• 10:46 Involved in conversation about God, world as it is...I find I can discuss this without having same belief in God as my friend has. Cool.
• 12:04 Did I mention it's SUNNY??!! Glorious!!
  (Must rest now; was stacking some wood in lovely sun + breeze. Slowly, I promise! Very slowly!)
• 17:05 Uncut version of client newsletter finalized, as are newest contacts. Phew. Now to make website version, cut version, & get it mailed.

Re that God bit: One thing I found interesting was how in the course of responding to some posts recently is that many of us responding felt it needful to clarify our own lack of similar belief. Some of us, not so much. So I was wondering: is it necessary to say you don't share the same ideas (full disclosure sort of thing)? If someone asks for "your thoughts and prayers be with us" or something like that, do you find it needful to explain that you can't quite do as they ask because your beliefs are different? What if the requester is a believer in Faeries, or Norse Gods, or Christian God, or Judaic God? Does how you respond change? What if the believer is sort of similar to you in belief, but not quite? What if you are vastly different? What if the requester is atheist or agnostic, and asking only for well-wishes, and you want to also pray for them?

I'm perfectly happy to talk about my beliefs, but I'm not always sure that mine are particularly relevant to a conversation. This leads me to wonder: can one discuss, debate, analyze, and tease out theological ideas without getting into one's own beliefs, and still do this honestly? I hope so, since that's what I've been doing...I feel like I can ask relevant questions, suspend (as it were) my own disbelief (if any) long enough to say "if so, then what about...?"

Anyway, this natter is mostly an outgrowth of thinking about stuff jaipur has been posting, but not just there (of course); my family has a fairly diverse range of beliefs from member to member, and I'm often interested in exploring the consequences and ramifications of a set of beliefs without wanting to get into who's got the truth of it and whether or not we should agree. I suppose this ties into my sense of a sort of independence of validity (someone's feelings about a circumstance can be valid and appropriate regardless of whether I would have the same feelings about or in those circumstance).

Clearly, I am beginning to ramble. Ooops. Better head off to bed. Or to watch some very silly TV streaming on Hulu. (jere7my, thanks for the recommendation for FlashForward. I like the characters less than in Fringe but think (so far) the story has more interesting layers. Fun combo.)

Another day of a fair bit of driving around for various errands and appointments and an unexpected but useful nap and lo! the only useful work being getting an invoice ready to print. I have GOT to stop having days like this.

I laughed at this, from supergee: Star Trek FlowChart, for knowing which movie is which. Hee! I haven't seen about half of these, actually. Or I might've just forgotten. I did see the most recent Star Trek movie and liked many things about it. It made me start thinking about which sets of folk tales/audiences permit messing with "canon"/expansion of canon, and which don't. (I was thinking particularly of Lord of the Rings in contrast to Star Trek, and inherent structure. I told R that if I were some cool lit academic, I could probably get a dozen papers out of this idea, pushing and stretching it, and he just gave me a look. But I mean, really, Grimm & Lang & Andersen, and then Disney & Tepper and McKinley and... ok, ok, it's been done.)

One of Debby's recent posts reminded me to say that we went to see Andre Rieu! For Christmas, Mom arranged for her, MonkeyBoy, sisterK, and R (only he was on call so it became me) to go to the 30th Anniversary concert in Manchester on April 21. Morgan loved, which was the point. So did the rest of us. Music! Dancing! Some of his favorite songs ("the dolly song" and "the bull song") from DVDs! Balloons!!

I slowly read books by the Dalai Lama and by Pema Chodron. I love the way these books make me feel: hopeful, respectful, possible. I'm also reading Dirty Laundry: 100 Days in a Buddhist Monastery. This is a fascinating contrast to works the other two, actually (in both structure and content), and reminds me that Buddhist and Zen practitioners and monks are probably all ordinary people with all of our ego-quirks and drives. They have inspired this question: Is serenity something you can learn, or does the habit of it happen, like wisdom, while you are working on other things?

This question might also be influenced by recent readings in nellorat's and ozarque's LJs. Mind you, they are working on really different processes, but I can see how musing over their posts might poke me into wondering about serenity and wisdom and acceptance amid, during, in response to, and maybe even in celebration (sometimes) of change.

