WARNING: Children left Unattended Will Be Sold to the Circus

So much to write about & so little time! Ah! This is what happens when I get sick & don't make it out of the house for a week. :P

First off: So this week is kind of a personal "Survivor" for me, & I thought of possibly making a mini-series in this blog to document. See, the folks went to Minnesota to a) visit family & b) go to job interviews!(Yeah, go Dad!). For the better part of the week that means it's just me and the dog, and the dog's not allowed to cook.

That's right, I'm gonna be cookin'. Mind you, my experiential knowledge of this artform is limited mostly to baking & the very basic things... like boiling water. But my theoretical knowledge is vast & lofty! ... ish. So this week is essentially my shot to put all that theory to the test & see how I do.

In planning I realized most of what I was menu-ing was fried stuff. Y'know: eggs, fried lunchmeats, mushrooms... the like. It should be interesting.

But so far I've been eating at other people's places or demolishing the leftovers that will go bad otherwise. I'll try to keep you updated though... should be interesting.

Second thing to write about: I have found a magical charm to keep me from growing up!! Here it is:

"Know all the Questions, but not the Answers
Look for the Different, instead of the Same
Never Walk where there's room for Running
Don't do anything that can't be a Game"

I think I need to frame this & hang it up somewhere conspicuous.

I rediscovered this magic formulae in a book that was published in 1886, copyrighted in 1970. Written by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (another amazing name for an author!), "The Changeling" was my Mum's favorite book, then she gave it to me (or I pilfered it, not sure...) and it became one of my favorites. It is a beautiful story that I reread lately for the first time in years, and it still holds so much meaning and so many new nuances that I never saw before. If you haven't, you need to read this book!

Last thing to write about, then I hafta go: I found a fortune a couple of days ago while I was cleaning my desk. I sometimes save the fortunes from fortune cookies (yeah, no moneys, don't get excited) if i think they're particularly clever. This one was the best I've ever seen, & it's the note I shall leave you with today. Ponder the wisdom of it & enrich your life!

"If you bite the hand that feeds you, it won't taste as good as the food you were fed."

On a Scale of One to Crazy, I'm a Penguin

Hello again my friends! It's been far too long! :)

So life lately has been rather interesting, and good. Lots of good.

Here I sit at the library, with only a short space of time in which to write, but I've been wanting to sit here and write for so long. The sad thing is that there are so many stories running around in here that I almost don't know where to start--but that's the brilliant thing about a blog, don't you think? With a blog, the writer just begins with where they are and ends when they need to.

Speaking of beginning where I am, did you know that the answer to life, the universe, and everything is NOT 42, contrary to Douglas Adams? It's true, a friend of mine & I actually did scientific research & discovered that the answer is ACTUALLY platypus.

No really, I'm not kidding.

So if I appear to be a bit random & scatterbrained today, it's most likely because I am. That's what happens when I:
1) Am coming down with a cold
2) Woke up at 6:30am
3) Have taken Dayquil &
4) Am pretty happy for no apparent reason.

Did I mention that it's warmer outside today? Okay, maybe that's the fever talking (Mum said I don't have one, but I can't help but think I do), but it really seemed pretty balmy outside--aside from the snow on the ground... I actually went out without an overcoat on & didn't freeze! It's a miracle! It's a spring!

And I saw a whole flock of robins this morning!!

'Kay, all these exclamation points get old fast.

I went back & reread some of my old journals the other day & was slightly surprised at how much I knew then that I'd forgotten. Especially when it came to Spanish! there were more than one page on which I realized I only understood about half of what I'd written! That felt a bit odd... I know I wrote that & knew what I was writing at the time, but for the life of me I cannae understand a whit of it now.

Yep, forgotten wisdom. That's why it's good to remember where I've been brought from & to & all that.

But I hafta go now. More on other stuff later. Props to ya for reading all this, by the by. Go have a great day, and build a snowman!!

"Do or Do Not. There is no Try."

