tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18956509218381229612023-11-16T01:26:48.410-05:00The Great and Powerful MomThe Caffeinated Ravings of a (Former Homeschooling/Graduate Student) Mom on the EdgeThe Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-74694915765227104002012-03-22T19:12:00.005-04:002012-03-22T19:43:33.611-04:00Container Garden 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJnJAdUFbqVUdiipMGIZYgGjUHTpdY2iMnuM6d2hLhL0vkl5b_tofAkfE0_H9ac5XZAaQ7lCRmbVVbrwX7qreIWW0q5Dv5f6UwyVdjggG5QaVaIxyAkMfOX7hLEPajlpCAOSdB1D_Mws/s1600/0616110748-02.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722864032002903426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJnJAdUFbqVUdiipMGIZYgGjUHTpdY2iMnuM6d2hLhL0vkl5b_tofAkfE0_H9ac5XZAaQ7lCRmbVVbrwX7qreIWW0q5Dv5f6UwyVdjggG5QaVaIxyAkMfOX7hLEPajlpCAOSdB1D_Mws/s400/0616110748-02.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>It's that time of year again, folks! Time to try once again to grow <em>something </em>on this blasted porch and keep our food costs down, even if just a little. Each year we figure out what works and what doesn't, and for our fifth year, I've decided we're going with what we know we can grow...no more experiments!</div><br /><br /><div>The picture above is last year's garden, right before the scourge of the dreaded Tomato Pirahna. I call it the Tomato Pirahna because it skeletonized our peppers and tomatoes within days. Now, however, I've learned that the big honkin' moth I saw flying around the porch last spring was not a cute little wonder of nature, but actually more like Moth Vader, who decided to deposit its nasty little green Stormtroopers all over my porch.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>A coworker's elderly neighbor revealed, after her modest crops were also decimated by the green, slimy monster of death, that planting marigolds near the tomatoes will keep them away. That's part of our garden plan. Of course, I'm allergic to many flowers, and no doubt this will make me sneeze like some spastic fool every time I step on the porch, but it's worth a shot.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This year we are only planting carrots, onions, tomatoes, and maybe a few peppers. Last year I froze about 3 quart bags of tomatoes, chopped with the skin on and placed on a cookie sheet and frozen individually. That way I could take out only what I needed to add to my soup, chili, or pasta dish, run the pieces under hot water for a second or two, lift the peel right off, and throw in the pot. Also, there were two storage bags of onions, chopped and ready for cooking. The carrots we grew last year were more of an experiment, just to see if we could have a late summer/early fall crop; turns out we need to plant them sooner, so they're going in between the rows of onions on the table (where the green beens are in the picture). The two quart bags of peppers are still in the freezer, mostly because I never add peppers to anything. They're mostly so Grandma can have some fresh peppers during the summer. We also had fresh tomatoes and onions all summer long.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I have already planted some onion bulbs in the table, and once those are up, I'll throw in the carrots (mostly because I just didn't mark the rows of onions!).</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For now the Garden Guardian has only to watch over the sluggish onions of early spring; later--hopefully--he will have much more to protect.</div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-77147536082241409812012-03-22T18:58:00.002-04:002012-03-22T19:01:55.470-04:00R.I.P., Crochety Old Fuzzball<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0bfr9muQePEstS7sh671_ofJppXfPp5wL9oM5cDVkGx5UP4Bthyphenhyphen5bgXIq8Z70jxU3FDjpSOVdjKWYHYmYYFY5rE570jqW8C4elbjMbJ3-JYVorD816xYpmNvdwmpBoKwc2s8iEZQ2gg/s1600/544378_389242247753182_366300176_n%255B1%255D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722860046579376866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0bfr9muQePEstS7sh671_ofJppXfPp5wL9oM5cDVkGx5UP4Bthyphenhyphen5bgXIq8Z70jxU3FDjpSOVdjKWYHYmYYFY5rE570jqW8C4elbjMbJ3-JYVorD816xYpmNvdwmpBoKwc2s8iEZQ2gg/s400/544378_389242247753182_366300176_n%255B1%255D.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:130%;">Well, the Crochety Old Fuzzball has gone to greener pastures...or at least better catnip patches.</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">Tucker Evinrude Hammer-Wiant, 2000-2012<br /></span></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-66227532235077350172012-03-16T09:40:00.000-04:002012-03-16T09:42:26.600-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tfQBOqMs9TJAG1JXDi7jSXPO7Mb4n18Oaf4R_atnN8w9xfXdy_ioZk6RReIItR5jTb-hlT1WvRiqBHvZTXlnQAq7QE91kX-PQyRYCGZ_uevd-oIjhFGFmy-xp90gDcH4eMRUGL9FQGE/s1600/spock.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720489733696126498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 293px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tfQBOqMs9TJAG1JXDi7jSXPO7Mb4n18Oaf4R_atnN8w9xfXdy_ioZk6RReIItR5jTb-hlT1WvRiqBHvZTXlnQAq7QE91kX-PQyRYCGZ_uevd-oIjhFGFmy-xp90gDcH4eMRUGL9FQGE/s400/spock.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-77980041180703604252011-08-18T12:53:00.004-04:002011-08-18T13:02:00.014-04:00What I Did Today Instead of Housework<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9XT156qJdtTWcD1HSGVPVjBMkDnLtZxtWIZXnGcbQAGUcp72-cmET_gof_CRKgqScvAR-A1pG2NURlCu2vJAIz5mEmBUF43MvB2yOisKYSxMnP1uDwAjGSfg9pQ2VIiL7kxXxBOTD0U/s1600/IMAG0336.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642241291697385746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 245px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9XT156qJdtTWcD1HSGVPVjBMkDnLtZxtWIZXnGcbQAGUcp72-cmET_gof_CRKgqScvAR-A1pG2NURlCu2vJAIz5mEmBUF43MvB2yOisKYSxMnP1uDwAjGSfg9pQ2VIiL7kxXxBOTD0U/s400/IMAG0336.JPG" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><div>Today I decided to catch a few photos of the elusive yet noisy squirrel in the butternut tree. He's really chewing through the shells in order to get to the nuts inside, but I have the Goober believing he's really laughing at him and his poor squirrel-hunting skills.</div></div>
<br />He seems to be saying, "Getouttahere, human! I'm trying to eat lunch in peace. I'll ridicule your dog later."
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<br />The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-76229444923571952602011-08-18T12:37:00.006-04:002011-08-18T12:50:32.771-04:00It's Time to Get Back at it!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wykZb-eIRp-USo0aCEadlGMz8vQlczPkZyTQbgTbsU1V2T1EpumIdxXOx3Sdodh2-TuDoVxE2Lt5M7QrJ1RBBzpPOs7jLFKnF95EFCOZO_JB3waxiJCRwVMF-7l2zumPF-k4_wmiAQs/s1600/2014_rosie_the_riveter_flexing_her_arm_muscles_we_can_do_it.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642238729411593570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 309px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wykZb-eIRp-USo0aCEadlGMz8vQlczPkZyTQbgTbsU1V2T1EpumIdxXOx3Sdodh2-TuDoVxE2Lt5M7QrJ1RBBzpPOs7jLFKnF95EFCOZO_JB3waxiJCRwVMF-7l2zumPF-k4_wmiAQs/s400/2014_rosie_the_riveter_flexing_her_arm_muscles_we_can_do_it.jpg" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><div>Lordy, but it's been a long time since I posted. I've been reading the blogs of others, but not working on my own. Therefore, since I'm officially out of school--and the boy's back in it--it's time to get cracking! </div>
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<br /><div>I'm no longer a Homeschooling Mom or Graduate Student (hence the change in my blog title), but I'm still harried, and at times still on the edge. We've added a Husband (see the Tall Bald Guy), a cat (the Feline in Charge of Mayhem) and a dog (Diva) to the mix, as well as a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a job at a local hospital. </div>
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<br /><div>Henceforth, the material contained within shall still consist of caffeinated ravings of a different sort...maybe.</div>
