Saturday morning soccer game

Honor among thieves

This is NOT the way you want to get your prison tattoo...

Dad's home!!

Hey, isn't this YOUR idea of a great way to spend a sunshiny September Saturday?

That's what I thought...

Dad's home

It's a quarter to three in the morning and he just arrived... barely able to walk, thanks to twelve hours of driving, but safely here.

Nature fascination

An acorn from a live-oak tree.

When Mom sleeps in...

This is what children do when Moms sleep in... they build forts in the living room out of folding chairs and the bedding from their rooms.

Umm, okay.

It's martyrdom you want?

Coming right up. Served fresh & hot.

Zawahiri calls Bush a failure


Quote, from al-Zawahiri, reported by Reuters:

"Bush, you are a lying failure and a charlatan. It has been three and-a-half years (since the arrests)...What happened to us? We have gained more strength and we are more insistent on martyrdom," he declared.

Here's our clue, folks! They WANT martyrdom!! Let's give it to them. Can I be first?

Finally!!

At the beginning of last year's school year, Martha expressed the desire to get her ears pierced. She had been waffling about it for a number of years, but I didn't want to do it until I knew she really wanted it AND was motivated to care for it. Since she had such a terrible academic and behavioral year, I attached conditions to the reward of having her ears pierced -- she could have no Ds or Fs on her report card. That goal was never reached.

This year, since she's been held back in the sixth grade AND since she's getting more appropriate help with her learning disabilities, she finally achieved the kind of report card that earns rewards such as ear piercing.

Since Alice also had a wonderful report card, I extended the offer to her as well, and after some thought, she decided that she wanted to do it too.

After school today, we hopped into the van and headed for the nearest mall, where we found the ubiquitous Claire's Boutique and did the deed. Here's the evidence:

The End

Today marks the official end of the Des Moines, Iowa chapter of our lives. Rick left town this afternoon at about three, and he's right this minute somewhere in Kansas or northern Oklahoma, hoping to arrive here in the wee hours. Then we'll all be Texans again, after an eleven-year hiatus.

I never actually expected to be back in Texas again. In my mind, I was prepared to remain in Iowa permanently. I'm not a huge fan of oppressive heat, which is a prominent feature of Texas summertime. I'm also not a huge fan of traditional church -- something we left behind intentionally when we headed north because we were agreeing to work with a church that bore no resemblance to traditional churches. I loved the contemporary worship and the purpose-driven style, and felt there would be no way I'd go back to the old way.

And yet, here I am back in Texas, in a much smaller town that the one we left behind back in January, 1996, and in a church which made me feel as though I had entered the Tardis in Des Moines and emerged in 1981 (minus the woollen plaid skirts and knee socks and cableknit sweaters) in North Ruralville. Even now, when I go to church here, I feel strange and disconnected, as if I ought to know what I'm doing but forgot it all a long time ago.

Let's see, how can I describe it? The worship style at First Baptist, North Ruralville, isn't even traditional. It seems more like a disjointed afterthought than anything else, honestly. But maybe that's how it always was, and I just never noticed because I wasn't clued-in to how it can really work. You see, it doesn't have to matter whether it's traditional music or contemporary music or Gregorian chant music -- or even thrash metal music... good planning and good execution can make any church's worship better. Adding the latest Chris Tomlin song to the worship service won't necessarily make anything better if the execution stinks.

Surely all the years of experience I gained weren't for nothing... I've never known God to work that way. But it sure feels weird to be back in BaptistLand, especially considering that it feels just about like it did when we left eleven years ago. I think I can almost understand the bewilderment of the Pevensie children when they stumbled back out of the Wardrobe after having spent years and years as Narnians, finding that time had not progressed and nothing had changed.

Chiroquacktor surrenders license

He claimed to heal using time travel. [snicker]

I think that the real idiots are the people who paid him for these services... SUCKAHS!!!

I wonder if he had a Call Box called the Tardis anywhere in his office?

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

I Used To Think
I Was Supposed To
Spell Things Correctly

Because we native English speakers often tend to run words together, we end up spelling things the way they sound when they're run together -- rather than how they're actually supposed to be spelled.

"Suppose To" is not correct; it should be spelled "Supposed To"... same for "Use To," which should instead be "Used To."

Today's fortune cookie

Beginners' Band

Tonight at school was "Meet The Band" night. North Ruralville has had a band program for about five years, so the program is still in its infancy in many ways. I was rather impressed with how much progress it has made. As usual, the interest has outstripped the funding, so they're scrambling to find ways to provide instruments for the kids.

Martha's band played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"; she played the clarinet I bought for her on eBay a few weeks ago. Much to my chagrin, I realized my camera was NOT in my purse -- it's ALWAYS in my purse, but it wasn't this time and I was kicking myself for not getting a picture!! GRrrr!!

Evil skwerls

Park is posting warnings after squirrel attacks

"It was such a horror," she said. "To hear your child screaming the way you've never heard before ... it was just bone chilling."

Vicious vermin... if EVER one gets anywhere NEAR one of MY children, its demise will be swift and sure.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

Anecdotal Evidence of an Antidote

A humorist or a storyteller relates "anecdotes," pronounced AN-ek-doats.

A doctor prescribes an "antidote" (pronounced AN-ti-doat) to someone who's been poisoned.

Don't confuse the two simply because they are pronounced similarly. Particularly when they're said quickly, they can sound very much alike. This is a prime example of a time when careful pronunciation will clear up any confusion.

Today's fortune cookie

Wednesday stuff

I've had several nasty headaches again lately. Today the kids and I all skipped school and went to a new family doctor -- I had looked at the list of providers from my insurance and, not knowing anything about any of them, shut my eyes and poked my finger and landed on this lady. I made the appointments for all of us to come in at once and establish ourselves with a family doctor so I can stop leaving "Family Doctor" blank on forms I fill out for the kids and myself.

