Meandering Missive: September 2005

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Furry critters w/ sticky feet & googlie eyes!

In my Sept. 25 entry, I pondered about what to call those fuzzy little puffballs with sticky conjoined feet and googlie eyes and which generally have some "accessory" glued to them. I forgot to mention that many of them also have a long tag on which is printed a brand name, a slogan, a holiday greeting, etc. I remember them being called "weebles", "weepuls" and "weebots".

I was thinking about these colorful critters because I bought some items from a school fundraiser catalog my cousin is toting around for her son. (What a great mom!) This made me recall that when I had to sell things for school fundraisers (mainly magazine subscriptions, ugh), we often got the aforementioned "wee-whatevers" as incentives. They weren't the ONLY incentives, of course! No kid would sell anything if that were the case! *smirk* Each time we sold X number of things, we'd earn the corresponding wee, which also signified we could choose from a better prize group, take part in a prize drawing, attend a reward party, etc.

Believe it or not, yours truly the packrat recently found a big bag o' wees! Now the whole Internet can see what I'm talking about! I selected one wee from each color category for the photo below. Most of the wees in my bag are actually NOT from school fundraisers, but rather were promotional items given away by companies, or were impulse buys (of mine) connected to some holiday, season or event. *chuckle* Please tell me what YOU call these little furballs! ;D Click the pic for a larger version.

Today I am feeling zany!

posted by ScaryShari @ 7:16 PM 6 comments

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

My 4 o'clocks are sprouting! :)

I'm so excited! :) My four o'clocks are germinating! Well, okay, only ONE has sprouted so far, but the others can't be far behind. I was walking to the garage this morning to bring in some canned juice (we store certain non-perishables there) and as I walked by where the seeds were sown, my eye caught on a tiny little green head peeking up from the soil!

I planted these little cuties 6 to 9 days ago, so they're right on schedule -- at least according to my research, which says they germinate anywhere from 5 to 14 days after planting. The variability is due to factors like soil temperature, soil moisture, sunlight/weather, seed freshness, seed "preparation", etc.

The seeds look like tiny black grenades, and the hulls are hard. Some folks speed up the germination process by soaking the seeds overnight before planting or by "nicking" the hulls with a file. I did neither. I just kept the soil consistently moist and, of course, planted them in a sunny spot. I also tried to plant seeds whose hulls were already starting to split a bit on their own.

For those not familiar with the common four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa) a.k.a "Marvel of Peru", it's a perennial sometimes grown as an annual. It forms tuberous roots, which in mild-winter climates (i.e. the Santa Clara Valley) can remain in the ground all year. In cold-winter climates, the tubers can be dug and stored in the same fashion as dahlias. Fours bloom summer through fall, then die back and go dormant. Here in the Valley, they can be sown in early fall OR spring, versus in colder climates where you'd never sow them in the fall. Hopefully between our "Indian Summer" and our mild, rainy winter, my babies will have grown enough (above and below ground) to actually bloom in the summer of 2006!

Ah yes, about their name! Fours cannot tell time, and in fact they've been known to open anytime between 3 and 7 p.m. (4 p.m. is "typical".) They then stay open all night and are pollinated by moths. What rouses the tubular flowers to bloom is actually the drop in temperature that usually occurs in the late afternoon. On cool, overcast days, they might stay open all day! Or they might not -- they pretty much do what they feel like. *grin*

The same is true for their coloring. The basic hues are hot pink/magenta, yellow and white. However, due to genetic instability (is that right, Tony?), they often have streaks, splotches and slices of different colors on the same flower! I love this and harvested seeds ONLY from fours with this trait. One plant has magenta-and-yellow variegation; the other has magenta-and-white.

I also love the fragrance of fours, which is hard to imagine if you've never smelled it, and equally hard to forget once you HAVE. My best description would be "sweet, floral and perfumey", but that still sounds pretty generic. Please click the comments link below to share your description of the fragrance. Heck, you're welcome to click the link and leave a comment about anything! :) In the meantime, you can click the 4 small pix below to view larger versions of the 2 "parent plants" of my babies....

Today I am feeling happy!

posted by ScaryShari @ 10:35 AM 2 comments

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Saving my sole

No, not my soul -- that's quite safe and secure, despite what some belief systems may wrongfully assume. ;) And no, not my fish either -- sole is too delicate a dish for me to mangle; I leave that to the pros. (Especially filet of sole almondine, my favorite.) BLUB!

