A pet peeve and a revelation.

Auto-play music on websites, especially blogs. Kill me. You load a site, sometimes more than one, and start reading when suddenly your least favorite song comes blasting through the speakers. You scramble for the mouse and quickly search each open tab for the offending music player. Those little buggers are small! I searched all three sites several times before finding it on the page I had been reading. That chick has weird music tastes. In the same playlist she has Kenny G, Celine Dion's version of Ave Maria (WHY!?), Keiko Matsui (I have no idea who this is, the name just sounded like a video game programmer), Acoustic Alchemy, David Benoit, Mannheim Steamroller, Dido and Enya. Seriously. The only ones I would listen to are Mannheim Steamroller and Enya.
Enya is amazing. Beautiful, soothing, quiet. Enya is one of my favorite musical artists.

I was typing my title when I had a revelation. A pathetic, obvious revelation, but a revelation nonetheless. Peeves the Poltergeist in Harry Potter is named Peeves because he annoys you, he peeves you. *Runs around the table* I am slow. I am slow. I am slow.

For a long time, my family had (and maybe still has) a set of Rook cards. We never played the original game 'Rook' but always one of the side games in the included book, usually 'Donkey.' I don't remember how Donkey was played but in the end, the last person to lay down their cards was forced to run around the table saying 'I am slow. I am slow. I am slow.'

Prayer Request

Please pray for my knee. For those of you who don't know, two years ago last month, I slammed it into a tree while playing paintball in the rain. It gave me some pretty bad trouble for about a year, and then some mild trouble off and on for this past year. But today, after I got home from work around 10, I ran up the stairs and when I tried to walk in the hallway, it spazzed and pain just shot through it. It is also red and possibly swollen. The pain has faded enough for me to walk a few times but right now it is killing me. I have my brace on and I'm going to use a hot compress before bed but please please pray. The last thing I want is to end up in the hospital right before or during Christmas.

My two favorite blogs ever!

Since it is the season of giving and all that happy joyness. I have decided to share with you my two favorite blogs in all the world. Actually one is technically not a blog but a site that links to blogs but who's counting?

Blog number one:
Pioneer Woman
To get started on Pioneerwoman, I strongly suggest doing one of two things (both of which I did when I discovered the site but then again, I think I was up all night reading): first, browse her recipes. Unlike most food blogs out there, Ree (the Pioneerwoman) has good down-to-earth recipes with normal ingredients. Nothing fancy-smancy that you have to mail order from a tiny little country somewhere in Europe that charges $600 for a little half ounce jar and you need two ounces. 8-0
Secondly, check out the Black Heels To Tractor Wheels section of her site, but only if you have several hours to burn.
About once a week or so, Ree will have giveaways. She will give away anything from the latest copy of Photoshop to a brand new you-pick-the-color Kitchen Aid Mixer. I want. I really want. I have entered several giveaways for various items but a Kitchen Aid mixer...I salivate. I'm really hoping I'll win one from her latest Kitchen Aid mixer giveaway.

Blog Number two:
Foodgawker (WARNING! FOOD PORN! ;-) )
I could be on this site for hours! Literally hours. I should clarify that this is not technically a blog. It is a super awesome site that links to food blogs. There are over 200 pages chock full of recipes with mouth-water pictures. Some of the sites that are linked are in a foreign language, use European measurements and or crazy weird ingredients. Most, however, can be made with ingredients you have on hand or maybe only one or two special ones. Also, you can use an online converter to convert the European measurements into American.

Busy Busy

I'm in such a hurry today, that I'm updating with a slice of pizza in my left hand which makes for very interesting typing. :-P
It's a Wonderful Life performances are finally over! The cast party was Sunday after the last performance and strike. It was pretty good. I brought two different kinds of homemade fudge. Raspberry chocolate and peppermint chocolate. Not much was eaten by the time I left an hour or so into the party but there was also lots of other stuff that people had brought. So I took most of it home but left a few pieces for the few die hards who were still there. The recipes made a LOT. Approximately five pounds each batch and I made two. That being said, there is nothing left.
I have to make more later this week for Christmas presents. I bought the cutest little boxes at Ocean State Job Lots in Ossipee yesterday when I went to help Natalie get ready for the holidays. The smaller boxes will hold 8 pieces of fudge each and the larger probably 18 pieces each. It appears that I will make four different kinds of fudge, Raspberry chocolate, eggnog, white chocolate peppermint and semi-sweet chocolate peppermint.
Gotta run, I'm off to bible study at the Whittemore's.

