Yes, Wilma has come and gone, but we are fine. Our fence took another hit (I think vines on a chain link fence are pretty, but it sure makes it easy for the winds to knock it around). It was VERY rainy and windy, but we didn't even lose power, though my cell phone seems a little dicey at the moment.
Pray for those who have yet to go through this thing. But rest assured, we are OK.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
WIL-MA!!
Just when you thought it was safe to scrap your hurricane plan...
Looks like we're gonna get a visit from a hurricane after all this year. Wilma looks like a nasty one too. I'm going to go out today to fill up the van, get some supplies, and I'm checking the freezer to see what will be for dinner the next couple of days. (One vow I made last year is that I would NOT be caught with a bunch of food in the freezer to spoil after a hurricane).
We were supposed to have hurricane shutters up by now, but they kept putting us off. Too late now, let's hope we won't miss them this weekend.
Keep us and everyone in the path of this beast in your prayers.
Looks like we're gonna get a visit from a hurricane after all this year. Wilma looks like a nasty one too. I'm going to go out today to fill up the van, get some supplies, and I'm checking the freezer to see what will be for dinner the next couple of days. (One vow I made last year is that I would NOT be caught with a bunch of food in the freezer to spoil after a hurricane).
We were supposed to have hurricane shutters up by now, but they kept putting us off. Too late now, let's hope we won't miss them this weekend.
Keep us and everyone in the path of this beast in your prayers.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
It's been a while...
Yeah, still here, still alive, just keep forgetting about this blog.
Right now I'm working on another series of short stories; these are non-Trek in nature. I'm with a group of fellow writers who have challenged each other to write and send to magazines five short stories this month. I have one out, am working on #2, and have ideas for the other three. It's just a matter of sitting down and writing them.
It doesn't help that I have gotten readdicted to World of Warcraft. For those who don't know, WOW is an onlne multi-player game that can suck you right up if you are not careful. It's a way to spend time with my yougnest though.
But I really want to make writing my career and if I'm going to do that, I have to buckle down and do it.
I will be working on getting my act together. keeping this blog up, and other things.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Right now I'm working on another series of short stories; these are non-Trek in nature. I'm with a group of fellow writers who have challenged each other to write and send to magazines five short stories this month. I have one out, am working on #2, and have ideas for the other three. It's just a matter of sitting down and writing them.
It doesn't help that I have gotten readdicted to World of Warcraft. For those who don't know, WOW is an onlne multi-player game that can suck you right up if you are not careful. It's a way to spend time with my yougnest though.
But I really want to make writing my career and if I'm going to do that, I have to buckle down and do it.
I will be working on getting my act together. keeping this blog up, and other things.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Friday, September 30, 2005
Whew!
Finished 4 Star Trek stories I am submtting for an anthology (Strange New Worlds) and got them to New York before the deadline.
That makes 10 Star Trek stories and 5 non-Trek stories that are lookng for homes.
So far all I've gotten for any of this is rejection letters, ranging from generic to helpful. Taking the weekend off and plan to finish up another short story I was working on and get it out in the mail by the end of the week.
Tonight Don and I are drivng to Orlando to see Sean Hannity and others in a "Battle of the Mouths." Looking forward to it.
That makes 10 Star Trek stories and 5 non-Trek stories that are lookng for homes.
So far all I've gotten for any of this is rejection letters, ranging from generic to helpful. Taking the weekend off and plan to finish up another short story I was working on and get it out in the mail by the end of the week.
Tonight Don and I are drivng to Orlando to see Sean Hannity and others in a "Battle of the Mouths." Looking forward to it.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
Do you watch Battlestar Galactica?
I watch this show, currently running on the Sci Fi channel. It's a recreation of the 70's show tby the same title. Since the second season, I've also been writing reviews of the episodes.
If you want a look at them, check out my friend Dale's online sci-fi mag, located at http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cylon12/MP.html, and click on "Commentaries."
If you want to check out Battlestar Galactica, the episodes run on the Sci Fi channel on Fridays at 10 PM.
If you want a look at them, check out my friend Dale's online sci-fi mag, located at http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cylon12/MP.html, and click on "Commentaries."
If you want to check out Battlestar Galactica, the episodes run on the Sci Fi channel on Fridays at 10 PM.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Ok, this is NOT my day for plumbing
OK, so the septic guy comes and pumps out our septic tank. He says everything should run fine.
So I start to run once again the load of sheets and towels I had in the washer, and throw together dinner.
Suddenly James says, "Mom, the sink is filling up!"
