What idiot thought of this?

"I can only imagine what would happen in a driver’s head if he or she were fully immersed in a racing game using the exact same driving equipment that they’d be using moments later to pick up grandma from the airport."

Ah, there's is nothing like crisp, line-dried sheets! My mother hung out the wash for years. I have gotten out of the habit, but this site reminded me of one of the simplest things we can do to conserve energy and lift our spirits at the same time.

And I bet all the major players in the real estate biz all already staking out their beach-front properties.

This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Anita Roddick: "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room."

But doesn't it make you wonder? Should we be building these things just because we can?

Well, I think I'll be stuck here for a few days.

Commentator Bob Sloan shares some basic truths and the story of the ugly dog who taught them to him.

The Gift of ADHD: "We heard a lot of negative impact from ADHA (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Studies suggests people with ADHA can have some unique gifts and attributes, like naturally creative and being more impulsive on thoughts: … To think daringly original thoughts and to create new ideas or perspectives requires impulsiveness. Impulsiveness is the urge to do things [...]"

Well, now, isn't it about time somebody realized that since we don't all look alike, talk like, walk like, sound alike, etc., etc., etc. - maybe that we don't all learn alike isn't so strange? Who determines who is "deficient" and who is the norm? What if those who can too easily pay attention to just one thing at a time are the drones?

Oh, yes. One of the hardest things for most over-acheivers to do is Knowing When To Quit. It's so easy for it to feel like a failure, when it's really exercising good judgment. After all, you wouldn't buy everything in the store just because you wanted it at that moment, would you?

Well, only if you had more money than mental capacity...

I'm always wondering what the heck is going on behind the scenes. This site can help me figure it out, so I'm blogging it to help me find it again.

"Science gives us the evidence we need to understand how Mother Nature works. When we ignore Her well understood warnings (by damming things, digging things, filling things with reckless abandon), She does not hesitate to pop us in the chin."<\a>

Good Lord, I thought I had enough to read already. Along comes the fantastic Literature-Map and I will now have to extend my life by at least 1,000 years to get it all in...

"I wish I could find cleaning as enjoyable as sitting down with a fresh cup of coffee and a book."

My thoughts exactly.

I so miss having a front porch. Sitting out there on a summer evening... the best.

List ten songs that you are currently digging ... it doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're no good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other people to see what they're listening to.

1. Francis Dunnery's "Good Life"
2. The rest is easy. Bonnie's putting out a new album. Already heard "I Will Not Be Broken" - I'm hooked...

Oh, crap. Now who do I tag?

Back to the drawing board...

Oh no. That Crazy Neighbor Lady has tagged me with a music meme! She has no idea that although I can hum a mean tune, song titles and artis'ts names completely escape me. I shall need to do some research.

At least I don't have the distraction of a new driver in the house. That would put me over the top entirely...

While reading this post at Ishbadiddle, I remembered that I still had quite a few slash pocket folders. I can use them to gather my project papers instead of the clear plastic coverslips. Fits my reuse/recycle contribution to the planet, and I prefer them to plastic anyway. Those damn plastic sleeves keep sliding around on me, and I have enough trouble herding these projests as it is.

Bizwerk: Donald Norman Defends Cheating

I hadn't thought of things this way, but there is a difference between "cheating" and "collaboration" or even research. I don't think our public schools prepare students for life "on the outside" anyway. If I had to memorize everything I needed to know and never use my skills for research I would have been culled from the herd a long time ago.

I've separated my feeds between two readers: Bloglines for the entertaining, non-biz oriented ones, and Newsgator for the career and biz-oriented feeds. That way, I don't find myself straying into Dooce territory followed by That Crazy Neighbor Lady when I should really be focusing on the job...

Too Many Books, So Little Time

I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never, never, never read all that I want to read. Logically, it would be impossible to live that long!

So I've made a few concessions.

Just as I don't read novels during "business hours", I no longer read business things during leisure hours. That's too much like refusing to leave work. Gotta put an end to it sometime.

