Make Me Laugh Out Loud

Sometimes I wish I could just steal someone else's words and stick 'em up here. I've been staring at this blank post for hours now. I opened it at 10 whatever and it's now 1:11 am. In between, I did two loads of laundry, watched most of United 93 (which I've been carrying around in my bag - and getting scratched up - for months now... therefore, the quality of the dvd was less-than-perfect and it basically stopped working about halfway through. Great... so in addition to being freaked out about flying again, I didn't even get to see the end of the movie. So, I flipped on the end of Imagine Me and You. Not exactly a pick-me-up, but definitely more my speed.

Anyway, the white space is killing me; but I really, really, really don't know how to fill it. Let's see... nothing interesting from my own head... maybe I actually will steal someone else's words:

If these walls came crumbling down,
Fell so hard to make us lose our faith,
From what’s left you’d figure it out,
Still make lemonade taste like a sunny day,

Nobody’s laughing now,
God's grace lost and the devil is proud,
But I’ve been walking for a thousand miles,
One last time I could see you smile

Good enough. Going to bed. Night.

A Powerful Faith in What the Ancients Used to Call "Fatum"

Well, I'm not sure I would've put Angelina as my heaven; but I'm inclined to chuckle a bit at the depiction of Wal Mart as hell. Have you seen this yet?

And speaking of Wal Mart, I went to grab some groceries (and various other sundries -- okay, seriously, WHO knew that the word was "sundries"? I SWEAR, I have thought all along it was asundries! I seriously do learn something new every day!!)... anyway, I went to Wal Mart to grab some stuff and got ready to check out when, what do I find, but that I've forgotten my wallet. No cash, no credit cards, no NOTHING. I had to call Jon and ask him to come rescue me! Luckily, I've done the same for him before (at the Weis in Bellefonte when he had all the groceries bagged & loaded when he realized he didn't have his wallet, and he had to call me). Unluckily (for me), his experience was at the Bellefonte Weis... which is relatively unbusy; whereas I had to pull this crap at the S'boro Wal Mart... THE hopping place in this lil town. Anyway, Jon saved me (thanks sweetie), and we were eventually able to walk away from my own little hell on earth. I HATE feeling so darn helpless. I'm not helpless! I can take care of myself... very well, thank you very much... except when I don't have my wallet... and then I am L-O-S-T.

Okay, so the first day of the year... got some work done (check), took the dogs for a W (please don't say the word!) and got some exercise ourselves (check), did a little creative organization of a few more pics (check), spent a little quality time with my husband and our "kids", watched some foozball, embraced my true self and watched some TV and movies (Starsky and Hutch... I get the "Do It" line now... LOL), read a few magazines (so I could get rid of 'em), etc., etc., etc. (check). I'm sure there are lots of things that I should've done and didn't... and I do hope that won't keep me from doing them at some point over the course of the year... but as a whole, I kinda like Mom's little theory about today being a sampler of the year. I wish I would've been as productive as her today; but it'll do, it'll do. Maybe I can still squeeze in a few more things (like unpacking our bags from the trip out West; reading some more Jong - 2nd ever; getting some more lovin' from my little angels who, at this moment, smell like such sweet sleepy puppy; clean up a little more around the house; etc., etc., etc.), especially since I'm still kinda on Pacific Coast time... and if that's the case, I still have a few more hours of this day left!

As for resolutions, I think I'll stick with my Blogthings version from a few days ago:
1) Get a pet frog ... well, I kinda already have one or two or three... they live on my front porch and visit the office window at least once a year.
2) Eat less stale popcorn ... I promise to eat very little popcorn at all this year, and that's one I feel very confident I can stick to!
3) Travel to New Zealand ... well, I doubt I'll be successful at this one, but I'll give it a shot. Maybe I can even check a few of my to-do-by-30/40's on this trip too!
4) Study cannibal cultures ... cool... can't wait!
5) Get in shape with belly dancing ... okay, so it's not belly dancing per se, but I have my Carmen videos ready to go (c'mon, laugh with me now... Miss Georgia & Carmen's Striptease Aerobics... so f-u-n-n-y!)

Happy New Year, my peeps. Don't forget to ride the dream... and trust it to take you all the way. I love you all!

