Innocent

I tried to pretend I was indifferent. And, in some respects I was. I did not care about the details of the testimony or the lunatic fans outside the courthouse. I didn't check in on the trial on a day to day basis... but when I heard the jury reached a verdict in the Michael Jackson trial this afternoon, I stared at my computer screen for the next hour and pressed the refresh button on several news station homepages. I was sure he was going to be guilty. But then finally, the CNN page changed and showed that he was innocent on all 10 charges and, much to my surprise, I felt really glad for Michael Jackson.

I thought I was ready to see him go off to prison -- so feeling relieved when he was found innocent was shocking to me. I had no idea I had this deep-rooted affinity for the king of pop. Perhaps it's the early memories of dancing to Thriller in my grandparents' garage with cardboard box tombstones. Maybe it's all the times I practiced the moonwalk while singing Beat It. I believe that Michael Jackson is really bizarre and probably needs some help -- but the family that was accusing him was a bunch of extortionists and scam artists. Michael Jackson is innocent and I have a warm place for him in my heart. Go figure...

Crafty

I have always like to do projects. I realize that this might make me sound a little lame, but it's just a fact. I am crafty. Whether its making my friends mixed tapes and designing a cover for them, cutting out hundreds of eyes from magazine pages for a collage, meticulously designing a scrapbook page, or making 200 invitations with embossed rubber stamps on each, I have fun making things. I sign up for bookmaking classes at our local paper store and I am often swept up in the craft craze of the moment. This weekend a visit to a bead store got me back into beading and now I have visions of making lots of money selling my jewelry. The only real problem with my craftiness is that it ebbs and flows. I might be into beading for the next three weeks and then not look at another bead for three years. I have a very short attention span.

One craft-of-the-moment that I cannot do very well is knitting. I have tried. I want to be able to knit. I want to be someone who finds the repetitive motion of fingers on needles relaxing, but instead, I stress about each stitch and I always pull the yarn too tight because I am worried about gaping holes. Because of my uptight nature while knitting, I have yet to finish a scarf. I am a crafty perfectionist.. which has to be the worst kind of crafty person.

Anyways, I am off to go buy some beading supplies to get my business off the ground. I am sure all the celebrities will be sending me their orders soon.