Before I get into the regular post I want to give the RIF related information that Susie asked for. I thought I'd post it here in case any of the other 4 readers want to pursue getting a program started in their school.
Reading Is Fundamental
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009-5726
toll free: 877-RIF-READ (877.743.7323)
www.rif.org
Go scare up some great books for kids!
Ok, now forgive me as I strap on my old lady gear. I'm in my rocking chair on the front porch, flowered dress, apron, stockings rolled down around my ankles, gray hair in bun, bowl of candy in my lap, wagging my bony finger at the young 'uns coming across my porch for Halloween treats. Back in my day, when we went trick or treating, or "spookin'" (rhymes with book) as they call it where I grew up, we only went to the houses of people we knew. We ALWAYS said 'trick or treat.' People had to guess who we were under our costumes and we had to perform a trick (sing a song, tell a joke, do something funny or clever) before we got to have sweets and goodies dropped into our bags. Sometimes we were invited in for hot cocoa or popcorn balls. We also made our own costumes and said "thank you."
Flash forward to 1994 when I moved to the Poconos. A neighbor warned me in September that I had better start stocking up on candy now. I asked why and was told our neighborhood was the most popular one in the county for trick or treating. Then she told me she spent over $50 a year on Halloween candy to pass out. I thought she was out of her mind. I bought maybe 6 bags of candy, thinking this would prepare me for heavy traffic. I was blissfully unaware of the madness that would ensue.
The first sign of trouble was when I noticed the entire block out decorating all day. I don't mean just putting a few carved pumpkins on porches or hanging skeleton pictures on front doors. I mean elaborate displays. Graveyards sprang up in front yards. Zombies, corpses, skeletons, witches, and various other monsters came out en masse. Landscaping changed dramatically as spiderwebs, severed body parts, and dry ice machines created eerie scenes. Spooky music filled the air. People actually took the day off work to set up!
We ate dinner, got the kids costumed and the doorbell rang. It was a bunch of kids I did not know who stuck their hands out expectantly. "Ok, Happy Halloween." I said with a smile as I dumped a few goodies into their bags. No 'thank yous' as they dashed to the neighbor's house.
My kids were pretty small and a little freaked out by some of the more gruesome decorations in the area so Daddy the Protector walked them around the neighborhood while I stayed at the house to hand out candy. The next sign of trouble was when I had a line 20 deep waiting for candy. Crimony! I was new to the neighborhood, I didn't KNOW 20 kids that lived there. Why were parents letting their kids come to me? I could be an axe murderer or have laced the candy with drugs for all they knew!
Our house was a duplex. The guy who lived in the other half looked at my pathetic store of candy and asked if I had more inside the house. I told him no and he shook his head laughing. NOW, I understood. I had been handing out candy for 15 minutes and had about 12 pieces of my 6 bags left and now had a line that was 30 kids deep. When I plopped the last candy bar into a kid's bag and let the rest know I was cleaned out I thought there was going to be a riot! It was like a bunch of refugees pressing a UN truck carrying water and rice. The neighbor asked me to help pass out his candy since I had been wiped out. For the next two hours I sat as an endless stream of costumed kids paraded across our porch like a conveyor belt of items in a factory line. I was astounded.
Apparently every rural kid in the county gets dropped off in that neighborhood. There were easily 1000 kids running through there. I caught on and the next year started stocking up on candy in September. I also figured our, all on my own, what every one else does too. We buy dum-dum, smarties and other cheap stuff for the hordes of kids we don't know and save the candy bars and good stuff for the kids that live in the neighborhood.
We lived in that neighborhood for 10 years and moved to an outlying area 2 years ago. We get invited back by the neighbors so tonight we will dress up, drive to town and join the throng. Even though there is no time for identity guessing, silly tricks, or popcorn balls, my kids will say 'Trick or treat' and 'Thank you, Happy Halloween.' as they march around in homemade costumes. And with all the money I save on candy now I can put together some nice goody bags to take to the kids we know and still keep a secret stash for myself. Mwahahahaha!!!!!!!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
More Questions
It's been a long, busy week. I'm copping out and stealing this from Snav
Name someone with the same birthday as you.
Hugh Jackman , that weird Adam Rich from 'Eight is Enough', my friend Jim AND his daughter Kris, a very annoying neioghbor kid named Byron
Where was your first kiss?
On the lips
Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
Nope, I have a few candidates though
Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yep, he would not take 'no' for an answer
Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
Yes, I lead a special song every year at a ladies' getaway weekend (do your boobs hang low, do they wobble to and fro, can you tie 'em in a knot, can you tie em in a bow.......)
What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex?
That he is the preferred sex
What is your biggest mistake?
What or who?
Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Yes. I was 5 and threw myself out of a tree trying to break my leg so I could get a cast like my best friend.
Say something totally random about yourself.
I have all 4 of my wisdom teeth
Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
Yes, I've been told Stockard Channing, the Bond girl from 'Octopussy,' and once had a strange man tell me he enjoyed the porn film I starred in......I beg your pardon???!! Never starred in any porn, and I frankly, don't see where the other two comments come from.
Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
Yes
Did you have braces?
Nope.
Are you comfortable with your height?
It is what it is, I don't think about it.
What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you?
This is a joke right? Have you ever met my husband? He sent me a valentine card that featured dog genitalia.....
When do you know it's love?
When I get a card NOT featuring dog genitalia.
Do you speak any other languages?
Some Spanish, some French and bits of Mandarin.
Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
Yes, only to even out a farmer's tan before stuffing myself into a sausage casing, spaghetti strap bridesmaid gown.
What magazines do you read?
National Geographic...the pendulous naked pygmy boobs make me feel better about my own.
Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yes
Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Yes, quite a few people.
Do you watch MTV?
Nope, I don't have cable TV
What's something that really annoys you?
Valentine cards featuring dog genitalia
What's something you really like?
chocolate, sex.....both together
Can you dance?
Yes
What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
Hhhmm.. Probably close to 40 hours or so.
Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
No, I drive myself.
Name someone with the same birthday as you.
Hugh Jackman , that weird Adam Rich from 'Eight is Enough', my friend Jim AND his daughter Kris, a very annoying neioghbor kid named Byron
Where was your first kiss?
On the lips
Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
Nope, I have a few candidates though
Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yep, he would not take 'no' for an answer
Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
Yes, I lead a special song every year at a ladies' getaway weekend (do your boobs hang low, do they wobble to and fro, can you tie 'em in a knot, can you tie em in a bow.......)
What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex?
That he is the preferred sex
What is your biggest mistake?
What or who?
Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Yes. I was 5 and threw myself out of a tree trying to break my leg so I could get a cast like my best friend.
Say something totally random about yourself.
I have all 4 of my wisdom teeth
Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
Yes, I've been told Stockard Channing, the Bond girl from 'Octopussy,' and once had a strange man tell me he enjoyed the porn film I starred in......I beg your pardon???!! Never starred in any porn, and I frankly, don't see where the other two comments come from.
Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
Yes
Did you have braces?
Nope.
Are you comfortable with your height?
It is what it is, I don't think about it.
What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you?
This is a joke right? Have you ever met my husband? He sent me a valentine card that featured dog genitalia.....
When do you know it's love?
When I get a card NOT featuring dog genitalia.
Do you speak any other languages?
Some Spanish, some French and bits of Mandarin.
Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
Yes, only to even out a farmer's tan before stuffing myself into a sausage casing, spaghetti strap bridesmaid gown.
What magazines do you read?
National Geographic...the pendulous naked pygmy boobs make me feel better about my own.
Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yes
Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Yes, quite a few people.
Do you watch MTV?
Nope, I don't have cable TV
What's something that really annoys you?
