Silly Things

Felt like I should post this:


Made me giggle uncontrollably for hours. It really is the little things. That's what made my day, how was yours?

A Retro Review: Digital Fortress

I know lots of people are Dan Brown fans. My mother is one of those people. I have a nook and lots of time, right now, so I figured I would give it a try. Sort of one of those "Mom reads these books and she doesn't read a whole lot, so it should be okay, right?" Plus, I wanted to read his few books in order (not succession, that is far too large for Mr. Brown) which took me to his first: Digital Fortress.

Published in 1998, Dan Brown's first novel takes place in Seville, Spain and in DC at the NSA's headquarters. The two main characters, Susan Fletcher and David Becker, are working two sides of a problem that include computer algorithms and encoded rings. The story starts simply enough: Becker, a linguist, gets called to pick up a passkey from someone in Spain. Meanwhile, Fletcher does what she does best and attempts to break a code that has the NSA's main computer - TRANSLTR - stuck in an endless loop typical of a virus. Why no one had checked the encryption key it was processing for mutation strings sooner is beyond me, but that is the way the story rolls.

Anyway... there are car/bus/Vespa chases, a fight, murders left and right, a hit man, and a Catholic church in this book. Of course, our hero tag team saves the day, the second in command goes crazy and stuff, everything fits at the last second.... blah blah.

Personally, I couldn't get into this book. It should not have taken me this long to read the almost 300 pages of ridiculously simplistic text. The fact that they are all supposed to be the best in the country at what they do leads me to question where they are recruiting from. I have never see this level of conversation for the degree of scholastic achievement they have. Not to say that people from a certain scholarly level are held to a higher standard than most. Not at all. I just expect them to be able to communicate to each other in a more proficient way. The conversations on Dawson's Creek were far more intellectually stimulating. Also, weak plot twists and super predictability left me a bit saddened. I have read teen books with more umph. Fear Street, anyone?

I was hoping to get something out of this and was left looking at a last page wondering if that was the rough draft.

Sadly, I will continue to read his books and hope that this was just a bad first book. I look forward to my next book: Angels and Demons. I hear it's pretty good!

Some Music: Jeff Buckley

I am a pretty big fan. His music makes me happy and sad and frustrated and that whole big gambit of emotions only real artists can make you feel and something I work on a LOT. He died in 1997 in a drowning accident when he was only 31 years old. You can find out more about this amazing musician here.

This particular song speaks volumes to me. It's called "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" and is one I have never played out but play for myself a lot. It's too sad for me. There is a line that gets me every time : It's never over, a kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder. I love good songwriters. The lyrics follow the fold.

An Attempt at Pattern Interruption

bumble bee on a sunflower

I am finding harder and harder to breathe at the moment, so I am attempting to interrupt myself. Apparently my train of logic right now is completely distorted. I don't feel like it is, but it must be because I am in a highly elevated state of emotion and am feeling frenzied. Since I am attempting to change what I have been thinking about, I am going to post pretty pictures of flowers. Flowers with bugs and the like.

Every morning when I get to the place I am getting treatment (and some learnin'!), I wander the gardens and take pictures of the lovely plants. Sometimes I just sit and watch the bugs buzz around, the plants sway in the breeze, the way the sunlight bounces off the leaves....


Here's to hoping it helps.

bug on milkweed

pretty blue

yum yum pepper

these have been eaten

just what it sounds like

hiding amongst the veggies

 

More Happiness Out of Doors

Yesterday , I was fortunate enough to get to do an outing. I was invited to go with a group to aid in making an archway at the entrance of a nature preserve. The Blue Heron Nature Preserve, to be exact. This was just the sort of outing I needed. A bit of exercise, some fresh air, wildlife, sunshine, and running water made for a more mentally relaxing day. A contrast to today. The post needs no more words. Here are a few pictures.

Invasive Ivy I spent most of the morning yanking out

Really big ants!

People staring at the Wisteria vines we used.

Nancy Creek

Lunch by the water.

A Tiny Bit of Serenity

Drizzly garden fun.

This day was not an easy one. A bit emotionally taxing, if you will. Decidedly so. One of the nicer parts of being here, however, are the cute little tiny gardens everywhere. This is the organic vegetable garden. I didn't get shots of the goodies in the garden, but will soon.

I was wandering around trying to quiet my head and am so glad I did. This has all been really hard but fruitful, but... well, hard. The green spaces make it for me, though. A lot. Knowing that I can always find a bench or seat somewhere amidst the buzzing bees, butterflies, and humming birds while surrounded by plants and flowers is so important to me. I value outdoor spaces. I need to feel connected and rooted in that way. It feels very right. It may not be a cure all by any means, but does it ever help! Just the little bit of reprise I get from the people and walls are so beneficial to me.

Where do you find your serenity?

Where I'd Rather Be...

What's that there?

Today is one of those days. Started out with a scare and finished up with an, "OMG I'M STUCK!!!!!!" I just for a second felt like I wasn't going anywhere. I had to sit back and relax and remind myself that even though I would rather be on the beach and even though I feel at this very moment like I am going nowhere fast, it is all a lie. I have gotten lots of places fast. I am just at a rest stop.

Another beach???

