Question of the Day

Do Pentecostal fundamentalist snake handlers speak Parseltongue?

Thank Goodness!

Mickey Rooney turned down the role of Archie Bunker in the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. The former child star was convinced that the show would bomb, and he wasn’t willing to jeopardize his professional reputation, although his film career had been on the skids for years. Little-known character actor Carroll O’Connor won the role as a result.

Poet and Trendsetter

In 1840, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow became the first American to have plumbing installed in his house.

And do you know why he grew a beard?

Hmmmm

It's a wonder I have any friends at all.  Guess some people like smartasses. 

More Gilligan Trivia

The character of the Professor on Gilligan’s Island was named Roy Hinkley. The Skipper was named Jonas Grumby. Both names were used only once in the entire series, on the first episode.

Global Warming as Birth Control

So much for hot sex. A recent study purports there are fewer births nine months after a heat wave. It found that an increase of about 21.600 Fahrenheit in summer temperatures reduces births the following spring by up to 6 percent. Researchers at the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research concluded that high temperatures could reduce people’s sense of well-being, which could result in a reduction in sexual interest. Another study found lower sperm counts and higher rates of miscarriage during hot weather.

We Know!

Oh Gross!

Next suggestion?

Crushed cockroaches can be applied to a stinging wound to help relieve the pain.

And now this ... yuck!!

Cockroaches have quite a capacity for survival. If the head of one is removed carefully, so as to prevent it from bleeding to death, the cockroach can survive for several weeks. When it dies, it is from starvation.

Sorry.  At least I didn't post any pictures. 

Monkey Brain Trivia

The squirrel monkey’s brain accounts for roughly 5 percent of its body weight, the largest percentage of any animal. The human brain, by comparison, makes up about 2.3 percent of body weight.

Don't Drink the Milk!

Got paint thinner? In most TV milk commercials, a mixture of white paint with a little thinner is used instead of milk.

Trivia That Applies to Me

Poliosis (from the Greek word polios, meaning "gray" is the graying of the hair. It’s caused when pigment cells stop producing melanin.

Addiction

I have friends I wish could have found help.  I learned when I went to Al-Anon that you can't do it for them or love them into it.  I don't know what makes some people find what it takes to overcome addition, while others don't.  It's hard to do and hell for everyone involved - also heartbreaking.  

From Russell Brand's Blog  HERE.  

When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.

Frustratingly it’s not a call you can ever make it must be received. It is impossible to intervene.

Addiction is a serious disease; it will end with jail, mental institutions or death. I was 27 years old when through the friendship and help of Chip Somers of the treatment centre, Focus12 I found recovery, through Focus I was introduced to support fellowships for alcoholics and drug addicts which are very easy to find and open to anybody with a desire to stop drinking and without which I would not be alive.

Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy’s incredible talent. Or Kurt’s or Jimi’s or Janis’s, some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation. It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn’t even make economic sense. Not all of us know someone with the incredible talent that Amy had but we all know drunks and junkies and they all need help and the help is out there. All they have to do is pick up the phone and make the call. Or not. Either way, there will be a phone call.

Well ...

Because of a football’s resemblance to an olive, albeit a very large one, the Chinese often call the American game of football "olive ball."

27 Club

One of Nutwood Beth's commenters on FB, pointed out a 27 Club that lists celebrities who died at 27.  I didn't realize Kurt Cobain was 27 when he died.  In addition to the ones I listed in my post about Amy Winehouse are Brian Jones and Jean-Michel Basquiat. 

List HERE. 

Amy Winehouse RIP

It finally happened just like we were afraid it would.  Amy Winehouse died at 27, the same age Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison were when they OD'd.  There are too many talented performers who left too soon because of excesses and abuse.  A few are John Belushi, Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Chris Farley, River Phoenix, and the sad list goes on. I feel so sad for her family.  It's parents' worst nightmare to outlive their children.

This is an excerpt from an article in The Telegraph about Amy Winehouse's life and death.

Amy Winehouse: 1983-2011

Amy Winehouse, who has died aged 27, ticked all the right boxes for a self-destructive wild child of pop, having bags of “attitude”, a drink and drugs problem and a no-good man; yet underneath the ratty beehive hair-do, oversized plastic earrings, kohl-encrusted eyes and tattoo-covered arms, she was also an addictive and engaging performer with a natural deep voice who sang with a jazzy, passionate energy.

Pathetically, Amy Winehouse’s hopes for her life with Blake Fielder-Civil seemed touchingly conventional and domestic. “I’ve always been a little homemaker,” she told an interviewer. “I know I’m talented, but I wasn’t put here to sing. I was put here to be a wife and a mum and to look after my family. I love what I do, but it’s not where it begins and ends.”

In late 2007 Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch was reported to have taken the precaution of writing her obituary, fearful that the end could not be far away.

Job Security

According to the official rules of baseball, no umpire may be replaced during a game unless he is injured or becomes ill. He may also be replaced if he drops dead.

Acid Trivia

The digestive juices of crocodiles contain so much hydrochloric acid that they have actually dissolved iron spearheads and 6-inch steel hooks they have swallowed. Yet crocs don’t take Rolaids, as far as we know.

So I'm wondering ... is this an effective way to dispose of scrap metal?  Also wonder if they've analyzed the poop of crocodiles.  At any rate, we must never go near one!!!

Uh Oh

Enjoy those reruns of Gilligan’s Island? Your brain is actually more active while you are sleeping than it is while you are watching TV.

Superflea Trivia

If humans could jump like fleas, they’d be able to leap over a 100-story building in a single bound.

