My New Life

If you haven't seen this movie and want to don't read this...

As I lay in bed last night I was trying to access where they got their inspiration.  Being a science fiction freak... Powers that Be by Anne McCaffery has a sentient yet dangerous planet that communicates with the inhabitants and protects itself.  Dragonriders of Peru, Anne McCaffery for telepathic communication with flying dragons.  Cherryh and McCaffery and ten thousand others... for the military and rapeing the world stuff.  Star Wars taking the odd ball humanoids and moving that creativity into plant life.  Chinese misty mountain art for the floating mountains... I can't remember where the transfering bodies came from... it is tickling the back of my brain.  Maybe Body Heat... Ship Who Sang, Anne McCaffery again for putting someone disabled in a pod and transfering their brain power to something else. 

I need to see this again, there was so much visual activity I know I missed.  Story was old hat, really old hat, but the visual affects transforming.  Why can't the need to destroy a planet have to be something more than greed.  Star Trek in the 1960s was more nuanced... but of course the early shows were based on the best science fiction of the time.  What about the dicotomy of we need something you have to save our planet and we need to destroy yours to get it????  Some kind of hard ethical question to face... America can stand hard ethical questions... not we need this stone to make our shareholder wealthy.

The 12 tall blue natives were so real.  Action capture was amazing.  It made them look real.  Thier physicallity was amazing... Sort of Bruce Willis in Die Hard on steroids.  I think I want blue tiger striped skin...   They used lots of LED string lights for the big trees. 

Okay, I need to get to work on editing my book now... Love and kisses, Marilyn

I went to the movies tonight... Avat*r awas amazing... a combination of many science fiction creatures and amazing blue people... Love and kisses, Marilyn

Final editing of my book is taking so much more time that I thought as usual.  Hope your day is great the sun is shining here and the air is crisp and cool.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I took the day off yesterday.  I finished listening to the book on tape... it was a good story.  As I listened I played games on the computer...  I was going to try to start painting my trim, but it didn't happen. hmmmmm   It was nice to just relax.  I most of the day I stormed watched... The rain here turned into snow... a lot of snow up the east coast. 

I am nervous about getting my book into book format when it comes back from the editor tomorrow.  Today I am going to try to finish some letters... it would be nice to have my Holiday letter done and mailed before Christmas, but it can be a New Years letter too.  It is hard to find some positive things to write about because my life is in flux again.  By next Christmas it should be shorted out.  I decided to write about Peru and that is helping. 

Love and kisses, Marilyn

Yesterday... well ... actually Wednesday when I was coming home I got a Nora Rob*rts book on CDs that was 14 hours.  So yesterday I brought it inside and listened to it during the afternoon.  I still have four CDs to listen.  The problem is when listening to a book on tape... you can't work on the computer and hear the book at the same time, like you can with TV.  Hmmmmm  Love and kisses, Marilyn

We had a rain yesterday... all day long.  At one point it rained at least an inch in one hour.  I had a doctor check up appointment and went swimming in the middle of the day.  I worked on my letters and editing my blurb for my book.  Hmmmm  Laurie Good found some more things to correct.  So my book is getting a final scrubbing as well as corrections to the APA citations.  I am nervous about converting it into Buchblock and finalizing it for printing.  But I will just follow the instructions and hope it works.  I told them I would have it to them on Dec 24th.  My gift to the world... ha...

Hope your day is great.  I think it is snowing up the East Coast and that it snowed in Virginia last night as the storm we had yesterday... heads north.   Love and kisses, Marilyn

I did my syllabus for three classes today... took most of the day...   and raked my yard... my neighbors dog escaped and spent the afternoon hanging out with me in the yard.... Hope your day was grand. Love and kisses, Marilyn

Home safe... had a delightful time seeing my friends, swimming and eating like a pig.  Got to see everyone twice.  Had a great book on the way home.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Worked in the morning and then had lunch with Chriss Coon at Squires. 

It was such as beautiful day, I sat in the car in the bright sunshine and read my book for about an hour and then went for a walk on the Huckleberry Trail... Noelle sent me a text or five and we swam together at War.  David was there and he swam fifites with us... we only did five, because Noelle and I had done a ladder already.  It was so much fun to swim with them again.  I saw Laurie Good and was able to ask her to check my APA citations for my book/dissertation.  I need to get those off to her. 