She was really nice... probably a leetle more physically energetic and aggressive than our Des Moines doc, but that's okay I suppose. She listened to our histories and made reasonable judgments concerning all the prescriptions and treatments and such. She wasn't too stiff or formal, which was something I was looking for, and she seemed to genuinely like my kids -- which was a BIG part of my decision whether or not to remain in her care.

My BP has continued to inch upward despite my medication, which would seem to be an obvious cause of my recent upsurge in headaches. I've also put on about twenty pounds since the life upheaval began late last winter. I'm hoping that settling down and getting my medications adjusted properly will help adjust that back downward... as well as my blood pressure. I really, truly don't want to repeat this spring's bizarre health swings. I've tipped over into full-blown Type 2 diabetes, unfortunately, which is complicating matters, so now I get to start doing the little blood test thingy. [sigh]

The kids all had to have updated immunizations, which wasn't a popular thing. As you might possibly conclude, Isaac was the toughest of all of them and did NOT cry or pitch a fit. He was stoically brave, and although I could tell he was quite anxious about having to have one, he didn't shed a single tear. Alice didn't pitch a fit, but her little arms are so thin that I know it had to hurt to get a shot in them. She's accustomed to shots in the thigh (which she also had to have today) but the HepA booster stung a little more than she could bear, so she squeezed out a few quiet tears. And then there was the Twelve-Year-Old Drama Queen, who, despite her advanced age and adult size, howled and thrashed like a toddler!! How pathetic is that?

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

As Of Yet, We're Still
Adding Unnecessary Words

"As of yet" is a windy and pretentious substitute for plain old English "yet" or "as yet," an unjustified extension of the pattern in sentences like "as of Friday the 27th of May."

Today's fortune cookie

Meth will destroy you

This is Rebekah. She's in the Polk County Jail in Des Moines, Iowa. Rebekah is 26 years old and has been destroyed by drugs.

Several years back, a number of my friends and I tried to help her extricate herself from the drug culture and lifestyle. She managed to stay clean for a time, although it wasn't long. Once she disappeared and we went hunting for her, staking out drug houses and finally catching her to get her into rehab for the umpteenth time. (Don't try this, by the way. Take my word for it. It's one of the few times in my life that I sensed I was in dire personal danger.)

It didn't work.

Tonight I just happened to be checking the Inmates On The Web list from the state of Iowa (truth? I was checking to see if any of my former students were in trouble there) and saw Rebekah's picture. She got popped for probation violation. I don't know if she'll be there long or if she's headed for long-term lockup, but I will say that, for her sake, I hope she's done something that will put her away for a very, very long time. It's her only chance.

Rebekah's brother Martin is serving a life sentence for murdering his roommate in 1990. In November 2005 he and another inmate managed to escape from the Iowa State Penitentiary and remained fugitives for three days before being recaptured.

Rebekah frankly needs the constant supervision afforded to her by incarceration, and I hope for her sake she gets to stay there for a long time. If she doesn't get to stay, I'll be shocked if she's still alive at thirty.

Local scenery

I have always loved windmills, from the time I was a very small child. There are quite a number of them still around here.

Activities, activities, activities

Martha's first volleyball game was last Saturday morning. Her team lost, but has lots of potential. Martha has the least amount of experience of all the girls, so she has some catching-up to do, but she did actually get one of her serves over the net and I was really proud of her.



My lil' Cub Scout! I just love the little blue and gold shirts they still wear. I'm glad they still have basically the same outfit they always had. The "slide" on his neckerchief was one they made one week, in honor of their animal studies. Tonight's pack meeting was rather exciting; they got to touch a tarantula, a boa constrictor, a prairie dog and a porcupine, all of which were brought by a wildlife expert.



Taekwondo rocks!!! Both the kids have really enjoyed their taekwondo classes every Tuesday afternoon. I'm pleased at Alice's progress; that little girl never ceases to surprise me with her ability to step up and do things in spite of her significant limitations. Doing all the physical movements is so helpful for her sense of balance and coordination.

Memories... light the corners of my mind...

Saw this over at McGehee's and just about flipped. I HAD THIS and it was a big-time favorite of mine. I had totally forgotten about this little mug & bowl set, but I used to eat Cheerios in the little trough. Remember, JoeMama? I remember sending off for it and thinking that was soooooo exciting to wait for it to arrive.

Art Deco coolness

Last month when I went to Oklahoma City to my cousin's wedding, I went to her reception which was held in the Santa Fe Depot building down in the Bricktown area of OKC. I was captivated by the fabulous Art Deco ceilings and fixtures in the building. Cool, eh? I wish the day had been cool, of course -- the proprietors had failed to turn on the A/C prior to the reception, and it was a sweltering mid-August day. What was more irritating to my uncle, I think, was that they had done exactly the same thing to them at the church where the wedding was held! Despite the humid warmth, the celebration was lots of fun. And I wanted to share this uber-cool ceiling with y'all... spiffy, eh?

The Manolo has the last word

Went over to the Shoe Blog just now, and The Super-Fantastic One himself has put on display the final nail in the coffin of the Crocs shoes:



Dear Rosie,

Not that you care or anything, but I used to like you a whole lot. And then you got angry. I try to stay away from people who are consistently and perpetually angry because it's such a downer. I wouldn't even have minded so much that you prefer other girls to boys -- that's a separate issue and doesn't have to spoil anything. (See Ellen DeGeneres) I stopped watching you because of your vitriol, not because of your sex life.

That, and the fact that you'd be seen in public wearing bright yellow Crocs... well, that pretty much tells me that you're stuck in childhood... which is pretty much what I was thinking anyway, since you're so angry all the time and you've talked about how crappy your childhood was, etc... Any-hoo, I sincerely pray that someone close to you will be bold enough to share the love of God with you, because He really does love you more than imperfect human parents ever could, even good ones.

