tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34201712011-07-28T20:40:39.999-07:00London Ho!Take that any way you wish.Simonenoreply@blogger.comBlogger3311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-487615738841194572010-09-15T04:21:00.001-07:002010-09-15T04:21:41.606-07:00Yom Kippur and MeOnce or twice a year, on High Holy Days, I take a break from my usual silly self and get all religious on my Facebook page. Here is that post.Rosh Hashanah is often known as the "Jewish New Year," although it's kinda sorta not technically. It is a day (or two) of celebrating endings and beginnings. Ten days later is Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which you could most easily Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-71225136567006657102010-05-20T05:37:00.000-07:002010-05-30T05:38:23.002-07:00Mike's Definition of "Frenzy"Last night, I had the following conversation with Mike: Me: What would you like for dinner? Mike (who had clearly noticed the stir-fry vegetables in the fridge): I don't care. Just not stir-fry. Me: Oh, don't you like stir-fry? Mike: You just appear to be in the midst of some kind of stir-frying frenzy. Me: Mike, in the entire five and a half years that we have been Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-39964034017593042882010-05-19T10:06:00.000-07:002010-05-30T14:05:21.893-07:00So, about this whole "fat" thing.Being fat is, in some ways, like being black used to be. I like the fact that racial tolerance has reached the place that a black man can be a comedian without being "that black comedian." Don't get me wrong--I think that most comics are funny because they speak from experience, and being a black person in the world is part of some people's experience. However,Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-57951196813534970372010-05-04T09:25:00.000-07:002010-05-04T09:43:50.161-07:00Why I am not a CatholicI thought about titling this "My problem with Catholicism." The problem is that I both do and do not have a problem with Catholicism, and the Catholic Church, and there are very many individual Catholics with whom I have no problem whatsoever even on religious grounds. But I've felt the need to discuss this lately, because it seems to me that the reasons I have for not Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-64689086641691328032010-05-04T07:18:00.001-07:002010-05-04T07:20:32.148-07:00Sad DayOne of our ferrets died this morning, which makes me really sad. His name was Aristotle. One of the things that is so sad about it is that the vet we took him to on Friday really screwed it up, and I'll just never know if he would have made it if she hadn't.My boyfriend is significantly more tender-hearted than he lets on to most people. He cried a little, and then said, "Do you still Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-66103273338872710032010-05-02T06:55:00.000-07:002010-05-02T06:58:02.695-07:00Sunday Lunch with MikeSo...since there is little else to do on a rainy day, we went out to lunch. Here are some excerpts of our conversations: SCENE: In the car, on the way to the restaurant. Me: Oh, Mike, have you registered to vote yet? If you haven't, you won't be able to vote in the upcoming election. Mike: So? Me: Fine. If the BNP takes over Witham, you're the one who's gonna have to hide meSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-59764406105903160532010-05-01T01:32:00.001-07:002010-05-01T01:36:46.239-07:00SPRING HAS SPRUNG AGAINIt's been a few years in this garden, now, and it is finally starting to look like an actual garden. There are tulips everywhere at the moment. The flowering cherry is starting to fade, the apple trees are starting to bloom, and the lilacs, viburnum and wisteria are looking like they will be ready to go when those are finished. I am...happy. There are seedlings in my Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-34372401159467982912010-04-30T01:37:00.000-07:002010-05-01T01:38:31.831-07:00MY BOYFRIEND IS COMPLETELY UNREASONABLEIf you know me, then you know that I love my boyfriend very much. However, even love cannot blind me to the fact that sometimes he can be completely unreasonable, and, when I make my case, I am sure you will agree that this is one of those times.One afternoon a while back, I wandered through the garden picking up any stray pieces of dog poo that Jabba had Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-80773137789311842752010-04-14T05:34:00.000-07:002010-04-14T05:37:18.650-07:00The Ten VirginsI think I finally understand the parable of the ten virgins. For those of you who may not be familiar with it, here it is:Matthew 25 1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with themSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-24321857633431877252010-04-13T16:07:00.001-07:002010-04-13T16:07:49.520-07:00The Peace of Wild ThingsWhen despair for the world grows in meand I wake in the night at the least soundin fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,I go and lie down where the wood drakerests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethoughtof grief. I come into the presence of still water.And I feel Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-4040741630471135772010-02-22T00:12:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:39:41.121-07:00I Worry About What My Subconscious Mind Says About Me as a Person I sometimes worry about what my subconscious mind says about me as a person. No, not in the sense that I think my subconscious mind talks about me behind my back. But, you know, your raw subconscious mind, isn't that supposed to be your true self? The one that isn't putting on an act? So last night, I dreamed that I became able to Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-70161732537349815672010-02-18T01:39:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:41:06.803-07:00Mike and I Disagree on the Definition of MadnessMike called me on his lunch hour, and we had the following conversation: Me: I generally find myself in disagreement with the blackbirds when it comes to bark chips. Mike: You mean where to put them? Me: Well, yes. I carefully weed some flower bed or other and then spread bark chips on top, and the blackbirds come along and go, "Ooo! Bark chips! I Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-19188536799822332492010-01-27T01:41:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:41:58.547-07:00It's a Contest!See if you can spot the error in this absolutely genuine email that I just received! It is cracking me up. Spellchecker can only help you so much: Good Afternoon, I am touching base with you today as I wanted to make you aware of whats been happening at GCS. We have recently set up a GCS Digital Media division (www.gcsdigitalmedia.com) where we are working within Technical and Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-7768608203117984322010-01-21T01:42:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:44:09.278-07:00003: Licence to PokeLast night, Mike and I were talking about something (just what eludes me at the moment) and Mike started poking me, which I am sure we can all agree was entirely unjustified. When I objected, the following conversation enused: Mike: But I have a LICENCE. 