Every stone a story, like a rosary

Why Yes, I Am Going to Hell

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:40:17 GMT

moar funny pictures

From Twitter 01-06-2010

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:03:24 GMT

13:07:56: @snurri I've heard much worse. He doesn't even get into the sinfulness of imagining things God didn't create.
13:11:50: I know why it sucked for me. RT @FakeAPStylebook: "Annus Horribilis" refers to 1997. It knows why.
13:13:37: @Quiara Hydrogen peroxide, Or OxyClean.
13:20:42: @AdamantFire Happy birthday!
18:25:47: RT @Mollena: When your Boss starts quoting "American Psycho" it is time to smile profusely and back out of the building.
18:27:40: Hey, @BeautyChaotic! @Mollena! Check out these idiots. http://ow.ly/Tvqo
18:29:08: @Quiara My mother always said she worked in two madhouses.
21:33:38: @beththecat I know. I love the abundant flesh of both my partners.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 01-05-2010

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:02:41 GMT

04:29:58: RT @abostick59: Alchemists Screwed As Lead Outperforms Gold In 2009 http://ow.ly/STaE
04:33:08: I lured @abostick59 to the dark side with cooki-- I mean LOLcats. I am so proud. http://ow.ly/STe1
11:55:48: @catvalente Talk to Elise -- see if you can get it in exchange for a story.
16:35:35: Gmail is deeply confused. Earlier it thought snow was falling on my area. Now it's convinced we're having a thunderstorm. It's 56 and sunny.
16:36:16: Their ambition is to nap, snack, and play. RT @peterstraubnyc: Call me crazy, but cats have no real ambition.
17:11:10: Gabriel seems to be living outside. She appears when I open the studio door. I think she wants to live there again away from the other cats.
17:51:33: Almost everything off the patio now. Am taking a break before last two boxes. Still need to move bedding bags to room. But I persevere.
19:10:38: @catvalente Mint juleps. Mint tea. Mint fondant to fill chocolates. Mint ice cream.
19:15:44: RT @lysana: Perv: (n) One whose lack of sexual self-honesty leads to suffering in others. See adultery, pedophilia, homophobia, bluenoses.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 01-04-2010

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:03:50 GMT

04:49:36: Fun with Physics Cat. http://ow.ly/SwIn
05:11:09: @seismogenic Depending on how long you were gone, the cleaning might be OK. Organizing your kitchen is NOT.
16:45:24: I've been slowly unwinding from the adrenaline-fueled intensity of the past weeks. Still lots of work to do but the worst is over.
18:00:26: Gabriel is back! She is having a meal of gooshy food as we speak. Then maybe we can do some lap time. We both need it.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

When in Doubt, Make a LOLcat

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:01:33 GMT

I've finished moving out. That's one phase of the move accounted for. Now I can relax and sleep and be human while unpacking.

Except, of course, that I am too exhausted, achy, and itchy to sleep long. I've had a restless night with bad dreams.

Therefore, my newest LOLcat:

moar funny pictures

(The one just before it was abostick59's first, I believe. Yes, I have corrupted him.)

From Twitter 01-03-2010

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:03:17 GMT

17:44:39: Finally out of the apartment. Everything cleaned. Keys left. Stopping for food and then at storage. Then must put things away. But I Am Out!
18:46:21: Just when I thought I was home free, the storage # rolldown door is sticking. I can open it fine, just not close it. Nothing in the track.
18:48:33: Storage office is closed but I'll find a way to fix it.
18:55:30: I fixed it! The locking bar had slid out when I rolled up the door. Triumph!
19:32:25: Right! RT @closetmastrbakr: Yes, dammit. RT @JulieKlam @LauraZigman Twitter is like a stay at home writer's water cooler, RIGHT EVERYONE?
19:51:07: @kallistimn yes, just one.
21:48:31: RT @ChrisDeLeon: Arguing that objectivity does not exist is like arguing that non-fiction does not exist. It's a matter of degrees.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 01-02-2010

