That's the journey of a writer, long and winding. Ups and downs, rejections, joys, acceptance, laughter, tears, community, and yet a sense of loneliness. The road is bumpy, often full of potholes, and yet it's one we gladly follow, for we are writers and writing is a part of our soul. Join me on my journey.
Get out your ‘kinis and leg wax, it’s gonna be in the 80s this weekend. Yip-freakin’-pee! If you can’t tell, I’m not a happy camper. It gets to the 80s and I start thinking about the air conditioning. I’m not ready to turn it on. I need those temps that are no lower than 50 or higher than 70 in order to keep the unit off and conserve electricity. I’m doing better now that I’ve gotten more hours at work, but things aren’t really great either, so the more I can save the better.
And I need a kiss. Don’t worry, not from you, and not really for me either. It’s for a character – there’s a contest at the Yellow Rose (local chapter of RWA) for Valentine’s Day. It’s a first kiss thingy, and I’ve looked through a couple of things, but they’re not right. I still have two more stories to go through and if I can’t find anything there, then I’ll need to write one. I know … write. But hey, I’ve started reading, so things are progressing.
Not a whole lot going on to blog about. Really.
I hope you all are having a great week!!!
And don’t forget to go over to Amie’s and leave a comment to win a book. The link is below.
Okay, Happy Groundhog Day and all of that – got it out of the way. As of this writing, I have no idea what the little bundle of fur saw when climbing out of its burrow, but for me – except for a couple of days here and there, we haven’t had winter. Some of you are probably thinking “I’d love that!!” But there are some problems. You see, not enough freezes to destroy those nasty little summer parasites like fleas; trees and flowers are confused – facing a possible nip in their proverbial buds ‘cuz it’s been known to drop a freeze or two in February; a speaking of the plant life – can we say early pollen? Yeah, think about it – cedar is filling the air and making everyone miserable. And did I mention that I hate heat? Not a good sign for the coming summer months. I’m just saying … you know?
Now down to business. My wonderful sexy friend Amie Stuart is having a contest – it’s called “14 Days of Love” and she’ll be giving away books that entire two week period. You got that right … free books!!! By 14 authors (or a little more – so keep checking in) no less, so get your little behinds over there, leave a comment and win a book. Don’t forget, it’s a 14 day contest, so you need to go every day! Yeah, I’m talking to you – every day!!! You've already missed one day 'cuz it started on Sunday, but there are still 13 more to go!
Okay, I’ve evidently lost Word somewhere, without doing anything. Have a computer act up on me? Never. I’m not even going to go into what I had to do to open it so that I could compose my blog. Just know that it’s being weird.
Anyway, below is a YouTube clip of David Osmond. Yeah, I said Osmond; he’s the son of Osmond brother Alan. Why is it here? He auditioned for American Idol the other night. Now, I know that most of you don’t watch it, so please bear with me. American Idol is supposed to be for un-knowns, those musicians who would never have had a break without the show. People like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken …. And yet, in walks David Osmond, heir of the Osmond talent, obviously, but someone that needs a show like American Idol in order to be heard? I don’t think so. You can’t tell me that his family has no connections with record companies? In fact, they used to have their own studios. I don’t know, I just … ohhh, it bothers me for some reason.
And then we have Joanna Pacitti. Beautiful voiced and talented Joanna Pacitti. When she walked into the audition room, new judge Kara DioGuardi greeted her – “I remember you! You’re Joanna Pacitti.” Oh boy. Joanna Pacitti is going to Hollywood, again. Who is she? Weeellllll:
She was on Broadway in Annie at the age of 11; she was on the Reality TV show MTV’s First Year; under contract with A&M records for 5 years; on the soundtracks of movies Legally Blonde and Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack; her album This Crazy Life has sold 15,000 copies since its release in 2006; finally, one of her songs Out From Under was re-released by Britney Spears. Starting to get the picture? It’s not that she shouldn’t be allowed a second chance, its that her presence could skewer the results – for example, many would vote for her thinking that she had the inside edge, sort of like people who let voting polls influence them; also, she could cause people not to vote because they might think that it wouldn’t matter, she’s an Idol plant and is going to win; then there are those who could already be fans, some of those 15,000 that bought her record.
But wait, haven’t other contestants have contracts before? Yeah, but not to this extent. For instance, there's Carly Smithson – who’s 2001 album Ultimate High scored 6,000 sales. That's 7 years, less than 1,000 a year; while Pacitti has sold 15,000 in just 2 years. Quite a difference there.
