Halloween! This year we had about 25 or so trick or treaters. Last year I had about 3. This is a good sign. Most of them were between 7 and 12 years old- but my favs are always the 3 little boys from a couple of houses down. They have really smart and happy parents and their mom, my friend Amy, works very hard at being a chill but wonderfully inventive mom. The boys are adorable and funny. She's poured her heart into raising her boys. In the summer, for 26 days in a row she plans stuff to do related to a letter of the alphabet. She also sits in a chair while they ride like daredevils on their bikes and razor thingies. Since we have real wild animals like bobcats and cougars and bears and coyotes here, it is best she has an eye out. Her kids are sweet, well rounded and well, my favorites. They have a parakeet named Clive who flies about the house and if they are ill, Clive will sit on their heads until they are well.
Amy is an architect (but she doesn't work at that now) but she has lots of other skills- so she does photography in her spare time.
I'm still waiting for her to tell me how to thread my sewing machine! It is hard in this day and age to raise well balanced kids who get along with one another.
We have a batch of girls in this neighborhood- Amy's boys are just about it for the boys here- there is one more in the house in front of me but I seldom see him. The rest are girly girls. They are so cute and they are very polite. Uniformly they are tall and slender for their age. We don't ever see kids in the neighborhood in the school year- it gets dark too early, and it is always cold and rainy. If they go out, they go about 45 min from here and go skiing. Other than Halloween, the time we see them is at the bus stop. One time we counted over 40 kids getting off at the stop near us. We had no idea. When we were growing up, it was in the south and every kid went outside. All year round. In fact, we thought the kids who stayed inside were weird. Not here. We didn't have organized sports either. We organized our own. We played in vacant lots and in dry bayous. Lots of tetanus shots. But a sort of freedom children don't seem to have now.
Tomorrow I have to get up and make it to the Defense Luncheon. I'm not sure if I wear my DAR pin or not. But Lanabeth gave me a very sweet little ribbon with a teensy pin on it, and I guess I'll wear that one.
We are watching Lord of War on tv. Nicolas Cage is very good in it. Here's a nice war song for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-bA9FYB8HY
I first time I saw Lord of War was when I watched 2 hours of it while in the dentist's chair getting the metal fillings taken out of my lower teeth. I was determined to get them out because they just caused one problem after another. It was expensive, but I don't regret it- I could go to Europe another time- and I watched Lord of War the whole time. My current dentist doesn't have TV AT ALL. It is so annoying. How can such an expensive dentist not have TV? I only have two tiny fillings left in my poor mouth and yesterday one of them disappeared. I probably ate it. You can't tell it is out, but I really hate going back to the dentist. Let alone paying her.
I hope you had a great Halloween. We are shutting off the lights and heading to bed.
And for my friends in Louisiana, a solemn All Saint's Day. Louisiana- where if you aren't Catholic, it doesn't matter because you will observe all of those days and eat fish on Fridays. And by the way, Mary Landrieu is a bitch. What senator calls the people of her state racists and misogynists all because she is not getting her way with them? Well, Mary Landrieu does. Shameful.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
October 30 Day 91
Today I made some real oatmeal cookies. They came out perfectly. It was worth the time and effort and the trip to the grocery store to avoid the cookie catastrophe of Day 83. I have finished doing as much work as I planned to do during this facebook sabbatical. I can hardly wait for Thanksgiving. I love it. It is so much fun to have everybody here under one roof even if it is only for 3 days. We will go see the Hunger Games and make it to the Herbfarm again. Hollis and Steve will be here a full day less than they usually are but they are very busy this year. Lots of stuff happening for them.
I did do a little exercise today. I spent more time looking for the remote than I did on the exercise bike, but that's okay. It's something.
Alex says he might be late this evening. I hope his day goes by quickly if it is going to be long.
Seattle has a new trend in women FINALLY going after the casual touchers- you know those creepy guys who touch you but pretend they didn't. Erin and I had a guy who was teaching at the fly fishing school run by Orvis in Couer d'Alene way back in 2001, and this old goat kept trying to feel us up. I mean no matter how we tried to stand away from him, he'd try to find a way to just touch us. We were actually laughing about it but I am sure that was just age on our part and his. He was probably 70 and we could easily have pushed him into the lake or the Spokane river. I guess, in retrospect, I should have told him I'd slap his face off if he touched me again. When I was in my 20s, I would have killed him. I'm serious. I would have punched his face until I broke my hand. (blame my father's genes). Not many things make me want to hit someone, but invading my body space WILL get you a reaction. When I was in college, I was kneeling on a couch writing on a black board that was behind the couch and a guy (I knew him but I never went out with him) bit me (not hard) on my rear. He was drunk but I wasn't. And I had momentum on my side. I punched him in the face with the back of my fist so hard that he fell back through a screen door and off of a porch. I got down and walked over to him and said "touch me again, asshole, and I will hit you even harder". His fraternity brothers were laughing. And though this guy never liked me before that, after the "incident" in question, he asked me OUT. What is up with that? I am sure that if I punch a guy, I am not going out with him. Anyway, women were being groped out and around in Seattle and now, with cell phone cameras, they took pictures of these creeps because the POLICE were doing nothing. NOTHING. So the women took to social media and soon other women said "yep, that is the same guy that felt me up when I walked past him". Turns out one of them was a class 3 sex offender. What a surprise. So congratulations to the women who DO something when someone assaults them.
I've had a few friends start to ask when is this self-imposed exile from facebook going to be over. technically, in 8 more days. But I think I'll wait until after next weekend.
The kitties are really missing the sunshine. Poor girls. They sit up in the front window upstairs and watch for birds- but the birds are not nearly as active as they were. Maybe the bats will stick around.
Today Laurie posted some pictures from the memorial for the shop cat in Tacoma that died last week. I always take pictures of the shop cats I meet. I think the most beautiful one I've ever seen was the one at the Pratt and Larson tile store in Bellevue. How the cat survived living on such a busy street and in an area of tile shards and dust, I don't know. But it really had the most beautiful turquoise eyes. I don't think I have the picture of it that I took because I think it went away when Textamerica folded and took my pictures with it. He's probably long gone by now.
Here is a link to the story:
http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2014/10/a-sweet-send-off.html
Well, time to go figure out dinner.
See ya!
I did do a little exercise today. I spent more time looking for the remote than I did on the exercise bike, but that's okay. It's something.
Alex says he might be late this evening. I hope his day goes by quickly if it is going to be long.
Seattle has a new trend in women FINALLY going after the casual touchers- you know those creepy guys who touch you but pretend they didn't. Erin and I had a guy who was teaching at the fly fishing school run by Orvis in Couer d'Alene way back in 2001, and this old goat kept trying to feel us up. I mean no matter how we tried to stand away from him, he'd try to find a way to just touch us. We were actually laughing about it but I am sure that was just age on our part and his. He was probably 70 and we could easily have pushed him into the lake or the Spokane river. I guess, in retrospect, I should have told him I'd slap his face off if he touched me again. When I was in my 20s, I would have killed him. I'm serious. I would have punched his face until I broke my hand. (blame my father's genes). Not many things make me want to hit someone, but invading my body space WILL get you a reaction. When I was in college, I was kneeling on a couch writing on a black board that was behind the couch and a guy (I knew him but I never went out with him) bit me (not hard) on my rear. He was drunk but I wasn't. And I had momentum on my side. I punched him in the face with the back of my fist so hard that he fell back through a screen door and off of a porch. I got down and walked over to him and said "touch me again, asshole, and I will hit you even harder". His fraternity brothers were laughing. And though this guy never liked me before that, after the "incident" in question, he asked me OUT. What is up with that? I am sure that if I punch a guy, I am not going out with him. Anyway, women were being groped out and around in Seattle and now, with cell phone cameras, they took pictures of these creeps because the POLICE were doing nothing. NOTHING. So the women took to social media and soon other women said "yep, that is the same guy that felt me up when I walked past him". Turns out one of them was a class 3 sex offender. What a surprise. So congratulations to the women who DO something when someone assaults them.
I've had a few friends start to ask when is this self-imposed exile from facebook going to be over. technically, in 8 more days. But I think I'll wait until after next weekend.
The kitties are really missing the sunshine. Poor girls. They sit up in the front window upstairs and watch for birds- but the birds are not nearly as active as they were. Maybe the bats will stick around.
Today Laurie posted some pictures from the memorial for the shop cat in Tacoma that died last week. I always take pictures of the shop cats I meet. I think the most beautiful one I've ever seen was the one at the Pratt and Larson tile store in Bellevue. How the cat survived living on such a busy street and in an area of tile shards and dust, I don't know. But it really had the most beautiful turquoise eyes. I don't think I have the picture of it that I took because I think it went away when Textamerica folded and took my pictures with it. He's probably long gone by now.
Here is a link to the story:
http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2014/10/a-sweet-send-off.html
Well, time to go figure out dinner.
See ya!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
October 29 Day 90
Wohoo!
So, today I have watched this nurse in Maine say she is going to sue (someone! anyone!) for forcing her into quarantine. The day that we allow people to trump the importance of public health is the day that we, as a society, are dead. This whole concept of being more important as an individual than more important than the safety of your community is disgusting. We've raised people to believe in their own incredible importance. Their DNA is so important that they tell US what needs to be done. Look lady, it is only 21 days. You're young-ish. If you are lucky, you aren't carrying any crap that could make all of us sick. Just suck it up. Be glad you aren't serving your Ebola time over in Liberia. If there is just 1 millionth percent chance that you have Ebola, then you need to sit down, read People magazine, have a diet coke with lots of safe, disease free ice in it, and be grateful that your life is okay. I have no idea what is WRONG with her. This is a very weird time for everyone. We are so used to just curing everything- no big deal. When we bump up against something that could feasibly kill all of us one way or another, then everyone needs to pull together and STOP the problem. I find her embarrassing for my profession. Sorry cupcake, you should be ashamed of yourself. I guess she has just so much sense of self-importance ( "I went to Liberia and you didn't" sort of arrogance) that she just cannot be told what to do. I'm old. I remember stuff like quarantines. I remember notes on front doors that didn't allow for visitors. Back when there were no quick or easy solutions to disease, people were POLITE and said "stay away- we are contagious here". Perhaps she has brain fog and can't focus on anything other than herself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tguSNLJvA (emphasis on "but mostly me")
Today is national cat day. I love my cats. Maybe that angry nurse needs a cat. I can tell you one thing- a cat doesn't need HER. Cats require a lot of human interaction and attention. They are like toddlers in some ways- if you want a good one, you have to provide the right input. If you treat a kitten or young cat with kindness and love and realize their instincts as predators, you'll get a great animal. Hooray for national cat day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tguSNLJvA
I don't like voting by mail. I always wonder if my ballot got there. And I wonder if someone tampered with it. Seattle is full of that sort of chicanery. When the wrong candidate is winning, they continually "find" ballots- last time it was behind a sofa. Really. I kid you not. But today our ballots went in a mailbox. Ugh. Ugh. It feels so unpatriotic. People are so lazy. This is all a ploy to make it easy for people to vote. People should have to sweat just a LITTLE to vote- the freedom we have was brought to us by people who suffered and died. The whining about standing in line really got to me. Boy, I'm crabby today. Maybe it is dinner time.
Are you watching "the affair" on cable? Alex likes it but I find both lead characters not only not charismatic and unattractive, but also boring. Ugh. I had to stop recording a PBS show so we could record The Affair. I'm not a PBS snob- I think a lot of their stuff is slooooow. But sometimes I really am interested in Frontline and a few other things. If you like The Affair, let me know. Or not. Up to you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0I-Fm5m00Y
It seems day 90 is a day of randomness. But remember, Americans will spend over $360 million this year on pet costumes for Halloween. You heard me.
Well, I am going to go fix dinner. I probably should post these things AFTER I eat!!
So, today I have watched this nurse in Maine say she is going to sue (someone! anyone!) for forcing her into quarantine. The day that we allow people to trump the importance of public health is the day that we, as a society, are dead. This whole concept of being more important as an individual than more important than the safety of your community is disgusting. We've raised people to believe in their own incredible importance. Their DNA is so important that they tell US what needs to be done. Look lady, it is only 21 days. You're young-ish. If you are lucky, you aren't carrying any crap that could make all of us sick. Just suck it up. Be glad you aren't serving your Ebola time over in Liberia. If there is just 1 millionth percent chance that you have Ebola, then you need to sit down, read People magazine, have a diet coke with lots of safe, disease free ice in it, and be grateful that your life is okay. I have no idea what is WRONG with her. This is a very weird time for everyone. We are so used to just curing everything- no big deal. When we bump up against something that could feasibly kill all of us one way or another, then everyone needs to pull together and STOP the problem. I find her embarrassing for my profession. Sorry cupcake, you should be ashamed of yourself. I guess she has just so much sense of self-importance ( "I went to Liberia and you didn't" sort of arrogance) that she just cannot be told what to do. I'm old. I remember stuff like quarantines. I remember notes on front doors that didn't allow for visitors. Back when there were no quick or easy solutions to disease, people were POLITE and said "stay away- we are contagious here". Perhaps she has brain fog and can't focus on anything other than herself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tguSNLJvA (emphasis on "but mostly me")
Today is national cat day. I love my cats. Maybe that angry nurse needs a cat. I can tell you one thing- a cat doesn't need HER. Cats require a lot of human interaction and attention. They are like toddlers in some ways- if you want a good one, you have to provide the right input. If you treat a kitten or young cat with kindness and love and realize their instincts as predators, you'll get a great animal. Hooray for national cat day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tguSNLJvA
I don't like voting by mail. I always wonder if my ballot got there. And I wonder if someone tampered with it. Seattle is full of that sort of chicanery. When the wrong candidate is winning, they continually "find" ballots- last time it was behind a sofa. Really. I kid you not. But today our ballots went in a mailbox. Ugh. Ugh. It feels so unpatriotic. People are so lazy. This is all a ploy to make it easy for people to vote. People should have to sweat just a LITTLE to vote- the freedom we have was brought to us by people who suffered and died. The whining about standing in line really got to me. Boy, I'm crabby today. Maybe it is dinner time.
Are you watching "the affair" on cable? Alex likes it but I find both lead characters not only not charismatic and unattractive, but also boring. Ugh. I had to stop recording a PBS show so we could record The Affair. I'm not a PBS snob- I think a lot of their stuff is slooooow. But sometimes I really am interested in Frontline and a few other things. If you like The Affair, let me know. Or not. Up to you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0I-Fm5m00Y
It seems day 90 is a day of randomness. But remember, Americans will spend over $360 million this year on pet costumes for Halloween. You heard me.
