Can’t find your Nintendo DS? Try one of the new Adidas sneakers instead.

Adidas has created a virtual 3-D world that can be accessed using an upcoming line of five men’s sneakers in an idea that ties into one of the technology trends of the year: augmented reality.

“The foundation of augmented reality lies in adding a layer to the real world,” says Chris Barbour, head of digital marketing for Adidas Originals. “That’s what we have done. We have taken a real world item and added a fantastic virtual world on top of that”

All users have to do is go to the Adidas site and hold up their sneaker, which has a code embedded in its tongue, in front of their computer webcam. A virtual world then pops out in front of them and they can navigate it using their sneaker as a controller.

“We are not trying to mimic a real-world look, we have a more stylized, pop-up book creative approach,” says Barbour. “The neighborhood is displayed on a two dimensional computer screen, but you can use your shoe to control the angle and depth of view and zoom in and out, giving a 3-D sense of perspective.”

Over the next few months, Adidas plans to introduce three augmented reality games developed by game developer xForm into the virtual neighborhood. The sneakers will then serve not only as the key to get in, but also act as the controller for the games. Among those available will be a skateboard game, where the sneaker acts as the controller to navigate the virtual city’s alleys, a Star Wars-like game with the sneaker and a music-based game.

The shoes with the augmented reality codes will cost between $65 and $95 and will be available starting February.

Sure, a large part of this is a marketing gimmick and Adidas is not the only company to try out augmented reality in its products. But that doesn’t take away from that this is an idea that makes an ordinary physical object fun and injects some technological pizzaz to it.

I can not seem to get anything done.  I have a list made of things I need to do…laundry, dust, pack for Christmas vacation, etc…

It is 4:15 and all I have done so far is dust. And I only dusted the downstairs (which is not big).  Here is how my day has gone.  Wake up, feed/change Lydia, make the kids breakfast, then dust.  Time to feed Lydia again, so I bathe her and feed her, now the kids are ready for lunch.  I put them all down for a “nap”, tell Victoria and Micah three times “I do not care if you are not tired, you have to take a nap, go back to your rooms”.  Then I take a shower and get dressed (it is now 2:30, and I am finally showering), then Lydia needs fed again.  It is 4 and all I have done is shower, feed kids all day, tell them to take a nap, and dust.  Only one of those things were on my list to begin with.  THEN, I was changing Lydia and she goes to the bathroom ALL OVER THE PLACE..so gross.  I tell the kids “stop wrestling, keep your hands to yourselves and hurry and get me a towel.” then I had to tell them to get me a different towel, and I can finally get the changing table and my poor baby all cleaned up.  Then the kids are wrestling again and one gets hurt so they had to go into time out.

Victoria: “what do you mean ‘time out’…where do I go for that?  she is NEVER in time out…well, not since she was probably 2.

Micah was already there…his bottom practically has an imprint on one of our stairs. He asks how long and I say 3 minutes because he is 3.   He says “I am three and a half” so I tell him thank you for reminding me, and he can sit there for 3 1/2 minutes.  Victoria starts laughing and he says “don’t laugh at me, you are six so you have to sit for six minutes”. 

Two seconds after getting out of time out, Micah is at the Christmas tree taking the ornaments off (making some sort of parade out of them), so back in time out he goes.  He knows not to do this (don’t think I am mean), and I had just gotten off the phone with Clayton, so I say “uncle Clayton says if you are not a good boy, he can’t give you a Christmas present. That was a mistake.  The whole time he is in time out he is trying to guess what uncle Clayton bought him…is it a gun?  NO a dinosaur? NO a microphone? heck NO.

I just put them in front of the TV. I know, bad parenting, but I DO NOT CARE.  Oh, and to add to the bad parenting, Victoria is holding Lydia while she watches TV (she asked to and she won’t push her off when she is ready to stop).  It is iCarly, which they had to stop watching because Carly kissed a boy and is getting older in the episodes.  But, I turned on the TV, and said “sit here, tell me if something ‘bad’ happens you are not allowed to watch”.  Such a great mom.

