My apologies for being blogquiet the past few days. The cold mentioned in my last entry pretty much knocked me out on Friday. I had tried to go by the early-voting place after dropping DD off at school, but the line was horrendously long and I decided that waiting for 3 hours when I could barely stand upright wouldn't be the wisest course of action. So I went back home and slept most of the day.
Thursday evening DH and DsD had driven up to Jacksonville to see David Byrne in concert (and see my SIL). I'd let DsD go in my stead because she hadn't seen her aunt in a while, and with me being under the weather it was just as well. My inlaws were also there, and they came down Friday and yesterday. (I guess the good thing about being ill is that I wasn't expected to have cleaned house or be particularly sociable.) By Saturday I was at least on my feet, but still had periodic bouts of energy-drain. Today so far has been much of the same. At least I'm catching up on sleep.
DsD and maybe her BF are going to take DD trick-or-treating tonight - I'll just stay home and dole out the candy. I haven't had time to make the scratching-post costume, so I'll probably unearth something from my costume box.
Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Mother's little helper
It all started Monday night with a little bit of a tickle in the throat. Yesterday I woke up congested and talking funny, at least to myself. I'm sure the rest of my family was amused at the squeaky whinge in my voice whenever I tried to raise it - to me, it was just annoying. By the middle of the day, most of the congestion was gone but my throat was scratchy.
Today the scratchiness is gone, and the congestion has migrated upward into my sinuses, and I feel rather stuffy and heavy-headed. Not to mention achy. I'm sure I'll be back to normal by Friday - I tend to run through colds pretty quickly.
In the meantime, I can fall back on my little orange reserve. Dayquil is my friend. I keep a box in my desk drawer for occasions such as this, when I have too much to do, and no time to be sick. (Actually, the orange panacea currently in my desk is fakequil - off-brands are more cost effective when the family goes through it like candy...)
I don't like being sick - either I keep going anyway and feel awful, or I rest and then feel guilty for not being up and about doing productive things. I don't think I've ever been so sick that I don't feel guilty about lying in bed resting.
Once upon a time I never got sick - my senior year of high school, everyone in my family got pneumonia except me. I've never had chickenpox. The worst thing I can recall afflicting me in childhood was a stomach bug. But now, I get a cold at least once a year, and I'm not sure why. Is it living in Florida, where there are a whole different set of pathogens? Is it stress? Has childbirth changed my body chemistry? Maybe it's just the inexorable march of time...as I approach middle age, my body isn't operating as effectively as once it did.
Pass the tissues, please.
Today the scratchiness is gone, and the congestion has migrated upward into my sinuses, and I feel rather stuffy and heavy-headed. Not to mention achy. I'm sure I'll be back to normal by Friday - I tend to run through colds pretty quickly.
In the meantime, I can fall back on my little orange reserve. Dayquil is my friend. I keep a box in my desk drawer for occasions such as this, when I have too much to do, and no time to be sick. (Actually, the orange panacea currently in my desk is fakequil - off-brands are more cost effective when the family goes through it like candy...)
I don't like being sick - either I keep going anyway and feel awful, or I rest and then feel guilty for not being up and about doing productive things. I don't think I've ever been so sick that I don't feel guilty about lying in bed resting.
Once upon a time I never got sick - my senior year of high school, everyone in my family got pneumonia except me. I've never had chickenpox. The worst thing I can recall afflicting me in childhood was a stomach bug. But now, I get a cold at least once a year, and I'm not sure why. Is it living in Florida, where there are a whole different set of pathogens? Is it stress? Has childbirth changed my body chemistry? Maybe it's just the inexorable march of time...as I approach middle age, my body isn't operating as effectively as once it did.
Pass the tissues, please.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Entropy: a case study
For some people, their car is their baby. Washed, waxed, immaculately detailed inside. Ads on television show busy parents shuttling around soccer teams, groceries, and camping gear in spotlessly kept vehicles. Even the mud-spattered SUVs and pickups are tidy inside.
And then there's me. For me, the sole purpose of a car is to get from Point A to Point B in safety and relative comfort. Which my Saturn wagon does. It has A/C (which not surprisingly comes standard here in Florida), and a CD player. So I have relative comfort *and* don't have to listen to talkative DJs all the time.
