Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Writers Almanac

Today's Writer's Almanac brought a smile to my face...

Letter of Resignation
by William Baer

Dear [blank]: After much deliberation,
without qualm, scruple, or further delay,
I hereby tender my formal resignation
as your lover and future fiancé.
The job provides too little satisfaction:
too many hours of unneeded duress,
a paucity of productive interaction,
uncertain working conditions, and endless stress.
Pay-wise, I'm undervalued and disenchanted:
advancement's slow, the bonus is routine,
my "on-call" overtime is taken for granted,
and benefits are few and far between.
This document, I'm hopeful, underscores
my deep regret. I'm very truly yours....

"Letter of Resignation" by William Baer from Bocage and Other Sonnets. © Texas Review Press, 2008. Reprinted with permission. (buy now)

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Project Gutenberg

Having long been a fan of Project Gutenburg I know that there are tons of FREE books to download and read. It was only recently I learned that they have free audio books too.

I downloaded Walden. I have been listening to it at work.

It should be required reading during this insane economic time.

My favorite Thoreau quote:

"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run."

Henry David Thoreau

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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Mountain Time



We live at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It only takes a 30 minute drive from our house to reach some of the most beautiful places in the world. This weekend we took a little road trip to Chimney Rock and Hendersonville, and had a grand time. Every time I go to the mountains, it makes me want to sell all my possessions, pitch a tent, and live a simple life of creating and living off the land.

We stopped at this cute little shop in Chimney Rock. They had a back porch that overlooked this bubbling brook. On the porch were a couple of rocking chairs and binoculars. Of course, Hannah went straight for the binoculars.

Oliver found a caterpillar on the ground. He decided to transport the cute little thing to safer ground and his new little friend didn't want to leave the safety of his hand.

We met up with my cousin, who I haven't seen in forever in Hendersonville. She is the daughter of my Aunt who died rather young. I miss my aunt, she was a great woman. I know she would be proud of her now grown beautiful daughter.

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DC Roadtrip

We made the trip to DC and it was mucho fun. Although, we quickly learned that only staying three days was not enough time!! We got home a lot later than we planned due to crazy traffic. I am still recovering! Hannah really enjoyed the reptiles. I think she liked being scared!

I think this was Mr. Oliver's favorite trip yet. I am not sure what I would have done without him at the museums, it was like having a personal tour guide. I guess all those late nights watching Discovery, The History Channel, and Animal Planet really paid off because he was a walking encyclopedia.

Here is Mr. O with his favorite primate.

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Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Butterflies on my mind...

As I sit here with too much to do and not enough time to do it in...


I think of the beautiful butterfly garden I will be walking through later this week...




Butterfly
A Poem by Emily Dickinson

My cocoon tightens, colors tease,
I'm feeling for the air;
A dim capacity for wings
Degrades the dress I wear.

A power of butterfly must be
The aptitude to fly,
Meadows of majesty concedes
And easy sweeps of sky.

So I must baffle at the hint
And cipher at the sign,
And make much blunder, if at last
I take the clew divine.

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Washington DC bound

We are heading to Washington DC this weekend. We are going to meet some friends and have a great time. I can't wait for the kids to see the Smithsonian. I can't wait to see all the flowers in bloom. I can't wait for good road trip memories. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

We are having a little cold snap here, and I think the weather might be a little yucky, but we aren't going to let that stand in our way...

We leave on Friday morning and plan to arrive early afternoon. Steven is planning the itinerary, so I am not sure what we are going to do. I am just ready to unplug and spend some time with the ones I love the most.

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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Stuck at home...

I was on my way to work this morning and was greeted with this:

Which is a bummer because I had a ton of stuff to do at work that required me being there...

Well, I guess I will get caught up on all of the other stuff that doesn't require a physical presence.

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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Ozymandias


Because the world needs some light right now, I give you a life size lite-brite Elvis...


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