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Saturday, December 28, 2002

i've been fortunate enough to get holiday cards and greetings from many friends.


and they've all been appreciated. one, tho, cracked me up to no end, and i just have to share it with you. jordan's wish for everyone was (among other things) this: 'Have A Significantly Satisfactory Non-Denominational Holiday Season!'

*giggle*


:: scribbled at 2:02 PM ... ... o




a first time contribution to Saturday 8, on the last Saturday of the year.


appropriate, no? ;)

What are the 8 greatest things about this past year?

i'm gainfully employed (always dicey in my industry), my family is happy and generally healthy, my best friend got married to a wonderful woman, good things have happened for my friends, i've made a few new friends, my depression is pretty well under control, i somehow ended up with the best boyfriend ever, and i found closure with my ex husband.

Who are 7 of the closest people to your heart?

my family, my best friend, and my cats. that adds up to seven. and the cats do so count. ;)

What are 6 of your favorite rock/music bands?

oh, it's an ever changing list. right now: Keb' Mo', Badly Drawn Boy, Josh Joplin Group, Norah Jones, Afro Celt Sound System, and Michael Hedges.

Name 5 items visible to your eyes right now.

besides my monitor? my Christmas tree, a large cup of coffee, my cat, the wall sconces on either side of a Joel Myerowitz print, and a photograph of my grandmother.

What are 4 words/phrases that you use all the time?

(overuse might be more accurate.) so... yeah. really. what the fuck? pick a lane, any lane.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

intelligent, loyal, witty.

What 2 things are you going to do tomorrow?

sleep in, go to brunch.

describe this past year of your life in 20 words.

said goodbye to my oldest cat, found some peace inside, pushed myself to learn new things, worked on deepening friendships.


:: scribbled at 1:37 PM ... ... o




fred's journal, Fragments ~ from Floyd, has finally found a steady home. yay!


fred is a wonderful writer. can't even remember how i found him in the first place (amazing how wandering down the twisting, turning paths of links and refs will take you to unexpected places on the 'net), but i'm glad i did. he's been a regular read and correspondent for a while now.

near the end of the year, Many Things Happened, and he's been somewhat nomadic. well, not him, but the journal...he'll explain it better. now it looks like Fragments has found a place to roost, for which fred is grateful. as am i. :) stop by, explore the current offerings, poke around in the archives for some great stories and pictures (which make me want to travel down his way), and tell him 'hi!'.



:: scribbled at 12:35 PM ... ... o


Friday, December 27, 2002

this story caught my eye because of the headline, which turns out to not be exactly accurate.


County can't ban park pedophile from giving kids balloons. more accurately, the clown was trying to make a living as a street performer (an art form that gets far too little respect), and was banned from the nation's only government owned and operated amusement park for two years. only after he sued to reverse the ban did it turn up that he had been convicted for two crimes nearly 20 years ago.

i don't know... maybe i've been reading too much news today. this strikes me as both funny and interesting, that he gets to perform and earn a living because of the First Amendment. not sure quite how balloons became free speech, but there you have it.


:: scribbled at 4:25 PM ... ... o




oh, please. don't you have better things to do with your elected time, on the taxpayers' dime?


the sheriff in Lake County wants to melt down one of Dillinger's guns. he can't sell it (makes sense) and doesn't want it around. huh? he offends you, so you want to destroy an historical artifact? geez, with that rationale, we can empty out probably half the museums and save a whole lot in storage space. :/


:: scribbled at 4:20 PM ... ... o




i am so beyond speechless about this one, and not for lack of things to say. it's just that my tongue is in knots trying to say everything at once.


Clonaid claims they've cloned a human. let's set aside that we've barely gotten it right with animals, and sacrificed hundreds of animals in that pursuit. let's set aside that they had the temerity to name the child Eve (psuedonym or not, that's a lot of nerve). let's ignore the fact that there is no proof whatsoever presented to bolster the company's claim. let's, instead, look at a few quotes.

"I am very pleased to announce that the first baby clone is born," said Brigitte Boisselier, the scientific director of Clonaid and a bishop in the group, called the Raelians.

She said Eve was created using DNA from the mother's skin cells and is a twin of her mother.

