I don't know what it is in my genetic make-up that makes me put things off until the absolute last minute. Even things that I enjoy doing! I've always been a night-before kind of gal...drove my mom nuts.
I spent several hours yesterday doing almost all my schoolwork from the last six weeks. One of the true joys of online classes is that as long as the stuff is turned in before the class ends, you're good. Yesterday I took four quizzes, did three packs of busy work, answered about twenty discussion questions, discussed three topics with classmates, and finished my last case study.
Now all I have left is three papers, an individual dietary analysis, and two final exams. I probably should have done some of that today, but I wanted to finish two books I've been reading. I still have until midnight tomorrow until they are due!
It irritates the hell out of my hubby, but I just seem to work better under pressure. If I had started these papers four or five weeks ago, I would still be working on them today. And they would have changed several times and the final draft would be horrible. If I wait until tomorrow to do them (all at once), I can sit down and bang out A-B papers. I don't understand how it works, but this method got me from elementary through high school and it's still going strong.
Why try to fix what's not broken?
Friday, May 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Never Long Enough...
Last week, for the first time in eight years, I went on vacation without my husband or boys. I was a little leary of going alone (I've never been away from the boys for more than a night), but I am glad I went...it was definitely worth it.
My cousin David was a North Carolina State Trooper. He was killed while on duty ten years ago this month. This bridge is located on Hwy 40 and is named in his honor.
I got to spend a whole week at my parent's house in North Carolina. The best part was my brother was there every day and my sister came home from law school for two days. I hadn't seen my sister since summer 2008 and my brother since summer 2007. I miss them both so much!
It was great spending time with my parents, too. My mama and I got to catch up on plenty of reading and talking. My dad even took a few days off to hang out with us.
We spent plenty of time wandering around old cemeteries. Most of my cemetery pictures were destroyed during the flood in 2005. So, it was nothing new, but I got to replace what I had lost.
Mystery #28...Why is Eliza Wells (my great-great grandmother) buried beside her second husband, yet have the name of her first husband on her tombstone?
I got to visit my grandparent's (maternal) old garden. It just looks like a grassy field today, but it used to be rows and rows of yummy vegetables. I spent many days helping and playing here...it seemed so much bigger when I was younger! This old water pump still works. It was how we got all our water when we were out there working.
Here is my great-grandfather's old tobacco barn. It's not going to be around much longer.
The second best part of my trip was eating good North Carolina seafood!! You would be suprised at the lack of decent seafood here in California. Thank goodness I can go home and get some! Aaah! Oysters and crabs...I should have taken a picture.
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My dad finally got hold of my grandmother's old photo album. My poor brother has spent weeks peeling the pictures out of the old album, scanning them, cropping and touching them up, and putting them in a new album. They are guessing there are over a thousand pictures! I can't wait until I get a copy! Here are my grandparents (yep, my grandfather was in the Coast Guard!)
Here's my daddy around his first birthday...Look at those curls!!
Here's my daddy around his first birthday...Look at those curls!!
My cousin David was a North Carolina State Trooper. He was killed while on duty ten years ago this month. This bridge is located on Hwy 40 and is named in his honor.
I really missed having my boys underfoot and would unthinkingly break out with a Wiggles song every so often. Yes, I missed J, too! But it was so nice to be home for a little while. I think this is the worst part of the military life. We have at least six years (most likely it will be eleven) before J retires and we can move home for good. Until then, we only get to see our family a couple of times a year.
Visits are never long enough!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
How neat is this? You plug in words or a link to a blog and it makes a little picture with various words you used. Apparently, the bigger words are ones you use most often. You get to play around with the font, color, and layout. Here is what I came up with for this blog...
Here is what came out using Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven."
And here's one all about me...
Here is what came out using Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven."
And here's one all about me...
Monday, February 23, 2009
This is for you, Buddy!!
My brother has been drawing comics for as long as I can remember and I thought it was time to put some on here. I grew up reading these and I turned out...okay. In other words, WARNING: May contain vulgar and/or offensive content!
Check out some more here..... http://www.webcomicsnation.com/blooptoon/
Only thirteen years in the making...
Today I signed up for the last two classes for my associates degree! I will mail out my graduation application later this week. I swear I never thought this day would come!
I started taking college classes when I was still a senior in high school in 1996. After 8 moves in 6 different states, taking classes at 5 different schools, having credits transfer to some schools (but not others), and testing out (CLEP) of several classes, I am officially almost halfway to my Bachelor's Degree! How long will that take, I wonder? Ha, ha!!
I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up...which makes it pretty hard to pick a major. Lately, I've been vacillating between becoming a middle school math/history teacher, a social worker, or a librarian. My unrealistic choices would be a forensic anthropologist, an archaeologist, or an archivist. Of course, I am still looking for that elusive career of getting paid to read books. One can dream, right?
