Starfish and Coffee

Yep, i am still alive

2008-10-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

School conferences yesterday...i love conferences. Probably because i know i won't hear any bad news. The groovykids are both doing fantastic in school and are an absolute joy to have in class.... "your groovyson is the highlight of my day! he is so well mannered!" Of course, this doesn't necessarily transfer over to home. But, for the most part, the kiddos are bueno. My groovykids have most of their classes together, all except PE and their elective. It's like having a built in spy keeping tabs on the other...for a while longer at least. Now, one would think having two kids with the same groovy last name in your class might tip one off that they were related. I mean, it's not a super common last name. Their math teacher had no idea. "you mean they are related??" Yup. not only that, Mr. Brilliant math teacher, they are twins.

post or else

2008-08-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

i was told to post or i'd lose front page privileges on a certain blog.... i don't yet have a story ready, and can't currently post pics due to a technically difficulty. So, in lieu of that, I'd just like to point out that for a brief moment in time, groovelily was ahead of bowlingjoe at the bowling alley. Yup.

More later...

20th Thing...an actual work related post

2008-07-17T12:34:00.001-07:00

When we first heard the news that the entire Sno-Isle staff would be participating in the 20 for 2.0, I can remember thinking it would be kind of cool to learn about some it, but mostly thought it would be something that would never be a part of my every day life. Some of the assignments were just that. I'm not really into myspace, didn't like the tools, and tagging just confused me. I did find some definite keepers though.

I love blogging. I look forward to seeing what people have posted and reading the comments. I have learned a lot... and got a peek at a different side of my co-workers, and beyond that, their spouses and their friends. Some of them are so incredible witty and well rounded. They make me want to grow and expand my world. I read everyone's blog and catch up on the comments. I hope to continue mine, but I am not too sure where exactly what direction I would take it. I do see the possibility of posting too much information. I think it is easy for people to forget how small the world sometimes is... this person knows that person, that person knows them, they know you... and before you know it, your uncle in Texas is telling your grandma something you'd never tell her.

Some of my other favorites have been meebo (though i still prefer skype), finetune (I use it every day) and the avatar (meez is the best one). I would definitely participate again... would i have a choice? :)

I have an inkling of a thought that some employees got a little more involved than intended and I am sure there are some higher ups that will be glad it is all ended. I hope though that they can see the positive that came out of the training. The best part of this isn't learning the 20 things. The best part was the team spirit and camaraderie. This experience has done more towards that then any other training I have taken. Everyone doing the same thing at once, getting to do it in the style and manner that suits them. Not the usual, "okay look to the person to your left and tell them why you are here today".

I don't think it was the goal, but it's a good thing.

The Next American Idol??

2008-07-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

In a touching display of tenderness, bowlingjoe revealed his softer side as he serenaded bowlingwidow (all together now, "aahhhh"). After wrestling the microphone away from someone near and dear to all (kidding!), he started with Elvis Costello's "Alison" and Garfunkel's "I only have eyes for you". He closed out the set with a rocking version of "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton. Look for his CD to be coming out soon.

(Dear bowlingjoe... bowlingwidow signed the release form that allowed me to post your picture. She assured that she had the authority to do so.)

Gaming

2008-07-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

I didn't spend too much time on the gaming assignment because it would get a little addictive. It would be cool if scrabble was free, but of course it isn't. I played one of the 5 minute marble games, but felt guilty playing it at work, even though it's for work...

Google Earth

2008-07-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

Google Earth is a lot of fun. My groovykids have used it a lot to check out where their friends moved to (one to japan, and one to new yorker, and oddly both are back in washington now). I looked at Hawaii, and I thought it would be weird if you randomly looked at google earth and saw yourself in bathing suit standing on the beach. Could you imagine?

