A unicorn store

So it's Sunday and I have little if anything that I want to do (note: I didn't say need to do, that's an intiraly different matter all together) so I decide to go look at some apartments in the historic downtown area of a town near by.

After passing the apt office twice, I manage to park only to find out that they are closed for lunch. No worries. I didn't have that long to wait and there were plenty of (closed, read Sunday) shops in woking distance to not be able to go into.

So I walk around, and then walk some more and then something magical happened. I see a quilt shop, and not just any quilt shop, one that is open on Sundays. This was a true unicorn moment if I'd ever heard of one my friends. Do you know of a quilt fabric store that is open on Sundays? I never had until this very momentous day.

But does my story end here? Oh no, like any unicorn moment my story continues and, I dare say, gets better. I walk it to what can only be described as a hole-in-the-wall sort of place in the best of all posable ways.  A man, an owner of the store and whose's name I cannot remember, comes out to greet me as well as his wife, the other owner of the store and whose name I do remember only due to its proximity to mine. I am then informed of a quilting group that taking place " in the back" more or less and strongly encouraged to join them for a lunch that the husband owner prepared.

Now lets take a moment to pause for the facts. Here I am, random person off the street, being invited into this clique of a group in a unicorn store that is open on Sundays. Why you ask (and me as well of that matter)? Maybe it was because I looked hot from walking around and they felt sorry (likely) or it could be for all my winning charm and personality (no more or less likely the the former). Then again it shouldn't be over looked that it might have been because I don't have an AARP card and thus considered fresh meat (more likely), but regardless I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the world might once again be inhabited by dinosaurs and I just might be one of the last humans any of them would ever see (very unlikely).

After a wonderful lunch, I left with three half yards of fabric non of which I have any plan for and in complete breach of my de-stashing resolution (for another post). As well as an invite to the quilt group. All in all, a fabulous ending to a strange unicorn sort of day.

A place of creation

Apparently it doesn't really count as blogging if you only do it once a year. That's something I should really get to more often.

Any who, the real subject matter comes down to whats in the little bar to the right. I call it "see what's in the store." What stated as a seemingly "small" project, sure can take a while to put all the pieces together.

Which leads us to today, a week and a day since I made my first listing and now a redesign of the blog and a rededication to go with. Now instead of rambling on about what things are surrounding me or the random ways I've managed to connect things, this is will be a place of creation.  Which sounds a lot better anyways.

Photo- Natalie Tuggle

Children of the Revolution

So new year, new blog entry, and a new job. And while I would hardly call this revolutionary, and thus the title of this blog, it is consistent with steady hours and reasonable (not great) pay. Oh and it has to do with children. Thus completes the circle.

But not really, back to the kids. I happen to be teaching, yes, yes there is no need to laugh I understand, and one of them said I beautiful hair, it happened to be down on rare occasion that day. I said thanks, but she continued. "You have hair just like Hanna Montana." Seriously, If I wasn't caught so off guard that she used what little amount of pop culture material she has to draw from, I would have corrected her for comparing me to someone so... Disney. But flattery is flattery no matter what form.

On that note I will leave you with a video of the "Children of the Revolution" by the awesome hair band T-Rex.

This is for you

Yay for me I'm posting!

And because I don't have anthing else better to post as a picture, you get this;

And by you, of course I mean NT!

Another adventure with the web

Created with dumpr.net - photo fun

Everything

It truly is a wonderful day today.  The weather is amazing.  We're at that point where the autumn winds have cooled everything down a bit and everything is still green.  My french test was this morning and it went well enough and I still have three days of mobility left!

One days like this it just seems like everything is just little bit better of.  The appearance of everything is bathed in  a positive light. There really isn't any reason for me to be this pleased, and of course there isn't any reason for me not to be, but I am. One these type of days you stop being just in the cosmos by apart of it.

Its on days like these that I miss being outside more.  Outside like I was that is.  Playing with the animals, messing with horses, and in general being covered in a layer of dirt so thick that you could write your name on your arm in the dirt.

So for crying out loud go outside this very moment and stay there as long as possible!  You really have absolutely no reason not to be.  And take a walk! Preferable somewhere with grass and as many tress as possible.

GO!