However, my car is also a dirt magnet. Somehow it seems to retain a separate rate of entropy from the rest of the universe. Case in point: this weekend I cleaned out my car, removing all the trash and restoring items to the house. And yet, somehow, my car is messy again, and it's only Tuesday.
Speaking of Tuesday, I was remiss yesterday in posting my weekly goals.
Last week
Get to Curves 3x - Done!
Clean computer room - Uh...no.
Finish school website updates - Mostly. Critical updates done.
This week
I think I'm just going to forego domestic goals for now. Those may need to wait until the holiday.
Get to Curves 3x
Clean out purse
Finish school and church web updates
I probably won't be doing much of those tonight - I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Hopefully I'll feel more productive tomorrow.
And then there's me. For me, the sole purpose of a car is to get from Point A to Point B in safety and relative comfort. Which my Saturn wagon does. It has A/C (which not surprisingly comes standard here in Florida), and a CD player. So I have relative comfort *and* don't have to listen to talkative DJs all the time.
However, my car is also a dirt magnet. Somehow it seems to retain a separate rate of entropy from the rest of the universe. Case in point: this weekend I cleaned out my car, removing all the trash and restoring items to the house. And yet, somehow, my car is messy again, and it's only Tuesday.
Speaking of Tuesday, I was remiss yesterday in posting my weekly goals.
Last week
This week
I think I'm just going to forego domestic goals for now. Those may need to wait until the holiday.
I probably won't be doing much of those tonight - I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Hopefully I'll feel more productive tomorrow.
Monday, October 25, 2004
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
Friday afternoon I took DD to the pumpkin patch, and she picked the *biggest* pumpkin there - a 25lb behemoth (pic 1 pic 2). Well, maybe not quite large enough for Peter PumpkinEater's lovenest, but it is still rather large.
We also got a more normal-sized pumpkin that DsD has since carved, and a small one for pumpkin pie.
Call me a heretic, but I don't really care for pumpkin pie. Or at least not the storebought kind, or even the kind you make with canned pumpkin. (My favorite holiday pie is mince pie...which most people don't like.) But I like cooked pumpkin - go figure!
With last year's Halloween pumpkin, I made homemade pumpkin pie. And I liked it - I was pleasantly surprised. Homemade pumpkin pie tastes far better than canned pumpkin pie. This year I found a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake, and I think I'll give that a try. I do have a weakness for cheesecake!
Saturday one of our gaming buddies brought over another Risk variant - Risk 2210. It was rather enjoyable, though you may as well throw your normal Risk strategies out the window - the event cards can really play havoc with it! I had a blast - literally! I'd played an Armageddon event card, which kicked off a whole slew of Nuclear event cards. Very cathartic! I think this is another Risk variant I may need to pick up.
I'm still trying to figure out what to be for Halloween when I take DD out trick-or-treating. DD is going to be a cat. Right now my top idea...is being a scratching post!
We also got a more normal-sized pumpkin that DsD has since carved, and a small one for pumpkin pie.
Call me a heretic, but I don't really care for pumpkin pie. Or at least not the storebought kind, or even the kind you make with canned pumpkin. (My favorite holiday pie is mince pie...which most people don't like.) But I like cooked pumpkin - go figure!
With last year's Halloween pumpkin, I made homemade pumpkin pie. And I liked it - I was pleasantly surprised. Homemade pumpkin pie tastes far better than canned pumpkin pie. This year I found a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake, and I think I'll give that a try. I do have a weakness for cheesecake!
Saturday one of our gaming buddies brought over another Risk variant - Risk 2210. It was rather enjoyable, though you may as well throw your normal Risk strategies out the window - the event cards can really play havoc with it! I had a blast - literally! I'd played an Armageddon event card, which kicked off a whole slew of Nuclear event cards. Very cathartic! I think this is another Risk variant I may need to pick up.
I'm still trying to figure out what to be for Halloween when I take DD out trick-or-treating. DD is going to be a cat. Right now my top idea...is being a scratching post!
