A Few Thoughts Before Now I Lay Me...

I'm getting a little tired of the nighttime snowfall theme here a the Room, but I'm too pooped tonight to do anyhthing about it. I'll spruce up a bit over the weekend. Hopefully I'll feel a bit more rested then, even thought we have to have my husband's car to the mechanic by 9:00 am. Heavy groan. All I want to do is stay home and rest. Oh well. Might have to make him take me out for breakfast.

I've been very tired lately. Maybe it's a winter thing, although I kind of like winter. Or maybe it's work. Whatever it is, it's keeping me from doing much in the way of posting. I come up with ideas throughout the day, but I can't seem to remember them at night, and I don't seem to be able to develop them. I have to do a lot of composing and typing at work these days. It's pretty intense stuff, so that might help to explain things. Maybe I should start to keep a notebook with me to jot down ideas as they occur to me, sort of like a dream journal. Dream journal, hmmm, that reminds me...

Goodnight, sleep tight, and pleasant dreams to you!

Room With a View

Updated the background on my header and on the body of my blog to reflect my mood today. Ironically, it has begun to snow for real here at the Room.

It's colder here today than it has been for most of the winter. Great day to be a polar bear.

Pax's Homemade Meme

Pax Romano created a meme and tagged everyone who stops by his blog, so here goes:

1: Black and White or Color; how do you prefer your movies?
I like 'em all, but I always return to the classic B&W's.
2: What is the one single subject that bores you to near-death?
Sports statistics and replays.
3: MP3’s, CD’s, Tapes or Records: what is your favorite medium for prerecorded music?
CD's; I never thought it would happen, but I've finally reached an age where I don't care to mess much with new technology, so no iPod for me. Yet.
4: You are handed one first class trip plane ticket to anywhere in the world and ten million dollars cash. All of this is yours provided that you leave and not tell anyone where you are going … ever. This includes family, friends, everyone. Would you take the money and ticket and run?
Not without my husband and my dogs.
5: Seriously, what do you consider the world’s most pressing issue now?
Religious and political fundamentalism.
6: How would you rectify the world’s most pressing issue?
Eliminate weapons of every kind. OK, you didn't say it had to be possible.
7: You are given the chance to go back and change one thing in your life; what would that be?
College major/career choice.
8: You are given the chance to go back and change one event in world history, what would that be?
The Holocaust.
9: A night at the opera, or a night at the Grand Ole’ Opry – Which do you choose?
A night at the opera. I love classical music. Country is OK, but I need small doses.
10: What is the one great unsolved crime of all time you’d like to solve?
Who stiffed us on the bill at lunch yesterday?
11: One famous author can come to dinner with you. Who would that be, and what would you serve for the meal?
If dead authors may be chosen: Jane Austen, and I'd serve a smorgasbord of tasty modern food. For a living author, I'd choose Geraldine Brooks, and we'd eat out, at the restaurant of her choice. I wouldn't want to be distracted by serving food and clearing dishes.
12: You discover that John Lennon was right, that there is no hell below us, and above us there is only sky: what’s the first immoral thing you might do to celebrate this fact?
Is morality only a function of religious belief?

Old Fellow

Here's the snowman my husband created yesterday. He's a bit wizened after his day in the sunshine. He might have been born yesterday, but he's an old fellow now.

Delivery

Went to bed late last night to heavy rain and wind. Overnight, mother nature gave birth to a winter wonderland.

Hounds in the snow (not the real thing: too cold and windy to keep them out there just to take pics):

It's 10:00 am. We're still getting steady snow and a bit of wind. My husband searched for the snowman kit (all the fixins but the snow) for about 1/2 hour. It took me about a minute to find it. It was right where I told him it would be...

Expecting

Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun

Oops, not writing the lyrics to the Sopranos theme song here, let's start over.

I woke up this morning to a pregnant sky, heavy with impending precipitation, waiting for its water to break. Will it be snow or rain? Could go either way here, down the shore. The predictions for our area have been all over the place, and include rain, sleet and snow.