Sweet and not so much

So class started back up this week and for the first time since high school I'm not dancing every day.  I did not think that it was going to be as difficult as it was.  You get into a routine doing something you love doing so much and when all of a sudden everything is different and I find myself not know really what to do.  Sure my classes interesting for the most part, but its that routine that getting to me.  I get dressed in the morning and have to tell my self that I don't need to wear cloths that I can move in because I not going to be. The low point comes when it occurs to me that I'm not going to the next day or the one after that.  Over the summer it was different.  I still couldn't dance, I could work out for a part of it, but the summer is less structured so it was not that obvious.  Fast forward to the fall semester when for the last two years I have had the same schedule of morning technique classes and I don't have that.  

It's hard. It's really hard.

My french class is turning to be one of the most interesting/horrifying classes I have had in a while (and thats not disregarding A&P). I spend most of the class holding my breath (thank goodness its only a 50 min class) and praying that he doesn't call on me.  I lucked out Monday and was literally saved by the bell and to day, well I truly was blessed.  We were going over numbers and he was asking us simple mathematical problems in french where we had to say  the problem back  and tell him the answer.  When he came over to me, as he said the question a small bit of saliva came out of his mouth.  He was very embarrassed by this,  I did really care, but it was enough, thankfully, for him to pass by me saying he would get back to me.  This best part was he didn't ask me anything for the rest of the class! Sweet!  He also calls be "Jenny" in class.  If you know me, you know that I HATE to be called that, but I let it slide in class.  I think I allow it because of the way he says it (accent) and that he's not horrible to look at. 

To cap off of summer I got to go on a cruise with the "family."  Lets just say that that the cruise was better then the family part. 

To finish, here is a conversation I had with my dad half way through; 

-J-  Matt is waking me up every two hours, but still sleeps all night 

and most of the day.

-D- Do you really want to spend vacation sleeping the whole time?

-J-  No, but some sleep would be nice.

-D- You can sleep when your dead.

End of conversation.

Another avoidance tactic

Cool site though.  Click on the picture and you'll go to a site where you can upload your own photos and do cool things to them.  A lot like what I did with one of my lamer photos.

Enjoy and your welcome.

Museum by dumpr.net

It kind of proves the idea that if enough people are look at something at the same time; anything can appear to look interesting.  Am I not right?

A List: of that which surrounds me

As usual when I need to be studying, here is a list of most of the things that are next to me on top my bed. Sorry only a list; no time for captions.

• velcro "sticky back" tabs
• half a cup of tea and apple juice
• a bag of all natural, no preservatives potato chips
• bits of different types of fabric
• a basket of sewing supplies 
• a hand made card
• cell phone
• lighter
• laundry basket with garments
• book bag
• glasses
• half a box of milk duds
• lame stickers
• three pairs of scissors
• leftover box from this morning's kolaches
• folder of various papers and magazine cutouts
• a page protector full of various papers
• three pillows
• wordy stickers
• my MacBook
• brown thread
• pin cushion and pins
• my keys
• usual bed items; sheets, comforter, blanket; and
• yours truly

I have a full size bed, but it's still a bit crowed up here.

Rehearsal for the Week

I hate Sundays.  Let my qualify that; I hate Sundays currently while I'm taking summer classes.  I put everything off un-school related  just to make it through the week and once it ends I avoid any preparation for the next one as if it was...  well exactly what it is.  I then spend Sundays  attempting to study (key word here is attempting) and trying to put together tactics to make it through the fallowing week that will fall flat as soon as Monday comes around.  Sunday become the rehearsal for the week, and it never is pleasant. Right now its a little after 1 o'clock and I cannot sleep yet again.  I think my sub-conscious is rationalizing  that until I fall asleep it's not Sunday yet (even though it is), because the day ends when you fall asleep.  

And so on that thought I will part by saying this is one time I wish the week was shorter. 

 By a day. 

 A Sunday.

How cool is that?

Usually my post have some sort of topical relevance, but to I'm feeling more stream of conscious.  So there are a few this's and that's and maybe a list. Please try to follow along, or not.  Whatever.

To start, I'm watching Eli Stone and right in the middle of this big dramatic scene, you see a bit of saliva flying out of Eli's mouth.   Of course this lead to me replaying it several time to study it and try to reproduce the act myself.  No luck though; I even tried it with hand gestures.  Looking over this I guess it is a bit wordy of me to say where his saliva can from.  Where else would saliva come from?

