So...what snippets do I have this week? Let's see. A lot of folks are going to work tomorrow who wondered for several days if they would. Glad to see that we averted a government shutdown for the sakes of those who would suffer (including, as it turns out, this family). But I can't say I'm jumping up and down at the meager concessions toward spending reductions. As Karl Rove said in the wee hours of Saturday morning, this only matters if it's the first step in a long road. Otherwise, it was a waste.
 

And now on to the struggle over the debt limit. Let me see if I've got this. I've maxed out all my credit cards. I still want stuff. Good stuff, you know? Not just selfishly, but to help other people. But to be honest, I can't even come CLOSE to making the payments on all the stuff I've already borrowed. But if I don't borrow more, I can't keep doing all the good stuff I do. I can't feed hungry people or donate to charities or take my kids to the museum. So, maybe I can figure out a way to shame the credit card companies into raising my limit and giving me more money! After all, there are people depending on me, and those nasty scoundrels who have all the money need to just give it up! What do they need it for, anyway--they're filthy rich! If I make enough noise, and keep saying over and over that those fat cats should "pay their fair share," public opinion will turn against them and they'll have to cave! Especially if I can get on TV! (I'll let you know how that works out.)

Bethany (almost 21) and Tim (14) took off Saturday morning to drive north for a visit with the faraway siblings and other family members. Still seems funny that my kids are old enough to just take off on the interstate, but I'm very glad that they can and that they'd rather spend their time that way than in pretty much any other pursuit.

Peach salsa. It works.

We'll see how brave I end up being, but I'm planning to hit the theater Friday night for the opening of Atlas Shrugged. If I chicken out and don't feel like braving the crowd, I might wait a few days, but I definitely want to see it while it's still on the big screen. I've watched some of the trailers, and other than a level of business dress that's uncharacteristic of the era in which it was written and about which it was written, it is much like I've pictured. Go Dagny.

And who is John Galt, anyway? And where is he when we need him?

A big hug to those of you who have experienced some disappointments this week. You know who you are.

Update on my computer saga: this week, my second full week with the new MacBook Pro, the words "buyer's remorse" have been creeping into my consciousness. I've beaten them back a few times and I'm still not ready to admit to a complete mistake, but I will admit I am not thrilled. I can see the arguments that photographers and graphic designers and web developers use for the superiority of Macs, but I don't do those things. And most of the things I do are either clunkier or at least no better on the Mac. And for this, I paid 400% more than I would have spent on another PC. No, folks, not just a hundred dollars more...two thousand dollars more. I realize that I'm paying for terrific Apple support and Apple reliability, but I think this is a higher price than I would have paid had I known that the functionality, for me, just doesn't rate that kind of money. And so right now, with a very guilty look on my face, I'm typing this post on the HP with the brand new hard drive and staring over at the beautiful and very expensive Apple across the room. For those of you who ask me why I won't just run Windows on the Mac, it's easy: for me, it will be less stress to just use two computers. The reviews about what Windows does on a Mac are for the most part not encouraging. I use multiple high-RAM applications simultaneously, and I can't afford to have a platform like that (which I'd have to spend yet more big bucks for) drag down my speed. I'll just shuttle back and forth, thank you. (And speaking of dragging, the Mac is already dragging and spinning and acting like it's working too hard, and I have an appointment to take it back to the Apple "Genius" bar this week. Something else I didn't want to have to take time for.)

Okay, that was more than a snippet, I realize. That needed to be a separate post.

On the constant urging of friends and family, I have started in watching seasons of old (or not so old) TV shows via Netflix. When The Papa is gone, this is a nice way to spend late evenings. So here are my thoughts on the ones I've started and/or finished. Doctor Who: Not too far into this one yet, but I don't think I'll be able to hang with it very long. Having seen the original in the UK years ago, I thought I'd probably love this, but..... Monk: YES please. More. Pushing Daisies: I watched the first two and was in love, and by two more I was ready for a divorce. Not from The Papa, just from PD. Cute idea, very silly very fast. And not the kind of silly that holds my attention. Downton Abbey: I can't get enough of this! I'm mad at myself for watching Season 1 so quickly and now I have to wait nearly a year for Season 2. Maybe I'll just watch them again.

