A life purpose

Mission Statement

To take over all employees who wear a nametag by telekinesis.

What's Your Mission?

This is very cool

Brooklyn Tweed has posted a series of what happens in a fiber mill to make his yarn. Great pictures and very interesting to know how this sort of thing is done.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

I'm sure he wouldn't be disappointed if you happened to buy some of this nice yarn after reading about it.

Wish I could take decent pictures

The colors were awesome that day.

Part of what I've been doing the last 5 years

You can now call me BS, BA.

Pumpkin carving

The boys carved their pumpkins yesterday and they did a fine job. I was impressed.

Raindrops keep falling on my head

I was looking at my phone and I've collected a few cloud photos over the last few months and thought I would finally share them. The last two look a bit like mammatus clouds, which are more rare. It's a wonder I don't drive off the road sometimes. ;)

Rude food.

I made a sandwich to eat last night. Not a great sandwich, but an ok one.
This is how I'm repaid.

Yes, we have another cat

Date: July 4, 2010
Time: 9:00 PM
Location: Safeway parking lot

I had just finished a trip to Safeway (hungry, you know). Walking across the parking lot I hear "meOW, MEOW, MEow" With my lightning deduction skills I figured it was a cat. So as a magnet is drawn to iron filings, or other magnets, but definitely not aluminum, I walked across the parking lot toward the sound. MEOW closer MEOW closer MEOW closer until I get to a tree. A tall tree. A straight tree. A tree with not many branches. Hmmmmm. I look around and finally see the kitten in the tree. What a loud noise for such a small creature! I climb up in the tree a few feet off the ground. I worry that the kitten will fall. Before too long he ventures far enough down that I can grab. Fortunately I have nerves of steel and arms of steel for he bites and kicks and generally freaks out. I have to hold him with both hands to prevent more scratches and it's then I realize it's not going to be easy to get out of the tree. I don't want to hand the cat to one of the boys because it is scared to death and they will drop it when it starts scratching. Finally I get turned enough to jump down, scraping my elbow in the process. I walk home with the kitten pressed against me. We put him in a carrier for the first night but now he has accepted us. He likes to play rough but he's very cute. I wanted to name him "Killer" but the boys decided on "Alvin". But no chipmunks.

Oh this child

Yesterday my son asks, "Mom, would you get me some juice?"
I said, "No, we are out at the moment"
His eyes open wide, then he puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Tell my wife I love her"

Hey, is it summer?

Nope, not yet. The wind keeps blowing and when that is not happening, it's raining or snowing. Classes are finally over and I actually survived with Bs and one A-. Now I'm trying to get caught up on everything I stopped doing the last 3 months. Soon, I think I will find the floor in my house.
Not much else going on yet but I leave you with this.....

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Oh my

School must be kicking my butt. I think it is. I am way busy but I got yelled at for not blogging. You know who you are.......
It's kind of funny to look through my posts though. Let's see, didn't make any granny squares, haven't been eating better. I don't want to even look any more.
I'm just trying to make it through the semester and actually get all my homework and my research paper done. I missed Chuck Norris' birthday. Sorry Chuck!

Happy day!

School starts for me tomorrow. Busy busy. But I'm in a good mood today. I must have had some of this juice in the morning. Buzz buzz happy bee.

I just joined something

Not the smartest move but it should be fun anyway. A granny a day. Meet me at Mike's is a great blog that I read everyday and so I thought it would be fun to try this. I know how to do basic granny squares so it should be too hard. I also have a blanket to finish so this will help me make some progress on that.

It's a monday

Classes are starting next week and I think it's going to be a tough semester. I hope I'm wrong. I haven't studied chemistry since high school and that was 25 years ago. Oh dear. I just keep telling myself that I'm smart, I'm smart, I'm smart. It will work, won't it?

Kid Joke

Kid: You smell like updude.
Mom: What's updude?

Revolution

Since my son asked what my New Year's revolution was going to be, I'll tell you too. I need to get healthier and hopefully that includes losing just a little bit of weight. Or a lot of bit. I'm not picky. I also need to get some sort of plan in place for my life for the next couple years or so. I feel kind of lost right now and it's because I don't have any clear direction to head. I'm going to finish (I hope) this degree in December but I'm not sure what I'll do after that. That bothers me.

Asleep today

I'm asleep today because my head exploded last night. But I leave you with this.

This is more my style.

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This cracks me up

My boys are pretty excited about Christmas coming so they talked me into getting out the tree and decorations. They did most of the work of decorating, I just had to clean a bit. Then they got to the nativity set. They asked me how things should be arranged. So I told them that baby Jesus goes in the middle with eveyone else grouped around. As you can see, I think Jesus has groupies. Maybe not a bad thought at that.

