I would hate to have the record show that I completely skipped the month of November here.
I suspect that, come January, I'm going to let this place go silent. Not that it hasn't been that way already, but at least make it official. Perhaps wait until my blogaversary date, which happens sometime in mid-Jan. Nine years. Yikes! I doubt I'll go dark, and I might even come back from time to time, as some of you have. Then again, maybe I'll get ambitious and start posting again. We'll see....
Nothing earth-shattering to report. My Griz beat the Bobcats a week ago, so life is good. Earned them a #8 seed in the playoffs (and its accompanying bye week), while also knocking the Cats out of post-season play. It's known now that they'll be hosting Coastal Carolina next Saturday. Temps for the game might warm up to the mid-teens by that time. Hope they'll enjoy their trip up north! GO GRIZ!!!
Longtime readers will remember Sam from Sam's Stories. She's #60 over there in my list of bloggers whom I've met. She contacted me a few weeks ago to tell me that her hubby might be accepting a new job offer in Billings! Since then, he's accepted, they've been up to Billings and have bought a house, and will be moving up in January! I suspect I'll be heading over there more frequently now (I'll come to see you too, No One Special!).
December will be kicking my ass as far as music is concerned. Starting this week, there's four performances, more rehearsals than I can count, and five different rehearsal/performance locations, with the appropriate transport of equipment. And as is normal, the temps will be falling below zero in the next few days. Can you just smell the excitement?!?
Speaking of FB...I'm laid back enough to let the opinions of my friends roll off me like water off a duck. I have no desire to get into any online "debates" with anyone based on emotion, bad facts and lack of intelligence. I've never deleted anyone for their views/opinions, and I won't anytime soon. But damn, I've got some really screwed up friends!! Bless their hearts!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
A bunny, the rain, and a date...
Remember my old car? A Ford Taurus wagon?
And how Mom gave me Dad's car after he died?
Since July of 2011, the Taurus has sat, uninterrupted, in this exact spot. That's over two years of rain, sun, hail, snow, ice, leaves, bugs, and a cute little bunny who could be found behind the rear wheels on just about every morning. I made a couple of attempts to sell it, with one or two nibbles. But no takers. So the tires all went flat, the battery went dead, and it was going to take a little work to get it into running condition. And that's exactly what I needed to do, since I sold it to my step-niece!
S1 and her step-daughter's mom split the cost, which was about half of what I was hoping to get out of it when I quit driving it. I put in a new battery and filled up the tires (which, fortunately didn't need to be replaced). I took it to the Ford dealership here, just to be sure that I could drive it out to Portland. That's when the dollar signs started to add up. While it was in pretty good shape for a 17-y.o. car, my cute little bunny decided to start using the engine area as a smorgasbord. Wiring was nibbled upon, the serpentine belt was gnawed through, and a hose had a hole chewed through it. All simple fixes, but requiring the whole engine to be taken apart. Lots of hours of labor. Really expensive labor. So much so that the owner of the Ford dealership took 20% off the final bill because the estimate was so incredibly underestimated. Still, when all was said and done, I didn't make a penny on the car sale. In fact, when you total everything put into getting this car to Portland, I contributed a significant part to my step-niece's birthday present. But actually, I'm OK with that.
So the next step was to take a road trip to deliver my newly refurbished, soon-to-be-transferred car. Since it was a spontaneous trip, I couldn't really make any plans to meet up with anyone. Except for one--more on that in a minute. While I knew it was supposed to rain while I was there, I was not prepared for what I ran into! I've been in Portland in wet weather. And some nasty rain. But nothing like this! To be fair, the rain all day wasn't too terribly bad. I was even able to take the obligatory picture of Multnomah Falls from the parking lot--expecting that it would all be hidden in the low clouds.
However, the last 20 miles into Portland saw the most intense driving I have ever done. Wipers on the fastest speed did nothing to clear the windshield. There was a point where the rain dumped down harder than in a carwash. This was the same point when I wanted to stop in the middle of eight lanes of traffic and wait it out. I tailed the guy in front of me, praying that he knew what the hell he was doing. And highway signs letting me know where to exit, or which lanes to be in???...forget it! Couldn't see them! Obviously, I made it, and lived to tell about it. Whew!
I did get to schedule a lunch date with the Bipolar Diva! The first couple of places we went to hadn't opened yet, so we ended up in some neighborhood sports bar. Sort of a dive, but we didn't care. We talked for a couple of hours about you, politics, iPhones, secrets, the rain, and snuck in a bite to eat too! Of course, we had to fit in time for some pics! She looks great! I still need to work on my iPhone look...