Either way, whichever I eventually choose, I will need a Master's Degree. So, now I have to find a school that offers a Bachelor's Degree that will lead to a Master's Degree in my chosen field. Confused yet? And I need to figure it out soon, so I can apply and register before the fall semester starts.
Right now I am looking at a Bachelor's Degree in either Sociology or Human Services from Columbia College. Yes, it is an online school and no, I am not happy about it...more on that later. My second choice would be the local school, Sonoma State University. It all depends on how my funding turns out. I'll go more into that in my next post also.
Anyway, back to more certain events...I will start my last two classes the beginning of April and should have my diploma mailed to me in June. Yay! I have all my required courses completed, so I'm taking two fluffy electives. Intro to Human Services (thought I'd see what I'm getting into) and Nutrition. I took the nutrition class solely to mess with the instructor. I can't wait to go into veg*nism, raw diets, and fruitarianism!
I started taking college classes when I was still a senior in high school in 1996. After 8 moves in 6 different states, taking classes at 5 different schools, having credits transfer to some schools (but not others), and testing out (CLEP) of several classes, I am officially almost halfway to my Bachelor's Degree! How long will that take, I wonder? Ha, ha!!
I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up...which makes it pretty hard to pick a major. Lately, I've been vacillating between becoming a middle school math/history teacher, a social worker, or a librarian. My unrealistic choices would be a forensic anthropologist, an archaeologist, or an archivist. Of course, I am still looking for that elusive career of getting paid to read books. One can dream, right?
Either way, whichever I eventually choose, I will need a Master's Degree. So, now I have to find a school that offers a Bachelor's Degree that will lead to a Master's Degree in my chosen field. Confused yet? And I need to figure it out soon, so I can apply and register before the fall semester starts.
Right now I am looking at a Bachelor's Degree in either Sociology or Human Services from Columbia College. Yes, it is an online school and no, I am not happy about it...more on that later. My second choice would be the local school, Sonoma State University. It all depends on how my funding turns out. I'll go more into that in my next post also.
Anyway, back to more certain events...I will start my last two classes the beginning of April and should have my diploma mailed to me in June. Yay! I have all my required courses completed, so I'm taking two fluffy electives. Intro to Human Services (thought I'd see what I'm getting into) and Nutrition. I took the nutrition class solely to mess with the instructor. I can't wait to go into veg*nism, raw diets, and fruitarianism!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I'm Back!
Wow! Long time, no write! Sorry about that!
Well, our trip home to Key West has come and gone. It was good to be back and, even better, to be warm. It was in the 80's most of the time we were there.
We got to do most of what we had planned...several trips to Jose's Cantina, 5 Brother's Grocery, Benihana (yay, I only got a little sick this time!), El Caney, Hogfish Bar & Grill, El Mocho, etc. Yes, yes, we did more than eat, but boy did we miss the food! And the Con Leches! We can sort of make them here, but they're definitely not the same.
I was able to go back and visit the school I used to teach at when we lived on Big Pine Key. There are only five kids left from when I was there. They all have grown up too fast!
My sister-in-law came home from school for a couple of weeks and we got to see my elusive brother-in-law several times. Unfortunately, my father-in-law (a Florida State Trooper) had to work a few nights, but my mother-in-law was off the whole time. And, of course, my grandpa-in-law popped in and out.
We ended up camping at Bahia Honda again this year. That was a lot of fun. We don't camp like normal people. While we do sleep in a tent, we do it on mattresses with fans running. We have clean bathrooms and a hot shower every night. And then there is the food. Steaks, ribs, sausages...they go all out. I got some really good pictures of the Bahia Honda bridge.
Coming back was bittersweet. I was happy to get back to my fur-babies and my own house and car (no more borrowing!), but we really do not like living here. Everytime we go home to Florida or North Carolina just makes that even clearer. Hopefully, this will be our last tour on the west coast. We definitely aren't requesting it again!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Boring couple of weeks...
Nothing really interesting has happened since my last post.
J came home. It's been awhile since we've been home without him, so it was nice when he came back. And he brought presents...always a good thing!
Turtle got a new video game.
Frog got the Kung Fu Panda movie.
I got a UM jersey.
Most important...he brought Cuban bread!
I love Cuban bread. I took it for granted when we lived in Key West and now that I have no access to it, I realize how much I love it. I used to be able to run in any grocery and grab a loaf. I'm going to have to learn to make it myself, I guess.
The big problem this week is finding someone to watch Winston while we are in Key West this xmas. We had a couple watch him for us last year, but I don't know if they can do it again. I've looked at kennels around here, but they are outrageous! $24 a night is the cheapest I've found. That's almost $600 for the three weeks we'll be gone! Oh, man...I don't know what we're going to do, but I have ten days to figure it out!
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Joys of Boys!
It's official. Turtle, my sweet, affectionate, sensitive boy, is on his way to juvenile crime. He received not one, but two detentions in one week. As a first-grader! Where did I go wrong?!?!