I also went to Dugway Proving Grounds. When I was in first grade my family moved to Dugway. As a kid i thought it was a fantastic place to live. We lived in the last row of houses before the desert. It was literally, our backyard and then the desert. It was amazing to go for walks out there and find all sorts of cool things. We searched for geodes, amethyst, and topaz. The base had a place where you could cut and polish your stones. Once, on the way home from school, my friends and I caught a tarantula in a jar. My mom was delighted when we showed her! She even found a scorpion in our garage when unpacking boxes. At night, wild mustangs would run through the streets... in the morning there would be hoof prints in the yard. It was very cool. Of course, later I find out that is a testing ground for nerve gas and such... but I don't think i have suffered any side effects. My mom would plant tomatoes but everything had to be pollinated by hand, there were no bees there. (Hmmmm).

Kathy Griffin?

2008-07-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

anybody like her? I want to go. Requirements: you can't be a stalker

Kathy Griffin
Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
Sat, Nov 22, 2008 07:00 PM

Trip Pics

2008-07-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Bliss and Happiness

2008-07-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ahh... sweet sunshine. How I love it so. I have returned from the land of Sauerkraut and bratwurst! Not that I ate either... We had lots of laid back fun, silly laughs and formed fond memories to look back on when life is not so peachy. The groovykids splashed in the pool, practiced diving and explored the hotel. I laid in a lounge chair and soaked the sun rays and read a cheesy British romance that leaves me with the urge to say things like "cheeky" and "buggers".It was over 100 every day!

Our time was spent at the Enzian Inn in Leavenworth. We've gone as a family most every year for as long as the kids can remember. It's tradition that they take for granted, and I hated the thought of letting them down, so off I went with my groovyparents and the kids.

We always start the day with the free breakfast served upstairs. The Omelet Lady will make you an omelet of your liking, or you can have the pre-made items of the day. This rotates between biscuits and gravy, french toast and ham, and my favorite day, sausage and cheesy potatoes. Cheesy potatoes are my absolute favorite, and the kids can't wait for it to show up on the menu, just because they know I love them. Twice each morning, the owner of the hotel, Bob Johnson, blows a huge alphorn. It is easily over 10ft long. Mr. Johnson dresses in the tradition garb and is this older man that you could only describe as "spry". We have his routine all memorized, but that's all part of the fun.

In the past we have floated down the river on inner tubes, but this year we went much earlier in the summer and the river is too high and fast for inner tubing. We did manage to get in a round of putt putt golf at the 18 hole all grass putting course across the street. We went early, before it got too hot. It was brilliant fun, we were the first ones on the course. My groovyson won this year! Funny how much kids love to beat grown-ups!

Most of the days were spent in, or next to, the pool. Swimming, reading and talking. We ate too much food, browsed the shops and ate ice cream often. We had a wicked hail storm the first night, and thunder a couple of the other nights. My groovyson, who is developing a wacky sense of humor would crack me up often... He loves to re-tale his escapades. He loved going off to "explore" the hotel and would take pictures with his cell phone and then come back to give us a blow by blow of every twist, turn and encounter... he talked to the Omelet Lady in the elevator, happened upon Mr. Johnson in the basement practicing his songs, and took pictures of us from the "secret" deck upstairs. Groovydaughter did some diving, beat me in the backstroke the first time (she cheated), and finished four books. She laughed and giggled, which was good to see.

I kind of missed work... well, not the work part. Back to reality.

Cast your vote

2008-06-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

Check out my poll... I simply can't decide which one to go to. Class reunion or Jack Johnson. I love Jack Johnson and have never been to the Gorge. I was super excited about the concert, but circumstances have changed...I have two tickets and only one me, and it's a long drive. I know i could find somebody to go with if I decided to go. And... I love stuff like class reunions. I had been looking forward to going and was very disappointed when, out of the whole summer they picked that day! And, of course, the whole life changes would apply in this situation also... I don't know if it would be enough to deter me... but still. My closest high school friend isn't going, but I have a couple of other friends who think they are. What's a groovelily to do?

Karaoke Time!

2008-06-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

Everybody sing along, you know how it goes...

"Hotel California"

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
'Relax,' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'

Google Tools

2008-06-25T14:51:00.001-07:00

I checked out the google tools, and i wasn't too impressed. I happened to have something I needed to put into a spreadsheet, and it was just a pain after being used to Excel. I suppose if you didn't have anything else, or didn't know better, it would do in a pinch.

tidbit of info

2008-06-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, i am on hold with the Everett Clinic right now (groovy daughter has an ear ache) and the recording just told me... don't clean cuts with hydrogen peroxide. "while it cleans cuts, it also kills white blood cells, making healing time take longer".

