Evel Knievel has died at age 69.
I remember watching him jump on television in the '70s. This makes me sad. Part of the happy part of my childhood has passed away.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Evel Has Died
Evel Knievel has died at age 69.
I remember watching him jump on television in the '70s. This makes me sad. Part of the happy part of my childhood has passed away.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Beyond Squeeeee!
It has been a while since I have updated. True. It hasn't been because of classes or medical issues (thank God), but because WE HAVE MOVED!
Yes, that's right! We have moved from the old place into a new place. A three bedroom place with a single bath, plus the obligatory kitchen and living room. It is warm and tiled in every single room which makes for a much easier wheelchair movement. When I am on my crutches I am a bit nervous, but I don't believe anyone could possibly blame me for that; even Hubby is a little on the nervous side when I am up on my crutches.
The kitchen is my favorite room currently. It has the Internet connection up and running and the sink doesn't have any cabitnets directly beneath it so there is ample room for me to get my legs and the wheelchair beneath so I can wash dishes no matter how badly my legs are tired or my body is not cooperating.
I tried to take a picture of the sink, but it didn't come through. However, here you can see just how much the animals are relaxed because Cappa and Jo were lying on the same rug and not trying to kill each other!
Plus, the frige has a wonderful ice and water dispenser!
And the kitchen table is still serving as the primary study area, as you can plainly see.
We are warm, safe, and actually heading toward major happiness thinks I.
Yes, that's right! We have moved from the old place into a new place. A three bedroom place with a single bath, plus the obligatory kitchen and living room. It is warm and tiled in every single room which makes for a much easier wheelchair movement. When I am on my crutches I am a bit nervous, but I don't believe anyone could possibly blame me for that; even Hubby is a little on the nervous side when I am up on my crutches.
The kitchen is my favorite room currently. It has the Internet connection up and running and the sink doesn't have any cabitnets directly beneath it so there is ample room for me to get my legs and the wheelchair beneath so I can wash dishes no matter how badly my legs are tired or my body is not cooperating.
I tried to take a picture of the sink, but it didn't come through. However, here you can see just how much the animals are relaxed because Cappa and Jo were lying on the same rug and not trying to kill each other!
Plus, the frige has a wonderful ice and water dispenser!
And the kitchen table is still serving as the primary study area, as you can plainly see.
We are warm, safe, and actually heading toward major happiness thinks I.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Santas in Australia shouldn't say "ho, ho, ho"?
"SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday."
I know this is silly, and the article talks about just how silly it is and it makes me smile in its pure stupidity.
Go on, read it for yourself. I am SO glad some people see it as stupid. If it happens here in America I believe I will protest!
LOL!
Also, today begins the Nativity Fast for us Orthodox Christians. I am not sure what I am going to do just yet as an addition since I keep poultry due to my health. I love this time of year!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I debate....
The winter building begins on January 2nd. I have registered for classes. All of them are on-line this on-coming quarter for me. One of the said courses I have signed on for is college algebra. Now I am debating said math course. I am smart, not overly smart mind you, but smart and I am feeling far more confident about anything numberish than I have ever felt in my life, but Should I really tempt fate and do a college algebra course course on-line?
Any suggestions or comments you have on said subject would be most appreciated.
Any suggestions or comments you have on said subject would be most appreciated.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Merry Christmas
I have noticed a trend in the past couple of years. People don't say "Merry Christmas" any more, really. They say, "Happy Holidays" because they don't want to offend anyone who may not be a Christian by wishing them "Merry Christmas". This makes absolutely no sense when you think about it, because Christmas is a Christian holiday.
In the early Church the festival of the Sun was held on December 25th, and as countries, villages, and people became Christians, they gave up the celebration of the Sun Festival, so, the early Church decided this would be a good day to celebrate the Nativity of Christ. The Son of God. The play on words was quite intentional.
You need to understand, too, this was the early unified Church before the Roman Catholics branched away from the Orthodox faith, and have remainded separate from it for these past many centuries.
No one "took over" the Sun festival or banned it or anything of that nature. It was exactly the date of nine months past the time of the Annunciation and was as good a date as any. This isn't unheard of, though, in history, and where people are concerned. We enjoy celebrating birthdays. I know of stories where older people have not known when their birthday was, so the family gets together and decides when would be a good time for it, and from that moment on, they celebrate that person's birthday on that date. It is a sign of love.
Why is it so hard to acknowledge the same thing happened in Christianity for Christ? Our traditions and our faith are strong, how much more logical it is to want to celebrate the Christ's birthday than to "force" a people to celebrate it against their will?
