Random Observations

1.  I spend an inordinate amount of time sorting things.  Most of my job involves sorting and organizing.  When I get home, I have to sort laundry, silverware, groceries, etc.  I am just a biologically based sorting engine.

2.  Free time escapes faster than work time.  If I sit down to work on something at work, chances are I will finish in a fairly timely manner. (Phone calls and meeting room bookings notwithstanding.)  If I sit down to work at my desk at home, a million other squirrels will appear and need to be chased. 

3. Working out really does feel good.  Not so much when you first start, but by the time it's done, you feel a lot better about yourself.  Like you accomplished something.

4. Laundry expands so that you never really get done with it.  Laundry is an ongoing battle.

5. When we are resolved to eat healthy foods, the grocery list becomes longer and more complicated.

6. I admired James Spader's acting even before he started doing the Blacklist, wherein he wears a Fedora a lot.  (Did I mention I really like Fedoras?) (And though I am OVERJOYED that Ron Perlman will be on the Blacklist next Sunday, WHY has there been no Shatner?  Shatner and Spader play off one another SO well.)  (Hello, Boston Legal?)

* Ron being on the Blacklist is what has motivated me to start catching up on the episodes I have missed.  Thanks again, Mr. P, for helping me find a good show!

7.  Stay away from Pinterest if you are on a diet.  People persist in posting really good-sounding, EASY, decadent dessert recipes.  I have tried a few.  They ARE good, easy, and decadent.  And they will make you fat.

8.Even among geeks and nerds, I'm a misfit.  I and my obessive fandoms do not fit neatly into anyone's idea of what a geek girl is like.  I have MANY areas in which I have a generous amount of knowledge and experience, (like baking, cross-stitch embroidery, Star Trek TOS, gardening...) I do not specialize in one category of geek behavior.  Also, I can interact with Mundanes without anxiety on either side. According to the book Geek Girls Unite!  I am even atypical in my music geekness.  I like a wide variety of stuff, from grand opera to Sinatra, to bluegrass, to Scottish folksongs, to some current pop music.

9. Once you start collecting Pop vinyl figures and Gipsy Danger figures, you can't stop.  There are now three Gipsy Danger figures in my office, and Two Groot figures, as well as a Rocketeer, a Clay Morrow Pop vinyl, and action figure, and a Pop vinyl Iron Giant.  (Of course, my husband has the 18" Gipsy Danger, and she's in the living room!)

10.  A random tweet from someone you admire can brighten your whole day.  Even if they tease you about your typos in said tweet.

11.  A hug from Matthew can fix almost anything.  And he can nearly ALWAYS get me to smile, and laugh, even.

12. Some people are so organized that they really are ready to file their taxes in January.  This is why they get upset that we have no tax forms at the library until February.  I don't even have my W-2 forms yet, people, nor the interest reports we will need.  (Also, if I'm going to pay, I'm gonna keep that money earning interest in MY bank account as long as I can before I send it to Uncle.) We do have an accountant, and she's worth her fee, because we have gotten refunds most years that are more than her fee.  (Also, her fee is cheaper than a penalty if we screw up)

13. I am reluctant to number any substantive point in this post 13.  I guess I have a bit of latent Triskadecaphobia.  

14.  My obsession with office supplies must mark me as a partial Luddite.  I love technology, and use quite a lot of it, but I sit here in an office that has no less than two mugs full of pens, half of them fountain pens, and two mugs full of pencils, half of them drawing and colored pencils.  (Oh, and one pencil has a pewter dragon sitting on top of it, with its tail curled around the pencil, and one has a plastic Garfield on top, and another has Odie.)  There are also styli that go with my touchscreens hiding out in at least two of those mugs.  There's another mug full of bookmarks.  I do an awful lot of my reading on my tablets now.  Ebooks.  No bookmarks needed.  Yet, I have a collection. As for other office supplies, there are drawers and shelves filled with paper, stationery, card stock, paperclips, ink, stamp pads, decorative stamps, tape, and calligraphy pens. 

15.  No matter when I start these blog posts, I never seem to finish them until fairly late at night.  On rare occasions they will get themselves written earlier, but not often. 

Not Much Going On...

Pretty much into the "put your head down and slog" part of the New Year.  Still working out the kinks of the resolutions, working on other goals that need to be met, trying to avoid the flu that seems to be running all over the place. 

Had a very lazy weekend so far, and so tomorrow I have to play catch up.  Even the laundry has been allowed to languish a bit because the appliances (including washer and dryer) had their annual professional tune-up and maintenance checks yesterday. 

So far, the resolution to up the exercise is going pretty well.  Have done at least an hour of exercise most days, split between walking and the elliptical, or all on the elliptical, depending on weather.  One of the things I need to do tomorrow is figure out how to get my weight routine  back into the mix.  (Gotta tighten up these flabby arms!)

