You know, I expected more.

First, I expected different bins for the various forms paper takes: corrugated cardboard, paperback books, hardcover books, phone books, magazines and newspaper. This is what I had in Oregon.

In Nebrasky, there were TWO bins: Newspaper Only and Mixed Paper Only. Is the "only" on Mixed Paper not redundant?

Furthermore, there was a grave misspelling on the signs posted ALL OVER THE BIN informing the casual recycler that soilded paper was not to be placed in the bin. Nice. Not as cool as the sign Kristin and I saw at the car wash but still nice.

Sox lost. Bloody hell.

Anyone remember that song from Sesame Street?

Follow, the arrows, they'll show you where to go! Arrows go up...arrows go down. Arrows take you to an OCTOPUS!

That was my favorite part. And whenever I saw an octopus I remembered the song.

Alas, it is time to get ready for work. Gah. Spring has gone elsewhere the past few days, leaving me apathetic and slothlike. The only thing I want to do is read my Southern Persuasion books and drink coffee laced with Baileys all day long with a blanket wrapped around me.

Area Man Well-Versed In First Thirds Of Great Literature

Ah ha hah! All's I feel like doing right now is reading. A great need to Consume Books, as many as possible as fast as possible.

I'm exhausted. Bruce flies out tonight and I'm all stressed. Sox lost.

Trever the kindergartener was kind enough to put a book of fish together for me. This shark is my favorite. It looks so happy! Whee!

To prepare for my move to Alabama, I wanted to read Books of the Southern Persuasion. I put out an APB on Chicklit and boy did they come through for me. Even better, my little library had a ton of the suggested books. I decided to start with Kaye Gibbons's Charms for the Easy Life and it is marvelous. I did NOT like her Ellen Foster and was apprehensive about a second helping of her books, but this one is funny and has well-written characters. The women are strong and independent without the whole MEN ARE PIGS AND NOTHING ELSE thing.

(Get it?) On Sunday, Bruce and I headed to downtown Plattsmouth for some down-home cookin' at Mom's Cafe, bastion of unhealthy deliciousness (Fish Fry Every Friday!). I had my regular french toast sandwich and Bruce had his standard icky chicken fried steak with globulous gravy. It looks like puke but he seems to enjoy the stuff.

Kindergarteners again today and then the closing shift at the library.

A long day, in which I realized that, as nice a spacious classroom might be for the purposes of storage and general well-being, all it really means is enough room for certain students to get a running start.

I also realized there are two (2) types of Kindergarten classes: those that should request subs to strap on a pair of Nikes before coming into school and those that have working auditory systems and compatible Oh, the Teacher is Pissed Off voice-recognition software.

I did get multiple hugs and four pictures for my pains, though. I'll scan them in tomorrow.

I love coffee.

That is all.

Goodnight.

Neil Gaiman: "There. A finished ANANSI BOYS has gone off to the publishers in the US and the UK"

He's so dreamy.

Originally uploaded by imholte.

(Lovely eastern Oregon photo by Eddie) I'm very happy to report that I am heading back to Boston in July to attend a very special wedding. I am especially excited.

And some unknown something bit/stung me today whilst I was weeding the lavender in the front yard. My pinky finger swelled up and had a purple mark on it. That'll teach me to do yard work.

I'm fine now, thanks - and determined to get health insurance this weekend.

Strangely, between subbing and working at the library, I had approximately 7.5 hours of direct exposure to kindergarteners today and I am still breathing. More strange: it was a good day.

New Car
Originally uploaded by arahsae.

Here it is, my new-to-me car. It's a 98 Honda Civic EX with more power doohickeys than I need, but who can say no to a moonroof/sunroof combo? The only bad thing is there's no CD player - but it has a tape deck so I can just pop my iPod in and groove away.

Han Solo has been installed in the back and I stuck some incense under the seat to get rid of the air-freshener and car cleaner smell.

Thanks go out to Kristin for encouraging me to consider Hondas and helping me find this one. She's a gem.

Bruce has written about and posted photos of the Alabamer house on his blog. If you perfer photos without the hooha, check out his Flickr page.

Frenzy 1
Originally uploaded by arahsae.

You know, I really need to focus on the positive. Right now. I don't like to - fretting about the past and future and mulling things over is a skill I excel at ( I got an A+ in Anguish). If one makes no decision, one cannot make the wrong decision, right? A fear of committing myself to failure.

Where do I want to be? What do I want?

Susie wisely tells me to Write it down, Plot it out, Follow through. Boom boom boom.

Makes sense! I know it is excellent advice - except when your answer to those two questions is a vague and tenebrous I don't know.

But this past month has been hellish. There's a fish in the above photo who only has it's mouth above water (may need to click to see; I put a note on it) and, dammit, I can totally identify with the creature.

At this point I need to stop FEELING and stewing in my own Juices of Fate and focus on DOING.

But I got a car - that's one item on the positive list...which consequently drives down my financial standing; point for the opposite team. Fotos to follow. Maybe...no, YES.

You know, if I could keep this sort of mentality, I'd be a much happier person. If only we all had a tambourine, Gypsy Lady; if only.

I bought this in one of the antique stores in Olde Towne Bellevue. There's no note on the back, but I love her hand colored dress & vest and pinked-in blushing cheeks.

There are two cars in my sights right now, both used and presently sitting at dealerships. I'm too untrusting to buy a car from a stranger - and it is easier to dicker sticker price with a business, anyway. The Establishment and all. Research is done, both Kelley Blue Book and N.A.D.A. values looked up and printed out. So we'll see.

I'm sticking with a Saturn.

Sometimes I wish I had a sign like this on me.

I'm reading Emma and it is going slow. Takes me a while to work through the language.

