Uber-List 2007

Über-List 2007
Birthday- Stop having them.
Birthday- Throw the boy a party.
Books- Finish reading Meditations
Books- Try some of the books on my wishlist: Kerouac, Ovid, etc.
Books- Read books I've bought and stuck on the shelf
Cooking- use more real recipes
Cooking- plan out weekly menus
Cooking- master a new dish to make from memory
Creativity- Plan out and finish quilling projects: sell online or use in Dad's lamp ideas
Creativity- Knit more than scarves and blankets.
Creativity- Organize a craft area in the house: second desk in office?
Creativity- Sew placemats/napkins for mom
Creativity- Make new curtains for office/bedroom
Creativity- Find/fill all picture frames.
Creativity- Make new curtains for kitchen - retro print
Education- Find photography classes
Education- Find yoga classes
Education- Visit the museum more.
Education- Use "French for Dummies"
Exercise- Pilates or yoga routine at least three times a week
Exercise- Get bike from the parents' house and bike with the boy
Family- Have pictures taken and framed
Family- Start scrapbooks
Family- New patio furniture for the parents (IKEA)
Family- Have a baby!
Friends- Make more time for friends: Girls Night, etc
Friends- Road-trip with Nicole and Jill
Friends- Dinner party - wine and everything.
Friends- Go camping!
Friends- Visit Justin or see if he can come down here
Good of Society- Donate to SPCA
Good of Society- Volunteer somewhere: entrap friends if you have to
Good of Society- Donate unused books to local library
Good of Society- Crochet/knit and donate baby caps
Good of Society- Donate clothing to Goodwill.
Health- Find a balanced diet that works for both of us
Health- Whiten teeth
Health- Workout with the boy: good for morale, good for me
Health- Stay on top of teeth!
Holidays- Host 4th of July?
Holidays- Send xmas cards first of December
Holidays- Halloween party - new/better theme ideas
Holidays- Put tree up day after Thanksgiving
Home- Replace doors in laundry room.
Home- Hang picture frames in living room/office.
Home- Baskets for under futon: storage
Home- New bookcase for living room
Home- Organize movies/games better - new bookcase from IKEA?
Home- Settle into new house.
Home- Curtains/swags for the formal living room/dining room.
Love- Spend more time just talking.
Love- Make more dates
Love- Find a dance class we can take
Movies- Watch Goonies
Movies- Watch A Christmas Story
Movies- Watch Chicago
Movies- Watch at least one foreign film
Organize- Backups! Pictures/music/documents
Organize- Sort pictures into categories
Organize- Dressers/closet
Pare Down- No more sentimental-hanging on - ditch old toys/notes/pictures
Pare Down- If you haven't used it in 6 months, it's time to find a new home for it.
Pare Down- Throw away old mail/magazines/etc.
Pare Down- Throw out old shoes BEFORE buying any new ones
Pets- Tag animals: collar for Nermal, ChiChi
Pets- Clip Nermal's claws once a week
Pets- Make a pillow for ChiChi so she's not on the lovesac all the time
Vacation- Mexico?
Vacation- Canada - see hockey game while there?
Vacation- Colorado?
Vacation- Vegas?
Work- Cut back hours to suit tending to Baby.
Yard- Plant Daffodils
Yard- Plant rose bush (blue?) outside dining room window.
Yard- Take out euonymous in front and replace with seasonal color pots/urns.
Yard- Find a bigger pot for the wisteria
As you may notice, this is largely the same list as last time. I took out the accomplished items and added some new ones unique to this year. Sure-things, one might say.

Too much thinking to do.

I've been contorting my brain over this and I still don't know if this is a good idea.


I WANT to announce that I'm pregnant to the entire world and at the same time, I don't want anyone to know that isn't ridiculously close to me. It's like getting your first kiss. You want everyone to know what a great day it is but it's such a special thing, you don't want it to become common and unspecial knowledge.

So I'll tell you anyway because odds are, only the ridiculously close people are reading this.

In another... 8 months, there will be a new screaming baby in the world and she'll be all mine. Mine and the boy's. And she'll be cuddled all the time and she'll be beautiful and sweet and beloved.

Tuesdays are for watching fish.

I read a story recently about a woman walking around in Denver who heard a baby cry and upon looking up, saw an infant dangling from the balcony above her. She moved into position and caught the tiny girl when she fell. She said she felt it was fate that put her under that balcony at the right moment.

When you think about it, everything in your life is leading up to something. Maybe one great event that you'll be part of or even initiate. Maybe many small events you might not even notice in the moment. But everything in your life is always leading up to the next thing.

Are you aware of what you do? Are you mindful of your role in the lives of those around you?

Most of us aren't. I believe in fate and I try to be aware of what my role in life is but I know I miss 80% of the things I'm part of. You don't know till after the fact and sometimes you simply never know. Not everyone gets to catch a baby or pull someone out of the street or witness a crime and help catch the bad guy. It's not always surrounded by the big neon "THIS IS YOUR DESTINY" sign.

It's been 5 and a half weeks since I lost my Puck. When I think about her (and I do so very frequently), the only thing that keeps me from crying is reminding myself that I was her human and she was my dog and it was for a reason. If I hadn't worked at the hardware store and I hadn't tried to be everyone's friend, Doug would never have kept her. He would have put her down when he first found her because she was a mess and one more mouth he couldn't really afford to feed. If I hadn't taken her, I wouldn't have taken so many walks and met the friends I did. I wouldn't have gotten around to moving out when I did and I wouldn't have moved to Dallas and been in the right place at the right time to meet the boy. So maybe it's fate or maybe it's luck. I don't know.

I don't know what right now is leading up to. Every moment is leading to the next and every day brings you closer to the person you're meant to be. Be aware, be available, be open, be ready.

Every day is stupid.

Yesterday I thought that talking about taking Puck in to be put to sleep on Saturday was premature. She seemed so happy.

Today she was happy to see me and even ate a little bit of the canned food I bought for her. After a trip outside, though, she's been slow and quiet. Preferring to lay in front of the TV so she can still see everyone as they come in, she's not getting up to greet. She tried when Anthony got home and she made it into the living room and that's where she's been since. When Joseph got home, she wagged her tail but didn't even lift her head.

