I know you're all disappointed, but I'm not going to say I'm sorry, because I'm not.
I loved the looks of pride and accomplishment on your faces when I caught the moth you all had been trying to catch for the last several hours. I know you each were happy to see the results of your long and laborious efforts to teach me to hunt properly. Heck, I was a bit astonished that none of the furniture got disturbed in any way from my efforts.
But, YOU did not catch the moth, I did, and since I was the one who was finally successful, I'm the one who got to decide what happened to it. I know you were all looking forward to hearing that satisfying crunch that comes with the kill, but yes, I'm afraid I do have to admit, I threw it outside.
In the long run, we'll all be much happier with this decision. That one moth will make more and some of those will try to enter our domain. Plus, I don't have to pick legs and wing bits from my teeth.
I hope you all will learn to accept my decision, eventually. There will be other hunts and I will join in again with equal fervor, but there are just some things I will not do and eating the remains, living or dead, of almost any accidental wildlife intruder is one of them.
There are certain conditions that polite people don't talk about, but I find myself in one of those. Completely personal, except suffice it to say Etainne is most displeased by the fact that we only have 1 restroom in this house!
Yes, I went to the doctor, Yes, they gave me meds. No, I'm not feeling better yet.
On the other hand, there are times when it's comforting for several cats to climb on your body and purr in unison. I didn't know they could do that!
IF his hoof quarter crack is REALLY minor,
IF it's not causing him pain,
IF the patch they put on it holds,
IF he runs like he ran the last 5 races,
(If he poops on the way to the gate, as he has in the last two races)
(If he tries to nip, buck, kick, or just generally irritate either his jockey or his trainer, like he has in the last two races)
If he loads well,
If nothing stupid happens,
Then, he will be the first triple crown winner in the last 30 years, and we may see if he's really a reincarnation of Secretariat.
Good Luck, Sweet Boy. My heart and wishes are with you.
IF you don't feel well before the race, TELL SOMEONE, so you will have a chance to heal and become the fine daddy horse, I know you can be! Don't risk your life for a title and to line someone's pockets- they've already made stud contracts for you, so there's no need. This injury doesn't have to be life-threatening.
Feb 26th- new front tires............................................... $135
March 3rd-ish- took car to Hyundai to find out why the "check engine" light was on. They told me it was the Mass Intake Airflow sensor Part costs $465, not including labor. Didn't fix at that time. Total estimate for repair would have been $515.
March 20th-ish - flippy doo-dad switchy thing that makes the brake lights turn off broke (the one connected to the brake pedal) Replaced by myself, sort of. My boss climbed upside down in the car to fix it. :)...........................$27
April 18th-ish- took car back to Hyundai to finally fix the sensor and get emissions sticker updated (They won't pass the car for emissions if a check engine light is on- it automatically fails, even if the engine is running perfectly)
Turned out to be a hole in the vacuum hose that attaches to the sensor, so they fixed that, the oil change, changed the brake pads, fixed a different hose that had a leak for the power steering, and did the emissions test which passed. :) Total cost to fix all of that stuff.............$525.
Total spent to pass my $35 emissions test.......................$687.00
Unless something is done, the Navajo (Dine) Nation will lose their internet access on Monday Apr 7, 2008. That means any student who takes online classes will not be able to finish their courses, as well as becoming more isolated than they already are. The whole tribe uses the internet, not just the students, so it's loss will be felt nationwide.
I e-mailed the head of their communications department to see what they have in the works and am awaiting a reply, but if any of you have suggestions, I'm open. I'll be cross-posting this to everywhere I go on the internet, to catch as many people as I can to make them aware. Maybe sheer volumes of concerned people can help, somehow.
Etainne's female budgie murdered another cagemate sometime in the last 24 hours. The strange thing is we didn't hear or see anything. We're convinced the female premeditated this murder, complete with body mutilation to confuse us into wondering who the dead bird was- didn't work, though. With only 3 birds in the cage, and two of them still breathing, it was pretty simple to narrow down which one was missing- well sort of missing, there were parts left. We think she did the deed while we were both out voting today.
Not a pang of remorse, either! The little hussy wanted us to rejoice with her over her decision to narrow the gene pool possibilities! There will be NO offspring, I can guarantee it! It takes 21 days to incubate an egg and I have no ethical problems with forced ex-vitro abortion! (throwing the eggs away once they've been laid)
There's not much point to posting when you've been doing what you have to do to keep life going. I've been sleeping, working, paying bills, and playing Morrowind. That's it, that's all I've been doing. There have been injuries and illnesses that we have all recovered from or are still recovering from. The car's have been mostly well behaved. The animals have been sleeping a lot- not being too cute or obnoxious. Everything has been just plain, boring, the way it goes. Not that I'm complaining, though, but it does make it harder to post something that others want to read.
I've been getting phone calls on my cell phone from one of the local school districts, offering me jobs as a substitute. Since I don't work for them and I'm not the teacher in this household, I thought this was sort of odd and wanted them to change (fix) the problem so the right person could get the jobs. They were not trying to get my sister- her cell phone and home phone numbers work just fine and she also goes online to sigh up for jobs.
I called the school district. I got routed to voice mail.
I called back. I got a person who didn't have any idea who to contact about the problem. She suggested I call back and get one of the other operators.
I called back again and got routed to the technology department who told me I needed to call human resources.
I called human resources directly and got a voice mail.
I called back to the main number again and asked for the person in human resources who actually FINALLY fixed the problem.
Now, I understand that the operators just route calls and don't actually know any of the workings of the system, but should it really honestly take five (5) phone calls to fix a typographical error???
I hope the lady who was supposed to be getting the job offers, gets them, now.
Last night, I saw something that scared me. I delivered a pizza to a new house. When they opened the door, the daughter and the mother were sitting on a plastic covered pristine couch, while the dad was sitting in the easy chair.Both the mother and the daughter were perfectly manicured and rather Stepford Wife and Child sitting there on the edge of the couch. There was not a single item out of place in the house. The TV was on one of those "pimp my ride" type shows. The daughter did not show any excitement at the sight of pizza and she was somewhere around 7 years old, where excitement is the expected reaction, and the wife looked scared to death of stepping out of line. The dad was very cordial to me, but neither of the other family members uttered a sound or moved a muscle.- - - very odd! Do families still have dynamics like this, in this day and age? Is this normal for them? Or did I just come at a bad time?
I just got an e-mail (hoax!!!) from the IRS saying they owe me a refund from last year.
Careful folks. Tis the season for stuff like this to start being sent. I intend to research where to send these and I'll post it back here when I find it.
I've been delivering pizzas since 1987. I've had dogs bark, run out the door and down the street, guard their masters severely, flop over and ask for tummy rubs, or ignore me completely, but until a few days ago, I can honestly say this had never happened!
I went to the house. There was a chihuahua mix there. I handed over the food, accepted the credit card, and was making the copy of it when the dog gave me the moon pie eyes and whimpered a little when his owner told him to sit. Then, he got up, walked over, sniffed my shoe, lifted his leg, and let fly!
Yep, golden streams on my shoe.
You know? Not a single person at work had any idea how to clean that off so that it wouldn't encourage others to do likewise?
Honestly, I want to socialize and post interesting stuff and go read interesting stuff from you all, but right now, I'm having a hard time getting my laundry done (or started) and my hair washed and my oil changed.
I'm trying to stay current, honest! Give me a few more days, please?
While Gliss was away, Rath decided it was time to let his master know what was happening. He headed downstairs, dreading more than a little having to interrupt his master’s work. He opened the door to the experiment room.
“Master, I know how busy you are, but I’ve brought you your supper and I have some news you might like to hear.”, he said.
His master looked up from a pile of odd looking machine parts. “Hmm?” Oh, just leave it on the table over there,” he said, pointing to an almost uncluttered area of his work bench.
“Master, please, I must talk to you and you must eat while it is hot. It is important or I wouldn’t be bothering you.”
“Very well, what is it, Rath?” he said kindly, as he stopped hunting among the parts and worked his way carefully to the bench, his whole being now focused on Rath.
“Master, as you know, I’ve been studying the stars and trying to decipher the legend.”
“Yes, I remember you mentioning it- oh my, was that really about a month ago?” Rath’s master often lost track of time while working. He was a brilliant inventor and scientist, but the day to day events seemed to slip easily from his notice.
“It was more like three months, but yes.” Rath stalled, not sure how to start, “You know that the world has been getting progressively colder these last few years. We have almost no spring or fall now and summer hasn’t appeared for almost 5 years. Our food stocks are almost gone and we need to do something before we all starve to death.”
“Yes, I know. It’s why I’ve been trying to build this hydroponics garden, but something is eluding me and I can’t quite figure out what it needs to work properly. I can get the seeds to grow and mature, but I can never seem to get the mature plants to create seeds or fruit. I don’t understand it.” His eyes told Rath he was dangerously close to wandering off in a fit of invention that would completely distract him from the conversation at hand.
“Rolph, concentrate!” Rath was in no danger, having used his master’s name. He had bought his freedom a few years previously, but had stayed because Rolph needed someone to take care of him and help with experiments. Over the years, they had become friends and colleagues, more than master and servant, but it still felt strangely disrespectful on the few occasions when Rath had needed to resort to the tactic.
Rolph snapped to attention and sat up straighter. His eyes and ears eagerly tracking as he waited for the next command. It was hard-wired into his being to pay close attention, like a hunter watching a bird fall from the sky to see where it would land.
Rath continued. “The legend says a snow child with the sign of the circle will be born and will lead us to find peace and balance with our world. I’d always assumed that meant a white child with rings or circles in his fur of a different color, but I was wrong. I assumed that when the planets and stars aligned, the child would be born, but I was wrong there, too. Master, he’s sitting in our kitchen, right now, asleep at our fire!”
Rolph stood up quickly, “Here? Now? How’d you find him, How do you know he’s the one?”
“He ran into me at the market. He has a black sign of Pi in his white fur, but he was also born a child of this interminable winter. Master, he’s young, barely out of kittenhood. He can’t be more than 8 months old, which would mean he was born just as the stars started to align. He has a presence that is undeniable even for one so young, and a Sylph was following him, though he didn’t notice her. The Sylph don’t follow just anyone, you know!’
“If I hadn’t been sure when I brought him here, I am now, though. You recall I’ve been using a salamander to light our fireplace?
“Yes” his master said.
When I went to start the fire, our timid little salamander turned himself into a full fledged fire god, bearing gifts for the youngster. That’s two elementals who have latched onto this kitten.”
“Well, it would appear, from circumstances, you may be correct in your analysis. Perhaps, I should go upstairs and meet this boy. Have you told him what his responsibilities are? Does he know what he’s in for?”
“No, master. He’s had a lot of surprises today and seemed to need the nap. We’ll be starting out in the morning, though, so if you’d like to verify my findings, now would be the time to do so.”
“I’m sure your calculations are correct, Rath. Just the same, I should probably meet him now, rather than later after you return. Oh, if you’re leaving tomorrow, you’ll need supplies and some spending money. I have a little saved away. You’re welcome to it. Just leave me enough to buy more seeds and fill the larder while you’re gone. Dear me, I’d have finished that clock sooner if I’d known it would be time for you to leave so soon. I’ll have to remember to feed myself for a while, now, won’t I? I’ll miss you and worry after you while you’re gone, but I know you’ll be alright, especially if the elementals are going to be your traveling companions.”
Rath and Rolph touched noses and headbutted each other to show the depths of their friendship for one another. Then they headed back upstairs.
I used to listen in the dark, by the glow of the neon green lights, on my stereo to this song for hours and loved this movie. I miss songs with lyrics that tell stories.
“Same way they caused it, by adding more chemicals to the problem until it either died or was corrected.” Dubois replied.
“Is that why younger trees don’t talk?” asked Ace.
“Those trees who were born from trees such as I, can still talk, but we have not let our numbers swell. We didn’t want our intelligence to become common, so we selected our mates instead of letting Nature do it for us as we did before the change. We keep ourselves isolated and insulated to protect ourselves. She should really be the one to explain, though.”
Ace and Rath both looked at Gliss.
“Well, really,” she said, slightly flustered, “We had to do something. We couldn’t have a bunch of sentient trees wandering about, squandering their gifts and getting themselves axed, left and right.”
Rath and Ace were both startled. “Wandering about?” they said in unison.
Gliss glared at Dubois. “I wasn’t ready to tell them, yet. No matter, I guess the cat’s out of the bag, now.” Rath and Ace winced at the reference. “Fine, okay, then, time to fess up. The reason I know so many in the forest and why I have been around for centuries and why it has been so many centuries since I have been welcomed willingly into someone’s home, is because I’m a Sylph, a Faerie.
“My kind have been alive longer than Man was on this planet and saw all his highs and lows. Men were not always bad, there were good ones here and there. It was just that, as a species, they seemed to lack awareness of what they did or how it affected others. There are thousands of my kind, but most do not come to this world anymore because to be seen, we either have to have a dire need or have someone believe in us to allow us to cross the veil between our world and this one. When Man left, there were few others left to believe. Animals never really had need of us. They took care of their own problems, mostly, but the trees were a different matter.
“It was part of our job, since time began, to keep them strong. When Dubois and his generation became sentient, we knew we had to protect them, so we asked the other trees to guard them and keep them safe. That’s why the Birch are here standing around this glen. They entwine their branches and form a ring around Dubois to keep those who harvest lumber away from him and his kind, willingly, knowing that some of their number may die protecting Dubois.
“There are glens like this all over the world and wherever you find one, you’ll notice the grass is green and tender and the snow never touches inside the ring. It is our magic that keeps the ground warm so that the sentient trees are not stressed. Yes, they are free to go wherever they like, but when they stop to rest, a ring is formed for their safety and the local trees stand honor guard around them.”
“But, if you are magic, why couldn’t you just fix everything and set it right again?” demanded Ace.
“Because, dear, that’s not how it needs to work.” She said, laying a hand on his arm to comfort him. “Sure, we could have used magic on the world and Men, but that would not have been just. It would have taken away everyone’s choice. We would have been as guilty as Men of deciding others’ fates for them. When we granted our magic to those like Dubois, it was their choice, just as it was the choice of the non-sentient trees to be their guards and the grass and the earth to provide a serene resting place for them. We didn’t force any of this, we simply offered an alternative and let them decide.
“You have to remember, most of Mankind had forgotten about us or refused to believe in us, and those who did believe were either too young to be listened to or were considered insane or childish to believe in us, so we had no way to include them in our offer. It made us very sad, but we couldn’t break our laws.”
Anger seethed from Ace’s lashing tail as he shot up from the ground and started pacing under Dubois’ boughs. “But I never had a choice!”
“Yes, Ace, you did. You could have ignored and refused to believe the voices in your head. You could have chosen to go to town that day, run your errand and gone home immediately. You could have gone home at any time along the journey. You still can if you wish, but now that you have named it what it is, whatever you decide from here on will have to be your decision and you will have to live with that decision and it’s consequences.”
Ace was beyond forlorn. He stopped pacing and curled up in as small a package as his body would let him. “But I don’t know how to fix the world. What if I try and it doesn’t work? What if I make it worse? What if something happens and you get hurt or killed?”
Gliss walked over to him and sat next to him. She pulled his head into her lap and began stroking his ears. “Ace, Rath and I knew before we met you what might happen. We accepted it, good or bad, because we both believe it’s important to try, and because we both believe in you. We both believe you will be the one to return balance to the world and we both will do everything we can to make sure you have the opportunity to do so, but we will not force you. It must be your choice.”
Rath curled up beside Ace, licked the other ear briskly and purred. “Perhaps, you should take a nap before making any decisions. Gliss and I will stay right here and Dubois will guard us, for a change. We can be safe and warm, for just a little while, and recharge our spirits as well as our minds and bodies.”
Ace relaxed a little with Gliss on one side and Rath on the other. It felt good to have his friends near to comfort him. He was still worried, but a nap did sound like a good idea.
You know, theoretically I should be able to figure this out on my own, and if I wanted to hard wire the machines together, I'd have no problem, but
I want to create a multi computer OFFLINE gaming network so all the family members can play the same game at the same time against each other.
One computer is hardwired into our router.
The other two are wireless and use the wireless part of the router to access the internet so all three can use the router at the same time, but I don't want to use an online connection for family gameplay because the purpose of this little exercise is to expose the boy to multiplayer games without giving him access to cutthroat players online.
Any suggestions?
Is there a way to use the router as a connector without accessing the internet?
Ace lived comfortably with his master. He had food when he needed it, water, a soft place in the sun to lay when he wasn’t required for duties, but his mind was troubled and his soul was impatient. His dreams haunted his waking hours. Lately, he’d even begun to think he’d seen the beings from his dreams during the day. He didn’t know who they were, only what they said. It wasn’t good to listen to the voices in one’s head, but he couldn’t stop them from speaking, so he had no choice but to listen. They told him to leave, that there was more expected of his life than giving foot massages and cleaning up after others. But how could he leave? He knew there were others out there, beyond the safe walls that held him, who did not have enough to eat or a dry warm place to sleep. Leaving would be hard, but the voices were hard to ignore.
***
Rath looked up from his charts, his eyes bleary from staring too long, hoping to find some sign that would lead him to the one he sought. The legends said there would come a day when the world would set itself straight and his kind would no longer live in bondage or poverty. The stars said that time was now, but where to look for the one who was promised to lead them to peace and plenty? He got up from the table and went to the cupboard. Bare, as usual. Why his master didn’t do the simple things like buying groceries, was beyond him. ‘Well, when your head is in the heavens, it’s hard to remember that your stomach is closer to the ground.’, he thought. He’d have to do the shopping himself, again.
Rath checked his fur and set out for the market, mentally checking his list: cream, coffee, flour, salmon, potatoes, onions, maybe some nice fruit for his master if he could find any in season. It was cold. Winters had been getting steadily worse every year, but Rath knew that would all change as soon as the Promised One had completed his task. He continued to walk toward town, setting his shoulder to the wind and wishing his master would complete that contraption in the basement he’d been working on for so long. A mechanized vehicle would sure come in handy on days like today! He turned the corner of the road leading to the edge of town and headed for the market section.
***
Ace wandered the streets of the market, eyes filled with the variety of wares available. His master had sent him to pick up his clothes at the tailor’s, a function Ace had never been permitted to perform. He’d never been to town, before. Now, if he could just find the booth where the tailor worked. He was so busy concentrating on his errand, he neglected to watch where he was going and ran into Rath, both ending up in a pile in the street. Rath growled as he adjusted his dignity and picked himself up off the ground. Then he noticed the youngling who had caused the accident. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. It was the Promised one! Quickly, he helped the male child to his feet.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you,” Ace said, “Really, I suppose it’s the height of bad manners to be so tourist-y, but I’ve never been to town, before”
“Quite alright, young sir, and I should be the one apologizing.”, Rath replied, “May I help you? Do you need assistance navigating the booths?” Rath needed to stay close to this youth. The world depended on him. He needed to gain this one’s trust. “I’m Rath, of the House of Madril. May I ask your name?”
“I’m Ace, of the House of Hoepf” he said, touching noses with the stranger, as was the custom, “I’d be glad of your help.”
They wandered the bizarre, picking up the clothes and groceries as they strolled, talking constantly, getting acquainted. It was late afternoon and the snow had begun to fall again when they were finished. Ace’s tummy growled. He’d been so awed by the wonders of town, he’d forgotten to eat. Rath looked at the youth. “Ace, my home is just down the road, and as we’ve just bought the groceries, I’d be honored to share my supper with you.”
“My master will be wondering what happened to me, but it is far and it is getting cold. A warm fire and hot food would be welcome before I start home. I would appreciate sharing your table.”, Ace said, as they started down the road leading out of town and toward Rath’s house. They had just rounded the corner when a shrill voice came from the trees. “The Promised one shall set things right! Look to Plume Lake. There is where you will find what you need.” Ace shook with fear. The trees at his home had never spoken.
Rath eyed the trees. Up in the top of one was what looked for the world like a blue jay, but there was something strange about this bird. “Come closer, Friend”
“I dare not, you will eat me!”
“Eat a talking bird? Parish the thought, for I suspect you are not what you seem to be. We are Ace and Rath. What would your name be?”
“My name? No one has ever asked me before. I do not think I have one. I’ve never even thought of having one. In all these centuries, I’ve never needed one.”
Centuries? Ace was confused. Birds don't live for centuries, do they? Rath nodded as if making up his mind. “Come, Friend, show your true visage. You have nothing to fear from either of us.”
The winds picked up, snow glittering in the air. There, on the road, a young maiden stood, her wings gossamer and iridescent, her hair flowing, luminescent with dulcet light. Ace hissed in confusion and was immediately embarrassed. Bowing low, he murmured, “I’m sorry, I was just shocked, is all”
“‘Tis alright, Ace. I’ll wager you’ve never seen one of my kind before.” She smiled at him. Turning to Rath, she said, “So, about this naming business, how does one find a name?”
“Well, I think we will call you Gliss. That should do.”
“What means this ‘Gliss’?”
“It’s short for a musical term, ‘glissando’ which is a series of notes, rising up, usually.”
“Oh, I like that!” She smiled, “Gliss it is, nice to meet you”
“Ace and I were on our way to my home for supper. Would you care to join us?
“In your house? With real food and drink? In all these centuries, no one has ever invited me willingly into their home! What a treat! Thank you, I think I will.”
***
Rath showed his guests into the kitchen, leading them to the chairs closest to the fireplace. He went out the door, whistling, and came back in with a load of firewood and a salamander to light the fire. He wished there were another way, but salamanders were the most reliable, when coaxed just right. It seemed a waste of such an awesome power to be used in such a menial way and a little disrespectful. Setting the wood in the grate, he placed the salamander on the stones in front. Bowing respectfully, he asked the salamander if he could please have a fire to provide warmth and food for his guests. The salamander blinked and looked at Gliss. Suddenly, the salamander grew into an awesome beast, and spoke.
“Welcome, Promised One. I’ve been tending fires in this abode, waiting for your arrival for months.” He was looking at Ace. “I have been sent to give you tools for your journey.” He pulled a suit of chainmail and a box that looked to be of gold from the fireplace.
Ace was agast. “But, why me? I’m not much older than a kit! I haven’t any education unless you need your house swept!” He eyed the chainmail. It was obviously his size and was woven as fine as a spider’s web. His gaze moved to the box. He opened it. Inside was the softest pillow of red velvet and two tiny cups secured to the side of the box. “What’s the box for?” he asked.
“It’s for me to ride in.” said the salamander, “You don’t expect me to walk all day and night, starting fires wherever you go, do you? The chainmail is forged in the hottest fires and folded 300 times to make it strong, but light. It will protect you against any weapon you can think of. Now, I think I’ll start this fire so we can dine.” With that, he shrank again and walked over the wood to start the fire. When the fire was built to his liking, he crawled to the bucket of sand near the hearth and fell asleep.
Gliss, meanwhile, inspected the chainmail. “This is the most exquisite mail I’ve ever seen! Even the gnomes can’t make mail this fine. Ace sat in his chair, looking afraid and confused. Rath tried not to notice and busied himself with supper preparations. Gliss looked at Ace, her face softening. “Ace, do you not know the legend?” She sat next to him on the chair and cradled his head. “When the world turns a cold eye, one will come who will bring balance to the world and peace to all who dwell there.”
“Supper’s ready” announced Rath.
“Come, let us eat, then you rest. It’s too cold and you are in no condition to go home tonight.” Gliss cooed.
They ate their meal in silence, remembering to offer some to the salamander, who really didn’t want any, but didn’t want to seem impolite. The fire roared in the fireplace, making the kitchen cozy and warm. Ace ate like he’d never tasted food, a proper response for one of his age when thoughts and worries can melt away at the sight of a good meal. He went back to study the fire, thinking of the words Gliss has said, but the fire was warm and his belly was full. He was soon fast asleep.
“Thank goodness!” said Rath. "I had no idea he would be so young. I wonder if he’s up to the task he is about to face.”
“He’ll do.” Gliss said, knowingly, “He has the most important weapons already, even if he doesn’t know it. His heart is good and kind and he has courage. He hasn’t run away from any of the strange things he’s seen today. I’d better whisk away these clothes to his master. He won’t be missed so soon if the clothes are there in the morning.”
“Good idea. Come back when you’ve finished. No reason for us to separate if we are to start this journey in the morning. I’ll stay here and pack. Oh, see if you can find any of his belongings while you are there. He may have need of his things”
Ace slept fitfully. Strange images appeared in his dreams. First, there was the woman in green. She kept saying “Come to me and I will help you” She was lovely, but he didn’t know who she was. Then, another being he couldn’t quite see was beckoning him toward the lake water. Multi-colored feathers floated on the surface. He knew he would meet both, soon. He would be the Promised One, but that didn’t make him feel any braver. He wanted more than anything not to mess things up. The whole world was depending on him. He hoped he was strong enough to do whatever it was he needed to do. Strange how legends and prophesies can be so vague. The dreams released him to be replaced with visions of his childhood, chasing butterflies and napping on manicured green lawns in the sun.
Another chapter (not necessarily the second):
The land along the road, as far as the eye could see, was furrowed and filled with an abundance of grain, waiting to mature enough to harvest, providing a pleasing sea of light green and silver for the eyes to feast upon as the breeze gently tipped the heads of the stalks to and fro. A river echoed the winding and well-used path. Moss covered stones lay along the banks as the water slowly lapped at the stones. Ace gazed at the interaction of the stones and the water and smiled. Ahead, a stand of trees obscured the path.
“There’s a town, up ahead.”, said Rath, “We should see if we can find some provisions.”
“Oh, yes!”, bubbled Gliss, “I hope they have a baker.”
Ace looked at Gliss and smiled more broadly. Her infatuation with fine food was as constant as the stars. He then frowned. “Rath, how will we pay for what we need? There are a few items we’ll need that will cost more than a year’s pay.”
“I very much doubt we’ll find all that we need, but we may find a few items for defense and we’re certain to find food.. I wonder if we should try to bargain for a pack animal? As for paying for the items, don’t you worry, the universe will provide.”
Ace was not reassured. The universe might provide, but it didn’t always provide when most needed.
The trio entered the darker, cooler world under the trees. Straight burly trunks lined both sides of the path like soldiers standing in review. Their branches reached across the path creating a natural arbor. The effect was both soothing and majestic. Almost unnoticeably, the path widened to a natural glen. Above, the branches still covered the sky, the trees seeming to hold branches with their neighbors to create a spontaneous net above the circle of meadow. In the center of the meadow stood a single knotted, twisted, aged tree. Somehow, Ace got the impression that this tree was special. The party gazed at the meadow, loathe to step on the tender perfection of grass.
“Who enters this glade?”, boomed a deep baritone voice.
Gliss took a timid step onto the grass. “We are travelers on our way to the village on the other side of your magnificent glen,” Her eyes narrowed, “Would you, by any chance, be Dubois, the Ancient?”
The tree straightened a little, then shook. A light tinkling came from his leaves which didn’t match his rugged look at all. Rath stood transfixed. Ace looked ready to run back down the path the way they had come.
“Yes, my lady, although I was not so ancient the last time our paths crossed”
“No need to be reminding me of age, Dubois!”, Gliss chided playfully. “May I present my friends? The elder is Rath, an astronomer; the younger is the Promised one, Ace.”
“The Promised one! My roots and leaves, I never thought I’d meet the Promised one! Welcome, friends. Sit by my roots and I will tell you what I know.”
Rath sidled up to Gliss. “Do you know everyone in the forest?” he kidded while poking her gently with his elbow.
Rath, Ace and Gliss settled on the ground at Dubois’ roots and prepared to listen.
“ Longer ago than most remember, there were creatures on this planet who called themselves Man. They were a destructive and selfish race. They did not respect each other, the earth, or any other creatures that lived with them. They sought personal gain and took what they felt was theirs without asking or giving consideration to anyone else around them. They stripped the earth of her minerals and overused her topsoil to the point where nothing could grow where they had touched the earth. They made fearsome weapons and used them against each other, not heeding the effects on others around them, poisoning water and land. They took animals from their homes and experimented on them to see what their minds could come up with, not caring about what might happen to their test subjects. They felled whole forests, developed chemicals to control what they did not desire, which poisoned birds and other animals. They consumed to the point of causing thousands of animals and plants to die out. In their greed they caused the air to grow thin in places and the land to heat up everywhere. They changed the earth so much they couldn’t live on it anymore.
“They had a habit of taking your ancestors into their homes for companionship, but they were not content to accept the animals as Nature had made them. They took apes and mice from the wild and experimented on them, trying to make them more useful to their purposes. They reasoned that if a dog was helpful as a pet, then it would be much more helpful if it had more intelligence and could use tools. They changed dogs, cats, mice, and apes. They achieved higher sentience which helped them, for a while, but the effects were cumulative. Each successive generation became smarter. The animals they had altered and their children began to resent being kept as servants, as their intelligence increased. The new sentients longed to create on their own. Along with intelligence came greed. The cycle began again.
“An interesting unintended effect also began, though slower. The chemicals and manipulations Man used to increase the animals’ intelligence, was not disposed of properly. It got into the water system where the nearby plants got their nourishment from. Man never intended to have smart plants, but some of us were more susceptible than others. Older trees died from shock, but sprouts and shoots were still pliable. We grew and gained knowledge, which was ironic since Man had been cutting down trees for centuries to use as paper for storing knowledge. Eventually, Man corrected the problem, but a few of us had learned how to hide our intelligence and we survived.
“So, now Man is gone, but we still have war and strife, famine and plague. There are still areas where the earth has not recovered. We still have slavery. We still have need.
Every year, I get to work Halloween.
Every year, there are teens who think it's fun to dress in solid black and walk in the streets.
Every year, there are 3-9 year olds, brightly costumed, but filled with excited energy who don't stay on the sidewalks.
Every year, I dread driving on this night. Millions of children and thousands of pizza delivery drivers are not a good combination.
Please, if just for one night, turn on your porch lights, park your cars off the streets, leave as much wide open well-lit space as possible for people like me who have to drive and fear all the other things we have to avoid to prevent injury to those who's lives have not yet been as long as we'd like them to be.
I'll be the one driving half the speed limit with both my brights and my fog lights on.
When I was in 10th grade, we read "Of Mice and Men" and about 13 other Steinbeck stories. Then, sometime after that, parents decided it wasn't the sort of book kids should read, so it was banned.
Here's a teacher who read an APPROVED book to his students, but is now facing prosecution because particular parents got upset and decided if the school wasn't going to do something, they would file "distributing bad material to a minor" (forgot the word used) charges to get this teacher removed.
Personally, I don' t think this teacher did anything wrong. Yes, the subject is one that I personally wouldn't use, but that does not invalidate the fact that this book was on the approved reading list at the time it was read, nevermind how I feel about banning books, in general.
I think it's a shame that some people just have to be right, no matter how they have to do it or what it costs others involved. Great example these parents are teaching regarding tolerance and free thinking for their children.
You're not alone. There are others, here, who have been through, or are going through, what you are going through, right now. Or, I've been there, or am there, right along with you, and we'll figure it out together.
There is no shame. Your feelings are just as valid as anyone else's. Your worries and hurts are as big to you as theirs are to them. Don't let them belittle you for owning what you feel.
Find little joys where you can and remember them. Tuck them away in your heart for those days that seem solid gray.
I'm thinking of you, wishing and praying for something happy to happen for you. And I'm not alone in that, either.
Yep, that's right.
Six out of the seven kitties are wishing they made kitty NyQuil!
Coughing, sneezing, aching sinuses, body aches, mild fevers, can't get comfortable to sleep, everything tastes funny (off), the world is woozy if I try to walk anywhere, hold me and make me better but don't touch me- sick.
Poor babies! :(
Good news is rhinoviruses are generally species specific, so no one else will be getting it.
I feel completely uncentered. I go to the places where people I'd like to have as friends are and I read, but I do not interact much. I live in fear that when they find out all about me, they will not want to be my friends anymore. They will think I'm nuts, delusional, or worse, a pretender of something I'm not. I do not trust that their like of me is based on any real knowing and I do not trust that they can have an open enough mind to see that people can be multi-faceted. I don't know if it is safe to show them all the sides of me.
I've been looking around on the internet, just sort of grazing here and there on topics I find somewhat interesting. Several places use graphics for their headers-banners-logo area that are from well-known artists, some of whom happen to be friends of mine, who I know didn't give permission to have their artwork used in such a way. But these websites are not commercial sites, just personal ones, but I feel bad whenever I see that an image I know was not created for that purpose is used that way.
I haven't mentioned any of this to my artist friends and so far, I haven't made a stink with any of the website owners, but
If you were using an image you found at a place that had a lot of graphics you thought were for open use and you used it in a way that was not insulting to the person who actually made the image---you didn't alter it, you used it as it was originally made--- would you want to know you were using an image that was not supposed to be used at all?
Because you know, you're indirectly guilty of copyright infringement, but it was not an intentional goal of yours because you thought the image was safe to use, but at the same time, the artist's copyright has been infringed, so I'm sort of torn. It's not my job to defend my friends' artworks, but at the same time, if I don't, who will? And on the other hand, these pieces are nice and people who are not talented do enjoy using nice images on their sites and if they had to do them, themselves, there'd be a lot of boring sites out there.
Sorry folks, probably should have explained this sometime in the last 5 years
My sister, Etainne, and I live together, along with her son- that would be my one and only nephew--except there are half nephews on the other side of the family I haven't met yet and won't strain myself to meet anytime soon--- 7 cats, 2 dogs, and 11 birds.
(If you're old enough to remember a comedy LP called "The First Family", you may now follow along)
4 of the cats and 6 of the birds are related, not to each other, but well you know, confined to species, they make up their own families.
2 of the 3 remaining cats were my sisters when she divorced.
The other cat was mine.
The two dogs and 4 of the birds (well, and the family of 4 cats) were added after we moved here.
Of the family of 6 birds, I started out with 2, but they had other plans. They actually have had 12 or 15 children (er, chicks) but I managed to boot the rest from the nest(adopt out). But the only way to discourage the female from laying fertile eggs is for their last clutch to remain with them, so they're still here.
The family of 4 cats were found as days old kittens in our back yard. We took them in, intending all along to take them to the no-kill shelter- never intending them to stay- but well, when they were 8 weeks old they were still small, despite regular 2-4 hour feedings and the shelter told us to bring them back when they weighed over 2 lbs each. They were all almost 9 months old by then and we were used to them, so they ended up staying.
That leaves one rescued bird who was rescued on purpose and is loved every bit as much as the rest.
I wish I'd been a little quicker on the uptake just now. I got an error that said Windows had a problem loading some part of this page (the add entry page) but I clicked ok, before I actually read what the error was about. Reloaded, and didn't have the problem again, so I'll keep an eye out and see if it comes back again.
Weird!
Anyway, it seems like the comment alerts are working and the tracking alerts, which is totally cool! Thanks Keith!!!
I'd like to declare a mulligan for today. It's just not going the way I'd hoped. Nothing majorly wrong, but nothing happy or exciting either- It's a blah day, but maybe that's what I need as my brain can't seem to stay on focus for longer than a few minutes today, anyway. Good thing I didn't have anything planned that required a brain, today, I would have been found sadly lacking!
Now, if I could just figure out why my browser won't let me copy and paste in this box.
... or if I could get my brain together long enough to fiddle with designs
... or if I could think of something to put with the chicken fried steak I'm cooking for dinner
... or if I felt motivated to actually check to see if the Critter has homework he's ignoring
1. Do you have a tattoo?
2. How old are you?
3. Are you single or taken?
4. Fish?
5. Do you dream in color?
6. Ever seen a corpse?
7. Hipsters or Hillbillies?
8. How did we meet?
9. What's your philosophy on life and death?
10. If you could do anything with me, and have no one know, what would it be?
11. Do you trust the police?
12. Do you like musicals?
13. What is your fondest memory of me?
14. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
15. Would you cheat ?
16. What are you wearing?
17. Have you ever peed in a pool?
18. Would you hide evidence for me if I asked you to?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20. Which do you prefer - short or long hair?
21. What's your favorite day of the week?
22. What's your favorite color?
23. If you could bring back anyone that has passed, who would it be?
24. Tell me one interesting/odd fact about you?
25. What was your first impression of me?
26. Have you ever done drugs?
27. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?
I just created a text document of my entire two years posting on modblog. I never thought to look for them. I figured once the server was gone the posts were too.
But now, I have every blog entry I've ever entered anywhere (because I cross posted the entries from the forum I used as a journal before I had a blog to the first few pages of modblog), but it's like 22 pages long, so I'm not sure I should post it here at the beginning of this blog's dates...Still,l 5 years of journals is sort of impressive for me, considering I could never keep a diary for more than 6 months when I was growing up.
I was reading over some of my old entries. I think I was a better writer 3 years ago. Well. maybe I'll post it, maybe not, but at least I have them, now.
The wayback machine also had my layout from modblog. Don't know why I never thought to look for it there, before. It was by far the most involved template I ever used, anywhere and I always thought I'd eventually get efx2 to look that way, but never got around to it. Yes, I *could* hand code the nested tables and recreate it, but since it's there, why the heck not use it? All I have to do is strip the modblog generator stuff out of it to be able to use it here and add the stuff like chatbox and rss feed that I want.
But first, there's a certain cat that needs his litterbox refreshed!
February, 2000, I was doing laundry when I noticed my favorite grandmother's quilt was starting to get a little ragged, in spots. Well, there are at least 4 generations of previous quilters on that side of the family and I had also quilted before, so why the heck not try to mend the thing?
*this is a stupid idea from a person with just enough exposure to a problem to be dangerous about it!*
So, I went online and tried to find as many quilting forums as I could. Wow, you should meet some of the characters you meet at an online quilting bee! There was one site that had everyone from those who didn't know how to thread a needle (let alone that there are different kinds of threads and needles) to professionals who know everything and of course, those in between.
So, there was this one site where this really funny and naturally supportive lady posted. She had good skills, but didn't give you the meadow muffins that sometimes accompanied the quilting police ladies or the*whoosh above your head* advice the professionals sometimes gave. And, she had a tiny llama as her member icon.
Ok, so months go by and I decided I needed more personal help and hired a teacher to start me out better, but whenever I came across something that threw me, the llama lady was there, ready to encourage, advise, commiserate (when I had to redo parts) and generally support.
Then Sept 11th happened. We were, as a nation and as a world, floored. We were numb. But the llama lady wasn't. Within hours, she was posting an idea to help relieve the suffering and pain so many were going through. She asked for generals, I volunteered. (so did 6 others) Originally, we only had 20or 30 people say they would help out. But over the course of the 8 weeks, it grew, and when we were finished, when we had reached our goal, over 800 quilts were made in those 8 weeks by over 300 quilters. She hand delivered several special quilts to their intended recipients, driving the whole way, stopping at fellow quilters' houses along the way to personally say thank you to them.
That lady was special in a way no other person I've ever met has ever been. Her name was Ms Visine. (yeah, she's changed it just a little bit) She has been physically in my home and is completely the way you see her here. She is the third sibling of the twin set I belong to, and I'm proud to call her friend and sister.
Obviously I've missed quite a few, and I've added a spaces and taken away the < at the beginning,so these will show the code instead of just the name and link, but the advantage is that these are direct links so you can just copy and past the code into the editor. Simply erase the ones you don't want and put in the ones you do, if I don't have them. (I'm still adding to this, btw)
a href='http ://bbd.efx 2blogs. com/'>BBD
a href='http ://bebbet.efx 2blogs. com/'>Bebbet
a href='http ://birdsnest.efx 2blogs. com/'>Birdsnest
a href='http ://bunnychan.efx 2blogs. com/'>Bunnychan
a href='http ://chica.efx 2blogs. com/'>Chica
a href='http ://chandramoon.efx 2blogs. com/'>ChandraMoon
a href="http ://cyclingplatypus.efx 2blogs. com/'>Cycling Platypus
a href='http ://darkstar.efx 2blogs. com/'>Darkstar
a href='http ://deejay.efx 2blogs. com/'>Deejay
a href='http ://dorum.efx 2blogs. com/'>Dorum
a href='http ://eclectablog.efx 2blogs. com/'>Eclectablog
a href='http ://elisla.efx 2blogs. com/'>Elisla
a href='http ://etainne.efx 2blogs. com/'>Etainne
a href='http ://goddess.efx 2blogs. com/'>Goddess
a href='http ://grimfairy.efx 2blogs. com/'>GrimFairy
a href='http ://grnidlady.efx 2blogs. com/'>Grnidlady
a href='http ://heavensdevil99.efx 2blogs. com/'>Heaven's Devil 99
a href='http ://jeremy.efx 2blogs. com/'>Jeremy
a href='http ://keith.efx 2blogs. com/'>Keith
a href='http ://kingofankh.efx 2blogs. com/'>KingofAnkh
a href='http ://kinnigurl.efx 2blogs. com/'>Kinnigurl
a href='http ://lauriesasylum.efx 2blogs. com/'>Laurie's Asylum
a href='http ://ladyvisine.efx 2blogs. com/'>Lady Visine
a href='http ://lazyboy.efx 2blogs. com/'>LazyBoy
a href='http ://libertine.efx 2blogs. com/'>Libertine
a href='http ://lisalisabobisa.efx 2blogs. com/'>Lisabobisa
a href='http ://littlemissconfused.efx 2blogs. com/'>LittleMissC
a href='http ://logis.efx 2blogs. com/'>Logis
a href='http ://mothman.efx 2blogs. com/'>Mothman
a href='http ://nysak.efx 2blogs. com/'>NysaK
a href='http ://periodicallydemented.efx 2blogs. com/'>Periodically Demented
a href='http ://photostyle.efx 2blogs. com/'>PhotoStyle
a href='http ://pizzofmine.efx 2blogs. com/'>Pizzofmine
a href='http ://sic.efx 2blogs. com/'>Sic
a href='http ://sladewilson.efx 2blogs. com/'>SladeWilson
a href='http ://spaceystacey.efx 2blogs. com/'>SpaceyStacey
a href='http ://streams.efx 2blogs. com/'>Streams
a href='http ://welshpixie.efx 2blogs. com/'.Welsh Pixie
This will get you started, anyway.
OH, where you ask: ok, well the area of your blog that says:
< !-- BEGIN LEFTSIDE --> <(except yours will probably say right side)
< h2>Description
< %Description%>
< br>
Below that you'll find the place where the default links are. Simply add a < br > (without spaces) and paste in. If your browser is set not to copy and paste, you can copy using Ctrl-C and paste using Ctrl-V.
each link will need a < a > at the beginning and a < / a > + a < br > (without the spaces) at the end.
But when I do that and insert the url for the image, all my links turn blue or purple and the image still doesn't appear. What am I missing? What didn't I do? What did I do wrong? (why are my links changing colors when I do this?)
double check your settings to make sure others can see and comment in your blogs, but there are several people missing the "add a comment" link in their templates.
If you were offline yesterday, you didn't see the rather sudden and provocative new idea Periodically Demented and Keith had (PD had the original idea, and Keith found the software)
It caused quite a stir. MANY people jumped at the chance to have features and stuff back the way it was in a more secure format---including Keith.
So, after a round or two of who can donate the quickest, PD bought the software (well, Keith bought it, but PD gave him the money and lots of others chipped in to cover dancing girls, beer and extra bandwidth- oh and explosives)
So, I went to take out the trash around 3 this morning, got snagged by "Angel", came back, thought I was still logged into wpMU, but when I refreshed, this was here and the fun had begun.
So, what I've taken the long way around the barn to say is, this time was intentional for the betterment of the community. :)
(oh and meanwhile, Chica got snagged in the mix and has decided to become a CL to help with layouts and coding, so go visit her if you have any problems.LazyBoy, UtahCon, and WelshPixie are all here too and probably can help you also.)
We're still waiting on word about post restore, but Keith needed to get some sleep or work his real job or be a dad, or something, so we're trying not to fuss. okay?
Ok, I've been fiddling with this for quite a while and have fixed things to where I won't have a meltdown or think I'm somewhere I'm not supposed to be when I come back, so before Etainne comes home, I should probably get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs- she's going to have me help her and I'll need a brain, and probably a couple motrin to help her. <--- the way I look right now.
(that sounded like a gripe, it wasn't. My eyes really are whirling and I generally need motrin after sitting anywhere besides my comfy overstuffed computer chair and I can't see her screen from here so I'll have to go over there.)
Ok, reading around, I've seen a bit of grumbling, so here's what I can offer, right now.
1. If you keep getting logged in as anonymous for replies, simply change that box to your username.
2. If you completely fubar your whole template and want to start over, you can simply reload the original template by clicking on 'choose another template' under your template menu.
3. I highly recommend bookmarking both the efx2blogs main page and your own blog management page in your browser's favorites. It can save a lot of frustration.
4. As an added precaution, I've created a notepad page with the template I'm working on, just in case I do something awful. You can clear the editor box and paste your code in, if necessary.
5. Back up your important posts, either to another blog or to a notepad file. We shouldn't be moving again anytime soon, so it shouldn't be a problem, but you never know, so just get in the habit.
6. If you go to your account page, you can see the last however many posts you picked in your preferences. If you need more, you can change the number.
When all the fiddling is done, this software will enable us to have pretty darned close to what the Restyle gave us, (with added security) but a little patience goes a long way.
This place has been officially fumigated, now (not that I had a problem, but you know, better to take care of a problem before you have it than after)
So, there was one little tiny item I didn't feel comfortable putting over on Chica-X 's place, because it doesn't really fit over there and I didn't want her or her readership to be uncomfortable. But it fits just fine over here, so I'll post it now and y'all can ignore it or respond as you see fit.
I don't have solid numbers, but here are some facts. There are, right now, still living, people- men and women- who are veterans, who are disabled, who served honorably in WWII, the Korean Conflict, Viet Nam, Granada, Panama, Kosevo, Bosnia, Somalia, and the first Gulf war. I mention this because lately, in the news, the focus seems to be on the treatment of vets returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, from this conflict, and the impression is that they are the only ones who are receiving treatment for injuries sustained during service to their country. It's not true. At my local VA hospital, there are 250,000 vets who receive treatment. There are another 300,000 who live in the area and could if they chose to, but do not.
I don't begrudge those returning from the current conflict, but I strongly resent the implication that those who served before are somehow less deserving of quality care because they've been in the system longer. The funny thing about health is it gets worse the longer you deal with it.
Case in point: I am a female over 40 service-related disabled vet. While I appreciate the extra care given to me because I'm a woman, you know female stuff, I have other issues that are not gender specific that are service-related that I can't get any sort of resolution for. I see men who are older than I am, who get all the heart meds and monitoring they want but can't get a refit on their prosthetics. This "flavor of the month" diagnosing and treatment style doesn't work well, in my opinion. The abcesses caused by improperly fitted prosthetics or a tooth the VA won't fix can cause septicemia and death a lot quicker than a high cholesterol count or a possible tuberculosis outbreak.
I'm not asking for total health care. I just want them to fix what they promised they would! For all of us.
I've been hit by a writing bug, which is a good thing since I need to have something to say when I guest blog on Chica-X's blog, but it means I can't say anything here that I might want to say there and I don't know how long this inspiration will last or if I will be still happy with what I wrote by the time I need to post. See? This is why I didn't complete that journalism degree!;)
I'm pretty sure I won't be rambling on about e-mail over there, so it's probably safe to do so over here. I've noticed a pattern that I find disturbing. I get only about 10 e-mails per day, but 9 of them, generally are for things I didn't ask for.
About 5 years ago, I bought an Iomega zip drive, then had some incompatibility issues, so I went to the Iomega site. Since then, about 3 times a week I get advertisements from them. I don't remember signing up with them. All I did was register ownership of one of their products and search their technical base. Still can't use the drive. It's collecting dust, just like their e-mails do. I don't even look at them, they go into the rotational file immediately, but I'm still getting them after numerous attempts to unsubscribe.
I ordered a gift for a friend from a saddlery company. They keep trying to get me to buy a horse to go along with the previous purchase.
My ISP keeps sending me "How to get connected" e-mails which I find hilarious because if I wasn't connected, I wouldn't be getting the e-mails!
I took an online quiz at one of those new age shops. It was a fun quiz, but I took it, like, 4 years ago. I can't unsubscribe from those, either, but I almost don't mind because they have such a fascinating collection of things they sell. Still, I didn't buy from them, before, so why would I now?
Okay, guys, If you don't want to discuss female health issues, leave now. Of course, if you have any females in your lives- mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives- then you might want to stick around for just a moment.
I got a letter from the VA on Friday afternoon that stated I was to report to a non-VA clinic for my very first mammogram today. Okay, so we need to ask the VA to give a tiny bit more notice, but other than that, it was fine.
Ladies, if you have the option, try to make sure you get the digital mammography instead of the old standard kind! It's quick, PAINLESS, and easy. Not sure about other areas, but I asked what the cost was for women who don't have insurance and the clinic I used charges $250, which includes taking the images and interpreting them. Of course, if you have insurance, it's even less, so there's no real financial reason not to!
The technician at the clinic said she gets a lot of women who dread it because they fear what they've heard about how painful it can be, but this is no longer true. It took me longer to get undressed than it did to get the mammogram done. My results should be ready in about a week, but the cool part was I could see the images right away (not that I knew what to look for) Still, it was pretty cool, but the best part was knowing that my fears were baseless. YEA!
You scored as Serenity (Firefly), You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you.
I have always had a hard time changing. If it were up to me, there would still be a file manager in Windows and I'd still be using Netscape 4.6 to preview source codes, but...
There comes a time when dealing with the idiosyncrasies of the software I'm using becomes too irritating to deal with, so to that end, I've upgraded.
I have 3 days to find an interest in something printed, bound, on real paper. If I do that, and can read another 15 pages, I will have read 1000 pages of printed material- not online- in a real book I held in my hand, this week. :D
If I'm really lucky, it'll be a good story and I'll be able to claim at least 1200 pages this week!
Dumbledore fine
Harry might die but will be brought back.
Hermoine dies.
Snape dies fighting against Malfoy Sr.
Hagred minister of creature affairs
Serious Black dies defending someone
Neville get's Budge's job (ministry of Magic)
Tralaney dies
Ron gets an appointment somewhere
Voldemort contained and banished
Magonigal fine
Sr Malfoy dies, Jr Malfoy is forced into hiding
My predictions
Dumbledore dies
Snape gets appointed head of Hogwarts. We never learn everything about his past.
Harry and Voldemoret die or get locked in an eternal plane of struggle
Hermoine and Ron get married
Black dies
Hagred gets appointed as an ambassador to otherkin
Longbottom put in charge of hospital where his parents are
Alternatively, if Harry doesn't die, he gets appointed new Dark Arts teacher or becomes an Auror.
Both Malfoys destroyed if not killed
Listen up! It's not a crime to accidently kiss someone's bumper in traffic. It IS a crime to drive away at high speeds when the driver of the car you hit gets out of the car to see if there's any damage.
I knew, at 3-5 mph, there wouldn't be any significant damage, but my insurance company wants me to look, anyway. My plan had been to look briefly, walk to your car, and assure you that everything was copacetic and you didn't have anything to worry about. Paint scratches, that's all.
You, on the other hand, decided to panic.
You are now guilty of a felony, whether you are ever caught or not, and for what? Because you were afraid I'd find out you didn't have insurance or because you didn't want to have to tell your parents you'd hit someone while texting? (oh yes, I saw the cell phone in your hand!)
Wake up, Doofus! Running away can sometimes make things a lot worse than they were to begin with.
I wish you luck, because you're going to need it the next time, when things may not go so easy for you.
Oh, and by the way, cutting through traffic lanes like you did, during high traffic is also not a great idea. Neither is cutting through a parking lot to avoid a traffic light.
A geek, a nerd, one of those "nice" girls people knew in high school, but couldn't remember ever actually socializing with.
Please, don't make me do the "secret handshake". I barely got beyond the "High Five". I don't know how to "blood brother- peace out- gotcha back- more power to you- kissin cousins shake" or whatever it's called when a handshake lasts 5 minutes and has 15-37 intricate variations. I don't know the prescribed order in which the moves are supposed to be placed.
It's hard enough to be a girl, taught during the N.O.W. generation to shake hands like a man, and realize that my normal handshake intimidates men and insults them, without having to memorize choreography just to say hello.
Please, just don't ask, don't offer. I will only disappoint you and embarrass myself.
Ok, this won't apply to 99.9% of you, but for the rest,
If you have video screens in your car and want to watch X rated movies, please tint your windows!
Most adults have learned to ignore what they see while they're driving, but there are kids in the cars around you, too, who don't need to see "Debbie Does Dallas" in full living color on the way to Walmart.
Also, as unfriendly as this will sound, if your driving, your screen needs to be turned off, even if you're only watching "Barney" dvds for the kids in your car. It's distracting, even for you, the driver.
There's a UNCF commercial- public service announcement that touts the accomplishments of African American inventors. I think it's cool to know all these great and not so great (some are humble) things were invented by African Americans, but I wonder at the misleading message of the ad. A lot of the things invented by African Americans were introduced in the 1800's, some even earlier.
I would like to know, out of the people mentioned in the ad, how many had a college degree? I'm sure Dr. Charles Drew, who invented the blood plasma bag and thus the blood bank, had a college education, but what about A.L.Cralle, who invented the ice cream scoop, or Garrett Morgan, who invented the traffic light, or L.A. Burr, who invented the lawn mower?
You see, when I was growing up, I was taught (perhaps incorrectly) that generally, African Americans didn't go to college before WWII, that before Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights demonstrations, Blacks were not admitted to colleges, except for the two or three all- black colleges in the North. I had always assumed that meant that the people who invented stuff before then had done so without a formal higher education, using the power of their minds and the determination of their spirits to succeed in spite of being oppressed, which I always found more inspirational.
So, what about it? Did Sarah Boone, who invented the ironing board, have a college degree? Did Lydia O. Newman who invented the hair brush, have one? What about J. Ricks, who invented the horse shoe?
It is true that a mind- anyone's mind- is a terrible thing to waste, but it's equally important to remember that a college education doesn't guarantee success and the lack of one doesn't excuse anyone from using the brain they have.
***caveat*** This post focuses on African Americans because that's what the UNCF ad focuses on. It's not meant to slur or demean any accomplishment of any group or individual, but more to focus on the misconceptions that a focused ad can inadvertently or intentionally bring forth. It is not meant to enrage, but rather to engage the mind of the reader in an active, participatory thinking process about the quality of the information we're bombarded with every day.
Cross your fingers.
Turn around three times.
Shout nonsense words.
Stick out your tongue and cross your eyes.
Keep a good wish for my car.
Today's update:
I called to see if I could drop off the car to get the power steering restored and the guy (Josh) told me the prices had doubled and they didn't have any of the parts in stock, and they had such a backlog of cars from Monday through Wednesday that they couldn't possibly get to my car until this coming Monday, anyway, even if they HAD the parts onhand. :rolleyes:
Absolutely rediculous! This isn't a major fix. It shouldn't take more than 2 hours and so far it's taken (or will take) 3 weeks! Not a happy camper, here, folks! Still waiting for the parts to come in. Meanwhile, I'm glad I didn't just leave it there with them and rent a car while they didn't fix mine!
Why can't people (mechanics) do what they say they can do and when they say they can do it for the amount they originally say they can?
A friend of mine was asking me if I knew of an operating system that wasn't windows or linux for PC. I have no idea, but I know there are people here who do know, so speak up! What's the best alternative(free license) PC OS out there?
So, two weeks ago, my brakes started making a metal crunching noise. I took the car into Firestone where they informed me the calipers were bad, but they'd need two days to order the parts. In the meantime, they could bleed the lines, relube the parts and it would drive safely as long as I replace the pads the moment I start to hear them go bad. Ok, so the cost of actually replacing the calipers is $800. They charged me $400 with a pro rate for the real job when I get it done, for the other $400.
Then, last week the battery died. Hyundai wanted $130 for a new battery, installed. I went to Autozone and got one for $70, (installed because they were nice enough to put it in for me)
Last night, the power steering went out. The pump appears to be working but there's a serious leak- so serious that the fluid leaks out immediately when I put it in. I've called Hyundai and they say it will be about $250 to replace the whole system, but it could be just the return line. They didn't happen to mention how much that would be to fix.
Today was the big day for Jury Duty. I stayed up all night to be sure I made it there on time (because if I had gone to bed, chances are I would have slept through my alarm clock and there's a big nasty note on the form letter sent out that says if you don't show up, you can be subpeona'ed to show cause for why you didn't obey an order of the court)
At 7AM I showered and found something not made of jersey knit to wear and headed towards downtown. Now, I don't normally drive downtown because I hate guestimating which streets go which way and street signs disappear around here like the city was having a fire sale. The other problem is that the streets are named South and North whatever and East and West whatever, even if they don't actually run the direction they're named.
I was supposed to go to S. something but I got befuddled and was actually at N. something when I found what must have been the parking garage we were supposed to use. I had no indication I was in the wrong place because there was a sign that said "Jurors, use roof level" So round and round up the ramp I went and had 15 minutes to spare when I parked my car. I happened to see a fire marshall and asked him where the elevator was when he told me I was in the wrong garage and needed to go 4 blocks south.
I drove down the ramp, round and round, and round and met the guy at the gate who begrudgingly let me pass without paying because it had taken me 10 minutes to enter and leave the garage and they only allow 5.
I went to the correct parking garage and entered through the only entrance I could find and was told I was on the wrong side of the garage and needed to go out again and go around the building to the other entrance. I almost cried! But at least the official there was nice about it.
So, I finally found the correct place and had 3 minutes to park the car and get to the right place to be processed. I didn't find an open parking space until the 5th level. I ran to the elevator and made it to the court in time, but was scared because inside the gallery, there was a guy at the podium calling out names and he was on the R's!
A lady came back to the desk outside the gallery and told me my panel had been cancelled for the day and I could go home. She asked if I needed something to prove I was there for work, and I said no, but I wanted something anyway so that if I got called in for not showing up, I could prove I'd been there! She gave me the note.
I went back to my car and the battery wouldn't start.
I cleaned the terminals (always carry distilled water and baking soda in the trunk) and tried again. The car tried really hard to start, but just didn't have enough juice.
About that time, the guy who had parked next to me came walking over to his car, which was a sports car, so I knew he, being a young person and having a snazzy paint job wouldn't be likely to want to boost my battery, I asked him if he would notify the attendants that I was up there. He said "Sure" and drove off.
30 minutes later, and still no one had shown up to help me, a cop drove past, so I asked him if he could give me a boost. He said with all the electronics in the cars, now, they weren't allowed to do that anymore. So I asked him to again remind the attendants that someone on the 5th level was stranded.
30 minutes later, still no one!!! I gave up, locked my car and walked down to the exit. They had a nice battery booster sitting in the office. I left them my driver's license and walked back to my car where it took me 20 seconds to get my car started.
On the way out they gave me back my ID and I gave them back their booster.
I then drove to the Hyundai place where I was informed they could install a battery for me but it would take 2.5-3 hours and cost $130.00 for the battery. I told them I'd just have to wing it because I couldn't afford to be awake that much longer.
I got 4 hours of sleep once I finally got home, before I had to be awake again for work.
I found out that WHEN they have them in stock, the correct sized battery for my car costs $70-80 at the local auto parts stores. (Etainne called around for me while I was sleeping), so now all I have to do is hope they have one when I go to get one later today.
Last Thursday, I woke up and checked my mail before I took off to get the brakes fixed on my car (calipers) and found among the bills a letter from Taylor County (Abilene) Texas.
It seems there is a District Attorney there who wants to get all the old cases off the books, which included ONE (1) bounced check I wrote April, 1985,--- 22 years ago --- that I thought I had taken care of at the time.
So, they issued a warrant for me FOR A 22 YEAR OLD CHECK FOR $10 !!!!! I don't even have the check register or checks for the account anymore and the bank went under in the mid '80's when the oil crash came! No way I could prove I paid it at the store!(oddly, I do remember writing the check and what was going on the weekend I wrote it)
I immediately called them and they said once a warrant is issued, it never goes away and the DA wanted to get rid of the whole mess of backlogged warrants for piddly things. I would have to pay the fine. However, there was a mistake made and the amount should have been based on the fine at the time the warrant was issued, not the current fine rates, so, that was a break, but still.:eek:
So, here's the moral of the story:
If you are young and stupid and bounce a check, AND take care of it, keep you receipts for the rest of your life because it can come back to haunt you at any time!
The other moral is, doublecheck your math. (the reason the check bounced in the first place)
I don't know who Stella is, but her walkthroughs are some of the greatest I've ever seen! I wasn't even a Laura Croft fan until I ran across this site looking for a patch for a game I bought my sister.
I can't even begin to imagine the hours she's put into researching every detail of every version of every game on there.
Of course, the problem first would be deciding which game franchise I wanted to become that dedicated to.
Still, it's a wonder to behold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several hours later,
Ok, time to stop having fun and get ready for Jury duty. :D
I have checked all the normal haunts,
created a couple graphics,
created a couple versions of the template you're looking at,
tried to help my sister straighten out her design (still not fixed),
caught up on notifications,
tried out a few more interesting (but not workable) variations,
paid my bills online (some of them- some are not online yet),
met some new people,
walked my nephew through two levels of two seperate games,
ran a total virus scan,
and didn't manage to crash, corrupt, or disable anything crucial.
Okay, there are a few things left to do to get to what I want this to look like, but, mostly, this now feels more comfortable.
I still need to figure out why there's that green line down the side of my menus and see if my menus are on the left where they belong, and I'd like to figure out how to add the textured background back, and I might have to design a new logo for the space provided, but really, those are minor things.
and I need to see *clicks on "show custom smilies"* Oh, no I don't, they're right there! :rotf:
Odd, the new add post background is charcoal...
I wonder what else I should mess with besides the colors?
You think Keith would get mad if I did something that broke the new system? :eek:
I was right. Keith is keeping us very informed. :D
Ok, so this will take a while and it will look silly for a few days while I figure out how to get everything where it needs to go, but, we're getting there, so just sit tight. Okay?
Oh wait, I forgot. The design I'm working on is private, so it will only look silly to me. :D Y'all won't notice a thing until the big reveal! :laugh:
Ok, it looks like the restyle is working its way through our little community. Guess that means I need to get off my duff and actually learn this new stuff I've been avoiding. *wink* I haven't checked the forums or my new post subscriptions yet, today, so, hopefully, Keith will let us know when it's ok to start messing around with our designs. (I'm sure he will, he's been pretty good at that sort of thing so far)
Yestereday, for the first time in 102 years a filly won the Belmont. I only mention this because I felt the need to complete my coverage of the Triple Crown. I didn't get to see the race, so I'm hoping it will be posted on their website. Still, poor Curlin, bridesmaid again.
Later this week I have to report for Jury Duty. There's all sorts of information for wrongful termination or pay benefits for jurors, but there's nothing mentioned about people who want to serve being able to take time off if their job primarily takes place during non-standard hours. I did everything I was responsible for. I requested the time off at least two weeks prior to the day I needed off, I posted a copy of my notification, and I verbally informed my boss. Still, she has decided it's perfectly acceptable for me to work until 1 AM Thursday night-Friday morning, report for jury duty at 8:30 AM Friday morning, then work until at least 2 AM Friday night-Saturday morning because Jury duty doesn't actually fall in the hours I normally work and therefore doesn't prevent me from working my regular schedule.
Stay off the roads, Friday night. I'll have been going nonstop from 12 pm Thursday, which is about 36-38 hours. No big deal for a 20 year old, but not nearly so kind for a 40+ year old.
Since today is technically the second day of testing Psyphen is conducting, and since I wanted to get a baseline- starting point to see what my computer is doing (not that I couldn't look at the active processes and tell, but...) I went to PCPitstop and tried their free benchmark testing service.
Well, not too shabby, the ole horse is still trotting along (I knew that, already) The only recommendation was that I upgrade my video card- well of course IF I could find a PCI (only, not PCIe) card better than the one I have, it would already BE upgraded!
Still, nice to know that things are running optimally at the get-go.
Gee whiz info: I have HOW MANY processes running in the background!??? Geez, there should be some way for me to pare that down a bit! (117) Looks like I need to run through and turn off a few things that really don't need to be running all the time. :rolleyes: Still, the average load was only 1-3%
Are you going to scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(on the side of a hill in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
(tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needlework
(blankets and bedclothes a child of the mountains)
Then shell be a true love of mine
(sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
Tell her to find me an acre of land
(on the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsely, sage, rosemary, & thyme
(washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand
(a soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then shell be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
(war bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsely, sage, rosemary & thyme
(generals order their soldiers to kill)
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
(and to fight for a cause theyve long ago forgotten)
Then shell be a true love of mine
Are you going to scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
*not my video, if you want to see who made it, go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfqpAWPx6T4
A couple times a year, I get nostalgic for the military. If I actually thought about it, I'd probably notice it falls around Memorial day and Veteran's day, but I haven't really paid attention.
I was blessed to work on THE BEST aircraft ever built. Fifty years of service, so far, and still going strong. I know, it seems odd for a girl who quilts and gushes about her pets to really like an aircraft, but there it is. The B-52 feels like one of my children, even though every single one, still in operation, is older than I am.
Maybe it one of those "you had to be there" type things, but I can still remember the first time I walked up to one of these huge machines and wondered that it could even get off the ground. Was amazed how much walking it took to walk all the way around one, was amazed again when I tried to climb inside. I mean, shoot, the tires are almost as tall as I am!
I remember the safety lecture about the bomb bay doors, how they were powerful enough to slice a person in half so LOCK them open! (sort of hard to forget a mental image like that!- never wanted to test if it was actually true)
Remembering the first time I had to climb up the landing gear to access the back end. Wall climbing was popular then. I figured I didn't need to try it after scaling a wheel well, in mukluks, with ice and snow on the ground. *note to future designers... make the footholds bigger!*
Remember seeing the first time I watched one take off... and actually flap it's wings! Oh right, the second part of the safety lecture: don't stand in front of the engines or they will suck you in!- another unforgetable mental picture.
Remembering watching the first crab landing. Gosh, that was bizarre. If I saw a car driving down the road like that, I'd know it had been in an accident that bent the frame (and I've seen some cars that do drive like that. I always wonder how people drive when the front end of their car is that far off from center)
Well, so I indulged and found out my training school has become a museum. I'd like to go and take my nephew with me. I wonder if they still have that CRAY?
Second, Donald, you need to come back and tell us you're ok. Ok, dude?
Third, could someone explain to me the difference between interaction and spamming someone else's blog?
Fourth, nasty rumor that a minimum wage increase has been passed in the recent bill for extending monies to the troops. Ok, people are going to look at me funny for this, but work with me for a second here. I don't want a $2/hr increase. Not right now, anyway.
When I first started as a driver, I earned 3.35/hr (minimum wage at the time) and 50 cents per delivery. Gas was 78 cents per gallon and I could get 3 deliveries out of each gallon, so the amount left over to pay for car repairs and such was
*doing math* an average of 120 deliveries per week= $60 in milage paid, 120 deliveries/3 per gallon= $40 per week spent in gas, which leaves $20 per week for repairs
as opposed to now, at $5.35/hour and $1.35 per run, for which they are now charging the customers $1.75 per delivery, which they weren't before, ---which means, out of the $1.75 delivery charge the customers think is going to the drivers, so they think they don't have to tip anymore, only 50 cents is actually going to the driver. (because the delivery amount before the delivery charge was instated was 85 cents) but now gas os $3.499 per gallon, which means, instead of a ratio of 63% of the cost of a gallon of gas per delivery, we're now getting paid 38% of the cost of a gallon of gas and I still only get 3 deliveries per gallon, so there's what, 1-3% of my milage left to cover repairs?
Ok, so what's going to happen is this: gas is going to continue to cost more. It always does, in summer. And we're going to hire more dirvers to handle the summer business, because we always do, and because there are more drivers, we will each get less deliveries per night. So, when the new minimum wage goes into effect, they will downsize if they can and people earning more than minimum will either lose their overage and be brought up to the new standard or they will be fired, in favor of newer workers who they don't have to pay as much. But newer workers mean less experienced workers and younger employees who may not be as customer friendly as established workers, so, the company loses customers, due to rude employees.
Add to that the fact that customers have a perception that $20 for a delivered dinner is an exceptable cost. When it's less than that, people don't feel put out to tip the amount that is left of that $20. However, when it's more than $20, the customer begins to think really hard about just how much they're paying and tips go down, not to mention overall sales go down. When the customers see that they are paying $30 for ONE dinner, they begin to decide there are wiser ways to spend their money and they don't order. That creates a 30% sales drop for the company. When you add a 31% increase in wages per employee to a 30% sales drop, that's a difference of 61% profits that the company has to adjust for. And that doesn't even factor in other overhead things like cost for food or building maintenance and utilities,so there is the possibility that a lot of businesses will go completely under.
Raising the minimum wage doesn't matter much to people who aren't earning any wages!
The search for the perfect Chili Relleno! (ray-in-oh)
Ok, so, La Paloma, the family restaurant we've been going to since as far back as I can remember and longer has gone out of business. That means we have to find a new place that serves chili rellenos because that's all my mother will order. They're the whole point of going out instead of fixing it ourselves.
Sometime around Christmas time, we tried Avila's, which is supposed to be THE BEST restaurant in town, but it wasn't. The service was horrible and the food was cold and medeocre! Not at all what I expected since I've been there before and it was fantastic. Could have been a bad night, but all signs point to new management style and less emphasis on pleasing the client.
So, Saturday, we tried a place called Cero's. It came highly recommended by someone we didn't know but who was willing to recommend several places. It was good, but not stellar. The food was fresh, the salsa was made by hand, but it lacked something I can't quite place. They did have a live band who I sort of felt sorry for. They played and sang their hearts out, but the gringas (that's us) were not paying attention. Truth is, when they weren't forcing their voices and instruments, they were a lot more appealing. A point in favor of Cero's, though is that they have real in-house made chocolate flan!
So, I asked my co-workers where they would take an out-of-town guest if they wanted to impress this person and the reply was La Terraza. I suggested to my sister we try this place and see if their chili rellenos are any good and if their other things, that we're familiar with are also good? Well, Sis was not as impressed as I was, and there is some concern as, when we were entering the building, there was a sign on the door saying they're hiring wait staff and cookstaff! EEK! I'm hoping they're either expanding for summer tourist season or they've had some people graduate and are looking for replacements, because the food we were served was fantastic! The portions were huge! the salsa homemade, the tortillas homemade. I ordered my standard green chili chicken enchiladas and Sis ordered the rellenos (honestly, I wouldn't know a fantastic chili relleno if it came with a certificate, but I know green chili chicken enchiladas!) I'm not a fan of red sauce, anyway, so...
But the enchiladas were devine! The green chilis had a Whoo-hoo zippiness that mellowed to a sweet aftertaste. The chicken is roasted before they shred it, so it has a sweet smoky taste. The corn tortillas were crunchy on top, but squishy in the middle and there was just the right amount of cheese and the food was HOT! All entrees also come with sopapillas(soap-ah-pee-ahs), complimentary, in both plain and cinnamon-sugared.
Our waitress was vigilent, but unobtrusive, and willing to help any way she could.
I did taste the chili rellenos. They were crunchy on the outside and mushy on the inside, which is about all I can tell you about any chili relleno I've ever had, but they didn't make me cringe and that's actually saying a lot.
Our overall rating is a 4 out of 5, but only because we want to leave room in case one of the other places turns out to be better, but that will be hard. I've only had two servings of green chili chicken enchiladas that were better than these were and those were both in New Mexico. (Sundowner restaurant in Red River and that big place on the Square in Sante Fe)
Wednesday:
laundry(4 loads),
housecleaning(dusting, mopping, clutter removal, find a spot for stuff that should look like it's either been used or hasn't been used-depending on what it is, dishes, organize computer stations and quilting messes)
hair,
nephew's homework,
brakelight and windshield wipers,
fix dinner,
Something I'm forgetting
order grad present and Mom's day present from nephew for Sis- won't get here in time, but can't be helped.
Thursday:
work
Friday:
pick up Aunt and Mom from airport,
get them settled in their hotels,
find out plans for Saturday,
find something to wear to all these activities,
work
Saturday:
whatever they have planned
Sis's graduation- BACHELOR'S DEGREE AT LAST!
more of whatever they have planned
Sunday:
Mother's day- no idea what will be planned or will actually happen, but I'm betting the whole family will be there and I'm betting Mexican food will happen.
1. Famous Athlete: Trevino, Lee
2. 4 letter word: tine
3. Street name: Turn To
4. Color: Teal
5. Gifts/presents: Topaz
6. Vehicles: Taurus
7. Tropical Locations: Trinadad
8. College Majors: Theorhetical Sciences
9. Dairy Products: Can Tofu be a dairy product?
10. Things in a Souvenir Shop: T-shirt
11. Boy Name: Tom
12. Girl Name: Trixie
13. Movie Titles: The Tomb
14. Alcohol: Triplesec
15. Occupations: Taxi driver
17. Celebrities: Quintin Tarrentino
18. Magazines: Time
20. Pro Sports Team: Titans (can't remember which city they're in, now)
21. Something found in a kitchen: Timer
22. Reason for being late: Traffic
23. Something You Throw Away: towels or TP
24 Things You Shout: Tough Crud!
25. Cartoon Character: Dick Tracy
There's nothing like a whirlwind tour, except perhaps, a whirlwind tour AND getting to talk to people you've formed friendships with online, but never met, so, go to Bitski's blog and call the phone number! He's very wonderful to talk to and the whole point of him coming all this way is to meet his friends at EFX2 who live in this hemisphere.
Mstislav Rostropovich died a little while ago (like about a half hour to an hour ago) at the age of 80. He'd been having some medical problems, so I'm not completely surprised, but the thing is, he never met someone who wasn't a friend and if you also shared a love of the cello, you were special, no matter if you were a concert soloist or the last chair in the orchestra. He will be missed by those who truly knew him and those, like me, who only met and learned from him. He was one of those rare genuine people who Fame touches because of talent, but who doesn't become lost in it.
I first met him at a masterclass in 1984, in Dallas. I remember I was timid in my playing, scared to death to be in the same room with a world famous musician, when he whooshed over at me, like a great owl, and took my hands, and said if I loved the cello and the music, there was nothing to fear from him or anyone.
You mean to tell me I actually put a nail through the tread instead of the sidewall for once??? :rotf:
Road hazard warranty covered it, so I only lost an hour from work getting it fixed.
Oh, and I think I owe Etainne for a can of fix-a-flat.
Total cost of repair: ZIP, NADA, ZILTCH! :eek: :laugh:
(maybe $6 for Sis, plus a nice gift for running out on short notice to get me said can- there's a new chocolatier in my delivery area. ;) )
These sorts of repairs, I don't mind nearly as much.
Edit: I suppose I should mention it was the right front tire, just to keep straight which one it was.
Back pain X last seven days at least. Have taken maximum amounts of analgesics and tried to keep from doing obviously stupid things, have avoided taking narcotics, but pain persists.
Teeth another chip of enamel fell of lower left bicuspid this week. I hate when I'm eating and realize part of what I'm chewing is what used to be part of one of my teeth!
Ankleswobbly, but luckily, no sprains.
Allergies Dust storms. Not sure if I should mention allergies when the dust is flying.
Fingernailsbrittle and breaking, no ridging, or matrix damage, though, so it might be the weather change.
Eye tic X 3 weeks, now. Starting to wonder if this is something I need to worry about?
Also general aches and pains, muscle fatigue, and general fatigue, but it's getting to be the end of the semester and I've had the strangest sleeping pattern this semester, so I'm not sure I could expect anything different.
Also, constipation, intestinal gas, and a craving for brownies (which I haven't found any of!)
Some friends of mine and I were discussing how every time we go to the VA for a checkup, they ask us how we are and most of us say"oh fine" when we should be saying exactly what's been happening since the last time we were there so they know how the current course of treatment is working (or not). Well, I have a horrible memory and this category will probably end up as a private one, but I need to start at least documenting what my health status is, so that the next time, when they ask, I can have something to actually tell them.
So, if you see this category, ignore it. It's probably only shown up because I forgot to make it private. You're not missing much, it'll be a laundry list of malfunctions.
Yes, I was bored, so I was taking a few quizzes that caught my eye. I figured, "Why not?".
On one quiz site, there was a Google ad bar with a link to the Are You Stupid quiz. I said to myself, "why not?" (it's been a running theme all day)
So, I went and took the quiz and got through the answers ok (I guess) when I got to the last page. It said "you've completed the test, now fil out this form while we get your results"
Whoa, wait a minute?! What do they need my real name and physical mailing address for? And on a page that is not a secured site? I Don't Think So!
Needless to say, I never got my results, but I KNOW I'm not stupid enough to put all my personal information on a site where I don't even know where it is and they're mining for information that has nothing to do with the reason I was there!
Ok, thought it might be a good idea to keep a running tab on the fix-it stuff for the car. Heaven knows I have enough entries for the last 10 years and 5 cars to write a book, but this is the current car, so this is where I'll start.
Feb 15-ish, 2006 Bought car. 24,046 miles on it, what a deal! Almost like getting a new car, only someone else did the break-in period with the engine. Hmmm, they left their address in the owner's manual... Hey, I know these people! Have to remember to take it to Hyundai to see about the warranty. (how do you spell warranty?)
June 6th-ish, 2006 Need brakes and tires. Actually, thought I only needed a tire because I got a nail through the sidewall and that's not fixable, so took it to Firestone and was shown (yea! they actually showed me the pads BEFORE they took them off so I could see they were really mine!) that the pads are thin. Ok, no problem, pads are cheap and the rotors look ok. Oops, one of the CV boots are torn, too. Will take it to Hyundai to see if those are covered... Yep, they're covered! New CV axels! The whole shibang for free!, still had to pay for the brakes, though. Tires, and brakes totalled $237. 00. Cheaped out on the tires though. They want $160 EACH for stock Michelins. Eek! For a tire I'm going to have to replace every year, anyway? I don't think so! (actually, checked around, everyone wants that price for those Michelins) Bought two new tires for the front so they have even tread wear. Will replace the back ones next month. While the Hyundai place had the car, they fixed a couple of other warranty things, because it was time, at no charge. That was nice of them. :)
July 2006 bought back tires. Didn't really need to, but wanted all the tires to have the same life span. $137.00
September 2006 My headlight lamp went out, bought two so I wouldn't have to worry about the other one going out. $26.00
March 28, 2007 Drive belt broke while at a restaurant. Rats! Well, I was warned to get it changed on schedule. Car has 55,045 miles. Can't gripe too much. Guess what? It's covered under warranty! But, since I'm the second owner, they won't cover the part, but they will pay labor, so I have to pay for the belt and the parts for the engine tune-up. (hey, it's there at the shop, might as well, since they're getting into everything anyway) A/C belt, Timing belt (drive belt), Spark Plugs = $198.46 Since they were there, they also replaced the timing sensor, checked the compression and did a diagnostic to make sure the heads weren't warped, replaced the valve head gasket and cleaned the fuel injectors for free! Unfortunately, I still had to pay twice for towing, once to get it out of the restauant parking lot and again to get it to the dealer. Odd thing is, the towing charge has not shown up on my bank statement. I'll have to call Hyundai and see of their charge included the towing since I used their roadside assistance program. The first one I paid cash for. $65.00
First year (give or take) repairs total: $663.00 (as opposed to the $3-5000 per year on the previous two cars!)
What I got for my money:
New CV axels
New tires (4)
New headlights
New brakes
New drive and A/C belts
New timing sensor
New valve cover gasket
Engine tune-up and injector cleaning
Cosmetic fixes (headlamp deglazing, radiator fluid check, freon and A/C pressure check, display backlight for radio)
I was doing the usual administrative, time-consuming, boring stuff that computers require to function properly, when I decided it was about time to run AM-Deadlink again.
If you don't know, it's a shareware-freeware program that checks your favorites-bookmarks-list of places online you like to go to make sure they all still work and there aren't any duplicates. I like it, it's easy to use and it does a good job.
Well, so after doublechecking the dead links it found and getting rid of the duplicates and dead links, I have 2499 active, though not necessarily useful, links.
Someone hand me a link so I can round out that number!
Take a stand and defend your position? I could understand that, but if that's what the phrase means, why not say that?
I hate catch phrases and buzzwords. I don't care about "Price points" or "plausable deniability". You know what? Just tell me how much you want for it or tell me you did it but had a good reason or don't admit to doing it, but I don't want to hear jargon that skirts the issue at hand or confuses and muddies the subject so much that a person has to have a degree in Doublespeak to understand a simple "$27.95" or "yep, ok, I screwed up.".
Somebody wise, I forget who, right now, once said, "Sometimes, the art of language is knowing when to say not as much." I always thought that meant to keep your mouth shut when you didn't have a good answer, but I'm wondering if it could also apply to the modern knack for twisting good solid words into something unrecognizable.
I was taking my nephew to school today and noticed 1 (singular) distributor cable laying on the road.
Now, first off, I know not all the chambers have to fire to have your car run, but ONE cable? What, it worked itself free? Wouldn't you think there might be a problem with the rest of the set? I mean, what are the odds that a single cable will work its way free from both ends and all the others are attached fine?
Second, wouldn't you think the driver of that vehicle might possibly notice a subtle change in the way their car is running? Can you imagine the look on the face of the mechanic who gets to diagnose this problem?
And lastly, doesn't the gas still stream into the port even if there is no spark? I mean the spark plug is probably still in the socket, so wouldn't that gas just be sitting there, pooling? Does that cause a hazard? How do you get the gas out of the port again?
Anyway, it was enough to make me go check the security of my distributor wires, which I guess is a good thing. :) It's Spring, folks (doesn't feel like it though!). Time to check your fluid levels and tires.
I have a 7:45 AM class tomorrow (well, technically, today) so I washed my hair tonight so I wouldn't have to do it while I'm still coffee-blind tomorrow. Trouble is, my hair takes about 2 hours to dry. So here I sit, waiting for my hair to dry. Could be worse. Have you ever watched the grass grow at night? Without a flashlight? Why do they schedule these things so early in the morning?
Proctor and Gamble's Iam's and Eukanuba brands and Menu foods "Cuts and Gravy" flavored wet canned and foil pouched have been recalled for cats and dogs!
Please make sure your pet food is safe before you feed.
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/
Dog foods affected (from Menu's site)
Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Bruiser
Cadillac
Companion
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Great Choice
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Meijers Main Choice
Mixables
Nutriplan
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nutro
Ol'Roy Canada
Ol'Roy US
Paws
Pet Essentials
Pet Pride - Good n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Publix
Roche Bros
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Shep Dog
Springsfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Bros
Total Pet, My True Friend
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet
Cat foods affected: (from Menu's site)
Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Best Choice
Companion
Compliments
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Fine Feline Cat
Food Lion
Foodtown
Giant Companion
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Li'l Red
Loving Meals
Meijer's Main Choice
Nutriplan
Nutro Max Gourmet Classics
Nutro Natural Choice
Paws
Pet Pride
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Sophistacat
Special Kitty Canada
Special Kitty US
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Total Pet, My True Friend
Wegmans
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie
I need to write something so people know I'm alive, except nothing is going on that would sound interesting enough to write about.
Lately, I bought a whole bunch of gemstone beads, but nothing to string them on. Somehow, I've managed to hook both my sister and my mother on pretty rocks, so I've been having fun watching them shop, too. (that sounds so shallow, but fun is where you make it and we all need at least some in our lives)
A friend mentioned there was an earthquake in Ohio this week. What? Ohio has earthquakes???, well, so now I'm curious to see if we've had any here. (only minor ones, less than 4 on the Richter scale)
My mother wants a laptop and is afraid to choose, so I made her a list of things I thought she'd like to have that wouldn't cost a mortgage.
My nephew has been home all week because of Spring Break. I'm having dreams with video game soundtracks in the background.
See what I mean? Even keel, nothing too exciting going on, here.
YOUR GANGSTA NAME (1st 4 letters plus izzle): Terrizzle
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (fave color + fave animal): Teal Cats (hmmm, didn't I used to have a website named that?)
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name + childhood street): Lynne Yarmouth
YOUR STAR WARS NAME (last 3 letters of your last name + first 2 letters of your first name + first 3 letters of Mom's maiden name): Dente Bac or Dente Mor (gee... beer or chilie?)
YOUR SUPER HERO NAME (2nd fave color + fave drink): Golden Dew (ewww!)
YOUR IRAQI NAME (2nd letter of your first name + 3rd letter of your last name + any letter of your middle name + 2nd letter of your Mom's maiden name + 3rd letter of your Dad's middle name + 1st letter of a sibling's first name + last letter of your Mom's middle name): Eeea (or o) re (Eeeaore???)
YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM NAME (Grandma/Grandpa's first name + Jones): Louise Jones
YOUR GOTH NAME (Black + name of one of your pets): Black Pepper
YOUR AMERICAN IDOL NAME (fav car and sea food): Impala Scallop
NAME OF YOUR DREAM BAND (name of computer + printer): Dell Canon
MOVIE STAR NAME (sibling's middle name + mother-in-law's maiden name): Lynne Bexar (pronounced bear)
YOUR ALTER EGO NAME (name of one your childhood pets + popular brand of clothes when you were young): Amber Jourdache
YOUR LAWYER NAME (fav actor's last name + fav hard liquor): Jolee De'Soranno
YOUR HIP HOP NAME (fav candy + fruit): Crunch Grape
What kind of an idiot TV station runs footage of a group of people crashing a military funeral to tell all those grieving friends and families that the reason their loved ones died is because God is mad at US? Do journalists have no common sense anymore? Don't they realize by putting that footage on the news they've given the protesters exactly what they wanted??? What about respecting those left behind or even those that died? Doesn't matter if the war is wrong or right, those kids DIED!!!!
Rant 1b:
And while I'm ranting about military and stuff, there's been some discussion lately about VA hospitals not giving outpatient care to returning vets in a timely manner. DUH!!! It took me 2.5 years to even get into the system and that was 11 years ago! Where were the outraged masses when I was starting to have problems getting anything done? Where were they when those before me had their problems? It has always been extremely hard to justify to the federal government that they needed to spend money taking care of those who took care of them and came back less than 100%. Why on Earth would anyone believe this particular thing has changed? Are civilians that blind? GO look on that street corner where you ignore that homeless man in the flack jacket again and tell me the VA is taking care of their own!
Meanwhile:
What do you do when you get a gift for someone and they turn around before you get the chance to give them their gift and tell you they have just bought it? I mean, if it's a hard-to-come-by gift and you happened to score, but it's not the sort of thing a person really needs to have two of? Do you return it and get something else? What if it's something that can't be returned? Do you give it anyway and tell them it's ok if they regift?
I felt like I should probably post something to let folks know I'm still breathing.
I had a laundry list of things I needed to get done in the past 48 hours. Most of them did, but the laundry is still on the list. Add to that, though, before I can do the laundry, I have to convert the new work pants I just bought from hook and eye closure to button and button hole. It just works out better when there's a button, I have no idea why.
Well, so, Etainne's graduation present has been ordered. My tax return came and I've managed to get it to the bank (sorry, no, I'm NOT giving my bank information to the IRS. The VA has it and look how well they've been keeping their records secure!!!) Got a couple fun things for myself. Fixed the brakes in my car. They weren't that bad, it was just time, that's all. Got my state Safety and Emissions inspection sticker. Found a couple of nice condolence cards for the folks at New Bolton Center. I need to mail those.
So, I still need to do the laundry and find a present for the kid's birthday...and buy another cat box to replace the one that I had just bought that the boy put his knee through. :rolleyes:
I don't care what your political views are or why you personally believe this horse was saved from euthanasia last May or if you think it's a waste of money, time, and effort.
Right now, he's still alive and fighting to stay that way, which is a testament to the heart and spirit of this animal, which is also something we humans need to be reminded of every once in a while.
Prayers are free and he could use some if you have any to spare.
I like XP, well, honetly, I still prefer Win 3.1, but you know, as far as being able to do what I do and still find programs, I don't have a problem living with XP. SO now there's going to be Vista and I'm considering throwing in a second hard drive, one XP and one Vista. Is this possible?
I really don't like the complete security dependence on Vista, given Microsoft's track record, so far, but if companies are going to be developing software for Vista only I need to consider having at least a portion of the computer devoted to Vista, but I don't want to give up being able to use the software I already have and I'm NOT buying new versions simply for Vista!
Saturday 13 Jan, 5 hrs (stomach flu, couldn't sleep for getting up to go freeze in the bathroom so often)
Sunday 14 Jan, 5 hrs (same reason)
Monday 15 Jan, I think I passed out from lack of sleep over the weekend and got about 10 hours of sleep... I think
Tuesday 16 Jan, 3 hrs but everyone got to school on time!
Wednesday 17 Jan, 4 hours? But found some REALLY COOL earrings! (let me find the link and edit, ok?)
Thursday 18 Jan, 3 hrs, but people went to school again. Got some laundry done.
Friday 19 Jan, 5 hrs, home late
Saturday 20 Jan, None, stupid meeting at 9 am Sunday and I didn't get home from work until 3 am. I was afraid I'd miss the meeting if I went to bed, so I didn't. I did get a 3 hour nap after the meeting- before I had to go to work again.
I'm hoping for at least 14 hours in the next 40. I either need to get a different alarm clock or start using speed. :p :D
8 days X 8 hrs = 64 hours of sleep per week, theoretically.
It almost never gets cold enough to have snow or ice, but there are all sorts of problems in Texas today (and yesterday) as a front comes sweeping through.
What do you do when the 9-10 yr old thinks he knows better than the adults when his bedtime should be on a school night and wants to be the last one to go to sleep?
Well, if you're me and the boy in question is a precocious, game-enthused know-it-all who thinks he can trick you into letting him stay up to play video games or watch cartoons all night, you start off with game characters based on mythology and slide into geneology and world geography.
hehehe...
Why, yes, Quezecuatl is a real life character. Do you know where he came from? No? He's part of your heritage, you should know about him! He's an Aztec myth-diety and the Aztecs were part of the Mesoamerican tribes that the Mexicans came from (yes, I said the dreaded "M" word because the boy's father comes partly from that lineage... perfectly good word when used properly)
What else did you want to know?
Shiva? Shiva is an East Indian- you know from India- Hindu god with lots of arms that usually is depicted deciding whether to save or destroy the world. You know where India is, right?
Cerberus? Oh! You do know that Cerberus and Fluffy are the same kind of animal, right? (reference Harry Potter) Well, Cerberus is from a story written by a guy named Homer a long time ago, called he Oddessy. You'll read about that later when you're older. Siren is from there, too.
Ok, so you wanted to know what you were made of?
Well, ok... See, Spain, here (point to map) and France, and Germany, and over here's Ireland, and England, and then, you know where Mexico is, well, your ancestors came from all these places and maybe a couple more. Now, back a long time ago, there were Gaels and Gauls, who were also called Goths or Visigoths, or Prussians, and sometimes called Barbarians, like you know, Conan, the Barbarian? He was a Prussian, except he wasn't a real person, just a legend, but if he had been a real person, this is the area of the world where he would have been from. And see this area over here? These are the Scandinavian countries were the Vikings came from.
... and on and on until he couldn't keep his eyes open or think of another question. He's going to feel like hammered meadow muffins in the morning, but later, when he does start studying this stuff, it's going to kick him in the back of the head, something in the back of his brain will say "I've heard of this" and it won't be so hard for him to remember and keep straight.
For people who have Playstation, this isn't a big deal, and many would think I'm silly for being so happy about this, but for PC players, it's very difficult to find English versions of some older games.
I've been wanting Final Fantasy 8 for about 3 years, since I saw a video that was made by a promising young person named AtomX.
FF8 is a Final Fantasy love story, wrapped up in a fight to save the known/ familar time continuum from an evil sorceress. The graphics are amazing for the time period it was made and gameplay is easy to learn but challenging to master, ensuring multiple playthroughs, which is always nice when you invest in a game. ;)
Anyway, the game was released for PC in 1999, but by the time I learned of it, finding a copy was almost impossible. My sister found a copy and gave it to me for Christmas, so if I seem scarce, it's because I'm fighting evil sorceresses and dreaming of timeless Love... or because my computer has been taken over by a 9 yr old munchkin who also likes the game which means I can't get online while he's playing.
... Gee, should I mention FF7 to my sister? It's more fantasy-less love story, but I've seen some of the gameplay and it seems like fighting Sepheroth might be fun...or I could just wait another couple weeks and get Jade Empire.
***meanwhile, I should also mention the haul also included a D&D-like Dragonshard and X-Men the Official Game so, the computer game collection is taking over my little slice of the world. ;)
Seriously, though. There are so many who have not even heard of Christmas or any of the other celebrations we are free to enjoy. So many who struggle to find food each day.
But now, (and actually for the last few years) you can give a gift to those hard to shop for people on your list that won't take up much room, doesn't require care or feeding, will give joy to your loved one, and will make living just a tad easier for those in need.
I'll be online VERY BREIFLY for the next few days. Could someone collect my mail? (yes, I know it will be waiting for me when I get back)
The bearings for the CPU Heatsink fan in this computer are going. I've ordered the part. It should be here by the end of the week, but with Christmas and the US Postal system, the delivery may be slow.
I'm not ignoring you, honest!
I can come online long enough each day to collect my pop3 mail and perhaps check the status of my order. More than that, and I risk overheating the processor on the motherboard, meaning I'd need a new motherboard, which I'd really like to avoid if possible.
Ok, so... when your computer starts to sound like a jet engine chewing rubber bands and the heat from the back is higher than the heat in the front, it's time to check very closely as your CPU fan or your power supply fan's bearings are not working the way they should. Listen closely, feel for airflow, try cleaning the vanes on the CPU fan first. If the sound goes away, and stays gone, you know it was just dirt. If the sound stays, you know it's your power supply fan, if the sound goes away and comes back, you know the bearings are going on the CPU fan. The reason I suggest cleaning the CPU fan first is because the power supply can hold a charge and hurt you! No need to touch it if you can diagnose without having to bother with it. :)
Don't ignore it, though. The cost of a new motherboard ranges from $250 to $650, typically. The cost of the CPU fan is from $10 to $60, roughly. If the fan fails and you run the processor without cooling, the chip will melt.
Howdy! I'm a Texan Southern Baptist Christian- Can we all say BIBLE BELT? ***EEEK run away!***
Seriously, though...
My roots are Christian, but they are also Native American, though I hold no affiliation with any recognised tribe, pagan-herbalistic-shamanistic-buddhist-Niven/Pournellian wayist (see Larry Niven/ Jerry Pournelle books, especially "The Mote In God's Eye"), and probably some I'm leaving out.
Ok, so you say it seems as if I will believe anything that is handed to me, well, not exactly.
I started studying religion when I was eleven, started with what I knew. Being raised as the daughter of the chapel organist at a US Air Force Base, I went to EVERY service. Want to get to know the similarities and differences even between those of the same faith, quickly? This is how!!! Boil out the surface stuff like no card playing on Sunday and all *fill in blank to what racial or ethnic group this refers to* are going to hell and what you're left with are the true tenants of faith.
From there, since I was a child, it was easy to ask the grown ups around me, "But what about..." Like if only those who are saved get to go to heaven, what about the billions who were either born too early or never heard of Jesus? (this is where other Christians and I sometimes start having problems) Are they just SOL? The teachings of the closed minded around me were emphatic "yes"'s, but luckily there were others who actually either had never thought about it and wanted to know, or were at least helpful enough to point me towards other answers.
SO, I started learning about other major world religions. As before, if you take out all the "don't eat pig-cow-your mother" type warnings or at least put them in context for when that rule was formed and find the reasons for those rules, what you are left with are the tenants of that religion.
And guess what I found???
1. Be nice. If you can actually manage to care, that's terrific, but at the very least, be nice!
2 There is a higher being-spirit-oneness, from which we all came-were created and we are a part of the whole, no matter how much we try to deny it.
3. Life-energy- soul-whatever you call it, continues and is eternal. It can be damaged, wounded, corrupted, but not destroyed.
4. We are here to learn and grow, right now, in this physical space, because actually being physical is the only way to learn what being physical is. (this is where reincarnation comes in...)
There are some things that some will have in common and there are others that will be unique, but those four don't change, at least not in the Love based religions.
The ways we get there are different, but since we are here, we have no way of knowing which path is the most direct, so we must follow our own hearts and minds, take a grain of salt for new information, process it, see if it fits, use it or throw it to the next person to see if it helps them more. None of us are the same, yet we are all the same, so why would my way be any better or worse than someone else's? I know what works for me and that is enough.
May you also have enough.
T.
EDIT: oh wait, I forgot about fantasy! Simple. Fantasy is about hope and possibilities. My two favorite questions are "What if?" and "Why?" For the "Why's" I look to science, but the "what if's are too much fun to ignore.
Hmmm, I know I have other replies to spiritual questions I've saved, but they're eluding me at the moment.
Remember back in the old days, when floppies were still floppy and you could write about 4 pages of manuscript before you used all your resident memory space and had to back it up or lose it? Remember the 3K dialup? Remember how you could go do the laundry, wait for the pizza guy, and get the kids ready for bed before your download was completed?
I just spent 5 hours downloading a patch for a game!!! I'm using DSL and have a Pentium 4 CPU, but it still took that long...of course, perhaps the facts that it was a two GIGABYTE download and the server's speed was restricted to 100 KILABYTEs might have something to do with it. :D
Gee, ya think I should write to the company and ask them to zip the files?
Nothing going through my brain that others might find interesting. (you want to hear about whether I should wear flannels or not at work tonight?... thought not. ;) )
Anyway, if you see that I've been to your blog and didn't say anything, it's because I was updating the links section and snagging urls. Just a quick fly-by because I've been trying to remember to do this for months.
My sister has decided to move her blog here, as she tried MB and MySpace and, welll we know what happened to MB and she couldn't use the features at MySpace.
I'm trying to convince her she needs to put something other than a hello post up, so people can get to know her, but so far, after playing with designs and settings all night, she's decided she needs sleep before tomorrow (why? :rotf: )
So, she'll get a round towit, but in the meantime, it'd be cool if you all stopped by and said hello.
Some of you will have noticed that she has subscribed to your blogs already, mostly on my recommendation. (we were working on how the features work)She'll be adding more, maybe even some people I haven't found yet. :eyebrow: but I wanted to help get her started. Hope you all don't mind.
GRUB-OLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Red Wine Vinegar or Russian
What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
Is Dunkin' Donuts a restaurant? If not, Grandy's.
What is your favorite sit down restaurant?
Appleby's
On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? .
15% unless the wait-staff is fantastic in which case it can go as high as 25%.
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
chocolate
Name three foods you detest above all others.
Brussel Sprouts, bean sprouts, water chestnuts
What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant?
Brocolli Beef
What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Ham (Canadian Bacon) and Black Olive
What do you like to put on your toast?
butter, strawberry preserves
What is your favorite type of gum?
Fruit Stripe! :)
TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone?
8
Number of contacts in your email address book?
somewhere between 700-3000 (please don't make me go look)
What is your wallpaper on your computer?
Earth in a nebula
What is your screensaver on your computer?
fireplace
Are there naked pictures saved on your computer?
not that I know of!
How many land line phones do you have in your house?
2
How many televisions are in your house?
3
What kitchen appliance do you use the least?
waffle iron
What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most?
Talk radio
How many sex toys do you own that require batteries?
none
BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute?
eyes
Are you right handed or left handed?
left
Do you like your smile?
no
Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
appendix, ovarian cyst
Would you like to?
no
Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom?
no
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
touch
When was the last time you had a cavity?
now
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly?
pizza sauce (2.5 gallon buckets)cat litter? (30 lbs)
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
yes, couple times- when I was a kid, I fell while playing in a refridgerator shipping box (don't ask)- car crash
MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
no
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
no
How do you express your artistic side?
music, quilting, photo-image manipulation, drawing (badly)
What color do you think you look best in?
red, but I prefer to wear aqua
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison?
Can I read? Do I have to go out of my cell?
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
yes, but that was a long time ago.
If we weren’t bound by society’s conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? no. not many males left in my family
How often do you go to church?
when I have to.
Have you ever saved someone’s life?
no and yes, I donate blood, but I've never been directly involved
Has someone ever saved yours?
no
DARE-OLOGY
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
No, my skin is so white the glare would blind people- fish underbelly white!
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
maybe
Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000?
Do I know this person? I couldn't if I didn't know the person.
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
no
Would you never blog again for $50,000?
no
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
I might, but again, the skin issue
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
Depends, which kind?
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
No. Not directly. (I'm already responsible for a lot of deaths due to my job in the military, but again, that wasn't direct) Besides, I prefer to maim. ;)
Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000?
No.
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000?
not this season! (Heroes)
Wow, there are so many that come immediately to mind! I'm just really good at not choosing correctly...or maybe, I am choosing correctly for me, but what I need and what I want are not the same? For example, I *could* have chosen to go to Eastman, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, or UC Berkley. I had offers for all of them in high school, but I chose to go to Hardin-Simmons University. I didn't finish my degree, but I got my MRS. I don't regret the decision to go to HSU, but I do wonder what would have happened if I had chosen differently.
"THE PLAN" was to go to a music school, get a degree, find a placement in a full-time orchestra, win a couple competitions, maybe do a couple soloist tours, teach at the university level, have fun taking sebaticals in European orchestras. I had it all worked out, except for the unexpected. I didn't expect to meet my husband (former), do his English assignments for him, and end up marrying him. Would the same things have happened if I'd gone to a different school? Who knows!
You asked about affecting others (next part of this post). About 3 months after I married the guy I married, the one I had wanted to marry for 4 years previously, had my mom for an instructor at her university. He was devistated to find out I was married. I'd loved him for so long, and after I got married I found out he had loved me too. When I think about the whole last 20 years since then, I can't help wondering what might have been.
This path has not been easy, but it hasn't been all bad. I have friends I wouldn't have had. I've been here for every second of my nephew's life. (how many aunts can say that?) I continue to learn new things and hope for the future.
Oh wow, well, there are quite a few people who's names I could drop, people everyone has heard of, that I have become friends with online that I might never have met otherwise. It's funny, sort of because generally, people think that famous people are untouchable, but they are regular folks who like meeting new friends and sharing, just like everyone else (well, most people, but the ones who don't like to share, don't get on the internet for anything more than shopping, or research, or their jobs) I've met people who when I met them were not famous, but are now, or will be someday soon.
But who has changed my life? Well, there are two I can think of. You all know one of them, Lady Visine. It started innocently enough. I needed to restore my grandmother's quilt, so I went online to do research. One of the forums I went to to ask what to do was Alex Anderson's (the host of Simply Quilts) which is now closed, but it was pretty new, then. I'd been on the board, learning, for about 6 months when 9-11 happened. MsV started a suggestion thread that we do something to comfort the victims' families. Heck, we were a group of quilters and we had resources! How hard could it be to make a few dozen quilts for the families?
:rotf:
More than 800 quilts and six weeks later, MsV made her first long distance drive, hand delivering the quilts that hadn't already been shipped to our coordinators who lived in NY. She hand delivered several that had been especially made for a few very special people whose stories had touched our hearts.
Now, it could have ended there, but it didn't. I had volunteered to be one of her regional coordinators, so we'd spoken about 'business' stuff on the phone, but I hadn't really tried to get to know her or impose on her, but there's a secret we all know about her: You can't help but get to know her! She also is careful not to impose, but she is such an open and giving person that you just want to know her. So, a lot of things have happened to both of us, and we've just become as close as sisters- she's my other twin ;) even though we're not biologically related. I can't imagine what the last few years would have been like without her in them.
As far as people I might have influenced, I have no idea. I hope I've been a positive influence.
Nothing is impossible, some things are just harder to achieve. *ref Spock, Star Trek*
When I first bought this computer, I wasn't looking for anything fancy. The games I played were not graphics intensive and didn't need a lot of space, so I chose a then middle of the road computer, something with the ability to play DVDs and do some photo editing and the basic stuff, but I wasn't interested in REAL GAMING at that time.
Originally, the Dell Dimension 2400 came with a Pentium 4 chip, 40 GB hard drive, 254MB RAM (one chip, but an extra expansion slot) 2 empty PCI slots, a DVD drive and a RWCDROM drive. I added a floppy drive from the factory because I knew there were still things I had on floppies that I would want to access. It came with the integrated 82845G graphics chipset and the audigy sound chip on the motherboard.
Well, you know how it goes. The nephew wanted to play HALO on the new spiffy (ier) computer. His mother didn't object, even though the game is rated M, because we had a deal that he couldn't play unless I played it first and we could talk about some of the things he could expect to see and hear that were not quite age appropriate. It was sort of a barn door closing thing, since his cousins on his father's side had already exposed him with their XBox version.
So, one thing led to another and it wasn't long before I needed to upgrade a few things. First being at his rate of game consumption, 40 GB didn't go very far. I upgraded to a 160GB on the theory that you always need twice as much as you think you need and I couldn't ever see me using more than 80GB *snicker*.
About a month after upgrading the hard drive, the DVD drive stopped working. I was lucky, though, I found a DVD-CDRW combo drive on sale! Yep, threw that sucker in, along with a second RAM chip-512MB!
About 4 months after that, the nephew wanted another game that needed a better graphics card. Ok, well, here was the problem. PCI is no longer a popular format. But I bravely went in search of a PCI graphics card that had 256mb built in memory and was capable of vertex and pixel shading and Transform and Lighting. Again, I lucked out that the ATI Radeon 9250 was on sale and in stock. I have nothing against NVidia, but the drivers for the display I have are ATI and I didn't want to mess with dueling configurations.
So, now I have just a few more upgrades I could do on this computer, which is fine. I don't plan on installing Windows Vista until they get the bugs worked out. For now, there are plenty of games to keep the whole family occupied and I can still fiddle with graphics and type a resume if I need to. I don't need dual core, yet.
I though I'd show my desktop, too, so you can see the extent this little jaunt has taken.
My point is, a lot of people are afraid to open their computers or think they have to have someone with a piece of paper do it for them. With a little research, a smidgen of courage, and a heavy dose of common sense, it's not that hard to upgrade the computer yourself. The biggest thing is to remember to ground yourself and the computer before you touch the inside. This particular Dell was not designed to run games with high end graphics, and the games being produced today would require me to upgrade the graphics card again to a x6600, but I could do that if I wanted to. All I'd have to do would be to take the card out I installed and put the new card in where the old card was-is. The bottom line is, it's not that complicated, anymore.
(btw, the graphics are too small because of the way I resized them, not a failure of either my machine or yours. I wanted to keep them under 400 pixels wide, if possible. Sorry if this causes any inconvenience)
Oh! I know! How about a work story? This time is different, though, I'm going to praise a human!
Ok, went to new house, ya-da-ya-da... standing there holding the pizzas, more ya-da... There was a mom, a dad, both younger than 25, a 10 year old who had to be the brother to one of them, and a toddler. Boy puts baby in high chair. Dad takes pizzas. Mom goes to the bedroom to find the money. I'm waiting at the open door.
The dad, with NO PROMPTING from the mom, takes the piping hot pizza, breaks off half a slice and puts it in the freezer while he serves the 10 year old and his wife FIRST, then himself!!! YEAH!!!!! *wish I had a happy dance emote* After he serves the plates, he goes back to the freezer where the half-slice is waiting, now cooled for the baby to eat without burning himself on the cheese!
Glad you liked the first installment. Now, where was I? Oh right, I remember.
List of things most often asked of twins and their answers:
I already told you she was born first and we were 4 minutes apart. Those are the number 1 and 2 questions asked.
3. Are you identical?
Well, yes, we are, In fact we're identical mirror twins, which are much rarer. She's right handed, I'm left handed. She's outgoing, me not so much, even though I blog and she doesn't. Her hair parts naturally to the left, mine parts to the right, though we've both trained our hair to part in the middle. Basically, if you stood in a mirror and looked at your reflection, I would be her reflection. Got it?
4. Answered already. Yes, we traded classes. Along with that, no we didn't double date or trade boyfriends.
5. How did/does your mother tell you two apart? (yes, people really do ask this!)
How does your mother tell you apart form any of your siblings? Same thing. Just because we look alike doesn't mean we are alike or half of the other. We are two complete individuals.
6. What's it like having a twin?
Aww, gee. You know, I've been a twin since before I was born. I don't know what it's like NOT to have a twin. I can sort of guess because of the relationships I have with my other siblings, but there has always been the other. This is probably the one question I believe is asked earnestly and can't answer to anyone's satisfaction, but I will try.
Imagine your best friend is always there, always ready to do stuff, always understands your point of view, has lived through the exact same things you have all of your life, but at the same time, has his or her own interests, likes and dislikes, tastes and preferences. Imagine not having to say things completely because you get halfway through the sentence and the other completes the thought for you. Imagine not having to say anything at all and they still know! Imagine always being able to count on someone.
See? I can't describe it well enough because I just don't have the point of reference that would enable me to explain to someone who doesn't know. Reading my description, I think, well yeah, so, my friend is like that except for the part about being there all my life, so what's so special? I don't have that answer. It's there, somewhere, but I can't see it.
7. Do you ever have strange things happen?
OH, you mean did we ever have our own language? Yes. We didn't start speaking English until we were 3 because we didn't need to. Mom learned our language a little. We had perfectly normal language development skills, they just weren't in English. I wish I could say I still remember the language, but you know, use it or lose it.
Or, did you mean stuff not so easily explained? Like how I would get bruises when she would be the one who fell. Or perhaps, how she would know to call me when my life was having major downturns or I would know to call her. Absolutely nothing scientific about these sorts of things, but you know when you live with something all your life and know it to be true, you just don't question it. We have other siblings and these things don't happen with them. I can't explain it and won't even try. It just is.
I don't remember anything from before I was 3 yrs old, but there are a couple stories I've been told.
1. The day my aunt and uncle were having their rehearsal dinner was the day I was born, um, actually, pretty much WHEN they were supposed to be having their rehearsal dinner. :rotf: No one had a car handy except my other uncle, who was a semi-pro race car driver. Mom said she didn't have time to be scared of the delivery because she was so scared by his driving! She's also been ticked off at him for as long as I can remember for having small two-seater cars. My sister and I (twins) were the first girls born into our family line in 6 generations. That made grandpa very happy. We were no longer than a Barbie doll. (10.5 inches and 11 inches) and were 2 months premature. My sister weighed 4 lbs, I weighed 3lbs. She was born first (I kicked her out) and we were born 4 minutes apart.
2. My mom and dad didn't leave us alone for the first two months we were alive. On the first night they went out, my dad said, "Should we go home and see if the house burned down?" It had. The neighbor across the street had rescued my sister and me. Since then, no one in our family has been allowed to make flippant remarks.
When I was three, I remember watching the Apollo 8 launch. That was the year my dad finally figured out how to wrap us in towels getting out of the tub without pinning our arms. My sister cracked open her chin 3 times before he finally caught on, but he was good at making butterfly bandages. ;) It was also the year my dad made me bite her back for biting me during a fight. She never bit me again.
When I was 4, I learned to tie my shoes. All our shoes to that point had been socks because our feet were too small for baby shoes. I still don't wear shoes if I don't have to! Right before we turned 5, Walter Kronkite told us that Neil Armstrong had landed on the moon and walked on its surface.
First grade was the first time my sister and I had spent any measurable time apart form each other. Our classes were across the hall from each other. I hated Spanish and there was a boy named Joey who couldn't shut up and spent a lot of time in the dunce chair. That was also the first time I screwed up my ankle. Totally dislocated it, ruptured one ligament, got a piece of glass stuck in between two of the bones that's still there, had to learn how to walk again. The principle of the school had to carry me to assemblies and the cafeteria, which I though made him so hansome and strong, but now, thinking back, I only weighed 30 lbs, or so. Still, he was cute and sweet.
Second grade, we moved to Lubbock. My sister's class and mine shared a bathroom, so we traded classes. She always knew where I sat because my teacher had assigned seats, but her teacher was a free-er sort and didn't believe in that much structure, so I always got caught. But she had a good sense of humor and always was nice about it and told me where to sit and what we were supposed to be working on. My favorite song of that year was "On top of Spaghetti".
Last night, at work, I twisted-sprained my ankle again.
I was walking up to a door, with pizzas in hand, rounded a gentle corner, tripped on I still don't know what, and fell into their privets! Good thing they have nicely manicured bushes! They helped cushion my fall, sort of. I rebounded off them and hit the pavement. The poor guy was standing at the door waiting for me and saw the whole thing. He almost had a coniption fit trying to see if I was ok, which was sweet. I told him I was fine, that it happens all the time. (which it does, this is what, the fourth time this year?)- - - ligimentous laxity of the joint. it's in my medical records.
Well, ok, so, technicolor left ankle, a matching pair of bruises on each knee, a nasty wrenching in my right mid-back, sore right back side hip, and my right shoulder that was holding the pizzas is hoping not to be used that way ever again!
I also have to brag about "George". He's a (assuming this) two year old white pitt bull. He came up to the fence, barked his warning bark, like he's supposed to. I told him to go get his parents. He went to go get them! He even came out from behind the fence and sniffed me, but was so well behaved. He sniffed, whined once, then sat until his parents were finished getting the pizzas, tongue lagging out the side of his mouth. Good boy, George!
My nephew's school is populated by mostly active duty Army kids, so today they had an assembly to celebrate Veterans and military and their contributions.
The kids were bored.
The teachers were bored.
The parents seem to take it in stride, recalling memories of rent-a-crowd from Basic Training---go figure :rotf:
Lots of men honored today.
:eyebrow:
Interesting human reaction study.
From the bottom of my heart,
No matter which branch you served,
No matter what race, creed, or sex you happen to be,
If you served honorably and with integrety,
Thank you for your sacrifices so I was and am free to be what I want to be.
Just for Aaron (Restaurant Hell) and anyone else who want to peek
I got a 4 cent tip and two dog nips to the backs of my legs for delivering a $41.96 order today!
Here's the story:
This person called, a new customer. Fine. She wanted to pay with her credit card, again fine. 3 pizzas, an order of breadsticks of some kind, I didn't notice, and two 2-liter bottles of pop. Fine, no problem.
Except the credit card wouldn't go through.
So, after three rounds of "lemme call you back", she decides she can find the cash. Fine, no problem.
I carefully placed the order in my car, after having called her back a 4th time to verify the address because she's a new customer and we might have mistyped or misheard, and drove to her house.
I pulled up in the drive and was met by a very sedate pit bull puppy (black with white bib) I decided to take the pop up first so at least one of my hands would be free when I took the pizzas out of the bag, walked up, and rang the bell.
So far, so good, no problem! :)
She opened the door, when all of the sudden this white shaggy poodle mix comes tearing out of the house barking his head off! She started to warn me that the white dog was a little overprotective, which I waved off because, Gee, folks, I've been doing this for eons (1987) and the worst that's ever happened was having to run down the street after some wayward, suddenly- free dog or cat (once, a bird) who thought they'd make a break for it.
Well, since the dog didn't look like it was about to bolt, I handed her the pop and turned around to go back to the car for the pizzas. I hadn't walked two steps when this 20 lb miniature Hitler started biting at the backs of both my legs! I could feel him hanging off my pants! She screamed into the house at someone to come get the dog, while I (ashamedly) screamed like a girl, whirled around, and told the dog "Your breed doesn't DO this. What do you think you're doing???" The dog got a shocked look on it's face and ran back into the house.
I went to get the pizzas, finished the transaction and went back to the store.
No, I'm not physically hurt, and really, it was only a poodle, so I'm not emotionally or psychologically damaged either, but gee whiz! Oh, before I left, I told the pit bull she was perfect! The lady heard me and almost burst a gut laughing at the thought that the pit bull was so well behaved while the poodle was trying to kill the pizza gal.
I came here to tell you something, honest! What was it?
The guy who played the Kargen in "Highlander", who's recently been on "Lost" has been doing voiceovers for things like Home Depot commercials and "Spongebob"? (his last name is Brown. I looked him up on the IMDB because I wanted to know how tall he is---6'3-1/2", but he looks taller in the Highlander movie)
That the woman-girl who played his daughter when he did "Earth 2" died of a heart attack last July? (that was a shock!) She was on her honeymoon and had planned to start teaching English in the Westchester school system this fall. (I think it was Westchester) She'd had a heart replacement 5 years ago, because of an enlarged heart.
Was it that I wanted to know which you remembered most: "In the News" or "Schoolhouse Rock"? Christopher Glenn, who did the "In the News" segments on Saturday mornings was inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame, last night. He died somewhere around 17 days ago, but he knew he'd made it.
Maybe I was curious who was the most famous news broadcaster when you were growing up? I remember watching Walter Kronkite for ages!
Maybe I was going to mention how the full moon must be effecting everyone because we were DOWNRIGHT BUSY all night! Of course, the fact that there were boxing matches being televised and it was the local university's homecoming game couldn't possibly have had anything to do with it.
This is a strange transition for me. I don't normally focus on death so much, but looking at my entries and what I remember of the news lately, it's been about people I admire or know (and also admire, or know of and never admired) dropping like flies. I'm not ready to be old, yet! OKAY! NOBODY else gets to die!
Geez, it's Fall, isn't it? Lots more death in Fall, for some reason.
Ok, giving up. I can't remember what I wanted to say and I've rambled enough.
Just a little PSA (public service announcement) to motivate those of you old enough to go out and determine the way your states and country will be led for the next few years.
I was driving around tonight and heard that the US Post Office is going to remove several hundred corner sidewalk mailboxes because people are starting to use online payments and e-mail more than regular post. (well duh! they did that to themselves when they kept raising the price of stamps)
There was also a comment on how the telephone booths at airports are still there, but the telephones have been removed so that people with cell phones can have private conversations.
Then, I saw an ad for the new 50 inch flat screen TV (at $3000!)
Then, I heard there's a new robot being designed that has cameras that will take photos of your kids when you call and can receive commands to play with your children while you're stuck at the office.
Then, my weekly dose of Twilight Zone Radio Theater came on. Tonight's episode was called "The Obsolete Man".
And I started thinking.
When I was in high school, I was required to read certain books before I could graduate. Farenheit 451, 1984, for starters.
And it dawned on me, all those things are coming true.
People don't read real paper books anymore. They wait for the movie or IF they read it, they download a copy, read online, or listen to a voice recording in the car.
Our TVs can be rigged to have two way feed, or at the very least, there are several networks that run shows where the viewers vote on what should happen next. In a few months, our tvs will be able to track our online purchases and provide us with ads from competitors, sort of like Yahoo does with its ad service, now, online.
Right now, I don't have to leave my living room to have a conversation with several people at one time. If I had the right kind of job, I could do it online, too. Even at the job I have, they're trying to set up a system to enable customers to e-mail their order in and tell us when they want it delivered.
I can't tell you how many times I've read someone else's blog about political situations and wondered how they got their facts so wrong! It's because it's nothing to go and change history, now, so that it doesn't sound as bad, or conversely sounds much worse than what I lived through. But you know, the kids today weren't there and my mind is obviously befuddled with age.
Don't get me wrong, I love technology, but there is a danger in having too much. I knew it in 7th grade, the first time I had to read Farenheit 451. I though, then, that it would never happen... and now it has. How many of our jobs have we reconfigured for robots? How many more can we afford to delegate? What are we going to do with ourselves when we have PROGRESSed ourselves out of usefulness?
Okay, so call me paranoid. But, really, what are we going to do when teachers, doctors, lawyers, and every other professional position is taken by the HAL 1000s or all the menial labor tasks are performed by the Vroom 8900s? If we have megacomputers at the top and robots at the bottom, what's left is mid-level management and we can't all be managers!
I thought it might be a good idea to see how much a condenser mic for the cello would be to reduce background noise and increase audio pickup for digital recordings...
$1000--- ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!???
Oh sure, it's got a nifty saddle that attaches to the shoulder joint, so it's secure, and universal pickup with dynamic range adjustment so you can tweak if it's too high or too low on the base and treble sides, but gee whiz! I'm not looking for professional quality, here! If I were a studio musician, maybe, but even then, it'd be in a small room that was padded to extract background noise, so I just don't really understand...it's not like I'm competing to be heard over Metallica or jet airplanes taking off!
Maybe, there's a desktop computer mic that would be more in line with my needs?
I just thought you all would like to see my sticker shock! hehehe
The nephew plays on my computer while I'm doing chores or at work. He's not technically minded at all yet, though he'd like to be, only I get a hinky feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think of what he might attempt while I'm not there to see what he did so I could fix it, so I haven't tried seriously to indulge his ambition, yet.
Anyway, so he's not the most accurate typist. Somehow, sometime two weeks ago, he hit upon a magic combination of keystrokes that enabled a certain Windows Security Code that requires a ctrl-alt-del combination to release the welcome screen during start-up.
Well, I haven't told him how to use ctrl-alt-del to do anything because I don't want him trying it on everything, just like I haven't told him how to shift-tilde to bring down the cheatcode enable screen in his games and a myriad of other magic combos that change the way programs operate, so his solution for the past two weeks, I just found out, was to cold kill the computer whenever it would hang. His other attempt (bright idea) to fix the situation was to pick up the front of the CPU a couple inches and drop it!!! You know, to "jog" it into responding?
He's grounded!
I have NEVER before in my entire computing existance had a defrag drive session that had 67% of the files needing something done to them!!! I fixed the frag errors, physically checked all the connections and the placement of the motherboard chips to make sure they were still secure, and edited the registry file to remove the welcome screen problem.
... and he wonders why I won't let him have an online account?
The stated rules: Must take place during the Mandalorian Wars era, must be at least 1 page but not more than 15 pages, must be original work.
Should follow canon, but some may take exception to some liberties I've taken where canon contradicts itself.
*********************************************
“Of all the ..., T7, where are we?”
“Dwoooo”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Isn’t that against an astromech droid’s programming or something? Run a diagnostic while I try to figure out where we landed.”
Seamus looked around at the bleak landscape. Dense trees and heavy fog made looking at the sky difficult. He could tell there were hills off in the distance, but couldn’t judge how far away they were. He also didn’t see any signs of habitation.
In a perfect universe, he would set the locator beacon on his flyer so his squadron mates could find him, but, looking at the mechanism, he could tell the transponder had not survived entry into the thick atmosphere. Most of the external equipment hadn’t survived. Astronav was out. There was a hole in the canopy that he had just barely been able to force shield long enough to sustain him while making the descent. The landing struts were bent. The droid didn’t know where they were and there was no way to contact help. The only good news he’d found, so far, was that there hadn’t been a tarentek welcoming committee waiting for them.
He squinted up through the fog, trying to see the sun. He couldn’t tell what color it was supposed to be. All he could see was grey. The droid bleeped at his side to indicate self-diagnostics completed. Jumping off the engine, Seamus said, “Might as well find out where we are.” He started walking toward the hills, the droid rolling behind.
After what seemed like hours, the hills didn’t seem any closer and the trees were starting to feel threatening. Have to center myself, Seamus thought. He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. Life oozed around him. He could feel the trees, the bugs, the wildlife around him, and something more! What was that? He opened his eyes and focused on the anomaly, running toward it. It seemed sentient, but raw.
The trees gave way to a small clearing. Slightly off-center was a life pod with odd lettering on its side that he couldn’t read. There was a small ring of stones nearby that looked like a campfire, though there was no fire burning, now. There were at least three inches of ash in the ring of stones, indicating that several meals had been prepared here. His stomach reminded him that it had been hours since his last meal.
Just as he realized he was hungry, the biggest, shaggiest, bipedal being he’d ever seen came walking through the trees, carrying a crossbow and something slung across his shoulders. Seamus had never seen one up close, but knew immediately this was a Wookie. He quickly tried to remember what he’d been taught about them. He remembered Wookies could be unpredictable and this one was armed. As the Wookie got closer, he realized this one was easily more than twelve feet tall. He didn’t want to draw his lightsaber if there was no cause, but on the other hand, being prepared is half the battle and this Wookie looked like he was ready for battle.
The Wookie roared and slung a ruminant off his shoulder toward the fire. He bent down, knife in hand, and began to field dress the animal, totally ignoring Seamus and his droid for the moment. Seamus didn’t move.
A noise disturbed the forest. From behind the life pod came two tarenteks. The scent of blood must have drawn them. Trained reflexes tore into action. Seamus quickly cast Force Whirlwind while drawing his lightsaber and activating his shields. The Wookie closed the gap between himself and the tarenteks, making sure to block the tarenteks from his meal. Seamus ran to help. The Wookie shot three bolts at the tarentek on the left. An explosion knocked the left tarentek unconscious. He's using explosive-tipped bolts in that thing? Seamus focused on the tarentek to the right. Lightsaber flashing, cuts so quick they couldn’t be followed with the untrained eye, his body became one with the lightsaber, looking like a rolling ball of fire. The right tarentek never had a chance. Seamus stopped to assess the damage, while the Wookie went to kill the left tarentek. Seamus knew enough not to go help. Wookies had this odd sort of life bond tradition when someone saved their life, and being stuck on this planet, he couldn’t see how that would help either of them. Better to let it remain a one-to-one kill rate.
“You have fought as one of The People” the Wookie said.
Seamus’s jaw dropped. This Wookie spoke Galactic Basic? “Uh . . . yeah, you didn’t do so badly, yourself,” he shuffled, “I’m Seamus McGill, this is T7-P4. He’s not much good in a fight, but he’s great at fixing flyers when we have spare parts.”
“There’s nothing edible about those beasts. We should bury them so others will not come.”
“What?”, Seamus didn’t grasp what the Wookie was saying, at first, “Oh . . . Oh, yeah, good idea. You think there are more of those beasts around?”
“While I was hunting, I saw a nest, big enough to hold six. We’d be safer burying them away from camp, too.” He thought for a moment. “Best to make a litter, You won’t be able to lift one of those.”
“Don’t be so sure!” Seamus cast a Force Levitate on the tarentek on the right. The Wookie stopped trying to pick up the one on the left.
“So, you are Jedi?” He fixed Seamus with a skeptical eye. “If you are Jedi, what are you doing here?”
“I’ll explain after we bury these beasts. The sun, what little there is, is going down and I don’t want to be without shelter if there are more of these things around.”
Seamus knew if the Wookie wanted help lifting the other tarentek, he’d have asked. He also knew he wouldn’t ask because that would have been admitting weakness. Besides, what’s a little 900 pound tarentek for a twelve foot tall Wookie? The Wookie lifted his beast and headed off into the forest, back toward the flyer.
“Um, would you mind if we didn’t bury them here?” he asked, “It just that my flyer is over there a few miles and I’ll have to come back this way.”
“Does it fly?”
“Well, no, not right now, but I’m hoping to fix it and get off this world.”
“This is not a bad world. Plenty of food and fresh water, lots of beasts to hunt and eat, quiet, mostly. Is there anything you need from your flyer?”
“Not really. I could save the astronav, but it’s broken, so I guess it won’t do any harm to leave it.”
‘Then, there is no reason we can’t bury these beasts here. You will not need to come this way again.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I already initiated my locator beacon and there are several ships in system. I saw them on my way down. They were in a battle, but I’m sure when they’ve finished, they will come looking for me.”
“Why? Who are you that they would come after you?”
“My name is Ah-chew-Snort. I am a soldier in Goodman’s (the Exile’s) fleet.”
“What kind of a name is that?!”
The Wookie glared. “It is the name my unfortunate mother gave me at my naming ceremony! It wasn’t her fault she had to sneeze when she was asked what my name would be. A bee flew up her nose. Sadly, once she had uttered a sound, it became my name, as is the custom.”
“Oh, sorry, how unfortunate.” Seamus couldn’t think of a way to get out of this hole he’d inadvertently dug. He stared at his feet, trying to think of something quickly.
The Wookie’s face softened. “It’s ok. Humans do that all the time.” He clapped a sheathed clawed paw on Seamus’s shoulder, “It could have been worse, she could have expelled digestive gas or hiccuped.”
Seamus made quick work of digging the hole by using Force Push to move the ground. The Wookie threw both beasts in the hole. Seamus moved the earth back. They hurried back to the life pod. The Wookie started carving parts off the ruminant to cook for dinner.
“So, what would you like me to call you?”
“Snort will do.”
“Okay, Snort, then. You said you were soldier in Goodman’s fleet?”
“Yes, a grenadier, actually. Where do you serve?”
“I’m with Carth’s fleet, fighter pilot.”
“Will they not miss you and start looking for you?”
“Yes, they would, but with my locator signal transponder broken and my ship badly damaged, I don’t know how they will find me. I’m not even sure where I am.”
“We’re on Yavin. ”
“Yavin? How’d I get here? I was en route to Taris! My base ship is at Taris! Ohhhh, I’m screwed!”
“It’s not so bad. The Mandalorians have already been here and gone. That’s what the fighting is, up there”, He pointed to the sky, “I don’t think they’ll be back, so all we have to do is wait for our forces to find us.”
The Wookie made a spit to cook the meat on.
“I didn’t know Wookies cooked their meat.”
“We don’t normally, but Humans do and since you’re my guest, I’ll cook it. It won’t be as nutritious for me, but it will keep me alive and make you less uncomfortable.”
Seamus couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Wookies were not known for being accommodating. Of course, they weren’t known for being in the Republic forces or for speaking Galactic Basic, either, so why was he surprised? Still, he didn’t understand why this Wookie wanted to share his meals and company. It didn’t make sense.
“You are extremely jumpy and worried for a Jedi, I think. You should relax.”
“You’re probably right. I’m not a full Jedi, yet. I’m only a Padawan and this was my first sortie and I got shot down and lost and now you’re here and I’ve never been around a Wookie before and they don’t especially have a reputation for being the most receptive beings in the galaxy and there were those tarenteks and...” Panic was beginning to take over.
“Breathe!”, The Wookie laughed, “Center yourself and relax! Some Jedi you are. Learn to live in the moment. That’s the trouble with most Wookies, they don’t live in the moment. They’re too focused on the hunt to enjoy the scenery.” The Wookie regarded him, “I guess Humans have that trouble, too.”
Seamus regretted his outburst, but the air seemed lighter. He didn’t feel so afraid. He even laughed to himself inwardly that a Wookie was teaching him how to release tension. I have so much to learn, he thought to himself.
They finished their meal in amicable silence and went into the life pod to sleep. The next morning, Republic troops came and took them back to their fleets. Ah-chew-Snort transferred to Carth’s fleet where he and Seamus spent many years learning from each other.
I really HATE Halloween! lol I don't mind the principle of the holiday or even handing out candy to the kids, but I REALLY resent people hanging webbing on their entrances and huge spiders, even though I know logically they're fake, and those things that jump out at you as you walk up the driveway! You know, if it was just once or twice, that might be okay, but in my line of work, I have to experience this 'good humoured' BS 15-20 times a day! And they're always so proud of the job they did! *shakes head in hand* Two more weeks, right?
But I had a story that was creepy in a different way, tonight. I went to a new customer's house. The dad was changing the A/C to heat and was on the roof with a huge ladder propped up against an open garage. The mom, instead of using the front door used the garage entrance, which is fine, except they paid by credit card and she wanted me to go into the garage so she wouldn't have to come all the way out of the house, as she had already changed into her PJs for the night. Ok, that's fine, too. Except I looked casually around the garage and I could have sworn some of my items from my house in ND were there! Stuff I hadn't seen in years because it had been robbed. Then, I turned around and they had a slightly broken acrylic sweaterbox they were using as a litter pan. It was broken in the exact same way mine had been when Data was alive, 7 years ago. As I left, an orange 20 lb tabby came swaggering around the corner. No definite pattern, appleheaded (except he wasn't Siamese, so I'm not sure what the real name of an appleheaded not- Siamese is) golden eyed, curious faced (as in always curious, not strange)... It was like out of the Twilight Zone! He acted and looked exactly like Data and they had stuff like mine that I'd had when Data was alive!
Gave me the shivers!
(probably didn't explain it well, might be you may have had to live my life to understand, but still...)
Weird time of year!
*edited because I have crumbs in my keyboard and my keys are sticking
Ok, you remember me whinging yesterday about people moving on and leaving me to either follow or let them go?
Well, as it turns out, as I was whinging, at that exact time, a friend of mine was dying.
He'd had Crohn's disease for the last 10 or so years and finally lost the battle. Over the three years I knew him, he'd suffered 6 or 7 heart attacks and a round of necrotizing faciaitis that almost killed him several times, but he'd always pulled miraculously through. He probably had another heart attack, last night, and wasn't so lucky.(cause of death hasn't been determined) His mother found him this morning.
A community cannot remain a community if everyone leaves or becomes private eyes only!
Modblog went in the dumps, we moved here.
Myspace I won't even touch!
Livejournal is too hard to manage.
EZBoard is closing its doors in 6 weeks (give or take)
Other places I visit are closing their doors.
Is it me? Am I the cause?
I'm lousy at returning letters and e-mail, always have been, just the way I am.
Can't chat if no one is awake when I am.
I don't have enough INTERESTING things to post everyday. Sorry, but when you get to be middle aged, have kids, and a job, that's what happens. How many entries of "did housework, fed the animals, went to work" do you really have the patience to read?
Maybe I'm not supposed to care. Maybe I'm only supposed to be mildly interested, politely paying attention.
Well, TOUGH! When I give a hug in real life or cyberspace, the feeling is there and I mean it! When I say something, it's because I think you might like to hear it, or at least might need to hear it.
1000 lots at Christie's Auction House containing all sorts of stuff from all Star Trek related shows and movies. I had to go look!
I guess I'm not the worst sort of diehard fan because I only found a few things I would have wanted to remind me... Captain Picard's Flute, Dame Judith Anderson's Vulcan Preistess robes, Saarek's urn, Chicotay's medicine wheel, a three- tiered chess set, T'Pau's wedding dress, perhaps a batlith.
Still, I somehow feel like I did when I was a kid and my mother would clean out my old used toys.
Realization that Star Trek is probably over.
Maybe it's like that line from Peter Pan, "They'll never really be gone as long as we believe."
There were problems every year with the old VisionNet modem (DSL). When the rains came, there would be no sync. I thought it was just humidity and tech support had no answers, so I just lived with it. They would tell me there was a conflict between the Lynksys router and the modem that they couldn't resolve, but I knew that was untrue because I could bypass the router, going directly to the modem, remove all the phones from the line and still get nothing!. I had the phone company put buffers on the incoming line and put microbuffers on all the inside lines and still no luck!
Well, yesterday, again no sync light, so I did the recommended futzing...unplug for 2 minutes, restart, wait 2 minutes, retest, relog in, check the setup, run the diagnostic again, check for static on the phone lines, check for dialtone, physically check connectors, check to make sure the ethernet card is operational. reunplug, rewait, reinitiate.
About the fourth try, I heard a pop and noticed the power light wasn't on. Checked the switch, opened the case and Viola! the solder has popped loose! Well, ok, if I had a soldering iron, it would be an easy fix, except, looking closer, it looks like someone has gone in and eaten parts of all the silver tracings. There are open circuits all over the board! Again, fixable, but is it really worth the effort?
So, grab new modem with an integrated wireless router (Actiontec wireless gateway) Reconfigure all the computers for the new modem/router, and WONDERFUL! ALL the computers are now at least getting 54Mbps connections when before we were lucky if the wireless connections got 10.
I had a whole list of things I wanted to research when I next went online, and now I can't remember any of them! Yep, you guessed it, I didn't write them down. Maybe, hopefully, if they're important, I'll remember later?
Imagine, one day, a religious leader goes to his people and says, "You there, go to this other land, convert them to our religion or kill them, doesn't matter to me which way they go as long as they're not what they were when you got there, and while you're gone, see what you can do to secure trade for goods and services that we so enjoy in our leisure time"
Think I'm talking about 9-11? Maybe, I meant the Crusades? Or perhaps, the Roman Empire. Could be the Whites vs the American Indians. Might be the Conquistadores and the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans? Hmmm, could be the Dutch and Africa. Could it possibly be the Chinese vs the Japanese? Perhaps the Egyptians and the Hebrews?
She's doing puppy things again, shredding kleenex, chasing kitties, chewing shoes (hmm teething?), even eating puppy food again and drinking on her own.
She was starting to get fearless about jumping on and off furniture when she was really sick, something not recommended for Dachshunds, but her reasoning powers have returned and she's starting to think twice and whimper when she wants up or down, now, which is cool. We knew when she came home she would always need steps or help.
One of the kitties has adopted her, sort of. When it's bedtime, he goes and throws sleep vibes at her, curling up next to her and putting a paw on her shoulder. It's very cute to watch.
However, not all is well in Mudville (er, muddy sand ville) The other dog now has a sinus infection (2 yr old Collie, Diva) and the humans are also on the road to sinus infections. We've all got much lighter cases of whatever this virus was, though, or else our immune systems are better able to handle it. We're all only slightly miserable to inconvenienced by it, instead of at death's door.
Well, this too shall pass. Meanwhile, I think Kyra may need some yogurt to rebuild her stomach flora after taking the anitbiotics. STINKY! Noxious! Silent, but deadly! Um, you get the idea.
Again, thank you to everyone who kept her in their thoughts and hearts to help her through this.
We got her only a week ago and so much has happened! She was doing well, chasing the kitties, making friends with the older dog, Diva, getting a name, learning to poop when and where she was supposed to, gaining weight, embedding herself firmly in our hearts.
Then, Friday, she stopped eating and drinking on her own. We took her to the emergency vet who said they can't be sure but she either has bronchitis or distemper... but she's had her distemper shot, so how can that be?
Well, so, 24 hour nursing care, now. She still isn't eating or drinking on her own. We have to force feed and water her. She won't eat puppy food, so we're giving her Gerber baby foods on the vet's orders and syringes of water every 1.5 to 2 hours and she's on antibiotics and puppy Robitussin (yes, they make that! who'dathunkit?)
So yes, I'm worried. Some prayers and gentle healing thoughts would be appreciated. Her picture is in my gallery.
Yep, past the crest of the hill yesterday! (unless they moved the hill again) 41 years, now, and I feel younger today than I did last week.
Ok, so some of you know I'm a twin, so yesterday, I woke up at noon-ish (oh, to read this correctly, you have to pretend it's still Sunday) had half a cup of coffee because I wanted to wash my hair before 1:00 pm because our next door neighbor decided she was taking us out to lunch. Her original plan was to take us to a sushi bar because she'd never been to one and my sister an I were dreading it! But she changed her mind, decided she wasn't feeling that adventureous and took us to Olive Garden, instead. WHEW! Dodged that awkward situation!!!
Oh, I have to back up slightly. I got home from work Friday at around 2: 30am (normal for me) I was glad I had a Saturday off from work. It's a major feat getting a weekend night off where I work. Well, about 10 days ago, one of the assistant managers was very rude and in front of God and everyone yelled out "how old will you be?" I told him it was impolite to ask a lady that question and for his information I was old enough to be his mother as well as just about everyone else's around there, and stomped out on my way to a delivery! Then, I forgot about it because for the 10 years I've worked at this store, my birthday has never been important. With the high turnover, I usually try not to get too friendly with anyone who works there. Well, Friday night, as I was leaving, they all lined up military review style by the door and wished me a happy birthday as I left. I was floored! I didn't even know they liked me well enough to do it! I mean, really, I'm the one who goes around telling them the mistakes they make and how to correct them before management notices so they don't get in real trouble, so I sort of take it for granted that they have a grudging respect for me, but not an actual like!
So anyway, my nephew was at his dad's house for manditory parental visitation, and his dad decided to let him go shopping with my sister and me for 3 hours on Saturday. We had PLANNED to go shopping for cookware as about half our set is nicked and banged beyond usefullness, but somehow we ended up at our favorite jewelery store.
Now, I've been looking for about 15 years for the perfect set of opal earrings for my sister. You know, opals are said to be cursed if you buy them for yourself, so they are better if you get them as a gift, but I'd never found natural stones with the depth and fire I wanted at a price I could afford until yesterday. So that's what she got from me. Meanwhile, that store is starting to branch out a little from the standard stones and I found a lovely pair of lever backed pink Tourmaline earrings. They only had one pair, though and they were not going to be ordering any more except on special order. My sister got me those! She also found herself a strand of 4 mm white/pink pearls with matching earrings and me a pair of black pearl and diamond earrings and she got her son a pinky ring to have as his first piece of real jewelery, inexpensive, but real, so if he takes care of it, it will have meaning to him, but if he loses it, it didn't cost a fortune. By the time we were finished looking at almost everything in the store and had grabbed a snack, it was time to take him back to his dad's.
We drove around looking at the new housing developments for about 2 hours, after that. something we both enjoy.
Well, she still wanted to find a new set of pots, so we decided to go to the other mall to look in the major department stores there to see what brands and features were available. Except, across from the main entrance there's a pet store, where I rarely go, and for the last 5 weeks I've been trying to find a replacement "Y" branch for my parrot's cage, because she chewed her old one to death (she's a bird, they do that) So we decided to make a QUICK trip in the pet store to see if they had any. They did, only 5 or 6, but it meant I had to stand there and decide which one would be best. Being as this bird is very tempermental, it's important to find new stuff that's close to the old stuff so she doesn't freak out on me. While I was making up my mind, my sister roamed amont the new puppy arrivals and fell in love! We brought home the appropriate branch and a 10 week old female chocolate dappled Dachshund!
We never did get the pots.
BUT she is such a darling! The cats are miffed, to say the least. but they're coming around slowly. It helps they've all figured out she's a baby and she can't climb or jump, but they're all still confused what the fascination is. Meanwhile the Collie has a baby to mother and is enjoying it I have a picture posted in my gallery.
So, yes, it was an expensive day, but it was a lot of fun. We stopped in to say hi to my manager yesterday and the whole store, all 45 people said happy birthday again as we were leaving. My sister and I both giggled on the way out to the car. She was impressed, as well.
For anyone who's listening, including Mother Nature and the Universe:
I'm ready for it to stop raining! :)
The ground all over town is supersaturated.
The river is running at capacity.
Hundreds of people don't have homes to go to, right now.
That lightening storm last night was just a touch melodramatic! I mean, really, was that truly necessary???
Brick buildings splitting open from the force of rain rushing down the mountains.
The airport says we've been getting 2-3 inches daily, but the run-off has raised the river 19 ft this week.
Over here, just a few blocks away from the "official" rain guage, we've had about 10 inches of rain. (our yearly allottment)
My back yard is a swamp. Where's the dog supposed to go do her business?
Not to mention that folks around here just are not used to that much water! They don't really believe that water running past the curb could be higher than the 6 inches they think it is. I can't tell you how many people I've seen this week with water up to their armpits, trying to cross roads and such.
Ok, the white water rapids look going through downtown is a cool sight to look at, watching dumpsters carreening down the street is an awesome reminder of how heavy all that water is, but the businesses can't handle that much distruction. Those building are over 100 years old!
Ok, yes, the water creating inpromptu waterfalls down the mountain sides was cool to look at, too, but the water has to go somewhere and there's folks that live at the bases of those mountains.
It is unbelieveably hard to connect to the internet when the humidity is as high as 94% and my equipment is used to only about 12%. Just so you know, sometimes, my not posting has nothing to do with not wanting to post! lol
So now the story of last Friday night, July 28th, 2006.
Everything was fine unitl about 10 pm. We'd had threatening clouds and lightning all night, but the roads were dry and we weren't terribly busy at work, and the customers were generally in a good mood, which is always nice!
But I looked to the East and saw a WALL of water heading towards our little store, ran in and told my assistant manager that the three drivers she was planning to send home might want to stay around for another half-hour, just incase.
No sooner had I packed up my next delivery and was heading out the door, than the rain hit, with a vengeance! It wasn't just rain, it was a solid wall of water pouring from the skies! Within 10 minutes (enough time to get to the customer's house and give them their dinner) water was running through the roads past the curbs' height. Well, I've been driving this area for too many years and I know which ones are sloped correctly to allow rain to drain effeciently, so I headed back to the store. There's a certain road, right by the store that floods if you spit on it, and yep, it was flooded, but what I was amazed me.
There were a few unlucky individuals who had been driving along the worst part of that road when the wall of water struck. The water around their cars was up to the bottoms of their windows. It wasn't fast-moving water, but it was deeper than I thought was even possible. I mean, who would have thought that water would rise 3 ft on a flat surface (because that area is pretty flat, not recessed, not lower than the surrounding area.)
The fire engines came to help people get out of the water. When the firemen got out of the truck, the water was above their waists. Those poor souls and the stranded motorists were trying to push the dead cars out of the road.
Meanwhile, I did something I've never done before in my life! I turned around and drove back to higher ground, going the wrong way, in the same lane I had been in, because it had the least amount of water. I pulled into a local apartment complex and called the store to tell them that I would be taking longer to get back than normal because there was no open way for me to actually get back to the store.
For only the fourth time in the last 12 years, the store suspended delivery due to weather. It took me an hour to travel the two remaining blocks back to the store.
The next day, I found out that hundreds of people had flooded their engines, had underpinnings ripped from their cars, broken fuel, oil, and brake lines, or had their axels twisted by the waters. We had 9 drivers on the road at the time, 5 had been stranded for various amounts of time. Only one had serious problems with his car, but no one was hurt.
In case you want to see just how far we've come, mutilating the English language.
(takes time, but funny once you figure it out)
Oh, and a confession: I can razz on this because I use at least 80% of these every day! :) (that was for the other Texans who might be offended, which is not really very likely because we're pretty good at laughing at ourselves)
A collection of plastics, wires, little metal and ceramic do-dads most people don't understand, a little time invested and a life is changed.
Sometimes there are not so nice things one finds, but mostly, just really good people.
Sometimes off-the-wall stories, and home remedies, but also solid scientific information for whatever question taxes the brain and life- affirming hope inspiring stories.
When I first started blogging, I was dragged into it by a friend which is why I don't post much. I never kept a diary as a kid and I wasn't about to start at my present age, but there was something that was sort of cathartic about reading other people's problems and solutions, finding how similar and how different we are that was too hard to pass up. Over time, some of those anonymous people became friends. Real ones that I've met in real life who are the same in person as they are in print.
I guess I've been lucky in a way. Over the last 15 years, there have been only a handful of people I've become attached to that have died. I've mourned and there have been others, always, who have mourned with me.
So on this sad day, when so many are once again in mourning for someone they felt they knew, but probably few ever really met, I wanted to say,
The Puma (Felis concolor) is an unmarked, tawny cat which possesses, along with great elegance and agility, many commonly used names. The most widespread of its labels are Cougar, Panther, Mountain Lion, and Catamount. They live over a broad range in all of the Americas.
Being the Puma (or whatever you want to call it!), you are a very strong individual and have a great capability of succeeding at whatever you wish to accomplish. You are cunning when in sticky situations and adept at puzzles and riddles.
If I had lived 200 years ago, I would have been...
an Inuit!
Living off the land in the Arctic Circle, these nature-loving folk are practical and
use every scrap of the animals they hunt. Though they are more commonly called the Eskimo, they
prefer Inuit, which means "The Real People".
Like them, you are respectful of nature and very resourceful. Your art has its own very distinct style which can be
recognized at a flash.
This quilt is going to be a miracle quilt if it ever gets finished!
In 2000, I noticed the quilt my grandmother made me when I was born, was becoming a little "too well loved" in a few places. No problem!, thought I. My grandmother had taught me to quilt and I'd taken a few quilting and sewing classes in school, so I thought repairing the damaged pieces shouldn't be too much of a problem. I have a good handstitch and I can cut a triangle when I have to.
... except, all the fabrics from the original quilt were from shirts and blouses my grandparents had actually owned and worn in their everyday life and were 35-50 years old and had been washed too many times to even try to calculate. Forget trying to match fabrics! The only fabrics I could find that were even close were shirtings, but there would be no way I could match the softness the years had provided to the quilt fabrics. Shirtings just don't come in brushed cotton, in my town and I didn't know about ordering online fabrics back then. Nor did I know about places that specialize in vintage fabrics, but that's a different topic.
So, not having ever paid attention to what fabrics were called or that they came in categories, I did the best I could. I bought enough fabrics of the same colors, but darker hues to recreate the complete top so I could encase the vintage quilt my grandmother had made. I made a mistake. The fabrics were 100% cotton, but one was a different weight than the others. Unfortunately for me, that one fabric in in the center patch of half of the blocks in the quilt! It's a sheer SHEER cotton, like one would use for an Easter dress skirt overlay! THIN! See-through! It will not hold up to numerous washings no matter how gentle the cycle I use, but I didn't even consider that when I bought it. (I think it's called Voille? pronounced foil?)
Being that I had learned the "old way", I had made templates from the original quilt blocks so the new blocks would be exactly the same as the old blocks. That was before I knew there were geometric formulas and patterns and cutting wheels and cutting mats that have made quilting so much easier than the way Grandma had to do it! The way she did it has 8 Y shaped seams per block joining... insanity!
So I reconfigured the way the blocks were constructed. No more Y seams, but there will be a slight difference visually when the blocks are joined. I can live with that much easier than the Y seams coming out of my ears for 117 blocks X 8 Y seams per joining.
The way I look at it, there's the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Mine will not be the same as the original, it can't be, but it can be pretty darned close and Grandma's will be safely tucked inside, protected, waiting to be discovered somewhere down the line, in time.
But first, I have to stop taking my work apart and start putting it back together!...which means I need to replace that center piece fabric.
Rip-it, rip-it, one step forward, one step back, one step forward, one step back, and turn! Dance with me! :)
My first car was a Datson 210. I never drove it. It was my graduation present from my parents and we'd owned it since it was new, so I grew up with it, but it was a stick shift and I could only drive automatic, and only just barely. I sold it the next fall to pay for tuition for college.
My next two cars were 1972 Chevy Impalas, one sedan, one station wagon. They both died in car accidents around the 250,000 mile marks. I loved them! They could scoot out of the way of a semi in seconds and could haul anything! Those big V8 engines were powerful and easy to work on with the minor exception of the fact that I had to physically sit on the air conditioner compressor to reach the firewall. But that was ok, because they were built sturdy enough for a person to sit on the engine to work on it! BIG steel all the way around! You could find all the parts of the engine and simple tools were all you needed to fix any part.
When the station wagon died, I had to buy quickly and chose a Honda Accord. One of the first ones, it was mechanically sound, but the frame had been bent in an accident that happened before lemon laws or full disclosure laws, so I had problems with the suspension the whole time I owned it. The only good thing about that car was that I finally learned to drive a standard.
I finally got my first (and only, so far) brand new car in 1989. I bought a Plymouth Sundance. V6, 4 door hatchback, lots of room, zippy and FUN with that competition clutch that came as standard equipment. It supposedly had a recall for the valve cover gasket, but mine never gave me a single day of concern so I left it the way it came. I traded it after another 250,000 miles. I still see it occasionally, it's still going strong as far as I can tell.
So, I traded for a 1993 Mazda Prelude. It had electrical degradation and died a few months after I paid it off. It was not fun to drive, but it served it's purpose.
After the Mazda, I got a 1998 Suzuki Esteem, which was a wonderful car, except I got it reposessed.
That was the week my dad died, so I had to replace it quickly. I found a 1989 Ford Cougar. It had a good ride and felt like I was "styling", but the engine was horrible and had recurrent problems the 12 months I owned it. I paid $1000 for it and spent another $3000 fixing it.
So, I replaced it with a 1989 Dodge Daytona which because of my credit, I had to buy outright. It was a joy to drive when it was going, but it developed a transmission problem and died last February. The cost of the Daytona was $1750. In the 18 months I owned it, I spent $6000 in repairs.
I was sick of paying $400 per repair, I was sick of HAVING repairs. I went to an auction and bought a 2002 Hyundai Sonata with 25,000 miles on it. Yes, I'm making a car payment again and I have to pay for full coverage insurance, but my peace of mind is restored. I know when I go outside to get in my car I will actually be able to GO where I intended when I decided to go somewhere.
I recently had to replace the tires... car's 4 years old and came with original tires, so it was time. The tire shop found my CV boots split on both sides. The great thing is Hyundai COVERS the CV axels during the warantee period. I didn't have to pay that $4-500! I have NEVER taken my car to a dealership and had them fix something for free with no hassel, so I'm a happy camper! :)
The point when I started out was I like GM and Mopar, but if what I need happens to be foreign, then that's what I will use. Call me unpatriotic, if you have to, but the foreign cars I've had have been much more reliable, which let's face it, is why I buy a car. It does me no good whatsoever to have American Made lawn ornaments when I need to go to work! Maybe, if GM had paid attention to quality instead of profit margin, they wouldn't be in the pickle they find themselves in, now!
I've been delivering pizzas to this area for over 10 years. A lot of people have been ordering that long, too. These customers are special because we form a bond of familiarity. I know their dog's name and which ones like to bolt out the door and who's kids want to help and who's dont. I've seen their kids graduate from high school, grow up enough to start school, seen pets replaced from old age, watched ailments and hard times come and go, watched as their cars in the driveway have changed and how their tastes have changed inside their homes, given tips when they've decorated for celebrations and needed a critical eye for Christmas lights or Halloween haunted house layouts. You know, sometimes people ask for more than just pizza.
Well, yesterday, I went to one of the first families I ever delivered to. I'd been wondering about them because I hadn't been to their house in about a year. When we first met, the father was in the Army and the little girl had just been born. The boy was respectful and polite and very shy. (he was 9)
Yesterday, there were yellow ribbons on all the posts around the courtyard, but it's a Spanish colonial style house and I figured they were having a party. There were also logos on the curb that were new, but I didn't pay attention to them, at first. There were new cars in the drive and the dog (a golden retriever) didn't bark when I got to the door, which I thought was sad. He was a good dog.
So I rang the bell and waited for the mom to come to the door, because she always does, and a young beautiful blond answered the door. OH MY GOSH! the baby is 12 years old! She's pretty like her mom, only very slightly shorter. Mom never did come to the door, but she paid with a check.
It was a vanity check, specially printed. Her shy son is now a Marine, serving in Iraq. She's had her checks printed with his Marine photo. I went to my car and cried, so proud of this little boy I've watched become a man.
scarfed this from LadyVisine, who snagged this from EC, who ganked it from kelley....
1. Go to Wikipedia.
2. In the Search box, type your birth month and day (but not year).
August 19
3. List three events that happened on your birthday:
1895 - American frontier murderer and outlaw, John Wesley Hardin, is killed by an off-duty policeman in a saloon in El Paso, Texas.
1929 - The radio comedy show Amos and Andy makes its NBC debut starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll.
1990 - Leonard Bernstein conducts his final concert, ending with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7.
4. List two important birthdays and one interesting death:
1871 - Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer (d. 1948)
1921 - Gene Roddenberry, American television producer (d. 1991)
Fourteen days ago, the horse racing world was dismayed at the breakdown of Barbaro in the Preakness Stakes. He suffered a break of the cannon bone, the sesamoid bone, and the long pastern bone, as well as a dislocation of the fetlock joint (in a human, that would mean he broke his tibia, fibia, and primary metatarsal, and dislocated his ankle)
The world has been up in arms ever since about whether it is right to save the life of one horse at the expense that it will cost when there might not be any gain and the horse was/is heavily insured. I hate mercenary thinking and I won't debate the pros or cons because that is not the function of this entry. Surgery was done and Barbaro seems to be doing well, despite still being in intensive care, which he will likely be in until the bones heal as leg injuries are life threatening in horses.
Yesterday, at the running of the Vadafone Derby in Ireland, a horse named Horatio Nelson suffered much the same injury and was euthanized.
So, my first question was, if they can save Barbaro, why couldn't they save Horatio Nelson? (and I should mention Barbaro is not out of the woods, yet, by any means!) So I dug deeper.
Barbaro's injury was closed. The skin was never compromised. Horatio Nelson's injury was an open wound. Keeping infection out would have been almost impossible. Also, Barbaro seemed/seems to have intact blood flow to the area. Horatio Nelson's injury crushed the vessel that goes into that area of a horse's leg, and there appeared to be ligament and tendon damage, as well. I was unable to find x-rays of Horatio Nelson's injury, but it sounds like it was a much worse version of what happened to Barbaro.
I'll admit, when I first read that Horatio Nelson had to be destroyed, I was angry at what seemed to me to be playing favorites. The first article I read didn't contain the details necessary to make an informed opinion. I'm glad I dug deeper and found that there really is a matter of degree of injury that determines whether a horse is saved or put down.
Still, my heart goes out to the owners of Horatio Nelson and his fans who are feeling even worse than we did two weeks ago when we didn't know what would happen and I wonder if perhaps Thoroughbreds need to be remixed just a tad to make their legs sturdier.
Vision Comments: 0
Date: 11/15/05 at 1:46AM (6M1w ago) Add Comment | Send to Friend | Modify Blog | Remove Blog
Acouple weeks ago, I was doing a stress relief meditation exercise, walking through my favorite imaginary forest when a white tailed doe stepped onto the path infront of me and looked gently at me, head on. So I said, "Oh, Hi, and thank you for meeting me here. It's lovely to see you. You look well."
She morphed into a 5-point buck (5 points on each antler), proud and non-threatened, almost arrogant.
Before I could say anything to him, his antlers changed into a phoenix, burning and flying toward the sky, engulfing the rest of the buck and the surrounding forest as he flew, screaming his joy of release.
He then changed into a hawk, soaring in the sky, not in a hurry, but enjoying stretching his wings.
While my mind tried desperately to catch details and formulate greetings for each of these animals, the vision faded. I didn't get to say anything to any of them after the doe and I didn't catch any particular messages. My mind seemed to be stuck on "oh wow!"
So now, and for the past few days, I've been feeling like I missed an opportunity, but so grateful for the actual vision, feeling like I let them down by not being able to find out why they came, but glad they did.
Time for the yearly quilt tally Linking: 2 Comments: 0
Date: 11/15/05 at 1:23AM (6M1w ago) Modified: 12/2/05 at 3:41AM (5M2w ago) Add Comment | Send to Friend | Modify Blog | Remove Blog
Quilt tally:
Stuff actually in progress:
Mask quilt: front complete, all pieces cut, 22 out of 57 pieces for the back appliqued
Dad's ties quilts (5): 60 blocks complete
Lumberjack quilts (2) blocks cut for both, half of one quilt sewn
Jane Stickle quilt: 30 blocks complete
Squishy Swap quilts (2) All blocks complete
Symbol block quilt: all blocks complete
Veteran's quilt: needs borders
Grandmother's Cross Quilt all pieces cut, 15 blocks complete
Twin Sister's quilt: hand quilting and binding
Wreath quilt
16 UFOs/Works in progress
Stuff I bought fabric for and have designed but haven't actually started:
Pueblo quilt
Desert landscape quilt
Mariner's compass quilt
Crackle Convergence quilt
Oriental Cranes quilts (2)
Oriental dragons quilt
Oriental landscape quilt
Cat Memorial quilt
Baby whole cloth quilts (10)
Tessellation quilts (10 different patterns)
Lone Star
Dresden Butterfly quilt
Tumbling blocks quilt
Color work Embroidery quilts (lots of patterns and themes)
Baltimore Album
Homespuns quilt
Flannel Rag
At Least 45 planned quilts not started yet
Just so you can see my average:
2001
11 rag quilts for LLQP
Dresden quilt
4 special project blocks
26 blocks for Squishy Swap
22 blocks for Flt93 quilts
Cat baby quilt
Twin Sisters quilt (still hand quilting it, though)
2002
50 squishy swap blocks
15 special project blocks
25 Dear Jane blocks
2 baby blankets
Flannel quilt for friend
2003
Claudia’s redwork Angel Quilt
2 baby quilts
2 dog quilts
Symbol blocks (all three groups, um, about what, 25-30 blocks?)
1 special project block
2004
Rosa’s colorwork Angel Quilt
2 baby quilts
5 Jane Stickle blocks
15 special project blocks
2005
5 special project blocks
(working on long-term projects this year)
Leena Flew Comments: 1
Private Blog Entry
Date: 10/17/05 at 2:27AM (7M6d ago) Add Comment | Send to Friend | Modify Blog | Remove Blog
Mood: Meh, ok, I guess
I had promised her yesterday after work, I would make her some new toys and she could pick the ones she wanted to play with right now when I got them made. I always have to take her to a neutral place to do this, so I know if a toy frightens her before I put it in her room. I put the toys on the bed and shoo-ed the kitties out of the room so she'd be safe, except Jack as she and Jack have a special bond.
She doesn't try to fly often, she's much more the huggie type, so I was as surprised as she and Jack were when she launched herself off my arm and started banking around the room. We both saw the problem at the same time, the wall and window were approaching much too fast and her air brakes weren't working at their best because she's still recovering from moult, but I was so proud as she caught the drapes with her beak and swung around into the soft folds of fabrics, and using beak and talons, walked down the drapes to the dresser below. What a save!
Her little heart was racing and her eyes were pinning and she said, 'Whew!' and giggled. I said, 'Yeah, that was exciting, but you did ok, Little girl! Now, will you please focus on your new toys?' and gave her several hugs and kisses, secretly checking elbows, knees, keel, and neck to make sure she really was ok. Hmm, I really need to teach her how to land.
***a little background: Leena is a 6 yr old rescued Congo African Gray parrot. I first met her when she was 8 weeks old. She was not abundantly weaned, i.e. allowed to stay with her parents until primary fledging which for CAGs is about 4 months, and was sold to a couple who didn't know anything about baby parrots.
After 10 months of trying everything they could think of, and several of those months with me trying to help them help her, they asked me to adopt her for the price of her cage. When she first came to me, she had chewed all her feathers to the nubs and had only a slight downy coating all over (undercoat). The skin on her back between her shoulder blades and the skin on her elbows was ulcerated from her chewing. She weighed 300 grams. Normal for a 1 year old CAG is 550 to 700 grams. She was afraid of humans, addicted to seeds and McDonald's french fries, feared dogs, and wouldn't attempt to fly or perch because of several mishaps. She didn't speak or make any sounds, her eyes were dull, and she'd cower at the sight of toys or anything red colored. (the lady of the house wore long red false nails, most the time and the couple had chosen Macaw sized toys for her)
I don't blame the former adopters. They didn't know what they were getting into when they got her and tried diligently to make things right. They just weren't the match for her and were caring enough to let her go.
Slowly, we've worked through most of her problems. Her diet is more varied and she weighs around 650 grams. Her feathers took 3 years to grow back fully. She still chews her red tail feathers, but she doesn't gnaw them to the quick anymore. She has gleefully destroyed about 20 toys per year, for the last 3 years, now, and her vocabulary reflects a happy soul. Her eyes are bright and alert and pin whenever she sees me. (pinning means the pupil gets larger and smaller. It's a sign of love or deep interest, depending on other body language)
Well, aside from tweaking the computer some, here and there, trying to get it the way I had it before it got all new and improved (grrrr! but I'm getting better, really) it's a sad thing, but mostly I've been playing video games and taking pics for my pet project.
Most people don't know I have been learning about folklore and properties of stones-minerals- crystals- ok, rocks, for a while now, and I've been trying to research all the different resources and conbine them so I have one place that gives a consensus of what different stones have been reportedly used for over the years. Someplace where I can go and look up "nasal conjestion-sinus" and see that blue fluorite or black tourmaline are *supposed* to alleviate those types of conditions.
But I started running into a problem a few months ago when I couldn't remember which stone looked like what, so I decided I might as well add a picture of a common enough looking stone, representative of the type being described. Only, rocks are not as easy to photograph clearly as one would think. I have about 5000 pics of rocks now, and am still not satisfied with a few of the samples.
Then, there's another problem. I have a devil of a time remembering the chemical composition of each stone. I wanted to cross reference to see if there were certain elements that were causing the beliefs that certain stones were good for certain ailments. No one has yet in any of the books and sites I've looked at, actually compared compositional qualities.
So, for instance, let's say, for the sake of arguement, that lepidolite really does make a person feel better. Well, ok, lepidolite is lithium and mica. Lithium is the element used to control certain brain disorders. So, perhaps by holding a raw stone containing lithium, some ionic transfer might cross the skin barrier, be carried by the blood stream, and elevate your mental state. It's possible, maybe. Then, there's the panacea effect. If you believe you're supposed to get better, you usually do.
So, that's basically what I'm buried under, right now. It's turning into a much bigger project than I thought it would be when I started it, but then, that's what usually happens with my projects.
This is going to be the record of Christopher's behavior each week. Hopefully, I'll remember to make the entries. (hopefully, I figure out how to copy these to a file on the computer, too!)
OK, for the week, April 2nd to Apr 7th,
Monday, late, didn't want to get out of bed. went to bed late on Sunday. Didn't eat a good breakfast, was bouncy when he got home, got a note for his behavior from Late Friday, was not counted tardy at school, though because I bullied him verbally into getting in the car with enough time to get there.
Tuesday, late getting up, but good attitude. was funny and cute getting up even though he didn't want to.
Wednesday, not bad, got a full 8 hours of sleep, ate a decent breakfast, not a lot of problems getting him to school, but didn't want to do his homework when he got home.
Thursday, almost late, his alarm didn't go off on time.
Friday got up late, didn't want to make decisions, didn't want to get dressed, didn't have a good breakfast, COUNTED TARDY
If I were grading him, it would have been a C- overall for the week.
Spring has sprung, the dirt is flying. 35-50 mph winds so the sand and silt doesn't stand a chance of staying near the ground.
I made my first ever dreamcatcher the other day, using feathers from our flock for decoration, cockatiel and budgie, yellow and blue, male and female. My nephew immediately claimed it for his own.
Worrying about friends in the mid section of the country, tornados seem bad this year.
There's a webcam for an eagle nest in Vancouver that I've been watching. They're a good set of parents, those two. Two eggs they're keeping cozy, saw Mommy eagle turn them yesterday. Today, though, their wind is up a bit and Daddy eagle looks cold and he's growing in new face feathers, which I know have got to be itchy, poor guy. He was yawning and looked really sleepy. Made me feel like passing him a heating pad to cozy up to (set on low, of course, have to watch those safety considerations, ya know... not that a) I'd find an extension cord long enough to get up to the nest, or b) that he'd want to use it anyway, but still, it was just a thought)
Ok, so I had the bright idea that while my nephew was at his dad's for Spring break, I'd go ahead and take the computer into a real certified shop and have the hard drive upgraded.
Now, understand, please! I am perfectly capable of ghosting a hard drive. Heck, how do you think I got 10 years worth of files onto that 40 GB drive in the first place? Switching from Win 98 to Win XP, to boot! Not for the average bear, lemme tell you! It took a lot of thinking about the best way to physically connect the drives, but in the end, the actual transfer of data wasn't that big a deal!
But, I had remembered what a hassel it was and decided my time and frustration would be better controlled if I let someone with a piece of paper do it for me... at a cost of $160! and with a promise that it would take about 24 hours.
PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!
So, Wednesday, Mar 15th, at 2 PM I dropped off the computer and the new hard drive, being assured it would be wonderfully roomy with a new 160 GB HD by 4 PM, Thursday.
Thursday, I called to see how things were going and was told it was almost ready and they'd call when it was completed.
Thursday night, I called again and was told to stop bothering them.
EXCUSE ME??? "Stop bothering them"? It was the department manager who said this!
Well. ok, I had to go to work and decided I would go in person on Friday morning to see what was up.
Friday morning, I got a call from the extremely helpful person who I had first dealt with, who was not the manager, who asked if I could bring my restoration discs with me. It seems, the manager had messed up and tried to ghost the drive WHILE STILL IN WINDOWS!!!!! Not only was the new drive not being accepted by the BIOS, but the old drive was now corrupted and the poor guy who had been so hopeful (who had coincidently had Thursday off) and helpful was desperately trying every trick he could think of to salvage something from the situation. He even took me back into the benchset area to see if there were any tricks I could think of that he had not (which there were, but that's later in the story)
I told him to reformat the 160GB drive like it was brand new and to let me deal with the rest of the data at home. Then, I joked and told him he owed me a box of chocolates and I prefer cremes to nuts! Poor guy! I could tell by the sick look on his face he felt miserable about the whole thing.
So it took until 10 PM Saturday night, the 18th, to get my computer back at which time I began the process of data retrieval and reinstallation of all my programs and personal settings. I'm still working on it. It took them 4 days to mess it up and put it back to a place where it would have been if I had never taken it to them and I still spent about 8 hours (so far) doing what I originally paid them to do.
It turns out, in XP, if you lock up a drive, but the data is still there, at least this time, anyway, I was able to go in using it as a co-drive, not a slave, and move the data I wanted to the new drive.
Oh yeah, btw, I haven't done it yet, but those 5000 pictures I've taken over the last 10 years with my digital camera? Youbetcha they're being copied to a cd, along with all my records and receipts and all that other stuff it's nice to have a copy of and I'm not forgetting my favorites and address book this time!
The computer is now about 90% fully restored. The worst problem I had was remembering how to configure the dsl modem with the router so I could use the network we have set up here (which I also set up, on my own, without a piece of paper that said I knew how to do it... and yes, I can program a vcr!)
One other thing: it's against their policy to grant refunds. I got my money back anyway!
On my list of things to do on my day off, I have
pay insurance
get the oil changed
wash hair
go to the VA Clinic
check county records to see if there's a warrant for that traffic ticket I got that I forgot to take driver's ed for (they're offering amnesty this week)
resize the quilt template so I can make patterns
write out a *simple* D&D rules template so my sister can help my nephew with his turn-based video games when I'm not home (to hit and damage ratios)
fix the links section of this blog
cook dinner
help kid with homework
wash dishes since I think the dishwasher croaked
set up the coffee maker for Thursday morning
But I'd bet everyone has a list like that.
Offhand, does anyone know the seat load capacity for an American toilet? Just wondering since there's a big (sorry) stink about Australian toilets being rated for 100 lbs. I mean really, it's not something I've ever thought about.
One other thing...
Jay Bennish, the Colorado teacher who dared to actually teach his students to think for themselves. You can listen to the entire tape here:
Yes, his comments could have been more balanced, BUT, he was making the point that things are not always truthfully represented and that there are always at least two sides to every arguement and that students need to do their homework and find those sides, then make their own fully informed decisions, then I think he proved the point nicely... after all, it's got a lot of people talking, hasn't it?
Would someone take a screenshot of my blog and send it to me?
What I see looks fine, but I can't tell what others see and I am still getting well-meaning suggestions about fixing my blog, so if there's a problem, I'm not seeing it...which is why I need a screenshot from someone else's computer.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
*** this is not an attempt to drum a path to my door, I REALLY want to know what you are seeing.***
Hmmm, might also be good to know if you are using Firefox, too, as that might be where the problem lies.
Yesterday, I got banned from a forum I'd only visited once, because of the company I keep. Tomorrow is our town's annual Black Pride march. So in the spirit of seeing how far we've come (or how far we still have to go) I thought I'd post a little something about some of my friends.
Friend 1. Manages a division of a major import-export company. Taught me in college to swear in Xhosa. Avidly reads Science fiction, now, though wasn't that interested before meeting me. Taught me how to pack things like they are going overseas! Very intellegent and practical.
Friend 2. Is now a minor civic official. Taught me how to curse in Swahili, in college. Has a quick wit, a ready sincere smile, and a warm hug ready at all times.
Friend 3. Manages a multi-million dollar franchise. Practical, but doesn't mind playing once in a while. Thinks crawfish are a gift from God.
Now, for these three friends:
Which is white?
Which is black?
Which is male?
Which is female?
What religion(s) are these three?
1. She is white, blonde hair, blue eyes, British heritage. When she was growing up, her parents were missionaries to Nigeria, which is where she learned Xhosa. She herself has a Christian base, but is more eclectic. I think I corrupted her, though. She was my college roommate.
2. He is dark black and Muslim... oh, he's going bald, and he's short. He's from Kenya.
3. She's light black, Solid Christian, Louisianna black woman who doesn't take any guff from anyone. She is a mother of 4 and a grandmother of 9. She adores bright colors and jewelry.
Stuff actually in progress:
Mask quilt: front complete, all pieces cut, 22 out of 57 pieces for the back appliqued
Dad's ties quilts (5): 60 blocks complete
Lumberjack quilts (2) blocks cut for both, half of one quilt sewn
Jane Stickle quilt: 30 blocks complete
Squishy Swap quilts (2) All blocks complete
Symbol block quilt: all blocks complete
Veteran's quilt: needs borders
Grandmother's Cross Quilt all pieces cut, 15 blocks complete
Twin Sister's quilt: hand quilting and binding
Wreath quilt
16 UFOs/Works in progress
Stuff I bought fabric for and have designed but haven't actually started:
Pueblo quilt
Desert landscape quilt
Mariner's compass quilt
Crackle Convergence quilt
Oriental Cranes quilts (2)
Oriental dragons quilt
Oriental landscape quilt
Cat Memorial quilt
Baby whole cloth quilts (10)
Tessellation quilts (10 different patterns)
Lone Star
Dresden Butterfly quilt
Tumbling blocks quilt
Color work Embroidery quilts (lots of patterns and themes)
Baltimore Album
Homespuns quilt
Flannel Rag
At Least 45 planned quilts not started yet
Just so you can see my average:
2001
11 rag quilts for LLQP
Dresden quilt
4 special project blocks
26 blocks for Squishy Swap
22 blocks for Flt93 quilts
Cat baby quilt
Twin Sisters quilt (still hand quilting it, though)
2002
50 squishy swap blocks
15 special project blocks
25 Dear Jane blocks
2 baby blankets
Flannel quilt for friend
2003
Claudia’s redwork Angel Quilt
2 baby quilts
2 dog quilts
Symbol blocks (all three groups, um, about what, 25-30 blocks?)
1 special project block
2004
Rosa’s colorwork Angel Quilt
2 baby quilts
5 Jane Stickle blocks
15 special project blocks
2005
5 special project blocks
(working on long-term projects this year)
*****************************************
So far, this year, I've advanced but not completed any of these projects
My nephew entered this world, saw my face and got the most confused look on his face. I could tell what he was thinking. "Oh no! I got the wrong twin!"
I have been near this child since about 36 hours after conception. He is biologically, if not physically, the son I could have had. I have been and still am his second mother, more than his aunt.
Now, at his 9th birthday, he stands as tall as my shoulder and his feet are a size bigger than mine and if I were not a girl, he could wear my clothes (except for his really skinny butt! My pants would fall off his body.)
I'm probably biased, but MOST of the time he's a fantastic kid to know. Of course, being where he is developmentally, I waffle about telling him. He needs to know someone thinks he's neat, but he also needs to know that he can improve. Wouldn't do to enter the teen years with an overexaggerated self-image, would it?
Ok, they'll have to be virtual Doritos, but I'm completely serious!
How do I manage the menus I don't plan to use? Can I edit them out? (I think menus are great, I just don't use as many as are provided and would rather not have them showing if they're not being used)
You know, I've looked through the support area and found a lot of "to be added" stuff, so I'm assuming that stuff is on the way, but either is not quite ready for public viewing or is in the process of migrating from one system to the other.
If I want to "snaz up" my background and stuff, do I have to know CSS or is there an easier way?
If there's a person I want to add to my buddy list, but they don't have the convenient link in their profile box on their page, is there a way to add them?
From December 2005 until February 2006, there was no blogging. I tried at LiveJournal, but no one was there who wanted to read what I had to say. Then, Lady Visine said a whole bunch of modbloggers had found a place that was small, easy to handle, and loaded with features!
YEA!
Home again, only in a different place
(this post has been manufactured to represent that span of time that is not recorded elsewhere in the archives.)
Acouple weeks ago, I was doing a stress relief meditation exercise, walking through my favorite imaginary forest when a white tailed doe stepped onto the path infront of me and looked gently at me, head on. So I said, "Oh, Hi, and thank you for meeting me here. It's lovely to see you. You look well."
She morphed into a 5-point buck (5 points on each antler), proud and non-threatened, almost arrogant.
Before I could say anything to him, his antlers changed into a phoenix, burning and flying toward the sky, engulfing the rest of the buck and the surrounding forest as he flew, screaming his joy of release.
He then changed into a hawk, soaring in the sky, not in a hurry, but enjoying stretching his wings.
While my mind tried desperately to catch details and formulate greetings for each of these animals, the vision faded. I didn't get to say anything to any of them after the doe and I didn't catch any particular messages. My mind seemed to be stuck on "oh wow!"
So now, and for the past few days, I've been feeling like I missed an opportunity, but so grateful for the actual vision, feeling like I let them down by not being able to find out why they came, but glad they did.
There are some people whose lives touch all of us, whether they mean to or not. Some people stand up for what is RIGHT, not what is legal, and make our lives better, even if they don't think about the consequences at the time and don't consider themselves extraordinary.
Rest in Peace, Rosa Parks. You had a long hard row to hoe in this life. You deserve a gentle rest, now. Thank you for standing (sitting) for what was right.
Mrs. Rosa Parks died Monday, October 24, 2005, gently, while taking a nap.
I was delivering pizza (what else is new?) to a new house. There was the cutest 3 month old Wiemeraner puppy sitting regally in the living room (well as regally as any 3 month old puppy ever does). His eyes were bright, he was not feeling threatened in any way, and was very interested that someone had knocked on the door, but was being good and staying where someone had obviously told him to stay.
Without moving his lips, all of the sudden this HUGE Rottweiler bark issued from his lips and scared him. He whinged and cowered and looked at me and his 'mother' with eyes that said, "But Mom, I didn't say that!"
She went over to him and hugged him and said for him not to worry, while I, at the door, told him the bark was most impressive. His mother explained there was a 3 yr old Rottie in the bedroom, right behind where the puppy was sitting.
We laughed and could hear the "I want to play" whign coming from behind the bedroom door, where the Weimeraner finally sussed what had happened.
But the look on his face was priceless when he thought the bark had accidently come from him.
I went to a new home. There were cars in front of the house and the door was wide open, screen door latched, but window opened, but no humans would come to the door, when I knocked.
An African Grey parrot was on her playstand, turning upside down and encouraging me to come play, making cooing noises and saying "Come in, that's a good girl" SO, I did what any self-respecting parrot owner would do. I turned my head upside down and asked if she'd ordered the pizza. She bobbed her head and giggled.
I was at the wrong house, one house over from where I was supposed to be, but that parrot almost lucked out and got a free pizza! It hasn't happened yet, but one of these days, I'm sure I'm going to go to a house where the parrot actually DOES order the pizza! Eek, you don't think I gave her any ideas, do you?
Yep, I've been MIA for a while. Not on purpose, but because there's not a lot going on that I feel like telling about. I mean, really, how many times do you want to hear cute dog stories or how many times my car has broken down?
So, I've been quilting and playing video games, my nephew's fault since I bought the games for him and he got me hooked because he wanted me to play them first so I could help him with the rough spots.
Had an issue with my computer for a while, but finally figured out what happened and set it right.
Oh, ok, one cute dog story:
My new dog, Diva is so literal- minded! I made the mistake of telling her to watch her feet the other day, as there were a lot of things that could have been in her way as she tried to get to the back yard, except it didn't matter much because when I told her to watch her feet, she spent a good 5 minutes guarding her feet, watching intently, making sure they didn't do anything! Sure enough, they didn't make a move! I had to tell her to quit watching her feet and come on to get her to move!
Good girl! way to guard those feet! hehehe
I was delivering someone's dinner. There was a German Shepard-chow mix guarding the driveway. I told him to go get his dad, who's foot I could see sitting in the converted garage-den, watching a sports show. To the surprise of both his dad and myself, the dog went into the room and started licking the guy's foot to get his attention. The dog smiled a toothy grin at me when his dad finally got up off the couch to come get the pizza. He said the dog had never done anything like that before and wondered why the dog didn't just bark like he normally does. Well, I had no answer, but we all laughed at the method the dog chose to get the guy's attention.
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I went to a new home delivering their dinner. There were fireworks going off a few houses away and when I rang the doorbell, I saw a large triple humped brown thing slink past the door window, quickly. The guy opened the door and I realized the hump had been two Weimeraners going to their "good doggie" spots so "dad" could open the door.
The guy paid with a credit card so the exchange took longer than it usually does, but the dogs stayed in their spots until after "dad" put the pizza on the counter. Then they both wanted to come meet me. The male brought me his favorite bone and the female told me she was pregnant, with 5 babies, all of which she fears "will turn out like their father". She was joking and he smiled and beemed with pride.
The fireworks were making them a bit nervous so I told them not to worry, it was just the silly humans throwing sparks in the air to watch the pretty colors. They didn't understand the fuss, but were relieved that the humans were at least watching where they were throwing things. I could see the tension leave their bodies.
I told the girl dog I hoped she has an easy delivery and that with her and her mate being such gentle people, their kids will be fine.
I don't have a point, exactly, just wanted to tell you a conversation I had with a couple newly met dogs. Weimeraners are not known for being social, they're more the "bark first, ask questions later" type, so it was sort of heart warming to be accepted so easily by them, especially as they're expecting their first little ones.
Kali was preggers with three kittens. The first two were stillborn. All three were orange tabbies. When the last was born very small but breathing we sighed with relief. Small we can handle, but there has to be life to encourage.
So we encouraged. That first week we kept waking him and rubbing him to make him remember to breathe. We made sure he ate and pooped properly and kept him warm. We worked his legs for him so he'd learn that he could use them.We waited for his ears and eyes to finish developing.
He opened his eyes and had the most sweet face and gentle curiosity. He figured out how to purr and knead on his own and loved getting chin scritches.
But, this morning, just 21 days after his birth, we found him cold. Not a mark on him, but his kidneys and spleen were enlarged and rock solid. His spirit had left.
It's been like a physical blow. I thought he'd made it past the rough stage. I thought he was well and flourishing.
Thank you to the friends who have sent their condolences. This post will seem a bit strange. Personally, I didn't feel it was imperative we find another dog so soon, but we had all experienced all the stages of grief when we found out Misha had cancer, so her actual time of death was not as hard a blow as it would have been if we hadn't known. We weren't actively looking, just browsing, but sometimes Fate steps in.
Misha's still finding friends at the bridge, but we've been blessed with another soul who needs us as much as we needed one.
She's a rough coat Collie (yes, like Lassie, only really female)named Diva, 10 months old, twice rejected for reasons beyond her control.
The first was a woman who bought her from the breeder for her 17 yr old son, who didn't want a dog or the responsibility. Diva was returned to the breeder the next day.
After a couple more months, she was adopted by a 60 yr old woman who was thrilled to invite her to share her home... but the cat who was already living there was not so enthused! Diva has lived around cats all her life and wanted to be a friend, but the cat would have none of it, so after a week, Diva was again returned to the breeder.
When she became old enough to be spayed, she was, so there was no reason for the breeder to keep her as she was still breeding champion lines, so she sent Diva to a fellow breeder who has retired from breeding, to find a placement for this gal. That's who we got her from.
Diva is a sable and white rough coat Collie with a great temperment, nice conformation, intellegent inquisitive eyes, and a wicked sense of humor. She's only been here a few hours and is not properly trained, but she listens to commands, follows the two hand signals she knows, and learns rules fast.
Already, she smiles when she does something funny, goes to the bird when the bird whistles for her (which is a holdover from when the bird would whistle for Misha), has made friends with the queen cat, Siam, is working on winning over the other cats, and is in love with all of us. Like my well-missed Buddy, she actually says "I wuv woo!" when she greets you at the door.
Misha was our 10-11 yr old German Shepard-Siberian Husky Mix. She was the best guard dog we ever had. She would never hurt a thing, but she was good at bluffing people into thinking otherwise.
Over her life she only got in serious trouble twice... the time she ate the whole roasted chicken we were going to have for dinner and the time she drove her daddy's truck. She was never a mom, but she mothered several cats, a few birds and one little boy who will miss her very much.
She loved to play and go places. Riding in the car was her favorite activity...well, no, maybe eating people food was her favorite activity, it's a hard call.
She had the body and markings of a German Shepard, but the fur of the Husky. It gave her a lion's mane of thick fur around her neck that was amazing to behold. She had the best smile and a great sense of humor.
She had the best "mush mouth" I've ever seen in a dog her size (75 lbs, 27 inches high) She had the oddest ability to be both the smartest and stupidest dog I ever knew. (her roots were blonde)
"You were a good dog, Misha. We love you. Play nice at the Bridge. Go find Buddy and see what he's doing."
Misha was suffering from terminal cancer, had arthritis, and finally blew out her cruciate ligament in one back knee. It was causing her other legs to become weak and she was almost paralyzed and in constant pain. Considering quality of life over quantity, we decided it was time to let her go when she stopped eating and drinking.
Brave and beautiful male flamed creme colored cat,
I didn't see who it was who hit you and broke your back, and left you to die alone in the road.
I did see you writhing in pain and fear as the oncoming traffic avoided you. I too avoided hitting you further.
But I couldn't leave you alone like that.
I did see the minivan who mercifully aimed for your head as I turned around down the road to come to your aid. I bless them for trying to end your suffering.
I held you in my arms as you breathed your last breath. I didn't know you, but I knew someone did because your long tail fur still had brushmarks in the fur. I wish you'd had a collar.
I couldn't leave your body in the road. I came back for you as soon as I was off work. I wished you safe journey across the bridge, I hope your soul grows as big as the courage I saw from you.
You're free from the pain now. I placed your body among the tall grass in the sacred lands east of town. I hope that's ok with you.
Yeah, ok, I'm 39. I remember when the first Atari appeared on our block and how my parents wouldn't buy one because they didn't want to mess up their tv.
I remember when the Apples came out and the 5.25 floppies that really were floppy and you had to have a ton of them to play a simple game.
I remember when the first Playstation came out and the first edition of Donkey Kong.
I remember standing in the arcade for hours playing video games.
But until three days ago, I had NEVER completed a game the whole way through!
I'm here to announce that persistance does pay off. I completed HALO: Combat Evolved from start to finish... Over the course of several months, because I just don't have the time I had when I was a kid, in clock hours, it took me 8 hrs, 47 minutes.
If 1 delivery person can deliver 4 orders per hour and there are 15 drivers, how many deliveries can a store deliver per hour?
Further, if that store has two ovens capable of spitting out a total of 4 pizzas per minute, but the staff can only load 1 pizza per minute and the average order is 4 pizzas per order, how long will the driver wait for the completed order? (please keep in mind, base 60 instead of base 100, also, for greater accuracy, double the amount of time for a pizza to go through the oven for 1/3 of the orders to accomodate for wings and chicken strips. The amount of time in a conveyer oven is 7 minutes per item)
Subtract minutes for phone orders 10 lines, 6 order takers, average order takes 2-3 minutes to process if the people ordering know what they want when they call.
Solve for how late the pizzas will be getting to the door. Actual driving time is between 4 and 15 minutes one way from the store.
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Superbowl Sunday is over. I'm still wiped out! It rained all weekend, further slowing down dilivery times. For 3 hours, the pizzas were getting to the door at 100-120 minutes from the time of order. The pizzas themselves were only minutes old getting to the door, but we were so backed up we just weren't getting them loaded into the ovens until the orders were over an hour old.
It's like this every year, 4 days of the year. New Year's Eve, Superbowl Sunday, Halloween, and Christmas eve. The rest of the year we do just fine. I'm just glad we can rest until October!
In 1965 (the year you were born)
Lyndon B. Johnson is president of the US
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara calls for a nationwide network of bomb shelters
Former leader of the Black Muslims, Malcolm X, is shot and killed in New York City
To protest voting rights discrimination, civil rights demonstrators begin a march for Selma to Montgomery with federal troop protection
The first commercial satellite, Early Bird, is launched into space by Nasa to transmit telephone and television signals
Voting Rights Act is signed into law
Riots by young blacks in the Watts area of Los Angeles begin, causing $200 million in damage
Hurricane Betsy claims 75 lives in southern Florida and Louisiana
United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union address
Dr. Dre, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert Downey Jr., Shania Twain, Moby, and Ben Stiller are born
Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series
Green Bay Packers win the NFL championship
Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup
The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews, is the top grossing film
Dune by Frank Herbert is published
The Beatles' Rubber Soul is released
"Satisfaction" by Rolling Stones is a top hit
The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing songs from their new album Help!
Sony introduces the Betamax, a home video tape recorder
Nearly all of NBC's programs are now broadcast in color
I Dream of Jeannie premieres
I can't remember the beginnings of the dream. I get the feeling it's like a commercial break, interrupting a normal dream. It's also like a music video in that there is no flow or storyline, only cuts to different scenes.
First, I'm floating over my sleeping self. (I'm usually snoring, btw, how irritating to dream of yourself snoring!) My cat is sleeping on my legs.
Next, I'm flying out the roof and into the night sky. I mention this because I don't usually go to sleep until almost dawn, but I can clearly see the constellations, though I don't know enough about constellations to identify them beyond the major ones like the big dipper, Draco, Orion, and the bears.
Then, it's daylight. I'm still flying at a high altitude. I'm over a big mountain range, completely covered in ice and clouds. Somehow I know it's in Peru. There are condors flying lower than me. I can see them circling to their nests.
Next, I'm flying low over rolling hills, that have no trees. They are not really hills, per se, just not completely flat, but with no significant altitude to them. The grass is vivid green. There is no wildlife, but the place gives me awe and joy. I know it's around England and think it's in Cornwall, but it could also be Wales (again with the bad geography, even in my dreams I'm not sure about where places are) It's on the south-western part of the British isle, but not near any coastline.
Next, I'm flying over bluish purple- green lush mountains. They are not tall, but they are mountains. I can tell they are covered with vegetation, but I can't see any specific types of trees. There are foggy clouds, like drizzly mist around them. There is a road following the lines around the base of the mountains, but there is no traffic. The road looks like a dirt road as opposed to an asphalt road. I know it's in Australia, NSW specifically.
Then, I'm flying over the Rockies. I've known these mountains all my life. Mt Franklin looms ahead and I breath a sigh of contentment at the sight of home.
In the first snippet, I'm approaching from the northeast, flying southwest. I know there's an ocean on the other side of the mountain, but I don't see it. It's the tallest peak of the ones I see and is not isolated. There are other slightly smaller peaks with it, in a line, It's craggy. I can see a little ground, but it is mostly snow and ice.
The rolling fields, I approach from the southwest, flying northeast.
The smaller mountains, I'm approaching almost directly from the west going east. I don't see any towns, but I know they are close.
I approach Mt Franklin from almost straight north, but on the eastern face.
In each of these places, I can feel the Earth breathing and humming. She's generally pitched at a "F" below middle "C", but there are overtones and small variances, like a host of choir singing and she's singing the baseline. I can't hear the melody, only feel it. She's droning like a bagpipe, but it's not a dirge. Sort of like the sound you'd get if you combined Buddhist monks singing circle chants and Christian monks singing Gregorian chants.
It leaves me in my waking hours feeling like there's something that needs to be done, but basically everything is as it should be, except I don't see anyone other than myself in the dream, and that's only at the beginning. I don't see me re-enter my room or body. I don't see any towns in any of the locations.
Must be the effects of another new year rolling around, but I feel disquieted, uncentered, not quite sure what is wrong.
Part of it is physical. I've told the doctors a dozen times Bactram doesn't do a thing for me, but as long as it doesn't try to kill me, they keep prescribing it for me! Strep throat is something to take seriously, and I do, but this time it has moved south a bit and is causing a nice laryngitis and upper chest infection. I'll have to go back again and see if they will listen THIS time.
Part of it is that for Christmas, my nephew was at his dad's house, so Christmas Eve and Day were not celebrated in their usual manner. We waited until Sunday to celebrate, but my sister worked in the morning and I worked in the evening, so we didn't celebrate together as a family for the first time since my nephew was born. It left an empty place where the holiday should have been.
Part is that my mother and brother came to town Monday and Tuesday. We met at Grandmother's house, ate at the usual restaurants, and played the usual games, but it seemd incomplete, somehow. I could tell my mother was not with us in spirit, because she was worried about her cat whom she had left at home. Poor cat just started taking insulin injections and Mom's worried sick about him. He's been her constant companion since my Dad died. (re-hashing old history...bad form...sorry)
On a good note, my Grandmother has a computer and my brother and I spent several hours swapping parts from his old computer and mine to upgrade hers. I had loads of fun, colored slightly with a resigned amusement at the awe in my mother's eyes as she watched her daughter gleefully and fearlessly remove and replace parts and speak to her son in computerese. I've been telling my mother for YEARS that I know a bit about computers. I think she finally caught on. Yes, ok, it's not nice to gloat during the holidays.
But on the bad side, she just didn't have anything to talk to me about. She's not interested in the same things I am anymore. Her life is music and I have so many other interests, now, a lot of which she wouldn't even contemplate.
But on the good side, it was a joy to watch my nephew play with his uncle and watch my brother playing with his nephew. I can't describe what happened, it wasn't that anything special happened, except it was because it's so rare they get to see each other.
I still feel like something was missed or is still missing, though. Wish I could figure out what it was/is.
Mostly uneventful, mostly spent sleeping, which isn't a bad thing, really. It was the two weeks before Christmas that wore me out totally!
The Thursday before Christmas, we got SNOW! Now understand the folks in this town don't know what to do with snow or the subsequent ice on the roads and because snow and ice are so rare there are no de-icing or sand trucks in this town.. Between 8 pm and midnight, there were 150 fender benders in town from people losing control of their cars on the roads. No major injuries, no fatalities, but a lot of people are going to be spending the new year with their cars either bent, banged, or in the shop. It was SO bad... (how bad was it?...) that the pizza delivery place I work for closed early to avoid any of us drivers getting into accidents on the road. The county Sheriff closed the major roads and told everyone to stay home. It took me an hour to drive home because all the major streets I normally use were closed which left me with residential streets only. I made it home with no problems.
The 10 days before that were a blur of working and searching stores and online for gifts for my nephew. I didn't fine a single item on his "most wanted" list, but a lot of things that came close. I've never spent so much time shopping without buying! Another thing is usually Santa leaves the gifts up to me to pick out, but I wasn't in a position to do that this year, so the stress has been horrible. A little thing in the greater scheme of things, but it's important to a certain 7 year old I know. He had to spend his Christmas with his father, so he will not know about this until he comes home again tomorrow, but I have known and will know, and it breaks my heart not to be able to do for him when he needs it. Part of that being there was not a single wrapped present under the tree for him when he left to be with his dad, as they were all still en route at that time. I know what the season's supposed to be about, but 7 year old boys think love is a material thing, and by his standards, we failed miserably.
Also, about a month ago, my mother's cat was determined to be worsening with his diabetes, and was switched from oral to shot-injected insulin. She was looking forward to seeing us this Christmas but was unable to find someone trustworthy to care for her fur baby. You see, this cat is the one constant loving soul that has been with her since my father was killed and has sustained her from complete emotional collapse. It isn't so bad, but he's never been one who enjoyed traveling so a sitter must be found. Tonight she did say she found someone, but I think her heart will stay home even if she does manage to come see us for a few days. On a brighter note, 1 month ago his blood sugar was almost 500 and it's down to a little above 200 now. Still high, but much better and he's more active and happier, except when it's time for the shots, but she bribes him so he forgives easily and quickly.
Meanwhile, in an effort to keep our little pride out of the tree and presents, I have to admit I've been giving measured doses of catnip when the rowdiness has threatened to cause major destruction. I haven't heard any complaints, but I feel guilty when I see them all dopey and silly from the catnip. Oh, and I've been indulging the dog with dog cookies, too. There's been quite a bit of chocolate consumed by the humans lately, too. I flat-out told my boss we were not making cookies for her family this year. She was disappointed because her regular supplier went to Illinois for the season and she herself does not bake, so her grandkids have been deprived... but really, she has 15 grandkids! I'm not making the dozens of gingerbread cookies it would have taken to feed that mob! There's a nice German bakery down the street from her house...
So, I know it's late, but Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Good Yule, or whatever holiday you celebrate at this time. Next up is New Year's. Let's hope we all see improvement in our lives in some aspect, in the coming year.
A little girl grows up around officers in the chaplin service. There are usually aroud 8 enlisted people and 5 officers, in the offices . They are kind, gently spoken, sincere, dedicated people and their goal is to ease human suffering however they can. She grows up making friends with their families, watching them get transferred every 6-9 months, leaving a hole to be filled by the next person transferred in and their family. She's a military brat.
She grows up and marries a guy she met in college. He joins the military to have a reliable income. They get transferred 1500 miles away from either of their families. She makes friends with other people far from home. Now, the military is family. She's now an enlisted person's wife.
Ends don't meet and she wants to hsave something better for her life than working as a waitress or shop clerk. She joins the military herself. Her job doesn't allow very many women in. It's not that they don't like women, just they don't think women can do the job as well as men. She proves them wrong. She's the only woman in the shop of 40 personnel. She's an active duty military personnel.
She spends up to 14 hours on a truck or on the planes, working side by side with these men, proving day after day that women can be just as capable as men and also proving it's much more efficient to send a short small person to do some jobs, places where wide shoulders and long legs are not necessarily an asset.
She puts up with the girly magazine and ribald jokes. She tries to overlook the obvious gender slurs and specificly targeted gender taunts. She does her job and doesn't get too close to anyone she works with because she's still married and her vows mean something to her.
She doesn't get deployed with the half of her unit that goes to war because the officers feel sending women into a hostile territiry where women are objectified would just create unnecessary problems (and she suspects they think she would not be able to control her rage at the face of injustices). She is left behind, but they send home the things she's best at and she supports them however best she can.
She is injured in the line of duty and has to fight a different fight to stay where she is. She wins, sort of. She's allowed to stay to complete her tour. She is not allowed to test for advancement and she is not allowed to reenlist. Her whole life has been spent around the military. She'd planned on making it a career. Now that is gone. She's a wounded veteran.
She never saw active fighting, but she fixed the guidance systems that got the planes where they needed to go and the photographic systems that let the world see what was going on "over there". She never was in harm's way, but she taught others how to stay alive for the day when they would be in the line of fire. She never saw a nuclear or biological weapon being used, but she taught others how to survive them. She never had to sit at home worrying if her loved ones would come home safe, but she held many hands and prayed many hours with those left behind who did have someone they cared for in direct danger.
She's still holding hands and praying, though it's a different war and the individuals involved are different, the needs are still the same.
Yes, I'll admit I was hesitant to start this thing because well, everyone could see it and frankly, I've never kept a diary for more than 3 months running... and I wasn't sure I would have anything to write that would interest anyone.
But here I am a year later and I'm still here, still posting, good or bad. My journey is still in it's first steps, but then there's not a 1 yr old anywhere that can say something different.
So without further ado,
*looks at pretty flame on candle*
*Watches as candle is removed from chocolate cake*
*Smashes cake on face, in ear, in hair, on table and chair*
*grins and giggles*
I've always considered myself to be rather conservative. Up until this election I had never voted for anyone for President who wasn't republican...not that I consider myself a republican, just the way it worked out. I voted for the person, not the party...or in some cases, against a different person.
I believe I have a right to carry a gun and know how to use it .
Don't try to tell me not to speak my mind! I grew up with Ann Richards as govorner! For that matter, it'll be subzero in Hades when I'm barefoot and preggers in the kitchen letting some yahoo take care of me! I also have the right to curse, but sometimes I choose not to.
I'm proud I served my country, just as every other soldier in every other country that volunteered to do so, was-is.
I have a right to believe and think as I wish. The State and Federal government don't have the right to tell me I don't! Besides, as a practical matter, unless I say something, how are they going to be able to police that?
Ok, Paying attention? Good! I believe if two people love and support each other it is NOT a sin if they happen to be of the same sex. Goodness knows I'm partial to men, myself, but that just me, although in the winter, sometimes I think their outdoor plumbing must be a bit of a pain... but then, who's idea was it to stick these globs of flesh on my front to feed babies? Most unaerodynamic!
sorry, got off the track
What I don't understand is how we, as Americans, can say jihad is a bad thing when our leader has done everything except officially declare one in return?
How can we say we're tolerant and CHRISTIAN if we can't accept our neighbors for who they are?
How can we possibly send troops to a country that didn't ask for our help and don't want it, to have our troops die for an unwinnable goal? Whether they needed it or not is not the issue, as that is not our call to make.
What about personal accountability? Wouldn't you think that the person holding the highest office in the land should be able to keep his personal vendettas to himself?
I heard the President say that the leader of this country needs to be able to make the hard decisions without waffling. WHile I agree the person holding that office needs to stick with decisions once they are made and be able to back up why he made that decision, I would much rather know that the decision was indeed hard to make and the president lost some sleep thinking about it!
I'm just torqued off! I thought we were going to make a change. I thought we were going to fix the voting machines and other problems that plagued the last election. I thought Americans believed in doing the RIGHT thing, not the easy thing or the popular thing.
What harm would there have been in allowing same sex couples to have marital status? How does it hurt a straight individual to allow a gay person's loved one to hold their hand while they are in a hospital?
There is no end to this. I could go on forever and still just be beating my head against the wall.
I was going through my favorites-bookmarks and remembering all the special projects I was involved in.
The first one was for a little boy and his littler brother. The older boy had cancer. Because they were such close brothers, one of the quilters decided to make them each an encouragement quilt. The boy made it through chemo and is doing fine
Next came the horror of September 11th. A member proposed that we do SOMETHING to comfort the families who had lost someone that day. We decided to focus on the firemen's families. There were other groups doing quilts for the towers' families. 800 quilts were made in 6-8 weeks and hand delivered.
Along with that came another member's suggestion that we do something for the families of Flight 93. Those quilts never made it to their intended families, but instead, they will become a national treasure and be a permanent part of the Pentagon's display of American art.
A few months later, we learned one of our members had breast cancer. We made her a quilt so she would have our warmth to help her through.
Another member asked for donated blocks so she could make a quilt for her neighbor. The neoghbor refused the quilt, so the member sold the quilt on E-Bay.
Another member lost her husband after a terrible long extended illness. We made her a quilt so she would know that we cared.
Someone got a bright idea to create a swap where no one knew who was their secret friend. For a whole year, surprise packages came in the mail criss-crossing the globe so the recipient wouldn't be able to guess who their secret friend was.
After that, we started a holiday elf swap along the same lines except the managers of the swaps co-ordinated their efforts so that no one's secret friend was also their elf.
We also had a year long block swap every year where we would send fabric to the swappers, make a block from the fabrics they sent us and mail it back. I have enough blocks to make a summer and a winter quilt from those swaps! Good thing I sent out spring and autumn fabrics!
Then, as a thank you to the guy who did all the coding for the message board, we got together in secret and made him a huge quilt.
As a surprise, we also secretly started another quilt for the coordinator of the webmaster's quilt because she was not only new to quilting but she was also new to the internet and she did a superb job on both counts!
Then, there was the quilts we made for the woman who having her first baby. That one was bittersweet as the baby did not make it. We didn't know what to do with the quilts. We finally ended up giving them to her anyway and she said it was some of the best medicine she could have received because even though her baby didn't live long, she knew he was terribly loved by so many.
We made two quilts for Breast cancer research and there are a few quilts still in progress that I can't mention particulars about. I probably left out a quilt or two, too.
In the meantime, we traded quilting tips, quilting disasters, quilting questions, recipes, prayers, warmth, friendship, accomplishments, quilting outings and get-togethers, family delimmas, family joys, extremely hard-headed views on politics, child-rearing, parental dying and Alzeimers and a multitude of everyday things people just deal with.
We were our own shoulders when we needed them, our own best friends who would pat us on the back or kick us in the butt when we needed it.
Splinter groups are popping up and I do have a rather long e-mail list, but it's not quite the same as popping onto the board for 10 minutes just to see what's up. I'm sure I'll recover, but it may take a while. For the last 27 months, these people have been family.
Even a bad sketch still teaches something about sketching.
Art is like music in that if you don't practice and get instruction, you won't be any good at it.
There are thousands of art products out there and most don't have directions for use on the package.
Pastels and charcoal are messy, get a towel to clean your hands.
Watercolors come in pencils! YEA!!!!! (so do pastels and charcoal, but I didn't find them until I already found the messy ones)
The internet has thousands of tutorials for learning to draw and paint. Each one takes a minimum of 6 hours to look at.
Graphite (pencil) drawings smear.
There are these nifty things called "blenders" that get rid of those lines when you color something with short strokes and want the stroke lines to disappear. They don't work, though if you use a regular pencil and gouge the paper.
Having the right tools for the job does make it easier.
There's a really neat site I don't remember the url for that teaches you how to see what you're looking at by having you draw something without looking at your paper. It's an interesting exercise.
It is impossible to draw with a cat trying to grab your pencil...or several cats.
There is hope for my drawing skills. I have been working on controlling the pencil and actually seeing what I want to draw. I'll never be world famous for my art, but another site gave me hope. There's a "Really bad art" museum. None of my efforts even came close to the ones they have posted.
Fly Free, Christopher Reeve, You've gave us all hope in one way or another.
In other news, I've been splurging on computer games, this week. I have added Schizm, Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness, and Black and White to the plethora of games I already had. Yes, some of these are sort of outdated, but consider that I didn't have a powerful enough computer to engage in anything more entertaining than Atari Classics up until a few months ago, and you know how when you've had a certain system for a while, you get used to the mindset that goes with it's capabilities.
But, we're rolling in actually entertaining games now! :D Admitedly, some are included specifically for the 7 yr old who likes to borrow my computer when I'm at work.
Dune and Dune 2000, of which I prefer the original
Star Trek DS9 Fallen and the Domimion Wars
Halo
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Myst and Riven
And the old standbys of Atari games and Duke Nukem
Back when I had my first computer there was a 23 FLOPPY DISK game based on the AD&D format called Shadow Rhelms that was fasntastic, but it was a pain to have to load all those floppies everytime you wanted to change levels. The graphics stank, but there was an honest to goodness storyline. I'd like to see game developers do something like that again, now that computers have advanced enough for a game like that to be truly awesome. There are probably some in use like those, today, but I refuse to load any MMR games.
This is not a whine or an excuse, it's a simple statement of the facts from my perspective. It's not here to garner sympathy, but I hope it will make people think about their own actions and motivations.
When did it start? The earliest memories I have are of sitting in the back row seats at the orchestra hall, listening to rehearsals and falling asleep to the sounds of musicians working hard, but happily toward pulling all the parts together to make the whole. The other things I remember are falling alseep under the baby grand in the living room while my mother practiced one of the three instruments she played, and running through the halls of the practice rooms at the university while she practiced ensemble music.
I was about four years old. She was still working on her bachelor's degree. Her first major was piano performance and for a whole year, I listened to her learn Rachmanninoff's piano concerto#2. Then, she changed her major to music thoery and decided she'd have a better future with the oboe than the piano.
These were the happy times. No one cared if I banged on a piano as long as no one else wanted the room. I could hear a song once and pick it out on the keys, even though I was too young to read music or know what the notes were.
One of my baby sitters was a young man who played cello. He was not tall, but he was well built, kind and not unpleasant to look at. He was the kind of baby sitter that actually plays with and pays attention to the kids. He was also gay, but I didn't know what that was, then. He used to tease me that I should take up cello when I got big enough.
A couple years later, my mother decided it was time I learned how to play and read music properly. I wasn't ready for intense learning on any level, but that didn't matter. She'd made up her mind and I was going to learn. Period! What was worse, though, besides the fact she thought it was fine for her to be both my mother and teacher, was that when I did something the way I wanted to, she'd come in and tell me to either do it right or not at all and "not at all" was not an actual option. I did quit for a few years when I got so frustrated I couldn't stand it. She moved on to her master's thesis and harp.
In sixth grade, we were given the option to take orchestra if we wanted to. I took up cello. I'd grown big enough for a 3/4 sized cello and my fingers had always been long for my hand. We learned by Suzuki method, not really learning notes at first, but learning the feel of the instrument and various techniques first. It was fun, it was easy, it was music and I loved it.
When I entered junior high school, I was eligible to enter solo and ensemble competitions, which I did. I always won, too, except for one ensemble where we came in second. I thrived on the competition of it and the chance to actually play pieces the way I wanted to.
My mother again decided I needed a foundation in piano. It was ok, she'd learned a thing or two and decided that I could pick out some of the music myself as long as I did my foundational studies first.
There weren't any cello teachers available for the first 6 years I played. They were all either band directors or vocal teachers, but they knew music and I knew enough to teach myself by listening. Unfortunately, I developed some bad habits that would haunt me in later years.
By the time I was in high school, I was playing in a real live paying civic orchestra. Stuff everyone knows, even if they don't know they know it. (think of the background music for warner bros cartoons, you'll get it)
My mother decided it was time for me to get a real cello teacher. Oh, I have to mention that for many years, I was never sure if I got into that orchestra because my mother was a member or if I had actually earned a spot with my audition, but I enjoyed it and learned a lot by being included. It was my dream and I was living it, regardless of how I might have gotten my foot in the door.
There was a college 90 miles away from my house. Every week, we'd drive to my lesson and my mother would tutor me in music theory on the way. The teacher was tall, blond, and a complete meglomaniac. But he was tall and blonde and a bachelor, and I was 15, and we both loved cello. Who could ask for more?
I graduated high school with the ability to have four letters on my jacket for accomplishments in performing arts. I won a spot in the all state orchestra. I also won a scholership to the university where "mr. Wonderful" taught. I was also practicing 4 hours on the cello and 1.5 hours of piano every night after school.
I went to that university for two years, joined a second civic orchestra, and worked two other jobs to feed myself in addition to regular full time classes. Over-acheivement was my middle name. I was on my way. I'd go on trips to study with world-renowned cellists. I'd work one time jobs in different orchestras to get the chance to work with directors from all over the world. I was living my dream.
Except in the private lessons, I was never good enough. There was always something I hadn't done the way "Mr Wonderful" would have done it. I took a job for the experience of it, for $50 and he threw stuff at me and told me never to take less than $200 for a gig. HIS students were worth at least 4 times what everyone else's were.
He never heard me practicing because I would do it in the middle of the night. I even had permission from the dean and a key to the building (which I still have). So, he demanded I start taping my practice sessions to prove I'd done them. Every week, I'd turn over 20 hour long tapes to him. He said I was wasting too much time practicing the wrong way, though every week I knew the material and the work for both civic orchestras and the school orchestra.
But...My hand was wrong. I held the bow like a club. My verbrato sounded like an old lady who's voice has left the building. Really, if I wasn't going to do it right, I shouldn't be wasting his time.
I stopped wasting his time. After two years of crying through lessons, I decided the ulcers and lack of money or security weren't worth it. If I was destined to be medeocre for the rest of my life, I didn't have to display it to the world. I hadn't signed any contracts that forced me to humiliate myself. Music would always be something I loved, but I didn't have to perform for anyone else if I didn't want to.
Years later, I auditioned for a third civic orchestra and was accepted. This time I knew it was me they wanted because my name had changed and I was 2000 miles away from anyone who had known me or my family. Now, I play for me, when I want to and what I want to.
In the meantime, my brother had followed my foot steps and had also taken up cello and learned under "mr Wonderful". After years of my mother telling me I must be doing something to set him off, she changed her tune again when my brother received the same treatment.
I was excited. I'd been looking at this particular crystal for six months, wishing I had the nerve to buy it. It wasn't that expensive, but I didn't have experience buying crystals online and I had never heard anything, good or bad, about the people who owned this site. Finally, one night I gave in and decided it was only a few dollars and the issue would be resolved one way or the other, so I ordered the crystal and it had finally shown up at my door.
I took it out of the box carefully, inspecting it for damage caused by shipping. My gosh, that woman's good with her camera! The crystal appeared exactly as it had in the photo. Ok, so it was here, now what to do with it? Oops, had to go to work, I'd figure out what to do with it later.
All night at work, my thoughts drifted back to the beautiful rock sitting on my desk. I couldn't wait to be home so I could stare some more at it.
Being my first crystal, I went online to research exactly what it was. While I was researching, it started speaking to me. It took me aback. I was not expecting to receive messages from a rock! Rocks are supposed to be inanimate, aren't they? This is the story she told me.
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"I have a name, but you will have to seek it, for I cannot tell you in words that you can understand, but your heart will know my name, when the time is right.
I have existed for eons in the rich red clay of the place you call Arkansas, alongside my brothers and sisters, waiting for the day the sun would finally touch my faces and let my beauty shine.
I have not had an easy time. I have had tectonic shifting break my body, but I recovered and healed myself and I am stronger for it.
I've had babies ripped from my body by the stresses of clay drying after heavy rains. They were not mine to keep. They will go on to help others.
There have been times when the earth closed in on me so that I couldn't move or grow. Time eased the stiffness of the clay and allowed me to grow a little at a time, as is proper. We all grow a little at a time.
You may notice my primary point's face is an 'Isis' face to bring you closer to your feminine side. Yes, I know you're a girl, but sometimes you strive to be too hard on yourself and others. You need to soften a bit, try not to set impossible standards for yourself and those around you.
That's why there's also a window, so you can see that even though I'm not perfect, even though there is a layer of mundane clay seperating my primary point from my secondary point, without it, I would be incomplete. I'd be clear as ice, but I'd be boring.
My secondary point's face is a grounding face. You'll notice that the fairy frost is only on the secondary point. That's so you can learn to let a little magic into your life. Not everything can be explained scientifically and logically. Let yourself dream once in a while. Try not to take yourself so seriously.
There are also time links to the future and past on my secondary point. If you wish, you may be able to learn about yourself using these faces or you can look at the growth lines and think about how much time it took for me to grow into what I have become and give yourself permission to not be perfect all at once. Don't worry, you'll get there eventually, but in the meantime, a little imperfection isn't a bad thing, as it brings out what is beautiful about you as you are now."
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I looked on in a state of shocked silence. Who knew a rock would have such insite into my character? I was and still am very grateful this one came into my life. When strife and frustration at myself and the things around me build up to the point that I want to scream, I can look at this crystal and see that if it weren't for hardships, this crystal would not exist, and in spite of hardships, it has become a thing of beauty. It gives me hope.
I realize that my physical age is 39, but sometimes things happen that cause me to revert to childhood.
My sister ordered some very lovely items for my birthday present. They were mailed out last Friday and the post office shows they have been delivered. The problem is, WE didn't get them!
So, after 3 hours of talking to various post offices, we've finally figured out that the package was sent to a different address, the wrong address. Luckily, the first part of the address doesn't exist on that road, so the post office held the package. My sister has gone to physically pick up the package from the post office.
Still, I feel like crying and throwing a fit because dagnabbit, that was MY birthday present and why couldn't they clairvoyantly tell that it was supposed to be delivered here?
I'll get over it. Things will return to normal and I will again become a responsible adult, but allow me to wallow for just a little while. Please?
I got a phone call from a friend on the other side of the world. I've been chatting with her for 6-7 years, but this is the first time either of us has heard the other's voice. It was wonderful! I almost cried when I heard her voice. And to top it off her whole family also talked to me. What truly special people!
Later, my sister took me online to buy certain items I've been wanting for the last 6 months. Yes, they're rocks, but they are beautiful and special to me. She also surprised me with a trip to a local office supply store to get a more comfortable computer chair, since my old one was limping along on it's last breath and really needed to be retired, and the one I got for Christmas, though I loved the jesture from my mother, was amazingly uncomfortable. I think certain items need to be tried out before buying, like jeans and computer chairs. ;)
We also had dinner at an Italian restaurant that is owned by a real Italian family! They own it and make the food and it was scrumptous!...and filling...like Thanksgiving. ;)
But the most fun was what happened with my sister's gifts. We're twins, so we get to give each other gifts.
A little over three weeks ago, at a certain site, while I was browsing, my sister spied rock that she fell in love with. This is amazing because only 2 months ago, she would have broken someone's legs for emerald earrings, but would have scoffed at buying just a rock...crystal or mineral. So, seeing as she had such a strong reaction to this particular stone, I knew she had to have it, but the cost was a bit high for what size it was and I didn't know if I wanted to invest that amount of money in "just a rock".
Well, the truth is she's been having a hard time lately with her schooling, so I figured it would at least make her happy for a while and relieve some of her tension. BUT, I'd already told her "No way am I spending that kind of money on a rock that size!" So, I lied! Sue me!
I decided to order it on the day of her final exam. I expected to have lots of time to plan how I would get it here and hide it so she wouldn't find it before her birthday. Neither of us is very good at keeping presents hidden, so I thought I'd call the owner of the online shop and ask her to hold it until closer to our birthday. She was fine with that, saying she has a sister who always finds out what surprises she has up her sleeves, too.
For the last 3 weeks I've been hiding the fact that I bought the crystal for my sister by scrolling quickly past the "Sold" sign on the website. Luckily, my sister is not good at remembering urls so she has to ask me to find things she wants to look at. Sometimes this is bothersome, but this time it was ok.
Well, the shop is in Florida, so I was worried about both the shop owner and her wares in the wake of Hurricane Charley, so I called again and was assured they were alright. She told me the package had been sent and would get here the day before our birthday, which it did.
So, this morning, while my sister was shopping for crystals for me, she again asked if she could see the perfect stone she loved so much. I pulled up the page but I had to tell her it was sold because she said she could buy it herself. She was devestated! She cried and mourned the loss of something she had not had to begin with. She ordered the other items she'd gone to the website for, then had the idea it would be good to call the owner of the site.
My heart stood still! Praying that the shop owner would know it was us and keep my sister from finding out I'd ordered the stone. I shouldn't have worried. The lady is a complete pro! She said yes the stone was sold but that she would ask her vendor to keep an eye out for something as wonderful (like that would ever happen). My sister was mollified and I was relieved. We went to go get her son from school so we could pass out presents when he was home.
Her son and I had already decided his gift to her would be the special stone she loved so much. She got to open a different package from me first, then the one from her son. When she saw what it was she burst out crying for joy. It took 4 kleenexes for her to control herself! I told her we had to call the shop owner back so she wouldn't worry and she agreed.
The shop owner got almost an hour of explanation from my sister as to why this one crystal was so special to her and how sneaky I was to keep it a secret, and how thankful to us both she was that this crystal had come home. I had some other business with the lady after my sister got off the phone and told her how thankful and happy I was that she didn't spill the beans during the earlier call. She said we had brightened her day and given her something to laugh about all day and it was her pleasure.
My sister sat after dinner admiring her gifts, still weeping a little at the found joy she thought she'd lost. Yeah, that "just a rock" was worth it.
In 19 more days, it will be the second anniversary of your death.
I'm still sort of working on the quilts, but it's hard to look at those strips of fabric and know that they were the ties you used to wear to work, and that the man who was reckless enough to take your life was one of your cases. He's doing his time, not as long as it could have been, but what would it have served for him to live off the state for the rest of his life? It wouldn't have brought you back.
I should go see your mother. I keep meaning to. I don't know why I haven't, yet. God, I don't want to go on that day, though!
There are so many things that remind us of you, it's almost like you're just in the next room. A comment, a show on TV, a guy out working on his car or lawn will bring back visions of you doing the things you loved. I think Mom had a "Tammy Waynette-Crystal Gayle" record smashing ceremony before she moved, but then you always knew she hated those records, didn't you?
I got a compliment from a co-worker yesterday, and it's your fault! ;^) I had to replace the thermostat in the car and the guy who was helping me was impressed that I wasn't afraid to try it myself. He said he didn't know very many girls who carried tools in their cars and knew how to use them. I told him you had made sure we could all help ourselves out of trouble when it came our way. I'm just grateful you did.
Orphie's still sick, but holding his own. He's really all Mom has to hold her together right now. I'm hoping he'll stay around for a few more years. I worry what will happen to her when he's gone, too.
Are you happy? Are you with Grandpa? Have you two pulled any pranks on the stiff-necked angels, yet? How's the fishing? Do you get to keep what you catch or are there rules about that sort of thing where you are?
Well, I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you and wanted to say "hi" in case I let time slip by and forget what day it is.
On the other hand, it would be very helpful for getting my quilting business off the ground, which I haven't actually done yet because I have so many personal projects I want to finish, first, and because I want to have a few entries in national quilt shows as an amatuer before I have to rise up to the big leagues of professional quilter status.
Hopefully, in the next few years, though, this baby will be mine!
Baen Publishing is owned-managed by a guy named Jim Baen. He's a nice mid-western type personality... doesn't assume, doesn't get a swelled head, pays attention to what his customers and clients want, works hard. His was the first publishing company to offer downloads of full novels for free.
If you visit his site, you'll notice a tiny picture if the aircraft carrier Enterprise with something totally illegable written on it.
Baen books has been asked to donate books for the Navy officers who are stuck out at sea with nothing to do to occupy their off duty hours.
I couldn't help laughing that the picture says "Thanks, Jim" It reminded me of my childhood, watching the original Star Trek series and another Enterprise that is close to my heart. I wonder if that commanding officer has a southern drawl?
http://www.baen.com
*nope, I don't get any money for mentioning these people, but they deserve my money and I don't mind sending others to them!
I didn't shoot off fireworks.
I didn't eat hotdogs or hamburgers or drink beer.
I didn't spend the day with loved ones.
I didn't see any parades or very many flags.
But what I did was
listen to and sing songs while driving, because I can.
eat watermelon and apple pie because I had them.
search online for several thing that I didn't find, not because they're not out there somewhere, but because my own ineptitude prevented me from finding them.
marveled that I work at a place that has 45 employees, 7 of which are female, 4 of which are on vacation, so I was surrounded by male friends which always provides a bit of welcome scenery! ;)
watched fireworks that the city provided while driving and delivering pizzas to partiers, while earning time and a half.
Yep, for the next 6 weeks, we're going to be under "severe thunderstorm" watches and warnings. Living where I do, most of the weather comes up from central America or the Baja penninsula, which means most of the time, the rest of Texas doesn't have to worry about our storms as they heas north east from here.
However, it's interesting to note that it's difficult to find satellite maps of central America when searching from the US. Seems we have a blind spot that reasons if it's not in the US, it doesn't affect us. Well, here's a newsflash for the weather people: THE WEATHER HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE, STUPID!
ok, perhaps, I've gone a bit overboard, but gee, we are not the only populated place on the planet! It's time we started recognising that fact.
An interesting side note, though: it's easy to pull up satellite data for Australia and their storms really do go the "wrong" way! (hehehe)
I don't remember most of it, except, I did clense the crystals I have on hand and I ordered the second set of three that I will be ordering, They are on their way and should be here Tuesday. One of the previously ordered stones went backorder and I got a message they will be airmailing it to me from England! Cool! can't wait to get the stamps! (I'm such a nerd, sometimes)
Thursday, driving was like taking my life in my hands and holding it out on a branch not big enough to support my weight! I swear, I should start a "creative drivers anonymous" club, here. I'd make a fortune!
Wednesday, my nephew spiked a 104*F fever. Found out Thursday he has a strep infection. I think he got it from the neighbor kids and has been kind enough to pass it along to my sister and me.
Yesterday and today were both above the 100*F mark. Miserable to see rain falling and evaporating before it hits the ground when it's that hot outside!... plus the beginnings of not feeling well, myself. No fever, rather an anti-fever. My body temperature is running around 96.2*F. Weakness, dizziness, nausea, body aches, what fun!
I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed I was in a big white plastic box, surrounded by camel spiders. YUCK! I know I was searching for something, but I couldn't get out of the box.
Found out, while talking to my mother on the phone, that she also used to have recurring dreams of multiple dancing tornados. She doesn't have that dream anymore. I told her about mine and she said I was dreaming of being in "The Wizard of OZ"... not much help, there! *snicker*
Ok, we didn't do anything patriotic. We went and saw "Day After Tomorrow"
It's worth seeing if you're in a "Towering Inferno" kind of mood, but I warn you, you will look at the horizon while driving home and wonder when the next storm is due!
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Here's the spoiler:
The scene where the Mexican Border shows up was filmed about two miles from me at the Chamizal bridge! The guy holding the channel 7 FoxNews mike is actually from our channel 7 FoxNews station! :)
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I think it's sort of fun watching parts of this movie in an area where some of these things took place. There were jeers and cheers in our audience that I doubt would have happened in any other town.
I was so pleased! There were only 4 children under 13 years old, in the audience, and all were toddlers.... AND ALL WERE QUIET AND WELL BEHAVED! I so enjoy watching a movie in a theater where everyone is appropriately behaved. :)
Came home and watched Discovery Channel's "American Choppers- the POW-MIA bike" Was amazed and slightly choked up over that one
His name is Danny. He's 25 years old now, but I knew him when he was becoming an adult at 14. He's not a big guy, wieghing about 160 at 5 ft 11 inches. To look in his eyes, you'd get the impression of deep wisdom and joy of life. To look at him, you wouldn't get a clue as to his inability to function by himself in everyday life. He has a beautiful face. There is nothing disfigured about his features. His body is balanced and solid.
Yet, he needs to be reminded to go to the bathroom, several times a day, so he doesn't soil himself. You have to listen closely to understand his words. You have to speak slowly so he can understand your words. He gets upset if his schedule changes for any reason. He has certain rituals he has to do at certain times of the day or he gets confused and turns into a fearful mass in the corner of the room. He doesn't know he's strong. When he lashes out in fear or anger, he can hurt you, but that is never his intent.
On the other hand, he's openly loving to those he considers his friend. He gives impromptu hugs when he thinks you need one and there's never a time when you don't need a hug in his eyes! His world is all black and white. Things are either right or wrong. You can't change his mind once he makes it. He has an unending curiosity. He'll examine things and new situations for hours, like a child.
Danny will never live on his own. He will always live in a care home. He will never hold a job. He will keep his childlike honesty, wonder, and love for the rest of his life.
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Her name is Emily. She has severe Cerebral Palsy and is blind in one eye. The horrible disease has locked her brain behind a body that will not work.
She was born at 20 weeks gestation from a mother who was on drugs. She suffered withdrawel and was not fully developed at birth. For the first 3 years of her life, she rotated monthly from home to the hospital with bouts of pneumonia.
She is quick-witted and funny, but you have to wait long periods of time to see it because she has to fight her unwilling body to get words and actions across the barrier.
She will never be free of the effects of her birth. She will need someone to care for her all of her life. She will never walk on her own. The worst part is her completely normal brain aware of everything and not able to break free. She will have people look at her and judge her wrongly all her life, based on her body, not her mind.
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Their names are Ted and Anne. For the last 35 years, they have strived to enable children with all sorts of disabilities to reach as high as they are able.
Anne is a diagnostician. Her job is to test and recommend methods to teach these children. She looks beyond the labels others have placed on these children and strives to enable them to go beyond their parents' and teachers' expectations.
Ted has been a teacher and principal at special education facilities all his life. In summer, when I was a kid, I would visit him at the schools when rules were relaxed a bit and I was able to go with him. Schools are not intellegent. What I learned from my time spent with them, was that every one of them was capable of love and insight of one sort or another, even if they had trouble showing it to the world. I learned that patience pays off, that these kids have intellegences that most do not notice, that book smarts and social ability are not the only measures if intellegence.
When you spend time with Thomas, sitting crosslegged on the floor, rocking back and forth, staring at a single point on the wall, you can learn how to let your mind wander free, or how to focus so deeply you notice things you would have overlooked in an average day.
When you work a while with Elisa and you see her smile and she gives you an impromptu hug, because she can, you know that the feelings are genuine. When she finishes a project, her joy and pride at accomplishing something takes her whole being. Her feelings are complete and whole. She doesn't know how to only give a little, she gives everything all she has, every time.
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His name is Jason. His IQ is 208. He was instrumental in helping code a game called "Star Trek: The Kobiashi Maru" He had a car for several years that he never changed the oil in. He didn't know the oil would break down. He didn't know the oil needed to be changed. He doesn't "do" common sense very well, but he's a genius at figuring out stuff most of us would get a headache thinking about. Don't ask him to go shopping or cook anything, it won't work, but if you need an answer to a physics problem, he's your guy!
It's almost official! The coordinator of the Flight 93 quilts project just needs to doublecheck spelling names and send in the rest of the quilts, but the blocks I contributed to this project have been deemed a national treasure! (well, to be fair, so did all the blocks donated by everyone else involved)
These quilts will be on display at the Pentagon and will be housed there as a permanent part of the national collection.
I never thought any of my quilting efforts would end up in the national archives.
Or, How to Restore, Repair, and Reinstall WindowsXP in one week!
When I first got the new computer, it came with .NET MSN Windows Messenger and AOL installed. Every time I turned on the computer these two programs would pop up and ask if I wanted to register with them. Since I don't use either MSN or AOL, I'd decline, then get on with what I really wanted to do.
So, one day about a week ago, I decided to remove AOL and disable MSN because since it's a Microsoft program, it's a bad idea to try to remove it. Everything seemed fine. I added plugins I do use and started moving files over 75-85MB at a time, from the old computer. I installed my favorites and my addressbook and a new copy of Netscape 4.7 to handle my mail since I won't let Outlook Express touch my e-mails and I'm not fond of the NS7.0 layout.
I went to Windows to download updates and was taken to a site that was called Windows Bargains. I don't know how I got redirected there. Then I got a download for Bargain Buddy which I tried to delete, but couldn't. I started getting 7-9 popups per page I accessed and was really frustrated.
I called Dell to help me remove Bargain Buddies. The tech I talked to had me restore windows to an earlier date. It didn't work though, because Bargain Buddies is a stand alone program and will self extract.
I called Dell back again. They had me repair Windows, which worked fine. All my files and bookmarks were still on the computer, Everything was fine.
I decided to do a full install on a game my win98 computer didn't have the power to handle. I didn't know there was an enclosed program called "GameSpy" on the disc. It enabled spyware and highjacking programs to invade my computer through my firewall.
I tried to delete it by installing AdAware, but I was denied downloading access. So I used a different Spyware Removal utility I downloaded from cybergeeks.com. It removed the files all right... it also removed several critical DLLs. From then on, nothing worked right!
I called Dell and told them I had messed up again. They agreed with me that a full hard drive reformat and reinstall was in order. They helped me uninstall and reformat the hard drive and told me they'd call back to help with the reinstall in an hour. They didn't call back. After waiting 4 hours, I decided to call them back. The man helped me reinstall Windows, but not any of the other software, tools, drivers, or utilities that came installed on my computer. I tried doing it by myself. It wasn't that hard, except some of them didn't want to install and I didn't know which order they needed to be installed in.
I spent the next 36 hours calling Dell, Earthlink, and Linksys (wireless home network router)to help me with settings, drivers, tools and utilities. During this time, my sister's laptop also lost it's settings. I finally got a woman at Linksys calling herself Roxy who was patient and clear with her directions so I could restore the DNS settings and IP settings on both computers.
Finally, everything is reinstalled and where I can find it. I didn't have to reinstall AOL so I didn't and I've decided not to register the copy of .Net. I have reinstalled the programs and plugins I use, but I'm not reinstalling full versions of any games. I have to start over moving the personal files and photos from the old computer to the new one.
The moral of the story is... if you get a tech that seems to know what they are doing, don't let them off the phone until the job is complete! Moral #2 is don't install something if you don't know what you're downloading. ;)
Karmic payback (or moving files from WIN 98 to XP)
The new Dell arrived Friday ~~~YEA~~~
The old Gateway is still here too...BECAUSE, I can't get the files moved over!
Things I've tried:
Network with Ethernet router and CAT5e cables linked to each computer to establish a peer to peer network.
Third Party Software to migrate settings and files to the new computer.
Files and settings wizard on XP home edition.
Zip drive and moving the files the old fashoned way.
Ok, I knew going in that moving my files would be hard. After all, I have about 3Gb of documents, photos, and graphical images. So... since I did a little homework before I bought the new conputer, I took the liberty of downloading a file migration utility from CNET. It worked great until the last step. Then both computers locked up and the files were never installed in the new conputer. They were still fine on the old one.
Then, I tried the file and setting transfer wizard XP provides. It didn't work. I tried 3 times. It didn't work.
So, I thought, well, let's try establishing a peer to peer connection and see if I can share the files. It didn't work. I established the network, but couldn't access any files, from either computer.
So, I went out and bought a zip drive, thinking at least I could copy and past the files using removable media. Well, it worked for a while, until the disc became unformatted and I can't get it reformatted.
The other two things to try make me nervous. I could zip all the files, upload them to websites with the old computer and download them with the new computer, or, the local computer companies say I should try removing my hard drive from the old computer and slaving it in the new computer's hard drive.
This isn't supposed to be this hard!!!!! There has to be a better way!
(If you can think of anything, let me know. I'm getting desparate)
10 days ago, our toilet started backing up the tub when flushed. Of course we called a plumber! He came out, roto-routered the main drain, and had us flush several times to be sure the main drain was clear. We were happy, water was flowing!
For about two showers and 1 potty break. No dishes got washed, not everyone in the family got a shower.
We called the plumber back out but it took him two days to come back. Again, he snaked the lines and again we saw positive water flow without backups. We thought surely it was fixed this time.
Wrong! only one shower later, it was again useless. Still no dishes cleaned, no bodies cleaned, and now we can't even tinkle when we need to because all flushes go directly up the bathtub drain.
Only this time, we called the landlord. He said he'd send someone out that would really fix the drain.
We waited. No one showed up.
We waited some more, still no one showed up.
We called the other plumber again and he says it will cost $150 to put a camera down the drain to find the blockage and another $600 to install a cleanout in the yard where they can find it. He doesn't want to come in the house. He's never worked on the pipes inside the house.
We're still plugged. Paper plates and plastic forks for dinners, and a generous supply of take-out food because we can't wash things inside the house. Friends have suggested placing water in portable tubs and washing dishes on the lawn. I'm going to the hair salon tomorrow to wash my hair. Sponge baths are us. Oh thank heaven for the Seven-11 down the street that is 24 hour and has a public bathroom! Guess the laundermat is next, too.
The landlord says he'll send someone out tomorrow. Wanna hold your breath for that one?
Ok, admittedly, real life has been keeping me rather busy.
The plumbing is clogged. Tthe plumber has been out twice to see what the problem is, but it's still getting clogged. After about three flushes and two showers, the pipes start backing up again. Haven't been able to get the dishes cleaned or the laundry done. Not fun!
The fuel pump and the return signal wire from the computer on my car burnt out. Was FORCED (go ahead twist my arm! hehehe) to drive a brand new PT Cruiser for the weekend. I highly recommend them! Zippy, roomy, lots of cargo space and cubby holes for things you need to keep in your car, great gas milage, smooth ride, responsive, leg room in front and back, tie-downs everywhere, just a neat car! ...so anyway, my car's fixed and I'm glad to have it back but I'm missing the luxury.
Found out my dogs are jumping the fence and running around the neighborhood. Sounds like I need to build a better fencing system! Rats! I really thought the one I made a few months ago would contain the beasts!
Been sleeping a lot lately. Probably because of lots of days not getting enough sleep over the last two semesters. Only so much the body will put up with!
No quilting getting done either. Hmmm, perhaps I need to restructure my life so I can get a little done each day?
Mundane, I know, but it's the best I can do at the moment.
I don't have anyone I can ask these questions, so YOU ARE ALL elected!
here goes:
What's a "Blitz"?
What's up with the new (er) scoring system. How are points made, now (as opposed to say Landry-Staubach days)
What do they mean when they talk about an offensive game vs a defensive game?
Is there a difference between "unnecessary roughness" and "unsportsman-like conduct"?
I won't even go into who's on what team or what teams still exist. I'll just have to catch up on that, next year. Anyway, some help in these areas would be appreciated.
I've been spending some quality time with my cello and looking for resources online. GACK! a new bridge is $68??? Are they insane? Ah, but the two I have are warped and that's not good for the soundpost or the strings. Then, of course I have to find a somewhat local luthier to hand-fit a new one.
Speaking of strings, my brother bought me a new set, but I'm reading feedback that they are not as mellow as the ones I have presently. I'm not sure if I should send them back and get the ones I like or try them. They are supposed to have a brighter, crisper sound than the ones I use. My cello is old and I have a problem getting it to project, so that may be why he made the choice of these strings... of course, he may just be tryng to get feedback for his students, too. My set cost $158-ish and these new strings cost about $50 for set which is much more reasonable on a student budget.
I have realized why I haven't saught out cello forums online, though. One I've found requires payment to be a member. If you don't pay, you can only post 3 times a day. It's hard to get indepth help when you can't reply.
They are also strictly cello talk, no personal stuff allowed. This sort of bugs me because without knowing the person posting, how can you give sound advise? Without personal posts, how do you get to know a person? I mean, technoque is fine, but there are other issues that make performers what they are. I understand the reason they limit posts to just issues regarding cello playing, but it seems like they've missed the boat on how good that place could really be.
On a brighter note, I did find a nice tutorial-practice sight for reading tenor clef. It's been years since I seriously tried to read it, so I'm a bit rusty.
I woke up today with cello music playing in the background of my dreams. It was not threatening, just there. I don't remember the dream, just the music.
I am so utterly tired. I slept for 11.5 hours today and still didn't get aything constructive done.
I don't know. Maybe it's because we're having our first really cold snap. Maybe it the first semester blahs. Maybe it's relatives and holidays coming up. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed by the length of the list of things to do! Maybe 96 months of burning the candle at both ends is all my body can take.
I'm sorry if you feel neglected or let down in some way. I haven't been replying to any of the boards I visit. I know I should, but I can't think of anything to reply. My brain is whacked!
ok, I took the car to Dick. I told him I was really getting upset about things with this car. He asked me what the matter was and I told him it was making a strange noise. He gave me the "grandfather's condescending yeah, right, strange noise" look. We walked to the car where I proceded to start it and a strange ponderous look came ofer his face. You know, the "Gee, that doesn't sound right" look.
Score one for me. I know a strange noise when I hear one!
So, I open the hood and he leans over the engine and ponders some more. Evidently, this is mechanic's code for "boys, I could use a hand" because all the other mechanics in the shop came over to ponder, also.
So I'm leaning over the engine compartment with the guys from the shop. All activity has ceased and the mechanics are alternating grimaced faces and raised eyebrows, grunting in male mechanic's speak and pointing at things in the engine compartment. I'm quiet, trying to gleen some sliver of information for why my car sounds so strange.
They ask me to start it up again, so I do, and they are all leaning into the sound, triangulating on the troublesome part. Again, perfectly sane men who use their hands for a living start putting their hands and arms into an area with moving parts! (why do they do that??? Scared me again!) After much leaning and confused looks, they start taking things out like dipsticks and resevoir covers. They push on belts that are spinning while I stand back and cringe. They told me to kill the engine, so I did.
One guy runs for a bottle of power steering fluid (remember, I had already told them the pump was bad two weeks ago) The fluid runs onto the pavement like the pump isn't even there.
My mechanic leans into the engine block and pulls a wire free from a mass in front of the distributer cap. It's not a distributer wire, it's too thin. He says, "This isn't supposed to be loose, get me a crimper!" A guy runs for the crimper. I ask what the wire is. He tells me it's the sending unit sensor for the thermostat! He tries to start a lecture about how when a guage stops working I'm supposed to bring the car in to get it checked. I tell him I did! 4 weeks ago and he said it was the sending unit!!! So, that problem's fixed.
Still have that nasty noise though.
He tells me to start the car to see if the power steering fluid makes it go away (which I know it won't because I already tried that at home, but I hold my tongue) I turn off the car. and he says, "How long have you been losing fluid?" I tell him, "Two weeks, since I brought it in because I thought the power steering pump was going." He asks me if it still works. I say when I pour fluid in, it does, but I can't keep it filled. He asks me if it's ok to cut off the belt for the power steering. I ask if it would drive any different than with it on but no fluid? He says no, it'll be the same as driving without fluid. I say, "Do it!" (he wants to cut off the belt because it's faster and easier than disassembling the whole Kaboodle to get to it and then putting it all back together)
I start up the car and VOILA! the noise is gone! I wanted to hug the guy, but he gets embarrassed easily, so I settled for an "Oh, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!"
He checks on the part. It will be about $250 to replace including parts and labor, but that's much better than the $1400 the timing chain and gear would have cost!
So, in case I wasn't clear... the power steering belt and pully are what was causing the horrible noise...and I already knew I'd be replacing those down the road sometime. Also, the reason the thermostat wasn't registering on the dash board was because the sensor fell off.
In case you ever need to know, the sound was like the lope of a Harley, combined with the grumble of rocks being tumbled in a drum and the whine of a turbo engine being engaged.
My Sister's truck battery decided to take a break today, so we took it to the local parts store to have them check it. It was fine, she needs to clean her terminals and cables.
So, as we're waiting for the battery to recharge (they have a super duper charger that only takes 1/2 hour) I asked if the guy wanted to hear the strangest car sound I'd ever heard. He said sure so we went out and I started the car. He put his hand in the engine compartment (scared me! I don't ever put my hand inside the engine compartment when it's running!) and felt around a few places. His diagnosis is that it is either the timing chain hitting the housing, or the water pump is going out. He couldn't tell which as they are both under the same cowling.
Which means, my new-to-me car now has to have the back tires replaced, the thermostat replaced, the sending unit for the dashboard oil readout replaced, the windsheild washer assembly replaced, the power steering pump replaced, and possibly the timing chain and gear or the water pump.
Veteran's Day AKA Remembrance day
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My grandfather was a diesel mechanic on an aircraft carrier in the Navy during WWII. He never talked about it. When he died, I got his "wings" that a captain had given him during the war. Being a mechanic and an enlisted man, he didn't earn his own.
My father was old enough to go to Viet Nam, but was in college, supporting two small girls and a wife who was also in college. He regrets he didn't go. He's the only generation of his family in the last 400 years that didn't go to war or serve in some form of a military. Personally, I'm glad he didn't go. He didn't draft dodge, just was exempted, but I don't think he would have fared well in combat.
Being female, I didn't have to go into military service. I went for several reasons, some good, some not as good. I was active during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. I didn't go in-country. None of the active duty females in my area went in-country. Some of our men did, though. We all got the same prep in case we went, though. I know because I was the Mobility officer for my squadron.
I remember the planes leaving and the crowds seeing the folks off who were going. I remember them coming back. I remember the planes being rotated for service during the action. I remember not much changed. The problems they had before going into live service were the same problems they had when they were only practicing, so it didn't really feel like a war from where I sat.
Except one of ours didn't come home. The B-52H had crashed into the ocean. I don't remember what had been wrong that it crashed but I remember thinking it had to be major damage as those planes can fly with partial wings and no tail...or pilot error. I remember being sad because I knew those people on that plane. I had bled installing equipment in that plane. It was one of the ones I cared for. The crew was made up of friends I had laughed with and sweated with. I thought of their families, never to be completely whole again. Seven souls, seven families, countless friends.
I think about Vets I know who were in Viet Nam, who are not whole. I think of the men I see in waiting rooms from WWII and Korea who are not whole. I look at those from my generation and we are mostly whole.
Mostly. We do not suffer from PTSD or shell shock, but still we are haunted in our way. We fear what may have been released or introduced into our systems. The boundaries for "Gulf War Syndrome" are being expanded to cover anyone who may have come in contact with any agent used during the war, regardless of how or where.
I'm a disabled Vet. I was injured stateside, during routine maintenance on one of the planes. I will never be whole, but still I count my blessings. I could have been much worse. The wars of the past had far harder consequences to their Vets. We owe them our lives and our livelihood. I'm not just talking about American soldiers, either. There are many countries that have helped retain freedom in this world. I bless every one of them that did a job no one wanted to do. I bless the families of those who either didn't come home, or didn't come home wholely as they left.
I don't agree with the politics of war, most of the time, but I support the men and women who have to carry out the policies their leaders impose.
Rest easy, Soldiers, the dawn is not yet here, all is secure.
Friendships
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Ravynne, I've known you for 5 years or more. We met at Homestead, sort of. I was rebuilding my site and you thought it was hideous! You've helped me so much with site design and other web playtoys, but along the way, you also became a kindred spirit. I've always had a sister in this life and didn't really think I needed another one, but you have become so much more than just a friend. You are family. Thank you for letting me into your life and teaching me integrity.
Fox, I've known you one day less than Ravynne. I've known you since you were "Cranky". Hard to believe so many changes and still we are ourselves, in the end. You have a wonderful eye for what is truly important in this life and you know how to use it. Thank you for letting me see through your eyes and teaching me wisdom. You are family, too.
LadyVisine, we met one day in March 2001,when I was exasperated by a "Y" seam. You have always been kind, helpful, and supportive. There have been many knockdowns and backstabs, but you have not been a part of giving them, only receiving them, and still you are gentle and forgiving. I am honored to be in your presence. Thank you for teaching me charity.You are family, too.
Pixie, you are a delight! You have an enthusiasm for life that is infectious. Your children's stories are entertaining and subtly instructive at the same time. YOU HAVE THE BEST SHORTBREAD RECIPE ON THE WEB! You are the next door neighbor that's lived close by for eons. Always willing to help, always willing to listen.Always willing to start a block party. Thank you for showing me that seriousness is not always called for.You are family, too.
Earthsong, through every trial and every hardship, your faith, I mean real faith, not just religious faith, has never faltered. You are a testament to fortitude. Thank you for teaching me strength. You are family, too.
Laughing Wolf, you are everywhere! I have to laugh!!! Thank you for reminding me how to laugh. Later, I may know you better. I'm looking forward to it.
Celtic Ivy and Friend of Fae, you two have reminded me how to be a real sister, not just a roommate. Heather, I admire how you protect your sister. Stef, you remind me how I felt when my journey began. It's worth remembering. Thank you, both of you. I hope to get to know you two much better in the future.
CheshireCat, AmberHawk, DarqLady, Dragonsflame, AmberSilverhair, and others, we need to talk more! I hardly know any of you, although I know some things about most of you, I really haven't had the chance to really get to know you in the way I have the ones above. I know you're all really neat people because you're here, on this board.
Physical:
age: 38
Sex:female
height: 5'4"
weight: none of your business (my driver's liscense says 130, it's off by a bit)
hair: brown, semi-long
eyes: brown
Distinguishing characteristics: twin to Etainne, several small scars from service to my country on my hands, permanent limp from spinal stenosis and a repetative ankle injury, no tatoos, two earring holes in each ear.
Hobbies:
quilting,
reading science ficton and fantasy, sometimes attending the Hugo awards and voting when possible,
rescuing companion animals
learning about life, people, and how things work
Favorites:
question: "WHY"
food: chocolate
drink: coffee, lots of sugar and cream
dessert: Hershey's chocolate pound cake
entree: spaghetti, if I make it
Beliefs:
Considered still a christian, but much more the way it was intended, not the way it had become.
I respect all life.
I think we have a duty to replace what we take, but yes, I drive a car.
Do as much good as you can and as little harm as you can.
I have studied world religions since I was 10 and am still learning. I like finding the simularities more than the differences.
I'm a Trekkie, first and all generations! My morals and the views of different races come from these shows more than any other external influence.
I'm as old as Sesame Street and the Super Bowl.
I believe in Conservation of Energy or reincarnation. It just makes sense to me that the spark we call a soul would keep going round until the lessons were learned, but yet, I believe in the Rainbow Bridge, where pets wait after death to be reunited with their caregivers.
I believe animals and everything in the universe has a soul, as long as it's not manmade. When we start getting to viable clones, I will have to include them as well, but I don't think my car has a soul or my computer (although sometimes I think they have personality).
I believe in ultimate evil, but I've never seen it.
I believe there is an ultimate source of energy for the universe.
I believe there are people with psychic gifts. Only 10% of the human brain is used, on average. What's the other 90% for?
I believe we can always do better.
I believe in natural healing, when possible, but I'm too impatient sometimes, so give me the antibiotics, dammit!
I believe there is a conspiracy in this town to only sell me cars that will break down within months.This makes me infuriated.
I believe, given enough knowledge, I can fix my car, an airplane, a stereo, dinner, a skinned knee, a wounded ego if possessed by a young person, a wounded psyche of an animal in pain or even program my VCR! (ok, that one will be obsolete as soon as they release R/Wr DVD players for home viewing and dubbing)
I believe my spelling will never improve.
I will never actually write a book worth reading.
Someday, my quilts will be cherished
Miscelaneous:
I used to be a semi-professional cellist. My first major in college was Music Performance.
I was(am) a sargent(retired) in the USAF as a Bomb Navigation System Specialist for the B-52G and H models
I can tune into animals feelings and sometimes thoughts, but rarely. I can't go to hospitals to visit friends and relatives because I take on their pain.
I care deeply and when I send virtual hugs, I mean them. I do not send hugs I do not feel. I'm loyal, but I don't warm up immediately to everyone. Some people I don't ever warm up to! Some people I drive crazy.
I'm a stickler for "fair" and following the rules.
I will give advise freely, but I let people know when something is beyond my knowledge.
I'm really stupid when it comes to figuring out new types of webpages. I can completely hand code a page or I can use templates. The problem becomes on each new place you visit, there may not be a clear place to find what you are looking for.
I've read on the home page there's a forum for getting help and a support staff. I haven't found them yet.
There's supposed to be an ability to post images, but I haven't found it yet.
I've been thinking of linking this or one like this to my website to act as a forum and general update type page, to save me from having to add to or redo my pages. I haven't found out how to do that yet.
Tech folks : I need a pretty highlighted "THIS IS IT" type flag to find what I'm looking for.
Also, what does Normal mean when concerning the type of account. Are there more than one type out there?
So, what am I missing, folks? Someone hand me the 2X4 because I'm obviously not getting everything I'm supposed to or not looking in the right places.
ok, enough of the bad. In it's favor, Previous Host is easy to set up and easy to post to if I want text posts.
<--- the way I look right now.
