MEMEMEME again

Last year I got a letter based meme tag from Lime.

Here is round one. Last time I was a little unclear on the instructions, evidently I was suppose to use this letter to describe me, or my favorite things. I went a little random I guess, how unlike me, eh? Well, the universe has offered me a new opportunity.
I wonder if I can do it right this time.

Lime has tagged me with the letter V.

1. Vocabulary and vocal

I have, for as long as I can recall, had lots of comments on my wide and somewhat unusual vocabulary. One year at school they gave out awards based on various traits people had noticed. I got the Webster Award, since most of my friends prefered to ask me about words rather than bothering to look things up. I am also a big fan of the vocalizing; talking, singing, even the multitude of noises that issue forth non-stop from little boys. HOWEVER, there are times when the only appropriate noise is that of a void.

2. Vivacious and voluptuous, see also "va va va voom"

these words have been used to describe me...

ok ok ok, fine,

once,

by a passing stranger,

who was paid handsomely,

and was blind,

but I am still claiming em!!

3. Vivid and vibrant

These are the kinds of colors I prefer and use to decorate my world. 4. Vicarious and versatile
those are all about this place. Dog's Life started as a dog blog.Ariella was the original voice of this blog and now I've branched out a bit, hope you are still enjoying it.

5. Vulgarities I know
subcatagories:
"va fa un culo"
and
"va fa napoli"

Having done the latter, though not the former, I have to tell you, the Italians have that about right. Email for details if you need them.

6. The vicious and the volatile

Grrrrrrrr

Perhaps more vicious in impulse than actuality, but I am still counting it.

And then the volatile

Let sleeping beauties lie, ok, please. I'm trying to look out for you here.

7. Valedictorian and vindication

I was my graduating class, so I guess that means I graduated at the head of the class, right?

The jackass principal of the small private school did everything in his power to make sure I didn't graduate, but as you can see, I did. HAH!~

8. Velocity and venturesome

I feel the need, the need for speed...
Although I have a venturesome side I was raised by someone who had the ability to look at any situation and immediately predict the worst possible outcome. Therefore my need for speed and my risk-taking behavior are somewhat tempered by a cautious voice in my head.

9. Vacation and vital

(This pic is from our snow a few weeks ago, today its suppose to get up to 48 degrees.)

Last year we didn't really take a vacation. This year we are definitely planning to do so. Mr. Logo is talking about going somewhere warm and while that sounds really good right now. I am really looking forward to a major change in scenery, at least temporarily. I think I need it.

10. Voracious and vague

these words describe my approach to new information.

I love learning new things, but only completely useless information is retained. When it comes to things like birthdays, social security numbers, where I parked, how much I spent today, whether or not we've had lunch... these things escape me.

ALSO,

I was retagged with a weird things about me meme...me, me, me.
Last time I (we) did this it was only 5 weird things, this time it is 6.
Dorky dad did his own take on it which I quite liked. If I can't come up with 6 things I plan to switch mid-stream to his method. here we go...

Six weird things about me, hmmm, I am trying to come up with some new stuff for those of you who have been reading for a while.

1. I can't sleep very well while wearing socks. Sleeping with my cold toes against Mr. Logo presents no particular difficulty...for me.

2. I have a pen thing. I like a well balanced pen, and none of those really skinny things. I have a mountain of drug company pens because of a gramama who works in a pharmacy and mailed them to us regularly and some of them are really rather lovely. I tried out a Mont Blanc and frankly, my Parker feels just as good and its not so insanely expensive. Given my tendency to lose things that is a very important quality for a pen. Losing a moderately expensive pen would be bad enough but a pen that costs hundreds of dollars?? I'd be so focused on keeping track of my pen I'd lose my keys, wallet, cell phone, or one of the Things.

3. I feel a little bad about this one but...

I really, really, really don't like southern accents. Paula Dean makes me feel like my ears are bleeding. Now, Alton Brown is from the south and he bothers me not at all. Some southern accents are less obnoxious than others but here is the kicker to me: I pick up accents really quickly, so if I am around southern accents long enough I will start mauling my vowels. It actually annoys me even more when I do it!

4. I am addicted to candles, organizes, books, and crystal meth.

Ok, maybe not that last one, but definitely the first three. I seem to think if i just find the right combination of bins, drawer dividers, file systems, and day planners I will be able to overcome that "can't keep track of life" issue I have. Success so far eludes me but I bravely continue to believe. I believe in the Great Pumpkin and the ultimate organizational system, Charlie Brown!

The candles and books probably aren't that weird an addiction, but if you had spent time around my safety nazi/worst case scenario expert family you would appreciate the unlikeliness of that candle thing. Yes, it's true, I'm a wild child, I use candles indoors, even when the fire extinguishers are put away (yes, I do own some) and even if they are not in a hard mounted container, placed in an earthquake safe location. Hey, I gotta be me!