I think it's starting. Tomorrow morning, if she's not feeling any better, I'll take her to the vet and let her start her rest.

This just kills me.

Much of this month sucked.

I will miss this face.

I hate that you're sick, baby. I never wanted to watch you feel badly. You've always been my heart and I love you terribly. I hope you'll let me know when it's time to let you go.

You know what you do when you're really full?

You keep eating. It dulls the pain of the splodey innards.


Someone in our office smells like a girl. I smell like vanilla, Nicole smells like some sort of conditioner and Sarada is mysteriously without any odor at all. That leaves the guys.

It's the new guy. The answers we got from the rest when we asked them if they were wearing perfume are as follows:

No! My wife would never let me out of the house like that.
What? (turns and walks away)
Yes. It's by Mary Kay and it's for men.
Why?


Why? Who answers "are you wearing perfume?" with WHY?


Lou does. Because that's how he rolls.

I really do like green...

But not as much as you might think. I like my green shirts. And my green blog. But not my green car. Not REALLY really. I mean, Oscar is nice and all but he needs a bath and some glue and some seat and steering wheel covers. I fry my hands every day after work, just getting out of the parking lot. It's ridiculous.

Rodeo Clowns

Only an hour and a half till I leave the office and I'm hoping it passes quickly. I love my job, but the up-down pace of it all is a bit tiring.

I took the kiddo to Tab's yesterday. I miss talking to her but I don't know how to talk to her anymore. We don't have much in common other than plants and the kids. I think we stayed there for about 20 minutes before heading on to Wal-Mart to wander around for a while.

I'm not completely sure what to do with my new-found freedom. I like being able to take myself and the kiddo places but what to do? Today, we'll go to the mall or something since the boy won't be home early. Mebbe we can spend some time at the pet store or something.

Driving is becoming a bit of a curse, I think. The ease of accomplishing things is wonderful still but the responsibility sucks. Oscar has this thing about pulling in random directions on different areas of the highway. That makes me incredibly nervous. I'm sure it will get easier with time but I'm not convinced I'll overcome the highway-dread. If I could find an alternate route that didn't typically take 15 minutes more to traverse, I'd use it every day.

Work relations are getting better. Tony's been gone for... a week? Two weeks? Who cares. It's nice not having to worry about deflecting every word that comes out of his mouth. Granted, it's a lot quieter now but I'm gradually getting used to that, as much as it drives me crazy. So I'm getting used to being crazy. Great.

Found out yesterday that my nickname between Tony and Sean was "nice ass." I'm sure Sean is telling the truth that Tony started it and he just used the term because he was too lazy to learn my name at first. But still. It's borderline. As a girl, it's easy to become annoyed by things like that but it's just as easy to brush it off because it IS a compliment of sorts. We like to hear that boys find us attractive, we just don't want to hear the descriptive terms.

I'm betting that no one reads this anymore but I needed to update all the same. If I can remember to put FrontPage on this PC, I'll redesign the blog and maybe renew my interest in the upkeep of it. We shall see.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

I find myself staring off into space more than I used to. With nothing to distract me, it's easy to plan out the rest of my week while boring a visual hole into the wall. This differs from being jobless only because I now have things I can't do every day that I wish I could.

Purchasing a massage/mani/pedi package for someone yesterday makes me more aware of my own self. I could do with an hour-long rub-down and cuticle adjustment. You know the massage kiosks in the malls now? No one ever offers me a massage there. They accost the overweight and the elderly instead. More cushion for the pushin'? No one wants to try to work out the kinks on me... I assume because they're not sure what's a kink and what's a rib or shoulderblade. Moo ha. Skinny-joke, you see.

I didn't eat breakfast this morning and I don't have any bagels left. Yesterday, I discovered that they'd turned green and blue with mold. It was disheartening. That peanut butter under the ledge of the desk/counter is calling my name, though. Surely no one here would be surprised to see me eating it by the spoonful.

Lou Dobbs is on to the President and his wiley law-avoidance. Unfortunately, not enough people are aware enough of what it all entails to actually DO anything about it. So the example of law circumvention will continue and the public at large will continue to bemoan the disregard for law that's so prevalent in big business and small children.

You don't think it all trickles down?

Some things just never change.

At Stream, a good portion of my day passed before I was even truly awake. Our schedule was 7-6, four days a week. This is a good schedule to have, you know. Your work day starts before you're conscious enough to rebel against it and ends before it's too late to accomplish worthwhile tasks.

This morning I got up, showered, watered the front yard and flower beds and then drove to work before I had even really stopped yawning. I'm still yawning. The more I read this entry, the more somnambulant I'm becoming.

Thinking about the similarities makes me miss my morning pastries. :( I have a feeling that once I'm on my own with the driving, I'll still be leaving early just so I can stop at a gas station and pay a dollar and a half for a semi-healthful pastry. But Yoohoo is out of the question. That shit will fuck you up.


Have you seen the video clip with Tony Blair and Dub talking about the Hezbollah/Israel issue? I can't stand the way our president chews with his mouth open and SMACKS constantly but I do think he was right about the Syrian and Lebanese gov'ts needing to take charge and stop this shit. It's insane. Call off your rabid dogs or put them down, methinks.

It's been a while, I know.

Superfast updates because I'm ready to pass out:

Job is going well. I've been there a little over a month now and I'm pretty sure I've got it down. There are still the occasional puzzlements but I don't feel bad when they puzzle everyone else, too.

Work on the house is advancing. New floors in the office/kitchen/laundry room/bathrooms and new cabinets in the kitchen.

The kiddo is going to stay with us the rest of the year. He's currently spending weeks at Gram's house till I have a license/car situation sorted out and school starts.

License and car are in the works. I've done enough driving to get almost comfortable with it and definitely enough to get excited about the whole prospect. Now if only purchasing a car weren't such a fiasco. Finding the right one is the major pain in the ass. Someone should read my mind, know what I want/need and then offer it to me for cheap.

That's all I have for now. I'm tired all the time and I think my brain is shrinking.

