Staying in Dayton - For Now

I mentioned in may that we were considering moving back to Cincinnati, Ohio. That was before our car broke down.

Today we signed on for another six months at our apartment, and rent goes up twenty dollars. Nothing else has changed.So, we'll see how things are next March.

Maxine is Gone - Good Riddance and Goodwill

I previously mentioned that Maxine Is Dead. Maxine was the name of the 1983 Nissan Maxima that Mom gave us when she moved back to Texas.

Since then I've been trying to arrange for her final disposition. The most expedient way of taking care of her was to give her to Goodwill. Today they sent someone to pick her up.

How nice to have that finished. The car broke down at work, and they had been very patient as I've arranged to take care of it. As the days and weeks passed, however, I would often feel guilty for not doing more to resolve it.

Now that she's gone, I can relax a bit.

Bionic Ear Blog

Some readers may be aware that my daughter Keisha is hard of hearing. She has worn hearing aids since she was three years old. For about four years then.

Keisha's hearing loss is called "sensineural" (or sensorineural - my spelling may be off). It was described to Jennie (my wife) and I that her cochleas were not completely formed when she was born.

I found the "Bionic Ear Blog" among the Google Search Results for "sensineural hearing loss". It describes Meryl's adventures in getting a cochlear implant. She has the same type of hearing loss that our Keisha has.

I look forward to reading more.

Black Motivational Speakers - Mind Magic

I saw this link in the referrer logs. I want to return there. So I posted about it. End of line.

SuperLaugh.NET Premium eGreetings

I received the link to the one about thongs via email. Geez!

Remembering Grandma Mitchell

This morning Mom sent an email to her family members about her Mom:

This is to remind everyone Mom would have celebrated her 89th birthday today.

I know we all wish she were here to celebrate with together. However take a minute to pause and just thank her for the contribution she made to your life personally.

I think that would be a great way to honor her today.

I think of all you daily and with much love,
Margie

My grandma, Loraine Mitchell, died when I was in kindgergarten (1975). The only thing I remember about it was when my Mom took me back to school. She told my teacher that if I looked like I was feeling down, it was probably because of Grandma's funeral:

I don't remember a whole lot about my grandma. I remember that Steph(my sister) and I would visit her and Gramps at their home at 52 Graham Street in Cincinnati. She would make us "brown cows" and "pink cows" (drinks made with ice cream and either root beer or cream soda, respectively).

I also remember that she showed us how to make a flower using some facial tissue, a pipe cleaner, and a little spritz of cologne. We would fold the tissue alternatively, like you would to make a fan. Then we would wrap an end of the pipe cleaner around the middle of the folded tissue. After that we would carefully peel the tissue up on both sides to create the petals of the flower. Then we'd spray a small amount of cologne to give our flower a scent.

I vaguely remember she called me "Little Bit." It turns out that she was petite herself, not much taller than 59 inches. I see a lot of her facial features in my aunts and uncles, and sometimes in me.

She also had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which contributed to her death. I found some posts from Mom's blog about it from the April 2003, when Mom had an echo cardiogram done:

• Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy Project
• Mom's personal reflection on being with her mother (my grandma) during her last days

I encourage you all to pray for my Mom. She has always been prone to feeling down on birth and death anniversaries.

crossposted to Me, Myself, and I

SETI@home: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at home

SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.

I've seen people using this at places I've worked. Neat screen saver, and who knows, you might help find aliens!

Star Wars: Episode III | Revenge of the Sith

We have to wait until May 19, 2005 to see what happens.

From Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back:

Yoda: I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: He will learn patience.

Finding Other Things

(Hmm... a similar theme, perhaps)

Ian's Messy Desk recommends these Twelve Principles for Finding Anything. I'm linking to it here so I can find it later.

Definitely needed info!

Finding Old Contacts

I often feel the same way:

Can I just say, I wish from my military past who I made a difference to would attempt to find me?

I know, that was bad. But there are people who made a difference to me so many years ago I'd love to be able to contact but still haven't been able to locate.

