Been Awhile

The blog has been awhile without quotes so I'll share some favorites regarding books:

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; They are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."

-Charles W. Eliot

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."

-Jorge Luis Borges

"If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in a library?"

-Lily Tomlin

"When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it."

-Marie de Sevigne

"Yes, there's such a thing as luck in trial law but it only comes at 3 o'clock in the morning. You'll still find me in the library looking for luck at 3 o'clock in the morning."

-Louis Nizer

"He who learns, and makes no use of his learning, is a beast of burden with a load of books. Does the ass comprehend whether he carries on his back a library or a bundle of faggots?"

-Moslih Eddin Saadi

Love-Hate

As soon as I finished reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, I threw it across the room (for reals). I was shocked, upset, and down-right filled with darkness that lasted for 2 whole weeks. I hated it. Let me rephrase that statement. I Hated it. That's right, hate with a capitol "h". To this day, it's the only book I've ever thrown in the trash after reading. I'll never read it again. It's no wonder that I see so many darn copies of it in the book sections at thrift stores. I'm thinking there're some others out there who might have felt the same.

I've thought about that book from time to time since. Time has a way of softening immediate emotion and granting added perspective. While I still loathe the book and its depressing darkness, I have a solid respect for the master work that it is. McCullers is one of the best writers I've ever come across, possessing rare stature of skillful execution, even when solely compared to her peers on the "classics" lists. There's not an inch of room for improvement in that book. It's a masterpiece, a dark masterpiece... and you'll never find it on my shelf if you come for a visit.

Caught Off Guard and Headed for the Campout

Over the past couple of months, I've felt on a couple of occasions that life would be moving forward. Ha ha! Of course it moves forward. What I mean is that I felt that a new stage/change is coming on. The brief inspirations weren't anything specific, or grand declarations, but quiet small feelings that snuck in and out and left me to carry out my daily doings on the lookout. Even while on the lookout, the changes have taken/are taking place have come so subtly. This process has been quiet and patient and slow, but its happening. On some occasions I've quietly observed and discovered them and on others, I've been caught off guard.

I was out with some friends not too long ago. Midst the whole sha-bang, I felt a spark of the old fire that's been lying dormant in me for so long. So long ago it left me; that period of time, when I did have it, became like a dream. Oh, how I've longed to get that back. Don't get me wrong, now. I've been productive and doing well, feeling gratitude and joy in life, but this old friend of a feeling was that of laughter mixed with light and excitement. Its the delight felt before pulling a clever prank with expert mischievousness. It's the twinkle in my eye. For so long I'd wondered if it might be dead and gone for forever. It couldn't possibly be, right? When time seemingly passes at such great length, those thoughts do cross the mind.

Anyway, it was a weird feeling to have fly through me. I felt a little uncomfortable, not bad uncomfortable, just uncomfortable. I was caught off guard. The feeling was so brief. A flicker of a moment. I love to be caught off guard and that was the best one in a long while. Since then those sparks have started to smolder and grow brighter. The fire's coming back. I'm thinking there's going to be a camp-out soon.

Monday Madness? Bring it on Baby.

So humdee-oo, it's Monday.

Don't you let your little heart droop. Thanks Aunt Katy for so much quality entertainment. I didn't watch one clip but went through quite a few. I had some good laughs watching Big Joe and the Polka Show. Now that I think of it, the biggest laugh I had was that I actually enjoyed it, aside from its humorous nature. I couldn't keep my feet from boppin' around and shhh, secretly, I wish I could dance the polka. Good times. You just might experience some oompf in your step after watching Big Joe. I don't know. I'm just sayin. Here's one of his many...

Puppy-love and a Whisper

I'll start with the whisper comment first because it's brief... I was sitting at my mom's desk the other day at school when our neighbor girl came up to me with something to whisper. "Um, I love you and Jen went poopy in the potty today." Haha. Jen is her 8 year-old autistic sister who is still not yet potty trained. It's a big deal for her to go in the potty. What a random comment combo.

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Alright. Remember the girl in kindergarten who thinks she's a dog? See HERE. I've been slacking with the updates. I'll list them for you:

1. My chat with DG (Dog Girl) from the other day:

Me: You know you're not a dog, right?

DG: "I know!"

Then she rolled her eyes and huffed.

2. This past week DG pounced onto my lap as I sat at the back teacher's desk. Of course her hands were gripped as if to form paws. The best part was that she rubbed her head against my shoulder (awkward). Isn't a cat supposed to do that? I still laughed though. She's so darn cute.

3. Awhile back, the class made snowmen. Once displayed on the board, DG drug me up and said "Guess which one is mine." For one ever-so-brief moment I thought, "Yeah right! all kindergarten snowmen look the same." That thought lasted a split second as I felt some brief inspiration... "Just look for a dog, Erica." Holy smokes. I picked it out right away. "It's not a snowman! It's a snowdog!" Here it is:

4. I sat and listened to my mom explain "describing words" to the kindies. Afterward, they practiced giving examples. Here's what DG had to say:

Mom: What's a word that describes Erica?

