12.04.2006
11.30.2006
11.29.2006
Notes to Self:
1. Next time I buy a house, find out where the water meter is, and the main water shut off to the house. It's not fun looking for these items in 16 F weather in the snow with a strange man from the Alderwood water district at 11pm in the evening.
2. When it snows or the temperature drops below freezing, make sure that all exposed water pipes are well insulated and keep a faucet dripping to ensure water flow at all times.
3. Make sure to unhook all hoses from outside faucets and put insulated covers on the faucets.
4. Don't by an old house, no matter how adorable it is or how much you love it. Go for the ugly split level or the cookie cutter cottage house. Much more practical in Freak Snowstorms.
5. Always make a snowman of some kind when it snows. Even if it's 2 feet tall.
11.26.2006
11.23.2006
Gardens
Gardens, wide open spaces,
Tall grass and sunsets, ice cream on a hot day.
Violins and cellos as accompaniment.
This was the speech I planned.
Instead, I took the words,
The broken glass, shoes, old and tired;
Eggshells, crusts of bread, moldy cheese.
I threw them at you, threw them all
Until your ears must have burst from the noise--
Wishes are harder to picture in my mind,
Let alone speak of them; I cannot even whisper.
Cotton balls, the small hands of a child,
Feathers, bits of string and Eskimo kisses.
So, I gather these in my lap, close and safe.
Gardens, wide open spaces,
Tall grass and sunsets, ice cream on a hot day.
Violins and cellos as accompaniment.
This was the speech I planned.
Instead, I took the words,
The broken glass, shoes, old and tired;
Eggshells, crusts of bread, moldy cheese.
I threw them at you, threw them all
Until your ears must have burst from the noise--
Wishes are harder to picture in my mind,
Let alone speak of them; I cannot even whisper.
Cotton balls, the small hands of a child,
Feathers, bits of string and Eskimo kisses.
So, I gather these in my lap, close and safe.
11.22.2006
Book Recommendation:
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
If you are like me and have ever noted that some of the best fairy tales are the dark ones where characters have three eyes, the bad guys eat children and even the heroes and the princesses are aren't perfect, this book is for you. Imagine a story that comes to life borne out of your fears, weaknesses and jealousies and you get put smack dab in the middle, expected to be the hero and conquer them all.
On another note, I haven't come across such creativity in a long while.
So, its a little dark, (ok maybe a lot) but it's one where the dark gets darker and the light gets lighter.I suppose I did not tell you much, but that makes it all the better. It's really better discover this book.
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
If you are like me and have ever noted that some of the best fairy tales are the dark ones where characters have three eyes, the bad guys eat children and even the heroes and the princesses are aren't perfect, this book is for you. Imagine a story that comes to life borne out of your fears, weaknesses and jealousies and you get put smack dab in the middle, expected to be the hero and conquer them all.
On another note, I haven't come across such creativity in a long while.
So, its a little dark, (ok maybe a lot) but it's one where the dark gets darker and the light gets lighter.I suppose I did not tell you much, but that makes it all the better. It's really better discover this book.
11.21.2006
11.18.2006
I have been accused of being too fragmented in my internet presence:
http://www.myspace.com/grapesky
http://grapesky.blogspot.com
http://regent.facebook.com/profile.php?id=215500549
http://www.wallop.com/joonitree
http://grapesky.vox.com/
http://grapesky.spaces.live.com/
What do you think?
Honestly, the best way to keep track of me, is to use the rss feed on this little blog of mine...
http://grapesky.blogspot.com/atom.xml
http://www.myspace.com/grapesky
http://grapesky.blogspot.com
http://regent.facebook.com/profile.php?id=215500549
http://www.wallop.com/joonitree
http://grapesky.vox.com/
http://grapesky.spaces.live.com/
What do you think?
