It's going to be a busy day today with inventory at work and a party tonight. I'll catch up with you all tomorrow, but until then:

I Hereby Resolve:

The times they are achanging.

Just came back from nephew Tall Paul's 17th birthday party. There has been a definite change in the family mix that has been evident this holiday season, and I've just figured it out. We have no more little kids in the family. The two youngest nieces are ten now, double digits, closing in on 5 feet. They're just not little people anymore.

The times they surely do cycle. I figure another 3-5 years, and I'll start having grand nieces and nephews. But it will be different. My hands aren't as strong anymore, I probably won't be able to rock them to sleep as I did most of the current generations. I'll be dottier and goofier and . . . oh well, they'll figure out what to do with me.

Night!

From bryn:


Dwarvish


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

And: what do you believe is peanut butter's role in a strong democracy?

Uhoh. Go Green didn't. Michigan State lost to Nebraska at the Alamo Bowl.

Yay!

We are so happy! Susan's sister Robin has been upgraded from critical to serious. Glad to hear the good news!

Well, it's back to work for the last three days of 2003. And that includes the dreaded I-word. Inventory. Argh!

It's also another chance to say Go Green! as the Michigan State Spartans battle Nebraska in the Alama Bowl game tonight. And Roscoe: good luck in the chess tournament!

Woke up again, so let's do Monday Madness! Maybe I can be first.

1. List three words to describe yourself. Female/Fifty/Friendly
2. List three words to describe your job. Freedom/Repetitious/Necessary
3. List three words to describe your computer. ME/Compaq/15"

From bryn's:


What Kind of Cookie Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ferro Lad has started some interesting predictions for 2004. Hmmm.

Sunday's Unconscious Mutterings:
I say ... and you think ... ?

Seeker:: Finder
Mirror:: on the wall, who's the fairest
Fire:: Ice
Goblet:: Chalice
Empty:: Full
Secrets:: Whispers
Defense:: Secretary
Hatchet:: Job
Vapour:: Air
Ministry:: Pastor

They hang around all year. I guess we'd better give them citizenship!

Seriously, they are beautiful birds, but when there's a herd of a hundred to hundred fifty hanging around the lawns can become quite treacherous. And I find myself throwing my hand over my head when a Vee is coming in for a close landing.

Didn't you just really really really need to know all this? Have a great Saturday night!

Laura is visiting her mom in West Virginia. Pretty scenery!

Saturday Morning. . . .

We develop habits in the blogging world as in any world. On Saturday morning I usually head right over to EasyBakeCoven to see if Susan has posted her Saturday Morning Me yet, and see who all is visiting her. (Kane is usually visiting in his underwear which is always funny.)

Susan's sister Robin is critically ill this holiday, and Susan is in Tennessee with her. And yet she still found the time to drop this comment yesterday:

I'm still in Tennessee. No change in Robin. But I'm hopeful and prayerful.

And that's how we we are this Saturday morning Susan. We're hopeful and prayerful for two wonderful sisters.

Go Green!

Roscoe had a close encounter with the Michigan State cheering squad! I surely do wish he had had his camera! Michigan State is in San Antonio, getting ready for the Alamo Bowl on Monday night.

And So It Was Christmas.

And a lovely one it was, with the white stuff coming down and surprising us Christmas morning.

True to form, my brother Boo and his middle daughter Emma had Mom's driveway clear and ready for the holiday participants almost before the snow had stopped.

There were nineteen of us gathered, and the gifts were so many that we had to move them out to the vehicles as soon as they were opened. There are additions coming to the family, it seems: Niece one is getting married in August so of course her love was there. And now, niece two has a "special young man" and he celebrated with us. This is a very nice thing.

After gifts we dined on a sumptious ham feast in the newly renovated garage, which maintained a beautiful 70 degrees. Yay to the construction crews that have worked throughout this year to give Mom her dream of a "place big enough for everyone to sit down to eat together".

Then chit-chats and a couple of naps and then the caroling. Oh yay. We are fortunate that brother Crits is a pianoman . . . makes our warbling sound almost decent. It was a super birthday party.

King

Tis the birthday of a

Sisters are special.

I know. I have one. And in the blog world I've enjoyed watching the sister relationship of Susan and Robin. And now Robin is in intensive care, and Susan is heading off to Tennessee to be with her. Our hearts are on the ground for these two special people, and our prayers are that all will be well.

Okay, so I went to the doctor today. And: You're doing fine, you're on the upside, here are some drugs to ease the congestion, you have about two more days. Yay, there is hope.

I felt silly for going to the doctor, but sometimes it seems important to be checked and verified. Both the doctor and nurse had very gentle hands and kindness and I really needed that.

I'm glad I went.

Report on the Whatever it is, Day 3 1/2.

Okay, the temperature is in the 99's now. The congestion seems to be breaking up and not settling lower. I'm going to go to work this afternoon for a 1/2 day, try to ease back into things. *sigh*

Speaking of temperatures, normal is just a number, I know. What is your normal temperature?

Thanks everyone for all the well-wishes!! I'm still struggling here. Had to postpone a small party I was giving this afternoon, but everyone was kind and understood. (No one wants to risk the f** word or one of its variations.) Oh, and the ginger bath is lovely! Thanks, bryn!

From bryn's:

Congratulations! You're a Bunny Hug!!

ummm. I hope that the fact that my temperature is 101 is about being tired and not about the other f** word. There isn't enough time to be sick!!!!

Oops, not quite gone yet. From Bryn's:
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks? CREEK
2. What's the thing you push around the grocery store? SHOPPING CART
3. A metal container to carry a meal in? LUNCH PAIL
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in? FRYING PAN
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people? COUCH or DAVENPORT
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof? EAVES TROUGH
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening? PORCH
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages? POP
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup? PANCAKE
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself? SUB
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach? TRUNKS
12. Shoes worn for sports? TENNIS SHOES
13. Putting a room in order? CALLING IN A BULLDOZER
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark? FIREFLY *GRIN*
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball? I don't know this one
16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down? TEETER-TOTTER
17. How do you eat your pizza? WITH PEPCID AC
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff? GARAGE SALE
19. What's the evening meal? SUPPER

I always like these dialectical thingees.

Now I have to go!

Well, we're in the middle of the whirlwind now! *grin*

Last night was the holiday concert at the middle school. Glory, my eighth grade niece, is first violist (note that bit of auntie pride there???). Now I grew up playing violin, and Glory's dad grew up playing the bass, but this band of 8th graders is the best I've ever heard! They have a nifty teacher whose name is: Mr. Rosen! The man was destined for orchestra work. He loves music so much and has opened up the practice rooms before school, during lunch, and after school, and it surely shows in the way his orchestra sounds. Mmmmm.

There must have been something in the air last night. A fight broke out after the concert between two boys. It was broken up quickly, but we heard someone yell "takes a big man to punch a girl who is 4 months pregnant". At middle school level. Yikes.

Went to Meijers after the concert to pick up the stuff for the jello salad for the turkey fry today. (I just put it in the 'fridge. Got done quickly enough this morning that I could jabber here for a few minutes. Anyway, I digress.) There was a hubbub as I was checking out. Kids again. Shoplifting. One was caught and they had the plastic 'cuffs on him. Three police cars arrived, two taking off after the others. Something in the air, I guess.

Well, have to keep rolling here. Wishing you a fun and busy and happy Friday. Without any fights or shoplifters. See ya!

Hey, this works. Thanks, Rune!

Mandarin meg is talking about blogger lists, you know, like A or C or whatever lists. Go weigh in, it's a discussion. Oops, please go weigh in.

