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Are we there yet? Is it Leap March?

This is the obligatory "I made it through NaBloPoMo" post. I would write something more interesting but I want to get this up in case life gets too busy today and I forget to post on the VERY LAST DAY!

So... Self imposed requirement fulfilled. March NaBloPoMo accomplished.

... Unless it's "Leap March."

(Note to self: Next time do NaBloPoMo in February.)
 

More About My Supehero

* See yesterday's post for picture.

Ok so here's the deal...

First, let me say that the entire outfit, while being super comfortable, light weight, breathable, water repellant, odor resistant, and fantastic protection from the elements, is also bullet proof/fire proof/acid proof, and alien slime proof. It might even be volcano and nuclear bomb proof.

The cape: I know about capes and supeheroes, and I agree they're a bad idea. They get in the way, they get caught in things, they're not aerodynamic.... the things can kill you. -But they LOOK so COOL!!!!! In my world the cape works. 'Nuff said.

Black and purple: Why not. I also thought of going dark green but then I looked like Robin Hood.

The hair: That's pretty much how my hair would look on a very good day with a good cut. Unless it's tied back. I know... Ponytail, not good on a superhero. Turns into a big handle for them to grab you by. Long hair is also out as it can get caught in things. I figure mine's a decent compromise. Like the cape, in my world my superhero hair doesn't get caught in stuff, get in my eyes, or get in the way. It may also be bullet proof...

The shirt dress thing: It was the best option for me out of what was available. If the Superhero store gets new fashions I could upgrade.

Wonder Woman cuffs: - That's what they are. Do you not know your Superheroes? I saw those and was all "MINE!" :) (I know... Marvel.... D.C..... They're still Wonder Woman cuffs!) Big Wonder Woman fan as a kid. Luckily they're not restrictive at all and you don't even feel them or know that they're there! And of course they're bullet proof.

The claws: Bit of a fantasy. A few people I'd like to use them on. They're sans "Wolverine pain" too. Mine aren't grafted. They're more like phased in and out and guided by my movements but not attached to me per se. They're "in sync" with me. In a pinch they're also convenient for infiltrating computer systems, and picking locks.

The torch: Why not. A torch could be fun. And you don't really know that it's a regular torch. It could be a plasma torch, or my sidekick lifeform, or it could be a communicator...

... It could be cotton candy

- I could be a very hungry superhero.

Utility belt: Miraculously, you can't feel this thing at all either. It never falls off or gets in the way or gets caught on anything, nor do any of those pouches, enclosures, or any of the contents. -And it's there because that's my preferred way to carry things. I don't do well with things on my back or hanging off my shoulders. A good utility belt is practical. I haven't decided what's in it.

Leggings: I always wore leggings. I'd wear them again if I looked like that.

Boots: Of all the footwear options, these looked the most comfortable and the most practical. I liked the sneakers (Trainers? Tennies?) too, but these went better with the outfit. Heels and/or sandals while chasing a bad guy seem counter productive (people go on about capes?) These are like wearing pajamas except that they perfectly support every single motion of your feet and absorb all impacts. Even when you jump from ridiculous heights.

What's not in the picture:  No mask (have you ever worn a mask? Could you see anything?), no headwear (gives me a headache), and no tail (One less thing to get sucked into an air jet.)
 

Me as a Superhero

- If I was thinner and had cool clothes...


Create your own Superhero!

(Don't worry, your secret identity is safe with me!)

 

Blah blah blah

Ok here's the thing... I don't like writing about boring stuff (ie stuff that bores even ME lol!) and sometimes I end up going a tiny bit in that direction for NaBloPoMo "just because," and I hope it's not TOO horrible. Nevertheless even I know when something is super uninteresting!

I also don't like writing whiney complainy posts. Not unless I still have my wits about me enough to also make it entertaining!