 

I'm loving the Bonhoeffer bio on audio. I know there's some controversy about this book, but just what's in the historical record sans any personal bias of the author is enough to move me to tears...

I'm nearing the home stretch of my goal to memorize the book of Philippians by Easter: just sixteen verses to go. God has been so good not only to lead me to this goal but to lead me through it. He's taught me so much directly from His word and also about my own brain and how it works best. I know more than I ever did about what times of day are best for me, which life circumstances and moods help and hurt my ability to retain what I learn, how sleep affects my memory, what the optimum size "chunk" is for me to remember in one day, etc. This wasn't meant to be an intellectual exercise, but it has hammered home to me how we are whole beings, and the same God who saved me and made me His own is the Creator of this brain that He's using to store up His word. Lovely lessons.

And now, I need a pot of coffee, ya'll. Not a cup. A whole pot. Have a great week!

It's been a strange week, getting used to the new MacBook Pro while trying to carry on my normal tasks. So far I'm loving most things about it...I don't like the fact that some of my treasured programs won't run on a Mac and so I'm forced to decide between trying to shuttle back and forth between two computers or putting software on the Mac which will run Windows. Neither seems a happy prospect, given what I've heard and read from all but one person about the Windows for Mac option. So. My decisions aren't all behind me yet.

(Anyone have a recommendation for some good Mac software for a recipe database?)

The Papa and I found a nice new restaurant Thursday night. Actually a new iPhone app found it for us, and I want to plug the app as much as the restaurant. It's called Urbanspoon, and it's a great way to find a new place to eat. We get stuck in a rut when we go out, afraid to take a risk on a place we know nothing about. This app uses your present location and gives you suggestions based on your choice of cuisine, how far you want to drive, and how much you want to spend. Then for each suggestion there are maps, reviews, etc. to give you an idea of what you're in for....So, we spun the dial and came up with Roaring Fork...and we were delighted! A nice pre-Australia date. And any place that makes a Fried Avocado and Crab with Chipotle Mayo is doing something right  :-)

I'm so glad our taxes are done. Even though we had to pay, it's DONE. And I'll be snickering at the lines of people at the post office on the 15th. Yeah, I'm that way.

Loving the new season of Army Wives...and also loving seeing Season 1 of Downton Abbey via Netflix. This weekend I also went back and watched most of the first season of Pushing Daisies, which I never saw when it was on TV, and caught up on some old Monk episodes. Yeah, I go through these phases...

The Papa and I also finished up book #7 in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series (Blue Shoes and Happiness) before he left. And I've ordered the next one...oh, what will we do when we're out of Precious Ramotswe??

And during the past week I finished The Red Queen, which I adored, and began the audio version of Metaxas' Bonhoeffer biography. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Recommendation: If you're homeschooling and haven't yet discovered or switched to Teaching Textbooks for math, cut your losses now and run to their website as fast as your fingers will carry you. Even if you're not homeschooling, your kids could benefit from the excellent help in this program.

Have I mentioned how excited I am that we are gaining TWO new grandbabies this spring/summer? CAN'T.WAIT!

A man and his John Deere--happy combination.

I think I would like to see The Donald become president just for the fun of seeing what would happen to his combover while walking away from Marine One. (Oh, come on, you know you would too.)

This spring seems to be so beautiful. We don't have as many bluebonnets as some other years, but the greens are so lush. I think the milder spring temps have a lot to do with it even though we haven't had enough rain. This has been a weird year...tomorrow night our low is to be 43! April? In San Antonio?

This morning in worship, we shared a song that's been played but never yet sung (waiting for our CCLI license) in our services, and it was so meaningful as to bring tears from a lot of us. This exquisite piece, "In Christ Alone," is becoming one of the new but soon to be classic anthems of the faith...

