Money and Meat go together like...?

Answer: subsidies and government.

"Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?"

Answer: The U.S. Farm Bill mandates government subsidies for key livestock feed and neatly ties to what school lunch programs feed children.

"The Farm Bill, a massive piece of federal legislation making its way through Congress, governs what children are fed in schools and what food assistance programs can distribute to recipients. The bill provides billions of dollars in subsidies, much of which goes to huge agribusinesses producing feed crops, such as corn and soy, which are then fed to animals. By funding these crops, the government supports the production of meat and dairy products—the same products that contribute to our growing rates of obesity and chronic disease. Fruit and vegetable farmers, on the other hand, receive less than 1 percent of government subsidies."

Why is America fat?

Answer: Farm states receiving subsidies have strong representation in congress which writes the bills and provides the subsidies for fattening foods we can afford to eat.

Why is obesity a problem for America?

Answer: Obesity correlates to health costs because obesity is not a healthy way to live. The discussions about health care reform largely depend on a congress ruled by people who get subsidies for feeding children and the rest of us cheaper, chronic disease producing diets.

If salads and fruit were cheaper to grow due to governement subsidies, resulting in less expensive healthy choices in stores and restaurants would people choose less expensive ingredients and meals?

Beware of Earthlink

We have been trying to cancel an email account with Earthlink for several months. Each time we call they either say we do not have the right telephone number, password, or such information as is necessary to verify the account. The charge of nearly $5 a month for an email account that gmail, yahoo, and others offer for free requires greater imagination than I have to figure why I would want to pay Earthlink $5. It's a leftover account from the dark ages of internet when we chose Earthlink for our internet service. I won't go into why we still have the account, but let's just say someone in the household needed the contacts in the Earthlink email account.

On a live chat with Andrew at Earthlink, we were given a number to call. And when we did, the auto-voice did not offer any choice for canceling email account billings. Here is the live chat with Andrew at Earthlink. I'm recording it here because it is difficult to believe anyone could be less helpful.

Welcome to Earthlink LiveChat. Your chat session will begin shortly. Feel free to begin typing your question.
'Andrew A' says: Thank you for contacting EarthLink LiveChat, how may I help you today?

me: I want to terminate my earthlink e-mail account and my automatic charging to a credit card.

Andrew A: Hi, I will certainly help you with your query.
Andrew A: Just to confirm, do you want to cancel your entire account or just the payment mode?
me: i would like to cancel both

Andrew A: In this case you may have to call 1-888-EARTHLINK (1-888-327-8454) 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for cancellation and further help.
Andrew A: Is there anything else I may help you with today?

me: well since i have been trying to do this for months, can you at least stop the charges to my credit card?

Andrew A: We can stop that right away, but we are not the department to take care off, that is reason I provided you the above number.

me: so just to confirm - you can not help me stop payment to my credit card?

Andrew A: I apologize, I do not have the access to the resources in order to accomplish this task.

me: the phone number you have given me is only for technical help

Andrew A: The above number is for our Customer support as well.

me: well i can not get through to the proper assistance,

me: how else can i get my credit card charges cancelled?
Andrew A: Please click the below link.
Andrew A: http://support.earthlink.net/contact/phone/
Andrew A: You will see the same number for billing issues too.

me: that is where I started and the number you had me dial simply tells me to dial another number HELP PLEASE!!!

Andrew A: Like Explained earlier, we are not authorized to do any changes or cancel your account. We do not have the access to cancel it.
Andrew A: I do understand your concern, but we are not the right department.

me: the phone number does not seem to offer a choice for email disconnect.
me: and we have just tried 866.408.8305 and he says that he cannot do email disconnect.
me: when we do find the right number and person, can you tell me what information they will require to stop the account?

Andrew A: They will have to verify your account in order to close the account.

me: Who would we call to change the payment from our credit card to a home bill?
me: What will they need for verification?

