Sunday, June 30, 2002

Firefly Update
Hey, there, Jeeem the Tranceman...it was all worth it. The high-fliers have arrived!

I just had an awful thought. What if they were here all the time, and were just down low boogeying with the girls? Hmmmm.

It is hot here, folks, and I've had a very restful day. Dinner at Mom's, photo shoot in her garden, and watched Trading Spaces (ghastly swap, oh my). Home again home again...have a great week!

Saturday, June 29, 2002

All right, probably all you cat lovers have already seen this.
I decided I would give myself a summer day at home. I've been lazing on the balcony, reading Summer Light by LuAnne Rice, drinking juice and water and sunburning my feet. A few chores have been done, but basically I have shifted to a different time warp. Summer is here.
Another Creative Outlet.

Here is Haiku Blog. A photo is posted, and haikus may be submitted. I'm really big on haiku right now, as it was one of the challenges during our Firefly Day. Now remember, 5-7-5. Link via Tales of a Kitchen Witch. Still chicken to do this one, too, but at least I'll be able to find it again when I'm feeling brave.

Friday, June 28, 2002

Around the blogosphere.
Eve had a good week, Lynn has a new kitty, and Jeeem is too busy to come out and play. Meryl's pledges have hit $1624 $1750 . Cold Marble is on vacation: I bet the pictures will be super! Bobbi's cat has come home (and she has a wonderful new toy), and Ava's computer is back up and running again (except for the sound card). Scott is no longer throwing SQL errors, and Mike stays the course. And me, well...I'm very thankful it is Friday.
Yeesh, this is going to be a fun day at work. Half the staff is missing. The other half is moaning and groaning. Ruh-ro. At least I get to watch legs, smirk smirk.

Thursday, June 27, 2002

Okay, Blogathon 2002 is coming. For those who don't know, this is where bloggers can sign up to blog for charity. Other folks sponsor the bloggers, and the money goes to a charity specified by the blogger. (Must be a 'net contributable charity.) This is blog as in "24-hour" blog, with 1/2 hour postings. Last year Lynn tried it, and is considering it again. I'm thinking about it.

But this post is about someone who is signed up for Blogathon 2002, and I'd like to point you to her site. That would be Ms. Meryl, who will be blogging for Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem. An admirable charity, I thought, when I first read it, but I felt I would save my sponsoring for my own choice of charities.

That was before I got my Newsweek yesterday. The article "Code Blue In Jerusalem" brought into sharp focus the reality of what the trauma physicians are facing as they deal with the effects of the terrorist plague in Israel. The discussion of the massive internal injuries victims face, which may leave them almost unscathed on the outside but shredded within, moved me intensely.

So Meryl, here I come to pledge for you...now you'd better stock up on the caffeine, ma'am!
Oh yay! The installers were issued their uniform shorts today. Construction workers' legs...oh yeah. Gonna have a big grin on this old gal's face all day! and I had my camera today.
Want an interesting exercise in creative writing? Potkettleblack has an interesting page on contexts. Pictures are posted. You choose a picture, then write about it. I've been chicken to do it, but I've enjoyed reading what other people have written.

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Okay, folks, direct to you from my good buddy Lynn:

The first Wednesday What?

1. WHAT comes to mind when you hear the word "annihilate"? Evilness. Pure evilness. To annihilate someone is so much worse than to kill them.

2. WHAT do you do when you see a child alone and crying? Stand by, ask questions, scout the area for the responsible adult.

3. WHAT smells, or sounds evoke pleasant memories? Oddly enough, swamp smells always remind me of my grandparent's cottage when I was a kid.

Be sure to check Lucid Dreaming for the Wednesday What each week!
You have to start somewhere, and you have to start some time. RW

I know, that is major league obvious. And yet, for someone stuck in inertia land, it is obviously important.

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

Decisions, decisions.
Montana is coming up in August, but, DANG, I wish Amtrak wasn't so iffy right now. We usually take AMTRAK from Chicago to East Glacier. Will it still be available in August, do you think? Glacier National Park was developed by James J. Hill, train baron of the Burlington Northern. Training in is the traditional way to get to the park, but I guess all good traditions come to an end. *sigh*.

