I've been cheating

I've been cheating on this blog with another blog. My dearest Will is once again in Antarctica. He decided that Antarctic winter wasn't enough for him and he just had to go back to McMurdo Station to work over the summer.

Last time he went (2005), I was not yet blog-savvy and so I set up an actual website - from scratch. I updated it with new photos every few weeks during the six months he was way. What a pain in the neck that was! So this time, I was quite happy to set up a blog where I have been posting pictures and stories he sends back.

Basically this is just my most recent excuse for not posting here as much as I'd like. (Of course this one is sort of legit - I'm actually keeping up with a blog, just not this one.)

So if you're interested in the Antarctic Adventures of Will, you can visit that blog.

The blank page

Every time I get a new assignment from a client my first step is usually to open a similar document. Something with the client’s name in the header maybe, or a similar type of work – ad copy, call script, article, or whatever. I quickly do a “file” > “save as…” changing the file name and assuring it’s located in my obsessively organized hard drive file structure. Then I start writing in the document, replace the existing copy with whatever is appropriate. In some cases, I save absolutely nothing from the original file. Which sort of begs the question: “Why do I do this?”

I’ve never really thought about it until today when I opened MS Word and selected “file” > “new.” A daunting plane of bright white assaulted me. I believe I let out an audible gasp. I know I have heard this over and over – that there is nothing more intimidating than a blank page. But I don’t think I realized it was true until today, because I had (brilliantly) avoided the circumstance. I think my subconscious was protecting me all these years.

Obnoxious creative types will probably say there is nothing more alluring or enticing than an unfettered expanse of page, canvass or computer screen. But I think that’s utter crap. Blank pages are frightening. Even for someone who spends all day filling them up.

Word Girl Geek Love Revisited

Back in November - almost a year ago - I posted briefly about how much I wanted a Kindle. Earlier this year, a business colleague was gracious enough to give me one as a gift and it has more than lived up to my expectations.

Most people I know crinkle their faces at me when I tell them that yes, I am in love with it. "Reading on a computer? Really?" Well no - it's not a computer; it's digital ink/electronic paper - a technology specifically designed to be read. I think this is people's biggest stumbling block with the Kindle. You have to start from a platform of understanding that it is nothing like a computer monitor.

I find it difficult to explain why I love it so much. It's partly because the minute I think I am interested in a book, I can pick up my Kindle and, LITERALLY in seconds, wirelessly download a "sample" for free. The sample is usually at LEAST a full chapter if not more. Or if there is a book I KNOW I want, I can purchase it with one click on the Kindle and be reading it in seconds. (You don't need a computer to do this - there is no 'syncing' or anything like that.) If I am sitting comfortably in a chair or snugly warm in bed, I do not even have to stand up to get a new book to read.

I can also instantly look up words I don't know in a text, highlight text, make notes, add bookmarks. It's insane. And it's not just books; you can purchase single issues or subscriptions to tons of newspapers and magazines. And did I mention that EVERYTHING is less expensive in its Kindle version than in its print version. Oh, and I can change the type size whenever I want. Some days my eyes are more weary than others and I increase the type size on those days.

Anyway... I guess I just did a fairly good job of explaining why I love my Kindle, but the reason for the post today is this: I won't need to explain it anymore, ever again. Because today Oprah gave everyone in her audience a Kindle.

Earlier in the day I saw a 15-sec promo for the show saying she would be revealing her new favorite "gadget" and in the pit of my soul I knew... I don't imagine I have much in common with Ms. Winfrey and often our taste in books is quite at odds, but the one thing I suspect we share is an absolute love of reading.

So the Kindle has been touched by the magic wand of an Oprah endorsement and thus I breathe a tiny sigh of relief. Because now, when I have occasion to speak of "my Kindle," instead of blank and perplexed faces, I will be met with, "Oh yeah! That thing that Oprah has!!!"

Why so quiet?

I've been all caught up in the presidential and vice presidential campaigns in much of my spare time (and frankly, overlapping into work time). The BDO blog is a place I created for softer, sweeter things - like tomatoes! Not politics. But since it's consuming so much of my head and heart right now, it's difficult to come to this "Create new post" page. And that's all I have to say about that.

