we got another happy surprise yesterday, in addition to lovely little Ava joining our world a week and a half ago. the husband's oldest son called to say he had just been hired as an airline pilot for SkyWest Airlines.
J has had two overriding interests in his life -- making movies and flying. he has spend most of the last 20+ years being involved behind the camera and has had his name in the credits of several recognized movies, e.g. The Green Mile.
but while he was doing camera things, he was taking flying lessons, practicing practicing, buying an airplane of his own, flying flying everywhere every chance he got. somewhere along the way decided he wanted to be an airline pilot.
J starts his training next monday -- 6 weeks in salt lake city. his wife is happy for him since it's something he really wants, but hates the idea of him being gone so long. but at least he isn't headed to the middle east for a year!
congratulations! and we hope it's everything you expect it to be!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
true crime -- small town beat
October 17: Police officers responded to assist a resident who was locked out of her home. The problem was of some importance, as her lunch was in flames on her stove inside. Officers and responding fire apparatus made entry. The caged Cajun chicken was pronounced dead at the scene.
October 17: Police observed a teenage boy on the school campus after having been expelled and trespassed from the property. Officers contacted the teen, who thought his transgression was pretty funny. Officers forwarded a trespassing complaint to the prosecutor to get a judge's opinion on the hilarity of the situation.
October 16: A woman called to report that her husband had been missing from their home for over four days. A report was taken and investigation initiated. Officers located the man safe at a friend's place where he had been staying. He did not want to return home. His wife was advised by police that he was safe -- at least for the time being.
October 15: A resident called 911 to report there four people in her back yard with weapons, trying to break into her house to kill her. She also thought they had broken into her car and put an animal inside. Responding police found that there were no criminals in the area and no critters in her car.
October 15: A resident reported two men and a woman were trying to break into vehicles and her house. An officer and four Border Patrol agents responded within 60 seconds and no suspects were located. The officer investigated the incident and discovered no evidence of prowling. The suspects left no footprints in the wet grass or on her dry wooden porch. The resident called in a second report a few minutes later that six suspects had just broken into her neighbors residence and fled in a flatbed truck. Officers helped the resident realize that she had been hallucinating.
October 17: Police observed a teenage boy on the school campus after having been expelled and trespassed from the property. Officers contacted the teen, who thought his transgression was pretty funny. Officers forwarded a trespassing complaint to the prosecutor to get a judge's opinion on the hilarity of the situation.
October 16: A woman called to report that her husband had been missing from their home for over four days. A report was taken and investigation initiated. Officers located the man safe at a friend's place where he had been staying. He did not want to return home. His wife was advised by police that he was safe -- at least for the time being.
October 15: A resident called 911 to report there four people in her back yard with weapons, trying to break into her house to kill her. She also thought they had broken into her car and put an animal inside. Responding police found that there were no criminals in the area and no critters in her car.
October 15: A resident reported two men and a woman were trying to break into vehicles and her house. An officer and four Border Patrol agents responded within 60 seconds and no suspects were located. The officer investigated the incident and discovered no evidence of prowling. The suspects left no footprints in the wet grass or on her dry wooden porch. The resident called in a second report a few minutes later that six suspects had just broken into her neighbors residence and fled in a flatbed truck. Officers helped the resident realize that she had been hallucinating.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
what to do, what to do
i have a dilemma -- i am going to drop verizon as my cell provider because they pissed me off. twice. that's too many times.
so i'm looking at at&t, even though we had them back in the mid-90's and they pissed me off. but not as much as verizon.
at any rate, i am trying to decide if i should get the i-phone, which has features which i might never use, or if i should just get a regular phone and then get an i-pod for music.
to get the i-phone, it would cost $399 plus $59.99 a month for service which includes 450 minutes talk-time, 200 minutes of texting, unlimited e-mail, and web surfing. a regular phone would be whatever it would be for the phone, then $39.99 a month for 450 minutes plus between $5-$20 more a month for texting. which i have actually done a little bit of.
