The casting agent in my head

I've always imagined that my body works a bit like a very large corporation. The extremeties are the blue collar workers and the brain, of course, is the corporate office. The thing about my body business is that they are multi-facitied. They take on a great number of jobs but don't really specialize in anything. I guess that could be argued, but for the most part they don't.

Occassionaly the body corporation dabbles in film. Also known as dreams. Bet you didn't know that there is a casting agent dwelling inside my head, but there is. And she doesn't even require auditions. She just grabs people at random to play roles in her productions. Mostly the genre of films is Avante Garde, an occassional comedy, romance or horror film gets in the mix occassionallly too but they mostly stick with avante garde. But Congratulations Lauren, last night you were a star.

The body's latest film production was another avante garde flick about accomodating crazy ladies, and riding buses.The only parts I remember from it were that Lauren and Babybear got on a bus that I was riding on and we were surprised to see each other but happy none the less. Then the scene changed to my parents living room and I was getting ready to go out with another friend (one form Wisconsin) when this lady pulls up in a huge brown El Comino with some rather scary large hillbilly types and asks me if I'm ready to go. She was Native American of some sort (I gathered this info from the dream catcher dangling from the rear-view mirror) and quite obviously not in her right mind, perhaps a medicine woman of some sort. She looked a bit like a tan Morticia Adams. She told me we were going to go find some ghosts. I asked if my Wisconsin friend could come with me. She said no. I asked if Lauren (who had apparently followed me home from the bus) could come and the old woman begrudgingly said yes. The last thought before the dream ended was "I hope this doesn't take long, I have so much to do today, I hate when she shows up like this, but you gotta accomodate her or it will hurt her feelings" then a very smiling Lauren (like she had been fresh plucked out of a picture) got into the El Comino , which was again much like a bus and I woke up.

I didn't say the body makes good movies.. it just makes strange ones. They also make "enactment films" like you'd see on Unsolved Mysteries or America's Most Wanted. Playing out scenes of something I've read or heard about. Like things I read in your blogs. Since I don't know some of you in real life, you and your family members get cast by the casting agent in my head. Sometimes I imagine the little voice in my head whispering "The parts of P2 and Cath are being played by Guy Hannah use to date and girl who works in Classified." And since I watch these little enactments in my head, I'm always completely shocked when I see a real picture and they look nothing like the "actors" my casting agent put in their place. P2 and Cath being case in point :). Now that I've seen pictures to be able to work on them a coloring book, the casting agent is recasting their roles as well as Cate's role. I can hear it whisper as I read Nanabanana's blog "The parts of P2 and Cath will now be played by Stan (a client I work for who looks a bit like the real P2) and girl from the Addys (who looks quite a bit like Cath)". Now why the casting agent in my head doesn't cast P2 or Cath into their own roles now that I know what they look like, I guess is because I don't know their mannerisms because I've never seen them in real life and there fore in moving images (like the ones that play in my head when I read) they have to be played by people I've actually me.

It's an interesting business this body of mine.

Someone please save me from renovation pergatory.

We are on day 8 without our own shower. The bathroom remodel was suppose to take 4 days. Why is it that no one tells you their stories of "if they say this long, it will probably take twice that long" until after you are in the middle of things yourself and are stressing over how long it is taking?
I found three grey hairs this morning. This is not uncommon to me, since my hair is somewhat dark and dark hair tends to grey early but for the most part all the grey I've found up to this point has been on the underside of my hair. But these three are on the top of my head. Most disconcerting.
Sinks are not fun to bathe in. I'm so happy we decided to do this renovation while we are still kidless. The poor dog is a nervous wreck. She gets sick almost every night.. but is not acting sick so we are petty sure it is just her nerves because things are all out of kilter. Dogs, especially huskies, - much like children, tend to thrive on schedules and repetition. The vet told us in the beginning. She is a mix of two nervous breeds. They like their order and control. Gee, who does that sound like. No wonder I feel like the dog understands me so well.

Thank you Farmwife - we watched the new James Bond movie last night. And for at least the first half of it, all I could see was Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear
it took me a while, but I got over it and was able to finally picture him as the debonair spy. Now I wonder what will happen the next time I see WNTW.

