Frogs and Ravens

There Goes the Budget

The thwarted sensualist
Ran amok on Saturday,
Dashing down the aisles of the grocery
Smelling lemons and fresh tomatoes
Fondling the crackling bags of tea
Reveling in the scent of fresh flowers.

Other stores were hit
By this whirlwind of sensation-seeking
Chairs sat upon
Candies imagined
Bead curtains rattled and bells rung and drums thumped,
Bright colors on the racks
Soft cloths crying out for caressing
Mysterious unguents and pastes and powders
All swept up
In an orgy of the senses.

After, the soft gentle wind
Blew the scent of pines
And the rush of faraway cars
And the ching of windchimes
And the cries of children
Like birds
Through the house.

FREE!

T.G.I.F.!

*whew*

Ugh Ugh Ugh

Horrible day at work today. So far it's been filled with things that I am not simply bored by but actively dislike. First was having to cold-call a bunch of students to tell them about a potential alteration in their schedules; it was confusing enough that I needed to have it explained to me several times. I was literally in cold sweats by the end of the last call.

Second is facing a bunch of re-entering data into the main program that mysteriously disappeared a couple of days ago. If there were hard copy printouts of the original data, it would be tedious but otherwise okay; instead, we're going to have to re-enter it largely from scratch, back several years. Blargh!

This has not been a good week. My computer's acting up as well (it's decided that all browsers except Netscape 4.7 are the work of the devil and freezes at the sight of them). Some personal stuff, too, that saps my energy. Let's hope the weekend is better.

Dyeing with KoolAde

For those of you who were wondering what happens when you dye yarn with KoolAde (in the microwave, in a water-v inegar bath), I offer the above
sampling. Some, like the darker green swirly skein, were further altered by the addition of food coloring.

The yarn is handspun llama wool, and yes, it does smell kinda fruity.

Edit: Here's a more detailed explanation of the process.

Rana as Pep Pill

For some reason the Big Boss believes that my presence in the office has made people more energetic, more optimistic and calmer, even those I don't work directly with. I feel like a vitamin, or perhaps a mood-altering drug.

I am mystified as to exactly how I accomplish this, but, hey, he's the Big Boss. I'm not going to argue with him.

Needs, Wants and Oughts

I've read a number of guides and advice manuals on things like managing your life, your budget, your career, etc. One trope that keeps appearing is that, in order to make your life/budget/etc. work more efficiently, you must first learn to separate your needs from your wants. The next step, presumably, is to then give priority to the needs when the two are in conflict.

Unfortunately, I've come to realize that it is more complicated than that. It really should be learning to distinguish between needs, wants and "oughts." That is, there are things you must do, things you'd like to do, and things you should do. It's prioritizing the last two that gets tricky.

Examples:

I need to eat dinner; I want to order pizza; I ought to make my own meal.
I need to get more sleep; I want to stay up and sleep in; I ought to go to bed earlier.

Then there are the oughts vs. wants battles that have little or nothing to do with needs:

I ought to clean my apartment; I want to go for a walk.
I ought to finish this sweater; I want to start a new project.
I ought to use some of my free time to do research or learn new things; I want to stay up late reading fiction.

You get the idea. What I want are advice books that give help in terms of separating oughts from wants (and in determining whether the oughts are appropriate or not). The ones I've seen, however, tend to be long on spirituality or "finding your bliss" and short on practical advice.

(Isn't that always the case? Reminds me of my encounters with the job search books...)

Random Catch-Up

I am beginning to wish I had DSL at home. It's a dilemma: at work, the connection is fast and the interface with Typepad is great, but I'm limited to my lunch and after work (like now), plus my work day is rarely anything worth writing about. At home, over the weekends or on my days off, I have more things to say about more interesting topics, but the interface and dialup are so slow that I get great wads of knitting done just waiting for a window to open. (Well, maybe that's a good thing. Still, it's frustrating, and tends to kill spontaneous blogging.)

Friday I spent more time with museums (visiting and volunteering), picked up my bike from the shop, and took a better yoga class (in which I was happy to discover that I am still able to stand on my head without damage). Over the weekend I brooded, slept in too late, knit more, fondled the new ball of yarn (I'm holding off until this sweater is done! done! done!), played with the cat, visited D., went for walks, and cleaned the living room. So much missed!

Well, I'd better sign off. It's time to log off and go home. (Yay.) American Idol is on tonight, which means I'll get more knitting done!

Stop Me Before I Quizilla Again

OUR GUY NEXT DOOR:
You tell about your life and thoughts honestly and
without pretending. This might at times come
out pretty dull and boring. Never mind - those
who know you will be coming back day after day,
week after week.


What kind of blogger are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

An Unsilly Quiz

If you're thinking of voting Democratic this year, you might want to take the time to take this quiz. (Heck, even if you're not, it's worth looking at.) It provides the candidates' positions anonymously on fourteen topic areas, and, when you've finished selecting those with which you most agree, shows how the candidates stack up. I wasn't surprised to see that I agreed with Kucinich and Kerry on several points, was surprised to see that my agreement with Clark (on different topics) was just as strong, and am disturbed to discover that I agree with Lieberman on domestic security. Edwards and Dean made my list too.

Most of the positions are variations on a theme, but sometimes real differences in approach and depth of thought stand out.

Ever'body's Doin' It

It's another silly quiz:


You are Frida Kahlo! You are an artistic,
passionate, vulnerable person, with openly
bisexual tendancies and were the first womyn to
have her own gallery show in Mexico. You slept
with ... Trotsky?


Which Western feminist icon are you?
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