003: Licence to Poke. I was given special dispensation from the Queen herself. It's like the Official Secrets Act; we all Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-69693711060302590532010-01-19T10:38:00.000-08:002010-01-19T11:16:00.619-08:00I was reading a column by Mark Morford in SFGate, regarding the current tragedy in Haiti as well as the ongoing one that is the Mexican drug war. I was struck by his tone of despair; he articulates that feeling one gets when faced with seeming hopelessness, of that fundamental human will to disbelieve in a complete absence of hope and meaning which causes us to cast our eyes desperately around Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-26102871505041983922010-01-15T01:44:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:46:24.470-07:00Losing an argument, Mike-stylieSo we went up to Cumbria just after New Year's, to visit Mike's family and our friends. While we were there, we went to the pub with Richard and Clare.At some point in the evening, the conversation turned to Mike's Thursday Night Drunken Progress Home. Or should I say "Lack of Progress Home." If you've kept an eye on my Facebook status updates, you know that most Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-29979213571410763032010-01-09T21:55:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:47:51.573-07:00I finally figured out why Mike's an atheistSo, today, Mike and I had the following conversation: Me: Mike, we need to talk about the kitchen. Mike: What? Me: It's about "putting things away." You see, when you put snacks on the counter, they are not actually "put away." And there's a corollary here, as well, which is that when snacks go into the snack cupboard, they do not cease to exist. I keep Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-80298788210304665072009-12-05T15:07:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:48:54.099-07:00More RomanceSo, for our anniversary, I bought Mike a bottle of 30-year-old scotch, and he bought me the Larousse Gastronomique. Mike: So, basically, after five years, you're telling me I need to drink more, and I'm telling you you need to cook better. Me: I would like to point out that if you drank more scotch, you wouldn't mind my cooking so much. Side note: Hilariouslly, when Mike was looking Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-6299959145183294242009-12-05T00:02:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:50:31.147-07:00For LankyLanky mentioned that he needed more Mike-isms, so here are excerpts from tonight's dinner conversation: (NB: we went out to celebrate our 5th anniversary) Mike: And do I make you happy? Me: I'm happier than I ever dreamed. Mike: Of course, that's not saying much, since most of your dreams are about going to the toilet. *pause* Me: Well, how do you know? Maybe going to the toilet is a Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-17458070063538211712009-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:51:27.721-07:00I love misspelled spamJust got this one: Helo Welcome to Big Adult Dating Site . Gauranteed to meet mate in your Neighbour-hood ! Get-in is Totaly-Frees . Check it Out Regards MitchelleSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-39829220022989935302009-12-03T01:52:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:53:22.307-07:00Adverts are disturbingMike and I are having trouble watching adverts lately. First there was the e-Harmony ads where they said, "We match you on the things that are really important," and they showed a woman with the word "Valves" written across the screen. Yeah, it was supposed to say "Values," but it definitely said "Vallves." So now Mike and I have had dozens of conversations that boil down toSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-697134669819039472009-11-14T01:56:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:56:43.078-07:00An Open Letter to All Of My Non-Straight FriendsYou know I love you. I really, really, do. And I have been supportive. Haven't I? I can't imagine how tough it would be growing up gay in a small town, or a red state. And I know when you've felt you've had to repress your feelings and your "self" for so many years, sometimes when you first come out of the closet, you want to talk about your sex Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-20637155520067871442009-09-20T01:53:00.000-07:002010-05-01T01:54:42.515-07:00Gardening Weekend!So this weekend, we bought a new mower. It's a nice blue-green Bosch ROTAK mower, and was more than up to the job of mowing the grass in what appeared to be an abandoned lot behind our house, but now resembles a back garden. However, I could not help but notice that in the Owners Manual, the good people at Bosch neglected to include a few of what must be the very most Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-77986843146655544762009-09-02T01:55:00.000-07:002010-05-01T01:55:48.936-07:00The Language Wars ContinueMike and I had a little argument over the weekend that went something like this: Me: Mike, do you want to come to the Nike outlet with me to pick up a new pair of trainers, or do you want me to just get a pair that's in your size? Mike (AKA the laziest man alive): Just pick me up a pair. If they're Nikes, they'll be fine. Size 10. Me: Any particular kind? Mike: Black. MeSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-3789954172979426822009-07-12T01:57:00.000-07:002010-05-01T01:58:03.726-07:00Madonna Has Given Me The GayI read this hilarious article yesterday in the Daily Mail (hey, it was in the room where I was waiting for my pizza) about this "disturbing" trend for middle-class girls to