Well, I am going to go fix dinner. I probably should post these things AFTER I eat!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
October 28 Day 89
Hey look, it has almost been 90 days. Who would think I could keep up with it that long? And now I sort of dread going back. I don't want to waste time like that. So maybe I could limit myself to 15 minutes a day? I have to think it out before I go back to facebook. They keep sending me emails telling me who has posted on my page and how many updates I've missed, etc. It is kind of scary. I mean, they have a program that tells them that I am not there. As the people at the FBI and CIA and NSA say- facebook is an unbelievable gift. Twitter, too. People tell them where they are all day long- they take pictures and announce their plans. Think about it. It is really scary.
I'm trying to clear off just ONE shelf in the armoire STILL. I get really distracted and decide to read a score again or play a piece I had totally forgotten. Then I put it back on the shelf. Dammit.
Last night at midnight eastern time my credit card was stolen. Oh yeah. Some douchebag in Mexico somehow got my name, address, phone number, and credit card number and charged 66 cents at some hardware store.Messing up my etsy transactions. Except that this particular crime ring obviously didn't make a great replica of my metal card or its strip. If you get rejected for a 66 cent charge (probably one to challenge the system to see if it works), then you've made a pretty crappy card. That sort of thing just SCREAMS stolen card. The credit card company picked it up right away and notified me within 10 minutes of it. Nice. Unfortunately, now I get a new card tomorrow or the next day and I have to go to EVERY single account that I use it for. That will take at least an hour for me to go over all of that and make sure it is right. I have to say that it is much easier now for the credit card companies to detect fraud and to notify the customer.
I am watching NCIS New Orleans - I've never heard so many southern accents for a city where no one who is a native has a southern accent. You'd think they were filming in Mobile or Jackson. I have to say the city looks very nice. It is really nice of them to not show the sadder parts of the deserted buildings and streets.
India and Zoubi have been wild tonight- chasing and running. It is so cute. I had to order some new fake bugs for them. They do like their fake bugs. I am training them in case we ever move back to the south.
I turned the heat up to 68- which is too warm, really. But it keeps me from having to wear a hoodie inside.
You know what I wish would come back? Linoleum. Cute linoleum. Hollis got into it for a while but hasn't put a floor of it in yet. If I ever have to remodel a bungalow or mid-century modern (aka ranchburger) I will put a linoleum floor in the utility room and a couple of the bedrooms. I live in a schizophrenic house- it is a craftsman in the front, plain jane in the back, full of inappropriate crown molding and has a modern kitchen. I feel no allegiance to preserving squat.
http://www.flooringhunt.com/linoleum-flooring-essentials/ kind of cute, huh?
http://dougcoe.com/is-linoleum-a-greener-flooring-than-vinyl/
I have to go eat a brownie now. Be jealous- it's okay!
Watch this video- (Rainell, I already sent it to you):
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/new-video-won-doesn-disappoint-article-1.1990218
Well done.
I'm trying to clear off just ONE shelf in the armoire STILL. I get really distracted and decide to read a score again or play a piece I had totally forgotten. Then I put it back on the shelf. Dammit.
Last night at midnight eastern time my credit card was stolen. Oh yeah. Some douchebag in Mexico somehow got my name, address, phone number, and credit card number and charged 66 cents at some hardware store.Messing up my etsy transactions. Except that this particular crime ring obviously didn't make a great replica of my metal card or its strip. If you get rejected for a 66 cent charge (probably one to challenge the system to see if it works), then you've made a pretty crappy card. That sort of thing just SCREAMS stolen card. The credit card company picked it up right away and notified me within 10 minutes of it. Nice. Unfortunately, now I get a new card tomorrow or the next day and I have to go to EVERY single account that I use it for. That will take at least an hour for me to go over all of that and make sure it is right. I have to say that it is much easier now for the credit card companies to detect fraud and to notify the customer.
I am watching NCIS New Orleans - I've never heard so many southern accents for a city where no one who is a native has a southern accent. You'd think they were filming in Mobile or Jackson. I have to say the city looks very nice. It is really nice of them to not show the sadder parts of the deserted buildings and streets.
India and Zoubi have been wild tonight- chasing and running. It is so cute. I had to order some new fake bugs for them. They do like their fake bugs. I am training them in case we ever move back to the south.
I turned the heat up to 68- which is too warm, really. But it keeps me from having to wear a hoodie inside.
You know what I wish would come back? Linoleum. Cute linoleum. Hollis got into it for a while but hasn't put a floor of it in yet. If I ever have to remodel a bungalow or mid-century modern (aka ranchburger) I will put a linoleum floor in the utility room and a couple of the bedrooms. I live in a schizophrenic house- it is a craftsman in the front, plain jane in the back, full of inappropriate crown molding and has a modern kitchen. I feel no allegiance to preserving squat.
http://www.flooringhunt.com/linoleum-flooring-essentials/ kind of cute, huh?
http://dougcoe.com/is-linoleum-a-greener-flooring-than-vinyl/
I have to go eat a brownie now. Be jealous- it's okay!
Watch this video- (Rainell, I already sent it to you):
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/new-video-won-doesn-disappoint-article-1.1990218
Well done.
Monday, October 27, 2014
October 27 Day 88
Didn't I just do this? It is supposed to get windy again tonight. Sigh.
I am busy getting stuff done in holiday anticipation. I don't do much for Halloween if there is no party to go to. We must be horribly unlikable. We haven't been invited to a Halloween party in ages. I did a Halloween party once, but it was sort of a mess, I like Christmas open houses. But then again, those aren't big up here either.
After swearing not to buy anything else for the dining table, I went online and got a beautiful set (8) of blue Indiana glass water goblets in the Whitehall pattern. They arrived this morning, and I loved them so much that I gave in and got a set in green and one set in peach. Now I have to get rid of my old sheet music on a shelf in my armoire because I have no place to put them. NO PLACE anywhere. This house has a lack of storage. The kitchen and bookshelves are great, but there are no other built in cabinets. I could sell my coats and install shelving in the coat closet. But well, this climate is ideal for coats. Of all colors. So that leaves the music armoire. I have hundreds of pieces of music- Ican could play all of it. But I don't. So why not cave in and let go of some of it. Now to find a place to donate it.
http://indianaglass.carnivalheaven.com/id253.htm
I ordered some new napkins for Thanksgiving. They arrived, and I washed them immediately in cold water. But when I was folding them, I noticed that they are embroidered on what looks like the wrong side. The hem side.
How weird, huh? It is so odd.
I am busy getting stuff done in holiday anticipation. I don't do much for Halloween if there is no party to go to. We must be horribly unlikable. We haven't been invited to a Halloween party in ages. I did a Halloween party once, but it was sort of a mess, I like Christmas open houses. But then again, those aren't big up here either.
After swearing not to buy anything else for the dining table, I went online and got a beautiful set (8) of blue Indiana glass water goblets in the Whitehall pattern. They arrived this morning, and I loved them so much that I gave in and got a set in green and one set in peach. Now I have to get rid of my old sheet music on a shelf in my armoire because I have no place to put them. NO PLACE anywhere. This house has a lack of storage. The kitchen and bookshelves are great, but there are no other built in cabinets. I could sell my coats and install shelving in the coat closet. But well, this climate is ideal for coats. Of all colors. So that leaves the music armoire. I have hundreds of pieces of music- I
http://indianaglass.carnivalheaven.com/id253.htm
I ordered some new napkins for Thanksgiving. They arrived, and I washed them immediately in cold water. But when I was folding them, I noticed that they are embroidered on what looks like the wrong side. The hem side.
How weird, huh? It is so odd.
That company makes a lot of embroidered stuff- but I won't order more of it. Just weird.
I think I should be researching generators while the electricity is still on. Generators don't keep the cable on though- so everyone who thinks that DVD's are now dead are WRONG. The DVD player can keep you going when the cable is out. And you have a generator.
Tonight is the Blacklist. I love that show. It is SO hokey and contrived- but hilariously camp. I hope it goes on for years!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28PyhCh3bx8 saving the world, one person at a time.
Don't worry- if you just fell out of the sky, you can figure out almost everything that goes on or read the wiki page.
the song is:You Were Born by Cloud Cult
lovely.
October 26 Day 87
I composed this but couldn't post it because our power went out on Saturday at 6 pm. And stayed out. We knew a storm was coming tonight so what did we do?- we drove on the 520 bridge into Seattle to eat steak and go to ACT theater to see a play. Oh yeah, we did.
http://www.king5.com/story/weather/2014/10/26/western-washington-wind-storm/17949075/
While we sat in the theater laughing, evidently our neighborhood over on the other side of the 520 bridge was being pummeled. Power lines down, trees down, branches flying, trash cans removed, and in our yard, a beach ball appeared. A really pretty beach ball. It may belong to our catsitter, Sophia, who lives behind us. They are the only ones with a pool. And they have obviously never lived where hurricanes have ever hit or they'd know to pick up the yard stuff before it puts out a window. On the way home from the play we were like a comedy skit in a car. We KNEW the odds were that our house was dark as a night in the 1500s, and that we'd have nothing to do but search for lanterns and candles and wonder why we don't have a generator. (That is going to finally be fixed in the next couple of weeks no matter the cost- we have sat through frozen holidays, snow bound with no electricity and that REALLY sucks). Being at that play evidently saved us about 4 hours of misery - our neighbors had a head start. So on the way home we cheered when we saw lights, then booed when we didn't. Our hopes were very high when we saw that Redmond (on our left) looked very well lit. And the lights were working all the way until the very last light at our street off of highway 202. It was out. Not flashing, just off. And that was it. Until today (Sunday) at about 4 p m. The cheering was, however, relatively brief since the internet and cable were all out. (Until Monday morning).
So, Sunday, October 26 was the Seahawks game. But with no cable, no electricity at our house, and Ryan doesn't HAVE a television, we decided to get up, try to get presentable with no hot water to be found in our home, and run to the IPic theater that has a big bar area with lots of TV's. What a great idea! Ryan met us there.
It totally worked out- and most of the women looked bedraggled, too. The waitress told us that last week she had TWO customers, and this week this poor woman had 45 customers all by herself.
We overtipped her a lot. She smiled through all of it. I love nice customer service. She should get a big bonus from her boss.
The extra good news is that I am writing this because I CAN right now and the power came back on. I am posting it the morning of the 27th because we didn't have internet connectivity until this morning. So here ya go!
Now if any of you have a great generator that you love, and you KNOW me, send me an email so I never have to cook 4 pounds of thawed shrimp for breakfast again.
Oh- I ALMOST forgot- the funniest line of the idiot sports commentator:
"Luke Willson, no relation to Russell, ..."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry- that was the stupidest remark ever. Not that white people can't be related to a black person, but combine THAT with the fact that their names aren't even spelled the same. Honestly. Tell me if YOU think those two are related.
http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Luke-Willson-Rookie-Minicamp-Press-Conference/7da73376-073c-4470-88ca-8dc92bd46557
http://www.seahawks.com/team/roster/Russell-Wilson/61b432f5-cd6c-4c4f-a8a4-9e307ffa4f3a
http://www.king5.com/story/weather/2014/10/26/western-washington-wind-storm/17949075/
While we sat in the theater laughing, evidently our neighborhood over on the other side of the 520 bridge was being pummeled. Power lines down, trees down, branches flying, trash cans removed, and in our yard, a beach ball appeared. A really pretty beach ball. It may belong to our catsitter, Sophia, who lives behind us. They are the only ones with a pool. And they have obviously never lived where hurricanes have ever hit or they'd know to pick up the yard stuff before it puts out a window. On the way home from the play we were like a comedy skit in a car. We KNEW the odds were that our house was dark as a night in the 1500s, and that we'd have nothing to do but search for lanterns and candles and wonder why we don't have a generator. (That is going to finally be fixed in the next couple of weeks no matter the cost- we have sat through frozen holidays, snow bound with no electricity and that REALLY sucks). Being at that play evidently saved us about 4 hours of misery - our neighbors had a head start. So on the way home we cheered when we saw lights, then booed when we didn't. Our hopes were very high when we saw that Redmond (on our left) looked very well lit. And the lights were working all the way until the very last light at our street off of highway 202. It was out. Not flashing, just off. And that was it. Until today (Sunday) at about 4 p m. The cheering was, however, relatively brief since the internet and cable were all out. (Until Monday morning).
So, Sunday, October 26 was the Seahawks game. But with no cable, no electricity at our house, and Ryan doesn't HAVE a television, we decided to get up, try to get presentable with no hot water to be found in our home, and run to the IPic theater that has a big bar area with lots of TV's. What a great idea! Ryan met us there.
We overtipped her a lot. She smiled through all of it. I love nice customer service. She should get a big bonus from her boss.
The extra good news is that I am writing this because I CAN right now and the power came back on. I am posting it the morning of the 27th because we didn't have internet connectivity until this morning. So here ya go!
Now if any of you have a great generator that you love, and you KNOW me, send me an email so I never have to cook 4 pounds of thawed shrimp for breakfast again.
Oh- I ALMOST forgot- the funniest line of the idiot sports commentator:
"Luke Willson, no relation to Russell, ..."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry- that was the stupidest remark ever. Not that white people can't be related to a black person, but combine THAT with the fact that their names aren't even spelled the same. Honestly. Tell me if YOU think those two are related.
http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Luke-Willson-Rookie-Minicamp-Press-Conference/7da73376-073c-4470-88ca-8dc92bd46557
http://www.seahawks.com/team/roster/Russell-Wilson/61b432f5-cd6c-4c4f-a8a4-9e307ffa4f3a
Saturday, October 25, 2014
October 25 Day 86
More shooter stuff- the Seattle news can't stop. I just cannot understand why they keep acting like this was a random act of violence. It wasn't. If this kid hadn't gone to school that day, he would have shot those specific kids at some other point. He specifically wanted to kill THEM. He murdered them with deliberation. Enough.
It is a very dreary day here. When you live in a place that can drag out gray skies and rain for months on end, you have to find SOMETHING to do that is cheerful or at least mood raising. When I find it, I'll let you know. For me, a trip OUT of here is cheerful and mood raising.
We went to IPic to see St Vincent last night. www.flickerchick.com . I'm a little surprised that I liked it so much- the story was SO utterly predictable. In fact, surely there is someone out there who can sue the writer for stealing their story. Murray does a good job. He is out classed by the kid, however. I don't know Bill Murray. But he doesn't seem like a softie. So this role suits him.