Bill Gates stepping down from Microsoft

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Thursday he will transition out of a day-to-day role at the company in 2008 to spend more time on global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "This was a hard decision for me," Gates said in a statement. "I'm very lucky to have two passions that I feel are so important and so challenging," Gates said.

There's nothing I would rather do.

It's 12.17pm. I need to vacuum and dust and make sure all the dishes are put away and maybe do some laundry and walk the dog and figure out dinner and a few other things. And I need to finish quilling a bonsai tree. I'll have to go to the hobby store for more papers first, though. This bonsai tree design is very simple but very time consuming.

In two weeks, we should be in Florida. I'm excited about this. I think. I've never been to Florida. I should be trying to get a better tan before we go but that requires being outside and the heat is NOT agreeing with me lately.

Looking at house plans bugs me. I wish for money to be no object.

Things I dislike today

The taste of teeth-bleaching strips. *gag*

Having to buy ONE more piece of tile for the bathroom and then finding out that the tile is discontinued.

Having to buy 7 extra pieces just in case something crazy happens.

Crooked bathroom walls. Putting a vanity in becomes a hassle.

Excel 12 Beta. Don't tell me to use the Tools menu when you know damn good and well it's not there anymore.

Getting phone calls from people I don't know. On my cellphone. That's just obnoxious.

Sounds like someone's got a case of the Mondays.

Today is May Day. Years ago, it was still tradition to leave May Baskets on neighbors' doorsteps or even hanging from doorknobs. People don't do that anymore. We don't celebrate the seasons by reaching out to each other. Why not?

I'm celebrating May Day (Beltane) by working in my yard and soaking in all the prettiness of the flowers and birds.

Stars hockey is over for the season. They lost game 5 yesterday, putting the Avs up 4-1 in the series. I guess I should have expected it? The whole season has been a series of freaky occurences and the other playoff series going on have also had unexpected results in several cases. Edmonton is trying to bowl over Detroit (8th place knocking out 1st) and the Rangers had pretty much no chance against the Devils. Nashville lost out to the Sharks yesterday. Blah. Hoping to see the Stanley Cup finals star the Oilers and the Devils. I'd be happy with the results no matter which way it went.

Today is also Day Without Immigrants. Lots of businesses are closed, lots of people not going to work. All in support of... what? I don't remember anymore. I know the bill in question proposes tighter immigration laws, fewer convictions of felonies necessary to lead to deportation, tougher penalties on businesses hiring workers without verifying their status/withholding taxes/offering insurance, and assigning 'ward of state' status to children of illegal immigrants if the parents are deported. Some of this is unfair, sure. Children shouldn't be separated from their family like that. Maybe the immigration laws need to be overhauled, not just battened down. I can't help but agree with the felony = deportation concept, though. When a citizen commits certain crimes, they are (hopefully) punished accordingly. When someone who has no legal right to live in the country commits certain crimes, they should be punished as well. Since they have no right to live here, sure, send 'em home. That's getting off easy, if you ask me.

If one wants to be in the US because their home country doesn't grant them the liberties they desire, I can understand trying to come here by any means necessary. But why not protest your government? Why not support reforms in your home country when possible? Meh. I know, people come here because sometimes they have no recourse in their own country. But I see no reason for an open door policy. Might as well change the name of the country to "Big Dumb America" and get it over with.

Anyway. What's the protesting for? The people showing up to protest are likely legal immigrants or children of immigrants. Those with questionable citizenship/residency status aren't likely to march in the streets demanding to be allowed to stay. That's an invitation to be arrested and deported. So if you're already here legally, enjoying all the rights/privileges the rest of America enjoys, what gives? What're you asking for? What actions are being taken against you that you feel are unfair? I don't think I've seen or heard a clear case for why the Day Without Immigrants needs to happen. The laws are not being changed to close the borders completely and halt all immigration. It's about making the borders more secure and establishing a clearer path towards legal immigration. In theory.

Our Statue of Liberty announces to the world, "Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Maybe it's all just a big miscommunication.

Actually, it sounds like our school grant system. If you're making just enough money to get by but not so much as to be able to shell out tuition up front, you don't get any kind of help. You either have to drive yourself into debt to pay for school or you can just forget about going. Only the absolute bottom gets a leg up. You're nothing if you're not filthy rich or dirt poor.

Ignore this.

Friday Night's Alright for Fighting

That title has nothing to do with me. But if you can tell me where it came from, I'll give you a stale cookie with not too much fur on it.

My parents are frustrating people. Now I know where I get my non-confrontational/confrontational-ness. My dad was supposed to give me an estimate for work we need done to the house. Last week, he said he would send it up when my mommy came to see me. He didn't. Then over the weekend, I just didn't think about it and he didn't bring it up. Today, he called me about the job thing and mentioned that the boy was supposed to talk to him about the estimate/etc. I reminded him that when he and I talked about it, I'd said "you'll need to talk to the boy about it. I'm not the one making the final decision." My dad says, "well, I purposefully didn't bring it up to him because I was waiting for him to say something about it. You guys don't ever make decisions. If I talk to you, it's just not going to happen and then he never talks to me about it." wtf? He talks about his sister creating her own drama but he does the exact same thing sometimes.

Which reminds me. The crazy aunt sold my grandparents' house after my Grandma died. She moved back to San Antonio and just recently called my dad. What does she tell him? "Sonya told me to sell the house." Yah, blame your children. That's mature.

Wackadoodle is the word of the day.

Maybe jobs are overrated

I can't seem to find an employer willing to really give me a chance. It's just the universe balancing things out, I know, but it's frustrating in the extreme. Up until recently, if I could get an interview, I knew I had the job. It just always worked that way.

Maybe it's the hair color? Or my personality has changed? I don't know. It's depressing.


If I start showing up to interviews drunk, that could only improve the odds.

Thursdays are just like every other day of the week

Except sometimes, you get to spend them with your mother.

She doesn't come up by herself very often. I wonder sometimes what she tells my dad about why she wants to visit me alone. He's not typically comfortable with being away from her.

I'm surprised by her opinions sometimes. I've recently found myself projecting what I assumed would be her natural reaction only to find out it's nothing like. Either she's softened with time or I'm turning into HER mother. *shudder*

Meet the Fockers is frickn' hilarious. For the record.