I just recently watched Fiddler On the Roof all they way through and for a few days fallowing the viewing I have every Jewish related Broadway song going through my head in one giant mash up.  This also includes a song from Spamalot.

I now only need to wear one shoe.  I got put in cast yesterday, but thankfully it's removable so I can take it off to itch, and ohh does it ever.  I'm going through lotion like their about to stop making it all together. You never thing about how important your skin is to thermoregulation until it's completely incased in a unbreathable material.  It did give me a decent excuse to go shoe shopping, however, to reduce the wobbling.  This all lead me to thing about how you can only by shoes in pairs, despite the fact that I only need one.  Here is a list of the things that I can think of that only come in pairs;

• Shoes
• gloves
• earrings
  
• twins
• turtle doves

And finally, I bought this journal that actually encourages you you destroy it.  How cool is that? Each page list a different destructive act with all of the grossness such a task deserves.  My favorite is a page where you eat a colorful candy and make a drawing on the page with your tongue.

Subject A

Subject A, let's call her Jenn, put on a band-aid at 7:45 am (minimum) and took it of at 10:00 pm (maximum.) What can be concluded about the band-aid and Jenn?

Conclusions:

a) Jenn has really good band-aids;

b) based of of what was left on the band-aid upon removal, Jenn needs to bathe; and

c) Jenn really needs to get back to her statistics homework.

Thus ends the problem.

 

Ice is Nice

I am feeling my ankle too much.   Need to get it frozen.   Ice is nice.

Need to sleep.

Consider Yourself Warned

I just got my passport renewed and the picture came out hideous.  It was like my driver's license, school I.D. and some homeless person combined.    So I decided to play around in photo booth to see if I could, in fact take a decent picture.  Need less to say things quickly took a turn in a different direction.

The results (consider yourself warned):

Love:Hate

I love my MacBook, I really do.  It's just that sometimes I want to let it swim with the fishes.  We have a love:hate relationship really.  When I try to love it so it doesn't hate me; it loves to hate me regardless.  Have I once let it get wet? No.  Have I dropped it?  Well yes, but its usually was a short trip to the ground and had a soft landing.  Have I let it go out without a cover? Not usually.   Then why must it lead me on with its awesomeness only to go horribly wrong.  I always have said that chose an Apple because I can get fix by a real person if need be, but must  it be so frequently?  The Apple Nerds know me.  How sad is that?  The latest problem is that it has gone mute and the only evidence that I have is a red light where the head phones plug goes.  Maybe I depend on it too much.  I have no television so it is my main form of visual entertainment when I am home.  That is why something like the sound not working so disastrous.  What is a girl to do now?

So I have made an appointment at 5:15 Monday to have the Nerds look at it and at that time I will also post this to ceremonially mark my yet another visit to the apple store.  Oh what fun.

Options

Part of me is say that I need to get my apartment is some for of order be, to get the smell out of my refrigerator, to shower, go to the gym, and take my laundry to be washed because there is no way in hell that half of this stuff is going to happen once I go back to school.

The other part is say to just go see a movie and it will all work out in then end.

I honestly don't know what side to listen to.

Its OK They Know Me Here

Forget network television; I'll take the Ovation channel any day of the week.  However, my favorite day is Monday, the performances.  I sit writing this as Bathroom Divas is on.  As I'm sure all of you know it is a show that make these people opera singers.  Yes let me repeat that, opera singers.  American Idol has nothing on this show.  The start with auditions and pick 6 singers to live in this very stately home to go this opera boot camp and the winner gets to fully orchestrated performance in a massive hall.  This one guy, Paul, is in one world amazing. And of course it never huts that he is not bad to look at ether. What can I say I fairly sure it has something to do with the suit.  I have a thing for guys in suits. 

In other news I'm getting to the point where I'm recognizing film score composers just by hearing there work.  I don't think this needs any further elaboration is needed on my point. Admitting this is enough.

Also, I just saw a preview for a documentary in there American Revolutionaries series over Martha Graham.  Sweet!  Its on this Wednesday at 7 and 10 pm  and just in case you miss it, its back on twice Friday and then again July 30th.  I know I will be watching at least once and I cannot promise it wont happen again.  If you don't watch it; you are no longer my friend.

