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October 30, 2003
ready for halloween?
I am! Have my curly black devil horns ready to go!
Speaking of the devil, look! It's a child that's succumbed to evil! And look, it's his evil dog too!
Such an adorable picture, snagged from Yahoo Pictures. Here's the caption: "Jackie" the dog and Nikaela Straus take a page from the "Harry Potter" books at the 13th annual Dog Halloween Parade in Tompkins Square Park in New York City(AFP/Getty Images/File/Mario Tama)
I couldn't resist posting this odd one too.
Got gnomes? A French police station has been stuck with a room of homeless garden gnomes, victims of a wave of gnome abductions, after a fresh bid to trace their owners failed. Policemen pose with more than 180 abducted garden gnomes in this file photo. REUTERS/Francois Lo Presti
Have a great Halloween weekend everyone!!
Posted by crystallyn at 11:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 29, 2003
for all those idiots
that think the Harry Potter books promote satanism...well, maybe you are right. Check this out.
The true plot of all of her books...make sure you read on to the "secret" plot...
Don't get me started.
Remind me not to ever be an unemployed, poor mom trying to find a way to make enough money to feed her daughter and find a place to live that had HEAT in it. It is, according to some, a direct trip to hell.
Posted by crystallyn at 09:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
wow
the fires in CA are so scary. I remember when there were bad fires about 15 years ago, in both CA and where I was in college in Spokane, WA. We had a "firestorm" with incredible winds (knocked down 18 trees on campus) and took out nearly 100 homes in a nearby subdivision. But this is really crazy...the fires going on there at the moment. Look at this satellite picture of the fires...all that smoke...
Posted by crystallyn at 09:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 27, 2003
i feel slightly sorry for those of you
who didn't manage to get ahold of any of LoobyLu's wonderfully designed holiday cards. She's sold out! I managed to get a couple packets, so I'm all ready for the sending! I feel so cool. I got my holiday cards before Halloween. Ha!
We're also going to be WAY on the ball for our Christmas party (sometimes with Paulette's Hannukah flair thrown in, although no more potato pancakes after the lingering grease smell of two years ago. :) We're planning on getting our invites out during the first week of November. Imagine that!!! No last minute planning on our part. Except that now, the sucky part is that Joe isn't a wine god and able to get cheap drinks. I have a feeling we'll get past that, however. :)
But back to LoobyLu, I am sad that I never managed to snag any of the cool t-shirts that she designed from last year's NaNoWriMo. This year's shirt is pretty cool, and I'll probably get one, but dang...I wish that last year's was this year's!
Speaking of, I'm getting SO geared up for NaNoWriMo. I've been going crazy with getting my outline together. I have my pantheon, which is the core of the book in many ways. That was one of the main components. I realize that I was so stalled on writing the book for so long because I didn't have that backstory figured out. I have so many wonderful ideas...I feel so excited and confident about writing a longer piece, finally. I fall to sleep at night thinking of where my characters are taking me. It's so exciting to have the revelations of where the story might twist and turn. I've been holding off on writing it until the official start for NaNoWriMo, and I think that's good...the backstory is going to be rich and complex and I will have all my stepping stones in place. Terry Brooks is a huge proponent of outline--one of the few sci-fi/fantasy writers that seems to take this direction. I finally realize that the reason I was so stuck for so long is because I tried to just sit down and write whatever happened...but that doesn't really work for me. But the outline--WOW! That has opened up huge possibilities for me. I even have the beginnings of the sequel nearly planned and I haven't even begun the writing of the first one! Very exciting. I feel like there is a future for me in my writing. I've never felt that, or BELIEVED that before. It's an amazing, incredible feeling.
Posted by crystallyn at 12:04 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 26, 2003
a very disturbing trend
in the US in particular is the way that we are feeding our children. An article on Yahoo News describes how children between the ages of four and 24 months are eating alarming amounts of french fries and soda pop.
