“Hey Jed, I think I’m gonna have to call it a night. We just cain’t see nothin even with that there sky fulla stars.”
“Well, dangit, Punk. Since we left that there tree line, we don’t even have no trees to tie up the horses and that ole’ mule would justa soon wander off as stay put. This has been one long day of ridin’ but I thought sure we woulda reached Harborville by now.”
“Cain’t help it none -- that there farmer musta give us bad directions, but I cain’t go on furever and Slocum here is gonna drop and mash my legs if I don’t get off him purty dang quick.” With that Punk reined up, slid off the horse, stretched his arms, and worked the kinks out of his back. “This shore is soft ground we got -- ain’t nuthin like that good ole’ hard Oklahoma dirt. Fact is it’s kinda like mud, but without the mess. It’s gonna make a nice soft bed, but I wonder whut it is?”
Jed finally stopped, cranked his neck from one side to the other and mumbled, “Dad gummit.” He swung his leg over his saddle, but nearly fell when he stepped down. “Dangit! That there ground is soft as quicksand. Whut in tarnation? Don’t got no grass, no weeds, no nothin that I can feel except it’s a little damp.”
“I don’t know, but I’m too tired to care. Whut with sleepin in bear country, sleepin in cougar country, sleepin on rocks, and sleepin with bugs, I don’t think I’m gonna be much bothered about some kinda soft sand. Let’s git that ole’ tarp out and bed down on it. That way our clothes’ll stay dry.”
So they put their saddles on the tarp then tethered the horses and mule to the saddle horns. Their late supper of cold beans and hardtack wasn’t all that great, but it was filling and they both really were tired. It had turned a little chilly, so the men bedded down with their blankets and said good night.
Thanks heavens they were pretty light sleepers, because two hours later the tide turned and started coming back in.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
job worries
i'm into my second week of work and i'm wondering if i may not be able to keep this job after all. tuesday i had to go to the post office to pick up a bunch of boxes. they were heavy. not only do i not want to lift heavy boxes, my arm doesn't want me to. so it's a dilemma since there was nothing in my job description about lifting heavy boxes or i wouldn't have applied for the job.
i talked with my acting super about it figuring the sooner we address the issue the better. she was totally professional, listening to me and not commenting about the outcome. when my real boss comes back from her trip, the issue will be addressed. i'd just as soon keep the job since it was so hard to get, since i like the people, and since i like the job. plus i'm an excellent employee so they would be short-sighted to get rid of me.
stay tuned for the outcome.
i talked with my acting super about it figuring the sooner we address the issue the better. she was totally professional, listening to me and not commenting about the outcome. when my real boss comes back from her trip, the issue will be addressed. i'd just as soon keep the job since it was so hard to get, since i like the people, and since i like the job. plus i'm an excellent employee so they would be short-sighted to get rid of me.
stay tuned for the outcome.
oh, the trials
getting to work can be so extreme. when i leave the driveway and head off at about 7:45, it's pretty much rush hour on peace portal and as such it usually takes a good six minutes to get to work! i know, i know -- i couldn't believe it either!
Monday, May 07, 2007
umm ... pardon me
underwear makes mischief from time-to-time. there was that once when the queen mother (or one of the royals) was walking along on some international mission and her underpants fell down, so one of her aides picked them up and discreetly made them disappear. what aplomb!
today my pantyhose decided to be ornery. you need to know first-of-all that, even though most of the women i've known have worn their pantyhose over their panties, i've always worn them under my panties, right next to my skin. why? because way back in high school one of the older sales ladies at miller and paine's told me that was the best way to wear them. at any rate, today the new pair i wore to work decided to naughtily start inching their way down from my waist. since i was quite busy and kept being engaged in conversation by cohorts, i could not get away to the restroom to rectify the situation, so ...
when i was told to go to lunch, they had effectively dropped below my navel in front and half-way down my behind. by the time i walked down two flights of stairs and was one-third of the way to my car, the impish pair had gleefully rolled completely below my torso. at that point the only thing keeping them from joining my feet was that they were trapped by my underpants.
ahem. thank you, sales lady.
today my pantyhose decided to be ornery. you need to know first-of-all that, even though most of the women i've known have worn their pantyhose over their panties, i've always worn them under my panties, right next to my skin. why? because way back in high school one of the older sales ladies at miller and paine's told me that was the best way to wear them. at any rate, today the new pair i wore to work decided to naughtily start inching their way down from my waist. since i was quite busy and kept being engaged in conversation by cohorts, i could not get away to the restroom to rectify the situation, so ...
when i was told to go to lunch, they had effectively dropped below my navel in front and half-way down my behind. by the time i walked down two flights of stairs and was one-third of the way to my car, the impish pair had gleefully rolled completely below my torso. at that point the only thing keeping them from joining my feet was that they were trapped by my underpants.
ahem. thank you, sales lady.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
vignette ~ The Camera
Click, whrrrt ... click, whrrrt. The man put the camera down and started the lawnmower. As soon as he disappeared around the corner of the house, the camera shot forward. Yippee, I’m freeeee! I’m freeeee! I’m off to see the wizard, la lalala la la la la and it took off down the sidewalk.
Jogjogjog, hop-a-rock, jogjogjog ... pretty soon the camera was far enough away to safely stop and take stock of its surroundings. A bunch of trees, a mailbox, a ... wooooooo wooooooo ... a train! The camera quickly moved through the trees until it could see the gigantic cars lumbering down the tracks. Wheeeee! Wheeeee! With great excitement the camera hurried closer, admiring the huge stolid train cars.
It looked to the left and saw the engine disappear around a bend, then looked to the right to see ... oh no! The caboose was just about to move by. Don’t ... have ... much ... time ... with a prayer to almighty Toner and a giiiiiiiant leap, the camera launched itself up and landed gingerly on top of the caboose.
Ahhh, the view ... the wonder of it all ... a mighty-fine adventure ... I’m king of the world ... heh, it could get a little chilly up here but hey, who’s complaining ... the camera gazed around and lazed about, thoroughly enjoying its musings and quite content to literally watch the world go by. So pretty ... lalala ... all the trees, the cows, the farms ... it’s gorgeous ... I get to experience it all! I’ll be a world-traveler, world-famous -- the Cosmopolitan Camera! Yes, C.C., no, C.C., what do you think of this, C.C.! I can just see it n-- ... thwack ... tumble, tumble, tumble ... thunk.
Stunned, the camera slowly blinked, then noticed a woozy crow pick itself up and take off, wobbly flying away. Then it noticed nothing else was moving. Oh. My. Goodness. My adventure ... noooooooooo this can’t be happening .....
Sadly the camera moved away from the tracks and hunkered down out of the gravel and close to the weeds, almost in tears. Ah, the slings and arrows ... that it should come to this ... the world was mine oyster ... what’s gone and what’s past help should be past grief ... even so, this was the unkindest c-- ...
Crunchcrunch, crunchcrunch ... suddenly the camera was lifted aloft and cradled in small gentle hands. “Maman, vois!” An unintelligible conversation followed between a woman and a little girl, then the camera was tenderly wrapped in a handkerchief and sequestered in a cloth bag.
Oh joy! A new adventure! Fear not for the future ... life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim ... zip-a-dee-doo-dah ... and off he went, snugly into the sunset.
Jogjogjog, hop-a-rock, jogjogjog ... pretty soon the camera was far enough away to safely stop and take stock of its surroundings. A bunch of trees, a mailbox, a ... wooooooo wooooooo ... a train! The camera quickly moved through the trees until it could see the gigantic cars lumbering down the tracks. Wheeeee! Wheeeee! With great excitement the camera hurried closer, admiring the huge stolid train cars.
It looked to the left and saw the engine disappear around a bend, then looked to the right to see ... oh no! The caboose was just about to move by. Don’t ... have ... much ... time ... with a prayer to almighty Toner and a giiiiiiiant leap, the camera launched itself up and landed gingerly on top of the caboose.
Ahhh, the view ... the wonder of it all ... a mighty-fine adventure ... I’m king of the world ... heh, it could get a little chilly up here but hey, who’s complaining ... the camera gazed around and lazed about, thoroughly enjoying its musings and quite content to literally watch the world go by. So pretty ... lalala ... all the trees, the cows, the farms ... it’s gorgeous ... I get to experience it all! I’ll be a world-traveler, world-famous -- the Cosmopolitan Camera! Yes, C.C., no, C.C., what do you think of this, C.C.! I can just see it n-- ... thwack ... tumble, tumble, tumble ... thunk.
Stunned, the camera slowly blinked, then noticed a woozy crow pick itself up and take off, wobbly flying away. Then it noticed nothing else was moving. Oh. My. Goodness. My adventure ... noooooooooo this can’t be happening .....
Sadly the camera moved away from the tracks and hunkered down out of the gravel and close to the weeds, almost in tears. Ah, the slings and arrows ... that it should come to this ... the world was mine oyster ... what’s gone and what’s past help should be past grief ... even so, this was the unkindest c-- ...
Crunchcrunch, crunchcrunch ... suddenly the camera was lifted aloft and cradled in small gentle hands. “Maman, vois!” An unintelligible conversation followed between a woman and a little girl, then the camera was tenderly wrapped in a handkerchief and sequestered in a cloth bag.
Oh joy! A new adventure! Fear not for the future ... life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim ... zip-a-dee-doo-dah ... and off he went, snugly into the sunset.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
priceless...
well, it's about time. apparently stay-at-home moms are worth $138,000+ a year. i think that figure may be low, but at least it's nice to see better-than-minimum-wage attributed to an important, stressful, and often difficult job.
the article stated "the 10 jobs listed as comprising a mother’s work were housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, laundry machine operator, van driver, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer and psychologist" -- i would have added mediator, cheerleader, dragon-slayer, dishwasher, nurse, high-priced call girl, social director, librarian, head of creativity, spiritual counselor, fairy godmother, phys ed coach, seer, animal control, activities director, judge, dispenser of guidance and wisdom, and giver of boundless love. i'm sure there are more i will think of later, and more you would add.
some moms don't get respect, some don't get support, some don't get acknowledged for all they do. i, on the other hand, have two more-than-wonderful sons and le husband parfait. i am blessed.
the article stated "the 10 jobs listed as comprising a mother’s work were housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, laundry machine operator, van driver, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer and psychologist" -- i would have added mediator, cheerleader, dragon-slayer, dishwasher, nurse, high-priced call girl, social director, librarian, head of creativity, spiritual counselor, fairy godmother, phys ed coach, seer, animal control, activities director, judge, dispenser of guidance and wisdom, and giver of boundless love. i'm sure there are more i will think of later, and more you would add.
some moms don't get respect, some don't get support, some don't get acknowledged for all they do. i, on the other hand, have two more-than-wonderful sons and le husband parfait. i am blessed.
Friday, May 04, 2007
hear ye, hear ye ....
At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be: 02:03:04 05/06/07.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
i've been busy
well, gentle readers, you recall that this week has been the beginning of my new governmental career. it has been very interesting to see the organization, the people, and my new duties. monday i started out confident and happy, but became less confident and less happy the next couple of days. but today i was left to myself, so i worked with what i had learned while cleaning up and personalizing my work area. it was a very good day.
i have the largest office, on the top floor. yes, it's true. of course, it's technically a reception area, but 90% of the time i'm the only one around, so ... it's mine. with one whole wall full of floor-to-ceiling windows. so i'm golden!
i really, really like my temporary boss (she has a joisey accent) as well as the other people i work closely with. my regular boss got called back to d.c. but will be back soon. and i expect to like her.
remember how i was trying to change from a night person to a morning person? the biggest problem i've had with everything is that each morning this week i've awakened half an hour earlier than the day before. at this rate saturday morning i'll awaken just about the time i used to go to bed! okay we can stop now...
i have the largest office, on the top floor. yes, it's true. of course, it's technically a reception area, but 90% of the time i'm the only one around, so ... it's mine. with one whole wall full of floor-to-ceiling windows. so i'm golden!
i really, really like my temporary boss (she has a joisey accent) as well as the other people i work closely with. my regular boss got called back to d.c. but will be back soon. and i expect to like her.
remember how i was trying to change from a night person to a morning person? the biggest problem i've had with everything is that each morning this week i've awakened half an hour earlier than the day before. at this rate saturday morning i'll awaken just about the time i used to go to bed! okay we can stop now...
