EdgeofGloria

I had a pretty good day today. I tried out my thrift shop skis up at Bittersweet . I had to be careful, because I had no idea if the bindings were set for my weight. And the technician was gone. But the skis worked just fine. They are REALLY old school--they don't look anything like the skis in the ski shop up there. The edges are straight, which means turning is a bit more difficult. But they WORKED. For $32.10 (boots, skis, poles and bindings) I couldn't pass them up. Hopefully they will hang together long enough until I can shell out for newer skis. On the slopes, I caught myself smiling. It's rare that I smile. I am not sure why that is. Even when I'm having a good day, I look like I'm having a bad one. But I was smiling because at that moment, I was happy. I was zipping downhill, and even if I didn't look so graceful, I felt happy because I was probably getting a good workout --better than my usual ones here at home or at the gym. Sometimes I think I'...

I haven't written lately, because I just haven't wanted to. Not on this blog, at least. I feel like it's not being read anyway, so why bother? I have kept a journal for over ten years now, but probably that won't ever get published and that's fine. I've wanted to relax these past few days. I completed my first semester of grad school, and really am thankful I got As in both my classes. I put in hours of work on my papers. I had to read stuff that I could not believe. But I got through it. I certainly hope next semester is better than this semester was. Today, I slept late, like I usually do when I don't have to work or be in class. I ate a lot of chocolate and fried myself up some shrimp. I'm not sure if I will have anything else. I did some reading today, and put a video in. I didn't get dressed the entire day. Or rather, I spent the entire day in my relaxing attire: oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. My Christmases have been pretty dull these ...

I'm having fun with these! It's crunchy! It's cheesy! The best of its kind (in my opinion) is made in Chicago. So what is it??? Give up??? Well, it's ... It's cheese popcorn! Made by Jay's in Chicago! I think it is the BEST cheese popcorn in the WORLD!

This one should be easy! If you've saved one, you've earned one. Pick one up, all the day you'll have good luck. You see cups of them at convenience stores near the register. Give up??? Well, it's a ... A penny! Minted in Denver in 2001. (That's what the D stands for.)

This one seems obvious, but it isn't. Your clues: It might be time to think differently. It BEADS that way. Wrist way did it go? Stumped? Ready to give up? Well, it's a Strap from a wrist watch!

Here's another one! You can always make a note of this. And it will stick. But not always permanently. Give up? Well, it's a ... Pad of purple Post It notes!

This one's very common, although you might not recognize the detail from the first picture. Hints: One is never enough. Stores are named after this. It has many nicknames. Give up??? Well, it's a .... Dollar Bill! The detail is from the left side (George's right side) of his jacket.

Here's another pair for you to decipher! These look like mini brushes, and they are, sort of! They also serve as filters too! Give up? They are ... My eyelashes!

Here's another pair of close up pictures! Can you guess what it is? It's really soft! You can make all sorts of stuff with it. It's cozy too! Give up!??? It's ... A cellphone case made out of pink fleece! The drawstrings are the ribbon that I had on the blog yesterday. The phone case is a bit too snug for my phone, but it makes a cute little case for little things.

A few weeks ago at Meijer, I picked up a smartphone microscope . It has been years since I had access to a microscope, so for $15, I thought it would be an amusing toy. There was a more expensive one for $40 that I saw later on. So I put it aside for a couple weeks, but the other night, I played around with it. It's easy to use. You just clip it on right over your smartphone camera lens, and snap pictures. A flea jumped off my dog, and I was able to snap a few shots of the tiny bug. I thought it might be fun to take pics of some ordinary objects close up, then see if people can guess what they are. Here's my first pair of pics! Here are some hints: This object is soft. It can hold things together. It can hold bags open. It can hold bags shut. It comes in all colors, but yellow is a very popular color for this. Give up? Scroll down to see what it is. The object is an orange ribbon!

Writing, just not blogging. More later, I promise!

Really haven't felt like updating the blogs. I'm busy with papers that need to be done the first week of December, even though the semester doesn't end until the 18th or so.

