For Nanny

In honor of my niece, and the rest of my family since this is our favorite TV show...

"My mother made me promise to never do drugs."
"Sheldon, it's just coffee..."



And this is pretty much me on caffeine, too...

In which I throw my mother under the bus

Ok, I didn't exactly throw her under the bus. But I didn't exactly pull her from it, either. It was more a sin of omission rather than commission. My sisters tease me enough about my quirks I wasn't willing to give them more fodder.

This weekend, my aunt started teasing her little sister, my mother, about her odd sleeping habits, such as covering any and all light sources before going to bed. This includes covering her electric toothbrush with a towel because the power button has a tiny green light shining from behind the translucent plastic covering.

My aunt said she and her cousin would wake up the next morning wondering why towels were strewn all of the hotel room, like over VCR's, her toothbrush, etc.

I stayed quiet. But Mom, I've got a confession. (Yes, another one.)

Here's my alarm clock:

(Please note the ear plugs. This is also very Janny Lou-esque.)

So yes, other than the toilet paper loading issue, I'm your clone.

Why my 4th of July was awesome

Geo-cashing with "Jill" (Dad's new GPS device)

Trying to decipher what we thought was a clue



Yep, I grew up in the Windy City!

I think they're quite pretty, actually

Making homemade ice cream, a must-have tradition! (Hand-cranked is the only way to go)

Shucking corn

The Grill Master making my favorite grilled food

Ty giving Great-Grandma Faye a magic show

"Which hand is in it?! Tada!"
(Grandma may not be as quick as she once was, but she caught on really quickly that Ty was doing "magic" and knew just how to react to please him the most...And sorry for the shaking, I think I was either laughing or trying to not fall over from the typical Suisun gale-force winds...)

Ty doing "magic" for grandma from Amanda on Vimeo.

Spot the Canadian

I love watching TV and movies and playing "Spot the Canadian".

I had a roommate from Alberta, the province that has the least noticeable accent in Canada, so I learned the little things that were different.

Tonight while watching "Reaper" the girl, Andi, says the word "badminton". Say that word quickly. How do you say it? "Bad mitten" is the way Americans say it. She pronounced the N and I shouted bingo, well, actually, "Canadian!"

My best friend is a fan of Japanese Anime so I've sat through several Japanese made cartoons that have been redubbed in English. Invariably, the voice actors are always Canadian. Have a listen some time. It's pretty funny.

So thanks, Christine, for giving me the tools to invent a fun game. And to Lok for having me sit through Anime and discover the fun of cheap voice over work.

(For some examples of non-obvious Canadian accents, listen to Bare Naked Ladies; Evangeline Lilly's normal voice, not her "Lost" character voice which has an affected American quality to it; Kristin Kreuk from "Smallville"; Megan Follows - that's kind of an obvious one, even in her more recent work; Caroline Rhea; Sebastian Bach of Gilmore Girls"; Chantal Kreviazuk the singer; Sarah McLachlan; and Alanis Morissette)

And I did liken them unto myself.

"...for I did liken all [comics] unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." ~1 Nephi 19:23 ...slightly edited by me


"I just dropped them!"

Sometimes I catch myself saying the same thing. I like to blame chance, entropy, or the idiot in the other car before accepting responsibility myself. Thank you, Bill Watterson, for reminding me.

Need a list of good books please!

Photo by Ejers

I need some recommendations for some good books. My family has a book club and we're drawing a blank for our next read. The first book we read was Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

Preferably the book will not contain any animal killing (such as found in Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc.), cowboy stories, or inspirational feel goodies like Chicken Soup for the Soul (I'm in an anti-chicken soup mood... can you tell???)

Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thanks!

25 cents buys a lot of happiness!

Driving home tonight I passed a little girl on the corner selling lemonade. I decided to make a U-turn and buy some. It was 25 cents for a small cup and 50 cents for a large cup. I got a small cup and gave her a 75 cent tip. It just made me feel great and grinny! I could totally remember trying to sell lemonade to earn my own money and be independent.

Ostensibly she was selling it to raise money for the Relay for Life Cancer cure walk. But even if she pocketed the money, it was still a dollar well spent.

Later I took Ty-guy for a walk to get some more "nemalade" as he calls it but she had already closed up shop by that time. He still got to swing at the park so he didn't mind.

Couldn't resist this one...

I love comics. And I am always championing animal shelters and rescues so I couldn't resist posting this one when I found it in my Sunday comics.

God doesn't open windows after he closes doors

I was thinking about my "Miracle of the lost cable" and have decided that I don't like the metaphor "When God shuts a door he opens a window."

In my limited life experience, I have really started to see that he often closes windows, but then always opens palatial palace gates thereafter.



Think about it carefully. Have you ever hoped for something that ended up not turning out? But then after that you ended up with something even better than you had been planning and hoping for? I suspect this happens more often than we recognize.

