Full of Surprises

Last night, Wifey was feeling a bit bored. She had recently finished reading a handful of books that she really enjoyed (including the complete Harry Potter series and selections from the Anne of Green Gables series). She was in a reading mood, so I encouraged her to look through some of the old books that I had loved as a kid that are sitting there on the shelf, eagerly waiting to be read by our kids.

I read a lot of Lynne Reid Banks books as a kid. I was fascinated with the Indian in the Cupboard series. It got a little bit boring after the third or fourth iteration, but I liked the way the author wrote, so I started picking up a few other books of her's from the library.

As Wifey was browsing the selection of tween literature, she came across this little gem:

The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks

I'm pretty sure that Wifey was influenced by the picture on the front. The idea of a girl with Fairies flitting around her can be pretty appealing to a woman in her mid-twenties. She set the book down to get some other stuff ready before she nestled down into the book, and that is when I noticed it.

There was something between the pages of the book.

That something happened to be seven whole dollars.

I am sure that I had hidden this money away from prying eyes to get at a later date. I can distinctly remember putting money in books that I thought my brother wouldn't look at, just in case he went rummaging through my things for money.

These seven dollars were probably quite a bit to me back then. I had a job that made me a whole $20 a month where I would go feed my neighbor's horses. They had two (Bucky and Tradzoan) that weren't the most patient of horses, but they offered me an opportunity to make a bit of money. I saved about 75% of what I made, hoarding my money in the bank or in my books.

It seems like I forgot some of the hiding locations as I grew older. Maybe I'll have to thumb through all the old books I have on the shelf to see if I can't make some more...

I'm Not Dead, But I Might Die Soon

It appears that I took the week after Thanksgiving off.

Because I took a week off, I am easing my way back into things. I feel that it is only right. After all, the world is plotting against me lately. I found out that I was turned down for another position (but at least now I know); my 15 minute commute home from work took me 45 minutes last night due to snowfall (which I was very excited for snow in December); my brother-in-law got in a minor fender bender because of the slippery driving conditions (luckily no one was injured or ticketed); my iPod lost its charge Monday and I forgot to charge it that night, leaving Tuesday utterly devoid of music; and when I went to the cafeteria today to get a fork to eat my lunch all the forks were gone. Have you ever tried eating a frozen burrito with a soup spoon? I don't recommend it.

By the way things are going, I fear that soon, I'll be dead.

*cue growling, thundering, low brass fanfare of doom*

If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a peek at the following video. The text is written by Lemony Snicket, the author of the popular Series of Unfortunate Events books. I don't know the composer, but by the title of the video, it doesn't look too good for him either.

Letters: Part I

I have recently been dabbling in other genres that I normally don't read. I tried out some things my parents had recommended, as well as a few things from co-workers. Some I have liked, and others I have not really cared for. This being said, I found a book that was recommended by both my sisters on the bookshelf yesterday for a very reasonable price in hardback, so I couldn't pass it up.

The title of the book is quite a mouthful—The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I know a little bit about the book, but the most intriguing part is that it is written as letters. I believe the whole book is written as letters.

I am quite partial to handwritten letters. There is something so personal about them that really makes them special. I enjoy email and the modern technologies that are so convenient, but there is something thrilling about receiving a letter in your mailbox. It means that someone has taken the time to think about you enough to take the time to go through the motions to create something that has their real fingerprints all over it. It means that you get to see the idiosyncrasies of their penmanship. It means that you mean something to them.

One of my sisters recommended this book to me in a letter she wrote to me. I still need to write her back. She has taken the time to invest in me, and I need to reciprocate. I'll have to carve out some time. Maybe I can get started sometime this weekend, even though it is going to be a very busy one. I only have meetings on Saturday as well as Sunday for church things, plus a few concerts I am singing in for church as well. I am glad that Thanksgiving is coming up so that I can catch up on lost weekends.

Now, I just have to finish a couple more books in the Wrinkle in Time series until I can give this new book a try. I need to sneak it in before Christmas because many of the items on my list are going to be books.

I'm Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor

I was reminded of the famous poem by Shel Silverstein whose title I borrowed for this post tonight. We went out shopping with Munchkin tonight, looking to pick up a few things for Christmas. We went to one local shop in hunt of a shopping cart for Munchkin, as she is loving containers at this point. If you can put something in it, or take something out of it, Munchkin is hooked. We didn't have any luck.

