Deify Plums

So, I've been out of commission for the last few days. Did something to my neck/shoulder muscles, ended up in the ER, and have been stuck at home recovering. Which might be an interesting story for another time, but the salient point is that I have been house bound and unable to go anywhere or do much of anything. So, in between watching TV, doing email and dialing into meetings, reading, and randomly falling asleep, I've had plenty of time to think and let my mind wander:

1. I'm on two of the Big Three "V" Pharmaceuticals. Vicodin and Valium, yay. Thank you for making the pain less bad. Viagra, I have no need for you.

2. I bought several long-sleeve Nike "Dri Fit" shirts to wear under tshirts as the weather gets cooler. overall, very comfortable. But some of them have tis wierd plastic ribbing design on the sleeves. A friend called it "Aquaman", but what are these plastic-y doo-dads for? Check it out here (just zoom in on the forearm of the sleeve): http://tinyurl.com/57eg2v. I would really love to know what they are and why they're on my nice, comfy shirt.

3. Please tell me that Fringe isn't going to get canceled. Also, that it isn't going to go all weird like the X-FIles and Alias did at the end. I really like the show -- perfectly odd. Also, totally liking Eleventh Hour and Sanctuary. And the Mentalist. Good season for new shows.

4. Why wan't Q in the newest James Bond (Quantum of Solace)? I see now on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(James_Bond)) that he wasn't in Casino Royale either, but he certainly would have improved Quantum ...

5. My friends, who brought me dinner and rescued my car from the ER parking lot, totally rock. Thanks, guys.

6. At what point should I finally call it and delete the programs I haven't yet watched but that are taking up space on my Tivo? I intend to watch them ... but will I?

7. I'm so so so bummed that David Tennant is only going to do a couple of new Doctor Who specials. Love him as the Doctor. Love re-watching the episodes. And I think "Blink" is one of the best stand-alone scary sci-fi episodes of television ever. Love love love it. Wibbly wobbly timey wimey indeed.

8. I'm getting mentioned in random friends blogs! woo hoo! I might treasure this quote forever (especially since my goalie skills are FAR from Nabokovian) Thanks Carolyn!:

"Nora had some really awesome saves. I definitely saw her do a Nabbyesque scoop to grab the puck mid-air. :-D "
- http://bluepoof.blogs.com/motorcycle/2008/10/team-danger-vs-blue-martinis-1-4.htmll

9. My neck better be better enough to let me go to the Sharks game this Saturday. I ordered a new 3rd jersey (yes, sight unseen - they better look cool), and have a really sweet seat in the lower bowl ...

Posted by volleygrrl at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I still can't believe it. For the last week, I've been terrified that something would go wrong, that we wouldn't win the election.

And that level of interest, engagement, and passion about the process is a new one for me. I was still 17 when Clinton won his second term, so my presidential voting experience has been "vote for the guy I like more ... I guess," and not "vote for the guy I believe in."

But this time was different. Not only do I believe in Obama, he's the one I've been rooting for since he announced his candidacy. I actually donated to his campaign - three times, something I've never even considered before (and a decision I didn't make lightly). So for the first time, I was really invested. Not because I agree with Obama on every issue - that's unrealistic. But I've long wanted to have someone like Andrew Shepard in "The American President" or Jed Bartlett in "The West Wing" - a leader who had a vision for this country that inspired me, someone with the intelligence to make decisions I can't imagine, someone who would surround himself with smart people to help him get the job done, instead of ideaolgues or cronies, and someone who, when he speaks, I can really relate to. I guess that makes Barack Obama my "Aaron Sorkin President."

And all day, I've been having the most amazing conversation with people at work, in the coffee shop, at the gym: Huge "can you believe it?" grin. Arms ecstatically thrown in the air. And an exclamation of "Yes we can!" without sarcasm, or snark, or cynicism. And I'm sharing this belief, this dream, with so many people across the country, around the world.

Speaking of my Aaron Sorkin President (tm), last night had two amazing, wonderful, well written speeches. As a writer, I've long believed inherently in the power of words to inspire, to heal, to drive change and to lead us to imagine something better. And my sorta dream of someday being a speech writer was rekindled.

John McCain completed the redemption in my eyes that he began with his SNL appearance on Saturday night (McCain Fine Gold! The Sad Grandpa!). This was the leader I remember liking in 2000, the one I had hoped would show up for this election. But, as a friend pointed out earlier today, his transformation into That Candidate over the last two months is probably a sign of the compromises Republican candidates are forced to make to appeal to their "base." But I thought he struck the right tone, and hope we get to see him make good and help bring people together across the aisle to solve the very real, very hard problems facing us.

Barack Obama was brilliant. A serious tone, but such an inspirational message. And the idea of trying to help us move toward that unimaginable future 100 years ahead --- yes we can.