Nellorat's posts this month also are really making me think about health, my own perception and reaction to body shape and size, what my resistances are and my strengths (in terms of governing and increasing my health in my body). Some of ellenmillion's recent art, and some of lepi's practices in the last year+ are part of this weaving, and I think so is my swimming and some good news I received today (thyroid, sugars, liver all tested normal or excellent). I thank you all, especially Nellorat, very much. (I may write more details later, or I may not, since I'm not sure it would be much more than a snapshot of current thinking rather than serious process/change/growth. Either way is OK.) If you're interested in this sort of thing, go browse her blog.

We're on vacation next week (lepi is part-time housesitting or sorts, thank you dear!): off to NY and Philly, bracketed if we're lucky by some birthday parties, and not getting the garden planted but at least frost will be almost surely gone by the time we're back. Not to mention continuing to practice really silly run-on sentences.

• 09:16 Waiting on client feedback to send final newsletter. I sure do like MailChimp ( www.mailchimp.com ).
• 10:06 Mojo + I Are dancing 'round the house to random-play songs from "Dog Train", Re-Bops, Gaelic Storm, and "Little White Duck". Whee!
• 14:19 Kids with auntie, so I got the newsletter finalized and scheduled to go. Will link to it when it's archived.

from ping to twitter to LJ with LoudTwitter
This newsletter is for ReVisions, a small company that does leadership coaching, strategic planning, and suchlike. The principal, Marryn Rutledge, is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and is a joy to work with.

Soft pencil and watercolors on the backside of some cold press watercolor paper.

Original is about 3" x 5" (I have a sleepy feverish child on me, so I can't actually measure it right now).

Available for prints, magnets, and much more at deviantPrints, my Zazzle shop, and Whimsical Dreams. If you don't find what you're looking for, please let me know!

As usual, original is also for sale (very occasionally something sells and I don't get the image page updated soon enough); email me with an offer.

Copyright © 2009 Kirsten Talmage

[Edited to note I've set up STUFF with it. Sheesh.]

MonkeyBoy & I can make *anything* out of cardboard! Today we made a weeder and a seeder for his tractor... so far. Barn roof next?

from catnik and nellorat (thanks!) (I'm amused at their slightly different phrasing, too)

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year.
- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! I may or may not ask your opinion on sizes, colors, allergies, etc. I have no desire for a gift from [it ended here. "you in return"?]
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to put this in your journal as well. We all can make stuff!

Trying Facebook. (Why?) (Because my niece is on it? Maybe that's the best reason!) (Why won't it let me have TWO blogfeeds? Bah!)
Printing printing printing. (I know why.)
Have cold. (It's kicking my ass.)
Falling into memories when reviewing photos taken this year. (sidetracked while working on other computer project.) (Hee!) (I have a damn fine son. And awfully cute.)
Am cold. (Should stoke stove.)
Partially completed secret-busting activity for secret santa. Late, as always dangit! (By the way, mine arrived and I have not opened it!)

Up next: Food? Sleep? More ornaments on tree?

Need: functioning method to keep track of/synch the overlapping blogs, networks, artsides, shopsites, newsletters. And to want to do this just a little less than I want to do work (since I like them both).

Also need kleenex. That's what's next.

You so wanted to know.

Ok, I'm an idiot. Did I work while R was home today, as I said I wanted and need to?

No.

I was overcome by Rearrangement Demons. The living room is ... different now.

I don't know if I win -- I'm already sore. I am woefully out of shape.

In case you were wondering, I'm slow with everything, not just work.

For example, we carved a jack-o-lantern on Tuesday, finally.

Although we have started opening the doors of our Advent (in a naturalist secular sort of way) calendar.

Just sharing.

Cookies cookies cookies. Thank you, ToadQueen and TurboCat and DarkMouse for awesome deliciosity. I can't stop eating TurboCat's Crazy Choco Cresents. Wow.

I may wind up making more cookies in a couple weeks, with my sisters. Aw, shucks.

---

Went to the Judy Collins concert at Higher Ground with my youngest sister. We shared Irish coffee, folk music, and time. It was great.

If you're in the area and like toys (or need to give some), check out Jamie Two-Coats in Shelburne. One of the lovely people there (who used to babysit my sister), gave us the tickets. Super kind. I'd never been there (more fool me!), and I'm so going back. Preferably with actual money to spend... MonkeyBoy liked it too (not a surprise). Thickly-packed, nifty, non-plastic toys (except for some of the ones from Schlieff or whatever that company is called). Focus on make-believe, costumes, stories, pirates, some cool games, faeries, trains, treehouse dollhouses and such like niftiness.

