QOTD: "It is in human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion." - Anatole France
Reading: Frank Hurley, Shackleton's Argonauts
Listening to: Ondar, Back Tuva Future
Decluttering accomplishments: unpacked, put away clothing, did about half of my hand laundry
I've had no energy all weekend, a mixture of general stress, hormone levels and caffeine withdrawal. The latter is not really intentional, but I've been too lazy to even make a pot of coffee. I did get out and run a few essential errands today. And the first thing I heard as I got in the car was the news of our bombing of Afghanistan. Which is, I fear, misguided at best. It's all well and good to try to wipe out their potential for anti-aircraft strikes in order to enable dropping humanitarian aid. But I don't think that air drops of food and supplies will actually get to the people who most need them. I am hoping I am wrong.
I am also annoyed at the article by Chris Hedges in this month's issue of Harper's. I don't think the behavior of Israel is above reproach, but he made no attempt to get both sides of the story. What really riled me was one statement he made which amounted to the childish claim that "he hit me back first." That is, he admits the Palestinians often start the shooting, but he still criticizes the Israelis for firing at them. He also continues to propagate the peculiar notion that thrown rocks are not weapons. Given the people killed in Los Angeles this year by rocks thrown from freeway overpasses, this strikes me as willful blindness.
The bigger source of stress is work. It was bad enough having to travel on Sunday last week, but I also have to give up my regular day off this coming Friday. On top of which the coming week will consist entirely of meetings and filling out paperwork regarding a couple of proposals - chores which make reviewing requirements documents look like fun. It's limited in time and I'll survive, but I reserve the right to whine a lot in the meantime.
Rather than bore everybody with my kvetching here, I figured it was time for some sort of survey answer things. These are from Heather and I found them because Shmuel had linked to more recent questions of hers. The first is from August 19th.
Open up your CD player. What's inside?
Ondar, as described above.
Look in your VCR. Is there a movie?
The video is my tape of the season premiere of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, which I finally got around to watching yesterday afternoon. I particularly liked the scene where Dawn curled up in bed with the Buffy-bot. Overall, I thought the episode was done quite well, staying consistent with the established mythos and with the usual mixture of horror and humor.
If there happens to be music playing right now, what is it?
Tuvan throat-singing
What are you wearing?
A pair of denim leggings and one of my beloved Royal Robbins button down shirts.
Look down. What's the first thing that catches your eye?
My foot stool, which is in the shape of lizard feet.
Turn on your TV if it's not already on. What network is it?
It's still on UPN from Buffy.
Look out the window. What's the weather like?
It's dark out, but this is Los Angeles. We don't have much weather.
If you were to hit redial on your phone right now, where would it call?
I don't actually have a phone with sophisticated features like redial, but the last person I called was my mother. This morning she told me she'd had a hearing exam and her hearing is fine, except her ears are out of balance. They didn't offer her any help. Nor did they claim they could do anything about her unwillingness to listen to anything she doesn't want to hear.
Say "hello" out loud. Did anyone answer?
No. Which is a good thing.
What are you planning on doing next as soon as you get offline?
Having a cup of herbal tea, reading for a while, and going to bed.
This next bit is from August 25th.
Wallet: a dark green Eagle Creek cloth one. As a confirmed cheapskate, I like wallets that close with velcro, because they scream when you open them.
Hairbrush: a combination brush and comb that fold together. I actually have two of these. I keep a dark green one in my pocketbook and have a red one I use at home.
Toothbrush: a purple soft-bristle one with my dentist's name stamped on it.
Jewelry worn daily: I always wear two rings. On the ring finger of my right hand, the most commonly worn one is an emerald-cut sapphire one I inherited from a great-aunt. I also wear one on the index finger of my left hand and that's usually a "cat's eye" onyx, though I have a bat-shaped ring that I wear fairly often, too. I also pretty much always wear a watch, usually a cheap drugstore thing, because my favorite watch (a Gruen curvex) is too fragile to wear all the time.
Pillow cover: Whatever matches the sheets I have on the bed. Most of my linens are bright colored European cotton ones.
Coffee Cup: The mug I use at home has a picture of a troll guarding a "troll bridge." The one I use at work says something like, "Emergency alert: If owner of this mug seems vague, listless or depressed, administer chocolate immediately." I never actually drink chocolate at work, though. But they don't sell mugs that say "administer rooibos tea immediately."
Sunglases: Cheap drugstore clip-ons
Shoes: Well, I'm barefoot right now, but my most frequently worn shoes are black Rockport pumps and Ecco walking shoes.
Nailpolish: I rarely wear any. Every once in a while, I put on press-on nails, of which I have a huge supply, having won them on Jeopardy! in 1986.
Keychain: I use a folding leather key case, with a dozen or so hooks. My car key is on a separate key chain with the Saturn logo.
Computer: a recently purchased iBook
Favorite top: a hand-painted long sleeve t-shirt I bought at a township crafts project near Cape Town
Favorite pants: I had a great pair of black Gloria Vanderbilt jeans that were in the bag British Air lost on my way back from India in 1996. I've never gotten so emotionally attached to any pants since, though my REI fleece pants come close. However, they are only useful in much colder weather than we get here.
Shampoo/Conditioner: Whatever I get at various hotels. I'm not fussy.
Perfume: I don't wear it often, but when I do, I am partial to Emeraude.
CD in the stereo right now: Didn't I already answer this twice? Actually, Ondar finished and now I am listening to Bargainville by Moxy Fruvous.
Car Saturn SL2. Because it's blue-green, I call it Neptune.
Television: A 19 inch Sony
Stereo: Akai tuner and amplifier, JVC double tape deck, Sony 5-disc changer, Sony turntable. Yes, I still have a turntable. But then I'm also the last person in the known universe who has a separate tuner and amp.
Telephone: a pretty basic white slim-line
Cellphone: none
Watch: I mostly wear a cheap drugstore one, as I explained above. But I actually own about 15, including 2 Gruens from the 1930's, an original Orphan Annie watch, and one my grandfather had custom made that has 2 rhinestones instead of hands.
Keyboard: The one that's built into the ibook
Printer: None at the moment, but I am sort of shopping
Scanner: None and I am not really looking actively either
I'll save her September surveys and the like for another time when I'm in a cruddy mood and don't feel like inflicting it on the world at large.
Copyright 2001 Miriam H. Nadel