In related news, they're still clearing the Going-to-the-Sun Road. If we had gone this month, as originally planned, we would be looking at piles of snow.
Last Tuesday of the Month.
This is our "charity" day at work. For the last three months we've paid to wear slippers on this day and have brought baked goods to sell to the installers. Today we wore funky headgear instead. Jane won the prize...she had a halo, and of course we all had to rib her about the appropriateness of that! We collected 63.70 today, which brings our total up to 137.10. This round of collections goes to the Council Against Domestic Assault. Next month our collection starts toward the United Cerebral Palsy Association.

What fun. And it is about to storm.

Monday, June 24, 2002

Monday Mission 2.25 via PromoGuy.net

1. Do you wear glasses/contact lenses? If so would you consider going through Lasik surgery? (Or if you already have, please tell us about it) I wear glasses, and am considering the Lasik surgery. My brother had it, and really liked the results. The eye doctor says they can't correct me back to perfect, but it's nice to know they can clear things up a bit if I wish.

2. Did you ever have to wear braces? How are your teeth? (any cavities, any pulled teeth, root canals, etc.) Waah. Yes, yes, yes, yes, I think some of us are just blessed with nasty teeth. I had one that had a filling, then had a root canal and a crown, then the roots broke and I just had it extracted last Monday. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

3. What (if any) recent movies have moved you emotionally? Which one and how so? The Sum of All Fears, because we are such a good, big-hearted, open society...and that makes us hateable and vulnerable. I know, I know, we're not perfect, but geeeez...we try to be so accepting.

4. I visited my dear Mema in the managed care facility Sunday and while she is doing well, I was sad for her. Living out your final days/years someplace like that seems so lonely to me. Would you rather live the remainder of your golden years in a rest home, or pass away before it came to that? Whatever the Good Lord decides. I just hope to have courage and grace to carry it off either way.

5. Sometimes, but not nearly often enough, I will just stop and marvel at the amazing planet on which we live. The eco-system, life and death, nature, the perfect balance that keeps us alive, the universe, it can all be mind-boggling if you let your mind get carried away. What natural creation or phenomenon just flat-out leaves you with a sense of wonder? Appekunny Trail, Glacier National Park. I think God stood there to create the earth.

6. Have you ever been in a fist fight or a situation where you had to get physically violent with someone else? How did that come about? Any consequences? No, but I'm thinking about it *grin*. Could do wonders for my image.

7. Many times I look back in hindsight and think of how I should have handled a situation. Are there any recent happenings that you wish you would have handled differently? What happened and what do you wish you'd done? Two different occasions where I SHOULD HAVE SAID YES!!!! Dang

BONUS: How far away can you go, and still be dancing with me?
as far as i can sense the beat of your heart.
They are here. The fireflies are lighting up.
There might be a problem, though. Supposedly the boy fireflies fly high, the girls low. I only see low flying bugs. Hmmmm.

New high on PacMan....18,020.

Ummm. Saw Minority Report this weekend. I wasn't impressed, but I'm not a Spielberg or Cruise fan. I did think the robot spiders were mighty cute.

Sunday, June 23, 2002

Nervous Breakdown #264.

Oops, false alarm. Just a little over-stress, plus aching jaw from tooth extraction. Prescription Motrin and a good night's sleep have eased my pain. Whew.

And how are you today?

Saturday, June 22, 2002

After all the talk about identity on certain sites, anonymous tickled me.

HelenJane does haiku.


Gary Turner is wayyy too funny. Go vote, please...and keep USA on top! All in fun folks! All in fun.

Update at noon:
Lucky lucky morning. I haven't had to fight anyone for the laundry room.
I'm heading to a High School open house this afternoon. I read somewhere that the HS open house trend is a regional thing. Are they important where YOU live?




(will add story here later today)

Friday, June 21, 2002

Happy Summer.

