I've been wanting to put a photo on my blog. Tried and tried but it wouldn't take it. FINALLY I used the old laptop pc rather than the iMac. Of course, that worked in a second. Bah, humbug!
Sorry for the lousy quality of the photo. It is about 10 years old too; I'm just a little grayer. We were in Nice, France and I was enjoying a glass of wine on the balcony. Well, now that I think about things, it was 1999; our 15th anniversary. Now that I know another of Blogger's secrets, I may try to find a better photo.
Once again, have a Great 08!
Monday, December 31, 2007
More questions & answers
Rant for the day: Bah! It's almost 80 degrees and over 80% humidity today. What happened to winter?
These came from a blog entitled becomingariver. I'm not sure I'm on the same page as this lady but I check out her blog regularly anyway! Did these last night but it was too late to post. Have a Happy New Year, y'all!
+++++++++++++++++++++
Never in my life have I - hurt myself intentionally.
When I am nervous - I perspire.
The last song I listened to was - theme from "Chocolate"
My hair is - going away.
When I was four - I lived in Ohio and met John
Last Christmas - was pretty good - MIL died and I certainly did not miss her.
I should be - in bed.
When I look down I see - the floor I need to fix.
The happiest recent event was - selling an old table.
By this time, next year - I hope to be living on a boat.
My current distress is - disposing of a lifetimes accumulation of "stuff".
I have a hard time understanding - religion; any religion.
If I won an award, the first person I would tell is - my wife.
I want to buy a - boat.
I plan on visiting - Washington, DC
The world could do without - religion.
The most recent thing I bought myself is - does champagne for New Year's count? If not, I don't remember.
The most recent thing that someone else bought for me was - Xmas gifts - shirts, books and scotch.
My middle name is - Chambers - my paternal grandmother's maiden name. I was WAY to embarrassed by it for years. Funny story: I was using my middle name as my password. A friend needed to use my work computer one night & had been told my password but couldn't remember it. Finally he called about 02:00 - he said he tried every possible spelling of "Marilyn" but couldn't figure it out. After I picked myself up off the floor, I managed to choke out the key phrase. (For those of you of tender years, Marilyn Chambers was a famous porn star back in the 70's.)
In the morning I - need to get back into my exercise program.
Last night I was so tired I - slept part of the night in my recliner.
There is this guy I know who - is severely depressed because he recently had to close his business.
If I were an animal - I'd like to be pretty high on the old food chain!
A better name for me would be - éminence grise.
Tomorrow, I am - hoping for a good, productive day.
Tonight, I am - emailing, blogging & on my third (& last) scotch.
These came from a blog entitled becomingariver. I'm not sure I'm on the same page as this lady but I check out her blog regularly anyway! Did these last night but it was too late to post. Have a Happy New Year, y'all!
+++++++++++++++++++++
Never in my life have I - hurt myself intentionally.
When I am nervous - I perspire.
The last song I listened to was - theme from "Chocolate"
My hair is - going away.
When I was four - I lived in Ohio and met John
Last Christmas - was pretty good - MIL died and I certainly did not miss her.
I should be - in bed.
When I look down I see - the floor I need to fix.
The happiest recent event was - selling an old table.
By this time, next year - I hope to be living on a boat.
My current distress is - disposing of a lifetimes accumulation of "stuff".
I have a hard time understanding - religion; any religion.
If I won an award, the first person I would tell is - my wife.
I want to buy a - boat.
I plan on visiting - Washington, DC
The world could do without - religion.
The most recent thing I bought myself is - does champagne for New Year's count? If not, I don't remember.
The most recent thing that someone else bought for me was - Xmas gifts - shirts, books and scotch.
My middle name is - Chambers - my paternal grandmother's maiden name. I was WAY to embarrassed by it for years. Funny story: I was using my middle name as my password. A friend needed to use my work computer one night & had been told my password but couldn't remember it. Finally he called about 02:00 - he said he tried every possible spelling of "Marilyn" but couldn't figure it out. After I picked myself up off the floor, I managed to choke out the key phrase. (For those of you of tender years, Marilyn Chambers was a famous porn star back in the 70's.)