I'm watching Texas Tech play football. Only because I think I might see our cousin, Kirby, who is a freshman there. I doubt that I'll see her because on tv, well, how impossible is that? But it would be fun to see her.
We saw a 30 for 30 on Gerald McCoy. I like the human interest stories in sports. Turns out that he just signed for 100 million, 50 of which is guaranteed. I hope he has some great financial advisors. Can you imagine having a kid who makes 100 million on his first job? I don't get all the liberal complaints about the "rich". Why not go after athletes and movie stars? Why go after people who worked their asses off in school and took real risks with their jobs? And why do people think comparing athletic gifts with mental gifts don't equate? Some people are born athletes and some people are born geniuses or with a gift for creating business. But the athletes and entertainers aren't brought up as objects of jealousy and hate. And we all let people get away with that nonsense.
I see Honey Boo Boo's mother, June, is dating the child molester who assaulted her first born. He's finally out of prison and she is back in his arms. I never saw THAT coming. In general, nothing brings out the ugly like a fat, white woman with a Southern accent and 4 kids by 4 different fathers. Despite the fact that Mama June took care of her brood and kept them together, and you never saw them scattered, the general opinion of her is that she is "white trash" and "hillbilly" - words used by the tolerant liberals and racists who think that is okay. Well, I'm all for name calling. It is what humans do. But don't be some pious POS that talks about bullies and racists and then go around saying things like white trash and hillbilly. Racism and class wars go both ways. But that child molester thing is really bad. And her oldest child, Anna, the only skinny one, says SHE was the victim (causing her to live with her grandmother most of her life) and her mother has hurt her very badly by going back with that guy. Anna is the only child in that bunch who seems to have a shred of hope for getting out of the "ketchup and butter spaghetti" for dinner route. I hope she takes the money in her trust and gets out. If you've never seen that show, this will make NO sense to you at all.
Okeedokee- tonight we go see a play and have dinner in Seattle. In the rain. I hope it is a good play. It is time to get out of the house!
Here's Madness doing Grey Day: (don't say you don't learn things on this blog!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmBA7e-G21Q
It is a very dreary day here. When you live in a place that can drag out gray skies and rain for months on end, you have to find SOMETHING to do that is cheerful or at least mood raising. When I find it, I'll let you know. For me, a trip OUT of here is cheerful and mood raising.
We went to IPic to see St Vincent last night. www.flickerchick.com . I'm a little surprised that I liked it so much- the story was SO utterly predictable. In fact, surely there is someone out there who can sue the writer for stealing their story. Murray does a good job. He is out classed by the kid, however. I don't know Bill Murray. But he doesn't seem like a softie. So this role suits him.
I'm watching Texas Tech play football. Only because I think I might see our cousin, Kirby, who is a freshman there. I doubt that I'll see her because on tv, well, how impossible is that? But it would be fun to see her.
We saw a 30 for 30 on Gerald McCoy. I like the human interest stories in sports. Turns out that he just signed for 100 million, 50 of which is guaranteed. I hope he has some great financial advisors. Can you imagine having a kid who makes 100 million on his first job? I don't get all the liberal complaints about the "rich". Why not go after athletes and movie stars? Why go after people who worked their asses off in school and took real risks with their jobs? And why do people think comparing athletic gifts with mental gifts don't equate? Some people are born athletes and some people are born geniuses or with a gift for creating business. But the athletes and entertainers aren't brought up as objects of jealousy and hate. And we all let people get away with that nonsense.
I see Honey Boo Boo's mother, June, is dating the child molester who assaulted her first born. He's finally out of prison and she is back in his arms. I never saw THAT coming. In general, nothing brings out the ugly like a fat, white woman with a Southern accent and 4 kids by 4 different fathers. Despite the fact that Mama June took care of her brood and kept them together, and you never saw them scattered, the general opinion of her is that she is "white trash" and "hillbilly" - words used by the tolerant liberals and racists who think that is okay. Well, I'm all for name calling. It is what humans do. But don't be some pious POS that talks about bullies and racists and then go around saying things like white trash and hillbilly. Racism and class wars go both ways. But that child molester thing is really bad. And her oldest child, Anna, the only skinny one, says SHE was the victim (causing her to live with her grandmother most of her life) and her mother has hurt her very badly by going back with that guy. Anna is the only child in that bunch who seems to have a shred of hope for getting out of the "ketchup and butter spaghetti" for dinner route. I hope she takes the money in her trust and gets out. If you've never seen that show, this will make NO sense to you at all.
Okeedokee- tonight we go see a play and have dinner in Seattle. In the rain. I hope it is a good play. It is time to get out of the house!
Here's Madness doing Grey Day: (don't say you don't learn things on this blog!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmBA7e-G21Q
Friday, October 24, 2014
October 24 Day 85
I promise not to be irreverent about the students who lost their lives today about an hour and a half north of my house. It didn't take TWO seconds for rumors to run rampant- he was bullied, it was sad, and why isn't the world a better place, and when will it end, and when will we learn. (those are questions best left to Putin and ISIS to answer) Our newscasters were crying rather than reporting. Then it comes out that the kid was a student athlete- a wrestler and football player- who was popular enough to be on the freshman homecoming court. (Just letting you know that I wasn't on any kind of homecoming court ever). However, if you visit his twitter account, you can see that his mother should have gotten him HELP- like last June. There are some very vulgar posts, mostly sexual references, retweets of things that are gross, and some not so very veiled threats. Why? Because his girlfriend since 7th grade, or something like it, broke UP with him. I guess she was seeing the gross (don't go to it if you are easily offended) imagery on his twitter feed. Instead of his parents (if he has parents and not just one parent) immediately taking this angry, angry and sexually obsessed kid to a real professional (and maybe they did and they should sue the person) and taking him OUT of his school and putting him somewhere else, they seem to have ignored it. I might be as crappy a reporter as the current tv ones to make those suppositions- but that twitter feed was beyond alarming. There is some nasty porn on it- I didn't know twitter was a place for porn. I guess I don't think about those things much. I don't know who he killed, but one of the kids at the table with him said it was "people he knew". They probably voted for him to be on the homecoming court. I guess we'll find out if the gun he used was registered. Because I don't think ninth graders can go buy a gun. Whoever supplied the gun or allowed access to it (unless it was stolen) should be held accountable as an accessory to murder. That everyone thought this was a well adjusted and happy kid DESPITE the evidence on his twitter feed- that just gobsmacks me. Did NO ONE think his anger was at a dangerous level? Let's see if the girls he shot are his ex-girlfriend and her best friend. Either way, this kid wasn't "bullied". He was the BULLY- and the murderer and committed violence against 2 women. Very young ones, but certainly female. I'm not mad at guns. I think the people who KNEW this guy was threatening something are frightful in their neglect.
Don't go to his twitter feed. The perversion in one picture was too much for me. I am so sorry for the parents of the children who were killed and injured seriously. I am sorry for the kids who just went to school, felt kind of safe, and then had a crazy person give them a shock they will never, ever forget. If he hadn't had a gun, he would have used a knife. That is clear in his threats. We all think we can recognize the person who could harm us. Evidently not.
He posted something about 12 million Indians had been killed by Christians. Do you see what spreading HATE gets you? All this message over and over about women being victims and men being evil, Christians deliberately bringing smallpox to kill Indians, that we stole this country, that there is some plot to give white people money and keep it away from anyone else, that every one is racist, that this is an evil and horrible country- it is all bullshit that feeds anger and hate, BUT people believe it because they need to cling to something to explain their lives. Well, this kid believed it. It didn't make him crazy- his brain and his hormones and the lack of intervention made him crazy. But it didn't HELP that he was bombarded (like all kids now) with the message that they are getting screwed out of something. By you and by me. Then when he faced real stress, he went over the edge.
So here's an idea- rather than go nuts over guns, and then scream some more about bullies or racists, why don't we teach kids how to COPE with a world that is not now and never has been "fair". Teach them to deal with disappointment, unhappiness, and to have goals other than getting stoned or laid or marching with a sign rather than helping.
Ugh. I have had a couple of people I know get shot. And killed. A college friend was shot in the French quarter because he told a black guy to get off the hood of his car because he had to go home. Evidently that wasn't racism. My former sister-in-law was shot by her husband's brother. Evidently that wasn't sexism. We are violent by nature- especially if it involved jealousy or rage. But most of us settle for cursing and crying. The gun was an inanimate object. The kid was not.
Okay- I'll quit.
Zoubi didn't enjoy the tv being on today. Here was her reaction:
She doesn't know that she was thrown away as a kitten, but she does know that there is a lot of love in the world because she sees it every day. We make sure of it. Just like good parents do.
Don't go to his twitter feed. The perversion in one picture was too much for me. I am so sorry for the parents of the children who were killed and injured seriously. I am sorry for the kids who just went to school, felt kind of safe, and then had a crazy person give them a shock they will never, ever forget. If he hadn't had a gun, he would have used a knife. That is clear in his threats. We all think we can recognize the person who could harm us. Evidently not.
He posted something about 12 million Indians had been killed by Christians. Do you see what spreading HATE gets you? All this message over and over about women being victims and men being evil, Christians deliberately bringing smallpox to kill Indians, that we stole this country, that there is some plot to give white people money and keep it away from anyone else, that every one is racist, that this is an evil and horrible country- it is all bullshit that feeds anger and hate, BUT people believe it because they need to cling to something to explain their lives. Well, this kid believed it. It didn't make him crazy- his brain and his hormones and the lack of intervention made him crazy. But it didn't HELP that he was bombarded (like all kids now) with the message that they are getting screwed out of something. By you and by me. Then when he faced real stress, he went over the edge.
So here's an idea- rather than go nuts over guns, and then scream some more about bullies or racists, why don't we teach kids how to COPE with a world that is not now and never has been "fair". Teach them to deal with disappointment, unhappiness, and to have goals other than getting stoned or laid or marching with a sign rather than helping.
Ugh. I have had a couple of people I know get shot. And killed. A college friend was shot in the French quarter because he told a black guy to get off the hood of his car because he had to go home. Evidently that wasn't racism. My former sister-in-law was shot by her husband's brother. Evidently that wasn't sexism. We are violent by nature- especially if it involved jealousy or rage. But most of us settle for cursing and crying. The gun was an inanimate object. The kid was not.
Okay- I'll quit.
Zoubi didn't enjoy the tv being on today. Here was her reaction:
Thursday, October 23, 2014
October 23 Day 84
It's funny how small things can seem like minor victories.
I ordered a set of new dishes from Bauer pottery in California. They are a beautiful shade of white (and yes, just like cars, the shade of white matters). I worried a little about them getting here in one piece. I once ordered 8 shallow pasta bowls in Cornishware sage- they are very, very, very hard to find. They were only made in sage for a short time. When they arrived (from a dealer in England), the box was crushed and only ONE survived. There was NO packing in the box at all. They refunded my money, and the surviving dish is very sad indeed. So I now have plate anxiety to go with my parking anxiety. Never mind that my small set of Burleigh blue and white plates came just fine a couple of years ago. I still worried about my new plates getting here safely.
One of the Burleigh plates in Asiatic Pheasant.
I think I might set the world record for owning (not selling) sage Cornishware because as far as I can tell, no one else has it. You are looking at it. Like seeing a cave painting or finding a dinosaur skeleton.
Anyhoo, back to the Bauer. I unpacked it, but was left with a vast amount of packing material from bubble wrap, to brown paper to peanuts. And today was our every two week recycling day- and as I've said before, that can was FULL. It was raining and dark, and my can is already about 130 feet away at the street. But I remind you about small victories. I had some contractor size black heavy duty trash bags, and I got a knife and went to work. (Good thing no one was watching or they might have called the police). I got EVERY last box and packing paper remnant into the recycle can exactly 10 minutes before the WM truck came. That means that when I went back inside, all my dishes were unpacked and ALL THE MESS was gone! If that doesn't excite you (or the principle of it at least) then I doubt we could be friends. Because it is so easy to WANT to be neat and very hard to actually BE neat.
There they are. Ta Da! I am all ready for Thanksgiving. I have nice plates that we've been using.
But I'm going all white this year.
Speaking of Bauer, I have bought things before- I have some pitchers and some cache pots in red (very lovely) and some garden balls. Large ones. Here is a glimpse of one from couple of years ago:
I ordered a set of new dishes from Bauer pottery in California. They are a beautiful shade of white (and yes, just like cars, the shade of white matters). I worried a little about them getting here in one piece. I once ordered 8 shallow pasta bowls in Cornishware sage- they are very, very, very hard to find. They were only made in sage for a short time. When they arrived (from a dealer in England), the box was crushed and only ONE survived. There was NO packing in the box at all. They refunded my money, and the surviving dish is very sad indeed. So I now have plate anxiety to go with my parking anxiety. Never mind that my small set of Burleigh blue and white plates came just fine a couple of years ago. I still worried about my new plates getting here safely.
So today, a 55 pound box of dishes arrived, and I dragged it in and took a deep breath and opened it. And voila! No broken plates. Turns out the people at Bauer have A LOT more experience and love for their product than the people who packed threw in 8 Cornishware pasta bowls into a box for a transatlantic venture. The ones that would have matched the 8 plates I have and love:
Anyhoo, back to the Bauer. I unpacked it, but was left with a vast amount of packing material from bubble wrap, to brown paper to peanuts. And today was our every two week recycling day- and as I've said before, that can was FULL. It was raining and dark, and my can is already about 130 feet away at the street. But I remind you about small victories. I had some contractor size black heavy duty trash bags, and I got a knife and went to work. (Good thing no one was watching or they might have called the police). I got EVERY last box and packing paper remnant into the recycle can exactly 10 minutes before the WM truck came. That means that when I went back inside, all my dishes were unpacked and ALL THE MESS was gone! If that doesn't excite you (or the principle of it at least) then I doubt we could be friends. Because it is so easy to WANT to be neat and very hard to actually BE neat.
There they are. Ta Da! I am all ready for Thanksgiving. I have nice plates that we've been using.
But I'm going all white this year.
Speaking of Bauer, I have bought things before- I have some pitchers and some cache pots in red (very lovely) and some garden balls. Large ones. Here is a glimpse of one from couple of years ago:
It's the shiny green object on the right. Here is another picture of it:
It finally got a chipped piece where it had crazed due to being out in the ice and snow for several winters. Either that or the leaf blower threw a rock into it. It happens. Sadly. But I have another one that is blue.