"I don't feel well" posts can also cause people to worry and I certainly don't want that. I mean when I WANT flowers candy and money I'll tell you ;) Not that a bit of kindness isn't nice at times but I feel like if I say I don't feel well, I have to give updates or people will think I've dropped dead! And the longer I go before I do an update, the MORE dead people think I am! ;) It's much easier to write about stuff after the fact.

Except there's this NaBloPoMo thing that I committed to, that NOBODY is holding me to, that has no prize, no special reward, and really no "nothing" at the end of it, but I SAID I'd do it, there's only a few more days to go, and gosh darn it I want to finish it JUST BECAUSE!

But I don't FEEL GOOD :P

So right now I'm going to order some take out food (because somehow I feel like that will make me feel better than all the nutritious "already paid for" food I have in my fridge!) and maybe I'll be back later if that works.

If not... HA! I got one more post in ;) (and if I don't post tomorrow or the next few days I'm very likely not dead! Just sleeping :) )
 

Checking in

There is no way I can possibly convey how many times and how many hours I've spent trying to write a post today. Really... HOURS.

I'm not feeling well and I've tried to push my brain to function anyway, but it's not working. It's not a writing dry spell. It's a "brain thing." Think "learning disability." That's what it's like right now.

Hopefully sleep will help.

Good night :)
 

Context

It's always helpful to understand how friends' brains work. Otherwise a comment like "I walked past 'Jekyll and Hyde' and thought of you" could be taken the wrong way!
 

I've got nuttin'

This is a placeholder. Because I'm tired. That's right. I'm writing a cop-out post for NaBloPoMo just so I can say I put something here on this date!

(I actually have several different things I could post but I really hate posting "filler" stuff. I mean heck if I'm going to post filler, let's be up front about it!)
 

I was joking. Seriously. Never touch the stuff!

 IM conversation
ME
I just packed some laundry detergent in two little zip lock bags. It looks like  cocaine.

HIM
Where'd you put the cocaine?

ME
Oh crap! I must have washed the laundry with it!!!
 

No Cell Phone Call Block? No Problem!

Despite being a long time registrant on the Do-Not-Call list, once in a while I get random calls on my cell phone. If it appears to be Spam, I ignore the call. If it appears to be a wrong number, I call them back and let them know they've reached a wrong number - but that rarely stops the calls. (I've had a chinese school calling me for over two years every time "Ping Ying Something-or-other" misses school. Hopefully Ping Ying is ok because his (her?) parents have no idea!)

So I have this problem: Repeated calls from spammers and/or wrong numbers that I can't get rid of. Most cell phone companies do not offer a way to block calls from a specific number, but there's a free workaround that helps. It's very simple and pretty ingenious.
  • First, download (or make) a silent ringtone. You can google "silent ringtone" to find one, or if you know how to make your own ringtone just record 30 seconds of silence. 
  • Put the ringtone on your phone. 
  • Create a new contact and call it "Ignore Me" or something similar. 
  • Assign the silent ringtone to that contact. 
  • The next time a repeated spammer, wrong number, or chinese school calls your cell phone, select their number from your recent calls list and use the "add to current contact" feature to add that number to your "Ignore Me" contact. 
Now whenever one of those numbers calls, you won't hear a thing. No ring, no nothing. And if you happen to see the call come in, the "Ignore Me" text will be displayed. - BRILLIANT solution.

It doesn't prevent the calls, it doesn't stop them, and some callers may still leave messages, but most of the time you won't even know they called. It's a pretty good interim solution until your cell phone/carrier implements call blocking.

I found the above information several months ago via multiple websites so I don't have a specific URL to credit for the idea.
 

Counting Cat

Phone conversation with a five year old
Her
Do you want to talk to the cat?

Me
Sure.

Her
Meow meow meow.

Me
Hi cat. How was your day?

Her
Meow meow meow meow meow meow.

Me
So cat, can you count to ten?

Her
Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

Meow.

That was ten!

Me
Wow, you have a really smart cat!

Her
I know! She can count really high! She can count to A THOUSAND!  
Wanna hear?

Me
Um....

Her
Meow.

Meow. 

Meow....
 