Sure enough, the kitchen sink was filling up with water, and as I ran to the sink I looked into the laundry room and saw fresh water on the floor.
We turned off the washer. Further research determined the water in the laundry room was bubbling up from the drainage pipe behind the washing machine.
While Don and James go to church I am sitting at home, waiting for the plumber to call me back.
Sigh.
So I start to run once again the load of sheets and towels I had in the washer, and throw together dinner.
Suddenly James says, "Mom, the sink is filling up!"
Sure enough, the kitchen sink was filling up with water, and as I ran to the sink I looked into the laundry room and saw fresh water on the floor.
We turned off the washer. Further research determined the water in the laundry room was bubbling up from the drainage pipe behind the washing machine.
While Don and James go to church I am sitting at home, waiting for the plumber to call me back.
Sigh.
*Scream*
Ok, as I type this, there is water on the floors of my kitchen (a little), laundry room, and pantry (was a lot more but some of it has dried) and the water to the house is turned off.
The 3 plumbers I called could not fit me in today. A friend who is a realtor sent her handyman over to take a look.
When he found out we hadn't cleaned out our septic tank in the 10 years we've been here, he explained that was a BAD idea.
I only had to call 2 septic people to get one of them to promise to try to get here today.
Waiting to hear back from them.
Why does this kind of stuff happen on days I plan to get massive amounts of work done? :-)
The 3 plumbers I called could not fit me in today. A friend who is a realtor sent her handyman over to take a look.
When he found out we hadn't cleaned out our septic tank in the 10 years we've been here, he explained that was a BAD idea.
I only had to call 2 septic people to get one of them to promise to try to get here today.
Waiting to hear back from them.
Why does this kind of stuff happen on days I plan to get massive amounts of work done? :-)
Monday, September 05, 2005
For those who were forced to abandon their pets in Louisiana
A friend of mine asked me to post this to get the word out. Feel free to share it with others.
Forward this? Post it on your blogs? The idea is to get as much information out as possible.
There's hope for stranded pets in the New Orleans area. The Louisiana SPCA, New Orleans' animal control agency, has begun rescuing pets from owners houses.
Louisiana SPCA director Laura Maloney said shelter workers follow other agencies and crews through neighborhoods and rescue pets, some that are locked in houses. At the owners' request, "we break in," she said.
Owners have to call or email the operation and give their name and address and information about where the pet is confined.
The hotline number is: 1-225-578-6111. E-mail should be sent to Katrinaanimalrescue@yahoo.com.
The hotline already is in effect, Maloney said. "It's busy an awful lot. We are trying to get a bank of telephones"
Forward this? Post it on your blogs? The idea is to get as much information out as possible.
There's hope for stranded pets in the New Orleans area. The Louisiana SPCA, New Orleans' animal control agency, has begun rescuing pets from owners houses.
Louisiana SPCA director Laura Maloney said shelter workers follow other agencies and crews through neighborhoods and rescue pets, some that are locked in houses. At the owners' request, "we break in," she said.
Owners have to call or email the operation and give their name and address and information about where the pet is confined.
The hotline number is: 1-225-578-6111. E-mail should be sent to Katrinaanimalrescue@yahoo.com.
The hotline already is in effect, Maloney said. "It's busy an awful lot. We are trying to get a bank of telephones"
AHHH! Who is blocking my writng?
The lonely land of writer's block...here I am, wandering around here, looking for my muse. I am trying to find my way out
Doesn't help that I have a deadline for some of these stories. Grrrrr.
Anyone see my muse wandering around, please send her my way...
Doesn't help that I have a deadline for some of these stories. Grrrrr.
Anyone see my muse wandering around, please send her my way...
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
OK, I get the Stupid Award today...
Last week the company that does our pest control called and asked if they could come today. I said, "Sure."
Yesterday James told me he had a two hour early release today. I thought, "No problem." I forgot the pest control people would be coming 1/2 hour after I was supposed to pick up James.
In an unusual move on my part, I left my cell phone off. Normally I have it on, but it wasn't charged and I didn't take the time to plug it into the car charger.
To top it all off, I nearly missed picking James up and when I went running out the door I didn't check to see if the front door was locked.
Well, the pest control person came to the door, found it unlocked, figured I had done so on purpose (some people who work outside the home do so) and came in and started to spray.
Then the alarm went off.
Because my phone was off, I couldn't be reached. The cops showed up to find the pest control person scared out of her wits in her truck. They got hold of Don who came to the house and cleared everything up. He is NOT happy with me.
So I am going to go sit in a corner for a while...
