Doug Gross has said he isn't running for governor of Iowa. I wonder, then, who paid for all those warm fuzzy TV ads he's been appearing on lately. I'm guessing that the commercials didn't help his polls any, so he's deciding not to run based on the "strain on his family". Whatever. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but still.
I am glad he's decided not to run; I don't think he's really electable. First of all, and shallowest, he's just plain dorky-looking. He looks too much like Farmer Ted from Sixteen Candles. We've already had a governor who looked like Beaver Cleaver. Lord bless him, he was a nice man, and he was elected governor four times. But at least Beaver was something of a decent comparison. Farmer Ted is a complete geek-deluxe. We'd never hear the end of it. It's already hard enough trying to overcome the fact that our current governor's last name is "Vilsack." What-sack? Eww! Just doesn't sound nice.
Second, he just seems to be too much of an insider. When watching the schmoozy commercials about him recently, I always felt as though he was putting his finger on the pulse of viewers in order to gain some kind of electoral advantage. Blech. Can we at least be a little more subtle about your desire for the top job?
I'm sure there are myriad more reasons why Doug Gross should not run for governor, but I'm too tired to hunt them down at the moment. I am glad, however, that he seems to have decided not to run.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Misanthropic Pessimist
Or "MP" for short. That's what I'm going to start calling one of my students. She's a sophomore, cute, short and stocky, and she just seems to be sarcastic and negative by nature. What's worse is, I like her... but the irritable-but-loveable schtick is beginning to wear thin with me. Doing nice things doesn't seem to help; she's more than happy to partake of whatever goodie I might pass out, but it doesn't change anything. If you bend the rules, she sarcastically points it out. If you enforce the rules, she whines about it. She's always looking for a way to point out somewhere that I'm wrong. She also has whined to another teacher about me, and whines about other teachers TO me.
All of this negativity is wrapped up in a seemingly nice, well-behaved girl who works hard on her schoolwork and seems diligent and conscientious. Up until today, I had assumed it was just me. Now I'm seeing a little bit of an odd pattern.
I asked the students today what their Spring Break plans were. Most were planning to work at their regular jobs. MP works at McDonald's. I had just assumed it was at the nearby one on Euclid, but today she grudgingly admitted that she works at the one in Altoona (a neighboring suburban community), and that I'd better not show up there. I thought that was odd; most of my students WANT me to come see them. "Why?" I asked. "Because that's why I picked the one in Altoona, so I wouldn't see anyone I know. I don't want people I know seeing me at work, and I don't want to have to tell the people I work with, Oh, she's my teacher, he's my friend from school, blah blah blah."
So basically, she's a grouchy hermit-type. I can see her in twenty years, being my age, already achieving crusty curmudgeon status.
All of this negativity is wrapped up in a seemingly nice, well-behaved girl who works hard on her schoolwork and seems diligent and conscientious. Up until today, I had assumed it was just me. Now I'm seeing a little bit of an odd pattern.
I asked the students today what their Spring Break plans were. Most were planning to work at their regular jobs. MP works at McDonald's. I had just assumed it was at the nearby one on Euclid, but today she grudgingly admitted that she works at the one in Altoona (a neighboring suburban community), and that I'd better not show up there. I thought that was odd; most of my students WANT me to come see them. "Why?" I asked. "Because that's why I picked the one in Altoona, so I wouldn't see anyone I know. I don't want people I know seeing me at work, and I don't want to have to tell the people I work with, Oh, she's my teacher, he's my friend from school, blah blah blah."
So basically, she's a grouchy hermit-type. I can see her in twenty years, being my age, already achieving crusty curmudgeon status.
Monday morning ramblings
Can I just say that I love my job? I just got here after having taken three days off last week, and one of the band students that I played accompaniment for last weekend just came into my room and brought me two pieces of homemade cake. Last week, another of my students brought me a Johnny Depp collage she'd made for me. Could life be any better? Now I get to sit at my desk, eat cake for breakfast, and stare at Captain Jack Sparrow. Phew.
I am definitely behind, but I needed those days very badly... if only for the mental health aspect. Until I'm able to sort out all the new loose ends in my life, the stress is going to make me even more wack than I normally am. I'm still not sleeping as well as I'd like, although it's better than last week, and my eczema has gone crazy (always exacerbated by stress and lack of sleep).
Saturday I finally found the athletic shoes I'd been looking for. I always wear Vans, and my pink-and-white ones were finally getting a bit too worn. I would've rather the new ones also had the "V" design on the side, but they have an embossed thing on the side of the sole that says "shoe nineteen sixty six" which is my birth year. They're white with a green stripe and green undersole.
Yesterday's worship services went without any untoward incidents, at least from the technical analysis perspective. No broken strings or missed pickups, PTL. The girl that was singing the offertory song had dug up an oldie from the 80s Sandi Patty era, and it was one of the ones that was originally a duet with Larnelle Harris. She was practicing it early yesterday morning before the service, and I picked up a mic that was next to the piano and started singing Larnelle's harmony part. I was a little surprised at myself that I could remember that thing, even though it's probably been nearly 20 years since I heard it, much less sung it. Anyway, she loved it and asked me if I'd actually sing it with her (!!), so I did. It ended up pretty nice; I haven't done much singing at FCC, mainly because they have more than enough talented vocalists and because they need me behind the keyboard. Occasionally they give me a mic while I'm playing, if they need the extra soprano line for some reason. But anyway, this was the first time I'd sung any sort of special music. And it's the first time I've sung with a canned accompaniment track in probably 20 years as well... I prefer live music, or self-accompanying. I've gotten used to "hiding" behind the keyboard, too, so it was a little weird to stand up there holding only a mic.
Yesterday they had baptisms in all the services. In the early one, the guitarist's eleven year old son was baptized and that was just the coolest thing. I could tell Mark was really, really happy about that. I got a very nice view of the whole thing because they have a portable baptistry that they roll onto the stage area whenever they do baptisms, and it's set up basically in front of the keyboard. So I get to see it really close up, and I love it. In the bigger picture, that's one of the reasons I love this church so much -- they are growing because they're sharing the gospel and people are accepting Christ... many of them from very difficult life circumstances... and lives are being transformed. It's not a church full of "been to church my whole life and I know how to play the part of the good Christian really well now because I've been practicing for years" people. No, these are people who have chosen Christ, and who take that choice very seriously. That is refreshing.
I'm going to get a little work done before the students come into my room wondering why I abandoned them last week. Ta for now.
I am definitely behind, but I needed those days very badly... if only for the mental health aspect. Until I'm able to sort out all the new loose ends in my life, the stress is going to make me even more wack than I normally am. I'm still not sleeping as well as I'd like, although it's better than last week, and my eczema has gone crazy (always exacerbated by stress and lack of sleep).
Saturday I finally found the athletic shoes I'd been looking for. I always wear Vans, and my pink-and-white ones were finally getting a bit too worn. I would've rather the new ones also had the "V" design on the side, but they have an embossed thing on the side of the sole that says "shoe nineteen sixty six" which is my birth year. They're white with a green stripe and green undersole.
Yesterday's worship services went without any untoward incidents, at least from the technical analysis perspective. No broken strings or missed pickups, PTL. The girl that was singing the offertory song had dug up an oldie from the 80s Sandi Patty era, and it was one of the ones that was originally a duet with Larnelle Harris. She was practicing it early yesterday morning before the service, and I picked up a mic that was next to the piano and started singing Larnelle's harmony part. I was a little surprised at myself that I could remember that thing, even though it's probably been nearly 20 years since I heard it, much less sung it. Anyway, she loved it and asked me if I'd actually sing it with her (!!), so I did. It ended up pretty nice; I haven't done much singing at FCC, mainly because they have more than enough talented vocalists and because they need me behind the keyboard. Occasionally they give me a mic while I'm playing, if they need the extra soprano line for some reason. But anyway, this was the first time I'd sung any sort of special music. And it's the first time I've sung with a canned accompaniment track in probably 20 years as well... I prefer live music, or self-accompanying. I've gotten used to "hiding" behind the keyboard, too, so it was a little weird to stand up there holding only a mic.
Yesterday they had baptisms in all the services. In the early one, the guitarist's eleven year old son was baptized and that was just the coolest thing. I could tell Mark was really, really happy about that. I got a very nice view of the whole thing because they have a portable baptistry that they roll onto the stage area whenever they do baptisms, and it's set up basically in front of the keyboard. So I get to see it really close up, and I love it. In the bigger picture, that's one of the reasons I love this church so much -- they are growing because they're sharing the gospel and people are accepting Christ... many of them from very difficult life circumstances... and lives are being transformed. It's not a church full of "been to church my whole life and I know how to play the part of the good Christian really well now because I've been practicing for years" people. No, these are people who have chosen Christ, and who take that choice very seriously. That is refreshing.
I'm going to get a little work done before the students come into my room wondering why I abandoned them last week. Ta for now.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Iowa BlogFest
Went to Wellman's Pub tonight and met all kinds of interesting folks:
Chad, Don & Jeff from Tusk & Talon
Doug & Jody from Iowageek
Royce from Iowa Libertarian
Joe from TaxUpdateBlog
Kris from Random Mentality
Dave from Hog Haven
Jill from Purple Fish Guts
Steph from Bob
Jarod from One Brick Shy
Brett from Beat Canvas
I think that's everybody. I had a great time! Thanks to Jeff from Tusk & Talon for putting it all together. I sat between Don and Joe, and enjoyed the company of both gentlemen. All of these guys are incredibly funny; perhaps that's one of the prerequisites for being a blogger? I wore my Frank J. special Nuke The Moon t-shirt; Dave had on his "Take That, Hippy: Four More Years" George W. Bush shirt. Royce is definitely a rabid libertarian, and I enjoyed listening to him assert his opinions with the, um, less-right-leaning members of the group.
Royce and Doug both tried valiantly and expertly to get my computer to log onto the wi-fi connection at Wellman's, to no avail. My computer connects with the service, but I can't call up any web pages. I wish I knew why!! It's very aggravating. I wonder if it's my particular ISP (mchsi.com)? I may give their tech people a call and see if they have any suggestions.
Chad, Don & Jeff from Tusk & Talon
Doug & Jody from Iowageek
Royce from Iowa Libertarian
Joe from TaxUpdateBlog
Kris from Random Mentality
Dave from Hog Haven
Jill from Purple Fish Guts
Steph from Bob
Jarod from One Brick Shy
Brett from Beat Canvas
I think that's everybody. I had a great time! Thanks to Jeff from Tusk & Talon for putting it all together. I sat between Don and Joe, and enjoyed the company of both gentlemen. All of these guys are incredibly funny; perhaps that's one of the prerequisites for being a blogger? I wore my Frank J. special Nuke The Moon t-shirt; Dave had on his "Take That, Hippy: Four More Years" George W. Bush shirt. Royce is definitely a rabid libertarian, and I enjoyed listening to him assert his opinions with the, um, less-right-leaning members of the group.
Royce and Doug both tried valiantly and expertly to get my computer to log onto the wi-fi connection at Wellman's, to no avail. My computer connects with the service, but I can't call up any web pages. I wish I knew why!! It's very aggravating. I wonder if it's my particular ISP (mchsi.com)? I may give their tech people a call and see if they have any suggestions.
Friday, February 25, 2005
The TALK
I think it went okay. We sat down on my bed after her shower and I just came out with it. I tried to explain it to her in ways that she would understand, and I think she got it. I made her respond to me by making her repeat answers to questions. My initial goal was to make sure that she's prepared for the onset of menses, because she's about to turn eleven and that's how old I was when I first experienced it. I don't want her to wake up tomorrow and be completely freaked out by something she wasn't told about beforehand. I also wanted her to be aware of some of the things that her friends were talking about when they were swearing and using the "f" word and other such inappropriate behavior.
I was pretty down-to-earth and matter-of-fact about it. I appreciate all your prayers, because I felt completely calm and unruffled about it. She cooperated, too, mainly because she really wanted to know what all those swear words actually meant. I think that the one that bothered her the most was "gay", because that's a common epithet among the youth around here. I didn't really want to have to talk about that, but I know that it was necessary because of the world we are living in today.
I'm glad that part of it's over. I don't expect it's finished, but at least we've laid the groundwork for future discussions. No, I don't feel smug at having done it perfectly right... I'm quite sure that there was probably something I could've done better. But I don't think it was a disaster.
I was pretty down-to-earth and matter-of-fact about it. I appreciate all your prayers, because I felt completely calm and unruffled about it. She cooperated, too, mainly because she really wanted to know what all those swear words actually meant. I think that the one that bothered her the most was "gay", because that's a common epithet among the youth around here. I didn't really want to have to talk about that, but I know that it was necessary because of the world we are living in today.
I'm glad that part of it's over. I don't expect it's finished, but at least we've laid the groundwork for future discussions. No, I don't feel smug at having done it perfectly right... I'm quite sure that there was probably something I could've done better. But I don't think it was a disaster.
Terrorist Scorecard
Here is a very cool link letting you know just how many of UBL's pals we've already sent on to Allah. Thanks to the Yin Blog for this link.
Outdoors at last
The weather was absolutely beautiful today... and the kids, pent up for an entire winter, were dying to get out. I let them, and they have been outside all afternoon. Hooray! It's nice to not have them inside complaining of boredom and begging for one more episode of Fairly Oddparents. The weather people are saying it's going to get cold again, which doesn't surprise me since it IS February and it IS Iowa. But it's the briefest beginnings of the Spring to come, and it can't come soon enough for me. As it is, we're not going to get much of a summer break because of the snow days we had to take, and because the school board voted to start school earlier in the fall next year. We're only getting eight weeks instead of ten. I know, quit complaining. At least I get summers off.
In the CD player this afternoon: U2, How To Dismantle An Atom Bomb. I like it. I've been a U2 fan for many years now. Something about their music is just transcendent. Some of their songs through the years just make my hair stand on end, and I can't really tell you why. SoulFire is doing a cover of one of U2's classics in our upcoming concert, and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be doing it. It energizes me just thinking about it.
In the CD player this afternoon: U2, How To Dismantle An Atom Bomb. I like it. I've been a U2 fan for many years now. Something about their music is just transcendent. Some of their songs through the years just make my hair stand on end, and I can't really tell you why. SoulFire is doing a cover of one of U2's classics in our upcoming concert, and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be doing it. It energizes me just thinking about it.
Iowa Bloggers!