Thursday, June 20, 2002

Wednesday, June 19, 2002

Capricorn.
HmMmMm.
Twenty-five Eligible Bachelors. ewwww. I can't believe who #1 is. Link via 40 something, which looks interesting.
Astronomy.
Firefly Day Report.
The Second Annual Firefly Day was a rousing success except for the lack of um...fireflies. We never let details like that stop us from having fun.

Firefly Day is a gathering of the cousins (my nieces and nephews) and the sibs (my brothers and sister). It consists of games: this year there was a scavenger hunt, two relay races with tasks ala Survivor to perform, and a trivia contest.

The games were followed by an "Owwee" meal. This consists of scads of finger food, combined however anyone wishes.

Sparklers had to stand in for the fireflies. My mother's home has a deep backyard. The kids decided they would scare themselves silly. They lit sparklers, ran to the back of the lot and waited for the sparklers to go out. They would then stand in the dark until someone started screaming, and then they would all run up to the house, where we were watching. Fortunately, no one called the police.

One of the tasks in the relay was to write haiku. Here is one stellar example:

My head feels funny
My stomach is acting strange
Oh no I threw up.


Tuesday, June 18, 2002

Blogathon is returning. July 27. You have been warned *grin*.

Basic RSS.

Blog.elements.again. Must check out.
Identity and Blogs.

Oh drat. I have to disagree with Mike Sanders. In "Blogging Identity Fallacies" he says:

I think we are making a big mistake by attaching identity to blogs. A glimpse of our feelings on certain subjects, yes. A way to meet new people, definitely. A medium for self-expression, granted. But attaching identity to a blog is a big mistake for both the blogger and the blog reader.

Sorry, Mike, but I'm always attaching identities to blogs. I think the written word gives us a window into what is important to a person, shows us how they treat other people, and provides us with a whole different set of cues than we would receive when meeting people face to face. As an example, I think Mike is a kind, considerate person, earnest, single-minded, totally devoted to his family. He's always presented a very egalitarian yes, I do like that word viewpoint. And there is no chance anyone would mistake how he feels about Israel.

And Mike, if you read this, I get even worse. If there are no pictures of people on their site, I match them with a certain celeb style/look. Among your group, you would be a brown-haired Robert Redford, Golby would be a John Saxon type (well, that was my original thought, but Jack Nicholson would work), Burningbird would be Shelley Long (now maybe that's part the name), Emptybottle would be Howdy-Doody, and Meryl...well, gosh, hadn't thought of a match-up for Meryl, but mebbe...oh, she'd look the way I imagined Jo in Little Women to look. See how silly we get out here in the midwest? It's the long winters.
It seems that it will never stop. And Meryl, your emotions are understandable.
Apparently I am not the only leftover Pac-man addict in the world. Daypop Top 40 includes this. Ah, the memories.

Monday, June 17, 2002

Lynn and I are leading parallel lives at the moment. We're both 50's people, we both had cranky days on Friday, and we both are in the process of tooth extractions! Mine was this afternoon, I'm home now and doing fine. Hers is tomorrow...stop over and wish her luck!

She's got the Monday Mission up...beat me again. Here comes mine.

Monday Mission 2.24 via PromoGuy.net

1. What does Father's Day mean to you personally? My father passed away 20 years ago, so it is a time of remembrance.

2. Was there a Father, or a Father Figure in your life as you grew up? Oh yes, the very best of Fathers, a real Dad type. He turned down more lucrative jobs so that he could spend more time with his family. He was at every football game, every concert, every baseball, he was the supreme chaffeur. My second brother had cerebral palsy. Many times a handicapped child will be too much of a burden for a father, and he will split or withdraw. Not my dad. He just told Jeff, "you can do anything anyone else can do, you just might have to do it a little differently or at a different pace". We took family vacations, and Jeff was always right there in the middle of them, riding on my father's back when we had to cover distances. Riding on his back until he got too tall (Dad was only 5-6") and then my next brother took over totin' duties.