Love Turns the Whole Thing Around

Mom told me earlier tonight that she's considering tomorrow -- the first day of the new year -- a "sampler" of what her 2007 is going to be like. (So, of course... if you know my mom you could guess this, but... she's planning to be majorly industrious tomorrow.) I told my sister about the conversation later in the evening and she wondered where in the heck mom would've picked up that idea (that the first day of the year could be indicative of the rest of the year). I figure it's just another Crackpot Yates theory! (Mom has several of those! Just kidding, Mom!!!)

Anyway, it doesn't seem like a bad theory at all. But, let's wait and see what tomorrow brings. If I feel like being lazy & get nothing done all day, it's definitely a crackpot theory. If I get some work done, do any of several creative things I would like to start, get some exercise, straighten up/organize around the house & office, talk with friends & family, write some good resolutions & get a start on 'em, etc., etc., etc., then it's the best idea I've ever heard!

For all y'all who knew we were traveling today, yep... we had a good trip back. Took up the whole darn day, but we're finally back in the Eastern time zone and bunking at Forsythe. Things are pretty good here... except for the partially-chewed mucho-'spensive leather couch. Well, you had to expect they'd get their teeth on it sooner or later.

Unfortunately, we're tired from the travel... and we feel guilty about leaving the young 'uns alone at all at the moment (after having left them for a week!)... and we don't really have anywhere to go (not completely true... thanks for the invite, Jody), so we're celebrating the New Year at home, probably with half-closed eyelids. But, for all y'all out 'n about, hope you're having a blast! Those of you bums like me sticking close to home (and, who are we kidding, probably not having nearly as much fun as those of us elsewhere!), hope the spirit moves you to get up & do something next year!

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits. ~Author Unknown

So, which habits will we break this year and which will stick it out into 2007? Good, bad, indifferent? Either way, let's talk again tomorrow. At least we'll face 2007 together... like it or not! So, thanks for being a part of my 2006. You helped make it one heck of a year. I ♥ 2006. Really & truly. I'll miss it, but I'm looking forward to '07 as well. :)

An Answer? Who Needs a Stinkin' Answer?!

There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.
-Zora Neale Hurston

Because I Needed Help Resolving

Your New Year's Resolutions

1) Get a pet frog 2) Eat less stale popcorn 3) Travel to New Zealand 4) Study cannibal cultures 5) Get in shape with belly dancing

What Should Your New Year's Resolution Be?

There Once Was a Monk From Nantucket...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/20/greece.monks.ap/index.html

I May Not Be a Photographer... But By Gosh, I Sure Do Try

Yes, I just said... let me just post a few of these pics from today so I don't have to write anything tonight. If you don't WANT to write on a blog, you shouldn't have to. Right? Am I right?

Well... quick run-down from today & plan for tomorrow and I'm outie.
- 5am: hear from Sarah that Kona got in a fight last night & has bite wounds on her neck. Vet says she's okay, but geez, Kona!
- 7am: alarm (AGAIN) goes off to ensure we have enough time to get ready for the 8am departure
- 8:30am: Departure for the coast... drop off car at Beaverton office for my return afternoon-of-work
- 10:00-ish: Breakfast at Wayfarer in Cannon Beach, followed by walk on beach, and visit to Ecola Park
- 3:00pm: Back to Beaverton office for afternoon-of-work
- 6:30pm: Meet Jon @ Paul's, dinner, chat, etc. Return rental car
- 10:30pm: Back at the house... Man, I'm TIRED. And I'm soooo sleeping in in the morning. What, like 9am Pacific time, though? Oh well... at least I'm not planning another trip in to the office & I can work from here. This 3 hour time difference makes it hard to be available for East Coasters. After lunch, kids. After lunch. You just can't expect me to be at the office, plugged in and ready to go before 9:30, CAN YOU??? Look peeps, I'm doing good to be up & around & functional by 9:30. So, that's my plan again for tomorrow... hopefully, it'll happen. Lord knows I have enough work to do! If I can get started by 9:30, maybe I can actually finish before NEXT YEAR!

Anyway, enjoy the pics... talk soon.