It all started with a phone call from the school principal. It went something like this:
Principal - "I've got Turtle here in my office. I am very worried about his behavior today."
Me - "What did he do?"
Principal - "He told another boy to open his mouth so he could pee in it."
Me - "Okay."
Now I'm waiting for the shoe to drop. What did my son do that would cause his principal to be so very worried? Did he whip his peanut out? Did he actually pee on the other kid?
Principal - "He's going to need to stay after school for ten minutes for detention today."
Wait a second! What did he do to get detention? At this point, I'm still waiting to hear what horrible thing my son did. It turns out that was it. He told another boy he was going to pee on him.
After laughing a good ten minutes, I call everyone to let them know (and to make sure I wasn't making too light of a serious issue.) Thankfully, I wasn't crazy and everyone agreed the school over-reacted.
J picked him up after detention, told the teacher that he thought they went a little overboard, and then took Turtle to the store to get a videogame. Now before anyone gets up-in-arms about J rewarding him for getting in trouble at school...Turtle had to wait until the next day to play it because he got detention.
So, then a couple of days later I pick Turtle up and he tells me he got detention again. What did he do this time?
Turtle - "X farted on me, so I farted on him back."
Because the detention slip said "very disrespectful behavior" and because Turtle doesn't always remember all the details (not to mention I was pissed if that really was the reason he got detention), I decided to go get the details from his teacher.
So that conversation went a little like this:
Me - "I'd like to know why Turtle has detention again."
Teacher - "Well, X farted on Turtle and he farted back."
Me - "So he got detention for farting?"
I must have given her an incredulous look. Here's where the story changes:
Teacher - "Oh, they were being rude to a teacher outside at recess."
Me - "I thought he farted on X?"
Teacher - "Well, I wasn't really there. This is just what I was told. He was being rude to a teacher and the farting was the last straw. I can find out for sure and let you know."
So, I get a note the next day saying he got detention because X farted on him and Turtle chased him down the hall trying to fart back.
Hmmm, so which was it?
A. He farted on a boy in the classroom.
B. He was rude to a teacher outside.
C. He chased a boy down the hall trying to fart on him.
I am inclined to believe it was A. They had to make it sound more serious when they saw that J and I thought they were being ridiculous.
So, my seven year old boy got in trouble for threatening to pee on someone and for farting on someone. What the hell?
Have children changed so much? I'm a girl, but I clearly remember bodily-function humor from last week, err I mean when I was a kid. Puke, snot, poop, pee, farts, boogers...it was all discussed at one time or another. Is it really such a cause for concern? I turned out fairly okay.
So, now I have to make sure Turtle only farts on his brother. I just hope he didn't tell anyone about how they pee on each other in the shower!
It all started with a phone call from the school principal. It went something like this:
Principal - "I've got Turtle here in my office. I am very worried about his behavior today."
Me - "What did he do?"
Principal - "He told another boy to open his mouth so he could pee in it."
Me - "Okay."
Now I'm waiting for the shoe to drop. What did my son do that would cause his principal to be so very worried? Did he whip his peanut out? Did he actually pee on the other kid?
Principal - "He's going to need to stay after school for ten minutes for detention today."
Wait a second! What did he do to get detention? At this point, I'm still waiting to hear what horrible thing my son did. It turns out that was it. He told another boy he was going to pee on him.
After laughing a good ten minutes, I call everyone to let them know (and to make sure I wasn't making too light of a serious issue.) Thankfully, I wasn't crazy and everyone agreed the school over-reacted.
J picked him up after detention, told the teacher that he thought they went a little overboard, and then took Turtle to the store to get a videogame. Now before anyone gets up-in-arms about J rewarding him for getting in trouble at school...Turtle had to wait until the next day to play it because he got detention.
So, then a couple of days later I pick Turtle up and he tells me he got detention again. What did he do this time?
Turtle - "X farted on me, so I farted on him back."
Because the detention slip said "very disrespectful behavior" and because Turtle doesn't always remember all the details (not to mention I was pissed if that really was the reason he got detention), I decided to go get the details from his teacher.
So that conversation went a little like this:
Me - "I'd like to know why Turtle has detention again."
Teacher - "Well, X farted on Turtle and he farted back."
Me - "So he got detention for farting?"
I must have given her an incredulous look. Here's where the story changes:
Teacher - "Oh, they were being rude to a teacher outside at recess."
Me - "I thought he farted on X?"
Teacher - "Well, I wasn't really there. This is just what I was told. He was being rude to a teacher and the farting was the last straw. I can find out for sure and let you know."
So, I get a note the next day saying he got detention because X farted on him and Turtle chased him down the hall trying to fart back.
Hmmm, so which was it?