kiss one another. They blamed Madonna and Britney and other famous celebrity girl-on-girl kisses for promoting this trend: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1196636/Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-28819025390981071182009-06-07T06:09:00.000-07:002010-05-01T01:59:46.714-07:00Important Information for all of my friendsI was really really sad when I heard that David Carradine had died, and even sadder when the news media reported that it was believed to be suicide. But here's what I don't get. Then, they started saying that it wasn't suicide at all, but looked like auto-erotic asphyxiation gone wrong, and most of the news media went into fairly graphic detail about Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-61475992741840580202009-04-25T16:46:00.000-07:002010-05-01T02:01:08.005-07:00The Attic - Is it bad enough to be good?This morning, I watched a DVD of the movie The Attic, in an attempt to determine whether or not it was bad enough to send to Glen. In case you don't know, Glen and I share a love for horror movies that are so bad that they become glorious in their own unmitigated awfulness. We discovered we had this common interest when we worked together in Northwood HillsSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-20396920554754791352009-04-09T11:00:00.000-07:002010-05-01T02:04:50.404-07:00Why Pesach is Possibly my Favorite HolidayDon't get me wrong, I love Christmas and birthdays as much as the next person, but deep down inside, Passover either ties with or surpasses Christmas as my favorite holiday. There are a lot of reasons for this, but two things that stick out as my favorites.First, a little background for those of you who aren't familiar with Passover. It's the holiday Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-47641280057955390942009-04-03T02:05:00.000-07:002010-05-01T02:05:35.583-07:00Unforeseen ConsequencesI brought home a new houseplant a little while back. It's a great-looking plant, kind of tall with these great tricoloured leaves. Of course I want it to be healthy, so I thought I'd look online to find out what kind of light it needs, etc. The only problem, of course, is that I had no idea what kind of a plant it was. It didn't have a label or anything. So I spent quite a Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-25768696753541303072009-03-18T18:58:00.000-07:002010-05-01T02:10:16.575-07:00This thing about banking bonuses is really starting to bug meMy boyfriend works in the financial sector. I won't go into much detail about the specifics, because, of course, it's a really bad idea to write anything about that sort of thing online. But this hoopla about bonuses is really starting to bug me. To put this in context, the specific company he works for is not in any kind of financial Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-41631790329534960242009-03-10T02:10:00.000-07:002010-05-01T02:10:59.578-07:00Sometimes I worry about myselfThe other day, I saw a headline for an article about a man who had died immediately after finishing a pancake-eating contest. My first thought was, "Ooo, pancakes!" and for a split second, I considered making some. Then I realised that this was not the first time I'd had this kind of inappropriate response to a news article involving a tragedy. A couple of years ago,Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-57854624514960209602009-03-06T09:41:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:11:53.196-07:00It's like having Tourette'sThere's an advertisement on television over here for a K-Tel relaxation-type album called "Tranquility." A woman's voice, attempting to sound relaxing, talks about the album while the muzak, rife with pan flutes, plays in the background. The woman's voice alternates sentences like, "You cannot buy Tranquility in any store...." with a listing of the songs on the album. Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-75323976020735824092009-03-05T13:24:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:12:42.123-07:00Another episode in "My boyfriend, the hopeless romantic."I could have sworn I wrote about this here before, but looking back, I don't see anything. So I must write this again, because this is one of my favorite stories about Mike. It was last Christmas, and Mike and I were getting ready for bed. He was lying down, and I was sitting on the edge of the bed taking off my socks. Mike kept reaching Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-49264698489386254142009-02-16T23:09:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:13:44.211-07:00In RetrospectThe other day, my sister and I were talking about things that we look back on and cringe over. Or, more specifically, things that we look back on and cringe over, and the other people who were there at the time probably don't even remember. About that need you feel to find that other person, wherever they ended up on this globe, and explain or apologise or SOMETHING, even when you Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-64308743437811174182009-02-13T02:14:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:14:39.664-07:00Another episode in Life with MichaelMike was driving along, relatively peacefully, until a woman cut him off. The following conversation occurred: Mike (shouting): Get out of the pigging way! Me: Will you teach us this pigging way? [Dune reference] Mike: [breaks wind] Lesson One.Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-63776676044201598322009-02-09T12:36:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:15:43.992-07:00My boyfriend, the hopeless romanticThe other day, I used the Interview application on Facebook, which is basically a series of interview questions for you to answer. As you are presented with each questiion, the application shows you the answers other people have given, and there were two on which it surprised me to find that I answered differently from all of the other people.So, later in the Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-32780410200666422752009-02-03T02:15:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:17:13.984-07:0025 Things About ME. (It's ALL about me.)Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. I'm sure you've all seen this, but I've been tagged, and I have seriously had SO MUCH FUN reading all of my friends' lists that I don't even feel Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-73939685409156238422009-01-27T02:17:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:17:56.273-07:00I think I am too OCD to own an iPhoneSomeone really should have warned me about this. So now it has arrived, in all of its shiny black goodness. The shiny, shiny phone that you use by moving your fingers across the shiny, shiny surface. The shiny, shiny phone that you use by moving your greasy, greasy fingers across its shiny, shiny surface. I have had it for less than an hour and have already Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-4092722443914265652009-01-22T13:59:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:19:19.965-07:00Celebrity Big BrotherFirstly, I should start out by saying that I don't watch Celebrity Big Brother, and haven't watched the bits I'm about to comment on. I'm following Steve Martin's advice to "criticise things you don't know about." The world has watched as America has sworn in our first black president. This is such a wonderful and historic moment. Wonderful that he won the election on his Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-21149044399012895752009-01-20T17:19:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:20:28.639-07:00I may never get to eat a Mini Babybel againAs most people know, dogs love cheese. So a while back, I purchased some Mini Babybel cheeses. Although I had purchased them for myself, I figured, hey, these are probably just the perfect size for pooch snacks, as obviously one doesn't want to feed pooches too MUCH cheese. Certain pooches find themselves to be generally in favor of Mini Babybels. So theSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-26385059846037448612009-01-20T05:22:00.000-08:002009-01-20T05:52:15.192-08:00LONG TIME NO POSTYes, I know, I'm rubbish about keeping this updated. So here we go.The pooch arrived. Her name is Jabba, and we have completely lucked out dog-wise. She is well-trained and lovely. She gets terribly excited when it's time for walkies, but is also perfectly happy to spend most of the day snoring (yes, I do mean snoring) on the couch. I didn't think it was possible to love a Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-47731135349580389222009-01-07T17:26:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:22:53.793-07:00Knowing your Dog Breeds - An Open LetterTo the nasty gentleman in the dog park who pointed at my dog and said, "I don't like them. They're bred for fighting. I don't trust them." : Jabba is an English Bulldog. Not a pit bull. Not a rottweiler. An English Bulldog. While it's true that at one time the English Bulldog was bred for the sport of "bullbaiting," and so, technically, you could say that Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-67232384204347166492009-01-07T14:54:00.000-08:002010-05-01T02:23:50.888-07:00What to do, what to do?There are two people who regularly email me, thinking that they are writing someone else, but they have somehow gotten my email address by mistake. I have repeatedly written both of them to let them know that they are making this mistake. The problem is that one of them obviously has an unrequited love for the person he thinks he is writing, so he keeps sending me these Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-45744068316584164082009-01-04T01:51:00.000-08:002010-05-01T01:52:23.228-07:00Christmas"And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans--and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused--and to save us from our Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-1099964667187559272008-09-07T14:07:00.001-07:002008-09-07T14:30:56.461-07:00DOGGIES!Well, it looks like the boyfriend and I are getting a lovely little English Bulldog (pedigreed, whoopdee doo) bitch this week. Two years old--don't need to worry about house training, yay! I also like getting mature animals, as "everyone wants a puppy" and it's much nicer to give a sweet older dog a home.Anyway, her profile reads "Entire Bitch." I am wondering if that is anything like Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-65941068881828735452008-08-04T04:00:00.000-07:002008-08-04T05:12:38.727-07:00I LOVE MY HEART RATE MONITORYes, I know, I've been terrible about updating this. But mostly I've just been busy offline, which is a good thing. The garden is pretty much fully planted now, but I haven't done nearly enough weeding or mowing, so it looks a bit like a meadow in parts. I've been playing the piano, going to the gym, and walking on the treadmill when I'm not working. I'm working Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-80347567518939340842008-05-02T12:48:00.000-07:002008-05-02T12:55:44.755-07:00DISTURBING HEADSETSI have a pretty cool mobile phone. I got one that has a GPS function on it so I can look up maps and figure out where I am and get directions and all that good stuff. So, probably because it's a fairly cool and somewhat expensive phone, it came with one of those bluetooth headsets.I've never used it before, mostly because the only people I've ever seen using them were the Simonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-65398111380363569212008-04-27T03:53:00.000-07:002008-04-27T06:34:55.818-07:00I AM HORRIFIEDI thought I couldn't get more horrified with the state of politics in the U.S. I really thought I couldn't. But this business of McCain saying that if women really want to be paid the same as men they should get more education and training and not have it written into law is just appalling.The fact that the Supreme Court overruled in the case of one of the most blatant cases of Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-18178082347163915042008-04-19T08:21:00.001-07:002008-04-19T08:21:18.976-07:00WONDERFUL BIRTHDAYSFor my birthday, Michael took me to a really nice restaurant on the day, and planned an entire special day for later. That day was last Saturday.He had purchased fantastic tickets to go see Carmen at the Royal Opera. In addition to the tickets, he booked a hotel for that night in a 5-star hotel a couple of blocks away, so that we could get ready there, then go to the opera Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-11769842827815035442008-04-09T11:06:00.000-07:002008-04-09T11:08:46.567-07:00I'VE BEEN TAGGED!All right, I was tagged by michael, and here goes. The idea is:1. Write your own six word memoir.2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post4. Tag a couple more folks with the same thing.So...my six-word memoir is:I have moved around a lot.I will have to figure out who to tag next!Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-64155810342130227582008-04-03T06:45:00.000-07:002008-04-03T06:47:20.377-07:00PONDSWell, still no frog spawn in the pond, although there have been frogs shagging in it, so I don't know what the deal is. Clearly all of my frogs really are gay.There's supposed to be another cold snap this weekend, so I went out to the pond to take out the heater and see if I could figure out why it wasn't working.This greatly surprised the frog who had taken up residence inside it.Hmph.Simonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-91336646455266326832008-03-19T03:48:00.001-07:002008-12-08T22:09:11.707-08:00SPRING IS SPRINGING!Well, it's definitely getting into the swing of things now. About a week ago, the first color started to show on tulips, and now a few of them are into the "I'm definitely a bloom at this point" stage:The magnolias are blooming everywhere, the country is awash with daffodils, and everyone has frog spawn in their pond but me.Proof:As you can see, there are anemones, primroses,Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-88676390452542161142008-03-07T08:23:00.001-08:002008-03-07T09:34:42.626-08:00Crazy Woman Next DoorWell, the woman next door has been at it again. Evidently, she doesn't like the way artichokes look, because she has chopped down the plant I had growing next to the fence.I love the way they look; they're very architectural plants, like giant thistles. I'm hoping that the plant makes it.It's very frustrating, because it just makes me want to retaliate, and I don't want to Simonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-91784527368746695042008-03-06T23:06:00.000-08:002008-03-06T23:20:10.452-08:00ROGUE FLOWERSOne of the things I love about spring and, let's face it, all of the flowering seasons, is that there are always little surprise plants that I'm rooting for.What I mean is that I'll be driving along, and there by the side of the road, next to an abandoned patch of overgrowth, a cheery patch of daffodils are poking their heads up and nodding in the wake of passing cars.I always wonderSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-63878505008270594122008-02-25T05:04:00.000-08:002008-02-25T05:05:56.186-08:00MORE FLOWERS!So on Saturday, the tiny narcissus in my garden finally started to flower, and one daffodil and a couple of paperwhites started to open. Yay!Today, I walked out to the greenhouse on my lunch hour and surprised two shagging frogs.I thought they only did that in ponds!How rude.Simonenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-46125503760715533052008-02-22T01:59:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:09:14.372-08:00WHAT'S COMING UP - Anemones, Tulips, and PeoniesVery exciting if you're me.Winter is ending, and it's heading into spring, which means that here and there, the first of spring is showing its cheery face. I am having to give myself reminders about both coveteousness and pride.My smugness about having crocuses before my neighbour lasted right up until he got the first daffodil. The cheeriest Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-42424774020769945002008-02-14T01:32:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:09:15.580-08:00WHAT'S COMING UPWell, I posted about the various crocuses coming up in the garden, so here are the photos.The crocuses are really beautiful. Many of them have beautiful markings on the outside, which you see in the mornings when they are closed. Then, when the sun hits them and they open up, some of them are even prettier.They just can't help but make you feel cheery after (or during) a cold Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-28465749337590178332008-02-13T09:04:00.000-08:002008-03-06T23:06:15.685-08:00SURELY IT MUST BE SPRING BY NOWAll right, I'll admit it, I am crap at keeping this updated. In some ways it's a good thing, because it means that I have so much going on in my life that I don't really find the time to sit down and type this.So here we are, and it's February again, and it's that time of year when I start itching to go out into the garden and DO STUFF. The problem, of course, is Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-21848299235577415642007-11-23T05:11:00.001-08:002008-12-08T22:09:15.702-08:00HOUSE PANTSI just checked my yahoo mail, and this ad came up on the side:Is it just me, or does the roof of that house need to put on a pair of pants?Simonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-56550092418794203632007-11-18T02:18:00.000-08:002007-11-18T02:25:11.924-08:00BY FAR THE WORST PART OF BEING IN ROME ...is having The Vatican Rag stuck in your head 24 hours a day.Possibly the best part is the ice cream and fantastic coffee.Anyway, we were going to come here with Mike's parents, but there was a baggage strike, and their flight was cancelled. Ours went through, and so here we are. I'm sad they couldn't make it, especially as it's his dad's birthday.The Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-10005683076453194692007-11-07T05:10:00.001-08:002007-11-07T05:10:30.523-08:00MORE UPDATESI realised that I wrote a lot about daily life when I first moved here, and now I haven't really kept up, so I thought it's time to write another long-ish update/recap.I left San Francisco about six years ago (it can't possibly be that long, but that's what my passport says) to move to London. I had enough money to live for three months--I had a return ticket, and when I arrived I Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-89342355178497448302007-10-11T03:47:00.000-07:002007-10-11T03:49:17.666-07:00DRIVING TEST, PART DEUXI can't believe I forgot to mention this, because it was the whole reason I was going to post about my driving test. I was so nervous that the first thing I did was open the car door and smack myself in the eye with it. I then tried to pretend nothing had happened, although I was momentarily emblindinated on one side.Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-83806972784542784802007-10-11T02:49:00.001-07:002007-10-11T03:03:55.408-07:00FINGS WOT I STOLE FROM WORKI don't talk a whole lot about work here, mostly because I just really, really don't think it's a good idea to post about your job in a public place. I don't think anyone I work with would ever actually find this, but, come on, it's just not a good idea.Don't get me wrong--I really like my job. I work from home often, which means I can get a lot more done. And the Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-86223144965332024882007-10-10T06:54:00.001-07:002007-10-10T07:00:16.556-07:00I DIDN'T PUKESo anyway, I finally decided that it was time to get my British driver's licence. You can only drive on your American one for a year, which doesn't really make sense to me, since your first year is when you are bound to be the least used to the roads over here and, therefore, the worst driver. But there you go.So. I took the theory test a couple of months ago, and passed, so todaySimonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-49895092833720316582007-10-09T10:30:00.001-07:002008-12-08T22:09:16.896-08:00MY GARDEN IN AUTUMNWell, I finally got out and took some photographs. It's definitely autumn, and the garden is looking kind of sparse and dry. But I'm happy--it's slowly but surely getting there. Ignore the little signs of ongoing work--the trug full of peonies here, the bag of bark chips there. For here, at last, are photos of my garden:First, we have the photo of the view from the back Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-90249482394231267382007-10-09T09:14:00.000-07:002007-10-09T09:19:49.455-07:00MY CAR HAS A BUTT SENSORIt's true. The seatbelt sign only comes on if there is a person in a seat who is not wearing a seatbelt. So clearly, there is a seatbelt sensor that indicates whether or not the seatbelt is fastened, and there must also be a butt sensor to check if there is a butt in the seat in question.I'm sure they have some pleasant-sounding euphemism for this. They probably call itSimonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-66229155362494661522007-10-09T01:57:00.001-07:002007-10-09T03:30:51.032-07:00TEN THINGS THAT GAG ME ABOUT ENGLANDI really do love this country, just as I love the US. When I first moved here, I felt like I couldn't really say anything bad about the place, because, you know, the classic Ugly American is the one who disses every other place s/he visits. And also, I knew that there was quite a bit of learning about the culture I needed to do before I felt like I could say Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-13830211138650485062007-10-09T01:44:00.000-07:002007-10-09T03:32:18.934-07:00UPDATESo...once again, I have been terrible about posting things. So here is my big catch-up post.Hmm.To recap and update: The Boyfriend and I moved to this officially "charming" little town just outside of London in December. We have one set of insane neighbors, who have had a "Sold" sign up in their front garden since April, and one set of very nice neighbors, with whom we have started a Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-9142693981062033672007-10-06T01:22:00.000-07:002007-10-06T01:26:33.890-07:00HEDGEHOGSSo last night we were walking out in the back garden with our camping lantern, and I saw something lumbering around toward the back. Went over, and discovered it was a hedgehog, who did not appear to be unduly concerned about the fact that we were standing there looking at him.He was probably trying to find a place to hibernate. Eventually he wandered over to the patio and crawled Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-37741186955652465572007-10-05T03:40:00.001-07:002007-10-05T03:40:44.829-07:00TULIPS!So!About the tulips.I've been rubbish about posting here. It's been a combination of being really busy and not being able to be bothered. I haven't posted garden photos in a long time, which is a shame, and which will need to be rectified.I MAY have gone very slightly overboard when it comes to tulips. This is TOTALLY not my fault.I have probably mentioned that I used to not really likeSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-70358444485986645622007-10-05T02:47:00.000-07:002007-10-05T03:08:14.297-07:00BETTER PERSONS, BALANCE, AND TULIPSI feel like I should clarify a bit about this whole "better person" thing, because I'm neurotic, and that's what I *do*.So anyway.There isn't a thing wrong with wanting to lose weight, or quit smoking, or whatever. Any of those traditional resolutions. Making a resolution about them isn't in any way a bad thing.When I was just starting out in college, back Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-39400277903148695032007-09-21T01:02:00.001-07:002007-09-21T01:02:09.419-07:00You know, it's been a week since Rosh Hashanah. In the week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, you're supposed to really do some self-examination and think about what you can improve.On Rosh Hashanah, I was thinking, you know, this time next year, I'd like to be a better person. I'd like to look back on today, and know that I succeeded in that. That I worked on being a better person, and I Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-33312401425929621852007-07-16T04:06:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:09:17.572-08:00New Cars!Well, since we smashed up the old car, we went out and looked for new ones. We found the one we want, and we're picking it up on Tuesday or Wednesday night:The photos really don't do it justice. It's beautiful--in absolute mint condition, has been kept in a garage for the last ten years.I love it!Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-46012985154990554572007-07-06T03:31:00.000-07:002007-07-06T03:41:13.938-07:00CDs!I just got a few fantastic CDs in the mail! I'm very excited. It's very infrequently that I am not disappointed with classical music CDs, but there's a fantastic classical radio station here--classicfm, that actually plays good classical music, and so every so often when I've listened to it, I've found myself saying, "Wow, that's a really good " and I made a couple of notes and Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-66849517655642534252007-07-04T03:35:00.001-07:002008-12-08T22:09:17.941-08:00FAUNAAs I mentioned, a couple of weeks ago, a homing pigeon landed at work and displayed no intention of leaving. We looked up the information on t'Internet, and it said that they often stop for a bit and rest, but if a bird is in one place for more than 48 hours, it starts to think of it as its new home. So we let it sit for a bit, and then I called the owners (the number was on its tag) and Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-25636321711791310492007-07-03T09:20:00.000-07:002007-07-03T09:22:54.893-07:00I am a sad, sad personI am about to drive for 45 minutes to find a sushi restaurant. There is no sushi in Essex, and although Mike brings me some sushi every now and then from Itsu, they only have a very small, set menu, and I have been craving the proper stuff. So I am going to drive miles out of my way to get sushi.I really am that sad.I swear, there's no Sushi anywhere else in this county.Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-49276335092650975432007-07-02T04:46:00.001-07:002007-07-02T05:02:24.746-07:00NOT MUCH NEWSI haven't posted much lately, mostly because I've just been really busy, both at work and away from work. We drove up to see Alnwick Castle, which is where they filmed the Hogwards scenes in the Harry Potter movies. It's pronounced An-ick. I have no idea why. We also took a boat to the Farne? Islands, and looked at all of the puffins and seals and things, and it was great fun, Simonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-69997895382630743422007-07-02T03:20:00.001-07:002007-07-02T04:29:25.454-07:00Dear Christians:The first thing you should probably know about me is that I'm a Christian of the Messianic Jewish variety. I take my commitment to religion fairly seriously, but I take my commitment to God very seriously, and perhaps most importantly, recognise that there is a difference.In some ways, I sometimes wish I had the faith I did when I was a child. I never questioned my position withSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-80694674196915370662007-06-07T12:47:00.000-07:002007-06-07T12:58:58.375-07:00IMPORTANT NEWS BULLETINTonight I came home to find a dormouse munching happily on the bread I left out for the birds.I didn't manage to get a photo, because it hopped away the minute it saw me, but then when I got further down the garden, it came out again and continued its tasty bread treat. I will try to get a photo when I can.It is just about the cutest thing ever. And they are endangered--Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-77319815111635044512007-05-28T00:35:00.000-07:002007-05-28T00:36:10.302-07:00STARLINGSI am convinced that Mike Meyers based his Fat Bastard character on juvenile starlings.I didn't like the character. It's one big fat joke that is played out over the course of more than one movie, and making fun of some of the most vulnerable people in our society is easy and mean. So I resent having to be reminded of this character several times a day.The thing is that the baby Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-32672935814397778122007-05-27T22:24:00.000-07:002007-05-27T23:03:12.327-07:00VERY BAD NEWSSo the other day, I discovered Langthorns Plantery.I've seen the signs for it--it's off of the A120, which I often take to work. There are brown signs, the kind that are used for castles, rest areas, places of interest. I've wondered off and on what a "plantery" is, but as I only see the signs when I'm on my way to or from work, I've never dropped by, even though it's only about 15Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-587654471670231922007-05-25T08:23:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:09:20.386-08:00WHAT'S COMING UP THIS WEEK - ROSES, ROSES, ROSES, FOXGLOVES AND PEONIESThe roses burst into bloom, starting about a week ago, like the world's slowest fireworks. One day, there was one tiny rose, and then the next day, the front garden was full. This is what it looks like now:And under the window:I'm wishing more and more that I was a decent photographer, because these photos don't do even the Simonenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-78731615580620360292007-05-23T03:56:00.000-07:002007-05-23T04:48:07.723-07:00JOURNALISMI read this editorial:http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4329in the American Journalism Review. It is yet another article about Jon Stewart and the Daily Show, discussing the questions of:1. Is The Daily Show real news?2. Why is it that the fans of the show are so well-informed?3. Why is it so popular?4. What can mainstream journalism learn from The Daily Show, or should they try?Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-65810931352366507952007-05-16T00:33:00.000-07:002007-05-16T00:59:24.348-07:00JERRY FALWELLWell, he's dead.My first, instinctive reaction was "Woo hoo." Between him and Pat Robertson, I can't think of anyone else who has damaged the reputation of God and people who believe in Him more. Maybe his church now has 20,000 people, but I'd say that he's probably created more atheists in his time. My reaction was summed up perfectly in this email from a friend of mine:"Good Simonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-12233472188583575522007-05-11T10:00:00.000-07:002007-05-11T10:09:58.925-07:00WHY I DON'T LIKE GEORGE W.I was watching the president meet with the queen this week, and like most people, I thought it was funny to see how uncomfortable he looked around her. I think it's because he's used to approaching international diplomacy in a kind of "down home folks" kind of a way--you know, taking the world leaders aside and saying, "You know, why don't we just put aside all of this Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-69392524503418874602007-05-08T23:51:00.000-07:002007-05-08T23:58:49.544-07:00WHY DOES MIKE HATE THE SPOON REST?You know, Mike is pretty good about some things. He has about 40 cups of coffee a day and, since he doesn't like doing dishes, he is really good about not using hundreds of different mugs. As a matter of fact, sometimes I worry about what's growing in his current cup. And he uses the same spoon over and over, and then places it on the side of the sink, where Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-52007467772567444082007-05-05T05:59:00.000-07:002007-05-05T13:14:03.517-07:00UNIDENTIFIED FLYING PLANTSThat great thistle-looking thing is a centaurea montana, or perennial cornflower:http://www.floralimages.co.uk/pcentamonta.htmSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-76939755636585722652007-05-04T10:34:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:09:23.270-08:00WHAT'S COMING UP THIS WEEK - ROSES, TRADESCANTIA, GERANIUMS, WEIRD THISTLY THINGSI should warn you--I've had this digital camera for heaven knows how long now--three or four years--and I still don't know how to do a manual focus on it. Which is why you'll see several of these photos with crisp, clear backgrounds, and the thing I'm trying to photograph