Class Picture

(l to r) Brandywine, Green Zebra, Black Prince (in the back), Riesentraube, Orange Strawberry Oxheart. (Gold Medal Yellow was absent on picture day.)

Aren't they so pretty? Definitely not as prolific as the engineered hybrid plants we usually grow, but I have really enjoyed these heirloom plants. As you can see, we finally got fruit from the Orange Strawberry despite its slow start, but we only got a few. The Green Zebra, Riesentraube and Brandywine did the best.

Green Zebras are probably my overall favs for a few reasons: they produced the most; they and the riesentraubes were the only two who managed not to fall victim to the slug invasion; the flavor was - for me - a perfect balance of sweet and tangy; and of course, they look SOOO COOOOOL!! Sliced on a sandwich they made quite an impression with little strips of their green-yellow zebra skin peeking out between the bread, and I even canned a few and they have such a pleasant melon-green color in the jars.

I'll never do black princes again. They tasted fine, but they are not very visually appealing and they were the most susceptible to slugs. I canned a few of those too and it's a bit of a problem, because they look downright rotten in the jars. Can't give those away as gifts.

Will probably go back to mostly early girl hybrids next year, but may put in some green zebras for fun and variety.

A thing of grace

Bought a new car over the weekend. Haven't picked it up yet. Maybe tonight or tomorrow night. I will be very sad to say farewell to the Tacoma, nicknamed "kitty" because of how she always reminded me of a little black kitten curled up napping in the sun when I had her parked on the street.

I stayed within the Toyota family, although I looked for quite a while at the Honda Fit. I like small cars. I'm all about simplicity and fuel-efficiency when it comes to cars. A car is a mode of transportation to me, not much more, so I really don't care too much about how they look and Will's got his big ol' work truck so it's not as if we need another big vehicle for totin' and haulin' stuff.

So I'll be bringing home a Yaris. It reminds me a lot of the Red Bullet only it's black (they call it mica pearl sand or something silly). The RB is the car I owned for many happy years before the Tacoma came into my life. It was a Geo Prism (and actually came off the same assembly line as, and was identical to, the Toyota Corolla of its generation). Jenn V bought one that same year and is STILL driving it. Great car. Hers is red too, only it's that really nice grown-up maroon, whereas mine was big-hair-mall-chick-Jersey red (which faded horribly during the life of the car, making it more of an over-bleached-picnic-tablecloth red). Over 158,000 miles on it, and a young driver pulled out in front of me causing only minor damage to both vehicles, but enough for his insurance company to total the Red Bullet. They wrote me a check for much more than I thought she was worth and came and towed her away. A sad, but peaceful ending.

Right after the Yaris test drive, I asked the sales guy what the name meant. He confessed that he didn't know. During the hour or so we had to wait to see the finance guy I came up with this explanation and told him to tell future customers who ask: "Yaris is the ancient Greek god of fuel efficiency."

Yeah, right. Like who else asks something like that? Anyway... I looked it up this morning. Really much more stupid than my explanation. Apparently Toyota invented the word (not surprising), by smooshing together the name of the Greek goddess of grace, Charis (pronounced with a 'k' in the beginning so it actually sounds like "CARis"), and the German word for yes, ja, which is pronounced "yah." Hence: Yaris. Like: 'yes, this car is graceful'? Or 'say yes to grace'? Or 'yes, this is the car for anyone named Grace'?

Whatever. I like my answer better.

Pop Music as Teacher

When I recently purchased the new Elvis Costello disc (I should actually call it an album with deference to Mr. Costello - the volume was issued first on vinyl "the way the Supreme Being intended," he says, with the CD version coming almost a full month later), I was intrigued by its name, Momofuku.

'What does Momofuku mean?' I wondered. Lucky for me, he explains on his website that the name is an homage to Momofuku Ando, inventor of cup noodles, because, says Mr. Costello, making this album was as easy as just adding water. So now I have that little bit of trivia tucked away in my brain.