Don't Bother Reading... Says the Cynic

What to say, what to say...?! I really don't have a lot to say. I'm really tired again tonight. Such is what happens when you switch time zones, then stay up late in the new zone, and get up for work. Ick. Who wants to do that?! Well, actually, I did. Last night was movie-time (after a ham dinner) - Pursuit of Happyness @ Cinetopia... well worth watching - then home for lots of conversing about politics, religion, and sex. No, we didn't get around to sex. We spent all our time arguing about politics and religion. Just kidding... no arguments here... just very enlightening, good-hearted, we're-gonna-change-the-world-never-mind-we're-a-bunch-of-cynics discussion. Then today, I also wanted to get up for work. Don't know what it is about going into an office... but those of you who have workplaces that you like should count your lucky stars. Don't get me wrong, I like my office @ home. But being around people @ the Beaverton office today really felt nice. I can get pretty down on myself (no!)... as most of you know... and feeling competent in the office really helps get me reinvigorated and confident. So, that was nice. Stayed till 6-ish then admired the lights of the city as I drove back across it on the return trip. I'll probably put in a half-day tomorrow... after a little escapade in the morning. We're headed to the coast in the AM for b'fast in Seaside. It should be a clear but cold day. Perfect Oregon coast weather. Right Mom?

You know... instead of just writing a bunch of crap right now, I'm going to bed. Sorry. I know how you frequent-checkers like to see new & different. But once again, it's same old same old. Bunch o' nothing all the time. I'll change it up soon... maybe... if I feel like it.

Thanks for getting all the way to the end... says the girl-who-just-needs-l.o.v.e.

Amen Brother

Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.
    -- Niels Bohr (1885-1962)

Have You Seen This?

Since it's been a topic of conversation several times over the last couple days (Brad)... did you see the pics? http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=332192373&size=l

Also, thanks for all the well-wishes and love today... family, family #2, friends, txt from JL?!?! (where'd you come from?!), etc. Thinking of all of you tonight... and always. Much love to you and one last Merry Christmas (since it's still the 25th out here on the left side of the country!) before bedtime. Hope you're all safe, happy & comfortable in your own homes & beds tonight. XO

Have a Blessed Christmas

From tonight's candlelight service... the hymn (and single verse) that touched me most:

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me I pray
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care
And take us to heaven to live with Thee there

We arrived in Portland safely mid-day (Pacific time). Definitely recommend the direct flight. While it may seem like a long flight, it's soooo much nicer than long layovers! But leaving that early from ATL (9:40-something) made the alarm go off much too early (4:30 am)!!! Left the pups on the porch all day today (14 hours!). I'm SURE they were THRILLED when Sarah got there tonight! Yay, Southern Pet Sitters!!!

Anyway, I'm sleeeeepy... and I'm sure we'll talk later. For now, thanks for all the happy thoughts & Merry Christmases. :) Hope you are having your best Christmas ever!

Thanks For Being On My Side

So what if I see the sunshine
In the pouring rain
Some people think I'm crazy
But you say it's okay

They May Not Be Pretty... But They're Me

Keeping a journal, a blog, some kind of record of all the things you've done... something I consider (when looking back upon it) a very, very, very cool thing. Okay, so you know about the picture project. By this point, I have 3253 pics in the "album". Only 152 are un-tagged at the moment... and that's only because I took a little break to come write this post. By the end of the evening, all 3253 will be tagged (I think I told you before... that means place, event, people, etc.). I only have one more folder on the Desktop to add (these frosh-year pics had been scanned in from pages in a photo album... I cropped & saved each one individually earlier today... just haven't imported into the program) and one more folder on the Desktop to crop/save individually (the "this is my life" photo album that I scanned in a few months back for Me-maw's birthday???). I'm so almost finished with the big-computer pictures! So exciting!

Anyway, the point of my first sentence... as I tag each picture, I'm making a best-guess attempt at a date for it as well. Well, that's not true... best-guess isn't really good enough unless I know, at the very least, month & year. I can pinpoint a day (maybe a week) for just about every single photo! And that's really saying something... when the dates are all screwy because pics have been scanned in (thus, the "date picture was taken" is wrong b/c the computer recognizes the scan-in date) or the digicam's date wasn't set correctly. Anyway, there are lots of reasons why the dates are wrong upon import. And there are very few ways you can check a picture's date. Unless you're me... and you have the 268 blog postings going back 1 year (and 2 days), a 4.8-gig e-mail archive (of course, that's only the CCOR address... anything dating back to Carolina or Visto is long gone... SADLY) and 140 megs of current e-mail, a journal that was written in sporadically (although sometimes religiously) between 9/5/93 and 6/27/05 (there's only one page left before the whole book is full!), a Bible that became a this-is-my-life-in-tiny-snippets-as-I-do-my-daily-Bible-reading (dates/notes range from 1/24/97 to 12/8/05), and various notes, letters, ramblings, creations, reminders, and momentos for everything! When I do finally get around to making my scrapbook, I have quite the job organizing all the hard copies of the things I've kept.

