Author Archives: Jen

About Jen

Jen isn't quite sure when she lost her mind, but it is probably documented here on Meditatio. She blogs because the world needs her snark at all hours of the night... and she probably can't sleep anyway.

My Heart Is Sick

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Great Falls Tribune: 8-year-old boy dies in motorcycle crash; father hospitalized

I can tell you that the 8 year old’s name is Dawson Fraser and his dad’s name is Cory. Their family owns a series of co-ops on the Hi-Line including the one in Galata where we used to live. Cory is a great guy and my heart is sick that the accident happened and that Dawson died.

Please pray for the Fraser family. I wish I had something more profound to say but the whole thing just really makes my heart sick. Kids shouldn’t die and parents shouldn’t have to bury them.

Lumby Books

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I was playing on my Shelfari (the bookshelf on my sidebar) and it suggested one of the Lumby books as a compliment to the Dearest Dorothy books that I was adding. I got them from the library and read them on the way to and from L.A. I can sum them up as thus: they held my attention so much that I didn’t notice any changes of geography.

The books revolve around a town called Lumby that is nestled against the Rockies and my guess is that it’s in Idaho or western Montana. It’s a town of eccentric people (like most Montana towns are) and I loved the interaction of the town with the monastery in the county. The monks were part of all of the books and that made it more interesting.

I definitely recommend the books highly and one of the things that influenced that was that a bevy of my favorite authors were amongst those who wrote comments and reviews.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 5, 2011

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 5, 2011

Outside my window… warm and in the upper 80’s.

I am thinking…that this quiet is really nice. (Daniel is asleep on the floor by the couch.)

I am thankful… that I got to sleep in this morning.

In the kitchen… no idea for food for dinner tonight though Jon is BBQing up a storm for himself.

I am wearing… blue maternity shirt (so comfy) and khaki shorts

I am going… Sacramento tomorrow for speech therapy and Daniel’s neuro appointment and San Jose on Thursday.

I am reading… the Lumby books by Gail Fraser.

I am hoping… Daniel naps a little longer.

I am looking forward to… being with my parents this weekend. Also looking forward to Ladies’ Night Out.

I am hearing… Jon typing in the kitchen.

Around the house… clean thanks to us deep-cleaning it before we left last week.

One of my favorite things… being home after a week away.

A few plans for the rest of the week… Daniel’s therapies this week, his neuro appointment tomorrow, Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday, and being with my family in San Jose from Thursday to Saturday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes — On the Road Again

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7 Quick Takes

–1–

This is our first serious “travel” time since my sister-in-law’s wedding in April. We had a church thing in Lebec and my father-in-law’s 60th birthday celebration is this Saturday. This means… ROAD TRIP!

–2–

We had an uneventful drive down to Lebec. It’s south of Bakersfield on I-5 and about 5 hours from where we live in northern California. I got two books read: All the Pretty Little Hearses by Mary Daheim and Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser. I find that having reading material (if I’m not driving) makes the trip go faster (a good thing because I hate road trips).

–3–

Our hotel room in Lebec was awesome. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express and had a beautiful and spacious room with a decently-sized bathroom. Considering that Daniel and I spent most of our time in there, this was definitely a good thing. Daniel loved all the drawers and having a mini-fridge to play with. He also had long corridors where he could crawl or practice walking.

–4–

Three hours of NCIS on Tuesday night = a happy Jen. Finding a marathon of NCIS on USA yesterday = ecstasy. It’s probably good that we don’t have cable at home — I think I’d be permanently attached to the recliner.

–5–

Daniel will soon have an REI wishlist for climbing things. We found out that he could climb out of his crib twice last night — once onto the desk where he was trying to have a conversation with the front desk (or ordering room service on the phone) and then onto the TV table where he was blocking the TV. His crib got moved in such a way that there was no surfaces for 5 feet in any direction.

–6–

We had an easy time driving down to Claremont. It’s strange coming back down here after living down here for a year and then moving. it’s surreal. Thankfully, we avoided rush hour getting there. I made it through most of a book and am wondering how it ends.

–7–

I’m hoping for a good party on Sunday. I’ve offered my services to my mother-in-law to take her to Trader Joe’s. My father-in-law was doing OK when we got there today and got to hang with Daniel. It should be a great gathering on Saturday though it’s going to be a long drive back that night. I need to invest in a flashlight or something so I can read on the way back.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 29, 2011

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 29, 2011

Outside my window… dark — it’s almost 2200. It’s nice and cool outside — it would be nice if that was the daytime temperature.

I am thinking… that there is going to be a cat-shaped dent in the wall if Mr. Fluffybutt goes after my M&M’s.

I am thankful… to have laundry done even this late.

In the kitchen… packing up food for tomorrow’s drive.

I am wearing… light grey shirt and blue running shorts.

I am creating… possibly an entry for Project 2996.

I am going… to be gone for 5 days.

I am wondering… how quickly I can pack the car tomorrow.

I am reading… All the Pretty Little Hearses by Mary Daheim.

I am hoping… the motel in Lebec has laundry facilities.

I am looking forward to… seeing family down south.

I am hearing… the A/C and the 10:00 news.

Around the house… cleaning binge tomorrow morning…

One of my favorite things… kalmata olives and feta cheese.

A few plans for the rest of the week… church conference in Frazier Park, time with in-laws, and my father-in-law’s 60th birthday party.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Blogging Etiquette

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I’ve had someone follow me from another blog and comment on an entry in an aggressive fashion. The offender got his comment deleted and I went into my domain dashboard and I.P. banned him. This is totally annoying to have to do so I thought I should lay out some rules of blogging etiquette.

01.) Don’t use someone else’s blog as your bully pulpit. If you have something to say that you feel needs to be expressed that strongly, GET YOUR OWN FREAKING BLOG.

02.) If you don’t like what someone has to say, suck it up. I’ve disagreed with a number of things that people have to say on their blogs. Given the diversity of blogs I read, I could probably get offended by at least half of them on a given day. However, life is too short to hold grudges so I just suck it up.

03.) If you absolutely MUST speak up, do it gracefully. If the issue is so grievous that you just have to speak up, do so gracefully and respectfully. We can all agree to disagree and maybe what you have to say will give the blogger something to think about.

04.) No chasing commenters. Do not chase someone from a blog where they leave a comment to their own blog to chastise them. It’s rude, will cause your comment to be deleted, and will cause you to be I.P. banned.

05.) Brevity is best in comments. Long comments get sent to my moderation queue on WordPress so any response over a few paragraphs long is going to not post because the program views it as spam. Be brief — save the long diatribes for your own blog.

06.) If you’re just too tempted to rip a blogger a new one, it probably means that you’ve been online too long and need a hobby. I recommend knitting, crocheting, chainsaw juggling, or cake decorating.

Just a few thoughts.

7 Quick Takes — Things Not to Say

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7 Quick Takes

I’m going to do something different and record my Quick Takes as a sound file. If you want to skip listening to the file (which isn’t going to randomly start playing unless you hit the play button), just click on the word “more…” and it will take you below the cut where you can read the transcript.

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