Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year to you all

Happy new year to all of you out there.   I am sitting at the hospital waiting for 10:30 PM to arrive so I can leave.  So far  I did one csection.   They had waited 4 years to have this beautiful little girl, and they were so happy.

The place has been quiet and I think my partner here has gone to bed.  His wife bought him supper from Wendy's.   He will be here till tomorrow and then go home too.  It seems foolish for two of us to be here till late.  I am just sitting and writing in my journal.

Talked to Emily and she and her dad, aka my husband, went out to eat.  That was no big surprise.   I got a lot done this morning.  Read two papers, checked my email, went to the library, the grocery store, and the dry cleaners.  Went to get a bottle of wine.

Pennsylvania.   Wanted to get a bottle of wine.   PA is the absolute pits when it comes to liquor sales.   The sale of hard liquor and wine is the monopoly of the state of PA.   They control the price and tax to the hilt.   If you want a special bottle of something they will order it for you and you have to purchase a case.   The beer is sold only in cases at the beer distributors.    To get a six pack you need to go to a bar.   I guess the legislature thinks we are too stupid to buy beer and wine in the grocery stores.   Maybe it is a religious aspect????  Even in the Bible belt they sell the wine in the grocery store.   I think the people who are employed by the "State Stores" are relatives of the legislators.   It really is a freaking mess. Do they really think we will all become alcoholics if we buy wine in a grocery store.?????

Only three more hours to go.......Hope you all have a Happy New Year and it is better than the one this year.

 

 

New Years Eve Thoughts

"New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights."
Hamilton Wright Mabie

Sunday, December 30, 2007

PALE YELLOW

I really like the pale yellow back ground for my journal.  I like it soooooo much that I think I would like to paint the family room this shade.  

Since before Christmas my daughter  has been having a REAL bad time with allergies.  She was loaded up on antihistamines, and none of them seemed to do much good.    I was doing my analysis on "what had changed"  and I had an Eureka moment; since she started sneezing and being congested just before Christmas the only thing that changed was the Christmas tree.  

This years tree was a White Pine.   WE got rid of it yesterday and she sounds much better.   Mainly because last night I did not hear her coughing, sniffing and sneezing all night.   I cleaned up the remnants of the needles this morning.   It hope this was the problem.     The weird thing (??????) when she had her allergy tests long ago she turned up allergic to ELM.  How can that be, the elm trees are all dead........and have been dead for a long time.

Chuck has a reaction with the short needle trees (what ever their species) so I guess we are on the way to looking at an artificial tree..........Maybe they will be allergic to the plastic or whatever they are made from..................

 

 

 

Saturday, December 29, 2007

wisdoms by Dave Barry and one by Claudia

Pearls of Wisdom "Twenty-Five Things It Took Me Over
50 Years To Learn" by Dave Barry
  1. The badness of a movie is directly proportional to the number of helicopters in it.
  2. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight-saving time.
  3. People who feel the need to tell you that they have an excellent sense of humor are telling you that they have no sense of humor.
  4. The most valuable function performed by the federal government is entertainment.
  5. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
  6. A penny saved is worthless.
  7. They can hold all the peace talks they want, but there will never be peace in the Middle East. Billions of years from now, when Earth is hurtling toward the Sun and there is nothing left alive on the planet except a few microorganisms, the microorganisms living in the Middle East will be bitter enemies.
  8. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.
  9. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.
  10. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.
  11. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
  12. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
  13. There apparently exists, somewhere in Los Angeles, a computer that generates concepts for television sitcoms. When TV executives need a new concept, they turn on this computer; after sorting through millions of possible plot premises, it spits out, "THREE QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT," and the executives turn this concept into a show. The next time they need an idea, the computer spits out, "SIX QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT." Then the next time, it spits out, "FOUR QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT." And so on. We need to locate this computer and destroy it with hammers.
  14. Nobody is normal.
  15. At least once per year, some group of scientists will become very excited and announce that:
    • The universe is even bigger than they thought!
    • There are even more subatomic particles than they thought!
    • Whatever they announced last year about global warming is wrong.

  16. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
  17. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.
  18. The value of advertising is that it tells you the exact opposite of what the advertiser actually thinks. For example:
    • If the advertisement says "This is not your father's Oldsmobile," the advertiser is desperately concerned that this Oldsmobile, like all other Oldsmobiles, appeals primarily to old farts like your father.
    • If Coke and Pepsi spend billions of dollars to convince you that there are significant differences between these two products, both companies realize that Pepsi and Coke are virtually identical.
    • If the advertisement strongly suggests that Nike shoes enable athletes to perform amazing feats, Nike wants you to disregard the fact that shoe brand is unrelated to athletic ability.
    • If Budweiser runs an elaborate advertising campaign stressing the critical importance of a beer's "born-on" date, Budweiser knows this factor has virtually nothing to do with how good a beer tastes.

