Living In the World, Not on It

Not even a hurricane will stop me from posting the Sunday Seven . But then again, there’s a good reason for that: I’ve actually been in Tampa for a few days, visiting close friends I don’t get to see as often as I’d like. I knew that the storm was going to essentially miss Charleston specifically because I was out of town at the time landfall was to have occurred; if I had been there, we’d have no doubt been in the middle of serious hurricane madness. This week’s question involves Native American totem poles and the belief that each individual is connected with nine different animals that will accompany each person through life, acting as guides . The belief also is that different such guides come in and out of our lives depending on the direction we are headed and the tasks that need to be completed along the journey. Whether you believe in such notions are not, it still may be fun to use the idea for a Sunday Seven question. Scroll down on for a list of animals and the...

This week’s Saturday Six is being posted a bit later than normal, and for that I apologize. But I have a pretty good excuse that I’ll talk more about tomorrow! In the meantime, Hurricane Irene might have been enough of a threat to encourage people to consider flying to safer ground. So I chose a visit to the airport as the topic of this week’s questions. Thanks for dropping by! Be sure to check back this week and click on the links of bloggers who play along in the comments below! It’s a great way to find blogs you may not have visited and keep the conversation going! Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your blog… But don’t forget to leave a link to your blog so that everyone else can visit! Permission is not granted to copy the questions to message boards for the purpose of having members answer and play along there. Enjoy! 1. Where is the last place you visited that involved a...

I turn the music up, I got my records on I shut the world outside until the lights come on Maybe the streets alight, maybe the trees are gone I feel my heart start beating to my favourite song And all the kids they dance, all the kids all night Until Monday morning feels another life I turn the music up I'm on a roll this time And heaven is in sight I turn the music up, I got my records on From underneath the rubble sing a rebel song Don't want to see another generation drop I'd rather be a comma than a full stop Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes But my heart is beating and my pulses start Cathedrals in my heart As we saw oh this light I swear you, emerge blinking into To tell me it's alright As we soar walls, every siren is a symphony And every tear's a waterfall Is a waterfall Oh Is a waterfall Oh oh oh Is a is a waterfall Every tear Is a waterfall Oh oh oh ...

1) Does hearing about the health benefits of food products ever discourage you from eating those products (like hearing about the fiber content in cereal or probiotics in yogurt)? Sometimes. Let's face it, low-fat cheese is synonymous with plastic. Other things, not so much. It's a hit or miss with these things. 2) If you were fired from a job for no good reason and could do anything on your way out without the possibility of any future retribution, what might you do to get a little revenge? I wouldn't. Having done Human Resources for years, I'm not one to find any pleasure in revenge. How many people told me they were going to sue and the percentage of suits brought against a company is well under .009%. And the number won? Less. 3) You're at a job interview and the person interviewing you is extremely physically attractive. Do your raging hormones effect how well you carry yourself during the remainder of your interview? I have had that hap...

Sometimes I feel like the only person I know who finds reading history fascinating. It’s so full of amazing-yet-true stories of people driven to the edge and how they reacted to it. I keep telling friends that a good history book (as opposed to some of those textbooks in school that are all lists and dates) does everything a good novel does–it grips you with real characters doing amazing things. Am I REALLY the only person who feels this way? When is the last time you read a history book? Historical biography? You know, something that took place in the past but was REAL. Currently I am reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to The American Revolution. I finished reading British History for Dummies , and prior to that I read The Tudor Family for Dummies . That may not seem like really good history reading, but it is actually is excellent - the authors are not dry and dull and giving rote answers as only tenured teachers who have lost any interest do. I do read other history, su...

...the 2012 Old Farmer's Almanac! YAY! I always love getting the newest Old Farmer's Almanac, to get the astronomical outlook for the new year and read the articles. I love it. I rely heavily on the almanac for Moon times, astronomy, seasonal changes and other tidbits. I also collect them and have them going back to the early 1800s. This one did not disappoint. The main article this year for astronomy is The Sky is Falling (and this is a good year to catch it) . It covers a few things, not the least of which is the Mayan New Year, which occurs on the winter Solstice and is above all a positive thing. I just don't know where everyone gets this doom and gloom prediction of the world, but it is amusing, none-the-less. However, the Mayan calendar hasn't anything to do with the end of the world or Armageddon. I find people who believe in this crap rather stupid (and if you'd seen the number of posts that mentioned that following yesterday's earthquake, we...

