Yesterday I finally gave up on my fanny pack. I think that that one was about a year and a half old, and was falling apart, and my phone kept falling out of its pocket. I'd really like them to hold up better than that, but we haven't really found anything that will.
I've been looking at Walmart and Target to see if they had any bags that I'd like, but I haven't been able to find anything. I find big bags, little bags, in-between bags, but nothing that'd really fit me. Fanny packs are not in at the moment, so I didn't really expect to find one. We've been buying them the last few years at Worlds of Fun, so maybe I'll be able to get a decent one once they open this summer.
But anyway, if I can't find a fanny pack, my next choice would be one of those smaller over the shoulder half backpack bags. But those must also be out of style, since I couldn't find any. The purses and bags that I could find all tended to have the same problem, though. A serious lack of pockets. I depend on pockets to keep all my stuff organized, so that I can find it. Keys go in this pocket, phone goes in that one, calendar and notebook go over there, pens go here (by the way, I need to dig out some more), etc. But the big totes all had one pocket, and some others may have had one or two, but that's it. One bag looked promising, but half its pockets were fake, and the rest were pitifully small. What's the point in putting a fake pocket on a bag?
I finally dug out one of my old purses that I could find, and transferred my stuff into it. I haven't used it in years, it's probably older than my son (12). It's decent sized, with enough pockets and divisions to satisfy me, and in reasonably good shape. But the day that I've been carrying it reminds my why I switched to fanny packs in the first place. Any time I move at all, it slips off my shoulder, and down my arm, so I have to keep sliding it up. I'd far rather have my arms free.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Writing Update
It's been one of those weeks. Between putting my hand through the bathroom wall, and trying to figure out how to pay for that, and planning a couple of other projects that have come up that we'll basically be saving up all summer for, I didn't take as much time for writing last week as I should have.
Which is a shame, since the times that I did write, the words just seemed to flow. Mostly in fun world-setting that doesn't move the plot. And I might not have gotten enough details in anyway, even if I'll have to cut everything out later, since I spent a lot of time saying how delectable Andrea's cooking was, without really describing what it tasted like.
And, no, it doesn't taste like chicken. Except, of course, when she serves chicken.
I'm thinking I must have been hungry when I was writing that.
I've also fallen a couple pages behind in my typing, and will have to spend the next day or two to make sure that I type more than I write until I catch up. At the moment, I have about 5,500 words started, not counting the ending which I've written. Counting the words that I've written, but not typed yet, that brings it up to about 6,000 words.
Which isn't really all that much, when you look at it. I'm still hoping to have a reasonably complete rough draft by summer vacation, though.
Which is a shame, since the times that I did write, the words just seemed to flow. Mostly in fun world-setting that doesn't move the plot. And I might not have gotten enough details in anyway, even if I'll have to cut everything out later, since I spent a lot of time saying how delectable Andrea's cooking was, without really describing what it tasted like.
And, no, it doesn't taste like chicken. Except, of course, when she serves chicken.
I'm thinking I must have been hungry when I was writing that.
I've also fallen a couple pages behind in my typing, and will have to spend the next day or two to make sure that I type more than I write until I catch up. At the moment, I have about 5,500 words started, not counting the ending which I've written. Counting the words that I've written, but not typed yet, that brings it up to about 6,000 words.
Which isn't really all that much, when you look at it. I'm still hoping to have a reasonably complete rough draft by summer vacation, though.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Book Review -- Troll Valley
Troll Valley
by Lars Walker
Kindle Format
Epub Format
I've never done a book review before, so I'm still figuring out how to do it. First of all, I'll say that I really enjoyed reading "Troll Valley". I'd call it a Christian/American Historical Fiction (turn of the 20th century)/Fantasy book, with a light dusting of horror from time to time (mostly off screen).
When I started the book, the fact that it opened with a character waking up in a strange room with no idea where he was, or how he got there, I almost burst out laughing. That set-up is almost a cliché for a bad slush entry. Fortunately, though, it didn't stop me from reading it.
I enjoyed the fact that the book was unabashedly Christian, though not always in favor of the Church, especially as shown in the narrator's mother.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about the book was the glimpses of magic seen throughout it. The narrator will be talking about some perfectly ordinary happening of the early 20th century, and then suddenly and matter-of-factly go into a vision or some other magical event. He does no magic, but has magic in his blood, which profoundly effects him and his family, even four generations later.
Portions of the book revolve around the narrator's church experience, which starts off well, and gradually deteriorates. But at the climax of the book, some of the characters stop a great evil from being done by quoting Scripture. That was a high point of the story to me.
The low point was the section shortly before that, where we watch the first person narrator gradually turning himself into a world-class jerk, and seeing all his justifications for it.
The main story ends on a sustained note of pure, undeserved grace. I enjoyed it, but it reminded me, that to the world, and on the outside, moments of grace can sometimes be confused with stupidity. It also made me wonder how Bathsheba felt.
by Lars Walker
Kindle Format
Epub Format
I've never done a book review before, so I'm still figuring out how to do it. First of all, I'll say that I really enjoyed reading "Troll Valley". I'd call it a Christian/American Historical Fiction (turn of the 20th century)/Fantasy book, with a light dusting of horror from time to time (mostly off screen).
When I started the book, the fact that it opened with a character waking up in a strange room with no idea where he was, or how he got there, I almost burst out laughing. That set-up is almost a cliché for a bad slush entry. Fortunately, though, it didn't stop me from reading it.
I enjoyed the fact that the book was unabashedly Christian, though not always in favor of the Church, especially as shown in the narrator's mother.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about the book was the glimpses of magic seen throughout it. The narrator will be talking about some perfectly ordinary happening of the early 20th century, and then suddenly and matter-of-factly go into a vision or some other magical event. He does no magic, but has magic in his blood, which profoundly effects him and his family, even four generations later.
