84 and 300...

There is a lady in Olympia, Washington who, after witnessing extensive poverty and hardship during a trip to Guatemala, decided that living in her 1500 square foot house was too extravagant. In an effort to make less negative impact on the world and to lead a simpler life, she sold her house and got rid of most of her belongings. She built a new $10,000 84-square-foot house out of mainly salvaged materials. Powered by solar energy and propane, her utility bill avereges $6 per month. In addition to her small house, she limits herself to owning just 300 things. This includes everything from the bare essentials like a toothbrush and clothing to "luxuries" including a car, books, etc.

While her whole story is fascinating I find one particular thing worth noting. Though her list of 300 things excludes such items as a refridgerator and a shower, it includes (as you may be able to see in the photo of her bedroom loft space) a sock monkey. I really thought that I would be the only person in the world that would choose to have a sock monkey on my bed instead of a place to keep my food cold. I am really interested to know why the sock monkey made her list of 300...I'm hoping to find a way to get in touch with her and ask...if I find out, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I'll leave you to ponder the 300 things that you could not live without...

Goodbye Harry....

7.20.07 8:48 am

I am driving to work and passing the local Borders. There is already a large group of people spilling out the front door and beginning to queue up for the 12:01 am release of the final Harry Potter book. This is not a huge surprise...people in London and other big cities have been waiting in line for nearly two days.

I have already admitted that I am a bonafide HP geek. I went to the midnight show of the latest movie, and if I didn't have to work, I would probably be in the queue right now with the rest of the lot. There is an unprecedented amount of pomp and circumstance surrounding this last release...parties, games, prizes, contests, etc. And, while I would certainly be in line with the rest of the fans if I could, I don't think I would be sharing their upbeat enthusiasm. To me, it feels sort of like a funeral.

You see, whether Harry lives or dies in this final installment, we still have to say goodbye. Whatever the outcome, the story ends...there is nothing more to know. Of course there will be two more movies, but those are simply visual interpretations of now familiar stories. The characters will cease to grow, to change, or move on to other adventures. So, when I line up tonight with the hoards of other fans, I will do so to pay my last respects...to get ready to say goodbye to characters that have become familiar and comforting in my imagination and to prepare to see Harry off to his final adventure.

Update

• It's Summer and...I'm enjoying going to the pool, watching the birds on my back porch (even if they do make a huge mess), and listening to all of the crickets, cicadas, and whipoorwill's at night

• My friend Scott found out that according to an IQ test, he is a Genius....i'm not sure I'd want to know something like that about myself....

• My friend Colin is moving back to Ohio (I've always known he is a genius). I know he is bummed about it, but I hope it works out for the best.

• I'm getting around to starting another blog (a comic blog) called She is Me. The first illustration is done...and i hope to have the first post done sometime this week.

• My sister got engaged (I vote for a wedding in Germany)...and is moving to NY...a much colder place to visit than her current Las Vegas location.

• Harry Potter (movie) comes out in one week. I can't wait...I know I'm a geek.

• Lewis Libby got a commuted sentence today and I'm pissed.

• Happy birthday to: Tiffeny, Nina, Matt, Bob (Sr. and Jr.), Sheri, my Grandpa...and anyone else I might have forgot.

• New favorite things: organic "tater tots", mustard, spirulina (my solution to not eating vegetables), azam ali (a person/musician), the pierces (a band)

More to come...stay tuned