Ch-ch-changes ...

Well, you may have noticed not much new is happening around here. That's because I'm doing my posting on My Created Life these days.

After about a year of contemplation, I've made the decision to merge my two main blogs. I'm going to put this blog (Thinking Out Loud) up on the shelf labelled "Days Gone By", and continue on with My Created Life.

It's been a very difficult decision to make, but I think it's the right one. Things have been too "compartmentalized", and trying to keep them both updated has been problematic.

If you are following this blog, please subscribe to My Created Life, where all of the fun you've come to expect here (and more!) can be found!

When I'm not writing blogs ...

... I'm reading them!

Yesterday I decided that I needed a smart car fix (and let's face it, the poor guy at the dealership is getting tired of entertaining me when we both know I'm broke) so I decided to look for "smart car" and "Canada" on Google.

Before too long, I stumbled across I AM AHEM, which is a blog by a talented, creative woman named Angela who lives in Victoria, BC.

As I read her blog, I noticed that we have an amazing number of coincidences. For example, her cat Bailey kind of looks like a short-haired Zaphod, and while I'm planning a life-change to become a dental hygienist, she has a somewhat different take on the profession, linked in her sidebar. And there's the smart car thing, of course. And that's just the beginning.

I just finished reading her blog. Her whole blog. It's really interesting stuff (and I'm not just saying that because she mentioned I emailed her! *grin*). Check it out!

Ten Things

List ten activities that you do for fun but which may or may not be considered fun by anyone else.

1. Look for beach glass.

2. Make random faces.

3. Drive. Just drive.

4. Wander around uptown looking at people and buildings.

5. Look online to see which part of the world the International Space Station is over at any given time.

6. Smell the air in greenhouses.

7. Ditto for the lumber area at building supply stores.

8. Hook rugs.

9. Make dollhouse miniatures.

10. Nap. It's practically a sport around here.

Don't forget ...

If things are a little quiet around here, you can always check out my other blogs to see what else is going on.

Check out "My Web World" in the sidebar for the links.

Destinations

Where would you like to spend ...

- Two or three days?

Low-Earth Orbit. I could handle two days, on either the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station. I'm not fussy.

- A week?

Right now? Halifax, NS. I miss my sister and her family, plus I really want to go to JWD's for some quality book foraging.

- Two weeks?

Easter Island. I know it sounds a little bit off the wall, but I've always wanted to go there, and stand among the Moai statues. I think two weeks would really allow me to absorb something of the history and culture of the place.

- A month?

I'm getting itchy for another cross-Canada train trip. Part of it is because I'm now a scrapbooker, which I wasn't in 1999, and I would do so many things differently. (Plus I have a digital camera now, and that means unlimited pictures.)

- Three months?

Britain. I would never be satisfied with one of those "See England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in Ten Days" kind of tours. It would be like sniffing a buffet. I'd want to actually stop and experience different places for a few days.

- Six months?

Europe. See above description for Britain to get the idea.

- A Year?

Oh, that's difficult. I don't know if I'd really want to move, which is what it really means. I don't know if Hubby would go anywhere for a few days, let alone a year!

Tag! You're It!: Lisa, Mare, Liz, Kelly, Danie, Mary, Ria, and Teri-Lynn.

Favourite Foods

1. Favourite kinds of Jelly Belly jellybeans: watermelon, pineapple, raspberry

2. Favourite place to have nachos: Montana's

3. Favourite ice cream: Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby.

4. Favourite chocolate: Almond M&Ms.

5. Favourite movie food: NY Fries with everything conceivable on them.

6. Favourite beverage: Diet Pepsi.

7. Favourite "foreign" cuisine: Chinese buffet.

8. Favourite vegetable: carrots.

9. Favourite burger joint: A&W

10. What I Want Right Now: Old-fashioned mac and cheese.

Danie Barkhouse, This is Your Fault!

My college friend, Danie, who is living in India, always has the coolest avatars on her blog. Well, tonight, I caved. I decided I had to have one too.

In honour of the fact that I'm sitting here doing this when I have a few thousand other things I ought to be doing, I chose the "Messy Kitchen" background.

I present you with this, the Virtual KJ:

(It doesn't really look a whole lot like me, but it's the thought that counts. *grin*)

Back ... with a meme.

Hello, everyone! One second while I fluff up the cushions ...

I hope you enjoyed seeing the beginnings of what I'm up to at My Created Life. Please keep it bookmarked as I will be posting to both blogs, but rarely (if ever) cross-posting. Now that the substitute-teaching is winding down for the year, expect things to really start happening over there at MCL. I'm very excited!