So, now that they are watching TV, I could be getting something from my list done, but that was my AM list.  I just relax in the afternoon , so I will tell ya’ll something Micah did that was funny (mostly because it did not happen to me).

My friend Becky was watching him.  She has a little girl that is a year older, but is her “boy” child that gets into everything.  They were upstairs in the playroom and Becky heard them say “lets clean this room and make a surprise for your mom”.  So, they started to clean, but that is as far as it got because they found her Sense and Spray. These go off if you walk by them and she had it on the bathroom counter. They climbed up and got it.  You can also push a button and make it go off, and they decided to make the room smell really good for her.  I called to check on the kids and Becky said that Micah smells EXTRA good now.  Apparently he sprayed himself A LOT.  In his defense, he had never seen this before and did not know not to play with it…although if you have to climb to get something it probably is not meant to be played with. 

 I had just bought a sense and spray and it was sitting on the counter in the box.  Micah ran over and grabbed it and said “Miss Becky needs this.  She is all out”. 

Here is a picture of the little bottle that goes into the sense and spray thing:

I know what you are thinking…SO CUTE.  Victoria just said “mom, can I please be done holding her now” so I better get back to being a mom.

I can’t decide if it was worth it to take a sick day on Friday. First off, it was a freakin’ sauna when I walked into my room because someone put the thermostat up to 78 – from 65! I opened a half a dozen windows and turned it back down. A bunch of chairs were moved and I was just confused. Then I saw the notes from Friday about what she didn’t get done; namely, the main part of the Reading lesson that was review and independent practice for the test they were going to take today. WTF? Why skip #1 and go to #2?? I stormed over to Fashionista’s room to see if there was an assembly or something, but she said no. I showed her my plans and the note, and she figured the girl did #2 because that’s what F taught on Friday, too. Okay, but still it’s obnoxious.
At least it wasn’t like last time when the kids tried to tell her what to do but they were wrong. But to say, “Well you’re teacher’s not here, and these are my rules!” when I explicitly said “guided reading” and even EXPLAINED how to do guided reading?!?? F*ck you. Because now I had to waste the next reading group sitting around waiting for them to reread what you read TO them and they can’t answer the questions because they didn’t actually read the story. Thanks a-f*cking-lot.

I do not believe in the whole “warm body” theory of substituting. If you can’t follow directions, then you don’t belong here. (I’ve even written that in the “Notes to Substitute” box of the online form when requesting a sub blind -”You need to be able to follow directions.” I’m so mean.)

If this doesn’t convince you to move to California, well, you deserve the snow drifts!

after talking for hours with a friend in atlanta this weekend, i learned two things:

it’s never been about me and it’s always been about me.

what i mean is, i’ve been the concern of everyone around me–my parents, my true friends, my extended family, my youth minister, etc. my parents have sacrificed God only knows how many dreams for me and my health and for my sins. they don’t deserve that, and i swear that one day i’ll make it right. i’ll make sure i somehow get them what they deserve. but God, if i fail, please promise me that you’ll make it right in heaven.

but what else i mean is, my own well-being has never been my focus. everything i did, i did for someone else. every relationship i ever had was about the other person. i wasn’t going to college for me. i was going for my parents and my grandparents and everyone else who wanted me to go. the fact that it would help me in the long run was just like a bonus.

now keep in mind that i said my own WELL-BEING was never my focus, not to be confused with myself. i wasn’t thinking of others when i messed up in high school, or when i took rebellion to the next level a few months ago. i was thinking of whatever whim crossed my mind. now, though, i’m getting my ducks in a row. i’m thinking of myself and i’m thinking of God.

for the first time in my life, i am not overly concerned with the opposite sex. i am a person who, since the age of fifteen, has never gone longer than a year without a steady, serious boyfriend. i am ALWAYS dating. i am ALWAYS evaluating potential husbands. but not anymore. i am focusing on ME. and it feels good. i can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone. it’s so liberating.

and i’ve stopped making excuses. as someone who used to weave unbelievably intricate webs of lies to get what i want, this is a huge breakthrough. because i wasn’t just lying to everyone else; i was lying to myself.

