Morbid

Government employees have a new life insurance carrier. On Tuesday I attended an orientation to the new insurance agency/policy. Right now government employees can opt for life insurance policies for themselves, their children, their spouses, and their parents and parents-in-law all with only one signature - their own. Hmmm, I don't know about this one.

That is a morbid business, isn't it? Life insurance. It's basically a part of the death industry, imho. Yes, that's the accepted term: Death Industry. You know, it's comprised of medical examiners, funeral directors, embalmers, casket makers, the grim reaper.

~~~

If you're going to the Gorilla Warfare MMA weigh-in tomorrow evening, go to The Flair at 5. (I was not wrong...it was moved.)

Wednesday What Is It?

What is it?

Here's how to play:

Every Wednesday I will post a small part of a picture of some object. You tell me what you think the object is. You have until I post the results of that week's WWII to submit your guess by leaving a comment. I will post the results the following Wednesday in the morning, at noontime, or in the evening. Sometimes I am late, but I will never be early.

Submit one guess per person; you may not change your guess - your first guess is your final guess. Please be specific. Don't say, it's food; instead say, it's a chocolate chip cookie.

The first person with the correct answer will receive 5 points, all other correct answers earn 2 points.

On the following Wednesday I'll post the answer along with the results, which will be tracked in the sidebar.

The first person to 35 points wins something homemade/handmade by Deece. I'll mail it to you if you live off island.

Wednesday What Is It? Results

The results of last week's Wednesday What Is It?

Dried Spaghetti! (a package of dried spaghetti)

5 points to no one.

Hmmm....maybe I should add a rule that says I get 5 points if no one guesses it, and when I reach 35 points....I get my nails done.

Really great guesses everyone! I thoroughly enjoyed the guesses this week.

Here comes the next one. Good luck!

Quote of the week: "The House always wins." ~Milhouse Van Houten

Happiness = Happiness

On Saturday, I met my friend Jill for drinks (the non-alcoholic, decaffeinated kind) and knitting at Coffee Care. It was nice. I hadn’t seen her in several weeks. I am going to boast and tell you that Jill rocks! Wait, boasting…Jill…not me…rocks? Yeah! Jill loves my papaya preserves. She told me that some time ago, and I’ve wanted to share it with you ever since.

That's why I love creating things. That’s not completely true, I love creating things for the process, and I love watching the objects take shape from what seems like nothing at all. But it’s such a wonderful bonus when people actually use and enjoy what I create. Thank you, Jill!

~~~

Sheila and I had lunch at the Hyatt today. I was very aware of the sights and sounds around us. It seemed more full of life that it usually does, even though there were fewer people than there normally are.

I heard the rain falling on the nearby pond, on the tops of the table umbrellas, and on the tiled floor.

I heard the ringing of ceramic and metal colliding as servers cleared neighboring tables.

I heard the birds chirping and watched their tiny wings flutter as they hopped from ground to table to umbrella top searching for scraps and crumbs.

I watched the little girl with dark hair splash one foot in the puddle left by the rain before we arrived. And when the rain returned, she found shelter under a nearby table umbrella, and she splashed some more as she darted in and out of the umbrella’s protection.

It was a long lunch. I saw several tables empty and fill again. I noticed the family behind us notice us when we rearranged ourselves and our dishes so I could preserve the peace in my green tea...

...and the chocolate in Sheila's cookie and ice cream.

I went back for more. The first time I ate the cake and the ice cream separately; but I discovered that the combination of green tea cake and melted green tea ice cream is scrumptious.

Namaste.

Protest this!

Gorilla Warfare MMA. Are you going? It’s this Saturday.