Crocs aside, I'd love to see you be able to find real, lasting peace and joy... that's certainly more important that what you wear.

Love,
A former fan

Submit or Die

Cliff May on National Review Online has a great column up:

Submit or Die: Protesters are laying down the law

Many commentators have pointed out the apparent hypocrisy: Muslims are outraged by cartoons satirizing Islamic extremism while in Muslim countries Christianity and Judaism are attacked viciously and routinely.

Many commentators are missing the point: These protesters -- and those who incite them -- are not asking for mutual respect and equality. They are not saying: "It's wrong to speak ill of a religion." They are saying: "It's wrong to speak ill of our religion." They are not standing up for a principle. They are laying down the law. They are making it as clear as they can that they will not tolerate "infidels" criticizing Muslims. They also are making it clear that infidels should expect criticism -- and much worse -- from Muslims.

They are attempting nothing less than the establishment of a new world order in which the supremacy of what they call the Nation of Islam is acknowledged, and "unbelievers" submit -- or die. Call it an offer you can't refuse.

Go and read the rest.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

The Handyman's Secret Weapon

A commercial firm has named its product Duck Tape, hearkening back to the original name for this adhesive tape (which was green), developed by Johnson & Johnson during World War II to waterproof ammunition cases.

It is now usually called duct tape, for its supposed use in connecting ventilation and other ducts (which match its current silver color).

Note that modern building codes consider duct tape unsafe for sealing ducts, particularly those that convey hot air.

-------------------------------------

Okay, it may be unsafe for sealing ducts, but duct tape is an amazing substance and I always keep a roll handy. When traveling in an airport in a third-world country, I keep a roll in my backpack to use as soon as I see my luggage emerging, because it is invariably damaged in some way, sometimes beyond reasonable usefulness. I was toting a big Sterilite container full of baby formula for an orphanage once, and when I saw it being handled off the plane, I knew it was a goner. Sure enough, it was barely holding together and wouldn't make it out of the airport without spilling all the contents. I had my roll of duct tape in hand, however, and quickly taped it up enough to get it out the door and into the truck waiting for me.

It's also been handy for emergency hemming (if the fabric isn't too thin). I have a nice microfiber zip jacket that looks spiffy and professional -- until you look at the inside of the zipper placket and see that it had been duct-taped to prevent it from unfolding. I had had to do that in a backstage emergency, and later I inadvertently let it go through the wash/dry cycles at home. It came out of the dryer perfectly, duct tape intact! So to this day it still bears the marks of that fast fix.

Today's fortune cookie

Try "chaotic" and "spontaneous" and you'd be closer to correct...

Must-have DVD

Squirrel Wars
I haven't seen this one, but I'm thinking I might order it, just for the laughs.

Texas justice

Residents beat man accused of showing porn to children

The spirit of Flight 93 is alive and well in Dallas, Texas. Do NOT mess with Texas kids, 'cuz Texas mommas and daddies will beat the daylights out of you. We ain't sittin' back and whining to the police about something we can take care of ourselves... heh

Fitting end?

Dead from typhoid?

I won't believe it until I see some legitimate confirmation, but wouldn't it be fitting if bin Laden's death had nothing to do with "glorious martyrdom" and everything to do with a disease that was killing people back in the 7th century -- which is precisely the era he wanted to go back to anyway?

Wacko liberalism makes you ugly

Someone get me some bleach for my retinas...

Don't say you weren't warned.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

A.D. or B.C.?

"A.D." does not mean "after death," as many people suppose. "B.C." stands for the English phrase "before Christ," but "A.D." stands confusingly for a Latin phrase: anno domini ("in the year of the Lord" -- the year Jesus was born). If the calendar actually changed with Jesus' death, then what would we do with the years during which he lived? Since Jesus was probably actually born around 6 B.C. or so, the connection of the calendar with him can be misleading.

Many Biblical scholars and historians, and archeologists prefer the less sectarian designations "before the Common Era" (B.C.E.) and "the Common Era" (C.E.). This isn't, as some Christian evangelicals might assume, an attempt to remove Christ from yet another facet of life -- it's a necessary clearing-up of a confusing system.

All of these abbreviations can also be spelled without their periods.

Today's fortune cookie

Suggestions

Nobody around this house is bored, but if you're suffering from intense boredom, there's a site with suggestions for what to do. Four hundred seventy four suggestions, actually.



474 Things To Do When You're Bored





Some of my favorites:

Count your teeth with your tongue

Cross your toes

Make up words that start with X

Carve your initials into a marshmallow

See how small you can scrunch your face

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

Help Stamp Out Silly Mistakes!

Stamp vs. Stomp

"Stomp" is colloquial, casual. A professional wrestler stomps his opponent. In more formal contexts "stamp" is preferred. But you will probably not be able to stamp out the spread of "stomp."

For an artist, a stomp refers to a pencil-shaped stick made of compressed paper, sharpened with a regular pencil sharpener but used to smudge pencil or pastels to soften their appearance on the paper.

Today's fortune cookie

My kids' latest fave

I bought a jar of Patak's Korma sauce (coconut & cream) at World Market, just to give it a try, and discovered that my kids went berserk with delight over it. It's savory without being too spicy, which is a must for them, and it's rich enough to make eating chicken worthwhile even for me (and you know I'm not a fan of chicken, personally).

I take chicken thighs, chop them up into chunks and brown them gently in a medium skillet. When there's no more pink, I open this lovely jar and pour out the rich golden goodness into the skillet with the chicken. I simmer it for about ten minutes or so, then pour it over hot cooked Basmati rice.

Isaac will even choose this over Oreos. I kid you not.

