The hardest posts to title are ones like this: a big soupy mix of my random babble. So there you have it… catching you up on some things (on a Saturday), and hey – look at that tree, it’s leaning.
It leans with the wind. Or maybe it just looked that way when I put my head down on my desk.
It never comes out the same way in the photo as it looks in real life. From my vantage point, the eucalyptus on our property fills up the office window with towering green, winds making it a living portrait. It’s awesome. To my left, bougainvillea lies dormant yet still amazing.
Next up: ramble time.
+ I’ve noticed you. That’s right – YOU. I have seven followers reading my words and I …don’t know who most of them are. Except for you, Miss J, because even though we haven’t met in real life, I still know you. 🙂
Holy crap! This makes me happy. It makes me happy because I didn’t ask you guys to follow me, you just did it, so I want to make you happy. If you promise to stay, I promise to keep writing. And since I’m not really into celebrating the whole Christmas-omg-here’s-a-physical-present thing, why not make a present to me by getting me a follower? Thanks, you’re the best. I’ll try to reciprocate. :))
+ Just saw The Yellow Reading Chair post and it made me think of my Blue Reading Chair. Woot!
+ Mariachi players just walked by the office. They’ve got violins and the music sounds all sorts of festive. It’s appropriate for the Festive Event over there, and sounds nice to boot.
+ My health is not getting any better; matter of fact, it’s getting worse. This makes me a less-than-happy camper. Monday at 2pm is my specialist’s appointment, so cross your fingers this is just something that can be treated with antibiotics. I’m crossing my fingers it’s not A) much worse or B) something they need to give me an MRI for.
+ We spent Thanksgiving up at our friends’ house – Casa de Mikey & Page. An hour north of us, it’s a nice little haven in the hills. Very quiet, very homey. It was a delicious and relaxing time.
+ My art is bubbling up to the surface, fueled by a lot more medication than I’m used to, but the physical effort is too much right now. At least some basic sketches are happening but mostly I want to sleep.
Something that dawned on me today was perhaps working on an art gathering. It could be here at my work. Yes, 2012… it could be my year. And why not? Which brings me to the fact that I will never admit:
+ I was following Kim & Khloe Kardashian on Twitter. That’s right. My original reason for following them (or watching them, or acknowledging they exist) was mostly for the same reason I pick up tabloids in checkout lines: the styles, the fashion, the makeup…it’s a magpie reaction. Anyway, I was following them up until a few hours ago when Khloe posted about their new novel. That’s right, *their* new novel. Because it took all three of them to write what they probably think is the equivalent of “Valley of the Dolls” (NO) or even “Invisible Monsters” (HELL NO) and like, OMG, it’s about …well, them. I loathe having to bring this up because it will garner them even more traffic (and more potential sales), but I need to make a point.
Says Khloe (on her blog, previewing the “novel”), “this chapter is an introduction into the world of three sisters — Kamille, Kass and Kyle, and really sets the tone for the rest of the book.” Oh my gosh, really?!!!?!?? Huh, what sordid tales of intrigue could be there?? Well, the first sentence uses the phrase “açaí berry”, and the first few paragraphs are about a girl who argues with her mom/manager about if going to the spa on a weekly basis can really be considered a luxury or not.
I’ll leave the rest of the mystery up to you, dear Reader.
Now listen, I won’t lie. I want to read it in the way I want to see the Twilight movies (on video) – for the sheer awfulness of it. The ludicrous entertainment of this terrible thing that just Should Not Be. But I certainly WILL NOT pay to see the Twilight movies, in the same way that I WILL NOT pay to read Dollhouse. There is no way that my money will go towards that, absolutely not… but that doesn’t mean my curiosity is any less.
+ I no longer follow them. I’ll miss the makeup and fashions, from an artistic point of view, but if somebody’s cyber personality irritates you enough to get past your screen, it’s time to unfollow.
+ Oooh, speaking of, I’ve been on a Facebook unfriending spree. My guidelines for unfriending are fairly lax but it feels like cleaning out the closet. Did we grow up together? Did we add each other simply because of that? Have we talked in the past five years via some method other than Facebook? Has any of that consisted of saying more than something like “what’s up” or “oh that’s a cute photo”? Have we communicated in any fashion for any length of time since becoming Facebook friends? If the answers are Yes / Yes / No / No / No, then you’re off the list.
I haven’t made a fuss about it; no announcements, no trumpets and grandeur. It’s been a slow process – the decision is made typically if I see a status update that makes me realize that A) we have nothing left in common except a zip code, B) you have nothing interesting (to me) to say and C) things you DO say are all done via mutilated English. Essentially if I’d rather hide your status updates than read them, you’re a Questionable FB Friend. I don’t care that you made chicken for the fam on Sunday night. I don’t care about your kids, the daycare you’re running, or how you’re “hustlin & grindin”. I probably don’t care about your drama. Scroll back a handful of entries and you’ll see my more in-depth thoughts on the situation.
My decision to de-friend someone is generally validated after about a week goes by. If they haven’t sent me a friend request or a quick message after they’ve been removed, I know it was the right choice. This isn’t me asking for attention or errant emails, this is me saying “Ah, this was quick and painless for both of us, no hard feelings, have a good one”. It saves us the trouble of keeping up the front …which for all intents and purposes probably doesn’t matter, because they most likely haven’t even paid any mind to my profile in the first place.
The method is working out well.
+ More reading occurred over the weekend. Halfway done with Book 4 in the Dark Tower series re-read, and Mikey also lent me books 2/3/4 in the Game of Thrones series. I’m concerned that my condition is actually worsened by the act of reading or looking at computers, so you may not hear much from me for awhile. If you’re feeling inclined, drop me a random email. I’ll appreciate it. 🙂
+ Just under an hour to go here at work. Time to finish up some things and then head out for my second weekend of the week. Cheers to all of you.
Retention 