When my father passed away, his funeral was the largest that funeral home had ever held. They had to have a police escort for the funeral procession. Pretty good stuff for a "family man".

3. a) If you are a parent, is the father of your child(ren) involved on a daily basis? Is that even important?

or if you do not have children

b) Would you like to become a parent? Would you be good at raising your own children?


Probably my greatest regret, that I did not become a parent. I would not have been very good though...and I am a perfectly WONDERFUL aunt owwee.

4. With Rosie, Callista, Jodie and Camryn all raising children without Fathers, Hollywood seems to be sending a message that children do not need male role models. Do you agree? Are these "stars" sending a good message to the young adults who admire them?

I believe that children (both boys and girls) need good male role models. The trouble with any message that "stars" send is that they live in such a fake world. Real world is a whollllle lotta heapa different.

5. Do you think the absence of a loving, caring father in the life of a child could have any influence on their sexual preferences when the child grows up? Doubt if it would affect sexual preference, but has to be detrimental to relationships.

6. Was there ever a time when your father became "uncool." Or maybe embarrassed you? Oh sure, that's part of their job.

7. Are you ever too old to kiss your Dad? Nope...Wish I could give his ol' cheek a smooch right now.

BONUS: When you coming home, dad? awww.


Sunday, June 16, 2002



Yes????

Saturday, June 15, 2002

Just surfing around picking up a few more questions for the trivia contest later tonight in the "Firefly Dinner". We have rain, so who knows what we'll see...but we're an adaptable bunch.

Did you know that the female firefly sits in the grass, and the male is the one flying around? The male has a different signal than the female firefly (that sounds familiar). There is an Asian firefly that beats in sync with other fireflies in the area. Links from here.

Also, did you know that Britney Spears' mom is Lynne and Christina Aguilera's is Shelly? Me neither. We have to find trivia questions that will appeal to all ages *grin*.

The lighting agent in fireflies, luciferin, can be used to detect bacteria. It is used in medical work, and NASA is even considering using it to detect for life on other planets.

Friday, June 14, 2002

Last night was perfect. It was my brother's daughters' dance recital.
When I was young we didn't have the money for dance or gymnastics, and so I grew up a with a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the "cheerleader/dance/gymnastic" crowd. That chip is gone now. My nieces are great kids and of course I'm absolutely NOT biased and dance has given them great poise. And seeing Hann with toe shoes, with a beautiful end-of-dance lift...she's not a little girl any more. *sigh*
No fireflies tonight. Uhoh...May have to go to Plan B for the firefly hunt part of Saturday. Stay tuned...

Thursday, June 13, 2002

A special edition of the Thursday Threesome.

Special Edition: CLUE

The Answer: Miss Scarlett in the Library with the Lead Pipe.

Onesome. Miss Scarlett, what makes your face turn red? When someone infers I'm stupid.

Twosome. The Library. What books are a must in your opinion for a personal library? Chronicles of Narnia, Dummies Books

Threesome. The Lead Pipe. Ever have a plumbing related woe? Tell us all about it... Let's just say...I learned how to make a plunger work.

Doing these at work 'cause I'm in a major bad mood.

Note to self: Don't play PACMAN in the morning.

Which era in time are you?


Whoa! Got me pegged! And I'm in good company! YAY Lynn!
PACMAN

I've lost my touch. So far, high score is 6060 14,360 15,570.

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Fireflies?
As I mentioned, Saturday is our Second Annual Firefly day. Trouble is, will the fireflies be out?
Usually I've seen them the night of the nieces' ballet recital. It makes me smile to see the sweet brief dance of their lights the same night as the children dance across the stage. The recital is tomorrow. Our weather has been weird this spring: will they or will they not show?