Apologies!

I'm sorry everyone! (I.E. all two of my readers :-P) I've been busy with It's a Wonderful Life and work and the lappy broke. :-(
So here's a boring quizzy thingy for you that I was tagged in on facebook.

40 Secrets About Yourself.
If your tagged do this then tag 10 of your friends.
Be honest no matter what.

[One] Have you ever been asked out?
yes
[two] Where was your default picture taken?
Emily's house
[Three] What's your middle name?
Ellen
[Four] Your current relationship status?
taken
[Five] what is your current mood?
tired but that's not really a mood. disgusted.
[six] what is your current mood?
Look above...?
[seven] what color underwear are you wearing?
*checks* blue
[eight] what color shirt are you wearing?
black and grey
[nine] do you have any pets?
nope
[ten] if you could go back in time and change something, would you?
yes
[eleven] if you must be an animal for one day, what?
a moose
[twelve] ever had a near death experience?
no...but I have been to the ER twice
[thirteen] something you do a lot?
read. say stupid things
[fourteen] the song stuck in your head?
none
[fifteen] do you want or have tattoos?
nope
[sixteen] name someone with the same birthday as YOU?
Mr Broughton and Dave Colbath
[seventeen] when was the last time you cried?
yesterday
[eighteen] have you ever sung in front of a large audience
yup
[nineteen] if you could have one super power what would it be?
i dunno...never really thought about it
[twenty] what's the first thing ..you notice about the opposite sex?
basic build
[twenty-one] have you ever been in love?
i dunno
[twenty-two] if so are you still in love?
I dunno
[twenty-three] favorite color?
black
[twenty-five] do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
sometimes
[twenty-six] what are you eating or drinking at the moment?
peppermint drinking chocolate. NOT peppermint hot chocolate. Peppermint drinking chocolate. look it up
[twenty-seven] do you speak any other language?
do pig latin, gibberish and ubby-dubby count?
[twenty-eight] what's your favorite smell?
i have many. peppermint, orange, chocolate, roses, clean laundry to name a few
[twenty-nine] if you could describe your life in three words what would it be?
blessed, confusing, difficult
[thirty] when was the last time you gave/received a hug?
when hannah went to bed a few hours ago
[thirty-one] have you ever been kissed in the rain?
no, but snow, yes
[thirty-two] what are you thinking about right now?
three very special kisses in my life (hey, you asked)
[thirty-three] what should you be doing?
going to bed
[thirty-four] who was the last person that made you upset/angry?
Randy
[thirty-five] how often do you pray?
Not enough
[thirty-six] do you like working in the yard?
sometimes
[thirty-seven] if you could have any last name in the world, what would you want?
Pitt? Clooney? They're good ones. Oh, no, no, Tatum.
[thirty-eight] do you act differently around the person you like?
a little i guess
[thirty-nine] what is your natural hair color?
mousy brown
[forty] who was the last person to make you cry?
i cried in church because Pastor Dave and all the deacons prayed over me for healing.

And I tag...uh...anyone who reads this. Lemme know if you actually do it though. Thanks!

You threw off my groove!

