February 28, 2006
Home Front
Home Front by Patti Davis wasn't a great book but it wasn't terrible either. I read an interview she did in which she said she sort of bad-mouthed this book but I thought she was being a little hard on herself. When the book was published in 1986, I remember a big to-do because everyone was saying it wasn't fiction, it was a thinly disguised autobiography--she is the daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and he was our President in 1986. The story is about the rebellious daughter of a Republican governor of California and his wife. The governor has aspirations to be President of the United States. The daughter is totally against the war in Viet Nam and continually embarrassing her parents by making speeches and hanging around with demonstrators. Yes, it sure seems thinly disguised.
Anyway, whether it is or it isn't, it's just the story of what life was like in the 1960s/early 1970s. Everywhere in this country you had conservative parents who supported the war worrying and warring with their pinko liberal minded kids who were against the war and demonstrating in one form or another.
Ah, the good old days.
I'd recommend the book to someone who was curious about those days or who wants to reminisce--although there are other books, probably better, to read about that time period.
10 Things You Want, but Don't Need
1. More books (too many to name)
2. More CDs (see above)
3. More DVDs (see above)
4. Claddagh birthstone ring
5. Tumblebugs (that's a computer game)
6. Alcehmy (another computer game)
7. A big backyard swimming pool
8. A vacation cottage by the beach
9. A second home on the west coast of Ireland
10. A vacation to Hawaii
Diary-X Disaster
In 2002, I started keeping an online diary at Diary-x which was founded and run by Stephen Deken. I really liked it because it was in a traditional diary style. I wasn't used to blog styles and didn't particularly care for them at the time. I also liked that I could lock personal entries. It also seemed to be a pretty close knit community, one I felt comfortable with. But as our family website started growing and growing my little diary seemed a little redundant, I guess, and I neglected it. I decided to stop posting there and had a feeling I should back-up the whole thing--and thankfully I did, using the tools Stephen provided.
Disaster ... and just a few days after I backed up. I went back to read my favorites on Diary-x and it was gone! The server had crashed. Stephen has been running the whole show since the beginning and as the community grew, so did his responsibilities in other areas--wife, expecting a child, etc. He needed help. And he made the biggest mistake everyone warns us about...he didn't back up.
How many of us screw up like that? I do and I get so mad at myself when I lose an entire entry because I didn't hit save periodically. Well, multiply that now by years of entries and numbers of diarists and you have a true cyber catastrophe. Stephen hoped to be able to get it fixed but to compound things, it just can't be done. I'm sure he feels terrible. Members of the diary-x community who paid for the service (there weren't that many of us, I guess) are very angry and feel betrayed.
It's just terrible. On the up side, Stephen did post a data base so that we in the community could find each other again. So far, I've found Red Nose, Absolutely Peachy, and Yakkety-Yak. So I'm going to link to them from here and keep checking the database and hopefully find more of my favorite bloggers.
RIP, Diary-X. Stephen, I can't be mad at you. I know that you must feel horrible about all this.
February 26, 2006
Best In Show
On Friday, Heidi's art teacher called and TB answered the phone. He said she sounded really excited and wanted to make sure we knew about the Heart Art competition at the high school. It's a good thing she called because we didn't! Heidi's left the invitation at school and the teacher really really hoped Heidi would show up--she'd be pleased (meaning Heidi). The teacher was sorry she wouldn't be able to make it as she had to be somewhere else.
Heidi didn't seem too excited about going. She was supposed to be at work at 5 and the program was supposed to run from 2-4. We showed up right on time. There was a reception just outside the auditorium where all the pieces of art was displayed. I was totally awed by the talent of the young people who'd made submissions. But when I got to Heidi's, I felt my jaw hit the floor. I think it's more than mother's bias-- I just knew it was a winner.
Check it out:
Unfortunately, there was glare from the plastic over the 2D art (to protect the pieces).
Heidi won "Best In Show" for the second year in a row in the 2D category. Her friend won "Best in Show" in the 3D category. 
Check out TB's entry for a picture of Heidi with her artwork: The Man's Side.
I hope it's okay to show off some of the other pieces of art I admired.
Awesome, eh?
I say...and you think...
- Baby step:: what Invasion character Tom Underlay says to all the new hybrids
- Wasted:: drugged or drunk
- Reggie:: music
- Pitiful:: pathetic
- Acting out:: tantruming
- Tomato:: bacon lettuce and
- Bad night:: Saturday--nothing's on!
- Trip:: vacation
- Finance charges:: usury
- Sport:: bowling
randomness...feed your mind and your blog
week of feb26: the olympics
The Torino 2006 Olympics are on and if you are like myself, you are addicted to watching the figure skaters.
heres a few related questions:
1. do you watch the olypmics or are you just plain sick and tired of hearing about it?
I watch
2. which event is your fav?
I enjoy many of them but my top favorites: figure skating, speed skating, and snowboarding
3. which athelete(s) do you like best?
Again, there's so many! I liked the women's skating team from the US (of course), Shaun White, Apollo Anton Ohno, and Joey Cheek.
February 25, 2006
Night
Night by Elie Wiesel was a difficult book for me to read. It's not just that what happened to Wiesel and his family is so horrifying and unthinkable. It's also "pack mentality"--it scares me! I am talking about how the Nazis treated the Jewish people and how the countrymen said nothing. I am also talking about how people turn on each other.
Until the first roundup (in 1942, I think, which is sort of late in the war isn't it?) the people Sighet in Translyvania seemed pretty isolated from the war. They had rumors but not much else to disturb their lives. At the time, Wiesel was just entering his teens and struck up a mentorship with Moishe the beadle, who helped him understand kabbalism. Moishe the beadle was taken away in that first roundup because he wasn't born in the village.