Honestly, the best way to keep track of me, is to use the rss feed on this little blog of mine...
http://grapesky.blogspot.com/atom.xml
11.17.2006
To Old Man in 4 Runner who Flipped Me Off with Your Stubby Middle Finger:
I am not sure why your middle finger was chopped off, perhaps from working in a saw mill, or from some crazy torture inflicted upon you in a Vietnam POW camp, but please refrain from flipping me off with it, ESPECIALLY since, you had the right of way and there were a pile of cars behind while you were backing up traffic honking at me to take my left when you know very darn well that it was your turn.
I am not sure why your middle finger was chopped off, perhaps from working in a saw mill, or from some crazy torture inflicted upon you in a Vietnam POW camp, but please refrain from flipping me off with it, ESPECIALLY since, you had the right of way and there were a pile of cars behind while you were backing up traffic honking at me to take my left when you know very darn well that it was your turn.
11.16.2006
Smooth Move Tea works well....perhaps too well.
The moon was a slice this morning. I hope that tonight it will be clear as its going to be gorgeous.
I like seeing old men in cowboy hats while sitting in traffic during the early morning commute.
The moon was a slice this morning. I hope that tonight it will be clear as its going to be gorgeous.
I like seeing old men in cowboy hats while sitting in traffic during the early morning commute.
11.15.2006
11.14.2006
My poem writing is a little shaky at the moment, because I have not been practicing. Quite horrid of me, I know.
.............................................................................................................
Opening the door to a stranger and seeing the future.
I can choose to shut the door
Or open it again and again.
The vase on the table full of flowers needs more water,
Ignoring that won’t bring them to life.
Some things are certain, but this time
It’s really hard to predict if it will end.
Will I return the borrowed coat?
Or will I iron the collar and fold the towels?
Those things are unimportant.
Because it is how I dry my hair
And remembering to change the oil—
The moments of time.
.............................................................................................................
Opening the door to a stranger and seeing the future.
I can choose to shut the door
Or open it again and again.
The vase on the table full of flowers needs more water,
Ignoring that won’t bring them to life.
Some things are certain, but this time
It’s really hard to predict if it will end.
Will I return the borrowed coat?
Or will I iron the collar and fold the towels?
Those things are unimportant.
Because it is how I dry my hair
And remembering to change the oil—
The moments of time.
11.11.2006
11.10.2006
It's Friday, and a good day for a Color Extravaganza, with a clown.
YOU MUST SEE THIS! --make sure you have sound.
PS: Thanks to the VSL.
YOU MUST SEE THIS! --make sure you have sound.
PS: Thanks to the VSL.
11.09.2006
...Chuck Colson writes an daily email called "BreakPoint." Today's was so good, that I wanted to post it.
A Pounding at the PollsWhy Conservatives Lost
November 9, 2006
Election Day is over, the votes have been counted, and it's clear that conservatives took a beating. I have always maintained that Christian leaders should not make partisan endorsements—and I never have. But I am unashamed to say that I am a conservative.
In one sense, I think, all Bible-believers are conservative, because we believe in governing our lives by revealed truth rather than by man-made, utopian ideologies. Modern liberalism wants to remove all restraints on people's behavior. Conservatives believe in the moral law. So Bible-believers might be liberal on a lot of issues, at least in the common sense of that word, like helping the poor, but they would be fundamentally conservative in their disposition toward life.
So, what happened in Tuesday's election? The economy is strong. And it's true we're in an unpopular war, but people vote their pocketbooks most often. Yet the conservative movement, which had been gaining ground, has blown it. It has been defeated. Why?
The answer is one that may startle you. Conservatives lost because they deserved to. They failed to live up to the high standards of personal behavior they preach about. And that's what brought them down.
Is there a double standard here? Why should the case of Mark Foley have helped bring down the Republicans? After all, twenty years ago a Democratic congressman, Gerry Studds, had an affair with a male page, disclosed that he was a homosexual, got his wrist slapped by the House, and then got re-elected! Why has Foley's indiscretion turned into Foley-gate?
The answer is because it's just the tip of the iceberg. Look at how the conservatives for years railed against the Democratic liberal establishment and all of its money, the lobbying establishment, the junkets, the payoffs. The conservatives campaigned against it in 1994, only to take over Washington and do exactly the same thing. This is what is known as rank hypocrisy.