Enjoy your first week of April!

It's Sunday again! The week has sped by, and half my time with the Virginia family is gone. I'm appreciating every moment...

Haven't watched any news since being here, but my limited time on the 'net tells me that the dominoes are still rocking back and forth in the Middle East. Well, I guess the price of gas is telling me that as well  :-(

So far I've resisted watching American Idol, other than a few clips, this year. I may jump in later in the season, but then I will have to ask the inevitable question, "What is that thing seated by JLo?"

It's a very nice time of year to visit Charlottesville!

I have to come to Virginia to get Chinese takeout delivered. What's wrong with this picture?

Getting ready to picket if The King's Speech doesn't win tonight. As in, win practically everything. That may not be completely fair of me, since it's the only one I've seen of all the nominated pictures...but I don't have any faith that today's Hollywood is capable of making a better picture. 

And speaking of pictures, have you seen the new deal being offered to Amazon Prime members? Right now, it doesn't look like much, but it's offered at no additional charge and it's bound to have a wider and wider selection in the coming months. If I were Netflix, I'd be quaking in my boots. As a matter of fact, I'll be dropping Netflix (again) if Amazon can come anywhere near close to what Netflix offers. Because some months I don't have time to watch a single movie or streamed TV show, so I'd be glad to eliminate the $9 a month!

So it's a blast to be here with the three grandkids I see the least. They change so much in between visits that I am mesmerized to watch them play and eat and sing and dance...Erin, Jude, Savannah, GRANNY LOVES YOU!

My newest audio book is Half the Sky. This one is very hard to listen to. I'm expecting its political stance to be different than mine in places, but the issues it explores need to be a concern for every one of us.

And there, in no particular order, are the snippets from this week. Have a good one!

It was a strange weekend. San Antonio got hit with a freak 3/4" snowfall on Thursday, which would have been very welcome under normal circumstances (well, there's nothing normal about snow here)...but the precipitation and the icy air ruined all Nathan's BMT graduation activities AND made it impossible for all the north Texas and Oklahoma family to get here to see him before he leaves for Mississippi tomorrow morning. Nevertheless, we partied as hard as we could with the San Antonio crowd and we LOVED having Nathan at the house for two days. What we failed to do was to get many good pictures, but we'll make sure we remedy that on the next visit.

Too bad he couldn't have hung around for the Super Bowl...we've had a good time watching the game and playing Super Bowl Bingo with all the commercials! (The game ended well.)

The Papa missed most of the game as well, since he's once again in the Islands and made it to his hotel room just in time to catch the 4th quarter.

Yep, that's a snowball in my freezer. Who put that there?

Happy to see that Planned Parenthood is again getting some of the press they deserve. Shocked, they say. "We were profoundly shocked when we viewed the videotape released this morning, which depicted an employee of one of our health centers behaving in a repugnant manner that is inconsistent with our standards of care and is completely unacceptable." Uh...right. The whole organization is built on repugnance.

Is it just me, or has Hillary been looking REALLY tired lately? I don't think she could wake UP to a 3am phone call, do you?

Can you OD on corn dogs? Okay, just wondering.

And wouldn't this be wonderful. (But if you think your LAST flu shot made you sick...)

Did I mention that this week I ate the World's Best Fried Chicken Livers? Yeah, well I knew you'd want to know, even if you're glad that I ate them and you didn't have to. My brother definitely got whatever cooking genes were to be had in our end of the pool.

And this month...another one of our kids starts driver training. How many more times do we have to get to do this? It's not having young drivers that I mind...it's the stupid state laws that change every three weeks so you can never be sure of what they're going to ask for this time.

Ummm...is there a mute button on Ron Reagan? Just checking.

Tomorrow: Sourdough Banana Bread. Definitely gotta use these bananas. 

If you're reading One Thousand Gifts, you'll understand: this week I want to make progress in living eucharisteo.

Have a great week, y'all!

It's been the week of winter here. Five days out of the last seven we've had day-long fires in the fireplace, and that's never happened in the nearly ten years we've lived here. Wish I knew what I could do to make it stay...