~Master Yoda

So... this whole getting up at 8am... It has completely messed up my writing schedule. Sorry all, that's the most recent reason for the irregularity of posts! I like writing at night, I'm more creative then & fewer people are awake to place demands on my attention.

Or something like that.

But waking up at 8am? Uffda, my brain feels shot by midnight!! I'm so out of ... well, not exactly shape... out of practice I guess. I got used to being a night owl, now I'm trying to be a morning (okay, more morningish) person. I'm not sure I can do this!

I keep thinking of these great posts I should write, but I think of them while away from lappy/interwebs, then I get back to both in the evening before bed & all I want to do is go to bed. AAaAAAAah!! Am I turning into an old people? May it never be!!

Meh, enough whining. I just need to suck it up & get back into the habit of NOT sleeping so very much. :P Seriously, since when is 8 hours of sleep even necessary? Bah, suck it up, brain of mine, you're getting less sleep & you'll like it!!

Anyhoo, back to not yelling at self while typing...

The last post I found rather interesting to write & thought someone somewhere who's unlikely even to be reading this ever might enjoy an explanation of how that last post came into being... okay, actually, I just think it's kind of interesting & feel like writing about it. So there. :P

Monday was a bad day. Now, I'm fully aware that Monday's are generally associated with not much fun as it is, but this past Monday was really bad. I'm talking melt-downs, puffy eyes, hopes & dreams shattering & falling to bits on the floor bad day.

Of course, in retrospect, bad days are just days--they are mere flyspecks on the map of existence, even in one person's life.

That being said, it's hard to remember that in the midst of it, and being told such a thing is tantamount to asking for a beating. Pain, no matter the actual size, never feels small while it's being experienced.

I digress (is that possible on this blog? I need to come up with a different word for this...). So Monday was a bad day. To get away a bit & try to accomplish something constructive, albeit not as much as I had planned, I went to the library in search of the ever-elusive intersphere (thank you xkcd for a never-ending font of "internet" synonyms :) that I might do something.

**Brief sidenote** I feel at this point in our relationship, my dear readers, it would be helpful to inform you that when I grow tired, or when my brain becomes weary, my vocabulary tends to... expand. I use a lot of words, especially in writing, that I usually keep under wraps because if I use them in everyday conversation they do nothing so much as disrupt the normal flow of conversation. That being said, I'm looking at what I've just written & realizing that it sounds much more stilted than my usual writing... or maybe that's just me. I don't know if it's because this particular effect is taking place, or maybe I'm just past the point of safe writing. But I thought you deserved a fair warning. But back to the narrative!! **Sidenote Over**

So I found myself at the library, facing my blog (any ideas? I'm getting desperate for a different word...) & knowing that I should write something. But I couldn't write about what had happened that day, and I couldn't think of anything else happening in life that I should write about in that mental state. What else to write about?

A story, that's it! Write a story... about... ummmm... what?

But that part you read already... if you read this blog. Unless you just started reading this blog & aren't one of those people who go back & read in the archives. Or maybe you missed the last post, & haven't gone back & read it yet. Or maybe you just started reading, got confused, and decided to stop before you became as odd as I am... I'm babbling in type now, my apologies...

But yeah, so I started writing, thought that opening line sounded cool, then proceeded to try to scrabble together something resembling a story not too terribly implausible. I hope you enjoyed, I know it was a lot of fun to write. I won't be trying to edit it anytime ever, but the whole thing was very therapeutic and I would highly recommend it for any writer.

Yep. That's all I'm writing about for now, folks. I have another post in the works that's slightly more intellectual in content, but that will wait for tomorrow... Until then, don't blink when you're around stone statues, m'kay? ;)

"How Can Something Seem so Plausible at the Time and so Idiotic in Retrospect?"

~Calvin&Hobbes

Once upon a time, long long ago, in a place far far away, when the universe itself was yet young...

The stars came out to dance.

Now when I say "the stars came out" the natural question to ask is "came out of what? out of where?" After all, we're speaking of times before humans and the earth and suchlike, so I must not mean that phrase in the usual way. It's a very good question to ask, actually, well done!

