Son #1 has his learner's permit. I'll be in the passenger seat a great deal of the time for the next few years, as all the Sons learn to drive.
I sound exactly like my father, and fully expect to put my foot through the floor where the brake should be by the time Son #4 is on the road.
Laissez le bon temps roulez!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, August 09, 2010
Questions and statements from Son #3, before 7 a.m. on a Monday
How does the Catholic Church canonize saints?
If you become a saint, does that mean you were always a saint?
Why does Uncle ____ hate the Catholic church so much? What are the SPECIFICS?
Why does he think that? That makes no sense.
When I'm a saint I'm going to send a meteor to the Amazon...and manatees...and baboons. Millions of lives saved. (Trust me, that is the short version)
Why is that not a certifiable miracle? There's no scientific explanation.
Why do people drag chairs instead of lifting them?
Even when teachers explain that they make noise downstairs?
And dragging them is actually harder than carrying them, because they are not heavy?
What do you think of the current Pope?
Maybe some saint is causing Tiger Woods' extended funk.
What do you think is the best haircut for an albino?
There were more, but they just kinda flowed over me and I can no longer remember them. I have only been up about one hour.
If you become a saint, does that mean you were always a saint?
Why does Uncle ____ hate the Catholic church so much? What are the SPECIFICS?
Why does he think that? That makes no sense.
When I'm a saint I'm going to send a meteor to the Amazon...and manatees...and baboons. Millions of lives saved. (Trust me, that is the short version)
Why is that not a certifiable miracle? There's no scientific explanation.
Why do people drag chairs instead of lifting them?
Even when teachers explain that they make noise downstairs?
And dragging them is actually harder than carrying them, because they are not heavy?
What do you think of the current Pope?
Maybe some saint is causing Tiger Woods' extended funk.
What do you think is the best haircut for an albino?
There were more, but they just kinda flowed over me and I can no longer remember them. I have only been up about one hour.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Rol's always good for a meme
28 Questions
From Rol, who gives me more than anyone else I've never met.
1. Was your dad named after anyone?
Yes. He comes from a long line of people named after each other. Were I a boy, I would have been named after his brother. I feel slightly bad about that.
2. What do you think is the minimal age to get married?
Somewhere in the late teens.
3. What’s the longest time you‘ve been involved with the same person?
25 years.
4. What actor/actress do you consider hot at the moment?
The only show I watch these days is Mad Men, so let's go with that guy who plays Don Draper. Although in the shirtless scenes I always want to tell him to have that big, hairy mole removed.
5. What is your favourite album by a band?
The Allman Brothers put out a "best of" in about 1979. It's in my car.
6. What is your favorite album by an individual?
John Prine, Bruised Orange/Chain of Sorrow.
7. What is something you‘d rather be a bit dirty?
Trucks.
8. What was the last TV show you watched?
Mad Men. Janey was wearing my dress (check the profile photo!) at the Christmas party.
9. How many people have you met from the blogosphere? Who are they?
I only know the bloggers I knew before they were bloggers, although I have had long email/FB conversations with some and think they would make great friends in real life. I'm looking at you, Celtic Knot and Sue.
10. What's your philosophy on life?
Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out. Just keep moving.
11. Do you think prescription drugs are over prescribed?
I think a lot of them are. On the other hand, I think people in end-of-life pain should be able to be as jacked up as they want.
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
Yes. I'm a grown-up.
13. What is your favorite memory in the last year?
There have been a lot of good ones.
14. What is your favourite guilty pleasure?
I'm not sure I believe in that concept.
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
I have no sense of direction.
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they?
i) Perfection
ii) Wealth
iii) Discipline
17. Who would you want to get together with and make a cake?
Paula Dean. Although it would probably kill me.
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
The one I'm living in.
19. What is your big weakness?
Stubbornness
20. What's your favourite Spielberg film?
Raiders of the Lost Ark.
21. What was your best/favourite subject at school?
English.
22. Describe your accent:
Maryland. But not Baltimore.
23. If you could change anything about yourself, would you?
Good lord, yes.
24. What do you wear to sleep?
Often, the clothes I wore that day. Occasionally a nightgown.
25. What is your favorite casual outfit to wear?
Jeans and a crisp button-down shirt. and heels. We must not forget the heels.