If I were a victim or the relative of a victim of last weekend's shooting in Tucson, I would feel victimized all over again by the way the debate morphed into something it was never about.

I've plugged it on Facebook but I must do it here, too. Please, go see The King's Speech. It's easily the best film I've seen in a decade, and I'll be seeing it again. I'll probably even buy it. Please don't be deterred by the inexplicable R rating...I can't get my head around why PG-13 movies can be so raunchy and yet this beautiful, wholesome movie where everyone keeps their clothes on and which explores so many lovely themes should be scarred with an R rating for the utterance of some curse words that are important to the story. Take your kids 12 and up, or at least wait for the DVD and watch it as a family.

How about them Spurs? San Antonio NBA fans are in heaven about now, so proud of our guys!

I'll be rooting for the Steelers and the Packers next week...and after that my son-in-law will have to put up with family rivalry: If it's the Packers and the Steelers in the Super Bowl, I'll be wearing a cheesehead  :-)

I guess you saw the most disgusting news of the week?

Got plane tickets for my trip to see the Weltys at the end of February. Can I put in an order for a long winter there??

In books: Enjoying the very moving, heartrending Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, and still working my way through the quite lengthy but delicious Some Sing, Some Cry (Ntozake Shange, Ifa Bayeza) in the audio version. Hoping to get through both of them this week because I have books piling up like crazy!

I just love fried chicken livers and cream gravy. It's a throwback to my childhood, one I've never gotten over. There aren't many places you can still get them, and making them at home is messy and unpleasant. This is just one of the reasons I still love Cracker Barrel. If there were one next door I'd be eating there three times a week. When I have done long stints in the hospital, John has kept me sane and nourished by bringing me a take-out meal of chicken livers from CB now and then. Anyone in the San Antonio area know of other places that are still serving them?

It's just my luck, of course, to buy a dishwasher and pay for a four year extended warranty and then really hate the thing. As bad as my luck is with appliances, I'm sure this one will NEVER break. Why, then, do I hate it? Because the inside is so small and the loading configuration so bad that we need to run it four times a day instead of two. Thinking about trying to sell it on Craigslist. To a small family.

My Scripture memory project is going well and has been a blessing I couldn't have anticipated. As I mentioned before, it's been a very long time since I committed a large chunk to memory and I've been nervous about how much I could really do. But even if I don't get much farther than this it's already contributed a treasure to my life that can't be taken away...

Anxiously anticipating the arrival of Ann Voskamp's new book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. I don't think it's one I will be reading quickly. Soon, but not quickly. [I just now checked, and mine is due to arrive on Thursday!]

Hoping you are living fully right where you are today...have a great week.

It was wonderful to sing all the verses of "How Firm a Foundation" in worship this morning...what a great beginning to a new year, singing about the foundation laid for us by God in His word. And then The Papa preached a fine sermon on "holding fast the word of life" from Philippians 2. It's a Happy DayAfterNewYear's!

And how good it was to have CJ (Tony had to drive back this morning) and Kristen and Dave and family with us in church. If Aubrey hadn't broken her foot this week she'd have been with us this morning, too, but she's being carefully tended at home to make sure that the multiple fractures heal properly...

I'm wondering...can we have a Christmas do-over now that the weather has turned [somewhat] cold? 

The Fighting Irish might have just barely managed a winning season, but they didn't have too much trouble showing the Miami Hurricanes who was boss in the Sun Bowl on Friday. Way ta go, ND!

And what about them Horned Frogs, huh? I know, I'm almost embarrassed writing their name...I'm thinkin' that now they've hit the big time they might need to reconsider that.

Notice how the traffic has already thinned out?

Crying and singing my way through Some Sing, Some Cry. Do get the audio version...this book is full of several dialects, songs, and ethnic characters and it's very much enriched by the fabulous narrator, helping me to process things I know I'd miss if just reading it.

Nathan is beginning his fourth week in Basic Training. He sounded tired when he called Friday, but things are going well and he's being challenged to the max!