I no longer feel the need to obsessively read every freakin' word. What was that all about? The reading police were going to come and arrest me if I skimmed a boring paragraph now and then? Sometimes I skim practically the entire book now - I can get the idea of what it's about, and I can always go back to it later if I want more depth.

And some are just resigned to the "ain't gonna happen" list. I'll never read everything I want to, just like I'll never be twenty again. And really, neither one of those is all that bad...

Blinq: Drop A Dime Time

What I think is so funny is how so many people just don't get it when it comes to cell phones. Have a more interesting life because you have someone to talk to on your cell? What about talking to one of those "sardines" standing right next to you? Why don't people see the irony of walking down the street, cell phone glued to ear, chattering away to the person on the other end of the line while completely ignoring the human being standing right next to you?

People don't have respect for each other? Hell, people don't even notice each other. Just wait - someone will develop a little portable sound-proof "booth" that you can sheild yoursellf with. And nobody will see anything wrong with it.

Sorry, David, I like to use hanging folders. Saves readjusting the slider in the back of my old, creaky, file drawers, and I like my folders standing up and at attention - plus, I have a lot of them from my color-coding days, and was brought up on the old Puritan ethic: "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

So my hack is to integrate the colored folders into my GTD system. I assigned one color for me, one for the business, one for the kid, etc. in my alphabetical files. Now, for example, it's a little easier to find something related only to my daughter, or a file of stuff related only to me. Grass green is financial stuff. Generic stuff is still in the generic green. It's not a rainbow of colors, but it helps me make use of what I already have and adds a little more organization to my files.

New Toy

Brother P-touch 1750 to label my files in my GTD set-up. Added feature: it also makes labels that can be used outside.

Now I can label all those friggin' plants I've planted.

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 100% Idealist 88% Existentialist 69% Postmodernist 56% Materialist 44% Romanticist 44% Modernist 19% Fundamentalist 19% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

This sounds awkward, but there is a big difference between writing with just your fingers and moving your whole arm as a unit. My handwriting wasn't bad to begin with, but there was an improvement when I stopped concentrating all my movements in my fingers and started using my whole arm. It's just that it doesn't feel like my shoulder is involved at all, unless I'm making REALLY HUGE LETTERS...

You scored as Existentialism. Your life is guided by the concept of Existentialism: You choose the meaning and purpose of your life. “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” “It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” --Jean-Paul Sartre “It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the Truth.” --Blaise Pascal More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page... Existentialism 90% Hedonism 75% Utilitarianism 70% Kantianism 60% Justice (Fairness) 60% Divine Command 30% Apathy 25% Strong Egoism 15% Nihilism 15% What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com

This makes me very proud of my Scottish heritage. What amazing craftmanship!Being in tune with the land and her gifts. No wonder they have stood the test of time; not in conflict, but in harmony with Mother Nature herself.

Your Linguistic Profile:

45% General American English

35% Yankee

20% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

"Someone retorted to me that they believed, because I am childless, and therefore not contributing to 'the pool of future citizens' at present, I should have to pay extra taxes that should go toward mothers whose goal in life is to be a stay at home mother."

Now, what fool said this? I believe there are enough people in jail raised by stay-at-home moms to disprove that theory. Just because you are lucky enough to have someone else (or something else) supporting your choice to stay home and raise your kids doesn't mean you can't suck at it. A working mom who makes time for and relates to her kids is worth a handful of stay at homes suckin down a brew while their kids run screaming thru the neighborhood. Or the mom who sets a wonderful example by putting up with an abusive partner because he brings home the bacon. And what about the littl' darlins' with moms who sacrifice everything - even their backbone? These overindulged little creeps are a boon to society?

Let's stop comparing today's stay at home moms with the previous generations - you know, the one's without automatic washer/dryers, wrinkle-free clothing, microwaves, freezers, vacuum cleaners, stain-resistant carpets and furniture, washable wall paint, voicemail, and a myriad of cleaning products that cut the time and elbow grease required in half, if not more? Try cleaning the way your mother and grandmother did. Or cooking a meal. Or doing the laundry. Or just curling your damn hair.

