It's Friday, I'm in love....

with FLASH FICTION!
here's a couple of 'em for ya.
(If you are not sure what this is about, go see Susie. )
------------------------
Heavy clouds opened and rain swept away the sticky heat of the day. She banished thoughts of work and set across the fields for a walk. Delighted, she stretched out her arms and opened her mouth to falling droplets. Rather than liquid, she felt light. The lightening bolt was the last thing she ever felt.

-----------------------------

Last Friday Kyahgirl asked for a topical 55, and since I would never disappoint my twin, here it is!

An involuntary twitch of his left eye began as he searched instinctively for a pattern in the swirling madness. He could make out, yes, there were circular shapes, but they were so irregular, here an ellipse, there an oval. "Whatcha think," a cheerful voice inquired, "Doesn't it look better?" He turned, smiling, "Sure" he said.

Sing it with me now... Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes...

I recently spent some time with a crazy lady I know.

Good fun, but,

she was a...questionable influence on my taste.

I decided to dye my hair purple.

Plum, to be exact.
It is temporary,

should wash out over the next couple weeks.

And yes, I know, I know, should is the operative word there.

What the heck, it's summer, and it's fun.

It'sonly hair after all, it will keep growing.

Another crazy friend of mine, Lime (who is usually a good influence) posted a pic of her very cool anklet. I have one too, but hers is better. Anyway, here is mine, its so small its hard to tell, but it is a little flower.

So there ya have it,

Head and shoulder, knees and toes, knees and toes,

Head and shoulder knees and toes, knees and toes,

I've got eyes and ears and a mouth and a nose,

Head and shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes!

It's Hump day!

Today I face the world bravely.

I have, protecting me when I ride,

not ONLY kevlar jean, but also...

A Tori Amos patch courtesy of my friend Susie!

Thanks Susie, Mr. Logo helped me sew it on and now I am all stylee.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is soooooo rainy and wet in the northwest ALL THE TIME.

It is miserable, you would all hate it here.

Now that we have THAT out of the way...

Here is Ariella being a fan hog, black absorbs the heat, doncha know.

Also,

At the library I found a movie from over ten years ago that I rather like.

It quotes, or at least references, Shakespeare from time to time, and it is quite silly in parts.

What could be better? Let me tell you.

People not scratching the FIRE out of library DVDs!!

Anyway, the movie contains a couple repeatable lines, feel free to tell me if you know which film it is.

"A kiss may not be the truth, but it is what we wish were true."

Sitting there at that moment I thought of something else Shakespeare said. He said, "Hey... life is pretty stupid; with lots of hubbub to keep you busy, but really not amounting to much." Of course I'm paraphrasing: "Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

"All I know is... if I had the power, I would turn the winds around, I would roll in the fog, I would bring in storms, I would change the polarity of the earth so compasses couldn't work, so your plane couldn't take off."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last item for today,

my twin sister Kyahgirl offered to let me ask her 5 questions too!

Here goes:

1. What is the best chemical geek joke you know?

2. How do you think Harper is doing so far?

3. How is that Brazilian working for ya so far?

4. I, as did you, experienced post-partum depression.

Was there a specific time, perhaps a moment of joy, in which you said to yourself,

"Aaaah, this is me! I remember me, I like me!"

or was it more like a gradual rebalancing?

5. You have mentioned handbag contents a couple times on your blog,

got anything interesting in there at the moment?

Last week's quiz was won by
Le Idiot, well done!
Second place went to QL, and Minka, congrats!

Here is the QUIZ.

In other news,

These are our license plates from Italy.

They bring to mind flying along the A-1 at 100 MPH.

Good times, good times.

Here is Thing One reading his Kid's National Geographic,

it seems to mostly be about movies these days, I seem to recall it having more wildlife content when I was a kid. Course, I read it after I returned home from walking to school in the driving snow, uphill, with no shoes, etc. etc.

And next, we have a pic from the Saturday before last.

Mr. Logo took Thing Two for a ride with a local Harley group.

Thing Two was the youngest rider and was much admired and applauded.

His riding harness was also a big hit.

````````````````````````````````````````````

ALSO, I found my HOUSE in Italy!!

If you have, or get, Google Earth you can find it too.

IM or email if you are interested and I will give you the coordinates.

```````````````````````````````````````

Also, I have 5 questions for Lime and Snavy, as they very obligingly volunteered to be interviewed.

Lime

1.Would you please tell us more about your duel with Gus?

