Soul Thumping

Farewell, Abschied, Adieu, Farväl 2010 - Hello New Year

In keeping with my annual adult rule (not making new year resolutions), I again will not be reflecting on what I could have done better this year and what I will do better next year.  It's not worth it, putting entirely too much pressure on my fragile psyche, knowing that I typically rebel against any rule that anyone, including myself, should even consider putting on my shoulders.

I will say that 2010 has been a good year for me.  I got engaged and married, at the age of 41.  Something I never really thought was in the cards for me (I know, I've said that more than once, but it can't be more true).  I've made great strides (via neurofeedback weekly, and no longer relying on medication which does nothing but make the pharma companies wealthier) in managing my anxiety disorders--I have many--and chronic, unexplainable depression, that have been with me since around the age of 8 (what 8 year old should have to check out books on architecture from the library because they might have to build their own shelter because they feel that can't rely on their parental units to take care of them?...none, that is my answer, but unfortunately, I was one).

I've learned to rely on Poseidon to help me with things that I wouldn't have with anyone in the past.  I've also discovered that I'm more resilient than I thought I was.  I haven't felt this way since the age of 24, so it's a huge deal to me.  The 40's are going to be my best decade yet, I already know this.

What I'm most thankful for is that I am an individual with my own taste and opinions (and have been since early childhood), through education and trial and error); taste and opinions that I haven't copied from someone else, just to be cool or "hip" and in-the-know, whether that be style, fashion, music, books, movies, etc., but a true sense of who I am and what I like, and not depending on someone else (husband, boyfriend, mother, friend, sister, brother, or cousin) to find something first.   I've always marched to the beat of my own drum and will continue to do so.

So, though this is a poor paragraph transition, I'm looking forward to 2011.  I'm healthier now at 41 than I was at 21 (physically, mentally, and emotionally) and I have no desire to relive years I've missed, because I haven't missed any (thanks to the strong sense of independence and my intellect that I've cultivated since childhood)!

Farewell 2010, you were an awe-inspiring, wondrous year, and you are leading me directly to 2011, which I know will be just as phenomenal.  To end 2010 on an introspective note, here is a quote from one of my favorite, and most prolific authors ever:

"I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in."

- Virginia Woolf

Happy New Year everyone!

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Sun Bunny Loves You!

Winter solstice, first day of winter, whatever you want to call it, I call it the demise of Jack Frost (sorry Jack), and I am happy that it has finally arrived, because it means days are slowly (and I mean snail-slug-tortoise slow) getting longer now, and nights growing shorter.  Farewell grey skies (though I will admit, I love watching the snow fall like pretty little diamonds), cold mornings--and afternoons and nights.  Au revoir frigid car seats, and feet that won't warm despite the 10 pairs of socks covering my little piggies (there it is again, hyperbole, I've actually only worn 2 pairs of socks at one time).

I am a sun bunny.  I love the sun, I love being outside in the sun, I love the humidity (yes, I really do), and I even love seeing my kooky little freckles, that make me, me, sneaking out (like the groundhog on Groundhound Day), hoping to soak up some sorely missed sunlight and all that lovely, lovely vitamin D.

So, thank you winter solstice for finally arriving, now you can go away.  Though I know you will take your sweet time, I will dip into the little pail of patience that I manager to store during this season every year and calmly wait for the return of our brightest star, my beloved sun.

P.S.  Check out the song I added (the link below)...I heard this the other day and it is really growing on me.  It's from Eux Autres' newest album.  It makes me think of summer!

--Fortuitous Observer

04 - Wind Me Up

 

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On the First Day of Christmas, my Neurosis Got to me

I'll tell you...every Halloween, when retailers begin peddling their Christmas wares, I always say to myself, "I will not let Christmas pass me by this year.  I'm going to get in the spirit early so that it lasts for weeks and weeks, and I soak it up and enjoy it this year."  It never happens.  I'm neurotic.  I'm anxious about celebrating too early, then by the time I realize it, I've waited too late, and I'm all sad that I waited too late and now it is over.