Is it unfair that when conservatives do things liberals do, that they, the conservatives, are labeled as hypocrites? No.
According to that great conservative thinker Russell Kirk, the first tenet of conservatism is the preservation of the moral order. True conservatives don't look at government as a plaything by which they can impose their latest ideas on the country; they look at political power as a guardianship, what Chesterton called the democracy of the dead. In other words, we have a debt to those who have gone before us, and the primary debt is to preserve the moral and constitutional order that our forebears fought to defend.
So when a conservative has a much-publicized affair or is outed for improper sexual behavior with pages, or digs into the congressional budget pot to hand out earmarks to his own district, he is a hypocrite to be scorned.
My hope and prayer is that conservatives in America will do some serious, sober soul-searching. We need to get our own act together before we can preach to others, or before we deserve to hold power. And if we break trust, we are breaking trust with the very essence of who we are. Our own character is at stake.
You can talk all you want about the unpopularity of President Bush, or the Iraq war, or immigration. But what this campaign really boiled down to was, well, when it comes to conservatives, it's character, stupid. If conservatives don't learn that lesson, they will spend a long time in exile—and deservedly so.
A Pounding at the PollsWhy Conservatives Lost
November 9, 2006
Election Day is over, the votes have been counted, and it's clear that conservatives took a beating. I have always maintained that Christian leaders should not make partisan endorsements—and I never have. But I am unashamed to say that I am a conservative.
In one sense, I think, all Bible-believers are conservative, because we believe in governing our lives by revealed truth rather than by man-made, utopian ideologies. Modern liberalism wants to remove all restraints on people's behavior. Conservatives believe in the moral law. So Bible-believers might be liberal on a lot of issues, at least in the common sense of that word, like helping the poor, but they would be fundamentally conservative in their disposition toward life.
So, what happened in Tuesday's election? The economy is strong. And it's true we're in an unpopular war, but people vote their pocketbooks most often. Yet the conservative movement, which had been gaining ground, has blown it. It has been defeated. Why?
The answer is one that may startle you. Conservatives lost because they deserved to. They failed to live up to the high standards of personal behavior they preach about. And that's what brought them down.
Is there a double standard here? Why should the case of Mark Foley have helped bring down the Republicans? After all, twenty years ago a Democratic congressman, Gerry Studds, had an affair with a male page, disclosed that he was a homosexual, got his wrist slapped by the House, and then got re-elected! Why has Foley's indiscretion turned into Foley-gate?
The answer is because it's just the tip of the iceberg. Look at how the conservatives for years railed against the Democratic liberal establishment and all of its money, the lobbying establishment, the junkets, the payoffs. The conservatives campaigned against it in 1994, only to take over Washington and do exactly the same thing. This is what is known as rank hypocrisy.
Is it unfair that when conservatives do things liberals do, that they, the conservatives, are labeled as hypocrites? No.
According to that great conservative thinker Russell Kirk, the first tenet of conservatism is the preservation of the moral order. True conservatives don't look at government as a plaything by which they can impose their latest ideas on the country; they look at political power as a guardianship, what Chesterton called the democracy of the dead. In other words, we have a debt to those who have gone before us, and the primary debt is to preserve the moral and constitutional order that our forebears fought to defend.
So when a conservative has a much-publicized affair or is outed for improper sexual behavior with pages, or digs into the congressional budget pot to hand out earmarks to his own district, he is a hypocrite to be scorned.
My hope and prayer is that conservatives in America will do some serious, sober soul-searching. We need to get our own act together before we can preach to others, or before we deserve to hold power. And if we break trust, we are breaking trust with the very essence of who we are. Our own character is at stake.
You can talk all you want about the unpopularity of President Bush, or the Iraq war, or immigration. But what this campaign really boiled down to was, well, when it comes to conservatives, it's character, stupid. If conservatives don't learn that lesson, they will spend a long time in exile—and deservedly so.
