magic beans

The other day I was driving around in my automobile and drove right by three or four guys clowning around and posing with a cardboard sign with MAGIC BEANS! written in magic marker. It was awesome and made me laugh for blocks and blocks. I have no idea what they were doing! I mean, they were taking pictures and fooling around in one of those long park strips that are found in some neighborhoods, but what were they doing??

It was probably band photos, but maybe it was some kind of Recession Amusement -- the kind of thing lots of people would do if it occurred to them. They were having fun! I think modern American culture has trained us to think nothing is worthwhile or fun unless you spend money on it, which is SO WRONG on so many levels. Maybe simple Magic Bean pleasures will become acceptable to practice in public again, now that the economy has cratered. (although it would have been nice to get there without global financial catastrophe.) Or maybe these guys were ex wall street types SELLING magic bean futures and derivatives at highly inflated prices! There will be congressional Magic Bean hearings! or maybe they sold their last cow for a sign that said "magic beans!" because they were totally high. Ooh, or they were members of a political vegan banjo band making a Jolly Green Giant statement about the folly of modern post-cardboard living. Will this mystery ever be solved? I hope not!

I meant to mention the magic bean mystery sooner, but I've been busy this week formulating my non-spreadsheet solution to personal getting things done and non-craziness. I think Elvis called this TCB, although non-crazy wasn't on his stated agenda and my TCB involves no rhinestone jumpsuits, plate-sized belt buckles, or an entourage of bodyguards with nicknames. I'm okay with this (and other) breaks from the Elvis model, however. So far, my solution features a glamorous kitchen timer (pictured), a calendar, foil star stickers and a whiteboard. I think it's working! I still have some catching up to do, but if I can get things to a certain level (I'm close) I think I'll be able to get a lot more done, which will lead to less agitated crazy, but not tamper with baseline 'that's just how I am' crazy. Woo! Then I'll have time to make my own Magic Beans! sign and not feel like I should be doing laundry. (random justification: iTunes just played me Eloise (Hang On In There) by William Bell.)




Today is friday the 13th, so here is an OMINOUS CROW. I took this last week, which is when I had a macro photo epiphany! (not in this photo, obviously.) I've had this camera for a while, but I'm still figuring out various settings -- this was the walk where I got my macro mojo back and can once again take innumerable but in focus pictures of things like raindrops. Mwahahaha! This seems truly evil and appropriate to mention in a paragraph devoted to Friday the 13th.



Found at the library this week:

fortune untethered from cookie, found in the bookdrop: Modify your thinking to handle new situations. At first, of course, I took this as a proclamation of DOOM, but then I got a grip and think it's good, if obvious advice -- especially for often oblivious to the obvious me.

card found in the lobby: (see photo above, blurry despite previous boasts of macro mojo.) This was on a counter where all the neighborhood announcements go, which somewhat lessens the delightful randomness of finding it on the ground or stuck on a telephone pole. It's for an art show -- I almost didn't take it, but decided I liked how the red, blue and gold looked together. I'm glad I did, because by the time I got back from lunch, the rest of the stack was gone! Lesson learned: ACT NOW.

found on the floor, near the door to the lobby: a vocabulary card!
on one side it says
lieben
1. die Liebe,--
2. lieb
3. sich verlieben (w. in, acc.)
4. beliebt

on the other side it says
to love; to like
1. the love
2. dear, beloved; agreeable, nice
3. fall in love (with)
4. popular

It occurred to me this morning that this might have been fished out of one of the language learning sets. I will check next time I go. But it made me smile to find it!



I love taking pictures of books on shelves. This bright pink "the Answer is Always Yes" caught my eye at work. It's funny how certain titles jump out at me on different days. I know there's probably a rational explanation, like it's a new book and my mind registered that it was different. (It's in an area I walk by all the time.) Or maybe because it is bright, screaming pink. Who can fully understand the mysteries of the human brain?? I grabbed my camera on my break and took the picture and there you have it. I still feel majorly squirrelly and furtive taking pictures in the library, even though I know it's a-ok as long as I'm not disturbing anyone. Maybe it's more fun because I think I shouldn't do it? (THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS YES.)