On a different note...the fall edition of HNT is up!! Go check it out!
And how Mom gave me Dad's car after he died?
Since July of 2011, the Taurus has sat, uninterrupted, in this exact spot. That's over two years of rain, sun, hail, snow, ice, leaves, bugs, and a cute little bunny who could be found behind the rear wheels on just about every morning. I made a couple of attempts to sell it, with one or two nibbles. But no takers. So the tires all went flat, the battery went dead, and it was going to take a little work to get it into running condition. And that's exactly what I needed to do, since I sold it to my step-niece!
S1 and her step-daughter's mom split the cost, which was about half of what I was hoping to get out of it when I quit driving it. I put in a new battery and filled up the tires (which, fortunately didn't need to be replaced). I took it to the Ford dealership here, just to be sure that I could drive it out to Portland. That's when the dollar signs started to add up. While it was in pretty good shape for a 17-y.o. car, my cute little bunny decided to start using the engine area as a smorgasbord. Wiring was nibbled upon, the serpentine belt was gnawed through, and a hose had a hole chewed through it. All simple fixes, but requiring the whole engine to be taken apart. Lots of hours of labor. Really expensive labor. So much so that the owner of the Ford dealership took 20% off the final bill because the estimate was so incredibly underestimated. Still, when all was said and done, I didn't make a penny on the car sale. In fact, when you total everything put into getting this car to Portland, I contributed a significant part to my step-niece's birthday present. But actually, I'm OK with that.
So the next step was to take a road trip to deliver my newly refurbished, soon-to-be-transferred car. Since it was a spontaneous trip, I couldn't really make any plans to meet up with anyone. Except for one--more on that in a minute. While I knew it was supposed to rain while I was there, I was not prepared for what I ran into! I've been in Portland in wet weather. And some nasty rain. But nothing like this! To be fair, the rain all day wasn't too terribly bad. I was even able to take the obligatory picture of Multnomah Falls from the parking lot--expecting that it would all be hidden in the low clouds.
However, the last 20 miles into Portland saw the most intense driving I have ever done. Wipers on the fastest speed did nothing to clear the windshield. There was a point where the rain dumped down harder than in a carwash. This was the same point when I wanted to stop in the middle of eight lanes of traffic and wait it out. I tailed the guy in front of me, praying that he knew what the hell he was doing. And highway signs letting me know where to exit, or which lanes to be in???...forget it! Couldn't see them! Obviously, I made it, and lived to tell about it. Whew!
I did get to schedule a lunch date with the Bipolar Diva! The first couple of places we went to hadn't opened yet, so we ended up in some neighborhood sports bar. Sort of a dive, but we didn't care. We talked for a couple of hours about you, politics, iPhones, secrets, the rain, and snuck in a bite to eat too! Of course, we had to fit in time for some pics! She looks great! I still need to work on my iPhone look...
On a different note...the fall edition of HNT is up!! Go check it out!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
HNT Reminder!
Hey there! Just a reminder that the next installment of our quarterly HNTs goes up next week on Oct. 3rd! I'll be taking a trip to Portland over the weekend and won't have a great deal of time to work on it, so if you can get me your pics ASAP, that would certainly help... Thanks to those who already have!
Monday, September 16, 2013
So much easier when they come to me...
Way back in 2005, a young Canadian girl (lots of Canadians back in the day) joined in on HNT. She was from Calgary, which is just over 400 miles due north of me. She was a "Self professed music snob...artist, and art consumer...pop culture admirer...free spirit." What she brought to HNT was a lot of Photoshop. Always experimenting. This developed into her current business as a photographer! She was The Melody Censor.
As time went on, she dropped out of HNT (she was the Mystery Guest once, and might have been seen over at OHNT a couple of times...), but was quite active on Flickr. To this day, she continues to stretch her imagination with her photography. Many of her self-portraits aren't even recognizable as her!
Like most of the world, she got hooked up with Facebook, where we're friends. She posted a map of a massive road trip that she and her sister were going to take to Oklahoma (!!!???!?!?!), and spending two weeks checking out most of the western US. The last leg of the journey appeared to be passing right past Helena, so I got in touch with her and conned her into stopping for lunch. Woohoo! My first foreign blogger!
As is the norm, we talked about a lot of you guys. Mostly the old-timers, which was a lot of fun! I even found out who the hell Tony Angel is! Far too much talking, not enough time. One of my planned road trips for the future will be through central Canada, so I'm sure we'll see each other again. Thanks for the visit, Susan and Marjorie!
