Thursday, January 29, 2009

Home is . . . where you sleep

Who says that home is where the heart is? I say that home is where the pillow, comforter, and (insert you favorite superhero in here) sheets, are waiting to greet you.

I have an apartment I call home. My bed there features flannel sheets, two comforters, and my new pillow. Occasionally it holds multiple throw pillows, when I actually make it, and several loads of laundry at a time, when I'm being counter productive. (The bed also features a cat, which lives under it, and on occasion condescends to meander at night, but only if I look the other way. That however is another story.) I call that home.
(note: cat is not really evil, just a bad pic.)


However, I often get home from work, grab my late night snack, and find myself to tired to make the climb up two flights of stair to my apartment. I then crash on my parents couch. (They have a guest bedroom, but there's another cat down stairs, and this one called dibs times infinity on the guest bed, so I get the couch.) My bed there features no sheets, but a blanket thrown underneath to insulate, a small throw pillow, which often smell of small dog, cat, or little kid, and the largest short blanket I can find. (What demented genius made all blankets just barely to short to cover your feet, no matter how you scrunch?) This too, I call home.



(See I'm not the only one who thinks its comfy)


But tonight, or rather earlier this morning, as I got off of work and my beautiful sister, and my gorgeous friend came to pick me up, nothing felt more like home, than walking onto the third floor of the girls dorm, which smelled of popcorn and feet, and pulling in my large swishy red inflatable mattress. And now I will cover it with a to short blanket, lay down on a tiny fuzzy throw pillow, pull up a spare quilt, and drift off to sleep (eventually) to the sound of the mattress rubbing against various pieces of furniture. And I feel quite at home. . . although it seems there should be a cat around here somewhere.



Tuesday, January 27, 2009

survival pack

"Come prepared"
These were the ominous words of my manager who called this afternoon to make sure that I would be able to make it in to work. She informed me that in the quite likely event that we would be snowed into the hospital, I should be prepared to stay. Bring an extra shirt, since you work tomorrow, and do you want me to put your name down for a bed . . . just in case? A hearty no thanks, for if I am snowed in I will not be able to sleep in the ER of University Hospital. No way.

So I packed my Survival Bag and headed in to work. (OK dad drove me in.)
My bag includes:
~Change of clothes, but no bed clothes.
~Toothbrush/toothpaste
~Contact kit
~Deodorant
~2 slim fast shakes, (so that I can starve myself in an emergency)
~2 slim fast snacks, (ditto)
~A handful of Slim Jims (because it starts with slim, I pretend their healthy.)
~A large notebook
~A drawing book
~A compilation of all the work on a poem of mine, (big pile of papers w/scribbles)
~My moms copy of "The Complete Novels of Jane Austen" (really big book. with two fold purpose. I can read to entertain myself, or burn it to provide warmth if stranded, believe me, this book should burn for hours. {no one should put several books in one cover.})
~Bible
~pencil/pens/and pencil sharpener

After I got to work I remember that I should have grabbed my phone charger. I'm sure as the night progresses I shall remember other things, which would have been useful. Snow shoes perhaps.

Now I have confirmed that Mom and Dad cannot pick me up, and am planning to stay with my wonderful sister Tiffany. But mother nature is fickle and we shall see how far I get.

Until my next post, enjoy your winter wonder land
Melissa Barr

Saturday, January 24, 2009

breaking with tradition

So I am now going to blog about things I did. I know that's sort of the traditional idea, but I dislike tradition.

#1 Tried to cook a healthy meal.

This meal included;
~grilled fish fresh from jungle Jim's.
~grilled eggplant, (they were cold and rubbery, so then we fried them and they tasted somewhat better, plus we were sure they were thoroughly dead.
~oven roasted red potatoes, (okay mostly, could have baked a little longer.)
~oven roasted green beans, (also fresh from jungle Jim's, and Letha helped me snap them.)

All in all . . . . . . . . . . well, fried food is just better.

#2 Enjoyed my day of warmth

~I wore a tee shirt all day, and refused to acknowledge that I was in any way cold.
~I walked my dog to the public library, where he howled at being tied up outside.
~Sat outside and tried to read, but couldn't get that into the book, what with its being ridiculous ~and two dogs tyring to lick me to death.

Finally consented to but on a light shaw when we went out that evening . . . and about froze every time we were outside.

#3 Turned my fire escape into a bird sanctuary

~bought large bag of seed
~added three new kinds of feeders, bringing my total to four
~added a wickerish? bird house.

now the large birds flock to the food, and scare away the small ones that use to be my regulars. Is there no happy medium?

#4 Fell in love with Mr Darcy . . . again

~stayed up late watching the 1980's BBC version
~watched the Keria Knightly version the next day
~ordered the Colin Firth version from amazon
~Ransacked the house trying to find a copy of the book, which I would have sworn I owned. but had to settle for my mothers (complete work of Jane Austen) version.

Haven't had a chance to really dig in and read, but I feel an all-nighter coming on.

#5 Accomplished little

~did not put my laundry away, but craftily gave the impression of progress by moving it from basket to chair to bed to basket to chair to bed. (will move back to basket tonight.)
~slept in late every day, even though I constantly set my alarm for 7:30 or 8:00.
~didn't study for my final test in bio on Tuesday
~didn't eat very healthy (since I was home more.)
~failed to finish packing away the rest of my Christmas stuff in the new containers I bought, or put away several of my new, unnecessary purchases.

