There’s Robin, Wren and Dove.  We’ve all heard about a boy called Falcon.  Would this borrowing from the world of birds wear well on a daughter?

With a Happy Birthday to my sister, today’s Name of the Day is Lark.

There are dozens of larks – the white-winged, the short-toed, the roufus-rumped and even the spike-heeled.  But that’s amongst the avian population.  As a given name, Lark has only darted into the US Top 1000 once in the 1880s – for boys.  I suspect the nineteenth century Lark sighting was related to Larkin, an old school diminutive and a surname derived from the then-popular Laurence and Lawrence.

Lark comes to us from the Germanic lerche – songbird.  The verb lark – as in frolic – probably traces back to the Old Norse leika – to play.  There’s more to the verb’s story, and you might argue that the irreverent undertones cancel out her nature name potential.

There’s a literary angle to this choice.  In Romeo and Juliet, the ill-fated couple awakens the morning after their wedding night to birdsong.  Juliet tries to convince her groom that he can stay a little longer:  “It was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.”

You’ll sometimes see lark listed as the opposite of night owl – another term for a morning person.

Parents today might think of actress Lark Voorhies.  As Lisa on ear;u 90s teen comedy Saved by the Bell, she was a rich girl and aspiring fashion designer.  The actress is still working, but her star has fallen since the original cast graduated.

Lark has been in use in the twentieth century – but mostly as a product name:

• Copper brought nineteenth century miners to Utah.  One of the communities they established was called Lark – but in the 1970s, the mines closed and today it is considered a ghost town;
• Gospel Music Hall of Fame member Thurman Ruth was a member of The Larks, a vocal group from the early 1950s;
• In the 1960s, Lark was a brand of cigarette – and still is in Japan;
• Studebaker once built a Lark;
• During the 1940s through the 60s, passengers could travel from San Fransisco to Los Angeles on the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Lark.

All of this doesn’t make much of a case for using Lark as a girl’s name.  And yet, the US Top 1000 is littered with nature names, including:

• Florals like Lily (#24), Daisy (#161) and Violet (#184);
• Seasons Autumn (#89) and Summer (#171).

All of this has prompted parents to reconsider less familiar botanicals like Ivy, Iris and Willow.  Lark shares the final -k sound with #52 Brooke – again, a relatively recent entry into use as a given name, but a widely accepted one.

If you’re seeking an unexpected nature name and prefer a frills-free choice for your daughter, Lark could fit the bill.  Or if you love Lauren but don’t care for the nickname Laurie, Lark might be a nice alternative.

…and I’ll tell you why.  Jesse Lacey is a self-indulgent (as if the song lyrics don’t sing this for themselves) prick and only played either slow shitty songs from the new album or slow shitty songs from the second to newest album, which they toured in 2006 with Dashboard Confessional.  There was a moment of redemption in the middle: “Sic Transit Gloria”, and then one at the end, “Seventy Times Seven,” but other than that… no.  Why the hell would you play slow songs for a crowd who wants to hardcore dance, especially when GlassJaw (bless Daryl Palumbo) just KILLED IT on stage right before?

Because you’re a self-indulgent prick.  I’m deleting Daisy from my hard drive and never listening to it again, and never giving them another chance.  But here, download it for free, because giving them another goddamn dime would be a crime.

Regularly, when I am walking my dogs I get commented on by strangers how they have me stretched out.  The strangers who say that are right because these dogs know how to make a walk that should be easy, into something that is a disaster for me.  They probably get the enjoyment of sniffing or trying to chase birds, and that’s all that matters, a good time for my pups.  I’m just glad these two are small, and if they were even a little bit stronger, I’d probably put my hands in the air and say FORGET IT.  It sure gets frustrating when one wants to take his pretty little time to sniff one spot, and the other wants to chase every bird she sees.  So whenever I get a chance to have extra sets of hands on our walks, I get excited as if I’ve won keno.  Or maybe even more.

(Maria crying in the background)
Daisy: “Maria, why don’t you get a new mom?”

