Wednesday, February 07, 2007

A fine line between fun and stupid

I composed this entry in MS Word using the "Maiandra GD" font. My brother and I both think "Maiandra" would be a great name for a girl, though he's still convinced his first daughter will be named "Tabitha Sinead." My mother says she feels sorry for her future grandchildren.

But you don't want randomness like that, do you? You want to know where the hell I've been for the past few weeks. I'm really touched that people have been concerned, and sorry if anyone thinks I'm blowing them off. I didn't mean to. I was just too busy and/or beat to blog. Yeah, I've said that before, but it's shaping up to be a very busy winter. My work is really doing it. Busy-yet-boring again. (I think I should make that an acronym--BYB.)

I think the groundhog's going to be wrong. It's only getting colder, it seems. I love my winter surfing, but it's too cold for that right now--there's a fine line between "fun" and "stupid," you know?

I started interior decorating classes on Monday and Wednesday nights. I've been doing all right, but I felt a little intimidated after seeing examples of others' rooms and furniture designs. Also, I can't really draw, and many people in that class can, and they expect you to draw furniture samples occasionally and learn to make blueprints eventually. I had to remind myself that one has to start somewhere, and that unlike most of my classmates, I've actually been paid for my efforts. I am learning. And I'm eligible to shop "to the trade" in some places, too! WOO-HOO!!!

Last year, one of L'Ailee's birthday presents to me was getting her best friend to help her paint stripes on our ceiling. I loved it for a few months. Then I got bored with it, and she got *really* bored with it. So once again she climbed onto her best friend's shoulders (I don't know what hold she has on him!) to paint our ceiling. This time it's a gorgeous Tiffany box turquoise. We also--I am *so* happy, and I *know* we won't get tired of this--got the built-in bookshelves we've been wanting! So I had to paint the insides that same shade of turquoise. Our walls are now an eggshell white, but that was to serve as a ground for the beautiful pastel chinoiserie patterns we painted with the help of The Stencil Library. Then of course, we had to slipcover our dark furniture. It occupied a couple of weekends, but we're happy with our living room again. It's fun to shake up our surroundings sometimes, and I'm happy that I live with someone else who feels the urge to do that every once in a while.

This past Saturday, my mom and I actually went to a concert together because we both wanted to. Trace Adkins in DC! I *never* thought we would do that. Our tastes in music are so different. But we both agree on Trace Adkins. What a voice...what a body...his face ain't much, but you can't have everything! It was a lot of fun. I tease my mom because she lived "Ladies Love Country Boys", about ambitious Northern women falling for Southern redneck boys. She was engaged to a doctor in Michigan, and then she came to Florida "temporarily", and then she decided she liked this Cracker mechanic better. That was my Daddy. We also agree that "Dangerous Man" and "Baby I'm Home" are furiously hot. A reviewer for the Washington Post so doesn't get it. I don't think Trace is a macho asshole--he expresses a sensitive side in other songs, and his "good ol' country ass-whupping" was not actually meant, as the idiotic critic alleged, for anti-war protestors. ("Fightin' Words" reminded us of the trouble men we've loved have gotten into at bars. When they begin a story with something like "Everyone knows I'm the hard-workin', peace-lovin' type," our immediate reaction is "Oh, shit, what have you done now?" :-)

I can talk about Molly Ivins dying, but I find that extremely depressing and everyone's said it better than I can already. I am still so grateful that the latest wave of tornadoes to hit Florida didn't affect anyone I loved. My brother and his wife would have been hit, but they moved in mid-January! I am cautious about crowing too much about my people not being hurt or made homeless. Other people lost loved ones, and though I think mine are special, I don't think me and mine are really more special than others in the wider scheme of things. I just have to be grateful. Quiet and grateful.

And I have to catch up with all y'all.

Links:

You can help save Alaska's Tongass National Forest from clear-cutting!

Help gay animals become ex-gay! This absolutely tickled me, not only because of all the recent gay animal stories, but because I have a bisexual cat.

Revenge in Washington A symbolic ballot initiative from a pro-SSM group was accepted by the Secretary of State in Washington. Basically, it would invalidate all childless/childfree mixed-sex marriages. I'm sure it won't pass. I think the point should be made, but I don't like the method--it wastes taxpayer time and money. I do hope childless and childfree mixed-sex couples see the point, and sympathize. They are being insulted by anti-SSM rhetoric.

Eighteen preciously precious baby pandas need names! They are even taking English names as suggestions. I totally think one must be named "Oreo" and another, "Diaper Butt." L'Ailee tried to dissuade me from suggesting the latter, but how cool would that be in a zoo? "And over in the Asia Trail, we have Mei Mei and Diaper Butt..."

From the Onion: In Order to Save the Whales, We Must Breed With Them.

Why Prince didn't get electrocuted at the Super Bowl

Finally, Are Women Allowed to be Funny?

12 comments:

christine mtm said...

i'm so happy to see you back. (i know the feeling of being too busy for the blog world)

have you seen the new top designer show on bravo yet? just started last wednesday, but it will run the same time as lost so i will have to watch it when i can catch the repeats.

alan said...

Missed you so much! Days of checking in and wondering...worrying...

Glad your family got out of the way of that storm!

Hope you forgive me borrowing from your post and trying to get some more signatures on that petition to the Forest Service...

alan

Carie said...

glad your back...the class sounds fun :) and it sounds like a great teaching tool...

I am glad your family and friends are safe :)

and diaper butt is hilarious lol

CrackerLilo said...

Aw, I'm sorry to have worried people!

Cats, I'm applying for the next one and TiVoing it!

Alan, not only will I forgive you, I'm happy about it. That thing needs to spread like wildfire.

Carie, it is *lots* of fun! :-)

(My instructor's too sick to teach us tonight.)

christine mtm said...

thanks for your comment on my blog. i take any kind of prayers offered (though my aunt and uncle would probably s**t themselves if they knew a pagan was praying for them.)

Dr. Deb said...

Hey Cracker Lilo! So glad you posted!

Jon-Marc McDonald said...

The fact that you have a bi-sexual cat rocks!

And taking ID classes! I'm jealous.

Eric said...

Ah….the sweet, smell of perfume! Today's market is flooded with hundreds and hundreds of different fragrances ranging from floral to woodsy. Most women love the smell of perfume, wearing it even when going to the grocery store. The problem is that perfume allergy for some women, is anything but nice.

puhpaul said...

I just discovered Maiandra recently. I love the font and think it would make an excellent name for a daughter.

I laughed at the gay animal article. My sister has a transgendered husky. He collects my niece's tiny stuffed animals and builds them a nest where he sits and cuddles with them. He is very gentle with his babies and becomes quite anxious if anyone takes one of his babies.

paul

david santos said...

Very, very nice
Tank you

TFLS said...

Hey sweetie! Glad you are back and blogging away. You should post some photos of your decorating. I would very much like to see.

LeLo said...

You know I'm waiting to hear if you two have run off and gotten married....