The consensus seems to be that we will get significant accumulation, but they've been wrong before. They being the forecasters of doom. In March of 2001, John Bolaris (then of Philly channel 10/WCAU) predicted the Storm of the Century for the Philly and South Jersey area. And he did it in a big, dramatic way. Schools were closed, as was the anonymous government office, in anticipation of the event. And we got nada. A whole lot of nothing. It was a lovely, serendipitous day off.

Not much chance of a day off from this storm, falling as it does on a three day weekend. Most of my coworkers appeared to accept the threat of a blizzard with equanimity. Seems we all secretly welcome a reason to stay home and rest for a change.

We made the short trip to the grocery store last night. It was not crowded (we went on the late side). While we did pick up water and PopTarts (standard fare around here when the electric service goes out), we really went to get a Valentine to mail to Mom, since the chances are pretty good that we won't get out to see her before Tuesday. The card is on its way as we speak, along with a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Why do I always hear Forrest Gump whenever I say those words?

Unfortunately, Mr. Merci took the chocolates to the post office to mail them, and he mailed the card separately. Maybe mom will think she has a secret admirer when she gets that anonymous box of chocolates (there goes that Forrest Gump line again). Maybe that's not a bad thing. She has a good sense of humor.

I've looked everywhere for those wonderful Hershey's Cordial Kisses, but they are nowhere to be found. I had one at work last week. My hubby loves cherry cordials, and I had hoped to pick some up for him. I found some cherry KitKats, but they are just too sweet. We're not exchanging gifts this year; no real need to do that. I just thought the cordial kisses, along with a card, would be a nice touch.

But I digress: back to the topic of the (alleged) Nor'easter. We don't often lose our electric service, but it's best to prepare for the possibility. We have a well - no city water (or sewer) available here. The pump can't run without electricity, so we can't get water when the power is out. I will fill the tub before the worst of the wind hits. This will enable us to continue to flush the toilet if we cannot get water from the well.

So here I am, waiting for the heavens to deliver a big bundle of joy. We're all safely at home (2 humans and 2 canines), we are well stocked with comfort food, and the nutritious kind, as well. We'll light the pilot light on the gas fireplace, which will ensure that we have heat if the power goes out (the heater needs an electric spark to start), and, oh yeah, gotta go fill the tub with water...

5 Excuses for Not Blogging

1. Fatigue and a disrupted sleep cycle
2. Headaches
3. Medical appointments (mostly routine)
4. The Stephen King book (my first) I borrowed from Pax
5. The dogs ate my post

I set out to come up with 10 reasons, but I'm just too lazy. The weekend (3 days off, hooray) should bring better things.

OC

Since I don't have much to say today, here are a few pics to keep the blahg from becoming too blah.

This is the beach in Ocean City this afternoon. The surf was really rough, almost Nor'easter rough. There will be some erosion today. The wind was not unusually strong. One of the worst Nor'easters I remember happened on a perfectly beautiful, sunny day. I headed into Ocean City late in the afternoon for a field visit. I was puzzled by flooding on Ocean Heights Avenue in Somers Point. When I crossed the 9th Street Bridge into Ocean City, I had to turn back because of the flooding on the island. All on a beautiful day. I believe that was the Perfect Storm of Halloween 1991.

This is the Boardwalk looking north from 11th Street this afternoon. You can't tell from the photo, but there were quite a few shoppers on the boards today, and some of the mainstay shops were open (Atlantic Books, Mack and Manco Pizza, The Fudge Kitchen and others).

Here's another beach shot, taken a bit later in the day. Still quite rough out there.

The Fishing Pier
This pier is privately owned by a fishing club and is off-limits to mere mortals.

The Music Pier.
Most of the entertainment on the Boardwalk takes place here. I remember attending services here when I was a teen. My youth group came to OC for a convention every year.

And here it is, the place I refer to as, "The Scene of the Crime." This is the Flanders Hotel, where my hubby and I said, "I Do," oh, so many years ago! She was a grand old dame, and beautiful inside. She's been through a lot - closed, reopened, partially converted to condos, and much more. Perhaps I'll tell my bit of that tale another day...

February is for Lovers*

Yes folks, it's here, the most romantic holiday in the calendar year. I'm two weeks early you say? Not at all -- today is (drumroll)

GROUNDHOG DAY!

Now, you might well ask What could possibly be so romantic about Groundhog Day? I submit the following as evidence:

• My parents were married on Groundhog Day (February 2nd).
• My husband and I became engaged on Groundhog Day.
• A good friend (I'll leave it up to that person to choose whether or not to identify him or herself) also celebrates their anniversary on Groundhog Day.

Tomorrow morning, while Punxsutawney Phil is being yanked mercilessly out of his cozy burrow to satisfy the folkloric superstitions of a bunch of fool humans, several of that sorry bunch (fool humans) will be gearing up for a day of romantic remembrance. Perhaps we were inspired by the humble, cuddly (poetic license exercised here) groundhog. Or maybe we just couldn't wait 12 more sunrises for the day of hearts and roses to arrive. Personally, I think it's just because the whole month of February is for lovers, and we should kick it off as early as possible. OK,OK -- full disclosure on my true personal story here; our first opportunity for a romantic dinner out after the purchase of the ring happened to fall on Groundhog Day.

Just for the record, February 2nd is also the holiday of Candlemas, something I know because of enigmatic references to the day in British literature and romance novels. According to the Answers.com article I've referenced, Groundhog Day has it's origins in Candlemas:

"In the British Isles, good weather at Candlemas is taken to indicate severe winter weather later. It is also the date that bears emerge from winter hibernation to inspect the weather as well as wolves, who if they choose to return to their lairs on this day is interpreted as meaning severe weather will continue for another forty days at least. In the United States and Canada, Candlemas evolved into Groundhog Day celebrated on the same date.The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College:

February 4, 1841 - from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary..."Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate." [1]

So Happy Groundhog Day, Happy Candlemas, and Happy Anniversary to all!

*Just a footnote: I'm posting this late in the day on 2/1 because I won't have a chance to publish again until late on 2/2.

WHO

Just a few random Who questions to post tonight:

1. WHO took my remote control??? I have looked everywhere for it, it is nowhere to be found.

2. WHO is unlikely to be spending any political capital during the State of the Union speech tonight?

3. WHO had the shortest auto repair in history this evening? OK, that's a faux question, it was I! The driver's side windshield wiper was out of order. Turned out they just had to tighten a screw. Wonder if it would have been that simple if the car was not still under warranty...

4. WHO stayed home from work today with a nasty borderline migraine headache/wooziness/etc.? OK, I know the answer to that one, too. 'Twas I, alas. Thank goodness for my generic brand headache formula pain reliever, and lots of sleep in a dark, quiet room!

5. WHO's the king of animals in Africa? OK, really off track now. It's my beloved Kimba, of course!

6. WHO had better find that remote control right now, before the State of the Union speech begins? Gotta be ready to change the channel quickly if the blood boils. Yes, I know we didn't always have remote controls, that we used to get up off our butts and change the channel by hand. But that was a lot easier to do when tv's had dials (so many of you probably don't remember tv's with dials) than it is with an up and down button that changes one channel at a time, in sequence.

OK, now CNN is talking about dedicated survivors, the government officials who will not attend the shindig tonight just-in-case-of-disaster. They will be taken to a secure, remote location, and will ensure that the government can continue to operate if a disaster wipes out congress, the Pres, and the VP in one fell swoop. This just might be the most interesting discussion of the evening.

Kudos to CNN, by the way, for bringing fresh blood to their news team from the UK and Australia, and having field reporters from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Maybe one day they'll be as good at hard news as the BBC.

What a Zoo

We took a quick trip to the zoo on Saturday. Not the Philly zoo, we weren't up for that much travel this weekend. We headed out for Cape May in the afternoon. On the way to Cape May, we had a change of heart and stopped off at the zoo in Cape May Court House instead. For those of you who don't know Cape May County very well, Cape May Court House really is the name of the town. And yes, the county courthouse is right there in the center of town.

Anyway, it was a bit on the late side when we walked into the zoo. We had just under an hour for our visit. That's OK, since we're local and we can go back any time. Admission is free.

I had my digicam with me, so I took some pics. The light wasn't the best, since the sun was starting to set. Most of my shots seemed to be backlit, which is fatal to quality. If I had known we were going to the zoo, I might have taken my 35 mm with me. The digicam has that tiny bit of shutter lag that makes getting good pics of animals a challenge. Not a problem for things that don't move (the beach in Cape May, Victorian mansions), but not great with living creatures who refuse to pose.

So here they are, a few of the creatures great and small at the Cape May County Zoo:

The Snowy Owl


Prairie Dogs


Blooming Things


The Tiger


Some Kind of Hog/Boar/Pig


A Camel


Oh, Deer


Ginger


Ginger with Ruffled Feathers


Fred

A Tiny Goat, I Think!

We didn't make it over to the African Savannah to see my favorites, the giraffes. Maybe next time!

What Exit Are You From?

As evidence that good things (or at least interesting things) come from the sea, including the Great State of New Jersey, the fossil of a large crocodile found in the Garden State is now on display at Drexel University. The 15 foot creature was native to New Jersey 65 million years ago, when the climate was much warmer and the land mass was under water as far west as the New Jersey Turnpike.

And no, I don't know WHICH EXIT leads to the croc's home, but it's somewhere in Gloucester County. That's right, It Came From Gloucester County.

The fossil is from the late Cretaceous period. Apparently, there was once an even larger species, one reaching up to 45 feet in length. It ate dinosaurs for a living.

I read about this over at Philly.com. The take-away bit of trivia in the article comes from the creature's name: Thoracosaurus neocesariensis. Quoting the article:

"The species name, neocesariensis, means New Jersey. ("Jersey" is derived from "Caesar.")

Dinosaurs and Roman emperors. Just two more things to love about New Jersey.

NuHome

Here are a few tidbits from the Bride's NuHome Book. This book of recipes, household tips, advertising and coupons (every last one of which was removed from the book) was sent to my Great Grandmother in 1923, at the time of her third marriage. Just a note: don't try these at home!

"Upon going into the dining room the host should offer his arm to the oldest guest or greatest stranger UNLESS there is a Bride present, in which case she naturally takes precedence. The lady whom he escorts should be seated at his right."

"Wipe the range with brown paper after cooking; in that way it will be kept bright with little trouble."

"Small rugs will not curl at the corners if a corset steel is basted under each end."

"Do not leave anything uncovered on tables or shelves. If left in the warm kitchen it quickly spoils or sours. If you cannot have an ice-box in the summer, perhaps you can keep food cold in the well if you live in the country. Place it in a clean, tightly covered pail and lower it into the well with a stout rope. In cool weather a box fastened outside one of the kitchen windows makes a good place to keep food in. Paint it outside and in, with the opening towards the window and a curtain of oilcloth. Holes bored in the bottom let the cold air in."

"If set-tubs are in the kitchen they need to be higher for a tall woman than for a short one, and if you own your own home you should try to have them so."

"Pure chloroform will remove paint, grease and other stains from colored fabrics without injuring the color. Place clean blotting paper under the spot and pour on a few drops of cloroform. Be sure to do the work in the open air."

"Soot--Use kerosene oil."

"Grease and oils--Use French chalk."

"Pitch, tar and Wheel-grease--Rub with fat, then use soap and water, or benzine and gasoline."

"Iron--Use lemon juice and salt, salts of lemon, or oxalic acid, hydrochloric acid. After using the last two acids, rinse in water and ammonia or borax."

SUGGESTIONS

FOR PROMOTING THE BEAUTY OF FORM, FEATURE

AND COMPLEXION

"BATHING--The body must always be kept absolutely clean. A sponge bath, may be taken daily. Bathing, however, is frequently overdone, especially with people of leisure. Persons should adapt themselves to their own constitutions in this matter and govern themselves accordingly."

"There is no special virtue in cold baths; often they are positively injurious. A tepid bath is better."

"A good hair brush, frequently and vigorously applied, is the greatest promoter of a beautiful head of hair. All tonics, oils, and lotions are worthless in comparison. Any one can tell at a glance whether the hair lustre is from brushing or hair oil. Necessity for the latter very seldom occurs; it holds dust, is sticky and nasty."

"WELL KEPT TEETH so much improve any face it is strange they are so often neglected...For dentifrice use nothing except what is strictly hygienic and scientifically blended and prepared."