Sunday, April 29, 2007
if it seems too good to be true...
the husband and i just watched a movie i think everyone should see -- Enron, The Smartest Guys In The Room by magnolia home entertainment.
i'm not one for documentaries, usually, but our neighbor who had the restaurant and then moved back to georgia, lost all her money due to her then-husband's investment of everything they had in enron, and i felt compelled to watch the story.
since i don't read a newspaper, i didn't really have a good grasp on the enron situation. the documentary does an excellent job of uncritically putting forth information with congressional testimony, eye witness interviews, and company footage. megalomania, greed, group mentality, and a complete lack of ethics seemed to be the key factors in this debacle.
and i add a caution to this notion: "ca·ve·at emp·tor (kav-ee-at emp-ter) -noun- let the buyer beware: the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty." -- and the caution is: neither a guarantee nor a warranty will help if you're dealing with a liar.
i strongly encourage you to watch this film as this is not a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
i'm not one for documentaries, usually, but our neighbor who had the restaurant and then moved back to georgia, lost all her money due to her then-husband's investment of everything they had in enron, and i felt compelled to watch the story.
since i don't read a newspaper, i didn't really have a good grasp on the enron situation. the documentary does an excellent job of uncritically putting forth information with congressional testimony, eye witness interviews, and company footage. megalomania, greed, group mentality, and a complete lack of ethics seemed to be the key factors in this debacle.
and i add a caution to this notion: "ca·ve·at emp·tor (kav-ee-at emp-ter) -noun- let the buyer beware: the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty." -- and the caution is: neither a guarantee nor a warranty will help if you're dealing with a liar.
i strongly encourage you to watch this film as this is not a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
too much
we watched several movies this past week. one was Striking Distance (1993) with bruce willis and sarah jessica parker. it was a who-done-it and even though it got tense at times, it's probably not worth sitting through. bruce is always fun, but the story was contrived and i got tired of seeing bruce running the gauntlet over and over and over (i wanted to slash brion james' heart out).
the other was Man On Fire (2004) with denzel washington, christopher walken, dakota fanning, mickey rourke and marc anthony. i like denzel and thought he did a good job with a strange part; dakota was great; the ONLY movie i've ever seen mickey in where he was any good at all was Sin City; marc was actually good (i thought he was just a crooner, not an actor); christopher is always interesting, but ... this was the most violent, graphic movie i've ever seen. not gory, necessarily, but showing sadism i don't really need.
yes, i love it when the bad guys don't get away! but i also like a happy ending.
the other was Man On Fire (2004) with denzel washington, christopher walken, dakota fanning, mickey rourke and marc anthony. i like denzel and thought he did a good job with a strange part; dakota was great; the ONLY movie i've ever seen mickey in where he was any good at all was Sin City; marc was actually good (i thought he was just a crooner, not an actor); christopher is always interesting, but ... this was the most violent, graphic movie i've ever seen. not gory, necessarily, but showing sadism i don't really need.
yes, i love it when the bad guys don't get away! but i also like a happy ending.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
what next? conversation?
i am soooooooo not a morning person.
that is the biggest draw-back of this new job of mine -- they expect a person to not only be awake but to be at work at the ungodly hour of 8 am.
i just don't know how i'm going to do it.
that is the biggest draw-back of this new job of mine -- they expect a person to not only be awake but to be at work at the ungodly hour of 8 am.
i just don't know how i'm going to do it.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
medicine
my friend from south dakota is a caregiver for her mother and brother. that labor of love is extremely wearing so it was with great delight that the husband and i received a post card from her and her husband from cancun! from there they will travel to belize!
excellent plan, pat -- way to go! i hope your journey is refreshing, soothing, and fun!!!
excellent plan, pat -- way to go! i hope your journey is refreshing, soothing, and fun!!!
Monday, April 23, 2007
word play
Washington Post sillyness (the first three are my favorites):
Zencompass: Wherever you go, there you are.
Balderdash: a rapidly receding hairline.
Fistipuffs: Very minor squabbling.
Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
Bozone: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.
Gargoyle: olive-flavored mouthwash.
Negligent: describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
Flatulence: emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
Unergy: A condition that strikes people on the way to work, mostly on Mondays.
Ennaui: The least exciting of the Hawaiian islands.
Stonia: A small European country with very loose drug laws.
Engin: Gasohol.
Nestrogen: A hormone produced during pregnancy that produces cravings for wallpaper with matching borders and dust ruffles.
Experdition: The journey to Hell.
Zencompass: Wherever you go, there you are.
Balderdash: a rapidly receding hairline.
Fistipuffs: Very minor squabbling.
Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
Bozone: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.
Gargoyle: olive-flavored mouthwash.
Negligent: describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
Flatulence: emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
Unergy: A condition that strikes people on the way to work, mostly on Mondays.
Ennaui: The least exciting of the Hawaiian islands.
Stonia: A small European country with very loose drug laws.
Engin: Gasohol.
Nestrogen: A hormone produced during pregnancy that produces cravings for wallpaper with matching borders and dust ruffles.
Experdition: The journey to Hell.
Friday, April 20, 2007
true crime -- small town beat
April 16: Officers checked a residence after a man called repeatedly, insisting people were trying to get into his home. A cat was observed trying to get into the door, and officers shooed it away.
April 16: A resident reported that a former friend had entered his car without permission and scratched curse words into the paint on the vehicle after the two men had exchanged angry words. The victim turned over to police mail that he believed the suspect had left in his vehicle on the day of the crime.
April 14: Police were dispatched to an alarm. On arrival with two Border Patrol agents they found a partially open rear door. The homeowner and an alarm company call-out arrived and found nothing disturbed, except the owner's four dogs who had all been waiting inside the house to greet whoever entered. It appeared as though someone tried to get into the home and activated both the electronic and canine intrusion systems. Officers learned that teenagers had been seen jumping a fence into a neighbor's backyard earlier in the day.
April 16: A resident reported that a former friend had entered his car without permission and scratched curse words into the paint on the vehicle after the two men had exchanged angry words. The victim turned over to police mail that he believed the suspect had left in his vehicle on the day of the crime.
April 14: Police were dispatched to an alarm. On arrival with two Border Patrol agents they found a partially open rear door. The homeowner and an alarm company call-out arrived and found nothing disturbed, except the owner's four dogs who had all been waiting inside the house to greet whoever entered. It appeared as though someone tried to get into the home and activated both the electronic and canine intrusion systems. Officers learned that teenagers had been seen jumping a fence into a neighbor's backyard earlier in the day.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
#1 is blue, #2 is pink, #3 ...
i just watched a strange, to put it mildly, flick -- A Scanner Darkly, taken from a novel by Philip K. Dick, animated, starring Rory Cochrane, Robert Downey Jr, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, and Woody Harrelson.
the animation was excellently done, although it mainly looked like paint-by-number. be sure to watch the special feature on the animation -- those guys would be fun to work with.
i'm not familiar with the story or Dick but the adaptation by Richard Linklater told about a time in the near future when an undercover cop gets hooked by the drug culture he's supposed to be investigating.
i was more intrigued by the animation than anything else. maybe i'm just too used to disney.
cochrane's characterization was simply great -- that guy was down-and-out crazy and cochrane played the role perfectly -- you should watch it for him if nothing else. downey's character was the comic relief -- a smart guy and quick with the wit, and probably no one else would have done as well as he. ryder was very good and very pretty, too. reeves was good, but i had the most trouble reading his character. harrelson -- gees, i simply can't stand the guy no matter who he plays.
oh yes, and you will become distracted by the scramble suit.
the animation was excellently done, although it mainly looked like paint-by-number. be sure to watch the special feature on the animation -- those guys would be fun to work with.
i'm not familiar with the story or Dick but the adaptation by Richard Linklater told about a time in the near future when an undercover cop gets hooked by the drug culture he's supposed to be investigating.
i was more intrigued by the animation than anything else. maybe i'm just too used to disney.
cochrane's characterization was simply great -- that guy was down-and-out crazy and cochrane played the role perfectly -- you should watch it for him if nothing else. downey's character was the comic relief -- a smart guy and quick with the wit, and probably no one else would have done as well as he. ryder was very good and very pretty, too. reeves was good, but i had the most trouble reading his character. harrelson -- gees, i simply can't stand the guy no matter who he plays.
oh yes, and you will become distracted by the scramble suit.
Medic Alert
i discovered the Medic Alert organization back in 1975 and became a member. why? because i'm allergic to penicillin and my father was concerned that i needed to wear some easily identifiable notice to that effect. if he hadn't been concerned, it never would have occurred to me to take the step. many thanks, dad!
i started wearing a nice bracelet (rather than a necklace) and have worn it ever since. if you get hurt or knocked unconscious, would your medical condition (if you have one) get recognized in time to keep you from harm? you might give serious thought to obtaining this identification for your safety.
being a bad girl, until today i had not updated my medic alert information (doctors, contacts, etc.) since the mid-90's and when the Medic Alert magazine arrived today (addressed to My Older Son, inexplicably at my address), i looked through it and discovered i really needed to get my information current, pay my dues, and get a new bracelet. a phone call later, all is okay.
one more note -- they have a program called Kid Smart and even children who have no medical conditions can participate. the advantage for those kids is an emergency contact is on file, as well as immunization history and personal health record (if you've kept it updated). if you travel or move around a lot, having your child's immunization records where they can't get lost is major peace of mind.
visit them at www.medicalert.org or call them at 888.633.4298. they're open monday through saturday, with convenient hours for those of us in the pacific northwest.
i started wearing a nice bracelet (rather than a necklace) and have worn it ever since. if you get hurt or knocked unconscious, would your medical condition (if you have one) get recognized in time to keep you from harm? you might give serious thought to obtaining this identification for your safety.
being a bad girl, until today i had not updated my medic alert information (doctors, contacts, etc.) since the mid-90's and when the Medic Alert magazine arrived today (addressed to My Older Son, inexplicably at my address), i looked through it and discovered i really needed to get my information current, pay my dues, and get a new bracelet. a phone call later, all is okay.
one more note -- they have a program called Kid Smart and even children who have no medical conditions can participate. the advantage for those kids is an emergency contact is on file, as well as immunization history and personal health record (if you've kept it updated). if you travel or move around a lot, having your child's immunization records where they can't get lost is major peace of mind.
visit them at www.medicalert.org or call them at 888.633.4298. they're open monday through saturday, with convenient hours for those of us in the pacific northwest.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
i'd forgotten how funny ...
Young chick to pal: Carly Simon? Wasn't she the one who sang 'You're So Vague'?--Nail salon
Man on phone: I'm not saying it's your fault. I am saying you're a liar, but I'm not saying it's your fault!--10th & Broadway
Woman to little girl: To be perfectly honest it just makes you look dumb, because you can only spell backwards.--Times Square
Chick on cell: The only thing getting me through this day is the liquor at the end of the tunnel.--Columbia University
Guy yelling from street: Does anyone know where McDonald's is? Anyone? Anyone?! Help meee!--114th & Broadway
Dude on cell: I said I was born at night. I didn't say I was born last night. I'm not stupid.--Manhattan Mall
Man on cell: Yeah, but then once you graduate from college it's called alcoholism.--West Village
Woman: Why are you not breathing? You're the worst patient ever!--ER, Methodist Hospital
quotes from http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/
Man on phone: I'm not saying it's your fault. I am saying you're a liar, but I'm not saying it's your fault!--10th & Broadway
Woman to little girl: To be perfectly honest it just makes you look dumb, because you can only spell backwards.--Times Square
Chick on cell: The only thing getting me through this day is the liquor at the end of the tunnel.--Columbia University
Guy yelling from street: Does anyone know where McDonald's is? Anyone? Anyone?! Help meee!--114th & Broadway
Dude on cell: I said I was born at night. I didn't say I was born last night. I'm not stupid.--Manhattan Mall
Man on cell: Yeah, but then once you graduate from college it's called alcoholism.--West Village
Woman: Why are you not breathing? You're the worst patient ever!--ER, Methodist Hospital
quotes from http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/
straight-faced gaiety
Improv Everywhere has struck again ... well, back on january 13, that is.
check out this web site for general hilarity and then this site for the specific event.
scroll down through the pictures and story, then be sure to watch the little video at the bottom -- it's pretty good, if only for the music.
(note -- i think if i saw just one person sans pants, i would wonder if i should flee in the opposite direction. seeing a number of said persons is just quite funny.)
check out this web site for general hilarity and then this site for the specific event.
scroll down through the pictures and story, then be sure to watch the little video at the bottom -- it's pretty good, if only for the music.