Friday, October 22, 2004
Looking forward and backward...
I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the weekend. Not that I have anything particularly special planned other than taking DsS out for his birthday. It's just been One Of Those Weeks, and the chance to just take it easy is rather appealing right now.
Since nothing particularly noteworthy that I feel like sharing has come up, I'm going to continue in meme mode - here's today's Friday Forum:
1] Are you a spontaneous person, a planner, or somewhere in-between? Have you ever gone on a spur-of-the-moment road trip or vacation? When, and did you have fun?
I am most definitely a planner - I've never gone anywhere spontaneously other than out to eat. Being a responsible adult with a family and a job precludes spontaneously leaving town. And places we tend to like to go on vacation require some preparation in terms of reservations, plane fare, and so forth.
2] Are you a baseball fan, and do you plan to watch the World Series? Who do you think will win? Do you go to a lot of baseball games or mostly watch them on TV? What is your favorite baseball game food?
Baseball...that's where people try to hit airborne balls with funny rounded sticks, right?
I know a little bit about baseball, but I don't follow it at all. I just don't find it particularly interesting. That said, I've actually been to more live games (two) than I've watched on TV (zero). The times I've gone to games, it's been as a social event, going with a group of friends or coworkers.
That said, I'm actually cheering for the Boston Red Sox, for the sole reason that one of the pitchers is local boy and I used to work with his dad. (Of course, my cheering for them for that reason alone supports DH's supposition that he thinks I tend more toward Hufflepuff than Ravenclaw, per my previous entry.)
As for favorite live sporting event food...I love those large soft pretzels!
3] If someone gave you $25 right now and said that you had to spend it within the hour, what would you buy and why?
I'm planning on taking DD by the pumpkin patch this afternoon, so I'd spend it there. If I had to spend it on myself, I've got both a bookstore and Best Buy within walking distance of my office. A family friend has recommended the band Steeleye Span, so I may see what Best Buy has by them.
4] Name three things that you're looking forward to in the near future and why.
If we take "near future" to mean within the next month or two (thus ruling out our '06 trip to the UK):
Halloween - I like taking DD trick-or-treating (and I confess, I love to dress up too!)
The extended edition Return of the King DVD - I have the extended editions of the other two, and I want to see what extra footage Peter Jackson added!
Christmas season - We're staying home this year instead of traveling! I don't like the crass commercialism of the season or the hassles associated with shopping and preparation, but I do like the more sublime pleasures - traditional decorations, sacred music...and time off work!
5] Do you know any foreign languages? Which ones? If you could become fluent in any language [writing and speaking it], which one would you pick and why?
I know bits and pieces of various foreign languages - I've studied French, German, and Russian at various points in my academic career, and I've made the occasional attempt to self-study Welsh and Irish. If I could become fluent in any single language, it'd be Welsh. Especially since we'll be going there again in about a year and a half. Irish would be a close second....can I choose both?
I've never studied Spanish, but I've picked up a few words. That'd probably be the single most useful foreign language to learn, especially here in Florida.
Since nothing particularly noteworthy that I feel like sharing has come up, I'm going to continue in meme mode - here's today's Friday Forum:
1] Are you a spontaneous person, a planner, or somewhere in-between? Have you ever gone on a spur-of-the-moment road trip or vacation? When, and did you have fun?
I am most definitely a planner - I've never gone anywhere spontaneously other than out to eat. Being a responsible adult with a family and a job precludes spontaneously leaving town. And places we tend to like to go on vacation require some preparation in terms of reservations, plane fare, and so forth.
2] Are you a baseball fan, and do you plan to watch the World Series? Who do you think will win? Do you go to a lot of baseball games or mostly watch them on TV? What is your favorite baseball game food?
Baseball...that's where people try to hit airborne balls with funny rounded sticks, right?
I know a little bit about baseball, but I don't follow it at all. I just don't find it particularly interesting. That said, I've actually been to more live games (two) than I've watched on TV (zero). The times I've gone to games, it's been as a social event, going with a group of friends or coworkers.
