I've been on a tear lately, getting all sorts of plants I've wanted: neon pothos variegated philodendron chordatum 'black gold' sansevieria a lithops wandering jew- i didn't know how 'retro' these plants look. these and the sans make me feel i'm back in the forties. i have to start getting selective, because i'm running out of room. if i had all the space in the world, I'd get: monstera delisiosa african mask plant- i find these guys stunning, but just no room! I would like to get a fern of some type, but i don't know which would do best in my office.

"Gewiss! Seguro! Oui!" or as Curly of the Three Stooges would say "Why Soitenly!" You don't need blame to face a problem. You just say "Hey, that's a problem. Let's see now ... how can we fix that?" Let me throw a big word out there that I learned a long time ago ... Tautology This word has a lot to do with repetition and the dictionary will tell you that the nature of the repetition is needless or useless. How does it apply to this discussion? Well on the face of it, I would have you know that once you have encountered a problem, it is indeed useless to go and repeat the same encounter with the problem. In my own mind, I relate it to the more auto-actualization or reactive nature of rational beings like humans. We learn to drive a car and it comes naturally. After we master it, we no longer devote any mental energy to it. If there is a problem with the way we drive an automobile, we no longer think about it or devote any rational mental resources to it. We just go about it by rote. But in fact, there were problems with driving automobiles all through its history. And to get us all to change, we had to be hit in the face with a shovel, changing laws, taxes on fuels and finally, hybrids and alternative fuels. But before we are forced to change, we cling to the tautological repetition of the problem. In immediate terms, it is a less expensive solution in terms of brain power; We refuse to expend any energy on the problem, unless forced to. So, the long term problem escapes solution, if left to ourselves as individuals. Thankfully, there are enough of us that some of us see the train coming, step off the tracks and start yelling at everyone else on that tracks that the train is coming. Some folks have described this tautological nature of mankind as 'The Frog in The Frying Pan'. The frog is at first comfortable sitting in the frying pan. As the heat is turned up ever so slowly, the frog doesn't budge. It doesn't want to make the effort to analyze the problem and eventually, we have a frog that 1) leaps out of the frying pan with a burned underside and feet or 2) a fried frog. Our nature then can be very reactive and much less disciplined, especially if we feel that the change threatens us - greater expenses or some associated cost, having to learn something new, etc.. We react first and learn later ( if at all ). Many people in fact, fear change for reasons such as these. Fewer thrive on it. So, the tautological nature of humanity, based on the way the human brain operates by rote as a means of keeping rational energy expenses low, combined with fear of change ... makes people behave in cyclic or repetitive ways which most of the time is not a problem, even if the repetition is useless. But sometimes, it traps us into a cycle that is self destructive. A person who understands what I have just said then, will realize that the human mind can both, fall into the trap of potentially destructive tautological functioning, but also, that the human mind can be trained. They then set about disciplining themselves, so that when they face a problem, they avoid defensiveness and the tendency to avoid expending rational energy and acceptance of rote repetition. They train themselves instead to react by recognizing that the problem may possibly be real and further, to trigger the expediture in rational energy to analyze it. By doing so, they evolve solutions and either adapt to change by changing their ways or auto-effect change, something most folks are not often capable of. They are the first to step off the tracks in the face of an approaching train and warn the others. 'Thinking outside the box' is therefore a bit different than what you may have always accepted it to mean. Many people don't even conceptualize that the box has an inside and an outside. I prefer not to be a frog in a frying pan. But in reality, sometimes even I do not avoid it. And I have for a long time now, practiced disciplining my mind to react by expending the rational energy, hopefully, not needlessly. BTW: Crisis management is well, tautology in action, after the shovel hits someone in the face. :) Hmmm. I suppose I can be long-winded and wordy at times. People have told me that. Luckily, flapping ones lips doesn't prevent ones feet from letting them step off the railroad tracks.

Wow, JC, I want an Ursula....seed! Don't know if I have anything rare or weird you want, but..you can dig up what ever you want. I was just re-reading the posts to get a head count/names, somehow I spaced Fawnridge was the one bringing the pulled pork..soo.. he can't come..are burgers and hotdogs okay with everyone? DH will be on a Harley poker run thing, so burgers and dogs will be easy for me and feed the masses. If you are vegetarian, please bring your own Bocaburgers or soy dogs, if you don't like boigers or dogs, bring your favorite lunch. I have a large boat cooler for ice,it'll be full of bottled water. If anyone wants sodas or iced tea, please speak up about that too, and I'll add some to the cooler. As far as where everyone will put their plants....hmmm..I guess we'll play it by ear! It sure will be great to meet all the fellow GardenWeb citizens! Megan

DH and I went for our annual physicals this morning. Had a bit of a tiff in the car on the way. I was feeling rather huffy for about half an hour, so I fully expected my blood pressure to be up around 160. In the examining room, and especially while the dr. was taking my blood pressure (which he apparently felt it necessary to do three times), I focused my thoughts on the two Hahnii-type Sans that I like to touch the most--and what do you know?--my blood pressure was only 110/74! It is usually about 120/80, has never been under 120, and sometimes the stress of a dr. visit can push it way up. So BEWARE: too much Sans-touching may dangerously lower your blood pressure! Ah, you are wondering about my husband's bp. Well, he wasn't thinking about Sans, and I would expect his pressure to have been up, but he forgot to ask the doctor what it was, so I have no control subject to compare myself with. Too bad!