The sole to which I refer is on one of my black Justin cowboy boots. I've known for a long time I had to have it re-soled, but kept putting it off. However, at my Cattle Barons Ball volunteer gig (see Sept. 25 blog entry), I almost tripped myself! So I guess I shouldn't put it off any longer, especially since my Justins are my dressiest and favorite boots.

This brand is NOT cheap, and is known for its quality leather soles. I can't really complain, however, because I had this boot pair for many years and probably danced the darn sole away! *chuckle* Between 1996/97 and 2000/01, I went boot-scooting 2 to 4 times every month at various dance clubs/bars that played country music. My two favorites were the now-defunct Cheers (in Sunnyvale) and the Saddle Rack (which closed in San Jose and re-opened in Fremont). I and my friends were also known to haunt the Horseshoe Club in Santa Clara and the Rio Grande in Mountain View. Both of those are now defunct as well -- what's up with that? Is country music such a pariah in the Silicon Valley? :(

At any rate, I generally wore these boots (along with a pair of blue and brown Laredos). I'm curious why the right sole is in such a state of disrepair, while the left one is worn but not this badly (see photo below). Perhaps somewhere along the line I snagged or cracked the right sole and it was weak ever since. Or maybe in those days before I enjoyed regular chiropractic adjustments, my gait was uneven and too much weight was being carried by my right foot. Who knows? %-)

I just know I now need to have BOTH boots re-soled, since it would be stupid to do otherwise. Fortunately the upper parts of both boots are in excellent condition, which means I don't need to buy a new pair: just repair the current one. I received a personal recommendation for The Cobbler's Bench on Winchester Blvd. in Santa Clara, which has been in biz for 25 years (impressive!) I checked the place out, met the old-school cobbie himself and got a competitive price quote. So, looks like these boots are made for walkin' -- over to Santa Clara for a fixin'! Click the pic below for a larger view. I guess this right boot would be the "sole mate" of the left one, eh? (heehee) *groan*

Today I am feeling content.

posted by ScaryShari @ 10:23 PM 1 comments

Monday, September 26, 2005

A study in purple & orange

As everyone knows who either posts to a blog or reads a blog, there are funny little "quizzes" you can take that tell you something about yourself based on your answers. For example, you might answer various questions about how inhibited or un-inhibited you are, and the quiz would tell you what reality show best suits you. Or you might answer questions relating to your hobbies and personality, and find out which Harry Potter character you are. (Karrie, who are you? *grin*) The quiz things also give you a funky little graphic to stick in your blog, so everyone can see your quiz results and even take the quiz themselves if they wish.

Just for fun, I took a quiz that promised to tell me what "color" my blog personality is. The only problem was, even though I could only pick one answer to each question, many of the questions had MORE than one answer I wanted to pick! So, being the indecisive fool that I am, I took the quiz again! ;D I got two different colors, and what's cool about that is that BOTH of the descriptions suit me to a T! The fact that my favorite color (purple) is one of them is just a happy coincidence.

Speaking of which, it so happens that a very unusual, dainty and pretty member of the pea family is colored in purple and orange. It's an unlikely combination, I know, but it turns up on a little flower called the flame pea (Chorizema genus, 2 different species). The purple is more of a magenta than a true purple, but the orange is definitely orange! I have some flame pea seeds, in fact, and am going to plant them ASAP, since in our mild-winter climate, early fall is good time to plant certain types of peas (including spring-flowering sweet peas -- so fragrant and classic!)

At any rate, it turns out that my blog and flame peas have a lot more in common that I ever would have thought! Funny how that happens, eh? ;D And now, without further ado, I'll let you read why my blog is, apparently, a study in purple and orange...

I took the What's the Color of Your Blog Personality? Quiz at About Web logs and...

My Blog Personality's True Color Is...
ORANGE

It's all about optimism, hope and positivity.
I see suffering, I feel pain. But, I believe that things do get better in time. I still find goodness in humanity. That's why I blog both ways: to record reality and to hang on to hope.

My Blog Personality's True Color Is...
PURPLE

It's all about youthfulness,
fantasy and dreams.
It doesn't matter what age I am. It doesn't matter what life hurls at me. I will always stay young because I love life... And, a part
of me will always believe in dreams and magic. I try to keep these special things alive through my blog.