Your welcome.

Lame avatar's

2008-06-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, jazzergigi shared her meez avatar with me... I thought it was great fun, and it was the Barbie i never had (shed a tear for me... my mom wouldn't buy Barbie dolls). The cool back rounds, lots of outfits to try on. And she is tres chic. Like moi. (JK)

I don't currently live in SL, and I though I am sure it is fun and all, I find enough useless (sorry all you secondlifer's i just offended) stuff to fill up the day. I really shouldn't add one more. My meez, well she lives a carefree life, no job, lots of cute clothes, yet not laundry. She travels the world, but doesn't have to sit on the airplane (or worse, in the airport!) for hours. I am sure she must sleep in. And no doubt, eats what she wants (mashed potatoes with gravy! Grilled cheese! Cheesecake!) and never exercises... unless it's for fun.

My meez is on the sidebar. Check her out. If you haven't done the assignment yet, go with meez!

It worked!!!

2008-06-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who did a sundance (or even half of a sundance)! I had such faith in you, I went ahead and just dressed like it was farmin' summer out. And, what ya know... this large bright glowing object appeared and warmed the air in such a way that I could remove my jacket even! Whatever you did, you must do it again. And again. And again. And again.

The groovykids even got to break in the new very dangerous water toy that is sure to break a bone!

It was bliss. And happiness.

Many thanks~
Groovelily

Me and my groovy kids chillin' in Arizona

2008-06-19T20:38:00.001-07:00

Are you ready for summer???

2008-06-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Sigh. So, tomorrow is the first day of summer... can't you tell? I may have mentioned it a couple of times, but Groovelily is a summery kind of gal. I love me some sunshine. I want to sit on my deck, margarita in one hand, celeb gossip mag in the other. Doesn't that sound grand?

The groovy kids and I went to Target and bought one of the most dangerous looking summer time toy we could. It was some fantastic looking skim board thing-a-ma-jig. You take a running start, throw your wooden skim board down in the 26 foot long pool of death and jump on... all the while hoping you remain in a standing position! Think of the fun I will have being the adult supervision!

Parades, fairs, ice cream cones, deck parties, lounge chairs, margaritas, heck even mowing the lawn... they all are much more enjoyable in the sun.

So, could you all do a sundance for me?

Search Engines or, Groovelily Rants

2008-06-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

So I found this weeks assignment to be interesting. I am an admitted google addict. I reckon I will remain so. The other search engines just aren't google. Google is like a comfy sweater. It's always there for you. Anyway, I checked out the other search engines, nothing to impressive. I did learn of ways to improve my google searching, which was most useful.

Then I checked out dogpile's searchspy feature. It was one of the most depressing displays of what our world is today. This feature let's you see what people are typing into the search bar. You can choose filtered (family safe) or unfiltered (enter at your own risk). Being a big girl, I decided to check out the unfiltered. It was beyond sad to see what people search. Probably every seventh search was something relating to pornography, underage girls, and illegal acts. I am a fairly liberal person. I get that people have sex, and might like to look up things about sex on their home computer. But, searching for pornographic pictures of underage children and teens is, I think, wrong. This is something that I believe the computer has brought to us. This kind of behavior, though always accessible if one looked hard enough, is now available in an instant. My personal thoughts are that this is an addiction. People that would have otherwise never have had a way to feed this addiction, now can feed this addiction every day. Sexual exploitation of young girls is an issue that won't go away. I think there has been a shift in our culture that is finding it more and more acceptable for young girls to market themselves as sexual beings, and it makes me sad. They don't know what they are doing, and they won't for quite awhile.

What do you think? Is it just freedom of speech? Lack of morals? Personal expression?

Podcasts

2008-06-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

I found some interesting podcasts that were not library related, but not too many interesting ones were library related... I could see story time being podcast. Or do we already do that? I know I have seen them recording a podcast. Certain superheroes have particpated in a podcast before. I suppose patrons would like every subject under the sun... something for everyone. Just like the book shelves.