Olympic City Trivia

Cleveland Stadium was built for what became a failed attempt by the city to host the 1932 Olympic Games. Of the 192 countries on Earth, 3 of them, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Vatican City, have no National Olympic Committees.

Beatles Trivia

"Long Tall Sally" was the last song played by the Beatles during their last scheduled concert, which took place at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29, 1966.

Worth Watching!

Dirt Devil-The Exorcist from MrPrice2U on Vimeo.

Hair Trivia

Natural blonds have more hairs on their heads than redheads or any shade of brunette. A blond has about 120,000 strands of hair, while a redhead has about 30 percent fewer strands about 80,000. Brunettes are somewhere in between the two.

Weirdo Trivia

Goodfellows Insurance outfit in London capitalizes on many people’s weird mental states. Among the most requested policies are the "Alien All Risks" package, which offers $1.7 million coverage for just $400 dollar a year, should someone be abducted or impregnated by something not of this Earth. To date, 40,000 people have paid for this sense of security. Back in 1999, the ingenious company sold 15,000 women, terrified that they might unwillingly be forced to give birth to the messiah, immaculate contraception protection.

Jockey Trivia

On February 22, 1989, Barbara Jo Rubin became the first female jockey to win a horse race. She rode Cohesian to victory at Charlestown Racetrack in West Virginia. The first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby was Diane Crump on May 2, 1970.

This and a Gay Husband for Crazy Eyes!

Strabismus is the condition of a person’s eyes going in different directions.

Oh?

Hawaii is moving toward Japan 4 inches every year. 

I thought islands in the ocean were tops of mountains. No?

So That's How They Do It!

Marine mammals such as dolphins and whales manage to sleep without drowning, because only half their brain sleeps, while the other half stays awake and handles the breathing and swimming chores. The two hemispheres of their brains work totally independently. For 8 hours, the entire brain is awake. The left side then sleeps for 8 hours. When it wakes up, the right side sleeps for 8 hours. Thus, the marine mammals get 8 hours of sleep without ever having to stop physically.

Fossil Trivia

Shark fossil records date back more than twice as far as those of the dinosaurs.

We're Like Snowflakes

Men can have 8 million genetically different sperm, and women a like number of egg types. Together they can produce 64 billion children with no genetic duplicates.

Trivia

And should you find this all very amusing, be thankful that you don’t have cherophobia, which is the obsessive dread of laughing to death. Isn’t it obvious by now? Your study of human psychology has been woefully lacking, a serious condition that we intend to remedy with the following useless course study.

B&B Trivia

In October 1993, Beavis and Butt-head, MTV’s animated top-rated series, was attacked for allegedly inspiring a 5-year-old child to start a fatal fire. In response, MTV agreed to run the controversial show in a later time spot, and the writers agreed that in the future they would not use references to fires.

Knitting

Here's what I knitted for Mother for her birthday tomorrow. This is the first garment I've made, and it took a long time since I'm a social knitter and only worked on it at Yarn Frenzy.  I'd knitted scarves and hats, and finished a couple of scarves during this cardigan even though I'm usually a monogamous knitter.  This required measuring and math and fitting!  That was a first for me. 

My next project is a ruana for myself. Who besides Maddie knows what that is? I just learned it but am slow about some things.

Na-No Na-No

In the Mork and Mindy series, the capital city of Mork’s home planet, Ork, was Kork.

Free at Last!

Our last class during the summer session was Tuesday!  Tina now has the 18 hours she needs of graduate English classes to teach the dual enrollment course at the high school where she teaches, which means I have audited those graduate classes as well.  I'd wanted to do that since state universities and colleges allow people 60+ to audit classes free.  Since she was required to take them and the district paid for them (which means she owes them so many years of teaching here because of it), it seemed like a good time to do it.  She has epilepsy and has seizures when she hasn't had enough sleep and is really tired and when she gets overheated.  After teaching all day and being tired, she didn't need to drive almost an hour both ways since the classes were from 4:30 - 7:30 twice a week since we took two classes a semester.  I was her designated driver/rider.  Sometimes we went out to eat in Clarksville before we drove back to Dickson.

This summer class was from 9:40 - 11:30 EVERY DAY.  That was a big change from my retirement schedule the last six years.  First of all, I've been staying up late until 1:00 or 2:00 or later and getting up around 9:00 or 10:00.  I also got out of the habit of having to be somewhere every day and definitely not every morning.  I took a nap almost every afternoon.

Since these were graduate English classes, there was a lot of reading.  During the last year, I've bought and read about fifteen novels, three books of essays, and assignments from an anthology of American Literature.  In the creative nonfiction writing class, we wrote many essays and learned a lot about each other when we workshopped them.  There were fourteen in the class, so we made copies for all the students and the instructor the week before we discussed them.  We read those papers and wrote comments on them.  Then they were discussed in class.  Now you know why you haven't heard from me as often!

It's all been a lot of work, but I've enjoyed it.  Two of the professors I loved and would like to audit again sometime.  One not so much.  It was fun being around students of all ages (some young enough to be my grandchildren) and learning for the pleasure of it instead of having the pressure of tests, papers, and tests.  I'm thankful for the ones teaching the classes who allowed me to audit.  It's their decision.  The head of the department gave me permission as long as it was OK with them.  It was for all of them but one.  I still went there with Tina and sat out in the art gallery in the building where the English classes are taught and read, played with my phone, and knitted.  