Andrew A: The above customers support number is the total solution for your issue.
Andrew A: I kindly request you to contact them as you have reached an in-correct department.,

me: Actually, it is not. There is no selection number offered by the operator voice for cancelling email accounts.
me: The first question is are we existing earthlink customers. We do not have cable, dsl, or internet service with earthlink anylonger. But I have dialed twice. Once I answered yes, and the next time no. Neither time did the operator offer a choice for canceling email.

Andrew A: In this case I kindly request you to call on Monday.

me: Andrew, I know you are trying to help. But do you think there is anyone there with you who knows what number to dial on Monday or anyday who can cancel our email with earthlink?

me: Andrew, I believe you are trying to help-- But do you think there is anyone there with you who knows what number to dial on Monday or any day who can cancel our email with earthlink?

Andrew A: I assure you, Once you call the above number, you will get the desired help. As it is Sunday that could be the issue you are not able to get anyone.

me: By the way, I have copies this chat dialog and will place it on my blog and send it to the Earthlink hmf because no one will believe that I am having this much trouble cancelling an email account. Or wait....maybe they will believe me, but I'm posting it online anyway. And sending it to Earthlink, Andrew. You are not being helpful.

Andrew A: I aplogize, As explained earlier you have reach to a department which do not handle these queries.
Andrew A: Thank you for using EarthLink LiveChat. Should you need further assistance, please contact us again.

meister@earthlink.net: Thank you.
meister@earthlink.net: Goodbye

AFter an hour or so and several phone calls to various Earthlink service numbers we spoke to Michelle Richardson, quiet voice with an Indian English accent, who attempted to brush off the request because we did not have the right phone number, though we assured it has been the only bloody phone number we've ever had. Eventually, she was able to give us a confirmation number to track the record of actually canceling the Earthlink email account and our credit card should not be billed again.

We'll see!

Meet the Joeys

Red Wiggler Worms may be the best pets ever!

When my daughter started her "worm composting" several years ago, I have to admit that I grimaced. My familiarity with worms at that point began and ended with the garden variety, sometimes hooked onto the end of a fishing line. One day the worm farming daughter moved away and left behind the large black worm composting bin.

Eventually, overwhelmed with how much kitchen waste we throw away in the garbage each day, I thought, Why not compost this waste? I looked into the traditional compost bins and decided to look for one that rotates or tumbles in one container.

And then I remembered the worm bin sitting empty in the garage.

The biggest hurdle to the worm compost process is finding the Red Wigglers. I searched the internet for sources of Red Wigglers in our city or near by. Nothing in my neck of the woods. I continued to look at the tumblers and talk about composting with friends. Then, quite by accident I saw them. In a booth at craft fair a woman had a display of her "home-made" plywood worm bin with directions and WORMS.

How much for the Red Wigglers? I asked her with more enthusiasm than she'd ever witnessed in her booth. She told me she happened to have a bucket of 1,000 Red Wigglers, and I bought them. We brought them home and tucked them gently into the black worm bin per internet instructions. They eat all our kitchen vegetable waste, coffee grounds, egg shells, and shredded newspapers.

We call them the Joeys. Naming 1,000 worms seemed impossible, so I called them Joey. If anyone asks, and people do, I recite a litany of Joey names: Mary Jo, Billy Jo, Jonny Jo, Kelley Jo, Peppy Jo, Slowy Jo, you get the idea. They appear after three weeks or so to be pretty happy. It's relatively free of odors and the Joeys live in the kitchen or laundry room most days. This week I opened the lid to check on the Joeys and found ten of them headed for the lid. In fact, some of them crawled all the way to the lid. Probably this means they want something more than what they've found in the bin. I added more garbage and spritzed a little water on the newspaper cover. Fewer and fewer of them climb to the top now.

I have no photos of our worm composting bin, but here is a website that gives great directions with photos.

One day my daughter will come to claim the worm bin and the Joeys will go to live with her. I will miss them. I think I'll buy a tumbler next time.

On Being Five

On August 19, Jon stayed home from pre-school with Mommy.

They ate breakfast and played with trains. Late in the morning Jon asked Mommy, "When am I going to be five?"

"You are five today; it's your birthday," Mommy reminded him.