26. Do you use cigarettes or alcohol?
No, and only exceedingly rarely.
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!)
Probably sit and talk. After all, you're practically dead.
From Rol, who gives me more than anyone else I've never met.
1. Was your dad named after anyone?
Yes. He comes from a long line of people named after each other. Were I a boy, I would have been named after his brother. I feel slightly bad about that.
2. What do you think is the minimal age to get married?
Somewhere in the late teens.
3. What’s the longest time you‘ve been involved with the same person?
25 years.
4. What actor/actress do you consider hot at the moment?
The only show I watch these days is Mad Men, so let's go with that guy who plays Don Draper. Although in the shirtless scenes I always want to tell him to have that big, hairy mole removed.
5. What is your favourite album by a band?
The Allman Brothers put out a "best of" in about 1979. It's in my car.
6. What is your favorite album by an individual?
John Prine, Bruised Orange/Chain of Sorrow.
7. What is something you‘d rather be a bit dirty?
Trucks.
8. What was the last TV show you watched?
Mad Men. Janey was wearing my dress (check the profile photo!) at the Christmas party.
9. How many people have you met from the blogosphere? Who are they?
I only know the bloggers I knew before they were bloggers, although I have had long email/FB conversations with some and think they would make great friends in real life. I'm looking at you, Celtic Knot and Sue.
10. What's your philosophy on life?
Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out. Just keep moving.
11. Do you think prescription drugs are over prescribed?
I think a lot of them are. On the other hand, I think people in end-of-life pain should be able to be as jacked up as they want.
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
Yes. I'm a grown-up.
13. What is your favorite memory in the last year?
There have been a lot of good ones.
14. What is your favourite guilty pleasure?
I'm not sure I believe in that concept.
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
I have no sense of direction.
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they?
i) Perfection
ii) Wealth
iii) Discipline
17. Who would you want to get together with and make a cake?
Paula Dean. Although it would probably kill me.
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
The one I'm living in.
19. What is your big weakness?
Stubbornness
20. What's your favourite Spielberg film?
Raiders of the Lost Ark.
21. What was your best/favourite subject at school?
English.
22. Describe your accent:
Maryland. But not Baltimore.
23. If you could change anything about yourself, would you?
Good lord, yes.
24. What do you wear to sleep?
Often, the clothes I wore that day. Occasionally a nightgown.
25. What is your favorite casual outfit to wear?
Jeans and a crisp button-down shirt. and heels. We must not forget the heels.
26. Do you use cigarettes or alcohol?
No, and only exceedingly rarely.
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!)
Probably sit and talk. After all, you're practically dead.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Maple Leaved
Our Canadian houseguests left yesterday morning. I went to work, came home, ate something that required no cooking and went to bed.
"You realize it's 8:00, right?"
Yes, yes I do. 8:00, and my bed looks as inviting as possible.
"You realize it's 8:00, right?"
Yes, yes I do. 8:00, and my bed looks as inviting as possible.
Monday, August 02, 2010
A sampling from the girly tray
I am not allowed to talk about what I'm writing about at work, obviously.
Go buy the paper on Wednesday :)
But, hey, I can tell you this much: Today, I wrote a profile on a local political candidate. I wrote about a church that is under construction. I wrote about the concerns of a certain group of local businesspeople, and the state's response to current conditions. And I wrote about a health care program.
None of that is really spectacular, but it was interesting for me, and much of it also was slightly out on the edge of the Girl Beat. Why's that? because people are busy.
There were so many candidates, the candidate profile people didn't have time for them all, so they gave me one.
The church, well, that is solidly in my beat, but I think I did a better job interviewing, this time, so that should the article be picked up by the Post I won't have to add anything to it. Love them facts 'n figures!
The business group thing? I got that assignment kind of at the last minute. I am always happy to grab Interesting Stuff at the last minute, because ordinarily that would have been someone else's beat, but he was off work that day, so LUCKY ME!
And the health thing took me forever to research, because I was enjoying myself and just kept interviewing people. And then the people I was supposed to photograph backed out. And a lot of people did not answer my phone calls and emails. But all in all it was still interesting to research, and I think will be genuinely helpful to some readers.
The health article and the business group article both came out kinda long, so I wonder how that'll go over. I don't mind if they both get edited way down, but I don't want to upset anyone, either, ya know? I'm still a newbie there.
