Musing, Chocolate, and Tea

Goodbye World

2009-06-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

It seems that this might be the term when finals, midterms, papers, and professors who are firmly convinced that they are the only ones expecting anything from me at the moment finally gets me, so I wanted to come on here and say my goodbyes.

To the world: It's been fun; sorry it's been so short.

To my friends: Thank you, I wouldn't have made it this far without you.

To my family: I love you guys dearly and apologize for the expenses about to be inflicted on you.

To my university professors: When I come into your class and fall asleep with my pen in my hand, it is not because I'm uninterested in the material, lazy, or just generally don't care. It is because I haven't had more that five hours of sleep a night in about as long as I can remember (so that is only last Tuesday - details) and have averaged about 3. Assigning more work to keep me on my toes will not help. I will admit that some of you were alright though.

Now I need to go try to finish one more paper before my mind snaps. Goodbye

Quote

Am I what-nizant?
-Dean Martin

2009-05-19T23:54:00.001-07:00

As anyone reading this may have noticed, the reviving is not going well. School tends to be all consuming. And since I've also been working two jobs, trying to get a house ready to move into, and spending about 9 hours a week at church, well, it just adds up. I need a daystrecher. Yes, need, we're talking desperate here.

Well, I have some work to finish before I can go to bed, and since the alarm goes off in six and a half hours, I probably ought to get to it.

Quote:
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
- Dr. Seuss

Farewell

Hello world

2009-01-07T22:47:00.000-08:00

I think it's time to revive this thing.

I'd wanted to set up a schedule, have some backup posts ready in case I was too busy to write, and generally do it up right. But I've missed it. I was going over my posts today and decided, "Who am I kidding? That's not what my blog is." I don't really even want an overly organized blog.

So, this is me. Off the cuff. Writing what I want, when I get a chance.

I really need to work on the layout though, it's awful

2008-10-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

I've lost my internet access; thus the long hiatus. Eventually I'll find a better place to live and make sure it has internet, but until then, blogging has gotten a smidge difficult. I miss you guys.

Muse

That's customer service

2008-08-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

In my last post I described my first experience with Soap Nuts. In it I mentioned off hand that the bottle had leaked.

When I got home today I found a package from Laundry Tree in which I found a note that read,

[Muse]-
Sorry about the leaky Citrus Mist bottle! Hope it wasn't a huge mess in your mailbox?
Here's another sample bag to replace the messy one. If you try the shampoo trick, let me know what you think! -Lisa

Well Lisa, it wasn't a big deal at all, the bubble wrap lining of the padded envelope contained the small leak nicely, it just smelled really strong when I opened it. I do appreciate your concern. Also, the small bottle of Energy essential oil blend arrived perfectly intact and unleaked. Thank you.

I will now overcome my nervousness and act as a shampoo guinea pig. It certainly can't make my hair any worse (I hope). I'll get back to y'all in a few weeks on that.

The back of the bottle reads

Energy Blend: our fave smell ever.
Do with it what you will: add scent to your laundry (washed with soapnuts, natch), make your own cleaning solutions, or even stash it in your purse and sniff it when you need a boost.

Hmmmm, smelling salts.

Off to boil me some soap nuts ...

SoapNuts

2008-08-25T22:51:00.001-07:00

Blogger updated their dashboard a few days ago - I think I like it this time.

A couple of weeks ago I participated the the bloggy giveaway carnival at 5minutes4mom and let slip that I had won something. Well, I've finally had time to try it out, take pictures of it, and get the pictures uploaded. Just call me speedy.

And here it is: SoapNuts from LaundryTree

And when I opened the bag I found this:
The small fruits are the soap nuts, also known as soap berries. They contain saponin, a soap chemical, which is released when they are run through the wash cycle. You can read more about it at wikipedia. That bag should do six to eight loads of laundry. Since they are odorless, a small bottle of essential oil is also included, that one is citrus mist.

So I counted out four of the berries (they are technically not nuts) and tied them up in the muslin bag. The essential oil is put on the bag itself; I skipped this step since the bottle had leaked in transit.

I then dropped the whole thing on top of my laundry and chucked the whole pile in the washing machine.

I have no way of knowing how clean it got my clothes, but they were much softer. There was one shirt that had to hang dry, and even it lacked the stiffness that usually results in.

Another claim made about these is that they are good for people with sensitive skin. It doesn't seem to have helped me much in that area, but then I really can't say for sure since I had a major breakout a couple of days before I used them, and it still hasn't cleared up entirely.

I found a few places that suggested boiling them down to create a liquid soap which could be then be used for everything from dishes to bath soap. I'm somewhat curious to try it as a shampoo, I wonder if it would do for my hair what it did for the shirt.

Quote:

Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
-JFK

Goodnight

I'm famous

2008-08-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

My first post is up over at A Frugal Housewife.

Head over there and read it.

I'll be contributing semi-regularly in the coming months.

Brown Spaghetti

2008-08-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

I entered this recipe in Pioneer Woman's recipe contest. It is one of my favorite dishes, but there is some contention about the name. I’ve called it Brown Spaghetti all my life along with my sisters, but a few years ago Mom decided Mushroom Spaghetti sounded better and has been attempting to correct me ever since. Whatever you call though, it is good.

1 lb Italian Sausage
Olive oil
½ lb mushrooms
Medium onion
Medium bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 10 oz cans cream of mushroom soup
Milk
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and cayenne

Brown and drain sausage.
Chop up the mushrooms, onion, pepper, and garlic.
Dump a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet, add the mushrooms, onion, pepper, and garlic, and sauté until the onions are transparent.
Add the sausage and dump in the mushroom soup. Fill each of the cans about 2/3 full of milk, cover with your hand and shake to dislodge the rest of the soup, then add that in too.
Mix well then add about 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne, a few shakes of pepper, and a couple dashes of salt adjusting all to taste.
Mix well and allow to simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes.
Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with parmesan cheese if desired.

