In response to questions, Professor Friedman explains how capitalism is a more e…ffective approach to the alleviation of poverty than is socialism.
SB:  The question is, [ND]:  IS IT fast enough for YOU…IF YOU or one of your friends is out of work?   Probably not.
ND:  Im not saying im 100% correct or that I have the perfect solution.
LWS:  That’s one & the same, [ND].  Just because they have gone to college & have a passion does not mean they are entitled to a good paying job.  They are entitled to the opportunity.  They are entitled to complete.  But they are not entitled to the job.  They must earn it…in this case by being the best entry level candidate (and I do mean entry level).  The idea that a college degree should autmatically entitle you to a good salary is ridiculous.  Salaries are dicated (or should be dictated) by a fully (and freely) functioning private sector.  And government jobs…well, that’s another issue altogether.
ND:  We have a very free and unregulated financial sector. It didn’t seem to work. That was the cause of the recession.
BB:  Steve, I respect your opinion, however, we can only blame ourselves for the problems of this country.  Did we pray enough, did we serve enough, did we give enough?  The word of God tells us to love our brother as ourself.  If we did that, w…e would not need government to feed, clothe, and take care of those who can’t or will not.  We need to put the blame where the blame belongs and I’m afraid my friend it is not with our political figures.  May we learn from our mistakes and ask forgiveness and help from the Lord to change our hearts and our way of thinking and blaming and begin to do what the Lord commands us to do!
To be continued on FB (maybe), but the Jesus Juke seems a good place to stop.  <–  Yes, definitely click on the link, because it is utterly, completely, and hilariously true. 🙂  And before I get any snarky comments about by irreverence or sacrilege, read my blog.  I believe in my salvation through Jesus Christ.  So does my friend, and he is a hell of a lot more articulate about it than I am.  But…that doesn’t mean I don’t see the funny in the above exchange.
Just sayin’…
Many, many thanks to my good friend SB for this beautiful blog material.

101 in 1001

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This is a really cool project over at Read, Write and Live that was originally started at Day Zero Project.

From the original site:

The Challenge: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple challenges such as New Year’s resolutions or a ‘Bucket List’. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

So, because I love making lists, and because this is really a cool way to make & pursue some longterm goals, I’m going to try it.  Look for my list to materialize over the next 2-3 weeks.  My start and finish dates are set, so I have to get moving!

Wish me luck.  Join the project with me and we’ll keep tabs on each other’s progress.  Most importantly, follow along and let me know what you think!

Start Date:  January 1, 2012

Finish Date:  September 27, 2015

  • Completed
  • In Progress
  • Not started yet

My List (in no particular order)

