The Power of the Polish

Happy birthday, Maria!

By special request, the dancing M&Ms would like to make yet another appearance in honor of the occasion:

Okay, since Blogger ate my last post (and did not spit it back out when I returned), I am going to try again. But some parts of it are lost forever! Such a loss...

I am having a mighty good time in Detroit. Maria's new apartment is cozy, pretty, and comfy. We have talked and talked. We've eaten middle eastern food, and listened to music. We had an encounter with a crazed video store clerk. We went to a huge mall to visit the Sanrio outlet store. We watched the movie Finding Forrester, which I liked very much. Despite my misgivings based on the trailer, the movie didn't push my schmaltz buttons the way Dead Poets' Society always has. I thought this one was actually kind of elegant. However, the use of the Queer as Folk music was a very strange choice.

Last night I dragged Maria out to Value City, the largest Value City I had ever been to (two floors!). I hadn't been to a Value City since I was last at Katynka's in the late summer last year for the VC tent sale. If you can believe this, yesterday was Maria's first trip to Value City! Needless to say, we found some excellent bargains. It was such a success that Maria woke up this morning and told me we need to go to the other Value City today. I've created a monster! (A Value City shopping monster!) But surely an appreciation for VC is a gift that keeps on giving?

(We have done a lot in only a day an a half!)

Earlier this week, I took my counter/tracker off Raspberry World. I had been tracking my hits and referrers for quite awhile, but I found I was getting some strange search requests. Now people may still come to my page by searching for "Nude Celeste," but I won't know about it. Ignorance is bliss! I was also getting a little too hung up on who was coming, and when. Mostly I just thought I'd feel less pressure without it. And so far, that's been the case.

What this means is, if you are visiting Raspberry World, I don't know it (assuming I could ever tell it was you by my logs -- which is a big assumption). So you should write me and say hello. I would love to hear from you.

I hate this. I just wrote a long update here and Blogger ate it. Love/hate? Yeah. You bet.

A few updates.

Marty's grandmother did pass away yesterday. Marty arrived at his mom's late last night after meeting up with his brother and his cousin in Atlanta. When I spoke to him he sounded tired, but glad to be home.

The power didn't come back on at my company until 8:30 pm last night. I was in the middle of watching Buffy by then. And Buffy was very, very good.

I am headed to Detroit later today for a visit to Maria. We haven't seen each other since before Christmas, and it is high time for a visit. And before you ask, no, we will not be viewing the movie Vertical Limit a second time.

I haven't heard anything back about my resume.

Finally, I read some slash in the last week or so, Chakotay/Paris and Mulder/Krycek, for the first time in months or maybe even over a year. I had forgotten how much I really, really like those characters. And the funniest thing is -- I was reading my own stories. (Does that make me a narcissist?) It had been so long since I read any of them (or wrote any of them) that I had actually forgotten whole scenes, and even the way the plot went. Every story was like a new surprise. But the whole time I kept thinking, Geez, she really knows what turns me on...

It isn't just that she feels the exact same way I do about Robert Downey, Jr. What actually impresses me most about Alicia's weblog is that she has managed to update it every day since she started it.

Just wanted to share this little bit of good news with those of you who read this journal entry last week: Looks like a few of those tulips may make it after all. I guess the ones that hadn't grown as much when the big chow down happened still have it in 'em. Anyway I think maybe 4 or 5 are going to flower. But it's still a little early to tell. If any of them do pull through I'll post a picture.

Strange Day

Well. Around 11:15 this morning, the power went off at my company. I was in the middle of a bunch of stuff on my computer and the whole thing just suddenly cut off. Also all the lights in my office. My office is on an inside hallway, far away from any windows (and of course it doesn't have any windows), so it was pretty dark in there. But there were still emergency lights running out in the hall.

I went out in the hall and everyone was milling around. There were people stuck in the elevators between floors. Just all around weirdness. (The phones were working though. Which is saying a lot, because we have been having some serious problems with the phone system there recently, where the whole system just shuts down for hours at a time. Sheesh.)

I thought for sure the lights would be right back on. But no, 30 minutes later they were still out. So I left for lunch. It is glorious out today. Like a gorgeous summer day. The weather forecast is predicting record highs near 80.