Saturday, February 26, at 6 PM... Wellman's Pub on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines... be there or be square. Take advantage of the free wi-fi -- bring your laptop and do some liveblogging! That's what I'm planning to do.
Thanks to the dudes at Tusk And Talon for planning the shindig. I think it's going to be quite fun.
Thanks to the dudes at Tusk And Talon for planning the shindig. I think it's going to be quite fun.
Possible Acne Cause?
Milk can cause acne, says new research
I'm not surprised by this, actually. Milk is full of hormones, and acne is triggered by hormones. I wish they could figure out acne really, really well... particularly the cystic acne that has only begun to plague me since I entered my thirties. I do not drink much milk, because I have become lactose-intolerant as I've gotten older. I never really drank that much milk anyway, so I don't think that's the cause of my issues. I wish there were a pill or a shot I could take that would stop the ginormous tumors from cropping up all over my chin. I hope they'll stumble across some kind of magic bullet sometime soon.
I'm not surprised by this, actually. Milk is full of hormones, and acne is triggered by hormones. I wish they could figure out acne really, really well... particularly the cystic acne that has only begun to plague me since I entered my thirties. I do not drink much milk, because I have become lactose-intolerant as I've gotten older. I never really drank that much milk anyway, so I don't think that's the cause of my issues. I wish there were a pill or a shot I could take that would stop the ginormous tumors from cropping up all over my chin. I hope they'll stumble across some kind of magic bullet sometime soon.
I love this article
The WaPo actually has an article I like. Thanks to Instapundit for bringing it to my attention.
Condoleezza Rice's Commanding Clothes
First of all, I totally dig her Matrix outfit. She looks stunning without looking cheap or frilly. Very nice choice, Condi.
I LOVE CONDI!!!
Condoleezza Rice's Commanding Clothes
First of all, I totally dig her Matrix outfit. She looks stunning without looking cheap or frilly. Very nice choice, Condi.
Rice challenges expectations and assumptions. There is undeniable authority in her long black jacket with its severe details and menacing silhouette. The darkness lends an air of mystery and foreboding. Black is the color of intellectualism, of abstinence, of penitence. If there is any symbolism to be gleaned from Rice's stark garments, it is that she is tough and focused enough for whatever task is at hand.
I LOVE CONDI!!!
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Now playing...
The Beauty of Simplicity by Telecast.
This is a really decent first effort by this band. I can recommend it if you're looking for worship music that's got a little bit of a Seattle sound, not too pop-music style. If you like Chris Tomlin's stuff, and the Passion project, you'll probably like Telecast.
This is a really decent first effort by this band. I can recommend it if you're looking for worship music that's got a little bit of a Seattle sound, not too pop-music style. If you like Chris Tomlin's stuff, and the Passion project, you'll probably like Telecast.
Suggestions, please
Okay, I'm going to have to finish having THE TALK with my ten year old daughter tonight. Apparently there's been enough slang and gossip flying around her fifth grade classroom now, and it's time she finally puts it all together. We've had a few discussions along this line, but it's time for an update.
SIGH
I am not looking forward to this. I know what sort of naughtiness goes around in upper elementary classrooms, though, and this seems to be a rather virulent type. Thanks to all these parents who don't care what DVDs their kids watch... some of these kids know waaaay too much, and some of them even do waaaaay too much as well.
You guys pray for me tonight, k? I'm gonna need it.
SIGH
I am not looking forward to this. I know what sort of naughtiness goes around in upper elementary classrooms, though, and this seems to be a rather virulent type. Thanks to all these parents who don't care what DVDs their kids watch... some of these kids know waaaay too much, and some of them even do waaaaay too much as well.
You guys pray for me tonight, k? I'm gonna need it.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Ultrasound machines
Now this is a project I could get behind... a project whose goal was to supply crisis pregnancy centers with an ultrasound machine so that women would have to face the person they're planning to kill before they make the final choice to do so.
Sonograms used to dissuade abortions
One of the most telling quotes from the anti-life crowd:
DUH! And as for "luring" women in, I'm sure that the Planned Parenthood gang are all too happy to let women know about their option to kill their babies, while reassuring them that it's for the best. Once it's over and the baby's gone, the mom's supposed to go bouncing along in her happy little life without a care or a thought to the past... and they're not there to pick up her emotional pieces later, when she's wracked with guilt over her false "choice."
If that's true, then why are you concerned about this? If they understand their "choice", then you shouldn't worry about them changing their minds. It's all about a woman's right, isn't it? Oh, I forgot... she's got the right to choose, but only as long as her choice is abortion. If she chooses life, it's not legitimate. I don't want to assume such a horrid thing, but it really begins to appear as though these people will consider themselves successful when they perform more and more abortions every year. Their claims of "safe, legal and rare" ring hollow. If they're so concerned about women's rights, they should also provide ultrasound for their people. But no, they're afraid of doing that, because they KNOW that seeing the baby changes everything for most of their clientele.
Sonograms used to dissuade abortions
One of the most telling quotes from the anti-life crowd:
Abortion rights advocates say that a large number of the centers lure women by leaving the impression that they do, in fact, perform abortions and subsequently do not give women a full picture of their choices.
"Generally their treatment of women who come in is coercive," said Susanne Martinez, vice president of public policy at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "From the time they walk in to these centers, they are inundated with information that is propaganda and that has one goal in mind: and that is to have women continue with their pregnancies."
DUH! And as for "luring" women in, I'm sure that the Planned Parenthood gang are all too happy to let women know about their option to kill their babies, while reassuring them that it's for the best. Once it's over and the baby's gone, the mom's supposed to go bouncing along in her happy little life without a care or a thought to the past... and they're not there to pick up her emotional pieces later, when she's wracked with guilt over her false "choice."
Dr. Sandra Christiansen, medical director of the Carenet Pregnancy Center of Frederick, Md., which also has an ultrasound machine said, "The motivation is that man and woman are made in God's image, that life is precious." Christiansen added, "Women have a right to know what is going on inside their bodies, and we want to provide women with critical information as they face a life-altering procedure and decision. Women will be empowered to choose life."
Groups that favor abortion rights see the technique as a pressure tactic. Nancy Keenan, president of Naral Pro-Choice America, said that while ultrasounds were legitimate medical care for pregnant women, "they shouldn't be misused to badger or coerce women by these so-called crisis-pregnancy centers. With or without ultrasound, women understand the moral dimensions of their choices."
If that's true, then why are you concerned about this? If they understand their "choice", then you shouldn't worry about them changing their minds. It's all about a woman's right, isn't it? Oh, I forgot... she's got the right to choose, but only as long as her choice is abortion. If she chooses life, it's not legitimate. I don't want to assume such a horrid thing, but it really begins to appear as though these people will consider themselves successful when they perform more and more abortions every year. Their claims of "safe, legal and rare" ring hollow. If they're so concerned about women's rights, they should also provide ultrasound for their people. But no, they're afraid of doing that, because they KNOW that seeing the baby changes everything for most of their clientele.
COOL!!!
Check out this post over at Michelle Malkin's place. Looks like a hardcore rock-n-roller has responded to God's call. The Bible does say that the rocks will cry out praises to Jesus...
Starting the process
I'm due to start my first online class with the University of Phoenix tomorrow. I'm at the "what was I thinking?" stage right at the moment. Since that's going to take up a portion of my life, you can be sure I'll be posting about it occasionally. I am expecting it to be rather tedious and boring, but something I'll just have to slog through until it's done. I hope I'm wrong about the boring part... it would be nice to feel like I'm actually learning something.
I'm getting my MAED (master of education) with an emphasis in special education.
The thing I notice about my dealings with other teachers at school is that many of them don't seem to have lives apart from school. I'm sure they actually do, but it seems like for many of them, their job is what defines them, and they devote most of their brain space to thinking about school. I just can't do that. School is great, but it's not what I live and breathe for. It's a means to an end, to be truthful. It's something useful that I can do and contribute meaningfully, but if for some reason tomorrow it were no longer there, I would not be devastated.
All that brings me around to the reason why I'm getting a master's in special education. Well, mainly because it lets me keep my job, and it will hopefully get me a little more pay. Plus, there's no reason why I shouldn't have my master's degree... I know lots of total doofuses who have graduate degrees, so I know I can manage it. I've just not had a reason to, up til now. But if I were really just choosing something to get a degree in simply because it was something I loved, I'd probably be doing something with visual arts. Those kinds of courses don't lend themselves well to online learning, however, so until I have a little more time and until I sense that it's what God wants me to do, I won't.
Tonight is Parent's Night at Awanas Club. Should be loads of fun. Nothing I like better than being immersed in a building full of small children. Can you believe I used to teach preschoolers? I did. I guess it's a tribute to God's grace, because it ain't what I'd say is a personal strength. I can manage for short periods, if required, and I can be pleasant. But do I find it fulfilling? Nope.
I'm enjoying my day off. So much, in fact, that I've decided to take the rest of the week off as well. Call it a pre-Spring Break, if you will, but it's serving the purpose of a sick leave... mentally sick, anyway. Shake it up, baby! Twist and shout!
I'm getting my MAED (master of education) with an emphasis in special education.
The thing I notice about my dealings with other teachers at school is that many of them don't seem to have lives apart from school. I'm sure they actually do, but it seems like for many of them, their job is what defines them, and they devote most of their brain space to thinking about school. I just can't do that. School is great, but it's not what I live and breathe for. It's a means to an end, to be truthful. It's something useful that I can do and contribute meaningfully, but if for some reason tomorrow it were no longer there, I would not be devastated.
All that brings me around to the reason why I'm getting a master's in special education. Well, mainly because it lets me keep my job, and it will hopefully get me a little more pay. Plus, there's no reason why I shouldn't have my master's degree... I know lots of total doofuses who have graduate degrees, so I know I can manage it. I've just not had a reason to, up til now. But if I were really just choosing something to get a degree in simply because it was something I loved, I'd probably be doing something with visual arts. Those kinds of courses don't lend themselves well to online learning, however, so until I have a little more time and until I sense that it's what God wants me to do, I won't.
Tonight is Parent's Night at Awanas Club. Should be loads of fun. Nothing I like better than being immersed in a building full of small children. Can you believe I used to teach preschoolers? I did. I guess it's a tribute to God's grace, because it ain't what I'd say is a personal strength. I can manage for short periods, if required, and I can be pleasant. But do I find it fulfilling? Nope.
I'm enjoying my day off. So much, in fact, that I've decided to take the rest of the week off as well. Call it a pre-Spring Break, if you will, but it's serving the purpose of a sick leave... mentally sick, anyway. Shake it up, baby! Twist and shout!
Tim Blair nails it
I roll my eyes every time I hear some doofus-head TV pundit try to insinuate that Karl Rove somehow was behind the Rathergate Memos. Tim Blair apparently thinks it's funny, too...
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Synesthesia
J-Walk has a post linking to an article in LiveScience about synesthesia. I've known about this for only a year or two, but it's something I've just always lived with and not realized that other people didn't have the same sensations.
For me, notes on the musical scale are intertwined with certain colors and smells. For example, the note B-natural is icy blue and smells like ozonated air (post-thunderstorm). It also feels cold. That's how I generally know what a note is when I hear it, or can tell what key a song is being played in by how it makes me feel. I don't always get it right, though; when my nose is stopped up, I can't smell, and I also have trouble hearing as well. This affects my ability to sense musical keys and colors. Likewise if I'm having a headache.
I'm glad they're doing some research on this subject. It seems like it would give some interesting insight into the way the human brain categorizes (or fails to categorize) things.
When Ingrid Carey says she feels colors, she does not mean she sees red, or feels blue, or is green with envy. She really does feel them.
She can also taste them, and hear them, and smell them.
The 20-year-old junior at the University of Maine has synesthesia, a rare neurological condition in which two or more of the senses entwine.
For me, notes on the musical scale are intertwined with certain colors and smells. For example, the note B-natural is icy blue and smells like ozonated air (post-thunderstorm). It also feels cold. That's how I generally know what a note is when I hear it, or can tell what key a song is being played in by how it makes me feel. I don't always get it right, though; when my nose is stopped up, I can't smell, and I also have trouble hearing as well. This affects my ability to sense musical keys and colors. Likewise if I'm having a headache.
I'm glad they're doing some research on this subject. It seems like it would give some interesting insight into the way the human brain categorizes (or fails to categorize) things.
Taking the day off
There, I've done it. I've put in a call for a substitute teacher tomorrow. I actually felt ill most of today anyway, which I know seems just a little too convenient. But I'm feeling a little like Ferris. Sometimes you just know you need the day off. So I'm taking one.
Now I've got to go dig up the mannequin to put in the bed tonight, plus the tape recorded messages. I wonder if I can sneak my way into the Embassy Club at the top of the Principal building tomorrow? I don't think any parades are scheduled for downtown, although I could probably call up a few farmers to fire up their John Deeres. Heck, all they're doing right now is thumbing through the seed corn catalogs.
The red convertible might be a bit more of a challenge...
Now I've got to go dig up the mannequin to put in the bed tonight, plus the tape recorded messages. I wonder if I can sneak my way into the Embassy Club at the top of the Principal building tomorrow? I don't think any parades are scheduled for downtown, although I could probably call up a few farmers to fire up their John Deeres. Heck, all they're doing right now is thumbing through the seed corn catalogs.
The red convertible might be a bit more of a challenge...
Mmmm... nice...
Tahiti sounds really, really nice right now...
Papeete Seafront, Tahiti
Thank you to Mel of Actual Unretouched Photo for this little gem of a webcam. Like I needed something else to distract me!
Papeete Seafront, Tahiti
Thank you to Mel of Actual Unretouched Photo for this little gem of a webcam. Like I needed something else to distract me!
Iowahawk, advocate for Moms
Our pal, Iowahawk has managed a delightful swipe at the coastal moms and their Mommy Madness affliction. The quote that sent me over the edge:
While area truckers are expanding her crusade globally, Tammi Jo Pearsall continues to take a more local approach to Mommy Madness activism. Along with her children - Cheyenne, 11, Dakota, 7, F-150 Crewcab, 6, and Brandon, 4 -- Pearsall regularly visits Winn-Dixies and dirt tracks throughout North Florida to raise awareness. It is a labor of love, and Pearsall says she will not quit until the children of graduate-degreed mothers in Manhattan and the Back Bay have adequate access to competitive preschools.
"I raised over $3 in the emergency clinic waiting room, when I took Brandon back after he stuck his haid in the swamp cooler," she says with pride.