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:02:26 GMT

01:02:23: Fake it until you make it. RT @randomdeanna: "Life's like a movie: write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending" #muppets
08:15:59: Life looks so much brighter after a full night's sleep. Today: get the rest OUT and major cleanup. Tomorrow: rest and human time.
11:56:59: Anybody local want to come help with cleanup and minor moving? Also free furniture still available. Text or call me! Am desperate and weary.
14:10:35: When shall I be dead and rid Of the wrong my father did? How long how long till moving truck Clear the house of all this muck? Housman-ish
15:23:55: Have taken R home and am having lunch. AE comes at 4 for the second shift. Maybe this will get done. Or done enough.
19:32:13: Getting there slowly. M and AE are doing wonders. Still lots to do. I am wiped out. Tomorrow: haulers go to dump and charity takes stuff.
19:50:04: Castro valley. How does early tomorrow morning sound?
21:46:53: I'm so grateful -- I have kind, helpful friends. Tomorrow: help from friends. Also trash hauler. Also finally getting out. Now sleep.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 01-01-2010

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:02:28 GMT

10:24:39: The movers called me at 7:25 AM. Storage space is filled -- solid. Truck is rapidly being emptied. Happy New Year!
11:03:57: Movers gone. Still have major work to do over at apartment, plus cat pickup and cleaning tomorrow. And unpacking.
11:06:10: Rum and raspberry! RT @lysana: Last tweet has me wanting to make up a drink and dub it Galactic Center. Taste combo is obvious.
11:17:18: @RainRadar 1
18:03:34: While the future's there for anyone to change still you know it seems
It would be easier sometimes to change the past.- Jackson Browne
20:50:31: It's 10 sizes too small. RT @ebertchicago: Tests find nothing wrong with Rush Limbaugh's heart. Physically.
21:11:54: Am clean and fed. Sleep now. Then finish the apt. Happy new year.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Bay Area Peeps: Household stuff, free or cheap - Today!

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:15:15 GMT

Two bookcases! Seven feet tall, walnut-finished pressboard. One needs shelves -- has
only the fixed shelf. Must take both. (We have the other shelves and
can supply them in a week or two.)

Microwave! It works!

Toaster Oven: Ditto!

Available ONLY between 9 and Noon Saturday

Email me for directions, etc.

From Twitter 12-31-2009

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:02:58 GMT

06:52:22: Going offline for the move. If you need me, you can text or call my cell phone.
08:41:55: 7:39AM. Movers are officially late. I wouldn't worry except that I've left them 3 urgent voicemails over the past couple days with no reply.
09:52:13: Stood up by the movers. Well, at least I have time to finish packing now.
10:24:21: Have found replacement movers. Very professional and organized. Move will happen late this afternoon.
10:59:22: Argh. First movers just called. They had me listed for noon. I said don't come, I've signed a contract. Feeling guilty and sick.
15:05:18: New movers just called -- they will be here in 10 minutes.
15:11:58: They are here.
18:24:09: Taking a break for supper. Amazing how food and Advil put fresh heart into the weary, achy, middle-aged lady.
21:50:15: At the house. Unloading starts at 9am. Gabriel is stomping around the apt, mad that someone stole her furniture. She comes home tomorrow.
22:58:48: #tenyearsago I worked until 11:30PM to get proposals out for a government project. My SME was my then-husband.
23:00:20: (SME means subject-matter expert.) Within months the marriage, project, and company were all dead. #tenyearsago

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Movers Update

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:32:03 GMT

I've found replacement movers. They seem very professional and organized -- good web site, electronic signature on the contract, everything. They can help me finish packing (although I've made huge strides myself this morning). They should be here between 2 and 4, so the move will happen late this afternoon.

Right now I am going out to breakfast. I need something solid to eat and someone else to bring it to me.

And May God Have Mercy on Me

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:52:51 GMT

Going offline for the move. If you need me, you can text or call my cell phone.

ETA/B> Looks like I have been stood up. My movers were called East Bay Moving Services (510.334.0941). They haven't returned any of my calls for the past couple days. I just figured they were out of town on a big move, maybe, and out of cell phone range. But nothing last night and nothing this morning.

I'm still packing -- that was a given, really. (It's nowhere near as bad as it looks. Honest.) I'd figured they could help.

I've already left messages with a couple of movers and my building super.

I may call my storage place and see if they know anybody who can move me at short notice. They were very nice people.

Now, Mercury is retrograde. It's a full moon (in Cancer, yet -- sign of the home). And there's an eclipse today. The Moon is in opposition to Pluto and Venus, and square to Saturn. That's a T-square and a powerful one.

