Isn't miscellaneous the best thing in the World? Because the opposite is sameness, it's boring, it's too concentrated. Ideally there should be a mix of things in all areas of life: food, the weather, work, relationships ;) Even this amateur photo of mine includes fast cars, statues, clock towers, modern buildings and a theater...

Posts should be varied too and I like when they involve several subjects. So here's a miscellaneous list of what's on my mind:
- Stores are supposed to have sales right now, right? Well, most of the Winter clothes are gone already. As a result, I bought three or four (really cheap) garments for Summer and what I really needed (winter trousers) I couldn't find. I don't need tops and shorts now, do I?
- The other day I almost had a fit while trying to organize my drawers. It seems I have a problem. I'm addicted to notebooks. I have an enormous amount of them. Many are completely new. I don't even buy that many, but people give them to me and I love receiving them, except I don't think I'll be able to use them all. But I can't give them away neither. Just looking at them makes me feel slightly fuzzy inside.
- Speaking of notebooks, I've committed myself (on Novel Nymph's blog and inspired by her) to writing every day, even if it is just a sentence. After all, I have a lot of pages to fill! I used to write every day in my teens and it was very therapeutic; it also did wonders for my writing ability. When I went to University I stopped and I regret it because there was a lot going on then and I lost a healthy habit. I don't see myself writing a diary these days but writing anything at all will be good for me.
- I've been having fun writing about the relationship between Venus and music lyrics but it's also hard work. I've read dozens if not hundreds of songs trying to understand if songwriters are true to their Venus' signs, if the way they love is reflected in their lyrics. If you have any interesting lyrics you'd like to submit to this investigation, you can do that too. Maybe you've found the perfect Venus in Taurus lyrics "You are as solid as my gold necklace, which I love"; or the perfect Venus in Aquarius song: "You're my friend and I love you but don't tie a rope around me, kay?" Just kidding ;)

*For more miscellaneous posts click here.
Posted by Devil Mood at 1:32 am Labels: sundayscribblings, writing Herb Urban said...

Variety and unpredictability sure makes life far more interesting then the comforts of safety and sameness.

Nice picture by the way. Is that Philly?

1:42 am, January 25, 2008 Roam2Rome said...

Writing every day?

Wuaau, does this mean that you'll be posting daily? Ah, sort of like NaBloPoMo!

2:32 am, January 25, 2008 The Literary Prostitute said...

I'm addicted to notebooks, too! I've got drawers full of every size notebook imaginable, and I always think that I'll get around to using them. I do use quite a few of them - one for article ideas, another for blog ideas, another for potential stories - but I don't think I'll ever run out.

3:29 am, January 25, 2008 kimananda said...

You have some great thoughts going here! I'll try to comment on some different ones...

Sales - at some point, I decided that the whole point of sales was to get rid of clothes from previous seasons that people wouldn't normally buy in that period of time...so summer clothes on sale in the winter, winter clothes on sale in summer. The idea being that you need the winter stuff, so they can sell that to you even if it's not on sale. I've never taken the time to confirm this, it's just my gut feeling.

Organizing...oh, my, this is my nemesis right now. I've always been a packrat, and always gotten a bit of gentle nagging from Thor about it, but now it's time to make room for the kiddie, and I have a lot to go through, papers, everything. I get tense just writing about it, so maybe I'll move on...

Venus and lyrics - I really am enjoying these, but it always seems to me that astrology research is done the wrong way round. Is the idea to take what we already think we know about a sign and try to find lyrics that match that (which sounds an awful lot like confirmation bias to me, and can easily lead to cherry-picking), or to take all the lyrics written by those with Venus in a particular sign and then see if there are any patterns to be found in those lyrics, preferably which can distinguish that group from other groups which are of different signs/houses/etc.? I have the feeling I'll be writing a post on this idea eventually...it's been percolating in my brain for a few days now....