I really have not enjoyed grad school. I am waiting for interview responses via email for one of my projects. My blog project is done, but I think it's boring. My ethnographic case study I just want to get out of the way, but if my subjects don't answer my questions, I won't be able to answer my question for the project. At least my teaching portfolio seems okay. However, my "engaged research paper" is something I'm practically drooling over. For the last ten years, ever since I found out about it, I've been obsessed with the Ken and Barbie Murderers, also known as Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. I'd never heard of them until fall of 2004, when I took a trip to Toronto. A kind stranger skated with me, and we got to talking about people and how they are not what they seem. He filled me in on this murderous duo. The next day, I think I went book shopping and since I was on a breakneck pace while on my vacation (wanting to see and do everything on my...

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I've got several writing projects going on right now, but they are all school-related. And even though I told myself to update the blogs twice a week, it's getting to be a chore that is not pleasant. I know, tragic. I'll have to find ways to keep it going, but it's not like I have thousands of followers/readers, so some days, I'm like, "what's the point?"

Went to a club the other night and no one spoke to other than to say, "excuse me" and "are you winning?" (I was playing pool.) I was all dressed up, hair done, makeup done. Today in class, the instructor asked who was presenting next class. I didn't say anything, just to see what people would say. No one knew, including the instructor. Well, actually I knew. I am presenting next class. I LOVE when I'm paying $1,000 a class and no one, including the teacher, has printed out a syllabus to see what's going on next class. Really warms my heart.

I will be at the ACPL Author Fair this Saturday, Nov. 8, from noon to 3 at the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana. It's at the main branch, which is downtown. I'll have my books for sale, plus some new stuff and some free chocolate! At least 70 authors will be there, so come down and say hello!

Yes, I forgot to post yesterday. Sorry about that.

A little bit better. My school projects were glanced at by one of my instructors, and she says I'm on the right track. So that's good news.

I've been depressed lately, and self-medicating with food, which isn't helping. I can feel my left knee hurting a bit, which is a good sign that I've gained some weight. Also, the food just doesn't taste as good as I thought it would. And needing to be near a toilet when I gorge myself on a huge meal (because I usually eat greasy food) is not too cool. Because, when I gotta go, I GOTTA GO. So, I'm on a juice fast again. I'm hoping I can eventually break through this plateau and get to my goal weight. It's more than I should actually weigh, but I don't think I'll see 120 pounds ever again. If I do, it's because I've won the lottery and I can spend 4-6 hours a day exercising, because I'll have time to do that sort of workout. I've been avoiding schoolwork. I have some stuff I should read, and I'm a bit behind on it, but I don't think it's anything I can't conquer. I'm still worried about my major writing projects...

I forgot to post earlier. I try to keep this updated on Tuesday and Saturday, but I haven't done anything fun lately, and I've been kind of depressed and frustrated. Working hard on a writing portfolio for class and sweating about my papers, one of which I re-did because I couldn't stand the thought of getting a B minus.

Is not what I expected. Feeling foolish and lonely and pretty much wondering why I fucking bothered. I've not learned a single thing in eight weeks that will help me with teaching. That flushing sound is what two grand sounds like going down the toilet...

Didn't get to sleep until after 7 a.m. this morning. Planning to go to bed soon, because tomorrow's day is LOADED.

Could have gone to Cedar Point todsy instead of last Saturday.

Is not lifting and I'm feeling worse. I'm terrified I'm going to really screw up school. I worked and worked on a paper and I'm getting a B-. A B-! Don't think I've EVER had a B- English paper at the college level. Bear in mind, B- is equal to failure at the level where I am. On the positive side, I guess a B- is a good grade considering I had no idea what I was doing for the assignment ...

Has sort of ebbed away. I'm still a bit angry, but resigned.

