Palai Eboulethen

The Great Snowy Mississippi Squirrel

2012-01-10T15:35:00.001-06:00

I first spotted this fellow looking out my bathroom window, but, being busy and not having a camera handy, I could not get a shot. About a week later he (HE being the default gender for squirrels in my mind.) came right up onto our patio and we were able to snap quite a few shots. He even posed nicely at times.

The title of my post is, of course, tongue in cheek. There is no such thing as a snowy squirrel, and if there were, (or if I am wrong and there IS) I can guarantee you it is not indigenous to Mississippi.

The sighting of our oddity led to an afternoon's discussion of genetics and dominant and recessive genes. Seriously, what homeschool family would NOT segue spotting an albino ANYTHING in the wild to a biology lesson?

Would it not be cool if more and more white squirrels were born in this neighborhood? His presence obviously shows that some of the squirrels are carriers of the gene. If he mates up properly it could happen. Somehow I doubt squirrels are too picky about inbreeding. This is Mississippi, after all. (JOKING!)

In the neighborhood (if not a wider area of the town) where my mother-in-law's family home is the squirrels are black. I assumed at first that this was a regional difference. After all, I had heard of red squirrels but only ever seen grey. Turns out, I learned later, that it is a different species, but not one native to eastern Kentucky. The story I was told was that there was a local man who imported pet squirrels from Europe that eventually escaped.

It is easy to take something like what color a squirrel should be for granted. Seeing the black squirrels years ago in Kentucky, and now this white one...the change stands out immediately when you see it.

I suppose it says something about how safe our neighborhood is for wildlife. There is a reason albinism is so rare, and recessive genetics is only part of it.

Without zoom (wildlife photography must have been a nightmare before zoom.)

On the patio

Giving me a look

Speaking of "Inspired to Write..."

2012-01-10T15:12:00.000-06:00

I am thinking of picking up my author's pen (or keyboard) again. The stories are starting to bubble behind my eyes and my bout of panic/depression about DH being out of work is lifting. I need to do something creative. And since my sewing room is currently a disaster area (The damage reports from Hurricane Christmas are still being gathered,) writing is the easiest.

I find it embarrassing to tell people I like to write fiction. The inevitably leads to questions about content. Now that I have left college and started raising a family, there aren't many people around (that I speak with) who appreciate Science Fiction and High Fantasy. I feel like it would be less painful to just tattoo the word "NERD" across my forehead than to talk writing with people around here.

Did you ever feel like you were living on an island of "Things that Interest Me" surrounded by a sea of "Other People's Interests" ?

So, as I said, I don't like to tell people I write. Easy enough since it has been decades since I had anything published.

There are some things I think I need to just get over, like a quick tendency to embarrassment and worry about what people think, to the detriment of what I like or think is cool.

Non-sequiter - DH cannot find his Magic decks. Poor guy has looked all over the house and in the storage. My amazing brother made a Christmas gift to DH out of one of his own favorite decks.

My amazing Christmas gift from my amazing brother was something so amazing that very few people (especially in this town) can truly appreciate it. I collect dice. And 6 sided dice are too mainstream. (I guess I am a dice hipster.) D10s and d20s are my particular favorites. (That is 10 and 20 sided dice respectively, for those of you who don't know the lingo.)
My amazing brother spent hours in the university wood shop (after he had finished the assigned work/projects) using scrap wood to make me the most amazing d20 I have ever seen.

It is the size of a bowling ball! Granted, the numbers are hand written and some of the edges are rough, but ... the thought that went into matching the gift to personality and spending time to work on the gift...wow. I am very touched.
He said he might work on making better calculations of the inside angels where the pieces fit together (under the surface) so there would not be such rough edges, also perhaps getting rubber letter stickers or stencils.

Perfect or not, I love it. I have knitted a d20 before, but due the the flexibility of the sides, it doesn't hold the shape as well as wood. Does have less potential to do damage when rolled, though. I guess that is a plus.

Settling of the Dust

2012-01-10T14:10:00.000-06:00

The week before Christmas, (or thereabouts. You'd think I would know by now to update this blog PROMPTLY and thereby minimize the effects time can have on my memory of the details.) DH was offered a job at a software firm here in our town. We will not have to move. He is making more money than he did at the previous company, with better benefits. So far it seems an altogether satisfactory resolution.

My main concern is stretching the money we have left from his severance and making it last until he gets his first paycheck. Once the money starts coming in again we will be fine. The next couple of weeks are not going to be fun, but they are "not fun" with an end in sight. I can handle that. It'll boil down to prioritizing the bills and pinching the grocery budget.

I feel inspired to write, however, I do not feel inspired to combine blog posts on diverse subjects. Back in a bit...

With pride I present my grandmother at her 90th birthday party this past October.

Curve Ball

2011-11-12T11:39:00.000-06:00

Well, life has stepped up to the mound and lobbed one right at our heads. We found out yesterday that my husband will no longer be working with the company he has been with for the past 6 years. With his severance and our small savings we are good until January. If we don't have a new job by then we will have to move on to Plan B.
I spent this morning going over our normal budget and typical grocery shopping list to see where we could get spending to a bare bones minimum and try to stretch our funds as far as they will go.

This area is not known as a hotbed of technological industry. I have the feeling we will be moving. It would have been nice to get this news before we signed a lease and moved this summer...(grumble) I'd prefer to move somewhere close, stay near family in the southern US, but in reality, I'll take whatever we can get.

I am not quite sure what I feel right now. There is an odd combination of terror and peace I cannot explain. I am very worried, but at the same time I feel like we have been in this situation before and gotten through it, we will get through this too.

I just hope it doesn't take as long as it did then.

Busy busy (almost) busy

2011-11-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

Just popping in to say it might be a while before I can get anything posted. I have about a bajillion crafts and hand-made gifts I want to do for Christmas this year and have only just gotten started. I'll be sitting at my sewing machine more than the laptop. (Who am I kidding? That is absolutely NOT true.) Well, I'll be sitting at the laptop much less.

Of course...since I have been ignoring this blog rather skillfully for months now, I don't know why I bother telling you (2 or 3 people who read this) that I won't be posting much for the next month and a half. How will it be different than what you have been getting?

So, instead to this being a low-post warning, let it be a notice that once the holidays are gone I do actually plan to get back to this blog more often. I have said similar things in the past, I know. We'll see how it goes.

Family catch up:
My kids have all gained in age. 11, 13, and 14 now. This never ceases to amaze me. They are getting into ages I can not only recall being, but EASILY (without brain strain) remember being. My mother never seemed flabbergasted by my aging. She handled this sort of thing better than I, I guess.

DD14 (! 14! Wow!) and I are planning to see if we can't get enough sewing done between now and May 2012 to have a booth at the weekly farmers' market next summer. I think it will be fun and educational. Home school...child labor style! (But first, Christmas gifts)

As of tomorrow my dear husband and I have been a couple for 15 years. (!) I can remember the date because it tis the same (other than the year) as the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance from Back to the Future. Heh...15 years...that puts us halfway between the dance and Marty going back in time.

We have moved into a smaller, nicer, rentally-er house. It is in a nice neighborhood and everyone is pleased. The only thing I do not like is trying to find places to store all of the too much stuff we have. It seems obvious that more stuff culling is needed.

That's all I have for now...here is a picture of dd10 in the lobby of the HealthWorks Childrens Museum.

The Dangerous Beast

2011-08-14T15:06:00.002-05:00

So, I was hooking up the laundry machines myself, mostly because I felt guilty that DH and DB were doing all the heavy lifting (including saiud laundry machines.) OK, no problem. I had to go to Home Depot to get a "pigtail" for the dryer. (That is the electric cord. They come seperate and there are a few different types. The new house's outlet doesn't match the old.) I was slightly worried that I had still not gotten the right kind. I was worried I would get it all screwed to the back of the dryer and then have to take it off because it didn't fit the outlet.

I got the brilliant idea to check the fit before I attached the pigtail to the dryer. I neglected to hold to loose end and make sure the connectors didn't touch anything (including each other.) I plugged in the loose pigtail and PWAP! there were sparks, smoke, a bright light, and the smoke detector started sqawking.

Obviously, something went wrong. I removed the battery from the smoke detector, cleaned up the scorched connectors, and tended the burn on my arm (spark attack.) I attached the pigtail and tried again. The plug fit (yay) but the dryer didn't come on. It was 11pm, so I decided I had lost my chance to do any laundry that night. I said "Forget this!" and went to bed.

I was afraid the PWAP! had fried the new pigtail. It would be $20 to replace (after tax.) But, another possibility was that I had tripped a breaker. I checked it out the next morning and it was indeed just a matter of flipping the breaker back on.

I got both machines hooked up (after another trip to Home Depot for a washer, a strap wrench, and a screw clamp) and have started to make headway into the nearly a week's worth of laundry that is patiently waiting to be cleaned.

There is a nasty looking mark on my arm, but it doesn't hurt any more if I don't touch it.

What I learned this week

2011-08-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

1. August is HOT. Do not move in August if you can at all avoid it.

2. Even if you are just moving across town, rent a truck. The cost of gas for (many) multiple SUV loads will be more than the cost of the rental. Plus, it should cut down on the time spent moving.

3. We have too much stuff. Even after culling a LOT of junk, we still have too much stuff. Moving into a smaller house has made that abundantly clear.

4. Loving husbands are worth their weight in gold.

5. Electricity is a dangerous beast. Modern society has tried to tame and enslave it, but it will bite if you aren't careful.

6. The cable company and the phone company are not my friends.

7. U-haul makes and sells very good boxes.

8. Being able to do your own laundry is a blessing.

9. I can hook up a washer and dryer all by myself, provided I have big strong men to get them from one house to the other.

10. Do not sit on the end of a trailer that is not hooked up to anything (even if you are just 10 years old)

11. I cannot remember what relaxing feels like.

Moving On

2011-08-01T15:23:00.001-05:00

We did find a house we like. I got a supply of boxes. This week we pack and next week we should be moving. I can't wait.
And that is all I want to say about that.

Public schools in our area get back to their lessons at the end of this week. Since our home school is changing locations in the near future, we are putting off the official lessons until things have settled. Until then we will have sporadic review lessons and the sorts of lessons that can be taught a few minutes at a time, or while doing other things.
dd13 has expressed interest in art, drawing and animation in particular. She also wants to study Japanese. Which means I get to study Japanese. We have been creeping along slowly for a few weeks and both of us are enjoying it. Later in the school year we will take a field trip to a sushi restaurant, or try some easier Japanese recipes here at home. Since I am thousands of miles out of my comfort zone, it will be an adventure. I don't even know HOW to eat sushi.
dd12 says she doesn't have any idea what foreign language she wants to study. So, I devised a combo language/world geography social studies curriculum. We'll pop around the globe, studying countries and cultures, as well as a sampling of the language. Then, next year she can choose which she like and we will focus on that.
dd11 is still focusing on general subjects. I actually haven't finished planning out everything she will be doing. Of course, she gets to tag along on our popping around the globe. She says she wants to study Greek, which is within my experience. Our place is going to look like some sort of weird encryption camp with all the difference alphabets. If, after the sample year, dd12 decides to study Russian, or Hindi (among others) it will get even better.

Here is a picture for you to enjoy - dd13 (when she was dd1) and her uncle.
(She is the one who is upside down.)

So...it comes to this

2011-07-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

My house and I hate each other. It hates me and I hate it right back. (It started the feud, not me. I used to like this house.)

We are currently preparing for foreclosure. I haven't shared this with many people because I am embarrassed about the whole matter. It isn't my fault, though. When we bought this house we were making $85k / year and for the last 2 years earnings have gone to more like $40-$45k. I am already doing just about everything I can to keep expenses down. If I pinch our pennies any further I may face a class action lawsuit. Though, "Pennies v Housewife 2011" isn't likely to make the headlines, not when so many other people face similar situations.

We have been looking at rentals in the area that we can afford and that aren't dumps. There are a few if you are willing to live outside of town. We found one today that we are comfortable with. We'll hear Monday or Tuesday if the owner is comfortable with us. I am optimistic, but trying not to get my hopes up too high.

I am ready to get started moving, but only because I am ready to be done moving. I need to go this weekend and see about getting some boxes. We have some from moving a few years ago, and some from purchases we have made, but no where near enough to move all of this, even after the planned do-we-really-need-this purge. I may be asking friends around town if they have any. I may also be stalking the rear of local stores. If my dishes end up smelling like bananas, you'll know why.

Anyway, pray for a favorable landlord, patience in moving, and nice weather at the turn of the month.

For you enjoyment...a marigold from dd13's flower box, before the heat did it in.

Scorpius and Antares

2011-07-02T15:49:00.001-05:00

Thursday the girls and I spent the day cruising around Memphis. In addition to the Zoo, which we have been to so many times over the last 6 years that we no longer need a map, I decided that the Pink Palace would be a nice way to cool off and still learn something.

The Pink Palace has a museum, an IMAX theater, and a planetarium. We did not have a chance to see the IMAX.

The museum has natural history displays as well as some of the history of the city itself. It was interesting. Dd12 lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw the geology hall. (Homeschool mom takes notes, starts to plan science lessons for the fall...) We are still talking about the quartz crystal the size of our television.

The highlight of the visit was the Sharpe Planetarium. dd13 has always loved the sky and I figured even the less enthusiastic girls would like it. I was correct.

The program was different from what I saw when I went to a planetarium as a kid. This was just a pretty straight forward exploration of the Summer night sky from the southern USA. It focused on Antares, in the Scorpius constellation. From there we were shown how to find Vega, Altair, Deneb, Arcturus, Spica, and Polaris. We all walked out feeling rested (I loved those seats!) and educated.

I didn't realize HOW educated until last night (Friday.) JD and I returned home from our bimonthly budget date to a parking spot and walk toward the house that matched the orientation of the planetarium screen.

"Hey! There is Scorpius! And that star there in the middle is Antares," I said. I stopped and gawked for a few minutes. (It was a good night for gawking.) After a short time the girls started coming outside to see what we were looking at. As each one saw something she knew the name of the excitement level rose. All of us cursed the trees around the edge of the yard that are so lovely during the day.

"I can't see the Summer Triangle because of the trees!"

"The big dipper WOULD be over there, but the trees are in the way!"

"Is there a way to turn off the light on the pole?"

"This is SO cool!"

"We can't see the scorpion's tail because the house is in the way."

"Go get the binoculars!"

A trip to a museum that was pretty much chosen because it was indoors and air conditioned turned into a whole lot more. We all had a great time last night. Now I need to figure out where we can go nearby that has a larger open space and as little light pollution as possible.

I want to see what else we can see.

Here is a picture from Thursday that was NOT taken at the Pink Palace.

It is of a giraffe.

I must have a fever.

2011-06-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

No, I suppose I don't really; I just feel like I do. It is so darn hot, and the AC in this decrepit old house isn't worth a hill of beans. (At roughly $1 for a 1 lb bag, a hill of beans isn't really a good measure of the lack of value in something.)

I let dd13 drive the car around in a deserted parking lot yesterday afternoon. No, of course she isn't old enough to drive, it was sort of a pre-lesson. We both had fun and the starts and stops were noticeably less jerky after we had been practicing for a few minutes. She had a lot of fun. Still, I am glad it will be a few years before things get serious on this topic.

Here is a pic of dd10 almost a year ago on her birthday. We went to the park and took loads of photos. Some of them came out wonderfully.

Sewing recently and a tree

2011-06-10T16:40:00.000-05:00

The current hobby du jour (is that redundant?) is sewing. I managed a handbag from a pattern. It came out nicely. Although, Since I wanted to work from stash (that is, use fabric I already own rather than shopping for new) it is not what I would have chosen for a handbag (since I am not a 10 year old girl) I think it may end up going to a munchkin for her birthday. Still, fabric choice aside, it is well constructed (for a first attempt) and I am proud.

My writing has stalled as I try to decide what it is I actually want to write. I have a number of story ideas crying to be let out; at least, they cry until I sit down at the computer; then they are silent and leave me to figure out what to do.