Anyway, I don’t like this trend of “had-a-chance” contestants making it past the audition rounds. Call me a dreamer, but I feel that American Idol should be for the people like Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson, people who never had a chance, and who would have never had a chance without the show.
I know, I wasn't going to do this too much, but it's cold and although I have the furnace on (yes Bebo, it's on) my hands are still cold and so, I'm leaving you with YouTube cuteness.
Okay, now that was weird. I went to open Word to write this post and … it wasn’t there? Yeah, that’s what I said. I could click browse, go to a saved document and open it that way, but the link to Word is gone. Why? This sucks.
Anyway, I had today’s post narrowed down to three topics, but I’m not sure any of them will work. In fact, right now I can’t remember exactly what the other two were, so I guess I’m going with the third one.
The Screen Actor Guild Awards were on tonight. I’ll wait while you say “Oh no! I missed them!!” Yeah, that’s what I thought. For me, regardless of whether I’ve seen any movies this year or not – I never miss these award shows. But sometimes I wonder why? Like tonight, when only one show that I’ve watched won an award – out of everything nominated, only one. I’m sitting there all comfy against my pillows and wondering why I’m watching this except for the fact that I like celebrity stuff – a chance to see a favorite actor or actress. And I found myself rooting for certain people to win based only on two things – either I really liked the people, or I disliked the other nominees more. This got me to thinking about two things. One – Heath Ledger. I have the Batman movie waiting to be watched, but I haven’t seen it yet. So I really don’t know what kind of performance he gave. I do know that I liked his work, have a fondness for A Knight’s Tale, and am sad that he’s no longer with us. I really would like for him to win the Oscar. But is that fair? Is it really the best supporting actor performance of the year? Probably not, but then again isn’t it all really a popularity contest? Er, maybe not … since blockbuster movies are often overlooked in these awards. But I still wanted him to win. I want him to win the Oscar too. Why? Because even though his films will live on in whatever form movies are seen in the future, there will never be another new Heath Ledger movie, and having his name on the list of Oscar Award winners would be a nice way to mark his place in movie history – a sort of Life-Time Achievement award.
The second thing I was thinking about was how I was rooting for people even though I had never seen the performance. This reminded me about how there are certain authors whose books I buy without even reading the back or knowing anything about it – I just buy it because they wrote it. I know that we all do this – we all have our auto-buys. There are times when I have gone to on-line voting sites, scanned the list of book nominees and voted for someone I like even if I’ve never read the book – simply because I haven’t read any of the books listed.
But sometimes that’s really all of these award shows, book lists, etc actually boil down to – a popularity contest of sorts.
I don’t think that there’s any real point to this post, just a bit of wondering rambles.
So, it’s Friday. Yepper, that’s what it is, it’s Friday. In case you didn’t catch that, I’m calling it Friday. No spam. Not even a YouTube thingy. I tried the YouTube thingy, but despite my deleting files, etc, I’m evidently out of space and the YouTube stuff won’t load. What a bunch of crock. Everything is giving me problems because of this space problem. I’ve put pictures on flash drives, deleted files – what more can I do? If I click on the little balloon thing and have the computer do this compress files thing – it won’t do anything. The box will come up, start configuring things and then 4 hours later it’s still sitting there. Technology hates me.
Technokarm
Huh?
She has technokarm
Is there a vaccination for that?
Not really. In her case, it’s fatal.
Really?
Yeah, technology hate her.
My mother hates me.
I believe that.
If you could see me, you’d see a dirty look.
Then take a bath.
What’s technokarm?
Technology karma
Oh, it’s biting her in the ass, huh?
And wouldn’t you know it, that’s the most action she’s seen in a while.
This article was in the Dallas Morning News. I don’t know which day or what page, as it was cut out and brought to work, where I got my hands on it. Read it and tell me what you think?
Is reading really making a comeback in the U.S.?
And are we sure it was in a crisis to begin with? Wonders David Ulin
Is reading making a comeback in the United States? That’s the finding of “Reading on the Rise,” a study released this month by the National Endowment for the Arts concluding that literary reading among adult Americans has gone up 3.5 percent over the last six years.
The endowment considers this significant because its last reading survey, in 2002, reported such a precipitous drop in literary reading that it was titled “Reading at Risk.” The 2002 study showed that in the 10-year period beginning in 1992, adult readers fell from 54.0 percent of the population to 46.7 percent.