An hour later, I came back to work, and there were all these people standing outside the doors talking on their cell phones. (For some reason cell phones don't work inside the building.) Sure enough, when I got back inside, the phones were all dead. And the emergency lighting had gone out too. That meant that my office was about as dark as an office can get. I walked in and fell over my chair.

Fifteen minutes later my boss came around and told us all to go home. There still hadn't been any official word from the company, but how would they get it out to us if there were? Voice mail? Er, no. E-mail? I don't think so...

So I'm home. It's 2:00 on a gorgeous Tuesday and I am home. In shorts. (Ziggy seems to be taking it in stride.)

And now I hear the mail truck outside, so I am going out to check the mail.

Marty's grandmother is nearing the end of a long, long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. According to the hospice workers who come to help take care of her, she is very close to the end. So Marty is headed down to Georgia to be with his family this week.

I am doing that thing I do whenever I have a resume out somewhere, which is compulsively check my e-mail and voice mail every ten minutes. It doesn't make things happen any faster. Or at all, for that matter. It only makes me crazy.

I guess I don't feel much like writing right now.

Another weekend has flown by... and actually I helped it by sleeping a lot. My cold, or allergy, or whatever this crud is, has slowed me down quite a lot. But it was a beautiful and relaxing weekend, and this is going to be a short week for me, so I am not complaining.

This weekend Marty and I started painting the windows downstairs, and it turned out to take a lot longer than either of us expected. There's still quite a lot of work to be done before the window frames are all done. Probably won't get done this week, either. I am going away on Wednesday night to visit Maria and see her new apartment ("The Penthouse"). I'll be back next Sunday. So I just have three (or two and a half) days at work this week. And lots to get done in that time, too. And Marty has a very busy week planned at work. So I'm not putting any bets on when the windows will all be done.

But now it is time to start the week. So that's all for me this morning.

Oh my... it is Friday afternoon. I am so glad! It's been a busy week at work (and still continues to be busy at 3 pm on Friday) and I am looking forward to the weekend. Which will start about 2 hours from now with a trip to the gym.

I went out at lunch and bought some badly-needed, er, foundation garments. (I think that sounds even worse than "bras." Hee hee.) My old ones are in a sad state of disrepair. One of them was actually totaled this morning.

So. This weekend will be full of exciting stuff like laundry (must prepare for an upcoming trip to YAY! Detroit); painting the window frames in the living room and dining room; and decluttering that desk with the ultimate goal of getting rid of the spiders.

It is a beautiful, sunny day here in Connecticut.

Okay, this clinches it. I have killed two spiders on this desk this morning. And I saw a BIG one in here a couple of weeks ago. We are cleaning the clutter off the desk this weekend. Priority!!!

It is National Poetry Month, and someone has been celebrating by sending poems out in the mail anonymously. I am lucky enough to be on her list. This last Poem of the Week is my favorite so far, and here it is:

The Waking
by Theodore Roethke

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.

We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.

This (from The Glimmer Smoke Shape Experiment) is too funny. And I can relate.

clear evidence that i am an idiot:
awhile back, my normally shiny, healthy hair was feeling weighed down, and greasy and feeling as if i'd used many a product on it. i couldn't figure this out. last night in the shower, it occured to me, the big bottle of pantene shampoo that i had bought at target awhile ago is not shampoo at all, but conditioner. dur. so i've been conditioning my hair twice, and not washing it at all. my god, i'm stupid. :P

In other news, my journal is updated.

It's a very tough job, but someone has to do it:



When I left for work this morning, this is what Ziggy was doing. I can't blame him at all. I would be doing that too, if I didn't have to go off and make a living.

Update on the smoking car engine: Eight hours and $462 later, my car is (supposedly) fixed. I hope it's really fixed. I didn't notice it belching any black smoke on my drive home, but then again I usually have to drive it a little farther before it starts doing that. So we'll see. I may have to take it out on a nice long drive this weekend to test the new oil pump and whatever else was replaced.

B O R E D ? ? ? Check out the reviews of miscellaneous stuff at Flak Magazine. (I particularly like the review of Japanese Daruma dolls.)

You should have seen Ziggy when I left for work this morning. He was bundled inside a pink blanket on the guest bed, looking as cute as can be. I took some pictures, so I'll try to post one tonight. In the meantime, check out BlackieCam - Cat on the Net.

