seven things (again)

kittymaru, didn't you tag me last time?

Ok, seven things about me, posted in journal, with seven tagged people at the end who will probably ignore me:

1) I have just discovered that if you save too many things to the desktop of my computer (pre-intel Mac powerbook running system X.4) they fill up all the "available" space and then make a pile on top of the harddrive icon in the corner. A very deep pile, which can take a while to remove without taking the harddrive with it.

2) People get very impressed with the (craft/sewing/etc) projects I actually finish, but they don't see all the ones I don't finish, do badly and throw away mid-way through, or don't even start. Which is by far the depressing majority of the cool stuff in my head, and why I don't feel as productive as others seem to think I am. The moral of the story? I want to do too much, and my expectations are too high. If I could focus better, instead of coming up with new ideas anytime I don't want to work on something, then I would be much more satisfied with myself.

3) I have a bad habit of rotating hobbies every (at most) two or three years. At the moment, I'm trying to decide if the SCA is up for replacement.

4) I am becoming really enamored of the concept of pilgrimage. Not so much in a religious sense (although the catholic/medieval sort definitely has something to do with it) but as a spiritual exercise. I contemplate doing something like walking Hadrian's Wall, or part of the Santiago de Campostella route, or at least getting another national parks pass and trying to visit as many of them on the east coast as possible. ($50 for a year-long entry into all Nat'l parks... definitely worth it when going out to the $20 admission fee places, a little harder to get ahead when all we've got is shenandoah out here)

5) I couldn't learn another language worth anything, but I love english and its huge vocabulary options. There was a while where I was expecting to have to yell at grauwulf for stopping me mid-sentence to tell me I'd used a good vocab word. (He got over it.)

6) I am not religious, and can't stand numerology, astrology, or other new-age style fuzzy thinking. But I love symbolism and placing significance into things that don't really have them, and keep a hoard of *things* in artistic almost altar-like displays on shelves and windowsills and the tops of bookcases. Exactly where the line between these two things falls, I couldn't define for you, and it's probably more hypocritical than I think it is.

7) When I was two or so, my mother tells me I wandered around the house pretending to play the violin. I did start playing in school in 4th grade and kept it up through high school, and my violin has been sitting under my bed untouched for about the last two years. But it's still my "power instrument" (from a discussion at work, treating instruments like spirit animals) and the only thing for which I can sight read. Ideally, I would love to have a mid-skill-level quartet or something to play with, but probably won't have the initiative to practice solos.

Tagging: belfebe, fishy1, grauwulf, heuchera, leimon_malakoi, saladmonkeylamb, & sylvie (which, if certain of you do your homework, might even propagate to other people I know)

blah, blah, blah...

Have survived weekend. Mostly. I'm now 4 of 4 with finishing bead projects I've started, so ready to contemplate another one (perhaps.) The silly swap is about to go mad (we've got just under 2 hours before the end, and everyone is holding out to attempt to be the last one to make their changes) So far my #1 choice is being argued over like mad, and my #2 choice has only been picked once (by me) so if I'm lucky, I can just hang out and get that. We'll see. I trust I'll be able to send my package tomorrow night, get feedback, and be able to sign on to the favorite color swap before friday. We shall see. I got pins at the event yesterday, which are going to be doll hat pins one day, when (if) I actually do doll hat things.

But more to the point, has anyone else interest in going to the reenactor's market in Frederick, MD next weekend? I think my mother and I are going on Sunday, after I get back from the MAAC. (busy weekend. sigh. though the stuff should be cool enough to make up for it, right?)

Mattel, you break my heart...

So, some of you girly-types of a certain age may remember the old Pleasant Company catalogs, back when the American Girls first came out. They had the life-size pictures of the dolls, and the most wonderful accessories that one could drool over for hours.

I've looked through their copious accessories several times recently, thinking about the ball joints, and today I checked back and discovered that perhaps three quarters of the cool historical things are gone from their catalog. Including my favorite, felicity's guitar which I did a search for... and discovered it on deep discount sale, apparently preparatory to selling out. So, um, I ordered one. Waif may have to take lessons, since no one around here knows how to play. (no, I am not ordering another resin to have a musician, whatever Lady might have her eye on...)

But the moral of the story is, while we already knew the world was going in sad directions, when the American Girls no longer have more a page of accessories on the website for each era, what is the point of their existing at all? I want to write and tell them rude things about how they can't claim "Experience [this doll]'s whole world" when they discontinue all her accessories, and most of her outfits.