11.08.2006
11.06.2006
New Houseguest
We have a new resident in our house who seems to have claimed our laundry room. Let me see if I can describe this new housemate....
Small, grey and rodent-like. Any guesses? He likes to poke around in our recycling bags. In fact, he gave me quite a scare when he jumped out of the brown bags and scampered around the tile floor.
I am sure you will tell me that he is just as scared of us as we are of him. And well he should be. Because we have called the Reinforcement in. However, as our Savior can't help us until Wednesday set some more traps and put more poison out, our little, but mighty, guest will have the whole laundry and basement to himself.
And if you wonder if I will feel any guilt in killing this horrid thing, I will tell you, NO. Most emphatically, NO! I am considering getting a t-shirt that says "I love to KILL mice."
I just need some help with the font choice.
P.S. I should note that I am a little disappointed as a part of the outfit I wanted to wear tomorrow is in the laundry room. I just hope he doesn't try it on!
We have a new resident in our house who seems to have claimed our laundry room. Let me see if I can describe this new housemate....
Small, grey and rodent-like. Any guesses? He likes to poke around in our recycling bags. In fact, he gave me quite a scare when he jumped out of the brown bags and scampered around the tile floor.
I am sure you will tell me that he is just as scared of us as we are of him. And well he should be. Because we have called the Reinforcement in. However, as our Savior can't help us until Wednesday set some more traps and put more poison out, our little, but mighty, guest will have the whole laundry and basement to himself.
And if you wonder if I will feel any guilt in killing this horrid thing, I will tell you, NO. Most emphatically, NO! I am considering getting a t-shirt that says "I love to KILL mice."
I just need some help with the font choice.
P.S. I should note that I am a little disappointed as a part of the outfit I wanted to wear tomorrow is in the laundry room. I just hope he doesn't try it on!
11.04.2006
11.03.2006
Just Another Friday Night
I suppose you think that today after work, I went home, took a nap, made dinner and then worked on a paper for school, but this is where you are very wrong.
On the way home from work, there was an accident that happened in front of my very eyes, I stopped to make sure that all the parties were ok and that no one was hurt. At that point, I realized that the person in the small grey SUV was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Anderson. I remember her very well as she read to my class Where the Red Fern Grows and we got quite emotionally involved with the story, to the point where I cannot watch that movie with out bawling my eyes out. **SPOILER** The part in the film where Big Dan saves the boy from the cougar and his entrails have spilled out of his body just GETS me every time, and then when they go home and the Little Ann dies of a broken heart. GOSH. My eyes tear up just thinking about it.
Anyways, after connecting again with my 5th grade teacher right there on the side of 405, I continued on home. However, after arriving home, I found a huge crate on my porch addressed to me. Inside I found a real live Koala Bear, which my friend Courtney had shipped over from Australia as a surprise present for me. I went up to the crate to get aquainted with the Koala and he just about bit my hand off. Never fear, because I remembered if you give a Koala Eucalyptus leaves then it will become really mellow, kind of like catnip for Koalas. So I ran in quickly to my house and tore off a bunch of the Eucalpytus leaves from my Eucalyptus tree that I just happen to have growing in my house.
Now, I know at this point, you must be thinking that this is pretty much enough excitement for one night, but can I just tell you that right after making dinner, there was a knock at my door. And who do you think was there? The band MegaDeath. They had heard that I recently beat a co-worker with the initials BAM at the upcoming XBOX 360 game Gears of War. Since BAM had taught them how to play the game, they had thought he was the best in the world, but in hearing my recent feat, they wanted to know if I had any tips for them.
So I invited them in for tea, and we had a little chat not just about GOW, but also about various topics, one of them being Jesus Christ. Did you know that one of the band members is a Christian? Yes, its true.
All in all, a very interesting evening.
I suppose you think that today after work, I went home, took a nap, made dinner and then worked on a paper for school, but this is where you are very wrong.