Time Goes By - What it's really like to get older

Clarence, the Official Hillbilly Prince of Journey Inside My Mind, recommends adding Time Goes By to your blogroll. I, too, like what the owner has done with the time progression pictures in the heading.

Mind on Fire

That how I'm feeling right now. I have a flurry of thoughts in my head, like a whirlwind. I like being able to blog because I can type faster than I write, and it's more legible. I use blogging to dump my brain.

I don't expect that anything will be completely cogent:

I realized this morning at church that I've gotten into the old habit of spending an unhealthy amount of time online. I'm going to have to limit myself to an hour; otherwise, I won't get anything else done.

In reading Driven to Distraction, Dr. Hallowell describes some practical ways of managing life with ADHD. The big thing is structure. I realize that some of this comes second nature to most people, but it doesn't to me.

I struggle with a low self-esteem, too. Big time. I am very sensitive to criticism, both from others and myself. Myself especially.

Just some thoughts.

Bloglines | Free, Web-Based News Aggregator

I used to use AmphetaDesk as my news aggregator, but since it doesn't support the Atom feed, I chose to go with Bloglines. I think I like it better, especially since I'm able to check my subscriptions from any computer with internet access. With Amphetadesk I have to download and use software on my own PC.

What It's Like To Have ADD

by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.
Copyright (C) 1992

What is it like to have ADD? What is the feel of the syndrome? I have a short talk that I often give to groups as an introduction to the subjective experience of ADD and what it is like to live with it: read more...

The door, the grill, a movie, some songs, and a Book

I having trouble staying awake to type this blog post. What a day. Here goes:

• THE DOOR
• THE GRILL
• A MOVIE
• SOME SONGS
• A BOOK

THE DOOR

This morning Jennie caught the bus to a podiatrist follow-up appointment. She left before Keisha left for school.

Shortly after that, two contractors arrived to fix a leaking problem we've had near our storm patio door. They removed the entire assembly and added some flashing. I had to leave for work before they were finished. They locked up when they were done.

THE GRILL

I rode the bike to work, listening to my new MP3 player along the way. Music and cycling go together like peas and carrots.

I arrived at work almost 15 minutes late, and I hit the ground running. After we'd switched from the breakfast to lunch menu, our crew trainer asked if anyone wanted to volunteer for the grill. Not many hands went up, so I volunteered. That meant that, from 10:45 to 3 I was non-stop at the grill. Because of how my schedule is set up, I do not often get sent on a break, especially when the restaurant is hoppin' busy.

I left work at 3 and rode the bike home. I showered -- much needed from sweat and the general "working around a grill" smell.

A MOVIE

Afterward, Jennie and I watched "A Beautiful Mind", which we'd checked out recently from the library. Having seen it, I now understand why it was so critically acclaimed two years ago and why it won so many Academy Awards.

We ate dinner, and Jennie went to bed for awhile before she had to get ready to go to work. Keisha and I cleaned up.

SOME SONGS

After that, I grabbed my guitar and started strumming, practicing, whatever you want to call it. Keisha requested that I play "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", which is in one of the songbooks I borrowed from the library. I showed her how to follow along with the words as I played. That was fun.

I tried "Down By The Riverside", but she wasn't as interested in singing along. Then I sat down and played this song called "The Window", which I got out of a campfire songbook, which I, of course, borrowed from the library. "The Window" takes the first couple of lines from a nursery rhyme and ends it with "out the window. For example

Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
She threw it out the window

The window, the window
The second story window
If you don't know your nursery rhymes
We'll throw you out the window

You do this with as many nursery rhymes as you can remember. We did "Humpty Dumpty" and "Three Little Kittens", too.

Then I played "Down by the Bay", which I had first heard from Raffi about seven years ago. It's one of those "add a verse" songs, too. For instance

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say:

Did you ever see a goose
Kissing a moose?

