Movie Theaters and for the love of all things Guillermo

I will be the first to tell you that I have a deep and well-known hatred for movie theaters. I have never enjoyed the experience of shelling out 20 buck to sit in a darkened theater surrounded by people who obviously could not care less what they are here to see. Most people say I'm too sensitive but I can't stand people talking through a movie, checking their cell phone constantly, or even worse, answering it. I've sat in theaters with all three. We won't even talk about an attempt I made with Jeff to see Shrek 2 where sixty percent of the audience were throwing candy, talking, and running up and down the aisles. Jeff and I left after 30 minutes. 

It is well known that I go to see one movie a year in the theaters. This past year it was Iron Man. Now I know that some of you out there will yell at me for not seeing the Dark Knight in the theaters. I was a Heath Ledger fan and would have loved to see him in what they are calling his finest performance. Plus I really enjoy the Batman series, particularly the dark turn it has taken in the last two movies. But even if I hadn't seen Iron Man in the theaters (which was worth it) I wouldn't be rushing out to Batman. My second choice would have been Hellboy 2. 

I just bought the first Hellboy movie at Target this evening and came home and immediately watched it. I love this film. It's campy and fun and humorous and beautiful. I didn't even see that one in the theaters. But I did run out to see Guillermo del Toro's next film Pan's Labyrinth in the theaters. I saw it at a small theater and absolutely fell in love with this film. If you haven't seen it you must. If you enjoy fantasy, particularly dark fantasy, this movie is for you. The movie jumps between these fantastical creatures and scenes, and the dark reality that this young girl is living through. Imagine Alice In Wonderland if only England was a terrible brutal world and Alice had to jump back and forth. 

After seeing both Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth I knew that I had to see Hellboy 2.  Just like I can't wait to see what he is currently doing with The Hobbit. I just couldn't bring myself to go to the movies again. It will be a rental as soon as it comes out. Thank god for Blockbuster home delivery. I have always been a fantasy fan but the images that this man creates are just breathtaking. Wild and dark they remind you of the nightmares you have had or perhaps some of your best dreams. So for the love of all that is Guillermo, get out there and rent Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. Just don't check out Hellboy 2 yet. I want there to be enough copies to see it right when it comes out. 

Cicadas and struggle

Okay I am officially one of the biggest geeks I know. I spent 25 minutes this afternoon, most of my lunch hour, watching a giant cicada as it crawled its way to the grass. It was way too beautiful a day to be in so I grabbed my book, lunch at Arby's, and headed out to the state capitol to enjoy the view of downtown and the park. I found a good bench in the sun and opened my book to an interesting essay on reinvigorating interest in science through children's books. (Really, I find that kind of thing interesting). 

I was interrupted though by an odd buzzing. I looked up but couldn't tell where it was coming from. The general location seemed to be a rather large leaf on the ground. Until I realized that it wasn't a leaf. It was a giant cicada. These are some cool looking bugs. They're about 3 inches long which is pretty huge (for bugs) with these beautiful clear wings. Well one of this guys wings was damaged. He was trying occasionally to fly only to flop over on his back and have to right himself. So he started crawling. 

It was painful to watch. He could only get an inch or so before stopping. Two of his legs on one side were damaged so he couldn't just walk straight. Now I am a huge anthropomorphist. And I feel sorry for everything. I kept wondering if I should/could help him. If I left him on the sidewalk the birds would get him. If I tried to pick him up he would freak out and may hurt himself more. So I sat and watched and wondered which fate was worse, getting eaten by birds or starving to death. Cheerful huh?

But what I really found myself doing was rooting for him. Here was this little bug that was struggling so valiantly to survive. It was dragging itself inch by painful inch to get to cover and shade. And I thought about how "life finds a way". (yah its a jurassic park quote. I told you I was a geek.) And how the urge to survive is so strong. 

When he finally made it to the grass I silently cheered for him. (Okay maybe I even verbally cheered for him. But no one was around.) Then I went back to reading my chapter and realized how now I was interested in learning about cicadas. I didn't know much about them, particularly their lifecycle. So I went back to the office and spent a bit of time reading up on them. Did you know that cicadas live for four years underground as immature insects, emerge on their fifth year, mate, and then die. Or that they sing in choruses. They are some of the loudest insects on earth. Perhaps we don't need children's books to remind us how interesting science and nature is. Sometimes it just takes a valiant little bug and a little free time. 