5. I have almost no sense of balance. Between native clumsiness, a head injury the lost of some of the balance/muscle stuff in my left leg from my accident, I have a somewhat limited ability to fine-tune my balance. This really only becomes evident if I am oh... on a ladder, a ski slope, a sheer rock face, you know, places where a good sense of balance might be useful. Thank goodness for gyroscopic force!

6. I haven't shampooed my hair for about two year or so. I've mentioned this before but when you are looking for a startling statement that one works really well.

Lorraine Massey is to blame for this. I actually use THIS instead of a shampoo like product. My hair is sooooo much less frizzy and weird than it once was. Lorraine has a product line these day, and I love the ones I've tried so far.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

The Things were to go shopping with their papa leaving me to my own devices for a few sweet, precious hours this afternoon. Since the temperature was so close to the 50s I decided on a little adventure out with the girls would be just the ticket. I got out my Kevlar Tori pants as well as some long johns (I learned my lesson last week), then layered a thermal shirt, a sweatshirt, a polar fleece and leather jacket on top.

My boots are big enough that double socks were no problem. Delicate little things, eh?

Add a scarf and double gloves (Isotoners under leather) and I was finally bundled up and ready to go.

HAHAHA, windchill, I laugh in your general direction!

Mr. Logo claims that although he doesn't have motorcycle lust for Red Molly, he does rather envy my new helmet.

It's a Scorpion Rivet and eversoloverly and safe.
And now, here she is,

first time ever in blog,

the actual Red Molly.

Innit she purdy? Innit she, innit she?

She has gorgeous silvery flames on the tank and the rear fender as seen below.

I do love going on rides with the boys, but Molly and I are still in those delicate early stages of our relationship, just getting to know each other. Learning how to move together, how to handle curves, how far she can be pushed before she starts to whine, you know, all that sort of thing.

It's a great way to spend some time before starting a whole new week. Lots of teaching this week, and not just my kids, tutoring high school kids and all that good stuff as well. Thing Two also appears to have contracted himself a lovely little virus. The fun never ends, people, NEVER.

The photos

Here are the snotgobblers preparing to enter the PSC Grossology exhibit.

Inside they met Nigel, who has a dreadful cold.

The very nice lady scientist explained the wonder that is mucus and Thing One and his friend listened intently, learning that we swallow approximately a quart of snot a day.
Meanwhile, in a manner so typically him, Thing Two went around the back and decided to investigate how much annoyance Nigel would endure.
Then he went over to the digestive tract.
Here he has made his way through the stomach and is proceeding to the intestines,
and here has reached the exit.

Then the Things experimented with the large scale Operation game they had set up.
Thing Two was quite skilled. He can remove your kidney in three seconds flat.
The child could have a shining career in the black market organ business.

This next picture is...

well,

I will tell you what it is and you share your impressions.
This exhibit has four scent bottles that you match to the appropriate selection.

The four possibilities are: foot, armpit, mouth, and anus.

None of the boys stuck with it through all four scents, clever lads.
Next, Thing One and his pal got to enjoy the wonders of reverse peristalsis.It was really a completely lovely day.

I'm either brave... or foolish

Friday, the end of the week, what better way could there be to celebrate than to take 4 little boys to check out Grossology, The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body?
Complete with a burp machine, and a large scale replica of human skin so you can fully appreciate the disgustingness of blisters and scabs, woo hoo, good times!
I can hardly tell you how excited I am about this.
Here is some gross trivia to take you through the weekend, enjoy!

• Seventy out of 100 people admit to picking their nose. Three out of those seventy admit to eating their boogers.
• Thomas Crapper was an Englishman who invented the shut-off for clean water entering the toilet tank in the 1800s. The word "crap" comes from Crapper.
• Your large intestine is about five feet long.
• In a study of people who do not speak English, researchers read a list of words and asked the people to choose which words they thought sounded pretty. Diarrhea was one word that most people chose.
• Fresh urine is cleaner than spit or the skin on your face because healthy pee is not home to bacteria.
• The lineup at men's and women's washrooms vary because of the length of time it takes us to pee: men average 45 seconds; women spend about 79 seconds.
• Every day you make four to eight cups of urine. The amount depends on how hot it is outside, what you eat and how much you drink.
• You make about one quart of saliva each day. Every day about one liter of saliva enters your mouth. If you were a hay-eating cow, it would be about 190 liters every day.
• You swallow about one quart of snot every day.
• Ear wax naturally dries up and forms little balls that drop out when we yawn, chew or swallow. • Ear wax coats the inside of the ear canal to trap any nasty stuff like dirt, dust and bugs that get into your ear. People who live in big cities make more ear wax.
• The skin is the largest organ of the body. You shed skin every day to produce a whole new layer of skin every 28 days.
• About ten billion tiny scales of skin rub off your body every day. In a lifetime, you could fill eight five-pound flour bags with dead skin.
• Your mouth is the most unsanitary part of your whole body. More than 100,000,000 micro-creatures live there at any one time.
• Feet sweat because there are about 250,000 pores on their soles that squirt a quarter cup of liquid each day.
• At birth you have 350 bones in your body. You now have 206 bones. What happened to the rest? They fused to other bones to make larger bones.
• Normal breathing sucks air into the nose at 4 mph (6 kph). A good sensory sniff is 20 mph (32 kph). A sneeze will shoot out of the nose at 100 mph (160 kph).
• Vomiting removes liquid from you body, so it's important that you replace the lost liquid by sipping on water, tea, juice or bouillon.
• Many cultures still use urine to tan leather.
• Your bladder can hold about two cups of urine comfortably.
• Your nostrils take turns inhaling. You breathe through one nostril for three to four hours and then switch to the other one.
• It is better to breathe through your nose than your mouth. Only air going through the nose is cleaned, warmed and moistened before it reaches your lungs.
• Your nose can sense smell best when you are 10 years old. That's probably why kids notice gross smells faster than adults.
• Carrying your skin around can be a lot of work. The average adult's skin weighs about seven pounds (about 3.2 kilograms).