to buy an i-pod nano with 8 gb of memory, it would be $200. 8 gb = 2,000 songs. don't laugh. i could easily get there. the i-pod classic (80 gb) is $50 more.
would i use the i-phone if i had it??? well, it'd use it for the music. and when i was in the car and needed a phone, i'd use it for that. if i got lost, i could go online and call up google maps. i could check my voice mail, decide if i wanted to listen to one before another. stuff like that.
am i technologically interested enough? the older i get, the less i'm interested. i don't like that, but there it is. if you have any thoughts, feel free to leave them.
so i'm looking at at&t, even though we had them back in the mid-90's and they pissed me off. but not as much as verizon.
at any rate, i am trying to decide if i should get the i-phone, which has features which i might never use, or if i should just get a regular phone and then get an i-pod for music.
to get the i-phone, it would cost $399 plus $59.99 a month for service which includes 450 minutes talk-time, 200 minutes of texting, unlimited e-mail, and web surfing. a regular phone would be whatever it would be for the phone, then $39.99 a month for 450 minutes plus between $5-$20 more a month for texting. which i have actually done a little bit of.
to buy an i-pod nano with 8 gb of memory, it would be $200. 8 gb = 2,000 songs. don't laugh. i could easily get there. the i-pod classic (80 gb) is $50 more.
would i use the i-phone if i had it??? well, it'd use it for the music. and when i was in the car and needed a phone, i'd use it for that. if i got lost, i could go online and call up google maps. i could check my voice mail, decide if i wanted to listen to one before another. stuff like that.
am i technologically interested enough? the older i get, the less i'm interested. i don't like that, but there it is. if you have any thoughts, feel free to leave them.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
not my problem anymore
well, that was interesting.
shopping online is usually not a hassle for us. until this one.
i ordered 6 items from Serengeti catalog, associated with NorthStyle catalog, on the 8th. when i checked the order just now, thinking it surely should have arrived by now, it was still in the warehouse.
hmmmm, still in the warehouse. WTF??!
so i called and the gal put me on hold. then she switched me to customer service. then he couldn't figure out why the order hadn't gone out. so i asked for the supervisor. she was one of those types who kept interrupting me. she finally said she would send it out overnight. fine, i said, but what about the trouble i had trying to place this order online (it wouldn't take the credit card -- which has NEVER happened with any other company before -- i'd had to call in the order). i must have been typing something in wrong, she said. WTF??! this has been my problem?
fine, go ahead and send the order, i said, then take me off your mailing lists. fine, she said.
fine.
shopping online is usually not a hassle for us. until this one.
i ordered 6 items from Serengeti catalog, associated with NorthStyle catalog, on the 8th. when i checked the order just now, thinking it surely should have arrived by now, it was still in the warehouse.
hmmmm, still in the warehouse. WTF??!
so i called and the gal put me on hold. then she switched me to customer service. then he couldn't figure out why the order hadn't gone out. so i asked for the supervisor. she was one of those types who kept interrupting me. she finally said she would send it out overnight. fine, i said, but what about the trouble i had trying to place this order online (it wouldn't take the credit card -- which has NEVER happened with any other company before -- i'd had to call in the order). i must have been typing something in wrong, she said. WTF??! this has been my problem?
fine, go ahead and send the order, i said, then take me off your mailing lists. fine, she said.
fine.
cool trip
our friends who the girlfriend and i stayed with last year, up and decided to take a cruise to alaska. not being able to do that from south dakota, they flew to vancouver and commenced. a cruise wasn't enough, so they when they were finished with the cruise, they headed to hawaii.
they will have been gone a month -- i can't wait to hear about their trip! hope the northern lights put on a display for them!!
they will have been gone a month -- i can't wait to hear about their trip! hope the northern lights put on a display for them!!
ain't it the truth!
i don't remember jokes well at all, but i have an stupendous ability to mangle one in the telling. however, yesterday one of my male cohorts and i were discussing the downside of getting older, and he made a one-sentence comment which i can maybe remember.