For those who don't know, here is a giant cicada. That looks similar to what I saw although mine was probably an inch to an inch and a half smaller. I'm sorry to say I have "borrowed" this picture. It was just such a beautiful shot and showed the size of them perfectly. 

Comedy and Legibility

I should really warn you that this post has a swear word. I should tell you that you may not want to let your kids read this post. But I have very few delusions that there are any children reading this blog and most of the people I know can take a joke. So if you have stumbled here, be warned. The rest of you, enjoy.

I found this comic and I knew I had to post it. 

It is just so me. Even when I try to be "street", it just comes out sounding silly. When I was younger that would bother me. I tried to rough up my speech to fit in better with my friends. I learned some new swear words during that time but I still never sounded right. Still too proper.

My mother was a stickler about pronunciation and grammar. I was taught at a young age to speak properly. I've never gotten out of the habit. I hardly ever swear...well unless I'm in the car. Then I could make a longshoreman blush. People are always shocked when a curse word passes my lips. They normally laugh and say wow I never expect you to swear. You're just not that type of person. Maybe I'm just too serious or too proper. But that's how I roll. 

The comic is from a great website called The Rut. http://bigeyedeer.wordpress.com. Take a look at the rest of his work. A little off-color but hilarious. You can also buy posters, t-shirts and other merchandise with this very cartoon on it. 

Sheer Terror

I'm not a horror fan. I can read some horror stories, and I enjoy older grade B horror films but most of the time I avoid the genre. And I'll freely admit that I'm very rarely brave. That being said I tend to be pretty even keeled. Few things bother me or offend me. 

But tomorrow morning I intend to put myself willingly through torture. No I'm not auditioning for the most recent slasher/torture film. Instead I'm going to the dentist for a checkup. 

Yes I can hear you laughing now. The dentist shouldn't bother me. I have a pretty clean dental record. No cavities since I was five. Never had a root canal or a crown put on. My teeth are thankfully still all my own. Other than having some wisdom teeth pulled I haven't had a lot of traumatic dental experiences. 

In fact dental work was pretty routine for quite a while. I'm not sure but I estimate that I had 13 years of orthodontia work. Braces, retainers, skin grafts, you name it. I got to the point I would just sit in the chair, close my eyes, and tell them to do whatever they needed to do. Monthly visits to the orthodontist almost always included some sort of painful device or at least the tightening of those painful devices. Braces should be implemented as torture devices. No need to waterboard, just have them deal with braces for 4 and a half years. 

And sadly my teeth aren't much better than they used to be. So lately I jump around between dentists looking for one who will treat me with kid gloves. I go for years between visits. And that makes each trip terrifying. I'm scared that my checkup tomorrow will end with comments like, "We'll have to schedule a follow up to do the drilling" or "I just think a retainer/braces would be the best option for you." Living nightmare. 

I have given blood for years with never a whimper. I have done MRIs, EEG, blood tests, and treadmill tests with no real worry. I even considered going under the knife just recently for a herniated disc. All without fear. But novocaine shots make me cry like a little girl. So wish me luck tomorrow. Hopefully it will again be another clean bill of health. Or at least not as terrifying as I'm expecting. 

Gratuitous Cat Shots

Jeff needs a picture published in order to post one somewhere so you get a gratuitous Jeff and Misty shot. 

And right as I posted my previous hummingbird video I looked over to see the cat doing this. I had to get a picture. Lucky it's just water. 

Hummingbird Madness

I recently switched the formula that I use in my hummingbird feeder and have seen a huge change in visits. I was originally buying some premade formula that you mix with water. And I would get about a bird a day. The sightings were rare. Now I started using the much cheaper sugar and water mixture and suddenly it is madness out there. (1 part sugar for 4 parts water, boil water, melt sugar in water, cool and serve.) 

Not only do I get a huge number of birds each day I have several that are fighting over the feeder. There is a male and female that compete for food on an hourly basis. The female, being the slightly bigger bird, tends to win. This is her below. Males have a touch of red at the throat, thus the name ruby-throated hummingbirds. 

