bad and good

Today, somehow, Jane escaped and was waiting for me to find on her the front porch. I took my sweet time, about an hour. I was leaving for work, locking the door when a cougar Jane jumped out from behind a pot. Meep! It's me! I was horrified and sad. How did she get outside? Probably she decided to slip out the screen door behind me when I took out some recyclables about an hour before I found her. I don't know what I would do if something happened and I never saw her again. It is the worst kind of what if there is -- but? She's here. She's fine. Just had some cobwebs in her whiskers. I've been giving her plenty of snuggles and treats; she's had a long day that Jane.

Last night we saw Margot at the Wedding and absolutely loved it.

you need one

I've started and stopped probably eight posts this week; I'm inspired by so many things around me but nothing is translating into words. Certainly, I've managed to fail at posting a list each day this month. The April theme for nablopomo will be letters - enticing.

On Wednesday night, we tried racquetball for the first time and I loved it! Admittedly, I'm not great, but that was just fine. I hope we can play again soon.

On Thursday, I ate lunch in a park. Alone - oh, the solitude! It was a delicious experience. I think I may throw a sheet in my trunk for spontaneous picnic stops along my routes during the work week.

Come Friday, I had coffee with a friend. And I bought quite a few things at A. C. Moore, which just opened (hallelujah!). I had many accurate intuitions on Friday, as well. I correctly assumed the woman that kept driving by our house was the former owner who I never met (she looked happy, which is important I tell you!) - I knew it had to be her; a neighbor confirmed it. Said neighbor has a lot of garage sales (one a month) and when I saw all of her things under a blue tarp last night I said to Steve, tomorrow is garage sale Saturday! He disagreed. Guess what?! Garage sale!

My younger sister turns 22 today, Saturday, March 29th. She was born on a Saturday and I remember it perfectly. I was at my grandparents' house (technically I was outside their home, running on the sidewalk) and my grandpa answered the phone and handed it to my older sister first (mom's instructions). Our only question: brother or sister? SISTER! SISTER! SISTER! Woohoo, sisters. If you don't have one? Man, shoot! You need one.

on break, some thoughts

• Last week, I picked up a small package of my most favorite (well, second most favorite) store-bought cookies, Pepperidge Farm's Soft Baked Molasses cookies.  They are divine, especially with coffee.  The whole experience is over with too quickly. 
• I admit to being displeased with the ending of No Country; I felt the abrupt ending was just another way of the Coen Brothers asking me to suck their dicks.   But because it left me so bothered, you may as well say I swallowed since I now want to see it again.  I found the ending dissected nicely here.  I'm mostly linking for my own sake, but it's worth a read if you have a cup of coffee and molasses cookie to accompany you.  As an aside, I linked to Premiere Magazine ages ago -- to this day, the article I linked to is one of the main reasons people come to my blog.  Remember the 20 most overrated films of all time?  That list?  Ooof, I get like 10 hits a week.
• Well, we (Steve + myself) talked about racquetball last night.  I'm afraid I'll be too awful to keep up with him, but here's to hoping we can give it a try. 

with four hours to go

I am having a relatively uneventful Monday; after three-day weekends, I usually come back to work thinking what the hell am I doing?  Like I've never helped anyone before, I don't know what a tax form is (1040 ES, 1040 ES, 1040 ES what are you?), I may or may not be able to find some information on business brokerage.  It's really awful, but I think I should be fine by tomorrow.

 

I think Steve and I are jointly guilty of eating a lot of crap lately and incorporating zero exercise into our lives.  I wish I had a magic wand to get myself over the daunting physical journey of getting back into shape -- the view from the bottom that looks up 29,000 feet or so.  Yes, I have about that much room to improve.  I keep thinking I will start, which gets me only to the next potato chip.  We drove past raquetball courts last night (they're always deserted) - so perhaps we will start there - at exactly the place that humors my coordination and my heart rate.  Maybe what's different this time, though, is that the two of us have never gotten back into shape together at the same time.  I think this could be a thrill.

easter bits

list no. easter

While many folks are Eastering across the land, I'm blogging with Jane (my littlest bunny) to the left of me, coffee to the right HERE I AM! stuck in the middle with you. Happy Easter.

