registration

Today I drove all the way to Germantown (which I hadn't realized was so far away) to register for A&P. After 3 back tracks, and a lengthy call to Walter involving me telling him exactly which streets I was passing and some quick tracking on google maps, I made it to my meeting. I walked in, said hi, signed a paper, signed a check, and walked out. 5 minutes tops. An hour each way.

lotus

today i stayed home from church sick. i was scheduled for sunday school and instead of infecting 13 kids with a week long illness i watched 3 foreign films and found blogs from old college friends.

the films left me wondering: if the world is really such a horrid place, what can we do about it? and why is it still so beautiful? so intoxicating?

the blogs made me wish for college and a chance to do that over. but since we don't get do overs it made me ache for close, thoughtful friendships in the here and now.

one quote from my morning: learn to live like the lotus flower, untouched by the murky water in which it grows.

Happy 4th!

I'm excited about Election Day! I voted early and now it's time to just sit back and enjoy the show. This is the first election I've participated in. Last time I was in Israel (which added a whole different, exciting, and important feel to the election but...). Postage from Israel is expensive. Illinois didn't provide the postage for my absentee ballot and I failed to plan (plus, they don't count absentee ballots... hardly ever). So this is a first. Very exciting.

Wally & I will be heading to Chris & Dorothy's for dinner and some games (actually, i'm headed there to babysit and THEN election day fun). On our way I'm going to be sure that we stop at Starbucks for free coffee!! (whether you vote or not, apparently) :) yay!

The Front Fell Off

This just made Walter laugh and laugh.
Thought you might enjoy it too.
(note: walter has kinda a dry, quirky sense of humor)
((also, i laughed at it too))

Sense of Smell

You know those silly surveys you get thru email? Well I had a realization last night:

I love the smell of the laundry vent from outside.

You know when someone is washing clothes and you walk out and can smell the dryer sheets and soap in the warm air escaping out the back? This is one of my favorite smells. I never remember this smell when I'm asked in surveys. It's one that I typically only remember in the moment. That moment was last night as I walked out of Dorothy's home. I had to stop and just breath it in.

They say that the sense of smell is attached most strongly to memory. I'm not sure if there's a specific memory attached to this one but there definitely is something psychological going on here. I can walk outside body tense and mind stressed and immediately it slips away. It's almost an involuntary action that I seem to relax my shoulders and smile. Last night I almost raised my arms to help me breath in more deeply. I don't think I can explain just how much I love (and how surprised I am-each time- by) this smell. But I just wanted to put that out there.

What are some of your favorite smells and do you have a memory attached? Tell me about them. (please) :)

FALL!

i don't have much time to say hi to y'all like i should. today is now grocery day (i set up a weekly schedule courtesy of fly lady) and i need to get a move on. but here are two quick and happy thoughts:

1. My dogs are home!! they've been boarding at the vet for 3 weeks now (oh my!) to get treated for heartworms. it's so nice to have them home. when i first saw them they looked odd to me. out of proportion almost. they have such broad shoulders and muscle-y butts. they are beasts! such sweeties tho'.

2. I'm getting supplies for a cute craft. And by supplies i mean construction paper. But really, this is a cute one. I'm excited to put some together this evening and see how they turn out.

& here's where i found it.

oh and 3 (i said two... but who will really complain?): Wally's building an airplane even as we speak. it's a little remote control one. he's pulled out the parts on a ready to fly version and is making his own "flying wing" version. i'll have to take pictures of the process.

OH! (4:) And today is a wonderfully fall-like day. It's rainy outside and cool. I can look out our living room to our deck (for which walter just built a railing yesterday), aunt janet's hanging impatien plant, and the soy bean and rice fields. while walter and i cleaned we watched dead poet's society. i got to sit down with some hot spiced cider and watch the end in peace in a clean cozy room! you can't ask for much more. :)

r.e.a.d.i.n.g.

It's been a long time.

But long posts aren't really my thing. Emily recently mentioned to me that she'd read an article about how the internet is changing our thought processes and attention span and how she found this to be true with her ability to read long books. And I can relate! Not only do I rarely devour books anymore but I tend to read them bits and pieces and many multiples at once (rarely finishing even one). Also (and more to my point here), I don't even have an attention span enough for parts of the internet anymore... when blogs get long my eyes glaze over and I scroll down hoping for pictures to satisfy my hunger for a quick fix. A sad but true fact.

I've always thought that I just wasn't good at reading on the computer. It wasn't as interesting. I'd rather be holding the written word in my hands. This is why I buy newspapers and haven't bought a kindle (tho' that really is more of the cost... it seems like an absolutely wonderful idea for the airport). But recently my inability to read has spilled over from the computer screen and onto real life. It's a sad sad day.

Walter & I went to Birmingham to help Mike renovate his new condo. I brought 3 books and one magazine in preparation for the times when I believed I might be in the way of some truly skilled labor. And although I had time to at least crack them open... nope, didn't crack a single book. I did manage (and this is a feat!) to read some of my magazine. This is the third issue of Biblical Archaeology Review I've received since renewing and it's the first issue I've begun to read. How sad! And that's something I'm really interested in.

So today we're heading up to Ohio. We're going to visit friends and family and meet little Zechariah Emerson Vest. Walter may get some scouting work done (no details as of yet) and I will bring (yet again) my books. We'll see how it goes this time. The 9 hour car ride can't hurt my chances! :)