Can you believe it? I'm posting from a MAC!
That's because I'm at Uncle Ivan's house and it seems the Michigan Hoyts all use Macs. (That's the other first -- being in Michigan.) Typically, it was new-generation influence from the son.
At first the mouse was driving me nuts because all the pushing in the world wouldn't move the cursor... until I figured out the feather-light touch approach. Wow, you can practically move it with your finger's brain!
You know, even the browsers have different names. Skimming over the icons brought up "Safari", and, well, I'm not that dumb. But I just realized there is no Backspace and that Delete took over Backspace. This means using the mouse to get to the end of whatever I want to delete and backspacing it with Delete.
Doubtless this was just infuriating for some and hilarious for others (and pointless for everyone not in the feud). I hope my esteemed Master cousin reads this and notes my cultural open-mindedness.
(Please don't kick me out of the will, darling mother.)
Friday, June 29, 2007
C'est pas juste
Oh dear, is this fair? It reminds me of that time I was helping Mommy bring in the groceries and slipped on the ice and broke my arm. Well, guess what I destroyed today while sweeping the house. (Don't worry, it was mine -- again.) Is the moral of the story "Stop trying to do nice things"?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Have more, smarter children
At least that's one implication you could draw from this interesting sibling IQ study. This two-page article is especially interesting, and Dr. Sulloway's comments are worth reading as well.
I would have to agree that the IQ point difference has held true in our family, at least from objective data and semi-objective observations. But don't be discouraged, all younger siblings: Ardith may always top us in the scores and the Nobel Prizes, but you could discover the next planet or determine whether empty space is truly empty. Anyway, who's easier to remember - Copernicus or the latest Nobel Prize winner?
But let's not start competing. Long live the sibship!
I would have to agree that the IQ point difference has held true in our family, at least from objective data and semi-objective observations. But don't be discouraged, all younger siblings: Ardith may always top us in the scores and the Nobel Prizes, but you could discover the next planet or determine whether empty space is truly empty. Anyway, who's easier to remember - Copernicus or the latest Nobel Prize winner?
But let's not start competing. Long live the sibship!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Ahh, the life of the unemployed
What a bum rap... I had to go to the library today to find books to read. Two books, just enough to entertain and stimulate the mind.
Finally, finally, I will get to finish reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. That's nobody's fault in particular, though we could indirectly blame Ardith, since her library has been offering me the piecemeal chance to work on it every couple months. I think it started when she picked me up from France - not that night of course, the next day, while we were recovering from our dead tiredness of coming in at 2 a.m. The next opportunity must have been when I visited her that summer. The last time must have been when she took us three next-oldest-ones to her place for a post-Christmas bash. So they have only been six-month lags.
The Teach Yourself books have a jazzy new makeover (or at least the Arabic one does) complete with pictures on the cover and semi-modern type inside. Looks like the book has 18 units. Looks like I have a week minimum left in Indiana. Aren't challenges exciting?
-- Oh, look, someone thoughtfully left a bookmark inside for me! Right at the exercise for correct verb suffixes. It has a pretty picture of Stoli Blueberi and recipes (on the back) for those very refreshing drinks displayed alongside the bottle. Why, what do you know, Stoli Blueberi is Blueberry Flavored Russian Vodka. What a good idea for summer!
In very small type at the bottom: "Please Drink Responsibly. Stolichnaya Blueberry Flavored Vodka, 35% Alc/Vol. Vodka distilled from grain." Goodness, that's a lot of alcohol for a blueberry drink. And that type is so small it makes my eyes hurt to read it. Time for bed.
Finally, finally, I will get to finish reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. That's nobody's fault in particular, though we could indirectly blame Ardith, since her library has been offering me the piecemeal chance to work on it every couple months. I think it started when she picked me up from France - not that night of course, the next day, while we were recovering from our dead tiredness of coming in at 2 a.m. The next opportunity must have been when I visited her that summer. The last time must have been when she took us three next-oldest-ones to her place for a post-Christmas bash. So they have only been six-month lags.
The Teach Yourself books have a jazzy new makeover (or at least the Arabic one does) complete with pictures on the cover and semi-modern type inside. Looks like the book has 18 units. Looks like I have a week minimum left in Indiana. Aren't challenges exciting?
-- Oh, look, someone thoughtfully left a bookmark inside for me! Right at the exercise for correct verb suffixes. It has a pretty picture of Stoli Blueberi and recipes (on the back) for those very refreshing drinks displayed alongside the bottle. Why, what do you know, Stoli Blueberi is Blueberry Flavored Russian Vodka. What a good idea for summer!
In very small type at the bottom: "Please Drink Responsibly. Stolichnaya Blueberry Flavored Vodka, 35% Alc/Vol. Vodka distilled from grain." Goodness, that's a lot of alcohol for a blueberry drink. And that type is so small it makes my eyes hurt to read it. Time for bed.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Enough traveling!
At least enough traveling by car for a while. But it was very much worth all that sitting to be at the stupendous Hoyt reunion once again!