It's 5am

I've been up since 2am.

I hate it when that happens.
 

Too Easy...

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: Write a post using the following words: oregano, football field, blackbird, hurricane, and loop.

Those are Frank Zappa's other kids.
 

Me according to five senses

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: Describe yourself using five different words, one for each of the senses (taste, touch, etc.).

I didn't really understand this prompt. Was it meant to be literal? A word to describe how I look, feel, and taste?

Ok let's do it that way instead of doing something more poetic or abstract...

  • Sight: Innocent. Apparently that's the impression I give. Good for me ;)
  • Sound: I'm not sure what one word would describe how I sound. It depends on what I'm doing. How about "female."
  • Smell: Fabric softener. (Really, I just checked. Oh wait, that's two words... How about "Fabricsoftener.")
  • Taste: Chicken
  • Touch: Thin. - According to a blind friend of mine who feels my arm and tells me I'm thin. Who am I to correct her. 
 

Order vs Chaos

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: Order or chaos?

Order. Most definitely. I am an "order" person. At least with regard to my living and working space. I don't have a problem being in somebody else's disordered space -so long as there's no strange odors or creepy crawlies ;)

Many people's disorder actually is ordered. It's just a different type of order. It's their order. Some people do better with piles. I used to. My room was a mess as a teen, but I always knew where everything was, and I also knew when something was missing.

The only time I feel an urge to help someone clean up their "chaos" is if they are distressed by it. If they're ok with it, I am too.

But let me reiterate... in MY work and living space? Order!
 

Civilization vs Wilderness

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: Civilization or wilderness?

For me the civilization or wilderness question is similar to the city or country question. I'd probably prefer wilderness, but with the conveniences of civilization.

Ideally, I'd want to live in a fairly remote area, with indoor plumbing, electricity, a working transporter, and a replicator that never broke. Also a security system that never broke. I'd feel vulnerable in the middle of nowhere. So maybe a personal shield. Oooooh! I'd love to go through life in a personal shield! lol! I'd also want to have no allergies (an issue for me in most country settings. I'm far less allergic to cement), and to never see a dead, dying, or suffering animal. Dead, dying, and suffering animals exist everywhere, but I think they're less visible in cities.
 

City vs Country

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: City or Country?

I would prefer to live in the country, but with the conveniences of a city.

I love quiet and nature and trees, and I prefer to be around fewer people, but it's easier to live in a city. There's public transportation, delivery of pretty much anything at any time, and many places are open very late and are a short walk away. For me, those conveniences are often a necessity. If those same conveniences were available to me in a country setting, I'd prefer the country. I'm not really much of a city person. I am, however, a practical person.
 

One Word: Wander

A one minute writing exercise from One Word

"Wander"

I wondered as I wandered... that’s a song isn’t it?

I just realized yesterday’s word was “Wand.” Maybe a “Wander” could be someone who wields a wand. It could be a derogatory term for someone who waves one around a lot, used by those who can turn you to dust with just a point of their finger.
 

One Word: Wand

A one minute writing exercise from One Word

"Wand"

I used to have a magic wand. Actually I had several. I have one at the moment too. It lights up. I justified the purchase by telling myself it was a practical item. -Just cooler.

When I was younger the wands I had were magician’s wands. I had several. I had breaking wands, collapsing wands, linking wands, weighted wands… My first wand was made of wood. I loved it. I may even still have it. It’s been a while since I opened that trunk… Actually, I’m pretty sure I do still have it. I sewed a red fabric case for it, with a gold button. I’ve had that wand since I was five.


first magician's wand and case I made when I was 10.

(The "case" was made when I was ten)
 

Code Cleaning

This is going to go right over some people's heads, and make other people's eyes roll.

When I modify any kind of computer code that I don't write from scratch, I try lots of different alterations until I get the result I'd like. Although I'm pretty good about going back to delete changes that didn't work or did nothing at all, I still tend to end up with a few lines of code that aren't serving any purpose (either because I forgot to undo those changes, or because I later found a better way to achieve the same effect.)