I have a strong testimony that, while we need to put effort into planning our lifes and reaching goals, we need to always be looking for what the Lord wants us to do.



I tell him, "Ok, Lord, I am going to do A then B, then that's when you're supposed to make C happen. Ok? Got it? Now get to work." And I inevitably get frustrated with how it turns out.

Now I say, "Ok Lord, I've thought a lot about it and I'm going to do A and B. If C is what you want to happen, then please make it happen and I will do my best to also make it happen. But if you have a better plan, let me know because I'm all ears and will do it! I'll be waiting for your call!" And then inevitably Z++++ happens and I am floored at how much better his plan is.

This is why the next dog I get will be a Lab

Don't worry, I'm not getting a dog any time soon. But I just love Labs and when I finally get my own dog, it will be a Lab rescue. And most likely it will be four years old or older. Labs are dumb as a brick until they're two and still definite puppies until they're four.

Here's a cute, cheesy little video that is a lot of the reasons why I love Labs.

I think we have a lot of the same personality traits:

• LOVES people
  
• LOVES kids
• LOVES games
• LOVES outdoors
• LOVES water
• LOVES to please
• High strung if not properly exercised, but mellow if this need is met
• Very easy keepers (they gulp down their food and then bloat easily if given too much food)
• very intelligent and LOVE to learn
• very gentle if properly trained
• we both shed hair
  

Labs don't really do anything half way in life, except maybe being a guard dog. They look big and scary, but then their goofy curiosity and attention seeking behaviors quickly shine through the sham of guard dog.

I'm a victim, Officer, not a witness!

Now I REALLY want a smelling nose dog!



After spending two hours in a lab this evening by myself, I called my professor to help me find a missing cable but when she arrived, she immediately called the fire department because she smelled natural gas fumes.



A police car and a fire truck later, it was discovered that someone had dumped hazardous chemicals in the trash can...in the room I was working in! (Stupid students not following the rules, most likely.)


It was a slightly humorous conversation when I explained to the police why I wasn't exactly a witness because I hadn't technically witnessed anything what with my missing sense. "No, Officer, I didn't notice anything was amiss!"

But this is one of those very few times when I really feel upset about my anosmia. Some idiot disposed of chemicals improperly and I could have been seriously hurt.

I'm fine, by the way. No runny nose, headache, or hallucinating, thankfully. I'm calling this one the miracle of the lost cable.

Reading backwards

Although Leonardo Da Vinci was a master at writing in mirror image, and I suspect this is a lefty talent, I can't write in mirror image. But I can read both backwards and in mirror image (or a combination of these) decently enough. (Remember this post?)




I recently read Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible which was fascinating. I loved the taste of the writing and I loved the story. One of the characters, Adah, has hemiplegia which causes her to be left handed and think of things with a very different perspective than most people. She is very interested in palindromes and often reads books forwards then backwards and finds a different, albeit interesting, story with each reading. Although she is mostly silent, she is alsoincredibly brilliant and creative. She even has an alter-ego, Ada, which is more in line with her preference for palindromes.

Ironically the author's name, Hannah, is a palindrome!

Again, while I can't (and don't) claim to be nearly as brilliant as Adah or Da Vinci, I do read some books backwards first. I don't usually analyze my reading habits consciously and so only recently discovered this.



With some books that are disturbing me or I need to know who to cheer for, I read them from the last page backwards through the last few chapters. Yes, I read page 300, then page 299, then page 298, and so forth. I usually start at the last paragraph on a page and work my way back up the page. (However, I always read the sentences in staunchly Roman fashion from left to right... I'm not quite as creative as Adah in that sense.)

I really wish this was the order in which English was read.

I recently tried to read the last chapter of a book by starting at the beginning of that chapter, but it really didn't make any sense. It makes more sense when I start from the last page and work backwards. Go figure. Blame it on my "sinister" preferences...

I don't do this with all books, and in fact I don't do it with most books. But there are some that I just need to know what the final outcome is before I invest days or weeks to fretting over it. Oddly enough, this has never ruined a book for me before. (I don't read the endings of mysteries or other books where the ending is supposed to be a puzzle that you slowly piece together and try to beat the characters or narrator to the conclusion.)




And now that I'm aware that I read books backwards, I see that I actually really enjoy the flavor it gives to a book. I wish I could describe it but I am at an utter loss. (We'll blame that on being a lefty, too.) Suffice it to say, it really adds to my reading experience and does not detract from it when I read some of the book backwards first, then read it from the beginning in the neurotypical fashion.

I've never been one of those people, though, that finds books or movies easily ruined by knowing the outcome of the plot. My best friend and I have a good understanding of this and routinely share endings of movies with each other so we can make informed decisions before spending time and money on entertainment that will not entertain. And many a book I have found out the ending of and still thoroughly enjoyed the experience.


So try it out, just once. See what alternate story you can find hidden within the backwards pages of a book. You might be surprised!