Maybe it's my obsession with amusement parks, and Cedar Point in particular, but I just picked up Joyland last night at Half Price Books, and I'm loving it so far. I went on a book-buying spree last night, and I have plenty to do with my two classes. That's why I left the stack of books in the car last night, because i was afraid that if I brought this in, it would replace my bedtime reading, which was for school. I can't help it. I love Stephen King's writing. Not all of it, mind you, but Hearts in Atlantis was a book that I'd tried, but it didn't grab me. A few years later, I reread it obsessively one summer as I was writing some semi-autobiographical stories of my own. Looking forward to Joyland! And since I'm going to Cedar Point again soon, I'm planning to take it with me so I can have something to read if I decide to pack my lunch and eat in the car. While I love Cedar Point, unless you go with name-brand food choices (Subway, Pan...

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I didn't get a chance to get to Johnny Appleseed this year. So when a colleague told me about the fair up in Auburn I decided to go. It was perfect weather; just a little on the chilly side. I will say I've never seen so many food booths in my life in one place. I must say the selection was even better than Three Rivers Festival. Check it out! It goes until September 27. More info here:   http://www.dekalbcountyfair.org/ They forgot the "Fuck yeah!" Big white dog is OWNING the fair! I saw only a handful of black people at the fair. I wonder if this guy was feeling a bit uncomfortable at this particular moment. Auburn is awfully white. There were onion rings to be had, but the bloomin' onions were a nice touch. Usually I have to go to Outback for those. It's always a nice touch to see local organizations take their rightful place among the way overpriced food offerings. I wonder if this chili was "hotter than hell." ...

To say I'm feeling a bit better but still having trouble sleeping which means I am tired no matter when I get up.

Still feeling depressed. I know I didn't update Saturday, and I'm sorry. I have to be online for another area of my life right now, and I'm sort of sick of staring into a screen all the time. Nothing much has been going on in my life. Nothing really bad, nothing really good. Same old shit, basically.

And I don't know why. It's just a feeling of nothingness and a combination of feeling like I'm guilty and a complete failure.

It was a shitty day (I lost my driver's license) and some customer thought I was being rude. Never in my life have I wanted to run away as much as I wanted to today.

I had plans to go to Shipshewana on Labor Day. Among other things, they have a giant flea market . I hadn't been there all summer, so I figured Labor Day would be a good time to do it. I set my alarm, but really wasn't feeling too energetic. I did wake up, but debated whether or not to go. I let my dog out, and cleaned up the poop in the kitchen. She usually doesn't have accidents, but whatever. I got breakfast for Daphne and my cat, Summit, and went back to bed. Eventually I decided to go. I thought that I could do a Shipshewana Fashion Parade Flea Market edition. So I got up, showered, prepared to let Daphne out before I left, and found more poop in the kitchen...with bright red blood in it. Daphne seemed okay, but I called the emergency vet place . I took her in, and despite of (or in spite of) being a holiday, they were busy. I spent about three hours there, but Daphne's blood work came back perfect. They sent her home with instructions for a bland diet for th...

I got stung by either wasps or hornets the other day while mowing the lawn. I guess they had a nest IN the lawn, and they didn't like me mowing over their front door. Don't know why, but since then, I have been on a bee photographing kick.

I didn't have time to post all of the pictures I took, so here's round two. Thanks for holding my beer, dad. This is Painting With a Twist . Don't worry, I didn't hear him say anything about making trees "happy." Obviously a commentary about what's happening in Ferguson, MO. A M.A.S.H. reference. Kevin Harris of Balloons to the Moon . I think he was at Three Rivers Festival as well. Ice Mountain water from the guy who runs the Stellhorn and Coliseum Subways, and I think Georgetown as well. Smooth Edge 2 was at Taste of Fort Wayne. They were just one of several performers there. Bill Blass was from Fort Wayne! This cookie, with chocolate chips and pecans and I don't know what else was really good. I think it had toffee in it, as well. Get it at Vanilla Bean here in Fort Wayne. This is smoked gouda cheese dip with a few crackers and some pita bread. You can get this as an appetizer (in a much larger q...