I had a very exciting post planned for today but a trip to the ER this morning at 6am put the kibosh on that. Isaac woke up unable to breathe and a couple squirts of his inhaler did nothing to improve the matter so off we went. Two breathing treatments, some prednisone and antibiotics and 4 hours later and we are home and feeling somewhat better.
When he was finally feeling some relief he decided to list alternative placements for the pulse ox monitor on his finger. He decided toes and ....'other appendages' would be interesting placements. I suggested that he might not like such a pinchy apparatus on 'other appendages.' He wisely agreed.
He was sent home with orders to watch TV all day. He was heart broken. We were told he could go back to school tomorrow if he is not wheezing too much. He clutched his chest and announced in a pathetic voice and with a gleam in his eye that he was pretty sure he'd still be wheezing tomorrow. At least his sense of humor is undimmed.
Barring disaster, we will return you to your regularly scheduled blog tomorrow.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday 55 & Da Count-Simple Pleasures
This is a repost of one of the first Friday 55s I wrote a long time ago. I am lacking inspiration for a new one. Hope you don't mind.
Tracks of water run down the windowpane.
I drag my fingertips along your back.
Parched earth drinks in the water.
You quench my thirst with deep kisses.
Hard rain pounds the roof.
Our bodies pulse together.
Thunder crashes.
I cry out and you shudder.
The gentler pit-pat raindrops echo my slowing heartbeat
and we sigh.
DA COUNT
It's a rainy day, which is what made me remember this old 55. There is something about a rainy day that I love though. The potential for a replay of the scene above is one. It feels like a nice excuse to be a little lazy too. I suspect baseball practice for my son will be cancelled so tonight after supper I may be able to light a fire in the fireplace, sip some nice tea, and wrap up in my favorite blanket.
I love my blanket. It's a big, thick wooly thing that I took to college as my bedspread. All winter long I walk around the house wrapped up in it, sometimes just to prevent other people from stealing it. I'm a little possessive about it. I don't want anyone depriving me of my blanket, but I will happily share it with anyone who wants to snuggle. In fact, I think that only makes the blanket experience even better.
So dat's da count dis week...simple pleasures. A fire, some tea, my favorite blanket, and maybe if I'm lucky...all lovely things on a cold rainy day.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Where Logo, M, and Lecram Interview Lime
Ok, I am either a complete masochist who likes to be grilled by other people, or a total narcissist who thinks she is so fascinating people are dying to interview her. Naw, more like the folks who I volunteered to be interviewed by are such interesting people I just wanted to know what kinds of questions they would ask. They did not disappoint me. I hope you all enjoy.
Logo took the first crack at me....
1. You get to re-order the phone book (alphabetical listings are like, soooo done). How will you list people?
I think first we need to sort people by height, then natural hair color, then marital status, and finally familiarity with Monty Python and Princess Bride. Short, married redheads who can recite the movies by heart would be listed first (and just to be chivalrous, if there are men and women of equal height, same marital status and able to recite, the woman will be listed first). Tall, single brunettes lacking in either experience or sense of humor will be last. Average height blondes dating seriously who titter at Miracle Max will fall somewhere in the middle.
2. You can either have a motorcycle or a trip to Trinidad for two weeks. Which do you choose and why?
You are evil. I could choose the motorcycle and then drive to Venezuela but that last 7 miles of water to cross to Trinidad is problematic. It is spring and the time when my fancy turns to motorcycles...they are all in bloom and I wanna riiiiiiiiiiiide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You do realize the lust in my heart right now don't you?
At the same time, I have been saving my pennies for a long time to try to get everyone back to Trinidad for a visit. The last time I went was by myself and I promised the kids I would not go back until I could afford to take them all with me. Diana is getting older and time is running short. I think for now I will choose Trinidad so I can see friends I dearly miss and make good on the promise to the kids. I so want to see it all anew through their eyes. The girls were 4 and 2 when they were there last and Isaac has never been there.
3. However in the world did you, of all people end up with such smartmouthed kids, hmm? Did you evidence this trait in your youth as well? Well, duh! Tell us some new stories!
We'll chalk my smartmouthed kids up to a fulfillment of the 'Mother's Curse' (I hope you have one just like you). New stories...hhmm ok....
I started kindergarten when I was 4 but I could already read. I thought the books the kindergarten teacher chose for story time were horridly dull and the way she read them bored me to tears. I also noticed the other kids looked kind of bored too. Being the proactive, problem-solving little Lime I was, I decided to offer my services. 'Mrs. M, I don't like these stories. I want to bring one of my books in to read.' Mrs. M (who I swear was the inspiration for every bee hived, horn-rimmed glasses wearing woman in The Far Side) smiled sweetly and said she'd look at my book and read it if she thought it was appropriate. I said, 'Oh no! I can read it to the class myself!' More sweetly condescending smiles as I continued insisting I could do this and WOULD do this. I eventually won and consequently gave a rousing reading of Go, Dog, Go!...I mean how can anyone NOT enjoy the climax of the wild treetop dog party?? And the final resolution of the flirtations between the insecure doggy diva with myriad hats and the entirely nonplussed boy dog who finally gives into her charms.....the subplot is brilliant.
4. You get an open ended trip around the world, where will you stop?
Well, since it is open ended and seems not to have a time limit I'd say...my grave, after I have seen everything.
5. What do you think are the main differences of online friends and 3-D ones?
This is an interesting question, one you could spend a LOT of time on. The obvious answer is that online friends are kind of stuck in 2 dimensions. As such, it is easier to keep things back that you don't want to share...simply avoid going online or don't mention the things you don't want to discuss. You've got no body language or facial expression to betray your secrets. At the same time, I've experienced and known of people telling things to online friends they might not ever be willing to say to a 3-D friend, lover, or spouse.
I've also seen a lot of transience in the online world. People come and go at alarming rates. You think you've got a good friendship that will last and the person simply disappears or decides to move on. It's very easy to do online. Just walk away and you don't have to deal with any fallout from your behavior. Although, when someone proves real friendship over time, I think it is every bit as real as a face to face friendship. I've had online friends support me in ways I never thought possible and I hope I've been able to return that as well.
M took the second crack at me...
1) If you had to choose, would you be small like a Borrower or large like Gulliver? Please explain.
I like this question, it makes me smile. I think I'd probably go with Borrower small. Every day things would seem like more of an adventure. I could go undetected more easily. Tiny bits of food would be a feast and scraps of fabric would be all that's needed to make clothing. It seems like it would be easier to accommodate than being a giant.
2) If you went on a long trip with someone, what is the one thing that person could do to annoy you? And how could that person make you totally forgive him or her at the end of the day?
Oh my goodness, I could write a series of posts on this question alone. In 1987 I travelled with 10 other people from Pennsylvania to California. Nine were on bicycles and 2 of us were in a support car (I was a driver, the cook, laundress, and procurer of lodgings). It took 65 days to make it west and 3 and a half days to drive back east in the car. Mr. Lime and I were on the trip together and he barely spoke to me all summer (after being all but inseparable for many months prior to the trip)...and yet I said yes, when he proposed to me 5 weeks after we got home....after saying no the first time he asked (about a week after we got home). It is not the proposal that made me forgive him. It was when he was honest about what he'd been feeling for 65 days that I forgave him.
My mother and I spent 2 weeks in Hawaii in 2000. She drove me insane by wanting everything planned out ahead of time. I convinced her that renting a car was a good idea so we could do some independent exploring apart from organized tours. Her inability to read a road map was astonishing. I know that my tendency to prefer spontaneity makes her want to tear her hair our a the roots. In the end we had a GREAT time and got over it because we love each other and I was grateful for the ticket and hotel she paid for! She had already done enough.
3) You are cleaning a house and dividing up the chores. What is your least favorite chore and what is your most favorite chore? ( PS if you have to clean the bathroom, do you clean behind the toilet?)
Sign me up for laundry. Laundry is easy, I can throw it in the machine and go read a book while it washes. Hang it out to dry and blog a little. Plus, I am particular about how it is done. This must come from having worked in a nursing home laundry, which oddly enough was the worst job I ever had....something to do with a room that got over 100 degrees, 'chunky' sheets, and miserable coworkers....
I will do all your laundry if you will dust. I hate to dust. It is the most stupid and pointless thing. It is entirely futile. It makes me sneeze. It's a little less repugnant and less likely to make me sneeze since I got a vacuum cleaner with an attachment I can use to suck up dust but it' is still a stupid job and I still hate it.
PS, I clean the floor behind the toilet.
4) You are a spy and you must gather the best intelligence possible on your subject. However, you are limited. You can either eavesdrop on the conversations or watch the person with no sound. Which manner of spying do you choose and why?
I think I'll eavesdrop. I may miss out on body language but I'll get tone of voice and I will get more specific facts with actual verbal communication.
5) If you could be a bird and fly to anyplace in the world today, where would you go?
finally, we have Lecram's questions...
Envision the interview taking place at the London Savoy during high tea.
1. What is the one disadvantage in your life that you have overcome to your satisfaction and how?
Wow, great question! The tricky part is 'to your satisfaction.' There are a few disadvantages I feel I've overcome to a reasonable degree but I am still not satisfied, there is still work to be done. The one I am probably most satisfied with is overcoming the sense of shame I had as a child. We were outcasts. We lived in a very conservative small town and the whole world knew our business and looked down on us for various reasons. Then my mother went and painted the house purple (in PA dutch country this is NOT an acceptable house color) which gave us a certain amount of local infamy on top of everything else. I just desperately wanted to blend in and be accepted, not stick out any more than we already did.
I eventually realized the small mindedness of others was not my problem. I became comfortable enough with being 'outside' that I was free to be me, regardless of what the herd was saying. I also like to think it made me a bit more tenderhearted to folks who are different. In fact, I tend to seek out people who, on the surface, seem to have a different experience/background than I do. I learn new things that way and I always find we are all the same in more ways than not.
2. If you were given Samantha's (from "Bewitched") nose twitch magical power... only one twitch... how would you use it?
Motorcycle!!!
3. Are you planning on tie-dying a sarong for yourself... if so... when and what colors?
Gasp! What a FABULOUS idea! I have some lovely batik fabric I bought in Trinidad the last time I was there. I've delayed actually making it into garments because I keep telling myself I will loose weight. I had decided to make some into a sarong or two for this summer but now I think I have to tie dye one as well!
I have found a new place to get dyes that will allow me to mix just the amount I want and fool around with color intensities and such. I want to play with bath dyeing the fabric a base color and then tie dyeing a darker color on top. Although I am fond of the wild rainbow dyes I may go for some monochromatic themes with this....maybe some wild fuschias and pinks, or some bright and pale greens, maybe blues.....oh gosh...maybe I'd better make at least one rainbow colored one!
4. In a span of a week, how often do you "indulge" yourself and what would that indulgence be?
The quick and easy answer is....chocolate on a daily basis. I try to keep it to a small amount so I don't wind up weighing 400 lbs but I have to have a little each day and I do have a hidden private stash. However, I have read all sorts of studies showing the health benefits of chocolate so is this really an indulgence or merely me taking good care of my physical and mental health?
Saturday mornings when no one has to be driven anywhere are also an indulgence. I can sleep late, schlep around in jammies for a while and then I make my way to the master bath where I do all sorts of extended grooming rituals. I'm not a girly girl who wears lots of make-up (in fact, I wear none, ever) or keeps with style, and mirror gazing is about as dull as it gets, but I do battle with sensitive, dry skin (except the face, which is a grease pit) and taking good care of it with some nice things (all sorts of funky natural, no dye, no chemical things...homemade soaps and sea salt/oil scrubs) in an unrushed way once a week (although I often miss weeks) is a treat I decided to give myself. Of course, if someone wanted to aid the process that would be even better!
5. Cucumber sandwiches or scones?
Oh, scones please...they are much more indulgent and you can have more variety in flavors.
Ok, now it's your turn. If you want to be interviewed by me say so in the comments and I will generate 5 questions for you to answer.
Logo took the first crack at me....
1. You get to re-order the phone book (alphabetical listings are like, soooo done). How will you list people?
I think first we need to sort people by height, then natural hair color, then marital status, and finally familiarity with Monty Python and Princess Bride. Short, married redheads who can recite the movies by heart would be listed first (and just to be chivalrous, if there are men and women of equal height, same marital status and able to recite, the woman will be listed first). Tall, single brunettes lacking in either experience or sense of humor will be last. Average height blondes dating seriously who titter at Miracle Max will fall somewhere in the middle.
2. You can either have a motorcycle or a trip to Trinidad for two weeks. Which do you choose and why?
You are evil. I could choose the motorcycle and then drive to Venezuela but that last 7 miles of water to cross to Trinidad is problematic. It is spring and the time when my fancy turns to motorcycles...they are all in bloom and I wanna riiiiiiiiiiiide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You do realize the lust in my heart right now don't you?
At the same time, I have been saving my pennies for a long time to try to get everyone back to Trinidad for a visit. The last time I went was by myself and I promised the kids I would not go back until I could afford to take them all with me. Diana is getting older and time is running short. I think for now I will choose Trinidad so I can see friends I dearly miss and make good on the promise to the kids. I so want to see it all anew through their eyes. The girls were 4 and 2 when they were there last and Isaac has never been there.
3. However in the world did you, of all people end up with such smartmouthed kids, hmm? Did you evidence this trait in your youth as well? Well, duh! Tell us some new stories!
We'll chalk my smartmouthed kids up to a fulfillment of the 'Mother's Curse' (I hope you have one just like you). New stories...hhmm ok....
I started kindergarten when I was 4 but I could already read. I thought the books the kindergarten teacher chose for story time were horridly dull and the way she read them bored me to tears. I also noticed the other kids looked kind of bored too. Being the proactive, problem-solving little Lime I was, I decided to offer my services. 'Mrs. M, I don't like these stories. I want to bring one of my books in to read.' Mrs. M (who I swear was the inspiration for every bee hived, horn-rimmed glasses wearing woman in The Far Side) smiled sweetly and said she'd look at my book and read it if she thought it was appropriate. I said, 'Oh no! I can read it to the class myself!' More sweetly condescending smiles as I continued insisting I could do this and WOULD do this. I eventually won and consequently gave a rousing reading of Go, Dog, Go!...I mean how can anyone NOT enjoy the climax of the wild treetop dog party?? And the final resolution of the flirtations between the insecure doggy diva with myriad hats and the entirely nonplussed boy dog who finally gives into her charms.....the subplot is brilliant.
4. You get an open ended trip around the world, where will you stop?
Well, since it is open ended and seems not to have a time limit I'd say...my grave, after I have seen everything.
5. What do you think are the main differences of online friends and 3-D ones?
This is an interesting question, one you could spend a LOT of time on. The obvious answer is that online friends are kind of stuck in 2 dimensions. As such, it is easier to keep things back that you don't want to share...simply avoid going online or don't mention the things you don't want to discuss. You've got no body language or facial expression to betray your secrets. At the same time, I've experienced and known of people telling things to online friends they might not ever be willing to say to a 3-D friend, lover, or spouse.
I've also seen a lot of transience in the online world. People come and go at alarming rates. You think you've got a good friendship that will last and the person simply disappears or decides to move on. It's very easy to do online. Just walk away and you don't have to deal with any fallout from your behavior. Although, when someone proves real friendship over time, I think it is every bit as real as a face to face friendship. I've had online friends support me in ways I never thought possible and I hope I've been able to return that as well.
M took the second crack at me...
1) If you had to choose, would you be small like a Borrower or large like Gulliver? Please explain.
I like this question, it makes me smile. I think I'd probably go with Borrower small. Every day things would seem like more of an adventure. I could go undetected more easily. Tiny bits of food would be a feast and scraps of fabric would be all that's needed to make clothing. It seems like it would be easier to accommodate than being a giant.
2) If you went on a long trip with someone, what is the one thing that person could do to annoy you? And how could that person make you totally forgive him or her at the end of the day?
Oh my goodness, I could write a series of posts on this question alone. In 1987 I travelled with 10 other people from Pennsylvania to California. Nine were on bicycles and 2 of us were in a support car (I was a driver, the cook, laundress, and procurer of lodgings). It took 65 days to make it west and 3 and a half days to drive back east in the car. Mr. Lime and I were on the trip together and he barely spoke to me all summer (after being all but inseparable for many months prior to the trip)...and yet I said yes, when he proposed to me 5 weeks after we got home....after saying no the first time he asked (about a week after we got home). It is not the proposal that made me forgive him. It was when he was honest about what he'd been feeling for 65 days that I forgave him.
My mother and I spent 2 weeks in Hawaii in 2000. She drove me insane by wanting everything planned out ahead of time. I convinced her that renting a car was a good idea so we could do some independent exploring apart from organized tours. Her inability to read a road map was astonishing. I know that my tendency to prefer spontaneity makes her want to tear her hair our a the roots. In the end we had a GREAT time and got over it because we love each other and I was grateful for the ticket and hotel she paid for! She had already done enough.
3) You are cleaning a house and dividing up the chores. What is your least favorite chore and what is your most favorite chore? ( PS if you have to clean the bathroom, do you clean behind the toilet?)
Sign me up for laundry. Laundry is easy, I can throw it in the machine and go read a book while it washes. Hang it out to dry and blog a little. Plus, I am particular about how it is done. This must come from having worked in a nursing home laundry, which oddly enough was the worst job I ever had....something to do with a room that got over 100 degrees, 'chunky' sheets, and miserable coworkers....
I will do all your laundry if you will dust. I hate to dust. It is the most stupid and pointless thing. It is entirely futile. It makes me sneeze. It's a little less repugnant and less likely to make me sneeze since I got a vacuum cleaner with an attachment I can use to suck up dust but it' is still a stupid job and I still hate it.
PS, I clean the floor behind the toilet.
4) You are a spy and you must gather the best intelligence possible on your subject. However, you are limited. You can either eavesdrop on the conversations or watch the person with no sound. Which manner of spying do you choose and why?
I think I'll eavesdrop. I may miss out on body language but I'll get tone of voice and I will get more specific facts with actual verbal communication.
5) If you could be a bird and fly to anyplace in the world today, where would you go?
You know, I am really feeling like a beach in Greece is the place to be right now....
finally, we have Lecram's questions...
Envision the interview taking place at the London Savoy during high tea.
1. What is the one disadvantage in your life that you have overcome to your satisfaction and how?
Wow, great question! The tricky part is 'to your satisfaction.' There are a few disadvantages I feel I've overcome to a reasonable degree but I am still not satisfied, there is still work to be done. The one I am probably most satisfied with is overcoming the sense of shame I had as a child. We were outcasts. We lived in a very conservative small town and the whole world knew our business and looked down on us for various reasons. Then my mother went and painted the house purple (in PA dutch country this is NOT an acceptable house color) which gave us a certain amount of local infamy on top of everything else. I just desperately wanted to blend in and be accepted, not stick out any more than we already did.
I eventually realized the small mindedness of others was not my problem. I became comfortable enough with being 'outside' that I was free to be me, regardless of what the herd was saying. I also like to think it made me a bit more tenderhearted to folks who are different. In fact, I tend to seek out people who, on the surface, seem to have a different experience/background than I do. I learn new things that way and I always find we are all the same in more ways than not.
2. If you were given Samantha's (from "Bewitched") nose twitch magical power... only one twitch... how would you use it?
Motorcycle!!!
