roses really smell like ....

I bought my mother roses for her birthday. The Jedi master's response: "You shouldn't have. When you kids spend money on me, I feel sad."


AAAAANNNNND.......SCENE!!

Name check!

Virginia patriot George Mason gets name checked on A Daily Show!

Birfday!

Bonne Année!

Gia, backlit, originally uploaded by maisnon.

I love this picture of Gia that I took yesterday. She's gorgeous, of course. But, I also love her "expression" - and how you can see the lynx-hairs at the tops of her ears.

So, Happy New Year, y'all! I have been doing my usual analysis and consideration of the year past, concomittant with planning and strategizing for the upcoming year.

One thing that I know I want is to be more organized and productive. That is something that I intend to write about here. (I'll come up with a tag for it - and then if it bores you, you can avoid it.) Why is this one of big goals for 2008? Well, similar to when I studied for the Bar exam, I find that my attention span is pretty shot. It's not even attention, it's my doing span. It's only with great difficulty that I can stay completely focused and on task for more than 15 minutes. I know that this is something that I can improve.

There are so many things that I want to do, and see, and try, etc. Being more organized would make me more productive, and give me more time, as well. My first step was to purchase the eBook Zen to Done, which I am now reading. It is a variation on David Allen's (in)famous Getting Things Done. I own that book, and really tried to make it work for me - but it just didn't. This system seems much more my speed. In particular, it stresses adopting/changing one habit a month - something that I experimented with this year, and enjoyed. I'm very excited - in a year, I'll be (finally! finally!) organized.

Wham! - Last Christmas

Ah! My favorite (non)Christmas song for Christmas Eve.

trichomania

Minus..., originally uploaded by maisnon.

Have you ever noticed that your hair looks AWESOME two days before your scheduled hair cut?

55 Fiction Friday (Early): Contagion edition

Friday spent some quality time with DTG.

Almost immediately, we were laughing to the point of tears. So hard, in fact, that the people near us on the crowded train started smiling. That level of laughter - double over, and hold your sides - spreads insidiously, those nearby don't even know what's funny, but the corners of their mouths tip up regardless.

notable

The New York Times has published its 100 Notable Books of 2007. And I have read exactly zero of them.

Initially, I was shocked. Then, I remembered that I no longer shop at bookstores. Everything I read comes from the library (and, on occasion, friends.) I was much more "up-to-date" with the latest novel to come out when I frequented Borders.

So, new project (and you know how I love me my projects): read through the 2007 list. (Or, at least, the 50 novels - I'm not a huge fan of nonfiction.)

First one up: The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon. Chabon wrote one of my fave books: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

knitwit

I'm (re)learning how to knit! I tried to (re)teach myself last year, but did not get very far. (Mostly because of Gia's enthusiastic "assistance.") I will be taking a class at my local knitting shop. I went in over the weekend to pick up supplies.

superhelpful shopchick: Now you need needles.....bamboo or plastic?
maisnon: ??
shopchick: Well, are you a tightly wound personality, or loose-y-goosey?
maisnon: Tightly wound.
(shopchick selects plastic needles)
maisnon: Now, I immediately want to say "But, I'm not REALLY tightly wound"
shopchick: .... proving that you are, of course.

it's all good in the 'hood

Wheelbarrow put to use, originally uploaded by maisnon.

I'm lovin' my 'hood right now.

I started writing something with too much detail, all about the two dogs named Ollie, the coffeeshops, and the potential friendships.

You don't need to tell a story to tell a story: I'm happy here. I see the possibilities. I like the pulse. It's working for me.