Tomorrow is a proofreading day, and then I am going to write a sports article.
I've been carrying my notes for that around forever, because other things seemed to take precedence. Every time something more important came up, or something I could knock out in a very short period of time between interviews, I'd push the sports thing farther back in queue. It's finally at the front of the line, and yes, it has also occurred to me that to some people sports articles are the whole reason to buy a newspaper.
Then, tomorrow night I am going to cover a couple community events. Should be fun.
Go buy the paper on Wednesday :)
But, hey, I can tell you this much: Today, I wrote a profile on a local political candidate. I wrote about a church that is under construction. I wrote about the concerns of a certain group of local businesspeople, and the state's response to current conditions. And I wrote about a health care program.
None of that is really spectacular, but it was interesting for me, and much of it also was slightly out on the edge of the Girl Beat. Why's that? because people are busy.
There were so many candidates, the candidate profile people didn't have time for them all, so they gave me one.
The church, well, that is solidly in my beat, but I think I did a better job interviewing, this time, so that should the article be picked up by the Post I won't have to add anything to it. Love them facts 'n figures!
The business group thing? I got that assignment kind of at the last minute. I am always happy to grab Interesting Stuff at the last minute, because ordinarily that would have been someone else's beat, but he was off work that day, so LUCKY ME!
And the health thing took me forever to research, because I was enjoying myself and just kept interviewing people. And then the people I was supposed to photograph backed out. And a lot of people did not answer my phone calls and emails. But all in all it was still interesting to research, and I think will be genuinely helpful to some readers.
The health article and the business group article both came out kinda long, so I wonder how that'll go over. I don't mind if they both get edited way down, but I don't want to upset anyone, either, ya know? I'm still a newbie there.
Tomorrow is a proofreading day, and then I am going to write a sports article.
I've been carrying my notes for that around forever, because other things seemed to take precedence. Every time something more important came up, or something I could knock out in a very short period of time between interviews, I'd push the sports thing farther back in queue. It's finally at the front of the line, and yes, it has also occurred to me that to some people sports articles are the whole reason to buy a newspaper.
Then, tomorrow night I am going to cover a couple community events. Should be fun.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Weekend Dustbunny
The Sons and I have been cleaning house, today. It's not done, but it is a lot better around here than it was this morning, and that is generally my standard for progress on any front.
We have company coming on Tuesday--haven't seen these people in 14 years, and they'll be spending the night at our house as they travel from Toronto to Florida. I'd like the house to be orderly and all that, but---I'm not even going to be home until about 9:30 that night, so I pretty much have to do what I can, today, and then let the rest just go. I can only do what I can do.
I keep telling myself that no one in their right mind comes to the house of a working couple with teen sons and multiple pets and expects it to look fabulous, but...well, you know how it is.
I refuse to think that the goal of life is a freshly-shampooed rug, even though that WAS kind of on my tentative plan for this weekend.
Whaddya gonna do?
We have company coming on Tuesday--haven't seen these people in 14 years, and they'll be spending the night at our house as they travel from Toronto to Florida. I'd like the house to be orderly and all that, but---I'm not even going to be home until about 9:30 that night, so I pretty much have to do what I can, today, and then let the rest just go. I can only do what I can do.
I keep telling myself that no one in their right mind comes to the house of a working couple with teen sons and multiple pets and expects it to look fabulous, but...well, you know how it is.
I refuse to think that the goal of life is a freshly-shampooed rug, even though that WAS kind of on my tentative plan for this weekend.
Whaddya gonna do?
Friday, July 30, 2010
Why does this always happen? Why does this always happen to me?
Darn it, I thought the crying deacon photo and its accompanying article were going to appear in the paper today. Then someone had the audacity to get murdered, and the graduation rates have gone up, and there have been all sorts of other Actual News Items to report, and...crying deacon waits.
Crying Deacon is art, baby. Not my art, but the photographer's, and I get to brush up against it.
Maybe next issue.
And for those of you who aren't sure I know it's no big deal, here's a video to make you feel better:
Crying Deacon is art, baby. Not my art, but the photographer's, and I get to brush up against it.
Maybe next issue.
And for those of you who aren't sure I know it's no big deal, here's a video to make you feel better:
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