Went to dinner with Noelle for  her birthday (which is tomorrow when I am leaving).  Another banner day in Virginia.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Yesterday, I worked in my hotel room in the morning... There was a light ice storm outside and I watched through my window as the ice accumulated and then melted...  once the ice had cleared, I went to More than Coffee for a late lunch.  Then I decided to go for a walk around Pandanpus Pond by myself.  It was a cool and rainy day... but the air was brisk and I got some really nice photos... As I walked around the pond, I got very wistful about my time here at Virginia Tech.  It was such an amazing, growing time filled with friendship based on shared goals, shared struggles and such a joy of learning. 

This last week Nancy sent an e-mail letter to all of us about what has happened in her life this last year... and then Sarah, Elizabeth, Tao and I have also responded in kind.  So as I walked around the pond, I could hear their voices and laughter in my head.  I remembered so many times of walking this same path with Elizabeth, K, Penny (their dog), Kristin, Ellen, and even my friends from Michigan Tom and Bette....  The time we spent in Blacksburg was such a blessed time, so unique in my experience.  Our minds crammed with philosophy, theory, padagogoly, our research, the next step in our process....  our bodies struggleing with the stress and our breaking out in laughter at our frequent parties... and our hearts so filled with hope and joy in our loving support for each other.  It was a truly amazing time.  I did not expect this commradery in my mid-fifties.  The saying goes you can't make many friends after your thirties... but here I found great friendship. I find it is what I miss the most in stoggy, socially exclusive, Savannah.

Last night I had dinner with Elizabeth, K and David.  We went to a new restaurant in the new mall.  We had a great dinner and went home and bowled on Wii.  It was a delightful night.  Well today I am going to lunch with Chriss and then swimming with Noelle at 5:30.  Hope your day is wonderful.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I am sitting in my hotel room working...and outside is freezing rain and fog...  I swam with Ellen, K, Elizabeth and David.  It was so much fun.  Then I went to dinner with Noelle.  It was also fun... but I over ate.  When I watched TV I found myself dozing on and off for about three hours... then when I turned off the TV, but could not go to sleep... I got up and wrote some by hand... and then tried to sleep again.  Then got up and wrote a letter I was going to work on today.  Hmmmmm at 1:00 I finally got to sleep... and at 8:00 I was up and working on the letter again.  

Tonight I am going to dinner with Elizabeth, K and David. I am really looking forward to it. 

Hope your day is wonderful.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

In Virginia visiting my friends.  I cannot believe how great it is to see everyone.  Noelle and I swam last night stroke for stroke...  it was so good to have someone to chat with in the pool.  I have really missed that.  Last night I had dinner with Luke and Ellen... again it was terrific. 

The hotel I am staying at has a view out my windows of the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains...  The sky is blue the air crisp.  I love being back here.  Today I am meeting with Terry about my book.  Then going swimming with K, Elizabeth and Ellen.  It will be great. 

Love and kisses, Marilyn

Hmmm a couple of days ago, after I had worked on converting my dissertation into a book, my computer said that I had used up my Word limit.  Hmmm I did not know that Word had a limit... I had copied my whole dissertation, all 328 pages, about six times over the days I was working on it.  And it made the document read only each time... so I could not copy it on itself, but had to make a new copy.  hmmmmm  So I get this message for two days... and I am skratching my head...  So I deleted three or four of the copies... still no luck... so the next day, I cleaned out the trash bin... 

In the mean time, tried to get online to ask Microsoft about my problem and once again got into their maze of nothing ness.  No I do not have a standard problem.... I never have a standard problem.  I try to search for an answer to my problem, of course it is not listed.  Because I don't know the Geeky wording to ask the right question to get the answer.  I finally give up and try to find the phone number, but instead find a email version of help... So I try to enter my secret code so I don't have to pay for help and it tells me the code is not existant.  They ask you to change the format of the 20 didget code too... so I plugged in this 20 didget number three times, no luck.  After two hours of work, I still have no luck and no where can I find a phone number.  My program is only 5.5 months old... so this is really making me perturbed. 

So the next day I took my disk to Best Buy where I bought it and... of course... they said get in touch with Microsoft.  But no they did not think that there was a limit to the amount of stuff you can save in Word... Which told me they don't know much.  So once again I get the old brush off from Best Buy.  No hiding their name this time.  So I go home and try they same thing I did the day before, all over again, of course with the same results.  But finally after another two hours the phone number came up.  So I called... By this time the automated receptionist made me so mad I was ready to bite someone head off...