  1. Listen to Moby Dick by Herman Melville (unabridged audio).
  2. Listen to Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (unabridged audio).
  3. Read A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.
  4. Take my child to Walt Disney World.
  5. …and Disneyland (because Jodi suggested it should be two trips!).
  6. Get my paperwork / files completely organized and put in a permanent place.
  7. Unplug from the internet for a week.
  8. Unplug from TV for a week.
  9. Blog every single day for a month.
  10. Collect enough flamingo Christmas tree ornaments to decorate my small tree with nothing but flamingos.
  11. Send cards on a holiday other than Christmas.
  12. Run another 5k.
  13. Run a 10k.
  14. Email a personal note to each of my girlfriends – just because.
  15. Snail mail a personal, handwritten note to friends and/or family – just because.
  16. Go to the gym every day for a month…then another month.
  17. Take a break from exchanging gifts one Christmas and go on a vacation instead.
  18. Go snow skiing.
  19. Have coffee with Jodi once a month for a year! 🙂
    Lunch at Paradise on Jan 21  – to celebrate Jodi’s birthday
  20. Have coffee (or wine) with Bri once a month for a year!
    January 5 (Bri’s birthday) – wine at Ground Control
  21. Go on a date with my husband once a month.
  22. Go on a mission trip as a family.
  23. See my friend Reema (& her family) face to face for the first time since grade school.
  24. Visit my friend Andrea in Chicago.
  25. Take a road trip with my husband.
  26. Take (another) road trip with my friend Lisa.
  27. Go back to Chattanooga for a visit with friends!
  28. Visit the Kriegs again…and meet sweet E.
  29. Have the Kriegs visit us in AZ.
  30. Renew my scuba diving certification.
  31. Take a shotgun class & learn to shoot moving targets.
  32. Forgive someone I haven’t been able to forgive (and who must remain nameless for now).
  33. Practice the piano at least once a week for six months.
  34. Lose 10% of my weight (for starters).
  35. Pray specifically and purposefully for someone every day for a month.  Make it a habit.  Continue ad infinitum.
  36. Adopt a child.
  37. Hike in the White Tanks.
  38. Learn to golf?  Maybe?
  39. Get all of our artwork hung on the walls.  Get rid of any artwork that does not find a home.
  40. Go to my 25 year high school reunion in 2013.
  41. Visit NYC.
  42. Write in my Gratitude Journal every day for a year starting January 1, 2012 – even if it is just a word or two.
  43. Sell the kitchen table / chairs on Craig’s List.
  44. Get a massage every month.  Don’t skip, because it makes me a nicer person. 🙂
  45. Get a pedicure every month.  Don’t skip, because it makes my feet feel better. 🙂
  46. Take an international vacation…place to be determined (Mexico is not an option).
  47. Get a sunflower tattoo on my right shoulder blade.
  48. Get a wedding ring tattoo on my left ring finger (duh!).
  49. Get a toe tattoo.
  50. Take my kiddo somewhere fun every week of his summer vacation in 2012 (even if it is just a different park).
  51. Set a minimum reading goal each year of 52 books (not including audiobooks).
  52. Set my standard goal of 100 books each year (including audiobooks).  I set it, now to meet it!
  53. Review every book I read.
  54. Cook something I haven’t tried before once a quarter (or more often).  Get help if necessary.
  55. Cook a hot meal for my family every day for a week.  No sandwiches, cereal or salad.
  56. Master the art of couponing…not extreme couponing.
  57. Commit deliberate acts of kindness – regularly & with purpose.
  58. Visit Niagara Falls.
  59. Plan a girls’ getaway weekend and actually do it.
  60. Take a beach vacation.
  61. Use my calendar daily instead of relying on my memory.  Make sure it is in a visible & accessible place.
  62. Carry a book (or my Kindle) in my purse all the times.  Take advantage of small windows of time during the day to read.
  63. Save some of my cash allowance from every paycheck.
  64. Visit Cody, Wyoming.
  65. See Tom Petty in concert (if possible).
  66. See Garth Brooks in concert in Las Vegas.
  67. Finish painting the inside of our house.
  68. Read something from the Bible every day – maybe even read the Bible through?
  69. Read Pat Conroy’s entire body of work.
  70. Visit the San Diego Zoo.
  71. Take the dog for walks, by myself, with my iPod.
  72. Get a mammogram.
  73. Get bloodwork done and submitted to my doctors.
  74. Take a class.
  75. Start swimming again…regularly.
  76. Listen to music – even if it is just one song – every day.

Why We Blog (a survey)

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I found it at Every Book & Cranny, who found it over at Jillian’s blog, who found out about a survey on “Why we blog” that’s been revived by Trish, who originally found it at State of Denmark.  (Have I credited everyone?)   Anyway, I love surveys, and it sounds fun, and I haven’t done this one, so…  Why not?

WHY I BLOG

1.  How long have you been blogging?
I can’t remember if I created my blog in 2007 or 2008, but I might have posted one or two entries during that time.  I was certainly enamored with the idea of blogging at the time, but had other focuses, so it languished.

2.  Why did you start blogging?
Initially I thought I’d blog as a way of journaling my thoughts, notwithstanding the fact that I have never – never – journaled.  So, big fail.  I got serious about it when I decided to start blogging my book reviews (after posting them exclusively on Goodreads for a couple of years), because I wanted to increase both my audience and feedback for the books I read.  That was the key, because I’m passionate about what I read, and it just sort of took off from there.  When my book posts started overwhelming my personal blog, I moved them over to Bookish Nerd, and I now maintain two blogs.  The beautiful result is that I write now more than I ever have, on both blogs, because I finally found my focus.  Books are a passion, and I love to share my thoughts about what I’m reading, and about books in general.  But life is a passion too, and once I stopped focusing on journaling and just focused on writing, the words came tumbling out.