and i believed myself.

but i’ve become a very honest person in last month or so–admitting my flaws and imperfections and such. i no longer pretend to be something i’m not. THAT is very liberating. and i don’t want you to think that i was some huge hypocrite, because in all honesty i wasn’t. i never pretended to be some perfect angel or that i was any better than anyone else. but i did pretend that i was better than i am. i fooled myself. i thought that if i didn’t actually say something to God, then it wasn’t real. but God knows my heart. He knows what i really think about things and people and myself, and let me tell you it is such a RELIEF when you say those things to Him. it’s confession i guess, but of small things you don’t usually think of. i know my mantra lately is, “God i know this is bad and i shouldn’t think it but it’s the truth.” i can’t tell you how much better i feel.

so in conclusion: by focusing on God, i will be focusing on what needs to happen for me. and THAT is the difference between being selfish and being self-centered.

There are times on the road to your goals that you will need to take some time to step back, reflect and assess where you are, where you’ve been, and how this is affecting where you want to go.

One way you can determine how you’re doing and where you have been is to journal. Not everyone is a journal-er, but I do think everyone could benefit. Journaling is a great way to track your progress, and that you do need to do. If you feel intimidated by a blank book that’s sold as a journal get over it, because it is a great way to keep track of your thoughts and be able to refer to the journal for ideas and brainstorms that were forgotten.

Just can’t do it, consider an audio method by speaking into a tape recorder. If  you’re not a journal-er, keep track of your progress, ideas and setbacks in the form of a recording.

I personally like to reassess after achieving some part of my goal. There is usually a natural denouement that comes with an accomplishment a little break or time off, as it were. I use that time to consider what I’ve finished and how it fits in to my goals and success.

Another time to reflect and consider is when you’ve hit an obstacle or road block. As you look at the obstacle in front of you, try to figure out where it came from and why you might not have seen it before you tripped over it and how you will move past this obstacle.

If you have strayed off course and found this boulder that way, this is the time to determine that. If you’ve lost sight of your values, you may have found this problem as a result of that. Reassess now and get back on track. Don’t forget your key value of integrity and realize that integrity is the most important thing as you pursue success.

Finally, use reflection time to reevaluate your goals. Have your goals changed a bit since you wrote them down?Do you need to modify the main goal?

An example is a goal to pursue your doctoral degree and defend your thesis within 3 years of starting your program. If you were single when you started your program and got married during your education, you might find that your timeline is less important now than it was 2 years ago. You might find that if you take an extra year to defend your thesis, you’ll have a richer, more productive document to defend, as your spouse may be able to help you consider things you hadn’t seen before.

Regardless of how you assess and consider your goals and your path to success, it’s important that you do. Everyone needs some tweaking along the way, and that also applies to the goals and expectations we set for ourselves.

Festive Screensaver complete with sound

We like this Christmas screensaver that certainly gets into the festive atmosphere – download it here

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Merry Christmas

Presents are slated to arrive tomorrow from ME to 5 women the world (okay USA) over. My Secret Santa is one of those women. Who do you think is getting this one?

hint: there is also a knife in the bag and permission to release ALL stress

When your relationship begins to stray off course it’s time to pay attention. A problem occurs when there is a difference between what “should be” and what “is.”

The first realization that something is not as you want it to be is an important first step, but once you have identified the problem, the faster you are able to turn your attention in the direction of a solution, the better.

The ability to reason and find solutions gets lost in the fruitless attempts to continue to explore the problem. This will prevent you from finding the a quick solution.

Quickly identify the problem, then change your thinking to find a solution and take corrective action. It can be extremely difficult to focus on the good when, seemingly, bad things are happening in your relationship.

Sometimes it is wise to “sleep on it!” Sleep is one of the most essential qualities to restore balance in your life and your relationship. Take a “time-out!” Do something different. Routine can become boring. Life cannot be fun or exciting if your relationship is always the same old thing.