Down by the bay

Keisha and I would take turns with the rhyming part. She started getting really goofy by coming up with her own rhyming words for stuff. After she'd say her part, she'd crack up laughing. That was so much fun.

A BOOK

Finally, I put the guitar away, and we snuggled up on the couch to finish this book we'd checked out from the library. It's a children's poetry book entitled Love That Dog. I read most of the words for time's sake, but I let Keisha read some bits and pieces. It was a really good book. It's a story about a young student named Jack who is exploring poetry and, in looking for inspiration, finds it in a dog.

I Don't Just Buy Movies

We rent movies; we usually check them out from the library. When I am in the market for a movie to own, I don't just go out and buy any movie. I would like to have seen it first. Then it has to be something I would like to have added to our collection. It's gotta be something special. But not too pricey.

So, a couple months ago, when I got a Blockbuster video gift card for $10, I stashed it away for awhile. I happen to work next door to one of their stores, and yet, until today, I hadn't gone in to redeem the gift card

After work I went to the store, and first browsed their "Previously Viewed" collections, which are on sale for less than a brand new copy would be. I then made my way around the outer walls of the store, examining the selections they were renting. I was trying to think of any titles that were on my favorites list.

I then ventured to the alphabetized collection. Some of the movies I would like to have were too pricey for me. Finally, I settled for the Sleepers DVD. I saw the movie some years ago, and I bought the book at Half Price Books awhile back.

I had requested the movie from the library, but it wasn't in their collection, and the request eventually expired. So, we'll see.

I am not a mechanic

... nor do I play one on TV.

I'd only had the Ask the Danimal box on this blog for a day, and I was notified that someone asked this question:

What causes the vehicle to fail an ASM vehicle emissions test?

My first thought was... Why do I care? I later decided that I could at least try to find out something. I was curious to find out what ASM stood for. So I did.

What? I'm not going to reproduce the answer for you here. ;P You ask the question yourself.

Ask the Danimal

"Isn't science wonderful?" says my Dad when he shares something inventive or the like with me and others. It generally is stated with a slight bit of sarcasm; I mean, after all, not everything depends on science. Or does it?

Maybe I should get to the point here. I think it's rather interesting that I've begun to pose that same question in the same manner when I've come across something that I find pretty cool.

Such is the case with the My Qbox, which I've recently added to the blog sidebar. With it I am able to set up my own knowledge base. I figure that it is the next step from a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

I've only begun to add answers to questions. I've already tried it out with some of the same questions that are on my FAQ. Pretty cool so far.

So, there it is, folks! Feel free to ask me a question.

A Different Kind of 8 Mile - Trip

Greetings from the Northtown-Shiloh Branch of the Dayton Metro Library. I am making my way home from a therapist appointment I had this afternoon in Kettering, Ohio.

Shortly after 12 Noon I left home on my bike, and I rode from Turner Rd (Needmore Rd) to Riverside Drive. I got onto Riverside and rode all the way to where it meets the Bike Trail.

I got on the bike trail and continued to Stewart Road. From Stewart I turned onto Patterson and headed the rest of the way to my appointment:

I haven't gone on such an extensive bike ride in a very long time. I was so tired when I finally got to my appointment (15 minutes late), that I decided to catch the bus back home. My therapist is an avid cyclist himself, and he estimates that I rode over 8 miles to get to my appointment.

I saw this morning that I have items on hold for me here, so I stopped off to pick them up.

Jennie and Keisha are on their own adventure this afternoon. Keisha is having her annual physical at the pediatrician's office near the Englewood Meijer. I know that Jennie is going to be flat-out exhausted, since she worked last night and hasn't caught up on her sleep.

Chalking Escapades

Yesterday evening after dinner Keisha and I took Jake outside. While he did his business, she and I made some chalk drawings in the parking lot.

At first we did some random stuff. Keisha drew a picture of a sun, a tree, and some clouds. I drew something that resembled a sine wave and proceeded to add facial features to each hump of the design.

Then I wrote the following:

You can pick your nose
You can pick your friends
But you can not pick your friend's NOSE!