Last Saturday, we were given two six-packs of Squamscot Beverages in Mistletoe Mist flavor, for employee samples. I was a little apprehensive about the new soda. I had tried Squamscot sodas before and wasn't impressed. They tended to be flat and boring. However, the Mistletoe Mist flavor had me intrigued so I grabbed a bottle on my way out. I promptly forgot about it and it sat in the fridge until this morning when headed for the milk to wash down leftovers of Mom's amazing Hawaiian pizza, I spotted it. Because I had no idea what Mistletoe Mist tastes like, I had nothing for comparison. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Mistletoe Mist is quite good. The initial taste is sort of subtle grapefruity and cherry-y. There is also another flavor in there that I'm not quite sure what it is. The after taste is strange. It's almost like the initial taste but more watery, if you will, which sounds unappetizing but works. While I was sitting here debating the complicated inner-workings of this wonderous new soda, my mom takes a sip and declares it tastes like one of those gingerale and fruitpunch punchs you make for informal parties. Well. There goes my groove. Excuse me while I sit in the corner and drink my gingerale and fruitpunch soda.

Yaaaaaayyyyyyyy-meh.

Yay! People read! I mean, people read my blog!
I was so pumped about my brand new plan of updating more and just writing writing writing on this thing, that I started composing a post in my head at work today. Too bad I don't have internet in my Batcave. No, good thing I don't have internet in the Batcave, otherwise I'd be posting and reading and wasting so much time it isn't funny. Or maybe it is. Anyways, I was concentrating so hard on my post that I forgot it. I remember planning on starting another blog. I know, I think I just may be getting a little too ambitious here, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. My other blog would be where I'd review books and movies. Movies mostly. In fact, just movies. I don't know where the books part came from. I think my sub-conscious threw that in in an attempt to add some depth to my shallow idea.
I don't understand my manager, HH, she hardly ever schedules me for morning shifts but when she does, it is always the morning after a long closing shift. It's not like I close every night or anything. I usually close two or three times a week sometimes four but that's it. Tomorrow, the morning after enduring a horrible, 4 hour long closing shift with the whole day's worth of work to do in the Batcave, while working with Andy and Grumpy, I have to work tomorrow 7:30-3, again working with Grumpy. MJ, the woman who has to do all the work I left last night, is going to kill me. I'm not going to be her number one anymore.
I think I'll go to bed now. Or maybe I will after I eat all the chocolate in my secret candy stash and watch a feel-good chick flick.

Who the *heck* needs groceries the day after Thanksgiving?!?

I have decided that even though nobody reads my blog, NOBODY. I shall still continue (HA! HA! I crack myself up) to post and may even write a little freer than I would if I knew for sure that many people read this.
That being said, I have to end this post or risk being late for work. Yippy. Work. The day after Thanksgiving. When everyone is still digesting and "filling up the corners" like hobbits. Today is not the a day to go out and work, or shop at a little small-town grocery store. What could one possibly need to buy to eat the day after Thanksgiving?!? And if no one needs to buy anything, then the little small-town grocery store doesn't need to be open and if the small-town grocery store doesn't need to be open, then this lazy small-town hobbit doesn't need to go and work at said small-town grocery store. Alas, it is not so. The world is upsidedown.
*pout*

I'm in the middle (literally) of my annual Lord of the Rings re-read. Can you tell?