Want to join the ranks of the Anosmics?

Reminder: Anosmia means lack of the sense of smell.

So, if you'd like to become a fellow anosmic, just use Zicam nasal products!

According to the FDA Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs Kids' Size can cause a loss in the sense of smell.

And here's a little shout out to the severity of living with anosmia, an often overlooked disability:

""The loss of the sense of smell is potentially life-threatening and may be permanent," [Dr. Charles E.] Lee said. "People without the sense may not be able to detect dangerous situations such as gas leaks, something burning in the house, or if food is spoiled before eating it. It also has a life-limiting effect, and can affect the livelihood of people in occupations where the sense of smell or taste is a crucial component."

For the full article, see here.

A flower named Dave

Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) a.k.a. "Monkey Tails"

Ty and I went on a walk the other day on the path behind their house. Fountain grass is a popular plant in the neighborhood and Brian and Ashlynn named it "Monkey Tails" years ago, so the name has stuck. Ty saw some and excitedly pronounced, "Monkey Tails!" I told him good job and we continued on the way. (Hey, see why common names are always a crap shoot in plant identification? Binomial nomenclature rocks.)

An example of binomial nomenclature featuring our beloved Carolus Linnaeus.

Further on we saw some daisies so I asked him what the name of those plants were (he occasionally knows Daisy). I prompted him with, "Day..." And he stated matter-of-factly, "Dave." And continued walking. That just cracked me up. There was no hint of question in his voice (unlike poor Briggs who everything is a question with him, usually an unspoken question because he's too unsure of himself to ever get the words out.)

Santa Barbara Daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus)

Last night at Farmer's we were walking through the courtyard by the Gap and Barnes and Noble when Ty asked me, "Where's Periwinkle?" (He always likes to see the picture of my cat, Periwinkle, which I have on my cell phone.) I said, "He's at home." "No! Where's the real periwinkle?"

Periwinkle (Vinca major)

Smart kid! Months ago I had shown the kids a flower in the pots there that is called Periwinkle (which is what my cat is named after - one of my favorite ground covers). So I showed it to him and he was happy.

The "fake" Periwinkle, a.k.a. Pip short for Pipsqueak.

Blessings in the mailbox

Today I got a letter from my cats' vet. I did not look forward to opening it, because I recently missed an appointment and figured it was a bill for the missed appointment.

Boy was I wrong! It was an $83 check! Over a year ago they had double billed me and I caught the mistake, so they credited my account. I would have rather had the money back instead of the credit, but they said they couldn't do that.

But honestly, getting this check in the mail right now is a HUGE blessing. I was sick for a few weeks last month and wasn't able to work, so I have no money at the moment. (That and I'm still waiting for about $1,000 that Stanford owes me from last year...long story)

Amazing how the Lord provides for us when we most need it. Sure, you can look at it and say it was always my money from the beginning. But I'm choosing to look at it like I have been praying for help and the Lord answered my prayers. And let's face it, it's always a fun surprise to find money in the mail!

Ever noticed?

I seem to have plenty to blog about whenever I'm avoiding something. Sadly this time, I'm not really sure what it is I'm avoiding! So, sorry for the clusters of posts and then long, agonizing droughts between...ok, probably not so agonizing for all my 11 readers.

(Yeah, I was impressed by that large number, too! But that's what my poll says! Maybe people are just trolling the internet, lookin' for polls. You know itchy mouse-fingers are suckers for one-click polls just like looky-loo's are for train wrecks...)

Could it be a lefty thing?

The other day Briggs directed me toward the "green ball...I mean orange!" I was excited and floored at once. Maybe it's because he's a lefty, too?! Let me explain.

I have never met another person that confuses their colors, but I do this myself, consistently. I confuse the following colors:

Green with Orange

Blue with Yellow

Pink with Purple

I do it so often that I always pause for half a second before saying the color (unless I've already called that item that color once before - once I name something green out loud, I always call it correctly) And Ejers is so used to it that she usually silently translates me in her head and fixes my color mix-ups. So if I happen to say it correctly without hesitation, she thinks I've said it wrong.

I even have a baby blanket that I call "Blue Blankey" and it's almost entirely yellow. See, solid, historical proof that I'm mental.




I'm not color blind, I swear. And it's not an absent-minded thing, I routinely mix up the exact same color names. I've even mentioned this to a neuropsychologist and he just said, "Hmm...soy sauce..." Ok, not exactly that, but just as disinterested.

Blissfully lazy Saturday

I woke up ridiculously early Saturday morning (due to night terrors) but decided to make a good day of it anyway. I went for a jog around 7am and explored some really pretty parts of my neighborhood I'd never been down before. (Today I'm feeling a little sore but I actually enjoy the feeling of slightly sore work-out muscles...too bad I don't enjoy the workout itself!)


Then I enjoyed an Orange Julius I'd made, did a little laundry, changed the water in my fish tank, then settled down to make the rest of the day lazy and relaxed.