So yesterday I had the camera set up to grab some photos which weren't working really well. Weird but those birds move pretty fast. So I decided to see about getting some video instead. While I watched through the camera, the female came and started drinking. She was looking around really nervously when a male swoops in and scares her off the feeder. The two fly off fighting and the female came back seconds later. Don't let those tiny frames fool you, these birds are vicious. I was lucky to be able to catch video of the whole thing. Watch how nervous the female is, then check that quick blur in front of the camera. That's the male. I have to use video more often. It makes up for bad camera skills. 

Stratholme

For my non-Wow playing readers I'm again sorry. This post will mean absolutely nothing to you. For the Wow readers, you still may not care.

Last night was my first attempt at Stratholme. I have been needing to work on my enchanting but haven't had enough materials to do so. I've become too high level and my skill is too low level. So the only solution is to go into a lower level instance and get stuff to disenchant. Jeff has been begging me to do this one for a while. At first he tried to solo it for me. Not going to happen, even for him and his killer cat, Misty.

So last night we decided to try. We got home from our bridge party around nine. (Yes I play bridge, no it's not hard, and no I'm not that old. I like to get that out of the way early) So we didn't even start the instance until 9:30. And we were having trouble. Now most of these trash pulls are 6 or 7 mobs. Most of them aren't elite but they are only a couple levels below me. We made slow progress with a couple deaths. (none of which were my fault I'm happy to say.) Jeff did really well but I'm a slow killer. I need a lot of time to bring down a target. Time, I didn't have. For all you players, imagine a slow kill with those rats. I hate those rats.

As we got to the opening of the Scarlet Bastion our friend Lon came on. Lon and his Paladin to save the day. With the three of us, we plowed through. Now we had to finish. He would easily take on 5 or six. Before it had just been Jeff and Misty trying to take on that many and keeping aggro for him was tougher. We cleared room after room. And then we hit the mini-bosses. And the loot started dropping. I filled my bags with greens and blues until I couldn't hold anymore. I started DEing them as fast as I could but we were moving quick and I was trying to keep up. Some bosses dropped as many as three blues. One of them dropped a purple. It was loot heaven.

That was when I looked up at the clock. Right before the last boss I look up to see that it is 1:00 a.m.. Yes 1:00 on a work night. I cursed at Jeff a little, alternating it with thanks. After the last boss went down I cleared out my bags. DEing everything, no fun auction sales for this poor warlock. Finally about 1:30 I logged off and headed for bed. My first shot at Stratholme was fantastic. So much loot and a lot of fun banter for the three of us. A good night. Now if I can just stay awake until dinner.

photo from www.graymaneshaven.com

Mothra

For anyone who has ever watched old Japanese monster movies, this post is for you. Jeff took these pictures right out in front of our house. He said that the moth was probably about 5 inches tall. Apparently the neighbors cat tried to eat it (quite the mouthful) but the neighbor was able to save it. Just took a look of those antenna. Fun little creatures, although a little creepy. Where's a miniature Tokyo when you need one? 

Book Review: Team Rodent

It's a bit hard for me to write this review. I am quite a big Disney fan and an even bigger fan of Walt Disney World. But I try hard to be fair so I borrowed this book by Carl Hiaasen. The full title is Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World and it is not the most flattering picture of the company. Hiaasen is not a fan. 

Part of that seems to come from the fact that he lives in Florida, in a place taken over by Disneyfication. Hiaasen writes about the major destruction that has happened to the Florida environment since Disney moved in. And that I have to agree is true. Before Disney Orlando was a small orange growing community. Now those trees are gone, plowed under to make room for more and more housing. The sprawl in that city is terrible. Florida has grown by leaps and bounds, and that is painful for the environment. Point one for Hiaasen. 

Disney is often held to a higher standard of behavior simply because they are Disney. And Hiaasen is quick to point that out. He is also quick to point out that they should be. They claim to be the ultimate family friendly place and it doesn't look so good when one of their employees acts up. And I have to agree with him there. Disney does a lot to cover up problems rather than deal with them outright. But even Hiaasen has to agree that there have been a lot of frivolous lawsuits for Disney just because of the money they have. 

