Various random observations

[pegkerr]

It's awesome to have a totally clear day outside for my birthday. Free birthday coffee from Caribou for the win.

Chris Stewart in another racism accusations kerfluffle. Surprised? Not. Judging from experience, I'm much more inclined to believe Tim Cadotte.

The reunion for the Mexico mission group is this coming Sunday, which is the same day as the May Day parade. I'm wildly irritated about this; I don't want to miss the parade, but the girls don't want to miss the reunion, which would mean driving to Minnetonka.

I have been forced to hand over the cell phone to Rob, who needs it for his job with the census, so Mom, if you try to call it to reach me, you'll reach him instead. It is making me remarkably twitchy to be without it.

The Tonks and the Auror's EP "Tonks for the Memories" has given me hope again for the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club.

Tonight we have a simultaneous Girl Scout meeting, karate class and school meeting for parents. I suppose I'm supposed to get dinner in there somewhere, too, only I have no idea where.

I need a book to read.

I am starting to get a very very tiny itch to write original fiction again. I'm not sure what, if anything, will come of it.

My lawn looks just terrible, and I have zero incentive to do anything with the garden this year. Lack of money, time, motivation. My sister assures me that gardening gets easier when the kids get a bit older. Until then, avert your eyes when passing my house. Sorry.

Bete noir flourless chocolate cake for lunch, also for the win. It's my birthday. Bite me.

I'm not going to start riding my bike May 1, because of the knee problems. I am feeling a great deal of guilt over this. But my knee hurts every time I do something as innocent as hiking it up to cross my legs.

Sometimes grace is all about just going on with your life, despite everything. There may be pride there, too. I've been taught to extol one and be suspicious of the other, but I suppose it doesn't matter as long as the result is the same. Right?

Comments

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! You'll survive without a cellphone.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

I am totally confused as to how the Burroughs community's wanting to KEEP a program for Spanish-speaking students makes them racist.

OTOH, my experience with white parents at Windom when my kids went there was that they were far more open to "foreign" or "exotic" (note scare quotes!!!) minority students than to African American students.

OTOOH, Stewart doesn't have a great track record on peaceful relations between the races.

So who knows?

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday.

B

[avengangle.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

[bohemianspirit.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!!! Make sure to squeeze 10 minutes into your schedule to celebrate--or at least to eat another piece of cake.

I am starting to get a very very tiny itch to write original fiction again. I'm not sure what, if anything, will come of it.

Forget, totally forget, that second sentence. If you itch, scratch it, and only when you feel like scratching.

This is something I've learned from Why I Write Fanfic In Spite Of The Persistent Belief That It Is A Stupid Waste Of Time And Not Worthy Of A Serious Writer. When I write fanfic, there is no pressure to come up with Something Serious; I write solely to scratch that creative itch, with no thought to outcome. The pleasure of engaging in the creative process is the end in itself. When I remember that, I try to carry that mindfulness into my original writing, and stop worrying about What It Says About Me and just have FUN.

[magicwoman.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

Also, I feel your pain with your knee...I've been suffering (and healing) since mid-December from a twisted knee (got off the bus and twisted my knee manuevering down a snow bank). Ouch. I'd hoped to be 100% by now, but I'm not. It's tough not being able to do the simplest of things - like crossing my knees.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I continue to be deeply annoyed that no one on the Minneapolis issues list has said "Rahelio Soleil," though the conversation about the Burroughs incident has been going on for days.

Only you can judge your knee, but cycling uses a fairly straightforward motion, not like crossing one's legs. So if that sideways torq isn't part of the motion of your knee, maybe you could do it after all. Pro ski racers often turn to pro cycling after ruining a knee or two, after all.) If this makes plausible sense, just try pedalling a few strokes in your alley, and then judge. If your judgment says, "Ah, but even flexing my knee hurts me" then that decides the right course.

Happy birthday! It's always a long month when I am older than you.

K.

[lapin-agile.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday, Peg! I hope the rest of the day is as full of good things as the beginning.

[ladyrelaynie.livejournal.com]

Knee pain sucks. Hope yours goes AWAY soon.

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
You look like . . .

Nevermind. Happy Birthday!

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! Flourless chocolate cake is exactly the kind of birthday lunch you deserve.

[redbird]

If anyone turns up to grump about your yard, put them to work.

A significant percentage of such people will say something like "sure, where do I start digging?" or ask what kind of plants you like. For the rest, well, if they care and can't be bothered to do anything, I don't see why you should be bothered when you lack both time and motivation. (I have planted shrubs in Madison and London (two different gardens), and bulbs for a fannish friend elsewhere in New York City. None of the people involved asked me, though one offered to show me his allotment; all cheerfully accepted when I offered.)

[aome.livejournal.com]

I suppose there's no chance Rob (or someone else from your church) could take the girls to the reunion thing? It wouldn't be as much fun to go to May Day without them, but at least you could go.

Meanwhile, yay for free coffee and indulgent chocolate cake on your birthday. Hope you continued to enjoy little treats along the way. I wish I could come plant some veggies for you.

Oh, and my girls *will* be testing for yellow and orange belts next week. :)

[rachet.livejournal.com]

I realized in the middle of class tonight that I forgot to post a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PEG post!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PEG!!

I hope the rest of your evening goes well.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Wow, that must have been a REALLY boring class!

Thank you!

[rachet.livejournal.com]

We were discussing The Goblin Market by Rossetti.

To say it was a long class is an understatement.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

I hope you've had a happy birthday.

[chamisa.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday! Chocolate cake for lunch on your birthday is perfectly acceptable and practically mandatory, I think! ;-)

[darius.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

[corinnethewise.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

and write on!

(A friend who has opened a new publishing house, Hadley Rille, hit me up for a Renaissance Festival story for an anthology. I did the most horrifying thing (for me) and promised a story I had only been farbling at and didn't have a whole outline. Then I somehow thought the due date was in June. It's this Friday (May 1). It brought great clarity to the process... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!)

Hope you enjoyed your cake and coffee. Best wishes!

[elfundeb.livejournal.com]

My lawn looks terrible too, but most things that would improve it are bad for the environment (not to mention the cost) so I consider its patchy, weedy appearance to be a contribution to making the world a better place. (The garden is also a mess, but I am planning to plant more salad and herbs, and I bought some native ground cover for the barest spots.)

Happy belated birthday!