Sense and Sensibility

The novel. Wow. What a read...

Reading Tim's Mom's blog made me think I might read Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, since that was one of her novels that I had not read, and now I remember why. It was long ago, but after reading just Chapter One, I think my brain might be fried or something like I need some niacin or ginkgo biloba, or even acupuncture.

If I had not seen the movie, I would have been lost as to whom was whom of the mother in laws, wives, sisters, and ladies named Dashwood -- I needed to write down the names and draw little lines to connect them.

But I made it to Chapter Two. There you find that John Dashwood is a ninny, as you will discover the reasons, and Fanny will very much annoy you,'to be sure.'

So, on with Chapter 3. We need some heroines.

What is going on?

I don't know.

But there is not much sleep around here for too many people.
We got a new cat. About a month ago, maybe? His name is Jasper.

He's in that stage of Kittenhood in which they are hoodlums. If there were such a thing as 'cat law' he would be in Kitty Jail.

He is also a night owl.

We also have other cats. We really didn't need this cat. I guess we were hard-up for entertainment or something like crazy for the moment.

At night, Jasper, likes to test out his skills. His ninja skills, his night walking skills, his leaping from tall furniture to anywhere he can land skills, but the most interesting skill practice is the one that involves hanging on for dear life from the blinds skills...Jasper may have more than 9 lives.

He is not a snuggling kitty, either. And he likes to sleep in my bed or on my dresser or in my closet, and he only sleeps during the day. You see, he's booked for the evening with his 'skills practicing.'

Just a Thought

Nine tenths of education is encouragement.
~~Anatole France, 1844-1924, (French Author)

Tennyson speaks of Love

O let the solid ground
Not fail beneath my feet
Before my life has found
What some have found so sweet!

Then let come what come may,
What matter if I go mad,
I shall have had my day.
Let the sweet heavens endure,
Not close and darken above me
Before I am quite quite sure
That there is one to love me!

Then let come what come may
To a life that has been so sad,
I shall have had my day.

~~Lord Alfred Tennyson

If somebody asked me...

1. If you feel like there is more month left than money you make (what did I just write?), then do this little assignment:

Do NOT buy anything you don't need for 30 days. No buy one/get one frees, not two of anything that is on sale that you won't use in a month -- just pay your bills and buy the absolute minimum of anything for 30 days. Then, look and see what you have left.

Next month - fund your savings with 10% more than you did last month (if you funded them at all). And again, don't buy anything that you don't need.

By now, you have noticed that those things will come on sale again, and there is no need to load up as much as you think. Bank the money. Live more for today until you get some money in the bank.

Nobody really needs 400 rolls of toilet paper, 5 cartons of paper towels, 8 bottles of ketchup, 3 mustards, 4 mayonnaises, 6 jars of peanut butter, 4 bags of rice, 8 cans of corns, 3 large cans of baked beans, and 7 jars of jelly in the house all the time. You will survive with only one of these things, each, in the house at a time. And if you run out, well, guess what? You won't die. Bank the difference.

Oh, hey, I've got a better idea - eat all the food in your cabinets and refrigerator before you go shopping again. That'll teach you to buy those 20 cans of Vienna sausages because you think the hurricane is coming.

2. Clutter causes depression. I am sure of it.

If doctors would ask patients "how much clutter is in your home?" and suggest getting rid of it, before they write out prescription drugs for depression - I think it would change the world.

Clutter is worse than entailments, Mr. Cunningham, and entailments are bad. So sell some of that clutter and pay off those entailments. Come on, you know you don't need 7/8 of that stuff.

Here is a book on diet and clutter. The title is just so funny. Does this clutter make my butt look fat?

Of course, this is coming from a person who had made a career out of decluttering. But, hey, I can learn, too.

Are you thinking, "I have no idea what to do with all this (junk) wonderful stuff?" If you don't live in a desert or in the wilderness of Alaska, I'm sure there is a Goodwill or some drop off place for your (junk) stuff. I mean, you can always have a Garage Sale. And just sell it cheap.

But, should you have a problem, try this site and they will help you. Excess Access. Very clever. I didn't check the link really well, so I don't know about the shipping and the handling, but it sounds like they help you match up someone to take your (junk) stuff if you remain perplexed about the situation.

Regardless, bag it or box it, and be gone with it; you will thank me and think of all the money you will save on prescription drugs! And for heavens sakes, don't buy anything to replace any of the stuff of which you discarded!!

Here's another decluttering tip -- fill a bag or box with things you have not used or needed in a long time. If you have NOT OPENED the box for 30 days -- just pitch that box! I think even Murphy's law would support that if something necessary is missing, it would surely be called to be looked for within a 30 day period. But, if you are really, really squeamish about this, wait 45 days -- then throw it out or take it to the Goodwill.

It's all not so hard, really.

The truth is at the bottom of a well. You look in a well, and you see the sun or the moon, but if you jump in, there's no longer the sun or the moon,; there's the truth. ~~ Leonard Sciascia

Personality Test - Are you the you you thought?

Feel like taking a personality test? Check out this link. You do have to create an account ...it's easy peasy.

I took the test and here are my results.

