Saturday, May 17, 2008

Hippo Birdie Two Ewe, Hippo Birdie Deer Ewe... (in which I link up, footnote, reminisce, and share new things.)

(From a Sandra Boynton birthday card that is no doubt out of print, this is the greeting I write on most folks on their FaceBook walls when I get a little reminder on the right hand margin that it's their birthday.)

Today is the non-Gregorian birthday of this blog. Birthed three years ago, it was then called "Pink Sneakers and Pocket Books" The pocket books was supposed to have a double meaning, pocket books as in the smaller paperbacks, or pocketbooks as in purses. Both have really fallen out of our daily usage, unless you hang out with women over eighty (I do!)

I feel like I should write a "state of the blog" address, or a list of where I've been over the years. (Three years is a long time, dudes! I can't believe I've gotten to a place in my life where I've lived my life out in spans longer than a State Dept. or military style tour of duty.*) I could tell you how much more Web 2.0 I've become--this year alone, I've finally figured out del.icio.us, (and gotten my father to sign up, plus I taught him Control-C and Control-V!) I've started twittering, and I have a professional blog (that I haven't updated in weeks!). I've moved most of my emailing over to one of my two gmail accounts, and I've even used tiny url! (Once you start twittering, it becomes necessary.) Oh, and I can (if I remember) now text with my thumbs on my cell phone instead of hunt and peck. (As I re-read this, I thought, how could I forget the fact that I joined FACEBOOK!)

I get to "go in late" this morning--it's the Ninth annual Best Books for Babies Awards, which last year was hosted on the Southside by Beth-Joseph Books and this year is at five local Borders. I photocopied the mini-poster that Beginning with Books sent out in a .pdf, and let my Mother Goose parents know that it was happening. I considered just rolling out around 10:25 to go to my local Borders, Eastside, but then I thought, wouldn't it be more fun if some of the Mother Goose parents actually came out to the one at Northway Mall? So I amended my plans. But it still means I don't have to leave the house until 10, a delicious hour to be leaving on a Saturday. I look forward to someday not working every single Saturday, but for now, I can't really see a way around it, since that means I'd have to give up Monday, which I need for doctor's appointments and such. (Dentist this Monday...)

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I feel like in a lot of ways I've hit a wall. Which is probably why I'm trying so many new things. Something, stick! Or break down the wall, or something. I've started, warily, blindly, this new thing called 30Days. It's a website that's supposed to get you through the first 30 days of a new transition. Since they don't have "change" called "I've decided to send out resumes," I'm doing the "Find your dream job" which I'm sure will have things I already know. Oh, and "get out of debt," not like I haven't been trying to do that since I graduated from college...I'm not sure I'm ready for the onslaught of emails I'll get every day telling me tips and stuff to do. (Although, where was this when I was going through the break-up?) Can't I do "4 weeks," where on Friday I get emails saying, how was your week? (I'll now plug Schmutzie's latest brainchild, Five Star Friday.) But in my search for that YES thing, I found the cutest website. Oh, you can't understand it? I couldn't either, hee! Just click on "English please!" I got this quote from the home page: "Basically, we create anything that will bring happy feelings and juicy living to your world." Juicy living. That is what I want.

I joined Amazon Prime (Free 30 day trial!) (yes, another thing started) almost a month ago to get free shipping for my book on librarian resumes. I think I got a coupon for joining, or at least just free shipping, so I treated myself to Sara Zarr's two lovely books. But I got an email last week saying, "Prime Trial almost over!" and so I ordered A Perfect Mess, which I had renewed from the library umpteen times and recently returned. This book is the best vindication for all of us "messies" as the culture has labeled us. I love it! I've started re-reading it, and since it's mine, I can annotate all I like. Annotate is Max's word. Hmm. Okay, back to where was I? Oh yes, so somehow Prime thought that they'd give me $5.00 off as a gift. Not that it made me sign up to pay for Prime, but thank you, Jeff Bezos!

And while I know now that most people "don't read on the web" I doubt any of Babelbabe's or Badger's or Jen Weiner's readers would like everything to be in bullet points. There's something about reading juicy paragraphs.

Ack, look at the time! Well, time to wash up and get ready for a day of children and books. Not such a bad way to spend a day...

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*My mom categorized it thusly: first year, you unpack. Second year, you live there. Third year, you pack. My dad categorized it thusly: If you don't like it, just wait. (undercurrent: it'll change.) I categorize it thusly: can't we stay in one place? Which might (does!) explain why I have remained in this rent-controlled garret.

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