Horoscope versus real life
June 10, 2010
Today I compared the predictions with real life. That I used the horoscope from The Onion should??give a clue as to my general attitude toward such things.
I am a Cancer. A moon child. That explains a lot.
I was originally going to use Yahoo???s horoscope because it???s right there on my homepage. I??looked both yesterday (in anticipation) and today (in practice). The daily predictions were thus:
???Friends in need aren’t anything new???you actually tend to attract them, and you don’t mind so??much. You send out subtle signals that let others know you’re the most trustworthy of friends. Right??now, in fact, those traits are amped up, so no matter who comes to you, even just for a quick hug,??you go above and beyond the call of duty. Don’t be surprised if you end up with a long-term friend.???
???You’re feeling especially chatty and friendly???which means you’re much more easily tempted than??usual to let a hot secret slide. If it’s your own and you don’t mind the world knowing, go for it???sharing a confidence can be a great way to bond. If it’s shared or someone else’s entirely, think??twice before you have at it. Why risk a current relationship to entice a new one????
Omigod, they???re almost true.??
Monday I learned that my downtown place where I work out is closing due to financial issues. I??was apparently one of only two or three members in whom the proprietress Pam confided extra??information. She was not merely trying to sell the business due to ???changes in personal??circumstances??? (the general notice to members) but because she is in arrears for rent and is being??evicted.
Yesterday, the first day of the horoscope, I shared with her that I had gone through personal??bankruptcy in 2004. That sort of opened the floodgates and I gathered that because of credit card??misuse due to na??vet??, she, too, is facing bankruptcy, though likely business rather than personal.??I???m usually the latest person working out, so there were no privacy concerns as we continued the??conversation after I was finished. I ended up giving her a hug that was appropriate but which??ended up being a little uncomfortably long. But she needed it, so that was okay. I don???t think we???ll??be friends after this chapter ends, but she???s been good to me in the fifteen months that I???ve been a??member.
Since Monday when I learned of the goings on, I had felt like I wanted to give Pam and Betty, the??other woman who I saw most often, parting mementos, but I had no idea what. What do you give??people who you see often and appreciate and maybe even feel affection for yet you don???t know too??intimately? When I got home last night, I spied the answer on my windowsill???two houseplant??babies that have been living in a jar for far too long that I hadn???t been in a hurry to pot because I??already have plenty.
Then I got all sappy and was thinking of the reasons why I???d give when I presented Pam and Betty??with the plants. You know, the clich??s like, now you???ll have the chance to experience a new??opportunity, this plant is a symbol of something new coming from something that???s ending, so on??and so forth. I wanted to say that they were simply small tokens of my gratitude and affection for a??healthy year and a quarter. But I said none of that, other than that I just wanted to do a little??something.
Today, I knew that Betty was opening so, not wishing to miss what might be my last opportunity to??see her, I left a message at my office saying I???d be a little late arriving because I had to make a stop??on the way in. I left both plants with Betty and she didn???t give much away, but I think she was??touched. When I got to to work, I told another Pam the whole story. While we weren???t exactly??bonding any more than we already have from working together for fifteen years, and there was??nothing at risk by my sharing one Pam???s story with the other Pam, it was interesting to note how??real life very loosely corresponded to the horoscope.
The story above is what I was going to relate for my comparison of horoscope versus real life.
Then I got sidetracked by the charm of The Onion‘s Scorpio horoscope for my friend Meghan: ???Everyone??wants to live forever, but in your case it would just mean more time being chased by an angry??swarm of bees.???
I found my own, for Cancer: ???The hounds of hell will be at your door this week, clawing furiously to??be let out and use the bathroom.??? At first I thought, that???s dumb. Then I realized that this week I am??working on revisions on a project for a client whose reasons for wanting the things they want I find??nearly impossible to understand, and how, because they???re a fairly new client, my boss instills the??utmost urgency in us for the things they need, like they???re going to pee their pants or something if??they don???t get it.
Spooky.
??
image??by??vampirebeth1
Flannel sheets surprise
June 5, 2010
I???ve already extolled the virtues of hot water and the morning shower. I???ve said how I love to sleep and wish I did more of it. If you have pets yourself, you know that they can melt away the day???s troubles with a well-timed purr. That these things make up a feel-good trifecta is no surprise. What does surprise me is that in the suddenly summer weather we???ve been having, my flannel sheets are not too warm.
Mother Nature has been confusing us Minnesotans this spring. I don???t waste time getting the flannel sheets onto the bed in the fall. then we had an early warm spell, so I didn???t waste time taking them off as spring approached. Trouble is, the warm didn???t last for very long and we swung to unseasonably cool temperatures. The flannel sheets make a curtain call. The cool stayed around and the flannel stayed on.
