You Are Thin-Skinned |
 You are very sensitive, and quite often, too sensitive. You tend to take everything personally, and your feelings are often hurt. While it's good to be sensitive, your thin-skin is making it hard for you to cope. You need help developing a thicker skin. Life is much better when you're not constantly feeling down. |
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I'm Shocked (not really!)
I took one of these little quiz things although I was certain I knew the answer!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Pictures!
I know that I've never posted pictures of my cats! Anyway I just had to share these because they are so cute! Top w/mostly black face is Pippin and the bottom w/mostly white is Mellifera. They are siblings & will be 5 years old August 22nd. I'm their complete & devoted slave!
FYI - Pippin has his own twitter account with 168 followers. Yeah, I know it's weird but it's kind of fun! There are actually a lot of cats on Twitter. I don't know how they use the keyboard - Pippin dictates to me what he wants to tweet. Mellifera doesn't tweet - she thinks it's dumb.
FYI - Pippin has his own twitter account with 168 followers. Yeah, I know it's weird but it's kind of fun! There are actually a lot of cats on Twitter. I don't know how they use the keyboard - Pippin dictates to me what he wants to tweet. Mellifera doesn't tweet - she thinks it's dumb.
Monday, July 20, 2009
New Library
It seems like it's been forever that they've been talking about building a new library in Castro Valley. Construction did start quite awhile ago but I've had this theory that it's never actually going to be finished. Happily it looks like I'm wrong. I subscribe to an RSS feed for the CV Library blog and they posted pictures today showing shelves & carpet in the new building! Very exciting! Well if you leave in CV and have tried parking at the old library it is exciting. . .
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst in 1830. The first volume of her work was published posthumously in 1890 and the last in 1955. She died in Amherst in 1886. After her death, her family found 40 handbound volumes of nearly 1800 of her poems.
There is a pain -- so utter --
It swallows substance up --
Then covers the Abyss with Trance --
So Memory can step
Around -- across -- upon it --
As one within a Swoon --
Goes safely -- where an open eye --
Would drop Him -- Bone by Bone.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Cats Control Humans?
A recent blog post on The Cat's Meow highlighted the results of a research study published in the journal Current Biology. Researchers found that cats control the actions of humans with an urgent sounding, high pitched meow.
If you have a cat it certainly isn't news to you that they are in control. What I found interesting was that they only mentioned this certain purr-meow as a control method. I think there is a lot of potential here for future studies (don't anyone steal this idea, I'm planning on applying for research grants!). If you read this blog you know that I have two cats. It's also pretty clear to you that I'm in control, not the cats. Ok, if everyone is done laughing I'll continue. My cats have many methods of controlling me that I think are worthy of study. I'll share a couple of their methods with you.
Pippin was busy tonight utilizing one of his favorites. He will only eat packets of Friskies cat food. I don't like to leave his bowl out long because I don't want it to spoil and especially in hot weather, we all make sure to stick it in the refrig after a short time. Pippin seems to consider this a game. He goes to the kitchen, finds his bowl gone and stands and meows loudly and sadly until someone comes and puts it down for him. Then he looks at it, looks at the helpful human and walks away. Helpful human decides Pippin wasn't really hungry, puts bowl away and goes about their business. 5-15 min later Pippin is back in the kitchen meowing again. I call this his "see how often the helpful humans will jump up" game. My personal best is 12 times in 1/2 hour.
Mellifera doesn't like people jumping up and down. Instead she wants you to remain seated and not move a muscle. Literally. She waits until your comfortable, climbs onto your lap and settles down. Usually she'll allow you time to start reading or stitching something so that she can force you to stop. Anyway once she's comfortable you aren't supposed to move. If you talk she hisses, if you move a hand she swipes at it and if you try to move her you might as well just give up your arm to her claws & teeth. She is actually a very sweet cat but there is nothing subtle about her determination to have her own way.
What I still haven't figured out is why I find these behaviors so cute . . .
If you have a cat it certainly isn't news to you that they are in control. What I found interesting was that they only mentioned this certain purr-meow as a control method. I think there is a lot of potential here for future studies (don't anyone steal this idea, I'm planning on applying for research grants!). If you read this blog you know that I have two cats. It's also pretty clear to you that I'm in control, not the cats. Ok, if everyone is done laughing I'll continue. My cats have many methods of controlling me that I think are worthy of study. I'll share a couple of their methods with you.
Pippin was busy tonight utilizing one of his favorites. He will only eat packets of Friskies cat food. I don't like to leave his bowl out long because I don't want it to spoil and especially in hot weather, we all make sure to stick it in the refrig after a short time. Pippin seems to consider this a game. He goes to the kitchen, finds his bowl gone and stands and meows loudly and sadly until someone comes and puts it down for him. Then he looks at it, looks at the helpful human and walks away. Helpful human decides Pippin wasn't really hungry, puts bowl away and goes about their business. 5-15 min later Pippin is back in the kitchen meowing again. I call this his "see how often the helpful humans will jump up" game. My personal best is 12 times in 1/2 hour.
Mellifera doesn't like people jumping up and down. Instead she wants you to remain seated and not move a muscle. Literally. She waits until your comfortable, climbs onto your lap and settles down. Usually she'll allow you time to start reading or stitching something so that she can force you to stop. Anyway once she's comfortable you aren't supposed to move. If you talk she hisses, if you move a hand she swipes at it and if you try to move her you might as well just give up your arm to her claws & teeth. She is actually a very sweet cat but there is nothing subtle about her determination to have her own way.