2. What is your favorite thing about driving?

3. What have you found is the best part of blogging?

4. Have you used your Monty Python TP yet, are you going to?

5. So, when I come paint your ceilings for you, what colors are we doing?

Snavy

1. What are your favorite kinds of sushi?

2. Are those hideous pink flamingo still in your yard?

3. When you come visit me what are the top 5 things we are going to do?

4. You mentioned a first kiss beside a pool, can we hear more of that story?

5. You have been chosen by the American voting public to pick the next president, who do you pick, and why?

The results of the poll

Mr. Logo, being above all things, a reasonable man,

took the thumbs down result of the blog poll with comparatively good spirits.

He has promised to shave his chops when he returns from the Harley rally he is attending with Thing One in Montana.

In the mean time, as a peace offering,

he brought me home a little present,

an outdoor table and chairs that I really like.

Does that man know how to make amends or what?

In other new, after his last game of the season ,

here is Thing Two, sporting his game face.

He asked me to take his pic, and how could I resist?

55 Flash Fiction

Susie, asked me to play hostess to the Friday Flash Fiction.
So here is the deal, if you want to play along, write a story with exactly 55 words.
You can leave a story in the comments here, OR, let us know you wrote one and we will follow your link to your block and comment on your clever writing there.
Hop around and see what everyone is doing, if you like.
Now, here are mine,
written on topic provided by Susie, Lime, and Lily.
---------------------
Her engorged membranes throbbed, so exquisitely sensitive to the touch yet crying out to be rubbed again. Slowly, she raised her eyes and caught a glimpse of her reflection; red-rimmed puffy eyes and a crimson swollen nose. She tossed her sodden tissue toward the trash and reached for the box again. Oh no, empty again?!
----------------------
There were indication of a variety of foodstuffs in the fibers, but springs and fabric remnants were not consistent with kitchen furnishings. Trying to establish the nature of the item was also complicated by the quantity of paper, bodily fluids, and clothing found within it. What purpose could be served by such a disgusting thing?
----------------------------------
As he bent over his cash register he again felt a strange sensation. He ran his hand across his smooth scalp, half-expecting to feel moisture, but there was nothing. There was no way he could know that not too far away a woman with a voodoo doll and some whipped cream was thinking of him.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
I asked for brave volunteers for the 5 question meme, I got two, and now here are your questions.
Feel free to answer here or take them and post it on your blog, as you please, ladies.

Five Questions for Minka
1. You have two weeks to travel to anywhere in the world, expense is no object, tell us your itinerary?
2. What is your favorite and least favorite thing about living in Iceland?
3. What parts of using English do you like and dislike?
4. How many hours have you clocked watching the World Cup?
5. How long IS a piece of string?


Five Questions for Pansi and Weirsdo
1. Weirsdo- If Minnie was no longer an issue would you want to go back into the teaching industry?
2. Weirsdo- What is something you do that makes life easier for you and/or your family?
3. Pansi- Many of an artistic inclination find they are more sensitive than other people. Tell us, do you find purple paint on your buttocks as irritating as sensible people would?
4. Pansi- What is your favorite network TV show?
5. Weirsdo- Cooking; necessary evil, or artistic outlet?

Dance with me?

Keane has done a cover of one of my favorite songs,
The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore.
You can follow that link to go listen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are the lyrics so you can sing along,
preferably at the top of your lungs,
while dancing,
or dancing and signing,
as the case may be.
-----------------------------
Loneliness is a cloak you wear
A deep shade of blue is always there
The sun ain't gonna shine anymore
The moon ain't gonna rise in the sky
The tears are always clouding your eyes
When you're without love (Baby)
Emptiness is a place you're in
and nothing to lose but no more to win
The sun ain't gonna shine anymore
The moon ain't gonna rise in the sky
The tears are always clouding your eyes
When you're without love
Lonely without you baby
Girl I need you, I can't go on
The sun ain't gonna shine anymore
The moon ain't gonna rise in the sky
The tears are always clouding your eyes
When you're without love (Baby)
The sun ain't gonna shine anymore
The moon ain't gonna rise in the sky
The tears are always clouding your eyes
When you're without love (Baby)
The sun ain't gonna shine anymore
The moon ain't gonna rise in the sky
The tears are always clouding your eyes
When you're without love.
---------------------------------
P.S.
If you don't know why I stuck that picture over there,
go rent Truly, Madly, Deeply,
it's one of the few romantic comedies
(chick flicks)
that is worth owning.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

It is the summer solstice, sunset was at 9:14 this evening, the last rays of light were well and truly gone by ten.

