From Sunday Stealing
Mac'n Cheese Meme
1. Can you ever get enough of mac ‘n’ cheese? A. I can. I rarely eat it.
2. Are you allergic to nuts or diary products?
A. I do not drink dairy because it makes my asthma worse.
3. Do you think age matters in relationships? A. It does if the guy is 50 and the girl is 14, so yeah.
4. Has anyone ever called the cops on you? A. Yes. And wouldn't you just love to know the details?
5. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night? A. My husband and I kissed goodnight.
6. What’s the connection between the last person you texted? A. I don't text. My last email was from my physical therapist.
7. Are you in a good mood? A. Not particularly.
8. Excited for anything? A. I have a vacation scheduled before the end of the year. I'm hoping I will feel well enough to enjoy it.
9. Do you have a hard time controlling your emotions? A. Sometimes.
10. Do you like your height? A. I would like to be a little taller so I didn't have to ask someone to get things for me from the top shelf of the grocery store. It's so embarrassing.
11. How long have you lived in your current home? A. 28 years.
12. Could you go a week without brushing your teeth? A. Well I could, but I certainly hope I never have to.
13. Have you ever given any amount of money to the homeless? A. Yes.
14. Own anything from Bath & Body Works? A. No.
15. Have you ever had your nails so long that they curved down at the ends? A. No. I bite my nails and/or keep them clipped short.
16. Have you ever swallowed a bunch of salt water by accident? A. Yes. I certainly didn't choke on it on purpose.
17. Does it take you over an hour to go to sleep sometimes? A. Sometimes.
18. When you get home from school/work do you change into your pjs right away? A. No.
19. Have you ever stayed up all night and the whole next day without any sleep? A. The closest I have come to that in recent years was in 2010, when we drove for seven hours to Myrtle Beach only to discover our hotel room was awful. We couldn't find another, so we drove all night, arriving back home around 10 a.m. We're the only people I know who drove six hours for dinner and then turned around and came back.
20. Has anyone ever told you that you have pretty feet? A. I had an acupuncturist tell me that once.
21. What is the temperature currently in the town you live in? A. It's in the 70s.
22. Do you ever actually drink milk alone? A. I don't drink milk.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Saturday 9: That's All, Folks
Saturday 9: That's All (1983)Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In the lyrics, Phil Collins sings of a time he was wrong when he thought he was right. Tell us about a recent time when you got it wrong.
A. I have a tendency to think other people don't like me, and I get that wrong a lot. Actually, they do. So I get that wrong with great frequency. For instance, I recently thought that another player of this meme had for some reason decided she didn't like me. And maybe she doesn't, but we have never met and probably never will, so it's a silly thing to think and worry over.
2) The song is addressed to a lover that Phil clearly feels is contrary. When he says, "day," she says, "night." Is there anyone in your life who seems to disagree with you all or most of the time?
A. Yes. About half of my community.
3) This was Genesis' first Top 10 hit in the US. Can you name another Phil Collins or Genesis song?
A. "I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh no. And I've been waiting for this moment for all of my life, oh no." It's called In the Air Tonight.
4) Phil Collins is a model train enthusiast. Is there anything special that you collect?
A. I have a small collection of Christmas mice. And a lot of books.
5) Collins was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. At the ceremony, he delivered the commencement address. When did you last give a presentation or deliver a speech?
A. My last presentation would have been in January, when I taught a class on keeping a journal at a writer's conference at my alma mater.
6) One of Phil Collins' early solo albums was called, Hello, I Must Be Going. He took the title from a song in the 1930 Marx Bros. movie, Animal Crackers. What's the last black and white movie or TV show that you watched?
A. The Andy Griffith Show. I watch it almost every day. It comes on at 5:30 here just before our local news, and that is when I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner.
7) In 1983, when this song was popular, the Lotus 1-2-3 program made it easier for PC users to build spreadsheets. Are you answering these questions on a PC or a Mac? Laptop or desktop? Tablet or phone?
A. A PC desktop. I don't see how anybody types on a tablet or a phone. And I am not a fan of Windows 10, not that anybody cares.
8) 1983 is also the year when McDonald's introduced McNuggets. What's your favorite chicken recipe (assuming it's not McNuggets)?
A. I like chicken pot pie, or just plain baked chicken. I don't eat fried food anymore. And I try not to eat things don't actually look like food.
9) In 1983, President Reagan signed the bill making Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday a holiday. What's your favorite holiday?
A. My favorite holiday is Halloween, but I don't celebrate it. No one comes to say "trick or treat" when you live 1/4 mile off the road and you're out in the country. I used to like Christmas but I don't enjoy it much anymore. I am surrounded by scrooges who seem hell-bent on taking the joy out of the holiday. So I guess my most favorite holiday really is my birthday, which isn't a holiday, but it means I survived another year.
1) In the lyrics, Phil Collins sings of a time he was wrong when he thought he was right. Tell us about a recent time when you got it wrong.
A. I have a tendency to think other people don't like me, and I get that wrong a lot. Actually, they do. So I get that wrong with great frequency. For instance, I recently thought that another player of this meme had for some reason decided she didn't like me. And maybe she doesn't, but we have never met and probably never will, so it's a silly thing to think and worry over.
2) The song is addressed to a lover that Phil clearly feels is contrary. When he says, "day," she says, "night." Is there anyone in your life who seems to disagree with you all or most of the time?
A. Yes. About half of my community.
3) This was Genesis' first Top 10 hit in the US. Can you name another Phil Collins or Genesis song?