That said, I'm actually cheering for the Boston Red Sox, for the sole reason that one of the pitchers is local boy and I used to work with his dad. (Of course, my cheering for them for that reason alone supports DH's supposition that he thinks I tend more toward Hufflepuff than Ravenclaw, per my previous entry.)
As for favorite live sporting event food...I love those large soft pretzels!
3] If someone gave you $25 right now and said that you had to spend it within the hour, what would you buy and why?
I'm planning on taking DD by the pumpkin patch this afternoon, so I'd spend it there. If I had to spend it on myself, I've got both a bookstore and Best Buy within walking distance of my office. A family friend has recommended the band Steeleye Span, so I may see what Best Buy has by them.
4] Name three things that you're looking forward to in the near future and why.
If we take "near future" to mean within the next month or two (thus ruling out our '06 trip to the UK):
5] Do you know any foreign languages? Which ones? If you could become fluent in any language [writing and speaking it], which one would you pick and why?
I know bits and pieces of various foreign languages - I've studied French, German, and Russian at various points in my academic career, and I've made the occasional attempt to self-study Welsh and Irish. If I could become fluent in any single language, it'd be Welsh. Especially since we'll be going there again in about a year and a half. Irish would be a close second....can I choose both?
I've never studied Spanish, but I've picked up a few words. That'd probably be the single most useful foreign language to learn, especially here in Florida.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
It takes all sorts...
It's been rather a stressful day - I don't really want to rant at y'all, so I'll just say it was related to DsS and the slow pace of bureaucracy and leave it at that.
I think I'm going to spend this evening with a piece of cheesecake and the new episode of Mythbusters. Maybe a glass of wine as well. I just need to chill out...
I've been playing around with some of the various Sorting Hat (from Harry Potter) quizzes online. I've been tending to come up as either
So, dear readers, I seek your input. Which do you think is more apt?
I think I'm going to spend this evening with a piece of cheesecake and the new episode of Mythbusters. Maybe a glass of wine as well. I just need to chill out...
I've been playing around with some of the various Sorting Hat (from Harry Potter) quizzes online. I've been tending to come up as either
 Ravenclaw | or |  Hufflepuff | |
| Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind | You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, And unafraid of toil |
So, dear readers, I seek your input. Which do you think is more apt?
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Tied to be fit...
I forgot to mention yesterday that I donated blood yesterday - they took me this time! I'm very psyched.
I also caught the second part of the Farscape miniseries, which I won't talk much about because I know several of my more northern readers haven't been able to see it yet. I will say that it absolutely blew me away...
Still been a bit busy, so I'll just lay a meme on you. This was last week's Friday Forum - physical fitness:
1] Do you consider yourself a physically fit person? Why/why not?
I don't think I'm physically fit, at least according to many definitions. I'm heavier than I've ever been when not pregnant, and it does show....but I'm also probably in better shape (more strength, endurance, muscle mass) than at any other point in my life. I'm not completely a fat slob, but I'm still far from where I'd ideally like to be.
2] What are your favorite types of exercise? Do you have any favorite sports that you enjoy participating in, and how often do you work out?
I joined Curves about a year and a half ago. Other than a few months related to a job change that threw me off schedule, I've been trying to go about 3x a week. I enjoy it (otherwise I wouldn't stay with it), although I need to be better about making time to do it.
If I lived further north (where there's real terrain and seasons) I'd probably go walking more often. I've taken aikido and fencing at various points in my life, and if either of them were easily accessible (time as well as location!) I'd do those.
3] Do you follow any special eating plans, diets, nutritional philosophies, weight-loss goals, etc.? Why or why not? How long have you been doing so, and have you had success with them?
Yeah right. I've never had much luck with diets, but also haven't spent a lot of time trying them. I generally try to eat healthy things, but I do get on the occasional junk-food run. I do have a goal of getting down to 25% body fat - it would be physically impossible for me to get down to what I weighed when I got married - my current muscle mass is more than that!
4] What would you most like to change about your physical appearance? Which features of your body do you like the most?
I'd like my hair to grow faster, and I'd love not to be heavy in the hips. (Even when I was rather underweight I was heavy in the hips! Blasted genetics...) Granted, if bustles ever come back into fashion, I am set! ("Baby got back") I'm not too keen on my nose or feet, but those are a bit further down on my list.
