Once my WebTv was faster than my computer

As I sit here outside, using my little netbook, I can't help but think back to less than a decade ago when my WebTv was faster than the computer we had at the time. You could actually connect and receive e-mail faster through the WebTv than the computer. Then we got our first top of the line computer that pales in comparison to what is out there, and dial up was still the only game in town. I remember when cable internet was finally available where we lived, then several years later DSL finally arrived.

I remember my first laptop, a Sony VAIO and the excitement of being able to connect more than one computer on line at the same time. Then to be able to go wireless, slow at times and you had to deal with the usb connection with the antenna thingy but, still wireless.

Now, I have my monster tower and my handy dandy netbook, which weighs nothing compared to my previous laptops. With the built in wireless it connects effortlessly whether I'm at home or at work, once in a while even while I wait for the bus, depending on the availability of a connection. I've gone from Windows 98 being the latest and greatest to Windows 7. Then I think back even a bit farther and remember how excited I was as an administrative assistant when self correcting typewriters were purchased by my employer...It's amazing how far we've come...

Life is a river flowing back to the Sea

I realize the title may make some of you think of the Alan Parsons Project song, Time but there's a deeper purpose to this post. A friend called me tonight because her best friend died. I'd been avoiding thinking of death since the anniversary of my father's death was last week. That date is embedded in my heart and soul, yet now it seems few remember so it's something I share alone. Which is okay, the reality is losing someone you love whether it is a friend or a relative is really a private thing. Words can never properly express what that person meant to you and while people try to give you platitudes which may be very sincere, that does not make the pain go away. Time does make it fade.

Which then got me thinking again about life and death in general. I came across this site, The NDE and Pre-Birth: Kevin Williams' research conclusions and some of the material written there is rather profound. Especially this:

If our experience as a human is analogous to a journey down a river, then our experience as a spirit is analogous to the entire water cycle. Each of us is like a raindrop which fell from a cloud and ultimately entered into a river for the journey back from where it came - the sea. Then the cycle is repeated.

In the same way that a drop of water is a part of the sea and contains within itself the nature of the sea itself, so our spirit is a part of God containing within it the Whole of God itself. This concept of a something being both a part and the Whole is called in science terminology a fractal.

By becoming a droplet in the water cycle, we can experience wonderful adventures which ultimately help us to understand ourselves and the sea even more. Which river of life we choose to travel down is up to us. Once we begin the journey, we are partly at the mercy of the river and the course it takes us. How we chose to flow down the river is our decision.

This river which represents the course of our life that leads us back to God is an archetype that is familiar to us. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we feel drawn to rivers and why we regarded them as sacred. In ancient cultures, religions and even in near-death experiences, this archetype of life being a river appears. On the river, we are always moving forward from a source and toward an end. Life starts out as a small creek and grows into large river with rapids, forks, tributaries, rocks, and sometimes floods. Rivers have a history and are evolving. The river of life can take us to a variety of destinations on shore. There are many decisions and choices to make while traveling the river. Sometimes we have no choice at all but submit to the mercy of the river. At times we can relax and go with the flow. Other times we can shoot the rapids. We can row our boats gently down the stream. But if we just remain on the shore, we will never reach our destination and goal. Wisdom means knowing the best course of action to take as we travel down the river.

I strongly recommend those of you remaining on the shore, think about diving in, before your boat passes you by...

Burn baby burn...

Whenever I see anything related to fat burners or fat burner pills, I can't help hearing "Burn baby burn" -- yes, a flash back to my disco days. Which then of course makes me think of the rest of the song, as I can hear it my head and sometimes? It creates moments of chair dancing, which probably does burn some fat -- if I did it long enough (smile). So, to make sure the song is now stuck in your head too? The video is below...See if you can resist the power of disco...

She's not a swinger...

Last weekend my husband and I took my oldest granddaughter to the park, she's not quite two years old yet. We had previously thought about swing sets when we get finished with the renovation at the other house, because my children always enjoyed swings from the time they were very young until...well some of them still enjoy swing sets, especially if it is a porch swing. However, at least at this point my granddaughter hates swings. At least swing sets, though I'm told that she does like porch swings. That written, she may out grow the swingset fear and there is another granddaughter who in a year or so may have a different attitude towards swings...

Beach imaginations...

This past Saturday my husband and I went to an event called "Barefoot at the Beach" that was held at Maumee Bay State Park, yet if you look at the picture, you can imagine it taking place on any beach, from the banks of the Maumee Bay to the beaches of the Outer Banks or even farther away beaches than that. There's just something about the sounds of the water coming into to shore on a beach, especially as we moved a bit away from the throngs of people and watched the sun set...

Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher's body finally identified

I've been following the story of Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher for quite a few years, occasionally mentioning that he was still missing and that his family really did not know for certain if he was dead or alive.

That has finally ended, as I read in my local paper, the Blade, this Associated Press piece, Remains of pilot missing 18 years in Iraq found.

WASHINGTON — The remains of the first American lost in the Gulf War have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, a sorrowful resolution of a nearly two-decade old question about the fate of Navy Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher.

The Pentagon said the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology on Saturday positively identified the remains, buried in the desert and located after officials received new information from an Iraqi citizen about a crash.

Speicher's disappearance has bedeviled investigators since his fighter was shot down over the Iraq desert on the first night of the 1991 war.

Maternity clothes have come a long way...

It used to be back in the day when I was pregnant with my children that you could pretty easily spot a maternity outfit and most of them were not very attractive, it was just one of those things that you had to face when you had a baby. Now, maternity clothes have changed, there are some items that I look at that I'm tempted to want to wear even though my baby-having days are long since past. What's also nice is some of the prices out there, looking at Kiki's Fashions they have a whole section of items that are $10.00 or less and they also give you a way to save 20%, just use the word "blogfriends" in the coupon code section when checking out.

They also offer a nice line of plus sizes, which I know used to be a problem and still is a problem if you are trying to find maternity items locally and you are trying to be cost conscious. Of course the other thing to point out about way back when, was the internet and internet shopping wasn't available either...

For me baseball means a mascot...

For me growing up in Toledo, Ohio the home of the Toledo Mud Hens, one of the things you think of is our mascot, "Muddy" and as an afterthought a later addition, "Muddona". The topic came up of New York Yankees tickets and I gave away my lack of knowledge when it came to the Yankees, I wondered what mascot they have. Evidently, mascots aren't popular in New York, of the nine professional sports teams in the New York market, five do not have mascots: the Yankees, Jets, Giants, Knicks and Rangers.

I read that the previous New York Yankee's Mascot, "Dandy" was beaten up by fans, but I was unable to confirm that as a source, and it's funny in reading this blurb that it appears some of the Yankee Management doesn't even want to acknowledge they had a mascot:

As Joseph M. Perello, vice president for business development for the Yankees, put it: ''Fans come to see the Yankees win. And that's entertainment.''

Mr. Perello said that as far as he knew, the Yankees has never had a mascot. Lonn Trost, the Yankees' general counsel, said there are official Yankee hamburgers, hot dogs and popcorn. But a mascot? No, he didn't think the team ever had one.

From 1982 to 1985, though, the Yankees had Dandy, a pinstriped character designed by Ms. Erickson.

Dandy was a failure. Mr. Harrison said that was because he wasn't allowed out of the nosebleed area in the stands. Nor did he do any outside appearances. According to Mr. Harrison, George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' principal owner, was less than enthusiastic about the mascot after Lou Pinella, the Yankee outfielder, got so angry at the San Diego Chicken's clowning that he threw his glove at the bird (not a Harrison/ Erickson creation). Mr. Steinbrenner, through his spokesman Howard Rubenstein, said he had no recollection of the pinstriped mascot.

Strangely enough, there are not many pictures out there of "Dandy", I've only been able to find one...Did Dandy exist or his he a figment of the imagination? I'll leave that to the hard core New York Yankee fans to debate...

Something a bit cheerier...

After reading Krugman's article I needed to think of something that would cheer me up a bit. I started thinking about the last time I visited my daughter in California and I saw for the first time what Loquat trees look like. She actually has one in the backyard of where she is living, as well as an orange tree and a kumquat tree, well several kumquat trees, which had fruit on them. I wasn't brave enough to try one, but perhaps next time I'll be there when the loquats are ready to try...

There, that's a much cheerier thought than years more of economic problems...

After watching the movie Taxi...

Yesterday was a snow day, so my youngest spent time in my room, while I was trying to work, watching movies. One of the movies she picked was Taxi, which is part love/crime story that involves a taxi that is supercharged and some car racing moments. Some of the scenes almost surpass Gone in 60 Seconds as far as driving.

Which made me flash back to my motor head days for a brief moment though things are now much different than then. Now you can buy a variety of superchargers online; buick supercharger, mercedes supercharger, pontiac supercharger or just about any manufacturer, yes even ford for those ford fans out there.

If you are new to all of this and you don't know the difference between a nose cover or a supercharger or a turbocharger, that's online too. Considering what we are driving right now after the "Miguel met the bear" incident, I can't imagine investing in enhancing it though we have joked around that it would make the perfect low rider...