Instead of calling the night a total bust, we decided to go to a book store on the way home. The store has a decent children's section, but at this point, the main draw for Munchkin is this round rack of stuffed animals. Last time we stopped there, Munchkin grabbed a siberian tiger (a good choice, I might add) and carried it around with her for about 45 minutes while we browsed through various shelves.

Tonight she found the same tiger in a different color. She picked it out of the rest of the items immediately and started carrying it around, but lost interest after about five minutes or so. I guess it is safe to say that Munchkin likes black and white more than tan. As she was looking for other options to play with, I found a stuffed snake that was probably about four feet long. I put the snake around her neck like a feather boa, and she thought that was pretty great. Some kids started to come over and look at books, so she got quickly distracted. With her distracted (and with Wifey's approval), I snuck away to look at some things besides kids books that might catch my eye.

After about a half an hour of perusal, I headed back to find Wifey and Munchkin to see how things were going. I saw Munchkin meandering her way through some racks, so I ducked behind a shelf and waited until I could ambush her. As she drunkenly stumbled my way (while looking the other way as she is currently prone to do), I growled and jumped out. She squealed with delight and started running back to her mom.

Munchkin kept running around through the empty shelves, giggling as I was walking behind her and occasionally pinching or tickling her shoulders or sides. Munchkin kept looking over her shoulder to make sure that I was following her, and if I started lagging behind to take a peek at a book, she would slow down as well to do the favor of letting me catch up. I didn't see any patrons perusing the aisles, but in hindsight, maybe they were scared off by the squeals of delight of a little girl and the over-dramatic roars of her father.

After Munchkin navigated multiple different paths through the aisles and returned repeatedly to her home base (Wifey who was now finding books for Christmas for Munchkin), I could tell that Munchkin was getting a bit tired. She was easier to keep up with and wasn't peeking over her shoulder as much. Hoping to distract her, I steered her toward the stuffed animals.

And the best part was the fact that Munchkin read my mind.

Munchkin immediately grabbed a snake like I had grabbed earlier and attempted to arrange it around her neck. After some help from me, she walked around the same aisles for another fifteen minutes babbling happily and proudly displaying her boa draped over her shoulders.

It was getting late, so we had to put the boa back on the shelf. Munchkin immediately started to complain, so I picked her up and tried to distract her with something else closer to the front of the store. As I scooped her into my arms and bent down to whisper something in her hear, I realized that the side of my face was wet from her sweaty brow. Driving home, Wifey informed me that Munchkin was walking or running around the whole time I was browsing on my own. that means that she definitely got her aerobic exercise in for the day.

We got home, changed a soggy diaper, put on jammies, fed her a bottle, and she was ready for bed. She didn't get to sleep with a boa constrictor tonight, but I have a feeling that she might dream of one who accompanies her through the jungle tonight.

And We Were Dancing

I might be slightly influenced from the Madeline L'Engle series (see the last post as well), A Wrinkle in Time, but I am really looking for ways to be more connected with everything around me. Today I had a fun connection.

Today I ended up taking part in a dance festival on my lunch break. I didn't expect it, but it was just one of those things that spontaneously happens. After a particularly busy morning, I decided I needed a midday meander. As I peeked out the window, the sky was a bit overcast, and the wind was whipping the trees around. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go for a walk, but needed to get away, so I decided to brave the weather.

As I got outside, the clouds parted. With the sun on my back and my iPod plugged into my ears, I started to walk. The wind began to blow, and the dance began.

All the leaves that have been falling from the trees for the past few days litter the parking lot. Because the wind came, they started to stir. The wind was outlined by the leaves lilting across the parking lot. They swirled, swished, spun, pattered, and pranced around my feet. Had I had the opportunity to be alone, I probably would have thrown my hands behind me and swirled right along with them with my face extended toward the sun. Since there were people driving their cars out to go get lunch or run an afternoon errand, I refrained. But my physical restraint didn't stop my eyes from enjoying the waves of leaves lapping at my toes.

If you happen to find a leaf beach, please let me know, because I would love to go walk through one with my toes bared to the beach.

Busy, Busy, Busy

As I have been reading the A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeline L'Engle recently, I can't help but contemplate time travel. I feel like time has been slowing down at work recently for me, mainly because I don't know how much longer I'll be there, making my work more of a drudgery than it really is. This week has been completely different, and I am trying to figure out why.

Yesterday seemed to zip by, helped along by a couple of meeting strewn haphazardly throughout the day. Today also brought a few surprise meetings, including one very interesting walk with a co-worker.