It's always the same.  As soon as I think about watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special, I get all excited, but I don't want to watch it early because I think I'll suffer from "Christmas burn-out" too soon, but if I wait until later, I'm afraid I'll be all out of Christmas spirit.  Happens every year.  Insert a big sigh here.

Uuuggghhhhh.  I'm looking at my Christmas tree now, wanting to spit, or kick my cat, or eat my stocking on the mantle until I choke, or deflate the inflatable Santa in my neighbor's yard (but...it is entirely too cold to go back outside tonight).  I won't do any of these things of course.  I'll be back to normal (or, as normal as a neurotic can be) eventually, but it helps to vent.  Sometimes I wish someone would smack some sense into me...although if they did, I would punch them back, end up in jail for assault and that would make me hate Christmas forever.  I truly hope I get my new iPod nano this year, Santa.

 

--Fortuitous Observer

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The Christmas Panda!

This afternoon I was teeming with the grumpies, and I mean bad.  I'm not sure why, I suppose because of traffic, annoying stupidpods (I made that up actually, it's my new term for morons), and the fact that I had several errands to run that weren't going to run themselves, and I wasn't feeling well.  That is enough, in my estimation, to cause the grumpies.  Completely justified.

My last errand involved going back to the UPS Shipping store for the 10th time in the past week (I can't avoid hyperbole sometimes...ok, most times).  I had to stand in line forever (there I go again), but I managed to keep my composure.  The folks there are so nice, but not the sharpest tools in the proverbial shed.  Anyway, by the time I got out of the store, and headed to my car in the parking lot, I was tired, and still grumpy.  I looked up just in time to see that I was heading into the direct path of a speeding stupidpod (yeah, I got to use it twice already).  It wasn't his fault, it was mine because I wasn't paying attention (I guess I'm the stupidpod).

When I got back to my car, I was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted.  I pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to suburbia.  Before I turned onto my street, what to my wondering eyes should appear?  A large panda (I know it was really just a person in a panda suit) be-bopping down the sidewalk.  The panda had a backpack on, heading toward the bus stop.  At first I thought I was having a Phish show flashback, but I wasn't!  It was a panda, and it was a miracle panda because I found myself smiling!  My grumpies have now gone away.  Thank you Christmas panda, thank you!

--Fortuitous Observer

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Merry Christmas! Now Shut up, Hang up and Drive

You've seen those bumper stickers while driving, with the ha ha funny saying, "Shut up and Drive."  You know the one, with the picture of the cell phone in the red circle with the red bar through the middle?  I saw one yesterday on an SUV as I drove to work, and I thought for a second that I had something in common with this anonymous driver;  we shared a driving philosophy that ties us together.  Two peas in a pod, commuting our way through road rage hell during morning rush hour without the use of a cell phone.  I felt invigorated, less alone in the world.  I'm NOT the only one who doesn't talk on my cell phone while driving!  Hurray!

NOPE.  Alas, when I passed her (because she was going too slow) I saw that she was indeed on her cell phone.  No!  I felt alone again.  Betrayed.

Honestly though, I don't get annoyed so much if folks talk and drive, unless they are holding up traffic, or they swerve into my lane (if that happens, I won't lie, I shake my head, and the horn sounds off as I mouth, "You miserable moron" while passing them).  Though I don't get as mad as others do, I, however, will not answer my cell phone or make a call while driving unless it is an emergency.  Not because I don't want other drivers blowing their horn at me, or giving me the one-finger salute, but because my multi-tasking skills, like the "old gray mare," aren't what they used to be, and I know this for certain.

If I were engaged in a conversation while trying to drive, I can assure you I will be the dumb petticoat you see along the highway involved in a fender bender (the one you point at while laughing hysterically, so hard in fact that you have to stop at McDonald's to pee).  It's true.  I don't think I can even walk and chew gum at the same time anymore, although I haven't chewed gum in years, so I can't be 100% sure.  Maybe I'll give that a try this weekend, just to see if it is possible.

In the meantime, if you insist on talking, or God forbid, texting, while driving, just be careful, and know this:  if I see you talking, and you then are involved in a fender bender, I'll be the one laughing at you while I roll past, and I always go to the bathroom before I get in the car, so I won't have to stop at McDonald's.

