One step Closer...

Yesterday I got one step closer to accomplishing a lifetime goal of learning to play the bagpipes. My Dad and I each ordered practice chanters. I know it looks like a glorified recorder but it is the part of the bagpipe that makes the sound and all beginner pipers need one. Apparently the benefit of the practice chanter is that you can make the sound stop quickly unlike with the pipes where the air is controlled by your elbow/armpit. So beginner pipers practice on a chanter- for the sanity of all. My chanter won't come in for a few more days but I am extremely excited!!!!!

Introducing my new "Little Buddy"

I found this little guy today in our pool filter. He/She had probably spent the night in the filter basket, which must have been a long and tiring night for such a little guy. Since I absolutely love turtles I set out to save this little guy. I took him down to our pond to release but he/she didn't seem interested in diving in and living the normal turtle life. I left he/she on the bank of the pond for a few hours but still no interest in hopping in the water. Since thunderclouds were threatening I decided to take little buddy back up to the house and make a little home for him/her for the night in an old fish aquarium. Little buddy has been happily crawling around in his/her new temporary home. If he/she is still looking perky tomorrow I will make another attempt at a release.

Brain atrophies from lack of communication

I used to think that when I grew up I wanted to be a hermit. I would live in a cabin in the woods and have a large vegetable garden and only come into town on occasion to pick up staples- like flour or chocolate. However after 3 weeks of living alone I can conclusively say that this dream is shattered. I need people! I may occasionally display anti-social tendencies and I am not saying I need large crowds. I just need people.

My brain seems to waste away for want of conversation and right now I would really relish a good debate. In some ways writing blog posts is a kind of therapy. (Hence the second post for today.) I can fool myself into thinking I am having a conversation. Also writing down my thoughts helps me to organize them into somewhat coherent ideas. So thank you for this dose of medicine, hopefully it will tide me over until my next dose of human contact.

Hello is Holly there?

In our increasingly mobile culture people move, get new phones and change their numbers quite regularly. I myself have had 3 numbers in the past 2 years. Normally when I change my number I make a point to update anyone who may need to contact me by giving them my new number. Sure there are a few people who probably don't get the message, but I likely don't talk to them any more because I have moved.

When I get a new cell number some part of my brain would like to think that it is an entirely new number and that I am the first one to have it. This little illusion has been thoroughly shattered by Holly. Holly is the person who had my cell number last. How do I know this? Because I get calls for her with surprising regularity. Several times it has been a British-sounding female looking for Holly. This wasn't too bad since she tended to call during day-time hours. I also got several text messages from some friends of Holly wondering if she wanted to hang out. But more annoyingly it has been several males calling late at night. One night around 1am I was jolted awake by the sound of my phone. I answered thinking it might have been my sister who was staying at a friends place, perhaps she was in trouble and needed assistance? No- it was someone looking for Holly. Most recently a very inebriated acquaintance of Holly's called late at night. Yes, as if a drunk- dial isn't enough, it was a wrong number drunk dial.  Next time I need to tell Holly's "friends" that "This has been my number for over a year so Clearly Holly doesn't care enough about you to keep you updated!"