is all fuzzy.A few of these photos are "by Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-9931263188454064402007-04-23T09:10:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:09:24.458-08:00FINALLY!I have finally found my camera battery, so I can post some photos of springtime in the garden.It's cloudy today, and I haven't adjusted the images in any way, but I wanted to finally show you what is coming up in the back garden. Soon I will take some photos of the things in the front garden. Oh, and yes, the things I thought were peonies are definitely peonies. They haven't been Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-65406116528991749152007-04-16T09:41:00.000-07:002007-04-16T09:42:22.759-07:00PESACHPassover went really well this year. Sometimes having no leavening for a week is sheer torture, and sometimes it doesn't bother me at all. This year it was the latter--I can't say I didn't have a single second of wanting a nice, fluffy roll, but it didn't really bother me to substitute something unleavened.We had a GREAT Seder (Passover dinner). Our friends Naomi and Joseph came over, Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-38776188451267934752007-04-04T02:25:00.000-07:002007-04-04T02:31:03.010-07:00AM I A BAD PERSON?So the other night, we watched this Louis Theroux docu-program on Fred Phelps. You know, of Westboro Baptist "God Hates Fags" fame.I had the expected reaction--feeling like I needed to explain to everyone around me that this guy is clearly deluded and has no concept of who God really is--even though everyone already knows this and doesn't think that everyone who believes in GodSimonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-50026254085657314312007-04-01T09:40:00.000-07:002007-04-01T09:47:36.344-07:00WHAT'S COMING UP THIS WEEK - LILACS AND FROGSSo I spent quite some time trying to figure out where to plant this little white lilac tree that I have in a pot, and finally decided on a little place near the pond. Now, as things are starting to get leaves, etc., I notice that the pond is about half-surrounded by white lilacs. Well, I guess now there are more.So.Anyway.I'd never actually seen frogSimonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-3815000261134255342007-03-29T03:53:00.000-07:002007-03-29T03:54:11.606-07:00BLUEBELLSWell, I appear to have too many bluebells. It's so completely not my fault. This sort of thing could happen to anyone.I was home sick. So, I did what anyone would do who was sick of trying to get through daytime television. I went onto ebay.As it turns out, there was a very nice woman who was selling 100 bluebells in the green on ebay. Now, I have two apple trees in the back garden,Simonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-92053842486048218172007-03-26T01:10:00.001-07:002007-03-26T01:10:51.576-07:00FERRETSESSo, yesterday we went and picked up the ferrets. They are, in fact, adorable. Their names are Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates (pronounced "So Crates"), and they are extremely friendly and playful. We got them from an adoption centre, and were really only after two, but these three have been together since birth, and we obviously didn't want to separate them.Mike, who was trying to Simonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-73225513638735941612007-03-21T07:53:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:09:24.665-08:00WHAT'S COMING UP THIS WEEK - Tulips, Delphiniums, and Peonies (I think)The tulips have been coming up for a while, but the red ones are now starting to flower. In a week or so, they should be spectacular. They're still in pots, and I have no idea where their final home will be.In the front garden, there are four or five places where some herbaceous perennial is coming up--it looks to me like Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-27862097860021405962007-03-19T07:32:00.000-07:002007-03-19T07:33:10.895-07:00LOVELY NEIGHBORSAs I mentioned, only one set of neighbors are evil. The family on the other side is really lovely.Shortly after I put up the giant pinwheels, the nice woman from next door commented on them and said that her children loved them. I said, "Well, you know, I just thought it's nice to have something cheery in the yard."So yesterday we had a housewarming party. This went on until Simonenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-1173544741332901062007-03-10T07:54:00.000-08:002007-03-10T08:39:01.346-08:00TERRIBLE NEIGHBORSAt Michael's request, here is the story of our terrible neighbors.Before I start, I should mention that our new neighbors to the right are absolutely lovely. Really, really lovely.The best way I can describe the neighbors to the left is probably simply to say, "Evil personified."The week we moved in, they walked over to the property line, and hacked four of our trees off at Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-1173542084216461482007-03-10T07:51:00.000-08:002007-03-10T07:54:44.226-08:00A COMPLETE LACK OF RESPECTI get a complete lack of respect from the starlings around here. Firstly, it's not like I want birds to be scared of me or anything, but when I walk outside, it's occasionally nice to have them acknowledge that they are in the presence of a carnivore (or omnivore, as the case may be).But the biggest beak-thumbing comes over the birdhouse. The lovely, custom-made Simonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-1172248192130687722007-02-23T08:29:00.000-08:002007-02-23T08:29:52.143-08:00What's Coming Up This Week: Crocuses, Muscari, NarcissiIt's really exciting being in a new garden as spring approaches. As I've mentioned, the front garden is just about as you would want it--the drive is lined with lavender, there are several beautiful mature rosebushes (They were still blooming in September when we first saw the house), a big and lovely rosemary bush on the corner, a hydrangeaSimonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420171.post-1169650735570752752007-01-24T06:52:00.000-08:002007-01-24T06:58:55.586-08:00QUOTES FOR THE DAYHere are my quotes for the day:And the lesson to be learned is this: We cannot be kind enough or thin enough or generous enough, we cannot be successful enough or attractive enough for those who abuse us to stop abusing us. We cannot make anyone love us. We cannot change anyone. It is not our job to hurt someone who has hurt us, to change someone who is self-destructive, to Simonenoreply@blogger.com0