Clonaid, which calls itself the "first human cloning company," was founded by the Raelians in 1997. The Raelian movement professes that life on Earth was created through genetic engineering by extraterrestrials. The Raelians believe their spiritual leader -- former French journalist Claude Vorilhon who now calls himself Rael -- is a direct descendant of these aliens. He says he has met with aliens and visited their planet. Rael says the Raelians eventually want to learn how to clone an adult and then "transfer the brain to the clone."

[F]our other cloned babies are expected to be born by February. [T]wo [of the expectant parents] had babies who died and were then cloned by Clonaid.

there are just so many things wrong in those statements... things i can't wrap my brain around, things that make my gut twist, things that make me truly fear what life on this planet will be like in 20 years. your child is your twin? [insert obligatory Deliverance joke here.] a Frenchman who has 'visited their planet' is now some 21st century Frankenstein? and i nearly threw up when i read that two couples are cloning their dead babies. look - i have friends who have dealt with infertility, and can only begin to see the amount of pain and frustration involved. i can't imagine what that feels like. but - and i'm sorry, there's no elegant way to say this - cloning a child who was perhaps too sick to live (no details were given) only perpetuates the problem.

gah! my brain is jumping thru hoops, trying to comprehend all this. here's the kicker: who's to say that any of that story is true? and is it irresponsible to report that without any way of knowing? i'm not saying it is or isn't; it's just that not knowing if this will turn out to be alien-inspired malarky, i have to find a way to think about the implications.


:: scribbled at 3:21 PM ... ... o




a final friday five for the year.


1. What was your biggest accomplishment this year?

oh, hell... um... why is it that the obligatory 'year in review' always gets me in a twist? i'm not sure i like reviewing my life on a pre-set schedule. um... i guess the biggest accomplishment, if you can call unintentional actions accomplishements, was finding closure on my divorce. i know. i've been divorced for years. but some little door was still open. now, closed. quite a relief to move on from all of that.

2. What was your biggest disappointment?

not being able to find the same closure on a few other things, notably earl. the sight of his name in my reader still makes my stomach drop. and i don't want to give him that kind of power in my life anymore. lord knows, enough damage has already been done.

3. Will you be making any New Year's resolutions?

hell no. again, with the pre-set schedule. you make your resolutions when you're good and ready. the heart has to be open to changes, and the heart has its own calendar.

4. Where will you be at midnight? Do you wish you could be somewhere else?

i haven't the foggiest where i'll be, other than to say that i'm pretty sure it will be with those i care about. and that's just fine with me.

5. Aside from (possibly) staying up late, do you have any other New Year's traditions?

not really. i've always thought it was the obligatory party til you drop day, shoved down your throat after Christmas, when you're tired and tapped out and just want to hibernate. i've done something pretty much every year since college; sometimes i've hit First Night, other times gone to house parties at local watering holes. last year i worked, then hit a party. that didn't suck. this year, as always, i feel the siren call of too many parties and concerts, and the compulsion to Do Something. The Dane and i are going to discuss this weekend, and see if we can come up with something that will make us both happy. details to follow. ;)


:: scribbled at 10:40 AM ... ... o


Thursday, December 26, 2002

feh.


pretty much sums up where i am. long holiday, much snow and sleet, some bright spots, and a lot of trying to hold things together.

and then i got my car stuck in the snow this morning. feh.

i'm thinking i'll hunker down with a bottle of wine and the keyboard tonight, and get myself out of my head a bit by slogging thru some more back entries in the journal. that, at least, will give me something to think about other than how the rest of the winter is going to suck, and how, *yet* again, i feel the compulsion to plan a fanTAStic New Year's Eve. (mutters to self, don't do it, don't do it, don't do it...)


:: scribbled at 4:05 PM ... ... o




my totem animal.


a ferret. figures.

thanks to Davezilla for that one. :)


:: scribbled at 3:50 PM ... ... o




i've been following the Around Alone race - 12 (now 11) people sailing singlehanded around the globe.


the Christmas update was one that really made you stop and think. here i am, wondering if i really want to drive all those miles for holiday gatherings, and there they are, circling the southern end of the globe. the degree to which people push themselves, test themselves, is amazing.

(Tim Kent's poem at the end is delightful, perhaps more so to sailors, but funny either way.)


:: scribbled at 2:52 PM ... ... o


Tuesday, December 24, 2002

warm wishes for a peaceful holiday, everyone.


winter church, courtesy of ken macgray

and many thanks to ken for letting me share his photography with you.

may you find what you want in this holiday season - quiet celebration (or not so quiet), family gatherings, time with loved ones, good food and music, safe travel, and time to enjoy it all.


