Monthly Archives: January 2009

Wow, just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder, they did.  I love it!  In Austin, Texas, somebody hacked into some of those construction road signs with dire warnings about zombies.  “Caution! Zombies Ahead”!  “Nazi Zombies Ahead!  Run!!!” “Run for Cold Climates!! The End Is Near!!”

Apparently there are little computers inside those signs, and somebody hacked into them and changed the messages.  But they didn’t stop there, they also changed the passwords, so city officials could not easily change the messages back to what they were supposed to be.  The City of Austin is not amused, and are still looking for the culprit(s).

Honestly, the Zombie warnings aren’t any worse than some of the political stuff I’ve been reading lately! Below is the video from KXAN, Austin’s television station.

My life’s mantra seems to be “How hard can it be?”  When people would tell me how difficult cross stitching would be, I would think to myself “How hard can it be?” and just start doing it.  Same thing with crochet, sewing, operating a computer (back in the day when the average person was still frightened of them!), designing a web site, homeschooling, and so on.  But occasionally I do think I’ve managed to bite off more than I can chew!!

Case in point:  I glibly agreed to make a Power Point presentation for our 4-H Club to be shown at Achievement Night next month.  Somewhere, looping like a midi-file in the back of my mind I could hear my mantra playing: “How hard can it be?”  So, now I have roughly 1,000 photos to sort through, organize into logical sequence, and add “transitions” and music to.  Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be all that difficult to figure out how to create the power point itself, it’s just the time-consuming part that I think is bogging me down.

And then there is the music.  Nobody has given me any suggestions as to what sort of music might be appropriate for this presentation.  I warned them that if I had to come up with something on my own, it could well be Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd!  They said they trusted me.  Hmmm. . . . that’s not good!  As I type this, I’m listening to a playlist including (but not limited to) bands like Oasis, Staind, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Finger Eleven, Evanescence, The Goo Goo Dolls and Dishwalla.  I suspect there’s not a song on my iPod that would be appropriate for a 4-H presentation!  But I digress . . .

Another example:  losing weight.  Seriously, how hard can THAT be??  Well, other than the expected battles of willpower and bouts with temptation, it shouldn’t be that tough.  Except for the whole exercise thing.  I loathe exercise.  When I was younger, I used to pretend I loved it. But somehow, since turning 40, I just don’t feel the need to make excuses for myself, or to pretend to be something I’m not.  Yet, I really want to lose weight, so, the dreaded exercise process must commence.  Well, it’s been colder than a well-digger’s rear in the Yukon here for the past several weeks, so, the one exercise I don’t mind all that much, walking, has been out of the question.  Yes, I know my 70-something neighbor walks his hound dog, Zebulon, every day, rain, shine or snow.  He obviously has a much better attitude than I.  But, since I have a (very dusty) treadmill, I still have no excuse, cold or not.

Now, I know from many, many years of experience that if I actually have any hope at all of working out, it’s gonna have to be first thing in the morning.  Herein lies the next rub:  I hate mornings even more than I hate exercise!  But, doggonit, I am determined.  So, I have been dragging my very unwilling corpse out of the bed every morning around 6:30 a.m.  Really.  I know that those of you who know me even a little will find that difficult to believe.  Last week was terrible!  I felt like I was dragging myself through thick sludge.  It wasn’t so much that the actual walking was difficult, it was convincing myself to DO IT.  But, do it I did, and I was always proud of myself when I was done.

This week has been better.  I am not so mentally resistant to the process, although I still hate the whole early morning part of the deal.  So far, the only major obstacle I’ve had to overcome with the treadmill this week has been Pippin, my 9 month old kitten.  He always follows me around the house, everywhere I go.  So, it only made sense to him that if I was going to walk on the treadmill, so should he.  And that is where the trouble began.  First, he thought it would be great fun to try to jump up and grab the cord of my iPod while I was walking.  He figured out pretty fas that I was vehemently opposed to that game.  So, for a day or two he sat contentedly in the magazine basket beside the treadmill and watched me.  I am pretty sure he thought I was nuts.

Yesterday, though, Pippin decided it was time to up his participation level.  He jumped right on the treadmill with me!  While I was trying to figure out whether I should turn it off, try to grab him, or try to jump off myself, he simply shot through my legs and off the back!  I stepped on one of his paws as he flew by.  It was all over within a split second, and then he took off like a maniac as soon as he hit the carpet with all fours.  Today he sat at a healthy distance and watched me with one eye.  Poor kitten!

So, I think my cat and I may both survive this new exercise routine, and somehow I will manage to get this power point thing done, too. I mean, really, how hard can it be?

Autumn Moon, Saluda, NC

I have always loved full moons. Much lore, legend and speculation has been circulated about them since probably the dawn of time. In days of yore, people believed a full moon could turn a normal man into a savage, bloodthirsty werewolf. The full moon has made thousands of guest appearances in books, poetry, art and movies. I’ve heard that emergency rooms are busier when the moon is full, because it makes people “crazy”.

Whatever the attraction, the full moon tends to command our full attention. The American Indians used to name the moons according to the seasons, with cool names like “Wolf Moon”, “Snow Moon”, and “Strawberry Moon”.

In 2009, we will have a couple of rare moon occurrences. The “Harvest Moon” will appear in the month of October. This will not happen again until the year 2017. Then in December, we will get a “Blue Moon”. Generally, only one moon appears during each month. When a month has a second full moon, that moon is referred to as “Blue”. Hence the term “once in a blue moon”, regarding something that happens only occasionally, or rarely. A “Blue Moon” appears every two years and eight or nine months.

I’m thinking that Obama’s definition of the word “change” may have come from the same dictionary Bill Clinton used to define “sex”.  “Change we can believe in!!”  Indeed.  Apparently the first thing he changes is his mind.  He was, as most folks know, a staunch supporter of gay marriage when he ran for the Senate in Illinois.  Marriage, not ‘civil union’.  (There is a difference!) Somebody must have let him know that strategically, supporting gay marriage was a bad plan, but that he could call it something else, and get away with it, and maybe nobody would notice.

But the gay community in Chicago is apparently more observant than most, and they recognize real change when they see it.   They have a gay newspaper called the Windy City Times.  (It was called ‘Outlines’ at the time of the first interview.) They interviewed Obama in 1996 when he was running for Senate, and again, in 2000.  In 1996 he was all for gay marriage.  By 2000, he had already started backpedaling.   They take issue with his ‘change’.  I don’t blame them. . . he flat out lied to them, and they are calling him out on the carpet.  Good for them!  I hope other liberals will be as willing to stand up and be counted when they realize that they, too, have been deceived.

(If you want to read the article, be warned that Windy City Times  is a gay site, and some of the ads might be offensive.  Here is the link: “Obama Changed Views on Gay Marriage”. )

So, tonight we shall bid a final adieu to “The King”.  No, not Elvis!  Grissom.  Finally, after weeks of putting it off, CBS is going to finish what they started with Laurence Fishburne before Christmas!!!

William Petersen’s fellow cast members refer to him as “The King”, because he is truly an amazing actor, and Gil Grissom is truly an amazing character.  I will even venture to say that there has never been another character on TV like Grissom.  We have been inundated with characters who think they are “all that” in some fashion or another.  Gil Grissom never tried to be tough or sexy or all-knowing.  As a result, he was all of those things!!

Can Fishburne replace Petersen?  Of course not.  I doubt he’ll even try.  He will create his own unique character.  And, while I like Laurence Fishburne, I don’t think CSI will ever be the same again. *sigh*  We’re gonna miss you, Grissom!

More and more people are starting to realize that the whole Global Warming craze is as meaningful and realistic as, hmm, Pet Rocks.  It is a fad, and a really expensive one.  Popular science is a dangerous thing, and, more often than not, it has no basis in fact.

David Deming, a geophysicist (among other lofty titles) states in his December 10, 2008 article in the Washington Post:

It is time to file this theory in the dustbin of history, next to Aristotelean physics, Neptunism, the geocentric universe, phlogiston, and a plethora of other incorrect scientific theories, all of which had vocal and dogmatic supporters who cited incontrovertible evidence.

Weather and climate change are natural processes beyond human control. To argue otherwise is to deny the factual evidence.

Hundreds of scientist are starting to wave the white flag of truth, hoping that the world will forgive them for their colossal deception in proclaiming an apocolyptic phenomenon that scared the living daylights out of the masses and cost governments, worldwide, billions of dollars.  Personally, I have to wonder if the global economy would have been in better shape had everybody not been so busy passing laws against acts of nature that didn’t exist.

For more information on the belated, but welcome turnaround of scientists around the globe who are now condemning Global Warming, click here:  UN Blowback: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims

I don’t actually mind vacuuming, but it’s certainly not something I wake up in the mornings thinking about and wishing I could do all day.  Okay, most housework falls into that category for me.  But I do set a high priority on a clean home.  Well, the life of a modern housewife (I personally prefer the term “Domestic Goddess”, by-the-way) has come a long way in the last twenty years.  In the last ten years, even.

Enter the MP3 player.  In particular, my new iPod Touch.  I can just plug in my headphones, which have also come a long way in the past 20 years, scroll to whatever artist I’m in the mood for, and, Rock-n-Roll!  There’s nothing quite like a driving beat and a screaming guitar to get you movin’!  So, while I’m rockin’ out to my favorite bands, my housework gets done, and somehow, it just doesn’t seem as cumbersome.  Personally, I recommend Crüe, but that’s just me.

Gaylon has been in Texas for a week now, and as predicted, our lives have kept rushing right along. We all miss him, and can’t wait until he comes home for a vist.  But we have stayed very, very busy.  And that has been a good thing.

The week started out with getting back into the groove of homeschooling after the Christmas break.  Faith and I decided to jump back into the groove by erupting the volcano she built a few weeks ago.  Not as exciting as we’d hoped, but still fun. We also started working on taking down all the Christmas decorations.  I am not sure how we end up needing more totes every year!  But taking down three trees and tons of decorations is no small task, and it took all of us three days to get the job done. (Gaylon used to be in charge of this every year.  I think he planned this!)

My friends have kept me busy, as well. Saturday evening we had a 4-H Potluck at Marcia’s.  I though it was going to be on Sunday, but was very happy when she called to tell me they were waiting for me.  Faith and I headed straight out, and it turned out to be a lot more fun than sitting at home and feeling sorry for myself, which was my original plan.  My friend, Joanne, spent the afternoon over here last Sunday after Mass while our daughters played.  What a wonderful thing!  Then on Monday I got to have tea at Joy’s, along with several other ladies from our town, while we did a brief Bible Study.  Very relaxing.  Tuesday found us over at Bonnie’s.  Her husband had emailed me and asked if I could come sort through all of her homeschooling materials and sell them for him.  I am glad to help, and it took two afternoons just to gather up all of the books and resources and bring them home.  It was great to see Bonnie’s family. . . I still can’t believe how much I miss her.  I’m not sure her death will ever become real to me.  And sorting through all of her homeschooling books brought back so many sweet memories. Yesterday, my friend Cindy came over and we drank tea and had a sweet visit.  Tonight we have a surprise birthday party to attend. And our weekend promises to be just as busy.  As does next week.

Gaylon has been keeping really busy out in Texas, too.  He has been enjoying his new job, where he gets treated well and enjoys the work.  He has also really been glad to get to spend time with his mom, Dorinda, who came in to help him get settled in her RV before she heads on to her next stop.  He has had a bit of trouble with cell phone signal, but that seems to be pretty much worked out now.

So I’m hoping time will fly, and Gaylon will be back with us before we know it.  We had our first house showing last Saturday, and although that couple didn’t decide to buy it, it was encouraging to know that there still are people out there house hunting.  Maybe the next potential buyers will buy it.