Mondays are fun!

This year, I feel compelled to take pictures of my roses every day. I can't believe how pretty they are and yet I can't quite capture it on 'film.' Last year, the four bushes in the back yard were in bloom at the same time but even though they are different varieties, they all looked the same. This year, there's a marked difference between the barely-pinks in the front and the dark-as-my-hair-was-when-i-got-married-pinks in the back.

Interesting. Saw a preview for "cotter and louise" just now... I didn't like the couple when they competed on Last Comic Standing and I'm pretty sure I won't like them now. But I feel compelled to watch because their children are so cute. Damn twins!

Vonage is neat. I can sit at my desk, with the phone RIGHT NEXT TO ME and use "Click 2 Call" to dial a number. What happens when I dial the number from my computer? It calls my phone. Which I have to answer. And then it dials the number I wanted to call. So... what exactly is this service supposed to do for me? I know... the premise is that you use a phone book and only ever have to type the numbers ONCE but still. How lazy do we really have to think we are?

I have new glasses. Again. I got these made with the correction in only the right lens because it's my gimpy eye. Stupid eyeball doesn't like to behave sometimes. I think it's an inherited degenerative issue but I'm not sure. I don't really want to go to an ophthalmologist and find out. Spelling that is enough effort.

Streak Broken

Ok, so last night, Dallas' winning streak when a game goes to shoot-out was broken. By freaking Anaheim. I'm not saying Anaheim sucks or anything. They've done well, especially lately. But still! Up until this point, if the Stars could drive it to a shootout, it was a sure thing. And Jussi has failed to introduce the puck to the back of the net the last TWO times he's participated in the shootout. WTF, mate?

Today is his birthday, though and I have hopes for the rookie. LA is a tough team for Dallas but I think they can pull it off.

8 and 2 in the last ten. 8 more games after tonight. Surely we can expect a nice little run up to the playoffs. Then it's a whole new 'ballgame.' Damn the lack of hockey analogies. A whole new sheet of ice? A new pond?

I'm frelling tired. :(

it rains for you

When we were kids, most of us heard that rain is god or the angels crying. Or mopping the floor.

Funerals/death bring on the rain, I think.


requiescat in pace

Thursdays are stoopid

Went out to dinner last night. Had fettucini with shrimp and I swear to god, they must have still been alive because they returned to kick my ass at 1.30 this morning.

Office. Disaster. So. Many. Papers.

Tuesday!

Yeah, I wasn't excited about that title either. Sorry.

Here's what happens when Star Trek: TNG is repeating episodes I saw less than a month ago:

Washed all the windows in the house. I can actually SEE! Looking out my kitchen window is like looking through NOTHING. It's amazing. Of course now I feel like a slob for not having washed the windows for months. Yick.

I meant to plant some seeds today. Got as far as some thyme and basil and that was it. Distracted by the nasty weeds in the front flower bed. Tomorrow, Bunny Tail grass will go in the ground and hopefully that'll work out nicely. My yard lacks character.

Looking at cell phones with a friend of mine has made me want a new phone. I like my phone, I do. But it's not CUTE. My last phone was cute. I suppose I could just put the SIM back in it and use it but I dunno. Maybe I will.... I'll miss the camera feature tho. Dammit.

Time to do something with my hair. I dyed it a couple of weeks ago and it's starting to bug me again. It's getting too long, too. Need to chop it or start dreadlocking it or something... anything.

Note to the general public: telling someone that somebody else said something shitty about them and you claimed to be their friend and defended them does NOT make you the good guy. It makes you a braggart and an idiot. Kindly go fuck yourself.

And this is what happens when I find the camera...

I had alot of pictures of me looking various directions but I swear, my eyes went googly and that's just bad.

New Pictures!

This is what happens when I leave the digital camera in the car. At least I think that's where I left it. I haven't really spent alot of time looking around the house for it. It's a good thing web-cams are so much fun!!







I waited too long to order Hello Kitty party hats for this weekend. Looks like everyone is off the hook after all! Unless I get crafty.
Hmmm...








So, it's warm and sunny here and Indianapolis got 5 inches of snow today. Doesn't seem right! First full day of Spring and they get the white stuffs. Yankees...

Flowers and hockey

I was hoping this tree would burst into bloom the way the growers sent it to the store last year but it was not to be. At least not for the time being. It's still my favorite tree, though.

Got more plants in the mail today. A blue rose, some hardy glads, and some Peruvian lilies. The Peruvian lilies look like dried up bits of grass root but they should do ok. Just have to figure out what's the best place to put them. They don't like the Texas sun and if I put them where they're prettiest, they'll be dead in a few months. Meh. Dumb Texas.

Stars game tonight. Duck season!

Share your Moolah

Go here and donate some money, please. Lawyers are pricey (as at least one of my readers can attest...) but necessary for my friend Nicole. Consider this: she didn't do anything to anyone but because her name was on the title of a car, she's being sued for who-knows-how-much-money. It's shitty and mean. Anyway. Five bucks, people. If you smoke, it's the price of a pack of cancer sticks. If you drink, it's a mixed drink at the bar (on a good day!). Surely you'd buy her a drink!

Anyway. Do it, please. You could use some good karma, couldn't you?

.

it's not a period. it's organic failure.

Spring Fevah!

This weekend is early-St. Patrick's Day stuff. I don't know what the plan is exactly. We'll be grilling, tho, so if you want to come over, bring a lil somethin' and join us!

Puck's got squirrel fever. Little bastards like to sit in the fig tree just out of her reach and chatter at her. Much as I love squirrels, they deserve to be caught.

In case you hadn't noticed (which would mean you are in a coma), my blog has spring fever. I think I might keep this theme. Change to different flowers in the summer, leaves in the fall, snowflakes in winter...

Yis. I have a PLAN!

Nothing of extreme interest. The myriad of warbling, screeching, twittering and whistling birds in my yard is distracting. Cats seem to like all the noise but I don't guess they'd have a clue what to do after catching one of the feathery minstrels.

