urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos not the destination measured_chaos 2009-12-16T14:59:07Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:147538 2009-12-16T14:59:07Z 2009-12-16T14:59:07Z I enjoy baking. No, scratch that. I LOVE to bake. And I particularly love to bake cookies. Thanks to Memaw, Gram, Martha Stewart and other random folks, magazines and my love of experimenting with flavors in the kitchen, I now have over a thousand tried and true cookie recipes to pick from and use throughout the year. Of those recipes, 451 are Christmas cookies. This year’s list will contain many tried and true recipes and bars; however, I’ve added a few newbies to the list as well. Over the next 48 hours, I will bake 59 dozen cookies! On Sunday night, I will bake 20 mini egg nog poundcakes and for Christmas day, I’ll throw in a regular sized egg nog pound cake, a pecan pie and honey macademia nut fudge to boot. The list follows. Feel free to ask me about particular cookies or for a recipe! Because why have so many awesome recipes if not to share with friends and family!<br /><br />Happy Holidays All!<br /><a href="http://bit.ly/7H4cIb">Get the entire Cookie List at Lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:147391 2009-12-07T16:15:28Z 2009-12-07T16:15:28Z I knew I was in trouble this morning the moment I opened my eyes. Mimir, otherwise known as The Cat™, was sitting by my head frantically pushing at my face. There are wonderful ways to be nudged from sleep. There are great ways to be nudged from sleep. Shoot, there are even "okay, I wanted to sleep but you woke me up" ways to be nudged from sleep. Having a cat push her paw into your cheekbone is not any of them. It is, however, effective. Since I went to bed around 5:30 AM after pulling an all-nighter to ensure morning delivery to a client, getting nudged in the face at 10 AM was not the way I wanted to wake up.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/12/07/spock-would-be-proud/">Read what I faced when I finally got out of bed at Lifeinflux.com</a>. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:147137 2009-12-04T16:41:34Z 2009-12-04T16:41:34Z There are a few times in my life where I've had to eat my words. My mom would say there were many times I've had to eat a little crow. And she'd then tell you about my Corporate America speech circa '92, or the "no fast or processed food in my child" speech of '99. Just for kickers she might tell you about the four months I swore off all animal products and tried going vegan during the Mad Cow scare of '02. My mom has a mind like a steel trap and the memory of an elephant. Thank god she loves me. Also, I am never running for public office. Because she loves me, Mom loves to talk about me (naturally). Because she loves to talk about me, at some point, one of the crazy things I did back in the 90s would come to light and then.... scandal. And to Drue who might read this someday, no I did not have sex, do drugs or end up in jail... except when I married your father and we've already covered that. And those drugs were doctor approved. Just sayin'.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/12/04/week-7-one-stop-shopping/">Read more AND do all your holiday shopping at Lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:146809 2009-12-02T17:30:42Z 2009-12-02T17:30:42Z So the verdict is in. I have bronchitis. And we're not talking nice viral bronchitis either. This is the cough all night, choke up green globs of mucus, blow your nose so hard your head ends up in next week, bacterial bronchitis. It started two weeks ago when I lost my voice. I always lose my voice by mid-November so I did not think anything of it. You tell 50 plus kids to<strong><em> proojeccct</em></strong> or to <strong><em>Beeee Quieeettt </em></strong>for eleven weeks and you would lose your voice too. So while I've probably been sick for two weeks, I wrote it off to voice exhaustion. And me being me - you know, stubborn - I started popping Halls cough drops like candy and ignored the other symptoms that were creeping up on me. You know the ones - fever, chills, coughing, aching, getting no sleep, choking up mucus. If you read my blog at all, you'll remember that <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/11/27/week-6-count-your-many-blessings/#more-418">Northwest is now known as the airline that ruined Thanksgiving</a>. As unhappy as I am that we were not in Alabama for Thanksgiving, if I were my family I'd be thrilled. Because along with the small gifts we had tucked away in our carry-on luggage, the big gift of the holiday season would be Jeri getting everyone sick. And if that happened, I'd be in huge trouble with my mom. And even though I am at that age where my mom