Hi, guys. Sorry I haven't been around for, well, almost forever. I haven't forgotten about you. I just got out of the habit of writing, then couldn't think of anything I wanted to write. But this cool meme you all are doing got me. And so did isabellablue writing me a worried note. So I guess I'm back.

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

NBPC - The Daydreamer

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

I like this--it sounds like me.

What the House Test Says About You

You are happy with who you are, and you don't have an inflated sense of self importance. You do your own thing quietly. You don't take up a lot of space. You aren't against being community oriented, but it's not really your thing. You tend to prefer to focus on your family and not the neighborhood around you. You are a calm, contemplative, and smart person. You take ideas very seriously. You look attractive, but mostly because your rely on your natural good looks to get by. You are moved by what's exotic and unique. You often have the mentality of a traveler, even when you're not traveling.

Link: The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test written by Samsara78 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(Samsara78)

This cracked me up! http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/10/why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road/

I'm doing ok here, except from some nasty asthma. Now that I'm on steroids, I can function ok.
My sweetheart leaves for Bolivia in three weeks. Now that it's so close, it's starting to feel real.
If any of you don't know my friend curlypurls, check out her etsy shop where she sells some fantastic jewelry. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11976258

Quote of the Day
There is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do.
Bill Watterson

I'm still here, but just haven't had anything I've felt like saying lately. I'm at work now and having a sucky night. My patient who came in cramping is soon going to deliver a much wanted baby at least a month before it has any chance of surviving. Not a happy night. *sigh*
Addendum: I just realized that I had asked my Bible study group to pray for me for strength and energy to get thru the night, since I'm up for 24 hours and wasn't able to take a nap and was already tired. Turns out that the best way was to forget about myself and think about someone else and their needs. Go figure. The night has gone fast.

For your amusement, a family in Alaska built a playset, but the neighbor kids are hogging it. http://www.tcnj.edu/~hofmann/playground/Playground.htm

Quote of the Day
So you think that money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money?
Ayn Rand

You Should Live in a Small City

You are definitely an urban person, but not any old city will do. You want a city that matches you well. For you, big cities lack individuality. You prefer a smaller city with lots of personality, local culture, and history.

Your Personality at 35,000 Says...

Deep down, you prefer spending time alone to spending time with others. You enjoy thinking more than talking. You don't spend much time thinking about your place in the world. You are who you are - and people can just deal with that! Your gift is having a way with words. You know how to express yourself well. You are inspired by what is possible. Real life is often too ordinary for you. You are happy as long as you are given some personal space. It's important for you to have your own private life.

The window is open, and I'm hearing birds singing. There are patches of daffodils and blooming forsythia in many yards. Tulips should be coming up soon, but we won't see them because the deer will eat them as soon as they appear.
I didn't get called in on call last night, so I have a free day today. I washed our dirty kitchen floor. I'm leaving in a few minutes to go out to lunch with a friend.
My husband is happier now that he's completed some big projects at work and the pressure is easing.
I'm making some minor tweaks to my appearance, such as doing a little more with eye makeup (but still very subtle.) I bought two new dressy tops on sale at Macy's (keeping in mind the things I've learned from "What Not To Wear", such as emphasizing my smallish waist.) Yesterday I wore one of them to church, and at least five people told me I looked beautiful, and several asked me if I had lost more weight. Felt pretty good!

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/04/12/an-engineers-guide-to-cats/

Quote of the Day
Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.
John Lennon

I took the advice of some of my coworkers and visited the bank that holds my mortgage. They modified my mortgage from a 30 year (with about 24 years left) to a 15 year one. And at a much lower interest rate (over 1% less.) It only costs $92 a month more. We've been putting an extra $200 toward the principal each month in the hopes of paying it off before we're senile. Now, we'll make it $100, so we're not really putting out anything different than before, but we'll pay it off in a little over 12 1/2 years. That doesn't sound like so far.
I left the bank feeling like it was Christmas.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/04/09/man-whose-house-was-hit-by-five-meteorites-believes-that-aliens-are-targeting-him/

I'm still here, but I haven't been online much. Work has been too busy to allow me the luxury of chatting with you all. And the plan to get high speed internet has hit some snags. Let's just say I'll be back on after I can stomach the idea of spending a few more hours on the phone with the tech support guys. *sigh*

You Belong in the Baby Boomer Generation

You fit in best with people born between 1943 and 1960. You are optimistic, rebellious, and even a little self centered. You still believe that you will change the world. You detest authority and rules. Deep down, you're a non conformist.

Well, duh!

My Personality

Neuroticism	47
Extraversion	0
Openness to Experience	41
Agreeableness	69
Conscientiousness	43

You rarely get angry and it takes a lot to make you angry, however you are sensitive about what others think of you. Your concern about rejection and ridicule cause you to feel shy and uncomfortable around others. You are easily embarrassed and often feel ashamed. Your fears that others will criticize or make fun of you are exaggerated and unrealistic, but your awkwardness and discomfort may make these fears a self-fulfilling prophecy. You lead a leisurely and relaxed life. You would prefer to sit back and smell the roses than indulge in high energy activities. You prefer the security and stability brought by conformity to tradition. You dislike confrontations and are perfectly willing to compromise or to deny your own needs in order to get along with others, however you are willing to take credit for good things that you do but you don't often talk yourself up much. You take your time when making decisions and will deliberate on all the possible consequences and alternatives.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report. PureAwakening Jewelry.

