And now, 2002 winds down. It was a year that on a personal level started with frustration and fear and ended with peacefulness and hopefulness. So many of you contributed to this feeling of well-being. You know who you are, and I thank you.

Gotta have some resolve. Ok-doke. Let's start with the two resolutions on my "How to Draw a Radish Calendar" at the office.

1. Learn to draw.
2. Make Noise.

This will probably be the last blog of 2002. See ya next year!

Happy New Year!

Yikes! Where did yesterday go?

Yesterday was one of those busy every moment types of day. Lots of fun, but a little draining and I crashed! It was up early to finish the 16th Birthday scrapbook for my nephew (procrastination, thy name is Shirl) then on to work to: finish the newsletter, send it off to the printer; finish payroll, send it off to the comptroller; finish setting up the inventory teams, go over it with the boss; and then go to Nephew's big party. Whew. It's not that I'm getting old (well, maybe it is *sigh*) but bed beckoned pretty early.

Today is inventory at work but we get out early. I've scheduled a NAP in the p.m., before the New Year gig. So all is well.

Speaking of New Year's, I did come up with my twenty words for the Mayfly project.

Bryn had a link to the Mayfly Project, which is an exercise in summarizing the past year in twenty words. The Saturday 8 also pointed to it.

Drumroll, please:
Turned fifty. Started tutoring. Guitar time. Ernest Hemingway. Charities at work. Blogathon. Wilderness State Park. Tattoo! Three funerals. Chasing moonbeams.

Uhoh. I hear sleet outside my window.

TIME A TREE Grows IN MICHIGAN . . . . . .....

hehehe...I just LOVE when fun stuff works! Thanks again, ever so much, meg! It's not perfect like yours, and there are a couple of edits that Blogger hasn't caught yet, but getting there!

Good afternoon!

I'm sitting here at work, playing on the internet when I should be finishing up the dagnab newsletter. I am so bad! I also wanted to check on the day-end computer operation, which was hanging yesterday. It went through fine, so Monday morning should be a leeeettle bit easier.

We're also gearing up for inventory. I know, yuck! Except that the thought of being cooped up in the warehouse with a couple dozen hunky construction worker types isn't ALL bad.

Okay okay...back to work.

My cyber-brother Jeeem is "Desperately Searching for Jesus Herrera", an old friend from his El Paso days. He has a request for help from anyone who might belong to classmates.com. If you can help him out, cool, and if not...it's a good read. Jeeem's been buried under eighteen inches of snow. I think he's waiting for the spring thaw to come.

Saturday-8: "Last Saturday, '02 - Woo-hoo"

1. What are the 8 greatest things about this past year?
   the young feller, my tattoo, tutoring, coming to peace (not pieces) with fifty, Blogathon, Wilderness State Park, new friends both virtual and real, and the holidays.
   
2. Who are 7 of the closest people to your heart?
   Can't do it in seven. Just won't work
   
3. What are 6 of your favorite rock/music bands?
   Oops!
   
4. Name 5 items visible to your eyes right now.
   Erin the Beanie Baby on my monitor, assorted computer paraphernalia (must do something about all those cords), bookcase cluttered with books and paper, painting of Many Glacier, Planters cocktail peanuts can (half empty).
   
5. What are 4 words/phrases that you use all the time?
   Oopsie, well dang, whatever (in varying tones) (it's a phrase that used to drive me nuts, now I use it all the time, go figure), ok-doke.
   
6. Describe yourself in 3 words.
   fearful but emerging
   
7. What 2 things are you going to do tomorrow?
   visit Mom, do the newsletter for work.
   
8. Ok... this is the last 1 thing you have to do. Go to the Mayfly Project 'o2 and describe this past year of your life in 20 words. Haha. Have a wonderful New Years everybody!!!
   I'll do that a little later....It looks cool too, and I've seen some very interesting answers!
   

Swiped the Saturday 8 from Kathryn, who surprised me with ladybugs (you rock!!) and who also says this about her Christmas:
'Twas an overwhelming holiday, and I'm spoiled. I feel--know--what years ago I couldn't comprehend, no matter how much I was given--and that is, I am loved. And it isn't the presents that tell me. It's simply the awareness that I am loved. It is good to be alive, well-fed, rested, and cared for. That's quite enough.

Sweet.

I've had great fun reading about holiday celebrations throughout the blog world.

I cried when I read Susan's and Robin's accounts. They are sisters who are very close but who were separated by a snowy mountain Christmas Day.

Their celebration is coming up...can't wait to read it.

This post is for all the sisters: sister by blood and sisters of the heart.

Trifecta

And now Blogger isn't publishing! Are we good or are we good! Happy New Year!

Lunch in the Snow
Yesterday I ran (oh okay, I drove) downtown for my lunch. I thought I would get a nice walk in as it was a bright sunny day, and the new snow made it even lighter.

Problem encountered: The parking spaces hadn't been plowed out.

No problem, I think, as I pull into a space, squarely, and climb out and over the snow. (Pulling in squarely is key: gotta keep those wheels straight to keep from getting stuck.) Must be the city employees are on holiday too, and that means ... NO METER MAIDS!

Wrong. The parking places weren't plowed, but the meter maids were busily going up the main street. Now that's the holiday spirit!

Right click and take this Baby New Year 2003. Leave a comment letting me know where you're taking him: I got mine from Bryn who got hers from Lynn. *grin*

Broken Images...Sometimes Comments

You can tell it's the holidays. My images are stored at geocities. Sorry that they keep breaking. I suspect it's a "holiday" thing. Come to think of it, I should be fussed. I pay a monthly fee there. Also the comments keep getting whacked. However, YACCS is a free service, and I guess I need to be more thankful for it!

And So It Was Christmas
And a very white Christmas it was.

Christmas Eve was a quiet peaceful night watching tapes of Trading Spaces and reminiscing about the days of yore. The grass was pretty visible when we went to bed.

I woke up about 3:00 a.m. and tiptoed out to the living room to check the snow. (And was drawn back in time, when we would have to get up in the middle of Christmas night and would try so very hard not to peek at what was under the tree as we made our way to the bathroom.) (And how on earth DID we manage eight people with only one bathroom????)

Anyway, the snow had started. The company this year was all from in-town, so there wasn't much worry about travelers. (Our up-north bunch is down in Florida this year visiting the other side of their family.) So I went back to sleep, that peculiarly restful sleep that I get when I'm "home".

Brother Crits called at 7:00 a.m. He's been my mom's wake-up call since the loss of her friend in August. He's been rock solid on that...I didn't think he had it in him *grin*. It was still snowing.

After a leisurely breakfast it appeared that the driveway might need some attention. Out I went, bundled in my jacket and red stocking cap. (Okay, okay, I only wear it Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.) My mother, bless her 74-year-old heart, cannot stand to be out of things, so she was out on the porch sweeping snow, when what to our wondering eyes did appear...but my brother Boo in his truck! And riding shotgun was his ten-year-old daughter Emma.

Out of the jeep they jumped. Never looking around, to the back they went. They threw open the hatch, and out came shovels. Quick work was made of the white stuff (it was the light stuff, not the heart-attack heavy stuff). Then they laughed and threw a few snowballs and Emma gave us a lovely Christmas present by asking if she could stay with Grammy and me while her dad went back home to the rest of his family.

We were glad Emma stayed because she did a lot to help us get ready. At noon Crits and Rog and Aunt N arrived, at 12:30 Boo and the rest of the girls, and 1:00 Sis and her boys, and 1:30 J.R.'s family. There were seventeen in all. Dinner was done buffet style. We played a neat pyramid type game while we were waiting for everyone to finish eating and wrapping (we're bad procrastinators) then did presents. After the gifts were cleared we had a good forty-five minutes of carol songs.

And then Christmas was over. It was a very sweet calm time. Just right.

M E R R Y
C H R I S T M A S

Christmas Eve Menu

Our Christmas Eve menu is a 40-year-old tradition.

