Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Everything's Connected



We live in a small town. Not so teensy that I know everyone in town and all their secrets. But small enough so that you really want to assume that the person you treat kindly or no today will most likely be someone you'll bump into another day. It makes you think twice before you flip someone off in traffic. Or gossip with someone you don't know - they might just be brother-in-law of the person you're gossiping about. In other words, small enough to make most folks woven together in some way or another.

I generally think of this as a good thing. It means you have to treat people like people and not strangers in a crowd. And yet, even if it's still a good thing, even if it's more authentic then the more autonomous life of a larger community there are times when it makes life more difficult. Like, when tragedy comes to town. This weekend our community was slammed with the deaths of three teenagers on the same day. A beautiful young woman lost her battle with leukemia and two young men experimented with drugs and paid with their lives.

I'm struggling with these losses. I haven't known what to say or who to say it to or even if I have a right to say anything at all. It's not like I knew any of these young people well. I only remember one of them personally. And yet because this is a small town, all three of the kids were interwoven into our daily lives in one way or another. My husband works with the father of the girl. Both the boys are.... were in William's P.E. class. One of the boys was also in the crowd of neighbor kids that William has known since he was pre-school age. He wasn't one of William's closer friends, but he hung out with the same kids that William calls his best friends, and they also hung out together in the same snowboarding crowd. The boy's brother is one of the kids William knows well on the football team. As parents we all sit on the bleachers together each autumn. And my best friend in town, her older teen knew the kids and we both know that this tragedy could have easily included her son as he has been experimenting with dangerous behaviors.

All these things do not qualify us or bring us into the circle of close friends and family. We are but bystanders to this tragedy in the greater scheme of things. And yet those tiny threads that connect us make it difficult to push the tragedy to the side. The entire town is suffused with the sadness and pain of the situation. Reminders are everywhere. Communally there are flowers, balloons, signs, gatherings of teenagers or unexpected lack of them where they usually congregate, announcements in the paper, a somberness to the way everyone goes about their jobs. The songs on the radio seem to be chosen sympathetically. Personally kids come and go at odd hours of the day and night at our house as parents and teachers allow the teens the need to break out of their ordinary routines. William and his friends are filling the printer with photos of their lost friends, the computers are clicking away on the teens' My Space pages, football schedules change, and the phone rings and rings.

Although there's no way to know how much the sadness stems from the very immediate tragedy and how much comes from triggering past grief, obviously a big part of my difficulty with everything comes from my own personal loss. A half dozen times in the last couple of days I have stood opposite one or more people when the inevitable comment is used:

"I can't imagine what the families are going through!"

That's the key to how much this feels like being personally broadsided by a truck. Or at least a half dozen cyclists. I can imagine what the families are going through. No. That's not right. I don't have to imagine anything. I know what the families are going through. I know what it feels like to first hear The News. I know what if feels like not to be able to eat, sleep, speak, to barely even manage to breathe. I know how that first day feels a million hours long. I know what the days afterward feel like, what the surreal experience of making funeral arrangements are like, what the weeks and months and years to come will be like for these families.

These tragedies, which I can hold no legitimate claim to, still pulls me back towards the intensity of my own pain, pain which I've struggled with carrying as gracefully as possible, struggled to keep it from crushing the air out of me. For the last several days I feel like I'm not getting enough air. I'm sighing. I'm bursting into tears. It's a small echo of the real thing, but it's got all the details straight.

The harder part of this isn't about me though, it's about William. William was only ten years old when Joshua died. He processed his brother's death in a completely different way then the rest of the family, because he was too young to understand it in the way we did. In almost all ways, William's age allowed him to feel the loss - as sadness, anger, confusion - but not to think about his feelings. He couldn't take them out and look at them from different perspectives, he couldn't analyze them, he couldn't frame any questions about them. He could only go along for the ride.

When he got off the phone from hearing the news on Sunday morning, he stood in front of me to share what he had been told. He towered over where I was sitting, all 6'3" of him, a young tree of a man. His eyes blinked furiously, his hands clenched and unclenched. In between details he simply stood quietly, just this edge of shaking. And I knew, somehow I knew what was happening underneath. In that moment, he was thinking about his brother's death. Not just feeling it. For the first time, he was able to think about it.

I knew that this would happen, this day would come. I've watched my kids process other sorts of losses over and over as they grew older. I didn't expect it to be so dramatic though, to come swooping down in a single moment. I know that it's necessary, and healthy, and important for William to be able to revisit this loss and find a new place for it in his life with each developmental stage. And yet watching this knowledge sink into him, seeing it seep into his expression, my first impulse was to rip this "necessity" away from him before he could recognize it for what it was and run out the door. I wanted to run far away, find a high cliff, and fling this pain off the edge into a canyon deep enough that it would never find it's way back.

Of course, instead, I sat there and watched my son own this new responsibility of life. I won't be running away from anything at all. I'll be here, keeping an eye on the kids as they muddle through this into the future. I'll muddle through it myself. I'll keep busy or allow myself to do nothing, if that's all I can manage for a little while. I'll keep juggling the past and the present until a rhythm reappears. I'm fortunate in that I "know" one more thing from first hand experience - that while time may not completely heal all wounds, it at least helps one find a new way to balance the load.

Friday, September 22, 2006

A Witchling!

Look at the phone pic Noel sent me today of my grandbaby Nonny.

Holiday Photos #13

Thirteenth holiday photo post and I'm only on Day Five! Five, six. Something like that. Out of ...I think we were in the UK and France for about 25 days. Closer to a month if you count the four days we spent on the East Coast and NYC, but I skipped those photos. Why did I skip those photos? I don't know. Hmmmm. Maybe if I ever get through the European leg of the trip, I'll go back and share some of those as well.

So, let's see. We're in Caernafon, just seen a big ol' castle. Time for some lunch. First, take a look at this sign. Don't ask me what the sign says or how to pronounce it. I think it's Welsh. But it's shaped like a dragon! Cool, huh!


We found a nice little sandwich shop and ate at an outside table. On the right is the lunch shop, on the right you can see what looks like another old building - it's not a building, it's a wall. I'm not sure if Caernafon was a walled city like Conwy. This wall wound down from the castle through some of the older streets. Who knows if it actually went around the town. Europe seems to have a lot of walls and partial buildings left over, hanging around from this era or that.


