Currently Reading

"Still Life with Chickens:

starting over in a house by the sea."

-

Catherine Goldhammer

Recently I've been reading this book, it's a memoir about a woman whose husband leaves her, and she and her daughter move to a little house by the atlantic and begin to raise chickens. At first she is not terribly pro-chicken, but they begin to pull her, to draw her through her life, and she sees that if they weren't there, needing her, a constant reminder of the passing of time, she would not move forward in her life, so the chickens are a strange sort of blessing.

a quote:

"Someday we'll look back on this, laugh nervously, and move on."

Go buy some golden socks, weyah famous!

So... I looked up the movie "Sons of Katie Elder" because it was on TCM and I recorded it, and it turns out it's about these brothers from Graham, Tx, which is pretty cool. BUT even more amazing, Graham has a Wikipedia page! I read the page, and there was a section on famous people from Graham... Here's what I found:

"Big Ed" Wilkes - Popular radio personality and recipient of the Lubbock Outstanding Agriculturist Award.

Bob Lilly - Author of photography book, "Bob Lilly Reflections", and Dallas Cowboy's defensive tackle, first inductee of the cowboy's ring of honour.

William McFarlane - Texas Representative and National Security Advisor for Reagan!

Rex Brown - Heavy metal bassist.

and my favorite...

Dean Smith - Won a gold medal in the 52 Olympics, played for the Steelers, he was a stuntman in many western movies and tv shows, and he was a pro rodeo cowboy. He actually recieved a "golden boot award", was named an "all-american cowboy", and he was inducted into the texas rodeo cowboy hall of fame.

I hope you enjoyed this little history lesson.

chim chim cheree!

Last night I went to the amazing Emily's birthday party, with Isaac and Erika. We had cupcakes and girly food (which Isaac was very obliging about) and watched 17 Again, which I honestly enjoyed lots! It was rather silly though, I admit. After Erika left, the three of us sailed paper boats in the freezing pool and climbed onto the roof to see the stars and the city in the distance. We pretended ... ok, so I pretended to be on a barn outside of Lyons.

And felt awfully, terribly brave. Heights, roofs... are kind of high up on the scaredy list. So this was a part of my new experiment. Next on the list?

Overcoming my fear of YMCA Lifeguards. Yes, I'm serious.

They're kinda creepy, and oh so very judgy judgerson. Their faces just scream "oh eh heh heh, I can swim so very much faster than that." But someday soon I'm going to just do it.

I'm going to go to the Y and swim laps,

because right now I'm running, and I Really Hate Running, but I love swimming. I love the water running over my shoulders, and the feeling when you've stretched every muscle you can. It's fun, which is refreshing compared to running, which hurts my brain, it's all bouncy and painful, and therefore I have come to the conclusion that this fear is stupid, and silly.

things you should know

target employees don't have a sense of humour.

they don't take kindly to people taking roller skates out of the box and "testing" them.

they especially dislike it when this person is out of balance due to wearing the wrong size of skates.

and they really don't like it when that person makes even the quietest indian war cries.

i really really hope this information comes in handy someday.

time to dress up as giant cats!

dadaw and i "polishing our boots"

hehe... i think this picture explains itself. its funny, caitlin and i still make all the exact same expressions we made when we were little.

elliebird and brother and my cousin and i playing in the mud.

don't look at me that way E, we both were. yes all those adjectives you are applying to how you look in this picture... we both were.

Ugly Sweater Day

You are festively invited to attend

Ugly Sweater Day,

a day celebrating the cheesier side of the Christmas Spirit!

On Thursday, December 17th, no matter what you are doing, don ye now the ugliest Christmas Sweater you can find!

(no rsvp necessary, but please email me a picture of yourself in your ugly sweater!)

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes
it is the quiet voice at the end of the day,
saying "I will try again tomorrow".

- mary anne radmacher

haha, oh my

stop this train

No, I'm not colorblind

I know the world is black and white

Try to keep an open mind

But I just can't sleep on this tonight

Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can't

But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

Don't know how else to say it

Don't want to see my parents go

One generation's length away

From fighting life out on my own

Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can't

But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

So scared of getting older

I'm only good at being young

So I play the numbers game

To find a way to say that life has just begun

Had a talk with my old man

Said "help me understand"

He said "turn sixty-eight

You renegotiate"

"Don't stop this train

Don't for a minute change the place you're in

And don't think I couldn't ever understand

I tried my hand

John, honestly we'll never stop this train"

Once in awhile, when it's good

It'll feel like it should

And they're all still around

And you're still safe and sound

And you don't miss a thing

Till you cry when you're driving away in the dark

Singing

Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can

Cause now I see I'll never stop this train

- John Mayer

mathematical optimism

doesn't the whole concept of

x - 4 = x + -4

seem rather like seeing the silver lining?

oh darn it. i'm turning into one of them.