Miraculously, the man came back to his village months later--totally changed. He came back to warn the villagers about what the Germans were doing to the Jews. In his particular case, he and other people taken away were forced out of the trucks and out to a field. They were forced to dig a big grave and then the soldiers began shooting. It was a miracle Moishe the beadle survived and even more miraculous (to me) that he'd return to the village. Here's what got me first: no one would listen to him! Everyone insisted he was imagining things or hallucinating or otherwise crazy! I guess in those days it was too unthinkable to imagine people could do such a thing but ...
About a year later, the Germans arrived in Sighet and Moise the beadle ran from house to house crying, "I told you!" But still no one believed...not until they began to be loaded into cattle cars. Even then, I think that people couldn't accept what was happening to them. I was shocked again by an incident in that unbearably crowded and hot cattle car. A woman began screaming in hysteria that she saw fire, crying out to the people, "Jews, do you see the fire?" The screaming unnerved everyone and they ended up beating her senseless--someone they knew and used to be friendly with!
I won't go on because I wouldn't want to give away all the details. I think it's a very important book for everyone to read. I agree with Simon Wiesenthal--we must never forget this even though we still have genocide occuring around the world. Will it never stop? I plan to give this book to my daughters next.
please describe your favourite.... and why they're your favourite:
1. cuisine (or combination of cuisines, if you cannot just choose one).
I love Chinese food. It's hard to explain why--I love vegetables and there are a lot in the dishes. They're not mushy either and I really like that. Meat seems to be used more like a seasoning so you're not overwhelmed with it. The dishes can be healthier than those of other cuisines--but you have to make the right choices.
2. breakfast.
From healthy to Heart Attack City: eggs over easy, bacon, muffins, and pancakes, waffles or French toast runny with butter and dripping with syrup. Why? Childhood memories I think of nice big breakfasts on Sundays.
3. dessert.
Right now, my favorite is German Black Forest cake because it's so decadently wicked delicious!
4. place to eat lunch or dinner.
I have a new favorite: Anapa's. The service is wonderful and the food is equisite!
5. item to cook.
corned beef & cabbage dinner--so easy & so delicious
6. person to eat dinner with.
TB, of course, my best friend and hubby
7. hot-day treat.
lemonade--so thirst quenching!
8. food when you were younger.
franks & beans--what kid doesn't love hot dogs, especially grilled in the summertime!
February 24, 2006
Feline Friday: Cats In Hats
Why is it that the human pets never get tired of trying to put hats on our heads?
and then they want to take pictures of us looking silly. No way!
Other efforts that failed:
A sock is not a hat!
Cute, but neither is a feathered pen...
And puh-leeze, no more hat hats either!
More Cat Friday stuff? Try these:
The next Carnival of the Cats is being hosted at Animal Family
Q1 - Birthdays: How many different birthdays do you have committed to memory, and aside from using your own noggin, how do you keep track of all the others?
Let's see: I know 16 for sure and all the rest I keep track of on my computer. :)
Q2 - Seaport Security: A government-owned company in the United Arab Emirates volunteered late yesterday afternoon to delay its $6.8 Billion takeover of most operations at six U.S. seaports. The delay allows President George W. Bush time to convince skeptical members of the U.S. Congress that the deal poses no security risks. What's your feeling on this... should the United States government allow a company based in Dubai to manage seaports in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and Newark?
NO, I think our seaports should have been managed by American companies from the get-go! I am absolutely opposed to any foreign company running our ports!
Q3 - Telephones: Regardless of whether you use just a cell phone or a cell phone and a land line at home, does 'Voice over IP' (VoIP) technology have you thinking about switching or adding a land line at home? (In case you've never heard of VoIP, it allows for the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or any other IP-based network, and it's supposed to be a lot cheaper than paying the old-school phone companies for telephone service.)
I guess I'm already using it because I can talk to my son through the IM. And yes, it sure is cheaper and I definitely see a good use for it!
Q4 - 2006 Winter Olympics: Have you been watching the 2006 Winter Olympics on television? If so, which events have you enjoyed the most? If not, why?
I've been watching the Olympics off and on and I've enjoyed watching snowboarding the most. The athletes have been totally awesome all around!
February 22, 2006
Aggravation
For those of you who have blogs, don't you just hate it when you get on a roll and have a really good entry going, lots of trackbacks to articles to make your point and all that stuff...and then the computer crashes or you hit a wrong button or ... as happened to me late this afternoon ... you get that error page that says you can't get to where you're going? And you hit refresh hoping hoping hoping that your stuff didn't go where the light goes when you turn the switch off because geez you didn't save it as a draft first but ... pouf! It's gone! Out where ever the lights went.
And naw, I can't re-create it because apparently my momentum went where the lights go too ... at least for today. 
February 20, 2006
Parenting 101
I've been watching Dr. Phil for the last couple of years. The man is arrogant but he does know his stuff and he's had a lot of helpful shows about parenting. One thing I've heard him say over and over is that if parents fight in front of their kids and if parents are abusive toward the kids, the young ones are changed forever. It makes a lot of sense. Looking back at my own life, I think I can find several places where I was "changed".
As I've listened to some of these families speak, I wondered and worried about what kind of parent I was when my kids were little. I remember being angry a lot--not necessarily at them. I remember Rich and I yelled at each other a lot--and in front of the kids. How had that changed them? It's a scary thought, it really is! I saw enough of these books that I decided I wanted to look into it some more. So now I'm reading the book Dr. Phil was peddling last year Family First and in it, he says that even the most dysfunctional family can become what he calls "phenomenal".
That's hopeful!
Some years ago, I remember reading a poem that had a big impact on me but I don't think I had the tools to make the changes I needed to make. Rich and I talked about that poem a lot, particularly in view of the fact that he felt he'd grown up with heavy duty criticism. He was having a hard time clapping his hand over his mouth and not doing the same thing to our son! In fact, I think that's a sort of "curse" we all suffer from--being like our parents.