So - enough of my consumerism. The people at Bauer are very nice. I fell in love with the plates on one of their postcards they sent out that had a table setting on the front. It looked so lovely that I decided to get some plates. I don't buy much-almost everything is utilitarian. I'm not a jewelry freak or collector of small objects. But some things I really love. And changing dishes every 6 or 7 years is a good thing for me.
I have to go to bed- India is chirping at me and begging me to get up and make the house quiet so she can get some shut eye to go with the other 12 hours of shut eye she's had today. Zoubi has already hit the hay because she LOVES to put Alex to bed. If he doesn't settle in and get himself to sleep, it really pisses her off. She nurses on his blanket over his knee and her ears are almost flat if he doesn't magically doze off . She's like an exhausted mother of a fussy baby. GO TO SLEEP DAMMIT. It is funny unless you happen to be the one who has to wash the soggy spot out of the blanket. I'd take a picture of THAT but, well, you know that might look weird and travel the internet at warp speed and get somebody fired.
Nightey night.
No youtube- you are spared!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
October 22 Day 83
Oh where to begin!
Let's start with Canada. I live near Canada. People are always surprised that Seattle is a)not on the Pacific Ocean and b) two hours to the Canadian border if you drive the speed limit. We are on Puget Sound. Not the ocean. It's ocean water, however. And no matter how fast you drive, the wait at the border can be anywhere from a half hour to 3 or 4 hours. No way around it legally except by having some special driver's license, and everyone of age in the car must also have one. The first time we went to Canada, Alex still had a Texas license plate. That meant a complete search of the car. As in, would you step out of your car, please. That started out my feelings about Canada. You'd think they would worry more about their drug addicts laying around in the streets in Vancouver. I digress.
One thing Canada has given us our fair share of is their smartest people. If you talk to a Canadian (at least up here, and the ones I've been around), they love Canada. Everything is better in Canada. So I always ask "Why did you move HERE? It isn't your country- it isn't like you are moving from Toronto to Alberta. You LEFT your country." (Some became citizens also). The answer is always the same- "jobs". Then they proceed to tell you that the USA has bad health care (Canada's is worse, trust me), evil guns (guess one of those evil guns was handy for the sergeant at arms in Toronto today), and racism (this from a country that until VERY recently required a cash down payment to even apply for citizenship- oh wait, still do!). I'm sorry, but I don't care if they leave and go "home"- even the ones I like. Ironically, they became citizens and voted in what I'd call the "far left of Liberal" in their attempts to turn the USA (or Seattle) into a socialist state. These people, Canadians, have never shed a drop of blood for this country- not even the teensiest pin prick from sewing a button on an army uniform. Nope. They bitch and moan and point fingers and hate Republicans or even moderates, and don't get why we have a two party system, etc. Today the evil gun toting terror people (that they thought the USA and evil George Bush went after needlessly) arrived at their front door. Walked into their country's government HQ and tried very much to kill them all. It is a very complicated world, very, very complicated. But Canadians (the ones I know) are simple thinkers. They are good and we are bad. Except for the people who think just like them. I don't know how you can think of the world in such simplistic terms. But then again, the Canadians don't know any more about us than we do about them.
Today I did some housekeeping stuff but I couldn't clean out more stuff because the trash cans are FULL (our pickup is once a week) and most of what I am doing involves having at least half a can available. And I had to get a knife and cut up a lot of big boxes and put those in a construction size black trash bag because they wouldn't fit into the recycle bin.
This afternoon, since it is all rainy, I decided to make some oatmeal cookies. But alas, no oatmeal. So I got on the net and got about 20 recipes for making oatmeal cookies with Quaker instant oatmeal. I got the best one (I thought) and then I made cookies. Sort of. I don't think they are cookies at all. They melted into a single mess and cooked from there. And when I went to cut them they sort of exploded into cookie dust.
Delicious looking- almost. I miss real oatmeal cookies- the store kind are too sweet. I might save all this crumbled up mess and eat it like granola. I'll eat a lot of food failures. I'm not proud.
India was mad at me last night for giving her some chicken wet cat food. I am trying to get her to switch from salmon because her dermatitis isn't clearing up like it should. Now I'll quit trying. She wouldn't eat it, and she wouldn't eat the salmon that was on the plate with it. Poor girl. I love her so much, and I just don't have the heart to withhold her food she loves. I'll just keep rubbing medicine into her skin spots.
We had about 8 pieces of cold fried chicken in the frig and this morning, they were gone. I wouldn't eat them because I don't eat 3 day old fried chicken but I'm guessing someone in the household does. Hmmm. I'm glad because our refrigerator has been packed with nothing to eat.
Thanks, Rainell, for reading my blog! It is like therapy for me. Weird therapy.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/funds.asp
read a little about how OTHER countries do it.
And here is their beautiful anthem that I love to sing along with on Canada day at the Seahawks game: (be aware it is very hymnal sounding but great- the only thing they did better than us)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwDvF0NtgdU
and the history of it is pretty interesting, too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Canada
Let's start with Canada. I live near Canada. People are always surprised that Seattle is a)not on the Pacific Ocean and b) two hours to the Canadian border if you drive the speed limit. We are on Puget Sound. Not the ocean. It's ocean water, however. And no matter how fast you drive, the wait at the border can be anywhere from a half hour to 3 or 4 hours. No way around it legally except by having some special driver's license, and everyone of age in the car must also have one. The first time we went to Canada, Alex still had a Texas license plate. That meant a complete search of the car. As in, would you step out of your car, please. That started out my feelings about Canada. You'd think they would worry more about their drug addicts laying around in the streets in Vancouver. I digress.
One thing Canada has given us our fair share of is their smartest people. If you talk to a Canadian (at least up here, and the ones I've been around), they love Canada. Everything is better in Canada. So I always ask "Why did you move HERE? It isn't your country- it isn't like you are moving from Toronto to Alberta. You LEFT your country." (Some became citizens also). The answer is always the same- "jobs". Then they proceed to tell you that the USA has bad health care (Canada's is worse, trust me), evil guns (guess one of those evil guns was handy for the sergeant at arms in Toronto today), and racism (this from a country that until VERY recently required a cash down payment to even apply for citizenship- oh wait, still do!). I'm sorry, but I don't care if they leave and go "home"- even the ones I like. Ironically, they became citizens and voted in what I'd call the "far left of Liberal" in their attempts to turn the USA (or Seattle) into a socialist state. These people, Canadians, have never shed a drop of blood for this country- not even the teensiest pin prick from sewing a button on an army uniform. Nope. They bitch and moan and point fingers and hate Republicans or even moderates, and don't get why we have a two party system, etc. Today the evil gun toting terror people (that they thought the USA and evil George Bush went after needlessly) arrived at their front door. Walked into their country's government HQ and tried very much to kill them all. It is a very complicated world, very, very complicated. But Canadians (the ones I know) are simple thinkers. They are good and we are bad. Except for the people who think just like them. I don't know how you can think of the world in such simplistic terms. But then again, the Canadians don't know any more about us than we do about them.
Today I did some housekeeping stuff but I couldn't clean out more stuff because the trash cans are FULL (our pickup is once a week) and most of what I am doing involves having at least half a can available. And I had to get a knife and cut up a lot of big boxes and put those in a construction size black trash bag because they wouldn't fit into the recycle bin.
This afternoon, since it is all rainy, I decided to make some oatmeal cookies. But alas, no oatmeal. So I got on the net and got about 20 recipes for making oatmeal cookies with Quaker instant oatmeal. I got the best one (I thought) and then I made cookies. Sort of. I don't think they are cookies at all. They melted into a single mess and cooked from there. And when I went to cut them they sort of exploded into cookie dust.
Delicious looking- almost. I miss real oatmeal cookies- the store kind are too sweet. I might save all this crumbled up mess and eat it like granola. I'll eat a lot of food failures. I'm not proud.
India was mad at me last night for giving her some chicken wet cat food. I am trying to get her to switch from salmon because her dermatitis isn't clearing up like it should. Now I'll quit trying. She wouldn't eat it, and she wouldn't eat the salmon that was on the plate with it. Poor girl. I love her so much, and I just don't have the heart to withhold her food she loves. I'll just keep rubbing medicine into her skin spots.
We had about 8 pieces of cold fried chicken in the frig and this morning, they were gone. I wouldn't eat them because I don't eat 3 day old fried chicken but I'm guessing someone in the household does. Hmmm. I'm glad because our refrigerator has been packed with nothing to eat.
Thanks, Rainell, for reading my blog! It is like therapy for me. Weird therapy.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/funds.asp
read a little about how OTHER countries do it.
And here is their beautiful anthem that I love to sing along with on Canada day at the Seahawks game: (be aware it is very hymnal sounding but great- the only thing they did better than us)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwDvF0NtgdU
and the history of it is pretty interesting, too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Canada
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
October 21 Day 82
This just in! Our Houston friend, Patty, just reached the top of Mt Kilimanjaro. She looks good. There is a rather chubby man in her group- it is all in his gut. So I figure just maybe he isn't so chubby- he is doing what I would do. He probably has a store of toilet paper under that puffy coat and he is selling it by the sheet to pay for his trip. No? Well, don't count it out. No one who looks that fat could even climb up Monkey Hill in NOLA (height approximately 10 feet) let alone even a well worn path up 19,000 feet or whatever that misery is. I'm not sure I'd walk 19,000 ft even if there was a cake at the end of it. (refer back to the many posts about my laziness)
In other kinds of news, our baby orca's keep dying up here. I'm going with genetic defects though they say it is a food issue. The tourist boats really harass those pods, and I am assuming they are feeding them tofu sandwiches and jamba juice. Not really what an orca needs. Really, I'll sober up here- it isn't funny. Orcas are really impressive and beautiful animals, and they should be seen from a DISTANCE.
I'm baking a chicken. Or roasting it. I don't know the difference. And don't write to me and ruin my ignorance. But I went to the grocery store and spent a lot of money and only brought home two things that could even passably be dinner. One was the chicken.
It is raining. Of COURSE it is raining. What else would it be doing? It is October in Seattle. The kitties were so used to the sunshine this past summer. They keep wondering what is going on here.
There's some rain on one of my nandinas today- in case you haven't seen rain on a nandina before.
Those teenaged girls who were stopped in Europe on their way to Istanbul to get to Syria to join Isis should have been left to do it. How do 3 underage girls get the MONEY to fly over there? My parents wouldn't buy me clothes or shoes once I was 13 because they figured if I had to earn the money I'd respect money forever. They were right about that. I couldn't have bought a BUS ticket, let alone flown to Turkey! And I'll bet they all had expensive cell phones. I know for sure they have a WHOLE lot of stupid. Nothing is more sexist (to the point of brutality) than ISIS!!! They want to be abused and beaten and sexually assaulted? They can get that kind of lovin' here if they look hard enough. Idiots.
I hope that the abducted tourist who is being brought home from North Korea has to pay the bill for the US plane sent to get him. I am sorry- unless he was a CIA agent, he has no business in North Korea. None. I can't understand why we got him out on a US plane. Couldn't he just walk over to South Korea?
I wrote this early tonight because it is supposed to get very windy and sometimes our power goes out for hours. That is the worst.
I am going to get my kids to check their cars for that air bag recall. Jeez louise, Just horrible. I guess globalization might kill us all- the air bags were made by a Japanese company in Mexico. Yeah, get it made in Mexico. No problems with that!
IN that spirit- here are some latinos in Australia doing the Mexican hat dance!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qRQrNm8PTs
In other kinds of news, our baby orca's keep dying up here. I'm going with genetic defects though they say it is a food issue. The tourist boats really harass those pods, and I am assuming they are feeding them tofu sandwiches and jamba juice. Not really what an orca needs. Really, I'll sober up here- it isn't funny. Orcas are really impressive and beautiful animals, and they should be seen from a DISTANCE.
I'm baking a chicken. Or roasting it. I don't know the difference. And don't write to me and ruin my ignorance. But I went to the grocery store and spent a lot of money and only brought home two things that could even passably be dinner. One was the chicken.
It is raining. Of COURSE it is raining. What else would it be doing? It is October in Seattle. The kitties were so used to the sunshine this past summer. They keep wondering what is going on here.
Those teenaged girls who were stopped in Europe on their way to Istanbul to get to Syria to join Isis should have been left to do it. How do 3 underage girls get the MONEY to fly over there? My parents wouldn't buy me clothes or shoes once I was 13 because they figured if I had to earn the money I'd respect money forever. They were right about that. I couldn't have bought a BUS ticket, let alone flown to Turkey! And I'll bet they all had expensive cell phones. I know for sure they have a WHOLE lot of stupid. Nothing is more sexist (to the point of brutality) than ISIS!!! They want to be abused and beaten and sexually assaulted? They can get that kind of lovin' here if they look hard enough. Idiots.
I hope that the abducted tourist who is being brought home from North Korea has to pay the bill for the US plane sent to get him. I am sorry- unless he was a CIA agent, he has no business in North Korea. None. I can't understand why we got him out on a US plane. Couldn't he just walk over to South Korea?
I wrote this early tonight because it is supposed to get very windy and sometimes our power goes out for hours. That is the worst.
I am going to get my kids to check their cars for that air bag recall. Jeez louise, Just horrible. I guess globalization might kill us all- the air bags were made by a Japanese company in Mexico. Yeah, get it made in Mexico. No problems with that!
IN that spirit- here are some latinos in Australia doing the Mexican hat dance!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qRQrNm8PTs
Monday, October 20, 2014
October 20 Day 81
Today was rearrange the nest day. I'm one of those "rearrangers". I'd do it more often but my husband is not one to enjoy changes in his surroundings unless it is from the house here to a house in Hawaii or France. The sofa is now on the other side of the room. India loved it- she acted like the furniture now contained snakes and puffed up nicely in her search to discover the cause of the disruption. Zoubi didn't really notice or care. So I guess that India is more like Alex and Zoubi is more like me. I love to change things up. I still want a new sofa so this is a test run to see if I really need one. (I do).
I cannot understand the big deal about "pot edibles". Are you kidding me? If people don't put up their drugs of EVERY kind, then they are negligent. If I want to have some pot, I want it in the form of a gummy bear. In fact, the first time I was legally drunk (blood level not age) was at the age of about 4. I knocked back some sloe gin my parents left in the utility room. Lucky for them (but mostly me) it wasn't LYE. But they found me dead asleep (as opposed to just dead) on the floor of the utility room where they'd left it. It was pink, so I guess I'm lucky it wasn't pepto bismol instead. But if pot is in the form of a gummy bear, well, then keep it away from your kids. Your whole HOUSE is full of stuff your kids could mistake for food or drink. Madre di dios! Make parents smarter. Package it in childproof bags. Whatever our nanny state needs to protect kids from their parents. But don't ban it.
The poor Seahawks got the kibosh in the papers. Really? Seattle is a horribly fickle town about everything. Sad. They should try living in NOLA. Then you'd learn how to support a team (and cook interesting food). Things were very rough there for decades.
I see Monica Lewinsky is out and about. She is absolutely right- she was the first victim of internet shaming and abuse. They certainly did blame the wrong person for that. Anyone who has BEEN 22 or had a 21 or 22 year old daughter is pretty aware that the President of the United States just MIGHT be a bit of awe inspiring and cause quite a crush. The difference is that the POTUS is a full fledged ADULT, who is CEO of the government, and should overcome his desire to be a predator and behave like a married man who is responsible for himself. He should realize that young women see him as charismatic and crush worthy. But evidently that was too much to ask. I felt sorry for this young woman the ENTIRE time. Particularly since Hillary (who pretends to be FOR women) went after Monica like a pit bull after a steak. I never saw such viciousness from a supposedly mature woman whose husband is a real jerk. Most women blame their husbands and then leave his sorry ass. But Hillary had a lot of practice dealing with this sort of thing and knew just how to vilify a young woman. Too bad. I learned a lot about women during that time. And it was disappointing as hell.
For some reason now, a classroom size of 25 is considered to be just awful. Huh? There were more than 25 kids in my elementary classrooms. We all learned. We all did just fine. True, that is a lot of kids. But there are also a lot more administrators now. And more money spent handling all those kids who now suddenly have developed myriads of conditions that for some reason didn't exist back in the 50s/60s. And parents- lots and lots of parents who complain. Until the schools cut back on all those administrators and get rid of the useless teacher's unions that keep incompetents on the payroll, they will never get my vote.
Do you know who is playing in the World Series? Me neither. Don't care either. What happened to baseball? Seriously. When I was little I watched baseball on tv every Saturday after the wrestling matches. I loved it. Now, it is just a place to go have a hot dog and visit with friends. Half the time, I don't even know the score.
And here I thought I didn't have anything to say on day 81.
In honor of talking, here is old school and new school:
Old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GOYYbiEul0
New: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EheLN-MDzrA
Take your pick!
Good night from two people and two cats.
I cannot understand the big deal about "pot edibles". Are you kidding me? If people don't put up their drugs of EVERY kind, then they are negligent. If I want to have some pot, I want it in the form of a gummy bear. In fact, the first time I was legally drunk (blood level not age) was at the age of about 4. I knocked back some sloe gin my parents left in the utility room. Lucky for them (but mostly me) it wasn't LYE. But they found me dead asleep (as opposed to just dead) on the floor of the utility room where they'd left it. It was pink, so I guess I'm lucky it wasn't pepto bismol instead. But if pot is in the form of a gummy bear, well, then keep it away from your kids. Your whole HOUSE is full of stuff your kids could mistake for food or drink. Madre di dios! Make parents smarter. Package it in childproof bags. Whatever our nanny state needs to protect kids from their parents. But don't ban it.
The poor Seahawks got the kibosh in the papers. Really? Seattle is a horribly fickle town about everything. Sad. They should try living in NOLA. Then you'd learn how to support a team (and cook interesting food). Things were very rough there for decades.
I see Monica Lewinsky is out and about. She is absolutely right- she was the first victim of internet shaming and abuse. They certainly did blame the wrong person for that. Anyone who has BEEN 22 or had a 21 or 22 year old daughter is pretty aware that the President of the United States just MIGHT be a bit of awe inspiring and cause quite a crush. The difference is that the POTUS is a full fledged ADULT, who is CEO of the government, and should overcome his desire to be a predator and behave like a married man who is responsible for himself. He should realize that young women see him as charismatic and crush worthy. But evidently that was too much to ask. I felt sorry for this young woman the ENTIRE time. Particularly since Hillary (who pretends to be FOR women) went after Monica like a pit bull after a steak. I never saw such viciousness from a supposedly mature woman whose husband is a real jerk. Most women blame their husbands and then leave his sorry ass. But Hillary had a lot of practice dealing with this sort of thing and knew just how to vilify a young woman. Too bad. I learned a lot about women during that time. And it was disappointing as hell.
For some reason now, a classroom size of 25 is considered to be just awful. Huh? There were more than 25 kids in my elementary classrooms. We all learned. We all did just fine. True, that is a lot of kids. But there are also a lot more administrators now. And more money spent handling all those kids who now suddenly have developed myriads of conditions that for some reason didn't exist back in the 50s/60s. And parents- lots and lots of parents who complain. Until the schools cut back on all those administrators and get rid of the useless teacher's unions that keep incompetents on the payroll, they will never get my vote.
Do you know who is playing in the World Series? Me neither. Don't care either. What happened to baseball? Seriously. When I was little I watched baseball on tv every Saturday after the wrestling matches. I loved it. Now, it is just a place to go have a hot dog and visit with friends. Half the time, I don't even know the score.
And here I thought I didn't have anything to say on day 81.
In honor of talking, here is old school and new school:
Old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GOYYbiEul0
New: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EheLN-MDzrA
Take your pick!
Good night from two people and two cats.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
October 19 Day 80
Awww, Seahawks....what a mess. Yet again, you should have won but the bad call in the last 2 minutes was AWFUL- you should have won. For sure. That was YOUR recovery not theirs- it was clear as day. Sigh. And I had my best Hello Kitty Seahawks tee shirt on, too.
Ryan was here all day. The game started at 10 am for us, so we had brunch, then lunch then dinner. We watched a really interesting documentary on demand- "Terms and Conditions May Apply" which basically informs you that you have given up ALL your rights every time you TOUCH that keyboard. So back away. Slowly. You have NO privacy on your cell phone either. You have signed it all away. Because you are protected from the government ONLY if the government is monitoring you directly. If they get the info from a third party, bar the door. Be careful. On twitter, etc. They also mentioned that instagram owns your pictures and can sell them. Don't know if that is still true, but they might do it and THEN wait for you to sue. I really am not an alarmist- I don't see the march of doom that every newspaper headline throws out. In fact, I don't even BELIEVE them because they contain such words as "might" or "could". But this privacy stuff is too much. And the wholesale theft of images means your picture (or your cats) could be on the side of a bus in Taiwan. What have we done?
Gawd that was SO depressing. We have really wired ourselves into a corner. IN perpetuity. The government doesn't really give a rat's patootie what I do but they could misinterpret a few things I've said over the years.
Sunday is, of course, a day of rest. So I am going to rest now. I have to go watch the hilariously miscast Steve Buscemi finish out the final episodes of Boardwalk Empire.
See you tomorrow!
Can't sleep? Watch this Frontline:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0fld60gTGM
You're welcome!
Ryan was here all day. The game started at 10 am for us, so we had brunch, then lunch then dinner. We watched a really interesting documentary on demand- "Terms and Conditions May Apply" which basically informs you that you have given up ALL your rights every time you TOUCH that keyboard. So back away. Slowly. You have NO privacy on your cell phone either. You have signed it all away. Because you are protected from the government ONLY if the government is monitoring you directly. If they get the info from a third party, bar the door. Be careful. On twitter, etc. They also mentioned that instagram owns your pictures and can sell them. Don't know if that is still true, but they might do it and THEN wait for you to sue. I really am not an alarmist- I don't see the march of doom that every newspaper headline throws out. In fact, I don't even BELIEVE them because they contain such words as "might" or "could". But this privacy stuff is too much. And the wholesale theft of images means your picture (or your cats) could be on the side of a bus in Taiwan. What have we done?
Gawd that was SO depressing. We have really wired ourselves into a corner. IN perpetuity. The government doesn't really give a rat's patootie what I do but they could misinterpret a few things I've said over the years.
Sunday is, of course, a day of rest. So I am going to rest now. I have to go watch the hilariously miscast Steve Buscemi finish out the final episodes of Boardwalk Empire.
See you tomorrow!
Can't sleep? Watch this Frontline:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0fld60gTGM
You're welcome!
Saturday, October 18, 2014
October 18 Day 79
Say what?? Day 79??? whoa.
I spent some quality time today running around dragging a black cat leash behind me so that Zoubi and India could get rid of some of their energy. It is really cute. When I get bored (well, really bored because it starts out boring to begin with), I drop the leash and Zoubi will pick up one end of it and march around with India following HER. How cute is she? Very.
Alex played golf today (of course). He shot a 78 but that is fine by him.
We went to see FURY at the 4:15 IPic showing. It was pretty good. I am not going to call it great because it was so long. And only Gone With the Wind can pull that off. It's more a study of how war changes people- because it has to. NO one could fight in a war if they didn't change. And by change, I mean surrender their beliefs and morals in a lot of ways. It does a very good job of showing that.
I wouldn't go see it again, but I am glad I saw it once.
We went to Kirkland to eat at Volterra - which is a great little bistro place. The couple at the table behind us just DEFINED dysfunctional. I didn't want to overhear them, but the guy was so LOUD that I had to hear them. I wanted to just turn around and slap him for her. He was so rude to his wife. So holier than thou. I so hate people who use the phrase :but YOU:. I yadayadadad , but YOU blahblahblah. I didn't see him, but I saw her and she was tight lipped angry. I was thinking, leave him lady. So many people say stick with it, work it out- nope. Not when you are married to a :but YOU: guy. And in a restaurant, too. Don't wash your dirty laundry while an innocent party like me is trying so hard not to hear it. I can find interesting things anywhere I go.
Tomorrow is another Seahawks day. Hopefully Ryan will join us. Maybe having Harvin go will help the team look more cohesive. I can hope!
Here's a world war II song for you. I have a Vera Lynn CD that I play every now and then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Tw16dNyJs
Sleep well.
I spent some quality time today running around dragging a black cat leash behind me so that Zoubi and India could get rid of some of their energy. It is really cute. When I get bored (well, really bored because it starts out boring to begin with), I drop the leash and Zoubi will pick up one end of it and march around with India following HER. How cute is she? Very.
Alex played golf today (of course). He shot a 78 but that is fine by him.
We went to see FURY at the 4:15 IPic showing. It was pretty good. I am not going to call it great because it was so long. And only Gone With the Wind can pull that off. It's more a study of how war changes people- because it has to. NO one could fight in a war if they didn't change. And by change, I mean surrender their beliefs and morals in a lot of ways. It does a very good job of showing that.
I wouldn't go see it again, but I am glad I saw it once.
We went to Kirkland to eat at Volterra - which is a great little bistro place. The couple at the table behind us just DEFINED dysfunctional. I didn't want to overhear them, but the guy was so LOUD that I had to hear them. I wanted to just turn around and slap him for her. He was so rude to his wife. So holier than thou. I so hate people who use the phrase :but YOU:. I yadayadadad , but YOU blahblahblah. I didn't see him, but I saw her and she was tight lipped angry. I was thinking, leave him lady. So many people say stick with it, work it out- nope. Not when you are married to a :but YOU: guy. And in a restaurant, too. Don't wash your dirty laundry while an innocent party like me is trying so hard not to hear it. I can find interesting things anywhere I go.
Tomorrow is another Seahawks day. Hopefully Ryan will join us. Maybe having Harvin go will help the team look more cohesive. I can hope!
Here's a world war II song for you. I have a Vera Lynn CD that I play every now and then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Tw16dNyJs
Sleep well.
Friday, October 17, 2014
October 17 Day 78
Yowsers. We are in a dilemma. See, the builder of this house put the thermostat for the entire house in the family room about 10 feet from the gas fireplace. So as the den warms up, the air conditioner comes on because it THINKS it is summer and it is getting hot in here. So the whole rest of the house gets an unnecessary dose of air conditioning because it thinks the rest of the house is warm. Believe me, after that happens it is NOT warm. Sunday is supposed to go up to 70- a veritable heat wave. The rest of next week is low 60s high 50s and rain.
Poor Alex had to go down to Renton to get his car. It has been in the shop for almost THREE weeks. The exploding light fixture at the airport private parking garage took out every part of the external car- including the windows. Yep. Shards and shards of high velocity glass rained down upon it. Hard enough to fracture the windshield!!! Every piece of the exterior was repaired, repainted or replaced. Big job. They won't drive the car AT ALL- it is policy not to take it out. So, because no flat bed trucks are available right now, he had the choice of not getting it this weekend or driving the rental down to Renton to get it. He's driving down there in rush traffic and cold and rain because he misses his car. So we are having left overs. Red beans and rice and roast beef. Weird but true.
It is go to the doctor week for check ups and stuff. Does everyone have a yearly check up from about 4 doctors? I do. Sucks. Anyhoo. My doctor today was my incredibly talented and brilliant gyn doc. Because I discovered I had a gene for breast cancer, someone has to lay hands on them every 6 months, and I can get a breast MRI rather than a mammogram if I want. That's like asking someone if they'd rather have their left hand crushed or get their knee hit with a hammer. Not much choice there. But we talked about ebola. And she said that she fears this will be the first true, lethal epidemic we have ever faced in the USA. She and I are about the same age- so we remember things like quaratines. We remember polio. We remember smallpox. We actually GOT measles and mumps and chicken pox. (I didn't get mumps). So we get it. Read the book FLU sometime. It'll scare you. We talked about how rapidly viruses can mutate. And ebola IS a virus. It has all ready mutated from one form. We need to isolate people, contain the outbreak, etc. We need to proactively ban flights. There is no politically correct here. There is no reason to panic UNLESS we do nothing. If thousands of people got ebola, there is nowhere for them to be treated. Hospitals cannot all be converted into isolation wards. It CANNOT happen. Some hospitals shouldn't be used at all because people who don't have ebola need treatment sometimes, too. Think of the strain and eventual breakdown of medical care delivery. Lots of people might quit. And millions of people could die. That in itself overwhelms the system. My Doc and I agreed that certainly it would be better for older health care workers to volunteer to help. Not that we deserve to die, but we certainly have had our lives. There is no time for blame- there is minimal time for analysis and action. But alas- the new "czar" is not an organized, experience public health official. Go on, read about him. You won't be happy. It could be a horrible time coming up. No one will talk about global warming anymore- they'll be talking about global dying. Better hope we put up some serious barriers to our nation.
And on THAT cheerful note- have a wonderful weekend.
Last night, I guess India got cold, she came over and woke me up by gently patting my arm. She wanted me to let her curl up in the crook of my arm- she was lonesome. God knows I love my cat. She is so sweet. I love India.