(note -- i think if i saw just one person sans pants, i would wonder if i should flee in the opposite direction. seeing a number of said persons is just quite funny.)
i'm not prejudiced
My Younger Son presented a paper at scientific workshop in sauze d'oulz, italy this past january. the following are some pictures from that event.
can you find the scandinavian?
the young professional ...
camaraderie ...
a lot of the presenters seemed to be very informal, dressed as if they were going bowling, but MYS looked excellent and presented as well as he looked!
the landscapes pictures were lovely and give you a taste of the area.
can you find the scandinavian?
the young professional ...
camaraderie ...
a lot of the presenters seemed to be very informal, dressed as if they were going bowling, but MYS looked excellent and presented as well as he looked!
the landscapes pictures were lovely and give you a taste of the area.
we're running amuck
the husband's post this morning was brilliant, and i encourage you to read a.d. lelong's spot-on commentary.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
strong opinion
lee iacocca has some interesting things to say about the present leadership in this country. or lack of leadership to be more precise.
go to borders web site -- http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=wherehavealltheleadersgone -- to read the blurb. it's from iacocca's new book Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
go to borders web site -- http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=wherehavealltheleadersgone -- to read the blurb. it's from iacocca's new book Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
Monday, April 16, 2007
danger, will robinson...
in addition to any concerns a person may have about flying (terrorists, mechanical failure, storms, birds, etc.), there are additional concerns about the motel or hotel in which you stay.
this article talks about lice, bedbugs, athlete's foot, and more.
this web site gives info about current bedbug reportings.
hmmm ... motorhomes and retirement sound better and better.
oh, wait .....
this article talks about lice, bedbugs, athlete's foot, and more.
this web site gives info about current bedbug reportings.
hmmm ... motorhomes and retirement sound better and better.
oh, wait .....
Friday, April 13, 2007
ah-choooo....
rats! i have the husband's cold. we were going to have company this weekend since tomorrow is the hubby's birthday, but now everyone is sick. dratted germs!
to surf
where have i been? i just discovered this web site -- http://www.straightdope.com/ -- and although the name sounds familiar, i'm sure i've never visited the site before. interesting info.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
the mighty have fallen
"Tiny bits of protein extracted from a 68-million-year-old dinosaur bone have given scientists the first genetic proof that the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex is a distant cousin to the modern chicken."
that interesting bit of information came to me via My Older Son this morning. the referring article says "Mary Higby Schweitzer of North Carolina State University reported finding soft tissue, including blood vessels and cells, in a T. rex bone dug out of sandstone from the fossil-rich Hell Creek Formation in Montana."
wow and wow again. soft tissue after 68-million years? amazing!
that interesting bit of information came to me via My Older Son this morning. the referring article says "Mary Higby Schweitzer of North Carolina State University reported finding soft tissue, including blood vessels and cells, in a T. rex bone dug out of sandstone from the fossil-rich Hell Creek Formation in Montana."
wow and wow again. soft tissue after 68-million years? amazing!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
master of my destiny...
hold it! hold it! there's a minor glitch in my get-along.
it seems the people i will be working with are going to be out of the office next week, so they've moved my report date to the 30th (2-week pay schedule).
oh well. the husband has a really bad cold and that will give me time to catch it and get over it. personally i'd rather skip the catching.
regardless, i'm happy to go with the flow.
it seems the people i will be working with are going to be out of the office next week, so they've moved my report date to the 30th (2-week pay schedule).
oh well. the husband has a really bad cold and that will give me time to catch it and get over it. personally i'd rather skip the catching.
regardless, i'm happy to go with the flow.
good quotes
"The best eraser in the world is a good night's sleep." -Orlando A. Battista
"The key to getting ahead is setting aside 8 hours a day for work and 8 hours a day for sleep -- and making sure they're not the same hours." -Gene Brown
"The lion and the lamb may lay down together, but the lamb will have a harder time sleeping." -Alan Joseph
"I am a big believer in the power of Neuro-Attitudinal Positioning, or N.A.P." -Joe Tye
(These quotes originated in church bulletins, announcements, or related communications.)
The Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. ...please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the basement hall on Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Fasting & Meditation Conference includes meals.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
Don't let worry kill you off - let us help.
from Tim Lane -- fitnet@lists.ia.gov (tlane@idph.state.ia.us)
"The key to getting ahead is setting aside 8 hours a day for work and 8 hours a day for sleep -- and making sure they're not the same hours." -Gene Brown
"The lion and the lamb may lay down together, but the lamb will have a harder time sleeping." -Alan Joseph
"I am a big believer in the power of Neuro-Attitudinal Positioning, or N.A.P." -Joe Tye
(These quotes originated in church bulletins, announcements, or related communications.)
The Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. ...please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the basement hall on Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Fasting & Meditation Conference includes meals.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
Don't let worry kill you off - let us help.
from Tim Lane -- fitnet@lists.ia.gov (tlane@idph.state.ia.us)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
waiting is a fact of life
yippee, skippee -- i FINALLY got the job!
i just got a phone call from the gal in minneapolis and she asked me when i wanted to start. i chose to start next monday with the caveat that i have a doctor's appt on tuesday which i don't want to cancel (since i've waited months already for it) but at the same time i don't really want to look like a slacker to my new office people.
but she didn't think it would be a problem, so unless the new office does have a problem with it, i start with glee at 8am on the 16th.
i just got a phone call from the gal in minneapolis and she asked me when i wanted to start. i chose to start next monday with the caveat that i have a doctor's appt on tuesday which i don't want to cancel (since i've waited months already for it) but at the same time i don't really want to look like a slacker to my new office people.
but she didn't think it would be a problem, so unless the new office does have a problem with it, i start with glee at 8am on the 16th.
Monday, April 09, 2007
a scarecrow
when i went through chemo for breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1992, the prevailing dogma was that nothing crossed the blood-brain barrier therefore any new mental problems were not caused by the drugs, that mental concerns would resolve themselves after treatment, or that "you're simply upset, honey, just trust us to know what's best."
now, of course, chemo-related mental problems are acknowledged as 'chemo brain' -- a scurrilous term applied to a condition that has been researched but continues to be under-studied.
i ran through several articles to see what the internet had to report. most of them said the condition was temporary and would be resolved within two to ten years, it was hard to study the condition without knowing the patient's mental levels before chemo, and that yes some drugs do cross the barrier (one of them being methotrexate which was one of the three given to me).
well, it's been fifteen years and i still miss the level of acuity i had before 1992. but my cancer was very aggressive so i believe it was handled the best it could have been back then. and i've loved being alive to see my kids grow up and to deepen my relationship with the husband. still, as d.q. once said, "What a terrible thing to have lost one's mind. Or not to have a mind at all." (for more quotes, go here.)
now, of course, chemo-related mental problems are acknowledged as 'chemo brain' -- a scurrilous term applied to a condition that has been researched but continues to be under-studied.
i ran through several articles to see what the internet had to report. most of them said the condition was temporary and would be resolved within two to ten years, it was hard to study the condition without knowing the patient's mental levels before chemo, and that yes some drugs do cross the barrier (one of them being methotrexate which was one of the three given to me).
well, it's been fifteen years and i still miss the level of acuity i had before 1992. but my cancer was very aggressive so i believe it was handled the best it could have been back then. and i've loved being alive to see my kids grow up and to deepen my relationship with the husband. still, as d.q. once said, "What a terrible thing to have lost one's mind. Or not to have a mind at all." (for more quotes, go here.)
a glacial pace
i just read an article which states that doing tai chi on a regular basis helps prevent shingles.
the husband and i did tai chi for awhile when we lived in oklahoma, but i haven't thought much about it since. maybe i should. not that i have shingles, but apparently the condition is more common in people 50 and older who've had chicken pox.
the husband and i did tai chi for awhile when we lived in oklahoma, but i haven't thought much about it since. maybe i should. not that i have shingles, but apparently the condition is more common in people 50 and older who've had chicken pox.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
come bide a wee
we're having a visit by The Pregnant Ones this coming weekend -- it's the husband's birthday so we're making merry. not sure what we're doing yet -- the son suggested bowling. i'd like to go paint pottery (and then have gelato), but the husband isn't fond of that activity. and after all, it is his birthday...
husband is still having a lot of gunk and junk in his head and chest. he seems really beset by some kind of gremlin so i hope he's better by friday. if he doesn't sound better pretty soon, i'm going to have to worry.
i'm listening to Joey Fehrenbach playing Beltenebros from the mellowdrama album on groovera.com -- this guy's music is soooooo great!!! right up my alley!
husband is still having a lot of gunk and junk in his head and chest. he seems really beset by some kind of gremlin so i hope he's better by friday. if he doesn't sound better pretty soon, i'm going to have to worry.
i'm listening to Joey Fehrenbach playing Beltenebros from the mellowdrama album on groovera.com -- this guy's music is soooooo great!!! right up my alley!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
vignette ~ Butterfly Tree
She lay on her back under the wispy tree, watching the butterflies as they wandered from branch to branch. The butterflies seemed to love the tree -- they spent time in other trees, but always returned to this one. She knew they did, because the butterflies all had slight differences in their coloring which allowed her, or any others who wished to take the time to observe, to note which was which and so to keep track of them.
She liked one of them in particular, a small green one with lavender and blue spots. At times it was iridescent, but usually it was a muted swirl of soft colors which blended in nicely with the flowers in and near the tree. Mentally she had named the butterfly Pal, a shortened version of palette, since the colors which ran across the surface of its wings were a mixture of some of her favorites.
Oh Pal, what do you play, and where do you go, at the end of the day. The little ditty she had thought up drifted through her mind. It was something she always wondered about: the butterflies would be there and then, without a person even being aware it was happening, they would simply disappear. No matter how many times she watched for it and regardless of the season or the weather, it was always the same. They just disappeared. Sort of like what happened to me, she thought.
Almost a year had gone by since that afternoon ... It had been a beautiful spring day with lots of sunshine, fluffy little clouds, and friendly noises -- a tractor, a barking dog, a coal train going through the tunnel a mile away. She took a break from studying for her botany final to hang the clothes out to dry while her mom went to the store.
She loved botany, but Dodsen was the worst teacher she’d ever had. He was boring, egotistical, and graded like his class was the only one the students had to study for. And it seemed so wrong, since students PAID to go to the university and should be able to FIRE someone who wasn’t doing a good job. But it didn’t work that way and even though botany was her major, she actually had to force herself to study for that class. It didn’t take much to pry her away, and hanging clothes was her favorite thing to do -- right now anyhow.
She loved their small farm in the country -- there was no place else like it in the whole world. Not that she’d traveled the whole world, but she loved her home so much she had no desire to go anywhere else. After her dad died, she and her mom made some changes. The fields were rented out to old man Halley, the orchard was maintained by people from the coop, and the forest was left undisturbed so as to provide a buffer around the house and keep outsiders at bay.
A light breeze drifted through the yard that day, just enough to fan the sheets she was hanging and to ruffle the kitchen curtains. She remembered hearing her window chimes softly tinkling to each other. Donut, her faithful German Shepard, was lounging under the elm tree with his tongue out, watching the world go by.
No matter how often she thought about it, she couldn’t quite put together the events that led up to her... well, her journey. There she was hanging clothes and just being. Then she noticed her chimes. Then things got a little blurry and Donut barked twice. She had closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, but when she opened her eyes again her whole world was different.
With a gasp, she noticed several things in quick succession: the sky was deep blue overhead but pinkish-red near the horizon -- in all directions; her farm was gone; she was trying to run and scream maniacally at the same time. In pure panic mode she wildly girl-ran about 30 yards across the short field-grass before she tripped over a rock and fell.
She lay there whimpering, trying to catch her breath and make sense of what she was seeing. The sky was just not right. And not only was her farm gone, but there were no trees. She sat up and saw there were no phone lines, no roads, nothing which indicated people were nearby. There were no cell phone towers, no contrails, no noises ... where could she possibly be?
Slowly fear gave a little ground to fascination, and as her heart rate slowed she took a deep breath, stood up, and looked around. She almost felt like she needed to duck her head, what with the sky not being quite right, but it wasn’t hurting her so she tried to figure out if there was some place and something she could make into a shelter. Scanning the horizon, she slowly turned 360°, intent on finding something besides the grassy ground. There was only a stream.
Well, at least there’s water. She thought for a minute about what was happening and tried to come up with something logical. Or at least reasonable. I’m hallucinating. I hit my head. I had a stroke and I’m dying. I’ve traveled back in time. Oh god, I’ve traveled forward in time and the whole world has killed itself.
She finally stopped thinking and just stood still for about 5 minutes. When nothing happened she decided that night would come sooner or later and maybe she should figure out how to handle that -- where to sleep, what to eat, what to beware of. At least she wasn’t going to run out of things to think about and be bored like Dodsen’s class. This is better than Dodsen anyday ... probably ... maybe.
