Stepping Away from the Edge

Inside View

A few weeks ago, I told you about the dead Christmas wreath on my front door . . . home to some nesting purple finches.

If we stand on a stepstool inside the front door and stand on tiptoe and tip our heads just so. . . we can watch the action in the nest from inside.  It's a pretty good view. 

We just leave the stool there all the time now, so we can climb up and peek in whenever we walk past.  (We also make sure that we never open the front door!)

It's been exciting to watch the process unfold . . . from watching Mama Finch sit on the nest all the time. . . to hatching day. . . to watching the babies grow.

It's a tough angle to see the whole nest through the window.  For the entire process, we've thought there were four eggs; four babies.  Today, though, we discovered that there are actually five!

I've tried to take photos from time to time, but the angle is just too extreme to get things in focus. This evening, though, I was up on the stool with my camera in hand at Just The Right Time!  I was able to capture feeding time in pictures (albeit, not very good ones!)  Enjoy!

The babies are getting their feathers now.  It's only a matter of days, I think, until they fly away.

(Then. . . I'll be able to remove my eyesore Christmas wreath!)

An Unexpected Gift

I have just been given an unexpected gift.

As many of you surmised from yesterday's post about the state of my desk, I am currently riding (full steam ahead!) the Crazy Train.  And . . . I'm going to be aboard for a few more weeks.

Today, though, two things happened.  First, my regular Friday morning class at the gym was canceled.  Second, my friend Sandie and I rescheduled a long-planned nursery visit out of town.

This means. . . a full day has unexpectedly opened up before me!

This reprieve is Just What I Need.

Time. . . to attend to a few small details. . . to regenerate. . . to prepare for what's ahead.  Maybe I'll walk through the garden.  Knit a few rows.  Finish a book.*

It feels good . . . to have some pressure released.  Even if just for a day!  The sun is shining.  The garden is blooming.  And, suddenly, my weekend is beginning!

Hope you enjoy yours, too!

==========

* But no clearing off of the desk!

Beats the Alternative!

So many times, I hear people . . . dispair. . .  that it's their birthday.

Another year older.

No spring chicken.

Past their prime.

Beats the alternative.

Well.  Today, let me assure you . . . having a birthday . . . and turning a year older. . . is a privilege.  Not a problem.

 

It's my birthday, too, yeah!

I never used to like to celebrate my birthday.  I didn't want to draw attention to myself.  I still don't, really.  But I do like to acknowledge the day now -- more than ever.

We're gonna have a good time!

I'm going to fill my day with things I love doing.  My turbo-kick class.  Lunch with a friend.  A little knitting.  Maybe some gardening (a first for my birthday!).  Dinner with Tom.  And, tomorrow, a birthday dinner with my family -- where my Mom will make me the same birthday dinner I've requested since about age 8 (lasagne, "grass salad," and German chocolate birthday cake).

Take a cha-cha-cha-chance!

And I'm going to use this gift of another year . . . to try some new things, think big thoughts, move in new directions, live happy, and not waste a minute.

Because . . . getting older . . . really DOES beat the alternative!

 

Making a Statement

My daughter, Erin, is home for a visit this week.  (It's her spring break.)  As many of you know, she is a grad student at Carnegie Mellon University, just finishing up work for her Master's degree in English Literature and Cultural Studies.

Erin is particularly interested in literature as it intersects with pop culture; or "new media."  She is frequently frustrated in her efforts . . . because the field is just emerging, really, and changing as fast as "media" does these days!   She encounters both professors and students who are not quite. . . well, ready . . . for the "new" in "new media."  Erin, though, has always (since her tiny toddler days) been incredibly perceptive to the world around her.  She is . . . On To Something . . . and she will perservere.  (Just wait.)

Anyway, she has a blog of her own, and she frequently (between tales of life in a new urban setting, the frustrations of graduate school, video game reviews, and political rants) writes of her own thoughts about this emerging field.

I thought it might be fun for her to become a "guest blogger" here on my blog today.  When I read this post of hers last week, I was quite moved.  I hope you will be, too.

Take it away, Erin. . .

Statement of Intent

I was born between 1980 and 1999. I am a Millennial, and they keep telling me that I am the future. 

I grew up with the Internet. I transitioned from cds to mp3s, from VHS to DVD. I learned to type before I learned cursive. I learned my multiplication tables from Math Blasters. I grew up with Nintendo and Microsoft and Apple and cellphones.

I was twelve years old on September 11, 2001. I remember sitting in my classroom—I believe it was pre-algebra—that morning, watching the classroom television in silence, transfixed by the image of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center. I remember not really understanding what was going on or why it was happening. I was twelve. My main concern: were there any planes coming to get me? 

I watched President Bush address the nation. I watched him declare the “war on Terror.” I remember a time before Homeland Security. I followed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on and off as I went through middle school, high school. I watched some people I graduated with go off to war. I went to college. I cast my vote for Obama in 2008. I watched the banks collapse only to be bailed out. I studied the corporate greed. I saw it happen before my very eyes.

I follow Occupy in the news, I watch the police and the politicians try desperately to stop the most deadly force: a group of people who have seen the world collapse...and not seen anyone trying to fix it.

