More than Meets the Eye

In the Bible, it says "man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart". So does Joanie, and that's one of the reasons I love her. She is a pediatric nurse at a children's hospital and, though some of her blogging might ruffle some feathers, she's so much more than all that. She is one deep lady with insight. Go read.

We're Bi-Technical

We took the plunge tonight and bought us a Mac. Why? Because Howie's employer had another round of layoffs on Tuesday. Out of four people on second shift in his department, he's the only one they kept. It was a big wake-up call that he needs to learn as much as he can.

He uses both Macs and PC's at his job, but mostly the latter. Knowing both PC and Mac platforms will make him a more desireable employee. So, today he sold our Micron P2 300mHz laptop to a coworker and tonight we bought a Powerbook G3 Wallstreet on eBay. We figure it is pretty similar to our laptop as far as processor speed, RAM and hard drive space goes, plus it has a 14" display like the Micron. He's using his downtime at work to learn more about QuarkXpress and Photoshop, too.

This is quite a leap for this girl. I am an old pro when it comes to PC's and Windows, but I am clueless when it comes to Macs. I'm looking forward to learning, though! Our first challenge will be in getting our Windows PC's to talk with the new laptop; we've never networked anything but PC to PC. Woo-hooo!

A Spring Respite

I wrote about this on a thread at Dave's, where we were discussing mourning doves, but thought I'd elaborate a little about it here. It's one of my favorite memories and I hope you find some respite in it, too. I know I have, just in the re-telling.

One of Howie's and my favorite memories is a Saturday night we spent up in Holmes County. We'd taken a drive and had dinner at Der Dutchman restaurant, but it became very foggy by the time evening came. We thought it was as good an excuse as any to find lodging and spend the night. We called around at about 8pm and finally found a bed and breakfast with a room open.

It was in a little farmhouse down the road from the Mennonite owners' home; our room was on the second floor, sparsely, but attractively, furnished and decorated. A low window on each side of the room provided a wonderful cross breeze. We snuggled down in the bed and fell asleep breathing that wonderful spring country air.

Sometime in the pre-dawn hours, we awoke to hear rain pattering on the slate roof outside the windows. There were also mourning doves cooing nearby. We lay there in that magic, just soaking in the whole experience, and finally fell back asleep. What awoke us for the day was the sound of Amish buggies passing as familes made their way to homes for church. After breakfast, we sat outside on a porch swing and enjoyed the quiet before heading back home.

Whenever I hear doves, I think of that wonderful night - especially if it's raining. :)

First Garden Shots of the Year

The first green ones, anyway. I added a bunch of pictures to my journal at Dave's Garden (click on the thumbnails there to see the full-size images). I hope to take pictures of these same plants at weekly intervals, along with others which make their appearances. It will be interesting to see what all survived the trench-digging along the house's foundation. *grumble* *sigh*

Avian Rich Littles

I've been hearing the call of a killdeer lately, both day and night. We live not too far from some open fields, but it's still not a bird I've regularly seen around our yard. This has been puzzling me.

I've long been fascinated and amused by the chatter of European starlings. What a cacophony in the mornings and, especially, evenings! Sure, they're dirty birds. And, yes, they're major pests to farmers and can clean out our own feeders in no time flat when they take a mind to swarm into the yard, but they're still amusing birds. They put me in mind of a bunch of old ladies gossiping over at the beauty shop.

This morning, a couple of starlings flew up and perched on our open casement window, maybe three feet from my head, and one of them began yammering away. Right in the middle of his repertoir came a very familiar sound...A killdeer's cry.

Ah ha! I don't know where I've been, but I never realized it was starlings doing it. I thought maybe it was a grey catbird (since we haven't seen any northern mockingbirds around our neighborhood) but it was the goofy starling all along.

Speaking of mimicks, mockingbirds are just incredible. Last summer, when we went to Tennessee for the first annual Dave's Garden Roundup, we tent-camped beneath a few scrawny trees. A mockingbird serenaded us much of the time we were there, day and night. What a treat it was to hear him go through over a dozen different bird songs, plus throw in his own embellishments. It was amazing. I would not want one camped outside my bedroom window during breeding season, however.

Oh Waiter, Is This Spam Kosher?

I got a fun spam tonight...

SUBJECT: A bigger schlong awaits you efbu mmz.

Yiddish spam I'm now getting? Oy. I don't mean to kvetsh, but this meshugine takes me for a mentsh, eh?