My co-worker sent me an IM asking me if I had a moment. Being one who enjoys having distractions a majority of the time, I was happy to oblige. She then asked me if I wanted to go for a walk. This was a bit out of character, but I thought that I could use a stretch, so we headed for a stroll around the campus.

She informed me that there was a position opening a few cubicle rows down that might be worth looking into. The position is with an agency relatively new to the Boise area, but I am sure that they are trying to break into the markets here. The catch is that they would hire me on as a full time employee for their company while I worked through their contract with the same company that I work for, but in a different capacity.

I jumped on the opportunity. I was hoping to hear from the recruiter today, but haven't heard anything yet. I think it is safe to assume that I won't hear anything today.

The thing that surprised me most about this situation is that I wasn't sure if I was going to like working with this individual. She is very literal and straight forward, and I wasn't sure if it would be a problem, as the person she replaced was very proper and dignified. The woman wore scarves to work and drank her tea from a bone china tea cup, for goodness sakes. How much more proper can you get?!

But I have found that I really like working with the new girl. She knows her stuff, and she is good to her word. She has had a lot of good ideas that have helped us to make our part of the organization more important to the business, which is something that I struggle with at times. I have learned much from her by only having daily interaction with her for a few months.

Having said all of this, I was not quite sure how to read this colleague. While she is very literal, she can also have a biting, sarcastic sense of humor. Sometimes it is hard to tell if she is joking or venting. This is why I was surprised to learn that she offered to recommend me to the recruiter without even having to ask. Needless to say, she has made a friend of me, and I will be glad to have her as a colleague, no matter where the wind might blow the two of us.

I am finding more and more that the people that I have had the pleasure to work with are often quite different, but they are also very talented. I have made it a goal to learn a little bit from each person I work with. I figure if I do that, I will still be marketable and in the business in thirty or thirty five years by the time that retirement comes around. It makes the idea of working all my life a bit more manageable.

Soaking It In

It is kind of odd, but I am feeling quite content right now. Things are a bit crazy with the upcoming job uncertainty, but I am enjoying things. Work has seemed a bit slow for me lately, but I have established why.

Recently the team that I work with ended up getting this book where you to take a test online to see what you strengths are. Not wanting to be left out as a lowly contractor, I bought the book for myself as a birthday present (with Wifey's permission). After reading the short introduction to the book (about 20 pages that took me all of 10 minutes to read), I found myself skeptically getting ready to take an online test. What worried me most about the test is that I only had 20 seconds to answer the questions. I am one who likes to think things through, so after mentally biting my nails down to nubs, I pushed the "Start test" button.

I was glad that I didn't exceed the time limit on any of the questions. But I was even more glad that I was able to find a test that took me less than a half an hour that told me a lot about myself. Because I overthink these things, I tend to get scattered results on personality tests. I start to answer a question, but then I change the scenario in my head, and then start weighing which of these two scenarios come up most in my life, but then a third scenario comes along...

Well, you get the picture.

But this book pegged me to a "T." I was pleased to find out my top five strengths, and they seemed very valid to me. While these strengths might not be the most glamorous of strengths, I found it useful information to have. It helped me to understand better how I work, and why I enjoy some tasks while I loathe other tasks. Wifey was reading a book while I was taking most of the test, but the few that she did see, she told me afterward that she would have chosen the exact opposite of what I chose. I must be Type B (when we were dating, she told me that she had dated one type of guy. Then she told me that I was Type B. She was right.).

One of my strengths that I was happy to find was that I was a learner. I have always known that I loved learning, but I had never seen that as a strength. But it does explain why I had such a hard time picking a major in college. I went through ten majors, and I wondered why none of them kept my interest. Now I realize it is because I had learned a bit about the subject, and after I had become semi-fluent in the new language, I became disenchanted. It wasn't because I wasn't competent, but that I just lost interest.

Looking back, I probably just should have picked something and stuck with it. But I thought that there was something intrinsically wrong with me. If I frame it as a strength, it makes me feel much better.

As you might have guessed already from my synopsis of previous personality tests, my strongest strength was being deliberate. I had never seen that as a strength, but I guess that being methodical is a good thing. And the way that the book explains it really makes sense to me.

Now that I know this stuff about myself, I am more likely to look on it with a fresh perspective. Instead of saying, "Man, I am dumb for being this way," I can now look on things I do and say, "I'm glad I'm this way. It makes me unique."

One thing that really stuck out to me in the book was the fact that we often spend our time looking to see our weaknesses and trying to improve them. While there is something to be said about that, there is also something to be said about spending your time where you would really shine. I know that I am not going to enjoy being an accountant, so why would I spend time looking into accountancy skills? Instead, I can use the skills I have to better my situation or reframe it.