In the morning I - need to get back into my exercise program.
Last night I was so tired I - slept part of the night in my recliner.
There is this guy I know who - is severely depressed because he recently had to close his business.
If I were an animal - I'd like to be pretty high on the old food chain!
A better name for me would be - éminence grise.
Tomorrow, I am - hoping for a good, productive day.
Tonight, I am - emailing, blogging & on my third (& last) scotch.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Questions - and answers
Checking out HLiza's blog she had this question series.
1. I watched a TV programme about plastic surgery recently.
If money is not an issue, would you do it? No; it's not like I scare people and I'm certainly not going to be a movie star!
If yes, which part of your body you'll like to change?
2. I find a lot of women here complaining that their husbands can't stand babies crying and will become crazy if the babies don't stop. What about your spouse? If you're single, do you think you can take it if you have a baby one day? My wife had children before we married so I missed out on the crying baby years. It would be tough to take but we keep reproducing so most people can manage it. Guess I could to.
3. Do you remember how you came to know about me (my blog)? Or did I appear in your blog comments section first? I think I saw you comment on Curate's Egg.
4. Tell me one house chore that you hate the most but have to do it repeatedly. Vacuuming - they aren't tall enough for men to use comfortably.
5. Name one foreign food you'll like to try one day. Well, as long as I can taste it in the country where it originated; turkish coffee in Turkey; jerk chicken in Jamaica; the different varieties of Chinese cuisine; the list is endless!
And just for fun, here' s a photo of someone else in his Xmas present. Unfortunately it didn't fit very well so I've returned it and am looking for one that is longer. Be careful out there.
1. I watched a TV programme about plastic surgery recently.
If money is not an issue, would you do it? No; it's not like I scare people and I'm certainly not going to be a movie star!
If yes, which part of your body you'll like to change?
2. I find a lot of women here complaining that their husbands can't stand babies crying and will become crazy if the babies don't stop. What about your spouse? If you're single, do you think you can take it if you have a baby one day? My wife had children before we married so I missed out on the crying baby years. It would be tough to take but we keep reproducing so most people can manage it. Guess I could to.
3. Do you remember how you came to know about me (my blog)? Or did I appear in your blog comments section first? I think I saw you comment on Curate's Egg.
4. Tell me one house chore that you hate the most but have to do it repeatedly. Vacuuming - they aren't tall enough for men to use comfortably.
5. Name one foreign food you'll like to try one day. Well, as long as I can taste it in the country where it originated; turkish coffee in Turkey; jerk chicken in Jamaica; the different varieties of Chinese cuisine; the list is endless!
And just for fun, here' s a photo of someone else in his Xmas present. Unfortunately it didn't fit very well so I've returned it and am looking for one that is longer. Be careful out there.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Made it!
The Xmas production is over! Everyone ate too much but thankfully didn't drink too much so we had a pretty good time. Presents were exchanged and everyone was polite about what they received. Even the grouch is happy.
This is the day when photos taken yesterday must be exchanged. I did a really lousy job and only had one that I'd share with anyone at all! It's odd. I must need to practice taking more photos in the house because the ones I do take are not turning out well at all. I've got a Canon Powershot S2 IS. It's a wonderful camera but somewhat complicated. Perhaps I've got some setting screwed up. Back to the camera book!
Here's someone with her Xmas present - getting ready for boating! Have a lovely day.
This is the day when photos taken yesterday must be exchanged. I did a really lousy job and only had one that I'd share with anyone at all! It's odd. I must need to practice taking more photos in the house because the ones I do take are not turning out well at all. I've got a Canon Powershot S2 IS. It's a wonderful camera but somewhat complicated. Perhaps I've got some setting screwed up. Back to the camera book!
Here's someone with her Xmas present - getting ready for boating! Have a lovely day.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Grouch
I've just re-read my last post and would like to apologize for being such a grouch. It sounds to me like something the Grinch would write. Anyway, sorry!
