When I sing that song I have to sing it that alternative way, because it would be untrue and, frankly, way too depressing to sing the other way! What is Christmas without home?
I know I should be in bed now, 'cause I'm driving home tomorrow. Don't worry. I'll be falling asleep by 10:30 and probably won't get up before 4:30. And go to work, and then leave in the afternoon. I hear it's going to snow tomorrow. Oh boy! I just can't wait to drive home in the snow (don't worry, the ice is Wednesday) and sing Christmas songs all the way. Do you know, I think I sang at least half the way home last Christmas. I had thought it would be such a lo-ong trip, by myself, after having Kendra with me for the Thanksgiving trip... but it went amazingly fast.
Just pray I don't hit a deer. I don't care how terrible the roads are or how terribly people are driving, but deer have me a little paranoid right now.
This is going to be an interesting Christmas because, after the real Christmas in Iowa, it will be time for the post-Christmas holidays down in Texas with lots of cousins!
I hope everyone can get home for Christmas, and has safe travels. If for some reason you can't, I do hope you can talk to them a while, and then have some quiet, peaceful Christmas-time.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Merry Christmas #1
Oh, that's right. I have to finish decorating my tree sometime.
Look, guys!! I discovered the most wonderful new kind of tree stand!
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Something Big and Hairy
I was peacefully driving home on Friday night, around 11:30 P.M. Suddenly, the Abominable Snow Monster leaped out of the ditch and smacked into my car!!
Or it might just have been a deer. I'm not sure. It all happened so fast. And now it's really traumatizing me to have beast hair sticking out of my tire.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
The Heat Report
Oh, by the way, for those of you who read Mommy's blog and check over here to see if the daughter is still alive, after she lost heat at the apartment... fear not! Our heat is back.
In fact, apparently the electric heaters in our room still worked, but it would have been difficult to heat the entire tiny apartment with them. There is just no substitute for hearing the gas heater start popping, and running out to stand with your back to it, getting blasted by hot air. Which I am going to go do right now. mmmm...............
In fact, apparently the electric heaters in our room still worked, but it would have been difficult to heat the entire tiny apartment with them. There is just no substitute for hearing the gas heater start popping, and running out to stand with your back to it, getting blasted by hot air. Which I am going to go do right now. mmmm...............
Monday, November 24, 2008
Look at the pumpkin! - Part II
Look! It's a happy Christian pumpkin.
It's staying happy through the adverse circumstances of life.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Dream come true
You are never going to believe this, but it's true.
I was called on at work to translate!
The phone rings... it is one of my friends in the department that handles documents and procedures. She had found out some time back that I know French. And on this particular day, she suddenly needed my help with the herculean task of translating
or
A few moments' mental rummaging pulled up the world she needed. To my delight, I realized we would not even need to translate the entire 2-letter word to get it into French. Just change the last letter to "u" (and not even a "u" with an accent, at that).
ou
So I translated a whole letter from English to French. My dream finally came true. I was needed to translate at work!
I was called on at work to translate!
The phone rings... it is one of my friends in the department that handles documents and procedures. She had found out some time back that I know French. And on this particular day, she suddenly needed my help with the herculean task of translating
or
A few moments' mental rummaging pulled up the world she needed. To my delight, I realized we would not even need to translate the entire 2-letter word to get it into French. Just change the last letter to "u" (and not even a "u" with an accent, at that).
ou
So I translated a whole letter from English to French. My dream finally came true. I was needed to translate at work!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Which would you choose?
It's Saturday night. You are at a fall party, at a friend's house, with friends. You all pitched in for a potluck dinner, ate lots, and then played games that made you laugh till you cry and your stomach seriously hurts. It's now about 11 p.m. and a couple of the others, who need to spend the night anyway, want to put on a movie. You're invited to stay for the movie and even spend the night, and your housemate opts to stay for the movie.
Now if you drove separately, what would you do?
1) Stay for the movie
or
2) Go home and go to bed
[Update #1 - 11/9/08]
By popular demand, the abovementioned movie is Cinderella.
However, dear popular demanders, by asking that question, you're really avoiding the main one - "Would you ever choose a movie over sleep on a Saturday night?" No right or wrong here. I just find it fascinating to know what others would do.
[Update #2 - 11/10/08]
As requested - which Cinderella? Disney's Cinderella. You know, the one with the singing mice, blue ball gown, and "Bippity-boppity-boo".
Personally, as far as ranking Cinderella's goes:
3) Disney's
2) The color play
1) The black-and-white musical, with the Sound of Music lady and Mr. What's-his-face
Now if you drove separately, what would you do?