Here is the lawn after I mowed it, you can see the pattern a little bit I think.

Any guesses as to shape?

Here is a lounging rabbit, kicking back in the summer sun. Here is a teeny tiny widdle baby bunny, this photo was taken out the window.

They are getting quite bold which annoys the resident canine to NO end.

Lastly, we have Thing One and Thing Two by our annual summer solstice bonfire.

When they get a little older we will move our bonfire to the solstice eve so we can greet the morning,

but for now, a bonfire and staying up late on the longest day suits them quite well.

We don't dance skyclad or anything

(at least not while the kids are awake)

but I like marking the solstices and equinoxes.

There is a sense of connectedness sitting by a fire at the end of the longest day of the year.

For ages mankind has recognized this day, celebrated it and mourned it.

The days will shorten now, our light decrease.

But it just marks another phase of our trip around the sun.

Opinion Poll

This is an open poll.

Mr. Logo has grown largish mutton chop type side burns.

Local opinion vary.

What do you think?

Speak your mind.

And remember,

be honest,

this is for posterity.

Happy Tuesday to you all!

The QUIZ!
Have fun.

Happy Father's Day

to three of the best dad types I know.
And all the rest of you too.

My honey (or heartner) Mr.Logo, who throws a heck of a party.
Whether its for the kids or the grown ups,
everyone has a good time.


My papa, who is an even better grampa than he was a dad,
what a guy!





And the grandpapa,
the progenitor,
he met my gramma during the Blitz in London,
in a bomb shelter.
The stories after that aren't any less interesting.



Have a great day, guys, love you!

I have a confession to make.

Most of you who've known me

any time at all know

how much I value fidelity.

I take relationships and commitment seriously.

So it happened slowly that I realized my needs were not be met.

I was feeling marginalized, frustrated, isolated.

I know all relationships have struggles, and I tried work through them.

But then it happened,

I found someone else.

The rush has been amazing, I feel so valued.

But I can't just give up on what I already have.

I won't do that.

Some agreements have been reached.

I am going to stay here,

and have a piece on the side.

Sounds tawdry, doesn't it?

But really, it's for the best.

So I am going to stay with my first love, Blogger.
And when Blogger can't give me what I need,

I have a little SOMETHING ELSE,

to help me through.

We are all very content with this arrangement.

I hope you can find it in your hearts to be happy for us.

(There is a link right in the title box, head over for a visit anytime.)

55 Flash Fiction

Lily, Minka, Damasta, Candace, and Lime left me some fun topics to write about last week. I couldn't resist, I wrote about them all. Thanks, ladies, I had fun, hope you like them.

If you have an interesting topic for me, leave it in the comments and I will write you a 55.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
________________________
Leaning forward she reached up with her right hand, fingers seeking a hold. No, still too slick, she re-chalked and tried again. There was an ideal crevice for a fist jam just overhead. The Screaming Yellow Zonker was graded 5.11, but she knew she could do it. After all, she survived holidays with her mother-in-law!
----------------------------
"Now I'll go check out Quesadillas for Breakfast and THEN I'll work." She entered the web address and was shocked that it was not Damasta.
"Oh no! Not her too, say it ain't so! She can't be gone."
Just then an email alert popped up, it was from Damasta. Her new blog address was www.quesadillasanonymous.blogspot.com.------------------------
She applied the last of the polish to her nails and sat back to read. A itch made her wiggle her toes. The itch came again. She realized it felt like more like something moving on her flesh. Glancing down she saw an enormous spider, two legs stuck in the polish on her big toe.----------------------
A woman of many languages and lands sat down and waved her hands over the magical tool that would bring familiar faces she'd never met right to her room. She would converse with people she could not hear and explore worlds without form. As long as Minka had the internet, who needed a crystal ball?-------------------------
The small, smiling faces gathered around the table, trophies were distributed and high fives exchanged. The baseball season was finally over and the relieved sighs of parents were audible. They had gathered here at the cheapest pizza joint in town because nothing says "We're celebrating" like a cardboard crust with molten lava bubbling on top.
.............................

An update from the Princess

Alright, to those of you who've been missing me...

I've been busy.

Don't pressure me with your petty needs.

Here, have a Totally Naked Thursday picture to make up for it.