I also tried their jar of Tikka Masala sauce and found it to be quite lovely. Probably not as good as SarahK's homemade stuff, but for a very busy mom of three with no time on her hands, it certainly ain't bad.

I had gone into World Market hoping to find Patak's Vindaloo curry paste, but they don't carry it. I'll have to get it elsewhere... Rick will be here in a week and a half, and I'd like to welcome him with some yummy spicy stuff. The kids won't touch Vindaloo, but Rick and I are very fond of it. He likes chicken or prawn vindaloo, while I prefer the lamb (if it's tender).

Emmitt is too cute!!

Thanks to my blogmommy SarahK for putting this on her blog; wow!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Emmitt Smith was always the COOLEST dude anyway, and this just proves it.

Local scenery

Here's a lovely meadow I spotted yesterday evening while driving Isaac to Cub Scouts. Isn't North Texas horse country a beautiful place?

I wonder...

Today in my English classes, the topic I wrote on the board for journal entries was "I wonder..." Here are a couple of their responses:

I wonder what my future is going to be like because I have a really bad life and I'm moveing back in with my mom. and I wonnder if im going to be just like her.

And this one:

I wonder why we have to lern about a language that we already no.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

Just a little pique-me-up

It is tempting to think that your attention might be aroused to a high point by "peaking" your curiosity; but in fact, "pique" is a French word meaning "prick," in the sense of "stimulate." The expression has nothing to do with "peek," either. Therefore the expression is "my curiosity was piqued."

Today's fortune cookie

I tried to post this yesterday, but wasn't having any luck with Blogger.

Water's back on

I dropped off my late payment this morning early, after I took the kids to school, and left it in the little night-deposit slot.

Came home for lunch, and the water's back on already.

Small towns have their perqs.

And there'll be showers of blessing for everyone tonight, hallelujah. I'm pretty sure that's not the odor of sanctity I smell.

From Drudge...

NBC PLANS MADONNA CRUCIFIXION IN TV CONCERT
Mon Sep 18 2006 18:38:19 ET

NBC has given the green light to include Madonna-on-the-Cross footage in an upcoming November Sweeps concert special!

In the show, Madonna, wearing a gittered crown of thorns, descends on a suspended mirrored, disco ball-type cross singing her hit 'Live To Tell.'

NBC suit Kevin Reilly said Madonna considered the crucifixion a highlight of her show.

"We viewed it and didn't see it as being inappropriate," NBC explained.

Developing...


Yep. The crazed Christians are out in force, setting fire to NBC studios and murdering random journalists, execution-style. Right, Rosie? You're the one who said they're as dangerous as the Islamic terrorists. Let's see you back that up, honey... you've got the choice of being locked in a room with an Islamic fundamentalist suicide bomber or a Christian fundamentalist (sorry, there aren't any Christian suicide bombers, so we can't make it equal here). Which one are you going to choose?

Mmm-hmmm. Of course NBC viewed it and didn't see it as being inappropriate -- because Christians aren't militant freaks out to murder people for denigrating their beliefs. No, we're used to it... and it's part of our belief system to allow people to be unbelievers if they choose to be, since it isn't our job to do what only God can do -- change people's hearts.

I personally don't care if Madonna does this crap and if NBC broadcasts it. They're "lost" people, and how can I expect them to behave any differently?

However, I do find it pathetically ironic that the whole world seems to fall all over itself to keep from offending Muslims, but it's fair game to insult Christians and Christianity. The only reason why -- that I can ferret out -- is the fear of being murdered on the street somewhere by a crazed Muslim. There just aren't enough instances of freakos murdering abortion doctors to come anywhere close to equating to the murderous nature of Islam throughout the world. That old argument doesn't hold sway with me anymore.

Rosie O'Donnell used to be someone I thought was funny and entertaining. Now she's just severely sick and messed up; anyone who thinks they should be just as afraid of Christians as of Muslims is just not playing with anywhere near a full deck of Bicycles. And one thing I have learned in the last eleven years is that some people really are just mentally ill, even though they may seem somewhat normal, and you just can't expect logical conclusions from someone who's mentally ill.

Skwerls should be afraid of me. Spiders should be afraid of me.

Rosie O'Donnell need not fear me.

UPDATE: From Steve at HogOnIce:

Finally, Muslims are mad because the Pope criticized Islam. Imagine that. A guy who runs one religion, telling people he's not real fond of another one.

You can tell people don't believe in God any more, because we now have the moronic idea that all religions are basically the same. In spite of the fact that most religions hold that followers of other religions are idiots who are going to hell or doomed to be reincarnated as pubic lice or something. You know what? The Pope is SUPPOSED to hate Islam. Duh, people.

Everyone is mad at the Pope, but no one is particularly mad at the Muslims who are now threatening to kill him. Because we have totally given up on Muslims acting like adults and we expect this kind of hysterical BS from them. I wish I had that kind of deal. I'd go to a car dealership and drive away with a new Mercedes, shaking my fist out the window and yelling, "I AM TAKING THIS SUV IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, JEW BASTARDS!" and instead of calling the cops, the people at the dealership would just shrug and go, "Muslim. Go figure." And then they'd try to impeach the salesman who gave me the keys.

Hey, there's an idea...

[sigh]

You just gotta love it when you come home and find a hang-tag on your doorknob saying your water has been shut off because of non-payment.

GAH! I could've sworn the water bill was in that batch I just paid a week ago.

Swear word. There goes tomorrow's lunch period, as I'll be dashing out to pay the fee and hope they turn it back on right away instead of two or three days from now.

[sigh]

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:


Garbage In/Garbage Out:
Common Errors Created By
Over-reliance On Spellcheckers

The venerable computer science axiom "Garbage in, Garbage out" usually brings to mind ancient, chattering machines filling entire buildings and requiring an army of lab-coated caretakers. However, it is still accurate; all we've done in the past fifty years is to improve the speed at which errors are compounded.