So does the new report mean we’ve turned a cultural corner? The key phrase in the report is “literary reading,” which the endowment defines as “novels and short stories, plays or poems.” As in previous years, nonfiction was left out of the loop. Such a definition is unconscious of its own elitism, the idea that literary reading is different from (read: better than) any other kind.
In a recent essay in The Nation, William Deresiewicz argued that the NEA has played into the tendency of so-called literary mandarins – the critics and scholars – to see themselves as “the Last of the Readers,” a beleaguered cultural elite. His response to the 2002 survey’s finding that “only” 96 million American adults engaged in literary reading? “Ninety-six million American adults engage in literary reading!”
In other words, there’s a whole lotta reading going on. I agree with Deresiewicz; 96 million is a lot of readers, a veritable army of the written word.
Not surprisingly, reading rates go up according to level of education: 68.1 percent of college graduates identify as readers, compared with 39.1 percent of high school graduates and 18.5 percent of those who never went to high school. And consider ethnicity – 55.7 percent of whites, 42.6 percent of blacks and 31.9 percent of Hispanics meet the NEA’s “literary reader” criteria.
This is important because “Reading on the Rise” correlates its findings to a broader context, framing reading in terms of moral value. “Reading is an important indicator of various positive individual and social behavior patterns,” the report informs us, adding that “previous NEA research has shown that literary readers attend arts and sports events, play sports, do outdoor activities, exercise and volunteer at higher rates than nonreaders.”
Setting aside the question of whether reading is, or even should be, good for you, these sorts of comparisons suggest a disturbing subtext, in which a certain kind of reader makes a better grade of citizen – literary eugenics, in other words.
David Ulin is book editor of the Los Angeles Times
Me: Literary reading? Doesn’t reading non-fiction such as biographies, current events, politics and the such make a person a more rounded individual? I mean, as a writer of fiction, I’m happy to see that the reading of fiction is up, but I have to wonder how the numbers would be changed if non-fiction were to be included. Would the conclusion that reading was in a crisis be the same if non-fiction were added to the mix? I don’t think so. What about you?
When I first began taking care of mom, well make that mom and dad, I was reading a lot and writing was great. Then dad died and I had to spend more time with mother. Still, I was reading and maybe not writing as much, but writing. As things progressed with mom, I still read, but the writing began to fall to the wayside. I always thought “when this thing with mom is over, I’ll have all the time in the world to write”. Yeah. Mom passed and everything stopped; reading, writing, creativity, etc. Oh, there were moments of creativity – it wasn’t all gone, but it became a chore, not a love. Suddenly I had all of the time, but nothing was really there. I kind of expected that, I was grieving after all. But as time went on, it didn’t change. At first I thought it was my eyes, and part of it turned out to be – bifocals. Still, didn’t change much. Then the bipolar diagnosis and the medication; some things changed, but the flow of creativity, the focus for reading – still MIA. It reminds me a little of the classic Twilight Zone episode called Time Enough at Last. I’ll stop for a few minutes to let you follow the link and read the synopsis. Ready? Okay, that’s me, I have time enough at last, but my “glasses” are broken, or something is broken and I don’t know exactly what. I do know that I need to start reading – that reading feeds my creativity. I know that I need to start writing – even if it is just this blog, because any form of writing is an improvement right now. I also know that I have to find Bailey Stewart again. That’s what I meant about getting back to MySpace, diving into what made her work. Because Bailey Stewart is my key, my way back to the creativity. Everything is there, waiting. And I’ll find it again.
We were looking for you! (I've been right here, waiting) My crotch area is too tight now (I needed to know this, why?) Why did you leave me? (I didn't leave, you're the ones that flaked out over banking and V*I*A*G*A*R*A*) She flicked her hair. (She flicked her hair back at her!) Are you busy? (Only flicking my hair) Come upstairs. (Um, I'm not sure about that ...) We seek for you all day. (You won't find me upstairs) Where are you, I'm frozen! (You're not blanketed by spam?) Never leave, ever again? (You keep sending 'em, I'll be here)
See this picture? This is the picture I use for my MySpace page. It reflects what I write, laughter and love. I absolutely love those boots she’s wearing. Anyway, it’s all about the image. When I am on MySpace (and that’s a big WHEN), I am Bailey. I fill out surveys as Bailey, funny, quirky answers to stupid questions. When I do that, my readers get a sense of who Bailey Stewart really is. I’ve gotten a few positive responses, with people asking me when my book will be out, where can they find them, etc. I’m building a following without having actually written a book – not exactly a good thing, ya know? Delivering on the goods is what it’s all about. So that’s what I’m going to do this year, I’m going to deliver on the goods. Wish me luck, okay?