Knowing I have stray lines of code in a program bugs me!

So I spent two days going through my template line by line, with a brand new fresh "Awesome Ink" Blogger template (which is the base for my current template), re did the hacks from scratch, and tested each remaining line of altered code to see if it was doing something useful or not. If not, it didn't make it into my final copy.

The result is a "cleaner" blog template - At least on the code side. The final product (the blog) looks exactly the same. There's no difference in it visually. But I know the code has been cleaned, and for some odd reason, that makes my brain happy.
 

Jumpers

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: If you were walking over a bridge and came upon someone who looked like they were about to jump, what would you do?

I'm not sure what someone could be doing that would lead me to think they were going to jump. It's very likely I would (consciously or unconsciously) convince myself that was not what they were doing.

If, however, I did believe that that's what they wanted to do, and that they were distressed about it, I would talk to them. I wouldn't call anyone unless the person seemed psychotic, and I mean that in the literal sense (If they were hallucinating etc.) For pretty much anyone else, in pretty much any other condition, I would talk, sit, and listen.
 

Loss vs Gift

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: Have you ever lost anything of value? Do you still think about it? Imagine how you'd feel if you'd given it away instead.

This was an interesting subject for me. I liked this idea and thought it might help me feel better about some losses in my life. But when I tried to apply this to specific instances of loss, losses of value, I realized I would have never given those things away. Not ever. Not something that was of true value to me.

I also thought about a time my luggage was stolen. I could have given away most of its contents, but the difference is, if I were going to give those items away, I would have written down all of my makeup brands and numbers first. To this day I have not been able to figure out what the heck shade of lipstick I used to wear.
 

Woo Hoo! Disclosing Tablets!

I just found some disclosing tablets! - You know those pink tablets that dentists have you chew and swish around to see how poorly you brushed? Even though these particular tablets had to be well over 10 years old, I gleefully popped one in and did just that, and was very surprised by the results.

I chewed, swished, spit, looked at my new dayglo pink teeth, and then brushed without looking in the mirror (which is what I usually do) to see how I did. And guess what? I got it all! No pink! None at all! So then I chewed and swished a second tablet just to be sure and again, no pink! I checked with a mirror and everything so I could see the back teeth. I did amazingly well! - Or these tablets are duds. I doubt that though because my currently brighter than bright pink tongue looks AWESOME! (Despite my efforts to brush that too.) I tried to get a picture to show you, but they all came out looking obscene.

I should totally have a disclosing tablet party :)
 

One Word: Wondered

A one minute writing exercise from One Word


"Wondered"

I've often wondered what would happen if I completely disappeared.

Actually I haven't. That's just the first thing that came to mind to write. It sounds pretty typical doesn't it?

I actually know what would happen if I disappeared so I don't wonder about it. Well... if I just up and disappeared right in front of someone and vanished into thin air that might be different. And interesting. I suppose they'd deny it - If they were smart!

* This is actually a very cool word and I wish I'd done better with it. I may revisit it at some point!
 

One Word: Swept

A one minute writing exercise from One Word


"Swept"

Swept away...

Really that's all that comes to mind. That and sweeping. 

I swept for years before I got a vacuum. I don't have carpeting, and brooms were just easier to store. To this day I still have a small broom and dustpan hanging from the side of my toilet, from when I used to flush kitty litter and would inevitably spill some on the floor. 


That was 60 seconds.

A few side notes:

The litter was flushable. It was recycled newspaper bits and so long as I flushed no more than a scoop or two at a time, flushing it worked fine.  -And flushing was so much easier than having to run it outside to the garbage! But again... spillage ;) So I kept a small broom and dustpan hanging off the side of the tank.

I thought about moving the broom and dustpan set about a week ago, since I no longer have pets, but then I left it. It may not be a logical place to keep it anymore, but it's not in the way and I always know where it is. I doubt most people even notice it.
 

White Popcorn - It's not just me!

