Ten years ago, my best friend had a beautiful baby boy. He definitely isn't a baby any more. In fact, he is probably taller than me by now. I hope he has a wonderful birthday celebration. This will have to involve cake of the chocolate variety.

For myself, I am trying to avoid eating chocolate cake for a couple of weeks. The problem I have with baking a cake is that once I bake it, I then feel I have to eat it before it goes stale. No one should ever waste good cake. This is one of many strongly held beliefs that I feel like sharing with the corld on a regular basis.

It comes to my attention again and again that I have had some flaws in my upbringing. Among these flaws is one where I feel I must explain my behaviors even if they have no need to be explained. I tire of making excuses for why I went to the bathroom. What's more sad is that people will try to tell me that my desire not to pee down my own leg is not a good reason to do so.

It all boils down to my ongoing problem of rude people in my life. You think you get away from them, but they keep calling you. They ask for something simple at first, but, by the third phone call, they are trying to convince you that you owe them a kidney.

The sun is peeking through the windows, reminding us that spring is on its way, regardless of all the fabled groundhogs attempts to delay it. Sadly, all I seem to be in the mood to do today is sit on my couch and watch television. Luckily, the nagging voice in my head has convinced me to do a few useful things. Without the thread I am waiting for, however, some of my projects remain uncompleted.

I remember when I began this blog and why. I am reminded by people constantly inviting me to join their blog. I am reminded by them insisting on sharing snippets with me whether I actually choose to go to their online journal or not. Why do I not choose to?

I suppose I am misleading. Sometimes I do drop in on certain writings. I have some friends who share their lives with me from thousands of miles away. They talk about their feelings. They talk about their children. They talk about their friends. Some days are good. Some are bad. Most of the time, however, they are just sharing information.

Others, like me, seem to find nothing better to do than rant. The ones who bother me most are the ones who seem to think their journal is a tool for greatness. They figure if they get enough people to read it that their life has meaning. I prefer to find meaning in my life by trying to accomplish as much as possible during any given day. Sadly, this has led to some minor problems in the past.

Despite my desire to exist in two places at once, I have yet to accomplish this. Lately, I have been having more trouble than usual with making people understand simple concepts. If I have to explain that I have to accomplish certain things before I make time to play one more time, I may scream. Some people are okay with a brief visit when that is all I can spare from painting, cleaning, organizing, whatever... Others take the hour I offer them and then try to cry or nag their way into more time, even when they should be fully aware that I don't have the extra time to spare right now. I often wonder if they will ever realize that the more they try to do that, the less they get to see me...

As previously mentioned, a million times on more, I seem to spend too much time ranting and raving about the things that drive me crazy. I have little patience for rudeness, cruelty, or self-sustained ignorance. I don't spend nearly as much time talking about the things that I admire.

So I watched another show where someone was blogging. She posited that it made her life more real because she shared everything that she felt. She lamented that her sweetheart didn't share every private feeling with the world. She also allowed her readers to weigh in on her most important decisions. I hope this brief recap doesn't get anyone too excited. Most of my decisions can be made with input from only one privileged and intelligent source. I don't believe he reads this tiny little sample of my ranting.

As I briefly stated yesterday, I think I need to concentrate more on the positive side of my life. For instance, I made myself some delicious and mysteriously healthy cookie bars on Sunday. Needless to say, they completely disappeared. I plan to make a slightly less healthy version today as the missionaries are coming to visit this evening.

My beloved yodamobile got it's first flat tire yesterday. Luckily, I made it home without having to see if I am cool enough to change a tire. Despite all of the fun I had with the hobbitmobile, I never tried out my skill with a jack and a lugwrench. I like to fly my diva flag when oil and grease are involved. My husband was kind enough to get dirt and grease on his hands for me, so we should have a resolution to my car issue soon.

Now that I have updated my readers on a few things, I shall go clean something...

I know this journal got read today. That should motivate me to be a little more interesting and upbeat shouldn't it?

The infamous Miss Kewl and I were discussing important topics today. Among them was how long it has been since we saw each other. We also discussed my proximity to the beach. This led me to picture the lobster I became the last time I interacted with the sun. Most importantly, we compared notes on personal growth. It's good to check in with people who have known you a long time every now again. Why? Sometimes, we don't actually notice how much we have changed for the better, or we just want reassurance.

I also ran out of materials I need for a project. It still amazes me that people want me to do something before they send me materials. Really? I know I work miracles sometimes, but I don't work those kinds of miracles. I recognize that I have limitations--usually, they are other people.

Now, I am watching the Penguins facing off against the Hurricanes. At this moment, they are tied. I must now squint my eyes real tight and wiggle my nose and cross my arms and blink and... Oh wait, I actually can't work miracles, but I am hoping the Pens get back in their groove and score again and again and again without allowing the other team to score. We'll see how that goes.

In what is becoming typical, I have spent most of the day on my butt. I fed my hatchlings, watered my fairy flowers, and other such important tasks. I also am trying to rescue some herbs from their tiny little pots. I currently have cilantro and basil sending up aromatic smells in my dining room. I have no guarantee that my little friends will survive, but I am hopeful they will fare better than most of my past green friends.

I also observed the creatures in my surroundings. I must admit this was inadvertent since I saw them reflected in my monitor. I had thrown some hunks of bread out on the porch earlier after a squirrel entertained me by climbing up on the railing of the deck. Anyway, as I was waiting for my inferior operating system to load (Windows Vista--blech), I noticed something happening behind me.