"Today! Today I am five?"

"Yup."

"But when did I turn five?"

"Today. It's your birthday and you are five now."

"No, but when. Right now?"

"I guess," she paused and wondered where he was going with this line of questioning. "I guess you turned five this morning. So, you are five now."

"Right now I'm five."

"Yes, now you are five-years-old."

He thought about it. And in quiet, pensive voice he wondered aloud, "So, this is how it feels to be five."

The next day, Jon woke up, got out of bed, dressed, and asked Mommy, "Am I six today?"

July in Ireland

Ten days in Ireland began in New Grange. Amazing pre-pyramid tombs in Ireland. Restoration of the tombs allows visitors to enter the ancient burial mounds and experience the ingenuity of an ancient culture. Giant's Causeway on Ireland's northern coast can hardly be believed. The volcanic formation of geometrically shaped columns of basalt provide a natural staircase for exploring this wonder of Mother Nature. The last photo was taken of the "Gap" on the northern Irish penninsula of Inishowen, north of Buncrana.

 

 

 

 

Tinker Toy Radio Show

What do you build with Tinker Toys?

Jon and I arrived at the table filled with TT pieces. He brought his 4-yr-old enthusiasm for random pieces in bright colors. I brought my 50-something enthusiasm for Public Radio. Spotting a wheel, Jon said, "We can make it go!"

I built a tower, inserted a flat plastic disc through a horizontal, red TT stick and said, "On today's show, ladies and gentleman, we'll be talking to Jon Cxxxxx Hxxxxx, whose just returned from an adventure with trains. Good morning JON, what can you tell us?"

"Yeah, I fell off a bench in Kirkwood watching trains."

This interview played out over the course of 45 minutes. The guest on the show waxed eloquently about his many adventures for all things pre-school promises. The story of falling off the bench, complete with the list of injuries led to his sage advise for others who might be game to try standing on a bench and jumping off after the train pulls away. "Don't do it."

My husband arrived late into the broadcast and asked, "Ooooh, what's that?"

"We'ew havin' a wadio sow."

"A radio show! I wonder who thought of that," he said a little too sarcastically, I thought. "I've been building with Tinker Toys for over 50 years and I never once thought of building a radio." And then the engineer sat down and became caller number 7 with a question about trains for the guest on the show.

Bishop Robert Carlson, meet me in St. Louis, Louis!!

The faithful of Saginaw and Sioux City welcomed Bishop Carlson to his last appointments. As St.Louis prepares to roll out the red carpet for the new Archbishop, some may wonder what the expectations of his former dioceses were and how he lived up to them.

For a look back:
The Saginaw Blessing



Guidance in Voting

and again here

"The decisive leadership of Bishop Robert Carlson is causing a vocation surge in the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan. Bishop Carlson led the vocation-rich Diocese of Sioux Falls from 1995 to 2004 before his transfer to the vocation-poor Diocese of Saginaw, which ranked 150th in the nation early last year. In his February 2005 installation homily, he announced: I am Bishop Robert J. Carlson, and I come to you as an apostolic missionary and a servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I consecrate my ministry among you to the intercession and care of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . I promise as your bishop to teach only authentic Catholic doctrine . . . And, as of today, I am the vocation director for the Diocese of Saginaw, and I invite the men of this diocese, young and old, who have the necessary gifts and state in life, to seriously ask God if they have a vocation to the diocesan priesthood."


In Sioux Falls, the bishop also developed a reputation for being a good listener. The Detroit Free Press reported that in one year he had hosted 2,000 people for coffee, cake or dinner.

Ordains Grandfather

Lifestyle Choices and More
"it became public over the weekend that the incoming bishop of Saginaw, Bob Carlson -- an appointment I previously referred to as the "American Chur" -- had decided on a
$330,000 home before he even takes possession of the diocese. (For those in need of briefing, Carlson's predecessor, Ken Untener, spent every month or so in a different rectory in the diocese, eliminating the need for a central bishop's residence.)

How Happy is Saginaw - survey




If you have links to add, place them in your comment and I'll load them here.

Intergalactic Deb Day

Today is the first Intergalactic Deb Day ever.

I had a latte and a warm raspberry with white chocolate scone to celebrate.

One of my coworkers proclaimed today as Intergalactic Deb Day. That's all it takes. Holidays start that way, don't they?

What will tomorrow be?

Diet Experts

Someone I know explained to me today about the fine art of dieting. "It's all about calories," she said. If you want to know how to lose weight, according to her, ask a fat person. Heaven knows they've tried everything and yo yo up and down.

She explained that "studies" at one time showed that eating fiber was the way to lose weight. Everyone ate fiber. Didn't matter how much fiber. They bloated and corked themselves up with fiber, she said. If they'd asked her, she could have told them what it would happen, but the studies carried a lot of weight. Fat people carry a lot of weight, probably more than studies. We should ask fat people how to lose weight, fat people like her. And she would let us know that it is all about calories.

Doesn't matter if it's a 500 calorie lunch containing only Fritos. Those 500 calories will not make you fat, if that's all you eat. Five-hundred calories is five-hundred calories. She learned this from experience, back in her college days when she ate 500 calories of Fritos and a Three Musketeer bar everyday for lunch. She was thin. Not healthy, but thin.

Now studies tell us that it's all about calories. Next time ask a fat person, and you'll be ahead of the game.

Peeking into the Single Life-style

I'm married. Happily. But I have friends who are single and lookin'. The hunt for the date life is a distant memory for me, honestly. So, wasn't I intrigued with a recent evening spent with a single, attractive girlfriend who introduced me to match.com.

Most nights, I spend with a book, a magazine, making yogurt, talkin' with the princely spouse, or netflixing. And I spend an inordinate amount of time on my realtor's site hunting for houses. The listings are endless and photos help a great deal in deciding which houses to see in person.

One night this week, keep this under your hat, I looked at petmatch.com or some site with a similar name. You put in the criteria you want, like dog or cat, f or m, big or small, etc., and it gives you photos and personality traits of potential pets that could work for you.

Looking for a date is not much different. I had a blast looking at the photos of these gentlemen who, quite frankly, should not put their photos online if they want to get a date. Granted, some are decent sorts. Though not cover-dudes, some have charming descriptions, and I'd be thinking --if I was lookin'-- that someone who can take the time to write about himself with a touch of humor and dash of humility may be worth meeting at the pub one night.

My girlfriend has done exactly that. And she pointed these fellas out to me. I had to agree, they were good choices. But they didn't last long. Too quiet, too tall, too old, too young, too married...yup, that's problem.

And then there's the moment when you actually recognize one of the eligible chaps. Someone you went to school with, someone you work with, the brother of someone you know--and the someone's a priest. Add wine, olives, and cheese to this evening and it beats looking for a house. Or a puppy.

Doodling all over

The post on this blog that gets the most hits is the one on doodling.


NPR has a story on doodling with some interesting insight.

I like to doodle. I'm a squiggle line doodler. Nothing frame worthy. I go over the letters in my notes, darkening and outlining them. Sometimes I sketch the person speaking. If the speaker catches me staring and drawing, and staring and drawing, it's a little uncomfortable. Usually the sketch is not flattering.

Now that I know, if NPR is to be believed, that doodling helps the mind concentrate on the speaker, I will doodle more freely.

Text messaging, however, during meetings or conversations leads to precisely zero comprehesion of what is being spoken in the room.

Those Charities Are Calling

Dinnertime, peaceful evenings, and just when I thought it safe to sit down in front of the television--the phone rings. Caller ID tells me its a charity. Sometimes they hide behind "unknown" caller. I always know who it is.

Fireman's Fund, Policeman's Fund [never mind the lack of PC, you know who I mean], Special Olympics, Democrats, Republicans, Kidney Foundation, Cancer Society, the calls keep coming. How to decide who to give to? Give them each a few dollars and they'll call in a month. One wants to be charitable, but at the same time, one hopes to offer money to the the group that will spend it well.

