Just saw a commentator on CNN remark that one motive for John Carr's weird declaration of his involvement in the Jon Benet Ramsey murder (ok, he said he loved her and she died by accident) could be that he was charged in Thailand with some other sex crime, and he preferred to deal with the police in Boulder, rather than those in Thailand.
OK. That makes sense.
Or, he's just a wack job. It's a toss-up.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Global Warming Ads
OK, I've seen the "tick-tick" ad on television, advertising www.fightglobalwarming.com, but this one is even more striking. Take a look:
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Obsession with P.R.
I don't know what it is about Bravo's Project Runway but I seriously cannot get enough. I've got my DVR set to record new episodes, and then I have to watch some of it every morning before I leave for work. Perhaps it is that the next round of work is due to begin in LESS THAN A WEEK and I'm substituting obsessive behaviors for the real work of getting ready for it. I mean, I'll get the work done, don't get me wrong. But for some reason, Project Runway allows me to forget about it for around an hour a day. AND it's not harmful!
However, on the drawbacks side of the equation, is last night's dream about Laura, one of the contestants on Project Runway. In my dream she was building a sleigh. Yes, she was dressed in one of her characteristic glamour gowns, but she was hammering and welding and working with metal. Interesting.
On the issue of books, I did pick up my geology text yesterday afternoon and started reading the first chapter. So far, so good. But, knowing myself, I'm pretty sure I'll need to read every chapter twice . . . .
However, on the drawbacks side of the equation, is last night's dream about Laura, one of the contestants on Project Runway. In my dream she was building a sleigh. Yes, she was dressed in one of her characteristic glamour gowns, but she was hammering and welding and working with metal. Interesting.
On the issue of books, I did pick up my geology text yesterday afternoon and started reading the first chapter. So far, so good. But, knowing myself, I'm pretty sure I'll need to read every chapter twice . . . .
Monday, August 21, 2006
Hang Onto Your Hats, Campers!
TODAY is the day I pick up my geology texts. Calloo, callay! More later . . .
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Can I Get Them Now? Can I?
In my overzealous preparation for the geology course I'll be taking this fall (cause I wanna be a science nerd) I decided to purchase my textbooks online at the bookstore, thinking I could get them early that way and actually do some reading before class starts.
But no.
I called the bookstore and they said, sure, come pick them up. I went there and they said, no, not until the 21st. I momentarily considered buying a new set of books and then returning the other set -- once I was able to pick them up -- but that seemed, even for me, a bit too paranoid and nerdy.
I am a bit nervous about starting out down the science route, but I think that's just part of the stretching-myself motif that is engrained in my current science push.
Also, last night we had company over for dinner on our deck, with our new furniture and etc. Had a GREAT time, with a very international crowd, representing folks who are from or have traveled/lived in Europe, South America, Central America, Japan, Australia, and Africa.
But no.
I called the bookstore and they said, sure, come pick them up. I went there and they said, no, not until the 21st. I momentarily considered buying a new set of books and then returning the other set -- once I was able to pick them up -- but that seemed, even for me, a bit too paranoid and nerdy.
I am a bit nervous about starting out down the science route, but I think that's just part of the stretching-myself motif that is engrained in my current science push.
Also, last night we had company over for dinner on our deck, with our new furniture and etc. Had a GREAT time, with a very international crowd, representing folks who are from or have traveled/lived in Europe, South America, Central America, Japan, Australia, and Africa.
Monday, August 14, 2006
CDT near Encampment, Wyoming
After the rain ended and the sky cleared, we had this kind of lovely day . . .
Handy Reading Meme
I read about this meme on Profgrrrrl. Here's how it works:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open it to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence on that page.
4. Post the text of the next four sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. No careful choosing of books that will make you look cool! Just pick the one that is closest to you.