I'm a little tired from a whirlwind road trip and recovering from a cold-thing, so I'm going to ease back in slowly. Here is a questionnaire I found on Judy Wise's blog.

What is your greatest fear?
Being abandoned.

What is your current state of mind?
A little sleepy but content.

What is your favorite way of spending time?
Creating.

What historical figure do you identify with?
Whoa -- that's a toughie. Probably somewhere between King Ludwig II of Bavaria and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Which living person do you most admire?
This fluctuates almost daily, but right now it's Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. One of the things that really bothers me about current society (and heaven knows I'm just as guilty) is the amount of stuff we all seem to need to have in order to be "normal" or "happy". Jay Shafer takes this notion and turns it on its head, and I would like to think that one day I could be more like him (and happily live in one of his tiny houses).

Who is your favorite fictional hero?
Anne Shirley, of Anne of Green Gables. It's her fierce spirit and vivid imagination that has always spoken to me.

Who are your real-life heroes?
My husband, for simply being a continuous surprise, amusement, intellectual stimulation, and my rock. My sister Krista for being perhaps the best mom on Planet Earth when we didn't exactly come from a Beaver Cleaver family. My sister Ferne for going out there and fashioning the life she wants for herself in the smartest way possible.

What is your most treasured possession?
My life.

When and where are you happiest?
"Playing tourist" with my husband and my dog.

What is your most obvious characteristic?
I care about people.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I don't have a lot of courage. I wish I were braver, but I'm really not good with the unknown.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Arrogance.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Art and crafts, both supplies and finished products.

What is your favorite journey?
I love travelling by train. It almost doesn't matter where I'm going -- I love seeing the world roll by.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My overall shape / weight.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Fame, even though it's far from being a "virtue". Is it really necessary to have so many hours of "entertainment" devoted to keeping tabs on those whose jobs are in entertainment? I mean, really.

On what occasion do you lie?
I'm guilty of lying when people ask me if I'm okay with something they've done that isn't in my best interest and I say it's okay.

Which words or phrases do you overuse the most?
"You know what I mean?" Blame it on years of tutoring and teaching.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'd be better with money matters.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Providing a loving home for my late dog, Pepsi, from the time she was eight weeks old until I had to make the painful decision to say goodbye, almost twelve years later.

Where would you like to live?
Somewhere with a maid. *grin*

What is the quality you most admire in a man?
Kindness.

What is the quality you most admire in a woman?
Quiet strength.

What is it you most dislike?
Dishonesty/backstabbing.

What is it you most value in friends?
Trust.

How would you like to die?
Quietly in my sleep at an old age. I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of pain.

If you could choose an object to come back as, what would you choose?
A willow tree.

What is your motto (words that you live by or a mean a lot to you)?
"Without change, there would be no butterflies." My fear of uncertainty goes hand in hand with my dislike of change. I use this quotation to remind me that change is not always bad -- sometimes it's just change.

Who has been the greatest influence on you?
Joe and Vernice Wood, of Welsford, NB. All of my strengths and values, my very foundation, came from them. I call them my "godparents", because I feel they were a gift from God.

Okay, time for a nap! *grin*

The Book Meme

1) One book that changed your life.

There have been many, but the most recent is The Book Thief.

Stylistically, as a writer, I am impressed by the simple storytelling, the powerful effect of "less is more".

By the story itself, though, I am still haunted. I suspect it has changed me on a molecular level.

2) One book that you have read more than once.

The first novel-sized book that I read over and over again was Frosty: A Raccoon to Remember. I got it in one of those Scholastic book orders in Grade Three, and I read it more times than I can count.

Not only do I still have this book, but in the chaos that is my office, it is safely on a shelf, within easy sight, above my head.

I know, without a doubt, that this is the first book that "took me somewhere else" while I was reading it.

3) One book you would want on a desert island.

No question about it: Wuthering Heights. (I can hear our school's grade twelve kids groaning from here, and, to be honest, I hated it too -- the first time through.) It's really one of those books you need to read more than once in order to fully appreciate. And I could read it again and again.

(Or maybe I should pick a book about how to get off a desert island?)

4) Two books that made you laugh.

Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes: The Revenge of the Baby-Sat, and James Herriott's Vets Might Fly. (I've read most of the work by both of these authors, and loved it all, but I'm picking the first ones I read because they started me off.)

5) One book that made you cry.

Many books do, but the first one that did was Anne of Green Gables. (It was about Matthew, in case you're wondering. I was about nine years old and I was devastated.)

6) One book you wish you'd written.