Hiaasen's big argument though is that Disney is gentrifying everything. He claims that they have destroyed Times Square by making it less seedy. Here is where he loses me. I have no problem with strip joint and bars but I am also pretty impressed with what the city has done with a corner that was not the most well traveled. I have no problem with the escapism that Disney helps to create. I'm going to sound old when I say this but manners and gentrification are not always a bad thing. I love to go to Disney world mostly because people are nice, the grounds are immaculate, and there are lots of things to do. Now I know that is not real life. It is escapism pure and simple. But I have a tough time believing that a little escapism is a bad thing. Sometimes it's nice to pretend. 

All and all this was a very good book with a ton of great points. And of course Hiaasen tells it with humor and insight. I love his work. Perhaps if I lived in Florida I would have a different impression of Disney. But for right now I still don't mind the fantasy. 

Oh Deer

I'm in full ice cream mode. Every year, about this time, I go into what I call ice cream mode. It becomes an obsession for me. Every night I come home and think about going out for ice cream. So after an incredibly frustrating day yesterday and a somewhat healthy salad dinner, I asked Jeff if we could go to Dairy Queen. Having one within walking distance is dangerous and wonderful at the same time. 

Jeff agreed that we could go if we took the long way. He wanted a bit of a walk. So we hiked along the creek near my house until we ran into a road that we couldn't go under. We then followed a park until we hit an open field. I was starting to feel more relaxed. Work has been crazy. Then we saw the five deer in the field. Two adults and three babies. They were wary of us but didn't run. So we crept a little closer. I learned that if you drop down into a crouch or crawl on hands and knees they pay you no mind. It was true. The moment we stood up they were alert and wary. When we dropped down they instantly went back to eating as if we weren't there. 

We crept along the tree line until we were only about 20 feet from them. Then I sat down and watched them for a long time. The mosquitos were bad and we had to keep brushing them away but the views were spectacular. I was frustrated that I didn't bring a camera. We would have been able to get some great shots without the zoom. Finally ice cream cravings got the best of us and we moved on. But as we left I realized that all that stress I had been holding all day was gone.  I apparently left it out there in that field. The french silk pie blizzard was wonderful but it was the deer that had made my night. I need to spend more time hiking. It soothes the soul. 

Lost and Found

A lot of people practice found art. They find things and create new pieces of art based on the objects. Shadow boxes and collages are very popular for this type of art. I enjoy found art quite a bit. I like the idea of using very different items and materials and creating something unique from it. But lately I've become fascinated with lost art. 

And I love found art for a very different reason. Found art is interesting because of it's use of random things. Lost art is interesting because the piece is created, often with a theme, and then released out into the larger world. I was recently introduced to Slinkachu who does a series of art pieces called Little People. Take a look at this one he has done recently. 

Here is where this little sculpture is located. Click on the picture for a closer look if you can't see it. 

Please go to his blog and check out the rest. I love his work. http://little-people.blogspot.com/ 

One of my other favorite artists, Terry Border, has also created art,

 only to leave it for the rest of the public to find. I love his crying eye, left in the cheese department of a grocery store. 

http://bentobjects.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-left-my-art-in-cincinnati.html

One of the other artists to leave things to be found is Andy Goldsworthy with one of my favorite series. His art demonstration called Midsummer Snowballs is an amazing example of lost art. Goldsworthy creates giant snow balls up in the mountains, filling them with branches and stones. He then carted them down to London and left them on the sidewalk to melt. He then checks in on his snowballs to take pictures of how they melt and people's reactions. I have the book he created to show off the work and it is one of my favorite art books. 

Here is a picture of one of the page spreads. It appears that the book is out of print but I found a couple used copies available. Goldsworthy's work is always inventive and interesting. He uses natural objects to create (most often temporary) sculptures and then photograph them. 

This fascination with lost art goes back to my idea of sharing art. I have three principles when it comes to art. I think people are far more creative than they are given credit for. I think art should be shared. And I think that art should be fun. I love the idea of leaving these pieces there for someone to enjoy. The artist will never know who finds their work but they will bring smiles and happiness to someone who is observant enough to look. 

Stress

This will be a short post. I have about three or four hours of take-home work that I have been putting off this weekend. So tonight will have to be the night. My brother and his children where in town this weekend so I spent a lot of time playing and relaxing. The younger two and I mountain climbed my parent's hill at their house, the older and I put together an 800+ piece lego set, and we all ate more than I care to admit. We watched olympics and played video games and generally forgot about work. 