So, in the mean time, I am going to start taking a different approach to life. I am going to start trying to find ways that I can use my strengths to fix problems instead of ways to improve my weaknesses to fix problems. Soak in the good, and leave the bad out.

Now, to find a job that will let me do that...

The Birds: Part II

As promised, here is another post about birds. In case you were wondering, here is the first.

Bird 2: Mockingjay
Mockingjay is the concluding volume in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The series is a bleak dystopia set in a not-so-distant future in what I saw as North America--really called Panem in the books. The government was overthrown, then recreated. The citizens of Panem were separated into districts by their fields of labor (like wheat, coal, livestock, etc.). There is a bit of commerce, but it all happens through the Capital. The Capital decides who gets to have the luxuries, and they make sure that the citizens of Panem remember the wonderful things they did by recreating a government from chaos and providing food for their people.

The Capital has a bit of a funny way of doing this though--they require that each of the districts send a boy and a girl (picked at random) between the ages of 12 and 18 to a televised teenage deathmatch each year. This holiday (if you can call it that) is called "The Hunger Games." All production stops while the Hunger Games are being televised. Rich citizens will send gifts to people in the Games to help them out on their journey to kill everyone else. There is a lot of money invested in bets, and the longer the Games go on, the more expensive it is to send gifts.


Boy it is hard to talk about a book when you can't really give specifics/spoilers.

I don't want to say too much more, but there are a lot of social parallels to today's politics mixed in with slight hints of the barbarics of the gladiators in ancient Rome. While it sounds utterly depressing, I found it to be an invigorating read. The books don't dwell on death and destruction (although there is a healthy chunk of that in there), there is a love story involved, as well as familial relationships.

Wifey picked up Mockingjay on a whim in Costco. We had borrowed the first two novels in the series from Wifey's sister (by the way, the first one is great after I got used to the writing style, and the second one was good, but a bit too transitional for me. I needed more action and less character thinking during the first half of the book). Wanting to finish the series, I voraciously devoured Mockingjay. It did not give me the ending I was hoping for, nor did it go in the direction I was planning, but it left me fulfilled. I have thought a lot about the decisions of Katness Everdeen since reading this book, and find a lot of similarities between her and I.

Katness has a way of seeing situations that don't directly involve her with clarity. She can enter a battlefield and know where to go and what to do to pull off a win. She can know how to spite her enemies. She can get into her nemesis' head and understand what he is thinking, or what his next move might be. But when she is in a situation that she has to make a decision on her own, she can sometimes cripple herself.

When Wifey and I were dating, it got to a point where I was working nights full time and going to school full time during the day. This left us little time together, and what little time we had, I was a healthy mix of zombie and vegetable. I was doing too much while trying to woo a woman, and I was losing in all respects. Because this was a bumpy time, Wifey and I had some good long meetings (they were too formal to be chats, mainly my fault) about where our relationship was going. At one point, I knew that I really liked her, and wanted to marry her, but she just didn't seem all that interested.

*begin flashback ripples and harp strumming now*

Flash back to a year and a half earlier. I was living with a different pair of room mates, one of which was in a pretty serious relationship. He was in the same boat I was going to be in once a year and a half had passed. He really liked a girl, but she wasn't reciprocating. I encouraged him that he needed to get rid of her if she wasn't going to put in the effort to make their relationship happen. He hummed and hawed, but wouldn't commit to dumping the girl. A few months later, she dumped him, and he was heartbroken.

*begin return flashback ripples and harp strumming now*

I was sitting in one of my sleep-deprived stupors one day, trying to figure out what to do. I knew I loved Wifey, and wasn't sure if she even liked me. I realized that I was in the same situation that my friend had been in a while back. I tried to give myself my own advice, but the situation seemed more complicated than that. It didn't feel right to just walk away because I had such strong feelings for this girl. I was in a situation where I had to make a decision for myself, and I was crippled by it.

I think that Katness does this a lot in the last book. She just isn't sure what she wants. She can decide to do something for the good of her family, but when faced with a decision that affects her happiness, she fumbles through with indecision. Some people complain that this is poor writing, but I found it quite true to character.