Photoshopery

2008-08-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Alternate title: Why do I always get myself into these situations.

They decided at work that we need pictures of our former Directors/Commanders. This is great; I think they should have been there all along. The only problem was that it is sometimes hard to find pictures of someone who came and went nigh on thirty years ago.

Enter my direct supervisor, M, who was executive secretary for twenty some-odd years before being promoted to her current position about 2 years ago. As executive secretary, she kept a small snapshot of each of her "boys," as she calls them. They are all taped onto a paper with their names and hang right above her desk. For four of the Colonels, those were the only pictures available. Three of those came out pretty good: a little grainy and blurred, but what do you expect when you blow a 3 inch snapshot up to an 8x10 portrait? And they are between 15 and 30 years old anyway.

Then there was Col. Wilson:

The original 1.5 inch photograph was given a rough chop, then stuck to a sticky note which bore a large logo across it's center. This was scanned in exactly as it was, blown up to 8x10, matted, framed, and sent to us to hang on our wall-of-fame.
Oh, there was one more touch in that version which is lacking in my scan above. The photo was left on the main paper, which is crowded, so above the Colonel's left shoulder was a vertical bar of dark blue with large, sharply focused white stars - the edge of the next photo.

M and I looked at that and said something along the lines of "they can't possibly expect us to hang that on a wall of USMC former base directors." And then I said, "I have photoshop at home, if you'll give me your original there, I'll take it home and see if I can fix it." Maybe one day I'll learn to keep my mouth shut.

Four hours later I had this

A digital image, it took another whole afternoon of fighting the computer tooth and nail to make it print a nice glossy photograph.

It's an improvement though. Not the best I've ever seen, but good enough that it won't jump out and horrify me ever time I walk past that wall (which is fairly often).

I spent most of this morning affixing little brass plates with their names and dates of service to the bottom of the matting for each Colonel, and sticking more little brass plates to a nice black sheet of metal for the ones who are so old that there are no photos.

I am eager to see the final results when they get the rails hung and the whole shebang on display. I think it is going to look quite nice overall, and I'll be able to walk past it without having the horror above jumping out at me. Even if people walk past it and shudder at the awfulness, I'll know how much worse it could have been and that I did my best, and I'll be content.

I suppose that is why I always get myself into these situations.

P.S. I won one of the bloggy giveaways. I'll post more when I have it in my hot little hands.

Waking up made easy(er)

2008-07-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows me will testify that I am a night owl. I will happily stay up until 2 or 3am but HATE getting up in the morning with every fiber of my being. I realize that's strong language, but I have strong feelings here.
Unfortunately, the summer job I got requires me to report at 0 six thirty hours in the morning. I knew I was going to need help if I was going to be civil, much less functional.
Since my egg and toast are ready at about 5:30 (my mother is very sweet), I need to be moving by 5:15. Rather then having a single alarm that goes off, then dragging myself out of bed and growling at everyone within reach; I have set up a three step system.
1. My clock radio comes on at around four thirty. It's tuned to a music station, and the volume is turned way down. I've never woken up to it, but it's enough to start pulling me out of really deep sleep.
2. At 5:01 my cell phone alarm goes off. Since the music has been on, I usually hear it pretty quickly, but I don't even attempt to get up or even open my eyes. I smack it to make it shut up, then reach up and turn on my reading lamp. The light further penetrates the fog, and I start to actually wake up.
3. Seven minutes later my cell phone goes off again. Sometimes I smack it one more time, but I'll usually get up then.
By the time my feet hit the floor, I've got nearly a 45 minute head start on full consciousness (it can take an hour and a half to get there), this means it doesn't take as long for me to get dressed, my outfit is less likely to look like it was assembled by a blind person, and most importantly, I don't end up growling at my family.

Local wildlife

2008-07-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

I confess that I sort of cheated on that last post. Alright, maybe more than sort of. Actually, I had the code saved already so that all I had to do was paste and post. I really cheated. Tonight, I'm making a real post. Note that I did not say a good post, or a thoughtful post, or even a post with a point, just a real one.

On the day that I finally remembered to carry my camera to school, I was walking down an outside staircase with a retaining wall to my right. It had hundreds of flowers cascading over it thus:

I was walking down that staircase minding my own business when I heard a noise right by my ear. I turned my head a saw this:
Let's look a little closer
A bee. Of course at that point, I did the only natural thing - pulled out my camera and started taking pictures like a good blogger.
Unfortunately, the bee was much faster than my camera, so I only got one more picture of her (Useless trivia: All worker bees are infertile females.).

And with more of the flowers left in the frame:
Unfortunately, I have nothing insightful to say, so enjoy the pictures and try not to think about it too much.

This is a post

2008-07-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Your home is a

Magic Magnate's Villa

Your kitchen is someplace you never go, because you "have people for that." There's a Chocolatessen, which is rapidly becoming your favorite room of the house. Having one is also becoming a trend among your wealthy neighbors. Your master bedroom is the size of a small barn, with carpet thick enough to reach your ankles. Your study has hardback editions of every classic ever written, plus a special edition of Rich Dad, Poor Dad with the parts you ghost-authored highlighted. One of your garages holds your collection of ferraris, and is measured in acreage.

Your home also includes a guest wing and private quarters for your servants. Your guests enjoy your home theater with hi-def plasma screen TV, and the thrones you watch it from. Outside is your hedge maze and gardens, meticulously tended by a team of world-class botanists.

And, you have a pet -- a doberman pincer named "Warren".

Below is a snippet of the blueprints:

Build YOUR Dream Home!

and for variety from the Ferraries

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Useless geeky thing I discovered:
Acme Klein Bottles - where yesterday's future is here today!