"French fries are the most popular vegetable eaten by children 19 to 24 months old," researcher Dr. Kathleen Reidy said at an American Dietetic Association conference. "Twenty to 25 percent of these kids did not eat a single healthy vegetable on the day of the survey, and 25 to 30 percent did not eat a single fruit."
The article goes on to talk about how infants as young as seven months are being fed soda pop in their bottles.
It just makes my jaw drop. And when I see fat kids, I mean fat LITTLE kids under the age of five, I can't understand it. I sort of look at it as akin to a form of abuse--these are kids who don't buy their own food, they don't make decisions about their health, they don't have a sense of what is good or bad for them--their parents are the only ones who can control this. And they don't, subjecting their kids to a childhood of verbal and potentially physical harm by other kids who taunt and tease them; significant impact to their child's self-esteem and how they view their own bodies and subsequently relationships; and worst of all, they put their children in the hands of potential health complications, including higher rates of cancer, diabetes, heart problems, etc. I can't understand how any parent who really loves their child would ever put them in harm's way like this. Amazing.
My parents being here this last week was fairly eye-opening to me. It was very disturbing to me that when we went to restaraunts, my father and I would invariably end up ordering the same thing (or wanting to...I often would switch my order after I realized it). I have always known I was cut from the same mold, but that was eerie. The main bad habit was dessert after every meal. Joe could never understand my affinity for dessert--why I view it as sort of a right rather than something for a special occasion. I think he gets it now. It was pretty obvious where I got that bad habit. It's interesting to me, how much my parents have influenced my eating. I never really ate seafood or fish until I came to live in New England. My parents don't eat any sort of seafood or fish unless it's shrimp...or tuna. The other thing is, they don't want to TRY anything. My father was adamant that he hated calamari. After we talked more about it, we discovered that it wasn't fried calamari, which of course is very different. It took my in-laws prodding him to try it and he liked it, as I knew he would. Other things they wouldn't try at all. It was funny, being in the reverse position, the child trying to get the parent to eat something!
But for all the bad habits I acquired, I was still a skinny child up until high school. We didn't sit in front of the TV playing video games all day (we had some Atari time in the evening, usually with dad, but not all day, and we never were allowed to have a TV in our bedroom). We played outside, we were active, and they at least tried to get us to eat vegetables. Aside from not being the weight I want to be at, I have always been pretty healthy--good blood pressure, strong heart, decent cholesterol (olive oil and garlic are diet mainstays now). One really awesome thing about my parents being here is that my awareness of food and activity and health is sticking with me...I even managed to lose a pound while they were here, despite not eating as well as I should and skipping a week at the gym.
Every time I see one of those fat kids, I feel a mixture of pity, sadness, disgust and fear, but mostly anger. Anger at those parents who are putting the lives of their own kids in jeopardy.
Posted by crystallyn at 09:58 AM | TrackBack
October 25, 2003
it's just plain
awesome that I'm not the only one who considers Xanadu to be some sort of recognizable part of their past.
Although I admit to having a cosmo or two while saying this...that's better than admitting to liking the damn movie/soundtrack in the first place.
Or I could take the road that I studied and just quote Coleridge, but well, I'm not sure which one influenced me more...Olivia or Samuel...
Posted by crystallyn at 10:46 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
no longer
out of comission...my parents just left after a whirlwind week. This was the agenda:
Day 1: North Shore, Salem, Rockport, Ipswich, Hampton Beach
Day 2: Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Dinner in North End.
Day 3: Freedom Trail except Constitution and Bunker Hill
Day 4: Rte. 2 to the Berkshires, including Shelburne Falls potholes and the Hairpin turn.
Day 5: Bennington Vermont and then down Rte. 7 through the Berkshires.
Day 6: I-90 back to Boston. Constitution and Bunker Hill.
Day 7: Plimouth Plantation, Mayflower II and Cape Cod...down to Chatham and back up 6A to Boston.
Whew. I think my parents enjoyed it. It was good to see them...being so far away is tough. At the same time, it's also really good to have our bed back and to be able to relax again. And kitty hated us being gone all the time.
Back into action...job hunting, school and writing writing writing.