On the plus side, I must have looked really skinny on Friday, because at least four different patrons asked me if I'd lost weight.  That helps the motivation a LOT!  Friday was also good because I heard from some Twitter correspondents I don't always hear from, and it brightened up my day.  (Even if I DID get teased about my notorious typos.) 

Have to start watching the diet more closely, as the checkup with cholesterol checks is next month.  Guess I better plan now on low-fat, and more fruit and veggies.  Gotta cut back on the caffeine, too, so the BP won't be high.  (More sleep would also help this, but hey, I have a hard time turning the brain off any earlier.  Of course, less caffeine would probably help that, too...)

Speaking of turning the brain off earlier, it's working on midnight, so I guess I better cut this short and start trying to shut the ol' brain down for the night. 

I hope all who read this are finding success in this new year, and encouragement, and progress toward your goals. 
Never give up, never surrender!  (To quote a very good parody.)

What A Thief Is Time

This is my husband and me in 1984. He was 26, I was 24. It was either right before or right after we were married.  (I can't see my hand well enough to tell if there is a ring.)

We were SO young.  We don't FEEL so OLD now, but we sure look it.  Still the same inside, except maybe a bit wiser, a bit more caring, but also a little more tired.

Time takes away so much, seemingly so slowly, but one day, you look up, and you're old.  Your knees creak and protest things you used to do without thought.  Your fingers are stiff and sore when you wake up, You realize that you have gained weight, lost hair, and have more, erm, character in your face.

Of course, if you have children, especially teenage children, you are probably reminded of this on a regular basis.  (We are fortunate, we do not own any offspring, having found it difficult to reproduce when we were on opposite sides of the planet for so much of the early years of our marriage.) We have had no one to tell us we were OLD even before we really were.
I don't really think of myself as old even now.  I mean, yeah, I was born when Eisenhower was still President, and I remember a time when broadcast was the only TV there was, and telephones were big, clunky, and wired into the wall.  (And all you could do on them was call somebody.) (Oh, and they had DIALS, not keypads.)
Despite all that, I try to keep up with technology, with some cultural trends, I try not to dress like somebody's grandma, 'cause I AIN'T anybody's grandma!  I try to get in better shape and stay that way.  Matt tries, too, but it's harder for him.  He's up on the technology and the culture, but he doesn't really spare much thought for fashion.
I don't have a current picture of the two of us that I really like.  None of the pictures we have are very flattering.  Even though we have "fallen apart" so to speak, we don't look as bad in reality as we do in some of the pictures.

Us in 2009

 The picture above is 5 years old, and I swear, I look younger now than I did then.  Matt looks about the same.

Our youth and appearance are not the only things time steals. It steals away those we love,  as well. 
Since the first picture was taken, we've lost both our dads, Matt's nephew, Matt's mom. my nephew, and a few friends.  I've lost two aunts and an uncle, and three cousins.
  If we are very careful, time can't steal away our loved ones completely.  We need to keep our memories stored away safely and look upon them often, remember the smiles and the laughter, and the times we cried together.  All of those things, the love shared, will keep our loved ones near.  
This time of year we are all somewhat obsessed with the passing of time.  We buy new calendars to keep track of our days, we make resolutions, we look back on the events of the last year, and the people we've lost in the last year. 
My friends will tell you that there are many clocks in our house.  Hard to find a place where you don't hear a clock ticking.  (I just happen to like clocks.)  There are also lots of calendars since I have discovered them to be a fairly cheap source of changeable art work.  Even with all of those reminders of fleeting time, I manage to waste a lot of it.  I get bogged down in minutiae, and miss enjoying some things.  (Especially if I don't make myself a list.)

We can't afford to lose sight of the important things in this life.  The people we love, the stories we tell each other, the stories of shared experiences, the in-jokes, the memories.  Store them up in your heart, where fire, flood, earthquake and tornadoes can't destroy them.  Pass the memories on to the next generation, so that they will remember those who came before with love, even the ones they never met.

One image from a movie that has always stuck with me is the close up of the sundial at Twelve Oaks in Gone With The Wind.  "Do not squander time, it is the stuff that life is made of."  That quote was engraved on the sundial.
I try to remember that when I find myself glued to my screen.  There's a world out here to enjoy.  If I don't spend time enjoying it, what'll I have to post about anyway? ;-)

An Experimental Post: Jottings From Some Of My Pens

There is a collection of fountain pens on my desk.  I don't use them as often as I should.  I took out a few of them, tuned them up, and let them go in my notebook to see where they'd lead me.  Here's a look at what I got.

These are just rough drafts, stuck in my notebook, perhaps to be polished a bit more someday, perhaps not.  Anything to get myself to write a bit every day. 
Sorry about the lousy penmanship.  For a former teacher, it is truly awful.  (Truthfully, it never was as good as it should have been, but my manuscript printing was pretty good.)

Nothing too profound for a Friday night.  Just some scribbles.  Enjoy.  Or not. Your choice.