In the arena of English errors, the GIGO process is perpetrated by spelling checkers. More accurately, it's perpetrated by the users of spelling checkers, who apply them to source material beyond the program's ability to help. The results vary according to the quality of the spell checking program.

Remember, a spelling checker only works if the source word it is given is already close to the intended word. For instance, my spell checker will easily catch and correct "definately," returning the correct result. If, however, the word supplied is "definantly," a common Web word-mangling, the only word the spell checker can suggest is "defiantly." Hence the occasional assertion of the form "Lincoln is defiantly the best president America ever had."

Further, spell checkers won't recognize a misused word that is spelled correctly, e.g. "effect" used where "affect" is appropriate. Nor will they find errors related to specialized words not included in their lexicon.

Spelling checkers are wonderful tools. Just remember that as a hammer may mash your thumb, a spell checker may mash your words. The only certain way to be correct is to know what you're saying.

Here are some sample triplets of real words matched with the original misspelling and the second-generation misspelling generated by machine:

Right: infinitely
Wrong: infinitly
Spellcheck: infinity

Right: a lot
Wrong: alot
Spellcheck: allot

Right: espresso
Wrong: expresso
Spellcheck: express

Right: surprised
Wrong: surpised
Spellcheck: surpassed

Today's fortune cookie

That's not out of the question, since I'm originally from this area...

Back in God's country

I can tell I'm back in God's country, because I'm watching the Dallas Cowboys walk all over the Washington Redskins (always a satisfying pastime). For the past eleven years I've been in football hell... up there on the northern plains, they must think that people only want to watch the Kansas City Chiefs (ewww!) or the Green Bay Packers or even -- [shudder] -- the Minnesota Vikings. Did you know there are actually people who like those teams and watch them and want to wear their jerseys? I kid you not.

I think the Redskins had more penalty yards than they actually gained on the field. Sheesh, the yellow flags were darting around on practically every play. That might just be one of the suckiest Redskins teams I've seen in a long time. The Cowboys kinda dragged during the first half, I think, but they came out like professionals in the last half and played some real football.

T.O. is getting his hand x-rayed. I swear, I'm sick of T.O. and I wish he'd just go away. He seems like a big, spoiled baby that needs pampering and special treatment. I'd rather do without whatever fabulous talent he may possess. I'm sick of showboats.

And by the way...

... OU was totally and completely ROBBED of their win up in Oregon yesterday. The officiating in that game was atrocious. That call on the onside kick at the end was an obvious, blatant mistake and the fact that they reviewed it and still gave it to the Pucks, well, I have no words. At least, none I can say in polite company.

And the Oregon Schmucks' uniforms were absolutely, positively the ugliest football uniforms I have ever seen in my entire life. Oh. My. Word. Somebody call the "What Not To Wear" people. They should fire whoever picked those things out. GAG.

However, I was delighted to watch the TCU Horned Frogs bury the Texas Tech Red Raiders' faces into the lush green sod of Amon G. Carter Stadium. Yeah, baby! That game was a ripsnorting defensive battle, and the place was completely sold out. My sister and her husband were there, since they have season tickets.

Complete the thought...

The latest meme, taken from my blogmom SarahK. It's going to take a lot of thought. Hope I'm up to it.

Never again in my life: will I watch that hideously awful movie Closer with Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. Biggest waste of eight bucks EVER. Pointless, nihilistic crap with absolutely no cheer, nothing redeeming; empty and vapid.

When I was five: I thought my kindergarten teacher, Miss Elizondo, was a beautiful princess.

High school was: where I learned to hate the way I looked.

I will never forget: the Preamble to the Constitution, thanks to that "Schoolhouse Rock" song.

I once met: Majel Barrett Roddenberry, at a Star Trek convention in Fort Worth in 1992. No, I didn't wear a Klingon costume. Would I have, if I had had one? Probably. Qapla!

There's this girl I know who: pretends to be a missionary so she can mooch from people, and it's perfectly amazing how many seemingly rational and intelligent people in her church fall all over themselves to fawn over her and give her everything she wants.

By noon, I'm usually: awake enough to pay attention. Usually. Not always.

Last night I: bought a couple of skirts at Catherine's. Eleven years of casual-clothing church has left slim pickings (heh) in the Texas Sunday Morning wardrobe department of my closet.

Next time I go to church: will be next Sunday morning, assuming no-one's sick, and I'll probably wear one of my new skirts that I bought last night at Catherine's. I wore one of them this morning.

What worries me most: forgetting something critically important. It's not outside the realm of possibility, since I've elevated forgetfulness to an art form.

When I turn my head right, I see: my Epson Stylus Photo R320 printer. And the paper tray is a bit dusty. I think I'll dust it.

When I turn my head left, I see: my stack of stuff that needs to be done by tonight. I *so* don't want to have to type up this week's vocabulary words, with their definitions and Latin roots, but that's what I get paid the big bucks for, right? [snicker] Uh-huh, yeah.

You know I'm lying when: you won't, because I don't lie. I may not tell you ALL I know, but I won't lie. I can't. I hate being caught, and I know I'm not a good enough plan-ahead kind of person to lie and cover it up properly. Nevermind that it's wrong...

If I were a character written by Shakespeare, I'd be: the "mistress" he writes of in Sonnet 130: "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun..."

By this time next year: Hmmm... that's a tough one, since a year ago I would *never* have imagined I'd be in North Ruralville, Texas, teaching English to freshmen and sophomores. I have no earthly idea what I'll be doing or where I'll be this time next year. It's a total 52-pickup kind of thing at this point.

A better name for me would be: I like my name just fine, thank you. When I was in third grade, though, I really wanted to have the name "Eleanor." Don't ask me why. I wasn't a normal child.

