Just Do Something!

One day, years ago, I realized that I wasn’t pursuing any of the many ideas I had. I remember saying, “If I did half of what I thought about doing, I’d be twice as successful in life.” It sounded wise, but I didn’t listen until I became so desperately unhappy that I finally said to myself, “Just do something!”

That’s when enrolled in library school. True, I left the program after a single semester, but it wasn’t a failure. I learned things that I needed to know and that I still need to keep in mind.

  • I don’t want to be a librarian. That’s good to know, and because I gave it a shot, I’ll never have to wonder “what if?”
  • I like school and I’m good at it. Though I can’t make a career out of taking classes, I can do something with the interests and skills that make school so enjoyable for me.
  • Change is good. When I went back to school, I felt more energized. I met new people. I had new things to do, to think about, to say.

I was right. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Even though I took the wrong path, it gave me answers to questions, sharpened my skills, and kept me active.

Now here I am at the same place again—full of ideas, pursuing none of them, and becoming desperately unhappy. So I say again, “Just do something!”

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Euphemistically Speaking

If you had visited this site just minutes ago, you would have seen a post with a “newly-minted” euphemism. I thought it was my word. Then I looked it up and though it’s not in any conventional dictionary, it is in a “street” dictionary and by their definition it’s more offensive than the word I was trying to replace. A little bit of vulgarity is OK by me, but this one was particularly bad. So here is a revised version of the post.

Faithful Reader doesn’t like it when I swear too much and he has indicated that he might prefer euphemisms. Euphemisms are not as much fun, and I’m bored with “eff” and “freak” and “frig.” I would do almost anything for him, though, so I’ll try to use them occasionally for his sake.

Here’s an example of how I might use them:

Can you believe that the effers at the furniture store tried to tell us that they don’t have a freaking money-back guarantee when their own frigging receipt clearly states that they do?

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Life Imitating Art

I must be living in the Monty Python scene where they bring out the dead and one of them says, “But I’m not dead yet!”

That’s me. I’m still not dead. In spite of all my efforts to be dead, the catalog company continues to send me catalogs.

Do they think I’m going to dial in from the Beyond and say, “I really fancy that Claddagh ring. Could you ship it to Heaven c/o God?”

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On Cloud Zero

Our new mattress, formerly known as The Cloud, had me floating on air for about two weeks, and then it started to sink and I started to ache. Faithful Reader, who noticed the sagging before I did, agreed that there was a problem. Since then, we have been shopping for a replacement.

Buying a mattress is like buying a car. Continue reading

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Writer’s Block Revisited

I haven’t written anything but blog posts lately, and not even a lot of those. No Christmas cards, no rhymes, no journal entries. That’s bad.

One good thing about Sunday Stories, it got me to write once in a while. Should I try it again?

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Resolutions for 2008

Life is too short.

  1. I resolve to swear at least once per day.
  2. I resolve not to read The Secret.
  3. I resolve to eat chocolate whenever I want.
  4. I resolve to treat people as they deserve to be treated.
  5. I resolve to let my evil twin out more often.
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The Last Two

The last two books I read in 2007 were from the children’s section of my library.

Whispering to Witches by Anna Dale
Grade: B
Whispering to Witches is a story about an everyday boy who gets caught up in a witch mystery. In the inevitable comparison with Harry Potter, this book loses because it doesn’t have the same depth, but it is nevertheless fun and I would recommend it for children.

The Sisters Grimm, Book One: Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
Grade: B
Fairy-Tale Detectives is the first book in a series. It is about two descendants of the Brothers Grimm, young sisters named Daphne and Sabrina. Their parents have disappeared and after running away from several foster homes, the girls are finally placed with a woman who claims to be their grandmother. When the old lady is abducted by a giant, the sisters learn that some fairy-tales are true, and they set out to rescue the one woman who can explain it all.

I never became so immersed that I forgot that I was reading, so I “heard” rather than “saw” the story of Fairy-Tale Detectives. It is probably a good adventure for youngsters, but I would not recommend it for adults.

That’s two more books that will be heading out into the world to find new homes, and thank goodness, because Christmas brought many new books to our house!

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Icky!

I always thought that if you waited too long to pee, you’d simply wet your pants and that was it. I was wrong. Bladders can actually rupture if overfilled and left overfull for long periods of time.

So, my friends, love your bladders and treat them right. This New Year’s Eve, if you drink alcohol, pee often and don’t drink enough to pass out. Not only is passing out extremely dangerous for a variety of other reasons, but while you’re unconscious your bladder could go POP! And that’s icky.

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A Year of Reading

A love of reading doesn’t necessarily translate into a talent for picking literature apart and I sometimes wonder how I survived three years as an English major. I was reasonably good at it (they gave me a degree, anyway), but after graduating I gave up my pretensions and went back to reading solely for the love of it. That’s why I call my reading page “Book Love.”

I love books so much that in 2007 I read and graded 44 of them. Continue reading

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Christmas Gratitude

What better time to get back into the habit of being grateful than after receiving so many great gifts?

  • Thanks, Faithful Reader, for doing all the shopping and ordering for our Christmas TV.
  • Thanks, Mom, for filling up my stocking even though you said you weren’t going to do it this year, and also for the cashmere sweater and the bubble-tea kit.
  • Thanks, Dad, for the pretty silver necklace.
  • Thanks, In-Laws-to-Be, for Christmas-Eve dinner and the neato Bach action figure.
  • Thanks, C—, for the Christmas card, which was wonderful to receive, and also for the return address, because without it I’d have no idea where the heck you were.
  • Thanks, A—, for the Christmas mug and candy. You’re one of the nicest coworkers in the world.
  • Thanks, Borg drones, for helping to decorate the Christmas tree.
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