"Oh, I'll never do that, I won't say and do what my mother/father did."
And then when we have kids, we're horrified to hear the words we dreaded coming right out of our own mouths!
Back to the poem:
How A Child Learns
If a child lives with criticism,
he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
he learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
he learns to find love in the world.
Author: Dorothy Law Nolte
I'm at that portion of Dr. Phil's book where there are exercises to complete. He suggests keeping a private journal to do this part and maybe for some of it that would be a good idea. But if Billy, Heidi & Kristin read my blog I'd like them to see the positive points to their grandparents so some of it I figured could be public.
Here goes...
The best qualities of my mother are: her love for me and my brother even if she didn't always know how to express it; a great cook! She also was very artistic and I'm really sorry that she gave that up. I'm sure that Heidi and Kristin inherited some of their abilities from her.
The best qualities of my father are: his undying love for my mother in spite of everything, his love for my brother and me even though he didn't know how to express it always, being a good provider and a hard worker so that we always were fed, clothed & warm, and strong feelings of family ties.
What I love most about my mother: the courage she doesn't realize she has. It took some guts for her to put her foot down in deaf school, complain "you're not teaching me anything" and then going out and teaching herself the skills she needed
What I love most about my father: his strong family loyalty
My mother showed her love for me by: trying to do her best to make sure I was educated about the facts of life. Now, she was too embarrassed to talk to me personally and so she bought books and left them out for me to read.
My father showed his love for me by: giving me the freedom to make decisions for myself and not getting all critical about it or calling me "stupid" or other names.
My parents both showed their love by: showing up at functions like school plays and concerts. They could not hear, there were no interpreters and so they'd sit there patiently for a couple of hours, probably bored to tears, to be supportive of my interests!
Okay...enough for now!
February 19, 2006
Visit With Tomas
After weeks of everyone being sick and miserable, we all were able to get together again yesterday. Some highlights:
Tomas has the sweetest smile and just loves having his picture taken!
This time he enjoyed playing toddler baseball.
I have to say I enjoyed it too!
What a photogenic kid!
Linda and Tomas at play
Awww...what a sweet picture!
Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of TB with the baby!
I say...and you think...
- Right time:: Now
- Funeral:: mournful
- Calculate:: figure
- Believe me:: truthful
- Chat:: talk
- Anniversary:: annual date something happened
- Let you down:: disappoint
- Shout:: yell
- Sweatsock:: wash it
- Prayer:: Lord's
Computer Update Confusion
Nothing is ever easy, is it?
TB spent hours installing a new hard drive for me and copying over my old one. Well...something happened and not all the files were copied so my computer was screwed up. The reason: some of the files that weren't copied were the ones that we needed to uninstall Office 2000 and the reason for that was that we couldn't get the new upgraded Office 2003 installed...
Well, to make a long story longer, after several attempts at fixing the problem TB eventually had to reinstall Windows altogether. He backed up my settings but not everything took (like my beloved Chuzzles game and some other programs haven't been loaded yet! So I am way way behind on messages and stuff.
Poor TB was up until well past midnight last night. I'm anxious to get everything back so I can post some cute pictures of our Little T and answer my email! Until then...back to the Olympics, I guess!
February 18, 2006
Bad Love
Bad Love by Jonathan Kellerman is a book I picked up at a library sale sometime last year. Recently, I resolved to go and try to read through all the books that have been hanging around at least a year before moving on to the newer, more attractive pile. Heh. I also wanted to take a break from the heavy, emotionally draining (but very good) books I'd been reading recently, like Songs In Ordinary Time.
Okay, anyway...on to this book. I was attracted by the title and by the jacket description. "For Alex Delaware, the tape is the first intimation that he is about to enter a living nightmare. Others soon foolow: disquieting laughter echoing over a phone line that suddenly goes dead, a chilling act of trespass and vandalism. He has become the target of a carefully orchestrated campaign of vague threats and intimidation rapidly building to a crescendo as harassment turns to terror, mischief to madness." Wow, sounds like a great read!
It is...if you're into mystery thrillers. I thought it was just okay.
The story opens with Dr. Alex Delaware becoming involved in a complicated visitation case. He is a child psychologist and a consultant to the LAPD. In the beginning of the book, he receives a frightening tape: someone is screaming and then a child's emotionless voice recites: "bad love" over and over. I was hooked for maybe 2/3 of the book but then certain things didn't add up. When they don't add up and when they don't seem real, I become annoyed with the story. I felt Dr. Delaware was too intrusive into people's lives and toward the end he was downright whiny.
There was one teeny little clue as to the perpertrator. It didn't "feel" right to me. Maybe it's the mystery thriller genre thing...
About 30 years ago, there was a clever movie called Murder By Death. In it, five famous detectives and their sidekicks--or spouse-- are invited to the home of Lionel Twain to figure out a murder. The reason I bring this up is because of the reason Twain set the whole thing up, and I quote, "You've tricked and fooled your readers for years. You've tortured us all with surprise endings that made no sense. You've introduced characters in the last five pages that were never in the book before. You've withheld clues and information that made it impossible for us to guess who did it. But now, the tables are turned. Millions of angry mystery readers are now getting their revenge. When the world learns I've outsmarted you, they'll be selling your $1.95 books for twelve cents."
After reading this book, I kind of felt like Lionel Twain. Hopefully the next Dr. Delaware book I read won't leave me feeling the same way.
February 17, 2006
Feline Friday: Food For Thought
I've heard the human pets frequently say that something they've read has given them "food for thought".
They are a nice healthy size so they must be getting extra nutrition from these things that they read.
Wonder what this food tastes like? Hopefully, something fishy....
Bleh...it'd be the Kashi of kitty kibble. I'll let the pets have it all.