All of these are VERY bad aspects for a successful move. Don't ever freaking tell me astrology has no effect. Feel free, however, to tell me I am an idiot for knowing but still moving now anyway. OTOH, stars or no stars, I need to get out of this apartment.

From Twitter 12-30-2009

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:02:46 GMT

00:27:51: @abostick59 At least it's a classic.
01:42:12: At last I have identified the theme song for 2009. Clapton and Winwood burning up the stage on Tough Luck Blues. http://ow.ly/R0Lh
06:34:45: Dear AT&T, I understand your desire to prevent customer loss, but I'm moving. Why make it hard for me to close my account? No love, Me
06:43:55: Dear PG&E, Thanks for your simple, elegant online starat/stop/move service. I salute you.
06:44:15: @castlesburning Easy. Just do two jobs.
07:40:33: .@belovedsnail As Ernestine used to say, "We're the phone company. We don't care. We don't have to."
10:05:46: I have managed to reach AT&T to arrange the end of my phone service. This counts as a major triumph. http://ow.ly/R8kS
17:11:05: @peterstraubnyc Hoping you stay healthy in 2010 and beyond.
17:17:58: OK @PGE4Me really knows how to use social media. Spotted my Tweet, answered it, and added a trackable link for others moving soon. Nice job!
18:00:08: Poor Liz Jones overspent her credit cards, couldn't check into a hotel, and equates that with homelessness. http://ow.ly/Rf8s
21:09:00: @abostick59 I am in love with your brain. Oooh, and your body, too.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

I Got the DSL and Phone Service Cancellation Blues

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:19:06 GMT

Brief update while I am on hold with AT&T.

Judging from the evidence of YouTube, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (probably my favorite passage of music) is much harder to play than you would think. The ease and grace of those triplets requires real skill.

For complicated reasons, I’m using YouTube as a stereo while I pack. Thus the various videos I’ve embedded. Which reminds me, the live Clapton/Winwood concert videos from a couple of years ago are just astonishing. Winwood may not be writing great music now, but he sure as hell can still play both guitar and organ. Clapton has widened his range. Yes, he can still play blues like a man who sold his soul to Robert Johnson. But he can also do a mellow, tender "Over the Rainbow." Really.

Still on hold.

For me there’s great joy watching these men in their sixties playing with such passion, skill, and pleasure. Not because I assume age would degrade their skills; rather the opposite. But because I can remember them when they were boys: Clapton was 19 when he started playing with the Yardbirds, Winwood a mere 14 when he joined the Spencer Davis Group.

Here's the teenage Steve Winwood playing Gimme Some Loving.

The thing is, they survived. Clapton went through heroin addiction, getting clean, the death of his son. Not all their friends managed to survive the pressures of fame, money, drugs, art. We lost a lot of the great musicians of the 60s. But here they are, and they’re good. They have the relaxed mastery that comes from a lifetime of doing the work. Playing, yes, but also confronting demons. That's how they can summon those demons for the great blues numbers; they're on familiar terms with the pain, they've been there, fought them over and over and will fight again tomorrow.

Playing Tough Luck Blues, which I have decided is the theme song for 2009. Turning genuinely miserable circumstances into art with the help of friends and music and hard-earned skill.

Still on hold.

Someone asked me about the lyrics on Saturday’s poll. (Sure they could have Googled them, but they wanted to know about several.) Here they all are.

But nobody gets a lifetime rehearsal, as specks of dust we're universal
Indigo Girls, Love’s Recovery

Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Edna St. Vincent Millay, Childhood Is The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies (this is the only quote not part of a song)

Only the good die young.
Billy Joel, Only the Good Die Young

Things have been OK for me, except that I'm a zombie now.
Jonathan Coulton, Re: Your Brains

And he told me all romantics meet the same fate someday / Cynical and drunk and boring someone in some dark café
Joni Mitchell, The Last Time I Saw Richard

The child has grown, the dream is gone.
Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb

I learned the truth at 17.
Janis Ian, At 17

It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive.
Bruce Springsteen, Badlands

Days go by, I'm hypnotized, I'm walking on a wire.
Shawn Colvin, Sunny Came Home

When there's no one left to leave you, even you don't quite believe you, that's when nothing can deceive you.
Steve Winwood, While You See a Chance

Lately I've been running on faith / What else can a poor boy do?
Eric Clapton, Running on Faith

I see no need to take me home, I'm old enough to face the dawn.
Merrilee Rush or Juice Newton, Angel of the Morning

One thing for certain, when it comes my time I'll leave this old world with a satisfied mind.
Bob Dylan, Satisfied Mind

There's a party in my mind...And it never stops
Talking Heads, Memories Can't Wait

Don't accept that what's happening Is just a case of others' suffering
Pink Floyd, On the Turning Away

I just got dropped from my AT&T call.

(In the interests of honesty, I worked on this entry in several sessions. I was probably on hold for no more than 20 minutes all told. However, I still haven't managed to get through to cancel my service. And the movers will be here in 24 hours.)

ETA On hold again.
ETA On hold for 15 minutes, and now I am free! Free!

From Twitter 12-29-2009

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:02:33 GMT

19:03:43: The LAST thing I needed in the 3 days before I move was my cell phone to die - days w. no contact. Now must learn new phone from scratch.
20:20:21: Auntie Google is a lifesaver. With her help have got new phone activated. I *will* prevail.
20:39:26: @abostick59 Does the calculator play songs?

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

A Little Strength for a Hard Day

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:07:13 GMT

Still packing. But I have Kelly Price's voice to help.

From Twitter 12-28-2009

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:02:38 GMT

06:05:31: Schweet! The Battle of Pelennor Fields in candy. http://ow.ly/Qo5N #tolkien
08:55:35: RT @FakeAPStylebook: Don't overuse commas. Think of the poor children who have to go to bed each night without any.
17:11:18: Waaant! RT @zem42: introverts ya us: http://ow.ly/QyIM
17:14:08: Not me. Except in places with rocks. RT @jfleck We know geologists are bad drivers. ("OMG, road cut!")
17:29:56: @cyan_blue That sounds like a line of poetry.
17:32:10: .@noveldevice I also look at trees, mountains, pretty houses. I'm a good driver anyway. But I do break for outcrops. #geonerd
17:33:08: RT @Fungible: Odds of being on a "terror flight": 1 in 10.4M. Odds of being harassed by ineffective TSA: 1 in 1. http://ow.ly/Qz3e
17:37:39: RT @TweetsofOld: One breach of promise,one seduction,one bastardy and two rape cases are docketed for the next term of Court. Whew! IN1877
18:20:44: Hey, @Vylar_Kaftan - it's Santa!Cthulhu. http://ow.ly/QzAE
19:18:28: Vote for the MIT Blackjack Team in its epic struggle to outpoll the Slide rule as one of MIT's icons. http://ow.ly/QAaH
19:19:02: @marnanel No, I don't.
19:20:52: Warped. RT @abostick59: "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan, Ritchie, & Lovecraft http://ow.ly/QAbS

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 12-27-2009

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:02:33 GMT

00:02:35: @firinel If it's what I'm thinking of, you were clear, tactful, and wise.
00:03:24: @zillah975 Leverage!!! Saw part of one show. Yes!!!!
00:36:01: Anybody trying to reach me: my phone has given up the ghost. I'll be checking email regularly, though.
10:18:31: You two know each other? RT @randomdeanna: @lizziebelle taking any pictures, hmmmm? Lotsa love from balmy Bingotown :-)
10:59:50: @randomdeanna Sure, though we've never met in 3D. Small world! I grew up in Susquehanna County. Later I worked for Haworth in Bingo.
11:19:36: 18 people you're scared of on Facebook. http://ow.ly/Qdnj
11:32:44: Rest in peace, Tim Hart. Steeleye Span still rocks. http://ow.ly/QdsX
20:08:09: Yes, RT @LadyCrow: Padmé/Anakin as of Attack of the Clones = Bella/Edward, y/y?
20:15:36: Movie timeline from creation on. via @ebertchicago: http://ow.ly/Qhzu

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

PSA: My Cell Phone Is Dead

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:25:53 GMT

I'll keep checking email and IM.

The timing on this is just superb. I move on Thursday. Oh, and I lost everyone's phone numbers. If I should have your contact info, please leave a comment -- will be screened.

My cell phone has died, with all my phone numbers and addresses in it. I'm not sure there could be a less convenient time for this to happen, since I am moving Thursday.

Name:
DW/LJ username:
Address:
Phone number(s) -- home, cell, work, whatever:
Preferred email address:
AIM/YIM/ICQ:
Birthday:
Birthday of spouse, children, cats, etc.:
Anything else I should know:

Mercury just went retrograde. I know some of my very nearest and dearest don't believe in that. They don't have to. It happens anyway.