No, I won't be there. But James will. He's the ref.
Weigh-in on Friday at Naked Fish. 5:30ish?
~~~

There has been some protesting over the WWII Round 2. So…no more chances. OK? OK. No more chances. It’s not like I want to be a meanie, but I just can’t waiver from my own rules. anymore. So this is how it goes:

Here's how to play the WWII:
Every Wednesday I will post a small part of a picture of some object. You tell me what you think the object is. You have until I post the results of that week's WWII to submit your guess by leaving a comment. I will post the results the following Wednesday in the morning, at noontime, or in the evening. Sometimes I am late, but I will never be early.

Submit one guess per person; you may not change your guess - your first guess is your final guess. Please be specific. Don't say, it's food; instead say, it's a chocolate chip cookie.

The first person with the correct answer will receive 5 points, all other correct answers earn 2 points.

On the following Wednesday I'll post the answer along with the results, which will be tracked in the sidebar.

The first person to 35 points wins something homemade/handmade by Deece. I'll mail it to you if you live off island.

Remember, tomorrow is Wednesday. If you haven’t gotten your guess in yet….get it in.

~~~

And now, something good:

Coffee Ice Cream and Mini Oreos
Originally uploaded by Deece

Starbucks coffee ice cream with mini oreos.

What I’m digging right now:
Nora Jones – Feels Like Home

Buy yourself flowers!

Buy yourself flowers!, originally uploaded by Deece.

Girl: Maribelle got flowers today.
Boy: Oh yeah?
Girl: Yeah. Mark bought them for her. They were white lilies.
Boy: Oh.
Girl: I wish you’d buy me flowers…
Boy: Buy you flowers? Buy yourself flowers!

The messages usually say things inspiring and uplifting, like:

"Sing along with the elevator music."
"Make a list of your dreams." (which can be interpreted in a few ways)
and "Smile, people will wonder what you've been up to."

But really? "Buy yourself flowers!" Really?

In my head, I hear, "go buy your own flowers!!"

The Bag Lady

My friend Missy gave me this bag...


Bag in a Pocket, originally uploaded by Deece.

No really, it’s a bag. You’re looking at its pocket. It is folded into its pocket so it can fit in my pocket. Get it?

See…

Bag Lunch, originally uploaded by Deece.

See its pocket? It folds up into its pocket, and then it can fit into my pocket. I use this bag almost every day. On weekdays, I carry my lunch in it, as pictured above. On the weekends, or work days when I am not packing, I carry my knitting in it.

(Missy, check this out. Do you see it?)

(Bon, you asked what we had for lunch. I had a cotto salami sandwich, an egg-salad salad from Himawari, and a little Korean orange pulp drink.)

Babies, according to Katelyn

Baby Doll:

Baby Jake:

Baby Suit:

Baby Gun:

Baby Gun? As in BB Gun?

Oh come on, lighten up, that's funny!

Which Way Today?

You can take the high road, the low road,

or a meandering one between.

So what do you say,

which way today?

up or down

The stars.

King of California - (Thank you, Sheila...I will return it soon...I promise....I'm so lame. I promise I'll return it...I don't promise that I'm lame.) Fun little movie. Fun and sad. Slow, but not too slow. Michael Douglass was great.

Vantage Point - I love Forest Whittaker. I liked this movie. But I think it could have been modified so as to not drive me insane just before the action really kicked in. I liked the idea and I liked the stories...but there were too many vantage points of the noon hour. The news one was not needed, nor was the president's - I think those vantage points could have been rolled into other parts of the movie. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Wednesday What Is It?

What is it?

Here's how to play.

Wednesday What Is It? Results

The results of last week's Wednesday What Is It?

Compact Discs!

Also acceptable: CD, DVD

5 points to Erdene and Mark!
2 points each to Kirida, Boni, Bruce, Tami

Peaches, honey, a sweater, and sprite

About a month ago I attended a knitting night on Capitol Hill. It was very nice...yet very sad...it was Missy's last knitting night on Saipan.

Susan, our hostess, served us peaches and honey with fresh lemon juice. It was so good! I'd never had it before. But now, I'm putting honey and lemon on all my fruits. Yum!

I casted on for a cardigan that night. I haven't had much time to work on it since, except during breaks at my conference last week....this is as far as I've gotten:

Call it an obsession, I call it good.