"Ah, well" he said, "we've got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel."
the visual totally cracked me up.
"Ah, well" he said, "we've got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel."
the visual totally cracked me up.
grins
there are a couple of gals at work who are such a delight to watch. they work together and talk to each other constantly. they tease, fuss (not really), joke, and banter. constantly. i'm not sure how they can always find so much to say. but it's great fun to watch.
not that they aren't serious -- they are excellent at what they do. it's just that it would be so much fun to invisibly follow them around and listen to all that amazing light-hearted playful talk.
not that they aren't serious -- they are excellent at what they do. it's just that it would be so much fun to invisibly follow them around and listen to all that amazing light-hearted playful talk.
oops ... hahaha
on my lunch break yesterday, i decided to stay at work since it was raining and i just didn't want to bother with it.
i remembered i wanted to look for a raincoat, but i couldn't remember the web site of the one i'd liked, so i was forced to surf a bit. the picture below is what came up at one of the pulled-from-memory web addresses:
Saturday, October 13, 2007
welcome!!!
i am a proud mama of a wonderful Older Son who is now a proud papa of a brand-new baby!
little Ava was born today at 1:30 pm -- 7 lbs, 6 oz. She has brown hair and feisty lungs which got quite a work-out. she must have not liked being taken from a dark, warm place and thrust into a lighted, warm place filled with strangers. well, who would?
i got to hold her and it was so sweet. she's a little precious bit of softness and while her daddy was tenderly holding her, he kept kissing her forehead. she's a very lucky little girl -- he's going to be such a good daddy!
little Ava was born today at 1:30 pm -- 7 lbs, 6 oz. She has brown hair and feisty lungs which got quite a work-out. she must have not liked being taken from a dark, warm place and thrust into a lighted, warm place filled with strangers. well, who would?
i got to hold her and it was so sweet. she's a little precious bit of softness and while her daddy was tenderly holding her, he kept kissing her forehead. she's a very lucky little girl -- he's going to be such a good daddy!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Confucius say ....
certainly it's always wise to be nice to people who control your destiny. and just as wise to be nice to people, period.
but to get screwed around just because you're unfortunately dealing with a class-a jerk is just irritating. this article is appalling and disgusting. and really makes me wish there were more train-travel options.
after dealing with people, impersonally, monday through friday, on the phone, i can attest that some people are the types you really just want to hang up on. some people are pleasant, but a lot of them just don't know when to shut up; some simply want to lazily go to the head of the line; and some have a screaming marquee on their forehead which says ME FIRST.
those experiences have led me to try to remember to be polite, but brief when dealing with beleaguered people. and to avoid crowds and crowded places as much as possible.
but to get screwed around just because you're unfortunately dealing with a class-a jerk is just irritating. this article is appalling and disgusting. and really makes me wish there were more train-travel options.
after dealing with people, impersonally, monday through friday, on the phone, i can attest that some people are the types you really just want to hang up on. some people are pleasant, but a lot of them just don't know when to shut up; some simply want to lazily go to the head of the line; and some have a screaming marquee on their forehead which says ME FIRST.
those experiences have led me to try to remember to be polite, but brief when dealing with beleaguered people. and to avoid crowds and crowded places as much as possible.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
true crime -- small town beat
September 25: A sojourner requested a place to stay because he came to visit someone in Canada on the bus but was not allowed to cross the border. The person did not have any money for lodging or food, so an officer transported him to the Mission.
September 22: An officer assisted Border Patrol agents by providing perimeter security while they took a foreign national into custody after he entered the U.S. illegally in a forested area.
September 15: Officers received a second noise disturbance call regarding a man parked at the curb loudly playing music in his car. Officers recontacted the car’s conductor and warned him additional calls might result in a quiet jail cell. He decided to go back inside the house and listen to his music tomorrow.
September 14: A social service representative went to an elderly resident’s home to talk with her about her well-being. The social worker called for police assistance when the resident hopped on her electric scooter and skedaddled down the street rather than chatting. An officer was able to broker a conversation between the two. From all appearances, the 94-year-old citizen’s batteries were well charged.