DG: Puppy-love!

Mom: Puppy-love?

DG: Yeah, cuz she could love puppies!

End note: Man, I love my job.

Sports News

This photo was taken last night at James' revelation of the onsie, properly referred to as the "singlet". Sisters Las and Boo have been dreading it for weeks and trying to coax James to abandon the disgusting sport.

Today James had his first wrestling match. His determined, concentrated dedication of these past weeks was reflected in his performance, though he lost both matches. I went to the meet to support him and was greeted in the gym with the pungent smell of sweaty pubescent boys. The smell was even worse when I sat for 10 minutes and it settled in as a heavy, humid musk. Gross. My mom and I moved to a spot that caught the draft from the entrance doors. Fresh air never tasted better. Hopefully I'll toughen up the further along these meets go.

In all actuality, I lost track of the smell after awhile, eh-hem, quite awhile, and found myself sucked in to the various matches. I don't know why I felt invigorated watching teenage boys scurry around on ringworm-ridden mats but I found myself suppressing cheers for tough guys I didn't even know... and those two girls. I'm totally sucked into this already, an encouraging plus as my only purpose for prior attendance was out of love, a dedicated love, for the only guy in the household.

Side note: At the brief mention above of the two girl wrestlers, a remembrance of Peaches is brought to mind. In high school, some guy friends wrestled. Many a chuckle was had over Peaches, the solo-girl teammate. Those guy-giggles were an inevitable part of every wrestling conversation. I wish I would have gone to one of the matches to see her. The 2 girls today were very athletic and nothing to laugh over, though I'm not in favor to their wrestling in the boy department (that's a whole different story though). Peaches. She's the topic of this paragraph. What ever happened to her, I wonder?

Stay tuned for more updates and there might possibly be some videos of James' matches included as well. It's late and I'm going to bed. Over and out.

Card Catalog

I've been wanting a card catalog for some time now. They're pretty darn expensive to buy on ebay, not to mention the shipping. I've been checking the site Gov Deals which periodically posts dirt-cheap castoffs from all over the country, but no luck has been had. I'm hoping to find one when I go to my school district's surplus sale. Does anybody know of one any hanging around somewhere? Below are two pictures to give you an idea of the rough ideal...

Freshly Blended

bitsandbobbins

Trololo-Nuhnuh-Oh-Hohoho

Here in Mesa, AZ it's feeling like spring. Oh, the feelings I get when I take a stroll down the street! I do take strolls down the street, ya know. It may be scary to imagine, but this video of Eduard pretty much sums up what those quick jaunts around the block look like; though truthfully, my live experiences vary with a sing-song whistling instead of the impressive Trololoing. Pay close attention to those feelings that stir inside as you watch. By the end, you'll probably want to go on a stroll yourself. If you don't feel the urge, I can bet that the lyrics will most likely run through your head a time or two throughout the day.

Take it away Eduard...

Deep Thoughts continued

In honor of my great great great Irish grandfather named Patrick, who many many many years ago was born on this day, I give you a Saint Patrick-ish Day Deep Thought plus extras:

"Children need encouragement. So if a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way, he develops a good, lucky feeling."

"Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess was why several of us died of tuberculosis."

"If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the mirror, because I bet that's what really throws you into a panic."

"I remember we were all horrified to see Grandpa up on the roof with his Superman cape on. 'Get down!' yelled Uncle Lou. 'Don't move!' screamed Grandma. But Grandpa wouldn't listen. He walked to the edge of the roof and stuck out his arms, like he was going to fly. I forget what happened after that."

"If you were a gladiator in older days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive you up a wall."

Aunt Katy, there are too many good ones to put in a post. I agonized over which ones to leave out; I just couldn't decide so I'm going to mail you a copy of all of them.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

For All You Angels Out There

Right now I'm at a law office working as a temporary secretary for the week. Man this job is cushy. I even have time to crank out this post. Well anyway, just off to the right of my desk, on the wall, there hangs this inspiration:

Women are angels.
And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly........... on a broomstick.
We are flexible.

Ha ha! It caught me off guard. I read the first line and instantly thought it was going to be one of those generic-feel-good-fluff sayings. I absolutely love being caught off guard.

End note: Because I'm at "work" I can't post more Deep Thoughts. I only took ones from the beginning of the book so there are plenty more to come.

Deeper Thoughts

I found Deeper Thoughts by Jack Handey at D.I. the other day. I love those bite-sized inspirations. I'll share a few nuggets with you now and then some others in a later post. Here they are:

"I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a ship are looking for a whale. They look and look, but you know what? They never find him. And you know why they never find him? It doesn't say. The book leaves it up to you, the reader, to decide. Then, at the very end, there's a page that you can lick and it tastes like Kool-Aid."

"It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money."

"Instead of trying to build newer and bigger weapons of destruction, mankind should be thinking about getting more use out of the weapons we already have."

"To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, 'Hey, can you give me a hand?' you can say, 'Sorry, got these sacks.'"

"Whenever someone asks me to define love, I ususally think for a minute, then I spin around and pin the guy's arm behind his back. Now who's asking the questions?"

