Things I think about..

Ever catch a glimpse of someone and wonder what their story is? I mean, outside of finding someone 'attractive'. I often wonder what makes people tick, what their lives are like and what experiences they have had that have influenced who they are today. I often say, I don't care what you "do" for a living, I care more about who you "are" for a living. People often can't answer one without the other yet, there are differences if you know yourself and can see yourself for the multidimensional being that you are. Social gathering are especially interesting regarding this.

So I find myself perpetually curious about people. Sometimes I ask them questions, but more often I just listen and observe. Sometimes I see their bigger picture forming before me, sometimes just a peak within. What really gets me thinking is when I don't have the opportunity to get up close and get to know someone. All I see is a physical glimpse of someone, having only my mental snapshot of them to use as a source of unanswered wonderment.

Christmas afternoon I took the quiet country roads out to my moms house on the lake. There wasn't any traffic, or snow, or anything remarkable overall. Yet two sightings left an impression on me, a common occurrence within my observing life, but they stood out nonetheless.

As I drove, I rounded a bend of the road that has a cemetery
located on it. Parked a long the dark gravel shoulder, a gray SUV barely stood out along the back drop of gray skies, bare trees and granite head stones. In the few moments that I passed by, I noticed the young woman standing an arms length away from a low headstone, head down, back straight, arms crossed. Her medium weight gray coat and dark slacks added to the already monotone palette of the day. I wondered what her story was. Who was she there for? Were her arms crossed to protect her from the elements or from her thoughts? Was it family? friend? Was she there out of love? guilt? Was she on her way somewhere else? and so on. Two seconds of observation to create an endless stream of thoughts to follow.

Then maybe ten miles later, I see an old man standing on the side of the road. A glance at his protruding arm and thumb indicates that he wishes to get somewhere. Approaching, I see his thick scraggly, gray and white wavy hair whipping around his face. He wore a sour expression along with his red and blue plaid flannel shirt, gray sweat pants, and tan slippers. No socks. Passing by, I see that he is on the shoulder at the end of a driveway to a large country house set back off the road. Was he a hitch hiker making his way to the next town? His sock-less feet and proximity to the house made me wonder if he simply walked out, frustrated over something or someone within those walls. Was he coherent or perhaps he was confused with dementia? In that same second, he is looking at me, looking at him. I nod in acknowledgment, but maintain my speed.He glances back at the house, confirming my thoughts that he likely lived or belonged there. Is someone about to come out for him? Is he hoping someone notices him? Is he seeking attention? Or perhaps he is waiting for somebody? My rear view mirror tells me that another car is not far behind me. Would it stop for this old man?

I continued my drive and glanced back at the man, the house and the approaching car until the car fell back further and further. I have to wonder if the car stopped for the old man. If it did, do they know each other? If not, did he get in the car? and so on..

There are stories around stories. There is a lot of information to be gleaned from a few details, yet there is so much more that we don't know. And just the same a few details can lend to using the imagination, for better or worse, to flesh out the rest of the picture.

ah yes, just a few things that I think about.

Saturday was a complete dud of a day. The energy that I claimed to have lasted all of an hour or two before I was feeling so dragged down that I eventually just went back to bed. Not cool. However, I did manage to regain consciousness around 9pm, where I headed out for a grand adventure to Mighty Taco and Tops through thick fog and makings of black ice. Also did my cat-sitting duties for a neighbor which entailed my checking in on & playing with his cat (Sat-Mon).

Sunday was redemption. I awoke with insane amounts of energy which I immediately put to good use. All of the Christmas decorations were taken down, my apartment was put back to order and I did a thorough cleaning and a few loads of laundry. Yay! As much as I enjoy the sparkly stuff of the season, I am very much happy to see it go away. After a couple of weeks (or for some people a couple of months- gah! take it down!), all of it loses its visual appeal. So everything has been packed up and put away until next year.
Besides the energy and productivity, the day itself was rather nice. It wasn't too terribly cold (like it will be Tuesday), it was still green, still mostly sunny and just a good day to get chores done. By late afternoon, the sky was darkening and a flake or two were spotted:



My energy levels continued to soar even as the night wound down. Not sure when I went to bed, but I woke again to an excessive amount of energy. This is always a welcome thing especially on a Monday morning.

I also woke to this:




It isn't a lot, but it truly covered the grass and there was enough to need to do a little shoveling and wipe my car off. Hello, winter.



(I like a fully cleared off car, so I finished it after this pic)


As it still wasn't super cold today, and the sun peaked out a little and there wasn't any wind, AND the snow seemed like it needed to be tested out more thoroughly, I thought about....cross-country skiing!!!
In a moment of elation at the thought of maybe, just maybe, getting out there on the trails, I grabbed my skis and hugged them. LOVE! With camera in hand and dork level at an all time high, I took one more pic.



However, I did not have the time to get out there today. I got home just shortly before it got dark out. There is no way that I am going out tomorrow as the temps will be only in the teens with wind. Uh, no thanks.

My dork-o-meter reading had diminished by the time I realized that I would not be going out to ski, so no sad face utterly disappointed picture to post.

