Sunday, December 19th, 2010  So here it is.
I’ve *finally* finished the hooded scarf I’ve been working on for months. I wanted to get it done before it snowed…and I just about made it.
I made it long enough so that I can toss it back over my shoulders if I want to.
The lovely thing is, I bought enough yarn that I’ve got some left over for mittens. I’ve already started working on those. The pattern I have, with a single cable across the top of the hand knit up in a few hours.
So, if I can find a few spare hours over the next week or so, I might just get those finished, too.
Monday, October 18th, 2010  If you recall, I issued a moratorium on book purchases only a few short days ago.
I’ve already failed…big time.
I had a meeting with the owner of Constellation Books yesterday – this was part meet and greet, part reconnaissance for me. As I am notorious for getting lost, even armed with map and GPS, I needed this dry-run so I could work out the kinks before my reading with other authors there on October 30.
(I did get lost, BTW – and that cost me nearly an extra hour in travel time to get there.)
The problem was not the bookstore…although I did order a book while I was there — but I’d already factored that into the moratorium.
The problem was the church yard sale I passed on my way to the bookstore. Have I admitted here yet that I’m seriously addicted to yard sales? Here goes:
Hello, my name is Kelly.
I salivate at the prospect of a good yard sale. I hyperventilate if it’s a multi-family or community affair.
If I’m driving, be a good sport and don’t complain when I stop. If you’re driving, you’d better pull over if you know what’s good for you.
Okay – I’m not that bad. I’ve been known to drive by tables filled with, ahem, junk. I do have my standards. Plus: I won’t stop if there isn’t a lot of stuff to look at. Otherwise, it’s just not worth my time.
But I digress.
So, I stopped at this church yard sale….and I nearly filled TWO shopping bags with books. They were mostly paperbacks, which means I fit quite a few into the two bags. I haven’t counted them. Suffice to say, it was a lot of books.
I’d like to think that this serious book acquisition is tempered by the fact that the books are mostly what I like to call disposable books: books I want to read, but (probably) won’t keep. I’ll donate them. In other words: they’re only temporary residents in the house.
Oh, and I picked up a several with someone else in mind (Hi, Sue!). I’ll hand those over the next time I see that someone. And since I didn’t get those for myself, I figure those don’t count.
Nonetheless, a major fail for me and my moratorium.
Anyone else have trouble sticking to this kind of “diet?”
Sunday, October 10th, 2010
A (becoming more) common bed bug.
I’m not a traveler, although I’ve done my share of traveling for book gigs.
The first thing I do when I get to my room is check the mattress near the headboard: a prime location for bedbugs to hide. If I spot them, my plan is to cancel my reservation on the spot. A new room wouldn’t cut it for me.
The problem with bedbugs is that they’re so insidious: you can fumigate, but they hide in fabric and behind walls. And the worst-case scenario for me would be staying in an infested room and then taking hitchhikers home with me in my luggage.
I nearly missed my vacation to the Carolinas this summer when the rental agency called to let us know that our beach house had been infested. They’d fumigated, but I (and thank goodness everyone else involved) refused to set foot in the rental. The agency found us a new home.
But now the threat hits even closer to home: someone returned infested books to the Urbana Public Library in Frederick about a week ago. (Old news, I know – but I just heard about this from a student – I don’t normally patronize the Urbana location.)
The book drop has been closed, and the library has suspended inter-library loans until they’re certain the problem has been arrested.
The library has called the patron who returned the books to let them know about the problem…but I’m left wondering if it’s possible that they didn’t know they had a bedbug problem. Bedbugs bite–and leave nasty sores behind! How could they not know?
So, I’ve got to ask: why would a patron dump the books in the drop and make Library staff discover the bugs? Did they think they wouldn’t get caught?
If the patron had done the responsible thing, the problem could have been isolated to a single location.
I guess I’ll be adding, “Check books for bugs,” to my “to do” list when I go to the library. (Stuff like this makes electronic books a better proposition, eh?)
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 Have you seen this nifty program called Tagxedo? Just give the link to your Web page or Twitter account or news site and it whips out a tag cloud of appropriate terms.
It will even force them into a shape. And you can pick and choose colors to match your style. Here’s the tagxedo cloud for my Web site (April, was a pretty big month for me, apparently…):
I’m fascinated by how the seemingly random words fit together…and I’m curious about the algorithm used…I only did one post about Frog and Toad and yet Toad features fairly prominently in the graph. You can him in bright yellow in the upper left leaf of the clover. Frog doesn’t get half as nice the recognition.
Here’s the tag cloud for my twitter account:
It looks like I should go edit out the “Published a Blog Post” reference I have on the auto-post to twitter when I update my blog. But, I do like how my #FollowFriday friends are featured.
There seems to be a few inconsistencies in the system. Because of the date format on my blog “th” is a big hitter in the cloud (today is the 7th of September…see?) and the word “the” is very tiny in the graph. Realistically, it ought to be the focal point of the graph with everything else wrapped around it, as much as it’s used. Ideally, the program should bar it (and other oft-used words) from the pretty picture. I think that would make it more accurate.
Still, it’s a fascinating snap-shot. I think I’ll try it again in a few months to see how things change (or if they don’t)!