Jeeem writes of his childhood introduction to fireflies at the age twenty-nine or thirty. Jeeem, have I mentioned that one of the things I like about you is your agelessness?
A week ago in the Monday Mission the question came up about conserving water. This is a site dedicated to saving water. Interesting reading.
Wow!
We had originally planned to go to Montana / Glacier National Park next week. They haven't busted through the big snowdrifts on the Going To The Sun Road...so it is a good thing we're going in August.
That was WEIRD!
I stopped at the local QD last night on the way home. I needed to use the ATM and get some milk. Two other people were in line for the machine. The person right ahead of me was...A MAN IN A DRESS!!! I've never seen such a thing at 6:00 p.m. in the middle of a QD (24 hour convenience store). He was tall, looked like a messed-up Nick Nolte, had on a white sweater thingee with a little black skirt, pantihose, and low heels. His legs were pretty good (WAY better than mine) but the outfit clashed with his tattoo. I've just never seen such a thing!

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

Hey there! Can we talk about hot days at heating & air conditioning companies? It has been nutsy up here, and we haven't even had a ninety degree day yet. SHEESH!!!
Now 90 would seem like nothing to someone from the south, but up here...well, as humid as it gets, it is NOT a pretty sight. We have a game at work to guess the first 90 degree day, 'cause it makes our phones ring off the hook. They've been doing a pretty good job at 88, but just you wait! oh, no, wait...just ME wait.

Monday, June 10, 2002

PromoGuy.net presents Monday Mission 2.23

1. Do you have a side of the bed on which you prefer to sleep? Do you sleep on that side even when traveling or does it matter? Usually the left, but when traveling the side closest to the bathroom.

2. What is your favorite "Theme Park?" How come and when was the last time you were there? EPCOT center. Haven't been there in ages, and it might not be the same now...I understand that there are French waitresses as well as waiters in the France exhibit.

3. What is your most and least favorite thing about staying in hotels? Most favorite...room service. Least favorite...noises that I can't identify.

4. Did you ever take family vacations that required looooooong car rides? Were siblings involved ("Stop touching me! Don't cross this line!)? Were the trips just unbearable or did you make up some "car ride games" to pass the time? oh yeah, as a kid that was how we got to see Yellowstone and Washington D.C. and other points. Throw all of us in the car (that would be eight counting Mom and Dad) and away we'd go. My favorite vacation picture is of our old green station wagon, three seated in front, four seated in mid, and Boo-boo riding on top of the camping gear in back, with the red ice chest strapped on to the top of the car. *sigh...now THOSE were the good old days**

5. With all the drilled peep-holes and spy-cams we hear about on the news, have you ever felt self-conscious about taking off your clothes in a hotel bathroom? Has wondering if someone was on the other side of that mirror on the wall above the dresser made you think twice about "gettin' busy?" Um, nope. I must be a bit of a show-off.

6. Describe the most romantic vacation you have ever taken or if that does not apply ;) (), tell me about the worst vacation you have ever taken. Most romantic...that would be the weekend at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

7. (continued) After a full tummy and four days of sleep, I'd say I've never felt better. Since it is nearly noon, how about you come over and we'll hang out on the deck. I have a pool, hot tub and lotsa eats and drink. But feel free to bring whatever else you think we need! How should we spend this fine afternoon at the pool? Listening to classical music and showtunes from the Rodgers & Hammerstein period; talking about anything and everything under the sun; jumping in the pool when we need to cool off; being silent and not worrying.

BONUS: Have you got it, do you get it, if so, how often? Yes, yes, and not often enough.





Goodnight

Sunday, June 09, 2002

PACMAN alert!
uhoh. I WOULD have to go visit Q today. And he WOULD have to be pointing to this. If you don't see any more posts from me for the next three years, you'll know where I am. Addictions run in many forms. *sigh*
My Bloginality is INTP!!!

Interesting. For years it has been INFP. Changes are afoot perhaps, or was it the brevity of the test?

Link from Dervala.
Second Annual Firefly Evening.

Plans are proceeding full bore for the Second Annual Firefly Day to be held next Saturday for all the cousins. Do you have fireflies in your neck of the woods? Or any good childhood firefly stories?
well surprise surprise. Blogspot is throwing 500 errors. Grrrr.
Link via Dayzed and Confuzed:


take free enneagram test

Saturday, June 08, 2002

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
I made it to the matinee today. GREAT movie! Some of the comments on IMDB compared it less than favorably to movies such as Fried Green Tomatoes or Steel Magnolias: I found it better than those two movies as it didn't use the hanky-wringer of someone dying to elicit emotion. Living is so much harder to do.

