Fire and Lubrication.

Nice title eh? That's what's called a hook. Anyhow, I just wanted to share an analogy I came up with this weekend after a couple of beers, and after mulling it over in a sober brain for a few days, still feel it's one of the best I've come up with in quite some time.

First a little background. In case you don't know me, my life situation is this: I am a stay at home mom. Sure I do some piece work writing from time to time, and consider myself a writer, but I make just barely enough to pay for yarn and karate class. My husband is the one who brings home the bacon. (Although, in literal terms I am the one who brings home actual bacon as I work at a farm in the summer in exchange for a veggie and pork share). This husband of mine works super hard at a job he likes fairly well. Now, this whole stay at home mom thing is a pretty sweet deal. I get to watch my kid all day - even though at times she's super super annoying and it's really hard to not just stick her in daycare and run off to something, anything that won't make me want to rip my hair out - and for the most part we do cool stuff, like go to the library, beach, play dates, walks, other cool stuff. I also do some stuff that is kinda sucky, like clean, and go grocery shopping. I tell you this because it is important to note that being a stay at home mom is neither always sucky or always awesome. In too many articles I've read it leans way far over one way or the other.

For quite some time, due to my own predilection to analyzing everything I do, and the ongoing "mommy wars" (In case you don't know there's a war waging over who is right - stay at homers or worker moms. I think they both are. Anyway if you want to know more about it google it. It can get pretty damn nasty.) I sometimes feel like my role is not as important as Mike's. Not because of anything he has said or done, but lets face it, if he didn't have the job he does we would be screwed. It pays the bills, keeps us fed, he is in essence the provider for us. How does taking care of Mags and vacuuming compare to keeping a roof over our heads?

This is where the sweet analogy came in. I love it. It makes me super happy and feel peaceful about my job. Without further adieu here it is: Our family unit is an engine. Mike provides the fuel to keep it going, and I provide the oil to make sure everything runs smoothly. Since an engine can't run without either, both are equal in importance. If we run out of gas we are dead on the side of the road, no oil and the engine seizes.

How perfect is this analogy? I'm totally gloating about it. I love it. It was, as Oprah would say, an AHA! moment for me. Anyhow, I would love to hear what y'all think of it. I could probably write more on this topic but I have things to do. And really, I just wanted to get the idea down and out there.

Peace out, my people.

Who's Watching Me?

Have you read the Watchmen? No? It's pretty good. I recommend you do so. Yes, it's a graphic novel, yes I'm over 30. Who cares? I give it a Woot! The Watchmen, if you don't know, is about a bunch of former super heroes who reunite (sort of) to find out who is killing former masked heroes (sort of). But it is also a cautionary moralistic tale, about sacrificing your morals for a greater good. I think what I just wrote there is probably one of the biggest cliches ever when it comes to reviews, but it really is. Can I get a what what from you other Watchmen readers? This will be my 8th book of the year, since I forgot to include The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell in my last blog. I listened to the audio version, and really liked it. Our forefathers were a bunch of religious nuts. I mean really. It's good to listen to stuff like that once in awhile and remind yourself from whence we came. There was a lot of banishment and eye for an eye behaviour. It also gets a Woot!

In other news, I have signed up for the Script Frenzy which starts on April 1. I recommend you do too. After lurking around on their message boards, I learned that most folks use Celtx for their script writing software, and that it's free! I downloaded a copy post haste. Let me know if you sign up. We can be writing buddies. I probably won't let you see mine though. I'm like that.

I have been doing a bit of reading about blogs that get the most views, and are "successful". In case you were wondering, this one isn't. I can tell you why too. 1. Don't update often enough. 2. Isn't organized. 3. Not enough pictures. I am toying with the idea of putting my blog on a schedule, i.e. Monday: Books Tues: Knitting Weds. 5k Training (Ha! We'll see). You get the drift. I also need to address the photo situation pronto.

In other other news, I am pretty sure I'm going to fire the Klog back up. The Klog was my old blog where I complained about news. The format will be a bit revised, AND I'm going to add a fun new feature. If I actually do it, y'all will be the first to know.

I almost forgot, I watched The Comedians of Comedy the other night. What a disappointment. I was hoping it would be either funny, or informative, or both. Alas, it was neither. If you want to see a good documentary about being a comedian, watch The Comedian - by Jerry Seinfeld. Much better. Comedians of Comedy = Poop Sandwich.

That's all for now. I think I might even get around to updating my graphs today! I'm still looking for some cooler ones though.

....And We're Back!