I am ready for the big day. I have been making beef jerky for several years and give it as gifts at Xmas. Everyone seems to like it; at least it disappears quickly! It's really easy to make, just a pain in the ass getting enough of it made to give. It took me about three weeks to get it all made. I also have purchased my wife's special present. She seems unable to watch me fix anything without helping so a few years ago I started buying her a tool every year for Xmas. This year it is a cordless electric screwdriver to replace one that she's worn out. As long as it is a good quality tool, she's happy.
The holiday is now just around the corner. I'll go out one more time this afternoon then we'll be busy hosting Xmas until the 26th. I usually treat myself to listening to Beethoven's Ninth at Xmas. The vocal portion is just so amazingly beautiful. that should help my mood!
New Years is one of my favorite holidays. First Xmas is over! But it is also a time to plan for the new year and to thing again about how fortunate we are. Three things have happened just lately to remind me of my own good fortune.
We bought a new table for our dining nook. The neighbor had a furniture store but has gone out of business. They were left with odds & ends; this one fits the space nicely making it look much larger than the old table. I was planning on renting one before putting the house on the market but this is much better and we are doing the neighbor a good turn helping him to get rid of his junk. Closing out your business has to be really tough on a person.
Sending out Xmas cards sometimes gets unexpected results. Last night my cousin's wife called to let us know that they aren't doing cards this year because my cousin had a defibrillator installed on Friday. He's had a heart attack and several bypass operations so things aren't going all that well for him. Hopefully this will help keep him going a while longer.
Finally today I read in http://btlifes2short.blogspot.com/ about the sudden death of a fellow cruiser. The guy just died in his sleep. One day he was traveling in his boat, thinking of driving home to his wife and for him, there was no next day. It is an amazing thought and one that makes me wish to tidy up my life. Here's to cleaning up our acts.
Be careful out there; it's crazy season.
I am ready for the big day. I have been making beef jerky for several years and give it as gifts at Xmas. Everyone seems to like it; at least it disappears quickly! It's really easy to make, just a pain in the ass getting enough of it made to give. It took me about three weeks to get it all made. I also have purchased my wife's special present. She seems unable to watch me fix anything without helping so a few years ago I started buying her a tool every year for Xmas. This year it is a cordless electric screwdriver to replace one that she's worn out. As long as it is a good quality tool, she's happy.
The holiday is now just around the corner. I'll go out one more time this afternoon then we'll be busy hosting Xmas until the 26th. I usually treat myself to listening to Beethoven's Ninth at Xmas. The vocal portion is just so amazingly beautiful. that should help my mood!
New Years is one of my favorite holidays. First Xmas is over! But it is also a time to plan for the new year and to thing again about how fortunate we are. Three things have happened just lately to remind me of my own good fortune.
We bought a new table for our dining nook. The neighbor had a furniture store but has gone out of business. They were left with odds & ends; this one fits the space nicely making it look much larger than the old table. I was planning on renting one before putting the house on the market but this is much better and we are doing the neighbor a good turn helping him to get rid of his junk. Closing out your business has to be really tough on a person.
Sending out Xmas cards sometimes gets unexpected results. Last night my cousin's wife called to let us know that they aren't doing cards this year because my cousin had a defibrillator installed on Friday. He's had a heart attack and several bypass operations so things aren't going all that well for him. Hopefully this will help keep him going a while longer.
Finally today I read in http://btlifes2short.blogspot.com/ about the sudden death of a fellow cruiser. The guy just died in his sleep. One day he was traveling in his boat, thinking of driving home to his wife and for him, there was no next day. It is an amazing thought and one that makes me wish to tidy up my life. Here's to cleaning up our acts.
Be careful out there; it's crazy season.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Xmas crap
Oh boy, am I ever tired of Christmas. It doesn't bother me but it drives my wife crazy. And, as anyone married know, if one partner starts acting crazy the other has quite a job straightening things out.
Let me start by saying that neither of us are Christian though we were both raised in traditional Christian households. It is also important that our children are both grown. So the holiday is about being around family and dreaming of abstract things like "Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward men". It's kind of an extended Thanksgiving where we buy each other basically meaningless gifts, listen to Christmas music and watch football.