From ellenmillion: The first ten people to comment in this post AND repost this meme in their own journal (please tell me where/when you post in case I miss it) get to request a sketch on the topic of their choosing from me!

If you are not a sketcher, I'm sure you have an art form you can use to "sketch" for others. This totally counts. :)

(me-specific bit: feel free to specify pencil or ink; it does NOT have to be something I usually produce! Also, I can't promise they'll be to you before the Holidays. )

---

By the way, although my dear husband has taking to asserting (validly) that I am chaos creature, I am not a patch on our son. He is truly an agent of entropy. I look upon the floors ... couches ... tables ... laundry ... and despair.

Or nearly. (Actually, I procrastinate like crazy.)

To get my son moving someplace, I've been saying to him: "I'm going to win!" and we race there. He thinks he's won; I think I have. Heh.

The snow that fell last night is the perfect consistency right now for snowballs.

Heh. Look out, MonkeyBoy.

"Mama, it's too long until Easter and we color eggs."

"Hm. Well, Easter is always in the spring, but we could color eggs today."

"Will the Easter Bunny come and hide them?"

"No, he's busy doing winter things and preparing for next Easter."

"Then I'll be the Easter Bunny and hide them!"

So we did, and he was.

Oh wait. That's not it. (I mean it is, but not right now).
So an LJfriend had a meme going and here are my replies. If you haven't seen the meme, what were the questions? (You certainly don't have to do all 36 unless ya wanna). Then let you and/or your commenters could answer those... Post it if ya wants ta.

---

01) Yes
02) To be an astronomer and writer/illustrator of children's books
03) To be contentedly pleasant to people even -- er -- especially when I feel like shrieking "go away you crazed strange being of doom!"
04) A superb mocha latte, mostly with unsweetened by very strong cooca, well-blended, instead of chocolate syrup, and fabulously fresh dark roasted fresh-ground espresso, whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg
05) Tomato, carrot or spinach, depending on mood/hormone balance
06) Um. Unfinished, most recently: Rincewind the Wizard. Finished? Um. Er. I seem to have lost track. Wait, wait! It was ... um ... The Tent, last night, to the MonkeyBoy.
07) Aquarius. What, it's not obvious? But wait! That doesn't account for precession! Only I forget which way it precesses, so I don't know if I'm Capricorn or Pisces. (This is because I never got 'round to being just an astronomer, being decidedly distracted by physics, and then lots of other stuff.)
08) Yes. A Heyyiya-if and bear claw. Designed by me & my brother, in the nook of my shoulder, where a swimsuit can cover it from sunburn.
09) I am so not telling. Unless it's letting my son watch Barney while I do memes. (At least it got him to ask for his violin again, but he says it doesn't sound right, and I can tune it for the life of me. Hm.)
10) Would you be hitchhiking or just walking?
11) To do, to watch, or to chuckle over?
12) Depends on the time of month and how much coffee I've had.
13) Play cards, tell tall tales, or otherwise kick back and enjoy not having to get my chores/work/etc done right then. Possibly share cell phones.
14) Nothing irrecoverable, just sad (and sometimes dumb) stuff that happens in one form or another to everyone.
15) I dunno what you think would be weird enough. :P
16) Yes!
17) I would offer you something to eat, drink, or sit on. Then, depending on the reason, the phone, a place to crash, or the run of the bookshelves.
18) A friend of a friend and likely pleasant to talk to at a party if she'd ever have one we could both reasonably get to.
19) Neither.
20) What do women usually want to change, even if they hate that they want to change it? And notice it's usually changeable, if she's willing to go to the effort. Well, me too, but I'm sitting here, not out walking/running etc.
21) Heh. Both. Depends on the crime, doesn't it?
22) Coffee! (Only not with milk.)
23) Not yet.
24) Blech. Selzer please.
25) Divvy it up into mostly family debt relief and a little playtime.
27) Possibly our mutual RL friend's! Not that you can tell by what I actually get done.
28) Nah.
29) I have spare time? I think I'm always sneaking it out to read, correspond, draw, paint.
30) By comparison to my dog, yes.
31) The way my dog is aging. That she is aging.
32) Multi-directional.
33) Yeah, I guess so.
34) Chocolate and ... um ... not chocolate.
35) Sometimes.
36) Um. Maybe. Not that my doing so or not should stop you from making any comment you wish, of course.