crystal ball

11/21 How you think your future will be like.

I'm hoping things are about the same as they are now: healthy and happy.

thursday bug

Sometimes it helps to share with others what bugs your mind.

They may have a solution, a kind word, or a smile of encouragement.

This week my thursday bug is:

Mandatory meetings in the middle of the morning, I hate having to create something for a substitute to do.

elvis was in the building

This man, alone on stage, with six guitars, over two hours! Four encores! Several songs I didn't recognize. Lots I did. He played Alison. I swooned.

scaredy

11/20 Your fears.

Sometimes I make references to my OCD and many fears. Today's prompt is about some of my irrational fears.

When it rains hard, I sometimes fear that the rain will seep into the roof and get into the attic wiring, causing a short which causes the whole building to burn to the ground.

When I plug in electrical equipment (especially the air conditioner or the window fans), I am afraid that I will be electrocuted and will die.

I am afraid I will be evicted.

I am afraid that a repo man will take my car. I have no idea who would be repo-ing it, but I'm afraid that someone's going to take it away.

I am afraid of being on crutches. Or breaking an arm.

I am afraid when people raise their voices when they're angry.

I can't think of any more off the top of my head. I know they're irrational. I know it. Doesn't mean I don't fear it.

w.w.w. wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading? I stalled out on The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. But I'm listening to The Sense Of An Ending by Julian Barnes. I started Allegiant by Veronica Roth.

• What did you recently finish reading? This week I read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Both were great!

• What do you think you’ll read next? uh... I'm not sure!

a case of the wants...

Combining today's prompt with Ten Things Tuesday:

11/19 Five items you lust after.

1) iPhone. I don't need one but I want one. And I have come to this conclusion because I use my iPod for everything and an iPhone would have constant internet access.

2) Interchangeable knitting needles from KnitPicks. I would love to have a set of the gorgeous Harmony or Sunstruck. They're gorgeous.

3) Alpaca yarn. From my local yarn store, enough so I can make myself a sweater. It's way too expensive, but a girl can dream!

4) A Keurig. I think I want one. Again, I don't need one. I love iced coffee and it seems like it would be a hassle to make them.

5) A Michi Demi bag. I have the classic size and kind of want to go one size up.

6) A mini-fridge for my classroom. Unfortunately, we can't have them in our classrooms.

7) iPad Air. Now, this I really don't need but they look so cool!

8) A massage. I might schedule one for vacation week.

9) New shoes. Good ones. Dansko or something made for being on your feet all day.

10) A new light-weight jacket. Just 'cus.

sorry, not sorry

I feel sorry for my students. I think I'm going to be obnoxious in my excitement for the concert.

I hope he plays this one:

problem...

11/18 A problem that you have had.

Lately, I've had a horrible problem with getting out of bed. I just want to snuggle under the covers forever. But I force myself to get up and get going. It's not that I'm still tired, it's that I want to be lazy. The time change doesn't help. Blah!

musing mondays

Click here to play along.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying about it.
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Thanks to Pinterest:

proud

11/17 What you're proud of.

I'm proud of the relationships I have with my family. That I'm still involved in my nieces' and nephews' lives. That I'm so close with my sisters. And close to my parents. We are a unit. There are occasional issues, as with any family, but we're together.

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

sunday stealing

(click the icon to play along)

Sunday Stealing: The ASK Meme, part one

1. What’s your favorite candle scent? Yankee Candle's Autumn Wreath is my current favorite

2. What female celebrity do you wish was your sister? Rachel Maddow

3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother? Eric Stonestreet

4. How old do you think you’ll be when you get married? I don't think I will

5. Do you know a hoarder? me

6. Can you do a split? no

7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike? I think I was 9 or 10

8. How many oceans have you swam in? 2 oceans, but 3 seas and 2 straits
9. How many countries have you been to? 12: Ireland, England, Canada, Mexico, Aruba, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Spain, Monaco, Puerto Rico

10. Is anyone in your family in the military? 2 brothers-in-law were military men

11. Have you named any of your body parts? sometimes I refer to "the girls" as Lucy and Ethel

12. If you had a child today, what would you name him/her? probably a vowel name

13. What’s the worst grade you got on a test? I was always a high honor student, so probably a C

14. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child? The Waltons

15. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight? I don't remember

16. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series? all of them

17. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent? I have an American accent, that's fine

18. Did your mother go to college? no

19. Are your grandparents still married? yes, in heaven

20. Have you ever taken karate lessons? no

21. Do you know who Kermit the frog is? yes!

22. What was the first amusement park you’ve been to? Hershey Park

23. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in? French

24. Do you spell the color as grey or gray? usually gray

25. Is your father bald? no, he's got wonderful snowy white hair

it's a rich man's world...