A. He farted on a boy in the classroom.
B. He was rude to a teacher outside.
C. He chased a boy down the hall trying to fart on him.
I am inclined to believe it was A. They had to make it sound more serious when they saw that J and I thought they were being ridiculous.
So, my seven year old boy got in trouble for threatening to pee on someone and for farting on someone. What the hell?
Have children changed so much? I'm a girl, but I clearly remember bodily-function humor from last week, err I mean when I was a kid. Puke, snot, poop, pee, farts, boogers...it was all discussed at one time or another. Is it really such a cause for concern? I turned out fairly okay.
So, now I have to make sure Turtle only farts on his brother. I just hope he didn't tell anyone about how they pee on each other in the shower!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Pity Party
This is what I am looking at...
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This is what my husband is looking at...
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I'm freezing in 50-some degree weather. He is baking in 90-some degree weather. I stayed home with two leeches (um, boys attached to my butt.) He went to a Miami Dolphins football game.
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Am I jealous? You better believe it!!
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This past summer J was teaching both classes, so he couldn't get any time off. The boys and I took off for a month to visit the family in Key West and North Carolina. So we decided that J could take a couple of weeks to go home and visit everyone in November. He left Saturday and I am already about to go insane!
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I don't begrudge him this trip. Really, I don't. He has gone almost a year without leaving this hell-hole. Plus, he works crazy-hard and more than deserves this break.
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Does that keep the green-eyed monster at bay? Nope.
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Edited to add: Ignore the dots. For some reason, everytime I try to publish this post, it runs all the words together into one, big paragraph.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Election Thoughts
Well, the election is over. Finally. There has been a lot of ups and downs over the past two days as all the final totals have come in. I'm still not 100% sure how I feel.
First of all, politics aside, I am so proud that our nation has finally put aside some of it's racist past and elected a black president. Fifty-sixty years ago, segregation was still legal. People were treated as inferior beings based solely on the color of their skin. And now a minority has been elected (by a vast majority of votes) to the highest office in our land. It's amazing to me that the first president my son will remember is a minority. When I was little, it would have been an impossibility. How far we've come. Go, America!
That said, I'm not so sure about Obama as president. Don't get me wrong, I was against McCain, too. I really hope Obama is able to bring about the changes he promised. I hope he can turn this country around and get us out of the hole we dug for ourselves. Good luck to him, he's going to need it!
I'm very happy Prop 2 (in California) passed. More humane treatment for farm animals. Always a good thing. Prop 12 passed. Again, I'm happy. Providing for Veterans should be an automatic thing.
Prop 8 passed. This prop denies people of the same sex to marry. I am so disturbed by this. I know there are that many ignorant, hateful people in the world, but this just proves it. Why would someone be so spiteful that they would deny a loving couple the same civil rights everyone else enjoys? I know the "Yes on 8" group ran a shady campaign, purposely misleading people, but I still hoped there were more compassionate people out there, especially here in California. I know similar bans were passed in Florida and a couple of other states, but I kind of expected that. Not here in California.
One definite good thing came of the elections. At least I don't have to worry about Palin as president.
First of all, politics aside, I am so proud that our nation has finally put aside some of it's racist past and elected a black president. Fifty-sixty years ago, segregation was still legal. People were treated as inferior beings based solely on the color of their skin. And now a minority has been elected (by a vast majority of votes) to the highest office in our land. It's amazing to me that the first president my son will remember is a minority. When I was little, it would have been an impossibility. How far we've come. Go, America!
That said, I'm not so sure about Obama as president. Don't get me wrong, I was against McCain, too. I really hope Obama is able to bring about the changes he promised. I hope he can turn this country around and get us out of the hole we dug for ourselves. Good luck to him, he's going to need it!
I'm very happy Prop 2 (in California) passed. More humane treatment for farm animals. Always a good thing. Prop 12 passed. Again, I'm happy. Providing for Veterans should be an automatic thing.
Prop 8 passed. This prop denies people of the same sex to marry. I am so disturbed by this. I know there are that many ignorant, hateful people in the world, but this just proves it. Why would someone be so spiteful that they would deny a loving couple the same civil rights everyone else enjoys? I know the "Yes on 8" group ran a shady campaign, purposely misleading people, but I still hoped there were more compassionate people out there, especially here in California. I know similar bans were passed in Florida and a couple of other states, but I kind of expected that. Not here in California.
One definite good thing came of the elections. At least I don't have to worry about Palin as president.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Happy Halloween!!!
We had a busy Halloween on Friday. First was Turtle's parade and party at school. They do a really neat thing there...instead of letting the kids wear costumes to school, every class spends a month working on a paperbag costume. This works out so well. No one is left out and the teachers don't have to worry about getting the kids in and out of their costumes. No torn or messed up costumes, etc. I love it. They have a big parade to show off their paperbags. Some of them were really creative. Turtle's was so cute; he was an alien...