September 11: A teenager racing home on his mountain bike artfully jumped the curb from the sidewalk into the roadway of the H Street overpass. The landing was even more exciting than the jump as the bike’s front fork assembly and handlebars separated from the frame. The rider and his amazed expression were then ejected off the frame out onto the pavement in the westbound lane. The disintegration was witnessed by a passing police officer, who closed the roadway to check the victim for injuries and commiserate with his pain. He and his former bicycle were given a ride home.
September 22: An officer assisted Border Patrol agents by providing perimeter security while they took a foreign national into custody after he entered the U.S. illegally in a forested area.
September 15: Officers received a second noise disturbance call regarding a man parked at the curb loudly playing music in his car. Officers recontacted the car’s conductor and warned him additional calls might result in a quiet jail cell. He decided to go back inside the house and listen to his music tomorrow.
September 14: A social service representative went to an elderly resident’s home to talk with her about her well-being. The social worker called for police assistance when the resident hopped on her electric scooter and skedaddled down the street rather than chatting. An officer was able to broker a conversation between the two. From all appearances, the 94-year-old citizen’s batteries were well charged.
September 11: A teenager racing home on his mountain bike artfully jumped the curb from the sidewalk into the roadway of the H Street overpass. The landing was even more exciting than the jump as the bike’s front fork assembly and handlebars separated from the frame. The rider and his amazed expression were then ejected off the frame out onto the pavement in the westbound lane. The disintegration was witnessed by a passing police officer, who closed the roadway to check the victim for injuries and commiserate with his pain. He and his former bicycle were given a ride home.
safety is relative
i have a vivid imagination, so it's pretty easy for me to half-way believe in sci-fi/fantasy stuff.
imagine my horror when i read about people who swim in lakes and mysteriously pick up an invisible ameoba which methodically begins eating their brain tissue until they die.
only this is not science fiction. this is reality on earth today. go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21034344/ to read the story.
i'm appalled and saddened that something so undetectable could creep up and latch onto someone you love, very quickly rendering them almost immediately terminal. and for some reason, males are infected more than females.
the article mentions one such incident at lake havasu in arizona last month. i think that's where My Younger Son went to vacation with a friend of his back in the 90's. eeeekk!! even 8 years later, it's still eeeekk!!
whatever the tiny creature is, the medical community has no way to fight it. apparently the first cases started showing up in the 1960's and since the bug is a heat-loving bug, its presence is probably going to start being apparent more and more. you know, with global warming and all.
goodness. we start thinking we are pretty safe, and something new comes along. be careful, you guys.
imagine my horror when i read about people who swim in lakes and mysteriously pick up an invisible ameoba which methodically begins eating their brain tissue until they die.
only this is not science fiction. this is reality on earth today. go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21034344/ to read the story.
i'm appalled and saddened that something so undetectable could creep up and latch onto someone you love, very quickly rendering them almost immediately terminal. and for some reason, males are infected more than females.
the article mentions one such incident at lake havasu in arizona last month. i think that's where My Younger Son went to vacation with a friend of his back in the 90's. eeeekk!! even 8 years later, it's still eeeekk!!
whatever the tiny creature is, the medical community has no way to fight it. apparently the first cases started showing up in the 1960's and since the bug is a heat-loving bug, its presence is probably going to start being apparent more and more. you know, with global warming and all.
goodness. we start thinking we are pretty safe, and something new comes along. be careful, you guys.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
bent spear --- broken arrow
bent spear and broken arrow. you don't know those terms? that's because you are young!
and if you haven't lived during prickly times like the cold war era, the cuban missile crisis, or the gary powers incident, you probably aren't too concerned about being careful around missiles.
still, it's pretty intriguing to think that nuclear missiles could be transported, undetected, and casually held for 36 hours with no one the wiser.
like, whoa, dude. no problem. this hang-over is killing me. whaddaya mean 'be careful'? you read too many comic books, dude ..... get real.