Seven things you don't know about me...

My friend Jason from The Rowsey Blog tagged me with the meme of "Seven things you don't know about me." It's actually been some time since I did one of these, since it was Jason I decided I'd give it a shot. It's going to be hard to come up with seven things some of you who have known me for a long time won't know.

1. I never planned on having any children, I did not even like babysitting and in theory I was supposed to have a difficult time conceiving. Five children later, I learned God has an interesting sense of humor.

2. Knowing that my oldest child, my only son, is going to turn 26 tomorrow is both a moment of pride and one where I ask myself, "Sheesh, am I really that old?"

3. I freak my 14 year old daughter out when she discovers some of her favorite songs are ones I was already listening too. The most recent one is "Shattered" by O.A.R.

4. I used to not only play guitar but was a lead singer in a band. Obviously we didn't make it...

5. I lost my very first love when we both ran away from home together when I was 16. When we got caught, he was sent away to some youth facility and I have never been able to find him since. To this day I avoid being in the state of Utah any longer than possible, that's where we were caught.

6. I've started several books and have managed to only finish one of them.

7. Miguel is my third husband, I'm trying to see if that old adage, "Third time is a charm" is true or just bs people like to tell you after you've failed at something twice.

Something you all know is I'm not a traditionalist, so, rather than tag 7 of you, anyone who wants to play along can let me know or if you are one of my readers that doesn't have a blog, (Yes C...that means you too) are more than welcome to share 7 things that I don't know about you in the comments.

:-)

English or Western...

Long ago in a different life I grew up in an environment where riding lessons were a part of what was "expected" along with knowing how to plan a dinner or cocktail party and the art of making vegetables into pretty decorations to adorn your buffet platters. I don't miss most of that country club type existence nor the elitist mindset that used to irk me. I do miss riding horses though, it was something I always enjoyed though my rebellion at that time was still in evidence since "all" of the young ladies were encouraged to learn to ride with a english saddles and I preferred western.

They would all be nicely attired in an English riding outfit, I'd be wearing my jeans, my flannel shirt and my boots, it's probably then that I gained my love of red boots, that I still have today. It's also when my parents decided that private riding lessons were the easiest way for them to avoid embarrassment...It's both funny and sad to look back on those days when so much time was spent worrying about how you appeared to others, and so much time wasted on gossiping about the behavior of a pre-teen or teenage girl as opposed to real life issues that were much more important.

Enjoying some fall moments...those falling leaves

I like to spend time outside, though lately I've been doing less garden work and more time with my granddaughter, even before she started walking she loved being outside. We spent quite a bit of time outside today throwing leaves, which made me start thinking about outdoor chores, which includes gardening. Finding this garden guide came in handy because it breaks down geographically. Which then led me to this page which I found really interesting on Hydroponic Gardens.

I also took a brief jaunt into searching for rakes because as I was having fun throwing leaves around in the air to make my granddaughter laugh, I could not help notice that I was going to have to eventually start raking some of them up. Or find a way to coerce my youngest daughter into doing it...Though I saw some really cute children's rakes, probably not for this year but maybe next year a grandma moment could be raking leaves into piles then jumping into them.

Mental hazards of being a political junkie...

Beyond those who take issue with some of what I write on my political blogs beyond normal disagreement, one of the hazards for me of doing what I do is the inability to shut my mind off. Posts I know I'll never write, comments I will never hit publish on as well as hundreds of research topics in my mind that I'd love to cover but unless I find a way to not need to sleep or do any of my "mom/wife" duties, I'll never get to.

At one point in time I took sleeping pills, but I didn't like the way I felt when I woke up and if there is one thing you need to do this? It's mental clarity. I then discovered if I could use my imagination to take me away to someplace, I would fall asleep. Sometimes I use a place I've already been too, sometimes it's a place I will probably never be able to travel to. It's easy if you've looked at some of these places online, like one that offers Mykonos villa rentals, to be able to have some of those pictures in your mind. For me and those that I've suggested it to? It's much more of an enjoyable way to drift off to sleep than having a pill knock you out...

I don't care anymore...

One of the latest email missives I received taking me to task for my blogging on top of the usual slams and insults, included the statement that my not deciding to support Obama or actively help his campaign by using my blog to do so, proved I just didn't care anymore...Which of course made me think of this musical moment...



I do love Phil Collins...

I remember hope...

