This is intended solely for personal use, I do not plan to make this public. However, after I'm gone, I hope my family finds it.
1. Born an identical twin, lost my sister in 2009 at age 50. Living without her has been the most difficult lesson I've ever had to learn.
2. Now an old woman, divorced for many years. Living without a mate has been lonely, but not life shattering.
3. Two children - Sean and Leslie. Sean died in 2007 and I seriously thought I might die, too. Leslie divorced in 2010 and came to live with me, which has been life affirming, if not actually life saving.
4. I have two grandchildren - Curtis and Jasmine. They make getting up in the morning a pleasure and give my life meaning.
5. I was trained, and have worked as a medical secretary since 1982. I've been in my current position since 1992.
6. I've been dabbling on the internet since circa 1994. It has become one of my favorite activities.
That's all I can think of at this moment. I will add to it later if something seems relevant.
Between 1500-2000 people showed up and showed out for the No Kings Rally here in the burg. It was actually within walking distance from the house. There were some dandy storms, and continuous rain, but a phenomenal success when you consider The Queen City of the Ozarks is the prong of The Bible Belt – the piece that actually makes the belt work. We are the international headquarters for the Assemblies of God and we have four seminaries… Just a few snaps that made my day!
1. When did you join LJ (or DW) I joined LJ in 2001 or 2002, and DW in 2009
2. How did you find out about LJ (or DW)? via Usenet Newsgroups. Several of my friends there had accounts and asked others to join them. And, I found out about DW from my friends at LJ. Several of us had to wait until others had invite codes before we could open an account.
3. If someone introduced you to LJ/DW are they still on your friends list? Yes, and always will be.
4. Have you introduced anyone to LJ/DW? Not that I recall. By the time I earned invite codes for DW, all my friends were here, too.
5. Is your LJ/DW public or friends only, and why? It's public. I do talk about politics, but other than that, I just talk about stuff going on in my day to day existence.
1 Things you can't live without. Dark choolate, peanut butter, laptop, internet, books
2. The best moments in your life. When my kids were born, when my grandkids were born, first time meeting my ATH friends in person, traveling to Scotland for an ATH Con, having my song lyrics purchased and used for a blooper reel.
3. Celebrities you can't stand. Adam Sandler, Julia Robers, Kevin Costner, Chris Pratt, Jada Pinkett Smith
4. Books you enjoy(ed) reading. Stephen King- ‘Salem’s Lot, Michelle McNamara - I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Kathryn Stockett - The Help, Margot Shetterly - Hidden Figures, Sheila Williams - No Better Time, Women of the Six Triple Eight
5. items on your desk. A Funko Pop knockoff of Ozzy, a Figpin of Bowie as Star Child, a red Lucky Cat from Chinatown in Chicago, a rosary given to me by the Sisters of Mercy when I was hired at St. John’s in 1992, a hand held calculator.
1. Do you ever wonder if the way you see things visually aren't how other people see them? This a real thing -- think witness statements the police have released to the press.
2. What kind of sounds are the most annoying? Loud and intrusive, e.g., a neighbor with a Harley who revs and revs the engine before peeling out. These two I'm ashamed of - people coughing or hiccupping.
3. When walking through a store, do you shop with your hands by touching/feeling the texture of things? Yes, and I've been known to smell items, as well.
4. If you could only smell three scents for the rest of your life, what would they be? A baby's head, bread/pie baking in the oven, and the perfume I've worn since 1973.
5. What sorts of things do you savor when eating them? Fresh baked bread or pie, fried chicken and mashed potatoes, Tex-Mex food, strawberries, anything with apples and cinnamon, I could go on for days.
1. Do you consider yourself to be a good housekeeper? Why or why not? I consider myself to be an unenthusiastic housekeeper. The place isn't disgusting, but it's not always company ready, either.
2. Are there any chores that you enjoy doing? If so, what and why? I don't mind changing bed linens and washing the dirty ones.
3. Which chore frustrates/angers you the most? The kitchen. Dishes, counters, stove top, floors, the show hole! None of it stays done longer than fifteen or twenty minutes.
4. When doing chores, what do you do to make them seem less of a "chore" I work as fast as I can to get it done and over.
5. Which chore do you find yourself doing most often and why? The kitchen. There are four of us, on different schedules. It seems there are always dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter, the stove always needs to be wiped down.
First Stephen Colbert, now Jimmy Kimmel. Monday night, in his opening monologue, he said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
This afternoon, Disney’s ABC said it would take Jimmy Kimmel’s popular late-night show off its schedule “indefinitely”.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I must post this here because a. I have too many family members and friends on Facebook who will turn this into a comment war, and b. We received a formal memo from HR at my place of employment that we need to remain professional and non-political on social media. We were encouraged to report other coworkers if they step out of bounds.
So… I had no idea who Charlie Kirk was until September 10. I was getting messages on our private messaging app, alerts on my phone, etc.
I went to see who he was and what led to his murder, and boy I was surprised!
Please believe me when I say that violence is never the answer. Please believe me when I say I am not taking any satisfaction or joy that a thirty-one-year-old man with a wife and small children was murdered in front of them.
What I will say is… I understand why someone(s) may have felt justified.
The infinite amount of hate he spoke, the lies and obfuscation, the justification of racism, the justification of relieving more than half the US population of their Constitutional civil rights, and the sheer delight on his face when he said these things…
The one statement that is living rent free in my head:
“I feel it is worth the cost of a few gun deaths every year, to protect our Second Amendment Rights.”
And? People are rending their garments and gnashing their teeth as if this man actually mattered! It’s blowing my mind wide open that so much of the population are so full of HATE!
The day Ozzy died, I ordered a Funko Pop knock off. It finally arrived earlier this week and it was truly pathetic. It looked as though it had been painted by a 5 or 6yr old child. I was going to return it but Curtis said, “Let me have it, please.”
He returned it to me about an hour ago and I couldn’t be happier. That boy is so good to his Mema. I wish all of your had your own Curtis, and your own Ozzy Pop!
Forty years ago, this wonderful person came into my life. I've cherished every second of it. Leslie you're still the prettiest girl in Puppet Land and your momma loves you like a rock.
1. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? If so, where? Did you like it? If you haven't stayed in a hostel, would you?
No. I have a cousin who is a travel agent. Anytime we traveled outside the state, we’d call her to make all the arrangements. I do not believe I’d stay in a hostel. I’ve seen / read too many scary stories on television and online.
2. What is your favorite airport that you've been to? Why?
Newark Liberty International. We had an insanely long layover from the US to the UK. My cousin got us access to a VIP lounge with free appetizers and sodas. At one point, the NYC Ballet Troupe joined us and ate all the snacks.
3. What is the best museum you have visited on vacation?
My daughter maintains it’s the Louvre in Paris. My oldest sister votes for the Metropolitan in NYC. I still love the Art Institute in Chicago.
4. Have you ever made friends while traveling whom you keep in touch with on a regular basis?
Yes.
5. Have you ever had a conversation with a seatmate on a plane?
The only time I’ve traveled alone was in 1977. I sat as close to the front of the plane as possible and didn’t speak to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.
Fiber optics have finally arrived in my neighborhood! Trey, the Brightspeed tecchnician has finally arrived at my house!
I've been up since 6am getting the house put back in order, because I took the weekend off and was a slug.
Trey arrived about 20 minutes ago, handed me the router and cables, and is going to install the actual connection from the pole to the house outside my bedroom, so I can plug my work computer directly to the router.