old things new

A recent assignment included a description of my 'office' which reminded me I hadn't done an old things post for a while....


We picked up these speakers at a yard sale, used them for quite some time, eventually realizing one had a cracked woofer. Nice wood cabinets - too nice to simply toss, so they became part of the storage and display options in my office. With a quick swivel in my chair I have fingertip access to a phone book, catalogs, mail, camera, mp3 player....
The camera flash caught the speakers through the fabric cover - you don't actualy see them like this, but talk about outdated!!

elegance

This year the traditional scarlet amaryllis just didn't sound appealing. The package is long gone so I can't even tell you what this delicate beauty is named.
The veining is a subtle pink - I think I've captured it. Finding a dark background for the photo was a bit tricky.

Tim was supposed to take it to work today but the wind howled ferociously all through the night and continues, even now, (though the sun is finally shining!!) so i'm not sure if it would have survived the trip. I can enjoy it for another day.
I started the amaryllis before Christmas. I picked up a box of paperwhites from the clearance section after Christmas - they are juuuust starting to show a bit of green....

Another pea souper!!

I can't believe we're having yet another day of pea soup fog......
In honor of the occasion I'm fixing chicken soup. The combination of chicken and sausage is one of my favorites so this batch will feature an italian sausage, baby bellas, carrots,garlic and little pillows of fresh,homemade noodles.mmmmm



It's been a long time since I've made noodles and decided this shape would better suit the combination in the pot than the traditional strips. (these little guys will be cut in 1/2 again before going into the pot) Dig in!!

Timestamps

For what ever mysterious reason that brings one particular (peculiar?) item or line of thought to the fore, this week it has been timestamps. The question of post times was raised by one, commented on by another and since then, very much on my mind.
I had mentioned in a previous post that my daily routines have been re-arranged. Yesterday morning I looked at the clock, it registered quarter of, I could hear Tim in the shower, so I figure "why wait for the alarm (set for the top of the hour)- might as well get up". Which I did. Had my glass of water and logged in to see what was going on at school. Tim comes out dressed for work, gives me (what I thought was) a funny look and says something along the lines of 'you don't need to work so hard at this, it'll be ok, you can dial it back a notch' (which I thought was a funny thing to say). We exchanged goodbye - see you tonight - drive carefully, (more fog! I could use some sunshine) I posted a comment on a discussion thread and glanced at the timestamp - 5:18AM. No wonder Tim looked at me funny!! That explains the cryptic remarks. (Why was he leaving the house at 5:00!?) My alarm is set for 6:00 - my foggy brain only registered one of the hands!! Aiyiyi
I finished what I was doing - not much as it turns out and decided Tim was right. I didn't need to be 'at it' this early. Should I go back to bed? Nap in the basement so Charlie could sit with me? Go back to bed.....I chose to read (peruse really) in the basement so Charlie could sit with me. I was able to get this through an interlibrary loan. It is very much a thumb-through-and-enjoy kind of book. The photos are stunning.
Today will be spent getting a start on a couple writing assignments. Laundry. Cleaning. Waiting for some sunshine.....

this week

it's been a long week. charlie finds himself keeping new hours to keep up with me. those early morning starts take some adjustment....for both of us. it's been 6:00 or earlier everyday since classes started. exercise, breakfast, and at the computer by 7. with warm weather we've been out walking several times this week and should manage 2 more this weekend.
this must have been tuesday night. there is a package to mail to aidan, my notebook, assorted papers, econ textbook.
i'm finding a rhythm to the whole thing. up early for exercise and breakfast, log in to check updates and respond to class threads. read. write. think. laundry. think. pack lunch for work. work. check for new posts when i get home. dishes. read.

the first couple days it was the mechanics/process of the system that flummoxed me. that first morning i made the mistake of opening every window, every drop-down menu - ayiyi!! I'd done the online orientation. it was thorough but simply couldn't cover all the ?? running through my brain as i tried to absorb this foreign environment.
the next day was easier. each day has been easier. i can concentrate on class content rather than tabs and windows.


here's something i never thought i'd see. five years!!
last night we enjoyed steak and shrimp at the city's employee appreciation dinner. each year the city throws a shindig to recognize the various departments and the work done to keep this place running.
so i'm off to do the delicate wash, log in at school and get this day rolling!!

here we are

today finds us almost two (2!) weeks into the new year. it has taken this long to fine tune my list of projects for the year. interested??

drink more water.
keep my head above water with school work.
improve my handwriting.
find my 'look'
finish the gray hair transition.
grow some hair.
verbalize my appreciations.
focus.
commit.
persist.
achieve.

putting these goals on paper for all the world (excuse the hyperbole) to see is, of course, daunting; accountability being a 2-edged sword. it does help me to see them listed. (focus) i'll keep you informed.....

birthday greetings

my mother celebrates her birthday today and my mother-in-law tomorrow.



happy birthday to you both!!

committment issues

if you are an expert, acting in the roll of an authority on something, please, please commit to an opinion!! it does me no good to read an article on 'the best time of day to exercise' (substitute the issue of your choice)if you never say what that best time is!! i understand there are probably liability issues involved in giving firm advice, but there must be a way to address a question without shillyshallying through an article rephrasing the question half a dozen times, giving equal print to alllllll the viewpoints before wrapping up with the affirmation that, yes, there is a best time, it will vary for individuals as well as individual circumstances and we all have to find it for ourselves. merci beaucoup!!



i apologize but there is no elegant segue.......

we enjoyed our family gatherings this past weekend. good conversation, good food, good grief! -24 degrees new years morning!! not wee-hours-of-the-morning -24 but around 8:30/9:00 -24!! the jordison clan enjoyed a new venue this year (thanks again to leslie for making it happen) making the old traditions that much easier on all of us.


tim garnered birthday wishes all around and scored a german chocolate cake, complete with candle, to complete the festivities.




he and james went to see avatar while my mother's scrabble board got a workout.

aidan should probably have a seperate post but in the interest of time i'll squeeze him in here, reminding readers that he is the most delightful little guy!!
now it's back to work, back to my own bed and routines, back to emails and phone calls instead of face-to-face conversations. we're already scheduled for the cities in april, for aidan's birthday and i've started turning a few calendar pages wondering when i can squeeze another trip east into the plans.....