On the way home from work, there was an accident that happened in front of my very eyes, I stopped to make sure that all the parties were ok and that no one was hurt. At that point, I realized that the person in the small grey SUV was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Anderson. I remember her very well as she read to my class Where the Red Fern Grows and we got quite emotionally involved with the story, to the point where I cannot watch that movie with out bawling my eyes out. **SPOILER** The part in the film where Big Dan saves the boy from the cougar and his entrails have spilled out of his body just GETS me every time, and then when they go home and the Little Ann dies of a broken heart. GOSH. My eyes tear up just thinking about it.
Anyways, after connecting again with my 5th grade teacher right there on the side of 405, I continued on home. However, after arriving home, I found a huge crate on my porch addressed to me. Inside I found a real live Koala Bear, which my friend Courtney had shipped over from Australia as a surprise present for me. I went up to the crate to get aquainted with the Koala and he just about bit my hand off. Never fear, because I remembered if you give a Koala Eucalyptus leaves then it will become really mellow, kind of like catnip for Koalas. So I ran in quickly to my house and tore off a bunch of the Eucalpytus leaves from my Eucalyptus tree that I just happen to have growing in my house.
Now, I know at this point, you must be thinking that this is pretty much enough excitement for one night, but can I just tell you that right after making dinner, there was a knock at my door. And who do you think was there? The band MegaDeath. They had heard that I recently beat a co-worker with the initials BAM at the upcoming XBOX 360 game Gears of War. Since BAM had taught them how to play the game, they had thought he was the best in the world, but in hearing my recent feat, they wanted to know if I had any tips for them.
So I invited them in for tea, and we had a little chat not just about GOW, but also about various topics, one of them being Jesus Christ. Did you know that one of the band members is a Christian? Yes, its true.
All in all, a very interesting evening.
11.02.2006
10.31.2006
For some reason, I cannot post photos at the moment. Sorry, the promised pics will have to wait.
In doing research on social networking sites, I have compiled a list of a few of my favorites:
Meetup --want to meetup with people over a scrabble game or a political issue? This is the place
OK TA TA BYE BYE --an online community of travelers
Virb--still in beta and I as of yet don't have an invite, but desperately want one
Wallop --got an invite and it has a sweet layout...still in beta
LinkedIn--business networking
In doing research on social networking sites, I have compiled a list of a few of my favorites:
Meetup --want to meetup with people over a scrabble game or a political issue? This is the place
OK TA TA BYE BYE --an online community of travelers
Virb--still in beta and I as of yet don't have an invite, but desperately want one
Wallop --got an invite and it has a sweet layout...still in beta
LinkedIn--business networking
10.27.2006
10.26.2006
Social Networking
I am doing a paper on social networking sites and so far its been really interesting. Today, I got invited to a new beta site called Wallop and its pretty radical. Well, how it looks at least. It is easy to change the look and there are some new features that I haven't seen on other sites like Facebook and MySpace. Also, the user is supposed to be over 18 which is better than MySpace. Why do junior highers need to network anyway? A friend of mine is a nanny for a family and the two girls, 11 and 9, both have a MySpace. Honestly, I think that's wrong. Why do nine year olds need to put pictures of themselves on the internet... even if its a private site, its just scary. Anyways, social networking sites are here to stay so I think everyone needs to make their decision about how they are going to respond to the trend... (I should add that 3 years ago, everyone said that blogs were dead, but I don't really think that's true, do you?)
Check it out...
I have a few invites left if anyone is interested in checking it out.
I am doing a paper on social networking sites and so far its been really interesting. Today, I got invited to a new beta site called Wallop and its pretty radical. Well, how it looks at least. It is easy to change the look and there are some new features that I haven't seen on other sites like Facebook and MySpace. Also, the user is supposed to be over 18 which is better than MySpace. Why do junior highers need to network anyway? A friend of mine is a nanny for a family and the two girls, 11 and 9, both have a MySpace. Honestly, I think that's wrong. Why do nine year olds need to put pictures of themselves on the internet... even if its a private site, its just scary. Anyways, social networking sites are here to stay so I think everyone needs to make their decision about how they are going to respond to the trend... (I should add that 3 years ago, everyone said that blogs were dead, but I don't really think that's true, do you?)