Wand'ring Poet by d.e.watson

I am a wand'ring poet.
The last of my kind, the rest have faded and are forgotten.
I am quite old for a wanderer. I am fast approaching my 47th summer. I have never married. Wanderers were not permitted to marry in the olden days and my old tudor was set in his ways. He believed it impossible for any woman to be content with wand'ring. "She would want a house." he argued, "She would want children!" And so I made myself content with wandering while some of the other poets took to their freedom and married, but my tudor was right. Their wives weren't content with wandering. They wanted homes and farms and children. One by one, they all laid aside their parchment, quills, and lutes to take up instead shovels, plows, and hoes. Pretty soon, I was the last of them all.
By the time I began to doubt my tudor's words and arguments, I was too old to settle down and start a family but that never stopped me from wondering what it would have been like. To have a home, a real home. A wife and children to come home to. When I would walk in the door after a hard day's work, being swarmed by my sons and daughters all wanted to tell me what special thing they did today or what amazing discovery they made. My wife would quiet them and give them all something to do to finish dinner, then sit and ask me how my plowing went and talk a little. She would then pick up a basket of laundry to be folded and put away if it was wash day or take the last few loaves of bread out of the oven if it was baking day. She would never be idle. Even when we'd have our evening talks before dinner, she would pick up her sewing or knitting.
After dinner, we would both put the children to bed. Then I would take my whittling out and work on a new axe handle or a little doll or trinket to be hidden away for a birthday that was drawing near. My wife would bring out her sewing or knitting again and work while singing quietly to the baby, while gently rocking the wooden cradle with her foot.
My wonderings varied slightly. Sometimes my wife was a fiery redhead with a temper, then our children would have red and auburn hair. Sometimes my wife was a gentle blond with clear blue eyes, then our children would have light, sometimes blond, sometimes light brown hair. Sometimes my wife would have raven coloured hair and violet eyes, then we'd only have black haired children. Most often though, my wife would have dark brown hair, deep green eyes with a mild temper and gentle ways. Those children were always my favorite; the girls, gentle and beautiful like their mama; the boys, strong and handsome like their papa.
Our farm would be large with fields and meadows. A big barn full of cows and horses. The house would be large enough for our big family but cozy and snug. A little school house would be a few miles away down the road for the boys to go to in the winter to learn their letters and arithmetic.
Alas, there is no such place, not for me anyway. I have seen the farm many times. I have seen the wife. I have seen the blond wife, the red-haired wife, the black-haired wife, the brown-haired wife, but they are never mine. I have seen the children, but they are never mine.
And so I wander.
I wander until I can wander no more.

Whoa, Weird

In the course of only a half an hour, I listened to UB40, DeBussy, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, and The Beach Boys. In that order.
Now on to my 80's/90's playlist which includes, but is not limited to, Dead or Alive, David Bowie, Spin Doctors, Jesse's Girl, Too Sexy, and OK Go.

Can I turn off my nose?

Ugh. Saturday I woke up with a sore throat and other ickynesses that contribute to a cold. I got up, went to work at 7:30, and by 10 was going nuts. I was tired, had no energy and just general I-have-a-cold-I-don't-feel-well-ness. To make matters worse, my replacement was 10 minutes late and said he would probably be another 20 minutes finishing up what he was doing. I must've looked really sick, desperate or about ready to throttle him because he said he'd take over and finish what he was doing when my manager got back from lunch. For the rest of Saturday I did just about nothing. I watched an episode of something (I can't even remember what show it was) and fell asleep several times. I would wake up just long enough to pee, blow my nose or text someone. Sunday wasn't much better. I woke up and immediately realized I was in no condition to go to church. I tried to go back to bed was couldn't sleep so I finished a book Dave had lent me about a forensic entomologist. Talked with Nenu for a while, watched some rifftrax samples and riffed political ads. By that point I was feeling quite a bit better and even considered going to the Randlett's to watch some football. But once I started moving around, *BAM* exhaustion hit and I realized I might still be contagious. So I slept some more, and watched Star Wars A New Hope, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and half of Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back. I think my brain is mush.
Monday dawned and with it brought hope of a better day. My sore throat was gone gone gone. My nose almost stopped dripping. I had some energy. Life was good! I got stuff done. I got to hang out with Dave and watch the first half of the Steelers game.
So you would think that today I would be even better. *buzzer* WRONG! Today my sore throat came back, my nose is driving me up the wall(!) and my eyes are all itchy and red and obnoxious.
I hate being sick.
Oh, and I have to work later. Lucky me.

I'm Bored

I can't even begin to count the amount of times I have said that in my lifetime. They were probably the first words I said as a baby. Counting from then all the way up to no less than a few days ago, I've probably said it 8,247,672,896 times. Give or take.
Today, while listening to country music (Kenny Chesney's When The Sun Goes Down with Uncle Kracker, to be exact) I realized something about the phrase "I'm bored." It is not said when there is nothing to be done. It is not said when every other activity has been exhausted. It's not even said when you maybe don't want to color or play legos but still want something to do. It is said when there is something you should be doing, and aren't. It is said when you want an excuse to get out of cleaning your room. It is said when you know you should be emptying the dishwasher or researching that paper due Friday, and instead you're trying to read a book or make your Halloween costume early, but just can't concentrate on ANYTHING. Your messy room, unmade bed, over-grown lawn, whatever, is tugging at the corners of your mind. Reminding, reminding, reminding, spoiling whatever activity you're using to distract yourself.
Speaking of distracting oneself, a half-written essay on the peoples of Pakistan and Bangladesh is tugging on the corners of my mind.