Check it out!

Here is Thing Two performing his amazing ball tossing and catching skills.

You see this?

How amazing is he?!

He also, amid much stress, lost his front tooth this evening,

while eating a donut. Clearly it was time.

Also,

here is a little used talent I have.

Now, the shy and the delicate should turn back.

Beware!

I mean it dammit,

OK, now that it is just us...

there has been a difference of opinion at casa de logophilia.

I once again call on you my bloggy peeps to cast your vote.

Thank you for your assistance.

Isn't it great when families spend quality time together?

Don't they look cute in their matching blue glows?

Makes me want to misquote a poem or something,

such a tender moment.

Meanwhile, Thing Two and I went to my room and read.

We are now fully briefed on the habits of sea turtles and although I cannot conceive of a practical situation in which this would be useful,

I am warning you now, if you take the quiz,

be ready.

Here is it, THE QUIZ

I got some stuff from Susie!!

My Susiji has returned from India and she sent me gifts.
I got some darjeeling tea, which is delicate and delicious. She also sent me a scarf which I am wearing in this picture. The photo is a little dark but trust me, it's gorgeous.
Speaking of tea...
as some of you know, good tea is a thing for me.
I got the mama started on a Rooibos tea kick.
The aged P, female model, tends to encounter new information in only one of two possible ways. It will be dismissed summarily because it does not fit with her pre-existing mindset, or it will be enthusiastically embraced and adhered to as if it were direct revelation from the divine.
The woman was destined to join a cult, its a good thing she didn't move to San Fran in the 60s. Anyway,
she is now a firm believer in the health benefits of red tea and in fact will lecture extensively, without provocation, on the amzing attributes of Rooibos tea. She has even checked to be sure I am providing my children with properly prepared servings of it on a regular basis.
It is simultaneously endearing and annoying.
I knew when I purchased the tea and book for her that this was an inherent risk, but I figured it might be better to have a new thing to obsess on than all the same old stuff again. I was telling the esteemed elder sister that when the mama gets going I sometimes miss parts of what she is saying because the external dialogue is,
"Uh huh...
mmm hmmm...
right...
uh huh."
Meanwhile the internal dialogue goes,
"That is completely nonsensical.
Let it go.
That statement has no relation to reality.
Shhh, just listen, its ok, just listen."

Who knew listening was such hard work?

Oh baby...

I took a little ride this afternoon on Red Molly.
Actually, all four of us went for a ride.
Thing One rode with me, and the little one was with Mr. Logo.
Yeah, that right, the redheads rode Red Molly, seems fitting, right?
It was 40 degrees but felt considerably cooler, especially by the time you add windchill.
BUT, but, ooooooh it was fun.
There is sand on the roads, AGAIN, from our most recent snow and it was still slightly damp in the shady areas, so it was a conservative little trip on some back roads,
but oooooh man it was AWESOME!
I love my new helmet and I love my new bike.
She really has some pick up and of course on a clear dry straightaway I had to open it up a weeeee leeetle bit. Its all part of the break in process you know.
I usually won't ride if the temp is under 50, and for good reason.
It took an hour to defrost at least when we got home.
But there time when you have to do what you have to do.

A little something I like

Serenade in Blue

A meme

Why you may ask? Because I am lazy, and the last post was all about you people, sheesh gimme a break.

Name someone with the same birthday as you.
Ernst Mach,
Toni Morrison,
Yoko Ono,
Vanna White,
John Travolta,
Molly Ringwald
Regina Spektor
Where was your first kiss?
I'm going to have to go with Lime's answer on this one,
On the mouth

Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
No, but I've wanted to.

Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yes, I have, more than once.

Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
I have, I was a choir member.

What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex?
Face; eyes, lips, chin...
Beyond that I'm afraid you're asking for classified information

What is your biggest mistake?
Having proceeded without due caution for the feelings of others

Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Nope, I've always managed to do it really well on accident.

Say something totally random about yourself.
My very first chat pal was a guy from New Zealand. We lost contact when he moved to India. I still think about him and wonder how he is.

Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
I was once told I look like Bette Midler, I think it's just the big hair and big voice.

Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
I have kiddies, of course I do.

Did you have braces?
Nope, it's all natural, baby

Are you comfortable with your height?
Yup, and there are heels for when I want to be a little taller,
but 5'5 is NOT short!

What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you?
For our anniversary several years ago Mr. Logo arranged to have a mini-tape recorder delivered to me in the morning. I wa s directed to an address which turned out to be a massage therapist, after my massage she gave me an envelope directing me to a salon where I received a manicure and pedicure. From there I was pampered in a variety of ways and got a whole new outfit, then met Mr. logo for a lovely meal.
It was spectacular. The man is a romantic genius.

Do you speak any other languages?
I've been moderately fluent at Greek and Italian while living in those countries but at the moment all that remains are a few choice hand gestures.

Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
The esteemed elder sister talked me into that exactly once. What a horrible experience. Being cooked like a hot dog on a glass grill, bleck.

What magazines do you read?
National Geographic
Food and Wine

Have you ever ridden in a limo?
I have, and we made out, it was ok though, we had just gotten married.

Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Yes, and thank you for bringing up such a painful memory. Perhaps you'd like to give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice in it?

Do you watch MTV?
On the rare occasions when they are actually playing some music videos, sometimes

What's something that really annoys you?
Shrill noises, indecisive and inattentive driving, willful ignorance, and the slaughter of the English language by native speakers.

What's something you really like?
Adult activities, reading, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, communing with kindred spirits.

Can you dance?
I do dance, on occasion, the quality of said dancing is not open to critique

What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
All night and the next day, insomnia sucks!

Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
Yes I have. I don't remember a whole lot about it, but that is probably for the best.
Look both ways before crossing, children!!
I was going to add some visuals to add impact to that warning but Blogger is not cooperating.
If you really want to see, check the post out here.

I know the best people ever

Today I thought I would introduce everyone to the folks in my side bar as well as a couple other blogs I visit from time to time and I hope you will take the time to pop over to a couple that sound interesting.

My hijacker pals These people are the reason I started blogging, we all met in Yahoo trivia room.

Limey A hijacker and a kindred spirit who writes a funny and friendly blog.

Susie A hijacker and a face to face friend, her blog is all about the visuals!! Well, mostly.

Snav Another hijacker, a good friend, a dedicated dancer and a poet, and she knows it.

Breazy One more hijacker, a beautiful lady and a beautiful spirit. She has a personal, personable blog.

Ex-Pansi Files A talented violinist, a writer and a teller of terrific tales, Weirsdo is wonderful.

Waking Ambrose The home of Ambrose Bierce and Doug, the cuddly curmudgeon.

Belle of the Brawl Sar is taking a little break to do some important real world stuff but it was a great blog!

Monika The lovely Germanic Icelander who disguises herself as a penguin. She's been busy living and so blogging is not as frequent lately, but still always a good read.

Lily Yesterday she started yoga, yay! (ok, it was a couple days ago, but i liked the Y) She has also threatened to sneak in my house while I'm sleeping and cut my hair.

Monkey Boy Egan is a local who knows almost everything. He loves French, life, and Gatorade. He is getting new windows.

Dog Daze Icy and Tom were one of the my first blogs I just wandered into and thus it is proved that karma can be kind.

Bucky's Beta Mirielle is another local, she is wise, wonderful and witty, plus she knows perfume and the law, watch out!

Casper's Canadian My Canadian twin sister, kyahgirl, she's been rather busy lately between trying to live her life and her mom's health, but I still like to drop in from time to time.

The Grunt The weird, wonderful world of a real genius. He's a sweetie with a zing.

Just Tom A man with a lot to say who has been uncharacteristically quiet lately, give him time.

Cindra A mom and a wife, and a daughter, and a woman of words and wisdom in Oregon, well worth a visit.

Diesel A blatant traffic whore, he actually can write pretty well and is very amusing.

Dan A funny and sweet guy, he is way too excited about the possibility of ending up like Jack Lalanne and wants to move to Sumatra.

G She's from New York and still manages to say things simply. You have to admire that.

Seamus A local, for at least a little bit longer, Seamus has the eye of an artist, the soul of poet and the dog of a Swiss farmer.

Goldennib Nessa has a cool logo, I mean another one, in addition to me, a great outlook on life and a ton of stuff to do.

The amazing TLP The matriarch of the Pez clan. She's witty and wonderful and listens to the radio.

Candace A kickass homeschooling writer who is as strange as I am, almost, and she's tall.

Pants A gal in Cali who has a great name, writes even better but not often enough.

Actonbell One of the Pez people, she has shoes, cats, books but thankfully, no more overtime.

Dorky Dad What can I say, he is a dork. But he is a funny dork.

Scaramouche Jones He's got it all backward, but he's Down Under, so it's ok.

Somewhere Joe A truant with gift for artistic self expression

Gawpo An Oregon man who seems a bit of a logophile himself.

Claire A football fan who reads sci-fi in Cali.

Robin A middle school librarian who has some very unruly cats, but they are cute.

Anita She has some good advice (Say NO to crack) and some stuff to make you laugh.

Professor Fate He borrowes photos, some quotes and occasionally writes something, a nice place to stop by from time to time.

Blither A local transplanted to Vegas, read the blather of a Blitherbean.

Damasta The recently engaged and very happy receptionist in Texas.

Schnoodlepooh Peg and her puppies, a local gal who is a real sweetheart.

Central Snark Where some of my Waking Ambrose friends hang out to play.

Al He's up the Hudson with some questions, historical information with a twist of lime.

Vera A Canadian blogger, she doesn't allow comments, but that's ok, she doesn't need 'em.

Guggs Another Canadian , also on a bit of a break, but a good read when he gets going.

Today is Martin Luther King, jr. Day

Every year I take a moment on this holiday to review the life of Mr. King.
I remember the first time I read his letter from the Birmingham jail. In this letter he specifically addressed religious leaders who were questioning his actions.
Here is a small section:

"We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross-county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you no forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness" then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience."

And then there is the well known, "I have a dream" speech.


Here is the full video of that incredibly eloquent speech. It is a 17 minute long clip, but well worth the time but I have some excerpts below for those who want a Cliffnotes version...

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence,
they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.
Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice...
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.
We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.
Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom....
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."..
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today....
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.When we let freedom ring,
when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet,
from every state and every city,
we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children,
Black men and White men,
Jews and Gentiles,
Protestants and Catholics,
will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,
"Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Let freedom ring.

The horror of it all!

A relatively new blogging acquaintance has leveled an accusation against me, well, sorta.
On the one hand he is a self proclaimed dork, and therefore his claims must be carefully scutinized, on the other hand he is very amusing and that carries some weight with me.
Dorky Dad has accused mini-van drivers of having only two catagories;
insane freaks and total wimps.
I personally don't fit in either of those catagories. Driving in Europe for four years did cause my driving techniques to edge ever so slightly more toward the aggressive side of the scale but I am NOT an insane freak, although I am definitely not a total wimp either. However, I feel there is another group of drivers who should be watched carefully...pick up truck drivers, oh, and Hummer drivers who appear to be compensating for something. I don't care if Arnie (Hallowed be His name) did start that craze. He is Austrian after all, and he's managed to overcome that really well for the most part, but you have to expect a few errors in judgement. Some Hummer drivers don't seem to be completely crazed, but that is not true of them all.

Despite driving a, uh, ahem, car-of-small-van-like-proportions, I will admit I have observed the extremes of which Dorky Dad speaks. However, passing a pick-up truck while, of course, operating my own vehicle in a safe and non-belligerent manner, whether this be in a multi-lane situation in town or on the freeway, brings to light an interesting tendency in pick-up drivers, especially male ones.
They look over and realize they are being passed by a MINI-VAN, oh the horror, and suddenly their manhood is in question. They will immediately quit fondling their radio, their cell phone, their rifle, or their cousin, and stomp on the accelerator, suddenly focusing on driving as if you just issued them a formal challenge and they are competing for a legends of Nascar commemorative plate set.
If a minivan driver happens to be cruising down the center lane (using cruise control set at approximately 5 or so miles over the speed limit) and one of these jokers is in the left lane barely doing the speed limit here are some things to watch for which may indicate you are dealing with a live one;
roll bars,
@$$hole lights (those spotlight things on the roll bar),
rifle rack in rear window,
tires larger than some city-states in Europe,
visible shocks (let's face it, if you can see the shocks on any vehicle, it is probable that the owner is just as jacked up),
whip antenna,
mudflaps with naked chicks, mudflaps with Elmer Fudd or...(ok, lets be honest here, if the you have anything but an 18 wheeler that requires mudflaps, something's just not right),
an NRA bumper sticker (or the presence of more than one bumper sticker of any kind).

If such a driver catches sight of you passing him expect it to be taken as a personal affront.

If by some chance this occurs in a city setting I suggest you take advantage of the next stop light to smile in a friendly manner. If he seems to be expressing unhappiness perhaps you should reassure him that you have only kind intentions by blowing little kisses as you accelerate away from him when the light changes.