There was this paper

I had a paper due. It was about weeds. Lately my middle name is Procrastination. (I've never liked that name, ha!) Anyway I did get it finished and presented yesterday and the prof said it was good. Yay! So now maybe I can get some other things done. I'm wanting to knit and spin. Wanting to.
Have a great weekend!

Every day

Every day I take a shower (aren't you relieved?). Every day I open the shower curtain to grab my towel. (Cue sexy music) And every day I then see 2 cats, looking at me like "What, you didn't know we were here?"

I was

I took a picture of my toe last week. I had drawn a happy face on the bandaid because it was a sad toe from being slashed by a nail. But it was scary. So I didn't.

The eyes have it.

I didn't really tell you the whole story of the eye thing. First we went in, they did all the little lens flicking on that monstrosity they use to check your vision. the letters were all on a screen on a computer that was reflected in a big mirror. The last time I went to the eye doctor, people didn't have computers much. All these new fangled gadgets these days. (getting old alert) Then we were told we needed glasses. So then we picked out frames. Mine look spectacular thankyouverymuch. Then the drops. Some drops to numb your eyes and those burned a little. Then the drops to dilate. Those were the trouble. They work. Wide eyed little kitten I was. Too bad I couldn't see anything. Then they put you in a dark room and shine a bright light in your eyes. (I know, I know, they do it to everyone but it's all new to me) Then they bring you out and make you sign your life away when you can't even read anything. Then out into the cold cruel world. Well, actually it was nice out. But so bright! So I took my son to Mcdonalds (food mecca) and I couldn't tell if they gave me the right salad because I couldn't see it. Then I go to throw all the trash off my tray and as I tip it, I hear a clink. Holy crap, my keys. I say "oops" and hear some giggles off to my right but I can't tell if it's young girls or old men giggling at me. What is there to do but start digging. Fortunately they had just changed the trash and so I was only digging through my trash. Finally found the keys and beat a hasty retreat. It took a long time for my eyes to get back to normal. The next day felt like my eyes had a hangover.

Augghhhhhhh, my eyes!

My son and I visited the eye doctor today. First time for him and second time for me. Turns out that ours eyes have nearly the same prescription. They dilated our eyes though and now I can't see very well at all. Pretty annoying.

Fish

I dreamt of fish the other night. Now, I don't like fish, I don't like to fish. Just not a fishy person all the way around. So I'm dreaming that I come home after a trip. (except it isn't my house) I go in the house and see a very big fish tank with fish in it. (I don't have fish) I think "wow, I hadn't seen that before I bet they are hungry" I go to look and there is a blue fish and a yellow fish. (looking suspiciously like fish from Finding Nemo) As I get closer, they leap out of the tank. My husband grabs one and puts him back and I finally corner the other one who is trying to bite a chunk out of a 2x4 and get him back. Weird. Then I'm at work, walking past a sink and I see two big fish in the sink. Red fish. I think that someone just caught them and are about to clean them. As I walk by, one red fish just leaps out of the sink at me. So I put my hand out to ward him off and yell. Well, it woke me up and woke up my son and he asked why I yelled. I said, 'well, there was this fish...."

Turk-tastrophe

I was given a turkey the other day, and since it was thawing out, I decided to cook it. I roasted it nicely. It came out beautifully. Arguably the best turkey I've ever cooked. It just fell apart as I was lifting it out of the roaster. So far, so good. So every day I tell my friend Karie, "guess what I have for lunch? Turkey!" She caught on after a couple days and knew the answer ahead of time. Smart girl. So yesterday I start the drill. Pull the pan with the turkey out of the fridge to carve off a few hunks and take them for lunch. As I'm lifting out one end of the pan, the other end just jumps out of the fridge, landing on the floor. I guess it was looking to escape. Unfortunately, the turkey was in pieces already and just scattered all over the kitchen floor. After herding the cats into the other room and shutting the door, I picked up the least dirty looking pieces and washed them off and took them for lunch. I believe the outside cats will be getting the rest.

Manifesto

The computer sits on the desk, the computer is off. Nighttime, resting time. A nice handmade dust cover over the computer monitor. All is quiet. Then I hear it, the tap tap tap on the keys. I glance over and see the cat on the keyboard. To the untutored eye, it seems like he is just turning around, trying to get comfortable for a nap. But what he's really doing is typing. Typing what? you say. It has to be the kitty manifesto. The statement of intent for kitties everywhere. Their reason for being and what they intend to accomplish. For you did not know that kitties are blessed with intelligent reasoning, emotions and the wisdom to think and ponder their actions. And so, he was writing it all down, making it known to all. The kitty manifesto. And then, I fell asleep.