Here is a picture of my Golden Boy, looks concerned doesn't he?

One of his kids is messing with his stuff.

NEVER a good thing.Here is my main Canadian man Casper, doesn't he look pitiful?

Poor thing, don't you just want to cuddle him and throw a frisbee for him?

Notice how he is lounging on the couch?

It took a while for his people to understand the value of allowing the pet on the furniture but he won them over, what a guy...sigh. Next we have one of the vicious interlopers from my yard.

"Come no further!!

Death awaits you all,

with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"

See how relaxed it is??

In MY yard??

And the Alpha Female forbids the chasing!

AAAARGH

Lastly, just for you speciesists,

another one of those solarized HNT pics...sigh, ANOTHER ONE... Now I'll return to my busy schedule of being adored and napping.

Lovely to see you all again, try not to mourn my absence too much,

it makes the Alpha Female feel bad, she does her best.

I have a bloggy pal named Candace.
She has a geeky rear end, and can kicks your (she tae kwon dos).
She mows in circles and enjoys AD...oh look, a chicken!
She asked me five questions which I have answered here.

1) When did you decide to homeschool your kids and do you remember what got you started thinking about it?
Well, I guess she outed me. For those of you who didn't already know, I homeschool, but not because I am a total hippie or a raving fanatic. Homeschool presented itself as the best possible solution to a difficult situation in Italy. Thing One was ready to start kindergarten our first year in Naples. The American school was an hour away by bus and all the kids, from kindergarten to high school seniors rode the same bus. Kindergarten was a full day capped off with ANOTHER hour on the bus. I decided that was not an acceptable way for my 5 year old to pass his days. He was resistant to learning Italian so the local school was not a viable alternative. Since I had studied teaching and had plenty of access to support and resources I started homeschooling. When we moved back to the states both of the Things indicated they would prefer to stick with homeschooling. We all three very much enjoy it and their annual test scores indicate that scholastically it is working out very well.

2) What is your favourite "classic" book?
The Count of Monte Christo, no, wait,
The Little Prince, no, maybe
The Scarlet Pimpernel, no, wait,
Persuasion, well, um,
one of those, or maybe....

3) If you could only choose 1 book - OK that's just silly. What book have you read the most times?
Too hard!! Well, if we are going merely by repetition probably the Bloom County comic collections, or the Far Side or Calvin and Hobbes. If you want actual books, well, that would be the works of our man Douglas Adams. He had a way of phrasing things that even though I know what is coming I still snigger.

4) What flavour of tea are you?
Dreamzicle, a black tea with a creamy vanilla flavor and citrus tones. It's called a designer tea, not your average, run-of-the-mill tea, thank you very much.

5) Gravity: yes or no?
By Coldplay? Yes
By Newton, only if I have to, but I haven't mastered the art of missing.
Maybe I need to go back to Greece and buy more souvenirs.

The quiz has been delayed for a week because the quiz writer is in the last week of school and a little busy and very distracted at the moment. Last week Weirsdo and Grunt tied for 1st, congrats! Second place went to Lime, Idiot, Doug, and Neva.
Many thanks to Weirsdo, Doug, and Idiot who donated questions, we will be seeing them next week. Feel free to email questions for next week's quiz. Ask, if you want to ask me questions, feel free, and if you want me to ask you 5 questions please let me know.