Today I am feeling pleased.

posted by ScaryShari @ 10:30 PM 0 comments

About my nickname & blog name!

Before I make any further entries, I thought it would be useful (or at least amusing, in an inane sort of way) to explain why my nickname is "Scary Shari" and why my blog's name is "Meandering Missive". Most folks who know me probably already know the significance of the former, but I doubt many know about the latter.

During my senior year of high school, I was co-editor of the school newspaper. One of the underclassmen in the class (I think it was a guy named Curry) spontaneously started calling me Scary Shari. It was rather an ironic nickname, because I was probably the LEAST scary person in the whole class! *chuckle* As an editor, I was almost too nice -- forgiving folks if they were late with stories and showering them with praise when they turned something in. My personality type has always been very optimistic, encouraging, friendly, funny and sensitive, which is probably why to this day, kids (who always tell it like it is) and adults alike laugh heartily when I introduce myself as Scary Shari, saying: "You're not scary!!!"

After high school I kind of forgot about that nickname, but somewhere down the line, I revived it. Maybe when I was in college, maybe afterwards. But it seems like I've always had it. :) And I like it -- for several reasons. It makes people laugh, it helps people remember my name, and it keeps people from mispronouncing my name like "SHAH-ree". Also, I love rhymes. The only thing I don't care for about the nickname is that someone told me there is (or was) some notorious female wrestler who went by Scary Shari (or Sherry, or something). I don't really like wrestling and I wouldn't want someone to think I'm taking my name from her. Then again, I think she's obscure enough that that's not going to be a problem!

And now for Meandering Missive. This story is shorter ("whew!" think my readers). When I was a copy editor for the Spartan Daily newspaper at San Jose State University, I also wrote a bi-weekly variety column. (Does bi-weekly mean the column came out every other week? If so, that's what I mean!) Each columnist could come up with a name for his or her column, and I came up with Meandering Missive. I liked calling a letter a missive because it sounds old-fashioned that way; my subject matter meandered widely from column to column; and I liked the alliteration of the "M" sound. After that semester, my column proved popular enough to be accepted for a second semester, even though I no longer was an actual Spartan Daily staffer. *blush* So I really became attached to the Meandering Missive name, and I always wondered if I would use it again sometime, somewhere. And now I am, with my blog! :)

Today I am feeling clever.

posted by ScaryShari @ 11:33 AM 0 comments

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Family + friends + volunteerism = cool weekend!

Well, so much for the idea that this blog might turn into a diary or journal into which I write entries every day! Actually, I never intended it to be, so this one-day lapse is nothing to kick myself about. And, in fact, there were several happy reasons why I was too busy yesterday to write in it. :)

In the morning, my mom L, aunt J, favorite cousin J and I all got together for a "Ladies Day", which we try to do once or twice a year, in addition to when we get together at larger family events like birthdays, holidays, etc. It involves just the four of us getting together for a meal (usually at a restaurant, so no one has to cook!), sharing thoughtful, conversation-stimulating answers we've prepared on a pre-determined question or topic, and just hanging out, catching up and having a good time.

We usually meet for lunch, but this time we met for brunch at one of my favorite establishments, Bakers Square. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert -- I've never had a bad meal there! And no, they did not pay me to say that! ;)

We then went shopping at Trader Joe's, a favorite specialty grocery store of all of us, and which my aunt and cousin don't have as easy access to. We then went home, shared our thought lists, chatted about many things ranging from personal to hilarious, and I bought some items from the fundraising gift catalog J (my cousin) is dutifully toting around for her son, B. I'm such a sucker for helping kids rise through the "prize levels" of their school fundraisers, mainly because I remember what it was like when I was in that pickle! *chuckle* Interestingly enough, this catalog was something I actually wanted to shop from, because it was more eclectic than any I've ever seen! The company is Cherrydale Farms, and they carry everything from candles to candy to plants (bulbs) to gift wrap to body lotions to magazine subscriptions! I was very impressed! :)

Why didn't they have cool stuff like this when I was a kid? Anyone remember those dreary magazine subscription-only fundraisers where you earned a different colored/themed fuzzy "weeble" that granted you entrance to special parties and prize levels? I don't know what you call those fuzzy things -- they have conjoined feet so that when you peel off the backing, the critters can stick to anything with their feet. The look like round furry cotton balls with googlie eyes and generally have something glued to their heads or bodies, like a hat, hands, a sign, wings, ears, etc. I remember them being called weebles, weepuls, weebots, etc. Not to be confused with "Weebles Wobble But They Don't Fall Down"! LOL And of course not to be confused with the evil WEEVIL, which wreaks destruction on many crops, cotton being the most notorious victim.

