*Melt*

Nothing original to say, really, but I have just got to direct you over to Zoot's to see this absolutely adorable video of her two-year-old! Now, GO! Go on, GIT! ;)

Dog Days

I had a good day today! (Extra, Extra, Read All About It! :P) Odd, how that's more apt to happen on a day off ;)
The start was a bit inauspicious, as I was supposed to meet a friend to give her some moral support as her dog had to be put down and she was taking it very, very hard. However, from the name she gave me I was able to find neither online nor in the phone book any mention of that person or place! Since our friendship revolves around the library and Facebook, I didn't actually have her phone number, and couldn't get in touch with her to clarify things, and so I ended up of course not being able to be there for her and I felt like a total rotter.
After that, though, thankfully, things started to perk up. I headed on a brief walk to a now-almost-neighbour's house for a cup of tea (and a sinfully delicious apple torte.) We chatted for about two hours, laughed our heads off at some unrepeatable things, and she introduced me to The Dog Whisperer. I had never seen Cesar Milan before, and good heavens the man is brilliant! He's a dog trainer, if you haven't heard of him, and he has his own TV show on the National Geographic Channel. He's really so clever - especially in realizing that most of the time the trouble is with the owners, and not the dogs at all! Once he'd got the dogs behaving, they were so adorable and had me wishing so badly that I could have a puppy of my very own! (As I said to Pauline, "Well, if I can't have a baby, at least I should get a dog!")
The rest of the day was a quick trip to the library (I swear I have holds waiting every second day or so), a quick grocery shop and a bit of window-shopping and gazing longingly at cameras.
And now, another pathetically boring (but wonderfully cozy) Friday night, staying home with a glass of wine and a good book. You know, I think I kind of like being boring - in fact, all I'd need to make it utterly perfect is a comfy chair and a roaring fireplace. Oh - and a dog curled at my feet.

And Hymn Too

Doesn't everyone randomly get hymns stuck in their head for days on end? Oh, okay, just me. I figured. ;-) I had to share this one with you, though, as I thought it a particularly beautiful piece of poetry - and so many of these old songs don't deserve the slow slide into utter obscurity that seems to be their fate. This song is commonly called The Calligrapher's Hymn, formally titled The Love of God, and I just want to share with you this one verse:

Could we with ink the oceans fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the oceans dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky
Oh love of God, how rich and pure
How measureless, and strong
It shall forevermore endure
The saints and angels' song

I love it, and think it's such an incredibly beautiful picture. If you're so inclined, think on it a little, and give thanks.

Diversion

Don't mind me (and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.) I just feel the need to write a few words that aren't related to 18th Century literature, likely to give my brain a little jump start!
I'm about halfway through a 1500 word essay, due at 3:30 (though I have to be done before 2, as I have a coffee date.) I have no worries about my abilities to finish it, though. The first 702 words were accomplished quite easily in two hours. I do enjoy my status as champion B.S.er, I must say.
What I don't enjoy, of course, is being up before sunrise. I don't quite understand how people do it on a regular basis, even though it's nearly de rigeur in the wintertime. I can still remember waiting for the school bus as a child, in the dark, with my wet hair freezing into icicles. Blow-drying quickly became a necessity for health, if not for vanity. I still hate to blow-dry, though, as it seems like a terrible waste of time - and on my hair it is a great deal of time. So I'm more given to showering at night, and then I get the most amazing bed head in the mornings. Now that I actually do love - it's curly and a little wild, and if I could get it to stay like that all day I'd be rather..."chuffed." (Yes, I'm stealing a word from a Scottish friend.)
Well, I guess that's enough rambling for now! Back to my essay on the essays of Addison and Steele. Whee :P

Hero Hunt

There's a line in a song that I love...

"If the whole world goes wrong, I'll don a cape and fly to your rescue."

By Chris Rice, from his song "Let the Words Escape" on the album What A Heart Is Beating For. I truly think he's a brilliant lyricist, and manages to evoke such powerful thoughts and images with the simplest of words.
The line makes me so wistful, and envious - wishing I had my own superhero, someone willing to step up and come and save me. In a lot of ways, I think I already have that, in people who love me - and I know I have a Saviour. So why the longing for a hero?
I think, more than anything, it's this: I want to be the hero. Not only do I wish I could save others, I wish I could save myself. I'm slipping again, and it's dark down here.

Note: No worrying, Mum, I'm not suicidal, just "down." It happens, and I'm sure I'll get over it :P

Cleaning House

I want to get that last post pushed a bit down the page, even though ya'll seem to like commenting on it! ;-)
I'm feeling better since I wrote that, anyhow. Our girls' care group helped me perk up a bit...pretty amazing group of women there. I actually had a new friend of mine offer to do my dishes for me, since I told her that unlike a lot of depressed people, I still shower, dress, do my makeup...but I let my house get pretty bad. I've already had my dear Emily (the dear Emily who is not actually my sister...) come and help, too. But wow, what a blessing good friends are.
In other slightly less cheery news, I'm fairly sure I'm going to have to drop one of my classes. I'll still have three, which means I still qualify as full time and it won't cause any problems with student loans or anything. And considering I'm already a few credits ahead, I'll still graduate on track with no problem. But I'm still disappointed in myself. I know I probably jumped the gun, hoping I could handle four courses. And though I've always loved the quote, "Man's reach should exceed his grasp." I'm afraid it just didn't work for me this time around.
So I start over again, mentally, reassuring myself that I *can* do this, and I will.