Jeff and I got a ton of things done at the house which felt really good. Our towel bar upstairs had ripped out of the wall so we replaced it with two. We put in a new bathroom faucet, replaced both toilet seats, and fixed the upstairs toilet. We also put a new headlight on my car. It felt really good and again I didn't think about work once. 

And now I am a whiny little girl complaining about having left my work for the end of the weekend and how I have hours of things to do. Bear with me. The last four weeks at work have been really tough. I have been staying late most nights and still not catching up. I have two long-term projects that are not getting done and are coming due soon. Add to that the stress of job hunting and then throw in a party I am throwing next weekend that I haven't started and you see why I'm a bit stressed. 

But the worst part of stress for me is what it does to my body. I herniated a disc last May and still have the occasional flair-up. Like when I'm stressed. Right now it feels like my arm is on fire. I wake up stiff and sore each morning with pain radiating down my arm and a hand that's asleep. Not my favorite thing. So I stretch and go to work and pretend that I'm okay. I just have to get through the next couple of weeks. Things will slow down. They have to slow down. Okay whining done. Sorry about that. I'll post something more interesting before the night is over. 

Reason to Write

Two things came together for me today to get me thinking about why I write this blog. It is similar to keeping a journal but as I told my sister at lunch today, it is an incomplete journal at best. I keep two journals. One is this blog, which has some of the things I find interesting told in little essay form. I try to keep it light and slightly informative. Then I also keep a personal journal on paper. This one gets all the things that I'm not really ready to tell the world.

I've been having a discussion with a friend about blogging and I mentioned today that I write because I'm terribly shy and a terrible speaker. When I get excited or nervous I tend to stutter and trip on my words. I can't always get a coherent thought out. So writing has always offered me the chance to revise before sending my words out. Ever said something aloud and then wished you could take it back. With this I can. For good or for bad.

The other thing that got me thinking was a book I bought at lunch today. My little sis and I went to Lucca, my favorite lunch place. And then we stopped in a stationary store afterwards and I found a book. Stationary stores are bad for me. (no self-control. Think hardware stores for some men) This book is the 1000 journals project. www.1000journals.com A thousand journals are sent out into the world. The receivers write, doodle, paste things in them and when they are full, send them back to the person who sent it/dropped it.

And all I could think was, what a fantastic idea. And then I started thinking about what I would put into mine. And would I be brave enough to send it back? My current journal is a mixture of emotions, silly doodles, poems, drawing attempts (too bad to show), and creative writing starts. And none of that is shared. Not even with Jeff sometimes. And I have to wonder why.

How much do we censor as we go through day to day life? I censor my words before I speak them. I censor my writing before I post it. I even sometimes censor my own thoughts.

So I'm going to start keeping a journal. And I will try to make it as public as possible. This is a scary thing for me. I've never been good at sharing myself. My few attempts at submitting poems for publishing have been nerve-wracking experiences. We'll see how it goes.

Now this has a downside for you my few faithful readers. You may be seeing more of me than you want. Terrible drawings, horrible poems, and even some basic journaling. And for all of that, I'm sorry.

Natural Order?

You have to know that I spoil my cat. Some people have called her a child substitute but I think she is just too cute to not be spoiled. She sleeps in our bed, she has pretty much the run of the house (except kitchen counters), and I try to let her outside for a little time each day. She loves her outdoor time. She'll sit by the door all afternoon waiting to go out. 

The rule is that when there are hummingbirds out I try not to let her out. On the other hand when there are squinties out (thirteen striped ground squirrels) we make sure she goes out. Those little things dig up my grass and under the house causing tons of damage. I'm pretty sure I have one living in my air conditioner. She caught one once but it got away. 

No I have no idea where they got the name squinties. That is just what we call them in Iowa. 

So last night I was replacing a light bulb after dark and I let the cat out to explore the porch. She found something quickly and went running after it. She caught her prey in the next yard. And it immediately started squealing. When she jumped over the fence I could see that it was a baby bunny. She brought it right to the door and wanted in. And for some reason I couldn't let the natural order go forward. I know they say not to interfere in the wild but my cat is not wild. I touched her and she dropped the bunny, which wisely hightailed it out of there. I grabbed the cat and hauled her inside.