A tree fell on our house last month. Minor roof damage, nothing huge. It was a bit of a shock, though, going outside and seeing a tree on the house.

Here is DH and the roofer looking at what needs to be done.

I'll spare you the "It's been a long time" bit.

2011-06-10T16:27:00.000-05:00

I have been actively ignoring this blog. I feel bad that I haven't posted. I feel as if there is no way anyone could be interested in what I have to say. I have been in the dumps a bit, really, with no actual reason to be there. I have been neglecting my writing, as well, and mean to snap out of that. I am tired of the couch potato life, but may have started to sprout, so getting up is going to be difficult.

So, I'll try to get something here at least every week. But don't hold your breath. I'd hate to be responsible for the asphyxiation of someone who actually DID want to read my writing.

Now, I shall search for and upload an completely unrelated photo, because...what the heck.

The space shuttle exhibit at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
It has been a couple of years since we visited. Might look into going back.

Quest

2011-04-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

Over the last few weeks I have been researching my family history. I realize I have been rather sloppy about it, taking the word of previous researchers as fact without verifying or sourcing the information. All fine and good when it is just a bit of fluff and a hobby. Until I stumble upon something really interesting...

I have (sloppily) traced my grandmother's family back to royalty. Cool. But then there is this voice in the back of my mind saying, "Are you sure? Just because this person said that this person told them that someone else said...that doesn't exactly make for concrete proof." So, I am going to refocus on that particular line to document as much of the information and family line as I can. The more solid sources, the more likely the information is accurate.

And if I cannot find the sources, then it is just a legend, a tale that may or may not be true. (Still cannot bring myself to completely let it go.)

I'll let you know.

4 to 8 inches of snow expected

2011-01-07T14:24:00.000-06:00

I know my friends in Canada and Minnesota will laugh, but everyone here is in a tizzy over the forecast 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) of snow for us here in Mississippi. We generally only get a whopper like that once every decade. If it does get that bad everything will be shut down.

One of the benefits (drawbacks?) of home schooling is that we don't worry about snow days. We can still have lessons. Of course, the girls get to play in the snow (when we have it) whether schools are out or not.

We'll try to keep warm here. You all do the same in your cozy homes.

We now conclude this Mississippi weather announcement and return you to your regularly scheduled furniture rearranging or quilt piecing.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:17:00.002-06:00

Wow! Last post was in March. That can either be interpreted as nothing having happened or too much going on. Either way...

I would like to post more often, but I won't make any promises.

Plans for possible blog posts include; my garden (sorry you missed that this year. It went well.), my hobbies (right now quilting, tatting, crochet, knitting, and photography), my daughters (ages 13, 12, and 10), my wonderful husband, my falling-apart house, and whatever else comes into my head.

One of my resolutions is to take at least one photo every day to document 2011. If I manage, I will try to remember to post then here.

Other resolutions include losing weight, being a better teacher, and getting back to my writing. We'll see how that goes.

Jan 1, 2011 Photo - Family Tree Quilt I made for my mother-in-law's birthday gift.

Dia duit!

2010-03-27T15:57:00.002-05:00

I have begun (in earnest) studying the Irish language. I had puttered around with it in the past off and on, but decided to really give it a go. I am really enjoying myself.

Dd 11 says I sound like I am choking in the back of my throat. I need to work on making my CH sound more subtle, but still distinguishable.

The program I am using is imersion based, which means they aren't actually EXPLAINING anything, just showing pictures and saying ... something ... in Gaeilge. I have to learn to recognize what they are saying, repeat it, and (I hope) figure out what it means. It is actually working pretty well. Though, I do miss having someone spell out exactly what I am learning.

The pronunciation is the hardest part and I am sure I have a terrible accent. With time and practice I think it will get better.

It is nice to learn some of the language of my ancestors. It makes me feel like I haven't totally been disconnected from where my family came from, well, the Irish side that is. I don't know if I could handle Norwegian. ;)

Sla'n ! (How do you put accent marks using an American keyboard?)
That means Good-bye.

And, for your visualy enjoyment...
Dd 9 constructing her gingerbread (graham cracker) house back in December.

Movie / Book Review Time!

2010-03-21T11:01:00.003-05:00

My husband recently told me, with a cute little pouty face, that his favorite blogger had not posted in a while. I told him Zirbert had a life and family and day job and everything, so not to be upset. He told me he had been talking about Palai Eboulethen. Yeah, well, I have a life and family and all that. Plus, most of my online communiques have been sent out via Facebook or, more rarely Twitter. Sorry this old stand-by has been a little neglected.
+++++

Book Slash Movie Review Time!

Recently I (and then two of my daughters, the hubby, and brother) read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of children's books by Rick Riordan. (Not kiddie-picture books. These were written for the Harry Potter, Chronicles of Prydain crowd. Perfect for my 11 and 12 year old kids, and me, who never managed to fully grow out of a rolling fantasy adventure.) I read the books before I knew there was a movie coming out, but recently enough to be delighted by the news.

Which should I start with, Book Review or Movie Review? Well, I could mix them together.

Both were EXCELLENT.

The movie took the usually shortcuts of leaving out some scenes and characters completely for time considerations, which I have come to expect and I do cut movie makers some slack for that. Still, the camp was cut drastically short and I really missed Mr. D, who did not appear in the movie at all. Also missing from the movie was Clarisse, whom I did not miss.

There were changes to the story that I don't understand as well, as they would have had little effect on the run-time of the movie. Why remove all mystery about who Percy's father was? Figuring that out was part of the fun of the first book. It added a touch of mystery. Oh well. I do suppose they would have had to extend the camp scenes in order to bring the mystery out and explain it. Still, that would have been a good thing. Characterizations suffered for the rush through slow parts to get to the excitement.
They changed the "law" from THE BIG THREE (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) SHALL NOT HAVE CHILDREN to GODS CANNOT HAVE CONTACT WITH THEIR DEMIGOD OFFSPRING. What is up there? I realize that the Law covered a series of books originally, but only one movie here, but still... The books were way cooler on this. Since when do movies NOT set up for sequels? That is pretty much standard practice now-a-days, yes? It is as if the studio did not expect the movie to do well and therefore made sure their story could fully be told in only one film. On some level I can respect that, but the extended story was better.

Removing the theft of Hades' helmet was a choice I guess I can understand, but I think the book made more sense. Maybe they thought it would make the movie too much longer (which I do not agree with) or they thought that the theft of another powerful magic/divine item/symbol would cloud the plot for viewers, which I can see them thinking, but also do not agree with. The multi-faceted plot to start a war with the gods made more sense than everyone trying to gang up on Zeus by getting his bolt.
+++++

The acting was passable where the main children were concerned. The girl playing Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) looked so much like Tiffany Amber Thiessen, that if I didn't know Ms, Theissen was an adult now (having seen her on a few episodes of White Collar) I would have thought it was her. (Ironically, Miss Daddario also played a part on White Collar, though I never saw any resemblance between the two actresses there. Then again, I do not remember them ever appearing together.)
The boy playing Percy needed a haircut, but that is somewhat regrettably in style these days and can be forgiven, I guess.
Grover was fantastic. The Lotus dancing scenes were a treat.

The background children were a bit wooden. The campers fighting did not look natural at all. It was painful to watch. Again, if the camp scenes had been extended the director and casting agents might have paid more attention or been more picky. *sigh*

The adults were fabulous. Pierce Brosnan, always so debonair as a slick Remington Steele or James Bond, was WONDERFUL as the hairy, gruff, centaur warrior Chiron. Outstanding!

I would not have chosen Sean Bean for the roll of Zeus, myself. And I would have been wrong. He was amazing.

It was too bad Athena was little seen in the movie. The lovely Anna Kanakarides was wasted on a one-line part. Too bad. She was great. She should have had more to do. (The fake accent was unnecessary, though. I blame the director, not Ms Kanakarides.)

Uma Thurman as Medusa was incredible. When I saw her name in the opening credits I expected she would be playing Athena, or Aphrodite (who was woefully cut out of the film) but she was a treat as the slick and stylishly evil Medusa. Very cool.

I loved Rosario Dawson's Persephone. That character was so much better than the one presented in the book. Persephone has always been one of my favorite mythological characters. There isn't much written about her actual personality, but I had filled in the gaps with my imagination. Riordan's imagination was very different than my own, but the movie was more in line with what I liked. And leaving Demeter out entirely, if she were going to be like the book's version, was a wise choice.
+++++

There were parts of the movie that were really great. The CGI effects were very well done.
I have never been particularly impressed by the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, but after seeing the fight between that monster and Percy last night, I have to give that beast more respect, I would not want to meet him in real life.
The Hydra scene was an IMPROVEMENT on what was in the book. The Nashville, TN Parthenon location beats the St. Louis arch hands down for atmosphere that fits the Mythology-in-Modern times setting of the story. And the Hydra was ... (running out of adjectives) mind-blowing! Much better than a chimera and an echidna...oops, excuse me...much better than a chimera and Echidna. (I did really miss the "I am the Mother of all Monsters, not an egg-laying hedgehog! I hate Australia!" line, though.)
+++++

Despite how much I liked the movie, there was one glaring (to me) area where they fell down on the job. Blame it on my being a classics major.
Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, seems to have done his homework well when it comes to accurately presenting ancient Greek mythology. His acknowledgments include classics professors and I was not able to find any mistakes in his ancient facts as presented (even to explaining how the eternally virginal Athena could have a daughter.) The modern lives, facts, and circumstances are his creation, but still remain true to the personalities presented in mythology. The movie took all that and just washed it away for the sake of ... I don't know what.

#1 (minor complaint) How hard is it to have contacts for Annabeth and Athena so their eyes are GRAY instead of blue? If ancient bards and historians made a point of telling us what color Athena's eyes are, why just ignore it? (I admit, that is very minor.)

#2 No Cerberus? That scene from the book was really cute. Time, I guess. But the presence of the three-headed dog guardian is a staple when heroes are journeying into the Underworld. Could it be that the movie creators were afraid of being compared to Harry Potter? Yeah, well, that was inevitable, so changing the MYTHOLOGY to suit hypothetical critics smacks of insecurity. Probably the same insecurity that led to the removal of the Oracle and her prophecy / set up for sequels. Boo to the movie guys!

#3 The Lotus Eaters were not EVIL!!! They were, in fact, quite friendly. They had what they thought was a great life and had no problem sharing with those they met. They were not evil in The Oddysey and they were not evil in Riordan's book. The movie decided they should try to trap people. Why? To make the scene more exciting? Isn't a casino where all your dreams come true exciting enough? There are flashing lights and games and a roller coaster and dancing; why do you need villains?
+++++

All together, I LOVED the series and recommend it to any child (or adult) who likes a good adventure story. I also recommend it to educators looking for a way to get kids to read AND learn some Greek mythology. I recommend the movie along the lines of former statement, but with a cautious warning concerning the latter, thanks to movie writers apparently not knowing, or caring about, staying true to mythology.

10 out of 10 asterisks for the books **********

8 out of 10 asterisks for the movie (-1 for mythology revisions, -1 for bad sword fighting) ********--

For your visual enjoyment...my number 1 fan. Isn't he handsome?

Best Gift I received of 2009

2010-01-05T12:14:00.003-06:00

Amazon Kindle

I love it! We are far enough from large bookstores to feel a crunch. There are book stores in Oxford, but they tend to be small and not necessarily carry the books I want. Add to that my health problems of the past year and you have me, sitting at home not reading new books.

With the Kindle I can download books from home instantly. They tend to be cheaper than even many paperback versions. I was shocked at the selection available. It's HUGE!

I loaded it with kids books for our trip to Kentucky for myself and the girls. They love it as much as I do. (Though once they have read all the new books I loaded on that may fade.)

Happy January!

2010-01-05T12:09:00.003-06:00

Resolution time!

I fully realize that I almost NEVER keep my resolutions more than a few days, let alone for always. The longest I went was March once.

This year may go the same way, but if I don't try then I am guaranteed to not make a change.

I found some very interesting, Bible-based health books. The primary one in the group is What Would Jesus Eat? (Yeah, I made fun of that the first time I saw it in the book store too.) But it is basically the Mediterranean style diet that has been pushed for a few years as being the most healthy for humans, with a generous dash of scripture and history tossed in.

Also included on my new reading list are books by the same author on biblically treating diabetes, high-blood pressure, and arthritis. Now, these are more than "Pray and if you have enough faith God will send a miracle" books (though prayer is certainly a part of the mix) They rely more on clearing out much of the pollution modern "conveniences" have brought to our bodies, and especially come down hard on guck like fast food.

I know this isn't going to be an easy change. I have eaten like a modern American for all my life. Truth be told, it hasn't served me well, but I am attached to what I know.

For now I am reading through the books and drinking more water and less soda. The really interesting changes come when I start seeing what I can do about eating fish (a lot) and whole grains. Cutting out red meat and processed carbs is not as easy as it sounds.

I'll keep you up to date.

Here is Amazon's Don Colbert list
http://www.amazon.com/Don-Colbert/e/B001IQXMG4/ref=sr_tc_2_0

For your phot-viewing wonder! I present dd9 doing her school work. Enjoy!

New TV Review part II

2009-11-09T11:29:00.003-06:00

V - Started late in the season (relatively speaking)

I don't feel like going in too much depth.
My first concern was how they would make things interesting when anyone over the edge of 30 remembers the basic gist of the 1980's miniseries. They solved that problem by not making the "reptile-ness" a secret from the audience. (Though it is not know to most characters in the show.)

Altogether, I liked the pilot and will continue to watch.

The teenager is annoying, but I remember being annoyed by Robin (the teenager who got pregnant) in the miniseries, so that comes as no surprise.

Eight out of Ten asterisks ********--

Palai Eboulethen's Fall TV Review

2009-10-18T20:56:00.002-05:00

New Shows!
(those I bothered to watch)

Eastwick- Everybody is typically in a huff about the "witch thing." Blah, who cares? It is not a how-to on witchcraft. It isn't any more dangerous than Harry Potter (which also caused a hubbub), or Charmed (ditto), or Bewitched. I do not know of anyone protesting Elizabeth Montgomery's studio, blah blah blah. Then again, I was not around when it was new. I just saw reruns that nobody cared a whit about.
That said, this is not a great show. It goes too far out of its way to be sexy. It would have been better if it had not. Now, I realize that sex is a major part of the novel (or so I have heard) and the movie that the series is based on. OK, I get that. They go too far here, though. I never would have guessed something could make me wish for the days of Charmed. But here you have it.
The worst part is I am enjoying the rest of the story. I don't know if I can watch it though. Too much sex. Maybe if I were a 20-something who wasn't getting any I would find it enticing. As it is, not so much.
Two out of Ten asterisks **........

Stargate Universe- Wow! OK, there is a lot to say. Originally my post was going to be about how firing the gifted cameramen of SG1 and SGA was a mistake. And that the budget cuts that led to them borrowing someone's camcorder rather than using the steadycam were regrettable. The more recent episodes have let go of the "found footage" feel that had become oh-so-chic. Thank goodness! No need for me to make the snide comment about the Sci Fi Channel airing the bastard love child of Stargate and Battlestar Galactica. (But seriously! Why cancel those shows if you are going to replace them with a mixed up duplicate?)
As to more recent episodes...I am left with wondering who at the Sci Fi Channel (I refuse to call it SyFy, which my entire brain says should be pronounced SIFFY) chose that the problem with Action Adventure Science Fiction was the Action and the Adventure. If things do not get interesting I am going to have to bail, and that really makes me sad, since I really WANT to like this show and am willing to give it all kinds of slack just because it is SG.
I cannot be interested in a show about a raving megalomaniac trying to save a bunch of whiners. Especially when all he is trying to save them from is Suffocation, Starvation, and Slow, Boring Death.
Three out of 10 asterisks ***.......

Flash Forward- my first thought when I heard about this concept (after the "Oo, this might be interesting!) was...but what will happen once they reach the point they all saw? Where will the series go after that? I suppose we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
So far I am really enjoying the mystery and attempt to piece together what happened. I could do without some of the angst, but I can see where it would actually be there if this were real. (Believe it or not, many science fiction fans, myself included, are real sticklers for whether something in their shows happens as it would if this were real life.) If "Oo,woe! my marriage is going to end!" or "Oo, woe! why didn't I see anything?!" get's too heavy, the show will get boring. So far the writers seem to have the right mix of pace and mystery. We'll see if they can keep it up.
Seven out of Ten asterisks *******...

