Quality vs. Quantity

I have always preferred quality over quantity. More is not better. My diamond? Which I wasn't expecting to get at all and was fine without (good story, that - I'll tell you later), is fairly small but nearly perfect and I so prefer it to some gaudy, cloudy, speckled boulder. I would rather have 2 dozen good books on my shelf than have 240 books I'd never want to read. And I like books. I'd rather have a modestly-sized, freshly baked cinnamon roll than a giant, grocery store, rock-hard chunk of bleh. No matter how much icing they put on it. You get it, right? Let me know if not because I'm sure I can come up with at least a couple more examples.

Did you notice, though, that this past year I tried to post something on TIBM every day? Quantity. Sometimes it was something worth reading and sometimes it was just a note to you, my loyal reader, about how I didn't have anything to share that day. Mostly my posts were somewhere in between, I think. Quite honestly, I think the overall quality of my writing suffered in my quest for quantity. It is not necessary for you to agree with me in the comments (please don't - I'll feel bad). The best month, in my opinion, was April when, in addition to my post-a-day challenge for myself, I took on a poem-a-day challenge with fairly pleasing results. And I had some other good stuff here and there (feel free to recall your personal favorites in the comments), but in general? Well...

So for 2009 I've decided to only post when I have something to say (except in April when I'll be doing the whole poem-a-day thing again*). I doubt that any of you finds yourself relying on your daily dose of TIBM, but if you do, I apologize now. I just can't do it anymore. I don't want to. I love blogging, but enough is enough. Hopefully you'll agree that this is better.


*Here is a challenge for any of you who will take it: you post a poem-a-day in April too! It doesn't have to be your work (but you need to give proper credit if it's not - MN wags her finger). I'll remind you. Let's do it together!

All About MEEEEE!

My PhD appointment was cancelled last week because PhD was sick. When she called to cancel, the first thing she said was, "Are you doing okay?" And I said, "Yes!" without hesitation. Because I am okay. This last year wasn't easy for me (was yours easy? really?), but I learned some things from all the ick.

I learned:

• I am likeable and useful and interesting and afraid of failing and overly critical of myself and a dog person.
• It's a good idea to ask for help when you need it and people usually want to help you when you really need them to. Especially the people who love you.
• I like to brag about 2 things: my girls and my baking. And both all 3 of those things are worth bragging about.

I'm not going to make any New Year's resolutions for 2009 because that's not my style, really. And also because I might break them and that would be failing and I'm afraid of that, you know? But there are some things I'd like to do. Maybe next year at this time we can check them off together...

I'd like to:

• Make good progress on my novel.
• Check out the Unitarian Church and join the choir.
• Teach the dog a command that consistently diverts him from jumping up.

That's not too much to try to do, right? Wish me luck!

What are you going to try to do in 2009?

Pete's Lesson

The other day, Pete's class read the book Born With a Bang (which I have not read) and then her teacher gave the "first years"* a lesson about the "beginning of the Universe." It went like this:

First Ms. C laid out 2 black sheets with "stuff" in between. She pulled out a balloon and a "push pin" and popped the balloon, and "tiny particles [glitter] flew all onto the second black sheet." Then she pulled out a bowl and filled it with water and added red confetti. She stirred it around and told the students to "watch the particles clump together." Then she took off the top sheet and there was... a VOLCANO! The volcano was apparently made by the third years last year. There was also water vinegar, red and yellow food coloring, and baking soda, which Ms. C put into the volcano, which then "exploded all over school!"

Cool, right? I asked Pete what she had learned from Ms. C's lesson and that was when she told me they had read the book, but she didn't elaborate so I'm not sure how much she got, but the lesson was cool and she remembered it and she's only in the first grade and Husbandguy was impressed by her use of the term "tiny particles."

And also, one of my girls at least is getting the right kind of education outside our home.

*Items in quotes are Pete's words.