Hot Dogs. (Ease and cheapness of creation.)
Potato Chips with dip. (Considered a treat back in the "old" days. Little nutritional value and not very filling. Much better to feed a big family with real potatoes. Also helped that Grandpa grew 'em back in the day.)
Heavenly Pie. Cream cheese/Whipped Cream base covered with cherries.

Some things just can't be improved upon. Merry Christmas!

T H E S E A S O N I S A L L A G L O W

Yay! It works. Thank you Mandarin Design!
Edit: Oops. I must have done something wrong. The words glow, and then go out. Kind of like a firefly. Sorry!

Problem...or Solution.
Two days before Christmas is not really the day you want to have network computer problems at work, but we don't often get to choose our problem day. So this morning, MONDAY morning, we were faced with the network being down for six hours while the system was beaten back into control. Ack!

Knowing that we would have to work late to get payroll out, the boss authorized longer lunch hours, as long as we didn't all go at once. It must have been fate. The extra half hour gave me time to go to the Lansing Art Gallery's Holiday Sale, where I found the perfect item for our office. It is, yes...it really is a marshmallow catapult. We've been trying to develop the perfect marshmallow thruster for the last six weeks, little knowing that just a mile down the road one was already on the market. I've already warned Dee to beware. (We've been curing the marshmallows for two weeks...when you want them to go stale they just refuse.)

I also found handmade soap and a crafted button pin to add to a couple of gift bags.

Now for an old gal I can move pretty fast when I'm on a mission, so I drove farther downtown, grabbed a sandwich, waited in line at the Peanut Shop (a throwback to the 40's) for the boss's order of nuts, then stopped in at the Way Station. Now, this is a perfectly good little new/used bookstore which normally would attract me like a bee to honey, but it is housed in the building where my friend Nancy used to have her store. Nancy left in June, and this store came at the end of July. I treated it as an interloper, but no more. Found several more presents (now I'm doing the double gift thing with some people, but oh well) and I do intend to go back.

Yay!
Yesterday I hosted my little family Christmas party. My brother Boo and his family, my Sis and her family, and my mother all converged on the apartment for food and hangin' out. The tree was decorated (I opted for the little table one I use when I can't get out for a fresh one), the packages were wrapped so that the partiers could do the appropriate snooping, and the food (courtesy of Meijers deli) was devoured. The football game was watched, but the watchers still played the trivia game, and the two youngest (nine and ten) busied themselves with Mancala and Boggle. I am blessed.

So now the crush is over for me. I will spend Christmas Eve at Mom's and then help her get ready for the hordes Christmas morning. It always cracks us up. Mom grew up the only child in a big old lonesome farm house, so now she has a tiny house that still somehow manages to shoehorn in twenty for holidays. Good thing we all like each other pretty well.

For those of you who keep Christmas I wish you peace and happy moments through the coming week. Come to think of it, that's what I also wish for those of you who don't keep Christmas!

And now, off to work. Argh. Someday I'm going to figure out how to not have to work the last week of the year. Yeah. right.

Family

& Friends

Oh cool! Thanks to MandarinDesign.

Gap tells us how to wear a scarf. Glad to know that.

Edgecurve is giving away free piles of Santas. I think I'd better go try to catch another hour of sleep.

Confessions of December is a Michigan blog by Deb. She lives on the west coast side of the state, over on Lake Michigan. Next to Montana, numerous places on Lake Michigan are my "heart" places. I was going to say I was jealous of Deb, but I guess I could have moved, eh?

All Deb wants from Santa is a piano. Her writings about tickling the ivories brought back some great memories. Now I want a piano too. Oh, but wait. I live in this one bedroom apartment with too much stuff -- on the third floor. I guess I'd better change my living arrangements before I ask Santa for that.

The Season of the Child?

I was reading blogs yesterday morning and came upon Kathryn's piece called Wretched, about a dead newborn found in a trash can in Austin. I read it and felt miserable. How do things like this happen, I think, here in the United States, land of plenty.

And then I read my own newspaper.

Lansing police are close to wrapping up their investigation into the fatal shooting of a 22-month-old boy.

Police say Todd Hodges shot his son Thursday night and then shot and killed himself early Friday after a nine-hour standoff with police.

They plan to reinterview the boy's mother and check toxicology tests and autopsy results on Hodges.

"The facts are straight forward," Lansing Capt. Raymond Hall said. "We just want to go over it one more time before we close out the case. This is typical for any investigation of this nature."

Amy Hodges told investigators that she and her husband were arguing about a lost wallet when he struck her and then shot their son, Hall said.

Isn't Christmas supposed to be the Season of the Child?

Right click and take this little wreath. Link back to the site you took it from. Leave a message in the comments if you do it - I'd like to see where it goes!
Let's celebrate the holidays around the web!
I got mine from Lynn I also stole her wording verbatim, hehe.

Bryn also has a link to the Mayfly Project, which is an exercise in summarizing the past year in twenty words. Hmmm. Gotta think about that.

Waking Up is Hard to Do.

So here we are, on the last leg of our journey towards Christmas. I have everything half-done. This is not good if you're on the wrong end of my card list or gift list. *sigh* Guess I'd better get cracking here!

Bryn is all decorated, and has some quizzes, and as I can't wake up, here goes: Thanks Bryn!





You're thunder! You can be very loud but very quick. You probably like to talk on the phone, because you are VERY talkative.
What element are you?

Good Santa Experience

I was six. I went to Christmas Eve
services with Grandma at the little
country church she attended. Santa
came, and I was sure I wouldn't get
a present, because that wasn't
my regular church. I was okay with
that. And then he called my name
and when I went up he had a dolly
for me.

I believe in Santa...and in Grandmas

A n g e l s

Bad Santa Experience

We went to see Santa Claus. I
think I was old enough to know he
wasn't real, that he was a "store"
Santa. But I SWEAR he said to
me "Will you come to my funeral?"
Kids have such a hard time. *sigh*

They just did the remembrance thing on Survivor.

Staving Off a Cold.
Ack! I fell asleep very early last night, trying to fight off a cold. I've been drinking lots of fluids. Any other suggestions of how to make this thing go away?

Kathryn writes about rituals. Not the big type but simple every day ones. I realized that I don't have any daily rituals, and maybe I need to get some. Might counteract some of the chaos around here, hehe.

J o y

Hey there, Meryl. I'm Boston too.


Congratulations, you're Boston, the rebel city.
What US city are you? Take the quiz by Girlwithagun.

Mike Sanders posts today that he is giving up blogging. You will be missed, Mike.

A w e

Time for Tuesday's This-or-That:

1. Christmas dinner: turkey or ham (or something else)? Roast Beef
2. Candy canes or chocolate? chocolate
3. Fruit basket or fruitcake? fruit basket
4. Mulled cider or mulled wine? mulled cider
5. Eggnog or hot chocolate? hot chocolate with lots of Marshmallows and candy cane stirrers...I'm making a cup now. Oh wait, I have whipped cream...that's better yet!
6. Holiday cookies: homemade or store-bought? Home-made.
7. Roasting chestnuts or popping corn? popping corn
8. On the buffet table: veggie platter or cheese tray? Both
9. Apple or pumpkin pie? Pumpkin Pie
10. Christmas Day breakfast: before or after gift-opening? After.

Survivors Ready!
This is it. The last and final week...ready to make your picks? I'm guessing, from 4th to winner:
Helen, Jan, Brian, Clay. How about you?

Looking For:

Chocolate Drops. Creamy white
on the inside, chocolate on
the outside. They used to put
three of them in the little boxes
of candy we got at church on
Christmas Day.

Hope

Mandarin Design uses icons to denote blogs that are being read. Meg pulled the candle from above for my link. That tickles me no end. That candle is at LEAST thirty-five years old. I know. I sold it to my Grandma Bea.

Grandpa Chris died in 1957. Grandma Bea lived with us from then until she remarried in 1963. She could always be counted on as a sale for a school fundraiser. Back then, the standard stuff for the schools was almond bark, white almond bark, pecan bark, coconut bark (only purchased by people without kids, for some odd reason) and candles. Grandma liked the sweets, but she also bought candles one year. She would light them for her annual Christmas buffet spread and then put them back in storage.