In Which Logo Mixes Two Memes and serves them with insufficient ice

since the residents of la casa de logophilia seen to lack the ability to refill ice cube trays and the fairies aren't taking care of it either.
A while back there was meme making the rounds where you shared 10 things you would like to tell someone, and more recently there was one that used song titles as responses.
I decided to do them both together.
So here ya go...
~~~~~~~~~~~
You're So Vain-Carly Simon
I Hate Everything About You~ Three Days Grace
We're Not Gonna Make it~ Presidents of the United States of America
Friend is A Four Letter Word~ Cake
Shut up~ Simple Plan
I Love to See You Smile~ Randy Newman
You're My Best Friend~ Queen
Here Comes the Rain Again~Eurythmics
How Much Did You Get For Your Soul~ The Pretenders
I Want What I want~ Social Distortion

So I have finally finished writing and collecting pictures for the flash fiction.

Two or three weeks ago I asked for topic suggestions, several of you were kind enough to volunteer one, here are the results.

-----------------

Irradiated molecules of an unknown origin danced together. Before the blast they had lurked unnoticed under the bed of a teenager in the Pocono's, now they were far more sinister than a collection of dust. Neglect that had allowed them to grow to such an unusual size would be regretted, but it was too late.

In stunned disbelief he looked around. The last thing he recalled was shutting his Mac™ down for the night, letting the dogs back in and then going to bed. He was in a frighteningly different world. Suddenly, with a chill, he recognized a voice. "There you are, Mr. Dog. Let's see this doll-wooing in person!"

Fragrant breezes invited her to open her helmet. A moment later a dark shape sped toward her face and she heard the buzzing of an annoyed bee. Chanting her all-purpose mantra she eased off the throttle, "Be cool, just be cool." There was no shoulder on the road and a truck loomed in the mirrors.
The intricately wrought frame hung on a burgundy wall across from the brass bed. It was a picture of her hopes and dreams, she longed for this future. The darkness of the past and the pressures of the present receded as she promised herself this was coming. The empty frame soothed her like nothing else.
Her nose wrinkling in distaste she ripped open the bag and emptied its contents into a bowl. Sheesh, she thought to herself, the things she did for her friends! Oh well, at least there would be tea, coffee and scones to enjoy. If it would make her guests feel more comfortable she could endure Funyuns™.
"We called these Clementines, remember?" she asked.
"We did?" the boy asked.
"Oh yes, go play this video, you'll see."
Then she heard the sound of plastic cracking. Turning she saw two stunned faces, one had been swinging a globe and smashed the tape. Her memories of those recorded images were now all that remained.

Checking surreptitiously to be sure he was unobserved he slipped the camera into his messenger bag. The child's birthday request had been fortuitous; he'd been wanting a digital camera for some time. Now he would finally be able to capture it on film. Proof that Satan rode Seattle Transit and he drooled in his sleep.

----------------------------

Happy weekend everyone!

If you leave me a topic in the comments I will write you a 55... eventually.

Birthday wishes to the esteemed elder sister

Here we see a picture of my siblings and I, Christmas 1977.

My older sister is one of the very few 3-D people in my life who have this URL.

She doesn't drop by too often, but occasionally checks up to see what sort of ridiculous antics her little sister is getting up to now.

Earlier this week the esteemed elder sister had a birthday.

There are many sappy poems about sisters, and entire books dedicated to discussing the topic.

I can do the topic no justice here, so I will simply say...

Sometimes I feel like no one knows me better,

Sometimes I've felt like you don't get me at all .

Sometimes you make me crazy,

Sometimes being crazy with you is the best fun ever.

No matter what,

across continents and oceans I've always felt you were there for me.

Friends by choice.

I love ya, sister mine.

Happy birthday, and here's to a great year!

OK, here it is, the quiz, a lil late.

Last week DOUG won, yay Doug!!
Minka and the Gimp tied for second.
Thanks everyone for playing and remember to email questions to me for next week!

THE QUIZ

I don't know how well you can tell in the pic, but Thing One has inherited his mom's taste in lawn mowing patterns.

I am soooo proud!

sniff sniff

I am a CAPTION FINALIST!

Go vote for me, eh?

I want you, I need you

I have a passion,

bordering on obsession.

When I wake in the morning,

it is my first thought.

It consumes me,

it fulfills me.

It is always there for me,

always gives just what I need.

Ahhhhhhhh

I do so adore my tea.

Hope you are having a happy Monday!

Would you trust these faces?

You shouldn't!

So far this weekend we have had:

1. A lost baseball glove

2. Nakedness the yard

3. Two screaming fights between the two of them

4. A lost child

5. One tenuous grasp on parental sanity slowly slipping southward.

Friday Fiction has been preempted

Today I am going to be paying my respects to a man I admired and loved very much.
Other than my parents, he probably bears more responsibility for how I ended up than any other person,
the good stuff anyway.
He was a man of character and principle.
He loved people, and devoted his life to them, to us.
I grew up with his children, and learned so much from him.
He taught me to stand up for what I believed was right.
Once when that meant I disagreed with him he heard me out and changed what he was doing.
When it meant that I made choices he couldn't agree with he continued to treat me with the same respect and affection.
I found out as an adult that he had saved a very inexpert paperweight I had made for him in the second grade.
He teared up at my wedding.
He drove for three hours to visit me in the hospital after I walked in front of a car.
I hadn't talked with him in over a year, but I miss knowing he shares the earth with me.

He died on his 59th birthday, far too young, and my world is a poorer place for it.