"ART CANNOT IMPROVE THE EYE--That organ must be endured as nature gave it...The constant friction of lids and sockets in the lubricant nature provides, always contaminated with constantly increasing irritants from house and outdoor dust, makes it imperative to give the eyes frequent baths (not washing the lid edges), but not cold water plunges. The face must be immersed to the eyes in cold water, the eyes must be opened and shut many time while immersed, lids drawn by the lashes away from the balls and all accreations and foreign matter thoroly drenched out."

Heart's Ease

I found a pair of pansy blossoms peeking out of a planter box on my deck this morning, coaxed from their winter's rest by the unseasonably warm weather we've had lately. It's quite chilly today, so they may regret having shown their colors so soon; they look a bit worse for the wear.

I wish I had seen them yesterday, when surely they would have been fresh-faced in the balmy (for January) 60 degree temperatures. I was too busy cleaning to take notice of them.

Heart's Ease. Surely a sign that things are looking up!

Kicking and Screaming

Dinner out with friends tonight means I have to clean the house today, since we're coming back here afterwards. And boy, does it need it! And boy, do I want to escape! It's a testament to our friendship that I'm not taking off to the boardwalk right now instead of cleaning. Or heading out to our favorite little nature preserve for a walk. Today is Saturday, it's January, it's a sunny day, and it's going to be about 60 degrees outside. Who wants to stay in?

Guess I'd better get started on the housework. Maybe I'll finish with time to spare for a quick outing later in the day.

Where would you rather be right now?

Untitled

Some random descriptions of my life right now:

My new responsibilities at work are both consuming and confusing. I've been left pretty much on my own to figure everything out, which is both a blessing and a curse.

*******************************************************************

Mom's having some pretty serious problems with her eyes. One eye is much worse than the other. She had some laser surgery last week as a very important first step. Unfortunately, it didn't do the trick. Her doctor recommended an off-label use of a medication, and she's trying it. Again, this is just the first step. Once this problem is addressed, there will be further treatments and surgery. It's tough for her, but she's bearing up with grace.

Without going into too much detail, this is a problem that has been evolving for some time. Mom's ophthalmologist wanted to do a procedure a few years back, but she couldn't bring herself to go through with it. She is courageous and she doesn't give up easily, but the literature they gave her to read about the procedure scared her. I would have been scared by it, too. I'm tough, and I read a lot of medical reports, etc., in my line of work. This literature really was scary.

*******************************************************************

My husband is going through hell at work right now. His boss is verbally abusive to her employees. People have taken demotions and retired early just to get away from her. She laughs openly about this, and takes great pride in it. She has made twisted, sarcastic comments in the office about workers who have died. She yells at people and berates them. She gives vague, confusing, and inaccurate directions to employees, then calls them incompetent when they carry out her instructions.

I am so sad for my husband. He's a good man and an excellent employee. He doesn't deserve this mistreatment. No one should have to work in this kind of an environment.

*******************************************************************

Went to a big meeting last week about major changes in the works at The Office. The story line goes something like this: budget crunch...overburdened staff...can't afford more boots on the ground (line staff)... have to reorganize completely to make things work. Is this starting to look like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic to you? Read on.

The new and improved system looks a whole lot like the system that was in place when I was hired, oh so long ago. About ten years ago, they overhauled the system to create the current one, and the reasons looked something like this: budget crunch...overburdened staff...can't afford more boots on the ground... have to reorganize completely to make things work.

And now, for the coup de grace: they will be hiring more management staff to make it all work. That's right, they can't afford more line staff, the people who actually deliver services, but they can hire more managers 6 PAY RANGES UP from line staff! As usual, line staff, if asked, could have suggested a few simple changes that had a good shot at making the current system work without all of this upheaval. And with far less cost. But, surprise, surprise, they never asked us.
_____________________

So that's it in a nutshell: Merci's life circa January 2006. Bit of a rough patch right now, but we'll get through it. Dinner with friends this weekend should provide some distraction.

And Colin Firth is on The Tonight Show right now, so life is looking up!

Pear, er....PAIR of Kids

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin are reported to be expecting again. This will be their second child.

Since their first child, a daughter, is named Apple, it's impossible to avoid speculation that the second, regardless of sex, will be named Pear.

I'm sure they're fine pearents.

