Pixilated

My Yahoo avatar; she actually looks like me

Happy Birthday To…

Mood: Positively Ancient
Song: "Happy Birthday"

Jacopo Sannozaro (1456)

Maximillian of Burgundy (1514)

Thomas Heyward (1746)

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844)

Beatrix Potter (1866)

Rudy Vallee (1901)

Kenneth Fearing (1902)

Selwyn Lloyd (1904)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929)

Jim Davis (1945)

Sally Struthers (1948)

Terry Fox (1958)

Lori Laughlin (1965)

Elizabeth Berkeley (1972)

Me (1980)

JRW

Cave Dwelling

Mood: Sophisticated
Song: "Brown-Eyed Girl"

Red is the color of the day, in honor of my new and improved hairstyle. My husband and I arrived in L.A. yesterday and spent the night at the home of our close friends Miriam and Anthony. Tony was studying for a PA test, so we helped by taking on the role of patients in various scenarios (I, unfortunately, was an 18-year old high school football star suffering from migranes. I won't even mention Mir's symptoms. Today we dropped Charles off in Hemet, then Mir and I proceeded to spend a girl day at the Aveda salon, complete with *phenomenal* lavender mint tea from the Coffee Bean/Tea Leaf. Quite extraordinary. Life as a redhead is, so far, pretty much the same compared to life as a brunette, but then again the color looks pretty natural. I guess I shouldn't have admitted the color and you'd never know. My secret's certainly out. I also got at least 10 inches trimmed off my hair, leaving it just below shoulder length (still technically long, I know, but I'm pretty freaked out about how short it is). My newly layered locks are exceptionally curly as well. If I'm able, I'll post a picture from my phone. Miriam looks, by the way, just like a mod child from the '60's.

By the way, the cave is my dad's refuge from the world of poker-I drove 100 miles tonight, so you can imagine how exhausted I am. More news as events warrant.

JRW

here's the back porch (1 of 3) of our new apartment.

and here's the inside (our living room). If the camera had been lower you would have seen my own personal garbage scow (my Sheltie, Rosie). In the past 2 days, she's gotten into:

1 bag of my husband's favorite salmon jerky
1 entire container of cherry tomatoes
1 bag of grapes (poisonous for dogs in large dose, but she seems fine)
1 bag movie popcorn kernals

Yipes!

I'm getting on a plane in 1 hour to see Miriam and Rebecca 🙂 (oh, and my mother in law as well 🙂 ). I'll post updates as I'm able to. La La land here we come! I hate flying, by the way (well, it's actually the potential for crashing from 3,200 ft which has me a bit apprehensive), but "all will be well, all will be well, all manner of things will be well" Don't ask me about the curse of Southwest- Oh, and apparently it's a good thing I've been sticking to Weight Watchers. 103 lbs. and counting

JRW

The Fact that the Writing Center is Closed on Fridays has NOTHING to do with it :)

I am absolutely, positively, definitely REFUSING to go to work today, so instead I bring you this classic quote from the movie Office Space

Bob Slydell: You see, what we're trying to do is get a feeling for how people spend their time at work so if you would, would you walk us through a typical day, for you?
Peter Gibbons: Yeah.
Bob Slydell: Great.
Peter Gibbons: Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, ah, I use the side door – that way Lumbergh can't see me, heh – after that I sorta space out for an hour.
Bob Porter: Da-uh? Space out?
Peter Gibbons: Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.

---

Bob Slydell: I'd like to move us right to Peter Gibbons. We had a chance to meet this young man, and boy that's just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.

One Score and Five Years Ago…

Turning

"Considerate la vostra semenza:Fatti non foste a viver come bruti, Ma per seguir virtute e conoscenza."

Consider your origins: You were not made to live as brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.
-Dante Alighieri, L'Inferno

My beloved married me, and we are settling into life together, which feels so natural, so right, it only makes sense in light of two flesh becoming one. We rented an apartment in Mesa, Arizona, close to my new job as a seventh grade English teacher. Oh, didn't I mention that before? I have been remiss about blogging.