My 23rd list, if I were a pious blogger, would go something like this:

Easter likes + loves:

• Cadbury mini eggs
• plastic eggs
• deviled eggs
• dyed eggs + vinegar aroma
• easter egg hunts
• eggs
  
• lilies
• hyacinth
  
• chicks
  
• bunnies
• The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
• asparagus
• all those pastels
• grass as decoration
• champagne brunch
  
• family

getting smaller

• There are talks of getting a land line in the Steve + Madge household. A land line! Trading cable for DSL. Steve ditched his monthly cell phone bill for a prepaid plan - his last month on his old plan? He used 50 minutes. He paid something like $60.
  
• Last night we watched The Darjeeling Limited. Oh! We just loved it.
  
• I've got to clean around here -- eeeeeuuuugh.

list no. done

So, about that posting a list every single day for the month of March. HOW ABOUT THAT!

• Has anyone out there seen No Country for Old Men? I'm assuming yes. Please share thoughts in comments - I don't want to be the spoiler.
• What about Fracture? With Ryan Gosling and Sir Anthony Suckmydopkins? It's one of those forgettable ones, I think, so no hard feelings if you can't remember it.
  
• Steve has exciting things going on his life -- his participation in a juried student art show just won him top honors + a scholarship. 4 of his prints are also right here, right now (New Talent). I'm so proud of him it makes me bossy.
  
• People. I have to clean my house. With all the dust bunnies swirling around here, I could conceivably open a wig shop for naked mole rats.
  

list no. 18

the -ings

• yawning
• chewing gum
• wearing a scarf
• checking out the darjeeling limited
• reading the secret history (still; in a holding pattern)
• crossing legs
• uncrossing legs
• typing
• taking down st. patrick's day
• writing a letter to aunt patty in my head

list no. 17

happy st. patrick's day

famous people i've seen in person:

• danny glover
• neve campbell
• matthew lillard
• peter from the monkees
• george hamilton
• henry winkler
• dash mihok
• thomas lauderdale
• levar burton
• gloria steinham
• woody harrelson
• al gore

list no. 16

black and white wedding photos

in the absence of list no. 15

Oh my! I was on a 14-day winning streak and then I had a too-crazy Saturday and flop.

I messed up and forgot to post a list yesterday.

There's only one thing I can do to remedy the situation: move on.

So, about yesterday. With Steve's time and expertise, we created the most beautiful gift for his brother's wedding. We took 8 snapshots from the day before the wedding, when there was no photographer, and one photo of the bride on the wedding day and framed a collage of the prints, which we converted to pure black + white (there are no green tints, no blue tints, no red tints – that's important, mind you). While it sounds like a quick little project, it turned into a five-hour (as an aside, I think five-hour would be a neat name for a little pocket restaurant) fiasco. Fiasco is a word I no longer use lightly. But it turned out lovely in the end and I might just share the pictures here, later. Unfortunately, the time I spent doing it negated blogging time.

Hopefully, I'm back on track.

I did take some pet pictures – yippee!

list no. 14

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMBERLINA! (do you know what's so great about blogs? you get to meet some fabulous people. i heart kimberlina. i wish her a wonderful 29th year! and a great evening shuffleboarding in the company of her lovely friends.)
• i made a very big mistake today. and at the end of the mistake, i figure it only cost about $3.95, plus tax. but still. i was out thrifting and bought a grab bag of silk scarves. oh my god. mothball nightmare. and if that wasn't bad enough, most of them are threadbare and stained. there's nothing worth salvaging. i have always been charmed by the grab bag concept, but i cannot remember a single grab bag worth a damn. grrrrrrrrrr, madge. you never learn.
  