Gotcha Macha, originally uploaded by Deece.

Penelope - Very cute! A lovey modern day fariy tale that the whole family will enjoy. A great story about societal views and vices. Pretty scenes, humor, compassion, and quirky characters. I would like to own this movie.

Wall e - cute!

Hungry like the wolf.

I'm sick. And when I'm sick, I eat. I eat a lot. I eat cookies and salad, chocolate and sandwiches, I eat candy and chicken (notice the first item in each of those pairings). I eat. I eat a lot. Generally, I find that people lose weight when they get sick. Not me. I can put food away! If I didn't feel so crappy, I just might make and eat a whole one of these.

~~~

Yesterday was the last day of our conference. Did you know that it's very hard to remember what to say (even with notes) when you're standing on a stage in front of 200-some people and you can feel your sinuses fill and you can only hope that you don't sneeze and blow mucus (that's moo-coose) all over the mic just in time to hand it over to the lunchtime keynote speaker?

Wednesday What Is It?

What is it?

Here's how to play.

Wednesday What Is It? Results

The results of last week's Wednesday What Is It?

Disabled Parking Sign!

5 points to Boni!
2 points each to Tamara and Bruce.

MC Deece

All week this week I'm attending a conference that is providing continuing professional education. I am the Emcee. MC Deece. You sucka MCs got nothin' on me! It was fun emcee-ing on the opening day, but you know how it goes, everything is 20/20 in hindsight.

Gus was there on Monday. He sang the national and CNMI athems during the opening ceremony. He was awesome! And he came back and provided a little lunch-time entertainment, island style. A man, a mic, and a uke. It was lovely.

~~~

Did you know that saying the word "fraud" over and over makes it lose it's meaning? G'on, try it. Fraud, fraud, fraud, fraud, fraud....sounds silly right?