Plan to continue accomplishing nothing until Monday

#6 Bought several unnecessary things.

~trash can (for my bedroom) tech an unneeded item, I had formerly been using a bucket, and I do have a large on a room away in my kitchen, but this was convenient.
~beta fish, definitely no nec. but it was good to have them, because on the day we got them, Dakota found out that his pet hamster, which he refused to hold but still referred to in conversation, had been dead for about a month. He easily transitioned from fur to scale. no tears shed. (two fish one for Letha on for Dakota.)
~golf clubs. found a whole set of fairly nice female clubs at a thrift store, and procured them for about eight bucks, (clubs, one club cover, matching bag, and even an umbrella? of well if I have a sudden desire to golf in the rain -- I'm covered.

Several other items too, but I won't list all of them.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

poll for the females

What would you rather be called by : stranger, coworkers, people you've met once, etc.

~Hey You.
~Miss/Mrs
~Lady
~Ma'am
~nothing

I have realized over the past few months of interaction between complete strangers at my job that I really dislike being called Ma'am. I don't know why, maybe I feel old or patronized or something, but it just . . . irks me. Really.

what's been going around in my mind today

Frodo Baggins: I can't do this Sam.

Sam Gamgee: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

Monday, January 19, 2009

quick quiz

OK today's questions.



#1 Which famous literary characters' alma mater has this motto.


~Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus - Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.


#2 Which motto/phrase sounds more like me?

~Cacoethes scribendi - An insatiable urge to write.
~Helluo librorum - A glutton for books. (bookworm)


#3 What is the average rainfall in the Amazon Basin?

~80in (6.5 ft)
~24in (2ft0
~234in (9.5ft)
~50in (4ft 2in)

Answer two correctly (on #1/#3 which aren't subjective) and your next journey to a far off country in search of a rare spice to save a dying member of a royal family with whom you have fallen in love, will be a success. Answer incorrectly and the second time you climb Mt Everest a yeti will throw you off.

Friday, January 16, 2009

More helpful Latin phrases

About food.

~Clamo, clamatis, omnes clamamus pro glace lactis - I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream

~Da mihi sis bubulae frustrum assae, solana tuberosa in modo gallico fricta, ac quassum lactatum coagulatum crassum - Give me a hamburger, french fries, and a thick shake

~Da mihi sis crustum Etruscum cum omnibus in eo - I'll have a pizza with everything on it

~In dentibus anticis frustrum magnum spiniciae habes - You have a big piece of spinach in your front teeth

~Machina improba! Vel mihi ede potum vel mihi redde nummos meos! - You infernal machine! Give me a beverage or give me my money back!

~Noli simul flare sobereque - Don't whistle and drink at the same time

~Omnes lagani pistrinae gelate male sapiunt - All frozen pizzas taste lousy

~Res melius evinissent cum coca - Things go better with Coke

~Sic friatur crustum dulce - That's the way the cookie crumbles

~Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure - I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear



About language



Bene, cum Latine nescias, nolo manus meas in te maculare - Well, if you don't understand plain Latin, I'm not going to dirty my hands on you.

Graeca sunt, non leguntur - It is Greek, you don't read that

Illiud latine dici non potest - You can't say that in Latin


Omnia mihi lingua graeca sunt - It's all Greek to me

Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes - Essentially it says, 'if you can read this, you're overeducated.'

Sola lingua bona est lingua mortua - The only good language is a dead language

Sona si latine loqueris - Honk if you speak Latin

Vah! Denuone Latine loquebar? Me ineptum. Interdum modo elabitur - Oh! Was I speaking Latin again? Silly me. Sometimes it just sort of slips out

What?

~Braccae illae virides cum subucula rosea et tunica Caledonia-quam elenganter concinnatur! - Those green pants go so well with that pink shirt and the plaid jacket!

~Canis meus id comedit - My dog ate it

~Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam - I have a catapult. Give me all your money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head

~Certe, toto, sentio nos in kansate non iam adesse - You know, Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore

~Credo elvem etiam vivere - I believe Elvis lives

~Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt - When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have catapults

~Cum homine de cane debeo congredi - Excuse me. I've got to see a man about a dog

~Ducator meus nihil agit sine lagunculae leynidae accedunt - My calculator does not work without batteries

~Estne tibi forte magna feles fulva et planissima? - Do you by chance happen to own a large, yellowish, very flat cat?

~Feles mala! cur cista non uteris? stramentum novum in ea posui - Bad kitty! Why don't you use the cat box? I put new litter in it

~Fortunatus sum! Pila mea de gramine horrido modo in pratum lene recta volvit! - Isn't that lucky! My ball just rolled out of the rough and onto the fairway!

~Haec trutina errat - There is something wrong with this scale

~Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum europe vincendarum - Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe

~Luke sum ipse patrem te - Luke, I am your father. (Star Wars)

~Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus - Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries

~Non omnes qui habemt citharam sunt citharoedi - Not all those who own a musical instrument are musicians.

~Nonne de novo eboraco venis? - You're from New York, aren't you

~Obesa cantavit - The fat lady has sung

~Orbes volantes exstare - Flying saucers are real

~Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari? - How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

~Sane ego te vocavi. forsitan capedictum tuum desit - I did call. Maybe your answering machine is broken

~Si fallatis officium, quaestor infitias eat se quicquam scire de factis vestris - If you fail, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your activities

~Sit vis vobiscum - May the Force be with you.