A cardinal flew in and picked up a hunk of bread that was probably about a fourth his size. He flew off. A second later, another (or the same) bird flew in again. This time, however, he flew too low and missed his mark. A moment later, my friend the chittering squirrel had returned and was happily munching on another hunk of bread. Needless to say, no evidence remains that a crazy cat lady was turning all the animals in the neighborhood into her pets. It's been known to happen...

I wake up every morning and within moments of moving, the handsomest man in the world is leaning over to kiss me. I have to love that, don't I? Whether I have to or not, I do enjoy my sleepy kisses. The rest of my day, for now, consists of relatively less enjoyable occupations. I admit that I watch a lot of television, but I insert my own version of work into the equation. I wash laundry, organize...blah blah blah.

Lately, I have been enjoying the warmth of the sun as it filters through the windows and gives live-giving light to the latest members of my family. Parsley, Cilantro, and Basil have taken up residence next to the French door leading off to the deck. As I have a reportedly brown thumb, I am hoping they live past today. The cilantro was a little sickly to start with. So far, the parsley and basil seem to be holding up well.

I also splurged on some strawberries which the man I love to kiss is allergic to, so I have to munch on them in the afternoon. With the sunlight flowing through the windows, it reminds me that we are closer to spring.

I also fill my afternoons with attempts to find the right words. Lately, I've been trying to proofread a novel that I thought was finished until I needed to add another chapter yesterday. The other issue I am having with my proofreading is that another novel is rather strongly begging to be written. We'll see how far I get with both of these today...

I've been remiss about informing the world of my doings. For the most part, it is still the same. I am still struggling to proofread my novel, and adding more to it as I realize some plot development is missing. I still watch far more television than anyone should who wishes to accomplish anything. I need to bust out my quilting supplies and make some more art that people expect me to give to them for free regardless of whether they are good friends, toxic friends, or almost strangers. I don't see that changing anytime soon. The new human nature is to bleed everyone dry as we scramble over them to show our dominance, isn't it?

I say the new human nature because people claim they do things because it is just the way they are wired. I have been a child, and I have even interacted with children since I became an adult. Children are wonderful little people (for the most part). They love everyone. They hold hands in the sandbox because that person is their friend. They share their cookies (or half-eaten animal crackers). They smile at strangers who smile at them (and we all hope those strangers are good people). We even find movies with happy endings for kids to watch. Of course, in order that we will watch them, too, Easter eggs of a less warm and fuzzy nature creep into the script. I have seen tramp stamps on animated cars and ads for children's movies that show an animated character looking at porn. It's hard to find that completely innocent place that used to exist when husbands and wives slept in separate beds on television, isn't it?

In my attempts to find it from time to time, I find that I can be judgemental. I look at other people repeatedly doing something that makes them unhappy or sneezy or ill over and over with the expectation of a different outcome, and I get tired of them expecting my sympathy. Then I try to ignore it completely, but that usually just leads to ignoring them. Luckily, self-involved people only really notice the people telling them that they are the best at everything.

I do have the good fortune of having a husband who reminds me to focus more on the people who make logical sense. I am not impling that he tells me to watch Vulcans though he would not stop me from doing so. He just gives me reasons and encouragement to focus on more worthwhile things like kissing, writing, and making our house a home. This weekend, we had the good fortune to have some friends come and visit us. Somehow, we managed to not watch the WVU/Kentucky game, which may be why my couch didn't experience spontaneous combustion. We enjoyed eating dinner and sharing stories that will not be retold here. Sorry. I also was reminded that I am an obsessive cook. As one friend once told me when I came to her house for Christmas Eve, "If you leave my house hungry, it's your own fault." Some of my friends are just super lovable :)

The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe he has our welfare at heart, may we not let his plans unfold as he thinks best? The same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the Lord's timing for us personally, not just in His overall plans and purposes. (Dallin H. Oaks: Even As I Am, p. 93)
While you are passing through [your trials], the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love. (Richard G. Scott, "Trust in the Lord," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17)
Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11-12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain. (Elder Richard G. Scott: "Trust in the Lord," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 16-17)

The day began with my normal lack of enthusiasm for crawling out of bed. I made myself do it, however, because I am a busy girl and I had much to accomplish today. Of course, I promptly forgot most of it when I realized how much has accumulated on my tivo. I was able to delete a couple of episodes of NCIS that I had already soon, but I was surprised to find some that have escaped my attention. Ducky and his mother are quite hilarious. You have to love a man in a bowtie.

Anyway, I started printing out my reading assignments for my writing group, only to discover that the printer had run out of ink. This led to me peering at the booklet for refilling inkjet cartridges. This ended in disappointment as the cartridge in our printer is not compatible. This meant I had to put shoes on my hobbit feet and drive off to the local Target. By many miracles, I made it there safely with the minimum amount of annoyance I can have when a Mac truck is bearing down on me for about ten minutes. My tiny car was scared.

When I got home, I decided to have a healthy bowl of frosted flakes for lunch. They're greeaaat!! I have no problem with my addiction to cereal so don't judge me. I followed this up with a solitary episode of Doctor Who. I find it rather disappointing that a lot of the old episodes were lost by the BBC. That's a piece of geek/nerd/sci-fi history that should have been carefully protected.

To dispel my disappointment, I wandered outside and swept my back deck. I know the funky debris that covered it will just reappear tomorrow morning, but I was contented by its cleanliness for a whole three hours (at least). Something has to make me happy, those silly Penguins have yet to score and the game is half over. Maybe, I'll start reading my book again. It is one of the Cat Who novels. They tend to remind me that I am not writing enough. *sigh* Back to something else, I go...I go...