I listened to Inkheart by Corneliua Funke on audio book read by Lynn Redgrave. I have recommended this book to five people and they all have hated it. I love it. And listening to it, I'm falling in love with it all over again. It lends itself very well to being read aloud, probably because it's mostly about reading books aloud.



I don't normally follow audio books very well, but with the combination of the excellent voice actor and me just sitting, sewing Ping Pongs, I'm following it very well. I got through 1/3 of the book and finished 5 Ping Pongs: The Bad Guy, 2 Sheep, Sprite, and a Cat. I'll post pictures of the whole troop when I'm finished.

(I just noticed the Ping Pong from whence the name "Ping Pong" derived is missing in this photo I stole off the Web. Froggy is not in it!)

A very satisfying weekend.

Happiness is...

being woken up in the middle of the night by your cat hacking up a hairball...then trying to find said hairball somewhere in your room so you can clean it up.



Ummm, for the Sheldon's out there...I was being sarcastic.

Wht are IQ points?

Ashlynn asked me this last week heading to Farmer's Market. I kept trying to tell her it was a test score but she kept getting frustrated. She said, "No, they're bumps on your head. But what are they?!"

I was baffled and said, "Do you mean phrenology?" "What?!" was her only response.

Finally she said, "So-and-so got bumped on the head and said, 'I just lost 5 IQ points!'"

I explained to her that head-trauma can lower your intelligence but IQ points were just a test score to see how smart you were. That made sense to her finally.

I then stressed it was just a number and you could appear really smart or really dumb depending on what test you took. (I couldn't help myself...)

Then we discussed phrenology until Ty decided to attempt to get run over by a car and we had to chase after him.

This ones for the grandmas

Because honestly, you'd have to be a doting grandma to watch all 3 minutes of this video...But this was the first real phone conversation I ever saw him have, which made "Mana" happy.

I just love watching it to see how much he's changed in a year. He wasn't quite 2 in this video and it's funny that he kind of looks the same but talks SOOO differently. For a translation, see below. (Nana and I could hear each other, too, which is why I was prompting him and translating for her...)

Ty wants to call Mana from Amanda on Vimeo.

Ty talks to Mana on the phone from Amanda on Vimeo.

T: Look!

A: She can't see it

T: Look, Mana.

A: Put that down.

T: Mana, Yeah. Yeah.

A: Can you tell her you watered the garden?

T: I watered garden. Yeah.

A: Did you water the flowers?

T: I watered flowers Auntie, Mana.Watch Buzz Story (Toy story). Buzz Story!Monsinc (Monsters Inc.) Yeah...Boo...Boo funny.

A: Is Boo funny? What show is Boo on?

T: Mana, Boo funny. Boo funny.

A: Boo is from Monsters Inc., isn't she?

T: Monsainc (Monsters inc) I watch Buzz Story, Mana. Yeah. It was so Buzz Lightyear show!

A: Should we say Bye to Nana?

T: Bye to Mana. My Mana.

I think I'd like cooking a whole lot more if...

If I didn't have to do the dishes afterwards!

I've had a stronger inclination lately to cook more than just pasta. And then I walk into the kitchen and think, um, on second thought? Nope!

You say tomato...

My brother-in-law sent me this image. It cracks me up. Because it's so true!

I don't get it

I must confess that I don't understand the point of verses or quotes at the beginning of book chapters. I'm not against them, I just don't understand them. And I never really see how they connect to the following chapter. Are they supposed to set the mood? Give you a hint where things are going? I read them, and then re-read them after I've read the chapter and I'm still in the dark.

Perhaps this is tangentially connected to the fact that I also don't "get" poetry. Again, I have nothing against it, I just really don't understand it. I always have to call Ej for homework help whenever poetry is involved, and she's really good at that sort of thing.

You'd think that with all the reading I do I'd be able to feel a connection and understand poetry and pre-chapter verse more, but I confess it's all Greek to me.


Which is actually funny because I do understand some Greek words (thanks entirely to etymology and botanical names...definitely no conversational Greek!). So let's say it's all Chinese to me, because I don't think I even know how to count in Chinese.

FHE Physics

Tonight for FHE (Family Home Evening) my nerd flag flew a little too high.

For one game we tried to see how many people we could fit in the center of a circle and how few people on the outside holding hands could make up that circle. Several people were still confused when I heard myself blurt out, "It's like the surface area to volume ratio!" I got several "oh!"s and people seemed to understand after that.

Then we played Red Rover (I'd forgotten how painful that game is!) Some one explained a technique for not letting the barrier break and again I said, "Oh! It's like Newton's Second Law! Increase the time of impact and decrease the force!" I got a few blank stares on that one...

I've given up trying to be normal, I guess...

A snag in preparedness planning

I think about this a lot...

The WordDork is not a sesquipedalian!