Posted by crystallyn at 05:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 17, 2003
Georgie Porgie
Here is an interesting warning about Iraq invasion from none other
than George H.W. Bush in his book A World Transformed (Alfred A.
Knopf, NY, 1998): on page 489:
Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an
occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not
changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep" and
would have incurred incalculable human and political costs.
Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find
Noriega in Panama which we knew intimately. We would have been forced
to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would
instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other
allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, there was no
viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our
principles. Further more, we had been self-consciously trying to set
a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going
in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United
Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international
response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the
invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an
occupying power in bitterly hostile land. It would have been a
dramatically different -- and perhaps barren -- outcome.
-- George H.W. Bush in A World Transformed
Posted by crystallyn at 09:01 AM | TrackBack
October 15, 2003
in my town
is a Chinese restaraunt called Your's Chinese Restaraunt (and yes, the apostrophe is there). They claim that they are the oldest Chinese Restaurant in town--since 1991!!! This may be true, our town is lame and is 90% residential, with few eating places. But their slogan cracks me up:
During a war,
During a pour,
We still deliver
to your door.
Oh my!
Posted by crystallyn at 11:46 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 14, 2003
i love halloween
Paulette sent me the most hilarious pet Halloween pictures. This is my favorite:
This is Joe's favorite:
but wait! There are more!!! Look on...
I just want to know how they got the cat to sit still for this...methinks they must have knocked them out...
And you have to love sleepy puppies.
Trick or Treat!!
Posted by crystallyn at 10:02 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 12, 2003
treasure trove
today, I dumped water yet again across my computer area. I do this about every six months. This time I lucked out and didn't get anything electronic, rather, instead the water dripped across the back of the shelf and down into some papers that I haven't looked at in years.
I found a little book that kept school information for me through all my grade school. Each year had a little pocket and inside was some hilarious little bits of papers from each year. I stopped adding things into the pockets during high school, but the other pockets have great stuff in them.
The best thing that I found was a poem that I wrote in the 8th grade, utilizing all the names of the songs from every Duran Duran album (there were three at the time). Read on if you want a good chuckle.
Duran Duran
as i sit here on Planet Earth
my heart fills with happiness and mirth
i know i must go My Own Way
for indeed it's my Last Chance On The Stairway
The Seventh Stranger comes tomorrow
do not let your heart fill with sorrow
for you i Save a Prayer
yes, i know you're Lonely In Your Nightmare
come now, it's time for fun
indeed, I've begun a New Religion
walking along, I'm looking for Cracks In The Pavement
thinking of Careless Memories which came and went
and, as the sun shines
i see coming towards me Friends of Mine
telling me of distant cities such as Tel Aviv
delightful stories they do weave
inside we watch tv, Girls on Film is the show
next day we decide to leave for Rio
and while we are Waiting For the Nightboat
The Sound Of Thunder makes us take note
and as the waves rock us, we wonder Is There Anyone Out There?
and before we know it, we are suddenly there
Hungry Like the Wolf are the animals
upon us the wind pushes and pulls
we are soon in the Union of the Snake
we're wary of an earthquake
Tiger Tiger here does abide
but do not worry, there are Shadows On Your Side
looking up, i see the New Moon on Monday
Is There Something I Should Know? i hear my friend say
i only hope the weather will Hold Back The Rain
turning, i see the Chauffeur has just came
on the radio, The Relfex is playing
and i lie here dreaming of instant fame
anmials trying to leave their cage
i'm talking of Crime And Passion's rage
this game shall suffice
i say as I Take The Dice
Even more horrid, which I know where it is but haven't read it in many years, is the story I wrote about me and my three best friends in 7th and 8th grade, about the adventure we had with our boyfriends. John Taylor was mine, Cassie had Nick, Leanna had Simon, and Paulette had Roger. Andy was a bit too homely for us. hehe.
Posted by crystallyn at 07:02 PM | TrackBack
i vant to suck your bluhd
In Bucharest, they are putting together a Vampire theme park. They're also going to be putting a historical spin on one area of the park, dedicating it to a truthful historical portrayal of Vlad Tepes.