Other things I have learned from pop music:

* The meaning of the word bravado. I had to look it up because of the line in that awesome 70s pop song Baby Come Back by Player: "All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado. Trying to keep up a smile to hide the tears."

* Who John Coltrane is, because of the line in the Cowboy Junkies song, Sun Comes up, it's Tuesday Morning: "Lunchtime: I start to dial your number. Then I remember, so I reach for something to smoke. And anyways, I'd rather listen to Coltrane than go through all that shit again." I figured if Margo Timmins is listening to Coltrane he must be cool.

* Who Ann Rice is and what the vampire chronicles are, because of Moon Over Bourbon Street by Sting. A sentence in the liner notes of the album on which the song appeared says, "'Moon Over Bourbon Street' was inspired by Interview with a Vampire by Ann Rice." I ran right out and found the book and read it.

There's more. But those are the ones I can think of right now. You get the idea.

Jersey Fresh InDEED!

Or... Mmm, Mmm! Caterpillar-y Goodness!

This is the Farmer's Market story I alluded to in my last post. Earlier this month, we got a GREAT head of broccoli at the market. I swear it really does TASTE better because it's so fresh.

When I went to clean the steamer basket, I saw what looked like a funky, bumpy piece of broccoli stem ... but upon closer inspection... it.... ummm... wasn't broccoli...



Pretty sure it would have been a monarch butterfly someday.

Will's reaction: "I'm done eating bugs, Carole."

There's NO evidence that we actually ate ANY bugs! (Although I barely noticed this, so who knows what escaped my attention.)

First Feast of '08

For lunch today I enjoyed my first little feast from the garden. Had a ripe Green Zebra, Black Prince and one little Riesentraube. We've actually had a few ripe Black Princes, but there also seems to be a slug issue with that plant (see pictures at the bottom of the post), which had made it difficult to really enjoy any of the fruit (not much left after cutting away the slug trail).

This was lunch:

BTW - the mozz is fresh from a local farm right next door in Port Colden. Got it at the Washington Farmer's Market. More tales from the market today - will save for another post.

This was HEAVEN!!! And I was shocked at how different each tasted. The Riesentraube was the middle-of-the-road flavor in this trio. The Black Prince was crazy sweet and the Green Zebra was nice and tangy! I know it looks odd and you're not sure what to expect, but for my pallet, the Green Zebra was the best. As of this moment, I'm thinking I may want to try growing those again next year. Ah tomatoes. YUMMMMM!!

And look how PRETTY the Green Zebra is!



The Black Prince is really nice looking too,

As long as you can't see the slug trail : - (

Have you seen this commercial?

I really don't enjoy alcohol of any kind and I particularly dislike beer. But this commercial makes me want to drink THIS beer. I was beginning to worry that I was past the age of the target market of all things cool, but this commercial seems to be written just to get ME to drink beer.

The song is great and the message totally appeals to earthly liberal peace-lovin' girls like me: this beer brings about kindness among humans; sharing and interaction between seemingly disparate groups; understanding, peace, harmony!!! It reminds me of the coke commercial from the 70s. (Remember? "I'd like to teach the world to sing...").

I SERIOUSLY considered running out and buying a six pack for half a second before I snapped out of my momentary media coma. Great ad.

Falling stars?

Earlier this week I noticed there is a little gold sticker star on the floor of the BDO. I've no idea where it came from or how it got here. To the best of my knowledge, I don't own such stickers and don't think I have anything in my office from which it could have become un-affixed. I'm not much of a housekeeper to begin with, but I have no intention of removing it. The universe has given me a gold star for something and I'll take it.

Filling the Empty Hours

I have been known, in the past, to liken the life of a freelancer to being "semi-retired." It's true I have more flexibility in scheduling my days and once you cut out all the inefficiencies of working in an office and the time it takes to commute, I find I actually have a little more free time than most folks, but recently I realized that I am SOOOO NOT retired. Semi or otherwise.