You have to start somewhere, and you have to start some time. RW

Oh great. I tried to stave them off, but here come those dadgum Christmas bluesies!!!

Edit: Think orange think orange!

Half-Acre Home Plot.

I have always admired the self-sustenance of the early 20th century farmer. Mom talks about the grocery truck coming around once a week, and how she really really really wanted a can of pork and beans, but her dad said, no. They had their own.

I've thought about the cows for milking and for slaughter and the chickens and the orchard (both apples and pears) and this 1928 Almanac lays out a 1/2 acre home plot that should provide food for 12 months for five persons. They even space the rows for horse cultivation, which brings up another Mom story. They had a team of horses when she was little: Prince and Dan. Her dad had said she could drive the team when she reached a certain age. You know, the classic put-off. However, kids remember things, and on that birthday she was ready to drive the team. Unfortunately, her dad had forgotten what he said. How do parents manage????

The ideal garden would include: grapes, puple cap raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants, red raspberries, trawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, winter onion, herbs, chives, horse-radish, early potatoes followed by late turnips, spinach, kale, winter radish, onion seed, cress, spinach, lettue, early turnips, kohl rabi (ick, worse than brussel sprouts, bryn!) rutabagas, peas, cabbage, lettue, endive, bush beans, beets, sweet corn (oh yum, 450 feet of that), cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash, muskmelons, snap beans, dry shell beans, lima beans, peppers, tomatoes and Late potatoes.

Okay, breaking for a moment. Before me is a 1928 Everyday Almanac and Home Helps from the City National Bank. (This is not a replica, this is the real deal. My mother was born this year, and I suspect Grandma Bea kept it because of that. Anyway.) We shall be quoting from it at random today.

The wisest men that ever you knew
Have never deemed it treason
To rest a bit -- and jest a bit,
And balance up their reason:
To laugh a bit -- and chaff a bit,
And joke a bit in season.

Carl Sams and Jean Stoick are Michigan wildlife photographers who have created a lovely book and video, Stranger in the Woods. I highly recommend both!

Just did a google fight.

Fifty beats forty and twenty-one.
Thirty beats fifty.

Yes, I am home from work today, and yes, I had better get to work on my Christmas cards!

Fairy Dust.

I spilled a small vial of glitter last night. That stuff is hard to clean up! I'll be trailing fairy dust for the next couple of days, I'm afraid.

That's Grandma Bea's candle burning there. Grandma Bea was my mother's mother. She lived with us from the time I was five until I turned 11. She had grown up an only child, beloved by her parents and her husband. But in her fiftieth year, her parents had been gone for five years and Grandpa Chris passed away.

Grandma lived with us in the winter and we lived on the farm with her in the summer. However, a noisy brood of five kids can be a bit much, so after a few years she started going to Florida with her friend Eva for a few months each winter. Now, you have to understand that Grandma Bea once got lost driving from the farm into Lansing, a distance of oh, about nineteen miles. But somehow she and Eva made it to Florida each winter. Some people will do anything for a little peace and quiet. I smile when I see pictures of her during those Florida trips. She had the world's worst feet, but she's decked out in what I call her "boy-chasing" shoes.

Eventually she did find a boy, right around the corner from her farm. She and a widower of a close friend started going to the drive-in church Sunday nights. Eventually, they got married, and so we all got another grandpa, Grandpa Larry.

Grandma was a great touch for school fund-raisers. Several years we sold candles. When we cleaned out the farm after Grandpa Larry's death, we found a box of the candles. I burn them for a few hours in December.

I'm burning one tonight. December 16 was Grandma Bea's birthday.

Looks cool!

Sadness strikes.

My sympathies to Lynn on the loss of her father. {{{hugs}}}

Survivor All-Star.

For all Survivor fans: The All-Star game is starting February 1. Now, I know that the list of contestants has been posted in some places, but who would you like to see return from previous games? My number one, two and three picks would be Colby Colby and Colby! Thanks for the thought, bryn!

Sharing in meg's and cindy's

joy

and so, another work week begins. Cheers!

From otto, the Monday Madness:

Well the final episode of 'Survivor' is on, but there's a commercial on SO, here comes this week's questions. It's all about color. For the following 10 items, name the color that, in your opinion, best describes it.
1. your mood: blue
2. your personality: yellow
3. your job (or your past job) OR your school: green
4. your home: orange
5. your imagination: purple
6. nature: green
7. your name: brown
8. wealth: blue
9. the perfect car: green
10. good health: yellow

And . . . It's time to pick your final Survivor boot order. I'll put mine in the comments.

Swiped from meg:

peace

Wonderful!

Sunday's Unconscious Mutterings:

I say ... and you think ... ?

Warning:: Danger
Aspirations:: Dreams
Starvation:: Hunger
Lid:: Pot
Sketch:: Pad
Interrogate::Question
Credit:: Card
Scotch:: Whiskey
Confused:: Addlepated
Paris:: France

Saw it first at Still Life:

Are You Grammatically Incorrect?

Not bad
But you may want to think twice about pursuing a career as a copy editor. You got 7/10 correct.

I was doing a google on Jud Heathcote, former Michigan State Spartan basketball coach, and came up with this article on college basketball coaches and their trees. Good words for Heathcote/Izzo, Coach K, and Coach Bobby Knight.

You are Spearmint.
You are quick-witted and sharp. You pay close
attention to details and you can tell what your
friends are feeling. You are always the first
to understand a joke and you are valued for
your insight and advice. However, you
sometimes isolate yourself from other people,
afraid to share your own feelings.
Most Compatible With: Cinnamon


Which Tic-Tac Flavor Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Let's do a "Yule-tide / Christmas Wreath Link"??

Lynn says:

I really like this little wreath graphic that Anne sent me, so let's use it. Save this wreath to your HD and link it back to me, your visitors will link back to you, and so on and so on and so on .... and I will link it back to Anne. OK, .... so, .... who's up for it?

LA has been feeling a little gicky too, so she left us these questions:
Anyhow, have fun with the questions.

1. What is your favorite word...Sunshine

2. What is your least favorite word? Work

3. What turns you on? Great hands, great eyes, a mind that sees possibilities, sense of humor

4. What turns you off? Snobbishness

5. What sound do you love? (or your favorite sight?) Sounds: Babies laughing, my nieces' orchestra playing, wind in the trees in autumn, waterfalls.

6. What sound do you hate? (or your least favorite sight?) Train whistles in the night and doves cooing. Oddly, because I love riding trains and doves are supposed to be peaceful.

7. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? National park ranger

8. What profession would you not like to participate in? Dentist, proctologist

9. What is your favorite curse word? Dang, followed by f*ck

10. If heaven exist, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Good Morning, Shirl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

December 13th we have not one, but two birthdays from the old blogroll. mmmhmm, yes. Cybertoad has reached a significant milestone (I can hardly remember that particular one) and Robin still hasn't reached the "other side"! Happy Birthday to both of you! {{{hugs}}}

well, this bites. I can't get into this site. I can get into other blog*spot sites, but not my own. Is it a sign???? Even the internet is rejecting me??? This is not a good time for this to happen. *sigh*

This has been a low energy week. I've had a touch of something (I know, I know, I'm kind of touched but . . . ) and it has been a real effort to keep one foot going after the other. But here we are on Friday. Whew. Have to leave early for work as there is a benefits meeting. Wonder what will be cut in 2004?

And say . . . wasn't that a super Survivor?!?

Later, gators!

Be prepared for an influx of big green men, Roscoe. The Michigan State Spartans are playing in the Alamo Bowl!

