labyrinthine...

       just a random note, but i thought it was really cool how many of the trees whose buds and budding leaves were killed by late frosts this year have reblossomed and come back to life. that doesn't usually happen. often when there is a late freeze and the trees are just budding, the buds die and the tree remains bare for the year until they blossom again the following spring. but a lot of them have regrouped and reblossomed and are once again wrapped in all their green glory. i just thought it was really cool.

       i've just discovered something interesting about one of my characters. it's somehow encouraging, especially since this isn't the first time something like this has happened, but i keep uncovering little bits of information from the etymologies and constructions of their names that fit my characters perfectly, even though i may not have picked the name based on those properties. for example, there are a few somewhat mystical creatures in the story, one of whom is a unicorn-type creature that i've named antimony. traditionally the unicorn is a symbol for Christ, which i was fully aware of. the name, however, i formed by playing around with a couple latin words, "anti" (obviously, "not" or "against") and "monos" (meaning "alone"), coming together roughly to mean "not alone." i wanted him to be one of a few symbols in the story of Christ and the Spirit. i found out, however, that antimony is an element, a metal, silvery-white in color (also the color of antimony the character) that, according to wikipedia, is "used in the making of flame-proofing compounds, ceramic enamels, glass, paints, and pottery." i'm absolutely thrilled that a symbol for Christ ended up being fire-proof and used in pottery-making. how cool is that? i could tell the same story for many of my characters, but in doing so might give away too much. even some of the main characters, whom i've named after (but didn't necessarily base on) friends have turned out to have meanings connected with their names that so pefectly fit their characters and stories. seriously...i love my job.

     ok. i'm tired. worked today for the first time in a long time. by work i mean at hy-vee, my grocery store of 8 (going on 9) years. worked h.b.c. today, stocking deodorant and shampoo and toothpaste and cycle-counting anything to do with lips or colds. wouldn't have been so bad if i didn't have to get up at 5am to get there. i was dragging by the time i got off, then came home and took a nap. slept too long, so now i'm groggy and staying up later than i should. so much i need to get done. i'm feeling a sense of urgency, like there's a lot going on and a lot i need to do. i don't know why i can't get myself motivated. burned out, i guess. and i keep thinking too much. my brain won't slow down. haha. and i left my meds back in columbia. eh, i don't think they work anyway. they're not prescription. i could really use them, though. oh, and i was deferred from plasma today, temporarily and voluntarily. apparently going between donation centers is a big no-no, even though i didn't break any safety (frequency) rules. so i had to choose one or the other. and while this one pays more, i'm in columbia more often, so i had to go with them. sucks. probably better, though. giving plasma drains me, literally and figuratively. haha. makes me feel tired, which weighs on my emotions, etc. probably best to keep myself in the best spirits possible right now. dang stupid life. why does it have to be so ridiculously linear? hmm. i need a friend. better yet, a girlfriend. 'cept i'd probably have to lose about thirty pounds before any of them would look at me. erg. ok. enough. bed time.

       rented pan's labyrinth today, but haven't watched it yet. looked weird, but several have said it was good. thoughts? anyway, take care, all. later.