I guess I still owe photos and some reports for two weddings, maybe graduation, and the family reunion. Well, sorry... participating didn't leave a lot of time for photos, but let's see what I can dredge up. In the meantime, it's time for a
Better-Late-Than-Never-Father's-Day-Mention
This is in honor of wonderful Daddy.
Last Sunday was Father's Day. I celebrated by forgetting to pack the printer about which Daddy had reminded me twice. Then I didn't see him or talk to him all day, since Ardith and I spent the entire day driving down to Texas and almost getting lost in Tyler.
After the reunion and post-reunion travels, which deposited us back in Iowa, Daddy drove me out to Indiana on Monday. We arrived to find that [my] blue Toyota, left here for the week, wouldn't start. He spent some time that evening messing with it, and the next morning, while I disappeared for an interview, he dug out spark plugs, got new parts and had it all fixed up and ready to go by the time I got back. Then he spent another long afternoon and evening driving back home.
(By the way, Daddy, step #1 of the project has been successfully accomplished.)
I guess I still owe photos and some reports for two weddings, maybe graduation, and the family reunion. Well, sorry... participating didn't leave a lot of time for photos, but let's see what I can dredge up. In the meantime, it's time for a
Better-Late-Than-Never-Father's-Day-Mention
This is in honor of wonderful Daddy.
Last Sunday was Father's Day. I celebrated by forgetting to pack the printer about which Daddy had reminded me twice. Then I didn't see him or talk to him all day, since Ardith and I spent the entire day driving down to Texas and almost getting lost in Tyler.
After the reunion and post-reunion travels, which deposited us back in Iowa, Daddy drove me out to Indiana on Monday. We arrived to find that [my] blue Toyota, left here for the week, wouldn't start. He spent some time that evening messing with it, and the next morning, while I disappeared for an interview, he dug out spark plugs, got new parts and had it all fixed up and ready to go by the time I got back. Then he spent another long afternoon and evening driving back home.
(By the way, Daddy, step #1 of the project has been successfully accomplished.)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Oh boy!
The family excitement has already started. Yesterday some of us Bakers congregated in Uncle Doug and Aunt Cindy's church's kitchen to start cooking for their son's Gabe's wedding, which is today. Uncle Solly and I nearly froze our fingers slicing 40-some pounds of frozen chicken for doro wat, a spicy Ethiopian chicken stew. (Then, of course, all we non-immediate-family-relations went off for dinner to the traditional Baker restaurant, Old Country Buffet)
Today I have been shopping, packing and cleaning, waiting for Ardith to arrive so we can attend Gabe's and Bethany's wedding together. It is almost 3:30 and we need to leave in an hour. I do hope Ardith shows up sometime! Especially since we were planning to drive down in Ardith's car. As no one is answering her cellphone number, I am living by faith and reckoning up how much she will owe me for whatever won't go according to plan.
Next week is the Hoyt Family Reunion! Better than Disneyland.
Today I have been shopping, packing and cleaning, waiting for Ardith to arrive so we can attend Gabe's and Bethany's wedding together. It is almost 3:30 and we need to leave in an hour. I do hope Ardith shows up sometime! Especially since we were planning to drive down in Ardith's car. As no one is answering her cellphone number, I am living by faith and reckoning up how much she will owe me for whatever won't go according to plan.
Next week is the Hoyt Family Reunion! Better than Disneyland.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Colonialism is not dead
(Pardon the late mention.)
Here is the location of the Islands mentioned below.
It was interesting, back on the first of June, to see on the front page of LaNacion that the British nation - specifically, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher - was introducing a coin collection commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War. In this brief war, British troops fought off the Argentine invaders and freed the islands.
2 April is a national Argentine holiday, officially named Día del Veterano de Guerra y los Caídos en las Islas Malvinas -- Day of the War Veterans and the Fallen in the Malvinas Islands.
On the Islands themselves, the day to celebrate is 14 June - "Liberation Day".
It is very kind of the British to commemorate this special event, especially for the sake of the Argentines. They'll want to remember that cruel military dictatorship of the '70's and '80's, during which going to war to defend the Malvinas Islands gave them something to live for, even if it was just the old political ploy distract the people from difficulties at home with wars elsewhere.
In my German class at Grace, a girl whose parents were missionaries to Argentina devoted one of her German speeches to explaining this part of South Atlantic history. She refused to call them the Falkland Islands. They had been and always would be the Malvinas.
Here is the location of the Islands mentioned below.
It was interesting, back on the first of June, to see on the front page of LaNacion that the British nation - specifically, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher - was introducing a coin collection commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War. In this brief war, British troops fought off the Argentine invaders and freed the islands.
2 April is a national Argentine holiday, officially named Día del Veterano de Guerra y los Caídos en las Islas Malvinas -- Day of the War Veterans and the Fallen in the Malvinas Islands.
On the Islands themselves, the day to celebrate is 14 June - "Liberation Day".
It is very kind of the British to commemorate this special event, especially for the sake of the Argentines. They'll want to remember that cruel military dictatorship of the '70's and '80's, during which going to war to defend the Malvinas Islands gave them something to live for, even if it was just the old political ploy distract the people from difficulties at home with wars elsewhere.