Caption Contest
Kevin McGehee's got a caption contest going, and the photo is just begging for your humorous contribution. Check it out.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Oh, this is COOL
Go here and type in your name, your friends' names, etc... to see the name's rank in popularity throughout the decades. COOL!!! Thanks to VW of One Happy Dog Speaks for this one.
The irony here kills me
I just took another one of those dopey online quizzes. This time, it was about "Which Star Wars Fantasy/Sci-Fi Character Are You?". Here's my results. No short jokes, please.
It says this about me:
Y'know, this doesn't bother me. I kind-of like it.
It says this about me:
A venerated sage with vast power and knowledge, you gently guide forces around you while serving as a champion of the light.
Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not - for my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life greets it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminescent beings are we, not this crude matter! You must feel the Force around you, everywhere.
Y'know, this doesn't bother me. I kind-of like it.
Monday morning ramblings
Do you ever have something huge that simply must get done, but you can't seem to find the motivation? I'm actually thinking of taking a couple of days off from work this week to get an enormous project finished. I'm also thinking of delegating parts of it to a couple of folks.
Yesterday just about killed me, but I would've died happy. I played for all the worship services again, which means I'm there from before 7 AM to about noon, then I'm back at 4 PM til about 8 PM. It usually gives me time for a movie or for going out to eat and then taking a nap in the afternoon. Sunday afternoon naps are the bomb. Yesterday, however, was the quarterly worship team meeting.
Ah, yes, you got that right. It's my favorite word: MEETING. Actually, I wasn't too aggravated at having to go to it, because it's something I'm actually interested in, as opposed to school faculty meetings that drone on and on about hall duty. But even interesting meetings are hard for me, so after about, oh, half an hour I had to get up and walk around a little bit. I'm thankful that this is the kind of group that seems to understand that. We're all artists, so it's somewhat freer and more tolerant of individual differences.
Jeff led the meeting and mentioned an article he had read recently comparing the worship team to the sherpas at Mount Everest. The sherpa's job is crucial; few climbers succeed without one to guide them up the mountainside. But the sherpa isn't the star of the show, he's only there to facilitate the climbers on their journey up. Likewise, the worship leaders at a church are there NOT to get a lot of praise and pats on the back, they're there to use the gifts God has given them to point people to Christ WITHOUT taking credit. I can occasionally feel myself slipping into a "performance" pattern, where I'm so concerned with myself and what I sounded like that I lose the singular focus of what I do. Sometimes, however, I am completely free from that pattern and I slip into a "slouch" mode where anything goes and I don't care what I sounded like. I wish I could find the middle ground and stay there; I'm there from time to time, then slip out of it as easily as one changes lanes on the freeway.
But wait a minute, you say... didn't Kris just say in a previous paragraph that yesterday just about killed her BUT that she would've died happy? Let me tell you that making music with these people is sheer bliss for me. The early morning service was marred by yet another broken string for Jeff, which totally bites and leaves a big gaping hole in the sound. I came in and tried to help fill out the sound so he could still lead, and I think it turned out okay anyway. What I really appreciate about Jeff is that he's not a fake. He's very natural and very real; he doesn't freak out, but just picks up and runs with whatever he's got. I think he doesn't realize just how gifted he is. Not everyone can do that! He also has a very nice voice. Okay, yes, he's the worship leader, aren't they supposed to? Well, I've met a few who really only have average-to-decent voices, but superstar vocal talent isn't a prerequisite for good worship leading. Jeff has both gifts, though. His voice is very smooth and he's comfortable and natural with it. His speaking voice is like that, too; I asked him recently if he'd ever done any radio, and interestingly, he has. I need to ask him more about that.
He re-strung his guitar offstage during the sermon and the second morning service went without a hitch, instrumentally. The song I'd been working on carefully all week went well (Jeff sang it as a solo and I backed him up with some harmony on the chorus). Rick was there during the second service and said that the music sounded fine but that the vocal team's faces were expressionless. I know that both those girls were really tired, but ouch! I'll try to be more encouraging to them on Sunday mornings. I may be an early-bird, but not everyone is.
Stratman (who occasionally comments here) did an admirable job playing the electric guitar (a Stratocaster, of course); he's always so funny. I will never be able to look at him the same now, though... you see, he plays in a band called the EvenOdds, and last Tuesday he showed me a list of the covers they were working on for their next gig. It included Billy Idol's "White Wedding"... which is actually a song I rather like, but somehow it just seemed incongruous with the Stratman. He's a grandfather, for Pete's sake. But hey, I suppose that could apply to me, being a putzy mom of three with delusions of musical grandeur. The Stratman is a very cool person. When I grow up, I'd like to be that cool.
Stratman's son Eddie played drums this week. Eddie has absolutely the coolest hair ever... bright orange, and 100% natural. He's got two little kids, and they both have the same orange hair. It's just awesome. His wife is young and pretty and blonde, but I've never really met her yet. Eddie did a bang-up job on the reggae number. Okay, maybe that's a poor choice of adjectives for a drummer. He did really well on it. hehe
Brandon... well, Brandon is a phenomenal guitarist (bass and electric -- he played bass yesterday). He's always carefully crafting what he does, thinking deeply about every minute detail and its eternal significance. He's just not of this world, really... he always has this ethereal expression on his face, like he's somewhere else, but then he says something and you realize that he hears everything that goes on around him as though it were amplified a million times.
And then Melissa played some kickin' trumpet fills during a couple of the songs. It's so nice to have that added punch; it really wakes up the room.
Okay, yes, this is getting long, but I did title this post "Ramblings." Deal.
We got done at about noon, and the kids wanted to go out to eat. We went to our favorite Chinese buffet, ChinaOne at 24th and Ingersoll. I tried to get done a little earlier so I could go on home and change clothes, then head BACK down to Norwalk for the meeting. I was desperately hoping the meeting would only last an hour or so, because at four o'clock was SoulFire rehearsal. The significance of that bit of minutia? Well, Tim wanted to do a new song, and while it's one I've heard a gazillion times on the radio, I hadn't really listened for the keyboard part, per se. After the meeting was over, I zipped over to Wal-Mart to try to find the CD. Thank the Lord, it was there, so I bought it and listened to it closely all the way back to church. By the time I got there, I had it mentally mapped out in my mind, and was able to play it for rehearsal. We did it at the youth meeting last night... Tim & Mark were really acting impressed, like I knew what I was doing, but if they only knew!!! I swear, I live my life by the seat of my pants most of the time. How good would I be if I only was able to plan things out and live an orderly life?
All right, I'm done yapping about church & music. Sorry.
Well, I received my Iowa teaching licenses in the mail on Saturday. Can we all just shout AMEN? I'm tired of dealing with that.
I start my first Master's Degree class this week. Like I needed something else to do, right? But this is in response to pressure from the school district; I'd much rather wait until the summer to start. I've decided to get my Master's in Special Ed. through the University of Phoenix, totally online. It's not cheap, but in considering my schedule and my own personality, I'm much better if I don't have to sit through a regular class MEETING. This way I can log on to class whenever I have a spare moment, perhaps during my planning times at school (other teachers do this, also, so it seems to be acceptable practice). It fits my life much better. You'll probably hear more about my experience as we go along, since this is likely going to take me about two years to finish.
Okay, so I'm not done talking about church & music. One more thing. I talked to Jeff's wife Linda (also a very cool person) after the early service, and she was feeling really bad for Jeff (since he's broken a string on three of the last five Sundays) (she calls it a "string of bad luck") (ha). I know that she's been a little reluctant to let him get a second guitar, but I think she may be seeing the logic behind it now. It would certainly be helpful to have a backup on stage with him the next time a string breaks in the middle of the worship set.
Gotta run; I need to get myself ready for the students to arrive. I'll check in a little later, when I get a quiet moment.
Yesterday just about killed me, but I would've died happy. I played for all the worship services again, which means I'm there from before 7 AM to about noon, then I'm back at 4 PM til about 8 PM. It usually gives me time for a movie or for going out to eat and then taking a nap in the afternoon. Sunday afternoon naps are the bomb. Yesterday, however, was the quarterly worship team meeting.
Ah, yes, you got that right. It's my favorite word: MEETING. Actually, I wasn't too aggravated at having to go to it, because it's something I'm actually interested in, as opposed to school faculty meetings that drone on and on about hall duty. But even interesting meetings are hard for me, so after about, oh, half an hour I had to get up and walk around a little bit. I'm thankful that this is the kind of group that seems to understand that. We're all artists, so it's somewhat freer and more tolerant of individual differences.
Jeff led the meeting and mentioned an article he had read recently comparing the worship team to the sherpas at Mount Everest. The sherpa's job is crucial; few climbers succeed without one to guide them up the mountainside. But the sherpa isn't the star of the show, he's only there to facilitate the climbers on their journey up. Likewise, the worship leaders at a church are there NOT to get a lot of praise and pats on the back, they're there to use the gifts God has given them to point people to Christ WITHOUT taking credit. I can occasionally feel myself slipping into a "performance" pattern, where I'm so concerned with myself and what I sounded like that I lose the singular focus of what I do. Sometimes, however, I am completely free from that pattern and I slip into a "slouch" mode where anything goes and I don't care what I sounded like. I wish I could find the middle ground and stay there; I'm there from time to time, then slip out of it as easily as one changes lanes on the freeway.
But wait a minute, you say... didn't Kris just say in a previous paragraph that yesterday just about killed her BUT that she would've died happy? Let me tell you that making music with these people is sheer bliss for me. The early morning service was marred by yet another broken string for Jeff, which totally bites and leaves a big gaping hole in the sound. I came in and tried to help fill out the sound so he could still lead, and I think it turned out okay anyway. What I really appreciate about Jeff is that he's not a fake. He's very natural and very real; he doesn't freak out, but just picks up and runs with whatever he's got. I think he doesn't realize just how gifted he is. Not everyone can do that! He also has a very nice voice. Okay, yes, he's the worship leader, aren't they supposed to? Well, I've met a few who really only have average-to-decent voices, but superstar vocal talent isn't a prerequisite for good worship leading. Jeff has both gifts, though. His voice is very smooth and he's comfortable and natural with it. His speaking voice is like that, too; I asked him recently if he'd ever done any radio, and interestingly, he has. I need to ask him more about that.
He re-strung his guitar offstage during the sermon and the second morning service went without a hitch, instrumentally. The song I'd been working on carefully all week went well (Jeff sang it as a solo and I backed him up with some harmony on the chorus). Rick was there during the second service and said that the music sounded fine but that the vocal team's faces were expressionless. I know that both those girls were really tired, but ouch! I'll try to be more encouraging to them on Sunday mornings. I may be an early-bird, but not everyone is.
Stratman (who occasionally comments here) did an admirable job playing the electric guitar (a Stratocaster, of course); he's always so funny. I will never be able to look at him the same now, though... you see, he plays in a band called the EvenOdds, and last Tuesday he showed me a list of the covers they were working on for their next gig. It included Billy Idol's "White Wedding"... which is actually a song I rather like, but somehow it just seemed incongruous with the Stratman. He's a grandfather, for Pete's sake. But hey, I suppose that could apply to me, being a putzy mom of three with delusions of musical grandeur. The Stratman is a very cool person. When I grow up, I'd like to be that cool.
Stratman's son Eddie played drums this week. Eddie has absolutely the coolest hair ever... bright orange, and 100% natural. He's got two little kids, and they both have the same orange hair. It's just awesome. His wife is young and pretty and blonde, but I've never really met her yet. Eddie did a bang-up job on the reggae number. Okay, maybe that's a poor choice of adjectives for a drummer. He did really well on it. hehe
Brandon... well, Brandon is a phenomenal guitarist (bass and electric -- he played bass yesterday). He's always carefully crafting what he does, thinking deeply about every minute detail and its eternal significance. He's just not of this world, really... he always has this ethereal expression on his face, like he's somewhere else, but then he says something and you realize that he hears everything that goes on around him as though it were amplified a million times.
And then Melissa played some kickin' trumpet fills during a couple of the songs. It's so nice to have that added punch; it really wakes up the room.
Okay, yes, this is getting long, but I did title this post "Ramblings." Deal.
We got done at about noon, and the kids wanted to go out to eat. We went to our favorite Chinese buffet, ChinaOne at 24th and Ingersoll. I tried to get done a little earlier so I could go on home and change clothes, then head BACK down to Norwalk for the meeting. I was desperately hoping the meeting would only last an hour or so, because at four o'clock was SoulFire rehearsal. The significance of that bit of minutia? Well, Tim wanted to do a new song, and while it's one I've heard a gazillion times on the radio, I hadn't really listened for the keyboard part, per se. After the meeting was over, I zipped over to Wal-Mart to try to find the CD. Thank the Lord, it was there, so I bought it and listened to it closely all the way back to church. By the time I got there, I had it mentally mapped out in my mind, and was able to play it for rehearsal. We did it at the youth meeting last night... Tim & Mark were really acting impressed, like I knew what I was doing, but if they only knew!!! I swear, I live my life by the seat of my pants most of the time. How good would I be if I only was able to plan things out and live an orderly life?
All right, I'm done yapping about church & music. Sorry.
Well, I received my Iowa teaching licenses in the mail on Saturday. Can we all just shout AMEN? I'm tired of dealing with that.
I start my first Master's Degree class this week. Like I needed something else to do, right? But this is in response to pressure from the school district; I'd much rather wait until the summer to start. I've decided to get my Master's in Special Ed. through the University of Phoenix, totally online. It's not cheap, but in considering my schedule and my own personality, I'm much better if I don't have to sit through a regular class MEETING. This way I can log on to class whenever I have a spare moment, perhaps during my planning times at school (other teachers do this, also, so it seems to be acceptable practice). It fits my life much better. You'll probably hear more about my experience as we go along, since this is likely going to take me about two years to finish.
Okay, so I'm not done talking about church & music. One more thing. I talked to Jeff's wife Linda (also a very cool person) after the early service, and she was feeling really bad for Jeff (since he's broken a string on three of the last five Sundays) (she calls it a "string of bad luck") (ha). I know that she's been a little reluctant to let him get a second guitar, but I think she may be seeing the logic behind it now. It would certainly be helpful to have a backup on stage with him the next time a string breaks in the middle of the worship set.
Gotta run; I need to get myself ready for the students to arrive. I'll check in a little later, when I get a quiet moment.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
City kids
I can tell that my kids have grown up in the city.
