A Twist of Things to Come

As hokey as it sounds, I made a decision yesterday to put some effort into positivity. As hokey as it sounds, it really turned my day around, and I went to bed happy, looking forward to getting up and doing stuff. That's really something, because yesterday (and circumstances haven't changed) I was very concerned about yourprecious. I'm still concerned, of course, but hopeful that there will be good news, and very glad she has such a nice fella to help her out when things are tough. It's nothing but shift in perspective, but I'll take it. :)

The new article on GC shares my current optimism. The Egalitarian Genius of Free Video Hosting is basically celebrating the really cool stuff you can see on YouTube and sites like it. Sure, there is a lot of crap out there, but there is also a lot of really cool and/or fun stuff out there, made by really talented people who give it away for free. And that is awesome, isn't it?

Check out some of the videos linked in the article -- they're all fun and exceptional in their own way.

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The weekend is shaping up to be busy. We have Boo at the Zoo tomorrow evening, then the Save Our Cemeteries gala on Saturday (looking forward to seeing the historic cemetery where they're having the party -- haven't been on a cemetery tour yet). I'm a bit nervous about the social event that comes after that one, though. It's for Scene Magazine (a local film industry publication, and client of the hubby's company) and they said there will be 'high profile' guests. The only thing I'm certain of is that it isn't us. Heh.

I'm torn about what to wear, but I suppose I'll sort it. It's just funny to me. There was a time when we lived in Atlanta when our family income was much higher, but we rarely got invited to cool parties. Political parties, bridal showers, bachelor parties, but very seldom events. Guess it's time to dust off the charm school certificate and see what I still remember. *snerk*

I got up early(ish) and went for a brisk walk. (I may be working up to a daily run, but I'm not there yet.) Then I planted some marigolds around my mailbox and generally cleaned up the bed, re-arranged the circle of river stones around it and pulled up some of the monkey grass where it had spread beyond the stone border. I'm going to use it to make a border for my other beds, and I have a bunch more to pull up from elsewhere, too.

Then I bagged the debris and a bunch of scattered pine cones and weeds that had sprouted up while I was out of town.

Went inside and made myself a strawberry/banana smoothie, scrubbed the stove, vacuumed, and made blueberry muffins for the kiddies. The smoothie was so pretty, I took a picture of it before I drank it. Once I had the camera out, I decided to take a picture or three of Bitey's headstone, and plant the cherry beside her grave. *sigh*

On the way back in I noticed the screens she had shredded (and we had not replaced, knowing she'd shred new ones), so I took the screens and stowed them in the garage until trash day, and got a broom to sweep the cobwebs off the window frames and the back of the house. Then I swept. put the order form for a roll of stamps in my mailbox.

By then it was 10 am. O_O

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There's a great new article by jedi_diplomat up at GeekaChicas called How to Buy like a Geek.

I have to say that Jax never ceases to inspire me. I used to be one of those people who said, "I'm no good with technology" and left it at that, but that is not the case anymore. I know my limits -- there's a lot I don't know -- but instead of just giving up or asking someone else to do something, now I give it a go myself first. I learn. I try and try again, sometimes I fail again, but I fail better. Progress!

That's an awesome feeling.

Sort of, I guess, but not really. Let me 'splain. No, let me sum up.

I've always said that I consider it a personal rule to respect other people's deeply-held beliefs (with the possible exception of Scientology, 'cause they're just WACK. Ha, ha).

I've decided to remove the Scientology caveat. I still think they're wack. I still think Scientology is a fanciful explanation for observable behaviors with no observable connection to truth in any form. I still think it probably started as an open-eyed, cynical attempt to separate people from their money. Of course, the same could be said of other religions I'm sure -- it's just that the older they are the less obvious it is. Plus, money is not always the motive. Sometimes it is power or sex.

I think most often, especially with the older religions, the root is something more sublime. Someone found enlightenment and tried their best to show others the way. Words are imperfect, and sometimes their meaning is lost. Things become codified and enforced, sometimes with violence, when those codes are threatened by new ideas. The new ideas themselves might not have been that far from the original intent of scriptures or whatever, but of course we mostly don't know and have no way of knowing for sure.

All I'm saying is that some people may in fact be able to actualize through Scientology, and more power to them if they do, It's an amazing thing when a person begins to express even of portion of their true inner potential, and who am I to say they aren't doing it right?

I still think the institution itself is probably evil, but I think that of most religious institutions. Anytime you get more than 50 people to agree to something, you have potential for evil or good, but it's just so darn easy to let ego take over.

So, Scientology? Still not a fan. (<-- understatement). Scientologists? Have as much right to think whatever they ant as anybody else. I'm not against speaking out against the institution, but I will probably not make any more references to Katie Holmes "riding the crazy train" or whatever. I've got enough to sort out in my own back yard - let other people's struggles be their struggles. Let me help when I can, but if I can't help, I will endeavor to STFU.

Sorry for the rant, but i figure, yanno, nobody HAS to read it. ;)

Namaste

Or, as I like to call it, house cleaning.

I suppose I was inspired by Clean House, which I actually watched while cleaning this weekend. I mean, there are effing toddler toys crammed away in Big Boy's closet. His room is this place where he sleeps, full of stuff he really doesn't want or need anymore. he can't use his desk for anything useful. He had a bookshelf with board books mixed in with the Star Wars Jedi Academy paperbacks. Oy. Most of that was because he and his brotehr shared a room for a while, but still.

Wee Boy is not ready to let go of some of those books, and I'm definitely keeping the Boynton books, some books my mother gave them before she died, and bunches of books from my Beloved's childhood that his mother kept all those years.

I guess I've hung on to things thinking maybe we might have another, but my youngest is almost nine and I'm old and worn out. ;) Well, okay, but But I dunno if I want to be in my 60s with a college aged kid, especially since only one of blood relatives in the last four generations (at least) has ever seen 70.

In any case, it doesn't need to be in Big Boy's room. He wants to give his little brother all his stuffed animals, and he wants to have his desk in a usable condition. He wants the ten off the bottom bunk, especially if there was some way we could gift it Wee Boy.

I think the toy bins will stay, but will be filled with sorted Lego or maybe props for his movies. We will relocate usable costumes to closet storage.

Wee Boy's room took a couple of hours, mostly because a lot of his toys are still in bins in Big Boy's room. I'm on my second day in Big Boy's room. When it becomes his usable space, he will be in charge of it, but I think it is reasonably my job to get our stuff and his old baby stuff out of it before the baton can be passed.

Wish me luck.