And what about TV's, vcr's, dvd's, video games, iPods, and a hundred other distractions for the kids? Formula? Disposable diapers? Baby monitors? Crib toys?

Being a good mother has nothing to do with how many hours you stay home. It's how much you love your kids, tolerate your kids, pay attention to your kids, relate to their needs, know your kids. That's the choice you make, not how many hours you spend at home.

I've done both. Stayed at home, and worked outside the home. Both can be damn hard. Because of how you do it, not which one you do.

And hooray for those who chose to be childless, or chose to wait to have kids. Crankin' em out ain't hard to do. Any fool with a working reproductive system can do that. Putting a little thought into it, now that takes work.

Outside for the first official weed-pulling session. Ok, actually I went out to chase the neighbor's damn dog out of my yard. But the walkway was calling me. Just one tug. Come on, you know you need it. Weeding is cathartic.

The thyme is spreading nicely and should be beautiful when it blooms. Not to mention it's making it harder for the weeds to take hold. Things need to be low-maintenance around here.

I've already succumbed to that philosophy, why shouldn't my yard?

Yahoo! News - Philadelphia Plans First U.S. Citywide Wi-Fi Network: "The city of Philadelphia will become the largest U.S. Internet 'hot spot' next year under a plan to offer wireless access at about half the cost charged by commercial operators, city officials said on Thursday."

I don't know whther this is a good thing, or a horrible mistake.

Not being a Catholic, I guess I'm a little confused about all the sadness of the Pope's passing. He will be missed here on Earth, of course, but isn't going to Heaven what you strive for? Why isn't there more rejoicing? Not being happy he's dead, exactly, but being happy that he's now with God? Seems like it shouldn't be such a sad time, unless you'd prefer that he was still here. But would you want that?

Do other parents have trouble getting their kids to take out the trash?

I found a solution. My kid knows the distance between the trashcan and the end of the driveway. She also knows the distance between the trashcan and her room.

Guess which is shorter?

I know. I'm such a bad mother. But it's amazing what the power of suggestion can accomplish. If I gotta haul it, I'm takin' the shorter route.

"There are at least a dozen ways to parse and think through the acknowledged underrepresentation of women opinion writers, and yet—to the extent that we are having a national conversation on the topic—it is a conversation so far almost wholly lacking the voices of men."

Yes, I agree it is a landmine. A sort of "damned if you do and damned if you don't" for any man commenting. But isn't it about time they took that chance? Women have been walking on those eggshells for years.

Maybe it isn't in a women's make-up to indulge in that sort of commentary. But suppose it is? How long do you think it would take to earn that "bitch" label? A millisecond? And let's face it - that "bitchiness" of Murphy Brown could not have been passed off as an endearing quality if she looked like Helen Thomas. TV character or not.

The freakin' copier at work is in love with me.

Put in a large run and as soon as I walked out the door, it jammed. Fixed it, it ran for a few copies. I walked out the door, and it jammed AGAIN. Repeat the scenario, one more time.

The next time it happened, I said to the machine "ok, you want me to stay in here with you, I'll stay." Yes, now I'm talking to the office equipment

Fifty copies. NO PROBLEMS.

So I walked out the door. Not TWO FEET from the room, it JAMMED AGAIN.

Went back in, fixed it, promised I'd stay til the end of the run. No more problems.

Just what I need. Office equipment with separation anxiety.

Wired News: Need a Building? Just Add Water: "'The Concrete Canvas product tackles the key issues of portability, ease of assembly, durability and cost,' he said. 'The applications in the humanitarian field are immediate and obvious, but there are many other fields where this technology could successfully be deployed.'"

Great in emergency situations - a way to get hospital units set up quickly.

I'm a little concerned about the "other fields". Will we be having little concrete pod towns?

Watched another of our Netflix movies - I (heart) Huckabees. From one end of the spectrum to the other...