That's right folks. If the arthquake we had yesterday wasn't enough, heeeeeeeere's Irene! "If the Virginia quake wasn't enough, authorities warn residents to watch out for Hurricane Irene Emergency officials say New Jersey residents primary concern isn't the Virginia earthquake that shook the entire East Coast—a reported hurricane could be headed this way in a few days. The National Weather Service reports that Hurricane Irene—which already has rolled through the Bahamas—is expected to land in North Carolina by Saturday and then travel northward. According to the AccuWeather website , Irene could "flirt with the Delmarva [peninsula] and New Jersey and then on to eastern Long Island and southeastern New England." The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management said via its website that the threat may be heaviest for shore areas, which could experience tidal and storm surge flooding. NJOEM offers these tips to make sure ...

It started just like all my days do. Get up in pain, get a bagel, take meds, take nap, feel much better. Not terribly exciting, is it? Especially the initial waking. But it got much more interesting in rather short order. I was wide awake and doing various things online, when suddenly both cats jumped up, gave a weird undulating sound - I've never heard a living thing make such a strange sound - and disappeared downstairs like bats outta Hell! It was bizarre. I didn't have a lot of time to really contemplate what that was all about, because moment later the couch was suddenly gently shaking from side to side. I was struck silent, listening for any outside sounds - a truck rolling by, a low-flying plane, but it was still - that eerie stillness that could only mean an earthquake. I looked over to see the hanging chair swaying and in a clear container Luis left out with red soda in it, there were constant ripples - and I began timing the quake. I knew I'd go on line to ...

Here is an article that came in today's Parsippany Patch e-mail: 'Parsippany Township Council President John M. Fox announced he's leaving his council post as of Sept. 1 to take a seat on the Morris County Board of Elections. For Fox, the invitation to play a new role in government comes at a good time. Paul Carifi Jr. defeated Fox in his bid to retain his council spot in the June primary election, and his term was slated to end in December. "I feel so fortunate," Fox, 69, said. "This will allow me to continue in public service for a couple more years." Fox said he received a call late last week from Elections Board Chairman John Sette, who asked Fox if he would be interested in joining the panel. "This was not an easy choice. I thought about it for a day," he said. "The governor's office said I couldn't hold elected office while being on the board, and I felt bad about resigning early. But I figured I was leavi...

1. What is your favorite day of the week? My favourite day when I was working was Monday. It was the day I ran the payroll, so it was structured and quiet - no one wanted to interfere with my running that! Once the payroll was complete it was gloves-off time and back to the normal HR insanity. Now, I could not tell you. I suppose Thursday is my favourite day, when I go to visit my old crew and we chat. I miss riding on the rig terribly. I miss riding with Bob, Colin, Luke and Kyle. I miss it all. Being retired, one day rolls into the next without meaning. 2. What kind of restrictions should there be on wearing Speedo swimsuits? I would like it if there was a physique requirement. You know, if you are 5'6" and 300lbs, the sales person has to tell you, "I'm sorry, I really cannot sell these to you. Let's have a look at these nice knee-length shorts without the stripes, shall we?" Also, if we can can count the number of hairs... on... uh, you get the idea, t...

1. What made ticked off the most yesterday? Um... I don't know if anything did make me ticked off yesterday. I don't think I was ticked off yesterday for any reason. 2. What ticks you off about your local mail service? Well, nothing. Parsippany mail is excellent and I love our mailman. He's the bee's knees. However, the Springfield mail service is awful - I know this personally from my five and a half years working there and still - I just got something on Tuesday that was mailed out on 26 July. Unbelievable! 3. What ticks you off about the opposite sex? Isn't that a little broad? I wouldn't accuse all men of doing or being one way. I can say that Luis pissed me off a couple days ago, but I've forgotten what it was. (It's good to be me in some ways, you know...) 4. What ticks you off about eating out? The end of the meal, when you're waiting for the check and finished eating - I hate waiting to get out of the restaurants once we're finished. ...