Not only have I been wrestling with a sweet overabundance of work, which forced me to sacrifice some "fun" plans this weekend and actually work on a Sunday (I believe God will forgive me for making sure the mortgage gets paid), but I have no time to figure out what's going on with my Strawberry Orange Oxheart tomatoes.



All of her friends and neighbors in our tiny garden already have ripening fruit (see snaps below), and although she has produced many, many flowers, they all seem to be turning brown and falling to the dirt un-pollinated. Someone said it's because of the bee shortage, but that doesn't really make sense since all the other plants around her seem to be doing really, really well. Will says the bees just didn't like her pollen, but I can't imagine they care much. Someone else suggested she might just be sterile. How sad. (Especially with all her neighbors producing - must be tough). Even the cheap-o bag-o-cherry tomatoes I bought from one of our niece's school fundraisers is going wild, producing very large fruit for a "cherry" plant.

I keep looking at the dead and dying buds with despair. I even tried shaking the stems like we did with our hydroponic tomatoes to see if I could encourage non-bee pollination (it worked in the kitchen). But no dice. And as I went out this morning to take pictures and document all the plants' growth, I thought "I wish I had time to really research this and figure out what's happening and how to fix it. But I really can't because I have three three-minute video scripts to write, four short employee profiles, one long employee profile, two more interviews to schedule and conduct to finish that case study that was due two weeks ago, and about 20 pages to edit and get back to various clients."

I will be a dedicated gardener in retirement. That is my promise to the plants. For now, sadly, I have no time to care as much as a I should. (And don't even get me started on all the books I want to read right now.) I will have no trouble at all filling eight+ hours per day with gardening, reading... OH and COOKING! How could I forget cooking! A restaurant-quality feast every day in retirement. Yes. Ah, yes.

Our '08 babies as of July 21, below.

Gold Medal Yellow:

Green Zebra:

Brandywine:

Black Prince:

Riesentraube:

Cherry (in hanging bag):

39

I just don't "feel" like I think "39" should feel.

I still feel ... frankly... very young and stupid. Like I still have so much to learn about life and people and things. Which then makes me think I must be REALLY slow or something, to not have picked up a few more big answers by this point.

I really feel like I'm not ready to be a grown-up either. And yet, all evidence points to the fact that I AM a grown up. How can that be?

Shocking. Strange. Unfortunate?

I'm sorry. It's that time of year.

In an earlier post, I mentioned in passing that my mom had ordered some tomato plants for Will and I as a Christmas gift. They are from White Flower Farm and arrived in great shape. We quickly put them in the ground and they almost immediately started flowering (I think one arrived with buds on it). It's an heirloom collection, which is all new to me.

At this point, they all pretty much have fruit on them already, so I decided I needed to know what they look like ripe so I can pick 'em! They have names that lead me to believe I could get confused, like GREEN Zebra and BLACK prince. So I went out on the web and found pictures of what they will look like all grown up!! This is what they will look like (these are NOT my tomatoes):

Green Zebra


Black Prince


Orange Strawberry Oxheart


Gold Medal Yellow


Red Brandywine


Riesentraube


I'm now sort of freaking out with excitement about these tomatoes. They all look SOOO yummy and I really dig yellow and orange tomatoes, but have never grown any. (Not to mention black tomatoes!!!) A little disappointed in myself that I didn't figure out that the "riesentraube" would be a grape tomato variety (Frau Haas would be so saddened).

The final harvest

The end of the hydroponic garden ended up on my lunch plate last Thursday.



They are so photogenic with their little leafy hats, don't you think? But of course I popped those off before adding a few tiny chunks of feta and some oil and vinegar. And there you have it.

I'd rather be blowing bubbles

(I know I haven't finished the Desk Reference list, but since no one is clamoring for it, I thought I'd share this quick thought.)

Working today out on the glorious UCBPAO (UtterClarity Back Porch Annex Office) and every time I get up to go inside and refill my beverage or take some other union break I have to walk right past the bubble bucket.

I'm consumed with tempation. So I gave in (just a little):

I know I should be working, but I'd rather be blowing bubbles.