She liked one of them in particular, a small green one with lavender and blue spots. At times it was iridescent, but usually it was a muted swirl of soft colors which blended in nicely with the flowers in and near the tree. Mentally she had named the butterfly Pal, a shortened version of palette, since the colors which ran across the surface of its wings were a mixture of some of her favorites.
Oh Pal, what do you play, and where do you go, at the end of the day. The little ditty she had thought up drifted through her mind. It was something she always wondered about: the butterflies would be there and then, without a person even being aware it was happening, they would simply disappear. No matter how many times she watched for it and regardless of the season or the weather, it was always the same. They just disappeared. Sort of like what happened to me, she thought.
Almost a year had gone by since that afternoon ... It had been a beautiful spring day with lots of sunshine, fluffy little clouds, and friendly noises -- a tractor, a barking dog, a coal train going through the tunnel a mile away. She took a break from studying for her botany final to hang the clothes out to dry while her mom went to the store.
She loved botany, but Dodsen was the worst teacher she’d ever had. He was boring, egotistical, and graded like his class was the only one the students had to study for. And it seemed so wrong, since students PAID to go to the university and should be able to FIRE someone who wasn’t doing a good job. But it didn’t work that way and even though botany was her major, she actually had to force herself to study for that class. It didn’t take much to pry her away, and hanging clothes was her favorite thing to do -- right now anyhow.
She loved their small farm in the country -- there was no place else like it in the whole world. Not that she’d traveled the whole world, but she loved her home so much she had no desire to go anywhere else. After her dad died, she and her mom made some changes. The fields were rented out to old man Halley, the orchard was maintained by people from the coop, and the forest was left undisturbed so as to provide a buffer around the house and keep outsiders at bay.
A light breeze drifted through the yard that day, just enough to fan the sheets she was hanging and to ruffle the kitchen curtains. She remembered hearing her window chimes softly tinkling to each other. Donut, her faithful German Shepard, was lounging under the elm tree with his tongue out, watching the world go by.
No matter how often she thought about it, she couldn’t quite put together the events that led up to her... well, her journey. There she was hanging clothes and just being. Then she noticed her chimes. Then things got a little blurry and Donut barked twice. She had closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, but when she opened her eyes again her whole world was different.
With a gasp, she noticed several things in quick succession: the sky was deep blue overhead but pinkish-red near the horizon -- in all directions; her farm was gone; she was trying to run and scream maniacally at the same time. In pure panic mode she wildly girl-ran about 30 yards across the short field-grass before she tripped over a rock and fell.
She lay there whimpering, trying to catch her breath and make sense of what she was seeing. The sky was just not right. And not only was her farm gone, but there were no trees. She sat up and saw there were no phone lines, no roads, nothing which indicated people were nearby. There were no cell phone towers, no contrails, no noises ... where could she possibly be?
Slowly fear gave a little ground to fascination, and as her heart rate slowed she took a deep breath, stood up, and looked around. She almost felt like she needed to duck her head, what with the sky not being quite right, but it wasn’t hurting her so she tried to figure out if there was some place and something she could make into a shelter. Scanning the horizon, she slowly turned 360°, intent on finding something besides the grassy ground. There was only a stream.
Well, at least there’s water. She thought for a minute about what was happening and tried to come up with something logical. Or at least reasonable. I’m hallucinating. I hit my head. I had a stroke and I’m dying. I’ve traveled back in time. Oh god, I’ve traveled forward in time and the whole world has killed itself.
She finally stopped thinking and just stood still for about 5 minutes. When nothing happened she decided that night would come sooner or later and maybe she should figure out how to handle that -- where to sleep, what to eat, what to beware of. At least she wasn’t going to run out of things to think about and be bored like Dodsen’s class. This is better than Dodsen anyday ... probably ... maybe.
Friday, April 06, 2007
soul food for dada
the husband is sick today. he has a cold or some lay-you-low thing like that. as soon as i've had my tea i'm off to get him some campbell's chicken noodle soup and orange juice.
Vonage - yay, verizon - boo
between the lawyers and mbas, the little guy (consumer) doesn't stand a chance.
i already hate verizon and am going to switch to another cell provider when my contract is up this year, but the poisionous tactics they've used on Vonage, our home phone (internet) provider, is disgusting.
did Vonage abuse patent rules? i can't tell since the story doesn't address the details of that. my understanding, however, is that Vonage has been paying at least some patent dues like it should.
Vonage has done an excellent job of providing great service at very little cost, and its 2+ million customers obviously agree. but gutting a superior company seems to be business as usual here in this country. remember ma bell? i know there are others but i'm so appalled right now i can't think of any. just hell.
story here.
i already hate verizon and am going to switch to another cell provider when my contract is up this year, but the poisionous tactics they've used on Vonage, our home phone (internet) provider, is disgusting.
did Vonage abuse patent rules? i can't tell since the story doesn't address the details of that. my understanding, however, is that Vonage has been paying at least some patent dues like it should.
Vonage has done an excellent job of providing great service at very little cost, and its 2+ million customers obviously agree. but gutting a superior company seems to be business as usual here in this country. remember ma bell? i know there are others but i'm so appalled right now i can't think of any. just hell.
story here.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
vignette ~ Rumblings
So many errands to run and things to do, but what a beautiful day -- lots of sun, blue sky, and a perfect temperature! Why is it that springtime just makes a person feel good? His mind wandered as he moved through the steady traffic observing a greening yard here, a budding tree there. Yes, things were finally looking cheerful after the long, cold, dreary winter.
Suddenly his tummy rumbled -- he glanced at the clock and realized it was almost 1 pm. No wonder I’m hungry, he thought. As he went through the roundabout, he decided to go to the Chinese restaurant just down the street. He’d passed by it often and always wondered if it was any good. He loved Chinese food, but there was no local place which really met his exacting tastes. Being an optimistic person by nature, however, he looked forward to a pleasant discovery as he drove into the moderately-populated parking lot, sandwiching himself between an SUV and a Smart car before locking up and strolling easily through the sunshine.
A tiny hostess met him and said, “Tabo fo one?”
“I’d like to look at your menu first, please.”
“Menu? We no have menu. You come, I sit.”
Before she could start off, he interrupted her. “Wait. You don’t have a menu?”
“No, we only have one thing. Come.”
“One thing? Well ... what is it?”
“Haggis.”
“H-haggis?”
“Yes, haggis.”
“Scottish haggis?”
“Yes, you come now?”
“Uhhh, well ... maybe some other time. Thanks anyway, though.”
He turned around, glancing at the nearest tables as he reached for the door. He couldn’t really make out anything on the plates and he didn’t want to stop and stare so he smoothly continued his way outside.
Haggis, he thought. Huh. Haggis. That’s just weird. And he shook his head a couple of times as he drove off to MacDonald’s.
Suddenly his tummy rumbled -- he glanced at the clock and realized it was almost 1 pm. No wonder I’m hungry, he thought. As he went through the roundabout, he decided to go to the Chinese restaurant just down the street. He’d passed by it often and always wondered if it was any good. He loved Chinese food, but there was no local place which really met his exacting tastes. Being an optimistic person by nature, however, he looked forward to a pleasant discovery as he drove into the moderately-populated parking lot, sandwiching himself between an SUV and a Smart car before locking up and strolling easily through the sunshine.
A tiny hostess met him and said, “Tabo fo one?”
“I’d like to look at your menu first, please.”
“Menu? We no have menu. You come, I sit.”
Before she could start off, he interrupted her. “Wait. You don’t have a menu?”
“No, we only have one thing. Come.”
“One thing? Well ... what is it?”
“Haggis.”
“H-haggis?”
“Yes, haggis.”
“Scottish haggis?”
“Yes, you come now?”
“Uhhh, well ... maybe some other time. Thanks anyway, though.”
He turned around, glancing at the nearest tables as he reached for the door. He couldn’t really make out anything on the plates and he didn’t want to stop and stare so he smoothly continued his way outside.
Haggis, he thought. Huh. Haggis. That’s just weird. And he shook his head a couple of times as he drove off to MacDonald’s.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
the light at the end
the neighbors are moving. they have been a thorn in the husband's side since several months after we moved here -- just about the time the neighbor's husband moved out and filed for divorce.
she is a really pretty, 40-ish, slender blond from canada and he is a tall, 40-ish, slender greying okie without an accent since he's lived here most of his life. at any rate, she is very hard to get acquainted with which i could never tell was from shyness, or the innate arrogance that the canadians seem to heavily emote.
the two older boys were in school other-where, but the youngest was a senior in high school and was in band and had his own band and practiced allllllll the time. with the windows open. with the volume mega-loud.
anyhow, it got old and (making a very long story short) the police got involved and the kid had a couple of drinking parties and finally got caught and we think he dropped out of school and he had to go to court and it's been messy.
anyhow, another neighbor told us the loud neighbors are moving away at the end of this month. the mother is going to her sister in canada (and must already be gone since she's not been around, which really is nothing new), and the youngest kid (we think) will be staying with his dad and going to technical school.
yesterday there were a bunch of kids over there all afternoon, smoking and playing loud music outside in the sunshine, while the boys tossed a softball around and the girls stood around and the dog was off-leash.
i'm praying for a month of rain.
she is a really pretty, 40-ish, slender blond from canada and he is a tall, 40-ish, slender greying okie without an accent since he's lived here most of his life. at any rate, she is very hard to get acquainted with which i could never tell was from shyness, or the innate arrogance that the canadians seem to heavily emote.
the two older boys were in school other-where, but the youngest was a senior in high school and was in band and had his own band and practiced allllllll the time. with the windows open. with the volume mega-loud.
anyhow, it got old and (making a very long story short) the police got involved and the kid had a couple of drinking parties and finally got caught and we think he dropped out of school and he had to go to court and it's been messy.
anyhow, another neighbor told us the loud neighbors are moving away at the end of this month. the mother is going to her sister in canada (and must already be gone since she's not been around, which really is nothing new), and the youngest kid (we think) will be staying with his dad and going to technical school.
yesterday there were a bunch of kids over there all afternoon, smoking and playing loud music outside in the sunshine, while the boys tossed a softball around and the girls stood around and the dog was off-leash.
i'm praying for a month of rain.
dream 4
i was talking with someone about a horror movie and proceeded to show them that one of the buildings on campus had a basement which went down several flights underground, the final flight being a narrow, vertical shaft which was sunk much farther underground. as i was explaining, i remembered i'd seen this building in some of my dreams before.
i knew i didn't want to watch the horror movie, so i went to value village and looked around. i discovered some spoons i thought i could use, so picked them up, and continued looking around. there were two complete sets of old-family silver wonderfully wrapped in that bunting which protects silver from discoloration, but the patterns were very ornate and i didn't think mike and his fiancee would like them.
i kept browsing, found a pair of earrings i liked, then bought everything and continued looking. i was surprised to find an old friend convalescing in a bed in the clothing section and talked with him a little bit. he had broken his leg but didn't seem in a hurry to leave the store.
all of a sudden i realized i didn't have my package anymore. i looked all around and re-traced my steps, but couldn't find where i had put it down. dangit!! someone had lifted my stuff! and after i'd already paid for it!
i was very bummed and wondered what this world is coming to that someone would steal something from someone in value village. as i started to leave, i walked by the cashier and, sitting amid a pile of clothes, was my package. she had wrapped it in brown paper after i'd paid, and apparently i'd wandered off before she was finished so she left it on the table for me. someone hadn't stolen it after all.
i knew i didn't want to watch the horror movie, so i went to value village and looked around. i discovered some spoons i thought i could use, so picked them up, and continued looking around. there were two complete sets of old-family silver wonderfully wrapped in that bunting which protects silver from discoloration, but the patterns were very ornate and i didn't think mike and his fiancee would like them.
i kept browsing, found a pair of earrings i liked, then bought everything and continued looking. i was surprised to find an old friend convalescing in a bed in the clothing section and talked with him a little bit. he had broken his leg but didn't seem in a hurry to leave the store.
all of a sudden i realized i didn't have my package anymore. i looked all around and re-traced my steps, but couldn't find where i had put it down. dangit!! someone had lifted my stuff! and after i'd already paid for it!
i was very bummed and wondered what this world is coming to that someone would steal something from someone in value village. as i started to leave, i walked by the cashier and, sitting amid a pile of clothes, was my package. she had wrapped it in brown paper after i'd paid, and apparently i'd wandered off before she was finished so she left it on the table for me. someone hadn't stolen it after all.