Waiting to see how the effort for the repeal of Health Care Reform Destruction fares. I don't think it has much of a chance but it will certainly require that each congressman clearly flies a flag and goes on record, and that may be almost as important right now as repeal. Later, they can worry about starving it bit by bit. Either way, I think the cat will be skinned.

Come on now, the crab dip is GONE? ALL OF IT?

By tomorrow all the holiday visitors to Granny's House will be gone, as well as some of the normal occupants who are heading north today to visit CJ and Tony's new home in Oklahoma. It's going to be awfully quiet here!

I don't make a list of New Year's resolutions each year, but some years I do, and this is one of those years. I'll spare you my entire list, but two of the most formidable: 

First, I've committed to memorizing the entire book of Philippians with the goal of completing it by Easter. It's been a very long time since I've done any lengthy memory work, so this will be a serious challenge to my aging mind. But I don't think there's any age limit to the command to hide God's Word in my heart. I'm attempting this with the support and company of many others...you can find out about the Partnering to Remember (P2R) project (and get started yourself) at Tim Brister's site. You can also follow the P2R project on Facebook and Twitter.

What a nice time of year for those of us who love cranberries. And pumpkin. And sweet potatoes. You can try and eat them during other seasons, but they just never taste the same. The calendar pretty much has to say "November"...

Fascinating how fast the TSA story has mushroomed. Having been on the receiving end of the much-discussed "enhanced" pat-down earlier this month, I can assure you that it's humiliating and every bit as invasive as you've heard. And the nice thing is that I get to undergo this EVERY time I fly and not just randomly, as my metal hips set off the detector 100% of the time. I've become quite familiar with the exclamation, "FEMALE ASSIST!" I don't pretend to know the answer; I just know that this ain't it.

Today I'm suffering from a painful and maddening case of contact dermatitis on and around my eyes. Not sure exactly what caused it, but you can be sure I'll be doing some elimination testing to find out. I don't ever want to go through this again.

I'm whittling away at the Christmas list, ordering a few more things each day and watching the boxes stack to the ceiling in my bathtub. This week I need to finish all the gifts that will have to mailed away from here and the others can wait. I'm fine until I look at the stack and think, "Oh my. All those things have to be wrapped!"

It's sure not as much fun doing meal planning with Kristen and CJ gone. And cooking for just 4-6 people each night, depending on work and other schedules, is...well, different. And it only goes downhill from here  ;-)

I hardly know how to act in Thanksgiving week now that we're ditching our normal traditions to head north this year. I usually start cooking on Monday, and this year I'll have Monday-Wednesday to do some crafty things, address cards, and do some light housework. The boys have the week off school, which means I do too, and we'll be sleeping in! And then on Wednesday I'll cook the few things I'm taking upstate and from there just enjoy the ride!

I am so thankful for freelance work! Especially as our Christmas list keeps growing longer every year!

Friday night I put together a big order of wedding pictures and the family pictures we had made the day before the wedding. I just now realized that I never did put up any of the pictures here after those initial snapshots. Maybe I'll find time to do it this week. I'm especially grateful for the one we got of our entire tribe--all 29 of us plus the one hidden in utero. Of course within a month there was another one knocking at the door...every time we take one of those big photos, it seems it's outdated within a few weeks!

It's a good thing that Starbucks only has Eggnog Lattes for a few weeks. Really good thing.

Finding time to listen to my audio books has been hard in the past few months. I have several of them "stacked" in my Audible.com library pining to be listened to, but I can't seem to finish the one I started months ago. In my defense, Charles Dickens did get paid by the word, and evidently he made a heck of a lot money.

Have you figured out yet that the 2012 campaign has already begun? On the Republican side, it's going to be very interesting since there's a whole pack of possibilities and no clear front runner. But on the Dem side it's going to be even better viewing...will they or won't they put someone up against Obama? Hillary says it won't be her (and for some odd reason I believe her this time), leaving the field open to a Dennis Kucinich or other wacko who will tend to make Obama look almost presidential.

