Friday Five – All I want for Christmas

Friday Five is a little early this week and asks:

Santa makes his big ride tomorrow night and I am sure there are some things you have asked him for …or maybe one of his elves….so why not list FIVE things you”ve hinted for this year and be sure to leave your link so we can see what you want Santa to bring you this Christmas!

Well, I don’t really have to hint, thanks to Amazon wish lists and family members who ask for lists and a hubby and sister who know me pretty well.  What are on these lists?  Or what am I asking for from Santa in my secret heart of hearts?

1.  I have the standard of books and music and movies.  Can’t go wrong with books and music.  A couple goodies like the latest Fable comic book trade paperback and maybe the new Barbara Kingsolver book. Hey Santa, I’ll even read your autobiography if you give it to me.  I hear it’s good.

2.  Clothes.  Every time I think about going out to get something for myself, I manage to talk myself out of the expense.  The good thing is – since I work from home and don’t have to bother with office meetings and client meetings and the general guidelines of professionalism, I don’t really need nice clothes.  Or anything more than a few pairs of shorts and tank tops, which I already own.  But you know, every once in a while when I want to go out to dinner with Sweetie or when I’m in California to see friends, it would be awfully nice to have something new to wear.  I admit it.  I’d like it.  Points for honesty, Santa?

3.  A new Sonicare.  It’s so unexciting, I didn’t ask for it from anybody.  But I need a new one and haven’t been willing to spend the money yet.  Santa, you’re a friend of the ADA, aren’t you?

4.  New low fares directly from California to Maui.  Alaska Airlines has been making a big deal about some new routes.  It would be nice if they offered, or caused other airlines to offer, lower rates.  I already know of three weddings Sweetie and I will be attending in California next year.  I don’t know if or when we’ll be moving back to the mainland in 2010.  C’mon Santa!! If you and your sleigh can circumnavigate the globe in one night, surely you can lend a reindeer or two to travelers in need?

5.  More work for 2010.  Not something my family and friends can gift to me.  I am very much hoping that the economy picks up in 2010, for myself and many other people I have spoken to this year.  If for no other reason that I think the new word “funemployed” has been much much overused this year.  Do you have any idea how many people in the San Francisco Bay area are “Funemployed?” I think I have learned some valuable lessons this year about saving money and cutting expenses and being creative and making do with what I have.  I think I can happily carry these lessons forward even without the stress of it being mandatory.  Spread the work to your elves, Santa.  Take a load off and relax until next year!

You can join in Friday Five this week over HERE. 

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Friday Five – Frightful

This week, Friday Five asks us to name FIVE things you might do when “the weather outside is frightful”.

Hmmm…..I will have to use my imagination since the weather outside is never frightful.  Our weather here in Maui is practically the same all year round.  Oh, the highs may change from 75 to 90 and the lows may change from 55 to 70.  That’s about it.  We get rain from time to time and it is very often windy, but the temperature stays constant.  There is no central heat or air in our rental.  No built-in means of heating this house at all.  No fireplace.  No heater.  Nothing.  Because we don’t need it.  Sweetie would love for air conditioning but we make do with fans, open windows and the trade winds. 

But since I’m such a homebody, I don’t need much of an excuse to do something indoors, so here you go:

1.  Eat popcorn, drink tea, read a book, and hang out with Sweetie.  I know I would enjoy this because this is how we spent one day of our honeymoon.  Most of the time, we had a full agenda of hiking and exploring Yellowstone but we took one cold cold day off and stayed inside.  I cheated by working for a couple of hours but it was mostly a very relaxing day.   

2.  Sit on my couch and play some Civilization.  It’s my only real gaming vice.  Sweetie and I have a Play Station mostly so we can have a Blu-ray player.  I bought a couple of other games for the Playstation but I only play Civilization and yes, I can keep myself occupied for a long time.

3.  Depending on your definition of “frightful”, I might go for a walk outside.  I hate being cold but I love a good walk in the rain.  Just enjoyed one about a week ago.  One person’s frightful is another person’s delight, I think.

4.  Have an Angel/Buffy/Battlestar fest.  There is no excuse too big or small to get me to sit and re-watch some of my favorite episodes.

5.  Clean the house.  If the weather is too cold.  Not because I really want to.  Not because being stuck inside is a good time to clean.  But because I always manage to work up a sweat and keep myself warm when I do.

Aloha and Happy Friday all!

You can join in this week’s Friday Five over HERE.

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Friday Five – Just 5 Favorite Books?

You can join this week’s Friday Five over HERE.