I probably like my hair the most. DH likes my face and eyes.
5] Do you feel that it's important to encourage children to become involved in sports? Why/why not? Did you participate in athletics when you were growing up?
I do feel it's important for children to be involved in physical activity, although I believe they should do so because *they* want to, not because their parents want to raise the next Mia Hamm or Serena Williams. Children are pressured to do too many extracurriculars nowadays, to their detriment.
Was I involved in athletics? *wry laugh* Um...no. My parents were very discouraging of PE, and I'm also what a friend of mine called an "unco" - uncoordinated. My first involvement in non-mandated physical activity was a semester of aikido my sophomore year of college...I would have continued, but I dislocated my shoulder (not in aikido, incidentally).
I did play street football/kickball/jump rope, if that counts...
I also caught the second part of the Farscape miniseries, which I won't talk much about because I know several of my more northern readers haven't been able to see it yet. I will say that it absolutely blew me away...
Still been a bit busy, so I'll just lay a meme on you. This was last week's Friday Forum - physical fitness:
1] Do you consider yourself a physically fit person? Why/why not?
I don't think I'm physically fit, at least according to many definitions. I'm heavier than I've ever been when not pregnant, and it does show....but I'm also probably in better shape (more strength, endurance, muscle mass) than at any other point in my life. I'm not completely a fat slob, but I'm still far from where I'd ideally like to be.
2] What are your favorite types of exercise? Do you have any favorite sports that you enjoy participating in, and how often do you work out?
I joined Curves about a year and a half ago. Other than a few months related to a job change that threw me off schedule, I've been trying to go about 3x a week. I enjoy it (otherwise I wouldn't stay with it), although I need to be better about making time to do it.
If I lived further north (where there's real terrain and seasons) I'd probably go walking more often. I've taken aikido and fencing at various points in my life, and if either of them were easily accessible (time as well as location!) I'd do those.
3] Do you follow any special eating plans, diets, nutritional philosophies, weight-loss goals, etc.? Why or why not? How long have you been doing so, and have you had success with them?
Yeah right. I've never had much luck with diets, but also haven't spent a lot of time trying them. I generally try to eat healthy things, but I do get on the occasional junk-food run. I do have a goal of getting down to 25% body fat - it would be physically impossible for me to get down to what I weighed when I got married - my current muscle mass is more than that!
4] What would you most like to change about your physical appearance? Which features of your body do you like the most?
I'd like my hair to grow faster, and I'd love not to be heavy in the hips. (Even when I was rather underweight I was heavy in the hips! Blasted genetics...) Granted, if bustles ever come back into fashion, I am set! ("Baby got back") I'm not too keen on my nose or feet, but those are a bit further down on my list.
I probably like my hair the most. DH likes my face and eyes.
5] Do you feel that it's important to encourage children to become involved in sports? Why/why not? Did you participate in athletics when you were growing up?
I do feel it's important for children to be involved in physical activity, although I believe they should do so because *they* want to, not because their parents want to raise the next Mia Hamm or Serena Williams. Children are pressured to do too many extracurriculars nowadays, to their detriment.
Was I involved in athletics? *wry laugh* Um...no. My parents were very discouraging of PE, and I'm also what a friend of mine called an "unco" - uncoordinated. My first involvement in non-mandated physical activity was a semester of aikido my sophomore year of college...I would have continued, but I dislocated my shoulder (not in aikido, incidentally).
I did play street football/kickball/jump rope, if that counts...
Monday, October 18, 2004
The weekend wrapup...
The weekend was pretty full! Friday I took DD to the library, and she got her first library card! She was very excited about that. Saturday I took her to a local fair, and she rode every ride she was tall enough to be on. She loved the Scrambler and the Ferris wheels....the only one she didn't like was the Casino, which spins while tilted at an angle.
Sunday was the long-awaited part one of the Farscape miniseries!
. Part two comes on in 15 minutes, so I'll keep this short. But first, a review of the weekly goals....
Last week:
Get to Curves 3x - Done!
Finish Floral Swirls pillow - Done and pillowfied!