15 years

2008-07-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Blessed tagged me to do this meme.

Think back on the last 15 years of your life. What would you tell someone that you hadn’t seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize about you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love…

15 years ago I was 8. I probably wouldn’t recognize anyone that I knew then and haven’t seen since.
1. I’ve gained close to 100 pounds and gotten a little bit taller.
2. My parents pulled me from the public school system and put me in a private school before beginning homeschooling from which I graduated.
3. We bought a house a few streets down from where we lived.
4. My dad got a promotion a few states away.
5. We sold the house, moved across the few states, and bought another one.
6. My older sister got married, and we still haven’t convinced her husband that he needs to move this way. I miss her.
7. I went to our local community college and earned two degrees.
8. I graduated at the top of my class, so they made me give a speech.
9. I’m now attending a state university and trying not to let it kill me.
10. I have a niece, Lil Sugar. She is the cutest child in the whole world, and lives way too far away. We still haven’t convinced her father that he needs to move this way.

I tag:
Daramis – Have fun with it.
Jessie – This one will require words.
Chris – Because I can
Lawrence – You haven’t posted in ages.
Anyone else who wants to do it.

2008-07-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

I got tired of looking at white on black. I don't particularly like this, so I'll be changing it more soon.

News

2008-07-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

Good:

The images are fixed. Now you can see the pretty flowers in all of their glory rather than just the left two-thirds. Sorry about the weird linking in the post; I need to come up with a new strategy.

I finally have access and can therefore perform my duties at work rather than just being a desk ornament.

Bad:

My watch died at precisely 2:49 this afternoon.

I'm not going to get enough enough sleep tonight.

Aaargghh

2008-07-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

The images in the previous post should have fit. I'll fix them as soon as I can, but I will be already at work in 8 hours, so I don't want to get started messing with it right now. Goodnight all

I'm easily distracted

2008-07-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

If you don't believe it ask my sister, or check my posting frequency - I intend to post once or twice a week.

I took my camera to school several weeks ago intending to take pictures of the campus, some of the architecture, a couple of truly enormous lecture halls, and maybe capture the sheer size of the place in general.

But then I met this

A whole row of them in fact. And I found myself compelled to take pictures of them from every angle.

Straight down

How about a different angle

...and a close up...

Great! Great! Now let's get that bud into the picture

Alright, now from the side

Hmmm, got a metal rail there; I think I can do a better job of framing that

Yeah, that's better.

Alright folks, we'll give you a call when you're proofs are ready.

And then I had to go to class. I did get some of the building though - see the bricks in the last couple.
Further installments will be posted when I get around to it.

A small rant

2008-06-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Dear neighbors,

Even though I don't particularly care for your music, I can handle listening to it during the day, or I can drown it out. However, I would appreciate it if you turned it off at night. At least turn it down sometime before one am. If you can't do that, even turning the bass down so that my trailer isn't vibrating would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Muse

Told you it was small.

2008-06-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

I'm still waiting for the pictures. As soon as I can get them from my little sister, I'll show you what we did.

2008-06-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

I love plotting against my parents. It's so much fun :).
Details tomorrow...

For now I'm making No Bakes. Yum.

Home

2008-06-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

I survived the finals. The jury is still out on whether or not my GPA did. I am so relieved that it's finally over that I don't really care any more though. Really I don't even have the energy left to be properly excited.

It's not Wednesday evening, but I will now fulfill my promise to post about the beach.
A friend had her birthday party there, so we drove out for the afternoon. I didn't intend to go out past about knee deep, but I was about that far out when a big wave brought a huge seaweed monster that was determined to take it back out with it. I had to drop onto my hands to kick it off. After that I was soaked and cold, so I waded out with a friend rib-deep when the waves weren't coming in. It was such great fun. She taught me how to jump when they hit so that I stayed at right angles to the sand, and we hung out there for about half an hour. Some of the waves went over my head, and I fell over a few times to the great amusement of my friends. The looks on people's faces later when I told them that I can't swim were priceless (I can do the dog paddle and a fairly shoddy backstroke; also, I can only float face down; not much use in breakers). I figured I was safe enough though because I am fairly good at not panicking (It's the panic that usually kills people), and there were enough people from our group out farther than I was that someone would have saved me if I ended up out of my depth. Being out that far makes one all the more aware of how powerful those waves really are. I have watched them crash against the rocks in awe, but those were little (comparatively speaking) waves that were already mostly spent that knocked me clean over and washed me halfway back to the beach.

Since I'm out of school for the summer, I'll hopefully be able to blog a whole lot more consistently. I'm still thinking about the OBS Challenge too.

Quote

polysyllabic expressions are marvelously entertaining to employ
-Bethany

G'night

Finals week

2008-06-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

My finals start today. I can't decide whether to panic or be relieved. I am not ready for the finals, but I am certainly more than ready for the school year to be over. Maybe tomorrow evening when the worst two are over I'll tell you about my day at the beach. I'll have to check the blogs of other people who where there for suitable pictures. Meanwhile, my brain is brimming over with all sorts of -isms, the Nerst equation, paradigms, complexes, and so on.

Bye

2008-05-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

My brain cells are abandoning ship. They are simply bailing out on me in droves. This must be a breach of contract or something.

Anyrate, the promised post is not coming together yet, sorry. I'll keep working on it.

This is a post

2008-05-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Which Narnia Character Are You?
You are Lucy, who became Queen Lucy the Valiant of Narnia. You have a strong sense of responsibility and you show great kindness to others. You are innocent, a quality which often leads people not to regard you seriously, but you are also wise beyond your years. Anyone who befriends you is lucky to have you as a true and loyal ally.
I wish I could get the banner to work.

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

They accused me of having common sense. I doubt the accuracy of this quiz.

