My Double Life

Apparently many of us are living double lives. Profoundly exciting and so secret that only a Google search can discover what we've been up to.

I've seen this Internet meme floating around on a couple of the vlogs I follow on YouTube. An internet meme, I had to look it up, is defined on Wikipedia as "a neologism [a recently coined word] used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like an inside joke."

So, the Google Verb Meme - take your name and a verb and Google it to find out what you are up to. Try it for yourself! Here is mine.

Sarah Needs
Sarah needs a cold shower, self-esteem. [Wow. Who knew?]

Sarah Looks Like
Sarah looks like Nicole Ritchie. [Well I guess I am pretty thin.]

Sarah Says
Sarah says "Let's just say that I knew this meeting wasn't to promote me to office person of the century." [More than you know...more than you know.]

Sarah Wants
Sarah wants us to know that she’ll help expand that hole. [I am not happy that I share a name with Sarah Palin.]

Sarah Does
Sarah does not eat humans. [You can all rest easy. I prefer pork.]

Sarah Hates
Sarah hates you. [Oh dear. Not really.]

Sarah Asks
Sarah asks "what's this New Year's thing?" [Um...]

Sarah Likes
Sarah likes to smell Colleen's armpits. [I guess.]

Sarah Eats
Sarah eats cake. [I can guarantee you that it isn't human cake.]

Sarah Wears
Sarah wears a bra and shoes sometimes. [But only sometimes...]

Sarah Was Arrested For
Sarah was arrested for cutting buckets of water that would put out the fire. [Hence why I'm not allowed to fireteam. So sad this habit of mine.]

Sarah Loves
Sarah loves pop culture. [Really? I guess I sort of do.]

So now that you have all this misinformation about me, tell me about your double life...

The Little Things

Today my boss asked me to run over to Great Harvest and pick up some sandwiches. It's not a bad part of my job - getting sandwiches for them always means one for me. Great Harvest always gives you a slice of their soft, salty bread when you purchase anything. As I stood there debating on what slice I would chose (their hearty sunflower slathered with soft butter), I became suddenly grateful for the bustling shop, the hungry guys waiting for me at work, the smell of the warm bakery and the taste of that bread. I am alive. My heart is beating. Two years and nearly two months of warm, soft yummy goodness. You can't beat that.

Some Odds and Ends

Welcome to all the new readers of my blog! I've noticed an increase in traffic over the last few days and I am honored to be a part of your day in even a small way!

In lieu of a real blog entry today (more to come as the week progresses) here are a few odds and ends:

- For all those who prayed for Liz, thank you. Everything is back to normal (which for her, is consistently good) and she is scheduled for release tomorrow.

- We are smitten. We are in love. I can't say any more even though I am nearly bursting at the seams. Hopefully more good news to report as the weeks progress.

- Try beef stroganoff made with buffalo sirloin sometime. You will not be disappointed and it's better for you anyway.

- It's always the best when you hear stories about someone you've known all your life that you've never heard before. In this case, it is my dad. Check out his blog if you get a moment.

- And lastly, as a present to all of you who have ever hung out on YouTube and shudder at the horrible comments. These girls have it going on.



Thank you again to all the new readers! Hope to see you again soon!

View from Celestial Seasonings 12:15 am

From Fire

From Fire

From Fire

Click on the pictures to view larger images.

Testing the Changeover

I am changing over all my Google accounts and this is a test post to make sure it all worked alright!

A Resolution Kept

The only resolution that I can remember making in 2008 was to read at least one book per month. And you know what? I did it! Yay me!

I love to read, but had stopped reading during the time before I really got sick. Back in the day when books were read less for pleasure but more as a survival technique to get through the Bataan Death March also known as night. I cranked through tons of books trying to sleep but tossed them aside, erroneously attributing my insomnia to the stimulation from the books.  

So this year I picked up books again in earnest, making time for a spot of reading before bed nearly every night.  Here is a sampling of some of the good, bad and the awesome books from 2008.

Oh, and I slept just fine this year. 

The Most Awesome

- The Two Towers, JRR Tolkien:  Oh, the choices. So many wonderful books! But the old classic topped the list. A spectacular read starting with the intense search for the missing hobbits and climaxing at the impressive battle of Helm's Deep. And just when you thought you could breathe again, the story picks up with Frodo and Sam's journey with Gollum with the ring to Mordor. I literally couldn't put it down, making the Two Towers the first book I could actually concentrate on while waiting for a biopsy and clinic visits.

The Almost Winner

- Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather: A gentle book of one priest's life as an unlikely appointee as the Archbishop of Sante Fe in the mid-1800s. A gripping story of faith and redemption written with grace and respect to the decisions of priests in a troubled and tempting land.

Honorable Mentions:  Wicked by Gregory MacGuire, Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick (more muscle and heart than Bladerunner which was inspired by the book.)

The Best Memoir

- If You Could Hear What I See, Kathy Buckley:  One day when I was on the VADs, I had the pleasure of being visited by Kathy Buckley, billed as America's first hearing impaired comedienne. I was shy and tired and hardly remember any of the visit other than we laughed a lot. She left her book and once I picked it up after the shameful delay of 18 months, I couldn't put it down. What an amazing survivor - and the hearing loss is the easy part. On top of that, she is an incredible human being. Shortly after reading the book, I was scheduled to give my heart transplant talk to some 7th grade students. Knowing she had experience with kids and speaking, out of the blue I emailed her for some advice. Within 1o minutes, we were chatting like old friends on the phone. Great lady. Great book.

Honorable Mentions: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (loved it!) and No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs  (Viesturs climbed the world's 14 highest peaks without oxygen - however, Viesturs's conservative climbing style works for survival but makes for a boring retelling even of this astounding achievement. By far, the most gripping part of the novel is the retelling of the 1996 Everest disaster.)

Best "Self Help" Book

- The Dance of Anger, Harriet Goldhor Lerner. A transformative look at the role of anger in the life of women and what we can do to learn from it and make changes. My most recommended book this year.

Honorable Mention: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (Quality Time, in case you were wondering)

Worst Book

- Bridge to Forever, Richard Bachman. I so loved Jonathan Livingtston Seagull. But this was pure dreck. I couldn't even finish the novel about the author searching for his True Love and confounded by not finding her. Um, dude, maybe it is because you are a  self-obsessed, ultra-picky (but slutty) jerk?  Gack.

Other Notables

- Mere Christianity by CS Lewis: If you ever question why Christians believe what we do and you don't want to pick up the bible, try this instead.

- Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster: A delightful fantasy for the nerd in all of us.

There you have it, the best and worst of 2008. Anything you would like to add from your own reading list last year?