Another easy one. I actually remember saying, "I wish I'd written that." It was Mariana, by Susanna Kearsley. I immediately became a big fan then and there.

7) One book you wish had never been written.

This is a tough one. Any book that encourages blind hate, of a person, a people, a country -- that would be my answer. We human beings have an easy enough time distrusting one another. We don't need any validation of it.

8) Two books that you are currently reading.

I'm re-reading Mariana in order to review it for my Susanna Kearsley fan site right now, and I also have Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and The Secret, partly read on my bedside table.

9) One book that you have been meaning to read.

I am eagerly anticipating reading Susanna Kearsley's latest, The Winter Sea, the moment I finish writing the review of Mariana. I also tend to cloister myself when reading Susanna's books, so I'm not going to start it until I have a weekend ahead of me. (That's also why I haven't finished my re-read yet, either. Need space! *grin*)

I really think there needs to be a #10, but for the life of me, I can't think of one to add.

Personality Test

ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

ENFP: outgoing, social, disorganized, easily talked into doing silly things, spontaneous, wild and crazy, acts without thinking, good at getting people to have fun, pleasure seeking, irresponsible, physically affectionate, risk taker, thrill seeker, likely to have or want a tattoo, adventurous, unprepared, attention seeking, hyperactive, irrational, loves crowds, rule breaker, prone to losing things, seductive, easily distracted, open, revealing, comfortable in unfamiliar situations, attracted to strange things, non punctual, likes to stand out, likes to try new things, fun seeker, unconventional, energetic, impulsive, empathetic, dangerous, loving, attachment prone, prone to fantasy

favored careers: performer, actor, entertainer, songwriter, musician, filmmaker, comedian, radio broadcaster/dj, some job related to theater/drama, poet, music journalist, work in fashion industry, singer, movie producer, playwright, bartender, comic book author, work in television, dancer, artist, record store owner, model, freelance artist, teacher (art, drama, music), writer, painter, massage therapist, costume designer, choreographer, make up artist

disfavored careers: data analyst, scientist, researcher, financial advisor, business analyst, govt employee, office manager, mathematician, investment banker, office worker, computer tech, it professional, network engineer, strategist

-----------------------------------------------

A few years ago, the staff at school had individual Myers-Brigg analyses done, and for several weeks, much of the conversation went along the lines of, "Yeah, but I'm a J, so you know how it is."

I felt a little left out, so when I came across this test, I simply couldn't help myself.

Desperate times, desperate measures.

I am again blogging from bed, but it is far from ideal.

Feeling a little desperate, I dug out an old laptop that was abandoned at Hubby's store and was brought home to me a few years ago. I haven't touched this laptop in at least two years because it has a major quirk -- the screen won't stay on for any longer than twelve seconds. I know this because I've timed it. But it's not always twelve seconds. Sometimes it's one. Then I have to stop what I'm doing and hit Function + F5, and it may come back. Or I might have to do it again. And then it might go off again in about three seconds, or less.

(You can actually see that the screen is "a little broken" where it joins with the keyboard.)

Needless to say, this is really frustrating. Hubby is going to raid the abandoned pile at work tomorrow to see if he can find me something else. I'm really not that fussy. I just want something that works -- just something I can surf, blog, and Facebook with. My "real" computer is in my office, and if I feel the need to do "real" stuff, I can just wander in there.

(This computer screen lasted seven seconds on the Palm site when I was wistfully checking out the Palm T|X. Just in case you were wondering.)

So I'm typing away madly at the moment, with a totally blank screen because I can't be bothered to fix it while I'm writing.

But hey -- I'm still technically blogging from bed, watching TV (and away from the drafty window in my office).

40 of the MOST Spontaneous Questions Ever

1. What do you want for your Birthday?
Gift certificate to Chapters.

2. Who will be your next kiss?
Probably Piper. :)

3. When is the last time you went to the mall?
The day before yesterday.

4. Are you wearing socks right now?
Yes.

5. When was the last time you went out of the province?
Last June, I think.

6. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
No, but I've watched some on TV.

7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Diet Pepsi, of course. It is first thing in the morning, y'know.

8. What are you wearing right now?
Pink flannel jammies with brown reindeer all over them.

9. What was your last purchase?
Two dog chewies, garbage bags, and a big bottle of Diet Pepsi.

10. Last food you ate?
Potato patties, I think.

11. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Hubby.

12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
The Famous Boots.

13. Do you have a pet?
Only three.

14. What's the last sporting event you watched?
Saint John Sea Dogs vs. Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

15. What's the most played song on your iTunes?
Right now? "Hey Big Spender" by Shirley Bassey.

16. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
Montréal.

