Open Letter

To That Person:

Do you ever get tired of making the same derogatory comments every. single. time.?? Doesn't it ever get old?

Do you think you are changing opinions? Do you think it's going to make a hill of beans of difference?

Try just saying it without inserting your opinion just once. We all know where you stand. Good grief, you've hit us over the head for years with it. We get it. Truly. We mostly get that you are a colossol bore, but that's really not the point. The point is that your incessent put downs have made your good points invisible. You have good information. If you could manage to say it without the insults you wouldn't be dismissed as a crackpot.

We get it. We understand your point of view. But like most blowhards, you are more bluster than substance. I'm sure you don't want to be seen as a blowhard.... but you are. You sound like the teacher from The Peanuts specials.... wah, wah, wah wah wah.

You should go out to lunch with that Other Person. She's an expert too. You know this. We all do. Because she tells us every. time. she speaks. She'd probably annoy the daylights out of you too. But maybe the two of you can solve the world's problems. At the very least, you won't be annoying the rest of us while y'all are at lunch.

Overheard....

This was originally posted on ScrapShare. At the time, this was a testy conversation. After I wrote it out, it was funny. When I read it to Norm, he laughed and laughed. Neither one of us thought it was at. all. funny at the time. Not one bit..... So that business about "we'll look back on this and laugh"? 'Tis true.

I kept talking to the Mr. about Stacy Peterson. He was talking about it back with me. I thought we were having a conversation. (I am often mistaken on this point.)

One day I said something along the lines of "cause he's a cop".

Who's a cop?

Drew Peterson.

Who's Drew Peterson?



Uh.... Stacy Peterson's husband.

Who's that?

Stacy Peterson. REMEMBER? She was a customer of someone from SS....? Any of this familiar?

I remember that conversation. But what does that have to do with Stacy Peterson?

(and people wonder why my head hurts all the time.....)

Stacy Peterson is the customer of someone on SS and now she's missing and her cop husband, Drew, is Suspect Number One.

Yes. I. remember. the. conversation. But what does that have to do with Stacy Peterson??

I'm out of English words to explain this anymore.

1.....2.....3....4....5.....

Oh. STACY Peterson.



I thought you were talking about Laci Peterson.

She's not missing.

Dressed

We like to get dressed up. Tux. Formal. The whole nine yards. Our only regret is we don't get to do it more often. We look forward to the Scott's annual Christmas party so we can put on the Really Grown Up Clothes (the food and company is all top notch too!)

So Emma has a blog......

One day, probably about five years ago or so, she lets out this heavy sigh and says:

It's hard to be me!

I stifled the big "BWAHAHAHA!" that wanted to burst forth and managed to say "Why is that Em?". I had my theories, but I thought it would be worthy to hear her say it.

I have SO many wonders in my head!!

It struck me that she does indeed have many wonders in her head. Not a day passes that she doesn't say "I wonder....". These are not generally Googlable wonders. We cannot research them and come up with a precise answer. They are wonders such as:

I wonder who decided to call it "grass" and not something else like "carrots".

I wonder who chose the word "pink" for that color.

They make my head hurt, these wonders.....

So now, she has a blog of her very own to document her multitude of wonders.....

Crack me up.... but not surprised.....

Orange County

You're rich, pretty, and living a charmed life. (Or you seriously wish you were.) From Disneyland to Laguna Beach, you're all about living the California dream life. Just make sure to marry rich - so you don't have to work for it!

Where Does Your Inner Californian Belong?

No surprises here....

Brain Type Test - Free Results

Are You Left-Brained or Right-Brained?

Although one side of the brain is generally dominant over the other, we should strive to utilize both halves. A balanced brain makes a balanced person - combining sequential thinking with a holistic approach, or linear thinking with intuition, enables us to fully comprehend issues and solve problems. Left-brainers can dramatically improve their problem solving abilities by learning to "follow their gut," while right-brainers can improve the execution of their creative efforts.

Realizing your dominant half is the first step in becoming balance-brained.

Your percentage score for the left brain is 55%. Your percentage score for the right brain is 45%.

You are more left-brained than right-brained. Your left brain controls the right side of your body. In addition to being known as left-brained, you are also known as a critical thinker who uses logic and sense to collect information. You are able to retain this information through the use of numbers, words, and symbols. You usually only see parts of the "whole" picture, but this is what guides you step-by-step in a logical manner to your conclusion. Concise words, numerical and written formulas and technological systems are often forms of expression for you. Some occupations usually held by a left-brained person include a lab scientist, banker, judge, lawyer, mathematician, librarian, and skating judge.

Your left brain/right brain percentage was calculated by combining the individual scores of each half's sub-categories. They are as follows:

Left Brain

• Linear
• Sequential
• Symbolic
• Logical
• Verbal
• Reality-based

Right Brain

• Holistic
• Random
• Concrete
• Intuitive
• Nonverbal
• Fantasy-oriented

I just have to wonder if I need any special expertise to be a "skating judge".... ya know?

Have You Seen Her?

(I think that's a registered trademark or something, but I don't know how to get that "R" in a circle thingy....)

Today, the WNBA announced an expansion team in Atlanta. This brings the total WNBA teams to 14.

Everything that annoys you about professional sports? The egotistical players, the high salaries... all that? It's not there in the WNBA. Salary parity is a long way off... these women play as hard (and it is a physical game) and do so year round (playing in Europe in the off season). But it means tickets are affordable and you can take the whole family.

We are season ticket holders for the Sacramento Monarchs and win or lose, we have enjoyed every game. We can take our girls and while they still aren't big basketball fans, they are Monarchs fans.

If you live in the Atlanta area.... get your First Season Season Tickets. No. It isn't the same as the NBA. In some ways....it's better.

Blogthings Day

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

You Should Be a Joke Writer

You're totally hilarious, and you can find the humor in any situation. Whether you're spouting off zingers, comebacks, or jokes about life... You usually can keep a crowd laughing, and you have plenty of material. You have the makings of a great comedian - or comedic writer.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Your Brain is 47% Female, 53% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?

Your Movie Buff Quotient: 52%

You are well on your way to becoming a movie buff. You've seen many of the great films, and you have even probably developed an expertise in a few genres.

Are You a Movie Buff?

You Are 80% "Average American"

You are average because you live within three miles of McDonalds. You are not average since you have (at least) a college degree.

How "Average American" Are You?

You Are 5: The Investigator

You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker. You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does. Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations. You are open minded. A visionary. You understand the world and may change it. At Your Best: You are sharp, inventive, and creative. You have the skills to lead the world. At Your Worst: You are reclusive, weird, and a bit paranoid. Your Fixation: Greed Your Primary Fear: Being useless or incompetent Your Primary Desire: Being competent and needed Other Number 5's: Bill Gates, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Bjork, and Stephen Hawking.

What Number Are You?

For Thought

This photo album was found by someone who wishes to remain anonymous. Here is the press release regarding the album, from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum today unveiled an important new addition to its collection—a personal photo album containing 116 pictures taken between May and December 1944 chronicling the life of SS officers and other officials at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The rare images capture SS guards and Nazi officials relaxing and enjoying time off—hunting, singing, trimming Christmas trees, and more—all while Jews were being murdered at rates as fast as anytime during the Holocaust. The album was created and owned by Karl Höcker, an adjunct to camp Kommandant Richard Baer.

“It’s hard to fathom the kind of people who ran these camps and one always struggles to understand who they were and how they saw themselves,” says Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield. “These unique photographs vividly illustrate the contented world they enjoyed while overseeing a world of unimaginable suffering. They offer an important perspective on the psychology of those perpetrating genocide.”

The 116 new images represent a significant increase in the number of known pre-liberation images of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Previously, only about 320 images existed of the camp before it was liberated by the Soviet army on January 27, 1945. (This figure does not include photographs of prisoners as they were processed into the camp for forced labor.)

The album complements the only other known collection of photographs taken at Auschwitz, published as the “Auschwitz Album” in 1980. Those images specifically depict the arrival of Hungarian Jews at the camp in late May 1944, and the selection process that the SS imposed on them. Some of the images contained in the new album were taken just days later. In contrast to documenting mass murder, they focus on the daily lives and recreational pursuits of Nazi officials, and no prisoner appears in any of the images.

Images in the new album include:

• Photographs of Dr. Josef Mengele in uniform on the camp grounds; some of the only known photographs of his tenure at Auschwitz-Birkenau
• A funeral for Nazi officers most likely killed in the accidental December 26, 1944, American bombing of the camp
• A sing-along featuring an accordion player and approximately 70 SS men, including Höcker; Dr. Josef Mengele; Birkenau Kommandant Josef Kramer; former Auschwitz Kommandant Rudolf Höss, who was brought back to oversee the murder of Hungarian Jews; and Otto Moll, the gas chamber supervisor at Auschwitz-Birkenau
• Höcker trimming Christmas trees in December 1944, weeks before the Red Army would overrun the camp
• Female SS auxiliaries eating blueberries and then mockingly crying and posing with empty bowls turned upside down when they are gone
• Numerous hunting trips and portraits of Höcker’s favorite hunting dog

Remarkably, many of the album’s pictures were taken when the camp’s gas chambers and crematoria were operating at and above capacity as Hungarian Jews were arriving and being murdered.

“The Holocaust is recent history, and much more remains to be learned,” says Teresa Swiebocka of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. “We know there are many more hidden collections like this. They need to be found and preserved to help transmit the memory of the Holocaust to future generations. Some of these new, unique images will enhance our new permanent exhibition.”

An online exhibition of the collection can be found on the Museum’s Web site at www.ushmm.org.

How the Museum Received the Auschwitz SS Album

In December 2006, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and former member of the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) wrote to the Museum archives. As one of its many tasks as a military intelligence agency, the CIC conducted investigations of Nazi perpetrators for U.S. prosecutors in the Judge Advocate General’s Office after World War II. While stationed in Germany in 1946, this officer found a photograph album in an abandoned apartment in Frankfurt and took it home with him. In 2007, he donated the album to the Museum, but wanted his donation to remain anonymous.

The Fate of Karl Höcker and His Photograph Album

After the Germans evacuated Auschwitz-Birkenau in mid-January 1945, Höcker accompanied Baer to command Dora-Mittelbau. He fled that camp before it was captured by the Allies and was eventually captured by the British. Not recognizing him, the British released him in 1946 and he reentered civilian life as a banker. Not until the Eichmann trial of 1961 did anyone attempt to locate him. In 1963, he finally faced charges at the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial. Baer was also a defendant at the trial, but died of natural causes while in custody.

During the final year of the Holocaust, Höcker was stationed at Auschwitz I, a labor camp. Although witnesses, including other Nazi officials, testified that he would have been aware of the gassing operations and was an administrator of the killing operations at Birkenau, a few kilometers away, prosecutors could not produce a witness or any evidence directly linking him to the killings there. Höcker claimed that he was ignorant of these activities. Yet, many pictures in his photo album show him socializing with Höss, Mengele, Moll, and others intimately involved with the killing process. It strains credulity to suggest he would have been unaware of their crimes.

Höcker was sentenced to seven years in prison, but time served was deducted and he was released on parole in 1970. He returned to his banking job, and he died in 2000 at age 88 in Germany.

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was created to inspire leaders and citizens to confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity and strengthen democracy. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanence, and donors nationwide make possible its educational activities and global outreach. For more information, visit www.ushmm.org.

Mrs. Hughes

This is my friend Amy's mom.

Amy is a stitch. THAT apple didn't fall far from the tree......

Mrs. Hughes.

btw.... there are other acts after her. I make no promises about THOSE.

Senior Moments

1. Who was your best friend?
Jennifer
2. Did you play any sports?
No
3. What kind of car did you drive?
1972 Blue Chevy Impala
4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
Football game
5. Were you a party animal?
No
6. Were you considered a flirt?
I don't think so. Maybe....
7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
Yes, yes and yes.
8. Were you a nerd?
No
9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
No
10. Can you sing the fight song?
No fight song. But I can sing the Alma Mater. Probably could play it on my flute even.
11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Then? George. Now? Mr. O'Brien.
12. What was your school mascot?
The Knight
13. Did you go to the Prom?
No
14. If you could go back, would you?
Nah.....
15. What do you remember most about graduation?
We had first graduation and it was hot.
16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
We didn't have Senior Skip Day. We had Senior Munches. We all skipped on an officially sanctioned day with an activity. Knotts Berry Farm and someplace else. Can't remember now.
17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Summer after I worked at Disneyland and Woodward's Ace Hardware
18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
Quad and outside the band room
19. Have you gained weight since then?
Uh.... YEA.
20. What did you do after high school?
Went to college.

HP7

The media blackout has been lifted.

All who care to read, have read.

We can discuss freely now.

We mourn the passing of.... the series. We have all enjoyed the books. We would queue up once again if another is written.

We look forward to the movies.

FYI to Warner Bros. We would gladly pay double if you doubled the length of the last movie. Make a "director's cut". Get it all in. We'll pay. We all would. We stood in line late into the night and bought over 8 million books in under 24 hours. We'd pay. Really.

Basketball Fun - Midwest Version

The children went off to Camp Aunt Sharon Part Deux.

So we decided to go to a Monarchs game. Which really isn't all that unusual for us. Except this one wasn't exactly at Arco Arena.

It was in Minneapolis. Against the Lynx.

The Target Center is the Lynx's home court. Except Prince was having a concert the next night and Friday was needed for set up. So the game was shuffled off to Williams Arena at The University of Minnesota. Which was built in 1928 before Central Air Conditioning was invented. Holy cow, it was hot.

But we had GREAT seats! We ordered "behind the Visitor's bench". This is what we got:

Most excellent position behind the bench. We talked to Koz and Krista before the game. (and fans listening at home heard there were Season Ticket holders in the arena! US!) We kept up the chatter. We cheered when everyone else was quiet. We never felt the need to cheer when everyone else did. Sometimes all you heard was the two of us. Towards the end of the game we talked a bit with Linda Frohlich and Kristin Haynie. Kristin asked us where we were from and couldn't believe it when we said "Elk Grove". Surely she was expecting something a little bit more Minnesotan.

It was a hot game. Both teams had to fight the heat. We were hot sitting. I can only imagine how it was running up and down the court.

The court is raised. We were worried someone might go flying off the edge. No one did.



Every season ticket holder should road trip. Sure... it would be easy to go to LA for a game. About as easy to go to Seattle. But going someplace unexpected like Minneapolis gives you a very different perspective. At first we were a bit disappointed that the game had been moved. But we really enjoyed how close we were to the action. Our Row C seats are going to seem like they're in the nose bleeders now!






Monarchs 85
Lynx 80

Tahoe - Summer 2007

It was almost anti-climatic.

We came down into the Tahoe basin to see clear blue water and clear blue sky.

Fire? Smoke? Not that we could see.



If you look very carefully you can see the burn area.



So we just went sailing....

Basketball Fun

So Kaitlyn went off to be a Counselor-In-Training at Camp Alive Now! and we had an extra ticket to the Monarchs game on June 23 (against the Shock). Of course Emma wanted to invite Kaelin. And of course we did. Because they are BFF's!!!!


We ate dinner at the Skyline Restaurant like we often do. We had barely sat our behinds down in our seats when Emma and Kaelin were asked to participate in the ball exchange before the game. Of COURSE they do!



Kim Smith handed a ball to Kaelin. Linda Frolich handed a ball to Emma. They were THRILLED. The balls were not autographed. I think it would be VERY COOL if the players autographed the balls before they handed them out. But they don't. Nor does getting a ball and t-shirt get you into the autograph line after the game. But Dad was the hero of the night and scored two of the coveted autograph tickets. They waited in line and got their autographs.























Two team favorites. DeMaya Walker and Yolanda Griffith were the designated autographers of the evening.




They were THRILLED!

On Thinking

I'm not naming names....

I have come under criticism for accusing people of "drinking the Kool-Aid". The criticism comes, obviously, from those who, in my estimation, are swimming in the stuff.

As I was sitting in a lovely first class seat on a flight home I mused about the concept. The origins of the phrase. Why it is used. Ultimately, I mused on why people are so willing to consume what is given to them without thinking if it is the best for them or not.

Maybe it's in religion. I can't begin to count the number of times I've been told that "the Bible does/doesn't say that". Of course it leaves me wondering what Bible those folks are reading. I find it ironic that some of the best Bible scholars I know are Atheists. They know the Bible. The strict Bible Literalists all too often (although not always) cite what they've been told from the pulpit. Their pastor knows more than they do and so they trust in what he (it's always "he") tells them. They do little if any independent study. They don't do any independent thinking on what is being preached.

Maybe it's in politics. We all know how I feel about the current administration. But it still boggles my mind that the President can loudly proclaim "Mission Accomplished" in 2003 and there are people who don't see the problem with us still being "in the mission" FOUR years later with no end in sight. How can they reconcile these two contradictory messages? Alone. Forget the rest of the bull.... He said we were done. Why are we still there? If I pose the question "was he lying then or lying now?", well... that's just unpatriotic (still) and unsupportive of the troops. But whatever is said by The Government is believed without question.

Maybe it's at work. All signs point to fiscal problems that could very well bankrupt the company. Enron is the poster child for this. Warning signs ignored. Whistleblowers punished. But I'm watching some dots being connected at a couple of different companies. (not naming names....) I see their PR problems. Do they? Maybe they do. Maybe they are ok with it. Maybe they don't. I see decisions that were bad decisions two years ago coming back to haunt them. I see daily decisions being made that portends a really expensive implosion. I also see those same people who have been told "Danger Will Robinson" feeling (and very possibly truly being) completely blindsided when it's above the fold news. No one told us. How did this happen? What went wrong?

It makes me crazy.

I have a hard time believing that I have some sort of special power to see around the corner, to connect the dots and see the Big Picture. I don't actually possess a crystal ball.

My mother never let us have Kool-Aid. Maybe that's it? I don't know. I don't actually enjoy being right. At least not all the time. If I'm right about some of the situations I see brewing, it's not going to be fun being right. It's going to be sad.

I just don't understand the unwillingness to think for oneself even when (and maybe especially when) authority speaks.

But for now... I'm just handing out the Kool-Aid.

Low Friends in High Places

Yea.... I'm not really surprised.

I don't think W would know The Right Thing if it bit him in the ass.

So OF COURSE he commutes Scooter Libby's sentence.

For the record... Not a single West Wing staffer was ever sentenced to prison in the Clinton White House.

It must be nice to be King.

Sadly, no one elected him King.

Could be argued whether or not he was elected to anything, of course.

Idiot.

Hopefully the Democrats don't squander this gift....

Right vs. Left

Brains. Not politics.

And I'm not even sure if it's a left/right brain thing....

Sometimes someone will say something or I will observe something and the Big Picture will be quickly clear to me. They'll draw a picture, metaphorically or allegorically, and I know what they mean.

I, generally speaking, hang out with like minded people.

Sometimes I'll encounter someone for whom that is a completely foreign concept. Not just in one instance, but repeatedly. They obviously don't see the world the same way as I do.

Today at the grocery store something similar happened. Several of us (myself, the checker and another customer) were joking around using irony and another person could not see the humor. He insisted on the literal interpretation of what we were saying. And it. was. not. funny.

I consider myself a logical, connect the dots type of person. But irony is one of my best friends. I use metaphors and allegories to explain a point. This gets me in trouble a lot.

We were not talking about that!
No....that's a metaphor. It's an EXAMPLE.
But what does it have to do with what we are talking about?
It's a metaphor for what we are talking about. It's something similar. An illustration of my point using a different set of circumstances.
I'm lost. I have no idea what you're talking about.
Apparently.

Irony is often mistaken for sarcasm. Don't get me wrong. I'm all about the sarcasm. But simply pointing out the irony of a situation does not sarcasm make.

It seems that one must be wired to get irony, metaphors and allegories. Some folks can't see the gaps. They can't make the leap and see the connections.

It makes conversation difficult because they are like different languages. Quite frustrating too.

huh

Last night someone asked my 11 and 15 year old daughters if I was their sister.

They were aghast.

*I* am amused.

The Mr. is wondering if they thought he was my father....

Nearly 14 Months

It's been well over a year since I wrote this blog entry about The Bird.

I remembered what I wrote several weeks ago. Several weeks ago when I realized there was no tapping/attacking at our window.

It was strange. I saw a blue bird out in the yard. But I knew it was not OUR blue bird. How can I tell that? It's a bird. It's blue. Nothing very distinctive one bird from the next....

Our pesky bird friend did not return this year.

I enjoy the peace.

I mourn his passing.