Florida beckoned earlier and earlier in the years after Grandma married Grandpa Larry. Eventually, they went south before Thanksgiving, and the candles and holiday paraphernalia stayed in a drawer.

A year ago we dismantled the old farmhouse where Grandma and Grandpa had lived. (Grandma had passed in '88, Grandpa in '00.) We found lots of treasures of the heart. And I got to keep the Christmas candles.

Grandma Bea's birthday would have been today, December 16.

L o v e

December 15th is one of those sad personal anniversary days that put me on the gloomy side. I'll be fine tomorrow. So for today, to point you to hope and light, please check out my cyber-bro Jeeem's beautiful A Christmas Story. You never fail to amaze me, lil bro!

Bryn has been posting ways to confuse Santa. Here's an example:

Ways To Confuse Santa Claus !
Leave a plate filled with cookies and a glass of milk out, with a note that says, "For The Tooth Fairy. :" Leave another plate out with half a stale cookie and a few drops of skim milk in a dirty glass with a note that says, "For Santa."

Check out her site for more holiday fun stuff.

P e a c e


and of course we're playing with stuff from over at Mandarin Design. Thanks MEG.

H a p p y


H o l i d a y s

Anne Lamott's Salon column is back after a three-year hiatus. I just finished The Blue Shoe, her new book and the reason for the time-off, and found it very Annie-ish. Great writing and characters that stick.

Sober Santa (not) here. Tip: Use the arrow keys to move Santa around the rooftop, and beware of falling off roof.

Been a little while since a quiz:

Welcome back, Lynn!

Lynn has been a blog buddy for a long time now. She's had some struggles in the time I've known her, but you know what, that woman just keeps getting back up after she's knocked down and WOW, what an inspiration. Be sure to stop by and say "hi"!

Survived the Christmas Party.
There has to be a certain magic in writing down concerns. I blogged about worrying about Thanksgiving; it went well. I fussed about the office Christmas party; it was fine. Hmmm. If I blog about how bad I am at relationships will a good one come along? Oh dream on, Shirl.

One of the salesmen just got back from a hunting trip in Montana. Waaaah! I missed my Montana trip this summer, and seeing the pictures made me soooo homesick for the state. How can that be, to be homesick for a place that I visit for a week every other year? For a place that would surely be too extreme for me to live in permanently? And yet, there it was, I was halfway to calling for train tickets to head out in January after looking at a few pictures. For now, checking out the video cam at Many Glacier will have to suffice.

Do you have a physical place that calls to you?

whoa whoa whoa....
I'll probably be late for work, but....
Happy Birthday to CyberToad! and ...
to Robin Dobber too!

Have a great Friday the 13th Birthday, ladies!

Oops! We all got sawed off on the Survivor bootee. Who'd a thunk it?

Gonna be a busy day, so I'll catch up with y'all tomorrow. Hope your day is super duper!

Uhoh. Office Christmas party tomorrow night. Hope I can figure out what to wear.
We're a funny bunch. We work well together, but the office Christmas party has gotten to be a stress point. I don't know if it's because it's off-site, or we're different when we dress up (not that we dress up TOO much), or there's a different karma with the spouses there, or just what. Oh well.
Hope I can figure out what to wear.

Geminids Meteor Shower Coming up

This from the Star Wanderer site: (by the way, they do a neat thing where they email you of upcoming meteor showers)

The annual Geminid meteor shower will peak on the night of December 13th/14th. This shower is one of the better showers since as many as 100 meteors per hour may be seen. While this certainly doesn't rival
the recent Leonids meteor storm, this is still a very high rate for a regular meteor shower. This is an unusual shower in that the source of the shower is not believed to be a comet, but rather from an object known as 3200 Phaethon. This object is currently classified as an asteroid, but some scientists believe that it might be an extinct comet with a thick crust of interplanetary dust.

Another thing that makes the Geminids unusual is that one doesn't have to wait until after midnight to catch this shower. The radiant rises early and meteors can be seen around 10:00 PM local time, but the best view will still be after midnight local time. This shower also boasts a broad maximum, lasting nearly one whole day, so no
matter where you live, you stand a decent chance of catching sight of some Geminids. The actual peak will occur around 04:00 UTC on the 14th (11:00 PM EST, 10:00 CST, 9:00 MST 8:00 PM PST on the 13th).

Survivors Ready?!

Umm. They're advertising two more shows to go. How time flies!

I'm going out on a long limb here. I think Helen is going bye-bye.

Off-Day Update
Well, going slower than I had hoped, but these things happen. Oh, to have the energy of Cybertoad **grin** or a husband as super as hers. He's pretty awesome! Gifts are looking pretty special, if I do say so. For the ladies, silver paper with funky blue/purple ties, handmade tags with blue/purple lettering, and bows to mismatch. The guys aren't as cool, but they're all right. Getting the gifts in one place is helping to reduce clutter.

Young and the Restless. Dang. I remember getting ready for Christmas the first year it was on, making ugly ornaments on a TV tray in front of the set. I would have been twenty-one. I had never watched soap operas much. Grandma had her favorites, but Mom didn't like them, so I thought they were old lady shows. Hehe. But this one was for us.

Ah yes....blogger no publish. C'mon, elves, get to working!

I'm Off today!

Well, yeah, I know I'm a little off every day. I had a day-and-a-half left of vacation time, which I thought I would roll over to next year. Then I looked at what I had left to do before Christmas and figured...hey! use it now! So today will be a wrapping, baking, running out to find a dress for the party, cleaning type of day. And I'll be here too.

Brother Jeeem is studying hard for his nursing exam. Hey Jeeem...don't be reading this unless it is after 5:30 p.m. Susan has snow! Not on the ground, on her screen! And she shows where the code is if you too want snow.

Kathryn is back! Well, she wasn't away, but her computer was on the fritz. It's back now and it's so good to see her posting steadily again.

oh, now this is one really cool clock!

John at Cold Marble creates wonderful photographic art. A lot of his work centers around trains...one of my favorite things.

This-or-That: December 10, 2002

1. Real or artificial tree? Yes. Depends on the timing. This year a real.
2. Real or artificial wreath? Real Grapevine? With ribbon
3. Open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (or do you do another holiday such as Hannukkah)? One on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas Day
4. "It's A Wonderful Life" or "Miracle on 34th Street"? It's a Wonderful Life
5. Outdoor decorations, or just indoors? Just Indoors...no wait....balcony lights.
6. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" or "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"? Rudolph
7. Miniature lights or the larger ones? This year, both...and bubblers!!!!
8. Store-bought or hand-made ornaments? Store-bought
9. TV Specials: The Grinch or Charlie Brown? Charlie
10. Will you be staying at home for the holiday, or going visiting? Visiting

Oh cool. Here's another Shirl. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Fantasies: do they ever become realities?

An Interesting Thing Happens

Check out your Sunrise/Sunset time for today. Now check it out for December 21. Interesting, eh? While December 21 is the shortest day, the earliest sunset is in this period between now and the 11th. The Sunsets start getting later, but the Sunrises get later faster, keeping daylight shorter.

Snowball Fight.
Obnoxious laughter when you lose.

Monday morning edit: Up to level 7.

Newest Angel

I have a collection of angels. Some I have purchased, many have been given to me. This is my latest addition, purchased at a craft sale last month when we were "up north". I couldn't resist her or the lady who crafted her. The crafter apparently had tons of antique materials: bedspreads, quilts, buttons, postcards. She felt she had to either use up her materials or open an antique stand. Fortunately for me, she went the use materials route. The body is from a chenille (YAY) bedspread. Her wings are quilted. The postcard is dated 1921. I think she's a beaut!

Susan and Jennifer have already pointed to Leslie Harpold's advent calendar. I've been remiss...I didn't realize she'd updated for 2002.