12:59 pm, January 25, 2008 Yes, writing everyday is so key to my sanity. And, why is it that January is so full of dreams of organization?

2:25 pm, January 25, 2008 Devil Mood said...

Herb: No, that's Porto. Thanks for dropping by.

R2R: Nooo, unfortunately I don't have the creativity to blog every day. Writing for myself will be enough challenge for now ;)

Literary Prostitute: I understand :) What makes me more nervous are the notebooks that are only half used - I don't know what to do with them. Usually, I make myself continue them until they end. lol

Kim: Who knew such a lousy post could trigger such a response? ;) About the sales - that's exactly what's going on here, but it's ridiculous. And yet I fall for their tricks and bought t-shirts! :(
I think you're exactly right about the "investigation", that's why I use inverted commas to mention it. If I were to do something seriously scientific, I'd have to create a completely different method. I know that I'm simply browsing lyrics to confirm my theories and that's not "science", that's just fun.
I'd be interested in finding if you have an alternative for this. Oh and I'm not sure astrological investigations are done this way (I certainly hope not!)

SusieJ: Maybe we think: start as we mean to go on, but alas it rarely happens ;)

5:10 pm, January 25, 2008 paisley said...

i would say that you are busy enough to stave off any feelings of becoming "miscellaneous"....

6:38 pm, January 25, 2008 Ps said...

Nice take on Miscellaneous.I too love notebooks.I too have a drawer full--and I too believe in page a day therapy!And I agree with you fully on the sentence 'There should be a mix of everything in life'.Cheers and have a great weekend.:-)

8:16 pm, January 25, 2008 Shari said...

A lot of neat contrasts in that photo. Miscellaneous is interesting. I think I'll serve the family a miscellaneous dinner, tonight.

8:39 pm, January 25, 2008 keith hillman said...

Miscellanea rules! And notebooks - what would we do without them! Great take, loved it.

11:09 pm, January 25, 2008 Niall said...

I think you underestimate your photography DM!..you have a very natural eye.

Bye the way..as an Englishman of dubious humour, I love when a woman says she is organising her 'Drawers'

12:08 am, January 26, 2008 Paisley: Not really but the concept of miscellaneous makes me a little uneasy so I shove it off. ;)

PS: Thanks, we must be twin-souls in many aspects :) Have a great weekend yourself!

Shari: That sounds delicious, I don't know why hehe

Keith: Thank you! I hope you fill your notebooks with that great writing of yours. I'm a fan now.

Niall: Did I badmouth my photo? It's not bad! I'm not sure we're thinking about the same metaphor here, though I think there is a similar one in portuguese. Anyway, I don't want to know!lol

12:51 am, January 26, 2008 gautami tripathy said...

I am most of the time striving to learn something new. The sameness gets to me..

Arty? Not me!!

4:00 am, January 26, 2008 I don't have any particular alterative way of doing things in mind. It might actually be nice to have lyrics categorized by people who don't have pre-existing knowledge of astrology, to give a bit more objectivity. But the methodology would be seriously difficult!

I have the sense that astrological research is done by analyzing a lot of charts and drawing correlations. The question is, what is considered to be a significant correlation or not. What I've seen of it, it really is cherry-picking, as far as I can see. Occasionally, I'll hear of a study which will show a correlation, usually in some smaller aspect of a chart...but I don't see much showing anything for charts as a whole.

I do think it's interesting to do it as you're doing it. The question is more, perhaps, about what it means to be 'true to' one's chart. I would say, that anything that I do is, by definition, how people with Venus in Virgo would do things, because I have Venus in Virgo and that's how I do things. So, presumably, any lyrics I would write (if I wrote lyrics) would also be the way in which a person with Venus in Virgo would write them, by definition.

Of course this makes it even harder to disentangle one element (such as Venus) from the rest of the chart, but that's just how it is...we're not just Venus anymore than we could be just any other one thing. We're far more complicated than that!