My Favorite Desk References and Why

This list actually changes over time. At one point, my absolute favorite desk reference was the Cambridge Factfinder (which later became the Penguin Factfinder). This was when I was doing a lot of work for very global companies and needed to look up things like what kind of currency is used in Brazil (Cruzerio Real, abbreviated Cr$) and what’s the country code for dialing Hong Kong (852). At another time it was the Wired Style Guide for definitive answers about when and where to cap web (as in “the Web,” but not webcam, which is preferred as one word says the guide) and whether online was one word, two or hyphenated. Of course those Wired-ish things have evolved and changed since my first edition was published in (gasp) 1999, as really all language does given enough time, but the references listed below are sort of timeless I think.

1) The Elements of Style, Strunk and White. I’ve seen people online argue about whether or not this is a worthy reference, but I’ve got so many stickie notes hanging off the pages I really couldn’t live without it. (OK maybe “live” is dramatic… I certainly couldn’t WORK without it. And let’s never confuse living with working, eh?). I’ve stickied the explanation of serial commas (which, btw, is the American English explanation – British English is the exact opposite, which you can learn in The Economist Style Guide, which did not make this list, but is worth having if you do any writing for people who speak original English vs. ours), the “that, which” entry (also opposite Amer./Brit.), and the “avoid fancy words” discussion. This is my favorite bit of advice in this book: “Utilize. Prefer use.” This is a paraphrase, but basically, it says there’s never a good reason to use “utilize.” “Use” will always work and keeps you from sounding like a pretentious jerk. OH, and I can’t finish up this blurb without nothing that somewhere in the past few years, some very clever person named Maira Kalman created illustrations to accompany this book and it was published as The Elements of Style (illustrated). A VERY fun book to own.

2) The AP Style Guide and its little buddy The Associated Press Guide to Punctuation (which is included in the full guide if you get the fatter version). This is “house style” for a lot of big companies so I finally caved and got one. And I'm really glad I did. The book is exceptionally well organized alphabetically to cover everything, so after explaining the difference between collide and collision and a lengthy explanation of colloquialisms, you’ll find “colon” with a reference telling you to look in the punctuation guide. Further down on that page it has the proper abbreviation for Colorado in print (Colo.).

This is taking much longer than I expected and I need to get to work. I have two more books I want to mention, but it will have to wait.

to be continued…

Bat Terrorism

No matter how many times I walk into my office in the morning and see no bats, it never ceases to delight me.

“What an odd thing to be thankful for,” you say?

Well. Clearly, you have never been the victim of bat terrorism.

Yes for no fewer than three years my home was under siege by a cruel band of renegade bats. Outside one’s home bats are helpful creatures consuming several times their own body weight in mosquitoes and other pests every night. Some might even say they are sort of cute and nifty to have around.

Those folks have never had one circling above the bed on Christmas morning, or hanging lazily from a kitchen window shade, or perched clinging to the screen of an open office window.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: I have no problem with bats outside my home, but they really don't belong inside.

And even though in a few short weeks we’ll mark the three-year anniversary of bat-free living space here at the money pit, my shoulders still creep up towards my ears and my back muscles tighten ever-so-slightly every morning as I enter the BDO and scan the windows, walls and shadowy corners checking for bats. Because my mind now knows that it’s possible for a bat to be in the office, and thus I will always live with the fear that it could happen again.

This is, I think, the very definition of terrorism; it's not just fear. It’s fear based in the knowledge that something previously unthinkable and horrible could happen. Because once it did.

Fun reference: I love this book.

Views from the BDO: Safety Cone

Wow - haven't had a "views from" in over a year and now twice in two weeks!

I actually first noticed this bizarre sight back in November or December. Can't believe I didn't think to blog it then. As I gaze out the front window of the BDO, I am eye-level with this safety cone, which sits like a hat atop the utility pole. I am a bit curious to learn how it got there, but I suppose I never will.

From this vantage point I think I was among the first to notice it, but I've since seen people walking along the sidewalk pointing up to it, stopping and staring. It's actually not as impressive from this view; it's somehow more humorous when you spot it from the street. But I can't post that photo here, because that would not be a view from the BDO (although.. perhaps from the front porch annex office...).