• steve and i are addicted to a new show - the closer. i must admit at first i was like, ouch. kyra sedgwick's accent is burning my ears. but i'm sensitive to that. anyway, i got over myself quickly and am now really enjoying the first season...
• every single time dean jumps onto our bed, he farts.
  

weekend must-dos:

• check tire pressure
• mow lawn
• weed in backyard
• figure out what to do with whiskey barrel
• " " black chairs
• replace track lights
• grocery shop
• mail wedding pictures to mother of bride, friend of bride
• vacuum
• return library books
  
• clean floors
• rearrange kitchen cupboards
• take pictures of pets
• laundry
  

list no. 13

unlucky:

• DELRAY BEACH — The man killed Saturday by a Tri-Rail train Saturday was identified today as Roosevelt Kendricks, 47, of Delray Beach.

  Just before he died, police say Kendricks "defiantly" held his middle finger up to the oncoming locomotive before trying to make a last second exit from the tracks.

  After displaying his middle finger, Kendricks just missed making it off of the tracks in time, police said. He was struck by the train and died instantly.

  His death is being ruled an accident, not a suicide, at this time, police said.

• 13
• 13
• 13
• broken mirrors
• walking under ladders
• flicking birds to oncoming trains

list no. 12

post by jane:

jgjhklt5ujyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyygyyyynm
tygggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg7yhnnnnnnnnnb
vvvvvv

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
swwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaww
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

list no. 11

favorite crayola colors

• brick red
• cornflower
• periwinkle
• plum
• salmon
• sea green
• thistle
• navy blue
• ultra pink
• ultra red
• cerulean
• pine green
• razzmatazz
• robin's egg blue
• wisteria

nothing makes me happier than a new box of crayons. why haven't i bought one in years & years?

list no. 10

I'm not sure I have it in me to make another list! Isn't that funny. The bullet icon is glaring at me.
Hold me, kiss me, CLICK ME, thrill me.

I CAN'T! At least not tonight. But I am posting. So there.

****

Yesterday I had this interaction with a youthful patron:

"I need information about the peace crops."

"The peace crops. (I indulge my young friend and search for a book on peace crops; I visualize whirled peas). Hmmm. Maybe you are thinking of the Peace Corps?"

"No. The peace crops. If it helps, I know that Kennedy was involved with it."

AAAAAAAH. That silent "s" really fouls people up, doesn't it?

We found plenty of information on the Peace Corps.

****

Tired. Hungry. Dreaming of food. Salivating. Oh, hello Walgreens Fruit Froster. Make me full until I can get the hell out of here and cook me some food.

list no. 9

• my desk @ work:  major spring cleaning needed.  oooof.
• several coffee cups to clean - i'm disgusting!
• in tow today:  water and walgreens' brand fruit frosters (compare to halls fruit breezers) for my irritated throat
• my eyelids have sudafed weights attached to them
• my fancy pants manicure?  chipping away to nothing.  eff!

list no. 8 and 1/2

from my luxurious backyard retreat:







missing: margaritas, on the rocks.

list no. 8

one week!

• quantity v. quality?
• makes the month go fast (already march 8th? how now brown cow.)
• definitely reading more blogs
• to be continued...
• 3:20 p.m. edit
• have been cruising the thrift shops today; nothing aside from
  
• 1 kenneth cole skirt; black; perfect for summer! $3.19
• summer? it's going to be cold tonight! the 40s!
• anyway, we're looking for furniture. striking out lately...
  
• yesterday i printed pictures from the wedding
  
• put 120 in an album for the bride: go proactive madge, go!
• my cold is dwindling; i won't miss it when it is finally gone
  
• did i mention i reaaaally like the secret history?
• one thing i wish is that i could read faster. but i savor every bit, so if i don't read all the books on my list, that's okay. it's just fine. don't wish for things like speeding up time, madge.
• drove past the infamous wendy's today. eeeeeeerie.
  