Then, practically overnight, summer made another push into the scene. Being the cynical Minnesotan that I am, it took me a long time to be convinced that it wouldn???t snow again. The flannel sheets stayed on. Then, me being me, when I did laundry, I just put them back on rather than have to fold them up.
It has continued to be summery warm. I have flung open my windows. And I am completely surprised that I haven???t been roasting sleeping in those flannel sheets. I have come to this conclusion: flannel sheets aren???t warmer than regular sheets. They just seem that way in the winter because they???re fuzzy. They aren???t cold to the initial touch when you get into bed. You don???t have to wait for your body heat to warm up the points of contact.
Last fall I was surprised when an online acquaintance who lives in central Illinois???further south, more humid???said that he leaves his flannel sheets on year round. Now I know he???s not crazy!
June 2, 2010
A thing of the past: remember pay phones?
June 5, 2010
From my office???s kitchen window, I look down on two relics from the past???public pay phones. I can???t remember the last time I used a pay phone. No, wait, I can. I was in a pub in West Drayton, London, UK (in about 2000, before Stu moved to Newcastle) and wanted to phone someone I was trying to meet up with. Though it???s true I had had a couple of beers, I remember that the concept of adding money as necessary during your conversation flummoxed me and I lacked the necessary multitasking skills.
But here in the good old U S of A, I can???t remember. Heaven knows I was not an early adopter of the cell phone, but now that I am completely portable and it???s 2010, I can???t believe that everybody doesn???t have one. Or that they wouldn???t be walking with someone who had one.
So I am always fascinated when I see someone down there using one of those babies. I think I always assume that they???re a drug dealer who doesn???t want to be traceable, or some other nefarious type.
These pictured are at Hennepin and 4th Avenues. The only other blue pay phone that I used to see was at the corner of Blaisdell Avenue and 28th Street. I thought that one had been removed because it was well-known to be a favorite of evil-doers, but in this??Street View??I see a phone book dangling which implies that there is still a telephone.
I also have to share with you this oldie???the indoor phone booth. This is in a corner of Rostamo’s Bar where I like to sing karaoke, which I???ve been going to for a few years. It was only a few months ago that I noticed it, already relieved of its device.
Don???t connect the dots
June 5, 2010
I remember my disbelief a few years ago when my coworker Pam enlightened me to the true identity of all those black spots on sidewalks. I had never really thought about it before, and it took some time and more walks for me to accept it as the truth. They are all discarded wads of gum.
It???s bad enough that people throw their cigarettes butts anywhere-ever (something I was guilty of myself when I used to smoke), but at least those can be swept up and made to disappear. Gum spit out is the gift that keeps on giving.
Now that you know, take a look around. Sure they???re everywhere, but isn???t the increased volume in areas where people queue disgusting? Just notice the next time you???re out and about. Bus stops, nightclub entrances, all befouled.
There???s just one word for it.
On my desk: postal mail followup
June 2, 2010
Most of what???s on my desk is not that interesting, usually, but right now it holds several examples of a dying entity???postal mail.??
I don???t received much paper mail. I don???t have credit cards so I get virtually no junk mail, and I get my bills electronically. There are usually two or three days each week where the mailbox is empty, and sometimes I get is the weekly shopping circular.
It???s been so long since I got personal paper mail that I forgot how much fun it is to open the mailbox and find something. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about having mailed a bunch of postcards to my Tweak Today friends. Today you can see a few of the things I???ve received in return???quite a few postcards and a punny sticker, and (not pictured here) a beer newspaper and the jam I wrote about yesterday.
It has been lots of fun.
May 30, 2010
Bridge to Augsburgithia
June 2, 2010
All day long, I was trying to think of someplace to explore where I hadn???t been before, which would make me feel uncomfortable being there, and which was conveniently located due to my feeling that I never have enough time. I realized that if it were conveniently located, it would be unlikely to make me feel uncomfortable because convenience would mean it was somewhere between home and work.
If I had had more ambition, I thought it would be interesting to go to a Mexican restaurant in a Latino neighborhood. I had two years of Spanish in junior high and can get the gist of a conversation and pronounce menu items correctly. When I go to Chicago, I always listen to the Spanish language radio stations in the car. Going to a Mexican restaurant would be uncomfortable but would have a delicious payout. Today was a lazy day.
By the time I left work, I had instead convinced myself that Pizza Luc?? would be the perfect supper, no discomfort necessary. In addition to whole pies, they sell by the slice and each day feature different meat and veggie selections. The only question was whether to go to the one a couple of block from my office or the one a few blocks from my home. I chose home.