Your partner’s perception of the relationship most likely will be different than yours. Everyone’s reality is different. You would be smart to discuss the situation to see where you both stand. Next, see if you both can begin to explore mutually beneficial ways to come to a conclusion.

It is never enough to just change your thinking. You must also adjust your behavior. Shift your focus. Step back from the problem rather than get trapped in its intricate webs. Work together to do what needs to be done.

Read, “Take a Time-out.”

Copyright © 2009 – Larry James. This idea is adapted from Larry’s books, “How to Really Love the One You’re With: Affirmative Guidelines for a Healthy Love Relationship,” “LoveNotes for Lovers: Words That Make Music for Two Hearts Dancing” and “Red Hot LoveNotes for Lovers.” There are more than 750 pages of great relationship information on Larry’s Website. Larry James is a professional speaker, author, relationship coach and a nondenominational minister. He performs the most “Romantic” wedding ceremony you will find anywhere.

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Doing the Lieberman shuffle. Two steps forward, three steps back.

Or is it just three steps backwards?

I can’t decide if this post is about Senator Lieberman changing his mind as often as a toddler needs a new toy-or about why the Senate is trusting Senator Lieberman [again]. Paul Krugman says he is doing it out of spite.  The Senator now opposes something he was in favor of  a mere three months ago. What caused this change of heart? Update 12/18/09 In Froma Harrop’s  recent column one paper’s headline gives us a clue-

“Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Insurance Industry”

Remember that oft-quoted line from Presidential candidate Senator Kerry? Kerry said I voted for it, before I voted against it. What is Senator Lieberman doing-is it Copy a Candidate Week?

What will the Senate do? I am weary of the endless adjustments to please someone who clearly has no desire to agree with his Democratic colleagues.

How about a two year old just learning to say no? Senator Patty Murray, dust off those preschool teacher skills and put Joe in the “Time Out” corner until he can behave.

Again, what about the chairmanship?

Senator Reid, we are waiting…

after a wonderful 4 or 5 hour talk with my youth minister today, i feel much better. i found out that it’s ok not to have all the answers. it’s ok not to understand. it’s ok to feel like everything is out of control. if i focus on God and serving Him, then everything else will fall into place.

much easier said than done. in theory, everything will be ok. but it’s such a different story when i retreat inside my mind and begin to overanalyze everything. i FEEL like i’m the only person this has ever happened to. FALSE. there are billions of people in the world. how could i possibly be the only person in the world to experience this specific hardship? exactly. it’s absurd. then again, matthew said probably six times yesterday: “you’re absurd.” i am. i’m an absurd bird. but that’s not the point.

the point is, i need to take this time to reacquaint myself with the Almighty. my youth minister used Paul as an example in our chat today. three times he cried out to God about the thorn in his flesh, and three times God did nothing. however on the third time, God said, “my grace is sufficient.” my youth minister, brother glenn, told me that what God was saying was, He wasn’t going to remove the thing that brought Paul to Him. and it makes perfect sense here. for the entirety of 2009, and a bit before it, i only called on God when i needed something from Him. i prayed constantly, but it would be things like, “please keep me safe” when i walked through parking lot of Wal Mart at 2 in the morning. or, “please help me on this test” or “please help me focus on this paper” or “please make things work out with [insert current significant other's name].” and that’s all fine and dandy because God wants us to ask Him for things. but it’s awfully selfish of me to ONLY ask. the point of everything is to glorify God. and that’s been lost on us. when i focus on myself, i screw everything up because i’m human. we’re hardwired to screw it up. that’s part of the beauty of God’s system: we need Him and it glorifies Him when we acknowledge that and surrender.

so, God, i’m terrified. i have no idea what you’re doing here.

i’m going to try to follow blindly though. maybe that’s what this is about, me learning to trust Him again. for so long i was fed up with not being in control, and i tried to take control. well, look where that got me. because i was never IN control. He was. He let me go my own way because he gives us free will. it’s like He gave me my hoorah but then reeled me in before i did serious damage. and i DID do serious damage, but nothing that can’t be fixed.

so back to Paul and his thorn, that’s me. my thorn is..well it’s lots of stuff. i can’t even REALLY put my finger on it. but it brought me back to Him hard. like i said before, when you get where i am, you’ve only got yourself and God.

and when you think about it, God’s more than enough. His grace IS sufficient. once i get past the cliche, and let go of everything because it does me no good to hold on, i’ll be good to go. in theory.

and i believe the theory.

