Month: June 2008

Crankypantsing

Sickies

Shelly

Ugh. I stayed home yesterday, in part because I had a hideous headache. So today (just like the day after every single day I miss work), my cubicle neighbor stopped to ask me if I had “the sickies.” What are we, 1st graders?! No, I didn’t have “the sickies,” ya’ nosy ghoul! I always feel like she’s afraid of catching the bubonic plague from me. Normal people ask if you’re feeling better, not if you’re still sick, onna counta it’s socially preferable to express concern for others’ welfare instead of obsess about your own.

That’s an improvement, though, over a former boss, who always asked me if my “systems” were functioning normally. WTF?! Dude, I had a migraine, which has nothing whatsoever to do with any “systems.” Andalsoplustoo, I’m back at work, so duh, I’m obviously feeling better, but thanks for asking in a way that didn’t make me feel like a vector of disease.

Genealogy

A Leaf

Shelly

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My mom called the other day to tell me that my uncle–who apparently doesn’t know how to call or e-mail me himself–wanted another family history story. So, here goes. I have traced one section of the Lord line back to Joan de Beaufort (my 18th great grandmother), and from her, back to Cerdic of Wessex (my 50th great grandfather). On the road from Joan to Cerdic, things become increasingly mythic (I mean, we’re talking 6th century, folks, so this family history story is more of a fairytale).

As yet, I have found no witches. Sorry, Cal! You’ll have to make do with some minor Plantagenets.

This is also a cautionary tale. When you use other people’s research (or “research”), you should take it with an entire mine full of salt unless and until you can verify it. I have found cases where people were married before they were born, or were buried before they died, or an ouroboros where the father was his own son, so the pedigree was linked in an infinite loop, or people of European descent who were allegedly born in the Americas before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. If you import sections of other people’s trees, you will inherit their problems.

My Garden, Photography

Egyptian Walking Onion

Shelly

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These are growing in the bed with the pile of rusty tools. It’s garden art! My mom said she’s going to move the tools, but I like them where they are, with plants growing around them.

I couldn’t get a decent shot of it, but there’s an upside down flower pot in the same bed, with a plant growing up and out the hole in the bottom. I like wild gardens where things just kind of grow where they want to. My neighbor’s garden is tidy and mulched and very pretty, but not my sort of thing. I can’t wait until mine fills in and gets full and jumbled looking.

Speaking of, my primroses have bloomed! It’s pouring rain right now, though, so I can’t get a shot of them. Hopefully, it’ll clear up long enough to go look at everything. I also got some surprise lilies and some variety of day lily from another coworker. It’s not the right time of year to plant them, but I went ahead and did so, anyway.

Photography

Bookshelf

Shelly

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I’m still trying to figure out how to use my camera, especially indoors, without flash. I took a bunch of photos last weekend at one of my mom’s friend’s houses, and while some of them turned out fine, the results were inconsistent. When I’m at home, I can stop and load images onto my computer to check myself (those little LCD displays are useless). Not so much when I’m away from home, though.

This one was taken in manual mode, and it actually turned out. Progress!

Crankypantsing, Pets, Photography

Useless

Shelly

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I think, by now, the entire world knows that Harriet is useless. This morning, there was a knock on my door. Harriet ignored it. When I answered it, there were two Jehovah’s Witnesses on my doorstep, waiting to ask me if I’d ever really thought about the significance of the story of Noah and The Flood. I have a feeling that any time of day would be too early to have that particular discussion, so I told them I’m Catholic and that I’d pray for them.

Anyway, Harriet. She’s useless. The least she could have done is bark a couple of times to scare them away, but nooooooo, she was too busy getting her beauty rest.