can't actually ground me or take my iPhone away, she can still give me that evil, silent glare, "you are in SUCH trouble, young lady" look that makes me want to throw my body on the ground and writhe around until she focuses that glare on something else. You think Jane (you know, from New Moon) has the pain thing down? Just go get in trouble with my mom. She doesn't even have to utter a word and you're writhing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com">Read more and check out the new layout and design at Lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:146565 2009-11-27T18:11:58Z 2009-11-27T18:11:58Z I know what you're doing right now... you're counting down from week one to two to three to um... six? Yes, I know how to count and no, I did not bump my head and go into a coma for two weeks. Nor did I contract swine flu and spend the last two weeks in bed (although lord-a-mercy the thought of two weeks in bed just sounds so good right now). Weeks 4 and 5 are coming! They are, in fact, being written right now, at this very minute, while you sit here reading about this week, week 6. So finish shaking your head and throw in a few "ohnoeshedi-ent"s and then get over yourself. Because if I can get over myself after this week, so can you! Just sayin'.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/11/27/week-6-count-your-many-blessings/">Read more at Lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:146379 2009-11-13T22:28:36Z 2009-11-13T22:28:36Z Eleven years ago, Jason and I got hitched for better or worse in the Hillsborough courthouse in front of a jail cell by one Mr. Cleatus A. Marmaduke III. He had bug eyes, wore a blue and white checked polyester suit and moved and talked like he existed in a vat of molasses (pronounced MOE-lasses for you uninitiated). One of our witnesses made the comment that the setting and the justice of the peace looked like something out of a bad Southern movie you’d find on Lifetime. I was roughly three months pregnant and our latest prenatal tests had come back iffy. Jason had better health insurance and we had a big church wedding on the horizon, something I absolutely did not want, so the JOP ceremony gave me the wedding I desired and took care of the health insurance issues in one fell swoop.<br /><br />The next day, after a lovely lunch at the Carolina Club and a night spent consuming room service, watching movies and going to bed early at the Carolina Inn, Jason and I checked into UNC. The next day all our fears were allayed. The bean that would later emerge as Evelyn Drue Gloege was fine. The tests were false positives and she was happy and well. I spent the next two years angry, feeling as if my hand had been cosmically forced. I won’t even get into the insanity that was the church wedding. I can sum it up in seven words: spent my wedding night in the hospital. By the way, if you ever want immediate attention in a hospital, go there with bird seed in your hair. After it spills all over the front desk while you’re signing in, they will take you back immediately and give you drugs. Think of this tip as my gift to you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/11/13/a-very-merry-un-aversary/#more-396">Read more at Lifeinflux.com</a>. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:146000 2009-11-03T16:31:08Z 2009-11-03T16:31:08Z I want to full-on, smooch all over the person who invented Tamiflu because without this little wonder drug, I wouldn’t be posting at all. Instead, I’d be cleaning up projectile vomit for the second night in a row and wishing I would just die and put myself out of my own misery. But I’m leaping ahead of my entire week and starting with the ending. While this is just like me, I figure if you’re reading you want the entire recap and not just praise of my new H1N1-destroying wonder drug.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/11/03/week-3-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers">Read more at Lifeinflux</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:145878 2009-10-26T15:19:46Z 2009-10-26T15:19:46Z Ever had one of those weeks where you were so busy, you wonder how you got to Monday? And were you so busy that when you got to Monday, all the stuff you did was a blur and you can’t quite put your finger on exactly what kept you so busy that entire time? That was my week, last week. And while I’m doing a lot of tasks that seem simple and mundane to the outside viewer, I find myself calmer and happier than I’ve been in a long time. Well, okay, except last Wednesday night, but I’m allowed the occasional exception to the rule.