1) Stay for the movie
or
2) Go home and go to bed
[Update #1 - 11/9/08]
By popular demand, the abovementioned movie is Cinderella.
However, dear popular demanders, by asking that question, you're really avoiding the main one - "Would you ever choose a movie over sleep on a Saturday night?" No right or wrong here. I just find it fascinating to know what others would do.
[Update #2 - 11/10/08]
As requested - which Cinderella? Disney's Cinderella. You know, the one with the singing mice, blue ball gown, and "Bippity-boppity-boo".
Personally, as far as ranking Cinderella's goes:
3) Disney's
2) The color play
1) The black-and-white musical, with the Sound of Music lady and Mr. What's-his-face
Thursday, November 06, 2008
I think it was Monday
I think this happened Monday, but I really can't remember. It's hard to figure out because the weather outside just does not equal the sterilizingly cold temperature they keep the Research offices. That might possibly make sense to you after you read this. But I think it was Monday.
It was the end of lunch break. End of happily reading in my little spot at work. Time to start the long mental return to work and the business world. Then comes this feeling that there is something nearby, on my left. (Do you ever get those sensations?) Start half-turning to see what it is. Oh no, an animal in the office! How is this happening to me when it should never happen at all?
Then the half-turn is just enough to see that there really is something black right next to the arm of my chair, actually it is right on the arm of my chair! Oh my word!
Insert <violent start> or comment of invisible spectator - "You jumped a foot."
You will never, ever guess what it was.
It was my coat.
It's just amazing how much excitement and laughter we jumpy people can get out life!
Oh yes - the reason I coudn't figure out which day it was: it has been so warm outside all week that I shouldn't have had my coat with me any of those days. But inside an orthopaedics business building, you can never have too many layers.
It was the end of lunch break. End of happily reading in my little spot at work. Time to start the long mental return to work and the business world. Then comes this feeling that there is something nearby, on my left. (Do you ever get those sensations?) Start half-turning to see what it is. Oh no, an animal in the office! How is this happening to me when it should never happen at all?
Then the half-turn is just enough to see that there really is something black right next to the arm of my chair, actually it is right on the arm of my chair! Oh my word!
Insert <violent start> or comment of invisible spectator - "You jumped a foot."
You will never, ever guess what it was.
It was my coat.
It's just amazing how much excitement and laughter we jumpy people can get out life!
Oh yes - the reason I coudn't figure out which day it was: it has been so warm outside all week that I shouldn't have had my coat with me any of those days. But inside an orthopaedics business building, you can never have too many layers.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Sunday
I bet you all thought I forgot about this blog. Or was too busy to post. Or just didn't have anything to say.
Wrong, wrong, and wrong. I have been thinking of it every day, I have time running out my ears, and the posting possibilities are just so many and varied that, frankly, it's taking all of that thought, time, and deciding power to select one.
Today is Sunday, so I have two notes from church:
1) Along with the bulletin, the church provided a handout - the Kosciusko County Right to Life 2008 General Election Voter Guide. It had a very detailed breakdown of what positions are held on life vs. abortion by the various candidates for state and local offices. I do appreciate this. I kind of wish there was a similar guide for other issues, but I realize that foreign policy is a tad less urgent at the local level, plus this is doubtless the issue which the (our) church feels most strongly about and, perhaps, feels it can provide literature on.
2) Pastor's sermon today was from John 6, specifically John 6:15-21 - when Jesus walked on the water. It was an excellent sermon, but I just about lost it during one part, where Pastor was speaking as if he was one of the disciples telling us the story:
"What do you do when a ghost is coming to your boat?"
Wrong, wrong, and wrong. I have been thinking of it every day, I have time running out my ears, and the posting possibilities are just so many and varied that, frankly, it's taking all of that thought, time, and deciding power to select one.
Today is Sunday, so I have two notes from church:
1) Along with the bulletin, the church provided a handout - the Kosciusko County Right to Life 2008 General Election Voter Guide. It had a very detailed breakdown of what positions are held on life vs. abortion by the various candidates for state and local offices. I do appreciate this. I kind of wish there was a similar guide for other issues, but I realize that foreign policy is a tad less urgent at the local level, plus this is doubtless the issue which the (our) church feels most strongly about and, perhaps, feels it can provide literature on.
2) Pastor's sermon today was from John 6, specifically John 6:15-21 - when Jesus walked on the water. It was an excellent sermon, but I just about lost it during one part, where Pastor was speaking as if he was one of the disciples telling us the story:
"What do you do when a ghost is coming to your boat?"
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sky
Don't you wish the earth were just a little smaller?
