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.