Thirteen Things my kids like! 1. Godzilla 2. Superman 3. Halloween 4. Elvis 5. Dragons 6. Kitty Cats 7. The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black" 8. Fudgsicles 9. Skeletons 10. Blues Clues 11. Dirty Jobs 12. Karate Classes 13. Farting and Watching "Monk" Which ones do YOU like? Oops, I almost forgot Star Trek! And Invader Zim!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Labels: kids, Thursday Thirteen

.*.*.

  My Dad passed this to me in an email. As much as I wish my Dad kept a blog, alas he does not. So, hat tip to Dad anyway, even though I can't link to him... :-)

Do you stink at drawing? I do! But Drawspace has itty bitty baby steps to learn the different methods and skills needed to be able to produce a masterpiece, or at least something that's close enough that people can tell... And, as you complete the lessons, you can upload them into the gallery and get feedback to help with future attempts.

I think I may start printing this stuff out and having the kids try it, I think they'd like it.

So long, I'm off to doodle!

Labels: edification

.*.*.

  Whew!

Please scroll down for an actual post about something the really matters...

Love to you all, you're the ones who make this fun! Thanks!

Labels: blogging, holiday

.*.*.

  Bells toll 1 year after Katrina hit

Nearly 1,600 people died just in Louisiana and another 231 were killed in Mississippi, while the rest of the nation watched in horror as survivors begged to be rescued from rooftops and freeway overpasses. Forty-nine bodies remain unidentified in a Louisiana morgue.

The reminders of the destruction — and how far the city still has to go — are everywhere.

White trailers still line driveways in neighborhoods where piles of debris and unchecked weeds have overtaken abandoned houses. Only half the population has returned. Emergency medical care is doled out in an abandoned department store, while six of New Orleans' nine hospitals remain closed. Only 54 of 128 public schools are expected to open this fall.

What a mess, still! What can we do to get the Gulf Coast back to normal? I don't know the answer...

Labels: disaster, newsworthy

.*.*.

 

Here is Anya getting up close and personal with her favorite guinea pig, Cowlicky (so named for the cowlicks on her back that make her fur stand up all over.) Apparently they both share pretty well, so I guess my work here is done and I'll move on to the other kids and the rest of the guinea pigs.

Labels: kids, pets

.*.*.

  We were off camping this weekend. It was GREAT! The weather was a little rainy, but with our RIGHTEOUS new tent, we were high and dry the whole time.

The pit toilets at the campground left much to be desired, however. Even after changing diapers for over 10 years straight, I still found these conditions apalling. Do you know how hard it is to pee when you're trying NOT to throw up? If you've never had this experience (and I hope you haven't) suffice it to say that it's practically impossible. So, for our next trip, I think I'm going to pick up one of these babies and skip the "sh!t pit" altogether...

Labels: camping, hurl

.*.*.

  John Mark Karr Gets Trip To France For Riots Confession

John Karr, the self-proclaimed killer of Jon Benet Ramsey has recanted his confession and now proclaims to have ignited the riots that plagued France last year. He also claims to know where more DaVinci clues are hidden in the Vatican. Are these just veiled attempts to get trips to exotic places? Probably, but that's the beauty of his schemes! Karr is said to be writing a travel guide on how anyone can see the country or city of his or her choice simply by lying.

This just cracked me up, and I thought I'd pass it on. Then I need to skedaddle, because we're going out of town and I need to clean, pack and shop.

Labels: crime, newsworthy

.*.*.

  Check them out, they're on the home page of our Girl Scout Council! This is a picture from last year's Girl Scout 5K, where we came in dead last.

I don't remember anyone taking a photo of them, but apparently it was early on because they didn't look nearly so fresh and happy by the end...

Labels: kids, scouts

.*.*.

  Just hanging out and twiddling my thumbs waiting for the DNA to come back in the Ramsey case.

There are a lot of interesting theories flying around the JonBenet Ramsey board at Websleuths. Some of them are absolutely convinced that John Mark Karr did it, and others are equally convinced that he didn't. It's a good way to pass the time...

What do you all think?

Labels: crime

.*.*.

