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.

in another small step, I've updated the Small Measures blog through July.... includes photo of woodshed and a salamander

Have just returned from dinner with my great Aunt at the County Squire out on PA Routes 3 & 320. We are settled in our room at the Alpenhof B&B. Roland Muller, the Innkeeper, who somehow deeply reminds me of good SWILfolk, found his/his siblings' Legos & Duplos, and MonkeyBoy has been loving playing with them here in what was Roland's room as a child. This is a terrific place.This room itself has access to a "secret" passage, a tall and deeply comfy bed, a ceiling fan., some beautiful hanging lights, warm yellow walls with diamond stencils. The B&B is a renovated stone barn, with flights of fancy for stairs (really; you'd see what I mean if you just walked in the front door), art from friends and traveling over the walls, pianos and a fireplace in the living room. It's cluttered with stories, although I don't know them, in the same way my grandparents' houses and turbocat's parents' house are.

Driving south from Dad's was funny -- I felt somehow memories running up and down my arms -- funny place! All Swatstuff -- Pterodactyl Hunt & Women's Center & Crum & rabbit chasing & this person and that person and this person and that person & ... any how. A good life, a good span; every day I am grateful for it.

It's good to be here, too, not in some HoJo hotel. What a good world; rich in delight.

This is a short note:
My grandmother (in her 80s) is experiencing aging rather actively at the moment. Lots of tests and this just generally sucks.

However, I'm pretty sure the three of us (MonkeyBoy, sweetieBean and I) are going to Philly the week after Thanksgiving so see this grandmother's sister. Our schedule is flexible (at the moment), and there's a been a mention of my staying an extra day/night to see friends. If you're there and available, please comment with your PHONE number -- I've got comments screened on this entry! -- or email me (use the LJ address in the profile or go directly to my gmail address; the old sover.net address will not reach me). Maybe something extra happy can come about.

Everything else is going as well as my super disorganized / easily distracted self can make it.

Off to watch the last few minutes of Batman Begins.

http://www.galaxyzoo.org

Your job is very simple! All you need to do is look out for the features that mark out sprial and elliptical galaxies. In fact, as you're a human and not a computer, most galaxies should be easy to classify since they're obviously spirals or obviously ellipticals. On this page, you will practice classifying galaxies. On the next page, you will take a short trial to test your skills. If you don’t pass the trial, you can try again. Once you pass the trial, you can start contributing to Galaxy Zoo science!

Anyway, you sign up, read/explore a tutorial, and do a trial set. I learned about this from a google ad to a Discovery Magazine article today. Basically, there's a million-odd images of galaxies, unclassified. One (or more) of the scientists took a page from some NASA project books (and no doubt others) and is signing up citizen volunteers to help classify. Volunteers will review and identify types of galaxies, and each image will be shown to more than one volunteer (for cross-checking...). I can think of a couple of you who wouldn't mind doing a bit of this as a study/work break.

ETA: AllJohnG & WulffH's work with me didn't go to waste!

You've successfully passed the trial. Your score was 15 out of 15. You can now head to the Galaxy Analysis page and start analyzing galaxies.

We drove 2 more Matrixes today: the one with the silly wheels (and ick, some door dents that must be fixed), and then a super-basic version. The super basic version was ruled out, partly on the toddler-plus-non-locking windows = bad news for things stayin in car, partly on the transmission feeling uneven.

I think now we're considering a Subie Outback (for too much than we want to spend) and the silly-size wheel Matrix (good price, and might negotiate down). Subie is at a dealer (being sold by a not-quite relative) and the Matrix is a private seller (med student going away to residency). Private seller reminds me of my college roomie *grins*.

I think we'd be good in both cases. The Matrix is FWD, not AWD, but significantly cheaper to both buy and fuel. The Subie has 71,000 and the Toyota 59,000 miles.

In true geekery, I built myself a spreadsheet by which to compare purchase price, mileage, estimate cost to fuel from now to 200,000 miles, estimate length I'd own the car (assuming 200,000 again), and average cost (based on purchase and fuel) for that length of time. Super simple model (gas at $3.50/gal, for example, no doubt too low), with iffy assumptions (yes, the Legacy Outbacks will go to 200K, but will the others?). But useful for comparisions. Couldn't factor in later-life maintenance/repair, unfortunately, because I just don't know.

The Versa was the cheapest per year, but already ruled out. Both of today's Matrixes (I want to write Matrices!) are int eh lowest cost tier. Hm....

