Historicality!!

I love making up words. I think I enjoy it because English is my second language, and it was a challenge for me to learn it. And what better day to come with a new word than on Dr. Seuss’ birthday?? The man had a gift for brevity, and a beautiful soul to show for it.

“It has often been said
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.

So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.

That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.

And that’s why your books
have such power and strength.
You publish with shorth!
(Shorth is better than length.)”
― Dr. Seuss

It is also Texas Independence Day! On this day, Texas adopted its Declaration of Independence, effectively telling Mexico that Texas was free from tyranny. It is also the birthday of General Sam Houston, who is rumored to have wanted the ratification of the document on his birthday. What a way to celebrate!!

Long may she wave!!

And as a short aside, today also marks the day that Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship by President Woodrow Wilson. So if not for that, my path to being a Texan in love with Seussian wordsmanshippery  would not have happened. I hope y’all have enjoyed this little tribute to some wonderlyful historicality 🙂

Prayers for a Friend

I am a firm believer that there is nothing I can’t handle, as long as God is with me. I am blessed that I have so many friends to pray for every night and every day. All prayers are heard, though not all of them are answered to my satisfaction! But they are answered, and for every closed door, there is an open window. I just have to look for it, usually in the most unlikely places. But trust me, the window is always there, open and waiting.

A few weeks ago, an online friend of mine who suffers from cancer had to have a brain tumor removed. He is a true warrior, in every sense of the word. He is also one of the most giving people I have ever known. There was never a stray anything that he didn’t take in. After the last major hurricane hit his area, he personally gave of his time and money to fix his neighbor’s homes, providing shelter while repairs went on. He wasn’t afraid to argue with anyone, and he was always offering of himself to anyone that needed a hand.

I have lost touch with him in the past couple of weeks, and fear for the worst. I know he is a fighter, and not even death makes him afraid. But I will pray for him to get better, so that he can finally come out this way to meet us, as was his wish to travel cross-country. And if God has closed that door, then I pray to find the window, where I can look up to the sky and see him arguing with the Archangel Michael.

Because that’s the way he rolls 🙂

Leaps and Bounds

Well, it’s that day again!!

FEBRUARY 29th!!!!

True, it’s not a national holiday, but it’s fun to have a birthday or anniversary on that date. My neighbor’s son was born on this date, and he is turning 3 today. Well, no, not really. I remember when he proudly told me last Leap Day that it was his birthday, and you could have knocked him over when I told him he shared that birthday with this fellow:

How many kids get to say that??

I admit I’m more of a Batman gal, but I would have loved to share my birthday with Superman. Heck, I would have loved to share my birthday with Superdog!! 😉

When It Rains….

This past weekend, Eldest informed me that the battery in her laptop needs to be replaced. That’s nothing unusual, since the battery in my laptop has needed replacing for a long time now. But yesterday Son informed me that the kids’ computer no longer reads discs or memory sticks.

So now it seems certain tech thingies can’t wait for Hubby to get home. I have been wanting to upgrade the kids’ computer for a while, but Hubby is bringing the one he is using back, so I’m not sure if I should go ahead and get a new CPU, and install the other PC in the main reading area.

Of course, Son is all for a new PC in his room, where he thinks he can limit access to his sisters. And Little One is all about having her very own laptop in her room. That won’t happen for a few years, though. The gnashing of teeth will continue unabated until then, I’m sure. I swear, this house is fast becoming a computer and videogame system graveyard. I just wonder if there will be enough room for a new iPad 😉

My Voodoo List

There are times when I get frustrated. Everyone does. But Lent has made me realize just how happy I am when I get to consume sugar, mostly in the form of chocolate. I have been a grump around the house, and find my patience frayed more so than usual. And y’all know patience is one of my strong points. I thought long and hard about how I can cheer myself up and improve my outlook on life, and came upon the best idea ripped off from Laura ever.

I’m making my first ever Voodoo List©. That’s right! Anything that just ticks me off for no reason will be placed on that list faster than a pin goes through burlap. So far, these are my entries for the week:

• The Oskars™. Yes, I misspelled it on purpose.
• The US Post Office. I paid the $0.56 I owed on postage due on a package on Wednesday, and I have yet to receive it.
• Danica Patrick. Over-hyped, and over-blown, and definitely over dumb.

Believe me, there will be more. I will update weekly for my sheer enjoyment. Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments.  😉

Sunday Sithy

Today found me. That means I get to do major cleaning today. You know, the stuff that you never notice? Like the ceiling fan blades? Yeah, and the inside of cabinets, and light fixtures…that sort of thing. So, since I’ll be busy today, I shall leave y’all with a very special Sithy.