<br />The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-62839682747356689492009-05-22T17:09:00.002-04:002009-05-22T17:18:57.997-04:00Fun, Watchable! Damn.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvqWN58Qqb3aexaGubT0Y1-zeGcjVE-OmIk-b4-Tj4cawjFLqbIHbet8KJY3S0r1ETQ6o0vpan-S7FrCMmOstZGLQmVMpX_hogJ3kS7QzPSZeICKSCGH8ojkXAahDE0dszWRStko6mB8/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338760816475082402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 184px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvqWN58Qqb3aexaGubT0Y1-zeGcjVE-OmIk-b4-Tj4cawjFLqbIHbet8KJY3S0r1ETQ6o0vpan-S7FrCMmOstZGLQmVMpX_hogJ3kS7QzPSZeICKSCGH8ojkXAahDE0dszWRStko6mB8/s400/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/video/trekkies_bash_new_star_trek_film">http://www.theonion.com/content/video/trekkies_bash_new_star_trek_film</a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-78487856091141862762009-05-17T13:17:00.005-04:002009-05-17T13:42:16.707-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJew8o2OCi18IWLTGn6NGxU0ll8FiTCq_VFXQ46wHiM_fLUZdtt9CmtX_2e15ry_yeoVPR4Q2Pu17UbOSKoVFMO2J8iSgkEXaOuLZUDVvy-gJbIq9DlcDLOhrHIhMTCDF8DwG7DOjBxnw/s1600-h/untitled.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336849477830290834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJew8o2OCi18IWLTGn6NGxU0ll8FiTCq_VFXQ46wHiM_fLUZdtt9CmtX_2e15ry_yeoVPR4Q2Pu17UbOSKoVFMO2J8iSgkEXaOuLZUDVvy-gJbIq9DlcDLOhrHIhMTCDF8DwG7DOjBxnw/s400/untitled.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong><em>You Redo the Math</em></strong></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><em>The Washington Post</em></strong><br />Sunday, May 17, 2009 </div><br /><div><br />Recent gossip and a pesky paparazzi ambush have detonated a marital-woe bomb in the world of "Jon & Kate Plus 8," the TLC reality show about Jon and Kate Gosselin, the Pennsylvania couple who have twins and sextuplets. Is he dating around? Is she? Has he finally had it with her nagging? Are they going to stick together? The uncertainty! </div><br /><div><br />While we wait for more fireworks (and the series's May 25 return), maybe it's time for a new show title. Joel McHale of "The Soup" has already referred to it as <strong>"Jon Minus Nine."</strong> Post readers in The Reliable Source chat room the other day chimed in with the popular <strong>"Jon & Kate</strong> <strong>Separa-8"</strong> and <strong>"Jon & Kate Plus Dates."</strong> Okay, this is a tad cruel but it's fun. What about . . . </div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate Plus Court Dates </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate Mediate </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate: Mady's Revenge </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate on a Hot Tin Roof </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate Plus 8 Things I Hate About You </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate: The Shaming of the Shrew </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate: Harpy Days </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate: The Hatey Bunch </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate Plus 8 Plus Appearance Fees Plus Book Deals Times Ladies' Night Drink Specials Divided by Paparazzi Over the Square Root of Scandal = Sweet Schadenfreude </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Jon & Kate: Cold Silence </strong></div><br /><div><br />-- Monica Hesse and Hank Stuever </div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-29036710612725551772009-05-16T20:33:00.006-04:002009-05-16T21:04:42.831-04:00Throwback?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDXdKmUQojd00UHqiEMC8AvxH0l8RtVtD3DkeySyQ_Le1k70_Z6GNXO2eRa1Wt70faOTM3ay68FpIMKzS1d3c46OM66lspustperhibOrPvvVNB0u6nhqv6jAjwS5MCgoGy_FHfF_Xqg/s1600-h/20090217-pepsithrowback.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336587271004451778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDXdKmUQojd00UHqiEMC8AvxH0l8RtVtD3DkeySyQ_Le1k70_Z6GNXO2eRa1Wt70faOTM3ay68FpIMKzS1d3c46OM66lspustperhibOrPvvVNB0u6nhqv6jAjwS5MCgoGy_FHfF_Xqg/s400/20090217-pepsithrowback.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Pepsi to Use Real Sugar in 'Pepsi Throwback' and 'Mountain Dew Throwback' in April<br /></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><a title="BevReview.com" href="http://www.bevreview.com/">BevReview.com</a></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">One of the most anticipated beverages of 2009 is hitting shelves with the arrival of Pepsi Throwback, a natural sugar version of Pepsi sweetened with a combination of cane/beet sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Possessing an official release date of April 20, this limited edition soft drink will be available for only 8 weeks.<br /></div></span><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><strong><em>Could they think of something besides 'throwback?' It's not Neanderthal Pepsi, after all..."Cavedwellers, Nomads, and Food Allergics alike will just LOVE new Pepsi Throwback!" Sheesh.</em></strong>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-79158181450432903292009-04-02T15:52:00.005-04:002009-04-02T21:56:22.817-04:00Ahh, the Yearly Book Sale...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZA080fPXAn6IRFxvDlJqs4wUiWlkbRMTTyoC60BxtngXSIx-cTU4aqMNG2Q18hocXfL-nfo3XwLSTqEwo4tZ8phG70XjAFNxEyfhDbjo2yaSWROQ6dOeo1-mlgsR0bN4DCQKwZtOVKs/s1600-h/book_sale_poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320184530433667938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 309px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZA080fPXAn6IRFxvDlJqs4wUiWlkbRMTTyoC60BxtngXSIx-cTU4aqMNG2Q18hocXfL-nfo3XwLSTqEwo4tZ8phG70XjAFNxEyfhDbjo2yaSWROQ6dOeo1-mlgsR0bN4DCQKwZtOVKs/s400/book_sale_poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />They might as well call it Christmas in April. It's the annual book sale, and is probably the only time you'll find me running to the campus library on a weekday.<br /><br />At eight o'clock in the morning, no less--with a Tall Bald Guy and a Young Man in tow. Not that they weren't excited about the possibilities...it's just that they were able to rein in their enthusiasm a little better.<br /><br />I told the Young Man last night before he went to bed that he had better wake up when I call him, because we're going to get there early, by God. He laughed at me. "You've said that three times already. Just let me go to sleep. Jeez."<br /><br />Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to his room early this morning (crowbar in hand to pry his head off the pillow), only to find him sitting up in bed looking at me. "I'm awake already!" TGAPM jumped about three feet in the air--sure beats caffeine for waking up in the morning. Either he wanted to go too or he was afraid to keep his mother away from a stack of random musty library castoffs. Smart guy.<br /><br />I told the Tall Bald Guy a couple of days ago, right after I saw the ad on the campus website, which was right after I hung up the phone with him. Something that good just couldn't wait. He laughed at me too, but there was a sardonic tone to it, as he remembers last year's sale. Fortunately, the memory of last year's sore biceps from carrying all the random musty library castoffs of 2008 was overshadowed by the memory of lurking in the ancient history and science fiction sections.<br /><br />The Tall Bald Guy not only shared our enthusiasm for random musty library castoffs, he suggested getting there soon after the sale opens in order to find a parking space in the actual parking lot of the library. The over-celebrated, tremendously hyped student-fitness-center-in-construction takes up half the original parking lot space there (as well as $200 a year of my money!), and the construction workers' vehicles take up another fourth of it--and as I remember, the undergrads who can actually pry themselves out of their beds or who are still drunk when they arrive at their 8:00 classes are a mighty lazy bunch, and the parking lot fills up rather quickly.<br /><br />We get inside, and immediately my radar kicks in and tells me that the books are all in the back east corner. The Tall Bald Guy and the Young Man mumble, "There she goes," and the beeping in my internal radar gets louder as I approach my destination. Little did I know that I passed a computer at which a male student was sitting viewing a webpage that featured a woman dressed in all the accoutrements needed for...uh...bondage. Yep. Great place for a 14-year-old boy, these college libraries. The Tall Bald Guy said the Young Man didn't see it, "even when I pointed it out to him...just kidding."<br /><br />In the corner just inside the door sits an enormous stack of empty cardboard beer cases. Yep, beer cases. Miller Lite, Budwiser, and Bud Light all over the place. "How nice of the frat boys to help the library out like that," says the Tall Bald Guy. How nice indeed. They certainly went the extra mile for this fine institution.<br /><br />Not that I was too proud to carry one, mind you. Or, should I say, I was not too proud to tell the Young Man to go get one. He and the Tall Bald Guy each got a box in anticipation of the carnage that was to come, and followed me at a safe distance as I perused the titles on every table. At one point, seeing the guys' boxes filling up so fast, one of the library ladies asked us if everything was okay, and the Tall Bald Guy quipped, "We may just fill up all of your boxes here. I don't suppose you have anything with wheels?" A few minutes later, said library lady brought us a cart to put our boxes on. You don't joke around with the library ladies--they're serious about their book selling! We ended up filling three boxes, and the Young Man patiently followed behind me, pushing the cart wherever I went. The Tall Bald Guy said, "you know, people are looking at you being followed by that cart," to which I snapped, "I'm not the one who suggested a wheeled box, am I?" but secretly I was glad for it. This is the first book sale for the Young Man, and I didn't want him overwhelmed; as it was, the Tall Bald Guy nearly ended up curled up in the fetal position in the back of the truck after last year's sale, rocking back and forth and mumbling to himself.<br /><br />We found books for everyone--even a Mitford series book that the Grandma Behind the Curtain hasn't read yet. The Far Side books for the Young Man and me, selections by Poe and Herriot, and even The Cartoon History of the Universe and The Cartoon History of the United States. Also found were an older edition of a psychopathology handbook and The Oxford Companion to United States History, snapped up and purchased for $2 apiece-their retail prices are $175.00 and $87.95, respectively.<br /><br />The Tall Bald Guy came away with volumes related to the medical terminology and A&P classes he has coming up this summer, guaranteed to assist him in all that gross anatomical ickiness that makes my stomach go all squishy. He spent $16 and came away with hundreds of dollars worth of books. The Young Man and I spent $24--when we got home, I searched for the prices of these books new, and they would have cost approximately $630.<br /><br />Sigh. Nothing like a good book sale. Next time (I have already pestered the Tall Bald Guy about taking me on Saturday) the two guys will take plenty of ibuprofen first. The contented sighs as I look over my merchandise almost didn't drown out the moaning and groaning about biceps and lower backs and "those dang beer boxes."The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-35673728733808657922009-02-09T19:28:00.001-05:002009-02-09T19:32:32.348-05:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasXhyPWIzIv4gUvewqM-zmMPltR-67E61yWYVc5eG3iA3UyZAO7MJANtZJ_RbM3ZdOzzuToQG3f63JXCzJuCuHEJeecLi0cXKw2k4AFuVZIIqbqjBWTdlCRno6ZuQFplT09Bq3_zRQ3Q/s1600-h/1234224687_tlgfyrdhd.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300959350694236130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 283px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasXhyPWIzIv4gUvewqM-zmMPltR-67E61yWYVc5eG3iA3UyZAO7MJANtZJ_RbM3ZdOzzuToQG3f63JXCzJuCuHEJeecLi0cXKw2k4AFuVZIIqbqjBWTdlCRno6ZuQFplT09Bq3_zRQ3Q/s400/1234224687_tlgfyrdhd.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><strong>All you frutescent-haired foppotees, put down your sinapistic sandwiches </strong><strong>and unite!!</strong><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.savethewords.org/"><span style="font-size:130%;">http://www.savethewords.org/</span></a></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">And no, I'm not cussing. Honest.</div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-87201346670790520222009-02-01T23:32:00.003-05:002009-02-01T23:47:18.848-05:00And the Reigning Champion, The Great and Powerful Mom!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjnBop0l5D3gdh37C1_jcg8XvFtni8AMorfHAhyphenhyphenDtytWZXAi-qnM7utF-rbl_CJIOKDGUTrr6K117OUDenePrWrJQAQne3skvxrF-5cyVlhVhPcRMOohRVWB84-Glio0kbZkfTb8PETM/s1600-h/sausage0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298053711324528082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 146px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjnBop0l5D3gdh37C1_jcg8XvFtni8AMorfHAhyphenhyphenDtytWZXAi-qnM7utF-rbl_CJIOKDGUTrr6K117OUDenePrWrJQAQne3skvxrF-5cyVlhVhPcRMOohRVWB84-Glio0kbZkfTb8PETM/s400/sausage0001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have outdone myself.<br /><br />Truly.<br /><br />Once again, I have proven that I am The Great and Powerful Mom.<br /><br />How, you say? By taking advantage of the Young Man's medicine head.<br /><br />...which I suppose is not really a victory, but it was fun!<br /><br />I told him on the way home tonight that I purchased a Groundhog pizza for him to cook while I was away at school--in celebration of the day and all.<br /><br /><strong><em>"Groundhog? Really?"</em></strong><br /><strong><em>"Yep."</em></strong><br /><strong><em>"People eat that?"</em></strong><br /><strong><em>"Yep. Lots of people do."</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />Fast forward to bedtime. I ask, <strong><em>"So, are you going to have Kody over for some Groundhog pizza tomorrow?"</em></strong><br /><strong><em>"Well, I don't know."</em></strong><br /><strong><em>"Why don't you go check the freezer?"</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />He checks the freezer and can't find it.<br /><br />I tell him to look again. He still can't find it.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>"I found the sausage ones, but not the groundhog."</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><br />I actually have to point it out to him. <strong><em>"You know, GROUND HOG?"</em></strong><br /><br /><br />Oh, to be 14 and zonked out on cold medicine...The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-12768783426279630632009-01-28T11:43:00.001-05:002009-01-28T11:45:24.158-05:00Reflections on a Winter's Day1. Snow ice cream is really good no matter how cold it is.<br /><br />2. Additionally, there is a sense that this suburbanite has conquered the elements—at least, when it comes to ice cream cravings. As long as the vanilla, sugar, and milk hold out, I can go out and conquer the wild snowdrift!<br /><br />3. The Young Man’s cold takes on a new level of worry in 10 ½ inches of snow…perhaps it’s just the possibility of bronchitis in 10 ½ inches of snow.<br /><br />4. Black dogs look like they’ve been heavily salted after a frolic in the snow.<br /><br />5. When the Tall Bald Guy, who hails from Pennsylvania, says that “when the snow gets deep enough the dog will figure out how to lift a leg”…he’s right.<br /><br />6. Leg warmers may be a fashion don’t, but they’re a toasty don’t. When your classmate says, “That’s so Eighties!” agree and say, “Totally! And my feet are warm, too.”The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-7146479187321240652009-01-28T11:34:00.004-05:002009-01-28T11:50:03.005-05:00Ode to an Indiana Snowman: Winter 2007<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbP14bIUJh-mLXIZRyVofVqhNPCmKjRf7fHvo-NDPIKBYeHJHguc090uxOKKXnZobfQ39WFKea1zYrtDUAti5zt2JdkTKwVTByRw99l9WMO0Pi6NHIUWtAFwg4Gw3Wg-UQQj1g7cVMN0/s1600-h/snowman.