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/10/26/week-2-who-we-talking-bout-here/">Read more at Lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:145463 2009-10-19T16:48:21Z 2009-10-19T16:48:21Z The Kübler-Ross model, better known as the five stages of grief, can really be applied to all areas of life. For example, while writing my 101 goals in 1001 days, I was definitely in stage one, denial. It's not that I was unrealistic in setting my goals; and even after a week's contemplation I still believe I will meet and, in some cases, surpass my goals by July 2012. That said, I think I was smoking something illegal when I came up with a few of these goals. There is really no other explanation for it. And while those of you who know me might remind me that I've become the worst <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=reformed%20whore">RW</a> of all time since quitting cigarettes back in July of 2006 (July 7th, 2006 to be exact), maybe I inhaled someone's second-hand smoke while writing these. Granted, my neighbors don't look like crack-imbibing junkies but how well do you know people, really?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/10/19/week-1-denial/">Read more at Lifeinflux</a>!!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:145236 2009-10-16T16:40:40Z 2009-10-16T16:40:40Z Shopping for Halloween costumes with my tween is akin to getting a root canal. I've never had a root canal but I know people who have and they never emerge from the dentist's chair smiling. In fact, they often look like they are caught in that place between sheer, outright pain and Novocaine and it's not a good place to be. And that's the look on my face after visiting multiple Halloween stores and Party City. Because Drue is tall, she no longer fits into child-sized costumes. While they still fit her width-wise, length-wise we're already in trouble. Long dresses and skirts hit her mid-knee and anything mini is micro-mini on her long body. And Drue wearing micro-minis is something I'm not prepared to deal with since the moment she emerges in one, Jason starts googling words like "gun store" and "shotguns". Really, though, all I want is some transition for tweens and teens that meets somewhere in the middle between child sizes and slut.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/10/16/halloween-to-hoochie-ween-and-really-not-much-in-between/">Read more at Lifeinflux</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:144930 2009-10-15T22:39:17Z 2009-10-15T22:39:17Z <a href="http://www.blogactionday.org"><img src="http://www.blogactionday.org/imgs/badges/bad-88-31.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I’ve spent the better part of the day reading about climate change. Sure, I already knew about global warming and its effects on the weather, fragile ecosystems, and our health. At any given time on any given news site or blog, I can read about tragedies around the world, be it flooding, poverty, or wide-spread diseases like hantavirus or malaria, that seem to be increasing as temperatures rise. I know the crucial number - 350 – and what it means. I know I should use less energy at home, drive efficiently and drive less often and buy carbon offsets. I know this. It’s been shoved at me on every website touting “eco-friendliness” out there. I know that on October 24th, there will be a 350.org campaign in 158 countries around the world. And I think all of that is wonderful. But, I have to ask myself as an individual, what can I really do day-to-day? When I hear terms like “use less energy” and “sustainable”, what do they really mean? And how do I motivate myself, much less others, to do more?<br /><br />Continue reading at <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/10/15/blog-action-day-2009-climate-change/#more-274">Lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:144774 2009-10-14T17:38:12Z 2009-10-14T17:39:12Z <a href="http://www.blogactionday.org"><img src="http://www.blogactionday.org/imgs/badges/bad-180-150.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This year, Lifeinflux, along with thousands of other bloggers around the world, will join in on Blog Action Day 2009. This year's post will be about climate change. Right now, there are over 7000 bloggers registered to participate and these 7000 blogs have over 11 million readers. Won't you add your voice and blog?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com">Read more at Lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:144581 2009-10-13T12:58:27Z 2009-10-13T12:58:27Z At least, so says Oscar Wilde. I’m inclined to agree for purely personal reasons.<br /><br />T.S. Eliot once said: <i>“I don’t believe one grows older. I think that what happens early on in life is that at a certain age one stands still and stagnates.”