Wow! I cannot believe that I am only watching 3 new shows. I would have worn it was more. Oh well, nothing else interested me enough to bother. I know V doens't start for a little while. We'll see how that goes. I am not sure how they are going to pull it off when everyone remembers the story from the 1980's miniseries. And I miss Morena Baccarin's hair. It was SOOO lovely! Why is it cut so short?!

Palai Eboulethen's TV Fall Season Review

2009-09-30T09:31:00.012-05:00

This may come as a surprise to you, since I have said in the past that my family does not subscribe to cable TV, but I LOVE watching good TV. The adjective in that sentence is the main reason I do not feel "deprived" by not having cable. There are some shows I do enjoy, and they are generally available to watch online now, so I can enjoy what I do want without much of what I do not. (I also hope that online viewings are kept better track of than the antiquated Neilson ratings, so that my actual preferences get some consideration. I could be too optimistic there, though.)

So, to the shows I have seen recently, we'll begin with returning series...Hmm, should I go alphabetically, in order by weekly broadcast, by age, popularity? I know, worst to best in my opinion. Or should I go best to worst?

WORST to BEST

Smallville- I have loved Smallville for years. I like the Superman mythos, I liked the writing and acting in the show. Our (my husband's and mine) main complaint was too much teen angst, but seeing as it was a WB (and later CW) show, we cut it some slack there. (That would be like complaining about too much sportiness in an ESPN series.) BUT...this season, after one episode I am left with a deep sense of "Why should I care?" followed by "Meh" I'll tune in this week, but if I am not grabbed by the brain and shaken it will be the last time.
Two out of Ten asterisks **........

Heroes- Ditto **........

Bones- Seems to be progressing much as it has in the past. This isn't a bad thing, since it was a great show. They are, however, dallying very close to crossing the Moonlighting line, wherein they relieve the romantic tension and the spark goes out of the show. Things may go differently, I hope they do. Besides all that, I have no complaint about the season so far.
Five out of Ten Asterisks *****.....

The Mentalist- I am glad that Season 1 did not resolve the Red John serial killer plot line, but I am also glad they have backed off a little. The best part of this show is the way Patrick Jane interacts with the witnesses/suspects and the CBI team.
Five out of Ten Asterisks *****.....

Dollhouse- This was one of my most looked-forward-to premiers. That is possibly simply out of the joy that it managed to have a Season 2 premier at all. So far it isn't ruined or changed too badly. I was worried that Joss Whedon, out of trying to answer other people's problems with the show, would change Echo too much, bring out too much Caroline. The problem is, I didn't like Caroline, I liked Echo. If she changes, I want her to evolve forward, not backward. So far, so good this season.
Six out of Ten Asterisks ******....

Ghost Whisperer- The addition of a child to an established series is often seen as a kiss of doom to an already failing show. Ghost Whisperer may or may not be on it's last legs, but they circumvented the Baby Blues by skipping 5 years in the first episode. I think it was a good move. It remains to be seen whether Aiden will be a benefit to the show or not.
Six out of Ten Asterisks ******....

Numbers- Likewise (see above) moving esptablished characters relationships to other levels. The season premier spent most of its hour without Amita answering Charlie's proposal (we thought.) I think that was a good move, making the answer not as important as other things going on. The show might continue as before. I hope it does. It has been a nice departure from my normal Sci Fi/Smart Comedy TV menu.
Six out of Ten Asterisks ******....

Dexter- Another show that made changes, this one BOTH taking a realtionship to another level and adding a baby. Oddly enough, it seems to have enriched things, at least for the viewer, and at least in the first episode. I still cannot verbalize why I even like this show that I didn't expect to like, but when I gave it a chance, I did; and the marriage and baby hasn't ruined it so far. Keep that up.
Seven out of Ten Asterisks *******...

Fringe- This show has shaken off a lot of my friends' "X-files" clone complaints and really made itself worth watching. I actually like it better than X-files. I have never liked when a show uses amnesia for any reason other than comedic effect, and then they only get to do it once. But, Olivia's amnesia seems to be useful right now, so I'll cut them some slack.
Eight out of Ten Asterisks ********..

Supernatural- Talk about bringing out the BIG GUNS! The show went from hunting ghosts and vampires to demons, then angels got in on the actions and now Lucifer walks and Cas wants to find God. Wow! It does make for some interesting TV. (I can accept fictionalized views of religion if done with respect. So far it has been, as much as can be expected from a battle-hardened warrior who feels put upon by the powers-that-be.) My main concern is, where do they go from here? No matter how this season turns out, really, where can you go after pulling out all the stops like this?
Eight out of Ten Asterisks ********..

Castle- Ah yeah, Baby! This show rocked last season and the first episode in this was just as fabulous. I was a little worried that the Becket's Mom's murder case deal would cloud over the fun with (gasp!) a plot arc, and it still thereatens, but it hasn't interfered too badly so far, and the hilarious team of Castle, Becket, and those other two guys rolls on. This is one of my favorite shows.
Nine out of Ten Asterisks *********.

Next time on Palai Eboulethen's unpronounceable blog...NEW Fall Shows (the ones that at least looked interesting enough to try out.)

*************************************************************

Bleeding Heart Barbie is so happy! Now that President Obama runs the car companies, every car can be a hybrid and stop killing the world. Yay!

Sept. 11 Tribute - Doreen J. Angrisani

2009-09-10T18:52:00.001-05:00

Doreen Angrisani

Doreen J Angrisani was born in Queens, New York and lived there with her sister and brother-in-law.

She worked for Marsh & McLennan for 23 years. She started as a clerical worker and over time worked her way up to management. Something like that takes hard work and dedication. But, her job was not her life. Form all that I can find, Doreen loved the finer things in life, family, good music, and Mets baseball.

Wherever I read about Doreen, either from fmaily memorials or notes left by former coworkers, her love of classic rock music is mentioned. For that reason I ca't think of a more fitting memorial than to add some MUSIC to my normally silent blog. I chose songs I hope Doreen would have approved of.

Under Attack

2009-09-04T11:00:00.003-05:00

Last weekend's battle of the driveway ended in a draw, although our side did manage to rescue one hostage. Both sides continue to eye one another warily without making any overt moves to continue hostilities.

Recent intelligence reports, however, indicate that covert maneuvers by the enemy are attempting to flank our position and take the bunker from the rear. Sneaky devils! Another hostage has been captured! Rescue attempts cannot be put into action for another 24 hours. By that time, who knows how far the enemy may have advanced?

This battle has been brutal all season. In past years, initial forays were met with swift retribution and incursions were stopped before they could gain a foothold. Unfortunately, last year the bunker's new generals were somewhat lax in their continued surveillance and security measures. That, coupled with injuries and fatigue this year have left a prime opportunity for invasion. If it isn't stopped soon, we may be overrun completely!

(Last week we cut back some of the weeds in our driveway, but only moderately took after the kudzu. It is mostly around the edge of the drive where we do not drive, so it has been ignored, this year and last. It does creep in bit by bit.

Kudzu on the parking lot, where we do not drive.

The kudzu had grown up and was starting to cover one of our fir trees (bushes) but we cut it back and got the poor thing free.

The freed hostage (view from my bedroom window.)

I just saw that kudzu around the side and back of the house, where no one ever goes, has grown up into and all over one of the holly bushes in the rear. It is very close to the house and if we leave it it will start covering the walls.

Kudzu growing up holly bush. I had to look out the back window at an odd angle to see it. (Pay no attention to spider webs. I figure if I leave them long enough I won't have to decorate for Halloween. It isn't procrastination, it is preparation!)

The kudzu on the holly is perfectly visible from my daughters' bedroom windows. Did they think to mention it? NO)

Daughter's window. Why wasn't this reported? (Could she be a kudzu agent?)

Small sample of what kudzu can do. There are trees under there!

What am I up to?

2009-07-31T11:41:00.003-05:00

(trying to avoid a What Is For Dinner? entry)

So, how have I been spending my time?

On the computer- Facebook (FarmTown, Farkle), listening to talk radio streams, watching TV (mostly things I have seen before) including Burn Notice, Warehouse 13, Eureka, and eagerly awaiting the new seasons of Monk and Psyche (and later Chuck, Heroes, Lost, and Smallville)

Reading-
the Bible, the "in a year" schedule I am on has me in the middle of Psalms right now and I just started Romans.
Fantasy Pulp- I had gone for a long time without endulging in frivolous reading, but I recently started a 6 book series, well, a month ago. I am about to start Book 6.

Handicrafts-
Crosstitch- Well, I am not sure yo ucan call it that. I have been doing Blackwork, which is basically outlining, rather than X-ing. (Traditioanlly done in black thread, I am actually using other colors.) I also stitched the names of our family members to go along with the next item...

Quilting- I had a idea to make a wall quilt with a tree and then have seperate apple motifs with the names of out family members stitched on them. I have the names stitched, but have not made either the apples or pieced the tree quilt. It is still kind of in the planning phase. (I have a lot of things in the planning phase.)

Nothing has been done in- Knitting, Crochet, Jewelry making, sewing, doll customization, web design, gardening, photogrpahy

Home School-
We have been taking some time off, but will be getting back into the thick of things starting next week. Also, I decided to take a more active role in PEAK, a good idea for the group's facilitator. If everything I have planned comes about we will have an activitiy once a week (almost.)

In the works for PEAK-
American Girl Book Club
Monthly Birthday parties/planning meetings
Ancient Civilization Days (a new civilization every month)
Science Fair
Art Fair
US State Geogrpahy/Culture Fair
World Geogrpahy/Culture/Food Fair
History Fair
Photography Fair
Physics/Inertia Demonstration
Bowling Field Trip
Swimming field trip
Automobile Museum Field Trip
Memphis Zoo field Trip
Poetry Fair
Thanksgiving Play

And, as a therapy for my hermetic tendencies, I am going to try to make it to all of these (and whatever there is that I forgot to mention) I already know that i am going to start tothink to myself, "Why did you commit to that?! I want to just stay at home!" But by then it will be too late! I will have boxed myself in! Hahahaha!

Oh, I almost forgot...
Role Playing-
Just in case you had mistaken me for a grown-up...
Mostly Forgotten Realms. Not using 4e, can't stand it enough to buy the books. I have been picking up 3e and 3.5 for pretty good bargains on eBay.
DH is running a game for me alone set in Sigil (planar hub) in which the Prime Material plane is Forgotten Realms, should I decide to go there. My character is a psion.
I am planning a game for the whole family (Yes, we are teaching our girls to play, so sue me.) based in FR (3e, or maybe starting in 2e and working forward) The characters will be signing on to a merchant caravan. I want to start in Waterdeep (Northwestern coastal metropolis) and work my way along trade routes across the whole continent. So much of FR has printed source material that there is something for everywhere, even if I do not use modules. (I hate modules.)

There you go.
I am off to watch this week's Burn Notice.

This is Cumberland Falls in April 1998. We went there to celelbrate our 1st wedding anniversary. It had been a very raainy Spring and the river was UP. In some places the walkways to see the falls were flooded.

Recent Knee Pain

2009-07-29T12:52:00.003-05:00

Since February I have had increasing pain in my knees. It started light, only when I went up or down the stairs. Then it was not light, when I went up or down the stairs. Then it was light all the time. Then it was not light, all the time. Walking across a room became something to be avoided.

I did some research and thought it might be arthritis. I had always thought arthritis would come on more slowly. I went from "OK" to "Can Barely Walk" in a month. Also, everything I read, and the people I talked to, saaid that arthritis gets better and worse according to barometric pressure. I saw no real difference in the pain based on weather changes.

I haven't been to see a doctor. I hate going to doctors. My husband is trying to get me to go, but I keep putting it off. Nothing I have read has said anything about a treatment option that I need a doctor for, unless I want my knees replaced, which I don't think is quite necessary yet. The websites I saw said to loose weight, take ibuprofen or naproxin (Advil or Aleve), try to stay off the knees, and maybe menthol cream (Ben Gay). I have been doing all of that and it helps a little. (Except the weight loss, which is too slow to see improvement yet.)

And something told me that it didn't quite fit the arthritis self-diagnosis. So, I continued my research.

Another possibility presented itself. Tendonitis

I think I had avoided anything that focused on sports medicine when I did my first research, which is why I missed it. Tendonitis fits my situation better.

The pain started when I moved my desk from upstairs (where my bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom is) to downstairs and started having to go up and down the stairs 5 or 6 times a day. A sudden change of physical activity can cause a tear in the tendon.

Now, if a person is in good shape going up a few flights of steps every day is no trouble. I fully acknowledge I am not in good shape. I am working on that. (Of course, having trouble walking does not make exercising easy.)

Anyway, tendonitis is not subject to atmospheric pressure changes. Check.

Tendonitis is caused by an injury, such as from sports or a sudden change in physical activity. Check.

Pain can be caused in NEARBY areas due to prolonged favoring of the injured area. Check. (This is what caused me to revisit the arthritis self-diagnosis. For the last couple of weeks my knees had not been hurting much at all, but my calves felt like daggers were going through with each step.)

Last week after we got back from our vacation I bought a cane. I decided to make that concession to my vanity in favor of being able to walk a little more comfortably. Within two days the pain in my calves was GONE and the knee pain is easing up considerably.

I think I am going to be ok.

My husband has said he will give me a few more days before he insists I see a doctor.

I think I can put him off. I do actually feel like I am getting better.

DD10 wearing some silly glasses.

Back from Vacation

2009-07-23T11:31:00.002-05:00

We went on vacation this weekend. My husband's grandfather was visiting my in-laws, as he does for a few days about this time every year. The visit was short, but nice. The weather was fabulous and not too hot.

My husband and I pledged to each other that this was our "Stress-Free Vacation." Anytime blood pressures started to rise or voices got a little higher pitched, we stopped, thought things through, adn decided either on whatever decision we actually wanted, or to forestall the decision until such a time as it could be made with no stress. It was marvelous.

I hate driving through Memphis, Tennessee. Driving through Nahville on our way to Kentucky never bothered me the way Memphis does. I would drive 50 miles out of our way if I could to avoid Memphis. However, I generally just grit my teeth and pow ahead, paying as close attention as I can to highway direction signs and trying not to let crazy dirvers get to me. It is usually only 30-45 minutes of the 7 hour trip.

Traffic on the I-55 Mississippi River bridge was horrible. There was construction being done lane by lane as best they could, to do repairs without having to close the bridge. We had slow going headed north but never had to actually stop. We could tell the south-bound lanes were not so lucky.

"Good thing we are going this way."

"They are not likely to have it all done by Tuesday."

"We could take a different route on our way home."

That started a spark of thinking on our parts. I know of two other ways to cross Tennessee on our way from Kentucky and proceed further southward. Of course there are others, but they don't really count.

"We could go through Jackson (TN) and down through Corinth, like we did when we lived in Tupelo. Or we could go through Huntsville. It adds and hour and a half to the drive time, not counting whatever time we spend IN Huntsville, seeing friends or doing whatever."

"Sounds good. Let's do that!"

I know very well that there is almost 0% chance we would have sat in stopped traffic for 10 minutes, let alone an hour and a half, if we had just driven through Memphis on our regular route. But the spirit of the week was fun and fancy free. And we had not visited our old home city in years.

We thought about going to see tourist sights, and Yes, Huntsville, Alabama has quite a few, but that wasn't really in our budget, so we passed. We drove around the city pointing out to the girls our old stomping grounds, apartment complexes, and the hospital where two of them were born.

I am amazed at how much one state university can change in 6 years. They must be doing well, funding-wise.

As we drove past the old dorms I noticed a fraternity-sorority row and pointed it out to DH. I pulled in and parked at his fraternity's house (built 3 years ago, it turns out) to let him go in to see if there were brothers there to show him around. he acted at first like he wasn't that interested, but then I ended up having to go fetch him after 20 minutes.