Mandarin meg is such a sweetie! She's been doing some transcontinental blogging for my cyber-bro Jeeem, who is teaching in China now. Great job, meg and Jeeem!

Survivors Ready!

Coming up on the end of the season very fast. Pick your bootee!

Saturday was one of our excursions to the countryside. It was time to take the wreaths to the cemetery and to stop at the craft sale at the old one-room schoolhouse that my greatgrandfather, grandmother, mom, and I attended. (See how old I am?)

This isn't the "pretty" side of the building. The picture is taken from the far corner of the school yard. That appendage on the building? Well, they had to find someplace to put the "indoor facilities".

Wake up with a little Monday Madness.

All you have to do for this week's questions is put a number (1-10) as your answer; 1 being worse or lowest, 10 being best or highest. Let's have some fun! The following questions all begin with...
On a scale from one to ten.........
1. How proficient are you in typing? 9
2. How well-organized are you? 6
3. How adventurous are you? 6
4. How cool is the outfit that you're wearing right now? 2
5. How well do you sing in the shower? 8
6. How cool do your kids nieces and nephews think you are? 9
7. How well do you manage your money? 3
8. How efficient are you when it comes to meeting deadlines? 9
9. How much do you like winter? 6
10. How big of a 'pack-rat' are you? 9

Okay, I can finally quit playing the Design game. At last I hit the "to die for" range.

oh, it's SO nice to have blogger back!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNN!

I'm sure it's not a secret, so please . . . go here, and welcome Lynn to the Other Side!

Am I the first? Unconscious Mutterings:

I say ... and you think ... ?

Blizzard:: Snowstorm
J:: Doctor
Control:: Freak
Blood:: Plasma
Mysterious:: Stranger
Annoying:: Gnat
Throat:: Sore
Condom:: Protection
Search:: Light
Heartfelt:: Thanks

Why no, I'm #10!

Bryn made mention of it in the comments: Leslie Harpold's Advent Calendar is up!

Leslie is a Michigan native, now from San Francisco. This is her third year of doing the on-line Advent Calendar and I love her holiday memories.

Don't you just love the 3 AM blues?

Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves?

(Question prompted by The Last Samurai, I always like Brad Pitt, and the new movie with Jack Nicholson/Diane Keaton/Keanu Reeves.)

Mandarin meg said steal it: so I did. But is it stealing if the owner tells you to take it? Anyway, meg features Rageboy with a guest spot on tools he uses for blogging.

Okay, I found this one over at bryn's. Not sure that it fits (well the mouse thing does) but I just love the pictures that go with the quiz.


Girly Girl


What kind of little girl were YOU?
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Well, I suppose Maine is a little like Michigan: lots of water, lighthouses.

Maine is your state. It's pretty and nice and
quiet and not crowded. I love Maine, so do
you.


What State Is Perfect For You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Yesterday morning had a bad start, but all is well.

Phone rings yesterday morning at 7:15. It's my brother Crits. "Mom's not answering her phone."

(A bit of background. For years my mother's BF would call her in the morning to wake her up. When he passed away last year my brother took over that task. It has been a good way for the two of them to reconnect.)

"Probably the ringer isn't working," I say.

"Probably not, but I'd better drive over and see what's going on."

"Okay." I finish getting dressed and think no way am I going to work. I call him back. "I'm headed that way too."

So I'm thinking, her hearing is bad on one side if that's the side she fell asleep on. And I'm thinking the girls were there yesterday, they would have known if she was sick. And I'm thinking she felt great at Thanksgiving, in her garage that the boys have fixed up as a holiday room. And we raked leaves on Sunday.

And I make the turn onto Miller Road and thoughts intrude of other phone calls that have ended badly (we've all had them, haven't we) and I get jittery and I start crying a little by the time I hit Cedar and then I take a deep breath and think no, it's her phone or she has a cold and can't hear or . . . whatever.

I pull into her driveway and Crits' truck is there. I take a deep breath and before I can exit my vehicle, the house door opens and she's there.

Whew. All is well for this day.

Ouch. My leg hurts. I fell asleep on my Santa flashlight. Okay, so sometimes I'm over fifty and sometimes I have trouble reaching 5.

Congratulations,
Blue Devils

Yes, Susan, your Blue Devils did an awesome job last night! Great team!

Survivors Ready? It's on Thursday this week!

Choose your bootee.

Uglier and Uglier.
Duke 63 - MSU 38.

I can't take any more . . . Susan, your Dukies are certainly the better team tonight!

At the half it is Duke 38 - MSU 24. Ouch!

All righty Susan . . . Mebbe I better run over to Breslin and put the fear of Shirl in those boys.
Duke 33 - MSU 17.

Duke 22 - MSU 15. Izzo is going to be mighty mad in the locker room if things don't straighten out.

Duke 17 - MSU 13

Swiped from Bryn:

you are cyan #00FFFF

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

8 to 9 Duke leads by one.

10 to 12 Duke leads by two.

Go Green
I know, I know, football is over and I've said that I don't really get into basketball until March Madness. However, over the weekend my sister (Tall Paul's mom) got basketball tickets to the Spartan Classic and they invited me along. Sports in person are so much fun. The Tournament was a rematch of teams that were in the Final Four in 1979, a year that MSU won the National Championship. Magic Johnson was there (he's originally from our town and was the powerhouse on the Championship team) and we won. It was cool.

Well, tonight we're playing Duke, a fine always dominant tremendous team that beat us in the Final Four in 1999. And here's a secret: Susan at EasyBakeCoven is a Duke fan. So go razz her. The watchword is: GO Green. I doubt if you'll have to say who sent you.

Something I have never figured out is skinning blogs, but BySandandSea sure has it figured out.

We now have IMAX at the Celebration Cinema!
The new theater opened Thanksgiving, and on Thanksgiving night we saw Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West. Mom and I spent a lot of time in Missouri River country last summer, and a full day at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Great Falls, so we were very interested in seeing this production. It was our esteemed position that it was too short (45 minutes) and thus glossed over aspects of the journey, but the photography was Breathtaking! Nephew Cubby (12 years old) sat in the front row middle so that he could truly be in the scene.

My middle initial is E. It should stand for earnest. Boring.

Note: Blog*Spot sites are down. Hopefully they will return soon.

NaNo revisited, part 2.

This was my second year doing the NaNo thing. Last year I hit 20,000 words. I had started with a general idea and was going great guns, but just gave up somewhere in the middle.

This year I planned for NaNo. I had a specific idea and I knew how I wanted Act 1 to go and how I wanted Act 3 to behave. I was clueless on the middle, but figured I'd give it a shot. The story is about a man who falls off a mountain and sustains a Spinal Cord Injury, and how that changes not only his life but the lives of those around him. As always, the 'net was a huge source of information on SCI's, and act two took some turns based on the material I found there.

I kept a daily production log, which was invaluable. At somewhere around 20,000 words one tends to think "I just can't physically do this." The production log showed that it was indeed doable, just keep putting one word after the other. Even so, I almost screwed up at the end (that dang turkey *grin*).

I had one character who was supposed to be just a bit player, part of the opening act. Darn guy kept wanting to intrude, so he has a major scene in the middle, and is there at the end. He is a very nice character, but he sure was pushy about getting his page time!

Learning to turn off the negative voices, both internal and external, was a battle. However, some positive internal voices from the past turned on, and that was very good.

I thought I would be totally pumped at the finish line: you know, throwing things off the balcony, doing a happy dance, popping champagne. But as I waited for the verification program to run, the overwhelming emotion was one of peace.

NaNo, no matter what the end word count, is an eye-opening experience. I highly recommend it.

Yay! LA is back!

NaNo revisited, part 1.