Frankly, I find the calls annoying. When I say, "Please send me something I can look over. And if I like what you are doing, I'll be happy to make a donation." The reply is always something to the effect that they'd like to send something but budget demands they ONLY send something if the prospective donor has agreed to make a donation. At this point, I could say, fine, $5, send it. And when it arrives, I could trash it or send $5.

One day, I realized that the Rockefeller Fnd., the Rasko Fnd., the Gates Fnd., and the A-Busch Fnd. among others have a process. Why shouldn't I have a process?

Now I tell the charity caller, "My family meets once a year to review all proposals for charitable giving. Please send me your information, I will present it to our Family Invitational Non-necessary Expense board (FINE). We invite you to submit your plan for taking care of your part of the world, and we will consider a donation from our earned income that we have budgeted for non-essentials this year." To which... they argue and complain and whine and say they want to know NOW. I keep calm and speak slowly and repeat the same invitation. Usually, they say thank you and hang up. The Policmen's Fund just hangs up. The caller NEVER says thank you.

These funds have hired folks who are gifted with, let's call it, persuasive gab. Yak yak yak, he says, crime rising, drug dealers on the street, protect your family, he says. he tries to make me very afraid. Persuasion by fear. A common tactic, often heard in church's and political rallies. I wholeheartedly agree with him and invite him to submit the proposal to FINE. He hangs up.

None of them have ever agree to send me anything to submit. They want money. They don't want to prove to me that the money will be spent on those who need help. Who's paying the persuasive gab caller, by the way? Why do people give them money when they call? That's why they keep interrupting our quiet dinners. Just like the SPAMMERS who use the same rational because some people, even just a few, buy Viagra and who knows what else in response to the email spam.

If you want to be as generous as Bill Gates, you need to give to charities who are willing to request money respecfully, as they do when they submit to the Gates Fnd, or any other group. Like my family fund. And we will meet and we will donate. We did this year, and we even had fun reviewing the mailed requests.

Another new year

Several times today I practiced in my head saying two-thousand and nine. 2009. I imagined two-thousand years ago when they might have practiced saying the year "nine." Then, I remembered they didn't ever practice saying the year NINE. The year hadn't been "invented," yet. Instead of the year 9, they named the whole year after the magistrate with all the power. In these terms, we'd be leaving the year of W and entering the year of Obama. Not until the year 46 CE did anyone pay attention to a numerical designation of the year. And suddenly it was 46, no 45 or 44?

I would be practicing in my head saying The Year of Obama. That would be cumbersome to write on checks as the date. Rather than 09 (oh-nine), I like to write just 9. Why 09 anyway? It won't be 010 or 011. We could shorten it to "O" as in Obama. Jan. 2, Oh--for "O." Or B.O. I think I'll stick to 9.

ZENdom

While you tidy up the kitchen, storing the Thanksgiving leftovers in the Chinese Tupperware, how about some Buddha music.

Comes in three colors and costs $25.

Tupperware by any other name

I'm comforted to know that anywhere in the world I can store food in airtight containers.

Tupperware changes ever so slightly as travels around the world.

My Kind of Town

CHICAGO! CHICAGO!

Wonderful weekend in Lincoln Park for a Saturday wedding. A visit to Navy Pier on Sunday in the downtown surprised us with a visit to the SOFA exhibit.
http://www.sofaexpo.com/

I don't know how may galleries had installations in the hall, but it's more than my feet could stand. In spite of the name, there are no sofas to sit upon and rest the weary tootsies. On Sunday the crowd was manageable. Easy to move about and view all objects d'art. And their prices.

Lost keys?

Lost your house keys? Car keys? Not to worry.
Take a photo of your keys with your cell phone. The photo can be used to create a copy of your key.

Of Architectural Dreams

Beauty in the daily environment of homes.
Architecture of St. Louis featured in this blog.

The blog links to many other great architecturally focused sites like this one -Vanishing St. Louis

Found this site on my own. Great place for viewing St. Louis architectural styles.

I am impressed with the number of folks looking after St. Louis' architectural heritage of modern design. Several blogs and sites like this one which is one of the best.

Fight Depression Through Your Anus

No kidding.
Who knew?
Somethings are just meant to be shared. You can thank me later.

In How-Good-bye-Depression, the author explains tips for clearing up your depressed mental state.

Here's the info from Amazon: Product Description

I think constricting anus 100 times and denting navel 100 times in succession everyday is effective to good-bye depression and take back youth. You can do so at a boring meeting or in a subway. I have known 70-year-old man who has practiced it for 20 years. As a result, he has good complexion and has grown 20 years younger. His eyes sparkle. He is full of vigor, happiness and joy. He has neither complained nor born a grudge under any circumstance. Furthermore, he can make love three times in succession without drawing out.

In addition, he also can have burned a strong beautiful fire within his abdomen. It can burn out the dirty stickiness of his body, release his immaterial fiber or third attention which has been confined to his stickiness. Then, he can shoot out his immaterial fiber or third attention to an object, concentrate on it and attain happy lucky feeling through the success of concentration.

If you don't know concentration which gives you peculiar pleasure, your life looks like a hell.

What more can I say? Published in 2000 and sells for $15.25--eligible for free shipping.

Mr. Jon Turns Four

On Tuesday Jon will be four-years-old. Today we had cake, sang, and opened gifts. Before the party started, while the cake was being iced, he proclaimed, "THIS is the birthday ever." All he wanted was a helicopter, which he received; complete with lights, sound, and a rescue hoist hook and basket. He does not know that Pops got a fly around the house remote control helicopter for his grandson's birthday. We thought we'd wait awhile to break it out of the box--some quiet rainy day.

Jon is still a big fan of trains. Two Fridays ago we spent the evening --ALL evening, until 10:30--in Kirkwood waiting for the AmTrack, for no good reason, mind you. Just because we wanted to see the train come in. We, that is, as in JON.

We waited, it was late, we waited, it was later, we waited and we watched the station attendant erase the board to fill in the new arrival a time. Another patient little boy(5), waiting for his grandparents from KC, said to Jon, "Hey, you could take the train home." To which Jon replied, "No, I tan't; it won't fit frough the door." I leaned over to Jon's ear and suggested his friend might mean that he could RIDE the train home. We all chuckled. And Jon could not figure out why.

Friday, Jon has his peanut challenge. They stick him in a room at the hospital and give him teeny bits of peanuts until he has an allergic reaction. Starts at 8:30 AM and could go until 4:30 unless he goes into anaphylactic shock - or not That's what the doc wants to know: just how allergic is he. Sound like one of those days we'll all be happy when it is over.

Mile High

Record temperatures welcomed me to Denver on Thursday. And after frigid indoor temperatures I welcomed the 101 heat outside. My room at the Hyatt had a thermostat which I prompty set at 72--five degrees warmer than when I checked in.

When I arrived at the Sheraton to check out the L. booth in exposition hall, I walked into a lobby filled with large, burly men of all ages. In the same lobby, I noted all the women of a certain age dressed mainly in blue, black, and white. Not religious order habits, actually, but clearly they represented religious orders. The women and the men made for an unusual picture. I chuckled to myself.

Later, I asked what conventions were being held at the Sheraton. The burly dudes were gathered for the John Deere convention; the nuns were attending the Leadership of Religious Women Conference. The juxtaposition of the two tickled me.

Having nothing to do that evening, because I could not set up the booth until morning, I ventured out to the 16th street mall. Somebody in Denver knows what's what about drawing people into a downtown area. FREE shuttles travel up and down the mile long mall, closed to all other traffic. Cross streets have long lights giving pedestrians ample time to cross. Shops and restaurants line the street on both sides. No shortage of things to see and do.

Not enough time this trip to head off into the mountains. And due to the clouds and haze, I can't really see them clearly. But in the evening when the sun sets--it's a stunning view from the top of the Hyatt.

Salvation Army and bells

I put money in the big red can while the bell ringer rang his bell outside of Schnucks last night. As I put the dollar bill and some change in the can, I paused and caught the bell ringer's eye.

"I have an idea," I said. "How about when people put money in the bucket, you stop ringing the bell."

"Ok," he said.

"I think if you STOP ringing the bell when people give you money, people would give you more money," I suggested.

"You think so? Maybe. I can try that."

"Good, I'll put my money in the bucket, and you can't ring the bell until I get into my car."

"Ok," he laughed, "it's a deal."

I placed my bill and change in the slit and waved goodbye. He raised the bell like he was going to ring it, but held it up in the air. "Go ahead, then. I'll wait." And he did.

Put money in the bucket and ask the bell ringer to stop ringing the bloody bell. If we all keep putting money in the bucket, the bell will never need to ring in annoying, constant ding dong ding, and they'll have lots of money to feed the poor.

It's a good idea.

Guess who is having a birthday in December?

Recognize this fellow?
It's Jesus. Yes, of Nazareth. Or Bethlehem, depending on the source.

We have all of Advent to have ready what he wants most for his birthday this year. He's been asking for the same thing for over 2000 years.

Arrr, what's your pirate name? Savy?

I'm Red Morgan Bonney....and who might you be, matey? ARRRR.

My pirate name is:

Red Morgan Bonney

Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Workin' For a Livin'

In france they have an expression that I like for the quotidian of life.

Expression: Métro, boulot, dodo

Pronunciation: [may tro boo lo do do]

Meaning: same old routine, work work work

Literal translation: subway, work, sleep

Sad that daily life can be capsulized as such.

Jon Goes Fishing

NOTE: Several of my posts were bombarded with spam comments. So, I reset moderating comments and reposted the old posts.

Luckily, Jon had no hook on his line. Just a bobber. He only LOOKS like a fisherman. Photo album below--click on photo.

Jon and Pops Go Fishing

Meg Popp is trying to win a trip to Australia Zoo. View her video and vote for her to win. You have to register in order to vote but it takes NO time at all. Here's how:
Voting started today on the "win a trip to australia" site. I've been voting all day.

http://freetrip.australiazoo.com.au/?p=watch&v=e8tevkcign

Over-thinking Disney?

The whole film is longer than this snippet from U Tube, but you'll get the idea.
I'm using this in class with regard to evaluation of an argument.
What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byaMd_PNyIY
U Tube: micky mouse monopoly

BOOK TO READ

I needed something to read that had nothing to do with anything I am involved in at the present time. My library shelves are double deep, but I know I have not read every book. Shoving some books aside, pulling several out in order to read the back cover, I finally found one. West by Night.

With the first page, my adventure began. This woman is amazing. As the book opens we learn that she is a pilot in the 1930's on the African continent at a time when only very few men were flying over Africa. Hemingway has said of Markham that after reading her book he is embarrassed to call himself a writer. Each chapter begins a new story from her life in Africa--from her childhood through adulthood. What a courageous soul. Nearly impossible to believe.

The book is easy to read, a page turner from beginning to end. I would guess that you could check it out of the library. Take it home and enjoy the adventure.

KIN U spell?

Now, in the privacy of your own computer screen, you can test yourself in spelling.
SPELLING TEST

Oh, go ahead. It's fifty words. Takes a few minutes.

If you need to improve. Try this technique.
Visualization

Good memory, just short

Every day I speak to someone who thinks she/he is losing memory power. We forget dates, past events, names of books, movies, where we had dinner last Sunday. When my children were small, I was busy with many things. As soon as I was overly busy, I'd forget things like picking up the carpool (and my own children). Often, I lost my keys or forgot where I'd placed them. I still do all those things; luckily both of my kids grew up and drive their own cars. And I wonder, with the other people who are forgetful, where did my memory go?

The key, so it seems experts tell us today, is to forget unnecessary things in order to have the space to recall the important information. They explain is with this example:

"Using fMRI machines to monitor brain activity, the researchers showed that when volunteers searched for a fact they had committed to memory while being distracted by new but irrelevant information, their prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in decision making, was very busy. Once they recalled the information and were easily able to remember it when faced with continued distractions, prefrontal activity slowed considerably--meaning their brain had edited out the info clutter and was now free to do important things like make decisions."

