March 31, 2003
Monday Mission 3.13
These are the weekly questions Promoguy hath wrought. To see his answers, go to his blog.1. How old will you be on your next birthday?
As the hand ticks past midnight, I shall be thirty six. Wow...Four years away from the big four-oh. I sure don't feel like it (mentally, anyway)!
2. What is your favorite gadget?
One thing I love is my underwater stem cutter. I got it from Jackson and Perkins in one of the warehouse sales when I worked there, but it looks like they discontinued it. Some cut flowers need to have their stems seared with a match, while others need to be cut underwater so no air gets into the stem (the air bubble will keep water from being taken up through the stem). For the latter, this gadget works great. It is a glass jar with a screw-on lid which contains a razor blade sort of assembly. You fill the jar with water, screw on the lid, then insert the stems of your cut flowers into it and press the button on top. It slices the stems under water.
(By the way, I have one of those little George Foreman grills, too, and I love it; I want one of the big ones so I can do more than one big burger at a time!)
3. Tell me about someone that you lost touch with several years ago. Would you like to get back in touch with them again? What caused the separation? Has enough time passed? Would you still get along?
I lost touch with someone who was instrumental in showing me God was not only real, but approacheable and loving. We were good friends while I was in high school, but as I grew and matured as a person, he stayed right where he was. He's got a lot of strange ideas, a lot of things he swears are revelations to him by God. He's in his fifties and still lives at home, an eternal Peter Pan.
He was in his thirties when I met him, and the very fact that he was a youthful-thinking hippy made friendship fun and easy; the thing is, he stayed that way and I just keep wishing he'd grow up. So, no, I don't think we'd still get along, sad as that is.
4. Is there a difference between your online personality and your real-life version? Or are you pretty much the same person either way?
In the most basic sense, no. I strive to be approacheable and helpful. I enjoy helping people with their computer snafus, gabbing about gardening and scores of other subjects. In RL, I am more of a hermit, though. It's funny, the more of a hermit I am in RL, the more active I am online, so I suppose it goes hand-in-hand.
5. Can you think of any ways that the Internet hinders person-to-person communication? What could we do to change things?
I know that in my own life, I am more apt to jot someone an e-mail than I am to call. Sometimes I want to just communicate some tidbit of information, and I know if I call, it will probably end up being a 1/2 hour conversation. Truthfully, I just don't enjoy talking on the phone that much anymore. I think the Internet is a mixed bag. I've met many of my Internet friends in RL and enjoyed their company very much. Many of those online acquaintances have become RL trusted and cherished friends, people with whom we've even stayed with.
However, I also find that, especially when stressed, I tend to pull back from my local RL friends and family and dwell more in my Internet community. It's just easier sometimes, you know? I can read their blogs, threads, and e-mails without feeling put on the spot. I have more of a chance to digest what they're saying and think about my replies before answering.
Personally, to change things, I need to force myself to get outside and be with people. It always charges me up and makes me happy when I get out with folks face-to-face, so why I don't just DO more often that is a mystery!
6. When was the last time you felt truly happy, or had that sense of perfect inner-peace? What does it take to get that feeling back when you need it?
I feel peaceful like that when I awake in the wee hours of the morning and hear the birds chattering. I love that sound. And when I sing, especially worship songs, I feel very peaceful and happy. One of the most wonderful things to me is singing harmony with others.
7. If you could just verbally let loose on someone and be able to say anything you want, without repercussions, who would you say it to and what would you say?
Hmmmmm.....Really can't say. ;)
Oh, and my caption for the photo is "Super-Elastic Kitty Plastic!"
It's April? No Fooling?
babbling, and strewing flowers."
-- Edna St. Vincent Millay,
American poet
These were taken in April 2002, but we're not too far from looking this way this spring:
We did so much in the basement yesterday. My brother-in-law came by and helped, and between the three of us working, we got all the stuff we're keeping up on some shelves Howie built. We also have the remainder of the stuff sorted into two piles in the front of our garage: Goodwill and Garbage. By the time mid-April comes around, we'll have a clean slate for the contractor to start working.
Since we got everything in the basement done, Howie said he'll help me work in the yard this Satuday. I got a little bit of the winter die-back cleared from the front perennial beds Saturday, but I'm behind in my pruning. It will be so good to get everything cleared away so all the new growth has room to grow. There's so much coming up, and it's so welcome to see after this harsh, bitter winter.
I wish we didn't perpetually run in catch-up mode. The clean-up outside would be easier if we weren't also having to clear last fall's leaves! The Messies Manual book I just finished reading has helped me see things in new ways and has me feeling more empowered to change some of my habits; it's really my hope to have a better handle on routine maintenance of the house and the yard by this fall.
After getting so much done this weekend, I feel pumped. I actually feel like change is possible!
Added: Silly me, I had it in my mind that Monday was April 1. So, April came a day early in my blogworld. Whoops!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