Back in the days when the universe was young & the stars still hadn't memorized their parts in the Great Dance they all lived in a smallish hut on a slightly larger (but still smallish) rock that merely floated through space. The stars were actually very much smaller then, and they shrank down even more when they weren't dancing. Of course, in the times I speak of they were very small indeed--they didn't even know they could dance yet!

One day as the stars were all huddled in their smallish hut on the slightly larger rock they began to argue. This occurrence in itself is not all that noteworthy, they argued all the time. The noteworthy thing about this argument was who started the argument. The stars were divided into several different sizes & ages--much like they are now actually. There were the much bigger older stars, the much smaller older stars, the much bigger younger stars, and the much smaller younger stars. Of course, it would be unfair to try generalizing the stars into categories like "the bigger stars are the most irritable", or "the younger stars are always so sullen". After all, you get those stars in every crowd, no matter the size or age.

Yet it cannot help but be noticed that there were certain stars among the younger & bigger category that seemed unable to restrain their bragging of how far they had explored & how much they had seen. It also must be noticed that this irritated certain of the older stars to no end, and it was usually the smaller ones that responded in a particularly cutting & maddening fashion. Then the younger & bigger stars would puff themselves up & respond in kind, the bigger & older stars would leap to the defense of the smaller & older stars, the smaller & younger stars would leap in last after throwing in a few choice comments that stirred up the situation, and general havoc would ensue.

There were a few stars that almost never joined in the fights that took place in the smallish hut. At the first scent of trouble they would flee the rock & go out exploring, just to get away. Among these was a smaller & younger star named Asta, and this star was usually the first to leave, and the last to speak about anything.

This particular day in question the fighting had subsided a while ago, the participants were licking their wounds and laughing with each other again, and the ones who fled had all come back. Asta was among the last to return, and seemed particularly preoccupied with something, but wouldn't tell what it was. This aroused the curiosity of all the other stars, so the younger ones commenced with interrogating.

"Did you find a new asteroid belt?"
"No, no asteroids."
"A new gas formation, maybe. Have you found a new color?"
"No."
"Did you find the edge of space?! It must have been the edge, we should go jump off it & see where we end up--"
"It wasn't the edge of space!"
"What did you find then?"

Asta was silent far a bit as the other stars waited in silence.

"It was something I heard. I think I heard... Music."

This caused a general outbreak among the rest of the stars. Some of the bigger & younger ones laughed at Asta's tentative assertion, which caused some of the smaller & older ones to scold them, which led to a few of the smaller & younger ones to... well, you get the idea.

Sometime during the fighting Asta slipped away. One of the older & smaller stars saw the escape & decided--on a whim--to follow & see where this little star would go. But Asta was unusually talented at slipping away from the other stars, and so was very aware that someone was following. This time instead of giving the slip, however, Asta stopped and waited for Ora (this was the older & smaller star's name). Having realized that Asta knew of Ora's pursuit, the older star decided the wiser course of action was not to hide, but come forward honestly.

No words were exchanged, instead Asta simply gave a nod to Ora and continued to the last place the music had been heard. This may have surprised Ora, or perhaps not. The star was suddenly far too busy trying to keep up with the youngster to notice.

They continued like this for what seemed to be a long time. It was difficult to gauge the passage of time in those days, as I'm sure you would have realized had you simply thought about how we measure time nowadays & what was different then. There is the possibility that stars have different methods of accomplishing this, but if they do they haven't told anyone yet--that I know of.

But as I was saying, they continued to travel toward the Music for a long time. When they finally reached their destination Ora gasped in astonishment and Asta smiled in delight. There had been many myths of Music among the stars, but none had ever found it before--or, if they had, they'd never shared this wondrous treasure with the rest of the stars.

Ora & Asta were very content to just sit and listen to this beautiful sound, but it began to fade away far too soon. Still they remained, straining their ears for just a wisp of sound, but in vain. Thoughtfully, the two stars made their way back to the smallish hut on the slightly larger rock.

