I suppose we all have a list of favorite things. The question on the header for today is the question asked of actors at the end of the interview on "Inside the Actor's Studio" on BRAVO. The quietness of the program, the seriousness, and the end questions are things I enjoy about it. Tom Hanks' interview was endearing. No, I don't recall his favorite word, but his favorite sound was the laughter of his family.
One of my favorite subscriptions on the Internet is "The Cool Tricks and Trinkets Newsletter." I always find enjoyable amusements there that keep me from my own mundane, but enjoyable as well, small daily routine. It is a once a week announcement of great places on the Web. In today's newsletter, #30, was a site of travel photos that are phenomenal.
The 2004 top ten favorite words were another item on Cool Tricks this morning. None of them were my favorites. Some were new to me. I probably couldn't spell any of them without the help of GuruNet or Mirriam Webster. I have never even heard of callipygian. There is a nice little pronouncer on both sites.
As you can see, I have learned how to create links, lots of them.
Friday, June 25, 2004
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Shellac
I haven't thought about shellac for a long time. I used to watch my dad pulverize the lacs, mix it with denatured alcohol and then strain the bug parts out of it through a cloth. He used it to finish things he made out of wood, and I suspect that he might have used it as a clear coat over his oil paintings.
From what I read it isn't supposed to yellow with age. If that is so, what is it on all of these old western oil paintings that makes them look so yellowed with age? It is a mystery to me.
Father's Day has come and gone and our sons had good things to say to their dad, my roommate of nearly 50 years. I asked him if he wanted me to make something happen. "Don't bother," he said. I didn't. I told him not to vacume the house. That must have counted for something. Now two days later, I asked him if he might like to do it sometime soon.
Yesterday, I was cleaning out a creeping cedar bed. The fern in the middle were quite tall so I found a place to stand and grabbed a fern plant in both hands pulling for all I was worth. When if finally came loose and out of the ground, I fell completely backward and hit the ground flat on my back. Other than knocking the wind out of my sails and being a little shocking, I am fine. I needed help getting up again. Old women floundering around in the creeping cedar on their backs are about as helpless as mud turtles on their backs.
He who must be obeyed was mad at me for even thinking about pulling weeds. I love pulling weeds.
From what I read it isn't supposed to yellow with age. If that is so, what is it on all of these old western oil paintings that makes them look so yellowed with age? It is a mystery to me.
Father's Day has come and gone and our sons had good things to say to their dad, my roommate of nearly 50 years. I asked him if he wanted me to make something happen. "Don't bother," he said. I didn't. I told him not to vacume the house. That must have counted for something. Now two days later, I asked him if he might like to do it sometime soon.
Yesterday, I was cleaning out a creeping cedar bed. The fern in the middle were quite tall so I found a place to stand and grabbed a fern plant in both hands pulling for all I was worth. When if finally came loose and out of the ground, I fell completely backward and hit the ground flat on my back. Other than knocking the wind out of my sails and being a little shocking, I am fine. I needed help getting up again. Old women floundering around in the creeping cedar on their backs are about as helpless as mud turtles on their backs.
He who must be obeyed was mad at me for even thinking about pulling weeds. I love pulling weeds.
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Wyrex Found
The first paragraphs in the Rapid City Journal article, "Eighth T.rex unearthed" reads this way:
"HILL CITY -- The Hill City fossil company that gained national notoriety after excavating the Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed "Sue" recently excavated its eighth T-rex.
The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research dubbed its latest T.rex "Wyrex" after Don Wyrick of Baker, Mont., who owns the ranch where it was found."
Pete Larson, Black Hills Institute president, said it is possible that Wyrex is the third-most complete T.rex ever found. "Stan" was 70 percent complete. Thirty T.rex skeletons have been found since the early 1900's.
"Next month the Black Hills Institute will host volunteers--including students--at a dig near Hulett, Wyo. (For more information go to the "contact us" page at www.bhigr.com/.)"
I am anticipating a trip to the South Dakota Black Hills soon. Visiting the BHIGR in the heart of the hills is always a thrill. Part of that is seeing "Sacrison" tacked on to the huge exhibit of "Stan" and finding pretty rocks to buy. Of course pretty rocks can sometimes get out of hand. One year we hauled home a Brazillian Amethist almost four foot in length. It took three men to get it into the van. That was a wonderful sight for a person who loves to watch men work.