I've been overcome by emotion so many times in the last two days. The act of voting yesterday. Watching the states and electoral votes rack up. I was bawling during his acceptance speech. And I teared up countless times today. With joy. With excitement. With hope.

Will everything be rosy for the next four years? Of course not. There will be good times and bad. Mistakes will be made. But we've made a huge step onto the right path. Things will change. We'll be better. We'll DO better.

Yes we did.

Yes we will.

Yes we can.

Posted by volleygrrl at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by volleygrrl at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. It takes you 30 minutes to figure out the #@$(* URL to login to (or is it log into? log in to? ugh).

I'd add more, but that one pretty much sums it up.

I'm gonna get better. I promise. Really! Like, soon. Honest.

Or not. But hope springs eternal.

Posted by volleygrrl at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since I read two books yesterday (Maximum Ride 2&3 by James Patterson, very so-so), I didn't feellike cracking another tome. So instead, I hit some favorite spots to see what was what:

Slate Magazine. What can I say, I love the Slate:

Blogs Yeah, there are a few I'm always checking:

I know, hardly deep, not so meaningful, but that's what's what ...

Posted by volleygrrl at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Self Magazine - Jan 2008

by Conde' Nast Publications

Posted by volleygrrl at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, uh, happy New Year, and all that.

I haven't exactly been verbose since returning from sabbatical (yes, yes, I know ... it was 18 months ago ... but I started a new job, and it got busy, and then it had been so long htat I didn't know what to say), but I thought that instead of making a resolution for the new year, and give the blogging thing a try again.

So,what to blog about? The oodles of mashed sweet potatoes I just cooked up and put in the fridge for future eating pleasure (mmm. sweet potatoes.)? My unfortunate realization that I (*gasp*) have too many shoes? That I just discovered that some kind soul uploaded the entire Christmas Episode of Doctor Who (Voyage of the Damned) to YouTube and I got my fix while waiting for the Torchwood premiere (Jan 28, baby).

All interesting, but, well, meh.

But one of the things I've always wondered is how much I actually read in a day/week/month/year. I have a bit of a reputation, and pretty much am always reading, so, I thought, why not track it? It gets me back in the habit of writing pretty frequently (that is, writing non-work-email). So, that's the idea ... maybe I'll learn something about how I spend my free time ... or not :)

Posted by volleygrrl at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm still a little "meh" on the whole Slate redesign - I really liked it the way it was before, and the new logo is kinda ugly.

BUT, this is totally awesome: The Middle East Buddy List is exactly what I need to keep score of who plays well with others (since, apparently, we can't all just get along) - my History of the Middle East Class didn't really get past the creation of Israel, and, to be honest, I get confused.

Posted by volleygrrl at 06:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I got to Orkney on Friday night, and left Sunday, which only gave me a day and a half to explore the island. But I soon discovered that Neolithic Orkney is a World Heritage Site, and with good reason. I had a fantastic time, and really wished I could have stayed there longer.

Friday, June 30

The ferry to Stromness got me in at 8:30. I'd already eaten dinner, so, since it was so light out, I decided to go for a drive after checking into my hotel. When I saw the signs for the Standing Stones of Stenness, I decided to see if they were still accessible.

Standing Stones of Stenness

They were! The stones are in the middle of a farmer's land, and there were actually sheep grazing around the stones.

The light was fantastic, and as the sun began to set, the sky had fantastic colors. I'm sure the short daylight hours in the winter are pretty harsh, but the long summer evenings should make up for it in spades!

Continue reading "Orkney" »

Posted by volleygrrl at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...my five (ish) wonderful readers. I have a lot of stuff to put up about the rest of the Scotland portion of my trip (and some pretty good pictures, if I say so myself).

But with all this writing, something really wierd happened. As the sign says (btw, isn't that the best sign ever? Found it in a village outside Eilean Doonan castle. I think I want to get it blown up really big and framed), my priorities have sorta shifted. A bit.

As I wrote before, the big goal of this sabbatical was to focus on writing, and see if I could stick it through and write my novel. Well, it's been going super well, with the side effect that I've become a wee bit obsessed. As in, I'm not reading any other fiction at all. Yeah. The Crow came out on July 3. I picked up my copy at Waterstone's as soon as I could. And I haven't read it. Haven't even opened it up. Which is really wierd for me, especially for books that I've been craving for months. I track book releases like some movie releases.

As my three readers can attest (have I mentioned how much you guys rock yet? Cuz you do!), this book has taken over my life. But it's a good thing, and it's just what I wanted.

So I have updates and pictures and stuff that will be coming soon. I promise. I have to work on my pitch for the PNWA Conference today, but hope to get some of my other updates out of my head and onto the site.

Posted by volleygrrl at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)