Posted by crystallyn at 06:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
two things
while watching SNL tonight, starring Justin Timberlake, Joe says : "There's no way that guy would have won American Idol."
I'd never really heard him before...I don't get it. He's not very good looking (sort of dorky actually) and Bob Dylan sings better than he does. Hell, Tiny Tim is probably on par. No wonder Brittney dumped him.
He was much better doing skits than that creepy thing called singing.
On an equally freaky note, my mom sent me this thing...
This is going to drive you crazy!
While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change direction and there's nothing you can do about it!
Weird, huh?
Posted by crystallyn at 12:30 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 09, 2003
blasts from the past
I have so much personal history with people that always remain such a big part of who I am. Once people get under my skin emotionally, they tend to remain, and that's definitely the case with many friends that I don't see much or in some cases that I've lost touch with.
One of my oldest and dearest friends, Stephanie, has announced she's getting married soon...which is VERY exciting. She was in my first wedding, was my closest childhood friend and is connected to a myriad of wonderful memories that will always be a part of who I am. I still have dreams about us being kids together. I'm so happy that she's found someone--that's one hell of a lucky guy that's catching her, let me tell you. Congrats Stephanie!!! You deserve all the happiness in the world.
My friend Tracy, who I worked at Disneyland with all those years ago, just sent me the picture of her newborn, Siena Jane. She's gorgeous! It's so exciting to hear such wonderful news from her...we haven't talked in quite awhile.
I get so excited when people I care about share the experiences in their lives. When I heard Stephanie was getting married I started whooping and yelling and bouncing around the apartment--it made me so happy to hear. Romeo looked at me like I was on drugs. And seeing Tracy's baby was such a happy thing too. I really love to hear and see the excitement--and to have the chance to share the excitement with these people who have touched my life.
I've been looking for a long-lost friend, Jen, who I was close with in college. We lost touch after she moved to a different city...this was many years ago. She never agreed with my choices during my first marriage--many of my friends didn't and well, when you are young, you charge ahead and don't listen sometimes (hind-sight is 20-20, right?). I really regret our losing touch--she was a real kindred, poetic spirit that I often wonder about. I've tried to find her many times, but to no avail--I keep looking for her poetry on the Net or in print. Finally, on a bizarre whim, I looked her up in Amazon.com on the friends list--I took a stab that she was still living in the same town she had moved to. I think I found her. Of course, Amazon keeps everything private, which is GOOD, but there is one way to connect...buy something on the wishlist and send a note. I hope she's both surprised and happy to hear from me...and that she will write. We'll see. She should get the book in a few days.
People--connections...these are the most important thing in life. I know this to be the real underlying truth.
Posted by crystallyn at 08:56 PM | TrackBack
October 07, 2003
3 degrees from Kevin Bacon
1. I went to college with Trevor St. John. He dated my roommate Anne during our freshman year.
2. Trevor was in Dogtown with Mary Stuart Masterson.
3. Mary Stuart Masterston was in Digging to China with Kevin Bacon.
Posted by crystallyn at 12:15 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
October 06, 2003
totally motivated
with my writing these days!! I think it's a combination of several things.
The main motivators are my classes--both of them center specifically around an aspect of my writing. The first class is one in which I'm supposed to develop a creative project and thus Plum Ruby Review is moving forward.
The second class is one that offers up a lot of possibilities...I'm looking at ways in which problem-based learning (which is typically group based) can be utilized for the individual writer. What this means is that I'm delving into a myriad of tools that can not only help creativity, but it can help writers develop new ways of plotting stories, ways of organizing large amounts of material (world-building, non-fiction, historical fiction, complex plots) and pushing through writer's block. This project has a lot of possibilities--it will probably develop into my syn(thesis) project, which may take shape in the form of a book for writers, or potentially workshops and resources for writers to use. The best part about it, is that I get to be the guinea pig...while I'm doing my own personal writing.
