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Five years ago today: Possible Confusion
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Thought Provoking
For the third year in a row the local office of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA) has produced Public Service Announcements that will premiere during the local broadcast of the Super Bowl. They released the ads a couple of days ago, and after watching them I think they're really powerful.
Five years ago today: Possible Confusion
Five years ago today: Possible Confusion
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Finding Out Something New Every Day
Today I had business to do first in Webster Groves (a suburb about 12 miles to the east of me) and then Valley Park (a city which is basically to the south of my house). The fastest, most efficient route to get to Webster is the Interstate, but as I was organizing my day after breakfast I wondered if I could justify making a detour to go to an international food store in Kirkwood (halfway between my house and Webster Groves, but several miles from the highway).
I used Mapquest to plan out a route, and was pleasantly surprised to find out I could be almost as productive by taking surface streets to get from my house to Kirkwood and Webster, then getting on the highway to head to Valley Park before I made it back home. However, I've lived in this area for 30 years and thought I knew the best way to get to Kirkwood. Today Mapquest gave me a route to get there that I've never used before that ended up being even better.
Instead of heading east for 15 minutes than turning and heading northeast (which involves a lot of neighborhood driving, and a lot of stop signs) Mapquest told me to turn north at a street ten minutes from my house, stay on that street for five minutes, then turn right on a third street. In addition to fewer turns, this course involved fewer stop signs.
Sounded like a good idea to me.
Five years ago today: Walk With Me
I used Mapquest to plan out a route, and was pleasantly surprised to find out I could be almost as productive by taking surface streets to get from my house to Kirkwood and Webster, then getting on the highway to head to Valley Park before I made it back home. However, I've lived in this area for 30 years and thought I knew the best way to get to Kirkwood. Today Mapquest gave me a route to get there that I've never used before that ended up being even better.
Instead of heading east for 15 minutes than turning and heading northeast (which involves a lot of neighborhood driving, and a lot of stop signs) Mapquest told me to turn north at a street ten minutes from my house, stay on that street for five minutes, then turn right on a third street. In addition to fewer turns, this course involved fewer stop signs.
Sounded like a good idea to me.
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| Going in a big circle |
Five years ago today: Walk With Me
Monday, January 30, 2017
It's All Spam To Me
Get rich quick schemes
Portable power generators
Red copper pans
Store gift card promotions
Male enhancement drugs
'Adult' videos and chat rooms
This month, unlike in the past, Nigerian princes have stopped trying to correspond with me. I'm never the lucky lottery winner any more. No one cares now if I want to drop pounds with their miracle product. I wonder if they'll be back some day so I can delete them again, too.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Blessings
I think just about everyone is familiar with The Beatitudes, a set of blessings listed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. (If you're Roman Catholic, they were the basis of the Gospel for this week's Mass.) But have you heard about the set of modern Beatitudes that were proposed by Pope Francis during his 2016 visit to Sweden? According to the Catholic News Service, they are:
Five years ago today: Soup's On
- Blessed are those who remain faithful while enduring evils inflicted on them by others and forgive them from their heart.
- Blessed are those who look into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and show them their closeness.
- Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to make others also discover him.
- Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home.
- Blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help others.
I think they're equally good words to live by.
- Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians.
Five years ago today: Soup's On
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Green Juice Day
Did you know that today is National Green Juice Day? I didn't either, until I heard about it this morning. I did some research and found out that the company that makes Evolution Fresh juices came up with the day to encourage people to stick to their healthy New Year’s resolutions.
Of course, the Evolution Fresh people suggest that the perfect way to drink green juice is to get a bottle of theirs. However, by the time I did my research I had already been to the gym and run all my errands for the day, and didn't want to go out again. I don't have a juicer, so I did the next best thing and made a smoothie. The main ingredient was spinach, but because I was craving chocolate I added a spoonful of cookies and cream-flavored protein powder and some extra cocoa.
Not exactly green juice, but close enough in my world.
Five years ago today: Morning Prayer
Of course, the Evolution Fresh people suggest that the perfect way to drink green juice is to get a bottle of theirs. However, by the time I did my research I had already been to the gym and run all my errands for the day, and didn't want to go out again. I don't have a juicer, so I did the next best thing and made a smoothie. The main ingredient was spinach, but because I was craving chocolate I added a spoonful of cookies and cream-flavored protein powder and some extra cocoa.
Not exactly green juice, but close enough in my world.
Five years ago today: Morning Prayer
Monday, January 23, 2017
Invitation To Participation
The notation on the official-looking letter I received a couple of weeks ago told me all I needed to know about what was inside:
Today I had the privilege of showing up at the County Court House in Clayton to be in a pool of potential jurors. I was actually excited to go do my civic duty, because it had been a long time. I served on a jury in 1981, but the next two time I was called (in the mid-1990s) I had obligations that kept me from serving.