This is a word that a lot of people like to throw around (well, this and the word "antidisestablishmentarianism", which I really doubt they actually know what it means).

And while I love to use words, I'm not a sesquipedalian. I like to use the right words for the right occasion, whether they be big or small.

I always snicker when people say, "You use such big words!"

Here's a few "big" words for you that people might accuse me of using:

• ken
• vie
  
• ail
• apt
• bane
• cay
• din
• don
• eke
• ere
• vet
• fug
• hie
• hue
• irk
• quay
• lax
• lee
• mar
• maw
• nil
• ode
• opt
• rue
• vex
• wan
• wry
• yon
  

So don't go confusing "big" with "complex" or "advanced". And I really can't stand people who like to call themselves sesquipedalians because it makes them feel smart. (This post really isn't directed at my readers - all 5 of you - just people who I've come across in my lifetime...)

The Wii told me!

Apparently the Wii told Briggs he was underweight. I'm not entirely sure what game they were playing, but whatever it was, the Wii was right.

However, I find it a little freaky that a video game is dispensing lifestyle advice to a five year old.

It kind of reminds me of that weird movie "The Last Mimsy". I don't know if you've seen it, but I found it completely creepy. This little stuffed animal keeps telling this little girl to do things, things that often turn out dangerously. I kept waiting for this ostensibly innocent kids movie to turn into some evil horror film. It never did, but it still left me with the heeby jeebies.

But hey, if the Wii has convinced Briggs he needs to eat more at dinner (something his parents, siblings, grandparents, and aunts haven't yet succeeded at) then great. All hail the Wii...

The magic of writing

(Yep, it's another long one, folks.)

Do you have secret (or not so secret) aspiration of becoming a published author? Please answer my poll.

On every author's blog or website I've ever been to, there is always a Frequently Asked Question wanting advice on how to become an author. And I've observe that almost everyone seems to be harboring a secret desire to someday write. Write what? That depends on who you talk to...a movie script, a novel, a memoir, a how-to book, anything.

I assume this preponderance of aspiring writers is due to the happy fact that many people enjoy reading and thus would like to experience the magic of words from the other side of the door. But many people also enjoy art. But seldom do you see people aspiring, quite ardently I might add, to be the next Monet or Picasso.



And I think it really comes down to one word that I've already mentioned: Magic.

Think of Hamlet riding back on a boat with his seeming friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Until he read a secret missive from his uncle ordering his two companions to kill Hamlet, he believed they were to be trusted. But because he knew how to read and write, he was able to modify the death sentence to read that R & G were to be killed, not Hamlet himself. (He ended up dying anyway, but that's beside the point...) When Hamlet appeared alive in the court of his uncle, it may have seemed to be a kind of magical power that had delivered him from danger.


Historically, Runes have been a branch of magic and mysticism. Many sources believe the runic alphabet simply started out as a means of communication, just like our alphabet and writing system today. But so few people had the knowledge of how to write that those who did posses this skill were revered as powerful. And probably quite feared, also.

So just as we all are closet pyromaniacs, secretly in awe of fire and the power one holds who controls said fire, we all inherently understand the magic and power that comes from being able to write.

How lucky we are to be raised in a society where it is the norm to be literate. Certainly many people are terrible spellers, many people can't clearly and concisely get their point across in a professional letter, and fewer numbers each year are feasting on the words from good books. But the majority of our population can read words such as "Danger" and "Poison" or can scrawl a note and have it sent miles away, even millions of miles away, and have that idea clearly understood by the recipient.

So to all secretly harboring aspirations of becoming an author, I say

WRITE!

And never stop writing! It is only by practice that we improve. And no matter how poorly written down your ideas are, imagine how poorly understood your unspoken thoughts will be to your family after you have passed from this life.



(Incidentally, I found this quote hilarious as I never can remember an exact quote, only the feelings the idea has left me with..."Misquotation is, in fact, the pride and privilege of the learned. A widely- read man never quotes accurately, for the rather obvious reason that he has read too widely." —Hesketh Pearson)

So you won't forget me!

I was doing some mucking out the other day and noticed something on my shelf that in no way was going to get thrown out.

A year or so ago I went to visit my sister's family in San Jose for a weekend. My favorite dimpled boy, Gehrig, excitedly gave me a flag holder he had made at a Father/Son activity. When he handed it to me, he said, "Here, Auntie! This is for you - so you won't forget me!"

It was so sweet but it kind of broke my heart that he thought I could ever forget about him. Every Christmas when I see him, I hold him in my arms (even though he's 7 and almost too cool for that) and tell him the story about the day he was born. I tell him how I held him and kissed his little nose because it was just such a cute little beak - and he still has the most kissable little beak!



So G-man, I will NEVER forget about you, even though I don't get to see you that often!

Oh, and summer's coming so I'm looking forward to having you come visit for a special date!

If I were a rich and not famous author...