Yes, yes. I've been gone a while again. But I have an excuse. It has been Busy with a capital B. But I'm happy today because I am not at work. Nope, I am waiting on bathroom people .... ahem ... I mean remodelers. We are redoing the bathroom. We are finally going to have an outlet in the bathroom. No more blow-drying in the hall. I am excited. And this ladies and gents (if there happen to be any reading - which I doubt on this blog) is part of my vacation. I am taking today and Thursday. DH will be here with them tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm trying to get a lot done but really I've spent a good portion of the morning catching up with everyone else that I read on here. I'm hoping to get a couple of more illustrations finished, maybe some laundry and a few more things. He's been here once and he is due back around 1(had to go to Home depot for more supples - wondering how much more that is going to cost us). I'll post before and after pics at Farmwife's request at the end of the week.

Until then, just know that I'm alive and that there haven't been any more Possum sitings since the last post.

Oh! I know something I was going to ask you all. What are your favorite novelty sayings? (i.e. "Life is just a bowl of cherries", "live, laugh, love", "What if the hokey Pokey really is what it's all about", that kind of thing) Or if you could hang a sign outside your residence what would it be?

Congratulations you have become my demographic.

Zann vs. The Opossum

Just to let you know. Possums must die. I've decided that is their sole purpose in life is just to breed and then die to be carrion. Because I certainly can't think of any useful qualities they maintain in life other than to provoke carnivorous and sometimes less than brilliant animals. Last week a possum (I hate spelling it the proper way with an "o" so I'm using my own spelling) trapsed through the field behind our house teasing our dog in her fence. Then the stupid possum climbs the tree in the corner of the yard. Our dog, whose primal instincts for rodents is strong starts jumping at it and discovers that she can get not only around the tree but also up the tree and over the fence. Thanks to this new found knowledge we have to watch her like a hawk at night when we let her out now. If we hear barking we check to make sure she isn't heading to that corner of the fence. Well tonight we got a little lax on that and I thought my fears had proven true. I have no babies. This dog is my only baby. So having her run away is not one of my favorite thoughts. It scares me. Sure she has a collar, and tags and even a microchip, but there are dangers in the world that she doesn't know about and that I don't want her to learn the hard way about. So when she didn't come when I called I got a little nervous. When she didn't come when J (the lead dog in our house) called. I got scared. Threw my shoes on and grabbed my flashlight. She wasn't on either side of the house, but J spotted her in the corner with the tree. She hadn't climbed the fence. In stead she had gotten herself stuck behind the tree. I had to climb through the brambles and honeysuckle vines into the tangles to free her. All this in the dark. I am still picking twigs out of my hair.

I'm pretty sure I heard a possum laugh as J and myself escorted our ashamed dog back into the house. Next warm day that we have, I'm breaking out the trimmer and taking out that overgrowth of honeysuckle and then I'm bringing out the chicken wire and blocking that area of the fence from certain curious hounds.

But I have to say. I'm really glad to have her back in the house. I don't know how I'd go to sleep without getting tucked in by the dog.

And she does tuck J and I in. She sits on the bed with us until she thinks we are asleep then moves down to the floor. It's sweet.

You all knew I couldn't resist a MEME, didn't you ;)

1) Is your blog identity a pseudonym or part of your real name?
It's part of my real name, kind of a family nickname. Well that is if you remove the "li" from the end of it. Those were the first two letters of my maiden name. I always know who really knows me or who just knows me from some formal meeting by what they call me.

2) How many states have you lived in? Countries?
I have only lived in this state I am in now, unless you are counting states of mind, and then there have been numerous states that I have lived in. I have visited Mexico once on a Summer Mission trip but only for two weeks, and I crossed into Canada once while doing a co-op business trip in Michigan but I was there a total of about 3 hours so I don't think that counts. All I remember is how scary the bus ride back and fourth was.

3) How long have you been blogging?
What exactly constitutes blogging? I've been conversing back and forth, sharing ideas and thought with people over the internet since 2001 when I was posting on the WeddingChannel.com's message boards and had my own little "wedding journal" there. It was a wonderful place to talk wedding stuff with other people who were totally engrossed in planning without driving everyone else who knows me in real life nuts and getting labeled a "bridezilla". Friendships were forged there and several of us from those boards (after some difficulty with stolen information, trolls and what not) moved on to Livejournal (that other place in my sidebar) around 2004 because of the ability to guard your more intimate information. Farmwife started blogging here in 2005 or 06 and convinced me to join, and then later Lauren came along, and then Art and Did (all who I knew in person) and then through them I've met you other great people. And I've been here sporadically ever since, keeping LJ as my main place to ponder.