A Day of Firsts

I saw my first bumblebee of spring today. :) I also saw the season's first mosquito, at least the first one to try to bite me! Either way, spring is padding its way in through the muck and I couldn't be happier to see it. I saw a couple tiny leaves of my huchera plants (coral bells) coming back, so something beneath the sycamore survived the winter. It looks like my digitalis (foxgloves) in that area may have all died. We'll see, though; maybe they'll surprise me and come back after all. I hope the ones by our patio bed do make a return; they were so pretty last summer. I'm putting together some pictures of the garden. Be watching!

Is there hope for Messies?

Confession time here. As those who know me have heard me say, I am an "all or nothing kind of person". I procrastinate cleaning the house until it's a cluttered, awful mess and then...then...I dig in and clean the hell out of it.

Daily maintenance is such a struggle for me, for whatever reason. I am an admitted perfectionist and feel like I have to do something absolutely right, or it's not worth even doing. But that overwhelms me and I can't face the actual starting. It's an ugly, vicious circle. And I've lived under a cloud for decades now, feeling like a real failure when it comes to getting my life in order.

I am mortified if people drop by unexpectedly because the house is in a shambles. What? You say my house looks so nice? Open the closets, dears. Stop by sometime when I'm not expecting anyone. If - and only if - I let you in the front door, you will see. I've tried making lists, I've tried setting aside one day to clean, spreading it out throughout the week...I've tried just about everything.

Ack! Is there hope? I sure hope so, and I believe there is. Last week I listened to an archived broadcast of Focus on the Family, entitled Coping as a Messie. When I wasn't laughing aloud at this lady's humor, I was sitting open-mouthed as she described this old girl to a T. When she said the majority of the messies she speaks to overwhelmingly use the phrase "I'm drowning", I knew I'd found someone who knew me.

You can listen to it at OnePlace.com, where archived broadcasts are available in both RealOne and Windows Media formats. Scroll down a bit to find that show.

Even if you're a cleanie, listen. It will help you understand why some of your friends, neighbors, roommates, family members and others are the way they are. Most of them aren't just lazy,and they don't do it just to irritate you. Honest.

Take me...It's not just that I am online now; shoot, I've always been this way, even before we had a computer. Sandra says messies are highly sentimental and surround themselves with personal momentos. Yep! They are practical and keep things because they, or someone else, really might need that thing someday. Yep!

I ordered Sandra Felton's book, The New Messies Manual (no tax or shipping!) and it arrived today. The first chapter just smacks of me. Can you imagine the relief I feel? I've also been lurking around her website, Messies.com and have a tiny glimmer of hope in me that things can change.

Talky Talk Talk

Friday Five concerns telephones this week, a subject with which I am all too familiar!

1. Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not?

I used to, until I got a job at a catalog call center and spent anywhere from 8-11 hours a day doing customer service and doing supervisor calls. I liked the phone work, but it killed my desire to talk much on the phone in my spare time. I like to talk about something, not just talk. Small talk just kills me sometimes.

2. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?

My hubby, when he called from work to say hi.

3. About how many telephones do you have at home?

Six, not counting two cellphones. Pretty much everywhere except the bathroom.

4. Have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? What happened?

All the time! I've been on both sides of it, monitoring my employees' phone calls at the above-mentioned call center, and taking calls from customers. Some of the manners I heard were appalling! With the employees, I had a chance to tell them their strengths and weaknesses regarding the phones. With rude customers? Well, I had to bite my tongue and try not to let them get me riled up. Sometimes I didn't keep a cool head, but most of the time I did. Life-preserving measures? Making shooting gestures toward my temple and contorting my face ludicrous expressions. Many of us did this. It was code, like the universal choking sign!

5. Would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? Why or why not?

It depends on what information it is I want to convey or glean. To be honest -- given the information I've supplied above it's not surprising -- I would usually rather write. I am far better at written communication than oral. Also, what is begun as a quick phone call sometimes ends up being a marathon. I also see great value in having the written word (even e-mail). Though tone can be difficult to read sometimes, at least it is there in front of you for posterity's sake and you are not just remembering bits and pieces of what was said.

Pissquiggles

Well, our beagle had himself another pee-fest this evening. He's been on a medication to help him better control his bladder, and up until today it seemed to be helping. But today he drank a bunch of water since we put a bowl in the office with us. I neglected to remember the fact that he'd consumed massive quantities of liquid, and failed to adjust the walk schedule. So...

