A Birthday-Mocktail Party

 So I had my annual birthday MOCKTAIL party.  The female guests brought hors devours and I supplied the bar contents. A HIT!! Used music from the era of Frank Sinatra and Etta James. p.s. that is a candy cigarette in Jeannie's mouth. Doesn't she look tough?

I liked my presents. People know me. I got all kitchen gifts. 2 cookbooks from Kendall and Jeannie, darling ramekins from Karen, a sweet apron from Tanya, miniture utensils from Annie, tea towels from Chris, handerchiefs/napkins with my initials from Kendall. Marie gave me some $ with which I bought my party shoes. A co-worker Lauren gave me a lovely orchid. Martha gave me some candy and a pineapple. Some fancy grapejuice from Tony Caputo's from Kiera. I am RICH in friends.

25 Random Things About Me

On facebook lately there is a trend to request a list of 25 random things about yourself. I thought I would list them here. As a special treat for the day. *see number 20

1. I have senethesia. blue=Thursday=eight, red=Wednesday=five, yellow=Tuesday=seven, etc. etc. I have often answered "blue" when meaning to say "eight", etc.

2. I am dyscalculate with phone numbers; the last two digits I usually transpose.

3. I love the song, "I’m a little teapot".

4. I collect bottle caps, they are the currency in my family’s micro-nation.

5. I can drop start a chainsaw while hanging in a tree.

6. I hate for people to see me cry, but I actually enjoy a good cry in private, I find it cathartic.

7. I like the peppery smell of freesia flowers.

8. I am tactilely allergic to walnuts, but so far can eat them.

9. I love to make wishes on stuff, full moons, stars, train cabooses, wish-bones, etc.

10. I love 3X5 index cards.

11. I am positive I was supposed to grow an additional 2 inches…what happened?

12. I am a huge fan of Emily Post.

13. I drink raw milk from a dairy in Payson. It is sooooo delicious. Each week some family member goes down and picks up bottles for the rest of us in SLC.

14. I have sensitive teeth.

15. I scowl too much.

16. If I were an animal I would be an otter, if I were an article of clothing, I would be a scarf, if I were a fruit I would be a pomegranate.

17. I don’t like peppermint flavored things, spearmint fine, wintermint fine, any other minty flavor is fine, just not peppermint.

18. I have an alias, Tink Monad.

19. I have a rectangle birthmark on my bottom.

20. Today is my birthday!!!!

21. I have very poor cursive writing, but I am working on improving it.

22. I like VERY fine tipped pens.

23. Reading is Sexy!

24. I once caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and thought I was a cute boy.

25. I have reoccurring nightmares of the end of the world.

Word Acknowledgement

I was reveling in the sensuous pleasures. My favorite sensuous pleasures of late seem to be tactile. There are three I have have enjoyed within 12 hours.

1. Last night while walking home from class I noticed a huge pile of Sycamore leaves, so I laid down in them. It was dark, and the leaves made a constant faint clinking sound, even when I didn't move, and they smelled like fall leaves. I could have lain there forever. It was nice.
2. Hot running water for showers. (hedonistic) I love to swim too, I feel like a slippery eel.
3. After that hot shower, having enough of a window of time to jump back into bed, naked, before having to get ready for the day. I love the feel of clean sheets and me being all clean too.

So grateful to have a healthy body to experience what my senses give me.

sensuous |ˈsen sh oōəs| adjective 1 relating to or affecting the senses rather than the intellect : the work showed a deliberate disregard of the more sensuous and immediately appealing aspects of painting. 2 attractive or gratifying physically.

USAGE The words sensual and sensuous are frequently used interchangeably to mean ‘gratifying the senses,’ esp. in a sexual sense. Strictly speaking, this goes against a traditional distinction, by which sensuous is a more neutral term, meaning ‘relating to the senses rather than the intellect’ (: swimming is a beautiful, sensuous experience), while sensual relates to gratification of the senses, esp. sexually (a sensual massage). In fact, the word sensuous is thought to have been invented by John Milton (1641) in a deliberate attempt to avoid the sexual overtones of sensual. In practice the connotations are such that it is difficult to use sensuous in Milton's sense. While traditionalists struggle to maintain a distinction, the evidence suggests that the neutral use of sensuous is rare in modern English. If a neutral use is intended, it is advisable to use alternative wording.


hedonism |ˈhēdnˌizəm| noun the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence. • the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life

Let there be Light

WOW!! 240 lumen light bulbs are awesome!! I needed a new light in my bathroom. It went out a week ago and I replaced it with a nice environmentally friendly bulb, but it was just too dim and took awhile to fully light up to that dimness. So today I went to ACE Hardware and bought a new lightbulb. WOW!!, I'll say it again, WOW! It is sooo bright. I can see every eyebrow that needs plucking, the one stray, mutant, whispy hair on my chin*. WOW!!! It is amazing.

On the downside, you can now see how dirty my bathroom is. Dusty, smudged mirrors. DRAT!!

I forgot to mention that while at ACE hardware, they had Good & Plenty candy, so I bought some. I like the salty licorice inside.



*of course I removed it the second I saw it.

a Tenge for your Thoughts

I was waiting at the bus stop when I looked down in the gutter, and in the water, I could see what looked like a penny, but too small in diameter, more dime size. I picked it up. It was 20 Tenge from Kazakhstan. I do think I get a lucky day when I pick up a penny, so what does 20 Tenge get me. It is worth almost 16 cents.

And as it happens I think I get a lucky day regardless of which side is facing up. I have heard some ludicrous notions that it being tails up, is an unlucky day. Heavens, I look for every portent of luck, who has so much they can cavalierly decide that a bottom up penny is poor luck. I don't think the rhyme makes the distinction. "Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck." See, it doesn't include the caveat "head side up".

I like coins and have always collected them. Currently I collect the commemorative state quarters. I of course like the ones from places I have lived, but outright, I think I like Texas, Colorado, and Alaska best. I would like Wyoming's best, but the impression is sort of shallow and I don't like that. If it were deeper then it would be my favorite. I like the ones with bold designs that aren't too busy. I sure wish Utah's was of a Bee-hive or the Delicate arch. Alas!!

I saw a shooting star the other night and I wished on it, I saw the first star on Saturday night and I wished on it. I wish on EVERYTHING!!

Falling

My super pleasant looking jack-o-lantern sure got angry looking as he desiccated. Oh well, don't we all. hahahahah.

I went on a lovely walk yesterday evening. I went down to Santaquin to do some canning. I had invited a beau as well, because nothing is as romantic as a walk in the orchards ( that might just be my opinion). But, he didn't come early enough for a walk, but we did bottle Tokay grapejuice. It was fun. When reporting how I had spent my weekend to some friends it was a hard sell trying to convience them that bottling is what all the hip young kids do nowadays for courting. Sheesh.

Pumpkins & Prizes

This is Marie and me at the pumpkin carving FHE. Marie drove and bought me a pumpkin too. SOOO NICE! I won a prize tonight for "simplest Jack O' Lantern". Simple as in uncomplicated I hope, and not in that it is not too bright. It is right now perched on my window ledge. I won a bag of peanut M&M's. FANCY!! I have a few secrets for carving a simple JOL*. Use a small pumpkin, use an apple corer, and make a hole in the bottom to remove the seeds. Then you sit the pumpkin over the candle, no messy top to worry about removing. TA-DA! I placed a single seed via a bit of gum under an eye for a tear. A sad JOL.

*JOL short for Jack O'Lantern