When I was a kid, my mother and I always went to whatever job site my dad and brother worked at the time. Once, when I was about 15 or so, I found a baby robin, all wrinkly skin and nearly-feathers. Because baby birds eat so very often, I had to bring him with me when we came to Dallas. When Mom and I would run errands for my dad, I'd have the bird in my lap and every turn, Mom would say "hold on to your britches!" Seemed a good name for the little fella. I don't know why, I always assumed Britches was a boy. Anyway. Britches loved saltine crackers and bugs. As he grew older, he learned to love soggy dog food. After he was fully grown, I started letting him out of his cage. He'd fly away and be gone for hours and then come back for free food. For about 2 years after he left the last time, he would come back occasionally and sit on the trailer parked in the back yard, waiting for me to throw out some dog food for him.

Since then, I've always had a thing for robins. I'm so glad my back yard is full of them.

Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve, dies at 44

Tuesday, March 7, 2006; Posted: 8:27 a.m. EST (13:27 GMT)


SHORT HILLS, New Jersey (AP) -- Dana Reeve, who fought for better treatments and possible cures for paralysis through the Christopher Reeve Foundation, named for her late actor-husband, has died, the foundation said. She was 44.

Reeve died late Monday of lung cancer, said Kathy Lewis, President and CEO of the foundation.

*******************

Baseball great Kirby Puckett dies
Twins Hall of Famer's death comes one day after stroke

Tuesday, March 7, 2006; Posted: 7:48 a.m. EST (12:48 GMT)


(CNN) -- Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, who helped lead the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, died Monday after suffering a stroke over the weekend, the team announced. He was 45.


*******************

This is the result of Puck actually staying in one place while I take a picture of her. Normally, she rolls over on her side or just sticks her nose in the lense of the camera.

Nice doggie.

81°F
Feels Like
81°F
It's March, for Pete's sake! We're still supposed to be enjoying 70° highs!

I'm finding out today if blondes really have more fun. Another 15 minutes or so till the verdict is in.

I've been thinking alot lately about a home business that I could start. I know or know of so many talented people, surely there's a way to pool all that skill together and make a living off of it. Just need to figure out a way to present the idea to the proper folks.

The house is semi-presentable. Laundry is done. The cake is baked and iced and sprinkled. The futon cushion is flipped.

Ok. About that futon. The cushion is very thick and firm but I imagine that, like any other mattress, it should be rotated to promote even wear. I braced my shins against the bottom rail of the frame and grabbed the top part of the cushion. *tug* Nothing happens. Try to grab more of the cushion-cover and *tug* again. This time, it arches away from me, in what I assume is an effort to crawl over the back side of the frame. I rap my shins against the rail. Hard. A few more yanks on the top of the cushion and I manage to get it to stand very nearly on end but I can't get it to flip over. Stupid futons. After a while of wrestling it, I flip the behemoth over and try to bend it so that it will actually stay on the frame. Nothing doing. So I have a cushion trying to lay flat but forced to angle and it looks awful. By this time, the cats are worried they'll be crushed and have fled the living room. Puck stares at me, wagging her tail helpfully. "You can do it! You have thumbs." I pull the whole cushion off the frame and lay it on the floor, where I proceed to jump up and down on the "spine" that has developed in the half a year it's been in service. After all the jumping, I still had to try to get it back on the frame. It's no longer bending the wrong direction, now it's rigid and flat. Man-handling the pad back onto the frame, I punch feebly at the weird bulge that's appeared where there's supposed to be a curve. "I should work out more often." A few pillows and a blanket later, the futon is hideously deformed but at least the cushion has been flipped.

Score 1 for the Rotation of the Mattress.

I'm tired of thinking about it. Let this be one of those stare-downs that just doesn't stop.

Yesterday's half-hour lunch break turned into 3 hours of catching up. Pleasant surprises are always good. Today is her birthday and I think someone is taking her to lunch but I can't forget to call.

Funny, how with so little in common, friendship is still paramount. Opposites attract or is variety really the spice of life?

I must be nutmeg.


The birds think it's spring and I'm inclined to agree. I've only had two daffodils so far but the irii are sprinting to catch up. I don't remember what color they are. I have to try to get to the parents' house so I can dig up some yellows, tho. I love yellow. It may be one of the most common iris colors but it's just so frelling cheerful.

You can guess what tv shows I watch by how I curse.

I've got Garfield on my desk because she doesn't fit on the window sill right now. Crap. She heard me and now she's standing in front of the monitor. She's a talented girl.

Too many things to do and no idea where to start. I can adhere. I just have a hard time planning.

This is a neat idea... something to try maybe?

'Daily Show' humor befuddles governor

Thursday, February 23, 2006; Posted: 8:19 p.m. EST (01:19 GMT)


ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich wasn't in on the joke.

Blagojevich says he didn't realize "The Daily Show" was a comedy spoof of the news when he sat down for an interview that ended up poking fun at the sometimes-puzzled governor.

"It was going to be an interview on contraceptives ... that's all I knew about it," Blagojevich laughingly told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in a story for Thursday's editions. "I had no idea I was going to be asked if I was 'the gay governor.' "

Last night was the Pros versus Prospects charity game. I can't even describe how much I enjoyed seeing the old guard take on the new kids. I know the "new kids" have all been playing for 5-6 years and all but compared to people like Benoit Hogue, Guy Carbonneau and Brett Hull, they're just chilluns. It took about a period and a half for the Pros to really get in the swing of things. I'm not sure if they were taking it easy on the Tornado or themselves. I'm sure even being a few months out of nearly daily skating (like Brett) leaves one a bit off, let alone being several years away from it and having spent the last while on a bench (like Kirk Muller). The Pros put away 8 goals to the Prospects' 6... closer than I thought it would be, honestly.
This year, maybe I'll put away some moneys here and there for bidding on a signed sweater. It goes to charity (deduction! heh) AND I'd get a pretty sweater to wear to games. Moo ha ha.

Plumbers have been at the house for the past 4 days. They pretty much replaced all the drain-pipe under the house (eeeeeee!) and stopped several leaks that I'm sure were causing many of the cracks in the walls. Here's hoping that this means painting and selling aren't too far away. :)

Future-cars!