So, anyway, some of you played integral parts in these events... just curious, can you identify what might've happened on each of these dates?

• January 26, 1996
• May 31, 1997
• June 6, 1997
• July 11, 1998
• November 7, 1998
• December 19, 1998
• December 20, 1998
• April 29, 2000
• August 17, 2002
• June 18, 2005
• November 6, 2005
• October 24, 2006

Okay, I'll give you a few hints...

• There are two graduations in there, one mine and one Haley's... not necessarily from the same school
• There are a couple of weddings and first dates (not necessarily mine!)
• There's a trip to a theme park... for the 2nd time
• There are a few football games... special for a few different reasons
• And probably more than a couple "oh my God, I'm THAT GIRL" moments!

Think you know any of them? Yeah, sure you do. Anywho, those are just a few that jumped out at me as I was scrolling through the massive database of pics just now. Thanks to each of you who've played a part in the fun events in my life... and thanks for letting me take lots of pictures in the process!

It's just another story caught up in another photograph I found.
and it seems like another person lived that life a great many years ago from now,
When I look back on my ordinary, ordinary life,
I see so much magic, though I missed it at the time.
    -- Sweet Jamie

Happy Pawlidays ... From Me ... With Love

Do you realize how difficult it is to keep coming back here, night after night, giving out yet another little piece of nothing?! You wouldn't think coming up with original little pieces of nothing would be that hard. Rest assured, it is. Hmm... what should I tell you about tonight? Well, first I'll share with you my original Christmas card ... made especially for, what the heck, we'll say YOU. :)



Jon and I had a little bit of Christmas early tonight. We treated ourselves to Japanese, a quick trip to Lowe's, and ALL of the presents in the box that arrived today. Should we have waited? Well, let's see... we're leaving early on Sunday morning (Christmas Eve Day), so we could've held the gifts until Saturday (12/23) night... but WHY? Today's just as good for Christmas as 12/23. Don't ya think?! Anyway, M, D, & H sent some very sweet, pretty things. Too much, yet again. We agreed on a spending limit this year (which they didn't really stick to... and which H evidently(?) didn't hear about!) to try to limit the lavishness we usually endure. Plus, with the upcoming trip to Oregon, Jon & I really did not want to have to figure out how to get any extra gifts back to Georgia on the return flight. So, we begged for Mom to just hold our gifts on the east coast. And then Haley came into the picture, all I'm-sending-yours-anyway... and we got the big box o' presents via USPS today. :) Seriously... everything was awesome. You guys did too much... yet again. For everyone that I DIDN'T get a present this year, I suck. I know it. That's all I wanted to say.

Well... I'm going to go see if I can't finish this little book I've been reading. I'd like to get this first-one-I've-ever-read-by-this-author finished up so that I can move on to her 2nd one that's already waiting on my shelves. It is quite enjoyable. Can't wait to tell you more about it. Soon... I promise.

P.S. - These photos-from-just-the-right-angle brought a smile to my face tonight. Thought you might also enjoy: http://forum.cybernetnews.com/index.php/topic,117.0.html.

The Time's Been Too Long

What we remember lacks the hard edge of fact. To help us along we create little fictions, highly subtle and individual scenarios which clarify and shape our experience. The remembered event becomes a fiction, a structure made to accommodate certain feelings. This is obvious to me. If it weren't for these structures, art would be too personal for the artist to create, much less for the audience to grasp. Even film, the most literal of all the arts, is edited.
- Jerzy Kosinski

This beginning-of-a-chapter quote really stuck with me... for two reasons. 1) I've told you before about my memories. I feel like Jerzy hits the nail on the head re: the way I feel about my memories. They're there. I think a lot about my memories. But I truly do feel that my mind has morphed them into little remember-able snippets... "little fictions, highly subtle and individual scenarios which clarify and shape our experience." They're not fact, for sure. But they're very real to me. And 2) Art is very, very, very personal. I'm not so pretentious to really believe what I leave here for you guys is art... but I do... kinda. Sometimes it's hard for me to actually click on "Publish" at the end of my post. Every time I do, I'm sharing a little piece of myself with you. It is very personal. It's edited, often heavily censored, but a piece of me nonetheless. So, thanks for reading me. But please continue to be gentle with my feelings. And thanks for being there for me... in all the ways you have been (sanity and such).

