Special

About four hours ago I had just returned from a business related day-trip. I changed into comfortable clothing and decided to relax by watching television (yes, I was watching that show). I suddenly heard a noise that sounded like someone knocked on my bedroom window. I looked out the window to check it out. I thought maybe a bird flew into it. I didn't see anything. About an hour later I went to check on my porch garden. This is what I saw:

He was absolutely catatonic like that for about a half an hour while I watched him- I had time to grab a camera. At some point he started rotating his head, but I never saw him close his beak. I like to think I have a life, so I let him be and walked away. He was there for a few hours- at least 3. I guess he regained the use of his legs/ wings at some point and left.

Good luck out there, bird.

Beanstalk

Here are my prized green bean vines. As you can see, I had to get a taller trellis to avoid overcrowding the plants. I can’t wait for them to produce.

The beefsteak tomato plant is to the right.


I found a fungus in the pea pot. I bought some spray that I don't think is working. If anyone knows how to resolve that issue, please let me know.

Just Call Me Ricardus

I don’t have a lot of great days, but in the past few weeks I have had a few days that have ended higher than low. So, I thought I’d share. I hope my friends remember this when I complain again.

I had a great time over the weekend. By Friday night, I was feeling better. I went for a night out with a friend. It has been a while since I enjoyed the night life and it felt good to do something different. Although by 2 am I did catch myself yawning. I will have to plan a repeat soon.

The vain part of me is even feeling great. In the past two weeks, I’ve had 3 people mistake me for either being in high school or having just graduated high school. As someone who is not ready to get older, this is a gift. The highlight was today when a woman asked me, “what are you, like fifteen or sixteen years old?” I wanted to kiss her, but I’m not that kind of gal. Later I did kiss my mother. She was with me at the time and she answered the woman, “yes.” Priceless. I should be grounded for being a sixteen year old who goes on weekend trips to bars and hangs out in clubs with men in their mid- twenties. Tisk. Maybe I’ll apply for a job to be on Dateline: To Catch a Predator. Just kidding.

In addition, I feel like being a spokesperson for a few things. I can’t believe I’m motivated to talk about something good. Anyway, I have to start by saying that I am a sixteen year old with hands of an eighty year old. I’m NOT exaggerating. My hands are rough, cracked and they will break out into a rash over anything. I’ve scratched them so much over the years that they have healed and wrinkled. They cause me shame and they are so hideous and broken that I don’t want to, nor do I think it is safe for me, to get manicures. On some past occasions, I’ve had issues just running them under water. After three weeks of daily use, I am swearing by the Depth products. I have never had a lotion nor a créme that moisturized my hands so well before. The lotion hasn’t made my hands look beautiful or anything. They feel softer and their appearance has drastically improved though. I might even wear a ring again one day. The lotions and the soaps smell good too.


In other news… Garden
Lastly, my garden is growing beautifully. I have one green bean that has grown twice as fast as the rest. I think it must be at least seven feet long. I think it is doing so well because I named it. Crazy! (Not the bean, me.) Now, I have to name the others. The big tomato plant is really thriving. I am a little worried about the peas, but i won't cry if they don’t work out. To anyone thinking of growing something, I recommend the beans. They appeal to someone looking for more immediate gratification. I’ll post a picture soon.

I'm Still Around

I knew withdrawal would be hard, but I didn’t expect it to hit me within one week. I spent all of yesterday afternoon, evening and night sick. My first thought was that I was missing LOST. (Seriously.) Now I’m pretty sure it is food poisoning. I am feeling better for now, but I am supposed to take a trip and am wondering how that will work. I really wanted to have a fun weekend for the first time in about 2 million years. Instead, this is what happens.

Learning to Read Again

It has been some time since I read a book. I absolutely loved to read when I was a child. I have the book collection to prove it. Then it got pointless. I blame The Frontiersman, by Allan W. Eckert. I intend no offense to Mr. Eckert, but it wasn’t for me. It has been over a decade and I still remember the book that I didn’t want to get through. After that, I didn’t read any more assigned books until college. At some point, getting around reading for classes required so much creative energy that I stopped reading for fun too.

That is my cautionary tale for educators. I realize I was in the minority as a child who spent her free time with books rather than watching tv. I suppose teachers had to require reading in order to expose my classmates to it. Still, why are students forced to read books that don’t interest them? It can be discouraging. If I hadn’t been an avid reader, I might think all books are that boring. Seven- hundred plus pages of something I’ve blocked out of my mind caused me to skip out on reading novels and plays that I might have otherwise enjoyed in my own time. I was turned off by Hawthorne because of his excessive description when, in retrospect, I may have actually liked reading The Scarlet Letter.