I love fall vacations in Hawaii. The weather has cooled down a bit, there's usually at least a little rain, and much of the crowd on the beach and in the restaurants is gone. Waves are bigger, sunsets seem more beautiful, and the breezes are refreshing. Since the sunbathing part is very unimportant to me, it's the ideal mix. This trip was eight nights, one of which was punctuated with a spectacular fireworks display right outside our 29th floor balcony over the water! It was the perfect honeymoon for the father and mother of the bride...

The initial dust has settled from Tuesday's election but the spin never stops, from either camp. Show us the money, folks...rather, show us that you're cutting up the credit cards and closing down the do-gooder programs that have bled us dry. Dry is not a strong enough word. Dessicated.

And is this a metaphor, or what?

Did quite a bit of cooking yesterday. I can't tell you how good it feels to do that...sometimes I can't stand long enough to finish even one dish, but yesterday I got quite a lot accomplished before I had to have someone pull food out of the oven and get it served. Hopefully, someday I'll be able to see it all the way through  :-)

Finally--I started my Christmas shopping. I never wait this late and I'm usually nearly finished by now. But this year there were other things that filled October, and while I don't regret a bit of the time it all took, I am relieved to be back on a Christmas to-do list!

And from one of the morning's hymns:

Here we are a week and a day after the big wedding and just getting back to "normal". That's in quotes because normal is a family joke here at Granny's House and in our adjacent family households. It doesn't look like what you'd think...

We still have a lot of straightening up and organizing to do, filling in holes left by our bride and putting away some of the decor. I haven't been too obsessive about it, as we still have big changes coming. Kristen and the elves, who are quickly growing out of elf stage, are moving out on Saturday and will be setting up their new home in Fort Worth. Sad as this makes me, I'm rejoicing with them that all the week-long separations are over and their family can be together full-time.

Have I mentioned how good it is to be rid of Windows Vista? The new computer is fine, but I don't have many new bells and whistles so it doesn't seem all that different...but oh, how I love you, Windows 7!

But in case I haven't said this yet, I am sincerely hoping my new HP survives me. I can't even tell you how much I detest switching computers. Every program, every application, every database has a different 26-step process for transferring it to the new computer. And two of those steps generally involve writing the help desk at the developers and promising them your firstborn child if they'll just find a way to magically get it all transferred. No, external hard drives and "Easy Transfer" cables have not been the panacea some promised me. I'm still dyin' over here.

And in other techy news, I continue to enjoy my new iPhone 4. NOW I see why so many people love their iPhones while I hated my old one. And I mean hated it almost from the month I got it. Now if we could just get 3G to work in San Antonio, that might help, huh?

I finally finished a book last week (see sidebar). My reading has been awfully sporadic this year, and I won't complete nearly as many books as I normally do in a year. Even with my Kindle, which is most of the time in the hands of my traveling husband, I haven't done all that well. This will be on my New Year's resolution list. Yeah.

School took a hit during the past three weeks, but because we got such an early and successful start this year, I'm not beating myself up. Tim's freshman year is perking along and I'm enjoying the increased one-on-one time with him.

Okay, I realized a couple of days ago that I will be traveling, as in AIR travel, on the morning after the election. How could this political junkie have managed to schedule THAT? I will need to be at the Honolulu airport by around 10 on the morning of the 3rd for my flight home, which leaves precious little time to catch up on late returns and close races. Ugh.

Don't ever, EVER go to Maggiano's and not get their Crispy Zucchini Fritte. I'm here to tell you that would be a very bad idea.

Every one of those Sister Wives deserves her criminal husband. Sheesh.