3.  What have you found to be the benefits of blogging?
The biggest benefit by far is having an outlet.  I don’t internalize my thoughts or keep my husband up at midnight because I need to mentally download on him.  I channel more & more often on the blog.  My husband reads it, and supports my writing, but it also allows me some great feedback from others, which is a huge blessing to me.  I have found a lot of mental & emotional peace in being able ot write my thoughts down, press publish, and feel as though I have laid a burden down.  For my my book blog, the benefit has been an increased literary conversation, both in the blogosphere & in my daily life.  It is really great to be able to dialog with others about what I have read & loved, and a lovely result of that is find that people come to me to give & get book recommendations, which means they respect my taste.  That is a HUGE compliment!

4.  How many times per week do you post an entry?
Probably 2-3 times per week.  It depends on how busy I am, what I’m reading, and (most of all) what I encounter on a daily basis as I interact with friends & family.  There are days when inspiration is literally around every corner, and that makes for some fun writing.

5.  How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis?
I have no idea, but I’m sure it’s a lot.  I’m subscribed to probably 30-4o through WordPress, and then another 30-40 on Blogger.  I scan them regularly & read the things that jump out at me  There are probably 20 or so where I read every post.

6.  Do you comment on other peoples’ blogs?
Not always, but I am trying to make it a more regular thing, because I know how much I value feedback.  It’s great to have something you write validated by your readers, and there is a bonus of increased traffic to my own blog that is very much appreciated.

7.  Do you keep track of how many visitors you have?  If so, are you satisfied with your numbers?
I do keep track, and I am pretty stoked when I get new followers, or I get several comments on a piece, because it means people like what I’m writing.  It’s very motivating to continue.

8.  Do you ever regret a post that you wrote?
NEVER.  I have never regreted as single word, and likely never will.  I post what is on my heart – good, bad, or ugly – and in the event that it is of a sensitive enough nature that it might hurt feelings in ways I do not intent, then I password protect it so I can monitor who reads it.  I don’t censor what I write because of the potential for unhappy readers, but I do censor how I write it and how accessible I make it.  My goal is to communicate, not to hurt people, and while the latter can not always be avoided, it can be ameliorated somewhat by a password protection.

9.  Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog?
On my personal blog, I think that as I continue to write, a clearer and clearer picture emerges of who I am.  On my book blog, my personal taste in literature is obvious, but my personal character is not overtly evident.

10.  Do you blog under your real name?
Yes.  Absolutely.

11.  Are there topics you would never blog about?
No.  Nothing is off limits, but when topics are controversial, I take extra time to make sure I am writing in a thoughtful and diplomatic way.  Unless, of course, I am specifically seeking a satirical or sarcastic tone, which is something I do from time to time.  On those posts, reader beware!

12.  What is the theme / topic of your blog?
Anything goes on my personal blog, and books books books (specifically, general fiction) on my book blog.

13.  Do you have more than one blog?
Yep – this one and Bookish Nerd.  I hope you will visit both!

Thanks for reading!

Help!

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In the transition of my blog to WordPress, I have encountered several issues that I don’t know how to fix.  HELP!!  Anyone familiar with WP who can give me a simple(ish) solution to the problems I’m experiencing will have my everlasting gratitude.

1) Paragraph Spacing – a number of the posts I imported have no spaces between the paragraphs.  I have gone back to edit the posts and put the proper spacing there, but they publish with everything bunched together.  This happens on new posts originating here on WP.  I am at a loss at how to fix this.

2) Header Graphics & Sidebar – when I view this blog on IE, none of the header graphics or sidebar items show up.  They were there up until a few days ago, and then they disappeared when the page fully loaded.  What is strange is that they are all visible while the page is loading, but when it fully loads, they disappear and all I see are my posts.

3) Publishing – I know how to publish specific blog posts to the various social networking sites, but I don’t see an easy way to share my blog in its entirety other than using Firefox’s “share” button.  Since Firefox only works intermittently for me, that is not always available.  How can I share my whole blog with people who have been following me (so they have a link to the new location)?

