Licking Life's Plate
I just finished hanging our wet laundry on the drying rack in front of the kerosene heater.
Our washing machine isn’t very efficient when it comes to laundering clothes, but at least the soapy film and rice particles it leaves behind make for interesting aromatics while baking in the living room.
On the floor and in her hair
Rice! Rice! It’s everywhere!
Tagged by Emeth :)
Here you go, moms … a different kind of survey for a change! It’s all about you and your first baby. Tag all your mom friends so we can all learn more about each others’ firstborn!
1. Were you married at the time? Yes.
2. What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant? Disbelief. I said, “What am I going to do?” Tom replied, “You’re going to have a baby.” He gave me the most wonderful hug and assured me he’d take care of me every step of the way – and he did. He’s been fantastic for all of the subsequent pregnancies and deliveries, too :)
Continue reading “My Firstborn (FB Quiz)”
A package filled with goodies arrived today from my mom and my sister Bethany!
All of our mail is routed to Tom’s base and then he brings it home. Today was a day of endless dish-washing (literally, it’s 12:30am “tomorrow” and they’re still not done!) and I finally threw in the towel and sat on the couch to watch Tom play RockBand2. Then, I remembered that he mentioned a box had arrived!
I grabbed my jacket, went out into the cold and opened up our metal garage door, ran back to get the keys from Tom’s jacket, ran back outside, and then opened up the hatch to Tom’s new dark purple (it almost looks black until it the sun hits it!) Nissan station wagon.
The handwriting on the box was familiar – from Bethany :)
She had included sticks of my favorite deodorant (can’t buy it here!), a beautiful orange adjustable-neck apron with a lovely paisley-style gray/gold/brown trim (I put on a fresh apron each morning!) and a matching oven mitt from William Sonoma, a beautiful slender leather clutch with a plum and bronze paisley print, a large Bath and Body Works tote, two bags of Hershey’s Kisses(made right near our house in PA!) – special edition flavors with “New York Cheesecake” and “Cherry Cordial Creme” fillings, a Hoops and Yoyotalking card that has moving graphics (we send each other the H&Y e-Cards, so it was very fitting… my kids LOVE them), Airheads and Welches Fruit Snacks AND…
My very fashionable mom went through her closet and threw seven cute winter shirts into the box – so I now have some more variety in my winter wardrobe, including some warm sweaters. Sweeet!
Wow. I felt so loved to receive such a thoughtful gift. Every item was something that I enjoyed, and it felt like a hug to know my family is thinking of me.
I do appreciate a good metaphor.
(Club name pops to mind as I write this post –
Metaphor Appreciation Club: For Linguists, Poets and Wannabes) (Yeah, that “Major Geek” tag on my page isn’t just random flair…)
Metaphors are my method of choice in describing an object in print. Oftentimes, I actually think in metaphors — which can, unfortunately, lead to paint-drying rabbit trails in my speaking as I try to explain how I arrived at Point A from Point B. (This is called, “Abstract Indexing” and if I ever went back to school, it’d be for Major in Library Science, studying various forms of indexing, with a minor in Journalism) I digress…
Today’s wikiHow-of-the-Day (an iGoogle app), How to Write a Metaphor, was inspiring.
One of my personal techniques for metaphor writing is to first think about the object for awhile – it’s shape, color, where it is used, how it is used, where in the world it is found, etc.
Then, I think of things with similarities to the descriptions I’ve already discovered.
Next, I test it by putting into one of those annoying analogy phrases found on SAT tests. Here’s an example from my seat: A _mouse_ is to _cheese_ as a _moth_ is to _light_. The “is” here refers to a similar, sometimes even fatal, attraction. Mousetraps and Bug Zappers come to mind.
An example metaphor application can be found in my haiku, “Coffee”. The sound of coffee brewing reminded me of the sound of thunder. In this case, by use of a metaphor, I didn’t even have to say outright I was brewing coffee to convey the scene to the reader.
Do you have a favorite metaphor? Please leave it as a comment ;)
PS: NO WAY!!! There’s a Metaphor and Symbol Journal!
This is a link to a movie I saw through Reddit.com. I thought it was very cool that someone else noticed the manner in which money is counted varies in different parts of the world.
Keep in mind that in Japan, purchases are primarily cash-based. This includes paying bills, with the exception of those that are automatically withdrawn. The Japanese ladies at the checkout can do some mad flippin’, and it is quite amusing to watch.
I think this demonstration is close but a little off – in Japan they actually fold the money about half-way while they are flipping it in the manner shown. It almost looks as if they are shuffling the money.