Valentine cards featuring dog genitalia
What's something you really like?
chocolate, sex.....both together
Can you dance?
Yes
What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
Hhhmm.. Probably close to 40 hours or so.
Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
No, I drive myself.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Halloween HNT
I'm NOT coming out. Nu-uh! No way! It's scary out there! There are monsters and witches and goblins. I'm going to do what I did when I was a kid. I'm going to hide under my covers and not move a muscle. If I am very still and make sure no body parts show or hang over the edge of the bed then the slimy, creepy monsters under my bed won't find me. I have my giant stuffed animals to guard me like when I was little. I'm going to stay hidden under my covers until all the scary monsters go away......I'm being very still, very quiet...not moving......oh no......my foot is showing.......oh no!!!! That means the monsters under my bed might see me! Is that a tentacle I see reaching up for me????? EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!
Happy Halloween HNT!
Happy Halloween HNT!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
RIF, Day 2
A little explanation as to what this is all about. Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is a wonderful program that allows all the kids in school to get one free book three times a year. I have been running this thing for the last 6 years. It is a lot of work during the week that it runs but it is so worth it. Out PTA gives us a budget of about $7000 to get enough books for 900 kids. The government chips in about $500. For that $500, the governement gets to tell us how to do things.....what catalogs we may order from, how many books we have to keep on stock, how we must account for kids who are absent onthe days we runthe program and various other nit-picky crap. Personally, I'd like to say, "Keep the $500, we can manage this quite well on our own, thank you very much." but I am not the one who gets to make that decision.
In any event, after all the ordering, sorting, and setting up of books, securing of volunteers, organization of classroom schedules, and verification of class lists for 900 students RIF days arrive and the kids come into the library to pick their books. This confuses some of them like crazy. "Um, I'm in the library, there are tables covered with 1000s of books and you're telling me I get to pick one to take home and keep? Forever? And I don't need money?" Yep, kiddo. that's exactly what I'm saying. "Wow! Cool! Any book I want?" Yep, any book you want. Then a face lights up. It's great, makes my whole day!
Some of these kids you just know have never owned a book for whatever reason. Maybe their parents don't encourage reading, maybe they do but can't afford it. Some kids come in knowing exactly what they want. "'Scuse me, RIF lady, where are fantasy books?" "Do you have any 'Captain Underpants'?" "Do you have the third 'Harry Potter'?" Other kids come in having no idea what they want and wander around until something grabs them. Some have a hard time deciding between a few favorites and walk around with 3 books under their arm trying to decide. Sometimes they ask me to put one aside for next time (that's 3 months away and I have 900 kids! no reserves kiddo, sorry)
Once we had a fight break out over the last copy of a particular book. That was interesting. I told them to work it out decently or neither one of them would get the book. They both decided neither one really wanted it and tossed it back on the table where another kid that hovered quietly waited to snatch it up a nanosecond after it landed.
There was one kid yesterday that really got to me. He was a big guy who came up with a very girlish book. Sometimes the boys do that just to be funny. Every now and then I've had a boy slip one of these books to me and whisper that they like this stuff even though the others rag on them. This kid did not seem to be doing so for humor's sake or because he had a genuine interest in the subject. I asked if this was for him. He said no there was a book he wanted but this was for his sister "who would kill him if he came home with something for himself but not for her." I told him she'd have her own RIF day. He brightened for a moment and ran off to get his book. Then he came back with the same girlish one. I asked where was the one he wanted. He said, "on the table, but I think this is probably better for me. My sister is bigger than me." by then his teacher was hustling the class out the door and the next wave was hitting. I was trying to find out which book he WANTED because THAT is the one I wanted to put in his hand, not the book that would assuage big sister's temper. Dang it.
I also get bugged when teachers tell a kid, "you can't have that book." There is one teacher every year who lines her class up and makes them come to her to approve every selection before they bring it to me. And every year I tell her it is the kids who decide what book they take home. And every year she tells me she wants them to have something they can read independantly. And everyear I tell her, if something attracts that kid to that book let them have the book. My son read 'The Hobbit' in second grade. I thought it would be too hard for him, but he wanted to read it. Ok, knock yer socks off, buddy. The kid read it and was able to relate the entire plot to me and interpret different things. Motivation is a wonderful thing. I will see this teacher today. We will do the same dance.
I will see 400 kids today too and most of them will be glad for a book. Some of them will be bummed out I don't have the book they want. Some will discover a new book, maybe check out a new genre or subject. Some will be grinning ear to ear, and tickled to get a free book. I can't wait.
In any event, after all the ordering, sorting, and setting up of books, securing of volunteers, organization of classroom schedules, and verification of class lists for 900 students RIF days arrive and the kids come into the library to pick their books. This confuses some of them like crazy. "Um, I'm in the library, there are tables covered with 1000s of books and you're telling me I get to pick one to take home and keep? Forever? And I don't need money?" Yep, kiddo. that's exactly what I'm saying. "Wow! Cool! Any book I want?" Yep, any book you want. Then a face lights up. It's great, makes my whole day!
Some of these kids you just know have never owned a book for whatever reason. Maybe their parents don't encourage reading, maybe they do but can't afford it. Some kids come in knowing exactly what they want. "'Scuse me, RIF lady, where are fantasy books?" "Do you have any 'Captain Underpants'?" "Do you have the third 'Harry Potter'?" Other kids come in having no idea what they want and wander around until something grabs them. Some have a hard time deciding between a few favorites and walk around with 3 books under their arm trying to decide. Sometimes they ask me to put one aside for next time (that's 3 months away and I have 900 kids! no reserves kiddo, sorry)
Once we had a fight break out over the last copy of a particular book. That was interesting. I told them to work it out decently or neither one of them would get the book. They both decided neither one really wanted it and tossed it back on the table where another kid that hovered quietly waited to snatch it up a nanosecond after it landed.
There was one kid yesterday that really got to me. He was a big guy who came up with a very girlish book. Sometimes the boys do that just to be funny. Every now and then I've had a boy slip one of these books to me and whisper that they like this stuff even though the others rag on them. This kid did not seem to be doing so for humor's sake or because he had a genuine interest in the subject. I asked if this was for him. He said no there was a book he wanted but this was for his sister "who would kill him if he came home with something for himself but not for her." I told him she'd have her own RIF day. He brightened for a moment and ran off to get his book. Then he came back with the same girlish one. I asked where was the one he wanted. He said, "on the table, but I think this is probably better for me. My sister is bigger than me." by then his teacher was hustling the class out the door and the next wave was hitting. I was trying to find out which book he WANTED because THAT is the one I wanted to put in his hand, not the book that would assuage big sister's temper. Dang it.
I also get bugged when teachers tell a kid, "you can't have that book." There is one teacher every year who lines her class up and makes them come to her to approve every selection before they bring it to me. And every year I tell her it is the kids who decide what book they take home. And every year she tells me she wants them to have something they can read independantly. And everyear I tell her, if something attracts that kid to that book let them have the book. My son read 'The Hobbit' in second grade. I thought it would be too hard for him, but he wanted to read it. Ok, knock yer socks off, buddy. The kid read it and was able to relate the entire plot to me and interpret different things. Motivation is a wonderful thing. I will see this teacher today. We will do the same dance.
I will see 400 kids today too and most of them will be glad for a book. Some of them will be bummed out I don't have the book they want. Some will discover a new book, maybe check out a new genre or subject. Some will be grinning ear to ear, and tickled to get a free book. I can't wait.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
RIF Days
2700 books.........900 kids..........2 days.......me.......
I'll post something later this afternoon after I get through half of this book distribution for the Reading Is Fundamental program I run.