So, what is it about my writing? I love doing it. It's a personal exercise for myself... to be creative (somewhat), share pieces of myself with you voyeurs out there, keep you up-to-date with what's going on with me, communicate with each of you... personally and in general...

Anyway, enough about that. I have two sweet bundles of furry sleepiness on my lap (which makes it hard to finish out this post), so I should wrap for the moment. We'll talk more soon, I'm sure.

*** Huh... interesting... Blogger changed their picture-upload process. Hope those come through A-OK. ***

*** 2nd Postscript... Kids... I love both of you. And I don't know what to say. You know I have no advice... just know that I'm thinking about you and praying that everything works out. ***

A Little Something Better

That previous post was bad. I don't like it at all. But it's part of the record now... and I'm not about to go erase it. It had so much promise in my head. Oh well... you know what they say about the best laid plans.

Anway, I really felt like I should leave a little something better for y'all so you wouldn't be as let down as I was. So, here you go, a little wisdom & beauty from David (the king... not another David) about one of my favorite parts of this little world we live in:

The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
Day after day, they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known.
They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies;
yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.
-- Psalms 19:1-4

Hold Onto Whatever You Find

I don't mean to be deep. I'm actually quite simple-minded. Wouldn't you agree? I'm not trying to be intellectual, sophisticated, coy, or obscure. I don't think I'm better than anyone. (Quite the contrary, actually!)

Why say all that? I don't know... just felt like it needed to be said.

Anyway, my simple-mindedness is often quite obvious to me. I was taking a bath tonight (yes, mom, I have adopted your little habit... why wouldn't I with this darn bathtub?!)... anyway, I was taking a bath tonight and my mind was just about completely blank. Some people have to work to clear their mind. I just have to sit there and not think about anything. Makes me laugh... but it's more than a little true. Eventually, though, I think to myself... you know, I really should take this opportunity to think about something. It's such a good opportunity, anyway. I did have the tunes on and a book in my hand... so maybe I'm not giving myself enough credit for 'being there' mentally. (I was loving the Continuum and my Erica Jong. And, truthfully, I was paying attention to both. The no-thinkingness was actually more of an after-I-put-the-book-down goodness.) Get to the point already, Heidi. OK... so I started thinking about the water. By just touching the surface (or breaking the plane with a fingertip from below), you disrupt the entire still body of water. There's not one ounce left untouched. And before you can even comprehend all the ripples, the center has returned to tranquility, happiness, peace.

But... as I said... I'm simple-minded. So, don't ask me what any of that means. I'm sure Jon or Jake or Lis (et al) could all come up with symbolism, the deeper meaning, all that psychoanalytical babble. I choose to simply know I was observing the water. Speaking of water... there was a game we used to play on road trips. Eh, never mind. Sorry, this free-association, simple-mindedness of mine sometimes leads me to just blurt things out.

This was a dumb post. Sorry for wasting your time. That's what you get when I try to multitask (Monday Night Football). Go figure. Talk to you soon... hopefully with better subjects and better writing. Happy Monday night!

Ahh... Madden

Usually, when you get a doink, you don't get a 3. You need a mini-doink. There you got a doink... It's an inside doink. You can get a square doink, an outside doink, or an inside doink. When you get an inside doink like that, you get 3 points. That's one way to do it. A normal guy wouldn't try it that way.

I Smile Just Because

According to the BBC ("100 things we didn't know this time last year"), one in 10 Europeans is conceived in an Ikea bed. Also, for Camille: If all the Smarties eaten in one year were laid end to end it would equal almost 63,380 miles, more than two-and-a-half times around the Earth's equator.

Finally, Ritz crackers... little edible plates. Why've we got to keep going in circles?

Yeah Dawg... I Mean Mountaineers!!!