Finally found my Christmas cards. The hard candy is slowly dissolving. I need to simplify my life. No, wait, I need to quit buying so dad-gum much JUNK. No, but wait, a lot of the stuff around here is books and photos. Okay, I need to use my library card. And I need to develop a system for all the pics. And I'm exasperated about something else that I don't really want to blog about. Okay, enough!

1:00 p.m. and all is well.

The Warning System sirens are always tested the first Saturday of the month at l:00 p.m. They just went off which always gives me a warm comfy feeling.

However, I'm not very good at heeding them. The last time they went off for an emergency was September 10, 2001. I was sitting on my balcony, watching the windstorms, when the phone rang. It was Mom. "Where are you?" "On my balcony." "Don't you hear those sirens?" "Oh yeah, I guess I do?" "Tornado warnings....you go down to your laundry room."

Mothers...always keeping an eye out for the kiddies, no matter HOW old they've grown.

Domestic Goddesses...please help!
I just discovered that I left some hard candy in an antique candy dish and it melted and is stuck to the sides of the bowl. Right now I have it soaking in warm water. Any suggestions? I'll never win a Suzy Homemaker award this way!

Trying

any success?

Oh cool! Thanks to MandarinDesign.

Age.

Ages and differences in ages and generations is on my mind this week. Do you feel your age? Do you act your age? Do you hang around people your age?

To start it out: I'm the oldest of six. We range in age from 50-37 and I hang out as much with the 37-year-old as any others. I don't really notice a big age difference, but is that because of shared genes and childhoods? At work the office ranges from 27-66. There is a lot of overlap, but I think the 27-year-old and the 66-year-old feel on the fringes a bit. Any thoughts?

Okay, all you folks caught in that storm! Listen up! You be safe. I know your power may be off for awhile, but...sending warm thoughts to all of you!

Payroll Day. Frustration with coworkers. Dental appointment. Cold (but getting warmer). Confidence slippage. Can you say...Wednesday?

Why does the refreshment of a four-day week-end only last about....20 minutes? *sigh*

Ok doke...whine over. Go have some cheese.

Tuesday's This-or-That:

1. Go out and buy gifts, or shop online/mail order?Go out...and out...and out.
2. Gift cards/certificates or pick out gifts? Pick-out gifts.
3. Pay cash or charge holiday gifts? Combination, leaning towards the cash side
4. Are most of your gifts mailed or given in person? Person
5. Are you an early-bird or last-minute holiday shopper? I always save a few for last minute, other wise I'll just start over again and things will spin WAY out of control
6. If you shop in stores...big chain stores or smaller specialty stores? Big chain bookstores?
7. Wrap gifts yourself or have them wrapped at the store or mall? Wrap myself.
8. Shopping on *Black Friday* (day after Thanksgiving)...did you or didn't you? Did *grin*
9. Is your holiday gift list large or small? Large
10. Is it better to give or to receive? Give.

Link via Cybertoad.

Survivors Ready?

hehehe...picked up this quiz at Bryn's:

You Should Be On Survivor!

You're tough, athletic, and a strong competitor.
You'll eat anything to get that million dollars
- and crush everyone along the way!
What Reality TV Show Should You Be On? Click Here to Find Out!
More Great Quizzes from Quiz Diva

I'm thinking Clay is gone this week. Anyone else have a thought?

Susan has a link to a beautiful screensaver.

And the Secret Diary of Frustrated Writer #85 resonates after Nanowrimo. *grin*

Dang! It's eight degrees below zero out there. BRRR!

Do you like a writing challenge? This site is neat. You click on a button. A new page appears with a word at the top, a space for writing, and a timer at the bottom. You have 60 seconds to write about the word.

A Question.

There's a big discussion going on amongst what I loosely call the ClueTrain bunch regarding sexism/feminism/girlyism etc. It's an interesting discussion but has generally settled into polarized camps. But I have a question that I haven't seen addressed.

One of the women in the comments talks about not being good at math/science/tech stuff. She feels that perhaps that is gender-related.

That's the comment that pushes my buttons, because I think it's wrong wrong wrong. I remember hearing that sort of thinking in the sixties and it actually caused me some problems. (I'm naturally good at math and of course, if you hear that girls aren't supposed to be, it kind of...well, you learn to play things down.)

But...maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there is a gender difference? I'm really interested in folks' opinions on this, so thanks for any input you have.

Ever feel like you aren't really your sign? I do. I have some of the Capricorn traits, but not a lot of them. Well, you can go here and find out what sign you REALLY are. I'm a Pisces, and definitely not a Libra. Cute.

ARGH! It's back to the END OF MONTH stuff at work! I'm not ready?!!! Where did those four days go?????

Dave Barry's Gift Idea List was in the paper this morning. It's also here. Being the dedicated HVAC person that I am, I was particularly attracted to items that could be found at the Duct Tape Fashion site.

Amblings.

Feel like doing a puzzle? This one will result in a beautiful winter scene.

Want to create your own country? Jennifer points to this site, where you can set up a country--your way. Speaking of Jennifer, her header pictures are worth the stop-by.

Lessons in dumpster diving here.

Bryn has decorated for Christmas. She also points to the retrogirl quiz, which I'm not, but it's been a week a few days since a quiz, so here goes:


What Type Of Retro Gal Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

On Lines.

Gentle humor of yesterday: We're standing in line at the Target store. It's a long line, probably close to five hundred people. Big thrill for our up-north niece! Longest line they have to stand in up there is four or five people. She also got a chuckle out of the guy behind us who was giving someone a play-by-play on his cell phone. "We're moving, we're moving, we're doing the penquin walk."

We are so easily amused.

A Fragile Thread

So today, we found again how fragile is this thing called life. We hit Meijers at 6, Target at 7, McDonalds at 8:30, the DollarTree at 9:30, the mall at 10:00. We got back to my mother's around 12:30. She had had a phone call from my sister, the one who had not been with us yesterday because she was with "the other side".

They had had a lovely Thanksgiving. Her mother-in-law had commented several times on what a wonderful Thanksgiving it had been. (Her mother-in-law's only grandson is Baby Bull...the apple of her eye.)

This morning her mother-in-law didn't wake up. She had passed in her sleep.

So as we left to go our separate ways this evening, the hugs were a little tighter, the words a little more heartfelt. That won't last of course...we all are human and soon will return to our pellmell pathways. But for today, we were a little more aware.

Well, back from the groaning board.
Earlier in the week I expressed some reservations about family gatherings. Thanks for the advice that was shared: I'm happy to report that the stress level seemed quite low throughout most of the very chaotic meal. My mother, bless her heart, insists on a sit-down in her tiny house. When there are twenty-one people to sit, it can take ten minutes to shoehorn everyone in...and then you'd better stay put for the duration!

Later in the day, after the crowd had thinned out, the nieces performed. Dang, but they're getting good! color me one proud auntee. The 15-year-old has been to music camp and takes piano and voice lessons. She sets the pace, but the others rise to the occasion.

And of course Boo and Grizz, two of my brothers, had to perform a do-it duet! Those boys (37 and 46) are still silly after all these years.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: I'm thankful for the feedback that blogging can produce: I'm thankful to be part of a large family that puts up with a goofy aunt. I'm thankful that my mother is in good health, that the nieces and nephews are growing up quite all right, and that my brothers have dear wives that are not only sisters-in-law but sisters of my heart. And I'm thankful for my sister (who couldn't make this do) who shares so very much with me.

Yes, it's been a happy Thanksgiving.

Link via Celestial Offerings. Thanks, Bryn!

Actually, I liked about half of that movie. The second half reminded me too much of Water World.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We play a round-robin gag gift game where gifts are passed on the word "and" in The Night Before Christmas. I couldn't find my copy of the poem, but we all know the web has everything, and it did! So now I have to finish wrapping the gag gifts (I can just see big BUB ending up with the fluorescent eye shadow) and make the salad and head off to Mom's. For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope yours is peaceful and doesn't require too much pepto-bismol. And for those of you not...have a super Thursday!