And then I felt guilty. She had been bringing me a gift. Cats bring their kittens dead and live animals to show them what food it. She had been trying to show me what food was. And I scared it away. And I have to wonder if I shouldn't have just let her have the bunny. It was so small and fragile though. And for me the thought of injuring an animal intentionally or through inaction is so horrible to me. I just couldn't stomach it. 

Animal researchers say one of the hardest part of their jobs it to stand idle and let things happen. I now know what they mean. And now I know that the cat is only spoiled up to a point. 

I know it when I see it.

{Warning} This post is not the family friendly info you are used to. 

The fair is always touted as two wholesome weeks in the country's heartland. It is as American as apple pie (on a stick). But not all of the fair is family friendly. No, I'm not talking about the carnies with their missing teeth and tattoos. No it is not the rather frank education most children get watching the animals. Nor am I talking about the huge quantities of beer that get imbibed each day. I'm talking about a wooden statute. There is a sweet statute of a young boy and the sheep he is showing at the fair. It is a nice sculpture. Unless you see it at the wrong angle. Here is the regular statute. Cute, wholesome, educational. 

And here is the statute from a little bit of an off angle. 

Does anyone else think this looks a little questionable? What is that boy doing to that poor sheep? This is a family joke now whenever we are all at the fair together. Did anyone not think to walk around this statute from all angles?

And we may just be sick to even think of something vulgar from a sweet wood statute but just looking at it you have to admit that it's a little unsettling. 

I don't normally stoop to the vulgar but something about this just had to be said. State fair officials what were you thinking?

Fair Footage

Yesterday we went to the fair and had a blast. We ate a pork chop on a stick (actually the bone), a giant pickle, a cup of chocolate chip cookies, a pizza bread, a lamb burger, a grinder, an apple slush, and some fresh baked mini-doughnuts. We were both five pounds heavier and very full. Jeff and I tried hard to share but sometimes we got greedy. 

I only took a couple pictures, particularly in the early part of the fair. We were wandering through the animals and I kept snapping pictures of goats and roosters and pigs. I'm sure the farmers there were wondering what the heck I was doing. Here is the biggest pig this year at the fair. Look at the size of this big boy. 

And a goat with an interesting beard. 

And a scary looking rooster. Jeff said it looked like something out of WOW. 

After the animals we started to eat. Here is a picture of the crowd near the grandstand. That is one of the heaviest areas for food vendors. 

But our favorite part of the fair had to be the exhibit in the Cultural Center. Every year they put someone in the entrance who does a work in progress. Last year it was a gigantic house of cards, the year before a sand sculpture. This year it was ice carving. And it was amazing. Below is a video of the artist. He used a number of different tools to carve this amazing eagle. I grabbed videos and pictures of his chainsaw work and his detail work. I would love to learn something like this. I wanted to ask him about learning but he was surrounded right after his performance. 

All in all it was a great day although my legs still hurt today. I ate and walked and walked and ate. And loved every moment of it. 

Olympic Fever and State Fair Fun

If you had to pick a time of the year when I have no idea how I'm going to fit everything into my day this would be the time. I would say that I enjoy watching the Olympics but that would be understating it, a lot. I am an Olympics junkie. I watch everything I can get my hands on. I'm particularly fond of the non-mainstream sports like rowing, fencing, archery, and a couple mainstream ones like swimming and diving. I don't really care much for gymnastics (yes I know blasphemy in Shawn Johnson country) and I enjoy track and field but normally in smaller doses. But I'll watch every single minute of it (even the gymnastics) except for work time.

And fair time. I have been going to the Iowa State Fair since I was a small child. I don't remember ever skipping a year. It is just too much fun and way too tasty. While there are no corndogs in my future. Unlike 10,000 fans at 8:30 in the morning. http://www.kcci.com/entertainment/17119168/detail.html. But there will be fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies (straight out of the oven), roasted corn, pork chops on a stick, and funnel cake. Yeah for one time of the year I'm a big carnivore. Plus there is the chance to see the butter cow, the award-winning photography, hundreds of animals, horseshoe pitching contests, and the biggest draw, people watching.