And one of my very favorites:

"If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let 'em go, because, man, they're gone."

Dear Ebay

(Not so) Dearest Customer Service,

Why do you play so hard to get? I want your number and you goad me on and on with questions and endless clicking that leads to nowhere, no number. Well, I'm done navigating your endless sea of complicated Customer Service. I've given up trying to play with your merciless, online schemes. I'll no longer need to visit your site with pleading desire, in search of your number. I asked Google and they gave it to me right away. I don't even know if you're aware that you have a number; It's nowhere to be found on your site, so here it is: 866-934-9647. Oh why did I waste so much time searching for it within the tangled web you've woven?

Talk To You Later,

Erica

Coraline

I finished Coraline. I loved it. It probably falls under the category of "children's horror". I was up until late Saturday night reading it. Mid reading I had to take a trip to the bathroom. It was dark in the hallway and people were asleep so I didn't turn on the bathroom light until I'd closed the door behind me. For those few brief seconds in utter darkness, I was scared something would get me. I was surprised as I hadn't felt that way since I was little and I used to read scary stories late at night. It was exciting to have a brief moment of horror in the darkness, as if something would pounce on me before I could turn the light on. All in all, I was disappointed that the book had to end. It was a quick read (162 pages) that drew me in at the very start and was intriguing till the very end. It would be ideal to read during Halloween time. I'm definitely planning on reading it again.

Charles

This is such a poor quality picture, taken with my cell phone; I can't find my camera! Aaarg! Anyway, this is the progress I've made on Charles the gnome. When I'm done I'll use a real camera so you can fully enjoy his handsome composition.

Last Night at the Movies...

I went and saw The Young Victoria. It's only showing at a Scottsdale movie theatre here in the valley and was well worth the drive. I do love period movies and this one was based on her "true" story. I loved it. Yeah, it was romancy and stuff, but I liked it so much because, as the movie rolled along, the character development masterfully progressed. The movie was realistic. None of that so common unbelievable plot-line business. The movie had depth. Emily Blunt was first-rate with her acting, as were the other characters. Once again, I loved it (Dad, you definitely would have loved it too). If it's playing near you I recommend you go see it. It would be well worth your time. Below is the trailer...

The Young Victoria (2009) Official Trailer (HQ) - The funniest movie is here. Find it

Friday Freebie

Make It Do has a fabulous tutorial with pictures showing how to make one of these fabulous, floral beauties right HERE. You can make it into a bow, pin, or whatever. It doesn't look too hard to do at all. If I had a little girl, I'd definitely make one for her.

Jackpot

Today at work I sat next to the art room helping students with math. The thought occurred to me that I should ask the art teacher if she had any crayon cast-offs, so I did. She was storing a jackpot (more like a box) and was more than anxious to get rid of them so I gladly lightened her heavy load (figuratively speaking). Oh the joyous hours soon to come. Think I'm crazy? You won't when you find yourself hoping to get some finished product from me. I'll let you know when I finish the box.

Stitchin With My Gnomies

I've been wanting to stitch this (image to the left) up for quite a while now; my work is in progress and this posted image comes from the Etsy shop of Sadie and Oliver, which can be found HERE. This little guy is, in fact, an embroidery pattern and comes along with two others forming a lovely trio. Their names are Charles, Edgar, and Simon; such noble names for outstanding garden guardians. I must add that they are the finest gnome patterns I've seen available for stitchery. Las wants all three made up to hang on her bedroom wall, and all three she's gunna get.

You can view and purchase the total package (including images of the other two gnomes) HERE.

James; Future Laureate

James cracks me up. In fourth grade his teacher did a poetry unit and he loved it. He found his collection of gems the other day and started writing some more. Enjoy.

Then (fourth grade)

Golf

I pull my arms back

and swing through.

Oh my gosh!

It's a hole in two.

Milk Haiku

From out of the cows

Squeeze Squeeze Squeeze comes warm taste milk

I love sweet warm milk

Now (eighth grade)

Trouble

Everyone is out to get me.

I'm out to get everything.

The jewels around my neck

Were my Aunt Fan's.

The ring on my finger

Belongs to Uncle Stan.

And now they have caught me

So I'm sitting in the can.

Phone Gnomes

Time flies away so quickly. So does my cell phone. I rarely have it. Even when I go out and about I forget to take it. It isn't uncommon for me to lose it and not find it for a day or two. I'm just not a big cell phone fan. I think I was 20 or 21 before I even got one and only did so because my family insisted. One day, at the mall, my sister and mom led me into a cell phone store. I thought they needed pick something up but as we entered my sister informed me, "Erica, it's time." I resisted that instant but a week later found myself in possession of one.

With that being said I'll present to you that which happens to my phone when I lose/leave it laying around the house. Two phone gnomes seem to find it all the time. Often enough, when I retrieve that precious, fine piece of plastic, I find it has been graced with a different wallpaper. Here are some of the photo backdrop surprises:

Phone Gnome James

Phone Gnome Las

Oh how I love my phone gnomes!