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296385793452939394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 131px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbP14bIUJh-mLXIZRyVofVqhNPCmKjRf7fHvo-NDPIKBYeHJHguc090uxOKKXnZobfQ39WFKea1zYrtDUAti5zt2JdkTKwVTByRw99l9WMO0Pi6NHIUWtAFwg4Gw3Wg-UQQj1g7cVMN0/s400/snowman.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">Born the morning after an Indiana snowstorm </div><div align="center"><br />We made you…all 2 ½ feet of you. </div><div align="center"><br />There was only that much snow…”but wait 5 minutes, it’ll change.” </div><div align="center"><br />We named you Lumpy because, well, you were. Sculptors, we’re not. </div><div align="center"><br />A few hours later your eyes fell out, and we named you Homer (not Simpson! says the Young Man). </div><div align="center"><br />Later that afternoon your nose fell off, and we named you Michael Jackson.</div><div align="center"><br />The next morning your arms fell off, and you again became Lumpy<br />Because, well…you were. </div><div align="center"><br />That afternoon you were jaundiced. The dog found you especially interesting. </div><div align="center"><br />Such is the life of an Indiana Snowman. </div><div align="center"><br />Unpredictable. Ever-changing. Ephemeral.</div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-78567853585236211792008-12-22T22:11:00.004-05:002008-12-22T22:31:17.454-05:00Uhh...yeah.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UqUJsf-JQz2VIEVZuCzXiKHeBNPH7DeEkNWHQPAF8XeUkk7y-5eJpyLH7YDH35a99LxNP9r6jwCFHGFbpdG-8Ne1DD0fREeC6zM4r9BwAz1Bh8SKRACnJAV4WBPskSG1wtjO807_GTg/s1600-h/stupidhitler.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282818665453968338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 244px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 183px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UqUJsf-JQz2VIEVZuCzXiKHeBNPH7DeEkNWHQPAF8XeUkk7y-5eJpyLH7YDH35a99LxNP9r6jwCFHGFbpdG-8Ne1DD0fREeC6zM4r9BwAz1Bh8SKRACnJAV4WBPskSG1wtjO807_GTg/s320/stupidhitler.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /> EASTON, Pa. (AP) — The father of 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell, denied a birthday cake with the child's full name on it by one New Jersey supermarket, is asking for a little tolerance.<br />Heath Campbell and his wife, Deborah, are upset not only with the decision made by the nearby ShopRite, but also with an outpouring of angry Internet postings in response to a local newspaper article about the cake.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><strong><em>Okay, where to start? Let's see...another redneck spouting off and using his children to forward his agenda-for the third year in a row, even...who wanted his son's MIDDLE name on the cake, too (who does that?)...who named his other kids Honszlynn Hinler and Aryan Nation (note the brown eyes on the kid)...who KEPT the name Heath instead of changing his own name, preferring to sentence his children to a lifetime of unemployment, harassment, embarrassment, and possibly endanger their lives.</em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div> </div><div><strong><em>I suppose even bad publicity is publicity...</em></strong></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-2436918811688196872008-12-18T16:30:00.003-05:002008-12-18T18:59:50.819-05:00You Know You've Crafted Yourself Silly When...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAh9habUhX1siV2QAU6OQh1kKS_fy7Y15ZH-AZH-GSvzl0fRaLh89KzZnNX9mWGOAYpe0XR0P4c93bwP32jNKbKOlWXJdGwk1qhajGsNiTx5PAI1rb65r24TYQwOPkuJJcJkISWd0hHv4/s1600-h/CraftIdea-CoasterSetb.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281283823744634066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 286px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAh9habUhX1siV2QAU6OQh1kKS_fy7Y15ZH-AZH-GSvzl0fRaLh89KzZnNX9mWGOAYpe0XR0P4c93bwP32jNKbKOlWXJdGwk1qhajGsNiTx5PAI1rb65r24TYQwOPkuJJcJkISWd0hHv4/s320/CraftIdea-CoasterSetb.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.bored.com/games/play/93/Coaster-Maker.html">http://www.bored.com/games/play/93/Coaster-Maker.html</a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>You read "Coaster Maker" and think coffee tables, not theme parks.</div><br /><div></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-45164087501251004912008-12-12T20:45:00.003-05:002008-12-12T21:06:43.165-05:00Christmas Carols for the Psychiatrically Challenged<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnK4gSqdkW6BGtG4OiSxovLCB_ZbSqyxBZolcKOq1ISRSNJobFJaWU3A2kATKY3pgZ4FutF6fNEuD7zF3s7r0CvERUCYrrvToVdxdN2wTdNhcTix4r26DggErmJ0FiqJJuyHRFbLpJbd8/s1600-h/christmas08.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279090203092315682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnK4gSqdkW6BGtG4OiSxovLCB_ZbSqyxBZolcKOq1ISRSNJobFJaWU3A2kATKY3pgZ4FutF6fNEuD7zF3s7r0CvERUCYrrvToVdxdN2wTdNhcTix4r26DggErmJ0FiqJJuyHRFbLpJbd8/s320/christmas08.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><p><em></em></p><br /><p><em>1. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Schizophrenia</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">Do You Hear What I Hear?</span></em></p><br /><p><em>2. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Multiple Personality Disorder</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">We Three Kings Disoriented Are</span></em></p><br /><p><em>3. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Amnesia</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">I Don’t Know if I’ll be Home for Christmas</span></em></p><br /><p><em>4.<span style="color:#ff0000;"> Narcissistic</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me</span></em></p><br /><p><em>5. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Manic </span>--- <span style="color:#009900;">Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and ...</span></em></p><br /><p><em>6. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Paranoid </span>--- <span style="color:#009900;">Santa Claus is Coming to Get Me</span></em></p><br /><p><em>7. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Borderline Personality Disorder</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire</span></em></p><br /><p><em>8. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Full Personality Disorder</span>-- <span style="color:#009900;">You Better Watch Out, I’m Gonna Cry, I’m Gonna Pout, MAYBE I’ll tell You Why</span></em></p><br /><p><em>9. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Obsessive Compulsive Disorder</span> ---<span style="color:#009900;">Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells ...</span></em></p><br /><p><em>10. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Agoraphobia </span>--- <span style="color:#009900;">I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day But Wouldn’t Leave My House</span></em></p><br /><p><em>11. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Senile Dementia</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">Walking in a Winter Wonderland Miles From My House in My Slippers and Robe</span></em></p><br /><p><em>12. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Oppositional Defiant Disorder</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus So I Burned Down the House</span></em></p><br /><p><em>13. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Social Anxiety Disorder</span> ---<span style="color:#009900;"> Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas while I Sit Here and Hyperventilate. </span></em></p><br /><p><em>14. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Depression</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">Silent Anhedonia, Holy Anhedonia, All Is Flat, All Is Lonely</span> </em></p><br /><p><em>15. <span style="color:#ff0000;">Passive-Aggressive Personality</span> --- <span style="color:#009900;">On The First Day of Christmas My True Love Gave To Me (and then took it all away) </span></em></p><br /><p><em></em></p>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-36059325926176032902008-11-25T23:02:00.021-05:002008-12-01T16:50:20.032-05:00The Young Man's Christmas List: 2008<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgto9vAUU2uaJnkVA1jRPDBq3wt4DZ8pdW0k-iiVdIPmaz67KiB_H9tq9tVPoVtNm6BfNrjqIzZwrjqlpcfy3xm1TxQ0FzgPFK4ZLPRHeb0I7KipKgrxF5PdsReZEH4mMJmm6IKpW1Y0/s1600-h/santa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272813056524484914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 149px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgto9vAUU2uaJnkVA1jRPDBq3wt4DZ8pdW0k-iiVdIPmaz67KiB_H9tq9tVPoVtNm6BfNrjqIzZwrjqlpcfy3xm1TxQ0FzgPFK4ZLPRHeb0I7KipKgrxF5PdsReZEH4mMJmm6IKpW1Y0/s200/santa.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, it's that time of year again, and the Young Man has a new Christmas list. I will not pretend to know what in the world some of these things are, as I have passed the age of understanding (or I'm seriously lacking in mental capacity).<br /><br />So here's the list, in no particular order of importance. Please note that I am merely the messenger, and all questions regarding items on the list will be met with a shrug and an "I dunno" from The Great and Powerful Mom.<br /><br />Please note also that as I am typing this list, the Young Man is adding to it. I'm not sure that it will ever be done...you know how it is. It's an ambitious list, and the Young Man is quite aware--because I have told him that repeatedly. He knows he's not going to get all of it, but wants to throw a lot of ideas out there.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272830305585838178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 149px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVjguhbqo04ZWkwCmzCG2xdlssVyfDMqA_yTF-tmwkUU_oWAVuScRkCV1mYo8kmObWukU6KGul4qKVZrpKREm4-riX7aHp_6vJrENuEAPO4fVpYwTQTyXEsiRPOXtBgAKl6N6wyc2Ong/s200/sonic.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><strong>1. The Wii version of Sonic Unleashed.</strong></div><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272830656916561554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtUUmTD7SdEmNKuEp1Y0k03cvG4UdFAIKVMzicOSU60rADM3erXr3iRjT-Vt2SOkZYm6W8dQkM7qi9XU0bw6MCMIydS2X7a1FE2GtvztgWRhy-8fJOIfuEQYbcTzqXqCSrXnUufKfnwo/s200/controller.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><strong>2. A new GameCube controller--non-wireless, please.</strong> (TGAPM note: He has recently done some surgery on his controllers, replacing good parts for bad ones. Yes, the Rest Home for Wayward and Elderly Electronics is well under way here in Indiana...actually, ours is just a satellite location; just ask the Tall Bald Guy)</div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272830768484656034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 90px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAma5jc2qYfp4dPQM7H_z-3j6ZCCJifG6V_CmcHVsBfxVc99j8lEi1ZJrIK4WtQR0hJQkMDLPKNvLt2rDWdGpUWRsZYypfPwp6s_AEOkWwMd3Br2YWBhqBNGVnx0LWLDL7ZQmpZ91fE54/s200/world+ends+with+you.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>3. The World Ends With You for the DS.</strong></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272831158768535106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 154px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1EkH_hteY3ZIcg3eG7B-4hzc6KMQeKzy8RG-oqDxeRRDZdu6_OV3nQJUnMpaHo67hiFLaML1DaIb4lxoOqdSV9NG1SFv30qgn2Ir4xcrtSLKgxvscagdSJDbH4a0Ui7FdKLOTWkPFlg/s200/wii+controller.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><strong>4. A Classic Controller for the Wii.</strong> (So he and the Codester can play more games together.)</div></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272831992479192690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 182px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 167px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpEcr7zijjoSlJiI7wRTSUuflXBeMHgUeVT-H5k1ARLuC8ZZM5cU6_uh2eBSPexNW9TeNS0SEP39BzKV1Jd2J1aZaHhsm8RkjMsItqvBMvihAiZSomlPchUXqbaS9HfrbdQpIb8ug1Og/s200/wii+points.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><strong>5. Wii points.</strong><br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272833093338303826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 116px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 149px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo7uJ1KzavlWJybYKm4inhW6jAK3Gha22Y3MYVnxFnMsXIG5ZNJ6bUxJhpqksJSdxm1J_PGmDcRaQ8L8kY-WnrcGU13OZ2oXnLvKUsewg89iifQh5LDxBDb0XIF5Bg2cnHtX51IcTUBc/s200/thumb_zeldawii.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><strong>6. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii </strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong><em>TGAPM Note: The nut went out and bought it with the rest of his birthday money. Sheesh. I have sentenced him to forty lashes with wet garland.</em></strong></div><div align="center"><br /><strong>7. A Gaming Mouse and Keyboard.</strong> </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>8. Stuff to make the computer games run faster. </strong>(TGAPM note: The Tall Bald Guy said something about memory for the computer, but my own memory fails me, so I'm just quoting the Young Man on this one.)</div><br /><br /><br /><br />TGAPM also has suggestions for the Young Man, which are maybe a little more practical, but nonetheless are things he could always use:<br /><br /><p>1. Tracfone minutes</p><p></p><p>2. Rechargeable AA batteries and a charger (for the Wii controller)<br /></p><p>3. Sweatshirts--this year he's into the zip-up kind<br /></p><p>4. Snarky t-shirts (I think that's genetic--and I'm blaming this one on the Big Brother!)<br /></p><p>5. Those teeny little headphone things--you know, the earpieces that go halfway into your brain...yeah, I'm old.<br /></p><p></p><p>6. Little Caesar's Pizza gift card--one just opened up not a 1/2 mile from here, and the Young Man and the Codester are loving it!</p><p></p><p></p><p>AND..I'm really going to say it...SOCKS. Ha!</p>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-33490463678752628412008-11-10T22:13:00.003-05:002008-11-10T22:46:40.174-05:00Sigh...Seems I forgot how fun it was home schooling a <strong>little</strong> boy.<br /><br />Over the last couple of weeks I (and a couple of enthusiastic neighbors) had the pleasure of helping out a friend with her 9-year-old boy. He loves science, computer games, and building things with toothpicks and marshmallows. <br /><br />We stepped back a bit to get some schoolwork done but include the Little Guy at the same time, and we all had a blast. Either Little Guy has more energy than the Young Man did at nine, or I'm just getting old and out of shape...I think we all know which one is true!<br /><br />There were sunny fall days at the park, afternoons spent flying toy planes and experimenting with loops and dives (and a score of rubber-ball pitches into the tree to get said toy down--TGAPM's still got it!), Spanish lessons (complete with serious competitions for the aforementioned marshmallows) and Toothpick Fish. Here's a link:<br /><br /><a href="http://genetics-education-partnership.mbt.washington.edu/download/toothpickfish.pdf">http://genetics-education-partnership.mbt.washington.edu/download/toothpickfish.pdf</a><br /><br />Of course, we couldn't pass up the chance to do some Bikini Bottom genetic research with Spongebob and pals...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.oswego308.org/schools/uploads/files/71765/Spongebob%20Genetics_1.pdf">http://www.oswego308.org/schools/uploads/files/71765/Spongebob%20Genetics_1.pdf</a><br /><br />...and I learned that structures made out of toothpicks and marshmallows can only go up six stories before the marshmallows completely give way. Next time we'll wait a few days for them to harden and add more stories. <br /><br />Actually, I think Little Guy's Mom was pretty lucky to get him back at the end of the two weeks. He's a cute little stinker, and lots of fun, and I think my neighbors seriously considered not returning him home to Mom.