Weak Signal, Way Behind, and Yes, My Life is BORING...

My internet's been squirrelly for over a week now, and boy  do I have some catching up to do.  At least my Easter post went up!  All kinds of news here.  We won't be going to Va to see PFC this weekend - he can't get out of "volunteering" at the racetrack.  Fortunately, he will have several days travel time after he graduates MOS school, so he's coming home.  More good news: his permanent duty station is in the U.S!  He was lucky enough to get his first choice (Well, second choice - Japan was #1.)  Oddly enough, there won't be a lot of armory work for him, so he's been told to expect to learn a lot of things that don't normally fall into his specialty.  Totally.  Cool.

Maxine came back to town for a few days, but not back to work.  She's taking a few more weeks' leave.  The poor girl is exhausted, and I wish there was something I could do to help.  I guess I am, a little.  The department is running smoothly, and the Director has promised me trained staff substitutes, who can help with the prep work.  I did the March stats report, and I'll be doing April too.  I have to finish out the school year without Maxine, and (eeek!  Help!) make the summer schedule!  I am totally flying by the seat of my pants here, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.  Today, my sub already saved me an hour (and probably a headache) preparing for tomorrow.  Everything is checked out and loaded on the bus, but now the shore line pooped out again.  Hopefully, the electrician will fix it Friday while I'm taking my comp-time.  At least we don't need the block heater tonight!  I think we're keeping the WiFi we've been using, and there's a rumor of new laptops!

Today BH is stopping to pick up my new cell phone (with a camera and Facebook app - yay!) and we're going to spend a 3-day weekend spring cleaning.  yippee.  We have a bunch of new trees to put in the ground, and it's time to put the house plants outside!

I've put my novel on hold for now, because I might have the opportunity to write a biography of a very interesting friend of mine.  We've discussed it a little, and if it's a go, it will require a ton of research.  This man's life has been one fascinating ride, and I'll be sharing it as I go - and begging for criticism!

So, I'm off to catch up on a week's worth of blog reading!

Say, I've seen a lot of unusual truck accessories, but yesterday one threw me for a loop.  It was a pair of molded steel testicles swinging from the trailer hitch!!!  I couldn't decide if it was f-ing stupid, or kinda cool!  ( that probably depends on the driver...)

The One Day

Easter is what Christianity is all about (Christmas is merely anticipation.)  One day out of 365, when even the rabid Fundies put on their new hats and acknowledge Christ's true purpose.  Salvation.  Forgiveness.  And the one day I absolutely refuse to go to Church.  I might skip Easter service even if I found a church that shares my priorities.  I know we're expected to celebrate out loud, but this, the essence of my relationship with God, is just too private for me to share with other humans.  This is a day to walk in the woods and revel in that other rebirth, Spring.  Spring reminds us nothing ever disappears, it just changes form, and purposes are served, destinies revealed.

It's all perfectly natural, yet sometimes it seem miraculous.  I have several houseplants that I nurse through the winter, and I can't wait 'til it gets warm enough to put them on the porch, so I can watch them grow strong again.  It always amazes me to see them grow.  The soil has microscopic nutrients, and I give them water and daylight.  That's all.  Yet all the right molecules group together in just the right way, and from dirt and water come stems and leaves and flowers!  That pothos I've had since college, is a metaphor.

Hope.  Resurrection.  Fulfillment of promise.  Reminders of a world where Time and Place don't matter, if they exist at all.

Brand-new Cop Blog!

He's good, and I figure he'll get even better.  Looking forward to it!

http://viewsfrommysquadcar.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

You Are My Sunshine...

...my only Sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are gray...

Happy Birthday to PFC!

 6 months

15 years

Boot Camp

My Beautiful Baby Boy.  (Yes, a lock of that hair is coiled up in an antique compact in my purse.)

Awkward Family Photos

To be on the safe side, I have removed Awkward Family Photos from my "Laugh out loud" gadget.  Just today I've received two malware warnings about the site.  I hope they fix it soon, because I've been following it for months, and I love it!  (sad face.)