the unbelievable story here -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20926465/
and if you haven't lived during prickly times like the cold war era, the cuban missile crisis, or the gary powers incident, you probably aren't too concerned about being careful around missiles.
still, it's pretty intriguing to think that nuclear missiles could be transported, undetected, and casually held for 36 hours with no one the wiser.
like, whoa, dude. no problem. this hang-over is killing me. whaddaya mean 'be careful'? you read too many comic books, dude ..... get real.
the unbelievable story here -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20926465/
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
take a piece of meat with you....
i just had a few 'good morning' chuckles -- go to http://testpattern.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/09/19/368492.aspx and read about song lyrics that have been mis-heard. even if you don't know the songs, the results are entertaining.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
change
our sleepy little neighborhood is waking up. it's been very quiet for so long what with, at one time or another, ten houses being on the market in the last year. and there's only twenty in the neighborhood. but even with several of the houses being purchased, the area has still been very sober.
until now.
the house across the street (lovely 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath) was rented to a group of kids a couple of months ago. we wondered how that was going to turn out, but (except for one of them relieving himself off the balcony) generally they've been low-key. there are always five cars in front of the place, but they've been quiet.
two weeks ago, the notorious house next door got moved into. that was where the kid had played his drums at all hours and their dogs had used our yard as a bathroom. it's been nice to have them gone and i'm not sure what to think of the new neighbors. apparently it's two couples (one couple is older) plus a son. there are routinely four cars in front of the house and the weekends are filled with additional people playing outside. i think they must have an extensive family because there are always new faces.
the other house across the street (small 3 bedroom, 2 story) was just rented a couple of days ago -- they brought in a moving van load of stuff so they may be around awhile. which might not be bad -- i think that sweet dog lives there. i've only seen two cars parked at their place and their plates are from arizona.
so -- things are happening. hopefully the happenings will be happy.
until now.
the house across the street (lovely 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath) was rented to a group of kids a couple of months ago. we wondered how that was going to turn out, but (except for one of them relieving himself off the balcony) generally they've been low-key. there are always five cars in front of the place, but they've been quiet.
two weeks ago, the notorious house next door got moved into. that was where the kid had played his drums at all hours and their dogs had used our yard as a bathroom. it's been nice to have them gone and i'm not sure what to think of the new neighbors. apparently it's two couples (one couple is older) plus a son. there are routinely four cars in front of the house and the weekends are filled with additional people playing outside. i think they must have an extensive family because there are always new faces.
the other house across the street (small 3 bedroom, 2 story) was just rented a couple of days ago -- they brought in a moving van load of stuff so they may be around awhile. which might not be bad -- i think that sweet dog lives there. i've only seen two cars parked at their place and their plates are from arizona.
so -- things are happening. hopefully the happenings will be happy.
read the label
all that information about toys from china having lead paint or something else wrong prompted me to be really careful in trying to pick out little toys to put on the diaper wreath i made for my dau-in-law at her baby shower last week.
i enjoyed making the diaper wreath and it was cute, but i couldn't find a single toy thing that i thought was safe enough to add to it. of course, this is a very small town and the toy offerings from rite aid are pretty dismal, but every single toy for newborns was made in china.
sorry. not going to buy it. i am going to restrict my toy purchases to a company which is based in germany or somewhere in the european countries. there's just no sense in giving your child a toy from china. too many far-reaching effects if the toy is tainted.
and on that note, i overheard more stay-away-from-made-in-china-products news. it seems there is at least one brand of tooth paste which has been found to be laced with anti-freeze. i don't know any specifics, but i don't need any more reasons to look for the fine print on labels. no chinese products for me or purchases for anyone i love.
i enjoyed making the diaper wreath and it was cute, but i couldn't find a single toy thing that i thought was safe enough to add to it. of course, this is a very small town and the toy offerings from rite aid are pretty dismal, but every single toy for newborns was made in china.
sorry. not going to buy it. i am going to restrict my toy purchases to a company which is based in germany or somewhere in the european countries. there's just no sense in giving your child a toy from china. too many far-reaching effects if the toy is tainted.