11/15 Something you think "what if" about.

saturday 9

1, 2, 3, 4

1) In this song, the singer tells his girl he appreciates how she makes him feel. Who is the most supportive person in your life? wow, what a hard question--I would say my Pennsylvania sister because we had a long and laughter-filled phone conversation last night

2) Our singer only has to count to 4, which is a cinch. Do you understand the more sophisticated math sciences, like geometry and algebra? not so much

3) This video features a couple who shared their first kiss behind the high school. Tell us about your first kiss. It was with my next door neighbor, Mike, who is my age, we were 3 and determined to get married

4) Filmed in Chicago, this video features the Art Institute of Chicago, home to works by Monet, Gauguin and Van Gogh. How do you express your creativity? (Draw, paint, write, sing or play music ... ) mostly writing--school is a creative outlet for me, but knitting is a close second

5) Chicago is home to two of the world's tallest buildings -- the Willis aka Sears Tower and The John Hancock Center (which appears briefly in this video). Both have observation decks that offer panoramic views of the city. Are you afraid of heights? I love heights, they thrill me

6) The Plain White T's got their start in Lombard, a suburb of Chicago and home to Yorktown Center -- a huge, two story shopping mall. Do you enjoy going to the mall, or would you rather shop online, or in small, independent stores? I've never been to a multi-storied mall, but I love shopping anywhere. My New Year's resolution was to shop local merchants and for the most part I've done well with it

7) Naturally Yorktown Center has a food court. Would you prefer a pretzel from Auntie Anne's, a cinnamon roll from Cinnabon or a cookie from Mrs. Field's? I've had none of the above but I would have any of them depending on my mood

8) While we're at the mall … Imagine you're at the customer service counter of a big department store. As you wait for help, you see an older lady pocket a Timex watch. Would you turn her in or look the other way? I would turn her in

9) Which puzzle would you have more success with: crossword or sudoku? probably sudoku but I would prefer a crossword

purse

The #FMSPhotoaday prompt for 11/15 is:  What's in your pocket/purse?  You can see my Haiku bag in the back--all these goodies are in it:  phone, paisley jump drive, three different sets of keys, comb, tissues, glasses cloth, the shiny green notebook, sunglasses case, Burt's Bees lip balm, two mini-Altoid tins, wallet, passport (in red leather case), calendar, and USB cord to charge my iPod (which is usually in the bag, too, but I used it to take the photo).

friday 5

I'm trying to preposition you (from the archives)

1. What’s something that’s better on the rocks?
iced tea
2. Whose behavior has been beyond belief?
the pundits who've been going overboard about the Affordable Care website's epic failure
3. In what way do you color outside the lines?
in most ways I am relatively unconventional
4. When were you recently relieved to be in the clear?
I had a technical question at school today and was relieved to get it resolved
5. What seems to have disappeared without a trace?
my ambition, I'm just really content with life as it is

scorpio

11/15 Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality.

There are pieces of this that are spot-on. I fit this more than any other sign.

From Cafe Astrology:

The Scorpio Woman

A Scorpio woman is the sexiest and most mysterious of the twelve signs of the zodiac. She is exotic and magnetic, as deep as the sea, and, depending on her mood, as calm or as tempestuous. She is extraordinarily intuitive and will be keenly interested in the esoteric, or any occult or spiritual experience that offers some kind of deep insight. She is in tune with the fundamental forces of life and nature and is moved by the great tides and events of human experience.

The Scorpio woman should never be taken lightly. They aren't flaky, fluffy, or helpless creatures by any stretch of the imagination. Direct, and brilliantly sharp, Scorpio women only focus on the fundamental essence of any issue and disregard the superfluous. They like clear endings and beginnings, with no grey areas in between. A Scorpio woman wants her certainties to remain just so - absolutely rock steady and assured. She wants to understand everything and knows how to craft just the right question to obtain the answers she seeks.

Scorpios are intuitive, controlling, and sometimes self-destructive, but in all this they have a certain deadly beauty to their personalities. They are fearless and stubborn and even when life gets a little tricky they merely take it on the chin and keep going. Self-confident, resourceful, and strong, Scorpios are driven to succeed; they work hard and are willing to sacrifice anything to get to their goals. They are also complex and secretive, choosing who they divulge their secrets to carefully.

thursday bug

Sometimes it helps to share with others what bugs your mind.

They may have a solution, a kind word, or a smile of encouragement.

This week my thursday bug is:

Long lines at the drive thru in the morning.

outfitted

11/14 What you wore.

Brown jeans, an olive/forest green sweater with coconut button detailing, brown suede mary jane shoes. No accessories today.

not just a number

11/13 Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it. (very odd wording)

I am a woman of substance. I've always been overweight and after fighting with myself for most of my life, I finally accept myself for who I am and not who other people think I should be. I'm healthy, I have no aches and pains (other than the ache in my ring fingertip), I have no complaints. This is who I am. And my self-acceptance and self-love shows my students that beauty is greater than a number.