I’m a paper whore.  There.  I said it.   A nicer way to put it would be paper “pack rat” but I don’t think that quite describes the overwhelming need of having tons of paper a mere arm’s reach away.   Sure, it has to be neat and filed or in its proper cubby in my hutch, but it is there and readily available when I need it.   To say that I love paper is putting it mildly.   When you walk into my house, the first thing you notice is that I decorate with books.  Nothing is nicer in my opinion than clean shelves of dark wood supporting lovely books of all shapes and sizes arranged just so.  And by just so, I mean the colors of the bindings must have a certain flow, the size of the books must match or provide a proper biggest to smallest flow that looks nice on the shelf but don’t matchy match.  But my paper love does not stop there.   If it did, Meemsy and I would have fewer interactions – more on that later – and I would save forests of trees from being decimated each year.   And while interacting with Meemsy less over the course of my day seems like a Not Good Thing™, it would cut down on the number of quarters I lob into the cuss jar each day. And that would be a very good thing. At best, it would save me at least $2 in quarters per day (you do the math).
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I recently purchased a Nintendo DS Lite and I love it.   It’s small, it’s streamlined, and it’s pink.   What’s not to love?   Granted, I haven’t removed it from the box… but when I do, I know I’ll become obsessed with it and with playing it and with buying games for it and dominating them.  And therein lies the problem.   I have a confession to make.  I love toys.  I love shiny, new, fun toys.   And if they come in pink, so much the better.  You see once I unwrap that perfect little pink toy I’m going to be spending copious amounts of time on it.   And right now with the school Talent Show, two ongoing contracts, a new upcoming contract, a potential move and tending to one Meemsy, one Bear and one Drue, the spare time I have is spent sleeping and taking the occasional shower.  Which, believe it or not, I do… on occasion.
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I’m not entirely sure how to sum up the last seven days of my life.   It feels a bit like teleporting.   At least, it feels like I’d imagine teleporting would be.   You know, you start in one place and then you feel yourself get all split apart and then all of a sudden you’re in an entirely NEW and different place but are all together.   The latest, newest and biggest news is that the Gloeges have gone all “I Can’t Believe We’re Not Vegan”.    And by that I mean we’re not truly vegan because we are not swearing off meat forever.  I’m sorry but I need the real deal at Thanksgiving.   Tofurkey is not going to cut it.   And I’d rather give up anything else in the universe food-wise except sushi.   So there may be an occasional noshing of the raw fish.   But otherwise, we have given up meat, dairy, raw sugar and white, processed foods.  How and why we decided to do this is a whole ‘nother post – and one that may be posted over where my new project (TBA soon!) lives, but suffice it to say that we, as a family, have never eaten or pooped so well.  And that’s all I’m saying about that.  You can thank me later.
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Mimir goes by many names – Meer, Meemsy, Pooh Bear, Tiger Cat.   And then there is my personal favorite – Mimir Damnit – which is probably the name the cat is called more than any of the others.    Granted, in the past, calling the cat “Damnit” has gotten me in trouble.   Who can ever forget their first call by their child’s teacher asking that you come in for a meeting.  And who can forget the ensuing discussion of your child’s family tree whereupon you find a picture of an orange blob with the name “Mimir Danmit” written on a bottom limb?    Mimir, like the other females in this house, is opinionated, stubborn and determined to do it her way.   You’d think we playing Frank Sinatra on perma-loop around here.
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As many of you know,  Jason and I have lived together, post-divorce, since November of 2006.  Drue and I moved from the Research Triangle Park are of North Carolina to the Fairfax area near Washington DC.  Why we moved is a post in and unto itself, so we’ll leave it for another time.    Suffice it to say that we moved and he moved and somehow, thanks to the financial reality of NoVA aka being ridiculously overpriced in everything, we ended up living together.    And living together is not something we do really well.  Which is why we got a divorce in the first place.   But we made the most of a difficult situation and are looking forward to the day when we no longer live together.  Like by this summer.   Sorry.  I had to go throw a small party for us for a second there.   But again, I deviate from the topic at hand and in my brain and it is DYING to get out! So shall I continue? Yes, I think I shall…
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The other day, Jason whined that my posts on Lifeinflux are not as random and fun as my posts used to be when I was on Livejournal. He said that random and fun were the reasons people read as opposed to, you know, my insightful observations and words of profound wisdom.  Mom, stop chuckling.  I HEAR YOU.   I reminded Jason that sharing crap in my head frequently scares people off.    Jason’s reply was “but I love peanut cookies” which means that in Jason’s opinion scaring people off is fun and random… and that I was holding our mega jar of Peter Pan peanut butter in my hands.   A = B = C, right?   And yes, I meant to type HANDS.  We buy our peanut butter in volume at Costco.   Deal.     So, in honor of Jason’s request, and because today I do NOT have time to bake him peanut cookies, I will share the random crap that popped into my head between the hours of 2 AM and right now.   Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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2010 has started off with a bang.  When I look back six months ago and the level of unhappiness in my life verses today and the level of satisfaction and happiness I feel, I know that I am one lucky girl.   When I wrote my list of 101 things in 1001 days, I had no idea that my little company would explode, bringing in enough income to support myself and another developer along with the occasional freelancer.   Wow!   I am not complaining but I do find myself split between doing what I want work-wise and doing what I want life-wise.   The beauty of my overarching goal is that I do have 1001 days to accomplish all 101 things; however, 1001 days is a finite time and I want to make sure I 1) have a plan of attack to ensure I don’t lose sight of my goals and 2) accomplish them in a way that allows me to enjoy the process.   Life is a journey, not a destination and I don’t want this to become a checklist of things to do.   The purpose was to get me out of my comfort zone and to ensure I am LIVING and experiencing my life.    To lose the joy of the process means I miss the real point of creating this list in the first place.
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Over the last three years, I’ve donated over 500 hours of my time volunteering at Drue’s school in support of the theatre arts program.   This does not include the time I volunteer supporting other programs, being room parent for Drue’s class, attending PTA meetings, etc.  I enjoy working with the kids and enjoy the programs I support.  I also recognize that this is finite.   Once Drue hits middle school, the number of hours I am allowed to spend at and around the school will dwindle simply because middle school has programs in place that are run administratively that cover the niche I provide at her elementary school.   As a volunteer, I get a unique perspective into the mindset and personalities of both child(ren) and parents.   And while the kids are incredibly refreshing and likeable, the parents definitely run the gamut from amazing, lovely people to disrespectful boors.   And in almost every case, it is the parents who don’t volunteer often who complain and are disrespectful the most.
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In front of the Fairfax Public Library