Rick and I were discussing tomorrow morning's breakfast plans, and he said we needed to use up the eggs that were in the fridge. I had mentioned that there were only five left, and that that wouldn't be enough for everyone. Martha chimed in, "Yeah, and they've gotten all brown and everything now." We explained to her that some chickens lay eggs with brown shells...
Rick and I were discussing tomorrow morning's breakfast plans, and he said we needed to use up the eggs that were in the fridge. I had mentioned that there were only five left, and that that wouldn't be enough for everyone. Martha chimed in, "Yeah, and they've gotten all brown and everything now." We explained to her that some chickens lay eggs with brown shells...
Whaddya bet me...
...that this article is being portrayed somewhere today as an example of the typical homeschooling family?
Yes, I do teach in the public school system, and my children attend a public school. But I am in favor of homeschooling. Actually, I'm in favor of parents getting to be in charge of their children's education. That probably goes against what many of my fellow teachers would say, and they would cite such examples as the one boy I know at school whose mother gave him one Christmas gift this year -- a bag of marijuana. But using that as a reason to take away parental or local control is just like using the example of the sicko abuse in Massachusetts as a reason to ban homeschooling. It doesn't wash. Why do we punish the decent law-abiding folks by taking away their rights, when what we should be doing is actually cracking down and punishing the lawbreakers by taking away theirs?
I chose to home-school for a while, then chose a small private academy where I could teach in exchange for tuition, then chose a public elementary magnet school where they could get a great deal of fine arts exposure. It's what works for our family. What works for yours might be different. That's for you to determine, not me. Or some bigwig at the Department of Education who thinks she knows what's best for your family more than you do.
Yes, I do teach in the public school system, and my children attend a public school. But I am in favor of homeschooling. Actually, I'm in favor of parents getting to be in charge of their children's education. That probably goes against what many of my fellow teachers would say, and they would cite such examples as the one boy I know at school whose mother gave him one Christmas gift this year -- a bag of marijuana. But using that as a reason to take away parental or local control is just like using the example of the sicko abuse in Massachusetts as a reason to ban homeschooling. It doesn't wash. Why do we punish the decent law-abiding folks by taking away their rights, when what we should be doing is actually cracking down and punishing the lawbreakers by taking away theirs?
I chose to home-school for a while, then chose a small private academy where I could teach in exchange for tuition, then chose a public elementary magnet school where they could get a great deal of fine arts exposure. It's what works for our family. What works for yours might be different. That's for you to determine, not me. Or some bigwig at the Department of Education who thinks she knows what's best for your family more than you do.
Goliath could tell you
...that them there slingshots can be dangerous, and do a great deal of damage...
Young Men Charged With Using Slingshots
Young Men Charged With Using Slingshots
Real Nazis are still out there
Hmm, I wonder what this guy thought whenever he saw news coverage comparing Bush to Hitler...
Black genocide
I thought this was an interesting figure to note for Black History month:
Between 1882 and 1968, approximately 3,446 black individuals were lynched in the United States. That number is easily surpassed in a couple of months by the number of black infants which are aborted in the United States today.
Looks like Margaret Sanger's true vision is being realized. A quote from Sanger: "Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated."
From this article: Abortion: A Law Unto Itself
Between 1882 and 1968, approximately 3,446 black individuals were lynched in the United States. That number is easily surpassed in a couple of months by the number of black infants which are aborted in the United States today.
Looks like Margaret Sanger's true vision is being realized. A quote from Sanger: "Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated."
From this article: Abortion: A Law Unto Itself
Friday, February 18, 2005
Happy Birthday, Mom!!
Today is my little Mommy's birthday. I can say "little" because, although I'm aaaaaaaaaaalmost five feet tall, I'm still taller than she is. Heh.
It's a very special birthday because this past year, in September, my Mommy got a new heart. Thanks to the unspeakably selfless gift of a grieving family somewhere, and the incredible skill of the organ transplant team at Medical City Hospital in Dallas, Texas, I still have my Mommy with me, and my kids have their "MamaSue". For seven years her health had declined because of a disease called sarcoidosis. The sarcoidosis attacked her heart muscle, killing it and causing something called dilated cardiomyopathy. She was very nearly gone when a heart became available. It was an emotional time for our whole family, one I'll never forget.
My Mommy is beautiful, smart, funny, generous and full of love and life. I am grateful to God for her influence in my life, and I'm thankful for her friendship as I've become an adult.
I love you, little Mommy. Happy birthday.
It's a very special birthday because this past year, in September, my Mommy got a new heart. Thanks to the unspeakably selfless gift of a grieving family somewhere, and the incredible skill of the organ transplant team at Medical City Hospital in Dallas, Texas, I still have my Mommy with me, and my kids have their "MamaSue". For seven years her health had declined because of a disease called sarcoidosis. The sarcoidosis attacked her heart muscle, killing it and causing something called dilated cardiomyopathy. She was very nearly gone when a heart became available. It was an emotional time for our whole family, one I'll never forget.
My Mommy is beautiful, smart, funny, generous and full of love and life. I am grateful to God for her influence in my life, and I'm thankful for her friendship as I've become an adult.
I love you, little Mommy. Happy birthday.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Didn't know it was possible...
I have played the piano nearly the entire day, yet I think I could still go for several hours if I needed to.
Most of the day was spent practicing with different high school band students who are preparing for solo & ensemble contest on Saturday. Their music is classical, which is what I used to play exclusively, but I haven't had the opportunity to play any of it in probably fifteen years. I have had an interesting time navigating through it. I'm playing for most of them, too, which means I don't have a lot of down-time. I will be honest when I tell you that I really haven't had the time OR inclination to spend a great deal of outside time practicing it on my own, but I'm actually rather pleased at my sight-reading skills. I'm sure I could be much, much better if I only played for one student, but with fourteen of them, they'll have to be happy with what they get.
Several of them are just awful at keeping a steady count throughout their pieces, so most of my accompanying is actually just trying to find where they've jumped to and start playing there. Heck, I'd be upset if I'd spent a great deal of time learning the piano parts to these things just to have the students botch it like that. So I try not to invest TOO much time into it. It's not about the accompanist, anyway; as long as I don't detract, I'm okay.
As soon as I was finished practicing with them this afternoon, I went home briefly to make sure the babysitting was going as planned, then I went BACK to the high school to do a "dress rehearsal" of each of their songs. Two hours of that, and two more people handing me their music at the last minute (!!)... and as soon as I was done there, I jumped into the car and headed down to Norwalk to the rehearsal for Sunday morning worship. I know, I said I wasn't going to do it this week, but I couldn't stand it. It's just a totally blech week if I don't get to hang out with them and play music, so I begged Jeff to let me come late and at least play on one or two songs.
I knew it would be an interesting night when the first song they ran through after I got there was a reggae-style version of Amazing Grace.
Oh. my. word.
You have GOT to be kidding me.
But amazingly, it worked. I have to say, I've never ever in my life played reggae-style. There's a first time for everything, eh? It was fun. I don't know how much fun it will be for the people listening, but it's certainly fun to play.
We also rehearsed the one song that needed to be mostly keyboard-driven; I had spent a great deal of time listening closely to that song on a CD to get the keyboard part down correctly. It's really stretching my mind these past couple of weeks, because I've actually sort-of gotten used to doing it all by ear, and I've had to dust off my music-reading abilities for the band students.
I wish I could play the piano for a living. Well, that, and paint watercolors.
Most of the day was spent practicing with different high school band students who are preparing for solo & ensemble contest on Saturday. Their music is classical, which is what I used to play exclusively, but I haven't had the opportunity to play any of it in probably fifteen years. I have had an interesting time navigating through it. I'm playing for most of them, too, which means I don't have a lot of down-time. I will be honest when I tell you that I really haven't had the time OR inclination to spend a great deal of outside time practicing it on my own, but I'm actually rather pleased at my sight-reading skills. I'm sure I could be much, much better if I only played for one student, but with fourteen of them, they'll have to be happy with what they get.
Several of them are just awful at keeping a steady count throughout their pieces, so most of my accompanying is actually just trying to find where they've jumped to and start playing there. Heck, I'd be upset if I'd spent a great deal of time learning the piano parts to these things just to have the students botch it like that. So I try not to invest TOO much time into it. It's not about the accompanist, anyway; as long as I don't detract, I'm okay.
As soon as I was finished practicing with them this afternoon, I went home briefly to make sure the babysitting was going as planned, then I went BACK to the high school to do a "dress rehearsal" of each of their songs. Two hours of that, and two more people handing me their music at the last minute (!!)... and as soon as I was done there, I jumped into the car and headed down to Norwalk to the rehearsal for Sunday morning worship. I know, I said I wasn't going to do it this week, but I couldn't stand it. It's just a totally blech week if I don't get to hang out with them and play music, so I begged Jeff to let me come late and at least play on one or two songs.
I knew it would be an interesting night when the first song they ran through after I got there was a reggae-style version of Amazing Grace.
Oh. my. word.
You have GOT to be kidding me.
But amazingly, it worked. I have to say, I've never ever in my life played reggae-style. There's a first time for everything, eh? It was fun. I don't know how much fun it will be for the people listening, but it's certainly fun to play.
We also rehearsed the one song that needed to be mostly keyboard-driven; I had spent a great deal of time listening closely to that song on a CD to get the keyboard part down correctly. It's really stretching my mind these past couple of weeks, because I've actually sort-of gotten used to doing it all by ear, and I've had to dust off my music-reading abilities for the band students.
I wish I could play the piano for a living. Well, that, and paint watercolors.
Butter face?
I have a student, a senior named DJ, who was interested in whether the new season of Survivor began tonight. We checked the internet and found that, indeed, it does. He was surveying the panoply of ladies and noticed one in particular.
"She's got a Butter Face," he stated.
"A what?"
"A Butter Face."
I was a little hesistant to ask. "DJ, what's a Butter Face?"
"Oh, you know. She's got a really nice body, Butter Face..." he cackled uncontrollably.
"She's got a Butter Face," he stated.
"A what?"
"A Butter Face."
I was a little hesistant to ask. "DJ, what's a Butter Face?"
"Oh, you know. She's got a really nice body, Butter Face..." he cackled uncontrollably.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
So, RocketMan, tell us what you REALLY think
John Hinderaker of PowerLine tells it like it is:
Jimmy Carter Revisited
The truth hurts, but sometimes the truth must be faced. Jimmy Carter is worse than just an embarrassment or a President we'd like to pretend never happened. He's not just a misguided doofus. No, he's had a definite agenda for a long time, and he ain't playin' for our side.
Go read the rest of RocketMan's post; it's a sobering thing to consider.
Jimmy Carter Revisited
We've been pretty tough on Jimmy Carter, but with hindsight, probably not tough enough. If you search our site for "Jimmy Carter," you'll find all of his disgraceful acts that we've commented upon. His history is a sorry one: he started out as a Midshipman and served honorably in the Navy. But at some point, his leftist politics took hold and he started aligning himself with America's enemies.
The truth hurts, but sometimes the truth must be faced. Jimmy Carter is worse than just an embarrassment or a President we'd like to pretend never happened. He's not just a misguided doofus. No, he's had a definite agenda for a long time, and he ain't playin' for our side.
Go read the rest of RocketMan's post; it's a sobering thing to consider.
You can pick your friends...
Top Doc Backs Picking Your Nose And Eating It
Hey, I'm just thankful that my kids don't read my blog yet. I finally got my oldest daughter to stop picking her nose and wiping the boogers on the wall next to her bed -- the collection that lived there was too much for me to bear. I suppose it would've been at least a little less disgusting for the rest of us if she just picked them and consumed them while lying in bed, rather than subjecting all of us to the snot art. I can't actually decide which is more objectionable. We now make her keep tissue by her bed so that she can actually just blow her nose politely.
See, you knew there was a reason you read my blog. Feel free to enjoy a booger while you browse... it's okay now.
Hey, I'm just thankful that my kids don't read my blog yet. I finally got my oldest daughter to stop picking her nose and wiping the boogers on the wall next to her bed -- the collection that lived there was too much for me to bear. I suppose it would've been at least a little less disgusting for the rest of us if she just picked them and consumed them while lying in bed, rather than subjecting all of us to the snot art. I can't actually decide which is more objectionable. We now make her keep tissue by her bed so that she can actually just blow her nose politely.
See, you knew there was a reason you read my blog. Feel free to enjoy a booger while you browse... it's okay now.
Proof positive?
I know there's been some heated debate about the Intelligent Design theory of creation lately around the blogosphere, and I will admit to being a person who has faith in this theory. Notice that I say FAITH. It's the same FAITH that adherents of evolutionary theory have, only they don't want you to think that their theory requires any leaps of faith.
All that as a background, however, I am not going to stand up and shout that I know the exact age of the earth and that I know how it all happened. I don't. And neither do they. The problems arise when those who believe we evolved over millions of years become so firmly entrenched in academia that they then have the ability to put forth their notions as facts, when they're really not.
Stories like this one on today's wire: Bones Found Push Record of Humans Back Nearly 200,000 Years, in which we're given these nebulous guesstimations:
Notice the words "believed"... "estimated"... "perhaps"... but rest assured that this is being touted in science classes all over this country now, and treated as FACT. Folks, they don't KNOW. They have guesses, but who knows how far off their guesses are? Or whether they're even in the ballpark? It's voodoo science, but it's being passed off as legitimate and factual.
I don't mind having theories discussed in my kids' science classes. I do mind having one theory given more credence than the other.
All that as a background, however, I am not going to stand up and shout that I know the exact age of the earth and that I know how it all happened. I don't. And neither do they. The problems arise when those who believe we evolved over millions of years become so firmly entrenched in academia that they then have the ability to put forth their notions as facts, when they're really not.
Stories like this one on today's wire: Bones Found Push Record of Humans Back Nearly 200,000 Years, in which we're given these nebulous guesstimations:
Researchers now believe some human bones that were uncovered nearly 40 years ago in Ethiopia are nearly 200,000 years old -- perhaps dating back to near the time modern humans first emerged.
Until now, the oldest known fossils of Homo sapiens were Ethiopian skulls from about 160,000 years ago.
An author of a study of the bones said it's believed Homo sapiens arose about 200,000 years ago.
The fossils were found near a river in Ethiopia. At one location, there was part of a skull plus skeletal bones. Another site produced a second set, with more of a skull but no skeletal bones.
In the journal Nature, the researchers said they've revised the estimate of how old the bones are, after visiting the discovery site and testing rock samples with more modern techniques.
Notice the words "believed"... "estimated"... "perhaps"... but rest assured that this is being touted in science classes all over this country now, and treated as FACT. Folks, they don't KNOW. They have guesses, but who knows how far off their guesses are? Or whether they're even in the ballpark? It's voodoo science, but it's being passed off as legitimate and factual.
I don't mind having theories discussed in my kids' science classes. I do mind having one theory given more credence than the other.
Cartoon of the day
The Cartoon of the Day is over at Cox & Forkum. MSM needs to get this, but they won't.
A message from Terri Schiavo's father
From ProLife Blogs:
There's more. Click over there and read it. It's outrageous.
By now you have probably heard about a young woman who is threatened with starvation in Florida.
That young woman is my daughter, Terri. In 1990, through circumstances which are shrouded in mystery (and may involve a criminal act by Terri's estranged husband), my daughter was left severely brain-damaged.
But before I go any further, I must put an end to the lies and misinformation that are circulating around the country through the media concerning my daughter's condition.
Contrary to anything you may have heard, Terri is NOT brain dead; Terri is NOT in a coma; she is NOT in a "persistent vegetative state;" nor is she on ANY life-support system.
Terri laughs, Terri cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and me. Sometimes she will say "Mom" or "Dad" or "yeah" when we ask her a question. When I kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at me and "puckers up" her lips.
This may not seem like much to you, but it means everything to Terri's mother and me. It tells us she is still here, she still knows us, and with therapy and time she can have some level of recovery.
I know that there are some hard hearted people who believe that due to my daughters condition, she is better off dead. Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause us. This is our daughter, our little girl, and even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family.
Why, you may ask, is Terry in danger of death by starvation?
It is a long and outrageous story, but I'll give it to you as briefly as I can.
After the "incident" that left Terry in this condition, her husband Michael Schiavo sued various members of the medical community for money, saying that they did not treat or diagnose her properly at an early stage, and that he needed this money to provide for Terri's therapy and rehabilitation and care.
After lengthy court battles, he finally won upwards of $1.7 million under the guise of caring for our daughter, and then to our horror, he immediately began spending the money on himself and his Playboy lifestyle.
Terri's estranged husband Michael Schiavo has been living with another woman for years, and has two children by her. He is determined to see Terri dead. Why? We believe it's because he gets to keep whatever money is left... and he may have even darker motives than that.
To add insult to all of this injury toward my daughter, Michael Schiavo is still her "legal husband" and therefore is her "guardian." And since they are not legally divorced, he controls whatever health care she will and will not get. We are not even allowed to know if she is getting aspirin.
In 1993 my family initiated litigation against Michael Schiavo solely for the purpose of acquiring medical, physical and neurological assistance for our daughter Terri. The litigation escalated in 1998 when Michael Schiavo petitioned the court to stop Terri from receiving food and water, thereby starving her to death.
In filing this legal action, he retained the services of a high profile euthanasia attorney and the financial backing of powerful euthanasia organizations. He also used Terri's medical rehabilitation money to underwrite much of the legal expenses associated with his effort to starve our daughter to death.
We know that he has spent nearly $500,000 of Terri's money in attorney's fees for just one attorney trying to obtain a court order to have Terri starved to death. The very money that was supposed to be used for Terri's rehabilitation is being used to have her killed.
We very quickly discovered it was impossible for us to compete with the abundance of financial and legal resources the pro-death organizations were providing Micheal Schiavo in their effort to kill Terri. They are pouring time and effort into her starvation because they want to use this case to further the agenda of legalized euthanasia.
There's more. Click over there and read it. It's outrageous.
Mommy Madness
Nathan of Brain Fertilizer has brought this Newsweek article by Judith Warner to my attention: Mommy Madness. I read it, and it actually rang true for me in places. Only in places, mind you. Newsweek is definitely NOT someplace I'd recommend anyone go for balanced, factual information. But once in a while someone there gets sorta close.
This felt like she'd been following me around for the past ten years of my life. It was almost scary how accurate it was.
I think where Warner begins to veer off course is here. She's got it right -- we have un-chooseable choices. However, she begins to blame it on our culture and on our society, in typical liberal fashion. Another HUGE clue that she's way off the mark -- she begins to wax eloquent about, what else, France:
Yes, actually, since you mentioned it, I will. Here's why -- France -- and you, and all the other blue-staters like you -- believe that it's SOMEONE ELSE'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THIS FOR YOU. Warner descends into a laundry list of government solutions to the problem of Mommy Madness, which boils down to the following:
- tax subsidies for corporations to create incentives for them to adopt family-friendly policies
- federal standards for child-care facilities
- "...flexible, affordable, locally available, high-quality part-time day care so that stay-at-home moms can get a life of their own."
- convoluted systems of child-care vouchers and tax credits
- "...progressive tax policies that would transfer our nation's wealth back to the middle class. So that mothers and fathers could stop running like lunatics, and start spending real quality -- and quantity -- time with their children. And so that motherhood could stop being the awful burden it is for so many women today and instead become something more like a joy."
Huh?
Okay, let's take this point by point. I admit that I brightened up when I saw the word "tax", at the possibility I was actually going to see some sensible talk from this magazine. HAH! What was I thinking?
So we start tinkering with external manipulations of private corporations' employment policies? Yes, we all here on the outside know better how to run YOUR business than you do.
And then, of course, creating a set of federal standards for child care facilities will completely do away with crappy daycare. Mmm-hmm. Wave your magic wand, O Great And All-Powerful Congressman, and all will be well.
Of course, it will take a wave of that special magic wand to give us the next thing: perfect, flexible child care staffed by perfect, brilliant, dedicated people with no lives of their own so they can completely give themselves to our children. Keep dreaming, hon! I was on the inside of the child care biz for a while and I know what the conditions are like. There are some very precious people who take special care, and there are some ditz-brains who can't find "up".
Warner does eventually come back around to the stuff she should be writing about, because it's true. Here's a long excerpt from the end of the article, which I found resonated strongly with me:
She's right about this. And she doesn't even realize it, I don't think. It's not about fixing our government or our society, or emulating France. It's about changing our frame of reference, our mindset, our paradigm. The "anxious perfectionism" is unrealistic and unhealthy. Even the Proverbs 31 woman had household help.
Nathan had a good point, in that it seems like for many of these women, their desire to be a "good mother" was more of a competitive one rather than for actually seeking the real, lasting good of their children. We've got to be good mothers or our friends will look down on us and we won't get called to host the next playgroup. Please, people!
I think that the turn for me began when I was able to break free of competitive motherhood and realize afresh that I'm an imperfect person, my kids are imperfect people, and that even though I'm responsible for them, I can't create a perfect bubble-world around them either. They look to me to meet their needs, yes, but one of their needs is to be able to see a functioning, rational Mommy who is fulfilling God's call on her life -- a call that not only includes guiding and caring for them, but also doing the other things He created her to do, like make music, paint, write, teach, etc. They need to see a whole adult, not just one who has completely buried her own self deep in some hiding place, only to re-emerge when the youngest one turns 18.
This is not about federal vouchers and grants and subsidies and regulations and standards. Those things are completely wrong-headed. If you want to fix things, let's eliminate the hassle of taxes completely and go to a flat-rate tax. Besides being more fair, it would make our winter-time lives much more pleasant and stop forcing me to take the kids and leave the house so my husband can finish the taxes. But really and truly, I don't care about all that. No, what has to happen is that women need to wake up and grow up. Our kids don't need a buddy or an ease-of-life-facilitator. They need clear-thinking parents who set realistic boundaries for themselves, who recognize the need to be themselves but who don't let their search for self lead them away from their responsibilities as parents.
Once my daughters began school, I was surrounded, it seemed, by women who had surrendered their better selves -- and their sanity -- to motherhood. Women who pulled all-nighters hand-painting paper plates for a class party. Who obsessed over the most minute details of playground politics. Who -- like myself -- appeared to be sleep-walking through life in a state of quiet panic.
Some of the mothers appeared to have lost nearly all sense of themselves as adult women. They dressed in kids' clothes -- overall shorts and go-anywhere sandals. They ate kids' foods. They were so depleted by the affection and care they lavished upon their small children that they had no energy left...
This felt like she'd been following me around for the past ten years of my life. It was almost scary how accurate it was.
Most of us in this generation [born between 1958 and the early 1970s] grew up believing that we had fantastic, unlimited, freedom of choice. Yet as mothers many women face "choices" on the order of: You can continue to pursue your professional dreams at the cost of abandoning your children to long hours of inadequate child care. Or: You can stay at home with your baby and live in a state of virtual, crazy-making isolation because you can't afford a nanny, because there is no such thing as part-time day care, and because your husband doesn't come home until 8:30 at night.
These are choices that don't feel like choices at all. They are the harsh realities of family life in a culture that has no structures in place to allow women -- and men -- to balance work and child-rearing.
I think where Warner begins to veer off course is here. She's got it right -- we have un-chooseable choices. However, she begins to blame it on our culture and on our society, in typical liberal fashion. Another HUGE clue that she's way off the mark -- she begins to wax eloquent about, what else, France:
I lived in France before moving to Washington, and there, my elder daughter attended two wonderful, affordable, top-quality part-time pre-schools, which were essentially meant to give stay-at-home moms a helping hand. One was run by a neighborhood co-op and the other by a Catholic organization. Government subsidies kept tuition rates low. A sliding scale of fees brought some diversity. Government standards meant that the staffers were all trained in the proper care of young children. My then 18-month-old daughter painted and heard stories and ate cookies for the sum total in fees of about $150 a month. (This solution may be French -- but do we have to bash it?)
Yes, actually, since you mentioned it, I will. Here's why -- France -- and you, and all the other blue-staters like you -- believe that it's SOMEONE ELSE'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THIS FOR YOU. Warner descends into a laundry list of government solutions to the problem of Mommy Madness, which boils down to the following:
- tax subsidies for corporations to create incentives for them to adopt family-friendly policies
- federal standards for child-care facilities
- "...flexible, affordable, locally available, high-quality part-time day care so that stay-at-home moms can get a life of their own."
- convoluted systems of child-care vouchers and tax credits
- "...progressive tax policies that would transfer our nation's wealth back to the middle class. So that mothers and fathers could stop running like lunatics, and start spending real quality -- and quantity -- time with their children. And so that motherhood could stop being the awful burden it is for so many women today and instead become something more like a joy."
Huh?
Okay, let's take this point by point. I admit that I brightened up when I saw the word "tax", at the possibility I was actually going to see some sensible talk from this magazine. HAH! What was I thinking?
So we start tinkering with external manipulations of private corporations' employment policies? Yes, we all here on the outside know better how to run YOUR business than you do.
And then, of course, creating a set of federal standards for child care facilities will completely do away with crappy daycare. Mmm-hmm. Wave your magic wand, O Great And All-Powerful Congressman, and all will be well.
Of course, it will take a wave of that special magic wand to give us the next thing: perfect, flexible child care staffed by perfect, brilliant, dedicated people with no lives of their own so they can completely give themselves to our children. Keep dreaming, hon! I was on the inside of the child care biz for a while and I know what the conditions are like. There are some very precious people who take special care, and there are some ditz-brains who can't find "up".
Warner does eventually come back around to the stuff she should be writing about, because it's true. Here's a long excerpt from the end of the article, which I found resonated strongly with me:
Women today mother in the excessive, control-freakish way that they do in part because they are psychologically conditioned to do so. But they also do it because, to a large extent, they have to. Because they are unsupported, because their children are not taken care of, in any meaningful way, by society at large. Because there is right now no widespread feeling of social responsibility -- for children, for families, for anyone, really -- and so they must take everything onto themselves. And because they can't, humanly, take everything onto themselves, they simply go nuts.
I see this all the time. It never seems to stop. So that, as I write this, I have an image fresh in my mind: the face of a friend, the mother of a first-grader, who I ran into one morning right before Christmas.
She was in the midst of organizing a class party. This meant shopping. Color-coordinating paper goods. Piecework, pre-gluing of arts-and-crafts projects. Uniformity of felt textures. Of buttons and beads. There were the phone calls, too. From other parents. With criticism and "constructive" comments that had her up at night, playing over conversations in her mind. "I can't take it anymore," she said to me. "I hate everyone and everything. I am going insane."
I looked at her face, saw her eyes fill with tears, and in that instant saw the faces of dozens of women I'd met -- and, of course, I saw myself.
And I was reminded of the words of a French doctor I'd once seen. I'd come to him about headaches. They were violent. They were constant. And they would prove, over the next few years, to be chronic. He wrote me a prescription for a painkiller. But he looked skeptical as to whether it would really do me much good. "If you keep banging your head against the wall," he said, "you're going to have headaches."
I have thought of these words so many times since then. I have seen so many mothers banging their heads against a wall. And treating their pain -- the chronic headache of their lives -- with sleeping pills and antidepressants and anxiety meds and a more and more potent, more and more vicious self-and-other-attacking form of anxious perfectionism.
And I hope that somehow we will all find a way to stop. Because we are not doing ourselves any good. We are not doing our children -- particularly our daughters -- any good. We're not doing our marriages any good. And we're doing nothing at all for our society.
We are simply beating ourselves black and blue. So let's take a breather. Throw out the schedules, turn off the cell phone, cancel the tutors (fire the OT!). Let's spend some real quality time with our families, just talking, hanging out, not doing anything for once. And let ourselves be.
She's right about this. And she doesn't even realize it, I don't think. It's not about fixing our government or our society, or emulating France. It's about changing our frame of reference, our mindset, our paradigm. The "anxious perfectionism" is unrealistic and unhealthy. Even the Proverbs 31 woman had household help.
Nathan had a good point, in that it seems like for many of these women, their desire to be a "good mother" was more of a competitive one rather than for actually seeking the real, lasting good of their children. We've got to be good mothers or our friends will look down on us and we won't get called to host the next playgroup. Please, people!
I think that the turn for me began when I was able to break free of competitive motherhood and realize afresh that I'm an imperfect person, my kids are imperfect people, and that even though I'm responsible for them, I can't create a perfect bubble-world around them either. They look to me to meet their needs, yes, but one of their needs is to be able to see a functioning, rational Mommy who is fulfilling God's call on her life -- a call that not only includes guiding and caring for them, but also doing the other things He created her to do, like make music, paint, write, teach, etc. They need to see a whole adult, not just one who has completely buried her own self deep in some hiding place, only to re-emerge when the youngest one turns 18.