Hello, hello! Are you wondering where I've been for two fracking months? Well we lost our Internet. I really won't go into it too much, but basically Hughesnet is a company comprised of a bunch of lying, incompetent jerks with the worst customer service I have ever experienced. For future reference, the only way to get them to actually fix your problem is to send them an e-mail threatening to report them to the Better Business Bureau via the Attorney General's office. Worked like a charm.

So, haven't been blogging but I have been completing tasks. Since I don't want this to be a zillion pages long, and I'm sure you don't either, let me break it down for you:

Books:

1. My Heart Belongs to You - Dean Koontz - Meh.
2. Free Range Knitter - Stephanie Pearl McPhee - Woot!
3. Fray - Joss Whedon - Double Woot! (Yes I know it's a graphic novel. Don't judge me.)
4. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson - Double Woot!
5. One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson - Double Woot!

I started Dear American Airlines which according to reviews, critics, etc. I'm supposed to love. Let me tell you right now - snooze fest. I'm sick of reading book comprised of nothing but people whining and ranting. If I want to read whining and ranting I can simply read my own blog. Thank you very much. I am currently reading The Watchmen. I am sort of on a graphic novel kick. Oh and by the way, can someone explain to me the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel? No one seems to be able to. Mike says "pride". I tend to agree.

Knitting:

1. Versatility (Scarf/Shawl Thing)
2. Shalom (Cardigan)
3. Maine Morning Mitts - (Fingerless Gloves) Me
4. Maine Morning Mitts - Maggie
5. Maine Morning Mitts - Tabby
6. 3 Hour Sweater - Total Fail - Fits Maggie.

I am slowly finishing a pair of socks I started for my mom's birthday. On January 7th. I have a bad case of second sock syndrome. This is a condition in which a knitter starts a project, usually a pair of something, whizzes through the first item and then takes forever on the second. This often happens with sleeves as well. Sorry mom!

Movies:
Um, we got TV back so it's been Lost and BSG o'clock. Lost is kind of meh this season. But BSG - holy frack is it good! If you don't watch it you should. I mean it. Start with the mini-series though.

Grandmother:

4 visits. Her alzheimers is strange. Good one day, the other day, no clue. One weird thing I've noticed is that her Alzheimers seems to be spawning some sort of weird OCD, and also making her more religious. Figure that out. For example, we like to eat at a local restaruant which happens to have a very pregnant hostess. Pregnant ladies in public drive my grandmother bonko. The last time we were at the restarunt she said " Well, I suppose that girl is pregnant!"
To which I replied, "Um, yeah."
"Well, she should really cover that up! I don't need to see that!" Said my grandmother.

You see, pregnant ladies mean that people are having sex! It's right there out in the open! Oh my god! But really then aren't all of our mere presences proof that somewhere at sometime someone had sex? It's true. We should probably all hide. The next time we go to the restaurant, repeat senario. Keep repeating senario until girl is no longer at the restaurant. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to freak out and either 1. Yell at my grandmother or 2. Bang my head against the table. I don't do either because I know it's not her fault that's she's bonko and I'm not a total bitch. At least it's mildly entertaining.

Have a made any progress in other areas? Hmm. I don't think so. Oh wait, I did get my car inspected and registered. Only because it's illegal not to though.

So, progress is being made. That's it for now. Peace.

Progress already

There are some things I have learned from doing the list last year that, as I said previously, are going to be a bit different. One of them being I'm not going to be as strict about the "limbo" projects. The limbo projects, are things I started prior to Jan. 6th but finished after. Things like the sweater I finished last night. Last year, I wouldn't have counted it on the list. This year - you betcha.

Also, I know I don't have any evidence yet - and I am honestly trying to figure something out - I have been cooking things and taking pictures of what I've made. So far - Pizza, Cookies, and Muffins - all from cookbooks. All huge successes. Additionally, I had a restaurant review for the Dry Dock in the works, but lost my mojo after not posting the pics. Plus my sister works there so maybe it's not the best idea anyway. I have been reading a lot of food books and blogs lately. I am intrigued by cooking, eating, growing food, and of course writing about it. It may be time - we shall see - I step into the ring.

About the pictures, and blogging and whatnot. Yeah you've heard it before - I ain't got no high-speed internets out here in the boondocks. I have the satellite which *allegedly* is just as good, but doesn't even have enough balls to load a youtube video smoothly. What I envision for 09 - probably starting in April - is me - getting an iphone and then smoothly uploading stuff to my blog on a regular basis. But this might be as likely as a unicorn emerging from the forrest. We shall see. I really cannot be doing this: take a picture, wait for Mike to upload it into his computer, take computer to office - upload pics using the high-speed there, logging in, finding what I want, uploading it, then blogging about. You see what a pain in the ass this is? Are you sick of me bitching about my Internet connection? Do I care? It is truly the bane of my existence and you can be sure I'm going to continue bitching about it until the problem is solved.