  19. If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will not use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.
  20. You should not confuse your career with your life.
  21. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.
  22. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
  23. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.
  24. Your friends love you anyway.
  25. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

HE FORGOT, NEVER TRY TO WASH A CAT.  NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE IDEA SEEMS AT THE TIME.

 

Saturday

Widdershins (withershins) (adverb)

Pronunciation: ['wid-êr-shinz]

Definition: Moving in a direction opposite the usual; moving counterclockwise or in the contrary direction (of the sun, especially).

Usage: Today's word is basically an adverb but may be used as an adjective without the final [s]. As a predicate adjective, however, the [s] is usually left on. D. H. Lawrence wrote in 'Plumed Serpent' (1926) "She made up her mind, to be alone, and to cut herself off from all the mechanical widdershin contacts. He, too, was widdershins, unwinding the sensations of disintegration and anti-life."

Suggested Usage: Today's word is another wonderword from the land of kilts and bagpipes that we should all fight to keep alive: "Gerard does everything widdershins; he will either turn out a grandiose success or an abrupt failure." Niches for this word abound in everyday conversations: "Remember, the prophets agree that you get nowhere walking widdershins up the escalator."

Etymology: Middle Low German weddersinnes based on wider "back," whence German wider "against" and wieder "again." The English adverb wither "wrong, perverse" is rarely used any more. The "shins" is from earlier "sinnes" and is related to Latin sentire "sense, feel" since both go back to an original root *sent- "go in or choose a direction." We borrowed "sense" from the noun of this verb. The same root also turns up in English send "to cause someone to go in a direction."

–Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com

 

These are the people who are zigging when everyone else is zagging.  I know a lot of them.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Monday

Garrulous  (adjective)

Pronunciation: ['gæ-rê-lês]

Definition: Given to vast, enormous, overwhelming amounts of annoying chatter; going on forever and saying nothing and, I guess you could say that if it's annoying and about nothing, then it's pretty trivial, too, what, did I forget to say? Well, annoying and trivial talking, way off point, like, know what I mean?

Usage: This word has many near synonyms: talkative (tending to talk a lot), loquacious ("talkative" with a Latin stem), prolix (wordy in speaking or writing), voluble (characterized by rapid speech), glib (speaking or writing with ease, perhaps superficially), verbose (wordy, implying dullness).

Suggested Usage: Did you ever hear a rambling speech that wandered way off course? "The speech was so garrulous it went over everyone's head." The noun is "garrulity." "His garrulity leads him to frequently misspeak himself."

Etymology: From Latin garrulus (garr-ire "to chatter"). Probably from PIE *gar- whence also Sanskrit gir "speech," Greek gêrus "voice," Germanic girren "to coo," and English call.

–Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com

Sound like anyone we know.  There is a lady at work who goes on and on and on.......Says a lot but says nothing.   And gets on my nerves.....SENSORY OVERLOAD.

 

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Another computer mystery

I have come upon another computer mystery.   There is one link to AOL on my desktop and one down on the tool bar.   I clicked on the one on the toolbar and what popped up was an archaic edition, on this edition I could not access my journal.   The printed journal appeared but not the edition where I could add comments and post.

Then I click on the desktop icon and this edition appeared.   What is going on???   Sometimes I feel that I need a degree in computer science to navigate this miasma of the web.

What I really find irksome is how on VISTA it will click on links when the mouse just travels over the link.   I have gone into the bowels of my computer and control panel to find a solution but I have not found it.  

Also I hate when I am typing and somehow (???????) the cursor will jump and deposit itself in the middle of a word and then type there.  I hate you VISTA.  The colors are nice but it is aggravating to say the least. 

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

http://www.raogk.org/

 

Sometimes this is so freaking mysterious

Day aftr Christmas

Today was a day of going to the movies.   Emily and I saw JUNO.   Most of the good films are the indy films.     I really liked this, it was about a 16 year old who was pregnant and rather than abortion she interviewed to find a family to adopt the child.  I would recommend  the film.

I found a site of Random Acts of Geneological Kindness

Free Genealogy Research -- Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

  I found a listing of a guy in Ireland who email me some information of the side of my familuy,, Dowd and Naughtons.    This will take a long time.   The next step is requesting microfilms from the LDS website and perusal of the baptisms at the church level.   This will be long and involved but at least I have some idea of the birthdate; if it is exact and can be believed.

Now, I have just tried clicking on this but it won't go???   WTF

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas

"At Christmas play and make good cheer,
For Christmas comes but once a year."
Thomas Tusser

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Sunday morning

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates."
Thomas Szasz

I guess I haven't found myself because I have been there all the time........What an eureka moment.........