3. Are you planning on tie-dying a sarong for yourself... if so... when and what colors?
Gasp! What a FABULOUS idea! I have some lovely batik fabric I bought in Trinidad the last time I was there. I've delayed actually making it into garments because I keep telling myself I will loose weight. I had decided to make some into a sarong or two for this summer but now I think I have to tie dye one as well!
I have found a new place to get dyes that will allow me to mix just the amount I want and fool around with color intensities and such. I want to play with bath dyeing the fabric a base color and then tie dyeing a darker color on top. Although I am fond of the wild rainbow dyes I may go for some monochromatic themes with this....maybe some wild fuschias and pinks, or some bright and pale greens, maybe blues.....oh gosh...maybe I'd better make at least one rainbow colored one!
4. In a span of a week, how often do you "indulge" yourself and what would that indulgence be?
The quick and easy answer is....chocolate on a daily basis. I try to keep it to a small amount so I don't wind up weighing 400 lbs but I have to have a little each day and I do have a hidden private stash. However, I have read all sorts of studies showing the health benefits of chocolate so is this really an indulgence or merely me taking good care of my physical and mental health?
Saturday mornings when no one has to be driven anywhere are also an indulgence. I can sleep late, schlep around in jammies for a while and then I make my way to the master bath where I do all sorts of extended grooming rituals. I'm not a girly girl who wears lots of make-up (in fact, I wear none, ever) or keeps with style, and mirror gazing is about as dull as it gets, but I do battle with sensitive, dry skin (except the face, which is a grease pit) and taking good care of it with some nice things (all sorts of funky natural, no dye, no chemical things...homemade soaps and sea salt/oil scrubs) in an unrushed way once a week (although I often miss weeks) is a treat I decided to give myself. Of course, if someone wanted to aid the process that would be even better!
5. Cucumber sandwiches or scones?
Oh, scones please...they are much more indulgent and you can have more variety in flavors.
Ok, now it's your turn. If you want to be interviewed by me say so in the comments and I will generate 5 questions for you to answer.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Aussie Tuesday-ANZAC Day
Dawn ceremony at the Australian ar Memorial on the 90th anniversary of ANZAC Day
*image and information taken from wikipedia.com
Well, it's only April 24 on this side of the globe but in a few short hours it will be April 25 on the other side. April 25 is ANZAC (Australian and New New Zealand Army Corps) Day in Australia. Being a landowner Down Under (even if it is only one square meter of earth) I figure I should get to know about the important holidays there.
Wikipedia describes ANZAC Day as among the most spiritual and solemn public holidays for Australians. It commemorates the landing of forces on the Gallipoli Peninsula during the first World War. The intention was to capture Istanbul and knock Turkey out of the war. Unfortunately this objective was not achieved during the 8 month campaign and Australia lost over 8000 of her sons to the effort. It did however serve to galvanize national pride since this effort came just 13 years after Australia had become a federal commonwealth nation.
The earliest remembrances were focused on the men lost during the Gallipoli campaign but in later years became the nations memorial day on which to remember those who sacrificed during any war. Dawn services are a common part of the observation, as well as marches, and games of two-up (a simple gambling game, which outside of licensed parlours is illegal but on ANZAC day is permitted because it was a popular past time among the soldiers).
Happy ANZAC Day to my Australian readers.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Thinking Bloggers
Rurality recently tagged me for a 'Thinking Blogger Award' and a few days later, so did Zombieslayer. I did this a month or so ago and tagged 5 guys who make me think but I didn't have one of these groovy little gold or silver buttons to give them. Brian, Lacquer, Jericho, Phaedrous, Zombie, grab one of these nifty doodads retroactively and stick it on your blog...you guys tickle my brain. Now, it was pointed out to me that I had honored only men last time, so in an effort to maintain balance in the cosmic order I will pick 5 thinking women this time.
The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).
Cosima is a German woman living and working in Hong Kong. She has shared some really fascinating cultural tidbits from both her homeland and her current location. She has translated some wonderful German poetry that I've really enjoyed. I so admire people who are truly multilingual and being able to translate poetry and still maintain the spirit and mood of a piece is a real demonstration of skill. She participates regularly in Da Count (counting what you have instead of bemoaning what you don't have) in such a thoughtful and deep way that I am often reminded of something I've overlooked.
M is a single woman in the Midwest. She is wry and witty as she offers up her observations on coworkers, family members, potential suitors and the various transitions and choices we have in life. Even when she is wisecracking she does so in a way that makes me think, that combo is always stimulating and satisfying when I visit her.
Logo started blogging roughly around the same time I did. We know each other from Yahoo trivia chat rooms. Though we rarely make it to those rooms anymore we still compete with each other daily in other trivia quizzes. She keeps her blog pretty light but even her humor shows her strong intellect and her powerful curiosity about the world. When she does address something serious, be assured she will do so with many facts and much logic to back her position. Oh, and did I mention I am currently ahead of her in both the quizzes we compete in? MWAH! Love you, Logo dear!
Jocelyn is someone I've only discovered recently. I knew she was a smart cookie when she did a whole post about apostrophes. Yes, I enjoyed the post. Her precise usage is a geeky delight. Her writing is simply divine. She is both wickedly funny and deeply touching as she shares about her family, friends, and the fun she has. I always look forward to a new post from her.
Kfarmer is a lady from Georgia. She recently left her job to return to her beloved land. She shares a lot about her gardening and country life. At first glance it may seem like that's about it, but she's been through a lot of changes lately and had some big surprises (some good, some bad) occur. As she has shared these chapters of life her no nonsense attitude becomes apparent and the wisdom that comes of being able to listen to both people and the earth comes shining through.
The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).
Cosima is a German woman living and working in Hong Kong. She has shared some really fascinating cultural tidbits from both her homeland and her current location. She has translated some wonderful German poetry that I've really enjoyed. I so admire people who are truly multilingual and being able to translate poetry and still maintain the spirit and mood of a piece is a real demonstration of skill. She participates regularly in Da Count (counting what you have instead of bemoaning what you don't have) in such a thoughtful and deep way that I am often reminded of something I've overlooked.
M is a single woman in the Midwest. She is wry and witty as she offers up her observations on coworkers, family members, potential suitors and the various transitions and choices we have in life. Even when she is wisecracking she does so in a way that makes me think, that combo is always stimulating and satisfying when I visit her.
Logo started blogging roughly around the same time I did. We know each other from Yahoo trivia chat rooms. Though we rarely make it to those rooms anymore we still compete with each other daily in other trivia quizzes. She keeps her blog pretty light but even her humor shows her strong intellect and her powerful curiosity about the world. When she does address something serious, be assured she will do so with many facts and much logic to back her position. Oh, and did I mention I am currently ahead of her in both the quizzes we compete in? MWAH! Love you, Logo dear!
Jocelyn is someone I've only discovered recently. I knew she was a smart cookie when she did a whole post about apostrophes. Yes, I enjoyed the post. Her precise usage is a geeky delight. Her writing is simply divine. She is both wickedly funny and deeply touching as she shares about her family, friends, and the fun she has. I always look forward to a new post from her.
Kfarmer is a lady from Georgia. She recently left her job to return to her beloved land. She shares a lot about her gardening and country life. At first glance it may seem like that's about it, but she's been through a lot of changes lately and had some big surprises (some good, some bad) occur. As she has shared these chapters of life her no nonsense attitude becomes apparent and the wisdom that comes of being able to listen to both people and the earth comes shining through.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
HNT-For those mourning (and Tie Dye #11)
I have no real words, there was senseless horror at Virginia Tech, every day there is horror in the Middle East and other places all around the world. Today is the anniversary of other inconceivable violence. For those in grief, may each find light in the darkness.
*Only after I took the pic did I notice I was wearing a tie dye shirt so it's coincidental that this is #11 in the tie dye series.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Weird Wednesday-A silly meme and the Tale of the Golden Phallus
5 THINGS IN MY BEDROOM
1. A herd....um....gaggle? clutch? flock? cloud? of dust bunnies (what exactly IS the collective noun for dust bunnies???) lurking under the bed.
2. A 5 gallon bucket of joint compound.
3. A small lamp with a shade that has about 2 dozen doodles on it.
4. Three small dinosaurs made of that weird foamy modeling compound from Crayola.
5. A trophy that is supposed to look like an old fashioned microphone but really looks like some very kinky golden phallus that only the most hardcore BSDM participant would use. (And if you ask nicely I'll tell you how I won the trophy)
4 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT ME
1. My superior intellect
2. My ravishing beauty.
3. My extreme humility.
4. My sense of humor.
3 PASTTIMES
1. Plotting the overthrow of Lichtenstein.
2. Coining collective nouns for odd groups of things
3. Knitting exciting lingerie from the wool spun from dust bunnies.
2 QUOTES
1. 'What, me worry?' Alfred E. Neuman
2. 'Either these drapes go, or I do.' Oscar Wilde
I answered this meme elsewhere and then was asked repeatedly to tell the story that goes with #5. Since I have not been perusing the news for the weirdness that abounds (too busy perusing about horrendous events, being bombarded with inanity about the Noreaster, and trying desperately to news about paternity reports) I thought I'd share this weirdness.
Now it came to pass that a friend of Lime had written a play in the style of old-time radio programs and had submitted it to a competition. When the friend received word that her play had been selected, from among several dozen, to be performed along with 3 others there was much rejoicing. Ah, but now the task was to cast the play. This farcical tale of a wedding day gone awry needed just the right vocal characterizations. The bride and groom had been cast. The pompous minister had been cast. The groom's parents and bride's father had been cast. There was much question as to who would portray Mrs. Dibberly, the mother of the bride. This was no ordinary nervous or even proud MOB role. The woman was written as a drunk. Whether others were first considered for the role or not is a matter lost to historical record. It is only known that when Lime was offered the role she jumped at it, relishing the opportunity to be outrageous on air.
Rehearsals were held and at last the big night came, when the cast would travel to Philadelphia to compete in the WCAU Radio Classics Competition. Families of cast members were invited to join the audience and so it came to pass that the parents and stepparents of Lime found themselves side by side for the duration of the program. Lime had neglected to describe her role to her family and from the first slurring word to the last wailing moan of her campy performance, her father and stepmother guffawed while her mother watched in shocked horror wondering how her daughter had learned to so convincingly approximate the cadences of the inebriated.
One by one the plays were performed and a break was announced after the final live on air performance while the judges consulted to make their decision. At last, the winning production was announced and thus it came to pass, my dear readers, that Lime was presented with the fabulous golden phallus award (along with the rest of the cast) which graces her bedroom to this very day.
1. A herd....um....gaggle? clutch? flock? cloud? of dust bunnies (what exactly IS the collective noun for dust bunnies???) lurking under the bed.
2. A 5 gallon bucket of joint compound.
3. A small lamp with a shade that has about 2 dozen doodles on it.
4. Three small dinosaurs made of that weird foamy modeling compound from Crayola.
5. A trophy that is supposed to look like an old fashioned microphone but really looks like some very kinky golden phallus that only the most hardcore BSDM participant would use. (And if you ask nicely I'll tell you how I won the trophy)
4 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT ME
1. My superior intellect
2. My ravishing beauty.
3. My extreme humility.
4. My sense of humor.
3 PASTTIMES
1. Plotting the overthrow of Lichtenstein.
2. Coining collective nouns for odd groups of things
3. Knitting exciting lingerie from the wool spun from dust bunnies.
2 QUOTES
1. 'What, me worry?' Alfred E. Neuman
2. 'Either these drapes go, or I do.' Oscar Wilde
I answered this meme elsewhere and then was asked repeatedly to tell the story that goes with #5. Since I have not been perusing the news for the weirdness that abounds (too busy perusing about horrendous events, being bombarded with inanity about the Noreaster, and trying desperately to news about paternity reports) I thought I'd share this weirdness.
The tale of the golden phallus begins back in the mid 80s, when shoulder pads were big and hairdos were bigger. There was a lass named Lime, who being of a rather contradictory nature, refused to partake from the well of Aquanet each morn and thus had raven tresses which hung heavily upon her shoulders and down her back, but that is neither here nor there. What is important to note, dear readers, is that she exhibited a tendency toward creative expression in a manner of ways, literary, artistic, and performance-based.
Now it came to pass that a friend of Lime had written a play in the style of old-time radio programs and had submitted it to a competition. When the friend received word that her play had been selected, from among several dozen, to be performed along with 3 others there was much rejoicing. Ah, but now the task was to cast the play. This farcical tale of a wedding day gone awry needed just the right vocal characterizations. The bride and groom had been cast. The pompous minister had been cast. The groom's parents and bride's father had been cast. There was much question as to who would portray Mrs. Dibberly, the mother of the bride. This was no ordinary nervous or even proud MOB role. The woman was written as a drunk. Whether others were first considered for the role or not is a matter lost to historical record. It is only known that when Lime was offered the role she jumped at it, relishing the opportunity to be outrageous on air.
Rehearsals were held and at last the big night came, when the cast would travel to Philadelphia to compete in the WCAU Radio Classics Competition. Families of cast members were invited to join the audience and so it came to pass that the parents and stepparents of Lime found themselves side by side for the duration of the program. Lime had neglected to describe her role to her family and from the first slurring word to the last wailing moan of her campy performance, her father and stepmother guffawed while her mother watched in shocked horror wondering how her daughter had learned to so convincingly approximate the cadences of the inebriated.
One by one the plays were performed and a break was announced after the final live on air performance while the judges consulted to make their decision. At last, the winning production was announced and thus it came to pass, my dear readers, that Lime was presented with the fabulous golden phallus award (along with the rest of the cast) which graces her bedroom to this very day.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Trini Tuesday-Making a Steel Pan
Last week a couple of folks asked me if I owned Kettle drums and learned to play them. Now one of these folks already knows what an absolute pedant I can be and since TriniTuesday is intended as an informative feature we first need to clear up some confusion. Kettle drums are those giant things, also known as tympani, that you see as part of an orchestra and sound like thunder. The shiny chromed instrument you see all through the Caribbean is known as either a steel drum, steel pan, or merely pan for short. They have a very broad range depending upon how deep the sides are, can be cut to cover all ranges, and can make up an entire orchestra all by themselves.
I only own a cheap miniature pan like they sell to tourists eager to be parted from money. It didn't like to hold its tuning too well. It actually was playable until the kids lost the sticks that went to it though. I do not actually know how to 'beat pan' as they say in Trinidad. Waaaaaayyyy back, I think in the first week or two, when I started this blog I did a post about steelpans. Since then, I've found a groovy little YouTube video that demonstrates how pans are made. They won't let me imbed it here so go watch it and then come back, we'll wait...
Pretty amazing huh? I know the video mentions it but you need to know that Trinidad is where de ting was invented, all yuh. Is a real Trinidad ting in truth and is de national instrument. Also, it is the only accoustic instrument invented in the 20th century. Something the video doesn't tell you, because they show a nice sterile looking factory, is that it is only in recent years that there has been any attempt at standardization.
Previously, each orchestra had its own makers and each maker placed the notes on the pans according to their own arrangement. So, if it was with Desperados that you learned to beat pan and then you left because Winston over dere was givin yuh plenty belly and yuh had yuh fill so yuh goin to Renegades and beatin with all of dey...Well, expect to learn to play all over again because Renegades has a whole different set of pans. This is because competition between the various orchestras is fierce and comes to a yearly competition held during Carnival. Each orchestra has it's own pan makers and musical arrangers and it helps keep the finer nuances of the arrangements within the respective orchestras. Interestingly, many pannists do not read music at all and learn the arrangements entirely by ear. and now for your listening pleasure....
I only own a cheap miniature pan like they sell to tourists eager to be parted from money. It didn't like to hold its tuning too well. It actually was playable until the kids lost the sticks that went to it though. I do not actually know how to 'beat pan' as they say in Trinidad. Waaaaaayyyy back, I think in the first week or two, when I started this blog I did a post about steelpans. Since then, I've found a groovy little YouTube video that demonstrates how pans are made. They won't let me imbed it here so go watch it and then come back, we'll wait...
Pretty amazing huh? I know the video mentions it but you need to know that Trinidad is where de ting was invented, all yuh. Is a real Trinidad ting in truth and is de national instrument. Also, it is the only accoustic instrument invented in the 20th century. Something the video doesn't tell you, because they show a nice sterile looking factory, is that it is only in recent years that there has been any attempt at standardization.
Previously, each orchestra had its own makers and each maker placed the notes on the pans according to their own arrangement. So, if it was with Desperados that you learned to beat pan and then you left because Winston over dere was givin yuh plenty belly and yuh had yuh fill so yuh goin to Renegades and beatin with all of dey...Well, expect to learn to play all over again because Renegades has a whole different set of pans. This is because competition between the various orchestras is fierce and comes to a yearly competition held during Carnival. Each orchestra has it's own pan makers and musical arrangers and it helps keep the finer nuances of the arrangements within the respective orchestras. Interestingly, many pannists do not read music at all and learn the arrangements entirely by ear. and now for your listening pleasure....
Monday, April 16, 2007
Diana-isms
The 16 year old Limelette has never had difficulty with expressing herself and is almost never without a snappy zinger. Allow me to share...
Upon discovering someone had eaten the last of some snack she had purchased for herself.
When I move outta here my place is gonna be like 'Conspiracy Theory' (Mel Gibson has every food in a labelled container and each container has a combination lock on it). No one will touch my stuff, EVER! Ok, you're going to love dorm life at college. Are you kidding me? I can't stand the people who share a similar genetic makeup with me messing with me and my stuff. I'd have to hurt a random, smelly, stranger who got into things.
Announcement from the child we sometimes refer to as the self appointed dictator for life. This is her manner of asking me to do something.
I have made an executive decision. We'll I've made many today but most of my teachers were stupid and ignored the decisions I made.
Informing me of some of the answers she put down on an anonymous survey researching drug use among students which the school makes the kids fill out every year.
Well, I didn't have to invent much last year since I could answer honestly that we had Vicodin, Percoset, and Darvocet in the house after your accident. This year I think I will tell them it's time for my initiation as an adult into our tribe. You will lead me in a peyote induced trance. You're kidding? No, uh, last year I wrote down that you asked me to share the painkillers with you so we could be stoned together. The year before that I told them you had me sell the pot we grew in the basement. This survey is stupid and I am sick of taking it so I make stuff up to amuse myself. Don't worry it's anonymous.
Which reminds me of....
When she had her vision screening prior to entering kindergarten.
The 100 year old nurse took Diana by the hand and led her to the office saying, 'We're going to go play some games now, won't that be fun?' I thought to myself, 'Lady you asked for it.' A little while later she returned panicked and with Diana in tow.
'Mrs. Lime, I think Diana is blind in one eye!!'
Oh, is that so? What leads you to believe that? '
Well, she covered her eye and read the chart beautifully, didn't miss a single one. Then I had her cover the other eye and she got every single letter wrong, even the top one.'
Yes, I understand. Are you sure she was following your directions?
Oh yes, yes! She was trying VERY hard, bless the sweet thing.
Well, I am quite sure she put on a good show but you see, you invited her to 'play a game' with you. I am willing to bet she played by your rules for the first round and HER rules for the second round. If you had been straight with her and said you needed to make sure her eyes were working properly so she would not have any problems seeing things in school she would have played by your rules for both rounds.
Oh no, no. She was really concentrating. You will have to have her examined privately and have this form filled out verifying how the doctor corrects her vision.
Hhhmm, yes, fine.
I made the necessary appointment. The optometrist informed me that Diana in fact had BETTER than 20/20 vision in BOTH eyes.
This limelette has done things her way for a very very loooong time.
Upon discovering someone had eaten the last of some snack she had purchased for herself.
When I move outta here my place is gonna be like 'Conspiracy Theory' (Mel Gibson has every food in a labelled container and each container has a combination lock on it). No one will touch my stuff, EVER! Ok, you're going to love dorm life at college. Are you kidding me? I can't stand the people who share a similar genetic makeup with me messing with me and my stuff. I'd have to hurt a random, smelly, stranger who got into things.
Announcement from the child we sometimes refer to as the self appointed dictator for life. This is her manner of asking me to do something.
I have made an executive decision. We'll I've made many today but most of my teachers were stupid and ignored the decisions I made.
Informing me of some of the answers she put down on an anonymous survey researching drug use among students which the school makes the kids fill out every year.
Well, I didn't have to invent much last year since I could answer honestly that we had Vicodin, Percoset, and Darvocet in the house after your accident. This year I think I will tell them it's time for my initiation as an adult into our tribe. You will lead me in a peyote induced trance. You're kidding? No, uh, last year I wrote down that you asked me to share the painkillers with you so we could be stoned together. The year before that I told them you had me sell the pot we grew in the basement. This survey is stupid and I am sick of taking it so I make stuff up to amuse myself. Don't worry it's anonymous.
Which reminds me of....
When she had her vision screening prior to entering kindergarten.
The 100 year old nurse took Diana by the hand and led her to the office saying, 'We're going to go play some games now, won't that be fun?' I thought to myself, 'Lady you asked for it.' A little while later she returned panicked and with Diana in tow.
'Mrs. Lime, I think Diana is blind in one eye!!'
Oh, is that so? What leads you to believe that? '
Well, she covered her eye and read the chart beautifully, didn't miss a single one. Then I had her cover the other eye and she got every single letter wrong, even the top one.'
Yes, I understand. Are you sure she was following your directions?
Oh yes, yes! She was trying VERY hard, bless the sweet thing.
Well, I am quite sure she put on a good show but you see, you invited her to 'play a game' with you. I am willing to bet she played by your rules for the first round and HER rules for the second round. If you had been straight with her and said you needed to make sure her eyes were working properly so she would not have any problems seeing things in school she would have played by your rules for both rounds.
Oh no, no. She was really concentrating. You will have to have her examined privately and have this form filled out verifying how the doctor corrects her vision.
Hhhmm, yes, fine.
I made the necessary appointment. The optometrist informed me that Diana in fact had BETTER than 20/20 vision in BOTH eyes.
This limelette has done things her way for a very very loooong time.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Da Count-Second Chances
This may ramble a bit.
I was all set to use today's count to give thanks for how far I've come since last April 15. And truly, I am very grateful for that. In some ways I think I have exceeded the expectation of the doctor (actually functionality), in other ways I have not come as far as they hoped (pain level). Regardless, I am still very thankful that if anyone was going to get hurt, it was me, not one of my kids (no mother wants to see her children injured so badly) or Mr. Lime (we'd have been screwed if he'd missed so much work). That I wasn't paralyzed, killed, or left a vegetable (given I landed inches away from a boulder that would have dashed my brains or broken a back or neck quite effectively) is a major thing to count.
My family and friends and so many of you provided support in so many ways. I had amazing therapists who made hard and painful work as pleasant as it could be and always greeted me with a smile. As a result, most of the modifications I still make to do what needs doing are pretty small, or at least natural to me now. Janita (for the newcomers here, that's the name for my left arm/wrist/hand) is here to stay but she and I are working together cooperatively most of the time.
Last week though, I sat here staring at my guitar and boohooing a continuing inability to play it. I spoke with Andy about it and I have to give him a big thanks for some really practical suggestions and a boatload of concrete steps that will hopefully get me back into it. I need to thank him for a ray of hope shed on a longtime dream that I thought might need to be buried. Really....thank you, Andy. Another thing to add to the count.
So then this week I was a completely miserable human being. I was angry, frustrated, prone to outbursts with little provocation. Why? I made it through Easter without any broken bones. I saw my family and had a terrific time. This Sunday will be the official one year mark and I've already listed all the other things I am counting. Life is groovy. Well, Monday I completely messed up my back. I spent most of the week flattened, intimate with an icepack, unable to do much of anything, including sleeping.
I can honestly say that during the last year with Janita, although the initial accident and immediate aftermath was the most painful thing I've ever felt in my life (and that includes a c-sec with failed anesthesia) bar none and required a very long rehabilitation. I can count on one hand the hours I spent feeling really down about it. My back is a different story. I screw that up and I go immediately into misery. I herniated a disk 3 years ago and they threatened me with scalpels and such. It's been 14 months since I had such a bad flare-up as this one. That's actually a record length of time so I need to count that I didn't have to contend with it during the time I needed to really focus on Janita.
Nonetheless, I've been a real nasty person to live with this week. It bothers me that I've been this way. I hate that my gut reaction in this situation (not normally in others) is worry (oh hell, are they gonna decide THIS is the time to carve into me?), that I snap at everyone around me, and that I wind up laying around feeling useless and wondering how long I will be incapacitated. Last night I had an epic wig out on the girls that I am certainly not proud of at all. They forgave me and we wound up having a pleasant evening in the end. So I'd better count forgiveness too this week.
UPDATE: I thanked Andy for the guitar advice but I forgot to specifically thank Logo and G-Man for the time they spent listening to me whine about my back and the laughs they provided this week. Thanks. MWAH!
I was all set to use today's count to give thanks for how far I've come since last April 15. And truly, I am very grateful for that. In some ways I think I have exceeded the expectation of the doctor (actually functionality), in other ways I have not come as far as they hoped (pain level). Regardless, I am still very thankful that if anyone was going to get hurt, it was me, not one of my kids (no mother wants to see her children injured so badly) or Mr. Lime (we'd have been screwed if he'd missed so much work). That I wasn't paralyzed, killed, or left a vegetable (given I landed inches away from a boulder that would have dashed my brains or broken a back or neck quite effectively) is a major thing to count.
My family and friends and so many of you provided support in so many ways. I had amazing therapists who made hard and painful work as pleasant as it could be and always greeted me with a smile. As a result, most of the modifications I still make to do what needs doing are pretty small, or at least natural to me now. Janita (for the newcomers here, that's the name for my left arm/wrist/hand) is here to stay but she and I are working together cooperatively most of the time.
Last week though, I sat here staring at my guitar and boohooing a continuing inability to play it. I spoke with Andy about it and I have to give him a big thanks for some really practical suggestions and a boatload of concrete steps that will hopefully get me back into it. I need to thank him for a ray of hope shed on a longtime dream that I thought might need to be buried. Really....thank you, Andy. Another thing to add to the count.
So then this week I was a completely miserable human being. I was angry, frustrated, prone to outbursts with little provocation. Why? I made it through Easter without any broken bones. I saw my family and had a terrific time. This Sunday will be the official one year mark and I've already listed all the other things I am counting. Life is groovy. Well, Monday I completely messed up my back. I spent most of the week flattened, intimate with an icepack, unable to do much of anything, including sleeping.
I can honestly say that during the last year with Janita, although the initial accident and immediate aftermath was the most painful thing I've ever felt in my life (and that includes a c-sec with failed anesthesia) bar none and required a very long rehabilitation. I can count on one hand the hours I spent feeling really down about it. My back is a different story. I screw that up and I go immediately into misery. I herniated a disk 3 years ago and they threatened me with scalpels and such. It's been 14 months since I had such a bad flare-up as this one. That's actually a record length of time so I need to count that I didn't have to contend with it during the time I needed to really focus on Janita.
Nonetheless, I've been a real nasty person to live with this week. It bothers me that I've been this way. I hate that my gut reaction in this situation (not normally in others) is worry (oh hell, are they gonna decide THIS is the time to carve into me?), that I snap at everyone around me, and that I wind up laying around feeling useless and wondering how long I will be incapacitated. Last night I had an epic wig out on the girls that I am certainly not proud of at all. They forgave me and we wound up having a pleasant evening in the end. So I'd better count forgiveness too this week.
UPDATE: I thanked Andy for the guitar advice but I forgot to specifically thank Logo and G-Man for the time they spent listening to me whine about my back and the laughs they provided this week. Thanks. MWAH!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Running of the Balls & a Wild Card
It's the beginning of Little League baseball season. That can mean only one thing. Isaac must engage in his annual ritual of donning his protective cup and only his protective cup, running a circuit through the house then whacking himself in the groin with a baseball bat and declaring, 'It works! Bring on the baseball!' Obviously, headless peeps are not the only weird traditions in this house. The boy came up with this one all on his own though.
In other news....
At Isaac's school the students are given incentive to behave and turn in their work and such by earning 'dog dollars' (a dog being the school mascot), which can then be traded in for such rewards as a homework pass or extra recess time and the like. Since he is a generally well behaved 11 year old who always does his homework he manages to earn about 10 dog dollars a week.
As we were driving home the other day he informed me that he is so excited that he got 20 dog dollars today. I asked what he did to earn that, thinking surely he had performed the heimlich maneuver on the principal or saved a lunch lady from slipping on spilt soup, or stopped a runaway schoolbus. Surely he had done something truly noteworthy and admirable in every way.
He proudly announced he'd won it in a poker game. During lunch he and 'the guys' have been playing poker with dog dollars and he cleaned their clocks today. You know...because Brucie can't bluff, and Jake can't bet.
In other news....
At Isaac's school the students are given incentive to behave and turn in their work and such by earning 'dog dollars' (a dog being the school mascot), which can then be traded in for such rewards as a homework pass or extra recess time and the like. Since he is a generally well behaved 11 year old who always does his homework he manages to earn about 10 dog dollars a week.
As we were driving home the other day he informed me that he is so excited that he got 20 dog dollars today. I asked what he did to earn that, thinking surely he had performed the heimlich maneuver on the principal or saved a lunch lady from slipping on spilt soup, or stopped a runaway schoolbus. Surely he had done something truly noteworthy and admirable in every way.
He proudly announced he'd won it in a poker game. During lunch he and 'the guys' have been playing poker with dog dollars and he cleaned their clocks today. You know...because Brucie can't bluff, and Jake can't bet.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Trini Tuesday-TTfootball's question
Last week I offered the opportunity for people to ask specific questions about Trinidad or our experience there.
ttfootball said...
Lime yuh really throw pictures on the ground like leaves?! LOL!!
Again I am surprised by the insects...ah feel allyuh shoulda live a lil closer to Town hehe
I have clicked around quite a bit but have never discovered HOW you got to Trinidad in the first place in terms of: were you sent there by some organisation, did you volunteer to go as part of a program, was there a choice of destinations and you thought hmm this might be interesting?Enlighten me.
First of all, yes, I really threw pictures around like leaves. As for the insects, gyul we lived by O'Meara road in Arima, not exactly out in the bush. Hahahaha
Mr. Lime and I are both certified as Special Education teachers and had gone to Trinidad in '89 and '91 on 2 week work trips, working mainly in Tacarigua. The first time we had just finished cross cultural training with about 12 other people and we had planned to spend the summer in China teaching English. A little incident at Tianamen Square in Beijing caused those plans to be scrapped entirely and we were scrambling for something else to do. One of our trainers suggested Trinidad because he had led teams there and knew the program was pretty flexible about taking folks at the last minute. We didn't want to waste all out training so that's how we got there the first time. We liked it so much we returned. During the second trip we were invited by a local fellow to return for a longer term to start a program to work with handicapped students through his organization.
The education system is based on the British system and at the time all students at about age 12 took what was called the Common Entrance Exam. Performance on this single test determined whether or not a student would continue onto secondary school and if so, at which school. Students with a lot of ability get an excellent education but students with even mild handicaps that would respond to very simple forms of remediation often failed. The system has since changed such that secondary education is now provided to every student but at the time it was not.
During our time we also found that economics were every bit as big a handicap for many students as any sort of learning disability. Although education is 'free' students have to purchase uniforms, all their textbooks and supplies, and provide their own transportation to school. For a family of squatters that may not have money for food every day it's a hell of a choice to have to make, feed the kids or pay for taxi fare to get them to school?
We were excited about the opportunity to use our training in a place where we could really make a difference and we were thrilled to be able to work for a Trinidadian organization as opposed to an American one. We liked the idea of supporting local ideas and goals rather than coming in and projecting our own ideas on how things should work. The intention was to be there for at least 4 years but unfortunately some very severe administrative problems made that impossible and we had to return to the US after a little over a year.
~Tim said...
You capture the sound of the language very well in text, but how about an audio post?
Thanks, I had done an audio post over a year ago but unfortunately the service that hosted it is now defunct so I can't even give you the link. I haven't had the chance to but I will look around to see what I can find to let you hear a more authentic accent than what I can muster up.
If anyone else has questions feel free to leave them in comments.
Until next time, Happy Trini Tuesday.
ttfootball said...
Lime yuh really throw pictures on the ground like leaves?! LOL!!
Again I am surprised by the insects...ah feel allyuh shoulda live a lil closer to Town hehe
I have clicked around quite a bit but have never discovered HOW you got to Trinidad in the first place in terms of: were you sent there by some organisation, did you volunteer to go as part of a program, was there a choice of destinations and you thought hmm this might be interesting?Enlighten me.
First of all, yes, I really threw pictures around like leaves. As for the insects, gyul we lived by O'Meara road in Arima, not exactly out in the bush. Hahahaha
Mr. Lime and I are both certified as Special Education teachers and had gone to Trinidad in '89 and '91 on 2 week work trips, working mainly in Tacarigua. The first time we had just finished cross cultural training with about 12 other people and we had planned to spend the summer in China teaching English. A little incident at Tianamen Square in Beijing caused those plans to be scrapped entirely and we were scrambling for something else to do. One of our trainers suggested Trinidad because he had led teams there and knew the program was pretty flexible about taking folks at the last minute. We didn't want to waste all out training so that's how we got there the first time. We liked it so much we returned. During the second trip we were invited by a local fellow to return for a longer term to start a program to work with handicapped students through his organization.
The education system is based on the British system and at the time all students at about age 12 took what was called the Common Entrance Exam. Performance on this single test determined whether or not a student would continue onto secondary school and if so, at which school. Students with a lot of ability get an excellent education but students with even mild handicaps that would respond to very simple forms of remediation often failed. The system has since changed such that secondary education is now provided to every student but at the time it was not.
During our time we also found that economics were every bit as big a handicap for many students as any sort of learning disability. Although education is 'free' students have to purchase uniforms, all their textbooks and supplies, and provide their own transportation to school. For a family of squatters that may not have money for food every day it's a hell of a choice to have to make, feed the kids or pay for taxi fare to get them to school?
We were excited about the opportunity to use our training in a place where we could really make a difference and we were thrilled to be able to work for a Trinidadian organization as opposed to an American one. We liked the idea of supporting local ideas and goals rather than coming in and projecting our own ideas on how things should work. The intention was to be there for at least 4 years but unfortunately some very severe administrative problems made that impossible and we had to return to the US after a little over a year.
~Tim said...
You capture the sound of the language very well in text, but how about an audio post?
Thanks, I had done an audio post over a year ago but unfortunately the service that hosted it is now defunct so I can't even give you the link. I haven't had the chance to but I will look around to see what I can find to let you hear a more authentic accent than what I can muster up.
If anyone else has questions feel free to leave them in comments.
Until next time, Happy Trini Tuesday.
Monday, April 09, 2007
It's Tradition
I have good news...I made it through the weekend without incident or injury. Yippee!!
It was a good time seeing my mom and stepdad for a bit before we all headed over to my aunt's house where the extended clan gathers for Easter. We have several traditions. One of course is the egg hunt at my Mom's. Mr. Lime and the Limelets all protested that it not be held outdoors since snow was falling. (It wasn't accumulating though! What wimps...) A couple of years ago my mother tweaked the tradition though and made the kids start hiding the eggs and the adsults looking for them. She figured it was a way to keep the tradition alive even though the kids were getting into that blase, hard to impress and motivate stage of life.
At my aunt's we have various traditional foods with some variation of additions to the necessities. For years my grandmother made baked pineapple. When she died that responsibility fell to me. Also, it wouldn't be a holiday if my aunt didn't make her graham cracker pie and there wasn't a scramble for the last sliver.
On Easter one tradition stands above the rest. It was started by my great grandmother and has been handed down to each generation in turn. I have been faithful to pass it on to my children as I hope they will pass it to their own when the time comes. Each Easter morning as the children come out to find their baskets of goodies they look in eager anticipation and find....
It was a good time seeing my mom and stepdad for a bit before we all headed over to my aunt's house where the extended clan gathers for Easter. We have several traditions. One of course is the egg hunt at my Mom's. Mr. Lime and the Limelets all protested that it not be held outdoors since snow was falling. (It wasn't accumulating though! What wimps...) A couple of years ago my mother tweaked the tradition though and made the kids start hiding the eggs and the adsults looking for them. She figured it was a way to keep the tradition alive even though the kids were getting into that blase, hard to impress and motivate stage of life.
At my aunt's we have various traditional foods with some variation of additions to the necessities. For years my grandmother made baked pineapple. When she died that responsibility fell to me. Also, it wouldn't be a holiday if my aunt didn't make her graham cracker pie and there wasn't a scramble for the last sliver.
On Easter one tradition stands above the rest. It was started by my great grandmother and has been handed down to each generation in turn. I have been faithful to pass it on to my children as I hope they will pass it to their own when the time comes. Each Easter morning as the children come out to find their baskets of goodies they look in eager anticipation and find....
...the heads of the marshmallow peeps and ears of the marshmallow bunnies bitten off. It's tradition! (Grammy was a real joker!)
Friday, April 06, 2007
Happy Passover
*image from www.fitzwimarc.org.uk
Happy Easter
*image from www.painetworks.com
I do not intend be attempting any unharnessed and unhelmeted launches this weekend so hopefully this year I will make it to the extended family gathering for Easter. Wishing each of you a happy holiday as you celebrate according to your custom or if you are unobservant then have a wonderful weekend.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
I Changed My Mind...
Ok, so we were looking through old pictures and I found this one of my brother and me on an Easter long ago. See how happy we are with our big chocolate bunnies and our.........bananas????
What?? Was it the Easter Monkey that came to visit us or what?
What?? Was it the Easter Monkey that came to visit us or what?
And clearly this was before everyone found out bananas send me into anaphylactic shock (seriously, I am not joking).....or was it? I'm feeling a bit traumatized now.....
HHNT
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Adventures in Orthodontia
First, If you've never read the installments of this saga over at Insane Asylime, you must start at least with this post just as an introduction.
Other chapters in the epic struggle between adolescent teeth and middle-aged depression can be found here, here, and here. They are all fairly short if you are interested but daunted by the reading. Do at least read the first one up there if you are new to it then hurry back here. We'll wait....
All done? Good.
Diana had another visit to Dr. Excitement himself. Here is the conversation we had after the appointment.
Mother, you are no longer permitted to accompany me to the orthodontist. Daddy will have to take me from now on.
Why is that?
Because Dr. E. is the most depressed human being on the planet and you actually talk to him, mercifully trying to cheer him up but he is compelled to bring you down to his level. So I get to listen to him drone on about nuclear war, his back pain, and how dental tools made in China are pieces of crap while the psychological struggle between the two of you gets taken out on my mouth! Here's an extra wire for you, kid! Ratchet ratchet ratchet! Let me poke you with my inferior Chinese dental tools while I change your bands. Oh, and now you can wear the HEAVY rubber bands. He will NOT ever be happy and you will continue to talk to him and my mouth will continue to take the beating. I will only permit Daddy to take me from now on because he lets Dr. E. be as depressed as he wants to be.
Great, now what do I do for blog fodder?
Other chapters in the epic struggle between adolescent teeth and middle-aged depression can be found here, here, and here. They are all fairly short if you are interested but daunted by the reading. Do at least read the first one up there if you are new to it then hurry back here. We'll wait....
All done? Good.
Diana had another visit to Dr. Excitement himself. Here is the conversation we had after the appointment.
Mother, you are no longer permitted to accompany me to the orthodontist. Daddy will have to take me from now on.
Why is that?
Because Dr. E. is the most depressed human being on the planet and you actually talk to him, mercifully trying to cheer him up but he is compelled to bring you down to his level. So I get to listen to him drone on about nuclear war, his back pain, and how dental tools made in China are pieces of crap while the psychological struggle between the two of you gets taken out on my mouth! Here's an extra wire for you, kid! Ratchet ratchet ratchet! Let me poke you with my inferior Chinese dental tools while I change your bands. Oh, and now you can wear the HEAVY rubber bands. He will NOT ever be happy and you will continue to talk to him and my mouth will continue to take the beating. I will only permit Daddy to take me from now on because he lets Dr. E. be as depressed as he wants to be.
Great, now what do I do for blog fodder?
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Trini Tuesday-5,4,3,2,1!
I saw this meme over at Jocelyn's place and she had her sister who has been in Central America answer it. I've been struggling for ideas for Trini Tuesday lately so I thought this would be a good one to do. About a year ago I tossed out the opportunity for readers to ask questions about Trinidad that I would then use as the basis of a TT post. Since I'm running a bit low on ideas I'll do that again. Leave your question in the comments and I will be glad to put something together.
Onto the meme...(with some specific tweakage)
5 Things I loved in Trinidad
1. Liming! I was born to Lime!
2. The people
3. The music
4. The food
5. The culture
Pretty much all the things I blog about on Trini Tuesday. Go root around in the archives if you are new.
4 Things I missed from the USA
1. Friends and family
2. Autumn. I knew I would too so I took a zillion pictures of leaves and trees the autumn before I left and then when I got to missing it badly I scattered them all on the floor one afternoon.
3. Winter. A friend from the US sent me a Christmas package which included some clingy plastic window decorations shaped like snowflakes. I had them up well into February when a Trini friend came over and asked why I hadn't put away the last of my Christmas decorations. I said the snow couldn't go away until it was time for the spring thaw. She thought I was nuts but she laughed.
4. Certain foods, specifically Italian food (couldn't get the cheeses and the seasonings were a little tough to come by sometimes), broccoli, Doritos, and Peanut Butter Tasty Cakes. My father came to visit me and I told him he had better have lasagna ingredients, Doritos and Tasty Cakes in his bag or else he should just get back on the plane when it landed. (You have to understand the relationship we have...just accept that I was not being rude and demanding in spite of the way that sounds) He came with all the requested items. He had packed the Doritos in his briefcase however, and the bag exploded. Nonetheless, I descended upon the briefcase with a greed heretofore unparalleled (gimme a break, I was pregnant and had the worst craving for Doritos for MONTHS!). Once I had salvaged all the big pieces and put them in a new bag I started munching the broken bits directly from the briefcase. When only crumbs remained I shook them all into a corner and pinched them out carefully. There were some I couldn't reach. I licked my little finger to reach onto the corner for the remnants as my father and husband looked on in horrified disbelief. Shaddup, just shaddup....it was precious as gold I tell ya....chemically processed, high sodium, lacking in any nutritional value GOLD!
3 Things that annoyed me in Trinidad
1. Insects. Mosquitoes buzzing in my ears when I tried to sleep, ants that bit the baby when she tried to sleep, kissing bugs that chewed on my lips when I slept (the fat lips they give are quite the alternative to the collagen induced pouty lips favored by Hollywood...hhmm.....business venture for me?), cockroaches that looked like they could feed a hungry man.
2. Dry season water shortages. Remember that picture of big old pregnant me? It was hard enough being pregnant in a tropical environment when I was not yet accustomed to the climate, it was really miserable to have the sweat pouring off me and only have enough water to be able to take a bucket bath. I used to fantasize about standing in a shower for an hour and just letting cool water run down over me. Yeah, I know cold showers are supposed to END fantasies...
3. The concept of a queue.
2 Things that surprised me in Trinidad
1. When the mother of our closest friend in Trinidad started introducing us to people as her 'white kids.' Flora, dis is Meesh an she husband, dey meh white kids.' His entire family welcomed us as just another part of the extended clan. They had us over for holidays and birthday parties and included us in the mundane parts of life that add up to give you a sense of belonging. When you are so far from all the friends and family you've had all your life you naturally look for something or someone to ease the feeling of being an outsider. It's quite common for expats to cling to each other if they find each other. I really feel we were far more blessed to find our 'family' among Trinis than if we had run for safe haven among the few other Americans we were aware of (and who were much less welcoming anyway). When Nanzo called us her white kids it was a surprising and wonderful gift.
2. The amazing diversity in such a small place. Trinidad is only about 55 miles by 35 miles and has a population of a little over a million, yet it is home to Indians and Africans in nearly identical proportions, large minorities of Portuguese, Chinese, Syrians, and remnants of indigenous peoples. Each group has made its own mark on the culture (in music, food, language, culture, crafts, religion) and yet retains a distinct identity. We speak of the USA being a melting pot and it is, but it's so geographically vast that groups can spread out and never bump into each other, which accounts in some part for the regional differences across America. In Trinidad they all bump up against each other and mingle to a much greater extent. It's fascinating and marvelous.
1 Thing I miss terribly from Trinidad now that I am back in the USA
There is so much...hence Trini Tuesday...and it's obvious for me to say my friends, and that would be true. I miss each friend for all the reasons that make them unique and special. This was true of my friends and family from the USA who I missed when I was abroad so again, it's obvious. But I want to qualify it some and say that I miss the part of friendship in Trinidad that allows for touch and intimacy. It's what made me fall in love with Trinidad and it's what I ache for in the cold USA.
Onto the meme...(with some specific tweakage)
5 Things I loved in Trinidad
1. Liming! I was born to Lime!
2. The people
3. The music
4. The food
5. The culture
Pretty much all the things I blog about on Trini Tuesday. Go root around in the archives if you are new.
4 Things I missed from the USA
1. Friends and family
2. Autumn. I knew I would too so I took a zillion pictures of leaves and trees the autumn before I left and then when I got to missing it badly I scattered them all on the floor one afternoon.
3. Winter. A friend from the US sent me a Christmas package which included some clingy plastic window decorations shaped like snowflakes. I had them up well into February when a Trini friend came over and asked why I hadn't put away the last of my Christmas decorations. I said the snow couldn't go away until it was time for the spring thaw. She thought I was nuts but she laughed.
4. Certain foods, specifically Italian food (couldn't get the cheeses and the seasonings were a little tough to come by sometimes), broccoli, Doritos, and Peanut Butter Tasty Cakes. My father came to visit me and I told him he had better have lasagna ingredients, Doritos and Tasty Cakes in his bag or else he should just get back on the plane when it landed. (You have to understand the relationship we have...just accept that I was not being rude and demanding in spite of the way that sounds) He came with all the requested items. He had packed the Doritos in his briefcase however, and the bag exploded. Nonetheless, I descended upon the briefcase with a greed heretofore unparalleled (gimme a break, I was pregnant and had the worst craving for Doritos for MONTHS!). Once I had salvaged all the big pieces and put them in a new bag I started munching the broken bits directly from the briefcase. When only crumbs remained I shook them all into a corner and pinched them out carefully. There were some I couldn't reach. I licked my little finger to reach onto the corner for the remnants as my father and husband looked on in horrified disbelief. Shaddup, just shaddup....it was precious as gold I tell ya....chemically processed, high sodium, lacking in any nutritional value GOLD!
3 Things that annoyed me in Trinidad
1. Insects. Mosquitoes buzzing in my ears when I tried to sleep, ants that bit the baby when she tried to sleep, kissing bugs that chewed on my lips when I slept (the fat lips they give are quite the alternative to the collagen induced pouty lips favored by Hollywood...hhmm.....business venture for me?), cockroaches that looked like they could feed a hungry man.
2. Dry season water shortages. Remember that picture of big old pregnant me? It was hard enough being pregnant in a tropical environment when I was not yet accustomed to the climate, it was really miserable to have the sweat pouring off me and only have enough water to be able to take a bucket bath. I used to fantasize about standing in a shower for an hour and just letting cool water run down over me. Yeah, I know cold showers are supposed to END fantasies...
3. The concept of a queue.
2 Things that surprised me in Trinidad
1. When the mother of our closest friend in Trinidad started introducing us to people as her 'white kids.' Flora, dis is Meesh an she husband, dey meh white kids.' His entire family welcomed us as just another part of the extended clan. They had us over for holidays and birthday parties and included us in the mundane parts of life that add up to give you a sense of belonging. When you are so far from all the friends and family you've had all your life you naturally look for something or someone to ease the feeling of being an outsider. It's quite common for expats to cling to each other if they find each other. I really feel we were far more blessed to find our 'family' among Trinis than if we had run for safe haven among the few other Americans we were aware of (and who were much less welcoming anyway). When Nanzo called us her white kids it was a surprising and wonderful gift.
2. The amazing diversity in such a small place. Trinidad is only about 55 miles by 35 miles and has a population of a little over a million, yet it is home to Indians and Africans in nearly identical proportions, large minorities of Portuguese, Chinese, Syrians, and remnants of indigenous peoples. Each group has made its own mark on the culture (in music, food, language, culture, crafts, religion) and yet retains a distinct identity. We speak of the USA being a melting pot and it is, but it's so geographically vast that groups can spread out and never bump into each other, which accounts in some part for the regional differences across America. In Trinidad they all bump up against each other and mingle to a much greater extent. It's fascinating and marvelous.
1 Thing I miss terribly from Trinidad now that I am back in the USA
There is so much...hence Trini Tuesday...and it's obvious for me to say my friends, and that would be true. I miss each friend for all the reasons that make them unique and special. This was true of my friends and family from the USA who I missed when I was abroad so again, it's obvious. But I want to qualify it some and say that I miss the part of friendship in Trinidad that allows for touch and intimacy. It's what made me fall in love with Trinidad and it's what I ache for in the cold USA.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Music, Books and Miscellanea
Ok, this first one I am stealing from Logo.
Four sentences you've never said
I'm really hungry for liver and canned peas.
5:30 AM is my favorite time of day.
Snoop Dog is a musical genius.
Cleaning toilets fulfills me.
Any number of song title to describe how you've felt this week
'What Am I to You' by Norah Jones
'If I Had a Hammer' by Peter, Paul, and Mary
'Gaudeamus Igitur' by Silver Stars
'Soak up the Sun' by Sheryl Crow
'Got Me Under Pressure' by ZZ Top
'Seen It All Before' by Amos Lee
'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince
Four things you'd be doing on a perfect day
Sleeping in
Riding a motorcycle into the mountains so I can take a hike
Enjoying cooking and eating a good meal and having good conversation and fun with people I love
Making love for hours and basking in the afterglow
Five creative names for a new rock band
Lime and the Shattered Ulnas (sooo stealing this from Logo)
White Noise
Jackhammer to the Skull
Spurious Factoids
Underwired (the acoustic band of buxom babes)
Congratulations! You get to go back in time and prevent 3 songs from being written, thus sparing humankind from ever having to hear them. Which 3 get the axe.
'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion (and while we are at it I am preventing the movie 'Titanic' from being filmed too)
'Muskrat Love' by the Captain and Tenille (between his hat and this song, I so do not want to ever know anything about their love life)
'We Built This City on Rock and Roll' by Jefferson Airplane/Starship/Airplane (whatever the heck they were calling themselves at that point)
Now we move on to one from Myutopia.
Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
Whatever is available
Amazon or brick and mortar?
Brick & mortar, I like the library and to support local business. I'll use Amazon if it's an out of print title or can't find it other ways. That being said, I refuse to patronize the local mom & pop operation on Main Street because they have always been miserable when I've gone in and when the local fire dept. (of which my husband is a part) kept the fire in his building from spreading beyond their walls, (keeping in mind this is a minor miracle in attached buildings with no firewalls and that arsonists have torched 6 other buildings in the business district and the next town over lost an entire block due to the incompetence of their fire dept.) all the owners could do was bitch about the water damage to their inventory. STFU, you're alive and you still have a building and a business, people risked their own safety to preserve that for you.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
We don't have either one locally.
Bookmark or dog ear?
If you ever suggest dog earing again I may have to hurt you. That's no way to treat a book.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Well, I've got enough books that I have them separated by genre. Within each genre they are alphabetized by author, then by title. Librarian wannabe and all...
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Usually keep, though we recently went through about half the collection and donated about 50 books to the local library for their annual used book sale. I only throw away if the book is damaged beyond reasonable use.
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Remove
Short story or novel?
I tend to enjoy nonfiction more than fiction but when I read fiction either one is fine.
Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
No real preference.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Lemony Snicket
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks, keeps me mentally organized.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Hhhmm...it's more about what follows those introductions really.
Buy or Borrow?
Both
New or used?
Either. New books hold such promise but old ones have such history. I love the used book sale at the library....last couple of days is a dollar for an entire bag. Woohoo!
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
I read a lot by recommendation of friends and I love to just browse and see what strikes my fancy. Book reviews...meh...not so much. I don't know the reviewer and they don't know me, it's too impersonal.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Neither. If it's fiction, I just want an honest ending. It's got to be faithful to the characters and setting, whether that means happy or sad, tidy or dangling. It just has to be convincing and not read like the author intended sequel after sequel just for the sake of profit or to get a movie deal.
Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Afternoon or evening
Stand-alone or series?
I can't think of too many series that really held me for the duration.
Favorite series?
Hhmm...'Anne of Green Gables' probably and partly because it was just so much fun to read to the girls when they were little.
Favorite children's books?
I've got such a soft spot for kiddie lit this is hard to narrow down. I'm a big Dr. Seuss fan, I LOVE Shel Silverstein and have given his books to more kids than I can remember. Kevin Henkes is another marvelous author of picture books.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Four sentences you've never said
I'm really hungry for liver and canned peas.
5:30 AM is my favorite time of day.
Snoop Dog is a musical genius.
Cleaning toilets fulfills me.
Any number of song title to describe how you've felt this week
'What Am I to You' by Norah Jones
'If I Had a Hammer' by Peter, Paul, and Mary
'Gaudeamus Igitur' by Silver Stars
'Soak up the Sun' by Sheryl Crow
'Got Me Under Pressure' by ZZ Top
'Seen It All Before' by Amos Lee
'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince
Four things you'd be doing on a perfect day
Sleeping in
Riding a motorcycle into the mountains so I can take a hike
Enjoying cooking and eating a good meal and having good conversation and fun with people I love
Making love for hours and basking in the afterglow
Five creative names for a new rock band
Lime and the Shattered Ulnas (sooo stealing this from Logo)
White Noise
Jackhammer to the Skull
Spurious Factoids
Underwired (the acoustic band of buxom babes)
Congratulations! You get to go back in time and prevent 3 songs from being written, thus sparing humankind from ever having to hear them. Which 3 get the axe.
'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion (and while we are at it I am preventing the movie 'Titanic' from being filmed too)
'Muskrat Love' by the Captain and Tenille (between his hat and this song, I so do not want to ever know anything about their love life)
'We Built This City on Rock and Roll' by Jefferson Airplane/Starship/Airplane (whatever the heck they were calling themselves at that point)
Now we move on to one from Myutopia.
Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
Whatever is available
Amazon or brick and mortar?
Brick & mortar, I like the library and to support local business. I'll use Amazon if it's an out of print title or can't find it other ways. That being said, I refuse to patronize the local mom & pop operation on Main Street because they have always been miserable when I've gone in and when the local fire dept. (of which my husband is a part) kept the fire in his building from spreading beyond their walls, (keeping in mind this is a minor miracle in attached buildings with no firewalls and that arsonists have torched 6 other buildings in the business district and the next town over lost an entire block due to the incompetence of their fire dept.) all the owners could do was bitch about the water damage to their inventory. STFU, you're alive and you still have a building and a business, people risked their own safety to preserve that for you.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
We don't have either one locally.
Bookmark or dog ear?
If you ever suggest dog earing again I may have to hurt you. That's no way to treat a book.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Well, I've got enough books that I have them separated by genre. Within each genre they are alphabetized by author, then by title. Librarian wannabe and all...
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Usually keep, though we recently went through about half the collection and donated about 50 books to the local library for their annual used book sale. I only throw away if the book is damaged beyond reasonable use.
Case in point, I threw away a beautiful gilt-edged Bible given to my daughter when she was a baby. Hold the hellfire! I can explain! We only had one closet in the old house (a walk-in by our bedroom). We had a tiny room at the bottom of the stairs. It had a toilet and shelves up the wall over the toilet. I kept cleaning supplies and boardgames in there and had put the baby Bible up there in a hurry one day because the kids were kind of crumpling pages. I went in to get cleaning supplies one day and knocked the Bible into the open toilet which someone had used but neglected to flush.
Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Remove
Short story or novel?
I tend to enjoy nonfiction more than fiction but when I read fiction either one is fine.
Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
No real preference.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Lemony Snicket
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks, keeps me mentally organized.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Hhhmm...it's more about what follows those introductions really.
Buy or Borrow?
Both
New or used?
Either. New books hold such promise but old ones have such history. I love the used book sale at the library....last couple of days is a dollar for an entire bag. Woohoo!
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
I read a lot by recommendation of friends and I love to just browse and see what strikes my fancy. Book reviews...meh...not so much. I don't know the reviewer and they don't know me, it's too impersonal.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Neither. If it's fiction, I just want an honest ending. It's got to be faithful to the characters and setting, whether that means happy or sad, tidy or dangling. It just has to be convincing and not read like the author intended sequel after sequel just for the sake of profit or to get a movie deal.
Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Afternoon or evening
Stand-alone or series?
I can't think of too many series that really held me for the duration.
Favorite series?
Hhmm...'Anne of Green Gables' probably and partly because it was just so much fun to read to the girls when they were little.
Favorite children's books?
I've got such a soft spot for kiddie lit this is hard to narrow down. I'm a big Dr. Seuss fan, I LOVE Shel Silverstein and have given his books to more kids than I can remember. Kevin Henkes is another marvelous author of picture books.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Hhhmm... Thirty Days Hath April' by Bill Bley perhaps?
Favorite books read last year?
'Kite Runner' by Khaled Hossein was amazing.
Favorite books of all time?
It's all in the profile.
Least favorite book you finished last year?
'Whose Panties Are These?' which was a set of essays about women travelling. Some were very good, most were kind of ho hum, some were just dreadful.
What are you reading right now?
'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert Pirsig
What are you reading next?
I have a great big stack of 'to reads.' I will choose based on my mood at the end of Pirsig's book.
Some of the choices include...
'A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali' by Gil Courtemanche
'In the Name of Honor' by Mukhtar Mai
'The Mother Tongue' by Bill Bryson
'The Year of Magical Thinking' by Joan Didion
'Left to Tell' by Immaculee Ilibagiza
Anything I should add to the pile?
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