When my husband came home from work, he said something that is still making me feel all warm and fuzzy. I can't remember his exact words, but they went something like "The more I see and the more I get to know other people, the more I appreciate you. I am so glad I'm married to you. I think you're wonderful." Wouldn't hearing that make you happy down to your toes?
I'm a lucky woman to have a husband who sees me that way.

Yesterday, I joined the 21st century. I ordered high-speed internet with wireless to replace our dial up, and satellite TV to replace our rabbit ears. It's about time. By midweek, we'll be up and running. I'll actually be able to look at You-tube videos. And I'll be able to watch "What Not to Wear", which I got addicted to when I was in the hospital for hip surgery.
I did the federal and state taxes yesterday. Dolce needs to write out the copy to send in--he claims my writing is illegible. We'll get a net refund of a whopping $250. I guess it's better than having too much withheld, but a bigger refund would be nice. Dolce will have to do the local taxes. I can't make sense of them.

Quote of the Day
The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds.
Jawaharlal Nehru

Currently reading: "My Mistress's Sparrow Is Dead: Great Love Stories, from Chekhov to Munro" edited by Jeffrey Eugenides

Your Thinking is Abstract and Random

You are flexible, adaptable, and creative. There's many ways that you can learn - and you're up for any of them. You relate well to other people, and you do well working in groups. You can help people communicate together and work with each other's strengths. You don't work well with people who are competitive or adversarial. You prefer to work toward a common goal... not toward conflicting goals.

I enjoyed this last weekend. Since I have to work every other weekend, it matters to me that I feel like I've had some good time with my husband on the weekend, and that I havene't just wasted the weekend hanging around the house or only doing routine things.
Friday evening, we watched a couple episodes of Stargate Atlantis on DVD. Saturday, we went downtown to see the Botanical Gardens. Of course, the outdoor gardens weren't on display, but a couple years ago, they built a huge greenhouse (http://www.cbgarden.org/Visit/Glasshouse.html) with exhibits about the cloud forest in Costa Rica and the spiny desert in Madagascar. Very interesting. And there was a special program about bugs going on, so lots of people were there with kids. Years ago, I worked across the street from there (at the Law Library at Case Western Reserve U.) and used to check out special things going on there, but it's so much bigger and nicer now.
For lunch, we headed up the hill to Little Italy, and ate at a cafe/bakery that had great pizza and desserts. Had to pick up a couple pieces of tiramasu to take home. Yum. In the evening, we watched a couple more episodes of The Life of Mammals, which we are thouroughly enjoying.
I didn't get called in on call Saturday night, so Sunday was great. (If I had gotten called in, I would have gotten four hours of sleep.) After a wonderful Easter service, Dolce and I went with my dad and sis to an old fashioned restaraunt that felt like just right place to go for a holiday meal. It feels like the kind of place you might have gone out for a nice dinner in 1960. Soup, salad, relish tray, basket of rolls and cinnamon rolls, and dessert were included along with the usual entree, potato and vegie. We took home lots of leftovers.
Sunday evening, Dolce headed to bed early since he's going to be going in early and staying late at work this week. I grabbed the salsa out of the fridge and some chips and headed over to my sister's place to watch "Becoming Jane." She's a huge Jane Austen fan, so she was the right person to watch it with. (Dolce would have gotten bored within the first half hour and wandered off to do something else. Why can't guys appreciate costume dramas?)

Quotes of the Day
Never wear anything that panics the cat.
P. J. O'Rourke

A man is not old until regrets take place of dreams.
John Barrymore

Ooo, I like this one! He's one of my heroes.

This seems a bit extreme, but I like it.

Your Heart is Blue and Green

Your heart is open and dynamic. You are flexible, optimistic, and expressive. You bring honesty and intimacy to relationships. You're good at expressing your needs to your partner.

Interesting--my favorite color is teal.

Quote of the Day
We probably wouldn't worry about what people think of us if we could know how seldom they do.
Olin Miller

Currently reading: Gabriel Garcia Marquez "Love in the Time of Cholera"

The weather has warmed up just enough that the huge piles of snow outside my window are getting shorter. When I sit in my recliner, I hear the water running as it melts. And the snowplow guys shoveled a path thru the 3 1/2 foot pile so that someone could actually get to my front door if they wanted to.
I'm ready for spring.

Quote of the Day
My mother buried three husbands - and two of them were only napping.
Rita Rudner

Currently reading: Jan Karon "Home to Holly Springs"

Another episode from our trip to Wheeling, from my husband (who writes much better than I do.)http://dolcedomum2.livejournal.com/25337.html