A lot of atrocities have indeed happened under the banner of Christianity. There isn't any way to get away from that, but, sadly, it has been under the Roman Catholic banner, the Church of the West, rather than the Orthodox Church, the Church of the East. Even though this truth cannot be denied, nor should it be, it isn't a reason not to wish someone a very Merry Christmas.
Trying to take Christ out of Christmas is like taking flour or meal or water from the baking of bread! If the main ingredient isn't there, it isn't bread, and without Christ it isn't Christmas.
I am a firm believer in not offending anyone. But what should I do when people are offending me by trying to take away one of the most beautiful holidays, a Christian holiday, celebrating Christ's birth and making it a pagan holiday of just buying presents and having an excuse to drink too much?
So, this year I will be wishing people a very Merry Christmas as well as every year to come. I believe it is time we take back one of the most beautiful times of the year if you are a Christian. Presents are wonderful-we exchange gifts because of what Christ did for us: He gave the greatest gift of all-His life so we would know how we can live.
Christmas is a remembrance of hope. Besides, doesn't it sound so much more musical to say Merry Christmas rather than Happy Holidays?
In the early Church the festival of the Sun was held on December 25th, and as countries, villages, and people became Christians, they gave up the celebration of the Sun Festival, so, the early Church decided this would be a good day to celebrate the Nativity of Christ. The Son of God. The play on words was quite intentional.
You need to understand, too, this was the early unified Church before the Roman Catholics branched away from the Orthodox faith, and have remainded separate from it for these past many centuries.
No one "took over" the Sun festival or banned it or anything of that nature. It was exactly the date of nine months past the time of the Annunciation and was as good a date as any. This isn't unheard of, though, in history, and where people are concerned. We enjoy celebrating birthdays. I know of stories where older people have not known when their birthday was, so the family gets together and decides when would be a good time for it, and from that moment on, they celebrate that person's birthday on that date. It is a sign of love.
Why is it so hard to acknowledge the same thing happened in Christianity for Christ? Our traditions and our faith are strong, how much more logical it is to want to celebrate the Christ's birthday than to "force" a people to celebrate it against their will?
A lot of atrocities have indeed happened under the banner of Christianity. There isn't any way to get away from that, but, sadly, it has been under the Roman Catholic banner, the Church of the West, rather than the Orthodox Church, the Church of the East. Even though this truth cannot be denied, nor should it be, it isn't a reason not to wish someone a very Merry Christmas.
Trying to take Christ out of Christmas is like taking flour or meal or water from the baking of bread! If the main ingredient isn't there, it isn't bread, and without Christ it isn't Christmas.
I am a firm believer in not offending anyone. But what should I do when people are offending me by trying to take away one of the most beautiful holidays, a Christian holiday, celebrating Christ's birth and making it a pagan holiday of just buying presents and having an excuse to drink too much?
So, this year I will be wishing people a very Merry Christmas as well as every year to come. I believe it is time we take back one of the most beautiful times of the year if you are a Christian. Presents are wonderful-we exchange gifts because of what Christ did for us: He gave the greatest gift of all-His life so we would know how we can live.
Christmas is a remembrance of hope. Besides, doesn't it sound so much more musical to say Merry Christmas rather than Happy Holidays?
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Tai Chi and Yarn Therapy Make for a Happier Me
Yesterday was Saturday. Saturday is tai chi day. To my happiness I actually stood for part of tai chi and am planning to stand more. Even though I had to sit down to finish out the session, I can honestly say the way I sat on the edge of my seat and did the movements was much better. Smoother. More effective. A couple of times Just Bill came by and gave me a reassuring rub on the back which was just what was needed to let go of a lot of the stress that has been plaguing me recently.
"Lady Lin" helped me a lot during yesterday's tai chi session. She kept moving and showing me things I needed to keep and moved me into proper position a couple of times. In those moments of tai chi, everything seemed outside. Far away. I knew the problems were there, of course, but they didn't matter while learning and trying to learn the tai chi movements. It was a nice, warm place to rest in the middle of a storm with friends.
After breakfast Hubby and I went on our normal rounds of Georgetown and then to Stone's Throw.
I had yarn therapy.
"Lady Lin" helped me a lot during yesterday's tai chi session. She kept moving and showing me things I needed to keep and moved me into proper position a couple of times. In those moments of tai chi, everything seemed outside. Far away. I knew the problems were there, of course, but they didn't matter while learning and trying to learn the tai chi movements. It was a nice, warm place to rest in the middle of a storm with friends.