The reality of our wedding on May 28th far surpassed any novel, and the reality is still unbelievable to me. I expected to grieve my stepfather's absence, but he was indeed present on that day. Don't look for details here-my memory is as misty as the organza on my dress. Such felicity would not have been possible without the tremendous love and support of family and friends. Above all, I remember Charles's hand in mine, steadying me and reassuring me of his love as we pledged our faith to each other. The ceremony (at our request) was traditional, and I even promised to obey my husband under God. Our reception took place at the Farm at South Mountain, riotous with late spring flowers, and we skuttled many of the traditional "reception" activities-instead of throwing the bouquet, for instance, Charles and I presented it to the couple married the longest (my grandparents), in symbolic representation of our desire to achieve their matrimonial longevity. My aunt Peggy orchestrated with true aplomb as our guests dined on high tea fare (my favorite, of course, the scones). My rosy recollections include only snippets of the day, including purple irises, a stolen moment of communion with my bridegroom, a last minute *perfect* bridesmaid dress purchase, my mother's tireless effort, a harmony in the key of "D", and the smiles and well-wishes of our guests.

Yes, there are actually places where the average May temperature is LESS than 120 degrees. The morning after our wedding we embarked on a week-long journey up the Orgeon coast in my father's olive green Titan. You must, I am certain, have better things to do than read the following recollections which I was compelled to live out. Can one ever be fully prepared for: red lighthouse beams, a fragile teacup of "smoky tea" in the hands of an EMT, a future English teacher at the controls of a WWII bomber, a room based on the work of a famous American author, a shrine dedicated to just about every different religion, and a very UNselfconscious 90-year old at an Ashland hot springs?

On our honeymoon, I also received a phone call offering me a position. Exicted? Well, I should have been, but I never even considered becoming a Junior High School teacher, if only because I am allergic to excessive hormones. Even more troubling, the principal informed me that I would have to switch between three different classrooms during the course of the day; unacceptable due to the difficulty in preparing for class and maintaining effective control of the classroom. However, I didn't want to heedlessly turn my back on a God-given opportunity, knowing as I do that such willfullness could never lead to pleasure. I determined, therefore, to set forth a fleece, after the manner of Gideon. If, somehow, a classroom became available by the deadline (two days distant), I would know that the job was providential. Of course, at the proper time the principal informed me that, shockingly, one of the Spanish teachers moved out of a portible classroom and one of the veteran English teachers moved into it, leaving a classroom in the main building available for, you guessed it, the new English teacher.

What, faithful reader, have I gleaned from my nearly two months as a married woman?

* marriage is more work than I could have imagined, but infinitely worth the effort

* whenever I truly love something, I find Charles at my side, caring about it just as passionately

* it is never possible to ascertain every facet of someone's character-new and surprising developments keep life interesting

* make sure a hot springs is not "clothing optional" before going in

*a Shetland Sheepdog can consume an entire Slim Jim with apparently no ill-effects

* it is possible to fit a surprising amount of belongings into a rented Dodge Neon

*Categorize by genre, THEN alphebetize

* If they would only install a shower and a bed, it would be far too easy to live in a Barnes and Noble.

* Jane Austen's advice about relationships still hasn't exceeded its expiration date after 200 years.

* It is possible to write an "A" quality essay in 15 minutes

* Now faith, hope, and love endure these three, but the greatest of these is love

IPod…Doesn’t Everyone?

We all knew I had WAY too much time on my hands…
I will admit to being addicted to online quizzes 🙂
I'm a Blue iPod

You're a Blue iPod, reflecting your mainstream taste for actual instruments. For you, it might be rock, or it might be country: the point is you like a band with a good voice and actual music.

What color iPod are you?

The Oscar Goes To…

My life is rated PG-13.
What is your life rated?