Busted

Yes, I see you. What, praytell, are you doing the bathroom on the sink?

strange

I am in a strange but upbeat mood today. I'm talking (alot) and saying pretty much anything that comes into my head. I DID sleep well last night and everything but that can't be all of it. I wonder.
Must be these.

Not much makes me cry

But something about this is so sweet.

No one was hurt

Looks pretty scary eh? Mom is fine and the other people were fine. But the vehicle? Not so fine.

Overheard yesterday.

It's kind of a descant sandwich.
Look, a music buffet!

PSA

Public Service Announcement

That lump under the covers is not a pillow or a lumped up blanket as you might think. Lean a little closer and listen for a moment. Do you hear the purring? Does the lump move? Peek carefully under the covers. A-ha! It's red kitty! (AKA DJ)
hth

The sky

I've been taking more and more pictures with my phone camera (wish I had a real one). As you can see, I watch the sky a lot and weather patterns intrigue me. Here's a few I took a couple weeks ago when I was out at mom and dad's.
Enjoy.

Math on my mind

This is what I came up with in the middle of the night. I'm just as scared as you.

F(x) = Cat^2 + 7cat + 4




A quadratic function indicating the the number of cats and people in and around my house.

The sweater (a misnomer)

Today is a way chilly day. Seeing that it would be, I wore a sweater. I found this sweater at a garage sale, and seeing that it is made of cotton, I washed it and it turned out fine. I really like the sweater. You can't see in the pictures but the dark colors are kind of silvery looking and it was a nice effect. Problem is, THIS SWEATER SNAGS. Like crazy. I pick up my wallet, it snags my sweater, I put on a bracelet, it snags my sweater. Heck, even a harsh look in my direction is snagging my sweater. Have you ever had a piece of clothing like that? You love how it looks but it drives you crazy? Well. I'll wear it again but I will wear something under it as well because I've been freezing as well. Karie suggested I call it a chiller instead. I can go with that. ;)

Must be caterday

Cat friendly house
Cat cafe

So sorry

I did not blog yesterday, I was asleep instead because I had been up with a migraine the night before. Logically, sleep follows no sleep. And that's how it is.

I got my new favorite pens.

It goes like this. I never win anything, I enter blog contests and they never let me win anything (I'm talking to you PW). It gets depressing after awhile. So when I saw that Nanny Goats in Panties would send me a pen just for asking, my life suddenly became complete. I've promised that the pens will be used for good, not evil.
I'm so happy to get the pens. They write great. I mean they write nicely. I don't write nicely, but they do. You know what I mean.














Here are the pens helping me work.














Here are the pens helping me take notes in class.














Here are the pens doing very complicated algebra.














And here are the pens taking a well deserved break after a long day.

Kid Quotes

As I struggle with algebra word problems, my son is watching over my shoulder. Finally he says, "mom I don't know what those mean, when am I going to learn algebra?"

I found the Friday post.

It was right here.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Pictureskew

Such a lovely apple. One of the lovely apples we rescued from the fruit stand in New Mexico. (They were just going to sell it to someone else, I know it!) I took this picture just now because the apple looks just like an apple should look. It's the apple leaf that does it. Just like a painting done by someone other than me. Perfecto.
Anyway, the trip was lovely in other respects as well. Other than the steep dirt road down into the gorge, it was most pleasant. I stopped in Taos and bought yarn. (yes, more yarn) I ate a nice lunch and had interesting conversations with my parents. They are my kind of people, which is good, because I'm related to them.
The Rio Grande Gorge is pretty spectacular, especially because you can't really see it until you are nearly on top of it. Then it goes down down down.
Makes your stomach feel a little strange to look down that far. That's the Rio Grande far below. I wish you could see the scale. Later on that day we went to see where the gorge starts farther upstream. It looks as if the water may have carved this but that isn't true. According to geologists, this is a rift. The river is just flowing at the lowest spot. We live in a rift valley just like the rift vally in Africa. Just not as spread apart as there. But some day in the far far future, there may be an ocean here. I'll let you know. ;) At the start of the gorge it's more tame and not so scary deep. It's picturesque. Or as dad would say, pictureskew.And the apple? It has gone to a better place.

gratuitous chuck

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Sorry.

Sneaky

Don't they look peaceful? Cute? Darling? Awwwwwww? Don't let them fool you. Deceit of the highest order. You open the door. A flash of gray and he escapes. You open the window and whoooosh, he's gone. The irresistible lure of the outside. A plethora of sights and scents and sounds. Hmmm, all 's' words. That's interesting. "And which one is it?" you say. Which one indeed. They both look equally cute and cuddly and innocent. How could such sweet little babies ever cause mayhem? I'll tell you. It's the blue collar one. The one whose name changes every day. (don't ask me, talk to my son). Today, I'm told, his name is Sweettart. But tomorrow is another day. Another escape.

