Tonight, I'm going for the whole "stream of consciousness" approach to posting - quite literally a "what popped in my head" evening... Good luck, and May The Force Be With You....
I decided to try watching "Show Me The Money" tonight... I have not seen it before, so I had no idea what the show was about... Frankly, if Shatner would slip into his Denny Crane character, it might have at least a little humor to it... The premise is kinda cool... Answer trivia questions, but you have to pick how much money you will win or lose before you find out if you are right or wrong... It's kinda neat... I would do well because a lot of the questions are truly random, useless bits of information... :-)
Emily got a Bratz digital video camera... You can see it here... I haven't played with it much yet... I put in the batteries and we took it outside and Emily videotaped Daisy and the goats. It also acts as a 1.3 megapixel camera, which takes okay pictures... You can't really use it indoors unless you have inside lighting that rivals most covered arenas... :-) And you wanna film at night? Fahgeddaboutit! Oh, she got it for Christmas from my brother and his wife... Yes, for Christmas... Yes, she got it on November 29.... I've spared you the need to roll your eyes, sigh, and shake your head - been there, done that...
Okay, "Show Me The Money" just went off and Shatner plugged "Boston Legal.." Now, THAT'S funny.. :-) Of course, the next show is "Daybreak," and I am not interested in watching a 'modern' version of "Groundhog Day."
Have you flipped through the radio stations in your vehicle and you stayed on just long enough for a phrase or two, then when you switched stations, the next thing out of the radio finishes the first station's thought, though not quite as intended? You get something like, "I saw Mommy kissing....the biggest one day...attack on a military base in...your hometown Wal-Mart..." Of course, in my experience, things usually end up either very profound or completely nonsensical... :-) You can sometimes do the same thing with television... :-)
Two Shakes of a lamb's tail... I looked it up... No one really seems to know where this expression comes from, though a lot of people have ideas.... Of course we know what it means, but where/how did it ORIGINATE? Hmmm.... Oh, that reminds me, I have heard the following two expressions all my life and have NO IDEA what they mean: "I'm no Uncle Tom!" and "Get your John Brown rear-end out of here...." I'll have to do some research....
We're supposed to have some really, really nasty weather blowing through Arkansas tonight and tomorrow... Everybody better hit the grocery stores for milk and bread.... LOL, I'm kidding about the milk and bread... Why is it that people go ape-nuts and run to the store for milk and bread?? "Snow!? Sleet!? good Good, man, get me to the store! I am going to crave peanut butter and jelly!"
Hey! The Weather Channel is doing a special visit to Crater of Diamonds! Cool...
I've been debating whether or not to post one or more of my short stories... Of course, by 'short,' I mean they are 5-10 or more pages typed... That'd be a lot to have to read on here.... Of course, my college profs recommended I submit them for publication, but I haven't built up the confidence yet to try that... Then again, what have I got to lose? At this point, they are collecting dust, right? :-)
Are you tired of reading all this stuff yet? Okay, I'll give ya a break.... for now...
Nov 29, 2006
Nov 27, 2006
Is There A Santa Claus?
All my life, I've heard the response to be, "Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus." But, I have never read the story behind the response... With the help of Google and the rest of the Internet, I found it... And, yes, there IS a Santa Claus... The question was posed in 1897 through a letter to the editor of the New York Sun... Click here to see a copy of the original!
"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measure by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest man that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank GOD! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
My son asked me not long ago about Santa Claus... Of course, we were in the middle of JCPenney with about a billion little children around... I stalled, but I know he has been told at school that there is no Santa... The truth is St. Nicholas really did exist... Here is a tidbit from about.com: The name "Santa Claus" came from the Dutch "Sinter Klass" pronunciation of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a Christian priest, who later became a bishop. He was a wealthy person, and traveled the country helping others, giving gifts of money and other presents. St. Nicholas chose to remain hidden while giving these gifts, so the children were told to go to sleep quickly or he would not come! While the actual man passed away long ago, today's Santa Claus is more about the legacy left behind by the original - caring, giving, loving... I think one of the most important aspects is that he gave IN SECRET... That is, he sought no recognition for his generosity... From the history, it appears that at least the adults knew, and possibly the children knew who he was also... But, he only left the gifts in secret... There IS a Santa Claus... He lives in each of us who believes - believes in love, caring, giving, and sharing.... and the wonderment of child-like amazement and curiosity....