As I was waiting, I accessed my Word to see what the actual message was... and low and behold it saved the document.  The deleting the files and most importantly clearing the trash seemed to work.  Greeehhhh so I meekly said never mind.  By the way, the Microsoft person still did not know if Word has a limit.  Hmmmmm 

I cannot believe how these companies can get away with passing the buck.  No one is responsible for what the product... they all talk about great service until you have a problem... then they are no help and they direct you to lists and lists of problems that are for novice computer people like having probleming saving... go to the circular logo and tap it twice... a menu comes up... scroll down to save and double click... that is really really great thanks so much for that information...   and they make you so frustrated that you will pay almost anything to get your computer back working... Somewhere in the midst of this mess, I threatened Microsoft with getting a MAC next time I buy a computer and I am really thinking about doing that.  Fewer problems and hopefully better service when you have a problem.   I would love to hear from MAC users if that is the case.  It seems as if I am on the phone with Microsoft at least once a year.  I have no patience anymore.

Okay I am done now... Love and kisses, Marilyn

Hmmm it turns out I need ten signatures for my book.  I have permission from all the big players, but two... the little players not so much.  First thing this morning I sorted through my files to find the permissions and made a list with boxes for people undone.  10 boxes, 11 checks... and two x where I won't use their name.  Hmmmmm 

Swam like a top today.  16 x 50s on the minute from 44 to 39 second.  Not bad for an old broad.  Hope your day was great!  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Pearl Harbor Day again... the day before my sister's birthday... but she does not like birthdays.... I love mine... oh well.  I gave her a gift on Sunday when we had lunch. 

I was not able to buckle down and work on my book today.  I did file for publish... so that is a step forward and emailed my chair Terry.  I have an appointment with her on Saturday... but could not bring myself to check to see what permissions I am missing.  I sorted through more papers and finally got my dining room table cleared.  I still have six small piles of paper in my office.  In addition, I was able to file my tax form.  hmmm Maybe tomorrow.

I had my neighbors family over for dinner.  Their mom is with her dad in Tallahassee.  He is very sick.  It was fun to have Dale and the kids here. 

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I filed so many papers... but sometime in the last two weeks I lost some papers I should not have filed.. hmmmm My office looks so much better without papers everywhere.  I also packed a couple of more boxes of wine glasses I am not suing.  Hmmm.  Rakes part of the yard and had lunch with Connie her birthday is in two days.  I am working on my holiday cards... but am having problems writing positive stuff... hmmmm

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I got my car serviced.  Matt's battery on his car stranded him a few months ago... so I had mine tested... We replaced it.  hmmmm I am heading north next weekend and didn't want to expose its low output to the cold.  Car is now in tip top shape... so am I.  I am finally recovered from the rush at the end of school.  While I was in the service area I finished revising Appendix E, F, and G.  Hmmmm

After getting the car serviced I went to the pool.  It was lucky that I did cause it was going to close at 3:00 UNTIL next MONDAY!!!!  So I got a good swim in, but I felt crappy in the water.  Then I came home, went shopping for food stuff and made a coconut cream pie and Canadian sweet tarts... to take to Scott's house for dinner.  Kathy, Scott and I had a really nice dinner and watched the new Star Tr*k movie.  It was a fun relaxing night.

The night before last, after the storm has passed by us (we really did not get much wind, but lots of rain).  I looked out my French doors to see the leaves blown down from the storm glowing on my back deck in the moonlight...  There was also a large tree in my backyard that the moonlight on the wet leaves lite up the tree like it had electric lights on it.  It was beautiful....  Mother nature is truly amazing.

Love and kisses, Marilyn

It is supposed to storm today here.  It rained a lot in the night.  Carole wrote about her career dreams...

I think from the time I was eleven on I wanted to be and interior designer.  I really did not know what that meant.  I thought decorating homes, but I did do space plan layouts of what my dream house would be.  When I went to school at Michigan State, everyone was surprised that I was not in physical education because I was such a good swimmer, but I wanted to be and interior designer.  I went to school got my first job and then second job which were on the periphery of the field.. .then I got my dream job working for Chuck and Mary Agnes Carter.  We designed houses, and offices and schools and and ... I loved what I was doing. 

Six years later I went out on my own... and soon after that started teaching interior design as well as working in the field full time. One of the people I shared a building with asked me what I would like to do if I were not an interior designer and I said teach interior design. 

