Thursday, June 30, 2011

Peculiar

How is it the best breeze in the house comes through the bathroom window?


This is me, and is it too weird if I sleep in the shower?

Monday, June 27, 2011

At Long Last - The Explanation

So about this new job I have.
A few weeks - about six now - Tarzan was super anxious about his layoff notice, there were no jobs here in the Jungle and we were planning moves to other states and countries around the globe.
(Just covering all the bases you see.)
Because I love this city, my house, my cats and my fruit trees, I offered to look for a job too, around here, just in case. Before the words were completely out of my mouth the phone rang. It was Tarzan's cousin asking if I had some free time to spend helping her mom, Tarzan's Aunt Richie. She's a very particular woman and her daughter doesn't have the patience to spend do things her mom's way. But she thought I might do well at it. (Patience? Meticulousness? Have they even met me?)
Tarzan accepted for me on the spot, then hit his knees in thankfulness.
And that's how I became a personal assistant for a wealthy woman.
I am not sure how I feel about this whole change of situation now that I've been there for a while. The money and the hours aren't bad - she let's me have my Thursdays off so I can still volunteer at the food bank place - and it's certainly not difficult work. Aunt Richie tries hard to separate between personal and professional and it's been fairly easy to maintain that line. She's very generous and except for the commute - which is terrible, about an hour each way, oy - it's a very cushy job.
I think what bothers me the most is the loss of my disposable time. I can't plan meals the way I used to, there's no running to the store when the produce shipment comes in so I get the pick of the sale items, I've been forgetting to pay the bills, there's less time to do the chores, Tarzan has to pick up ATL from work most nights....I just miss doing what I needed to when I wanted to. Previously I tried to do the housework, shopping and bill paying when Tarzan was at school so when he came home I could be less distracted. That's less and less possible since he beats me home most every night now.
I know what you're thinking; if this is your biggest complaint in life Jane, you're a lucky girl. And it's true, I shouldn't whine. It's a good job and I am learning her system, which is particular but not hard or illogical. Things could be worse. Heck, they have been much worse.

This is me, employed once more.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

This Was A Good One

I just discovered the marvel that is Pandora radio. What a brilliant idea. Start me off with a song I already know I like, reccommend others that are like it, then let me pick whether I like it a lot, a little, or not at all. The ones I don't like aren't offered again. The ones I do like are fodder for the next selections and as it goes along I found they do better choosing what I like. I can also make up more than one 'station' in case, as I do, one like classical AND 80's rock AND Josh Groban AND the Motown label.
It's awesome.
Though there still are commercials, they are short, singular and not obnoxious.

This is me with a radio station that I really like.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Oh My Berry Goodness

I got a berry:
Well, three:
Okay fine, there were five berries.
I ate two already just to check and make sure they are, in fact, blackberries.
And they are! It's fantastic.
I probably need to recant my exasperation over the blackberry vine incident. It turns out that blackberries are a bi-annual plant, which means they grow one year and blossom the next. It's kind of sad to only get berries every other year, so what most growers do is have two vines planted next to each other. When one is growing the other is making fruit. After the harvest the old vines are cut back and the ones for next year can get bigger. It's an intriguing system. One I hadn't figured out how I was going to implement until I noticed that the vines that came from Tarzan's grandfather had blossoms, and the ones that had been cut back where now growing:So I ended up with what I had wanted, and all because the neighbor had been helpful. Maybe I should take him cookies - he felt really bad.

This is me, with renewed hope in my - pale - green thumb.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

This Would Have Been Lengthy

I wrote an excellent - if I do say so myself - thoughtful, well-composed, balanced post in response to Newsweek's article this week The Mormon Moment. It was long and complex and really one of my best works.
Then Blogger ate it. And I can't get it back.
And now I am annoyed at Blogger and upset at Newsweek which is not a good place.

This is me, apologizing for deficiencies in the machinery.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

More Like Bringer Of Confusion

95% of you know more about music than I do, so it with great trust and complete seriousness that I ask; what is the deal with Jupiter?
Opus No. 32 - otherwise known as Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - from the suite The Planets, by Gustav Holst is one of my favorite pieces of music:


But I do not understand it.

It was played on the classical radio station the other day on my way to work (more about that soon) and I was pleased to be able to hear the whole piece start to finish. I was also curious to know how it would sound after hearing the tinny totally-not-professionally-recorded version on my phone for so long. Part of Jupiter is my ring tone.
The beginning of the piece is fine, upbeat and jumpy - bringer of jollity, sure, I get that - and about three minutes in comes the greatest 1:53 of music known to man. I love that blurb right there. I tried for days to get the best copy I could for my phone and it never gets old when I hear it. But after the awesome swell and drums and strings...it trails off like someone forgot where they were and picks it back up further in. Yes, it references that minute fifty-three again but it's such a distinct movement with that weird ending and I don't know why it's like that.

This is me and what don't I know?

From Whence You Cometh