confessions of a southside catatonic chataholic

...you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.'
~ Albert Einstein

In which Tosca offers up an unusual title she found in the catalogue purely by accident (funny what you find when you perform a keyword search using the word 'fuck' isn't it?), remembers she never congratulated her older sister on her success...two years ago *shamefaced look* and shares a work blog post here.

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...be careful.'
~ Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks

In which Tosca feels slightly nostalgic and yearns for the days when she and Kyle MacLachlan (as very Special Agent Dale Cooper) were younger. Much younger. Like twenty years younger. And somewhat dumber. Ok, a lot dumber, but hey, that's life. And besides, know me before you judge me. Two video clips courtesy of YouTube: one from Twin Peaks and a Barenaked Ladies music video.

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...if the kid can read!'
~ Mitch Hedberg

In which Tosca finds two unusual book titles in the catalogue and feels a burning need to share them. Umm but kids probably won't read them. Even if they could do so.

It's Wednesday which means this is a 'What the...?! - funny, stupid, oddball book titles' kinda post. No intro because 1) I can't be bothered and 2) the books don't need one, really. They're about organic waste as fertiliser - what more can I say? And, maybe the next time someone shovels me bullshit, I know what to do with it...grow flowers.

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...no apparatus, no appointment of time and place, is necessary. It is the only art which can be practised at any hour of the day or night, whenever the time and inclination comes, that is your time for reading; in joy or sorrow, health or illness.'
~ Holbrook Jackson

In which Tosca works on getting back her broken book mojo by reading a number of books - three horror titles courtesy of SFFANZ for reviewing, and three graphic novels found while generally hanging out in subversive pockets of our library catalogue. Namely, yaoi graphic novels (two with the sex scenes ripped out of them) and zombies (with the horror scenes intact).

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...ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.'
~ Howard Thurman

In which Tosca is inspired to take back her joy. And yes, it truly is as corny as you think it's going to be.

Last month I met a guy who knew his way around a bed. That's not a euphemism. Dylan is a sales assistant and he earns an income selling beds. On the face of it, it may not seem particularly inspiring, and yet within two minutes of chatting with him I learned four things: 1) Dylan is enthusiastic about what he does, 2) he knows his product, 3) he believes in the quality of it and 4) can quite happily put his money where his mouth is. When I met him he'd only worked there for about two weeks but - and this is the bit that amazed me - had chosen to use his lunch breaks and personal time to visit local competitor stores. He would test their beds and see how much their staff really knew about their business. I was fascinated by his attitude. It made me think to myself, 'When was the last time you felt that energetic and fired up about what you do?' And the answer is, 'Not in months.' Probably seven, actually, if I'm honest. I had often wondered if maybe my enjoyment of what I do had gone for good and if maybe it was time to move on. Listening to Dylan, though, I began to realise that, maybe, some of the responsibility for making my job more enjoyable had to be mine. I needed to step up. I needed to create, find or foster activities/opportunities that would give me back what I used to love about it all. I came away inspired by Dylan's attitude and determined to take back my joy. Yes, I'm fully aware of how totally dopey that sounds. He made me believe that I could feel that exact same way about something, anything. (I'm hoping like heck that last sentence didn't come across as irony or, worse, apathy). I'm just not sure how, yet. That will be the next step.

...Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'
~ Shakespeare, Hamlet

In which Tosca is depressed and frustrated that today's taniwha in-joke results in her cultural beliefs becoming the butt of a nationally recognised corporate joke. My personal tweetstream was busy today with the hashtag #taniwha that I didn't get at first and, when I did, I was taken aback, and then grumpy, and then depressed. So much so that I posted in a hurry and know I will have grammatical errors (Maori and English) galore. Deal. I am.

Amended note - 11:10pm: I'd like to point out that what I saw on my personal tweetstream was not instances of the people I follow making jokes or throwing off about Maori and the #taniwha topic. It was mentions of the article I saw in my personal tweetstream. Where I hit the skids was in being curious enough to want to look up people's personal comments and opinions online in various blogs and websites.

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...as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.'
~ William James

In which Tosca apologises (albeit briefly) for being a slacker tarty face and not updating more often and promises faithfully to do so from now on. Or something like it.

Dear beloved blog with the rather unprepossessing and longwinded title of 'confessions of a southside catatonic chataholic,'

I have not forgotten you, I swear. Soon, very soon, I hope to love you longtime with library, family, work and book related posts that display my charm and wit. Failing that, let's aim for showcasing my (sometimes erratic) ability to conjugate verbs and construct (somewhat) cohesive sentences and take it from there.

Peace out,
- tosca