 

Joe Rosenthal, who took this iconic photo in 1945, died Sunday.

This photo is close to my heart, mostly because of my father. He recently retired after 32 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, having served in Viet Nam and Desert Storm, and of course, various peacetime postings. When I was in high school, he spent a great deal of time stationed at the base at Quantico, VA, where every time we entered or left through the main gate we saw their monument to the Marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima.



Not long ago, I was surprised to find out that one of men in the picture was the same Ira Hayes, made famous in the Johnny Cash song. Well, made famous to those of us who had fathers who were into Johnny Cash, which just brings it all back to my dad again. You may remember my recent post about how me and Johnny go way back, well, now you know why! About Ira Hayes, apparently he did suffer an ignominious, drunken end much like in the song, but you can check here to read more about him, he's got an interesting story.

So, I just wanted to take this chance to say, "Love you Dad!" You make us all proud!

To read more about the photo itself, including a color-coded picture indicating who the flag raisers were, you can check here.

Labels: beloved corps, newsworthy

.*.*.

  Yesterday, we went to a big potluck at a friend's house. On the way over, Anya said, "Yay! I love potlucks! Oh wait, is a potluck when you have a huge table full of food to choose from, or does it have something to do with gambling?"

I guess we HAVE been watching a lot of Celebrity Poker Showdown lately...

Labels: kids

.*.*.

  These guys give the treadmills WAY more of a workout than most folks... This must have taken forever to get together!

Labels: video

.*.*.

  Man arrested in death of JonBenet Ramsey

I was never a Ramsey hater, but to be totally truthful, I didn't really expect this, either. I hope they sort this out soon!

Labels: crime, newsworthy

.*.*.

  If so, please report here.

A campaign called "Xtreme sheep" aims to study sheep with undesirable wool features to unlock the genetic makeup of the prized merino and ensure production of its high quality fleece.

The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) said on Tuesday its search for "Australia's ugliest merino lambs" may hold the key to securing the nation's A$2.8 billion (US$2.1 billion) wool industry.

Just so long as they keep the wool coming...

Labels: newsworthy

.*.*.

 

If only they ALWAYS seemed this sweet and innocent!

Labels: kids

.*.*.

  That's what I donated today at my local Bonfils Blood Center. Giving double portions is one of the ways we larger people can bless those around us with our excess girth. I used to be able to give triples, but I've been losing weight. Good for me, bad for y'all! ;-)

If you know your blood type, you can check their handy chart to see what they can use most from you.

I'm going to go drink some water and put my feet up. Catch you later!

Labels: blood donation, life

.*.*.

  Don't forget to go sign up to help with D. Challener's blogburst tribute to the 2,996 victims of the 9/11 attacks. He's about 1/3 of the way there, and there's only one month left!

The idea is that each of the victims will be represented by one blogger. We will do some research, and all will post their tributes this 9/11, which is the fifth anniversary.

Head on over to 2,996 as soon as you can!

Labels: 9/11

.*.*.

 