4) Widgets – I was previously able to publish several widgets from Goodreads & other blogs, etc. on my previous blog.  The Goodreads widgets do not publish properly on WP.  I will see the main graphic, but some of the code at the top and/or bottom of the widget shows on the published page instead of the graphic.

5) Blogroll – Other than having a page on my blog dedicated to the sites / blogs I follow, and manually entering that information, I don’t see a way to easily create a blogroll, nor do I see a way to put it onto the sidebar.  I know I must be overlooking something, but I’m stumped on this one.

6) Fonts – Do I not have the option to change fonts / font colors without paying for a premium service??  That is a feature I have used a lot, and would like to continue.

That’s all for now.  If you have answers, please share, or point me in the right direction.  I am really  frustrated, and I don’t want to go back to the other blog site because, frankly, the new interface is ridiculous.

(Somewhat) Random Thoughts

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I’ve been playing around with my blog design to find something that seemed to be more representative of the vision I had in mind.  This is what I came up with.  Tell me what you think…really!

In addition to the above, I designed another blog (which I posted about previously) so I can contain my bookish observations, reviews, lists, etc.  They are overflowing out of me, and it has gotten to the point where I’m posting more regularly along that line than along the various other meanderings of my brain.  Of course, I’ve been reading a lot (more) lately, which I suppose could account for that.

With regard to the reading a lot, if you have read something that you think is fabulous, tell me about it.  Tell me here, or at Bookish Nerd, or on Facebook, or through email, or (gasp) we could talk on the phone.  I know, that’s practically out of fashion anymore, but still…you could text. LOL

As I’m looking around, I note that I’m sitting in the living room that is absolutely chaotic with the detritus of a 5-year-old boy who is on spring break.  A barn, animals, books, DVDs, animals, PlayMobil (teeny tiny) pieces, Buzz Lightyear, animals, Sheriff Woody, Jessie, animals, a dinosaur camo throw, tractors pulling wagons filled with (have I mentioned this before??) animals.  What is miraculous about this is that I haven’t blown a gasket as he sits absorbed in The Land Before Time and completely content with the state of things.  This is something that bothers…really bothers…me.  To the point that I can’t relax until order is restored, and yet my darling son – so like his father – can be completely at ease in the midst of it.  Just push it over to the side if you need the space.  No problem…he’s going to use (play with) each item at some point…this week…ya know, so let’s not be putting things away unnecessarily.  I mean, you should see his bed.  It can be made neatly, with a few of his stuffed animals settled strategically for a warm & inviting sleeping environment, and as I peak in before heading to my own bed, every stuffed animal he owns is piled (PILED) at the head of his bed, and he is sleeping in some cockeyed position, snuggled within the pile, and possibly with some part of his body hanging off the bed.  Now when I say that he reminds me somewhat (as does my husband at times) of Pigpen in the Charlie Brown comics, who constantly has this little dirt cloud swirling behind him, you can visualize the trail of belongings that follows my son wherever he goes.  It goes beyond my threshold for clutter, and yet…well…he’s 5.

Since I promised said darling 5-year-old boy (who has informed me he is hungry) that I would prepare dinner at 6:00p, and he has been watching the clock, and I am now 9 minutes past my promise, I will stop and attend to him.

Until next time.

Bye bye, book stuff…

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Just a note to say that I’ve created a new blog, Bookish Nerd, that will be dedicated to bookishness.  In the interested if maintaining some semblance of blogging organization (if such a thing exists), I thought this would help.  Not to mention that wading through a bunch of stuff you don’t want to read to get to the post you do want to read is…really…a pain in the rear.  So thanks to those of you who read my personal craziness.  To a great extent you are keeping me sane by following along and being interested.

Blogging

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I’m a terrible blogger. I’ve had this page since January 2008, and I’ve only posted once. But here’s the thing…I’m still undecided as to what to post here. Family updates? Book reviews? Miscellaneous meanderings of my brain? Questions? Answers? I’m so out of the habit of writing that I feel a little (or maybe a lot)out of practice. So this will be an experiment of sorts…we’ll see how it goes!