<br /><br />It was a great break from the ordinary, and we had a lot of fun, but unfortunately it's time to trade in the toys for the textbooks. The Young Man left in my house is currently flipping through one of my new favorite books:<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The Teenager's Guide to the Real World </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">by Marshall Brain</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bygpub.com/books/tg2rw/index.htm">http://www.bygpub.com/books/tg2rw/index.htm</a><br /><br />He likes the format, and he likes knowing he's one up on his contemporaries...for example, just today he said that suits weren't really stuffy after all and that he understands why people in a suit are taken more seriously.<br /><br />Why didn't they make a book like this a long time ago?<br /><br />So while it was fun tripping down Memory Lane for a while, I think it's time to reenter the world of 20th century history and pre-algebra, as well as the lilting strains of "Dangit!" and "Hepl!!" that waft through the house (and yes, that's really spelled h-e-p-l, pronounced "hepuhl!").<br /><br />Sigh...what fun.The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-76148036777844671522008-11-09T09:11:00.004-05:002008-11-09T09:51:20.995-05:00"Oww Wii"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3c0GEehDUiVPTlU4bbMoMMIlpRZX5RRvR0Gs6PbZkc6iWxcCBflM8jxEQjYCTGwjEARZPpPzBxmW42m4Pz9IeR-wmGMHcDh0hEywm8vVYoD63HH0B3hRJrD0l_mbOgALz6aZjC1zrWI/s1600-h/ithurtswheniwii.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266669068425189634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3c0GEehDUiVPTlU4bbMoMMIlpRZX5RRvR0Gs6PbZkc6iWxcCBflM8jxEQjYCTGwjEARZPpPzBxmW42m4Pz9IeR-wmGMHcDh0hEywm8vVYoD63HH0B3hRJrD0l_mbOgALz6aZjC1zrWI/s320/ithurtswheniwii.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><strong>By Will Albritton / The Fresno Bee<br />12/14/06 17:55:17<br /><br />Kevin Wray says he's never seen a gaming system as interactive as the new Nintendo Wii. And as an avid gamer, he's seen them all. </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>But with a gaming console that requires its players to stand up and move around comes a price: muscle soreness. Exercise physiologist and Fresno State professor Felicia Greer says the Wii is good for video gamers who may not otherwise get any exercise, as long as they prepare their bodies for the movements they're about to make. </strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong>While that video focuses on one health risk associated with the Wii, Greer (who's quickly becoming our resident health expert,) says gaming systems like the Wii could have major benefits, such as combating the ever-increasing obesity problem with today's youth. </strong></div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><br /><div>Why didn't anybody warn us adults? Oy.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Great and Powerful Mom (and the Grandma Behind the Curtain) surprised the Young Man with a Wii for his birthday, and the Big Brother was even in on it with accessories and a game he's been wanting. I figured, "he's into video games, he'll never guess that he's getting one from the likes of us (given our fixed incomes and the fact that we're about as electronically literate as the cat--Big Brother excepted), and I can play games with him." It has long been known that TGAPM gets "barfy" watching the Young Man play video games--I figured if I'm moving while the games are moving, I wouldn't need those motion sickness pills anymore.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I was right. I don't need motion sickness pills anymore...but I can say with authority that there's a whole new market that Nintendo hasn't tapped into:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em>Wii First Aid</em></strong></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Complete with:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Book of Stretching Exercises</div><br /><div>Ibuprofen</div><br /><div>Heating Pad</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><em>Special Instructions for Kids:</em></div><br /><div>"When Dad Throws his Back Out Bowling"</div><br /><div>"It's Not Rigor Mortis, it's Just the Day After Mom's Boxing Match"</div><br /><div>"'No, Mom, Your Neck <em>Won't </em>Stick Like That'--How to Reassure Parents the Day After"</div><br /><div>"'It Hurts When I Wii': How to Tell Mom and Dad to Rest Already"</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So far, all the jokes about "Wii-ing all afternoon" make up for the pain--a little.</div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-48720253969335767802008-10-05T15:03:00.003-04:002008-10-05T15:08:36.053-04:00The Mystery Machine<div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQEcdJE-7-Z6gH9eA-H2ycrmZkT9okNBAAESgMX1xewHXllEphXvCsgmAsIiFG3fLI4jDoBee8pu6CzO0cbRnfDIYIMUt1r0P_A070UxjVnGXZTufC4q1kOVZlqnT5lMjIW5yfLMgFFE/s1600-h/vday2+080.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253748008599671234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQEcdJE-7-Z6gH9eA-H2ycrmZkT9okNBAAESgMX1xewHXllEphXvCsgmAsIiFG3fLI4jDoBee8pu6CzO0cbRnfDIYIMUt1r0P_A070UxjVnGXZTufC4q1kOVZlqnT5lMjIW5yfLMgFFE/s400/vday2+080.jpg" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253748526255411762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLumtTNtGl-_i0VmZIv53AXY9Z6ZGPeyq45CvfyzRhaaURZoOHCP8R0PGy7cACHmWvziMn9KkIbeT7WqvjnQcEJLJro6U0VuKfZwJn2ncCQwKFnfnrqAN3lMIZa0bulqnaW939T72POA/s400/vday2+081.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">What in the world is it?</span></strong></div><br /><div align="center"><strong>There's a sack of grain next to it...is it a grain mill?</strong></div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-91229968871747127072008-10-05T14:27:00.013-04:002008-10-05T14:59:30.372-04:00More Victory Days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJC3o2K_XwR-gE7poQuINg4IqTAob8xoRjmD4T94cPN4wVCLZ4qXP-M824-EmEgD5WJf3SlS4fO47XN2ff4uYKAD7-ECtqw5sX9Dwlr-Bl6mvMm-spbo0in_-VNCsGcztCLMsu_3T4LM/s1600-h/vday2+079.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253745371052380738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJC3o2K_XwR-gE7poQuINg4IqTAob8xoRjmD4T94cPN4wVCLZ4qXP-M824-EmEgD5WJf3SlS4fO47XN2ff4uYKAD7-ECtqw5sX9Dwlr-Bl6mvMm-spbo0in_-VNCsGcztCLMsu_3T4LM/s400/vday2+079.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwILxd0MgsNOW2fOtsP3SS-_DRj6iboeJglUhMD7UJogTxP2l8-oz03B-osHlCKd8IL6JrTr7fgv2njKLIOW1YETAbCt19whezTqpO1EL_JzCWNC7hZlQa8MYq13xfY1eVmrM6NZsiW8I/s1600-h/vday2+069.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253743834285263314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwILxd0MgsNOW2fOtsP3SS-_DRj6iboeJglUhMD7UJogTxP2l8-oz03B-osHlCKd8IL6JrTr7fgv2njKLIOW1YETAbCt19whezTqpO1EL_JzCWNC7hZlQa8MYq13xfY1eVmrM6NZsiW8I/s400/vday2+069.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-cz7xIgWm7W9bcXfZYfQVq9o52xoUJgaLe28KVZTBDj1V0fdpo7xpkz4zsBSgdJn7Oly1WFoFL85JFD-eUPUrxhyphenhyphenJd-ISVHfRrVn8dfzXmX26OaE5vsfzn_o_5AjeY56Nvvajpti7kA/s1600-h/vday2+072.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253743406788096530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-cz7xIgWm7W9bcXfZYfQVq9o52xoUJgaLe28KVZTBDj1V0fdpo7xpkz4zsBSgdJn7Oly1WFoFL85JFD-eUPUrxhyphenhyphenJd-ISVHfRrVn8dfzXmX26OaE5vsfzn_o_5AjeY56Nvvajpti7kA/s400/vday2+072.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZiJiKe3fR3zaCnx-n4EmGvI9w1CIKMB8whbQal7m4YJWrjWchr_5hZLCBMK6BXiWvKUwXbehSp7fAyLaZJIPNbTgQtnSvK2L0so0yfFyzf02d45zz1ZiZOptpT99JW8dhgNRycR4HfM/s1600-h/vday2+123.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253742389779110786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZiJiKe3fR3zaCnx-n4EmGvI9w1CIKMB8whbQal7m4YJWrjWchr_5hZLCBMK6BXiWvKUwXbehSp7fAyLaZJIPNbTgQtnSvK2L0so0yfFyzf02d45zz1ZiZOptpT99JW8dhgNRycR4HfM/s400/vday2+123.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EFJrfClLC3G7wjOVCn8yj6l_-s-oinIbFoaPy61FlhiG7H6iytJAa1ezUL4JHiVzSquDKcfwZ4GZFtgL2lhCxYX8WEKxcYmcaxUY6YG78W87xYSP_AVXVsiw4jpgLE-1PhyMcR17pIM/s1600-h/vday2+120.