There are some strange people that come to the fair. Jeff and I regularly wander around the fair looking for the worst fair shoes (most inappropriate for walking), worst mullet, heaviest person, biggest belt buckle, and many other games. Contrast that with my other passion, the Olympics. Here are people in their prime. They are all muscle, toned and athletic. They represent the best of the best. As much as I hate to admit it, the fair tends to bring out the opposite. While most people here in Iowa are wonderfully nice, there are some people out here that are just a couple fries short of a happy meal. And most of them congregate at the fair. Plus there is the growing (both literally and figuratively) population that use motorized scooters through the fair. I thought strollers were bad enough. It is quite a contrast.

So these next two weeks will be manic. I'll jump from amazing athletes who are the best in the world to scarfing down fair food with some of the heaviest people I've ever seen. Perhaps having the Olympics running at the same time will help me watch what I eat at the fair. Then again, did I mention fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.

Morning Rituals

Here I am at work just starting my day and I realized how slowly I actually start. When I first arrive at work I need to make coffee and grab water. Can't function without the coffee, even though it's decaf. Next I sit down to read the news. Jeff taught me to always read the news first. That way I get the depressing stuff out of the way and can focus on the fun stuff. I read Google News, CNN, BBC, The Des Moines Register, and KCCI. By that time I'm sufficiently depressed. But part of the job so I get it out of the way early.

Now the fun stuff. Over the last couple years I have found about 30 or so blogs that I follow. And all of those get read every morning. Some post everyday, some don't. I have art blogs, writer blogs, WOW blogs, animal blogs, and some that are just strange stuff. But they put me in the right mood for the day. It's all about learning and fun. So every morning I go through them at work, feeling slightly guilty for wasting time, but not enough to actually stop. And truth be told I normaly only waste about an hour that way. I know I'm lucky that my job allows me that flexibility. If I had a different job I wouldn't be able to start my day this way.

But I just have to point out some of the most recent editions, just in case anyone is looking for a fun new blog.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. (a blog about books) http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/

Curious Expeditions http://curiousexpeditions.org/ (interesting history that makes you go hmmm)

Cabinet of Wonders http://cabinet-of-wonders.blogspot.com/ (mechanical history told through pictures. Plenty of learning and great photography here)

And Roadside Scholar. http://www.roadsidescholar.com/ (because I love fun art)

Just some new ones that haven't made it onto my profile yet. But all of these make my morning just a little more interesting.

Like an Old Shoe

The phrase "comfortable, like an old shoe" has been in my mind a lot lately. Mostly because Jeff and I celebrate nine years together today. When I've used the phrase to describe my marriage a lot of people take offense. They say that I should use more passionate terms. That the term seems to dismiss the marriage. I couldn't disagree more. Strangely the only two people who don't seem offended by this phrase are Jeff and I.

My ideal afternoon lately is to come home from work tired (because I always come home from work tired) and have Jeff and I decide where to go for dinner. Staying in is rarely an option for us, since we both hate to cook. We find a quiet tasty restaurant and go out to dinner. Talking about the day or whatever we have read or found online. A glass of wine and a good meal and suddenly I'm feeling better. That's when the comfortable part kicks in.

After dinner we...go home. And he turns on the computer and plays for most of the evening while I stretch out on the couch and either read or write. And occasionally he'll laugh about something and I'll ask him what it was. Or I'll read something interesting to him. Most people would find this boring. I find it comfortable. I get to do the things I want to do and he gets to do the things he wants to do, and we share the parts that are important.

I've always been comfortable around Jeff. Doors stay open all the time in my house. In fact that cat has no idea what to do when we have company and have to close the doors. We are ourselves around each other. And can be ourselves. Home with Jeff is "off" time. I don't have to worry about being interesting or fun or smart. I can just do what I want. Jeff has always said that the thing he loves most about me is that I let him be himself. We're comfortable, like an old shoe.

So baby, here's to you. And hopefully nine more years of comfort.

Movin' on Up

First I have to tell you that I love the thought of moving. The actual process kind of tires me but I love the idea of moving. I enjoy looking at different jobs in different cities and then trying to figure out where I would live and what benefits the city would offer. I have spent hours on http://www.realtor.com/ looking at houses I will never even step foot into. I've spent tons of time on sites like http://www.city-data.com/ and http://www.bestplaces.net/ looking at cost comparisons and demographics for the cities. I have made plans to move to hundreds of different cities...but still have never left Des Moines.