Thanks to everyone who gave encouragement on the NaNo project! It was much appreciated!

A special thanks to Bryn, who kept the NaNo links going throughout the month of November. That was a huge boost! And I love the new Christmas design.

Also, if you haven't checked out Kat's Art Every Day page, you might want to do it now. Kat is an artist who used the NaNo energy to commit to creating art every day. Great stuff!

More revisits coming.

I did it in 16 seconds.
I deserved an A-!!
Take the How Dexterous Are You? Quiz!!

Monday Madness.

It's all about memes...........let's talk about memes!
1. How many memes do you participate in regularly? Two and a half
2. How do you decide which memes you participate in?
a) the meme is posted on a regular basis, b) the owner stops by on a regular basis to see the answers, c) I like the questions at least three out of four weeks. At present I am not adding any new memes, because once I start one I like to continue it and for some odd reason I'm out of time.
3. Do you run one of your own meme? If so, please leave your link! If not, have you thought of running your own? I submitted ideas for one a few months back
4. Is there a certain day of the week that works better for you to answer memes than others? Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.

The answer is:

All righty now, the chase is on. Will she or won't she make her NaNo goal by midnight?

Oho! A new game here, lifted from Onyx! I got "needs room for improvement". I shall return to it, after the NaNo project is done or we hit midnight, whichever comes first!

Thanks, kiddo!

As always, Sunday brings Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Scrooge:: Charles Dickens
Ribbon:: Present
Physical:: Fitness
Income:: Tax
Dream:: Reality
Notebook:: Journal
Disney:: World
Combo:: McDonalds
Booty:: Survivor!
Skin::Cover

Turkey Day +2

Now I remember why Monopoly isn't my favorite game. I suck at monopoly.

We hadn't been playing games for awhile as an extended family. When all the nieces and nephews were little it was hard: it seemed like one ALWAYS was having trouble going to sleep and had to be rocked or soothed or taken around the block in the car. Then there was always one or two or six wanting to play with us and that limited options. But now that they're all over ten, we're back to playing (with them, of course).

Last big gathering we played Apples to Apples. It's a word comparison game and I highly recommend it. It works well on many different levels. We played it with an age group ranging from 10-75 and everyone had a blast.

The family that brought Apples to Apples last time forgot it this time. Monopoly was the choice this weekend. Ten people playing the game is pushing it pretty hard, and I made some bad deals. I was out first. We had started at 8:00 p.m., I was out by 10:15, and they were still going strong at midnight, when I had to leave.

I better go buy an "Apples to Apples" game. I suck at Monopoly.

What is your favorite/suckiest game?

Black Friday Report from Michigan.

Mmmm. That was a nice nap. And I really needed one after getting up early and leaving the house this morning at 5:15 to go after Thanksgiving day shopping.

And why would someone subject themselves to the thundering hordes that hit the stores on this busiest of retail sales days?

Edit: Actually, in our city it is only the 4th busiest of the retail sales days. My error.

Tradition.

I paid part of my college expenses through working retail in a China Shop. (Talk about the classic "bull in the . . . ") I loved the excitement of Black Friday then: the anticipation, the excitement, the people, the holiday spiritedness.

For a goodly number of years I worked in an office on Black Friday. I missed the mayhem, but you have to pay the bills. For the last ten years, our owner has closed the office over Thanksgiving for a long holiday weekend. **smooches** This has enabled the sister-in-laws and me to hit the stores.

Tradition.

Tradition is strongest, I believe, when it is flexible. Four years ago we started taking a couple of the older girls with us when we went out on the post-Thanksgiving foray. We stopped at a photographic booth in the mall for a picture of the girls. It was one of those booths that takes a picture then renders it in a pencil sketch according to an artist's style. The pics are Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo or Rembrandt. We've taken one each year since.

This year the 12-year-old nephew joined the entourage. We again hit the photo booth. Three pics are taken, and then one pose is chosen for the rendition. As a lark for one of the poses, the two girls put the boy cousin in the middle, smooching him from both sides. The other two poses were standard straight ahead smiling faces. Guess which one the kids wanted printed? Yep. The smoochey one. A new addition to the tradition.

As to the Black Friday report, from our visit of one mall, one Meijer, and one Target:

1. Sales are brisk, but not record.
2. People have achey feet, and multiple remedies for said feet were the major door-busters.
3. People are cold. Many throws are featured. Best selling ones appear to be variations of down-filled, followed by patterned fleece.
4. Cranium is one of the go-to games this year.

Edit:
5. Girls prom dresses are sleek with spaghetti straps and cut on the bias ruffles.
6. Best Buy might have had the best buys. Their line was huge!

For alternate thoughts on shopping the day after Christmas, check here.

And how was your Black Friday?

Ack! Just called over to Mom's and she says "I'm already starting to dither." Yikes! I hadn't planned on that until 1:00 p.m. today. Not sure what is going on, one of the brothers is already there with his family. Niece #2 didn't show up to see how to fix the turkey, maybe that's it. Anyway, I have a pumpkin pie in the oven now, but when it gets done I'll pack up and head over there and see what's going on. We oldest sisters do have our duties cut out for us some days . . . keeping Mom from dithering is at the top of the list.

We do Christmas well, we're still trying to work out Thanksgiving. One year I actually had to come home before the meal, get a slug of vodka (Mom is a teetotaler), breathe deeply for a few minutes, and head back. But there will be good moments. . . Playing the "I'm thankful game . . . " at the table for one. (I forgot to start it one year: oldest nephew remembered and it made me glad we had started that tradition.) We also play a pass the gifts game to the tune of the "ands" in Night Before Christmas. I get to get rid of some shopping mistakes I've made through the year in that one. (Yes, it's true. My name is Shirl and I'm a shopaholic."

So wishing you a splendid Thanksgiving (for those of you in the States celebrating it) and a splendid day for those not. And hopefully we can all stay out of the Vodka bottle. (Unless that was part of the plan.)

See ya!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

oh gosh! If you're on blogger, go do the free trial of audblog. It's fast, it's easy, and and and . . . I wanna hear what you sound like!!!! (I've talked to bryn before, she has a great voice!)

audio post powered by audblog

I'M THANKFUL FOR. . .

Charity Tuesday.

Yesterday was our Charity Tuesday at work. On the last Tuesday of each month a rotating two of the office staff bring in goods for a bake sale. We dress per a theme to draw attention to the bake sale. This month it was a hunting/Thanksgiving headgear theme.

Usually we choose an agency type charity as the recipient of our donations. This month we went personal. Elsie's son's house burned down last week. It was totaled. The family is okay, but a beloved old dog perished in the fire. (He was found by the couch, so they think he never woke up. Whew.) Insurance will kick in, but we all know how that works. So this Tuesday was dedicated to them.

Following the theme, we had two Indians, two antlered deer, and two deer sitting on shoulders. One of the deer got the bright idea of allowing hunting season between 2-4. If the deer was struck by a paperwad during that time, she would contribute another buck. (Buck...hehe...get it? Oh all right, it's early in the morning!) The deer would be safe when she was in the swamp (her office). What the deer didn't know was that the boss was leaving at 2:00 p.m. Eek!

Anyway, we collected over $150.00 (our normal is around fifty dollars, except when we do the legs contest) so we were very happy.

Have a great Wednesday, and don't forget Survivor!

from Cindy's:


You are naturally born with a gift, whether it be
poetry, writing or song. You love beauty and
creativity, and usually are highly intelligent.
Others view you as mysterious and dreamy, yet
also bold since you hold firm in your beliefs.


What Type of Soul Do You Have ?
brought to you by Quizilla

Survivors Ready?