It's been over a month since my last post. Our first concert of the season was Saturday, with the governor of MT as our guest narrator for Copland's "Lincoln Portrait". He did well, and the crowd loved him. The whole concert was a success, as has become the norm. Ah, such a change from ten years ago!
Football has come back with a vengeance this season too! Remember how I posted how well my three favorite teams were doing over there in the sidebar? Not going to do it anymore, since hardly anyone stops by. But it would get me here each week....maybe I will. But not tonight. Anyhoo...all three of my teams (HS alma mater, the local college, and the UM Grizzlies) were a disappointment last season. This year is drastically different, and they all seem to have regained the glory that they've been accustomed to. All three are undefeated against strong opponents, and look like they're serious about the post season again. Yay!
The soul band is in a bit of limbo. We want to play, and we're going to be marketing ourselves, but the opportunities are few and far between. Still, when we DO play, all we get are positive comments, so hopefully some things will line up in our favor (we're a bit pricey...).
I know I'll have to do some FB recruiting, but for those who read it here...the fourth of our quarterly HNTs is coming up on Thursday, October 3rd! Again, I'll post them on the OHNT site. Many of you missed out on the summer version in July, but that was over the Fourth, so you're forgiven! I've already gotten one submission, but I'll take as many as I can get! Spread the word yourselves too, if you could!
As time went on, she dropped out of HNT (she was the Mystery Guest once, and might have been seen over at OHNT a couple of times...), but was quite active on Flickr. To this day, she continues to stretch her imagination with her photography. Many of her self-portraits aren't even recognizable as her!
Like most of the world, she got hooked up with Facebook, where we're friends. She posted a map of a massive road trip that she and her sister were going to take to Oklahoma (!!!???!?!?!), and spending two weeks checking out most of the western US. The last leg of the journey appeared to be passing right past Helena, so I got in touch with her and conned her into stopping for lunch. Woohoo! My first foreign blogger!
As is the norm, we talked about a lot of you guys. Mostly the old-timers, which was a lot of fun! I even found out who the hell Tony Angel is! Far too much talking, not enough time. One of my planned road trips for the future will be through central Canada, so I'm sure we'll see each other again. Thanks for the visit, Susan and Marjorie!
It's been over a month since my last post. Our first concert of the season was Saturday, with the governor of MT as our guest narrator for Copland's "Lincoln Portrait". He did well, and the crowd loved him. The whole concert was a success, as has become the norm. Ah, such a change from ten years ago!
Football has come back with a vengeance this season too! Remember how I posted how well my three favorite teams were doing over there in the sidebar? Not going to do it anymore, since hardly anyone stops by. But it would get me here each week....maybe I will. But not tonight. Anyhoo...all three of my teams (HS alma mater, the local college, and the UM Grizzlies) were a disappointment last season. This year is drastically different, and they all seem to have regained the glory that they've been accustomed to. All three are undefeated against strong opponents, and look like they're serious about the post season again. Yay!
The soul band is in a bit of limbo. We want to play, and we're going to be marketing ourselves, but the opportunities are few and far between. Still, when we DO play, all we get are positive comments, so hopefully some things will line up in our favor (we're a bit pricey...).
I know I'll have to do some FB recruiting, but for those who read it here...the fourth of our quarterly HNTs is coming up on Thursday, October 3rd! Again, I'll post them on the OHNT site. Many of you missed out on the summer version in July, but that was over the Fourth, so you're forgiven! I've already gotten one submission, but I'll take as many as I can get! Spread the word yourselves too, if you could!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Montana Avenue
This is the view from the north end of Montana Avenue. The zoom shot gives you a better idea of how far the street goes up into the South Hills (where most of Helena actually sits). In between is the Helena Valley (it might actually be the Prickly Pear Valley, officially, but I'm not sure...) Be sure to click 'em to big 'em!
Then, after 10 traffic lights, 4 stop signs, 3 railroad tracks, 1 creek (pronounced "crick", thankyouverymuch), 1 irrigation canal, 5 fast food joints, and the state capitol building, one finds themselves at the top of the South Hills. Eleven and a half miles away.
Just thought you'd like to see.
And oh, the next HNT is scheduled for Oct. 3rd.
Then, after 10 traffic lights, 4 stop signs, 3 railroad tracks, 1 creek (pronounced "crick", thankyouverymuch), 1 irrigation canal, 5 fast food joints, and the state capitol building, one finds themselves at the top of the South Hills. Eleven and a half miles away.