This weekend, The Papa and I had the pleasure of being with our church family, and I do mean family, at a retreat in the scenic (and cooler-than-San Antonio) Texas Hill Country. Meticulously planned and exquisitely executed by our deacons' wives, it provided a welcome refreshment for more than 80 of us. We came home after the first night, as John was tasked to preach at the worship service for the group who stayed behind, but even so we had a glorious taste of what "retreat" means  :-)

TOMORROW is the first day of early voting in Texas. As soon as the day's schoolwork is finished, I will be at the polls casting one of the first votes for the firing of the majority and the reinstatement of common sense (See Atlas Shrugged, please.) No one will be more glad than I am to see Nancy P. collect an unemployment check. Okay, well, collect a six-figure pension. But still.

If you're one of my friends in Texas Congressional District 23, VOTE QUICO CANSECO!!

Hoping you have a most excellent week, savoring the blessings of God's grace!

Well, we have just a snippet of time left before CJ and Tony's big day. I was startled to see her Facebook status today saying that she's getting married NEXT WEEK. Okay, still 13 days, but it is technically next week. So we have essentially one week for everything major and then the crazy wedding week begins :-)

Who'd have thought we'd triple the amount of coffee we drink in this house with the arrival of the Keurig? Making coffee is so much fun that even Tim has decided to join in. And don't even get me started on the hot chocolate!

Dave and Kristen have signed a rental agreement on a house in Fort Worth, so they'll be moving shortly after the wedding. I'm actually glad about the timing...I wanted them here during all the activity and not just popping into town the day before the wedding. But I'm glad they have a new home secured and can start the next stage of their lives without being too far away from us. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the relative distances up and down I-35 in Texas, it's about 275 miles, or 4.5 hours by car.)

A real serendipity is that the house where the Slaughters will be moving is two doors down from one of my brothers and right across the street from another brother and his young family. They'll also be within five minutes of lots of other extended family, including The Papa's parents. So settling in should be easier than in a neighborhood of strangers, and it should make for some fun family dinner nights!

Are you registered to vote?

Forgot how much I love REAL ranch dressing. Well, you know, the kind you make from the packets. I can actually eat it without salad, though I'm not sure I should. Can we just call it cold soup?

Up this week from Netflix: Into the Arms of Strangers, Princess Kauilani, and Up. And I'm going to stream a series on China.

Food for thought as we wend our way through the maze of important decisions on how much public spending there will be on health care: How much is a life worth?

This article discusses a new drug for end-stage prostate cancer that costs $93,000 for roughly four months of extended life expectancy. That's $775 dollars a day. Would you pay for it? Would you insist that your insurance company pay for it? Would you expect the government to pay for it? Just asking.

I will be going to see Waiting for Superman. And no, I'm not Waiting for DVD. 

I'm not too happy with the new WYSIWYG editor in Blogger. Lots of bugs, and some of the changes don't make any sense to me...they make things more and not less complicated and intuitive. But then, how many people are still blogging? Maybe they just don't care.

And how about Eddie Long? I'm sure he's just misunderstood.

Okay, short language rant, since I can't hold some of this in: Folks, you're not bias or prejudice about something...you're BIASED or PREJUDICED. (Unless you hail from a town with under 300 people, and then you're hereby excused and you can be bias about anything you want.) You don't get orientated, you get ORIENTED. There is no such word as irregardless, no matter how many dictionaries have caved. DON'T.DO.IT. And vaccinations are part of PREVENTIVE health care, not preventative. ALL RIGHT is TWO WORDS, as is A LOT. Whew....all right, that's relieved enough pressure that I can last another week.

This week I gave Tim, 13, a writing assignment. I told him that it had to be at least 300 words and that it could go up to 750. He asked for some leeway and it ended up being around 850. Then he asked if he could do another one along the same lines and if I'd allow him time in the school week to write it. "Sure," I said, nonchalantly as I could manage. So without waiting for the new school week he started in on it, and as of this writing it's 5,547 words. We'll be contacting a publisher  ;-)  (And yes, this is some success and enthusiasm I chalk up to our new writing program!)

This week will see the turn to October and we'll be headed for the holidays. If that comes with cooler weather, great. If not, I'll have a really hard time getting into things. I'll be cranking up the air conditioner and driving everyone in Granny's House into hoodies.

The Snippets will see you next month :-)