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measure by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest man that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank GOD! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
My son asked me not long ago about Santa Claus... Of course, we were in the middle of JCPenney with about a billion little children around... I stalled, but I know he has been told at school that there is no Santa... The truth is St. Nicholas really did exist... Here is a tidbit from about.com: The name "Santa Claus" came from the Dutch "Sinter Klass" pronunciation of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a Christian priest, who later became a bishop. He was a wealthy person, and traveled the country helping others, giving gifts of money and other presents. St. Nicholas chose to remain hidden while giving these gifts, so the children were told to go to sleep quickly or he would not come! While the actual man passed away long ago, today's Santa Claus is more about the legacy left behind by the original - caring, giving, loving... I think one of the most important aspects is that he gave IN SECRET... That is, he sought no recognition for his generosity... From the history, it appears that at least the adults knew, and possibly the children knew who he was also... But, he only left the gifts in secret... There IS a Santa Claus... He lives in each of us who believes - believes in love, caring, giving, and sharing.... and the wonderment of child-like amazement and curiosity....
On death and dying....
My last post may have given the impression that I only see death as a way of life, as it were... To be sure, I was as shocked as anyone when I heard the news of Mrs. Ridling's passing (the 30-something year old) away as she did... Yes, it was her time, but that doesn't make it any less shocking or less painful for her family....
Losing someone we love is very, very painful... Whether it's a relative, a close friend, a dear pet... Even though it was their time to pass on, those of us left behind are still left with the memories, the plans, the pain.... I know it was my grandparents' times to go when they passed, but that didn't make it any easier... If something should happen to my Dad while he is in Iraq, or anywhere, I will be completely devastated until I can heal from his loss.... The same is true of Shan, my children, my Mom, other family, close friends....
Being a Christian, I believe in Heaven and Hell and what happens to us after we pass from this life, but knowing all of that doesn't make the pain of losing someone any less hurtful.... Maybe that is why I am taking the 'everything will be okay' approach to Dad's employment excursion.... But, like I said before, something could happen to any one of us at any time..... We can't be afraid of it, though... Live life as best we can... And be thankful if we get a tomorrow to fix what we can...
Since I'm on the subject, I have always wondered why people say things like, "We should move on with such-and-such... He would have wanted it that way..." How do you know that? For all we know, that person would "want" the world to stop doing whatever it is the world was doing.... Maybe what that person "wants" is for his employees (let's say this was the CEO of a self-made billion-dollar empire) to seek out their own fortunes and fame.... Of course, if that was the case, I'm sure his/her Will would have specified the break-up of the company.... I once heard that Bill Gates is not leaving all his riches to his children... Will they get something? Of course... But, basically he earned his money and built his own empire, and he is not about to just hand over his billions to his kids... Teach them the respect and determination he had, or something... Frankly, I find this highly noble. Should I be blessed someday with gobs of money (either by earning it, or by winning the lottery), I would do the same.... Provide for my children, but not spoil them...... (For the record, they have grandparents, aunts and uncles already taking care of that) :-)
Losing someone we love is very, very painful... Whether it's a relative, a close friend, a dear pet... Even though it was their time to pass on, those of us left behind are still left with the memories, the plans, the pain.... I know it was my grandparents' times to go when they passed, but that didn't make it any easier... If something should happen to my Dad while he is in Iraq, or anywhere, I will be completely devastated until I can heal from his loss.... The same is true of Shan, my children, my Mom, other family, close friends....
Being a Christian, I believe in Heaven and Hell and what happens to us after we pass from this life, but knowing all of that doesn't make the pain of losing someone any less hurtful.... Maybe that is why I am taking the 'everything will be okay' approach to Dad's employment excursion.... But, like I said before, something could happen to any one of us at any time..... We can't be afraid of it, though... Live life as best we can... And be thankful if we get a tomorrow to fix what we can...
Since I'm on the subject, I have always wondered why people say things like, "We should move on with such-and-such... He would have wanted it that way..." How do you know that? For all we know, that person would "want" the world to stop doing whatever it is the world was doing.... Maybe what that person "wants" is for his employees (let's say this was the CEO of a self-made billion-dollar empire) to seek out their own fortunes and fame.... Of course, if that was the case, I'm sure his/her Will would have specified the break-up of the company.... I once heard that Bill Gates is not leaving all his riches to his children... Will they get something? Of course... But, basically he earned his money and built his own empire, and he is not about to just hand over his billions to his kids... Teach them the respect and determination he had, or something... Frankly, I find this highly noble. Should I be blessed someday with gobs of money (either by earning it, or by winning the lottery), I would do the same.... Provide for my children, but not spoil them...... (For the record, they have grandparents, aunts and uncles already taking care of that) :-)
Nov 26, 2006
I must be getting old... or something....
For the record, the posts today will not be in chronological order... :-) Not that it matters, but ya never know, right?
Okay, while at target yesterday, I saw a guy wearing a shirt that read, "I F***ed your girlfriend." Only, it wasn't blanked out... Maybe it's just me, but whatever happened to common decency, or at least courtesy? Okay, when I was in about 6th grade, my brother and I played soccer and we owned shirts that read, "Offside Your Ass!" We wore them to school one day... ONE day... LOL, we weren't allowed to wear them to school after that... Ahh, the good ol' days... But, I must be getting older or something because I still believe the "F-word" should have limited public exposure... I mean, maybe if the shirt said, "I F'ed..." or maybe, "I Effed..." or something... Maybe part of it is 'shock value,' though once I read it, I simply ignored the guy. Once I saw that, in my mind (right or wrong), he was instantly lowered in 'social staus/worthiness' in my mind. I am not saying that I am better than he is. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, but that's how it hit me... I am not naive... You can buy shirts, mugs, etc that read, "I like to F***" and "I [heart] F***ing." Fine to hang out with your buds, but to go shopping at Target? Come on....
Arkansas lost to LSU... That makes a couple people I know very happy... :-) Not me... I was really hoping UA was going to hand the Tigers their own tail... Of course, it appears that Houston Nutt is now taking coaching lessons from Bill Cowher... Why does ANY coach leave in the quarterback when that player is not producing? Hurt his ego? You know what? If you are helping the team LOSE, then you are taken out of the game because of it, YEAH, your poor ego gets hurt... Get over it. Learn from it, and maybe next time you WONT be taken out of the game... But, is Nutt listening to me? Nope. Leave Casey Dick in the whole game and use McFadden for the 'trick' stuff... And how did that work for the Hogs? Not very well...
Speaking of not very well.... Ben played the entire game except for a brief stint where he was knocked for a loop... Why!? He set a RECORD for how many times a Steeler has been sacked in one game.... Not a record to be proud of, to say the least... Meanwhile, can someone tell me what the heck is wrong with all these coaches that leave in their "star" players when those players are NOT PERFORMING??? Help me, please... Explain it, because maybe I just don't understand the thought process involved where you leave in a player who is getting killed and leadning your team to one of the worst beatings ever... Oh, wait... Perhaps the coach is too busy thinking about how this will be his last season with this team and he doesn't really give a rip anyway.... Hmmm.... Just a thought...
We took the kids to see "Flushed Away" last night... Surprisingly, it was actually a pretty cute movie. We had our reservations about it, mainly because the commercials and trailers we had seen just didn't seem to make this a 'must-see' kind of movie to us... But, we decided to surprise the kids and take them out to a movie. We offered up "Happy Feet" and "Flushed Away." We had forgotten that "Santa Clause 3" was out... That's okay, though, because we had a really good time at the show... Popcorn and Milk Duds! The ultimate mix for your theater enjoyment! Ever tried it? Dump a box of Milk Duds into your popcorn and mix it all around.. As you eat, you end up with random handfuls of the mixture - sometimes no duds, sometimes several... Very good stuff! :-) Afterward, we went to Outback - always a great choice in my book! Emily ordered STEAK! We were still picking our jaws up off the floor when the waiter came around.... She ate half of it, too! Of course, what she REALLY liked were the layered Aussie Cheese Fries... :-) Yeah, buddy!
The day after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree and decorations. The kids had a good time helping out, putting ornaments on the tree. We mainly have Disney-themed ones, though there are a variety of Hallmark (Corvettes, knick knacks, etc)... Emily asked why we didn't have Christmas "outside," so I put up the lighted garland around the deck rails... I'll have to get some pictures and let y'all have a peek... :-) I love Christmas!
This week, we gear up for Dad's departure to Houston, then Kuwait, then on to Iraq. He has to pass some medical exams first, but I'm betting he'll pass them... Mom is getting more and more panicked as the days get closer... I'm taking the approach that things will be okay. Maybe that's naive, maybe unrealistic, we don't know yet... Here's the weird thing that is running through my head about the whole thing... My philosophy in life is that when it is your time to go, then it's your time... So, is it possible that one can 'tempt' fate? I mean, today we learned that a 30-something year-old woman passed away. She had an aneurism a week ago, and on Friday, she was on the fast track to being released from the hosptial... Then, she passed away to most folks' surprise.... It was her time.... So, it shouldn't matter if you are at home changing a light bulb, driving down the road at 90 mph, or halfway around the world fighting a battle.... When you have accomplished whatever it is you were brought into this world to accomplish, you are called 'back home.' So, for me, I don't think my Dad's time will come while he is in Iraq... But if it does, then it would have come even if he were right here... The huge upside to this whole experience, I think, will be the fact that he can say he did this... I mean, to say you worked in Iraq for a year (or two) is not something everyone can say.... Very cool in my book... As I may have mentioned before - my Dad surprises me in some amazing ways sometimes....
Okay, while at target yesterday, I saw a guy wearing a shirt that read, "I F***ed your girlfriend." Only, it wasn't blanked out... Maybe it's just me, but whatever happened to common decency, or at least courtesy? Okay, when I was in about 6th grade, my brother and I played soccer and we owned shirts that read, "Offside Your Ass!" We wore them to school one day... ONE day... LOL, we weren't allowed to wear them to school after that... Ahh, the good ol' days... But, I must be getting older or something because I still believe the "F-word" should have limited public exposure... I mean, maybe if the shirt said, "I F'ed..." or maybe, "I Effed..." or something... Maybe part of it is 'shock value,' though once I read it, I simply ignored the guy. Once I saw that, in my mind (right or wrong), he was instantly lowered in 'social staus/worthiness' in my mind. I am not saying that I am better than he is. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, but that's how it hit me... I am not naive... You can buy shirts, mugs, etc that read, "I like to F***" and "I [heart] F***ing." Fine to hang out with your buds, but to go shopping at Target? Come on....
Arkansas lost to LSU... That makes a couple people I know very happy... :-) Not me... I was really hoping UA was going to hand the Tigers their own tail... Of course, it appears that Houston Nutt is now taking coaching lessons from Bill Cowher... Why does ANY coach leave in the quarterback when that player is not producing? Hurt his ego? You know what? If you are helping the team LOSE, then you are taken out of the game because of it, YEAH, your poor ego gets hurt... Get over it. Learn from it, and maybe next time you WONT be taken out of the game... But, is Nutt listening to me? Nope. Leave Casey Dick in the whole game and use McFadden for the 'trick' stuff... And how did that work for the Hogs? Not very well...
Speaking of not very well.... Ben played the entire game except for a brief stint where he was knocked for a loop... Why!? He set a RECORD for how many times a Steeler has been sacked in one game.... Not a record to be proud of, to say the least... Meanwhile, can someone tell me what the heck is wrong with all these coaches that leave in their "star" players when those players are NOT PERFORMING??? Help me, please... Explain it, because maybe I just don't understand the thought process involved where you leave in a player who is getting killed and leadning your team to one of the worst beatings ever... Oh, wait... Perhaps the coach is too busy thinking about how this will be his last season with this team and he doesn't really give a rip anyway.... Hmmm.... Just a thought...
We took the kids to see "Flushed Away" last night... Surprisingly, it was actually a pretty cute movie. We had our reservations about it, mainly because the commercials and trailers we had seen just didn't seem to make this a 'must-see' kind of movie to us... But, we decided to surprise the kids and take them out to a movie. We offered up "Happy Feet" and "Flushed Away." We had forgotten that "Santa Clause 3" was out... That's okay, though, because we had a really good time at the show... Popcorn and Milk Duds! The ultimate mix for your theater enjoyment! Ever tried it? Dump a box of Milk Duds into your popcorn and mix it all around.. As you eat, you end up with random handfuls of the mixture - sometimes no duds, sometimes several... Very good stuff! :-) Afterward, we went to Outback - always a great choice in my book! Emily ordered STEAK! We were still picking our jaws up off the floor when the waiter came around.... She ate half of it, too! Of course, what she REALLY liked were the layered Aussie Cheese Fries... :-) Yeah, buddy!
The day after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree and decorations. The kids had a good time helping out, putting ornaments on the tree. We mainly have Disney-themed ones, though there are a variety of Hallmark (Corvettes, knick knacks, etc)... Emily asked why we didn't have Christmas "outside," so I put up the lighted garland around the deck rails... I'll have to get some pictures and let y'all have a peek... :-) I love Christmas!
This week, we gear up for Dad's departure to Houston, then Kuwait, then on to Iraq. He has to pass some medical exams first, but I'm betting he'll pass them... Mom is getting more and more panicked as the days get closer... I'm taking the approach that things will be okay. Maybe that's naive, maybe unrealistic, we don't know yet... Here's the weird thing that is running through my head about the whole thing... My philosophy in life is that when it is your time to go, then it's your time... So, is it possible that one can 'tempt' fate? I mean, today we learned that a 30-something year-old woman passed away. She had an aneurism a week ago, and on Friday, she was on the fast track to being released from the hosptial... Then, she passed away to most folks' surprise.... It was her time.... So, it shouldn't matter if you are at home changing a light bulb, driving down the road at 90 mph, or halfway around the world fighting a battle.... When you have accomplished whatever it is you were brought into this world to accomplish, you are called 'back home.' So, for me, I don't think my Dad's time will come while he is in Iraq... But if it does, then it would have come even if he were right here... The huge upside to this whole experience, I think, will be the fact that he can say he did this... I mean, to say you worked in Iraq for a year (or two) is not something everyone can say.... Very cool in my book... As I may have mentioned before - my Dad surprises me in some amazing ways sometimes....
Nov 22, 2006
REAL Cars! How Cool is THIS!?
While watching CARS with Emily, I decided for fun to search for Lightning McQueen... Well, I came across various sites that showed off the REAL versions of the movie's stars! I wish I had known they were touring around before the movie premiered, I would have tried to see them myself.... Ah well.... :-)
Enjoy the pictures... They are the property of their respective owners, okay?
Enjoy the pictures... They are the property of their respective owners, okay?
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