We got to have lunch with a friend, even bumped into a friend we hadn't been able to contact, randomly. The girls had fun even on what could not have a been a great day for them, and we got home with a day to spare for Dh to recuperate from vacation before heading back to work.

All in all it did indeed turn out to be a stress-free vacation.

Can you believe that I was in 6 different states over the past week? Pretty impressive for someone who doesn't normally travel so much. The girls only went to 5, since they never crossed the Ohio river into Indiana, which Dh and I did while we had a date night, leaving the girls to their grandparents (and great-grandfather.)
Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and Alabama.

How is your kung fu?

2009-07-08T14:29:00.003-05:00

My husband and I went to see Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen last night. That being the case, you might expect this to be a review of that movie. Sorry. There are hundreds of other blogs you could read that in. My movie review series involves DVDs in my family's collection. Today...

Forbidden Kingdom

This is, I hear, the only movie with Jackie Chan and Jet Li together. Both men are very talented at the martial arts and the transition of such to the silver screen. They aren't bad actors either. My husband said he did not recognize Jet Li in the Monkey King costume until nearer the end of the movie. We ahve thought it over and we believe this was because he was smiling and laughing so much. Jet Li does not smile and laugh much in his movies. Jackie Chan often smiles and laughs in his movies. I did not recognize him in his make-up as the old shop keeper until nearer the end of the movie.

It is a fun fantasy movie, set in mythical ancient China rather than the more usual (for westerners) mythical ancient Europe. There are some incredibly funny parts, wonderful action/fight sequences. The plot is great, a little predictable, but still with some twists that caught both of us jaded movie-goers by surprise.

I loved the character of Sparrow. When I get the time I plan to design a custom Barbie for her and for the Wolf Witch, but lets not have this review devolve (evolve?) into a discussion of custom dolls.

There was one part of the movie that really struck a chord with me, moreso than the rest. It was a discussion between Jason (played by Michael Angarano, who is not Shia LeBouef) and The Drunken Master, whose name I forget (played by Jackie Chan.) They are discussing Kung Fu, what it is, what it means, what it needs, etc. The Master tells the student that the essence of kung fu is not the fighting, it is being the best at what you do, no matter what you do. It is an artist capturing beauty in a way that touches the soul. It is a butcher cutting meat to a perfect cut. To have kung fu, whatever is your trade or passion, you must study, learn, practice, and do your best.

So, as Sparrow asked Jason, I ask you...How is your kung fu?

Here is a picture of a timber wolf I took a few years ago at Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Indiana.

Happy 4th

2009-07-03T16:39:00.001-05:00

300

2009-06-18T12:30:00.006-05:00

Despite being a classicist, I have only seen the movie 300 three times. Since my Dear Husband has seen it ... more ... times, I decided to let him write this entry's movie review from our DVD collection.

What is it that makes this movie so great?
First is the sheer heroism. The story is ancient and true, and absolutely heroic. I know, people don't believe in heroism, but there it is - confirmed historical fact.

Other points are arguable - whether the adrenaline-pumping action, the witty dialogue, or just that the underdogs bloody up the pompous bad guys. At the risk of being to clever, I will chalk all this up to the excellence of the craft. While no movie is everyone's flavor, this movie is well-done from start to finish, even in the scenes I don't like. The story, the acting, the writing, the directing are all extremely well done.

I would also argue that this is true back in the story itself. The Spartans were truly great warriors, and this depicts (with some artistic license) their excelence of the craft as well. Any movie that depicts people doing amazing things by their skill and diligence is likely to be a hit. If the makers of said movie also perform with great skill and diligence, then you've got a sure winner.

The odes to freedom and the fight against tyranny attract me just surely as the other points I made. While people in high offices of the world, even occasionally here in the USA, seem to consider people merely as resources or worse, I have always felt the passion for freedom that the movie describes. I suspect this is true for many people around the world. This story is from a time long since gone and a place around the world from where I sit now. I find it comforting that people so foreign to me can have so much in common with me (and trust me, as much as we "inherit" from the Greeks, the Spartans would be unrecognizably foreign to us). As is directly mentioned in the movie, Xerxes uses a massive army of slaves, and they are barely a match for 300 free men. I find it alarming that so many people think the opposite on these issues, but that's for another movie review.

Now, there are things I would change. It seems like every movie today has either a love scene or at least a topless woman. Perhaps the award committees have this as some absurd requirement, or perhaps some "critics" don't consider it "real art" without some flesh. The sex scenes and nudity in most movies just get in the way, and that's especially true in this movie. I would give examples, but this is one of those things that mature people already understand. If you don't get it, me rambling on about it won't help you.

Similarly, I'd also drop some of the exageratedly long shots of the king groaning in defiant pain. I don't have a problem with the idea of the scene, but it's another one of those award-show requirements that it last an extra thirty seconds for no reason. I wish Hollywood would realize that it's becoming a joke about such things in the real world. In those dramatic pauses at the star's face, I can no longer help but hear a director in the background yelling "and hold that pose for the award shot!... hold... hold...hold...hold...hold...hold...hold..."

Despite those peeves (which I feel are more like commentary on all movies today), I still love this movie. These and other problems I'm sure people have (the violence? it's about Spartans!) barely dent my admiration for this movie.

RebelAngel's score 3 stars-*** DH's score 5 stars-*****

Bleeding Heart Barbie cried when she heard about the fly. She thought President Obama knew better than to take the life of one of the Universe's creatures. However, she understands that everyone can need teaching in some area. Bleeding Hear Barbie and her friends atPETA are offering the President a humane fly trap. She suggests that if Obama would just shut his trap, things would be much better.

Camp Rainbow

2009-06-07T14:33:00.003-05:00

This week we are having our Camp Rainbow summer festivities here at Our House. It
may sound corny, but it works if done well. The house work will be game-ified. There will be prizes for who can do whatever fastest or best. We will have weed-pulling races in the yard, as well as washing the car and cleaning the patio. I'll have prizes and awards, and music, and whatever else I can think of to make cleaning our house the most fun we have ever had. Sock mopping is always a favorite with camp Rainbow campers.

I have craft supplies that need to be put into storage. I think we'll chuck them into a box from across the room and award points for making it in. In the afternoon, after "camp" activities are done, we'll go to the park or for nature walks, or to the zoo or something else cool and fun.

I have plenty of yard work that needs to be done that can be made fun. There are more than enough weeds, as well as ivy that needs to be trimmed, and sweetgum saplings from seed balls that fell from our front yard tree and were lucky enough to hit dirt rather than parking lot (We have a parking lot.) Since I am not fond of sweetgum seed balls, I do not believe that we need to allow 5 more sweetgum trees to grow. I like sweetgum trees just fine, but I hate the ugly, prickly seed balls. (Could be worse, though. Could be bodach trees.) The yard work will be fun, I think. One way or another.

Also, since kids at summer camp do not have to do school lessons, we will also be taking the week off. That certainly gets some smiles around here. I just hope they do not forget everything we have learned.

Upon learning that I intended to cut down sweetgum saplings, Bleeding heart Barbie has tied herself to one of them in a vain attempt to save my yard from deforestation.

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

2009-06-02T12:56:00.002-05:00

It occurs to me as I go throught this blog, rereading past entries and laughing at my own clever wit, that i promised to review my movie collection. (I also promised a bible commentary and to blog every day, but that is neither here nor there.)

Finally, I give you...

Hmmm...I probably should have chosen a movie before I started this. One moment, please

Oh Mandy, well you came and you gave without taking
But I sent you away
Oh Mandy, Well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
And I need you today
Oh Mandy.

Galaxy Quest
This is a Trekkie movie. not a Star Trek movie, but a movie written for Star Trek fans. If you are not specifically a Trek fan but enjoy science fiction; you will probably still enjoy it. It pokes good natured fun a tthe Star Trek stereotypes and eccentricities. Even if scifi isn't really your thing, but you still like a good action/comedy, I don't think you would hate this.

For the trekkie, though, this film is the Mothership calling from home to say you were always her favorite, even if no one else can see how special you are.

Tim Allen does superbly. He never was someone I would peg as an action hero (Buzz Lightyear notwithstanding) but since his character is "not quite an action hero" it fits.

Alan Rickman has been a favorite villain actor of mine for many years. Die Hard, Quigley Down Under, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Harry Potter (sort of)
He only really played a good guy in Truly, Madly, Deeply and no one has ever seen that movie but me, so it hardly counts.
This movie brings out his comedic talent as even Marvin the robot from The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy does not. (another movie in my DVD collection)
I loved that, as much as Alexander professed to hate his prsthesis, he was still wearing it off-hours.

Sigourney Weaver hasn't been this funny since Ghostbusters (chucklefest that Alien was.) She was very good in Galaxy Quest and it was clear she was having fun.
There is an interview in the bonus features where she discusses the absurdity of the movie's plot (in a good way.) Imagine an invasion by freaky aliens...whom do we need to save us? Well, Sigourney Weaver made movies where she kicked some alien butt. Let's get her!

Sam Something-or-Other (IMDB; Rockwell) was hilarious as Guy, the Extra.
Wouldn't you hate to find out you were living a movie and you are just Crewman #6?...and the character's name is actually Guy! I love it!

The acting is good all around. Also in this film are Adrian Monk and Veronica Mars' dad. Just kidding.

I LOVE Tony Shaloub! Wings, 13 Ghosts (not a fav of mine), Men in Black, Monk...Are my husband and I the only people who remember Stark, Raving Mad? Tony's character on that (very short-lived) series was just about the exact opposite of Adrian Monk.
But enough about all that. The character of Fred Kwan (not his real name) is unphased by anything! Nothing gets to him (exceot operating the tranporter) I love it. Who else could eat cheese crackers while their shuttle is about to crash on an alien planet?

I love this movie. My husband and I often quote it to each other in weird, nerd-based (and even sometimes in normal) conversation.

This one is 5 stars. *****

DD11 starting to practice her geisha skills, in case she cannot be an astronaut.

Today was really great!

2009-06-01T15:36:00.004-05:00

We didn't do anything special, but ended our brief hiatus from schooling to hit things back in full stride. No one seems to have forgotten what she had been learning earlier, and everyone seemed to grasp today's new concepts easily. And I didn't feel overrun, probably because I spent about an hour going over workbooks and files last night to prepare. Who would've thought?

So, in the interest of continuing what works, I believe I will spend a brief time this evening preparing for tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow will go smoothly as well.

Since I cannot spend so much time going up and down stairs anymore, I am planning to move my personal office into our sunroom and much of the resources we need here to the dining room. I was really stoked when we moved in to have the garage all to myself for a classroom, but now it is hard for me to get to and is sitting neglected. The dining room will be easier. And if things don't turn out that way...I can always switch back. I am flexible that way.

Math progreses, as math is wont to do. Reading leaps forward in unpredictable bounds, but I can take it. Science notes get lost, and then found, and then expanded upon. And we still haven't done Social Studies today, but what the heck, it'll keep for later.

Now, everybody make a sad face...

OK, now...back to normal!

What should I write about today?

2009-05-27T15:41:00.004-05:00

I am sorry I have not been by here much. Life goes on outside the blogosphere and requires my attention more urgently.

School is going well. Division, Division, Algebra for Math. Europe for Geography. Eyeballs for Science starting next week. Do you know the difference between a rod and a cone?

DH said he saw a trailer for the new V series that looked like a serious dig at PrezO. Maybe the series is and maybe it isn't, but the trailer certainly was. I haven't seen it yet, personally, what with life going on and all that.

DD8 was baptised Sunday without a hitch. Her maternal grandparents were in attendance as well as her maternal paternal great-grandmother. (My parents came and my dad's mother.) I have pics but won't be posting any just now.

We are planning our summer vacation. We'll be going to Kentucky to visit my in-laws. We may go by Mammoth Caves. The girls enjoyed it the last time we went. I don't really know how I feel about the idea.

What is for dinner tonight? I have no clue. It is already 4pm, better decide, eh?

Bleeding Heart Barbie has a very important announcement.
She is just overcame with sadness and all sorts of bad feelings over the plight of Hostage Bunny. Until that poor bunny is released she will be on a hunger strike.

Discovery

2009-05-23T21:08:00.002-05:00

For someone who has gone t ochurch all her life, you would think I knew pretty much what is in the Bible. (and I do, more or less, just nowhere near as much as I should)

I have been reading through since New Years. This is new for me, I generally don't bother. (That sounds terrible, doesn't it?) I have tried in the past and somewhere in the first five chapters of Leviticus I just can't keep on. The stories of the Old Testament are all familiar, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Esther...I know the STORIES, but in my reading just now something profound stood out to me. It didn't change what I already believed or thought, it just phrased it in a way I find truly beautiful and profound.

1 Kings 19:11-12

A gentle whisper

Photo Assistant

2009-05-23T15:29:00.004-05:00

My DD10 and I both agree that she had a "stupid job" to do during the latter part of our photo shoot. When I needed to take lower-seated shots of DD8 I had to take the backdrop (see one navy bedsheet) down off the closet door because it didn't reach to the floor and I didn't want to see the stoll or floor in the shot.

She said she expected her legs to get tired, but found that instead her arms got tired. (I could have told her that was what was going t ohappen.) I tried t obe quick so she didn't have to stand there long. In the picture she really looks gloomy. In actuality she was quite helpful and chipper, enjoying most of what we did. I just happened to snap the wider shot (than we had been taking of DD8) when she had a droopy expression. She laughs when we look at this picture.

Her hair is in its normal, woefully unbrushed, condition.

My Daughter , age 8

2009-05-23T15:23:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, DD8 will be baptised into our church. SHe is not nervous at all and greatly looking forward to the ceremony.

Today we went together, just she and I, and did a little shopping. While things in the Baptist tradition are less formal, I have always admired something of the majesty with which Catholicism treats such occasions. So, we bought a white dress for her to wear tomorrow and took pictures to commemorate the day. We discussed what the ceremony tomorrow means religiously and I made sure she was not just wanting gifts and to play in the water during church, haha.

More pictures will be forthcoming. We had a photoshoot today and I will be taking more photos tomorrow.

What a Fabulous Date Movie!

2009-05-07T12:39:00.005-05:00

Do you like satire? It tends to be a more sophisticated form of humor. It is one of those things that some people just don't get. (Of course, I suppose that can be said about just about any form of humor.)

I can remember reading Janathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" in high school. The majority of the class, even in AP English lit, were just sitting there with befuddled looks on their faces. (Many because they could not negotiate the outdated English verbage.) Two of us were chuckling the whole time. When the teacher asked what the class thought, most stayed quiet. Some said they thought it was "horrible!" And two of us said it was hilarious. If you haven't read it, do.

Anyway, satire. It is sometimes very subtle. Like sarcasm, it can be lost on the audience. The writer of satire needs to be very talented, or else it is misunderstood, either as "making fun" (which it is, but in a higher form) "sarcasm" (which is less delicate) or as an endorsement of what was meant to be satired. "Happy Together" by the Turtles is an example of this. It was written because the songwriters was tired of sappy-happy love songs and wrote the supreme, ultimate sappy-happy love song to make fun of them. And, it was so enjoyed by people who love sappy-happy love songs that it joined their list of favorites.

Back to today's real prize. I love this. Understanding it does require a basic understanding of 20th century cinema and western culture. Well, not really, but you do have to know something about what "The Shining" by Steven King is about.

Shining

DH's opinion of the clip...
I generally dislike youtube because a vast majority of its stuff is brain-numbing bile, but every so often you come across a gem like this, where someone creative has made a small, possibly satirical, masterpiece.

DD10 built a card house neighborhood.

Glory

2009-05-03T13:12:00.000-05:00

My dear husband and I are very proud to announce that our youngest daughter has accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. She had come to us saying she did not want to be a sinner and sha wanted to be a Christian. She and I talked for a few weeks about what it means to be a Christian, about what we as a family and she as an individual believes about God and His Son. This morning she went forward during the invitation and spoke to our pastor about making a public profession of faith in Jesus.

We could not be more proud. Her smile was as big as any I have ever seen. She was nervous about going up in front of the congregation, but managed to get through it. It helped to know that everyone there was supportive of her decision.