Monday, April 02, 2007
a side note
lost luggage is one thing, but unclaimed luggage gets sold! i've never heard of someone NOT claiming their luggage. so where does all this stuff come from???
seems kinda suspicious to me ...
seems kinda suspicious to me ...
bumped people, lost bags...
the airlines are having a lot of problems these days, but the flying public has become more complacent. read on ...
Airline hassles are on the rise: More passengers found themselves bumped, their flights delayed or their bags lost last year than in 2005 ... The report does not include recent weather-related flight delays such as the ones that left JetBlue and United Airlines planes idling for hours on taxiways.
“They just don’t get it yet,” said Dean Headley, an associate professor at Wichita State University who co-authored the study with Brent D. Bowen of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Industry spokesman David Castelveter blamed the majority of delays on bad weather. Making matters worse, he said, more planes will be in the air in coming years and the air traffic control system cannot handle the growth.
Southwest had the lowest number of complaints in 2006, 0.18 per 100,000 passengers. United and US Airways tied for the most, 1.36 per 100,000 passenger.
Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance (93.8 percent) for 2006, followed by Frontier Airlines (80.7 percent) and Southwest (80.2 percent). Atlantic Southeast Airlines had the worst on-time performance (66 percent).
Last year, for every 1,000 passengers, 6.50 bags were lost, stolen or damaged, compared with 6.06 in 2005. Hawaiian had the best baggage handling performance; Atlantic Southeast the worst.
The increase in lost bags comes as at least one domestic carrier — Spirit Airlines — plans a new fee for passengers who check their bags. Come June, Spirit will charge $5 each for one or two checked bags if the ticket was booked online and $10 each for passengers who do not book online.
“It just seems to me that consumer expectations have been lowered,” Headley said, explaining that at the end of the 1990s and in 2000 the numbers of complaints were much higher, even though problems with baggage and delays were less frequent.
at least it isn't 'bumped bags, lost people' -- for the full story, go here.
Airline hassles are on the rise: More passengers found themselves bumped, their flights delayed or their bags lost last year than in 2005 ... The report does not include recent weather-related flight delays such as the ones that left JetBlue and United Airlines planes idling for hours on taxiways.
“They just don’t get it yet,” said Dean Headley, an associate professor at Wichita State University who co-authored the study with Brent D. Bowen of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Industry spokesman David Castelveter blamed the majority of delays on bad weather. Making matters worse, he said, more planes will be in the air in coming years and the air traffic control system cannot handle the growth.
Southwest had the lowest number of complaints in 2006, 0.18 per 100,000 passengers. United and US Airways tied for the most, 1.36 per 100,000 passenger.
Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance (93.8 percent) for 2006, followed by Frontier Airlines (80.7 percent) and Southwest (80.2 percent). Atlantic Southeast Airlines had the worst on-time performance (66 percent).
Last year, for every 1,000 passengers, 6.50 bags were lost, stolen or damaged, compared with 6.06 in 2005. Hawaiian had the best baggage handling performance; Atlantic Southeast the worst.
The increase in lost bags comes as at least one domestic carrier — Spirit Airlines — plans a new fee for passengers who check their bags. Come June, Spirit will charge $5 each for one or two checked bags if the ticket was booked online and $10 each for passengers who do not book online.
“It just seems to me that consumer expectations have been lowered,” Headley said, explaining that at the end of the 1990s and in 2000 the numbers of complaints were much higher, even though problems with baggage and delays were less frequent.
at least it isn't 'bumped bags, lost people' -- for the full story, go here.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
true crime -- small town beat
March 27: Police were dispatched to a hazard report involving a small boy who was running around a residential yard very close to a man on a riding lawnmower. An officer found a father and son mowing the lawn together.
March 26: A 26-year-old Oregon resident entering the U.S. from Canada on the Amtrak train was found to have a warrant for his arrest. The person was detained by U.S. Customs and then arrested by police when the warrant was confirmed. He was transported to the jail by an officer.
March 26: Police and Border Patrol officers were notified of two individuals who had entered Canada by jumping the ditch between the port of entries. The two individuals were subsequently observed returning to the United States in the same manner. Border Patrol agents apprehended the first individual who was on foot. A police officer later observed the suspect vehicle being driven by the second individual. The driver was contacted and found to be driving with suspended privileges. The man was arrested and cited. The vehicle was impounded.
March 26: A 26-year-old Oregon resident entering the U.S. from Canada on the Amtrak train was found to have a warrant for his arrest. The person was detained by U.S. Customs and then arrested by police when the warrant was confirmed. He was transported to the jail by an officer.
March 26: Police and Border Patrol officers were notified of two individuals who had entered Canada by jumping the ditch between the port of entries. The two individuals were subsequently observed returning to the United States in the same manner. Border Patrol agents apprehended the first individual who was on foot. A police officer later observed the suspect vehicle being driven by the second individual. The driver was contacted and found to be driving with suspended privileges. The man was arrested and cited. The vehicle was impounded.
did you know ...
+ we've decided to join one of the local churches.
+ waving your hand back and forth under running water makes it warm up faster.
+ we've decided to adopt a baby.
+ it's raining again.
+ i report in to my new job tomorrow.
+ today is april fool's.
+ waving your hand back and forth under running water makes it warm up faster.
+ we've decided to adopt a baby.
+ it's raining again.
+ i report in to my new job tomorrow.
+ today is april fool's.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
the latest on Bumpah
"The latest news on Dad is that he seems to have had a mild stroke. He has lost some control on the left side of his face, and leans to that side. Clearly he is in the terminal stage of his disease. This is such a strange way to lose someone. It is like he has been gone for some time, but some part is still here. Maybe I can understand how Hamlet felt when he was haunted by dreams of his fathers ghost. No, he was crazy, I'm not. Thank goodness I don't have that mother/uncle problem. They are taking good care of Dad at Ashland. They are very upbeat, cheerful people, and I can tell that he likes them."
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
my bad
ever have one of those days when you just want to push rewind and do things over?
well, check this out -- eddie griffin drove a ferrari enzo worth 1.5 million dollars around a race track on a practice run. cool, huh! yeah, except he crashed it beyond repair as he was rounding a curve. and he wasn't even the owner. uh-oh. the owner was daniel sadek and his reaction, as told in the article, was fairly classy.
well, check this out -- eddie griffin drove a ferrari enzo worth 1.5 million dollars around a race track on a practice run. cool, huh! yeah, except he crashed it beyond repair as he was rounding a curve. and he wasn't even the owner. uh-oh. the owner was daniel sadek and his reaction, as told in the article, was fairly classy.
Monday, March 26, 2007
vignette ~ Wait Up
“Wait up, Madeline, my shoe slipped off my foot!” Sherri quickly got her foot secured, then pushed her purse strap higher onto her shoulder and tried to catch up.
“Sherri, we’ve got to hurry ... we’re losing them!” Madeline dropped her notebook, tried to slow her momentum so as to grab it, then ended up stumbling and dropping her purse, too.
“Here,” said Sherri, stooping down to grab the notebook and the purse. “Let’s go!”
But it was too late.
“Oh, good grief,” whimpered Maddie. “I can’t believe those guys got away. We were so close!”
“Come on,” said Sherri, “let’s go in this place and have lunch. We can see if anyone else looks good. I mean really, how hard should it be to find a guy to practice on?!” She headed into the deli, tripping over her shoe as she crossed the threshold.
Maddie jerked to a stop to keep from running into her and dropped her notebook again. “You know,” she said as she picked up her notebook, “I just don’t get it. I mean, we’re two nice-looking, nice-acting, nice girls and we can’t seem to get any guy interested in us. What is the deal?”
They walked over to a window table, bumping the edge of it as they sat down. “I mean, it doesn’t show, does it? Like, written on our faces or something...” Maddie’s voice trailed off as she grabbed Sherri’s arm. “Look!” she hissed. “Code red -- dark hair, 6 foot 5, great build, no ring. And cute!”
Sherri slowly turned around, looked past the busboy setting water on the table, pretended to look for a waiter, then gasped, froze, and stared.
“What?! What?!” Maddie whispered. “What’s going on? Talk to me or I’m going to have to--”
Sherri spun around, her face white, and proceeded to flip the menu up so that it completely covered her face. “Don’t let him see me, don’t let him see me!”
“Wh--? Uhh, okay. Well, what are you going to have?" Maddie picked up her menu and accidentally bumped her glass of water, knocking it off the table. Water flew everywhere, but it was, after all, just water so it wasn’t a big deal. “Oh god. Well, at least the glass didn’t break.” She bent down to pick it up just as the waitress headed over.
“You gals ready to order?” she said as she took the empty glass. “I’ll bring you more water right away, unless you’d like something else to drink.”
“Actually we’d like just another minute,” said Maddie, smiling up at the waitress who was just nodding good-bye to Code Red as he went past the table.
“I’m ready,” said Sherri who had seen the cute guy heading out and figured she was safe. “I’ll have a ...”
But just then Code Red glanced back at the waitress and happened to notice Sherri. He halted, then came back to the table. “You!” he said angrily.
“Sherri, we’ve got to hurry ... we’re losing them!” Madeline dropped her notebook, tried to slow her momentum so as to grab it, then ended up stumbling and dropping her purse, too.
“Here,” said Sherri, stooping down to grab the notebook and the purse. “Let’s go!”
But it was too late.
“Oh, good grief,” whimpered Maddie. “I can’t believe those guys got away. We were so close!”
“Come on,” said Sherri, “let’s go in this place and have lunch. We can see if anyone else looks good. I mean really, how hard should it be to find a guy to practice on?!” She headed into the deli, tripping over her shoe as she crossed the threshold.
Maddie jerked to a stop to keep from running into her and dropped her notebook again. “You know,” she said as she picked up her notebook, “I just don’t get it. I mean, we’re two nice-looking, nice-acting, nice girls and we can’t seem to get any guy interested in us. What is the deal?”
They walked over to a window table, bumping the edge of it as they sat down. “I mean, it doesn’t show, does it? Like, written on our faces or something...” Maddie’s voice trailed off as she grabbed Sherri’s arm. “Look!” she hissed. “Code red -- dark hair, 6 foot 5, great build, no ring. And cute!”
Sherri slowly turned around, looked past the busboy setting water on the table, pretended to look for a waiter, then gasped, froze, and stared.
“What?! What?!” Maddie whispered. “What’s going on? Talk to me or I’m going to have to--”
Sherri spun around, her face white, and proceeded to flip the menu up so that it completely covered her face. “Don’t let him see me, don’t let him see me!”
“Wh--? Uhh, okay. Well, what are you going to have?" Maddie picked up her menu and accidentally bumped her glass of water, knocking it off the table. Water flew everywhere, but it was, after all, just water so it wasn’t a big deal. “Oh god. Well, at least the glass didn’t break.” She bent down to pick it up just as the waitress headed over.
“You gals ready to order?” she said as she took the empty glass. “I’ll bring you more water right away, unless you’d like something else to drink.”
“Actually we’d like just another minute,” said Maddie, smiling up at the waitress who was just nodding good-bye to Code Red as he went past the table.
“I’m ready,” said Sherri who had seen the cute guy heading out and figured she was safe. “I’ll have a ...”
But just then Code Red glanced back at the waitress and happened to notice Sherri. He halted, then came back to the table. “You!” he said angrily.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
vignette
“We coulda tooka the freight train, Manny. I don’ understand why we dint. And now I got all shot up.” He tried not to grimace as he clutched his stomach. “Manny, wh...what we gonna do now?”
Manny tried to keep his voice steady even though worry showed all over his face. “Charlie, you gonna be fine, I gonna be fine, everythin’s gonna be just fine so stop with the yammerin’ and be still. If those yard cops hear us there’s really gonna be trouble.”
Manny gently cuffed Charlie’s shoulder and stood up to look around. He didn’t think their chances were very good right now especially since Charlie wasn’t lookin’ too hot. And if The Big Bad happened to the kid, he was gonna feel like dirt.
“Look here, Charlie, I got me a plan. You just sit tight and I’m gonna take a quick and quiet look around, see. Just like we did back there in Chicago. You gonna be all right, Charlie, so just keep quiet and I’ll be right back.”
Manny looked down at Charlie, who was breathin’ kinda fast, and decided he couldn’t put it off any longer. Crouching behind the small switching shed, he looked both directions and under the wheels of the nearby train cars, then took off and hurried over to the bridge. It was a hell of a place to put a rail yard, right next to the river, but maybe it would make things easier this time.