More Cat Friday stuff? Try these:
The next Carnival of the Cats is being hosted at Bloggin Out Loud
Q1 - Pictures: When was the last time someone took a picture of you, and what were you doing? If you can't remember, then when was the last time you took a picture, and what was it of?
The last time someone took a picture of me was the day of the great snow. TB surprised me while I was making pancakes & eggs for breakfast.
Q2 - Vice President Cheney: Texas authorities have already cleared U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney of any wrongdoing over last weekend's incident in which he shot, i.e., “peppered pretty well,” a 73-year-old hunting companion in the face. Do you feel the White House and Mr. Chaney himself have acted appropriately in their handling of the incident?
No, but what does it matter what I think? They're in there until 2008 and so they feel they can do whatever they want.
Q3 - Real Estate: Do you feel real estate agents' commissions are justified?
Sure, they work for it.
Q4 - Best Friends: Who was your first bestest friend, and, are you still friends with them? If you're not in touch with your first best friend, do you keep in touch with anyone you knew--aside from family--when you were between the ages of five and ten?
I'm in touch with my bestest friends of the last 10 years, Nancy, Dawn, Donna and Jean. As for the friends I had between the ages of 5 and 10--no. We moved from NY to MD when I was 10 and so I lost touch with those friends decades ago.
February 16, 2006
My Computer Back & Depressed Parents
YAY! Thanks to TB, I have my computer back and it's working great! It had been running slow and frequently was out of virtual memory so we figured I needed a new hard drive. So we got one and TB installed it and the only thing we had to wait for was all those files to copy over to the new drive.
When I finally got online, I caught up on my email and then read news stories. This headline really tickled me:
Kids Often Depress Parents. Really, ya think? And it turns out that parents are more prone to depression than adults who don't have children. Well, I don't think you'd need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out!
I don't think that kids deliberately set out to make us parents miserable; we don't set out to make our kids miserable. No, seriously. But common sense is going to tell you that this is going to happen and that it's a part of life. And of course parents would have a greater tendency to become depressed. Think about it: we love our kids, we want the best for them and when we see them suffer or make bad choices it makes us sad. With enough frustration and sadness there, it's no surprise we get depressed.
Adults who don't have children have themselves to worry about and any pets. They don't have these issues: worrying about the safety of their kids when they're out of the house, worrying about whether they'll get into drugs or alcohol, hooked up with an abusive person, drop out of school, get in a car accident....okay, we're getting extreme here. But it is very stressful to raise kids these days. It's hard work. If you have a kid with a difficult or rebellious nature then just day to day living can be stressful.
There are lots of great reasons to be a parent. But in and of itself, parenthood won't improve your mental health -- or your relationship with your spouse, says psychologist (and parent) Susan Jeffers, PhD. Jeffers, best known for the self-help classic Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, is the author of I'm Okay, You're a Brat!: Setting the Priorities Straight and Freeing You From the Guilt and Mad Myths of Parenthood."Society tries to tell us parenthood is the greatest fulfillment of all times," Jeffers tells WebMD. "That is not true for a majority of people. One can find wonderful things about having children. But people are not talking about the negative effect it has on your life. And it is very hard on relationships."
It's not just the wear and tear of having an infant, Evenson and Simon find. Parents are more depressed than nonparents:
Even when their kids have grown and left home
Even when they do not have custody of the children
Even when they adopt
Even when they become stepparents
"You lose your peace of mind, your extra money, your privacy, and on and on and on," Jeffers says. "The worst part of it all is how much you love them, because you worry a lot and you have to keep learning to let go and let go and let go."This doesn't mean parenthood can't be extremely rewarding, Jeffers notes. It just means that having children doesn't automatically make life more meaningful.
I've been reading Dr. Phil's book and he lists a statistic: parents surveyed were asked would they have children again if they had to do it all over again. One-third said no.
Shoot. I'd do it again, depression and all. It's worth it.
February 15, 2006
Bookoholic
Not too long ago, I wrote that I was a blogoholic. Well, I'm even more of a bookoholic. Let me walk into a bookstore or a library and I never leave unladen with books. I was spending a lot of money at places like Borders and so I took a vow to just borrow books from the library. The problem was, I had to have six at a time. When it was time to return the books, I'd finished 3, needed to renew 3 and ended up getting another 6. It wasn't long before I was running up fines because I'd forget which books had been renewed and had to be returned earlier.
The library started selling paperbacks and hardbacks for anywhere from a quarter to a dollar. I was borrowing and buying books. At book sales, TB and I would walk out with boxes (think a carton sized box that would hold reams of paper) of books. The librarians would look at us and say, "Oh, dear, how many books do you think are in there? We'll take your word for it." We'd give them $10 or $15 a box. We both made out because invariably we had like 50 books in the boxes.
These books are like tribbles!. We started out with 2 bookcases and quickly ran out of room. Now we have books stacked everywhere, in and out of plain sight.
I discovered Boock Crossing. What a great concept! You read a book and then "release it into the wild" (meaning you leave it lying out somewhere for someone to pick up) or you send it to someone who's been wanting to read it by consulting a "wish list". I was very happy because I was reading books and then sending them on. If I'd stayed off the forums, I might have my book-mania more under control.
Unfortunately, I read some posts on the forum and learned about an online book trading site, Paper Back Swap You list nine books with them and then you can ask for one from someone else's list. The only cost is in mailing the book to the requester. Well, I have sent out about 2 dozen books--and received back 26. Now I have gotten into their box-o-books.
My to-be-read pile has become larger than the books I've already read!
Is there no hope? TB and I took Kristin to Borders so she could spend some of her birthday money. I should have stayed in the car but no, I told myself I'd just browse. Borders has a 3-for-2 table...why is it so up front? Of course I was able to find 3 books I would love to read...hopefully by the end of this decade!