Keisha and I wrote our names vertically. I added descriptive words that begin with each letter of our names while she drew pictures of things that begin with the letters in our names. In parentheses are the pictures she drew:

• Kind (Kite)
• Enjoys (Easter egg)
• Inventive (Ice cream cone)
• Smart (Snake)
• Happy (Happy face)
• Artistic (Apple)

• Daredevil (Dinosaur)
• Artistic (Ant)
• Nutsy (Nose)

Then I walked around the area and wrote words with arrows pointing to the objects they described; for example, light, dumpster, parking space, peeing stone (for Jake the dog).

We then walked back to our apartment building and did some chalk stuff there. I wrote more words with arrows; for example, lamp post, tree, retaining wall. Then I felt a little bored, so I started writing the license plate numbers of cars that were parked in front of the sidewalk. I also wrote

Take trash out
This way

with an arrow pointing toward the dumpster.

Finally, I noticed this Ford Bronco that has been sitting for as long as I can remember in the same spot. Once, when the tires had gone flat, the apartment company management stuck a Tow sticker on it. The owner reinflated the tires and removed the sticker.

I wrote in front of the car on the sidewalk:

Does this Bronco ever move?

I spoke with Mom on the phone last night and mentioned our chalking escapades. She said I should be careful because someone might want to kick my butt.

Yahoo! News - Burger Fan Wolfs Down 20,000th Big Mac

By The Associated Press

FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Chalk up another meaty milestone for Don Gorske. The Fond du Lac man downed his 20,000th Big Mac sandwich Monday, while surrounded by spectators at a local McDonald's restaurant.

He already had made the "Guinness World Records" book for eating a record number of Big Macs before he hit number 19,000 in March 2003.

He has been eating the fast food sandwiches since 1972 at a rate of at least one a day, and said he has eaten a Big Mac from every state in the union.

Still, the 6-foot Gorske has maintained his weight at about 170 pounds.

I guess there are any number of ways to become famous. With that Sony promotion going on, I wonder if he's been racking up the free music.

2005 Update: removed reference to the link from Yahoo!, which is now obsolete.

Gettin' Busy with the Burgers, Among Other Things

Work today went really well. Here's a description of what I did:

I typically spend from 10 to 10:15 cleaning up around the grill and fried food area. At 10:15 I drop all the fried food for lunch. When I say drop, I mean place the food into the fryer vats and set the timers for the food to cook.

While the fried food cooks, I get trays to put the cooked food into so that they can be placed into staging cabinets. Also I get ready to disconnect the breakfast equipment and move it out of the way so that the crew can focus on the regular menu. This occurs at 10:30 within a few seconds.

After the condiment table, bun toaster, and other equipment was in place, one manager asked me to take care of the trash and cardboard. I went through the walk-in refrigerator and freezer, along with the stockroom (where the dry goods are stored), to collect empty cardboard boxes.

One of the crew members gave me her car keys so that I could put as many of the boxes I had into her car. She needs them for an upcoming move. After I did that, I took the rest of the cardboard to the cardboard dumpster.

When I opened the lid to the dumpster, I was grateful that my coworker had taken so many of the boxes. I could barely put any of the boxes I had into the dumpster because it was practically full.

I then returned to take all the trash bags to the dumpster. I guess it wouldn't be called trash if it didn't stink and make you think of vomiting on yourself. Nevertheless, I put all the trash bags into the compactor and turned it on.

One bag was particularly nasty. It wasn't closed that well, and someone had placed it in the trash container upside down. It was juicy. Yeah, I guess that's a good word to describe it. Heavy, too.

After I'd emptied the trash container, I needed to rinse it out because there were, um, juices left over. It was also a good time to rinse my hands and forearms off.

I had to do the same thing with the cardboard container because it had some trash in it.

When I'd returned from that task, they needed me to take over the grill. Working the grill is nonstop during the day. I'm always cooking meat. The challenge is to cook just enough so that the crew doesn't run out while not cooking too much. Management has prepared charts that indicate how much we should keep in the staging cabinet. The process involves timing, stamina, and endurance.