"HILL CITY -- The Hill City fossil company that gained national notoriety after excavating the Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed "Sue" recently excavated its eighth T-rex.
The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research dubbed its latest T.rex "Wyrex" after Don Wyrick of Baker, Mont., who owns the ranch where it was found."
Pete Larson, Black Hills Institute president, said it is possible that Wyrex is the third-most complete T.rex ever found. "Stan" was 70 percent complete. Thirty T.rex skeletons have been found since the early 1900's.
"Next month the Black Hills Institute will host volunteers--including students--at a dig near Hulett, Wyo. (For more information go to the "contact us" page at www.bhigr.com/.)"
I am anticipating a trip to the South Dakota Black Hills soon. Visiting the BHIGR in the heart of the hills is always a thrill. Part of that is seeing "Sacrison" tacked on to the huge exhibit of "Stan" and finding pretty rocks to buy. Of course pretty rocks can sometimes get out of hand. One year we hauled home a Brazillian Amethist almost four foot in length. It took three men to get it into the van. That was a wonderful sight for a person who loves to watch men work.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
It Makes My Head Spin
People in my life amaze me so that it does make my head spin; or is it just the middle ear infection that came pounding down on me last Saturday? It was enough to make me thankful for whoever discovered antibiotics, for Minor Medical Centers that stay open on weekends, and for keen young physicians that put in extra hours manning er, womaning the place. They were all there when I needed them and the spinning will probably stop.
Our youngest son, who is now the age I was when he thought I was old beyond belief, called to expound on his latest bizarre experience. He has more than his share and always has had since he and a neighbor kid decided to break the windows out of an old woman's shed kitty-corner behind us. Raising sons, broken windows were in my repitoire, both windows of my own and other people's. I wasn't prepared for the little ant pack of neighbor boys that decided to walk the city storm sewers from Little Papio Creek east of us, up the three or four blocks under Nicholas Street, to stick their muddy little heads out of the run-off intake across the street from our house to yell at the people in the neighborhood.
It appears that last week he went for a late lunch at a Chinese Restaurant and after the shrimp, and during the meat and vegetables, he said he heard a horrible commotion in the kitchen. He said there was only one other table of people eating and he thought he should go see if there might be a fire and perhaps he could be of some help. Upon opening the kitchen door he said there were the cooks, the waitresses, all the help staff and the manager, each of them screaming at one another in Chinese. When one of them grabbed a large chopping knife, eyes bulging, screaming Chinese explitaves at all the rest, he retreated and left without paying. Now how helpful is that?
He calls the place the KAMAKAZI GORMET CHINA BUFFETT.
If it were not for the people in my life and a good book, I don't know what I would think about. Unless it might be whether I should wear sunscreen to ward off the UV from the computer screen.
Our youngest son, who is now the age I was when he thought I was old beyond belief, called to expound on his latest bizarre experience. He has more than his share and always has had since he and a neighbor kid decided to break the windows out of an old woman's shed kitty-corner behind us. Raising sons, broken windows were in my repitoire, both windows of my own and other people's. I wasn't prepared for the little ant pack of neighbor boys that decided to walk the city storm sewers from Little Papio Creek east of us, up the three or four blocks under Nicholas Street, to stick their muddy little heads out of the run-off intake across the street from our house to yell at the people in the neighborhood.
It appears that last week he went for a late lunch at a Chinese Restaurant and after the shrimp, and during the meat and vegetables, he said he heard a horrible commotion in the kitchen. He said there was only one other table of people eating and he thought he should go see if there might be a fire and perhaps he could be of some help. Upon opening the kitchen door he said there were the cooks, the waitresses, all the help staff and the manager, each of them screaming at one another in Chinese. When one of them grabbed a large chopping knife, eyes bulging, screaming Chinese explitaves at all the rest, he retreated and left without paying. Now how helpful is that?
He calls the place the KAMAKAZI GORMET CHINA BUFFETT.
If it were not for the people in my life and a good book, I don't know what I would think about. Unless it might be whether I should wear sunscreen to ward off the UV from the computer screen.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Kurt Vonnegut
One would think that if I enjoy Kurt Vonnegut's books so much I would just go to Amazon.com and load up on new ones. But no, I go to my public library used book sales and try to find them that way. Once I actually found "Slapstick" and it was so profoundly sad and funny, that it hit my own tuning fork which in turn set off a ringing that has never stopped.