Driving the car of the future
By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Yakushima island, Japan

The blue sky seemed to vanish in an instant, as wild, grey thunderclouds raced across the mountains. Rays of sunlight broke through in places, brightening spots in the forest like searchlights.

There are few landscapes more dramatic than Yakushima, and few places with more weather; within seconds we were being pelted by our 12th rainstorm of the day. But none of this bothered Sachito Fujimoto, one of Honda's top engineers.

"It's the perfect climate for us," he said with a grin, and we climbed into the dumpy little blue car he was testing.

The Honda FCX isn't much to look at, but it's the closest thing to a genuine car of the future you can drive on public roads.

Colombian farmers launch Coke rivals
By Mike Ceaser
In Nasa Indian territory, Colombia

The Fernandez family has found new markets for the coca leaves, the main ingredient used to make cocaine, which are piled up in front of their home in the mountains of western Colombia.

But the project ought to worry Coke, Pepsi and Seagram's more than drug enforcement officials.

The leaves are destined to become ingredients in coca-flavoured wine, soft drinks, tea and cookies.

"The idea is to give [the coca leaf] a new image," says Jairo Pardo Fernandez, who with his six brothers and sisters tends the family's 60 coca bushes.

"People have always looked at coca as something bad, but it also has its good uses."

This entry doesn't want to be written. It's been typed out several times and duly erased. Self-censorship. I don't know why I bother. Every entry I make is done as a "note to self." I'm not informing anyone. I'm not educating anyone. There's no great purpose to it.

This morning blew chunks.

Yesterday's sharing of feelings is today's insane confrontationalism. Today's confrontationalism will be tomorrow's water under the bridge of Friends Can Share Anything.

If you stick your nose outside, you'll smell winter. It smells clean and cold and fresh. The birds are loving it, singing and preening no matter where you look. This morning, it looked grey and went and doom-like out there. The sun never really came out but it's...

I don't remember what I was going to say. My cat just jumped halfway into my lap and proceeded to dig his claws into my thigh while pretending to be on a trapeze. It was everything I thought it could be.

Four! Four questions in each list, AH AH AH!

4 jobs i've had:

1. cashier at a hardware and lumber store
2. caregiver for infants
3. receptionist at a law-firm
4. bedding plant manager

4 movies i can watch over and over:

1. Braveheart
2. Lost in Translation
3. Pretty Woman
4. Say Anything

4 places i've lived:

1. Red Wing, Minnesota
2. Buena Vista, Colorado
3. Sapulpa, Oklahoma
4. Kemp, Texas

4 TV shows i love:

1. Gilmore Girls
2. Scrubs
3. E.R.
4. Firefly

4 places i've vacationed:

1. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2. London, England
3. Braidwood, Illinois
4. My Living Room

4 of my favorite dishes:

1. Spaghetti!
2. homemade enchilalas! :)
3. potatos au gratin
4. frog's eye salad

4 sites i visit almost daily:

1. flickr.com
2. nhl.com
3. warrenellis.com
4. cnn.com

4 places i would rather be now:

1. in bed
2. the zoo!
3. Puerto Vallarta
4. anywhere in London

4 bloggers i wish to tag:

1. noikle
2. Will
3. Justin
4. you.

Excerpt...


Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.

Check Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.

I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill... I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff... maybe, maybe not... But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.

God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house... God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives... God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war... God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. "If you remove the yolk from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places."

It's not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It's not an accident. That's a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. [You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.] 'As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.' (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.


...

Hundreds of dead pets found in woods
West Virginia investigates 4,000 pounds of discarded carcasses

From Michael McManus
CNN

Thursday, February 2, 2006; Posted: 7:00 p.m. EST (00:00 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hundreds of dead cats, dogs and other animals were found in two wooded areas of West Virginia, the state Division of Natural Resources said Thursday.

More than 250 dead animals have been identified, inventoried and photographed, the state said. They included animals with rabies vaccination and name tags, indicating they were pets.

Most of the animals were dogs and cats, but there were also mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, hawks and deer.

Abortion's middle ground

By NANCY GIBBS
Monday, January 23, 2006; Posted: 4:27 p.m. EST (21:27 GMT)


I watched the demonstrations this weekend marking the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade and wonder at their familiarity; the candlelight vigil in front of the Supreme Court, the masses on the mall and in cities across the country, the urgent hope that protesters express as they see the fight breaking in their favor: John Roberts. Sam Alito. New laws in multiple states that are bound to wind up being challenged, so that the next battle is bound to be waged before a more sympathetic High Court.

...

These journeys of course, are typical, which is why the public debate has shifted so much in the years since Roe. Many women who once defended the right to life or the right to choose as automatic and unfreighted have matured through their own experiences and those of their friends. It is increasingly common for Democratic candidates who would once have allowed not the least ethical elasticity into their positions to embrace the careful Clinton Construct: that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. When extremists on the right suggest that liberals view abortion as not just a right but practically a sport, or extremists on the left suggest that there is nothing deeply personal at stake here, only political, they are operating outside the region where I think the rest of us have landed. We have conducted, over the course of 33 years, a long and often painful tutorial that works every moral muscle. I don't know if demonstrations ever really change people minds. But life's lessons very often do.

Brilliantly put, I think.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Some women in Springfield are regretting their decision last week to get a tattoo from a door-to-door tattoo salesman. At least one person had to be hospitalized and the others face serious health risks.


...


Why is this even a possible occurrence? I mean, I know stupid and this is just... beyond.

I'm crap at this whole 'blogging' thing. I do things that would be fun to post about but did I take pictures? No. No, I didn't. The thought never even occured to me. *sigh*

I fixed the dryer today. It was making this godawful squealing noise the other night. I poked around on google for a while to see if I could find someone who'd posted the issue/solution. Sure enough, fixitnow.com has the exact information I require. Down to the pictures of the inside of the dryer. Wootness. So, here's what I did. I took the back of the dryer off. Can't reach anything from there so I put it back on. That's when I went to google and looked for solutions. Found out that the best way to get into the dryer is to unscrew the lint trap and then lift the top off. Hooray! Dryer guts! The next step was to take the front panel of the dryer off and then 'unstring the belt.' Um... ok. How? I don't know. *sigh* The front panel was easy enough to take off but unstring the belt? Yeesh. So I wrestled with the drum a little and tried to slip the belt off the back end of it. I think that took about 5 minutes and then when it slipped off, the pulley and whatnot came apart of themselves. Yay. I turned the shaft that goes through the motor and guess what? No squealing. Shit. I pulled on it and turned it at the same time and yay! squealing! Culprit!!! heh. Air-in-a-can removes dust, WD-40 soothes joints and presto! A dryer that doesn't scream at me!! I think the felt seal on the back end of the drum needs to be replaced but who cares? That's gonna be cake.

