Word of the Day
Sarchasm - The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
I'm making beef jerky. It takes a long time to dehydrate beef, especially since there seems to be a lot of fat in it. The deer jerky I made only took 4 hours to dehydrate. My first batch of beef jerky took 14 hours. I was up half the night mopping grease off of the jerky strips. I'm hoping that this next batch doesn't take so long to make. I'm being a lot more diligent in the mopping and flipping department. I didn't start the flipping process in my last batch until 2 AM. Imagine my horror when I discovered the pools of grease that had accumulated on the flip side. With this batch, I'm flipping and mopping every two hours. Hopefully this will shorten the drying process. I have one more batch of beef jerky meat waiting in the fridge. I'm hoping that this won't be an all-nighter.
HTP has gone off to The Big City to pick #1 son up from college. #1 son is coming home this weekend. Probably next weekend too. If all goes well, we'll be pulling the dock and the boat tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.
HTP mysteriously found the dogs' vet paperwork. And guess what? There is no record of a rabies vaccination in any of the paperwork. It looks like I'll have to take care of it when we get back to Arizona. It's hard for me to believe that no rabies vaccine was given when I brought the dogs in for their shots in April. I asked for one. I still think there's been a clerical error made somewhere and that she did indeed get her shot. Regardless, I'll have to take care of the problem another day when I can check the files that I don't have here in Wisconsin.
Murphyism of the Day
MacDonald's Law
It's tough to get reallocated when you're the one who's redundant.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Word of the Day
Giraffiti - Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
After spending an hour at the dentist this morning, I have a brand new gold crown to add to my collection. I've got so much gold in my teeth right now that I'll have to be careful or I'll get mugged.
HTP and I stopped and picked up some breakfast after my visit to THE DENTIST. We hadn't had so much of a cup of coffee before my appointment so I was in dire need of my daily caffeine fix. The eggs and ham were good too and HTP let me have a bite of his pancakes.
Because we were closeby, we stopped at The Pottery Shed . I love that sort of thing. They had so much to look at that I could have stayed longer than the hour I spent salivating over all the different artistry displayed there. As it was, it was hard to pick out something to buy because it was all so beautiful. I had to give myself a severe talking to and kept my purchases to a minimum. I bought myself a vase that I couldn't not buy and a coffee mug (because I really need another coffee mug...one can't have too many coffee mugs) and some refrigerator magnets.
When HTP and I got home, I noted that the dog's vet papers had arrived in the mail. I got everything all ready to send out to the township so I could get the dogs' licenses and then...I noted that the rabies vaccine on one of the dogs didn't have any dates on it. No date that the vaccine was given. No date that the vaccine expired. Nothing. I called the vet and was told that they don't have a record of my dog having been vaccinated. She was. Before we left for Wisconsin. Unfortunately, my proof is in Arizona, not here in Wisconsin. I had the paperwork but it disappeared. I've torn the lakehome apart looking for it but can't find it. Oh well...I'm sending in what the vet sent me and maybe they won't notice that there are no dates for the shot. My vet will be calling me if he can find the information. IF. Failing all else? I'll have to have my dog re-vaccinated when we get back to Arizona, and apply for the license afterwards. In the meantime, I sure hope that we don't have to board our dogs because the paperwork that I currently have (and have placed securely in the glove compartment of the car where I should have found the other paperwork that went missing) won't pass close inspection.
Murphyism of the Day
Joe's Law
The inside contact that you have developed at great expense is the first person to be let go in any reorganization.
Giraffiti - Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
After spending an hour at the dentist this morning, I have a brand new gold crown to add to my collection. I've got so much gold in my teeth right now that I'll have to be careful or I'll get mugged.
HTP and I stopped and picked up some breakfast after my visit to THE DENTIST. We hadn't had so much of a cup of coffee before my appointment so I was in dire need of my daily caffeine fix. The eggs and ham were good too and HTP let me have a bite of his pancakes.
Because we were closeby, we stopped at The Pottery Shed . I love that sort of thing. They had so much to look at that I could have stayed longer than the hour I spent salivating over all the different artistry displayed there. As it was, it was hard to pick out something to buy because it was all so beautiful. I had to give myself a severe talking to and kept my purchases to a minimum. I bought myself a vase that I couldn't not buy and a coffee mug (because I really need another coffee mug...one can't have too many coffee mugs) and some refrigerator magnets.
When HTP and I got home, I noted that the dog's vet papers had arrived in the mail. I got everything all ready to send out to the township so I could get the dogs' licenses and then...I noted that the rabies vaccine on one of the dogs didn't have any dates on it. No date that the vaccine was given. No date that the vaccine expired. Nothing. I called the vet and was told that they don't have a record of my dog having been vaccinated. She was. Before we left for Wisconsin. Unfortunately, my proof is in Arizona, not here in Wisconsin. I had the paperwork but it disappeared. I've torn the lakehome apart looking for it but can't find it. Oh well...I'm sending in what the vet sent me and maybe they won't notice that there are no dates for the shot. My vet will be calling me if he can find the information. IF. Failing all else? I'll have to have my dog re-vaccinated when we get back to Arizona, and apply for the license afterwards. In the meantime, I sure hope that we don't have to board our dogs because the paperwork that I currently have (and have placed securely in the glove compartment of the car where I should have found the other paperwork that went missing) won't pass close inspection.
Murphyism of the Day
Joe's Law
The inside contact that you have developed at great expense is the first person to be let go in any reorganization.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Word of the Day
Foreploy - Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of improving your love life.
Recently, I've been wondering who exactly is reading my blog. My family. My friends. But, who are all these other people and why are they bothering to read my meandering thoughts and follow the humdrum details of my life. I'm not a paranoid person. HTP is a bit paranoid so he balances me out a bit. I guess I tend to be one of those people who walk through life, looking at everything through a pair of rose-tinted glasses. Actually, I don't own any rose-tinted glasses. I have photo-grey lenses that darken in the sun. I also noted that they darken in the heat and when the snow reflects off of them. But that's beside the point.... Anyway, HTP, paranoid person that he is, forces me to remove my rose-tinted glasses upon occasion.
Oh, I don't care that people are reading my blog. I love it. I have absolutely nothing to hide. I'm a totally boring individual. But....is there someone out there counting how many times I use the word terrorist? Or Marine? Or GI Joe? Believe me when I tell you, my Devil Dog Daughter and her GI Joe husband have both cautioned me when it comes to security. I won't be discussing troop movements or anything like that in this blog. So, if you're reading this hoping to discover something like that. You're out of luck. If you're reading this to find out if I've read the Quran, I haven't. I suppose I could but my reading preferences tend toward romance novels. I may express an occasional opinion when it comes to politics but for the most part, I try to keep things light and fluffy.
It's raining today here at The Lake. Thankfully, I took care of all my gardening yesterday. (Oh, my aching back.) HTP helped so my back isn't too bad. I plan to make those green tomato pickles today but I have to go buy some ingredients first. I need oil. Olive Oil. Hurricane Rita has not effected the production of the type of oil I need. (Please note the historical reference to the times we live in.) However, Hurricane Rita and the cautions from the President to conserve, does effect my shopping plans. I'm making a list of ALL the things I need so I don't have to go out shopping again for a while. Oh...and we won't drive the SUV today.
Murphyism of the Day
Bachman's Inevitability Theorem
The greater the cost of putting a plan into operation, the less chance there is of abandoning the plan--even if it subsequently becomes irrelevant.
Corollary
The higher the level of prestige accorded the people behind the plan, the less chance there is of abandoning it.
****
Periodically, I feel I should give credit where credit is due. My blog is a non-profit journal but I feel that I should give credit to my sources if I use someone else's writings. Most (not all) of the Murphyisms that I use come directly, verbatim, from The Complete Murphy's Law- A Definitive Collection, written by Arthur Bloch. I'm not sure if you can actually buy this book anywhere but I highly recommend it. Sadly, I'm starting to run out of Murphyisms. I'll have to see if he's written a sequel. Either that or I'll have to become really creative and make up a lot more of my own....or how does Funny of the Day strike you? Ah well...I'll think about that another day.
Update
Woohoo! When I get back to Arizona I plan to buy a few more reference books. According to my internet research,
Author Arthur Bloch has compiled a number of books full of corollaries to Murphy's law and variations thereof. These include the original Murphy's Law (1977) and Murphy's Law Book Two (1980), which are very general in scope, and the domain-specific volumes, Murphy's Law: Doctors: Malpractice Makes Perfect and Murphy's Law: Lawyers: Wronging the Rights in the Legal Profession!.
Foreploy - Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of improving your love life.
Recently, I've been wondering who exactly is reading my blog. My family. My friends. But, who are all these other people and why are they bothering to read my meandering thoughts and follow the humdrum details of my life. I'm not a paranoid person. HTP is a bit paranoid so he balances me out a bit. I guess I tend to be one of those people who walk through life, looking at everything through a pair of rose-tinted glasses. Actually, I don't own any rose-tinted glasses. I have photo-grey lenses that darken in the sun. I also noted that they darken in the heat and when the snow reflects off of them. But that's beside the point.... Anyway, HTP, paranoid person that he is, forces me to remove my rose-tinted glasses upon occasion.
Oh, I don't care that people are reading my blog. I love it. I have absolutely nothing to hide. I'm a totally boring individual. But....is there someone out there counting how many times I use the word terrorist? Or Marine? Or GI Joe? Believe me when I tell you, my Devil Dog Daughter and her GI Joe husband have both cautioned me when it comes to security. I won't be discussing troop movements or anything like that in this blog. So, if you're reading this hoping to discover something like that. You're out of luck. If you're reading this to find out if I've read the Quran, I haven't. I suppose I could but my reading preferences tend toward romance novels. I may express an occasional opinion when it comes to politics but for the most part, I try to keep things light and fluffy.
It's raining today here at The Lake. Thankfully, I took care of all my gardening yesterday. (Oh, my aching back.) HTP helped so my back isn't too bad. I plan to make those green tomato pickles today but I have to go buy some ingredients first. I need oil. Olive Oil. Hurricane Rita has not effected the production of the type of oil I need. (Please note the historical reference to the times we live in.) However, Hurricane Rita and the cautions from the President to conserve, does effect my shopping plans. I'm making a list of ALL the things I need so I don't have to go out shopping again for a while. Oh...and we won't drive the SUV today.
Murphyism of the Day
Bachman's Inevitability Theorem
The greater the cost of putting a plan into operation, the less chance there is of abandoning the plan--even if it subsequently becomes irrelevant.
Corollary
The higher the level of prestige accorded the people behind the plan, the less chance there is of abandoning it.
****
Periodically, I feel I should give credit where credit is due. My blog is a non-profit journal but I feel that I should give credit to my sources if I use someone else's writings. Most (not all) of the Murphyisms that I use come directly, verbatim, from The Complete Murphy's Law- A Definitive Collection, written by Arthur Bloch. I'm not sure if you can actually buy this book anywhere but I highly recommend it. Sadly, I'm starting to run out of Murphyisms. I'll have to see if he's written a sequel. Either that or I'll have to become really creative and make up a lot more of my own....or how does Funny of the Day strike you? Ah well...I'll think about that another day.