It’s nice to be thanked.

It really does make a difference. I don’t EXPECT to be thanked when someone is paying me to do a job. Nothing really says “thank you” like cold, hard cash, but I’ve got to say it really puts me in an agreeable frame of mind when an email opens up with a line like, “Thanks so much for your dedication on this one.”

So note to clients: I can be bought with words; I am susceptible to manipulation. The line above was followed by about three or four paragraphs worth of edits/direction/correction. But I took it all in with a chipper smile, because the conversation opened with a nod to the effort I was putting forth (at 3.30 on the Friday before a holiday weekend). I guess this circles back to the whole “hostess sets the tone of the party” concept. Only in this case, I was a guest.

Coffee and Ketchup

So today was free iced coffee day at Dunkin' Donuts. My local Dunkin' is currently closed for renovations (booo, hisssss) and the nearest shop is at least 15 minutes away by car. With the price of gas where it is... well I'm word girl not math girl so I didn't bother with the calculation, I hopped in my little girl truck and drove on over!!! 'Cause free Dunkin' is FREE DUNKIN' baby!

On the way home I heard the most FASCINATING story on All Things Considered that I just HAVE to share, because it's tomato-related and it's been a while since I've blogged about tomatoes. (Not that there hasn't been plenty to discuss: our hydroponics are doing well; our Early Girl seedlings are probably just about ready to go into the ground; and my mom sent Will a really cool collection of heirloom plants as a gift and they just arrived this week - totally ready to go in the ground!)

This is the story: Heinz on Quest for Sweeter Tomatoes

Views from the BDO: It Snot Fair!

Further to my post this past Sunday.

This is sad. It's only Wednesday and trash day isn't until Friday. I wish I owned stock in Scott tissues.

Changed my mind. BOOO Spring!

Pollen, pollen, pollen! Yuk. Maybe THAT’s why I forget Spring every year. Maybe I block out the painful memory of the absolute and total MISERY that is allergies! Of course… if I’d just avoid sitting under budding trees, rolling around in the new grass, cutting the flowers and bringing them into my home, etc. that might help.

I swear it seems worse every year. I didn’t always have allergies. Or maybe I did and I just never noticed, because I was inside those buildings with windows that don’t open. So perhaps I've had allergies all along, but just was never outside enough to notice. Wow! Could be. So I love Spring, but there is no Spring without pollen, which is like kryptonite to me. And I love the BDO because of its windows that open, but if the windows didn’t open I wouldn’t suffer from allergies. Oh, the dichotomies of my life!

Spring Thing

You’d think by now it would have become passé. Here I am, almost 39 years on this planet, and every Spring it’s like I’ve never been here before.

This morning I did some laundry and went to hang it out on the line. The grass was still wet with dew, so I took my shoes off and walked across the lawn barefoot. Have you ever done this? You should. I know a lot of moms frown on it (fear of bugs, bees, and/or pet poo between the toes – which are all valid concerns) but it’s SOOO worth the risk. There is nothing like soft, new spring grass, cool and damp under your feet as the sun is just starting to warm up everything else. Probably not for everyone though… my tree-hugger-ness is showing. I swear I started to hear music from the Hair soundtrack and trippy psychedelic colors swirled before my eyes (I am on antihistamines though, so … perhaps…).

There’s other stuff too: I forget how colorful tulips and daffodils are; I forget how absolutely perfect the temperature is for sleeping and working in the BDO Annex Office 2 (back deck); I forget that the temperature changes a LOT from day-to-day or during any given day and begin dressing from the wardrobe-of-wishful-thinking (thus ending up entirely ill-prepared to watch Matthew's baseball game.)

It really is perplexing that I forget until it’s upon me. “Oh yeah, Spring is here. Look at that.” It’s nice though. A happy surprise each year. Yay Spring!

I know, I know...

I really need to start blogging again. But not right now. Right now I have to go cook dinner.


P.S. Happy day-after-Jenn's-BIRTHDAY!!!