:: scribbled at 12:29 AM ... ... o




have you ever flown in or out of Logan?


there's not a whole lot of real estate there, and much of it borders the harbour. if you have experienced the joy that is Logan (and don't even get me started on their 'parking'), you may have had the sensation that the plane is actually about to touch down in the water.

that's pretty much how my whole day has been - just missing the end of the runway and splashing into the drink.

*rubs face* i've been highly focused all day, trying to accomplish everything. of course, some of the everythings were socializing. being tightly focused on socializing... yeah. ;)

*deep breath* i'm taking a quick break to jot some notes here, so all y'all don't feel abandoned. also, to take a break. :) two more rounds of baking done, some presents delivered, the last two done - my dad's book showed up today! whoo hoo! and i had a chance to thank the woman at the bookstore for helping me with that one. and i've just cropped all the photos for gram's photo album. leave it to me to buy an album for 4x6 photos, and get the film developed 4x7. ;)

i'm debating one more round of baking, after i get all the gifts sorted out and the cookies packed up for their various destinations. at least the local jazz show is playing in the background, a calming counterpoint to the holiday insanity.

and how is your holiday shaping up? ;)


:: scribbled at 12:16 AM ... ... o


Monday, December 23, 2002

augh!


it's nearly 12:30, and i'm not even close to done for the day. i've been a baking maniac all weekend; delivered a few batches of cookies, which was lovely. but i still have some to finish. i still have to stuff The Dane's stocking, sort out all the gifties into bags for various destinations, pack up more cookies for delivery... *thinking* i know i'm forgetting something.

oh, and that recipe for Never Fail Fudge? i failed. i failed! figure that one out. how do you screw up idiot proof fudge? i must be a better idiot. that must be it.

gah! that's it... i need to take some more photos for my gram's present (photo album) and take the film in to be developed, and then put together the album with captions... between batches of cookies... and ironing clothes to wear... and writing about the candlelight carol service at Trinity... must... get... sleep... ergh...


:: scribbled at 12:29 AM ... ... o


Sunday, December 22, 2002

wreathmania!


a little festive somethin' somethin' for the blogjen sent me this, and i've passed it along to a few people. i don't normally do the chain mail thing, but this is so cute, and it put me in the holiday spirit. so there. :)


:: scribbled at 4:56 PM ... ... o




a little Christmas story for you:


stop on by and visit fred for a tale of the best Christmas pageant ever. and i don't think that's an exaggeration.


:: scribbled at 1:01 PM ... ... o




oh, for the love of cheese...


does anyone really think that it's worth paying over $6 million a week just to have Friends? i mean, really... it's a decent show, but. $1 million apiece an episode? i don't have to pay my friends nearly that much to hang out with me. ;)


:: scribbled at 12:49 PM ... ... o




and another thing...


(really, i've just always wanted to use that title. *g*) i had a dream where all the electrical things in my house went haywire. when i got up, i found that my cell phone was broken.

i find that i get a lot of my current news from Blogdex. i wonder what that says about how we exchange information these days. someday soon, when i have more brain power, there might be an entry in that thought.

i'm still not done with baking. plus, i have to do a little more cleaning. the reward will be going to the Christmas carol service at Trinity tonight.

if i've forgotten to say so, you're all lovely for reading here. thanks! ;)


:: scribbled at 11:10 AM ... ... o




random notes:


i really wish i could get this shizznit to work. :/

while i got a lot of things done today, and the place is clean and smells lovely, i still feel behind.

helping a friend bake when you're trying to finish your own baking is not necessarily good. catching up with your best friend, whom you see far too little, is always good.

parallel parking isn't fun.

i had some baking mishaps tonight. burnt myself making fudge. hate that Fluff is so damn hard to get out of the jar. (why don't they use a straight sided jar?) forgot to take the butter out of the fridge to soften, left the dough in the freezer when i just meant to chill it. and i decapitated an entire batch of sugar cookie people. don't ask.

today was Winter Solstice, and the shortest day of the year. it felt like it.

i wish The Dane were here right about now, to rub my feet.

the correct height working space is critical. which explains why my lower back is toast.

Christmas is only a few days away.

i need sleep.


:: scribbled at 1:02 AM ... ... o


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