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253741917604598594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EFJrfClLC3G7wjOVCn8yj6l_-s-oinIbFoaPy61FlhiG7H6iytJAa1ezUL4JHiVzSquDKcfwZ4GZFtgL2lhCxYX8WEKxcYmcaxUY6YG78W87xYSP_AVXVsiw4jpgLE-1PhyMcR17pIM/s400/vday2+120.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4o0gyHmB-FeyVwSA6AVh6mv6Lhsg83ybD92Q_Bl90Uj4ErkLzs4FgBTjNmnJfsX2-0URGmA4Z9ygjvffH1kZLUv44s52u1DdpVu3gZkZ3dy5qARDo3rfxUVGBmNC3NZMjGgI-IlZ6Y2o/s1600-h/vday2+121.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253741609379765090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4o0gyHmB-FeyVwSA6AVh6mv6Lhsg83ybD92Q_Bl90Uj4ErkLzs4FgBTjNmnJfsX2-0URGmA4Z9ygjvffH1kZLUv44s52u1DdpVu3gZkZ3dy5qARDo3rfxUVGBmNC3NZMjGgI-IlZ6Y2o/s400/vday2+121.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tLALEWu-Cuqp6ZRkKPRrw2m4SANUTdMxjCRhQ7wVy1xL_jV-sJ0mqs4pqtypditvq7rVeq1nAcOJLqRJ13CpG9XBzD4ci780sSij7_gmN-ENGCArv9lz1m3POnRufo0DY7H44p7TRx4/s1600-h/vday2+126.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253741007090908914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tLALEWu-Cuqp6ZRkKPRrw2m4SANUTdMxjCRhQ7wVy1xL_jV-sJ0mqs4pqtypditvq7rVeq1nAcOJLqRJ13CpG9XBzD4ci780sSij7_gmN-ENGCArv9lz1m3POnRufo0DY7H44p7TRx4/s400/vday2+126.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJjp16oOCMQG8qQY-iBj6k46SBrQO4i1kqOkxQCr7BrGrdOZHgpsWgDAhi8GYQsJby8DPQoPUnYObQWFdpixD5Xj9ZhlrFSbhHl61CFHlxZaK6NLU5DEe0qYL-J0Dmx2M1Gz04z2o3FY/s1600-h/vday2+109.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253740383004987762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJjp16oOCMQG8qQY-iBj6k46SBrQO4i1kqOkxQCr7BrGrdOZHgpsWgDAhi8GYQsJby8DPQoPUnYObQWFdpixD5Xj9ZhlrFSbhHl61CFHlxZaK6NLU5DEe0qYL-J0Dmx2M1Gz04z2o3FY/s400/vday2+109.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2ZaCcrmqcVX3CZBrFp5fXp5CDrpPLFLGuxaMemYaJAHMkQWrGLFooFGZ_GIhyFbrZBqvuqEUTRwgwxklgMlgs9BH0eDjm5q4sZ5cwNJH98dwTEIuYNQNZy3-HmDapLvLmO0DtIbGU34/s1600-h/vday2+066.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253739718690244354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2ZaCcrmqcVX3CZBrFp5fXp5CDrpPLFLGuxaMemYaJAHMkQWrGLFooFGZ_GIhyFbrZBqvuqEUTRwgwxklgMlgs9BH0eDjm5q4sZ5cwNJH98dwTEIuYNQNZy3-HmDapLvLmO0DtIbGU34/s400/vday2+066.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZqBfkXsoMcWTnf__Xokvn4UHtgcoDZ9OVTjh06GhPLMfJLZ0ibtFusi9kVXxTTo1gEErsrpZFwkfKscmLPkymyuCMkmysn2mZk3Xi6HlzUnVz3jjpYuUy9KrFI5fLfbHKVBpfNFLm6k/s1600-h/vday1+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253739020945775890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZqBfkXsoMcWTnf__Xokvn4UHtgcoDZ9OVTjh06GhPLMfJLZ0ibtFusi9kVXxTTo1gEErsrpZFwkfKscmLPkymyuCMkmysn2mZk3Xi6HlzUnVz3jjpYuUy9KrFI5fLfbHKVBpfNFLm6k/s400/vday1+007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-80092977614183898302008-10-04T23:31:00.012-04:002008-10-05T00:04:52.668-04:00Victory Days 2008<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253507866275993666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0N3LeTSouRHyRmJcUhxGRO0vElGQ9nFQh9H_Id8Pf8I-AXsWHKa9N6PzCrRVKOJgY8TtJWCz9G4MACzYJUjj_J08yHSQlLKUjamOoB0vHvj4ZjJbLL200R_d5NJxuODtZFrt-4gNf-2E/s400/vday1+011.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253508350737702338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbrTBD5ru0X4OTJTk65GAX21B8iHhc9woRG_ieDeLxZ9G195HDV3IKQLDHiCBArgydkR_YCSv8MdDed_gLbi5odQrH3LTKbEsc5MYx-y9Fdt8gSyjy6Rru3kINcEc_LAZPOq0sNQo5Ps/s400/vday1+039.jpg" border="0" /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwi1bfqIrAuqOQjQha_MFBijgZ0Mh5MBoe8TfP-RuV2T_XyWbDtkQ3MZqxUvfP95FRoTGQQShyphenhyphenWQYZH0YWX3X4BctbqHmhfZuuHDUM4Mh5typJy2145CueHJvMRVHD2dmPDNhPIh8Lis/s1600-h/vday2+057.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253508902649834386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwi1bfqIrAuqOQjQha_MFBijgZ0Mh5MBoe8TfP-RuV2T_XyWbDtkQ3MZqxUvfP95FRoTGQQShyphenhyphenWQYZH0YWX3X4BctbqHmhfZuuHDUM4Mh5typJy2145CueHJvMRVHD2dmPDNhPIh8Lis/s400/vday2+057.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253510920074582274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-V1tqa2lRPtNEIet-7UM7yyR2lphPFXhO6Y0ZgQiMrkZHXiUdVMo1ov70yRt2WLWWXZ3r3wyOVNG4aHYwPYjiwYgR8_w-VMR9nVESF_VpVgCmgY9AQWvrQ9aj0UIGCWJiQyIUa9n-7z4/s400/vday2+104.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253511534465283250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdf_dojSkUACaKbD7Liw5I2gP2UG3Nr1DujPadaKM6_erKHDTFaaQUtJfKBZtyT_G0oGEy38vGewdnvcmu5Ej7VP8Ianz3WZjhFN8q2QLVSTItRRb__mWCL1BMGPxs4pDRNrUAyRklOo/s400/vday1+003.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253513288197351650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfv6Sy9YHDQSk-pDlHtQkL87BHQeYRxuEp8up5rroJ3I4E5O17BZTX7aOt7zsQ0fh9MlEKSMbI24e1C6eFonz0dWGzJXT1PDvQawRZfJXwGOXQGkSoH86y0O-ALh6Jh32QKzKZ27PsfM/s400/vday2+0063.jpg" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253514038489382418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPTn0Zt_eiGtmtAPdVhwKOQCo94wJxKTLnoLFeoqDFETzg0-lLnHQl49XmmjJC9XyaIRj4jTQOrzA3peMjwueaNapv0WN_VhB_xV2t8b_RTwzkEDIhFRKJ39lIugZ0y3Dx6IPvtN5bIQ/s400/vday2+075.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253514399441539170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tXzQLERjNr-SJPE1ZHQuuYKUMDREidaVj8yKppfEHBkfppibV_13GWepfIe-VyIDFE2qO5sCFvfC1ItviELyF2PdoeqetCBt7bnizaETc7DwaEeKGKIF9qoXyMZEvBqeaOc5zNqxISo/s400/vday2+0084.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253515315880105378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPHxRCqTTcVKlOsHP0QVQ5uVetPCnLUbmnZQo9FERGtQ0PoMnvdbKHih8RYCpElGtw7E8ZzhmE5EwWlyD24koR_L6xIUuGfCfP6Lk3H02Cqjw_yhEtYzJ7s1WJqirmey8ekcLv4Xi-k0/s400/vday2+086.jpg" border="0" />The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-65701084421715521492008-10-02T19:44:00.006-04:002008-10-02T20:18:14.257-04:00Where's June Cleaver When We Need Her?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TCiOlzlTDsq-r8RFCyhBlKH5nBrupUAd3ant78icB3q7XtDTiEic6rJnKfhaTDWrPcFh_N0vXdzXTHgb5CcXI0AATiPmvm6Z0WHmJdLy9a2pNrZp8bAGAM4Mz-VgWjdlk-tH4eAUkOU/s1600-h/airplane!.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252708773840698162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TCiOlzlTDsq-r8RFCyhBlKH5nBrupUAd3ant78icB3q7XtDTiEic6rJnKfhaTDWrPcFh_N0vXdzXTHgb5CcXI0AATiPmvm6Z0WHmJdLy9a2pNrZp8bAGAM4Mz-VgWjdlk-tH4eAUkOU/s320/airplane!.jpg" border="0" /></a> I really needed her today. I needed her to walk up to the couch, take my cell phone, and say, "Excuse me, dear. I speak Jive."<br /><br />You see, today I'm officially old. Well, maybe I was long ago, but it didn't feel so final then as it does today. Today something really good happened. Really. It was just in relating it to The Young Man that I felt, once and for all, like a true fuddy-duddy.<br /><br />This afternoon I took The Dog out on one of his many "I-really-don't-hafta-potty-I'm-just-gonna-make-you-think-that-so-you'll-take-me-out-and-I-can-sniff" excursions when he spotted our new neighbor. In true half hound/half chicken style he growled and barked menacingly, effectively scaring the poor woman, and then crept up to her shoes to sniff her and then yelp and back away as she reached down to pet him.<br /><br />Yep, fierce.<br /><br />Anyway, it turns out that she has a 13 year old grandson living with her who's....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...brace yourselves...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...homeschooled!<br /><br />Finally, another Young Man for my Young Man to hang out with...and homeschooled, to boot!<br /><br />Anyway, I texted The Young Man (yep, TGAPM leaps into the technological age!) and he said it was "<strong><em>totally epic</em></strong>."<br /><br />Epic?<br /><br />Like the Iliad?<br /><br />Can something be <strong><em>partially</em></strong> epic? I dunno.<br /><br />What ever happened to Bitchin'? Far Out? Groovy? Tubular?<br /><br />Sigh. I thought it was bad when I could no longer set the clock on the VCR (remember those things? Yes, I still have one...)<br /><br />I'm going to need a translator. Maybe the college's Communication Disorders department can assist me. After all, "Chump don't want no help, chump don't get no help! Shiiiiit."