good morning

Our New Friend, originally uploaded by DBCondit.

happy saturday. i saw this and it put a huge smile on my face.

i've got two words for you...

i've got two words for you..., originally uploaded by emdot.

My Gmail is basically down, so if you've sent me an email and I haven't responded in a basically decent amount of time, this is why. I guess I need to report this to Google but blech, the last thing I want to do is troubleshoot this problem via FAQs or web forms. Boo.

are you a digital packrat?

It seems that yes, yes I am. This link asks you ten questions, yes or no. I answered yes to nine. Which makes me 90% digital packrat.

» Are you a digital packrat?

for your wednesday pleasure

funny face, originally uploaded by good morning stradivari.

god damn i love this photo. :) good doggie. ;)

Rob Brezny I'm Counting on You

beaks and blue, originally uploaded by emdot.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Why fight for rights that are already yours, Virgo? Why sacrifice yourself for the benefit of people who wouldn't fully appreciate your gifts? And why are you even thinking about dividing when you should be multiplying? Any of these acts would be a crime against yourself. So listen up: You just have to hold out a little longer. If you can avoid running up a big karmic debt in the next few days, if you can refrain from hurting yourself in a misguided attempt to fix situations that can't be fixed, you'll be home free. Soon the whole cast of monsters, demons, and goons will pack up their inane torture devices and go trundling back to the hells where they came from.
(this week from brezny)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): ... It's a favorable time to forge a new spirit
of cooperation between the two parts of your psyche -- let's call them
the rational and the transcendent -- which so many of today's thinkers
have told you cannot possibly co-exist. — Brezny

So now I am left with the following question: which do I abhor more: today's thinkers or today's stinkers?

China is insane

Tibet's living Buddhas have been banned from reincarnation without permission from China's atheist leaders. The ban is included in new rules intended to assert Beijing's authority over Tibet's restive and deeply Buddhist people.

"The so-called reincarnated living Buddha without government approval is illegal and invalid," according to the order, which comes into effect on September 1.

» Read the article

cuter than possible

, originally uploaded by heather.

this photo kills me. in a good way.

and now for a shot of happiness for your working wednesday

MEETING AND GREETING, originally uploaded by METAL-ARMZ.

what's cuter than this? not a thing. not a thing.

part of one. part of another.

part of one. part of another., originally uploaded by emdot.

THE WAY IT IS

There's a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn't change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can't get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.
You don't ever let go of the thread.

- William Stafford

Sometimes you read things and you think, yes, exactly that is me. Sometimes you read things and it reminds you that other people have their shit, too. And no matter how much you wish it went differently, it won't. It can't. They can't. They've got their thread, see? And they can't let go.

Unicorn chaser

Liver, Gall Bladder and Pancreas, originally uploaded by adorn jewelry.

You know how boingboing always does the Unicorn Chaser after they blog something completely disgusting? This is my version. Gall bladder plushy! So cute! So cuddly. C'mere gall bladdy and gimme a kiss.

All guts, no glory

Shrinky-dink: The Gall Bladder, originally uploaded by St. Murse.

Dear Self,

I mean,

Dear PollyAnna Rose Colored Glasses,

Please remember, the next time you think something is just an "easy little process," look it up in flickr tags. Let reality look you in the face.

And THEN decide if you still think something is an easy little process.

Sincerely,

Your smarter self who will probably take a nap soon so you will probably forget this advice, hence the blog entry so maybe you will remember.

---

In other words, I just looked up the tag gall bladder on Flickr. I didn't know what I would find -- pictures of gall bladders? There were a couple of those, but also a hand full of post-op scars. Really really reallyl big ones. Like almost foot-long scars.

I prefer foot-long hotdogs.

Which is probably how I got into this predicament to begin with (remember: gall bladder disease).

I'm still researching options and awaiting the next doctor visit (September) (19th). So, nothing new to report there.

But the way this whole entry started is because I (reluctantly) picked up the book Ourselves, Growing Older (oh, humility. how i have embraced you.). Which has an awesome, very informative entire chapter all gall bladder disease. AND it answered so many questions that I haven't found in other places. Or I should say, it answered many questions and it answered them all in one place, instead of me having to piece meal together information from this source and that.

It's so good that I am actually checking it out at the library so my family and friends can read it. Those that are interested. And maybe they can help me make my decision (to gall bladder to not to gall bladder; that is my question).

If you are looking for information on gall bladders, gall stones, gall bladder disease or any other of the fun related topics (cholesterol? bilirubin?), here is where you should go:

The New Ourselves, Growing Older
by Paula B. Doress-Worters and Diana Laskin Siegal
Chapter 26
Pages 382 - 388

One more tidbit in this completely rambling, not nicely put together post: you've heard me yammer away that it is more prevalent in mexican-americans and native americans. but guess what other lucky demographic is also a high-contender? SCANDINAVIANS.

Hello: half Mexican, half Swedish. I'm like a gall bladder problem cookbook. Jeeze Louise.

Tajikistan Jan

Wedding dances, originally uploaded by janski.

Jan's been back in Tajikistan for almost a year now (or so it seems). I love her sense of adventure or can-do spirit. Seriously? Jan can do ANYTHING. Anything. Everything.

What I love is this strange dichotomy. Jan is tall with long long blonde hair. And forthright. But more like FORTHRIGHT. And opinionated. And kinda bossy (in a way that only she can be and you love her for it). And just very... above board. There is no meek Jan bone. No coy or eyes-averted or submissive or quiet or holding back. There is just Jan in all her glory. And I love that brazen Jan so loves this muslim nation and it so loves her back.