Now that I have firmly taken residence in the land of Geekdom, I wonder if there is a rehab center for this. Not that I need one, of course, it would just be nice to know its there.

Now You Owe Me

Whenever someone ask me to something nice for them, I usually do it.  Not out of some idea that it would help better the world or any new age b.s., but I do like that now that person owes me.  Whether big or small, its nice to know that when the time arises I could call in the favor.  Mainly this relates to my dad, however, other authoritative figures also come in handy.  I like to fallow and comment give with something like, "just remember this the next time I...

• ... call you at 3:00 in the morning.
• ... the next fine, ticket, or penalty I get.
• ... when I need $$$ to get my hair done.

Need less to say the list goes on.  It is kind of like how the Mob operates.  Although I don't have "direct" knowledge of how they work; I did grow up in the family that I did and that really is all the training that one would need.

It's Kicks Ass

I have noticed that this blog has taken somewhat of a darker pessimistic tone so I have decided to share some of my recent accomplishments, with captions;

• I found the source of the smell in my apt and removed it, lets just say it was once something editable
• I returned my library books, yes they were a week late but that just go to show that it is cheaper for me in the long run to just buy them
•  I managed to put my brace o this morning with my eyes closed, wasn't quite ready to say good morning to the world
• I also got my car inspected the the oil changed, it did however take me getting a ticket for it though.

In other new I stubbled on a album by Joby Talbot in iTunes. He is this kick ass composer who is currently blowing my mind.   In general I like two types of classical music;

1. Modern, very clean melodic lines, and the darker the better.
2. Strongly jazz influenced, whimsical, and sounds like something you would hear in cartoons. 

I bought The Dying Swan- Music for One to Seven Player is word of word how I like music for the first type to be, that you just need to buy the album yourself.  It is a musical experience.  To back track a bit let me explain that I first came upon him through his work on the score of Son of Rambow.  It was a bit repetitive for my liking but it did interest me enough to look into his work.  Thats how I found his Dying Swan CD this morning. Fast forward to moments ago I worked my way over to his web site and found that he had worded on an re-imagined CD based on Jack White/ the White Stripes called Aluminium.  Now I try to not buy more then one CD in any given week, but an exception had to be made in this case.  It's just that good.  It is hard core my second type of classical music and very much like his work in Son of Rambow. I usually think that classical artist who over popular songs are sell outs and void of any original ideas, but not with him and not with this CD.  I strongly suggest if you have heard "Astro" to play his version, or at least sample it for crying out loud.  It's kicks ass.

My Hero

Note:  I first wrote this give or take a week ago and delayed publishing it until I devolved some film of a picture that I felt was appropriate for this piece.  Also it should be noted that I wrote this after watching too many "Grey's Anatomy" episodes; so please excuse the particular tone due to this and the reference to the BBC comedy with the title.

There is this idea, or even stronger an idealized life plan thanks to fairy tales and Disney, that all little girls will grow up find the love of their lives, marry, then live happily ever after. Now if you please, take a moment to think of the fallacy of this;

All little girls will grow up find the love of their lives, marry, and live happily ever after.

Is there any truth in this?  Can any one say that, yes this is true and thats how it happened to me? For those who's parents are still together then there is really no point for you to read beyond this point, but for those who's parent aren't, what real life example do we have? Its would be a complete jump in logic to assume that this could happen to us. My mom left right after both my brother and I left home, in fact I was told this only a week before my 21st birthday, and although they have been divorced for year my mom is still contesting it.  I often wonder if they would have been together even that long if it hadn't been for my dad being away from home for work so often. Even my grandparent, every single one of them have been divorced and remarried. Growing up that was cool to have so many sets, but once I was old enough to release why that was so,  the nostalgia is bittersweet. 

I don't want happened to my parent to happen to me, I want to find the love of my life, marry, and live happily ever after. I really do, but what real life examples do I have to use as source material?  My brother and I were raised with the same examples and he is across the country with a kid who's mom wont let him even be alone with is own child. I haven't even been in a relationship little less a successful one.  I honestly don't know how to be in one.  Could it be that these issues are just my own personal insecurities? My brother is sleeping with anything with two legs and two X chromosomes; while I'm to scared to even let anything get to the point of intimacy. 

  

Are we simply products of our environment or is there a way to break the cycle?