I am visiting my family and

my parents only have dial up, and my dad refuses to download the IE updates.
I was online briefly last night but had visibly aged by the time I got into my email, never mind trying to load anything off Blogger. At the moment I have stolen my sister's laptop and and getting my fix as best I can.
I love you all deeply, and will be to your blogs soon, because, come on, we all know at this point I am addicted but
at the moment I am hanging out with my mommy who just had a mastectomy and is looking at a year of chemo.
Thanks to you who have emailed, called, IMed and snail mailed sympathy and good will. It means alot.

The sun ain't gonna shine anymore...

This is snow where it beongs,
in the mountains.












This is snow where it doesn't belong,
in my YARD!

I'm done now, thanks,
no more for me,
no, really,
THAT WILL DO!

They also serve...

Places I spent more than 5 minutes waiting in line yesterday:
1. The pharmacy (drop off prescription) I didn't see this coming, aaaaaw, look at the sweet old man who can't decide which brand of rubber gloves he needs and the nice clerk taking her time with him. Isn't that precious?
2. The library (pick up books on hold) Why is there a line this long at the library for goodness sake?
3. The post office (mail Lime and Snav the Christmas presents I bought them over a month ago, I hate to rush into things without time to give it the proper consideration and I THOUGHT I would be missing the lines that snake clear out the lobby to the front door, wrong again!!)
4. The dollar store, IT'S THE DOLLAR STORE PEOPLE, why are there that many of you buying THAT much crap at the dollar store?!?! (I picked up water bottles, snack cracker packets, necessities of life for car trips, and a toy Thing One desperately needed, a wooden snake)
5. The grocery store, ok, that's it, I am officially annoyed, why, why do they have self check lanes if they are not going to be open?? You people with too many items in the express lanes should be killed and if you don't know which phone number your discount card is attached to, GO GET ANOTHER ONE and quit holding up the line!!!
6. The main stop light in town, are you fricking kidding me?? Why in bloody blue blazes is there this much traffic? Green means GOOOOO!
7. The pharmacy (pick up script) Take Two, is there a hidden camera somewhere? Is this an elaborate joke??Its a teeny pharmacy, there are pharmacies all over, how can ALL of you possibly be in line here?? OK, fine, whatever.
"Stop touching, stop it, do you want to go back to the car? Then stop it, straighten up. Stop harrassing your brother. Stop THAT!! Have you two lost your minds? Am I taking crazy pills? Go, go now, back to the car, buckle in and don't even look at each other. No breathing, you hear me? Go." (wait wait wait)
"Well of course you have to confirm with my doctor, that only makes sense, no, its fine, I'd absolutely love to come back tomorrow and wait in line a third time. Nothing would give me a greater sense of fulfillment, ta ta now, have a truly lovely evening, thanks, and may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits."
Time spent- two and a half hours.
Accomplishments- 30 minutes worth of errands
Stray things I thought about to distract myself -
1. Cultural differerences in line waiting; Americans tend to not look at each other or talk much, stand at a distance of a couple feet and rarely attend to cut a line. The esteemed elder sister and I were discussing this not too long ago and how Americans in line appear to just be standing around to people from some cultures because of the enormous gaps we leave.
2. People really ought to comb their hair before going out into public. Now, I know some of us have hair that just tends toward disorder, but some people are just not bothering at all. In case any of those people were wondering, Yes, we can tell.
3. Smokers stink, well, at any rate the one behind me in line did, peeee yoooo
4. People on cell phones in public spaces should use their "inside voice."
5. People who don't pull over for ambulances should be flogged, at minimum
6. Fat girls should avoid short shirts, especially in January when there is no possible excuse for them. The muffin top effect is not pretty, and really, a sweater would be appropriate in this weather. Why, why would you do that? Is it confidence? lack of self awareness? Could you actually be unaware that rolls of excess flesh are sticking out? Does it not bother you? You are covered in goosebumps, why are you not wearing more clothes? Did you have a house fire and all you saved was your summer wardrobe? What possibly made you think this was a good idea, oh dear gawd, please don't bend over like that, oh dear. Why, why?!"
7. Just for fun, sometimes I mispronounce words. Its entertaining to watch people as they try to decide if they should correct me, for example.
Queue; I like to say it "quoo" or "kee-oo-ee" The inane giggling doesn't help convince people you know how to say it correctly.

I've mostly recovered now though, which is good because I have to go BACK to the pharmacy today.

I believe that children are our future,

teach them well and let them lead the way.
Show them all the beauty they possess inside.
Alternately,
go with the B.F. Skinner method.
Stick em in a box, in a cardboard box.
As we all know, that is better for their development. Right?

When our new computer arrived and was unpacked the Things, of course, decided the box was the best part of the whole deal. Thing Two immediately set up residence in the box, with a blanket and pillow, and his older brother obligingly closed him up in it.
Isn't that fun?