The world is great, people. Sometimes we lose track of that fact. And sometimes we think that we are very different people. But Jan proves that we can be very different and very all-together at the same time.

See more recent photos from Jan:

love letters and dear johns

i love cream, originally uploaded by emdot.

Dear Caballero Sausage Sandwich, Tri-tip Sandwich, Taco Salad featuring sour cream and many many chips and oh the cheese, Any Kind of Burrito, and Cheeseburger,

I miss you very much. I think about you often, though, I must admit, less as more days go by. Tuna Sanwich and Turkey Sandwich have been helping me get through the lunch hour and Soy Yogurt has taken top spot for late afternoon snack. But I still can't help missing those carefree hours we spent together.

Sincerely,

Emdot

---

Dear Red Wine, White Wine, G&Ts, and Firestone Double Barrel Ale,

I thought I missed you. Which is why I flirted with the idea of getting back together with you. And even met you a couple of times for dinner. But then I was reminded of your sneaky, nauseating ways. I do not miss you, you scoundrels. You pied-pipers. You evil leaders of the evil ways.

No longer yours,

Emdot

Hey, Look...

(Inspired by Heather and Derek who were inspired by the New Yorker's Simon Rich.)

Here’s what I imagined the people around me were saying when I was...

Eight:
"Who is that girl with the boy haircut?"
"I don't know, but it looks like Marya."
"That can't be Marya. Obviously it is her twin sister we never knew about."

Ten:
"Whoa! Where is that awesome voice coming from?"
"I think someone is singing in the shower somewhere in the neighborhood."
"With that talent she should be the lead singer of Styx, even tho they don't have a female lead singer."

Twelve:
"Who's the new girl always hanging out in the library?"
"I don't know, but she obviously has an important inner depth."
"Let's be her best friends."

Fourteen:
"Who is that? A new teacher?"
"No, a student."
"She obviously reads Seventeen magazine."
"Yes she has excellent preppy fashion sense."

Fifteen:
"That girl really talks a lot in class."
"She is really full of great insight."
"I could listen to her forever."

at the sea

at the sea, originally uploaded by emdot.

The masters tell us that there is an aspect of our minds that is its fundamental basis, a state called “the ground of the ordinary mind.” It functions like a storehouse, in which the imprints of past actions caused by our negative emotions are all stored like seeds. When the right conditions arise, they germinate and manifest as circumstances and situations in our lives.

If we have a habit of thinking in a particular pattern, positive or negative, then these tendencies will be triggered and provoked very easily, and recur and go on recurring. With constant repetition our inclinations and habits become steadily more entrenched, and continue increasing and gathering power, even when we sleep. This is how they come to determine our life, our death, and our rebirth.

— Sogyal Rinpoche

That seems about right to me. I see that happen in me all the time. This period of my life seems to be about recognizing more and more things that are just habitual patterns -- from reactions to cravings to crazings to sheer avoidance.

Oh to shed those seeds instead of sowing them.

Learning Strategies for the Visual/ Verbal Learner

• To aid recall, make use of "color coding" when studying new information in your textbook or notes. Using highlighter pens, highlight different kinds of information in contrasting colors.
• Write out sentences and phrases that summarize key information obtained from your textbook and lecture.
• Make flashcards of vocabulary words and concepts that need to be memorized. Use highlighter pens to emphasize key points on the cards. Limit the amount of information per card so your mind can take a mental "picture" of the information.
• When learning information presented in diagrams or illustrations, write out explanations for the information.
• When learning mathematical or technical information, write out in sentences and key phrases your understanding of the material. When a problem involves a sequence of steps, write out in detail how to do each step.
• Make use of computer word processing. Copy key information from your notes and textbook into a computer. Use the print-outs for visual review.
• Before an exam, make yourself visual reminders of information that must be memorized. Make "stick it" notes containing key words and concepts and place them in highly visible places --on your mirror, notebook, car dashboard, etc.

From Diablo Valley College's Learning Style Survey. Want to know what your learning style is? Take the quiz.

I'm a Visual/Verbal Learner. Here's what they have to say about that:

You learn best when information is presented visually and in a written language format. In a classroom setting, you benefit from instructors who use the blackboard (or overhead projector) to list the essential points of a lecture, or who provide you with an outline to follow along with during lecture. You benefit from information obtained from textbooks and class notes. You tend to like to study by yourself in a quiet room. You often see information "in your mind's eye" when you are trying to remember something.

Spot on!

overheard on the phone (aka directions)

him: and take the marsh street exit
phone: mwah mwah waw waw wah mwah
him: marsh. you know. like... your feet are getting wet and there are lots of leaches.
phone: fwah fwah waw waw wah fwaw
him: right. right. marsh. boggy. and then you take broad...
phone: cwaw cwaw cwaw?
him: no. you know, like [sings] give my regards to broadway

Cookie mouse winks...

Cookie mouse winks..., originally uploaded by Leighton Cooke.

Cutest thing! Cookie mouse. Which is more adorable, the photo or the term Cookie mouse? Okay, so the photo is so awesome that it wins hands down. STill, cookie mouse is pretty adorable, too. This photog is the only one on Flickr to ever tag anything as Cookie mouse. I love that.

Good morning!

obstructed view, originally uploaded by slight clutter.

Little happy photo to start your week off right. This is from Slight Clutter/Katya in Texas who does magic with a camera.

Katya is also the person who introduced the word "adorkable" to me. So, you can see she is pretty awesome.