This is more about the shouting than crying. There’s no crying. And not really shouting, either, just NON-STOP NOISE for the last three school days. (And maybe last Thursday and Friday, too, but at this point I honestly can’t remember.) They have all got a serious case of Ants in the Pants, or maybe (Christmas) Break on the Brain. All of them, every single one. Even Professor and Bookworm are off their game, though academically and not behavior-wise. (And of course they have the common sense to realize it.)  I’m not sure we’ll make it.

lying outside on the cold, wet concrete, my iPod playing some mainstream pop/punk song that i’m too embarrassed to say i like, i suddenly began to cry. the stars twinkled above me in the night sky and cold raindrops fell around me. i could feel the cold water soaking through my blanket and into my clothes. the hairs on my arms stood up with the goosebumps. i had been lying there beautifully dead for i don’t know how long. i thought about texting kelsey, knowing that she wouldn’t be awake. i thought about texting alexandra, doubting she’d be awake. i thought about texting matthew, my mother, my father, my youth minister, my sister. i thought about texting nick. i knew he’d be up and i knew he’d come over if he could. i just didn’t want to be alone. and i think that’s what made me cry, knowing that i could. knowing that it was ok to cry in front of him. well that’s when the anguish gripped me anyway–when i thought about texting nick. but then my stomach clenched–my abdominal muscles–and i lurched forward in a jerking motion. my jaw dropped open and i gasped for air.

i was choking.

there weren’t many tears because this was my soul. your soul cries differently than your body. my hands were everywhere as the agony filled me up, consumed me. covering my face to hide it from God and the freezing rain. pulling at my hair to feel the pain somewhere else. clutching my shirt to keep from harming myself. my whole body drawing up and shooting out in convulsions as i choked on the silent sobs the whole time. it didn’t last long. maybe a minute.

lying outside in the cold on a blanket on the wet concrete is the kind of thing you do to feel something or get someone’s attention. when the water soaks through, the shivering starts. i relished it. maybe if i can feel the cold, then i can cry. maybe then i can hit bottom. maybe then i can be broken. because i’ve lost everything. my future is dead and gone. a vision of the future flits through my mind of myself sitting out here alone in the dark and cold and rain, my feet propped on the round patio table beside a bottle of red wine, smoking a cigarette. red wine gives me migraines. it’s like slitting my wrists, but more painful. sitting there, watching the smoke curl from the little stick between my fingers, i’ll think about my dreams, how they’re spun with gold and silver and a dash of cloud nine. i wanted to be a writer, i’ll think. the last thing i wrote was a research paper for some lazy frat boy for ten bucks, i’ll think. i wanted to make a difference, change someone’s life, make the world just a little bit better for someone, i’ll think. then i’ll take a drag on my cigarette, a really deep pull that almost chokes me up, and i’ll say on the exhale, “i wanted to inspire someone.” the words will be tainted and twisted by the deathly smoke that floats beside them and muffles them. i’ll smile humorlessly to myself and the cracks–the bite wounds–on my lips will open up and start to bleed again. the cuts on my raw fingertips will twinge every time i move them, my very existence reminding me of my self-mutilation. the physical pain will numb the other pain. then i’ll tilt my head back and close my eyes and pray for something.