Ack! It's Wednesday night this week. Prepare to pick your bootee!

That's Directly Under the Tree!
As I was saying earlier, we were directly under the Tree at the Silver Bells in the City Program on Friday night. After the Electric Light Parade, the crowd sings a couple rounds of Rudolph. Then the Governor says a few words (it was her first year and I think she was quite impressed, but we're in the midst of a bunch of budget cuts and her reception was slightly lukewarm) and then the Mayor says a few words (the older gentleman won this year, we're glad, but his remarks were a little too long) and then all the dignitaries put their hands on the button. We count down from 10, and what you see is what happened at the end of the countdown.

There was a little trouble with the tree this year. It was found up in the Upper Peninsula, which put it some 400 plus miles away from Lansing. It came across the Mackinac Bridge in Gale Force winds. Branches were broken and tattered, but a local company wired fake branches in and extra lights were added. Like all Christmas trees, once it was lit it was beautiful.

Edit: Shoot, I forgot to put the funky edge around the pic to match the fireworks/dome shot. Out of time now, will do it this evening.

Let's kick off the week with a little Monday Madness.

Good day to everyone. This week's questions are all about reading. Let's go! (5 questions this week.........)
1. How many books have you read in the past year? Well, I was going to keep track on the sidebar, and did for awhile. There are 24 there, and I reckon another fifteen or so that aren't listed, so let's make it 39.
2. What book should be banned based on its boring subject matter? No books should be banned, because what is boring to one person might be the most interesting thing in the world to another.
3. What book should be (or should have been) on the 'best seller' list but wasn't? Hmmm. That's a toughie.
4. What time of the day do you do most of your reading?End of day. Take a book to bed. Don't know how many times I've fallen asleep with my glasses on, the book on my chest, lights keeping watch.
5. If you were to write a book, what would be its title? *grin* Kaleidoscope Man.

GREAT
WEEKEND
The weekend just keeps getting better and better. Michigan State won their football game yesterday, and won it well. It was a far cry from last year's game with Penn State where we were decimated 61-7. This game, of all the games, showed us how far we had come. Hats off to John L. and the Spartan Football team!

After I dropped tall Paul off at his home I headed out to Schulers Book Store to meet some NaNo'ers. L and E were very interesting women and I enjoyed hearing their stories. I was also pretty pleased with my personal improvement -- in years past I might have chickened out on meeting strangers. But other than one mild little panic attack in the bathroom right before I went to the cafe things went swimmingly. Whew!

Today is a huge catch-up day on NaNo and a visit over to Mom's this afternoon. Hope your day is terrific! Later!

As always, the Sunday Unconscious Mutterings:

I say ... and you think ... ?

Concert:: Music
Sydney:: Australia
Shower:: Cap
Patterns:: Colors
Market:: Place
Chair:: Sit
London:: Bridges
Reception:: Wedding
Republican:: Democrat
Cough:: Syrup

Michigan State University vs Penn State.

The last game of the regular Big-10 Football Season. It is a home game, and once again, thanks to the kindness of my boss, I'll be there, row 26, close to the north goal posts.

This has been an incredible up-and-down season for the Spartans. At one point we led the Big-10; the season got rougher and we're now 7-4. While we're discouraged that we aren't consistent, we are thankful that it wasn't the horrible season we had last year. All things are relative, I guess.

So for the last time (this season), hit it!

GO GREEN!!

It's Christmas Time In the City
Last night was the annual Silver Bells in the City here in the capital city of Michigan. Silver Bells is an annual event featuring an "Electric Light Parade", venues throughout downtown with family activities, the lighting of the State tree on the Capitol lawn and . . . fireworks over that Capitol. This is the second of our long-standing holiday family traditions (the first being the K-Mart shopping day). We were the gang directly under the Christmas tree this year. My oh my, there were tons of people (estimates were 90,000) but somehow we all found each other. (Usually we just rely on a sixth sense to know where we will be -- this year, I have to admit, we did use the cell phones.) We couldn't see the parade very well, but our view of the tree and the fireworks was SPECTACULAR!

Saw it at Joni's first.


You are Phlegmatic. You have a peace-loving
nature, and make a good listener and a faithful
friend. You do have a tendency to be selfish
and stubborn in your worst moments, and your
worrying can lean towards paranoia. Phlegmatics
should consider careers as accountants,
diplomats, engineers, and administrators. You
are a somewhat reluctant leader, but your
practicality and steady nerve under pressure
makes you a natural choice for leadership
roles.


Which of the Humours are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

. . .To Meg

The word is out on the grapevine: Michelle at Mandarin is having a birthday. Let's have a party!

Survivors Ready?

Time to pick your bootee.

oh yay! Michelle at Mandarin is trans-continental blogging for my little cyber-bro Jeeem, who is teaching in China. You kids rock!

I don't think we'll be able to see the Leonids here. We've had fog and rain and gloom since forever. *sigh* Let me know if you get to see them, please!

NaNoWriMo update.

NaNoWriMo is the project of the month. Goal, to write a 50,000 word piece of fiction by midnight, November 30. (And I think that's Pacific time . . . I may need that extra three hours.)

At the moment I'm at 25,424 words, which is 2,909 less than where I should be, but the gap is closing.

I'm also at the place where I'm trying to sabotage myself. I hate when that happens!

Happy Tuesday!

Your soul is bound to the White Rose: The
Pure.

"I've been waiting in the dark for a long
time, shining my beacon of hope through the
shadow. If you see me, don't you hide your
eyes from me."

The White Rose is associated with purity, honor,
and chastity. It is governed by the goddess
Artemis and its sign is The Cross, or Agape.

As a White Rose, you are a person of your word.
You may have a strong moral code, but
regardless of your virtue, you always stay true
to yourself. To you, love is the most pure of
emotional forms and it's just a matter of
waiting for it to bless you. Some people may
say you are too idealistic, but it's only
because you don't want to mess things up.


What Rose Is Your Soul Bound To?
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday Madness:
(very appropriate for this time of year)

Well the holiday season is fast approaching and that means shopping, decorating and baking! Have fun!

1. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If not, when will you be starting? I have started Christmas shopping. I had picked up a couple of things at a tupperware party back in August, but the traditional shopping starts the second Sunday in November. That is K-Mart family day, and one of the in-laws works in the pharmacy there. So several of us meet at about 5:00 p.m. that night. Rose, the youngest niece, is my helper, and she picks out gifts for the younger nieces and nephews. She has a good idea of what's in and makes me work easier. It's also a treat to hear her take on her siblings and cousins. The teen nieces and nephews are getting gift certificates this year.

I picked up another couple of gifts Friday. I probably won't do any more shopping until yep . . . another tradition . . . the Friday after Thanksgiving. A couple of sisters-in-law and I usuallly meet at 6:00 a.m. at Meijers and put in about four hours shopping time, picking up the "Black Friday" Christmas specials. Nothing heavy duty, but we enjoy hanging out.

The balance of gift buying will be staggered through December.

I do have to explain that these aren't large ticket item gifts. They're more "remembrance" items.

2. What are your favorite holiday goodies (baked goods, etc.)?

Cookies. All the fun cookies. And Christmas Eve we always have a traditional meal: Hot dogs and Potato Chips and Heavenly Pie. Yum.

3. Do you decorate for Christmas? Inside, outside or both? When will you be putting your decorations up? Inside I hae already started setting out my angel collection. There will also be a tree later. (I always want to get a real, but often end up putting up my little 4' artificial tree.) Lights will go on the balcony Thanksgiving weekend.

There ya have it, my plans for the holidays! Thanks, otto!

*sigh*
Sometimes I wish I hadn't googled something.