Portions of the book revolve around the narrator's church experience, which starts off well, and gradually deteriorates. But at the climax of the book, some of the characters stop a great evil from being done by quoting Scripture. That was a high point of the story to me.
The low point was the section shortly before that, where we watch the first person narrator gradually turning himself into a world-class jerk, and seeing all his justifications for it.
The main story ends on a sustained note of pure, undeserved grace. I enjoyed it, but it reminded me, that to the world, and on the outside, moments of grace can sometimes be confused with stupidity. It also made me wonder how Bathsheba felt.
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
Every valley will be raised up,
Every mountain brought low.
The whole earth will be as a highway
For the foot of the Lord to go.
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
Before, the sun hid his face,
Before, the light became dim,
But when He returns, the sun will shine brightly
As the whole earth worships Him.
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
From the silence of the grave,
To the glories of Heaven above,
All the earth will be filled with His praise,
And wonders and grace and love.
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
Every valley will be raised up,
Every mountain brought low.
The whole earth will be as a highway
For the foot of the Lord to go.
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
Before, the sun hid his face,
Before, the light became dim,
But when He returns, the sun will shine brightly
As the whole earth worships Him.
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
From the silence of the grave,
To the glories of Heaven above,
All the earth will be filled with His praise,
And wonders and grace and love.
Shout out, you stones!
Shout out, you rocks!
For the Lord is coming again.
Cry out, you stones!
Cry out, you rocks!
In praise sing out until then!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The dangers of re-reading too quickly
I have lots of books that I like to read, and re-read frequently. For instance, I'm in the middle of re-reading The Lord of the Rings. That's been one of my favorite books since junior high school, and I've re-read it every couple of years since. We've worn out at least one set of those books. Now I've got it on my Nook, so I shouldn't have to worry about wearing it out any more.
But if you take a book, and re-read it a couple of times in close succession, various plot holes, and other things, that you might not have noticed otherwise might suddenly loom so huge that they suck all the joy out of that reading.
The one that comes to mind immediately was when I discovered "The Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett (she also wrote "The Secret Garden). I was in college at the time, and so really out of the targeted age bracket. But I picked up the book, and immediately loved it. I loved it so much that as soon as I finished reading it, I turned around and read it again.
I think it was on my third reading of the book, still in close succession, that my mind suddenly asked me, "Why didn't the father's friend contact the lawyer (solicitor)?" ::poof:: All the magic in the book was suddenly gone, and it was a few years before I could read it again. Of course, if the father's friend had contacted the lawyer, it would have been a much shorter book. But the he should have, it should have been an absolutely obvious first step for him. And even if he didn't think of it, his own lawyer should have.
Perhaps the author had put in a few lines about how the father's friend had wanted to contact the lawyer, and wasn't able to, but the editor took them out to tighten the story, or perhaps it had never occurred to her that the question might come up to someone. Probably no way to know, now.
I've had similar things happen when reading other books, though I don't think any of them were quite as dramatic. So, now I usually try to put a little time, and other books, between when I first read a book, and when I re-read it.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Writing Schedule
I've been trying to stick to a schedule that will allow me to write, exercise, and get the house work done. And I've got one that works, if I actually follow it. That's the hard part.
It involves me leaving the house at 9, 9:30 at the latest. Monday and Friday, I can go down to the community center, and take some water exercise classes, while Tuesday and Thursday I can work with the weight machines. Wednesday, I go grocery shopping. However, if I don't get out of the house by 9 on the class days, or 9:30 (though 9 would be better), I have a tendency to waste the whole day. I can go to the classes from 9:30 to 10:15, or whenever they end, get to the library by 11, write until 1, come home again, and work on cleaning. Funny thing is, though, if I don't leave the house, then absolutely nothing gets done. I don't like that, and need to figure out how to change it.
I'm also going to have to figure out a different schedule for when the kids get out of school. But fortunately, I've got some months to consider it.
I've been working on my Unicorn Return story, and having a blast with it. It is really annoying, though. I can sit at my AlphaSmart Neo and write this blog without any trouble (I have more trouble remembering to put it into the computer and posting it), but I can't sit here and write my story that way. I've tried, and I stare at the screen, and it stares back at me. So, I've been writing it out by hand, then typing it into the Neo the next day. That way, I don't get too much of a back-log needing to be typed, and get my mind going the right direction in the universe. I'm writing between 400-500 words per day (though today I got over 700 words), which means that I can write the worth of a NaNoWriMo day in approximately a week. Though, if I can get the house caught up enough, I could probably squeeze another hour into the day somewhere, and get another 400+ words. That would be good.
Interestingly enough, though, now that I'm writing several times a week, my handwriting has improved considerably, and I think I'm able to write faster, too. I can read my writing most of the time now. It might even have improved enough that other people might almost be able to make it out. Sometimes. It wasn't what I was going for when I started this, but I'll take it.
It involves me leaving the house at 9, 9:30 at the latest. Monday and Friday, I can go down to the community center, and take some water exercise classes, while Tuesday and Thursday I can work with the weight machines. Wednesday, I go grocery shopping. However, if I don't get out of the house by 9 on the class days, or 9:30 (though 9 would be better), I have a tendency to waste the whole day. I can go to the classes from 9:30 to 10:15, or whenever they end, get to the library by 11, write until 1, come home again, and work on cleaning. Funny thing is, though, if I don't leave the house, then absolutely nothing gets done. I don't like that, and need to figure out how to change it.
I'm also going to have to figure out a different schedule for when the kids get out of school. But fortunately, I've got some months to consider it.