I have thoughts for another post which I hope to have up some time in the next 36 hours so check back.

Home Again

2008-05-10T00:10:00.000-07:00

for two whole days.

It's wonderful.

I think that about covers it.

It's happening again

2008-05-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

School is taking over my life. Even now it holds me. I am sitting in the library with my stat homework spread out. I just finished this week's chem lab. It felt a bit like being a surgeon for a few minutes there - I was half bent over doing some very precise task or other with my two lab partners hovering on either side. When I finished with a tool, I just held it out, someone took it and washed it. When I needed a tool, I just held my hand out, and it was given to me. Rather weird really.

I'm still fighting though. Last Saturday I got to go to Sea World with the church youth group. We hit nearly all the shows, and watched them feed the sea lions. I think all but two people (of 29) got sunburned. I wasn't one of the exceptions. I think that my favorite part was Biff. Biff did the pre-show for the evening version of the Clyde and Seamore show and ... Well, you would have had to be there, just take my word that it was funny.

Make sure you go check out the scrubby giveaway over at A Blessed Crazy Life. It is a large hooded towel with a cute scrubby bath mitt. While hooded towels are usually thought of as infant items, this one is huge and would be good for children as old as six or seven.

I have been taking lots of pretty pictures to share with you, but unfortunately, I lost the cable, so I can't get them off of my camera. There are a couple that I got before that disaster happened though. Here is the smoothie I tried to show before

Here are the ingredients: Plus a lot of vanilla ice cream that didn't make the picture.

I also took a picture of My new shoes.

I bought a new CD on Monday. I think that may have been the first time I actually bought myself a CD that wasn't required for something.

Quote:

sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
-Morpheus

I'm going to go find something to eat.

Sleep Deprivation

2008-04-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

Methinks I'm a little giddy right now.

I've only slept about 3 of the last 36 hours, but oddly enough, now that it is night time and I can, indeed should, catch up on that a little bit, I am wide awake for the first time since 9:00 this morning. Would someone please explain this phenomenon to me.

Quote:

He had one principle and he never violated it: He refused to say or do what was expected. For him, shocking people was a virtue; boring them was a sin.
-Edward Teller regarding Leo Szilard

Signing off

My birthday present

2008-04-20T01:01:00.000-07:00

Yup, a brand new camera. Now I can show you picture of all the interesting things in my life. The smoothie I made a little while ago for example:

Or I could have if blogger had not repeatedly accused me of making a bad request. Perhaps next time. It is too late to keep working on it now.

Random Excerpt from the page my history reader is open to right now:

A variety of causes have produced it: violent and prolonged internal disorder as in Russia and Hungary; the creation of new governments and their inexperience in the readjustment of economic relations, as in Poland and Czechoslovakia; the loss throughout the continent of efficient labour, through the casualties of war or the continuance of mobilisation; the falling off in efficiency trough continued underfeeding in the Central empires; the exhaustion of the soil from lack of the usual applications of artificial manures throughout the course of the war; the unsettlement of the minds of the labouring classes on the fundamental economic issues of their lives.
-Adam Smith The Economic Consequences of the Peace

Whew, that was a long sentence. I'm off to bed now, goodnight.

P.S. You may notice my title changing sporadically; I'm trying them on.

2008-04-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Bekki tagged me to do this a couple of weeks ago.

ROCKSTAR NAME (first pet, current car): Duke Intrigue
--
YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite shoe): Vanilla Comfortable, doesn’t sound right. I think I will begin making things up; no one said I have to be honest. Mint Chip Stiletto (better, but not very menacing)
--
YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Deep Green Panther
--
YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of you last name, first 2 of your first name): Ranch (in the star system I come from it is an old and respected name, I find your salad dressings highly offensive) Musth (which few beings have the anatomy to pronounce correctly.)
--
SUPER HERO NAME (second favorite color, favorite drink): Blue Water (again I reveal the boringness of my life)
--
NASCAR NAME (first names of your grandfathers): Billie William (Seriously! Well, before he changed his name it was that. Later it became Michael Billie)
--
STRIPPER NAME (favorite scent/cologne/perfume, favorite candy): Moonlight Path Ghirardelli Square
--
TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Brewer Boston
--
SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, fave flower): Winter’s Rose
--
CARTOON NAME (your favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing right now): Apricot Socks
--
HIPPIE NAME (what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Poptart the-one-in-the-yard-of-the-house-where-I-grew-up

I’m not going to directly tag anyone, but if you feel inspired, consider yourself tagged.

_________________________________________________

I received several really good suggestions for a new title and have listed them all here for direct comparison.

Musing at Random
Muse Along
“Spend time every day listening to what your Muse is trying to tell you”
“The most potent muse of all is our own inner child.”
The Amus(ed)(ing) Muse
Musings, Chocolate, and Tea
Got Muse?
Muse-a-licious!
Muse-ic to my ears...
Random Ruminating Ramblings of a Random
Ruminations of a Muse
Randomly Musing
Just Randomly Musing

Some of them would also make suitable subtitles, or bits for my profile. It is proving to be a hard decision. As of now, the front runner is Muse Along, but I also like Just Randomly Musing and Musing at Random. I keep trying to combine them: Just Musing Along? Being the decisive person I am, I can’t make up my mind.

Today’s quote is a link because I want you to read the whole thing.

On the War on Terror

My bed calls to me. G'night

Still alive

2008-04-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Sorry that I have been gone for so long. Life was crazy for a while there; now it has slowed down but so has my internet access. I have been thinking about this poor abandoned blog though, and there are several things that I am eager to tell you about in the next few days. First off, I have read all of the suggestions both here and over at A Blessed Crazy Life for a new title, I like most of them and will compile them all together and pick one soon. I also got a really cool birthday present which I can't wait to share with you. Also I did a lot of sewing over spring break (thus the continuing lack of time to post), and I really want to share with you some of my creative brilliance (*snort*) as well as talk about my approach to sewing in general. Right now though, I have to be at church in 28 minutes, and I am not ready, so I must run, quickly.