Here’s a topic that I think nearly everyone can work with. Let’s say that you’re put in the Programming Director position for a classic TV cable network and you’re given an assignment: you must come up with a rundown of seven sitcoms for an all-day comedy block. I know, I know, this is really a fantasy-type scenario because no reality shows are part of the mix! But work with me here, people. Let’s dream for a moment that somehow, it could actually happen! Can you come up with seven classic sitcoms you’d love to watch over a 12-hour block or so? Don’t worry about how many hours of each there would need to be. All you have to do is come up with seven sitcoms that could be used to fill the time. As for your definition of “classic” sitcoms, they can be as old (or new) as you wish, just as long as you feel the sitcom belongs in a “classic” sitcom block. Easy enough, right? Thanks for dropping by! Be sure to check back this week and click on the links of bloggers who play alon...

There are none scheduled for tonight. Tomorrow, however... (This is my image but it is from 2002 - it is bloody hard to get these kinds of stills.) On Thursday night at 2200, I heard the long, low rumble of not-to-distant thunder... a sound that always brings joy to my heart! I live for thunderstorms - the bigger, noisier, more dramatic, the better! I look forward to summers for this more than anything else. I just delight in the windy, wily, wild weather. I tend to be a person of extremes (although I'm not wild about extremely cold weather - there I draw the line), so if it's gonna be stormy, it has to be WOW stormy. If it is gonna snow, it should be a blizzard. Yup. Extremes are much more exciting! So I listened for a few minutes - the thunder always precedes the light show. I could hear it with little silence in between rolling soft thunder. There was no lightning yet. But as the storm approached, the thunder was longer, rolling from side to side. We are only 30...

Welcome to Saturday: 9 . What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme! 1. In a relationship, have you ever hung in even when you knew for sure it was over? Once and I will never do it again. It's like being mired in mud and knowing I am going to sink. I hated the feeling and won't do that to myself ever again. No one is worth it and I know when it is time to move on. 2. If you had the ability to perpetually alleviate any pain on your body, what would it be? Wow. I have muscular dystrophy, so there is pain almost everywhere. I would have to say my back but I would make s...

I’ve been battling a sinus infection for the past few days, so my posting hasn’t been quite as frequent as normal. But I can’t miss an edition of the Saturday Six ! So before I take a little nap, here is this week’s set. Thanks for dropping by! Be sure to check back this week and click on the links of bloggers who play along in the comments below! It’s a great way to find blogs you may not have visited and keep the conversation going! Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your blog… But don’t forget to leave a link to your blog so that everyone else can visit! Permission is not granted to copy the questions to message boards for the purpose of having members answer and play along there. Enjoy! 1. You feel a sniffle coming on: what’s the first thing you do to avoid a cold? I try to use Airbourne, the fizzy tablets that a teacher invented a few years ago to counteract all the contagion i...

I began this post on the 17th, but I forgot to return to it since. All I can say, its about bloody time someone else saw the embarrassing nature of this hideous show and its cast of subhuman characters for what they really are. I know having sponsorship of one's show is vital to its continuation, but I sincerely hope this is the end of the line for these losers. I just hate that the worse kind of people represent New Jersey on television. While it has appeared that the idiots in this show could do no wrong (no matter how often Snooki drank in public, made the stupidest of comments and dissed police in Italy). I am gratified to see at least one company taking a stand against them. I don't know what specifically Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino did to piss off Abercrombie & Fitch, but he really must've put in a huge effort to do it. Sponsors usually really have to be pissed off to pull out its support or to tell a group of telly losers to stay out of their...

Just a quick note: I want to thank my boyfriend for helping me write some of these questions. After a crappy day, I really needed help with questions ... 1) If you were forced to live for a year in a shopping mall, a museum, or a zo o, which would you choose and why? Oh, the Hayden Planetarium in Manhattan. Without a doubt. It has everything - decent food, all those cool weight measurements for e ach planet and moon, goodies in the shops, a year there would be fun! 2) If there was a male version of Victoria's Secret, what would you think it should be called? Hmmmm. John's Open Viewing. Men probably couldn't keep sexual conquests and weird under garments a secret, ha, ha! 3) My boyfriend says he wants Weezer's song "Death and Destruction" played at our wedding. What would be a song you'd never expect to hear played at a wedding? Anything by Eminem. Not romantic... unless you're really angry. 4) If your brain worked like a cell phon...