Take this, for example. It's a review of Coyote Waits, which is the PBS mystery special tonight. Definitely a downer of a review. I'll just have to see if I agree with it, I guess.

This page contrasts the book vs the script. Cool!

Have I mentioned that I really like Tony Hillerman, the author of the Leaphorn/Chee mysteries? And the executive producer of Coyote Waits is Robert Redford, another favorite. Funny how that works.
Happy Sunday!

Some Unconscious Mutterings:

I say ... and you think ... ?

Plan B:: uhoh, whatever happened to Plan A
Seattle:: Space Needle
The lady wore:: Red (at first I thought that was a typo. My bad)
Upsetting:: News
Tampon:: Prince Charles
Celebrity:: Entertainment Tonight
Baja:: Desert
64:: When I'm
RGB:: RedGreenBlue
Milkshake:: Malted

Yeouch!

56 - 14, and the score isn't in favor of Michigan State University. So sad.

from Bryn.

Master and Commander.

One of the lovely things about a day off without plans or obligations is that one can go to opening afternoon of a new movie instead of the evening showing. And so yes, I saw Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World yesterday.

I had never heard of the Aubrey/Maturin series of sea-faring novels by Patrick O'Brian until last June, when I interviewed one of our off-site owners for the company newsletter. He had just completed the twenty volume series. If I remember right, the very next week the posters for the upcoming movie were in the theaters. Talk about being top of mind.

The film is set on the high seas of 1805, where the war between England and France was being waged. I first became acquainted with the work of Peter Weir, the director, through the film Witness, where he had constructed the Amish world on film. In Master and Commander his genius again shows in the creation of the sea-faring world of that time period.

Oops. Wisconsin just scored. Listening to the game on the radio.

Oh crap. We're getting killed by our own penalties again. Dang.

Good Saturday morning! Just to get the juices going, please join me (or not . . . otto, you're always so sweet 'bout it, but I suspect you're a blue fan *grin*):

Go Green

A different kind of diversity needed? This was in my Newsweek, and I see it is in the online version as well.

"Thirty years of affirmative action have changed the complexion of mostly white universities; now about 13 percent of all undergraduates are black or Latino. But most come from middle- and upper-middle-class families. Poor kids of all ethnicities remain scarce. A recent study by the Century —Foundation found that at the nation’s 146 most competitive schools, 74 percent of students came from upper- middle-class and wealthy families, while only about 5 percent came from families with an annual income of roughly $35,000 or less."

I could get used to Fridays off.

Nothing like a couple thousand NaNo words, a facial, a hair treatment, an episode of K street to start the day out with a bang. Hope your Friday is great!

Note: Best word production comes when listening to Lose Yourself. Hmm.

How exciting! The Circulating Journal is headed to Germany!

Jimmy Carter (yes, the 39th President of the United States) has established another first. He is the first President to publish a book of fiction. The Hornet's Nest : A Novel of the Revolutionary War is now officially on my to-read list.

Cosmo's Kama Sutra Match and Moan. *evil grin*

THIS

Survivors Ready?

This week has flown! Time to pick those bootees!

Golly Gee!! You are NORMAN ROCKWELL.
You are a painter of simple, everyday happenings.
You tend to avoid the outrageous and stay well
within the guidelines of society. Your friends
count on you for your loyalty and level-
headedness.


Which famous artist most reflects your personality?
brought to you by Quizilla

Fell down on the NaNo word count yesterday. After work I went to the Veterans Day Parade. It's a short parade, but it didn't start until 7:00 p.m. Our parades, other than the big one in May and the Silver Bells in the City next week, are very small celebrations and I adore them. There were three bands this year, which was two more than usual, and the assorted Veterans groups. A lovely time.

Once home I HAD to watch the Andy Griffith reunion show. Good good memories. And Ronnie Howard sure grew up to be a fine director.

After that I ran a few hundred NaNo words, then thought maybe I'd lie down for "just a minute". Well, we know how that drill works. That's probably the biggest difference I see in being on "the other side" of fifty. I just can't keep going all night and all day. Drat!

Well, on to hump day now, and wishing you all a fine one!

Looking for more books to read? Check out this list.

The Dewey Color System says:

You're a Designer
You create new ways of improving environments. Your awareness of others and your surroundings allows you to assemble better supportive structures. You design new systems and ways of bettering work or living situations.


The passionate you enthusiastically seeks inspiration and a sense of magic in your relationships and undertakings. You regenerate people. You have the power to spark new possibilities.

The centered you knows how to play and create passion. You have the inner strength to eliminate situations that make you too serious. When all is quiet within, you understand what you really enjoy doing.

The emotional you needs to feel grounded. Reality can be disappointing. Accept each situation's truth and each person's motivation before you act. Ensure that your empowering determination is focused on agendas that can be accomplished.

Monday Madness:

1. How many 'meals a day' do you eat? One large, one medium and one mebbe. (Lunch, Supper, Breakfast)
2. Do you enjoy cooking? Why or why not? Yes. But do I do it very often? Nope. Just never seems to be enough time.
3. Who cooks most of the meals in your home? That would be me!
4. Share a favorite recipe with us. Hmmm. Gonna have to do a little looking for this.

Perfect quiz for NaNoWriMo: (swiped at bryn's)


Flannery O'Connor wrote your book. Not much escapes
your notice.


Which Author's Fiction are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

NaNoWriMo update.

Well, I'm behind. I'm at 8000 words and I should be at 15,000. But I'm not going to lower expectations just yet. I have a couple of days off coming, and I think there is still juice there.

Writing under pressure like this is interesting. I would so rather be proofreading and rereading, but there just isn't any time. Of course, that's what the game is all about, to do the production.

Characters have started taking on lives of their own. One character just switched her name. Bing. Like that. I had thought I had the name wrong, but when I just typed a passage that she starred in she came out with the new name. No thought. Same way another character is worming his way into the plot more. In the beginning he was just a minor transitional character. Now he wants to be a pivotal dude. These rascals. 'Course, it does make my work easier.

Good luck to all who are participating and bryn . . . thanks for the encouragement!

Lovely explanation, Roscoe , I stand corrected. *grin*

Time for Unconscious Mutterings.

I say ... and you think ... ?

Leapfrog:: Children's game
Co-workers:: Charity
Mustang:: Crash Davis from Bull Durham
Wafer::Nabisco
Nicotine:: Cigarette
Fast food:: McDonalds
Suffocate:: stop breathing
Myth:: Legend
Lane:: Lovers
Unexpected:: Phone Call

The Eclipse is underway. I'm in eating some soup, then will go back out to watch it some more. It's a bit below freezing right now, so I can't stay out for the whole show. Jennifer points to this site for photography tips.

Some people like to tease!

Kat was inspired by NaNo to do an Art-A-Day project. The results are here, and now I'm inspired. Great job!

Susan from NC always has a host of links. Some are political, some are musical, and the ones I tend to end up at are . . . well, go check it out for yourself. *blushing*

Okay, soup is gone, gotta go check on da moon! Hope you all have clear skies! See ya!

Sweet Aspirations now has comments. This is a good thing!

Stomach problems. That's my point of weakness. If I'm stressed out or don't eat right or get a flu-ish thing it usually settles in my stomach. So I'm used to taking care of bad tummy-itis. . . heck, I've crossed the Little Belt Mountains stopping at funky bars on the way when I've had a flare-up.

This week I couldn't get the turmoil in my system to settle down. And I feel achy. And I think I detect more strands of gray in my hair. And while my forehead is still wrinkle-free, what ARE those lines doing around my mouth? Where's the moisturizer? Age. Bah.