The moral of the story is: call me when your dryer screams at you. I can pretend I know what I'm doing and I might even fix it.

"Abortion rights have been slowly whittled away while we haven't even been looking," said Kitty Striker, 22, who decorated her hair with small coat hanger replicas for the protest. "That's what's so shocking and so scary to me."



Coat hanger replicas.



...



What is wrong with people? You don't want a baby? Don't have a baby. You want a baby? Have a baby. But adopting the COAT HANGER as a symbol of your opinion in the HOW TO NOT HAVE A BABY debate, that's just fucked.

Addressing her SHOCK and FEAR... exactly what rights have been "whittled away" that have affected what this person, as a 22 year old, is able to do with her reproductive system? I hate when people say something like that and don't back it up in anyway. Maybe she could have. Maybe her comment was taken out of context: it's certainly possible. But still.

Bah.

That's a big flippin' jelly fish.

Apparently, they're getting caught in nets and the fishermen are having to hack apart these 400 pound beasties to get at the few fish that are also in the nets. Suckage for the fishermen but it seems like finding a way to fish that would NOT entrap the jellyfish is the better option. I'm sure there's tons (literally! heh) of the jellyfish out there but it's a shame to kill so many.

Why don't cats fear more? If I were a fluffy animal that could burst into flames, I wouldn't be seen near a candle.

There's nothing to talk about. Next weekend, I'm having a garage sale (provided I get around to making signs and getting change moneys) and getting rid of as much CRAP as I can. My mother is helping by bringing me HER crap to sell. That should work out well. I suppose if it doesn't, it'll all go to Goodwill.

This ties in to numbers 77, 78, 79 of the "Pare Down" department of the uberlist as well as number 35 in the "Good of Society" section.

Speaking of the uberlist, I guess I can post a couple that I've done or at least partially completed:
#20 Exercise-Pilates or yoga routine at least three times a week
#54 Home-Comforter for bed: IKEA: also,comforter covers
#59 Home-Organize movies/games better - new bookcase from IKEA? (This one I've done partially: the movies/games are organized but we haven't decided on a new bookcase from anywhere. This may wait till we move elsewhere.)
#101 Yard-Plant Daffodils



Update: Nermal just caught his flank on fire and didn't notice it. What he DID notice was me smacking him off the desk and yelling "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" He's currently plotting my demise. I shall be on the look-out for feline traps for the next couple of days.

Glade Scented Oil candles don't cover up the smell of burning fur as well as I'd hoped.

You know you've lost your mind when your initial (mental, of course) reaction to someone saying "I said..." is "I don't remember asking you a GOD DAMNED THING!" a la Jules Winnfield.

Also, did you know washing dishes burns like, 12 calories? I'm glad I did more work yesterday that may help balance out today's complete lack of direction.


Yes. I'm cross posting. I'm that lazy today. In my defense, I have a cat sitting on me and I've lost feeling in my lower extremities. He's Happy, though, so I can't make him move.

Yesterday, I spent a while planning out what I would get accomplished today. That's how I roll, you see. I don't just DO stuff, I plan it for THE NEXT DAY. Granted, it's because if I didn't, I would have wasted all of today with mindless stuff and been ubertired YESTERDAY. That would have altered the molecular structure of a gnat and I can't be guilty of crimes like that right now.

Anyway. The linen closet is organized again and there's a massive amount of space left over and I can't figure out why. I discarded two small boxes (like, 7 inches by 7 inches small) and two towels and a pair of sheets. That's it. And somehow, there was enough space left that I could have left one of the shelves completely bare. Very strange. I don't know why it bothers me but it does. Maybe because I spent a long time organizing the closet a few months ago and I didn't find this excess storage room then. Where was it? Did the back of the closet move 10 inches? Is the hot-water heater on the other side feeling crowded now? So confused.

For weeks now, I've had a song from the Kill Bill soundtrack stuck in my head and I couldn't figure out what it was. All I'd hear was the refrain 'bang bang. my baby shot me down.' Nothing else. And I THOUGHT I had the soundtrack but apparently I had something else or just a partial or something and when I saw a track posted on the Noikle's Last.fm page, I remembered the song again and re-copied the soundtrack and THERE IT IS! Fucking Nancy Sinatra. How did I not remember that??? I'm so dumb sometimes.

Varsity Bowling. Chew on that. It's delicious.

"Report: Jolie, Pitt expecting child"


Holy oh my shit. I don't think the world is ready for a second coming of the CHRIST CHILD!

Vengeful mouse sets house ablaze

Sunday, January 8, 2006; Posted: 5:40 p.m. EST (22:40 GMT)


FORT SUMNER, New Mexico (AP) -- A mouse got its revenge against a homeowner who tried to dispose of it in a pile of burning leaves. The blazing creature ran back to the man's house and set it on fire.

Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner said he caught the mouse inside his house and wanted to get rid of it.

"I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house," Mares said from a motel room Saturday.


**Serves you right, old man. You don't throw a mouse into a fire without Consequences and Repercussions.**

This is definitely my NHL. Two years ago, being down 3-0 in the first would be reason to not want to watch the rest of the game. This year, it's the reason to not leave the room. So freaking awesome to see come-back wins like this. 6 unanswered goals. It sucks to have Marty get pulled from two games in a row but when Hedberg can shut out the rest of the game, it's all for the best.

If you haven't made a point of watching Firefly, you should. This will be brilliant once you do. And maybe even if you don't.