Movie

A few days ago I saw this movie. Set right after WWI it's an interesting commentary on prejudices and morality prevelant at the time. You end up admiring Inge and Olaf tremendously for the challenges they overcome and their strength against adversity. Their love shows through. I enjoyed the movie very much.

Attitude adjustment weekend

It's been a bad two weeks, friends and neighbors, so the weekend we must have an adjustment. Happiness and frivolity must prevail.
There must be some of this, and this and this to make everything good.

I need a good laugh

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Zip Line

I went to a picnic yesterday, and I played horseshoes, and I ate picnic food, and I got rained on. And I got to ride a zip line. It was the most fun I've had in a coon's age. Don't ask me what that means.

Stop me if you've heard this

Ha ha ha, like you could stop me.
via purdue
One day I was in a bad bad mood. Stomping around, growling at everyone. Nothing was right. Mad at the world. Finally my kids convinced me to take them for a walk. So I was walking along, not noticing the blue sky and the green grass and the lovely mountain misery to enjoy a view. Too buried in my own misery to notice anything. Something hit me on the shoulder. I glanced over. Something was on my shoulder. White, gooey, ick. A bird had pooped on me. Just what I needed on a day like this. Perfect crappy ending to a perfect crappy day. Suddenly I felt like I was in some kind of movie and I started laughing. Nothing so perfect had ever happened. How often does it happen that you feel so awful and then a bird poops on you.
Made my day.

This is why

This is what happens when your brain stops.

Math, math, math all the time

2 hours to finish 15 math homework problems. I see what I'm going to be doing the next 3 months.

Friday sky

On my way home last friday the sky was amazing and I stopped to snap this picture.

A couple of my favorite songs.

Catch a star

No Rain

It is Friday.

And all brains have officially turned to mush. Mine and hers and hers and hers. He went home and I haven't seen him all afternoon.
don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?

Today's post

Help I need somebody
Help not just anybody
Help you know I need someone HELP!


I was thinking of the various projects I have in process (dishcloth, blanket, socks, shawl, spinning) and wanting to get a lot done on them before school starts. But, school starts next monday. After which I will be doing math homework a lot. Math homework that promises to be hard. I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm not going to get anything done. Oh well, story of my life.

Yesterday's post

Just so you know, this is yesterday's post. In which I say many clever and wonderful things. Writing pithy quotes and intellectual, witty and brainy observations on everyday life. (gotta love the thesaurus) Aren't you glad I remembered to post?
And today I wil do today's post. Which will be more of the same.

Hit the ground running

I woke this morning about 5:15 AM but then went back to sleep. I dreamt that I woke up and it was 8:3 am! In my dream I was running around frantically trying to get ready and trying to call my boss. It didn't help that I was suddenly at my parent's house and a much younger version of one of my cousins was there too. I was trying to get her ready too. whew! Then my alarm went off. Normally I sit and watch the morning news while sipping my coffee and trying to get myself to get in the shower. But this morning I washed all the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, got my lunch ready, fed all the cats, drank coffee, got in the shower, remembered to take my phone to work and got books together to return to the library at lunch. I also ate breakfast on the way to work and I got to work on time!
Wow.

Laziness

My definition of lazy is way different than other people. I was not feeling great over the weekend and so I considered myself pretty lazy.
And for me, laziness consists of....
washing clothes and hanging them on the line, then folding and putting them away
grinding a pound of wheat by hand
baking 2 loaves of bread
baking a pan of bar cookies
washing the sheets then remaking the bed
reading nearly all of a book
going through a pile of paperwork to sort
washing dishes 3 different times
taking the trash out
walking to the post office, library, thrift store
ordering and fetching pizza
watching movies
playing video games

hmmmmm

Ow

I went to the dentist to get 2 fillings on tuesday. But my teeth still hurt today. It's wearing me out.

Movie

Last weekend I watched Days of Glory. It's a French language film about troops in the second world war. They fought for France but were from the Morroco region. It wasn't so much about the war as it was about these men and the difficulties they faced. Very good film.

A new one

It's the all new kitty!
DJ the brave.

Grinding the flour

First the wheat



Then grindy grindy the flour






Then the bread rising. Then oops, we ate it.

I love my yard

It has actual plants and flowers and trees.

Right now it's hollyhock time.

What's that again?

It took me a minute to figure out why this looks odd. Not because it's a cheap toy, but it's a what?

New kittens

Since the crazy-psycho-jungle cats have retreated to the great outdoors, two new nice kittens have taken up residence as of today. I'll get some pictures tomorrow.