If you turn and look behind where I was sitting opposite William, you'd see the this street behind me. Don't you love the vibrant colors!? You can only see this still image, but if you could hear the scene as well, you'd hear the roar of hundreds of people in dozens of pubs in town (at least two down this street) cheering for the local Liverpool team who won the British Cup on this particular day.


Back in Conwy again, we went to visit the oldest Tudor home in the village. It was quite beautiful. I was enamored of the kitchen, a docent had laid out a table full of fresh herbs and it smelled heavenly. I asked William to take a photo of me there and the docent, an elderly gentlemen, jumped in and handed me a prop to hold. William looked out from behind the camera and said "Whoa! He gave you a broom! How did he know!?"

One more photo in Conwy, this little strip of red is a house, the smallest house in the UK if I'm remembering correctly. We paid a pound to tour it. The tourist office recommended it, said it was nice in that there wasn't a lot of walking required. Haha! You can't see the front door, William is standing in front of it, but it's only as high as the window right next to it. Clearly William had to duck to go inside. There's only enough room inside for about 4 or 5 people to stand upright. There's a staircase (more like a ladder) that goes up to the second story, the higher window in the photo. It was lived in nonstop by one person or another (even a couple lived in it) until the middle of the 20th century when someone finally decided it didn't pass some code or some such thing. Now it's just a curiosity. The woman posing with William isn't a fairy tale witch, she's simply dressed in traditional Welsh costume.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

V is for.....

Closing in on the end of the alphabet here at Beach Treasure. Did you' all know that Deb finished her Wordplay last week!? I'm remiss in mentioning it. I was gonna throw a big party for her, balloons, confetti (shaped like letters of course), cheesecake. The best of intentions and all that..

In the meantime the rest of us keep chugging away. I had someone new post to me that they had started their Wordplay just this week - all the way back at A with the entire alphabet waiting for them. In some ways I envy them, this has been a wonderful project for me. And I still hope to turn it into an altered book eventually. But another part of me is excited at the prospect of finishing my alphabet. Heh, it's not often I actually get to finish anything! It's that damn raven in me, always distracted by the next shiny object or idea. And speaking of idea....

I have another idea in the works (well, in my head) for a new blog community project. I haven't mentioned it yet because I'm still trying to work out the kinks in my head. Uhm. Well. Honestly? I'm trying to get started and having a hard time kicking myself into gear, even though it's something I've wanted to do for months already. Something I want to do once a week although this project doesn't work with words. It works with ingredients. I'll try to shake my head clear enough to announce it very soon. Of course that doesn't mean the end of Wordplay. I'm not done with it. Lots of folks are still rambling along their chain of personal letters. Hopefully folks will continue to find the project for years to come.

And now, back to V. I gotta finish up here and get to a couple of Very important plans today.

**********

Virginia - not the state. The aunt. My father's sister. She taught me to knit. She was one of my first teachers in the kitchen as I watched, fascinated, while she made complicated cookies each year for the holidays. She taught me about decorating, raising boys, and how to cheer like a guy for your favorite football team. She passed away many years ago but for some delightful reason she still stops by on occasion to say hello.

vampires - I was "bitten" by the vampire genre about six or seven years ago and am thrilled by how many new authors are now writing in this style. Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake vampires are probably my favorite as they were my "first". Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series are probably come next - I'm reading Deader then a Doornail at the moment.

vineyards - I lived for over a decade in Sonoma Valley, surrounded by the rolling mediterranean hills blanketed in vineyards. In the spring the vineyards are fields of golden mustard. In the summer, rolling shades of green. Autumn, the vineyards set the world aflame in hues of orange, yellow, and red and the harvest makes the whole valley smell like an earthy cabernet.

vacuum - something I don't do often enough. Fortunately I have hardwood floors. The only rug in the entire house is now an area rug in the livingroom, so I don't have that much vacuuming I don't do anyway. (Don't ask me how often I sweep.) It also took me about forty years to learn how to spell "vacuum". I'm a really good speller, but this word was one that eluded me.

vanilla latte - my drug of choice. Grande, half caf, soy please.

vegetarianism - I was a fairly consistent vegetarian in my early twenties. Went back to eating meat for the convenience of it, and cravings, when I was pregnant with Joe. It was just easier to throw a slab of animal tissue in the oven with a couple baked potatoes then it was to create the vegetarian cuisine I was used to making. My second son was born a vegetarian - didn't eat meat for the first six years of his life, his choice. Since then I've gone back and forth in how much meat I choose to eat but even at my most carnivorous, I probably eat a tenth the amount of meat the average American eats. In the last few years I've cut way back on how much I eat meat and that only if I eat out. Except for an occasional holiday dinner for guests or rarely, fish, I don't cook meat at home.
I don't try to become a complete vegetarian because I do eat dairy and eggs a bit, and so it seems to me that to be responsible for all parts of the animals that are raised on my behalf, I should eat all parts of them. At the rate I'm going however, it will take me another fifty years to eat one cow, but that seems about right. I don't want to have to kill my own meat, but I don't loose sleep over eating creatures either. I would perhaps, except for the fact that I am very much aware that it's no less killing to eat a tomato or a carrot or a bowl of pilaf. Those foods also "die" for you to consume as well. One could argue that a carrot is less sentient then a chicken, but having spent a lot of time in the garden, I would argue that it is probably less of a stretch then we are comfortable admitting. The bottom line for me in my food choices (my good food choices that is - my decadent food choices are completely indulgent and irrational, driven by hormones, frustrations, anger, and other vagaries of life which I am unwilling to take responsibility for).... as I was saying, my food choices are driven by two ideas: 1) that they are healthy and ultimately health giving to my body and mind and 2) that I always lovingly acknowledge and am grateful for what has been given to me by the animal, the plant, the farmer, the cook, the earth herself.

vegetables - I'm one of those odd people who love vegetables. I love them in the garden, I love them on my dinner plate. I love all those odd old fashioned vegetables that the cashier at the market holds up with a look of "what IS this?" on his face. I love vegetables from faraway countries and cuisines. I love good ol' fashioned corn on the cob, peas in the pod, tomatoes fresh off the vine. I love veggies cooked and raw. Flowers aren't the only jewels of the earth. Veggies rock!

vignette - for some reason I use this word a LOT! I suspect I often think in vignettes. Maybe it's an artist thing - to be able to capture a scene, a moment,to hold it in one's head in a soft edged embrace.

violets - one of the very first plants to brave the long, cold springs up here in the mountains. They pop out of the ground underneath the larger plantings all around the edge of the house even when the rest of the yard is still covered in snow. They taste sweet, just like they smell.

volunteer - If I had been paid for all the volunteer hours I've put in over the years, I'd be rich. Of course that would have defeated the whole idea of "volunteering". The experiences have rewarded me in many other ways. I am both happy and grateful that I had the opportunity to give as much as I have to assorted causes and organizations over the decades. In part because now that I'm old and feeling used up, I don't have to feel guilty when I usually say NO these days. Damn, I've got a cynical streak in me. Well, hey, that's honest. Half joking, but honest. I sincerely do feel enriched by all the work I've done over the years, but I also acknowledge that I'm ready to spend time for me now. If I were to volunteer time presently, and I do, just not regularly, it's for William's football team, or for my political beliefs.

vanilla - the real stuff, not the fake vanilla flavoring you can buy in the spice aisle - yech! Real vanilla smells wonderful, tastes wonderful. Put it in my food. Put in in my lotion or shampoo. It's my daughter's favorite scent and always reminds me of her.

variety - is the spice of life.

Vanna - I always feel a bit embarrassed, tuning in for my Vanna fix any night I can. Isn't Wheel of Fortune an old person's show?

vertigo - something I developed at heights after my first child was born.

veterinarian - my sister is a veterinarian. With all our pets, it's amazing how handy that can be! Hehehe. She's probably just grateful to live far away so her only contributions to the health of my animals is the many late night or weekend phone calls to her for advice. Why do animals (and people, for that matter) always wait until the clinic closes to get sick or injured?

vintage - I am a sucker for all things old and sentimental

Vulcan - I had such a crush on Spock when I was a pre-teen. Live Long and Prosper. Can you do the hand thing? I can.

vocal - I can be when it's important.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

La Vie Boheme

One of my favorite songs in the play/movie Rent is La Vie Boheme. I assume it translates into something like "The Life Bohemian" or "Hurrah for Bohemians!" or something like that.

A while back I went down to the local library, wandered through the inter-library loan catalog for a half hour or so, and ordered a half dozen decorating books just for the fun of it. They've been trickling in the last few weeks - mosaic tile design, haunting your house for Halloween, how to make your house look like a Parisian apartment on the cheap, flea market decorating. My favorite is one I stumbled upon called Bohemian Style by Elizabeth Wilhide.


At first I just skimmed through the book, enjoying all the photos full of color, art, patterns, combinations. But yesterday I sat down with it over lunch and started to read the text - who knew decorating books or magazines even had text! It's fascinating to read about the lives of those that first lived in such a way that we now have a term for it - a Bohemian Lifestyle.

I was particularly struck by this paragraph in the introduction:

"Bohemian style means going your own way. It's self-expression and creative energy; it's caring less about what other people think, and more about what you really feel. It is something made from nothing, magic conjurred from the everyday, the ultimate antidote to what is safe and predictable. With a relaxed attitude to dust and disorder, it's a tolerant way of life. The inspired effect, no matter how quick or instant, will always be preferred over the perfect finish."

That really struck home for me. When I had a house full of kids I always thought that a house should be thought of more as a workspace then a showcase. It should be set up in such a way that allowed messes to be made, forts created, dancing allowed, creations to be build. A workspace, unlike a showcase, doesn't require one to be always ready for company or inspection. It's there for you to live and work in, not to be a slave to it's upkeep. True, even a workspace needs some dusting and organizing from time to time, but my point here is that I tried to keep the purpose of our home in mind. It occurs to me that I have forgotten that purpose in recent years.

Occasionally I go into someone else's home and on first glance think "What a lovely home." I might be envious of how organized or clean it is compared to my own home. Or how new the furniture is. But after spending more time there, sometimes a house starts to feel unwelcoming to me, superficial, without stories or lives in it. I'm not saying that all tidy houses feel unwelcoming, just that some houses do. But when a house feels like that, looking more closely, I usually find there are no books. No art. Nothing personal beyond a nicely framed photo or two in matching frames, sitting dusted and displayed at matching angles. Everything might match but nothing stands out. I would probably be afraid to put my feet up or drink a cup of coffee anywhere in this sort of house. (An intriguing aside, it's rather sobering how often in my experience I've seen a "perfect" house, even one that feels welcoming, disappear in the aftermath of a divorce.)

Now there is not, nor has there ever been a time, when my house could be accused of coming anywhere near close to being too sterile or uninviting (unless you're allergic to cats), yet that particular paragraph still made a light bulb go on for me, perhaps back on. It made me see my house from a fresh perspective again. Without realizing it, I had slid back into being caught up in the idea that my house should look a certain way or include certain things or be able to pass some test of acceptable style.

Uhm, this from a woman who never took down her garden arch with the black stakes and the grinning metal pumpkin on it? Who owns 13 cats? Who painted her kitchen School Bus Orange (it's supposed to be "Curry") or her bathroom Shrek Green (old fashioned "Poison Green"). Who owns as many bookshelves as many small libraries?

Yes. It's amazing how much we are "hooked" by the norms of our culture without even being aware of it, isn't it?

This is not to say that I have given up on my decluttering and organizing projects. Not at all. There's still too much stuff in too little space for my personal comfort level. It only means I am feeling happier and more inspired to allow my inner artist more freedom with less worry about "shoulds". I've had my muse boxed up inside my head, afraid to let her out except an occasional walk on a leash. I've been working so hard trying to make time and space in my life for more creativity that I have overlooked the most obvious solution - to simply live a more creative life.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Quilting photos

Nothing new here. I've been busy in a headless chicken sort of way - plus family visiting all week - plus a day out of town doing lots of fun stuff which I will eventually get around to telling you all about, hopefully soon. BUT, I did get some photos of quilt blocks up on Laume's Studio from my daughter-in-law Lisa's visit last week and our sewing day. You'll love the bright colors she picked out. Go see.

Friday, September 15, 2006

*POOF!* It's autumn!


Just like that. Daughter-in-law Lisa was here for the first half of the week, up from San Diego and anxious for some "mountain weather" and we were in tank tops, shorts, sandals. We had the fans running. It was HOT.

Wednesday evening I was getting into the car, the radio came on and I caught the tail end of the local weather forecast - "and a chance of the white stuff at higher elevations."

What!? Snow?!

Yesterday there was that "before the storm" feel to the air. Still warm, but you could smell the weather changing.

And then this morning, suddenly, it was cold. Hubby went around shutting doors and windows all over the house. And yeah, it was that cold. But I won't give up my fresh air that easily. Or maybe I'm just ornery. In any case, I went around opening everything back up again while hubby grumbled that the only way he could stay married to me AND stay warm was if we moved to the tropics.

After walking around in my pj's for a few minutes however, I realized I would need to find something more seasonal to wear. I had to dig out a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirt. And socks. And shoes. I'm still missing one of each pair of tennis shoes from my regular stash of shoes - they went missing while I was in England in May and despite all the organizing I've done over the summer, I still haven't managed to find them. It's the most bizarre thing to be missing. Anyhoo, I found some leather mary janes and squeezed my feet into them. At least, it felt like that after wearing nothing but flip flops for months.

Along with cloudy windy weather, the valley is filled with smoke. Apparently a big fire. Someone said it was over in the coastal mountain range. Another person said it was coming down from a fire in Oregon. All I know is it's way too smoky to simply be from folks lighting up their woodstoves. I can't even see the mountains, it's that thick. Yuck. I hope it clears by the time are outside for the football game this afternoon. William's first high school home game. Very exciting!

I also had my first cup of hot tea today, always a marking point in the change of seasons. I chose a cup of Chestnut flavored black tea with a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of soy milk. It came in a sample pack of autumn flavored teas from my big order from Adagio Teas last year. Do check out their website. They're my favorite tea company presently and I have been happy with the dozens of different teas I've ordered from them for myself and as gifts. Some of my favorite flavors are their flavored black teas - forest berries, rum, chocolate, currant, caramel. I sent my sister a box of their white and green teas and she loved them.

In the mood of the day, I wanted to find an "autumny" mug to drink my tea from. I settled for a cup with a silly Boynton beaver holding some sticks with "It's just one dam project after another!" written above his head. I thought "hmmmm, I need an autumny mug" and then I thought "duh! I have a bunch of autumny mugs - in my Halloween boxes!" I guess it's time to drag in a box or two of seasonal decorations. At least the dishware. I was waiting for the equinox, but it's close enough. (Sept 23 this year)

And if that's not enough seasonal firsts, hubby has someone coming with two cords of firewood today. Of course he didn't think about the fact that we were gonna be gone for the football game but hey, at least he finally got around to getting the wood. We usually try to have it all stacked and waiting in the spring, so it has a chance to age, but that didn't happen this year. We still have a couple of cords to use up before we have to use the new wood, so it will be plenty dried by the time we dig into the new stacks. Hubby wasn't even going to order any new wood this year until I mentioned I was getting nervous about it. He seemed to think two cords was enough!? Well, yeah, if we were to have an extremely mild winter. And there's no guarantee of that. In fact, isn't this supposed to be an El Nino year?

I've been perusing magazines full of Halloween ideas for weeks now. With a little help from the family, I'm on my second bag of candy corn. The grass is getting dry no matter how much we water it. Jackets and flannel pajamas and Halloween costumes are showing up in store aisles. Apples and peaches are falling from the trees every day - plop, plop, ouch!, plop. Ironically, the heat up to this point has my garden at it's peak, everyone's garden has been about a month behind this year. But it's very exciting to have the weather finally catch up with my excitement for the incoming season.

I'm knitting a new scarf for myself with this really cool nubby orange and black yarn I found the other day. Maybe I'll bring it to the football game with me.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

You are what you Eat

Here's a little MeMe I found over at..... over at..... uhm.... on someone's blog. Sorry. I can't remember where now. But it's fun! And quick! Feel free to steal it from me and forget where you got it too!

You Are What You Eat

How do you like your eggs? over medium

How do you take your coffee/tea? coffee usually as a latte or capuccino. If it's regular coffee, then one small teaspoon sugar and soy milk. Tea - this gets sort of complicated. I'll take iced black tea with or without lemon and/or sugar. Hot black with cream and sugar (actually soy milk and sugar). Unless it's at a Chinese restaurant, then with or without sugar. Herb teas usually with nothing else added to them.

Favorite breakfast foods: Hot cereals would be my first choice. Cold cereal is fine if it's something whole grainy or granola, with fruit and/or nuts. A bagel or English muffin sounds good, but I'm not big on toast. Pancakes and French Toast are both tasty but I rarely bother with making them. Ditto for eggs of any kind.

Peanut butter: smooth or crunchy? Crunchy

What kind of dressing on your salad? When I'm out at a restaurant, honey mustard on the side. At home I like this fat free raspberry dressing and a poppyseed one.

Coke or Pepsi? Neither. Ocasionally Shasta Cola or whatever the Safeway or Walmart brand is. All of them are less intense then Coke or Pepsi. But I'm not much of a soda person.

You're feeling lazy. What do you make? I don't. I go out to eat. Okay, okay, let's see..... probably open up a can of Progresso Chicken Rice soup, add some grated cheese and microwave it. Then toss some onions, lettuce, and crunched up tortilla chips on top of it - voila! Tortilla soup! Or a package of frozen ravioli works well for lazy days.

You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Probably pepperoni because I would rarely order pizza unless my teenager was begging for it. If I was ordering two, then I'd add a mushroom pizza. If I wasn't buying cheap pizza, then a vegetarian special with white sauce instead of marinara.

You feel like cooking. What do you make? Hmmmm, maybe a stir fry. Or a big pot of chili with corn bread. Or homemade soup. Or fish with a sauce and fresh veggies.

Do any foods bring back good memories? My grandmothers' recipes remind me of my grandmothers. Potato latkes remind me of my father because for some reason he was always in charge of that particular dinner when I was young. Split pea soup reminds me of Joe because "Green Soup" was his favorite when he was little. Okra, fish sticks, and my sister's recipe for taco salad all remind me of Joshua for assorted reasons. Salmon reminds me of my lovely ex-MIL. Chocolate chip cookies made from refrigerator cookie dough bring back memories of hiding in my room to read on a rainy day. Caramel apples bring back the chill of a night at my high school football games. Gee, I guess it would have been easier to ask if there are any foods that don't bring back good memories!

Do any foods bring back bad memories? Nothing off the top of my head. I'm sure there are, but I can't think of any right now. My ex-husband through his dinner plate at the wall once - food all over the place. I refused to clean it up for a week. Gratefully, I can't remember what type of food.

Do any foods remind you of someone? I think I already answered that two questions up. I could go on, but you get the idea - I do a lot of food/people associating.

Is there a food you refuse to eat? I wouldn't eat a poisonous fish. I'm fond of sea food, but not particularly fond of sea food that still LOOKS like sea food, like baby squid and such. Although I'm fine with clams, crabs, that sort of thing. Bugs - I probably wouldn't eat bugs.

What was your favorite food as a child? My grandmother's canadles - they're Lithuanian potato dumplings served in our family with pork ribs and sauerkraut. You pour melted butter over them. I mean, come on, what's not to like! Of course now I realize they're probably as far away from the healthy side of the food choice list as possible, so I only eat them a couple times a year. In fact, that sound really, really good. Maybe tonight...

Is there a food that you hated as a child but now love? Watermelon. And coffee. I also hated soda, which I'll drink now, but I wouldn't say I love it. I also hated beer, but I still don't like it.

Is there a food that you loved as a child but now hate? canned spinach. I know - ewwww.

Favorite fruit & vegetable: All of them.

Favorite junk food: currently, popcorn. With melted butter, nutritional yeast sprinkled over it, and then World Market's Lime Margarita Popcorn Salt sprinkled on top of that!

Favorite between meal snack: a Starbucks bottled latte or iced tea (in the winter, a hot Starbucks or hot cup of tea), or a piece of cheese and an apple, or some other fruit, or a smoothie, or perhaps some tortilla chips with salsa, or leftovers from the fridge

Do you have any weird food habits? Pouring milk on my bowl of ice cream. I suppose for an American, milk in my tea is a wierd habit. I like tofu and soy milk - I don't think that's wierd but a lot of other people think it is. It used to be that if I made a sheet of refrigerator dough cookies, I had to eat the entire sheet myself. If someone else wanted any, I had to make them their own sheet. Don't ask. And I've grown out of it finally. After four decades.

You're on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, soups - but generally I don't truly diet. I just watch what I eat and keep busy if I think I'm eating too much out of stress or boredom.

You're off your diet. Now what would you like? The same things I'd eat if I was on a diet. I love fresh and healthy foods best.

How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? I ask for medium heat and when I get my food I always wish they had added more heat.

May I get you a drink? Margarita, on the rocks or blended, with salt. Although honestly, I'd probably ask for an iced tea.

Red wine or white? depends on what I'm eating, depends on the mood of the night

We only have beer: Then I'll just have a glass of water please. Beer tastes like soap suds. I had something called a shandy in Scotland, on the advice of a friend. It's beer and lemonade. That was pretty nice.

Favorite dessert? Chocolate mousse (good chocolate mousse, none of that glorified chocolate pudding crap) or tiramisu. Or perhaps homemade strawberry/rhubarb pie or homemade strawberry shortcake with fresh berries.

The perfect nightcap? a cup of hot tea taken to bed with a good book.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

U is for......

Urban fantasy - my favorite genre at the moment

Underworld - one of my favorite fantasy movies - see above

underdog - who doesn't love to root for the underdog

underfoot - I have so many things underfoot in my life. Kids, cats, chihuahua, boxes, hoses, toys, sports equipment....... sigh

uniforms - I'm not a big fan of uniforms. I'm too much of an individualist. Our local school district has brought up the idea again of having the local high school use uniforms. I'm so gonna fight this idea. Although I dislike uniforms simply because I'm too much of a rebel, I also have legitimate issues with the idea. Mainly that they don't solve the problems they purport to solve - like stopping kids from breaking the dress code. It also doesn't stop kids from making themselves identifiable as in or out of any particular group. It's also more expensive and makes laundry scheduling a lot more complicated. Okay, enough grumbling.

unorganized - I wish I wasn't

uppity - I'm glad I am

urban - I love the energy of urban areas. My first choice would still be the countryside, but the older I get, the more the idea of being in the heart of things appeals to me.

unusual - generally, a good thing. You know the old saying, or at least the contemporary saying - Why be normal?

unexpected - it could be bad unexpected or good unexpected. The latter is obviously the more appealing of the two, but in the bigger picture, the unexpected is probably a good way to keep us from getting complacent and boring.

universe - I think it's a pretty nice one to live in.

hmmmmmm, U. U, U, U, U......... U. Nope. Can't think of any more U words. I'm sure I'll think of one or two I've missed later.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

I have two breaking news stories today, one sad, the other happy. Let's start with the sad one, shall we?

Daughter-in-law Lisa is visiting. Originally we were going to have the pleasure of her company for four days, then it got shaved down to three because she had to stop in Redding first for a bridesmaid dress fitting for her friend's wedding this weekend. They are attempting to adapt a size 12 fitted waist dress to fit around her 7 months along belly. Then they had to schedule another appointment to make sure their adjustments work, so now she's got to be back in Redding by Wednesday and, pout, we lose another day of her intended visit. Sigh. I'm being a big girl about it, but dang. Anyhoo, that's not the story.

While Lisa was in Redding yesterday someone told her that on a recent television news show they'd found out that Callahan's Lodge, where Joe and Lisa had the loveliest wedding, burned to the ground ten days ago. The Lodge and grounds were so beautiful and the staff so friendly and accomodating. The Lodge sits, or rather, sat, atop Mt. Ashland, amidst a scenic forest and had been a local attraction for almost 60 years. We Googled the news coverage and, sniff sniff, found the stories, complete with photos of the fire itself and the rubble pile that was once the lodge. The story did say that due to overwhelming community support, they have decided to try to rebuild, so that's good news.

A couple had actually shown up to be married on the Saturday the fire took place. If you want to read a heartwarming story about what happened to their wedding day, go here.

On to a happier story...

My son works parttime on weekends as the supervisor for security at a fancy schmancy night club downtown San Diego. They called him last week to see if he might be able to come in to help cover a special event they had schedule for the night. New baby on the way, needs the money, sure. Off he went. We got a phone call a few hours later.

"Guess where I am!?"

"At work?"

"Yes. No. I mean, I'm working........

the 8th Annual Transworld Riders Poll Awards!"

For those of you who do not have a young teenager that lives for snowboarding (okay, snowboarding AND football), and therefore doesn't know what I'm talking about, this is a big thing. A HUGE thing! It's the teenage snowboarder's equivalent of saying "Guess what! I'm at the Academy Awards!"

William was so jazzed to hear about his brother getting to bump elbows with all the big name snowboarders. He was grinning all night just at the thought of it.

But what William didn't know, and what we kept secret from him until Lisa arrived to hand him a birthday gift from Joe, was that his brother got an invitation to the event and had it signed for him by a dozen or so of the award winners, including William's #1 hero, Olympic Gold Metalist Shaun White.

William opened up the envelope. Looked at it. Realized what it was. His eyes lit up. And then.....

"Wow..........Wow...........WOW.......... Just Wow!.......... " Repeat over and over for approximately two minutes. Lisa and I were cracking up laughing. "Where's the phone? I gotta call Joe." Rings him up. "Hey Joe.......WOW.........I mean........ WOW........ I don't........WOW....... this is like my prized possession!..........Wow........I'm gonna frame it........Wow.........I love you.........Wow......"
Now Lisa and I are both laughing and wiping tears off our eyes.

It was an awesome surprise. I mean......just......

.....Wow!

Monday, September 11, 2006

One more day

It's been ... not "one of those days" but a long string of "those days". The type of days that you realize the best you can manage is to hunker down and try to get through with the least reaction. And I suspect that I've got one more day to muddle through before the clouds clear.

It's been a hodge podge of things. This last week I had to deal with several high need people. That drained a lot of "perky" reserves. Friday should have been a happy day, but it was also a day dealing with the second of a long string of travel days we're facing for a number of weekends to come. This trip was for the second football game of the season, and the second away game. William's team had won their first game but this game was one of those ..... we were down by 30 by the end of the first quarter and it only got worse from there. Does that give you a good picture? At least the last big play of the game was William stopping the receiver with a dramatic tackle so despite the big lose, he was in a good mood for his birthday dinner after the game.

Saturday was William's birthday but William ran off with his buddies and hubby went off to work. It was sort of a non-event. I spent the day working on putting the house back together as best as I could even though there are still a lot of ongoing projects throughout. I felt exhausted without really being able to pinpoint why (or rather, suspecting it was a half dozen reasons all blended together) and I spent the evening, probably not a good idea, watching assorted shows about 9-11.

Today was Joshua's birthday. He would have been 24. But instead, he stayed 19 - forever. Well, I don't really believe he'll stay 19 forever, but you know what I mean. Jeff tried to scramble together birthday cake and balloons for William finally and I just wasn't up for it. He went off to work again, William and his buddy James took over the livingroom for a full day of football games, and I tried to get as many last minute tasks done before tomorrow as possible.

Well, today. it's now after midnight. Monday. Today is my self imposed deadline for all that decluttering I was going to have finished. I realized a few days ago that wasn't going to happen, although my deadline was a good idea as I really got a huge amount accomplished. Today was mostly about getting rid of the stuff I had sorted out - bags and boxes of books and magazines were footed out to the car to be taken to assorted drop off places this week. Garage sale items were boxed up and dragged out to the back shed. Actually it was night by this point, so I dragged them out to the back yard and I'll get them into the shed tomorrow when it's not pitch black out there.

Tomorrow is 9-11. It's no more or less horrific this year then it was last year, or the year before that, but this year I'm finding it more personal because I have now visited New York City. I've walked the streets that I saw filled with smoke and dust and flying debris on television on that fateful day. I've stood at Ground Zero. I've gotten just a teensy taste of what makes people love New York City - the culture, the energy, the people. Nothing more then a shadow of a taste really, but enough to fill in the story, to carry a stronger 3-D image, a more visceral understanding of what the event meant to the people who experienced 9-11, not just as people, not just as Americans, but as New Yorkers.


I've done a lot of my thinking about the anniversary ahead of time, in the last few days. I mean, if I'm gonna have a big ol' pity party, I might as wallow as thick and deep as possible. I've sort of split my time being sad and being angry. And I've combined my anger and frustration to emcompass both 9-11 and Katrina. I've thought about how, if we weren't spending billions of dollars every... what is it - like, every MINUTE - on this stupid war, we would have had all that money, all the time and military staff to help the victims of these two crises. Sigh.

I might just try to keep the television and radio off tomorrow. My daughter-in-law Lisa is coming midday to spend several days with us and I'm looking forward to setting aside all my projects and worries and relish some rare and treasured "girl time." She's bringing her quilting projects so we can spend time sewing. We might take a day to go out on the town - shopping and eating. Watch some "girl" movies. Of course spend hours and hours gabbing about anything and everything, but especially my grandchild-to-be who's main contribution to the conversation will probably be an occasional bump or kick.

Well, pity party over. I'm gathering up the empty whine glasses and hors'doevre platters. I've got a great story in the wings, but I've been waiting for it to finish playing out. Hopefully tomorrow evening I'll have it all wrapped up and ready to share. Stay tuned.....

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Holiday Photos #12

While staying in Conwy, we took the bus to Caernarfon. In hindsight we wish we had dragged our luggage with us and stayed the night. We could have seen MacBeth played inside the castle walls that evening. Unfortunately we did not, so we only had time for a visit to the castle, a quick tea, and then back to the bus stop. But that's not to say it wasn't worth the trip. It was quite a grand castle. Or rather, the castle ruins.

Remember, you can click on the images if you want to see them in a larger format.

Original built by England's King Edward I, along with a string of other seaside castles, to make sure there were no lingering doubts that Wales was now ruled by England. Nowadays however, Welsh flags fly above the castle.

Here is William waiting for our tour guide. We didn't take many organized tours, preferring to ramble at our own pace and inclination, but this tour turned out to be time well spent. We learned a lot about how castles were built and what they looked like when they were in use and we were able to use that information to help us "see" a lot in the rest of the castles and historical buildings we visited after this. The second rise of grass in the background of this photo is where Prince Charles was crowned the current Prince of Wales.

This young woman sat on the steps the entire afternoon that we were there. She introduced herself as the wife of King Edward's architect, waiting patiently for her husband while he met with the king to go over plans for continued building on the site. She was amazingly able to stay in character and was a wealth of historical information in a most entertaining way.

Here is a sweeping view of the inside from end to end from atop the outer wall.

And another view from above, looking out over the harbor which circled round two sides of it. This is a looking.... northwest I believe, towards the Irish Sea.

At one point William and I were separated - we had a merry chase up and down different parts of the castle trying to meet back up. Here William is below on the grass (using a telephoto lens) and I am halfway up in a second story window.

For more holiday photos, visit Laumes Studio.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

T is for.....

Tisha - a very sweet cat who came into my life with my first husband and sadly, ironically, was hit by a car and killed during the death throes of that marriage. She was a Kliban cat, built like a brick with legs and just as heavy. She loved to hike and would often go on walkabouts for days on end. She also had this trick where she'd pretend to be stuck on the neighbor's roofs so that they'd come out and talk with her, trying to coax her down. When they'd finally give up and come to us for help, we'd laugh and tell them if they ignored her, she was completely capable of coming down on her own accord.

trains - I love trains. I used to ride them a lot with my sisters, back and forth on day long trips between parents after they divorced and before plane flight replaced the iron rails. I loved the sound and movement of the trains. I loved the old Black railway workers who took care of three young sisters on their own as if we were their own grandchildren. I loved the scenery wooshing by and the fact that the dining car used real linen tablecloths and real silverware and their ice cream was cut in squares instead of scooped. I loved the opportunity to ride ther rails once more when we used the trains all over the UK this spring.

tea - I love tea. All kinds of tea - black, green, white, herb. I went to a "tea" with a group of women friends about ten years ago and discovered the English way of drinking it with milk. I've had my hot tea with milk and sugar ever since. I general drink my herb teas unsweetened (or with a dash of juice) and my cold black teas with no or little sweetener. The year is divided up in my mind as much by tea as it is by weather - hot tea in the winter, cold tea in the summer, and both in the spring and fall.

Trekkie - yep. I am one of those people. Or rather, I should say I was. I'm not into Star Trek at all anymore. But for many years I could have quoted just about any line from any episode from any of the shows or movies. I've even worn a Star Trek uniform. But my interest dwindled as the most recent show took a nose dive in popularity and I didn't finish watching the last season of Enterprise, nor have I seen the last movie.

Thirtysomething - gawd, I loved this show. It worked out that it aired during my own turbulent, angst riddled 30's. A friend of mine used to joke that I was Hope and she was Nancy. Now I look back and think, good grief, were we really that self absorbed in our 30's, in THE 80's? But at the time, it seemed the show mirrored my life and feelings "to a T".

Trinidad - one of my favorite spots on the Pacific coastline. It's a tiny little town, relatively unharmed by tourism (although not completely) and it harbors one of my favorite beaches and own of my favorite quilt stores. What more could a girl ask for!?

Tolkein - loved the books when I read them around age 13. Loved them when I re-read them, OUTLOUD, to William. Loved Peter Jackson's visual interpretation of the trilogy.

turtles - as a child I loved turtles just as much as I did snakes. I'd often bring home a red-eared turtle or two. I still remember vividly an experience my family had with a giant snapping turtle. It was so strong it used it's neck to push over a giant concrete block to escape, and used it's teeth to snap a broomstick in two. I also remember the feathery soft feel of the rare encounter with leatherback turtles. I owned a couple of tiny turtles for a few years. This was long before anyone worried about them harboring salmonella or whatever it is they are carriers of these days.

Tarot - I collect Tarot decks for the art and beauty of the images and symbolism. I've taken classes and studied on my own so I can use the cards for readings, meditation or spell work. I wouldn't say I'm completely comfortable with my understanding level yet. I have a solid grasp of general interpretations, but I am also aware of how many other layers of meaning the cards hold and I'm much more comfortable and familiar with some cards then I am with others. I tend to do better using them intuitively then by going through books to find out the "official" meanings.

tennis - when I was an older teen, one of my best friends, Steve, use to to pick me up every morning bright and early (I know, "bright and early", not words you would generally associate with moi) and we'd play tennis before the Albuquerque sun became to hot for exercising beneath. We usually followed an hour or two of play with frosty root beer floats. Ah, to have the metabolism of youth once more.

teddy bears - I wasn't a big teddy bear fan as a kid. I had a Pooh Bear. No, my fascination with teddy bears developed about ten years ago when I started setting out the assorted outgrown bears from mine and my children's childhoods under the Yule tree each year. The idea transmogrified and grew until at it's peak, my entire home was awash in teddy bears every December. They've been packed away for the last few years, another tradition that was squelched by enthusiastic and/or evil felines, but I do still put up a small tree filled with tiny teddies.

teenagers - I'm now living with teenager number five. Six, if you count the season we had my niece living with us. More still if you count assorted teenage friends of my children who've spent an inordinate number of hours in my home and to whom I feel parental. At one point I had FOUR teenagers of my own at the same time. It's a wonder I have any sanity left at all, doncha think?

truth - very important to me. Whether it be from my spouse or from my government. Make a mistake and I can forgive you. Make a mistake and then LIE to me about it and.... well, I will probably still forgive you eventually. Maybe. Let's just say a small event has now turned into a HUGE event. Truth is a big thing in my book.

Twain - one of my favorite authors and all around personalities. He was the Al Franken, the Garrison Keillor, of his day. Although it would be more appropriate to reverse the comparisons I suppose as he was certainly a bigger literary figure then a whole stable of tongue -in-cheek writers today.

tequila - basically, the only hard liquor I drink. Not often, mind you. But a couple times a year. Give it to me as a margarita. And a virgin margarita won't work. I like the taste of the tequila. I've experimented, but I like a standard, unflavored margarita best. "Put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up..." If you're not "in the know", that last is a reference to the classic midnight margarita scene in Practical Magic.

tests - I'm one of the perverse people who like tests. They're like a puzzle, a game, a challenge. I like the competition of trying to get the best score. And I like the idea of competing against myself for the pleasure of seeing how well I can do. It helps that I'm good at taking tests generally. So, call me a geek. I can't help that I'm wierd.

theatre - or for those of you who insist on spelling it the American way - theater. I love being in the audience and I loved the short stint I did behind and/or in front of the curtains when I was in high school. If I hadn't have such a drive to move to the country and have a lot of babies, I could see myself being in theatre as a career. I wasn't secure enough at a young age to really give myself full rein in expression at the time, but I think I'd be damn good at it now. Ah well. I still love a good seat. Row E or F center would be nice.

totems - I use the idea of totems a lot. I think knowing what someone's totems are can help you to understand them better - what makes them tick, what's important to them - even if they don't think of themselves as having a totem at all. Same thing applies to ones own totems. I use the term loosely to mean an animal, plant, or symbol that is important to a person and that a person tends to collect, use, or focus on. For example one of my totems is Otter. Otter helps me to remember that play is an important part of life. Raven is also one of my totems - it helps me to understand the darker aspects of life. Both Raven and Otter are curious creatures, also a reflection of me. My son Joe loves gargoyles. They help me to understand his need to be a protector, a "monster". My husband has an affinity for trees. Although he doesn't define this love for trees as a totem, I think of it in that way to remind me of his need for stability and roots, important aspects in his life. Even something like an avid love or obsession with a particular book or movie can be "totem-like". I have a friend who loves all things associated with The Wizard of Oz. Knowing her I understand this movie reflects her ambivalence about the need for adventure vs. home life, something that is very conflicted in her life. All things to do with the Buffyverse have been a source of reflection for me in the last seven years or so as I faced death and chaos in my own life on a very frightening level.