After breakfast Hubby and I went on our normal rounds of Georgetown and then to Stone's Throw.
I had yarn therapy.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The picture says it all...sort of.
moar funny pictures
Well, a lot has changed in the past few days. My wheelchair has died. Dead. I am at home now doing as much homework as possible over the Internet and walking a good deal. Luckily there is a manual wheelchair I can actually sit in and relax and get out in with LOTS of help. I can't budge the manual at all.
Sullivan is working with me as much as they can possibly do and I must say I am getting close to adoring the teachers there. They are going beyond the call of duty for me to get my work and receive it. I am blessed to be going to school there, which is really amazing since I would have preferred to have gone somewhere else initially. It is a good thing God is in control, because I would have otherwise screwed up.
Tomorrow I go see more doctors and a person at a wheelchair clinic. I am hoping, though I probably shouldn't, that I can get a loaner from them until my permanent chair comes in.
Oh, and the writing project has 50 words on it. Yes, I know, it isn't very much, but there really has been a lot more on my mind of late than the story I began.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Feeling the Need
As most everyone knows, November usually means NaNoWriMo which boils down to writing 50,000 words in a month and having the first draft of a novel to work on, revise, and then submit somewhere. Since school is in my life now, as well as holidays and Church, and, well, just life in general, there is no way I can actually do NaNoWriMo this year, and give it an honest shot.
Recently I went roaming around in the most recent issue of Romantic Times Magazine I saw something about 70 Days of Sweat which is remarkably similar, except you have a few extra days to get the thing finished. Seventy days.
Of course, I can finish Trai. He needs to get finished. However, at the same time as needing to finish Trai, I need to begin something different. Something that can be written on easily and finished as quickly as possible just because I need to be able to look back on my work and say I have accomplished something other than school work.
It is insane to say, but I am seriously considering beginning something very similiar to 70 Days of Sweat. Maybe I could call it 90 Days of Determination. It sounds good doesn't it? So, when would be the beginning date?
How about Monday, November 5th?
OK, let's say it begins on November 5th and ends on January 5th.
Goal: To have no less than 60, 000 words done. A first draft. By January 5th.
I already have a notebook in my bag because it was an automatic purchase for November. Now I am feeling a little bit more like I can accomplish something.
Now comes to hard part for me, because I get caught up in everything else except writing sometimes: I will post a word count every day until January 5th.
If I miss a day, well, I'll just have to make it up. I know I am going to miss some days because life happens and there are quite famous monkeys with wrenches seeking to derail everything we plan.
Recently I went roaming around in the most recent issue of Romantic Times Magazine I saw something about 70 Days of Sweat which is remarkably similar, except you have a few extra days to get the thing finished. Seventy days.
Of course, I can finish Trai. He needs to get finished. However, at the same time as needing to finish Trai, I need to begin something different. Something that can be written on easily and finished as quickly as possible just because I need to be able to look back on my work and say I have accomplished something other than school work.
It is insane to say, but I am seriously considering beginning something very similiar to 70 Days of Sweat. Maybe I could call it 90 Days of Determination. It sounds good doesn't it? So, when would be the beginning date?
How about Monday, November 5th?
OK, let's say it begins on November 5th and ends on January 5th.
Goal: To have no less than 60, 000 words done. A first draft. By January 5th.
I already have a notebook in my bag because it was an automatic purchase for November. Now I am feeling a little bit more like I can accomplish something.
Now comes to hard part for me, because I get caught up in everything else except writing sometimes: I will post a word count every day until January 5th.
If I miss a day, well, I'll just have to make it up. I know I am going to miss some days because life happens and there are quite famous monkeys with wrenches seeking to derail everything we plan.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Remembering and Thanksgiving
Thirty-some-odd hours ago, I was wheel-less. My electric wheelchair decided didn't go on Tuesday evening. It powered up, came on, but...no va. It just didn't go. So, off it went to the doctor yesterday, which meant I missed school and was on my feet quite a lot. Yes, there is a lot of soreness today, but yours truly is stronger than she used to be, just not as strong as she would like to be.
Not being able to move from one room to another without major pain and such slowness I envied the lovely turtle, it reminded me of just how much freedom I actually have now compared to what it used to be. It was a hard reminder, though good. Sadly, like many people, I had become so used to doing things I had forgotten what it was like not to be able to do the simplest thing without assistance. It was horrible! Tears came and went throughout the entire day, and there wasn't one single place in my house I could rest comfortably except the bed in the bedroom.