Today was a great day to work the grill. I worked with some really great crew members, too. I was happy as long as I had the meat to cook and I got cups of ice water every so often.

I didn't even notice that it was past the time for me to get off. The crew still needed someone to cook the meat, and management hadn't provided someone to replace me yet.

I also didn't get a break, which happens sometimes because of how my shift is laid out with respect to how busy the restaurant is.

JOKE ALERT - Mischievous Boys

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous.

The boys were so good at getting into trouble that their parents knew if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys.

The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually.

So the mother sent her 8-year-old in first that morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.

The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide eyed.

So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?"

Again the boy made no attempt to answer.

So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing-and they think WE did it.!"

Bicycle, Bicycle

My wife is awesome!

This afternoon Jennie and I rode our new bikes to the library, grocery store and back. It's been about 10 years since I'd been riding a bike consistently, but it's been about 20 for Jennie:

I've heard it said that you never forget how to ride a bike once you learn (I finally learned how to ride a bike on my own when I was 8 years old, by the way.). To a large extent, that's true. The thing that is forgotten over the years is the tendency to be as bold. Jennie and I both are showing some hesitation as we get used to our new bikes.

We were getting ready to go down a hill on this residential street, and Jennie got up the courage to pedal down. She's been really wary of going to fast and not being in control of the bike (braking, steering, shifting gears simultaneously). She got to one point, and, in trying to slow down and stop, she crashed.

A car parked on the side of the road helped brake her fall. She's probably bruised part of her left inner thigh, and she has about an inch and a half area of her knee scraped off.

Still, I'm very proud of Jennie for going the distance today. My wife is awesome!

Check Out The New Duds!

I had only intended to show up here to blog about my daughter's birthday. Well... one thing led to another, and now you see the results.

I still have more from the old template that I want to bring over, but I like what I have so far.

BTW, I should have been in bed over 5 hours ago!

Happy Birthday, Keisha!

Seven years and counting. Last year (July 2003) I posted my memories of the day Keisha was born in a multi-post series entitled "Out She Comes!" Here are the the links (it was done over a series of days):

• Out She Comes! Part 1
• Out She Comes! Part 2
• Out She Comes! Part 3
• Out She Comes! Part 4
• Out She Comes! Part 5

The Daughter vs. The Dad

Keisha is upset with me right now because I've ordered her to make her bed. I showed her what to do a week ago, and she's mad because I'm having her do it on her own this time.

The "crocodile" tears came, so I closed her door.

I'll wait a little while to see how she's doing. Then I'll help her. Maybe.

We're Rollin' Again - Sort Of

Jennie got a nice paycheck last week, and we three got new bikes. It's been ten years since I've ridden a bike. The last one I owned lay in a crumpled heap until we moved when Keisha was born.

Tonight I did battle with Keisha's bike. All I wanted to do was to put training wheels on. It turns out that the bike has gears and other stuff that gets in the way. I didn't believe it, so I took the derailleur, as it's called, off, installed the training wheels, and then tried to put it back on.

What followed were a couple - at least - hours of trying different ways of getting the bike to go back together with training wheels, and, finally, resorting to putting the derailleur back on in hopes of getting the bike to the condition it was before I started messing with it.

Jennie and I bought our bikes this afternoon at Meijer and planned to take the bus home. RTA buses have bike racks installed. Unfortunately, when our bus arrived, someone else's bike was already on it, and the driver said that we couldn't bring the other bike on the bus.

I kissed Jennie goodbye and headed off to get ready to ride the bike home - it's virgin trip, you might say. It only took 26 minutes, and I'm a better man for it, to be sure.

Car Breakdowns

This story reminds of my own recent automotive mishap:

A man was driving through Wyoming one spring evening. The road was deserted, and he had not seen a soul for what seemed like hours. Suddenly his car started to cough and sputter, and the engine slowly died away, leaving him sitting by the road in total silence.