In "Slapstick" the premise is that one can never have too many relatives. It is true, so I sent it to this first cousin once removed, one of my own favorite relatives. I have looked for another copy for ten years. I look in the mystery, classic, science fiction sections and find nothing. Maybe I will tomorrow. Yes, there will be another used book sale. Always another.
So until tomorrow I read what I can online. In "Common Dreams News Center: Breaking News and Views for the Progressive Community" is an essay by Kurt Vonnegut called "Cold Turkey." It was published May 12, 2004 by "In These Times."
Among other things he mentions:
"For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
“Blessed are the merciful” in a courtroom? “Blessed are the peacemakers” in the Pentagon? Give me a break!
I know he is a radical. Imagine being an 81 year old radical. Age is no respector of which way a person leans, unless one has a bad back and then the bend is always forward, emphasizing the direction one is looking.
This favorite relative that I sent the book to? He is the epitome of the Beatitudes, although famous in his own right. He has a T-REX named for him as he was the guy who found the huge pelvis sticking out of the gumbo south of my grandparents homestead in northwestern South Dakota.
In "Slapstick" the premise is that one can never have too many relatives. It is true, so I sent it to this first cousin once removed, one of my own favorite relatives. I have looked for another copy for ten years. I look in the mystery, classic, science fiction sections and find nothing. Maybe I will tomorrow. Yes, there will be another used book sale. Always another.
So until tomorrow I read what I can online. In "Common Dreams News Center: Breaking News and Views for the Progressive Community" is an essay by Kurt Vonnegut called "Cold Turkey." It was published May 12, 2004 by "In These Times."
Among other things he mentions:
"For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
“Blessed are the merciful” in a courtroom? “Blessed are the peacemakers” in the Pentagon? Give me a break!
I know he is a radical. Imagine being an 81 year old radical. Age is no respector of which way a person leans, unless one has a bad back and then the bend is always forward, emphasizing the direction one is looking.
This favorite relative that I sent the book to? He is the epitome of the Beatitudes, although famous in his own right. He has a T-REX named for him as he was the guy who found the huge pelvis sticking out of the gumbo south of my grandparents homestead in northwestern South Dakota.
Friday, June 04, 2004
Summer Reading
My ELCA women's circle group is reading and discussing Marcus Borg's "The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a LIfe of Faith." Also on the front jacket is "How We Can Be Passionate Believers Today."
Marcus Borg,as you will see in the link, has been busy writing since 1987. He tipped my world in a pastor led study of "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" a couple of years ago.
Not exactly crawling out from under a rock, or falling off a wagon, he has his doctor's degree from Oxford University. In this second book that I am reading he states his Scandanavian Lutheran background.
He is readable, makes sense to me in my own view of what it is to be Christian. Why am I doing this or even writing about this? Because I see such polarity between Christian faith groups today. If that were not the case, we all could get on with living life the way it was meant to be lived. In my own opinion too much energy goes into proving points, thus losing sight the big picture.
Marcus Borg,as you will see in the link, has been busy writing since 1987. He tipped my world in a pastor led study of "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" a couple of years ago.
Not exactly crawling out from under a rock, or falling off a wagon, he has his doctor's degree from Oxford University. In this second book that I am reading he states his Scandanavian Lutheran background.
He is readable, makes sense to me in my own view of what it is to be Christian. Why am I doing this or even writing about this? Because I see such polarity between Christian faith groups today. If that were not the case, we all could get on with living life the way it was meant to be lived. In my own opinion too much energy goes into proving points, thus losing sight the big picture.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Watching Men Work
Bronze sculpture always fascinates me. Watching men work is infinately more interesting than watching them dance. This morning we parked our own work ethic and drove to the Missouri Riverfront Park. There to my amazement was a million dollar work titled "Labor". Four men and one woman depicting just that.
One of the figures is a blacksmith working at an anvil. My own father was a blacksmith and often, after school, I would watch him work between his forge and his anvil, with red hot metel grasped in his tongs, other arm above him with his heavy hammer. I have always loved to watch men work.
This was the perfect morning, perfect sculpture, perfect setting with the Missouri taking its prairie topsoil to the Lousiana Delta.
Good Job, Matthew Placzek!
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