We Are Blending

Picture, if you will, this scene:

I'm sitting at my desk, responding to a number of emails and about to concentrate on design work.  All of a sudden, a deep rumbling gurgle emanates from the area of the living room.  The dogs start carrying on and whining.



Is it an earthquake? Not in Georgia. Had some wild creature found its way into the house? Not really.  It was Dear Fiance, performing an unprecedented belch for the entertainment of the dogs. And in spite of myself, I laughed.  Hard.

Now this isn't our usual sort of behavior. We're not rednecks who'll swill down a 12 pack of beer and produce gutteral sounds for the lowbrow entertainment of our friends and family.  We walk upright. Mostly. We have never even owned a bug zapper.

What is it about men that causes them to rejoice in their rumblings so much that they must share with the other animals around them?  Is it a modern Call of the Wild?  I wonder ...

This is one of those days where that whole Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus stuff just sucks.  Being a passionate communicator by nature, I, just once, long to be understood without having to s p e l l it out.

He's not stupid.  In fact, Dear Fiance is a mathematical and technical genius.  I am not, but that's another story for another time.

Why is it that we long for loved ones to understand us without having to spell it out all the time?  Does it nearly invalidate an expression when it's effing asked for? I tend to think so.

Not such a happy camper here right now.  At least I have lots of work to keep my occupied so that I don't have to angst over the fact that although we're the same species, men and women are VERY different creatures.

Some friends of ours called to ask us out to dinner this evening.  My stomach growls a little as I type this because Dear Fiance and I were working out earlier, when we were invited. Gotta love those iPhones!

Are we nuts to venture from the house after having worked out and come home for half an hour?

Nah!

They're great friends and now I'm thinking about the name of the place, Hops and Chops.  Might be good.

But here's the thing: a dear friend also used to own and operate a magnificent restaurant where they place is now located.  It's likely to be weird without her presence in there and all the wonderful culinary aromas that accompanied her art.

We shall see ...

Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by!!  Rumor has it there's an indecently hot pepper there that we might be able to get our friend to taste again.  If so, pictures will most definitely follow!!

It's gorgeous outside!!!  It's the first day of Spring and I'm gearing up to grill and then take the kids to the park, perhaps to fly our new (not so) kite that's been sitting, unused and new, for about 3 years.

I kid you not! It seemed so cool and so wonderful and was priced right at the time.  Made a special trip to get it based on a friend's recommendation - and then it got put away and sits there waiting for someone to take it out to play.

So today, this afternoon, this first day of Spring after a long hard winter in so many respects, I'm going with Dear Fiance to take these kids to the park and to fly.  Pictures might get taken if I can remember the camera.

It's Saturday, it's beautiful outside, and I still have 2 kids at home who want to party with me still.  My oldest is far, far away in the military and will probably ship out soon for a long time.  Gotta make the most of these opportunities while they last.  If you're reading this, love you Son.

I have decided that whenever life flings dung in front of me, I'm going to pull on some rubber boots and use that stuff for traction to climb up to something better.

Why take the time and trouble to clear it away, when the lessons learned from it can serve as stepping stones to get me to something much better?
If you will, visualize a big mountain of, well, you know - dung. And instead of trying to clear it away every time a new dropping appears in front of you, you pull on your rubber boots and use it to step up to a better place. Eventually, the disappointments you climbed over turn into fertile ground for flowers, vegetables, and even trees.  

Meanwhile, you're making the most of the situation and not letting it get you down.  

No more wasting time over-analyzing. Sh*t happens. Learn from it and charge forward into what makes you happy. Eventually, things work out and you realize you've grown. Excuse me, I've got some rubber boots to pull on!!

Playing world of warcraft there on a MacBook, she had all the vulnerability and cuteness of a girl and all the uncertain bravado that seems to be there when a young guy decides he wants to dress differently than his Mom and Dad thought he should.

Picture this: it's early the first morning of daylight savings time, you've been up till very late working on an extensive project that hogged most of your weekend, and you have an appointment at 8:00 to present this to the big decision maker.

You've done your homework thoroughly, have a top notch project already done for them to see, and your Dear Fiance has even created a super cool application to add to all that.


You get there right on time and look around.  There aren't even any cars in the parking lot.  Crickets chirp and birds sing.  No cars, no people, no phone call, text, or email.  After reading mail for a few minutes you look at your phone - it's now 8:15.  You decide to call and reach a voicemail.


It's undeniable now: You have been stood up!

That would be me this morning.

It was the kind of thing where it really had nothing to do with me personally, so this helps.

No tears, not even much frustration.  I don't know why I'm so cool this morning. It must be the new blouse and the freshly steamed suit to wear with it.  Oh yes, and I did do an up to the minute manicure last night, but that's just fun anyway.

