Bumper stickers I saw today:

Driver carries no cash .... he's married

Leave No Billionaire Behind
Billionaires for Bush

Some things just never change. Last week I was talking to Amanda, and she told me that Patti had the day off work, so they took Kaelin to the zoo. The first thing that ran through my mind was, "Dammit, she had ALL the firsts with my daughter, now she's going to get them with my granddaughter, too?"
On the other hand, Kaelin probably won't remember this zoo trip, so there are always other times. Plus, there's just not a damn thing I can do about it anyway.
And on the plus side, Amanda referred to me as Grandma Lauri when she passed me the baby to hold. I wasn't totally sure how she was going to do that. I did take the opportuity to mention it the other day ... can't remember how I worked it into the conversation, but I told her how Sean and Nick have all their grandmas ... Grandma Jane and Grandma Gwen and Grandma Peg. Plus if we start NOW, it'll just be that way her whole life. So it must had made some sort of impression.

' "We all got a place inside us, feels like a prison," he tells her. "It's darker in some people than others, that's all. Thing is, you got to balance what's there with what's around you or you'll find yourself on a road that's got no end. Got no beginning and goes nowhere. It's just always this same thing, never grows, never changes, only gets darker and darker, like that candle blowing int eh wind. Looks real nice till the wind blows it out -- you hear what I'm saying?" ' - Charles deLint, Moonlight and Vines: Heartfires
Here's the thing ... I started a blog because I want to journal and I don't seem to be able to do it on paper. Then I got all caught up with the creation of the blog and how to get pictures into it, and it was fun. But I'm still not using it the way I wanted to, to try and get some of this stuff inside me OUT. Kinda like I want to paint, but I always have something I need to do first. I want to write poetry, but there's always something I need to do first.

Chipmunk Mexican Yodeling

Two new things last night ... cotton candy with poprocks in it, which was sort of disappointing. The bag said it was "swirled" but it wasn't, all the poprocks were in a big clump in the center. Second, a cheesy horror movie that was SO cheesy, we had to stop watching it (plus it started skipping) . Thing Below ... I highly recommend NOT renting it! I think that the part where the guy stepped through the hatch ( on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean) and found himself in an old Western town, complete with gunfighter, was the point we just couldn't take it any more!

I think too many people have the wrong idea about birthdays when they get older. My sister refused to acknowledge her 40th birthday. My friend Joe just said tonight, "Why celebrate being one year closer to death?"
But here's MY thought ... you're a year older whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. So why not have cake and presents? Why not celebrate making it through another year?
I got ducks tonight! A whole family of rubber ducks. And bubble bath. What's not to like?

Istanbul! (or Ýstanbul)

A coworker of my mom's is traveling in turkey for a couple of weeks. got this email update from her ...
"Day 2 even better than day1!!! Got up and went for a great walk, breakfast part ol Hotel so we had good food although ýt ýs wýerd to eat feta cheese and tomatoes so early. We spent the mornýng at Aya Sophýa, a museum and then went to the Grand Bazar. We took a boat rýde to Asýa and back. There ýs a mosque on every corner and at prayer týme you can hear the calls all over the cýty. Eatýng too much and walkýng alot."

Of course, it just makes me think of that song: "Istanbul/Constantinople"

Who ISN'T wishing there was something they could do to help the folks in New Orleans and MS? (Okay probably somebody, but I don't want to hear from you, because you suck)
Larry Dixon, the husband of my all-time fav fantasy author, Mercedes Lackey, has a website about Katrina. He was all set to go down and help (qualified as EMT, etc) but they don't want people coming down! So he's shifted gears and is trying to help re-locate people who have gotten out and have no place to go.
www.gryphonking.com

Congratulations! You are Carrie.

Which Sex and the City Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

stolen from Christine's blog. Maybe someday I'll have something cool for her to steal!

firemancer
The Flaming Hula Hoop of Death!

We caught the best street performers I've seen in a long time tonight... Firemancers. There was a street festival, wandering around with my sis and BIL. We had stopped to see a karate exhibition (smashing blocks of ice) when my eye was caught by flames. Fire won over ice. This gorgeous blonde with braids everywhere, spinning these chain-looking things while they were on fire (Melinda). Her partner, Doug (tall redhead), followed up with a flaming sword dance. Then Melinda brought out the hula hoop! Imagine a black hula hoop with little spikes every so often, topped by what looks like a charcoal bricquet. They had laid out a half circle of something in the street, it burned with this beautiful green flame. Melinda used this to light her hula hoop, and off she went! She never singed herself once! The two of them alternated with different flaming devices. Hazel Miller was playing just half a block away, and their performance meshed perfectly with the music, or vice versa! Sis said something to me about how graceful Melinda was. I told her, "Well, you really couldn't do this if you were a klutz!" She replied, "Sure you could, but only once!" We talked to them afterward, were amazed to find out they had NO martial art background, because it certainly looked as if they did. Got their website ... they are starting a regular gig in September at some club in Denver, so definitely must make plans to see them again!
Firemancer

"Laughing Boy Mannequin"

I found this on another blog ... who really buys this stuff?
Link

from the Herondance newsletter, via Mom ...