Just thought you'd like to see.
And oh, the next HNT is scheduled for Oct. 3rd.
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
HNT, and Happy Independence Day!!
Hey! HNT is riding high tonight! Go check out the patriotism from your friends!!
For my yearly public service, I once again offer a video of a guy shooting a bottle rocket out of his ass. And in the sense of gender equality, one of a girl doing the same thing. (NSFW--language) These are two of my favorite ones, but was surprised at how many more similar ones are on YouTube than there were last year. Lots of drunk white rednecks out there! And absolutely no respect for the danger of explosives... I hope none of you do this over the weekend, but if you do, be sure to take videos, or at least some pictures!
For my yearly public service, I once again offer a video of a guy shooting a bottle rocket out of his ass. And in the sense of gender equality, one of a girl doing the same thing. (NSFW--language) These are two of my favorite ones, but was surprised at how many more similar ones are on YouTube than there were last year. Lots of drunk white rednecks out there! And absolutely no respect for the danger of explosives... I hope none of you do this over the weekend, but if you do, be sure to take videos, or at least some pictures!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
#59, 60 & 61!
Wow! There's some impatient people here! I like it.
So I went on a road trip. Probably not the wisest road trip to attempt--far too long in far too short amount of time. However, it was a tremendous trip, and I'd probably do it again, in spite of the craziness of it all. There were some really big 'ups', and really big 'downs'. So I'll do this all in bullet points (it's been awhile since I've done that!)...
And then, all of a sudden, I had to leave. I had a dinner date waiting with another HNTer, MissCrystal!
MissCrystal (#61), her hubby, son and I went to a great new Mexican place for dinner. I'd have done dinner with them on Friday, but it was their 10th anniversary, and I didn't think they'd need me around as a third wheel... Again, there was discussion and gossip, and since I had another 16-hour drive ahead of me, an early evening.
The trip back was uneventful, other than the time or two that I briefly nodded off. Yes, I pulled over twice to grab a quick nap! Other things I thought about over the weekend...
So I went on a road trip. Probably not the wisest road trip to attempt--far too long in far too short amount of time. However, it was a tremendous trip, and I'd probably do it again, in spite of the craziness of it all. There were some really big 'ups', and really big 'downs'. So I'll do this all in bullet points (it's been awhile since I've done that!)...
- Friday morning - I'm on the road to the Sacramento area at 4AM. 1001 miles to my destination. I figure I'll pull into town at around 7PM local time (16 hrs.).
- Stopped in Idaho Falls for a fine McDonald's breakfast, and find that SOMEONE forgot to pack his insulin needles...
- Stopped in Pocatello's Walmart to pick up said needles. Expected a hassle, but it was quite easy.
- Got a phone call while going through Twin Falls. A good news/bad news call. I asked for the bad news first. A gentleman that we'd been trying to get money from for the summer concert was not going to give us $5K. The good news--he's giving us $10K!
- As I was pulling into Wells, NV for gas, I blew a tire. Upon further inspection, all tires needed to be replaced. Of course, I drive a car that takes a special sized tire. Left Wells on four new tires, and $1,550 lighter in my bottom line. Ouch.
- The rest of the trip was uneventful, along those lines. Lots of time to think, lots of time to not think!
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| Margaret (#59) and me |
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| Sam (#60) and me |
MissCrystal (#61), her hubby, son and I went to a great new Mexican place for dinner. I'd have done dinner with them on Friday, but it was their 10th anniversary, and I didn't think they'd need me around as a third wheel... Again, there was discussion and gossip, and since I had another 16-hour drive ahead of me, an early evening.
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| MissCrystal (#61) and me |
- God didn't paint Nevada with the ugly paint (like WY or SD), but he didn't waste any of the pretty paint on it either!
- God also decided to make all the mountains nekkid. Seriously--miles upon miles of mountains, and not a single tree in site! Not.a.single.one! The mountains certainly helped the boredom compared to the flat states, but still...absolutely no trees!
- And barely minimal agriculture. No cows. No crops. No sprinklers or irrigation. But plenty of sagebrush. Gives me a new appreciation for the pioneers and the Natives that traveled through here. It must have been hell...
- Mock me if you must, but blaring John Denver and Jim Croce and singing along at the top of your lungs is a great way to road trip!
- On the other hand, classical music doesn't quite allow oneself to do a good pee-pee dance while driving. And there was plenty of that needed. I swear, as soon as my bladder sensed a rest area or a bathroom nearby, I had to go!