6. Tag five people.
The nearest book is David Miller's AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. AWOL is a hiker who thru-hiked in 2003, when my spouse hiked. I met him when I hiked about 200 miles in Virginia. In fact, Footslogger and I are mentioned on page 80-something!
OK, here's the excerpt:
"Baltimore Jack, repeat thru-hiker and all-around trail bum, is at the grill, churning out hot dogs and hamburgers. A piece of red tape, roughly the same size as a white blaze, is plastered to the back of his t-shirt.
I am intrigued by what I over hear from a small group of hikers. They are talking about Elwood. I move closer with my plate of food, and ask if they will start the story over, from the beginning."
Hmm. As to tagging, I only know a couple of folks with blogs who read this one. So ... Trout and Classroom 9, consider yourself tagged.
On another note, we drove out to Encampment on Saturday and hiked a few miles in on the Continental Divide Trail, camped overnight, and got a deluge during the night. No leaks from the tents, though! More on that in the next post.
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open it to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence on that page.
4. Post the text of the next four sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. No careful choosing of books that will make you look cool! Just pick the one that is closest to you.
6. Tag five people.
The nearest book is David Miller's AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. AWOL is a hiker who thru-hiked in 2003, when my spouse hiked. I met him when I hiked about 200 miles in Virginia. In fact, Footslogger and I are mentioned on page 80-something!
OK, here's the excerpt:
"Baltimore Jack, repeat thru-hiker and all-around trail bum, is at the grill, churning out hot dogs and hamburgers. A piece of red tape, roughly the same size as a white blaze, is plastered to the back of his t-shirt.
I am intrigued by what I over hear from a small group of hikers. They are talking about Elwood. I move closer with my plate of food, and ask if they will start the story over, from the beginning."
Hmm. As to tagging, I only know a couple of folks with blogs who read this one. So ... Trout and Classroom 9, consider yourself tagged.
On another note, we drove out to Encampment on Saturday and hiked a few miles in on the Continental Divide Trail, camped overnight, and got a deluge during the night. No leaks from the tents, though! More on that in the next post.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
One S One H One E One R One I
Thursday evening -- and late into Friday morning -- I had the awesome opportunity to visit with one of my oldest friends, Sheri (see title for spelling) and her family, who stopped by one their way back home from vacation to spend the night with us. We barbecued, we chatted, chatted some more, and talked till 2 in the morning. The last time I saw Sheri was maybe 8 years ago. Now, even though we were both 16 just yesterday, she has one child about to begin her senior year in high school and another starting 6th grade. Wow. How does that happen?
Oh, and mom -- Sheri said to say hi.
OK, this blog entry will not be complete without a few memories that Sheri and I share:
* Junior year English class, writing notes to each other in Shakespeare-esque language while Mrs. R droned on and on in her unescapable monotone. Statements like this appeared in our notes: "Wilst thou comest to my abode after schooleth?" and other such rot.
* Canoe trip with Explorer Post #4 down the Current River in Missouri, where we spent one night in a public restroom because of a devastating rainstorm and a frog perched itself on Mrs. R's face (not the same Mrs. R as the one above -- this was a cool Mrs. R). We also lyricized our adventure as follows: "Red water/ Red water/ That's what you get when you go down a six-foot waterfall with sharp rocks at the bottom."
* Touring campsites at Philmont Scout Ranch -- back in the 80s, when campers and staff of the female persuasion at this august scouting famility were rarer than six-footed antelope -- singing "In the Jungle" to sold-out audiences of panting males.
* Driving together to our job at Page Drugs (in my lovely Datsun, named Bernie) during several years of high school. We were usually singing along to an 8-track tape of one of Paul Simon's albums, screaming the chorus at the top of our lungs. We goofed off more than we worked at the drugstore, taking lots of "sample" pictures of people's butts with the Polaroid Land cameras (we had to make sure they worked!), running around the store with feather dusters, etc. There was that one time the pharmacy was robbed and Sheri was almost shot, but I won't get into that one here!