The Seward Neighborhood Pizza Luc?? is about a half mile further. To get to it, I have to cross I-94 and then travel a few blocks on a busy street. I rode on the sidewalk going and resolved to take the side street between the freeway and the busy street on the way back.
I picked up my slices and headed to the side street. Trouble was, it was one-way in the opposite direction that I needed to go. Maybe it makes me sappy, but as a bicyclist I do follow the rules of the road 98% of the time. I don???t blow through red lights and I come to a complete stop at stop signs even when no one???s there. I prefer not to ride on the sidewalk (though I will), and riding the wrong way just isn???t right.
So I paused at the corner, debating which was the lesser of the two evils, sidewalk or wrong way. I just happened to look the other way and spied the solution to my dilemma???a pedestrian bridge over the interstate. And it fulfilled another need, to explore someplace new.
I???d never even realized it was there. It???s just to the east of 22nd Avenue and crosses to Augsburg College. There was nothing uncomfortable about it, though as I stood still to take the pictures, it was disconcerting to feel the vibrations caused by the traffic hurtling past underneath. I???d never been in the part of Augsburg where it came out. I found myself at a little town square type park and another one-way street going in the opposite direction. This time I only had to go one block against the grain so I said screw it, yet it that short distance I had to dodge two cars and one pedestrian.
I got home and enjoyed some tasty pizza.
We be jammin???
June 1, 2010
What???s the oldest thing in your refrigerator? This jar of Welch???s grape jelly is five or more years old. Rob gave it to me when he was cleaning out in preparation for a Minnesota???California move. I never told him that I don???t really use grape jelly???at all. I don???t really use jelly of any kind???it seems mostly to be solidified corn syrup. When I did get jelly, I???d get currant jelly or something else red.
Kelly???s Unnecessary Blog, a.k.a. Kelly???s Confessional to Rob.
But I still have that grape jelly and it does get consumed???by my parents a few times each year. It???s pretty much just sugar. It???s fine.
When I did still eat toast for breakfast, I eventually shifted from the currant jelly to any mostly-fruit jam in an attempt to ingest as natural ingredients as possible, which I do not consider corn syrup or grape juice to be, even though they are touted as such. If fruit wasn???t the first ingredient listed, I put it right back.
I still don???t eat toast for breakfast (now I go more eggy), though sometimes I do keep whole wheat bread. My favorite is Healthy Choice 7-Grain. Whole wheat flour is the first ingredient and it???s soft and tasty. There again, just because bread is brown, that doesn???t mean it???s whole wheat. You must check the ingredients list. If it says anything other than ???whole,??? it???s not true whole wheat bread. Thomas 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins are good, too. However, the double fiber whatever muffins are like eating twigs and should be avoided.
I digress.
Now I have something new???Raspberry Pinot Noir jam, special delivery from Annie in Portland, Oregon. It is awesome! It???s made by the King Estate Oregon Wines, an organic, sustainable operation. Follow the link above and then explore the rest of the site. They use sheep to ???mow??? the grass. ???Moo??? the grass? ???Baa??? the grass? ???Bleat??? the grass?
The point is, it looks like a neat place. And the jam is made from raspberries grown in the vineyard???s orchard and spiked with Pinot Noir. From the moment you unscrew the lid, you can smell the wine. It tastes as delicious as you would imagine.
So when the jam arrived, I didn???t have any bread to spread it on. I experimented with making whole wheat flour baking powder biscuits, but those were a disaster. But they were good enough to sample the jam and find out that it???s as delicious as it sounds. I would have made the biscuits with white flour, only I???ve been out of it since March. Yesterday I went to the store mainly to get a frozen pizza for supper but with the secondary intent to get some pop ???n??? fresh biscuit dough. I ended up getting pop ???n??? cinnamon rolls. No raspberry Pinot Noir jam got spread on those.
Today I went to the store again to get a steak and some fresh veggies to grill for supper. Still no bread.
But I might just put a dollop on these whole wheat brownies I just made. Chocolate, raspberry, and wine, especially red wine that I???m drinking? Oh yeah. Not even noticing the whole wheat aspect 🙂
The cockpit of my life
May 22, 2010
There you have it. This is where my life happens. From this one chair, I waste time at the computer and I waste time watching television. ???Happens??? might imply a bit too much proaction on my part. From this one chair, my life passes before my very eyes in the form of RGB pixels.