If it were smaller, then the horizon would slope away more sharply. If that angle were sharper, it might be possible to tilt one's head back, look straight up and see nothing but sky.
But I am still catching things in peripheral vision, and I'm not talking skyscrapers. So for optimal sky-viewing experience, the earth is not quite the ideal size. Not that I would ever complain about it! Just mentioning the fact.
If it were smaller, then the horizon would slope away more sharply. If that angle were sharper, it might be possible to tilt one's head back, look straight up and see nothing but sky.
But I am still catching things in peripheral vision, and I'm not talking skyscrapers. So for optimal sky-viewing experience, the earth is not quite the ideal size. Not that I would ever complain about it! Just mentioning the fact.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Ovens and Laptops
What do they have in common?
Minds of their own.
Actually, I personally believe all machines do, but these two are plenty of examples for tonight.
After finally getting home and taking a walk, it was time to try keeping the oven hot enough to bake the squash. See, 350 is just not hot enough to keep the oven interested, and higher temperatures only hold its attention about 10 minutes or so before it starts wandering back down. In fact, it's so bored that it doesn't bother changing the temperature reading on top.... just leaves that for un-smart people to figure out, you know, the people who don't open their oven to check the temperature every 5 minutes.
So, you ask: you can tell exactly what temperature the oven is by how it feels? Nope. I just observed that turning the heat up to 400 - to see if we could move the squash along for the 2nd hour in the oven - seemed to make the oven realize, "oh, it wasn't actually at 375... it was really down to 360 but, if that's what she really wanted, it could start climbing again..."
In between these jogs to the kitchen, I continued messing around with Stacey's laptop to see what had been killing it lately. Continued trying out some of Daddy's suggested tests to see if one of the memory cards was bad. First I had taken out the right-side card and the laptop didn't really die... then I had replaced the right and taken out the left, which successfully killed it twice, albeit over about 3 days (which is a long time to remember what you're testing, how, and even why).
The obvious conclusion from the above exercise: The right-side memory card must have problems, so let's put that one in my computer and see if I can kill it!
Unfortunately, here we are, an hour later and still kicking. In fact, directly after this switch, for the first time in about 6 months I suddenly had a "Good" Internet signal instead of "Low" (which is plenty adequate), but that's not funny and also beside the points. The points are that:
1) If you have 1 of 2 memory cards in your laptop, it will run at a decent rate but apparently just slow enough to not grab the Internet.
2) If you have 2 of 2 memory cards in your laptop, and one of them is not locked all the way in, your laptop will run like it has chronic fatigue syndrome but will pick up the Internet... if you can keep from screaming during the 5-minute wait for a clicked button to indent.
3) If you try switching the cards between right and left sides, they may just lock in, get the computer booted without freezing or dumping the physical memory, get the Internet running and even defy your friend's efforts to tire out the memory by looking up heaps of online photos.
Well, that's enough fun for tonight.
Minds of their own.
Actually, I personally believe all machines do, but these two are plenty of examples for tonight.
After finally getting home and taking a walk, it was time to try keeping the oven hot enough to bake the squash. See, 350 is just not hot enough to keep the oven interested, and higher temperatures only hold its attention about 10 minutes or so before it starts wandering back down. In fact, it's so bored that it doesn't bother changing the temperature reading on top.... just leaves that for un-smart people to figure out, you know, the people who don't open their oven to check the temperature every 5 minutes.
So, you ask: you can tell exactly what temperature the oven is by how it feels? Nope. I just observed that turning the heat up to 400 - to see if we could move the squash along for the 2nd hour in the oven - seemed to make the oven realize, "oh, it wasn't actually at 375... it was really down to 360 but, if that's what she really wanted, it could start climbing again..."
In between these jogs to the kitchen, I continued messing around with Stacey's laptop to see what had been killing it lately. Continued trying out some of Daddy's suggested tests to see if one of the memory cards was bad. First I had taken out the right-side card and the laptop didn't really die... then I had replaced the right and taken out the left, which successfully killed it twice, albeit over about 3 days (which is a long time to remember what you're testing, how, and even why).
The obvious conclusion from the above exercise: The right-side memory card must have problems, so let's put that one in my computer and see if I can kill it!
Unfortunately, here we are, an hour later and still kicking. In fact, directly after this switch, for the first time in about 6 months I suddenly had a "Good" Internet signal instead of "Low" (which is plenty adequate), but that's not funny and also beside the points. The points are that:
1) If you have 1 of 2 memory cards in your laptop, it will run at a decent rate but apparently just slow enough to not grab the Internet.
