I have my suspicions as to who the sender might be, but they are thus far unverified.
But it is always a good day when someone unexpectedly sends chocolate.
Thank you!
Friday, April 15, 2016
A Mystery Gift
The mailman brought me an Amazon box with a present inside today:
A box of Cella's Dark Chocolate covered cherries. No note, no nothing to identify who sent them.
I have my suspicions as to who the sender might be, but they are thus far unverified.
But it is always a good day when someone unexpectedly sends chocolate.
Thank you!
I have my suspicions as to who the sender might be, but they are thus far unverified.
But it is always a good day when someone unexpectedly sends chocolate.
Thank you!
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Thursday 13
 |
| Yellow Forsythia |
2. Yellow is a wonderfully springy color. First it comes with the daffodils and the forsythia, and then it is followed by iris, yellow mustard in the fields (the bane of many farmers), and yellow pollen all over the cars and the patio.
3. eXcalibur is the name of King Arthur's sword in the Arthurian legends. The word has been around since about 1100 A.D., though it was originally called Caledfwlch, which is Welsh. Similar swords show up in old Irish mythology. Swords symbolize more than just maleness; this website on sword symbolism points out that it is an alchemical symbol of purification, a symbol that cuts away ignorance (boy do we need that in the U.S.A. these days), and in the Tarot, the sword represents the realm of the mind.
4. Why do people believe that they must force their beliefs upon others? And at what point does the request for lack of bigotry and more acceptance become a return force? Recent events have made me ponder this query. I've been reading both sides and haven't come up with an answer.
5. Vampires do not attract me, so I never watched True Blood. I did, however, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but that was because of Buffy, not the vampires. I love watching shows where strong women get to be strong. Right now I am really into Supergirl. I hope CBS renews this show.
6. Unearned respect seems to be the mantra of the day - especially among political candidates. I do not respect people who have lived their lives simply to make themselves rich. I respect people who have worked to make things better not only for themselves but for others, and not just family members. People who earn my respect tend to be nurses, emergency service workers, non-profit leaders who help abused people, teachers, and those in similar vocations. I do not respect ball players, sports people, or most politicians because unfortunately the latter in particular has eroded the state of office to the point where it not a place of helping, but of hurting. I have ambivalence about musicians, mostly because I play music myself.
7. Taxes have been on my mind this week because we finally finished our up for 2015. What a debacle. We have switched accountants because the accountant we used last year (new to us) fouled our 2014 taxes so badly we had to pay for a do-over. It is hard to find people who will do their job well.
8. Salaries for women remain unequal to their male counterparts. In 2014, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 79 percent of what men were paid, a gap of 21 percent. At this rate, it will take 100 years before equality of pay is achieved. April 12 was Equal Pay Day (I didn't even know that existed.) Here is an interesting article about this concern by the AAUW. Unfortunately, education is not the answer to the problem under our current system.
 |
| Robin, not a Redbird |
10. Queens do not fair well in Westeros, the land in Game of Thrones. This fantasy series is scheduled to begin its 6th season on April 24. The author of the series, George R.R. Martin, seems to have a bit of a misogynist streak in him as women in that land generally are treated as chattel instead of people, unless by birthright or marriage one happens to achieve power. Even then, heads roll.
11. Pyrethrum is an insecticide made from daisies and/or chrysanthemums that is supposed to work on stink bugs. We have a stink bug problem in the house and are considering using this, but WebMD cautions that using this as an herbal or vitamin supplement can be disastrous for those who have ragweed allergies, so we are hesitant. I have so many environmental sensitivities that we have to take our time deciding if we want to use this or not, but it would probably be better than some commercial synthetic pesticide.
12. Oatmeal cookies, made by Little Debbie, have been one of my favorite comfort foods since I was a little girl. I call them "granddaddy cookies" because my grandfather always carried one in his lunch pail each day when he went off to work. The grandchildren were not allowed to eat these special cookies unless we had a very bad boo-boo.
13. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep." How is that prayer comforting? I always found it rather scary. Especially, "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." This is a kid's prayer, right? I learned it as a child. It's rather scary, sort of like a Grimm's fairy tale version of what a nice prayer would be. Wouldn't a better prayer be something like, "Dear Lord in Heaven up above, thank you for this day of love. Tomorrow when I see the sun, I will remember you are the One." Or something.
_____________
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 443rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Sunday Stealing: Ask
From Sunday Stealing
Ask Ask Ask Meme
(For some reason, that meme title has that song that goes "say say say what you want" - a McCartney song, I think? - running through my head now)
1 - If you were stranded on an island, who do you wish to be with? A. My husband. He can chop wood, snuggle, and stuff.
2 - What do you feel right now? A. Tired, lonely, and frustrated.
3 - What chocolate is your favorite? A. Milk chocolate, I suppose. I like dark chocolate up to about 70% then it tastes bitter to me. My favorite chocolate treat are Cella's dark chocolate covered cherries.
4 - Why did you create a blog account? A. To blog, of course. I was looking for a different sort of creative outlet, at the time. Then I made friends online and offline because of the blog, and now that I am unable to work it is a good way to keep my writing skills up and my mind occupied.
5 - Who is your favorite blogger? A. I don't have one, but all Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing bloggers, along with local bloggers, are my favorites.
6 - When was the last time you cried? Why? A. About two weeks ago when my physical therapist told me my insurance company had decided I wasn't going to get any better.
7 - Who is your best friend? A. My husband is my best friend, but I have several women in my life whom I love dearly and consider close friends.
8 - What kind of music do you listen to? A. I like 1970s music along with music that is similar to Melissa Etheridge's and Sheryl Crow's (her earlier stuff, not her country stuff). I also like movie theme music (depending on the movie).
9 - Do you have trouble sleeping at night? A. I usually wake at least twice during the night because of pain.
10 - What do you prefer, jeans or shorts? A. Jeans. I seldom wear shorts.
11 - Did you try to change for a person? A. I am a constantly evolving work of art.
12 - Are you in a good or bad mood? A. I'm in a mediocre mood.
13 - Name someone you can’t live without. A. My husband.
14 - Do you have a grudge against anyone? A. Many people disappoint me. I try to forgive them and remember that we are all crawling through the darkness on a long journey, one filled with potholes, glaring lights, and car crashes. I do think, though, that hard as I try, there are a few people whom I will never fully forgive. I don't wish them ill, but I don't particularly want them in my life.
15 - Are you a crybaby? A. Wahhhh! I hope not. My husband says I am not high maintenance, which I take as a compliment.
16 - When people praise you for your looks, what feature do they praise? A. Usually my skin.
17 - What hair color do you prefer? A. Natural. I think the majority of people look better with whatever color their hair is supposed to be. I understand the desire for hiding the gray, but I wear mine as a badge of honor. Look how long I have lived!
18 - If you can change anything about yourself, what is it? A. I'd take things less personally.
19 - Can you live without internet? A. I did before it came along, so yes. Would I prefer to do without it? No.
20 - Have you ever experienced being hysterical? A. Yes.
21 - Did you have an accident last year? A. No.
22 - What are you thinking right now? A. That I should be walking on the treadmill instead of doing this meme.
23 - Have you been hurt so bad that you can’t find words to explain how you feel? A. Every day.
24 - Do you have trust issues? A. Yes.
25 - Who’s the person who first comes to your mind when someone mentions love? A. My husband.
26 - Do you believe in the phrase “If it’s meant to be, it will be,”? A. No.
27 - Do you believe in destiny? A. No.
28 - How do you look right now? A. Tired and worn.
29 - Did you ever feel like you’re not good enough? A. Every day of my life.
Ask Ask Ask Meme
(For some reason, that meme title has that song that goes "say say say what you want" - a McCartney song, I think? - running through my head now)
1 - If you were stranded on an island, who do you wish to be with? A. My husband. He can chop wood, snuggle, and stuff.
2 - What do you feel right now? A. Tired, lonely, and frustrated.
3 - What chocolate is your favorite? A. Milk chocolate, I suppose. I like dark chocolate up to about 70% then it tastes bitter to me. My favorite chocolate treat are Cella's dark chocolate covered cherries.
4 - Why did you create a blog account? A. To blog, of course. I was looking for a different sort of creative outlet, at the time. Then I made friends online and offline because of the blog, and now that I am unable to work it is a good way to keep my writing skills up and my mind occupied.
5 - Who is your favorite blogger? A. I don't have one, but all Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing bloggers, along with local bloggers, are my favorites.
6 - When was the last time you cried? Why? A. About two weeks ago when my physical therapist told me my insurance company had decided I wasn't going to get any better.
7 - Who is your best friend? A. My husband is my best friend, but I have several women in my life whom I love dearly and consider close friends.
8 - What kind of music do you listen to? A. I like 1970s music along with music that is similar to Melissa Etheridge's and Sheryl Crow's (her earlier stuff, not her country stuff). I also like movie theme music (depending on the movie).
9 - Do you have trouble sleeping at night? A. I usually wake at least twice during the night because of pain.
10 - What do you prefer, jeans or shorts? A. Jeans. I seldom wear shorts.
11 - Did you try to change for a person? A. I am a constantly evolving work of art.
12 - Are you in a good or bad mood? A. I'm in a mediocre mood.
13 - Name someone you can’t live without. A. My husband.
14 - Do you have a grudge against anyone? A. Many people disappoint me. I try to forgive them and remember that we are all crawling through the darkness on a long journey, one filled with potholes, glaring lights, and car crashes. I do think, though, that hard as I try, there are a few people whom I will never fully forgive. I don't wish them ill, but I don't particularly want them in my life.
15 - Are you a crybaby? A. Wahhhh! I hope not. My husband says I am not high maintenance, which I take as a compliment.
16 - When people praise you for your looks, what feature do they praise? A. Usually my skin.
17 - What hair color do you prefer? A. Natural. I think the majority of people look better with whatever color their hair is supposed to be. I understand the desire for hiding the gray, but I wear mine as a badge of honor. Look how long I have lived!
18 - If you can change anything about yourself, what is it? A. I'd take things less personally.
19 - Can you live without internet? A. I did before it came along, so yes. Would I prefer to do without it? No.
20 - Have you ever experienced being hysterical? A. Yes.
21 - Did you have an accident last year? A. No.
22 - What are you thinking right now? A. That I should be walking on the treadmill instead of doing this meme.
23 - Have you been hurt so bad that you can’t find words to explain how you feel? A. Every day.
24 - Do you have trust issues? A. Yes.
25 - Who’s the person who first comes to your mind when someone mentions love? A. My husband.
26 - Do you believe in the phrase “If it’s meant to be, it will be,”? A. No.
27 - Do you believe in destiny? A. No.
28 - How do you look right now? A. Tired and worn.
29 - Did you ever feel like you’re not good enough? A. Every day of my life.
__________
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.
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, April 09, 2016
Saturday 9: Friends
Saturday 9: That's What Friends Are For (1985)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This week's song is performed by an all-star quartet: Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. You have your choice: which of these four would you most like to see in concert?
A. I've seen Elton John; he was fabulous. I think I'd have to go with Stevie Wonder as my next choice.
2) Dionne Warwick was Whitney Houston's cousin. Name a Whitney Houston song.
A. I Will Always Love You (originally written in 1973 and recorded in 1974 by Dolly Parton)
3) Gladys Knight owns a chain of chicken and waffle restaurants around Atlanta. When you have waffles, what do you top them with? (Powdered sugar? Butter? Syrup? Fruit?)
A. Syrup and butter, and preferably the waffle is the kind with the blueberries inside of it. I eat them like I do pancakes, though I prefer pancakes to waffles.
4) Elton John has turned his bad eyesight into a hobby, claiming that over the years he has purchased well over than 200,000 pairs of glasses. Do you wear glasses? If so, how many prescription pairs do you own?
A. I have five pairs of prescription glasses here, none of which I can see well out of at the moment. I have a prescription for a new pair but have not been out to price shop. The last ones, which I am wearing now, cost me $600+ so I am in no hurry.
5) Stevie Wonder has a scar on his nose from a 1973 car crash. Have you ever been in a car accident?
A. Yes. I was in a couple of accidents as a child, nothing major, and I rear-ended a vehicle around 1992, resulting in a massive contusion of my knee and the need to take a driver's education course to keep from getting a ticket. And then there was the time I backed over my husband's motorcycle . . . fortunately he wasn't sitting on it at the time. He'd parked it in my blind spot and I just didn't see it.
6) Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager were married when they wrote this. Do you know a husband and wife who work together?
A. My husband and I sort of work together on the farm; he does the sweaty work and I keep the books. I am sure there are other couples I know who work together but at the moment my thinker isn't thinking.
7) This song celebrates friendship through good times and bad. Tell us about a happy time you recently shared with someone close to you.
A. My husband and I had a really nice trip to Charleston, SC back in the fall.
8) Now share a time when you were there for a friend through a tough time.
A. I have a friend who has a serious illness; I try to boost her spirits, keep in touch, go to lunch when we can, make her laugh. And recently another friend's brother passed away and I called and checked on her frequently for several weeks afterwards. I guess that is "being there."
9) Random question: When is the last time you were out of breath?
A. When my husband came in with his smelly hay clothes on and my asthma kicked in almost immediately. If you mean like from exercising, it is has been a while because of my health issues.
_____________
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) This week's song is performed by an all-star quartet: Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. You have your choice: which of these four would you most like to see in concert?
A. I've seen Elton John; he was fabulous. I think I'd have to go with Stevie Wonder as my next choice.
2) Dionne Warwick was Whitney Houston's cousin. Name a Whitney Houston song.
A. I Will Always Love You (originally written in 1973 and recorded in 1974 by Dolly Parton)
3) Gladys Knight owns a chain of chicken and waffle restaurants around Atlanta. When you have waffles, what do you top them with? (Powdered sugar? Butter? Syrup? Fruit?)
A. Syrup and butter, and preferably the waffle is the kind with the blueberries inside of it. I eat them like I do pancakes, though I prefer pancakes to waffles.
4) Elton John has turned his bad eyesight into a hobby, claiming that over the years he has purchased well over than 200,000 pairs of glasses. Do you wear glasses? If so, how many prescription pairs do you own?
A. I have five pairs of prescription glasses here, none of which I can see well out of at the moment. I have a prescription for a new pair but have not been out to price shop. The last ones, which I am wearing now, cost me $600+ so I am in no hurry.
5) Stevie Wonder has a scar on his nose from a 1973 car crash. Have you ever been in a car accident?
A. Yes. I was in a couple of accidents as a child, nothing major, and I rear-ended a vehicle around 1992, resulting in a massive contusion of my knee and the need to take a driver's education course to keep from getting a ticket. And then there was the time I backed over my husband's motorcycle . . . fortunately he wasn't sitting on it at the time. He'd parked it in my blind spot and I just didn't see it.
6) Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager were married when they wrote this. Do you know a husband and wife who work together?
A. My husband and I sort of work together on the farm; he does the sweaty work and I keep the books. I am sure there are other couples I know who work together but at the moment my thinker isn't thinking.
7) This song celebrates friendship through good times and bad. Tell us about a happy time you recently shared with someone close to you.
A. My husband and I had a really nice trip to Charleston, SC back in the fall.
8) Now share a time when you were there for a friend through a tough time.
A. I have a friend who has a serious illness; I try to boost her spirits, keep in touch, go to lunch when we can, make her laugh. And recently another friend's brother passed away and I called and checked on her frequently for several weeks afterwards. I guess that is "being there."
9) Random question: When is the last time you were out of breath?
A. When my husband came in with his smelly hay clothes on and my asthma kicked in almost immediately. If you mean like from exercising, it is has been a while because of my health issues.
_____________
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.