When we got home it was time to carve the pumpkins. Usually I do this weeks ahead of Halloween, but the boys wanted to use the pumpkins they got from the field trip on Thursday. This year I let Turtle do a pumpkin all on his own. He made a scary pumpkin with lots of eyes and stitches. Not bad...
After that I had to finish up Turtle's costume. Attaching a knife to a shirt sounded so easy...it's not. I finally had to get J to help. It turned out okay. Not what I pictured, but Turtle was happy. And, of course, Frog was ecstatic in his "fiderman" costume...
We had a blast TnTing. We hit every street on base here and, between the two of them, we now have an entire brown grocery bag full of candy. No exaggeration. I thought it was going to pour (it had earlier in the morning), but we made it through with only a few sprinkles of rain. Our next-door neighbor has been working on a haunted house under his carport since September. It was awesome! And we actually got both kids to go in it. Turtle and the kids from the other side of the house spent half an hour running through it. It turns out the boys aren't scared of the gory decorations. They were scared of the people screaming and yelling.
On a side note...my NaNoWriMo is coming along better than I expected. I only got 213 words on Saturday because we went to Travis AFB to get groceries. I did manage to get my character sheets and some notes done at work that morning. Yesterday I was work at the library and I got 1419 words done. So, right now, my total is up to 1632 words. I go in early to work tonight, so hopefully I will get even more done.
When we got home it was time to carve the pumpkins. Usually I do this weeks ahead of Halloween, but the boys wanted to use the pumpkins they got from the field trip on Thursday. This year I let Turtle do a pumpkin all on his own. He made a scary pumpkin with lots of eyes and stitches. Not bad...
After that I had to finish up Turtle's costume. Attaching a knife to a shirt sounded so easy...it's not. I finally had to get J to help. It turned out okay. Not what I pictured, but Turtle was happy. And, of course, Frog was ecstatic in his "fiderman" costume...
We had a blast TnTing. We hit every street on base here and, between the two of them, we now have an entire brown grocery bag full of candy. No exaggeration. I thought it was going to pour (it had earlier in the morning), but we made it through with only a few sprinkles of rain. Our next-door neighbor has been working on a haunted house under his carport since September. It was awesome! And we actually got both kids to go in it. Turtle and the kids from the other side of the house spent half an hour running through it. It turns out the boys aren't scared of the gory decorations. They were scared of the people screaming and yelling.
On a side note...my NaNoWriMo is coming along better than I expected. I only got 213 words on Saturday because we went to Travis AFB to get groceries. I did manage to get my character sheets and some notes done at work that morning. Yesterday I was work at the library and I got 1419 words done. So, right now, my total is up to 1632 words. I go in early to work tonight, so hopefully I will get even more done.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Pumpkins and Apples
Yesterday was Turtle's class field trip to the pumpkin/apple farm. Frog and I went and, since he actually had a day off, J did, too.
We had a lot of fun. The kids got to see how the apples are washed and sorted in the warehouse, then they got to go out in the orchard to pick their own apples. They got apple bread and apple juice for a snack. Then they got to go pick their pumpkins. This part was kind of cheesy...the pumpkins were just all laying on the ground (not on the vine...they were just dumped there) and they got to choose one to take home. The kids liked it and I guess that is all that matters, right?
They had an awesome hay pyramid that the kids could climb on. Frog loved it...
Afterwards, they ate lunch and got to play in the field. Then it started raining, so we packed up to leave. It was a good time for everyone!
We had a lot of fun. The kids got to see how the apples are washed and sorted in the warehouse, then they got to go out in the orchard to pick their own apples. They got apple bread and apple juice for a snack. Then they got to go pick their pumpkins. This part was kind of cheesy...the pumpkins were just all laying on the ground (not on the vine...they were just dumped there) and they got to choose one to take home. The kids liked it and I guess that is all that matters, right?
They had an awesome hay pyramid that the kids could climb on. Frog loved it...
All the other pictures show the boys' faces too clearly, so you will have to be content with this pretty picture I took of old farm equipment...
Afterwards, they ate lunch and got to play in the field. Then it started raining, so we packed up to leave. It was a good time for everyone!
The Halloween Witch
The Halloween Witch
Each year they parade her about ... the traditional Halloween witch.
Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, and a toothless mouth beneath her disfigured nose. Gnarled, knobby fingers twisted into a claw, protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs.
Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind, or merely a Halloween caricature.
I disagree. I believe this to be how witches were really seen.
Consider that most witches: were women, were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness, to be presented by the light of day as a confessed witch.
Few, if any, saw a frightened, normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture. To be questioned until she confessed to anything that was suggested to her, and to give names or whatever would stop the questions.
Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed witch. As the witch was paraded through the town, en route to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned, or disposed of in various other forms of Christian love ... all created to free and save her soul from her depraved body. The jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of torture. The face, bruised and broken by countless blows, bore a hue of sickly green. The once warm and loving smile gone. Replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered, disfigured nose.
The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken, twisted hands clutched the wagon for support. Fractured fingers locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All semblance of humanity gone. This was truly a demon, a bride of Satan, a witch.
I revere this Halloween crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of humanity.
Each year I shed tears of respect.
~ author unknown
Each year they parade her about ... the traditional Halloween witch.
Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, and a toothless mouth beneath her disfigured nose. Gnarled, knobby fingers twisted into a claw, protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs.
Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind, or merely a Halloween caricature.
I disagree. I believe this to be how witches were really seen.
Consider that most witches: were women, were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness, to be presented by the light of day as a confessed witch.
Few, if any, saw a frightened, normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture. To be questioned until she confessed to anything that was suggested to her, and to give names or whatever would stop the questions.
Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed witch. As the witch was paraded through the town, en route to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned, or disposed of in various other forms of Christian love ... all created to free and save her soul from her depraved body. The jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of torture. The face, bruised and broken by countless blows, bore a hue of sickly green. The once warm and loving smile gone. Replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered, disfigured nose.
The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken, twisted hands clutched the wagon for support. Fractured fingers locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All semblance of humanity gone. This was truly a demon, a bride of Satan, a witch.
I revere this Halloween crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of humanity.
Each year I shed tears of respect.
~ author unknown
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Setting myself up for failure?
Maybe. Probably.
November 1st marks the start of 2008's NaNoWriMo. What is NaNoWriMo, you ask?
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
It is when thousands of aspiring artists sit down together with the task of completing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. The goal is to actually finish...quantity over quality.
Since that is my main problem (finishing what I start), I thought this would be a good way to jumpstart my novel. I have two ideas: one for a stand-alone book and one for a possible series. I think I am going to do the first book in the series. I had good intentions for planning this week. I wanted to get my character sheets done and a notebook compiled of all the little ideas I've come up with for this book. Alas, it is Wednesday and I haven't started yet. I promise to try and work on it today!
Will I actually finish? It's a distinct possibility. I've always worked best under pressure. You know, finishing papers and projects the night before they are due? My obstacles are numerous:
1. I've never actually written a novel before. Or anything of this length, for that matter. Several thousand word essays are the most I've done on one topic.
2. Thanksgiving, leading up to Xmas. Whoever had the bright idea of having this take place in the middle of the holiday season, should be taken out in the street and shot. Seriously. I will probably have guests over, cooking, shopping, wrapping, etc. At least I don't have to worry about decorating the house.
3. J will be gone for almost two weeks right in the middle of it. J had classes all summer, so he didn't get to go home to Key West with the boys and I. So, it's been a while (last Xmas) since he's seen his family. He is leaving November 8 and will be back November 19. There is still a slight possiblity of him taking Frog with him, which will make it very easy for me. But most likely, I will be here with both boys by myself.
There are plenty of other reasons, but I am still going to try.
Wish me luck! Less than three days to go!
November 1st marks the start of 2008's NaNoWriMo. What is NaNoWriMo, you ask?
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
It is when thousands of aspiring artists sit down together with the task of completing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. The goal is to actually finish...quantity over quality.
Since that is my main problem (finishing what I start), I thought this would be a good way to jumpstart my novel. I have two ideas: one for a stand-alone book and one for a possible series. I think I am going to do the first book in the series. I had good intentions for planning this week. I wanted to get my character sheets done and a notebook compiled of all the little ideas I've come up with for this book. Alas, it is Wednesday and I haven't started yet. I promise to try and work on it today!
Will I actually finish? It's a distinct possibility. I've always worked best under pressure. You know, finishing papers and projects the night before they are due? My obstacles are numerous:
1. I've never actually written a novel before. Or anything of this length, for that matter. Several thousand word essays are the most I've done on one topic.
2. Thanksgiving, leading up to Xmas. Whoever had the bright idea of having this take place in the middle of the holiday season, should be taken out in the street and shot. Seriously. I will probably have guests over, cooking, shopping, wrapping, etc. At least I don't have to worry about decorating the house.
3. J will be gone for almost two weeks right in the middle of it. J had classes all summer, so he didn't get to go home to Key West with the boys and I. So, it's been a while (last Xmas) since he's seen his family. He is leaving November 8 and will be back November 19. There is still a slight possiblity of him taking Frog with him, which will make it very easy for me. But most likely, I will be here with both boys by myself.
There are plenty of other reasons, but I am still going to try.
Wish me luck! Less than three days to go!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thank you, Angela...
Okay, I feel like crazy cat-lady Angela from The Office, but I have to admit it. I love LoLCats. For some reason, I get the uncontollable giggles when I go through the pictures. Drives J nuts.
Whenever I have a rough day, they always cheer me up. Sick, I know.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Best Holiday of the Year!