 Maybe today I am agitated at certain things. Yes I would rather be on a beach playing guitar, napping, eating, snorkeling, or some mixture of the above. Am I though? No. I do not own or work at a beach shop/bar/location. I work at a desk, now. That was my choice to make. At the time, it felt smart. It was painful, but felt smart. Would I rather be doing my art again? Absolutely. Realistically, though, we are about to go into off season. No sense in me getting all adventurous now. I have a good job with a good wage and I live in paradise.

Jellyfishing!!!!

Maybe this is just a small stop. Maybe I need a long break. Who knows? Maybe I will end up with a beach shack selling fancy sandwiches and hand painted goodies and renting out snorkel gear. All I know is sometimes you just need a reminder of how good you actually have it. Do I get to see the pretty sea critters and turquoise waters the way I want to everyday? No. But the water is visible from the roads and the views make up for it. I guess, right now, it's not soooo bad. :)

How do you keep sane in your environment?

Things You Need but Didn't KNOW You Needed

OMG FINGER LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!


Apparently I really have been living under the rock I am supposed to be living on... hmph! Anyway, I didn't think I needed these until I saw the link below. It was all clear at that moment: they really are perfect for night blogging. Or night digging for cellphones in cars. Or night gaming. Or playing piano in the dark. Yes.

The possibilities are so boundless. I am so excited to have stumbled across something that made me giggle so much today. I needed a good laugh. 

What's something funny you want that is practical in an impractical way?

Stuck in my HEAD!!!!

This song has been stuck in my head all day. I don't even know where I heard it or how! I had to Google the lyrics just to figure out the darn name of the song and now it is stuck. Badly. Like a splinter in my eardrum or a worm that is winding its way through my cochlea. Horrid. It won't stop and it won't go away. I think I really like this song. How did I not know it existed?

Almost Smart

I can't help but eavesdrop on people's conversations. Since I was a kid I have been unable to block out background noises and conversations. I can have a conversation with you and still know exactly what three of the four other tables around us are talking about. I hate it. Believe me when I say I have blushed horribly at some of the vivid imagery that comes to mind when I am talking about potatoes but the person behind me is talking about something far more naughty.

This has made me really fascinated with topics of conversation. I especially enjoy topics that upon first encroachment sound really intelligent, but end up painfully almost smart. What I mean by this is it is obvious that the person may have read a book pertaining to this topic the odd 15 years ago or may have seen something on some historical documentary a few weeks ago, but the information seems somehow off and the names are just a bit confused and the vocabulary is just out of reach and you end up with very wrong words in very wrong places. Words like "argumentated" come out in conversations like this. Things like Copernicus become Capricornius in said conversations. "Irregardless" is commonly used in such conversations.

I know it sounds like it should be a headache, but it's not. It gives me hope.

FIG 1. I'm pretty sure this monkey may think I am almost smart, too.

Why? Well, these conversations about heliocentrism and New World discovery and existentialism show me that even though people believe you have to have certain grades, an IQ above crazy points, a degree or whatnot, the fact of the matter is even these misguided people WANT to have intelligent conversation. It shows that they WANT to learn and feign scholarly some of the time. Heck! I feign it most of the time! I would rather hear misinformed people at least attempting to have intellectual conversation then limiting themselves to the latest celebrity gossip or grunts of approval or whatever.

At the end of it, the more you push yourself to learn, the more you talk about those same topics, the stronger the synapses in your brain get. This is where you really begin to absorb information and realize how very little you know. Once that self-actualization moment sets in, the REAL learning begins. Everyday I try to learn something new. I enjoy it. I can't imagine not learning a little. I am an eternal student and I intend to keep it that way.

These conversations actually occasionally pull back memories of things I hadn't thought of in ages and force me to refresh myself. They do give me hope and remind me that I, too, am almost smart.

 

Fast Forward

Sometimes things go horribly wrong. Really. Just plain bad. At certain times I feel like I just want to skip ahead to the good stuff. A few people in my life are having a rough time of it and it is unintentionally affecting me as well. I wish I knew with certainty that it will all get better, but I don't. What I do know is that I will continue to support in any way possible. It is all I can and will do. Even if we did skip ahead to the fancy job and the stable relationship, what good would it really do? Part of being wounded is the scar tissue that builds. A little tougher than normal, more resilient. I think this "toughness" is worth it. While I would love everything to be fun and sunny for all, the reality is we need those tough times to appreciate the good times more. It helps keep things in perspective.

I can't save everyone (even though I try at my own expense quite a bit) but I can help them see that even though it seems hopeless, a lot of that emotion is emanating from you. As hokey and superficial as it sounds, we truly are our own worst enemies and if I can help someone else realize that, it was worth it. I just want everyone to be happy. The anger and bitterness is unnecessary. I saw a really good post on Facebook the other day. "Life isn't like a box of chocolates, it is more like a single coin: you only get one, so spend it wisely." Too true!

In the words of the Dalai Lama, "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

What keeps you grounded?

Downtime...

I shouldn't really be blogging right now since I have things I could be painting, but It's so nice and breezy today that I am enjoying sitting in front on my computer enjoy the view from my window. Taking a little downtime away from my work isn't too bad. It is just so hard to get motivated when it's so pretty out. I enjoy looking out over the harbor an reading on my porch. It's one of my favorite downtime activities.

Do you get easily distracted? What's your biggest distraction? How do you spend your downtime?