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your web space. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website! What was your most memorable alarm-clock failure? Always in the spring, when clocks jump forward, although I do recall a couple of autumns where I ended up at work at 0500 instead of 0600! What item recently in the news do you find most alarming? I do my level best to ignore the news as mush as possible - it is all alarming, depressing... you get the idea. Of car alarms, burglar alarms, and smoke alarms, which do you consider most effective or useful? Oh, fire and smoke alarms by far. Many, many lives are saved that way. If the shoplifting alarm is tripped as you exit a store, what do you do? Go back to have the items in it scanned again to disarm the anti-theft device. (Every once in a while someone will say, "Don't worr...

1. The only question is , will my friend come over to help me organise the junk room (that's right, a whole room full of junk! Why just have a drawer when you can give up an entire room?) and help me get the tossed goods out to a safe garbage pick-up point (that will make sense under #7). 2. What do I do in one day? This was on the form from the LTD people. The answer? Practically nothing. 3. Three things on my desk: At home... a couple of invoices, a heap of information about new ambulances and one candle burning: Bean Pod's Green Tea. At least it smells lovely in there! 4. Going to the grocery store is the one thing I HAVE to do today! Lunch meats, more decongestant (nothing like bronchitis in the summer to really bring one down), milk, etc. etc. etc... 5. I love playing with the cats . Fortunately, they love it, too! 6. Laying in the hammock with the latest John Grisham book overwhelms the senses. 7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking...

You’ve just had a long, hard, exhausting day, and all you want to do is curl up with something light, fun, easy, fluffy, distracting, and entertaining. What book do you pick up? One of two books: either something that is ...for Dummies or The Complete Idiot's Guide to... books, because I do find them to be light, distracting and entertaining. I like learning, and this is light and fluffy learning. It is funny, easy to read and take in and one is not required to read it in order. I love these books and many an interesting tidbit I've learned from them. (Especially these subjects that in school the teachers sucked the joy out of such as history.) The other books I really enjoy that are easy to read and I find to be light reading are the John Grisham books. I suspect that few will agree with my idea of light reading, but I find it so engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable that I consider it perfect for relaxing after a difficult trying day.

I've switched to Google's Chrome from Mozilla's Firefox. What a mistake. I hate to say it, but it's true. It was a huge and weird mistake. There are some problems with Chrome that I can't work with anymore. And so far, it has everything to do with blogging. When I do memes, I copy them from the original blog to a new post on mine, and then fill in the answers. I go back to the original site, put in the comments my link and I'm done. Usually this works really well. Not so much with Chrome, however. When I copy the text in Chrome, it pulls the colour of the background along with it. And then my blog uses the colour text I have set up, so now the text is invisible against the background colour of the blog the text came from... my blog has a black background, and almost everyone else's has a light colour. Not good. This means I need to open a different browser to get the text to be visible on mine. Extra work for me. The Chrome browser hates that I wan...

Welcome to The Queen's Meme 7 Royal Questions on Tuesday The Random Meme is well...random. Haphazard. No synchronicity. No rhyme or reason. I'm allowed once in awhile to be random. So I looked deep into the recesses of a tired pencil brain today and wrote down the first thing that popped into my head. That's a dangerous proposition. I hope you enjoy this totally random meme. 1. What is your favorite summertime flower? One that I'm not allergic to... but I haven't found that flower yet. 2. Are you behind on your blog? Yes and no. I seem to be keeping up with some memes, but then I don't always post my usual musings. So I'm kinda sorta behind. 3. What has irritated you the most recently? My father-in-law, who lives with us, has suddenly been taking items I've put out to be picked up by the garbage men and putting them in his room. What the hell? I'm throwing out junk and he's bringing it in. It's not his garbage and if I find ...