* The morning of our high school graduation, Sheri's mom and mine organized a champagne breakfast for us and all of our friends, who showed up in our pajamas. Surprise! It was a good thing no one was sleeping nude that night . . .
There is much more I could add, but I won't, just to protect the innocent. Needless to say, it was great seeing Sheri again, her family is the bomb, and we should not let 8 years go by without seeing each other again. Maybe another reunion trip down the Current River?
Oh, and mom -- Sheri said to say hi.
OK, this blog entry will not be complete without a few memories that Sheri and I share:
* Junior year English class, writing notes to each other in Shakespeare-esque language while Mrs. R droned on and on in her unescapable monotone. Statements like this appeared in our notes: "Wilst thou comest to my abode after schooleth?" and other such rot.
* Canoe trip with Explorer Post #4 down the Current River in Missouri, where we spent one night in a public restroom because of a devastating rainstorm and a frog perched itself on Mrs. R's face (not the same Mrs. R as the one above -- this was a cool Mrs. R). We also lyricized our adventure as follows: "Red water/ Red water/ That's what you get when you go down a six-foot waterfall with sharp rocks at the bottom."
* Touring campsites at Philmont Scout Ranch -- back in the 80s, when campers and staff of the female persuasion at this august scouting famility were rarer than six-footed antelope -- singing "In the Jungle" to sold-out audiences of panting males.
* Driving together to our job at Page Drugs (in my lovely Datsun, named Bernie) during several years of high school. We were usually singing along to an 8-track tape of one of Paul Simon's albums, screaming the chorus at the top of our lungs. We goofed off more than we worked at the drugstore, taking lots of "sample" pictures of people's butts with the Polaroid Land cameras (we had to make sure they worked!), running around the store with feather dusters, etc. There was that one time the pharmacy was robbed and Sheri was almost shot, but I won't get into that one here!
* The morning of our high school graduation, Sheri's mom and mine organized a champagne breakfast for us and all of our friends, who showed up in our pajamas. Surprise! It was a good thing no one was sleeping nude that night . . .
There is much more I could add, but I won't, just to protect the innocent. Needless to say, it was great seeing Sheri again, her family is the bomb, and we should not let 8 years go by without seeing each other again. Maybe another reunion trip down the Current River?
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Weeds
I don't know whether to be happy or sad that I spent the whole morning (9-12) pulling weeds from my front yard. Should I be embarassed that I had that many weeds? Or happy that they're all pulled up? Either way, my hands and arms are sore, I have blisters on my palm, and I have a REALLY good excuse to spend the rest of the day piddling around. Ha!
About 2 weeks ago, I put weed and feed on my yard, which caused most of the weeds to shrivel slightly. This did make them easier to dig up, but . . . I still had to dig them up! I want to reseed in the bare spots, but I need to wait a month after the weed and feed, according to the instructions. So . . . I'll probably get some practice by reseeding in the back yard first, (where the weeds are growing happily) and then reseed the front once school starts.
It's not that I'm obsessive about my yard. I just want the grass to grow nicely, and it seems to be not doing so well. I've fertilized the heck out of it, and I water faithfully, but . . . .
We had dinner on the deck last night, with the new deck furniture, new umbrella, etc. Lovely! Felt all elegant and shit.
About 2 weeks ago, I put weed and feed on my yard, which caused most of the weeds to shrivel slightly. This did make them easier to dig up, but . . . I still had to dig them up! I want to reseed in the bare spots, but I need to wait a month after the weed and feed, according to the instructions. So . . . I'll probably get some practice by reseeding in the back yard first, (where the weeds are growing happily) and then reseed the front once school starts.
It's not that I'm obsessive about my yard. I just want the grass to grow nicely, and it seems to be not doing so well. I've fertilized the heck out of it, and I water faithfully, but . . . .