I also related to Katness' feelings of futility. She is put into a situation where she can do some real damage to the flawed system that she lives in. As she is posed with a crucial decision, she keeps with the current system. I think a lot of people are frustrated by the government at this point, and I don't necessarily think it is the fault of the current (or even former) administration. There are a lot of people willing to point out that there are major flaws in today's systems; however, there are not many people who are willing to create solutions for those problems. I think that if we had more people willing to take some action (or even willing to take responsibilities for their actions) that many of these issues would become easier to handle. I realize that there are many people out of work right now, but if there were less people like Wanna B. Doctor who are willing to sit and collect unemployment while jobs pass him by and more people who are willing to keep busy however they can that things would be better.  Not fixed, but better

I was out of a job for eight months after I graduated. It was hard on me, but I ended up doing a lot of volunteer work. It kept me busy--which helped me keep my sanity--and gave me something to talk about in an interview when the inevitable question comes up: "So, what have you been doing for the past eight months." People with any kind of sense would at least answer, "Job hunting." I felt that it gave me a let up to talk about how I was helping people or doing something more productive than surf the Internet all day scouring forums and listings for jobs. If you don't have a job, work anyway. Who knows, you might get a new skill, or someone might notice how hard of a worker you are while you are there and give you an informal interview while you are working together. Stop thinking, "How can I mooch more?" and start thinking, "How can I help myself find a job?"

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. Back to topic...


Anyway, read the series. They are worth your time. While it isn't exactly a story touting puppies, unicorns, and rainbows, it is a good ride with some very human story elements.

There is still another bird on its way, so stay tuned. I know I have a few of you hooked, as I see certain numbers of people coming back at the same time of day. Feel free to spread the word if you like what you read.

Parenthood, Points, and Pakistanis

Wifey is planning on submitting to her latest obsession. Well, actually it isn't her latest, but it is just coming back on again. She loves that Parenthood show. I have seen one or two episodes, but I never caught the bug. While Munchkin is falling asleep, I am left to my own devices. As you might have guessed, I came to writing.

One thing that I have recently become obsessed with--Google Stats. I can take a sneaky peek at where you are coming from. So far, I have had visitors from the US (and I probably know who you are. There might be a few who surprise me who don't know me, but I doubt it), our friendly northern neighbor, Canada, China, Denmark, the UK, and Russia. Whoever you are, I'm glad you came, even though many of you didn't return. I like knowing where people find me. Feel free to drop me a line saying hi. And to return.

I think one of the best things about it is that it gives me points.This appeals to my deep down urge of being male. This is why young men will spend hours on end trying to get a high score. This is why there are hot dog eating contests.This is why there are Olympic world records. Guys like points, and if you have more points than another guy, then you must be better at it. Since I am new to the game, I am glad that I don't have access to other people's Stats pages. Maybe after I have been at this a while I might be more inclined to look at another's Stats page, but for now, I'm content.

Lately I have picked up Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Dad is big into education (as he was a professor at Boise State University) and happened to pick up this book after he had retired because all the staff on campus was supposed to read it. He liked it, then got my mom to read it, and then told me I should read it too. I didn't take him up on it right away, and frankly ended up forgetting about it.

As I like books, I ended up having a co-worker recommend this book to me. The light went back on in my head, remembering that Dad had the book collecting dust on his shelf, so I finally pilfered it from its position when Munchkin was trying to pull books from the bookshelf when we were there about a week ago. I started the read without high hopes, as Dad and I don't generally share our tastes in books. The first few chapters have some pretty awkward passages in them, and I found myself having to read sentences over again so that I could figure out what the author was trying to say. The story of the Greg Mortenson won me over though, and so I am going to finish it.

This man's life is quite amazing to me. After almost dying and becoming lost in the Himalayas, this Mortenson is nursed back to health by a village elder who makes an indelible impression on Mortenson. He ends up promising to build a school for the village, as they don't even have a full time teacher for their kids. Mortenson has made it his mission to build schools for kids and help them to learn, and went through quite a bit to realize this mission. I'm about a third of the way through the book, and am looking forward to making my way through the rest.

This book does a nice job of making people from across the world seem like people. Even though they live above 16,000 feet in the air and eat what they can catch or hunt, they are very happy. It makes me want to spend time in a foreign place to try to assimilate myself into a culture and learn its language. It would also be fun to talk to a Muslim about his beliefs now that I know a bit more about the people from this book.

If you are interested in the book from my weak pitch and want to help fund education through buying this book, then buy a new copy. Mortenson donates a portion of the proceeds from each book to go to his non-profit organization that builds schools. You can buy it through any of the normal retailers (like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Borders, or Hastings), or stop by a local bookshop and pick it up as well. I will probably return it to my father and pick up my own copy so that I can do my minuscule part of buying some pencils or paying a teacher's salary for a bit.