2008-05-29T11:54:00.001-07:00

onlinle image generators...

2008-05-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

First, I apologize for the bad grammar on the post it note. It's too much of a pain to go back and fix it.

Second, although it would be totally cool if it was easy and free, most of the online image generators seemed to be not free and not easy. Maybe it just takes a little more time investment to figure it all out. But they kind of acted like I would just know how to do all the steps. Or even understand the steps. Um, no. And then I saw the glitterizer. I always wondered how people got those cool glitter words on their myspace or whatever. Cool, i think. Then I pick a style i like and type in my words. Then they tell me, for on $1.50 I can download this image!!! What a trick. I might poke around somemore and see if I can find something besides post-it notes and monopoly cards.

2008-05-29T10:49:00.001-07:00

overdrive downloads

2008-05-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Overdrive is pretty cool. I had already installed the Media Console... well, okay, captain ill installed it for me. I tried a jillion times and just couldn't get it to cooperate. Even Captain Ill had a hard time figuring out what the hold up was. I have listened to a couple of books so far, and must say, I like it. Mmmm.... you have to remember to push pause when someone walks up or you leave your desk, but other than that, it is great. I couldn't find some of the exact titles i was hoping for, but I found some great substitutes. I have listened to only non-fiction so far. I am hoping to try out a fiction book soon.

What did I dislike most... too hard to install. Selection? Pretty good. Don't have any favorite author's, so can't comment on that. Any surprises? After the difficulty of the initial installation, I was pleased to see that it was easy to download titles to the media console.

I think i will use it a lot.

mmm.... delicious

2008-05-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

At first (and maybe still), I was very confused about the whole of point of del.icio.us. But, I re-read the Sno-Isle 20 for 2.0 assignment, and it started making a little more sense. It seems it would be most useful when you are using a shared computer in which you can't save your favorites. This would be great for branch employees.

Here wiki wiki...

2008-05-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

So after many failed attempts, youtube finally decided to share the wiki video with me. My general wiki thoughts are, well, it's just a lot to keep up with. And, if I had some group project that I was arranging, I think it would maybe add to the confusion if anyone could make changes... there wouldn't be a flow of conversation or discussion... It would seem that one person could make a universal decision that maybe there was no consensus on.

I gave Wetpaint a whirl... of course the fun part is picking colors and elements to add to the wiki... but when trying to come up with some reasonable reason I might need a wiki, well, I couldn't really think of a good one. So, I came up with a slightly lame one, just to try it out. I kind of think a blog or e-mail would be easier. When i watched the youtube video, I could see the point about 100 e-mails flying in every direction and how that gets confusing. That's why I thought at first it might be kind of cool.... but then a wise soul told me blogs are just easier than this whole wiki deal. He was right.

I have a hard time wrapping my brain around the whole wiki thing... so how could a library use it? I don't see too much advantage over a webpage, since we would only allow certain people add content to the wiki, it seems like it would defeat the purpose? Especially if we move toward the goal of the wysiwyg (what you see is what you get).

What? Youtube isn't the only one?

2008-04-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

I guess I didn't know that the world contained other streaming video choices. I am familiar with youtube.com and actually subscribe to a fair number of regular posters. I am sure you are wondering, "Huh, i wonder what kind of video's groovelily would check out on a regular basis?" Here's my two of my fav posters: Lethalleslie...

And, Megaman80 (Josh)...

I teach step aerobics, and get great ideas by watching the videos. Before they started posting on youtube, I would read written descriptions on a step aerobic webstite (turnstep.com). Although I got ideas and new moves from the written word, it was often hard to understand. The streaming video had made it amazingly easy to find great new ideas for my step class. And, I don't have to pay! I looked for some library related videos, and there seems to be just about everything under the sun. However, for whatever reason, every single video I tried to view seemed to have trouble. That was annoying, and one of the problems with these types of sites. You may not be able to depend on them in a group setting to deliver important information.

