Stormy Weather

Exercise in frustration

I have been trying for way too long to figure out how to add a photo slideshow on this here blog. I've been trying to get something to work using flickr.com as I've seen many other people use that on their blogs. Does anyone have a suggestion of a more user-friendly site? Or can anyone email me instructions on how to add a picture slideshow to my blog? I can't afford to pull any more of my hair out. It's thin-enough as it is!!

Oh, Wow

The greatness of some of the items my parents delivered on Tuesday can best be described only through pictures. I'll try to take some tonight.

Now what?

For those of you who read the post a couple weeks ago about going through boxes of childhood *tchatchkes, this intriguing email was waiting in my inbox this morning.

"Hi I found a box labeled "Jennifer's ceramics off the shelf" which we will bring you tomorrow. Then if you do not have plans we can go get something to eat. If you have other plans that is OK too.Love, Dad"

Now, I know I painted several ceramics throughout my early years but never do I remember them occupying "the shelf". And is this a box I packed up or is it one that my mom did on my behalf when she realized she needed the space? And, this just occurred to me, are they knick-knacks I made or are they just breakables I picked up over the years? I can hardly wait to see what is in there. I distinctly remember a cute, gray bunny...will it be in there? Another few hours and I'll have the answer.

*The spelling of tchatchkes brought to you by "The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know"

Signs of Spring

Pack Rat

My parents and younger sister are anxiously awaiting a mission call that could arrive any day now. Plans are being made, affairs are being put in order and in a magnanimous gesture I decided to accept responsibility for the myriad boxes of books and various mementos they've been storing for me for the last 10+ years. Thus giving them room to store their own things while they rent their house out. I know, I know...very generous of me. Anyway, last night they delivered the first of many boxes with the intent I'll empty out the boxes over the next week and give them the empties when they deliver the next shipment. The first tub I went through last night was full of books which didn't take me too long to go through. I found that many of them were titles I purchased a second time in the years since they were packed up. So those duplicates all went into a bag to sell back to Powell's. The second tub took much MUCH longer to go through as it contained such items as my middle school yearbooks (is it just me or did my awkward period last longer than everyone else's?) and high school journals (oh, the angst). Who knows what next week's boxes will bring.

Speaking of the yearbooks, I went to middle school with a kid who is now quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Do you think I could sell them to some fan?

Other items I came across:
* a letter my 15-yr-old self wrote to my 22-yr-old self (apparently I thought I'd be fully established in adult-land at 22)
* A high school paper on Antigone
* Phoenix Coyotes hockey puck
* small plastic Baltimore Orioles helmet
* high school diploma
* pencil with a fuzzy giraffe's head and the question "wanna neck?" (I think I got that when I was ten. Scandalous!)
* high school i.d. cards
* family picture at my sister's wedding circa 1989 - oh my!
* score sheet from a laser-tag outing at Ricks
* seventh grade science award

YUM!

I just ordered a copy of this book and I could not be more excited!!

Books!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and as she and my dad work in the LDS temple every Tuesday it worked out nicely to gather at my sister's afterwards and celebrate. My parents live about an hour and a half south of Portland. It was nice to gather with family and celebrate my mom. I had a great time interacting with my niece and nephews, especially when somehow the subject of books came up and they each excitedly told me about what they're reading right now. It makes me so happy to see them excited about reading and excited about the adventures that lie within the pages of the books. Tanner is reading To Kill A Mockingbird in his 8th grade class right now. He doesn't care much for his teacher which in turn is making him not care so much for the way she's presenting the book. This is one of my all-time favorites so I tried my best to heighten his interest in the story despite the way his teacher is handling the material. In preparation for his freshman year he has to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury over the summer. I haven't ever read that but from the little I know about the story it seems kind of an intense rite-of-passage to freshman English!

Jarae is into a fantasy author, Brandon Mull, whose stories are full of satyrs and fairies and trolls and magical, mysterious lands. She had a rough go of it when learning to read so to see her so excited about it now is really endearing. Hopefully when it's her turn to read To Kill a Mockingbird in a couple years she'll be more into it than Tanner.

Not for me

I have a confession. Every once in awhile I google old crushes and old boyfriends to see if I can find out what they're up to. And not so you think I'm a total freak I also look up people I used to know and in whom I never had a romantic interest. One of the easy places to start is MySpace. I have never had, nor do I ever intend to have, my own MySpace page. It's just not my thing. I do know lots of people who have pages, though. Why do people feel the need to make their page as busy as possible? I was looking at one today that had music blaring, a collage of pictures behind the text and flare everywhere. I was so overwhelmed and annoyed that it simply served to remind me why it's a good thing things didn't ever "work out" with this person. I could never support his MySpace layout! I have always felt simplicity is best. I'm not into frou-frou and this page was all about the pizzazz.

I googled my own name and came up with these superior(?) alter-egos:

Jennifer Kohler, Stanford biology professor
Jennifer Kohler, Ph.D.; director of the School for Professional Studies at Saint Louis University
Jennifer Kohler, grad student at Columbia
Jennifer Kohler, surrogate mother
Jennifer Kohler, New York lawyer

There are 1,416,416 people in the U.S. with the first name Jennifer. Statistically the 21st most popular first name.

There are 18,237 people in the U.S. with the last name Kohler. Statistically the 1,943rd most popular last name.

There are 85 people in the U.S. named Jennifer Kohler. You can figure out your own statistics here.

The Neighborhood is Growing

Randomly, three people asked me today when I'm going to update this thing. My brother, Jeff, even offered to be a guest blogger! Since only a few of you leave comments, I guess I didn't realize how many are paying attention to my blog. Thanks for the love!

I'm getting excited by the number of my friends who are putting both feet into the blogging circle. I think it's a fantastic way to keep track of what is happening with each other and it's so much easier than sitting down and writing an email or - heaven forbid - picking up the phone. I have never really been a phone person unless it's a conversation that can take place in less than 5 minutes. However, I'm already aware there are exceptions to that rule as I can talk to family members for much longer than that. I think that's because it's simply a continuation of a conversation that has been going on for the last 30 years. Do you know what I mean? There are those people with whom you always have a level of contact so when you speak to them or spend time with them there's no need for small-talk. I find small-talk exhausting. I don't mind going to social events, but when I'm at a party where I only know one or two people I find I'm ready to leave shortly after arriving because I simply can't make myself small-talk with strangers for three or four hours.

How's that for getting off-topic? I was saying that I'm excited about all the blogs I get to read and all the years-long friendships (high-school...college...mission) that are being rekindled through blogspot.It's fun to see the daily events and not just get the highlights in the Christmas letter. And I thank you for sharing your lives with me.