Tech

We just might have internet on the bookmobile!  Sprint gave us a little WiFi box to try for 3 weeks. I didn't get a signal at 3 of 5 stops today, but it worked on the other 2.  I got a Facebook message from SisterEMT and read Momma Fargo's latest post.  Woo Hoo!  And no satellite dish!  (that thing has worked properly fewer than 5 hours in 5 years!)  We may have to go with a different provider, though.  Two of the no-signal stops were close to our busiest school.  Not much point in having internet (for work, anyway) if we can't use it there.  It's good to know we're working on a simple solution...  

For My Listening Pleasure...The I-pod Shuffle

I just love that little pink rectangle!  How else does one hear Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold," immediately followed by "The Blue Danube" and "The Emperor Waltz?"
I do have a short list of requests for I-tunes:  The Cranberries' cover of "More Than This," Earl Taylor and the Stony Mountain Boys' unbelievably haunting rendition of "Ruby'" Cheap Trick's "Voices," Carl Storie and Faith Band's version of "Put On Your Dancing Shoes," and Mike and the Mechanics' (NOT remixed) "The Living Years."  Oh yes, and REM's "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
More I've heard today:  "The Story" - Brandi Carlile.  live cover of "State Trooper"  - Steve Earle.  "Sausalito Summer Nights" - Diesel.  "Storms in Africa" - Enya.  "Should I Stay or Should I Go" - The Clash."

Fingernails are now smooth and subtle boring pink, toenails are soon to be electric blue!

"Halo" - Depeche Mode.  "Stand" - REM.  "The Streak" - Ray Stevens.  "Take Me With U," Prince and Appolonia.  "Tennessee Blues" - Steve Earle.  "Texarkana" - REM.  "Thank U" - Alanis Morrissette.  "That Year" - Brandi Carlile.  "Things Can Only Get  Better" - Howard Jones.  "Thorn in My Side" - Eurythmics.  (Annie Lennox's voice sure has stood the test of time!)

"Totally Nude" - The Wallets.  Truly a standout, from college of course.

"Independence Day" - Springsteen.  "Mother of Pearl" - Roxy Music. "Radetsky March" - Strauss.  "Red Rain" - Peter Gabriel.  "Right Here Right Now" - Jesus Jones.  "Love is a Stranger" - Eurythmics.  "Killing the Blues" - Robert Plant & Allison Krauss.

"Main Street" - Bob Seeeeeger!

"The Roof is on Fire" - Bloodhound Gang. (Heh heh heh)  "Free for All" - Ted Nugent.  "Romeo's Tune" - Steve Forbert.  (Has ANYONE but me ever heard of this song?)  "Wasted Time" and "Seven Bridges Road" - The Eagles.  "Good Intentions" - Toad the Wet Sprocket.  "Generals and Majors" - XTC.  "Let the River Run" - Carly Simon.  "The Messerschmidt Twins" and "Maid of Orleans" - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.  "Tusk" - Fleetwood Mac. "Don't Break my Heart" - UB40.  "Smokin' in the Boys' Room" - Brownsville Station.  "Don't Ask me Why" - Billy Joel.  "Blue Boy" - John Fogerty.  "Still the Night" - Bodeens.  "You Take My Breath Away" - Eva Cassidy.  "The Mummuers' Dance" -Loreena Mckinnit.  "Goody Two Shoes" - Adam Ant.  "Hazard" - Richard Marx.  "Swallowed by the Cracks" - David and David.  "Superman" - REM.  "Roam" - B52's.  "I Need You Tonight" - INXS.  "Come Monday" - Jimmy Buffett.  "Just Another Day" - Jon Secada.  "1234" - Feist.  "You Can Leave Your Hat On" - Joe Cocker.  "Wildwood Weed" - Graham Blvd.  "Valerie" - Steve Winwood.  "Department of Youth" - Alice Cooper.   "When the Levee Breaks" - Led Zeppelin.  "Moving in Stereo" - The Cars.

So.  Is anybody still reading?  Anybody have an analysis to offer?  OK.  Weather.com was wrong.  The rain never ended, the sun didn't come out, and it may or may not have reached the upper 50's today, so I'm not going anywhere with the dogs.  I think I'll hit the rowing machine, and finish PFC's package.  BH'll be home soon, so I have to share the house.  Could be worse.  Much worse actually!  Not a bad birthday at all...

Happy Birthday to Me!