I had never heard of Hulu. It seems pretty cool, and now that I know about it, I might use it to check out some SNL skits. I don't stay up that late anymore, and it was cool to see what I've been missing. I was less impressed with Fancast. Didn't seem to have as much to offer unless you were after a full episode of a show, and though I didn't watch one, I know when I have tried to catch up on a Lost episode on the ABC website, the amount and length of advertising was annoying. (And by the way, if you aren't watching Lost, you should be. All the cool kids do.) I fail to see how either of these two sites would be helpful to libraries. Maybe we wouldn't have to buy all those entertainment DVD's? Fancast did have The Love Boat...

Oh, in case you were wondering, the answer is no, Groovelily does not post her step class on youtube. But if you search in youtube, you will find the band that she borrowed her name from. The electric violin player, Valerie Vigoda, is a cousin a million times removed or so.

my kids aren't always tiny

2008-04-24T10:04:00.001-07:00

leavenworth kids 2006, originally uploaded by groovelily.

So here is a larger picture of the groovy kids. However, they are younger in this picture than in the tiny lazy river picture below. They had their first track meet yesterday. No ribbons won, but i did see lots of boy/girl socializing going on down on the field. Sigh. Do they have to grow up??

Myspace

2008-04-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

I created a myspace page. I don't think it is something i would get into much. Alot of upkeep, and not to user friendly. My sister's both have a facebook page, so maybe that is better? I tried adding music, but couldn't easily figure it out... I don't like that anyone can use anyone's name... I think celebrity pages might be kind of cool to look at... I think a million "friends" that you don't know is kind of, well, odd. And, 75% of the girls seem to be using sex as a selling point (i am not sure what they are selling). Maybe i am just getting old. I can see why they are popular with kids...who doesn't want to gossip to friends, pass notes back and forth and flirt with each other?

flickr numero dos

2008-04-17T14:56:00.001-07:00

lazy river, originally uploaded by groovelily.

this is what a lazy river looks like. notice two groovy kids floating in the inner tubes.

flickr

2008-04-17T14:54:00.001-07:00

flickr, originally uploaded by groovelily.

I checked out the Flickr site. Cool. Will this get me organized? I am one of those people who have a digital camera with three years worth of photos on it. I don't print them out, and I don't move them onto my pc. They just hang out there on the camera. If someone wants to see photos of a recent adventure, they have to view my tiny slideshow. I will have to give this flickr deal a chance.

So, I was over at the Captain's blog and found this incredible photo to download. I added it to the Flickr account I created. First of many photos I am sure. Well, very sure, because I added a second photo taken with my phone.

Not too sure how Flickr could be used in my job title... but Jim is fantastic at taking candid photos at all of our weeding events. And, we could post photos of all our red weeding boxes. Or the Captain's latest prank. So, sure maybe it is useful for a library.

Grooving to finetunes...

2008-04-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

I must say, I have exceptional taste in music. Exceptionally good! I liked every song I picked. I have used Pandora before, and I would have to agree with some of the other comments I have seen... I got tired of thumbs up and down, they often didn't pick songs that were a good match, and it got to be a bit repetitive. On the plus side, I was introduced to some new artists when using Pandora. I think Finetune is something I will continue to use. I must admit, I suck at remembering who sings what, or what they sing. This does make it difficult to come up with a playlist. But I still thought it was groovy.

Check out my Finetune player...it's nearly as cool as me. ;) (where are those emoticons!!)The Starfish and Coffee song is in there somewhere, keep listening til you hear it.

Control ur bloggin'

2008-04-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

Mmm...just a quick comment on the FAQ. Ironic.

RSS Feed

2008-04-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

So, I am catching up after being on vacation... I have used an RSS feed previously, but only because we have a resident geek who McLoves (smile- hey is there an emoticon buttong on this thing?) us to try such things out. I liked the blogline format. It was super easy. Almost too easy. I picked about 100 too many feeds. I ended up going back and deleting a gillion. (I know, the math doesn't add up). But, I learned that Ashley Simpson is officially engaged, and that the new Lost episode will have a scene in a church where everyone is wearing black (hmmm...). And those were just two of the things I learned! Oh, how could i forget, McLovin on comedy central (I think...) telling us to vote. It was funny, but maybe offensive so go search it out yourself. I'll leave button pushing to Captain ILL.

Wild adventures of Groovelily...

2008-04-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

So Groovelily went off to Arizona with her groovy kids, badger and troll. A groovy time was had by all. It was sunny and low 80's most of the time. Groovelily participated in one of her fav activities... baking in the sun. I know, I know, sun baking is not good for you. My doctor tells me often. I do feel guilty, and I know one day I'll wish I didn't broil in the Arizona sun, but man it feels good! The sun baking was further enhanced by the flags on the back of the lounge chairs. If one was in the mood for a Margarita (and who isn't?), you just flip up the flag and a nice cabana boy comes by to take your order! Those poolside margarita's didn't come cheap though. $8.50 a piece!

The hotel had a waterslide for the kids, and grown-ups alike. Groovelily went down the slide, keeping the hair dry. Troll went down the slide and managed to do a 360 at the end, and continue with another 360 underwater! My kids were mucho impressed, and wanted to know the technique used. Troll wasn't pleased. She was drenched! There was also a lazy river... which means it is a slow moving FAKE river that is a loop. This confused Captain ILL. He is so smart, he knew right off the bat that rivers do not go in a loop. I set him straight, this being a chlorinated river and all, they bend the rules. The lazy river was fun.

The kids eeked out of their comfort zone, Brooklyn entered the waterslide contest, and they both entered the putting contest. Derek went silently kicking and screaming to the putting contest, arms crossed. Low and behold he won first place! He was excited and claimed his Strawberry Smoothy with a smile.

We had fried Rattlesnake our last night. Even my picky eater tried some. The ol' "taste like chicken" thing was true. Tough chicken. You can't really go wrong with deep fried anything.

It was brilliant fun to be toasty warm, lay by the pool, ready gossip magazines and drink margaritas. Highly recommend it.

Do you think we can get those flags for the backs of our chairs here at work?

Childhood Memories

2008-03-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, we rarely took family vacations. If we did, it revolved around a family event. Someone getting married or graduating. I loved those trips. But they had a purpose, and it wasn't just "let's go to Disneyland!" or they kinds of trips my friends families would go on. Instead, I got to take my summer vacation trips with my grandparents. Sounds maybe not so good. Ah, but they were fun.

The good thing about taking a trip with grandparents, is they can be gone for nearly forever. Lots of time to travel across the country when you are retired. My younger sister and I would take the train over to Wenatchee. We would be loaded down with luggage that weighed more than us, filled with all the things teenage girls needed to survive. Hair products, makeup, different outfits for each day and weather possibility. By the time the back of the Chevy Citation was filled with four suitcases, a cooler and snacks, well we were lucky we got out of the driveway. Close quarters, we would have that line drawn down the middle of the seat, sometimes mental and sometimes an actual blockade.

My grandpa has always been an early riser. Like a 3 a.m. kind of early. With the goal of being on the road by 5 a.m. So, being girls that take a bit of time to get ready in the morning, we'd be up before the sun, blow dryers, curling irons and makeup littering the hotel bathroom. Rushing to be ready before breakfast. Did I mention that my grandma is the opposite of an early riser? She is barely moving before 10 a.m. So, we'd make it too breakfast, usually at Denny's. Then we'd load up and hit the road. My grandpa would start out driving. He'd drive for about two hours, then kick us out of the backseat, so he could lay down and take a nap. Early rising wears a guy out I guess.

A lot of the trips involved old west history. We would often drive for miles down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere to reach some historical site where someone "famous" was shoot or stood, or had lunch. We'd get there to find a small plaque. This didn't much impress my sister and I, but my grandpa would stand there and talk about how he could just see it all happening around him and how wonderful it was to be in the very spot.

We went a lot of terrific places. We went to Acadia National Park and had tea and scones at the Jordan Pond House. I have been to Mount Rushmore. I have seen where Betsy Ross sewed the flag. I have seen the monument for Little Bighorn. We went to Deadwood City before it became a huge tourist attraction and stayed at one of the oldest hotels in town. Other trips involved seeing the Meteor Crater in Arizona, the Vietnam Memorial, Museum of Natural History, and we even made it to Disneyland with them.