Sometimes, when a bird cries out,
Or the wind sweeps through a tree,
Or a dog howls in a far-off farm,
I hold still and listen a long time.
My world turns and goes back to the place
Where, a thousand forgotten years ago,
The bird and the blowing wind
Were like me, and were my brothers.
My soul turns into a tree,
And an animal, and a cloud bank.
Then changed and odd it comes home
And asks me questions.
What should I reply?
-Herman Hesse

"Corbycousin took an axe, and gave her boss some forty whacks ...
When she saw what she had done ... the whole company had a big ol' party!"

NOT an axe-murderer, I swear! This all came out of discussion via email that my sales rep and I had today about our boss. It started with me asking if we could have his heavy sigh mechanism removed. She said it would have to be lopped off (his head). It was all downhill after that. He's just been a complete jackass all week, and I'm tired of it. I understand his stress over current projects, but taking it out on the rest of us doesn't exactly help anybody's day. Plus here I am in the little cheerleader position that I am beginning to detest, fielding the venting from my production staff. "I know, I know, I'll try and take care of it, it'll be okay." I need pom-pons!!!

Patting myself on back for major accomplishment ... made it through the day without punching my boss in the head!!! Now if I can just make it through tomorrow ...
But for now, I'm home, my kitty is purring in between efforts to disembowel his stuffed rat. And looking really cute to sucker me into bending practically backwards out of my chair to rub his belly. Then he rolls over just to make it that much more difficult. After all, he is THE Cat. It is my destiny in life to worship him and feed him.

Arrr!

My Heart, Being Hungry
My heart, being hungry, feeds on food
The fat of heart despise.
Beauty where beauty never stood,
And sweet where no sweet lies
I gather to my querulous need,
Having a growing heart to feed.
It may be, when my heart is full,
Having attained its girth,
I shall not find so beautiful
The meagre shapes of earth,
Nor linger in the rain to mark
The smell of tansy through the dark.

~Edna St. Vincent Millay~

I forget where I read that poem ages ago, but I've always loved it! Just couldn't remember the line about "the meagre shapes of earth"

I love the internet, you can find practically everything!

You know, even though I really just can't believe in the whole "Creation" theory (or theology) sometimes I wonder why men get so lucky and don't have periods and pms and bloating ... and don't even get me started about labor! And admittedly, the whole "Eve tempted Adam with an apple" thing does nicely explain it. Blame everything on the woman!

("But man, I ain't goin' for that. I love you for your Pink Cadillac ...")

Hmmm, good stuff or bad stuff first? I know, let's get the irritating crap out first (since I can't get the irritating crap out of our lives!)
I really wish that Allan and his loser friend would break up for good. I swear, it's just like they're a high school couple. By which I do not mean anything sexual (since they're guy friends) but just the stupid drama that goes on endlessly. Right now they're in a just-recently-made-up phase.I know it pisses D off that he can't just get Allan to get rid of me. Oh, well! I can't get Allan to get rid of him for good either, guess we'll both have to learn to deal. Of course, I feel the need to be a grown-up here. It's less fun than being a complete bitch in the short-term, but it makes things between Allan and I work much better in the long-term, which is more important. It sure would be nice if Allan could get some friends who aren't stuck in that can't-keep-a-job, still-partying-like-I'm-20 mode. Yes, I suppose that makes me sound old, but damn it! Allan manages to hold down a job, has his own place to live, and I hate when those idiots have to come around, still living hand-to-mouth because the drugs are still more important than getting a life.
On the brighter side of things, I love Colorado! Today I saw a crane in a little lake and a whole herd of elk in the meadow across from the flea market. One big bull, a couple of much younger bulls, and a whole bunch of cows and calves.
As long as I'm paying even remote attention, I can always see wildlife on my way to work ... starting with the silly squirrels in our neighborhood, the bluejays bitching in the tree because I haven't filled the birdfeeder. All the different red-tail hawks and little peregrines in their respective territories. Big blue herons flying to and from some pond or other. Once in awhile, a bald eagle. Then the magpies and ravens that argue over the dumpster behind the Mexican place across the alley at work.

I saw a turkey vulture on the way to work yesterday. Cool, but kinda creepy! At first I thought it was a raven, then I thought it was REALLY BIG raven, then I saw its bald red head. I've never seen one on the ground before except at the zoo. Not my most favorite of the raptor-type birds, but cool nonetheless.
The weather is crappy and chilly here, so I have all the candles lit in the house, even in the bedroom where Allan is napping. Well, his napping morphed into being in bed for the night, but still. I have all Creamy Cocoa candles in there, so it smells like a big candy bar!
Feeling very lazy tonight, I'm sure it's mostly the weather. It's going to be hard to go to work tomorrow!

We are the Magpie People
flying swift
calling loudly
I see a sparkle, a shine!
I must have it!
The glitter, the glistening!
Shiny-pretty thing ...

lmw 2004

Today I have to take a page from my friend Nicole's book ... BLEH! It's such a descriptive little word. Allergies are acting up yet again, everyone at work is crabby. Usually I can stay above that and keep my own spirits up, but today for some reason I just don't care. I'm tired of being the company's little cheerleader ... "Everything will work out just fine!" It's someone else's turn!!!
Definitely a black and white day, no Technicolor!