Tea time!

I used to run a tea factory in my backyard in the fall. I'd pick the fallen leaves selecting only the finest for tea and put them in my wagon collecting bin. Then I'd fill it with water and let it sit for a few days going out to stir it. As the leaves brewed I'd add special herbs and and sprinkles in the form of grass clippings and rocks. My tea had the most delicious earthy scent, which is still one of my favorite scent memories from fall. I love smelling that each year right around now. Wet Seattle is the perfect place to smell that fall tea.

Hurry up, white guy

I was waiting for the red hand to change to the white guy allowing me to cross the street. I had pushed the cross button several times and since this cross walk is not at an intersection, it is on a schedule of changing when certain unreachable conditions are met. It takes forever. I stood there for a while before the white guy finally appeared.

I thought it was funny that another woman joined me wanting to cross and the stars aligned allowing the light to change seconds after SHE pushed the button. On the whole walk across the street and back home I was thinking that she thought I was stupidly standing there waiting for the light to magically change and all I had to do was push that little button. See what happens when the button is pushed? It changes!

Then I smirked to myself - how silly it was that I was thinking that. And who cares if that's what she thought? Right? But you know I totally cared.

Play things

My cat goes nuts for my ear buds. As soon as I put them down he comes out of nowhere wanting to bite and bat them. I think he likes the texture but I wouldn't be surprised if he likes the taste too.

Politics and Semantics

I am going through my old myspace account before deleting it and I thought I'd post some of what I wrote over there to this blog in order to consolidate. This was from March 22, 2007.

A week ago I saw a sign on the library door that read:

ALL LIBRARIES
WILL BE CLOSED
DUE TO HISTORIC
LOW USAGE

SUNDAY, APRIL 8
(EASTER)

At first I had to reread it because upon my original scan I thought it said that libraries will be closed on "historic low usage day." Since I had never heard of that day I knew it wasn't a holiday. Then my second thought was that it had something to do with electricity (low usage/low wattage), which is odd that I didn't automatically assume it meant low library patronage. Those thoughts rushed through my mind so quickly that I realized neither was the case almost as fast as I wondered it.

I'm fascinated by the wording on this sign. The note is saying that the library will be closed on Easter, but why didn't they just leave it at that. "All libraries will be closed on Easter, Sunday April 8." Why the explanation that on Easter, not many people visit the library system? Is the city-run library system distancing themselves from a Christian holiday by saying that BECAUSE people won't be using the library (as history dictates) they won't be open? That day just HAPPENS to be Easter, a Christian holiday? As if they could just as easily choose any other day to be closed that's not historically well attended? Is Easter the real reason the library will be closed, but they can't say they are closing for a religious holiday? If the library admitted to be closed in observance of a Christian holiday could they be sued for not also observing a Muslim holiday, for example?

I thought about all these questions on the drive back home and for the past week and still haven't decided what reason is most likely true. Any of them could be. All of them could be. Now I'm back to being impressed by the wording. It is briefly perfect and fully educational. I can't think of a better way to say all that information. "Not many people come to the library on Easter, which is Sunday April 8 this year, so the library won't be open." Too wordy. "We are not saying we are or are not celebrating Easter, but we won't be open because in the past people generally don't visit the library." That obviously won't do.

Any shorter way I think to write this leaves out a vital bit of information. "The library will be closed on April 8 due to low attendance" - WHY? What's going on April 8? "The library will be closed on Easter" - When is Easter? As already mentioned, are they celebrating a Christian holiday?

Good job, Seattle Public Library. I wonder how many other people are as impressed with this sign as I am. Other grammar nerds, no doubt.

My humor

I find this definition for "eye" kind of funny:

A nearly spherical hollow organ that is lined with a sensitive retina, is lodged in a boney orbit in the skull, is the vertebrate organ of sight, and is normally paired. –Merriam Webster's Medical Dictionary

(normally paired, if you're lucky)

ENGLiSH, the offical lanoguage!

I have had enoungh of these rediculous "offical" signs with poor ENGLiSH, butchering the lanoguage. I did'nt know so many people we're celebrating feedom, hating socilism, and wanting to impeah Borak Oboma. No one likes liers and its' terrible when things aren't wroking right, no exections. Most importantly, lets keep that sactity of marriage so this is not a repeat of 1930's Gemany!*


*All these misspellings were taking right from signs on this Teabonics Flickr stream.

Mighty Life List

Inspired by Maggie Mason of www.mightygirl.com, I've decided to make my own Mighty Life List. Some people call it a bucket list, but that sounds too dull and morbid. Things to do before I kick the bucket? No, I'd rather it be a list that reflects living and enjoying those things I've always wanted to do. She calls it a Mighty Life List and I can't think of anything better. I like the idea of feeling mighty and accomplished!

I know there have been times when I've said outloud "I want to do that!" but until now, I haven't really taken it seriously. I'm making a list of those things I want to do. Some are going to take so long to accomplish that I almost don't want to put them on the list. I don't want to feel intimidated. I also believe that when you put desires out there, mysterious things happen in ways you couldn't have planned.

I'll add to this list as I think of new things, and cross them off when I do them. Hopefully I'll write a post about the activity.

Sometimes I write things on lists that I've already done, just so I can cross them off. I'm also doing that here as a little bit of extra motivation. (Except, I can't figure out how to strikethrough words, so I'll put the done things in italics for now.)

skate in a roller derby game
take trapeze lessons
ride the conference bike, pictured above (http://www.conferencebike.com/)
learn to change a bicycle tire

The evolving list:

- Shoot a gun at a gun range

- Speak French fluently

- Travel in Europe for at least a month

- Bicycle across several states

- Go zip lining

- Visit the petrified Ginko forest (just a short drive away!)

- Learn common and Latin tree names for those in my area

- Snorkel with fish in clear water

- Make a quilt

- Knit or crochet a blanket

- Take tango lessons

- "Sky dive" in a vertical wind tunnel

- Vacation in Mexico when the Monarch butterflies return (early November)

- Whale watching from a boat

- Learn to play poker (this one is mostly just so I understand poker references. I'm not expecting to enjoy it.)

- Learn to make a website

- Learn calligraphy

- Have a baby

- Be adept at basic bicycle maintenance

- Know how to change a car tire