What I still haven't figured out is why I find these behaviors so cute . . .
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Legalize Pot?
According to the California State Board of Equalization, California could generate $1.4 billion per year in state revenues by legalizing marijuana. Assembly bill 390, introduced by Tom Ammiano, would allow licensing and taxing by the state.
You may not have heard but California is having a small budget crisis. Doesn't it make sense to legalize something that people are going to use anyway and generate some badly needed profit for the state? I've always favored legalization of pot so that it could be taxed and I think now is definitely the time for California to do this.
If you click on the Assembly bill link in the first paragraph you'll find a sample letter you can send to your Assembly person to indicate your support of the bill. As I'm in favor of democratic processes, if you disagree with me, you can certainly send a letter suggesting they do not support the bill. Just keep that $1.4 billion in mind when you do.
You may not have heard but California is having a small budget crisis. Doesn't it make sense to legalize something that people are going to use anyway and generate some badly needed profit for the state? I've always favored legalization of pot so that it could be taxed and I think now is definitely the time for California to do this.
If you click on the Assembly bill link in the first paragraph you'll find a sample letter you can send to your Assembly person to indicate your support of the bill. As I'm in favor of democratic processes, if you disagree with me, you can certainly send a letter suggesting they do not support the bill. Just keep that $1.4 billion in mind when you do.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
July 14, 1999
What Came to Me
I took the last
dusty piece of china
out of the barrel.
It was your gravy boat,
with a hard, brown
drop of gravy still
on the porcelain lip.
I grieved for you then
as I never had before.
~Jane Kenyon
I forgot my address the other day. It kind of panicked me because I decided it was a sign of old age. After going through all the addresses, phone numbers, etc that I did remember I concluded it really didn't mean anything (I hope!). As I get older I find I do forget things more easily. I suspect that if I live to be 100 and am senile at that point I still won't forget this date.
My mother died on July 14, 1999. She was 62 years old. It seems incredible to me that it's been 10 years. There is so much I wish I could tell her, so many people she didn't meet, so much that she missed. I think about all the "big" things and they make me sad and sometimes I'll cry but it's the little things that are the hardest. I cried in a store once because they had changed the margarine container & I wanted to tell her. It's those dumb little things that seem the hardest sometimes. The everyday, boring stuff that makes up life.
The first time I read this poem it made me cry (still does) because it portrays so clearly those small things.
I took the last
dusty piece of china
out of the barrel.
It was your gravy boat,
with a hard, brown
drop of gravy still
on the porcelain lip.
I grieved for you then
as I never had before.
~Jane Kenyon
I forgot my address the other day. It kind of panicked me because I decided it was a sign of old age. After going through all the addresses, phone numbers, etc that I did remember I concluded it really didn't mean anything (I hope!). As I get older I find I do forget things more easily. I suspect that if I live to be 100 and am senile at that point I still won't forget this date.
My mother died on July 14, 1999. She was 62 years old. It seems incredible to me that it's been 10 years. There is so much I wish I could tell her, so many people she didn't meet, so much that she missed. I think about all the "big" things and they make me sad and sometimes I'll cry but it's the little things that are the hardest. I cried in a store once because they had changed the margarine container & I wanted to tell her. It's those dumb little things that seem the hardest sometimes. The everyday, boring stuff that makes up life.
The first time I read this poem it made me cry (still does) because it portrays so clearly those small things.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Neil Diamond
My new theme song.
First you're runnin' one way
Then you run another
Thinkin' you'd discover
What you really need
Runnin' in circles
Gonna get you nowhere
Why you want to go there?
Where's it gonna lead?
What's it gonna be when the night is cold?
What's it gonna be when the morning scares you?
Put your reservations all on hold
Climb aboard and ride with me
Lonely gets you nowhere
Only gets you zero
I may not be a hero
But I'm the man you need
One way or another
You need a new direction
Make a new connection
Hey, what's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
Do you take a chance?
Are you gonna let the night defeat you?
If you're tellin' me that you just can't dance?
I say try it on and see
Move a little closer
Try a little harder
Dancing with a partner
Helps you find the beat
Time to put it out there
Before it's movin' past you
So once again, I'll ask you
What's it gonna be?
....
What's it gonna be when the night is cold?
What's it gonna be when the morning scares you?
Put your reservations all on hold
Climb aboard and ride with me
One way or another
You need a new direction
Make a new connection
So what's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
First you're runnin' one way
Then you run another
Thinkin' you'd discover
What you really need
Runnin' in circles
Gonna get you nowhere
Why you want to go there?
Where's it gonna lead?
What's it gonna be when the night is cold?
What's it gonna be when the morning scares you?
Put your reservations all on hold
Climb aboard and ride with me
Lonely gets you nowhere
Only gets you zero
I may not be a hero
But I'm the man you need
One way or another
You need a new direction
Make a new connection
Hey, what's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
Do you take a chance?
Are you gonna let the night defeat you?
If you're tellin' me that you just can't dance?
I say try it on and see
Move a little closer
Try a little harder
Dancing with a partner
Helps you find the beat
Time to put it out there
Before it's movin' past you
So once again, I'll ask you
What's it gonna be?
....
What's it gonna be when the night is cold?
What's it gonna be when the morning scares you?
Put your reservations all on hold
Climb aboard and ride with me
One way or another
You need a new direction
Make a new connection
So what's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
What's it gonna be?
Monday, July 6, 2009
Musical Monday
Here's a great clip of Judy Garland on the Mike Douglas show in 1968 singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. This really dates me I guess but I remember watching that show (although I was a kid)!
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