- Margaret had an electric fly swatter in her house. This is my must-have toy of the summer. I'll be able to have hours of fun with it! If you're a fan of bug zappers, you'll LOVE this thing!
- Lots of billboards throughout Nevada for ranches. Made no sense to me until I thought, "Oh, yeah. I'm in Nevada!" (think about it...)
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| Sunrise on first day of Summer! - Dillon, MT |
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| My car! About 20 miles north of Idaho |
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| Jackpot, NV - Immediately cross the state line and you have your choice of casinos |
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| I got mixed signals on the way... |
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| Neither place looked terribly inviting. |
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| Late afternoon skies in eastern Idaho |
Monday, June 24, 2013
Exhausted
I've been away on a road trip. A post is coming. I promise! With pictures, even!
But I'm spent. How can sitting on one's ass all day be so exhausting? And having no down time today didn't help.
So...be patient! And don't forget that there's only 2 weeks before the next HNT!
But I'm spent. How can sitting on one's ass all day be so exhausting? And having no down time today didn't help.
So...be patient! And don't forget that there's only 2 weeks before the next HNT!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day weekend has always been one of those weekends when we all got together. It was usually the first weekend together after school got out for everyone. And it always fell within a few days of my dad's birthday, so it was always a double celebration. We all drank lots of beer, spent time outdoing each other with stories, sneaking into the kitchen and "testing" the potato salad, and soaking in the smell of the grill as the burgers or steaks were sizzling. Earlier in the day, there was sure to be some golf played, and all was right in the world.
Then it wasn't...
The year was 2010. Not the best of years for this family, as we'd learn by the end of December. BIL2 had died unexpectedly earlier in the month. Dad was having issues with post-op complications. Nothing life-threatening, but he just wasn't up to any sort of gathering. And to tell the truth, none of us were. Ray's death really threw us for a loop, and even though we'd all put on a pretty brave face, the thought of getting together to celebrate for Father's Day just didn't sit right. So we passed on the weekend. Little did we know that we'd never have the chance again. Ray's dad died in October, and my dad died in November.
All of a sudden, Father's Day meant nothing for the family. At least in the way we'd celebrated in the past. And we haven't done anything for it since. I'm sure that BIL3 is getting his share of loving from my sister and her kids, but that's it. Today would have been a special day, too, since Dad's 80th birthday was yesterday, and my baby sis and BIL3's wedding anniversary is tomorrow. But we're doing nothing.
I think that because of the bday/Father's Day convergence this weekend, I've been a bit down. Reading everyone's FB posts about their dad, or their husbands as dads, sort of hit hard this year. I don't mope around or anything like that--it just hit me harder yesterday that he's not around. I spent most of the day in the office (post on that coming soon!) keeping busy. Then my mind would wander to various memories of me and Dad.
Then it dawned on me--I HAVE those memories. Because I had a great relationship with my dad. And so many don't. I have difficulty comprehending what it would be like not having it. Having to deal with an alcoholic father, or a father who spent more time in jail than out, or worst of all--an absentee father (which I think would be the worst). So, while I still find myself a little sensitive that I don't have the opportunity to buy my dad another tie (which I NEVER bought for him!), I'm finding that the constant "dad" things have made me spend more time than usual reliving memories. And you know what? That's not such a bad thing!
So Happy Father's Day to my dad, to BIL3, and to all fathers reading this. I shall drink a beer at some point today in your honor and memory!
Time is getting near to the next HNT! Remember--July 4th!! I'm busier than a a one-armed trombone player these days so I might not get the reminders out like some of you expect. Though I imagine that for half-nekkidness, I'll find the time... Don't wait until the last minute though! Send your pics to me so I can post them on the OHNT site!
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Letting go of the old...
I didn't make note of it last month. At least not here. May 18th was the 33rd anniversary of Mt. St. Helens (which I find impossible!), and May 19th was the 8th anniversary of HNT.
I think that every year prior to this one, I posted a picture of the volcano, and linked up my story about Volcano Girl, and waxed poetic about the one that got away, or about how every moment of that time in my life still lives vividly in my mind. This year, I thought about it, and just didn't feel it.
I get nostalgic about my past, and I've finally figured out that the phases of my life have followed the decades. High school and college in the 70s, my teaching years and grad school in the 80s, life in a daze and total uncertainty through the 90's, rediscovery and purpose and relationships since 2000. While 1980 was an incredibly good year in my life, and a great start to a great decade, that's over half my life ago. A great thing to look back on from time to time, but not something I have to write about here every year.