I have a hard time understanding: the popularity of Sex & The City and Desperate Housewives.

If I ever go back to school I'll: get my MFA.

You know I like you if: I speak to you.

Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferarro are: Bogus, genius, hilarious, nefarious

Take my advice, NEVER: try to stop a 3-wheeler by running into a barbed-wire fencepost.

My ideal breakfast is: a 44-oz fountain Coke with crushed ice (if I were in Iowa, I'd say Pepsi, but the Pepsi formulation down here in Texas is just nasty, so I've had to switch to Coke).

A song I love, but do not have, is: "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. Just kidding.

If you visit my hometown, I suggest: Hmmm, I don't know if I can quantify one single place as my "hometown." I was born in Houston, but haven't been back since I was a little kid. I graduated from high school in Paris, Texas, but didn't live there very long either.. I did most of my growing-up in the Oklahoma City area, so I guess that would qualify as my hometown... I recommend visiting the site of the Murrah Federal Building bombing memorial; it's very moving. And of course, Bricktown is one of the best downtown areas I've ever seen, anywhere, hands down. OKC -- it's kewl.

Why won't anyone: pay me to play my piano and paint watercolor full time?

If you spend the night at my house, DO: plan on staying up late, playing cards and laughing. And eating the best guacamole you ever tasted.

The world could do without: Islam. And spyware that makes random popups happen on my computer so I'm going to have to wipe it down completely and start over because I can't find the stupid .exe program that's causing it. And Paris Hilton.

I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: Oh, that's just the nastiest. I honestly can't think of anything I'd do that for. [shudder] Eww! Who came up with this stupid meme, anyway?

My favorite blonde is: Owen Wilson.

Paperclips are more useful than: twelve-year-old girls.

San Diego means: Tijuana is just over the bridge.

Feel free to take this one up, just realize that it took me several hours to complete it because I wanted to put a lot of thought into it. Why? Who knows? I'm not known for my good sense.

Apropos of nothing, I made a really good pitcher of jasmine green tea yesterday, and I'm enjoying it over ice right now. Very refreshing, indeed.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

Ugh! How Revolting!

If you have a group of people who are dissatisfied with their government, they may decide to revolt. Or rebel. Either word means pretty close to the same thing.

The difference comes when you describe what they're doing. They're rebelling. If you say they're revolting, you're saying they're disgusting.

The disparity becomes even clearer when you make it a noun. Rebellion is an act of turning against authority, while revulsion evokes nausea.

Today's fortune cookie

I doubt it. Not unless the "others" are very young children, since I'm not quite five feet tall.

Not that anyone was wondering or anything...

...but I am really, really tired. And a leetle bit blue. I'd say I was glad Rick was coming in a couple of weeks -- and I am, don't get me wrong -- but I know that he's going to be completely worn out when he arrives because he's been taking care of getting the house ready to sell, so it's not as though I'm going to get a whole lot of relief.

Moving is just extremely stressful, I guess. There's a reason it shows up on psychiatric questionnaires.

I have awakened on several mornings in a near panic, feeling as though there were just no way I was going to be able to face students. It's not as though they're particularly difficult to deal with, it's just the stress getting to me. Paralyzing stress, coupled with aching loneliness and absolutely NO time to myself, not ever. I can't bring myself to paint or play the piano because I'm dogged with thoughts of other things that simply MUST be done.

I'm hoping this stage will be over soon, though. I'll keep pressing forward, assuming that to be true, pretending I see the light at the end of the tunnel in hopes that I eventually will.

I'd like to have my rotary back...

In Canton, Ohio: Widow rented rotary phone for 42 years

A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now outdated phone.

Ester Strogen, 82, of Canton, first leased two black rotary phones - the kind whose round dial is moved manually with your finger - in the 1960s. Back then, the technology was new and owning telephones was unaffordable for most people.

Until two months ago, Strogen was still paying AT&T to use the phones - $29.10 a month. Strogen's granddaughters, Melissa Howell and Barb Gordon, ended the arrangement when they discovered the bills.

"I'm outraged," Gordon said. "It made me so mad. It's ridiculous. If my own grandmother was doing it, how many other people are?"

...

Strogen says she's not a big fan of her new push-button phone. "I'd like to have my rotary back," she said. "I like that better."

Meddling kids.

Squirrel Season!

In Ohio, anyway. Here's Dick Martin, outdoors columnist for the Marion (OH) Star:

Bagging your limit easy during squirrel season

The 2006 squirrel season opened on Sept. 1, and according to Division of Wildlife chief Steve Gray, the year should be a good one.

With a generous six squirrel limit, it should be no trick most days to fill a ticket with some fine eating, and they are indeed good eating. Back when I was a kid in the hills of southern Ohio, my idea of a perfect meal was fried squirrel, gravy, boiled potatoes mashed with a generous helping of butter, collard greens, biscuits and honey. My opinion hasn't changed since those days.

The scenario for those first of the season squirrels hasn't changed, I'm sure, since pioneer days. Bushytails, whether fox or grey, love hickory nuts, particularly pignuts, and right now they're feeding in any hickory tree they can find. So successful hunting is mostly a matter of finding a few nut trees, looking for fresh cuttings below and waiting for customers to arrive.

They'll feed in beech too, during early days, especially if few hickories are around, and feast on wild grapes, dogwood berries and field corn.

All are worth checking now, and if they're hitting corn hard, try a stand along a fence row with a cornfield beside. It can be an easy place to pick up a limit, and the farmer is sure to appreciate it. If you're hunting beech, don't just find a good stand and sit down. There may be a hundred mature beech in a given woods, but squirrels will be working only two or three. Check the ground first and select those with cuttings beneath.

Every hunter knows two species of squirrels live in Buckeye country, fox and grey, and our area holds primarily the big russet-colored fox squirrels.

Fox squirrels like small, open wood lots, while greys favor denser timber and larger areas of woods farther south. They'll intermingle, of course, and invade each others territory, but as a rule of thumb you'll be hunting fox squirrels in northern and northcentral Ohio and greys south of town, in southern Ohio, southeastern Ohio and elsewhere.

Fox squirrels can be easy pickings. Most are dumb as the proverbial fence post, and unwary unless hunted hard. They're late risers too, often stirring well after dawn and feeding until as late as 10 a.m. I hunt these wearing full camouflage and soft-soled tennis shoes, and rarely sit down, moving at a slow "take three steps and stop" pace. I look around, but mostly I'm listening for falling nuts, the swish of limbs and the clatter of claws on bark.

When I hear something interesting, I'll stop, watch carefully, then head in that direction. When I see the animal, I'll move around until I've a clear view, then make my shot. Moving slowly, but steadily has another advantage in that I can cover a whole wood lot in a reasonable time. If they're concentrated in one spot, I'll find them eventually.

Greys are a far different animal. They're usually up and about at first grey dawn, so you'd best be in the woods by then. The ideal situation is to scout your timber the evening before, then be sitting quietly among hickories come daylight. I've seen as high as a dozen greys in a single hickory, taken an easy one, then had fast shooting as the others bailed out.

They're super wary and cautious, and walking them up usually ensures they'll see you and flatten out along a branch for hours if necessary. Here's a final thought. Greys like to travel in late morning and they'll often run ridges. A stand in such places will sometimes bring one or two more to fatten your game pocket.

Mmmmm. Squirrel with gravy, collard greens, mashed potatoes & biscuits.

Heh.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

MOM! Isaac didn't eat all his peas!

Someone who reveals secrets -- tattling, or telling, tales -- is a tattle-tale, sometimes spelled as one word: tattletale.

Tattle-tale is often misspelled as "tattle-tail."

Today's fortune cookie

Broad-minded, maybe. Socially active? Try "dropped off the face of the Earth" maybe?

Although, in a way, it's nice to be anonymous. I don't know if it will last long, since I'm living in a fishbowl, but for now, it's okay. I think that part of my invisibility comes from being a mom with kids and no husband anywhere to be seen... most of the people at church or at school won't touch me with the proverbial pole; I'm an unknown quantity and I might be dangerous.

From WikiHow:

How to Dissuade Yourself From Becoming a Blogger

What a buzz all the bloggers are making these days! It seems like just about everybody is pouring their musings into a text box. Are you feeling tempted to start a blog of your own? Here are some ways to bypass the trend.

Steps

1. Find five completely random blogs, and read them daily for a month. After thirty days, you will absolutely dread your self-imposed requirement to read all that dreck. Any blog you create will most likely be on par with what you've been reading. Don't put anyone through that.

2. Consider that your voice, even if it is truly a good one, is a tiny peep against the massive wave of tripe out there. The odds of anyone you don't already know finding your blog are low.

3. Write on a regular basis in Wordpad instead. If that doesn't satisfy your urge, and you feel that you must post your blog online, then you might just be craving attention and validation--which you'll never truly find in a blog. If you give up on your Wordpad journal after about three days, you'll do the same with a blog that just takes up server space.

4. Ask yourself if you really have the time to commit to a blog. What about that treehouse you wanted to build? Or the book you wanted to write? Or the car you wanted to fix up? Or the restaurant you wanted to take your wife to? Or the new career you wanted to pursue? Instead of writing about pretty much nothing, or whining about all the things you wish you were doing instead, start doing something that'd actually be worth writing about. And if it's really worth writing about, you'll be having too much fun doing it to tear yourself away from it.


Tips

* If attention and validation are what you're looking for, know that you will get neither from blogging. As above, very few people will ever know that your blog (or you, by proxy) exists. Of those who do find it, a large percentage will be flamers and trolls, who will only post comments to you about how you suck. The remainder of comments posted to your blog will be sappy treacle, which you won't trust as being sincere anyway.

* Consider writing on a wiki instead. Unlike most blogs, wikis like Wikipedia and wikiHow are read by millions of people each month. Several wikiHow authors receive "fan mail" messages every day from appreciative readers. In addition, many authors discover that they enjoy the wiki collaborative writing process more than writing in solitude.


Warnings

* The information you post on the Internet is likely to linger for years and years to come, as web pages are archived by "snapshot" services like the Wayback Machine. Once it's out there, you can't take it back. An employer running a Google search on your name years down the line might be turned off by your now documented obsession with your cat.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

Dangling Modifiers

Dangling and misplaced modifiers are discussed at length in usage guides partly because they are very common and partly because there are many different kinds of them. But it is not necessary to understand the grammatical details involved to grasp the basic principle: words or phrases which modify some other word or phrase in a sentence should be clearly, firmly joined to them and not dangle off forlornly on their own.

Sometimes the dangling phrase is simply too far removed from the word it modifies, as in "Sizzling on the grill, Theo smelled the Copper River salmon." This makes it sound like Theo is being barbecued, because his name is the nearest noun to "sizzling on the grill." We need to move the dangling modifier closer to the word it really modifies: "salmon." "Theo smelled the Copper River salmon sizzling on the grill."

Sometimes it's not clear which of two possible words a modifier modifies: "Felicia is allergic to raw apples and almonds." Is she allergic only to raw almonds, or all almonds -- even roasted ones? This could be matter of life and death. Here's a much clearer version: "Felicia is allergic to almonds and raw apples." "Raw" now clearly modifies only "apples."