Quote:

“I think you have struck some first-class ideas and have put into definite shape a good deal of thought which has been floating about rather loosely.”
- Theodore Roosevelt in reference to Turner’s The Significance of the Frontier in American History

The Random Muse needs a new title

2008-03-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

And she needs you to come up with it.

I don't really like my current blog title all that well and would like to change it, but I don't know what to change it to. So, I am looking for suggestions. I would like for it to fit with my Random Muse handle and atrandommusing url, but that is not required. The chosen title will be semi-permanent (ie I am highly unlikely to change it again ever, but make no promises) and will be used by Blessed to make a beautiful header which may lead to an entire theme.

Some of the ideas that have already been brought up include:
Ruminations of a Muse
Musing at Random
Randomly Musing

Help me out - leave lots of brilliant ideas.

Signing off

Blog Party

2008-03-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'm joining the 5 Minutes for Mom blog party, I know I'm running late - but it's typical, don't believe me just ask my sister!

About me:
I'm busy college student – in the middle of finals right now majoring in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Natural Science and I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with it yet.

You'll find blogs about my classes, things I do with my family and church youth group, ideas I have, projects I'm trying complete, books I'm reading and sometimes my sister and I will have a really big idea together.

Sorry this is sooo short but, I am in the middle of finals and wanted to get in the party – you will see more posts from me at the beginning of quarters, on breaks and etc…

Thanks for stopping by!

Edit:
I have been to read the prize list. My favorites include the chocolate, the natural soaps and cleansers, the books, and all of the Amazon gift cards. I also would love the webcam so that I could give it to my sister and see Lil’ Sugar’s antics. The numbers are 70, 16, 20, 52, 79, 72, 152, 53, 100, 60, 39, 140, 55, 116, 104 or 105, 129, 54, 136, 146, 64, 114, and 9 though anything would be lovely.

Still here

2008-03-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

This post is just to let you know that I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have been extremely busy lately and have not had time to post. Next week doesn't look good either.

I have been tagged, so I will try to see to that, but finals approach, so I likely won't have time for anything else. Check back around the end of the month (ie 25th-ish). See you then

Hare-brained Ideas

2008-02-25T16:53:00.000-08:00

My family specializes in them. This time though, it might actually work. I have class in 20 minutes though, so rather than me trying to explain, go read about it here on my sister's blog.

Useless quote:

Scabrous pirates to you
-Face Loran (or was it Ton Phanan (either way the book was written by Aaron Allston))

Calculus here I come (with a short pitstop for a caffeinated beverage)

This, That and Wicked

2008-02-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

So, I am sitting here at my table getting very sleepy and munching contentedly on Sam's Choice Orchard Trail which features "A rich and fruity autumn harvest of chocolate raspberry chips, yogurt raisins, apples, apricots, walnuts, and cashews" (Maybe contented munching will slow my weight loss.) and thinking that I need to post. Ya'll haven't heard from me in a week. And what a week it has been. I had two mid-terms that I did horribly on (badly even by normal standards), went to Wicked with my family, just spent several hours at a birthday party, and have promised to make dinner for the folks in "the main house" tomorrow between church.

I meant to write a post about Wicked earlier, but my sister and I spent most of the morning running around. When we returned I finished the dishes and started working on my fafsa. By the time I noticed how late it was, I was 45 minutes late for the birthday party. I walked out my front door, around through the gate, and three houses down the street to the party. On being accused of being late, I claimed to have been stuck in traffic. For some reason it didn't fly. I was still there in time for carne asada though, and what carne asada it was. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, num num num, good, mmnmmnmm, want more. Sorry, got distracted there.
Later R brought out her new cello, and her brother J, who is extremely gifted musically, started fiddling around with it. Somewhat later, we had the cello and a guitar being played by people who did not know how, the piano being played by someone who did know how and was attempting to follow, and three of us doing a slightly choreographed clapping and extended right foot tapping thing. Then someone brought out some spoons and joined the band and several more clappers joined (the faint signs of choreography faded). Now we had the start of a regular hoe-down going, so we persuaded a couple of the younger girls to "square-dance" for us. They linked arms and skipped around each other, then switched directions a couple of times before leaving the dance floor.
The next item on out impromptu program was a bit unexpected. BR had a couple of pan lids which he had been clapping together like cymbals. He suddenly burst into the central area and began jigging around clapping them in front, behind, and then over his head. Next, he began high kicking in time with our beat. He would first clap the lids high, then below his right leg, high again, and then below his left leg. It was hysterical. Our beat nearly faltered for a moment as we doubled over laughing.
R decided that her mother, who had gone to the apartment out back, needed to see this performance, so 8 or 10 of us trooped out the door and around the house to the apartment door where we spread into a semi circle around the cello and a space for our star and started clapping and J started playing. We decided to sing too and began chanting hey-hey-hey-hey-heya-hey-hey and making warbling noises. SD, R and J's mother, opened the door and stuck her head out curiously; this was BR's cue, he gave a very enthusiastic performance, then bowed low. SD laughed and smiled. Then she told us that K and M, my landlords, should see it, so we gathered more people to clap and trooped down the street with the cello to repeat the performance. It was after this performance that we began wishing people a merry Christmas and concluded that we were Christmas caroling. So what if it is a little off season. We piled into cars and went to disrupt the peace in a few more neighborhoods.

