delight in life

meet oscar.

This little guy is my new roommate. After a rocky couple of nights where he didn't realize that I really prefer if he sleeps somewhere that's not on my face, we're doing good. He is currently playing soccer with an IBC bottle cap in my floor. I'm sure he will soon move on to pouncing on invisible monster in the living room. He welcomes you to tell him how adorable he is, because he hasn't heard it enough.

inspired

I read a lot of news. Right now, the world is full of really bad news: drug-resistant infections, raging fires in California, serious drought in Atlanta, apparently permanent tensions in the Middle East, a water crisis in the Southwest.

I have a habit of internalizing world problems, absorbing the worry and uncertainty of all these stories. Everything balls up into a small little boulder of nervousness that sits in my stomach and on my mood. I really need to work on that.

Whenever I come up with things I can do, even the tiniest things, the heavy, heavy load of the world's problems lifts off my conscience. My worrying brain relaxes for a minute.

I bought a reusable grocery bag at Kroger. I haven't used plastic since. Alisha and I signed up today for renewable energy to supply our electricity. I'm taking a philosophy class next semester called Environmental Ethics. I'm not sure exactly what it'll be like, but I'm hoping to learn a lot and be able to apply the knowledge to my ongoing quest to save the world. Recently I've been thinking about how I can apply my mad computer and problem-solving skills to that quest post-graduation.

Whenever I read about other people coming up with brilliant ways to solve problems, my sense of relief is even stronger. I remember that I'm not the only one trying to save the world! There are others who are smarter and more creative and with more resources. I read last night about a company who's developed biodegradable plastic bags!

I read another story about a lady who has figured out how to stop light. I mean literally. She can freeze light. So much for light speed! Obviously, that's not directly related to environmental crises, but people that brilliant restore a lot of my faith in humanity.

People like her, with big brains and bigger ideas, inspire me to make my ideas bigger.

the people in my life are so cool.

Seriously. Everyone I know has incredible taste in cool things. If I am cool, it is only because the influence of the people around me. For example, my boss showed me this awesome website today: Take Away Shows. They meet a band, they go outside, they record one song (om video), live & in one cut, on the streets. The results = pure & simple awesome music. This is my favorite so far. I love this sentence describing the band:

It’s a band, but not a band. It’s a happy mistake ; a mess. A group of noisy, undisciplined, joyful people...

The band has an accordion, a baritone, and trash cans for drums. And it is most definitely my favorite song in a while.

edit: I hope to one day live somewhere where a ragtag band spontaneously wandering through the grocery store is not an unusual occurrence.

it's grey in LA

...and also in Denton.

I haven't had much to say lately. Fortunately, I always have links to share:

• Personalized bookplates. Love love love.
• Grocery list generator. Add the recipes you find online, print out a ready made shopping list. Saweet.
• Tiny Living. For my fellow inhabiters of small spaces.
• Uncommon Goods. My new favorite pretend shopping site. You know, where I go through and add everything I like to my shopping cart and pretend I'm going to buy it, then once I have my cart all filled up, I leave. Anyone else?

welcome, fall.

Last night, we slept with our windows open, instead of the A/C on.
This morning I wore a light sweater (and was comfortable all day).
This afternoon, a Paper Source catalog arrived with wonderfully autumnal ideas for Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations.
This week, my teachers apparently sensed I was about to hit some serious burnout and they decided to not assign hours of homework.

I think God likes me a little extra today. I am grateful.

Happy Wednesday.

octoberness.

My office - which happens to be the coolest department in the library - celebrated October yesterday by doing this:

and this:

The majority of that stunning artwork is mine. The pumpkins that actually look real are not. Jerrell drew those, and although he is quite a talented artist, I did not appreciate how his lovely pumpkins made mine look lumpy and, dare we say it, amateurish.

For Christmas last year we spent an entire Friday hanging paper snowflakes from the ceiling tiles. Hundreds of them. Seriously. I love my job.