4) If the Internet completely disappeared, would you have to go through a blogger recovery program such as blogoholics anonymous (BA)?
Absolutely. Not only that but I'd have to go to emailanon, and websiteanon, and comicsanon. Because a big portion of my time is spent working through, communicating with or learning from the internet.

5) When you aren't blogging, what are some of your hobbies?
drawing obviously. I enjoy a good book or movie now and again. And spending time with husband, dog, friends and family. I still enjoy attending live theater, but no longer participate in performing though it is on my list to try out for something within the next 3 years. I also always have about a bazillion little projects that I'm working on, but believe it or not most of them usually get finished.

(6) How many languages do you speak?
Well the only nationally recognized language that I speak is English, but I also speak Southern, Sashaneeze see two posts down, and Pig Latin

7) Favorite vacation spot?
I've only been once, but it was so beautiful that I would love to go back to Charleston, SC. But I suppose my favorite is just going home to visit. Or to Pigeon Forge for Christmas. It's always a bit like a mini vacation to me. But I'd also like to go back to Islands of Adventure in Orlando someday, and there are tons of other places I'd like to visit. Farmwife, I hope to surprise DH with a getaway to Fall Creek Falls sometime this year, I haven't been since I was 7.

8) What is your life verse, quote, or theme?
The verse is one of my mother's favorites as well that she has passed on to me. The women in our family rely on this verse because we are natural worriers. Joshua 1:9 "Be bold and courageous, banish all fear and doubt, For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." But currently my favorite quote that I have been striving to live toward and pray most every morning (I hung it on my fridge) because it spoke what my heart could form words to say is from John Baillie:

Speak in my words today, think in my thoughts, and work in all my deeds. And seeing that it is Your gracious will to make use of even such weak human instruments in the fulfillment of Your mighty purpose for the world, let my life today be the channel through which some little portion of Your divine love and mercy may reach the lives that are nearest to my own."

9) What is the hardest job you have ever had?
None of the jobs I've had have been extremely difficult. Some have been extremely annoying and miserable, but not difficult. But there have been difficult assignments within those jobs, and I'd say for me those would be the ones involving working with groups.

10) What is the most rewarding role you have had in life?
Aunt, god-mother and Wife are all tied for the #1 spot at the moment.

Since the last time I blogged here....

A lot has been going on around here that has kind of kept me from blogging here. But here is a detail-less recap of what's been happening around here. I sometimes feel guilty for not blogging here much but it isn't because I don't love you girls, it's just that I already let everything out somewhere else and I don't like repeating myself. So once again I will plug That Other Place and I promise that if you comment to me fairly often here, then I will "friend" you over there. But anyway... here's you a quick rundown.

Since the last time I blogged here:

- I have finished a logo, two brochures, 4 illustrations and picked up a new freelance gig that may or may not work out. But could be very exciting if it does. Nana, do you still want me to do your daughter's coloring book? It may sound like I don't have time, but I do.

- forgot my parents were coming to visit until two days before they arrived.

- chased the dog through a field in my work clothes after another opossum incident and her discovery of a tree in the corner of our lot. Why a opossum was out in the morning I do not understand.. but those darn things just taunt dogs.

- received the emails you have sent but have not had a chance to properly think out my answers and respond.

- signed up for a basket weaving class

- started some home renovation projects.

- discovered that we have a termite colony in the back of our lot and therefore need to have the house sprayed/protected.

- discovered how expensive that can be.

- went to an awards ceremony where we got to dress up like gangsters and my hubby won an award and I won a door prize.

- had puppies over to play with Sasha- which was very cute and entertaining because all but one was scared of her, and she was completely gentle and sweet with them. She makes a good puppy-sitter.

- We had our first real accumulative snow of the season.

- Have made plans to visit my family for a mini-reunion in two weeks, and plans to go to two showers at the end of the month (one baby, and one wedding).

- Have been reading Curly Girl and have learned a lot about my hair Art after I finish it, I will happily pass it along to you if you'd like.

- Have watched several movies, DH is on a movie binge, including The Prestige very good twisty kind of movie, Lady in the Water don't bother it was awful, Barnyard Very cute, but kind of weird since there is a male cow in it, and I kept wanting to call the mouse Sheen. Cars super cute and well done. I'm finding that I really like Owen Wilson.

I can't think of anything else right now. I need to go get dinner ready for guests coming over tonight, and see if I can't memorize my story for tomorrow's children's church- oooh! Remind me to tell you all about that sometime.