A while back I posted about the joy of looking things up and finding answers to (sometimes silly) grammar and style questions. A colleague recently showed me that the AP site has an "ask the editor" section. It's free to view and search all the posted Qs and As. You need a subscription to ask a question. Just in case you too are turned on by stuff like this (or if you just need to know whether to use 80's, '80s or 80s), I thought I would share.

Happy Anniversary to Me

April 1, 2002 was the day UtterClarity blossomed into existence. I was at the dentist's office this morning and the hygienist commented, "You must have a lot of self-discipline to work for yourself from home." I hear that a lot. I guess it's true. When I first went freelance I remember thinking, "This is so freakin' awesome! Why doesn't everyone do this?!" I seriously thought that if everyone knew how wonderful it was to be independent they would all be doing it. I even became a little evangelical about it, encouraging people to escape their big-company shackles and forge out on their own. But I’ve come to realize it really isn’t for everyone. And in fact we NEED people to stay in corporations. Someone HAS to keep them running, because most of those companies ultimate deliver important things that our society has come to rely on like high-impact polymers, micro-encapsulated beads, and robust telecomm solutions (for other big companies). I’m not cut out for that world, but I realize now that some people really are. They love it. They thrive on it. And if the rest of us are lucky, they will never, never leave it.

My, how our babies have grown

Exciting news: We HAVE TOMATOES!!


This is what they looked like a few weeks ago when we did our first major pruning:


And now they are just BUSTIN' with aeroponic goodness.

The best part is pollinating. Without bees, we have to do it ourselves by basically shaking the plants. It's kind of fun. I make a buzzing sound when I do it. Will doesn't. We're both quite pleased with our reproductive success ... with the tomatoes.

ps.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THITHTER!!

Poor, POOR Jane Eyre!!

Found out last night: the 'thing' in the attic is Mr. Rochester's lunatic WIFE!!! And poor, POOR Jane Eyre found this out as she was standing at the alter about to exchange matrimonial vows with said Mr. Rochester. Oh dear! This chick just cannot catch a break. What will happen now?! Wish I had all day to read, but alas... today is the big 80th SURPRISE party for Will's mom. Shhh. Don't tell.

An Homage to Will

I actually used the phrase "suck it up" in client copy this week. As of this moment, it has not been rejected. We're through the first round of edits too, and it didn't get killed. Fingers crossed! I recognize, of course, that Will did not invent this line, but he utters it to me so frequently, it's become sort of the bumper-sticker phrase of our union.

More About Jane Eyre

This is just one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s really got everything – mystery, intrigue, romance, rich people sitting around playing cards and strolling around large rooms simply to pass the time. And I just love, love, love this character. She’s fierce! (In all the good ways.)

As I referenced in a earlier post, it started out grim for poor Jane. She was able to get away from the meanie Aunt though, but things at the private school to which she was sent weren’t much better at first. But then it all improved, and she ended up finding a friend (who died of course, but it was nice for a while), and then she became a teacher at the school. But restless spirit that she is, she had to get out and see a bit more of the world, so she found herself a position as a governess at Thornfield Manor. Things there have been VERY interesting (including some mysterious entity living on the third floor that wails, growls, scratches, and stomps).

Last night the meanie Aunt died, but on her deathbed she revealed to Jane that she had withheld a letter from one of Jane’s relatives who wanted to claim her as his own!! Simply out of spite, the meanie withheld this note!! What a meanie. (This concept perplexes me – a mean aunt? Inconceivable.)

Carole Runs on Dunkin

Will and I took my truck out for a spin today and he remarked about the litter pile that had accumulated on the passenger side. Dunkin bags, napkins, sandwich wrappers, and cups lie scattered on the floor. (Now that I’m back in the commute grind, Dunkin is a guilty pleasure I afford myself. I find it eases the pain of going to GCH).