--Fortuitous Observer

Sally & Linus: Imaginary Love Leads to a Doomed Life

One morning, a few weeks ago, Poseidon and I were calling each other absurd pet names, trying to see who could make the other nauseous by coming up with the most ridiculous of names.  I played my ace card:  "sweet baboo."

Peanuts fans will remember that Sally sometimes referred to Linus, the love of her life, as her "sweet baboo."  So you see, I can't take credit for that quirky little term of endearment, but I occasionally borrow it from the late great Charles Shultz when I really need it.

This mushy conversation then led Poseidon and I down the path of Sally and Linus and I began to philosophize over their terrible relationship, doomed of course from the very beginning.  Why was it doomed?

Because it was a one-way love affair.  Linus didn't return Sally's affections.  Linus was still in that "girls are gross" stage, and Sally was already mature and wise for her young age (maybe it was that gargantuan head of hers...her brain just expanded faster than most and it outgrew her skull) and knew what she wanted.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) we were not privy to their awkward teenage years and their adult years, and what happened between them, but I'm speculating that it wasn't pretty.

Sally probably chased Linus all through junior high and high school, trying to gain his affection by throwing herself at him, endeavoring to outshine any competition that came along.  She probably attended drunken bonfire parties just to show him that she could hang with the rest of the girls that Linus may have been eyeing, downing shots of tequila and throwing herself at him (I'm only making up my own stories here, and I am absolutely sure that Charles Shultz would not have gone this way, so I don't want anyone screaming at me, ok?).

I suspect she even followed him to college (she was accepted to Princeton, Dartmouth, and Brown, but she followed him to the party university), still trying, but never capturing his affection or winning him over.

Sally more than likely grew up with some deep psychological issues over being rejected at such an early age.  Presumably spent most of her adult life in and out of mental facilities (some in-patient and some out-patient).  While out on a program meant to reinstate her into society, she in all likelihood was able to find Linus' address online and started stalking him and his wife and 2 kids, which promptly got her sent right back into the room with the pretty white puffy walls where she stayed for the remainder of her sad life.

What's the moral?  There really isn't one because I'm just brainstorming and typing as I think, so I didn't intend to have a moral, but if there is one, it's plausibly something like, "Don't date girls with large heads," or "Stay away from girls who wear the same dress for 40 years."  I don't know.  insert your own moral here ______________________________.

 

--Fortuitous Observer 

The Delights and Miseries of Christmas

I love Christmas.  I hate the self-imposed sense of urgency to get everything done.  I love watching my Christmas tree blink relentlessly in the evening as Poseidon and I bask in the glow of it (with our sunblock on).  I hate thinking about dragging it through the foyer, through the door, across the yard, and out to the curb for "tree pick-up day" in January, only to then retrace my steps to clean the fallen needles left behind.

I love watching old Christmas specials from my Gen X childhood.  I hate that Gen Y and Gen Z think the animation is lame (it isn't, you are).  I love finding perfect gifts for people.  I hate standing in line at the post office to mail said gifts to those people.

I love lighting the gas log in the fireplace (I know, I'm not really "lighting" it as much as "turning" the knob).  I hate that it is so cold outside that we have to turn on the fireplace.  I love humming my favorite Christmas songs as I move through the house.  I hate hearing the same 3 Christmas songs over and over and over and over at every establishment in my neighborhood.

I love moving through the stores with a smile on my face as I think of friends and family opening gifts on Christmas (when I must go to the stores that is...on-line shopping rules most magnificently).  I hate seeing scrooges moving through the stores with frowny faces, grumbling about prices, crowds, having to park more than 10 feet from the entrance, etc.  I love seeing those same scrooges in the parking lot yelling at another scrooge because of a ding on their car door.

I love opening my gifts from Poseidon because I never know what to expect.  I hate when I've opened all of my gifts because I'm greedy and I want more.  I love when Christmas is over.  I hate waiting for Memorial Day.  I love summer, the sand, the beach, and the sun.