On the other hand, I purposely didn't say anything about HNT when the anniversary rolled around. Not here, at least. I sort of mentioned it on FB, without really saying anything about it. But in such a way that anyone who did HNT would catch the drift. And many of them commented about it.
I still believe that the greatest thing that happened because of HNT was the community, and the number of friendships that developed. I am constantly reminded of that when I see some of the comments on my friend's statuses. Not so much the recent ones, but the old-timers from 7 or 8 years ago. When I see others' comments, I know that they wouldn't be connected if it weren't for HNT. As I said when I put HNT into retirement in 2011, when I arrive at the pearly gates of Heaven, and a list of my life's accomplishments is read, HNT will be somewhere in the top five. And you know what? That's not such a bad thing. But if I end up at the fiery gates of Hell, I have an inkling that HNT will be on that top five list as well!
Speaking of HNT, don't forget that we'll be doing HNT again in its new form on July 4th! So do your patriotic best and join in! Remember, you don't post it on your site anymore (though, I suppose you could...). Send it to me to post on the OHNT site!
I think that every year prior to this one, I posted a picture of the volcano, and linked up my story about Volcano Girl, and waxed poetic about the one that got away, or about how every moment of that time in my life still lives vividly in my mind. This year, I thought about it, and just didn't feel it.
I get nostalgic about my past, and I've finally figured out that the phases of my life have followed the decades. High school and college in the 70s, my teaching years and grad school in the 80s, life in a daze and total uncertainty through the 90's, rediscovery and purpose and relationships since 2000. While 1980 was an incredibly good year in my life, and a great start to a great decade, that's over half my life ago. A great thing to look back on from time to time, but not something I have to write about here every year.
On the other hand, I purposely didn't say anything about HNT when the anniversary rolled around. Not here, at least. I sort of mentioned it on FB, without really saying anything about it. But in such a way that anyone who did HNT would catch the drift. And many of them commented about it.
I still believe that the greatest thing that happened because of HNT was the community, and the number of friendships that developed. I am constantly reminded of that when I see some of the comments on my friend's statuses. Not so much the recent ones, but the old-timers from 7 or 8 years ago. When I see others' comments, I know that they wouldn't be connected if it weren't for HNT. As I said when I put HNT into retirement in 2011, when I arrive at the pearly gates of Heaven, and a list of my life's accomplishments is read, HNT will be somewhere in the top five. And you know what? That's not such a bad thing. But if I end up at the fiery gates of Hell, I have an inkling that HNT will be on that top five list as well!
Speaking of HNT, don't forget that we'll be doing HNT again in its new form on July 4th! So do your patriotic best and join in! Remember, you don't post it on your site anymore (though, I suppose you could...). Send it to me to post on the OHNT site!
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Anomalies
This has been bugging me since I saw the new Star Trek movie on opening day. First off--let me say that I was quite satisfied. A good, and somewhat familiar story, great special effects, some new tricks, and a lot of "in" jokes and dialog for a longtime Trek fan (noticed how I avoided the word "Trekkie"?). But there's two anomalies that I haven't been able to justify in my mind. And I'm disappointed that others haven't mentioned them either...
WARNING: Plot lines and spoilers coming! If you haven't seen the movie yet, or don't care about this post, leave now!
OK, the first one concerns the Tribbles. A basic premise of this movie is that the Enterprise has not yet left on it's five-year mission to explore new galaxies, yadda, yadda, yadda... Even continuing with the "new" timeline story, Tribbles had not yet been discovered by the Federation. Therefore, McCoy couldn't be experimenting with one, am I right???
The other anomaly also involves McCoy. When he and Dr. Marcus are disarming the bomb on the planet's surface, he makes the comment that he once helped a Gorn give birth. In the original timeline, on their five-year mission, the Gorn was such an alien that the universal translator didn't even work. How could McCoy have delivered baby Gorns when the two species had never met yet?
These have been weighing heavily on me since I saw the movie. Forgive me. I'm a geek.
Don't forget to prepare something for HNT on July 4th!!!
WARNING: Plot lines and spoilers coming! If you haven't seen the movie yet, or don't care about this post, leave now!
OK, the first one concerns the Tribbles. A basic premise of this movie is that the Enterprise has not yet left on it's five-year mission to explore new galaxies, yadda, yadda, yadda... Even continuing with the "new" timeline story, Tribbles had not yet been discovered by the Federation. Therefore, McCoy couldn't be experimenting with one, am I right???