But things are looking up.

Twelve hundred more words for NaNo.

Touchdown, MSU!

Bryn's a super coach for NaNo. She left this in the comments this morning.

"Write where your energy is. From where you are most alive. From the centre of the storm".

She has links to seven other NaNo'ers on her site. Thanks!

Lynn's Saturday Snaps is back. This week . . . remembrance (of WWI and WWII). Check it out.

Oh yes, Roscoe, we would like to hear about the escalator moment.

Uhoh Laura. That football game noise that you're dreading? Umm . . . that wouldn't be the Michigan State - Ohio State game now, would it? Whoops. That's the "other side" of College Football. I have to say it, anyhoo...

Go Green!

you are the "you suck, and that's sad"
happy bunny. you're truthful, but can be a bit
brutal.


which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Santa arrived today. And guess what? I actually saw Christmas in some kids' eyes. Surprised the heck out of me. Where does the wonder go?

Right Brain or Left Brain?

Eclipse of the Moon coming Saturday night.

Can be seen in Eastern North America, South America, Europe and Africa. Also perhap another big flare. We've had cloud cover forever (well maybe not tonight). Has anyone seen the big auroras??

Survivors Ready?

Any thoughts on the returnees or possible bootees?

Michelle had it and I 'tole it.

"Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess."


-Elvis in 1956,
talking about his way of moving on stage.

Well darn. Got home, made a little supper, put up the Christmas lights below, and thought I would lie down for a few minutes. I just woke up. This is really going to screw up my NaNo count.

Snagged it at Bryn's:


You are the Christmas Lights.


What Christmas Ornament are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Maybe there's hope. Swiped from Onyx.

31.25 %

My weblog owns 31.25 % of me.
Does your weblog own you?

Waiting for Mayoral Results.

In January our elected Mayor left his position to take a post under our new Governor Granholm. This left the head of City Council as acting mayor, with an election to fill the remaining years of office held today.

This became an interesting battle. The Acting Mayor was born in Mexico, has been involved in Lansing politics for over thirty years, and is older. English is not his first language and it is apparent. His opponent was just elected to the State Senate, but has decided that being Mayor is his new calling.

I saw the two men at the Chili Cook-off held in the spring. The present Mayor was walking amongst the people with little fanfare. He looked like someone's grandpa. People would walk up to him and speak and then go on their way. The Senator dude was at the head of the entrance to the Chili Cook-off. As we were leaving, he grabbed our hands and asked how the chili was. "I'm just tooo busy to get down there and have some." Did he really think that he was hosting the thing???? (Can you see where my loyalties are???)

Anyway, it's a dead heat now. I guess I'll have to go to bed and see the results in the morning. (Or get back up around 2:00 am and peek.)

Lynn's developing a postcard collection. Check it out and send her an update!

David Letterman's son. Somehow I find that very touching. Maybe I'm just touched.

NaNoWriMo Word Count: 5103 words. I'm about 1500 words down from where I should be (ack, after only 4 days!) but things seem to be coming along easier the more I get into the story and I suspect I'll pick the lag up in the next few days.

Roscoe, Mz, Onyx, Ferro are all participating, and I enjoy reading their tales of how their writing is progressing. And what can I say about dearBryn who is coaching this year. She's right on target with her advice of today.

Just a reminder:

The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.

Monday Madness, it is. . .

1. What is your most artistic accomplishment? The photograph albums I have of my nieces and nephews
2. What is your favorite method of artistic expression? photography and playing the piano
3. Name one form of art that you haven't yet tried but would like to. I would like to learn to play the flute.

SUNSHINE

Uhoh. It's a rainy day AND a Monday.

Some places to visit culled from today's newspaper.

Has anyone checked out bloggingnetwork.com? Pay to play, but you can win prizes. Same article references blogger.com, YAY.

Ty Pennington of Trading Spaces has his own website. He also has a new book just out: Ty's Tricks.

Margaret Cho has a blog. (The paper notes a foul language warning.) Anna Kournikova has one also: it looks produced.

perhaps more will be coming . . . or perhaps not. . .hope you're having a relaxing day!

Mr. Frog's Omelet Recipe. Found at Sugar-n-Spicy.

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Taboo:: A perfume
Poison:: Pen
1983:: Boo graduated
Tim:: Regal
Groovy:: Feelin'
Italy:: Rome
Think:: Feel
Penthouse::Playboy
Shelter:: Storm
Twinkie:: Hostess

**whisper, arck, whisper** Voice is slightly gone. I wish the outcome could have been different, but it was an exciting game right down to the last second.

27 - 20

And now it's time to prepare to head to Spartan Stadium. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Go Green!

Just about a perfect Halloween night.

I live in an apartment which doesn't get any trick-or-treat traffic, so on Halloween I head over to my brother Boo's house to share in the fun there. Boo has three daughters. This year they morphed into: a 40's movie star, a pickle, and Sponge Bob-ette. Boo and I walked with the girls for the first half-hour or so, while his wife Ruby passed out goodies. (Her parents had stopped by.) When we returned to the house at about 6:45, Sponge Bob-ette had to remorph: her box was getting too hard on her shoulders. So she became something else. We're not sure what. She swathed herself in several velvet articles of clothing and she was good to go.

The night was perfect: in the high 50's, windy, dry leaves rustling and falling throughout the night. A good time was had by all.

And a Happy Halloween to All!

May your treats be many, and your tricks be few.

And my treat came early. Yesterday at about 10 a.m. the boss called me into his office. "So we're going to hit xxx in billings?"

"Yep."

"Would you like my Michigan State/UofM tickets?"

"Omigoshomigoshomigosh."

So tomorrow, at 12:10 Eastern Standard Time, I'll be in good old Spartan Stadium, shouting:

Go Green!!!

Oh man! I've been treated!. Can you guess? Have you been here enough times that this color is a clue? **BIG HUGE GRIN**

NaNoWriMo.

Yes. November is almost here. I'm participating this year, along with Roscoe, Mz, Onyx, Ferro and anyone else? Bryn is going to coach this year, supplying words of inspiration.

Roscoe's enthusiasm is inspiring. He even went to the kick-off in his area! (Of course, that deal was sweetened by the other participants, I do believe *evil grin*). And Mz completed her novel last year: that is inspiring.

And my other point of inspiration would be Rune's post about working out more. The spirit of that post translates to how I need to think about NaNo. She writes: And I need to be able to say, I'm ready for a change, and to drop the I think part. I need to say I'm going to write 50,000 words in November, and drop the I think part also!

Busy busy busy.

We ran end-of-month figures at work yesterday and it looks like we're going to have the busiest month we've had since July 2002. Now I feel a little better. The going to sleep by 9:00 and muscle spasms just MIGHT be caused by hammering away at the keyboard throughout the day.

Well gosh! I guess if I had $900.00 I could get tickets for Saturday's game! Prices tend to rise when the football game is between #9 and #11. Whoa.

We are talking about the Michigan State/Michigan football matchup here in East Lansing on Saturday. Let's hear it!

Go Green!!!!

Survivors Ready?

All righty now. This week it appears that a new twist has been added. Edited: Ack! I screwed up. I forgot not everyone watches the previews as closely. Sorry about that! My bad.

L

E

T

Me OUT!

One of my favorite things to do to impress people is whip off the value of e to the 15th decimal place. 2.718281828459045. Isn't that funny???? Aren't you impressed??? Don't I need a life???? (Can you tell what kind of day I had?)

What Irrational Number Are You?