Update
Woohoo! When I get back to Arizona I plan to buy a few more reference books. According to my internet research,
Author Arthur Bloch has compiled a number of books full of corollaries to Murphy's law and variations thereof. These include the original Murphy's Law (1977) and Murphy's Law Book Two (1980), which are very general in scope, and the domain-specific volumes, Murphy's Law: Doctors: Malpractice Makes Perfect and Murphy's Law: Lawyers: Wronging the Rights in the Legal Profession!.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Word of the Day
Bozone - The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
I've harvested my entire crop of green tomatoes. Although the forecast has been altered and now they're telling me that our overnight temperature on Wednesday night will be 32-degrees, that's still freezing. My recipe for Green Tomato Pickles has been retrieved. I'm also going to try an Italian Green Tomato recipe that HTP's Grandmother used to make. It's basically the same recipe that she used for Pickled Eggplant. I don't know why she actually called it pickled because in my book, you use vinegar to make pickles but...whatever. In her recipe, you salt the cut green tomatoes (or peeled and sliced eggplant) down and let them rest for 24 hours under a weighted plate. After that you squeeze all the moisture out of them, mix them with olive oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes. Cold pack them tightly into sterilized jars. Add more olive oil if needed. Top with lids and rings. Water bath can for 10-15 minutes. HTP remembers this recipe fondly. I'll let you know how it turns out. No ingredient amounts come with her recipe.
Murphyism of the Day
Stewart's Law of Retroaction
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
Bozone - The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
I've harvested my entire crop of green tomatoes. Although the forecast has been altered and now they're telling me that our overnight temperature on Wednesday night will be 32-degrees, that's still freezing. My recipe for Green Tomato Pickles has been retrieved. I'm also going to try an Italian Green Tomato recipe that HTP's Grandmother used to make. It's basically the same recipe that she used for Pickled Eggplant. I don't know why she actually called it pickled because in my book, you use vinegar to make pickles but...whatever. In her recipe, you salt the cut green tomatoes (or peeled and sliced eggplant) down and let them rest for 24 hours under a weighted plate. After that you squeeze all the moisture out of them, mix them with olive oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes. Cold pack them tightly into sterilized jars. Add more olive oil if needed. Top with lids and rings. Water bath can for 10-15 minutes. HTP remembers this recipe fondly. I'll let you know how it turns out. No ingredient amounts come with her recipe.
Murphyism of the Day
Stewart's Law of Retroaction
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Word of the Day
Reintarnation - Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
As usual, I started the morning by firing up my computer, taking care of the dogs, and then on to checking my e-mails and visiting the various blogs and websites that keep me informed as to what and how the rest of the world is doing.
One of the websites that I keep track of is the one that helps me keep track of the weather here at The Lake. Gasp! The forecast for Wednesday night (this week), is that the temperatures will dip down to 29°F. AHHHHH!!!!! The was not the weather report that I was hoping for. However, it did dictate my activities for the day.
After breakfast, I grabbed the bushel basket from the garage and grudgingly harvested what produce remained from my six raised garden beds. I picked a colander of green beans. Three small zucchini. A bunch of green and ripening tomatoes. And a scattering of stray cucumbers (small butusablee). I was ruthless but the beds are now plant and weed free. Well....there may be a few stray weeds but from my experience, there's really no point in removing them completely because next year's crop of weeds will just take their place. I'll worry about that next spring when I prep the gardens again for planting.
I decided to tackle the rest of my garden plants (container and border plantings) tomorrow. My back is twinging and I don't want to press my luck. I just might have enough energy remaining to stow away the tomato cages, the hose, and the garden sprinkler. But that's it. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow or Wednesday during the day....though it's supposed to rain on Wednesday. Maybe I'll tackle the border plants tomorrow and the containers on the deck on Wednesday. Maybe the forecasters are wrong. Maybe I can wait a bit.
Murphyism of the Day
Roger's Rule
Authorization for a project will be granted only when none of the authorizers can be blamed if the project fails but when all the authorizers can claim credit if it succeeds.
Reintarnation - Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
As usual, I started the morning by firing up my computer, taking care of the dogs, and then on to checking my e-mails and visiting the various blogs and websites that keep me informed as to what and how the rest of the world is doing.
One of the websites that I keep track of is the one that helps me keep track of the weather here at The Lake. Gasp! The forecast for Wednesday night (this week), is that the temperatures will dip down to 29°F. AHHHHH!!!!! The was not the weather report that I was hoping for. However, it did dictate my activities for the day.
After breakfast, I grabbed the bushel basket from the garage and grudgingly harvested what produce remained from my six raised garden beds. I picked a colander of green beans. Three small zucchini. A bunch of green and ripening tomatoes. And a scattering of stray cucumbers (small butusablee). I was ruthless but the beds are now plant and weed free. Well....there may be a few stray weeds but from my experience, there's really no point in removing them completely because next year's crop of weeds will just take their place. I'll worry about that next spring when I prep the gardens again for planting.
I decided to tackle the rest of my garden plants (container and border plantings) tomorrow. My back is twinging and I don't want to press my luck. I just might have enough energy remaining to stow away the tomato cages, the hose, and the garden sprinkler. But that's it. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow or Wednesday during the day....though it's supposed to rain on Wednesday. Maybe I'll tackle the border plants tomorrow and the containers on the deck on Wednesday. Maybe the forecasters are wrong. Maybe I can wait a bit.
Murphyism of the Day
Roger's Rule
Authorization for a project will be granted only when none of the authorizers can be blamed if the project fails but when all the authorizers can claim credit if it succeeds.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Word of the Day
Intaxication - Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
Well, we finally pin-pointed our departure date from The Lake. We're going to be leaving on October 15th. It'll take us three nights of hotel stays before we'll be back in Arizona. HTP will start his hotel search in the coming days. Right now our plan is to pull the dock and the boat next weekend. I'm going to have to start putting my garden to bed in the next two weeks which means that I'd better dig out my recipe for green tomato pickles.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part IV
1. Service Conditions as given on specifications will be exceeded.
2. If more than one person is responsible for a miscalculation, no one will be at fault.
3. Identical units that test in an identical fashion will not behave in an identical fashion in the field.
4. If, in engineering practice, a safety factor is set through service experience at an ultimate value, an ingenious idiot will promptly calculate a method to exceed said safety factor.
5. Warranty and guarantee clauses are voided by payment of the invoice.
Intaxication - Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
Well, we finally pin-pointed our departure date from The Lake. We're going to be leaving on October 15th. It'll take us three nights of hotel stays before we'll be back in Arizona. HTP will start his hotel search in the coming days. Right now our plan is to pull the dock and the boat next weekend. I'm going to have to start putting my garden to bed in the next two weeks which means that I'd better dig out my recipe for green tomato pickles.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part IV
1. Service Conditions as given on specifications will be exceeded.
2. If more than one person is responsible for a miscalculation, no one will be at fault.
3. Identical units that test in an identical fashion will not behave in an identical fashion in the field.
4. If, in engineering practice, a safety factor is set through service experience at an ultimate value, an ingenious idiot will promptly calculate a method to exceed said safety factor.
5. Warranty and guarantee clauses are voided by payment of the invoice.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Word of the Day
Cashtration - The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
It's one of those grey, dreary, days that reminds me of Oregon. It's actually so cool today that I momentarily considered turning on the heat before I decided to drag on a sweatshirt instead. This might be the perfect day to start a fire in the fireplace and curl up with a good book.
I bought the entire first season of Desperate Housewives the other day when we were in town. I'm looking forward to watching it. When the program first came out, I thought it was yet another "reality" TV show. By the time I found out that it wasn't another "reality" show, it was too late. It became apparent that Desperate Housewives was one of those shows that one needs to watch from the beginning. Just like The Sopranos. Sad to say, I think I may have missed a bunch of good shows because of my lack of fondness for "reality" TV shows. In my humble opinion, "reality" TV shows depict nothing remotely close to "reality" and their very existence is owed to a writer's strike which is long over. Maybe I'd better check out the new season since it looks like the writers have gone back to work.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part III
1. Interchangeable parts won't.
2. Manufacturer's specifications of performance should be multiplied by a factor of 0.5.
3. Salespeople's claims for performance should be multiplied by a factor of 0.25.
4. Installation of Operating Instructions shipped with the device will be promptly discarded by the Receiving Department.
5. Any device requiring service or adjustment will be least accessible.
Cashtration - The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
It's one of those grey, dreary, days that reminds me of Oregon. It's actually so cool today that I momentarily considered turning on the heat before I decided to drag on a sweatshirt instead. This might be the perfect day to start a fire in the fireplace and curl up with a good book.
I bought the entire first season of Desperate Housewives the other day when we were in town. I'm looking forward to watching it. When the program first came out, I thought it was yet another "reality" TV show. By the time I found out that it wasn't another "reality" show, it was too late. It became apparent that Desperate Housewives was one of those shows that one needs to watch from the beginning. Just like The Sopranos. Sad to say, I think I may have missed a bunch of good shows because of my lack of fondness for "reality" TV shows. In my humble opinion, "reality" TV shows depict nothing remotely close to "reality" and their very existence is owed to a writer's strike which is long over. Maybe I'd better check out the new season since it looks like the writers have gone back to work.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part III
1. Interchangeable parts won't.
2. Manufacturer's specifications of performance should be multiplied by a factor of 0.5.
3. Salespeople's claims for performance should be multiplied by a factor of 0.25.
4. Installation of Operating Instructions shipped with the device will be promptly discarded by the Receiving Department.
5. Any device requiring service or adjustment will be least accessible.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Word of the Day
Eyecons - Optical illusions
I've started work on yet another afghan. I suspect that I'll have to buy more yarn but my main purpose is to use up the surplus yarn that I had for my sweater project.
HTP and I are trying to get things organized for our return trip to Arizona. Today I looked and looked for the dogs' vet paperwork. I finally had to call the vet and ask them to send us another set. What started my search was that the township called me back to answer my inquiry as to how to get a dog license. Easy? Well, it would have been if I could have found the darn paperwork. Oh well, it should get here next week sometime and I'll be able to apply for the licenses then. Good thing that we don't plan to head out of here for a while.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part II
1. If only one bid can be secured on any project, the price will be unreasonable.
2. If a test installation functions perfectly, all subsequent production units will malfunction.
3. All delivery promises must be multiplied by a factor of 2.0.
4. Major changes in construction will always be requested after fabrication is nearly completed.
5. Parts that positively cannot be assembled in improper order, will be.
Eyecons - Optical illusions
I've started work on yet another afghan. I suspect that I'll have to buy more yarn but my main purpose is to use up the surplus yarn that I had for my sweater project.
HTP and I are trying to get things organized for our return trip to Arizona. Today I looked and looked for the dogs' vet paperwork. I finally had to call the vet and ask them to send us another set. What started my search was that the township called me back to answer my inquiry as to how to get a dog license. Easy? Well, it would have been if I could have found the darn paperwork. Oh well, it should get here next week sometime and I'll be able to apply for the licenses then. Good thing that we don't plan to head out of here for a while.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part II
1. If only one bid can be secured on any project, the price will be unreasonable.
2. If a test installation functions perfectly, all subsequent production units will malfunction.
3. All delivery promises must be multiplied by a factor of 2.0.
4. Major changes in construction will always be requested after fabrication is nearly completed.
5. Parts that positively cannot be assembled in improper order, will be.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Word of the Day
Extrumpolate - Process used in figuring out how to be rich.
A cold front has chased the storms away. HTP and I went and checked on my folks' place as well as my sister's and brother's places. No damage. Very little littering the driveway. The electricity was functioning. Actually, the worst of the storms went south of us, so we lucked out. Again. HTP mentioned that, looking south toward Rice Lake (our nearest city), it looked like Shock and Awe. Flash and Bam and no respite. However, he drove to Rice Lake today and didn't see any immediate signs of destruction.
Today is the first day of Fall. It actually feels like it. Time to drag the long pants and sweatshirts out. It's supposed to get down to 36°F tonight. No freezing but pretty darn close.
In the news, I hear that The Donald is building a huge, multi-story condo complex back in Mesa, Arizona. Somehow he managed to get this approved by the city planningcommissionn despite the fact that the condo exceeds the height restrictions for the area and over the horrified screams of the neighboring home-owners who will no longer have their nice view of Camelback Mountain. There goes the neighborhood.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part I
1. In any calculation, any error that can creep in will do so.
2. Any error in any calculation will be in the direction of most harm.
3. In any formula, constants especiallyy those obtained from engineering handbooks) are to be treated as variables.
4. The best approximation of service conditions in the laboratory will not begin to meet those conditions encountered in actual service.
5. The most vital dimension on any plan or drawing stands the greatest chance of being omitted.
Extrumpolate - Process used in figuring out how to be rich.
A cold front has chased the storms away. HTP and I went and checked on my folks' place as well as my sister's and brother's places. No damage. Very little littering the driveway. The electricity was functioning. Actually, the worst of the storms went south of us, so we lucked out. Again. HTP mentioned that, looking south toward Rice Lake (our nearest city), it looked like Shock and Awe. Flash and Bam and no respite. However, he drove to Rice Lake today and didn't see any immediate signs of destruction.
Today is the first day of Fall. It actually feels like it. Time to drag the long pants and sweatshirts out. It's supposed to get down to 36°F tonight. No freezing but pretty darn close.
In the news, I hear that The Donald is building a huge, multi-story condo complex back in Mesa, Arizona. Somehow he managed to get this approved by the city planningcommissionn despite the fact that the condo exceeds the height restrictions for the area and over the horrified screams of the neighboring home-owners who will no longer have their nice view of Camelback Mountain. There goes the neighborhood.
Murphyism of the Day
The Recommended Practices Committee of the International Society of Philosophical Engineers' Universal Laws for Naive Engineers - Part I
1. In any calculation, any error that can creep in will do so.
2. Any error in any calculation will be in the direction of most harm.
3. In any formula, constants especiallyy those obtained from engineering handbooks) are to be treated as variables.
4. The best approximation of service conditions in the laboratory will not begin to meet those conditions encountered in actual service.
5. The most vital dimension on any plan or drawing stands the greatest chance of being omitted.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Word of the Day
Exsnoredinary - So incredibly boring that it makes you snore.
I don't know if I could truly give justice to a blog written about my day today. It was that ordinary. If I wrote about it, you would fall asleep. The weather? Warm and humid. Activities? We went out and had our windshield checked to see if it needed replacing or just patching. They're going to come and try patching it on Friday. If that doesn't work, they'll replace it. We went shopping. We ate lunch. We're back home and I'm blogging. See? A perfectly ordinary day.
So? I'm going to provide a funny that I read instead of blogging on and on about such ordinary activities day after day.
Funny of the Day
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c".
Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
Murphyism of the Day
Farrell's Law of New-Fangled Gadgetry
The most expensive component is the one that breaks.
Update
Not so uneventful afterall. I must say that the weather today did feel like it could turn nasty. Hot and humid. The weather has turned nasty. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings! Baseball-size hail in Rice Lake. Tornado Warnings! I suspect #1 son got hearded to a safe place in his dorm tonight, along with his fellow dorm-mates. Yes, they had tornado warnings in Hennepin County. I took the dogs down to the basement though our county looks like it'll escape the tornado warnings. HTP and I are fine and I don't think we'll have to join the dogs but it's a lot faster for me and HTP to head down to the basement without having to juggle a dog kennel should it become necessary. HTP has been watching the radar on the laptop. We haven't lost power. Only a slight flickering and dimming of the lights. We only lost our TV reception for a short while. I love storms. I'll worry about any damage tomorrow. Nothing as far as I can see so far but HTP and I'll have to go check for fallen trees tomorrow.
Exsnoredinary - So incredibly boring that it makes you snore.
I don't know if I could truly give justice to a blog written about my day today. It was that ordinary. If I wrote about it, you would fall asleep. The weather? Warm and humid. Activities? We went out and had our windshield checked to see if it needed replacing or just patching. They're going to come and try patching it on Friday. If that doesn't work, they'll replace it. We went shopping. We ate lunch. We're back home and I'm blogging. See? A perfectly ordinary day.
So? I'm going to provide a funny that I read instead of blogging on and on about such ordinary activities day after day.
Funny of the Day
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c".
Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
Murphyism of the Day
Farrell's Law of New-Fangled Gadgetry
The most expensive component is the one that breaks.
Update
Not so uneventful afterall. I must say that the weather today did feel like it could turn nasty. Hot and humid. The weather has turned nasty. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings! Baseball-size hail in Rice Lake. Tornado Warnings! I suspect #1 son got hearded to a safe place in his dorm tonight, along with his fellow dorm-mates. Yes, they had tornado warnings in Hennepin County. I took the dogs down to the basement though our county looks like it'll escape the tornado warnings. HTP and I are fine and I don't think we'll have to join the dogs but it's a lot faster for me and HTP to head down to the basement without having to juggle a dog kennel should it become necessary. HTP has been watching the radar on the laptop. We haven't lost power. Only a slight flickering and dimming of the lights. We only lost our TV reception for a short while. I love storms. I'll worry about any damage tomorrow. Nothing as far as I can see so far but HTP and I'll have to go check for fallen trees tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Word of the Day
Exhaustipated - More than exhaustion.
I packaged up two separate batches of deer jerky, vacuum-sealed them (after I discovered where I stashed my new vacuum sealer...my old one, which I should have tossed because it doesn't work, was readily found), and got them all ready in special envelopes to send out tomorrow in the mail. I'm sending one envelope to my son. He wrote, in answer to my e-mail him about the deer jerky, "Yes, send it, I require much jerky." I e-mailed my GI Joe son-in-law to ask him if he wanted some deer jerky. Surprise! He called me today! Just to catch me up on the news from Ft. Riley. He couldn't possibly have gotten my e-mail...so I asked him if he would eat deer jerky because my Devil Dog Daughter (who looks like she'll be going to Camp Pendleton instead of Yuma after she "graduates" from Cherry Point...but nothing is "official" as yet) doesn't eat Bambi. He does. So, the other envelope is all ready to be sent to GI Joe. Tomorrow. I kept a goodly amount of deer jerky for myself. I love the stuff.
Thanks again, Sis! Anytime you have a surplus of venison, feel free to send it my way. By the way, did I tell you that I saw two deer in my backyard? But I'm willing to bet Mom would appreciate a thinning of the herd near her cabin. Especially the deer that have been nibbling on her pole beans, raspberries, and grapes. The last time I talked to her, she had a definite "Kill the Wabbit" sound in her voice...except...I guess it wasn't a Wabbit that she was wanting to kill. Oh...and thanks again Mom, for the use of your food-dehydrator.
I also canned three more quarts of tomatoes from my garden. And did the laundry. Keep your collective fingers crossed. If all of my green tomatoes ripen, I'll have more than enough tomatoes to put up for the winter and enough left over to last until next year's crop starts to ripen.
Murphyism of the Day
Pattison's Law of Electronics
If wires can be connected in two different ways, the first way blows the fuse.
Exhaustipated - More than exhaustion.
I packaged up two separate batches of deer jerky, vacuum-sealed them (after I discovered where I stashed my new vacuum sealer...my old one, which I should have tossed because it doesn't work, was readily found), and got them all ready in special envelopes to send out tomorrow in the mail. I'm sending one envelope to my son. He wrote, in answer to my e-mail him about the deer jerky, "Yes, send it, I require much jerky." I e-mailed my GI Joe son-in-law to ask him if he wanted some deer jerky. Surprise! He called me today! Just to catch me up on the news from Ft. Riley. He couldn't possibly have gotten my e-mail...so I asked him if he would eat deer jerky because my Devil Dog Daughter (who looks like she'll be going to Camp Pendleton instead of Yuma after she "graduates" from Cherry Point...but nothing is "official" as yet) doesn't eat Bambi. He does. So, the other envelope is all ready to be sent to GI Joe. Tomorrow. I kept a goodly amount of deer jerky for myself. I love the stuff.
Thanks again, Sis! Anytime you have a surplus of venison, feel free to send it my way. By the way, did I tell you that I saw two deer in my backyard? But I'm willing to bet Mom would appreciate a thinning of the herd near her cabin. Especially the deer that have been nibbling on her pole beans, raspberries, and grapes. The last time I talked to her, she had a definite "Kill the Wabbit" sound in her voice...except...I guess it wasn't a Wabbit that she was wanting to kill. Oh...and thanks again Mom, for the use of your food-dehydrator.
I also canned three more quarts of tomatoes from my garden. And did the laundry. Keep your collective fingers crossed. If all of my green tomatoes ripen, I'll have more than enough tomatoes to put up for the winter and enough left over to last until next year's crop starts to ripen.
Murphyism of the Day
Pattison's Law of Electronics
If wires can be connected in two different ways, the first way blows the fuse.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Word of the Day
Exfolgerate - To spew coffee out one's mouth or nose.
Back to gardening. The rain that started up last night, let up and dried up before 2PM, so I was able to pick the tomatoes. I really should can tomatoes but...tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow when I do the laundry. I didn't get the jerky done until around 2 AM this morning. It would have been done at around 1 AM but I fell asleep and the timer wasn't loud enough to wake me. I did wake up at 2 AM so all was not lost. The jerky is done. I portioned it out and labeled it. And I sampled it. Deer Jerky is addicting.
Murphyism of the Day
Klipstein's Laws on Applied Prototyping and Production- Part II
1. A failure will not appear till a unit has passed final inspection.
2. A purchased component or instrument will meet its specs long enough, and only long enough, to pass incoming inspection.
3. After the last of sixteen mounting screws has been removed from an access cover, it will be discovered that the wrong access cover has been removed.
4. After an access cover has been secured by sixteen hold-down screws, it will be discovered that the gasket has been omitted.
5. After an instrument has been assembled, extra components will be found on the bench.
Exfolgerate - To spew coffee out one's mouth or nose.
Back to gardening. The rain that started up last night, let up and dried up before 2PM, so I was able to pick the tomatoes. I really should can tomatoes but...tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow when I do the laundry. I didn't get the jerky done until around 2 AM this morning. It would have been done at around 1 AM but I fell asleep and the timer wasn't loud enough to wake me. I did wake up at 2 AM so all was not lost. The jerky is done. I portioned it out and labeled it. And I sampled it. Deer Jerky is addicting.
Murphyism of the Day
Klipstein's Laws on Applied Prototyping and Production- Part II
1. A failure will not appear till a unit has passed final inspection.
2. A purchased component or instrument will meet its specs long enough, and only long enough, to pass incoming inspection.
3. After the last of sixteen mounting screws has been removed from an access cover, it will be discovered that the wrong access cover has been removed.
4. After an access cover has been secured by sixteen hold-down screws, it will be discovered that the gasket has been omitted.
5. After an instrument has been assembled, extra components will be found on the bench.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Word of the Day
Everywhen - All the time.
I've been making deer jerky today. I'd grind up a pound of meat (venison). Add the spice packets that came with my extruder. And then extrude the whole onto the drying racks. Repeat. Repeat. I could only mix up three batches because I ran out of racks. I know that I can use my convection oven to make the jerky but I figure I'd wait and see. I made one batch of pepperoni jerky, one batch of Cajun jerky, and one batch of original recipe jerky. Actually, I would have used my own recipe, if I could have found it. I left that recipe back in Arizona. One of these days I need to transfer all my recipes onto the computer so I can have them wherever I happen to be. I was going to start on that project this summer but it didn't happen. Maybe I'll tackle that project this winter.
I'm going to try a recipe I found online when I make one of the next three batches of deer jerky. It sounds a lot like my own recipe but since I can't remember my own recipe? We'll see how things work out. I'll use another of the original recipe packets and a Cajun packet for the other two of three. In all, I plan to make six batches of deer jerky. Believe me, that may sound like a lot but once you suck every bit of moisture out of that meat, not much is left.
Murphyism of the Day
Klipstein's Laws on Applied Prototyping and Production- Part I
1. Tolerances will accumulate unidirectionally toward maximum difficulty to assemble.
2. If a project requires "n" components, there will be "n-1" units in stock.
3. A motor will rotate in the wrong direction.
4. A fail-safe circuit will destroy others.
5. A transistor protected by a fast-acting fuse will protect the fuse by blowing first.
Everywhen - All the time.
I've been making deer jerky today. I'd grind up a pound of meat (venison). Add the spice packets that came with my extruder. And then extrude the whole onto the drying racks. Repeat. Repeat. I could only mix up three batches because I ran out of racks. I know that I can use my convection oven to make the jerky but I figure I'd wait and see. I made one batch of pepperoni jerky, one batch of Cajun jerky, and one batch of original recipe jerky. Actually, I would have used my own recipe, if I could have found it. I left that recipe back in Arizona. One of these days I need to transfer all my recipes onto the computer so I can have them wherever I happen to be. I was going to start on that project this summer but it didn't happen. Maybe I'll tackle that project this winter.
I'm going to try a recipe I found online when I make one of the next three batches of deer jerky. It sounds a lot like my own recipe but since I can't remember my own recipe? We'll see how things work out. I'll use another of the original recipe packets and a Cajun packet for the other two of three. In all, I plan to make six batches of deer jerky. Believe me, that may sound like a lot but once you suck every bit of moisture out of that meat, not much is left.
Murphyism of the Day
Klipstein's Laws on Applied Prototyping and Production- Part I
1. Tolerances will accumulate unidirectionally toward maximum difficulty to assemble.
2. If a project requires "n" components, there will be "n-1" units in stock.
3. A motor will rotate in the wrong direction.
4. A fail-safe circuit will destroy others.
5. A transistor protected by a fast-acting fuse will protect the fuse by blowing first.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Word of the Day
Estrogination - The methodical verbal execution of the male species through continuous, pre-medicated nagging.
Another day of thinking about all the things that I would have done if my back wasn't still causing problems. I've read two books and I'm on a third. I did walk the mile up and down my driveway. For some odd reason, I actually thought it might help my back. It didn't. Oh well.
I've got four pounds of venison that my sister sent over, thawing in my fridge. She sent over several packages of "large scraps" that I was told would have to be stewed for a long, long time so a person could actually chew them or...I could grind them up and make something else out of them. I plan to make venison jerky out of the large scraps. Deer Jerky. Tomorrow. My Mom sent over her food dehydrator, so tomorrow I'm all ready to start on my newest project. I'd planned to make beef jerky but the cost of beef has been way too high this summer here in Wisconsin. I noted that the cost of meat in Arizona isn't so prohibitive. I suppose it may have something to do with corn fed beef vs. range beef. My sister also sent over some venison steaks, venison chops, and small scraps. Hugs to my sister. She's getting her freezer all ready for the coming hunt. Hopefully the hunt will be successful and she'll be willing to share next summer.
Murphyism of the Day
Klipstein's Laws As Applied to General Engineering
1. A patent application will be preceded by a similar application submitted one week earlier by an independent worker.
2. Firmness of delivery dates is inversely proportional to the tightness of the schedule.
3. Dimensions will always be expressed in the least usable term. Velocity, for example, will be expressed in furlongs per fortnight.
4. Any wire cut to length will be too short.
Estrogination - The methodical verbal execution of the male species through continuous, pre-medicated nagging.
Another day of thinking about all the things that I would have done if my back wasn't still causing problems. I've read two books and I'm on a third. I did walk the mile up and down my driveway. For some odd reason, I actually thought it might help my back. It didn't. Oh well.
I've got four pounds of venison that my sister sent over, thawing in my fridge. She sent over several packages of "large scraps" that I was told would have to be stewed for a long, long time so a person could actually chew them or...I could grind them up and make something else out of them. I plan to make venison jerky out of the large scraps. Deer Jerky. Tomorrow. My Mom sent over her food dehydrator, so tomorrow I'm all ready to start on my newest project. I'd planned to make beef jerky but the cost of beef has been way too high this summer here in Wisconsin. I noted that the cost of meat in Arizona isn't so prohibitive. I suppose it may have something to do with corn fed beef vs. range beef. My sister also sent over some venison steaks, venison chops, and small scraps. Hugs to my sister. She's getting her freezer all ready for the coming hunt. Hopefully the hunt will be successful and she'll be willing to share next summer.
Murphyism of the Day
Klipstein's Laws As Applied to General Engineering
1. A patent application will be preceded by a similar application submitted one week earlier by an independent worker.
2. Firmness of delivery dates is inversely proportional to the tightness of the schedule.
3. Dimensions will always be expressed in the least usable term. Velocity, for example, will be expressed in furlongs per fortnight.
4. Any wire cut to length will be too short.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Word of the Day
Escapegoat - No one left to blame.
My back is getting better. As long as I'm careful, I can function in a near normal capacity. This is a good thing. My freezer has been cleaned...by me. I even cleaned the kitchen...somewhat...while I was at it.
I have formulated certain rules when it comes to my back while it's in its present condition.
1. No sudden movements allowed.
2. If you need to reach for something on either side of you, in front of you, or in back of you, let your desk chair do the twisting.
3. If you need to bend down to pick something up from the floor, Think first! Ask yourself the following question, "Do you really need that particular item?" If the answer is yes, widen the stance of your feet and bend from the knees, not the waist.
4. Prolonged sitting in a computer chair is forbidden.
5. Gardening can wait.
6. Think before you empty the dishwasher. See Rule #3.
7. Internal use of alcohol ( in moderation ) is helpful.
8. Long soaking bouts in a jacuzzi are helpful but only if you can actually lever yourself in and out of said jacuzzi without causing further damage.
Aside from that, not much is going on. It's a beautiful day today. Not too hot and not too cold. Oh...and we've already started getting calls for free trips to Laughlin, all expenses paid. From Eau Claire? I told her that we'd think about it...next summer. I've never been a person who felt you should burn your bridges or slam doors in the face of future opportunities.
Murphyism of the Day
Booker's Law
An ounce of application is worth a ton of abstraction.
Escapegoat - No one left to blame.
My back is getting better. As long as I'm careful, I can function in a near normal capacity. This is a good thing. My freezer has been cleaned...by me. I even cleaned the kitchen...somewhat...while I was at it.
I have formulated certain rules when it comes to my back while it's in its present condition.
1. No sudden movements allowed.
2. If you need to reach for something on either side of you, in front of you, or in back of you, let your desk chair do the twisting.
3. If you need to bend down to pick something up from the floor, Think first! Ask yourself the following question, "Do you really need that particular item?" If the answer is yes, widen the stance of your feet and bend from the knees, not the waist.
4. Prolonged sitting in a computer chair is forbidden.
5. Gardening can wait.
6. Think before you empty the dishwasher. See Rule #3.
7. Internal use of alcohol ( in moderation ) is helpful.
8. Long soaking bouts in a jacuzzi are helpful but only if you can actually lever yourself in and out of said jacuzzi without causing further damage.
Aside from that, not much is going on. It's a beautiful day today. Not too hot and not too cold. Oh...and we've already started getting calls for free trips to Laughlin, all expenses paid. From Eau Claire? I told her that we'd think about it...next summer. I've never been a person who felt you should burn your bridges or slam doors in the face of future opportunities.
Murphyism of the Day
Booker's Law
An ounce of application is worth a ton of abstraction.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Word of the Day
Erdoo - Small droppings left after trying to erase something.
I've been dealing with a bad back since yesterday afternoon. A sciatica thing. Happens sometimes. HTP asked me what I did to "throw my back out". If I knew that, I wouldn't have done that thing and he wouldn't be asking me what I'd done. I won't be so ridiculous as to say that I hate pain because only a masochist doesn't hate pain. But I really hate it when there really isn't anything that can be done about it but just sit there, or lay there, or just endure. It's starting to improve but I'm rather frustrated by it. Pain always frustrates me for the very reason that sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it. So, I've been doing my back stretching exercises which I know will help...eventually... and I've been laying about like a slug...which also helps. On the plus side, I got to read a really good book whilst laying about like a slug. I did bottle my first batch of blackberry wine. I have to clean out my freezer but that will have to wait until tomorrow. My sister called to let me know that she's sending over some frozen venison. She wanted to know how much I wanted. So? Time to clean the freezer. Gotta make some room. But, as I said, I'll wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow, my back will be better...or it won't...but at least I'll give it one more night because I absolutely refuse to lay about like a slug for any longer than that.
Murphyism of the Day
The Last Law
If several things that could have gone wrong have not gone wrong, it would have been ultimately beneficial for them to have gone wrong.
Erdoo - Small droppings left after trying to erase something.
I've been dealing with a bad back since yesterday afternoon. A sciatica thing. Happens sometimes. HTP asked me what I did to "throw my back out". If I knew that, I wouldn't have done that thing and he wouldn't be asking me what I'd done. I won't be so ridiculous as to say that I hate pain because only a masochist doesn't hate pain. But I really hate it when there really isn't anything that can be done about it but just sit there, or lay there, or just endure. It's starting to improve but I'm rather frustrated by it. Pain always frustrates me for the very reason that sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it. So, I've been doing my back stretching exercises which I know will help...eventually... and I've been laying about like a slug...which also helps. On the plus side, I got to read a really good book whilst laying about like a slug. I did bottle my first batch of blackberry wine. I have to clean out my freezer but that will have to wait until tomorrow. My sister called to let me know that she's sending over some frozen venison. She wanted to know how much I wanted. So? Time to clean the freezer. Gotta make some room. But, as I said, I'll wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow, my back will be better...or it won't...but at least I'll give it one more night because I absolutely refuse to lay about like a slug for any longer than that.
Murphyism of the Day
The Last Law
If several things that could have gone wrong have not gone wrong, it would have been ultimately beneficial for them to have gone wrong.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Word of the Day
E-pital - The place where ailing computers are repaired.
Today was spent watching Hurricane Ophelia barrel her way right toward my Devil Dog Daughter's base. Not much you can actually do but watch...or just turn off the TV. However, HTP has had the radar cued up on his computer. His eyes are either glued to his computer or to The Weather Channel. No, they didn't evacuate. They're riding this one out.
I also watched the confirmation hearings for Roberts...for a teeny bit. He actually sounded intelligent. Brilliant even. As for the group of politicians who were doing the questioning? I won't go there.
It's been a beautiful day here. Cool. Dry. Fall is definitely in the air. My new sweater has been getting some use. No. I didn't give it to the dogs to wear. I wore it. It may not be perfect, but as a first attempt, at least I can wear it.
I picked the beans and a nice-sized (not a log) zucchini from the garden. I haven't decided which of those we'll have with our chicken marsala tonight. I also picked more tomatoes so it looks like I'll be doing more canning tomorrow. If the weather holds, and we don't get any frost, I'll be doing a lot of tomato canning. If we do get a frost? I'll be making green tomato pickles or more relish or both. It'll probably end up as a combination of all three.
Murphyism of the Day
Muir's Law
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
E-pital - The place where ailing computers are repaired.
Today was spent watching Hurricane Ophelia barrel her way right toward my Devil Dog Daughter's base. Not much you can actually do but watch...or just turn off the TV. However, HTP has had the radar cued up on his computer. His eyes are either glued to his computer or to The Weather Channel. No, they didn't evacuate. They're riding this one out.
I also watched the confirmation hearings for Roberts...for a teeny bit. He actually sounded intelligent. Brilliant even. As for the group of politicians who were doing the questioning? I won't go there.
It's been a beautiful day here. Cool. Dry. Fall is definitely in the air. My new sweater has been getting some use. No. I didn't give it to the dogs to wear. I wore it. It may not be perfect, but as a first attempt, at least I can wear it.
I picked the beans and a nice-sized (not a log) zucchini from the garden. I haven't decided which of those we'll have with our chicken marsala tonight. I also picked more tomatoes so it looks like I'll be doing more canning tomorrow. If the weather holds, and we don't get any frost, I'll be doing a lot of tomato canning. If we do get a frost? I'll be making green tomato pickles or more relish or both. It'll probably end up as a combination of all three.
Murphyism of the Day
Muir's Law
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Word of the Day
Entrepoohneur - Anyone new to a job or environment of Pooh.
We had quite a light and sound show last night. I love storms. I do have one reservation about them though. Storms should be like celebrations on the 4th of July. They should never cause any damage. So far we've been lucky. Early this spring we lost a few trees out in the woods and a couple across our driveway but nothing major and our power outage only lasted a few hours. The generator took up the slack. My folks lost power and had several trees fall over their road during that last big blow. I plan to go check their road and make sure that their cabin has power. It's never fun to come home to spoiled food because no-one was around to report a power outage.
I'm not sure whether or not we'll have more rain tonight or this evening. I hope we do. We only got 3/4" last night. My gardens really could use the water and I've given up doing the sprinkler dance...at least for this season.
Murphyism of the Day
Oak's Principles of Lawmaking
1. Law expands in proportion to the resources available for its enforcement.
2. Bad law is more likely to be supplemented than repealed.
3. Social legislation cannot repeal physical laws.
Entrepoohneur - Anyone new to a job or environment of Pooh.
We had quite a light and sound show last night. I love storms. I do have one reservation about them though. Storms should be like celebrations on the 4th of July. They should never cause any damage. So far we've been lucky. Early this spring we lost a few trees out in the woods and a couple across our driveway but nothing major and our power outage only lasted a few hours. The generator took up the slack. My folks lost power and had several trees fall over their road during that last big blow. I plan to go check their road and make sure that their cabin has power. It's never fun to come home to spoiled food because no-one was around to report a power outage.
I'm not sure whether or not we'll have more rain tonight or this evening. I hope we do. We only got 3/4" last night. My gardens really could use the water and I've given up doing the sprinkler dance...at least for this season.
Murphyism of the Day
Oak's Principles of Lawmaking
1. Law expands in proportion to the resources available for its enforcement.
2. Bad law is more likely to be supplemented than repealed.
3. Social legislation cannot repeal physical laws.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Word of the Day
Enronoceros - Beast which will eat only 401K rations.
Fall has really started racing along here at The Lake. The leaves are turning colors quickly now and they're falling all over my driveway. Nope, I have no plans on sweeping them into neat little piles to toss into the woods. They'd just blow back and more will be falling, so what's the point?
Today, one of the other MOMs (Mother of a Marine) sent me this neato picture of a camel spider...two of them. Yuck! They run 10 mph?! Right at you if you happen to be providing a bit of shade? OK. I guess they aren't all bad. They eat scorpions. I'm not all that fond of spiders but they do have a purpose here in my little corner of the world besides leaving behind really messy spiderwebs which I can leave and tell everyone that I'm way ahead on decorating for Halloween. It appears that camel spiders have their uses too. Anyway, I tend to leave spiders to their own devices as long as they stay on their side of the room. That's any side of the room where I don't happen to be at any given moment. I'm not sure how well I'd do with a spider the size of a bunny. Though, my GI Joe son-in-law, in a reassuring e-mail tells me that they aren't any bigger than the palm of someone's hand. Who's hand is that big! The Giant's hand in Jack and the Beanstalk? My hand? OK. They're docile? All I can say is, I sure hope none of our troops feel the need to bring home a pet camel spider. What is it about men and creepy crawlies. All I've got to say is, "Check you bedroll before you crawl in it, GI Joe...and shake out those boots!"
Murphyism of the Day
Law of Arbitrary Distinction
Anything may be divided into as many parts as you please.
Enronoceros - Beast which will eat only 401K rations.
Fall has really started racing along here at The Lake. The leaves are turning colors quickly now and they're falling all over my driveway. Nope, I have no plans on sweeping them into neat little piles to toss into the woods. They'd just blow back and more will be falling, so what's the point?
Today, one of the other MOMs (Mother of a Marine) sent me this neato picture of a camel spider...two of them. Yuck! They run 10 mph?! Right at you if you happen to be providing a bit of shade? OK. I guess they aren't all bad. They eat scorpions. I'm not all that fond of spiders but they do have a purpose here in my little corner of the world besides leaving behind really messy spiderwebs which I can leave and tell everyone that I'm way ahead on decorating for Halloween. It appears that camel spiders have their uses too. Anyway, I tend to leave spiders to their own devices as long as they stay on their side of the room. That's any side of the room where I don't happen to be at any given moment. I'm not sure how well I'd do with a spider the size of a bunny. Though, my GI Joe son-in-law, in a reassuring e-mail tells me that they aren't any bigger than the palm of someone's hand. Who's hand is that big! The Giant's hand in Jack and the Beanstalk? My hand? OK. They're docile? All I can say is, I sure hope none of our troops feel the need to bring home a pet camel spider. What is it about men and creepy crawlies. All I've got to say is, "Check you bedroll before you crawl in it, GI Joe...and shake out those boots!"
Murphyism of the Day
Law of Arbitrary Distinction
Anything may be divided into as many parts as you please.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Word of the Day
Elf-esteem - What pixies think of themselves.
It's my Devil Dog Daughter's husband's birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BTP! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear BTP! Happy Birthday to You!
It's another hot and humid day here at The Lake. Last night was perfect. No mosquitoes in sight and a cool breeze was blowing in from the lake. It was a perfect night for sitting out on the deck and for admiring an almost half moon and its reflection as it danced in the waves. The grass is crisp and dry. No rain, even though it's been predicted on and off for days. Oh well, at least it doesn't need mowing. I did note that some of the trees are just starting to change colors but for the most part, the color green prevails.
Murphyism of the Day
Rule of Political Promises
Truth varies.
Elf-esteem - What pixies think of themselves.
It's my Devil Dog Daughter's husband's birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BTP! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear BTP! Happy Birthday to You!
It's another hot and humid day here at The Lake. Last night was perfect. No mosquitoes in sight and a cool breeze was blowing in from the lake. It was a perfect night for sitting out on the deck and for admiring an almost half moon and its reflection as it danced in the waves. The grass is crisp and dry. No rain, even though it's been predicted on and off for days. Oh well, at least it doesn't need mowing. I did note that some of the trees are just starting to change colors but for the most part, the color green prevails.
Murphyism of the Day
Rule of Political Promises
Truth varies.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Word of the Day
Eleventeen - The number that comes after ten to a three-year-old.
HTP left before breakfast, right after we loaded up the car. Me? I'm just hanging around here at The Lake watching all the latest Katrina news and listening to the warnings about Ophelia (another hurricane). At least this one won't hit New Orleans. Of course, it might hit North Carolina and that could cause problems for my Devil Dog Daughter...or not. It's kind of hard to predict what Mother Nature has in store for you, no matter what the conspiracy theorists say about President Bush and his secret weather machine.
Murphyism of the Day
Jaffe's Precept
There are some things that are impossible to know--but it is impossible to know these things.
Eleventeen - The number that comes after ten to a three-year-old.
HTP left before breakfast, right after we loaded up the car. Me? I'm just hanging around here at The Lake watching all the latest Katrina news and listening to the warnings about Ophelia (another hurricane). At least this one won't hit New Orleans. Of course, it might hit North Carolina and that could cause problems for my Devil Dog Daughter...or not. It's kind of hard to predict what Mother Nature has in store for you, no matter what the conspiracy theorists say about President Bush and his secret weather machine.
Murphyism of the Day
Jaffe's Precept
There are some things that are impossible to know--but it is impossible to know these things.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Word of the Day
Elefunk - An elephant-sized depressive mood.
I canned four pints of dilled beans to use this winter in Bloody Marys. I canned two quarts of tomatoes...mostly cherry tomatoes. I still have a flat box of cherry tomatoes should I develop the urge to eat some. Give me a few days and I'll be canning those tomatoes too. I noted that I have enough crushed strawberries in the freezer to make two batches of sugarfree jam. Yesterday, I bottled the blackberry wine that I made. Today, I started another batch. Though cloudy, the blackberry wine that I made tastes great. I figure, given time, that the cloudiness will percipitate down to the bottom of the bottles and I'll end up with a clearer product after I decant it. I need to buy corks. I may need to buy a corker. I can purchase both in the city. Tomorrow?
HTP is going to drive into The Big City all by himself tomorrow morning. He has a load of stuff to bring to #1 son. We were going to go to a wedding reception with HTP's folks but plans change. HTP's Mom isn't feeling up to par so it looks like we'll give the wedding reception a miss. HTP will take the opportunity to visit with his Mom and Dad while he's in The Big City, but I'll stay here to hold down the fort...or The Lake. I may even got into the city to get some groceries.
Murphyism of the Day
Andra's Political Postulate
Foundation of a party signals the dissolution of the movement.
Elefunk - An elephant-sized depressive mood.
I canned four pints of dilled beans to use this winter in Bloody Marys. I canned two quarts of tomatoes...mostly cherry tomatoes. I still have a flat box of cherry tomatoes should I develop the urge to eat some. Give me a few days and I'll be canning those tomatoes too. I noted that I have enough crushed strawberries in the freezer to make two batches of sugarfree jam. Yesterday, I bottled the blackberry wine that I made. Today, I started another batch. Though cloudy, the blackberry wine that I made tastes great. I figure, given time, that the cloudiness will percipitate down to the bottom of the bottles and I'll end up with a clearer product after I decant it. I need to buy corks. I may need to buy a corker. I can purchase both in the city. Tomorrow?
HTP is going to drive into The Big City all by himself tomorrow morning. He has a load of stuff to bring to #1 son. We were going to go to a wedding reception with HTP's folks but plans change. HTP's Mom isn't feeling up to par so it looks like we'll give the wedding reception a miss. HTP will take the opportunity to visit with his Mom and Dad while he's in The Big City, but I'll stay here to hold down the fort...or The Lake. I may even got into the city to get some groceries.
Murphyism of the Day
Andra's Political Postulate
Foundation of a party signals the dissolution of the movement.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Word of the Day
Elbonics - The fight over a movie theatre or airplane arm rest.
I have a temporary crown. It's aluminum. I've never had an aluminum temporary crown before. Weird. The dentist did a great job. I hardly felt a thing. Of course, I was drugged to the max so what would I know. On the other hand, I've been drugged to the max before and I've felt lots. Too much. Anyway, everyone was really nice. I have to go back on September 29th for my permanent crown but I'm good to go until then. My mouth is a bit sore but that will pass. It always amazes me how sore my gums get from those stupid novacaine shots they use.
I should be doing lots of stuff today but I haven't felt too excited about tackling anything. Tomorrow. I'll tackle bottling my blackberry wine tomorrow. And then there's the beans, and the tomatoes. Tomorrow. I'll get right on it tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Rogers' Observation Regarding The Laws
In a bureaucratic hierarchy, the higher up the organization you go, the less people appreciate Murphy's Law, the Peter Principle, etc.
Elbonics - The fight over a movie theatre or airplane arm rest.
I have a temporary crown. It's aluminum. I've never had an aluminum temporary crown before. Weird. The dentist did a great job. I hardly felt a thing. Of course, I was drugged to the max so what would I know. On the other hand, I've been drugged to the max before and I've felt lots. Too much. Anyway, everyone was really nice. I have to go back on September 29th for my permanent crown but I'm good to go until then. My mouth is a bit sore but that will pass. It always amazes me how sore my gums get from those stupid novacaine shots they use.
I should be doing lots of stuff today but I haven't felt too excited about tackling anything. Tomorrow. I'll tackle bottling my blackberry wine tomorrow. And then there's the beans, and the tomatoes. Tomorrow. I'll get right on it tomorrow.
Murphyism of the Day
Rogers' Observation Regarding The Laws
In a bureaucratic hierarchy, the higher up the organization you go, the less people appreciate Murphy's Law, the Peter Principle, etc.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Word of the Day
Ecrastinate - Check your email one more time hoping for an excuse to spend 5 more minutes not working.
I got a letter yesterday from the President of The United States. OK. I'm sure it was probably written by someone other than the President. It might even have been signed by someone other than the President. But it was signed and it came to me in a huge envelope with cardboard inside to keep it from bending. And...no-one was asking for money. And...it was signed with a real pen. Anyway, I'm going to keep it. I have to admit that I did e-mail the President last month. Other MOM's (Mothers of Marines) e-mailed him too after we saw and learned of the assaults from Cindy Sheehan and after we dug into her past. The other MOMs' replies came via e-mail. I didn't get a reply. I figured my little e-mail had gotten lost in the shuffle. No biggie. I never actually figured that I'd get a reply.
I wrote:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bush,
I am the proud mother of a Marine. My daughter enlisted last year. Her comment to me at that time was that she was tired of being just another desk jockey. She wanted to do something that made a difference. She graduated on April 1, 2005 from Parris Island. With a fractured hip. After her hip healed, she went on to MCT (Marine Combat Training). She completed this and headed off to Pensacola, FL, where they discovered that she refractured her hip and broke a femur sometime during MCT. My guess? I think it was that foxhole she fell into during night maneuvers. She's on light duty, much to her disgust, until January 2006. My daughter truly has drive and the heart. She's a Marine.
She's my oldest daughter at 26 years old. She and her GI Joe fianceeée (he's with the Nebraska National Guard) got married on July 2. Oorah! Thank you Marine Corps for granting her "Out of Bounds Liberty" so she could get married before he starts his train up for deployment to Iraq. She is currently at Cherry Point getting ready to class up for I-6541. Aviation Ordnance. (She gets to play with things that go "boom"...gotta find your humor where you find it.) I wish they could spend more time together between now and his deployment but they both know that sometimes it's hard for the Army and the Marines to get together.
I just wanted to let you know that I support you and your efforts and I'm not alone. I'm a member of a Marine support group online. We've been getting together on a daily basis since our sons and daughters have been in boot camp at Parris Island. It's been a wonderful and sometime sad experience to have and give support to our extended new families.
Recently our discussions have turned to the Cindy Sheehan vigil. It has indeed been an interesting discussion. Please know that although we feel that any Gold Star Mom should receive our support, we don't agree with the way she is using her son or the way the media and the left-wing Michael Moore types are using her. I feel that what she is doing is putting all of our sons and daughters in the military at risk. It has become very hard for any of us to feel sympathy for this woman. And that's a shame because she's become nothing more than a puppet, spouting words fed to her by those who want nothing more than to harm our country. She needs to go home. The living need her attention. None of this anger and vitriol will bring back her son. And at this point, no discussions with you or your wife will make a lick of difference because she isn't listening to you or to anyone else.
I just felt that you might want a drop of encouragement in the desert of politics. Keep strong. I've got you and yours in my prayers.
-- (Proud Marine Mom)
The letter I received yesterday, on official White House stationary, said:
Dear (Old Grey Frog...they used my real name but HTP is a stickler for security),
Thank you for taking the time to write and for your kind words. I appreciate your support.
The men and women of our Armed Forces are heroes. Your loved ones are selflessly serving to protect our country and spread freedom. To honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and to make America secure, we will win the war on terror.
Americans stand solidly behind our military and are grateful for your family's service and sacrifice. We have the finest military in the world, and I am proud to be your loved ones' Commander and Chief.
Laura and I send our best wishes. May God bless you, may God bless our troops, and may God continue to bless America.
Sincerely,
George Bush (both typed and signed)
I don't care. I'm keeping my letter and I'm printing up my e-mail to keep with the letter. Call me dumb, call me naive. And I can just see my Devil Dog Daughter rolling her eyes and thinking, "Geez Mom! You wrote the President?! About me?!" Just be happy that I didn't call our write to your Drill Instructors at Parris Island while you were there. No...I didn't write them afterwards either. Give me some credit.
Murphyism of the Day
Leo Rogers' Blessing for Volume II
If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.
Ecrastinate - Check your email one more time hoping for an excuse to spend 5 more minutes not working.
I got a letter yesterday from the President of The United States. OK. I'm sure it was probably written by someone other than the President. It might even have been signed by someone other than the President. But it was signed and it came to me in a huge envelope with cardboard inside to keep it from bending. And...no-one was asking for money. And...it was signed with a real pen. Anyway, I'm going to keep it. I have to admit that I did e-mail the President last month. Other MOM's (Mothers of Marines) e-mailed him too after we saw and learned of the assaults from Cindy Sheehan and after we dug into her past. The other MOMs' replies came via e-mail. I didn't get a reply. I figured my little e-mail had gotten lost in the shuffle. No biggie. I never actually figured that I'd get a reply.
I wrote:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bush,
I am the proud mother of a Marine. My daughter enlisted last year. Her comment to me at that time was that she was tired of being just another desk jockey. She wanted to do something that made a difference. She graduated on April 1, 2005 from Parris Island. With a fractured hip. After her hip healed, she went on to MCT (Marine Combat Training). She completed this and headed off to Pensacola, FL, where they discovered that she refractured her hip and broke a femur sometime during MCT. My guess? I think it was that foxhole she fell into during night maneuvers. She's on light duty, much to her disgust, until January 2006. My daughter truly has drive and the heart. She's a Marine.
She's my oldest daughter at 26 years old. She and her GI Joe fianceeée (he's with the Nebraska National Guard) got married on July 2. Oorah! Thank you Marine Corps for granting her "Out of Bounds Liberty" so she could get married before he starts his train up for deployment to Iraq. She is currently at Cherry Point getting ready to class up for I-6541. Aviation Ordnance. (She gets to play with things that go "boom"...gotta find your humor where you find it.) I wish they could spend more time together between now and his deployment but they both know that sometimes it's hard for the Army and the Marines to get together.
I just wanted to let you know that I support you and your efforts and I'm not alone. I'm a member of a Marine support group online. We've been getting together on a daily basis since our sons and daughters have been in boot camp at Parris Island. It's been a wonderful and sometime sad experience to have and give support to our extended new families.
Recently our discussions have turned to the Cindy Sheehan vigil. It has indeed been an interesting discussion. Please know that although we feel that any Gold Star Mom should receive our support, we don't agree with the way she is using her son or the way the media and the left-wing Michael Moore types are using her. I feel that what she is doing is putting all of our sons and daughters in the military at risk. It has become very hard for any of us to feel sympathy for this woman. And that's a shame because she's become nothing more than a puppet, spouting words fed to her by those who want nothing more than to harm our country. She needs to go home. The living need her attention. None of this anger and vitriol will bring back her son. And at this point, no discussions with you or your wife will make a lick of difference because she isn't listening to you or to anyone else.
I just felt that you might want a drop of encouragement in the desert of politics. Keep strong. I've got you and yours in my prayers.
-- (Proud Marine Mom)
The letter I received yesterday, on official White House stationary, said:
Dear (Old Grey Frog...they used my real name but HTP is a stickler for security),
Thank you for taking the time to write and for your kind words. I appreciate your support.
The men and women of our Armed Forces are heroes. Your loved ones are selflessly serving to protect our country and spread freedom. To honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and to make America secure, we will win the war on terror.
Americans stand solidly behind our military and are grateful for your family's service and sacrifice. We have the finest military in the world, and I am proud to be your loved ones' Commander and Chief.
Laura and I send our best wishes. May God bless you, may God bless our troops, and may God continue to bless America.
Sincerely,
George Bush (both typed and signed)
I don't care. I'm keeping my letter and I'm printing up my e-mail to keep with the letter. Call me dumb, call me naive. And I can just see my Devil Dog Daughter rolling her eyes and thinking, "Geez Mom! You wrote the President?! About me?!" Just be happy that I didn't call our write to your Drill Instructors at Parris Island while you were there. No...I didn't write them afterwards either. Give me some credit.
Murphyism of the Day
Leo Rogers' Blessing for Volume II
If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Word of the Day
Earydescence- Red glowing, hot feeling ears.
Today was spent playing catch up. I got up, started the laundry...today is Tuesday, therefore today is laundry day. I made breakfast. And then...
It felt like I had a small raspberry seed stuck between a couple of my back molars. No biggy. I flossed. I flossed again. And then relief. But...a huge chunk of tooth came out. AHHHHH!!!!!!
I remembered that one of my neighbors here had told me that she worked for a wonderful dentist in a nearby town. This was last summer so I had to do a bit of detective work since I'd lost the business card she'd given me. Anyway, nearby out here in our rural hamlet is a 30 minute drive from here. I called the dentist and they fit me in right away. I took my mind-numbing medicine that makes it possible for me to even think about going to a dentist and HTP drove me over. I have to have another crown! Waaaa!!! At least I don't have to wait long. I go back on Thursday and they'll let me bring a favorite CD to listen to so I don't have to listen to the drills AND they're going to nearly knock me out. I think I'm going to like this dentist but...I'll let you know on Thursday. Afterwards.
Anyway, after we got back here, I had to play catch up. By the looks of things, Laundry Day, is going to slop into Wednesday this week but I'm still working on it so maybe there's still hope.
Murphyism of the Day
Digiovanni's Law
The number of laws will expand to fill the publishing space available.
Earydescence- Red glowing, hot feeling ears.
Today was spent playing catch up. I got up, started the laundry...today is Tuesday, therefore today is laundry day. I made breakfast. And then...
It felt like I had a small raspberry seed stuck between a couple of my back molars. No biggy. I flossed. I flossed again. And then relief. But...a huge chunk of tooth came out. AHHHHH!!!!!!
I remembered that one of my neighbors here had told me that she worked for a wonderful dentist in a nearby town. This was last summer so I had to do a bit of detective work since I'd lost the business card she'd given me. Anyway, nearby out here in our rural hamlet is a 30 minute drive from here. I called the dentist and they fit me in right away. I took my mind-numbing medicine that makes it possible for me to even think about going to a dentist and HTP drove me over. I have to have another crown! Waaaa!!! At least I don't have to wait long. I go back on Thursday and they'll let me bring a favorite CD to listen to so I don't have to listen to the drills AND they're going to nearly knock me out. I think I'm going to like this dentist but...I'll let you know on Thursday. Afterwards.
Anyway, after we got back here, I had to play catch up. By the looks of things, Laundry Day, is going to slop into Wednesday this week but I'm still working on it so maybe there's still hope.
Murphyism of the Day
Digiovanni's Law
The number of laws will expand to fill the publishing space available.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Word of the Day
Earschplittenloudenboomer: Loud noise
When we were in The Big City, I bought a new book. I read the book. Now what?! I hate that. I hate it when I get a new book and then read it all in one day and then there's nothing left to read. Sigh. I guess I'll have to re-read another of my many "keepers". Those are the books that I enjoyed so much that I figure that I won't mind a re-read at a future date. I wonder what book I should pick tonight?
I finished my sweater. I'm blocking it right now. It takes a while with all this humidity. I figure that I'll have it all blocked by the end of the week...at this rate. I still need to sew on the pockets. I was waiting to see if it was worth the effort once I've completed the blocking. So far, so good. The sweater doesn't look hopelessly awful but I think I'll stick to what I do best. Afghans and doilies.
Murphyism of the Day
Cooper's Metalaw
A proliferation of new laws creates a proliferation of new loopholes.
Earschplittenloudenboomer: Loud noise
When we were in The Big City, I bought a new book. I read the book. Now what?! I hate that. I hate it when I get a new book and then read it all in one day and then there's nothing left to read. Sigh. I guess I'll have to re-read another of my many "keepers". Those are the books that I enjoyed so much that I figure that I won't mind a re-read at a future date. I wonder what book I should pick tonight?
I finished my sweater. I'm blocking it right now. It takes a while with all this humidity. I figure that I'll have it all blocked by the end of the week...at this rate. I still need to sew on the pockets. I was waiting to see if it was worth the effort once I've completed the blocking. So far, so good. The sweater doesn't look hopelessly awful but I think I'll stick to what I do best. Afghans and doilies.
Murphyism of the Day
Cooper's Metalaw
A proliferation of new laws creates a proliferation of new loopholes.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
It's Labor Day Weekend. #1 son is off to college. HTP and I are on our own. For the last couple of nights we've heard huge explosions in the night. Last night I actually called my folks across the lake to make sure that they were OK. It sounded like someone's propane tank blew up. Tonight my folks called me to find out if I was OK. I don't have a clue where these explosions are coming from. They aren't your typical firework explosions. They are "rock your house" explosions. When I hear them I wait and expect to hear sirens but none follow. Huh? All I can think is that we've got weekenders with heavy duty explosives this weekend. Fun, right? Not.
Word of the Day
Didilate - To lie about the time of day when asked, especially in a manner that would cause the requester to panic about being late for some important event.
I should have posted this yesterday but I was just too tired. We moved #1 son into his dorm at college. Nuff said but if you'd care to read on, feel free.
We left The Lake at 5:30 AM yesterday. #1 son had packed all his stuff into the Gator the night before. It was still dark outside when we rolled down our driveway, on the way to The Big City. Remembering the confusion of parents and students from the previous year, we thought that we'd see if we could get ahead of the crowds. We arrived at the college at 8 AM. Bright and early considering that we'd been told that the offices wouldn't even be open until 8 AM. There wasn't a single parking spot. When 20,000 students and all their parents and siblings are in one spot on MOVING DAY, this isn't exactly a surprise. HTP pulled in behind two other cars that were hovering in a fire lane. #1 son ran into the dorm to get his keys and a temporary parking permit. HTP and I started to unload the car onto a spot near the car. Of course, a University police officer came by and told us all to move our cars because...well...we were parked illegally and there was no reasoning with him. HTP moved the car and I guarded the stuff that we'd had a chance to unload. I waited. I did a lot of waiting. Pretty soon, HTP rounds the corner with our trolley and three more boxes from the car. More stuff to guard. He told me that he'd snagged a parking spot (illegal without a permit but what's a parent to do?) He dumped the boxes and went back for more stuff. Upon his return he told me that the trolley really wouldn't work for the remaining load so he disappeared into the dorm in search of one of the "laundry" carts that are provided to students on moving day and to find out what happened to #1 son. #1 son was still waiting for his keys and a parking permit. I looked up from my guarding when I heard this horrible squealing sound. What the heck?! It was HTP. He had found a "laundry" cart. The squealing noise was coming from the cart's wheels. He disappeared around the corner, heading back to the car, but the squealing noise echoed on. More time. No place to sit. I stood and guarded the stuff. I heard the squealing the of cart's wheels before I saw HTP round the corner with the last of #1 son's stuff AND #1 son. #1 son finally had his keys and the car was now legally parked with a bright neon green parking permit. We had exactly 30 minutes to get everything from the curb that I was guarding to #1 son's room. The race was on. HTP loaded up the "laundry" cart and #1 son loaded up the trolley and they headed off. Squealing all the way. I continued in my duties as stuff guard. #1 son returned along with HTP for the second load. I was informed that the room was even smaller than last year's room. Same college, different dorm, smaller room. #1 son had serious doubts as to whether all his stuff would fit into the new room. Actually, it wasn't his stuff so much, it was his roommate's stuff. His roommate told him that he wasn't going to get there until 5 PM. I helped bring the last load of stuff up to "the tiny room" so I'd have a chance to see for myself. OK. It's small. But with a little Tetris exercise, I'm sure all the stuff will eventually fit. Maybe.
After locking up the room, we headed out to buy more stuff. Small stuff but more. It'll fit. Ziplock bags and Bounce sheets don't take up much space. We also decided to grab some lunch. Having spent the morning burning calories on nothing more than a cup of coffee, we were a bit hungry. We decided to check out a Chinese Buffet. It was OK. Not good but not bad. Food. HTP and I have become rather picky in our eating habits. Calories are something that we count and keep track of. We only get so many of those little suckers so when we decide to pig out, we expect those calories to be worthwhile. These weren't. Oh well...we were hungry when we went in and not hungry when we came out.
We dropped #1 son back at his dorm with promises that we'd see him next weekend. We have a wedding reception in The Big City next weekend. We promised to bring another load of stuff which won't fit into his room. He'll have to email us about what to bring and what not to bring. As we were heading out of the traffic and mayhem of moving day, our cellphone rang. It was #1 son. He'd left his dorm keys in our car. We made our way back into the traffic and moving day mayhem. Believe me, the traffic and mayhem had only increased. We rendezvoused with #1 son, he got his keys and we made our escape. Woohoo! Free at last!
The trip back to The Lake was uneventful. We collected our dogs from my folks. Chatted a while. And returned to our quiet home. I thought about blogging but was too tired.
Today? I think I better do some cleaning and maybe check to make sure #1 son didn't leave the lights on and the fans running in his basement home. I wonder if he even made his bed? I fear that my son has adopted the same attitude that my husband had when I first met him. "Why make the bed? It's just going to get messed up tonight when I get back in it." But he won't be getting into it for a while now and I'm pretty sure he didn't think about that when he got up at 4:30 AM yesterday morning.
Murphyism of the Day
Persig's Postulate
The number of rational hypotheses that can explain any given phenomenon is infinite.
Didilate - To lie about the time of day when asked, especially in a manner that would cause the requester to panic about being late for some important event.
I should have posted this yesterday but I was just too tired. We moved #1 son into his dorm at college. Nuff said but if you'd care to read on, feel free.
We left The Lake at 5:30 AM yesterday. #1 son had packed all his stuff into the Gator the night before. It was still dark outside when we rolled down our driveway, on the way to The Big City. Remembering the confusion of parents and students from the previous year, we thought that we'd see if we could get ahead of the crowds. We arrived at the college at 8 AM. Bright and early considering that we'd been told that the offices wouldn't even be open until 8 AM. There wasn't a single parking spot. When 20,000 students and all their parents and siblings are in one spot on MOVING DAY, this isn't exactly a surprise. HTP pulled in behind two other cars that were hovering in a fire lane. #1 son ran into the dorm to get his keys and a temporary parking permit. HTP and I started to unload the car onto a spot near the car. Of course, a University police officer came by and told us all to move our cars because...well...we were parked illegally and there was no reasoning with him. HTP moved the car and I guarded the stuff that we'd had a chance to unload. I waited. I did a lot of waiting. Pretty soon, HTP rounds the corner with our trolley and three more boxes from the car. More stuff to guard. He told me that he'd snagged a parking spot (illegal without a permit but what's a parent to do?) He dumped the boxes and went back for more stuff. Upon his return he told me that the trolley really wouldn't work for the remaining load so he disappeared into the dorm in search of one of the "laundry" carts that are provided to students on moving day and to find out what happened to #1 son. #1 son was still waiting for his keys and a parking permit. I looked up from my guarding when I heard this horrible squealing sound. What the heck?! It was HTP. He had found a "laundry" cart. The squealing noise was coming from the cart's wheels. He disappeared around the corner, heading back to the car, but the squealing noise echoed on. More time. No place to sit. I stood and guarded the stuff. I heard the squealing the of cart's wheels before I saw HTP round the corner with the last of #1 son's stuff AND #1 son. #1 son finally had his keys and the car was now legally parked with a bright neon green parking permit. We had exactly 30 minutes to get everything from the curb that I was guarding to #1 son's room. The race was on. HTP loaded up the "laundry" cart and #1 son loaded up the trolley and they headed off. Squealing all the way. I continued in my duties as stuff guard. #1 son returned along with HTP for the second load. I was informed that the room was even smaller than last year's room. Same college, different dorm, smaller room. #1 son had serious doubts as to whether all his stuff would fit into the new room. Actually, it wasn't his stuff so much, it was his roommate's stuff. His roommate told him that he wasn't going to get there until 5 PM. I helped bring the last load of stuff up to "the tiny room" so I'd have a chance to see for myself. OK. It's small. But with a little Tetris exercise, I'm sure all the stuff will eventually fit. Maybe.
After locking up the room, we headed out to buy more stuff. Small stuff but more. It'll fit. Ziplock bags and Bounce sheets don't take up much space. We also decided to grab some lunch. Having spent the morning burning calories on nothing more than a cup of coffee, we were a bit hungry. We decided to check out a Chinese Buffet. It was OK. Not good but not bad. Food. HTP and I have become rather picky in our eating habits. Calories are something that we count and keep track of. We only get so many of those little suckers so when we decide to pig out, we expect those calories to be worthwhile. These weren't. Oh well...we were hungry when we went in and not hungry when we came out.
We dropped #1 son back at his dorm with promises that we'd see him next weekend. We have a wedding reception in The Big City next weekend. We promised to bring another load of stuff which won't fit into his room. He'll have to email us about what to bring and what not to bring. As we were heading out of the traffic and mayhem of moving day, our cellphone rang. It was #1 son. He'd left his dorm keys in our car. We made our way back into the traffic and moving day mayhem. Believe me, the traffic and mayhem had only increased. We rendezvoused with #1 son, he got his keys and we made our escape. Woohoo! Free at last!
The trip back to The Lake was uneventful. We collected our dogs from my folks. Chatted a while. And returned to our quiet home. I thought about blogging but was too tired.
Today? I think I better do some cleaning and maybe check to make sure #1 son didn't leave the lights on and the fans running in his basement home. I wonder if he even made his bed? I fear that my son has adopted the same attitude that my husband had when I first met him. "Why make the bed? It's just going to get messed up tonight when I get back in it." But he won't be getting into it for a while now and I'm pretty sure he didn't think about that when he got up at 4:30 AM yesterday morning.
Murphyism of the Day
Persig's Postulate
The number of rational hypotheses that can explain any given phenomenon is infinite.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Word of the Day
Automagical: Working on its own. Don't ask me why.
I picked beans and made two pints of dilled beans. They'll be great as Bloody Mary garnish this winter. I love Bloody Marys.
I'm still working on the sweater project. Watching the news has become really depressing.
I brought the dogs over to my folks place tonight. They're going to dog sit while we're in The Big City tomorrow. It's back to school for #1 son. Almost all his stuff has been packed into the Gator. Not everything fit so we'll be bringing another load to him next weekend when we go to The Big City for a wedding reception. He's got enough to get him started.
Murphyism of the Day
Old Grey Frog's Packing Rules
1. The same identical items that fit into your suitcase when packed at the beginning of a trip, won't fit into that same suitcase when they need to be packed up again at the end of a trip.
2. Bringing a larger suitcase on a trip only encourages you to pack more stuff and then you find yourself with the same problems experienced in rule #1.
Automagical: Working on its own. Don't ask me why.
I picked beans and made two pints of dilled beans. They'll be great as Bloody Mary garnish this winter. I love Bloody Marys.
I'm still working on the sweater project. Watching the news has become really depressing.
I brought the dogs over to my folks place tonight. They're going to dog sit while we're in The Big City tomorrow. It's back to school for #1 son. Almost all his stuff has been packed into the Gator. Not everything fit so we'll be bringing another load to him next weekend when we go to The Big City for a wedding reception. He's got enough to get him started.
Murphyism of the Day
Old Grey Frog's Packing Rules
1. The same identical items that fit into your suitcase when packed at the beginning of a trip, won't fit into that same suitcase when they need to be packed up again at the end of a trip.
2. Bringing a larger suitcase on a trip only encourages you to pack more stuff and then you find yourself with the same problems experienced in rule #1.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Word of the Day
Dideo - Another name for a DVD.
Three quarts of tomatoes. Have you ever had to peel grapes? Most of the tomatoes that I needed to blanch and peel were cherry tomatoes. One can only eat so many cherry tomatoes. When that limit has been reached, something has to be done with the rest of those little suckers. Thus, I peeled and canned two full quarts of vine-ripened, cherry tomatoes. Yes, I know. I suppose I could have put them through the food mill...if I HAD a food mill. I don't. It wasn't too bad. Should be interesting to see how the resultant canned tomatoes work in making spaghetti sauce...or salsa. HTP made brand new labels for my green beans and tomatoes. One would actually think that I bought my canned goods in the store...if it weren't for the glass jars.
Sweater Project Update: I've pressed all the pieces of my sweater puzzle and am now working on putting it all together. At this point I can't imagine myself actually wearing this sweater. Yuck! I hope it gets better after I wet it down and fluff it in the dryer. Of course, I still have a lot of sewing to do and I'm not very good at it...obviously. Wow! Can you believe that it's already September 1st? I may need that sweater sooner than later. Better get busy.
Day Three- A Gambler's Tale
We met again for breakfast. HTP and his Mom went off after breakfast so that HTP could coach his Mom on the mysteries of video poker. HTP's Aunt went off to play her favorite slots. I hung around and watched HTP and his Mom. As I played on a nearby machine, a casino hostess came up to visit with me. She handed me a comp for our next mornings breakfast and told me that our next stay along with the airfare would be paid for by the casino. Oh-oh. You know you've been playing way too much when a casino host or hostess hunts you up in the casino in order to tell you something like that. I'm not sure if we'll take them up on the offer. Quite frankly, HTP and I both felt that Laughlin has seen better days. We noticed gang graffiti along the riverwalk and the amount of weekend "toughs" that were hanging around the casino didn't make us feel comfortable. The Riverside just didn't feel like or measure up to our favorite Vegas hang outs. We only went so that we could spend the time with HTP's folks and our youngest daughter and her husband.
Anyway, after breakfast, HTP's Dad went off to find a 7 7 7 machine. Our daughter and her husband disappeared to check on things down the riverwalk. We agreed to meet the kids for supper at 8 PM. I gambled. I shopped. I walked down the riverwalk. 115°F. Hot doesn't describe it.
Woohoo! I got another Royal Flush. Flushed with success, I went to meet the kids for supper. Looked like most of the casino had the same idea. We put our name in and retired to the bar. We settled in to wait for the two hours we were warned about. Fifty minutes and two martini's later, we went into supper. Not bad. Prime rib all around. This was our last night in Laughlin and we enjoyed.
We left our room to catch the bus for the airport at 7:15 AM. I used our breakfast comp for rolls and coffee which we enjoyed while we awaited our bus. The kids came down to wave us off.
The flight back to Minneapolis was uneventful. Crowded, but uneventful. The witch, interestingly enough, ended up sitting next to HTP's folks. Poor HTP's folks. Actually... No, I won't go there. After we dropped half of the passengers in Fargo, the plane ride was a lot more pleasant. We all spread out to take up the available seats. Leg room at last!
Upon arriving in Minneapolis, HTP went to get our car and I, accompanied by HTP's Dad, his Mom and Aunt in wheel chairs, each being escorted by airline personel, went in search of our luggage. Luggage recovered, we met HTP out at the curb. Slick as peanut butter.
HTP and I drove his folks and his Aunt back to their place and then we continued on to The Lake.
The End...well, I did have to unpack and give #1 son the Marilyn Monroe clock that I'd bought him, but essencially, that's it. That's all she wrote.
Murphyism of the Day
Les Miserables Metalaw
All laws, whether good, bad, or indifferent, must be obeyed to the letter.
Dideo - Another name for a DVD.
Three quarts of tomatoes. Have you ever had to peel grapes? Most of the tomatoes that I needed to blanch and peel were cherry tomatoes. One can only eat so many cherry tomatoes. When that limit has been reached, something has to be done with the rest of those little suckers. Thus, I peeled and canned two full quarts of vine-ripened, cherry tomatoes. Yes, I know. I suppose I could have put them through the food mill...if I HAD a food mill. I don't. It wasn't too bad. Should be interesting to see how the resultant canned tomatoes work in making spaghetti sauce...or salsa. HTP made brand new labels for my green beans and tomatoes. One would actually think that I bought my canned goods in the store...if it weren't for the glass jars.
Sweater Project Update: I've pressed all the pieces of my sweater puzzle and am now working on putting it all together. At this point I can't imagine myself actually wearing this sweater. Yuck! I hope it gets better after I wet it down and fluff it in the dryer. Of course, I still have a lot of sewing to do and I'm not very good at it...obviously. Wow! Can you believe that it's already September 1st? I may need that sweater sooner than later. Better get busy.
Day Three- A Gambler's Tale
We met again for breakfast. HTP and his Mom went off after breakfast so that HTP could coach his Mom on the mysteries of video poker. HTP's Aunt went off to play her favorite slots. I hung around and watched HTP and his Mom. As I played on a nearby machine, a casino hostess came up to visit with me. She handed me a comp for our next mornings breakfast and told me that our next stay along with the airfare would be paid for by the casino. Oh-oh. You know you've been playing way too much when a casino host or hostess hunts you up in the casino in order to tell you something like that. I'm not sure if we'll take them up on the offer. Quite frankly, HTP and I both felt that Laughlin has seen better days. We noticed gang graffiti along the riverwalk and the amount of weekend "toughs" that were hanging around the casino didn't make us feel comfortable. The Riverside just didn't feel like or measure up to our favorite Vegas hang outs. We only went so that we could spend the time with HTP's folks and our youngest daughter and her husband.
Anyway, after breakfast, HTP's Dad went off to find a 7 7 7 machine. Our daughter and her husband disappeared to check on things down the riverwalk. We agreed to meet the kids for supper at 8 PM. I gambled. I shopped. I walked down the riverwalk. 115°F. Hot doesn't describe it.
Woohoo! I got another Royal Flush. Flushed with success, I went to meet the kids for supper. Looked like most of the casino had the same idea. We put our name in and retired to the bar. We settled in to wait for the two hours we were warned about. Fifty minutes and two martini's later, we went into supper. Not bad. Prime rib all around. This was our last night in Laughlin and we enjoyed.
We left our room to catch the bus for the airport at 7:15 AM. I used our breakfast comp for rolls and coffee which we enjoyed while we awaited our bus. The kids came down to wave us off.
The flight back to Minneapolis was uneventful. Crowded, but uneventful. The witch, interestingly enough, ended up sitting next to HTP's folks. Poor HTP's folks. Actually... No, I won't go there. After we dropped half of the passengers in Fargo, the plane ride was a lot more pleasant. We all spread out to take up the available seats. Leg room at last!
Upon arriving in Minneapolis, HTP went to get our car and I, accompanied by HTP's Dad, his Mom and Aunt in wheel chairs, each being escorted by airline personel, went in search of our luggage. Luggage recovered, we met HTP out at the curb. Slick as peanut butter.
HTP and I drove his folks and his Aunt back to their place and then we continued on to The Lake.
The End...well, I did have to unpack and give #1 son the Marilyn Monroe clock that I'd bought him, but essencially, that's it. That's all she wrote.
Murphyism of the Day
Les Miserables Metalaw
All laws, whether good, bad, or indifferent, must be obeyed to the letter.