I think I just have to give up buying and trading books for the Lenten season--but March is just too far away!
February 14, 2006
Ten on Tuesday: The Olympics
It seems right that today's 10 on Tuesday would focus on favorite Olympians. I've been watching the games off and on over the last couple of days and have been totally impressed with the courage and convictions of the athletes. It's heart breaking that Nancy Kwan had to withdraw because of an abdomindal injury but boy, she did it with such dignity and grace! Last night, I was watching the figure skating pairs and I saw that awful fall Dan Zhang suffered and althought I was sure she'd have to go right to the hospital, she not only finished the program she skated beautifully--almost like nothing had happened! Speed skater Joey Cheek is donating his prize money to "Right to Play", which will go to the Sudan. Awesome! Then there were the very impressive American snowboarders--men and women.
10 Favorite Olympians Ever
In no order and it was really hard to limit it to just 10:
Dan Zhang
Joey Cheek
Mark Spitz
Eric Heiden
Olga Korbut
Mary Lou Retton
1980 U.S. Hockey Team
Sugar Ray Leonard
Shirley Babashoff
Greg Louganis
Valentine's Day
First, to my dh TB: awwww, thanks so much for your post, you really make my world go round, I love you!!!!!
To everyone: Happy Valentine's Day one and all! Here is a picture of what my love and I got for each other:
Check out the smile on the love monkey! He's got a special treat too! So TB and I found a new delicious place to eat a little closer to home: Napa's Country House. We're going to go have dinner there tonight!
I posted a cool picture of the moon TB shot yesterday morning. Last night, he got an even more gorgeous pic using his tripod. Check out his entry.
February 13, 2006
Full Moon Setting
Early this morning, TB took some pictures of the full moon going down. He'd set his camera to night so that the shutter would stay open longer. He said he wished he had a tripod because he must have moved just a little bit. I think the picture is gorgeous anyway!
10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)
1. Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller and the picture above relates back to that song 
2. Stewball by Peter Paul & Mary
3. Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Paul & Mary
4. Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
5. Fat Bottomed Girl by Queen
6. Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
7. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac
8. The Thrill is Gone by BB King & Eric Clapton
9. Rain on the Scarecrow by John Mellancamp
10. Rock This House BB King & Elton John
Why? #1 was on Lost and I happened to be thinking about it and all the others are just a few of many songs I listened to this snowy weekend.
More Snow Pictures
Here are some more pictures taken by TB, after the snow plow came through and we began digging out.
Our neighbor across the street takes a break from clearing the snow from his driveway.
This is the view south, after the plow.
And the view north. What an awesome camera! We had to go to the store for a few necessities and I took some pictures as we drove into town.
It doesn't look like the main road to town was plowed at all! Where were the trucks, at Dunkin Donuts?
I thought the trees were just gorgeous. The branches were so laden down with snow, though, some were breaking off. We thought we might lose our power but we didn't.
February 12, 2006
Unconscious Mutterings
- Unorthodox:: different
- Skate:: on ice
- Hold on:: cling to
- Europe:: over there
- Reminder:: remember
- Gold:: silver
- Calcium:: NY
- Rated R:: no one under 17 without an adult
- Saturday night:: nothing on TV
- Tell:: ask
Winter Wonderland
TB took this pictures early and I think they came out just beautiful!
These pictures face south on our road. TB was probably standing at the end of our driveway or in the street.
This view is north of our house. I really like the way the pictures of the road came out!
Lots of snow everywhere! TB and Kristin were out shovelling for quite a while!
I'm not exactly sure how much we got. I don't have any boots to go out walking! .
These are our neighbors' houses immediately south of us. I really like the road pictures best, the ones without houses in them!
Now, what could I do to help? The only thing I could think of was to whip up some apple cinnamon pancakes, eggs, and hot chocolate.
ACK! No fair taking surprise pictures of the chef!
How much snow did you get in your neighborhood?
February 11, 2006
Abandon your cars now...
Snow is on the way...a lot of it. I have a friend who's been looking forward to snow, exasperated with all the warm weather we've been having. Now that I'm not a kid anymore, the only time I want to see any snow is around the holidays. Once New Year's has past, I am basically done with winter and don't want to have anything to do with it until the following year.
I don't always get my way.
i'm not sure how things go in south Jersey because it's been a loooong time since we had any significant snow, but I know that when I was living in Maryland the mere mention of the 's' word sent people into panic and despair. They'd clean out all the bread, milk and toilet paper from stores for miles around....like getting 6-10 inces of snow meant we'd be stranded for months. When the snow started, some people even would abandon their cars with just a couple of inches on the ground. Now that was fun.
Today poor Heidi was called in to work at the crack of dawn. The store needed her for a double shift...I'm wondering if other employees panicked and called out sick? Hopefully Heidi will get some brownie points for this. Meanwhile, the stupid storm hasn't even started yet.
Now, we have enough food and drinks for the next couple of days...but we need entertainment! So we are trekking out to Borders ahead of the storm to make sure we're stocked up on all the books we need. God forbid we should get 10 inches of snow and not have enough reading material!!!!! 
1. do you own, or have you ever owned, a boat?
No, but I'd sure love to have a sail boat
2. how far away do you live from the nearest body of water?
Well.....Spring Lake is just across the street. The ocean is about an hour's drive
3. what type of water is it? (ocean, lake, pond, etc.)
I think I gave it away already. It's a lake, very pretty to look at but I'm leery of swimming in it. You can't see the bottom because of the cedar water and I'm not crazy about lake bottoms anyway. They feel too squishy and icky.
4. do you enjoy swimming?
I love it!
5. do you prefer swimming/floating in a pool, pond, lake, river, or ocean?
My preference is the ocean, followed by a pool. Now I swim in a pool at the gym.