This is not about federal vouchers and grants and subsidies and regulations and standards. Those things are completely wrong-headed. If you want to fix things, let's eliminate the hassle of taxes completely and go to a flat-rate tax. Besides being more fair, it would make our winter-time lives much more pleasant and stop forcing me to take the kids and leave the house so my husband can finish the taxes. But really and truly, I don't care about all that. No, what has to happen is that women need to wake up and grow up. Our kids don't need a buddy or an ease-of-life-facilitator. They need clear-thinking parents who set realistic boundaries for themselves, who recognize the need to be themselves but who don't let their search for self lead them away from their responsibilities as parents.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show blogging
Man, that German Shorthaired Pointer looks stunning. What a terrific dog. The Border Collie is also quite nice. The Peke is obnoxious, but you knew that would be my opinion. We shall see who gets Best In Show... the Pyrenees, perhaps? I like the little Norfolk Terrier. Actually, I like all of them except the Peke. The Tibetan Terrier is a pretty dog with very nice movement.
Oh, that little Norfolk is spectacular.
Now the judge is checking out the Pekingese, "Jeffrey." Good grief, the handler has to foof the creature's tail over his back every time the darn thing shakes. Ick.
Okay, here we go. Who's she going to pick?
There's the Bloodhound... nice, I like the liver-and-tan color. Now the Border Collie, what a beautiful animal. Absolutely alert and sharp. Very bright. Now for the German Shorthaired Pointer, and that dog is unbelievably awesome. The Great Pyrenees is nice, as is the Tibetan Terrier. There's that Norfolk, and she's a dandy. And now the Peke. Ugh.
YESSS!! The Pointer!!! Hooray!!! Great pick. Splendid dog.
I would've been disappointed if it had been anyone but the Pointer or the Norfolk.
Oh, that little Norfolk is spectacular.
Now the judge is checking out the Pekingese, "Jeffrey." Good grief, the handler has to foof the creature's tail over his back every time the darn thing shakes. Ick.
Okay, here we go. Who's she going to pick?
There's the Bloodhound... nice, I like the liver-and-tan color. Now the Border Collie, what a beautiful animal. Absolutely alert and sharp. Very bright. Now for the German Shorthaired Pointer, and that dog is unbelievably awesome. The Great Pyrenees is nice, as is the Tibetan Terrier. There's that Norfolk, and she's a dandy. And now the Peke. Ugh.
YESSS!! The Pointer!!! Hooray!!! Great pick. Splendid dog.
I would've been disappointed if it had been anyone but the Pointer or the Norfolk.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Couldn't have said it better myself
Laurence Simon just nails it so concisely sometimes, and usually in scaldingly witty fashion. I just read this entry of his:
Whine whine whine
and realized that the reason I enjoy reading his blog so much is because he and I have almost exactly the same sense of humor... snarky, a little vicious and edgy, and self-deprecating. My own nature has been mellowed over time since becoming a mom and spending so much time as a ministry wife. God has a way of tempering us and refining us, thank goodness. But God also hard-wires each of us to be a certain temperament style, and mine is similar to Laurence's. And, like him, I find Helen Thomas to be an objectionable creature.
Whine whine whine
and realized that the reason I enjoy reading his blog so much is because he and I have almost exactly the same sense of humor... snarky, a little vicious and edgy, and self-deprecating. My own nature has been mellowed over time since becoming a mom and spending so much time as a ministry wife. God has a way of tempering us and refining us, thank goodness. But God also hard-wires each of us to be a certain temperament style, and mine is similar to Laurence's. And, like him, I find Helen Thomas to be an objectionable creature.
Exciting news, followed by interminable blather
Found out yesterday that SoulFire is about to be recorded! I'm actually going to be in a band that gets its own CD. Our upcoming concert (March 6th) will be recorded live. Tim (the leader & lead singer) gave each of us a practice CD to listen to to memorize the order of songs, and while I can't give it away, I can tell you that I am REALLY excited about it. Thinking about it gives me almost an electric shock in the pit of my stomach, to be honest.
Last night was my first time to play with SoulFire in public, for the Sunday night youth group (their regular weekly gig). I was a wee bit nervous for that, too; these kids have been attached to "their band" for a while now, and I didn't know how they would react to having somebody new join up. They were all really sweet, though. I was really really tired because I had already played for both morning services, which meant I had been up since way early (I got there at 6:45 AM). I didn't get an afternoon nap because Cindy and I went to see the movie version of Phantom of the Opera, which was very nicely done. I spent a total of about fifteen minutes at home, which was to change clothes before heading back down to Norwalk for church.
This Sunday morning I'm getting an unexpected reprieve due to a scheduling snafu. Jeff's day job is in the business world, and he has to be off on a business trip until Thursday. This means that our regularly-scheduled Tuesday night rehearsal had to be moved to Thursday night. Normally that wouldn't be a problem for me, but this week I've already got a Thursday night commitment (practicing with the band kids at school for their solo & ensemble contest this weekend). I feel bad about it because there was a song I was going to play that Jeff had specifically requested from me a couple of weeks ago. I so hate feeling like I've let someone down, even if it's something I can't help.
I'm enjoying watching the Westminster dog show tonight. I liked the Toy Poodle very much, but the judge picked that dorky Peke. The Best-of-Show was won by a Peke last year, if I remember correctly. I'm just not fond of Pekes, I guess. That Toy Poodle was just absolutely smart and beautiful. The mean old judge put him third. The obnoxious Pom was second, and I think I dislike Poms even more than Pekes. Of course, I'm a little biased toward Toy Poodles anyway, since I own one. As strong as my distaste for French things goes, I don't really consider my dog to be French. She's got the American Poodle body style, longer bodied with shorter legs. Her name is Bijou and she weighs about five pounds. She's got a dusky black coat and is the sweetest-natured little Poodle you could ever want. She's perfect with the kids and lets them lug her around without protest.
That Peke had better not win Best-in-Show this year.
Last night was my first time to play with SoulFire in public, for the Sunday night youth group (their regular weekly gig). I was a wee bit nervous for that, too; these kids have been attached to "their band" for a while now, and I didn't know how they would react to having somebody new join up. They were all really sweet, though. I was really really tired because I had already played for both morning services, which meant I had been up since way early (I got there at 6:45 AM). I didn't get an afternoon nap because Cindy and I went to see the movie version of Phantom of the Opera, which was very nicely done. I spent a total of about fifteen minutes at home, which was to change clothes before heading back down to Norwalk for church.
This Sunday morning I'm getting an unexpected reprieve due to a scheduling snafu. Jeff's day job is in the business world, and he has to be off on a business trip until Thursday. This means that our regularly-scheduled Tuesday night rehearsal had to be moved to Thursday night. Normally that wouldn't be a problem for me, but this week I've already got a Thursday night commitment (practicing with the band kids at school for their solo & ensemble contest this weekend). I feel bad about it because there was a song I was going to play that Jeff had specifically requested from me a couple of weeks ago. I so hate feeling like I've let someone down, even if it's something I can't help.
I'm enjoying watching the Westminster dog show tonight. I liked the Toy Poodle very much, but the judge picked that dorky Peke. The Best-of-Show was won by a Peke last year, if I remember correctly. I'm just not fond of Pekes, I guess. That Toy Poodle was just absolutely smart and beautiful. The mean old judge put him third. The obnoxious Pom was second, and I think I dislike Poms even more than Pekes. Of course, I'm a little biased toward Toy Poodles anyway, since I own one. As strong as my distaste for French things goes, I don't really consider my dog to be French. She's got the American Poodle body style, longer bodied with shorter legs. Her name is Bijou and she weighs about five pounds. She's got a dusky black coat and is the sweetest-natured little Poodle you could ever want. She's perfect with the kids and lets them lug her around without protest.
That Peke had better not win Best-in-Show this year.
I'm not against stem-cell research...
...I'm just against the destruction of human embryos. There are lots of other kinds of stem cells. No, I'm not a scientist. But I can smell a rat as good as anybody, and the fuss over stem cell research sounds very much like the fuss over late-term abortions. Sounds more like the agenda of the proponents is very specifically the destruction of a human life, not the good of mankind.
Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online brought this to my attention in a post on their blog today:
It's Never An Honest Debate
Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online brought this to my attention in a post on their blog today:
It's Never An Honest Debate
The peeps in my 'hood
Red Fish just alerted me via e-mail to this project which honestly just sounded fun. Nothing political or agenda-ized. Just a get-to-know-you sort of thing. I think I'll do this. Although not tomorrow or anything. Probably this spring, or in the summer when school's out. It's something I could even do with my kids, and they'd get a kick out of it.
Cancer vaccine?
Wow, this looks like it could be very cool:
Cancer Vaccine Under Test
Cancer Vaccine Under Test
Ames, February 14th, 2005 - Scientists at a small company in Ames are testing a vaccine that turns the body's immune system against cancer cells.
Researchers at Newlink Genetics hope the vaccine will help fight the nation's top killer of people under 85. The company is beginning clinical trials for its cancer vaccine at top name hospitals across the country.
Newlink will be looking at prostate, breast, lung and skin cancer in their tests.
What's in a name?
Hmmm... I will be interested to hear how this plays out:
Marion, February 14th, 2005 - An Iowa restaurant is in a heated dispute with the makers of tabasco sauce.
Mcllhenny Company, the makers of Tabasco, is suing Tabasco's Mexican Restaurant and Patio in Marion saying owners must stop using 'Tabasco' in it's name. The lawsuit accuses the restaurant of trademark infringement and asks a judge to force owners to change the name.
Owners argue the name doesn't have anything to do with Tabasco sauce. Instead they named the restaurant after a state in southeastern Mexico.
African immigrants interviewed
In today's Des Moines Register, I found a fascinating article which reminded me of an incident a few years back. One of our neighbor families (who have since moved north to Minneapolis) was a man and his wife and two little kids. The man was a big, jovial Nigerian named "Sunday"; he was married to Julie, who was a very sweet and thoughtful girl who grew up in Minnesota, and their two kids played with mine all the time. I was grieved when they moved; it changed the neighborhood dynamics significantly.
Anyway, we all lived happily in our little corner of the inner city of Des Moines, in old Victorian homes in varying states of disrepair, among people of very wide-ranging backgrounds and socioeconomic standings. There are some very old apartment buildings in the neighborhood, dotted among the 100-year-old houses, and many of them are occupied by immigrant families who have been resettled here from Sudan and Somalia due to the horrible persecution faced in their homelands. I have found them to be polite and quiet neighbors. Many of them get their first job sacking groceries or sweeping floors; it's not an unusual sight to see an extremely tall, extremely black-skinned, extremely thin man with tribal scars on his cheeks, cheerfully loading my grocery bags for me.
There's a city park a couple of blocks from our home where many neighborhood children congregate. I don't let my kids go there alone yet, mainly because they would have to cross a couple of fairly busy streets to get there. Sometimes in the summertime, however, we all take a walk over there. One day we did that and ended up befriending a little group of three of four ragamuffins who were there by themselves but who were congenial and played nicely with my own kids. They were all brown-skinned themselves, but had obviously been born and raised right here in Iowa. (As an aside, can I please interject here that I absolutely love that my children do not notice their playmates' skin color, or rather, they don't choose their playmates based on skin color. They notice, but only as shades of hue rather than as distinct groups, and they readily play with kids who are nice regardless of their appearance. It's how I have always wanted it to be.)
Lunchtime had passed, and I got the distinct feeling that they weren't going to get any lunch at home, so I offered to let them come to my yard and I'd fix them some mac & cheese. Of course, this was met with enthusiasm, so we trekked back home, and while they all played in our yard, I cooked up some Kraft. They ate it happily, then decided as a group that they'd walk home. I asked them where they lived, and when they told me, I knew it wouldn't be that much of a walk, so I told them the quickest way to get there. They shook their heads "no", saying that they were afraid to walk by one of the apartment buildings near their home, which was about three blocks from where we live. Thinking perhaps that a group of bullies congregated there to hassle small children, I asked them why.
"Oh, miss, that's where the Africans live. Them Africans, they eat people."
I assured them that they did not eat people, but that if they were uncomfortable, I'd give them a ride, so I did. I later related the story to my Nigerian neighbor Sunday, who bellowed with laughter. Julie warned me to be on the lookout; that if I suddenly stopped seeing her, I'd know what had happened. It made it very clear to me that black Americans and Africans are very distinct groups and don't really intermingle, at least not here. The Register has noticed that too, and has interviewed several African immigrants concerning the issue. Some interesting snippets from the article:
The cover of a book can give you some clues as to its content, but can't really tell you the most important things about the story contained within. To do that, you must make the effort to open the book and begin to absorb the information on its pages. Same with people...
Anyway, we all lived happily in our little corner of the inner city of Des Moines, in old Victorian homes in varying states of disrepair, among people of very wide-ranging backgrounds and socioeconomic standings. There are some very old apartment buildings in the neighborhood, dotted among the 100-year-old houses, and many of them are occupied by immigrant families who have been resettled here from Sudan and Somalia due to the horrible persecution faced in their homelands. I have found them to be polite and quiet neighbors. Many of them get their first job sacking groceries or sweeping floors; it's not an unusual sight to see an extremely tall, extremely black-skinned, extremely thin man with tribal scars on his cheeks, cheerfully loading my grocery bags for me.
There's a city park a couple of blocks from our home where many neighborhood children congregate. I don't let my kids go there alone yet, mainly because they would have to cross a couple of fairly busy streets to get there. Sometimes in the summertime, however, we all take a walk over there. One day we did that and ended up befriending a little group of three of four ragamuffins who were there by themselves but who were congenial and played nicely with my own kids. They were all brown-skinned themselves, but had obviously been born and raised right here in Iowa. (As an aside, can I please interject here that I absolutely love that my children do not notice their playmates' skin color, or rather, they don't choose their playmates based on skin color. They notice, but only as shades of hue rather than as distinct groups, and they readily play with kids who are nice regardless of their appearance. It's how I have always wanted it to be.)
Lunchtime had passed, and I got the distinct feeling that they weren't going to get any lunch at home, so I offered to let them come to my yard and I'd fix them some mac & cheese. Of course, this was met with enthusiasm, so we trekked back home, and while they all played in our yard, I cooked up some Kraft. They ate it happily, then decided as a group that they'd walk home. I asked them where they lived, and when they told me, I knew it wouldn't be that much of a walk, so I told them the quickest way to get there. They shook their heads "no", saying that they were afraid to walk by one of the apartment buildings near their home, which was about three blocks from where we live. Thinking perhaps that a group of bullies congregated there to hassle small children, I asked them why.