Thoughts

"Come on...lose your life just so you can find it."
My friend Kat's away message jumped out at me just now. I really shouldn't be up. I was putting up an away message when I noticed my friend Mike online. Mike's at college so I haven't talked to him in a while. We ended up talking for a while (still are actually), about a very thought provoking (for me at least anyway) subject, long enough for Kat to change her away message from a tongue-twister to the above quote.
God works in mysterious ways. Just when I was feeling like my life was falling apart. I have so many things to do this fall. I'm working part time. I'm organizing a fundraiser that is supposed to happen October 24th. I'm Jan's intern this year so I have to be at PI every Wednesday. I have a small part in a community play that I was an idiot to even try out for this fall. My bedroom is a mess and Natalie is spending the weekend here. Natalie's baby is due in one month, within a week of the fundraiser, a three-day conference my parents are attending and something else that I can't remember. Just when I feel my life is falling apart. Just when I start to think of telling people heck with this I can't do it and running away to Europe to live on the streets of London, God, through Kat's away message, subtly reminds me how one must lose their life to find it.

Matthew 10:39 "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, and Luke 17:33 also all say essentially the same thing. One thing the Bible does is repeat things that really matter. Not that anything in the Bible is unimportant, but rather some things are more -for lack of a better word- relevant than others.

I'm dumb

After the day I just had, I really should be asleep already. In fact, while waiting for a ride from work (mom forgot me, lovely, eh?), I decided that I was going to get home, eat something, be in bed by 10, and get a nice long night of sleep. Unfortunately, the eating part took a little longer than planned and then the lappy was just sitting there on the table calling my name reminding me that I hadn't seen the cast list for my self, hadn't checked my email lately, hadn't checked my blogs, hadn't posted today. So here I am, writing a pointless blog entry while my uber dry, contact-deprived eyes* are watering and getting all red, making me look like I just lost my grandma.
I'm sure I looked horrible at work today. I went almost all-out today with dressing up a little and makeup, etc. because it was the first day of PI, the first fundraiser meeting, and work after. So I was wearing eyeshadow and liner. At work, my eyes decided to be stupid and get all dry and itchy, so I was putting drops in my eyes every ten minutes or so. No joke. I must've looked well, like I just lost my grandma. :-P
I have decided that one thing I will do to keep this blog a little more updated than my xanga was is I will forgo most of my editing. I have found that when I try to edit my stuff beyond simple grammar and spelling errors, I often edit it out of existence. So if I miss a few here and there, or you can't understand my sentence structure for the life of you, don't worry. You're not alone. I probably can't understand it either.
Two more things I will try to do: one, dramatically reduce the amount of sentences I write that start with "So,"; two, try, try, try not to say 'like' anymore than is absolutely necessary. Ya know, like? *shudder*

*More on why my eyes are contact-deprived later.

Getting Started

After much deliberation, I finally took the plunge and started a blog. And, after only a little less deliberation, I settled on the title: "Words, Like Silent Raindrops Fell." Alas, though, for it is not of my own creation, but from the brilliant minds of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, and their song "Sounds of Silence."
I haven't really listened to Simon and Garfunkel much at all lately. I saw a list of 5 of Pioneerwoman's favorite S&G songs on her site. One of which was Sounds of Silence, with the lines: "In restless dreams I walked alone...narrow streets of cobblestone." I almost went with Narrow Streets of Cobblestone, but it didn't 'speak' to me like I expected the perfect title to, so I looked up the lyrics and found the perfect gem that 'spoke' volumes to me. Actually, I just really liked it and no matter what anyone said, I was using it. Muahaha.
Now I've been listening to S&G for the past hour or so.
I am going to go and finish customizing my site because that's the funnest part of anything new - customizing.