I don't know what happened today. There was some sort of yellow thing up in the sky, with some blue stuff around it, and it was all very shiny. What happened to the grey we've become used to, and the water continuously falling? Surely 9 inches of rain for this month (plus more coming) is not enough?

I completed several important tasks today. One was selling the logic board of my old computer. It's hard to believe, but I've only sold about 2/3 of the parts and already the total income (for a broken, 6-year-old computer!) has been well over $150 (of course, before shipping and ebay fees, the former of which in particular has been expensive).

Second was spending money--on a new bike! The axle on the old one broke, and the people at the bike shop said they just kept finding rusted-out parts and problems, and suggested I get a new one. Here's the sweet new ride (and the other sweet, well, still somewhat new, gas-powered ride):




The third was to complete a draft of my paper for the Music Theory Midwest conference. For once, I'm actually quite happy with the paper in its early stages, but as usual, it's far too long. There's a lot of example-making to do still, which is bad because it's time-consuming but good because I think some of the text will end up in examples, freeing up space. This was actually the second big project for the semester, the first (and more important) being becoming ABD, and the third and yet to come being preparing for teaching this summer. Obviously, I've still got some time on that last one. It'll feel good to get this paper into almost-done shape, which I plan to do by the end of the week--it'll be a big load off.

Okay, the cat who bullies his sister (just look at the difference between their tails!)...



...conks out on the couch...



...always jumps up on the island to help us when we make yogurt...



...and is just so cute and fuzzy...



...needs his food. Time to go!

Happy Easter!

Here's what our garden looked like almost exactly a year ago, April 16, 2010:



And here's what our garden looks like today, April 19, 2011:



(the tarp is holding some mulch that will go around the tiny plants in the back when they're bigger.)

The biggest difference is the strawberries, which are much healthier this year! But even the rhubarb seems larger. I don't know if it's because we had an earlier spring or because they are more established--probably a combination.

Even more exciting is a raspberry comparison. Last year, we had six plants, most of which looked about like this on May 1, 2010:



Today, we have over 20 plants. Here's most of the patch:



Let's get a few more of this year's highlights so far. Here's a close-up of the rhubarb, just because it's so big, beautiful, and green (and potentially tasty):



Some of our lettuce that survived the winter:



Some peas, which are planted all around the garden and in pots such as this one along the fence:



A close-up of a small portion of our large patch of lily-of-the-valleys at the back corner of the house, which are just starting to open with their intoxicating smell:



And the tail end of the tulips in the front:



We hope to plant most of the rest of our seedlings--basil, cilantro, three kinds of tomatoes, and eggplant (only leaving three kinds of peppers, which don't like the cold)--this weekend. That is, of course, if it ever stops raining.

Fortunately, there's always something to do inside when it's raining, like read a good book.



Or, if you prefer, collapse behind one.

It's spring, and things are growing everywhere. A week and a half ago, we transplanted our seedlings of lettuce, arugula, and leek, and planted beet, snap pea, and spinach seeds that have just sprouted in the last day or two. We also took the plants that lived over the winter--a lot of lettuce and parsley, a few cilantro plants, and two oregano plants--and put them in rows, and they are all getting quite big! The rhubarb has exploded, the raspberries are full of leaves and sending up new stalks all over the place, and over half the strawberry plants have flowers already. Our daffodils in the front are already done blooming, and the tulips started taking over a few days ago. The redbuds and magnolias have been in bloom: in fact, we noticed one magnolia yesterday that had already lost almost all of its flowers. It's all so exciting, but at the same time, there's just a little bit of teasing annoyance: when will we finally get to *eat* things from the garden? We're hoping the (overwintered) lettuce and strawberries will be within the next two weeks, but most everything else will be at the end of May or later.

I think (I hope!) that my health problems are improving. There's never really all that much to say on this front, as any improvement usually seems fleeting. But my knees are clearly better (though not yet pain-free), and I'm pretty sure the same is true of my shoulder and stomach. Healing just takes so much time! It seems like it will still be a long time till I can go running and freely drink tea and wine, eat oranges and spicy food, and relax on my left arm. We'll see. Hopefully all these restrictions on what I can do will pay off.

And I've become a computer parts seller! After months of not wanting to deal with it, I finally took apart my old, destroyed computer and listed all the parts on eBay. I looked up what similar parts had sold for, and tried to list for a little under that, since most people with the patience to take apart laptops are certified computer parts dealers with really good methods of testing. Even so, the total list price was unimaginably high. I'm sure not everything will sell at what I have it listed for--some things may not sell at all. But two sold today--my first two--and it's kind of exciting to finally be getting rid of my old computer (and at a profit).

Finally, I need to write my paper for the conference in May. Somehow, writing conference papers is always agonizing: something about the combination of the spoken format, the limited time period, and the inevitably speculative nature of music theory make putting ideas together difficult. First, I agonize over what exactly the thrust of the paper will be; then, I write (probably the easiest part); then, I spend hours and hours tediously cutting material because inevitably it's too long; and finally, I agonize over it until the last minute, editing right down to the wire. And all for a 20 minute speech to an audience that won't know much about 16th-century music, and a brief line on my resume. Is it really worth it? Who knows.

Off to post my computer parts and write my paper...

Snow White thought for a moment. In protest against agribusiness conglomerates, she had a personal rule against buying food from middlepersons. But her heart went out to the economically marginalized woman, so she said yes. What Snow White didn't know was that this was really the queen in disguise and that the apple had been chemically and genetically altered so that whoever bit it would sleep forever.

When Snow White handed over the money for the apple, you would have expected the queen to be gleeful that her plan for revenge was working. Instead, as she looked at Snow White's fine complexion and slim, taut body, she felt alternating waves of envy and self revulsion. Finally, she burst into tears.

"Why, whatever is the matter?" asked Snow White.

"You're so young and beautiful," sobbed the disguised queen, "and I'm horrible to look at and getting worse."

"You shouldn't say that. After all, beauty comes from inside a person."

"I've been telling myself that for years," said the queen, "and I still don't believe it. How do you stay in such perfect shape?"

"Well, I meditate, work out in step aerobics three hours a day, and eat only half-portions of anything placed in front of me. Would you like me to show you?"

"Oh yes, yes, please," said the queen. So they started out with 30 minutes of simple hatha yoga meditation, then worked out on the step for another hour. As they relaxed afterward, Snow White cut her apple in half and gave a piece to the queen. Without thinking, the queen bit into it, and both of them fell into a deep sleep.

-Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times by James Finn Garner, which I just got at the library booksale for $1

I'm ABD!