We'll be figuring out over the next few weeks when she will be baptized.

I am just giddy!

2009-04-30T19:14:00.002-05:00

This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes...

Our new washer and dryer arrived this afternoon. I cannot tell you how happy I am about this. (As are the people who must be around me. Fortunately, thanks to my life choices, those people are few.)

They sure are pretty. (the machines, not the people) Fancy little buttons and gizmos all over the front panel. The washer plays a jaunty little tune when the cycle is finished.

I am so jazzed, just to have machines at all, but especially to have these. They are highly rated, not incredibly expensive, and, best of all (given my recent laundry history) fully functional.

I did a load of our black clothes to christen the machines (though not being fully goth when younger, we do still have a lot of black clothes, enough that they do not have to be washed with navy or brown clothes to make a full load (or 3.) Then turned the laundry room over to my brother. He has fewer clothes to wash, but also fewer all together, so he is a tad more desperate. Once he has his two loads done I am back to it and I plan to spend all day washing tomorrow. Yay!

The guys who delivered the appliances were very nice. The driver, who didn't really have anything to do once I signed the paper, was great. The girls asked if they could have the boxes and I said no, because of the staples. He got a pair of pliers and pulled the staples out. Now the girls have a little cardboard neighborhood of houses in the garage. (The boxes won't fit through the door into the house.) He was very sweet about it.

Hmmm, I wonder how long it will take to get the laundry caught up. This is going to be fun. I cannot wait. Laundry is my favorite chore.

DH and DD8 (long ago) play Row Row Row Your Boat. I love the look on her face.

2009-04-23T14:13:00.002-05:00

To celebrate our 12th anniversary last week we took the girls to dinner
and a movie. We went to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. 3D technology
has come a long way since Jaws 3. It was amazing. I heard DD11 next
to me whisper "Wow!" when the first scene (an outer space scene with a
ringed planet and space debris) came on the screen. We all thought it
was impressive. The whole movie was. DD8 said she didn't care for
having to wear the glasses, but still liked the movie.

The movie was good. The monsters were funny, but the alien was
hilarious. Most of my favorite scenes from the movie were with him. His
incredible hubris and disregard for life juxtaposed with his panic when
things didn't go as planned were priceless.

"Just to recap, I come in peace, I mean you no harm, you are all going to
die."

Earlier this week we had an outside activity wherein the girls played the part of red blood cells, moving in and out of our blanket "heart." All three said they had fun, and did seem to retain at least some of the information we went over.

Kickin' in Our PJs

2009-04-23T14:00:00.002-05:00

All three of the girls are sitting around in their pajamas today. That is one
of the perks of home schooling, of course, but we are not just revelling in
our anti-social freedom from proper daytime attire. We are revelling in
not having a working washing machine.

My dad came to have a look at it, since he knows washing machines (20
years of repairing them, along with dry cleaning machines, dryers, and
industrial presses will do that.) He thought from my telelphone desription
that it would be a broken or fallen-off belt. If so it would have been an
easy fix. No such luck, though. Turns out it was the timer. A repairman
could fix it, but we have some money saved up and I have been wanting a
new set of machines. DH put a price cap on (to make sure I don't go too
far off the deep end) and I hit the internet. I found what we wanted and
we should have it in a few days.

DH was all for just getting a washer. That is all we need, right? The dryer
still works. I managed to talk him into getting me a new dryer too. It is not
too extravagent. I am more familiar with the condition of our current dryer
and, believe you me, it could have easily been the problem. The thing is
noisy, shaky, unreliable, and a mess. That happens when you buy
someone else's 20 year old machines. Dad says getting the matching set
now is a good idea. Odds are, since the old machines are the same age,
the dryer would be clunking out in a few months.

Now, after a week and a half without a washer, we are rationing our clean
clothes. If we need to stay home, pajamas are ok. Actual clean clothes
are being saved for when we need to go out.

The garbage bags full of dirty laundry are starting to pile up. I am actually
looking forward to getting the new machines and get rolling on the clean-
up. I actually enjoy doing laundry. New gadgets are going to make it
even cooler. I can't wait.

Judging by the background, I think this is another example of swing-photography. however, since things are not swirl-blurry, I think the artist was stationary, if slightly askew in taking this shot of her sister.

Not Looking for Gore, but where is it anyway?

2009-04-23T13:56:00.002-05:00

I watched in the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale last
week. I never played Dungeon Siege, but I do like Sword and Sorcery
movies. It was good enough, for what it was. One doesn't expect oscar
-calibre work from a vehicle like this. (But then again, most Oscar-calibre
movies are not really my cup of tea.) It was better than Dungeons and
Dragons, certainly.

Claire Forlani was great. Jason Statham as well. Ray Liotta was too far
over the top. I guess evil wizards are outside his range.

One thing I did notice, when the evil wizard bad guy got his throat slashed
by the hero (sorry for the spoiler) there was no arterial spray, none at all.
People don't just get a thin red line across their throat if they have a fatal
slash. Don't these people watch CSI?

A hawk or falcon or something landed on a branch of our tree. I took some pictures.

Style

2009-04-23T13:51:00.002-05:00

I understand the concept behind designer fashion. It is about art.
Especially the weird stuff everyone laughs at pictures of from out-there
runways. Oscar gowns, wedding gowns, formal attire as well; art on the
human form.

Everyday "style" is a little harder to understand. I find it hard to believe
that designer jeans, let's say Tommy Hilfiger or FUBU, are art enough to
justify the difference in price from Levi's.
This one involves status more than anything; I think. Showing you are
well-off enough to afford designer clothes. The designer name doesn't
indicate that the jeans are better so much as they are a surrogate
price tag.
OK, I get that too.

What my mind refuses to wrap around is designer hand bags. Once price
differences due to materials are accounted for, why are some leather
bags worth $50 and others $1000? For that matter, why would anyone
pay $50 for a purse? I don't get it.

Another picture of dogwood blossoms for your enjoyment. The flowers grow on trees and are usaully between 2 and 3 inches from petal edge to petal edge. Most are white, but they also come in shades of pink.

NYPD Blue

2009-04-23T13:43:00.003-05:00

Cop shows being my flavor of the month, becoming a receent David
Carusso fan, and having heard that someone I respect liked it, I decided
to check out NYPD Blue.

I am afraid I only made it through the first scene of the pilot.

I knew there was occasianal nudity and bad language. That I can deal
with. I actually prefer a bit of realism IF that is what the show is shooting
for. (If realism is not the aim, I do at least require continuity, but that is
not for this entry.)

I could not handle the shaking. I know, it was "edgy" and "gritty" and cool
when it came out and the show lasted for 12 years, there was definitely
something there. I am not knocking the plots or acting, just the camera
work, and since that was on purpose, I just didn't feel like continuing to
watch.

All the budget of a network cop show and they decide to make the show
look like it was shot with a camcorder? Not to my taste Oh well.

For you today I present a close-up of the ubiquitous Southern blossom, the Dogwood. It is not the state flower of Mississippi, but is of Virginia, and likely a few other states (I'll ahve to look that up.) They are everywhere in the southern US, and bloom usually during March and April.

CSI: Miami

2009-04-23T13:37:00.003-05:00

Having gotten bored with, or watched up to current episodes, the TV I was
into, I recently joined millions of others in becoming a forensics junkie.
CSI is pretty good.

I watched the original version, set in Las Vegas, all the way through.
Very cool. I miss Grissom though, and Warrick. Sarah, not so much.
She was too gritty for me.

Anyway, having run out of on-demand, not-yet-seen episodes of that CSI,
I switched to CSI: Miami. It took a few episodes to get used to a different
team, but now that I am 5 or 6 seasons in, I know them and am just as
hooked.

It is interesting to note the differences in the series', but I will wait until I
have watched this one all the way through and have at least finished
season 1 of CSI: New York. (I have seen a few episodes of that, but
decided not to split my focus.)

I need to check to see if CSI: Miami has changed directors a few
seasons ago. I can handle gratuitous bikini butt shots of inconcequential
people on the beach. That is part and parcel of a show set in Miami. But
recently the show's camera work has gotten weird; odd camera angles,
vertical or horizontal scene flipping. Collage shots of the same scene
from 6 or 7 different angles. It is a horrid distraction and takes away from
the show rather than adding to it. It didn't start out this way. Only over
the last few seasons has this gone on. And it is getting worse.
The attempt to make a cop show into "art" is degrading to the genre. I
suppose the over-production is a reaction to the purposeful
underproduction that had been popular in the last decade.

More on that later.

The girls liken to take pictures with my camera (when I will let them. I always tell them to be extra careful with the camera, and they always say they will. One of them thought it would be a cool idea to take pictures while they were on the tire swing. That isn't really what I call being careful, but the electronics didn't hit the dirt, so I'll let it slide, this time. Here is one of the fruits of their efforts at swing-photography.

The Edge of the World

2009-04-23T13:32:00.003-05:00

I am very sorry to have dropped off the edge of the world for the past few
weeks. I would like to give you a good explanation, but I don't really have
one. I have been blowing off the blog in favor of other activites.
Other writers of other blogs say they prepare their entries ahead of time.
I might try that, but there is no guarantee that I will follow through or that
even if I do it will make a difference in how often entries appear.

My attempt to Blog 365 is pretty much a lost cause. I am going to give up
trying to make up for lost time. It is only contributing to making me feel
behind and like a failure. So, I will stop worrying so much and just post. I
will try to post as often as possible and with read-worthy topics.

Of course, what is read-worthy is really up to the reader. So, again, no
guarantee.

For you photographic pleasure, DD11. Doesn't she look pleased that upon being told that she had her hair caught in the swing rope my first instinct is to take the camera out there? We did get her untangled, eventually.

Green (Feb 7)

2009-03-27T14:27:00.002-05:00

The trees are finally really budding out. Odds are we won't see any more cold weather.

I need to get rolling on our garden boxes.

My procrastination tendency has stopped more than one garden from ever happening.

Now, where did I out those seed packets?

Here are the girls having fun in the wading pool, 7 or 8 years ago.

Ewww! (Feb6)

2009-03-27T14:17:00.003-05:00

Something in the fridge went horribly wrong.

My chief suspect is a pack of chicken breast patties that should ahve gone in the freezer upon arrival from the grocery store but was put in the vegetable crisper drawer of the fridge instead. Without me knowing

So, yesterday I had the girls clean out the fridge. I told them to toss anything that looked bad or was past date. I could smell the nasty all the way downstairs.

I really need to take a handle on our food again. Now that all the stuff that cannot be eaten is gone the fridge is pretty bare.

I had not put much thought into needing to shop for groceries because every time I openned the fridge (which was generally just for drinks since Dh does most of the cooking) it was...if not full, at least not empty. So, I never put it all together that shopping was needed.

(Note: We are not out of food.)

I am going to put my homemaker hat back on and whip up a menu for the coming week, and a shopping list to go with it.

Here is DD8 (a few years ago) up a tree.

Mightier than the Sword (Feb 5)

2009-03-27T14:06:00.004-05:00

Since I am spending more time away from my computer (or trying to) i am writing out my blog long hand on paper (and trying not to lose it.)

I have always liked to write. I love the feel of the pen sliding across paper, especially with more paper underneath. There is something about the cushioning that I like. (When writing in pencil it is the opposite; I prefer no paper under the page being used.)

This has been fun, writing more. It brings back memories from bygone years staying up all night writing out silly stories until my hand cramped.

I actually have nice handwriting, if I do say so myself.

Here is a picture of DD10 on her 6th birthday. She wanted a pirate theme. We hung a sheet between a tree branch and picnic table to make a sail. We had a treasure hunt and lots of cool games. It was a great day. We even had wonderful weather for an outdoor party. That is not always possible in November.

Being Holy (Feb 4)

2009-03-27T13:59:00.003-05:00

The preacher for our church's recent revival focused on what it means to be a holy man.

He made a specific point that he wasn't talking about the Pope or some sort of high priest. He preached about the average Christian being holy.

God commands that His people be holy, for he is holy.

What does it mean to be holy? What is holiness as it pertains to us and our life?

What do you believe it means to be holy? Is it possible?

The munchkins a few years ago, 2003, I think. We had a photo shoot outside for the Fall. I really like this one.

I do need to get more photos on my laptop, though, or start blogging from my desktop.

New Haven (Feb 3)

2009-03-27T13:46:00.003-05:00

I spent a day (a few days ago) cleaning my bedroom. it took all day, but the result is well worth all the effort. Why did I put this off for so long?

I joked with my brother that since we've been here almost a year I had decided to finally finish moving in.

Having the room clean has been wonderful. It is like a haven now where I can escape the chaos of the rest of the house. I moved the table that was in the kitchen at the old house (but which hasn't really found a home in the new place) into the bedroom. I makes a nice spot to have the phone and laptop. I joked with DH that I need to get a minifridge and microwave.
He said I had better not hole up in here. They would never see me. Eventually, the mess from the rest of the house would block my escape should I need to leave.

I haven't made my final decision yet. Minifridges and microwaves are not too expensive. I could even bring the coffee maker back here. I am the only one who ever uses it.

With all that, plus regular maintenance to keep the clean going, it could be like I have my own little hotel room at the end of the hall.

I could print up a fire-route paper to put on the back of the door to finish the effect.

That plus a "Do Not Disturb" sign and I am on vacation all the time.

I honestly do not know if I have posted this picture already. This is the eye of an American aligator at the Memphis Zoo.

Schedule Change ?

2009-03-27T13:39:00.003-05:00

my life, well, my daily schedule at least, has become far too lackadaisical. I need to shape up a bit.

I have been "enjoying" being a stay-at-home mom so much that I have taken the freedom to far. I have decided to continue enjoying my freedom but to inject a little structure.

Of course, it is easy to say that, harder to make it happen.

The girls here are climbing on a pile of rocks my in-laws have in their yard.

Not on Drugs (Feb 2)

2009-03-24T16:03:00.004-05:00

In the interest of entertaining myself I decided a few days ago to begin a series of entries with reviews of movies that I own on DVD. This is both to save me from having to pay to see new movies I don't want to see and taking time out of my day to see them. With my own DVD collection I have hundreds (yes, I mean that) of movies to review AND I like most of them to one degree or another.

To prove that not all of these reviews of movies I own are going to be fluff pieces to benefit (though I don't know how) movies I like, I planned to start with one I do not like. I even wrote out my review on a piece of paper (that'll teach me) and promptly lost it, since I haven't been at my desk in a couple of days and there are gremlins about.

Anyhoo...I think I can paraphrase what I had without taking the time to think too hard and re-write the review itself.

Cutthroat Island sucks!

Whoever told Geena Davis she could act should be SHOT! Or made to watch Cutthroat Island. The jury is really out on which would be the harsher punishment.

I actually remember enjoying this film when my friends and I went to see it in college. I know I wasn't on drugs, so I must have been sitting next to the guy I had a crush on, thereby enjoying the company rather than the film.

I bought the DVD out of nostalgia for thinking I had enjoyed it in the theatre. I sat down to watch and was not able to stomach more than 10 minutes. It is HORRID!

Next time an entry about a movie I did like. There are more of those.

I mean there are more of those in my own DVD collection, NOT in existence.

Here is a shot of a Cinderella barbie doll I took the eye paint off of. The lashes on one eye smeared badly and were a pain in the acetone to get off. SHe looks a little like Seven of Nine. Hmmmm...

Zzzzzz

2009-03-24T12:38:00.003-05:00

I did not want to get out of bed this morning.

We did not stay up super late or have to get up early.

Yesterday I threw away our old (OLD) pillows and had the hubby pick up new ones on his way home. Wow! Cushiony heaven. Ahhh!

Here is my youngest daughter hanging out a window at my in-laws' house. No worries, my father-in-law was behind her holding on.

A Difficult Distance

2009-03-22T13:54:00.003-05:00

I need to back my time on the computer WAY down. There is really no way around this. I am not being the wife, mother, teacher, and housekeeper that I want to be because I am sitting here, desperate for something interesting to read or watch. What good does it do me to not have cable TV if I sit in front of my computer screen all day? (Well, given that my choice in internet entertainment is of higher calibre than most tv shows, I guess it does SOME good. But that is beside the point!)