 

--Fortuitous Observer

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Happy Holidays!  Here is the link to my 2012 gift suggestions for women

2013 Gift List

Around this time each year I go to my favorite search engine, type in "Gift Ideas" and cross my fingers like I've just pulled the lever on a slot machine (ok, most slot machines now have a little pushable button, though they do keep the lever on the side for those who like the thrill of the pull), hoping to find some shiny new gadget, a sparkly bauble, or an offbeat item to add to my wardrobe that makes me all giddy and happy inside; something I can put on my own Christmas gift wish list, or give as a gift to some other woman seeking the clever, all-the-rage token.

I have found a few such items, and here is my 2010 gift list for the intelligent, hip, funky, and sometimes fashionable woman:

1.  The Logitech M305 Wireless Optical Mouse.  I love this mouse, mostly because I am incapable of using the little eraser nub mouse or the touch mouse pad on most laptops (I'm really not incapable, I just choose not to become proficient at using them).  The new smaller USB-nano receiver is great because I don't keep knocking it out of my laptop.  The sensational part of this mouse:  it now comes in awesome colors and swirls that I find aesthetically pleasing.  I own the solid blue, so not so dandy as some of the new designs, but I like it and it is easy to use, and would make a great Christmas gift for any smart woman who uses her laptop for things other than Facebooking.

2.  A great gift for enlightened women of all ages, a t-shirt from Meliciously Yours.  Meliciously Yours is a boutique-inspired t-shirt collection based on the Victorian era, but with a modern, modish twist.  The designs are intricate (with a little hidden peacock feather logo on each) and were created to "empower fashion-conscious women to embrace their true personality and wear it proudly."  These shirts make amazing gifts for the imaginative gal (one who wants a stylish tee that says something about her personality, something other than "I'm High Maintenance" or the over-done, outdated "Rock Star."  Intelligent chick power, activate!

3.  For the resourceful chick, I like these elevated kitchen utensils from Uncommon Goods.com.  I love this site by the way!  Gifts galore!  I saw these the other day during my gift search and thought, "Wow, simple, yet ingenious."  If you are like Poseidon and I, we've broken our spoon rest and our counter tops are not the cleanest in the neighborhood (not that I know what my neighbors' counter tops look like), so we find clever items to elevate our cooking utensils.  Very smart, functional, and arty, let's not forget arty, gift idea.

4.  The new Apple iPod nano (6th generation)!  What else do I need to say?  This smart cookie has whispered in Santa's ear, "I want a new nano..." and I'm pretty sure he heard me!  At first I thought I wanted it in red (you can only get the red from Apple directly), then I changed my mind and thought I might like the pink, but now I'm thinking blue.  When a retailer offers so many color choices, women are going to have a tough time deciding.  What woman wouldn't want a colorful new nano under the tree, huh?  I've had the 4th generation nano since they came out 4 or 5 years ago, and now I must have the new one.  What makes this new generation so sweet is that the iPod nano has had a major face lift and now has Multi-Touch—the same technology in the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.  It's also half the size as the 4th and 5th generation model and easier to play.  A great gift for the gifted gal (an example of alliteration thrown in there).

5.  My last gift idea for the brilliant belle, and I don't have one of these, but may consider it, is the new nookcolor.  I haven't actually even seen one of these yet, but there is some buzz about the nookcolor.  My mother-in-law has the nook (not the one in color), and she seems to like it, and I think Barnes & Nobel has done a great thing by introducing the color version, so now the reader can see newspapers and magazines, and picture books in color.  Women like color!  Now, I have done some reading on electronic book readers, and I have seen the Sony E-Reader, and Amazon's Kindle, but I struggle with buying one of these gadgets (or asking for one as a present...I haven't been very good this year by the way) because I love "real" books, and turning the page, feeling the paper, browsing the book stores, etc., so I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to a total electronic existense just yet.  However, I may change my mind (as is a woman's perogative) in the near future, and the nookcolor may appear on next years "Gifts I Think I Might Really Want" list.

OK, so now that my list of groovy gifts for the keenest of females is complete, I am prescribing a bit of retail therapy for everyone.

 

--Fortuitous Observer 

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