I've always wanted to be a best-selling author under a pen name, so in my real life, no one knows who I am. This way, I get the joy of having millions of people enjoy my books, and possibly the money that comes from that, but also the peace and quiet that comes from anonymity.

But anyway, if I were that rich and not famous author, I would be a complete night owl. Why? I do my best writing between 1am and 3am in the morning. I have no idea why this is so, but anytime I try to write and it's not the wee sma's of the morning, it all just comes out wooden.

I don't really mind because I love the middle of the night. It's the only time when no one in the world will bother you. Too bad I'm afraid of the dark, though.
Even as a kid I loved the middle of the night when no one would knock on my door and require something of me. Guess this night-owlishness is a phase that will never pass.

Book idea for autism education

I was sitting in Sacrament meeting this afternoon when it occurred to me that authors could use young adult novels as a way to teach social skills to autistic children.

Normal books, with normal story lines, but added into the narrative would be some more explicit explanation as to what motivated each character, what the socially acceptable reaction would be, etc. A much cheaper alternative than one on one time with a specially trained therapist!

I used to say to my therapist, "Why do people do that? That's stupid!" Then my therapist always had to remind me, "It's just how adults play." And as Leonard and Penny always have to tell Sheldon, "It's a non-negotiable social custom!"




As I have aspirations of authorship, I would consider even writing one myself...except that I have no clue what is socially acceptable. And I have the psychology evaluation to prove it!

The Mustache Collection

This afternoon at Kate's house, Ty was pulling out the Value Tales books. He would pull one out at a time, look at the cover and say, "Oh, dis is da (whatever) collection." I don't know where he associated the word "collection" with book titles, but in a family that loves series of books, it's not that far of a stretch.

When he pulled out The Value of Dedication: The Story of Albert Schweitzer he said, "Oh, dis is da mustache collection."

If Ashlynn had been in the room, she probably would have said, "What?! Where! I gotta see that! I just looooove men with facial hair!

Brevity remix

As a writing exercise, I have attempted to make my previous post more concise. You tell me which one you prefer...

For a few hours after blow-drying my hair, I have very frizzy, poufy "Hermione head". Then it calms down and does what it's supposed to for a few days after that. This is normally fine since I shower at night but on those occasions that I need to wash my hair before an event, I'm stuck with poufy, stick-your-finger-in-a-light-socket hair.

So I've discovered my own hat trick - I wear a hat for about 30 minutes and it calms right down! The body is preserved but the frizz is gone. Viola!

Hmmm, still kinda long and detailed...must work on that...

My own hat trick

I have no idea what a real hat trick is, but I've discovered my own version. For a few hours after blow drying my hair, it's pretty poufy and frizzy. But then it calms down and gives me a good few days afterward, so I never put extra gunk in it. (Yes, I only wash my hair every four or so days...but I shower more often...)

Normally I wash my hair at night so it's fine by the next morning when it's expected to put on a good show (thanks Mom and Dad for the good hair genes you passed on to all three of us!). But when I wash it just before an evening event, I have a problem. Frizzy, poufy Hermione hair.

But I figured something out that calms it down quickly but doesn't over-gunk it. I wear a hat for about 30 minutes! And then my hair is the perfect combination of body but no frizz! I pulled this one tonight on my way to a conference and it worked like a charm! You should try it!

And #2 must-have for depression

2) A rock-solid, no-questions-asked best friend.

I got lucky and ran into my best friend on a ramp in 7th grade and we've been there for each other ever since. To prove what a great friend she is, I want to quote a few things I hear from her often:

• "What?! Who said that?! I want names! I'm going to beat them up for you!"
• "Of course you're right! That other person is just an idiot."
• "I'm so impressed with you!"

Lokien always has my back, no matter how wrong I am. And to be really corny, I feel like I'm a better person because I'm friends with her.

I really admire her spontaneity and the way she isn't afraid to pursue things in life that make her happy. She recently drove 5 hours one way to go to a book signing of one of her favorite authors. And then drove the 5 hours back home in the same day because she had to be at work the next day.

But then she can also be solidly responsible, too. Even if she's up till 4am having fun and playing Phase 10, she still gets up at 6am to make a gourmet breakfast for an inn full of guests if that's what she said she would do.

And best of all, she loves me. (And it's nice that she married a guy who puts up with me, too.)

So, if you have depression, get a best friend who has stuck by your side for 16 years and still likes you enough to continue being friends with you. It's awesome.

Thanks Molybdenum! And here's to many good years, good books, and a bookstore full of cats and cooky hats ahead!

Two must-haves for people with depression

Yep, another kitty post!

1) A live pet

If you suffer from any form of depression, you must have a pet. It must be alive, and preferably have fur. (Ok, the fur part is just my opinion, but the pet part is scientific fact.)

Every time I look down at my cats, whether one is sitting in my lap or just walking through the room, I suddenly feel happy. This feeling may not last all day, but it's about the now that's important.

And the odd thing is there is nothing annoying about my cats (to me at least). Sure, cleaning their cat box ain't fun, but it's not really that big of a hassle, no more than a minute's work each day. (Anosmia is probably a great asset in this department.)

And I think that since I picked both of them out with a lot of prayer involved, I ended up with two pets that perfectly fit my needs.

#2...to be continued (I know you don't want to read a super long post...)

Isn't it ironic?

Does anyone else find it ticklishly funny that an acronym is six whole syllables longer than the phrase it abbreviates? You do the math. (Ok, I'll do it for you.)

WWW = World Wide Web

Duh-ble-you x 3 = 9 syllables

World Wide Web = 3 syllables

I love English. And words that rhyme with Orange.

I highly recommend kitty yoga

One evening, my aunt guilted me, the Doubting Thomas of all things "new age", into doing a session of yoga with her. I reluctantly complied but instantly became a firm convert after I became so relaxed during the session that I fell asleep...right in the middle of a family argument.



I love this CD because it is very low-key yoga but it still provides me opportunity to relax, breath, and stretch. I rarely make time to do the entire 45 minute routine but I have started doing the opening meditation and 10 minute warm-up before bedtime. It really helps me lessen bed-time tenseness and headaches. And it gets me calmed down enough that I can actually fall asleep.




It gets tricky, however, when you have a "little" grey cat that wants to introduce a new yoga position: pet the kitty. It actually works for the meditation because I find his fur so relaxing that I have used it as a grounding exercise in therapy before. So it works. But I still haven't found a way to perform the other positions with him included. He just lays there, snoring with his kitty sleep apnea. (Do skinny cats snore?)

I love Aveeno products!

14 years ago I got poison oak and spent three weeks soaking in a tub of Aveeno Oatmeal bath. It was the only thing that seemed to sooth the out-of-control rash. Since then I've kind of been fiercely loyal to Aveeno. And every new product they come out with I jump at the chance to try.

Ejers called me recently and excitedly announced Aveeno now has shampoos and conditioners! Wahoo! My scalp has been waiting for that news for too many years! (I'm allergic to most shampoos and conditioners. Yay me.)Their products aren't the cheapest on the market, but they're also not the most expensive (ie: ~$8 for a 10oz. bottle of shampoo compared to the $16 10 oz. bottle of Matrix shampoo I've been using). And when it comes to my skin and comfort, I'm willing to splurge on something I know works so well. You try living with constantly itchy skin.

So what Aveeno products do I use? Me, with such sensitive skin I break out in a rash just by touching grass or intercepting a stray squirt of Windex?

• Aveeno Ultra-Calming foaming facial cleanser
• Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer, SPF-15 (I burn easily and yet am allergic to most sunblocks)
• Aveeno Fragrance Free Skin Relieving Body Wash
• Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion (Only stuff I can stand the texture of that has adequate moisture. I get it pretty cheap at Costco)
• Aveeno 1% Hydrocortizone Anti-Itch cream
• Aveeno Anti-Itch Concentrated Lotion (Great for when I've been rolling around in the grass with the kids and start to itch)
  
• Aveeno Ultra Calming Shave Gel
• Aveeno Skin Relief Bath Treatment
• Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Lotion for Face - SPF 70 (Wonderful! Doesn't clog pores!)
• Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Lotion - SPF 55

You may think I'm being hyperbolous but I really use each and every one of these products on a regular basis. The only product of theirs I haven't really converted to is their chapstick. I can buy Chapstick brand for so much cheaper and I really like it. So I'm sticking with Chapstick Mint for now. If only Aveeno would come up with a deodorant I would be so happy! (I'm tired of getting a rash in my armpits...then sweating...painful!)

So check out their website and get a free sample or coupon!

They have products for all ages, from baby stuff to age-minimizing lotions. They also have acne treatments and fake tanners. Oh, rainbows and butterflies!

Lose yourself in service

"And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." ~Matthew 20:27,28

I came across this scripture tonight and it spoke to me. I feel the Lord was telling me that to get over my stress, anxiety, and depression I need to focus on serving others.

I don't think this will "cure" me of my mental health issues, but it will be a way to survive them. Now how to serve in a balanced manner. I tend to only focus on others and let my own life go, or only focus on myself...and still let my own life go. Funny how that works. So I'm hoping to learn how to focus on others and just take care of my own concerns in the background without pinning too much anxiety to them.

I'll have to remind myself to not expect perfection and to keep an eye out for the tiny progress I make.

Welcome home!

For once a photo I didn't pirate off the internet.

This weekend I rented the first season of the TV series "Northern Exposure." I think as a kid I must have seen a few episodes because I can still hear Maggie shouting, "Fleishman!". (I caught a lot of after-bed time shows because of insomnia. I enjoyed being curled up on the couch with Mom, not really understanding what was going on on TV. Actually, my cat Vincent was named after one of these late night shows.)

