I don't like to "borrow" post ideas from other bloggers, but there have been a few times when I had an idea already and a post by another blogger simply "inspired" me to follow through on my idea. However, this is NOT one of those times. I had never even heard of a "birthmonth" month long birthday celebration until I met Mayra. She introduced me to the term last year. My wife is a big fan of b-day week celebrations (for her's). But a whole month?
I have to decide today if I'm going to have a birthmonth celebration this year. My birthday is on 3/11. The entire month of March is 3/11 this year, so there will never be a better time--according to the Mayans, I probably won't make it to 2111.
Should I do it??? If I did, I'd have an answer to Kym's question regarding where I see myself in 5 years. I would see myself going broke in 5 years celebrating a "2/16" birthmonth for someone else. ;P I better skip my birthmonth celebration.
On another topic, a little while back QVC hostess MeiBelle of Beauty Is Not Caused tagged me with a Versatile Blogger Award. I usually shy away from celebs, but I'm glad we've gotten to be friends--she is really nice. The award rules say to share 7 things about yourself, so here are 7 factoids that hopefully I have not shared before--and that are not answers to my banking security questions. I'll make it all stuff from the 6th grade!
1. My teacher allowed me to skip French class to work on building the school's nature trail...in the woods...alone. He also let me mow his lawn once. Haha!
2. Started playing chess.
3. Was a Corporal in the school's safety patrol.
4. Exchanged letters with a girl whose family moved out of state--"letters" as in two. I thought about responding to her second letter, but in the end it seemed like too much work. There were trees to climb, forts to build, etc. When her family moved back a few years later, she acted like she didn't know me. LOL!
5. Put my time sitting in trees to good use, learned how to immitate the call of a Mourning Dove by clasping my hands together and blowing in at the thumbs. Honest!
6. A fellow student attacked me at my patrol post with the pointy end of a bottle opener. Why yes, I DID go to public school. There was NO danger. He just lunged and missed. I never found out what he had against me--if anything. The world is full of weirdos. Perhaps it was an initiation of some sort.
7. Attended a summer school math class just for fun. The class consisted of about eight 12 year-old boys. On a completely unrelated note, the teacher was very pretty--at least to 12 year-old boys. =)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
PDA's and Being MIA
Public Displays of Affection: In general, I'm a fan. It's sweet to see a couple holding hands and acting silly as they, let's say for example, tour a botanical garden. Or maybe they have their arms around each other as they walk, perhaps a very occasional peck. Cute! But I don't want to see people doing more than that in public and I don't want to hear sounds. One morning this week a couple with a baby sat in front of me on the subway--it was rush hour. After a stop or two of listening to them talk baby talk to their little one (9 months old maybe), the guy gave the girl a peck. Sweet. He backed off, then swooped in again and they started really kissing--there were sounds and open mouths, it was the real deal. Normally when I notice something like that, I'd say something along the lines of, "Hey, could I get a shot at him next???" But the baby being there kind of threw me off and I said nothing. Next time!!!
Being MIA: I haven't been on-line much lately. Thanks to a possible shutdown of the US government next week, we've been working like mad planning for it. Our buildings and collections have to be guarded even if we're shutdown and somene has to monitor building systems in the museums--improper temperatures or humidity is terrible for collections. So it has been a hectic time with long days. Maybe that's why the couple above annoyed me a little instead of amusing me. I'm tired! =)
Have a great weekend folks!
Being MIA: I haven't been on-line much lately. Thanks to a possible shutdown of the US government next week, we've been working like mad planning for it. Our buildings and collections have to be guarded even if we're shutdown and somene has to monitor building systems in the museums--improper temperatures or humidity is terrible for collections. So it has been a hectic time with long days. Maybe that's why the couple above annoyed me a little instead of amusing me. I'm tired! =)
Have a great weekend folks!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Privacy
My employer requires us to complete an annual on-line security "test" to refresh memories about not sharing passwords or adding unauthorized software and to remind us that we cannot expect anything we do on our office PC to be considered private. Even personal e-mail, such as Gmail or Yahoo.
But often the warning goes unheeded. One jerk in our central accounting office was fired and arrested for material he downloaded and stored on his computer (that was justice). Last week a guy in my unit received a warning about e-mail attachments he's been forwarding. His defense was: 1) he'd been doing it for years (that admission got him a suspension); and 2) he was using a private e-mail account. Idiot.
Privacy has always been a risky thing to assume, even a few thousand years ago. Did Paul know his letter to the Corinthians would end up being so public? John's letters? Well, maybe they did. Matthew wrote something along the lines of, "until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will disappear."
That got me thinking about something silly. If future civilization declines into some sort of "Idiocracy", what if a future "idiocrate" stumbles across the ancient writings of Ricademus and mistakes it for religion? It's a scary thought--Ricolites (of the Western Orthodox Catholic Church) gathering for mass on Wednesdays, the Holy Hump Day.
"Today's gospel reading is a letter from Ricademus to the Canadians: Hi Canadians, I think you folks are amazing, but what's with the weird spellings? You add the letter "u" all over the place and invert other letters. It's very confusing. Let's simplify by establishing a North American Standard and stop using all those extra letters. All my best, Rick"
Then the priest will explain the real message was that we need to simplify our lives--and anyone caught using a "u" will be ex-communicated. ;P
Soooo, aside from being silly, the real point of this post is just a reminder that if we post something it will be floating out there somewhere, forever, and you don't know where it will end up.
But often the warning goes unheeded. One jerk in our central accounting office was fired and arrested for material he downloaded and stored on his computer (that was justice). Last week a guy in my unit received a warning about e-mail attachments he's been forwarding. His defense was: 1) he'd been doing it for years (that admission got him a suspension); and 2) he was using a private e-mail account. Idiot.
Privacy has always been a risky thing to assume, even a few thousand years ago. Did Paul know his letter to the Corinthians would end up being so public? John's letters? Well, maybe they did. Matthew wrote something along the lines of, "until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will disappear."
That got me thinking about something silly. If future civilization declines into some sort of "Idiocracy", what if a future "idiocrate" stumbles across the ancient writings of Ricademus and mistakes it for religion? It's a scary thought--Ricolites (of the Western Orthodox Catholic Church) gathering for mass on Wednesdays, the Holy Hump Day.
"Today's gospel reading is a letter from Ricademus to the Canadians: Hi Canadians, I think you folks are amazing, but what's with the weird spellings? You add the letter "u" all over the place and invert other letters. It's very confusing. Let's simplify by establishing a North American Standard and stop using all those extra letters. All my best, Rick"
Then the priest will explain the real message was that we need to simplify our lives--and anyone caught using a "u" will be ex-communicated. ;P
Soooo, aside from being silly, the real point of this post is just a reminder that if we post something it will be floating out there somewhere, forever, and you don't know where it will end up.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Cartoon Moments
Cartoon moments (like Wile E. Coyote's traps for the RoadRunner backfiring; Eek the Cat getting hurt even though "it never hurts to help"; or The Tick getting punched by Santa Clones) are always funny. It's animated slapstick, it looks painful, but no one really gets hurt.
I've had many cartoon moments. I've never been what I would consider seriously injured, never had a broken bone, never been hospitalized (knock on wood), but I've had cartoon moments. One in particular is on my mind today. When I was growing up it was not unusual for the mothers in my neighborhood to help each other when they heard one of their peers yelling for their kids to come home--they would join in and start yelling too. I like to think of it as a real-life version of the signal fires that went out from Gondor to Rohan in LOTR or the barking of messages by dogs in one Disney cartoon or another.
One summer evening as I walked in the woods near my parent's house, I could hear Mrs. B calling me. That meant my mom had been calling for a while, so I ran towards home. As I emerged from the woods I could see Mrs. B on her carport and she could see me. Just then, a 2-foot long board became attached to my foot--it looked like I was wearing a size 37 clown shoe. As I took another another few steps (I guess inertia carried me forward), I heard Mrs. B laughing at the ridiculous sight.
But then I hit the dirt. It's not easy to run with one clown shoe on. It's also not easy to run with a nail sticking through your foot--that's what attached the board to my foot. OMGosh that hurt. Someone had left a board with a huge nail sticking out of it laying in the weeds. It wasn't me. I listened when my dad warned us not to leave nails sticking out of boards--or at least face the nails downwards until you had time to remove them. But some kid in the neighborhood didn't get that message and I got stuck.
After I fell, Mrs. B came to check on me, then scooped me up and carried me home. That was embarassing, especially since the board was still attached. LOL! But I was fine. It was just one of those cartoon moments that looked funny at first, hurt like the dickens, and caused no real damage.
I don't know why, but I found myself thinking about Mrs. B and her hubby today. They were good neighbors and nice people. He's the one who called me Ricademus. I think he thought I was too serious, so he teased me once in a while. They moved in when I was 4. According to legend, when my family went over to introduce ourselves I tugged on Mr. B's pant leg and asked if I looked like him. When he asked why, I told him I was looking for my father. Boy was my mom embarrassed!!! =)
If I decide to turn this into a series and share other cartoon moments, some of the titles could include: "Where's My Eye"; "Was That My Finger"; and "Electricity: Friend or Foe". LOL!
I've had many cartoon moments. I've never been what I would consider seriously injured, never had a broken bone, never been hospitalized (knock on wood), but I've had cartoon moments. One in particular is on my mind today. When I was growing up it was not unusual for the mothers in my neighborhood to help each other when they heard one of their peers yelling for their kids to come home--they would join in and start yelling too. I like to think of it as a real-life version of the signal fires that went out from Gondor to Rohan in LOTR or the barking of messages by dogs in one Disney cartoon or another.
One summer evening as I walked in the woods near my parent's house, I could hear Mrs. B calling me. That meant my mom had been calling for a while, so I ran towards home. As I emerged from the woods I could see Mrs. B on her carport and she could see me. Just then, a 2-foot long board became attached to my foot--it looked like I was wearing a size 37 clown shoe. As I took another another few steps (I guess inertia carried me forward), I heard Mrs. B laughing at the ridiculous sight.
But then I hit the dirt. It's not easy to run with one clown shoe on. It's also not easy to run with a nail sticking through your foot--that's what attached the board to my foot. OMGosh that hurt. Someone had left a board with a huge nail sticking out of it laying in the weeds. It wasn't me. I listened when my dad warned us not to leave nails sticking out of boards--or at least face the nails downwards until you had time to remove them. But some kid in the neighborhood didn't get that message and I got stuck.
After I fell, Mrs. B came to check on me, then scooped me up and carried me home. That was embarassing, especially since the board was still attached. LOL! But I was fine. It was just one of those cartoon moments that looked funny at first, hurt like the dickens, and caused no real damage.
I don't know why, but I found myself thinking about Mrs. B and her hubby today. They were good neighbors and nice people. He's the one who called me Ricademus. I think he thought I was too serious, so he teased me once in a while. They moved in when I was 4. According to legend, when my family went over to introduce ourselves I tugged on Mr. B's pant leg and asked if I looked like him. When he asked why, I told him I was looking for my father. Boy was my mom embarrassed!!! =)
If I decide to turn this into a series and share other cartoon moments, some of the titles could include: "Where's My Eye"; "Was That My Finger"; and "Electricity: Friend or Foe". LOL!
Monday, February 14, 2011
"Happy Valentime's Day"
According to the magic talking box in my house, that's how people say Happy Valentine's Day after one (or 5) too many drinks.
Valentine's Day is great (better some years than others), but I think it's important to also celebrate the friendships we have. Romantic love is wonderful, I don't want to sell that short--it's worth celebrating (just not with diamonds and flowers on February 14th). But when you think about all the people in your life, over the course of your lifetime, you have much more opportunity to experience the kind of love you get from friends and family--even Zsa Zsa Gabor only married 9 times. Maybe I never got over the fun of giving Valentines to friends back in elementary school. Although, that could be a little stressful--you had to make sure to match the Valentine to the person. What if the "Be Mine" accidentally went to Fred??? Those envelopes all got checked twice before going into anyone's foil wrapped shoebox.
Now I want to say Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends...and announce the winners of the sparkly stuff from Pop Champagne. Just for entering, people earned one entry. Entering also unlocked one entry for each comment the person made on my blog during December--a time when everyone is busy preparing for or wrapping up one thing or another. The entries went into an Excel spreadsheet and the random number generating function assigned a number to each. Since PC had five cool pendants, the entries assigned the five lowest numbers are the winners (see screen capture @ the bottom of post). They are:
#1 - Heart Pendant: Meibelle
#2 - Starfish Pendant: Jo
#3 - Star Pendant: Dina
#4 - Starfish Pendant: de.lizzy.cious
#5 - Heart Pendant: Shop N' Chomp
To claim your pendants, please send your address to Julie @ julie_lan@hotmail.com. Have you ever been to her contact page? She has a great sense of humor. I just read that you can write to her if you have a bad dream, so I'll be filling up her in-box very soon! Also, you can send me your address if you want a birthday card, but for the pendants, send it to Julie. I'd probably just send you an e-card anyway. ;P
I'll be doing another giveaway in early May, but I think I'll just make it one entry per person and draw the names from a hat. The way I did it this time seemed like a good idea, but turned out to be too much like work.
Valentine's Day is great (better some years than others), but I think it's important to also celebrate the friendships we have. Romantic love is wonderful, I don't want to sell that short--it's worth celebrating (just not with diamonds and flowers on February 14th). But when you think about all the people in your life, over the course of your lifetime, you have much more opportunity to experience the kind of love you get from friends and family--even Zsa Zsa Gabor only married 9 times. Maybe I never got over the fun of giving Valentines to friends back in elementary school. Although, that could be a little stressful--you had to make sure to match the Valentine to the person. What if the "Be Mine" accidentally went to Fred??? Those envelopes all got checked twice before going into anyone's foil wrapped shoebox.
Now I want to say Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends...and announce the winners of the sparkly stuff from Pop Champagne. Just for entering, people earned one entry. Entering also unlocked one entry for each comment the person made on my blog during December--a time when everyone is busy preparing for or wrapping up one thing or another. The entries went into an Excel spreadsheet and the random number generating function assigned a number to each. Since PC had five cool pendants, the entries assigned the five lowest numbers are the winners (see screen capture @ the bottom of post). They are:
#1 - Heart Pendant: Meibelle
#2 - Starfish Pendant: Jo
#3 - Star Pendant: Dina
#4 - Starfish Pendant: de.lizzy.cious
#5 - Heart Pendant: Shop N' Chomp
To claim your pendants, please send your address to Julie @ julie_lan@hotmail.com. Have you ever been to her contact page? She has a great sense of humor. I just read that you can write to her if you have a bad dream, so I'll be filling up her in-box very soon! Also, you can send me your address if you want a birthday card, but for the pendants, send it to Julie. I'd probably just send you an e-card anyway. ;P
I'll be doing another giveaway in early May, but I think I'll just make it one entry per person and draw the names from a hat. The way I did it this time seemed like a good idea, but turned out to be too much like work.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A Giveaway to say Thanks
Hello visitors to my blog! Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate you stopping by, and following, and commenting??? Well, I haven't said it properly in a while. To correct that I am having a giveaway celebration this week, a celebration with champagne. Well, Pop Champagne, which is even better. The gifts are from her collection and include the heart pendent pictured above, or below, or somewhere in this post.All you have to do is be a current follower (as of February 7th) and leave a comment that you want to enter. That will give you one entry PLUS unlock your pre-determined secret entries!!! There will be more than one winner. Enter by the stroke of midnight on Friday February 11th and on Monday the 14th we'll all find out how many people won. Of course all of you are winners, but only a random selection will actually get jewelry for being so great. =)
If you're hesitant to enter because you don't want to share your address, not a problem. When you win, you can send your address directly to PC. That way you retain your privacy and I only pay to ship it to you--instead of to me and then to you (my "frugal" German poppa would be so proud of me).
Remember to smile today--and enter!!!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Bowl Dilemma
It's that time of year again. During the college bowl season in December, the bowls and networks cooperate to stagger them, so you don't have choose between watching the Fruit Bowl or the Cereal Bowl. You can watch them all.
But now it's February. On Sunday I will have to choose between watching the Super Bowl on Fox or Puppy Bowl VII on Animal Planet. Pro's or puppies??? What would you do? Are you planning to watch either?
PS - I've decided. I'll watch the Super Bowl and DVR the Puppy Bowl.
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