Enough wit' that. I'm still looking for a good blog/log/widget tracker. I got a lead on one - joesgoals.com but I hate the graph. In fact the graph is really stupid and lame. The tracking software is good, but whoever you are - Joe - listen - you can do better than that. How about a freakin' bar graph at least? Hmm. This may be a good project for Mike.

Books and Movies so far this year - I've already burned through a few so I wont' be giving you to much detail - sorry:

Movies:

In Her Shoes: I give it a Woot. It's totally a chick movie. But I give it a WQot because it portrays how sisters treat each other in a pretty accurate light. Also, I watched the DVD extras about making the movie. I found them pretty interesting and probably skewed my opinion of the film in a more positive light.

Elizabethtown: Poopsandwich. As I said to Mike "This movie was way too long. And then it continued for another 15 minutes." Plus, it was a sort of cheesy idealistic love/coming of age story which I don't usually like, and this movie was no different. There were big huge holes in the plot. It contained Free Bird. The whole song. For a whole huge long scene. It was agonizing. Note to directors, music score selectors etc. DO NOT PUT FREEBIRD IN A MOVIE. Seriously. Move on.

A note about the next two movies - last year I did not include any of the numerous kids movies I watched, this year I'm gonna. So there.

Corpse Bride: Double Woot! Tim Burton + Claymation = Awesome.

Toy Story 2: Woot! Really, I liked it quite a bit. It did not make a bunch of weird sexual innuendo jokes with a wink wink at the parents that kid movies sometimes do. These jokes inevitably don't work and just make me uncomfortable. Toy Story 2, despite being a kids movie - and a sequel - which usually signals an eminent poopsandwich - had a good plot, was funny, not too scary, but not dumb either. Perfect to watch with your 3 year old and not want to gouge your eyes out. Actually, I think even grownups without kids would like this movie.

Books:

I Like You. Hospitality Under the Influence - Amy Sedaris: Double Woot! This is an entertaining/cookbook and by entertaining I mean - having parties at your house. But, it also entertaining, as in fun to read, good times etc. It is hilarious. A good, funny read with recipes - what more can you ask for? We made the Oatmeal Cookies (from the Lumberjacks section) the night I bought the book. Mike ate a pan of them as soon as they were cool enough to not burn his mouth. Stop reading this blog and go buy this book right now. You will not regret it. And yes, buy it. Don't just go get it from the library. You will keep it for too long, or end up stealing it, and that just upsets the old ladies that work there.

That's it for now. Stay Warm peoples. It's -14 here. Ridiculous, I know.

Drumroll Please....

It looks kind of gross over there on the side doesn't it? I'm working on it. I really need to figure out a new goal tracking system for 2009 - if you have any suggestions for improvement such as a slick app or some sort of widget please let me know. Currently I keep track of my stuff on an Excel spreadsheet, then I have to manually enter my numbers in two places in this rickety HTML code in the back-end of this blog. It's a pain and far too much work. This is why I failed to keep track of a lot of my things last year. Excuses excuses - I know.

Moving right along. My list contains 31 items this year. As you can see I had some returns, but the majority of things on the list are new. Many of them are one or two shot deals. Seems like I'm aiming lower? Higher? I don't know. You probably noticed a number of personal grooming/taking care of Kate type items. Seems like I'm pretty gross right? Yeah I am. True confession - although I bitch and complain incessantly about how expensive our health/dental insurance is I NEVER utilize it. I seriously have not been to the doc. or the dentist for like two years. This is the stuff I don't get around to. The stuff that has to be done that I reschedule over and over.

Doing the list last year I realized that saying you are going to do something ever day is ridiculous. It's just not going to happen for me. Maybe you can, but I have things going on. My life is willy nilly, things come up. Which is why some things like write 200k words are just variations on doing something daily for 30 minutes. I can keep track and keep up with a 200k word goal, but once those minutes start adding up and slipping away, I'm dunzo.

Did you see that I want to double my income?! Yeah, that shouldn't be hard considering I made very little money last year. Like, under 5k. So doubling that even in the worst recession in nine million years shouldn't be that hard. Hopefully it will increase due to accepted submissions.