lying outside on the cold, wet concrete, my numbness starts wearing off again. i blink for the first time in i don’t know how long. a few tears are pushed out of my eyes and roll down the sides of my face. i can feel the water soaking through my skin now, but i don’t care. i’m asking God what to do now, where to go now. i’m asking Him who i’m supposed to be. but He’s not answering. nothing. and then the choking and clutching and convulsing starts again, except this time there’s shouting. it’s the loudest thing i’ve ever heard, but really there’s not noise. it’s my soul screaming, why? why can’t i do this? why won’t you answer me? everything is silent, but the sounds of my angry, desperate, hysteric screaming push on my chest somehow and echo through the night. i scream at God, telling Him that i don’t understand. i love Him and even though i’ve made A LOT of mistakes, i’m so sorry and i’ve asked forgiveness. why has He forsaken me? and i know that He hasn’t, not really, but it feels that way. i can’t do this! i’m asking, is He real? how do i know He’s real? i can’t remember how i know He’s real.

lying outside in the cold, i start thinking that maybe it’s better for everyone if i just go. just pack up my car and leave. find a job somewhere else since i haven’t found one here. just accept my fate and wait for death somewhere. i’ll live in the meantime, but living (in my opinion) is just a means to an end. you have to live to die.

lying here in bed, i hope i don’t wake up in the morning.

i woke up. i woke up and went to church with kelsey. the preacher at the podium talked about the time when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. he pointed out that, because they believed that the spirit hung over a body for two or three days with the possibility of returning, Jesus waited one more day to revive him. so there could be no mistake. i thought that was cool. i thought that was fairly brilliant of Jesus.

i still can’t remember how i know that He’s real. God, i mean. and i don’t know how i’d ever try to convince someone else that He’s real. because, honestly, if i weren’t brought up in the Bible belt and whatnot, i would probably think the whole thing was ludicrous. but there’s just a deep-seated knowledge in my core that speaks of its validity. the Bible, i mean. it’s something i don’t seriously question. i mean i have my moments of weakness, i’ve even wished it weren’t true before (which is probably stupid, but it’s the truth). but i never actually entertained the thought of there not being God, etc. i even tried to not believe it one time. but it’s like, how can you not believe something is red when you’re looking at it and it clearly is red? i don’t know. it’s 3:11 in the morning and i’m rambling. i just think is important. i said that i couldn’t remember how i knew God was real, and i just wanted to be clear that i DO know He’s real. i just can’t remember why.

anyway, that’s that. (mrs. that’s that then)

i’ve been saying for years that i have no self-preservation instincts, and it’s true. that most basic animal instinct is denied me. i wrote once that i’m not wired to self-destruct. but that’s not true. i am wired to self-destruct; my timer just hadn’t counted down to zero yet. if you think about it, we all self-destruct eventually, in a way. i mean, what is death? death by your own body one way or another is self-destruction.

i dreamt last night that i had a heart attack at the exact same moment as my father. it didn’t kill me. but what a sweet release! to know that it will all be over soon. oh to be dead! it seems the most beautiful of endeavors. oh to be at peace at last! i’m not going to die on purpose, but i’m not particularly trying to stay alive, either. i’m pretty apathetic towards life right now.

and please, i’m just being dramatic here. after everything, i get to be dramatic for a minute. so no “you have everything to live for” comments. i know. and no sympathy. if i had a penny for every time someone said they’re sorry, i wouldn’t be in this mess.

that said, go support my charity. to write love on her arms. it’s free and it takes 2.5 seconds. thanks :]

i want to start by saying, i feel really odd making a blog. i don’t feel that anyone really cares about the random stuff i say. but if you do, great. read on. it’s kind of to pass the time that i now have an abundance of. but also, i thought there are probably a lot of people out there whose lives are unraveling at the seams. i don’t pretend to have any sage advice or anything like that, but i’ve been through more than most kids so maybe it can help. i will warn you though. i am cynical and very pessimistic at the moment. get over it.

i always felt like i was destined for something bigger than the mundane route to life that the masses take. i don’t know why. i always felt like, for me, it was all temporary. like i was always really waiting for my “big break,” whatever that means. my mother keeps telling me that this isn’t the end, that i’m going to do something big or special. it’s weird how i used to believe i was extraordinary or something.

not anymore.

