There's a bunch of things swirling in my brain, but none of them seem really important enough to commit to paper...er, cyber-paper?

Here are some fragments from my earlier days of writing:

THINGS TO DO ON A RAINY DAY (created October 11, 1994)
-Watch new paint dry
-Watch old pait flake
-Watch linoleum curl
-Count the number of raindrops hitting a 1ft sq. area of your driveway
-Get a radar gun and, clocking the rate at which a psrticular rain drop is falling, the size and approximate weight of the drop - use the equation for terminal velocity combined with relative gravitational force and barometric pressure to determine the likely height from which thei particular drop fell. Remember to account for wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and elevation above sea level.
-refine your couch potato skills
-make lists
-draw on the driveway in sidewalk chalk and get mad as it rapidly dissappears
-read a book upside down
-put all your clothes on inside-out an backwards
-see how long you can smile before you get a charlie horse in your face
-bake something
-eat what you baked
-build card houses
-play in puddles
-write a letter to the Poet Laureate attempting to convince him/her that with all the exceptions to rules in English, "Orange" and "Elbow" should be made rhyming words by an Act of Congress. Cite their former valuable use of time declaring the tomato the legal status of vegetable in the United States.
-make a sculpture out of bubblegum and Rice Crispies
-see how long it takes to puree a whole carrot using the lowest speed on your blender
-take a bubble bath
-give yourself a bad hairstyle with bad makeup to match (or clash, as you see fit)
-see how many times you can blink in a second
-find your breathing rate
-build a bookshelf out of real books
-clean the house
-repair clothes
-draw
-watch the brown come out on banana skins
-see how many times the phone rings before the person calling gives up
-try to burn a candle at both ends
-nap (preferably with a cat)

(Nov 18 1994)
The basement is scary-
Dark
like a
BLACK CAT
in a
COAL BIN
eating
LICORICE
at
MIDNIGHT.

With cobwebs.

(Nov 23 1994)
Molly [my sister] has discovered Ultimate Fun: She blew soap bubbles while skipping through the snow!

Poem: A STRANGE DIET (Nov 28 1994)
Crumbs and crackers,
popcorn, books,
a dozen marbles,
some chessgame rooks,
A wallet, make-up,
lots of money,
Several toys-
my stuffed pink bunny!
A pair of pants?!
a bunch of socks
a set of keys-
and yet no locks...
a pile of Leggos,
some knitting stuff,
six old earrings,
some soft couch fluff;
Perfume bottles,
dirt and sand,
scissors, thread,
and rubber bands.
Removed them all
From the lining pouch-
this undigested
diet of couch.

And finally-
FIRST LINE OF WHAT PROMISES TO BE AN INTERESTING STORY (Dec 2 1994)
"Never one to give up a chance at a quick comeback, Mr. Chang reminded Morty of HIS failure to bring the bananas."

Tags: list, poems, writing

Because they save my ass when other people are driving like dickheads on the road. It's one of the Big Five Rules Of Driving In Winter, as taught to me by my dad:

1. Keep at least 2x the usual distance between you and the other vehicles as you normally would. Be extra vigilant in watching your side lanes in case you need to move into one of them.
2. Drive ONLY as fast as you feel is safe - if the other idiots in their Monster SUVs want to drive at 60mph because they think their 4wD will save them when the start to skid, let them pass you.
3. If the choice is slam into another car or slam into a snowbank, pick the snowbank. Less damage to everyone.
4. If you begin to skid, let up on the accelorator, feather-touch the wheel to let the car right itself, and DO NOT slam on the brakes. Swap to lower gear if it's safe to do so, and ride out the skid. Aim for one of those handy snowbanks just in case.
5. The Bigger Thing Wins. (this is a general driving rule, but applies especially to slick roads...and I am amazed that so few people understand this rule.)

Have I mentioned that my dad used to be an instructor on the skid course?

My car is none the worse for wear, Isaac and I are both fine, and I wasn't involved in any of the dozen+ accidents we passed to and from MHT. He is on his way to San Diego where he will be enjoying Lego Land (amongst other attractions), the beach, really good tacos, and weather that is supposed to average 75* this week.

Left To Do Before I Leave Tomorrow:
-double check flight status; print e-ticket and boarding pass
-double check when I need to catch the bus (almost forgot tomorrow is MLK day and it's on holiday schedule)
-finish packing
-remove unneeded keys from ring and unneeded items from wallet
-run dishwasher this evening, put away dishes tomorrow morning
-remove any food likely to go bad from fridge and take out trash tomorrow on my way out

Bright spot: I managed to pack everything I need into a carry-on bag and my 'personal item' (which is my back-pack). No checked luggage for me!

This time tomorrow I will be on my way to ATL to enjoy weather which is supposed to be sunny, if only averaging 45*. But I have been promised a trip to Five Points (kind of like Atlanta's answer to St. Mark's Place, just WAAAAAAAAY smaller), so maybe I can find some cute shoes.

Your quote of the day came from an early morning conversation between the hubby and I:
And now our opening hymn, "How Tender is the Lobe", from the Church of the Edible Cheek.

I think there will be a further post about this soon.

Tags: quote, travel, winter, writing