Damn. Everything looked the same at night -- just one big black shadow. He stumbled down the shallow depression toward the water and hurried along the river bed. There’s gotta be a boat along here somewheres. After about five minutes of futile searching, he decided he better look upriver and see if his luck would turn.
Suddenly, plain as day, there was a boat. It even had two oars and a tarp. This’ll work. This’ll work. We’re gonna be okay.
Manny headed back up the rise and almost ran back across to Charlie except he realized at the last second there was a light over by the shed. Damn! He crouched down again and kept real quiet to see if he could tell what was going on. Suddenly he heard the crunch of rocks off to the right, then a flashlight came bobbing into view. And then a third one showed up from far down the tracks. Dangit all! Dangit! Well, at least now someone would get Charlie a doctor. Maybe the kid would make it after all.
And with that thought, he crept back to the boat, pushed it away from the bank, got in, and started rowing.
Manny tried to keep his voice steady even though worry showed all over his face. “Charlie, you gonna be fine, I gonna be fine, everythin’s gonna be just fine so stop with the yammerin’ and be still. If those yard cops hear us there’s really gonna be trouble.”
Manny gently cuffed Charlie’s shoulder and stood up to look around. He didn’t think their chances were very good right now especially since Charlie wasn’t lookin’ too hot. And if The Big Bad happened to the kid, he was gonna feel like dirt.
“Look here, Charlie, I got me a plan. You just sit tight and I’m gonna take a quick and quiet look around, see. Just like we did back there in Chicago. You gonna be all right, Charlie, so just keep quiet and I’ll be right back.”
Manny looked down at Charlie, who was breathin’ kinda fast, and decided he couldn’t put it off any longer. Crouching behind the small switching shed, he looked both directions and under the wheels of the nearby train cars, then took off and hurried over to the bridge. It was a hell of a place to put a rail yard, right next to the river, but maybe it would make things easier this time.
Damn. Everything looked the same at night -- just one big black shadow. He stumbled down the shallow depression toward the water and hurried along the river bed. There’s gotta be a boat along here somewheres. After about five minutes of futile searching, he decided he better look upriver and see if his luck would turn.
Suddenly, plain as day, there was a boat. It even had two oars and a tarp. This’ll work. This’ll work. We’re gonna be okay.
Manny headed back up the rise and almost ran back across to Charlie except he realized at the last second there was a light over by the shed. Damn! He crouched down again and kept real quiet to see if he could tell what was going on. Suddenly he heard the crunch of rocks off to the right, then a flashlight came bobbing into view. And then a third one showed up from far down the tracks. Dangit all! Dangit! Well, at least now someone would get Charlie a doctor. Maybe the kid would make it after all.
And with that thought, he crept back to the boat, pushed it away from the bank, got in, and started rowing.
individual liberties
jules verne, ray bradbury, ayn rand, george lucas -- these people weren't just storytellers, they were visionaries. and you thought minority report was just science fiction.
well now, friends, the future is coming -- it appears that they are working on technology which can read your mind.
since it isn't quite here yet, i'll just say it up front: stay out of my head!
well now, friends, the future is coming -- it appears that they are working on technology which can read your mind.
since it isn't quite here yet, i'll just say it up front: stay out of my head!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
alice falls down the hole
as i was surfing, i came across an article which talked about things your real estate person would not tell you. that article lead me to three other web pages which present information you may wish to access at some time or other. to wit:
the national sex offender registry, which made me go 'hmmm' after i saw that our teeny tiny little town currently has three offenders, then i saw there are two offenders living within a couple of blocks of my son's big town in new york, yet none within an area comprising many blocks around my son in seattle. hmmm, again. it appears that to be safe from predators you should live in a high-priced area.
but on to the next page -- the environmental protection agency's web site can tell you about pollution, watersheds, and the uv index.
and finally, and the one which really surprised me, was the pollution information site, curiously named, Scorecard. our sparsely populated county, in 2002, ranked as one of the diriest/worst 20% of all counties in the whole u.s. in terms of air releases. wha...?
the number one and number two offenders, releasing nearly exactly the same amount of pollution, are intalco aluminum and conocophillips refinery. following closely behind is bp cherry point refinery.
the really curious thing about the above statistic is that our u.s. senator sent a letter to the husband, answering his question about high gas prices in our state, which said that our gas prices are high because we aren't close to any refineries. again, wha...? and not only are our state gas prices high, but our tiny town has the highest of anywhere in the state!!! we locals feel this is because we are gouging the canadians when they come to visit, which by the way means we get gouged, too.
oh, but surely not. we aren't close to any refineries.
the national sex offender registry, which made me go 'hmmm' after i saw that our teeny tiny little town currently has three offenders, then i saw there are two offenders living within a couple of blocks of my son's big town in new york, yet none within an area comprising many blocks around my son in seattle. hmmm, again. it appears that to be safe from predators you should live in a high-priced area.
but on to the next page -- the environmental protection agency's web site can tell you about pollution, watersheds, and the uv index.
and finally, and the one which really surprised me, was the pollution information site, curiously named, Scorecard. our sparsely populated county, in 2002, ranked as one of the diriest/worst 20% of all counties in the whole u.s. in terms of air releases. wha...?
the number one and number two offenders, releasing nearly exactly the same amount of pollution, are intalco aluminum and conocophillips refinery. following closely behind is bp cherry point refinery.
the really curious thing about the above statistic is that our u.s. senator sent a letter to the husband, answering his question about high gas prices in our state, which said that our gas prices are high because we aren't close to any refineries. again, wha...? and not only are our state gas prices high, but our tiny town has the highest of anywhere in the state!!! we locals feel this is because we are gouging the canadians when they come to visit, which by the way means we get gouged, too.
oh, but surely not. we aren't close to any refineries.
do do do do, do do do do...
i don't care for the french. it's a long-standing bias and probably isn't going to change. however...
i just read where the french space agency is putting its entire file of ufo sightings -- about 100,000 of them -- online. wow, cool! good for them! but, dangit they beat us to the punch. (not that our government would do anything except say "there are no ufo's.")
apparently about 28% of the reports truly cannot be explained. that's an interesting thought.
to read more, go here -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17753893/
i just read where the french space agency is putting its entire file of ufo sightings -- about 100,000 of them -- online. wow, cool! good for them! but, dangit they beat us to the punch. (not that our government would do anything except say "there are no ufo's.")
apparently about 28% of the reports truly cannot be explained. that's an interesting thought.
to read more, go here -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17753893/
Thursday, March 22, 2007
vignette
“So, Robbie,” Megan said across the top of the bar, “Did ye and Mollie fall out then?”
Robbie stopped drying the pilsner glass and stared at her. “Fall out? Fall out? What do yeh mean, fall out? Weir friends just like always, Meggie. Noobody’s been fallin’ out o’ anythin’,” and he returned his attention to the glass.
“Oh, weil then, it’s jes a wee misunderstandin’ on me then, seen us how MacTavish is inner bedroom as weir speakin’.”
Robbie froze and the pilsner crashed to the floor. “The MacTavish is inner bedroom?” he exclaimed. Then he took a deep breath, calmly drew his shotgun from below the bar, and softly spoke to the end customer on his way out the door. “Would ye be watchin’ things fur me a wee bit, Neil.”
Neil simply changed his position from in front of the bar to behind it, sipped from his mug, cast a glance at Rob heading down the front steps, and gave a wee bit of a smile to Megan. “Got tired o’ waitin’ fur him, did she?”
Seeing Robbie stalk his way down the street, Mollie turned away from her window and said, “It won’ be long now, Devon. Thanks fur doin’ me this favor then.”
“Ach, Mollie, ‘tis nothin’. Ye’d do the same fur me if I wiz havin’ trouble with muh Senga.” MacTavish took off his boots, then his shirt, and got under the covers.
Mollie, completely dressed, set herself about, tidying up the room, then glanced out the window as the front door slammed open. A few of the laoculs had gathered outside to watch.
“MacTavish!”
The bedroom door crashed open and Robbie stood in full fury. Then he calmly raised the shotgun to his shoulder as Mollie leaned back against the bookcase and politely said, “Robbie, ye’ve no right to come into muh home. And since ye want to continue as yer own man, I am deteirmined to be muh own woman.”
“That’s no what I said and well ye know it, Mollie.” He took aim. “I said I wiz happy with muh own things and muh own place and ye as muh own girl.”
“Ach no, Robbie. I am muh own girl, nae yers, and ye will leave here afore I take a maddy.”
He lowered the gun as he stared at her. “But Mollie-girl, I thought we fit together like leeks an tatties. I thought we were furivver.”
“Marriage is furivver, Robbie MacFarland, and we do nae have a marriage. We have yer own way and it’s no longer my way, so kindly get yer gun and yer self and go on aboot.”
MacTavish said, “Sorry, Mollie, but I need to pick up Davy from school now.” He got out of bed, slipped on his shirt, gathered his boots, and walked around Robbie out the door.
“Tell Senga I’ll bring the recipe to the paintin’ class tonight, Devon,” said Mollie.
Robbie, not even realizing MacTavish had left, stared at Mollie and then sighed, resigned to the inevitable. “All right girl, I take yer meanin’. And if it has to be, it has to be.” Resolutely dropping to one knee he took a deep breath and said, “Will ye marry me then, Mollie muh heart?”
Robbie stopped drying the pilsner glass and stared at her. “Fall out? Fall out? What do yeh mean, fall out? Weir friends just like always, Meggie. Noobody’s been fallin’ out o’ anythin’,” and he returned his attention to the glass.
“Oh, weil then, it’s jes a wee misunderstandin’ on me then, seen us how MacTavish is inner bedroom as weir speakin’.”
Robbie froze and the pilsner crashed to the floor. “The MacTavish is inner bedroom?” he exclaimed. Then he took a deep breath, calmly drew his shotgun from below the bar, and softly spoke to the end customer on his way out the door. “Would ye be watchin’ things fur me a wee bit, Neil.”
Neil simply changed his position from in front of the bar to behind it, sipped from his mug, cast a glance at Rob heading down the front steps, and gave a wee bit of a smile to Megan. “Got tired o’ waitin’ fur him, did she?”
Seeing Robbie stalk his way down the street, Mollie turned away from her window and said, “It won’ be long now, Devon. Thanks fur doin’ me this favor then.”
“Ach, Mollie, ‘tis nothin’. Ye’d do the same fur me if I wiz havin’ trouble with muh Senga.” MacTavish took off his boots, then his shirt, and got under the covers.
Mollie, completely dressed, set herself about, tidying up the room, then glanced out the window as the front door slammed open. A few of the laoculs had gathered outside to watch.
“MacTavish!”
The bedroom door crashed open and Robbie stood in full fury. Then he calmly raised the shotgun to his shoulder as Mollie leaned back against the bookcase and politely said, “Robbie, ye’ve no right to come into muh home. And since ye want to continue as yer own man, I am deteirmined to be muh own woman.”
“That’s no what I said and well ye know it, Mollie.” He took aim. “I said I wiz happy with muh own things and muh own place and ye as muh own girl.”
“Ach no, Robbie. I am muh own girl, nae yers, and ye will leave here afore I take a maddy.”
He lowered the gun as he stared at her. “But Mollie-girl, I thought we fit together like leeks an tatties. I thought we were furivver.”
“Marriage is furivver, Robbie MacFarland, and we do nae have a marriage. We have yer own way and it’s no longer my way, so kindly get yer gun and yer self and go on aboot.”
MacTavish said, “Sorry, Mollie, but I need to pick up Davy from school now.” He got out of bed, slipped on his shirt, gathered his boots, and walked around Robbie out the door.
“Tell Senga I’ll bring the recipe to the paintin’ class tonight, Devon,” said Mollie.
Robbie, not even realizing MacTavish had left, stared at Mollie and then sighed, resigned to the inevitable. “All right girl, I take yer meanin’. And if it has to be, it has to be.” Resolutely dropping to one knee he took a deep breath and said, “Will ye marry me then, Mollie muh heart?”