i need to grow up. i really am wendy, through and through. the story-teller who believes anything is possible and that there’s only one “second star to the right” instead of every single star in the sky being the second star to the right of something. just like me. i need to get over myself. i am not special. there is nothing extraordinary about me unless it’s my stupidity. my dreams are just that: dreams. someday maybe i’ll take them out and look at them, like wendy’s parents. but probably not. it’s too painful. i will be stuck here forever. i will have a job that barely pays the rend on some crappy apartment and i’ll always be at my parents’ house because it’s way better than my own. i’ll probably destroy these pointless writings to erase the evidence of what might have been. what could have been something beautiful and rewarding if i weren’t toxic. but i will always be toxic, so i can only reap toxins.

now that i’m “that girl,” that girl who drops out of college to “find herself,” maybe someone not as obtuse as me can learn something from my screw-ups. maybe i can help someone after all. maybe someone out there is still teetering on the edge of their own personal precipice, their own downfall.

step back.

i jumped. to say i dove headfirst and laughing all the way down would be more accurate. trust me, it sucks. i seems all cool and carefree and like you’re showing everyone–even God, in my case–who’s boss. when you don’t get caught, you feel like you can do anything. when you don’t get caught, you feel invincible.

until it’s over.

no matter what anyone says or how they say it or how many times they say it, LIFE IS NOT A RIDE OR A DANCE OR A GAME. those things are fleeting and fun and short. not life. it’s there as long as you are. it does not take a vacation, no matter how many you take. when you run away, it runs with you. it does not forgive and it does not forget.

all this “live in the moment” crap, all this “you only live once” propaganda, get off that bandwagon before your moment’s gone and you’re not. you DO only live once. but the art of living is, surprisingly, a delicate one.

dying isn’t the problem at all. living is the problem. just because your life can’t ever be over doesn’t mean that your life can’t ever go up in smoke.

my shrink (yeah, we’ll get to that) said that the only thing you can do to destroy your life is to commit suicide. he told me this in response to my meltdown about college. see, every time i have attempted to further my education, something has gone awfully wrong. mostly health issues but also some really stupid things on my part. read the back story.

the bottom line, though, will always be that college just never happened for me. ever. i am a pretty intelligent girl. i mean i made a 27 on my ACT and coasted through highschool. i don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but it’s like my mother said the other day when i was putting together my resume: “you gotta toot it. nobody else is.” i loved that because it’s so true. when you get where i am, you’ve only got yourself and God.

so now i’m here, applying for jobs in a little college town in mississippi just like every other poor victim of this economic crisis. i don’t have much to offer–street smarts, adaptability, trainability, and moderate artistic talent. i don’t expect to find anything.

except maybe, just maybe, myself.

i’ll let you know what i find.

More than a year ago now, in an office where I no longer work, I wrote on an old blog about having wasted entire hours on the City of Shared Stories website. That blog post is no longer online, but a lot of what I wrote then still stands. Most of us have a voyeuristic side, regardless of how hard we try to repress it;  whether we chastise ourselves for our nosiness, embrace it through sanitised, manipulated formats like reality TV, or through more authentic channels such as obsessively poring over the blog posts of strangers.

And to me that’s why the City of Shared Stories website works so well. It’s addictive. Engineered by the brainiacs at Spread the Word, it combines an interactive map of London with stories linked to each location. Type in your postcode, street name, nearest tube station, favourite haunt or most detested London locale, and in a jiffy you’ll be redirected to a whole host of anecdotes relating to that place. If there aren’t any, you can add your own.

There is of course, a not-so-subtle bit of self-whoring here, because the reason I first found out about the City of Shared Stories site was when I won second place in a competition Spread the Word organised with Time Out to celebrate the site’s launch. I wrote this entry here, and even managed to net myself £200 in Foyles vouchers for it, which to a dork like me is like letting a very greedy child run rampage in the world’s most wonderful sweet shop.

But shameless self-promotion aside (for now at least), it’s endlessly intriguing to me how varied the stories on there are. Even for any one location, the anecdotes linked to them can differ so dramatically. To me, it epitomises London, and that’s what I love about it. There’s romance, bile, cruelty and violence; sadness, apathy, adventure and excitement. I love how it lets you a sneak a peek at all the sides of London you might never otherwise see; from Sloane Rangers and Soho decadents to teenagers who live on the same street as me but whose experiences are worlds apart from mine. From clumsy teenage poetry linked to overgrown, sprawling cemeteries, to confessions of extramarital affairs conducted in soulless but swanky Mayfair hotels, it’s all there, just waiting to be stumbled across, pawed over and unravelled.