When they arrived the chaos had again subsided. This time it was Ora who marched decisively to the middle of the group and said in a voice loud enough to be heard by every star in the hut and on the rock:

"Asta has found the Music. I think we should all go and listen to this amazing discovery!"

Silence fell on the rock. It was one thing to laugh at a younger & smaller star, but Ora was older--smaller yes, but this only made a star that much more fierce if they were old enough to know how to use it. And none doubted that Ora knew how to use this lack of size in an advantageous fashion. Still, Music had only existed in the realm of myth and legend. This proposition was rather ludicrous, but no one really wanted to say this. Quite the fix the stars found themselves in!

One of the older & bigger stars soon thought of a way to save face, however. Alva stepped forward and said, in a big laughing voice, "I see no reason not too, my exploration for the Edge can always wait a little longer. Let us see little Asta's Music!" The rest of the stars, recognizing a way to save face and still be able to ridicule if the occasion arose, cheered and rose above the rock. As one they waited for Asta and Ora to lead the way to this mysterious Music.

And so they led. The stars thought of it as a happy party on the go, they almost never traveled together in groups this huge! Yet both Asta and Ora were silent--they were both far to anxious to hear the Music again.

At last the huge mass of stars reached the place. As one they gasped like Ora had, and this time it was both Ora and Asta that smiled. The stars all stopped in their path and listened.

Then a younger star leaped into the space the Music seemed to be coming from. The star twirled and leapt and tumbled, and in a strange fashion the other stars seemed to see the Music in the actions of the star. As the star danced, the Music did something that it hadn't done before--it seemed to speed up and swell, growing faster and louder and more joyous. The stars were too full of feeling to do anything for a time, then another jumped into the space and joined the first in its dance. That second star jumping in seemed like a signal to the rest of them, and soon every star was laughing and jumping into the dance.

Before they realized what had happened, they were no longer the only ones dancing. Every rock they had ever seen in their explorations seemed intent on joining in, and the stars welcomed them with laughter. The stars themselves no longer seemed the same either, they grew brighter, bigger, and more beautiful.

As the stars laughed and grew, the Music laughed and grew with them. And so they danced forever after.

"Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted." --John Lennon

So much has happened since I last posted, where do I even begin? Let's see, the last time I checked in was December 13, and today is January 7. Wow. Well, forget trying to catch up (who cares anyway, yeah? :D), let's just write what I'm thinking now & go from there as usual, hm?

I'm not really the type to make resolutions at the beginning of a New Year. The practice seems worn-out, overdone, cliche, and pointless--who remembers in September what they resolved to do in January? Some do, I'm sure, but I've never been the type who would remember. Besides, every new day, every new moment is a chance to begin again--so why wait till the beginning of a new year?

All the same, when I look back on 2010 I am very deeply disappointed in where I am at the beginning of 2011, and at where I'm not. The title of this post is oddly fitting, I get the feeling that I wasted much of 2010--truly wasted it, because it wasn't even enjoyed while it was being wasted.

2011 has begun, and I'm jobless, moneyless, and--if not for the blessings of cyberspace & the connections with out-of-state college pals!--friendless. I'm sitting here in Borders typing this post, and the temptation to wallow in loneliness is very acute. But I did enough of that in 2010 I think, and am resolved to do so no more.

So there are some things that have come about from this new beginning. I know it's a man-made marking of the passage of time, but I am human & live in the dimension of time so I mark its passage--deal with it. :P

When I look back at 2011 I want to be able to say that it was the best year of my life thus far. There's a lot that I'm going to need to do in order to effect such a happening, but so be it. May it never be said of me that I sat by & let life go on without me.

In other news, I've officially directed my first musical, Christmas was a grand affair, the holidays went by with only one or two minor tantrums (oddly enough not from the children...), I now am the safer new owner of two snow-tires on my car, Russia is often on my mind, and I'm trying a new church this Sunday!

Have a great day kids, & throw a snow-ball at someone!