OK, I’ve been a slacker blogger.  I thought that once I had a life outside school, I’d go crazy with boredom.  That I’d spent many of my waking hours (the ones not devoted to my job) surfing the web, chatting, getting into the whole Twitter thing, and otherwise hang around my home office in my underwear, ODing on caffeine, mumbling about the insanity of copyright laws and net neutrality issues.

Uh, not so much.

Work has been sucking up more time than I thought it would, because you can spend many an hour re-reading grants you wrote a month ago checking for typos, or watching a 5,000+ entry donor database disappear after a much-anticipated CiviCRM upgrade.  Yeah, still have a twitch and stifled scream from that one.  But still, I love my job.  And it’s still less than 30 hours a week, many of which are spent in the library or at a coffee shop or at home.

So where I have been hiding? OUTSIDE!  I’ve been gardening, walking, biking, reading in hammocks and under my gigantic pine trees, getting oh-so-dirty and wet, basking in the joy of flowers and bubbles and sprinklers and sunshine.  Lake Michigan (the Muskegon beaches) and Millenium Park have become my most frequently visited haunts.

Yeah, my kids are totally down with the new me.

Wanna see what I’ve been cultivating in my less-than-an-acre yard?  I spent some time tonight trying out the macro mode on my crappy little point-and-shoot Canon.  Here are some of the prettier results.  Torin took the photo of Black-Eyed Susans, if you can believe that!  Of course, this in not all I’ve been growing.  Peppers and watermelon and corn and muskmelon and gigantic pumpkins are all threatening to take over my backyard, among other delicious delectables.  I also have roses and a number of other pretty things, but they’re in shock from being transplanted.  And next year everything will be bigger and prettier!  I can hardly wait…

Anyway, back to the gardens!!!!  The photos are in macro and from odd angles, so I’m hoping they’ll seem unique to you.  So pretty:-D

Also, if you’re looking for some good media, I’ve got some suggestions! “The Wild Places” by Robert MacFarlane stands out as one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read in a very, very long while. Read it. Now. “Benighted” by Kit Whitfield was also a pretty good read. Angtsy romantic fantasy werewolf world. Need more be said? I also watched the Focus Films version of Pride and Prejudice again. God I love that movie! Mr. Darcy is more tenative/shy than the arrogant bemused Mr. Darcy of the novel, but I can’t help sit through it over and over. And I’ve watched more than my fair share of Farscape episodes. (*nerd alert* Can’t wait for the new webisodes to come out!!!!!)

I’ve been seriously struggling to find some new, good music though. I’ve listened to Children Running Through by Patty Griffin a lot lately. She is hands down my favorite artist. I’ve also been lead to Sweet Shadows by Daughter Darling. New-to-me artists that have provided a good soundtrack for my summer include Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Massive Attack, Maria Muldaur, Blue October, Susan Enan, Half Past Forever, and Kathleen Edwards.

Suggestions for media? I don’t have TV (*another nerd alert* I just have a shared iTunes library, Front Row on an intel Mac Mini, and a Cinema display) so don’t bother suggesting TV shows unless they’re on Hulu or out on DVD. I also don’t read anything much beyond nonfiction or fantasy/sci-fi novels, with the occasional sexy dark mystery/thriller thrown in for variety.

Anyway, off I go to clean up before company tomorrow. And to plan a new line of attack on CiviCRM. *twitch* *twitch*

OK, ever since the incident when I thought Matt & I might be able to adopt a developmentally disabled infant from a friend, I’ve been wondering if I have what it takes to take on such a challenge.  Master’s degree finished, the best job a person could ever want, a big house… I’m not ready to jump into an adoption, but it’s got me thinking about opening up my home to a foster child.

My brother is engaged to a woman who went through the foster system.  I work with developmentally disabled foster kids at my job.  Michigan is one of 5 states to deal with half of the nation’s foster kids.

Anyone out there a foster parent?  A foster parent of a developmentally disabled kid?  What do you think?  It’s a big challenge, but I’ve heard it’s rewarding.  I think I have what it takes to help, especially because of the resources I have through my job.

Or maybe I’m crazy.

The Bloom Collective is sponsoring an interesting event:

Let’s share what we’ve got and ask for what we need, because there is enough
for everyone. Let’s respond to the corporations that would rather the landfills
overflow than anyone get something without paying. Let’s meet this month to
show that we mean what we’ve been saying–we want an alternative, and we’re
going to invent it for ourselves.

Come to the first ever REALLY, REALLY FREE MARKET in Grand Rapids! Bring usable
stuff that you don’t need and/or aren’t using to share with others. You might
consider bringing clothes, furniture, records, toys, or even food.

July 27 - 2:00pm
Corner of Wealthy and Fuller
View Larger Map

(via MediaMouse)