6. what is your favourite water-related activity? (this can be from sailing a yacht to sunning next to a pool to washing your dog in the backyard)
I like playing water volley ball, that's fun. I love to swim laps
7. have you ever taken a cruise? if no, why not? if yes, how was the experience?
Nope, no cruise yet.
8. switching focus to water intake ... what is your favourite liquid refreshment, and why do you love it so?
Ice cold water--it refreshes every single time, is filling, and it's good for me!
February 10, 2006
Feline Friday: Catching A Mouse
Hey, Senor Puss-in-Boots, want to help me catch a mouse?
Fine, I'll do it myself!
I'll just catch the mouse by the tail like this!
GOTCHA!
What do you mean, let it go? It's a mouse, isn't it? I caught it, didn't I?
Rats! Why are they called mice if we're not supposed to catch them?
More Cat Friday stuff? Try these:
The next Carnival of the Cats is being hosted at Watermark
Q1 - Overcome: Name one physical challenge you'd like to accomplish before you die?
I have never been able to climb a rope. I think it would be cool if I could climb a rope before I died.
Q2 - Fuel: Twenty (20) years from now, what do you think you'll be using to fuel your car: Gasoline, Hydrogen, Ethanol, Biodiesel, a Hybrid System, or something else entirely?
I certainly hope we're not still stuck with gasoline. There was a car show in Philadelphia during the week and a bunch of high school students designed a cool looking car that runs on soybeans. Now, I think that would be really neat!
Q3 - Poking Fun: Cartoons first published in a Danish newspaper last fall, then reprinted in other publications across Europe in recent weeks, have sparked outrage across the Islamic world. From a cartoon image depicting Muhammad wearing a turban crafted into the shape of a bomb with a lit fuse, to another showing the seventh-century prophet standing in heaven telling a line of suicide bombers to stop because "We've run out of virgins," the cartoons hold nothing back in terms of poking fun at Muslims. Do you feel the newspapers in question were justified in publishing these cartoons? If so, would your opinion change if highly offensive cartoons related to some aspect of your own religion were published in your hometown newspaper?
I think it's terrible how things have gotten so out of hand. It all started because some Danish author wanted to write a children's book about the life of Mohammed and couldn't get anyone to illustrate it for him. So a Danish newspaper ran a contest for cartoons depicting Mohammed. The publishers say now that if they'd known ahead of time all the violence that was going to ensue, they wouldn't have published the cartoons. It seems to me that the riots are more violent than they might have been because there are terrorists and governments supporting terrorists stirring up the people.
If a highly offensive cartoon related to my religion was published in my hometown newspaper, I would be offended....but ya know, I've lived with freedom of speech my whole life so it wouldn't occur to me to try to burn down a building because of it.
Q4 - Cell Phones: How many different cell phones have you owned, and what was the reason for switching to the one you’re using now?
I've had two different kinds of cell phones. First, I had Nokia phones when I was a free lance interpreter in Maryland and then in New York. Now I have Samsung with Verizon Wireless. I switched because TB's been with Verizon for years and they really do have the best service.
February 09, 2006
#112
Today TB went to pick up his stuff from Cranbury. How sad...the boss thinks he's going to have to go back into the shop himself. The estimator has been laid off as well as other guys from the shop. The only people there when TB came to pick up his stuff was the boss, the office assistant and the shop foreman. TB called the union hall and this kind of thing isn't limited to just one or two places. TB is #112 on the list of guys to be called for work--except TB can't do shop anymore. We're praying someone close by will need a sketcher soon. Meantime...we just tighten our belts. So it goes.
::Premium Web Service::
Onesome--Premium - Have you paid for any access to web services? What services? What are they like?
Like...digital cable? We've got that. I also have yahoo music which is pretty cool. TB got XM radio, which he can listen to on the radio as well.
Twosome--Web - For the free stuff on the web, what it your favorite out there? What do you find yourself looking at everyday?
I look at news sources every day, including the Philadelphia Inquirer. Normally I'd have to pay to subscribe to a lot of these newspapers but I read them free. I also look for free downloads like the "Addicted to Lost" commercial.
Threesome--Service - What goes on in your mind when you're out and get bad service from a restaurant or store? Do you let it slide off your back like ducks do to water? Or, do you make sure the business knows your dissatisfaction?you make sure the business knows your dissatisfaction?
It depends on how bad the service is. Most times I just let it slide off my back because I haven't spent enough for it to matter to me. If the food's really bad, I'll say something after we've paid. I don't send food back for two reasons--it ends up reflecting badly on the waiter/waitress and because I've heard horror stories of cooks spitting on food to "get back" at the customer.
February 08, 2006
The Chains
Years ago, I enjoyed reading Gerald Green's books very much. My sentimental favorites were The Last Angry Man and To Brooklyn With Love, almost the same story. The hero in both books were dedicated but very angry, frustrated doctors. They were both athletes and strong and both were raising skinny, sickly boys (one a nephew, the other a son). But enough of that...Gerald Green wrote some other books that I enjoyed very much including Blockbuster and Holocaust. He's got a feel for language, salting the dialogue with Yiddish expressions and accents that make the settings and people seem so real.
I hadn't seen or read anything by Green in years, not since Holocaust. I'd read that he was working in TV somewhere and wasn't writing anymore. I found this book, The Chains on sale for a quarter at the library and picked it up right away. One of my favorite characters appeared in the story, Dr. Sam Abelman. He had a minor role but it was nice to "see" him again.
I enjoyed the book ... until the last hundred pages. Dr. Abelman's nephew was out to write a book about the Chains and their rise from dire poverty to gangsterism and bootlegging to respectability. I think we could have done without the ineffective author wanna-be and just told the family's story. So much of it was devoted to the founder, Jake Chain, who started out hauling wagons--a seemingly dumb ox with a good heart and very little money to support his wife and child. Circumstances change and he becomes a union shtarker--he beats people up--and from there gets involved with all kinds of nefarious enterprises. Throughout his tough life, there are many attempts on Crazy Jake's life--and in the end, he's betrayed by someone he knows.