Tears fell on my friends, my dogs, my cat, and there was quite a bit of snuffling for Hubby. He said he was glad to see I could walk. I am glad he was glad, but there just wasn't any way I could explain how much pain there was. Walking is important, but, now, I am realizing freedom is more important. Being able to be a productive human being is marvelous. Yesterday I was not productive. I couldn't even knit, which again sent me into tears.
Today it is almost as if nothing changed. The hallways at school ring with laughter and people are greeting me calmly or joyously, or just ignoring me like they do most everyone else. Very few people here actually know my wheels weren't working and I had to miss school because I couldn't physically get around. Even the ones who do know don't really comprehend the tragedy that was yesterday.
Yes, I used the one word rarely spoken by me. Tragedy. Yesterday was a tragedy in the simple fact that life was not lived. Life was something that just happened. I breathed. I ate. I drank. I hurt. I didn't enjoy. No matter what I tried to do to make things better for myself, even if it was just to read a book, it all just fell through. It was as if I was trapped, imprisoned within myself. There was once a time when I used to feel like this all the time. Each day was something I dreaded. Each day I woke wondering what else I wasn't going to be able to do and tried very hard to force myself not to want to do anything. It was a sad way to be.
How long did I live this way? I don't know. I remember the pain and wondering if dying would really be such a bad thing. When did things change for the better? When it was firmly established I was going to live and there was a way to help for the pain to be manageable. It took a long time. Now I must admit that life is better. Actually, life is good and I am living it. How sad that previous time was for me and I am glad yesterday was only a short revisiting so that I could actually remember and be glad for how things are now. I am thankful things are not like that on a consistent basis any more.
Life is good. I am a happy individual with a real life. And I need my wheels. I am thankful for my wheels. I am thankful for everything currently around me and in me. So, yesterday wasn't a horror in the fact that it helped me remember; it was a blessing in that it helped me appreciate everything I have now; and it was a tragedy that it had to happen for me to realize just how much I am truly blessed with now.
Not being able to move from one room to another without major pain and such slowness I envied the lovely turtle, it reminded me of just how much freedom I actually have now compared to what it used to be. It was a hard reminder, though good. Sadly, like many people, I had become so used to doing things I had forgotten what it was like not to be able to do the simplest thing without assistance. It was horrible! Tears came and went throughout the entire day, and there wasn't one single place in my house I could rest comfortably except the bed in the bedroom.
Tears fell on my friends, my dogs, my cat, and there was quite a bit of snuffling for Hubby. He said he was glad to see I could walk. I am glad he was glad, but there just wasn't any way I could explain how much pain there was. Walking is important, but, now, I am realizing freedom is more important. Being able to be a productive human being is marvelous. Yesterday I was not productive. I couldn't even knit, which again sent me into tears.
Today it is almost as if nothing changed. The hallways at school ring with laughter and people are greeting me calmly or joyously, or just ignoring me like they do most everyone else. Very few people here actually know my wheels weren't working and I had to miss school because I couldn't physically get around. Even the ones who do know don't really comprehend the tragedy that was yesterday.
Yes, I used the one word rarely spoken by me. Tragedy. Yesterday was a tragedy in the simple fact that life was not lived. Life was something that just happened. I breathed. I ate. I drank. I hurt. I didn't enjoy. No matter what I tried to do to make things better for myself, even if it was just to read a book, it all just fell through. It was as if I was trapped, imprisoned within myself. There was once a time when I used to feel like this all the time. Each day was something I dreaded. Each day I woke wondering what else I wasn't going to be able to do and tried very hard to force myself not to want to do anything. It was a sad way to be.
How long did I live this way? I don't know. I remember the pain and wondering if dying would really be such a bad thing. When did things change for the better? When it was firmly established I was going to live and there was a way to help for the pain to be manageable. It took a long time. Now I must admit that life is better. Actually, life is good and I am living it. How sad that previous time was for me and I am glad yesterday was only a short revisiting so that I could actually remember and be glad for how things are now. I am thankful things are not like that on a consistent basis any more.
Life is good. I am a happy individual with a real life. And I need my wheels. I am thankful for my wheels. I am thankful for everything currently around me and in me. So, yesterday wasn't a horror in the fact that it helped me remember; it was a blessing in that it helped me appreciate everything I have now; and it was a tragedy that it had to happen for me to realize just how much I am truly blessed with now.
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