I love Halloween. It is, by far, my most favorite day of the year. I longed for the day when I would have children to dress-up with. What I didn't count on was the lack of scary costumes. Halloween costumes are supposed to be scary. On the night when the veil between the living and the dead is at it's thinnest, you're supposed to wear scary costumes to frighten away the evil spirits. So, what have my kids dressed-up as over the years? We've had a football player, Diego (from Go, Diego, Go), a pirate, a firefighter, spiderman, a scarecrow, superman, a frog, and a dalmation. The only scary costume was when Turtle went as a vampire when he was two. I tried to make him a zombie football player last year, but he wasn't having it.
I was so excited this year because Frog wanted to be Frankenstein's monster and Turtle wants to be a "zombie Army guy with a knife sticking out of him" (his words.) Yay! I found a cool Frankenstein's monster pattern to make and got all the stuff together for the zombie costume. Then Frog discovered his brother's old spiderman costume and hasn't quit wearing it in over a week. So, now he wants to be spiderman. Sigh. At least I still have a zombie costume to look forward to.
But the boys' Tia saved the day by sending a box of Halloween goodies which included two skeleton shirts and a skull mask. Happy, happy! Joy, joy!
Today we had the Halloween carnival, hay ride, and haunted house on base today. So, I was able to scare the boys up to my heart's content...
The carnival was really cute. Lots of games with prizes and cookies. Afterwards we took the hay ride up to the camping grounds for the haunted house. 
Last year Turtle went through it twice, but this year he didn't make it past the first room. Suprisingly, Frog made it to the second room, but then he was done, too. Oh well, maybe next year!
I was so excited this year because Frog wanted to be Frankenstein's monster and Turtle wants to be a "zombie Army guy with a knife sticking out of him" (his words.) Yay! I found a cool Frankenstein's monster pattern to make and got all the stuff together for the zombie costume. Then Frog discovered his brother's old spiderman costume and hasn't quit wearing it in over a week. So, now he wants to be spiderman. Sigh. At least I still have a zombie costume to look forward to.
But the boys' Tia saved the day by sending a box of Halloween goodies which included two skeleton shirts and a skull mask. Happy, happy! Joy, joy!
Today we had the Halloween carnival, hay ride, and haunted house on base today. So, I was able to scare the boys up to my heart's content...
The carnival was really cute. Lots of games with prizes and cookies. Afterwards we took the hay ride up to the camping grounds for the haunted house.
The haunted house was a no-go...
Last year Turtle went through it twice, but this year he didn't make it past the first room. Suprisingly, Frog made it to the second room, but then he was done, too. Oh well, maybe next year!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Oh, Trader Joe's, how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways...
1. condiments, dressings, marinades - Thai Green Curry is delicious. As is all the Indian curry sauces, the chili-garlic sauce, the Gyoza dipping sauce, and many more. Low-sodium soy sauce, raw apple cider vinegar, etc.
2. peanut butter filled pretzels - need I say more? Yes, I do. Chocolate-covered peanut butter filled pretzels.
3. frozen foods - too many to list. Veggies, Asian goodies, desserts.
4. desserts need a number of their own - apple blossoms, cheesecake, cookie dough, mochi, carrot cake, chocolate
5. triple ginger cookies - OMG! Leave them out to get stale and chewy, you won't be disappointed!
6. wine - Where else can you go to get good wine for $2? They also have high-end wines, but for every day wine with dinner? Can't go wrong with two-buck Chuck!
7. Peppermint JoeJoes - It's like an Oreo cookie with peppermint creme and little bits of candy canes. You can only get them around xmas time, so you have to stock up for the rest of the year. Last year our surplus stock ran out in February.
I could go on and on. It really sucks here in California, but Trader Joe's makes up for some of it. What am I going to do when we move back to the south-east?
The food is good, local, mostly all-natural, and cheap! My kind of place!!
1. condiments, dressings, marinades - Thai Green Curry is delicious. As is all the Indian curry sauces, the chili-garlic sauce, the Gyoza dipping sauce, and many more. Low-sodium soy sauce, raw apple cider vinegar, etc.
2. peanut butter filled pretzels - need I say more? Yes, I do. Chocolate-covered peanut butter filled pretzels.
3. frozen foods - too many to list. Veggies, Asian goodies, desserts.
4. desserts need a number of their own - apple blossoms, cheesecake, cookie dough, mochi, carrot cake, chocolate
5. triple ginger cookies - OMG! Leave them out to get stale and chewy, you won't be disappointed!
6. wine - Where else can you go to get good wine for $2? They also have high-end wines, but for every day wine with dinner? Can't go wrong with two-buck Chuck!
7. Peppermint JoeJoes - It's like an Oreo cookie with peppermint creme and little bits of candy canes. You can only get them around xmas time, so you have to stock up for the rest of the year. Last year our surplus stock ran out in February.