Catch ya later!

Good Grief!

It's 14 degrees F out. Yikes!

Anyway, Happy Turkey Day - 1 to all U.S. folks. For we non-retail folk, it's also a Wednesday that's equal to a Friday...YAY! For you retail folk...my sympathies to you for what lies ahead. I make it a point not to do any of the "Open On Thanksgiving" sales. I think everyone deserves a holiday on that day if possible. But I'll be at Meijers at 6:00 a.m. on Friday to pick up the early-bird deals.

Sweet deal at work today: breakfast is being served! Yup, right now the boss, the general manager, and the lead salesman are over at the store cooking up a whopping heap of bacon, sausage, eggs and pancakes for our edibleness. Gotta love this new millennium.

Time for Tuesday's This-or-That:

1. Stuffing: baked inside the turkey, or separately? Inside
2. Fresh or frozen turkey? Frozen
3. Cranberry sauce: jellied or whole berry? Jellied.
4. Stay home or visit friends/relatives? Visit relatives.
5. Do you cook Thanksgiving dinner, or let someone else do it? Cook Parts of it
6. Traditional turkey dinner, or an alternative (such as vegetarian)? Traditional
7. Regular potatoes or sweet potatoes? Regular spuds...prefer Yukon Golds
8. Homemade gravy, or the jarred stuff? Homemade
9. What part of the turkey do you prefer.dark or white? White!
10. After dinner: football or Christmas movies? Touch football in the backyard.

Link via Cybertoad!

Well poop.

Yesterday I fell asleep at 8:00 p.m. I was tired, but on reflection, I was also depressed. The depression was about two specific things:

1. I'm not going to finish the Nano project. I'll only be at about 20-25,000 words.
2. I'm not fond of family holidays.

Number one had been building, and it really shouldn't be depressing. I started a novel about women in Michigan from 1808 through present. I have some interesting (to me) characters and have explored several different cultural interactions. I have way more words on a project that I had thought not to start until I retired (which won't be for another 17 years) so I should be happy. And now, thinking about it and putting it in the proper perspective, I'm okay with it.

The second was something that has been niggling under the surface for awhile. Acknowledging it may help me to find ways to cope with it. There are two people involved who tend to suck the energy right out of me when I'm in the same room with them for any appreciable time (no one that I've ever talked about here). Now to develop strategies.

So Kathryn, see how you've been a good example for me? See why I need you not to stay on permanent hiatus?

Good Survivor analysis over at fortysomething. Thanks, Jennifer!

Fortunately, I didn't see this link to the horny snowman over at Easy Bake while I was at work! You have been warned *evil grin*. Susan, where did you find that?

There's a possibility that Lynn may start blogging again in 2003. I'm hoping, Lynn!

On a more somber note, Kathryn is considering a hiatus due to a serious family situation. Whatever you need, Kathryn...take care of you, but know we'll keep checking on you!

Last Tuesday coming up.
Tuesday is the last Tuesday of the month, and therefore it is our charity day at work. We have a bake sale (two office staff bring stuff to sell each month) and we pay to wear something goofy. This month, in honor of Thanksgiving, we're wearing aprons. And our monies collected will go to Volunteers of America. We have a former coworker doing volunteer work there now, so that gives the project immediacy.

It was interesting talking with the women about aprons. I have several old farm ones. (Hmmm, maybe I'd better take better care of them. Google shows this.) My mother was and is big on aprons, as were her mother and grandmothers. That's one of the joys of living in the same area as the ancestors...some stuff gets passed down.

But anyway...the youngest of our office staff is 27. "I don't have any aprons." We'll fix her up. Of the three 40-somethings, two thought they could dig up ones they had made in junior high, while the other used them quite often and had a collection. Surprisingly, Elsie, our senior, said "I never use them!" (But I bet she shows up with one.)

So how's about it? Do you apron or not? I've gotten curious.

Go Green
Ouch. Eww. Dang!
That was sad. Penn State just blew Michigan State away by 62 54 points. That's the worst defeat we've suffered in eight eighty years. I guess this is one of those times where you just have to shrug and say, "It has to get better." I hope.

Silver Bells Report.
This report will be coming in piecemeal as I check out the pics I took and need a break from the housework and Nano goals I have for today.

Silver Bells in the City is an eighteen-year-old Lansing tradition. Lansing is the capital of Michigan, so the state tree is on the lawn of the Capitol. The original Silver Bells involved singing a few carols in the City Hall Square and then lighting the tree. Maybe a couple of thousand people showed up.

Well, things evolve.

Now there is an electric light parade. (The parade is still pretty home-grown. I love that one of the highlights is the Builders Redi-Mix truck pictured.) There are activities at 18 venues throughout the city. There are fireworks over the Capitol dome. And there were 50,000 people there this year. (Down from last year's 75,000. Perhaps the 50 degree weather last year and the thirty-something weather this year affected the counts?)

Three family units...wait...make that four...converged on the festivities this year. My mom took niece #6 down to the City Center for a pre-parade string concert (she plays viola and she's getting sooo good). My sister and her husband and son made it to that concert, picked up niece #6 (the weather was too cold for Mom to stay for the parade). I came directly from work and parked myself on a corner I was sure Boo would pass by with his family. It worked. We all found each other in that big old crowd.

Catarina was Henry's first wife and was probably the only one of his six wives to truly love him. He tired of her, and she spent the last decade of her life in lonely exile. Yet when she was dying, alone and unloved, she wrote: "Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire thee above all things. Farewell."





Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?

this quiz was made by the groovtastic ghouls at Spookbot

Link via Joni. Thanks!

November 20 was Ilana's birthday, and I missed it! Happy late birthday! Go check out some of the links she's been posting: they'll take you to very diverse places on the net.

Silver Bells!

Tonight is the annual Silver Bells in the City. It's an electric light parade and a holiday time downtown. It really marks the start of the season. And...we may have snow!

Pictures at 11:00!

Have a good day!

Gross-Out Time.

I have a toe that has a fungus. I know...ugh. My doctor doesn't really want to give a prescription for it yet, as the side effects can be a pain. So, she suggested trying the Vicks VapoRub trick. I'm starting tonight. You daub on the Vicks and then wrap it in Saran Wrap. She's not sure if it will work, but she says it can't hurt.

Aren't you just EVER so grateful to know that?

Kathryn has found this excellent Reading Group Guides site. I just printed out the questions for The Blue Shoe. Much thanks for posting to the site, Kathryn!

Hang in there, Smoke-Out participants. Every little quit helps...

Great cat pictures here! Are all bloggers cat people?


What Sign of Affection Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Link via Kathryn.

Santa Came Early

I spent the afternoon grinning like Sally Fields, thinking "he likes me, he really likes me!" Who he? My boss, of all people. About a month ago he told me to investigate graphics programs we might want to purchase. He reminded me again last week, said he needed to know within the next week. So yesterday I gave him my list. Today...I have Photoshop, Pagemaker, and Illustrator! I couldn't believe it!!! Whee!

Now comes the niggling doubt. Expectations have just raised. Yikes!

Turn the Sound Down.
If tender ears are around, turn the sound down before going to this snowball fight. They like to say naughty words. Link via fortysomething. Thanks, Jennifer! I think.

Survivors Ready?

Okay, let's see. Bryn has Brian, I've got Jake...Susan, were you pulling for Ted? Anyone else wanna play?

Chasing Moonbeams Again.
Okay, so it was cloudy for the Leonids, but last night was quite clear and the almost full moon was looking eerie. It was throwing enough white light to make the dark sky look bluish, and clouds were drifting to either side of it. I could capture none of this with the digital *sigh*. Guess I'll have to take the old Olympus out next time so I can get a decent exposure. Ah well. Full one tonight folks. You know what that means. (Shush, Jeeem.)

oh for the love of mud. I've been busy visiting people in the middle of the night, taking quizzes, posting, and of course, blogger somehow isn't publishing. Hopefully they'll all come through of a piece later in the day. Anway, it's 4:09 a.m., I'd better go get that last hour and a half of shut-eye. See ya later.

