Mosaic Life

Good Save.

So yesterday, I was leaving the apartment after lunch (going home to eat is cheap), and our neighbor across the hall happened to be leaving at the same time. Did I mention he’s tall, like, really tall? So of course, it was a bit of a surprise. Thankfully, I was able to turn my yelp into a very enthusiastic “Aaaah - hellooo! How are you?”

He probably saw right through that. But that’s what he gets for being twice my size.

Where the Blogging is Easy

Karen posted about her blogroll and happened to mention me and Brandon in it. I like reading stuff like this, not just because my ego needs a little attention every now and then, but because it’s nice to know that people who aren’t obligated to keep up with me actually read my site. Here’s what she said:

Brandon (and Wendy, for that matter) are people I don’t actually know in real life. We’re separated by the Pacific Ocean so it’s not really surprising. I started reading Brandon and Wendy back when they were sharing the same blog. Ben put me onto them (don’t know how Ben found them but maybe they were among the “famous” Christians of the blogosphere back then—or they knew famous people of the blogosphere). Anyway, I was interested in how a married couple would go at having a blog together, and certainly Mosaic Life was fun to read. Then Brandon gradually stopped posting and moved over to his own domain where he started to blog more about theological stuff (he took up studying theology) so Wendy had Mosaic Life all to herself. Wendy is a scream. Don’t believe the reviews—they don’t know what they’re talking about. If you haven’t read her blog, you certainly should.

Ah, I remember the days when Brandon and I had a blog together. Now he blogs about theological stuff, which is well and good because he has a passion for it. Plus, it tends to draw readers that are more - uh, studious? People who he would be more likely to encounter in his field of study and in his future career. And yes, generally those bloggers bore me. So it’s fine that he’s branched off in another direction. Did you notice that I changed my page description to read “Wendy’s Blog: That’s Right, All Hers” after he’d stopped blogging for about a year?

As for the “famous” Christian bloggers of the time, I’m guessing those people must have been Russ (whose blog, My Brain Hurts, has succumbed to its ailment) and Seth, whose blog is still alive, though I’d say it’s less popular due to his irregular posting and the subject matter, which has deviated from controversial, thought-provoking ideas about courtship and Calvinism to talk of comics, video games, and his vespa. I suppose he’s done argued all that he can on all the subjects that he cares to, and he’s passed the torch on to younger bloggers who still have that argumentative fire burning and can rehash the subjects that he’s already laid to rest. I also wrote for DYL, who, in its day, was perhaps a well-known Christian group blog.

There were other bloggers who we only knew online that took part in our “community.” Paulo got a fair amount of attention (Brandon finally met him in November of last year); he continues to provide interesting links and pictures of his cute kitty, Pandora. Dawn (Ladydusk) was another fairly popular blogger who Seth and Brandon first encountered, and she was around to witness the beginning of mine and Brandon’s relationship. She and her husband were nice enough to send us a crockpot when we got married (oh, and Paulo sent us a ladle). She still posts, though infrequently. Motherhood has probably taken up a lot of her time. Kristen is another blogger that commented on our blogs, and since then she has gotten married and has two children. Now she shares a blog with her husband, Mike, and her posts are mainly about motherhood and books.

Many of the sites that once were popular have lost that lovin’ feeling because of one factor: people have largely stopped commenting. Blame it on RSS, blame it on the plethora of blogs that are all alike, but whatever happened, blogs have taken a big hit due to the lack of community, feedback, and discussion that commenting provided. Sure, you’d get the occasional smackdown from a passing reader or a fellow blogger who is setting you straight, but it was worth it because of that feeling you got when you blogged something that got people talking, sharing, relating. When you have that, it’s hard to quit blogging.

C-c-c-cold.

So when I woke this morning, the temperature outside was 19 degrees. For the record, that temperature is far more tolerable in a nice warm bed, in my nice warm pajamas, with my nice warm socks on, next to my nice warm husband. And when I got into the car, while thinking about how lucky Brandon is to be able to work from home, I noticed that the bottle of water I’d left in the drink holder of my car is now frozen solid. And I could see my own breath. In the car.