This week, the question is – Name five favorite books and why they are your favorite.

Five?  Just five!?  With so many good books out in the world?  ok,  I will just throw some out there.

1.  Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.

Probably my favorite fiction book.  The second book in Card’s four-book Ender’s Game series.  It blew my mind when I read it.  Here is what I wrote in my review:

Amazing concept. Complex characters. It says something about the preconceived notions of humans. It speaks about our prejudices. It’s an anthropological mystery. It’s science fiction. It is human drama.

The idea of a real, live Speaker for the Dead has popped up all over the world. Following Orson Scott’s Card’s concept of speaking a person’s life after death – in sometimes harsh and truthful terms – has caught on with many people and people have written to Card to tell him how they served as someone’s Speaker during a funeral, or memorial. Pretty powerful concept. And none better to perform such a task than Ender Wiggen. The things he discovers on the planet where he goes to speak is beyond mind-blowing. Not in sci-fi technology- but in the ways and whys different species treat each other.

2. Gentle Bridges: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on the Sciences of Mind, Edited by Jeremy W. Hayward and  Francisco J. Varela.

The book that introduced me to the Mind and Life Institute and all the great books that come out of these meetings between scientists and the Dalai Lama.  Good stuff.  I was so happy to hear there were a whole series of books on a range of topics – from destructive emotions, to constructive emotions, to sleeping and dreaming.  Good information from the scientific experts.  And great insight from the Dalai Lama.

3.  Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss

Because a person’s a person, no matter how small.

4.  Sandman by Neil Gaiman

Can I count a whole comic book series as a book?  Y’all know how much I love Neil Gaiman.  I’ve read a lot of his books.  But nothing compares to the characters and storylines in the comic book that introduced me to Gaiman.  Sandman and his siblings (Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium) are richly written personifications of their respective realms.  The interweaving of historic and mythical figures into their stories has generated a ton of additional reading for me.  Pretty awesome.

5.  Ashes in the Wind, by Kathleen Woodiwiss

Because sometimes I just need to sit back with some chocolate and a good bodice buster.

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Friday Five-Sure, I’ll Fill In

Oh, this week is going to be fun at Friday Five. The topic today is as follows:

…the idea is about “filling in” or substituting” …seems appropriate today doesn’t it? Ok…now let me make sure I word this correctly…If your phone rang today and you were given the opportunity to “fill in” for someone would you do it? Would you jump at the chance to “be the star”…” the person in charge” ..maybe even write the last chapter of a book that turns into a best seller..or an Oscar winning script! Remember ..this is your golden opportunity to shine….so what sort of offers would you take in a minute…LIST FIVE…they don’t have to be serious…the skies the limit! As always…we all want to know what you came up with..so be sure to put your link here so we can take a peek! Have fun and happy fiving! Love, Queenie (your substitute hostess for July!)

I like it! This is what I came up with on the spur of the moment:

1. *ring* *ring!*

Excuse me, Ms. Stone Girl?

Yes?

Hi, this is wolf biologist Dean Cluff. I was just up at Ellesmere Island with renowned wolf biologist David Mech. But I’ve been called away to observe sloths in South America and we need someone to take over my research work here on the island with Dr. Mech.

Oh yes. I am THERE!

2. *ring!ring!*

Hello, this is pro poker player Phil Ivey. We are about to start Day 3 of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas. I am currently sitting on a very comfortable stack of 376,000 in chips but I have been called away to film a commercial for Full Tilt Poker. Can you please come and take over my game for me?

3. *rriiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnggggg*

Hello, this is one of the organizers of the next Mind and Life Conference series. We are setting up our topic, agendas, and invitees for the next conference with the Dalai Lama and several of our participants have dropped out. We would like to invite you to come to Dharamsala, India to meet with our invited scientists and the Dalai Lama and share your insights on the next topic. No, it doesn’t matter what the scientific focus of the next conference will be. We are sure you will have some valuable input and questions for the Dalai Lama as you sit around the table with him.

4. *ringring* *ringring*

Hello, this is National Forest Service. We have a vacancy position in one of our remote cabins in the Tahoe National Forest and we need someone to live in the cabin and conduct some periodic surveys for us. This position will require some solitude time and a bit of hiking in the back country wilderness.

5. *Ring!*

Hello? Yes, this is Melina Kanakaredes. I’m quitting CSI: New York. Can you fill in for me and work alongside this Gary Sinise guy for a while?

You can join this week’s Friday Five over here:

http://fridayfivegroup.multiply.com/journal/item/101

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