Anyway, that's the plan Stan, got the idea Rhea? I've just got to get back into the swing of "selling" Bailey Stewart, of getting her back out there, gather her following back around her. so that when that book is published, it'll sell. I'll have already "sold it". Then I have to live up to those expectations - and that's the scary part.
I’m not talking about the voices in my head; this isn’t another Bud and Ernie blog post. I’m talking about the voice of an author, the voice that makes one writer’s work different from another. It’s what makes King different from Koontz, Roberts from Krentz, Shalvis from Crusie; the voice is what makes it possible for a reader to pick of a page, read it and know immediately who wrote it. The distinctive voice of the narrator, the haunting turn of a beautiful phrase – all of this contributes to the voice of a writer. When I began my journey on this long and winding road, I had so many mixed voices in my head. I wanted to be John Jakes, Janet Dailey, Stephen King – I wanted to be all of the wonderful books that I had read. I’ve tried many different voices throughout the years, some fit, and others didn’t. But in writing this blog, I’ve discovered that voice which is mine alone. I am a romantic comedy writer. It’s not that I’m unable to write serious material, no, it’s that I’m more comfortable with the lighter tone, the giggle instead of the tear. That’s okay. I’m never going to write that great multi-generational John Jake historical epic. My horror stories may resemble Charlaine Harris more than Stephen King, Sci-fi writer Jim Butcher instead of Isaac Asimov. Deep, intense subjects may be the form I read, but not that which I write. But that’s the kind of writer I am, I write comedy. I came to this conclusion a few years ago when I was attempting to write a blog post – a rambling bit about nothing, except aimless snickers and the occasional toss out – the laugh. That’s where my mind goes. Well, that and the gutter, but that’s okay too – who doesn’t like a little dirty joke every once in a while, huh? And I have you my readers to thank for this. You have laughed when I needed you to, responded to what I meant for you to, and encouraged that which is a vital part of who I am. Comedy and love.
Thank you.
Oh, and btw - I have a new blog to remember not to go to, or is that to forget to go to? Either way, there's a new blog in town and it's over in my blog list to the right. Just Taking Dictation is the new blog of a good friend of ours and my co-hort in whatever trouble I get in to. Yeah, Bebo, aka Beverly. Go and take a look, I dare you.
But I'm too pooped to do anything else. I have got to learn to adjust to this new schedule.
So here are a couple of YouTube thingies. Have a great Friday!!
Okay, here are the words to follow along. I though this one was hilarious!!
LYRICS
[Close Encounters of the Droid Kind] You must use the force (repeat ad nauseum)
[Raiders of the Lost Wookiee] Long time ago, far far away (repeat)
Kiss a wookie, kick a droid Fly the falcon through an asteroid Till the princess is annoyed This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it!
Come and help me, Obi Wan X-wing fighter and a blaster gun Dance with Ewoks, oh what fun! This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it!
[Super Han] Get in there you big, furry oaf I couldn't care less what you smell I take orders from only me Maybe you'd like it back in your cell Your Highness, your worshipfulness, your highness, your worshipfulness
No one cares if you upset a droid (nobody cares if you upset a droid) That's because droids don't tear your arms out of socket. (nobody cares) I suggest a new strategy: let the Wookie win That's because nobody cares if you upset a droid.
[ET the DiscoTerrestrial] Now we listen to Luke whining: One more season... One more season... One more season... One more season...
I was gonna go to Tashi Station for power converters Now I guess I'm going nowhere. It just isn't fair.
[Jaws: the Wookiee] Wooookie (repeat)
Someone move this walking carpet (repeat)
Kiss your brother, Kiss your brother (repeat)
Princess Leia Well I guess you don't know anything about women.