2) If you have 2 of 2 memory cards in your laptop, and one of them is not locked all the way in, your laptop will run like it has chronic fatigue syndrome but will pick up the Internet... if you can keep from screaming during the 5-minute wait for a clicked button to indent.
3) If you try switching the cards between right and left sides, they may just lock in, get the computer booted without freezing or dumping the physical memory, get the Internet running and even defy your friend's efforts to tire out the memory by looking up heaps of online photos.
Well, that's enough fun for tonight.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Independent Life
Actually, I have not just been sitting here admiring my wheels all this time. Actually, I can't admire them at all because the little Civi is off getting a beauty rest.
It is kind of fun to not have a car. I have to find someone to take me to work. I have to find someone to take me back home. (Cannot be the same person.) I have to be ready in plenty of time for 6:40 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. I have to not go places on lunch break. (Making great progress in reading La Chute.) I have to not run errands after work or go places in the evening, unless with Stacey. I have to amuse myself in the evening. (Well, at least I will have to once I get ahead of all the housework, personal business, and everything else in life.) I have to plan ahead and make more friends who will give me rides.
Yes, this is really a great way to live. Everyone should take a vacation from their car once in a while.
Sure, it's fun to go along through life, playing "Let's pretend we are independent and self-sufficient". But come on. Can any of us really believe we are either?
It is kind of fun to not have a car. I have to find someone to take me to work. I have to find someone to take me back home. (Cannot be the same person.) I have to be ready in plenty of time for 6:40 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. I have to not go places on lunch break. (Making great progress in reading La Chute.) I have to not run errands after work or go places in the evening, unless with Stacey. I have to amuse myself in the evening. (Well, at least I will have to once I get ahead of all the housework, personal business, and everything else in life.) I have to plan ahead and make more friends who will give me rides.
Yes, this is really a great way to live. Everyone should take a vacation from their car once in a while.
Sure, it's fun to go along through life, playing "Let's pretend we are independent and self-sufficient". But come on. Can any of us really believe we are either?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Bright blue Monday
Monday was the best day at work ever!
My email <dinged> and I answered it. My phone rang and I picked it up and helped someone. During the phone call two more emails arrived in my Inbox, and I took care of one of them while still on the phone. I hung up the phone and <bling> it rang the very second it touched!
Can life be any more complete?
My email <dinged> and I answered it. My phone rang and I picked it up and helped someone. During the phone call two more emails arrived in my Inbox, and I took care of one of them while still on the phone. I hung up the phone and <bling> it rang the very second it touched!
Can life be any more complete?
Saturday, September 06, 2008
No title tonight
Oh... was I supposed to write some more about the Vermont trip? As in Days 2 and 3? Let me make a mental note of that (Check - bing).
Actually I wanted to finish something mentioned earlier. Some friends and I read through The Hunchback of Notre Dame (or Notre Dame de Paris, as it should really be called). Being such a seasoned book critic, what should I say? It was certainly intense, laugh-provoking, and interesting - even the huge chapter detailing Paris architecture of the 1400's. Which chapter, by the way, has one of the finest passages of the book. You really should read the whole section on the Exchange building, but here is the end:
Moreover, a building should be appropriate to the climate. This [the Exchange] is evidently built for our cold and rainy sky. It has a roof almost as flat as if it were in the Orient, so that in winter, when it snows, the roof can be swept; and it is evident that roofs were made to be swept.
What exquisite sarcasm! What kind of a mind comes up with that?
Well... but after finishing the book, I really think I dislike it tremendously, especially the ending. Why do we have to write and read sad stories filled with suffering and people's wickedness? So earthly life is like that - but it's not all like that, and even if the bad were 1%, does that still justify whole novels full of it? Why can't we have entirely happy stories, ever? Why is conflict inherent to a "good" plot?
Leaving that book behind... I am barely through the first chapter of La Chute, by Camus, and there is already a pageful of splendid things to share! So that will be coming.
Now I know it is only September 6, but it is really Autumn now. No achy joints exactly, but the change in the weather is making my throat overpoweringly sore, as it did sometime back when our late spring finally arrived. So start enjoying Autumn now!
Actually I wanted to finish something mentioned earlier. Some friends and I read through The Hunchback of Notre Dame (or Notre Dame de Paris, as it should really be called). Being such a seasoned book critic, what should I say? It was certainly intense, laugh-provoking, and interesting - even the huge chapter detailing Paris architecture of the 1400's. Which chapter, by the way, has one of the finest passages of the book. You really should read the whole section on the Exchange building, but here is the end:
Moreover, a building should be appropriate to the climate. This [the Exchange] is evidently built for our cold and rainy sky. It has a roof almost as flat as if it were in the Orient, so that in winter, when it snows, the roof can be swept; and it is evident that roofs were made to be swept.
