Generally unrelated

I read this today and really liked it. I don't want to forget the lesson so here it is.


Ancient Native American story:

An old Cherokee told his grandson about the battle that goes on within us. "My boy," he told him, "Inside every one of us dwells two wolves-- one evil, one good. The evil one is angry and jealous, full of regret and arrogance, greed and sorrow, guilt and self-pity. The other is good. He is kind and loving, full of hope and peace, joy and compassion."

The young boy thought about it for a moment. "Which wolf wins?" he asked his grandfather.

The old Cherokee smiled and simply replied, "...the one you feed."

Oh dear!

Well, I suck at blogging regularly! I logged into to look at last year's resolutions and saw I haven't posted a dang thing since April. Perhaps this New Year I'll resolve to blog more often? It's a thought.

So here is last year's list:

1) Become pregnant.
2) Tone up!
3) Knit and crochet passably by year-end.
4) Can more often, one project per month.

And here is my report:

1) HA.
2) I didn't do too badly here! I've gained some muscle and I can also run farther and faster than before, so score.
3) I can knit okay but had a lot of trouble learning to crochet. I have box of cute crocheted animal projects gathering dust. :(
4) I rocked at this and actually got 13 projects done instead of only 12. I've been so pleased that I started a different blog specifically for preserving and have a long-term project in mind to feature local agricultural talent (I am in the bountiful Midwest after all), but I'm currently on the fence about whether to launch it. I'm not sure if I'll have time and even if I do, I should have some semblance of personal time with Eric. I don't know if I should be putting any more irons in the fire, so I'll have to think on it.

With all that said, here is 2011's resolutions list (For now-- it's not the end of the year quite yet).

1) Blog more often (forcing me to be more aware), either here or potentially the preserving blog.
2) Spend more time outdoors.
3) Let myself be less busy.
4) Relinquish expectations.

So this is probably my last post for 2010! What will your resolutions be?

One missed call

This post is about a story submission I sent to the Anything Ghost podcast. I listen to my friend Wayne's podcast, Worlds of Wayne, and Wayne and I have similar tastes that run toward the supernatural so when he interviewed Lex Wahl of Anything Ghost, I was all over that like zombies on brains. You can hear that episode here if you care to take a gander.

So I went and had a listen at Anything Ghost. On Lex's podcast, he reads stories of supernatural and weird experiences that people have every day. He also composes the creepy music. Awesome. Anyone who is a listener can email him their own story, or better yet, record it and send it to him. He likes when people can tell the story in their own voice. I do not have that option, so I just emailed him. You can hear my weird experience here on episode #112. I recommend listening to the whole episode because it's cuh-reepy, but if you really want, you can skip to my story beginning at minute 23:15. He mistakenly calls me Gina but I guess that's better than Jenny. :)

I have a whole list of stories, so I'm sure I'll be posting about this again!

This is what I plan to do with my life.

Some material borrowed from Sara at Sara's Organized Chaos and Nicole at More is Better. I like them and they have good ideas and I have high aspirations. 

1) Go sailboating
2) Go sea kayaking - DONE
3) Visit every Central American country (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras)
4) Write one book of short stories and one novel
5) Get over a fear of caves. Which means....go caving
6) Have two children, one sans epidural, one with
7) Adopt a third child from a poverty-stricken country
8) Make a quilt
9) Get naked on a nude beach
10) Drive the entire North American Pacific coast (Oregon)
11) Get a short play accepted to Shelterskelter and performed that season
12) Go on a summertime Alaskan cruise in and snuggle under the northern lights
13) Spend time on every continent
14) Get close to bison at Yellowstone National Park
15) Go snowshoeing
16) Spend the night in a real haunted house
17) Attend a religious service for at least four major religions (1. Catholic, 2. Unitarian- is that major?)
18) Own and live on a property in Central America near farms and beaches simultaneously
19) Hike though the rainforest to Macchu Picchu
20) Put at least my hand in ten of the world’s natural oceans or large bodies of water (1. Pacific Ocean, 2. Atlantic Ocean, 3. Gulf of Mexico, 4. South China Sea)
21) Learn to make pupusas from scratch
22) Enter a cooking contest
23) Bungee jump
24) Walk on a glacier
25) Buy something extravagant for our parents
26) Take a picture in the towns in which all four of my grandparents were born
27) Take a picture with a celebrity I genuinely care about. Lisa Loeb?!
28) Own and run a successful business
29) Take a train through beautiful countryside
30) Go to the Winter Olympics
31) See at least one World Cup game
32) Snorkel through the Great Barrier Reef
33) Teach a class or seminar
34) See SNL in person


More items may be added as I see fit. :)

Snob Dog on a Toilet

Click here to visit one of my favorite blogs, Martinis or Diaper Genies? There, you will find a contest of America's favorite stuff on toilets, including our very own Inga Binga Newton Magnuson. I sent a link to Eric at work today and he replied "That is both hilarious and incredibly random. LMAO!" Which, coincidentally, is exactly how I'd describe MODG as well.

NOW GO FORTH AND VOTE FOR MY DOG. Please. :)

PS - our floors aren't dirty, seriously, that's my cheapo camera....since I lost the awesome one in the airport on the way to Belize.

A goal not written is but a wish.

These are my 2010 goals...Eric's to come. I do lots of musing at work but try not to bother Eric during the workday unless I'm sending him something funny.

1) Become pregnant. Oh, also stay pregnant for the requisite nine months and give birth to a healthy child-- just sayin, in case the universe feels like taking my initial wish literally and then playing a nasty trick.
2) Tone up! Um, not necessarily in this order. And if #1 is achieved, I reserve the right to stay undefined in the middle.
3) Knit and crochet passably by year-end. It would help if my fingers didn't turn into thumbs every time I picked up a crochet needle. And for knitting to become less hard. But regardless! Passably.
4) Can more often, one project per month. This month's is secret because it's for someone who reads this blog. :)

Ready, set, go!

Interesting article about Fiji Water

I'm really glad we don't drink bottled water.

Read Fiji Water: Spin the Bottle, on Mother Jones here.