I met some neat people I'm in touch with on Facebook now, including the professor from this summer.  She and I agree politically and about all kinds of things.  So now it's over.  I'm relieved even though I might do it again eventually since there are some more classes I would like to take - Faulkner, Southern writers, technical writing, African American Lit, postmodern lit, and some history, sociology, and cultural anthropology courses.  There are some courses in the Criminal Justice Department such as Constitutional Law, International Law, and some courses on terrorism and gangs that sound interesting, too.  We'll see.

Ironic Condom Trivia

The exalted pharaoh Ramses II fathered over 160 kids. To immortalize this achievement, the Ramses brand of condoms bears his name.

It's Own?

Within a lifetime, a crocodile can go through 2,000 to 3,000 teeth.

Ovation

Somehow I got caught up in all these shows on Ovation about Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, Chrissie Hynde, and the Newport Folk Festival.  It reminded me of how much music reminds us of places we've been, people we knew, and experiences we had.  Certain songs trigger various memories.  Some I can mention; some I won't.  I guess it's sort of like having a sound track to part of our lives.  What song represents your life?  "Both Sides Now" is mine.  Lyrics HERE.  Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded it. This is a 1970 performance.  In more recent years, she sings it with the maturity and emotion you'd expect.  It's more jazz than folk now, too. 

NPR

Correction:  The "Wait Wait" show we saw Thursday night is on this weekend.  It was on today and will be aired again tomorrow.  Check your local times and listings!  You'll be glad you did!

They edited the funniest line, though.  "When using the Gilligan's Island comparison, Michelle Bachman is Mary Ann and Sarah Palin is Gilligan."  (They stopped there and didn't use this line which was my favorite.)  "Of course, for Sarah Palin it would be an hour and a half cruise." 

Wait Wait!

Went to see a taping of "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" at TPAC last night.  It was so much fun!  I got tickets for the show and the VIP reception as a gift for my donation to our local NPR station.  The seats were perfect!  I always wondered how people got those good seats, and last night I was one of those people!  It was so neat to see Carl Kasell standing there announcing in that wonderful voice of his!  Then Peter Sagal was hilarious as usual.  So many funny things!  The panelists were Roy Blount, Jr,, Kyrie O'Conner, and Adam Felber (writer for the Bill Maher show on HBO and professional comedian).  Vince Gill played "Not My Job" and was down-to-earth and funny.

This show will be on weekend after next since this one is a holiday and will have clips from past shows.  You can also listen to podcasts free on iTunes.  So if you are not a regular listener, be sure to listen to the one we saw last night on the weekend of the 8th and 9th.  Check your local listings!

You can read about it HERE and listen to the entire show or to Bill Clinton when he was on last weekend.  That was quite entertaining! 

Here's a video of how they put the show together and a Chicago show.

Jumping Trivia

No high jumper has ever been able to stay off the ground for more than one second.

Yikes!

The historic notebooks in which Marie and Pierre Curie recorded their experiments on radium, nearly a century ago, are still radioactive.

NASA Trivia

The famed U.S. Geological Survey astronomer, Dr. Shoemaker, wanted to be an astronaut but was rejected because of a medical problem. But after he died, his ashes were placed on board the Lunar Prospector spacecraft before NASA crashed the probe into a crater on July 31, 1999, to find out if there’s water on the Moon.  Yes folks, your tax dollars at work!

Trivia

Our team The Bell Jars had three tie-breakers with the Misfits for first place at Las Fajitas tonight! We won! Thanks to Hope for onion! And to Brian for the Vatican! We have a good team, all of whom contributed brilliant answers! Paige, Tina, Sue, Carl, Hope, Brian, and Brendan! We have so much fun!! 

Cool

Roger Bannister was the first man to break the 4-minute mile; however, he did not break the 4-minute mile in an actual race. On May 6, 1954, he ran 3:59.4, while being carefully paced by other runners. Bannister’s quarter-mile splits were 57.5 seconds, 60.7, 62.3, and 58.9. But 23 days after Bannister had run the most famous mile of all time, fellow Briton Diane Leather became the first woman to break 5 minutes with a time of 4:59.6 in Birmingham, England, on May 29, 1954. In the 40-plus years since the two British runners broke these significant marks, women’s times have improved by a far higher percentage than men’s.

Hall of Fame

Pop duo Ike and Tina Turner have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Sonny and Cher have not.

Pop duo Ike and Tina? POP? Who wrote this? It's no surprise to me that Tina would be in there before Sonny & Cher.  OK, Ike, too. 

Collective Nouns

A shrewdness of apes
A troop of baboons
A shoal of bass
A sleuth or sloth of bears
A sounder of boars
An army of caterpillars
A clowder or clutter of cats
A brood or peep of chickens
A clutch or chattering of chicks

Checking In

I'll get back to blogging eventually.  Had a lot on my mind but not much to say.  I've been reading yours when I can.  See you soon!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!  I still miss mine, and it's been over 30 years since he died too young at 56.  He was a wonderful father, and I'm glad he was mine!

Weekend II

It's very interactive around here!  Playing, reading, joking, and all that!  How are your weekends?

Weekend

The weekend is going pretty well with Little Bossy Pants.  It's always a challenge!  I never know what to expect next.  We watched Sam's video and couldn't understand what anyone was saying.  Brendan said it needed subtitles.  We have been to Mother's a while yesterday and today, and then all of us went to Las Fajitas for dinner.  That's where we play Trivia on Tuesday nights.  Paige and I have gone the last four weeks.  Her daughter Virginia was with us the first week.  (3rd place)  Then Carl joined us the next time with just the three of us.  (3rd place again)  Week before last we were joined by my brother Butch, his son Andy, his nephew and my former student Jay, and Tina.  (2nd place) Then last week it was just Paige, Carl, Tina and me.  We sucked that time.  Depends on the questions.  It's so much fun, and we're getting to know other groups.  Brian, Melissa, and Brendan are planning to join us when they can.  Either all three or the two guys.