I really appreciate your comments from the other day:
R-- VW wasn't in the running based on driving my dad's; hadn't really thought about/don't know jack about Saturn. Maybe I should be looking into that. I'm just about ready to quit looking and pick, though. Hm.

J-- The Fit was too small, and the Scion might also be. Can't recall; maybe's it's the "we want to drive it to 200,000 miles" aspect that ruled it out? I think that was part of our hesitation over the Pontiac Vibe (has AWD also, same size essentially as Matix; in fact, is about half a Toyota -- body isn't, engine is, maybe drivetrain is Toyota's also? ). We ruled out the Dodge Caliber based on a swath of "not as good as..." reviews at ePinions and Consumer Reports and CarTalk. (A great relief to me as well, because I hated the name of the car.)

M-- Having maintained 2 Subie Legacies now (this is the second), I agree that the post-150,000 miles maintenance is ... tedious to deal with, at best. How can a car that feels so solid even when it's broken need so much work? But it does... In our case, the Legacy Outbacks are the much-more-money upfront as well, as compared to the Matrixes (we've mostly been shopping around Burlington; I called over to Montpelier and we checked out a car in Swanton). Financially, this puts the Toyotas up (i.e. better choice), though switching to a lighter-weight FWD after ...um... 10 years in the wonderfully solid AWD might be a bit iffy for me at first (at least I'm doing it in the summer). I borrowed a Tercel AWD wagon after losing my Nissan truck to black ice, and it was fabulous that winter/spring, yes. But a long time ago. A friend of mine had a Nissan wagon about then as well; if I'd found one of those, I might never have moved into the Legacy.

My car -- a 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon -- needs a minimum of $1100 work. It's trade-in/sale value is somewhere between $500 and $1500 (yeah, right). It has 212,000 miles on it.

Why don't I want another Legacy Outback? They've got room, AWD, reliability (well, if you don't keep them as long as I do), there are tons around, and really, it seems to be more car for the money than the Toyota Matrix, which I do want, despite it having some things I'm concerned about (its AWD has issues and is in fact not being manufactured in the recent models) in general, and the specific ones we can find as well (generally too high a price, also various odd things like silly larger wheel size or sucky customer service or automatic transmissions).

We've been looking at and driving cars a LOT this week, not to mention calling around to see what's available, reading/researching online.... We were out from 10-5 today, just car shopping... yargh... what a way to spend my hubby's vacation...

In my daydreams? A Toyota Prius with AWD. But there ain't no sich thing (and I don't want, let alone could afford, a Toyota Hybrid Highlander)...

In our this-is-reasonable price range? A '00 Subaru Forester. *sigh*

I've talked (er, test-driven) myself out of the incredibly charming and wonderfully efficient Nissan Versa. It's just... there's just too much snow for me in that car. (My hubby would probably be fine, but a) I drive more hills more often, and b) he's a better driver.) Well, and it's new (read: too much money by, oh, maybe a factor of 2).

I just don't want anything bigger than the Outback, or less efficient; apparently I want something that drives as comfortably (to me) as will last as long, while being smaller, more efficient, more reliable/durable, and cheaper. And the Impreza is too small for the dog (who is, admittedly, 10½, and a Berner), at least, as long as I have the car seat too.

I just want a good car that fits what I schlepp and how/where I drive (dirt and/or hills) for something less than I make a year (OK, so I'm not working much, but...). How come that seems to be too much to ask?

Heeeelllllppp...

Toddling along...

Me and Grandpere Get Hungry We went up Mount Abe in September 2006. Hiking is hungry work! (Even if Dad carries me most of the way...)
They're gonna build a fire where I'm standing??? Someone has been building a little log cabin and a stone fireplace. I think they were doing it with hand tools and mud. I don't know how they cut the stones, though. It wasn't done yet, but you could see where they had built sleeping shelves and started to chink some of the walls. It was pretty cool! September, 2006, Fort Ticonderoga, New York

http://rareearthtones.com/ringtones/

The Center for Biological Diversity offers you ringtones of rare and endangered animals, a collection of high-quality, authentic sounds of some of the world’s most threatened birds, owls, frogs, toads and marine mammals.

Earth Time...

Tell your boss you need to leave work a little early today, around 4 o'clock...

Then make your way to Oakledge Park and walk a hundred yards or so north on the bike path, till you see 14 big rocks. They'll be on your right.

This is the Burlington Earth Clock... You'll find the sunset over your left shoulder as you approach the circle of rocks.

Hurry! Hurry! The sun will be gone before you know it.