Someone from Michigan (Hello Michigan!) came to my blog yesterday because my Is White Popcorn EXTINCT? post popped up in their google search. - What were their search terms? "Why can't I find white popcorn!"

No kidding. That's what they were looking for! Also in their search results was a letter to a newspaper in Maine asking the same thing!

It's not just me!!!

FYI, I ordered some white popcorn online. We'll see how that goes.
 

Reindeer Games

NaBloPoMo writing prompt: Write a post using the following words: placate, boring, solitary, crinkle, and juice.

Those are the names of Santa's backup reindeer. You know, to swap in when one of the others is ill.
 

One Word: Example

A one minute writing exercise from One Word.


"Example"

Example.

"She tried to lead by example. Unfortunately, her example wasn't a very good one."

"Example on a math test."

"Give me an example."

Ok, now the word is beginning to look funny to me. You know, from staring at it too long? I hate it when that happens.
 

One Word: Final

I didn't do today's One Word exercise. Well, I did, but then I erased it. Then I tried to think of several others themes I could write on using that same word, and I didn't like any of those either. I realized that I couldn't think of one "non-dark" 60 second write up for the word "final." I thought of lighter subjects like final paper, final answer, and final frontier, but once I used the word in a sentence I didn't like what I wrote, or I didn't think it was suitable for public consumption ;)

It's odd that I can't write something with a positive or neutral spin using the word "final." It seems I have a problem with that word. The problem, I think, is that I think it's a very short sighted word. I don't know that anything really is final. Is death final? Probably. But I don't know. Are breakups final? Sure, because people tend to not change. But what if something did change. Really changed. Would it still be final? Maybe not.

I don't think I ever have enough information about anything to deem it absolutely final. There's too much change in the Universe and too much I simply don't know to be comfortable making a statement like that. I don't think I could ever use the word "final" with any certainty, unless I was under duress. Even then, it would still be conditional to me, which makes it not final.
 

One Word: Specific

A one minute writing exercise from One Word.

"Specific"

Specific. Specifically what? Ugh. My mind is drawing a complete blank. I think this word is too specific. How about specimen? Can I write on that? It looks a little like that. No?

Could you be more specific about what you’d like me to write about?



"Specific"
(The sequel)

Specific.

I would specifically like to know when the new word changes over on this site. Since I had this specific word yesterday and, though I can’t be too specific at the moment, what I wrote then wasn’t all that interesting. So I would like another word now please. Or I’d like to know at what specific time this site switches to new words so I can return then and write something a little less specific than this specific prose on this specific word. Specifically.
 

One Word: Basic

One of the sites that Eden suggested to help bloggers with this month's NaBloPoMo theme is One Word, which shows you a word and gives you sixty seconds to write about it. - Anything at all in 60 seconds. "don't think. just write."

Since it usually takes me an average of 60 minutes to write a blog post (I've timed it!) I welcome this exercise!

"Basic"

Basic. Basic instincts. Basic…. isn’t there a line of basic toiletry products? Like skin products and shampoo and stuff? For some reason, the colors white, green and orange come to mind. Maybe that’s their logo.

There’s also Basic the computer language. If anyone remembers that. -Did I just age myself?


 

I should probably explain what NaBloPoMo is

NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. The goal of NaBloPoMo is for participants to write a post a day for an entire month.

Although November is the official month for NaBloPoMo (with prizes and everything!) people are invited to take up the challenge of writing a post a day during any month. To help inspire bloggers, NaBloPoMo assigns a theme for each month, and also offers daily writing prompts, but these are optional. Bloggers are not required to write on a specific month's theme or a specific day's writing prompt. Any post about anything at all counts.

NaBloPoMo's theme for March 2011 (for those who'd like to write on it always, sometimes, or never) is "In a word."

* Note: NaBloPoMo moved in 2011. More information here.
 

NaBloPoMo Badge 2

Here's another. This one matches my blog a bit better :)


As with the other badge, a link back or mention would be nice, but is not required. (See that post for html code.)