I study new media and culture. I bash my ideas against a wall of resistance. The professor doesn't understand that there is no difference between a book and an eBook. It's what is written that matters. I think they're afraid of me and my ideas. Because they know when I was born.

I was born between 1980 and 1999. I am a millennial, and I am your future.

And I’m not going away.

 

You've Got Mail!

I'm busy this week.  Too busy to blog, actually.  I even missed Ten on Tuesday yesterday.  But I did want to just pop in to say. . .

I'm loving this Month of Letters thing!

I love sticking a card (or two) into my mailbox each day.  (And I've loved picking up a few notes and cards, too!) 

To make things easier, I assembled all of my letter-writing paraphernalia (stamps, pen, address labels, notecards, thank-you cards, birthday cards, old-school address book)  in one handy basket.  Now, it's quick and easy to jot a note or send a card!

I think I may just continue this Month of Letters thing indefinitely. . . (although maybe not EVERY day).  It's been fun; it doesn't take up much time; and many of my letter-recipients have been downright delighted to get a note! 

Win-win. . . all around!

Angle of Repose: A Riff in Two Parts

Part 1

• Familiar with the term "angle of repose?"
• (Not to be confused with the novel by Wallace Stegner by the same name.  Great book, by the way.  Totally worth reading.)
• Well.  "Angle of repose" is actually an engineering or mechanics term.  It refers to the maximum angle at which an object can rest on an inclined plane without sliding down.
• I know.
• But I tend to think about "angle of repose" in personal terms.
• Like. . .
• I need to be organized.  I operate best when I'm organized.  I Get Things Done when I'm organized.
• And that means having . . . 
• A (fairly) detailed and current To-Do list, a (somewhat) clear surface to work on, a (reasonably) up-to-date calendar. 
• And it definitely means being able to get my hands on whatever it is I need . . . to get my job done.
• So that's my personal "angle of repose"  --  the angle at which I can rest on an inclined plane without sliding down.
• But sometimes, life throws so much . . . stuff. . . at you that your personal "angle of repose" gets all messed up.  You know.  That plane starts to incline a little too much.   You (the object) takes on a new "form."  You can feel yourself sliding. 
• Because you're totally at the wrong angle.
• Like. . .
• The holidays will do it.  So will a major deadline for work.  Hosting a party will do it.  Health problems will definitely do it.  And becoming a caregiver will, too.
• Put them all together?
• Yeah.  Everything comes sliding down. 
• (In a hurry.)
• Paper piles up.  Things don't get written on the calendar.  Plans don't get made.  To-do lists?  Totally in your head.  Desk surface?  Not in sight.  Email replies?  Forget it.  Wrapping gifts?  Pffffft. . . 
• WAY inclined.  Piled high.  And there it goes. . .
• Sliding. . .
• Sliding. . .
• Sliding. . .
• Too much "object" ...  on an inclined plane .... tipped at a precarious angle ... makes for a bad "angle of repose."

Part 2

• But holidays end.  And deadlines pass.  Parties are fun while they last (but they don't last forever).  And people heal.
• The inclined plane . . . eventually . . . begins to flatten out again.
• And, slowly, you can work your way through the paperwork piles.  Catch up your calendar.  Reschedule what you missed.  (Oops.)  Corral the mental To-Do list on paper (again).  Uncover the desk surface.  Catch up on the email.  Make your apologies.  
• And regain that . . . more normal . . . "angle of repose."
• For now, at least.

Blocked

Tried Wikipedia today?

If you did. . . you got a message explaining that the site is blacked out.  Globally.  To protest SOPA.

In case you haven't been paying attention, SOPA is the Stop Online Piracy Act, a proposed bill aiming to crack down on copyright infringement by restricting access to sites that host pirated content.  (Read a great explanation about SOPA here.)

The main targets of SOPA are sites like The Pirate Bay -- an overseas site that offers illegal downloads of movies and other digital content.  "Hollywood" (and other industries driven by copyrighted material) are in favor of online copyright protection.  The bill, however, goes a bit further than just protecting copyright.  SOPA (in some versions) would actually allow for a level of censorship (similar to that used in China).  (Read a great explanation of the tech industry's concerns in this interview with Jimmy Wales - co-founder of Wikipedia - here.)

So.  Why am I writing about this?  I mean, I keep politics out of my blog (unless you read between the lines, of course.  And then . . .  well, it's there).   I've been following SOPA from the beginning, just not blogging about it.  (It's hard not to follow along.  My daughter, a true tech nerd, has been posting and blogging about SOPA for several months.  She's a bit of a zealot.)  But last night, as we drove home from the gym, Tom and I were listening to Marketplace on NPR . . . and two stories, back-to-back, got me thinking.  A lot.

First, there was a little story about Jerry Wang stepping down from Yahoo.  (Jerry Wang is one of the co-founders of Yahoo.)  One of the the things the reporters talked about . . . was that Yahoo hadn't "changed with the time"; that it was a "paradigm company of another era in computing."  Okay.  True.  But. . . we're talking about a company that was started in 1995.  A 17-year-old company.  Begun 3 years AFTER my son was born.  And it failed . . . because it couldn't "change with the time."  