I've been working on my Unicorn Return story, and having a blast with it. It is really annoying, though. I can sit at my AlphaSmart Neo and write this blog without any trouble (I have more trouble remembering to put it into the computer and posting it), but I can't sit here and write my story that way. I've tried, and I stare at the screen, and it stares back at me. So, I've been writing it out by hand, then typing it into the Neo the next day. That way, I don't get too much of a back-log needing to be typed, and get my mind going the right direction in the universe. I'm writing between 400-500 words per day (though today I got over 700 words), which means that I can write the worth of a NaNoWriMo day in approximately a week. Though, if I can get the house caught up enough, I could probably squeeze another hour into the day somewhere, and get another 400+ words. That would be good.
Interestingly enough, though, now that I'm writing several times a week, my handwriting has improved considerably, and I think I'm able to write faster, too. I can read my writing most of the time now. It might even have improved enough that other people might almost be able to make it out. Sometimes. It wasn't what I was going for when I started this, but I'll take it.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Has anyone seen my memory?
It's funny what sort of tricks the memory can play on you. I was reading Lars Walker's book, Troll Valley (which I'll review later this week), and early on came across a throw-away line about a book called "Mama's Bank Account", later made into a movie called "I Remember Mama". He said that the book almost never mentioned church. My mind came to a full stop, while it processed this, because I thought that "I Remember Mama" was absolutely packed full of church references.
Fortunately, my mind started again after a couple of moments, and I remembered that I don't think I actually read "Mama's Bank Account," though I once saw portions of "I Remember Mama" on TV. The books that I was thinking of were called "Papa's Wife", and "Papa's Daughter", by . Those were entirely different books (for one thing, the family involved were Swedish, rather than Norwegian), though the theme's probably similar, from what I remember. It's probably been a good twenty years since I read those books, though. I probably should look them up to see if the library has them (I have looked them up at B & N, and they aren't available as an eBook).
I'd say it's a pain getting old, but I think my mind always tended to mix together things of a similar theme like that. Then again, it's my provenly faulty memory telling me so. ;-)
Fortunately, my mind started again after a couple of moments, and I remembered that I don't think I actually read "Mama's Bank Account," though I once saw portions of "I Remember Mama" on TV. The books that I was thinking of were called "Papa's Wife", and "Papa's Daughter", by . Those were entirely different books (for one thing, the family involved were Swedish, rather than Norwegian), though the theme's probably similar, from what I remember. It's probably been a good twenty years since I read those books, though. I probably should look them up to see if the library has them (I have looked them up at B & N, and they aren't available as an eBook).
I'd say it's a pain getting old, but I think my mind always tended to mix together things of a similar theme like that. Then again, it's my provenly faulty memory telling me so. ;-)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Dominant Eye
Have you ever taken the dominant eye test? Apparently it consists of holding your arm straight out, and covering up a distant object with your thumb. Then you close your eyes one at a time, and see which eye makes the thumb move. The other eye is then your dominant eye.
I think I first heard about this test in high school, but it doesn't work for me. Every time it comes up, I try it, and I get frustrated, and other people get frustrated trying to explain it to me.
When I hold my thumb out at arm's length, and look at distant objects, I do not see one thumb, I see two. Both are transparent, neither of which can actually be said to "cover" that object. I can cover it with my whole hand, my hand's large enough that I get a significant overlap between the two hand images that I see.
Conversely, I can look at my thumb, instead of the distant object. Then I only see one thumb, but see two distant objects. I can cover either one of those up with my thumb, but the other is still out bright and clear.
I looked up other tests for finding the dominant eye. One consists of holding your hands out together, overlapping and leaving a hole between your thumbs and forefingers, then centering the distant object in the hole. Once again, I see two holes. I can look at the object through either hole, but to center it, I'd actually put it behind the fleshy bridge between the holes.
I don't know if I just don't have a dominant eye, or something else weird is going on. But for between 20 and 30 years, I've been trying to do this, and have only gotten frustrated. I don't know why it works for other people, if their mind suppresses the image of one of the thumbs, or what.
I think I first heard about this test in high school, but it doesn't work for me. Every time it comes up, I try it, and I get frustrated, and other people get frustrated trying to explain it to me.
When I hold my thumb out at arm's length, and look at distant objects, I do not see one thumb, I see two. Both are transparent, neither of which can actually be said to "cover" that object. I can cover it with my whole hand, my hand's large enough that I get a significant overlap between the two hand images that I see.
Conversely, I can look at my thumb, instead of the distant object. Then I only see one thumb, but see two distant objects. I can cover either one of those up with my thumb, but the other is still out bright and clear.
I looked up other tests for finding the dominant eye. One consists of holding your hands out together, overlapping and leaving a hole between your thumbs and forefingers, then centering the distant object in the hole. Once again, I see two holes. I can look at the object through either hole, but to center it, I'd actually put it behind the fleshy bridge between the holes.
I don't know if I just don't have a dominant eye, or something else weird is going on. But for between 20 and 30 years, I've been trying to do this, and have only gotten frustrated. I don't know why it works for other people, if their mind suppresses the image of one of the thumbs, or what.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
We once again had nice weather this weekend, after those cold days we had last week. It looks like that trend is going to continue for a while. It got cold again last night, and is supposed to stay cold these next couple of days, while getting nice again on Saturday and Sunday. At least, though, we stayed in the 30s last night, not those really cold 19° and 14° days we had last week. The wind howling last night, though, made it sound like a lot colder out there than it really was. And when we heard the rain coming down, it didn't really sound like a good thing. Fortunately, the ground was still warm from the nice weekend, so no ice stuck. I think ice storms are probably about the worst thing about Missouri weather.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Remember When? (Computers)
It's funny, looking back at things, how much has changed since I was a kid. The changes seem to happen slowly, until you look back, and realize how much has happened.
When I was younger, computers were just beginning to enter into private houses. We got a Vic20 when I was in high school, and used it to play games and do word-processing and such. The hard drive hadn't been invented yet, so the programs were on cassette tape, and you had to run one every time you turned it on. The screens were monochromatic, green or orange. Orange tended to be easier on the eyes. And the graphics were hardly worth the mention of the name.
When I went to college, the school required me to buy a portable computer (it was a technical/engineering school). It was technically portable, but was about the size of a suitcase, and heavy. The keyboard fastened onto the front of it, for storage and portability. We had moved on from tape to 5" floppies, quite a step up in the world. But still no hard drives, so you had to make sure the right disk was in the drive when you turned it on. And you also had to wait for the message telling you that you could take out the disk, or you'd ruin it.
I don't remember when hard drives came in, but they made life much easier. And then we switched from 5" floppy disks to 3" disks, which weren't really floppy at all. I remember predicting that eventually we'd have computer disks, storage systems the size of credit cards. They would try to go smaller, but then move back up, because too many people would lose the dumb things. Well, you see how well that's turned out. We get a lot of programs on CD/DVD disks, which are stiff, not bendable at all, and probably close to 5" floppies in size, though they hold considerably more. We also have small flash drives, thumb drives, etc., that are much smaller than my thumb, but hold a couple gigs in memory. The amount they hold keep going up, while the prices keep coming down.
And for a lot of things, you don't even need drives. You can pull the information you need right out of the air. That's bizarre, when you really think about it. The air is filled with information, computer wireless, TV, radio, GPS, probably a whole host of other things, that you just need the right equipment to pull out of the air and use.
When I was younger, computers were just beginning to enter into private houses. We got a Vic20 when I was in high school, and used it to play games and do word-processing and such. The hard drive hadn't been invented yet, so the programs were on cassette tape, and you had to run one every time you turned it on. The screens were monochromatic, green or orange. Orange tended to be easier on the eyes. And the graphics were hardly worth the mention of the name.
When I went to college, the school required me to buy a portable computer (it was a technical/engineering school). It was technically portable, but was about the size of a suitcase, and heavy. The keyboard fastened onto the front of it, for storage and portability. We had moved on from tape to 5" floppies, quite a step up in the world. But still no hard drives, so you had to make sure the right disk was in the drive when you turned it on. And you also had to wait for the message telling you that you could take out the disk, or you'd ruin it.
I don't remember when hard drives came in, but they made life much easier. And then we switched from 5" floppy disks to 3" disks, which weren't really floppy at all. I remember predicting that eventually we'd have computer disks, storage systems the size of credit cards. They would try to go smaller, but then move back up, because too many people would lose the dumb things. Well, you see how well that's turned out. We get a lot of programs on CD/DVD disks, which are stiff, not bendable at all, and probably close to 5" floppies in size, though they hold considerably more. We also have small flash drives, thumb drives, etc., that are much smaller than my thumb, but hold a couple gigs in memory. The amount they hold keep going up, while the prices keep coming down.
And for a lot of things, you don't even need drives. You can pull the information you need right out of the air. That's bizarre, when you really think about it. The air is filled with information, computer wireless, TV, radio, GPS, probably a whole host of other things, that you just need the right equipment to pull out of the air and use.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
First cold day of the season
Today's one of the coldest day's we've had so far this season. It was only 19° when we got up this morning, and doesn't really feel much warmer out there now. Plus we got a smattering of snow. It'll probably vanish if we get any sun at all, even as cold as it is, but the sun is hiding today.
Rocky and I took a much shorter walk than usual this morning. I bundled up as much as I could, even wore an extra layer of clothing. Rocky just went as he was. But he probably still was warmer than I was. Though, really, I was bundled up enough that I didn't feel the cold as much as I might have. Other than my head. I couldn't find my hat. I wore my neckwarmer all the way up over the top of my head, which helped keep my ears from freezing, but an extra layer would have helped me feel warmer.
It wouldn't have helped, though, to keep my glasses from freezing to my face. I wore my sunglasses, since even with the sun hiding, the snow made things bright out there. But it wasn't too long into the walk before the bridge of the glasses felt like a bar of ice across the bridge of my nose. Ugh.
Even so, I was considering taking the 1.8 walk we usually did. I didn't really want to, since besides the cold, the snow had turned icy in spots. I was taking things very slow (to Rocky's impatience), since I tended to be afraid that I'd suddenly slip and fall. Since I haven't been able to get our pace even up to 3 miles per hour on good days, we were probably walking less than a mile an hour. Another day or so, even without things warming up, should get rid of most of the ice/snow.
But at one of the first places where we had a choice of a longer/shorter walk, Rocky suddenly started limping, hopping along, not putting one of his feet down on the ground. I let him lie down for a moment, and he cleaned the bottom of his feet, after which he bounded off again. So I decided to take the shorter walk. But still, twice more the dog had to stop and clean his feet with his teeth. Makes me glad I'm not a dog. I wouldn't want to have to chew on gravelly snow/ice. If it weren't for getting ice between his toes, I bet Rocky would have been glad to stay out there even longer, though I think even he was glad to get home and out of the cold for a bit.
Rocky and I took a much shorter walk than usual this morning. I bundled up as much as I could, even wore an extra layer of clothing. Rocky just went as he was. But he probably still was warmer than I was. Though, really, I was bundled up enough that I didn't feel the cold as much as I might have. Other than my head. I couldn't find my hat. I wore my neckwarmer all the way up over the top of my head, which helped keep my ears from freezing, but an extra layer would have helped me feel warmer.
It wouldn't have helped, though, to keep my glasses from freezing to my face. I wore my sunglasses, since even with the sun hiding, the snow made things bright out there. But it wasn't too long into the walk before the bridge of the glasses felt like a bar of ice across the bridge of my nose. Ugh.
Even so, I was considering taking the 1.8 walk we usually did. I didn't really want to, since besides the cold, the snow had turned icy in spots. I was taking things very slow (to Rocky's impatience), since I tended to be afraid that I'd suddenly slip and fall. Since I haven't been able to get our pace even up to 3 miles per hour on good days, we were probably walking less than a mile an hour. Another day or so, even without things warming up, should get rid of most of the ice/snow.
But at one of the first places where we had a choice of a longer/shorter walk, Rocky suddenly started limping, hopping along, not putting one of his feet down on the ground. I let him lie down for a moment, and he cleaned the bottom of his feet, after which he bounded off again. So I decided to take the shorter walk. But still, twice more the dog had to stop and clean his feet with his teeth. Makes me glad I'm not a dog. I wouldn't want to have to chew on gravelly snow/ice. If it weren't for getting ice between his toes, I bet Rocky would have been glad to stay out there even longer, though I think even he was glad to get home and out of the cold for a bit.
Walking on the Ice
Walking on the ice,
Walking in the snow,
Cold, cold, cold,
As on we go.
I'm bundled up
As much as can be,
But I think the dog
Likes it more than me.
We'd like to go faster,
But on ice I'd slip.
He doesn't much care if
Over I'd trip.
He stops twice
To clean his feet,
Or bark at those
Pesky cats we meet.
He doesn't get why
We soon turn around
When he's not done
Sniffing the ground.
My glasses are almost
Froze to my nose,
The dog complains
Of ice in his toes.
But he'd still love
To stand out there,
Sniffing out the scents
In the clean, crisp air.
Walking in the snow,
Cold, cold, cold,
As on we go.
I'm bundled up
As much as can be,
But I think the dog
Likes it more than me.
We'd like to go faster,
But on ice I'd slip.
He doesn't much care if
Over I'd trip.
He stops twice
To clean his feet,
Or bark at those
Pesky cats we meet.
He doesn't get why
We soon turn around
When he's not done
Sniffing the ground.
My glasses are almost
Froze to my nose,
The dog complains
Of ice in his toes.
But he'd still love
To stand out there,
Sniffing out the scents
In the clean, crisp air.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Joyeous Pome
To the tune of "As with Gladness"
Easter morning rises fair
As the sun now gilds the air.
Glorious the Risen King
To whom the Church will bow and sing.
Holy, Holy, Holy He.
The Blessed One, the Blessed Three.
The Creator of the sun and light,
Maker of all sound and sight
Father God, we praise your name
Ever glorious, all the same.
Holy, Holy, Holy He.
Father of the Trinity.
And the Spirit, God's third part,
Which binds the church from heart to heart.
Comforter, abiding friend,
Intercessor, until the end.
Holy, Holy, Holy He
The holder of infinity.
And the Godhead, Three in One,
Father, Spirit, and the Son.
Worship Them, bow and adore,
Forever, ever, evermore.
Holy, Holy, Holy Three.
Blessed throughout eternity.
Easter morning rises fair
As the sun now gilds the air.
Glorious the Risen King
To whom the Church will bow and sing.
Holy, Holy, Holy He.
The Blessed One, the Blessed Three.
The Creator of the sun and light,
Maker of all sound and sight
Father God, we praise your name
Ever glorious, all the same.
Holy, Holy, Holy He.
Father of the Trinity.
And the Spirit, God's third part,
Which binds the church from heart to heart.
Comforter, abiding friend,
Intercessor, until the end.
Holy, Holy, Holy He
The holder of infinity.
And the Godhead, Three in One,
Father, Spirit, and the Son.
Worship Them, bow and adore,
Forever, ever, evermore.
Holy, Holy, Holy Three.
Blessed throughout eternity.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Bucket List?
It's funny how certain words and phrases come into vogue, when you've never heard them before, but suddenly everyone is talking about them.
For instance, a couple years ago the musical "Momma Mia" came to Star Light Theater. It was a fun little show, but definitely not the "Feel-good show of the summer" as it was advertised. That title belonged to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Any way, there were a couple things about the show that I found annoying in. One was how everyone was really shocked and surprised that the main character was getting married at the absurdly young and unheard of age of 20. Right. The second annoying thing was that they kept talking about how she wanted a "White Wedding." I had never heard that phrase before (and only heard it occasionally since then) and it took me quite a while to realize that it merely meant a big, fancy wedding. At the time, I wondered why on earth they invented a new phrase that no one would understand, rather than simply saying "big, fancy wedding."
The latest phrase that hit me the same way is "Bucket List". It apparently has nothing to do with listing things you need to clean, or a honeydew list, which were my first two guesses, but rather a wish list of things you'd maybe like to do someday. I've heard this multiple times over the last few weeks, in different contexts, folks asking each other what was on their bucket list. I'm not planning on making one. I have no problem with someone talking about having enough spoons, but at the present, the phrase "bucket list" goes down my spine like nails on a chalk board.
For instance, a couple years ago the musical "Momma Mia" came to Star Light Theater. It was a fun little show, but definitely not the "Feel-good show of the summer" as it was advertised. That title belonged to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Any way, there were a couple things about the show that I found annoying in. One was how everyone was really shocked and surprised that the main character was getting married at the absurdly young and unheard of age of 20. Right. The second annoying thing was that they kept talking about how she wanted a "White Wedding." I had never heard that phrase before (and only heard it occasionally since then) and it took me quite a while to realize that it merely meant a big, fancy wedding. At the time, I wondered why on earth they invented a new phrase that no one would understand, rather than simply saying "big, fancy wedding."
The latest phrase that hit me the same way is "Bucket List". It apparently has nothing to do with listing things you need to clean, or a honeydew list, which were my first two guesses, but rather a wish list of things you'd maybe like to do someday. I've heard this multiple times over the last few weeks, in different contexts, folks asking each other what was on their bucket list. I'm not planning on making one. I have no problem with someone talking about having enough spoons, but at the present, the phrase "bucket list" goes down my spine like nails on a chalk board.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Rocky vs. Santa
When Rocky and I go on our long walks in the mornings, we tend to go the same route, but I sometimes vary it, especially if I got us walking late that morning. Not Rocky's fault, of course, he keeps telling me that we need to get going from about half an hour before we normally get ready to go. Apparently when Jonathan and the kids get ready to go, it somehow means that he needs to go, too. Even though he knows we don't start getting ready to leave until after the boy goes.
While we were going out before Christmas, there were lots of houses decorated for Christmas. For the most part Rocky ignored the decorations, I don't think he gave much signs that he even saw them. There were lots of houses that had half-sized Santas, Mrs. Clauses, and elves on the lawn, lots of houses with half-sized Nativity scenes. He didn't turn an eye on any of them. But shortly before Christmas, we took one of our shorter alternative routes, and passed a house with a live-sized Santa statue standing on the porch. He was wearing red Chiefs sweats rather than the traditional Santa suits, but was instantly recognizable. But not by Rocky, apparently. He took one look at that statue, and started growling and barking at it suspiciously, and kept an eye on it until it was completely out of sight. Since he's usually friendly with anyone we might meet out on our walks, about all I can figure is that to Rocky, the statue *looked* like a normal human, but didn't *smell* at all like one. It didn't look particularly lifelike to me, but from what I can tell, dogs don't see as well as we do. That's more than made up for by their sense of smell, of course.
So, as near as I can figure, though the statue was clearly fake to me, for Rocky, it fell smack-dab in the middle of the Uncanny Valley. It was rather funny, seeing him react that way.
In subsequent days, I took him down that street often. Like I figured, the next time we went that way, he kept a suspicious eye on the statue, and on following days didn't notice it at all.
While we were going out before Christmas, there were lots of houses decorated for Christmas. For the most part Rocky ignored the decorations, I don't think he gave much signs that he even saw them. There were lots of houses that had half-sized Santas, Mrs. Clauses, and elves on the lawn, lots of houses with half-sized Nativity scenes. He didn't turn an eye on any of them. But shortly before Christmas, we took one of our shorter alternative routes, and passed a house with a live-sized Santa statue standing on the porch. He was wearing red Chiefs sweats rather than the traditional Santa suits, but was instantly recognizable. But not by Rocky, apparently. He took one look at that statue, and started growling and barking at it suspiciously, and kept an eye on it until it was completely out of sight. Since he's usually friendly with anyone we might meet out on our walks, about all I can figure is that to Rocky, the statue *looked* like a normal human, but didn't *smell* at all like one. It didn't look particularly lifelike to me, but from what I can tell, dogs don't see as well as we do. That's more than made up for by their sense of smell, of course.
So, as near as I can figure, though the statue was clearly fake to me, for Rocky, it fell smack-dab in the middle of the Uncanny Valley. It was rather funny, seeing him react that way.
In subsequent days, I took him down that street often. Like I figured, the next time we went that way, he kept a suspicious eye on the statue, and on following days didn't notice it at all.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Walking Rocky
I took the car out this morning and determined that the "good long walk" I've been taking Rocky on nearly every morning is about 1.8 miles. I'd been hoping that it was closer to 3 miles. I'm going to have to see if I can walk it faster. I've been getting through it in a little less than an hour. I'm really slowing down by the time we get back. Rocky at least has been enjoying these walks, lots of interesting smells and all that. I often wonder what a dog's perception of the world is like. What sort of information is he getting with all those sniffs?
The other day we were walking by a corner house that usually has three good sized dogs in its yard. They all started barking at Rocky, of course. The fence was close enough to the street that I let Rocky go over and exchange sniffs through it. That made everyone happy. I'm pretty sure that most of the dogs that bark at us as we go by are really nice friendly dogs, that don't mean much by it. Greeting us, and letting us know that if we try to get into the house, we'll have to go by them.
Back at that corner house, after the dogs greeted each other through the fence, we kept walking. All of a sudden, though, one of the three dogs came running up to us. Came running up to me, actually. I didn't see how he got out of the yard. He was very friendly, and I rubbed his ears. I don't know what it was, but from the way his ears felt, I could tell that he really was still a puppy.
Now, of course, I had a problem. This friendly pup would probably follow us home if we kept going. I tried knocking on the front door a few times, but no one answered. I checked his collar tags, but there was no phone number on them. I did find out that his name was "Chase", though. That seemed appropriate. After dithering around there for a few more minutes, I walked down the other street, to see if the house had another door by that driveway. It did, and I knocked. After a moment someone opened the door, and stuck her head around the edge of it. I could only see the eyes and forehead. I explained that the dog had come out to greet us, and I was afraid that he'd follow us home. So she called the dog in, and shut the door.
I thought I'd try to avoid walking by that house for a while, to not give Chase any more temptation, but I forgot after a couple of days. However, every time we've gone by that house since, there haven't been any dogs in the yard. They must not be letting the dogs out until later. I did see a couple of girls heading out to the school bus one day when I was running late, though.
The other day we were walking by a corner house that usually has three good sized dogs in its yard. They all started barking at Rocky, of course. The fence was close enough to the street that I let Rocky go over and exchange sniffs through it. That made everyone happy. I'm pretty sure that most of the dogs that bark at us as we go by are really nice friendly dogs, that don't mean much by it. Greeting us, and letting us know that if we try to get into the house, we'll have to go by them.
Back at that corner house, after the dogs greeted each other through the fence, we kept walking. All of a sudden, though, one of the three dogs came running up to us. Came running up to me, actually. I didn't see how he got out of the yard. He was very friendly, and I rubbed his ears. I don't know what it was, but from the way his ears felt, I could tell that he really was still a puppy.
Now, of course, I had a problem. This friendly pup would probably follow us home if we kept going. I tried knocking on the front door a few times, but no one answered. I checked his collar tags, but there was no phone number on them. I did find out that his name was "Chase", though. That seemed appropriate. After dithering around there for a few more minutes, I walked down the other street, to see if the house had another door by that driveway. It did, and I knocked. After a moment someone opened the door, and stuck her head around the edge of it. I could only see the eyes and forehead. I explained that the dog had come out to greet us, and I was afraid that he'd follow us home. So she called the dog in, and shut the door.
I thought I'd try to avoid walking by that house for a while, to not give Chase any more temptation, but I forgot after a couple of days. However, every time we've gone by that house since, there haven't been any dogs in the yard. They must not be letting the dogs out until later. I did see a couple of girls heading out to the school bus one day when I was running late, though.
Psalm 1 Pome
I've decided to try to go through this year and "versify" Psalms, as a devotional exercise. My goal is to complete one psalm a week, but considering that it took me three weeks to get through Psalm 1, that may be pushing things somewhat. Or you could say that it only took me one hour, after I switched the tune I was trying to write to.
Based on Psalm 1
To the tune of "O Worship the King."
The man who loves God,
How blessed is he!
To follow God's path
Continuously
To stand in the judgment,
To sit in the throng
Which worships the Saviour
All the day long.
The man who loves God
Will grow like a tree,
With leaves that are green,
With fruit abundantly.
God's love flows like water,
Alive in a stream,
That waters the roots,
And keeps the leaves green.
Not so are the wicked,
They're like the dry leaves,
That blow in the wind,
That blow on the breeze
Their ways are forsaken,
Their pathways are dim.
For all roads shall perish
That lead not to Him.
Based on Psalm 1
To the tune of "O Worship the King."
The man who loves God,
How blessed is he!
To follow God's path
Continuously
To stand in the judgment,
To sit in the throng
Which worships the Saviour
All the day long.
The man who loves God
Will grow like a tree,
With leaves that are green,
With fruit abundantly.
God's love flows like water,
Alive in a stream,
That waters the roots,
And keeps the leaves green.
Not so are the wicked,
They're like the dry leaves,
That blow in the wind,
That blow on the breeze
Their ways are forsaken,
Their pathways are dim.
For all roads shall perish
That lead not to Him.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Rainy Days and Mondays
It really rained last night. I woke up about 5:00 to hear the rain pounding on the roof, and knowing that it had been doing so for quite some time, even though I woke out of a weird dream. And the power was off. Jonathan said that the power had been off since at least 3:30, when he had woken up. We slept some more, and got up about 6:00. By then, the rain had tapered off a bit, though it was still coming down. It's rain like that that makes me worry about the house two doors down, where the cliff by the creek has been gradually creeping up on the house. I couldn't make Jonathan his usual oatmeal for breakfast, since the power was out, so I just settled for packing his lunch.
I took the dog out for his walk sometime after 6:30. I wore my watershoes, since I was hoping to go wading with him through the creek. But the water in the creek was far too high. We looked at it in a couple of places, and it was up a couple of feet and running fast. We went down the path where we usually go wading by the rocky beach, but there was no beach visible this morning. The fast-moving water was up over the end of the path, and there was no way I was going to go wading in it. Fortunately, Rocky agreed. He sniffed around a little at the waters' edge, then wandered by the creek-bed a little, but didn't complain at all when I had him walk back. It wasn't a waste wearing my watershoes, however. The grass in the park was rain-soaked, and so were my feet.
So I took Rocky for a good long walk around a couple of blocks. One of the drainage ditches a couple of blocks over was filled with water, not moving. So when Rocky saw that, he waded in, and laid down, like he loves doing. So he did get his fun water time.
Then, between there and home, we saw a KCP&L truck leaving the area. We had been seeing signs that at least on that street, the houses may have had power. So I was hopeful that the power had come back on. And, sure enough, so it had.
That's good, because I can't open the garage door without power, and I needed to get to Sam's Club to buy some dog-food for Rocky, since we were all out of it.
I took the dog out for his walk sometime after 6:30. I wore my watershoes, since I was hoping to go wading with him through the creek. But the water in the creek was far too high. We looked at it in a couple of places, and it was up a couple of feet and running fast. We went down the path where we usually go wading by the rocky beach, but there was no beach visible this morning. The fast-moving water was up over the end of the path, and there was no way I was going to go wading in it. Fortunately, Rocky agreed. He sniffed around a little at the waters' edge, then wandered by the creek-bed a little, but didn't complain at all when I had him walk back. It wasn't a waste wearing my watershoes, however. The grass in the park was rain-soaked, and so were my feet.
So I took Rocky for a good long walk around a couple of blocks. One of the drainage ditches a couple of blocks over was filled with water, not moving. So when Rocky saw that, he waded in, and laid down, like he loves doing. So he did get his fun water time.
Then, between there and home, we saw a KCP&L truck leaving the area. We had been seeing signs that at least on that street, the houses may have had power. So I was hopeful that the power had come back on. And, sure enough, so it had.
That's good, because I can't open the garage door without power, and I needed to get to Sam's Club to buy some dog-food for Rocky, since we were all out of it.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Senior Tax Day at the Library
It appears to be Senior Tax Day at the library today. They've taken up most of the tables, and I hear people talking about taxes, both Missouri and Federal.