HAM SOLO

Yeah, I’m still laughing about it! Have a wonderful Sunday!! 😀

Why-Oh-Gee-Ay: YOGA!!

As most of you know, I am not the most active gal around. I hate exercise. Well, I hate running. I hate doing the stair machine. Elliptical is the devil’s work. You get my drift. Even Sweating to the Oldies was a bit too hectic for me. I used to have a membership in a gym a long time ago, and while it was nice to get away for a while, I always felt intimidated by the people working out. It seemed to me like I was crashing a Gold’s Gym commercial.

But I’m growing older, and I’m starting to feel the aches and pains that come with the grey and the wrinkles. Several friends have suggested I try Yoga. Now, I’m in no shape to be twisted like a pretzel so that I can achieve inner peace. I have balked at trying it because I don’t have elastic ligaments and don’t relish the thought of trying to do a Chinese split or bend over backwards to touch my toes with my nose. However, my new friend Elizabeth (who photographed me for the TRD) is getting her certification as a Yoga instructor, and it just seems like Fate is pointing me in that direction. Either that, or this Lent thing is really playing havoc with my head.

So, I think I will try Yoga, with the possibility of either becoming very fit and flexible (SHUT. UP!!), or relegating myself to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum as the world’s only living pretzel.

I’m hoping for the former. But the latter could bring fame and fortune. It’s a toss up 😉

Converse All Stars™ Can Save the World

I used to think I got weird dreams whenever I ate too much, or drank alcohol too close to bedtime. But apparently, that may be a false premise. After all, I have given up alcohol and fats and sweet and pretty much anything I would enjoy for Lent, and still I had a weird dream.

Any of you familiar with Doctor Who will know what a TARDIS is. And what a Dalek is. For those of you that don’t, click here. Anyway, last night I went off to sleep, thinking that my dreams would be about all the chocolate I would eat on Easter Sunday, but no…

I’m off in the middle of nowhere, and suddenly the TARDIS appears and David Tennant gets out, and tells me that he needs me. And I just look at him and tell him that I can’t help him, because I have to stand out here in the field. He asks why, and I tell him because someone said I was outstanding in the field. And he says I can’t stand in the field because he needs me and my Converse All Stars™. And I look at him as he shows me his Converse All Stars™, and he says that we are twins of destiny. And that he needs me to go with him to save an interplanetary cargoship from destruction by the Daleks. To which I ask, aren’t those things trying to kill us all? And he says that the Converse All Stars™ keep us safe from destruction. So I ask him why not just distribute Converse All Stars™ to everyone, and he looks at me and tells me to stop trying to solve problems for him. And with a wave of his screwdriver, he leaves for Footlocker™.

David Tennant was already in the TARDIS. I had left in a huff.

I can’t imagine what my dreams will be like on Easter Sunday.

Dear John

I purposely wrote that title to deceive search engines. This post has nothing to do with relationships of the personal kind.

It has to do with the U.S. Postal Service.

It never fails. I go to the post office, and always, always I hear someone complaining about the service, the price of stamps, the price of shipping, etc. Something always sets someone off. Yesterday I was there to pick up a package that I owed $0.56 on, when a lady whispered in a roar, “Boy, can this get more expensive??”, referring to the flat rate box she was using.

Uh, yes, it can, and your wish is about to come true, honey. I didn’t say it, but I sure thought it!

Personally, I do appreciate our postal system. I don’t mind paying $0.45 for first class postage. I remember dealing with Deutsche Post in Germany. First class meant it would get there in three to five days, and cost €1.50. I hear nightmares from countries all over the world, and I tend to appreciate ours a bit more, even with all the bad things about it.

Perspective: Helping Us Deal With Life Since Forever™ 😀

I Need a Laboratory in This House

The other day I mentioned that one Home Truth™ is to never “taste” anything you find on the kitchen island that you have not placed there yourself, because that is the current site of home experiments. I encourage this for the most part, especially when Eldest decides to cook. I must say, she is getting good at the whole cooking thing. I just wish she would do it more often.

Anyway, last night as I was pouring the last glass of wine for the next forty days and forty nights, I noticed that the last “experiment” was still on the counter. Here is the photo of the experiment before:

Pretty innocuous, right? Looks like a bowl of water, which is what I thought it was, and almost dumped out, until I reached inside it:

I have to thank my friend Nicole for this. These are reconstituted “spit balls” she sent Son for Christmas. This turned into a water refraction experiment which they used to explain this to their younger sister:

They get this from their father.

The drama that resulted from me almost spilling this? That they get from me 😉