The importance of small things

21 November 2007, 11:38 pm by Giggles
Categories: Learn Something, Random

Tonight I stopped at the grocery store to get stuff to make a pasta salad for tomorrow. While I was there I remembered that I am on my last roll of toilet paper so I should probably get some more. That was when I realized what I could blog about today.

For most things I really don’t care about the name on the label. I’ve never cared who made my clothes. I don’t need name brand things for the most part. I’d rather get a deal than the name.

But there are a few things that it is worth it to me to spend the money for the name. Toilet paper is one of them. I refuse to buy cheap toilet paper. Call it a left over oddity from my time in Brasil.

Also, today I learned that a shrimp’s heart is in its head and I was reminded that starfish don’t exactly have brains, just nerves.

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Your job in five words

20 November 2007, 1:18 pm by Giggles
Categories: Education, Science & Tech, Work

I have been given the task of describing my job in as few words as possible. And I’m stuck. How do I describe what I do without giving a 20 minute presentation? I’ve been doing this for so many years now that I’m not really aware of the skills that are required, I just do what needs to be done. And I know that any skills I list now are ones I didn’t exactly have when I started, I’m just a quick learn. Which parts of my job are absolutely essential and which parts do I do just because? This is tough.

So I challenge you, my loyal reader(s), how would you describe your job in as few words as possible? What skills are required for your job? If you wrote a classified ad for what you do, what would it say? Post it in the comments here, or link to it if you decide to write it elsewhere.

I’ll think about it some more and see what I can come up with for my job.

4 Shared thoughts

The biggest yippy there is

19 November 2007, 3:10 pm by Giggles
Categories: Education, Happy Things, Life, Science & Tech

I received this email this morning. Isn’t email great? It’s so instant.

The faculty met about a week ago and recommended your admission into our PhD program. I will be your initial advisor. You will be getting more information soon. I think you will do very well in our program.

I think I’m dizzy. It’s real. It’s really real.

Now the crazy starts.

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I am a Rock. I am a Continent

18 November 2007, 8:03 pm by Giggles
Categories: Relationships

Simon and Garfunkel sang a song called “I am an island.” Part of that song goes:

I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock, I am an island
And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries.

It’s a good song, but lately I’ve felt that John Donne (Meditation XVII; English clergyman & poet (1572-1631)) had it better.

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.

For the most part I think I am a rock in my life. But I am by no means an island. I am not a solitary creature. I do not think any human is. We all need people. We are not meant to be alone. That is why we come to this world as part of a family. That is why we develop friendships. I’m sure there are psychologists out there who have a name for it. But the short answer is that we need people. We need that interaction with other humans. We need to hear their voices, see their faces, feel their touch. We need the other part of us that the rest of humanity is.

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Migraines, Bubble Baths, and the Book of Mormon

17 November 2007, 9:42 pm by Giggles
Categories: Happy Things, Health, Learn Something

Migraines
Migraines are interesting creatures. If I can focus enough to concentrate on the two different halves of my head, the left half of my head is just fine. In fact, everything but the right half of my head is fine when I have a migraine. But the right half of my head feels like it is being run over by a semi, like it is being compressed by the strongest vice. And that makes everything else other than finding a quiet, dark place to curl up in seem very unimportant.

Bubble Baths
Bubble baths, on the other hand, are always highly enjoyable. Even in my small tub with barely room to stretch my legs out in, I enjoy a nice hot bubble bath. It’s really hard to ruin a bubble bath. Any way you do it, it is going to turn out nice. I need to find time for more bubble baths.

The Book of Mormon
Did you know that as MP3s, you can fit the entire Book of Mormon audio on one CD? Kind of seems like it should be more. But it is very nice and convenient to have it all in one place like that.

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Be the Butterfly

16 November 2007, 3:50 pm by Giggles
Categories: Musings

I took modern dance classes when I was 7 or 8 or something like that. My dance teacher told my mom that I reminded her of a butterfly. And I always understood that was because I flitted around in life and occasionally touched down on reality before flying off again. And I do that. But my mom told me last night that I also reminded them both of a butterfly because I was graceful. Being graceful is a new quality that I am learning to describe myself as. It’s not something I’ve always generally associated with myself.

I have always liked butterflies. I love that people associate them with me. Butterflies are so much better than moths. A lot of people don’t think there is much of a difference between the two. But they are wrong. Very wrong. There is a huge difference. Butterflies are beautiful and graceful. Moths are scary and ugly and they fly like they are drunk and they are going to get me I just know they will. So I like butterflies.

Today though, I would like to talk about my perception of reality. Because it can be a little on the odd side at times.

Last night as I was drifting off, I realized that my butterfly relationship with reality is probably why reality catches me so off guard at times. All through college I’d suddenly realize that I was actually attending college and wonder when that happened. I have moments every now and then when I’m in the middle of teaching a class and I’ll suddenly realize I’m a teacher and wonder how I got there. The fact that I’m an adult with a job and my own apartment will suddenly surprise me at different times too. And then the moment passes and I go back to what I was doing before.

Reality is always there, but sometimes I’m just a tad surprised at it is all. It keeps life exciting I guess.

2 Shared thoughts

The Waiting Game

15 November 2007, 10:39 pm by Giggles
Categories: Exercise, Life

Have you ever played the waiting game? It’s not nearly as much fun as the quiet game. I’ve been playing the waiting game for a month now, and it is starting to get very old.

When you think about it though, we are always waiting for something. But some people make better use of their time waiting than others. They get out there and explore and learn and grow, and when what they are waiting for comes around, they’ll have done all kinds of things while they waited. Kind of like how while I’m waiting to finish curling my hair I’ll do heel raises or belly dance drills, just to make good use of that time. I’ve tried reading while I wait to curl my hair, but it’s to much stopping and starting to get anything out of what I’m reading.

I think I do a pretty good job of using my time while I wait. But there are those moments when I’d like one thing to finally arrive so that I can stop waiting on it and start doing things while I wait on something else. Like right now, I would like to stop waiting to hear back from the University of Arizona, and start waiting on getting down there.

But in the mean time, this is what I did tonight while I waited, yet again, for the mailman to bring me the right letter.

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