Unfortunately, they took my usual spot, so I'm having to sit at a table that's much left comfortable. The one I'm usually at is really a booth seat, like at a fast foot place. Neither the seats nor the table are fastened down, so I can move them to a comfortable distance apart, and the booth seat hits my back at just the right spot to be comfortable. Most of the other seats at tables aren't quite as comfortable. And they have some really comfortable chairs with an attached desk-board on one side, but it's not at a comfortable level for typing. Sometime I'll sit there if I just want to write on paper.
I'm having more difficulty working on my story this morning because the noise, though not really all that much louder, is much more purposeful than usual. I got a couple hundred words in, though, so I'll consider it a win. (After I wrote this, I found a table on the other side of the library that was much quieter. Still not as comfortable as my normal table, but I was able to write a couple hundred more words and finish the scene.)
I've tried writing at Panera at times before. I have the same problem that only some of the seats really hit my back in the right spot, though there the chairs are more comfortable than the booths. And there's a McDonald's near by that also has comfortable booths, and is even pretty quiet (probably because the noisy kids are all in the play area instead of the restaurant proper).
***
A few years back, my folks gave both Jonathan and I initialed attache bags, suitable for carrying files, with slots for pens and cards, etc. Jonathan's gotten quite a bit of use with his over the years, but I've not had much reason for using mine. But it's just the right size for slipping in my Neo and a journal, and even my Nook, if I feel like it, so I dug it out and have been using it for lugging my stuff to the library these last couple of days. It works pretty well, though I think I'm going to see if I can sew a division into one of the sides, to keep the Nook and journal from bumping into each other.
Unfortunately, they took my usual spot, so I'm having to sit at a table that's much left comfortable. The one I'm usually at is really a booth seat, like at a fast foot place. Neither the seats nor the table are fastened down, so I can move them to a comfortable distance apart, and the booth seat hits my back at just the right spot to be comfortable. Most of the other seats at tables aren't quite as comfortable. And they have some really comfortable chairs with an attached desk-board on one side, but it's not at a comfortable level for typing. Sometime I'll sit there if I just want to write on paper.
I'm having more difficulty working on my story this morning because the noise, though not really all that much louder, is much more purposeful than usual. I got a couple hundred words in, though, so I'll consider it a win. (After I wrote this, I found a table on the other side of the library that was much quieter. Still not as comfortable as my normal table, but I was able to write a couple hundred more words and finish the scene.)
I've tried writing at Panera at times before. I have the same problem that only some of the seats really hit my back in the right spot, though there the chairs are more comfortable than the booths. And there's a McDonald's near by that also has comfortable booths, and is even pretty quiet (probably because the noisy kids are all in the play area instead of the restaurant proper).
***
A few years back, my folks gave both Jonathan and I initialed attache bags, suitable for carrying files, with slots for pens and cards, etc. Jonathan's gotten quite a bit of use with his over the years, but I've not had much reason for using mine. But it's just the right size for slipping in my Neo and a journal, and even my Nook, if I feel like it, so I dug it out and have been using it for lugging my stuff to the library these last couple of days. It works pretty well, though I think I'm going to see if I can sew a division into one of the sides, to keep the Nook and journal from bumping into each other.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Spring Snow, and Non-Escaping Dog
Funny, last week, it was so warm we had all the windows open and were wearing shorts. Now, as soon as the weekend came, it turned cold, and even snowed. It snowed all afternoon yesterday, and didn't stop until sometime late last night. Of course, for most of the afternoon, it didn't stick at all, just turned everything wet and yucky. Overnight, it did start to stick though. Just enough to cover the grass and the tree-branches. Not enough to actually stick to the roads or driveways. The snow was still there when we got up, and when I took the dog out, but it didn't stay around much longer. Pretty much as soon as the sun hit it, it was gone. Fortunately.
I'm from Michigan, so I'm used to having nice weather, then snow again the first week of spring. But even there, we didn't usually get shorts weather before hand.
I think it's now been several months since the dog escaped. Which means that we've gotten considerably better at keeping ahold of him, rather than that he's reformed at all. I can tell that he's still longing to race around the park all day, chasing squirrels and cats and whatever else he'd find, and coming home filthy, soaked, and tired. Then, of course, he'd have to go through the horrors of a bath (why does he like playing in the water so much and hate baths?), and spend the next day or two barely able to move with his sore muscles. Of course, delayed consequences don't discourage him much at all. Even that bad cut on his foot last spring, and the six weeks wearing the cone of shame and hardly being let out of the house didn't discourage him, either. That was hard work keeping him cooped up like that. The first week or so was easy, since he didn't feel like moving, but after that he felt better, and was back to his bouncy self, and couldn't understand why we weren't taking him for any walks other than right around the house, and just long enough to do his business.
I'm from Michigan, so I'm used to having nice weather, then snow again the first week of spring. But even there, we didn't usually get shorts weather before hand.
I think it's now been several months since the dog escaped. Which means that we've gotten considerably better at keeping ahold of him, rather than that he's reformed at all. I can tell that he's still longing to race around the park all day, chasing squirrels and cats and whatever else he'd find, and coming home filthy, soaked, and tired. Then, of course, he'd have to go through the horrors of a bath (why does he like playing in the water so much and hate baths?), and spend the next day or two barely able to move with his sore muscles. Of course, delayed consequences don't discourage him much at all. Even that bad cut on his foot last spring, and the six weeks wearing the cone of shame and hardly being let out of the house didn't discourage him, either. That was hard work keeping him cooped up like that. The first week or so was easy, since he didn't feel like moving, but after that he felt better, and was back to his bouncy self, and couldn't understand why we weren't taking him for any walks other than right around the house, and just long enough to do his business.
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