17. What is the last thing you purchased online?
Digital collage sheets.

18. One thing you hate about yourself?
Hate is a pretty strong word, but if I could change anything overnight, it would be my weight.

19. What's your favorite soup?
I HATE soup.

20. Do you miss anyone?
Yes.

21. Last play you saw?
"Little Shop of Horrors", as performed by the SJHS Faculty and Friends.

22. What are your plans for the day?
Teaching.

23. Last person you msg'd?
My sister, Krista.

24. Ever go to camp?
Yes, Camp Wegesegum. And I can still spell it, too.

25. Were you an honor roll student in school?
Yes.

26. What do you know about the future?
It will snow.

27. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
No.

28. Where are your best friends located?
In my house, in my family, at work, and online.

29. Do you have a tan?
Nope.

30. How old do you want to be when you have kids?
Ten years ago would've been good.

31.Who was the first person who made you cry?
Aside from the doctor at birth? Probably my mother.

32. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
Just the standard earrings.

32. Have you ever drank your pop from a straw?
Yes.

33. How do you like your pop?
Room temperature and straight from the two-litre bottle while I'm typing away at the computer.

34. Do you like hot sauce?
No.

35. Next time you'll take a shower?
In 23.5 hours.

36. What's the last movie you saw at home?
"The Craft". It was on TV.

37. What is your current mood?
A little grumpy, but it's a December morning. I'll be fine once I get to school.

38. Are you someone's best friend?
I think so.

39. Have you ever been to Virginia?
Yes. One of my best friends lives there.

40. What are you doing right now?
Dreading going outside, of course. *grin*

I've seen this a couple of places ...

1. Go to Career Cruising, www.careercruising.com
2. Put in Username: nycareers and Password: landmark.
3. Take their "Career Matchmaker" questions.
4. Post the top twenty results
5. Put the careers you have seriously considered in bold

1. Director of Photography
2. Anthropologist
3. Set Designer
4. Costume Designer
5. Professor
6. Social Worker
7. Clergy
8. Addictions Counselor
9. Sport Psychology Consultant
10. Psychologist
11. Music Teacher / Instructor
12. Foreign Language Instructor
13. ESL Teacher
14. Historian
15. Special Effects Technician
16. Desktop Publisher
17. Actor
18. Cartoonist / Comic Illustrator
19. Animator
20. Computer Trainer

"High School Teacher" came in at #24, and "Writer" came in at #40 (dead last), in case you're wondering.

Long time, no blog.

Well, it took forever, but my Musical Ride pictures are now up on Flickr. Believe it or not, I didn't upload all 150 of them (I love horses, remember), but I'm sure you'll enjoy the eighty or so I left in. Besides the Musical Ride, the Mounties were also at Old Government House for a photo shoot, so there are pictures of that, and some I took wandering through the barn, pre-show, as well. (I didn't stay there long -- it felt a little awkward being by myself, and it's at times like that my shyness rears its ugly head.)

There was something about watching the Mounties coming along Woodstock Road that really caught me. I want to say it was national pride, but that would go against the whole "the only Canadian identity there is is that we have no identity" thing, wouldn't it?

Hubby is in bed, sound asleep, and I'm a little wired on Diet Pepsi. I keep forgetting that I can no longer drink 2L of the stuff and not have the caffeine affect me. Part of me wants to take advantage of the time by scrapbooking, but I think the rest of me is too restless -- I can't seem to settle on any particular pictures I want to work on. The only pictures I felt driven to do were the ones of my niece at Fisher Lakes, and I did those last night.

My heavens, that kid is cute. Now, she's not perfect (she's two!), but Auntie Karen is a little smitten, I must confess.

Maybe I'll start working on my Ottawa Trip mini-album. My plan for it is to do it entirely as 4" x 6" pages, so I can print it quickly and economically. I should probably figure out how many pages are in the album I'm using, though, first, since they aren't removable.

Or maybe I should just go to bed.

And now you know why this blog is called "Thinking Out Loud". *grin*

What we leave behind.

I sometimes have trouble getting to sleep at night, and so one of the rituals I've established is to surf blogs on my Palm Lifedrive until I'm sleepy enough to let go. The last few weeks have been quite tiring, so I haven't been keeping up with "my usuals" for nearly a month.

One of my favourites is a blog by Daisy Lupin called "Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden". The blog is about Daisy's life, family, poetry and art, with some Celtic mythology thrown in. It's like sitting down at a kitchen table and just talking with a treasured, lifelong friend, and reading it always calms me down and sends me smiling off to dreamland.