Chinese language catching on in U.S. classrooms

Monday, January 2, 2006; Posted: 1:17 p.m. EST (18:17 GMT)


PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- Twenty-four young faces in the kindergarten class at Woodstock Elementary School watch intently as their teacher holds up a construction paper cut-out of a large red circle, and waits for them to identify the shape.

Piece of cake for a roomful of savvy 5-year-olds, except that teacher Shin Yen is looking for the shape's name in Mandarin Chinese. It's the world's most widely-spoken language, but one that's only just beginning to surface in U.S. classrooms, especially at the elementary level.

In years past, I would rearrange rooms monthly. I'd dump the contents of every dresser/bookcase/box on the floor and move all the furniture several times till something clicked. Or broke. Well, until I broke, anyway. And then I would spend a couple hours sifting through all of my stuff, tossing the bits and pieces I didn't want anymore and re-stashing everything I couldn't live without.

Today I'm using bhg.com's Arrange-a-Room. It's much easier.

After moving the big ugly bookcase out of the bedroom and back into the office, I decided it would be a good time to see if my claim to have a couple hundred books was a lie. The easy thing to do would have been to count them as I put them away. That would have been simple. Instead, I also figured now was a good time to inventory everything. That's right, I made a spreadsheet of my books. It only took me about an hour and a half. I didn't organize it according to fiction/nonfiction or entertainment/edification. I should have. I probably will later. The last time the books were rearranged, they were grouped that way on the shelf. They still almost are but trying to keep track of that while listing them according to author/title was more than I felt like undertaking.

Anyway. Now I hate the bookcase even more because I'm seeing AGAIN all the gouges in it from the cats clawing it. Dumb cats. They only claw it because they can't read.

This is what I want:


or this:



I'm not picky.

Über-List 2006
Birthday- Throw my own party. No one else is gonna.
Birthday- Throw the boy a party.
Books- Finish reading Meditations
Books- Try some of the books on my wishlist: Kerouac, Ovid, etc.
Books- Read books I've bought and stuck on the shelf
Cooking- use more real recipes
Cooking- plan out weekly menus
Cooking- master a new dish to make from memory
Creativity- Plan out and finish quilling projects: sell online or use in Dad's lamp ideas
Creativity- Knit more than scarves and blankets.
Creativity- Organize a craft area in the house: second desk in office?
Creativity- Sew placemats/napkins for mom
Creativity- Make new curtains for office/bedroom
Creativity- Find/fill all picture frames.
Creativity- Make new curtains for kitchen - retro print
Education- Find photography classes
Education- Find yoga classes
Education- Visit the museum more.
Education- Use "French for Dummies"
Exercise- Pilates or yoga routine at least three times a week
Exercise- Start running with Puck
Exercise- Get bike from the parents' house and bike with the boy
Family- Have pictures taken and framed
Family- Start scrapbooks
Family- New patio furniture for the parents (IKEA)
Friends- Make more time for friends: Girls Night, etc
Friends- Roadtrip with Nicole and Jill
Friends- Dinner party - wine and everything.
Friends- Go camping!
Friends- Visit Justin or see if he can come down here
Good of Society- Donate to SPCA
Good of Society- Volunteer somewhere: entrap friends if you have to
Good of Society- Donate unused books to local library
Good of Society- Crochet/knit and donate baby caps
Good of Society- Donate clothing to Goodwill
Good of Society- Vote!
Health- Find a balanced diet that works for both of us
Health- Whiten teeth
Health- Make appointment for the boy with the behavioral health doctor
Health- Workout with the boy: good for morale, good for me
Health- Stay on top of teeth!
Holidays- Host 4th of July?
Holidays- Send xmas cards first of December
Holidays- Halloween party - new/better theme ideas
Holidays- Put tree up day after Thanksgiving
Home- Finish half-bath
Home- Patch hole in kitchen
Home- Replace doors in laundry room/paint
Home- Paint bedroom
Home- Patch holes in living room and paint
Home- Find out about leveling house
Home- Hang picture frames in living room/office.
Home- Replace floor in office
Home- Comforter for bed: IKEA: also,comforter covers
Home- Baskets for under futon: storage
Home- New bookcase for living room
Home- Transplant Mimosa
Home- Put shelving up in shed
Home- Organize movies/games better - new bookcase from IKEA?
Home- Paint house
Home- Get tv out of bedroom
Home- Replace doors to AC/hot water heater closet
Home- Rewire washing machine connection
Love- Read/practice strip-workout lessons
Love- Make more dates
Love- Find a dance class we can take
Love- *personal*
Love- *personal*
Movies- Watch Goonies
Movies- Watch A Christmas Story
Movies- Watch Chicago
Movies- Watch at least one foreign film
Music- Go to a concert
Organize- Backups! Pictures/music/documents
Organize- Sort pictures into categories
Organize- Dressers/closet
Pare Down- Get rid of unused kitchen items
Pare Down- No more sentimental-hanging on - ditch old toys/notes/pictures
Pare Down- If you haven't used it in 6 months, it's time to find a new home for it.
Pare Down- Throw away old mail/magazines/etc.
Pare Down- Throw out old shoes BEFORE buying any new ones
Pare Down- Clean out closet in office: if it's outdated, you can't upgrade with it
Pets- Take Puck to the vet for updated shots
Pets- Clip Puck's nails weekly
Pets- Tag animals: collar for Nermal, ChiChi
Pets- Clip Nermal's claws once a week
Pets- Get shots for Cats
Pets- Make a pillow for ChiChi so she's not on the lovesac all the time
Random- Start uberlist for next year in October
Site- Redesign soap website
Site- Figure out hosting if 1&1 isn't going to be free anymore
Vacation- Mexico?
Vacation- Canada - see hockey game while there?
Vacation- Colorado?
Vacation- Vegas?
Vacation- Galveston? Take Heather?
Work- Get job situation sorted out
Work- Become indispensable
Work- Look into schooling that will make job searches easier
Yard- Clean up dead branches
Yard- Plant Daffodils
Yard- Empty pots with only dirt in them
Yard- Level out dips in the front and back yards
Yard- Replace plants in the side flower beds
Yard- Organize front porch flower pots
Yard- Find a bigger pot for the wisteria