Monday, September 6th, 2010
Miners with Their Children – at the Labor Day Celebration, Silverton, Colorado. September 1940. (Russell Lee, photographer)
Happy Labor Day!
Here in the United States, Labor Day has traditionally been the demarcation line between summer and fall…the day after which most kids return to school. (Though in recent years, schools have been opening the last week in August.) It’s always hot and sticky, and minds are rarely on curriculum.
But for the last few days, I’ve been waking to 50° (F) temperatures and days that have barely peaked at 70°. Unusual. It certainly feels like Fall.
I love this time of year!
I love crisp air in the morning, the smell of woodsmoke, and leaves crunching under my feet.
(We’ve been keeping the windows open all day, and as much as my allergies are screaming, I can’t help but enjoy it. The house smells great with the wind whisking through it, driving away the stale, conditioned air. The house feels brighter and bigger – as if it’s grown a bit. I really enjoy crawling into cool, clean sheets at the end of a work day…)
I look forward to baking bread from scratch, making stew, and for the first time in about a decade: going back to school — though my class doesn’t start until September 10, and I’ll be teaching!
To those of you celebrating Labor Day today…I hope you have a terrific day. (To those of you not celebrating – I hope you have a terrific day as well!)
I plan to get outside and enjoy the weather while it’s still mild…what are your plans for the day?
Monday, May 31st, 2010  On this Memorial Day, I’m remembering those in my family who’ve served.
That handsome fellow on the right is my great-Uncle Frank.
Frank Michalski served for many years in Germany, where he met the love of his life, my great-Aunt Lidia. Marriage between American soldiers and German women was forbidden at the time. Although my Aunt Lidia was from the Ukraine, she fell into the same group since she was a working woman in Germany.
Love conquers all, however, as does bribery. For a few cartons of cigarettes, the chaplain married them.
Frank was one of the lucky ones. He came home after the war, bringing Lidia with him.
Left of Frank is my great-Uncle Walter Rakowski. He was a bachelor through-and-through.
Walt gave his life in Germany. I never knew him.
This day, I raise a glass and salute them…and the others in my family who have served. I light a candle for the souls of those who’ve passed.
Just as I remember those closest to me, I remember the troops I’ve never met. Those who’ve served our country faithfully in the past, and those who are serving now. You’re in my thoughts today and most days.
Thank you, to all the men and women who serve our country.
Monday, May 10th, 2010  I left for work in a hurry today, and forgot my lunch..left it right on the counter next to the coffee pot.
That meant Chinese for lunch, because, well, you know my propensity for Chinese. (Perhaps if Moe’s hadn’t have closed up shop across the street, I may have gone there today. But, well, no such luck.)
I was handed a cookie after I paid my tab. I got to the car, buckled in, slid out of the parking space and onto the road… the tension is building here, can you feel it? Then I unwrapped the cookie and snapped it in two, only to discover…no fortune.
Nothing. Not even a blank paper ribbon. I’m not sure if that would have been worse. (Perhaps this was karma at work, getting me back for that time I received too many fortunes in my cookie?)
I almost — almost — turned the car back into the parking lot so that could go ask for another cookie, but I stopped myself just in time.
Still, it had me bummed for the brief ride back to work.
Would you have gone back for another cookie, or accepted the unfortunate circumstances?
Sunday, April 4th, 2010  I hope the Easter Bunny brought you something chocolate, or chocolate and peanut butter, or chocolate and coconut, or…you get the picture!
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010  I’m one of those people who abhors having my photo taken. Because I’m so stiff in front of the camera, the photographer usually has to take a zillion shots to get a halfway decent pic. Inevitably, once it’s over, we’re both mad at each other and I’m exhausted.
Unpleasant, to say the least.
But, I needed a new author photo for the Eternal Press Web site. I also needed a photo for a new column I’m writing for the The North Eye monthly newsletter. I guess when two folks come knocking, it’s time to get things done. I buckled.
(In reality, I could have sent them both the same old photo I’ve been using…but it just felt the like the right time for an upgrade. You know?)
I put my hair in rollers for this shoot. Can you tell? It’s all smooth and shiny, not my usual wildness! And the curls are so bouncy that my hair looks much shorter than it actually is. Nonetheless, I think this pic is halfway decent, except for the smooth coiffure….in retrospect, I’d prefer my Medusa snarls.
Still, not half bad. And my big crystal spider is visible. Spiders: always a plus.
Sunday, March 14th, 2010  Today is Pi Day!
The Greek letter Pi is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It’s celebrated on March 14, (3/14) because the first few digits of Pi are 3.14. (Today is also Albert Einstein’s birthday…he didn’t discover Pi, but he’s geeky coolness unto himself. )
Pi is unique because it’s the only fraction which does not repeat. The folks over at Pi Day.org have links to Pi’s first million digits. Very cool.
Over at 360, they have a Pi Day Sudoko. (I’ve linked to last year’s puzzle, btw; this year’s doesn’t look so cool…)
I’ve always liked Pi (I’m a little Geeky that way…). I remember in school having to memorize it out to 15 digits for an exam…3.14159 is about all I can remember these days. I’m good with that: it’s probably all I need to know it in order to write.
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