But I was supposed to be posting about Wicked. My littlest sis wanted to go for her birthday, and my little sis and I weren't about to let her and my parents go without us, so Daddy got five tickets, and we all went. It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. The theatre was a historic building with really neat architectural features, so I enjoyed myself even before the doors were opened. We went to the little cafe next door and got drinks to enjoy and keep us warm while we waited and admired. Architecture and drinks weren't what we drove hours to see though, the doors did open, and they eventually let us begin seating. We really scored on the seats: orchestra section, row Z, dead center. A few rows closer might not have been bad, but we had a wonderful view of the entire stage: close enough to see but not so close that we were craning our necks to see the sides or the top. The curtain was a map of Oz which featured a glowing green Emerald City. I was so engrossed that I did not realize until I looked at my watch that two hours had passed before the intermission. The actress who played Elphaba was an amazingly good singer. Actually, they all were. I just liked her songs better. I was going to hit a couple of high points, but I am having a bit of trouble narrowing it down from the-entire-evening. I adore live theater and don't get to see it very often at all. So, to avoid just summarizing the entire show, which has already been done, I am going to move on now.

Actually, having noticed the time, I am going to skip the other thing I was going to write about, and move on to bed - and sleep.

But first, Quotes (since this is such a long rambley post, it needs more than one):

Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt.
–Gandalf

Sleeping penguins are less violent than penguins who are not sleeping.
–Marc Abrams

Hey, no pretense here. I am genuinely self-centered and deeply shallow.
-Fiyero

Goodnight all

The Song of Sun Tea

2008-02-16T21:23:00.000-08:00

This was originally posted on my other blog and was lost along with everything else, but Blessed remembered that it was saved to her computer and salvaged it for the world to see.

The Song of Sun Tea

The warmth of the sun
The richness of its rays
Upon me they shine
And enrichen my tone

The clear tasteless liquid I am
Turns to golden delight
As on the porch rail I sit
And soak in the suns beam

My golden shadow grows long
As the time passes by
My golden heart beats strong
The time now has come

My fluid heart cries out
To those within
They check their watches
And scurry out the door

They see my ripened color
And the sun-glow within
They know it is time
For me to come in

On the counter I sit
As I am sweetened with care
The love in my heart grows strong
As the sugar settles in

Oh no – they’ve turned
They’ve walked away
Come back and drink me
My liquid heart cries out

My golden heart starts to break
And a tear forms in my eye
Then I see them return
With a glass, some ice

Oh joy has returned
As I pour out my all
For this human who set me
Where I did brew in the sun

My mission fulfilled
I slide down their throat
Their desire has been satisfied
Their soul is refreshed

Would you know pure contentment
On this globe of despair
Pour a glass of pure gold
And share it with a friend

Bring someone to the pleasure
Of a glass of liquid sunlight
And join in the delight
Of ice cold sun tea

By The Muse, Blessed & our freshly brewed jar of sun tea

Thanks Blessed for editing my profile photo for me.

Catch-up

2008-02-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

There have been a few things that I have wanted to blog about this week, but I did not have time, so this my be a long post.

First,I participated in the Valentine's Day Swap, over at Island Life. My parter, a wonderful woman named Sue who blogs over at Living My Dream, sent me a lovely package. I wish I could show you a picture, but alas, I cannot, so description it is. The first thing out of the box was a set of Sweet Pea scented lotion, shower gel, and bubble bath. Next a pad of pink sticky notes with a really neat border emerged. A gigantic homemade chocolate kiss was next - seriously, it is over three inches tall and weighs more than 6 ounces - it's very good. The last thing in the box was a suspicious flattened object which turned out to be a package of Ferraro Rocher chocolates. All of this was wrapped up and packed in lovely red tissue paper with white and pink hearts all over it which made the package very festive in a Valentinesy sort of way.

Single But Not Alone
Also far more serious than I like to be in public, but here goes.
Growing up, I have known a lot of people who equated their value with their “relationships.” Young girls, even at twelve and thirteen and even younger, devoted much of their time and energy to drawing the eyes of the young boys. Older girls, who were still way too young to marry, would actively bemoan the fact that they did not have a boyfriend. These were girls who had many friends, both male and female, and good, supportive parents. I have watched people who at 18 and 19 were so eager to marry that they sacrificed many things which had previously been at the center of who they were in the search for a partner. All of this because they did not want to be alone.
I am quite distinctly single, but by no means am I alone. I am in my early twenties and have never had a serious boyfriend. I still have no prospects. In fact there seems to be a serious famine in the area of single, intelligent, Godly young men. However, there are many people who love me and are there for me when I need them.
Since it was Valentine’s which started me on this line of thought, I will start there. On Wednesday evening, I got home from school to find a red rose in a bud vase with a white teddy bear holding it sitting on the table waiting for me. My father had come twenty minutes out of his way from dropping my grandparents off at the airport to remind my sister and me that we were his special girls. There was also a large cardboard heart of chocolates from my grandparents. Also, my younger sister, who does not have a job, bought me a small box of chocolates. Also, I got a text and an email from a couple of friends wishing me a Happy Singles Awareness Day. That evening a couple in the church invited the youth group over for carne asada.
That was a holiday yes, but it does not stop there. I have the most wonderful Daddy a girl could ever ask for. He loves his girls, and even though he doesn’t talk much, he makes sure we know that we are one of the most important things in his world. I have a sweet Mother. I have a best friend that I can, and do, call at 2 am just because I am frustrated with my life and need someone to talk to. I have three sisters who put up with me and occasionally tell me to snap out of it.
Now, I know that not everyone has as strong of a support network as I do. But there is one thing that is even bigger than what I have already said. I know that God has a plan for my life. If He wants me to marry (which I think that He does), then somewhere out there is the man for me. I do not want to rush it and stumble into something that I will regret later.

Quote:

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
-Prov 4:23 KJV

Singles Awareness Day

2008-02-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this yesterday in honor of the day, but I was never had an opportunity, so here it is now.

Dear.....