WRONG! Fraud is never silly, it's very serious business, people.

~~~

And so I leave you with more peace from green tea:

That tasty Macha Bar can be found at Expressions on Capitol Hill. Just leave one for me...

The babies are coming! The babies are coming!

Cold war comedy reference. Anyone? Anyone?

I'm surrounded by pregnant women. I occasionally worry that I'll turn into that one person who just. pisses. them. off. Come on, moms, you know what I'm talking about. That one person who does nothing to you except smile and all you can do in response is roll your eyes?

Yeah, I don't want to be her.

Which Way Today?

You can take the high road, the low road,
or a meandering one between.

So what do you say...
which way today?

forward or backward

Bangs and buckteeth

Here are my old bangs....and apparently, my buckteeth....

Here are my new bangs....

What Not To Wear - NOT

I decided not to post this on my Deece's Pieces page, even though it is a piece made by Deece. Why? Because I wanted to show off my adult shoes, of course.

Ignore the messes in the background. Focus, instead, on the pretty skirt I made (and the cute shoes too).

(Sorry about the quality...the pictures were taken with my phone.)

Welcome to the Wednesday What Is It? Round 3

What is it?

Here's how to play:
Every Wednesday I will post a small part of a picture of some object. You tell me what you think the object is. You have until I post the next Wednesday What Is It? to submit your guess by leaving a comment.

Submit one guess per person; you may not change your guess - your first guess is your final guess. Please be specific. Don't say, it's food; instead say, it's a chocolate chip cookie.

The first person with the correct answer will receive 5 points, all other correct answers earn 2 points.

On the following Wednesday I'll post the answer along with the results, which will be tracked in the sidebar.

The first person to 35 points wins something homemade/handmade by Deece. I'll mail it to you if you live off island.

Let's play!

Wednesday What Is It? Results

We have a weiner! I mean a winner!

The results of the last Wednesday What Is It?

A Baseball!

Also acceptable: softball

Congratulations Tamara! You are the winner of the Wednesday What Is It? Round 2. Send me an email at create (at) deece (dot) net so I can reply with info on your prize.

(You know I've given chances to others....I'm a softie at heart. Ok, Tami, no more chances, in the next round, your first answer is your final answer. :)

I've seen it all!

Semi-Pro - I think I fell asleep before it ended. It was fine. Will Farrell has done better. But whatever.

Drillbit Taylor - This was funnier than Semi-Pro. It was cute, it was funny, it's a movie. If you watch it on DVD, watch the outtakes....now staring contest, turn to the person next to you! Too funny!

Be Kind Rewind - I liked this. It was funny. It was entertaining. And endearing in a sense.

10,000 BC - I don't care what people did or didn't say about this movie. I liked it. Don't watch it as if it were a historical account. Watch it like you watch a love story, a coming of age story, a journey to another place...another time. Watch it like you watch a movie, a movie meant to entertain. Don't ask questions or try to figure it out, just watch it.


Deece's quote of the day: "There's something fishy about those H2O girls."

1998

Ten years ago I had just graduated from Northern Marianas College and was taking a tennis class so that I could officially graduate from Northern Marianas Academy by the summer's end (yeah, weird, I know). I was 16 and not ready for college.

I kept myself busy by partying, strolling (aimlessly driving around), tagging along with my sister, and playing with my new nephew.

My braces had been recently removed and to replace the metal, I pierced my tongue - my mother was not amused. My boyfriend was in college in California and I had hopes of attending a nearby university in the winter. I had no idea what a big world it was out there.

Must resist

I’ve been craving a chili cheese dog for the past several days (huh huh, chili). You know, a big chili cheese dog that you might eat with a knife and fork (I said 'big chili', ha ha). I haven’t given in to my desire because 1) there is no Tommy’s here where I can easily get such a chili dog, and 2) because I’ve already given in to mini chips ahoy and jalapeño cheetos all weekend and I want to be the incredible shrinking woman not the incredible stuff-your-face-and-get-so-fat-that-you-can’t-fit-the-tailored-blouse-that-you- need-to-wear-for-next-week’s-conference woman.

A Children's Book

I wrote a book. Or rather, I made a book.

It's a children's book of shapes in English, Chamorro, and Carolinian/Refaluwasch.

Katelyn gave it to her friend, BTH, as his going away present. Stay warm in Alaska, Little Man. We'll miss you!

For more pictures, visit my flickr set.

I plan on making more. It took forever, but it was fun. I'll take special orders for personalized books as well. Price is not yet determined.

Shiny Things

Flawless - I really enjoyed it. At it's heart, it's a girly movie. But it isn't blatantly girly, you know? James fell asleep soon after it started, but because he was tired, not because he was bored.

~~~

When the blackouts hit, at least for those moments my meter stops running.

Even though I wasn’t chosen, I was noticed. His answer is not no, it’s simply not now.

Even though the stereo doesn’t work, I now have a phone that plays mp3s.

Even though our power rates increased, we effectively controlled our consumption such that our bill was about the same as last month. And that’s good for our bank account and the earth.

They said they wouldn’t ship out here, but they did. They did! And for another moment in my life, I was the happiest woman on earth.

~~~

James talked about a new phone. I worried about costs. Then I dropped my phone for the last time. Humpty Dumpty refused to go back together yet again. I think my camera told him to just give up. “Play dead and she’ll leave you alone…any sign of life means she’ll tape you up and make you work.”


By the way, Clarice at PTI - very nice and helpful. And if you need to go to Cellular Pro, ask for Eric.


(BTW....I'm sorry about the WWII. I have been having a difficult time getting online on Wednesdays. I'm working on it. I'm really hoping to post it next week.)

My new gadgetry!

My new gadgetry!

originally uploaded by Deece.

I signed the slip and handed it over, unsure of which package I was expecting would warrant certified mail. The postmistress, in turn, handed me a huge Singer box. What?! They said they wouldn't ship here. I was again, if only for a moment, the happiest woman alive.

Also pictured: My new LG Chocolate, Motorola Bluetooth Handsfree set, and my thumb drive (not a new gadget, but no less of a necessity)