Even though I devoted my weekend to learning the proprietary, byzantine software involved for this project, even though I didn't get enough sleep last night because of putting the touches on it, even though Dear Fiance lost too much sleep developing a super cool app to go along with all this, for which I owe him greatly, I'm cool this morning.

It must be because I did good and I look good!!  :D  You know what I mean! You know how good it feels when you know you're representing yourself at your best, even if you do get stood up.

So what am I going to do with this energy?  I'm going to check in on some potential clients and go on with my workday.  My work stands on its own merits.  The decision maker who stood me up this morning can see what has been created and decide whether it's something he wants to explore further. There are others who will be interested, even if he can't make the time to see me.

Meanwhile, I'm moving on with my day.  I got a new blouse and things to do!!

Dear Fiance took me and Dear Younger Son out to dinner this evening at the local hibachi place, where the onion soup is hot and delicious.

As we were placing our orders a guy back in the kitchen commented to his friends "Hey Man, Make Love; Not Warcraft!" I shot him a smile when he realized he'd been heard in the dining room.  It was one of the cutest things I've heard all day today!  Turns out, it's from an episode of South Park ...

Who would have thought that World of Warcraft would be the epic cultural phenomenon that it is today? But I have to believe that a lot of the dating with the hard core Warcraft fans is more virtual than real ...

What are your thoughts or experiences?

Ah Spring!!!  Glorious Spring!!!!!  Even though it's rainy and cold outside today, yesterday got to 70 degrees and sunny.  It was bliss.

The terriers seem to think so too.  They respond like crack addicts in anticipation of their next high as they gleefully slither past us at the front door into the great beyond ... or in our case, the neighborhood.

Canine delights abound by the creek in our back yard.: there's sniffing, chasing squirrels, and of course, d i g g i n g.  Lots of digging.  Epic digging for rodentia of any description, because they are, indeed, Rat Terriers.

They mean business.






Only treats and their favorite squeaky bone can induce them to come back inside for their inevitable baths ... *sigh*

Why do we let these adorable monkeys into our homes and hearts?! 

If our dogs were to create their own food pyramid, I think it would involve a lot different stuff than we might imagine.

It's a little unreal, being an engaged Mom with kids:

and ordering a wedding dress!!

It was so sweet, so easy, so uncomplicated, just like this relationship has been after the initial getting to know each other.  At first it was like two porcupines getting together:

very slow and v e r y careful.  But once we each decided it was safe it's been terrific.

So do you think this qualifies as a good, July 4th wedding dress? :D  I'm so excited!!

"I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen (my Dear Friends). "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." (- they're starting to happen for me!) - Lewis Carroll

Wow! The very same day Alice in Wonderland comes out in the theaters, my professional website is finally LIVE!!

With a lot of work and some critical help from Dear Fiance, Alpha Geek Extraordinaire, who has my eternal thanks, it went live the same time Alice in Wonderland opened: at midnight.

What a wonderful day!!!!

Want to check it out?


Lots to read and cool illustrations!!

Do ever have one of those days that's good, but you're still going a little bananas?

But it's all good activity and I just wanted to pop in and say Hello before racing off for a long overdue workout, fixing supper, and doing some more work after the kids head towards bed.

Going bananas with stuff to do is SO much more fun than getting laid off, which is what happened to me and so many people last year.  I'm truly grateful for interesting work and people to meet.  It wasn't fun, but if it hadn't happened I wouldn't have had the time and space in which to develop the technical skills that I use every day now.

Here's hoping that even if you're going a little bananas today you'll stop and do something just for you that makes you happy.  For me it centers around the workout.  Love them.  Am addicted to them.  Get crabby without them.  But for you it might be listening to music, reading, taking a walk, or sitting down with a pet for a few minutes.

What's your little indulgence today?

Greetings Dear Readers!!

It's Snow Day.  Here, in Georgia.  In March.  For real.

Don't worry, this picture is from a blizzard somewhere else a long time ago, but it conveys how I feel today while snow falls all around the bay window where I write and work.

Just yesterday, I changed the bedclothes to an ultra pretty, spring/summer theme, hoping to welcome spring's arrival.

Looks like I'm going to have to wait just a little more!!

A portable heater keeps my fingers warm enough to type as I work this afternoon ...  I feel like little Punxsutawney Phil who poked his nose up on Groundhog Day this year, saw his shadow and retreated to his safe, warm burrow, thus predicting 6 more weeks of winter.  Damn Groundhog!!

What's your weather like today?

It's the first of March and time for another Happy Monday Thought.  In a fit of optimism, I changed the bedclothes early this morning to the Spring/Summer ensemble that I splurged on a few years ago at a crucial time in my life.

It's going to freeze every night this week, but somehow it feels more like spring with the lighter fabric and lively colors.  And I smile every time I walk into this room where my office space is nestled in the bay window and I see this beautifully made bed.  At some point during the day I'll cut some french lavender out in the yard and arrange it in vase for my desktop.

What do you keep around your work space that makes you smile?