I was treated to pisssquiggles all over the office carpet. I was just beside myself when I stood up from my office chair (currently a recliner) and surveyed the wet pattern on the carpet. You could see the back-and-forth swing in his gait by following the trail. It's very distinctive.

Ohhhhh, it's so simple when a female dog pees: one puddle is your general result, maybe a little trail leading up to or away from it. Not so with males, at least this male, darn it.

It led from beneath my desk to the office door, back into the office, and back to the door. You could see the swing in his gait by following the trail. I am trying to laugh, really I am! If it were someone else's dog and someone else was cleaning up the messes when they happened, I'd chuckle and move on to other things.

Can't move on, though. Have to rummage around for the enzymatic cleaner* to spray. Have to spritz, spritz, spritz. Saturate. Walk around on it and make sure that stuff really soaks in well. Yep.

I told Howie I want to get rid of the carpet in the office. It's a big, cheap bound remnant we bought at Rite Rug last year, and it's just more hassle than it's worth. I don't care if the hardwood floor is scratched and maybe even discolored at this point. I'd rather have that than have to deal with dog pee on carpet.

Not that this is a regular thing (anymore). But when it happens, it happens with a real bang. When it rains it pours.

*Nature's Miracle truly IS a miraculous product. The cat urine formula is especially excellent. It worked great on our mattress...But THAT is another story.

More on Audioblog

Man, now that I've heard a few bloggers' use of Audioblog(scroll down - they have links to examples), I think I may see possibilities. What a tool this could be. I love to read aloud, so perhaps that could be a part of it. Oh, my. I am a big talk radio buff, especially interviews, stories and such on NPR, and this gives anyone and everyone a chance to do this. The sound quality is MUCH better than anything I've done at home with my el-cheapo microphone, too. Hmmmmmm......I may have to try this for 3 months. I could do three audio posts a week for the $3/month. And you can subscribe in 3-month increments, which isn't so painful. Hmmmmmm.

The New Voice of Blogger

Blogger has a nifty new AudioBlog feature which lets you call a telephone number and record an entry for your blog, which is then posted as an MP3 file to your blog. You still have to publish it, though, like any other blog entry, so it's not instantaneous.

It's a fun novelty, but I'm not sure how much I'd use it, especially for $3/month. They sell it as being something you can do from anywhere (like from a cellphone while you're out on the road, for instance). Considering I am not out on the road, but at my computer, a lion's share of my day, I just don't think this is for me. Plus, I and can probably type my thoughts more coherently than speak them - And my typing never sounds nasally and gross!

But they did have a free trial (of course) allowing me to leave one AudioBlog entry, which I just did:
audblog audio post

C'mon, fellow bloggers. Do your part and transport, yea, catapult yourselves into Blogger MP3dom. ;)

Foolin' Around

I'm messing with my template. Just ignore me. I need to save the various versions as I do them, too. Note to self. ;)

Courtesy of some unknown smart-aleck

I was --->this<--- close to deleting an e-mail and/or going to Snopes.com to debunk it...Glad I kept reading. It's a hoot.

If you receive an email entitled "Bedtimes, " delete it IMMEDIATELY. Do not open it.

Apparently this one is pretty nasty. It will not only erase everything on your hard drive, but it will also delete anything on disks within 20 feet of your computer.

It demagnetizes the strips on ALL of your credit cards. It reprograms your ATM access code, screws up the tracking on your VCR, and uses subspace field harmonics to scratch any CD's you attempt to play.

It will program your phone auto dial to call only 1-800 numbers. This virus will mix antifreeze into your fish tank.

IT WILL CAUSE YOUR TOILET TO FLUSH WHILE YOU ARE SHOWERING.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, ARE YOU LISTENING??

It will leave dirty underwear on the coffee table when you are expecting company.

It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine.

If the "Bedtimes" message opened in a Windows 95/98 environment, it will leave the toilet seat up and leave your hair dryer plugged in
dangerously close to a full bathtub.

It will not only remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses and pillows, it will also refill your skim milk with whole milk.


******* WARN AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN. *******

And if you don't send this to 5000 people in 20 seconds, it's just
too horrible to think about.

Send this warning to everyone. If you don't, you don't love Jesus.

If you are a blonde, this is a joke.

My gosh, I think our household is infected with this thing! (I added that part about Jesus just for you, Angie)

This Bud's for You

I notice the buds on the crab apple tree out back are now not only swelling, but showing the faintest blush of pink. O, rapture! I don't see anything sprouting yet from the earth, but seeing those apple buds makes me realize spring is not so far off. It's sunny today, too, and the high's are forecast to be in the mid 40's today and high 50's the next few days. O, sweet respite!

Hellllo Trebuchet

I don't know about you, but I was sick of seeing Times New Roman every time I went to my blog. I think this is a lot cleaner and shows boldface stuff better. Wheee. Hmmmm, I need a life!

P.S. I changed the background so it has a muted sort of sponged green and black pattern, and I am working on a new logo. Someone has a shareware version of the Upper West Side font I used when rendering my original GW logo and buttons at Cooltext.com. I downloaded and installed it and can now Upper West Side anything I darned well please!

Out of Curiosity

Why do spammers think that I'm going to bother reading an e-mail with a subject line like przeszpiegi angrim nestaje SWART, let alone from an unknown and obviously junk/forged e-mail address? Why do people send this stuff? I know, I know...But, man, I just got back from being out all afternoon, and when I screened my e-mail headers with Mailwasher , it marked dozens of these goofy e-mails for deletion. I love that program.

Friday Five

What more can I say? It's time to consult with my inner child and answer this week's Friday Five questions...

1. What was the last song you heard?
The theme song to "That 70's Show"

2. What were the last two movies you saw?
I watched "Pleasantville" on TV Saturday night, and prior to that I think the last movie I saw was "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". I just told Howie that my answer is pretty pitiful; here I love movies, but I haven't seen anything new since December? Gosh. I don't usually watch TV when he's at work. and when he gets home we watch some of our favorite late-night shows.

3. What were the last three things you purchased?
I bought a 12x12" post-bound memory album, a package of 12x12" pages/sheet protectors and a combo pack of paper/stickers...All from Hobby Lobby. And right after I bought those, I dashed back to Michael's and returned all the scrapbook stuff I'd just bought before going to Hobby Lobby! Michael's is so expensive unless you use one of the weekly 40% off an item coupons or catch them when they have something on sale. Yikes!

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
I really must (1) de-poop the back yard, weather permitting, (2) dust and vacuum, (3) launder all the dogs' bedding, and (4) get my butt out of bed and go to church Sunday morning.

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
Howie, Mom, Lisa, Amy, and Angie

And We Liked It That Way!

First, let me preface this by saying I do not know who originally wrote this. It's one of those e-mail goodies passed around the net. But I could have written something like it, because I sure could identify with most of it!

When I was a kid adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious stories about how hard things were when they were growing up;

What with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning uphill both ways through year 'round blizzards, carrying their younger siblings on their backs to their one-room schoolhouse where they maintained a straight-A average despite their full-time after-school job at the local textile mill where they worked for 35 cents an hour just to keep their family from starving to death!

I remember promising myself that when I grew up there was no way I was going to lay a bunch of junk like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've go it!

But....Now that I've reached the ripe old age thirty-nine, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves (In BOOKS!!!)! And there was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

And there were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to go to the record store and shoplift it yourself!.... Or we had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and screw it all up! You want to hear about hardship? Guys couldn't just download porn! They had to bribe some homeless dude to buy you a copy of "Hustler" at the 7-11 Store! Those were your options!

We didn't have fancy stuff like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal! We didn't have fancy Caller ID boxes either. When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was, it could be your boss, your mom, a collections agency, your drug dealer, you didn't know! You just had to pick it up and take your chances, Mister!

And we didn't have any fancy Sony Play station video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 260 with games like "Space Invaders" and "Asteroids" and the graphics stunk! Your guy was a little square! You had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens. It was just one screen forever! And you could never win, the game just kept getting harder and faster until you died! Just like life!

When you went to the movie theater there was no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! A tall guy sat in front of you, you were messed up! And sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 20 channels and there was no onscreen menu! You had to use a little book called a TV guide to find out what was on!

And there was no Cartoon Network! You could only get cartoons on Saturday morning....D'ya hear what the heck I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK, you spoiled little brats! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy.You're spoiled!

You guys wouldn't have lasted last five minutes back in 1984!

That was my life in a nutshell...The Atari games, the library...That could be me talking.

B-days, Birfdays, Birthdays

However you say it,
Happy birthday to Naomi and to my aunt Bonnie...
March 4th was a blessed day, indeed. :)