I regret to inform you that you have been eliminated from further contention as Mr. Right. As you are probably aware, the competition was exceedingly tough and dozens of well-qualified candidates such as yourself also failed to make the final cut. I will, however, keep your name on file should an opening become available. So that you may find better success in your future romantic endeavors, please allow me to offer the following reason(s) you were disqualified from the competition.

Check those that apply:
__Your last name is objectionable. I can't imagine taking it, hyphenating it, or subjecting my children to it.
__ Your first name is objectionable. It's just not something I can picture myself yelling out in a fit of passion.
__The fact that our dining experiences to date has left MY wallet a little lighter, and YOUR waistline a little tighter.
__You failed the 20 Question Rule, i.e., I asked you 20 questions about yourself before you asked me more than one about myself.
__Your constant e-mailing shows me you have TOO much time on your hands!
__Your legs are skinnier than mine.
__You're too short. Any son that we produced would inevitably be beaten up repeatedly at recess.
__You're too tall. I'm developing a chronic neck condition from trying to kiss you.
__I find your inability to fix my car extraordinarily unappealing.
__The fact that your apartment has been condemned reveals an inherent slovenliness that I fear is unbreakable.
__The phrase "My Mother" has popped up far too often in conversation.
__You still live with your parents.
__Although I do enjoy the X-Files, I find your wardrobe of Star Trek uniforms a little disconcerting.
__Your frequent references to your ex-girlfriend lead me to suspect that you are some sort of psychotic stalker.
__Your ability to belch the alphabet is not a trait that I am seeking in a long-term partner.
__Your height is out of proportion to your weight. If you should however, happen to gain the necessary 17 vertical inches, please resubmit your application.
__I am out of your league, set your sights lower next time.

Sincerely,
Me

I typed part of the biking post the other day before my laptop battery died. I will continue working on it, but right now I need to hurry to work.

Hasta la vista

2008-02-12T01:54:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I am so tired. It is nearly 2 am, and I have just now finished my homework (sort of). The worst part is that I have to be back up in four and a half hours now. Double ugh.
Anyway, since I can never go straight from homework to bed and sleep (fall asleep on my book, yes. Move to my bed and sleep, no.), I figured I would post something.

So, my brain is not functional right now; here is a link to a very funny description of what moving from biking on tarmac to biking on trails would require.
Click here

The next time that I have time, energy, and internet simultaneously, I will post about some of my experiences biking around the university campus.

Oh, also my apologies for not passing on the award. I blame the evil quarter system. Perhaps I should post about that one day too; I have theories.

Quote:

The field had been getting increasingly solemn and grandiose, and to my eyes was long overdue for a good lampooning. (Anything or anyone who falls into the trap of taking themselves too seriously is fair game for this, …)
- Robert Asprin

G'night all

P.S. Blessed, I was just thinking about how you used to sing for us at night; I miss it.

I got an award

2008-02-02T16:05:00.001-08:00

My blog has been awarded with this

a rating of excellent. Thank you Blessed; I am honored.

I would pass this award on, but I have a bio exam on Monday that I haven't started studying for yet. Check back in a couple of days, and maybe I will have awarded a couple of other blogs.

Quote:
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.
-C. S. Lewis

I'm off to study

Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

2008-02-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

I made a batch of these last night and they were so good and so quick that I decided to share them. My sister and I both wanted something sweet last night, but nearly everything we thought of involved at least one ingredient that we did not have. Finally I realized that there was a can of biscuits hanging out in the refrigerator door. I promptly decided that biscuit cinnamon rolls were in order and went to the house to borrow their rolling pin. Now, you're going to have to bear with me a bit here because I like to see pictures to go along with recipes, but I don't have a camera; and I am notoriously bad about measuring anything, so most measurements are guesstamations if they even exist. And finally, the recipe:

You will need:
1 can of biscuits, or you can make homemade dough if you like; a stick of butter; sugar; cinnamon; and anything else that you want in them, raisins or other dried fruit would be excellent, as would nuts

Start 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter melting. Open the biscuit can and flatten the column, keep them stacked on top of each other because they will try to separate at any seams when rolled. Flour the cabinet and your rolling pin and roll the flattened stack of biscuits out in rectangular shape until it is about this big *gestures*. I think that it was about 3/8 inches thick and 2 1/2 times as long as it was wide. Pour the butter over the top spreading it all around and all the way to both short edges and 1 long edge and close to the fourth edge, it will probably pool, this is good. Now start another tablespoon or two melting. Mix about half a cup of sugar with enough cinnamon that the mixture is properly brown, you know how much you like. Add any other spices you want to the mix. Sprinkle the stuff liberally over the buttered surface of the dough. I mean pile it thick, nothing worse that getting a plain biscuit because someone was stingy with the cinnamon and sugar. Save what is left for your toast in the morning. If you want fruit or nuts dice them up tiny and sprinkle them on now; I wanted almonds or pecans, but we didn't have any. Now, starting at the long edge that has the most butter, roll it up snugly but not too tight. Get a knife and cut it into slices about as thick as the original biscuits were. Lay them out on whatever you would like to cook them on and poor the butter over the top of them. Bake according the biscuit package directions, and start working on the glaze.

The glaze I think is what made these so wonderful. It was a bit of an experiment since I didn't have what I needed to make a classic glaze.

You will need:
The rest of the stick of butter (2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons), about an ounce of cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla

Put the butter and cream cheese in a small saucepan and pour in enough milk that you don't have to worry about them trying to burn, then add another splash for good measure. Stir until the butter melts. The cream cheese probably won't melt, but mash it up so the chunks are small. Add sugar until it taste sweet enough, I think I used about half a cup. Splash in a couple of teaspoons of vanilla. Sample. Add whatever you feel like adding. Sample again.

When the biscuit come out of the oven, poor the glaze over them. Wait a few minutes (or 30 seconds) then devour them.