In my German class at Grace, a girl whose parents were missionaries to Argentina devoted one of her German speeches to explaining this part of South Atlantic history. She refused to call them the Falkland Islands. They had been and always would be the Malvinas.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Time and blood
Why does time seem to pass so much faster as we get older? That moment that happened last week is so vivid that it seems just like yesterday. Someone will have to give up and admit that memory improves with age.
Speaking of vividness, if you want a movie of people vividly and seriously wounding each other, my recommendation is The Patriot. Maybe that would fall under my brother Jason's category of "grisly stories with high morals".
By the way, is it just me, or does it seem sorrowfully stupid that lines of soldiers would advance and fire on each other?
Goodnight and pleasant dreams! Try to remember them. It's good exercise for your brain.
Speaking of vividness, if you want a movie of people vividly and seriously wounding each other, my recommendation is The Patriot. Maybe that would fall under my brother Jason's category of "grisly stories with high morals".
By the way, is it just me, or does it seem sorrowfully stupid that lines of soldiers would advance and fire on each other?
Goodnight and pleasant dreams! Try to remember them. It's good exercise for your brain.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Look! It's back
Hah. I bet you thought I was slacking, didn't you? Wrong - it was the Internet connection slacking, or my computer recognizing that the connection was there, or something like that. Or maybe my computer just likes this particular room and this particular outlet for its power.
Anyway, that was a pleasant vacation from being online. Too bad it wasn't a vacation from sleep deficit. It took two nights after the wedding to get back to the 9 p.m to 5 a.m. schedule, and then suddenly school was done. Friday morning I went back to clean up and get graded on my job performance. Then we spent all afternoon getting ready for Hannah's open house, which was from 4 - 9 p.m. After two days of standing and walking to help with exams and a day of standing and walking to fix food and greet guests, the poor feet were ready to retire (although not so desperately as after that three-day weekend in Paris of 10+ hours per day footwork - museums, sight-seeing and walking everywhere between).
Saturday morning, we spiritual ones got up to help clear land for a church out west of town. After that was the open house next door, which of course it was only neighbourly to attend. At 3 p.m. it was time to go babysit. Once Elijah was in bed for the night, around 7:30 p.m., I curled up on the living room floor and went into a state of semi-dozing. I think that went on till at least 11 p.m. It was a lot of fun. It's not bad at all to not sleep if 1) you have time to lay around and nowhere to go the next day except church and 2) the only thing making you tired is falling in and out of sleep.
All that not to get sympathy, but rather to extol the joys of sociability and no school!
Now time to turn the job-hunting position from part-time to full-time.
Anyway, that was a pleasant vacation from being online. Too bad it wasn't a vacation from sleep deficit. It took two nights after the wedding to get back to the 9 p.m to 5 a.m. schedule, and then suddenly school was done. Friday morning I went back to clean up and get graded on my job performance. Then we spent all afternoon getting ready for Hannah's open house, which was from 4 - 9 p.m. After two days of standing and walking to help with exams and a day of standing and walking to fix food and greet guests, the poor feet were ready to retire (although not so desperately as after that three-day weekend in Paris of 10+ hours per day footwork - museums, sight-seeing and walking everywhere between).
Saturday morning, we spiritual ones got up to help clear land for a church out west of town. After that was the open house next door, which of course it was only neighbourly to attend. At 3 p.m. it was time to go babysit. Once Elijah was in bed for the night, around 7:30 p.m., I curled up on the living room floor and went into a state of semi-dozing. I think that went on till at least 11 p.m. It was a lot of fun. It's not bad at all to not sleep if 1) you have time to lay around and nowhere to go the next day except church and 2) the only thing making you tired is falling in and out of sleep.
All that not to get sympathy, but rather to extol the joys of sociability and no school!
Now time to turn the job-hunting position from part-time to full-time.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Okay
Yeah, I know, haven't been responsibly keeping this up.
Tonight I guess I do have an excuse... the Internet and cable went down for a while, so I was stuck with boring work like making paper lists of email addresses to avoid another Intergate (somebody really picked an unlucky name, didn't they?) and practicing right-to-left script. Now it's 10:00 and high time for bed, since tomorrow are two big exams for 2nd and 3rd periods. In the first exam I have one student, in the second exam around twenty-five. That's a great number to help all at once on five different exams and to keep relatively not noisy in a library. I can't mind because I'm going to miss the kids so much in two days.
Tonight I guess I do have an excuse... the Internet and cable went down for a while, so I was stuck with boring work like making paper lists of email addresses to avoid another Intergate (somebody really picked an unlucky name, didn't they?) and practicing right-to-left script. Now it's 10:00 and high time for bed, since tomorrow are two big exams for 2nd and 3rd periods. In the first exam I have one student, in the second exam around twenty-five. That's a great number to help all at once on five different exams and to keep relatively not noisy in a library. I can't mind because I'm going to miss the kids so much in two days.
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