tonsillitis - I used to get tonsillitis a lot as a kid. It's amazing I never ended up with my tonsils taken out. My mom had a very conservative "wait and see" doctor. Fortunately for me it was the right decision and I outgrew my susceptibility to the disease midway through my teen years. I'm happy to still have my tonsils to round out my lymphatic system.

trash/treasure - One man's trash is another man's treaure. I love yard sales, thrift shops, antique stores, auctions, swap meets, even the city dump. I stay away from most of these intriguing sites these days, as I don't need more STUFF in my life, but the excitement of the hunt, the thrill of discovery - it's a heady experience. I'd love to channel the love of old things into my art work and set up and spend time working in collage or assemblage. Another thing on my list of things I want to get around to one of these days.

triskelian/triskele - a three swirl symbol found in many ancient cultures, I am particularly fond of the celtic versions. It has many meanings and it's a handy visual for any or all things that can be divided into three aspects; maid/mother/crone, earth/water/air, birth/life/death... and so on. It's also a neverending repetition, symbolic of reincarnation, the spiral of the seasons. It's a jack-of-all-trades, handy dandy symbol to have around.

type - I can't imagine my life without the ability to type. Or as those young whippersnappers these days call it - keyboarding.

trinket - This is one of those words that sounds like what it is. Isn't it a great word to say? And who can resist a trinket! Or two. Or seven. Or fifty three. I have a number of little jars and bowls all over my house filled with "trinkets."

Monday, September 04, 2006

Circuitious ramblings

Hubby just went off to work after a ten day break which didn't thrill him. I mean, going back to work didn't thrill him. Didn't thrill me either, to be honest. He's had to work so much overtime these last few years it should be illegal. (In fact, it probably is illegal, but then, when did that ever stop the government from doing what it wanted and insisting the rules didn't apply to them.) He's gone so much that on more then one occasion it's startled me when he's come back home on time. It's not that I don't enjoy him being home, and he certainly deserves the time off, but it's sort of like being a military wife - when he's gone I have a routine and when he's home it's an adjustment.

One of those adjustments being, no privacy for blogging. Sure, I could blog with him home, but it's just one more person who's energy I'm tied into, and it's hard for me to concentrate enough to be creative or even coherent when there are too many people around. It's from spending so many decades being the hub of the family, the "main circuit operator" as it were - you know, in the olden days when you had the person at the desk with all the wires and they plugged together or disconnected all the phone calls. It's a great skill for a mother, to be able to juggle all those different wires at once, but not so great for the focus of an artist or writer. I'll probably never be able to completely shut out the people around me, so I need a lot of privacy to be able to work on anything that requires most of my attention.

The decluttering is going well, if more slowly then I had anticipated. With hubby home, I was able to force him, with minimal whining, to go through some of his hot spots, and the piles of things to be given away or boxed up for garage sale are growing exponentially!!! Today marks the one week period for my self imposed deadline for the general rearranging stage of things. Perhaps the adrenalin of knowing that will speed things up.

The other night I was going through stacks of magazines while watching a silly fantasy movie. I sacked up all the old Mother Earth News and the old Organic Gardening with only the briefest of glimpses through a few of the issues. You never know where you'll find a gem of an idea, recipe, or thought. Like this quote, which I found in an article about a garden outside of Mexico City:

"Mas vale la gracia de la imperfeccion, que la perfeccion sin gracia."

It said this was carved into an obelisk in the Plaza de los Archangels, Mexico City. It means:

"The grace of imperfection has more value then perfection without grace."

I really like that. Perfection means nothing if it's persued for it's own sake. The intent, the meaning, the process counts for more then the outcome. This is true for our gardens, for our art, for our relationships, for ourselves. Perhaps we could all be more forgiving of ourselves and others if we kept this quote in mind.

I was showing the clipped page with the quote to my hubby when it occurred to me that I might be able to find out more about the garden or the owner of it by googling about it. I doubted that I'd find anything, the article came from a 1989 magazine! I was delighted and surprised to find many hits on it. It turns out that Diana Kennedy, the woman who owned the garden, is a well known chef and expert on Mexican cooking. Which is ironic since she is originally from the UK.

This is probably what I most love about the internet. Hmmmm, maybe friends first, then resources. But it would be close. I love the ability to quench my thirst for information almost instantaneously. "Where have I seen that actor before?" "Mom, are chrysanthemums edible?" "What's the name of that town we went to that had the pirate ship in the harbor?"

Not only do I love how I can find a specific piece of information, but I also love the treasure map style rambling that a single question often sets off. One interesting tidbit leads tantalizingly to another and then another and pretty soon a search for the name of a garden ends up in a hunt for football sweatshirts for dogs, tromping through tortilla making, hurricane seasons, stingrays, and J K Rowling on the way there.

Of course on the negative side, these unexpected frolics through the collective archives of techno-nerds world wide means I can spend a lot of time on the computer I hadn't intended to spend. I won't say wasted, as learning is never wasted. But it does make for a shorter day in which to tend to other projects and tasks. Ahem. Speaking of which....

I must get back to my rearranging. The to-go piles are getting very near the toppling stage, and that would be a bad thing.

Which Vampire Are You?





You scored as Armand. Your the mysterious type only those close to you know the truth about who you really are

Armand


92%

Dracula


75%

Lestat


75%

Spike


58%

Marius


50%

Angel


50%

Akasha


42%

Louis


42%

Blade


42%

Deacon Frost


25%

Whose your Vampire personality? (images)
created with QuizFarm.com


I've been too busy and/or distracted to blog this weekend. But I stumbled upon this quiz and took it. Decided it would only take a couple of minutes to post it here for your viewing pleasure. Interesting, as I don't know who Armand is. Googled and discovered he's one of Ann Rice's vamps. I guess I'll have to get around to reading her series sometime soon.

I also didn't know who Marius, Akasha, Louis, or Deacon Frost were. That makes me only 50% vampire knowledgeable. Except hey, where's Jean-Claude? And Asher? And what about Bill and Eric?

As for those other unfamiliar bloodsuckers, I guess I've got a lot of reading to do.