Not my kind of movie. Too cerebral. I prefer books for that, not movies. If not for Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman, I don't think I would have watched the whole thing. Not that it was a bad movie on any critical level - just not my kind of entertainment.

But it did help to get the other one out of my head. Shudder.

The 'spring and I watched The Grudge last night.

OH. MY. GOD.

We both slept with lights on.

I'm not a big fan of recent scary movies, mostly because they seem to be more "let's see how much fake blood we can use in this scene" than letting you use your imagination. Although there were some rather bloody scenes, there was a lot of "what was that" to let your imagination run wild. Which I think is much scarier that laying it all out there.

Well, at least for me.

And apparently for the 'spring, too. Not that I enjoy scaring my kid, but it's nice to see she hasn't been desensitized like so many other kids. So the "But, Mooooommm, the other kids can watch it" moments paid off.

"But what kind of power does your sexuality bring you, if everyone at the table can see your crotch when you sit down?"

I now have the interest of my local school district. They're jumping like spit on a griddle.

Got my copy of the papers from my lawyer in the mail today.

Seems they got theirs, too.

Let the fun begin...

Ah, yes, the reliable fast food shuffle. We always check the bags before we leave the drive thru - can't tell you how many times the orders have been screwed up. And we don't even go that often. Really.

How hard is it to remember to put in the friggin piece the damn meal is built around?

Seen the Popeye's "Naked Chicken" commercials?

Shouldn't the guys actually be dressed? But with, you know..... no skin?

Searching for my spiritual path...

1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
2. New Age (91%)
3. Unitarian Universalism (83%)
4. Mahayana Buddhism (72%)
5. New Thought (67%)
6. Hinduism (66%)
7. Liberal Quakers (65%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (63%)
9. Jainism (53%)
10. Reform Judaism (53%)

Of course, now I forget where I took the damn test...

"Oddly, the woman who boasted her “non-negotiable” stance that moms forgo outside work is the same one who has forbidden her daughter to color her hair until the girl is paying her own way. This is a daughter who — if she accepts mom’s value set — could one day be a stay-at-home mom dependent on a man who’ll pay her bills. Will he also be in charge of her hair color then?"

You know, I never thought about it that way. But she's got a point. And a good one.

Well, I've done it. I've hired a lawyer, and I am sueing my school district. Someday soon I hope to be able to post about why I'm sueing the school district, but it's all still too raw.

Let's just say, next time they will think twice about jerking the single mom around because she can't possibly have enough money to do anything about it.

Heh.

At what age are women invisible?

Been reading a lot about parents who blog - there's an article in the NY Times about it. What it's all about, why they do it, what the kids will think of it when they're older.

I've noticed that most of the links they supplied are to parents who have kids that are still in the infant, toddler, elementary school age. Their antics are often fodder for humourous stories, sometimes for serious questions. And very entertaining reading. But they've overlooked something. Yes, those kids will grow up and read what you've written.

And they will someday be able to blog about you.

Lord, I hope my child is kind...

The worst part of working for a non-profit is the way people think they can control your time, that they have the right to impose on you because you are "paid" and they are not. That their volunteerism is so much more of a sacrifice than is the fact that you are paid far below what you are worth. That somehow, their contribution has so much more value that you should be grateful enough to do what they ask. What's up with that?

Well, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who forgets about the laundry...

Although I'm reeeaaallllyyy thankful that I don't have that much to do!!!

Laundry is not my favorite chore. I want my damn clothes to come out clean and pressed, ready to wear, the same size they were when I put them in there. Is that too much to ask? Seriously.

I like black. Can't there just be one color for black? Without some fancy special detergent? And what's the damn difference with "little ironing" if I still have to set up the damn ironing board and heat up the damn iron? Does it really make a difference? When does it cross the line into "a lot of" ironing? And when will someone make a decent friggin' iron that does cost as much as my whole wardrobe?

Household chores. The bane of my existence.

Well, the holidays are over. Back to the routine of dragging a semi-comatose kid out of bed...