Apparently, you can tell where a person is from based on how they flip cash – so pay attention and amuse your international friends!
The movie didn’t have a link to embed – so here’s the URL:
http://www.wimp.com/flipcash/
Enjoy!
I was tagged on Facebook by my seven friends Christa, Susan, aka Mrs. Carlson, aka Susan “Whimsy” Carlson, Valerie-the-Wannabe-Pyro, Rebekah, Laura, Robyn “Pigeon” Vannoy, and Amy for “25 Random Things”. I was already tagged for the “16 Things” meme and there is no way I’m writing 25 additional things, so I’m only writing nine more! If you really want to read the other 16, click here.
17. This August, Tom and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We were married in the Chapel of Atonement at the Church Farm School, a boarding school for boys, in Exton, PA. There was an extreme downpour between the wedding and the reception – which was at the Catranis’ house. I wouldn’t change a single thing about my wedding. It was the most relaxed, fun wedding I’ve ever attended to date. Potluck wedding receptions are the way to go! Secretly, I wish more people would get rid of the formality and stuffiness of their wedding.
18. My shoe size is 7.5 US. While I have rather small feet at home, in Japan, 24.5 cm is an L or LL size! It took me a while to find the only L size pair of house slippers in the grocery store bin. They are red felt printed with a calico-pink flower pattern. If you saw my slippers (see them while you can, because they are rapidly falling apart!) by themselves and tried to guess whose shoes they were (wouldn’t that be a fun bridal shower game?) you’d bet they belonged to the cute white-haired lady in the kitchen ;)
(Speaking of shoes, my favorites are my brown Nike cross trainers (shh! Sometimes I wear them in the house if the floor is particularly sticky!), my black ankle-high high-heeled zip boots, my vintage leather, 16 eyelet black Dr. Martens, my black satin pumps, and my strappy brown chunk-heels. My next shoe purchase will likely rain boots. Maybe a pair of Chooka Koi Tattoo Boots or perhaps these Autumn Rose Wellingtons from Victorian Trading Company?)
19. If I were to order a drink in a bar, it would likely be either Guinness,, Makers Mark Bourbon (on the rocks) or a Sapphire Gin and Tonic.
20. I am attempting to learn Japanese out of necessity. The best Japanese lesson series I have found is at JapanesePod101. I have Rosetta Stone and did learn some Japanese from it, yet I enjoy JPod101 so much more. If you are serious about learning Japanese, it’s worth it to upgrade to the full version which includes quizzes, online flashcards and multimedia to enhance your lessons.
21. Curry is one of my favorite foods to eat and to make. I love how curry is a mainstay dish all around the world, each location with it’s own unique flavor combination. The story of how curry was introduced to Japan is quite interesting. Incidentally, A Taste of India in Exton, Pennsylvania,is my favorite place back home for Indian cuisine. Their curry is lick-the-plate delicious.
22. I have never gone on vacation. Ever.
23. Complaining is one of my pet-peeves. The only exception is if something is genuinely wrong, and the goal is to find a solution or because the situation is bad enough that beer and hugs are required. FWIW, I also loathe nagging.
24. One of my goals in life is to build my own house. After living in Japan, the house would have to include some tatami rooms, hot-water-on-demand, a tub that overflows onto the floor, and a loooong kitchen sink suitable for gutting a small shark if necessary. Unlike my present house in Japan, it would have heat :) The kitchen would open up into the great room so that I would never be separated from guests because I had to check to see if the food was ready.
Tom has talked about having perimeter floors in our dream house that make the sound of birds softly singing when walked upon. Such floors are called uguisubari, aka Nightingale floors, and they were designed as an ancient security alarm to alert homeowners when ninjas are prowling about. Apparently, he walked on uguisubari while touring the Nijo Castle in Kyoto.
The house would also have to come with both flower and food gardens, as well as an orchard. It would need enough pasture for a dairy cow so we’d have fresh milk and I can make my own cheese, as well as and a creek for fishing.
The list goes on. I admit – I keep a scrapbook full of house ideas, complete with paint swatches, just in case this dream ever comes true.
25. Cleaning secret : I use a plastic garden rake to gather up all of the toys on the floor to aid with the cleaning process. This idea originated from my mother-in-law, who raised seven children and welcomed the neighborhood to play :) I find that (quickly!) gathering all of the playthings lessens the cleaning anxiety by creating a place to walk without having to step on little Legos, for example. It makes the mess seem less.
Tom… I ‘m tagging you. I have no expectations, but, I admit, I am kinda hoping you’ll play along and write up a list of your own.