and on that note, i overheard more stay-away-from-made-in-china-products news. it seems there is at least one brand of tooth paste which has been found to be laced with anti-freeze. i don't know any specifics, but i don't need any more reasons to look for the fine print on labels. no chinese products for me or purchases for anyone i love.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
dreadnaughts = draughts = chinook
much to my surprise, or i probably would have been surprised if i'd thought about it, a computer program has managed to come up with every single possible play in a game of checkers.
it took 18 years, and includes more than 500 billion billion moves, but this program will never be beaten because it has seen it all. if an equal opponent ever played the program, the result would be a draw.
the program, called Chinook and dreamed up by computer scientists in canada, will make great inroads in the artificial intelligence field. for more information see this article -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19839044/
it took 18 years, and includes more than 500 billion billion moves, but this program will never be beaten because it has seen it all. if an equal opponent ever played the program, the result would be a draw.
the program, called Chinook and dreamed up by computer scientists in canada, will make great inroads in the artificial intelligence field. for more information see this article -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19839044/
joie de vivre
i chanced across the sweetest dog this evening. i'd run over to a neighbor's to water her plants while she was out of town for a few days. as i was walking across her driveway toward home, i saw a brown sandy-dog peeking around the fence looking at me.
i said, "well, hi puppy. where did you come from?" his tongue hung out and he wagged his tail, making little happy-jumps, one time lunging at my hand with his nose and quickly retreating. he wanted to play!
but i had no idea who he was or where he'd come from so i decided i needed to ignore him and go on home. there were two cars in front of the nice heretofore unrented rental house across the street, so maybe he was theirs. in which case i'll get to see him again. maybe.
anyhow, it was fun to see his joy and for awhile i wished i was part of it.
i said, "well, hi puppy. where did you come from?" his tongue hung out and he wagged his tail, making little happy-jumps, one time lunging at my hand with his nose and quickly retreating. he wanted to play!
but i had no idea who he was or where he'd come from so i decided i needed to ignore him and go on home. there were two cars in front of the nice heretofore unrented rental house across the street, so maybe he was theirs. in which case i'll get to see him again. maybe.
anyhow, it was fun to see his joy and for awhile i wished i was part of it.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
true crime -- small town beat
September 3: A 16-year-old area youth who had warrants for his arrest turned himself in at the police department. The warrants were confirmed and the juvenile arrestee was placed into detention.
September 1: An officer investigated several 911 hang-ups coming from an apartment complex. Contact was made with two residents. The caller was surprised to learn that punching the numbers on 911 on your phone works even when you think your telephone service is disconnected.
August 31: A citizen reported a possibly intoxicated man with facial injuries was waiting for a bus in front of city hall. Officers and fire personnel contacted the victim. He described himself as a clumsy alcoholic who falls all the time. The man had a fresh bandage on his cut and refused treatment.
August 31: Customs and Border Protection called to report a motorist backing south on I-5 in the northbound lanes. An officer contacted the driver who admitted to the offense because he had forgotten his passport at home. The driver was trying to find a place to turn around, as he was afraid to approach Canada Customs without proper documentation.
September 1: An officer investigated several 911 hang-ups coming from an apartment complex. Contact was made with two residents. The caller was surprised to learn that punching the numbers on 911 on your phone works even when you think your telephone service is disconnected.
August 31: A citizen reported a possibly intoxicated man with facial injuries was waiting for a bus in front of city hall. Officers and fire personnel contacted the victim. He described himself as a clumsy alcoholic who falls all the time. The man had a fresh bandage on his cut and refused treatment.
August 31: Customs and Border Protection called to report a motorist backing south on I-5 in the northbound lanes. An officer contacted the driver who admitted to the offense because he had forgotten his passport at home. The driver was trying to find a place to turn around, as he was afraid to approach Canada Customs without proper documentation.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
hot!!
and this is what that very same sweetie looks like now ....
well, actually, that was about three years ago.
now he looks like this:
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