Yesterday James told me he had a two hour early release today. I thought, "No problem." I forgot the pest control people would be coming 1/2 hour after I was supposed to pick up James.
In an unusual move on my part, I left my cell phone off. Normally I have it on, but it wasn't charged and I didn't take the time to plug it into the car charger.
To top it all off, I nearly missed picking James up and when I went running out the door I didn't check to see if the front door was locked.
Well, the pest control person came to the door, found it unlocked, figured I had done so on purpose (some people who work outside the home do so) and came in and started to spray.
Then the alarm went off.
Because my phone was off, I couldn't be reached. The cops showed up to find the pest control person scared out of her wits in her truck. They got hold of Don who came to the house and cleared everything up. He is NOT happy with me.
So I am going to go sit in a corner for a while...
Monday, August 22, 2005
A bridge crossed...
Don and I just returned from delivering our oldest son, John, to college. He is attending Freed Hardeman University in Tennesee, a 15 hour drive from home.
I cried less than you might expect me to, but maybe it hasn't fully hit me yet.
Anyway, I'll post more later. I have a ton of email and other stuff to plow through first...
I cried less than you might expect me to, but maybe it hasn't fully hit me yet.
Anyway, I'll post more later. I have a ton of email and other stuff to plow through first...
Monday, August 08, 2005
Arrgh, me hearties!
Ok, years ago, when Windows 3.1 was the standard (yeah, THAT long ago) I became enchanted with a game called Pirates! You might remember it - it took the history of pirates and wove a game that was enchanting, challenging, and just plain fun. I spent many hours on that game, until my operating system outgrew it.
Earlier this year I discovered that the game had been updated. I saw it several times in the store, but the $50 price tag helped me to resist the lure of the 7 seas.
Well, today I gave in. My fate was sealed when I found one copy of it in Electronics Boutique for $29.95. Yes, I bought it. And I just spent 4-5 hours pirating on the 7 seas and enjoying every minute of it.
It will take major doses of discipline to get any work done this week...
Earlier this year I discovered that the game had been updated. I saw it several times in the store, but the $50 price tag helped me to resist the lure of the 7 seas.
Well, today I gave in. My fate was sealed when I found one copy of it in Electronics Boutique for $29.95. Yes, I bought it. And I just spent 4-5 hours pirating on the 7 seas and enjoying every minute of it.
It will take major doses of discipline to get any work done this week...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Wow
I am trying to figure out how to take this past week and boil it down to the couple of paragraphs I only have time to write before I go to bed.
I can't.
There is so much to tell. About the medical mission trip. About the people I met. The things I saw. I am still absorbing it all.
I'm back tired, a little bruised, bug-bitten, and very humbled.
We are so rich in this country. I met with people who don't have electricity where they live. Who don't have indoor plumbing. People who manage to make do without air conditioning, dishwashers, expresso, television, Internet access, and a number of other things we tend to take for granted here in the United States.
Yet these people are not unhappy people. The children are not bored. They smile and laugh. They were good to us who came to provide medical care and spiritual teaching.
Yes, we went to give. But we took back as much as we gave.
I was blessed by the opportunity to go there.
More later...
I can't.
There is so much to tell. About the medical mission trip. About the people I met. The things I saw. I am still absorbing it all.
I'm back tired, a little bruised, bug-bitten, and very humbled.
We are so rich in this country. I met with people who don't have electricity where they live. Who don't have indoor plumbing. People who manage to make do without air conditioning, dishwashers, expresso, television, Internet access, and a number of other things we tend to take for granted here in the United States.
Yet these people are not unhappy people. The children are not bored. They smile and laugh. They were good to us who came to provide medical care and spiritual teaching.
Yes, we went to give. But we took back as much as we gave.
I was blessed by the opportunity to go there.
More later...
Friday, July 22, 2005
Off on a mission trip
I've been in a pre-trip crazed fog this week, as Don, the boys and I get ready to leave the country for a week on a medical mission trip to Guyana.
This is not a just going on vacation trip. We are bringing medical stuff (Don and other doctors will be seeing patients all next week) and other things, including stuff for us to pack for snacks. It's not like you can run to Walmart there if you forget something.
I am excited and nervous. It's a great opportunity to share the Gospel with others, and to provide help. But it's my first time doing something like this. I hope I serve God well down there and am the light He wants me to be.
I don't know if I will be able to update the blog from there - we are supposed to have Internet access, but who knows? If not you'll hear from me when I get back. :-)
This is not a just going on vacation trip. We are bringing medical stuff (Don and other doctors will be seeing patients all next week) and other things, including stuff for us to pack for snacks. It's not like you can run to Walmart there if you forget something.
I am excited and nervous. It's a great opportunity to share the Gospel with others, and to provide help. But it's my first time doing something like this. I hope I serve God well down there and am the light He wants me to be.
I don't know if I will be able to update the blog from there - we are supposed to have Internet access, but who knows? If not you'll hear from me when I get back. :-)
Friday, July 15, 2005
List 5 reasons you are a geek (dork)
List 5 reasons you are a dork. And make them good reasons. Justify them. Explain them. Be loud and proud of how big a dork you are! Then pick the 5 biggest dorks you know and have them do the same.
Ok, Brenda challenged me on this, though I prefer the term, "Geekette."
Sooo...5 reasons...
1) I have built a computer from the case up.
2) I have Star Trek TNG, DS9, and VOY companions PLUS the Star Trek Encyclopedia which I use for references.
3) I have a stuffed Porthos in my office. (Porthos is the beagle in Star Trek: Enterprise)
4) My bookshelves have books from Star Trek, Forgotten Realms, and of course, The Lord of the Rings.
5) I have a Bible program on my PDA that I often use to follow the sermon.
Now...five fellow geeks (I assume they are people who might read this and have blogs...)
Nat, Dale, Evil Bill, Nelson, and even though he doesn't have a blog, Bryan, because he is truly a geek with a capital G.
Ok, Brenda challenged me on this, though I prefer the term, "Geekette."
Sooo...5 reasons...
1) I have built a computer from the case up.
2) I have Star Trek TNG, DS9, and VOY companions PLUS the Star Trek Encyclopedia which I use for references.
3) I have a stuffed Porthos in my office. (Porthos is the beagle in Star Trek: Enterprise)
4) My bookshelves have books from Star Trek, Forgotten Realms, and of course, The Lord of the Rings.
5) I have a Bible program on my PDA that I often use to follow the sermon.
Now...five fellow geeks (I assume they are people who might read this and have blogs...)
Nat, Dale, Evil Bill, Nelson, and even though he doesn't have a blog, Bryan, because he is truly a geek with a capital G.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
He's now legal!
John passed his drivers' test without any trouble. I asked him where he wanted to go, and he said, "Dairy Queen." Worked for me, so we got celebratory Blizzards.
I was a lot calmer going home slurping my French Silk Pie Blizzard. Why hadn't I considered eating chocolate while he was driving sooner? ;-)
I was a lot calmer going home slurping my French Silk Pie Blizzard. Why hadn't I considered eating chocolate while he was driving sooner? ;-)
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Pray for me!
John takes his driver's test tomorrow. I am almost certain he will pass it - he does well.
What I can't figure out is why, since he DOES do well, I am a wreck when he's behind the wheel! Is this just part of being a parent? Is it all the times I saw him handling a bumper car? Is it because his reflexes are superior to mine so he does things I can't?
Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out. :-)
What I can't figure out is why, since he DOES do well, I am a wreck when he's behind the wheel! Is this just part of being a parent? Is it all the times I saw him handling a bumper car? Is it because his reflexes are superior to mine so he does things I can't?
Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out. :-)
Monday, July 11, 2005
Steaming mad...
I heard someone on Sean Hannity's radio show today call the United States a terrorist nation. This same woman said years ago that she hoped Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' wife fed him a lot of eggs and butter so he would get heart disease and die. She says she won't apologize for THAT statement, either.
I get mad when people talk about conservatives being hateful yet someone from the left says something like this and it's OK. When will they call their own into account for what they say?
I get mad when people talk about conservatives being hateful yet someone from the left says something like this and it's OK. When will they call their own into account for what they say?
Monday, July 04, 2005
Building a Computer From the Ground Up 3
It's alive...it's ALIVE!
With a cable provided by our preacher (who has asked I not bug him for 2 weeks in payment) I FINALLY have John's new computer up and running. Windows is installed, and all the drivers.
Right now it is taking up half my workbench in my office. John has taken that over so he can install stuff and try it out. We took the network cable that went to my bedroom and hooked him to the Internet with that.
It means I share my office with my 18 year old for the next month or so. I guess that's not so bad, given he goes away to college in August...
With a cable provided by our preacher (who has asked I not bug him for 2 weeks in payment) I FINALLY have John's new computer up and running. Windows is installed, and all the drivers.
Right now it is taking up half my workbench in my office. John has taken that over so he can install stuff and try it out. We took the network cable that went to my bedroom and hooked him to the Internet with that.
It means I share my office with my 18 year old for the next month or so. I guess that's not so bad, given he goes away to college in August...
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