"Oh, miss, that's where the Africans live. Them Africans, they eat people."
I assured them that they did not eat people, but that if they were uncomfortable, I'd give them a ride, so I did. I later related the story to my Nigerian neighbor Sunday, who bellowed with laughter. Julie warned me to be on the lookout; that if I suddenly stopped seeing her, I'd know what had happened. It made it very clear to me that black Americans and Africans are very distinct groups and don't really intermingle, at least not here. The Register has noticed that too, and has interviewed several African immigrants concerning the issue. Some interesting snippets from the article:
Abdalla S. Abdalla and his family fled their civil-war-torn country of Somalia nearly seven years ago. Abdalla left to find peace.
"People were killing each other for very simple reasons," he said. "They killed you because of the watch you are wearing."
After Abdalla, 43, who is from Kismayo, arrived in Des Moines in October 1998, he discovered that life was better than in Somalia but that it had its own challenges.
...
He said he is puzzled by the label African-Americans. In Africa, he said, blacks in the United States are known as "black Americans."
"Where did they get their name?" Abdalla said. "They are not in Africa. Are they second-class citizens? They were born here, they are citizens and should be called Americans."
...
Ngino Nikako is a little hesitant about forging a relationship with black Americans. His reasoning is because he believes blacks don't have the resources, such as time, to make the effort.
"They have their own problems," Nikako said.
Before he agrees to participate in making a connection, Nikako, 30, said, the group should have a goal.
"I don't want to come sit together because we're black," he said. "We have to be doing it for something."
Nikako, who hails from Malakal, Sudan, and is a member of the Shilluk tribe , said he left his country in 2000 because of political unrest.
...
Before Ben Kigen moved from Kenya to the United States to study, he didn't know about the black American struggle for freedom. He didn't know blacks had opportunities such as serving in political office.
"As far as African-Americans, I thought they played basketball and were musicians," he said. "I thought they were a people that the United States put aside. All I saw in newspapers and TV were Caucasians."
But his opinion is different now.
"My view has really changed a lot," Kigen said. "Personally, I believe there is an opportunity for them, and there are a lot of people reaching out to African-Americans. There are education programs and housing programs for them."
Kigen, whose native town is Koipatek and who is a member of the Kalejin tribe , came to the United States in 1996 to study at Indiana University, where he met his Caucasian wife, Jenny. Three years later, he moved to Des Moines and began attending the University of Iowa to obtain a master's degree in social work.
Kigen said he has more opportunities here than he did in Kenya.
His experience with black Americans is good, Kigen said. He said he never feels uncomfortable or insulted.
"When I meet African-Americans, they like to know more about Kenya and want to know the lifestyle that is going on. They ask things like is it true that people in Africa walk around naked," Kigen said.
What separates him from the black community, he said, is the way he speaks.
"It's the accent," Kigen said. "The way they cook food, the way they dress - it's like we are from the same place. We do things the same way."
The cover of a book can give you some clues as to its content, but can't really tell you the most important things about the story contained within. To do that, you must make the effort to open the book and begin to absorb the information on its pages. Same with people...
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Wait, that's not what we meant...
So we told Hollywood to "shut up and sing," right? I'm thinking this isn't quite what we meant by that.
Stone, Rich Creating Tsunami Benefit Song
I'm sure they mean well.
Stone, Rich Creating Tsunami Benefit Song
I'm sure they mean well.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Carnival of the Recipes, #26
Welcome to Anywhere But Here and the 26th Carnival of the Recipes!
When I was a little girl, my grandmother would let me help her in the kitchen. She had graduated from college with a degree in Home Economics, and was (still is) brilliant in culinary and efficiency matters. One thing that stuck with me was that she always encouraged us to have colorful meals -- the plate should be appealing to look at as well as to the tastebuds. In light of this, and because I just don't always organize things the way everyone else does, I'm compiling this week's Carnival into categories by color. Enjoy!
The color spectrum begins with Red, so let's have a round of applause for Michele of Meanderings and her recipe for Red Beans & Rice!
Sporting red wine, red pepper AND red potatoes is this recipe for Beef Stew from Baggage & Blathering.
Displaying a lovely pinkish-red (dare I say "salmon") shade today is Booklore, bringing Broiled Salmon Steaks for your enjoyment. I'd swim upstream for some of this, I tell you.
Next up in the Reds, please give a Carnival welcome to Karen from Let's Play Restaurant!, who brings her recipe for Easy Cheesy Tomato Florentine Soup! It's actually rather red-orange-ish, I suppose, which brings us to the... [drum roll please]
Orange category! Let's welcome Songstress7 from News From The Great Beyond, whose Hash Brown Casserole contains some lovely orange-tinted Cheddar Cheese.
Next up, also with large quantities of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, would be Laura Bush's Baked Potato Soup, brought to you by --me-- and my little mother in Texas who loves George and Laura so much that she even borrows recipes from them.
A rich orange-yellow Cheese Sauce graces this recipe for Shrimp Newburg from Christina of Feisty Repartee. Unbelievable... not only are there shrimp in this recipe, there's also crabmeat. I can almost taste this one already.
Moving across the spectrum into shades of Yellow, please welcome blogdom's own Aussie Wife, Amanda, all the way from Sydney, Australia, who brings her tasty Banana Cake for all to enjoy. Folks, this one looks to be a taste sensation!
Beautiful yellow corn tortillas lend their flavor and texture to a dish brought to you by CalTechGirl; this one's from her CalTechMom. Let's give it up for Mom's Enchilada Casserole!!!
Sporting a delightful pale-yellow blog format is Prochein Amy, who shares with us her recipe for delicious, golden-brown, made-from-scratch Pancakes. We used to have pancakes on Saturday mornings when I was a kid, and this brought back lots of happy memories.
As we spin the color wheel further, we approach my favorite color, Green. Representing green today, please send up a round of applause for Punctilious, whose asparagus graces an entire meal known as Spring Supper around their house.
Dave from Arizona Perspective & Junk brings us his recipe entitled Uncle Dave's Green Chili Stew, guaranteed to blow your mind.
Want something that will make your neighbors green with envy that they didn't get invited to your dinner party? Serve your guests these Stuffed Chicken Rolls; you'll be the talk of the social set! Give it up for VW of One Happy Dog Speaks for this recipe.
Wrapped in succulent green grape leaves is the following recipe from The Redneck Gourmet. Please give a rousing round of applause to Byzantine Dolmathes and Spanakapita, otherwise known to non-Greeks as Stuffed Grape Leaves and Spinach Pie.
Fresh green baby spinach leaves are the main feature of Spinach Strawberry Salad, which also comes with a recipe for poppyseed dressing. (this one's from Anywhere But Here)
This seems to be the week for people to contribute their mom's recipes, and Oddybobo's mom sounds like she's a real whiz in the kitchen. Green permeates throughout Mama's Famous Eggrolls, found in green cabbage and green onions.
Be of Bebere needs some cheering up; she's have a rough couple of weeks and she is feeling a deep shade of Blue. Time for some comfort food -- let's welcome her Sweet Omelet recipe.
Once in a blue moon, I decide it's time to dispense with the store-bought tortillas and make my own. Thanks to Jay from Accidental Verbosity and his recipe for Flour Tortillas, I can do that more often now. Don't pass this one up or you'll be blue.
Deepening into Indigo, we have Jeff, who has designed his blog Trub in just that shade. He must have one terrific mother-in-law, because she has apparently entrusted him with this recipe, affectionately and creatively titled Mother-in-Law's Pot Roast. This one has one of my favorite things to cook a roast in: Coca-Cola!
Purple is the color of the Lent season, and Marybeth of Random Thoughts not only brings us a recipe for Soft Pretzels but shares the history of pretzels and their connection with the Lenten season.
Ranging from Blue to Purple to a lovely shade of Violet (doesn't that just sound sumptious? I love those colors), Triticale -- The Wheat And Rye Guy offers up his recipe for Fruit Vinegar. This would make an amazing ingredient in a salad dressing, folks, don't you think?
The aroma from this next recipe just makes me feel warm and deep-purply inside... Rae of A Likely Story shares something you're all wanting -- right now -- and that would be the REAL ACTUAL AUTHENTIC recipe for CINNABON cinnamon rolls. Told you that you wanted it, didn't I? By the way, you might want to wipe off the little bit of drool that just came from the corner of your mouth.
One of the most beautiful blogs I've seen is the deep purple Feisty Repartee, by the lovely and talented Christina. Today she brings us a recipe for Soft Coconut Macaroons that sound incredibly yummy.
I've gone all the way around the color wheel, but I've saved these three recipes for their own category, which they so richly (and I do mean richly) deserve. Drum roll please... let's give a shout out for CHOCOLATE!!!!
Jim from Snooze Button Dreams came up with his own cookie recipe, lovingly titled Cocoa Chocolate Chip Cookies. These can be created in 22 easy steps, which he spells out in great detail so you can re-create them precisely as he makes them himself.
Ladies, when you read this post from Dave at The Glittering Eye, you're going to want him to give Romance Lessons to your significant other. He's topping off his Valentine Dinner with Molten Chocolate Cakes. There are no words befitting this man's style and panache. All I can say is, "Wow."
Finally, I leave you with a recipe that not only satisfies your chocolate craving, it also displays every color of the rainbow AND it's even got something for all you people with serious thrill issues. A big round of applause for El Capitan of Baboon Pirates, who brings delight AND danger into your life with his Cathedral Window Cookies. Not for sissies, I tell you.
And that, folks, wraps up the 26th Carnival of the Recipes. I hope you enjoyed my colorful arrangement. Now, in the immortal words of Carol Burnett,
[cue the orchestra]
I'm so glad we had this time together
Just to have a laugh and sing a song
Seems we just get started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, "So long!"
[tugging at earlobe]
And in the immortal words of Ferris Bueller:
You're still here?
It's over!
Go home!
When I was a little girl, my grandmother would let me help her in the kitchen. She had graduated from college with a degree in Home Economics, and was (still is) brilliant in culinary and efficiency matters. One thing that stuck with me was that she always encouraged us to have colorful meals -- the plate should be appealing to look at as well as to the tastebuds. In light of this, and because I just don't always organize things the way everyone else does, I'm compiling this week's Carnival into categories by color. Enjoy!
The color spectrum begins with Red, so let's have a round of applause for Michele of Meanderings and her recipe for Red Beans & Rice!
Sporting red wine, red pepper AND red potatoes is this recipe for Beef Stew from Baggage & Blathering.
Displaying a lovely pinkish-red (dare I say "salmon") shade today is Booklore, bringing Broiled Salmon Steaks for your enjoyment. I'd swim upstream for some of this, I tell you.
Next up in the Reds, please give a Carnival welcome to Karen from Let's Play Restaurant!, who brings her recipe for Easy Cheesy Tomato Florentine Soup! It's actually rather red-orange-ish, I suppose, which brings us to the... [drum roll please]
Orange category! Let's welcome Songstress7 from News From The Great Beyond, whose Hash Brown Casserole contains some lovely orange-tinted Cheddar Cheese.
Next up, also with large quantities of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, would be Laura Bush's Baked Potato Soup, brought to you by --me-- and my little mother in Texas who loves George and Laura so much that she even borrows recipes from them.
A rich orange-yellow Cheese Sauce graces this recipe for Shrimp Newburg from Christina of Feisty Repartee. Unbelievable... not only are there shrimp in this recipe, there's also crabmeat. I can almost taste this one already.
Moving across the spectrum into shades of Yellow, please welcome blogdom's own Aussie Wife, Amanda, all the way from Sydney, Australia, who brings her tasty Banana Cake for all to enjoy. Folks, this one looks to be a taste sensation!
Beautiful yellow corn tortillas lend their flavor and texture to a dish brought to you by CalTechGirl; this one's from her CalTechMom. Let's give it up for Mom's Enchilada Casserole!!!
Sporting a delightful pale-yellow blog format is Prochein Amy, who shares with us her recipe for delicious, golden-brown, made-from-scratch Pancakes. We used to have pancakes on Saturday mornings when I was a kid, and this brought back lots of happy memories.
As we spin the color wheel further, we approach my favorite color, Green. Representing green today, please send up a round of applause for Punctilious, whose asparagus graces an entire meal known as Spring Supper around their house.
Dave from Arizona Perspective & Junk brings us his recipe entitled Uncle Dave's Green Chili Stew, guaranteed to blow your mind.
Want something that will make your neighbors green with envy that they didn't get invited to your dinner party? Serve your guests these Stuffed Chicken Rolls; you'll be the talk of the social set! Give it up for VW of One Happy Dog Speaks for this recipe.
Wrapped in succulent green grape leaves is the following recipe from The Redneck Gourmet. Please give a rousing round of applause to Byzantine Dolmathes and Spanakapita, otherwise known to non-Greeks as Stuffed Grape Leaves and Spinach Pie.
Fresh green baby spinach leaves are the main feature of Spinach Strawberry Salad, which also comes with a recipe for poppyseed dressing. (this one's from Anywhere But Here)
This seems to be the week for people to contribute their mom's recipes, and Oddybobo's mom sounds like she's a real whiz in the kitchen. Green permeates throughout Mama's Famous Eggrolls, found in green cabbage and green onions.
Be of Bebere needs some cheering up; she's have a rough couple of weeks and she is feeling a deep shade of Blue. Time for some comfort food -- let's welcome her Sweet Omelet recipe.
Once in a blue moon, I decide it's time to dispense with the store-bought tortillas and make my own. Thanks to Jay from Accidental Verbosity and his recipe for Flour Tortillas, I can do that more often now. Don't pass this one up or you'll be blue.
Deepening into Indigo, we have Jeff, who has designed his blog Trub in just that shade. He must have one terrific mother-in-law, because she has apparently entrusted him with this recipe, affectionately and creatively titled Mother-in-Law's Pot Roast. This one has one of my favorite things to cook a roast in: Coca-Cola!
Purple is the color of the Lent season, and Marybeth of Random Thoughts not only brings us a recipe for Soft Pretzels but shares the history of pretzels and their connection with the Lenten season.
Ranging from Blue to Purple to a lovely shade of Violet (doesn't that just sound sumptious? I love those colors), Triticale -- The Wheat And Rye Guy offers up his recipe for Fruit Vinegar. This would make an amazing ingredient in a salad dressing, folks, don't you think?