For some reason, this basically meanless holiday makes my wife crazy. We have a little tree that we dress with lights and baubles. We have purchased all the gifts that people told us they wanted. All we have to do in the next week is buy a ham, a few minor foodstuffs and a couple of bottles of wine. We are retired! We literally have 6 days to do that. Maybe that's why she's crazy; too much time to think. I don't know!
At any rate, I'm really looking forward to the 26th. Happy Holidays everyone!
One final thought: to me any decent moral philosophy is much like any other. There is no reason we should require any god to live morally.
Let me start by saying that neither of us are Christian though we were both raised in traditional Christian households. It is also important that our children are both grown. So the holiday is about being around family and dreaming of abstract things like "Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward men". It's kind of an extended Thanksgiving where we buy each other basically meaningless gifts, listen to Christmas music and watch football.
For some reason, this basically meanless holiday makes my wife crazy. We have a little tree that we dress with lights and baubles. We have purchased all the gifts that people told us they wanted. All we have to do in the next week is buy a ham, a few minor foodstuffs and a couple of bottles of wine. We are retired! We literally have 6 days to do that. Maybe that's why she's crazy; too much time to think. I don't know!
At any rate, I'm really looking forward to the 26th. Happy Holidays everyone!
One final thought: to me any decent moral philosophy is much like any other. There is no reason we should require any god to live morally.
History - anybody?
"Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." President F. D. Roosevelt
It's almost 7 pm here in Florida and I haven't heard a single reference to the historical significance of this day. I'm not trying to vilify the Japanese, hell, I admire their culture; but with all the phony patriotism that we hear these days I am surprised that I haven't heard about it. The attack was a surprise. There was a war in Europe and we were "loaning" equipment to Britain but it was far away and none of our business. Or so we thought. Reality, in the form of Japanese aircraft, taught us that we shouldn't avoid unpleasant thoughts. Warmongers in this country have used this argument ever since. You can hear in between the lines of every speech from President Bush.
The phony patriotism we have in this country is enough to make a cat barf. I'm one of those people who served in the armed forces of the United States some years ago. I didn't do anything wonderful; indeed, I did very little at all (more than the President but ...). Unfortunately, very few people these days have actually performed any small service for our country. Fewer still believe that "my country right or wrong" is stupid beyond belief. But turn on the radio today and you hear the national anthem played regularly just to remind us of the wonderfulness of our country. The DJ tells us to be proud. The DJ who in the next moment will be telling you how wonderful some restaurant is; the one that just go a citation for uncleanliness! What sheep we all are. Good night; or should I just say "Baaaaaa".
BTW A belated Happy Hanukkah to those of the Jewish faith.
It's almost 7 pm here in Florida and I haven't heard a single reference to the historical significance of this day. I'm not trying to vilify the Japanese, hell, I admire their culture; but with all the phony patriotism that we hear these days I am surprised that I haven't heard about it. The attack was a surprise. There was a war in Europe and we were "loaning" equipment to Britain but it was far away and none of our business. Or so we thought. Reality, in the form of Japanese aircraft, taught us that we shouldn't avoid unpleasant thoughts. Warmongers in this country have used this argument ever since. You can hear in between the lines of every speech from President Bush.
The phony patriotism we have in this country is enough to make a cat barf. I'm one of those people who served in the armed forces of the United States some years ago. I didn't do anything wonderful; indeed, I did very little at all (more than the President but ...). Unfortunately, very few people these days have actually performed any small service for our country. Fewer still believe that "my country right or wrong" is stupid beyond belief. But turn on the radio today and you hear the national anthem played regularly just to remind us of the wonderfulness of our country. The DJ tells us to be proud. The DJ who in the next moment will be telling you how wonderful some restaurant is; the one that just go a citation for uncleanliness! What sheep we all are. Good night; or should I just say "Baaaaaa".
BTW A belated Happy Hanukkah to those of the Jewish faith.
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