OK, it's actually tomorrow, but BH gave me presents and is cooking ribs for me today.  He has to work tomorrow, and I can't say I mind.  I like having the place to myself - I can crank the stereo!  So here I sit in my brand new desk chair!  He also gave me a new Ipod adapter for my car, as we're all surprised the old one lasted this long...  and flowers-n-candy, Itunes cards, and a new flash drive.

BH made me a couple of long leashes for the dogs.  Our fence isn't secure except right around the house, so they don't get to run the acres, and I want to start walking them.  I hate trying to keep tabs on them on a road with traffic, so it's leash or nothing.  The problem is old Dumbass.  He's never had to wear a collar or harness, so he's afraid of them.  Earlier today I wanted to take them down to the bald eagle's nest, but he hid under the bed. So I let him stay there, and took the big yellow food processor.  The long leash was pointless, since she stayed pretty close the whole way - why doesn't she do that off-leash???  Anydog, the wind liked to knock me off the road, but it was a nice walk.  And the longest I've had in years -almost 3 miles.  We got down to the creek near the nest and poor panting Sadie hardly acknowledged the water.  Barely got her paws wet and had a dainty sip.  She's a yellow lab, dainty is not her thing!  At least not in the house.  We scared off a great blue heron, and then the eagle took note of us.  She's used to cars and ATV's, but she doesn't get many visitors on foot.  She left the nest and circled for a few minutes, then landed on a branch next to it.  If she has hatchlings yet, they're too small to poke their heads up to where I can see.    Sadie of course, never looked up.  I'm used to pack-raised dogs who love the great outdoors and are aware of their surroundings.  She's mostly just aware of me.  I guess I should be flattered, but I kind of pity her; if I'm the most interesting thing in her life, she's missing out on so much dogness!  When we got home, Cal the Dumbass gave her a very thorough sniff-down.  I hope he figured out there's fun to be had at the end of a leash!  I heard that, Coffeypot!  


PFC called last night, and we had a nice long chat.  The Skype plan is on hold as he doesn't have much use for a computer just now, so he's not going to "waste" his money.  There seems to be a female in the picture at present, a college girl with a 4.0 GPA and a future.  Doesn't appear to be a camp-follower.  Whew!  And she's pretty.  His birthday is coming up, and I was going to spend next weekend making cookies ala Coffeypot       http://johnjudyc.blogspot.com/2011/03/so-whats-problem.html   PFC said not to bother because the package we sent to Boot Camp in December finally  caught up with him.  He's currently in possession of enough Oreos and Hershey's Kisses to feed a platoon!  So I'll save the homemade cookies for another time.

The ribs are about done, so I'm off to celebrate!

Recovering Catholic Part 5.5

That last post was a little simplistic.  On purpose.  I'm not an expert on Christianity or on homosexuality.  Just like the vast majority of the population.  I know so many kind, caring Christians who have allowed the Church to tell them everything they know about gays.  Who else is going to tell them?  They don't know any gay people.  Or so they think.  It's not an issue they need to deal with, so they don't bother to think it through.  Frankly, I'm the same way about a lot of things.  For instance, race isn't a big issue in my life.  I don't know many people of different races, and I don't know what we do or don't have in common.  So I treat them the way I treat everybody, and I reserve judgement.  I just don't dwell on it. I do, however, have gay friends, whom I love.  And I see them as whole people, not as gay people.  And it saddens me that most people don't.  How anyone could know W and B and M, and not love them, is totally beyond me.

I wrote about what gays might have to offer Christianity, intentionally in a bare-bones manner.  I wanted to define it in practical terms that "devout" Christians could relate to.  Kindergarten level?  Maybe.  Just an introduction to the idea that the devotion, compassion and love they hold so dear, is right there in front of them!  In the people they condemn, the people they think are defective and lacking and sinful.  I wanted to write the kind of thing I could show to my Christian friends, or "accidentally" leave in a church pew, and maybe make one or two people think.  Consider.  Ask a few questions.


Homosexuality is complex.  All sexuality is complex, but that's not something we straights usually notice.  Being in the majority, we take ours for granted.  Sexuality is also physical, not spiritual, in that it doesn't define our relationship with divinity.  How can I explain to Christians that gay believers are not "them," they are "us."  Nobody's biology defines their spirituality.  Isn't the spirit bigger than anything physical?  God is not a bigot, yet so many of his followers genuinely believe that bigotry serves Him.