Three more sleeps until the start of summer!

To celebrate, I changed my website header to a photo I took today (well, technically yesterday now, on Saturday) of these gorgeous daisies in the afternoon sun. Don’t they just make you feel summer rushing through your veins? Below is an alternative, but I think I like the colour and the out of focus nature of the one I chose (good for a header).

]]> http://ideagirlconsulting.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/lights-off-down-if-i-aint-got-you-jay-sean-daisy/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:45:59 +0000 ideagirlconsulting http://ideagirlconsulting.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/lights-off-down-if-i-aint-got-you-jay-sean-daisy/

New songs from Jay Sean’s album All or Nothing, a nice mix of vocals and music, very relaxing to listen to.

As a writer you get bored while editing your manuscripts.

I always put some nice tunes on in the background or on my headset to help me concentrate better.

I love my headphones they block out the noise of the neighbours but annoy my boyfriend when he’s calling my name over and over again with no response.

I told him it’s best for him to come stand beside me and wait, I’ll finish what I’m doing (don’t want to lose my train of thought) and address whatever it is he needs.

Daisy (our toy poodle)likes to say hello first thing in the morning she runs up to me for a hug.

Does your dog do the same thing?

This is my first pet, I’ve had Daisy for three years now, her birthday will be on Dec 26th, boxing day.

She will be 10 years old, equivalent of 70.

This is a picture of her smiling, she was happy that day because we were taking her to the doggie park.

daisy the idea girl says idea girl consulting clippers is the chihuahua

“Sure you can, old sport,” Gatsby said. Boy, was he wrong.  I remember when professor Wadlington talked to us about this Gatsby, and how he’d been so misguided. He’d invested everything into going back in time to get something that was impossible. Poor Gatsby. It was always too late.

I’m only looking forward. Back there is nothing. Absolutely nothing.  Everything is ahead.

“Daisy, What were we talking about 1 minute ago?”
“I don’t know. Farting?”

We’ll post stupid things that Daisy says here. Check back later

…my stepdad hadn’t gotten sick?

Would my Mom be happy now?  What would my sons name be?  Would I have gone to that Christmas party in his place and met my husband?

…all of my past pregnancies had worked out?

I would have 6 kids with a 7^th on the way.  But would any of them be my perfect Monkey?

…we had stayed in Denver and decided not to move to Texarkana?

Would we still be living in a tiny apartment and sending Monkey to daycare each day?

…my ex hadn’t been such a douche?

Would I have still left him and found the love of my life?

…the guys at the plant hadn’t seen a sap while I was pregnant?

Would I still have taken Daisy home with us even after Hubby protested?

Watching this Flash Forward lately has me thinking.   Some people really believe that our life is a pre destined set of events.  I don’t know that I believe that.  Sometimes maybe I do a little but for the most part I really don’t.

I have always said that everything happens for a reason.  I really believe that.  Not because of some pre-mapped life but because I think that everything makes something else occur.  If any of the what if’s above had happened, then my life wouldn’t be where it is right now.  It would be changed and different.

Would I have missed the opportunity to meet my husband if my step dad hadn’t been too sick to go to the Christmas party because of Chemo?

If I hadn’t had miscarriage after miscarriage, would I even be with my husband now if I had 3 kids with my ex?

Would I be able to afford to stay home with Monkey each day if we hadn’t taken the opportunity to move here?

It all boils down to 3 very simple statements.

I have a wonderful sexy husband that would do anything for us.

Our son is truly one kick ass baby boy.

Our two fur babies will always have my heart.

This is my family.  Even if it is in this town that I hate, this is my family.  And if any of those what if’s had come to fruition, would I be in these shoes now?  It’s scary to think that I wouldn’t be.

What events could have kept you from where you are now?  What are you truly thankful for?