The other motivating factor is that on November 1st, I'm going to be joining Ancarett, Sean, Gary, and Brad (who I don't know, but my friend Chris does, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine!) for NaNoWriMo. To prepare, I've been working hard, creating an extensive outline, a pantheon of gods, and character profiles. I'm developing a fantasy novel and the backstory is really important...building the world is a lot of work! I have a notebook full of information, pages of story information, and haven't written word one of the story yet. But on November 1, I'll be starting!!
It's a lot of work, but the wonderful part about all these projects is that they feed into each other. The PBL project will give me tools to move my writing along and organize materials. The editing of PRR will keep me engaged with many different types of literature and hone my editing and reviewing skills.
And well, it doesn't hurt that I'm unemployed and can spend half of every day writing!
Posted by crystallyn at 10:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 05, 2003
is it whooping cough?
seriously! I've been coughing for three weeks straight now. But the odd thing is that this last week, it's only been random coughing...maybe once an hour or so and at night, maybe once in the middle of the night. And the coughing is SEVERE and lasts for several minutes and I am often gasping for breath after. Cough syrup does nothing. Cold medicine does nothing. My asthma inhaler does nothing.
The odd thing is that I feel fine!! I was pretty sick for about a week, but the last two weeks, I've been ok...just this cough, and a residual rattle before I cough. No phlegm, not much blowing my nose (maybe twice a day and mostly in the morning). Not tired, not anything. Just this freakish cough. I keep saying that I'll go to the doctor, but the next day I feel fine...then after an hour after I decide not to call, I have another coughing fit, then I am okay--I'm constantly changing my mind, should I call or not call? Today I resolved that I'll call tomorrow no matter what, because it's not going away even if I feel fine otherwise.
So, you know how synchronicity works, right? Joe and I are eating dinner and I pick up the latest issue of Discover magazine, which arrived a couple of days ago. And wouldn't you know it...there is an article about adults getting whooping cough!! Usually children get it, but apparently more and more adults are being diagnosed as the years wear on and their early immunizations wear out.
The symptoms are exactly what I have had. During the first 1-2 weeks the person is sick like a regular cold--sore throat, coughing, runny nose, possibly a fever. And then, the person loses the rest of the symptoms, but retains the cough...which can stay for several weeks afterward. The coughing spells usually last over a minute and may or may not have the "whooping" or gasping noises as the person gasps for air after a coughing fit. Coughing fits may occur at random, but oftentimes, hours may go by between fits. In between, the person may report feeling perfectly ok.
That's EXACTLY what is going on...it's so bizarre. I figured something weird was happening when my asthma medicine wasn't even doing anything.
How do you treat it? Apparently, you don't really...it has to run its course. Doctors will prescribe antibiotics but that is usually to keep it from being infectious to other people. But the problem is, by the time its diagnosed, you are probably over the infectious stage, which occurs during the first week of illness (oh Greg and Lei, I hope you guys aren't sick!!!! If I had known I wouldn't have made you trapse all over Montreal with me!).
It can be really serious in children, and usually results in vomiting from the coughing, but in adults, it's often misdiagnosed because the symptoms are milder.
Going to head to the doctor tomorrow, but in looking all over the Net, it sounds like what I might have. I think I'll bring the Discover magazine article with me.
Very bizarre. Well the good news is that I haven't been around any children...they are far more affected by the disease than adults are. And I don't have the terrible "whooop," rather, for a few minutes, I just look like I'm going to explode.
Posted by crystallyn at 11:06 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 04, 2003
for the last four years
I have looked at the National Novel Writing Month with interest. I love the idea...being able to write 50,000 words in one month. I've never signed up though--me, the world's greatest procrastinator, sign up to write a whole book in a month?! When I can't even manage to get past 3-4 chapters on any full-length project?
I've always stuck to poetry. Why? Because it's short. I can finish it. It doesn't get started and stopped--well, not that often. I can see the beginning and the end. I can revise quickly. It's nothing like a novel.
And so, I've done it--Like others, I've signed up with NaNoWriMo. I think this is crazy, but I've done it.
It's crazy for several reasons.
1. I fully expect to have a fulltime job again come November.
2. I'm in the midst of my practicum class, which is a massive research project that prepares me for my thesis course.
3. I'm in the midst of another class, for which I'm developing the Plum Ruby Review, and that is a massive endeavor in itself, even with my dear friend Greg helping me.
4. Several evenings in November are going to be devoted to entertaining. Forget Thanksgiving...I'm talking about Joe showing off his amazing cooking (he's developing (including illustrating and MAKING) a really wild cookbook for one of his class projects) to friends.
5. Joe and I have one of those extra-amazing relationships where we miss each other terribly if we spend too much time away from each other (yes, you can go ahead and gag now)...and this will require a LOT of my time spent writing.
And so, I am throwing myself into the novel writing anyway. But I always find that when I'm most overwhelmed with things, I tend to be the most productive. I create more, I make more time for friends, I am generally better to be around. I don't do a lot of relaxing, but life tends to take on an amazing quality of its own and so that's okay.
I'm just tired of starting novels and never going anywhere with them. I have three in that state right now and I hate that I haven't moved past the first few chapters. I want to tell these stories. I have the beginning and end to one novel now and so I just need to fill in the middle.
Sooo this month is going to be spent in heavy research and development for my classes, while at the same time, building the worlds and taking massive notes for the novel--word 1 comes in November, but I can plan all I want before then. Who knows if I can manage this...but I want to at least try.
Posted by crystallyn at 11:07 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 03, 2003
one of the most annoying things
about being unemployed and having your resume up on Monster, HotJobs and the like, is that places like American Express Financial Services and American Income Life Insurance start calling you--wanting to tell you how you can have a lucrative career with them.
American Income has been the worst. I've received several phone calls, but each time from a different rep, sometimes 2-3 on the same day. They leave a message to call back, but when I do (I want them off my back), the extension I dial goes into a voicemail box for "the receptionist." Sorry, not leaving a message.
They don't care WHAT you do for a living when they call. They just want a warm body on the phones calling other people to harass them into buying insurance or signing up with them so you too can start hunting job boards and seeing who you can get underneath you. They didn't read my resume....which says MARKETING DIRECTOR on it. Does it say sales? Does it say telemarketing? No.
After the 6th or 7th phone call that Joe got for me from American Income, he asked the woman, "Is it a marketing job?" She said no. "Then she doesn't want it." That seems to have solved that problem. For now.
Yesterday I found Joe chuckling at something on his computer.
"What is it?"
"Go look."
I did, and sure enough, in his email, is a letter from American Income saying that they saw his resume (he's looking for a job selling WINE) and think he would be an excellent candidate for them.
Amazing.
Posted by crystallyn at 03:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 02, 2003
yesterday I filed for unemployment
and the man that was helping me make my claim was an interesting character. Joe had moved around my piece of paper that had information about how much severance I had received and I made some mention that I didn't know where my husband put it.
The man responded, "You mean your groom."
I was confused. "What do you mean?"
"You are still on your honeymoon, aren't you?" he asked me.
I explained that we had gotten married in March and had our honeymoon. He told me that he was married 39 years ago and is still on his honeymoon. In between asking me questions about my claim (address, social, etc), he continued to expound upon these ideas.
"What is the thing you love most about your groom?"
"There are too many things to list!" I explained.
"Don't tell me--tell him. Tell him every day."
The conversation continued like this--an oddly intimate discussion in the midst of something fairly sad to deal with. Joe thought I was talking to a friend--not someone helping me do my unemployment.
When I confessed that both of us are out of work, he told me that it was okay...because we have each other.
I already knew that though.
Yesterday was our 3 year anniversary of meeting! We celebrated with a wonderful meal at the Blue Room. And the man, whose name I never caught, was right--the honeymoon isn't over. :)
Posted by crystallyn at 11:03 AM | TrackBack
October 01, 2003
things i love about montreal
1. everyone speaks French
things I hate about montreal
1. I forgot all my French (minored in it in College).
Posted by crystallyn at 11:38 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack