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January 28, 2004
thank your lucky stars
at Lucky W. Head here if you need to know what to do if you find a luckyhand root
or how a walnut carved with 108 buddhas may help you out...
Posted by crystallyn at 10:48 PM | TrackBack
January 25, 2004
you think you know me?
Do you really?
The Ultimate Quiz--How Well Do You Know Crystal?
And OOOPS...I messed up on where I put the points for the correct answer, so I'll just give it to you. The correct answer to where I went to high school is Meridian, ID BUT you need to put Boise, ID to get it right on the quiz...
And you thought you knew me... ;)
Shamelessly stolen from Katey.
Posted by crystallyn at 08:27 PM | TrackBack
January 23, 2004
Goodbye Captain Kangaroo
One of my childhood heroes, Captain Kangaroo, died today at age 76.
I watched him faithfully. Mr. Moose, Mr. Green Jeans...I loved that show so so much. That funny red coat and those sideburns were absolutely AMAZING.
Rest in Peace...you brightened the lives of so many children, Bob Keeshan.
Posted by crystallyn at 07:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
once a Seattlite...
You might be from the Pacific Northwest if:
* You know the state flower (Mildew).
* You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
* You use the phrase "sun break" and know what it means.
* You know more then 10 ways to order coffee.
* You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
* You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
* You stand on a deserted corner in the pouring rain waiting for the "Walk" signal.
* You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
* You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Tully's, Seattles Best and Venetos.
* You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye.
* You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Skakomish, Lliwaup, Dukabush, Humptulips, Mukiltioh, Nisqually, Skookumchuck, and Willamette.
* You consider swimming to be an indoor sport.
* You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, and Thai food.
* You know what a Geoduck is.
* You understand the word Bumbershoot.
* In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark and you only work 8 hours.
* You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
* You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers".
* You cannot wait for a day with "showers with sun breaks".
* You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
* You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not simply a state of mind.
* You can point to two volcanoes, even if you cannot see them through the clouds.
* You notice, "the mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
* You put on shorts when it gets above 50, but still wear you hiking boots and parka.
* You switch to your sandals when it get above 50, but still keep your socks on.
* You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
* You think the people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
* You knew immediately that the view from Frasier's window was fake. (OH THIS IS SO TRUE!)
* You buy new sunglasses every year, cause you can't find the old ones after such a long time.
* You measure distance in hours.
* You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.
* You use a down comforter in the summer.
* You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.
* You design you kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
* You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining- Spring, Road Construction (Summer), Still Raining-Fall.
* You actually understand these jokes and forward them on to your friends.
Courtesy of Pacific Northwest According to Jeff Foxworthy
Posted by crystallyn at 06:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 22, 2004
i shouldn't
post this, but I had to...
Posted by crystallyn at 06:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 21, 2004
just a little addicting
smack the penguin...really, go ahead.
Posted by crystallyn at 07:33 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
food for thought
“A musician must make music, and artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.”
-Abraham Harold Maslow
Posted by crystallyn at 06:16 AM | TrackBack
January 19, 2004
the ultimate prank
covering someone's apartment, down to the quarters in the change jar, in tin foil...
Posted by crystallyn at 07:28 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
divinity
Check out my latest published poem in Astropoetica!
Posted by crystallyn at 06:17 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 18, 2004
feeling that energetic push
the wild rush that seems to seep into me here and there when writing is imperative, when self-exploration is inevitable and when I'm engrossed in creating--something, anything. This time it's Issue Two of Plum Ruby Review. Editing and producing a magazine is a lot of hardwork, let me tell you.
I've been reading a lot, which is tough in between everything I have going on, but my current list includes:
(which has an interesting counter Web site...how NOT to think like Leonardo Da Vinci)
I'm keenly interested in writers who are in the midst of developing full-length novels. I'm going to be testing my creativity exercises out this semester and will need a couple of guinea pigs who are willing to try out some of the tools that I have. If you know of anyone who is looking for some extra oomph in their writing, let me know.
We spent the evening at Joe's brother's. His sister-in-law pointed us toward Awful Plastic Surgery, which allows you to get your fix of surgeries gone wrong (oh my old meanie boss should be heading in for her FOURTH nose job this month...I'd kill to see her with the clay holding up her nose after they remove the cartiledge.) Vanity. I swear. The Meg Ryan pictures made me the saddest...I really loved her and never thought she would have stooped to altering her face like she did.
And today, Joe was saying he hoped there would be another Beulah album out soon...so I went to check out the site and it looks like it SHOULD be cool but nothing links through. At least he'll be pleased to discover that Weezer AND The Get Up Kids are getting ready to release a new album...and they'll be rolling into town on March 12!
Even better, Bob Mould is Web-enabled now!
Posted by crystallyn at 06:16 PM | TrackBack
January 15, 2004
this keeps flashing
up on my Weatherbug...
...Wind Chill Warning Late This Afternoon Through Friday...
Northern Massachusetts And Southwest New Hampshire Will Experience Increasing Northwest Winds This Afternoon And Evening...With Speeds Reaching 20 To 25 Mph. This Will Combine With Temperatures Of 10 To 20 Below Zero To Create Dangerously Cold Wind Chill Values Of 35 To 45 Degrees Below Zero.
These Winds Chill Values Will Make It Dangerous To Be Outside For Extended Periods. Exposed Skin May Freeze In As Little As 10 Minutes. If You Must Go Outdoors...Cover Any Exposed Skin. Wear A Hat...Mittens Or Gloves...And Several Layers Of Loose Fitting Clothing.
I went over the mall to pick up something from Au Bon Pain (which Joe calls Old Bed Pan) and omg it is FREAKING cold out there! The wind coming off the canal is just brutal.
Still, I'm VERY glad I'm not up in Quebec City...currently -16 there!!!
Posted by crystallyn at 06:51 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 13, 2004
lovely
Joe is watching the evolution of beanbag use in crowd control on the History Channel. Hmm. Watching people get shot by beanbags or professional wrestling. Which is worse?
I wish I had more time. I need a pill that eliminates sleep, I think. I have SO much that I'm doing and no time to do it all in. I'm so excited about my coursework...the development of my thesis, which really leaves me believing in new avenues for my life and career. School starts the 26th and this semester is going to be a bear. I'm doing an independent study in which I managed to wrangle the writing of my novel in conjunction with developing my thesis (my thesis is on creativity exercises for advanced writers). So I'm doing active research on my thesis, writing a novel, keeping a writer's notebook on process and production and in the midst of that, I'm editing Plum Ruby AND working fulltime...ten hours a day.
I want more time to read and to play. I got one of my favorite friends, Alex, started playing Everquest and I have NO time to even play it with him. Totally sucks. I have so much fun hanging out with him and by the time I will probably be able to play again he'll have LONG surpassed the level of my characters. sigh sigh. I even cancelled my Star Wars Galaxies account; I haven't played that in months.
I am trying to maintain some semblance of a social life, at least, and I do manage to get out and spend time with friends. Tomorrow I'm hanging out with my good friend Melissa and the night after, dinner with Joe's cousin, which is always good. And the weekend finds us having dinner with his parents and brother's family. I feel like my life is not my own sometimes. The problem with having a social life is that I get backed up on my writing and editing and housework and well...
Basically, it's REALLY good that life is busy. I love having direction, having purpose, knowing that I'm going to do amazing things in my future.
Oh, incidentally, The M.A.G. has taken three of my poems. :) Look for them in the mini-mag coming up and then in the biannual July issue.
Posted by crystallyn at 10:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 12, 2004
luck
My mother-in-law has a knack for finding four leaf clovers. She just looks down at a patch of grass and they nearly jump right up. She must have passed on a little bit of luck the last time she loaded me up with clovers...this time I found a whole passel of them on my own.
Yesterday I was planning on going to the movies with one of my girlfriends...to see Big Fish. I usually buy the tickets ahead to save a bit of time but this time I decided not to. I was on the page to buy them not once, but twice and in the end thought maybe I should just wait until we got there. I'm glad we did.
After lunch at nearby Jacob Wirth's, we headed over to the Loews theater down on the common. We were about to go in the front door when we noticed that there were fire alarms flashing and that the entire cinema was standing across the street!! We opted out and went and got the car, thankful (and shocked) that they let us into the garage to get it, despite the sirens and flashing lights. On the way to the garage, we discovered the cause of the fire trucks and the evacuation...a burst water pipe in the restaurant next door.
And so, we ended up antiquing in East Cambridge near my old house. I picked up some 50's black and gold highball glasses that match ones that my Grandma King gave me many years ago. And then I saw it. An old book on a table.
It had a tattered green cover, waterstained in places and a bit frayed. The top of the cover bears the words "A Dictionary of Synonyms." I picked it up, noted the wonderful old print, the inch margins on each page and the words...a perfect source of new poesy, I thought. I thumbed through a little further...and discovered that the book is full of pressed four leaf clovers. 25 of them to be exact. You can't pick up a $4 1884 book full of four leaf clovers and not buy it!!
Afterward I found some of Joe's birthday present, unexpectedly and also the poster that I had been searching for for months.
Plus I got to hang out with one of my favorite people and that's always a bonus.
Lucky start to my year, methinks.
Posted by crystallyn at 09:42 PM | TrackBack
January 11, 2004
going out to buy some crystals
deodorant crystals, I think. Does anyone know if they work?
Maybe I'm reactionist about this, but well, the statistics ain't so great and I don't want to become one.
This article about the link between parabens found in deodorant and breast cancer is enough for me.
We saturate our bodies with chemicals...in our food, in our cosmetics, in everything. It's bound to show up somewhere...
Posted by crystallyn at 07:25 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 10, 2004
contortionism
We bought a new bed today. After a few months of waking up knotted up and with Joe having the flu for an eon and him tossing and turning and driving me up a wall since we sleep TOO cozy in the full bed, we gave in to Jordan's Furniture and let a sleep technician show us the mattresses. We ended up with a nice Simmons mattress with a pillowtop. I can't WAIT until Tuesday night so we can sleep in it (the day they deliver it).
The freezing cold weather has been tough on my cold-induced asthma. After leaving the sushi place last night, I thought I was going to die I was coughing and wheezing so hard. It's a really awful feeling. Before leaving this morning to get my haircut at Leon's (Paulette got me going there) I remembered my inhaler. Good thing...sitting in the car for ten minutes in subzero temps while the engine warms up really sucks.
I have a FABULOUS new haircut though. Very cute and Reese Witherspoon/Drew Barrymoreish. Much more dramatic color with a little flip on the ends. I have a new stylist, Fulya, who did wonders to my hair. I end up paying more for it, but my hair looks better than ever since I started going to this place. Leon (who brings his little terrier in to hang out while he cuts hair) is known for coiffuring hair on European runways and he hires only the best talent for his salon, which is, oddly enough, down the street in the center of Belmont.
Getting ready for issue two of Plum Ruby Review which has become a labor of love. Trying to finish it up before we head to New York for a few days at the end of the month--and before school starts again. I have a very heavy-duty semester coming up. I really love school though--I would give anything if I could go fulltime and not work. Sigh.
Guess I need to win the lottery soon, huh?
Posted by crystallyn at 05:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 03, 2004
where oh where can my little gnome be?
In the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe yesterday there were ads for
Apparently some hapless guy named Bill has lost his gnome--or someone has taken it. Or have they?
The news clip gave me a huge chuckle at its must-be-a-joke style but the big give away was the fact that the domain name for whereismygnome.com was purchased on November 25...but oddly, his site says the gnome wasn't stolen until December 9. Not very smart thinking on the prankster's part...
So what IS the site really about? A huge, expensive gag? Taking out ads in papers like the Herald and the Globe isn't cheap. Bill's site, owned by a guy named Bruce, is based out of Raleigh, NC, which makes me think that perhaps other ads have been taken out in other cities as well. To what end?
When you call the phone number, you get Bill, in the nerdy voice, asking people to leave a message about the gnome and at the same time, telling his mom to hang up. The mailbox, of course, is full.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
If you want a great gnome movie subplot, check out Amelie, ...which is one of my favorite.
For Christmas, we bought gnomes for Joe's parents and his brother and his wife. We picked them up from Joe's friend, Bill (not the same Bill above), who owns a VERY charming little garden/flower shop in Beverly called
BoxGarden Billy, which is located at 641 Hale Street, Prides Crossing, MA if you are out and about. Bill is selling some of the Kimmelgnomes, which are some of the coolest gnomes I've seen...all reproductions of antiques.
We picked up WhatKnot for Rosie, Joe's mom.
And Cladmadder for Joe's brother and his family.
Apparently you are supposed to keep the gnomes outdoors...keeping them inside is very bad luck.
Perhaps Bill's missing gnome is among these 180 that have piled up at a French police station...
Posted by crystallyn at 03:19 PM | Comments (26) | TrackBack
January 02, 2004
this is
one of my favorite online magazines....
and from it, a beautiful poem...About the Other Animals. You have to SEE it to appreciate it.
Posted by crystallyn at 08:09 PM | TrackBack
January 01, 2004
Day 1, 2004
Well, resolutions are usually the topic du jour and I have only a few. One is the same one that every single person vows to do...to get healthy.
Really.
I know, you don't believe me. No matter.
My other resolutions are related more to my writing and the volume I want to do and the amount of submissions I have planned.
For those of you who are having trouble with your resolutions, never fear, with the Internet help is always here.
How To Keep Your New Year's Resolution
Top Ten New Year's Resolutions
New Year's Resolutions vs. New Year's Goals
Right now my first goal for the year is to not get Joe's flu. He was at 101 degrees for three days, felt fine last night and came out with my good friend and I for a really nice dinner at the Blue Room. I refuse, refuse to succumb.