All of this comes to mind as I try to decide which book I am going to read. Any suggestions of good ones would be appreciated.

I Love Benjamin Linus

I love the television show LOST, and I don’t casually throw around the word, “love”. It’s LOST day today and the finale is next week. That means that I am screaming like a fourteen year old girl waiting for The Beatles to come onstage. It also means inevitable withdrawal/ depression in the months ahead. If only it were harvesting time.

Garden Update

I have transplanted some plants into larger containers and stuffed them into a corner of the porch. It is not the ideal spot in terms of light absorption, but I think it will do. The beans are flourishing so far and I have high hopes for the peas. I had a tomato plant already started that is also looking healthier after moving to a bigger pot.

Tomato

Green Beans Post-Transplant

I still have work to do. The peppers took a bit longer to germinate, but they are now popping up like crazy. I now have way too many tomatoes AND peppers. However, I’m still up for the challenge. If I have to, I will plant them all in the yard. Animals can eat the ones I can’t manage.

What Lines Do I Draw?

I don’t label myself as a feminist. I am a person with opinions, whatever. A friend of mine turned me on to a new blog, Feministing. I check it occasionally because the bloggers intelligently cover a lot of interesting topics.

Anyway, I sometimes take notes while looking through websites. A couple of weeks ago, I read this post and the accompanying comments: Sexist/Racist Ad Watch: Skin Whitening Edition. The post displays an ad, supposedly from Singapore, for a skin lightening pill. This sparked comments about racism/ classism. Those comments made me think, and I recently revisited my notes on the topic.

In fairness, there are a lot of other posts on the site that discuss other related issues about body image and negative media attention and the portrayal of what is culturally acceptable. Still, I was thinking about the views expressed in the comment section. Some compared it to tanning in the West, and most acknowledged that the ad was either racist, classist or both. As I sifted through the comments, I kept wondering how many of the people posting dye their hair, wear make-up, cut their hair, wax, shave, style their hair, tan, use acne crème, get manicures, or even pick out pretty clothes? None of those things are necessary for most people.

I like shopping for nice clothes and I wear make-up sometimes because it makes me feel refreshed, even pretty. Is a person in Singapore less capable of making such a decision for herself? Sure, that ad has class and race implications, but so does the fact that people are so quick to criticize it as racist. The corporation is simply making a product that some people might buy. Who should be put out of business for taking advantage of which personal insecurities?

Blurry Green Beans

I’ve grown tomato plants before. This year I decided to challenge myself. I don’t know a lot about gardening, but I wanted to just go with the flow and see what I could start. I bought some broccoli, peppers, green beans, peas, and cherry tomato seeds.

One major problem: I don’t have a garden. I decided to start indoors, see what grows and go from there. Sounded like a great idea for someone who needs some positive energy. Five days later, I am getting a little bit worried. There are a lot of deer and other random wildlife where I am and there is no natural flat area that would get a lot of light and be easy to close in. I have a patio, and space for pots, but would need a makeshift fence. At most I have about a week to come up with a bright idea.

On a high note, I am growing something. No, I am not nurturing a career, new relationship or a pet. Yet, it still feels good to have something work on.

Green beans

Happy First Post to Me!

I set up this blog for fun. I wanted a forum to write down, and hopefully get responses to, my random thoughts. I pretty much live in my head but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot to say. By the phrase, “I live in my head” I mean that I have conversations in my mind constantly, I might seem quiet and/or withdrawn while I am actually actively engaged, and rarely does anyone introduce a position on a topic that I haven’t fully considered before speaking my opinion. Thus, my thoughts are very random, very detailed, and very difficult to translate. I need practice.

The Harm Principle.
I believe that as long as a person’s actions don’t harm others, then they should be ok with society. That is my life philosophy. I am currently a jobless American with a graduate degree that I can’t use. I am passionate about a lot of social issues and topics, but I am frustrated because I resent the fact that I have so-called liberal stances on subjects that are never going to affect me directly. More frustrating is the fact that others don’t consider the fact that their decisions negatively impact my life. Yet, I still practice what I preach. I don’t care if my next door neighbor sits at home with his five wives and has relations with 17 adult male prostitutes while doing every illegal drug. He just has to pay the bills and keep the noise level down. I live a life that, aside from the swearing and free exchange of ideas (and perhaps the fact I’m not a man), the most conservative individual in the world would be proud to live. Why should I be so frustrated?

I share all of the above with you because it comes through in most everything I say. So, welcome! I hope I don’t turn you off or vice versa, but que será, será.



E.