Deep insight into my psyche.

Hello Readers,

I've been known to share with you some of my deepests thoughts, but I thought that today, I will unpeel even another layer, uncovering an even deeper thought than ever before:

I know some people live their lives with a "What would Jesus do?" philosophy. Well, my philosophy is a tad different. As long as I can remember, I have lived my life with a "What would Laura Ingalls Wilder do?" philosophy. Strange, eh? Not if you realize that I spent great chunks of my childhood reading, rereading and soaking in Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels. I also sometimes wonder how Laura would relate to certain situations if she were around today. Of course, if she were still alive, she'd be 140 years old, but then again, she was a very spry woman.

Some folks dream of embarking on a pilgrimage to Jeruselem, Mecca, or Tibet. Not me. I dream of making pilgrimages to Pepin, Wisconsin, where it all began; Walnut Grove, Minnesota, where Laura grew up; and Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri, where Laura and Almanzo lived out their lives.

Anyway that's it for this latest installment of "Let's Examine Agatestone's Psyche."

Into the Wild

Go see the movie Into the Wild. Great movie. Probably the best I've seen all year. Three thumbs up!

Pudding.

So, apparently today was "Take Your Pudding To Work Day," as we had an employee rolling a cart with two crockpots, and, along with a helper, spooning out pudding to unsuspecting coworkers. She dished out the pudding and he put the toppings on. Yes, toppings. It sounded wonderous. Yet, I was unable to enjoy the miracle of the pudding cart, as she ran out of pudding directly in front of me. She gifted the last of the pudding to three people who were milling about in the hallway nearby. Then, when she reached me, she realized that the pudding was no more. Both crockpots were empty. I feel sad and a bit lonely now.

Thought for the day.

To paraphrase a recent sermon:

Don't let your iPod own you. Own your iPod.

Really says a lot about overconsumption and consumerism in America, don't you think?

Hello

Hi,

We haven't chatted in a while. I have nothing to say in paragraph form, but I do have a list of items to offer.

Thinks I like:

Youtube
Wintergreen Altoids
....I can't think of anything else that I like (currently). This post is turning into a failure.
Oh, brownies! I love brownies.
Decaf chai tea with coconut
Blueberry tea
Dictionaries

Things I don't like:
Thesaurii
The realization that my car's windshield is full of ice and my brand-new ice scraper is still at work, the place where I was given it.
My alarm clock

Things to ponder:
The dream I had last night where I was in a running race. I was doing great, even though I was wearing jeans and my Dr. Martens boots. I wasn't winning, but I was holding my own. What a weird dream. These are really clunky boots that I wear when trodding through the trees on a photography adventure. I don't think it's even possible to run in them. They are my favorite boots, however. That must be why I dreamt about them.

Names people. Names.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am entering the National Novel Writing Month contest in November as I have done for the past few years. The goal is to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. I have failed each time I have tried, but my failure hasn't discouraged me from trying again.

Currently, I am creating an outline. And for my story, I will need names. So, here is your task if you chose to accept. I need names for a female protagonist, a male antagonist, and a male hero, all from Michigan. Various townspeople from Northern Michigan. An elderly female character from Poland. And, various people in Germany and Poland. I would appreciate some submissions for names if you are so apt. I know at least one of my readers has a connection to Poland.

Thank you for your time,

Agatestone

My nerd rating.

Billy.

This is my new friend Billy. I met him at an apple orchard. You should have seen him. An older, bigger goat head-butted Billy, trying to knock him off his rock. But Billy prevailed and in my eyes, is king of the orchards.

Day 2.

Self portrait of me taken sometime during the day, which was spent at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. I climbed one dune and a dunelet.




By the way, the swans in the last message had their big meeting this morning. As they arrived for work in the morning, they all gathered in a circle, facing each other. I assume they were discussing their agenda for the day. Honking, pecking, honking, eating wet grass (I know that sounds icky, but I walked down closer and that's what they were doing).

The view out my window.