Until last night.

Sometimes with blogs, I'll deliberately not check in on them that often so that I'll have even more bloggy goodness to enjoy when I decide to catch up. I hadn't been to Daisy's blog in nearly a month when I checked in last night, only to discover that she had suddenly and inexplicably passed away from some sort of illness.

The odd thing about blogs is that you interact with them in the same way you do a book -- your glance passes over the words -- but that you are given the story a chapter at a time. You expect that the "book" will continue. You don't expect it to just ... end. And that was one of the things I was mulling over last night before going to sleep.

What I love most about blogging is that anyone with a computer can do it. You can have your voice, your thoughts, out there without having to pass an editor's desk, or to have been deemed "worthy" by a publishing house. If you have a computer, your voice can be heard. The simple glimpses we are given into blogger's lives tell so much about the person writing that we often feel that we know them. I never met Daisy Lupin, and, given that she lived in England, I likely never would have. But because of her blog, I feel I got to know her at least a little bit, and her thoughts and voice have become a part of my life experience, and therefore who I am.

Strictly Confidential is probably a far better epitaph than I could possibly write.

I am sad that Daisy has passed, but I am grateful that I was able to see glimpses into her life. And I am glad that her daughter Lydia has left Daisy's blog up so that people can see what she has left behind.

The First Letter

(as seen in Christine and Ann's Facebook notes)

It's harder than it looks!

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial.

And remember - you CAN'T use your name for the "boy/girl name" question.

----------------------------------

Your Name: Karen
Famous Artist/Band/Musician: Kajagoogoo
A song: Karma Chameleon
4 letter word: Kiln
Color: Kelly Green
Gifts/present: Kazoo
Vehicle: Kia
Animal: Koala or Kangaroo
TV Show: King of Kensington
Location: Kathmandu
Boy Name: Kevin
Girl Name: Krista
Drink: Kahlua
Occupation: Knitter
Sport: Karate
Flower: (can't think of one)
Celebrity: Kirsten Dunst
Food: Kiwi
Something found in a kitchen: Knife
Reason for Being Late: Knot in shoelace
Cartoon Character: Kissyfur
Something You Shout: KOWABUNGA!!!
Store: K-Mart

"The blogs, they are a'changin'..."

The time has come to integrate my blogs. I don't post often enough to any of them to keep anyone interested, and now that Blogger allows tags, it just seems silly to keep so many different ones for different facets of my life.

Therefore I have decided that I'm going to gradually put several of them together. It's going to take a while, but that's okay. I may as well organize at least one part of my life! The only two blogs that will not be integrated into this one are the "Workin' with Frank and Jim" blog, which is pretty topic-specific, and the "Thousand Days Plus One" which has an important (and very lengthy!) list on the side of it.

Because I'm going to have quite a number of graphics on the page, I've had to opt for a rather plain background. I'll miss my lighthouse, but hey. You gotta do what you gotta do. *grin*

Weird Things About Me

Since I have been tagged by both KnitKitten (six things) and Jenn (ten things), I'm going to split the difference and 'fess up.

Here are eight weird things about me:

1. Buses remind me of elephants.

2. When eating fast food burgers, I have a tendency to subconsciously fold the wrapper down into a makeshift plate.

3. I collect pictures of witty t-shirts.

4. Some of my best friends on the Internet are ones I met while pretending to be my dog.

5. Sometimes mashed potatoes make me gag.

6. As a young child, I used to strive to fall asleep while holding my feet at one-hundred-and-eighty degrees to each other so that if, during the night, I should turn into a mermaid, my tail-fins would be straight.

7. I cry every year when I take down the Christmas tree.

8. I really, REALLY hate getting water on my face. (Good thing that mermaid thing didn't work out, eh?)

Some Art Blogs I Frequent

I have a new ritual as I drift off to sleep. In order to calm down my brain, and to make it happy, I look through a bunch of art blogs as I'm lying in bed. I love to look at what beauty others are creating, and I love reading about their lives.

Here (in no particular order) is a list of some of my favourite places to visit:

• Happiness-Studio.com
• Ispirato (Studio Astarte)
• Sandra Magsamen
• Violette's Folk Art
• Claudine Hellmuth
• So Many Stars
• DJ Pettitt
• Funky Art Queen
• Misty Mawn
• Glitz-Oh! Girl
  
• Judy Scott
• It's a Whimsical Life
• SoulHumming
  

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

That about sums it up.

Hello, my name is Crabbyfrown Rottenshorts.

What's your Grinch name?