Ellen Burstyn is simply amazing. She's 69, and she looks more beautiful in this movie then she did back in 1974's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Come to think of it, that's the movie I would use as a comparison piece. Always did love Kris Kristofferson in that movie...been looking for someone like him for a long time.
Testing. Ok, Pro-1 is publishing again now.
Yesterday was one of those days. One of our employees had a 40-year-old son who had succumbed after a long battle with juvenile diabetes. Lynn and I had to represent the company at the funeral. It was so sad. His mom and dad had invested so much into trying to get him back on his feet: the father had even been trying to give him his kidney, despite the fact that he had had a stroke and heart attack himself. But it was not to be.

I got back from the funeral in time to join up with the posse at the Chili Cook-Off down at the Riverside. Woohee! We got into it, and mouths were soon aburning.

Unfortunately, we forgot to watch the time, so we missed Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. The later showing was sold out already, too, so we ended up seeing Bad Company. This wasn't all bad: Chris Rock is too funny! And I liked seeing the USA saved by an old white guy who can't run very fast and a hip young goofy black guy.
Good News/Bad News.
isn't that always the way?
Apparently Pro-1 doesn't want to publish. That's what that stuff was from Friday. Pro-2 is publishing just hunky dory.
Now it's Saturday.

Friday, June 07, 2002

Uh, Jeeem? At least I've never killed a lawnmower. You get to feeling better, hear?

Oh crap. Blogger is throwing this error:
Error: Object required (server:disco). Please try again.

Ok, it's four hours later and it is still throwing that message. Drat.
AN IDEA!
Try publishing from the other pro version.

Thursday, June 06, 2002

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

This phrase keeps popping up. I had it posted on my office door three weeks ago. Two weeks ago my brother quoted it at a picnic. And just now I found Cold Marble pointing to it here.

Answer for me: most days, in my early 40's. When I'm playing with the nieces and nephews, about 15. When I've sat too long, 85. How old would YOU be if you didn't know how old you are?
Depth of Field.
I know, a photographic term. But it seems I've lived my life with a rather shallow depth of field, and now, in my fiftieth year, I'm learning to focus in a different manner.
I was introduced to Meryl Yourish's blog through Mike Sanders blog at Keep Trying. I started reading Mike when he was a "Blog of Note" on Blogger. His posts back then were on people and the nature of blogging. Blogs of this nature aren't usually my cup of tea, but the clarity of Mike's writing and the egalitarianism he brought to his discussions hooked me.

As he says in his post of June 4, the nature of his blogging has changed, and with the change has come some fall-out from those in his community. I've been impressed with his reaction to criticism he has received, and with his ability to "keep trying" to understand different viewpoints.

Wednesday, June 05, 2002

I can't tell if that is you or not, Mom. Oops, it is a rotating picture. Dang. I know that building isn't you.

Tuesday, June 04, 2002

Howdy to those stopping by from Meryl's site.
Only thing is, she's a little bit wrong...she didn't owe me anything. Her writing is payment enough for any perceived favor say, did you catch the allusion to navel lint last week? That was in response to a double-dog dare. Go Girl! Meryl's heart is big and full and she shares what it is to be Jewish and concerned about the Mid-East in the twenty-first century
.
The world is a small place. Turns out Meryl was in my neck of the woods back in...um...the last century. She attended the Clarion Writers Workshop at Michigan State University. So it is highly possible that our paths crossed sometime, perhaps at Jocundrys Book Store or the Pretzel Bell restaurant. I'm glad we've met on-line.

Monday, June 03, 2002

PromoGuy's Monday Mission 2.22

1. Who or where do you go to when you need help for web-related problems? Lynn, if it is a blog thing, otherwise to Dummies Manuals I have scattered around the apartment.