I still want to get at least 365 blog entries this year. (Yes, I know I am still behind.) I am going to limit my computer time every day, if not spend some days completely away. I will post blog entries (at least one) when I do have computer time, and when I do not I will try to write something profound down on a piece pf paper to transcribe into the computer when I get a chance. Updates will be more sporadic, but I hope to net 7-10 / week.

And, if it comes down to a choice between giving my family and myself what I need in person, or logging on here to talk about the weather and what earrings I have made... or something more interesting like politics (I am Republican with strong Libertarian leanings,) religion (Christian,) or movies (action, please, with comedy in for spice,) I will chose my family. (Golly, that was one heck of a run-on sentence with all kinds of tangents to wander down.)

If I cannot manage to jot down an entry on a napkin, I will try taking pictures of my life and posting them. I make no guarantees about the quality of my photography.

Here is DD8 (7 at the time) at the bottom of our back stairs. This is where my desk is now. You can tell this spot gets more than its fair share of morning sun. This was 11 months ago, a few weeks before we moved in. It is much messier now.

Thoughts on Horror (Feb1)

2009-03-18T10:10:00.006-05:00

My husband and I were discussing movies a while back and we started to think about why we liked some movies but not others, even when on the surface the films might seem similar. I had been watching a little bit of the computer animated Resident Evil: Degeneration but stopped because I was losing interest and neither engaged in the story nor frightened. The first two Resident Evil movies were decent enough. The third Mila Jovovich one was ok, but not up to the first two. This computer animated one really blew. Eventually I went back and watched the second half just for laughs.

Anyway, like I said, my husband and started to talk about movies, and drifted to horror, given my choice of recent viewing material. Here is his take (edited somewhat) on what makes a horror movie good (or bad.)

Me- What makes a movie scary if you don't want to rely on gore or cheap startles?

DH- There are a couple of things...cheap thrills aside, really good suspense flows well, actually, the cheap thrills usually stop good suspense.

Me- The suspense has to lead somewhere, but cats jumping out when you are afraid there is a killer is just plain stupid.
"Haha, it was just a cat, blah blah blah, the audience will love that laugh, they are so stupid"

I see THAT is a mistake writers make. But there is more to it.

DH- The key to good suspense is to keep building slowly, never letting it totally down (and avoiding the bum-bum-BUM moments.)
That means good plot, and some pay-off doesn't hurt when it's not cheap.
Look at 6th sense, leaving aside any gore, it would've been just as scary with no gore.
You make sure the audience KNOWS the bad things are about to happen, and that's really where the suspense is.

Me- The gore in 6th sense was not to shock the audience but more to give sympathy for Cole; a kid should not have to see that all the time.

DH- Yeah.
Now, some other things...

Creepiness; this is really the function most hacks use gore to achieve.
Other common ways to achieve creepiness is by using things that people innately fear or avoid, like bugs and insane people.

Me- HP Lovecraft studied psychology to delve into what primally scares people; being eaten is a big one.

DH- The last piece I would suggest again comes to plot, but isn't so much a device... it's the timing and flow. Scary movies are like musical pieces when done right. They have to flow together from one movement to another with lots of minor apexes, but only one big crescendo. When you let it come down, you have to keep enough tension to keep the ball rolling. You can't have too many big points that detract from the finale, but you still have to have the minor points that make everything feel like progress forward and to keep interest.
You can't rely on one big scare.
Your plot is vital to this, because gimmicks just don't do it.

I hope that wasn't too hard to decipher, given that we were IMing at the time.

"bum bum BUM" Are a big cheese factor. Anywhere you can say (or hear an actor say, which is even worse) "It was the little boy all along!" or "Oh NO! Just as she almost got out!" or "The scientist took a sample to his lab!" These are sometimes accompanied by sweepy camera moves, to make sure you see it, or accenting music. bum bum BUM. B horror flicks do this a lot. Resident Evil: Degeneration did this so much it was amusing.

Not long after we had this conversation DH and I went to see Coraline. It is a children's horror movie. This meant the gore was kept to a minimum (Do splattered silverfish count as gore?) and the story would have to carry (or fail to carry) the suspense and horror. (And there was more likely to be a happy ending. There are very few things I want to take time out of my life to watch or read that I will be satisfied by a tragic ending. It just seems like a wild waste of my time.)

DH said Coraline was superbly done, one of the best movies he has seen in the last five years. (That sounds like a compliment, but thinking back on the releases of the last five years, it isn't saying as much as it sounds like it is saying.) There were minor apexes leading up to, but not detracting from the final climax.

I liked it a lot too, though the trapeze scene was a little...over the top. The creepiness was certainly up there on the scale. I have heard that adults are actually more creeped out than kids by this film. I can see that. There are nuances that kids either don't get or take as a given that mess with adults. It depends on the kids, of course, and the adults. The buttons really get me, eewww!

I don't think I would take my 8 year old to see this, but the older girls, sure.

The rhinoceros at the Memphis Zoo. I cannot remember what her name is. I keep thinking Rosie, but I would not bet money that is correct. Isn't she beautiful?

2009-03-18T09:57:00.002-05:00

The weather today and yesterday has been very nice. The sun is sparkling in a bright blue sky. The temperatures are warmer than they were last week while it rained. I may send the kiddos outside this afternoon to get out of ~~my hair~~ the house.

It is a little bit of a mixed blessing. My desk is quite near our back (south facing) window and I am facing east. Between 9 am and noon I can barely see for the glare of sunlight right in my face. I am thinking of moving my desk. It is either that or move the sun. I tried moving the sun first. It worked for a while but then the blamed thing just went right back to where it had been.

This is a really good place for my desk. It will take some thinking to decide where I want to put it. I might have to rearrange the whole house. What fun.

Maybe I should see if there is some way to get curtains up onto the large window. It is pretty big, and the top left corner is a good 3.5 - 4 meters up, hard to reach. I'll really have to think about it.

I suppose if I buy or rent a ladder to help with outdoor high place maintenance I could also use the ladder inside to hang curtains. They would definitely need to be on some sort of pulley system. The window is too big to just grab the drapes in the middle break and sweep them open with your hand.

I suppose my other option, besides moving my desk or hanging drapes, is to just live with the glare. But that doesn't sound fun at all.

My friend Sonya. RIP

Without Me

2009-03-17T12:09:00.002-05:00

Aside from the sadness I feel at Sonya's death, I also feel the need to not only make sure my family knows I love them, but also to make sure that the future is planned for what they would do if something happened to me.

I suppose those are both perfectly normal reactions. At least they feel perfectly normal to me.

DD11 and I have actually discussed this matter in the past. But I think I need to make sure DH understands and wants what I want. And that he knows how to get what he needs to continue taking care of the girls the way I would prefer, should I not be here to finish their education.

What?

2009-03-15T17:48:00.003-05:00

PLease pardon my typing today. I do not have my glasses on, and I cannot really see even then.

You may remember a few days, weeks maybe, I don't know, I was complaining about my friend not listing my blog on her blogroll..

Well, it's there now.

I was there looking for glimpses of her. SHe died Friday.

I never mentioned whose blog didn't list mine. God, I hope she didn't know I meant her.

But Iam listed htere now.

I had other things I was going to blog about, but I may not be over here for a couple of days.

I am sorry.

Mississippi Magic

2009-03-13T15:24:00.002-05:00

Growing up with my dad in the military we didn't get to visit my grandparents in Mississippi very often. Usually it was either a week in the summer or a week at Christmastime.

I can remember as we would be driving in, closer and closer to the marvelous house I knew so well. The highway would wind through tall trees that dripped with kudzu vines. My sister and I called it our Mississippi jungle. We'd pass the little church where our parents were married (and at least 3 pairs of aunts and uncles) then more woods. There on the right was the road to our aunt's house. Up on that hill, that white house was our mother's cousin's home. Then the road would bend and there is was, down off the highway, a gravel drive, magnolia tree, vegetable garden, and a small, little house that never felt small to us.

My family was not wealthy, generally more the opposite.

My grandparents did not have a switch to turn their dining room light on and off. We, or rather, an adult, had to reach up and give the bulb a twist, making sure to cover their hand with a wash rag if the bulb had been on a while. I have no idea how they came to be without a light switch back then. In the years since then that problem has been fixed.

The only interior room to have a door was the combination bathroom/laundry room. All of the bedrooms had old quilts nailed up in the doorways.

That was probably wise. The floor was so warped that the bathroom door had the tendency to jam after opening only a few feet.

My mother's stepmother always had a parakeet. I don't think it was ever the same bird from one visit to the next, but there was always a bird in the dining room.

The front door was never used, too many old refrigerators or freezers or hub caps to be convenient. The side door was more easily reached anyway, and safer. There were wasps on the porch, so we never played there, even if old hub caps and freezers did seem cool.

Those visits were a chance for three kids from the suburbs to be free for a while from The Brady Bunch and The Jetsons and just see what there was to be seen. We could build our own fun from there.

Sometimes there were chickens we weren't allowed to chase, sometimes not. There were often beagles in the wooden pen that my grandfather used to hunt. We weren't allowed near the pen either.

I don't know what that pen was built for originally, but my earliest memory of it was it housing pigs. I guess dogs was a step up. We didn't really want to mess with the pen.

Our imaginations could turn the woods behind the house (woefully void of kudzu) into a jungle or wilderness. We would search down the hill for treasure amongst 40 years of junk that had been tossed down there out of view of the house before the county started collecting. (Left over food went to the dogs (or pigs) and junk was tossed down the hill. Broken sewing machines, kitchen chairs, stereo speakers, old boots, 20 year old empty soda bottles, broken eyeglass frames, old broom handles, it was a gold mine.

We were not supposed to play down there.

I love living in Mississippi, even if living somewhere is very different from visiting for a week, and 2009 is very different from 1982. I still love kudzu vines, even though I am not supposed to. I love looking through junk to see wondrous possibilities for fun. I love exploring and learning about the past.

I want to capture some of the magic Mississippi had for me as a kid, for myself as well as for my own children. I am just not sure how. (Tossing all of our broken junk into the backyard not really being where I want to take this.)

Here are DD8 and DD10 trying to roller skate.

What's for Dinner? (Jan 31)

2009-03-11T19:02:00.002-05:00

So, I know I promised to try to keep the mundane to a minimum, but we can already see how that has turned out. So, for today's blogg-a-riffic enjoyment, I present...

"What is for dinner?"

We have Chef Boy-ar-Dee ravioli, some Dinty Moore beef stew, chicken flavor Ramen noodles.

Yum.

I do believe a trip to the grocery store may be in order.

So, now that the options have openned up to include "Anything I Want," What should we have?

DD11 says Spaghetti, or Fettuccini Alfredo. I don't really feel like cooking, and those are MY recipes. (Some things I cook, some things DH cooks.)

DB says he doesn't know. "Did we decide to not have the ravioli?" That is his answer. Or meatball subs, he suggests, once I clarify that a trip to the grocery is going to happen first.

What is it with all the Italian (-based) foods? We eat too much pasta. Well, I guess meatball subs don't quality as "pasta" per se, but it is in the same "food family."

I could really go for a BBQ sandwich. Too bad I didn't put a roast in the crock pot 8 hours ago. We could go for "heat and eat" but it isn't the same. If we lived in Huntsville still, I would know just where to go. I am not as clear on where is good around here. I learned to make my own when we lived too far to pop out for take-out. Now that we are closer to town I have not explored the glories of Oxford BBQ. I think I'll ask around some of my friends. (Yes, I have friends.)

We have been having tacos a lot recently, as well. It has been good, but the bloom is off the rose. (That is a saying, right?) And I am tired of hot dogs, too. They have been my default "I-don't-feel-like-cooking-or-salad-meal recently. I ma tired of hot dogs.)

Now that I thought of BBQ, I cannot get it out of my head. I may have to suffer with "heat and eat" but things could be worse. I could be forced to cook for real.

Chuck (Jan 30)

2009-03-11T18:44:00.005-05:00

We have gotten adicted. Gotta have a new series to watch. (Thanks A LOT for suggesting this one, DS! Now we don't get anything done.)

Super Spies, Super Computer, a Best Buy knock-off as a set, and Adam Baldwin...how could that go wrong? I think Ellie and Awesome are my favorite characters (besides Chuck, Sarah, and Casey.)

DH says he doesn't think it is written by nerds. The nerds on the show are too cliched, he says. He may be right. He may be in denial. I do believe we went to college with some of these guys.

TV watching doesn't go the same way here as it does for most of you. All my watching is done on-line, so if a show is not brand new I get sucked into watching episode after episode, much like have a season on DVD (which is also done around here.) Things settle down to watching once a week only when we have caught up to current shows.

Rather than an 18 hour slob fest we have decided to keep it to 3 episodes a night. It draws out the fun and allows other things to get done. (I did a couple of 18+ (do not ignore the +) runs to get up to speed on Ghost Whisperer. Can you say "Jumpy?" Half the reason I stayed up through the night to watch was that I was incapable of going to bed and trying to sleep, even with the lamp on. The other half was that the story really drew me in. (Still hooked btw. Do you watch? Do you think Sam/Jim is really gone?)

Well, DH needed a quick nap after work. It is about time for Chuck. See ya'!

Today's photo - My Dad and Grandad (his father-in-law) sitting near the fireplace at a family gathering. Dad is usually off on the side at a Mom's-bunch gathering. I do not know why Grandaddy is. he is usually right in the center of everything.

Chatting about the weather

2009-03-11T18:36:00.003-05:00

Yeah, the last few days have been in the 80s F. For those of you accustomed to Celcius temps that is "the warmer side of confy for outside." Today we get 50s. Tonight it is supposed to rain and rain all through the rest of the week and into the weekend. So much for yard work. (Procrastination pays off once again!)

(Disclaimer - No one under the age of 18 should take the above statement as an endorsement of putting off ones chores in the hopes of getting out of them completely. That is irresponsible.)

Some wild flowers to cheer up your day. I believe these were in my in-laws' yard 2 or 3 years ago.

WaHOOOO!!!! (for Jan 29)

2009-03-09T13:46:00.003-05:00

That is it! Done!!

"We are the Champions, My Friend!
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end.
We are the Champions!
We are the Champions!
No time for losers 'cause
We are the Champions
Of the WORLD!"

We got our tax refund Friday.
I just hit send on an e-payment for the last of my student loan.

Over the last 15 months we have paid off $50,281.20 and this was the last debt (besides the mortgage) we have.

Take THAT Toyota, and MasterCard, and Visa, and Sallie Mae. You are no longer a part of my family's life, nor will you ever be again!

And a picture to remind that WHATEVER goal you set can be reached if you keep at it and work for it.

Frustration X Confusion = ?? (make up for Jan 28)

2009-03-09T13:02:00.003-05:00

I am doing something wrong with the teaching of multiplication. I cannot figure it out. They know some things but seem to have no grasp of other facts, no matter how many times we practice and go over it. I am going to try some new approaches.

Hmmm, or maybe old ones. DD11 learned just fine, mostly by playing a computer game. I haven't had the other two girls playing the computer game. I think I will try pulling it out. Of course, DD11 liked the computer game. If her sisters do not it may not be as successful.

Last Autumn, the girls and I did manage to do some raking. Not that you can tell it now.

PS- Concerning the last blog entry...earing pair -Done

There is a story in my head. (make up for Jan 27)

2009-03-09T12:28:00.002-05:00

Rats!

I had a delicious dream last night. It had plot, intrigue, beauty, and mystery. Ireally want to write it out as a novel. But I woke up only about one quarter of the way through! I don't even know how things are going to turn out.

I need to think on it a bit. And clear up some of the "dream logic" that doesn't make sense.

DH says to flesh out the characters and their actions and (more importantly) their motivations and the story will come on its own. It's a wonder he isn't a writer. He has the talent for storytelling.

My main problem is I have a gaggle of supporting characters and an antagonist, but no main protagonist. I can't very well write a novel set in a mysterious intrigue filled kingdom and hav the main character be a mother of 3 from Mississippi (unless that is the whole premise, which in this case, it is not.)