10:01 am, January 26, 2008 Chloe said...

i am addicted too. and i won't go to notebook rehab, never, ever. What if we are left with nothing to do, a universal power cut with only pencils and notebooks to entertain us? So i am stacking them up in my den for the hard days. A bit like squirrels save nuts. Keep up the good notebook collecting work.

3:40 pm, January 26, 2008 anthonynorth said...

I'm afraid anyone who doesn't have a miscellaneous frame of mind is too single-minded.

11:54 pm, January 26, 2008 Gautami: Me too and I've seen your determination in your post :)

Kim: I understand your points of view. It's hard to do anything scientific enough when there's so much to consider: signs, houses, aspects, degrees of these aspects - imagine having to consider that too!uff

Chloe: lol The notebook you sent me is included; I haven't written in it yet but I just love opening it and browsing :) It's bliss!

Anthony: Yes, i think so. So this prompt was good to express our misc minds.

12:11 am, January 27, 2008 madelyn said...

I have a severe passion for
notebooks that is utterly alarming ~
so are there any sales on

3:31 pm, January 27, 2008 BTW you are tagged.

6:38 pm, January 27, 2008 Me again!!..Good news..You are the recipient of an award!!!..head on over to my blog to get it!

9:09 pm, January 27, 2008 tumblewords said...

I so enjoyed this very astute post even as I pondered the use of miscellany. Notebooks. How wonderful they are!

12:00 am, January 28, 2008 Stephanie said...

Oooooh. I SO wish you'd been with me yesterday. I saw an exhibit which was so exactly about what you are writing about here, in lots of different ways. Page after notebook page after page of handwritten lyrics - from a songwriter who'd be such a brilliant research subject (Nick Cave). Can we submit an artist, or are you looking for specific lyrics?

12:23 am, January 28, 2008 Cathy said...

It has been awhile since I've been by! Chloe has redone your site: it is beautiful!!
Now I will go abck and read what you've written!

1:12 am, January 28, 2008 fb said...

I tend to get addicted one kind of notebook and will stick to that style either until I find a better one or they stop making them.

I also get anxious if I can't find my current notebook.

I think I only ever lost one and left it behind on a flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles.

2:27 am, January 28, 2008 Miss Iyer said...

oh I love wot you've done with your blog skin. Change sure is good :) I love the hues very very much.

Love the pick too DevilM. :)

5:18 am, January 28, 2008 phish said...

notebooks are my fetish. love moleskines particularly and since they are not available in India, thats the only thing i ask people to get me when they go anywhere.

and as far as organizing is concerned, i have serious issues with people trying to do it for me. i am more of a creative, cultivated clutter person.

7:02 am, January 28, 2008 Madelyn: I haven't seen notebook sales recently but sometimes that happens and it is "notebook heaven" :)

PS: Alright, M'am! I will check it out.

Niall: Ahh really? Thanks, I'll take a look.

Tumblewords: Thank you. I find notebooks both useful and enjoyable.

Stephanie: Oh, he is Australian, isn't it? I actually thought of including him in my research but I haven't listened to his music for a while and wondered if the reminescence would be good for my mental health LOL I will check his Venus situation nevertheless.

Cathy: Hi! Glad you like it, it's very fresh and refreshing in my opinion. :)

FB: That's an exotic way of losing your notebook haha :) I still haven't found the perfect notebook format, so I keep trying. I wish I knew how to draw like you, cause it makes notebooks a lot more interesting - believe me, I tried.

Miss Iyer: Oh thank you :) Glad you like it!

Phish: Notebooks make me sigh with contentment. I like Moleskines but, as I'm more of a girl, I like things with nice colours and patterns too. Do you know Paper Blanks? I love those :)
I understand: I say I'm more or less organized but if you look at my room you wouldn't say that hehe

3:53 pm, January 28, 2008 your room, really? sigh.
Paper Blanks? no. sigh again.
lets say i write to you and you write back. then maybe.
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