He popped the hood and looked to see if there was anything that he could do to get it going again. Unfortunately, he had a limited knowledge of cars, so all he could do was look at the engine, feeling despondent.

As he peered by the gradually fading light of his flashlight, he cursed that he had not put in new batteries, like he had promised.

Suddenly, through the inky shadows, came a deep voice, "It's your fuel pump."

The man jumped up quickly striking his head on the underside of the hood. "Who said that?" he demanded.

There were two horses standing in the field alongside, and the man was amazed when the nearest of the two horses repeated, "It's your fuel pump. Tap it with your flashlight, and try it again."

Confused, the man tapped the fuel pump with his flashlight, turned the key, and sure enough, the engine roared into life. He muttered a short thanks to the horse and screeched away.

When he reached the next town, he ran into the local bar. "Large whiskey, please!" he said.

A rancher sitting at the bar looked at the man's ashen face and asked, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"It's unbelievable," the man said and recalled the whole tale to the rancher.

The rancher took a sip of his beer and looked thoughtful. "A horse, you say? Was it by any chance a white horse?"

The man replied to the affirmative. "Yes it was! Am I crazy?"

"No, you ain't crazy. In fact, you're lucky," said the rancher, "because the black horse doesn't know anything about cars!"

Thanks to Mom for forwarding me the email!

trust me, its going to be ok

Howstuffworks | "How Blogs Work"

Blogs appear on the news pretty often these days. For example, a reporter is tipped to a story by a blog, or a blog reports another angle on a story. Blogs show up in magazines a lot, too.

But there is a good chance you have never seen a blog (also known as a weblog) or experienced the Blogosphere. What are blogs? There are now millions of them -- where did they all come from?

In this article, you will have a chance to enter the world of blogging. You will even learn how to create your own blog and publish it to the world!

Kerry+Edwards: Let's Get It On

I see that I'm not the only one who thought something was going on as these two held one another.

I Leave For Awhile And Look What Happens

I just found out that I need to update my weblogs, etc., to remove BlogMatrix references, etc.

The Daily Rant

Some pretty funny stuff! I found it listed in the "humor" category on Blogwise.com

Build Your Own Hell

fortunately, it's not up to me

Parents who bring squalling brats to R-rated movies
Circle I Limbo

General asshats
Circle II Whirling in a Dark & Stormy Wind

Oakland Raider Fans
Circle III Mud, Rain, Cold, Hail & Snow

Bill Collectors
Circle IV Rolling Weights

PETA Members, Spammers, Militant Vegans
Circle V Stuck in Mud, Mangled

River Styx

Rapists, Child Molestors
Circle VI Buried for Eternity

River Phlegyas

Saddam Hussein
Circle VII Burning Sands

Uday Hussein, Qusay Hussein
Circle IIX Immersed in Excrement

Osama bin Laden
Circle IX Frozen in Ice

Design your own hell

Across the Pond!: Carla's Summer Reading List

I'm thinking of checking one or more of the items on her list for myself.

One of These Mornings

Yesterday Keisha and I went to the local library, and I checked out a copy of Moby's 18. It has the song "One of These Mornings," which was used during some episodes of CBS's "Without a Trace."

When my wife came home and shared what happened last night (see related post "I Lift Up My Wife"), I thought it was somewhat cathartic to play that song.

I Lift Up My Wife

Last night at work my wife Jennie found out that one of the residents that she's been taking care of passed away yesterday afternoon. She and other nurse's aides and staff knew that it was only a matter of time.

One of the many things I love about my wife is that she is so caring. It is obvious when I hear her share her experiences in caring for these residents that she loves them. She gives her heart fully to them. I'm so grateful to God that my wife is the way that she is.

Perhaps it comes from having to help take care of her own father when she was younger. He was 67 years old when Jennie was born, and when Jennie was about 13 years old, he passed away. For some time before that, her family took care of him at home. But they eventually had to place him in a nursing home because they didn't have the resources at home to continue to care for him the way he needed.