This morning the alarm went off an hour earlier than it usually does. I showered, ate breakfast, made my lunch, and packed a tote bag with the food, a water bottle, my Kindle, my iPad, and the crossword puzzle page from the newspaper for the waiting around I knew I would have to do. My summons told me to arrive at 8:30. That's right in the middle of morning rush hour. I wasn't sure how long it would take to drive there, so I left the house an hour early. It took me less time to reach Clayton than I thought it would, but I burned up the rest of the hour getting into the juror parking garage. By time I walked to the courthouse and went through the metal detector at the door I was right on time. I joined a long line of people waiting to be checked in, then took a seat in the assembly room. By 8:45 the room held a couple of hundred people.
Fifteen minutes later a judge came in and addressed us. He explained how important it was that we were there, and talked about the nuts and bolts of the day. My summons said I would be there for two days. However, the judge said that if it's determined that no more jury trials will be starting during that period they'd dismiss us after the first day. I also knew from Hubby Tony's jury duty experience last year that the dismissal could come at any time during the day.
All in all the morning was pretty boring. At 9:45 they came and got a panel of 36 people. At 11:15 they took a larger group of 50 people. By then (thanks to my early breakfast) I was hungry and started nibbling on my lunch. At 11:45 they dismissed us to go to lunch, warning us to be back at 1:30. My lunch was already gone, so I used the time to take a brisk walk. I had just gotten situated in my seat again at 1:40, when they announced there were no more jury trials scheduled and we were free to go.
Although I was sad I wasn't going to be able to do my civic duty, it was nice to be able to get out of the area before rush hour hit.
Five years ago today: If Only My Crystal Ball Had Been Working
Today I had the privilege of showing up at the County Court House in Clayton to be in a pool of potential jurors. I was actually excited to go do my civic duty, because it had been a long time. I served on a jury in 1981, but the next two time I was called (in the mid-1990s) I had obligations that kept me from serving.
This morning the alarm went off an hour earlier than it usually does. I showered, ate breakfast, made my lunch, and packed a tote bag with the food, a water bottle, my Kindle, my iPad, and the crossword puzzle page from the newspaper for the waiting around I knew I would have to do. My summons told me to arrive at 8:30. That's right in the middle of morning rush hour. I wasn't sure how long it would take to drive there, so I left the house an hour early. It took me less time to reach Clayton than I thought it would, but I burned up the rest of the hour getting into the juror parking garage. By time I walked to the courthouse and went through the metal detector at the door I was right on time. I joined a long line of people waiting to be checked in, then took a seat in the assembly room. By 8:45 the room held a couple of hundred people.
Fifteen minutes later a judge came in and addressed us. He explained how important it was that we were there, and talked about the nuts and bolts of the day. My summons said I would be there for two days. However, the judge said that if it's determined that no more jury trials will be starting during that period they'd dismiss us after the first day. I also knew from Hubby Tony's jury duty experience last year that the dismissal could come at any time during the day.
All in all the morning was pretty boring. At 9:45 they came and got a panel of 36 people. At 11:15 they took a larger group of 50 people. By then (thanks to my early breakfast) I was hungry and started nibbling on my lunch. At 11:45 they dismissed us to go to lunch, warning us to be back at 1:30. My lunch was already gone, so I used the time to take a brisk walk. I had just gotten situated in my seat again at 1:40, when they announced there were no more jury trials scheduled and we were free to go.
Although I was sad I wasn't going to be able to do my civic duty, it was nice to be able to get out of the area before rush hour hit.
Five years ago today: If Only My Crystal Ball Had Been Working
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Gettting Rid Of The Temptation
Today I had a work lunch at a fast food burrito restaurant. However, because I'm still trying to get rid of several holiday pounds, I didn't have one of their marquee menu items. I've learned that a loaded burrito can easily take up half of my calories for the day. Instead, I ordered a salad with chicken, beans, fajita vegetables, and salsa. In the interest of being healthy I reluctantly passed on the yummy sour cream, cheese, and guacamole. But (telling myself I could eat just a couple) I couldn't resist an order of tortilla chips.
Who was I kidding?
When I sat down with my food I took one chip out of the bag, closed the bag back up, and savored the perfectly-salted chip. I ate part of the salad, went back for another chip, then repeated the process several more times. Soon a quarter of the bag was gone, and my will power was decreasing with every chip. I had to do something!
About that time a woman came in wearing a hoodie that proudly announced that she worked at the elementary school I attended oh so long ago, and an idea popped into my head. When she walked away from the counter with her food I got her attention. I identified myself as an alum of the school and asked her if she could help me get rid of the chips by taking them off my hands. After a second, she agreed. She thanked me for her bonus food and I thanked her for her help.
Five years ago today: Blondie
Who was I kidding?