Well, it should have been the end. As far as I'm concerned, that's where the story ended. Jake's son Mort was a lesser character in the story. He started his own bootlegging business and built himself an empire, eventually bringing dad Jake in as a partner. The focus was still always on Jake and once he was gone, I found it hard to care about Mort or the son who made the family go legit, Martin.
The last hundred pages were very boring to me.
Still, it was nice to read something by Green again.
Laid Off
Well, this is really the pits. TB's been laid off from Cranbury Sheet Metal for the unforseeable future. Work slowed down and pretty much came to a halt 2 weeks ago. At the time, it wasn't such a terrible thing because the whole family was sick. But TB's boss called today and it's just not picking up. The owner is really in a pickle because he might have to lay off all his employees. It seems to be this way all over the sheet metal trade. TB is going to call the union hall but it really doesn't sound too good.
We've been through tough times before. We'll get through this. It's just a drag.
I'm still battling this bug. It just won't go away. I'll be feeling better and then all of a sudden will have a coughing spasm or just suddenly feel light headed or tired.
On the lighter side, a friend of mine who lives in south Jersey sent me an email and TB used it in his post yesterday. I got the biggest laugh from the line that went you know you're from south Jersey if everything is 20 minutes away. Haven't I always said that? Now I know why--I'm in south Jersey!
February 07, 2006
Here They Are, The Beatles...
While I'm wandering down Memory Lane, I remember the Beatles! I'd like to be able to say I was there at Kennedy Airport this day 40 years ago when they arrived for an American tour...but I wasn't. I did see them on TV at home, thrilled by the wild screams of the crowds as they got off the plane. I see pictures of the Fab Four as they were--and they look like such babies, four young musicians with mop style hair cuts just barely out of their teens. My parents, who are deaf, knew how important this group was to my brother and me and so we were allowed to stay up for the entire Ed Sullivan Show. They revolutionized music. Do young people these days know who they were? I wonder...
10 Favorite Childhood Fairytales
1. Paul Bunyan and his ox, Babe
2. Emperor's New Clothes
3. Cinderella
4. Jack Tales
5. Pecos Bill
6. Three Little Pigs
7. Hansel & Gretel
8. Puss-in-Boots
9. Dick Whittington's cat
10. Peter Rabbit
February 06, 2006
"Those Were The Days, My Friend..."
Nearly 40 years ago, a singer named Mary Hopkin was sponsored by the Beatles on Apple Records, their new label. Is that ancient history, or what? I remember the song she came out with, "Those Were The Days". The lyrics were bittersweet, a yearning rememberance of what it was like to be young and inspired to do things that were maybe revolutionary in the hope it would make the world a better place. I was around 14. It made me think of Soviet revolutionaries and gypsies (now called Roma people to be PC)...probably because of the instruments used. It never occurred to me that the song might apply to my generation...in 2006.
I'm a baby boomer and so is TB. A baby boomer is a person born between the end of WWII and the early 1960s. We grew up in some turbulent times, beginning with the assassination of President Kennedy. Even though there was a Cold War going on, I don't think it touched us--not the way this did. We were the Cleavers and the Stones and the Andersons you saw on TV.
Things changed dramatically after Kennedy was killed. The Civil Rights movement had been gaining momentum and the war in Viet Nam had been dragging on. Young people -- the older of our Boomers -- at college age began to sit in and protest. Other young people followed the advice of a real looney named Dr. Timothy Leary and turned on, tuned out and dropped out, becoming hippies. Some lived on the streets and some joined communes. Everyone wanted to change the world so there would be no more killing or injustice. Peace, brother, peace.
As the boomers grew up, they pushed every social hot button and then some. Picking up the civil rights banner. Expanding the universe of choices people have from women's rights to gay rights to abortion. Fighting the war in Vietnam and protesting it at home.They fought the system and they fought each other. On college campuses across the country the battle lines between left and right were drawn early and shape the red state/blue state political landscape of today.
Yes, I remember "Hell, no, we won't go!" and Kent State and the Summer of Love. I remember the warning that we shouldn't trust anyone over 30 and that the establishment was corrupt.
Now look at us. We've become the establishment we were rebelling against! I laughed my head off the first time I saw Jerry Rubin in a suit. Even Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden "went establishment"!
Whichever side of that divide the boomers found themselves on, there's no disputing the quarter century that followed until 9/11 was a time of relative peace and prosperity.The boomers became the wealthiest generation in history with spending power of $2 trillion dollars a year. But they've spent far more than they've saved -- much of it on themselves -- especially in their search for the fountain of boomer youth, part of a legendary self indulgence that has a dark side. ...
And yet all across America, from marathons to yoga studios, other boomers are turning the whole notion of aging on its head, or trying to. For all their failings they are still fitter than their parents ever were. And most don't believe old age will actually start until they are 85. That's three years beyond the life expectancy of today's 60-year-olds.
The oldest of us boomers, the ones who were hippies or protestors or what have you, turned 60 on January 1, 2006. When I was 14, someone that age was ancient and now ... well, that's not old. I'm not a senior citizen, my parents are.
The article I read is here.
Here are the lyrics to the song I was talking about:
Those Were The Days
Mary Hopkins
Music & Lyrics : Gene Raskin
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And dreamed of all the great things we would do
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
February 05, 2006
Blog-o-holic
Yep, that's what I am, and not just because I try to write everyday. I have blogs all over the place, serving different purposes. Why don't I just combine them into one blog so it's less confusing? Because then I feel like the one blog would be a disorganized mess!