It only took me about 20-25 minutes from borrowing the rolling pin to returning it with hot samples, and all of the ingredients were things that even we, who have no room for anything extraneous and no time to bake, had on hand. Enjoy

Quote:

The Steinway people have asked me to announce that this is a Baldwin piano.
-Victor Borge

So long

2008-01-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, but I have been busy at school learning very important things, like the fact that there is an animal whose Latin name means "Vampire Bat from hell;" and how to create the Lewis structure, VSEPR electron and molecular geometry, valence bonding hybrids, and molecular bonding and antibonding orbitals for a given molecule; and how to find the area under a curve on a given interval or between 2 curves; not to mention all of the things to observe in lab: e-coli, dissolving sponges with bleach and acid, glass sponges with dead shrimp inside that are frequently given as wedding gifts in Japan, the beginnings of several sea urchins whose lives were abruptly snuffed out before they even got done with the serious business of cleavage when I had to wash the microscope slide they were on, worms mating under the TA's microscope which was hooked up to a large screen, and much more. I hope that I learned all of that molecular stuff properly since I had a midterm earlier today. I think that I did half-way decent on it. Actually, the grades should be posted on ilearn by now. Hang on while I go check. ... Not too bad, but I will have to look up the answers tomorrow and see where I went wrong.

Moving on to non-school-related subjects. I got my cloak made last weekend, and wore it a few times during the week. The first time it was pouring rain. For the first little while I was warm and cozy, but the fabric seemed to have the water shedding capacity of a sponge(luecon grade, Class Desmospongia, or maybe Kitchensinkia), so by the time I finally got home, I was soaked, cold, and ready for a good hot shower. A few days later, I washed it, spread it across the floor, and Scotch-guarded it. It hasn't rained properly since, so I don't know if that was effective yet. However, I love it even if it doesn't work for a rain coat; it is like a giant, wearable blanket. Maybe if I can get some pictures I will post them, but that is unlikely, so no holding of breath.

Today's quote has been replaced by this comic:

Good night all

Commenting

2008-01-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

It was just pointed out to me that some folks were having difficulty commenting. I have gone into the settings and clicked the necessary buttons, so it should work now.

My calculus class starts in a few minutes, so I should probably start heading across campus. Perhaps I will post later.

Gift Swap

2008-01-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

This looks like a good idea. Island Life is hosting a Valentine's Day Swap. Go check out their site for details.

What is your idea of a romantic Valentine’s Day?

Roses, chocolate, and a long walk at dusk

In reality, what is your Valentine’s Day really like?

The past few years I have celebrated Singles Awareness Day (SAD) in place of Valentine’s Day. My wonderful father likes to buy all of his girls a rose and my mother usually supplies a few pieces of chocolate at breakfast, but this year I will not be near my parents for Valentines so, …

If you could have a lifetime supply of your favorite sweet indulgence, what would it be?

Tough question. Assorted Lindt truffles, Lindor Balls, Ferro Rocher, Dove dark ... How about we say Really Good Chocolates and leave it at that

Is there any sweet treat you absolutely do not like?

Palmer’s chocolate. I am a chocoholic and would live on the stuff if I could, but Palmer’s is vile stuff.

If you fell into a pool of chocolate, how would you get out?

Get out? Why would I want to get out? I would start eating and hope someone would rescue me before I popped.

Caffine, Cruise-control, and Cloaking Devices

2008-01-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

I wanted to spend the entire three-day weekend at home, but unfortunately, there was something I had to do near my trailer Sunday evening at 5:30, as close to smack in the middle of my weekend as possible. Plan B had been to come up on Friday night, spend Saturday here, leave Sunday morning, and have a peaceful, homeworkful Monday.

The first have of that plan went splendidly. I left school at the regular time, went to the trailer, had dinner with my sister, picked up some of my stuff, packed a few things, and finally left only 15 minutes later than planned. (Perhaps that should be more than one sentence.) On the way past Walmart, I stopped and bought 6 (yes six) yards of lovely, soft, heavy, dark country blue/charcoal gray fabric with which to make the first draft of the cloak that I have been planning for the past few months. I arrived home at around 10 (Mom had saved dinner for me since she did not know if I had eaten yet; I love my mom.). Saturday I lounged around, worked on a few things, played games with my family, and in the evening, decided that I did not want to spend Monday alone in the trailer.

This messed up the second half of the plan. Sunday morning I got up and lounged around some more until my family went to church. Then I went to walmart to buy the rest of the bolt of my lovely fabric and picked up a carton of whoppers before heading trailer-ward (remember the whoppers). After the things that I had to do, I arrived back at my trialer at around 9:30 or 10, but instead of being sensible and leaving, I decided to get some work done. As midnight approached I had drunk two and a half cups of tea, consumed three freshly baked cookies and copious amounts of sugar in general, and finally decided it was time to get on the road. So I filled my travel mug with yet more caffeine and sugar, put more cookies in a bag, and gathering my whoppers headed out. For the first twenty miles or so, I was stuck in traffic and eating whoppers by the handful. Finally traffic cleared and I set my cruise control on 82 (a good 8mph above my usual cruising speed) and went for it. I finally arrived home just after 1. Unfortunately, having done its job did not mean that the caffeine was ready to metabolize out of my bloodstream just yet. I did not sleep until 5.

I am still tired.

Let's Try This Again

2008-01-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

I'm back.

Sadly, barring a miracle, my original blog is gone. I miss it greatly; we had many good times. I will try to keep things a bit more lively and interesting this time - one post a month is really not enough, but I need you all to do your part too. Comment! Tell me what you think about what I have said. Ask me questions. Otherwise, I might be forced to blog about things that I am learning in school in technical terms that few people outside of schools understand. Not that I won't do that anyway, but you have been warned.

Signing off