Er, pairents.

OK, OK, PARENTS!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Virginia Gal over at Gypsy Thoughts to tell you five weird things about myself. This will not be difficult for me ;-).

• I dropped typing in high school to take music theory. Now I type every day, at home and at work, but I never write or analyze music.
• I like a sandwich the day after Christmas made from a slice of leftover ham, some cheddar cheese, and a pineapple ring (leftover from the ham) on a raisin bagel (warmed up a little to soften the cheese).
• I never learned my multiplication tables, at least not all of them. When I must figure something out, I just do some rapid adding from the last known multiple. It really doesn't hold me back that much. I ruled out math and science majors early on in my education, though I promise I passed all of my classes...
• I studied French (yes, the language of social work) in high school and college. I even won an award in high school for best foreign language student (kinda makes up for the poor showing with the multiplication tables). Thing is, I can't remember very much of what I learned.
• When I'm under a lot of stress, I can zone out in front of solitaire games (especially mahjongg solitaire) and word games for hours. Literally for hours, with barely a break.
• I didn't drink coffee until about 5 or 6 years ago. Couldn't stand it. Now I drink it pretty much every day (just ask Pax).

And see, my math skills are still shaky. I listed 6 things instead of 5!

Sinking to New Levels

I really didn't think it was possible for our president to sink any further into the muck, but he did so today, in my opinion. I saw a clip from a question and answer session following a speech he gave today. A child (I'm sorry but this sounded scripted and rehearsed to me) asked Mr. Bush how people can help in the war on terror. The president replied that in the lead up the 2006 elections, people should remember the effect of rhetoric on those who serve in harm's way, and its effect in emboldening or weakening the enemy. W. The King of Rhetoric. It's OK for him (his rhetoric obviously weakens the enemy), everyone else should shut up, we're hurting the troops and helping the enemy. Once again, our president has tried to stop us from expressing any disagreement with his creation, this war in Iraq. And he has used a child to do so. That's low.

Mr. Bush (and even more so Mr. Cheney) tries to dismiss dissent by labeling each area of discussion as if he were promoting a boxing match. Come see the big event: "Us vs. Them"... "Republican vs Democrat"... "Liberal vs. Conservative"... "Christian vs. Heathen." By limiting the conversation with an, "You're either for us or against us," attitude, he keeps tempers high. He makes his base see red so they cannot see reason. The needs of our country cannot be met in this toxic environment of hatred.

Mr. Bush's monolithic reasoning becomes even more frightening when viewed in light of his voracious appetite for increasing executive power (also here). Have we ever had a president less deserving of expanded executive authority, a man less capable of governing? Not in my lifetime.

I am a Democrat, and I am moderate to liberal on most issues. I do not consider my way to be the only way, and I'm not writing about crushing the opposition in the next election. I just want to see intelligence, planning and cooperation in our governing bodies. A United States that does not value and encourage well-considered dissent is no longer the great nation where I grew up; the Fourth of July becomes a holiday for sad memories of past glory, Memorial Day bemoans lives lost for a forgotten ideal. Our past has had its share of shameful incidents and missteps, but we've always returned to our roots and found our way again. I am apprehensive that we may have strayed so far from the path this time that we've forgotten the way back.

We must demand these things of each of our politicians, no matter what their party affiliation: listen to differing opinions and enter into real discussion with a measured intelligence; use reason and good judgment in making decisions instead of party dogma; no more Rovian manipulation and innuendo; and no more using social issues to create an emotional wave of unbalanced voting.

It's time for Americans to develop a job interview questionnaire and demand answers of the men and women who want us to hire them. Not questions about positions on abortion or intelligent design, but questions about working through conflict and handling opposition. And its time to give fresh consideration to term limits. The corporation is unhealthy, and it's time for some massive changes in personnel.

Feeling Punchy

Big Bro took Mom to a very important appointment at a Philly hospital yesterday. Called Mom last night to check in. She told me that the appointment and testing took 2 hours (not including travel). The young man who started the testing introduced himself as Will. So Mom said to him, "Oh, is this your hospital?"

She was, of course, at Wills Eye Hospital.

OK, it's a groaner of a pun, but Mom is 81. Hope I can still pun like that at her age!