Dangling modifiers involving verbs are especially common and sometimes difficult to spot. For instance, consider this sentence: "Having bought the harpsichord, it now needed tuning." There is no one mentioned in the sentence who did the buying. One way to fix this is to insert the name of someone and make the two halves of the sentence parallel in form: "Wei Chi, having bought the harpsichord, now needed to tune it." If you have a person in mind, it is easy to forget the reader needs to be told about that person; but he or she can't be just "understood."

Here's another sentence with a dangling modifier, in this case at the end of a sentence: "The retirement party was a disaster, not having realized that Arthur had been jailed the previous week." There is nobody here doing the realizing. One fix: "The retirement party was a disaster because we had not realized that Arthur had been jailed the previous week."

Using passive verbs will often trip you up: "In reviewing Gareth's computer records, hundreds of hours spent playing online games were identified." This sort of thing looks fine to a lot of people and in fact is common in professional writing, but technically somebody specific needs to be mentioned in the sentence as doing the identifying. Inserting a doer and shifting to the active voice will fix the problem. While we're at it, let's make clear that Gareth was doing the playing: "The auditor, in checking his computer records, identified hundreds of hours that Gareth had spent playing online games."

Adverbs like "almost," "even," "hardly," "just," "only," and "nearly," are especially likely to get stuck in the wrong spot in a sentence. "Romeo almost kissed Juliet as soon as he met her" means he didn’t kiss her -- he only held her hand. True, but you might want to say something quite different: "Romeo kissed Juliet almost as soon as he met her." The placement of the modifier is crucial.

Today's fortune cookie

Umm, yeah. I have had an urge the past two days... an urge to accomplish a three-second dash down the hall to the bathroom without making a very nasty mess everywhere.

Sorry if that was too much information.

Today's English lesson

From Common Errors in English:

Ellie Mae, git that elephant
outta the ce-ment pond!

People in the building trades distinguish cement (the gray powder that comes in bags) from concrete (the combination of cement, water, sand, and gravel which becomes hard enough in your driveway to drive your car on). In contexts where technical precision matters, it's probably better to speak of a "concrete sidewalk" rather than of a "cement sidewalk."

Today's fortune cookie

Flag-burning, American style

I'm home today with some nasty intestinal malaise that has me racing down the hall every few minutes. I enjoyed reading this little tidbit, however. It's a refreshing change of pace. While it would seem run-of-the-mill to hear of a flag-burning demonstration on a college campus, you don't often hear of it quite like this, at the University of Texas - Arlington:

UTA students' fiery protest stirs criticism

ARLINGTON -- Three University of Texas at Arlington freshmen sparked a small flare-up when they burned what looked like facsimiles of the North Korean and Iranian flags on campus Monday, the fifth anniversary of 9-11.

The flag images, which appeared to be printed on paper, and photos of the nations' leaders, were doused with charcoal starter and burned in a galvanized metal washtub on the sidewalk outside Arlington Hall as an estimated 50 to 100 students, administrators and campus police watched shortly after noon.

"This is the rally against the enemies of the United States," said Lance Kennedy, 19, of Coppell, who stood on a chair on the sidewalk between the student union and the nearby dorm to speak as the flames burned. "In no way are we demonstrating against the people of their two nations.

"Because of these two nations the world is a much more dangerous place," Kennedy said. "In 1939, would you have opposed me burning the flags of Nazi Germany and Japan?"

Yeah, Lance. They probably would. The appeasement crowd, full of lily-livered fraidy-cats who can't seem to bring themselves to take sides, are alive and kicking and channeling Neville Chamberlain.

9/11 Tribute

***This post will stay at the top of my blog all day; scroll down for updates.***

Balewa Albert Blackman

age 26

Killed in the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
Employee of Cantor Fitzgerald
Resident of New York, N.Y. (USA)

Balewa Albert Blackman worked as an accountant, but that was the least of it. "He liked a lot of different things," said his sister, Susan McMillian. Which explains, sort of, how a man with an undergraduate degree in biochemical engineering wound up working as a junior accountant at Cantor Fitzgerald by day and as a D.J. at small clubs -- jazz, rhythm and blues, hip-hop -- at night, which "was just something he did on the side, because he loves music so much," Ms. McMillian said.

Never one to take his sidelines lightly, Mr. Blackman had also been training since August in a Navy Seals-type fitness program, which involved getting up at dawn and getting used to swimming with fins and running in boots. By the end of the program, Ms. McMillian said, her brother, who stood about 5-foot-5, would have been able to complete a 500-yard swim in under 10 minutes, 100 push-ups in 2 minutes, 200 situps in 2 minutes and a 1.5-mile run in under 9 minutes.

"He liked the idea of not just doing the physical work, but also learning how to think like a Navy Seal person," she said. "He liked things that are conditioning for the body, but also conditioning for the mind."

Balewa Albert Blackman was Jamaican.

Keisha DePass wrote of Blackman:
I went to college with Balewa,. I thought about him today. I remember how much he stuttered when he was anxious; I remember he had crush on my roomate; I remember how much trouble he would get into in chemistry class; I remember how much he would make me laugh. I remember a lot about Balewa. To his family I want them to know he is missed..

Marie Turock wrote:
I went to college with Balewa - he was in one of my Communications classes. I had a dream about him last night (9/14/05) and decided to Google him today. I am lost for words - I had no idea he was in those buildings on September 11. I don't know what sparked the dream, but all I know is that I was thinking about him and wondering what he was doing. My thoughts are with Balewa's family and friends - I cannot believe that such a wonderful and unique person is no longer with us.

Kimberly Keith-Shropshire wrote:
I also went to Cornell with Balewa. Although I do not recall having classes with him, I remember him most for playing video games in RPU and how passionate he was about it. We strive so hard in life to beat the odds, get a good education and try to make something better of ourselves. At times, it may seem in vain, but it is all God's divine timing. I know you are and will continue to be missed.

Never, never, never, never forget.