Click here to view today’s Daily Photo Blog… Sliding Daily Photo Blog

Ost You are so handsome
Fly me to the moon
Let me play amoung the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On jupiter and mars

In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby kiss me

Fill my heart with song and
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for

Đưa em bay đến mặt trăng
Cho em hạnh phúc chơi cùng ngôi sao
Cho em biết xuân thế nào
Miên man cùng hỏa bay vào mộc tinh

Nói khác đi, giữa chúng mình
Cầm tay nhau nhé, anh thầm hôn em
Bài ca chen giữa trái tim
Cho anh hát mãi tiếng em ngọt ngào
Anh là ngọn gió, trăng sao
Anh là tất thảy muôn màu của em

Cuộc đời thật trớ trêu khi tôi gặp lại người trong mộng ngỡ tưởng đã ra đi trong một hoàn cảnh như thế này. Anh với màu quân phục xanh thẫm, nhìn tôi với đôi mắt vô hồn. Đôi mắt này đã bao lần tôi gặp trong giấc mộng. Cũng là đôi mắt, tôi đã từng nhìn, hôn lên mi và long lanh cảm xúc của một thời lưu luyến. Bây giờ đôi mắt ấy đang nhìn tôi với một vẻ khinh khỉnh lẫn chế nhạo. Tia nhìn sắc lạnh của anh làm tôi không dám ngẩng mặt lên thêm một lần nào nữa. Mà trong hoàn cảnh này thì tôi cũng không có cách nào mà tránh được. Tên lính đằng sau ấn tôi ngồi xuống một cái ghế và buộc chặt tôi vào thành ghế. Sợi dây thừng bình thường tôi chỉ dùng để cột con chó trong nhà giờ đang cột chặt tôi. Còn trong đầu tôi lướt thoáng qua bao ý nghĩ.
-Nghe cho rõ đây, ai là người đã giải thoát A40?
-Tôi không biết
-Không biết à, tôi hỏi lần nữa, ai đã giải thoát A40?
-Tôi cứ hy vọng là sẽ gặp nhau trên thiên đường
-Im mồm.
Kèm tiếng thét này là một cú bạt tai làm tôi ngồi lệch khỏi ghế.
-TK2 đang ở đâu?
-Tôi không có nghĩa vụ phải khai báo đồng nghiệp của mình đang ở đâu.
-Hay lắm
Và đi kèm cái “hay lắm” này là một cú đá làm tôi đổ sập xuống sàn gạch. Đầu tôi đập vào gạch đau nhói. Máu chảy xối xả. Lạ thật, tôi không thấy sao cả, chỉ thấy cảm giác thinh không.
-Anh à, Duy Khương, tuyết đẹp quá! đẹp quá anh ơi!
Tôi quay lại nhìn anh và nhíu mày. Anh nằm duỗi trên giường hết sức thoải mái và không ngẩng đầu bảo tôi:
-Cho anh nghỉ đi, anh buồn ngủ.
-Sao lại ngủ chứ, còn đi tắm nữa mà.
-Tắm chung à? – Anh bật dậy rất nhanh.
-Vớ vẩn, dậy đi nào.
Chúng tôi chơi đùa trên tuyết. Anh ném tuyết lạnh vào mặt tôi, đau rát.
-Anh chết chắc với em.
Tôi chạy lại, ôm anh và xô anh ngã xuống tuyết trắng. Cả khu rừng mênh mông là tuyết.Anh ôm tôi dụi đầu vào ngực anh tự nhiên. Tôi hỏi anh:
-Sao lần ấy anh lại hôn em bất ngờ thế? Tại anh yêu em quá không chịu nổi hay tại anh muốn chinh phục đấy?
-À, lần đấy. Khi đó anh chỉ nghĩ tại sao đôi môi xinh xắn của em lại có thể nói những câu khó nghe như vậy.
-Giội nước vào cho nó tỉnh lại.
Khi chậu nước tạt vào mặt tôi cũng là lúc tôi nhận thức được thực tại của mình.
-Lần cuối cùng tôi hỏi cô: TK2 đang ở đâu?
Anh nâng cằm và túm tóc tôi lôi tôi lên. Tôi ước gì mình có thể chui xuống đất chứ không muốn chấp nhận cái sự thật hiển nhiên và cay đắng này.
-Giết tôi đi, dù có hành hạ anh cũng không đạt được mục đích đâu.
Anh bẻ cằm tôi bắt tôi phải nhìn vào mặt anh:
-Giết thì dễ quá. Sống mới khó.
Rồi anh dúi đầu tôi xuống gạch, đứng dậy, lau tay ướt vào chiếc khăn trên bàn quay lại bảo bọn lính:
-Mang nó vào nhà kho.
(tháng 11/2009, cảm xúc khi xem IRIS)