• out the car window: a woman on a bicycle was just passing by wendy's. loose crime scene tape was flapping on her leg.

list no. 7

likes & loves & inspirations

• navy blue
• the way our whole house smells when coffee is brewing
• breakfast
• white flowers
  
• writing letters
• calligraphy
• sisters
• reading
• each time i sneeze, jane makes a funny chirping noise like she is saying "bless you!"
• rainy days
• good hair days
• my front porch
• hillary v. obama, 2008
• the secret history
• the last load of laundry
• quiet
• chopin
• victoria beckham

list no. 6

home sick with a blasted cold. not feeling too swell. so maybe another list of nonsense. sound good?

the orchids have exploded once again; this is only one of several:

• i love the way d. sergei loves cole.
• finished the big girls, now i'm reading the secret history (oh. i can tell i'm going to like this one very much so). unfortunately, the copy i have from the library is filthy! and this never bothered me before. except, now that i work in a library, it really bothers me.
  
• because last week at work? i accidentally touched a fresh slimy booger on a public computer terminal. *gag*
• it's all sunshine in south florida today. if i felt any better, i think i might do the unthinkable: go in the backyard and read.
• however, i'm dreadfully tired.
• i might make some ice tea, have a bite (though why? i cannot taste a thing), and cozy up with pets.

list no. 5

A list of pictures from the past weekend:

The day before the wedding, we had our nails done, of course... After learning that the French manicure is "oh so out", I opted for a dark red (my preference, anyhow):



Here I am at the salon, enjoying the pain that comes with having your cuticles sloughed off...



The bride (having her nails done) listens to one of her bridesmaids:



The view from the salon's balcony:



After nails, we went back to the bride's home to start playing with her flowers.

First, the white tulips:



Then the parrot tulips:



Then the roses, which weren't part of the original plans but were deemed irresistible once spotted at the marketplace:



Then it was rehearsal dinner time, hosted by Steve's dad and his wife at their lovely home:



A view of the celebration in progress:



After dinner, which I was too busy devouring to photograph, dessert was served. Coconut, chocolate and orange-flavored gourmet cupcakes. Are you joking me. These look small here but I'm telling you they were the size of a dinner plate:



ME! So high on Veuve that I became transparent, like a golden bubble:



And then, it became the big day, and isn't she just lovely?

list no. 4

lame list i just scribbled at work:

• claim periodicals, A-L
• make dewey signage since we shifted the stacks around
• make express terminal signs
• a word on signs:  i got a masters in library science with a concentration in making signs in publisher

now, for other business:

• saw american gangster last night, ewww, barf:  i cannot watch people shooting heroin. 
• this will make me the world's most hated person, but denzel is sort of a douche.  a handsome douche, but he talks about acting like he is making a difference in the world.  i just hate when actors stroke their egos like that.
• steve bought us a coffee maker last night!  woot!
• i'm hungry

list no. 3

Books on my to-read-soon list:

• Her last death : a memoir / Sonnenberg, Susanna (recommended by mom) -- due March 09, eek.
• Dandelion : memoir of a free spirit / James, Catherine
• Strange piece of paradise / Jentz, Terri (true crime; setting: central Oregon)
• The ice storm / Moody, Rick
• The secret history / Tartt, Donna (recommended by colleague, love the first page)
• The virgin in the garden / Byatt, A. S. (recommended by same colleague)

list no. 2

• i have an in with luck these days. 4 bottles of Veuve are in my fridge, right now. i feel like i have inherited the earth. have i? i'm pretty meek. i usually drink Cook's.
  
• family wedding is over - i think the best part was getting to know an out-of-town aunt of Steve's. and ---------. which is horrible to admit but partaking is also ridiculously fun; it gets from one side to the next. i might have to edit that out. you may never know what i said. a-ha! you don't! because, even, the dashes are only a fraction of what i really said. but please, do try to guess in the comments.
  
• this is a list of strange proportions.
• which leads me to wonder:
• what does a list look like?
• many people are sick right lately. there's this awful virus going around these parts. so far i have the immunity idol.
  
• making lists. it's fun.
  

list one

(This will be a rather lame first list, but I think you'll soon see why.)

Why I love Veuve:

• it doesn't make me shy at parties
• the hangover isn't that bad
• the label is pretty
• ok, now I have to go and look like a girl. Big Wedding Day in Steve's family.
• wish
• me
• lots
• of
• luck
• because generally at these occasions
• i totally
• suck