I could go on and on. It really sucks here in California, but Trader Joe's makes up for some of it. What am I going to do when we move back to the south-east?
The food is good, local, mostly all-natural, and cheap! My kind of place!!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
More genealogy stuff!
The other thing that helped start my interest in family history is that I've always loved learning about Native Americans. According to family legend, my great-grandmother is full-blooded. Full-blooded what, I'm not sure. She definitely looked like it, as did my grandfather. These aren't the best pics (they are pictures of pictures), but here he is circa 1954...
That's my mom with him. And here he is circa 1981...
That's my grandmother and I with him.
I was able to trace the Riggs (grandfather's last name) line back to the Yeopim Indians of Pasquotank County. But it was on his paternal side. I haven't been able to find anything about Lela (my great-grandmother.)
While I'm doing pics, here is one of Lela's house...
And on to my father's side....
This is my dad, aunt, grandmother, and grandfather. One line on my dad's side is the only one I've been able to trace out of the country. John Maness (my 8x-great-grandfather) was born in 1655 in Scotland. It seems like every other line in my family has been in North Carolina since the early 1700s. Hopefully one day I'll trace another one out of the country.
But for now I am enjoying researching my Scottish heritage. It turns out we are descended from Clan Gunn in northern Scotland.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Don't shake the family tree too hard...
You never know how many nuts will fall out!
I love geneaology and family history. It used to be one of my favorite hobbies. I say "used to" because I haven't done much with it the last few years. I started in 1999 and made a ton of progress over the years. Unfortunately, in 2005, Hurricane Wilma hit the Florida Keys. Our house was flooded and our computer destroyed. Yes, the computer with all my research, pictures, etc. on it. Luckily, I had paper copies of everything, but it was all thrown in a tub in no particular order.
Since then I purchased a new laptop just for my genealogy stuff and have tried several times to input all the info into it. Everything is all jumbled together (and I'm not the best at labeling/notes), so it has been very discouraging and frustrating. I am basically starting over.
Recently I have been going through some of it and I think it's time to start again. I just have to take it slow, not get obsessed with it, and be methodical. Yeah, that sounds like me...not!
Here's the man who started it all...
This is Isaac Taylor, my great-great-grandfather. He was the longest-lived Civil War veteran in Onslow County, North Carolina. I was fascinated by the Civil War when I was younger (Who's kidding themselves? I still am!) and my grandmother told me all about him. Of course, she also told me we were descended from President Zachary Taylor, so (according to my mom and aunt) we have to take it with a grain of salt. For the record, most of what she told me has been true and we could still be related to a president-it hasn't been disproved yet! After learning about Isaac, I started searching for other relatives in the Civil War and it just spiraled out from there.
I love geneaology and family history. It used to be one of my favorite hobbies. I say "used to" because I haven't done much with it the last few years. I started in 1999 and made a ton of progress over the years. Unfortunately, in 2005, Hurricane Wilma hit the Florida Keys. Our house was flooded and our computer destroyed. Yes, the computer with all my research, pictures, etc. on it. Luckily, I had paper copies of everything, but it was all thrown in a tub in no particular order.
Since then I purchased a new laptop just for my genealogy stuff and have tried several times to input all the info into it. Everything is all jumbled together (and I'm not the best at labeling/notes), so it has been very discouraging and frustrating. I am basically starting over.
Recently I have been going through some of it and I think it's time to start again. I just have to take it slow, not get obsessed with it, and be methodical. Yeah, that sounds like me...not!
Here's the man who started it all...
This is Isaac Taylor, my great-great-grandfather. He was the longest-lived Civil War veteran in Onslow County, North Carolina. I was fascinated by the Civil War when I was younger (Who's kidding themselves? I still am!) and my grandmother told me all about him. Of course, she also told me we were descended from President Zachary Taylor, so (according to my mom and aunt) we have to take it with a grain of salt. For the record, most of what she told me has been true and we could still be related to a president-it hasn't been disproved yet! After learning about Isaac, I started searching for other relatives in the Civil War and it just spiraled out from there.
Here's the road my grandmother (and mother for half her childhood) lived on...
Charlie was Isaac's son and my great-grandfather.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Go Nunicorn!!
Lately I've been introducing Frog to some of my favorite shows and movies from when I was little.
So far we've watched:
Fraggle Rock
He-man
Labyrinth
The Last Unicorn
Here is his He-Man get-up:
Right now his favorite is The Last Unicorn. He watched it three times yesterday and he's watching it right now. He really likes it when all the unicorns come out of the ocean and the castle falls down. He yells "Go Nunicorn!"
Maybe this weekend I will show him the movie Legend, so he can see a real unicorn. I also have The Dark Crystal, The Princess Bride, Goonies, The Neverending Story, The Lost Boys, and E.T. I think I have Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I'm trying to think of some more, but I've drawn a blank. I guess I better go browse Netflix.
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