2. There is a big mess of gossip going on in some Blogs out there due to revelations about a very popular Blogger. I got very caught up in reading all the links to links about it until I stopped myself realizing it was none of my buisiness. Do you ever get caught up in gossip, either speading it or listening to it? How does it make you feel? Or have you ever been the subject of gossip?

hehe...Usually I'm the subject. Just a fact of life.

3. In a relationship, when your other takes a dig at you (read: a fight), do you go for the jugular and get "in their face" or try to peacefully smooth things out and have a calm discussion?

I duck and run. What can I say?

4. A friend once told me "You can tell when someone is bored with what you are saying to them when they reply with 'That's interesting.'" And I have found this to be pretty dang true. How do you know when someone has lost interest in what you are saying? That's interesting

5. Ever get jealous of the popularity other Blogs? no, I'm not the jealous type

6. What is your favorite dirty word? (those who don't curse can pick your favorite happy word)F*ck

7. (the continuing story...) OK, we are definitely doing that again. But seeing as it is nearly 6am now, how about breakfast? Anywhere you'd like to go or should we fix our own? What do you like? Or is there something else we need to do first? We BOTH need a shower. Shall we skimp on water?

BONUS: What have I done to deserve this? Some people are just blessed, is all I can say

Sunday, June 02, 2002

Evening folks!
Well, it appears that Jeeem has his next adventure planned: he's going to South Africa to meet Eve. Jim just got back from China last month...I'm not sure when the South Africa trip is planned. His archives links aren't working right now, so I'll just point you to his current page. He has a great restaurant review he and Louie ate at the same restaurant but in different towns???, the latest gossip from his burg, his lost tomato story, and of course...all about Eve! Check her blog out too!

Jeeem likes to style himself as a "rogue". He told the story of sending a fellow scout to the hospital. Well, Mr. Jeeem, even we upstanding uptight girl scout types have been known to send folks to the hospital. Yep, it is true. I was seven that summer. We were staying at Grandma's farm because Grandpa had died the previous year. A hay wagon was parked in the side year, and some of the neighbor kids and I were jumping off it. Well, I got silly and got in the way of one of the boys as he went to jump...and smack...down he went. They I don't remember who, I was only seven carted him off to the hospital, while I was sure that I had killed him, because, you see, I knew I had killed my Grandpa. mmmhmm, I was sure of it, because the week before he died I had dropped a yardstick down the grate which of course I wasn't supposed to be playing with and I dreamed that he died going to rescue the yardstick and I never did see him again, because he did die but not because of the yardstick (which was sitting by the back porch for the next dozen years) and I was only a kid so how could I know I hadn't really killed him? *oops, take a breath, Shirl* Anyway, I didn't kill the kid either, thank goodness. To this day I can remember sitting on Grandma's lap as she talked on the phone and hearing that he only had a broken arm. Talk about relief.

So anyhoo, Mr. Jeeem rogue guy...beware of stuffy stiff Girl Scouts when jumping off hay wagons.
Following up on Sunrise/Sunset:
Naval Academy's Site.
Old Farmer's Almanac.
Arthropolis links.
Sunrise/Sunset.

The movie Insomnia made me think about the variations in sunrise/sunset time. Right now our sunrise/sunset is 6:02 a.m./9:10 p.m. What are the sunrise/sunset times in your part of the world?

Saturday, June 01, 2002

Been awhile, I need my quiz fix.


What Jelly Belly flavor are you? I'm -








Find your flavor here!


Happy Birthday, Lynn's Blog!
Lynn's blog at Lucid Dreaming is one-year-old today. I think I must have started reading it right after it was born...that first page looks very familiar. I was new to blogging myself, and it was great to find someone to read who was closer to my own age. (Though Lynn is by no means as old as I am *grin*.) Lynn was a great help to me when I fell a bit apart after turning fifty...I often think of her advice, and it really works. So...Happy Birthday, Lucid Dreamer!
btw, visiting Lynn's site will probably make you hungry...she's done wonders with fruits...yum!