Who's your daddy? (repeat)
[Jurassic Darth] Luke, I'm your father (That's not true!) It is useless to resist (My hand!) Come with me my son, We will rule (I'll never join you!) Search your feelings it is true
So you have a twin sister Who Obi Wan was wise to hide (Is that Leia?) If you will not turn Then perhaps she will Give in to your hate You are mine
Long Long Long Time ago... Far Far Far Far Away
Long Long Long Time Ago, Far Far Far Away (repeat)
Kiss a wookie Kick a droid Fly the falcon Through an asteroid Till the princess is annoyed (She's annoyed!) This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it, it's true
Episode 3 Coming to you In 2005
So Let's go (go go go to the movies) Stand in line (buy buy buy me some popcorn) Cause it's al- (please I'd like extra butter) most the time (Join the dark side...) May the Force be with you all
I have absolutely nothing to say, which can mean problems. LOL We all know what happens when I have nothing to blog about. There simply isn’t anything going on. I’ve picked up 12 more hours at work, which means that all of my weekdays will be spent at work except for Friday, and then half of Monday. So now I have to fit things in – wonderful. I wasn’t getting a lot done before …
Our weather is being really funky right now. Last Friday it was 84. Monday it was in the 30s with ice. Today we got up to the lower 50s, by Friday we’ll be at 80 again. Then Saturday back into the 40s for the weekend. All of this fluctuation is making a lot of people sick, myself included. My sinuses are going whacky, I’ve got this lousy cough and an almost constantly dripping nose, but then so do a lot of other people. This is really highly unusual for Texas – I mean, we do have a generally mild winter (I can remember wearing shorts on Christmas day as a child), but not this bouncing of extremes.
Well, surprise – this is it! I know, really great post Bailey, you shouldn’t try so hard next time. LOL
So I’ll leave you with a couple of my new favorite LOLcats – not any of mine though, darn it.
And this lovely one that is one of my favorite Robert Frost poems
New years, new years resolutions, goals, hopes, dreams – whatever you want to call them. Did you make one this year? I kinda did. I resolved to be better. Just better. Well, maybe more organized. I want to read again. Write. Create worlds for the characters that are clamoring to live outside of my head. At least, I hope they want out of my head. I hope they’re not just yelling for the heck of it, you know? ‘Cuz that would make me a nut case, or something. Hush Bebo!!! Answer emails – now that would be nice. I’m getting really terrible at that. Send out thank you notes for the Christmas surprises – you know who you are, and yes, I’ll thank you, personally, in an email. Honest. Blog again – visit my old friends. Find my old friends. LOL
But mostly, read. I miss that. I really miss getting immersed in a good book, losing myself in the story, whether it be romance or mystery, fantasy, history – I don’t care, just read.
Yeah, techinically the year ended yesterday. Okay, not technically, it did end yesterday, but I'm taking the week, got it? Anyway, today is where I list those "notables" that we have lost throughout this past year. I know, how do you decide who to include? I take the top names, or ones that mean something to me, or I throw their names on the floor and wait until Bubba sits on one ... I just do, okay?
So here is my list, in no particular order - except maybe the order of the place I copied them from.
Eartha Kitt - Singer/actress - not as Santa Baby siren, but as I will always remember her - Catwoman.
Bernie Mac - actor
Michael DeBakey - Doctor - his innovations in medicine and science led to making open-heart surgeries a possibility. Without this procedure I would not have had my father, brother Howard or a few other members of my family with me for as long as I did.
Stuffed. And I don’t mean with stuffing either. I’m.going.to.pop. And that won’t be pleasant so everybody ruuuuunnnnn!!!
I had a really great time at Bebo’s – good food, good times, good company. I hope everyone had as good of a Thanksgiving as I did.
So, where’s spam? That’s what I keep asking … where is it? My spam box is filled with boring credit report, *v*i*a*g*r*a messages and bank updating information. Seems the phishers are having more fun than I am. What ever happened to “you can chop a log with your dick”? Or “your neighbors have lost their alarm clock”? Where have the days of penis enlargement and grammatically challenging sentences gone? The economy is sucking the life out of the only real source of amusement I get now days. It’s not fair I tell you, not fair at all!
And what is with this weather??? It snowed in Australia this week. One week before summer. Here it’s November 27 and we’ve barely had cool weather. I think the spammers are responsible. At least that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
This is boring …
Shhh, give her a moment; she’ll get into the swing.
About as well as an elephant on a vine.
What?
You heard me.
That’s what I was afraid of.
That you heard me?
No, that I understood what you were saying.
Did you just insult me?
Who? Me? I wouldn’t do that.
That’s what I thought.
At least, not that you would notice.
I think I resemble that remark.
You don’t resemble anything.
Yes I do!
No you don’t! I’ve told you, you’re not real.
I’m not?
No, you’re a figment of her imagination.
That’s scary.
Tell me about it – you would hope she had a better imagination than that.
You did it again.
What?
Insulted me.
No, that was a figment of your imagination.
It was?
Yeah, you’re always imagining that I’m insulting you.
Bud?
What?
Will you tell me when you’re really insulting me?
Of course Ern, that’s what friends are for.
I thought they were to carry you home from the bar.
Main Entry: blog Pronunciation: \ˈblȯg, ˈbläg\ Function: noun Etymology: short for Weblog Date: 1999 : a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer — blog•ger noun — blog•ging noun
Yep. That’s what ol’ Webster’s says. A website – yep, got that; online personal journal – um, not lately; reflections, comments and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. Yeah, right. We’re going to break that down further. But before we do so, I’d like to ask one little question. If the word blog is in the dictionary, how come when I type it into word that little squiggly “you spelled this wrong dummy” line appears under it?
Main Entry: Web site Function: noun Date: 1992 : a group of World Wide Web pages usually containing hyperlinks to each other and made available online by an individual, company, educational institution, government, or organization
Hmmm, there we go with those hyperlinks. I’m an individual, and this is a World Wide Web page, so I guess in this case, blog is correct.
Main Entry: jour•nal Pronunciation: \ˈjÉ™r-nÉ™l\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, service book containing the day hours, from Anglo-French jurnal, from jurnal, adjective, daily, from Latin diurnalis, from diurnus of the day, from dies day — more at DEITY Date: 15th century 1 a: a record of current transactions; especially : a book of original entry in double-entry bookkeeping b: an account of day-to-day events c: a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use d: a record of transactions kept by a deliberative or legislative body.
Blah, de blah, de, an account of day-to-day events. Check. A record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use. Ooookayyy, day-to-day: sort of, I mean Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Record of experiences: What experiences I do have because we know I’m really beyond boring. At this point, the definition seems to be right on the mark.
Main Entry: re•flec•tion Pronunciation: \ri-ˈflek-shÉ™n\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, alteration of reflexion, from Late Latin reflexion-, reflexio act of bending back, from Latin reflectere Date: 14th century 6: a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation 7: consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose
Meditation? I don’t meditate. And I rarely put any consideration in my thoughts. I say what I mean without a lot of editing (you know, those four letter bad words).
So, we have a group of World Wide Web pages by an individual, where said individual shares their thoughts and feelings, opinions, ideas, etc. in a journal like fashion.
Yep, I’ve done that. Really. If you check back in archives I have expressed feelings. I have shared ideas. I have used hyperlinks. I've done it all!!!
So it's the end of the year, or so I've been told. 2008 will meld seamlessly into 2009 and you won't even notice the moving!! Today, Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm going to re-post my favorite blog posts from this past year. So enjoy the re-run. If you don't like it ... I'll hit myself with a wet noodle, how will that be?
Originally published August 27, 2008
Oh, hi! Look, you showed up again. Isn’t that nice of you. What’s the matter, got nothing else to do? Evidently I don’t either. LOL You see, it’s Summer. All together now, how does Bailey feel about Summer? You’re lagging Toni. Michele, pay attention. One more time. Tori, this way sweetie. Yes, face the monitor. Brandy! Quit snickering. Melissa? Wake up dearie. Once more everyone. How does Bailey feel about Summer? There you go, that was perfect. Almost. Susan? What are you doing? No looking at LOLCats right now. Anyway, yes it’s Summer and my brain has gone on vacation along with the nekkid muses. I’m waiting for Fall. Please, sweet Fall, show your orange leaves, your crisp evenings, your splendid shedding of Summer’s green coat. Cast off the chains of Summer and run free like the wind!!!!! Oh, sorry, got carried away there. Lis honey, you’re late. Find a seat. You’ll have to catch up on your own. BTW, for being late that’ll be 3 laps around the track. Raine? I see you lurking over there. (waving) Okay, as you have noticed, the blog is still a Monday, Wednesday and Friday blog. And Friday’s will still be spam day. Keep down the cheers people. The only thing I ask of you – and this is for you lurkers – just at least say hi once a week. Two letters - H and I – a simple thing but enough to let me know that you are out there.
So it’s Summer, Tuesday was a level red ozone alert, Wednesday a level orange. Bebo and I are not amused. This isn’t good for people with asthma. It’s not really good for people without asthma. We’re all choked up about it. (har, har) But Fall really is just around the corner. School has started, NFL is in pre-season, the new Fall TV season is within eyeshot. Soon the Texas State Fair will start – my last sign of Fall. Last weekend, Bebo and her mother saw geese flying in formation heading south. Yippee!!!!!!!!! Fly babies, fly home to mama!!!!! I said – oh, hi. I forgot you were there for a moment. Sooo, Summer is nearing it’s end (oh please, oh please, oh please), and soon Bailey will be in a much better mood. You will be thankful for this too, just wait and see.