Later: Ah. They did come through.

Who are you?

Link via Hestia Chronicles.

An interesting report on prolonged PC use.

Tuesday's This-or-That:
1. Long or short hair? chin length!
2. Microwave or conventional oven? conventional
3. Plain or Peanut M&M's? Plain
4. "101 Dalmatians"...animated or live-action version? animated
5. Drink out of bottle/can or pour into a glass? Glass
6. Sunlight or moonlight? This will surprise you. Sunlight.
7. Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy? Kermit.
8. Glasses or contact lenses (or neither)? Glasses.
9. Action movies or chick flicks? Yes
10. Toilet seat...up or down? The cover? Down

Link via Cybertoad!

Speaking of hair, and speaking of blogging (okay, we're not really speaking of it but we're doing it so you get the drift) Susan had a nifty piece on hair. Read it, liked it, and went out and got my hair cut. The power of the blog! Thanks, Susan

You know a little bit about England. Hey, come visit us sometime! It doesn't rain all the time, really....


And no, you can't have tea with the queen.

How British are you?

this quiz was made by alanna

Link via Bryn, who is 100% British *grin*

Drat. No Leonid Showing for me. Sky is gray and overcast with drizzle. At least we don't have the fog they were predicting. Anyone else have better luck?

Leonids coming up:

The Americas:

The peak for the 1866 trail will occur between 10:23 UT and 10:47 UT
on Tuesday the 19th.This translates to the following local times:
Eastern Standard time: 5:23 am and 5:47 am
Central Standard time: 4:23 am and 4:47 am
Mountain Standard time: 3:23 am and 3:47 am
Pacific Standard time: 2:23 am and 2:47 am.
Bryn has more Leonid information up at her place. This one is supposed to be a shower, so I suppose I better get up early tomorrow morning and watch!

Steve at Steve's Diner posts wayyyy too sporadically, but this one was worth the wait.



Who are you?

Bjork? Oh my. Link via Kathryn:

Weighty matters:

Kathryn is talking about weight, and the abundance of same, with her usual clear analysis. I think particularly telling were her thoughts about lifestyle change. The issue of weight is driving me bonkers lately for two reasons. One is that, while I'm always big, I added an extra 15 in the last six months, and it is a very uncomfortable fifteen, and it really needs to go. The second issue has come in that a guy at work has shown a lot of interest: I can't let go of the fact that I'm a little, oh, how does he put it? Voluptuous? And I think there's something wrong with him for not being turned off by it, and he thinks that probably if it weren't for all the things society says men would be more honest about not preferring stick women, and...well, anyhoo, it's an issue right now.

Sadists Live!

Well, we get to the stadium, pass the checkpoints, get Baby Bull a new wool cap, get to our seats, sing The Star-Spanged Banner, sit down, and hear the announcer say, "The temperature is 29, wind chill 22, winds out of the north at 10-15 miles an hour." (Temps in fahrenheit.) So we did what all good football fans do: we cheered.

Michigan State lost to Purdue, but it was the best game of the year to watch. Very evenly matched, final score 45-42. Now the Bowl issue is settled: we won't be going. And we can settle down to rebuilding for next year. There is a lot of talent on that field.

Go Green!

Lynn isn't blogging right now, but she has some sweet pictures of her grandbaby Noah up!

If you're a person who has avoidance problems, life can eventually feel like you're wrapped up in this little tiny box, with no where to go.

Feet, Start Moving!


Can you tell I've been at Mandarin Design again?

The End of a Season


The Michigan State football season started out with so much promise. We started out ranked, slated to be in the thick of things for a prestige bowl game.

Now we are in disarray. The quarterback is in treatment for a substance abuse problem. Two more players are suspended: one for resisting arrest (it's not a good idea to drag the officer with your car when you flee. Tends to make folks touchy.) Two members quit the squad. The coach has been fired for losing control of his team.

But hey! It's a Saturday in Michigan, in Spartan Stadium, with a crowd of 70,000 other frozen people, and it's going to be a good time. So...all together now:

Go Green!

Happy Birthday to Meryl!
Well smack me up-side the head...Meryl's birthday is today! Meryl has a great voice and a greater heart and she actually attended the Clarion Writers Workshop a few years back, hosted right here at Michigan State University. (Meryl, we are not those bad folk down at UofM *grin*.) We still have a shortage of diners up here, kiddo!

Into the Woods

Be safe, hunters.

Go Green!

Playing with stuff from Mandarin Design again *grin*

And speaking of "Go Green" I have tickets for Saturday's game. Our suspended quarterback gave a press conference today.

Whoops!
Survivor night! I think Bryn chose Ken, and I'll go with Jan, and...any other takers?

Quick Random Thoughts for a Thursday Morning.

I'm avoiding two important projects. Any suggestions on what to do?

Men and women and play has been going the rounds on some blogs. Any thoughts?

Three-day work weeks would be nice.

What is your favorite site for recipes? I need something new.

See ya!

"God will not suffer man to have the knowledge of things to come; for if he had prescience of his prosperity he would be careless; and understanding of his adversity he would be senseless."

You are Augustine! You love to study tough issues and don't mind it if you lose sleep over them. Everyone loves you and wants to talk to you and hear your views, you even get things like "nice debating with you." Yep, you are super smart, even if you are still trying to figure it all out. You're also very honest, something people admire, even when you do stupid things.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson

Link via Hestia Chronicles. Thanks Kathryn! I'm not a blog debater, so it doesn't fit my blog life, but my boss and I have a great debate relationship, so I must have answered it with that in mind. My official job title includes political protagonist...or is it antagonist...oh well, arguer will work

Jeeem expresses his view of Eminem.

50 CENTS!!
I misplaced my cell phone and won't be able to pick it up until the weekend. I had to make an unexpected phone call on my lunch hour. Somehow it had escaped me that payphones are up to 50 cents now! I thought they were still at thirty-five cents. And then, of course, is the matter of finding a payphone that you feel comfortable using. I used one at the downtown hotel, because I thought it was clean, but you don't suppose it made me look like a...nah, they'd have cell phones.

I may have goofed. In October I bought a new wonderful bathrobe, the first true robe I've had in years. I've had the flimsy little wraps, but we're talking fluffy, long, deep-pocketed, feels like a hug robe here. (I think this is YOUR influence, Kathryn! And Bryn's too...note the theme of the robe!) And I love it! But I may love it a bit too much. I tend to put it on quite soon after getting home. Then I curl up on the bed, on my orange chenille bedspread, with a book. (Currently Anne Lamott's Blue Shoe. She's such a good writer.)

It seems I'm not getting a whole lot done these days. On the other hand, I'm very relaxed considering it's been two days of gray November weather. On the other other hand...I'm falling behind on nanowrimo. On the other other other hand...

what type of book are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Link via Kathryn, who has a slue of great links posted.

Does You Does, or Does You Don't Take The Other Side?
Just Do The Other Side.
Schhh... You Know The Other Side.
The Other Side, Take Me Away.

Great Slogans from The Advertising Slogan Generator which I found at Celestial Offerings. Thanks, Bryn!

This-or-That: November 12, 2002
Potpourri!

1. Hershey's Kisses: with or without almonds? without
2. Wizard of Oz: Scarecrow or Tin Man? Tin Man. That's why I work with a bunch of tin knockers
3. Meat eater or vegetarian? Meat eater
4. Buy books or borrow them? Buy
5. At the bank: ATM or human teller? ATM for withdrawal, human for deposit
6. Oil or gas (or other) heat? electric. (Not very seemly for an HVAC person, I know.)
7. Pen or pencil? Pen
8. Drive or use public transit? Drive
9. Who IS James Bond: Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan (or any of the others in between)? Pierce
10. Your ideal breakfast: full (bacon/sausage, eggs, pancakes, etc) or continental (bagels, muffins, fruit, cereal)?
Both?

Link via Cybertoad. Thanks...and love the Renaissance Costume!

