Find Me at Erronia

Boy, it has been so long I about forgot how to post. I have moved over to Wordpress - following my step-down-transformer Mark around. If you happen to land here, take a peak over there at (see below under picture) http://gribobber.wordpress.com/

What do you Give?

Giving the World

The Christmas holidays are a time for giving. We give presents to our friends and family. We make those end of year donations to charities to get our tax credits. But why is it that we wait until Christmas to do our giving? Is it because of the retail blitz? Are we thinking of Jesus and what he gave because it is his recognized birthday? Why aren't we for giving all year long?

What do you give to in your life...all year long?

Where Have I Been?

I have been languishing in my selfishness. I had clearly lost my center. I can at least see that I have one again, and am working my way back towards it. I have been too busy being critical of my husband's selfishness to see my own. My friend Joyce is a master at pointing that out. We had a long conversation on the phone a few days ago - one of the kind where on my end I am making faces at her, pulling the phone away from my ear - she was BLASTING me. But, I am thankful that I have a friend who will do that - it was what I needed.

I have also been caught up in all the changes at work - new boss, new position, trying to keep all my peeps busy while the new boss tries to get us all some more work. Worry, worry, worry.

So, hopefully I won't take another hiatus like that one. I'll be around to visit everyone over the next few days. I hope you are all well.

Winter Wonderland

Mother Nature is merrily coating my house in ice and snow - it is beautiful. I love winter...as long as I don't have to drive in it. I'm a major winter driving weinie. Our driveway is fairly steep with a nice picturesue gully on one side. My visions of a careening car with a silently screaming driver, eyes clenched shut, going over the edge are just too real. If it even looks like snow, I stay at home. And boy is it coming down at the moment.

So what is the plan for winter? It will be a different winter for me. The first winter I am an orphan. The first winter that I have a major personal project. Perhaps the last winter in this house. It is a pivitol winter for the orchestra. What are you doing this winter?

What Kind of Friend do You Want to Be?

Mark, Joyce, Sensei and I went to dinner tonight after the "warmup" BCO concert. We give a concert every season to the National Elks Home in Bedford because they give us practice space for free.

After the concert we went to Oiy's Italian restaurant. We had a very interesting time - hanging with Sensei always promises to be an adventure. Towards the end of the evening, Sensei told us about a song he was writing entitled What Kind of Friend do You Want to Be? So we were talking about that and he asked all of us what kind of friend did we want to be. It is an interesting question.

So...what kind of friend do you want to be?

Where is Mark?

For those of you who frequent Building Bridges over the Great River aka Eternal Awareness might wonder where our buddy Mark has been.

He is alive and well, but has been on the road non stop for 3 weeks. I have to admit, as his immediate supervisor (hehe), that it is partially my fault. I committed him to a project that I knew was going to be harsh. So, please bear with him, he will be back soon. In the mean time - he is looking good!

Chinese Zodiac

Chinese Dragon

What is your sign in the Chinese zodiac? I am an Ox - don't know whether I should be offended or not. Here is what one website said about being an Ox.

Ranking Order: second (damn! never first)
Hours ruled by the Ox : 1 am - 3 am (no surprise here, I have always been a night owl)
Direction : North-Northeast
Season and month : winter, January
Lucky stone: white onyx
Corresponds to Western sign : Capricorn (really? everything else says I am a Leo)
Fixed Element : water (I like that, I am very drawn to water)
Stem : negative (wonder what this means)
Greatest Affinity : Rooster, Snake
Greatest Enmity : Goat
The ox is born under the twins sign of equilibrium and endurance. The ox is both patient and meticulous with strong principles, and as such tends to be very stubborn. (yes, my mother would agree with this) The ox is extremely strong, and an excellent worker. However, these traits also make the ox stubborn, and their sense of self reliance makes it difficult for them to ask for or to receive assistance. Don't go looking for an evening of scintilating conversation from an ox as they are poor conversationists, and unfortunately don't have much of a sense of humour either. (I beg to differ with that last part!)
Oxen are ruled by conviction, and they are not often swayed from their beliefs. The ox's ability to criticise others for their own shortcomings is well known. (zing!) The ox is not very good at coping with its emotions, and can become introverted and self-destructive when they fail to find a way of expressing their feelings.
Another outward sign of the ox's self-reliance is its inability to share power, and its demand for loyalty from its friends. Born leaders, oxen work hard to achieve their goals. Unsuprisingly oxen make somewhat authoritarian parents, but are very strongly family minded. Relationships tend to be long term, and casual affairs very rare.

All in all I'd say this is pretty accurate.

GAC's Guide to Good Reading

Yippee! Looks like the wonderful Rhombus has solved my computer problems!

Ok, here is the first installment of some of my favorite reading:

The Sparrow
Children of God

Both by Mary Doria Russell. Children of God is the sequel to The Sparrow so be sure and read them in order. This is the story of finding life on another planet. A cross section of people from Earth are chosen to go to this planet and check it out. The main character is a Jesuit priest, who is one of the chosen. The story in The Sparrow is told in flashback form, and you really don't find out the details until Children of God - but don't jump ahead as the story unfolding in The Sparrow is essential.

The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips

Oh, the tale this book weaves! It is really clever. I'm not saying any more.

Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra

This is a true story that has been made into a movie, and they did a fairly decent job of it. But I am glad I read the book first. It is the heart wrenching story of four friends growing up in Hell's Kitchen (NYC). A prank gone wrong changes their lives forever.

Adolf Hitler by John Toland

If you are interested in how the Holocaust could have ever happened, this book is a fascinating read. I have read a lot on Hitler and this one by far best tells his history and how he managed to gain control over so many people.

That's it for now. If you read like I do this will last you about a month.

Congrats to Jim! 

An Alter Ego

Fishwife