Thirteen Interesting Things that Happened in the World in 1986. It's my birthday and I am 36 today. Wow, that seems awfully old, considering I don't even really feel "grown up" yet! I can remember my mom and dad being 36, and they seemed to pretty much have their chit together (or as my friend Candice says, they had their "poop in a group.") Since I don't really know anything about being 36 yet, I thought I'd go back and tell about the year I turned Sweet Sixteen, which was, frighteningly enough, TWENTY YEARS AGO! Thanks to Wikipedia for this information about the year 1986. 1. January 20 - The first federal Martin Luther King Day, honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Only 18 years after he died, weird. Some Catholic saints have been canonized in less time than that! 3. January 28 - Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after launch, killing its crew of six astronauts and the schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. We watched this on the TVs at school. Then, later that evening I was babysitting, and the little girl was so upset by it that she was in tears all night. :-( 4. February 9 - Comet Halley reaches its perihelion, the closest point to the Earth, during its second visit to the solar system in the 20th century. Can you believe I didn't even walk outside and take a look at this? I don't recall what I was doing that could have been more important than this. 5. April 13 -- Pope John Paul II officially visits the Synagogue of Rome, the first time a modern Pope had visited a synagogue. He really was a pretty decent Pope, wasn't he? 6. April 21 - Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone's secret vault on The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault, discovering only a bottle of moonshine. Couldn't make it outside to see Halley's Comet, but I actually stayed home and watched this on TV. I have definitely re-evaluated my priorities in the intervening 20 years! 7. May 9 - Death of Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese sherpa (b. 1914) He was one of the first men to summit on Everest, with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. I love Everest stories! 8. May 25 - Hands Across America - At least five million people form a human chain from New York City to Long Beach, California, to raise money to fight hunger and homelessness. I remember the song. As I recall, the chain was kind of a mess, but it's a nice idea. 9. July 5 - The Statue of Liberty is reopened to the public after an extensive refurbishing. My family had travelled to New York shortly before this, and we saw the statute completely surrounded by scaffolding. That was also the trip where I cleared Dad's van with some horrifically stinky flatulence. I'll tell you the story if enough people want to hear it. It's famous in the family now... 10. August 20 - In Edmond, Oklahoma, United States Postal Service employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers before committing suicide. Has it really been 20 years since this whole "going postal" thing started? Wow. And that was before they were all exposed to anthrax at work. What a tense job. 11. November 21 - Iran-Contra Affair: National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents implicating them in the sale of weapons to Iran and channeling the proceeds to help fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. I didn't get this at the time, I just remember being sick of hearing about it. Not a particularly politically astute teenager. I remember seeing testimony where Oliver North said that he sometimes used government money for his own purchases, because he had had to use his own money sometimes for the work he was doing (or something like that.) He specifically mentioned that he'd bought pantyhose, among other things, with the taxpayer's money. I recall wondering why a Lieutenant Colonel in the USMC would need pantyhose... 12. December 2 - Death of Desi Arnaz, Cuban born actor (b. 1917) Yep, he's been singing "Babaloo" for St. Peter for the last 20 years. 13. The Nobel Peace Prize went to concentration camp survivor and activist Elie Wiesel. In 1986 he had this to say: The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Labels: birthday, newsworthy, Thursday Thirteen

.*.*.

  I can't remember why I was making this expression the other day, but now that I know that my pouty face is this unattractive, I'll be making it a lot less! Eek! Anya took this picture, I think she was trying to teach me a lesson...



.*.*.

  This is a cool song and all, but I was actually thinking more about the video. Today I had unexpected guests, and I just let them into my home and apologized over and over for the mess the place was in. I found myself wishing that I could just push a button and flip the house over and expose the other (hopefully clean) parts. I don't need to flip a party in or whatever, just to instantly have the coffee table fold into the floor and then pop up a new, clean one. Ditto for everything else.

I don't care how much it costs, when they put a house like this on the market I will be first in line!



If this won't work for you, you can see it here.

.*.*.

  You know how in the old Tarzan movies, Tarzan's son was named "Boy?" I can understand why Tarzan, with his limited English, could name a boy "Boy," but what I wonder is why did Jane go along with that? Wasn't she a well-educated society girl in England? And, what were they going to do if they had another son?

That's all.

.*.*.

  My family and I are going to be away for the weekend, so I won't be around to post or read anyone else's blog. To help keep you busy while I'm gone, you should go check out Websleuths, a forum where people discuss current and/or infamous crimes. I spent over 3 hours there one night, just reading the posts about Darlie Routier and JonBenet Ramsey, and I hadn't even made a dent in all of the discussions.

As always, since I'm alerting the whole internet to the fact that we won't be home, if you break in you have to clean something. I didn't get everything straightened up, even when preparing for the piano tuner, so there's still *plenty* of mess to go around. In fact, you may want to break into teams and set up a schedule so you can get everything done...

.*.*.

  You know, what's the difference between a piano and a fish? You can tune a piano, but you can't tun-a-fish. Har!

We're spending the rest of the day getting ready for the piano tuner tomorrow. I've got to find the piano, clear all of the stuff off of it, and then clean the rest of the place well enough that we won't be ashamed to let someone in ;-)

Hope you're all having fun today, I'll catch you later!

.*.*.