Of New Beginnings and Old Issues

January first.  Now is the winter of our discontent begun.  The first week of keeping all our good resolutions to eat less junk food, exercise more, and just basically do a lot of things that are good for us, but decrease our sense of enjoyment, perhaps.  Unless we go about it the right way. 
My big problem is going to be the lack of chocolate.  I love chocolate, and having to cut back to the recommended ounce or two only a day is going to be rough. 
Cutting down on the number of calories consumed is going to be tough, as I tend to use food as a comfort.  Tough day?  Have some pie.  Bored? Chips and salsa!
Exercise, well, it feels good once you get finished.  Getting started is HARD.  Also, sticking with it.

I have found that if I remind myself of all the good things that come with behaving myself as regards my diet and exercise, it is lots easier to stick to my resolutions. 
When I exercise, I feel better overall, I have a better outlook on life, I have more energy.  (That is, when I am not calling myself twenty kinds of a fool for making all my muscles ache from activity they are not used to. That's why God made aspirin, though.)
I also look a whole lot better when I stick with the diet and exercise.  My skin is clearer and less wrinkly, also my color is healthy instead of pallid.  My hair shines whether or not I remember the conditioner. Also, I can fit into smaller, nicer fitting clothes. 
Biggest bonus:  I do NOT look like I am almost 55 years old.  (At least, I don't THINK I do, and I've had several people act surprised when they find out my age.  Maybe they thought I was older though, so you never know...)

On the flip side, the resolutions that mean the most are the ones that improve our character.  Like vowing to be less selfish and more concerned with the needs of others.  World needs a WHOLE lot more of that.  If even a few of us manage to do better on that, this year will be a LOT better than the last.
A  promise to oneself to learn at least one new thing every month, or to read more, things that keep your mind active and expand your horizons,those are resolutions that will pay even bigger dividends to society as a whole than improving health and/or appearance will.
I made myself a promise that I would try to finish more of the books I am reading. I have a bad habit of having four or five non-fiction books going at once, and at least two novels.  Right now, I am reading "I'm Your Man" a biography of Leonard Cohen.  I am also reading a book called "Geek Girls Unite by Leslie Simon. I have one of the "Ghost" series by Carolyn G. Hart going, and a couple of books about drinks and drink mixing that I am reading off and on.  Gotta finish all that stuff, and see what else I can get read off of the huge backlog of stuff on my Nook and on the Kindle app.

I already made a dent in one of my long-held resolutions.  I got all of the physical books in the house cataloged.  Now I need to finish verifying which ebooks I own have made it into the catalog.  In physical books alone, there are over 1,000 items in that catalog. 
One book I did finish last year, and in fact read at least 3 times, is Ron Perlman's autobiography, Easy Street: The Hard Way.   I read it over and over not just because I am a fan, but because there is quite a bit there to digest.  He tells his story in his own language, without pretense, and without holding back difficult truths.  There is much in that book to make you think about how things work, not just in Hollywood, but in life.  So grateful that I CAN count him as someone who is a friend, not a really close friend, but certainly not a stranger.  Glad for the friends I have made because of him, and very glad to know that my estimation of his character was accurate.  He is down to earth, loyal, kind, and loving.  A VERY class act.  Also a very talented actor, as shown by the many diverse roles he has performed and won accolades and awards for.

The process of deciding what to strive for in the year ahead is tempered and influenced by all that came in the year that has just passed.  Since I read Easy Street this last year, it has influenced my resolve to be more genuine, more true to myself, in my dealings with others.  I have usually been pretty much "what you see is what you get", I am not much of a poser.  I have decided though, that I need to pay more attention to making my behavior match what I claim to believe.  Never easy, but a worthwhile pursuit for a Christian.  It is what we are supposed to do, after all, to act on the things Jesus taught, to avoid the pitfalls He warned against.  Few of us meet with much success in this, but the fact that we are trying, really trying, will make the whole world a better place.  (In keeping with that goal, I will try very hard here not to rant about those who invoke religion in the service of their own prejudice and bad behavior... wouldn't want to fall victim to the pitfall of being judgmental...)

Another resolution is to strive to put more effort into translating my love of my library and my work there into positive actions to benefit this community and my library.  My goal for this year at work plays into that, by helping make our customers more aware of the services we offer.  It's a difficult goal for me, using technology I haven't used in quite that way before, making short videos to play on our lobby TV.  My boss is very excited about it, and is a lot of help, so maybe, just maybe I'll be successful.  (All I can do is my very best.)

There you have it, a brand new calendar to fill up, and some of the same old issues following me around, along with a few new ways to challenge myself.  Bet you are paddling a similar canoe.  All I can tell you is, THIS year, I intend to make my paddle out of a better quality of attitude, and a firmer bit of resolve.  These goals are worthy, and important to more than just me.  Bet yours are, too.
Happy New Year, and good luck and perseverance to us all!!