In between all this sightseeing, we would listen to the one tape owned by my grandparents. Marty Robbins. I learned to love how every song he sang seemed to have the same melody. My favorite is El Paso. It fit with our travels, a gunfighter ballad about an outlaw who dies trying to get back to his one true love, Felina.

But most appreciated now, is the time we spent with our grandparents. Talking and listening. Learning and sharing.

Our assignment, should we choose to accept it... IM

2008-03-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I happen to love IM. I use it often. I am most familiar with Skype. My sister often travels to Africa, and when there, that is how we talk with her. Skype also lets you have live phone conversations if you have a mic and speaker on your computer. This is all free, which is handy when you want to talk to some one in Africa! I think IM is much better than email, and sometimes better than the phone. You can several people in on the conversation at once, and they can answer when convenient. They can walk away and get back to you and you're not left hanging on the phone line. It is great for people who like to multi-task. I think I would probably stick with skype, since that is what I am used to and most of my family uses it. The linked article made a good point, that sometimes it is nice having no email trail of the conversation. In skype, you can choose to save chat history or not. It looks like gmail has the same ability.

In case you wanted to know...

2008-03-17T13:27:00.001-07:00

Starfish and Coffee

It was 7:45, we were all in line 2 greet the teacher Miss Kathleen
First was Kevin, then came Lucy, third in line was me
All of us were ordinary compared 2 Cynthia Rose
She always stood at the back of the line, a smile beneath her nose
Favorite number was 20, every single day
If U asked her what she had 4 breakfast, this is what she'd say
Come on....

Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine, and a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, baby, maybe U'd understand
Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam

Cynthia wore the prettiest dress with different colored socks
Sometimes we wondered if the mates were in her lunch box
Me and Lucy opened it when Cynthia wasn't around
Lucy cried, I almost died, you know what we found....

Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine, and a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, baby, maybe U'd understand
Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam

Cynthia had a happy face just like the one she drawed
On every wall in every school
But it's alright, it's for a worthy cause

Go 'head Cynthia keep singing.....

Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine, and a side order of ham
If U set your mind free, baby, maybe U'd understand
Starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam

Just what I needed

2008-03-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to the Web 2.0 team for adding an addictive past time to my line up. I really enjoy reading my co-workers blogs. Much more than I like posting to my own. It's interesting seeing the creativity and individuality. Ryan from circ has a hilarious youtube video. Joe from ILL is sharing the best of Interlibrary loan. And What's the License Plate? has the link for the Librarian song that I lurv.

I wish I had a better understanding on how to edit the page elements. I want to add more elements, but maybe there is a limit? I can't seem to find the answer to that one on the help page. But I haven't searched to hard. If you find the answer before me, do tell.

How'd they get that way?

2008-03-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have 13 year old twins. A boy and a girl. (uh, no they aren't identical... I get that a lot. When I feel sarcastic, I point out how they have one very important difference between them, but then those folks usually persist... but are they identical??) Born 13 minutes apart, they are as different as two kids could be. I raised them the same, they had the same parents, the same toys, offered the same food, played with the same friends.

From day one, my son was picky, harder to soothe. When he was little he would grind his teeth and had night terrors. When he played, it mostly involved lining things up. Sorting by color or type. His room is filled with lists he has created. His room is a mess. Which seems odd for someone who appears to like order and logic. He is very smart and creative, but the pressure to get it right is nearly overwhelming for him.

His sister... easy going. From day one. Soothed herself. Loves food. All of it. Marks days on her calendar that she will clean her room. And, she does it! Does all her homework. Loves to read, and devours most books. Reading is her favorite thing to do. (She wants to be a librarian). She aims to please.

How much influence do we really have?

Fear of publication

2008-03-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

A blog is nothing I would create and maintain in my own life. It carries with it a fear. What if I misspell a word? What if my grammar sucks? What if no one but my kids read my blog? It's like high school all over... will I be the last one standing on the red line, and the other team is like... "Yeah, I guess we'll take her." Ah, the fear of humiliation. I much prefer to blend in, stick with the crowd, let the other guy take the lead. There's nothing wrong with being a follower, right? Someone has to follow. Without followers, there couldn't be any leaders.