I need to jot down some notes and ideas. And I need plot twists. The story as I dreamed it was too straight forward.

Here is a chalk drawing one of my daughters did on the driveway of my in-laws' home in KY. I do not remember which daughter, just that this photo was taken in July of 2007. I guess date stamps are only useful up to a point.

Monday To Do

2009-03-09T12:17:00.002-05:00

I must say, having a list of things that need to be done handy to remind oneself of what need to be done and allow one to mark off tasks as they are completed is certainly helpful. I made a "To Do" list last night and am already well on the way through it.

Open downstairs windows to allow fresh air in. - Done
Shower - Done
Bible Reading - Done
Take down last of Christmas decorations - Done
Put paid bill stubs into DH's unused (and therefor available) briefcase - Done
Clean the floor of the craft room - Done
Laundry - Going
Dishes - Going

Still up...
Math
Raking the yard
Making one pair of earrings
Sweeping spider webs off the outside of the house
Pulling overgrown ivy from outside the laundry room window
Mop the Kitchen
clean 2 fish tanks

I don't know if I will get outside today. So, some of these will wait until tomorrow.

Here is one of my favorite shots from when I lugged my camera around the Ole Miss campus looking for interesting shots. This is the front porch of the Lyseum building, built in 1848. It is the oldest building on campus. It used to BE the university building. Now it houses the offices of the chancellor and probably some other people along with a few conference rooms.

The Most Under-rated Movie of All Time (make up for Jan 27)

2009-03-08T12:56:00.002-05:00

I never did watch, thanks to all the poo-pooing by critics and the knowledge that it seems to have ended Kevin Costner's career. Shame on me! Shame on the critics! I can only imagine why they did not like this movie. It was well written, well acted, and well made (other than the cable car scene, which was obviously green-screen, but may just be that I am spoiled by recent cgi technological developments and it wasn't bad for the time.)

The Postman totally DID NOT SUCK! I loved it. I must see if I can buy this on DVD. It was a tad predictable, but what isn't nowadays? This movie was cool.

If you are the kind of person who likes "hope re-emerging after disaster" movies. If you don't mind one (in my opinion) unnecessary sex scene. If you are a fan of the United States Postal System. You will like this movie.

The character of the Postman is cool, but I think Abby and Ford are my favorites.

Not a movie for young kids. IF it weren't for the above-mentioned sex scene I would definitely consider letting my older two watch. Since there is the needed technology to skip past that I may still. (Oh, side note. There was one use of the N-word. It was used to show how evil and hateful the bad guys are. Its existence is no doubt one of the reasons this movie was so reviled. A short talk to the girls about what the word is, what it means, and what it signifies will be in order before they watch. If they watch.)

Eye candy-
After a storm last Spring it looked like our backyard maple tree tried to catch something it had dropped.

Growing Season Plans (make-up for Jan 26)

2009-03-08T12:31:00.002-05:00

We are going to be gardening this year. Yes, I have said that in the past and, no, I have never had a garden. Funny thing, buying seed packets is only the FIRST step (technically, I don't think it should actually be Step 1...maybe step 3 or 4.) not the only step.

I found a way that I think I can do this. Square Foot Gardening looks like I could actually manage. I am not planning to do it exactly like he says. I am adapting it along the "classroom" ideas he gives and scaling it down. (DH, no doubt wary of my attention span for such things, says to start small.) I am planning to build 2'x 2' boxes, with bottoms (unlike the gardens the site generally showcases) so that I can not only move them but also have them up on a table. This will let me bring them into the garage if we get a bad storm or drought. And, most importantly for me, this will be easier on my knees.

The knees have been giving me a lot of trouble over the last few months. I am starting to think a house full of stairs was a bad idea. However, I do love my house, so I am coping.

If I had to garden on the ground I would not do it at all. With all of it up on a table, within easy not-bending-over reach, this is at least possible.

We have lettuce, tomatoes, peppers on the list for veggies. I think I will do a larger patch of corn as well as watermelon and pumpkin vines in the ground, rather than on the table. I am also going to have an herb box with oregano, basil, rosemary, and ... hmmm ... I had only picked 3. A 2'x 2' box has four 1'x 1' spaces. I think I will see if I can grow marjoram. That keeps the box spice-based and gives spices I use on a regular basis. (I cannot bring myself to put a veggie in the spice box. That isn't the way I work.) I am also going to have spearmint. That stuff will grow just about anywhere. I have some old flower pots I might use, or just build another 2'x 2' box. I could put it in the ground, but spearmint looks very weed-like; at least it resembles a lot of the weeds our yard has. SO, I do not think in-the-ground is the right way to go.

I'll keep you updated on how things progress. IF things progress.

FOr your visual pleasure...Some of my Christmas presents from this past holiday (2008). It was the year of cups. I often see my gifts following a theme, even when the givers are not in cahoots, or even know each other. The flag covered was from the in-laws. The light blue with the word Faith was from my sister. The little demitasse with the brown stripe was from Mom. There are a couple of others I didn't get into the pic.

Now, I just need to send out psychic vibes that 2009 will be the Year of Gold Bullion and see if I can influence the theme with my mind.

Saving the Daylight

2009-03-08T12:22:00.004-05:00

I did not realize until last night at midnight that it was Time Change Time again. I knew "They" had decided to switch it to March starting last year, rather than the April everyone was used to. I did not realize it was so early in March.

I do not really mind. Spring generally comes early around here, relative to the rest of North America. Changing the time fits with our Mississippi climate. I cannot imagine what a mind-wonk it would be to change the time and still have a foot of snow (or more) on the ground.

Good thing I live here. I can't really handle too much more mind-wonking.

PS- For a real mind-wonking, try watching two episodes of Farscape at the same time. Start one, then five minutes in start another. Every 5-10 minutes switch back and forth. At first you won[t have too much trouble keeping straight what is going on, but by the time each is reaching the climax of the episode you are going to start really wishing you had only watched one, or perhaps none at all; depends on your taste for sci-fi. Later seasons provide for even better mind-wonking fun that the early stuff.

Here DH and DB try (and eventually succeed) at jumping DB's on-its-last-legs pick-up.

Jewelry Again (Make-Up for Jan 25)

2009-03-04T08:20:00.003-06:00

I am really enjoying making this jewelry. That is what I did all day yesterday while I was not updating my blog.

Yesterday I lengthened my inch of Byzantine chain and a smaller size chain maille chain, made numerous jump rings with gold-toned wire, cataloged some new supply purchases, did some laundry (lest you think I was totally lost in trinket-land all day), and experimented with a couple of new techniques.

My favorite bit was discovering, while preparing DH's new shirts for washing, that the pins Van Heusen so generously donated to hold the shirt in its package shape are, in fact, quite pretty in a pin-like sort of way.

Go crazy with the wire cutters, choose some beads, whip out the pliers and VOILA, six stick pins become six earrings. And you would never know if I didn't tell you.

A branch of my Japanese Red Maple. This was Spring 2007.

Habits and Blogging

2009-03-04T08:14:00.003-06:00

Habits are hard to break, that is what makes them habits rather than just occasional activities. But, once they are broken, they are broken.

When my computer first went down I was often itching to get over to the blog and jot down a thought or two, but stopped myself. Eventually the nice little blog-a-day habit I was growing faded away. So, now that I can again update the blog every day, I find it hard to remember and get over here to see to it.

I was all excited Monday to start making up for lost time and make-up missed days with bonus entries, and then yesterday I forgot to write anything. Grrr, I will add March 3 to the list of days to be made up.

For your photo enjoyment this morning, the girls at the park. This was either last year or the year before.

Sermon Notes

2009-03-02T12:44:00.003-06:00

Basic Premise of both Sunday School and Sermon was that turning from God has consequences.

The 3rd chapter of Habakkuk was the sermon basis. I have never actually read Habakkuk. It was very interesting and particularly relevant for today, I think.

Basically, God used the Chaldeans to punish Israel for turning from him. But, the Chaldeans themselves would be held accountable for their actions.

How is that relevant for today? Is anyone really asking that?

In Like a Lion (Make-Up blog entry 2)

2009-03-02T12:32:00.003-06:00

I cannot imagine I am the only person to start their blogs with that title.

Last week saw temps in the 60's F. Yesterday it snowed.

The girls loved it. They were a little sad they had to wait until after church to play out in the yard. But, there was still enough after lunch to make for a fun afternoon.

Most of it is gone now. There is still a tiny bit at the front of the house that doesn't get much sun.

New Toy (Make-Up entry 1)

2009-03-02T11:38:00.005-06:00

Saturday night I started making jewelry.

Now, granted, that only involved choosing a charm I like, buying two of them plus earring pieces and jump rings, then using a pair of pliers to open a jump ring (4mm ring of steel wire) and attaching the charm to the "earring." But, I am still proud of them.

Turns out if was harder than I thought. I got ready for church Sunday morning and found out one of the charms was backwards. Easy to fix in less than a minute. Lesson learned, pay more attention.

See here my great Saturday evening work.

I got a couple of how-to-books to get help and ideas. One of them focuses on creating your own findings (that is clasps, jump rings, earring wires, etc) out of wire with pliers.
Cool.

One of them focuses on beads.
Cool.

The third focuses on using jump rings to make jewelry based on ancient chain maile making techniques.
Drool!

The chain maile bracelets and necklaces are amazing!

See here some of what I played around with yesterday afternoon.

I started with this.

Turned some of it into these.

Then linked them together to make this.

This is my first attempt at the 4-in-1 chain maile pattern that the book had. I used the steel wire as practice, both to learn how to make my own jump rings, explore metal types, and learn how different gauges and softnesses of wire behave. Plus, it is much cheaper than jewelry wire, so the learning curve doesn't hurt as much.

After I did a few inches of steel chain and got the hang of the maile pattern (It isn't as easy as it looked at first.) I got out the (pre-made) 9mm jewelry jump rings I bought.

The final (real, not practice) bracelet turned out quite nice; I think.

After I finished the 4-in-1 bracelet I went to the back of the book where there are instructions for a Byzantine link chain. I always loved the look of Byzantine link chains. I started with 6mm links, but they didn't hold the pattern well, at least not in the gauge I have. I moved to 4mm and that worked much better. Unfortunately, the pattern is every bit as complicated and complex (That's right, complicated AND complex!) that I always thought it was. This inch of Byzantine chain took about as long as the entire 4-in-1 bracelet (not counting steel link practice.)

See here the (roughly) one inch length of Byzantine chain I have so far done with the end of my pliers to give some vague idea of scale.

See here a close up of the inch of Byzantine Link Chain.

Enough about all this. Talk to you later.

Gathering the Loved Ones

2009-02-09T13:50:00.002-06:00

Now the Great Purging begins. To appease the angry computer spirits we must gather together all that is precious, that which we do not wish to lose. If we are careful, and sincere in our efforts, the digital spirits will all us to keep our valued loved files while purging that which has invaded.

Present the sacred compact disk

Light the white candle

Ding the triangle gong

Begin file back-up

If all goes well, my computer will be exorcised soon.

;)

Long Road Ahead

2009-01-24T15:42:00.004-06:00

OK, my blog 365 idea has to take a break. My computer is haunted. Until my DH can get his exorcism done (I believe it involves holy water, candles, reformatting the hard drive, and incense) I will be getting some more knitting done.

In the interest of making myself feel less like a dropper-of-the-ball I will keep track of how many days I miss so as to make them up with double entry days later.

And I will now add a random picture, just to show my love for you all.
Here is a picture of my in-laws' yard one year we were there and DID get snow. It is NOT New Years 09.

Dropped a few days

2009-01-23T09:32:00.002-06:00

Well, it looks like deciding to spend some time away from the computer can have an effect on how often one blogs. Whoda thunk?

Sorry about the hiatus.

I know I promised to discuss Sarah and Hagar. I have changed my mind.

Heh, that kind of sums up what I was going to cover about them anyway...changing your mind. Though in their case it was going to be more "be careful what you decide" and "seriously think through the consequences" with a healthy dose of "was this the first ancient soap opera, or what?" (I doubt it. I am sure there were earlier versions.) They behave in what can only be called "typical soap opera female ways." Abraham never should have fallen for that, "take my maid for your concubine" bit. I just don't see that working out well.

Jacob had similar troubles with Rachel and Leah. But they seemed to focus more on outdoing each other than worrying about the concubines. Sibling rivalry. The poor fool. The maids are not mentioned as making any fuss, even Bilhah, Rachel's maid, before Rachel had her own son. I think the difference may be in their pasts. Zilpah and Bilhah are the bride's maids from before Jacob came along. They have presumably been slaves all their lives. Hagar was Egyptian. There is even the thought that she may have been a daughter of pharoah. Growing up a princess might give one the snarky attitude she developed.

To just skip around now though thoughts I have had while reading my bible, but haven't blogged yet, we move on from female rivalry to male rivalry.

I am not diving into Jacob and Esau too deep. It is a well known story. But, notice that it is Jacob, the younger brother who stole (arguably) his older brother's birthright and blessing, who reverses the blessing of Joseph's sons, blessing the younger to rule over the older. I guess there may be some family baggage that never goes away.

Flurries

2009-01-20T11:10:00.002-06:00

We have some delicate white stuff falling from our Mississippi skies this morning. The girls are excited to see it, even if we are not going to get any accumulation. DD11 bemoaned the fact that it did not snow last week when our temperatures dipped into the single digits Fahrenheit. Since then we have had a couple of unseasonably warm days. It was in the 50s after church Sunday.

Anyway, it does bring back my own childhood memories seeing the snow fall. I spent many more snowy winters than not. I am not sure I have fully turned into a Mississippi girl. But I wouldn't go so far as to say I want months out of the year covered in snow.

Sermon Notes

2009-01-19T10:54:00.002-06:00

Our pastor has been working his way through Ephesians for the past few months of Sundays. We were in chapter 6, verses 1-3 this week. He had Children's Church cancelled to keep the crumb crunchers in the sanctuary for the particular-to-but-not-only-for them message.

DD 8 was a little fidgetty. That was more an attention spam / boredom issue than discomfort at being told to obey her parents.

I didn't get a good look at DD10. I can imagine what her expression was, but that really wouldn't be fair to her. Especially given...

DD11, my Little Miss Attitude, the Champion Eye Roller of Lafayette County Youth Division, was leaning forward in her seat, listening with a great deal of attention to everything he said. I was impressed.

Date Night Fun

2009-01-18T10:45:00.000-06:00

There is nothing particularly blogworthy about our date night. We drove an hour to Tupelo to eat and see a movie. The theatre in Oxford is no longer showing Twilight, which I had decided I wanted to see.

We had a lovely dinner at Red Lobster and afterward I decided that, no longer being a 19 year old goth, I didn't feel like seeing Twilight. And the was really nothing else showing that I wanted to see. We were having a great time talking and didn't feel like we made the wrong choice.

I did have some indigestion later, which I blame on the shrimp. It have been thinking over it and realized that fried foods like "Walt's favorite Shrimp" are really no longer a big part of my diet. About as "fried" as food gets around here is the recipe saying "brown the meat." That and the ocassional hamburger are no comparison to a dozen deep fried, batter dipped shrimp.

Maybe I should go back to eating a kosher-based diet. Then again, it was the frying, not the shrimp that gave me the stomach ache.

We'll see.

yeah

2009-01-16T22:42:00.001-06:00

Running late, no blog today. date tomorrow, wonder if there is any good movie showing. probably not

A Piece of History

2009-01-15T17:52:00.004-06:00

We visited a local man this afternoon who has a blacksmith shop. We got to see how he does what he does, as well as learn about the tools and craft involved. We all (me DEFINITELY included) learned a lot and had a very good time.

We got to watch him turn a 1/2 inch square rod of steel about a yard long into a fireplace poker. It was great.