On 18 Nov, I joined more than 600 other publishing peers for an Aptara webinar on “eBook Readers and Standards…Where to Now?” The presentation looked at the rapidly unfolding eBook market, and how publishers are struggling to adapt as competitive and consumer pressures demand that their titles be compatible with the multitude of new eBook applications and eReaders coming to market. For those working on the development of a successful eBook production strategy, this presentation gave a clear position on where the market is today and will be tomorrow.

The presenters were Sarah Rotman Epps, Forrester Research’s eBook Market Analyst, and Michael Smith, Director of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), which manages the EPUB standard. Here are some highlights:

From Sarah Rotman Epps on a Forrester Research survey completed in the third quarter 2009:

• Q2 2008, 37% had never heard of an electronic book device; in Q3 2009, that number dropped to 17%
• US eReader outlook:
  • Sell-through of 3 million units in 2009
    • Amazon 60%
    • Sony 35%
    • Others less than 5%
  • 40% of 2009 sales (1.2M) in Q4, with 900,000 in November/December holiday season
  • A conservative estimate for 2010 would be for sales to increase from 6M (2009) to 10M units
• What’s coming in 2010:
  • First eReaders not using E Ink screens
  • New screen sizes, color, and non-E Ink video
  • New category-bending devices: dual screens, web tablets, smartphones better optimized for reading
  • More competition: B&N, others
  • Global growth
  • 2007 is to eReaders what 2001 was to MP3 players
• US consumers:
  • 3% now use their desktop computer to reader eBooks
  • 2% use their laptop computer
  • 1% use an eReader device, such as a Kindle or Sony Reader
  • 1% use a netbook
  • 1% use a mobile phone or PDA
• Of consumers who say they are interested in eBooks, the value they saw included:
  • Take up less space: 54%
  • Can access multiple books on the go: 47%
  • Can adjust text size: 37%
  • Better for the environment than print books: 37%
  • Can read in dark/low light: 37%
  • Cheaper than print books: 35%
  • Easy to search: 26%
  • Easy to look up a word in a dictionary: 22%
• When asked how interested they would be in reading different forms of media on an eBook reader, consumers who were very interested replied:
  • Books: 29%
  • Magazines: 15%
  • Newspapers: 14%
  • Textbooks: 11%
  • Wikipedia: 9%
  • Comics: 7%
  • Blogs: 4%
• What should book publishers take away from the survey:
  • Stay “device agnostic”
  • The features that matter when it comes to content:
    • Ability to reflow content and look good on any device
    • Ability to sync up content across multiple devices
    • Ability to share content with a friend
• What will eBooks mean for a publisher’s bottom line?
  • Expect small revenues from any one channel, but expect growth over time across devices
  • Could be incremental, but much will be replacement
    • Plan for a smaller business
    • But potentially still a profitable one as you cut back print operations over time
  • New opportunities
    • Subscriptions
    • Incremental content sales
    • Advertising

From Michael Smith’s presentation:

• Industry predictions:
  • Continued growth of eBooks and eReaders as they become more mainstream
  • Younger generations (digital natives) begin to read electronically for pleasure
  • Hockey stick sales growth: 2010-2011
• eBook wholesale numbers:
  • 2009: $109,900,000 (Q1-Q3)
  • 2008: $53,500,000
  • 2007: $31,800,000
  • 2006: $20,000,000
• eBook formats: What’s right for your content?
  • Final form content vs. digital reflowable text
    • PDF vs. EPUB
  • How will content be consumed?
    • Web
    • Mobile
    • E Ink Display
• Current standards landscape
  • EPUB is an open and non-proprietary standard
    • Key to healthy eBook ecosystem
    • PDF is an ISO Standard
    • DAISY, ONIX, ISBN, XML, XHTML, CSS all important
  • Others promoting non-EPUB formats
• What’s pivotal to pervasive EPUB adoption?
  • Publisher adoption — Critical mass of content
  • Consumer adoption — EPUB prefect for small screen apps
  • Continuous evolution and improvements — EPUB Maintenance Working Group + EPUB 3.0
• Future of EPUB — Not a matter of “if,” but how fast it will become the dominant format/preferred standard
  • Continued worldwide adoption of EPUB with strong push throughout Europe, China and Japan
  • Move from primarily trade titles into Science/Technology/Math and then Higher-Ed
  • Continued growth in Library markets
  • Adoption of EPUB format to be a factor in rise of accessible titles available for Print Disabled community

I can’t believe next week will be the end of November, and then the beginning of December!  That is just ridiculous.  How do I make time stop?  Recently, I’ve been wishing for that a lot, for time to stop.  It use to be that I’d wish for the future to come, like being done with school, getting settled if there is such a thing, but I don’t want that anymore.  I don’t know if that’s a good thing, since I am trying to enjoy the present.  But in all honesty, I think I’ve been a little scared of things lately.  Like why do animals have to have such shorter life expectancy than humans?  Seriously, why, why, why?  I just don’t understand why it’s made that way.

Anyways, I should cheer up before I get prescribed Cymbalta.  It has definitely been nice these past few weeks with the cooler temperature.  It so happens that, my dogs don’t necessarily enjoy the cold, so they will do anything to try and get warm.  So during the nights (or days) we snuggle underneath the blankets together to keep each other warm.  It’s so nice to feel the warmth from them, and I’m sure they are thinking the same because if they didn’t like it, they’d be gone.  I’m sure there are a lot of people who probably get disgusted by pets being in the bed, but I just could not live without having these two by my side at all times possible.

So back to the title, the leaves fell down a few days ago in the back.  And because the colors were pretty, I made these two pose for me while I showed off a milk bone.  Once again, they would not look at the camera at the same time, but I guess that just shows their personality in the photo…  I guess it’s their stubbornness that makes them so special.

Rose still felt the loss of her soulmate, but she had learned to take an interest in life around her. One of her great pleasures that also proved very therapeutic was gardening. She imagined her mother and her grandmother working the same soil before her, coaxing the seedlings up into the sunlight and helping them grow to bear fruit.

She also enjoyed playing with little Blossom, her niece. It was a blessing to have new life in the house.

Blossom’s Aunt Poppy also enjoyed time with the little cutie. She sometimes wondered what it would have been like to follow the motherhood path in life, but she was happy with her art and music. Her legacy would be in the family paintings hanging in the house.

Blossom knew who her mommy was, though. Lily showered her daughter with love every chance she got.

Iris showed an interest in her little cousin, and Lily let her help out in the nursery sometimes. It didn’t seem long ago that Iris herself was sleeping in a crib.

With so many family members around to help with Blossom, Lily and Monty had time to have a quiet dinner alone sometimes. The birth of their daughter had brought them closer together than ever, as each of them saw a little bit of the other in their baby. Every time they looked into each other’s eyes, it was love all over again.

The sisters were all spending more time together these days, too, since they had either achieved or were close to achieving their hard-fought goals in life. They sensed time was passing, and they made the effort to find time to watch a movie together, discuss a painting or a novel or a newly discovered star, or just share a light moment.

………But the family didn’t just hang out around the house. They went to work and study and explore, too. Monty was enjoying his work at the bistro, and had been promoted to vegetable slicer.

Reed enjoyed the freedom of being a teen. He went to tour city hall and take a charisma class, then visited the park. He found himself in a swarm of butterflies, and that sparked an interest in collecting. That day, he got a good start with five different kinds of insects.