<br /><br />Well, even though my native language has mutated into something I'll never again understand, I'm still doing a happy dance. I wonder what a happy dance is called now?<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFELA8iSrewUd7rkWWrLDWedlOFU1ACa_L4TQDQq5M4WiOLYgVS7_UhTEEE5eiaPWekshUBxzciX-Fq4_Wx6nU3jCXO1CYqZRsBHmIzpaR2WUMGN67l-I3TuY8XnaHDzr2tG94afLYkcc/s1600-h/june.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252707141319423074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFELA8iSrewUd7rkWWrLDWedlOFU1ACa_L4TQDQq5M4WiOLYgVS7_UhTEEE5eiaPWekshUBxzciX-Fq4_Wx6nU3jCXO1CYqZRsBHmIzpaR2WUMGN67l-I3TuY8XnaHDzr2tG94afLYkcc/s320/june.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-2133702324603595912008-09-18T21:39:00.009-04:002008-09-19T16:44:08.716-04:00Happy Birthday, Emoticon!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZEZfnhAcrKy7HMv3HhnBfpo-FZc0KmQyBwJgxc_kwWGSG4UAB7l__ly6d6JoT10vX_Ss6c3b5LB-G6DX7Bf4TNI-6YdH8bnIdHebLqwol-jz7XmKichw-VtrLmN3FfrSB0Eane0AnPY/s1600-h/eomticon_630x.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247834668640085122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZEZfnhAcrKy7HMv3HhnBfpo-FZc0KmQyBwJgxc_kwWGSG4UAB7l__ly6d6JoT10vX_Ss6c3b5LB-G6DX7Bf4TNI-6YdH8bnIdHebLqwol-jz7XmKichw-VtrLmN3FfrSB0Eane0AnPY/s400/eomticon_630x.jpg" border="0" /></a> By Tony Long, <em>Wired</em><br /><br /><br />1982: At precisely 11:44 a.m., Scott Fahlman posts the following electronic message to a computer-science department bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University:<br />19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :-)From: Scott E Fahlman<br /><br />I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:<br /><br />:-)<br /><br />Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use:<br /><br />:-(<br /><br />With that post, Fahlman became the acknowledged originator of the ASCII-based emoticon.<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><em>...forever replacing the little heart over the "i"</em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em>that girls are so fond of...</em></strong></div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1895650921838122961.post-7958669373529898282008-09-18T21:39:00.008-04:002008-09-19T09:23:02.988-04:00Ye Have the Buckles--Swash Them!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ24x4iaIz6uA_uDhJJyn48S9aq90YWOaPHy-gmqECWAz8xg9RB7Qb9JQ_pf2PzrQA44nR0fWvB2Oc43N3cgGed4uvmjApUfQie-pSwN109s_o16DG3OQCdHxSTIAY4H2ENvTAsgXt-E/s1600-h/77-dave_barry_art090802_embedded_prod_affiliate_56.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247722172558081026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ24x4iaIz6uA_uDhJJyn48S9aq90YWOaPHy-gmqECWAz8xg9RB7Qb9JQ_pf2PzrQA44nR0fWvB2Oc43N3cgGed4uvmjApUfQie-pSwN109s_o16DG3OQCdHxSTIAY4H2ENvTAsgXt-E/s400/77-dave_barry_art090802_embedded_prod_affiliate_56.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Yes, once again, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day. Where did the year go?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/v-print/story/100129.html"></a><br />Posted on Sun, Sep. 08, 2002<br />Arrrrr! Talk like a pirate -- or prepare to be boarded<br />BY DAVE BARRY<br /><br />Every now and then, some visionary individuals come along with a concept that is so original and so revolutionary that your immediate reaction is: ''Those individuals should be on medication.''<br /><br />Today I want to tell you about two such people, John Baur and Mark Summers, who have come up with a concept that is going to make you kick yourself for not thinking of it first: Talk Like a Pirate Day. As the name suggests, this is a day on which everybody would talk like a pirate. Is that a great idea, or what? There are so many practical benefits that I can't even begin to list them all.<br /><br />Baur and Summers came up with this idea a few years ago. They were playing racquetball, and, as so often happens, they began talking like pirates. And then it struck them: Why not have a day when EVERYBODY talks like a pirate? They decided that the logical day would be Sept. 19, because that -- as you are no doubt aware -- is Summers' ex-wife's birthday.<br /><br />Since then, Baur and Summers have made a near-superhuman effort to promote Talk Like a Pirate Day. As Baur puts it: ``We've talked like pirates, and encouraged our several friends to, every Sept. 19, except for a couple where we forgot.''<br /><br />And yet, incredibly, despite this well-orchestrated campaign, the nation has turned a deaf shoulder to Talk Like a Pirate Day. In desperation, Baur and Summers turned to me for help. As an influential newspaper columnist, I have the power to ''make or break'' a national day. You may recall that almost nobody celebrated Thanksgiving until I began writing about it in the 1970s.<br /><br />I have given Baur's and Summers' idea serious thought, looking for ways to improve it. One variation I considered was Talk Like a Member of the Lollipop Guild Day, on which everybody would talk like the three Munchkins in the film version of The Wizard of Oz who welcome Dorothy to Munchkin Land by singing with one corner of their mouths drooping down, as though they have large invisible dental suction devices hanging from their lips. But I realized that would be stupid.<br /><br />So I have decided to throw my full support behind Talk Like a Pirate Day, to be observed this Sept. 19. To help promote this important cause, I have decided to seek the endorsement of famous celebrities, and I am pleased to report that, as of today, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, the Osbournes, Tiger Woods, Ted Koppel, the Sopranos, Puff Doody and the late Elvis Presley are all people who I hope will read this column and become big supporters. I see no need to recruit President Bush, because he already talks like a pirate, as we can see from this transcript of a recent White House press conference:<br /><br />REPORTER: Could you please explain either your foreign or your domestic policy?<br /><br />PRESIDENT BUSH: Arrrrr.<br /><br />To prepare for Talk Like a Pirate Day, you should practice incorporating pirate terminology into your everyday speech. For example, let's consider a typical conversation between two co-workers in a business office:<br /><br />BOB: Hi. Mary.<br /><br />MARY: Hi, Bob. Have you had a chance to look at the Fennerman contract?<br /><br />BOB: Yes, and I have some suggestions.<br /><br />MARY: OK, I'll review them.<br /><br />Now let's see how this same conversation would sound on Talk Like a Pirate Day:<br /><br />BOB: Avast, me beauty.<br /><br />MARY: Avast, Bob. Is that a yardarm in your doubloons, or are you just glad to see me?<br /><br />BOB: You are giving me the desire to haul some keel.<br /><br />MARY: Arrrrr.<br /><br />As you can see, talking like a pirate will infuse your everyday conversations with romance and danger. So join the movement! On Sept. 19, do not answer the phone with ''hello.'' Answer the phone with ''Ahoy me hearty!'' If the caller objects that he is not a hearty, inform him that he is a scurvy dog (or, if the caller is female, a scurvy female dog) who will be walking the plank off the poop deck and winding up in Davy Jones' locker, sleeping with the fishes. No, wait, that would be Talk Like a Pirate in The Godfather Day, which is another variation I considered (``I'm gonna make him an offer that will shiver his timbers'').<br /><br />But the point is, this is a great idea, and you, me bucko, should be part of it. Join us on Sept. 19. You HAVE the buckles, darn it: Don't be afraid to swash them! Let's make this into a grass-roots movement that sweeps the nation, like campaign-finance reform, or Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I truly think this idea could bring us, as a nation, closer together.<br /><br />But not TOO much closer. Some of us will have swords.<br /><br />© 2002 Dave Barry. All Rights Reserved.http://www.miamiherald.com</div>The Great and Powerful Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07321052703334909987noreply@blogger.com0