The aroma from this next recipe just makes me feel warm and deep-purply inside... Rae of A Likely Story shares something you're all wanting -- right now -- and that would be the REAL ACTUAL AUTHENTIC recipe for CINNABON cinnamon rolls. Told you that you wanted it, didn't I? By the way, you might want to wipe off the little bit of drool that just came from the corner of your mouth.
One of the most beautiful blogs I've seen is the deep purple Feisty Repartee, by the lovely and talented Christina. Today she brings us a recipe for Soft Coconut Macaroons that sound incredibly yummy.
I've gone all the way around the color wheel, but I've saved these three recipes for their own category, which they so richly (and I do mean richly) deserve. Drum roll please... let's give a shout out for CHOCOLATE!!!!
Jim from Snooze Button Dreams came up with his own cookie recipe, lovingly titled Cocoa Chocolate Chip Cookies. These can be created in 22 easy steps, which he spells out in great detail so you can re-create them precisely as he makes them himself.
Ladies, when you read this post from Dave at The Glittering Eye, you're going to want him to give Romance Lessons to your significant other. He's topping off his Valentine Dinner with Molten Chocolate Cakes. There are no words befitting this man's style and panache. All I can say is, "Wow."
Finally, I leave you with a recipe that not only satisfies your chocolate craving, it also displays every color of the rainbow AND it's even got something for all you people with serious thrill issues. A big round of applause for El Capitan of Baboon Pirates, who brings delight AND danger into your life with his Cathedral Window Cookies. Not for sissies, I tell you.
And that, folks, wraps up the 26th Carnival of the Recipes. I hope you enjoyed my colorful arrangement. Now, in the immortal words of Carol Burnett,
[cue the orchestra]
I'm so glad we had this time together
Just to have a laugh and sing a song
Seems we just get started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, "So long!"
[tugging at earlobe]
And in the immortal words of Ferris Bueller:
You're still here?
It's over!
Go home!
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Spinach Strawberry Salad
It's getting close to the time for fresh greens & strawberries, and here's a really nice tossed salad using some of those yummies:
Spinach Strawberry Salad
1/2 lb. loose fresh baby spinach
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds
Poppyseed dressing:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup grated onion
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
Wash the spinach and spin dry. Toss with strawberries and almonds, then refrigerate until time to serve. Shake the dressing ingredients together in a tightly closed container. Toss the greens with the dressing just before serving.
Spinach Strawberry Salad
1/2 lb. loose fresh baby spinach
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds
Poppyseed dressing:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup grated onion
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
Wash the spinach and spin dry. Toss with strawberries and almonds, then refrigerate until time to serve. Shake the dressing ingredients together in a tightly closed container. Toss the greens with the dressing just before serving.
Laura Bush's Baked Potato Soup
You can use leftover baked potatoes, or you can actually bake some potatoes to use. In either case, this potato soup is absolutely scrumptious and comes from the personal recipe book of our own First Lady, Laura Bush.
Laura Bush's Baked Potato Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium diced onion
1 large diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup minced chives
1/2 lb. bacon, diced and cooked crisp
2-3 cups whipping cream (you can substitute half-and-half, whole milk, skim milk or even broth if you prefer)
4 tablespoons sour cream
6 cups leftover baked potato, mashed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt & pepper to taste
Sautee onion & pepper in the melted butter until translucent. Add the cooked bacon, potatoes, and cream (enough cream to get to the consistency you prefer; perhaps not the entire amount). Add the amount of salt & pepper you prefer, heat through, then garnish with sour cream, grated cheese and chives.
Laura Bush's Baked Potato Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium diced onion
1 large diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup minced chives
1/2 lb. bacon, diced and cooked crisp
2-3 cups whipping cream (you can substitute half-and-half, whole milk, skim milk or even broth if you prefer)
4 tablespoons sour cream
6 cups leftover baked potato, mashed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt & pepper to taste
Sautee onion & pepper in the melted butter until translucent. Add the cooked bacon, potatoes, and cream (enough cream to get to the consistency you prefer; perhaps not the entire amount). Add the amount of salt & pepper you prefer, heat through, then garnish with sour cream, grated cheese and chives.
Good riddance to bad rubbish
People like this deserve to have their American citizenship revoked permanently:
Left-wing lawyer Lynne Stewart convicted of helping terrorists
The money quote in this one?
This is flat-out advocating violence against Americans, on American soil. What a poisonous traitor... I wonder what horrid thing has happened to her to cause her to have this much loathing for her own country? And if it's that bad here, why does she not immigrate elsewhere? I'm sure she'd find Saudi Arabia, Iran or North Korea much more to her liking... oh, wait a minute. Saudi Arabia and Iran wouldn't allow her the freedom to practice law, since she's a woman... North Koreans live in abject starvation, which wouldn't suit Ms. Stewart at all, since she doesn't appear to have missed many meals. No, I'm guessing it isn't a philosophical matter for her. She's just a bitter, angry wretch who's taking out her barge-load of ill will on the rest of us by betraying our national security.
If she can't be given the death penalty for treason, she should at least be in permanent solitary confinement. She has shown herself to be untrustworthy in such situations. Yes, I'm being awfully harsh, but with this statement she is giving her approval of the 9/11 attacks, which I think is way worse. She's become a terrorist, herself.
Left-wing lawyer Lynne Stewart convicted of helping terrorists
The money quote in this one?
Stewart repeatedly declared her innocence during the trial, maintaining she was unfairly targeted by overeager prosecutors. She testified on her own behalf as well, saying she believed violence was sometimes necessary to rid society of evil -- even in America.
"To rid ourselves of the entrenched, voracious type of capitalism that is in this country that perpetuates sexism and racism, I don't think that can come nonviolently," she said.
This is flat-out advocating violence against Americans, on American soil. What a poisonous traitor... I wonder what horrid thing has happened to her to cause her to have this much loathing for her own country? And if it's that bad here, why does she not immigrate elsewhere? I'm sure she'd find Saudi Arabia, Iran or North Korea much more to her liking... oh, wait a minute. Saudi Arabia and Iran wouldn't allow her the freedom to practice law, since she's a woman... North Koreans live in abject starvation, which wouldn't suit Ms. Stewart at all, since she doesn't appear to have missed many meals. No, I'm guessing it isn't a philosophical matter for her. She's just a bitter, angry wretch who's taking out her barge-load of ill will on the rest of us by betraying our national security.
If she can't be given the death penalty for treason, she should at least be in permanent solitary confinement. She has shown herself to be untrustworthy in such situations. Yes, I'm being awfully harsh, but with this statement she is giving her approval of the 9/11 attacks, which I think is way worse. She's become a terrorist, herself.
Googlemapping
Those guys at Google just do the coolest stuff. Now they've got a Maps feature:
Google Maps
that lets you drag the view around within the map, as well as zooming in or out. It's very, very cool.
hat tip to Prochein Amy for bringing this one to my attention.
Google Maps
that lets you drag the view around within the map, as well as zooming in or out. It's very, very cool.
hat tip to Prochein Amy for bringing this one to my attention.
If he hadn't married me...
...Rick would be living in this kind of house. Actually, he probably still hankers for such things; he's always wanted to live in one of those dome-homes or other odd sorts of dwellings, but he's a little too far gone down the sci-fi-geek road for me. I suppose I'd live in a geodesic dome or a pod-shaped home, if that's what we ended up in, but I don't think I'd set out to do one on purpose. As unconventional as I am, I'm inclined to think that there's a reason they build houses the way they do, and that sometimes, sticking to what's easiest and works best is what one should do.
Let the lawyer jokes commence...
Get this:
Attorney Who Sang Closing Argument Barred
Apparently a public defender in Bettendorf, Iowa got canned for SINGING her closing arguments. This sounds like an Ally McBeal plot.
Update: Kris at Random Mentality references the same story, but with more details, from the Register:
Singing public defender barred
Details, for your amusement:
Attorney Who Sang Closing Argument Barred
Apparently a public defender in Bettendorf, Iowa got canned for SINGING her closing arguments. This sounds like an Ally McBeal plot.
Update: Kris at Random Mentality references the same story, but with more details, from the Register:
Singing public defender barred
Details, for your amusement:
According to records from the public defender's office, district associate judges Douglas McDonald and Mary Howe told state Public Defender Thomas Becker that, in their opinion, Machetta was incompetent. In a letter to Becker, McDonald said one defendant asked that Machetta be removed from his case because she was "nuts."
McDonald also alleged that one day last year Machetta complained to court bailiffs that her car had been stolen from the courthouse parking lot when, in fact, she had simply forgotten where she parked. Later that same day, she appeared to be unable to find Juvenile Court, where she had been practicing for two years, McDonald alleged.
Howe alleged that Machetta talked out loud to herself in the courtroom while cases were in progress. During one court hearing, Howe said, Machetta asked if she could sing "Looking For Love (In All The Wrong Places)."
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
This week, I'm hosting!
Just a reminder to all my faithful readers that this week's Carnival of the Recipes host is ... me! Send in your recipe submissions to:
recipe.carnival@gmail.com
and I'll compile them all into Carnival-form. If you have a blog, post the recipe on your blog and then e-mail the link. If you don't have a blog, e-mail the recipe itself and I'll post it directly into the Carnival.
UPDATE: The Carnival is officially posted!! Carnival of the Recipes, #26
recipe.carnival@gmail.com
and I'll compile them all into Carnival-form. If you have a blog, post the recipe on your blog and then e-mail the link. If you don't have a blog, e-mail the recipe itself and I'll post it directly into the Carnival.
UPDATE: The Carnival is officially posted!! Carnival of the Recipes, #26
Life in Iowa
This article just cracked me up this morning:
R.I.P., Chuck.
Update, thanks to Russ from Winterset: "In lieu of flowers, mourners are being asked to send cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie."
Car-chasing turkey run over
February 9, 2005
A wild turkey who lived life in the fast lane near Whittier has died doing what he did best -- chasing cars.
The turkey, called Chuck by some and Jake by others, showed up more than a year ago and starting harassing drivers by standing in the road with his feathers ruffled.
Neighbors say the turkey was run over Jan. 31 by a car flying through town that no one recognized. They buried him.
"At least you can't say he lived a dull life," said Shirley Hadenfeldt, who lives nearby. "There's a lot of people who slow down looking for him who don't realize he's gone."
She said Chuck apparently didn't want to bite the hand that fed him. He'd stand aside for farm tractors.
"But let it be a car or semi and he'd be right out there after them," Hadenfeldt said. "I don't know what possessed him."
Hadenfeldt said, sadly, it's been a lot quieter on her stretch of road since Chuck died, and the three hens he attracted "are nowhere around."
R.I.P., Chuck.
Update, thanks to Russ from Winterset: "In lieu of flowers, mourners are being asked to send cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie."
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Sick of saggin'
Apparently some folks in Virginia are so sick of saggy pants that they've introduced legislation to make it illegal. I can't say that I blame them, to tell you the truth. It's the dumbest thing I have ever seen, to watch these high school boys literally wearing their pants around their knees and having to have size 4X shirts to cover their arses. I suppose there's always got to be some ridiculous trend; heaven knows my 80s hair was big and Aqua-Netted within an inch of its life. But I'll be glad when this idiotic practice goes out of fashion. I wish it would happen SOON.
Ron Artest's legacy
A month ago, after a high school basketball game here in Des Moines (not the high school where I teach), a number of high school students brawled in the parking lot. Three girls were arrested after assaulting a police officer and breaking her nose. Two of them were 17 and 18, old enough to immediately be tried as adults. As for the other one:
I have no words to sufficiently express my disgust.
A 15-year-old Des Moines girl who police say broke an officer's nose in a brawl last month should be tried in adult court, prosecutors said Monday.
Prosecutors say in court records "there are no reasonable prospects" that Ericka Barnes can be rehabilitated in the juvenile system before her 18th birthday. It is rare for 15-year-olds to be tried as adults in Iowa.
"We don't use this very often at all. Maybe two or three times a year at most," juvenile court spokesman Ed Nahas said.
Barnes is charged with assault on a peace officer with intent to cause serious injury for a Jan. 14 fight outside Hoover High School that left Police Sgt. Cindy Donahue with a broken nose. Donahue said that she told Barnes her nose was broken, and that the teenager answered: "You deserved it."
I have no words to sufficiently express my disgust.
Let the happy dancing commence!
Just got out of a meeting with my administrator, who once again gave me a very complimentary evaluation. She likes what I'm doing, and she can tell that I have a very good relationship with my students (which is completely true -- I genuinely like all my peeps). She likes that I'm pushing hard on reading and on improving their skills in this area. And she likes that Resource class isn't just a glorified study-hall period. That's a big plus, because several of the other Resource teachers believe their only job is to make sure they're succeeding in all their other classes... I, however (backed up by my mentor teacher) believe that Resource is for helping them catch up by reinforcing skills that they'll need in these other classes... plus a little time and extra help in other assignments.
I'm relieved -- RELIEVED, I tell you -- to have that out of the way. I truly like my administrator, but there's just a touch of the unknown involved (did she totally hate that lesson and is she going to pick me to pieces?) that makes it somewhat stressful. The good thing is that I'm much older than the last time I was a professional educator; I have much more self-assurance and I'm much less intimidated by anyone. Come what may, things will be okay. Either I am what they need in a teacher, or I'm not. There are plenty of other things I'm good at and can do. But I do like what I'm doing, and I would seriously miss my peeps if I weren't able to return to this high school.
Hey... she even commented on my classroom's tropical theme. She said it was GREAT, that it was soothing and that it provided a great mind-stretch to be able to look around and imagine yourself on a beach in the tropics. Hey... to celebrate this occasion, please go somewhere and have a fruity drink with an umbrella in it, k?
I'm relieved -- RELIEVED, I tell you -- to have that out of the way. I truly like my administrator, but there's just a touch of the unknown involved (did she totally hate that lesson and is she going to pick me to pieces?) that makes it somewhat stressful. The good thing is that I'm much older than the last time I was a professional educator; I have much more self-assurance and I'm much less intimidated by anyone. Come what may, things will be okay. Either I am what they need in a teacher, or I'm not. There are plenty of other things I'm good at and can do. But I do like what I'm doing, and I would seriously miss my peeps if I weren't able to return to this high school.
Hey... she even commented on my classroom's tropical theme. She said it was GREAT, that it was soothing and that it provided a great mind-stretch to be able to look around and imagine yourself on a beach in the tropics. Hey... to celebrate this occasion, please go somewhere and have a fruity drink with an umbrella in it, k?
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