They thought so, and it gave me some uninterupted time to start fiddling with my new toy.

Yay!

our adventure!

OK, the Dead Sea Scrolls. We had a great morning. The Things helped me put away all the Christmas stuff and we got the house all tidy and then we set out. Just as we arrived in Seattle it started to hail. It didn't hit till we were just around the corner from the Science Center, so that was handy. The Things and I had about 2 hours to kill before our entrance time to the Dead Sea Scrolls so we enjoyed some of the other exhibits and went to the planetarium. Thing Two was preparing for pouty mode till we got in and seated and he realized how cool it really was. I LOVE the planetarium and we got some up-to-date star maps, bousest!
So we queued up for the exhibition after an enforced potty break. After being repeatedly questioned as to whether we had left our cameras, edged weapons, incendiary devices, and fire arms at home we got audio tour thingees and waited some more. While we were inching forward feeling like cattle we realized one of the audiotour deals was dead so I had to wade through all the people BACK to the counter at the beginning,
"Scuse me, ma'am, pardon me, excuse me, could I just..., thanks, pardon me, thanks , scuse me, pardon me." Then they gave me a fully charged one and I got to push and shove BACK through the serpentine to where my children were discovering the wonders of the "Family guide audio tour." They did a great job of covering the information in an interesting way for kids without dumbing it down toooo much. They started off learning about Israel, Essenes and this dude.

The nice man on the right, with the wildass mustache, was the discoverer of the scrolls when he was a young man chasing a goat. In the time honored method of young men everywhere, he was attempting to get the creature to return to him...by throwing rocks at it. While incredibly ineffective at coaxing animals, it was just what the Dead Sea Scrolls needed to reveal themselves to an amazed world. This is where the scrolls were discovered, in caves near the ancient Essene settlement of Qumran.

There was alot of information about the area of the Dead Sea, the art and science of reconstructing and preserving the scrolls, how they determined their age, and how accurate that dating was, even before carbon 14 testing came along. The Things got to try assembling documents in a hands-on display area and they got to try piecing a fragmented pottery jar together as well. There were displays of detritus unearthed in Qumran; sandals, pots, baskets, coins, lamps, rope, bit of cloth, and pottery cups and bowls. After weaving our way through all that we finally arrived at...
some replicas of the dead sea scrolls, brightly lit for observational purposes. The replicas were interesting in their way but we were ready to head up the ramp to the real deal.
The actual scrolls were only allowed to be subjected to 24 hours of light during their entire visit to Seattle. They were kept in a very dimly lit area, temperature controlled, and after 30 seconds of light exposure, the cases went dark for about 10 seconds. After the 10 scroll displays leave here, they will fly business class back to Israel (kosher meal, please) on separate planes where they will go into a darkened vault and will remain there, with no light exposure, for at least one year.
There were ten examples of the documents, 4 of which had never been displayed to the public before. Most of them were very fagmented, like the examples shown here. But there was one very wide, almost complete scroll (missing only the bottom bit) of Psalm 119. There were six scroll displays of Torah writings, and an excerpt of The Book of War, a pseudo-Hezekiah, a commentary on a Torah book, Isaiah I think, and also a scroll that detailed community rules of the Essenes.
It was amazing. The Things were fascinated and incredibly well behaved, and it was wonderful. The fact that we could stand there, looking at the writing of humans from about two thousand years ago, awe does not begin to describe the wonder.

Here are the thoughts of the Things:
Thing Two~ " What I thought was really cool was the audioguide, it was like a cell phone and a remote combined. There were two people talking about the Dead Sea Scrolls and it was really very interesting."
Thing One~ "Overall, it was exactly what I expected. A bunch of of boring scrolls telling us about our past. The audioguide told me more than I already knew about the Dead Sea Scrolls, and it got me thinking about how they lived and spoke and communicated. It helped me understand they were not that much different than people today, they were human, just like we are. Maybe future generations will find evidence of us and that we lived and died and we are not that different than they are."

Today I am going to see...

The Dead Sea Scrolls.
Based on the level of enthusiasm displayed by Thing One and Thing Two when I have taken them to see any number of other fascinating historical and cultural heritage treasures I halfway expect them to be done after about 20 minutes.

"Yeah, mom, we get it, he painted the freaking ceiling, can we go now?"
"Do you have to read every single one of the little markers?? Its a big rock with lots of little writing!"
Oh man, do we have to go THERE again?!"

Oh man, do we have to go THERE again?!

So it is with some trepidation that I venture forth with my young on this experience of a lifetime. There are no bathrooms in the exhibition. There is no re-entry. If Mr.Teaspoon Bladder (Thing Two) decided he can't wait - THAT'S IT, FOLKS! I am STILL a hostage to my children's urinary tracts at ages 10 and 7!! That is so wrong.