Poor Alex had to go down to Renton to get his car. It has been in the shop for almost THREE weeks. The exploding light fixture at the airport private parking garage took out every part of the external car- including the windows. Yep. Shards and shards of high velocity glass rained down upon it. Hard enough to fracture the windshield!!! Every piece of the exterior was repaired, repainted or replaced. Big job. They won't drive the car AT ALL- it is policy not to take it out. So, because no flat bed trucks are available right now, he had the choice of not getting it this weekend or driving the rental down to Renton to get it. He's driving down there in rush traffic and cold and rain because he misses his car. So we are having left overs. Red beans and rice and roast beef. Weird but true.
It is go to the doctor week for check ups and stuff. Does everyone have a yearly check up from about 4 doctors? I do. Sucks. Anyhoo. My doctor today was my incredibly talented and brilliant gyn doc. Because I discovered I had a gene for breast cancer, someone has to lay hands on them every 6 months, and I can get a breast MRI rather than a mammogram if I want. That's like asking someone if they'd rather have their left hand crushed or get their knee hit with a hammer. Not much choice there. But we talked about ebola. And she said that she fears this will be the first true, lethal epidemic we have ever faced in the USA. She and I are about the same age- so we remember things like quaratines. We remember polio. We remember smallpox. We actually GOT measles and mumps and chicken pox. (I didn't get mumps). So we get it. Read the book FLU sometime. It'll scare you. We talked about how rapidly viruses can mutate. And ebola IS a virus. It has all ready mutated from one form. We need to isolate people, contain the outbreak, etc. We need to proactively ban flights. There is no politically correct here. There is no reason to panic UNLESS we do nothing. If thousands of people got ebola, there is nowhere for them to be treated. Hospitals cannot all be converted into isolation wards. It CANNOT happen. Some hospitals shouldn't be used at all because people who don't have ebola need treatment sometimes, too. Think of the strain and eventual breakdown of medical care delivery. Lots of people might quit. And millions of people could die. That in itself overwhelms the system. My Doc and I agreed that certainly it would be better for older health care workers to volunteer to help. Not that we deserve to die, but we certainly have had our lives. There is no time for blame- there is minimal time for analysis and action. But alas- the new "czar" is not an organized, experience public health official. Go on, read about him. You won't be happy. It could be a horrible time coming up. No one will talk about global warming anymore- they'll be talking about global dying. Better hope we put up some serious barriers to our nation.
And on THAT cheerful note- have a wonderful weekend.
Last night, I guess India got cold, she came over and woke me up by gently patting my arm. She wanted me to let her curl up in the crook of my arm- she was lonesome. God knows I love my cat. She is so sweet. I love India.
October 16 Day 77
Today, I went back to the doctor (common theme here), and he said my carotid ultrasound was unchanged because it was still in the 17%-49% range. Well, that's not much accuracy, so I told him that it was possible it had fallen from 48% to 18% and we'd never know it. He thought it was kind of funny. Then he said my LDL had gone from 120 (last Sept) to 60 (last December) to 30 (last month). Which makes me a hyper responder to Lipitor. So, still thinking I'm pretty hilarious, I say- well then, next time it will be 15 and then it will be 7.5 and then it will be close to zero! He was confused by that logic, and I just explained that's what being married to a math major makes you see. He said no one ever has a heart attack or stroke if they have LDLs of 30. (he says) So I'll take that as gospel and let it go.
Enough about me- now on to the vacuum cleaner. I've grown to dislike (hate) my Oreck. It is the second one I have. The first was given to my ex in a moment of pique- as in 'okay, you can have this stupid vacuum cleaner', me knowing full well how much I hated it. But I figured that years later, maybe the vacuum had improved. So I've been punished with another one for 5 years now. I just said to myself- get the best vacuum with the highest ratings because YOU DESERVE IT. Other women buy jewelry, take trips, or drink their money away, but I vacuum mine. SO, I bought the most beautiful vacuum with the highest hepa rating money could get- a Miele S7000 series. It is white, shiny and so much quieter than any vacuum I've owned. It makes noise, but the decibel level is lower. The cats didn't even run. Compared to the other vacuum, it is huge and heavier than I can almost lift. But it has an amazing ability to pick up stuff without getting stuck on rug edges, etc. That is today's news.
Here is the other good news- it is time to order a turducken, which means that thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, is not far away! Yay!
Here is a picture of my vacuum cleaner:
Enough about me- now on to the vacuum cleaner. I've grown to dislike (hate) my Oreck. It is the second one I have. The first was given to my ex in a moment of pique- as in 'okay, you can have this stupid vacuum cleaner', me knowing full well how much I hated it. But I figured that years later, maybe the vacuum had improved. So I've been punished with another one for 5 years now. I just said to myself- get the best vacuum with the highest ratings because YOU DESERVE IT. Other women buy jewelry, take trips, or drink their money away, but I vacuum mine. SO, I bought the most beautiful vacuum with the highest hepa rating money could get- a Miele S7000 series. It is white, shiny and so much quieter than any vacuum I've owned. It makes noise, but the decibel level is lower. The cats didn't even run. Compared to the other vacuum, it is huge and heavier than I can almost lift. But it has an amazing ability to pick up stuff without getting stuck on rug edges, etc. That is today's news.
Here is the other good news- it is time to order a turducken, which means that thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, is not far away! Yay!
Here is a picture of my vacuum cleaner:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
October 15 Day 76
Did you know there are arctic wooly bear caterpillars (they turn into moths)? Don't get stung by one. Good gawdallmighty- it is quite the experience. I know what I'm talking about there. I just saw it on pbs.
Let's talk about what everyone can't shut up about- Ebola. Here's the deal- if they are WRONG about how easily it is transmitted, we are screwed. If they are right, there is still a chance we are screwed but, as usual, some of are not as easily screwed as others. I'm a great house cleaner. My sole purpose in the house is to kill unseen microorganisms. I wash pillows, scrub garbage disposals and pour grime eating liquid down the drains. So I am not as worried unless my husband brings it home from the germy cesspool of engineering.
But let's get real- it seems that people who have contact with Ebola patients, EVEN WEARING HAZMAT SUITS- have come down with it. What movie was it about plague coming and doing in a lot of people on the planet? Well, it was scary, and it scared me more than most people because it was the truth. Now maybe some of you will wipe off the grocery cart handles with the wipes and stop sneezing into your hands (gross). And for God's sake, wash your hands often.-
The Chinese say they have a cure. hahahahahahahahahaha. Medical gloves made in China notoriously tear, possibly explaining the transmission of Ebola to health care workers. Oh hell, almost everything made in China is pure crap. In fact, they EXCEL at making crap. Though I do find irony when I have china that is made in China. I don't think I'd trust the Chinese. In fact, the rest of you can take that Chinese drug, and I'll wait it out with red Lysol and an ultraviolet light.
So, where does that leave us? Hopefully, we'll quit admitting people from African countries with Ebola, and we'll all settle down to argue about social justice and income inequality..
It was very cool today- not in a hipster way, but in a temperature outside way. The hummingbirds are heading to warmer climes- I only saw one today. But here is a picture of the end of the salvia:
Alex is watching Boardwalk Empire from last Sunday on the DVR (which will forever be pronounced Tivo by me). I know they have to wrap up the series forever, but geez, that was one harsh episode.
I got all the book cases downstairs cleaned and arranged a bit so it doesn't look so haphazard. Then I went upstairs and buried myself in my bathroom dresser. I cannot imagine why I have so much stuff. Bring on the apocalypse!
Okay- time to sign off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWZRMowBzjg
Sleep well!
Let's talk about what everyone can't shut up about- Ebola. Here's the deal- if they are WRONG about how easily it is transmitted, we are screwed. If they are right, there is still a chance we are screwed but, as usual, some of are not as easily screwed as others. I'm a great house cleaner. My sole purpose in the house is to kill unseen microorganisms. I wash pillows, scrub garbage disposals and pour grime eating liquid down the drains. So I am not as worried unless my husband brings it home from the germy cesspool of engineering.
But let's get real- it seems that people who have contact with Ebola patients, EVEN WEARING HAZMAT SUITS- have come down with it. What movie was it about plague coming and doing in a lot of people on the planet? Well, it was scary, and it scared me more than most people because it was the truth. Now maybe some of you will wipe off the grocery cart handles with the wipes and stop sneezing into your hands (gross). And for God's sake, wash your hands often.-
The Chinese say they have a cure. hahahahahahahahahaha. Medical gloves made in China notoriously tear, possibly explaining the transmission of Ebola to health care workers. Oh hell, almost everything made in China is pure crap. In fact, they EXCEL at making crap. Though I do find irony when I have china that is made in China. I don't think I'd trust the Chinese. In fact, the rest of you can take that Chinese drug, and I'll wait it out with red Lysol and an ultraviolet light.
So, where does that leave us? Hopefully, we'll quit admitting people from African countries with Ebola, and we'll all settle down to argue about social justice and income inequality..
It was very cool today- not in a hipster way, but in a temperature outside way. The hummingbirds are heading to warmer climes- I only saw one today. But here is a picture of the end of the salvia:
I got all the book cases downstairs cleaned and arranged a bit so it doesn't look so haphazard. Then I went upstairs and buried myself in my bathroom dresser. I cannot imagine why I have so much stuff. Bring on the apocalypse!
Okay- time to sign off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWZRMowBzjg
Sleep well!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
October 14 Day 75
Hmmmmm. I have this sense of running out of time to clean up my closet and dresser. But today I got all my socks and threw them on the bed to make the hard decisions. That's a girl problem. Turns out I am pretty good at BUYING socks, but not so good at getting rid of socks. I didn't realize that until I emptied all 3 drawers full of socks out onto the bed. It made a small mountain across the king size bed. I'm not kidding. Not at all. In fact, it is good to confess. I am a sock hoarder. Whew. I feel better all ready. Sock hoarding really is easy to do. It's not that I buy socks all the time, in fact, I don't. I can go a year without buying one pair of socks. BUT, I never get rid of socks, and therein lies the problem. I've been known to sew up the toe of a favorite sock. Never mind that I have 130 pairs of various sorts of socks, if I like a sock, I mend it. So I had some hard decisions. I got it down to TWO drawers of socks, but that is okay because I made sure I have a variety. Knee socks, athletic socks, regular gold toe socks, fancy socks, golf socks, comfy wear without shoes socks, theme socks (Christmas, Halloween, Easter) and the every popular striped fuzzy socks. Next year, if I haven't worn them, I'll have to pare it all down again.
You know, without a mirror, none of us would know how old we are. We'd be like our pets- slow down when we had to, but not worry about it. Or at least we ASSUME they aren't worried about it. Maybe if they could talk, we'd get an earful of elderly complaints. If I had to say how old I am, I think I'd go with 35- but a rather bad 35. People say you are only as young as you think you are OR you are only as young as you feel. I'd go with number two on that one. Maybe the best way to know your age without a mirror is to count your socks.
Today, the news reported that Isis has almost gotten to Baghdad. What is WRONG with the Iraqis that they cannot defend themselves? Isis has announced it is reinstating slavery. I cannot imagine how the Iraqis feel. Iraq was one of the most educated countries in the world prior to Saddam. Saddam murdered his people by the hundreds of thousands on up. But he murdered the most educated first. We didn't really use Iraqi oil- we only used what we had to in order to comply with the UN. It meant nothing to us in terms of volume. We didn't need it. The war for oil was a complete lie. It wasn't about that, but once the idea was put forth, it developed a life of its own. It was a misguided war at first because we just went in and expected the Iraqis to take over in 5 seconds. But they were like abused children who go to college and have no idea what to do because they have never been in charge of themselves. And the poor Kurds. I stood in my family room and cried when I saw the commercial they spent their money on thanking the USA- and no one commented on it or even seemed to care. But I cared. Weapons of mass destruction were there in the 80s- ask the Kurds who were gassed- mothers with their children in their arms lay swollen and dead. And now, after all that energy and money, and those dead and wounded American soldiers (and others), they fall back into the abyss that is radical Muslim terrorism. Imagine if that happened here. One day it might. There is a time to fight. There always has been.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifcx_Epa2gk
now you can cry, too. Shame on us. And shame on the people who hated a war that freed the Kurds. At least for a while.
Okay, I'll quit. That is certainly enough for one day.
You know, without a mirror, none of us would know how old we are. We'd be like our pets- slow down when we had to, but not worry about it. Or at least we ASSUME they aren't worried about it. Maybe if they could talk, we'd get an earful of elderly complaints. If I had to say how old I am, I think I'd go with 35- but a rather bad 35. People say you are only as young as you think you are OR you are only as young as you feel. I'd go with number two on that one. Maybe the best way to know your age without a mirror is to count your socks.
Today, the news reported that Isis has almost gotten to Baghdad. What is WRONG with the Iraqis that they cannot defend themselves? Isis has announced it is reinstating slavery. I cannot imagine how the Iraqis feel. Iraq was one of the most educated countries in the world prior to Saddam. Saddam murdered his people by the hundreds of thousands on up. But he murdered the most educated first. We didn't really use Iraqi oil- we only used what we had to in order to comply with the UN. It meant nothing to us in terms of volume. We didn't need it. The war for oil was a complete lie. It wasn't about that, but once the idea was put forth, it developed a life of its own. It was a misguided war at first because we just went in and expected the Iraqis to take over in 5 seconds. But they were like abused children who go to college and have no idea what to do because they have never been in charge of themselves. And the poor Kurds. I stood in my family room and cried when I saw the commercial they spent their money on thanking the USA- and no one commented on it or even seemed to care. But I cared. Weapons of mass destruction were there in the 80s- ask the Kurds who were gassed- mothers with their children in their arms lay swollen and dead. And now, after all that energy and money, and those dead and wounded American soldiers (and others), they fall back into the abyss that is radical Muslim terrorism. Imagine if that happened here. One day it might. There is a time to fight. There always has been.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifcx_Epa2gk
now you can cry, too. Shame on us. And shame on the people who hated a war that freed the Kurds. At least for a while.
Okay, I'll quit. That is certainly enough for one day.
Monday, October 13, 2014
October 13 Day 74
Hey, Happy Columbus Day, or as it is known in Seattle, Indigenous whatever day.
Poor Columbus just got thrown under the bus. You know - the bus- the thing with WHEELS used for transportation with an engine invented by non-indigenous people. Did you know that "indigenous" (a misnomer anyway) people in this land didn't know how to use a wheel for transporting goods? They did not. They used it to play with, not to work with. They also ate all the native horses. So perhaps on indigenous day, we should trash the environment (oh yes, they did) and eat a horse! I'd rather have pizza, so that is where we went. Think of it as a pepperoni protest.