We got the tree decorated yesterday. He and I have been decorating trees for a number of years.   His grandfather always said that he would give the Christmas Tree decorations to the grandchild who was the first to get married.   One Christmas, while we were decorating the tree, we told our daughter that story.   She asked  "Is that why you got married?"    "Of course!!!!" we both said at the exact time for two opposite sides of the room.  The timing was exact and we couldn't have planned it more perfectly....   We used the ornaments for a long time but now they are packed.   A lot of them were made in Germany and are fragile glass.    

I also have a antique Nativity Set that was my grandmothers.  It is made of paper mache and made in Oberamergau Germany?  I have perused antique stores for a long time but never have found any like it.   It is missing the donkey, camels, sheep and a cow, and shepherds.   Maybe I should try ebay..... 

Saturday, December 22, 2007

colors

I really can't find a color I like.   I would like to have the option to "blend" my own colors rather than select a few options that are given.

Well, the yellow will have to do for now.   I wanted a pale blue or pink and that was not one of the options.

 

Aboulia

Word of the DayAbulia (noun)

Pronunciation:  [ê-'bu-li-yê]

Definition: A loss of volition or the ability to make decisions.

Usage: The adjective is "abulic," also used to refer to a person suffering from this dysfunction.

Suggested Usage: Medically speaking, abulia usually results from damage to the right (occasionally the left) parietal lobe of the brain. However, some smokers seem abulic when it comes to kicking the habit. Chocolate triggers abulia in weaklings like me. In fact, many foods are suspected of triggering this frailty; ice cream is at the top of the list. Sports leave many men abulic; shopping, many women. Currently, no antidote is available.

Etymology: From Greek aboulia "indecision" comprising a- "without" + boule "will." "Boule" comes from PIE *gwel-/gwol-/gwl "throw, pierce." It turns up in Greek as ballein "to throw" and ballizein "to dance" whence "ball" (the dance), "ballad," and "ballet." The same original root ended up in "quell" from Old English cwellan "to kill, destroy," not to mention "kill," itself.

–Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com

 

I feel this way about chocolate myself.

Saturday

What is Veranda?   I observed the HTML option and wonder just how many people can read that and exactly what purpose does it serve to the average person writing in this journal.

I AM FEELING IN SOMEWHAT OF A CHRISTMASSY MOOD.   Playing with these fonts, but, although it says Veranda on the tab it switched when I chose this red color.   Where has  it gone?

Another point to ponder is what am I hitting on this computer that highlights sentences and then poofs them away.  At least with this some red line does not appear under your words and let you know you have spelled wrong.  It is like having a 8th grade English teacher looking over your shoulder.   Rather annoying to me.  I would rather type the information, then hit spell check and proceed from there.

I think I am finished shopping.   I took my large crock pot to my sisters.  Her assignment is 10 pounds of potatoes and the pot will keep them warm till we eat them.

With all these fonts there is just to much of a choice and this is so small a person would need a magnifying glass to read it.

 

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Thursday

"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquillity."
James Thurber

I don't necessarily think humor is emotional chaos, but sometime when I am in chaos I think  "someday this will be funny....."  maybe 20 years from now.....

The schedule has been light.....A hospital is the only place not busy during the holidays. It slows around Thankksgiving and then a major slowdown  nearing the week of Christmas and continues till New Years.    Then.................everyone who needs surgery will all come in January and we will be working like slaves.

I am off tomorrow and want to get some last minute things done; like get wrapping paper and get things wrapped.  I guess I can procrastinte till Saturdy or Sunday on that one. 

Monday, December 17, 2007

Monday

"IÂ’ve never been poor, only broke. Being poor is a frame of mind. Being broke is only a temporary situation."
Mike Todd

 

I grew up poor, but I never knew I was.    But I think most people were too at the time.  We had everything we needed but not what we wanted.  
It was funny one day when my chums and I were talking we all grew up the same.  I knew when I was a kid or adolescent I knew I never wanted to be poor.   I have achieved my goal.   I went to school and  got an education and I know have everything of what I need and most of what I want.

 But I don't have that damn Mercedes

 

 

Sunday, December 16, 2007

This is a snow storm of another year.  The weather men/women have had it all doom and gloom with the forecast of the past few days.  Right now we are in a pocket of warm weather.   Looks really weird on the map.   Now I wonder if that will stay there or will it change ????

weather.com - Large Maps

I should have been a meteorologist......it is the only job that you can be wrong  <50% of the time and still ahve your job.....  Health care providers can not be wrong at all.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Saturday

"Future shock [is] the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time."
Alvin Toffler

This is what happened yesterday when the chief of our department told  us that everything will now be done on the computer.  This includes all aspects of documentation of goals of employment, selection of  benefits and things like vacations.  All of our compliance articles and tests too.

