Tuesday, March 31, 2009
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows...
This song is stuck in my head today, so I thought I'd dig out this video for you guys. Look how young he is! I don't know why, but this song always makes me happy.
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Friday, March 27, 2009
Someone's been studying anatomy too much...
A conversation from Walgreen's yesterday:
Anya: Mom, that sign says they sell facial tissues here.
Me: Yeah, it's a drug store, they sell all kinds of stuff.
Anya: Really? Like muscles and skin and stuff?
Me: ...few seconds of silence... Not that kind of tissues, they mean Kleenex!
I'd say we have the sciences well under control here!
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Anya: Mom, that sign says they sell facial tissues here.
Me: Yeah, it's a drug store, they sell all kinds of stuff.
Anya: Really? Like muscles and skin and stuff?
Me: ...few seconds of silence... Not that kind of tissues, they mean Kleenex!
I'd say we have the sciences well under control here!
Labels: homeschooling, kids
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
It BETTER snow tomorrow!
We haven't had nearly enough snow this year, and when that happens the whole state is on fire all summer. The forecast is now saying 8-15" for the metro area, how much do you suppose we'll actually get?
I'm holding out for a LOT. Remember this amazing blizzard from 2006? That was great! We need more like that.
If any of you have any pull, send us some extra snow! We'll thank you now, and we'll be thanking again you this summer when we can roast our marshmallows while camping!
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I'm holding out for a LOT. Remember this amazing blizzard from 2006? That was great! We need more like that.
If any of you have any pull, send us some extra snow! We'll thank you now, and we'll be thanking again you this summer when we can roast our marshmallows while camping!
Labels: camping, snow, weather
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Can't blog
Life is just too boring today. I even cleaned bathrooms that didn't need it, just to have something to do.
I'm off to clean out the fridge. I hope your day is more interesting.
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I'm off to clean out the fridge. I hope your day is more interesting.
Labels: can't blog, cleaning
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Friday, March 20, 2009
Trip to the Coroner's Office
The other day, Lori commented, wondering where Anya got her Wednesday-ish tendencies from. Really, I swear it wasn't all from me! A lot of what we do and study is because she and the other kids are interested, not because I'm leading them that way. But, I'm pretty open with helping them get where they want to go, and it doesn't hurt that I'm fascinated by true crime, etc, so I can generally answer their questions and find resources for them.
I didn't plan it this way, but the post the other day became and excellent segueway for this one! Yesterday was our homeschool group's trip to tour the County Coroner's office. It was amazingly cool! They were very good about answering the kids' questions respectfully without getting too scary or gross, but also without dumbing anything down.
They made sure we could come at a time when they weren't busy, and everything was all cleaned up. So, we didn't see any bodies; everyone was put away when we came through. We learned about what you need to learn to work there, and what happens when they get a call. We got to see the evidence room, and learned how long they keep stuff; 1 year for "naturals," 2 years for accidental and suicides, and they keep evidence from homicides forever.
We also got a new term that we hadn't heard before! Yay, vocabulary! And, because I love you all so much, I will share it with you.
Diener-From wikipedia-"The word Diener is German for servant. In English, it is generally used to describe the person, in the morgue, responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse (though, at some institutions dieners perform the entire dissection at autopsy). It is derived from the German word Leichendiener, which literally means corpse servant."
There you go, aren't you glad you stopped by today?
If this seems at all interesting to you, you should check with your county. Or, come visit me and I'll set you up! This was, hands down, one of the most interesting tours we've ever been on.
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I didn't plan it this way, but the post the other day became and excellent segueway for this one! Yesterday was our homeschool group's trip to tour the County Coroner's office. It was amazingly cool! They were very good about answering the kids' questions respectfully without getting too scary or gross, but also without dumbing anything down.
They made sure we could come at a time when they weren't busy, and everything was all cleaned up. So, we didn't see any bodies; everyone was put away when we came through. We learned about what you need to learn to work there, and what happens when they get a call. We got to see the evidence room, and learned how long they keep stuff; 1 year for "naturals," 2 years for accidental and suicides, and they keep evidence from homicides forever.
We also got a new term that we hadn't heard before! Yay, vocabulary! And, because I love you all so much, I will share it with you.
Diener-From wikipedia-"The word Diener is German for servant. In English, it is generally used to describe the person, in the morgue, responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse (though, at some institutions dieners perform the entire dissection at autopsy). It is derived from the German word Leichendiener, which literally means corpse servant."
There you go, aren't you glad you stopped by today?
If this seems at all interesting to you, you should check with your county. Or, come visit me and I'll set you up! This was, hands down, one of the most interesting tours we've ever been on.
Labels: crime, homeschooling, kids
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wednesday
When Anya was little, among other things, we used to call her "Wednesday," after the creepy little girl on the Addams Family. Anya never had a regular lovie like her sisters (you can see Sage's Meowie here.) Instead, she carried around a rubber human skeleton as if it were her baby. For her 3rd birthday, she insisted on a skeleton costume, which I had to make because I couldn't find one in her size. She helped me to make it anatomically correct, because one of her pastimes was to drag out our ancient copy of Gray's Anatomy and make us read it to her. She really was an odd little kid.
She's still fairly Wendesday-ish, although as she gets older she can "pass" for normal more easily. But, if you ever want to be assured that she's still creepy on the inside, just ask her about anything dealing with death, including the processes of decomposition and how to identify human remains. That's been her latest passion.
I'm going to go hang with my Wednesday girl and the rest of the horde. Happy Wednesday, everyone!
Labels: crime, kids, television
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Friday, March 13, 2009
17th Anniversary!
Tomorrow is our 17th Anniversary! It's the first prime number anniversary we've had since 2005. Woohoo, that's got to count for something!
There are no "traditional" anniversary gifts between 15 and 20 years. I guess after 15 years of wedded bliss we're supposed to stop getting excited each year, and start just living in 5 year blocks? Not that we've ever paid attention to the suggested gift ideas, I still feel entitled to them and it's like we've been robbed.
Thankfully, there are still "modern" and "travel" anniversary gifts for this year that we can ignore. (They are "furniture" and "North Carolina" respectively.)
Anyway, as always, I'm glad and grateful to be married to Davin. He's a wonderful man, an amazing dad and my best friend in the whole world. I love you, Davin!
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There are no "traditional" anniversary gifts between 15 and 20 years. I guess after 15 years of wedded bliss we're supposed to stop getting excited each year, and start just living in 5 year blocks? Not that we've ever paid attention to the suggested gift ideas, I still feel entitled to them and it's like we've been robbed.
Thankfully, there are still "modern" and "travel" anniversary gifts for this year that we can ignore. (They are "furniture" and "North Carolina" respectively.)
Anyway, as always, I'm glad and grateful to be married to Davin. He's a wonderful man, an amazing dad and my best friend in the whole world. I love you, Davin!
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
You know you're living with a 7 year old boy...
when the only way you can persuade him to eat his broccoli is by singing the praises of the hideous stink he will produce later if he does.
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Labels: juvenile humor, kids
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Monday, March 09, 2009
Lost Weekend
While there were plenty of drugs, they weren't the "good kind" and this wasn't quite the party mayhem you'd expect of a lost weekend. I had a frakking migraine that just wouldn't die, all weekend long!
It started last Friday, and I didn't feel somewhat human again until this morning.
When this happens, I get very afraid. A few years ago, I ended up in a situation where I living a pretty non-stop migraine. It ended up being partially due to the medications my neuro at the time was throwing at me to treat them, which resulted in a pretty ugly 6 week cold turkey period that I'd really rather never do again. >shudder< Sending a special thanks out to everyone who put up with me during that period, because I was not a happy camper...
Today, I started searching for reasons why I'd had such a long, horrible attack this time. I started to wonder if I had a sinus infection. About this time two years ago, I had a sinus infection that I was completely unaware of. My neuro told me that could have been causing some migraine issues at the time, so I thought it could well be happening again.
So today, even though it's hard to describe head pain to a doc when your head hurts all the time, the appointment went well. The doc was pretty patient, and a peek into all the orifices in my head told him I was indeed suffering from a sinus infection.
Yay me! I know it sounds silly to cheer, but I'm so glad it's something that isn't chronic and can be fixed pretty readily. I got 'scrips for 2 meds and an OTC nose spray, and I'm feeling pretty glad about the whole thing.
I wish I had more to report from this amazing lost weekend, but I'm sure you can fill it all in for yourself. Imagine me, the tragic heroine, in my beautiful housecoat and perfect hair and makeup, lying stoically in the semi-darkness while my friends and family speak in hushed tones about how brave I was being, and what an inspiration I am to everyone who meets me, and you'll be just about right. Well, maybe 50% right. Or less. OK, add in some whining and curse words...oh and don't forget the lank, smelly hair (no way I'm scrubbing my head when it already hurts!) and you're probably much closer to what really happened.
When they make the movie of my life, I'd like it be more like the first description, OK? Jennifer Connelly could play me, and in between takes she could tell me all about how cool it was to work with David Bowie in Labyrinth, that might make this whole ordeal worthwhile. Well, not really, but it wouldn't hurt!
Happy Monday.
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It started last Friday, and I didn't feel somewhat human again until this morning.
When this happens, I get very afraid. A few years ago, I ended up in a situation where I living a pretty non-stop migraine. It ended up being partially due to the medications my neuro at the time was throwing at me to treat them, which resulted in a pretty ugly 6 week cold turkey period that I'd really rather never do again. >shudder< Sending a special thanks out to everyone who put up with me during that period, because I was not a happy camper...
Today, I started searching for reasons why I'd had such a long, horrible attack this time. I started to wonder if I had a sinus infection. About this time two years ago, I had a sinus infection that I was completely unaware of. My neuro told me that could have been causing some migraine issues at the time, so I thought it could well be happening again.
So today, even though it's hard to describe head pain to a doc when your head hurts all the time, the appointment went well. The doc was pretty patient, and a peek into all the orifices in my head told him I was indeed suffering from a sinus infection.
Yay me! I know it sounds silly to cheer, but I'm so glad it's something that isn't chronic and can be fixed pretty readily. I got 'scrips for 2 meds and an OTC nose spray, and I'm feeling pretty glad about the whole thing.
I wish I had more to report from this amazing lost weekend, but I'm sure you can fill it all in for yourself. Imagine me, the tragic heroine, in my beautiful housecoat and perfect hair and makeup, lying stoically in the semi-darkness while my friends and family speak in hushed tones about how brave I was being, and what an inspiration I am to everyone who meets me, and you'll be just about right. Well, maybe 50% right. Or less. OK, add in some whining and curse words...oh and don't forget the lank, smelly hair (no way I'm scrubbing my head when it already hurts!) and you're probably much closer to what really happened.
When they make the movie of my life, I'd like it be more like the first description, OK? Jennifer Connelly could play me, and in between takes she could tell me all about how cool it was to work with David Bowie in Labyrinth, that might make this whole ordeal worthwhile. Well, not really, but it wouldn't hurt!
Happy Monday.
Labels: david bowie, medical, migraine
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Friday, March 06, 2009
Watchmen
Did anyone go see Watchmen at midnight when it opened last night?
I'm trying to read the graphic novel, and then decide if I'm going to see it. So far, it's pretty interesting, and it's keeping my attention. I keep thinking that The Incredibles has some 'splaining to do, though. What with the government shutting the superheroes down, and now someone's killing "supers." It's just an errant thought from a few chapters in...
It's HARD to read a graphic novel! Does anyone else have this problem? It's a rocky process, because I have to deliberately slow myself down. My eyes want to skip ahead to read the words, but I find I'm missing whole chunks of storyline this way. So, I flip back a lot. I remember reading comic books as a kid, so apparently I've lost this skill somewhere along the way.
Sorry for such a bumpy post, I woke up with a migraine. I wanted to post because it's been a while, but I'm just not really up to fixing all my errors. If you catch something, let me know in the comments and I'll fix it.
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I'm trying to read the graphic novel, and then decide if I'm going to see it. So far, it's pretty interesting, and it's keeping my attention. I keep thinking that The Incredibles has some 'splaining to do, though. What with the government shutting the superheroes down, and now someone's killing "supers." It's just an errant thought from a few chapters in...
It's HARD to read a graphic novel! Does anyone else have this problem? It's a rocky process, because I have to deliberately slow myself down. My eyes want to skip ahead to read the words, but I find I'm missing whole chunks of storyline this way. So, I flip back a lot. I remember reading comic books as a kid, so apparently I've lost this skill somewhere along the way.
Sorry for such a bumpy post, I woke up with a migraine. I wanted to post because it's been a while, but I'm just not really up to fixing all my errors. If you catch something, let me know in the comments and I'll fix it.
Labels: books, migraine, movies
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Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Kweeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Created by Train Horns
Woohoo, I could hear it! After all that loud partying in college, then all the years of ignoring, "Wah, she's touching me!" and "Are we there yet?" I thought for sure my hearing was wrecked.
I wonder how that could be? Oh well, I'm just glad there's still some part of me that's behaving as if it were 25!
Labels: health
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Monday, March 02, 2009
Pining
Not for the fjords, though.
I'm pining for a Kindle 2, the wireless reading device from Amazon. It can hold over 1,500 books, get magazine issues automatically as they come out, the charge lasts for days, and you can download a new book wirelessly from just about anywhere. No more finishing up a book at the doctor's office and being subjected to hours of those parenting magazines aimed at toddler moms!
The only problem is that it's mighty expensive considering my regular book budget doesn't normally even include brand new hardbacks (unless it's Stephen King, of course.) Knowing me, this seems like one of those things that once I have it in my hand I will wonder how I ever lived without it. But, right now I'm living without it just fine, so I should probably just leave it alone.
But it's thinner than a pencil and weighs less than a can of soda. I waaaaaannnnnnnt one!
I figure I'll save any gift money I get for this. By the time I can afford it, there may even be another generation. And, but then it will be more obvious if this is technology that's here to stay. Whenever anything new like this comes out, somewhere in the back of my mind I hear a menacing voice whisper, "Betamax."
I'll update you guys as I get closer...
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I'm pining for a Kindle 2, the wireless reading device from Amazon. It can hold over 1,500 books, get magazine issues automatically as they come out, the charge lasts for days, and you can download a new book wirelessly from just about anywhere. No more finishing up a book at the doctor's office and being subjected to hours of those parenting magazines aimed at toddler moms!
The only problem is that it's mighty expensive considering my regular book budget doesn't normally even include brand new hardbacks (unless it's Stephen King, of course.) Knowing me, this seems like one of those things that once I have it in my hand I will wonder how I ever lived without it. But, right now I'm living without it just fine, so I should probably just leave it alone.
But it's thinner than a pencil and weighs less than a can of soda. I waaaaaannnnnnnt one!
I figure I'll save any gift money I get for this. By the time I can afford it, there may even be another generation. And, but then it will be more obvious if this is technology that's here to stay. Whenever anything new like this comes out, somewhere in the back of my mind I hear a menacing voice whisper, "Betamax."
I'll update you guys as I get closer...
Labels: books, kindle, monty python, stephen king, video
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