From Twitter 12-26-2009

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:02:40 GMT

05:11:17: Packing books while I listen to Sweet Baby James on YouTube. All the moves, all the years, and I still love that song. http://ow.ly/PQ6R
05:25:43: The 1975 Jackson Browne concert at the Main Point is up on YouTube too. And Springsteen. And more. http://ow.ly/PQfj
06:06:32: If you can't get enough Holmes and Watson, rent Murder by Decree. Christopher Plummer, James Mason, and Jack the Ripper. http://ow.ly/PQZ4
06:17:22: Best of Craigslist: $25 offered to edit a novel. http://ow.ly/PRbz #publishing
08:23:01: @janicecampbell It's a step up from "Write my book, and you'll get half the royalties." Well, maybe not.
16:05:12: Anybody else having trouble getting wireless signal? East Bay, Verizon.
16:38:07: And a useless apostrophe. RT @OMGFacts: Camel’s have three eyelids. #omgfacts
16:43:11: Macing themselves. http://ow.ly/PYXj RT @BoraZ: Is there a more obvious way for TSA to say "we're stupid" than the new flight rules?
23:34:05: @BeautyChaotic (offering warm hugs)
23:40:22: RT: @mazzie: So Sen Kennedy was on the no fly list bc he has political enemies, but your dad reports your al qaeda ties and youre ok to go?
23:41:55: Sauteed with bacon & vinegar. RT @mactavish: Sauteed with garlic? Steamed? Roasted? RT @anthologie: Eating a lot of brussels sprouts lately.
23:48:51: @BeautyChaotic Oh sweetie, I miss you too. When this rotten move is over, I will come down and have lunch with you. Want some furniture?

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Saturday Polling

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:11:08 GMT

Taking a break from sorting and packing and too much freaking nostalgia.

View Poll: Old Enough to Know Better

From Twitter 12-25-2009

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:02:30 GMT

02:20:12: St Felix Feelgood. RT @qikipedia: Aspirin and heroin were both invented by the same man in the same year: Felix Hoffman in 1897.
21:52:05: For your holiday pleasure, a digital fruitcake to play with. http://ow.ly/PJA5

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 12-24-2009

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:02:47 GMT

08:33:54: Packing is at the stage where everything I do makes the place look worse. But I am seeing positive changes. Nap now.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

The Annual Christmas Poem

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:27:26 GMT

This post is about my own beliefs. I know the cultural hegemony of the Christian holidays can be overwhelming. I'm a Christian, both by faith and culture, and I find it a test of my faith and patience to endure the blare of Christmas songs, the crush of Christmas shoppers, the forced jollity of office parties. I can only imagine what a mess it must be for people whose own traditions and beliefs are swamped and belittled. It wasn't atheists or Muslims or Buddhists who took the real spirit of Christ out of Christmas. It was us.

So I'll put the poem behind a cut.

The House of Christmas

There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.

For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay on their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.
Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honour and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.

A Child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost - how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky's dome.

This world is wild as an old wives' tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.
--G. K. Chesterton

2008: selection from "For the Time Being" by W. H. Auden
2007: A Christmas Carol by G. K. Chesterton
2006: The Journey of the Magi by T. S. Eliot
2005: The Stable by Sr. M. Chrysostom, OSB
2004: no poem, but a meditation of my own
2003: The Guest: A Christmas Prayer by Harold Monro
2002: no poem, but a meditation of my own

In the chill and long nights of winter (for those in the northern hemisphere), let us rejoice that the light comes back. And always let us remember that even the most unpromising start can lead to great things.

From Twitter 12-23-2009

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:02:32 GMT

03:26:44: MISSING: Kathleen McBroom, blogger, mom, Air Force vet, since 10/27/08. The Alaska cops aren't doing much. http://ow.ly/ORTj
18:16:35: @kineticphoenix Oh, how wonderful!
20:50:29: Yesterday I thought I could do it. Today I'm scared I can't. So damned tired. Still so much to do.
21:41:01: @1001words Get everything sorted, packed, moved. By next Tuesday.
21:51:11: @Alonis YES, she needs to file a complaint! She shd carry a small cassette recorder or a digital one. She'll have proof.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com