Books, Breezes, and Robot Love

9:47 - Wifey reading the chapter "The Seer Overheard." That means that this post will be in the light--at least until she decides that she is tired enough to sleep. Munchkin cut her third tooth today (her top left), but is still working on the right one. Good thing she is such a good kid that she just becomes disinterested in food instead of drooling and fussing a lot. Since she is paid for and so well behaved, I guess we will keep her.

I finished reading a book this week that I picked up on a whim in Costco. The book is called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It is supposedly sweeping the nation. I heard that it was good from a co-worker, and then one of my sisters told me that she liked it too, so I thought that it couldn't be too bad.

It was well written, and reminded me a lot of my time that I spent in Finland. That was probably because it took place in Sweden. The pacing was great, and there was just the right amount of details in the book, but some of the details I could have done without. I might be a prude, but it was a bit racy for me, but if you are into that kind of thing, this book would be right up your alley. The mystery plot in the story was gruesome, yet great. There were a lot of characters who decided to sleep with each other (for sometimes no reason at all), but I guess that is how some people live. I'm glad I am not one of them. Wifey is glad too. Well, I didn't ask her, but I know what she'll say.

The weather is cooling down for a bit tonight. We have the windows open and we can hear the wind forcing itself through the leaves like the grating of fine sandpaper. The high for tomorrow is only supposed to be in the 70s, so I am hoping for some of the crispness of autumn tomorrow morning. On the drive home from the in-law's tonight, the wind was dragging the dust up from the ground to make it seem dark and hazy, even though it was only 8:30. I remembered (again) that I needed to change the headlight on my car. It is nice to see what is in front of you in the dark when you have to drive in the dark.

With the change in the weather, I am getting into some other changes as well. I heard about all the kids starting school, and it made me start to contemplate heading back for a Master's degree. At this point, I am toying with the idea of a masters in communication. I don't know when I will actually be able to go back, but for the time being, this seems like something that would be marketable, yet would let me keep writing.

Wifey just closed her book and rolled her head onto my chest. Maybe part of this post will be in the dark.

I am also looking to change jobs. I have thoroughly enjoyed working at a large company for the past year and a half, and have learned a lot from it. My contract is coming up, and I am starting to feel like it is time for a change. I got turned down at bodybuilding.com (which is probably a good thing, as I am not exactly the bodybuilding type), but have a resume out to a company that sells wickless candles. Call me crazy, but I am actually pretty excited about the opportunity.

The position would be for a copywriting position. I haven't had a lot of experience writing copy to promote products, but it is something more creative than what I am currently doing (technical writing), and I am craving some creativity in my life. In fact, today I needed a break, so I put on my headphones and took a walk. I almost melted into a puddle of goo, but I braved the heat and chilled to my tunes as I walked around the campus. I was listening to Coldplay's X&Y album, and I landed on a few of my favorites from the album: Fix You and The Hardest Part. I was needing a diversion, so I started creating a music video in my head to accompany the lyrics.

If I had the artistic prowess and technical savvy, I would create said videos, but until the day that you can upload something directly from my brain onto a computer, I think the videos will remain memories. I'll tell you a bit about the Fix You one though.

I was picturing an Igor robot who was narrating the story. He helps a Dr. Frankenstein robot who builds a girl robot. To stay with the theme, we will call her Mary (after Mary Shelley, of course). After Mary gets built and works, Dr Frankenstein robot doesn't think she is good enough. Igor robot gets a bit caught up in the whole scenario and starts to like Mary robot. I don't know how robot emotions work, but Igor robot has them in a good way. Dr. Frankenstein robot ends up trying to make Mary robot better and better, but he can't do it; his finite robot mind just doesn't have the capacity to upgrade her any more. Dr. Frankenstein robot throws her out, where Mary robot gets damaged, which makes Igor robot mad, so he quits. Igor robot digs her out of the scrap heap and brings her to his own lab where he tries to fix her.

Yes, I know. Cheesy. Sappy. Not very inventive. Just remember, my walk was only 30 minutes, and I had already listed to two other songs. I was working on a tight schedule, and the images just kept coming. The story served its purpose, and my creative muscle got worked a bit today. I don't think it will be sore tomorrow, but just in case it is, I will make sure that I stretch next time before attempting to tax it again.

P.S. The light is still on. I'm turning it off and going to find Wifey who wandered away to let her side of the bed cool so she could sleep.