Because Jennie has given her heart to these older men and women, when they pass away, she grieves, too. I told her this morning that I think it's incredible that God blessed these people by having her take care of them during their last days.

It's evident that these residents love Jennie back, too. They miss her when she takes days off and when she leaves at the end of her shift.

What a truly wonderful woman!

And Now For Something Completely Different

You might think this is crude, but, since it's my journal, I'll go ahead and say it anyway...

Eating a more healthy diet has meant that our family has more gas. It's one of those things that happens with eating more fruits and vegetables.

Of course, when the gas needs to come out, the social norm is such that it should be done discreetly and in private. Unfortunately, sometimes this doesn't happen; in some cases, it's impossible.

As part of the grill team at work, I'm in close proximity to three other people for practically my entire shift. Working in fast food has a number of stress-creating situations, and tempers, emotions, attitudes can flare up easily.

I've tried to interject humor here and there, as much as possible. I tell corny jokes, parody the popular songs played on the stereo system, and so forth.

I think that one of these times I should just let go with a big, loud fart. Naturally, it will alarm my coworkers. Who knows? It might even cause a customer, hearing it from the front counter (about 50 feet away from the grill area), to reply, "I don't want HIM working around my food!!"

Just a thought. Now back to regular programming...

Friday Night Fright

Last night, after Jennie had left for work and Keisha had went to bed, I watched "The Shining". The video had a "Making Of" spot done by Vivian Kubrick.

The first time I saw that movie, I also had rented Pink Floyd's "The Wall". I remember that I'd gotten some wine coolers and had the house to myself. I was at my folks' house and must have been staying there for the weekend when I was in college.

After getting drunk, I put the movies in. It's funny because I heard that being in that state of mind is what is needed to follow "The Wall", lol! I also remember that I laughed at all the horror stuff during "The Shining".

I didn't get drunk last night, thankfully. Having seen the Kubrick version, I'd like to see the 1997 TV version.

Earlier this week I saw "One Hour Photo", with Robin Williams as the obsessed photo lab clerk. Really eerie.

I'm really grateful for the public library! I just requested the DVD for Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" (go get your own IMDB link if you want). I've never seen it, but I read the book when I was in high school.

Puppet Fun with Keisha

Yesterday Keisha really wanted to put on a puppet show. She had in mind to do an elaborate stage, with curtains and so forth, but that was not going to be possible. I instead suggested that she use the back of our couch or a table.

Last night, before we put her to bed, she reminded me that she still wanted to put it on. I told her that she had five minutes to show me what she had.

One of the puppets is an actual elephant hand puppet. For another she used one of her socks. She then told the story of an elephant who found a peanut, cracked it open, discovered it was rotten, and yet ate it anyway.

I've played the song "Found a Peanut" (to the tune of "Clementine") for her, so she must have remembered the words to include in her story.

Then she said, "Okay, Daddy, you try it." I took the two puppets from her and proceeded to tell her a story about an elephant and a ghost who were afraid of each other. They finally met when the elephant came out of the restroom and saw the ghost waiting to go to the restroom.

It was a lot of fun!

Artificial Sweetener May Disrupt Body's Ability To Count Calories, According To New Study

Professor Terry Davidson and associate professor Susan Swithers, both in the Department of Psychological Sciences, found that artificial sweeteners may disrupt the body's natural ability to "count" calories based on foods' sweetness. This finding may explain why increasing numbers of people in the United States lack the natural ability to regulate food intake and body weight. The researchers also found that thick liquids aren't as satisfying – calorie for calorie – as are more solid foods.

On the surface this seems hard to believe, but perhaps a more thorough reading is necessary.

Donating Your Body to Science - Literally

Bodyworlds - The anatomical exhibition of real human bodies, preserved through plastination. Wow.

As my Dad would say, "Isn't science wonderful?"

Thanks to Brian B. for passing on the link!