The other anomaly also involves McCoy. When he and Dr. Marcus are disarming the bomb on the planet's surface, he makes the comment that he once helped a Gorn give birth. In the original timeline, on their five-year mission, the Gorn was such an alien that the universal translator didn't even work. How could McCoy have delivered baby Gorns when the two species had never met yet?
These have been weighing heavily on me since I saw the movie. Forgive me. I'm a geek.
Don't forget to prepare something for HNT on July 4th!!!
Monday, June 03, 2013
Whereas, ...
Whereas, in an effort to spread out my posts, rather than puke them up all at once, and
Whereas, it was apparent that my last post was less than spectacular, and
Whereas, I'm busier than hell,
I'll post single subject posts, for better or worse, for the next few posts. Well maybe two subjects per post...
The HNT experiment of posting them quarterly throughout the year worked well, so be advised that the next HNT will be on the first Thursday of July. Which also happens to be the Fourth of July! So do your patriotic duty and send something in! All HNTs will be posted on the OHNT site like the last time. Be sure to let others know too, since many of them won't see that here. Looking forward to it!
My real post--the lilacs have been out for a little bit. Lilacs are usually a little late in blooming around here compared to much of the rest of the state, but when they do, they do it with wild abandon. Interestingly, the blooming seems to be different within the city, as the west side lilacs bloom much earlier that the east side lilacs. Not sure why. Regardless though, I love the smell as it unexpectedly smacks me in the face when I leave work. Puts me in a happy mood for the rest of the afternoon!
Whereas, it was apparent that my last post was less than spectacular, and
Whereas, I'm busier than hell,
I'll post single subject posts, for better or worse, for the next few posts. Well maybe two subjects per post...
The HNT experiment of posting them quarterly throughout the year worked well, so be advised that the next HNT will be on the first Thursday of July. Which also happens to be the Fourth of July! So do your patriotic duty and send something in! All HNTs will be posted on the OHNT site like the last time. Be sure to let others know too, since many of them won't see that here. Looking forward to it!
My real post--the lilacs have been out for a little bit. Lilacs are usually a little late in blooming around here compared to much of the rest of the state, but when they do, they do it with wild abandon. Interestingly, the blooming seems to be different within the city, as the west side lilacs bloom much earlier that the east side lilacs. Not sure why. Regardless though, I love the smell as it unexpectedly smacks me in the face when I leave work. Puts me in a happy mood for the rest of the afternoon!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Knick of time!
I couldn't allow myself to let a full calendar month go by without posting, so here I am.
I've got lots to write about, so I promise to get to that soon. Road trip, summer concert, gig, and plenty of pontificating to be done!
I've got lots to write about, so I promise to get to that soon. Road trip, summer concert, gig, and plenty of pontificating to be done!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Another one...
 |
| October 23, 1985 - April 23, 2013 |
She blogged. She Facebooked. She did HNT. She was the Mystery Guest once. She did a handful of OHNTs.
She turned 27 last October. She was the mother to a handsome boy and a cute little girl. She raised them in southern California.
She was a cancer survivor. She still had numerous surgeries over the past year or so. But she was winning.
I had talked to her a couple of times on the phone since the new year. She had found a new boyfriend who treated her like a princess. She was completely happy.
You may remember her either as "~c~" or as "Cher". She died unexpectedly this morning in her sleep.
When I started my online life, I didn't plan on having to deal with the deaths of people with whom I would form some sort of friendship. She's the third. I'm tired of it.
Friday, April 12, 2013
56
Just thought I'd mention that my birthday is on Monday. In case any of you might have forgotten.
You probably have a good idea of what I'm hoping to get from you...
You probably have a good idea of what I'm hoping to get from you...
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Monday, April 01, 2013
HNT Reminder
I know it's still April Fool's Day, but this is on the level... Remember that HNT is this week! And in it's different format. You don't post on your own site these days--you send them to me to post to the OHNT site. It'll go up on Wednesday night at 9:30 PM (just like the old days). I've got a handful of pics already, and expect a few more in the next day or two. You should join in. Really.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but a certain individual (*ahem) who is near and dear to your hearts celebrates his birthday in two weeks. Just thought you should know.
Facebook has all sorts of problems, as we all know, but when it works right, it's quite an impressive social tool. I just got back in touch with a blogger/HNTer who sort of disappeared on us about six years ago. I love social media!
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but a certain individual (*ahem) who is near and dear to your hearts celebrates his birthday in two weeks. Just thought you should know.