The tough question is why? Why haven't I moved if I love the idea of it so much. There have been a lot of different reasons (family, job, house) but the main one seems to be that I haven't found the perfect town yet. All cities have their advantages and their flaws. The cities where the climate is perfect and the job market is growing tend to be expensive. The cheaper cities tend to be in cold climates or have high poverty rates. Yes you get what you pay for. I'm just trying to find one where I pay the right amount for what I get.



So after saying all of these things, why on god's green earth am I considering moving to the Twin Cities? It has all the things I dislike, high cost of living, cold winters, huge size, snow.... And that's where I run into problems. Other than repeating snow, ice, and cold over and over I can't think of anymore problems. Higher education rates, good group of friends already up there, lots of entertainment, beautiful surroundings, and a fantastic job possibility are all on my positives. And one thing that can't be quantified. I love the cities.



I have fallen in love with a couple different cities in the course of my life. These are places that I knew instantly I could live in. The Twin Cities were my first. My first very vivid trip there was at 12. And I decided then and there that I would live there. The feeling was only enhanced when I visited again at 16 and saw the place as an almost adult. It just felt like the right kind of energy for me. San Antonio was my second love. It is strange that I would live in San Antonio (high poverty) in a second but you couldn't pay me enough money to live in Dallas. Likewise I could live easily in Seattle but would not even look at a job in LA. I can't even begin to fathom why the thought of living in Kansas City makes me shudder but would be okay with St. Louis. And of course my dream city would be tropical, on the ocean, and well-educated. Then again my dream city would probably be unaffordable.



So why am I writing this? I have a position I want in the Twin Cities. It would be a dream job, challenging and interesting. Varied and unusual. And now I have to decide. Do I apply? Do I subject Jeff to the cold and snow that he hates? Do I live in the cities I love even if it means frustrating winters and possibly long commutes? Suddenly the prospect of moving is that much closer, and that much scarier.

{Edit}: My apologies to Em for this one. She had left me some beautiful comments. Such nice words and somehow I went and deleted them. Stupid computer. Emilie Thank you.

A Room of One's Own

When I was sixteen I read a book called Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I had always written stories but this book inspired me in ways I haven't been inspired since. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone who wants to be a writer. Goldberg does not offer a lot of technical tips but her book provides the spark to get you to put pen to paper. At sixteen that spark was enough to get me serious about writing. 

And at sixteen I found a place of my own, both literally and figuratively. Writing is solitary work. I began to spend large quantities of time alone and those stories were my own launching pad. But I also found a literal place. Down in my parent's basement there is a room we call my dad's room. It is a small room tucked away in one of the corners where there are file cabinets no one has looked in and cobwebs so thick that you can't see through them. A lot of dad's stuff goes down there to be forgotten. Or the spiders carry them off. Seriously I think they're that big. 

I had always been scared of the basement but now I found reason to be down there. There was the desk down there. I set up an old typewriter on the desk and pulled up an old suitcase as a chair. And I wrote. I would sit balanced on that suitcase for hours working away. I wrote 120 pages of my first novel attempt down there on that typewriter. That work ethic followed me to college where I wrote constantly, filling notebook after notebook, often with just little poems and stories. And a second novel attempt.

After meeting Jeff, I wrote quite a bit less. In fact, with the exception of a stint working with a writing partner I pretty much stopped doing any real writing at all. The writing partner was good for me. He was motivation to keep churning out pages. I wanted to make sure I always had something new to bring to our weekly meetings. But after my writing partner left for a new city, my third novel attempt died. And I turned to reading rather than writing. 

But these past couple weeks I have been writing again. My notebooks go with me to work and are filled mostly with poems. I am attempting to write a poem a day. They are short but keep the creative juices flowing. Plus I can finish them in a sitting, something that makes me feel like I'm making progress.  

And now I have a room of my own again. This time it's a back bedroom. A while ago we had converted it into a library/guest room. All my books are now in one place. And today we added a desk. This is now my room. It is my place to go and write. To read and relax. And maybe actually get back to hard-core writing again. Or at least try my fourth novel attempt. As Virginia Woolf said everyone needs a room of one's own.