Something I wrote back in July of 2005:

Wanted Political Savior

MWF Seeking M/F for a four year commitment, an additional four year extension is available depending on performance. The desired candidate will demonstrate the ability to unite a majority of over 50 family members. He or she will neither promote nor diminish religion, realizing that there are various faiths and beliefs within our family.

The rights of individual family members will be respected tempered with the knowledge that we all share this home and that some common sense rules are necessary. He or she will also believe strongly that the home we all share is to be cared for and not destroyed, while some normal wear and tear is expected. Those who within the family have more will be expected to contribute a larger portion than those less fortunate family members for the upkeep of our home. However, those family members with less are expected to do their best to pull their weight in making other contributions to the smooth running of the household. When there is a disagreement, the ability to compromise must be present with also the wisdom to know there will always be times when compromise can not be reached; yet respect still given. Interested applicants will have room and board provided as well as many other amenities. This is a challenging position yet holds many rewards for the right candidate.

If only it were that easy, yet in reality that is what it is going to take to break the stranglehold the Republican and Democratic parties have on our political system. This past presidential election 1,224, 611 Americans had the courage to vote Third Party, one percent of all votes. Ninety-nine percent of voters believed they only had a choice between a Democrat or a Republican. When you put it in that context it might be easy to lose hope; which is why we need the mythical person I wrote the ad for. The 99% that felt they had such a limited choice are the very ones that need to be reached. I know many people that did not want either John Kerry or George Bush as their President; however they bought into the you are just throwing your vote away line of thought. They wanted better, but did not demand it. They wanted choices; yet let their choice be made for them.

As a critique of the Third Parties, there are too many candidates. Too many wanting to be cooks and not enough who wanted to be the hostess, ego in some cases getting in the way of creating a strong unified voice. Instead of trying to find common goals worth striving for, too much time was spent on trying to fight for the votes of those who do have the courage to vote third party and not enough on encouraging main stream voters to join them. If the common goal is to diminish the power of the Republicans and Democrats who control the game, the game has to be learned to be played differently by us. To not do this dooms us into obscurity of being forever that one percent that is so split it gives no real influence.

We need a candidate who can somehow not only unify a majority of those of us not satisfied with the two parties but that can also inspire those who feel the only choice is D or R that there is a viable alternative for them. We need a Political Savior, and soon.

If I could put time in a bottle...Shalimar

Not that it will be shocking to those of you who have come to know me, but I'm not a "girly girl" type woman. I perhaps wear make up once or twice a year, my wardrobe would make the "What not to wear" team cringe and one of the main reasons I had over 14 inches of hair cut off was because it gave me one less thing to worry about.

Yet, I have a weakness for a few feminine items, one particular Classic Perfume that is called "Shalimar" and has been around since 1952. Which means it's been around since before my time. My great grandmother wore Shalimar, it was the first perfume my father ever bought me that would constitute owning a "grown up" scent.

The memories return each time I open a bottle, all the way back to being a small child sitting on my grandmother's lap being cuddled and loved to nervously applying just a dab on those first date moments such as prom, to my first wedding night, and my second and my third (smile).

There are many new perfumes and colognes out there, but I am a creature of habit, with only a few as a favorite though I do experience the different ones, having four daughters. Thanks to the internet, no matter where you live, you can at times find some great deals, for those of you in the UK there are great websites like this that have a huge selection of items and pricing.

A mild version of Animal House...

Last night my oldest daughter had her college friends over for a graduation party. Having heard stories of some of the fraternity parties in the past, I'd be less than honest if I didn't say I had some initial fears. However, while they did drink and play beer pong, those who drank too much that did not have designated drivers stayed over, nothing was broken, no one threw up, and no one caused me to feel as if I needed to take mass quantities of drugs that would entail a later trip to drug rehab from the experience.

Similar to high school parties (minus the drinking) the key to a successful party is mass quantities of snack foods, hot dogs, chips, chocolate chip cookies and mini cheescakes were consumed in a larger quantity than the beer...Though surprisingly the fresh veggie tray was well received, so at least as they've gotten older they are eating a bit healthier.

Movie posters and memories...

I remember when my husband first moved in with us and he was really into collecting rare movie posters, he had this huge poster from the movie "Scarface" that took up almost one whole wall of our bedroom. I felt as if I was living in Al Pacino land...Eventually a more decorative style took over, but if we ever had a den, I'm sure that some of these items would reappear...

How our marriage saved my husband's finger...

A true story...I used to worry about my husband wearing his wedding ring at work because he works around machinery yet what ended up happening was a piece of equipment came crashing down near his hand. Thankfully the ring took the impact and while it broke? His finger was fine, which just goes to show you, sometimes wedding rings can be very important.

:-)