One thing I have found that helps is to never commit anything to memory that you can look up. Frees up a lot of memory cells. So, when we meet next time and I've forgotten your name, don't be offended. I've simply downloaded that info in order to remember where I left my keys.

What's the buzz?

The buzz is no doubt a mosquito scouting your fleshy parts for a landing site. Evey time I walk outside at or after dusk, I am bitten ALL over by mosquitoes. I googled "How to not get bitten" and found this horrible bit of information.

Can garlic keep mozzies away? The answer given was ‘No’ but the article contained a vital piece of information – that drinking alcohol attracts mosquitoes!

So, it's the wine with dinner that attracts the little buggers. Argh. Looking further into the problem at hand, I found the following advise

"B1 Vitamins (Thiamine) are another homemade remedy to keep mosquitoes away. Taking B1 supplements helps your body metabolize carbohydrates and fats and turns them into energy. It's also great for the heart. Not only that, but taking 25 to 50 milligrams of Thiamine three times a day makes your body produce an odor. Don't worry, other humans can't smell it, but female mosquitoes hate it.

You need to take Vitamin B1 for two full weeks before they kick into effect as an effective mosquito repellent.

Rubbing apple cider vinegar on your skin or taking vinegar capsules is another homemade remedy you can use. You need to drink two tablespoons of vinegar every day for this to work. If you can't stomach the idea of taking it straight, mix it in a few ounces of cold water and drink it down that way. Besides protecting yourself from those bloodsucking insects, apple cider vinegar has many other other health benefits as well. It can help relieve arthritis, lower cholesterol and more."

I'm ok with the B1 but the vinegar might not be my answer. My mother tells me to rub my arms and legs with a dryer sheet. She read it in a magazine. Mosquitoes do not like Bounce or whatever.

Other search engines generated a diverse pile of hoe to avoid being bitten. Most of them too bizarre to even think about.

No More Curls

Handsome boy with new haircut.

Sweet Dreams are Made of Lemons

Carrie Hudson (Kansas City area; extended family in St. Louis) has what I'd call double vision. She sees her own life with the joys and struggles of a cancer survivor, and she sees the greater joys and struggles of exercising her vision to make life better for other people. She's 12 and cancer free after 26 long months of treatment. She's also our great-niece, and great in this case is totally appropriate. Here's the story:


Leawood — Everyone’s heard the old adage: “When life hands you lemons, make some lemonade.”
But seldom has someone as young as Carrie Hudson been called upon to heed its advice — or taken it so literally.
For a couple of days this past June, however, the 12-year-old parishioner of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, ran her own Alex’s Lemonade Stand as a way to take the lemons she’d been dealt — cancer — and turn them into “lemonade” for others facing their own cancer journeys. The proceeds from the lemonade stand went directly to pediatric cancer research for treatment and cures.

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (MT 18:3)." Children see with bigger imaginations than grown-ups; maybe because they are so small their egos don't stand in the way, blocking the vision of what is possible in life.

Fun on the dock

Whose legs are these?



Grammy teaches Jon how to unhook the fish.

New York in the Summer

The people in New York stand out in a crowd.

The artist of this bejeweled "girl" stood next to me in the audience at the Today show. The cameras did not scan our section until AFTER she left. But she did get to talk to Natalie in person off camera.

Other photos of the NY trip can be viewed here.
second attempt
http://picasaweb.google.com/meister.home/NewYorkSummer07

Ordination Photos

This past weekend we celebrated another Sacrament. Bill only has one more and he'll have them all! But we can wait a long long time for that one.

All went well. Celebrations continued all evening and I slept all day Sunday.

To view the day click

Ordination 2007

Memories...

Some things are best forgotten. Like, say, someone's breath. And, yet, if you just can't live without smelling the faint odor of your loved one's life breath, prepare ahead:
Breath Capture