Brendan will be here until Monday morning. Brian is going to meet us in Clarksville at APSU where Tina and I are taking our class.  I'll have a nice, long nap Monday afternoon!  :-)

Thugboat

Just so you know, underneath that funny, sweet exterior of Tug's lurks a meanie.  Around 11 pm just as I was going to bed, I texted him with what I thought was a funny addition to the napping bunny controversy.  Then he proceeded to text this horror story with graphic details about a sadistic neighbor he'd had even though I told him I didn't want to hear it.  He was relentless adding gross and horrifying details anyway.  Don't ask!  I promise you don't want to know it!  Now it's etched in my mind, and I can't get to sleep.  I'm already tired from not getting enough sleep since I have to get up early for class EVERY DAY and thought I'd get to sleep earlier than usual tonight!  Well, that's not happening.  He is so mean!!!  So here are some cute kitties to get the message across.  And I'm telling on him!!  

It's helped to vent.  I still love him anyway even though this won't make this upcoming weekend with my grandson Little Bossy Pants any easier.  Boo!! Hiss!!

Draggy Dust Bunny

I don't have much to say lately.  Still adjusting to getting up earlier and then I join in the discussion in class.  When I get home, I need a nap.  Maybe participating in the Fluffy Bunny Good Days Project will bring me energy and much more.  Let's hope.

He looks dead. Napping, I hope.

I'm getting freaked out about this rabbit because I think he might really be dead. OMG! I hope not!  Leave it to me to think he's just pining for the fjords in "Norwegia" like the parrot.

Didn't Realize This

Dogs that do not tolerate small children well are the St. Bernard, the Old English sheepdog, the Alaskan malamute, the bull terrier, and the toy poodle. So now you know what to get your obnoxious nephew as a pet.

Fairy Name

My fairy name is Bindweed Rainbowshimmer

She brings good fortune.
She lives at the bottom of tangled gardens and in hedgerows.
She can only be seen when the first flowers begin to blossom.
She wears tangled multicoloured skirts made of petals and has multicoloured wings like a butterfly.

Get your own fairy names from The Fairy Name Generator!

My Unicorn Name

My unicorn name is Snapdragon Pretty Lady
Snapdragon is kind and caring.
She is as pretty as a picture,
and she changes the weather.
Get your own unicorn names from The Unicorn Name Generator!

Google

How many of you played with the guitar you can play on Google in honor of Les Paul's 96th birthday?

Books

I've been reading The Help on my iPhone and have to say again how much I love that phone!!!  I read Jackie's blog post about it HERE and decided to try reading it on the phone.  Great experience so far.  I grew up in the segregated South and remember the separate restrooms, drinking fountains, waiting rooms, and lives.  I also remember when things changed and schools were integrated and transitions made.  I can't put this book down.  Even though it was written by a white woman, she seems to have captured the essence of the experience.  I haven't finished it yet but am basing that on what Jackie wrote.  What to me might seem accurate might not to someone non-white who lived through it.  Empathy can go pretty far but is no substitute for the reality of experience.  Unless someone went through it, too, I don't think anyone really knows what it was like to be pregnant and unmarried in 1963 when the best of all available bad choices was to give my baby away.  So I don't presume to know how it is to be discriminated against for being gay, black, etc, but do sincerely empathize. 

Prez Trivia

Not until Herbert Hoover became U.S. president in 1929 did the U.S. chief executive have a private telephone in his office. The booth in a White House hallway had served as the president’s private phone before one was installed in the Oval Office.

Let the Complaining Begin! (or Summer)

Mid-90's all week.  And this is just the beginning of summer!  No spring. We went from winter to summer. I'm having my own bitchfest!

Hot

After some cool weather, it's in the low 90's already.  Hope this summer won't be as hot as last year.  Tina's in Austin, TX, visiting her son.  Her other son and his girlfriend went, too.  Matt has been living there about a year and said his rear view mirror melted off his windshield last summer.  Wow!  I would expect that in Tucson or Phoenix since I've heard stories but didn't know this happened in Austin, too. 

I heard in Alaska, vehicles have to be plugged into places around there to keep running when someone goes to a store or whatever. As for here, mostly it feels like being in a hot terrarium when we go outside in the summer because of the heat and humidity.  Low humidity is the secret of happiness to me! 

Got stories anyone about hot or cold experiences? 

Please Read This

Jackie just wrote something I hope all of you will read.  It's in response to her reading The Help.  I haven't read it yet but plan to.  Have any of you read it? 

She wrote it on our collaborative blog Observations from the Knee-Deep South HERE.  An excerpt is below.  I really like what she wrote about history and the past.  Please comment if you feel inspired.  Thanks!

I don't know if anyone else has read the novel The Help which has recently been made into a movie. It's written by a White southern woman but told largely from the point of view of two Black maids. It's set in Jackson, Mississippi in the sixties right in the middle of the civil rights struggle.

When I teach the fourth graders at our school about the first Thanksgiving I start by introducing the Social Studies theme for the year. I tell them that we are going to be history detectives and work on various cases. To start, I define the difference between history and the past. The past, I tell them, is what actually happened, and history is how we talk about what happens. The past is always the same, but history changes across tellers and time.

Techno Trivia

It was recently reported that the technology contained in a single Game Boy unit in 2000 exceeded all the computer power that was used to put the first man on the Moon.

Apex Interview with Melissa

Apex Magazine has an interview with my talented daughter-in-law Melissa HERE. Check it out, especially you science fiction/fantasy fans.  She always creates the posters for Hypericon, which is in Nashville.  Brian is one of the organizers of it. 

Hypericon 2011 Poster

Wonderful Day!

Tug, Bill, and I met at the Log Cabin for a late lunch.  It's in Hurricane Mills where Loretta Lynn's ranch and museum are.  I've never been to them but guess I should go sometime.  Funny how we don't go to places nearby.  I've never been to the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's house) either.  I have been to the Grand Ole Opry a few times, though.  Anyway, I'd heard about the Log Cabin from a friend and suggested we meet there instead of somewhere around here.  It's about 35 miles from where I live and a pretty drive, which was worth it for the company if nothing else; however, the food was country cooking from scratch and really good.

There's my car back there behind Tug's truck.

We laughed and talked and had a great time!  This is the third time Tug/Sam and I have gotten together when he passed through but the first time I'd met Bill in person.  I felt like I knew him already.  Btw, Max is HUGE for four months old and so well-behaved and sweet, especially for a puppy.  She's adorable.

Tonight my friends Paige and her daughter Virginia met at Las Fajitas for dinner and a trivia game.  We came in third and would have won if we'd bet some points on that last question.  Paige knew who the Secretary General of the UN is.  Virginia and I had no clue.  We discussed it, and Paige wasn't sure enough to bet the whole 20 points on it, so we didn't bet any points.  Only one other team and Paige got it right.  We'll go with Paige's answers next time.  She did this on a couple of others, too.  Anyway, we are happy with our 3rd place win and got a gift certificate for the restaurant.

What a fun, social day and evening I've had!

Where Can I Move?

The Republicans in TN legislature keep embarrassing and infuriating me.  This is the first Republican majority in 40 years in our state, and they are taking full advantage of it.  I'm too bummed out to post links to this madness. 

Bones

Anybody else watch Bones?  Just how much time elapsed from last week's episode until this week?  Say what?  Let's talk! 

Wheaties Trivia

American consumers were asked to vote for their favorite Wheaties champion of all time. Wheaties celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1999 by rereleasing the original cereal packages featuring the champions selected; the top ten vote recipients were Michael Jordan, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mary Lou Retton, Tiger Woods, Cal Ripken, Jr., Walter Payton, John Elway, Jackie Robinson, and the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team.

Graduation

Kelsey graduated from high school Saturday night.  It was really fun at the end when one of her classmates led them in the "roller coaster" that was an interactive routine that's hard to describe here but sort of like a cheer.  It was a humorous touch.  Then they boogied up the aisle during the processional to Chris Brown's "Forever" their class song.  It was different and fun!

There were 102 in her class, and she won two awards that were presented Thursday night at the awards ceremony.  She got the dual-enrollment English award and the Scholar Athlete award.  A boy and a girl won that last one and had to be in at least two sports and have the highest GPA.  Kelsey played volleyball and softball.  She and Kari played on the state-championship volleyball team.  I wrote about it here and posted photos.

It was a good weekend.  We played some games, watched some movies, and talked.  Good times!  We have more photos on Facebook.  

Kari and Kelsey

Kelsey, Kathy, Luke, Kari, and Mark

Kelsey the Graduate

Flipper Trivia

A dolphin can remember a specific tone far better than a human can.

FYI

I'm going to be gone for a few days and won't be online.  My first grandchild Kelsey is graduating from high school, and I'm going to the awards ceremony tomorrow night and her graduation Saturday night.  I'm looking forward to it and to visiting with all of them.  See you later!

Ringo Trivia

Ringo Starr started out as Richard Starkey. While Starkey was in the band Skiff le, their front man Rory Storm dubbed him Rings because he wore so many rings. Storm eventually changed the nickname to Ringo to give it a cowboy flavor.

OMG!

It is thought that the saying "pulling your leg" originated from the custom in the Middle Ages of hanging people in such a creative way that the victims often choked slowly and in agony. To put an end to their sufferings, pals or relatives of the suffocating victims would pull down hard on their legs in order to snap their necks.

Big Week

This is a big week for my first grandchild.  Kelsey graduates from high school Saturday night.  Baccalaureate is Wednesday night and Senior Awards Night is Thursday.  I'm going to the awards and graduation and will give a report next week.  She's going to college this fall and has done well in high school with good grades and sports.  I'm proud of her for many reasons. 

I'm busy getting ready for the trip and am looking forward to seeing all of them! 

Mother's Day

I had a good Mother's Day.  Mother, Brian, Melissa, Brendan, and I went to lunch and enjoyed it so much.  Then Mother and I went shopping.  Great day!!

I can't believe I didn't take pictures!  Sometimes I get wrapped up in the festivities and don't think about it.  Brendan had on a Tam O'Shanter in the tartan of Melissa's father's family.  I told him I had a Scottish grandson.  So he went around saying he had on the tam because he's Scottish.  I'll have to get a picture of him in it eventually with it pulled down over his ears the way he wore it yesterday.  

Lost Week

This has been a lost week for me.  What's yours been like?

Bee Trivia

Honeybees navigate by using the Sun as a compass, even when it is hidden behind clouds, they find it via the polarization of ultraviolet light from areas of blue sky.

Maybe I Can Make Lemonade

My laptop is showing symptoms of crapping out again.  If so, this would be the third time which qualifies is as a lemon.  Then I'll get a new computer or a refund.  I'll take the money and buy a MacBook.  Let's hope for the best.  It's driving me crazy right now going from huge to regular sizes on the screen and blinking off and on.  If it's going to do it, I hope it is soon before the warranty runs out.

Eating Trivia

Deep Hunger: It might point to an unusual eating disorder called tomatophagia. People with tomatophagia develop unusual cravings for such things as tomatoes, ice, detergent, starch, clay, and even dirt.

Faux News

Found a better picture of it and replaced that other one. FOX is messed up!  Look at that at the bottom of the screen!  Not Osama! 

May Day

Well, here it is May!  My month off from taking classes since I will take another one this summer.  It's on American Literature which I taught for many, many years - dare I say decades?  I learned so much about little-known authors Evelyn Scott and Caroline Gordon and well-known Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Penn Warren in my favorite class that I want to take more of his classes.  He said it would be around 18 months before he teaches another graduate class, so I'll keep checking online about that.  I'd also like to take a class on African-American literature.  I've read quite a few but want to study them.  I always get something out of the discussions.  I taught high school students in the 11th and 12th grades and didn't get into the depth that a graduate class covers, so this is exciting. 

Since I always wait until almost the last minute to do my taxes, I recently had my refund automatically deposited.  Yes, I wait even though I get refunds.  Once a procrastinator ...

I hope I can muster up the energy to be productive about things I've neglected for way too long.  My aunt used to say, "Energy begets energy."  How right she was!  I find that the less I do the less I do.  Eventually at this rate, I'll be in a coma. 

Ah Romance!

After 11 years of living together, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman were married during a Taxi-lunch break.

Weather

The devastation in Alabama reached southern Tennessee but not to that extent.  How horrible!  Around here we had some flooding because of all the rain.  It was bad in places but has completely receded in some areas and almost in others.  There was damage to homes that they will never be able to sell.  It's one disaster after another with weather that's been going on for quite a while now and will continue.  Partly it's La Nina but also global warming which makes all storms worse. 

Thanks to those of you who have been following the weather maps here.  I do that, too, when it's in your area.  Local TV stations here are WLAC and WSMV.

Still with the Storms

So far, so good with this round of tornadoes and torrential rain.  Again, trees had the most damage.  Schools were called off today because of a bridge being out and trees across roads.  The electricity stayed on here.  I still think the TV stations could scroll information along the bottom of the screen and break into shows briefly to give important warnings and news.  This constant coverage is too much.  We get it.  I for one can wait until the regular news reports to find out about a lot of this.  They say the same things over and over and interview people who don't say much. 

Last night was the last night of classes I've been auditing.  It's easy to get to know people in a writing class and to feel close to some of them.  Since it was a nonfiction creative writing class, we shared things from our lives with each other through our writing.  I enjoy auditing the classes and appreciate how welcome they've made me.  If any of them read my blog, I hope they'll comment.  (Melanie!)

There's one more class I plan to audit this summer and then no more unless Dr. Steve Ryan teaches one or another class seems interesting.  I like being in class just for the pleasure of learning and without the pressure of writing papers, taking tests, and being concerned about grades.  I read the books and joined the discussions and learned new things.

Vanderbilt and David Lipscomb are private universities that have classes for older students who are interested in various subjects.  I have considered taking those and might do it eventually.  I'd be with others around my age even though I've enjoyed being in class with students of different ages.  Also these are graduate English classes, and I'll probably audit more of those, too.  That's a good plan for state colleges and universities to offer those of us 60+ the opportunity to audit classes free.  Options!

See-Calling

Sam and I both have iPhones with access to Face Time calling.  When Brendan was here this weekend, I asked him if he'd like to talk to Sam on the phone where we could see him when we talked.  He said he would partly because he loves to have his picture taken and has never met a stage he didn't like.  So I got it set up after showing him pictures of Sam, Bill, and Max on Facebook.  He wanted to know why Sam used bad words to describe one of the photos.  I told him I didn't know and that he could ask him when we talked.  He asked when we were going to "see-call" Sam.  He made that up, and I like it since that's what it is.  When he asked Sam about the bad words, it was the only time I've seen Sam speechless.  Then he recovered and told Brendan that he has a potty mouth.  I hope Brendan won't use that as an excuse when he uses bad words - and he does! 

We made the see-call Sunday morning, and he had so much fun doing it.  When Sam called him Brendan, he was taken aback and gasped, "How do you know my name?"  I told him they had seen pictures of him like he saw theirs on FB.  Sam told him he was famous, which pleased him more, I'm sure.  Then when Sam asked him about my cat Brigit, Brendan asked how he knew about Brigit.  Then when Sam asked where Brigit was, Brendan said she hides from him.  This is true.  They give each other a wide berth.  They are a lot alike actually - both under foot, want what they want now, and much more.

Anyway, it was fun and hilarious!  If I could figure out how to get a video I accidentally made on here, I'd post it.  I can't email them to myself for some reason and keep getting a mail delivery notification.

Beamish Grandboy

My grandson Brendan is spending the weekend with me.  I met Brian and got him this morning since he's out of school today.  We went to Toys R Us and bought some Legos, books, and other things.  When we built things with the Legos, Brendan decided we should speak as if we live in London, so we used English accents.  He was Reginald and I was Penelope.  I might add some photos later on.  Right now I'm being summoned!  We're having fun!

This Might Explain Something

At a 1965 concert in Sacramento, Keith Richards smashed his microphone with the neck of his guitar. It produced a giant bolt of electricity that sent him flying through the air and then knocked him on his back, unconscious. Two minutes later, he came to. He credited his survival to the thick soles of the suede Hush Puppy boots he was wearing at the time.

Comedy

For those of you who read that post titled "Another One" about the piece "Bar None" I wrote for that creative nonfiction class I'm taking, you might want to know some of the remarks I got on it. The assistant professor who teaches the class said I should finish the jokes in the first two paragraphs because it would be funnier and I could do it. OK, she also really likes it when we include the unexpected in our writing.

So let me ask you if you agree with me about this. Having one of those sentences about "X walks into a bar ..." sets up a joke that doesn't come. That's unexpected and unnecessary. That would miss the point of the paper. I do agree that I could have had a more effective ending. I wasn't sure how I wanted to end it, and it shows.

Back to the suggestions, some of them got it, but most of the ones in the class, including the teacher, don't think like stand-up comedians the way some of us do. What do you think?

Btw, they liked "What a Drag" with the RuPaul quote. Some of them didn't know who all the people were I mentioned, but that wasn't necessary to get the point. It got good reviews. Thank you, Miss Ginger!

Another Myth Debunked

Contrary to popular belief, Daniel Boone reportedly did not like coonskin caps.

Davy Crockett did, I guess. Thus the confusion since Fess Parker played both of them.

"Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers Through the Cumberland Gap" by George Caleb Bingham

Cruel & Unusual Death

The good news in 1547 in Britain was that the law was amended to end the practice of boiling criminals to death. The bad news was that the punishment was changed to burning them at the stake.

Better but Not Great

I'm feeling better but not great yet.  This bronchitis kicked my butt!  I have quite a cough going that I take cough syrup with codeine in, which doesn't make me sleepy but in a slightly altered state.

Not this bad though ... not addicted. 



Lot of people might not be able to listen to Buffy Sainte-Marie and her vibrato, but I like her.

Oops!

Somehow when adding a link to my blog list, I managed to delete the whole thing.  I spent quite a while restoring as many links as I could remember, saved them, and checked out my list.  For some reason after trying again and again, it wouldn't let me add some of yours to my list.  I want them on there!  I have no idea why it's acting this way and will try again tomorrow after my computer has been off and then on again.  Guess I'll have to read blogs through Google Reader, but I like clicking them from my list.  Strange. 

Sick Schmick

Ever notice how when you're sick everything look grim and hopeless?  It's mostly the annoying illnesses that involve coughing or nausea or other inconveniences.  I used to have allergies in the spring and fall and go around sniffling for a while.  Then it went into sinusitis later on, so I had to deal with that.  Quite a few years ago, it progressed quickly from allergies to sinusitis to bronchitis and even to pneumonia once.  So I take the allergies seriously now that the progression is really fast.  I went to the walk-in clinic yesterday because my doctor's wife has serious complications with her pregnancy and has to be hospitalized for months.  He had to leave and cancel appointments.  I'm worried about her and hope they can have their baby and that she will be healthy and make it OK.

So now I have a Z-pack and some cough syrup for bronchitis and am sleeping a lot until I wake myself up coughing.  All my cough muscles hurt.  Miss G knows all too well how this is because of having this hang on for over a month!  I hope his appointment with an ENT will get rid of this for him.  Tug is also suffering with allergies and sinusitis now, too.  'Tis the season!  I wish spring and fall loved me as much as I love them!

I noticed how bleak everything seems to me and how I don't like anything much right now.  When I'm sick, I almost can't remember how good it feels to be healthy.  On the other hand, when I'm fine, I take it for granted and enjoy it thoroughly.  Are any of you like this, too?

Fingernail Trivia

The fingernails grow faster on the hand you favor. If you are right-handed, your right fingernails will grow faster, and vice versa. The middle fingernail grows faster than any other nail.

Assemby Line Trivia

Henry Ford called his first car a quadricycle, but he did not invent the automobile. What Ford did accomplish was to mass-produce automobiles and provide affordable service for them.

War is a Drag

Sarah Edmonds was one of many women who fought in the U.S. Civil War in disguise as a man. She became a Union spy, and later deserted to protect her secret. Edmonds revealed her true identity after the war in an attempt to clear herself of the desertion charges and gain a pension.

Born in 1841 in New Brunswick, Canada, Sarah ran away from home in her early teens. In order to survive she became an itinerant Bible salesman, by calling herself Frank Thompson and dressing like a man.

In 1861, Frank (Sarah) enlisted in the Second Michigan Infantry and over the next two years not only fought in a number of Civil War battles, but also served as a spy for the Union Army. Solders in her unit called Frank “our woman” because of his feminine mannerisms and his extremely small boot size. However, none of her comrades ever figured out that Frank was really Sarah. This boded well for her spying, where she dressed as a young boy serving in Confederate camps, as an immigrant Irish peddler and, most interestingly, as a woman.

In 1863, Sarah caught malaria and deserted the army out of fear that hospitalization would reveal her true identity. In 1884, though, Sarah applied for and was awarded a veteran’s pension in which the secretary of war acknowledged that Sarah was a female soldier who had rendered faithful services to the ranks.

Blog Suggestion

This blog FourFour is written by someone who works at TV Guide dot com and previously worked at VH1, so it has lots of pop culture information on it.  My son Brian told me about it and said, "Your gays might like it, too."  So check it out HERE and see if you do! 

Another One

Bar None

            Angelina Jolie, Meg Ryan, and Oprah walk into a bar.  Who gets noticed?  Who gets laid?  Who intimidates?  Who is approachable? 