A. "I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh no. And I've been waiting for this moment for all of my life, oh no." It's called In the Air Tonight.
4) Phil Collins is a model train enthusiast. Is there anything special that you collect?
A. I have a small collection of Christmas mice. And a lot of books.
5) Collins was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. At the ceremony, he delivered the commencement address. When did you last give a presentation or deliver a speech?
A. My last presentation would have been in January, when I taught a class on keeping a journal at a writer's conference at my alma mater.
6) One of Phil Collins' early solo albums was called, Hello, I Must Be Going. He took the title from a song in the 1930 Marx Bros. movie, Animal Crackers. What's the last black and white movie or TV show that you watched?
A. The Andy Griffith Show. I watch it almost every day. It comes on at 5:30 here just before our local news, and that is when I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner.
7) In 1983, when this song was popular, the Lotus 1-2-3 program made it easier for PC users to build spreadsheets. Are you answering these questions on a PC or a Mac? Laptop or desktop? Tablet or phone?
A. A PC desktop. I don't see how anybody types on a tablet or a phone. And I am not a fan of Windows 10, not that anybody cares.
8) 1983 is also the year when McDonald's introduced McNuggets. What's your favorite chicken recipe (assuming it's not McNuggets)?
A. I like chicken pot pie, or just plain baked chicken. I don't eat fried food anymore. And I try not to eat things don't actually look like food.
9) In 1983, President Reagan signed the bill making Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday a holiday. What's your favorite holiday?
A. My favorite holiday is Halloween, but I don't celebrate it. No one comes to say "trick or treat" when you live 1/4 mile off the road and you're out in the country. I used to like Christmas but I don't enjoy it much anymore. I am surrounded by scrooges who seem hell-bent on taking the joy out of the holiday. So I guess my most favorite holiday really is my birthday, which isn't a holiday, but it means I survived another year.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Caught in the Act
We have a had an awful time with squirrels eating on our house and deck this year. First a squirrel about gnawed its way into the house via the back door. This one has eaten the deck.
As we are planning to replace the deck soon, I don't particularly care about that, but the door was another issue. We ended up having to put siding over the wood to keep the squirrels from gnawing on it more.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Thursday Thirteen
Things on my desk . . .
1. A catalogue for The Great Courses, which offers many DVDs and CDs about various subjects.
2. A light therapy lamp.
3. Two boxes of colored pencils.
4. Nasal spray.
5. A calculator.
6. A pair of binoculars.
7. Two 1/2 pound weights.
8. Bach Rescue Remedy.
9. A Kindle Paperwhite, a Kindle Fire, and a MS Surface (1st generation).
10. Elmer's Glue.
11. A packet of blank notecards.
12. A digital tape recorder.
13. A microfiber cleaning cloth.
And a lot of other stuff. I really need to clean up in here.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 411th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
1. A catalogue for The Great Courses, which offers many DVDs and CDs about various subjects.
2. A light therapy lamp.
3. Two boxes of colored pencils.
4. Nasal spray.
5. A calculator.
6. A pair of binoculars.
7. Two 1/2 pound weights.
8. Bach Rescue Remedy.
9. A Kindle Paperwhite, a Kindle Fire, and a MS Surface (1st generation).
10. Elmer's Glue.
11. A packet of blank notecards.
12. A digital tape recorder.
13. A microfiber cleaning cloth.
And a lot of other stuff. I really need to clean up in here.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 411th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Could Someone Explain . . .
I am not in the health insurance business, and have nothing to do with health care except that I use it. I spend a lot of time at doctors' offices these days, and as a result I spend a lot of time looking at my EOBs (Explanation of Benefits) from the insurance company.
What I'd like to know is why we're not all yelling "fraud" from the billings between healthcare providers and the insurance company. And before anyone yells "Obamacare," I know for a fact this has been going on long before that went into place.
Here is an example of my complaint: my orthopedic doctor gave me a brace for my ankle. The company that makes the brace charged my insurance company $92.19 for it. The insurance company "allowed" a charge of $54.69 and paid $43.75 of that, leaving me with a 20% copay of $10.94.
The company sells the exact same brace online for $33.94. If they'd charged the insurance company that amount, my copay would have been $6.79.
Why isn't this fraud? If the company can sell the thing online for $33, why is it okay for them to charge $92, and accept $54?
Here is another example: one of my doctors charged the insurance company $117.00. The insurance company "allowed" only $80.57. I had a copay of $20 so the insurance company paid them $60.57.
So can someone out there explain this to me? I don't understand why this isn't fraudulent. To me it is. If you can sell an ankle brace for $33 and still make a profit, then why are you charging the insurance company $92 only to agree to accept $54? If you will see a patient for $80, why isn't that the charge?
What the heck is all of this "allowable" charges BS? And I bet that it differs from plan to plan. I bet your plan might get charged $192 for the same ankle brace, or maybe it would be charged $72. I guarantee that nothing is same across the board.
This is what is wrong with our healthcare, and it wasn't addressed in the Affordable Care Act, apparently, since companies are still doing these kinds of billings.
Can I be the only person out there who thinks this is wrong?
I remember a very long time ago, if a merchant advertised something at a certain price, that was the price they had to sell it at. If there was a misprint, they ate it. I don't know when that changed, but at some point it did, and it became acceptable for companies to backtrack, change prices, and do all sorts of price-fixing that I long thought was illegal. I suspect the rules changed under Reagan and his deregulation movements, but I can't be sure of that. I'm not a business major, either.
What I'd like to know is why we're not all yelling "fraud" from the billings between healthcare providers and the insurance company. And before anyone yells "Obamacare," I know for a fact this has been going on long before that went into place.
Here is an example of my complaint: my orthopedic doctor gave me a brace for my ankle. The company that makes the brace charged my insurance company $92.19 for it. The insurance company "allowed" a charge of $54.69 and paid $43.75 of that, leaving me with a 20% copay of $10.94.
The company sells the exact same brace online for $33.94. If they'd charged the insurance company that amount, my copay would have been $6.79.
Why isn't this fraud? If the company can sell the thing online for $33, why is it okay for them to charge $92, and accept $54?
Here is another example: one of my doctors charged the insurance company $117.00. The insurance company "allowed" only $80.57. I had a copay of $20 so the insurance company paid them $60.57.
So can someone out there explain this to me? I don't understand why this isn't fraudulent. To me it is. If you can sell an ankle brace for $33 and still make a profit, then why are you charging the insurance company $92 only to agree to accept $54? If you will see a patient for $80, why isn't that the charge?
What the heck is all of this "allowable" charges BS? And I bet that it differs from plan to plan. I bet your plan might get charged $192 for the same ankle brace, or maybe it would be charged $72. I guarantee that nothing is same across the board.
This is what is wrong with our healthcare, and it wasn't addressed in the Affordable Care Act, apparently, since companies are still doing these kinds of billings.
Can I be the only person out there who thinks this is wrong?
I remember a very long time ago, if a merchant advertised something at a certain price, that was the price they had to sell it at. If there was a misprint, they ate it. I don't know when that changed, but at some point it did, and it became acceptable for companies to backtrack, change prices, and do all sorts of price-fixing that I long thought was illegal. I suspect the rules changed under Reagan and his deregulation movements, but I can't be sure of that. I'm not a business major, either.
Tuesday, September 08, 2015
Monday, September 07, 2015
Pink Full Moon
The last full moon rose lovely pink. I wasn't home in time to catch it on the horizon, but a bit later I went out to try to capture a few shots of the orb that so fascinates me.
During this little misadventure I managed to bash myself in the face twice with camera. I forgot to tighten a doodad on my tripod. Then I couldn't walk back to the house and my husband had to rescue me.
It's become difficult to take good photos with my limited mobility. It's hard to find the best angle to get the capture when you are limited in where you can place the camera. At least I'm still trying, eh?
Sunday, September 06, 2015
SS: Checking It Twice
From Sunday Stealing
Making a list Meme
1. Do you like making lists?
A. I don't particularly like it, but I do it.
2. Do/did you play sports with your siblings?
A. That was 40 years ago. I am sure I did, but I can't think of anything specific at this moment.
3. Would you rather go to a University or a community college?
A. So long as I am learning, I am fine with either one.
4. What’s your favorite kind of bread?
A. The kind you eat.
5. What toppings do you like on your pizza?
A. I like veggies on pizza.
6. What color or design does your shower curtain have?
A. It's blue.
7. What kind of car does/did your mom drive?
A. My mother's last vehicle was a Jeep.
8. What’s on your cell phone’s home screen?
A. Um. I have an old flip phone. I don't think it has a home screen.
9. Do you like to watch the National Geographic channel?
A. Yes.
10. Are you the type of person to correct the grammar and/or spelling of a survey?
A. I have been known to do so, yes. Sometimes I have rewritten the questions, as I did above.
11. What color is your microwave?
A. Black.
12. Do you have a fan in your bedroom?
A. Yes.
13. Mountain Dew or Sprite?
A. Sprite, but I don't drink colas much.
14. Does it rain a lot where you live?
A. No.
15. Do you shop at Walmart regularly?
A. I shop there but not on a regular schedule.
16. Does it bother you when animals lick themselves?
A. Eww. I've never really thought about it and I have to wonder about the mind that created this question. Seriously.
17. Have you ever been to a Trader Joe’s?
A. No.
18. What’s the longest time you’ve ever been stuck in traffic?
A. I have no idea.
19. Do you wear black a lot?
A. Yes.
20. Are there stairs in your house?
A. No.
21. Have you ever held $500 in cash?
A. Yes.
22. Do you like onions on your burger?
A. No.
23. Could you ever give yourself a shot?
A. I have done it before, so yes.
24. Do you wear shoes in the house?
A. I wear shoes all the time, including in the house. I have problems with my ankle and it requires support.
25. Have you ever worked as a cashier?
A. Yes. I did a little stint in retail back in the early 1990s.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Making a list Meme
1. Do you like making lists?
A. I don't particularly like it, but I do it.
2. Do/did you play sports with your siblings?
A. That was 40 years ago. I am sure I did, but I can't think of anything specific at this moment.
3. Would you rather go to a University or a community college?
A. So long as I am learning, I am fine with either one.
4. What’s your favorite kind of bread?
A. The kind you eat.
5. What toppings do you like on your pizza?
A. I like veggies on pizza.
6. What color or design does your shower curtain have?
A. It's blue.
7. What kind of car does/did your mom drive?
A. My mother's last vehicle was a Jeep.
8. What’s on your cell phone’s home screen?
A. Um. I have an old flip phone. I don't think it has a home screen.
9. Do you like to watch the National Geographic channel?
A. Yes.
10. Are you the type of person to correct the grammar and/or spelling of a survey?
A. I have been known to do so, yes. Sometimes I have rewritten the questions, as I did above.
11. What color is your microwave?
A. Black.
12. Do you have a fan in your bedroom?
A. Yes.
13. Mountain Dew or Sprite?
A. Sprite, but I don't drink colas much.
14. Does it rain a lot where you live?
A. No.
15. Do you shop at Walmart regularly?
A. I shop there but not on a regular schedule.
16. Does it bother you when animals lick themselves?
A. Eww. I've never really thought about it and I have to wonder about the mind that created this question. Seriously.
17. Have you ever been to a Trader Joe’s?
A. No.
18. What’s the longest time you’ve ever been stuck in traffic?
A. I have no idea.
19. Do you wear black a lot?
A. Yes.
20. Are there stairs in your house?
A. No.
21. Have you ever held $500 in cash?
A. Yes.
22. Do you like onions on your burger?
A. No.
23. Could you ever give yourself a shot?
A. I have done it before, so yes.
24. Do you wear shoes in the house?
A. I wear shoes all the time, including in the house. I have problems with my ankle and it requires support.
25. Have you ever worked as a cashier?
A. Yes. I did a little stint in retail back in the early 1990s.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, September 05, 2015
Saturday 9: Working My Way Back to You
Saturday 9: Working My Way Back to You (1966)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) We're celebrating the last holiday of summer with The Four Seasons. Which season is your favorite?
A. Autumn. I like that the weather is cooler and the changing colors of the deciduous trees. I also always loved school and this is the time of year for buying new notebooks and pencils.
2) Before they settled on The Four Seasons, they called themselves The Four Lovers, The Romans and The Village Voices. If you were/are in a band, please share the name. Or just make up a cool name for your pretend band.
A. The band I was in during my high school years was called Almost Famous.
3) Lead singer Frankie Valli has occasionally fudged the year of his birth. Have you ever lied about your age?
A. Not that I can recall. I don't really see the point. You were born when you were born.
4) Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra, Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen . . . New Jersey has given us many music superstars. What is your state known for?
A. Virginia is for lovers. We're the Mother of Presidents (8 have come from Virginia). We settled the country in 1607 at Jamestown. My beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains are here. We also spawned Dave Matthews and the Carter family, not in that order. We have Virginia ham, Virginia wine, and Virginia furniture, though the latter not so much these days. We have the great colleges of William & Mary, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech. My alma mater, Hollins University, was founded in 1842, making it one of the oldest single-sex universities in the country.
5) In 1965, Frankie was arrested in Columbus, Ohio. But it wasn't his fault! The bandmate he trusted to pay the group's hotel bill neglected to do so. Tell us about a time when your trusting nature got you in trouble.
A. I once went flying over Botetourt in a two-seater airplane with the county's known drunk. My husband was furious with me.
6) Clint Eastwood directed the movie version of the Four Seasons biography, Jersey Boys. What's your favorite Clint Eastwood movie?
A. Sigh. I am such a non-movie watcher. I do know, however, that I don't particularly care for Clint Eastwood and never have. The only movie I remember without looking anything up is The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Since Labor Day is the holiday established to celebrate the American worker …
7) According to the U.S. Census, more and more Americans are working from home. Are you one of them?
A. I was when I was able to work.
8) Of those of us who work outside the home, 75% travel to work alone. 15% take public transportation and the remaining 10% carpool. How do you get to your job?
A. I walk from one room to the other. When I was working as a news reporter, I drove to wherever the story was.
9) Do you have any big plans for this holiday weekend?
A. Nope. Nary a single one.
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) We're celebrating the last holiday of summer with The Four Seasons. Which season is your favorite?
A. Autumn. I like that the weather is cooler and the changing colors of the deciduous trees. I also always loved school and this is the time of year for buying new notebooks and pencils.
 |
| Ain't that just the prettiest site? |
2) Before they settled on The Four Seasons, they called themselves The Four Lovers, The Romans and The Village Voices. If you were/are in a band, please share the name. Or just make up a cool name for your pretend band.
A. The band I was in during my high school years was called Almost Famous.
 |
| Me rockin' it out circa 1979. |
3) Lead singer Frankie Valli has occasionally fudged the year of his birth. Have you ever lied about your age?
A. Not that I can recall. I don't really see the point. You were born when you were born.
4) Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra, Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen . . . New Jersey has given us many music superstars. What is your state known for?
A. Virginia is for lovers. We're the Mother of Presidents (8 have come from Virginia). We settled the country in 1607 at Jamestown. My beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains are here. We also spawned Dave Matthews and the Carter family, not in that order. We have Virginia ham, Virginia wine, and Virginia furniture, though the latter not so much these days. We have the great colleges of William & Mary, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech. My alma mater, Hollins University, was founded in 1842, making it one of the oldest single-sex universities in the country.
 |
| Hollins University Chapel |
5) In 1965, Frankie was arrested in Columbus, Ohio. But it wasn't his fault! The bandmate he trusted to pay the group's hotel bill neglected to do so. Tell us about a time when your trusting nature got you in trouble.
A. I once went flying over Botetourt in a two-seater airplane with the county's known drunk. My husband was furious with me.
6) Clint Eastwood directed the movie version of the Four Seasons biography, Jersey Boys. What's your favorite Clint Eastwood movie?
A. Sigh. I am such a non-movie watcher. I do know, however, that I don't particularly care for Clint Eastwood and never have. The only movie I remember without looking anything up is The Outlaw Josey Wales.
7) According to the U.S. Census, more and more Americans are working from home. Are you one of them?
A. I was when I was able to work.
8) Of those of us who work outside the home, 75% travel to work alone. 15% take public transportation and the remaining 10% carpool. How do you get to your job?
A. I walk from one room to the other. When I was working as a news reporter, I drove to wherever the story was.
9) Do you have any big plans for this holiday weekend?
A. Nope. Nary a single one.
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Friday, September 04, 2015
It Was 20 Years Ago Today
It wasn't Sergeant Pepper that happened 20 years ago today. No, it was the first episode of a Hercules: The Legendary Journey spin-off show.
This was the day that Xena: Warrior Princess, debuted. I was already a Hercules fan and had fallen for the character of the Warrior Princess on the three episodes featured in the fantasy series about the legendary Greek God.
Xena was no goddess. She was a sometimes deranged and damaged woman who decided she had to "do good" to circumvent her dubious and dreadful past. It took viewers six seasons to learn what that past was, and it wasn't pretty.
The first episode was called Sins of the Past and it set up the premise of redemption that ran throughout the entire show. It also introduced us to Gabrielle, Xena's sidekick. Gabrielle was a feisty non-warrior who saw something in our heroine that intrigued her enough to cause her to leave her home to travel with her. The relationship between these two became something of a tease - were they or weren't they lovers? - at a time when such things still weren't overly accepted on television. (It was the late 1990s, remember.)
The show was a campy fantasy, and while Greek gods and goddesses popped in and out, XWP was irreverent with history. The writers didn't care if the Trojan Horse took place when Caesar was alive or not. It had a weird timelessness about it, as if Xena and Gabrielle were constantly popping through some dimensional porthole that the viewers never saw.
I loved it. I loved the characters, the dialogue, the fanciful play with the notion of redemption, the idea of gods and goddesses interfering with lives. I loved the fact that these two women were roaming about ancient Greece all by themselves. I loved that Xena was strong, powerful and quick to fight while Gabrielle was a writer and poet who preferred peace to the sword.
The show had a different tone from Hercules, which grew darker as the seasons progressed. Xena had some dark moments and a few story lines that were, well, horrifying, but the show eventually always came back around to finding itself (except for the last two episodes, which set up a hue and cry from every Xenite on the planet).
XWP gave me something to look forward to, and it was also the first big fandom to develop courtesy of the Internet. Star Trek fandoms were already in place, but Xena fans took things to a different level. Xena fans had online arguments over shows. They developed the term "shipper" with regards to fandoms.
By its second season, Xena was the top-rated syndicated show in the United States, and it remained in the top five throughout its run. The show ended in June 2001. It's always had a cult following, which continues to this day.
Okay, yes, I am among those followers. I became a weekly contributor to Whoosh!, an online magazine devoted to all things Xena.
Around the Xenaverse, I was Bluesong: Spoiler Princess. I had a C-Band satellite back then, and on Sundays the show would "feed" to the various shows that would then play the episode at some point during the week. I watched the feeds, making me among the first folks in the U.S. to see the episodes, and I wrote a synopsis for nearly each and every show. At first they appeared in a newsgroup, and then after Whoosh! became established, they showed up there beginning with episode 19 in the first season. After that, I did most of the synopsis updates. Folks waited anxiously for those things to go up.
Eventually I was given the title of Associate Editor at Whoosh!. You can find me listed on the "Staff Emeritus" page.
More importantly, I made friends. I can't believe I have known some of these folks online now for 20 years. They're on my Facebook feed. One of those Xenites is my email pal, writing to me nearly every day for 15 years. We've talked about everything from the show to the state of the world. We even exchange Christmas and birthday presents.
No TV show has captured my imagination as much as this one. There are others I've enjoyed (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), but this is the show I would watch multiple times. It's been about six years, though, since I last pulled out the DVDs. Maybe its time for a reunion of me and Xena?
"You are what you do. You can recreate yourself every second of your life." - Xena in Forgiven.
Opening lines of the show:
"In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle.
The power.
The passion.
The danger.
Her courage would change the world."
This was the day that Xena: Warrior Princess, debuted. I was already a Hercules fan and had fallen for the character of the Warrior Princess on the three episodes featured in the fantasy series about the legendary Greek God.
Xena was no goddess. She was a sometimes deranged and damaged woman who decided she had to "do good" to circumvent her dubious and dreadful past. It took viewers six seasons to learn what that past was, and it wasn't pretty.
The first episode was called Sins of the Past and it set up the premise of redemption that ran throughout the entire show. It also introduced us to Gabrielle, Xena's sidekick. Gabrielle was a feisty non-warrior who saw something in our heroine that intrigued her enough to cause her to leave her home to travel with her. The relationship between these two became something of a tease - were they or weren't they lovers? - at a time when such things still weren't overly accepted on television. (It was the late 1990s, remember.)
The show was a campy fantasy, and while Greek gods and goddesses popped in and out, XWP was irreverent with history. The writers didn't care if the Trojan Horse took place when Caesar was alive or not. It had a weird timelessness about it, as if Xena and Gabrielle were constantly popping through some dimensional porthole that the viewers never saw.
I loved it. I loved the characters, the dialogue, the fanciful play with the notion of redemption, the idea of gods and goddesses interfering with lives. I loved the fact that these two women were roaming about ancient Greece all by themselves. I loved that Xena was strong, powerful and quick to fight while Gabrielle was a writer and poet who preferred peace to the sword.
The show had a different tone from Hercules, which grew darker as the seasons progressed. Xena had some dark moments and a few story lines that were, well, horrifying, but the show eventually always came back around to finding itself (except for the last two episodes, which set up a hue and cry from every Xenite on the planet).
XWP gave me something to look forward to, and it was also the first big fandom to develop courtesy of the Internet. Star Trek fandoms were already in place, but Xena fans took things to a different level. Xena fans had online arguments over shows. They developed the term "shipper" with regards to fandoms.
By its second season, Xena was the top-rated syndicated show in the United States, and it remained in the top five throughout its run. The show ended in June 2001. It's always had a cult following, which continues to this day.
Okay, yes, I am among those followers. I became a weekly contributor to Whoosh!, an online magazine devoted to all things Xena.
Around the Xenaverse, I was Bluesong: Spoiler Princess. I had a C-Band satellite back then, and on Sundays the show would "feed" to the various shows that would then play the episode at some point during the week. I watched the feeds, making me among the first folks in the U.S. to see the episodes, and I wrote a synopsis for nearly each and every show. At first they appeared in a newsgroup, and then after Whoosh! became established, they showed up there beginning with episode 19 in the first season. After that, I did most of the synopsis updates. Folks waited anxiously for those things to go up.
Eventually I was given the title of Associate Editor at Whoosh!. You can find me listed on the "Staff Emeritus" page.
More importantly, I made friends. I can't believe I have known some of these folks online now for 20 years. They're on my Facebook feed. One of those Xenites is my email pal, writing to me nearly every day for 15 years. We've talked about everything from the show to the state of the world. We even exchange Christmas and birthday presents.
No TV show has captured my imagination as much as this one. There are others I've enjoyed (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), but this is the show I would watch multiple times. It's been about six years, though, since I last pulled out the DVDs. Maybe its time for a reunion of me and Xena?
"You are what you do. You can recreate yourself every second of your life." - Xena in Forgiven.
Opening lines of the show:
"In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle.
The power.
The passion.
The danger.
Her courage would change the world."
Thursday, September 03, 2015
Thursday Thirteen
Things I would like to learn more about:
1. Photography. Even though I take lots of photos, and have been paid for my work (effectively making me a professional photographer even though I've never considered myself such), I would like to learn more about this art. I have had a couple of courses, but they were long ago and well before the digital age.
2. Cooking. I can roast a chicken, boil an egg, cook up veggies, make great fudge, and am decent with baking. However, I do not like to cook and therefore don't make fantastic-tasting recipes or attempt very many new things. There are millions of ways to cook a chicken besides baking the parts, but that is what I do unless I cook a whole one. I don't want to be Julia Child, but I think our eating habits would be healthier if I could actually enjoy the process of creating a meal.
3. Astronomy. I can find the Big Dipper, Venus, and a few other stars, but that's about it. I would like to know the night sky better.
4. Writing. I have read hundreds of books on this subject and written enough sentences to make many, many books, but I have yet to actually write a book. I've been a newspaper and article writer, not a book author.
5. How to eat better. This probably goes along with cooking, but I am a dunce when it comes to nutrition. My knowledge can be summed up with "cookie bad, carrot good." Every time I read a diet book, my head starts to spin. It's like being faced with an alien language that I cannot grasp.
6. How to meditate. I have the basics of this down: focus on your breathing, feel the air going through your nose and down your throat. But I think mindfulness, as living in the present is now called, is probably key to better health. I tend to worry - about the past, the future, AND the present - and mindfulness seems a way to slow that.
7. Art. I took a few art appreciation classes and I loved them. I enjoyed learning about masterpieces and what makes them so great.
8. Drawing. I would love to be able to draw something besides a squiggly line. However, I am pretty bad at this. I took a couple of courses in drawing in college and the best compliment my professor could come up with was "well, you have the perspective on that left leg right" or something along those lines.
9. Music. I already play a lot of music, but my music-reading skills have declined considerably. I cannot read guitar tab quickly, though I can eventually sort it out, and I've forgotten the bass clef altogether because that's not used in guitar. I haven't touched a piano in years.
10. How to grow stuff. I used to be much better at this when I was younger. We had a big garden and if the deer didn't eat it all, we had a harvest. Now we have a tiny little plot and this year we harvested very little. The squash bugs killed the zucchini and the groundhogs ate all the tomatoes. The rest is overgrown with weeks. I would like to have raised beds that are waist high, so I don't have to bend over. Wouldn't that be great?
11. Yoga. I would like to be able to do yoga. I know a few poses but most of them are beyond me. I do a few tai chi routines and would like to learn more about that, too.
12. Genealogy. I have traced some of my lineage back to the 1700s but not all of it. There are always more things to find and learn.
13. Foreign language. I took four years of foreign language in high school and can barely remember how to say "Si" in Spanish. I had a year of Latin as well, and remember none of it. So I would like to relearn some of that. I would hope it comes back easier than it was to learn the first time.
I "borrowed" these ideas from The Great Courses, an advertisement I received in the mail yesterday for DVDs or audio CDs of lessons to learn. You can see what they have to offer at
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 410th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
1. Photography. Even though I take lots of photos, and have been paid for my work (effectively making me a professional photographer even though I've never considered myself such), I would like to learn more about this art. I have had a couple of courses, but they were long ago and well before the digital age.
2. Cooking. I can roast a chicken, boil an egg, cook up veggies, make great fudge, and am decent with baking. However, I do not like to cook and therefore don't make fantastic-tasting recipes or attempt very many new things. There are millions of ways to cook a chicken besides baking the parts, but that is what I do unless I cook a whole one. I don't want to be Julia Child, but I think our eating habits would be healthier if I could actually enjoy the process of creating a meal.
3. Astronomy. I can find the Big Dipper, Venus, and a few other stars, but that's about it. I would like to know the night sky better.
4. Writing. I have read hundreds of books on this subject and written enough sentences to make many, many books, but I have yet to actually write a book. I've been a newspaper and article writer, not a book author.
5. How to eat better. This probably goes along with cooking, but I am a dunce when it comes to nutrition. My knowledge can be summed up with "cookie bad, carrot good." Every time I read a diet book, my head starts to spin. It's like being faced with an alien language that I cannot grasp.
6. How to meditate. I have the basics of this down: focus on your breathing, feel the air going through your nose and down your throat. But I think mindfulness, as living in the present is now called, is probably key to better health. I tend to worry - about the past, the future, AND the present - and mindfulness seems a way to slow that.
7. Art. I took a few art appreciation classes and I loved them. I enjoyed learning about masterpieces and what makes them so great.
8. Drawing. I would love to be able to draw something besides a squiggly line. However, I am pretty bad at this. I took a couple of courses in drawing in college and the best compliment my professor could come up with was "well, you have the perspective on that left leg right" or something along those lines.
9. Music. I already play a lot of music, but my music-reading skills have declined considerably. I cannot read guitar tab quickly, though I can eventually sort it out, and I've forgotten the bass clef altogether because that's not used in guitar. I haven't touched a piano in years.
10. How to grow stuff. I used to be much better at this when I was younger. We had a big garden and if the deer didn't eat it all, we had a harvest. Now we have a tiny little plot and this year we harvested very little. The squash bugs killed the zucchini and the groundhogs ate all the tomatoes. The rest is overgrown with weeks. I would like to have raised beds that are waist high, so I don't have to bend over. Wouldn't that be great?
11. Yoga. I would like to be able to do yoga. I know a few poses but most of them are beyond me. I do a few tai chi routines and would like to learn more about that, too.
12. Genealogy. I have traced some of my lineage back to the 1700s but not all of it. There are always more things to find and learn.
13. Foreign language. I took four years of foreign language in high school and can barely remember how to say "Si" in Spanish. I had a year of Latin as well, and remember none of it. So I would like to relearn some of that. I would hope it comes back easier than it was to learn the first time.
I "borrowed" these ideas from The Great Courses, an advertisement I received in the mail yesterday for DVDs or audio CDs of lessons to learn. You can see what they have to offer at
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 410th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, September 02, 2015
A Lucky Find
The other day I walked into my office and I spied something on the floor. I bent to pick it up and found this:
The four-leaf clover was flattened and dried. Puzzled, I wondered where it came from. I'd done a little cleaning and arranging but did not recall seeing a clover.
I picked up the little prize and took a picture of it. When I lifted it again, one of the leaves came off, making it a four-leaf clover no longer. I was glad I snapped the photo when I did.
The thing may have fallen from a picture frame when I swapped out a couple of photos recently, but I don't recall saving it.
For a long time, back in my 30s, I found four-leaf clovers everywhere I went. It became a running joke because I'd look down and find the lucky charms at my feet. They jumped out at me and I had a small collection of them at one point.
After a while I stopped looking for four-leaf clovers and it has been a long time since I spied one out in the grass. Maybe this is a sign to try my luck again?
The four-leaf clover was flattened and dried. Puzzled, I wondered where it came from. I'd done a little cleaning and arranging but did not recall seeing a clover.
I picked up the little prize and took a picture of it. When I lifted it again, one of the leaves came off, making it a four-leaf clover no longer. I was glad I snapped the photo when I did.
The thing may have fallen from a picture frame when I swapped out a couple of photos recently, but I don't recall saving it.
For a long time, back in my 30s, I found four-leaf clovers everywhere I went. It became a running joke because I'd look down and find the lucky charms at my feet. They jumped out at me and I had a small collection of them at one point.
After a while I stopped looking for four-leaf clovers and it has been a long time since I spied one out in the grass. Maybe this is a sign to try my luck again?
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
Reseeding the Fields
My husband decided that this year was the year to reseed about 40 acres on the farm. First he sprayed the existing grasses and weeds with Round Up.
This is not my ideal way of replanting. I prefer the old way of plowing and turning over the ground, but farmers instead spray weed killer that I feel sure is not healthy or good for anyone.
It had been probably 20 years since these fields were last seeded, and they were mostly full of weeds and Johnson grass. We have planted orchard grass and, provided it rains, it should come up lovely and green next spring. Unfortunately, it could also lie there and not germinate, leaving the ground with nothing, but that is a risk a farmer takes any time he plants.
This is not my ideal way of replanting. I prefer the old way of plowing and turning over the ground, but farmers instead spray weed killer that I feel sure is not healthy or good for anyone.
 |
| After the grass is dead, then you have to put fertilizers on it. We had the soils tested at Virginia Tech so we would know what kind of fertilizers to apply. |
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| The killed field. |
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| Another part of the killed field. |
 |
| As you can see, it is a lot of ground. |
 |
| The fertilizer truck and my husband with the seed planter. |
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| Planting seeds with a no-till drill. |
 |
| Fertilizing the fields. |
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| Truck full of sacks of seed. |
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| More of the killed field. |
Sunday, August 30, 2015
If We Make It Through September
From Sunday Stealing
Well, I'll Be . . . Meme
If I were a month, I’d be: September.
If I were a day of the week, I’d be: Saturday.
If I were a planet, I’d be: Neptune.
If I were a god or goddess, I’d be: Artemis.
If I were a sea animal, I’d be: a shrimp.
If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be: a filing cabinet.
If I were a gemstone, I’d be: amethyst.
If I were a flower, I’d be a: blue rose.
If I were a kind of weather, I’d be: overcast and stormy.
If I were a color, I’d be: bluish purple.
If I were an emotion, I’d be: contentment (is that an emotion?)
If I were a fruit, I’d be a: kumquat.
If I were a sound, I’d be: the "D" chord on the guitar.
If I were an element, I’d be: earth (went with the Four Elements there, not the Periodic Table).
If I were a place, I’d be: home.
If I were a taste, I’d be: chocolate.
If I were a scent, I’d be: vanilla.
If I were an object, I’d be a: guitar.
If I were a body part, I’d be: a brain.
If I were a song, I’d be: Song Sung Blue.
If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be: sneakers.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Well, I'll Be . . . Meme
If I were a month, I’d be: September.
If I were a day of the week, I’d be: Saturday.
If I were a planet, I’d be: Neptune.
If I were a god or goddess, I’d be: Artemis.
If I were a sea animal, I’d be: a shrimp.
If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be: a filing cabinet.
If I were a gemstone, I’d be: amethyst.
If I were a flower, I’d be a: blue rose.
If I were a kind of weather, I’d be: overcast and stormy.
If I were a color, I’d be: bluish purple.
If I were an emotion, I’d be: contentment (is that an emotion?)
If I were a fruit, I’d be a: kumquat.
If I were a sound, I’d be: the "D" chord on the guitar.
If I were an element, I’d be: earth (went with the Four Elements there, not the Periodic Table).
If I were a place, I’d be: home.
If I were a taste, I’d be: chocolate.
If I were a scent, I’d be: vanilla.
If I were an object, I’d be a: guitar.
If I were a body part, I’d be: a brain.
If I were a song, I’d be: Song Sung Blue.
If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be: sneakers.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
A Lifetime Ago
Saturday 9: Viva la Vida (2008)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The song refers to the singing of choirs. Have you ever been in a choir or a vocal group?
A. I played guitar and sang in a Top 40 band when I was in high school. That was a lifetime ago.
2) Chris Martin sings of when he "ruled the world." If you were in charge and had infinite power, what would you change right away?
A. I would end all wars and violence and be sure everyone was fed, clothed, and housed.
3) Chris used to be married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. USA Today, The Washington Post and The Daily Telegraph have all run articles about how Gwyneth seems to annoy so very many people. What celebrity gets on your nerves?
A.
4) Coldplay's first big hit was, "Yellow." What color are you wearing right now?
A. Blue and purple.
5) Sam remembers when she used to hear this song everywhere and can't believe that was 7 years ago! When is the last time you had a similar "my, how time flies!" moment?
A. Yesterday when my husband was trying to remember when he did a major project on the farm. He thought it was last year until I reminded him that last year he spent the summer recovering from an accident.
6) In 2008, when "Viva la Vida" was popular, John Grisham's latest legal thriller, The Appeal, was jumping off bookshelves. What have you read this summer?
A. I just finished listening to a Nora Roberts book, Black Hills.
7) Thinking of books: Let's say a biographer has taken the task of writing your biography. What would you title your life story?
A. To Hell and Back
8) 2008 is also the year Paul Newman died of cancer. Name a Newman movie.
A. Um. Something about walking in the rain? Or something about making drinks? Cocktails? Was he in that? I'm not sure and it's cheating to look it up.
9) Random question: Do you like garlic?
A. I eat it on some things but not as rule. I don't add it to salads or things like that. I should eat more of it because it is supposed to be good for you but it is hard on my stomach.
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The song refers to the singing of choirs. Have you ever been in a choir or a vocal group?
A. I played guitar and sang in a Top 40 band when I was in high school. That was a lifetime ago.
2) Chris Martin sings of when he "ruled the world." If you were in charge and had infinite power, what would you change right away?
A. I would end all wars and violence and be sure everyone was fed, clothed, and housed.
3) Chris used to be married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. USA Today, The Washington Post and The Daily Telegraph have all run articles about how Gwyneth seems to annoy so very many people. What celebrity gets on your nerves?
A.
4) Coldplay's first big hit was, "Yellow." What color are you wearing right now?
A. Blue and purple.
5) Sam remembers when she used to hear this song everywhere and can't believe that was 7 years ago! When is the last time you had a similar "my, how time flies!" moment?
A. Yesterday when my husband was trying to remember when he did a major project on the farm. He thought it was last year until I reminded him that last year he spent the summer recovering from an accident.
6) In 2008, when "Viva la Vida" was popular, John Grisham's latest legal thriller, The Appeal, was jumping off bookshelves. What have you read this summer?
A. I just finished listening to a Nora Roberts book, Black Hills.
7) Thinking of books: Let's say a biographer has taken the task of writing your biography. What would you title your life story?
A. To Hell and Back
8) 2008 is also the year Paul Newman died of cancer. Name a Newman movie.
A. Um. Something about walking in the rain? Or something about making drinks? Cocktails? Was he in that? I'm not sure and it's cheating to look it up.
9) Random question: Do you like garlic?
A. I eat it on some things but not as rule. I don't add it to salads or things like that. I should eat more of it because it is supposed to be good for you but it is hard on my stomach.
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
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