purple fish guts

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Have you ever...

I enjoyed both Kris and Sheila's take on this meme, so I thought I would give it a shot.

HAVE YOU EVER:
Smoked a cigarette or tried it: No.

Crashed a friend's car: Several if you consider my dad a friend (I do.)

Stolen a car: No

Been dumped: Once, but I usually did the dumping. I'm not too proud of it.

Shoplifted: Once, accidentally. I thought it was free, and realized a few days later that it wasn't supposed to be.

Been fired /laid off: No.

Been in a fist fight: No.

Snuck out of your parent's house: Many times.

Been arrested: No.

Gone on a blind date: Once. It was a double date, and my friend and her boyfriend were making out as much as possible while this guy that was TOTALLY not my type and I counted the seconds until the movie was over. Every time I hear a reference to the movie Christine I get a sick feeling in my stomach.

Lied to a friend: Yes.

Skipped school: There were no consequences to skipping class in high school until you had skipped a class for the fourth time. The conversation would go something like this:
"Hey, I was thinking about taking a long lunch today -- do you have any skips left in fourth hour?"
"Not today, I have an exam fourth hour. How about fifth hour?"
"Yeah, I would love to. I only have one skip in fifth hour, and Econ is boring. I'm parked in the jock lot today. Meet me at my car." (I see the policies have changed)

Seen someone die: Victims of stabbings, shootings, car accidents, drug overdoses, heart attacks, etc. (I worked solo as the only lab tech on weekday graveyard shifts in a little town that had quite a violent side.)

Been to Canada/Mexico: No. Never been out of the States.

Eaten Sushi: No, and knowing what I do about parasitology, I never will.

Met someone in person from the internet: Yes.

Taken pain-killers: I avoid anything stronger than ibuprofin.

Had a tea party: I have two daughters - six and three. Need I say more?

Cheated while playing a game: Probably when I was a kid.

Fallen asleep at work: I worked gravyard shift, remember? (It hurts to be at a microscope and fall asleep. The oculars hurt your browbones.)

Used a fake ID: No.

Felt an earthquake: No.

Touched a snake: Yes -- snakes are cool. Our best friends have one named Tamale.

Been robbed: Some jerk stole my purse in eighth grade.

Petted a reindeer/goat: Yes. My college friend Terry was a sheep farmer, but she had some goats too.

Won a contest: When I was in elementary school I went to a fun night and won three or four cakes at the cake walk. They eventually told me I couldn't play anymore. I'm not sure how we got them all home.

Been suspended from school: No.

Been in a car accident: I totalled every car but one that my dad bought me in high school. I totalled the Fairmont twice. However, I have had the same car (crash-free) since 1992. (Knock on wood.)

Had braces: No.

Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night: Maybe, but if so I don't remember.

Witnessed a crime: Yes.

Swam in the ocean: I don't like water. I've been to the ocean once, and it was very pretty, but it was December and a little chilly. I was glad to have an excuse not to put on a bathing suit and/or swim.

Sung karaoke: Shania's "Any Man of Mine".

Paid for a meal with only coins: We were on a tight budget when we were first married and we ran out of money once. We scrounged together as much change as we had and went to the grocery store and got the cheapest, most filling stuff we could. (All I remember now is potatoes and eggs.) I cried.

Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose: Hasn't everyone?

Been kissed under mistletoe: Yes.

Crashed a party: In sixth grade, Ann and Matt lived across the street from each other. We would crash Matt's slumber parties, and the guys would crash Ann's.

Worn pearls: Yes.

Jumped off a bridge: No.

Ate dog/cat food: I tried dried cat food on a dare as a kid, but I didn't like the taste the way someone who reads this blog did. (I'll keep your secret!)

Kissed a mirror: No.

Glued your hand to something: Has anyone escaped superglue unscathed?

Done a one-handed cartwheel: As much as I wanted to learn cartwheels as a kid, I never had it in me.

Talked on the phone for more than 6 hours: My first boyfriend and I would regularly talk all night. When Mom and Dad would discover that I had unplugged their phone so they couldn't hear the 11:00 call, I would get in trouble.

Didn't take a shower for a week: One of my most memorable spring breaks was with Lou living in a camper on her father's land in southern Iowa.

Pick and ate an apple right off the tree: Yes.

Been told by a complete stranger that you're hot: No. I tend to attract the shy guys.

There you go. Consider yourself tagged.

Comics

Every morning I am greeted with and email containing some of my favorite comics: BC, Big Nate, Dilbert, Off The Mark, Pearls Before Swine, and Rose is Rose. It would be an even better list if it had Foxtrot and Baby Blues, but they weren't options when I signed up.

The problem is that sometimes Z demands that I read them to her. Then she wants me to explain why they are funny. Comics lose a lot in the translation to a 6-year-old. Some I'm not even willing to try. Here is BC's comic today. A message is thrown in the ocean with the text, "Over here--this time of year--we gather together to give thanks to God and to partake of our bountiful harvest". The next day a reply is received from the ocean reading, "Dude! Us, too! As a matter of fact, we're smoking ours right now!" I'm not even going to try to explain that one.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving from Z and the Ten-Feathered Turkey!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Simple Argument for Intellient Design

I found this in someone's signature at the DFI-Street forum. I like it..... so I'm posting it.

    Millions daily drive their cars made of 1000s of parts. We study events billions of miles away expecting laws HERE apply equally THERE. The planets, the moons etc move with such precision that we just hit a comet millions of miles away with a probe. ALL of man's technology depend on the precision and invariability of these natural laws. How also explain their simplicity and their harmonious integration to form a multifaceted Universe which we cannot grasp ? These laws are there. We discover them. We study them. We apply them. Mathematical Precision, Invariability, Simplicity, Harmony. * How a design and no designer ? *

Z's favorite season

"Hey dad. Do you know what my favorite season is?"

"Ummm.... Spring."

"No."

"Summer?"

"No."

"Fall?"

"No silly! It's Winter."

"Ahhhh....."

"You wanna know why?"

"Why."

"Because after you get all bundled up and play in the snow you can come in and have hot chocolate. Mmmmm! Hot chocolate!"

Monday, November 07, 2005

Longboard Building 101


How's this for a college class? Go check out the Fall summary. It's pretty cool to see all the stuff they made.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Kid computing


Since A turned three (or maybe a little before) her skills at the computer have greatly improved. Although she left-clicks the mouse with her thumb which she will probably have to unlearn someday, her mousing skills are quite good, and she can sit at the computer playing computer games for quite awhile. Her favorite website is Clifford the Big Red Dog. The website talks, and does not require reading, and she is able to play almost all of the games by herself. Mommy quickly tires of other websites which require reading and constant "What do I do now???" She also likes this site. Some of the games are beyond her, but she likes the coloring "paper" dolls, and a few others. Most of the other websites on which her big sister plays are too difficult for her. Does anyone have any suggestions of other websites that are good for little ones?