You know how people often collect items related to their hobbies? Like knitting needles, fishing lures, or model train cars? Mr. Waller has an anvil collection. I suppose 5 counts as a collection. That is 5 more than I have. He knew a lot about the history of each anvil, as well as of anvils in general. Did you know that sea captains crossing the Atlantic would buy anvils to use as ballast for their ships? The ships and cargo didn't actually belong to them. They were only getting paid for the work, not the mercantilism. Instead of carting rocks across the ocean to add weight to the ship they would buy anvils that they could then sell in the US and make money for themselves. Isn't that interesting?

Well, I had the car this afternoon and DH just IMed me that he is ready for his ride home. Gotta go.

Time Warp

2009-01-14T08:04:00.000-06:00

My husband thinks I have gone off the deep end. I have recently been watching quite a bit of television online. That isn't what he is going on about. He is teasing me about my new favorite show.

Barney Miller

I can't really explain it myself. His funniest comment was something like, "Isn't today's television good enough for you?" Does he really want me to answer that?

Now, the diffference isn't really anything moral or cultural, Then vs. Now. This isn't Car 54, Where Are You. The mid 1970's marked the beginning of the television powers-that-be trying to push the envelope and see what they could get away with. Barney Miller has plenty of what one might expect to see in a NYC police precinct, minus the bad language (That envelope was only beginning to get pushed.) The cops are clean, good guys, but the show itself isn't "clean." So, what is the appeal?

Maybe it is that the cops are such good guys.

Also, I like to laugh. Sit coms now-a-days (and even in the 1980's and 1990's) are family based. Those that are work based are not police-based. Cops get one hour dramas now and they try to be edgy. Barney Miller isn't edgy. It may have tried at the time it was on the air, but edgy is hard to pull off 30 years after the fact.

What can I say? I like it.

Telephone Etiquette

2009-01-13T17:58:00.002-06:00

We have been going over telephone etiquette today. DH hooking up the old business phones in various rooms has helped. We can have almost live practice.

I am tired of making up fake names for them to take down as messages. And random phone numbers. I think I will get the phone book and use it for names and numbers.

First day back at School

2009-01-12T15:56:00.002-06:00

Things went well today for our first day back at school. Math review quiz scored better than I had hoped. The simple machines lesson was met with some stares of confusion until I brought out the 1x4 and wood-block (fulcrum) to do some in-life demonstrations. Now the girls are begging to play with our lever.

They enjoyed the European geography lesson and the introduction to Spanish AR verbs. We now know where to find Finland on a map. Helpful, if we are ever lost in Eastern Sweden. And, if we should be found by a kindly Spanish-speaking Swede we can tell him how much we like music and singing.

Back to Normal

2009-01-11T21:18:00.002-06:00

Despite most of the decorations still being up, things around here are pretty much back to normal. DH is well enough to go to work. The girls and I are starting lessons tomorrow. DB hasn't started his semester yet, but it'll happen in a couple of weeks. As much as I like the holidays, it is nice to get back to normal. (I will ignore the fact that we will be having contractors gut a couple of our rooms soon.)

I really need to get back to planning lessons for this week. I am here because I really needed a break from that, but there is still a lot to be done.

Our homeschool group has a field trip to a local blacksmith later this week. It is hard for me to reconcile taking an afternoon off lessons when i am doing so well at planning, but I also think it would be way cool to go and don't want to miss it. I am not sure yet what we will do.

Later.

PS_ I'd lay money that we do go to the blacksmith.

2009-01-09T17:40:00.002-06:00

Today's "What the blog entry COULD BE"
Who put the sqeezie cheese into the refrigerator?

Now, on to the real blog entry;

My Thoughts on Biblical figures; a layman's psychological perspective as I read my Bible this year

(Note: I am not a Bible scholar. I will try to do a little research into the person I present, but may sometimes just post my own musings. They may at times seem irreverent. I am not trying to be iconoclastic, just take these people are often made into symbols and take as real a look at them as I can. These were human beings, and they were special. I want to understand them, as people.)

(Note II: I am skipping Adam and Eve because I do not find them interesting right now. I may come back to them later.)

Abraham and Sarah (also Abram and Sarai)

Traditionally Abram was a merchant's son. (There is an interesting story about his father's shop, but I do not find mention of it in the Bible. I will research it more before presenting it.) I really do NOT get the feeling that he was particularly rich when God told him to leave his home and go to Canaan. After not too long though he was very blessed and did get to be quite wealthy. That is obvious as one reads more about him.

Whenever we studied Abraham in Sunday School (or sang silly songs while waving our arms about) the focus seemed to be on an OLD MAN. He wouldn't have been old at the outset, though. The same goes for Sarai. She is described as being exceptionally beautiful. That is not the image in my mind when I think of the barren woman who gave birth to her son in her 90's.

It is interesting to think of them when younger, kind of like thinking of your grandparents as youths. (As a side note, if you read Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad (and I recommend you do.) Twain was 31 when he wrote it, not the white-haired old man we all think about when his name comes up.)

A man and his wife, along with some servants and such, take to the life of nomads. They travel to Gerar and Egypt at various points. This is an interesting bit. Abram tells Sarai to say she is his sister rather than his wife, fearing that the local leaders would kill him to have her. Abram seem a little insecure about having such a lovely wife. Maybe his fear was founded. Did men often kill other men for their wives? I'll have to keep track. Abraham feared it twice, Isaac feared in (also in gerar, as it happens) and David did it. (Poor Uriah, if only he could have just said Bathsheba was his sister...)

In Egypt (Genesis 12) God brings troubles and plagues to Egypt when Pharaoh takes Sarai. I cannot believe Abram actually went through with the charade. Was he not jealous at all? It doesn't say, but I cannot help but imagine he was upset but felt he couldn't do anything about it, and better upset than dead.

Later in Gerar (Gen. 20) Abraham does the same thing. This time God gives the king who starts courting Sarah a dream that he shouldn't. He gives Sarah back and even tosses in some treasure and gifts.

I find the Gerar narrative more confusing than the Egyptian. How powerful was Abimilech? Abraham has become quite the powerful chieftain. When Lot gets caught up in a war between allied factions, Abraham attacks to rescue him. That is, he and his men take on an alliance of kings' armies (albeit AFTER a war, so numbers may have been down) to get his nephew back. And this man is so afraid of ONE local king 6 chapters later that he pulls that "she is my sister" stunt again?

I have two thoughts on this. Number 1: The biblical narrative may be out of order. It sometimes happens. I could totally buy this happening before Abram's forces were so many. The problem I have with that is that his name was changed between the rescue of Lot and the episode with Abimelech. The Egyptian encounter was before, but this came after.

My other thought is this: (don't stand too close, this is where the lightning strikes) I am not sure the Gerar episode in Genesis 20 happened at all. (wait for it...wait for it...Ok, I am still here, I'll continue.) I just cannot imagine Abraham doing this twice. Would he not have learned his lesson? Plus, like I said, his forces were much more powerful at the time of Genesis 20 than in chapter 12 (although I doubt they would have been strong enough to take on the Egyptian Pharaoh) a local Philistine king should have been no worry as far as being killed over a woman.

Genesis 26 is what also leads me to think that the Abraham/Abimilech episode may not have happened. In it we have the same happenings but with more details. Isaac is told during a famine NOT to travel to Egypt, as his father had. Things go as before, beautiful wife, fear for personal safety, pass her off as sister. This king is also called Abimilech. I doubt it is the same man. He'd have been ancient, and he would have known better than to trust those lying nomads again! (joking there, sorry) It could have been a son. Judging by the genealogies given, naming a son after his father was not common at the time, but those are Hebrew families, what Philistine customs were, I do not know. Still, you'd think the story would have been told. "Watch which women you court, Sonny. Sometimes men are lying about who is who."
However, if Abraham was not in Gerar for the other story, and there is just this Abimilech, it makes more sense. Isaac is no warrior. Even with his inherited wealth and household, he isn't going to take on a king.

OK, let's talk about the lightning striking me...I really don't want to go into the "infallible truth of the Bible." I do believe the Bible. But I have also studied ancient myths, carvings, and writings. It is totally conceivable that over time one story developed into two versions.
Even Moses, who is traditionally credited with having written Genesis, came hundreds of years later. Faced with two versions he may have simply made the choice to include both. Recording centuries later an oral narrative would explain the use of the name Abraham in a story which, even if it did happen, I am sure happened to Abram the nomad rather than Abraham the chieftain.

My view? The story HAPPENED, once, and it happened to ISAAC. How much does that change my faith or belief in God's word? Not at all. How much does it affect anything? Not much.

Next time - Sarah (and Hagar) and perhaps some insight into the psychology of women

A Little Cheering Up

2009-01-08T18:56:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's blog was something of a downer, so here you go. This will make you smile. At least it did me and the girls.

Over sensitive?

2009-01-07T14:08:00.002-06:00

I have the tendency to be oversensitive to other people's actions. I can over think an odd look until I run it into the ground. There are things I said 20 years ago that I wish I hadn't, and still think about. I am not talking about world-shattering events, either.

I was on a friend's new blog this morning. There is a list of blogs she reads, nothing new, most blogs have this. Mine is not there. Ok, maybe she forgot about it. But then, doesn't that mean that she doesn't read this blog? This is a pretty frivolous blog, I'll admit. Does everything have to be about something? Does she think I am frivolous? Should I deepen the blog? I had considered bible commentary. How about my crafts? Well, I never really finish much, and I am certainly not up to selling anything online. My crafts are more frivolous hobbies. Should I put in politics? There is no way I could keep up with what is already out there, and I don't really want to, either. Why would someone I thought was a good friend not read my blog? What does she think of me at all? Does she think of me at all? Are we actually friends? Does she just put up with me when she has to? Do I really have any friends in this city, even after living here for almost 4 years? Why don't I have any friends? Maybe it is because I am not a productive member of society, children being an investment that doesn't pay off for decades. Do I even have friends in other cities? Most ties have been cut. There are a few, but not many.

I just don't fit in much of anywhere outside this house. Even with my family, and ESPECIALLY with my in-laws. Who the heck am I anyway? What kind of person doesn't fit in anywhere, even in her own family, church, home school group, or college?

Anyway, that is the way my morning has gone. I need to go focus on something else before I get any lower into this funk.

%$&*@

2009-01-06T12:02:00.003-06:00

Not cursing ;) I promise.

My husband sat down with me a few years ago and discussed NOT having our daughter's birthday be my password. (joking...I am NOT that stupid.) We talked about random capitalization, non-dictionary words, anagrams, and symbols. I created the perfect, in my humble opinion, password.

Want to know what it is? Huh, huh? Do ya?

Well, I'll tell you. It is an anagram of a movie quote. The caps are not random. It uses symbols for some of the letters. Good luck with that.

My computer nerd IT DH would probably not agree with he fact that I made this my default password. I am sure he would say "But, if someone finds it out then they can get into everything." Yeah, blah blah blah, whatever

I do have a secondary password that I devised when I realized that my movie quote was not 8 characters and some sites required longer passwords. I did't mind that; extra secure, you know. That password is a random intersting word I chose just because with a few l33t characters tossed in so I can pretend to be cool. Despite being longer I do not consider it as secure as the movie quote.

That is neither here nor there.

The dumb old phone company seems to be stuck in the 1980's. They want my online password to contain letters and numbers only! What?! I used to work at the phone company. Let me tell you...our login passwords in billing were not "letters and numbers only." We were REQUIRED to use symbols.

Neither my movie quote nor secondary password use only numbers and letters. OK, third password devised. *sigh*

Hurray for Windows remembering this stuff for me, right? (Don't get me started. I do lean on that crutch more than I should.) Yeah, until I get a nasty virus on my PC and have to start using the laptop for important things like paying the mortgage, paying the phone bill, and updating my blog. What? You mean being stored within 30 feet of my PC for a couple of months hasn't miraculously saved my passwords onto the laptop? Dang!

The mortgage password didn't give me too much trouble. I knew it was either the movie quote or the secondary. Took me forever to rememer my user id. There's some irony for you. It came to me last night in a wee-hour-epiphany (interesting day for an epiphany, eh?) No problem, got that paid before it even counts as late (barely.) I didn't want to login and pay that on the infected computer.

The phone bill was more trouble. Somehow the wrong user id was saved on the login page. That is it's own headache. I finally remembered what it was, but between that and trying my two passwords (on a site that uses neither) I got flagged with a "You have tried too much, go away and come back tomorrow, Loser" message. Annoying
There was a work around, though. I got in and changed my password to something that only uses numbers and letters. We'll see in a month whether I can remember it without help.

Dreary Monday

2009-01-05T15:35:00.003-06:00

I look at the calendar and see that my DB has marked Jan 20 as the beginning of the Spring semester at Ole Miss. He still has 3 weeks of winter break. I imagine there are many public school kids who would LOVE to get 3 weeks AT ALL, let alone 3 weeks after the new year starts. Especially as today is the day most of them are back in the trenches.

That reminds me...maybe I should give the munchkins a lesson. Does MacGuyver on DVD count as "educational television?" A brief math review should do for this afternoon. "Write your times tables, let's see how much you rememeber."

Not as applicable to my pre-algebra math drag-ee (i.e. someone who is being dragged)
I think I'll have her do some laundry.

It is raining and gray outside. I imagine if it were colder it would be snow, but it rarely is here.

Cold update- mostly well, still some lingering inconveniences

Enjoying Vacation, sick and all

2009-01-04T18:21:00.001-06:00

Despite being assaulted by a virus of the common cold type, I have greatly enjoyed the almost two weeks DH has had off from work. The general relaxed nature of the time, being home, spending the day with him, and the next, and the next. It just doesn't get much better than this.

He goes back to work tomorrow. I am going to miss him. I have been somewhat spoiled of late. I may actually be able to get something done around here.

We'll see.

What do I have to say?

2009-01-03T18:18:00.001-06:00

It occurs to me, as I sit here, having planned to blog every stinking day, that many of my blog entries are of the "Today I had oatmeal for breakfast" variety.

I am also going to try to have blogs of substance.

We'll see how it goes.

No Wallowing Permitted

2009-01-02T10:43:00.002-06:00

I am not a very good sick person. I am one of those people who whine and moan and make their beloved spouse get them...everything...while they wallow in bed ridden misery, no matter that said beloved spouse may also be sick. If he can move he is a nurse.

Unfortunately, when one is sick at the in-laws' home the wallowing cannot take place properly. And, if one must drive 7 hours home while still ill, the wallowing may have to be cut to a bare minimum. Grrr!

Bad impression, bad feelings, bad sinuses...bad vacation. Blah!

We are going home a day early and no one is happy about it.

North but No Snow

2009-01-01T12:22:00.003-06:00

The girls were hoping we might get some snow while we visit their grandparents in Kentucky. A few weeks ago we would have, but not now. Tuesday on our way up it was 50-60 degrees F. There was a wind atorm and yesterday was colder, but no where near cold enough. There's just no telling with this latitude. Farther south and you are pretty much sure, no snow. Farther north and you are guaranteed to get it.

Oh well. It cut down on the complaining. The girls have had the sniffles this past week and there is no way I would let them play in the snow. I have already had to nix some play-outside plans and explain about things like pneumonia. If there were snow on the ground I know the hard feelings would be worse.

And speaking of the sniffles...I was fine Tuesday. I was the only one who hadn't gotten sick while we were in Mississippi. Yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and by last night could barely speak. My voice is still off, but better a little and the sniffs are upon me. I hate being sick. At least I know the girls got better after just a couple of days. I don't feel too bad.

365

2009-01-01T12:18:00.002-06:00

So, one of my New Years New Ideas is to blog EVERY DAY. Never has someone so unimportant said so much to so few.

I know I already posted today, but this warrants its own mention, I believe. We'll see how long I can stick with it. I may end up posting "Things I Ate today" or "Where are my blue jeans?" after a while. I'll try to keep that to a minimum.

No promises

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T12:11:00.003-06:00

2008 was a rough year for my family. There were some nice highs but also some terrible lows. I am usually ambivalent about New Years, a party, fun seeing how many checks I fill out wrong, etc. I am not usually of the "Thank Goodness THAT year is done" feeling. This year does have some of that. We'll pray that 2009 is better.

Happy New Year to all of You!!!

Oh, a little tidbit, do you know why 2009 US pennies are worth more than 2008 pennies?