We had dinner on the deck last night, with the new deck furniture, new umbrella, etc. Lovely! Felt all elegant and shit.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
I Wanna Be a Science Nerd
Over the summer, I came to a startling awareness that has resulted in a choice that I'm still unsure about. Here's the deal: when I hike, I see rocks, and I wonder about them. How did that big chunk of (what I think is) granite get a vertical white stripe in it? How did that weird-shaped rock get left sticking out of a meadow? What makes the Appalachian mountains so rounded and green, while the mountains in the Grand Tetons, for example, are jagged and pointy and barren? (I know a bit of the answer to that is age, but I'd like to know more). So, I've decided to take up my employer on the promise to pay for 3 hours of coursework a semester, and use it to pursue these questions and others yet undiscovered. This fall, beginning August 27th or so, I'll be a freshman taking an introductory Geology course, also known as "Rocks for Jocks."
Another part of this for me is that I know I'll be pursuing something I don't have strengths in. Every other degree I've gotten has been in an area of strength -- literature, words, history, etc. I'm looking forward to a challenge, an intellectual one, that will require me to push on areas of weakness and make them stronger. At least, that's the tack I'm taking on it currently; we'll see when I start having to do math.
I'll keep you posted, my couple of readers . . .
Another part of this for me is that I know I'll be pursuing something I don't have strengths in. Every other degree I've gotten has been in an area of strength -- literature, words, history, etc. I'm looking forward to a challenge, an intellectual one, that will require me to push on areas of weakness and make them stronger. At least, that's the tack I'm taking on it currently; we'll see when I start having to do math.
I'll keep you posted, my couple of readers . . .
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Boring as Life
I received some harassment from a friend (yes, you, Jennifer!) about not updating my blog, so I am writing an entry under pressure.
Right now, things are pretty boring. I go to the office in the morning and work on projects, like
** editing chapters for a book (in regard to this book, I just found out that I'm going to be the first editor and not the second. Hoo-yeah!)
** writing an introductory chapter for said book
** writing a chapter on secondary literacy programs with a colleague from another southwestern state
** preparing for classes, which will start in a couple of weeks
** preparing for a research project on Instructional Facilitators
Mostly, I'm getting used to my new computers. It was my turn around for technology money, and I managed to get a new desktop and a new laptop. I LOVE my laptop -- it's tiny, weighs only 2.5 pounds, and fits smoothly into my backpack. I'm finally getting my desktop set up to run smoothly; the best thing about it is that the new monitor has USB ports right on it, so I can plug in my flash drive without getting down on my hands and knees and crawling around under my desk. Beautiful!
The weather has been delightful here this week -- today we had a high of 78 degrees. Perfect!
And I just found out that I'm going to get paid bookoo bucks for a project that I will enjoy working on. Hello, I'll be paying off my credit card . . .
Now back to Project Runway, my newest obsession.
Right now, things are pretty boring. I go to the office in the morning and work on projects, like
** editing chapters for a book (in regard to this book, I just found out that I'm going to be the first editor and not the second. Hoo-yeah!)
** writing an introductory chapter for said book
** writing a chapter on secondary literacy programs with a colleague from another southwestern state
** preparing for classes, which will start in a couple of weeks
** preparing for a research project on Instructional Facilitators
Mostly, I'm getting used to my new computers. It was my turn around for technology money, and I managed to get a new desktop and a new laptop. I LOVE my laptop -- it's tiny, weighs only 2.5 pounds, and fits smoothly into my backpack. I'm finally getting my desktop set up to run smoothly; the best thing about it is that the new monitor has USB ports right on it, so I can plug in my flash drive without getting down on my hands and knees and crawling around under my desk. Beautiful!
The weather has been delightful here this week -- today we had a high of 78 degrees. Perfect!
And I just found out that I'm going to get paid bookoo bucks for a project that I will enjoy working on. Hello, I'll be paying off my credit card . . .
Now back to Project Runway, my newest obsession.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