I always wondered how people did this and now I know thanks to
Mandarin Design. Thanks, Meg!

Let me try again. Let's turn this into a lovely shade of pink, perhaps?

Okay. Here it is. The Definitive 8 Mile Review.

If you grew up middle class: 7/10.
If you grew up working class: 8/10.
If you grew up in Michigan: add a point.
If you grew up upper class: subtract a point.
If you've ever had a car figure as a major character in your life: add a point.
If you're squeamish about language: subtract a point.
If you're squeamish about language but you get the point: add a point.
If you're not squeamish about language but you don't get the point: subtract a point.

I know nothing about Eminem. Okay that's not true, I live in Michigan and I know he's been in a lot of trouble re: both his wife and his mother. And I know he was considered a public enemy to common decency due to his profaneness and vulgarness.

Public enemies shouldn't have such exquisite faces.

To: Shirl
From: Pearl
Re: Alarm Clocks

REMEMBER TO TURN THE DANG THINGS BACK ON AFTER A LONG WEEKEND!

See ya!

I'm home from the north, rested and rejuvenated and restored. My brother and I chased elk in the Pigeon River areawith camera but couldn't catch them, finding only their tracks and their scrapes, but definitely in their territory. It's always best when we find them, but the search itself becomes an allegory, spiritual in nature. And the search becomes a remembrance, as we both bear silent homage to the stocky man who first showed us the beauty of the woods. I know he expected my brother, Grizzl, to follow in his steps. I'm not sure he suspected that his elder, bespectacled daughter would be as enchanted. Parents never can quite know what will take with which kid.

I'm home from the north, ready to go again.

Go Green

Way to go, MSU! I don't pay any attention to you, and you blow Indiana away! Now keep it up, I have tickets for the Purdue game.

I am back...




What
lesser-known Simpsons character are you?

Brought to you by the good folks at sacwriters.com.


Thanks to Kathryn for the link!

8 Mile on the Radio

They're discussing 8 Mile on the radio....good vibes. "Very solid" "charismatic". They give it a 7 out of 10. "Very serious movie put together by a talented bunch of people".

The local newspaper only gave it a 5 out of 10, but she's a dweeb.

I Got Flowers!

It has been one of those finger-crunching, bone-wearying, comehomeandfallasleepat8:30 type weeks at work. Busy month for heating and air conditioning, and then the idiotic newsletter comes out the first of the month also. Argh. But...I got flowers. The business has partners in another city. When they heard how well we had done, they sent flowers. Now, I had to share them with the office, but...hehehe...they had my name on them and they were delivered to me. That helped make my day and week and who knows, perhaps month. Okay, I'm easy. Shoot me! The younger partner has always been my buddy. He's one of those people who always shows up at JUST the right time!

Let us see if this works.

If it does, link via Mandarin Design.

Whoa! Now that Survivor sure surprised me. And no one at work picked Erin to go. Interesting.

8 Mile is Coming.

A couple of months ago I saw the preview for 8 Mile and was drawn to the energy and authenticity I saw in it. That surprised me: I'm not really in Eminem's demographic.

I've been following the reviews and screenings, and it looks like I am not alone. There was a screening here in town at the university, which I missed (I think that one WAS geared for his demographics) but the review is here. This morning AOL is pointing to a longer discussion of Eminem in the New York Times.

I'll miss the opening as we're going up north to visit my brother. It's always great to be north of the 45th parallel.

oh oh....pretty Michigan upper peninsula pictures here.

I voted.

It always cracks me up. I've lived in a student area for twenty years. My precinct people treat me like an old friend...I think I'm one of the longest lasting residents in this area. Let me put it this way: my number is a 4-digit number, the others are in the five-digits. Can you say inertia?

Quick tour this morning.
Kathryn has several very beautiful pieces that will make me look at the day differently. Jeeem has quit his job. He has some interesting posts on the subject, plus he's having fun playing with fonts. Lynn isn't blogging right now, but she has left an excellent message at her home. Susan asks about "blogging taboos". Good question, Susan. Bryn has updated her blog again...lovely! And John found autumn.

More Football thoughts sorry, folks, this is big stuff here right now

Bobby Williams became head coach of Michigan State football because he was a players' coach. In 1999 Nick Sabin departed abruptly for LSU. Each year of Nick's tenure as head football coach we had to go through the "will he stay, will he go thing". When Nick left, the players went en masse to the University President's home, asking that Bobby, an assistant coach, be made head coach. All of the assistant coaches agreed to stay with him instead of leaving with either Nick or other programs. It was one of those totally heart-felt moments.

If only it had lasted.

Coach Bobby Williams Fired.

We've had serious problems with our football program this year. (Our is Michigan State University.) We're losing. There is no shame in that, as long as it is a controlled loss, but we're just not showing up to games. We had a talented crew to start the year with, but now our quarterback is suspended, struggling with a substance abuse program. Another player was suspended for one game. Another co-captain was arrested Sunday morning on a DUI, but he fled the officer...a felony. He is automatically suspended from the team.

The grumbling and mumbling turned to despair. Apparently, according to the tv, which just interrupted programming to bring us the announcement, the coach admitted in an interview that he had lost control of the team. That was enough for the athletic director. Bobby has been fired.

Another Monday morning.

Note to self: You're fifty-years old. You don't HAVE to do everything your 16-year-old nephew dares you to do. Those leaves would have gotten tamped down just fine without you trying to get your leg in the bag. And you helped not at all, as you ended up sprawling on the ground. ARGH. Wearing sneakers will probably help the pain this morning.

Survivors Ready.
Okay, who will go this week? I am torn between Clay, Jan, and the now-that-we-know-it sneaky Penny. But I guess I will go with...Jan.

Which John Cusack Are You?

Link via Hestia Chronicles.

For those of you anxious for snow, here's a little ahem warm-up.

Which Founding Father Are You?

Oh yay! Ilana is blogging again!

Okay, help. I bought Beck's Sea Changes. It jumped into my arms at Shuler's Books the other day. Okay, here is how the stupid head works. Kurt Cobain was featured in Newsweek. I know nothing about Kurt Cobain, but the journals sounded intriguing. Beck was mentioned. Beck popped up at the bookstore, so I bought it. Is that sick or what?

Anyway, background anyone?

Volunteers of America.

This volunteering stuff is fun business. My friend Dee recently signed up with Volunteers of America. She cracks me up. She was looking for Literacy Volunteers of American, but forgot the Literacy. The Volunteers needed her, and she's an only child who can't say no. So now she does volunteer work there once or twice a week.

Anyway, this week-end was the coat drive for the local charities and she asked me to go with her. It was great fun. Most of the time we sat around (we were at a new mall and people had trouble finding us) but when they came in with their bundles it was really cool. We also got tee-shirts from the radio station, free Starbucks, and this wondrous ice cream from MaggieMoo's down the mall. A good time was had by all.

Go Green!

Well, today is the intra-state rivalry game between University of Michigan and Michigan State. It's the classic match-up of little brother/big brother, and we're the little brother. UofM calls Ohio State their rival, sticking up their noses at us, and of course that makes us all the madder. Last year we won by two points here at home. AWESOME game! My nephew Paul said he didn't need to go to another Michigan game after that (though he would like to) but it was THAT good of a game.

Did I mention we think UofM is stuck-up? Here's an example. MSU is simple colors. Green and White. UofM should be simple too...blue and gold...but noooooooooooooo, that's just too prosaic for them. They're maize and blue. MAIZE. sheesh.

Well, blogger is either not publishing or blog*spot is fritzed. Whatever. The usual Saturday problem. I'll just keep posting into the void, and eventually things will catch up.

Last for this morning. I see USA Today has their top 25 basketball teams listed. Duke is #6. Michigan State is #10. You know what this means, Susan. *grin*

Edit at 4:35 p.m. We lost

1234 1373 1498 words. Okay, not as good as I wanted for the start, but I'm not UNHAPPY. Just gonna have to hit more tomorrow! Er, um. today.

Folk sayings.
Autograph sayings.

