Computer Problems

Just in case I vanish for a bit - my computer at home is giving me the stick. I am being very optimisitic and sticking with the "I will have it fixed today" but .... welll ... you know how these things go.

Friday Feast 193

Appetizer
Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

Neither - I am a realist with optimist, yet cynical, overtones

Soup
What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

Purple

Salad
How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

Sometimes close to never lol

Main Course
Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

Yes I have won new friends through this blog :-)

Dessert
In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

Bedroom - which was a default choice because I wanted to use the space in other rooms for other things :-)

Spiritual

Still Here

I been scared and battered.
My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me,

Looks like between 'em they done
Tried to make me

Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin'--
But I don't care!
I'm still here!

Langston Hughes

Me and My

I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then.

Lewis Carroll

Photo Challenge

First of all, humblest apologies for not posting this last week. Not sure how that happened but, well I don't plan on making a habit of it.

Anyway, our upcoming topics are:

Friday 13 June (this week): Spiritual
Friday 20 June: Texture
Friday 27 June: Body

Our current list of topics, submitted by the delightful Miss Abbey, runs out at the end of July so I am beginning the call for new ideas. Come one, come all! The only thing I would suggest is that the topics are broad enough for us all to be ale to play - let's face it 'snow' or 'beach are a bit limiting for those that aren't near it while 'cold' or 'water' are far more inclusive lol.

Live Life

When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life.

Geoffrey F Abert

Art: "Dance" by Leonid Afrimov

Booking Sunday ... A Few Days Delayed

This pile is my latest haul of books (Yippee) - $90 for the lot. The pile is generally two deep around the edge but it comes to four-to-five deep towards the centre. I just don't have enough lounge room to spread them all out for one photo :-) And yes there are some bonus books in the pile lol

So, this fortnight I have got mainly cook books, with a smattering of gardening books, art books and fiction. Sigh ... life is grand :-)

Love Q #7

Many people believe that love is everything in a relationship. We all marry for love expecting that it will see us through the good and bad times. Love gives rise to passion and can make our lives happier. But in a relationship, we cannot love in isolation. We may have people around us with nothing good to say about our partner. We also cannot survive on love. We need money and the lack of it may lead to quarrels. We certainly cannot expect our partner to change to suit us. We need to accept and even tolerate his character or bad habits. And a host of other issues confront us daily that test the strength of our relationship with our partner.

So, for Love Q #7, tell me this: Is love alone enough in a relationship?








Absolutely not I say! Love is transitional at the best of times, let alone when a relationship is under stress! A friendship (and a genuine liking of each other) and a commitment to stick together through the tough times are the only things that might ensure long-term success.

I mean how many times have we heard someone say "I love you but I don't like you" at which point we all roll our eyes because the inevitable is coming - maybe not immediately, but it is coming. "Like" and a decision to stay has to be the basis from which love can grow - and will sustain through those moments when love isn't there (your partner has just announced they have had an affair, you can't pay the bills).

And if it gets so bad that staying is no longer and option, then no amount of "I love you's" is going to change that for you.

As the song says "sometimes love just ain't enough"

Maya Says ...

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.

Maya Angelou

Art: "Enchantment" by Solveig Larson

While I am on a Roll

The Answer

Should have just done this yesterday when I was feeling flat .... and if I am going to dance, then this is my ultimate :-)

And I have taken Abbey's advice - I am going to make some changes. No I shall never be conventional and I really don't want to be, but I am a little unsettled (or uncomfortable) about some other bits so I am working on a tweak or two.

One part of me says that someones words shouldn't be able to effect me, the other part says that if they do then I need to pay attention.

Pooh Says ...

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.

Winnie the Pooh

Val's Rose

Heads or Tails

Gotta Love the Rain

Feelings Check

Feeling a bit sad today. Actually more accurately a bit un-loved. Nothing major - this too shall pass - just had a couple of little things that happened yesterday, a few words said, that have been playing on my mind.

Incredibly self-indulgent (and probably over-sensitive) I know, and I will pull myself out of it by the time I got to work tonight but for now ... well self-doubt creeps in. I question my verve and my bodaciousness. I begin to shout internally "what about me" and ... well generally feel sorry for myself.

And, as usual for a Monday, if I could get a bit more sleep ( had only three hours yesterday and 2 hours today - so far) I know that would make a big difference. Even my beloved pod isn't drowning out the words circulating in my head so that isn't really an option for at least the next hour or so.

It is funny because for the vast majority of my time I am Mountaingirl - I am the self-portrait that I use in my About Me section. I am not conventional in a lot of ways and that is a cause for celebration (you can't be Mountaingirl and be 'regular' - that would be 'Raelene' and I left her in WA) but on days like this, well I wonder if a bit more conventionality - in personality, in body, in mind - might not be a bit easier.

Okay I am just venting. Tomorrow I shall be laughing at all of this self-indulgent crap but for now ... well I could use a hug :-(

Art: "Firelight" by Charnine

I Love You (as it should be)

When I say, "I love you," it's not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman.”

Josh Whedon

Photo by daurina

Things That Annoy Me

I have to speak out. I canna hold my tongue no longer. It irks me when people misuse the word "literally". We use similies and metaphors continuously in our conversation - a perfectly acceptable way to demonstrate a point, or to express an idea more clearly. It is not acceptable to insert the word "literally" (meaning "actually" or "word for word" or "in a strict sense").

I have heard two examples of the misuse of 'literally' this morning alone. The first was describing a concert in which the audience was "literally blown away" by a new single. In actually fact they all retained their seats, or their places in the mosh pits. They may have been impressed by the new song but no one was removed from the building by a big wind.

The second was she "was literally green with envy". Now let me tell you (and this is an important piece of life advice), if you are with someone that literally turns green - call for medical assistance immediately. Envy is not the cause and it is definitely something that requires further tests and probably hospitalization.

I know I am ranting. I know that we all have these things that bug us (don't even get me started on the use of the comma). And for the most part, if it is on commercial television I know I have to suck it up because they don't make programs for people like me. But I heard one on my beloved Radio National this week too. Has the world ended? Has SCOSE gone on holidays?

Sigh ... it's all too much :-)

Smile :-)

Photo by fedrus

Joy

Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.

Melba Colgrove

Photo by ~reeed