When I was researching for my dissertation I found that I was in the forth wave of the interior design profession, so it was developing around me as I did it.  It was so much more than just decoration.  The tv shows do not depict what interior design has become in my lifetime... It is about helping people work and live in environments designed to fit their needs.  Wow what more can a person want. 

And then I went back to school to become Dr. Interior Designer... and  saga continues... Love and kisses, Marilyn

I took Matt to the air port this morning and he said remember to relax while he is gone. 

Today I woke up with a headache... not a bad one, but Matt elbowed my back last night and I forgot to drink water...  so the headache today... hmmm so I didn't try to work on my book today... Instead I just did what I wanted to do...

I raked part of the yard for exercise.  I have all kinds of trees in my backyard... I got smart this year... and rather than trying to rake the whole yard and hurting myself... I did a third last weekend, another third, mid week and another third today.... not bad at all.  I will have to do it again because there are still a lot of leaves in the trees.  But this is doable.   

I read my book, and took a nap, actually I took two naps.  I made sauerkraut and spatchels (sp?) (like German macaroni and cheese with home made noodles.  Then I took a walk... and watched tv.  The last two nights I read at night rather than watching tv... hmmm  Any way it was a wonderful relaxing day.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

Last night it was amazing... ten times bigger than one I have ever seen.... Love and kisses, Marilyn

Try to make that in the tardas tinny voice from Dr. Who... I edited my introduction last night.... opps I basically rewrote it... and here it is....

By 1980, interior design was a well established career in the United States and Canada, but in 1981, changes to the building code made independent practice difficult.  This is the story of how interior design developed, fulfilled the components of a profession, and then battled for survival as an independent profession.  The lens used to view these struggles is licensure.

 This study, written as a dissertation, examines the forces that led to the development of interior design as an independent profession.  It traces how interior decoration became interior design during the building boom after World War II.  This building boom produced a need for a new service – the design of the interior of existing buildings.  Commercial interior design exploded on the scene with unprecedented growth in projects ranging from malls to hotels, restaurants to office spaces, and universities to hospitals.  In addition, there were tracts of new homes built in suburban developments.  These homes needed personalization by the owners with the help of interior designers. 

In addition to these new buildings, an expanding educational system and women flooding into universities in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, helped fill the gap for university-educated designers.  This budding profession applied psychological and sociological theory to enhance the interior environment beyond aesthetics.  By 1985, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) estimated that there were 200,000 practitioners in the United States and Canada working as interior designers (ASID White Paper, 1987).  This book establishes the history of the professionalization of interior design by examining the movement toward licensure in three jurisdictions in the United States[i] using the framework of the theory of professions.    

So I think that has so much more punch than my more scholarly and boring introduction in my dissertation... Hmmmm I am still working... page 133... of 300 pages.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

and working on editing my dissertation...  So I didn't work on it.  I felt a little guilty for a while, but book tv was really good.  sooo I gave up and relaxed... I didn't sort papers or splice words... hmmm  I really enjoyed relaxing.  I finished the book I was reading and... just.... relaxed. So today I can't wait to get started again editing my dissertation...  Hope your day is grand... Love and kisses, Marilyn

Maybe I worked to much yesterday... six hours on the body of the document... another two or three on removing names of people without permissions...

I am doing my laundry and had a massage... and enjoying my favorite show... Bo*k TV.  Hope your day is great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

I started revising my dissertation to have it published as a book.  I got one third of the way through revising the body of my dissertation today... and tonight I revised the footnotes to remove peoples names... hmmm I cannot use the names of people from whom I don't have permission to use their names.  That is really hard to say. 

When I needed a break I raked the yard... and worked for another hour and took a walk... hmmmmm

Hope your day was good... Love and kisses, Marilyn

Okay.... I had six days off so now it is time to get to work.  I heard in October from a German company that they will publish my dissertation, so now I have to re-read it and revise it.  I have about five people I need to get permission to publish their interviews out of twenty-one. In addition, I need to remove anyone's name I do not have permission to use their name.  For example: I have about twenty pages of information garnered from the Americ*n Society of Int*rior Design files, quoting letters, memos and e-mails of what happened in each jurisdiction I examined.  I hope it won't take a long time to do this... hmmmmm

I hope your day is wonderful.  Is is sunny and bright here, but cold... I can't believe I think 45 degrees is cold.  The moon was amazing last night and it shone on my bed which I love... Love and kisses, Marilyn