Randominity

Randominity

Random scattered thoughts like clouds and one specific zucchini.

I had more fun thinking up a title to this post (randomocity?  randomidiocy?   randomidiocity?    randomocary?)    and now I’ve just spent 3 minutes with fingers hovering over the keyboard, “what to write, what to write?…”    Best advice is just to start typing words of any kind.   Describe what I’m doing – just did that – and now watch the letters and spaces spill out onto the screen!  a delight.    

When creativity gushes turn to drought and negative maudlinism rises to the surface of the muck in my brain, I usually grab the camera and start wondering what is photo-worthy.    I present to you today, what I found.

ZUCCHINI.

First Zuc

Planted from seed, the packet gave a days timeframe of when to expect shoots poking up through the dirt and when I could expect my harvest.   This gorgeous guy was ready a week before the note on my calender said we would be introduced.    He was picked, sliced and thrown into my crockpot of hamburger-potato casserole.  

The Zuc Plant

Here’s the plant from whence he came.     

and the next one to be picked: 

Next!

I had poor planning or had poor results and failed execution for colorful flowers at this time of the summer.   Many of the annuals I planted earlier can not handle the heat stress this time of year and I got lazy on my deadheading and my zinnias dried up, too.   My favorite nursery is closed July and August so I’m not sure where I need to go to buy some 8-10 inch zinnias but I need to start thinking about them.   I love the color and boldness of a crop of zinnias…

But the clouds against this morning’s blue sky were quite striking and gave me the push I needed to write a post…    Enjoy and may you have mild temperature, plenty of sunshine and a pleasant breeze for your travels today.

Random Meme from Hallie

I was tagged by the Brilliant Hallie for this meme.    

1. What were you doing five years ago?

Five years ago would have been June of 2003.  I was living in Kansas City and my husband would be doing well but not great at his remodeling business.    The only reason I say ‘not great’ is that in order to consider himself doing ‘great’, he would be needing to put more away into the 401k –> ie, the(my?!) retirement fund, etc. and we were just ‘making it’.    This makes me laugh now because I’m not sure where the money was going since our mortgage was a LOT less there than here in Mass and we had a bigger house.   So strange, isn’t it?   What you believe CAN influence your reality.   Just reading that sentence makes me laugh a little in one of those ‘I shouldn’t be laughing’ kind of ways.  I do that a lot.   Laugh inappropriately…   Anyway, where was I?    Five years ago.  I was managing data streams for a restaurant company and my boss was someone I respected a lot but also thought was really missing out on one part of life (having ANY fun.)    A great example of unbalance and/or you can never really know about some people.   Then again, judging is bad.   This concludes the lesson.

2. What are five things on your to-do list today?

1. Do something with the hamburger that has been in the freezer awhile.*
2. Balance the chemicals in the hot tub.
3. Read; finish one book and continue in another.
4. Blog some.
5. Grocery shopping & laundry.

3. What snacks do you enjoy?

Hub is actually attempting the weightloss goal by spending a ton of cash on Nutrisystem.   I LOVE their chocolate peanut butter bars and the white cheddar chip things.   But I also love onion rings, chips and guacamole, spinach/artichoke dip, ice cream;  most anything called ‘snack’, really.   I love food.    Stacy’s Pita chips are the very best of that category.   My favorite candy bar is the $100,000 bar and I love DOVE dark chocolate.    When I go to the movies, I must have buttered popcorn – it’s just a part of my movie-going experience.

4. Things you would do if you were a billionaire.   

Invest a third for me, invest a third in others, spend a third on a big boat, build a front porch onto my Colonial house – oh crap, forget that! – I would sell this and buy a lake home, learn to fly my own plane and buy a pair of dark purple cowboy boots in some exotic leather.

5. Three of your bad habits.

1. Self doubt and self-pity (can that be one or should it be two?) 
2. Drinking a bit too much alcohol a little too often. 
3. I bum cigarettes cuz so many of my friends smoke but I don’t often think about smoking when I’m by myself so I rarely buy or have cigs of my own.  Yes, I know it’s a bad habit.   It’s a social thing.

6. Five places you have lived.

I have lived in many towns in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, two in Nebraska, a summer in Washington DC and short stint near DC close to Dulles Airport, besides where I live now:

1. Massachusetts
2. Virginia
3. Missouri
4. Nebraska
5. Illinois

7. Five jobs that you’ve had?

No particular order:

1. Hostess at Red Lobster
2. Learning Skills Instructor
3. Computer Programmer
4. Vocational Education Program Coordinator
5. Realtor

8. How did you name your blog?

A long time ago when I purchased a website address of my name – I thought it would be cool to learn web design and have my own personal website, (I never really got around to learning much more than the very basics) and I also bought ideajump.com  because I liked the vague-ness yet positiveness of how these two words sounded together.   And it was available, it was short, most people know how to spell idea and jump, and so I put down the $6…   I was toying with the idea of being a lifecoach at that point in my life, too, and thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a place to park such a business if it took off.    Once I discovered this blogging thing, I decided to jump into it and thought Idea Jump would be a good title.   I don’t know why I didn’t call my id ‘ideajump’ to keep it seamless; somehow I ended up with ‘curiousC’.    I don’t think much thought went into that at all.

 

I am simmering some Hamburger Stew right now:   1# hamburger, potatoes, carrots, green beans, 2 cans tomato sauce…    Will serve with Cuban Bread – a good thick hearty white bread.

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Yesterday was my biggest hit day according to my stats page.     And yet, viewings of my main post counts 11.    Hmmm.   The Orange Plaid post shows 34 viewings.   Whatever.

FYI – American Idol has the top 24 ready.    Here’s why I like it:   I’m thrilled that such talent that may not have an outlet to be shared with the world may come to light.    It’s the “rooting for the little guy and he prevails” feel-good feeling.   Yea, so, the exposure and style of the show and its process can be seedy, but I still love the happy parts.    I’m in love with the Archuleta fella.   He’s just adorable and his voice is so dreamy!

 

  

I have yet to watch Project Runway from last night.  I DVR’d it and it’s waiting patiently for my date with it later this morning while I run/walk on the treadmill;  I promise to review this afternoon.

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I snuck a cut out heart with “I love you!  XOXOXOX,  CuriousC” into my hubby’s lunch box this morning!   This is amusing me then, now and will until he calls to tell me he found it.   And if he doesn’t call me, then my afternoon will turn into me being even more amused wondering what he has in store for me, knowing that it is driving me crazy that he hasn’t called me yet!     Ah, love…

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Happy Valentines Day!

 Curious “C”

Skipping

I used to love to skip when I was a kid.   It tires me to skip now.   I hate getting older.  And I hate thinking that at my age which is too young to think of boring tedious topics that involve whining about age.

I do find it fascinating how fast children grow up.     Why did it seem to take forever?   

And from that under 10 perspective, it was amazing how old I thought people were when they were over 40!   Probably thought that for over 30.   

I always thought my older cousins were ‘cool’.    Strangely alien, but cool.   

I was the youngest of 14 cousins on my mother’s side of the family.    I adored every cousin!     I didn’t get to see them much – we were scattered to the winds and lived in many different states.

Skipping; casually moving along but in a peppy manner…     Like the thoughts in my head right now.    The online definers give the following in response to the search to define skipping:

To move by hopping on one foot and then the other. To leap lightly about.

Ah, to leap about lightly!  Sounds fun.

Googling for a quote to insert, I stumble upon this ditty from the Scottish dramatist James Matthew Barry:

“When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.”

   

    

I must skip off now, I have my first training class for the Adult Literacy / Reading Initiative.   ta ta for now!   See you on the morrow…