I'm INTJ - The "Strategist" There is a photo there on the page of a brilliantly blue-eyed child looking at a chess board. I cannot tell you how long it's been since I have played Chess!

..........INTJs are introspective, analytical, determined persons with natural leadership ability. Being reserved, they prefer to stay in the background while leading.

.........Strategic, knowledgable and adaptable, INTJs are talented in bringing ideas from conception to reality. They expect perfection from themselves as well as others and are comfortable with the leadership of another so long as they are competent.

........ INTJs can also be described as decisive, open-minded, self-confident, attentive, theoretical and pragmatic. ......

Me, C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen and Mr. Darcy are all INTJ's! - Wow, what a combo! Of course, I can't, for the life of me, figure out when they would have taken the test, but it would have been really interesting to be there!

In test like these, there are always those certains questions that sound so vage, and you feel like you are not either of those answers...no 'test' is 100% right, but also, one thing I know for sure, if I had taken that test a year ago, I know some of my answers would be different.

I don't know if that would have changed the outcome, though. Maybe it's a Moo Point - you know - a cow's opinion? who cares anyway? (from Friends....LOL)

John Adams Mini Series

This is a most enjoyable series for anyone who enjoys history and has an interest in the people who began this nation of ours.

I listened to the audio book version of David McCullough's John Adams a couple of years ago. It was so good. Just so worth the time to listen or read.

I am enjoying the series on television, albeit scattered as it is for me; I haven't been able to catch it in order, but it's still undeniably good if you enjoy history at all. The cast is excellent.

I liked this review here.

And this quote from the review, completely impressed upon me how much dumbing down has happened to our country.

Much effort was also put into accurately capturing the rich, descriptive language of the time.
"The language alone (in the script) was something I just couldn't believe would be done for television," Giamatti says. "To have people speaking at this high level and with this amount of intelligence was incredibly exciting to me."

It's not easy being Green...

On Being Green.What are the real rules of Green?

How does being Green and living Green deal with wrinkled Blue work pants? They came out of the dryer very wrinkled. I didn't get them in time, and it's that material that just wrinkles when you look at it wrong...

Mr. B said, just put them back in the dryer.So I thought, I should iron them. That's more Green than putting them in the dryer.

Then I thought, that takes electricity. That's not very Green, forgetting altogether that dryers use electricity and that's why I was going to iron them in the first place.

And I would need water because I have to squirt them. A lot. They are very wrinkled. And that would be wasteful, very ungreen.
Maybe Purple.
Even Camouflage.

And energy. Mine. To stand and iron them.
And things were starting to look Gray.

So I put them in the dryer.
And my face turned Scarlet Red.
After I squirted them with water. Clear.

And I began to think now...
How Green is that?
So Not Green it's now Orange?
Or Banana Yellow?

What color is Lazy?

It's late.
I hope the Green Police are sleeping.

Fifth Graders Rule

So. The Smithsonian experienced The Smartness of a Fifth Grader.

Have you checked out whether or not you are smarter than a fifth grader?

Bolder Dash

1. I think the world is coming to an end. Madam B broke the Coffee Pot.

2. I kicked myself for not having my camera handy today. Uncle Desi helped four year old Jacob change a spark plug in the lawn mower. He let him use a socket and a ratchet, and Jacob did it all by himself (with proper instruction, for which he gave his uncle no credit. Just told his mama, "I just know how" Oh well, I guess we all think our knowledge comes to us by magic)

3. It's been raining every night. The plants look great. I'm sure they feel good. But it's amazing, even with the rain every night, everything dries up so quickly. I don't know that much about weather, but I'm sure it's all logical to someone.

I got (some more of) my roses in the front. Yellow and White and Yellow and White. I got fragrance roses and I am in heaven! Pictures soon.

4. I spent 3 1/2 hours in Barnes and Noble with two of my nephews (Nathan and Jacob) and people said, "Three and a half hours!! Those kids were good in there for Three and a Half Hours! And yes, they were.

I was relaxed and had a coffee (The bold house brew, it was wonderful.) And they had a cookie and water, and Jacob and I split a Feta Cheese pretzel, and they looked at books, and Jacob played on the Thomas the Train set.

I bought Nathan a book on Mythology. He couldn't decide between Tuck Everlasting or Call of the Wild - both of which he has read, but just wanted to have the book (I assured him quietly that I could find those rather cheaper on Half.com); then he found the Mythology book , and I mentioned that Mythology is studied in high school and college and he said, "I'll take this one."

Nathan busied himself noting how many different versions there were of Beowulf and other classic tales of things.

Jacob busied himself.

6. Mr. B's job is still not looking good. It's not looking like something one should stick with. It's looking rather badly on all accounts in the places one would rate a job -

a. What they pay (turns out to be sometimes $4.00 an hour after all is said and done)

b. Much driving

c. Some people at the jobs don't speak English

d. There is no work (especially bad part). Somedays he has been gone for 12 hours, and there is no pay. *They* say it is temporary.

e. Every night you have to call India to close out your job. (Somehow, that is just too weird.)

But lamenting on this situation is not what we want to do. We are looking towards some kind of change. And leaving it to soon is not something he wants to do either. We want to act wisely.

7. Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it. -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe