banter basement

Unfriend me...

2009-11-21T00:40:00.006-05:00

So the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2009 is unfriend. That is hysterically funny to me. One year ago I had heard of Facebook but I didn't really get the point of it. Sue me, I'm old. "What do you do on it?" I kept asking. But my friend Saba's husband works for FB and it kep coming up. Then, a friend from back in IL (thx Julie) strongly urged us to get on FB so we could communicate more easily. I did. Judy did. The rest is...uh-oh, cliche coming...history. (I couldn't help myself!)

Today I spend an embarrassing-to-admit-amount of time of FB. No one has 'unfriended' me yet...I hope. If they have, I haven't noticed, so we must not have been close. lol Meanwhile, I think that FB and Skype are the happy technological advances in staying close and connected with friends and family who may be far away geographically and re-connecting with friends from the distant past. Ironic really, when technology and internet usage create two bubbles in my living room as my twin and I sit next to each other with our laptops on our..er..laps. We often can go an evening without speaking, plugged into the world wide web as we are. FB is probably to blame for my greatly decreased blogging as well--although really the broken arms thing didn't help. I'd think about this phenomenon a little more, but I have food to serve in Cafe World and I think my fish need feeding in Fishville...

I Pledge Allegiance...

2009-11-20T22:11:00.000-05:00

Unemployment in Color

2009-11-20T21:49:00.004-05:00

I found this excellent animation of the increasing unemployment rates at Pundit & Pundette. If it wasn't highlighting such a terrible problem it would be cool. Watch the country go from employed to unemployed.

My favorite Simon's Cat film...

2009-11-04T21:14:00.001-05:00

"Let Me In" with Simon's Cat

2009-11-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

Simon's Cat

2009-11-04T21:10:00.003-05:00

Anyone who has ever had a cat will recognize just how realistically funny these films are....

Northview Marching Knights Rock!

2009-10-31T22:40:00.002-04:00

My niece Allison has been a member of the Northview Marching Knights for the past four years. Today they won the state championship for the second year in a row--a wonderful finish to her band career in her senior year. Congratulations, Ali! Love ya, Babe.

Kisses on a Postcard

2009-09-28T08:37:00.018-04:00

I am a regular reader of a blog called, Random Jottings of a Book and Opera Lover. It is written by an erudite and witty woman named Elaine. She writes an eclectic array of posts but her focus is on book reviews. She is an avid reader. One happy benefit of reading her blog, besides enjoying her writing and getting leads on some great books; is that she sometimes holds drawings with books as prizes. I am the lucky winner of one such drawing for Kisses on a Postcard by Terence Frisby. As I recall the conditions for winning were that you needed to read the book, love it, and post about it. No problem. I read it. I loved it. Here is my post about it.

Kisses is one of those rare books that takes you back to childhood and yet by the strangeness of the childhood you experience it in a whole new way. As the subtitle of the book tells us, it is "A Tale of Wartime Childhood" being Terence Frisby's memories of his evacuation from London to Cornwall during World War II. To me the book had the wonderful tone reminiscent of the movie "How Green Was My Valley". (I'm wishing that I had read that book now, by the way.) Terence went on to a career as a playwright and actor/director/producer which completely explains the gifted way he was able to evoke the era, describe the scenery, and present the unique characters of Cornwall. The music of their speech echoed in my head and I was able to visualize the time and place even though I have never been there. It was a multi-sensory experience. Words fail me, as I try to describe how well he was able to take me (a forty-nine year old Midwesterner) and drop me in rural England during the war.

The story is this: Terry and his older brother Jack are sent into the countryside of England at the start of World War II, along with thousands of other children of that time. Because their parents have no idea where they will end up or with whom, Mrs. Frisby invents a kisses code for the postcard they will send when they get to wherever they end up. One kiss if it's bad, two if it's okay, three kisses if it's good. If it's bad, she promised to come and get them right away. After ending up in Cornwall, chosen by Auntie Rose and Uncle Jack, (who works for the railroad just like their dad) Jack and Terry send the postcard back to their mother with kisses all around the card. They were motivated by their happiness in their placement with Auntie Rose and Uncle Jack and a unusually thoughtful streak for boys of that age (7 and 11), they wanted to ease the minds of their mother and father back in London.

What follows is a engaging recollection of the three years that Terence Frisby spent in Doublebois, Cornwall. It is about War from the perspective of a child, as well as, his interactions with an array of the village inhabitants--complete with their flaws, inner sadnesses and their kindnesses. I'm not fond of crying while reading--but I have to say when the lump started in my throat and the tears filled by eyes, it was worth it. I was fascinated that the Terry who made sure there were kisses around the postcard, still groused about having to write a weekly letter to his mother, and was the tender-hearted boy who tries to arrange with his brother Jack that one of them should stay behind to live with Auntie Rose and Uncle Jack after it became time to return to live with their parents in London. Neither boy wanted to see Auntie Rose and Uncle Jack left alone, you see.

Perhaps the best sign of how enchanting this book was to me, I didn't want it to end. As Jack and Terry got on the train and waved goodbye to Auntie Rose and Uncle Jack, I wanted the story to continue. I wanted to learn how Jack and Terry would handle living once again with their parents after three years with foster parents who perhaps had different behavioral expectations. How did they handle being in suburban London after three years in the spacious outdoor cathedral that Terry described as Cornwall? How did Terry become an author? What career did Jack follow? Did Terry and Jack get to see Auntie Rose and Uncle Jack again? If Mr. Frisby writes the next part of his autobiography, I am so there. You should be too.

Where did it all go?

2009-08-17T14:43:00.003-04:00

July 1st-I broke both my arms and there went my summer. It's weird really because ordinarily I would say that staying home for five or six weeks with nothing to do and no responsibilities was heaven on a stick. To my surprise, it was not. I was bored. Normally, I disdain boredom. It is for the unimaginative who do not have interests. I look down my nose at such people. The gifted (me) among us can always find something to do from the rotating list of things they enjoy. But there appears to be a qualitative difference between staying at home because you want to and staying at home because you have to. I have discovered that I find it frustrating to be in my home without having the ability to get up and clean and organize things. I do not enjoy leisure when laundry or dishes are nagging at my mind. Having two working arms seems to enhance my pleasure in reading because I can hold the book comfortably. I like watching TV because I can, not because there is nothing else that I am able to do. The day my arm braces were officially removed I did exactly the same things I had been doing with the arm braces on but I enjoyed it so much more. I am flabbergasted by the difference 'choice' makes in my attitude.

So July 1 to August 6th--dudsville. Stuck at home.

August 6th to August 18th...the clock counted down to my first day back at school. Aware that the sands were slipping through the hourglass, I kick started my reading and raced through eight or ten books. I started organizing the pantry and cleaning out my closets and drawers. I whizzed through the real estate shows saved on the DVR. Productivity my name is Robin!!

Now, the hour glass is nearly empty. We have a week of pre-service starting tomorrow. I will probably, in the contrary way of people, think with regret upon my six weeks of home confinement when I am rushing through the hectic days of school. For now though, I'm excited to be going back out into the world and I'm nervous about my ability to sleep normal hours since I've gotten into the habit of sleeping the 3 to 12 shift. I leave you with these thoughts.

New Elliptical Trainer

2009-08-05T12:11:00.004-04:00

Our Precor Elliptical Trainer was delivered yesterday by two very nice guys. Judy and I have both had our first workout session on it. I am so glad we purchased it. It is a perfect piece of exercise equipment and it's so quiet. I LOVE that. Now to get fit...

I love this....

2009-08-01T19:40:00.002-04:00

Power to the People

2009-07-15T15:08:00.002-04:00

This is why customer service is really the most important element in a business.

Cute as the dickens

2009-07-12T19:56:00.009-04:00

Connor was a dee-light to have around the house for a week even after I broke my arms. I really enjoyed playing with him and watching him play. I also like photographing him. He reminds me of Andi so much as that age. Look at those ears!! Pure Andrea.

Broken Arms

2009-07-12T19:43:00.007-04:00

So here's what I have learned about having two broken arms...it is very inconvenient and it could have been worse. With two broken arms you cannot scratch your ear or neck. It is difficult to eat because you can't get food to your mouth easily. You can't pick things up if they are the slightest bit heavy. You can't open packages or containers or doors. Having a cast makes you very hot too. On the plus side, I can walk. I like the casted arm better than the braced arm because the cast stops me from doing most things that might hurt while the brace lets me do it and regret it.

Neener Neener Neener

2009-07-07T18:46:00.001-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Bad Luck

2009-07-03T20:39:00.004-04:00

Well, as those who know me on Facebook are aware, I went to the zoo and fell getting off the rope bridge and broke both my arms. Yep. You read it correctly. I broke the radial head on the left arm and the radial neck on the right arm. Since being in two casts is unworkable, I am in a cast for the left arm and a range of motion brace for the right arm. I am also being waited on hand and foot by my sisters and niece. I am trying to look on the bright side but my abilities are pretty limited. Blogging will be light.

Roll 'em out, Roll 'em in...

2009-06-28T21:31:00.006-04:00

Here in Maryland, the capitol of destination vacations, we sent home our first summer visitors this morning. This sending off was not without its problems however. We left a leetle bit late for the airport and Karen and Allison ended up actually MISSING their flight! When Karen called me to tell me that--I was upset and mortified. This is why they say get to the airport an hour and a half before your flight leaves. Apparently, Karen and Ali got stuck in a long security line and that is all she wrote. They got a flight out later in the afternoon and ending up landing in Indianapolis at 5:40 p.m. Since we had planned Karen's return flight so that she would be able to have some time at home before returning to work tomorrow morning that was a complete flop. This is also the reason why one should always carry a book or other reading material with you when traveling. Five extra hours in an airport is a lot of time to fill. Judy and I did offer to go back and get them, but Karen wasn't willing to leave the safety of that side of the security check-in, lest lightning should strike twice.

Meanwhile, today was spent refitting the "ship" for the next set of visitors. I did loads of laundry (towels mostly) and general straightening up. Andrea, Jeri, and Connor will be arriving here on Tuesday morning. We have tentatively planned activities which we think will be fun for a four year old. I have suggested going to the Please Touch Me Museum and Hershey Park. On Friday we are driving into D.C. to stay in a hotel through Sunday so that we can celebrate the Fourth of July there. Hopefully we'll have a view of the fireworks over the National Mall/Capitol from our hotel room.

Ford's Theater and D.C.

2009-06-27T19:16:00.015-04:00

Karen had only a couple of specific requests for her latest vacation visit with us. She wanted to see President Lincoln's Cottage, Ford's Theater and Peterson House, and walk the perimeter of the White House and get pictures. Last year we visited the White House and took the tour, but they don't allow you to take anything in with you. Not a purse or a camera or a cell phone---just car keys and a wallet for id and money. As a result, we have no pictures of the White House exterior. Karen wanted to correct that lack and so did I. It does requires some planning though because the distances to the White House, in terms of walking are great. None of the Metro stations nearby are that close, either.

As for fulfilling Karen's requests--we saw President Lincoln's Cottage on Wednesday. We discovered then that Ford's Theater was closed for a seven day maintenance cycle. It was planning to re-open for the weekend, however, so we headed to D.C. early this morning. Well, early for US, anyway. We rarely leave the house for our sightseeing expeditions before 9:00 am...well, we've NEVER left earlier than 9 before. Usually it's more like 10 or 11. Today we managed to get out of the house by 8:30 am. WOW!

We determined to try our luck with parking somewhere downtown for a change. (Usually we park at Arlington and use the metro.) I had the addresses of a couple of parking garages but our Garmin GPS did not seem to recognize the addresses. Frankly, D. C. streets are so bizarro with the same streets in different quadrants that I'm amazed anybody figures out anything with regard to traffic/driving/navigating. As luck would have it, we went to F street and parked in a great parking garage right next to Ford's Theater. I mean, RIGHT next to it. And it was only $10 for the whole day. That is unbelievably cheap for in the city.

The line for the 10 o'clock ranger tour at Ford's Theatre was down the block and around the corner. We got in line, but we couldn't get tickets for entry until the 11:00 o'clock show. We chilled in line. It was cool and the breeze was pleasant and we were in the shade. The time passed quickly. They seat everyone in the auditorium for the ranger talk which does take a bit of time. The ranger, Arthur Doyle (middle name: Luke) did a very interesting talk about this pivotal moment in American history---the assassination of President Lincoln. You are allow to take all the pictures that you want to take which was really nice. To really have great background knowledge and context for the tour, I recommend the books, Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer about John Wilkes Booth; The Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln , and Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. They are highly readable and reliable.

After the presentation we went across to Peterson House, which is the house where Lincoln actually died the next morning. I had imagined a completely different physical set up based on my reading and photographs. I thought they took him to the second floor, but it was actually on the first floor. I also imagined that the bed upon which they laid him, was across the room--in actuality, the bed was right beside the door.

After a quick visit to the gift shop, (I had to get a magnet for the Wall of Fame) we walked around the corner to look in the alley behind the theater where Booth had a horse waiting, and from which he was seen exiting. It doesn't appear to still have an opening into it from the back of the theater.

We then walked down to the White House with a stop at the Spy Museum restaurant for a snack. The thing to always remember about D.C. The blocks are LONG and the pavement is HOT. The heat just bounces off the white pavement and the glare of the reflected light makes any journey seem to last forever. The blocks really are extra long, I think.

We arrived at the White House and headed down along E street to get photos of the back of the White House. I was moving a bit faster than the others and I arrived sooner than they did. As I finally got to a spot where I could see the back of the White House, a metro police officer started loudly telling everyone to keep walking and to stop taking pictures. The rumor was that either A) the Obama children were coming out to play and the area had to be secured; or B) Obama was coming in by helicopter and the area needed to be secured. Those were just rumors that the crowd made up. We later found out that there were some protests occurring in the front of the White House and some security concerns developed and that was why they cleared out the area. The result of all this hullabaloo was that I got one photograph of the back of the White House and it was fuzzy because my camera focused on the fence not the house.

Judy and I were pretty wiped by this time. So while Karen was still gung-ho and wanted to head for the front of the White House; we headed for the air conditioning of the White House Visitor Center. Ali went with Karen in support. I shopped while Judy read the exhibits. Eventually Karen and Ali came back with photos and stories about protesters and the area being cleared three times total for security concerns.

Now we were all tired. We stopped for drinks. We stopped to buy a purse from a vendor. Then we hit the car and collapsed. After an interesting tour of some never before seen neighborhoods in D. C. (the word "lost" was bandied about) we eventually made our way out of the city via 295 and then home.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Putt Putt Gold

2009-06-26T18:10:00.009-04:00

On one of our trips to Best Buy this week, we discovered a Wii Putt Putt Golf game. We have enjoyed it tremendously, which has caused us to stay up way too late on several occasions. Today we decided to see if all our practice on the Wii had helped at all in real life. Speaking for myself. Not so much.

Mystery Item 2

2009-06-25T14:03:00.002-04:00

What am I?

Lincoln's Cottage and the Unexpected

2009-06-24T19:41:00.017-04:00

Today's vacation sightseeing plan was to go to President Lincoln's Cottage, also known as, The Soldier's Home in northwest D.C. We had wanted to go last year but ran out of sightseeing gas. This year we made sure to do it early, and bought actual tickets online in advance, thus, double securing our intentions. We were going to follow the Cottage up with a visit to Ford's Theatre and the Peterson House. This is the Lincoln vacation after all. Unfortunately, when I went online to do some basic research about Ford's Theatre (as the advance man) I discovered that the Theatre is closed down for five days this -week for facility cleaning etc. What bad luck. It just re-opened relatively recently after its big remodel! Quel domage!

Back to Lincoln's Cottage--Lincoln spent 25% of his presidency at this summer home. It has been recently restored to its state during the Lincoln Presidency. It is an nontraditional restoration because the interior is virtually empty of furniture. Instead of highlighting the furnishings, the tour uses multimedia and informative talks by tour guides to talk about how his time at the cottage impacted his presidency by shaping his experiences. The visitor's center attached to the cottage has a small but wonderful museum attached with more multimedia historical displays. There's also a gift shop and a very clean restroom (and we know how important that is right?!). We really enjoyed our time there. After the tour we got some wonderful pictures of the exterior of the house with its truly magnificent magnolia tree and a statue of Lincoln next to a horse.

So after having a great tour at Lincoln's Cottage, we were a little under-planned for what to do next. We couldn't just leave D.C--it was only mid-day. (Our timed entry had been 11:00 o'clock at L.C.) Karen has wanted to get some good photos of the front of the White House and to see Blair House ever since our White House tour last summer. They don't let you take anything in to the W.H. and there is no place to store your stuff so we don't have any good close ups of the W.H. exterior. We optimistically headed in that direction hoping to find parking. HAH! Some hope.

Eventually we ended up crossing the Potomac behind Lincoln's Memorial and passing behind Arlington Cemetery. That's when serendipity struck. We passed the Marine Corp War Memorial of the Iwo Jim Sculpture. I didn't even realize that was there! We stopped and spent some time at this stunning memorial honoring all the marines who have served our country in armed conflicts since 1775.

Since we were right beside the George Washington Parkway, we then decided to continue the theme and see if we could figure out how to get to the newish Air Force Memorial. We could (with the help of the nice man at the security gate who pointed out the obvious to everyone but us parking lot for visitors to the Air Force Memorial which was across the street. We then spent some time at that truly stunning memorial. The view over D.C. is great---even with the heavy foliage.

Since it turned out we were up the hill from the Pentagon Memorial (to the victims of the 9-11 attacks) we made that memorial our next stop. Or we tried to, anyway. Unfortunately after circling the largest parking lot known to man, we left because all the parking was restricted. The Pentagon Memorial is very tourist unfriendly as near as we could see. Or maybe it is not set up for those of us who are "where to go and park" challenged. Judy was pretty tired from battling the heavy traffic and we were all getting pretty hot by then so we resolved to visit the Pentagon Memorial on Friday after doing some research about where to park.

In the end, I consider it a good day of sightseeing when we go to new places and I have a magnet to put on the refrigerator's "Places We Have Been" display.

I tell Judy this alll the time...

2009-06-23T20:31:00.001-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Gettysburg Photos

2009-06-23T10:27:00.012-04:00

Allison displays a fine understanding of the Union fishhook shaped troop deployment while we have a snack in the visitor center.

John Buford's memorial statue. Buford, (played by Sam Elliott in the movie "Gettysburg") went up into the tower of the Seminary to get a look at the lay of the land. He set the pickets that saw the Confederates coming and one of them fired the first shot in the battle. One of our favorite phrases, "This is good ground." gets repeated a lot when we are at Gettysburg. (Along with a lot of moaning about wanting to see Hancock one more time.)

David Wills House--a Lincoln stayed here moment.

Allison at the monument to the High Water Mark and at the marker for the Angle.

Dinner at Famous Dave's

2009-06-22T23:51:00.024-04:00

Before the feast, we're all happy and alert. We're starving and waiting for the All-American Barbeque Feast to arrive.

Then the feast came--ribs, chicken, corn on the cob....yum-o. (Did Rachel Ray trademark that yet?) After the feast, we took home the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. As you can see Karen's already beginning to nod off. Long day, big meal equals nap.

Gettysburg Revisited

2009-06-22T23:17:00.004-04:00

Judy, Karen, Allison and I made the short trip up to Gettysburg for the third? fourth? time. Karen and Allison hadn't seen the new visitor center and none of us had seen the newly restored and opened Cyclorama. It was a match made in heaven.

The new visitor center is impressive. I say that even though we had to park in the third parking lot which is the furthest away from the center. On this trip we bought the tickets to access all the attractions at the visitor center. (Film, Cyclorama, Museum) First, we toured the museum. Compared to all the artifacts that you used to be able to see in the old visitor center; the museum seems much emptier. They make good use of new multimedia techniques to present information about the battle though. Next, we watched the movie, "A New Birth of Freedom" which was very good. Morgan Freeman narrates and his voice resonates beautifully. The Cyclorama--a 360 degree painting of a part of the battle, is marvelous. It is set up with real items in the foreground which blend imperceptibly into the painting so that you are not sure where the real ends and the painting begins. They do a light show behind the painting which highlights various parts of the painting to go along with a narrative about the battle.

Unfortunately, the majority of the scene is in one section of the painting and if you are in the wrong spot, you are doomed. You don't really see any of the special effects. After the the show they allowed us about five minutes to look at the painting with the lights up full and then they ran us out so that the next group could come in to watch the program. I was pretty peeved because I literally did not see half of the painting because of the number of people crowded up there. Given that you pay ten bucks to see the 22 minute film, see the cyclorama, and go through the museum, we left feeling a bit cheated. On the whole, I do recommend the experience but I recommend that when you go, stand in a spot opposite where the park assistants stand in order to see the best view of the show.

Mystery Item

2009-06-22T23:15:00.003-04:00

What am I?

****Update****

What? No guesses? People take a chance.

I was at Gettysburg BATTLEFIELD. What do you THINK this is?

New Camera At Last

2009-06-22T07:29:00.003-04:00

I've been waffling about for a couple of months, trying to decide on a new camera. I wanted something better than my Polaroid digital camera but something less than the cost of a couch. I wanted a view finder but I also wanted something point and shoot. As much as I'd like to be a better photographer, I really don't want to have to think about it too much. I wanted a better zoom but I also wanted something portable. I don't want to carry a bag with all the accouterments required. At Best Buy yesterday I finally made a decision. I had to compromise because all the cameras with view finders were either too big and bulky or the viewfinder was the size of a pinhole. The sales associate assured me that the glare coating on the view screens on cameras has really been improved. We'll see. I'm going to Gettysburg today and that should provide me with a good testing opportunity before D.C. later this week. I'm pleased with the size and feel of the camera and the zoom is out of this world. I got a Canon Powershot sx 110. I'm sure I'll be posting picture soon so you'll be able to judge for yourself if I chose wisely.

Hats and Old Age

2009-06-17T16:31:00.005-04:00

So I'm shopping today at Walmart. We've got company coming and I needed batteries and well, you get the idea. As I headed for electronics (for the batteries) I spotted a hat. It was like baseball hat but with a wider brim that goes around your head and covers your ears. Hmmm, I think. I could use a hat like that because when I wear a regular baseball hat, while sightseeing, the tips of my ears get sun burnt. My hair is very short. Guy short. I wear dangling earrings just so people know I'm a girl, short. I need a hat like that. Hmm, the only colors they have are black and brown. Hmm, those aren't great colors for a hat in the summer. Why would they pick such dark colors. Don't they know dark colors attract the sun? Even though I don't like the colors I try on the dark brown hat. It should go well with my hair, I think. ACK!! Wha' happened????????? I'm OLD. My hair isn't dark brown any more. it's GRAY. GRAY GRAY GRAY.

Picture me curled up in a corner whimpering. I used to like my gray hair. I've always thought it looked cooool. It's all short 'n' cutting edge. I use goop to spike it. People tell me that it's good-lookin' gray hair. Are they all lying to me?

I immediately headed for the hair dye aisle. I perused the selection. When did hair dye become about young non-gray headed girls make fashion statements? I have no confidence that these dyes can quell my gray. It is stubborn and plentiful. This may require professional help. But wait--if my hair looks young but my face looks old...isn't that mutton dressed as lamb? Oh, the humanity....

Now It's Official

2009-06-15T23:17:00.001-04:00

One More Day, One Day More

2009-06-14T22:15:00.002-04:00

It happens to be true---one more day of school (no kids-inservice) and one of my favorite songs from my favorite musical, Les Miserables.

Farm Town

2009-06-12T22:37:00.007-04:00

So what's the attraction to playing Farm Town on Facebook, you may ask? Many of my co-workers think that I, and others who shall remain nameless, are a bit..wacky for playing this game. Add to that the fact that I play the game obsessively and it is a real puzzler for those who don't have free time and or an interest in computerized farming. Another weird Robin interest to roll their eyes over. Hey, can I help it I'm unique-ish (ignoring the identical twin factor)?

I'd say the attraction is that it's like playing house when you were a kid. You pretend. You create. You imagine. You pretend that you are planting acres of coffee and pumpkins (they are the best money makers). You pretend that you are an entrepreneur, wheeling and dealing, re- investing in your profits in your growing (pun intended) business. You hire people--so now you are a boss (unlike in real life where maybe you are not so boss-like, --okay that one doesn't apply to me because I'm obnoxiously bossy). Anyway--you buy a house, you plant flowers, get a lawn-mower, acquire pets. And you can arrange and re-arrange your little world as often as you please. It only requires you to repeatedly click of the mouse. What's not to love? It's mindless, time-wasting fun and I just happen to have a lot of time coming up. .

By the way--I named my farm "ROBINWORLD".

Heh heh.

Michelle Obama Fashion Ugh

2009-06-11T21:03:00.006-04:00

This is an incredibly unflattering shirt. If you're widest at the hips, choosing a top with embellishment at the hips is a fashion don't. Adding the weird silver belt just makes it worse by highlighting the smaller waist, bigger hips problem. If you have to wear two sweaters over the top to keep warm in chilly England, maybe the fashion angels are trying to tell you to wear something else...warmer. This is an unusual fashion mis-step for Michelle Obama.

High Noon

2009-06-09T21:27:00.005-04:00

While playing Farm Town Judy and I have gotten into the habit of listening to TV. We're working our way through Hogan's Heroes (up to the middle of season five so far) and over the weekend we re-watched Yankee Doodle Dandy for the umpteenth time. Tonight after the stormy weather passed (chuckle chuckle) we ended up on TCM and since the power had flickered two or three times the cable info button had forgotten the name and synopsis of the movie. It was an odd tale about a British army man and his German counterpart around the time of World War I through World War II. Turns out it was called The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. Since the main character was Clive Candy, I don't know exactly where Officer Blimp came in to it. The lead actors were played by unknowns (to me anyway) but Deborah Kerr played three different characters. She ended up married to both men and then was General Candy's driver when he was put in charge of England's Home Guard. Anyway--I kept thinking the German officer was played by Errol Flynn--he has that look as you can see in a picture from a scene in the movie. (He's the guy in the picture when the head bandage.) One of many funny bits, both men fought a duel in the movie before becoming friends. They had facial injuries which required 12 and 8 stitches respectively, they were both put in a "nursing home" for eight weeks to recover. I couldn't figure out why they were in wheelchairs. A scar of your forehead and lip don't usually require such drastic treatment! Anyway--this post started out as a comment on High Noon--if I can only get there. I just do not get this movie. It doesn't seem suspenseful to me at all. And what's with all the clock shots. Can we say overkill? I get it already the guy's life is LITERALLY ticking away...except, oops--he doesn't die--so not so much after all. As you can tell I am a movie cretin.

The Voices of Angels

2009-06-09T21:13:00.003-04:00

My friend Coleen and her daughter Hannah singing Pie Jesu from Requiem by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I haven't seen Hannah since she was two or so--the fact that she is grown up freaks me out a little bit. I'm still immature, see? Meanwhile, what a great voice she has--she prolly gets that from her fabulously talented mother.

Gone to Farm Town

2009-06-08T07:11:00.007-04:00

Sorry for the non-existent blogging, I 've been in Farm Town. Farming is demanding work. You plow and plant and harvest and then do it all again. Add in working a second job for more coins and you can see where a person just wouldn't have time for blogging. My hard work has paid off though, I own the little white farm house now, not just the cabin.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-06-06T10:40:00.001-04:00

to Judy and.....ME!

Hmm, who does this remind me of...

2009-06-03T06:48:00.002-04:00

....oh yeah, ME!

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Saba Before & After

2009-05-30T09:35:00.011-04:00

The weather has been very humid lately. We had days and days of rain. Last, last Wednesday when Saba arrived for our usual Wednesday dinner, I had a "whoa" moment when I saw her hair. Saba is one of those lucky individuals with seriously thick, naturally curly hair (so speaks a thin haired person with board straight hair that won't hold curl). Usually her curly hair is well, tame. Not on Wednesday though--so I asked if I could take before and after shots. Before and after she restrained it, that is.

The Team

2009-05-30T09:32:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I think I spend more time at work than at home. If I was of an mathematical bent maybe I would actually figure out the percentages. (I'm not though so you are out of luck.) My co-workers are like family and they kindly put up with my foibles. Here we are enjoying the opening ceremonies of Field Day 2009. Kudoes to Betsy, Carolyn, Monica, Carolyn, and Teresa!

EES Field Day 2009

2009-05-29T22:58:00.013-04:00

In spite of a foggy damp start, Field Day 2009 took place yesterday at Eldersburg Elementary. The sky cleared and the sun came out (as I can attest because I got a sunburn on my neck--just my left side though). The day was very hot and humid. In the mid-afternoon a thunderstorm rolled through, as such things tend to do with that kind of weather. Everyone headed indoors when the thunder started and Field Day came to a quiet end. Scores of hot, sweaty, red-faced children and parents walked sluggishly out the doors and headed for home. I imagine everyone did the same thing that I did when they got there--jumped in the shower!

Field Day, formerly known as, Play Day, is an invention that was new to me when I came to work in Maryland. We don't have it in the Midwest--at least not in my old school districts. Basically, Field Day is a whole day of P.E. Since 99.9% of children will tell you that their favorite class in school is P.E., you can imagine how popular the notion of a whole, entire day of P.E. is for the children. Field Day is spoken of in hushed tones of reverence. The day starts off with opening ceremonies on the blacktop. We say the pledge. The band plays--Louie Louie-this year. And the Third Graders do their special dance, which they spend weeks practicing. It's a blast watching those Third Graders busting out their moves.

I TOLD you so...

2009-05-26T22:11:00.002-04:00

You would be amazed at how much of my day is spent wanting to say, saying, or reminding people that I said, "I told you so". If only people would listen to me in the first place. I know things. Hello..I am President Queen Robin of Robinworld. It is a fine place--and I have much cr*p knowledge. Anyway--some days I say it so often that I even sing the "I told you so" song made famous by Debbie Reynolds on Will & Grace. Sometimes I'll add the dance in there too. WHAT? You don't remember the song and dance? I'm shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn't have it. I can't understand that..it's famous to moi. (Center of my universe, remember?) I don't know how to take a clip and turn it into a YouTube video--sounds like a professional development opportunity for the summer vacay, so ya'll are out of luck for now. Meanwhile, I'll leave you with the Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis duet of "I Told You So" as a consolation prize. Small comfort compared to watching Debbie Reynolds sing and dance as Grace's mother, I know, but we can't always get what we want...hmm that oughta be a song too.

Hallucinations--They're not for the weak...

2009-05-26T22:10:00.000-04:00

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Srsly, I canNOT stop...

2009-05-25T23:03:00.002-04:00

Remember Me by Lizzie Palmer

2009-05-25T08:09:00.000-04:00

Arlington

2009-05-25T00:01:00.006-04:00

Three Day Weekend

2009-05-24T19:22:00.003-04:00

I've blogged before about the pressure that a three day weekend brings. The expectation that one should be productively engaged in either work or play. Around here lots of people head for the coast and enjoy the beach in Ocean City. I've been reading on Facebook that lots of my friends and family are out in their yards, sprucing things up. Some with kids are watching softball games or going biking. Me--I'm doin' nothing. No thing. Not one thing. Not one vacation-y or permanently productive thing, anyway. Usually I talk about going here or there...and this week was the same. I'd like to get up Gettysburg way and see the cyclo-rama. But for crying out loud---it's like forty-five minutes in the car to get Gettysburg and that is just too much trouble. I haven't even had the energy to read a new book yet. So far I've just been re-reading old favorites. On Saturday, I slept super late and then took a four hour nap. LOL I think I'm taking sloth to whole new levels. Wait--wait--I can at least pat myself on the back because I scrubbed the foyer, kitchen, and den floors today. Woohoo. The house smells bracingly of Mr. Clean now. Now Judy and I have been sucked into the movie Last Holiday--I love it when Queen Latifah goes shopping and blows all her money on fancy clothes and then eats all of Chef Didier's fabulous food. Like the Princess Bride, Fifth Element, and Galaxy Quest; Last Holiday can always pull us in even though we've seen it many times.

Goals

2009-05-24T12:18:00.004-04:00

Mama & Daddy, 1965, Rhode Island

We didn't have many deep talks.

Conversations were kept light.

But once it was quite different.

He spoke honestly in the night.

If we can't learn from other's mistakes,

We won't be happy, he said.

We will not have a better life,

Our marriage needs to be fed.

For we have seen how our folks act,

How they don't pull together in life,

The love they started out with,

Has ended only in strife.

That's not what we want for each other,

That's not what we want for our life.

We want our home to be happy,

With a loving man and wife.

These were the goals he set for us,

And the life that we now shared,

The night he said these things to me,

And his innermost soul he bared.

Mary J. Stevens

1992

The Date

2009-05-22T23:17:00.005-04:00

We had gone to see a movie,

and then to a place to eat.

"I'm feeling kinda hungry," I said,

as we sat down for our treat.

'Course I didn't know 'till later,

I had scared him, with what I'd said.

Though I knew that something troubled him,

for his face--it turned bright red.

When I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich,

he relaxed. quite visibly.

I guess he thought that I'd meant 'starved',

and he couldn't afford the fee.

He didn't make much money.

His pay was really low.

He couldn't afford a three course meal,

my brand new Navy beau.

Mary J. Stevens

Do what you love, Do what you are good at....

2009-05-21T21:51:00.001-04:00

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Fried Green Tomatoes

2009-05-21T21:32:00.003-04:00

In all my travels,

many foods I've tried.

But only in Indiana

did I eat tomatoes fried.

They flour and fry them

before they are ripe.

As long as they're green,

they'll eat any type.

But that is not all,

that I have to tell.

For they eat squash and zucchini,

fried as well.

One more thing,

I'd like to impart.

It's something I've said,

right from the start.

So when in Indiana,

if its food from the ground,

Just flour, and fry it,

and pass it around.

Mary J. Stevens

1992

Norman Rockwell

2009-05-21T21:18:00.005-04:00

I just can't get away from my romantic nature. This is one of my favorite paintings by Norman Rockwell. It is called, "Marriage License". I love the way the man has curved his arm protectively around his delicate fiancee. He's wearing a suit and holding a hat. Her beautiful dress is crisply ironed, a pristine sunshine yellow. She even wears matching shoes. The dark, messy office surroundings provide a contrast the the light prettiness of the future bride.Today couples go apply for a marriage license in blue jeans but once upon a time it was an event for which you dressed up.

Bare by Solo

2009-05-20T19:16:00.005-04:00

We're very big Solo Cup Company fans here in Robin/Judy World. In fact you could say that Judy is even obsessed with Solo Cup and its products and packaging. I guess that's because she works for Solo in the Corporate Graphics and Printing department. She deals with packaging and marketing, so it was big big news here when Martha Stewart used their new Bare by Solo eco-forward(tm) earth-friendly cups and plates on her Birthday Show. She used the products as part of the birthday party table-scape. They showed very well and Martha had many nice things to say about the products. She made a tiered paper candy stand with the products too.

Revelation

2009-05-19T22:49:00.003-04:00

In the interests of sharing, I had a revelation today. I was bopping down the hall toward the kindergarten wing, following in the footsteps of two dancing kindergarteners. They don't just walk-- they twirl and skip and hop and step sideways...it's quite entertaining to watch but a challenge to keep up with at times. Anyway, while following along, I realized I was feelin' good, you know, lively and perky and good. By the end of the day after thousands of steps around the school, I'm usually on the tired side. Not today, I wasn't. And that's when I realized that maybe those iron supplement tablets I'm taking for my anemia are helping me. Maybe I was tired before because of the anemia. Huh. It's not old age after all. That is quite a relief. Now if only there was a vitamin that would help me to remember all the stuff I forget.

Hypocrisy

2009-05-19T22:36:00.004-04:00

Hypocrisy. Hmm, I usually like to add an image to my posts. I think it adds a special something...a bit of flair. It's more interesting than just words words words. I can't think any image that really represents hypocrisy. It's a tough one, so I'll have to settled for "words".

Er, right, my topic is hypocrisy. I have my favorite blogs...I visited them at least once a day. Okay--twice or thrice a day. What can I say? I'm an addict. I won't specify what kind because then we'll have to get into the whole reading addict, doughnut addict...internet addict, Zuma addict...oops, that went farther than I intended. I'm sure you get the idea now though.

Anyway--I have my favorite blogs...and if they don't update and add new posts regularly, I get grumpy. I expect a certain regularly in new things to read. And yet, do I provide that for my readers? No I do not. I want to. I try to. But sometimes life gets busy and sometimes I just don't have anything to post. So there you go--I am a big fat hypocrite.

Lee Mead and Josh Groban

2009-05-17T22:33:00.004-04:00

We watched "Any Dream will Do" the BBC talent show searching for a new Joseph to star on the West End tonight as usual. (In spite of the fact that Comcast has lousy broadcasting of that channel. It constantly undigitizes itself and turns into mosaics of color squares.) It's an old show and the results are already on the internet which, as I've mentioned, just means Judy and I enjoy it all the more. Josh Groban came on the show and chose Lee Mead (the eventual winner) to sing a duet with him of his song, "You Raise Me Up". Lee did a good job. I suspect that Josh chose Lee because he was the most technically able contestant, as well as, the one with the voice most similar to Josh himself.

My Beau

2009-05-16T18:10:00.005-04:00

He was tall and lean,

Still somewhat green,

Just a country boy at heart.

And it hadn't been long

Since he'd left home,

His Navy career to start.

He had a Hoosier accent,

He had it 'till he died,

though he lived in many cities,

And sailed the ocean wide.

At first, he seemed quite shy to me,

With not too much to say.

I didn't know he would become,

Quite talkative one day.

I was most impressed by his gentleness,

He was always so kind, you see.

But the greatest of his virtues,

Was the love he had for me!

I never knew just why I was,

The one to win his heart,

I only thank the Lord that of,

His life I was a part.

Mary J. Stevens

1992

Ahhhh, Friday.

2009-05-15T20:10:00.005-04:00

Isn't Friday night a joy? The relaxation that comes when you sit down in your favorite chair and know that you have nothing pressing to worry about or do. Ahhhh. My Lazyboy is the only man I need. That's how "I" feel on Friday night anyway. All my friends with husbands and children and sporting events and laundry and gym-jam and dance classes--they don't view the evenings and weekends with quite the sense of pleasure that I do. As I often point out, cats aren't as much trouble and work as kids ...especially once they die--the cats, I mean. (Hey, they lived a LONG time...eighteen and nineteen years apiece.)

On the downside with cats, they're never potty trained exactly so you are always dealing with excrement. Our cat Max never did sleep through the night either. I blame Judy for that-- if she would have ignored him when he tried to wake her for food in the night way back in the beginning, he wouldn't have gotten the idea that someone would get up and feed him at 3 am. Hmmm, my post about weekend relaxation just took a weird turn there--I didn't really intend to talk about cat litter boxes, just so you know.

Back to the pleasure of the weekend. I worked late after an excellent day and even managed to start organizing and culling junk in my classroom closet in preparation for the end of the year. I left with the satisfaction that comes with being done with all tasks and a clean desk for Monday.

Since it was my turn to cook I planned a complicated menu of Chinese take-out. Now I'm getting ready to watch the special features of Hogan's Heroes-Season Two. I also shared with Judy my secret (now not so secret) plan to buy a wireless printer for the laptop. It's very inconvenient to have to hook up the laptop to the cord over by the computer desk and I'm not going to keep doing it and that's that.

This weekend, I plan to engage in activities that involved organizing in preparation for the thousands of summer visitors coming our way. Judy's linen closet won't know what hit it after I get done with it tomorrow. I'm also going to get back to reading for the book challenge. I'm pushing 25,000 pages, I believe.

Schooooool's Out for the Summer!

2009-05-15T20:06:00.002-04:00

Huh...tell me..please.

2009-05-14T06:57:00.001-04:00

To My Sunshine

2009-05-13T20:05:00.005-04:00

Before you came into my life,

My future seemed quite dark.

Clouds had covered up the sky,

And silenced the singing lark.

I had little to wake up for,

Less to look forward to.

But God knew what I needed,

So He sent me you.

You have made my life worthwhile again,

And filled it with your love.

My precious bundle of sunshine,

Sent from up above.

Now the sky is bright,

Life is good.

All the dark clouds flee,

When I feel your sweet arms,

Encircling me.

Mary J. Stevens

1996

Kristin's Baby Shower

2009-05-12T18:20:00.012-04:00

Waiting for the shower to start. The guest of honor isn't here.

First things first, get food.

Food and fun time. Woohoo! Now for presents!

Wendy and Kate take it all down. Is the pig with the tiara and tutu cute or what??

Hogan's Heroes

2009-05-11T18:54:00.005-04:00

Judy has become obsessed with Hogan's Heroes. She now claims it is the best sitcom ever made. That's seems a tad excessive to me. Once she discovered it was on TVLand's channel every day, she began "taping" it. Then she discovered it was on some HD channel (I can't remember which one) and she began "taping" that one too. ('Taping' is in quotes because we use the dvr which doesn't actually tape.) Anyway--we were up to saving six HHs a day for a while. Since to keep the dvr relatively empty is an obsession of Judy's that meant Judy felt compelled to watch ALL the episodes daily so she could delete them. That's when I got the idea of seeing if the show was available on dvd. It is and thanks to Amazon we are now the owners of all six seasons with 168 episodes. (No finale though. The heroes don't get a homecoming episode with ticker tape parade.) We've watched all of Season 1 and part of Season 2. Judy insists all watching ALL the episodes even the ones we've already seen, btw.

My question is--how many episodes of Hogan's Heroes can you watch in a weekend before you start talking like Shultz. Whatever it is--we've passed it because my internal monologue now regularly includes Shultz' intonation and phrasing. "I know NOthing! NOthing!"

How many episodes can you watch before you start thinking about writing a scholarly article about the stock characters which appear in the show. One could actually watch each episode with an eye toward analyzing how Shultz puts self before state when he refuses to turn in the heroes when he sees them doing something wrong because it is too much trouble. Or his constant references to how people should all be nice to one another. His anthem cry, "I know nothing" is the apathy of people who see evil and do nothing because they prefer to pretend it does not exist and don't want to be shaken from their comfortable view of the world. Shultz is a lovable character, and yet when you think deeper, he isn't a man of character. He's lazy, weak, greedy, and disloyal.

Robert Clary, who played Louis LeBeau, narrated one episode and had some interesting stories to tell about the series. He narrated one episode entitled "Art for Hogan's Sake" touched on the wholesale theft of the art and treasures of France by the Nazis. Clary actually spent three years in a concentration camp during the War. He felt very strongly that critics of the series who felt it trivialized the Holocaust needed to understand that the series was NOT about the Holocaust and concentration camps, but rather about a POW camp, something completely different. FYI.

See what I mean? Watch enough and you either make meaning or go crazy.

Azaleas versus Rhododendrons

2009-05-11T17:51:00.003-04:00

Azaleas versus Rhododendrons

Clash of the spring titans.

I coulda tole ya this.

2009-05-11T17:40:00.000-04:00

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The Climb

2009-05-10T17:47:00.006-04:00

From my second floor window,
I looked out to see,
My daughter up high,
in a maple tree.

Needless to say,
I was fit to be tied,
I hollared at her
Until she cried.

And though I didn't
like to scold,
I did, for she was
but five years old.

My real feelings,
I tried to hide.
For I was actually,
quite filled with pride.

Mary J. Stevens

Friday Night Manipulation

2009-05-08T20:45:00.005-04:00

Friday Night is our special dinner out night. It's a night for non-fast food, restaurant food. Judy and I take turns buying the dinner and bringing it home. As everybody knows, I don't like eating IN restaurants. I also don't like eating at home. It used to be a dilemma. But fortunately lots of places now offer easy 'to go' food. Chili's happens to be Judy's favorite restaurant. If she had her way I'd bring home Chili's every Friday night. If she knew I had Chili's yesterday for lunch she'd be disgruntled and I'd hear about it. Sadly for her, half the time it is her turn so she has to eat somewhere besides Chili's.

Tonight was Judy's night to cook--ergo-- it was Judy's job to bring home dinner. When she finally wandered in at 6:30 after working late I was feeling sick from waiting for dinner for so long. (Darn iron supplements---everything I was told about them is true. Yuck.) By that time nothing sounds very good. We had our usual back and forth about where to go, to our mutual irritation. Then Judy suggested that she would cook something from the freezer. That appealed even less than going out. So I suggested Chili's. I knew that would turn things around for her. So the questions is who manipulated who? Did I manipulate her into going out to dinner when she was prepared to "cook" something at home? Or did she manipulate me into giving in to Chili's, which I turned down the first time she mentioned it, by suggesting that she'd actually cook? Hmmm.

Happy Birthday Karen

2009-05-07T21:29:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Karen!!

The Broken Leg

2009-05-07T20:48:00.007-04:00

There is a sad story, which here must be told,
A story, I feel, I must unfold.
Of something that happened to Judy one day,
When a patch of ice got in her way.

That awful winter was at it's peak,
There was cold and ice and snow
That January afternoon,
(Whose date I do not know).

On that dark day at five o'clock,
Judy left work for home.
And as she slipped along side her car,
Her workmates heard her moan.

I got the call 'round ten p.m.,
At that hour it gave me a shock.
So the first thing I did as I answered the phone,
Was to look up at the clock.

Bad news, I thought, this time of night,
Then Judy confirmed my suspicions.
She had fallen and broken her leg,
Due to the icy conditions.

A coworker had driven her home,
From the parking lot where she fell.
She waited for Robin to appear,
While her leg continued to swell.

They rushed her to the emergency room,
After they ascertained,
Her leg must surely be broken,
By the sheer amount of pain.

There they sat the whole evening long,
She and Robin awaiting their turn.
'Till at last they saw the doctor,
And suspicions were confirmed.

A splint was applied to hold it firm,
A cast would be put on the next day.
And finally at ten o'clock,
They were sent back on their way.

Oh, the numerous problems,
Like climbing the stair,
And getting herself up out of bed,
Were almost more than Judy could bear.

Next day they put her in a cast,
From her ankle to her thigh.
Her knee was bent at an angle,
And 'why me' was her cry.

For weeks she would have to stay wrapped up,
In the big and heavy cast,
Unable to help herself at all,
But slowly the long days passed.

She was able to do so little,
Or even to get herself up.
The only good part of the whole darn thing,
Was that she could blame The Cup.

Two weeks of leave were granted,
But it wasn't any fun.
Robin waited on her hand and foot,
It kept her one the run.

When at last the big cast came off,
(It was signed with dozens of names),
She didn't expect to get a 'break',
Only more of the same.

Judy, you are the first in the family,
To ever break a bone,
And the rest of us all fervently hope,
That in this you will be alone.

Mary J. Stevens
1994

Truth is Truth

2009-05-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

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Not that I'm braggin'...

2009-05-06T22:58:00.001-04:00

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Between a Rock and a Hard Place...

2009-05-06T22:30:00.004-04:00

Caught between good-bye and "I love you", the devil and the deep blue sea", that is what peri-menopause/menopause is like. Now I'm not saying I'm IN menopause--let's just say I'm ripe for it as I prepare to turn 49 years old next month. But this is what this "time of life" means to me: it means that sometime in April, I started switching back and forth between my air conditioning and my heat. Yep, you got that right, my AIR CONDITIONING went on in APRIL I wonder rather fearfully that will mean for July and August.

Tonight, Saba came over for our usual Wednesday night dinner. (Meatloaf ala Judy ala Paula Dean) In the course of the evening, Judy pulled open the sliding glass door. It's been cool and rainy for the last four days so you'd think it would have a cooling effect, to invite the evening air into the house. Nope. Today's weather turned distinctly spring-rain like (as opposed to winter-rain like) so it felt...muggy. At least to my senses, with it's broken internal thermometer. Not long after Saba left, I excoriated Judy for opening the door--in addition to forcing me to breathe allergy-laden air, she had "muggied" up the house. The air is now blasting away and I'm sitting her without a cuddly-cover in sight.

Truth in Flair

2009-05-04T21:34:00.002-04:00

Something we all should remember.

Swine Flu Prevention

2009-05-04T21:32:00.002-04:00

The CDC has put out some advice for swine flu prevention. (I know they changed the name but I like the animal version...it's friendlier.) Anyway--here's the advice: DON'T DO THIS!

Beans

2009-05-04T17:19:00.004-04:00

I've been posting a few poems by my mother over the last few days. Lest people get the impression my father was not equally talented I have decided to post one of his poems. I'm not sure it is original. I do remember him repeating the poem in a dramatic fashion often throughout my childhood however. Ahem:

Beans I love and beans I crave,

And beans I'll carry to my grave.

And on my tombstone shall be wrote,

Many beans passed down his throat.

Perhaps it was a betrayal of his wishes, but we, his family did NOT put that poem on his tombstone. We did add a little statue of a morel mushroom though. He really, really liked morels.

The Brook

2009-05-03T10:12:00.004-04:00

Brooks run brown, where I come from;

The pine needles make them so.

I loved to go to my special one,

And sit and watch it flow.

The white foam bubbled all around,

As it tumbled over the rocks.

Moss crawled softly up the sides,

Of this most enchanting spot.

I'd throw pebbles in and listen,

To the kerplonking sound they made,

Beneath the fluffy Hemlocks,

In that shady little glade.

Of this very special spot,

I have sweet memories.

Of sitting by that little broook,

As it headed for the sea.

Mary J. Stevens

Vision In White

2009-05-02T19:05:00.010-04:00

My latest read is Nora Roberts' Vision in White. It's the first of a planned quartet of stories about four women, best friends, who run a wedding business. They each play a unique role in providing services to brides. Parker is the overall organizer/planner. Emma is the florist. Laurel is the pastry chef. Mackensie is the photographer.

Vision in White is Mac's story. Mac found her calling early in life when she had an epiphany taking a photogaph of a "moment". Now she captures those moments for others because a photograph makes a moment last forever. This is something she needs to do for her own emotional well-being because she's a child of divorce. She learned early that moments and happiness don't last. Her father is distant and swoops in and out of her life. Her mother is serially involved with men in relationships that are doomed to end because Mac's mother is a selfish besom. All this psychological analysis is, of course, mine.

Mac meets Carter. Love ensues. I really enjoyed the part where Carter was an English teacher. And a nerd. And clumsy. He was no greek billionaire--which, you know, is my preferred type(the romance novel kind, not the Ari Onassis kind, fyi).

I enjoyed Vision in White and I was deflated at the end of realize that I have to wait until December 2009 to read Emma's story, Bed of Roses. Some idiot in publishing has apparently decided that other authors needs chance to publish and now they hold Nora's books back instead of publishing them three or four months in a row. I LIKE the fact that Nora writes fast. I DON'T LIKE having to wait so long between books.

Friday Night RIbs

2009-05-01T20:28:00.003-04:00

It's been a long week. The count down to the end of the year is a stressful time--lots of referrals of kids to be tested, lots of testing, lots of reports, lots of meetings with parents. It seems that summer vacation is racing towards us like a speeding train. The feeling that school should be over pervades the student body which makes working with kids interesting to say the least.

Meanwhile, I'm on a mission to build up my red blood cells. So to celebrate the arrival of the weekend we ordered ribs tonight. I'm practically comatose with contentment. The compete series of Hogan's Heroes which I ordered for Judy has arrived and we're about twelve shows into Season 1. I see lots of Hogan's Heroes in my future. Ribs can go a long way to making anything tolerable.

Berry Picking

2009-04-30T19:31:00.008-04:00

With an old straw hat upon my head,

And my pants down to my shoes,

I set out to go berry picking,

With the pail I always use.

I know all the good places,

Black raspberries can be found.

And I don't ever worry,

About the snakes,

I'm sure are around.

As I hurry on from patch to patch,

The bugs encircle my head.

The thorns have gouged and scratched me,

And my fingers are all red

It's hot and dusty work,

Down my face are paths of sweat.

But I can't quit now,

for I haven't finished,

Filling my pail up yet!

The chiggers have found their way,

To my moist and tender waist.

They 're just another drawback,

Of picking that must be faced.

Now you may not believe it,

But nonetheless, it's true,

Picking black raspberries is,

My favorite thing to do!

Mary J. Stevens

1992

Justin Berk at Eldersburg Elementary

2009-04-30T19:06:00.007-04:00

Eldersburg Elementary School was the site of another celebrity visit. Justin Berk a weather man at Baltimore's abc channel 2 station. He appears on Good Morning Maryland. He broadcast a weather piece from the second grade suite. The kids were beyond thrilled. It was the culmination of their Science unit on weather.

He was very friendly and relaxed.

Here are some of the camera men prepping the equipment before they go live....

Here's Justin Berk with Mike Eisenklam our principal and my friend Ashly. Too bad you can't see the rockin' leopard pants Ashly was wearing for the meet and greet.

The Blacksmith

2009-04-29T21:42:00.005-04:00

My Grandpa had a blacksmith shop,

Where everyone who passed would stop,

And spend the time of day with him,

While he would work with iron and tin.

He started working as a lad,

In the shop owned by his dad.

He never learned to read or write,

For he worked, from morn 'till night.

He had talent and he could draw,

The neatest designs you ever saw,

Of parts for boats, and gates and things,

And he could pound out shoes and rings.

His son became a blacksmith too,

Back when folks had a horse or two.

My Grammy kept the books at night,

Sitting by the kerosene light.

When Grammy, the dinner bell would ring,

Across the road, his friends he'd bring.

And Grammy would set another place,

While Grandpa washed his hands and face.

I'm told he had a kindly way,

Tho' I never met him, I'm sad to say.

He was honest as the day is long,

And everyone says he could do no wrong.

How I wish I'd had the chance to know,

This man everyone admired so.

Mary J. Stevens

Ray Rice-Raven RB

2009-04-29T18:58:00.010-04:00

Ray Rice, a running back for the Baltimore Ravens football team came to speak at our school today to celebrate the fact that our students and staff read 1,000,000 minutes.

He was wonderful! He was fabulous with the kids. He had a wonderful, inspiring story about working for your dream. The kids laughed and shrieked and just enjoyed the afternoon tremendously.

One of the parents was a big fan and was wearing Ray's number so I pushed her to get her picture taken with him. It came out great! Which frankly, is sort of a miracle because I took like forty photos and these three are the best (and only) ones fit to be seen.

Cats Rule, Others Drool..

2009-04-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

In the Doctor's Office

2009-04-28T19:42:00.004-04:00

While waiting for the doctor to see me, I played with my phone. With time to kill, I wished that I could download books onto my phone. Hmm, maybe I can and I just don't know it. I'll have to check into that. Anyway, since there's nothing interesting to photograph in a doctor's examining room, I just snapped my feet. That "Steel Her Heart" polish sure does look fine on my toes.

My doctor's visit went pretty well. My blood pressure is normal. My blood sugar is normal. My cholesterol and triglycerides are all good. Sadly, I'm anemic and my Vitamin D levels are still too low. I'll be eating iron rich foods and doubling up on my Vitamin D from now on. Oh yeah--I've got to start taking a iron supplement too. Yuck.

Sandal Weather = Pedicure Weather

2009-04-27T21:35:00.003-04:00

It's officially spring for me when I wear sandals to work for the first time. The reason being, my school stays cold long after other buildings begin to warm up with the good weather. I rarely break out my summer clothes at school until August. Some people, hardy souls, have been wearing sandals and flip flops for weeks. I can't believe they haven't gotten frost-bitten toes. Our weekend of temperatures in the '90s did their work however. So today I wore sandals to work.

Of course, that meant I had to do a hasty pedicure so my toes were fit to be seen. My heels need some serious work, but I counted on my longish pants to hide those sins. Polish-wise, I usually wear L'Oreal's Las Vegas shade on my toes for most of the summer. It's a good all-around pinky-coral-pearlized color. After looking at it all day though, I decided I needed something new and cutting edge. So at Walmart tonight, I perused the nail polish selection. To my dismay the fast drying polishes are out of favor. I wonder if it's all the formaldehyde? I was immediately struck by Revlon's Steel Her Heart shade. It's a dark metallic gray color. I waffled for a minute or so but finally went for it. Who cares how old I am! It looks great on my toes. Every now and then all that time and energy I put into reading InStyle magazine pays off for me.

Flip Flops

2009-04-26T15:36:00.003-04:00

It's been in the 80's here this weekend which means it is time to break out the flips flops. I adore wearing sandals and I have several pairs. I'm a fan of Birkenstocks and I have a great pair of Clark sandals that have a tennis shoe bottom with a sandal top. (Great for sightseeing in.) But my favorite schlep around footwear is a flip flop. And my favorite kind of flip flop is by Teva. They have a really comfortable and cute strappy flip flop made with a soft fabric strap which comes in a multitude of colors. I highly recommend them. I got mine at DSW, but soon found myself ordering them online. Teva has great customer service too.

Swine Flu

2009-04-26T15:27:00.003-04:00

I understand that the swine flu has become a public health emergency. This causes me some concern because I am an anxious-ness prone person. Also, Judy read the book The Great Influenza about the flu pandemic of the early 20th century which killed millions. It was, frankly, depressing because although health care has improved enormously since then, a new strain of flu does have the potential to cause great grief around the world. At least that is what she told me, although I wish she hadn't. But there you go. Can't unring the bell, so to speak. So, here's praying that we all stay healthy. Wash those hands folks. Dry skin be darned.

Time for that diet...

2009-04-23T18:32:00.001-04:00

see more dog and puppy pictures

Dancing Daffodils

2009-04-22T18:02:00.011-04:00

I was sitting at a stoplight where the median was planted with daffodils today. As each car blew past hurrying to their destination, the daffodils danced. They wiggled and jiggled and swayed. It looked like quite a party. I wished for a camera to capture the sight. Wordsworth said it best...

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

-- William Wordsworth

Movie Weekend

2009-04-20T21:25:00.007-04:00

Judy and I have been wanting to get the Donny Osmond version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on dvd as faithful readers will know. We, if you remember, have it on video but our VCR went caput. Anyway, we went to Best Buy (on our way to Five Guys for lunch) on Saturday to see if the megastore had it. (Walmart didn't, duh.) To my shock--no Joseph at Best Buy.

Hmm, what to do, what to do....Amazon? Sure, that's the solution, right? Just order it online. I need K-cups coffee anyway. (Yeah, I order my coffee from Amazon--wanna make something of it?) But...wait, maybe they have a VCR/DVD combo here at Best Buy. I looked for one at Walmart with no luck. Are they still making 'em? What if they aren't? I still have videos..lots of videos. Okay--yeah..let's check that out. Not only did they have one--it was dvd recordable. Gotta have that. I can now put all my home movies on dvd for family. All the videos of my mother telling her life story into the camera can now be shared out! They'll be so grateful, I know. So that's how we ended up with a VCR/DVD recorder combo. I thought it was a great solution, but Plan B definitely cost way more than just buying a new Joseph on dvd.

Once we had the new machine hooked up, something I did with some verbal assistance from the injured (Judy), we had to try it out. Judy is usually our go-to girl for this kind of technology installment so I was somewhat challenged to learn a new skill set. First we watched our video of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream with Donny Osmond as Joseph. We had to test the vcr part of the machine, see. Then we had to test the dvd part of the machine--so that's when we watched Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Overall, Prince Caspian was good--but there sure were a lot of battle scenes. We had to give the ff button a bit of a work out. I was also surprised the movie started with a woman screaming while giving birth--seemed an inappropriate start to a kid's movie. Judy and I also kept saying--is that in the book? because the whole Peter leads an attack on Lord Miraz' castle didn't ring any bells. Meanwhile, Caspian was a cutey--but what was up with the Spanish accents for all the Telmarines?

With the screening of Prince Caspian and Bolt (over spring Break), I can brag that we have now watched a total of TWO movies of relatively recent release in the last few...six-ish months. What can I say, we're real movie hounds in my house.

Love in the animal kingdom

2009-04-20T17:55:00.001-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Three Times a Lady

2009-04-19T23:06:00.002-04:00

In the summer of '78 I spent a lot of time driving around in the middle of the night. I worked the closing shift at McDonald's and my pals and I would socialize after hours. My then crush had a dark green Triumph Spitfire and this was my favorite song. In Terre Haute kids drove up and down Wabash Avenue for entertainment. Maybe they do it still but I'm too old to know or care. But this song takes me back.

Comfort Reads

2009-04-19T22:28:00.005-04:00

Non-readers don't know about and dilettante readers don't understand the idea of comfort reading. This is an activity hardcore readers participant in when they want to feel better or are really busy and stressed and don't have the energy to invest in reading new books. New books can be a risk. There is no guarantee that you will like your newest read--particularly if it is an unknown author. You don't know if you'll get a good emotional payoff at the end of it as you would with a known book. A comfort read is a book you have already read that you love. It could also be a book by an author that you read because their books have a reliable familiarity about them. You know the emotional payoff is what you want. You are going to have your feel good moment at the end. That's why 'real' readers re-read well-loved books.

I'm coming off of an intense period of reading new books, mostly in the paranormal romance genre. I've also been pretty busy lately taking care of Judy and the house (because of her shoulder injury) and this weekend I just wasn't in the mood nor did I have the energy to delve into new new books. So I pulled out my Miles Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold and re-read selected bits of Memory, A Civil Campaign, and Diplomatic Immunity. After I finished those, I started re-reads of some of my favorite Joan Wolf's like The Deception, The Gamble, and The Pretenders.

I think I'm ready to start another new new book now and I've pulled out a Mojo Sheepshanks book by Linda Lael Miller, Deadly Gamble. I'm trying to be more disciplined in my reading and a person who buys as many new books as I do really has to be dedicated about reading the new stuff rather than just re-reading old favorites. It's tricky though when I own thousands of books and many of them are my favorites. Hopefully Mojo will be as good as reported to me by Judy and Monica and the two books in the series will end up on my re-read list.

For those who can't imagine this re-reading of a book you've already read I offer up three ideas. First, it's a biological fact that books which end happily (like romances or mysteries) cause the release of endorphins in the brain which can become addictive. Seriously. Secondly, people frequently watch the same movie over and over again without thinking it odd. Judy and I get sucked into Apollo 13 every single time we see it on tv. "Houston, we have a problem." We also can't pass by Fifth Element. Thirdly, I think you can also compare comfort reads to listening to well-loved music over and over--especially music from your youth. Those songs from your teen years that instantly propel you back into that feeling you had on a special date or the first time you were kissed or at the prom dancing a slow dance. I never hear the Commodores, Three Times A Lady without a feeling of intense nostalgia for the summer of '78 and driving through the night in a dark green Triumph Spitfire with the top down. I spent hours as a teen listening to the Carpenters and when I hear Rainy Days and Mondays I am transported to a living room in Terre Haute where I sat in front of the stereo speaker.

Gosh, all this nostalgic talk has made me want to re-read another comfort read. Mojo will have to wait.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

2009-04-15T20:35:00.005-04:00

Judy and I are really into Joseph right now because we have become addicted to a show on BBC America, called "Any Dream Will Do". It is about the search for a new leading man for the production on the West End in London. (The Brit's version of Broadway.) I went wild when I realized that John Barrowman who plays Capt. Jack Harkness on Torchwood (also on BBC America) is one of the judges in the show. It turns out the show is at least a year old and we already know who wins but that suits us down to the ground because we are the kind of people who read the end of the book first to make sure we like how it ends.

Anyway--long ago we saw a version of Joseph at the Assembly Hall in Champaign. We subsequently bought a video version starring Donny Osmond. We'd like to watch it again but--as you know. VCRs are going the way of the eight track tape and ours bit the dust a while back. We can't decide if we should replace it or not. Once Judy's shoulder gets better we'll head for Best Buy and see if we can find a dvd of the show starring Donny. In the meantime, here's a Youtube video of Donny in the teeny tiny loincloth he wears while in jail as Joseph. He sings pretty nicely too.

It's kinda amazing really

2009-04-15T19:17:00.003-04:00

I mean, how did a bald, short man become a sex symbol? How did he manage to make the recorder the instrument for hot guys to play? It's amazing....

Whaddaya do?

2009-04-15T19:15:00.005-04:00

It's cold. It's wet. The rain is a steady and annoying presence. Whaddaya do? I guess you just gotta jam.

The Saga of Judy

2009-04-13T16:55:00.008-04:00

Well, we are down to the last day of vacation and finally Judy's doctor's appointment arrived. She was home forty minutes later--setting what had to be a record for speed at our doctor's office--with a prescription for a muscle relaxant, and heavy-duty Ibuprofen. She has been referred to an ortho doctor and will need an MRI to determine exactly what is wrong with her neck/shoulder, arm/thumb. The possibilities seem to be either a torn muscle/tendon or an entrapped nerve. I vote for the nerve because of the thumb-numbness on the other hand she feels like the muscle has torn away from the bone so I guess that's why she needs an MRI. The PA also told her to wear a sling, which gave me the opportunity to say "I told you so" because, well, I told her so--several days ago. She wore it for five minutes and decided that was it.

Meanwhile, the first ortho she called didn't have any appointments available until May. Ohhhh, no----that is SO not going to be how long we wait. I don't want to do all the laundry, cleaning, cooking and dishes forever! I feel so nostalgic for Illinois right now. Back Champaign we could have gotten to an ortho guy and into an MRI chamber within days. I miss Christie and Carle. It was so quick and easy and....easy. Here everything is spread out and you have to make all your appointments yourself and it's just a pain. At least the ball is finally rolling.

**UPDATE**
Judy went to see an ortho guy today. Shoulder strain is the diagnosis. HUH? She is in extreme pain--how can it be just shoulder strain? I don't know--but her doctor was in the Baltimore Magazine Best Doctor's issue so I'm inclined to think he knows what he's doing. She has been given a course of steroids and a script for therapy. The steriods should relieve the nerve irritation and pain. Recovery time is four-six weeks.

Because He Lives

2009-04-12T12:38:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T12:36:00.002-04:00

SECAC Awards

2009-04-11T22:23:00.024-04:00

Tuesday April 7th, my team and I spent the evening at the Carroll County Special Education Citizen's Advisory Council First Annual Recognition and Appreciation Awards. Our team was honored to be nominated by a parent for recognition. It was a great evening spent with friends and co-workers listening to inspirational letters written by parents. I love what I do and I find it rewarding all on its own. It feels good, though, to hear that you are making a difference.

Here's Teresa Gostomski our team leader, and upper elementary resource teacher with her husband Tony.

Carolyn Whittington, our School Psychologist

Carolyn DiStefano, Carolyn DeMay, and Monica Kerr. As you can tell, we're well-supplied with Carolyns. Carolyn DiStefano is our Instructional Assistant, Carolyn DeMay is the lower elementary resource teacher, and Monica Kerr is my right-hand. I literally do not ever want to contemplate doing my job without her.

Mike Eisenklam, Principal Extraordinaire of Eldersburg Elementary School.

Cindy Knies, Barb Cohen, and Theresa French--Third and First Grade Teachers

Trish Galanakis, our Consulting Teacher

Jackie Powell, our former Principal--now Principal of Hampstead Elementary School.

Cindy Bell, our former Assistant Principal--now Principal of Winfield Elementary School.

Neener Neener Neener

2009-04-11T16:51:00.002-04:00