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
cool!
the hubby has undertaken a new endeavor! he is volunteering at Peace Arch Park as a groundsman. his thought is that in volunteering, it might give him some brownie points when the summer hiring starts. he really only wants to work, for pay, for about six months so he can finish up his social security credits.
so far he is very much enjoying his new job. one of the guys who works there also works at semiahmoo -- his old workplace. so, little by little, the husband is feeling better about living here. it usually takes (an introvert, anyhow) one to three years to really feel comfortable in a new location and it can take awhile to put a social network in place, especially if you don't have a job.
his plan is to volun-work 40 hours a week, just as if he were getting paid. he's more enthusiastic than i've seen him in a long time so i'm delighted about this new direction. and it will be fun to see if the things he picks up translate into differences in our yard. not that our yard needs a lot of help, of course, just that it will be interesting if he comes home with new ideas.
salud!
so far he is very much enjoying his new job. one of the guys who works there also works at semiahmoo -- his old workplace. so, little by little, the husband is feeling better about living here. it usually takes (an introvert, anyhow) one to three years to really feel comfortable in a new location and it can take awhile to put a social network in place, especially if you don't have a job.
his plan is to volun-work 40 hours a week, just as if he were getting paid. he's more enthusiastic than i've seen him in a long time so i'm delighted about this new direction. and it will be fun to see if the things he picks up translate into differences in our yard. not that our yard needs a lot of help, of course, just that it will be interesting if he comes home with new ideas.
salud!
Monday, March 19, 2007
food safety tips
things to remember when buying food:
chicken -- "a color more brown than pink signifies the bacterial and chemical changes wrought by poor refrigeration"
hamburger -- "should be a vibrant cherry red; pass if you see even a touch of gray"
fish -- "the skin — shiny, good; dull, bad ... poke it. It should bounce back rather than staying indented"
eggs -- "flip the lid to examine every egg for cracks"
produce -- "Pass on produce that looks bruised or damaged in any way ... if you're planning to buy fruit that's been precut by your market, make sure it's been kept cold ... always place my hand on the top of wrapped, precut melons on display ... should feel pretty cold"
refrigerator -- "it should be set at 40°F or lower to keep food safe"
to read about cross-contamination and more info, go to http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100157058>1=9145
chicken -- "a color more brown than pink signifies the bacterial and chemical changes wrought by poor refrigeration"
hamburger -- "should be a vibrant cherry red; pass if you see even a touch of gray"
fish -- "the skin — shiny, good; dull, bad ... poke it. It should bounce back rather than staying indented"
eggs -- "flip the lid to examine every egg for cracks"
produce -- "Pass on produce that looks bruised or damaged in any way ... if you're planning to buy fruit that's been precut by your market, make sure it's been kept cold ... always place my hand on the top of wrapped, precut melons on display ... should feel pretty cold"
refrigerator -- "it should be set at 40°F or lower to keep food safe"
to read about cross-contamination and more info, go to http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100157058>1=9145
Sunday, March 18, 2007
whoa, horsie
time marches on. right past those of us who may want to stand still.
i was looking at scotland on google earth and decided to check out my old haunts. the sleepy little berg in missouri has changed. i used to be able to walk downtown (about 3 blocks), walk through town, walk around town -- no biggee. our house lived about a block from the country. now, the house i used to live in, though still close to downtown is faaaaaarrr away from the country. the town looks like it has expanded by 3 or 4 times.
so i checked out the tiny little town i used to love in western nebraska. it was around 5 blocks by 5 blocks, outskirts to outskirts. now, although not as changed as the place in missouri, it has also grown bigger.
in my alternate universe, i am going to pick out the things i liked about all my favorite places and make them permanent. and only my favorite people can be there. yes, that includes you!
i was looking at scotland on google earth and decided to check out my old haunts. the sleepy little berg in missouri has changed. i used to be able to walk downtown (about 3 blocks), walk through town, walk around town -- no biggee. our house lived about a block from the country. now, the house i used to live in, though still close to downtown is faaaaaarrr away from the country. the town looks like it has expanded by 3 or 4 times.
so i checked out the tiny little town i used to love in western nebraska. it was around 5 blocks by 5 blocks, outskirts to outskirts. now, although not as changed as the place in missouri, it has also grown bigger.
in my alternate universe, i am going to pick out the things i liked about all my favorite places and make them permanent. and only my favorite people can be there. yes, that includes you!
can't we all get along
it used to be that immigrants were ultimately accepted in this country because they assimilated. they were eager to reap our benefits, so they learned our language, worked hard at our jobs, made an effort to fit in.
nowadays everything's all up in a heaval.
phone calls to businesses require listening to spanish options. hmmm ... what if i want to listen to gaelic, french, or japanese offerings?
if you want to take a cab from the minneapolis-st. paul airport and you happen to be lugging booze, you better not get into a cab with a muslim driver 'cause you won't go anywhere. they don't take such fares.
and if you want to shop at target in minneapolis, don't try to take bacon to a muslim check-out person. they won't ring it up.
in my experience around the seattle area, an inordinate amount of traffic tie-ups, slow-downs, and fender-benders involve asian women.
several religious groups have driver's license photo issues.
illegal immigrants from mexico, muslim immigrants from east africa, asian immigrants from japan and china, religious intolerance -- it goes on and on and on.
i was brought up to believe we are all equal, we all deserve the same respect, everyone deserves to be accepted.
i also thought you could never change such basic inculcations.
nowadays everything's all up in a heaval.
phone calls to businesses require listening to spanish options. hmmm ... what if i want to listen to gaelic, french, or japanese offerings?
if you want to take a cab from the minneapolis-st. paul airport and you happen to be lugging booze, you better not get into a cab with a muslim driver 'cause you won't go anywhere. they don't take such fares.
and if you want to shop at target in minneapolis, don't try to take bacon to a muslim check-out person. they won't ring it up.
in my experience around the seattle area, an inordinate amount of traffic tie-ups, slow-downs, and fender-benders involve asian women.
several religious groups have driver's license photo issues.
illegal immigrants from mexico, muslim immigrants from east africa, asian immigrants from japan and china, religious intolerance -- it goes on and on and on.
i was brought up to believe we are all equal, we all deserve the same respect, everyone deserves to be accepted.
i also thought you could never change such basic inculcations.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
the suspense
oh noooooooooo ....
we've been watching this great hamish macbeth, you ken, and tonight we encountered an actual cliff hanger!! yes!!
at the library we checked out the first two dvd's which were boxed into the first set. we're on the list for the second set, but in the meantime we have to wait!! and i'm THIRTEENTH on the list! gaaahhhhhhhhh....
waiting is awful. i haven't seen a cliff hanger since flash gordon in the 50's!
what is the cliff hanger, you ask? well, there's a local girl who's just admitted her love for hamish and they ended up kissing until they got back to town (no, someone else was driving) and then his old girlfriend turned up and publicly asked him to marry her (she didn't know about the other girl). what will he do? what will he do???
update: ah, yes -- netflix.
we've been watching this great hamish macbeth, you ken, and tonight we encountered an actual cliff hanger!! yes!!
at the library we checked out the first two dvd's which were boxed into the first set. we're on the list for the second set, but in the meantime we have to wait!! and i'm THIRTEENTH on the list! gaaahhhhhhhhh....
waiting is awful. i haven't seen a cliff hanger since flash gordon in the 50's!
what is the cliff hanger, you ask? well, there's a local girl who's just admitted her love for hamish and they ended up kissing until they got back to town (no, someone else was driving) and then his old girlfriend turned up and publicly asked him to marry her (she didn't know about the other girl). what will he do? what will he do???
update: ah, yes -- netflix.
how not to be
courtney love -- what can a person say ... it amazes me she is still around. talk about self-destructive ... this gal has MAJOR problems and i really feel for her daughter.
and come to think of it, britney seems to be heading in that same direction. i feel bad about britney -- i think she's a sweet kid who is hurting soooooo much that she may do herself in before she finds help.
i wonder why i don't feel any sympathy for courtney?
dream 3, remnants
we had moved to a new place -- lots of rolling hills and country lanes. for some reason i was having a hard time learning the layout of the new area, even as i thought back to issaquah and knew how confusing that area had been and this new area was much more straight forward.
regardless, i had gone walking in the country just outside the new town which brought to mind my grandmother's little town in oklahoma. i found myself going back into town a different way and came to a stop at a busy street with a boulevard and a traffic light.
i was dressed in walking shoes, hose, a skirt, blouse, jacket, and scarf. the light changed and i started out but when i got half-way across, the light changed and i had to wait on the boulevard. there was a protected area that i stood within -- a metal framework with canvas tarps on the sides and top.
while i was waiting, a huge long truck pulling steel girders started to turn around the corner and i could tell he was going to brush into the framework i was waiting under. i quickly darted outside and into another waiting area closeby. the truck went on and a second truck started turning. as it went around the corner and picked up speed, i realized i was on that truck, along with several other people who were calmly discussing their jobs. but of course it was part of the truck -- that canvas-enclosed metal-framework area had seats.
we were probably up to 35 mph by now and i leaned out past the canvas trying to decide if i could easily jump off onto the beautiful treed boulevard, but decided not since i had on hose and would probably fall and roll along, getting my clothes all messed up. so i started waving toward the driver, trying to get his attention before we got out of town (in the next block) and picked up some serious speed. i mean, where would i end up and how would i get back??
he must have seen me because the truck started slowing and as i prepared to jump off as efficiently as i could, i woke up.
regardless, i had gone walking in the country just outside the new town which brought to mind my grandmother's little town in oklahoma. i found myself going back into town a different way and came to a stop at a busy street with a boulevard and a traffic light.
i was dressed in walking shoes, hose, a skirt, blouse, jacket, and scarf. the light changed and i started out but when i got half-way across, the light changed and i had to wait on the boulevard. there was a protected area that i stood within -- a metal framework with canvas tarps on the sides and top.
while i was waiting, a huge long truck pulling steel girders started to turn around the corner and i could tell he was going to brush into the framework i was waiting under. i quickly darted outside and into another waiting area closeby. the truck went on and a second truck started turning. as it went around the corner and picked up speed, i realized i was on that truck, along with several other people who were calmly discussing their jobs. but of course it was part of the truck -- that canvas-enclosed metal-framework area had seats.
we were probably up to 35 mph by now and i leaned out past the canvas trying to decide if i could easily jump off onto the beautiful treed boulevard, but decided not since i had on hose and would probably fall and roll along, getting my clothes all messed up. so i started waving toward the driver, trying to get his attention before we got out of town (in the next block) and picked up some serious speed. i mean, where would i end up and how would i get back??
he must have seen me because the truck started slowing and as i prepared to jump off as efficiently as i could, i woke up.
Friday, March 16, 2007
ach nao
as i've mentioned before, we've been watching a lot of foreign movies -- Poirot, Miss Marple, Islands At War, Foyle's War, Midsommer Murders.
oh sure, they aren't exactly foreign, i mean they do speak english. but sometimes it's hard to tell it's the same language i speak.
the latest movie to catch our interest was suggested by our in-laws (son's in-laws actually) -- a scottish series called Hamish Macbeth. this light-hearted and often very funny series about life and crime in a small scottish hamlet usually causes us to sit on the edge of our seats. that intense? no. we simply cannot tell what they're saying. for example: "ach mon, et'l bey a bluidy hairdship bet weel bey doon whut we mest, yeh ken?" only it's said a lot faster, sort of like this: "akmnelbbludhrdshpwlbdnwtwmsykn?" ahh ... right.
i have to say i totally love the two episodes we've seen so far, but it leaves me exhausted -- all that straining to understand the language. and we constantly have to back it up to re-listen. but, all-in-all i get a real kick out of it. it's nice to have a change from the intensity of the other series. yeh ken?
oh sure, they aren't exactly foreign, i mean they do speak english. but sometimes it's hard to tell it's the same language i speak.
the latest movie to catch our interest was suggested by our in-laws (son's in-laws actually) -- a scottish series called Hamish Macbeth. this light-hearted and often very funny series about life and crime in a small scottish hamlet usually causes us to sit on the edge of our seats. that intense? no. we simply cannot tell what they're saying. for example: "ach mon, et'l bey a bluidy hairdship bet weel bey doon whut we mest, yeh ken?" only it's said a lot faster, sort of like this: "akmnelbbludhrdshpwlbdnwtwmsykn?" ahh ... right.
i have to say i totally love the two episodes we've seen so far, but it leaves me exhausted -- all that straining to understand the language. and we constantly have to back it up to re-listen. but, all-in-all i get a real kick out of it. it's nice to have a change from the intensity of the other series. yeh ken?
bigger not always better
wow -- what an exercise in frustration. when we decided to get our wonderful mattress, we opted to open a macy's deferred account to pay for it. that was an absurd experience -- i had to listen to the gal ask me if i had ever lived any of five different addresses. and since i had lived part of that time in seattle, the question went something like this: have you ever lived at 22133 ne 136 ave? have you ever lived at 213234 ne 631st place street avenue? it was so weird and seattle's streets are sooooooo screwed up, i simply blanked and had absolutely NO recollection of any address i'd ever lived anywhere in my life.