Straighten up (and cull) craft bookshelf - Um...no
Clean up entertainment center - Ditto...
Well. .500. I got the important ones done, really - the rest is domestrivia that can wait.
This week!
Get to Curves 3x
Clean computer room
Finish school website updates
Hopefully I'll be able to manage these, especially considering I did some of the school website updates earlier this evening!
Sunday was the long-awaited part one of the Farscape miniseries!
. Part two comes on in 15 minutes, so I'll keep this short. But first, a review of the weekly goals....
Last week:
Well. .500. I got the important ones done, really - the rest is domestrivia that can wait.
This week!
Hopefully I'll be able to manage these, especially considering I did some of the school website updates earlier this evening!
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Bon appetit!
Today is "Dine Out for Disaster Relief" day here in Florida - many local restaurants are donating a percentage of their takes today toward a hurricane relief fund.
Hey, any excuse to go out to eat!
DD brought home her report card yesterday - she had perfect marks, so she gets to pick where we go. Fortunately, being 5 her knowledge of restaurants is pretty much limited to the ones we normally frequent anyway, so she's guaranteed to pick something we like. As long as she doesn't pick McDonalds. Not that I have any sort of problem with McDonalds (I do grab fast food from there on occasion)...it's just not a nice sit-down type of place to eat. If we're going out to dinner as a family, I prefer it to be someplace a little nicer. But not *too* fancy...those places are reserved for very special occasions.
Hey, any excuse to go out to eat!
DD brought home her report card yesterday - she had perfect marks, so she gets to pick where we go. Fortunately, being 5 her knowledge of restaurants is pretty much limited to the ones we normally frequent anyway, so she's guaranteed to pick something we like. As long as she doesn't pick McDonalds. Not that I have any sort of problem with McDonalds (I do grab fast food from there on occasion)...it's just not a nice sit-down type of place to eat. If we're going out to dinner as a family, I prefer it to be someplace a little nicer. But not *too* fancy...those places are reserved for very special occasions.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Sense and sensibility
I'm a little frustrated at the moment - there are some issues with the parish website. Or rather, with maintenance thereof. I did the whole thing in Notepad. The maintainer only knows how to use FrontPage, and doesn't want to use anything else. And for some reason, some of the pages aren't able to come up in FrontPage. I don't have FrontPage on any of my machines, and only the barest of experience with it. (IMHO, FrontPage is cheating. If you're gonna do web stuff, do the raw HTML.) I suggested she try opening up the files in WordPad and saving them, then trying them with FrontPage, but she doesn't want to do that. That, and she sees the problem as a 'broken link' issue, when I think it's a file encoding issue. So trying to figure out the issue requires finding time to go to her office...which when we both work normal office hours is a bit of a PitA.
I guess I can't fault her too much, though - it's just that we've approached the issue from radically different perspectives.
From my trying to be sensible, let's move on to senses, shall we?
Friday Forum 10/8/04 - Senses
1] Seeing: What's the most beautiful piece of artwork that you've ever seen in person? Where was it, and when? Why does it stand out in your mind?
A "Hand of God" sunset from the beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales in June 2002. Simply breathtaking. These pictures (pic 1 pic 2) don't do it justice..
Of items crafted by human hands, I've been awed by artworks and stained glass windows in several of the cathedrals I've been in. Some of them just strike down deep into the heart...
2] Hearing: How would you describe the sound of your voice? When it's played back for you, do you like the sound of it? Do you feel that your voice is similar to anyone else's?
My voice has somewhat of a drawl (cross between Virginia and Georgia accent), but I also tend to speak fast so sometimes syllables get dropped - my diction isn't always the best. As for singing voice, I have somewhat of an odd (and narrow) range - I'm neither fully soprano nor alto.
I detest the sound of my recorded voice, to the point that I tend not to leave messages on voicemail if I don't have to, and I hold my cellphone away from my ear when it says my greeting while I'm retrieving messages. If I leave a message on my machine at home, I delete it as soon as I recognize it's me, rather than listen to myself speak. I've never tried comparing my voice with others, so I don't know if I sound like anyone else.