Anyhoo, after Ladies Day, I had just enough time to relax a little bit, get changed and leave for Saratoga, where I was reporting for duty as a volunteer for the Cattle Barons Ball, the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Santa Clara County chapter of the American Cancer Society. I volunteered with my good friends Jenn and Dan. Most of Jenn's friends are volunteerism-oriented, seeing as like tends to attract like and Jenn herself is the founder and CEO of an awesome Bay Area nonprofit, The Family Giving Tree.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to round up any of the usual suspects (our friends) except one to join us for this year's Ball, but that's okay -- we've done it in the past, and we'll do it again! If you have a couple hundred dollars to spend on admission and a couple thousand to throw on the live and silent auctions, the Cattle Barons Ball is THE place to do it, since it raises funds for a truly worthy organization. After all, everyone knows someone affected (directly or indirectly) by cancer. :( And if, like most of us, the Ball's price tag is out of your range, try volunteering! I try to do several community service projects each year because, as I like to put it, I can't afford to donate much in terms of money, but at least I can donate my time. :)

And on that happy note, I will stop my meandering missive for tonight!

Today I am feeling content.

posted by ScaryShari @ 5:08 PM 0 comments

Friday, September 23, 2005

Blogging! My first time; please be gentle ;)

I've always been kind of resistant to the idea of getting a blog. Despite the fact that I love writing about everything and nothing, despite the fact that I love sharing my favorite things (such as words, quotations, personal photos, etc.), despite the fact that I generally don't mind being an open book, and despite the fact that "Eccentric" is my middle name (well, not really *grin*) -- I always felt that blogging was too trendy.

When I think of following fads or being "a trendy," I think of the person I was in junior high school and, to a slightly lesser degree, in high school as well. I was both immature and insecure in those days (especially junior high). I wasn't very original either; preferring to do "what everyone else is doing" than doing my own thing. I'm not saying that everyone who follows fads or trends is any of the things I was in my school days, because many people are not. And at the age of 33, I certainly am not either! *chuckle* So I think it's high time that I got over my strange variant of retrospective self trendiforous disdain, and GET MYSELF A BLOG! :D

Actually, in all truth, I still probably wouldn't have gotten a blog (even though I'm spending more and more time enjoying other peoples') if not for the fact that my best friend of 12+ years "L" recently started blogging. (She refers to everyone by their initials in her blog, for privacy's sake, and asked that I do the same for her). At any rate, her enthusiasm for blogging was so contagious that... well... I caught it! ;0 And then there's also the fact that she said she wants to link to my in her blog, and so I guess that means it would be a good idea if I actually HAD a blog! (As I understand it, the more blogs you're linked to, and from, the more likely search engines are to cite your blog if some anonymous person in Podunk types in keywords that you happened to spout off about). *chuckle*

Gosh I'm getting verbose! Maybe this blog idea wasn't such a good one after all! I have a hard enough time concentrating on my tasks at hand anyway, which currently amounts to several freelance writing projects that are close to being overdue. I also was recently diagnosed as having a mild case of adult ADD/ADHD , and based on my high level of distractibility, procrastination and disorganization, it is probably more than just a "label." At any rate, I'll stop rambling now, because somehow it seems that a first-ever blog entry should be short, not long.

And so, thank you sincerely for reading my first entry! :) There will be plenty more where this came from! Comments are, of course, welcome!

Happy day,
Shari (a.k.a. "Scary Shari")

posted by ScaryShari @ 9:29 PM 0 comments

Welcome to my blog: 'Meandering Missive'!

: Name: ScaryShari; Location: South Bay Area, California, United States

My blog here has been abandoned, sorry! But PLEASE come and visit me at http://scaryshari.livejournal.com -- I update my blog several times each week. And Live Journal is far better than Blogspot/Blogger in many ways!! :)

View my complete profile

Recent Rambles

About Me