On America's Next Top Model this past week, Tyra Banks had everyone do their DNA through ancestry.com. We had our DNA done, and I can tell you, it was really accurate in a lot of ways. I had mine done BEFORE the federal government decided I was too soft and tender to hear the damn truth. Now, the DNA companies cannot tell you what your risk of certain diseases are based on your genetic make up. It might mislead or scare you. That is just ridiculous, and the federal government needs to be removed from our lives. (be a Libertarian- it is liberating). One of the things I learned about me what was that I was unbelievably northern European, mostly Scottish and Welsh and English, with all that entails. I have a rare gene for some sort of degenerative brain disorder that is mostly found in Holland. Fortunately, I didn't marry someone with that gene. The other thing I learned was that I carried the gene for cystic fibrosis. Good thing I didn't marry someone with that yet again. I learned I had risks for autoimmune disease, which I knew by experience and family history. I also carry the gene that keeps PLAVIX from working. My Uncle found that out the hard way- he was on plavix and he died from a blood clot anyway. Some doctor's don't even know about that gene, but 23andme.com told me all about it. I also have a the second most common breast cancer gene. So now I get screened every 6 months. What is wrong with me knowing those things? Nothing. The government is full of jackasses. It is morally wrong to tell a company they cannot give you the information that you signed up to get.
Anyhoo- the potential models on ANTM are all shades and of many backgrounds. But uniformly they identify themselves as white, African-American or Asian. Tyra has called herself a proud black woman. Imagine their surprise when they found out they were things like part Asian, part Ashkenazi Jew, part Irish, part Spanish, etc. Turns out most of them WEREN'T African American, and that explained why they were so light. Tyra, too. Lots of white and European in her pool. So, maybe it is TIME we stop calling everyone who is biracial or multiracial an "African American". They AREN'T. I don't understand the obsession with racial identity since very few people are completely one race. I am, but that is because no one wanted to move to northern Europe EVER. And mostly we came to this country 400 years ago because we didn't want to live in northern Europe either. And this "of color" designation is also sort of ridiculous. We don't have Jim Crow laws any more. And frankly, if you are a smart person "of color", you will get perks. Yep. I don't get it. It just leads to misery and blaming other people. I really applaud Tyra Banks for doing that. Some of the models who didn't get along well found out they shared some mutual heritage- it wasn't OBVIOUS by skin tone, but it was true none the less. DNA doesn't lie, as they say down at the precinct headquarters. And that totally changed their attitudes. I think it made people reconsider their own self-image.
So here's to Columbus- even if lots of people came here before he did. He went out into that awful ocean and found something new to him. And you know what? Everyone benefitted. Because if we hadn't come here first, the next discoverers might have murdered EVERYONE they saw. Because that is what people did in the 1400s. Technically, I'm probably related to those Vikings who came here way before Columbus. (I'm 3% Neanderthal too). And those native people? Well, they came here from somewhere else also. The whole world was settled by immigrants from somewhere else. So it might be time to shut up about it and enjoy what Europeans invented.
OH yeah, I said it. And thank you, Charles Murray. You tell the truth. Buon Appetito!
:-)
Here is my best Italian moment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nWNXO3CZkU
Poor Columbus just got thrown under the bus. You know - the bus- the thing with WHEELS used for transportation with an engine invented by non-indigenous people. Did you know that "indigenous" (a misnomer anyway) people in this land didn't know how to use a wheel for transporting goods? They did not. They used it to play with, not to work with. They also ate all the native horses. So perhaps on indigenous day, we should trash the environment (oh yes, they did) and eat a horse! I'd rather have pizza, so that is where we went. Think of it as a pepperoni protest.
On America's Next Top Model this past week, Tyra Banks had everyone do their DNA through ancestry.com. We had our DNA done, and I can tell you, it was really accurate in a lot of ways. I had mine done BEFORE the federal government decided I was too soft and tender to hear the damn truth. Now, the DNA companies cannot tell you what your risk of certain diseases are based on your genetic make up. It might mislead or scare you. That is just ridiculous, and the federal government needs to be removed from our lives. (be a Libertarian- it is liberating). One of the things I learned about me what was that I was unbelievably northern European, mostly Scottish and Welsh and English, with all that entails. I have a rare gene for some sort of degenerative brain disorder that is mostly found in Holland. Fortunately, I didn't marry someone with that gene. The other thing I learned was that I carried the gene for cystic fibrosis. Good thing I didn't marry someone with that yet again. I learned I had risks for autoimmune disease, which I knew by experience and family history. I also carry the gene that keeps PLAVIX from working. My Uncle found that out the hard way- he was on plavix and he died from a blood clot anyway. Some doctor's don't even know about that gene, but 23andme.com told me all about it. I also have a the second most common breast cancer gene. So now I get screened every 6 months. What is wrong with me knowing those things? Nothing. The government is full of jackasses. It is morally wrong to tell a company they cannot give you the information that you signed up to get.
Anyhoo- the potential models on ANTM are all shades and of many backgrounds. But uniformly they identify themselves as white, African-American or Asian. Tyra has called herself a proud black woman. Imagine their surprise when they found out they were things like part Asian, part Ashkenazi Jew, part Irish, part Spanish, etc. Turns out most of them WEREN'T African American, and that explained why they were so light. Tyra, too. Lots of white and European in her pool. So, maybe it is TIME we stop calling everyone who is biracial or multiracial an "African American". They AREN'T. I don't understand the obsession with racial identity since very few people are completely one race. I am, but that is because no one wanted to move to northern Europe EVER. And mostly we came to this country 400 years ago because we didn't want to live in northern Europe either. And this "of color" designation is also sort of ridiculous. We don't have Jim Crow laws any more. And frankly, if you are a smart person "of color", you will get perks. Yep. I don't get it. It just leads to misery and blaming other people. I really applaud Tyra Banks for doing that. Some of the models who didn't get along well found out they shared some mutual heritage- it wasn't OBVIOUS by skin tone, but it was true none the less. DNA doesn't lie, as they say down at the precinct headquarters. And that totally changed their attitudes. I think it made people reconsider their own self-image.
So here's to Columbus- even if lots of people came here before he did. He went out into that awful ocean and found something new to him. And you know what? Everyone benefitted. Because if we hadn't come here first, the next discoverers might have murdered EVERYONE they saw. Because that is what people did in the 1400s. Technically, I'm probably related to those Vikings who came here way before Columbus. (I'm 3% Neanderthal too). And those native people? Well, they came here from somewhere else also. The whole world was settled by immigrants from somewhere else. So it might be time to shut up about it and enjoy what Europeans invented.
OH yeah, I said it. And thank you, Charles Murray. You tell the truth. Buon Appetito!
:-)
Here is my best Italian moment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nWNXO3CZkU
Sunday, October 12, 2014
October 12 Day 73
Today started out with a cat on my chest begging me to wake up- it was Zuzu. She only walks on hard surfaces, so she likes to walk up legs, balance on hip bones and stand on sternums. India was on the rug lying on her back looking like India does. Relaxed.
We left around 11:30 to go to the Seahawks game. It was just a travesty how the officiating went- really, I'm not normally touchy about that because I figure what goes around comes around if the refs are unobservant rather than unfair. But wow- we booed the refs 3 times. And it really changed the score. Of course, we played horribly. It was painful to watch. Every now and then the Seahawks seem to forget they are a championship team and they play like a pack of middle schoolers. It was really weird. Of course, we lost. But that happens and until we are sure we don't make the playoffs, I'll just go with the flow. Somehow this year, there are a lot of strong NFL teams. Dallas just killed us and we didn't really deserve to win anyway. The stats were crushing. Dallas looks fat though.
We found a little "fish and chips" place with a NOLA theme down on Rainier Ave. The guy who cooks there is SO friendly. Honestly, I wondered if he was from NOLA. But I didn't ask because the little place was so crowded with people. They had crab poppers that tasted EXACTLY like Louisiana deviled crab. Yum.
I took some funny pictures at the game. I got them posted on another site and then deleted them from my mail because I am an idiot. Duh. So no pictures of the game here.
We made it through the game without one raindrop but it is coming. I promise you!
I have only 36 days left in my challenge. That sounds like a lot but I've all ready done 73. And except for a few times that I've needed to get an email address, I haven't missed it. But there are all sorts of ways to get an email address, so I haven't gone onto Facebook at all. I do need to dump a bunch of people. Like 250 or so. I just don't want the politics anymore. Or the stupid memes. Or the little cartoon cherubs asking me to pray for something.
Last night we went to see Seascape-- an Edward Albee play of such inexplicable wordiness in act I and bizarreness (not inventiveness) in act II that I would totally urge you to skip it. Maybe the cast we saw (except for the 2 sea creatures) was so woefully miscast that it did the play a disservice. It was the final performance and yet people fluffed their lines. What is up with that??? The final show should be the best. It should be second nature. This isn't SHAKESPEARE for goodness sake. I came away from it feeling that it would have been a great short story- but really is a very bad play. I noticed that a lot of people have done this play and it sort of boggles my mind that they chose it. The lines in act I are pure monotony, and the lines in act II are worthy of a student play contest. It was mercifully short.
To be fair, here is a review of a production done in Los Angeles where the reviewer enjoyed it about 98% more than I did:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/09/theater-review-seascape-at-theatre-west.html
Should you like to see if you'd like it, here is 5 minutes of it on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywhLkLa5ROY
If you want to talk about things from under the sea this would be more fun to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laRyswIO_-g
See you tomorrow!
We left around 11:30 to go to the Seahawks game. It was just a travesty how the officiating went- really, I'm not normally touchy about that because I figure what goes around comes around if the refs are unobservant rather than unfair. But wow- we booed the refs 3 times. And it really changed the score. Of course, we played horribly. It was painful to watch. Every now and then the Seahawks seem to forget they are a championship team and they play like a pack of middle schoolers. It was really weird. Of course, we lost. But that happens and until we are sure we don't make the playoffs, I'll just go with the flow. Somehow this year, there are a lot of strong NFL teams. Dallas just killed us and we didn't really deserve to win anyway. The stats were crushing. Dallas looks fat though.
We found a little "fish and chips" place with a NOLA theme down on Rainier Ave. The guy who cooks there is SO friendly. Honestly, I wondered if he was from NOLA. But I didn't ask because the little place was so crowded with people. They had crab poppers that tasted EXACTLY like Louisiana deviled crab. Yum.
I took some funny pictures at the game. I got them posted on another site and then deleted them from my mail because I am an idiot. Duh. So no pictures of the game here.
We made it through the game without one raindrop but it is coming. I promise you!
I have only 36 days left in my challenge. That sounds like a lot but I've all ready done 73. And except for a few times that I've needed to get an email address, I haven't missed it. But there are all sorts of ways to get an email address, so I haven't gone onto Facebook at all. I do need to dump a bunch of people. Like 250 or so. I just don't want the politics anymore. Or the stupid memes. Or the little cartoon cherubs asking me to pray for something.
Last night we went to see Seascape-- an Edward Albee play of such inexplicable wordiness in act I and bizarreness (not inventiveness) in act II that I would totally urge you to skip it. Maybe the cast we saw (except for the 2 sea creatures) was so woefully miscast that it did the play a disservice. It was the final performance and yet people fluffed their lines. What is up with that??? The final show should be the best. It should be second nature. This isn't SHAKESPEARE for goodness sake. I came away from it feeling that it would have been a great short story- but really is a very bad play. I noticed that a lot of people have done this play and it sort of boggles my mind that they chose it. The lines in act I are pure monotony, and the lines in act II are worthy of a student play contest. It was mercifully short.
To be fair, here is a review of a production done in Los Angeles where the reviewer enjoyed it about 98% more than I did:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/09/theater-review-seascape-at-theatre-west.html
Should you like to see if you'd like it, here is 5 minutes of it on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywhLkLa5ROY
If you want to talk about things from under the sea this would be more fun to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laRyswIO_-g
See you tomorrow!
Saturday, October 11, 2014
October 11 Day 72
This might be my earliest in the day post- it is 1:30 pm and it is POURING rain outside. Seattle has a way of having what feels like heavy rain. Not the big huge fat drops of a thunderstorm in Houston, but tons of smaller raindrops that feel like little pellets hitting you. Usually they are accompanied with umbrella killing wind. I doubt there is ice in these, but odder things have happened up here. I've had sleet in the yard in July.
It has been so long since we truly had a day of intermittent rain. We've had some grey afternoons and some showers, but today has looked like a "rain any second" sky. I'm going to have to look up where the tiny hummingbirds hide in this. They are muscular little birds, but they are so small that it would seem they could be seriously injured. I saw an article on how hummingbirds can be killed by being trapped in spider webs. That creeps me out. A lot. I sort of love our feisty little birds and their attachment to my salvia hot lips. The rain is about to take off the last of the salvia blooms. I don't know if I should trim them and see if they rebloom, or let the little birds go on their way to a better garden.
Alex is out on the golf course- wet, I assume.
We had our trees "windsailed" last spring. First off, they AREN'T our trees. They belong to the HOA. We have no real trees that are large on our property. But we ponied up the money for it because a couple of years ago, one of the thinner trees snapped in half and threw a 15 foot spear at us that missed the side of the house by inches. Had it gone to the right, it would have come through the bedroom window. We have huge windstorms here. The wind goes up to 70 mph or so. There are still some huge trees we couldn't reach, so hopefully we will survive it. I told the HOA to please do something but no one has responded. Government inefficiency starts small.
Zoubi and India are very snoozy today. I wonder how cats adjust to the weird hours of sunshine that happen up here.
I will send you to a website of such wonderful pictures that you will thank me forever.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robblanken/
His photos are stunning. He has his own real website, but I just love scrolling through his stuff.
Speaking of butterflies- he is a little ditty Faure wrote at the age of 16. Don't obsess over that- genius is so rare and it is okay not to be one! I know a great many Faure songs because I was obsessed with him when I was learning art songs. This was, in fact, my favorite.
The words are from a Victor Hugo poem- and here is the translation though the song would not ever be the same were it not in French:
The poor flower kept saying to the airborne butterfly:
"Don't fly away!
Our destinies are different: I stay put,
you travel!
Yet we love one another, we live without human beings,
remote from them;
and we resemble one another - some say that both of us
are flowers.
"But alas! the breeze carries you off, while the earth ties me down
- what a cruel fate!
I would like my breath to perfume your flight
in the sky!