George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, and Bill Gates walk into a bar.  Who leaves with the most phone numbers?

Depends, doesn’t it?  Such speculations can lead to lively discussions and friendly arguments.  It can be fun to make fantasy lists and suspend reality for a while.  These discussions reveal values and judgments, intentional or not. 

My college roommate and I periodically meet for lunch in a town halfway between where we live.  She was the blonde, wholesome, outdoor type, while I was the brunette, wholesome, indoor type.  We had our moments of dating and popularity.  A few years ago during lunch, we walked past the bar to go to the restroom.  When we returned to our table, my roommate said, “You know you’ve gotten old when men in bars don’t look at you any more.” 

There is a freedom and disappointment in becoming invisible to men.  At first it’s a shock to no longer be noticed.  I never realized that I took it for granted.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying I was ever a beauty who turned heads and stopped conversation when I entered a room.  Not by a long shot.  Men had to get to know me to be interested in me.  I’m just saying that they looked and not in repulsion.  Being cute was about the best I could hope for as a short, petite girl with curly hair and a smartass sense of humor.  I didn’t know I’d miss it because I didn’t know my power. 

I learned to accept being invisible and have even embraced it.  The freedom that comes with my new status works out well.  I like living alone and am no longer interested in dating or being in a romantic relationship, so I’m not sending out that vibe anymore.  It was unexpected and not so bad. 

What a Drag

I wrote this for a class I'm taking.  The assignment was to base our writing on a piece about aesthetics by one of the writers we're studying.  We had to use a quotation and then write about beauty, truth, and whatever.  I had a topic in mind and called Miss Ginger, who gave me a direction and some good ideas.  We had a wonderful phone conversation, and I got a lot of help.  Thanks, Miss G!! 

"We all came into this world naked. The rest is all drag."

                                                                    — RuPaul

Dame Edna Everage – Divine – RuPaul – The Lady Chablis – Dolly Parton … false eyelashes – wigs – glamour – sequins – feathers – 5” heels – sashaying … Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Elvis – James Dean – Fonzie – Mickey Rourke … sideburns – duck tail – black leather jacket – t-shirt – upturned collar – tattoos – chains – boots – leather … “Born to be Wild”

Sandra Dee – Debbie Reynolds – Gidget – Laverne & Shirley … bobby socks – pony tails – Laura Ashley – sweater sets – neck scarves – saddle oxfords … American Graffiti

 Urkel – Mark Zuckerberg – John Hodgman – Sheldon … pocket protectors – glasses – Dr. Who t-shirt – pale skin – D&D manual – backpack … The Big Bang Theory

Jackie Kennedy – Grace Kelly – Audrey Hepburn – Princess Diana … pillbox hat – pearls – basic black dress – Chanel – Dior – Casini – Givenchy – Saint Laurent - gloves – perfect make-up … Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Helena Bonham Carter – early Madonna – Cyndi Lauper – Bjork – Lady GaGa … eclectic – vintage – creative – individual – unique … “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”

Marilyn Manson – Pauley Perrette – Adam Lambert – Elvira – Bellatrix Lestrange … black lipstick – tattoos – piercings – red eye shadow – black nail polish – blue/green/pink/red/black dyed hair – pentagrams – postmodernism … The Sandman

Marilyn Monroe – Elizabeth Taylor – Zsa Zsa Gabor – Joan Collins – Sophia Loren … diamonds – evening gown – bikini – heels – cleavage – tight clothes – big hair – eyeliner – red lips … Dynasty

Tom Selleck – ZZ Top – Bruce Willis – Salvador Dali – Donald Trump – Cornell West – Charlie Daniels … mustache – goatee – Van Dyke – beard –bald – comb-over – dreads –  spikes –braids – corn rows – Mohawk … Hair

Casual Fridays – scrunchies – sweats – t-shirts – shorts – sandals – jeans – track suits – tank tops – tennis shoes – caps – flannel shirts – khakis …

What’s your drag?

Where Have I Been?

Some of you might have heard about the storms and tornadoes we've had in TN, especially in Dickson where I live.  Even more specifically, my neighborhood was hit hard, but mostly trees.  It just missed me.  I saw the straight-line winds whizzing by my house.  I watched out the window in fascination and later on fear because I've never seen horizontal rain before.  It was actually horizontal and really fast.  I heard 70+ mph!  Big, healthy trees were uprooted all along my street.  They all seemed to fall in yards and not on houses, but some of them fell on power lines.  I had no electricity from about 1:45 Monday until around 10:00 this morning.  There was no damage to my trees or house.  As I said, it just missed me.  I think there was a tornado near here, too, and that rainy wind might have been part of it.  Since I haven't seen the news but just read what people wrote on Facebook, I don't know much.  It will be in the local paper today. 

This morning when I went to breakfast, the Electric Company guys were up the street working on the lines.  I stopped to applaud and thank them.  They said some people won't have electricity until next week sometime and that there were 20 volunteer units here helping them.  I saw them drive along my street last night around 10:00.  They said they decided to work on it today during daylight.  I said that seemed like a good idea and asked if they'd gotten any sleep.  They said not much. 

I've been going to bed really early since there's nothing else to do.  While I was in the car charging my phone at night, I turned on the dome light and read.  Yes, isn't it great that I know how to turn that off and on now?  Thanks, Sam.  It's been great having the iPhone, but I'm so glad to be able to type on the laptop instead of thumb-texting email.  That's so tedious. 

Well, that's my news.  What have I missed?