Then in my late teen years I lived in Cle Elum, Washington for a few years. I caught a "Northern Exposure" rerun on cable, the one where Ed makes a movie of Cicely. Holy cow! It was like coming home! I knew the show had been filmed in the hovel town of Roslyn, which starts where Cle Elum's 2nd street ends. But it was weird seeing home on national television.

Enlarge this one...I sometimes almost miss that beautiful, dry snow that fell in puff balls the size of your fist

So here I am, watching a show I'd known well before I even knew there was a state named Washington, and mashing that together with, "Oh my gosh! That's The Brick! And that's Lake Keechelus! And that's my movie theater! And that's the street my high school was on!" It really is an odd juxtaposition.

Mount Stuart - a poor photo of my favorite mountain

And those mountains Fleishman sees on his first morning after arriving in "Cicely"? Yes, they're every bit as breathtaking as they appear in the show. One of my biggest regrets after moving from Washington was not catching a good photo of Mt. Stuart with a full cap of snow, shining gloriously in the sun just as you round the bend near Indian John Hill.

And no, I never saw a moose, but I did walk out onto our porch one evening to find myself surrounded by about 20 head of elk grazing on our lawn, an arms length from the door.

A conversation with Vincent

Grandpa Dick with Whiskers, 1987

The following is an actual conversation I had with one of my cats tonight.

Let me set the scene: I'm in bed reading with Pip curled up next to me, craning to see the book he's half lying on. Vincent hops up to the foot of the bed and the following conversation ensues...

Vincent: Um, meowr.
Me: No, I'm not moving my feet.
Vincent: Meowr.
Me: No. You're the cat, I'm the human.
Vincent: Meowr.
Me: Ok, fine. (Moving my legs so he can lay down)
Vincent: meow.
Me: Yes, I am aware that a queen sized bed would be preferable in this situation but unless you've got some money saved up somewhere in that fur of yours, à la Marge Simpson, then keep your thoughts to yourself.
Vincent: Meowr.
Me: Yes, I love you too. Pip, can I turn the page now?

Attempt to be frugal

I've decided I'm going to try to make my own bread for a couple weeks to save money. I have at least two servings of bread daily so I go through a lot of bread, muffins, and bagels. I also have no money (being a college student and all) and this quarter I've done surprisingly well eating from my cupboards instead of shopping.

Eating solely from my cupboards, freezer, and fridge has been easy because I have a habit of buying too much food so I've got a good stockpile. (I've finally accepted the fact that I do engage in retail therapy...I just don't buy clothes, I buy grocery items, office supplies, and garden supplies...) I've had beans, soups, pastas, fruit, vegetables, all sorts of good food.

And while the jury is still out* whether me making bread saves me money or not in the long run, I've got all the flour, yeast, oatmeal, butter, and other ingredients I'll need for at least several loaves of bread. So I might as well use it up during my lean times than buy store-made bread. Plus it might have fewer preservatives since I'm making it myself.

Oh, and I'm making it all with my bread machine, so it's as easy as dumping in the ingredients and walking away from it. I don't have time to repeatedly knead bread...time is money.

*I say I'm not sure if making my own bread saves me money because of the way I make it. I'm sure other people could be efficient with their money and ingredients, I just don't know if I am. You have to buy almost as many groceries to feed one person as you do to feed two. It's expensive shopping for one!

Two cats are WAAAY better than one

Several months after adopting my first cat, Vincent, I came across an opportunity to add a second cat to our family. It might have appeared to be a sudden, "Oh! Cute Kitty! I want!" but I actually had been thinking about it for quite a while. So when I met Periwinkle, everything fell into place and I knew it was the right decision.

I brought him home and after three days of Vincent being terrified of the new kitten (even thought Vincent was 5 times larger than it) he decided this new kitty was a great idea and they have been very close ever since.

A couple months after adopting Periwinkle, he accidentally shut himself in my bedroom while I was at work. This effectively separated him and Vincent all day long. When I came home, I found that Vincent had completely shredded all the plastic off of a new pack of toilet paper and destroyed two of the rolls that had been in the pack.




I had forgotten how Vincent used lie in wait for me to walk around the corner and how he always was dive-bombing my legs and ankles. All that stopped when I got Periwinkle (thankfully) but his affection for me never lessened, so I lost most of the bad and none of the good!

Reading this cartoon made me laugh because in a way it's true. I suspect my cats are totally domesticated wussies but I'm not about to give them the chance to "prove" themselves on the mean and dirty outside world of Feline Leukemia and expensive vet repair bills.

Pip chasing Vincent's tail from Amanda on Vimeo.

(1 week after bringing Pip home)

But I do feel happy that their predatory needs are met by each other. It always make me happy when I see either of them crouched behind a corner, wiggling their little rumps getting ready to pounce.

So my advice is, if you're having behavior problems, might I suggest getting a second cat? It sure worked for me!