What exquisite sarcasm! What kind of a mind comes up with that?
Well... but after finishing the book, I really think I dislike it tremendously, especially the ending. Why do we have to write and read sad stories filled with suffering and people's wickedness? So earthly life is like that - but it's not all like that, and even if the bad were 1%, does that still justify whole novels full of it? Why can't we have entirely happy stories, ever? Why is conflict inherent to a "good" plot?
Leaving that book behind... I am barely through the first chapter of La Chute, by Camus, and there is already a pageful of splendid things to share! So that will be coming.
Now I know it is only September 6, but it is really Autumn now. No achy joints exactly, but the change in the weather is making my throat overpoweringly sore, as it did sometime back when our late spring finally arrived. So start enjoying Autumn now!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Please try again
Is that why it feels so hot? and taking three steps outside works up a sweat?
Because it's 91 degrees?
Oh come on. I really do not find that an acceptable explanation. Especially with the humidity at only 28%.
Because it's 91 degrees?
Oh come on. I really do not find that an acceptable explanation. Especially with the humidity at only 28%.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Pre-Labor Day headlines
Can you tell I've been around Mommy today? Here it is almost midnight, and I can't sleep, so I'm posting. But this is the "I-just-got-back-from-a-party-and-lots-of-talking-with-friends-
so-I-know-I-can't-sleep-till-I-unwind-a-little" type of "can't sleep". (It will be interesting to see if Blogger posts that as a whole non-wrapped string, as it's looking here in the Compose box.)
By the way, there is no better company than people who grew up overseas or were MKs or - even better - both. They know all the weird and scary and gross stories. I'm just saying you'll never be bored.
Mommy should be home about now, if it's 12:00 AM here, 11:00 PM out in Iowa, and the traffic was tolerable.
In other news, there are about 3 portions of green tomato crisp left, which I'm thinking of putting at a "Buy Now" rate of around $60 each, until such time as the bidding soars beyond, or until people let me know they just can't afford that, or until Stacey and I decide to eat them.
so-I-know-I-can't-sleep-till-I-unwind-a-little" type of "can't sleep". (It will be interesting to see if Blogger posts that as a whole non-wrapped string, as it's looking here in the Compose box.)
By the way, there is no better company than people who grew up overseas or were MKs or - even better - both. They know all the weird and scary and gross stories. I'm just saying you'll never be bored.
Mommy should be home about now, if it's 12:00 AM here, 11:00 PM out in Iowa, and the traffic was tolerable.
In other news, there are about 3 portions of green tomato crisp left, which I'm thinking of putting at a "Buy Now" rate of around $60 each, until such time as the bidding soars beyond, or until people let me know they just can't afford that, or until Stacey and I decide to eat them.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Passing the torch
I am so proud of my brother! Jason (apparently) just drove himself all the way from Iowa to Texas, a good 14-hour drive. Now it's his turn to bop around in the little '89 blue Toyota. He DID get to the "independent-with-a-car-at-college" stage one year earlier than me, but I guess we can't hold that against him.
(This may mean nothing to you - but this post is brought to you indoors, courtesy of succesful signal-catching angling! Just in time, as this is the first cool evening post-vernal equinox.)
(This may mean nothing to you - but this post is brought to you indoors, courtesy of succesful signal-catching angling! Just in time, as this is the first cool evening post-vernal equinox.)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
August is Pie Time!
Hi everyone. Not sure who would read this after such sporadic entries, but anyway....
I am trying to reform. Stopped one activity last month and another one gets dumped this month. Now if friends will just stop showing up and visiting, maybe life will calm down.
Despite all the busy-ness, just look how productive I've been! Guess what I made??
This
Green Tomato Pie!
It was so much fun to make, despite how rather pathetic the crust turned out.
I gave some to friends. Everyone thought it was weird but no one disliked it. Some of them might even have eaten more than the sliver I gave them.
I took some to work and won some small triumphs:
-3 people asked for the recipe
-1 fruit-pie-disliker ate a second bite
-1 tomato-hater said it was pretty good
Everyone tried to guess what it was. Some thought it was green apple, some thought it was pepper, or rhubarb.
All in all it has made for a lot of fun, now to find away to use all my green tomato pie juice. Probably would be yummiest just to drink it, don't you think?
Oh by the way, did you notice? That is the first ever on-blog photo, first try. So give me a break if the formatting ends up terribly, I have no idea how it will actually look.
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