You are π Of all the irrational numbers, you are the most famous. You have many friends and fans. Like many people, non-Euclidean geometry makes you feel uncomfortable. You are involved in so many things that it seems like it would take two of you to make ends meet. You are particularly close to the rational number 22/7. However, you and e have been called "remarkable." Your lucky number is approximately 3.14159265

Shiny Lemur Straif's Blog

I match my blogging twin Bryn! But I secretly have always wanted to be e.

Back into the trenches.

It was hard going back to work yesterday. Really hard. And I think "why?" And then I remember, oh yeah...to pay the rent, for the insurance, all that good stuff.

I think work basically is a 4-letter-word. I try mightily to find the good in the days, but some days are just too rough to overcome that feeling of prison.

But on the bright side: today is Tuesday, so it can't be a Monday, and it's Charity Day! That's the day we dress weird at work and have a bake sale for a charity we've chosen. We're not too weird today, just fall-related apparel. I do have to pay an extra $20 if Amy, our new dispatcher/clerical assistant, comes in a vest of wax-papered leaves. Hmmm. We'll see.

Thanks for letting me moan, and hope your day goes well! See ya.

Dang! I missed three on this spelling test. Good exercise. (Spotted at Green-Eyed Monster.)

Late autumn fern

Let's start the week out with a little Monday Madness.

1. Do you watch any 'reality shows' on television? If so, which is your favorite? If not, why? I watch two reality shows, Survivor and Amazing Race. And I actually like both of them about equally.
2. If you were offered a chance to be a part of any of the reality shows, which one would you choose? Why? Probably the Bachelorette show. Can't you just see it now . . . an other-side aged woman as the bachelorette? That would go over just ducky with the marketing people, I would think. *grin*
3. If you could pick your own team on 'Survivor' what qualities would you look for in the 7 people you would choose? That would be hard to decide, because that is the beauty of Survivor: you are judged both on how well you play with others and how well you play the game and ack! If I picked a dream team, how would we ever boot each other off after the merge? Basically, I would like honest, hard--working people on the team. Good looking men. Ugly women. Something like that.

And I'm a day late . . . but Happy Birthday, Cindy!

Lingerie, of course, is designed to make us feel sexy, but what do you put on just for you, that others may never notice, to make yourself feel sexy? Tell your readers about one particular item (or set of items) that you put on to impress yourself rather than the outside world, to inspire sensuality in yourself. Is it a particular set of under garments? Perhaps wearing your hair a new and provocative way? Does an expensive perfume, worn on only the most important of occassions, make you feel sexy?

Okay, okay, I know.....WAY too much information, but: garter belt and stockings. Nothing, but nothing, makes me feel so privately sensual as having them on. And what a hoot that is. . . because pantihose are SOO much easier, but still....

College Football.

You may have noticed that there was no Go Green! yesterday. This was because Michigan State had a bye week, so we were off raking leaves.

However, good stuff still happened. University of Michigan beat Purdue, leaving MSU in first place in the Big 10. This, after the disastrous season of last year, is nothing short of a miracle and a sure testament to the skills of our new coach, John L. Smith. This also sets the stage for next week's pivotal game. Michigan State hosts University of Michigan here. Last year we were trounced so badly by UofM (49-3) that my UM buddies didn't even want to tease me about the game. This year . . . is a whole different ballgame.

And so, I let you all off the hook yesterday for this, but you'll probably see it many times here on the "other side" this week:

Go Green!!

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Roadtrip:: Montana
Honey:: Moon
Flanders:: Molly
Vampire:: Dracula
Justice:: for all
Marine:: Soldier
Protractor:: Compass
Rubber:: Baby Buggy Bumpers
London:: Bridge
Jerry:: Lewis

Yum! The second day of an at-home vacation. Life is good.

One of the projects for today is to finish a small scrapbook for my latest 16-year-old niece Violet. Her birthday was actually in August, but this weekend is the first time we've gotten together with her family (they're the up-north bunch and are sooo busy). Of course, I could have finished it up in August . . . or September . . . but no. Procastination, thy name is Shirl.

I've used the mosaic method on one page. Photos are cut into one inch squares and then placed on a grid. A page of examples is here. It's an interesting experience to view one inch fragments of pictures.

Added about noon-thirty: If you're using eyelets or rivets in your paper works, get the little hammer that is for those projects! I tried to make do with a regular hammer: the balance isn't right. I've been having absolutely too much fun!

This afternoon I'm going to get a walk in, and then this evening I'm meeting a friend to see Veronica Guerin. Oh, how I love days off!

C O M M O N

Yum! Days off are so delicious. So far I've given myself a Burt's Bee Green Goddess Facial, done a foot massage, washed hair, took rent letter over to the rental office, paid some bills. And I've been able to do this in a calm, breathful way. It just seems like I've been running like crazy lately, and getting nowhere. Part of it is the work hours: 7:45 - 6:00 or later. Must work on reducing those. Somehow.

This afternoon I'll take the car in for an oil change (oh yay ~~ no waiting in the Saturday long line), take some stuff to the printer for work (okay, so I'm a glutton for punishment), do a little mid-day shopping (I always envy the women in the mall mid-day who look like that's when they ALWAYS shop...they look so relaxed) and then meet Carol at 4:00 at the Red Cross.
If I don't freak out (Carol's a good buddy, she won't tell on me if I do) we'll go have a bite to eat, then it's home to Survivor!

Don't forget to choose your bootee!

Uhoh. The Niagara falls guy is from Michigan.

I have two days off! Yippee!

My work friend Carol gives blood regularly. She has been talking up the experience and the value of donating, so tomorrow I'm going to the Red Cross with her. This will be my first-time. Eek!

BROCCOLI FREE ZONE

**waves** Hi Bryn!

Whoops! I fell off the caffeine-free wagon, but am climbing back on as we speak. End of confession time.

Playing with the boxes at Mandarin:

Time to pick your Bootee!
That's your Survivor Bootee, you understand.

Coming up on 72 hours caffeine-free. Helloooo, headache!

Just stumbled onto Andy Foulds Photography and Web Design. Sweet navigation!

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Country:: Farm
G:: Spot
Offer:: Help
Connection::Phone
Quest:: Man of La Mancha
Lighthouse:: South Manitou
Sycamore:: Zaccheus
Inhumane:: Treatment
Sneer:: Bad guy
Weapon:: Gun

Monday will never be the same.

Karen pointed to Daisy's list of Office Dares. Heck, lots of those are just SOP for us *grin*.

Wow! I am tickled green. Michigan State won today, and at present is #1 in the Big 10. No one would have believed it at the beginning of the season. So very much of the credit has to go to Coach John L. Smith and his staff for making this gang into a fine team.

We've a hard schedule left ahead of us, but for right now, we're #1!!!!

MSU 44 - Minnesota 38

Edited Sunday: Oops, my bad. I'm talking about U.S. College Football here and never said so. **hangs head in shame** Also, from what my friend Roo tells me, way different than "Aussie Rules Footie". Ah well.

New Lunch Time Experience
Yesterday I treated myself to a buffet lunch at the newly renovated Capitol Grille. When I was finished, I had a few minutes before I had to return to work, so I walked up to Michigania.

At the corner of Michigan and Washington (with the Capitol building looming to the west) was a stopped car, with a police car behind it.

On the way back from Michigania, a second police car had pulled up behind the vehicles. The officer was approaching the first officer and said, "Looks like we got lucky today."

My car was parked just a little way down Michigan, so I had to drive by the corner to get back to work. The young woman driver (probably no older than twenty-five, blond) was out of the auto and was being cuffed. One of the officers was holding her handbag, a dainty little gold thing.

I had never seen such a thing. Of course, I'll probably never find out what it was all about, but it made a good water-cooler story.