Check it out...
I have a few invites left if anyone is interested in checking it out.
10.25.2006
10.20.2006
A Sad Goodbye
Saying goodbye at 4am is still hard, even when half awake. I dropped off the "precious nugget heads" at SeaTac and left them to start the long journey home alone.
They maximized their luggage weight with all the shopping they did here, and it was cute seeing them walk toward the check-in counter trying to manage all the bags. Come back soon girls! I miss you already!
I just posted a few pics of their crazy antics...
10.13.2006
10.09.2006
G.B.O.T.
Last week, I inherited a Giant Box Of Tea from a recently departed coworker (not from the earth, just from my place of employment). There is an unknown amount of tea in this box. I do not know how many tea bags, but it is a lot. Could you expect less from a G.B.O.T?
Instead of sitting here counting them, I am just going to make a tally mark on my white board each time I take a tea bag out.
How many tea bags do you think are in the G.B.O.T? If you guess correctly, perhaps there will be a prize.
Last week, I inherited a Giant Box Of Tea from a recently departed coworker (not from the earth, just from my place of employment). There is an unknown amount of tea in this box. I do not know how many tea bags, but it is a lot. Could you expect less from a G.B.O.T?
Instead of sitting here counting them, I am just going to make a tally mark on my white board each time I take a tea bag out.
How many tea bags do you think are in the G.B.O.T? If you guess correctly, perhaps there will be a prize.
10.05.2006
If I could choose a Theme Song for a musical written about my life, It would be:
"Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens
Just for fun, I am going to copy the lyrics here.
Completey unformatted.
I fell in love again all things go, all things go drove to Chicago all things know, all things know we sold our clothes to the state I don't mind, I don't mind I made a lot of mistakes in my mind, in my mind you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset all things know, all things know you had to find it all things go, all things go I drove to New York in the van, with my friend we slept in parking lots I don't mind, I don't mind I was in love with the place in my mind, in my mind I made a lot of mistakes in my mind, in my mind you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset all things know, all things know you had to find it all things go, all things go if I was crying in the van, with my friend it was for freedom from myself and from the land I made a lot of mistakes I made a lot of mistakes I made a lot of mistakes I made a lot of mistakes you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset all things know, all things know you had to find it all things go, all things go you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset (I made a lot of mistakes) all things know, all things know (I made a lot of mistakes) you had to find it (I made a lot of mistakes) all things go, all things go (I made a lot of mistakes)
"Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens
Just for fun, I am going to copy the lyrics here.
Completey unformatted.
I fell in love again all things go, all things go drove to Chicago all things know, all things know we sold our clothes to the state I don't mind, I don't mind I made a lot of mistakes in my mind, in my mind you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset all things know, all things know you had to find it all things go, all things go I drove to New York in the van, with my friend we slept in parking lots I don't mind, I don't mind I was in love with the place in my mind, in my mind I made a lot of mistakes in my mind, in my mind you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset all things know, all things know you had to find it all things go, all things go if I was crying in the van, with my friend it was for freedom from myself and from the land I made a lot of mistakes I made a lot of mistakes I made a lot of mistakes I made a lot of mistakes you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset all things know, all things know you had to find it all things go, all things go you came to take us all things go, all things go to recreate us all things grow, all things grow we had our mindset (I made a lot of mistakes) all things know, all things know (I made a lot of mistakes) you had to find it (I made a lot of mistakes) all things go, all things go (I made a lot of mistakes)
10.04.2006
10.03.2006
Bad for School, Good for the Heart=Visitors from Switzerland
I have a couple of visitors staying with me. The world famous Jenny Berger and Eva Maria. They have been here only a couple of days, but we have already done so much and more plans continue to build. At some point, I am going to have to do homework, but for now, I am thoroughly enjoying spending time with them.
I have a couple of visitors staying with me. The world famous Jenny Berger and Eva Maria. They have been here only a couple of days, but we have already done so much and more plans continue to build. At some point, I am going to have to do homework, but for now, I am thoroughly enjoying spending time with them.
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