So, without further ado (not that we were ado-ing anyway), here is another of my LOLCatz. Yes Susan, see – good things do come to those who wait.
Until Friday, have fun, be safe, and be good. If you can’t be good, take notes.
It still gives me chills when I hear it. Pay attention to the audience - see, they're standing as everyone is traditionally supposed to do. I do it (not when driving the car of course), but you would be surprised how many do not. I've had the good fortune to actually perform this - and it's no easy task.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Handel's Messiah:
The most famous movement is the "Hallelujah" chorus ..."
"In many parts of the world, it is the accepted practice for the audience to stand for this section of the performance. Tradition has it that King George II rose to his feet at this point. As the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king rose. Royal protocol has always demanded that whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch's presence. Thus, the entire audience stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries. It is lost to history the exact reason why the King stood at that point, but the most popular explanations include:
1) As was and is the custom, one stands in the presence of royalty as a sign of respect. 2) The Hallelujah chorus clearly places Christ as the King of Kings. In standing, King George II accepts that he too is subject to Lord of Lords. 3) He was so moved by the performance that he rose to his feet. 4) He arrived late to the performance, and the crowd rose when he finally made an appearance. 5) His gout acted up at that precise moment and he rose to relieve the discomfort. 6) After an hour of musical performance, he needed to stretch his legs.
There is a story told (perhaps apocryphally) that Handel's assistant walked in to Handel's room after shouting to him for several minutes with no response. The assistant reportedly found Handel in tears, and when asked what was wrong, Handel held up the score to this movement and said, "I thought I saw the face of God"."
Whatever the reason, people stand. So remember that the next time you hear this. Unless, of course, you're in a car or something ...
Merry Christmas everyone. Hallelujah, the Lord is born.
My countdown of favorite Christmas songs is almost over (aren'tcha glad). This song has always brought me such joy - but especially with the great Josh Groban singing it. Enjoy!
I watched the Bing Crosby Christmas Specials every year, and 1977 was no exception - especially with the appearance of David Bowie. My word, what possibly could the two of them do? What they did turned out to become Christmas music history that is still played today. I loved this then, and I love it now.
Without the words. I prefer it this way. Don't get me wrong, they're lovely words, but there's something about LeRoy Anderson's great music that makes this song complete without them. Don't pay any attention to the pictures, just close your eyes and listen to the sleigh riding across the snow, the horses' legs lifting high in the drifts, wind whipping the scarves around the riders heads. I love listening to this.
No, I'm not referring to Bubba the red-necked kitty.
I just love this song. No, realy, I do. It's such a catchy tune, and what better way to spend a Saturday than to hum this one over and over and over until you're ready to run something over with a reindeer. Enjoy!!!
This is the version that I heard originally, but I've only been able to find it recorded by Reba McIntire (I know, I've probably spelled it wrong)and Andy Griffith. But at least Youtube had this - forget the pictures and just listen to the words, it's a wonderful story. I know, it's not technically a "song" but bear with me, okay?
This is by Grandpa Jones of Hee Haw fame. For those of you who remember him, enjoy the memories. For those of you who don't - well, you missed something.
As most of you know, my mother passed away only a few months before Christmas. When the holidays came around I wasn't sure what I would do. I didn't feel like celebrating, and yet I made an effort. But it wasn't the same. I began hearing this song on the radio and it would make me cry - it described most of what I was feeling. I couldn't find Christmas anywhere, but most of all, I couldn't find it in my heart. I can remember driving home from work and this song would play and I would cry. Eventually, I found a bit of Christmas and this song has become one of my favorites.
I don't like very many versions of 12 Days of Christmas - sorry, it just gets nauseating. But this is the exception 'cuz it's such damn fun!! Enjoy this rendition from the 1979 TV Christmas special A Christmas Together with John Denver and the Muppets.
I’m not kidding. Sunday we were at 80 degrees – well, mostly. Here it is Sunday evening at 11:07 and it’s 45 with a wind chill of 39. Which, by the way, is supposed to be Monday’s high. Yeah, can we say hormonal shift? Back into the 60s by the end of the week, and then we’ll probably start all over again. This, dear readers, is why a lot of people around here are sick – up and down, up and down, winds from this direction and then from the other. It’s a mess. We could actually have sleet Tuesday morning – oh goody, goody.