I'll post something later this afternoon after I get through half of this book distribution for the Reading Is Fundamental program I run.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Weekend Report
Well, she did it again! Diana has proved herself the mighty hunter once again. For the third year in a row she has brought home a deer within the first two hours of the first day she hit the woods. Thursday was the opening day of the youth hunt and she got a nice sized doe, so we have a freezer full of meat once again for which we are thankful (we hunt for food not sport). The very first year she got a big buck right off the bat, experienced guys called it luck. Last year, when she got a doe the first day they said, "Well, she is really a lucky gal." Ok fellows, it's the third consecutive year. Still calling it luck?
Friday night was homecoming. Mind you, I loathe football. I have absolutely zero interest in the sport whatsoever and cannot explain any aspect of it. The ONLY reason I go is to see Diana march in the band. That part I love and nobody better interrupt the field show. Homecoming is different, I go to be the dutiful band mom and help set up. Then I endure this hideously boring game, watch a bunch of vapid girls (ok, one of them wants to be a pediatrician so I guess they are not all vapid) compete in a popularity contest for a plastic tiara and the band does NOT get to march. AND, I froze my butt off. The upside was the people I sat with. They were an amusing lot. My son, Isaac, actually follows this game, knows what is going on and kept quizzing me. "Mom, do you know what a down is? An incomplete? An interception? Do you know what the flag means? Did you see what that guy just did?" He was so proud of me when I'd actually get one right. If he has anything to do with it I may actually be forced to learn something about this sport and be able to give a better description of it than "unbelievably large boys in spandex and pads crashing around and fighting over an improperly shaped ball." How can I remain completely uninterested with that eager little face looking up at me and trying depserately to inform me?
Saturday, I went to a baby shower. A group of us went in a 15 passenger van to the area where I grew up. I've always liked the drive descending from the Poconos to the rolling farmlands of southeastern Pennsylvania. Two hundred year old stone farmhouses and barns marked with hex signs begin to dot the scenery. Trees thin out a bit and reveal the cornfields. I love how the cornfields change the landscape over the course of a year. Right now the dried stalks stand up like thin and weary sentries soon to be felled. After the first light snow, the short stubs will poke out of the frosty layer until a thicker blanket covers them and makes the fields look like a bumpy white chenille bedspread. Spring means it is time to break up the hard earth and start again so dark, damp soil can make way for little green sprouts that soar to over a man's head. Ok, I confess....I even like the smell of cow manure when they have spread it on the fields. When I was in college, I knew I was almost home when I caught the first whiff of it. I'd inhale deeply every time. Yeah, hunting and cow manure....I must be a complete hick, right?
So.....what makes people call you lucky? Were you a quarterback or a homecoming queen? What interest have you developed as a result of your children's influence? What sights and smells let you know when you are 'home?'
Friday night was homecoming. Mind you, I loathe football. I have absolutely zero interest in the sport whatsoever and cannot explain any aspect of it. The ONLY reason I go is to see Diana march in the band. That part I love and nobody better interrupt the field show. Homecoming is different, I go to be the dutiful band mom and help set up. Then I endure this hideously boring game, watch a bunch of vapid girls (ok, one of them wants to be a pediatrician so I guess they are not all vapid) compete in a popularity contest for a plastic tiara and the band does NOT get to march. AND, I froze my butt off. The upside was the people I sat with. They were an amusing lot. My son, Isaac, actually follows this game, knows what is going on and kept quizzing me. "Mom, do you know what a down is? An incomplete? An interception? Do you know what the flag means? Did you see what that guy just did?" He was so proud of me when I'd actually get one right. If he has anything to do with it I may actually be forced to learn something about this sport and be able to give a better description of it than "unbelievably large boys in spandex and pads crashing around and fighting over an improperly shaped ball." How can I remain completely uninterested with that eager little face looking up at me and trying depserately to inform me?
Saturday, I went to a baby shower. A group of us went in a 15 passenger van to the area where I grew up. I've always liked the drive descending from the Poconos to the rolling farmlands of southeastern Pennsylvania. Two hundred year old stone farmhouses and barns marked with hex signs begin to dot the scenery. Trees thin out a bit and reveal the cornfields. I love how the cornfields change the landscape over the course of a year. Right now the dried stalks stand up like thin and weary sentries soon to be felled. After the first light snow, the short stubs will poke out of the frosty layer until a thicker blanket covers them and makes the fields look like a bumpy white chenille bedspread. Spring means it is time to break up the hard earth and start again so dark, damp soil can make way for little green sprouts that soar to over a man's head. Ok, I confess....I even like the smell of cow manure when they have spread it on the fields. When I was in college, I knew I was almost home when I caught the first whiff of it. I'd inhale deeply every time. Yeah, hunting and cow manure....I must be a complete hick, right?
So.....what makes people call you lucky? Were you a quarterback or a homecoming queen? What interest have you developed as a result of your children's influence? What sights and smells let you know when you are 'home?'
Friday, October 21, 2005
Complete the Sentence
Stole this from the Deerledge blog.
1) My uncle once: ran away to North Carolina when he was a teenager.
2) Never again in my life: do I want to have another car accident.
3) When I was five: life was good.
4) High School was: forgettable.
5) I will never forget: my first sweetheart.
6) I once met: the first lady of Trinidad and Tobago. When she asked me to tell the squatters I worked with to accept a deal to leave the land I respectfully declined and suggested her husband find a better solution.
7) There's this girl I know who: has the most stunning sea green eyes.
8) Once, at a bar: I tried to get served when I was 16.
9) By noon I'm usually: hungry.
10) Last night I: stayed up too late.
11) If I had only: gotten my schoolwork done sooner I might not be so stressed now.
12) Next time I go to church: I hope the pastor announces his retirement.
13) What worries me most: is something terrible happening to my kids.
14) When I turn my head right, I see: my fireplace.
15) When I turn my head left, I see: a closet.
16) You know I'm lying when: my nose grows.
17) You know what I miss most about the eighties: is being in college.
18) If I was a character written by Shakespeare, I'd be: um, hhmm....err...I dunno.
19) By this time, next year: I'll be a year older.
20) A better name for me would be: a name I don't share with a million other people.
21) I have a hard time understanding: football, trigonometry, and physics.
22) If I ever go back to school I'll: be completely broke and then some.
23) You know I like you if: I want to spend time with you.
24) If I won an award, the first person I'd thank would be: whoever helped me most to attain that honor.
25) Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferarro are: strange bedfellows.
26) Take my advice, never: cut scotch bonnet peppers without wearing gloves.
27) My ideal breakfast is: bran flakes, blueberries, skim milk and OJ is what I have every day, but I'd really like a big ole farmer's breakfast or else chocolate covered strawberries in bed.
28) A song I love, but do not have is: Landslide by Stevie Nicks.
29) If you visit my hometown, I suggest: doing it off-season.
30) Why won't anyone: put their dirty clothes in the hamper.
31) If you spend the night at my house, DO: be prepared to lime.
32) I'd stop my wedding for: I dunno but my reception at the local Elks club got interupted at midnight so the lodge brothers could pay tribute to the dead Elk bretheren everywhere. I am not making this up.
33) The world could do without: vapid celebrities.
34) I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: eat liver or kidney.
35) My favorite blonde is: my best pal, Gwen.
36) Paperclips are more useful than: electric pencil sharpeners.
37) San Diego means: Saint James
38) And by the way: I won't officially tag anyone because I don't want to be a pest, but would love to see a few people play (Snav, Susie, Ariella, Bantu, BS, Goody, Breazy? anyone?) along, so let me know if you do.
1) My uncle once: ran away to North Carolina when he was a teenager.
2) Never again in my life: do I want to have another car accident.
3) When I was five: life was good.
4) High School was: forgettable.
5) I will never forget: my first sweetheart.
6) I once met: the first lady of Trinidad and Tobago. When she asked me to tell the squatters I worked with to accept a deal to leave the land I respectfully declined and suggested her husband find a better solution.
7) There's this girl I know who: has the most stunning sea green eyes.
8) Once, at a bar: I tried to get served when I was 16.
9) By noon I'm usually: hungry.
10) Last night I: stayed up too late.
11) If I had only: gotten my schoolwork done sooner I might not be so stressed now.
12) Next time I go to church: I hope the pastor announces his retirement.
13) What worries me most: is something terrible happening to my kids.
14) When I turn my head right, I see: my fireplace.
15) When I turn my head left, I see: a closet.
16) You know I'm lying when: my nose grows.
17) You know what I miss most about the eighties: is being in college.
18) If I was a character written by Shakespeare, I'd be: um, hhmm....err...I dunno.
19) By this time, next year: I'll be a year older.
20) A better name for me would be: a name I don't share with a million other people.
21) I have a hard time understanding: football, trigonometry, and physics.
22) If I ever go back to school I'll: be completely broke and then some.
23) You know I like you if: I want to spend time with you.
24) If I won an award, the first person I'd thank would be: whoever helped me most to attain that honor.
25) Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferarro are: strange bedfellows.
26) Take my advice, never: cut scotch bonnet peppers without wearing gloves.
27) My ideal breakfast is: bran flakes, blueberries, skim milk and OJ is what I have every day, but I'd really like a big ole farmer's breakfast or else chocolate covered strawberries in bed.
28) A song I love, but do not have is: Landslide by Stevie Nicks.
29) If you visit my hometown, I suggest: doing it off-season.
30) Why won't anyone: put their dirty clothes in the hamper.
31) If you spend the night at my house, DO: be prepared to lime.
32) I'd stop my wedding for: I dunno but my reception at the local Elks club got interupted at midnight so the lodge brothers could pay tribute to the dead Elk bretheren everywhere. I am not making this up.
33) The world could do without: vapid celebrities.
34) I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: eat liver or kidney.
35) My favorite blonde is: my best pal, Gwen.
36) Paperclips are more useful than: electric pencil sharpeners.
37) San Diego means: Saint James
38) And by the way: I won't officially tag anyone because I don't want to be a pest, but would love to see a few people play (Snav, Susie, Ariella, Bantu, BS, Goody, Breazy? anyone?) along, so let me know if you do.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Happy HNT!
Last week at the Insane Asylime I posted in all my 18th century glory. I promised to show more skin this week. First, I need to thank Ariella's Alpha female for help. Second, I will preface this by saying it is to return the honor that Bantu "Fred" Mugabe aka Banana Joe paid me earlier this week over at Idiot's Paradise. Be forewarned....I'm taking it ALL off. I hope you will agree that I am showing a great deal of bravery by posting this picture. Scroll down if you are REALLY sure you want to see this........
Ok, Bantu. I saw you with a ridiculous amount of hair in my honor. I went bald in your honor (and honoring Van Gogh by going earless!). Hopefully Osbasso will forgive me for photoshopping. I have no digital camera yet so I have to be kind of creative here and I know he can appreciate that. My situation will soon be rectified.
Happy HNT all!
Ok, Bantu. I saw you with a ridiculous amount of hair in my honor. I went bald in your honor (and honoring Van Gogh by going earless!). Hopefully Osbasso will forgive me for photoshopping. I have no digital camera yet so I have to be kind of creative here and I know he can appreciate that. My situation will soon be rectified.
Happy HNT all!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
A Good Book
Right now the class I am taking is a children's literature course in the library science department. I love it. I loved reading as a kid. I still love to read, though I don't do so as much as I'd like to. One of my assignments is to observe a children's story hour and then plan and execute one. This will be easy. Yesterday, for my observation, I returned to the elementary school Diana and Calypso went through and Isaac had 2 years at before we moved. It is a wonderful, tiny neighborhood school that now only goes to 2nd grade. All the staff know every single kid by name and there is such a wonderful sense of community there. I spent endless hours volunteering there when my kids attended and loved it. I did bunches of story hours.
I caught up with the librarian and other staff there and was welcomed back so warmly. The secretary offered me everyone's schedule and told me to go catch this one or that one before they have class because they will want to see me again. That made me feel just great.
In the library I did my observation and afterwards caught up with the librarian. There is a new brand new school in the district and we had both gone to help inventory and help set up the new library. Maybe it is a geeky trait peculiar to librarians and librarian wanna-bes but we both agreed that it was REALLY an exciting thing to get to see rows and rows of shelves of brand new, shiny library books. We both admitted having great difficulty doing mere inventory when we'd come across a book that seemed especially interesting. Running our hands up and down the spines, feeling the pages release to us as we parted them the first time, deeply inhaling the aroma of a virginal book......it's all so thrilling!
It made me think back to the first 'grown-up' book I selected and bought myself. I was 7. My family was on vacation at the New Jersey shore and we were going in and out the souvenir stores on the boardwalk. My brother and I had each been given an amount of money we could spend on whatever souvenir we wanted. Nothing in any of the shops caught me eye enough to make me want to part with the money. Then I saw a book store. I went in and saw shelves and tables crammed with books. My little heart quickened. I spent a very long time looking. I was a bit annoyed with a clerk who tried to direct me to picture books and informed him that I was a fine reader who could manage chapter books with no pictures. It was such a hard decision though. I was used to going to the library and borrowing books but now I got to pick one I could keep forever. I kept looking but something kept drawing me back to the biographies. I read blurb after blurb on cover after cover and finally one lept out at me......the true story of how Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller together showed the world a blind and deaf child could learn and succeed......I was hooked. I carried it happily to the counter and paid for it. I devoured it quickly and reread it several more times. I was so proud of my little book and I was so amazed by Helen and Anne. Ever since then I have been drawn to biographies. I went into special education, now I am considering becoming a librarian. Lots of other experiences have shaped me but I think about that one little book sometimes and how much impact it had. I think how wonderful it is to put a book in a kid's hands, one that makes their face light up, one that impacts them positively for a long time.
So, tell me about the first book you remember or one that still impacts you.
I caught up with the librarian and other staff there and was welcomed back so warmly. The secretary offered me everyone's schedule and told me to go catch this one or that one before they have class because they will want to see me again. That made me feel just great.
In the library I did my observation and afterwards caught up with the librarian. There is a new brand new school in the district and we had both gone to help inventory and help set up the new library. Maybe it is a geeky trait peculiar to librarians and librarian wanna-bes but we both agreed that it was REALLY an exciting thing to get to see rows and rows of shelves of brand new, shiny library books. We both admitted having great difficulty doing mere inventory when we'd come across a book that seemed especially interesting. Running our hands up and down the spines, feeling the pages release to us as we parted them the first time, deeply inhaling the aroma of a virginal book......it's all so thrilling!
It made me think back to the first 'grown-up' book I selected and bought myself. I was 7. My family was on vacation at the New Jersey shore and we were going in and out the souvenir stores on the boardwalk. My brother and I had each been given an amount of money we could spend on whatever souvenir we wanted. Nothing in any of the shops caught me eye enough to make me want to part with the money. Then I saw a book store. I went in and saw shelves and tables crammed with books. My little heart quickened. I spent a very long time looking. I was a bit annoyed with a clerk who tried to direct me to picture books and informed him that I was a fine reader who could manage chapter books with no pictures. It was such a hard decision though. I was used to going to the library and borrowing books but now I got to pick one I could keep forever. I kept looking but something kept drawing me back to the biographies. I read blurb after blurb on cover after cover and finally one lept out at me......the true story of how Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller together showed the world a blind and deaf child could learn and succeed......I was hooked. I carried it happily to the counter and paid for it. I devoured it quickly and reread it several more times. I was so proud of my little book and I was so amazed by Helen and Anne. Ever since then I have been drawn to biographies. I went into special education, now I am considering becoming a librarian. Lots of other experiences have shaped me but I think about that one little book sometimes and how much impact it had. I think how wonderful it is to put a book in a kid's hands, one that makes their face light up, one that impacts them positively for a long time.
So, tell me about the first book you remember or one that still impacts you.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The Players
Allow me to introduce you to my kids. Names have been changed to protect the inno....well, um...they've just been changed, ok?
First born Diana is so named for the goddess of the hunt. She is nearly 15 and already has had 2 successful deer hunts. Her proudest moment was bagging a beauty of an 8 point buck, in the first hour of the first day of her first hunting season and having 8 huge, strapping lifelong hunters bow at her feet when she showed them. She is also a self described trumpet playing band geek whose second proudest moment was marching in Giant Stadium. She has an analytical mind that will tear to shreds anyone who dares challenge her logic with an inferior brand of their own. When she was 4 I made the mistake of asking which part of 'No' she did not understand. She looked at me and said, "The nnnnn." Guns and a withering logic....oh yeah, I am praying for her future husband already!
Calypso is 12. She was born on the island of Trinidad and will proudly tell you that as a dual citizen she could grow up to be President of the USA or PM of Trinidad and Tobago. Music drives her and her tastes range from Beethoven to Elvis to the Doors to current pop. She has played violin, piano, clarinet and oboe. Her proudest moment was singing an acapella version of 'Ain't No Sunshine' that made a previously politely attendant audience erupt in wild applause. When she was 4 she aspired to be a pediatrician and a bellydancer when she grew up........Anybody else hear the old 'Enjoli' commercial?....."I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never ever let you forget you're a maaaaaan........."
Isaac is 10. The name means laughter. This kid makes me laugh every single day. He's funny and he knows it, but it is not over the top funny. He has a dry delivery that is beyond his years.
He loves to draw, write, climb and jump. If I can't find him, I usually go outside and look up. Curtains, trees, walls, cliffs, buildings..it doesn't matter, if he can climb it and then jump off he is happy. The higher the better. He has also offered the observation that the dirtier he comes back from playing, the more fun he has had. I certainly can't argue with that. He hates public acknowledgement so his proudest moment is any time he can get the family to snarf their beverages through their noses or spit food across the table at dinner because of some joke he has cracked.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Time to Lime, part 2
Friday night I got to lime again. The friends I went to lime with on Wednesday came up to my place. Now, keep in mind I am really only close friends with one of the six people in this group. I knew 2 others by face and name, the rest I only just met on Wednesday. When my boy and I went to lime with them, my friend introduced me as being “Trini.” This is not something done lightly. Then the quiz began. Where did I live on the island? Had I seen this or that sight? Did I know how to cook various dishes? They threw dialect at me and I responded in kind. It was all good-natured and friendly and as I passed each test there was growing agreement that I was in fact a Trini.
When I let them know I could make my own roti (Indian flat bread) they were in awe. They've been away from home for the last 4 weeks and are missing certain foods, roti being among them. Some of them can make it but lacked the necessary baking stone or platin. When I told them I could make the light, flaky bus-up-shot variety and that there was a Trini grocery close to my house where they could get other hungered for goodies I needed to hand them napkins to wipe the drool. Plans for a Friday night lime at my house developed quickly.
They arrived at 2pm and we hit the grocery. They were like kids in a candy store, just like I was when the place first opened. We got back to my house and started the cooking. Three of us were in the kitchen while the rest had a little jam session with my two girls. Trumpet, clarinet, maracas, scrapers, tambourines all joined together as these professional musicians encouraged my two daughters by adding some calypso beat to the girls' music. My heart swelled with the music.
There is something about cooking together that opens people up and makes the time fly. Three of us spent 4 hours making roti, aloo (potato) pies, curried venison, curried chicken, channa and aloo (chick peas & potatoes). Never once did it feel like a chore, just pure pleasure. And at the end we all knew each other so much better. They were comfortable enough to root through my cabinets and drawers looking for the utensils needed and I was happy to have them do so. We stirred each other's pots, checked each other's various techniques, learned new ones from each other. I smiled pretty big when they said, “Eh eh! Girl, yuh rollin' an' fryin' roti like a proper Indian!” Laughter, music and spicy aromas poured out of the kitchen.
The others played the piano, played cards, played movies, relaxed, limed. When the food was ready we all gathered together and ate until we nearly burst. Many hands made short work of the clean-up. We had some quiet digesting and relaxed conversation, a few dozed off a bit. Then it was time for the next impromptu jam session. They pulled out my 2 guitars, got out the tambourines, scrapers, maracas, shakers and some wooden flutes I had gotten in Bolivia. A guitar case became a bongo. Calypso music and laughter filled my house. We danced. We sang. We laughed until our cheeks ached when my son, who can't play guitar at all grabbed one up and strummed it like a wild rocker while someone else who cannot play flute at all squeaked out some horrible though rhythmic notes in a ghastly duet.
We said our good-byes sometime before 1 am. They headed to their “home” for the next week or so. I went to bed thankful my heart had been home in Trinidad for the night.
When I let them know I could make my own roti (Indian flat bread) they were in awe. They've been away from home for the last 4 weeks and are missing certain foods, roti being among them. Some of them can make it but lacked the necessary baking stone or platin. When I told them I could make the light, flaky bus-up-shot variety and that there was a Trini grocery close to my house where they could get other hungered for goodies I needed to hand them napkins to wipe the drool. Plans for a Friday night lime at my house developed quickly.
They arrived at 2pm and we hit the grocery. They were like kids in a candy store, just like I was when the place first opened. We got back to my house and started the cooking. Three of us were in the kitchen while the rest had a little jam session with my two girls. Trumpet, clarinet, maracas, scrapers, tambourines all joined together as these professional musicians encouraged my two daughters by adding some calypso beat to the girls' music. My heart swelled with the music.
There is something about cooking together that opens people up and makes the time fly. Three of us spent 4 hours making roti, aloo (potato) pies, curried venison, curried chicken, channa and aloo (chick peas & potatoes). Never once did it feel like a chore, just pure pleasure. And at the end we all knew each other so much better. They were comfortable enough to root through my cabinets and drawers looking for the utensils needed and I was happy to have them do so. We stirred each other's pots, checked each other's various techniques, learned new ones from each other. I smiled pretty big when they said, “Eh eh! Girl, yuh rollin' an' fryin' roti like a proper Indian!” Laughter, music and spicy aromas poured out of the kitchen.
The others played the piano, played cards, played movies, relaxed, limed. When the food was ready we all gathered together and ate until we nearly burst. Many hands made short work of the clean-up. We had some quiet digesting and relaxed conversation, a few dozed off a bit. Then it was time for the next impromptu jam session. They pulled out my 2 guitars, got out the tambourines, scrapers, maracas, shakers and some wooden flutes I had gotten in Bolivia. A guitar case became a bongo. Calypso music and laughter filled my house. We danced. We sang. We laughed until our cheeks ached when my son, who can't play guitar at all grabbed one up and strummed it like a wild rocker while someone else who cannot play flute at all squeaked out some horrible though rhythmic notes in a ghastly duet.
We said our good-byes sometime before 1 am. They headed to their “home” for the next week or so. I went to bed thankful my heart had been home in Trinidad for the night.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Got Tagged
Snavy tagged me so here goes.
1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at?
My eyes
2. How much money do you have on you?
$82..this is an abnormally high amount, but I just got a few bucks for my birthday.
3. What's the first word that comes to mind that rhymes with "TEST?"
rest
4. Favorite plant?
Theobroma Cacao
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Mr. Lime
6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?
I only have the one it came programmed with. I can't be bothered to download something else.
7. What shirt are you wearing?
I didn't know a shirt was required for this meme
8. Do you "label" yourself?
No, but I have considered diagramming myself with an eyebrow pencil (kiss this, fondle that, etc.) for Mr. Lime's benefit (or mine, depending on how you look at it)
9. The brand of shoes you're currently wearing?
I didn't know shoes were required for this. Crimony, no shirt, no shoes no blogging or what?
10. Bright or Dark Room?
Bright, otherwise I get depressed
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
I like her, I really like her
12. Ever "spilled the beans?"
Yes, but I did not move the fridge to sweep out the ones that rolled under it.
13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping, clinging tenaciously to my share of the blankets
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?
Some ad from my carrier
15. Do you ever click on "Pop Ups?"
Never
16. What's a saying that you say a lot?
Bite me!
17. Who told you they loved you last?
My son
18. Last person you hooked up with?
I thought hooks were for fish
19. Last furry thing you touched?
An orange that was past its prime
20. How many drugs have you done in the past 3 days?
Just migraine meds
21. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
One I finished tonite
22. Favorite age you have been so far?
18
23. Your worst enemy?
Can't say I have one
24. What is your current desktop picture?
A picture called 'Limelight' that a dear friend sent me
25. What was the last thing you said to someone?
Goodnight
26. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to change a major regret?
A million bucks. If I had that then I could change a major regret and still have some left over.
27. Are you in love with someone?
Pleading the 5th
Tagging Ariella to do this next
1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at?
My eyes
2. How much money do you have on you?
$82..this is an abnormally high amount, but I just got a few bucks for my birthday.
3. What's the first word that comes to mind that rhymes with "TEST?"
rest
4. Favorite plant?
Theobroma Cacao
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Mr. Lime
6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?
I only have the one it came programmed with. I can't be bothered to download something else.
7. What shirt are you wearing?
I didn't know a shirt was required for this meme
8. Do you "label" yourself?
No, but I have considered diagramming myself with an eyebrow pencil (kiss this, fondle that, etc.) for Mr. Lime's benefit (or mine, depending on how you look at it)
9. The brand of shoes you're currently wearing?
I didn't know shoes were required for this. Crimony, no shirt, no shoes no blogging or what?
10. Bright or Dark Room?
Bright, otherwise I get depressed
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
I like her, I really like her
12. Ever "spilled the beans?"
Yes, but I did not move the fridge to sweep out the ones that rolled under it.
13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping, clinging tenaciously to my share of the blankets
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?
Some ad from my carrier
15. Do you ever click on "Pop Ups?"
Never
16. What's a saying that you say a lot?
Bite me!
17. Who told you they loved you last?
My son
18. Last person you hooked up with?
I thought hooks were for fish
19. Last furry thing you touched?
An orange that was past its prime
20. How many drugs have you done in the past 3 days?
Just migraine meds
21. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
One I finished tonite
22. Favorite age you have been so far?
18
23. Your worst enemy?
Can't say I have one
24. What is your current desktop picture?
A picture called 'Limelight' that a dear friend sent me
25. What was the last thing you said to someone?
Goodnight
26. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to change a major regret?
A million bucks. If I had that then I could change a major regret and still have some left over.
27. Are you in love with someone?
Pleading the 5th
Tagging Ariella to do this next
Friday, October 14, 2005
101 Things About Lime
I know this went around a while ago, but I never did it over at the Asylime so I'll do it here.
1. I'm a wife.
2. I am a mother to three kids.
3. I have a Special Ed. degree.
4. I met my husband at a Monkees concert.
5. I got married while I was still in college.
6. I was pregnant when I graduated.
7. I've studied French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.
8. I can't remember the French I took.
9. I can muddle through in Spanish.
10. I've been to Bolivia.
11. I lived in Trinidad for a year.
12. My second daughter was born there.
13. I'm adopted.
14. I'm ethnically Greek....
15.....culturally Pennsylvania German....
16.....Trini at heart.
17. In 1987 I travelled from PA to CA wiht a group of 9 bibyclists and two people in a car.
18. I drove the car, cooked, laundered, and set up camp.
19. Everyday I packed the belongings of 11 people into a Chevette and could still see out the back window.
20. I cannot believe how flat the middle of the USA is.
21. I love trees and mountains.
22. I love the ocean.
23. I started guitar lessons 18 months ago.
24. My teacher moved.
25. I haven't practiced since she moved 4 months ago.
26. I NEED a new teacher....a cheap one!
27. I am taking classes in library science.
28. I was a nerdy kid who read the dictionary and encyclopedia for entertainment.
29. I know this is weird, you don't have to tell me.
30. I love to dance.
31. I dance all over my house.
32. Sometimes I dance in stores if good music plays.
33. This mortifies my kids.
34. I like to sing around the house and in the car.
35. Others do not derive as much pleasure from this as I do.
36. I enjoy bugging my kids by dancing in public and singing loudly.
37. I think Mowgli and Tarzan are way cooler than Cinderella and Snow White.
38. As a kid, I bent the hell out of my canopy bed dismounting like Tarzan.
39. I still like to swing from ropes in trees.....
40.......and climb on rocks....
41.....and jump on trampolines...
42.....even though my lower back is a bit of a mess.
43. I had hair to below the middle of my back for 18 years...
44. ....partly because I am scared of hairdressers.
45. I cut it to boy short when my kids brought home head lice from school and shared it with me.
46. I did not know my hair was curly until I cut it.
47. I keep it about shoulder length now.
48. It is graying quickly.
49. I will never dye it.
50. I have brown eyes.
51. I am big on keepign eye contact during conversation.
52. It bugs me when other people aren't.
53. I have only worn make up 3 times inthe last 20 years.
54. My own wedding was not one of those occasions.
55. I love tie-dye.
56. I love batik.
57. I can sew well enough to make wearble clothing.
58. My kids and I volunteer at a living historical farm.
59. I sewed our costumes for that.
60. I used to be able to knit and crochet.
61. I want to learn to spin wool.
62. I know this is not a marketable skill.
63. I don't care.
64. I LOVE chocolate.
65. Some day before I die I want to swim in a vat of melted chocolate.
66. I have eaten curried goat.
67. I have eaten chicken feet.
68. I can make 3 kinds of roti (East Indian flat bread).
69. I do not make good curry to go with the roti.
70. Except curried venison.
71. My curried venison kicks ass.
72. I'd rather eat venison that beef.
73. I am violently allergic to aspirin, bananas, and Neil Diamond.
74. I am allergic to a lesser degree to penicillin, kiwi fruit, and Air Supply.
75. The worst job I ever had was in the laundry room of a nursing home.
76. I did like to visit some of the residents during my breaks.
77. My favorite job was as a camp counselor at a special ed. camp.
78. I got fired at the end of the 3rd summer for breaking curfew with the camp cook.
79. He was so not worth it.
80. I wonder where some of the camp kids are today.
81. When I worked as a house painter I got the nickname 'Sacagewea' because of how I squatted to do the low trim work.
82. I have lived in my current house for 2 years.
83. I still have not painted the walls.
84. All my pictures for the walls are still in boxes.
85. I want to visit Greece
86. Ireland
87. Australia
88. Kenya
89. Mongolia
90. Spain
91. Egypt.
92. Or anywhere someone would like to take me.
93. I don't want to visit in a touristy way.
94. I want a friend who lives in these places to show me what they love and what makes it home.
95. In college I used to hang out mostly with the foreign students.
96. I liked messing with the heads of the people who thought I was foreign too.
97. I often feel like a foreigner anyway.
98. I love to learn about different cultures.
99. I like learning about some unusual interest a friend may have.
100. I need one more thing about myself.
101. I am glad I got through this...hahahaha
1. I'm a wife.
2. I am a mother to three kids.
3. I have a Special Ed. degree.
4. I met my husband at a Monkees concert.
5. I got married while I was still in college.
6. I was pregnant when I graduated.
7. I've studied French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.
8. I can't remember the French I took.
9. I can muddle through in Spanish.
10. I've been to Bolivia.
11. I lived in Trinidad for a year.
12. My second daughter was born there.
13. I'm adopted.
14. I'm ethnically Greek....
15.....culturally Pennsylvania German....
16.....Trini at heart.
17. In 1987 I travelled from PA to CA wiht a group of 9 bibyclists and two people in a car.
18. I drove the car, cooked, laundered, and set up camp.
19. Everyday I packed the belongings of 11 people into a Chevette and could still see out the back window.
20. I cannot believe how flat the middle of the USA is.
21. I love trees and mountains.
22. I love the ocean.
23. I started guitar lessons 18 months ago.
24. My teacher moved.
25. I haven't practiced since she moved 4 months ago.
26. I NEED a new teacher....a cheap one!
27. I am taking classes in library science.
28. I was a nerdy kid who read the dictionary and encyclopedia for entertainment.
29. I know this is weird, you don't have to tell me.
30. I love to dance.
31. I dance all over my house.
32. Sometimes I dance in stores if good music plays.
33. This mortifies my kids.
34. I like to sing around the house and in the car.
35. Others do not derive as much pleasure from this as I do.
36. I enjoy bugging my kids by dancing in public and singing loudly.
37. I think Mowgli and Tarzan are way cooler than Cinderella and Snow White.
38. As a kid, I bent the hell out of my canopy bed dismounting like Tarzan.
39. I still like to swing from ropes in trees.....
40.......and climb on rocks....
41.....and jump on trampolines...
42.....even though my lower back is a bit of a mess.
43. I had hair to below the middle of my back for 18 years...
44. ....partly because I am scared of hairdressers.
45. I cut it to boy short when my kids brought home head lice from school and shared it with me.
46. I did not know my hair was curly until I cut it.
47. I keep it about shoulder length now.
48. It is graying quickly.
49. I will never dye it.
50. I have brown eyes.
51. I am big on keepign eye contact during conversation.
52. It bugs me when other people aren't.
53. I have only worn make up 3 times inthe last 20 years.
54. My own wedding was not one of those occasions.
55. I love tie-dye.
56. I love batik.
57. I can sew well enough to make wearble clothing.
58. My kids and I volunteer at a living historical farm.
59. I sewed our costumes for that.
60. I used to be able to knit and crochet.
61. I want to learn to spin wool.
62. I know this is not a marketable skill.
63. I don't care.
64. I LOVE chocolate.
65. Some day before I die I want to swim in a vat of melted chocolate.
66. I have eaten curried goat.
67. I have eaten chicken feet.
68. I can make 3 kinds of roti (East Indian flat bread).
69. I do not make good curry to go with the roti.
70. Except curried venison.
71. My curried venison kicks ass.
72. I'd rather eat venison that beef.
73. I am violently allergic to aspirin, bananas, and Neil Diamond.
74. I am allergic to a lesser degree to penicillin, kiwi fruit, and Air Supply.
75. The worst job I ever had was in the laundry room of a nursing home.
76. I did like to visit some of the residents during my breaks.
77. My favorite job was as a camp counselor at a special ed. camp.
78. I got fired at the end of the 3rd summer for breaking curfew with the camp cook.
79. He was so not worth it.
80. I wonder where some of the camp kids are today.
81. When I worked as a house painter I got the nickname 'Sacagewea' because of how I squatted to do the low trim work.
82. I have lived in my current house for 2 years.
83. I still have not painted the walls.
84. All my pictures for the walls are still in boxes.
85. I want to visit Greece
86. Ireland
87. Australia
88. Kenya
89. Mongolia
90. Spain
91. Egypt.
92. Or anywhere someone would like to take me.
93. I don't want to visit in a touristy way.
94. I want a friend who lives in these places to show me what they love and what makes it home.
95. In college I used to hang out mostly with the foreign students.
96. I liked messing with the heads of the people who thought I was foreign too.
97. I often feel like a foreigner anyway.
98. I love to learn about different cultures.
99. I like learning about some unusual interest a friend may have.
100. I need one more thing about myself.
101. I am glad I got through this...hahahaha
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Steel Pans
STEEL PAN
Thanks to each one who came over to check out the new digs and leave a comment as well as for the birthday wishes. It's all much appreciated. After putting up a post about liming I had the most wonderful opportunity to do some serious liming last night. I got a call, out of the blue, from a friend from Trinidad who I hadn't seen in probably 7 years or more. I found out he was touring with a small steel pan orchestra he had formed. Fortunately, he was performing only about 45 minutes away from my house so I packed up my boy and we went off to hear some sweet pan. After the performance we shut down the place catching up on old times. When the lights were shut out on us and the folks were standing at the door to shoo us out I bawled in meh bes' Trini accent, "Don't let's mash up de lime!" A chorus of agreement rose up and we decided to continue the lime back at the house where the orchestra was staying. Food, drink, and LOTS of laughs and smiles continued until about 1am. Today I am letting my son break beach (cut school) to recover from his first authentic Trini lime.
Allow me to give you a brief primer on Steel Pan though. It is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. It was invented there during the 1930s. It is the only accoustic instrument invented in the 20th century.
"Liming" was introduced by Brit sailors and raised to an art form by Trinis. Steel pan can be traced to American sailors and again, the Trinis "gone mad wit' it." The US Navy had a base in Trinidad and when departing they left an awful lot of material behind. Among the castoffs were 55 gallon oil drums. Animal skin drums and tamboo bamboo bands had been outlawed or heavily restricted but the need for rhythm could not be so easily regulated. The ubiquitous oil drums became the next item to carry the beat.
As the instrument gained popularity it had an effect on 1940s Trini culture that was similar to the effect of rock music here in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a somewhat suspect activity of the younger generation. Bands were formed, rivalries sprang up, and some clashes occured. The instrument gained wider acceptance in the 1950s when a band was sent to the UK to perform for a Commonwealth celebration and was received with enthusiasm. During the 1963 Carnival season the first national Panorama competition between a host of steel pan orchestras was held. Today, the sound of orchestras rehearsing in open air pan yards and the frenzy of excitement that cresendos with the annual competition is a defining feature of Carnival in Trinidad.
The process of creating a drum is incredibly harsh and yet precisely refined. The tools used are sledgehammers, chisels and blow torches. The bottom is heated and pounded down to stretch deeply then each note is chiselled out and heated and pounded up slightly to hold its specific tone. Stretch the bottom too far and the metal ruptures, not far enough and the notes remain flat. The sides of the drum are cut to varying lengths depending on which range of notes the drum will play. The varying lengths give a rich and layered orchestral sound.
Calypso is the most obvious music to be played by pan orchestras but it is easy to find any other musical style adapted and arranged for pans, whether it is pop, jazz, hymns, or even classical music. A mellow rendition will lull you like a gentle tropical breeze on a sunny beach. If it is interpreted "wit' a jump up beat" and fails to get you on your feet and dancing then the coroner needs to be called.
If you'd like to hear some free mp3s of a little pan music youcan check out http://www.bakrabata.com/bakraMusic.htm
Pan music may cover the Caribbean, but make no mistake, it was BORN and BRED in Trinidad!
Thanks to each one who came over to check out the new digs and leave a comment as well as for the birthday wishes. It's all much appreciated. After putting up a post about liming I had the most wonderful opportunity to do some serious liming last night. I got a call, out of the blue, from a friend from Trinidad who I hadn't seen in probably 7 years or more. I found out he was touring with a small steel pan orchestra he had formed. Fortunately, he was performing only about 45 minutes away from my house so I packed up my boy and we went off to hear some sweet pan. After the performance we shut down the place catching up on old times. When the lights were shut out on us and the folks were standing at the door to shoo us out I bawled in meh bes' Trini accent, "Don't let's mash up de lime!" A chorus of agreement rose up and we decided to continue the lime back at the house where the orchestra was staying. Food, drink, and LOTS of laughs and smiles continued until about 1am. Today I am letting my son break beach (cut school) to recover from his first authentic Trini lime.
Allow me to give you a brief primer on Steel Pan though. It is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. It was invented there during the 1930s. It is the only accoustic instrument invented in the 20th century.
"Liming" was introduced by Brit sailors and raised to an art form by Trinis. Steel pan can be traced to American sailors and again, the Trinis "gone mad wit' it." The US Navy had a base in Trinidad and when departing they left an awful lot of material behind. Among the castoffs were 55 gallon oil drums. Animal skin drums and tamboo bamboo bands had been outlawed or heavily restricted but the need for rhythm could not be so easily regulated. The ubiquitous oil drums became the next item to carry the beat.
As the instrument gained popularity it had an effect on 1940s Trini culture that was similar to the effect of rock music here in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a somewhat suspect activity of the younger generation. Bands were formed, rivalries sprang up, and some clashes occured. The instrument gained wider acceptance in the 1950s when a band was sent to the UK to perform for a Commonwealth celebration and was received with enthusiasm. During the 1963 Carnival season the first national Panorama competition between a host of steel pan orchestras was held. Today, the sound of orchestras rehearsing in open air pan yards and the frenzy of excitement that cresendos with the annual competition is a defining feature of Carnival in Trinidad.
The process of creating a drum is incredibly harsh and yet precisely refined. The tools used are sledgehammers, chisels and blow torches. The bottom is heated and pounded down to stretch deeply then each note is chiselled out and heated and pounded up slightly to hold its specific tone. Stretch the bottom too far and the metal ruptures, not far enough and the notes remain flat. The sides of the drum are cut to varying lengths depending on which range of notes the drum will play. The varying lengths give a rich and layered orchestral sound.
Calypso is the most obvious music to be played by pan orchestras but it is easy to find any other musical style adapted and arranged for pans, whether it is pop, jazz, hymns, or even classical music. A mellow rendition will lull you like a gentle tropical breeze on a sunny beach. If it is interpreted "wit' a jump up beat" and fails to get you on your feet and dancing then the coroner needs to be called.
If you'd like to hear some free mp3s of a little pan music youcan check out http://www.bakrabata.com/bakraMusic.htm
Pan music may cover the Caribbean, but make no mistake, it was BORN and BRED in Trinidad!
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
How to Lime
Welcome to the House of Lime. Once again, I'd like to thank Snavy for starting me down the road to ruin....errr...um .....blogging. I've been having a ton of fun doing the Insane Asylime with you and look forward to continuing it for a long time, or at least until the men in white coats haul us away.
BS, you are right. Blogging is like a bad crack addiction. Here I am barely a month out of the Asylime and starting another one on my own.
I thought I would start by explaining the Lime reference. Those of you who know me from Yahoo! should already remember this. And if any of you forget, well shame on you! You'll be in at recess writing the definition of the infinitive "to lime" 100 times. Even if you know the definition, read on. You may learn something. Pop quizzes may occur from time to time. Now, for the benefit of the few who may shuffle over in their bathrobes from the Asylime....
TO LIME
Trinidadian slang for a group of friends hanging out together. It can be large or small, pre-arranged or impromtu. It often involves food, and ALWAYS requires beverages (not necessarily alcoholic, but it certainly may). It is NEVER a hurried activity. It can occur on a beach, by a river, at someone's home, or on a street corner.
By now you may possibly be wondering what on Earth a small green citrus fruit has to do with a bunch of buddies hanging around. The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago was a British colony until 1962. Trinidad, since it is only 7 miles off the coast of Venezuela, had been originally colonized by Spain as a military outpost from which to launch expeditions for El Dorado. The Brits wrested it away from the Spaniards and, like so many other Caribbean islands, it was turned into a sugar producing colony peopled by African slaves and later by East Indian indentured servants. When the locals would go into the capital (ok yahoo-ers...I'd better hear it in unison) Port of Spain, they'd see British sailors all lollygagging about having a dandy time being unproductive with their mates in the tropical heat. Slang for the Brit sailors was "limey" (since they had to eat limes to prevent scurvy) and hence the Trini slang was coined by the locals watching the foreigners.
True to Trini character, they raised liming (along with calypso, steel pans, and various other things I may address in future posts) to an art form and made it their own. It is not merely a slang term. It is an outlook on life that values good times with good friends and defines a significant part of the culture in Trinidad.
I hope to do more on Trini culture in the future, other cultures too possibly, general reflections on life, show a little bit of who I am besides the humor over at the Asylime. I am open to suggestions and I hope you'll join in.
So, all yuh come in and we gonna make a good lime, eh?
BS, you are right. Blogging is like a bad crack addiction. Here I am barely a month out of the Asylime and starting another one on my own.
I thought I would start by explaining the Lime reference. Those of you who know me from Yahoo! should already remember this. And if any of you forget, well shame on you! You'll be in at recess writing the definition of the infinitive "to lime" 100 times. Even if you know the definition, read on. You may learn something. Pop quizzes may occur from time to time. Now, for the benefit of the few who may shuffle over in their bathrobes from the Asylime....
TO LIME
Trinidadian slang for a group of friends hanging out together. It can be large or small, pre-arranged or impromtu. It often involves food, and ALWAYS requires beverages (not necessarily alcoholic, but it certainly may). It is NEVER a hurried activity. It can occur on a beach, by a river, at someone's home, or on a street corner.
By now you may possibly be wondering what on Earth a small green citrus fruit has to do with a bunch of buddies hanging around. The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago was a British colony until 1962. Trinidad, since it is only 7 miles off the coast of Venezuela, had been originally colonized by Spain as a military outpost from which to launch expeditions for El Dorado. The Brits wrested it away from the Spaniards and, like so many other Caribbean islands, it was turned into a sugar producing colony peopled by African slaves and later by East Indian indentured servants. When the locals would go into the capital (ok yahoo-ers...I'd better hear it in unison) Port of Spain, they'd see British sailors all lollygagging about having a dandy time being unproductive with their mates in the tropical heat. Slang for the Brit sailors was "limey" (since they had to eat limes to prevent scurvy) and hence the Trini slang was coined by the locals watching the foreigners.
True to Trini character, they raised liming (along with calypso, steel pans, and various other things I may address in future posts) to an art form and made it their own. It is not merely a slang term. It is an outlook on life that values good times with good friends and defines a significant part of the culture in Trinidad.
I hope to do more on Trini culture in the future, other cultures too possibly, general reflections on life, show a little bit of who I am besides the humor over at the Asylime. I am open to suggestions and I hope you'll join in.
So, all yuh come in and we gonna make a good lime, eh?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)