Afterward he spent some time hanging out in the park. His Aunt Daisy was there, too, chatting with some older folks. Reed didn’t quite catch what they were saying, but he thought they might be talking about the latest gangster movie or maybe the new end-of-the-world flick.

Daisy said she was going to a game later, and something about checking the entrances and exits. Funny, Reed had never known she was that safety conscious.

Iris liked riding the schoolbus with her big brother Reed. She was also excited about taking a fishing class with him, although his first catch was way bigger than hers.

One event that happened in town was not nearly so nice. Just as the family was growing beyond their grief over Cedrick’s death, Lily got a call to rush to the bistro. The paramedics were doing their best when she got there, but it was too late. Monty was gone.

This was not long before Blossom’s birthday, so the family planned to have a quiet little cake ceremony at home. Everybody tried to put a brave face on it, but Iris couldn’t help but feel for her cousin, who might not even remember her daddy when she got older.

Blossom turned out to be a cheerful little toddler with fair hair and laughing eyes. Much as Lily’s heart ached, when she held her little darling she knew that part of Monty lived on in her arms. Her sisters were amazed at her resilience.

Except for Daisy, that is. Daisy had run off somewhere on the other side of town. What was she up to? And who had seen her?

—-

Previous Chapter

Like I said in the last post, it’s been a really busy week.  I actually had Monday off, but I went in for some of the day anyway. There’s so much to take care of at work!!  Monday, before I went in, I stopped by a few stores to get some groceries and such.  One of the stores I stopped at was my local Jewel.  They had a Wienermobile outside the door and I couldn’t help but go take a look  

There were two girls working inside the thing-I guess they just follow it around everywhere and show it off.  What a job!  I can’t imagine driving around in a big hot dog then standing outside freezing while people stare at it.  But whatever.  To each their own   It was still fun-I went inside and they gave me a weenie whistle to prove I was there. LOL!!!  The inside is pretty cool-there’s several seats in red fleece material with Oscar Mayer’s logo on them, then there’s a bench seat that faces the large door.  When I went in , I could only think of the infamous crashes that these weiners have been involved in-especially the one fairly recently where someone smased one into the side of a house.  That had to be interesting. 

The rest of the week blew by as I worked my butt off.  Daisy and I had several good rides, too.  I learned a lot about my leg position and effective, but not over-, use of my reins.  It’s amazing what you can get out of one little change like using spurs!  She’s been getting a really great rhythm and has been rounding more and more, especially when she’s outside.  I don’t know if she just LIKES to be outside more or if she’s relying on me more as someone to trust so she’s listening more carefully, but it’s a night and day difference sometimes. 

Daisy also got her first haircut!!  I was scared to do it, but her ends were getting really scraggly and it was starting to get to be too much.  I trimmed her up, then I used a feathering technique that I’ve seen my hairstylist use on me   It came out really good!  I didn’t take off too much, but in some spots it was probably a couple inches.  The couple inches were just stray hairs for the most part, though, so no big deal.  Here’s the picture of Daisy’s first haircut (by me anyway):

Not too bad   I might clean it up a bit more, but I figure that in a week, it’ll all be grown out to where you can’t tell the worst areas of it.  Again, I think I like it anyway-I may just leave it.  I cleaned up her tail, too-you can see that in the picture.  It now goes about ankle-length and is more of a straight across cut.  That seems to be what a lot of the fancy dressage horses have.  The longer the better, but that straight across cut is in style.  If I was REALLY going to do that right, I’d have to cut it to about mid leg to hock length and I just can’t do that. 

One other thing, as a stress reliever, I’ve been doing my Tae Bo videos again   I need the exercise anyway.  The first time I did the one, I felt it in my shoulders.  The second time I did it, I was slightly sore for about a half hour then that was it.  I might need to get a better video.  We’ll see how it goes after a few more times.  It might be better to ease back into the aerobic exercise thing again instead of jumping right into something that will make me more sore.  We’ll see how it goes. 

OK-back off to ride Daisy!