He mused that the image would make a great commercial for the brand; just a peek inside the car door and a pan around the interior and then a shot of me walking (quickly) away with my trusty Dunkin in hand and the tag line, “Carole Runs on Dunkin.” It’s actually sort of brilliant – they’ve established the whole notion of “America Runs on Dunkin.” A logical extension of the campaign would be more specific. The individuals could be fictional, or they could be real. Customers could be asked to send in their stories. I promise I’m a less expensive spokeswoman than Rachel Ray.

And for those of you wondering – things have gotten better for poor Jane Eyre (yes I am STILL working my way through it… I read only a few pages before passing out each night), although I fear a turn for the worse is in the near future. And our Aeroponic tomatoes have buds!!! More on both these topics later. Must get back to work.

Poor Jane Eyre

(I’m having book chat with myself because Jenn’s on the Barnaked Ladies cruise and we’re between books anyway.) I can’t believe what a good story this is already. So quickly into the story Jane sees a ghost. A real, actual ghost. At least I think so. But I’m not really sure and that’s part of what keeps me reading. And what a sad, sad life she has. How mean her aunt and cousins are! Even the household help. So I’m excited that it looks like she’s getting out. But her aunt already sort of poisoned that guy from the school against her. I really like how she told-off her aunt right before she left. Thought it was interesting when she told the doctor that she would rather stay with her mean aunt than entertain the notion of going to live with really, really poor relatives. Interesting choice. Can’t wait to see what happens next. I should try to get to bed early so I don’t stay up so late reading. Last night when I forced myself to put the book down it was nearly midnight. But... new episode of “House” tonight. Hmm...

Nanny-nanny, foo-foo!

I'm an M&M girl. I grew up in Hackettstown, NJ where nearly every M&M consumed in the US is born. My college education was largely funded by my mom's job at M&M, and my first professional experience was working as an intern in that office (my first cube, actually).

And so when I heard this news and this related story, I could not supress a snide, jeering Nelson laugh.

Silly humans. Cubes are for ice.

An office cube is the anti-BDO; the BDO of the bizarro world.




Seriously? Why? Who designed this and why? Who thought this was a good idea? Who thought this kind of environment would aid in productivity, morale, anything positive?

The Hostess Sets the Tone of the Party

This is my new life philosophy.

I’ve tested it in several theoretical (and a few real) scenarios and it always applies.

If, in every situation, I just imagine myself as the hostess trying to set a friendly, happy, comfortable tone for my guests, every thing in life gets better/easier. Seriously. Try it.

At the grocery store. Walking down the street. At the gas station. Chatting with the postman. In traffic. Folding laundry. Drudgery becomes festive; the mundane becomes colorful. It's sort of amazing.

I think I've stumbled onto something really powerful. Think it demands a trendy self-help book. Could I work this up into several thousand words? I bet I could. I bet you all could help.


Oh. And P.S: Way to go Hillary.

Our Winter Garden

Got SOOO many good Christmas gifts this year. Life is Good jammies from my niece; an insanely cozy new robe from Will; cheese from Wisconsin. Overall, an embarrassment of riches.

But my sister, the wanna-be-scientist and best-teacher-ever-because-everything-genuinely-excites-her, got Will and I an aeroponic garden. And in 4 short days, we have tomato sprouts. Look how cute they are:






This is the brand of our garden: AeroGarden.

A good thing about today

It actually wasn’t too bad.

Today was the first full day of work after a leisurely break between Christmas and New Year’s and I was dreading it. (And then there was the whole “no longer my own boss” thing.) Not bad. Happy little surprise.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose daddy wisely told her, “find something you love and figure out how to make a living doing it.” Thanks to her mommy, the girl was a lover of language and so she decided on a career playing with words and ideas.

After many years working at corporations (often inside stuffy buildings with windows that never opened), she went out on her own into the lovely world of freelance writing. This was a very happy time indeed. The girl worked only with people she liked, on projects she found interesting, and - perhaps most important - from an office right inside her home with plenty of windows that open.

Then one day an interesting thing happened and she decided to join a nice little company. She could still work mostly from her home and mostly on projects she found interesting. But she was no longer working for herself. And if felt good and odd at the same time.

It’s January 1 and I’m officially no longer my own boss.