Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and all the best wishes for 2011! Life is better because of all of you!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Away I Go

Because of the weather, I didn't go to Kathy's today but plan to go tomorrow if the road conditions there are OK. So I'll be out of pocket again for a few days. Hope everyone is fine and has electricity and heat. Big snow all over the place!!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

On a Three Hour Cruise

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.


Ginger or Mary Ann?

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Merry Christmas 2010


Can you believe it's already 2010 and almost 2011? Seems not that long ago some people were worrying about Y2K. And now we're a decade into the new century. Are you prepared for Christmas? I almost am but haven't finished wrapping. I plan to finish that tonight. We'll go to Mother's Christmas Eve and Brian's family and I will spend the night. It's supposed to snow again Friday and Saturday, so I wonder if we'll have trouble getting home. I'm planning to go to Kathy's the day after Christmas as I usually do. Hope the snow doesn't delay that trip.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

The Boy

Here are some various pictures of Brendan taken at home by his parents.

Halloween Mario


ET? One of his favorite things - hiding under his stuffed animals. A few were Brian's when he was little.

Coulda Had a V-8!

The adjective metopic means "of the forehead."

Monday, December 20, 2010

Comments?

In France, Napoleon instituted a scale of fines for sex offenses that included 35 francs for a man guilty of lifting a woman’s skirt to the knee and 75 francs if he lifted it to the thigh.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Tug Did It!

Well, are you ready for this? Tug actually met me for lunch! He came through town and finally agreed to meet me in person. It wasn't even too painful for him! It was meeting an old friend for me and so much fun! Tina met us, too, and we all had a great time!

We met him at Cracker Barrel. I suggested it without knowing that they don't allow trucks anywhere near it! Bless his heart, Tug parked across the highway and walked to the restaurant!! What a guy! Check this out. See that red and white truck way back there in the back? This is how far away it was across the parking lot, a side street, and Highway 46. Notice that the rain washed all of our snow away? It's gone!

Now see that figure walking? Yes, the one with a white shirt and dark pants on? That's our Tug! You might be able to see this better if you click.

So here we are getting ready to eat. Btw, it takes Tug a long time to get ready. He called so we could work out when and where to meet. He said he was going to get ready and would call when he was on his way. Two hours later he called. Remember from his blog when he said he likes to luxuriate in the shower and take his time getting ready? He was right! He was well-groomed and smelled good, though.

And here we are leaving. Btw, can you tell I'm 5'2" and Tug is 6'4"? He is the sweetest person! Don't we just love him!

Then for a tour of the truck! It's easier to get into and out of than a friend's Jeep. Even for short people with very short legs! Tug showed me how to get in and out. No problem! This is his training session.

Our ADD kicked in, and we forgot that he wanted to take a picture of me in the driver's seat. It has so much room in it! There's room to stand up and walk around. He has a refrigerator, TV, cabinets, two bunks, storage, and so much room. I'm looking forward to our Tug and Bernice Tour!

You gotta watch out for those geriatric hookers at the truck stops! What's going on with my tooth?

Monday, December 13, 2010

Grading

As you know, I'm grading assignments online for the Virtual High School at Creek Wood. The biggest problem we have with them is plagiarism. The students copy and paste. That's bad enough, but apparently they seem to think we don't read their assignments and/or are too stupid to check the source. What they really don't realize is how easy it is to tell that a high school student did not write the assignment. The vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling, and much more are not even close to what they write on their own and shouldn't be. Yet somehow they think we should believe that it is their own work. I have to explain what they need to do so often that I have a note I copy and paste for them! Good grief!

Primarily I grade the social studies assignments (US History, World History, geography, government, and economics) and English IV. You know they don't get it when the answer to the "Black Friday" section of this assignment begins with "the Friday after Thanksgiving" and continues with shopping details. Sheesh!!
REPORT: RECONSTRUCTION SCANDALS

Use an encyclopedia, the Internet, or other sources to research the following Reconstruction scandals:

* The Tweed Ring in New York
* The Credit Mobilier Scandal
* Black Friday
* The Dawes Acts (including civil service reforms)

Write at least 300 words about each of these four scandals. In your own words describe the people involved, the consequences of their actions, etc.

Comparison

It snowed all night but quit sometime early this morning, I guess. The sun is out and the snow on the street in front of my house is melting and clear. The forecast calls for sleet and more snow Wednesday. Let's hope for snow only and no ice! After that ice storm in '94, we never want to experience that again! I discovered that everything I like to do involves electricity. Yes, even reading since I couldn't do that after dark. I tried with a flashlight, but that's not really sustainable for very long. All kinds of food had to be thrown out, too. I'll never forget the sounds the trees made cracking and breaking. Straight up - NO ICE!!

Here is what my patio table looked like during the night and then again this morning. When compared with the photo from yesterday, you can see that we had from 2-4" of snow here. Quite lovely!


Sunday, December 12, 2010

First Snow 2010

The Weather Channel got it right. It's still snowing and no school tomorrow. I bought groceries yesterday and am prepared to enjoy the nesting. Bring it on!

Front Yard

Patio

Abby & Tar Jan. 6

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Neat!


In Saudi Arabia there are solar-powered pay phones in the desert.

I Don't Participate


Americans spend more than $630 million a year on golf balls.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Oh No!

The first sewing machine was patented in 1846, by Elias Howe. It didn’t catch on, and in 1851 the now-broke Howe sold the patent to Isaac Singer for $2,000 in 1851. Hence, Singer Sewing Machines.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

I Can Imagine What Some of You Are Thinking

To a competitive swimmer, "d.p.s." means distance per stroke.

I Have Spoken

In the Roman Republic of 500 B.C., the senate could appoint a supreme national commander for a limited time during periods of emergency. While in charge, his word was law. His title in Latin meant "I have spoken." The title was "dictator."

If Only ...

John Lennon had not been killed 30 years ago today. What a loss of his music to the world and mostly what a loss of a husband and father to his family. It would have been wonderful to have heard his voice through the last three decades performing his songs and commenting on life.

Excerpts of his last interview with Rolling Stone include his saying that the public loves you on your way up and then try to tear you down. In the interview Lennon explains that he has no desire to be a rock n' roll martyr. "What [fans] want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean," he says. "I'm not interested in being a dead fucking hero...so forget 'em, forget 'em." (Source HERE)

His death is still painful to me. I feel it in my chest like a heavy thud.



John Lennon said, “I’m not afraid of death because I don’t believe in it. It’s just getting out of one car, and into another.”

I hope so.

Good Grief!

On a 1970 tour in San Francisco, California, Rod Stewart and fellow Faces members jumped on top of their rented station wagon and started jumping. When police arrived, the car had been crushed.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Lung Trivia

The lungs of an average adult, unfolded and flattened out, would cover an area the size of a tennis court.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Trivia

Before he became a home-repair guru on U.S. television, Bob Vila was a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama.

I Can Believe This


Baseball legend Ty Cobb amassed a huge fortune from Coca-Cola and General Motors stocks. His net worth at the time of his death was reported to be $11 million. When Cobb entered Emory Hospital in Atlanta near death, he brought with him more than $1 million in negotiable bonds and placed them on the nightstand next to a loaded pistol.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Tired Much?

The male sea lion may have more than 100 wives.


Friday, December 3, 2010

Einstein Quote

A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.

I might add or to dwell on the past, too.

Repeat but Might Come in Handy

The crocodile is surprisingly fast on land. If pursued by a crocodile, a person should run in a zigzag motion, for the crocodile has little or no ability to make sudden changes of direction.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Gross ... Sorry

The problem begins when bacteria are attracted to the sweat on your feet and start feeding on it. The bacteria’s excretion has a strong odor that causes your feet to smell bad. Since each foot has over 250,000 sweat glands in it, and produces over a pint of sweat a day, there’s a lot for the bacteria to eat. Shoes and socks even make the situation worse. They trap the sweat, and then the bacteria have their favorite kind of environment: dark and damp, causing them to go into a feeding frenzy. Bionote: Men’s feet smell at least 40 percent worse than women’s. So what else is new?

Elementary

Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was an ophthalmologist by profession.

Well OK Then ... Really?

The Pilgrims did not build log cabins, nor did they wear black hats with a conical crown and a hatband with a silver buckle.