3] Tasting: Are there any foods or beverages that most people seem to like, but you just don't seem to have a taste for?
The sickly sweet sugary-cream filling in things like Krispy Kreme donuts, Twinkies, and other snacky-cake things. Bleah. If my snack has filling, it'd better be chocolate, jelly or custard.
4] Touching: Would you consider yourself a "touchy-feely" person, or do you prefer staying within your own personal "zone" most of the time? Do you often give/receive hugs, offer handshakes, or greet others with a kiss on the cheek?
I'm huggy with friends and family, but that's about it. I get really uncomfortable with other folks in my personal space. Handshakes are fine - I have a pretty firm handshake. My greeting others with a kiss is extremely rare for anyone other than DH or the kids.
5] Smelling: Do you wear perfume/cologne? What kind? Do you have a particular favorite? What fragrances do you tend to prefer?
DH has a very sensitive sense of smell, so I don't wear perfume. I'll occasionally go with a light floral body spray, but that's it. I even tend to go with lightly scented deodorants. I do like natural floral scents - rose, lavender, sometimes freesia. Most perfumes, though, tend to have a sharpness to them.
In good stitching news, I did finish stitching Floral Swirls last night! I also found a rather nice fabric for the pillow back, and I'll do the finishing on that this week! I've worked on this piece off and on for about 3 years, so I'm glad to have it out of my hair...
I guess I can't fault her too much, though - it's just that we've approached the issue from radically different perspectives.
From my trying to be sensible, let's move on to senses, shall we?
Friday Forum 10/8/04 - Senses
1] Seeing: What's the most beautiful piece of artwork that you've ever seen in person? Where was it, and when? Why does it stand out in your mind?
A "Hand of God" sunset from the beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales in June 2002. Simply breathtaking. These pictures (pic 1 pic 2) don't do it justice..
Of items crafted by human hands, I've been awed by artworks and stained glass windows in several of the cathedrals I've been in. Some of them just strike down deep into the heart...
2] Hearing: How would you describe the sound of your voice? When it's played back for you, do you like the sound of it? Do you feel that your voice is similar to anyone else's?
My voice has somewhat of a drawl (cross between Virginia and Georgia accent), but I also tend to speak fast so sometimes syllables get dropped - my diction isn't always the best. As for singing voice, I have somewhat of an odd (and narrow) range - I'm neither fully soprano nor alto.
I detest the sound of my recorded voice, to the point that I tend not to leave messages on voicemail if I don't have to, and I hold my cellphone away from my ear when it says my greeting while I'm retrieving messages. If I leave a message on my machine at home, I delete it as soon as I recognize it's me, rather than listen to myself speak. I've never tried comparing my voice with others, so I don't know if I sound like anyone else.
3] Tasting: Are there any foods or beverages that most people seem to like, but you just don't seem to have a taste for?
The sickly sweet sugary-cream filling in things like Krispy Kreme donuts, Twinkies, and other snacky-cake things. Bleah. If my snack has filling, it'd better be chocolate, jelly or custard.
4] Touching: Would you consider yourself a "touchy-feely" person, or do you prefer staying within your own personal "zone" most of the time? Do you often give/receive hugs, offer handshakes, or greet others with a kiss on the cheek?
I'm huggy with friends and family, but that's about it. I get really uncomfortable with other folks in my personal space. Handshakes are fine - I have a pretty firm handshake. My greeting others with a kiss is extremely rare for anyone other than DH or the kids.
5] Smelling: Do you wear perfume/cologne? What kind? Do you have a particular favorite? What fragrances do you tend to prefer?
DH has a very sensitive sense of smell, so I don't wear perfume. I'll occasionally go with a light floral body spray, but that's it. I even tend to go with lightly scented deodorants. I do like natural floral scents - rose, lavender, sometimes freesia. Most perfumes, though, tend to have a sharpness to them.
In good stitching news, I did finish stitching Floral Swirls last night! I also found a rather nice fabric for the pillow back, and I'll do the finishing on that this week! I've worked on this piece off and on for about 3 years, so I'm glad to have it out of my hair...
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Italy 2004
Germany 2005