well, we got past that and bought the mattress. then it had a problem and we asked for someone to come out and examine it. she did and said if we didn't hear from macy's in 10 days, to call customer service. trying to call to talk with someone at customer service was a joke. the first call had us talking to someone who sounded like they were in new delhi. the next couple of calls netted us automated voices who didn't offer the options we wanted. finally we got it all sorted out and a new mattress delivered.
they picked up the mattress but forgot to pick up the extra-special mattress pad. not long after, we got a bill for the new mattress which we were expected to pay until the credit came through. no biggee, just a couple of thou here and there...
but the credit showed up right away and we didn't have to do anything except call and get the credit transferred from the deferred account to the regular account (even though they both had the same account number!?!). the gal took care of everything just fine and we called the automated thing later that day to make sure everything was square.
which it wasn't. there was a credit balance which started out being one thing, then increased to another, and increased to another. what??? i finally called them, waded through the automated crap, spoke to a real new delhian, and said i wanted a refund. after that bit of paperwork, i said i wanted to close the account. the hell with aggravation.
and i hate automated, choose-the-following-options corporate interfacing. it's easier for them; it wastes my time. i'm going to shop with the little guy downtown.
well, we got past that and bought the mattress. then it had a problem and we asked for someone to come out and examine it. she did and said if we didn't hear from macy's in 10 days, to call customer service. trying to call to talk with someone at customer service was a joke. the first call had us talking to someone who sounded like they were in new delhi. the next couple of calls netted us automated voices who didn't offer the options we wanted. finally we got it all sorted out and a new mattress delivered.
they picked up the mattress but forgot to pick up the extra-special mattress pad. not long after, we got a bill for the new mattress which we were expected to pay until the credit came through. no biggee, just a couple of thou here and there...
but the credit showed up right away and we didn't have to do anything except call and get the credit transferred from the deferred account to the regular account (even though they both had the same account number!?!). the gal took care of everything just fine and we called the automated thing later that day to make sure everything was square.
which it wasn't. there was a credit balance which started out being one thing, then increased to another, and increased to another. what??? i finally called them, waded through the automated crap, spoke to a real new delhian, and said i wanted a refund. after that bit of paperwork, i said i wanted to close the account. the hell with aggravation.
and i hate automated, choose-the-following-options corporate interfacing. it's easier for them; it wastes my time. i'm going to shop with the little guy downtown.
au revoir
well, the drafting table is gone. we sold it yesterday to a nice young christian family. apparently the dad (who we didn't meet) is quite tall and has his own welding business in which he needs to do a lot of drawing with a compass. needless to say, we hope they are happy with their new purchase.
a side note -- yesterday, for the first time in decades (i swear), i saw a young girl skipping down the sidewalk.
a side note -- yesterday, for the first time in decades (i swear), i saw a young girl skipping down the sidewalk.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
pretty flowers...ahh...ahhh..
the word for the day is: allergies. the second word for the day is: laid-low.
curiously, science has shown the two are related. in spite of my non-scientific background, i can attest that to be true. therefore, i have formulated a plan to cope: many cups of constant comment tea. and the occasional benadryl.
curiously, science has shown the two are related. in spite of my non-scientific background, i can attest that to be true. therefore, i have formulated a plan to cope: many cups of constant comment tea. and the occasional benadryl.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
two birthdays
we drove down to the Young Married's house yesterday to help them celebrate their birthdays -- J's was on the 6th and L's was on the 7th -- her parents and sister arrived shortly after we, and we all proceeded to have a really good time!
after snacking and catching up for several hours, we seven piled into our new odyssey and drove over to The Keg for an excellent meal!!! apparently they don't take reservations so we had a bit of a wait (45 minutes) and then after we were seated we had another bit of a wait for our meal (25 minutes) but it was worth it! i had the filet mignon with blue cheese and garlic, and a twice-baked potatoe. oh. my. god. it was sooooo excellent, which was the opinion for everyone else and the selections they were served.
afterwards we returned to the house for lemon cake and strawberry cake, and the opening of presents. i lamented forgetting the camera so i didn't get any pictures of our fun. L's tummy is actually starting to pooch out a little bit (it's 8 weeks), and in spite of her ever-present nausea she held up real well. and it was good to see lulu again since she's had to work everytime the other six of us have gotten together. we finally said good-bye then drove home in the rain, but it was a pleasant drive in our new car.
what a really excellent day!!!
after snacking and catching up for several hours, we seven piled into our new odyssey and drove over to The Keg for an excellent meal!!! apparently they don't take reservations so we had a bit of a wait (45 minutes) and then after we were seated we had another bit of a wait for our meal (25 minutes) but it was worth it! i had the filet mignon with blue cheese and garlic, and a twice-baked potatoe. oh. my. god. it was sooooo excellent, which was the opinion for everyone else and the selections they were served.
afterwards we returned to the house for lemon cake and strawberry cake, and the opening of presents. i lamented forgetting the camera so i didn't get any pictures of our fun. L's tummy is actually starting to pooch out a little bit (it's 8 weeks), and in spite of her ever-present nausea she held up real well. and it was good to see lulu again since she's had to work everytime the other six of us have gotten together. we finally said good-bye then drove home in the rain, but it was a pleasant drive in our new car.
what a really excellent day!!!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
good grief!
i was happily listening to my favorite music station -- http://groovera.com/ -- when i noticed a new blurb on their home page. it seems the evil republicans have once again come up with an absurd plan to make more money, this time at the expense of music.
"... music royalty rates were recently determined by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) which, if enacted, would certainly silence most or all of my favorite online listening services. For most webcasters, this royalty rate represents more than 100% of their total revenues ... the CRB rate decision is retroactive to January 1, 2006 ..."
for the full story, go here. if you would like to sign a petition stating that you disagree with the rule, go here.
the money-grubbers in this country totally disgust me.
"... music royalty rates were recently determined by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) which, if enacted, would certainly silence most or all of my favorite online listening services. For most webcasters, this royalty rate represents more than 100% of their total revenues ... the CRB rate decision is retroactive to January 1, 2006 ..."
for the full story, go here. if you would like to sign a petition stating that you disagree with the rule, go here.
the money-grubbers in this country totally disgust me.
Friday, March 09, 2007
wooo... wooo... wuhwooo...
i just got back from a neat trip! i took THE TRAIN from bellingham to seattle -- what a blast from the past! i think the last train ride i took was back in the late 50's when we went from st. louis to oklahoma city. trains had bigger seats back then, but today's amtrak isn't too shabby.
i met up with my girlfriend, R, then we ran errands and had lunch before heading over to the Bodies exhibit. what an intriguing bunch of stuff to see! i understand there's controversy surrounding the acquisition of some (one? all?) of the bodies, but controversy seems to be everywhere these days, so pass me the salt.
at any rate, the exhibit was very interesting, particularly the display about blood vessels! wow! pure art! and the body has 62,000 MILES of blood vessels! whooooaa...
anyhow, it was interesting, overwhelming, and educational -- i recommend it to anyone who has ever thought, "Hmmm, just how big is my liver?"
on the train ride home, it was dark outside. the seats were comfortable (two per side, unlike the airlines), the leg room, er, roomy, the food very reasonably priced, the bathrooms bigger than the airlines, and the ambiance peaceful. there were tv monitors overhead and after the movie, the train route with our position on it was posted and updated as we flew down the track, along with tidbits like, "You can see Chuckanut Bay off to the left" which i took at their word since it was dark.
the car ahead of mine was dimly lit and i could fairly clearly see two of the three monitors -- the connecting doors were clear glass with white cross-hatches. all of a sudden i noticed the monitors in that car were slowly sliding away to the left. seconds later we made a shallow turn. seconds after that the monitors slowly slid back to the right. it was hilarious and i enjoyed watching the whole scenario several more times before i arrived at my destination.
all-in-all ... grab a book and take the train!
i met up with my girlfriend, R, then we ran errands and had lunch before heading over to the Bodies exhibit. what an intriguing bunch of stuff to see! i understand there's controversy surrounding the acquisition of some (one? all?) of the bodies, but controversy seems to be everywhere these days, so pass me the salt.
at any rate, the exhibit was very interesting, particularly the display about blood vessels! wow! pure art! and the body has 62,000 MILES of blood vessels! whooooaa...
anyhow, it was interesting, overwhelming, and educational -- i recommend it to anyone who has ever thought, "Hmmm, just how big is my liver?"
on the train ride home, it was dark outside. the seats were comfortable (two per side, unlike the airlines), the leg room, er, roomy, the food very reasonably priced, the bathrooms bigger than the airlines, and the ambiance peaceful. there were tv monitors overhead and after the movie, the train route with our position on it was posted and updated as we flew down the track, along with tidbits like, "You can see Chuckanut Bay off to the left" which i took at their word since it was dark.
the car ahead of mine was dimly lit and i could fairly clearly see two of the three monitors -- the connecting doors were clear glass with white cross-hatches. all of a sudden i noticed the monitors in that car were slowly sliding away to the left. seconds later we made a shallow turn. seconds after that the monitors slowly slid back to the right. it was hilarious and i enjoyed watching the whole scenario several more times before i arrived at my destination.
all-in-all ... grab a book and take the train!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
truth or dare
we watched An Inconvenient Truth the other day. you know the one ... Al Gore's presentation on global warming. it was by turns interesting, scary, poignant, and curious.
i checked out some of the reviews on netflix to see what others thought. hmmm. either there are some very narrow-minded, short-sighted, juvenile people out there writing reviews or a lot of republicans are ranting.
regardless of one's political beliefs, does it hurt anything to try to be conservative and follow practices which enrich the earth? on the other hand, does it hurt anything to continue as we have the last x-years? well, duh ... let me try to figure this out.
i checked out some of the reviews on netflix to see what others thought. hmmm. either there are some very narrow-minded, short-sighted, juvenile people out there writing reviews or a lot of republicans are ranting.
regardless of one's political beliefs, does it hurt anything to try to be conservative and follow practices which enrich the earth? on the other hand, does it hurt anything to continue as we have the last x-years? well, duh ... let me try to figure this out.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
ooooohh, scary...
http://www.stuffonmycat.com/ -- almost as effective as zoloft and not nearly as pricey.
the most intimidating of all dinosaurs --
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
cosmopolitanality
we have recently discovered craigslist. we successfully sold our king-size box springs (from our mattress set in which the mattress was defective and returned to the factory) and put our heavy, sturdy, well-kept drafting table up for sale.
we only had one query and subsequent visit from a nice young mother (pretty pale brown skin and short, neat dreadlocks) with her young 5 year old in tow. the little one was tired and hungry but very well behaved, having taken his shoes off without prompting from mom as soon as they came in the front door in addition to being quiet and polite while the grownups talked. we went to the garage to look at the table, but he soon got cold so i took him back in and offered him apple cider and a couple of kids books to look at.
i went back to the mom to ask if he could have some mashed potatoes and she said, "i don't know. he's never had any." immediately i found myself in an alternate reality and as i made my way back again, i tried to cover up my stunned disbelief while she continued, "he thinks potatoes are french fries." i smiled, trying to gracefully move past my faux pas and went back in to offer him food. he didn't want any, but was extremely interested in the picture encyclopedia which, of course, i sent home with him.
but ... never had mashed potatoes? whoooooaa dude .....
we only had one query and subsequent visit from a nice young mother (pretty pale brown skin and short, neat dreadlocks) with her young 5 year old in tow. the little one was tired and hungry but very well behaved, having taken his shoes off without prompting from mom as soon as they came in the front door in addition to being quiet and polite while the grownups talked. we went to the garage to look at the table, but he soon got cold so i took him back in and offered him apple cider and a couple of kids books to look at.
i went back to the mom to ask if he could have some mashed potatoes and she said, "i don't know. he's never had any." immediately i found myself in an alternate reality and as i made my way back again, i tried to cover up my stunned disbelief while she continued, "he thinks potatoes are french fries." i smiled, trying to gracefully move past my faux pas and went back in to offer him food. he didn't want any, but was extremely interested in the picture encyclopedia which, of course, i sent home with him.
but ... never had mashed potatoes? whoooooaa dude .....
Thursday, March 01, 2007
pay attention
we've been watching dvds that are british -- foley's war, midsomer murders, poirot. one episode had a young detective interviewing a lady in her home with her offering tea and pastries. as she handed him a plate of what looked like small muffins, she asked if he'd like some nipples.
uhhh ... ??? ... what??
husband finally decided she must have said nibbles.
uhhh ... ??? ... what??
husband finally decided she must have said nibbles.
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