My car was spewing out black smoke yesterday afternoon and it smelled like burning rubber under the hood. I had driven up to Manchester after work, so it was quite exciting to be an hour away from home and to think that maybe the car was going to explode or something. (It didn't explode.) This morning I dropped it off at the Subaru dealership near where I work, so I hope to have some answers later today. Like, why does smoke come pouring out from around the front passenger tire? And why does the car smell like eau de burnt rubber?

A new weblog! Alicia has started her own weblog. Check it out! I am excited. In my opinion, everyone needs a weblog. At least one. I have four!

You want one too? Blogger can help.

Well, here it is: Painting the Dining Room. This is how we spent our long weekend. It was well worth the effort.

I'd say it's definitely getting to be spring. I can tell by all the sneezing that's going on around here today. Marty's allergies are terrible this year.

I am looking forward to seeing some green on the trees. Back behind the house it still looks pretty much like it did all winter, except there's not any snow now. But the trees are still bare.

"All we need is just a little patience" ~Axl Rose

Watch this space for pictures of the new dining room, coming later today! I still have to hang the curtains and get a few more things done, but it's just about ready!

In the meantime, the journal is updated.

The funniest site I have seen in awhile: Disturbing Search Requests. Hee hee.

Here's a picture I took of the new light fixture we installed in our dining room yesterday:



Later this weekend I plan to post pictures of this whole process -- preparation, painting, light installation, etc.

It's another very pretty day here in Connecticut. I am happy to see the sun and blue skies. I did notice we have a chance of snow showers in the weather forecast for later this week, but I'm trying not to think about that right now.

Ah, a day off work. And it was a sunny day, too.

Today Marty and I made a good start on painting the dining room. We moved most of the furniture out and bunched the rest of it in the middle of the room under a tarp. We taped down paper on the floor to protect the wood from the paint. We painted the ceiling. We patched the walls. We installed the new light fixture and started painting the walls.

I hope we can move the furniture back in by tomorrow night or Sunday morning. I will post some pictures by the end of the weekend. I really like how it's turning out!

This has just been one of those days filled with little tiny frustrations that add up to one big bad mood.

Kogepan Appears on Buffy The Vampire Slayer

On the most recent new episode of Buffy, that wonderful, horrible episode that takes place in the aftermath of Buffy's mom's death, who should show up but Kogepan? Yes, Kogepan!

In the scene where Xander and Anya come to Willow and Tara's dorm room, after Anya's big outburst she flops down in the papasan chair in the corner. After a second, she pulls out from beneath her Willow's sweater (the one she's been looking for) and a Kogepan plushie! Can you believe it? Our little bread guy is getting famous!

Incidentally, if you want your own Kogepan plush toy like Tara and Willow, or Kogepan stationery for that matter, the best place to go is DreamKitty. I've bought several things from there. You won't spend as much as you will on eBay.

Today it's three years since I wrote the bad girls journal entry. I mention this because yesterday three different people came to Raspberry World through that entry. That's unusual.

Despite cringing when I read many of my old entries (which I think is very normal), I am still fond of this one because it spawned a revolution. Well, maybe that's pushing it a little. But it encouraged Bad Girl behavior among several women of my acquaintance, and inspired a few mix tapes, and (best of all) hooked me up with a good friend who originally wrote me because of this piece. (Hey Sonal!)

So, happy birthday, Bad Girls!

In keeping with my journal entry and today's lunchtime excitement, I am happy to report that there are worse things than eating uncooked chicken salad.

Oh. My. God.

Okay, I'm still alive. This is a good sign. It's over 7 hours since I ate the chicken salad and I'm mostly feeling all right. I am relieved.

Have you noticed Blogger is working much faster of late? Evan's latest upgrades seem to have made a big difference. Thank you, Evan!

My journal is updated!

I realize we're right in the middle of the lunch hour as I post this. If you're sitting there with a sandwich in your hand, checking up on your favorite web sites over lunch, you might not want to read the next entry until after you're finished eating. But it's up to you, of course.

AaaacccCCKKKkkkk!!!!!

I was getting hungry for lunch so I prowled down to the little cafeteria in the building where I work. It's always the same. Same people, same food. We stand in front of the case of sandwiches and salads and look, desperately searching for something different. An overabundance of "wraps" today made me forgo the sandwiches. I decided on a little scoop of chicken salad and some crackers.