</i> Stagnate is a great way to describe my mental state for the past five years. In 2004, I was 30. I was separated from Jason and trying to make it on my 1997 salary after several years out of the traditional job market while at home caring for Drue. In 2005, I was divorced and for the first time in a long time had to think about things like affordable health insurance. By 2006, 55 to 60 hour work weeks were the norm, not the exception and I was fully entrenched and moving forward quickly in the career path I began back in 1994 when I left school and left in 1999 when Drue was born. In 2007, I left that job after 2 years and jumped quickly into another. My intentions on leaving my job in 2007 was to take a few months off and figure out what I really wanted to do. However, I was promised the opportunity to build a system and manage the team that would support that system ongoing, which was the next logical step in my career. Unfortunately, that promised opportunity never came to fruition. This was no one’s fault; but the reality is that I worked for more than two years at a job I did not enjoy for a myriad of reasons. Ultimately, I think the issue back in 2004 was that I wanted a paycheck and re-entered the workforce in the same career I left back in 1999 without taking full accounting of my growth, interests and passions developed during the five years I was out of the traditional job market.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/10/12/thirty-five-is-a-very-attractive-age/#more-209">Want to read more?</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:144348 2009-10-07T16:54:20Z 2009-10-07T16:54:20Z Of mice and bears... the story of adopting one Kodiak B-Bear is up on lifeinflux: <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/10/07/of-mice-and-bears/">http://www.lifeinflux.com/2009/10/07/of-mice-and-bears/</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:143926 2009-09-17T13:07:24Z 2009-09-17T13:07:24Z Two new posts up on Lifeinflux:<br /><br />An unstructured, structured existence, part 1: <a href="http://bit.ly/17HMrW">http://bit.ly/17HMrW</a><br /><br />Setting goals or boy would I like to sleep in this Saturday morning: <a href="http://bit.ly/nREMJ">http://bit.ly/nREMJ</a><br /><br />Read and comment, won't ya? urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:143734 2009-09-03T16:23:20Z 2009-09-03T16:23:20Z On lifeinflux! <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com/">http://www.lifeinflux.com/</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:143547 2009-08-13T13:21:29Z 2009-08-13T13:21:29Z On lifeinflux... <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com">http://www.lifeinflux.com</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:143281 2009-07-29T20:59:38Z 2009-07-29T20:59:38Z Post three is up on <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com">Lifeinflux</a>. Drop on by, read and comment! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:142919 2009-07-28T15:57:59Z 2009-07-28T15:57:59Z Post number two is up. You're welcome to drop by, read and comment.<br /><br />-jeri urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:142624 2009-07-27T22:43:46Z 2009-07-27T22:44:16Z After much thought, pondering, three years of threatening to start a new blog and downloading of many Wordpress themes, Lifeinflux is finally up! <br /><br />Please go to <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com">http://www.lifeinflux.com</a>. The "About" section is up as is the first post. There will be some basic changes there over the next few weeks (header bar will display my photos, etc.).<br /><br />Also, pass the word along to your friends and fellow bloggers who might be interested in the wild path I'm currently on as I figure out my wants, needs and purpose.<br /><br />Hope to see you there at <a href="http://www.lifeinflux.com!">http://www.lifeinflux.com!</a><br /><br />-jeri<br /><br />P.S. If you're on twitter, please follow me. I'm lifeinflux there, too! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:142195 2008-04-23T04:50:55Z 2008-04-23T20:16:54Z WONDER NO MORE! <br /><br />It is because they have a bidet.<br /><br />I want one. Damnit.<br /><br /><lj-embed id="2" /><br /><br />They obviously could not show the video of this couple using the LooLoo with their clothes <i>off</i>. That would just be a little too much for YouTube... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:141981 2008-04-11T02:46:44Z 2008-04-11T02:46:44Z It has been awhile since I've hopped on the meme bandwagon but the challenge of answering the meme with a single word was too tempting to ignore:<br /><br />Where is your mobile phone? table<br />Your significant other? nonexistent<br />Your hair? curly<br />Your mother? irrepressible<br />Your father? irrelevant<br />Your favorite thing? <br />Your dream last night? forgettable<br />Your favorite drink? alcoholic<br />Your dream/goal? domination<br />The room you're in? parlour<br />Your ex? unknown<br />Your fear? ignorance<br />Where do you want to be in 6 years? abroad<br />Where were you last night? asleep<br />What you're not? omnipotent<br />Muffins? pumpkin<br />One of your wish list items? choos<br />Where you grew up? everywhere<br />The last thing you did? read<br />What are you wearing? clothes<br />Your TV? nope<br />Your pets? PoohCat<br />Your computer? Mac<br />Your life? stupendous<br />Your mood? amused<br />Missing someone? concealed<br />Your car? VIBE<br />Something you're not wearing? socks<br />Favorite Store? Nordstrom's<br />Your summer? interesting<br />Like someone? unsure<br />Your favorite color? pink<br />When is the last time you laughed? now<br />Last time you cried? months urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:141585 2008-03-31T03:01:48Z 2008-03-31T03:01:48Z We finally set up the Wii. Yes, I know it took me forever to do so but when you consider I had to get over giving up my 13 inch television for a 27 inch television to set this damn thing up, well... you understand why it took some time.<br /><br />Oh and Drue got grounded but that's a story for another day.<br /><br />Our console number is 8369 2405 2960 8205. I won't promise we'll be on the Wii a lot but do friend us won't you??!!?! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:141489 2008-03-26T00:56:00Z 2008-03-26T00:56:00Z Okay you should so be doing this... and not just because I am!<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/lifeinflux">Come Twitter!</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:measured_chaos:140518 2008-02-13T23:22:53Z 2008-02-13T23:28:53Z 1. No, none of my posts about avoiding drama are towards any particular person or persons. That said, if you took what I wrote to heart then I would suggest looking towards your own life rather than asking me whether I intended to send you a message.<br /><br />2. Avoiding you is not a passive aggressive stance. It is me avoiding the drama you bring and is something we've discussed before. I hate repeating myself so I ignore the whole situation in the hopes of preserving our friendship and that, at some point, you'll realize that life is better without embracing such ridiculous drama.<br /><br />3. You're making huge assumptions about my emotions a long time ago and are asking me for something I cannot give you. It was a confusing time back in the early 00s, and in 2005 I was happy to be free and unencumbered after a horrid relationship with a nasty person. Your visit was nice but if anything resolved my feelings that we will just be friends. Period. All I can offer or have ever really offered is friendship. And the surplus of emotions on your side makes me uncomfortable.<br /><br />4. Jason is here in my life to stay as my BFF and Drue's dad. I am sorry if you think that is unhealthy or weird.<br /><br />5. Yes, LJ is more than old to me. Most of my friends have moved off this medium and I look forward to not returning here once Fractalmind is finally up. Hopefully people will come to my site and read and comment and I will have a feed on <span class='ljuser ljuser-name_fractalmind' lj:user='fractalmind' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://fractalmind.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://fractalmind.livejournal.com/'><b>fractalmind</b></a></span> but the days of this journal are quickly drawing to a close.<br /><br />6. There are a few people I have not met and want to do so! Carrie and Josh are two of those folks. As for people I miss, Heather tops the list. That is not to say I don't miss other people or wish to see other people but these were the folks I had in mind when writing my post. It is not a slight against others unless they choose for it to be a slight. For example, I miss Matt, Carrie and a plethora of other people. I don't think they feel I slighted them by not calling them out in a LJ post. At least, I hope not.<br /><br />Here is something everyone should know about me in general:<br />Look, you all should know by now that when I say something, I mean exactly that. So reading into things or making assumptions is pretty silly when I am pretty plain spoken and mean exactly what I say. When I say I hate drama, know that I am saying exactly that. If you are a dramatic person, well that does not mean I hate you but don't expect me to be around while you are embracing, creating or making up dramatic instances. When I compliment or reference a person it is because that is the person or persons on my mind and has nothing to do with you.<br /><br />Sheesh. I am going to go embrace my flu-like symptoms now.