Old Red Eyes

Check out Cincinnati Enquirer's Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Jim Borgman's salute to the Brood X Cicadas, which have been around the area this spring.

Waking Up The Neighborhood

I understand that it's a Saturday night, but the loud music and car horns have got to go when it's eleven o'clock and people are in bed trying to sleep:

Apparently, I wasn't the only who noticed. While waiting for Jennie's taxicab to pick her up for work a little while ago, I saw two sheriff's cruisers pull up to the car from which the noise originated. Harrison Township has a noise ordinance, and the police do enforce it.

I was about to go over to the vehicle to ask where the person he was honking for lived. I was perfectly willing to go knock on that person's door for him, since he seemed too lazy to do it himself and instead chose to wake up everyone in the complex with his honking and loud music.

Jennie convinced me not to do it, which was ultimately the safest way of dealing with it. I mean, I was willing to call the police, too, but someone else had beat me to it.

When we'd hear the honking, we thought it was Jennie's cab. Although she'd ordered it two hours before she needed it, it was still late. We called another cab company to order one from them. We then waited to see who arrived first.

I walked outside in response to the honking, cordless phone in hand, and stood there for a few minutes. It was then that the police cruisers arrived and took care of the situation.

Oddly enough, Jennie's cab (from the first company) arrived, too, but it was unable to get to our apartment building because the two sheriff's cruisers were in the way at first.

When I told Jennie about the police and her cab, I also mentioned that I'd overheard the deputy tell the man occupying the loud vehicle that they'd received a number of complaints about the loud music. I then thought that this young fella might think that I'm one of the complainers, since I had phone in hand and was waiting outside.

I guess I don't care that much about it anymore.

Code Amber Has Sex Offender Registry Links

Have you ever noticed that ticker that appears at the top of this screen? It broadcasts AMBER Alerts, the goals of which are to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of the children.

CodeAmber.org was established in August of 2002 to extend the reach of every Amber Alert to the World Wide Web. Please, add the Code Amber Ticker to your site today. You could help save a child's life.

In a recent email, Bryant Harper, Founder of CodeAmber.org, wrote:

We also recently published a page of links to sex offender registries for all fifty US states at http://codeamber.org/sor.html . Please take the time to check on your neighborhood and surrounding areas. I was shocked at the number of registered offenders here in Mandeville,
Louisiana. I know it's frightening but YOU need to know if one of these people is close to your children.

Check it out, will ya?

Belated Father's Day Quotations

I just added some quotations about fatherhood and parenting in general to QuotesBlog. I'd received them via email and am just getting around to adding them.

Re: 'History of Holes' Quote - via Email

This question came in the email a couple days ago:

date:     2004-06-29 14:34:51
subject:  History of Holes Quote

Hello, I am not what you would call a historian or a quotation buff but I have been given a mission by my dad to track down the earliest known use of the quotation, " The first rule of holes, if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!"

In my brief research I have noticed that there are several slightly different wordings which seem to relay the same message. If you could share any wisdom on this subject or point me in the right direction I would be appreciative.

Henry

Here's my reply:

Hi Henry!  Thanks for the email.  I'm replying with an email address that I normally use (The one you used to email me is one I have posted at my weblog/website to collect spam, etc.).

I searched my QuotesBlog and found the quotation, which I posted on Friday, August 23, 2002:

"Follow the rules of holes: If you are in one, stop digging." -- Dennis Healy
http://quotesblog.blogspot.com/2002_08_01_quotesblog_archive.html#80612360

I cannot remember where I found the quotation: it may have been from a Franklin Planner, the newspaper, or from some other source.  I don't even know who Dennis Healy is, for that matter.

I hope that this helps you in your research!  I have posted some links to other quotation websites at QuotesBlog. You may also find those helpful.

Thanks and feel free to keep in touch!

How cool, huh?

Update - Garry left these comments:

Denis Healey is a well known politician on this side of the pond. See the link below if you're interested in finding out more about him...

http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/d/de/denis_healey.html