Now I remember what winter’s like. This is why I needed a coat. Maybe I should buy one. That could be good.

The Model Employee

Employee Photo

Since August I’ve been working for a temp agency, assigned to a marketing and research company (no, not telemarketing. They do a lot of healthcare-related work). So, much of the time I was waiting, waiting, waiting for them to hire me. I’m a good employee! I tried to communicate telepathically. But finally! Finally my pleas have been heard! I done got hired! And what’s awesome is that I really enjoy my job. Which isn’t something that comes natural for me.

And just look at what a fine employee photo I can take! I look kind of drunk, huh? Like, woo, I got into the martinis before breakfast again! You also have to love what fluorescent lighting does for your skin. Anyway, yay for employment and whatnot.

Sing Along Time

So, my nano shuffled upon three bands the other day that got me to thinking about songs in general. My favorite music consists of three different flavors of bands. All three have catchy music and quality lyrics. But they vary in sing-along-ability.

An example of the first type is Death Cab for Cutie. Their lyrics are clever, and their music is good for car rides or just sitting around. It’s low-key enough to work or have a conversation over it. Yet if you listen in to the lyrics, you’ll find they’re relatable - they tend to make you chuckle or think “he’s got a point.” Here’s an example, from “Title and Registration.”

The glove compartment is inaccurately named
And everybody knows it
So I’m proposing a swift orderly change
‘Cause behind its door there’s nothing to keep my fingers warm

See? Who writes that sort of thing in a song? Death Cab, that’s who.  Continue reading Sing Along Time…

Politics

You probably wonder why I only yap about random stuff on here. I don’t talk about difficult subjects like politics or religion. Well, the thing is, it seems like there are plenty of guy blogs that talk about that sort of stuff. You know, guys who are philosophy majors and are zealous about their interest in those sorts of things. They usually happen to be in their 20s. And you know what? Those sites bore me more than watching sports or waiting on someone to take their turn while playing Scrabble. Continue reading Politics…

Time

All of our clocks display the incorrect time. My alarm clock is set 15 minutes fast. We have separate alarm clocks, and oddly enough, we only wake up to the sound of our own alarms. Mine goes BEEP. BEEP. BEEP., while his goes MERRRRRRRRRR or makes really loud static noise. I hate his alarm, but at least I sleep right through it. The clock on top of the TV is about five minutes fast. The clock in our kitchen is two minutes slow, and the clock in Brandon’s car is four minutes fast.

My alarm clock is set 15 minutes fast because that’s the only way I can make myself wake up on time. If I look at the clock in the wee hours of the morning, during the time that sleep and consciousness haven’t completely separated, I can fool myself into getting ready earlier. As for the rest of the clocks, I think maybe they too are an effort to fool ourselves into being on time. But actually, all it does is ensure that we have no idea what time it is, unless we want to do simple math. And who has time for that?

On Aging

Note to self. When I get old, which will happen seeing as how I’m not dead or cryogenically frozen, I will not do the whole “oh my gosh, you make me feel old” thing to kids. Y’know, like when I say something like “woah, that woman is stuck in the 80s” and people who are 30+ exclaim “you make me feel old!” Because when kids say “that lady is stuck in the 90s,” and I am tempted to make that comment and laugh like it’s funny, I’ll have to realize that guess what? I am old! And it’s okay. Plus, it’s not the kids’ fault that I’m old, and they’re young, and they’re cooler than me. It’s all part of life.

A Year and a Day

Yesterday marked one year since Brandon’s dad passed away. In many ways, it feels like it happened yesterday. It’s weird how times like that can be etched so clearly in your memory. The following could be a bit of a downer, because it speaks of a very difficult time for Brandon and I, and for those who knew and loved his father. To every thing there’s a season, right? Continue reading A Year and a Day…

One Word: Smug

I thought I’d blog yet another conversation, since I have little else to say today. It mainly consists of my realization that the person who commented about me on stumbleupon was absolutely right. Smuggity smug smug smug! Continue reading One Word: Smug…