But no, you travel too far! Visiting countless flowers,
you fly away,
while I remain alone watching my shadow circle
at my feet.
"You go, then you come back, then you fly off again
to shine elsewhere.
So every morning you find me
bathed in tears!
Ah please, so that our love may glide along faithfully
(oh my king!),
take root like me - or else give me wings
like you!"
And, as I live and breathe- someone can actually PLAY THIS ON A GUITAR! Good grief. Which gives it a different and rather lovely folk songy feel. Though, to be fair, the singer seems to strangle a bit.
https://soundcloud.com/fhgitarre/le-papillon-et-la-fleur-by
So enjoy, sing along and have a good weekend. Tomorrow is the Seahawks game. Oooooo.
It has been so long since we truly had a day of intermittent rain. We've had some grey afternoons and some showers, but today has looked like a "rain any second" sky. I'm going to have to look up where the tiny hummingbirds hide in this. They are muscular little birds, but they are so small that it would seem they could be seriously injured. I saw an article on how hummingbirds can be killed by being trapped in spider webs. That creeps me out. A lot. I sort of love our feisty little birds and their attachment to my salvia hot lips. The rain is about to take off the last of the salvia blooms. I don't know if I should trim them and see if they rebloom, or let the little birds go on their way to a better garden.
Alex is out on the golf course- wet, I assume.
We had our trees "windsailed" last spring. First off, they AREN'T our trees. They belong to the HOA. We have no real trees that are large on our property. But we ponied up the money for it because a couple of years ago, one of the thinner trees snapped in half and threw a 15 foot spear at us that missed the side of the house by inches. Had it gone to the right, it would have come through the bedroom window. We have huge windstorms here. The wind goes up to 70 mph or so. There are still some huge trees we couldn't reach, so hopefully we will survive it. I told the HOA to please do something but no one has responded. Government inefficiency starts small.
Zoubi and India are very snoozy today. I wonder how cats adjust to the weird hours of sunshine that happen up here.
I will send you to a website of such wonderful pictures that you will thank me forever.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robblanken/
His photos are stunning. He has his own real website, but I just love scrolling through his stuff.
Speaking of butterflies- he is a little ditty Faure wrote at the age of 16. Don't obsess over that- genius is so rare and it is okay not to be one! I know a great many Faure songs because I was obsessed with him when I was learning art songs. This was, in fact, my favorite.
The words are from a Victor Hugo poem- and here is the translation though the song would not ever be the same were it not in French:
The poor flower kept saying to the airborne butterfly:
"Don't fly away!
Our destinies are different: I stay put,
you travel!
Yet we love one another, we live without human beings,
remote from them;
and we resemble one another - some say that both of us
are flowers.
"But alas! the breeze carries you off, while the earth ties me down
- what a cruel fate!
I would like my breath to perfume your flight
in the sky!
But no, you travel too far! Visiting countless flowers,
you fly away,
while I remain alone watching my shadow circle
at my feet.
"You go, then you come back, then you fly off again
to shine elsewhere.
So every morning you find me
bathed in tears!
Ah please, so that our love may glide along faithfully
(oh my king!),
take root like me - or else give me wings
like you!"
And, as I live and breathe- someone can actually PLAY THIS ON A GUITAR! Good grief. Which gives it a different and rather lovely folk songy feel. Though, to be fair, the singer seems to strangle a bit.
https://soundcloud.com/fhgitarre/le-papillon-et-la-fleur-by
So enjoy, sing along and have a good weekend. Tomorrow is the Seahawks game. Oooooo.
Friday, October 10, 2014
October 10 Day 71
I started my day with a carotid ultrasound- don't worry because it was a routine follow-up. I had one a year ago just to establish a baseline. Why? Well, my DNA mother died of her third or fourth heart attack during a bout of pneumonia and a trip to the ER. When the ER doc tried to put in a subclavian line, he punctured her lung. And her poor heart just died. Right there. So I never met her. If she had gone for open heart surgery when she was told to, maybe she'd have met me. But that was then, and this is now. Her sister, my Aunt Mary, had stopped up vessels, as did my uncle Lowell and and few more of the family members. My DNA father had a couple of heart attacks of his own. It just didn't look promising. So, because I want to stick around, or at least DO something to stick around even if it doesn't pan out, I went to a good cardiologist last year. I ran on a treadmill- and as crappy a shape as I am in, I easily finished it up with the heart rate and response of a 30 year old. (I only quit because they told me I could quit- I could have gone much longer). He heard a teensy murmur and a bruit over my carotid. So I dashed off for the ultrasound. I find that test so relaxing that I almost fall asleep- but I fight to stay awake because actually I would be embarrassed if I fell asleep! Turns out the carotid test has rather bizarre parameters. Turns out it can say 10%-50% but nowhere in between. And that is where I fell into it. Could have been 11%, could have been 49%. So I was pushed into getting on a really low dose of Lipitor, and the doctor said we could look at it in a year to see if the Lipitor could scrub away whatever smushy mess was in there. I thought it looked great when I got to turn my head to the right and could see the monitor. Who knows? Nothing looked narrowed to me. I'll find out next week.
I got some new yard ornaments to cheer up the yard this winter.
See the little blue birds? I love them. They have, however, confused the heck out of the hummingbirds. I can't decide. I'd think a hummingbird would be able to figure out they aren't real.
Yesterday, a sweet little black cat came to the back door. She'd been here about a week ago. Now she is infinitely more scrawny- I think she is lost. I gave her half a can of the food that my cats won't deign to eat. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't eat green pea and duck either. She dashed off after some head scratches were given. I washed my hands thoroughly to avoid giving my indoor girls something she might carry. The alert is out throughout the neighborhood- anyone missing a sweet black cat. October is a scary month for cats but for black cats in particular. We are one of the few houses in the neighborhood with a true front porch.(last spring is shown below)
All sorts of little animals find their way there. So, tonight (and most of next week) it will rain and rain and rain. Hopefully, if she is homeless, she will curl up on the bench and try to stay warm. If she stays, I will have to have a rescue group come get her. She is too pretty to live on the streets- especially where there are coyotes and bobcats and eagles.
My husband evidently played one of the best rounds he's had in years this evening. I have no idea what that really means in terms of his future. But he was excited enough to text it to me.
I have a lot of work to do next week for the scholarship committee I am on- so this weekend, I am going to be relaxed.
I need to dig out all of my Seahawks stuff since we will be at the game Sunday. I'm excited about that- it might not rain and the temperature will be a balmy 59. That is GREAT news. I've been in that stadium soaking wet and 48 degrees, and I've been there with a lap full of SNOW wondering how we'd get home. So, I'll really enjoy it with just a heavy shirt and a Sherman jersey.
The ittybittykittycommittee.com is on hiatus while Laurie goes on a vacation. I think I'm having withdrawal.
Speaking of that- need a great gift for a little kid who likes cats? Here is Laurie's book, and Zuzu's litter starts around 38 seconds and goes for about 10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NgOT_FTh2w
I got some new yard ornaments to cheer up the yard this winter.
Yesterday, a sweet little black cat came to the back door. She'd been here about a week ago. Now she is infinitely more scrawny- I think she is lost. I gave her half a can of the food that my cats won't deign to eat. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't eat green pea and duck either. She dashed off after some head scratches were given. I washed my hands thoroughly to avoid giving my indoor girls something she might carry. The alert is out throughout the neighborhood- anyone missing a sweet black cat. October is a scary month for cats but for black cats in particular. We are one of the few houses in the neighborhood with a true front porch.(last spring is shown below)
All sorts of little animals find their way there. So, tonight (and most of next week) it will rain and rain and rain. Hopefully, if she is homeless, she will curl up on the bench and try to stay warm. If she stays, I will have to have a rescue group come get her. She is too pretty to live on the streets- especially where there are coyotes and bobcats and eagles.
My husband evidently played one of the best rounds he's had in years this evening. I have no idea what that really means in terms of his future. But he was excited enough to text it to me.
I have a lot of work to do next week for the scholarship committee I am on- so this weekend, I am going to be relaxed.
I need to dig out all of my Seahawks stuff since we will be at the game Sunday. I'm excited about that- it might not rain and the temperature will be a balmy 59. That is GREAT news. I've been in that stadium soaking wet and 48 degrees, and I've been there with a lap full of SNOW wondering how we'd get home. So, I'll really enjoy it with just a heavy shirt and a Sherman jersey.
The ittybittykittycommittee.com is on hiatus while Laurie goes on a vacation. I think I'm having withdrawal.
Speaking of that- need a great gift for a little kid who likes cats? Here is Laurie's book, and Zuzu's litter starts around 38 seconds and goes for about 10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NgOT_FTh2w
Thursday, October 9, 2014
October 9 Day 70
Today was my second and final watercolor class. I know it is hard to believe, but I was still godawful at it. I think my teacher is teaching backwards. I couldn't fool with some of the stuff because it was loaded with latex. So I have to go online and find a nonlatex type of whatever it is.
Here is my crapterpiece in which I pretended to be a small person in the grass looking up at the sky:
Such brilliance. It is at times like this that I remind myself that there was a time when I could play every Beethoven Sonata. Every last one. Every note. Don't care how long ago.
Last night I was taking a bath and American Horror Story: Freakshow was on. I watched Jessica Lange (an actress I find detestable when she is just being herself, but she is a great actress) sing this David Bowie blast from the past- a song that I REALLY loved:
http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/videos/watch-the-eerie-david-bowie-cover-from-american-horror-story-20141009
I saw David Bowie on Broadway in The Elephant Man. Before that, he was just some weird guy with lots of makeup on looking like a Mardi Gras poster. But then, when I saw him on Broadway, I couldn't stop raving about him. I just couldn't believe how talented he really was. Not in a gimmicky way- because I just hate gimmicks in performers. Explaining why I can't stand Madonna. Anyhoo, I have had the most respect for him since then.
Joe Biden is in town. So much for that.
What is all this crap about income inequality-now it is everywhere? People are acting surprised that some people are making lots of money is NEW. Idiots. It wasn't that long ago that being poor really meant being dirt, starving to death, poor. Poor people relied on churches and soup kitchens and food banks totally. When I went to Egypt, I saw poor people. People with NOTHING. They brought their sick and dying to the bank of the Nile. They lived in tombs or on top of graves. They had no roof on their house. They begged. There are some really stupid people here who don't get it- LOTS of people are comfortable and do well- all over the world. Go watch House Hunters International- it is hard to find a place to live near cities of all sizes in Europe because of the cost- they are THAT full of people who do well. When do you define someone's income as "too much"? I have to say again, the people I know who majored in something that PAYS, are doing well. The self-indulgent who claimed an avocation as their education are not doing as well. You are paid for your rarity, ability and value to a business. And that is actually FAIR. Do something that is in demand and do it very well. Go back to school. And if you complain about others salaries, then go learn to do what THEY do and do it for 80 hours a week. If you aren't interested in money, go do it anyway and GIVE your money away. Or shut up. Those rich people DO pay taxes and lots of it. I have no patience with that nonsense. Income equality. Bullshit. And to hide it behind the phrase "white privilege"- that is stupid, too.
Sigh. I'll stop.
I have to go finish the laundry but I thought I'd put this all together before I got into that.
Here is my guy, David Bowie, doing my favorite song to sing in Rock Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXSGocWifAg
Special David fact: Bowie does not have two different eye colors as was rumored. He has a pupil that stays dilated due to a childhood injury. Well, it was a fight over a girl. Figures.
Second Special David Fact: He is older than I am.
Third Special David Fact: He no longer has British teeth through the miracle of modern dentistry.
Fourth Special David Fact: His son, Zowie Bowie, is now called Duncan Jones. Tell that to your friends who give their kids stupid names.
(and he owns an entire island)
Just to see if you read this far- here is India listening to Bowie sing On Mars:
Here is my crapterpiece in which I pretended to be a small person in the grass looking up at the sky:
Last night I was taking a bath and American Horror Story: Freakshow was on. I watched Jessica Lange (an actress I find detestable when she is just being herself, but she is a great actress) sing this David Bowie blast from the past- a song that I REALLY loved:
http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/videos/watch-the-eerie-david-bowie-cover-from-american-horror-story-20141009
I saw David Bowie on Broadway in The Elephant Man. Before that, he was just some weird guy with lots of makeup on looking like a Mardi Gras poster. But then, when I saw him on Broadway, I couldn't stop raving about him. I just couldn't believe how talented he really was. Not in a gimmicky way- because I just hate gimmicks in performers. Explaining why I can't stand Madonna. Anyhoo, I have had the most respect for him since then.
Joe Biden is in town. So much for that.
What is all this crap about income inequality-now it is everywhere? People are acting surprised that some people are making lots of money is NEW. Idiots. It wasn't that long ago that being poor really meant being dirt, starving to death, poor. Poor people relied on churches and soup kitchens and food banks totally. When I went to Egypt, I saw poor people. People with NOTHING. They brought their sick and dying to the bank of the Nile. They lived in tombs or on top of graves. They had no roof on their house. They begged. There are some really stupid people here who don't get it- LOTS of people are comfortable and do well- all over the world. Go watch House Hunters International- it is hard to find a place to live near cities of all sizes in Europe because of the cost- they are THAT full of people who do well. When do you define someone's income as "too much"? I have to say again, the people I know who majored in something that PAYS, are doing well. The self-indulgent who claimed an avocation as their education are not doing as well. You are paid for your rarity, ability and value to a business. And that is actually FAIR. Do something that is in demand and do it very well. Go back to school. And if you complain about others salaries, then go learn to do what THEY do and do it for 80 hours a week. If you aren't interested in money, go do it anyway and GIVE your money away. Or shut up. Those rich people DO pay taxes and lots of it. I have no patience with that nonsense. Income equality. Bullshit. And to hide it behind the phrase "white privilege"- that is stupid, too.
Sigh. I'll stop.
I have to go finish the laundry but I thought I'd put this all together before I got into that.
Here is my guy, David Bowie, doing my favorite song to sing in Rock Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXSGocWifAg
Special David fact: Bowie does not have two different eye colors as was rumored. He has a pupil that stays dilated due to a childhood injury. Well, it was a fight over a girl. Figures.
Second Special David Fact: He is older than I am.
Third Special David Fact: He no longer has British teeth through the miracle of modern dentistry.
Fourth Special David Fact: His son, Zowie Bowie, is now called Duncan Jones. Tell that to your friends who give their kids stupid names.
(and he owns an entire island)
Just to see if you read this far- here is India listening to Bowie sing On Mars:
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