It's stunning how quickly things change in this . . . "time."

Then, they shifted into a story about Wikipedia blacking out tomorrow.  And SOPA.  And they led with this quote from North Carolina Congressman Mel Watt -- who happens to be be one of the sponsors of SOPA.  Congressman Watt has this to say about . . . technology:  "Chairman, I'm a pretty old-fashioned guy who still hasn't figured out how or even whether I want to use all the fancy technological advances that are out there."  Yes.  This is the guy sponsoring SOPA.  He hasn't decided if he wants to use the "fancy technological advances" quite yet.  

Do we think he can even begin to understand the complexity of the situation?

So that is why I'm blogging about SOPA today.

Learn about it.  Understand what is happening.  Things are changing quickly in this "time."  And whether we use it all or not, we need to pay attention.

Please.

 

Overflowing

Okay.

My "cup" was full.  Right to the brim.

Now, though, something has happened to make it overflow.

I'm taking a bit of a break to deal with some . . . mopping up.  I'll be back -- hopefully sooner than later.  But for now, I just need to deal with the overflow.

(And, please.  Some healing thoughts for my beloved Mom -- who has just broken her ankle.  Badly.  Trust me. . . I've had enough broken bones this year to last a lifetime.)

XO

Monday Miscellany*

It's one of those Very Busy Weeks -- especially through Wednesday.  If I can get through these next couple of days, it'll be smooth sailing right through the end of the year.  (I think.)  So today, here's a little . . . this and that!

First.  The door story.

When we moved into our house (eight years ago now!), our realtor gave us a beautiful brass door knocker, engraved with our name.  (That's it, in the photo above.)  There was already a brass door knocker on the door, however.  It was a bit tarnished, but functional.  And we just never got around to replacing it with our nice, new one.  Until this summer.  We had our house - including the doors - painted.  Since all the hardware was off, we decided to (finally) install our new door knocker. 

To make this long story short:  Lost original hardware.  Couldn't find replacement hardware.  Old knocker hardware different from new knocker hardware.  Tom substituted as best he could.    Outside knocker looks great; inside hardware glaringly ugly (and doesn't line up quite properly).  My solution: cover inside hardware.  (Lazy but effective.)

Second.  Is this A Thing where you live?

Yes.  Someone has put antlers on their car for the holidays.  This must be A Thing here in my area.  Because I've seen several cars with antlers.  Have you?  Is this just a weird Southwest Michigan Thing?  Or is it some national trend I've missed? 

Third.  Here's a little fun for a busy December day!

 

Enjoy!

==========

*Kind of like a Friday Round-Up . . . on Monday!

Riffing. Again.

 

• It's just one of those weeks. . . when the best I can do is. . . riff.
• Again.
• I finished a great little knitting project over the long weekend. 
• I was really excited to take pictures and share the details here on the blog and over at Ravelry.
• But it was dark and gloomy all day yesterday.
• Like. . . really dark.
• And raining.
• Until it started to crazy-snow later in the day.
• You know, that really heavy, wet, slippery kind of snow that happens when the temperature hovers right there at the freezing point?
• So it was too dark and yucky and wet to take any decent photos of my project.
• Maybe today?
• But I'm thinking not.
• Anyway.  Great project.  And timely.  Given the weather.
• I'm also not sleeping well.
• I fall asleep just fine.
• But then I wake up at about 4:00 am (which is Too Early). . . and can't seem to get back to sleep.
• It's because of Busy Brain.
• My brain just kicks in . . . running a constant stream of things I want to remember and things I need to do.
• And, unfortunately, things I really have no business thinking about at 4:00 am.
• Or 4:15 am.
• Or 4:30 am.
• Tick. Tock.
• I wish I had a remote control for my brain. . . and could just shut it down sometimes.
• It's a busy week.  Lots of appointments and meetings and deadlines.
• And I'm still cleaning up and sorting through and recovering from . . . The Aftermath. . . of last week's festivities.
• And planning ahead for the onslaught of holiday madness that is December.
• Which begins tomorrow.
• I think I'll sleep better once I get my Master Holiday To-Do List assembled. 
• (That's in the hopper for today.)
• Jenny had her annual vet check-up and shots yesterday.  She is doing well.  Our vet says she is at the perfect weight and fitness level.  I got gold stars!
• I need to start brushing her teeth, though.
• I purchased poultry-flavored dog toothpaste.
• Our vet's name is Dr. Barkow.  How perfect is that for a vet?
• While I was at the vet, I ran into my across-the-front-street (it's always a bit confusing when you live on a corner) neighbor, Amy.  She has two beautiful -- and active -- standard poodles.
• Jenny loves to look out the front window and bark at the poodles.
• She gets Very Excited when the dogs are out and we walk past their house.
• To be fair, the poodles get Very Excited, too.
• You can tell they all want to be friends.
• So Amy and I have set up a "playdate" so the dogs can romp together in Amy's big, open yard.
• I just set up a "playdate."
• For my dog!
• (Jenny is so excited.)