As to the scrolls themselves, I am excited to go see them. When Da Vinci's notebook was at the SAM (in '97, I think) I went to see it and the experience of standing there deciphering some of the notes and looking at his artwork, it was awe-inspiring. At museums in Europe I could never stop being amazed at how old everything was, and I sincerely hope the beauty and genius humanity is capable of generating never ceases to impress and astound me. I find myself fascinated by the fact that with very little variation the children of Israel have been copying out and teaching the same texts for thousands of years. In addition to fabulous food the Jewish culture is also a very strong contender in the catagory of legacy. Anyway, I'm going to go ooo and aaaah over the scrolls, and those kids so much as roll their eyes, so help me G-d, Imma send 'em to do investigatve research into the afterlife.

2006 in review

The much done and always repetitive New Year's MEME, please do enjoy.

12 MONTHS OF QUESTIONS


JANUARY

1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?
As I've already mentioned, I always resolve not to smoke and I did it, I made it, wooo hooo!

2. Who kissed you at midnight?
January 1st of 2006 marked a momentous occasion. Mr. Logo stayed awake past midnight and I got my New Year's kiss from him, wooo hooo!

3. Does it snow where you live?
We had very little snow last year, for which I am glad. Snow belongs in the mountains so that one may ski upon it, not on the roadway where one will skid upon it.

4. Do you like hot chocolate?
I usually prefer tea or coffee, but sometimes hot chocolate is just right.

5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?
Nope, and really have no desire to go. Although, maybe if you were in a nice hotel room with a view that would be ok.


FEBRUARY

1. Who was your Valentine?
Mr. Logo but of course

2. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your class?
I do believe so.

3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
Nope


MARCH

1. Are you Irish?
Not so much

2. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day?
I do, and my Irish bracele

t3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day?
Drank a Guiness and mocked Grunty for eating corned beef and cabbage

4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
Oh yeah


APRIL

1. Do you like the rain?
I usually do, but the 28 straight days featured in the winter of 2006 was NOT my thing.

2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year?
Nope

3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter?
Nah, I am not a big fan of the candy overload.


MAY

1. What's your favorite kind of flower?
Those really pretty ones, with the petals that are kinda (insert hand gesture here [NOT that one, you perv]) shaped like that.

2. Do you like the spring?
Other than the allergy issues I'm quite fond of it.

3. Finish the phrase "April showers":
on days when she doesn't bathe.

4. What is the first color you think of when you think of Spring?
Green


JUNE

1. What year did/will you graduate from high school?
1989

2. Did you realize nothing special happens in June?Nuh uh! There is Flag Day and Father's Day, and birthdays and the Summer Solstice!


JULY

1. What did you do on the Fourth of July?
Painted, and welcomed Mr. Logo and Thing One home from a trip

2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?
Nope

3. Do you blast the A/C all day?
Nope. Are you kidding? I live in western Washington!A/C, we don't need no steenking A/C, cept in the car.


AUGUST

1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer?
Nope

2. What was your favorite summer memory?
Hanging out with my Susie Q and the Village Idiot in Seattle was so much fun, and there was the motorcycle riding, and the painting (which I actually do enjoy) and the going to the beach and all that.

3. Did you have a sunburn?
Nope, SPF 65 applied hourly and lots of shade seeking

4. Do you go to the beach a lot?
Yup, we live about 5 minutes away and its a great place to play.


SEPTEMBER

1. Did you attend school/college in '06?
Nope

2. Who is/was your favorite teacher?
Professor LaBombard, in additon to having a fabulous name he was an interesting and open minded instructor.

3. Do you like fall better than summer?
I do actually, yes


OCTOBER

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume?
The year I dressed up as a tiger. A friend had an awesome suit, so I borrowed it and my sis did the make up. Oh, or the year I was a geisha, that was good too.

2. Did you trick or treat or go to a party??
Parteh

3.Did you dress up? If so, as what?
Nope, not this year, this year I went as a fed-up parent, very convincing


NOVEMBER

1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving was here, and it was lovely

2. Do you love stuffing?
Well, that would be a qualified yes. My grandfather insists on bringing oyster dressing, ACK!

3. What are you thankful for?
Family and friends most of all


DECEMBER

1. Do you celebrate Christmas?
Yes

2. If not, what do you celebrate?
I also celebrate the Winter Solstice, Festivus, and Boxing Day

3. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?
Yup
4. Get anything special last year?
Oh yeah!

5. What do you want this year?
World peace

6. Do you like cold weather?
As long as I am properly dressed for it I like it for short periods of time

The power is flickering again...

if we could stop already with the wind and the snow and the rain and whatnot, yeah, that would be great.
Ok, thanks.

In other news, we ended up with over $700 toward the Heifer Project and my mom is recovering from her surgery pretty well, although her blood pressure is way too high and not responding well to meds, so that is an ongoing concern.