Most of them looked dazed and confused.   This is going to cause a major disruption in their lives.  My only concern is that we don't have enough computers to get this all done.   I told me coworker   "They don't have a clue what to do."   She said, laughing.  "I am not going to help them LOL"

I told my boss that we need more computers to get done what is now expected....He had to agree.  We also need the time to get it done too.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Friday

Friday, and the work week is done.   The It is 4:15 and it is dark and gloomy outside.  The husband and the daughter are at work and it is very quiet.  I like the sounds of silence.   There is a snow storm scheduled to begin tomorrow.  They are calling for snow, rain, freezing rain and then snow again.   The best thing I can say is no one of us has anywhere to be on Sunday morning.  I would rather have all snow than that freezing rain.

The two 16 hour shift were not too bad.  I mostly sat and waited for the time to pass.  Could have been worse and worked my fingers to the bone.   It is either a feast or famine.   There is no middle of the road. 

Wanted to do a little more shopping, I guess I will have to get up early; before all the idiots are out and about.

 

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Still sittilng

Still sitting here......The hospital I work for has a filtration system on it so a person can not access certain sites.  But,    I want to know:

WHY DON'T THEY BLOCK THE DAMN SPORTS SITES......

I guess there is no answer to that imponderable thought.....I have spent the past hour or so perusing the other journals........This institution, in its wisom somehow, managed to filter and block all the pictures in the journal.   I can not even see my own photos..

GO FIGURE THAT ONE.

 

 

Sitting

I am sitting at work waiting for 11pm to come about.   Someone had a bright idea that one of us were to sit here just in case.  We also have a second call person at our beck and call.   I would be willing to bet that 90% of the time we are not busy.   Only two hours to go.

Nothing new here.   I am off tomorrow.  In the morning it is suppose to start freezing rain.   I HATE  freezing rain.   Why doesn't it just snow.    Then Saturday afternoon a snow storm is scheduled to begin.  I would like to talk to the scheduler of that event, and tell them that we do not need this.

 

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Tuesday

Yesterday I was at work for 16 hours.   It was something new started at the end of October or beginning of November.   A grand idea that we should have people there just in case.  Most of the time we have just been sitting, collecting the pay.  I spent from  8 to 11 watching television.  I am doing another 16 hours tomorrow. 

This morning was a meeting of the geneaology group and then we went to lunch.  There was just seven of us, but we had a good time.  One of the woman had attended Johnstown Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Concert in which my daughter is a member.  Turns out the woman grew up in Johnstown and every year she meets with her friend and they have dinner and attend the concert.  It really is a small world.   She liked the concert.

"Nothing in man is more serious than his sense of humor; it is the sign that he wants all the truth."
Mark Van Doren

"We are all pretending ... The important thing is to maintain a straight face."
Maurice Valency
-----

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Book Journal

I have been asked my two of my friends about the possibility of starting another journal.  This one will be dedicated to books we have read and love.  

I have gotten past the planning stages and into the actuality.   I have to figure out how to get the link here so others can read it.   When I click on the other one this one disappears.   Just a small matter, I think.

Last night we went to Johnstown to the annual Christmas concert.  It was good, the music was all popular tunes and not too hard to play, or so my daughter says.  That drive is a killer.  The temperature hovered about 34-35 degrees and I was worried that the rain would turn to freezing rain, but it held at  34.  I was glad about that.  But all the PENDOT salt huts were lit up.  Guess they were worried too.

Tomorrow I am working 16 hours.  What was I thinking.   I hope it is OK,  some of my co-workers asked why I was doing that, I just wanted to try it out  I said. It can't be any worse that taking the call and I get to sleep in my own bed.

http://journals.aol.com/blossomcat/books-we-love/         Here it is I knew it was a simple operation 

 

 

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Thursday

Great Quotes from Great Leaders Movie     Click to listen, on the sentance to the left.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

This photo was taken at the Cleveland  West Side Market.

I tried to do this yesterday and all I was doing, somehow I can't figure it out, was highlighting and erasing my entry.  After the third time I was so irked at myself I just quit.   Yesterday I started my Christmas shopping.   I got a few things.  

Next I went to the library.   I like to go into Oakland and go to the Carnegie main branch; they have such a good selection of new books. I just could not deal with the tied up traffic.

  PENDOT has the roads in the area  so screwed.   Everytime you try to go somewhere they are under construction.   The turn interstate roads into cattle chutes by starting miles ahead with the blockage of whatever lane is in their planning this weekend.  What I find most aggrivating is the fact that there will be miles of unused. blocked off roads and there is nothing going on.   I think they like to do this just for the feeling of power.   If they were obviously work it would be another story.  Most of the time I don't even see a whole crew leaning on their shovels looking about.   Well, it is raining and I  know there are not working, but I bet they have those orange pylons sitting somewhere.