When I sat down with my food I took one chip out of the bag, closed the bag back up, and savored the perfectly-salted chip. I ate part of the salad, went back for another chip, then repeated the process several more times. Soon a quarter of the bag was gone, and my will power was decreasing with every chip. I had to do something!
About that time a woman came in wearing a hoodie that proudly announced that she worked at the elementary school I attended oh so long ago, and an idea popped into my head. When she walked away from the counter with her food I got her attention. I identified myself as an alum of the school and asked her if she could help me get rid of the chips by taking them off my hands. After a second, she agreed. She thanked me for her bonus food and I thanked her for her help.
Five years ago today: Blondie
Monday, January 16, 2017
The Evidence Is Orange
The other morning when I came downstairs there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the kitchen island, compliments of Hubby Tony. The mixed blooms included, among others, several large orange tiger lilies. Like this one:
Later in the day I had to leave the house to run some errands. Knowing that the cats like vegetation I asked Son Donald to keep an eye on the vase whenever he was in the kitchen. He did, but sadly he couldn't be in there the entire time. I came home to this:
And there was no denying which cat did the deed. Check out the smear on Jackson's cheek:
The arrangement was moved to the fireplace mantel in the family room.
Five years ago today: Are You Who I Think You Are?
Later in the day I had to leave the house to run some errands. Knowing that the cats like vegetation I asked Son Donald to keep an eye on the vase whenever he was in the kitchen. He did, but sadly he couldn't be in there the entire time. I came home to this:
The arrangement was moved to the fireplace mantel in the family room.
Five years ago today: Are You Who I Think You Are?
Friday, January 13, 2017
Safe And Snug At Home
For almost a week the weather people have been talking about the winter weather coming our way. Finally, this morning the much-anticipated ice storm (predicted to be the biggest in the last decade) arrived.
In this area people get frantic when faced with any type of snow or ice. Yesterday I was at a hardware store for work and I think I was the only person not walking out with a bag of ice melt. After the hardware store I made the mistake of popping into the grocery for some apples. I had to wait in a long line at the cash register behind shoppers stocking up on milk, bread, and eggs.
Last night the MODOT officials were on the news asking people to stay off the roads unless they had a compelling reason to be out. Early in the evening I heard that the local school district had cancelled classes for today. My only commitment on Fridays takes place in a church that follows the district's lead, so when I went to be I turned my alarm off knowing I had nowhere to be.
When I woke up today the streets were still dry, but just about the time I thought I'd bundle up and take a walk outside before the weather arrived we got a smattering of rain. The smatters continued the rest of the morning, and the real storm started just after lunch. As predicted, waves of rain came and went. The temperatures hovered slightly under 30 degrees. When I went out to get the mail the driveway was just wet, but the mailbox was covered with a heavy sheet of ice and I had to bang on it to break the seal.
Hubby Tony made the decision to work from home, so I had someone to talk to other than the cats. Over the course of the day I caught up on my backlog of emails and started putting together an agenda for a meeting I'm leading next weekend. I did some cooking, a smidge of cleaning, and a lot of relaxing. It was wonderful!
At dinnertime there was less ice then forecast, but several more waves are supposed to come. They're still predicting 1/4"-1/2" of ice in this area. It sounds like I'm going to have at least one more day of being stuck in the house. I can't wait.
Five years ago today: Another Year Older...
In this area people get frantic when faced with any type of snow or ice. Yesterday I was at a hardware store for work and I think I was the only person not walking out with a bag of ice melt. After the hardware store I made the mistake of popping into the grocery for some apples. I had to wait in a long line at the cash register behind shoppers stocking up on milk, bread, and eggs.
Last night the MODOT officials were on the news asking people to stay off the roads unless they had a compelling reason to be out. Early in the evening I heard that the local school district had cancelled classes for today. My only commitment on Fridays takes place in a church that follows the district's lead, so when I went to be I turned my alarm off knowing I had nowhere to be.
When I woke up today the streets were still dry, but just about the time I thought I'd bundle up and take a walk outside before the weather arrived we got a smattering of rain. The smatters continued the rest of the morning, and the real storm started just after lunch. As predicted, waves of rain came and went. The temperatures hovered slightly under 30 degrees. When I went out to get the mail the driveway was just wet, but the mailbox was covered with a heavy sheet of ice and I had to bang on it to break the seal.
Hubby Tony made the decision to work from home, so I had someone to talk to other than the cats. Over the course of the day I caught up on my backlog of emails and started putting together an agenda for a meeting I'm leading next weekend. I did some cooking, a smidge of cleaning, and a lot of relaxing. It was wonderful!
At dinnertime there was less ice then forecast, but several more waves are supposed to come. They're still predicting 1/4"-1/2" of ice in this area. It sounds like I'm going to have at least one more day of being stuck in the house. I can't wait.
Five years ago today: Another Year Older...
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