Tomorrow is to be the first spate of car shopping. I'm raaather upset because my bank is holding my check from the insurance company for TEN days and I can't wait that long to get a car. Argh.

And just because.

Kristin and I decided to TAKE ACTION and overcome my bad car karma, so we bravely ventured forth to Hobby Lobby, the very place I'd been on my way to when Mrs. Talk - On - Her - Phone - And - Not - Pay - Attention decided to (surprise!) not pay attention and stop in the middle of the street without warning.

We went, we bought, we went again, because first we got the wrong paint, we printed. Tonight I ironed the finished products to set the ink and now they are ready to wear! I didn't photograph Kristin's so as to not steal her thunder.

So my weekend was awesome, and today sucked big fat ass. It's that simple.

In many ways, I hate zoos.

I hate that animals used to square miles in the wild are limited to square feet. I hate the fake trees and fake ponds and the lack of green growing plants. I hate the plasic balls in the cages that are supposed to entertain and engage the animals.

I know the zoo environment is the only way most people will ever see these animals. I know many zoo animals were rescued, previously injured or sick creatures. I know many of these animals are guaranteed a chance at a longer life span because of captivity; they are safe from poachers.

But I think the primates' situation gets to me the most; they are too like people.

I heard person after person comment on how depressed the gorilla in this photo seemed. "He looks so sad! He's bored! Ohhh!" We excel at attributing human emotions to other animals - I certainly am not learned in gorilla communication methods, but I couldn't help agreeing that he looked unhappy. He looks at me and I fill in what words I imagine him thinking. They are not words of satisfaction or thanks. It is unsettling to meet his gaze.

Then again, it was the middle of the day and very hot outside. He probably was bored. Most of the other gorillas were sleeping, and even this one swayed a bit as he dozed off and then woke himself up with a little jerk. Reminded me of people trying to stay awake in early-morning college classes.

When I was little, I wanted to work in a zoo with the animals, especially the big cats. I don't think I could do that - if only for the words I imagine them saying. I go to the zoo, and I get angry and get tears in my eyes.

I'm better cut out for the Classroom Zoo, where the captives have ultimate charge of their own destiny. Feeding times are still pretty messy, though.

Flams & Shadow
Originally uploaded by arahsae.

These guys looked more orangey than the flamingos I saw in Seattle, but they were fun to watch. They fought a lot and flapped beautiful black-tipped wings when threatened.

And of course, there were several birds standing on one foot while resting. That's a requirement; at least three have to be on one foot at all times; the zookeepers beat the flamingos if that doesn't occur, so the birds take it in turns.

So you see, Kristin and I hit the zoo today. We did not approve of many of the habitats, being so small that the animals (mostly big cats) were reduced to pacing, an act described here.

It was great to be outside on a sunny day and walk all over the place. I'll post more photos over the next few days!

The New York Times > Cardinal Law, Ousted in U.S. Scandal, Is Given a Role in Rites He's the reason they are closing the school I taught at in JP.

(if you don't have NY Times access, go to Bugmenot.com)

BBC News - Did the Vikings make a telescope? This is the kind of thing you expect in a story -- the lost technology of the ancients and so forth.

These may be out of Byzantium; I love that word.

I had a moment of sweetness yesterday when I got home from work. You see, I found a used hardcover of The Happy Hocky Family at Powell's and I ordered it. This book is pure genius. I love it. The design, the story, the art - ah. Beautiful. Furthermore, I cannot read it without hearing Susan's voice in my head; she introduced it to me during her PB study on Lane Smith, the author. Susan reading this book aloud always makes me laugh. I need to laugh.

The Happy Hocky Family is composed of two-three-four page vignettes revolving around the life of the Hocky family.

I wrote a vignette of my own, in Baby Hocky's style.

CAR STORY

I have a car.
Do you have a car?
I have a car.

My car is cranberry.
If you had a car,
what color would it be?

My
car
is
CRANBERRY.

CRASH!

I have an empty key chain and a burning pit of fury in my gut.
Do you have an empty key chain and a burning pit of fury in your gut?
I have an empty key chain and a burning pit of fury in my gut.

THE END
***Apologies to Mr. Smith.

1. Commence further grinding and gnashing of teeth.
2. Light memorial candle and incense.
3. Make arrangements to retrieve your personal belongings, including environmentally sound canvas shopping bags, the book-on-CD still in the player and Han Solo's phaser, which flew out of his hand upon impact. (He sat atop the back seat, aiming at potential threats; unfortunately, this was a frontal attack.)
4. Consider your need for alternative transportation - purchase a Vespa, as per Susie's recommendation?
5. Siphon remaining fuel from tank and sell. (It was 1/2 full!)
6. Research Kelly Blue Book values and get an idea of what it was worth.
7. Pray that the insurance company realizes how special a car it was and refunds you generously.
8. Find another way to get to Alabama.
9. Vow to never ever talk on your phone and drive at the same time or let another driver do that while you are in the car.
10. Remove the totaled vehicle from your policy and your heart.

I don't want to describe the whole thing right now except to say that the Jeep driver was on her cell phone and did not see the car in front of her stop. I'm fine, just shaken up because, if things had been slightly off, I could've had a Jeep rear wheel where my face is supposed to be.

So I'm busy trying not to think about that and hoping, by some further miracle, that they don't total my poor little car - which I haven't yet paid for.

More photos on my Flickr page.

And Saturns are damn safe cars.

Pics from Fenway - 3-31-05 - www.ezboard.com These were just taken yesterday and show the new bits and pieces.

The final photo is particularly nice. Ahhhhhhh yes.

Sus - anyone in your family going to opening day?
Bruce and I are going to see Fever Pitch. Jim-my Fal-lon! And all the Sox footage, of course.