What is this feeling?

Every time I listen to the song The New by Interpol I have a moment of familarity that I cannot pinpoint (only until about 2:20 seconds into the song). Then it hit me today. The first half of the song reminds me of one of my favorite R.E.M songs from the album Murmur….Perfect Circle.

So funny how that happens. I love the feeling of familarity when it comes unexpected and you really have to think about why you are experiencing it.

Not that you’ll be able to really experience what I am talking about with these short samples….I still wanted to include them just the same.

R.E.M. – Perfect Circle

Interpol – The New

Communities A-brewin’

So I was researching online looking for a really cool PowerPoint template for my upcoming Flickr class, when I came across something cool…..Slideshare. Similar to youtube except it is specifically for presentation hosting/sharing. Visitors can upload, download, share, and even comment on presentations. I love the fact that there are more and more of these social network communities sprouting up all over the web. It just blows me away. Earlier today I was catching up with a knitter’s blog I occasionally read and realized the author and her husband have started their own community based on knitting. I love it!! I wish I had more time to sit around and play with all these cool finds though. Believe it or not, I have actually been spending less time on the internet since I have moved out to the burbs. Excercise has piqued my interest once again. Last night I attended my first Yoga class. I loved it. Anyway… I just wanted to share my new finds. Maybe they will come in handy for yourself or someone you know.

The following is NOT my presentation. It was found on Slideshare. Obviously.

Birth Year = 1916

A 91 year old man attended my Word class this evening and thanked me for what he learned in the class afterword. He told me how we was a writer and how he has always written out his stories the old fashioned way via hand. He said he became interested in computers a year ago when he was 90. He said he often emails life stories to his family members, etc. Said he’s working on a family history. I couldn’t believe how this 90 year old man was embracing technology the way he was. I told him I needed to shake his hand and said “seriously. You’re 91 years old and you are using a computer. I can’t even get my dad who is in his 50’s to use a computer. You should be very proud of yourself.” I wanted to continue talking to him, but some of the other students started gathering around and wanting to talk to me. I would have loved to have coffee with him and just listen to story after story.

91!!! I still can’t believe it. Still had his wits about him and everything.

He was around when cars were first invented. He was around when television first came out. He was around when…well..you get the picture. Here is a list of events that happened the year he was born. Here is a brief summary of the things that have happened during his 91 years. Crazy!

I am impressed to say the least.

Blow into the cartridge!

Omg! I soooo want this shirt.

Did anyone else blow into their Nintendo cartridges back in the day? Ha ha

The Little Girl at the Park

I just wanted to let you all know that I have posted May’s Movie under my “Movie” section. It’s long overdue I know.

Autumn and I had stopped by a park in Hamtramck to rest and talk the last time we bike rode (weeks ago). While there, two ladies and a little girl came and sat nearby. We watched the little girl play, dance, and run around. She was cute. She would often stare at us or just give us a shy look. Or go into what seemed like angryish outbursts (some weren’t caught on video). We don’t know if she actually was upset or if she was just trying to play with us. Regardless, she HAD our full attention. She was a character. We tried talking to her but found she did not respond. Judging by the two women she was with who were speaking another language, we assumed she could not understand what we were saying to her. It didn’t stop us from continuing to try though. Sometimes she seemed sad. It was in those moments that I wished I knew whatever language she spoke. She just seemed so alone sometimes.

Or maybe it was just the inpenetratable language barrier between us.

The video is not of the greatest quality and it is pretty jumpy, but I think you can get the gist of what the experience was like for us.

My Favorite Book Project

Last September, photojournalist Todd Mizener took 156 images of library patrons posing with their favorite books to help celebrate the Moline Public Library’s grand opening. They are now hanging in their library and accessible online here.

Very nice.

Connecting the dots to the future

As promised…I’m writing. I did not get all of the errands done that I had planned. *Sigh* There’s always tomorrow I suppose.

Last week was my first week living away from Jeff. It was hard. Harder than living without internet/cable. This weekend Jeff came over. We decided in advance that the weekends would be “our time” and the weekdays would be “work time.” Before I moved out to Sterling Heights, I ripped three months out of my huge desk calendar at work and gave them to Jeff. He was excited when he saw them, immediately looking around to see where he might be able to hang them to start planning his workdays. Looking at the upcoming months we were reminded of how quickly time flies. It’s hard to believe we only have a limited amount of time to get certain things accomplished. Added to our little equation are the unknown “plans” that will inevitably be made…last minute invites to see family/friends we never get to see, barbeques that happen but once a year, and so on.

Changing gears…

When Jeff and I were enjoying our short time together over the weekend, I was looking at my friend Autumn’s pics and then some of her contacts’ pictures. One link led to another and before I knew it both Jeff and I were reading one of THE best blogs we’ve come across in a long time. It was the kind of writing capable of bringing tears to our eyes. The pictures did the same. For the first time I felt totally comfortable with the idea of raising a child (for the most part) in the city. Usually, when Jeff and I discussed the prospect of having kids, my immediate reaction was to find a way to get them the hell outta Dodge (aka/Hamtramck). Every once in a while I’ve been pleasantly surprised when I’ve met or heard of someone simlilar to our demographic who was successfully raising a family in the city. It’s honestly refreshing. What makes Sweet Juniper’s blog even better is the fact that it is written by two parents who live in the city of Detroit. I can’t tell you how much Jeff and I enjoyed reading their blog. I truly hope to learn from the experiences they share, a nice reference for when we have kids (if and when). It is nice to read another perspective and keep an open mind to living in and around the “D” instead of resorting to what we know best – the burbs.

We’ll see how I feel when we actually have kids though. For now…..I think we’ll focus on the house. I mean…Jeff will focus on the house.

I’ll just continue blogging from afar.

*Excuse the revising*

Home is where the heart is

Once I roll my lazy butt off the couch and run the errands I told myself I would run after work…..I will blog.

In the meantime, take in my new design. Doesn’t it make you feel like you’re in Hamtramck?

I feel like I’m looking out the window now….ahhh….wait! what’s that?! Polly! Stop! You’re backing up into my car!!

Polly is the cute little old lady in the pics to the right. She and her brother should no longer be driving…..but noone can convince them of that. Not even the Secretary of State who apparently tried.

Ohh how I miss Hamtown.

Update

I moved into my new place this weekend with a lot of help from Jeff and his family. THANKS AGAIN to all of them for their hard work!! I couldn’t be any luckier of a girl.

I don’t have internet or cable yet so I will not be able to live on the internet as I usually do. I’m looking at it as a vacation from the World Wide Web though. The only way I am getting away with it now is because I am at work (I know….tsk tsk). Thought I would take a moment to give an update on things though. I will post a few pics of my new place shortly. I figure getting internet is step #1 though.

On another note, I am actually considering buying my first pair of crocs. Can you believe it? Not too long ago I was expressing such disdain for them. I would link to the specific blog entry where I ripped them apart, but because I just realized I do not have a search box on my blog nor an archive by months…..I do not know when or which blog entry (may be time for a new template!). I do not have time to look for it either. Just believe me on it. I thought they were hideous. If I buy a pair, I’d like to buy a pair of these kind. The regular ones have grown on me, but the MaryJane style crocs are WAY cuter! I’ll have to compare Crocs to see which ones are more comfy though. If the regular ones are more comfy I may just go with those.

Now if only I could decide on a color.