I had some company over but the remainder of the evening left me itching to get out and do something. Was in the mood for a museum or art gallery, but a lot of local stuff is closed this week. As I didn't want to venture far and I needed whatever I did to be free or super cheap (I just checked my severely dwindled banking account, yikes!), I headed to the library. Yeh, big Monday night out. But my options were limited and since I can find some entertaining value with just about anything, this worked enough for me. Besides conversation with random library people, I grabbed some music, a couple of movies, the two Chuck Palahniuk novels that I hadn't yet read,"Pygmy" & "Snuff", and Ken Auletta's, "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It"


Figured staying in with books & movies will be one of the things that will keep me entertained until I boost my account back up. Fortunately most of my bills are paid well in advance.

Well, stay warm peeps, it is going to be COOOOOOOLD tomorrow. Also, watch the roads, with the weather advisory for wind and blowing snow, the roads could easily become a mess, especially in areas that got more snow recently.

I hope everyone is doing well and had a safe holiday.

I spent the day at my moms on the lake. Temps felts mildish hanging in the upper 30s. Although when it began pouring, it didn't feel so good. The lake looked super cool with its breaking waves. All afternoon I would just stare out the windows taking in the ever changing scenery. Freighters passed by, clouds rolled in, mist, crashing waves.. good stuff. We had an early dinner, exchanged gifts, watched a movie, and chatted. I left in the early evening to go home for a little while before heading out again to meet up with friends.

A few of us went to see "Sherlock Holmes" late last night; the theater was packed. It was a fun movie and it would good to see again just to catch everything that went on. Finished up the night/morning with some Denny's food. I haven't been there in a long time, but among friends it is usually a late night x-mas tradition for us-- movies/Dennys.

Despite being tired, I managed to stay up way too late. I may have fallen asleep around 5am. My light block bedroom curtains and gray day allowed me to sleep until noon with ease.

Now I am ready to take decorations down. Depending on what I come up with to do today, I will start on that process.

Which brings me to.. I want to do something, but haven't come up with anything. It is a Saturday, so most people are off from work, and likely it is a very busy day out there for driving, going into stores or whatever. I'm not in the mood for traffic generated by cars or people wandering around looking for deals the day after Christmas. So, I'm not exactly sold on heading out anywhere.. but I'm in the mood to do something and my day is wide open. Hmmm. Let's see where my ambition takes me.

Well, time for breakfast/lunch. I totally throw myself off when I am up all night like I was. Seriously, it is after 2pm already?! maybe a day to veg instead...

huuh, looking out the window, the rain is turning white.

oh.. never mind. back to rain.

I just looked at the time...




and for those feeling a little 'bah humbug'


Whatever your plans, whether you are celebrating or not, with people or on your own, have a fantastic day.

After some family time, I plan to go to the movies to see Sherlock Holmes.

What are ya'll up to?

It was a fun day.

Had a few family members over for a Christmas Eve early dinner. Well, it was my mom and my "step dad" (someone who has been in my life since I was 12, who was with my mom for 14 years until she decided to end the relationship but they are still very good friends, which is totally awesome) and his room mate/friend (who moved in six months ago, they had grown up together, was supposed to be a one month temporary thing, but it has worked out well for it to be a longer situation, so naturally he is adopted into our "family"- that's how we roll). So the four of us had a really nice time- good food, conversation and lots of laughs.

After they all left, I spent the remainder of the evening catching up on emails, chatting with some friends I haven't spoken to in awhile and just.. thinking. I guess with another year at a close, some thoughts are bound to be at the forefront of my mind.

While doing all the emailing and chatting and so on, I had a nice mug of hot chocolate from a mix that (e:pyrcedgrrl) had made as gifts. I added a candy cane and an extra large splash of chocolate mint Baileys. Yummy. I tossed my special hat on that I wear when I am chilled sitting at home. Ok, I have an assortment that I can chose from, and really I just grab whatever is closest to me. The one I chose always brings a smile to my face, it is an old joke of the sort.. yeh, it has Barbie on it (so NOT my thing).


Now I am wrapping it up and heading to bed with a book. Warren Ellis', Crooked Little Vein, if you want to know.

want some?


yummy!


Trying to get me, the cocoa and the top of my hat in while take a self pic was much more complicated than I thought, so you get a second pic of me. :P
cheers!

I have a DeLonghi microthermic flat panel radiant heater. It is awesome. It heats up quickly and takes care of a good size room easily. There are multiple settings but usually I am cranking it high. I got it last year for use in a room that never quite gets warm enough, also for use when I am going to be hanging out in one room for a long period of time and I want the extra warmth but don't want to heat the whole apartment to that level.




My cats love it too. I often see them stretched out in front of it basking in the panels warmth. I don't have any pictures.. yet.

So when I saw this picture today over at that lolcat site, it did indeed make me "lol", as I can totally imagine that being my Joey warming his little fuzznuts near the heater.

and officially, my little village got its first snow late last night. There have been a tease of flakes at times, but it has been all green up until this morning. Today, the snow covered the grass.

yesterday afternoon I saw Joey was watching the snowflakes fall. They weren't really sticking, so I didn't expect anything to wake up to.







however, I did wake up to a good dusting. Nothing on the roads. Maybe an inch fell?





with the sun, it is already melting.

Ok, time for G rated cookie pics.


big mess compared to the organization depicted in (e:theecarey,50601)


lots of sugar cookies and gingerbread men


soft peanut butter cookie w/ Hershey's kiss


A white chocolate coated oreo ball


(ground oreos, cream cheese mixed together then chilled. Followed by dipping into melted white chocolate. Crazy easy and yummy)

3am silliness.

Just making use of cookie "mistakes".


I call this, "Bukkookie"






more cookie pictures to come..

G rated ones, that is.

not your grandma's cookies!