I can comfortably say that books quite literally saved my sanity growing up.   And no matter where I’ve lived in my 35 years, the library has been a significant place in my life. Whether I am searching for the latest fiction or the classic I’ve been meaning to read, whether I am looking for information to gain additional knowledge or to prove someone wrong, the library is where I go first.  If I needed to escape the madness of my childhood home, I would head to the library and lose myself for hours.  After all, no one would tell me I could not go to the library and study!

Now that I’m an adult (sort of) with my own child, I try to teach her about the wonder and knowledge held between the pages of a really good book.   And nothing makes me happier to see her curled up in a comfortable chair trying on a new topic or subject in a book that she would never purchase in a bookstore but can read about for free here at her local library.

Knowledge is my religion and the library is my church.  I go when I need to get away from it all, when I need a little peace and quiet or when I need to figure something out.   Occasionally, I’ll head in there, find a comfy corner and just think.    While it’s mostly about the books, it’s not always about the books.   Unfortunately, due to ongoing budget cuts, I can no longer go to the library and get all the answers I’m looking for in the tomes provided.   Many of the reference books available are horribly out-of-date.

That said, the incessant noise of the local Barnes and Noble or Borders does not provide the solace I require.   And while I can sit and read in the bookstore, it is not the same.  Too often I’m too busy dodging screaming kids and people on cell phones.  And nothing rips you out of a book like the occasional stroller banging into my knees.   So I can’t really get into the proper mindset to really concentrate and therefore, enjoy what I’m reading.    So, I start at the library and often end up trudging home to seek out more up-to-date information on the World Wide Web.     And while the Internet is faster, quicker, more eco-friendly and probably more user-friendly, for me nothing beats the aesthetic and tactile value of a book.

Library budget cuts are occurring all over the country.   If you live in Fairfax County, please read about the proposed library budget cuts and sign the petition.    Or Google (or Yahoo or Bing) your county and “library budget cuts” and see if there are proposed cuts in your area.   Be a library advocate and contact your local elected officials.

Ah, the love... the squishing

I don’t think any other image sums up Drue’s and Mimir’s relationship as well as this one. Do I need to say more?