As some of you may know, I abandoned my sickbed for a trip to Northern Michigan. Yes, I am still ill. I was much too optimistic on my last post. But, I decided to go anyway, and I'm glad I did. Here is a photo of what I see from my balcony.



And here is a self portrait of me at the Potter's.

Better.

I just wanted to let you know that I feel much better. What a difference mere hours make. Heaves in the morning, but an unexpected very thoughful present in the afternoon. I think the scales turned toward it being a good day around 4 pm or so.

Breakfast Czar...I miss you. We've got to get together soon.

Amnesiac Concert Flautist...I can't wait until our dinner. I haven't had Filipino food in forever. Yay Pansit!

Chocolate Whisperer...I can't wait until our lunch, be it Japanese or Irish!

Willow...thanks for the illegible chicken site or whatever it was called, with the funny kittens. It brightened my day.


Agate

Can we be honest?

You may be wondering how your friend/cousin/sister is doing this warm, balmy sunday afternoon. Well, I have just two words for you:

dry heaves


Thank you. That is all.

Diagram of the mini-demic at my place of work.

This how I was infected by this nasty strain of yuckiness, causing me great discomfort as well as causing me to have to cancel all of my familial and social obligations.

speaking of old TV shows...

I really miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What a great show. Sarcastic, thoughtul. I still talked kind of Buffy-esque, such as when I say someone is "bendy" instead of saying someone is "quite flexible." I wondering if the shows are on iTunes. I doubt it. I assume there would have been buzz around the news.

editor's note: yes, I have found out that BTVS is on iTunes and I am currently downloading some episodes.

question:

This is for my healthcare professional friends and family (and for anyone else who feels like answering). How the heck do you work around sick people all the time and not be sick all the time? It was inevitable that I would get sick. I was in the direct line of all of these coughing people. I wash my hands a lot. I take echinacea (yes I believe in it so please don't burst my bubble). And, still, I succumbed to their germs. I am even thinking about drawing up a diagram so you can see what I mean about beins surrounded by sick people.

Grumpily,

Agate

confessions of an invalid

Actually, I'm not an invalid, but I can't get rid of this cold. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have three people (two within 7-10 feet and one within 20 feet), who are coughing in my direction, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I had a cold last weekend, during the week I felt find, and now I have a fever, cough and general yuckiness. I had to cancel out on an excursion to the wilds of Detroit with cousins today and I will probably have to cancel out on a brunch with other cousins tomorrow.

So, what is there to talk about? Really, not a whole heck of a lot.

1) I am enamoured by a BBC quiz show that one can see on youtube.com, called QI. It is hosted by Stephen Fry, who I've been a fan of since Peter's Friends, one of my favourite movies. Check it out. Just search "Stephen Fry and QI."

2) I am sad about being sick.

3) When I do have a cold where I still feel like being mobile, I run over to the vegetarian Indian restaurant on the west side that serves a delightful, very hot (spicy hot) tomato soup called Rasam. It always clears out what ails me, and it is quite tasty. Well, last night, I was not in the mood to drive to the west side, so I visited our local Indian restaurant for Rasam. It was certainly not delightful and practically inedible. The soup was sour or bitter tasting. Or maybe my tastebuds are goofy. But, I took two spoonfuls, and put the rest in the fridge. I'll try some more today.

4) Even though now is the perfect time for me to finish this book I am reading, I just don't have enough eager or willing brain cells to want to read.

5) I realize that this is a negative post with no payoff in sarcastic humour. My humble apologies.

6) I believe that Willow has mentioned this before, but I am addicted to blogs that have opinions that are the exact opposite of mine. I don't know why I bother, but I can't help myself. It's a terrible habit. I know I'll get angry or offended after reading these blogs, but I can't get enough.

7) I think I'll have to continue later on. I really have nothing else to say. No thoughts or issues swirling around in my head, eager to get out. No real complaints (besides the cold and the icky Rasam). No praise for any foodstuffs as I am wont to do. Just blah. I guess, if you have anything funny to say or read, please e-mail or call me. Because feeling blah is very blah feeling.