Miscellany

Much to Jonathan's confusion, I woke up last night in the middle of the night laughing. As I tried to go back to sleep -- and eventually I did -- I would think about the dream I'd had and start laughing again. Here's the dream.

My friend April and I were in Florence, Alabama. We went to the Krispy Kreme and got a dozen doughnuts. Then we got in the car and were headed somewhere else. As it turned out, the brakes in the car didn't work, and we were driving down North Wood Avenue (a street in Florence). I was driving, and it became clear that we were about to crash, so I veered off the road and ran into someone's front yard. We thought this was inexplicably hilarious, and we laughed and laughed at what the person living in the house would think, imagining him or her coming out into the front yard and gawking at the damage to the flower beds. Then we realized that during the near-wreck, the doughnuts had been hurled out the car window onto the yard, unsalvageable.

April said, "Let's go back to Krispy Kreme. We WILL get some more doughnuts." We didn't have any more money, so April looked in the glove compartment for a receipt for the doughnuts. She didn't find one, so she pulled out some random person's business card. We went back to Krispy Kreme, and she marched up to the counter, angrily demanding another dozen doughnuts, pointing indignantly at the business card and shoving it in the cashier's face. I was standing behind her, trying to keep from laughing, but I didn't succeed. So then I woke myself up laughing.

• A CD player for my car (which has nothing but the radio)
• A copy of Inspiration
• A copy of InspireData -- downloading the 30-day free trial now. Oh, and see how Inspiration can assist with the goals of NCLB!
• A grant or two
• A book contract
• this t-shirt, this one, and this one. Okay, this one too.

Due to some spam commenting, I've arranged it so that I have to approve new accounts before they're active. Sometimes I'm not sure if the email addresses and names are legitimate or not, so if you want to create an account, send me an email in addition to creating the account just quickly introducing yourself. Sorry for the trouble, but I'm not sure what else to do about it.

An analogue, superfluous though it may be:

Stage Door is an excellent film, by the way; I highly recommend it.

Krista started it; whether it'll become a full-fledged 43folders-y meme is anybody's guess. At any rate, here is my workspace:

Oh, and some evidence of crafty fun:

This was my first attempt at soapmaking. It was easy enough with the microwavable soap base and all. On the labels are the names of the BPAL oils I used to scent those soaps.

I never know which word to use: "toward" or "towards." For economy's sake, I prefer "toward," but I really just think consistency is in order. Say "forward," "backward," "upward," "downward," "toward," "westward," "eastward," etc., or put the "s" at the end of all of them.

Sigh..."towards" does win the Google fight, though.

I kind of like this shirt -- not really age appropriate for me, but for someone else...

From Bookish Gifts, several of which are nice.

Also, did you know that Vera Bradley makes stationery and various office supplies now? Yet another purchase might have to happen (holiday shopping):

and

Which reminds me: I've been meaning to post about Vera Bradley bags for a while now. I have three, but I just got them a year ago. Before that, I used to see some women carrying them around, and I liked them, but I didn't know where to get them. In my mind, I just called them "those quilted bags." For years it was, to me, like the women carrying them were almost a secret society. I only had one friend who had a Vera Bradley, and it never occurred to me to say, "Hey, where'd you get that bag?" There seems to be such a specific customer base for them. For example, I don't believe I've ever seen anyone outside the southeast United States carrying one. Even within that narrow geographical area, the women who carry them fit a certain southern belle, sorority profile. I carry mine all the time, especially my New Hope messenger bag:

and as I do, I'm a bit concerned that they don't look professional (too "girly"), but I don't really worry about it. Still, I notice that I'm sometimes carrying a bag that resembles, or even matches perfectly, some of the bags students bring to my classes. I wonder if it looks too much like I'm aligned with those particular students. Ultimately, though, I don't think it's a big deal, but I would love to read your thoughts on "those quilted bags."

It's about time I succumb and link to this meme for MLA.

Okay, now that that's done, on to another succumbing, this time to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. I ordered two six-packs of samples (called imps). Had to get the Rosalind one on principle, as she's my favorite character in Shakespeare -- yes, how predictable. These are the ones I chose:

Florence: "The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices."

Gluttony: "Thick, sugared and bloated with sweetness. Dark chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, and hops with pralines, hazelnut, toffee and caramel."

Cordelia: "The essence of faith, love and devotion: lilac, lemon, green tea, wisteria, osmanthus, white cedar, and Chinese musk."

Rosalind: "Dew-covered berries and fresh green grasses with a faint breath of spring flowers."

Athens: "A reformulation and modernization of a true Classical Greek perfume, myrrhine: voluptuous myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers."

Versailles: "Grand, courtly and robust: a glittering, golden scent that would do Louis XIV proud. Gilded red and gold citrus with amber, ruby roses, jasmine and orris."

The Caterpillar: "Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver."

Lady Macbeth: "The essence of ambition, covetousness and manipulation: sweet Bordeaux wine, blood red currant, thyme and wild berries."

The Red Queen: "Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant."

Carnal: "Bold, bright mandarin paired with the sweet, sensual earthiness of fig."

The Lady of Shalott: "The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger."

Lolita: "Bright, sweet and youthful, but swelling with a poisonous sexuality. Glittering heliotrope, honeysuckle, orange blossom and lemon verbena."