Thursday, April 07, 2016
Thursday Thirteen
Things I miss because I no longer write for the local newspaper:
1. The actual writing of the story. Putting together a news story is like mapping out a great quest (even a boring supervisors' meeting). The writer has to figure out the who, what, when, where, and why and the most important items.
2. The people involved with the newspaper (that would be Ed and B.J.). I had contact with them several times a week when I wrote regularly, and I miss those conversations.
3. Getting out of the house to do a story. Most of the events I covered were government meetings - boring in most folk's eyes - but I enjoyed them and found the workings of local government fascinating.
4. Knowing the players. The cast of officials has changed since I stopped writing for the local paper in July due to health issues. We have a new county administrator and probably new support staff. The supervisors are the same people but I missed reporting on a big snuff-up over historic structures and economic development.
5. Keeping up with what is going on. Unfortunately, a newspaper story does not tell or explain all that goes on in a local government meeting. There is no way for a writer to convey everything that goes on there, because the nuances are great and multiple. From snide remarks to lip curling, things like that go unwritten because they are more observations and opinion than fact. I stuck to facts, generally speaking, though occasionally an observation crept into a story if it made it more interesting and was relatively harmless.
6. Late evening phone calls. When I worked from home and was essentially doing a full beat (though freelance), I sort of operated as a second base for the paper at times. People called me at all hours of the day to tell me things or ask questions or respond to my inquiries.
7. The thrill of the chase. There is nothing more exciting to me than chasing down the leads for a good story. Trying to find the truth of something, trying to understand who is lying and why, or figuring out what someone is hiding when they shouldn't be, tracking down the rumor of a big company moving into the area - that's the stuff that used to make my blood feel happy. It was like playing detective except not.
8. Seeing my byline. Yes, I confess, I am egotistical enough to miss seeing my byline in the newspaper. Some weeks it covered the whole front page, top and bottom, photos included.
9. Taking photos. I still carry a camera around with me wherever I go, but my reasons for taking pictures have changed. Now I take them for me, for some kind of artistic purpose that even I don't quite understand, not with an eye towards the news-reading public.
10. Doing exciting things to "get the story." Over the course of the 30 years I wrote for the paper, I spent times at ball games, went up in a hot air balloon, took an airplane ride over the county with drunkard, and rode through the National Forest with the chief ranger to places most folks were clueless about.
11. Educating the public. I considered this the main reason I wrote for the paper - to help folks understand what was going on around them, and why they should care.
12. Writing about interesting things. Feature stories ranged from endangered bats to construction workers - I don't believe I ever found someone I couldn't write something about (though I did find a few I wouldn't write about, a different matter entirely).
13. Being read by over 20,000 people, and having the check-out clerk at the grocery store say, "Aren't you ..." Yes, egotistical again. But for a while I was a minor celebrity in my little area. People still know my name, but it doesn't take long for it to fade from mind. And new residents, of course, will have no idea. I suppose I shall fade in obscurity.
Times change. I changed - my health changed. But I sure do miss that thrill of chasing a story.
_____________
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 442nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
1. The actual writing of the story. Putting together a news story is like mapping out a great quest (even a boring supervisors' meeting). The writer has to figure out the who, what, when, where, and why and the most important items.
2. The people involved with the newspaper (that would be Ed and B.J.). I had contact with them several times a week when I wrote regularly, and I miss those conversations.
3. Getting out of the house to do a story. Most of the events I covered were government meetings - boring in most folk's eyes - but I enjoyed them and found the workings of local government fascinating.
4. Knowing the players. The cast of officials has changed since I stopped writing for the local paper in July due to health issues. We have a new county administrator and probably new support staff. The supervisors are the same people but I missed reporting on a big snuff-up over historic structures and economic development.
5. Keeping up with what is going on. Unfortunately, a newspaper story does not tell or explain all that goes on in a local government meeting. There is no way for a writer to convey everything that goes on there, because the nuances are great and multiple. From snide remarks to lip curling, things like that go unwritten because they are more observations and opinion than fact. I stuck to facts, generally speaking, though occasionally an observation crept into a story if it made it more interesting and was relatively harmless.
6. Late evening phone calls. When I worked from home and was essentially doing a full beat (though freelance), I sort of operated as a second base for the paper at times. People called me at all hours of the day to tell me things or ask questions or respond to my inquiries.
7. The thrill of the chase. There is nothing more exciting to me than chasing down the leads for a good story. Trying to find the truth of something, trying to understand who is lying and why, or figuring out what someone is hiding when they shouldn't be, tracking down the rumor of a big company moving into the area - that's the stuff that used to make my blood feel happy. It was like playing detective except not.
8. Seeing my byline. Yes, I confess, I am egotistical enough to miss seeing my byline in the newspaper. Some weeks it covered the whole front page, top and bottom, photos included.
9. Taking photos. I still carry a camera around with me wherever I go, but my reasons for taking pictures have changed. Now I take them for me, for some kind of artistic purpose that even I don't quite understand, not with an eye towards the news-reading public.
10. Doing exciting things to "get the story." Over the course of the 30 years I wrote for the paper, I spent times at ball games, went up in a hot air balloon, took an airplane ride over the county with drunkard, and rode through the National Forest with the chief ranger to places most folks were clueless about.
11. Educating the public. I considered this the main reason I wrote for the paper - to help folks understand what was going on around them, and why they should care.
12. Writing about interesting things. Feature stories ranged from endangered bats to construction workers - I don't believe I ever found someone I couldn't write something about (though I did find a few I wouldn't write about, a different matter entirely).
13. Being read by over 20,000 people, and having the check-out clerk at the grocery store say, "Aren't you ..." Yes, egotistical again. But for a while I was a minor celebrity in my little area. People still know my name, but it doesn't take long for it to fade from mind. And new residents, of course, will have no idea. I suppose I shall fade in obscurity.
Times change. I changed - my health changed. But I sure do miss that thrill of chasing a story.
_____________
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 442nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, April 06, 2016
Movie Talk
Do you like movies about:
time travel? I enjoyed Planet of the Apes movies when I was young (time travel in those - the Earth in future times, governed by apes with man as captive and slave). I also liked all of the Back to the Future movies, so I suppose I do like them, if they are well done and not overly graphic.
the 80's? Not about the '80s, really, but made then: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters, for example. Not really a fan of the brat pack movies.
drugs? Not particularly.
crazy people? Not particularly.
hallucinations? Not particularly.
airplanes? Not particularly.
death? Not particularly.
life? Aren't most of them about life, in some fashion or another?
the meaning of life? That can be derived from many movies and genres. Too vague a question.
fate? Also vague.
I like fantasy movies that end well, or at least, satisfactorily. I like movies with magic in them, movies that are well acted, and movies that make me feel something. Some of my favorites are The Lord of the Rings (all three of them, and no surprise to anyone who has read this blog much), The Harry Potter movies (a few more than others, but they need to be taken as a whole), an older movie called LadyHawke (features Michelle Pfiefer and Matthew Broderick); and of course, The Wizard of Oz.
And Star Wars. We cannot forget Star Wars. Or E.T.
Other movies that may not be considered fantasy but actually are include Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Little Mermaid, Shrek, and Beauty and the Beast. Many Disney movies are fantasies - Sleeping Beauty, anyone?
Chick flicks (I think that's what they call them) also appeal to me. I like Dirty Dancing, Under the Tuscan Sun, Romancing the Stone, The Rose, etc. I also enjoyed Secretariat and the Sherlock Holmes movies with Rob Lowe in them.
My movie education is pretty bereft, actually. I need to watch old movies and catch up, but I have never been one to watch movies. For one thing, my husband is a terrible "flipper" with the remote and if I don't catch something from its very beginning, I refuse to start in the middle and try to catch up.
This would be a better question for my husband, I expect, who does watch more TV than I and enjoys watching movies (regardless of whether he sees the beginning or the end).
time travel? I enjoyed Planet of the Apes movies when I was young (time travel in those - the Earth in future times, governed by apes with man as captive and slave). I also liked all of the Back to the Future movies, so I suppose I do like them, if they are well done and not overly graphic.
the 80's? Not about the '80s, really, but made then: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters, for example. Not really a fan of the brat pack movies.
drugs? Not particularly.
crazy people? Not particularly.
hallucinations? Not particularly.
airplanes? Not particularly.
death? Not particularly.
life? Aren't most of them about life, in some fashion or another?
the meaning of life? That can be derived from many movies and genres. Too vague a question.
fate? Also vague.
I like fantasy movies that end well, or at least, satisfactorily. I like movies with magic in them, movies that are well acted, and movies that make me feel something. Some of my favorites are The Lord of the Rings (all three of them, and no surprise to anyone who has read this blog much), The Harry Potter movies (a few more than others, but they need to be taken as a whole), an older movie called LadyHawke (features Michelle Pfiefer and Matthew Broderick); and of course, The Wizard of Oz.
And Star Wars. We cannot forget Star Wars. Or E.T.
Other movies that may not be considered fantasy but actually are include Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Little Mermaid, Shrek, and Beauty and the Beast. Many Disney movies are fantasies - Sleeping Beauty, anyone?
Chick flicks (I think that's what they call them) also appeal to me. I like Dirty Dancing, Under the Tuscan Sun, Romancing the Stone, The Rose, etc. I also enjoyed Secretariat and the Sherlock Holmes movies with Rob Lowe in them.
My movie education is pretty bereft, actually. I need to watch old movies and catch up, but I have never been one to watch movies. For one thing, my husband is a terrible "flipper" with the remote and if I don't catch something from its very beginning, I refuse to start in the middle and try to catch up.
This would be a better question for my husband, I expect, who does watch more TV than I and enjoys watching movies (regardless of whether he sees the beginning or the end).
Tuesday, April 05, 2016
If I Were to Move -
A very long time ago, about 35 years or so, I wanted to live in Wyoming. I am not sure why I wanted to live there, except that is was on the opposite coast of where I am now, and remote. It seemed like a good place in which to get lost.
Maybe it had something to do with Devil's Tower, and the movie that featured it (whose title escapes me now, but it had that theme, you know do do do do do). Close Encounters of the Third Kind! That's it. (Yes, I googled it.)
But anyway, I thought about living in Wyoming. Finding some piece of property somewhere and maybe homesteading. This is a joke because I am not a physical person, I'm a sedentary person, and the idea of me trying to chop my own wood or raise the chickens I am highly allergic to is ludicrous. But when you're 15 I suppose you don't think very clearly. The world is ahead of you and the days when you will be old seem far away indeed.
I may have been driven through Wyoming when I was 12 years old, when my family took a cross-country trip to California. But I am not sure we went through that state. If we did, we did not see anything that I remember.
I did not end up in Wyoming. I am six miles from where I grew up, living along the same bus route I took when I was elementary school, with a guy who rode the bus when I did (though he was four years older and didn't know I was alive).
Now, I would not move to Wyoming. It would be too cold and I am older and have bones that react to any change in the barometer. I am happy where I am but if something were to happen to my husband (knock wood), I would have to move. I could not keep the place running alone.
So where would I move to? I would like a college area, I think. Maybe I would head up towards Christiansburg and Virginia Tech, but I think it more likely that I would look toward Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. The Tech campus, with its gray stone buildings that seem more military than educational, does not attract me. UVA, though, has older brick structures that feel more like home.
Perhaps I would take a look at Lexington. It seems to bustle. There's Washington and Lee there; it's a college town, too.
Or maybe I would stay right around where I am, find me an apartment, and try to settle back down. It is hard to know what one would do under certain circumstances. Roanoke is not necessarily a "college town" but there are two colleges in it - three if you count the community college. That I do not avail myself of the college offerings at the moment is my own stupidity.
I would not go further south, though the warmer temperatures sound enticing. I would miss the mountains too much, I think. I do love my blue ridges.
Of course, there is always Firebaugh, CA. Wouldn't it be fun to move to a city that is named after some distant relative?
Where would you live, if you had to make a new choice?
Maybe it had something to do with Devil's Tower, and the movie that featured it (whose title escapes me now, but it had that theme, you know do do do do do). Close Encounters of the Third Kind! That's it. (Yes, I googled it.)
But anyway, I thought about living in Wyoming. Finding some piece of property somewhere and maybe homesteading. This is a joke because I am not a physical person, I'm a sedentary person, and the idea of me trying to chop my own wood or raise the chickens I am highly allergic to is ludicrous. But when you're 15 I suppose you don't think very clearly. The world is ahead of you and the days when you will be old seem far away indeed.
I may have been driven through Wyoming when I was 12 years old, when my family took a cross-country trip to California. But I am not sure we went through that state. If we did, we did not see anything that I remember.
I did not end up in Wyoming. I am six miles from where I grew up, living along the same bus route I took when I was elementary school, with a guy who rode the bus when I did (though he was four years older and didn't know I was alive).
Now, I would not move to Wyoming. It would be too cold and I am older and have bones that react to any change in the barometer. I am happy where I am but if something were to happen to my husband (knock wood), I would have to move. I could not keep the place running alone.
So where would I move to? I would like a college area, I think. Maybe I would head up towards Christiansburg and Virginia Tech, but I think it more likely that I would look toward Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. The Tech campus, with its gray stone buildings that seem more military than educational, does not attract me. UVA, though, has older brick structures that feel more like home.
Perhaps I would take a look at Lexington. It seems to bustle. There's Washington and Lee there; it's a college town, too.
Or maybe I would stay right around where I am, find me an apartment, and try to settle back down. It is hard to know what one would do under certain circumstances. Roanoke is not necessarily a "college town" but there are two colleges in it - three if you count the community college. That I do not avail myself of the college offerings at the moment is my own stupidity.
I would not go further south, though the warmer temperatures sound enticing. I would miss the mountains too much, I think. I do love my blue ridges.
Of course, there is always Firebaugh, CA. Wouldn't it be fun to move to a city that is named after some distant relative?
Where would you live, if you had to make a new choice?
Monday, April 04, 2016
Social Media - Good or Bad?
A very long time ago, when I was about eight years old, social media consisted of the ringing telephone at my grandmother's house, or a "yoo hoo" from one of her neighbors.
She was in her 40s when I was born - and she gave birth to a young son a year later on my birthday. After a time, she took care of me and my brother while my mother worked, along with her own two younger children. One was in school, the other, of course, younger than I, and my brother younger still.
Looking back, I think her life was lonely. She had little adult conversation. Many times a week the phone rang and it was "Mamma Fore" and during those conversations we were to leave Grandma alone. On Fridays, she walked us all about five blocks up the street to her sister's house, where she did Aunt Neva's hair. That was about it. She had been known to keep a salesperson on the phone talking for an hour, probably just to hear a voice in a range that was above "pipsqueak child."
My grandmother's social media consisted of the telephone, the TV, the newspaper, and whatever gossip she picked up from "Mamma Fore," her sisters, neighbors, other relatives, my grandfather (until he passed away), and my mother. She did not go to church.
Jump forward about 45 years. My social media consists of the landline telephone, a cell phone, the TV, two print newspapers, multiple online news sources, email, Facebook, and this blog. I have a twitter account and a linkedin account, neither of which I use much. We are more connected than my grandmother ever thought possible.
Yet is this good, this connecting? When I see a family sitting in a restaurant not talking, each bent over their electronic gadget, I have to wonder. When my friend ignores me because the cell phone rings, and I sit there banging my spoon against my plate in idleness while I wait for her to finish a conversation apparently more important than any we were having, is this a good thing? We are inundated with news 24 hours a day, we see stuff happen on TV that maybe we shouldn't - and we all have some kind of traumatic stress issue.
My grandmother's life was relatively simple. I think sometimes she wanted more, but she made do. We don't "make do" much anymore. As soon as a cell phone dies, we must replace it. Computer breaks? Gotta fix it.
I confess I leave my cell phone in the car - all the time. It's still a flip phone. I don't text. I don't want to be reachable 24/7. I don't want to take a drive to a Parkway overlook only to have my image of the vista interrupted. I like my alone time.
Social media, though, also connects me in ways I never imagined. I have friends that I've made online that have stuck with me longer than people in "real life." I can empathize and sympathize and occasionally find a like mind to commiserate with. It keeps me from being alone with the reality is, I am alone quite a lot.
Keeping away that sense of loneliness is the allure of social media, I think. We are afraid of our thoughts, fearful that we might discover we don't agree with something or someone we've always agreed with, maybe, if we think on own. Schools don't even teach children how to think anymore - only how to parrot. But people aren't parrots.
Some people worry that social media is destroying, well, everything, I guess. Some people think it is great. Certainly I think social media is good for invalids or shut-ins or others who, for whatever reason, aren't out and about in the world.
But I also think that if you're having lunch with a friend or a family member, you should cut the damn cell phone off.
She was in her 40s when I was born - and she gave birth to a young son a year later on my birthday. After a time, she took care of me and my brother while my mother worked, along with her own two younger children. One was in school, the other, of course, younger than I, and my brother younger still.
Looking back, I think her life was lonely. She had little adult conversation. Many times a week the phone rang and it was "Mamma Fore" and during those conversations we were to leave Grandma alone. On Fridays, she walked us all about five blocks up the street to her sister's house, where she did Aunt Neva's hair. That was about it. She had been known to keep a salesperson on the phone talking for an hour, probably just to hear a voice in a range that was above "pipsqueak child."
My grandmother's social media consisted of the telephone, the TV, the newspaper, and whatever gossip she picked up from "Mamma Fore," her sisters, neighbors, other relatives, my grandfather (until he passed away), and my mother. She did not go to church.
Jump forward about 45 years. My social media consists of the landline telephone, a cell phone, the TV, two print newspapers, multiple online news sources, email, Facebook, and this blog. I have a twitter account and a linkedin account, neither of which I use much. We are more connected than my grandmother ever thought possible.
Yet is this good, this connecting? When I see a family sitting in a restaurant not talking, each bent over their electronic gadget, I have to wonder. When my friend ignores me because the cell phone rings, and I sit there banging my spoon against my plate in idleness while I wait for her to finish a conversation apparently more important than any we were having, is this a good thing? We are inundated with news 24 hours a day, we see stuff happen on TV that maybe we shouldn't - and we all have some kind of traumatic stress issue.
My grandmother's life was relatively simple. I think sometimes she wanted more, but she made do. We don't "make do" much anymore. As soon as a cell phone dies, we must replace it. Computer breaks? Gotta fix it.
I confess I leave my cell phone in the car - all the time. It's still a flip phone. I don't text. I don't want to be reachable 24/7. I don't want to take a drive to a Parkway overlook only to have my image of the vista interrupted. I like my alone time.
Social media, though, also connects me in ways I never imagined. I have friends that I've made online that have stuck with me longer than people in "real life." I can empathize and sympathize and occasionally find a like mind to commiserate with. It keeps me from being alone with the reality is, I am alone quite a lot.
Keeping away that sense of loneliness is the allure of social media, I think. We are afraid of our thoughts, fearful that we might discover we don't agree with something or someone we've always agreed with, maybe, if we think on own. Schools don't even teach children how to think anymore - only how to parrot. But people aren't parrots.
Some people worry that social media is destroying, well, everything, I guess. Some people think it is great. Certainly I think social media is good for invalids or shut-ins or others who, for whatever reason, aren't out and about in the world.
But I also think that if you're having lunch with a friend or a family member, you should cut the damn cell phone off.
Sunday, April 03, 2016
Sunday Stealing: Survey 212
From Sunday Stealing
Survey 212 Meme
1. Is your birth year an odd or even number? Odd. Like me.
2. Which one of your friends is the most outgoing? Probably Brenda, she throws a lot of parties. To be honest, I suspect every single one of my friends is more outgoing than I could ever be.
3. Have you eaten any of your favorite foods today? If chocolate counts, yes.
4. When did you last find yourself in an awkward situation? Last Monday, when my physical therapist informed me that they were discharging me even though she and I both know I am not ready to be discharged, but the "powers that be" say I am because I am no longer progressing fast enough to suit them. I can go back "in a while" if my "home therapy" doesn't help. The health care in the U.S. just sucks big damn pickles out the wazzoo.
5. When was the last time you ignored, or went against, someone’s advice? I guess this morning, when I folded laundry even though my chiropractor explicitly told me to spend today (that being Saturday when I answer this) doing nothing because I have sprained my deltoid muscle in my shoulder.
6. What happened? When? I don't understand the question.
7. How many different towns/cities have you lived in? Three. Except only one was a city, the rest were more like zip codes. Rural areas are like that.
8. When was the last time you had Nutella? It has been several years ago.
9. Who is your favorite character in The Big Bang Theory? Leonard.
10. What are your parents’ middle names? I refuse to answer this on the grounds that this is the kind of information that hackers like to see.
11. Name someone with a sexy sounding voice. Ummm. That guy who sang You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'. That would be one of the Righteous Brothers but I don't know which one.
12. Are your eyes the same color as your sibling’s? You know, I'm not sure. Mine are hazel and I think his are more blue.
13. How many pets do you have? Would you like any more? I have 42 cows and one bull. I wouldn't mind adding a few more cows to the herd. But I do not want any more pets, unless it is a robot dog.
14. Is there a song you can’t stop listening to atm? My ATMs don't play songs. Oh, I guess you mean, "at this moment," right? (I hate those acronym things, can you tell?). To be perfectly honest, this week I have been so upset that I have reverted to childhood and the song The Three Billy Goats Gruff, which you can hear here.
15. Is there a song that you’re fed up of hearing? Tired of hearing? I swear, if meme questions are an indication of what is coming out the school system these days . . . but no, I can't say there is.
16. Did you have a strange or interesting dream last night? I have strange dreams most nights.
17. Name 3 things that are in your refrigerator atm. There's that ATM again. Big cities must have great ATMs, with songs and refrigerators and all. I can hardly wait to visit some place with more than 100,000 people to see one of these. At the moment, my refrigerator is housing a thawing turkey breast that will be dinner, a bottle of Ginger Ale because I have been battling nausea for more than a month, and yogurt.
18. Which friend do you confide in most? I have a therapist for that.
19. What was your most recent reason for smiling? There are no reasons for smiling. Do you not see the state of the world? Do you not know that DONALD TRUMP is running for President of the United States? Do you not know that people are being bombed and dying every day? That children go unfed and unclothed? That half of the world does not have clean water to drink? That our country is full of people who believe ignorance is better than intelligence? And you want me to SMILE? Crickey, there's nothing to smile about.
But then again, there is the sun shining outside, and an azure sky dotted with white clouds, and my most wondrous Blue Ridge Mountains towering in the distance, reaching for me and my hay fields like a mother's arms. The oak trees have the tiniest hint of green on their ends, and the redbuds are amazingly beautiful against the backdrop of dark forest.
Maybe nothing to smile about, but perhaps something to offset the bad.
Survey 212 Meme
1. Is your birth year an odd or even number? Odd. Like me.
2. Which one of your friends is the most outgoing? Probably Brenda, she throws a lot of parties. To be honest, I suspect every single one of my friends is more outgoing than I could ever be.
3. Have you eaten any of your favorite foods today? If chocolate counts, yes.
4. When did you last find yourself in an awkward situation? Last Monday, when my physical therapist informed me that they were discharging me even though she and I both know I am not ready to be discharged, but the "powers that be" say I am because I am no longer progressing fast enough to suit them. I can go back "in a while" if my "home therapy" doesn't help. The health care in the U.S. just sucks big damn pickles out the wazzoo.
5. When was the last time you ignored, or went against, someone’s advice? I guess this morning, when I folded laundry even though my chiropractor explicitly told me to spend today (that being Saturday when I answer this) doing nothing because I have sprained my deltoid muscle in my shoulder.
6. What happened? When? I don't understand the question.
7. How many different towns/cities have you lived in? Three. Except only one was a city, the rest were more like zip codes. Rural areas are like that.
8. When was the last time you had Nutella? It has been several years ago.
9. Who is your favorite character in The Big Bang Theory? Leonard.
10. What are your parents’ middle names? I refuse to answer this on the grounds that this is the kind of information that hackers like to see.
11. Name someone with a sexy sounding voice. Ummm. That guy who sang You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'. That would be one of the Righteous Brothers but I don't know which one.
12. Are your eyes the same color as your sibling’s? You know, I'm not sure. Mine are hazel and I think his are more blue.
13. How many pets do you have? Would you like any more? I have 42 cows and one bull. I wouldn't mind adding a few more cows to the herd. But I do not want any more pets, unless it is a robot dog.
14. Is there a song you can’t stop listening to atm? My ATMs don't play songs. Oh, I guess you mean, "at this moment," right? (I hate those acronym things, can you tell?). To be perfectly honest, this week I have been so upset that I have reverted to childhood and the song The Three Billy Goats Gruff, which you can hear here.
15. Is there a song that you’re fed up of hearing? Tired of hearing? I swear, if meme questions are an indication of what is coming out the school system these days . . . but no, I can't say there is.
16. Did you have a strange or interesting dream last night? I have strange dreams most nights.
17. Name 3 things that are in your refrigerator atm. There's that ATM again. Big cities must have great ATMs, with songs and refrigerators and all. I can hardly wait to visit some place with more than 100,000 people to see one of these. At the moment, my refrigerator is housing a thawing turkey breast that will be dinner, a bottle of Ginger Ale because I have been battling nausea for more than a month, and yogurt.
18. Which friend do you confide in most? I have a therapist for that.
19. What was your most recent reason for smiling? There are no reasons for smiling. Do you not see the state of the world? Do you not know that DONALD TRUMP is running for President of the United States? Do you not know that people are being bombed and dying every day? That children go unfed and unclothed? That half of the world does not have clean water to drink? That our country is full of people who believe ignorance is better than intelligence? And you want me to SMILE? Crickey, there's nothing to smile about.
But then again, there is the sun shining outside, and an azure sky dotted with white clouds, and my most wondrous Blue Ridge Mountains towering in the distance, reaching for me and my hay fields like a mother's arms. The oak trees have the tiniest hint of green on their ends, and the redbuds are amazingly beautiful against the backdrop of dark forest.
Maybe nothing to smile about, but perhaps something to offset the bad.
__________
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.
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, April 02, 2016
Saturday 9: Fool
Saturday 9: Fool on the Hill (1967)
Unfamiliar with today's song? We can't help you. The YouTube copyright police have removed the Beatles' version. (Bad copyright police!)
1) Friday was April Fool's Day. Did you pull any pranks? Did anyone put anything over on you?
A. I do not like April Fool's Day. No one pranked me, but I had one helluva bad day.
2) The practice of playing tricks on one another on April 1 dates back at least to the 14th century and Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales includes a mention of it. Geoffrey Chaucer has been called England's greatest poet. Quote a bit of poetry for us. (It doesn't have to be English, or great.)
A. Come live with me and be my love,
and we shall all the pleasures prove
that hills and valleys, dale and fields,
and all the craggy mountains yield.
- The Passionate Shepherd, by C. Marlowe
3) Beatle Paul is a huge Elvis fan and is happy to own the bass that was played on Elvis' 1954 recording of "That's All Right, Mama." Tell us about one of your prized possessions.
A. My wedding band is of plain white gold, small and thin.
4) In contrast to his easygoing persona, Sir Paul has been described by former band mate Ringo Starr as strong willed and "determined to get his own way." Do you consider yourself strong willed and determined? Or are you more easy going?
A. Apparently I am an uptight, anxiety-ridden bitch. I suppose that puts me in the "strong willed and determined" camp. Sort of.
5) The Beatles once bought a Greek island, planning to live and record there, but sold it after a few months because it started to seem like a bad, expensive idea. Tell us about a purchase that gave you buyer's remorse.
A. We bought a 1999 Ford Taurus that had more problems than a gnome with a stick stuck up his nose. We finally traded it in on another one, and lost money in the process on a "non-transferable" warranty we'd purchased with the car. Now I drive a Toyota.
6) Legend has it that the Beatles officially broke up in Disney World. John Lennon was staying at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort when he received and signed the court papers that dissolved the group. Have you ever conducted business while on vacation?
A. I'm a writer. I have written many a thing whilst on vacation, some of which ended up published, some not. So yes, I have conducted business while on vacation.
7) George Harrison loved puttering around in the garden and dedicated his autobiography to "gardeners everywhere." Do you have a green thumb?
A. I have a rose garden. When I was well, I kept it up very nicely; now it is lucky if the poor plants are fed once a year and the old roses cut back. Generally things I plant grow well, if I am well.
8) Ringo regrets not having saved more Beatles memorabilia, which he realizes now would be worth a fortune. Are you a pack rat?
A. A bit. I still have my high school annuals, a few things like that. Lots of books and a few old computers that I don't know what to do with. Maybe I should take the hard drives out of those and let my husband use them for target practice.
9) Random question: Which do you prefer, Girl Scout cookies or Boy Scout popcorn?
A. Neither 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 today's song? We can't help you. The YouTube copyright police have removed the Beatles' version. (Bad copyright police!)
1) Friday was April Fool's Day. Did you pull any pranks? Did anyone put anything over on you?
A. I do not like April Fool's Day. No one pranked me, but I had one helluva bad day.
2) The practice of playing tricks on one another on April 1 dates back at least to the 14th century and Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales includes a mention of it. Geoffrey Chaucer has been called England's greatest poet. Quote a bit of poetry for us. (It doesn't have to be English, or great.)
A. Come live with me and be my love,
and we shall all the pleasures prove
that hills and valleys, dale and fields,
and all the craggy mountains yield.
- The Passionate Shepherd, by C. Marlowe
3) Beatle Paul is a huge Elvis fan and is happy to own the bass that was played on Elvis' 1954 recording of "That's All Right, Mama." Tell us about one of your prized possessions.
A. My wedding band is of plain white gold, small and thin.
4) In contrast to his easygoing persona, Sir Paul has been described by former band mate Ringo Starr as strong willed and "determined to get his own way." Do you consider yourself strong willed and determined? Or are you more easy going?
A. Apparently I am an uptight, anxiety-ridden bitch. I suppose that puts me in the "strong willed and determined" camp. Sort of.
5) The Beatles once bought a Greek island, planning to live and record there, but sold it after a few months because it started to seem like a bad, expensive idea. Tell us about a purchase that gave you buyer's remorse.
A. We bought a 1999 Ford Taurus that had more problems than a gnome with a stick stuck up his nose. We finally traded it in on another one, and lost money in the process on a "non-transferable" warranty we'd purchased with the car. Now I drive a Toyota.
6) Legend has it that the Beatles officially broke up in Disney World. John Lennon was staying at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort when he received and signed the court papers that dissolved the group. Have you ever conducted business while on vacation?
A. I'm a writer. I have written many a thing whilst on vacation, some of which ended up published, some not. So yes, I have conducted business while on vacation.
7) George Harrison loved puttering around in the garden and dedicated his autobiography to "gardeners everywhere." Do you have a green thumb?
A. I have a rose garden. When I was well, I kept it up very nicely; now it is lucky if the poor plants are fed once a year and the old roses cut back. Generally things I plant grow well, if I am well.
8) Ringo regrets not having saved more Beatles memorabilia, which he realizes now would be worth a fortune. Are you a pack rat?
A. A bit. I still have my high school annuals, a few things like that. Lots of books and a few old computers that I don't know what to do with. Maybe I should take the hard drives out of those and let my husband use them for target practice.
9) Random question: Which do you prefer, Girl Scout cookies or Boy Scout popcorn?
A. Neither 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, April 01, 2016
No April Fool
I dislike April Fool's Day. I never liked it as a child and I certainly do not like it now, not when we as a nation have become a bunch of mean-spirited fruitcakes who don't mind upsetting or scaring other people, even the ones we love.
It ranks right up there with being pinched on St. Patrick's Day because I am not wearing green.
Sure, sometimes it is fun to pull an interesting prank. The Great Smokey Mountains site today put up a page that says they are bringing polar bears into the park. That is kind of funny and a unique hoax, but gullible people believe it; I've already seen folks get upset about it on Facebook.
One of our local radio stations always pulls a prank. Once they said the city was going to sell one of our local landmarks, and for hours I listened to irate people call in. Whether they were playing the "game" or actually believed the "news," I do not know.
I have a great sense of humor, people tell me. It is rather sardonic and can be sarcastic and sometimes you might need to pay attention to actually get what I'm saying. Witty is a word someone used to describe me not long ago. I love a good joke as much as anyone; I think Monty Python is hilarious, and Big Bang Theory makes me laugh every week.
My friends always find me amusing; I have been known to make good friends snort water during lunches (not intentionally, really).
But these days many people are mean. Someone posted a list of things *not* to do on Facebook today - here it is:
Really? We have to remind people not to do this stuff, ever, as a joke? It is one thing to tell someone their shoes are untied and make them look down (ha ha) but quite another to call your best friend and tell her you've decided to kill yourself. Good grief. That is not a joke. That's a formula for an immediate phone call to 911.
I do not find cruelty funny. I am not a fan of slap stick (I suppose the Three Stooges will never amuse me) because I don't find physical or mental pain "fun." I find the people who impose pain upon others to be sick human beings, actually, who probably need to be put away (and they certainly shouldn't own a gun).
So go ahead and make your jokes; tell me I have dirt on my pants, or my hair is standing straight up, I have a smudge on my cheek. But don't be mean and cruel. Don't hurt people's feelings.
Be kind, always.
Even on April Fool's Day.
It ranks right up there with being pinched on St. Patrick's Day because I am not wearing green.
Sure, sometimes it is fun to pull an interesting prank. The Great Smokey Mountains site today put up a page that says they are bringing polar bears into the park. That is kind of funny and a unique hoax, but gullible people believe it; I've already seen folks get upset about it on Facebook.
One of our local radio stations always pulls a prank. Once they said the city was going to sell one of our local landmarks, and for hours I listened to irate people call in. Whether they were playing the "game" or actually believed the "news," I do not know.
I have a great sense of humor, people tell me. It is rather sardonic and can be sarcastic and sometimes you might need to pay attention to actually get what I'm saying. Witty is a word someone used to describe me not long ago. I love a good joke as much as anyone; I think Monty Python is hilarious, and Big Bang Theory makes me laugh every week.
My friends always find me amusing; I have been known to make good friends snort water during lunches (not intentionally, really).
But these days many people are mean. Someone posted a list of things *not* to do on Facebook today - here it is:
I do not find cruelty funny. I am not a fan of slap stick (I suppose the Three Stooges will never amuse me) because I don't find physical or mental pain "fun." I find the people who impose pain upon others to be sick human beings, actually, who probably need to be put away (and they certainly shouldn't own a gun).
So go ahead and make your jokes; tell me I have dirt on my pants, or my hair is standing straight up, I have a smudge on my cheek. But don't be mean and cruel. Don't hurt people's feelings.
Be kind, always.
Even on April Fool's Day.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Thursday Thirteen
Tomorrow is April Fool's Day, so here are some hoaxes (not to give anyone ideas) that have been remembered over time.
1. The Mad Gasser of Botetourt, VA (and Mattoon, IL). (As an aside, my great aunt remembered this incident, as one of the "gassing attacks" occurred in her neighbor's home). The unexplained "Mad Gasser" attacks began on December 22, 1933, in Botetourt when the home of Mrs. and Mrs. Cal Huffman, near Haymakertown, was attacked by a mysterious figure. All eight members of the Huffman family, along with Ashby Henderson, were affected by the gas.
According to reports, the gas caused the victims to become very nauseated, gave them a headache and caused the mouth and throat muscles to restrict. No one could determine what kind of gas was used or who could have sprayed it into the house. The only clue that police found at the scene was the print of a woman’s shoe beneath a window.
Attacks occurred in Cloverdale (about 10 miles away) on Christmas Eve; December 27 in Troutville (also nearby); January 10, again in Haymakertown and in Troutville; January 16 in Bonsack; January 19 in Cloverdale; January 21 (Cloverdale), and three more on January 22 in the Carvin's Cove area over a two-mile area. On January 23, an attack occurred in the Pleasant Dale Church area (Lee's Gap). Other attacks occurred in Nace and Lithia, but after about 20 more reports were reported in nearby Roanoke County, police decided that only the original few incidents were real and the rest hysteria. Newspapers reported the the unconvincing theory that faulty chimney flues and wild imaginations had caused the entire affair. Those who were attacked and police officers involved never accepted this explanation.
Similar attacks occured in Mattoon, IL, in 1944. Hoax, mass hysteria, or real? We may never know.
2. MIT students, in 1982, decided to include themselves in a Harvard-Yale football game when a weather balloon emblazoned with the letters “MIT” emerged from the ground near the 50-yard line. A few days before the game, MIT students had snuck into Harvard Stadium and wired a vacuum motor to blow air into the balloon until it exploded.
3. Back in the late 19th century, college teams took trains to get to road games. Auburn students ran grease along the train tracks before Georgia Tech games, making it impossible for the train to stop anywhere near the station. Year after year, the poor football team ended up lugging its gear a number of miles back to the station, giving the players more of a warm-up than they bargained for and tilting the games in Auburn’s favor.
4. In 1961, University of Washington students at the Great Rose Bowl Hoax of 1961 received altered placards that created a giant banner reading “Caltech” on live television. The math and science school, which sits just a few miles from the Rose Bowl, wasn’t even involved in the game.
5. In 1969, "Penelope Ashe," a bored New York housewife, wrote the trashy sensation Naked Came the Stranger. The author appeared on talk shows and made the bookstore rounds. But the author was fictional, the work of Mike McGrady, a Newsday columnist. McGrady was disgusted with the lurid state of the modern bestseller and decided to expose the problem by writing a book of zero redeeming social value and even less literary merit. To his dismay, the media was fascinated with the salacious daydreams of a “demure housewife” author. By the time McGrady revealed his hoax a few months later, the novel had sold 20,000 copies, and by the end of the year it had more than 100,000 copies in print, and the novel had spent 13 weeks on the New York Times’s bestseller list. As of 2012, the book had sold nearly 400,000 copies. (Why does this remind me of E. L. James and Fifty Shades of Gray?)
6. On April 1, 1957, the BBC news program Panorama told its radio audience about a Swiss town’s spaghetti crop, brought on by a warm spring and the disappearance of the spaghetti weevil. On April 2 the BBC was flooded with phone calls from people eager to grow their own spaghetti noodles, then a rare treat for British diners. The BBC instructed anyone interested in a pasta-bearing tree to “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
7. In the 1970s, strange crop circles started popping up in English wheat fields, leading to UFO and extra terrestrial theories. In 1991, however, the two pranksters came forward and revealed how they had made the circles using nothing more than rope, planks, and wire. (As an aside, I've seen crop circles occur naturally in our hay fields, caused by winds during thunderstorms.)
8. Also in the 1970s, Manuel Elizalde, Prime Minister of the Philippines, claimed he had discovered a stone age tribe called the Tasaday on the island of Mindanao. However, he would not allow scientists or journalists on the island, claiming he had made it a safe haven. After the Prime Minister was deposed about 15 years later, journalists visited the island only to find the Tasaday walking around in blue jeans and speaking a modern dialect. They explained that they had moved into caves under pressure from the minister. The Prime Minister, long gone, fled the country with millions of dollars from an account set up to help protect the Tasaday people.
9. In 1835, the New York Sun published multiple articles stating that Sir John Herschel had made incredible discoveries using new telescopic methods. According to the article, the surface of the moon was covered with lilac colored pyramids, herds of bison, and blue unicorns.
10. In 1783, the London Magazine reported that in Indonesia thre was a tree so poisonous that it killed everything within 15 miles, leaving the Earth bare and dotted with the skeletons of people and animals. The truth is, however, that although the Upas tree really exists and it really does contain a powerful toxin, it isn't quite that poisonous and the story was blown way out of proportion.
11. In the early 1990s, a short film of a supposed alien autopsy was aired on the Fox Network. Other news outlets picked up the story. Fifteen years later, the producer came forward to admit that it was fake. He still maintains, however, that it was based on real footage.
12. In the mid 1800s, George Hull, a prominant atheist, placed a fake huge giant in his cousin's backyard as a way of playing a prank on some of his Methodist acquaintances. (The giant was reference to a biblical passage about giants once roaming the Earth.) Not long after buring the fake, Hull dug a well dug in the same spot. Upon discovery of the giant, so many people wanted to see it that several other replicas popped up around the country all claiming to be the real thing.
13. While this was not supposed to be a hoax, a radio show in 1938 caused widespread panic. The show, The War of the Worlds, voiced by Orson Welles, scared people into believing the world was really under attack by Martians, because the program was delivered in a series of fictional news bulletins. Many people panicked and thought it was true.
And here's an extra: I convinced my young brother that there was a bird called a "snipe" that he could catch one with a bag if he could sneak up on it. I had him snipe hunting for an entire afternoon. He also was convinced that Jackalopes were real during a long trip across the US wherein multiple stores sold the creation. Ah, youth.
_____________
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 441st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
1. The Mad Gasser of Botetourt, VA (and Mattoon, IL). (As an aside, my great aunt remembered this incident, as one of the "gassing attacks" occurred in her neighbor's home). The unexplained "Mad Gasser" attacks began on December 22, 1933, in Botetourt when the home of Mrs. and Mrs. Cal Huffman, near Haymakertown, was attacked by a mysterious figure. All eight members of the Huffman family, along with Ashby Henderson, were affected by the gas.
According to reports, the gas caused the victims to become very nauseated, gave them a headache and caused the mouth and throat muscles to restrict. No one could determine what kind of gas was used or who could have sprayed it into the house. The only clue that police found at the scene was the print of a woman’s shoe beneath a window.
Attacks occurred in Cloverdale (about 10 miles away) on Christmas Eve; December 27 in Troutville (also nearby); January 10, again in Haymakertown and in Troutville; January 16 in Bonsack; January 19 in Cloverdale; January 21 (Cloverdale), and three more on January 22 in the Carvin's Cove area over a two-mile area. On January 23, an attack occurred in the Pleasant Dale Church area (Lee's Gap). Other attacks occurred in Nace and Lithia, but after about 20 more reports were reported in nearby Roanoke County, police decided that only the original few incidents were real and the rest hysteria. Newspapers reported the the unconvincing theory that faulty chimney flues and wild imaginations had caused the entire affair. Those who were attacked and police officers involved never accepted this explanation.
Similar attacks occured in Mattoon, IL, in 1944. Hoax, mass hysteria, or real? We may never know.
2. MIT students, in 1982, decided to include themselves in a Harvard-Yale football game when a weather balloon emblazoned with the letters “MIT” emerged from the ground near the 50-yard line. A few days before the game, MIT students had snuck into Harvard Stadium and wired a vacuum motor to blow air into the balloon until it exploded.
3. Back in the late 19th century, college teams took trains to get to road games. Auburn students ran grease along the train tracks before Georgia Tech games, making it impossible for the train to stop anywhere near the station. Year after year, the poor football team ended up lugging its gear a number of miles back to the station, giving the players more of a warm-up than they bargained for and tilting the games in Auburn’s favor.
4. In 1961, University of Washington students at the Great Rose Bowl Hoax of 1961 received altered placards that created a giant banner reading “Caltech” on live television. The math and science school, which sits just a few miles from the Rose Bowl, wasn’t even involved in the game.
5. In 1969, "Penelope Ashe," a bored New York housewife, wrote the trashy sensation Naked Came the Stranger. The author appeared on talk shows and made the bookstore rounds. But the author was fictional, the work of Mike McGrady, a Newsday columnist. McGrady was disgusted with the lurid state of the modern bestseller and decided to expose the problem by writing a book of zero redeeming social value and even less literary merit. To his dismay, the media was fascinated with the salacious daydreams of a “demure housewife” author. By the time McGrady revealed his hoax a few months later, the novel had sold 20,000 copies, and by the end of the year it had more than 100,000 copies in print, and the novel had spent 13 weeks on the New York Times’s bestseller list. As of 2012, the book had sold nearly 400,000 copies. (Why does this remind me of E. L. James and Fifty Shades of Gray?)
6. On April 1, 1957, the BBC news program Panorama told its radio audience about a Swiss town’s spaghetti crop, brought on by a warm spring and the disappearance of the spaghetti weevil. On April 2 the BBC was flooded with phone calls from people eager to grow their own spaghetti noodles, then a rare treat for British diners. The BBC instructed anyone interested in a pasta-bearing tree to “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
7. In the 1970s, strange crop circles started popping up in English wheat fields, leading to UFO and extra terrestrial theories. In 1991, however, the two pranksters came forward and revealed how they had made the circles using nothing more than rope, planks, and wire. (As an aside, I've seen crop circles occur naturally in our hay fields, caused by winds during thunderstorms.)
8. Also in the 1970s, Manuel Elizalde, Prime Minister of the Philippines, claimed he had discovered a stone age tribe called the Tasaday on the island of Mindanao. However, he would not allow scientists or journalists on the island, claiming he had made it a safe haven. After the Prime Minister was deposed about 15 years later, journalists visited the island only to find the Tasaday walking around in blue jeans and speaking a modern dialect. They explained that they had moved into caves under pressure from the minister. The Prime Minister, long gone, fled the country with millions of dollars from an account set up to help protect the Tasaday people.
9. In 1835, the New York Sun published multiple articles stating that Sir John Herschel had made incredible discoveries using new telescopic methods. According to the article, the surface of the moon was covered with lilac colored pyramids, herds of bison, and blue unicorns.
10. In 1783, the London Magazine reported that in Indonesia thre was a tree so poisonous that it killed everything within 15 miles, leaving the Earth bare and dotted with the skeletons of people and animals. The truth is, however, that although the Upas tree really exists and it really does contain a powerful toxin, it isn't quite that poisonous and the story was blown way out of proportion.
11. In the early 1990s, a short film of a supposed alien autopsy was aired on the Fox Network. Other news outlets picked up the story. Fifteen years later, the producer came forward to admit that it was fake. He still maintains, however, that it was based on real footage.
12. In the mid 1800s, George Hull, a prominant atheist, placed a fake huge giant in his cousin's backyard as a way of playing a prank on some of his Methodist acquaintances. (The giant was reference to a biblical passage about giants once roaming the Earth.) Not long after buring the fake, Hull dug a well dug in the same spot. Upon discovery of the giant, so many people wanted to see it that several other replicas popped up around the country all claiming to be the real thing.
13. While this was not supposed to be a hoax, a radio show in 1938 caused widespread panic. The show, The War of the Worlds, voiced by Orson Welles, scared people into believing the world was really under attack by Martians, because the program was delivered in a series of fictional news bulletins. Many people panicked and thought it was true.
And here's an extra: I convinced my young brother that there was a bird called a "snipe" that he could catch one with a bag if he could sneak up on it. I had him snipe hunting for an entire afternoon. He also was convinced that Jackalopes were real during a long trip across the US wherein multiple stores sold the creation. Ah, youth.
_____________
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 441st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
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