This would be an appropriate time to make one of my periodic declarations that I???m on the verge of canceling my cable tv subscription. We all know that will never happen. It???s not because I???m too lazy to get shows online or join NetFlix. No, it???s because the Comcast machine makes it really easy from a financial standpoint to stay. The last time I attempted to leave, I was informed/coerced that if I unbundled, the price of my internet service would go up and that I???d be saving less than $15 per month. One could stand on principle and go ahead and cancel. I caved. The internet doesn???t help either. Unlike the television, I don???t see spending time with it to be as much of a waste, thought it certainly does chew up time. I got this chair, this comfy chair, from IKEA. I had previously sat a cast-off old desk chair from my office, but because of the amount of time I spend sitting in this one location doing both computer and television, I decided I wanted a better one. It was only about $80, but it???s a whole lot more comfortable than my fancy desk chair at the office which I know they paid over $200 for. Oh, and the cushion for a little extra lower back support? That???s the bottom pillow from the cat bed I got for my sweeties a couple of years ago. I didn???t really understand its purpose in its original application. So this is the location from which I conduct a large part of my life. On a typical night I would be writing my blog entry from there; tonight I am in a hotel room in Schaumburg, Illinois, where I will be bowling in a tournament tomorrow. It???s a little strange, because due to not having packed any long pants, such as sweat pants for lounging, and having the air conditioning on at full blast because it???s very humid outside and will be warm tomorrow, I was cold, so I pulled the comforter off the bed and wrapped myself in it while sitting in the desk chair with my feet up in a second chair. At home, I never wrap up in a blanket because I can just add more clothing layers. Here, burritoed as I am, all I can think of is how movie characters wrap themselves in a sheet or blanket when they get out of bed after sex. That???s my mental image, but it turns out it???s a really cozy, comfortable setup. But I digress.Enjoy every sandwich
May 20, 2010
There are several sandwiches that I like a lot.??
The first that comes to mind is a Potbelly Ham Wheat with a little bit of everything. I do dearly love Potbelly (and they have the best malts, too), but the sandwiches became less fun when I looked up the nutrition and learned that the Ham has over 2600mg of sodium. Now I eat them sparingly.
I also love a Chipotle Chicken Burrito???black beans, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and sometimes the medium salsa. Chipotle has ruined me for burritos anywhere else. I???m not making any judgement as to the authenticity of their style, but they sure are delicious! Unfortunately, its sodium is right up there, too, at over 2300mg.
Rounding out the top three also-rans is Panera???s Bacon Turkey Bravo. I can thank my friend Rob for that one. I initially preferred the roast beef Asiago sandwich, but his devotion to the Bacon Turkey Bravo caused me to try it and what can I say? Everything???s better with bacon! I have not checked the sodium.
The grand winner in my personal sandwich preferences is the Caprese panini from a local outfit, D???Amico and Sons. I usually get the lunch special, which teams it with their equally delicious (but not sandwich) Tuscan chicken soup and my choice of a chunk of bread or potato chips. I choose chips. It???s my version of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Well, or theirs, I guess. I???m just in heaven when I eat this sandwich.
Lilacs in the house
May 19, 2010
I was about five or six in my earliest memory of lilacs. We still lived on Main Street across from the library and had some large lilac bushes in the back yard along the alley. My mom cut some sprigs and brought them inside. The instant the stems hit the water in the vase, a multitude of tiny white mites abandoned blossom like it was the Titanic and scattered out across the brown kitchen table like dandruff on a black turtleneck.
Of course there are many things that I love the smell of, but here in Minneapolis, lilacs are exactly in bloom at the moment and I have one right outside my front window that makes my home smell heavenly.
I think you???d be hard pressed to find someone who found the scent of a lilac to be offensive???a natural lilac, the plant. I completely agree that soaps and lotions?? go overboard on the amount of fragrance. The smell of a plant in the wild is rarely too much. The delicate rose. The mild-mannered carnation. The industrial marigold. My love for the scent of a marigold also goes back to childhood. The house that we moved to after Main Street had a planter in front of the porch, and each summer I got to tend my marigolds, grown from seed. Pleasant memory.
So in my current place, this lilac grows in the corner between my front window and the steps up to my neighbor???s unit. Now that I???ve finally taken the winter-insulating plastic off my windows, I can once again invite in the smell of the outside world; it took about forty-five minutes for the glorious scent of lilac to permeate my entire residence. I am lucky.
This year in particular I have been infatuated with my lilac. Just Saturday, I sat outside reading for three hours in large part because the lilac smelled so good. The other large part was that it was the first day in two weeks to reach into the 70s and forsake 50 and rainy. Plus, this spring (unlike last year) has been wet enough so that all plants are happy. I???ve cut the grass twice already.
I must enjoy this opportunity that Mother Nature has given me while it lasts. I snipped a sprig to have on my desk to inspire me while I was writing. I held my breath as I immersed the end of the stem in the vase. I???m happy to report that the only mass exodus was of divine lilac scent to my nose.
Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog 