Dive Down

bunnies.

We have rabbits in our yard all the time and they never fail to make me smile. I doubt I have the same effect on them, but at least they do seem unconcerned about my fascination with them.

Rabbits can be destructive, but ours only ever seem to eat the dandelions and leave the rest alone. They did eat my bulbs last Spring, but that was a small price to pay for year-round cuteness. They just naturally have such Disney faces!

I even love waking up to fresh bunny prints in the snow!

The holiday is winding down. In a few hours I will have to head out into the snow to do a meeting in Riverside. I am not keen to get back to work, but I can't really complain considering the laid-back Christmas I have enjoyed this year. Just what I needed to recharge the batteries!

With no house guests and no traveling, this Christmas was all about being together as a couple. Christmas Day was a blissful orgy of cuddling, chocolate and old movies! Being a mixed couple culturally, people often ask what we celebrate at this time of year. Mostly we just grab the best bits from any of the holiday traditions we grew up with. We do have a tree, decorations, lights, presents and stockings. My sweet Jew even has a stocking of his own, with chequey fur around the top. And naturally Strappy has a stocking, too.

Most years we don't go wild on the presents. I don't really have a wish list anymore. We buy each other little things throughout the year and we have now blissfully entered the "we have everything we need" stage of our lives. We buy each other small things to amuse, just to have some little things to open. Little things in big boxes, because the best part of the gift is often the anticipation of guessing what is inside! This year My Sweetie wanted a new helm, so that was his big gift. He won't be getting it for another few months, but I know he will love it when he gets it! Other than that, I got him a couple of books and some clothes. I always keep receipts just in case, but this year I think only the sweater will have to go back. My Sweetie doesn't want to keep it because it is 50% wool and he wants to be able to snuggle me when he wears it! He is not allergic to wool but I am. Could there be a sweeter reason to return a gift than that?

For my part, I got some nice things too. There were a few little things to make hiking more fun, and a few little Lee Valley gadgets, an ultimate frisbee from my Stepson, a little dial-less compass and a bird identification book. I also got a cute clay whistle that makes a warbling bird sound. My big gift was a training bench for working out and a set of resistance bands. I had looked for a set of resistance bands before Christmas and had not found ones I liked, so that was a wonderful surprise! My Sweetie knows I am very serious about getting into better shape, so I thought the equipment was very thoughtful. Gifts are most thoughtful when they are supportive of my goals. I will still keep my gym membership of course, but I think I may turn the downstairs room into a home gym for days I don't feel like going out. Naturally there was also some yummy holiday chocolate, but "Santa" was good enough to only give me enough to make it feel like a holiday, but not enough to foil my efforts at weight loss.

We did spend some festive time visiting with friends and we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas feast with Talontytar and family. That woman knows how to cook a bird worthy of the cover of Better Homes and Gardens!

We still hope to find a little time left in 2009 to have a long soak in the tub and watch my new Aristocats DVD!

Last night I had a very irritating dream. In it, someone - a friend of a friend - was telling me I was a hypocrite for recycling. I kept asking him what he meant by that, and why 'hypocrite' because his arguments seemed to imply he thought I was foolish, or misguided, but nothing he said implied that I was acting in a way contrary to my stated beliefs.

I woke up with a profound desire to win said argument, and look up "hypocrite" to be sure I knew what it meant.

And then I wanted to talk to you all about what I meant by "jargon" and "trivia" as exclusionary tactics in culture. Many times we don't even realize we're doing it. Sometimes we do. When someone shouts "42!" they are consciously seeking the acknowledgment of shared knowledge with a sub-set of people. Likewise quoting from The Princess Bride or Monty Python. They don't think about this as a way of making others feel apart and separate, of course not, they think of it as a way of making themselves feel included and insular. But the one breeds the other.

And once again I'm thinking about tribalism, and if the worrisome dangers of group identity extend to football fans, in which case I am a bit of a hypocrite.

Which is all to say I am in a somewhat bleary intellectual limbo, having finished an awesome book just recently, the sort of book that leaves you mourning its absence, and having finished up the very good holiday and left me wondering what is next? But of course I know what is next. I just have to wait for it.

And try to get some work done today. Gah. Work.

I got everything I wanted for Christmas.

People liked my gifts.
Lizzie liked my gifts. Heh heh. We had much amusement at her reactions. I got her a game for her DS. She gasped, "I have a DS!"

"I know!"

"But you weren't there when I got it!"

"Lizzie, I've seen you playing with it."

"No way!"

Yes, it's easy to come off downright Machiavellian with a 9-year-old.

Dad didn't like the keychain I got him as much as I'd hoped. See, when I was around Lizzie's age, I bought Dad a leather "K" keychain for father's day. He still uses it, but the "K" is down to an "I". I explained that this way he'd still have a keychain from me. He declared that the old one was still perfect.

(Aw.)

I got to spend lots and lots of time slugging around reading good science fiction, so bonus for me, and yesterday I got to watch the Browns win at home, which is always good!

Grace and Mark got us Mario Kart for our Wii. It's been played pretty much non-stop since then. Wii!

I also bought Dad and Lizzie a Wii. Which cemented me in Lizzie's good opinion, though Dad looked worried I'd spent too much money. Hopefully, as my husband says, Dad has no idea what game consoles cost.

Gracie got him a new bathroom sink. Which he was amazed at, and really needed. It was also an awesome big box, and Lizzie was thrilled about it, too. Dad kept saying "You guys went all-out!"

Well, we kinda always do. This year seemed to have the largest stack of presents under the Vibbert-Doblekar tree yet, but then, we usually bury that poor tree. Grace and Mark seem to have even more Christmas decorations than ever and it's nice how they glow with getting to host.

Mommie-in-law got to host us for a Christmas Eve dinner. She made sesame beef, which is Brian's favorite thing that Ha cooks. We then gathered around Ha's Christmas tree to drink wine and sing Christmas carols and play with her dog.

It was warm and happy. Dad didn't complain about having to drive all the way out to North Royalton for Ha's dinner and then all the way out to Euclid the next day for present opening. I think he was okay with it, and I'm glad. I know he doesn't like driving. The weather was good, though. It melted up for Christmas day. Clean roads.

Brian and Ha lavished me with exotic, gorgeous jewelry, and Gracie bought me a very cute jacket, and I got a t-shirt from Jon Stout that says "Wounds Heal, Scars Fade, Honor Lasts Forever". I just love that! Oh! And I got a Hello Kitty purse from Dad, and Hello Kitty ear muffs from Grace! And a pair of really pretty velvet gloves I'd been eyeing. Over all, I am spoiled princess reasie!

I am going to hurt in the morning!

I tried Bodypump for the first time today at Goodlife, and I think I was a little over-ambitious with the weights. I am starting to stiffen up already so I can just imagine the DOMS I'll be feeling tomorrow.

Sometimes I am soo dumb.

...wheels on suitcases.

A truly awesome invention. It has made travel a whole new experience for me!

It also makes getting my scale around to my meetings soooooo much easier. I still have to lift it (40 lbs) in and out of the car, but wheeling it around can be done with relative ease.

...except for when there is deep snow.

I am not thankful for deep snow!

for sex!

It is the best way to relax, get a little exercise and renew the intimacy in a relationship. There is good sex and great sex, but frankly I don't think I have ever had any that could be called "bad".

Sex is about the prefect past time. It can take as much or a little time as you can allow for it. It changes every time. You can do it almost anywhere (within reason) and you always have the necessary equipment with you. You never have to worry that you forgot to bring the right accessories with you on holiday. Sex packs light.

Sex doesn't cost anything (ideally), burns calories, increases flexibility, promotes healthy circulation and has a great wardrobe that goes with it! It is the only sport that I find is almost as much fun to watch as it is to play. Sex is everywhere; advertising, movies, a cute bum at the gym. Everywhere there are images and people that arouse. Wonderful!

There are those women who say they prefer chocolate to sex, but I am not one of those. That, of course doesn't preclude combining the two!

Sex is by far my favorite waste of time!

Today I am thankful for being artistic and creative.

I feel pretty blessed in this department. I may not have the exquisite vision of a Monet or a Picasso, but I love the feeling of things taking form in my mind and then bringing them to life. I love to make things in clay, wood, glass, metal fabric.. almost anything.

It is my joy, my living and in a small way, my shot at immortality.

I don't have children, so I hope the things I create will still be around after I am gone.

Plumbing!

Yes, I know it doesn't sound very exciting but I love a really hot shower. Nothing like it! Stepping out, red as a lobster, clean and warm and relaxed. For more relaxation, a lovely hot bath is the best too. We like to roll the TV into the bathroom and watch movies together in the tub. I think there will be a bit of that happening this Christmas!

Of course running water in general and modern sanitation is also a huge plus. Watching documentaries on early city life, makes me realise it must have been pretty awful living with the stench of waste in the streets.

Yes, plumbing is a pretty nifty thing. I love being able to immerse myself in hot hater on a whim. In this climate it makes all the difference in the world!

I have only one more meeting to do tonight and then I am off until the 28th!

I am also currently caught up on paid orders. The last three went in the mail today!

All in all, I think this will be a very restful Christmas for me. No traveling. No house guests. I am looking forward to working out, sleeping in, snuggling with My Sweetie, visiting with friends and general slothful indulgence. I think we might even take in a few movies. It has been a while!

Yesterday I received the last four windows I need to start on Strappy's house. That should be fun. Depending on how much I get done today, I might go out tomorrow and buy the wood so I can get started during my time off. One of the windows I got in yesterday has a little fleur de lis stained glass panel in it. So cute! That is one spoiled little bunny!

For those of you who are off visiting this holiday...happy trails to all of you!

I am deeply, utterly thankful for being able to park in the garage this winter.

My Sweetie spent a great deal of time over the course of the summer, clearing, sorting and purging stuff from the garage so I could park in there. What a difference it has made already! The car is not as bone chillingly cold as it used to be when I got into it, and I don't have to scrape before heading out for a meeting.

Today I peeked out the window and it is snowing again, but I am not that concerned. I will have to shovel at some point today, but that's OK. My car is warm and snug in the garage for now and the driveway can wait until I get today's orders packed up and ready to ship.

I guess this is also a "I am thankful for My Sweetie being such a sweet and thoughtful man" post, but then I am grateful for that every day. Clearing the garage was one of the nicest things he has ever done for me, in part, because it took a lot of time over several months, but mostly, because I never asked him to do it.

He just knew it would make me happy, and it does.

I just weighed in for the week and I am delighted to be down another pound, despite three parties this last weekend! This means I have now lost a total of 4.5 pounds in the month of December.

A Christmas miracle!

"December Pounds", like dog years, are counted differently. I tell my members that any weight they loose in December is worth three times more than a March or November pound!

I guess it is not really a miracle....I have been working hard at it.

A number of members and friends have been asking me what I am doing differently. If you don't care, just skip the rest... or click here if you are curious.( Read more... )

An acquaintance was recently working on a paper on sub-cultures and chose to interview members of the local SCA about the SCA as a sub-culture. I overheard the interviews, and one of the questions was "What are the values of this sub-culture?"

Overwhelmingly, people answered "Chivalry" or "A belief in the Victorian re-imagining of medieval Chivalry as a code of conduct."

I kinda wanted to be interviewed, because I was going to greatly disagree. We do a lot of lip-service to Chivalry, but the real values of our sub-culture are inclusiveness, specialized knowledge, and service to the sub-culture.

(We have a lot of 'service' awards, and coming from a background of strong community service, I was surprised when I learned that 'service' did not mean volunteering outside of the SCA.)

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized these aren't just SCA values, they are GEEK values.

Geeks have a strong self-identity as outcasts, and this feeds the 'inclusion' value. I have seen geeks put up with the most obnoxious people, even count them as friends when they do not enjoy their company one iota, because they do not want to exclude anyone. Because they, themselves, have been excluded in the past. I know I used to be very much that way - I wanted everyone to be my friend. Age and a corresponding increase in self-esteem has me no longer caring to spend my time propping up the egos of the unsocializable.

(Was that kinda harsh? Well, trust me, there are some stories I could tell! We all know Comic Shop Guy from the Simpsons. We have all had to put up with him. We have stood there, staring at his dandruff and trying not to breathe in, while he has cornered us to rant about some crackpot theory. After a while, you just get angry at yourself for allowing yourself to be in that situation again and again.)

I digress! On to the next value: Specialized Knowledge.

Geeks, frequently ostracized for not meeting society's values of beauty or athletic ability, cling to knowledge as a ticket to power. But it's more than that. It's specialized, esoteric knowledge - the more obscure, the better. Use of jargon is a time-honored cue of group-membership, and geeks are no different than other groups in this regard. The SCA uses tons of jargon. "Autocrat", "Seneschal", and Chatelaine aren't just medieval words we picked for offices, they take on a whole new, modern meaning. But we use Geek jargon too. "Mundane" as a term for a non-geek predates use in SCA for non-participants. (We go a step further by calling our non-garb clothes "our mundanes". I note that "muggle" is fast gaining popularity over "mundane" and its diminutive "dane". And I have heard this word a lot in SCA gatherings, too.)

In the SCA, people will eagerly interject their knowledge of mustard or beads into any conversation, just as in geekdom in general you may get a physics joke or an esoteric fact from a sci-fi show.

(Actually, you get the sci-fi facts and physics jokes just as readily in the SCA, which underscores my feeling that we are not our own sub-culture, but a sub-set of Geeks. Really, there is just a barrage of trivia in any geek conversation.)

SCA-as-geekdom subset may not be a complete overlap, of course. No offense, everyone, but as SCA fighting keeps getting more competitive, it keeps getting less geeky. I've noticed this over my brief tenure as a fighter. We're getting more Jock. Don't get me wrong, we're the geekiest damn jocks you'll meet - otherwise we'd be in the UFA or something. And, er, there are some SCA fighters who do Ultimate Fighting. And other sports. We have softball coaches and martial artists galore, but our rank and file is filled with the most athletic of the geeks. This is probably another digression.

A speech pattern you see among geeks is the tendency to interrupt and correct each other while speaking. This is rude. In the macro-culture it is not done. But in Geek-culture (and the SCA) it is very common for people to just interrupt to correct your pronunciation of an obscure term, or to contradict your theory on hat construction. No one ostracizes someone for doing this or reprimands them. It appears not to be considered rude at all in most cases! Because it is important to have knowledge, and inclusiveness builds a false sense of a group-mind, a group-ethic of having, collectively, the right information.

Having knowledge is so valued that very seldom will a hard-core geek admit they don't know something, even when talking on your particular field of expertise that they have no reason to know about. I once purposefully caught a geek out on this. I was talking about a very obscure new geology fact I'd just learned, as a Geology student at college*, and it annoyed me when this person was all "Well, of course, everyone knows that." So I made up something patently false. "You also know that dinosaurs existed right up into the quartinary period," I said. "Oh yes, of course," she replied. "Ha! that's so wrong! We're IN the quartinary period. Don't try to make like you know this when you don't."

Obviously, this didn't win me any friends, just a chilly silence, and it was in a way unfair. Every geek knows that dinosaurs weren't around in whatever-that-was-that-movie-said, but some other time.

And the geek, as opposed to the non-geek, has attached her self-worth to knowledge, and so not knowing something is a serious blow.

The last value of the SCA - service to the sub-culture - isn't quite there in the geek culture, except in the putting-on-cons sub-group, I suppose. Geeks are supposed loners, but they yearn for social recognition and place. They want to belong. And service to the sub-group itself helps. You have a job, and there is, in the SCA at least, a very codified way of rewarding service, providing endless pats on the back to those starving for affection or attention.

Hrm... I would say another of the SCA-subcultures values is: reward. Read an SCA forum some time and see how far you get before someone mentions an SCA-award. Complaining about not having gotten one. Declaring that some person known to you deserves one. Crowing about someone receiving one. We have a created hierarchy of awards. They differ from region to region. This makes them coincide with the geek value of obscurity. I'm a member of the Order of the Willow, I'll have you know! And I have a pretty badge I can wear with a willow-tree on it to prove to those in the know that I have it. How delightfully jargon and specific! It might seem exclusion, not inclusion, we make little orders and break them off from the whole, but the inclusion ethic is there in that anyone can become a member.

We have a value on merit, and a belief that this is a meritocracy of a sort. You work hard and you, too, can be a member of the Order of the Willow. I can tell you how! (In fact, I frequently hear people asking "how do I get into Peerage Order X?" and people are always willing to step forward with explanations. Honestly, no one cares about the Willow. It's a minor order. But it's my favorite that I have, because the badge is, in fact, pretty.)

I suspect, actually, that the value of "service to the group" derives in part from the need to be recognized. We value service because it is a prerequisite we set up for internal recognition. Kind of a neat system there; it keeps the group running with a constant carrot on a stick that feeds a distinct need for the largely insecure geeks that make up our population.

There, I think I've said enough. Just let it be clear - I say it with love. I am talking about ME, here. ;)

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*If you're really a geek, you care - I was talking about the formation of clay minerals under pressure caused by foot traffic, all excited by the biological influence on geology.

Today I am thankful for my computer and the internet in general.

It allows me to run my business and reach customers all over the world. I can book holidays, look up movies times and research all sorts of things from exotic destinations to vitamin interactions. My computer is my address book, TV guide, yellow pages, dictionary and photo album.

It also helps me keep in touch with my friends, despite a busy schedule. I am very thankful for all of you who post pictures, stories and little glimpses into how you live your life. It helps me know you better and gives me a broader understanding on how others view their world.

I am certainly not a technology person in general, but I do love my computer!

Last night was the first formal meeting of the Cleveland Fusion for their 2010 season. We all signed "no I won't sue" forms and had to show proof of health insurance. And we each got a one-month pass to the Westlake Y.

Yes, Mike and Liz, Jim and Genevieve - I'm going to be doing cardio and weight lifting in your neck of the woods! Mayhaps we can get dinner or something late on a Thursday when I'm all sweaty. :P

Practices are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 7-9. No, I still don't know my position. But I'm very excited. The more I think about it, the more I'd think I'd like to be a defensive back or a lineman. I'm not quick, I'm not big, but I am strong (for a girl) and I know how to hold ground and push people back. I dunno, though. I've never done that without a shield in front of me, before.

I know this is a big time commitment. I know many people would rather I put that time into the SCA. But I'll still have my Wednesdays free for fight practice, and most Saturdays except game days. The real reason I'm glad to do this is that I never thought I could. I've always loved playing football, but I never thought I would ever have a chance to do so with an organized team. And just like when I first started heavy fighting, I'm not entirely sure I can do this. Which is all the more reason to do it. :)

(FYI, while I'm instituting a new 'football' tag - how about my Brownies, eh?? Two wins in a row! yay!)

I made the mistake of giving myself Christmas as a deadline on a work project, assuming that things would be quiet here leading up to the holiday. I neglected to count in the staff parties, assemblies, and other co-workers taking time off that packs the day.

Still hope I can get it done, though. If these file permissions would just start making sense. grr.

I was secretly hoping to cut down my "to read" list on Goodreads.com. Actually, I was planing on having all these books read by New Year's. I said again and again that I was going to try to read less this year and get more stuff done, and the "to read" list was supposed to help me - I was supposed to, theoretically, only read books on the 'to read' list.

ha ha ha ha. I'm so cute when I think I have self-control!

It's actually caused me to read more, because I end up reading a few 'fun' books to recover from tedious books I added to my 'to read' list for various masochistic reasons.

So I have found myself, in the midst of the work-rush and the shopping-rush, rushing to finish my book list! So that I might acheive an arbitrary goal that was supposed to be designed to limit my reading time, not make it a priority.

(I had ten books on the list! Ten!)

That said, right now I am reading "Cyteen: The Betryal", which I managed to get through my C.J. Cherryh-obsessed childhood without reading. It opens with 20 pages, I kid thee not, of a congressional hearing. I wondered what was wrong with me, that I was devoting time to this. And then we reached the dirty kinky part with the powerful business owner arranging a tryst with the very young son of her political rival, holding his foster-brother as a hostage against his cooperation.

YUM!

Er, really, I enjoyed that a bit too much. And now I simply must read the entire trilogy. Sad, really.

Today I am thankful for being able to sleep, and sleep well.

I do occasionally suffer from insomnia as most people do, but for the most part, I am pretty good about getting my full 7 hours sleep a night. Sleep is so pleasant and renewing. I even love dreaming, which a do a fair bit.

We have booked our trip to Jamaica!

At least we think we have.

We booked on line and I have not yet received a confirmation E mail, so we will try calling tomorrow to make sure all is well.

I would call now, but it is far too late, or early as the case may be. It is 4:00 am and I can't sleep. I think I will give up drinking. It seems to screw up my sleeping patterns. We were out at a party and I had a couple of glasses of wine and bingo...can't sleep. I fall asleep fine, then wake up a couple of hours later and can't fall back asleep. Maybe it is all that sugar. Don't know.

I have a couple of parties today, but I will just take pop instead. Too tired!

Pop is enough of a novelty these days. My abstaining from pop at home is really paying off. It has been a fairly painless way to ease myself off the diet coke. I am drinking water, with a little crystal lite in it, and doing just fine. I still drink pop sometimes when I am out, but amazingly I don't even miss it much. Somehow I thought this would be harder. I guess it was just time to make the change.

Today we are hosting a lunch for the household. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. It is only the household members who live in town, that that is quite a few of us these days!

On tape and soon to be on air!

We recorded the new Weight Watchers ad this morning.

It was a very interesting experience. We taped the ad in a sound booth at CHUM radio in the market. Sandy (my boss) is a real pro and has a great voice for radio. It was pretty old hat for him, as he does all the ads for our franchise, but all new to me!

It is amazing how long it can take to tape just a one minute ad. I am proud that I managed my part in just two takes. Both the tech and Sandy seemed surprised by how quickly I gave them what they wanted. I explained that I had a performance background and so they told me it showed. I think Sandy was afraid that he might have to hold my hand and nurse me through it!

They used my own words for the text (shortened of course) so it felt pretty natural. I would have liked one more take, I think, but they were delighted with what we had and I guess we are always our own worst critics!

The ads will air in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario in January and February.

I am thankful today for my flexible schedule. When I was a kid in high school, I read and reread a book called "101 Alternatives to 9 to 5". Even then I knew I didn't want a basic day job. Now, although I have three jobs, each one affords me the option of being in pretty close control over my schedule. It often means I over work myself, but it is me doing it, not someone else! Makes all the difference.