Back in my office, two bites in, I noticed that the chicken was . . . soft. Or something. Wrong consistency for chicken salad. So I started poking through the stuff with my fork, and slowly realized that there was raw chicken in there. I mean, like, raw, uncooked, slimy, soft chicken. I couldn't believe it at first, but I know raw chicken when I see it. Or, uh, taste it. *shudder*

I went back down to the cafeteria with the salad and made them take it back. I also made them take all the other chicken salad off the shelves. I was so squicked I wouldn't take anything else to eat and ran away before they could refund my money. I heard the cashier calling after me that she would refund it when I came in next time. (Like there's gonna be a next time. Yeah.)

After brushing my teeth and eating a bag of pretzels (all I could stomach) I am proud of myself for not throwing up. Although I wonder if it would be better to throw up when something like that happens? Get the chicken out before it gets too far through your system? I don't know. I only ate a couple of bites, maybe I won't get salmonella poisoning.

I have this problem where I get a sensory memory of food I've eaten, especially stuff I don't like. I remember what it feels like in my mouth, and it can be so vivid that I will almost get sick from just the thought of it. This is why I can't eat sushi. It's not so bad when I'm eating it, but later on just the thought of it in my mouth grosses me out. I have a feeling the sushi might be replaced in my brain by raw chicken salad.

Here's hoping I don't die of raw chicken poisoning this afternoon. If this is my last entry on Raspberry World ever, you'll know why.

Well, here it is! Marty installed the new light in the hallway, and we both love it! You can't see it in the picture, but the glass has little bubbles in it that make the light shine with a really cool texture on the walls. I think we're really going to like these lights when we get them all installed.



Here's another view of the hall with the new light (it's a little bigger).

This morning Marty and I went to Home Depot to pick up three new light fixtures for our dining room, front hallway, and stairs. This one on the left is the chandelier for the dining room. It has three seeded glass shades and the metal is what they call copper verde (that greenish copper). Also there's a seeded glass center column that matches the shades. I think it will look nice with the green walls in the dining room.

The other two light fixtures we got are part of the same line from Progress Lighting. The larger one (on the right) will hang over the stairs from the upper hallway. The smaller one (below) will go on the wall in the downstairs hallway. (The finish in the picture of the sconce is wrong -- ours is more green than that. But you get the idea.)

We've never really bought light fixtures before, and we were happy to find these on clearance at Home Depot. Especially after I looked them up online and saw the outrageous manufacturer's suggested price. Ow! But on clearance they were very affordable. It was funny when we went looking, because we saw a bunch of stuff that neither of us thought would do, really shiny brass and gold fixtures, lots of glittery hanging stuff, etc. But when we saw these lights we both loved them right away! Marty is installing the hall sconce right now, so maybe I can take a picture of our light later on.

Today this fat squirrel was sitting in the tree outside our dining room window. Ziggy alerted us to it, of course. It was big excitement!

Marty and I are getting ready to paint the dining room green (click for a preview). We're just testing the color right now but we hope to paint the room next weekend. We're also planning to replace the light fixture in the dining room (the current hideous 1970s chandelier has brown glass shades over the bulbs).

Ziggy was just happy we went to the paint store. Those boxes they send us home with are just the right size.

Oops. Blogger killed my archive. I don't know how long it was down, but it's fixed now. In case you were just dying to look up an old entry!

I can't believe I've had this weblog for almost a year! I still feel like it's a new section of the page.

Last night after work I went to the gym... I have to get back in the habit of going again. Otherwise I start feeling really old and stiff.

Looking back over my posts here for the last two weeks, I have made a pledge to myself that I will only talk about That Band in the Music Log. At least for a little while.

A new journal entry is up.

The REM - U2 Mutual Admiration Society

From a Radio One interview with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills:

What's the motivation to keep making music?
Mike: To make a better record than U2. I couldn't be happier for those guys, or more proud of them.

From Bono's comments in USA Today (via U2.com):

After hearing the new REM album Reveal, Bono told USA Today that it is 'extraordinary'.

'I felt ill when I heard it.' he said. 'It's a very beautiful, awe inspiring record. REM is a force.'

Early morning, April 4
A shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
But they could not take your pride...

~ U2, Pride (In The Name of Love)

Great Site: The Art of the Mix

A reader named Paul sent me to this site, and I love it. I know some of you will too. All you mixxers get over there and check it out.

Thank you Paul!