And here comes November!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween! It was cold here, but warm walking the neighborhoods with the nieces. I wimped out after the first hour, replaced Ruby passing out candy. Great time was had by all.

Twenty-three words. Only 49,977 to go.

How about that Survivor twist? Veddy interesting.

End of month. Statements go out today. Gotta run!

Bryn points to a personality test here.

Artistic Type
You love caring for others and it is the reason why you are a big sister/brother in people's eyes. People will find it interesting and comfortable talking to you, and this enables you to gain trust from them. This usually gives good impression to those of the opposite sex who are sentimental and younger than you.

So that's what he finds interesting. A Big Sister. hmmmm.

Happy Halloween!

Random thoughts on a cold Thursday morning...

I want a Beauty and the Beast story where the beast is a woman and the beauty is a man.

Maybe pumpkin carving just isn't a solitary thing. I DID buy a pumpkin this year, but it didn't get carved. Going over to Boo's house tonight to pass out candy while he and Ruby take the girls out for trick-or-treating.

Is anyone else having trouble with dark coming so early now? It seems like my eyes can't adjust, which is silly. During the summer, driving home from the theater it would be dark, and not a problem. But at 6:00 p.m., right after work, I seem to get dizzy from the dark. Oh hush, Jeeem, I know I'm always sort of dizzy. Mebbe I'm just on ye olde 'puter too much.

I'm geeked about the NaNoWriMo project. Fifty thousand words in 30 days. That would be an average of 1667 words a day. I'm setting a goal of 2000 words a day, which will give me five days to goof off. Planning on three hours a day (which includes breaks) to do it. At first I thought I didn't have the time, then I realized...I usually sleepwalk through November anyway. (All that gray.) So the focus will be good. I'm doing it just for the experience of getting words down, but I know a lot of you are REAL writers...anyone up for the challenge?

What are You in the Sky? I am The Sun! You can count on me, I am a faithful soul. Quiz made by Tiara Powered by Quizilla

Thanks, Bryn...hey, here comes the sun!

It's been a strange autumn. There have been no masses of gorgeous color. The sun has disappeared. (I hope it's shining somewhere???) It has been cold. They are calling for snow for Halloween.

It's been a different autumn. There is still beauty, it just requires a shift to see it; a change from the forest to the individual trees and sometimes even individual leaves.

Wheeee

Busy busy week. We've had several new projects at work. I work at a heating and air conditioning company. One was getting the salesmen up and running on a new laptop computer proposal system. This afternoon was the launch of that. The guys bought into the program even better than we had anticipated.

Another project has been setting up a communication system with our new house installers. This involves my calling them between 3 and 4 each afternoon, finding out the status of their work, and logging it into the computers. I thought the guys and gal would think we were snooping on them too much, but they like the chance to tell an unbiased person what is going on in their installations. I enjoy the extended contact (I've spent a lot of time just interacting with my computer) so it has turned into a win-win thing.

The next project up is to develop a job team analysis program. Sometimes jobs go bad and take much longer than anticipated. We're putting into play a project where the installers, salesmen (sorry, but our sales people are guys), and installation foreman meet to discuss, without finger-pointing, the varied perceptions that might cause a job to go awry. Again, I get to play in this. It's good to be getting my voice back.

Oh YAY!

What's Your Song?
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"These tears I've cried, I've cried, 1,000 oceans" Your song is "1000 Oceans" by Tori Amos! Okay, you've had your share of hardships, and you've probably been hurt a lot in relationships. But chances are you're not afraid to show that vulnerabilty, which is actually a source of strength. And since Tori is pretty much the coolest artist out there, it really isn't so bad to have "1000 Oceans" as your song. Just one piece of advice: It's not a good idea to dye or cut your hair after that big breakup.

Doing a happy dance...the site finally let me in! Thanks for the link, Susan!

Survivor Choices
Okay, we have the following choices correct me if I'm wrong:
ShiiAnn, ShiiAnn, Clay , ShiiAnn

Feel free to jump in, anybody...

And...for my last post of the night, let me leave you with this wonderful gem:
Poke the Penquin. Remember, everything in life has a risk!

Nighty-night!

Take the test, by Emily.

I've been trying all night to take the quiz at Susan's, but...the site won't let me in!! I'm beginning to take this personally!

Good-byes are hard :-(

Cyber good-byes are as hard in their own way as RT ones can be. Lynn at Lucid Dreaming is taking a "leave of absence". She will still be posting at her DeviantArtist site. However, the comments there is a members' only utility.

Lynn was one of the first bloggers I read on a continuous basis. The first posting of hers I read was about an Oprah show that I had also seen. Back when she was posting full-time it was fun to see which of us would hit the others' site first. She is a morning person by nature: I am one by necessity. It made waking up a little more fun to do knowing someone in another country was scooting around the old blogosphere before dawn's early light.

Lynn, all the best to you and the girls and that adoreable Noah. We'll be checking in, keeping an eye on those beautiful pictures.

See ya!

Well, there seem to still be issues with Blogger. Ah, well. Or maybe it's blogger.pro. Or maybe Blog*spot. Anyway, I seem to be posting into the void!

Sunday Morning Quarterbacking.
So NOW the sun comes back!

Last night was our annual family tailgate/Big Ten football game party. We live here in Go Green country in the shadow of Michigan State University's Spartan Stadium. Last night's game was between MSU and Wisconsin, a match-up that looked fairly even in our pre-season arrangement of tickets. Unfortunately, this isn't pre-season. Our poor Spartans. With our first-string quarterback suspended Thursday night for an as yet unnamed infraction of team rules (you can just imagine the rumours running) and a coach who seems a bit befuddled, we had to be happy with a 24-42 loss.

But the rain held off, the temperature actually rose a little at game time (up to almost 45) and the hot chocolate was perfect. The food and libations and chatter at the tailgate party were the usual fun. Boo and Ruby, who know everyone, had several friends stop by our set-up. One of them was a young man I had worked with 25 years ago. He recognized me: when he told me his name I said "why you're supposed to be a young kid". Duh. I AM getting old.

Tonight's our big family football outing to the Michigan State - Wisconsin game. It's been gray for the last 48 hours; I'm hoping things will dry up a little for our time in the stands. And our quarterback is definitely suspended. *sigh* Ah well, we'll still have a grand time, and, all together now...Go GREEN!

Oh, this is interesting. Have fun with stereotypes at Eric Myers photography.

Last year I saw this too late, like in December. This year I have looked for it, planned for it, and dadgum, I'm gonna give it a whirl.

oh no...Richard Harris has died.

Well, the car was a minor thing, so I'm thankful for that. Lynn, wishing you good luck with your vehicle. That had to be scary, having the brakes go out!

Cabins seem to be the theme of the weekend. Kathryn is going to a lovely one this weekend she has pictures . I hope the weather cooperates at least a little bit! Susan has an excellent memory of a North Carolina cabin. You lucky lady, you! And Jeeem, well, I'm waiting for the update on Jeeem's visit to a Maine Northern New Hampshire cabin last weekend. **smirk smirk**

Whee! A Day Off!
Well, I did the busy bee thing at work for the last four days and now...a day off! This is the good news.

My car needs to be checked out, because I'm leaking anti-freeze. This is the bad news.

My mechanic, Sam, is really cute and tries hard to keep costs to a minimum. This is the good news.

Ruhro! I'm beginning to think changing to a green and white motif in honor of the Michigan State Spartans brought them bad luck. Our quarterback has been a bad boy, apparently, and won't be playing Saturday. Oh brother!

Aha! And it's Survivor time!
Catch ya later!

A little bit of sunshine yesterday...that helped the mood. And it helps the mood this morning to see some forward motion in the sniper case. But then there is the Moscow theater hostage situation on my screen. And there is the continued toll from the Bali bombing. It's a harsh world in which we live.

And then...I scoot around my bloglist. And the world seems brighter, friendlier, more positive. So thank you!

What box do you get put in?
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Link via The Hestia Chronicles. Thanks!