(London image courtesy of EO1’s Flickr photostream)

If we read Miss Q five books a day that’s 1825 books a year.  Five books a day is about average.  Most days she’s read between five and ten.  So that brings the yearly number to 3650… Yikes, but what can I say?  Our girl loves books.

Funny, because you wouldn’t think Miss Q would sit for anything.  Lord, how you’d think she wouldn’t sit for anything, watching her leap from the coffee table to the couch, climb on anything she can and play run-houndie-run around our kitchen/living room; heck she can’t even sit for her time-outs half the time.

So when we were given gift cards for a bookstore, it was a dream come true.  Here is a list of the books we picked, for her and Miss S to read – don’t think for a moment we haven’t cycled through them more than a couple times in the last 24-hours:

My Little Pony: Pony Party by Kate Egan

My Little Pony: Pinky Pie’s Special Day by Jennifer Christie

My Little Pony: Pinky Pie’s Spooky Dream by Jodie Huelin

• Over-night Miss Q has become infatuated with My Little Pony.  My horse-girl loves horses.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

• Great book.  Really, anyone who voices an opinion about names parents choose for their children should read this book.  Yes, I should be giving out copies!

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

• My wild thing loves this book.  I’m inclined to agree with her.

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

• Miss Q isn’t wowed, but if someone’s reading, she’ll sit.  I like it for the nostalgia.

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

• Love it for the nostalgia; love it because Miss Q loves it.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

• Lovely.

Miss S is following in her sister’s footsteps.  She will sit on my lap and listen to at least one book before she needs a break.  Miss Q doesn’t mind the company as long as Miss S’s whacking of the pages doesn’t get in the way of the pictures.

The good news is my calculator (my husband) underestimated the cost of the books compared to our gift certificates, so we still have money to spend.  I wonder what our bookworms will read next.

Interview from Time Out, December 2008, also featuring a gallery of backstage pictures.

By Tim Arthur.

As the ever-mightier Boosh, Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt have inspired a cult following so tenacious even they find it freaky. Time Out hits Brixton for psychedelic comedy, fun with fans and a cheeky Nando’s with The Mighty Boosh

www.timeout.com/london/comedy/features/171/1.html

There are so many media now covering Tokyo in English! My first piece for the new Time Out Tokyo page, about independent bookstores.

Or maybe sound like Christmas, or behave like Christmas. They were NUTS today. I was a friggin’ broken record, and I can’t even count how many times I closed my eyes to hide rolling them. They would get quiet or go back to work when I asked them, but it lasted ten seconds. I think they really can’t help it.

Twenty-five minutes after they unpacked they were finally working quietly, and I wanted to point out how this was how they should have been working from the get-go, but I was afraid to make a sound because it would get them going again!

I think it was in the afternoon when I said, “Look, I know you’re excited for Christmas, and I am too, but you need to pull it together. You’re not in kindergarten. Calm down.” Then at three I had to say, “TAKE A DEEP BREATH. CALM DOWN. Seriously, CHILL.” Snapple added, “Take a chill pill.” I replied to him, “EXACTLY. So please stop making weird noises.”

OY! 8.5 days and counting.

Splendid PR emailed us saying they had a gift for us. ‘Great!’ we said… ‘,We love gifts – what is it?’.

‘It’s a collaboration between Smirnoff and Time Out,’ they said ‘,but we can’t tell you what it is, we have to send it over…’

‘OK,’ we said – waiting for the surprise…

And lo and behold – it truly *is* a collaboration between Time Out and Smirnoff.

So we’d like to introduce the collaboration we’ve done between one of our fave mags and the office kettle.

Cuppa, anyone…?

PS in other genius news, World of Interiors just photographed our office… no, really!