Soul Thumping

From Pinterest This Week: Prettiest Sushi in a Time Warp

I was an enthusiastic fan of Pinterest initially, but lately I find it to be a huge time suck.  I become visually overstimulated after oohing and ahhing without blinking for unknown blocks of time.  Seriously, like I'm experiencing "lost time" because I've been abducted by aliens.

Today I took a sneak peek back at the old Pinterest site, and I saw some pretty sushi.  That made me want to search for more pretty sushi, so I did.  What happened?  I once again found myself experiencing a Pinterest time slip (I'm singing "The Time Warp" from RHPS in my head right this minute).  Have some sushi:

 

Source: pinterestin.tumblr.com via Cheryl on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

Source: flickr.com via Cheryl on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

Source: tumblr.com via Tamara on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

Source: cravecatering.com via CRAVE on Pinterest

 

 

 

And, because that song is still playing in my head, I think I will share that as well...

 

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Our Clutter Has Decided to Move Back Home - It Missed Us

Last year Poseidon and I put our house on the market, and we moved many of our belongings into a storage unit, at the request of our realtor (to de-clutter because you know, perspective buyers have no imagination and wouldn't be able to picture their clutter if our clutter was in the house).  7 months after taking our house off the market, we felt it was time to move our crap belongings back in with us.

Because we were renting a climate-controlled storage unit (for the protection of Poseidon's extensive CD and vinyl collection), the rental was pricey, and we have no other excuse (or reason) for keeping said clutter in the unit but procrastination.  So, on Saturday, we rented a truck, a UHaul pickup truck to be exact, and moved our clutter back home, where it belongs.  At the risk of hurting its feelings, I can honestly say, I didn't miss it.

In my head, our home went from this...nice clean lines:

Photo from Lan Truong | Allan Peters

 

 

To this...still fun but, um, chaotic:

Photo from design work life

 

It will take me a week, maybe longer, to visually adjust to all this "stuff" being back home and I'm mourning the loss of the bareness, but in the end, it is our clutter, and we welcome it back home with open arms.

 

--Fortuitous Observer

When You Have No Real problems, You Must First Create Them, Then Overcome Them

I'm truly laughing out loud as I type this.  I read this phrase a few months ago and jotted it down because it was one of those I-nearly-spit-my-tea-in-my-lap moments!  Tea-spitting phrases are harder to come by these days.

I have nothing of any value to write today, just found the above gem in my notes, and I nearly spit my water full steam into my monitor again, so I decided I will blog about nothing, other than to share this bit of wisdom.

So, happy Friday everyone and if you don't have any problems or issues, you are a liar then get out there and create at least one so you can return victoriously from battle!  If you already have real problems, then please take this moment and smile, even if it's just a little, almost fake smile, you might feel better.

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Do You, Um, Slurp When You Eat?

Last night Poseidon and I ordered Chinese food for dinner.  Poseidon hinted at a lack of energy to cook anything, and I, though not completely in the mood for Chinese, was less in the mood to forage through the pantry or refrigerator to whip up something magical out of freezer-burned frozen edamame and overly ripe olives in the style of Martha Stewart, so Hunan chicken and Poseidon's tofu, delivered to the front door, won out.

I always eat my Chinese food with chopsticks, even at home, because I tend to eat less and slower (slower because after 20+ years of using chopsticks, I still find it damn near impossible to get my food to go directly from chopstick to mouth...I usually take the scenic route:  chopstick to shirt, shirt to mouth), and last night I was starving by the time the food arrived, so I tore into.  I actually caught myself slurping and chewing with my mouth open.  I was a bit startled because I RARELY do this, and here is why:

My father did not like slurping.  I'll be blunt, he did not want to hear any sound coming from anyone while they ate.  Slurping, crunching, sucking, schlurping, chomping, chewing, grinding, gulping...these sounds drove him up the wall and down the other side.  Therefore, meals in my home growing up were the dreams of silent film makers.  "Eating" sounds like these made him leave a room in a fit of rage, like a spastic asylum resident.  On the rare occasion my mom made popcorn, he went all Biblical on us, and I don't mean preaching and quoting scripture, I mean storming mad and yelling like the Apocalypse was upon us.

Last night, when I first heard the slurping noise coming from my mouth, I nearly pissed my pants.  I took a deep breath and looked around.  Oddly enough, Poseidon had not even noticed my blunder.  I breathed a sigh of relief, and laughed inside, a really good laugh!  Why?  Because for a quick second (though my dad has been gone for several years), I imagined him hearing my schlurp, and I should either scurry under the couch or begin my search for earplugs immediately.  Ah, the things we learn in childhood.  Bon appétit.

--Fortuitous Observer

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My Trip to the Alamo - Touching the Same Walls my Father Touched?

Today is Father's Day.  My father passed away in 2004, and even though I was in my 30s, the shock of losing my father reduced me to a 5-year old.  I do not intend this post to be sad, because I don't want my dad to be looking down on sad children, so I thought of this today...

In 2005, a year after my dad died, I took a business trip to San Antonio, TX.  I was there for a conference, along with 2 other co-workers.  After the conference, we had a full day to kill, so we decided to go to the Alamo.  It was an interesting tour, and I learned a bit of history, but that was nothing compared to the sense of peace I found.  Why?  Because my father told me he visited the Alamo in his youth, and I made a connection.

We were told by the Alamo tour guides that we were not allowed to touch the walls or anything inside.  I ignored those instruction.  I secretly went to each and EVERY wall and touched them, fingers spread wide, because I wanted to touch history...not the history of Bowie, or anyone else, but the history of my dad.  Maybe, just maybe, he had touched those same walls as a kid, and my hand prints were meshed with his.  I love you Dad, and I think of you often, and sometimes when I'm going through something that either pisses me off, or makes me snarky, or makes me sad, or tired...I think about what you would have me do, and it makes me feel a bit better.

Here is an article I wrote for one of my local Philadelphia newspapers about my dad.  It would mean a great deal to me if you read it.  Download CHLocal_Dad.h

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Anniversary of Dorothy Parker's Death - The Original Queen of Snark

Last week, June 7th to be exact, was the 45th anniversary of Dorothy Parker's death (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967).  For those who have no idea who I'm talking about, she was an American satirist with the sharpest, snarkiest of wit!  I started reading Ms. Parker in my mid-twenties, and I've had a girl crush on her since.  I sometimes quote her on Facebook, simply because it feels like a Dorothy Parker quote kinda day.

So, in honor of this anniversary, and because I'm feeling witty this afternoon (though some might disagree), I've decided to list some of my most favorite Dorothy Parker quotes.  A few of these are quite famous (or infamous, depending on how you see it), and this list is by no means exhaustive, but please enjoy and slap a smile on your face, and maybe read these to your cats later.

"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue."

"This wasn't just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it."

“That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.”

"That woman speaks eighteen languages, and can't say 'No' in any of them.”

"Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.”

“Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”

“I require three things in a man: he must be handsome, ruthless, and stupid.”

“I'm never going to accomplish anything; that's perfectly clear to me. I'm never going to be famous. My name will never be writ large on the roster of Those Who Do Things. I don't do anything. Not one single thing. I used to bite my nails, but I don't even do that any more.”

"I don't care what is written about me so long as it isn't true.”

“I'd like to have money. And I'd like to be a good writer. These two can come together, and I hope they will, but if that's too adorable, I'd rather have money."

“If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.”

"I've never been a millionaire but I just know I'd be darling at it."

 

 

--Fortuitous Observer

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