This year I have also done a bit of preparation for my tasks coming up. I queued up a bunch of knitting projects and ordered up some yarn. I have a pretty good idea of the books I will be reading this year. And movies are no problem as my Netflix list has like 300 items in it.

I think that's all I have time for right now. You may also notice - though not on the list - I'm going to try and clean up ye olde salty language. Swearing is too easy. I need to exercise my brain and my vocabulary and find other ways to call things shitty.

I'm out.

Bear With Me.

While I move all the crap from over here --->

Over Here

• Knitting :: 100%
• 30 Blog Entries :: 110%
• 30 Books :: 100%
• 30 House Projects :: 85%
• 30 Hours of Volunteering :: 50%
• 30 Mins. Less TV :: 100%
• 30 Mins. Exercise :: 25%
• 30 Mins. Cleaning :: 100%
• 30 Movies :: 140%
• 30 Recipes :: 100%
• 30 New Things ::30%
• 30 Words Eng. :: 20%
• 30 Words Other :: 1%
• 30 oz. water :: 15%
• 30 Acts of Kindness :: 6%
• 30 Submissions :: 120%
• 30 Visits with Grands. :: 85%
• 30 Birds ID'd :: 47%
• 30 New Tunes :: 100%
• 30 lbs lost:: 27%
• Household Expenses less 30% :: 100%
• Spend $30 less per week :: 100%
• 30% less waste :: 100%
• $30 on local foods :: 120%
• 30 mins. of writing :: 100%
• Give Away 30 Things :: 100%
• 30 Things I've been meaning to do :: 63%
• 30 New Articles of Clothing::100%
• Drive 30 Miles Less pw. :: 75%
• 30 Visits With Friends:: 100%

New Words - English

• amative
• ersatz
• perdurable
• pestiferous
• virago

Birdie Birdie Birdie

• American Robin
• American Three toed Woodpecker
• American Tree Sparrow
• Black Capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Dark Eyed Junco
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nut Hatch
• Tufted Titmouse
• Turkey Vulture
• Wild Turkey
• Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker

Ok, I think that's it. If you have a burning desire to see my 08 movie or book lists just email me and you can see them. But for now they are ditched.

Hurray for Accounting Errors!

Dudes, I have been reading/knitting furiously for the past few days, and was getting a bit down last night realizing I have to finish a book and a knitting project (which I will get to in a second) before Tuesday. Which is tomorrow. Then I started reviewing my lists of books I have read and realized, I forgot to record one! Cell - by Stephen King, which I think I even wrote about in here. Anyway BOO YA 30 books down.

Then this morning, as I was sitting here furiously knitting a sweater, oh yeah, instead of knitting a nice simple pair of mittens or hat which would have been too easy for me the glutton for punishment that I am, I decided to cast on this sweater about two days ago. Yes, I am an experienced enough knitter to know that there is NFW that sweater only takes 3 hours. Especially with the size and weight of the needles and yarn. It is however a very cute sweater - that pic doesn't do it justice at all. But I would say more accurately that each side - i.e. the front and back take about 6 hours a piece. Which is still phenomenally quick. I really like this pattern and will probably knit it again, with some mods. Next time I will probably knit it on circular needles instead of straights, that will also add to making it super speedy. ANYWAY, what I was going to say is that there was little hope that this would be completed by tomorrow, and was getting ready to cast on a nice hat or pair of mittens in bulky weight yarn to even up the score, when I had a completely unrelated conversation with a friend of mine this morning. A friend who has a baby who is not yet one year old, a baby for whom I knit a sweater when she was a few weeks old. AHA! I forgot to count her sweater! Which means - yes kids- 30 knit items down. Hells Yeah.

As you can see from the graph - 100% or more on 17 of my goals! Holy crap. When I made this list a year ago, I said I would be thrilled if I made 30% on 30 of them :) I cannot accurately describe how this list has changed my life. For reals. Setting goals and keeping track of them in such a public way motivated me to achieve like never before. Apparently for me public humiliation is an excellent motivator. I feel pretty cheesy using the term "life changing" or "eye opening" but I did. So there.

I have the list for next year finished and will post it either tomorrow or the 7th. I need to figure out how to preserve this year's list - probably take a screen shot and post it - because the list and widgets you see over here - are seperate HTML items that will go away when I add the new stuff. Either that or leave it and have a super massive scroll down thing. Which I find annoying, so screen shot it probably will be.

In any case thanks for reading, and next year this blog will be Bigger! Better! Faster! Stronger! With 100% More Excitement!

BTW- this is the 50th blog post this year. Just thought you might be interested.

Peace.