What I decided to do, though, was move some of them to this website, Mrs. Spratt and I'm A Coda. Mrs. Spratt focuses on my weight loss struggles and I'm A Coda is simply what I remember of growing up with deaf parents. It would be totally confusing if I mixed all those entries into one blog! I'm pretty much happy with the way I'm A Coda looks but am still futzing with the Mrs. Spratt template. Soon, soon...
I say...and you think...
- Taking sides:: choosing one over the other
- Couples::two
- Right of refusal:: you can't make me take it
- Marla::Shriver
- Mutliple:: many
- Trinity:: three
- Sneeze:: achoo
- Sweatpants:: comfy
- Steve:: Winwood
- Fabulous:: wonderful
February 04, 2006
Baby Birds Have To Fly
I remember my dad saying (signing, really) "baby birds have to fly" many times throughout my life. His point was that eventually kids have to go out on their own. Teenagers start to pull away from their parents by withdrawing and rebelling as they get ready to become independent. Decades or centuries ago, teenagers were considered more like adults with all of those responsibilities. It's not like that nowadays. Now teenagers are in school until their late teens or early twenties and they don't have the resources to be able to support themselves totally. So they are in an inbetween sort of state, not a child and not an adult--and just generally making parents crazy.
Heidi and TB continue to butt heads. She has her own unique view of things and isn't on the same page as TB and me. She's hurt that I'm not bailing her out. She is immature but she is becoming a young adult. She chafes under authority. She hasn't learned yet that authority is something she's going to have to deal with all her life. Meantime, I think it would be really beneficial for her to go away to college and start gaining some independence -- or, she could get an apartment with friends. She doesn't know anyone who wants to move out, though.
So...the only other choice I can see if that she's just got to live with authority as it is until she can get out on her own and run her own life. That's how baby birds fly.
1. do you read magazines? if so, what kind? if not, why not?
When I get a chance to catch up, I do. I read Writer's Digest, Reader's Digest, Entertainment Weekly, Consumer Reports and Prevention.
2. do you find yourself reading or watching celeb gossip? why or why not?
Only if there's nothing else to do!
3. if you had a job that you could do from home in addition to your 'regular' job, would you take it if you could make your own hours? why or why not?
Sure, I would love to work from home. It's convenient!
4. if this job netted you $1K to $1.5K per month, how would you spend your money given your current financial situation?
No way...a month? It couldn't be legal...but if by chance I did make lots of money a month I'd pay off all our debt, set aside money for the kids & grandkids to go to college, go on vacations with TB, buy us investment property, donate a bunch of money....
5. do you participate in any activities (marches, remembrances, historical tours, reading history) during black history month?
Reading
6. so, punxsutawney phil saw his shadow last week, and we're getting 6 more weeks of "mild winter weather." how do you feel about that, or do you care at all?
Who says it's all going to be mild? And I don't really care. There's about 6 weeks from Feb. 2 to the official first day of spring regardless of whether Phil sees his shadow
7. speaking of phil, are you a fan of the film "groundhog day"? i'm consistently amazed that i can't find a single person who doesn't like that film.
You found one. I don't like that movie.
8. and speaking of film, are you interested in seeing "the davinci code"? why or why not?
Yes, I do want to see that film--Tom Hanks is my favorite actor and Ron Howard is one of my favorite directions. It's a can't-lose combination as far as I'm concerned for what was (for me) a far-fetched story.
February 03, 2006
Music Memoirs
Top 5 "Super" songs...As always interpret this as you see fit. Go ahead be creative!
Five supers by Supertramp!
The Logical Song
Goodbye Stranger
Lady
It's Raining Again
Breakfast in America
Feline Friday: Uppers and Lowers
Everybody has a favoride side of the bed.
The human pets prefer the left and right sides of the upper, and I get the whole thing when they are not around.
While I like the lower because it's cool, dark and comfortable--and I can hide in the room when the pets go to sleep. My favorite night time activity is to jump on the bed and walk on their feet.
Check out all the hair under the bed--a drawback to having a long haired cat hide there!
More Cat Friday stuff? Try these:
The next Carnival of the Cats is being hosted at Enrevanche
February 02, 2006
Test Scores
The results are in -- our school district has the third lowest SAT scores in the county. We have the second lowest High School Proficiency Assessment scores. Well...at least we're not at the bottom. I'm more annoyed that the result is probably going to be more teaching to the tests. The top four performers, no surprise, are made up of wealthier areas.
I've been through this before, in Maryland. We lived in Columbia, which is made up of 9 villages. Although each village is supposed to house all incomes some ended up being wealthier than others. Immigrants who are learning English more than likely can't afford to live there. The same is true for broken families, dysfunctional families (like those involved in drugs and alcohol), and families with disabilities. Where do those families live? In a less wealthy area. How do the kids perform on tests? Poorly--for one reason and another.
So the four districts that did well are crowing with pride, although one is afraid that being successful will mean budget cuts to programs, class sizes will get bigger and then ... next time, test scores won't be so high. Boo hoo.
As for our district,
“Overall, we have improved and are making strides,” said Robert Arenge, assistant director of instructional services for Pemberton Township School District. “When you compare us to other (special-needs) schools, we're right there where we should be. Compare us to other schools and we're not quite where we want to be.”
And so it goes. I'm not worried. The girls are doing great.
February 01, 2006
Happy Birthday, Little T!
It's hard to believe how quickly time goes. Our little grandson Tomas is 2 today! It seems like only yesterday...
We are so looking forward to seeing Tomas and celebrating his birthday with him, hopefully on Saturday. Already the family is feeling much better after an evening trip to the doctor. We came home with a big bag of meds. What a difference cough medicine with codeine makes! And now all of us except for Kristin are on antibiotics.
Anyway, Happy Birthday, sweet pea!