Facebook has all sorts of problems, as we all know, but when it works right, it's quite an impressive social tool. I just got back in touch with a blogger/HNTer who sort of disappeared on us about six years ago. I love social media!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
HNT Reminder and stuff
Don't forget! The great HNT experiment is next Thursday (April 4th). If you've missed what it's all about--we won't do HNT on our own sites, but send everything in to the OHNT site. Email your pics to hntanon@gmail.com no later than next Wednesday afternoon. We'll see if there's any interest in keeping HNT going every three months...
I know that not all of you follow me on FB, but I put my 2¢ there about the same-sex marriage debate and the blossoming of the red/pink equality image that everyone adopted as their profile pic. I tried to write something profound, but ran into mental blocks. So I kept it short and sweet:
Easter is almost here!!! In spite of my delicate condition, I might have snuck in a Cadbury's egg or two over the past couple of weeks...
Speaking of Easter, it's a weird family situation this year. Normally, it's one of those "meet at Mom's for dinner" things that almost the entire family gathers for. This year though, no one's in town. S3 and her family are in San Diego (I think) for spring break, and I'm not even sure if N3 is with them. She might still have classes in Missoula. S2 will be here, but N1 has to work in Billings, and N2 is in Philly for some sort of training. S1 and her hubby are in Portland. So it's just me, Mom, and S2. We're going to go out for dinner. But it's so weird with just the three of us!
In case I don't make it back here (which is entirely probable), I hope you all have a Happy Easter!!!
I know that not all of you follow me on FB, but I put my 2¢ there about the same-sex marriage debate and the blossoming of the red/pink equality image that everyone adopted as their profile pic. I tried to write something profound, but ran into mental blocks. So I kept it short and sweet:
SCOTUS--Find that same-sex marriages are legal. They don't really hurt anyone/anything. But keep your nose out of decreeing that churches must allow them (that whole separation of church/state thing).
CHURCHES--If your denomination accepts such things, go marry a bunch of same-sex couples. If it doesn't, then don't. But keep your nose out of the others that do.
GOVERNMENT--Fix the government. Same-sex marriage should be low on anyone's radar. It should be a non-issue.
FB--I'll be happy when I don't have to be bombarded daily with gay-positive posts. It should be a non-issue.
PERSONAL--I'm not going to change my profile pic to the red equal sign. And I'm not ever going to join Twitter.
Easter is almost here!!! In spite of my delicate condition, I might have snuck in a Cadbury's egg or two over the past couple of weeks...
Speaking of Easter, it's a weird family situation this year. Normally, it's one of those "meet at Mom's for dinner" things that almost the entire family gathers for. This year though, no one's in town. S3 and her family are in San Diego (I think) for spring break, and I'm not even sure if N3 is with them. She might still have classes in Missoula. S2 will be here, but N1 has to work in Billings, and N2 is in Philly for some sort of training. S1 and her hubby are in Portland. So it's just me, Mom, and S2. We're going to go out for dinner. But it's so weird with just the three of us!
In case I don't make it back here (which is entirely probable), I hope you all have a Happy Easter!!!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
She'd have been 35 today...
Ya know...she sort of faded away from us for a spell. And she was sort of forgotten.
I'll be damned if I'm gonna let that happen anymore...
Thursday, March 14, 2013
It always happens this way...
I had a routine doctor's appointment this morning. The results of which were a bit on the disappointing side (I blame winter and a change in meds).
Knowing that I needed to fast and hydrate so they could take blood easily, I didn't eat anything after dinner last night, and only drank water until bedtime. When I woke up, I opted out of the first thing I do when I get out of bed (peeing, for those who have a different routine), since I knew I'd be asked for a urine sample. I even sucked down two more glasses of water before heading to the appointment.
The results of my fasting/hydrating? They still had to bring in three different people in an attempt to find a cooperative vein to draw blood from. That finally worked. Then when the pressure came to pee in a cup, it took me about ten minutes to piddle out maybe half a cup. That's half a pee cup. Not four ounces. I was pathetic.
Of course, I've had to pee three times since getting to work...
Knowing that I needed to fast and hydrate so they could take blood easily, I didn't eat anything after dinner last night, and only drank water until bedtime. When I woke up, I opted out of the first thing I do when I get out of bed (peeing, for those who have a different routine), since I knew I'd be asked for a urine sample. I even sucked down two more glasses of water before heading to the appointment.
The results of my fasting/hydrating? They still had to bring in three different people in an attempt to find a cooperative vein to draw blood from. That finally worked. Then when the pressure came to pee in a cup, it took me about ten minutes to piddle out maybe half a cup. That's half a pee cup. Not four ounces. I was pathetic.
Of course, I've had to pee three times since getting to work...
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