Anways, as you’ve probably heard, there’s this thing called Christmas that is coming up. I know, I know – where have I been? Last year I did recipes, this year I’m going to treat you with my favorite Christmas songs.
This next one was written by a man named Mark Lowry (along with someone named Buddy Greene). He’s a member of the Gaither gospel group and when I heard the song the first time I couldn’t believe that he wrote it. Why? Think of Goober as writing this song and you’ll get the idea. Mark is the comedian of the group and I would have never thought that he was capable of such beauty. Here is his rendition as I believe that it is the best version of this song. Enjoy.
It's Friday huh? Yes Bailey, that's what usually follows Thursday, unless you got drunk on Wednesday night, then it's Saturday. Another Spamless Friday. What a calamity this is.
Spamless, Bailey's blog is spamless trying to receive some of that spam that we love. Spamless, whoa-a-whoa, spamless whoa-a-whoa, spamless please send what we write of.
Viagra, comes from across the Niagra, promises that your dick is something to be proud of Spamless, whoa-a-whoa, spamless whoa-a-whoa, spamless for your beloved.
Alarm clocks, ticking giant alarm clocks taunted me daily from the apartment above. Spamless, whoa-a-whoa, spamless whoa-a-whoa spamless you know what I speak of.
I actually have 4 of them, but I'm waiting until I get at least 8. Until then, I'll try to entertain you in other ways.
Okay, imagine this is a blog post. In fact, while we're at it, imagine this is the best damn blog post you've ever read. Why? 'Cuz I'm queen and I said so ... besides, I have nothing to blog about, that's why. So, this is the greatest blog post you've ever seen, got it? While we're at it, let's add some imaginary pictures of sexy guys. Yeah, that's it - lots of sexy guys: a little Jackman, a few Clooney, some Bill Pullman (hey, I think he's sexy), a couple of Blooms - you get the idea, right? Sprinkle in a joke sent by Susan/Christa/Bebo/whoever - real hysterical/groaner joke. A fantastic review of a book I haven't read yet, and presto chango, a blog post. See, that was easy, wasn't it? What do you mean you don't see anything? You have to use your imagination. You got one of those, don't you? Do I have to do all of the work around here? Okay, okay, .... let's see ... I went to the Yellow Rose Christmas party Saturday night! Had a great time. Bebo and I actually got there without getting lost. That's a first so far. Well, we did get lost going home, but hey, it was dark!!! We just refer to it as adventures in driving. and that's it! Yeppers, that's the full story of my weekend. Don't you wish you'd stuck with the imaginary post??
So it begins, or maybe it’s already begun for you … the Christmas Season. I’m so not ready. I’m hoping to get the tree up tomorrow, but I have to clean the closet first. I need to get to the Christmas decorations for one thing. Then there’s the fan to be stored for the winter and a place to put the pedestal table that’s where I’m going to put the tree. Fortunately, my gift buying list is rather short and I have that done already. Cards? Yeah, got those too – just need to do a little thing like address and mail them. LOL I don’t know if I’ll do any baking this year, for two reasons. First, I don’t trust this oven – I can’t seem to get a hang of its cooking time; secondly, I really can’t afford all of the ingredients. I might have a go at some fudge, we’ll see.
Still fighting this sinus thing. It doesn’t help that the winds can’t decide which way to blow, or that the temperature has been a bit schizophrenic. Add that to the tons of boxes of books people have been bringing in from who know where they’ve been stored, and that adds up to one helluva sinus cocktail.
Bebo sent me this great little recipe the other day, so in closing I’ll share it with you. Have fun!!!
*Quote:* The world's most dangerous cake recipe
*5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE*
4 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa 1 egg 3 tablespoons milk 3 tablespoons oil 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using)and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
Okay, I'm struggling with a sinus infection/cold, so am not up to the usual jovial, er, sunny, um, okay - so maybe this isn't that different than other posts lately. Sue me.
To my darling husband,
Before you return from your overseas trip I just want to let you know about the small accident I had with the pick up truck when I turned into the driveway. Fortunately not too bad and I really didn't get hurt, so please don't worry too much about me. I was coming home from Sylvia Park, and when I turned into the driveway I accidentally pushed down on the accelerator instead of the brake. The garage door is slightly bent but the pick up fortunately came to a halt when it bumped into your car. I am really sorry, but I know with your kind-hearted personality you will forgive me. You know how much I love you and care for you my sweetheart. I am enclosing a picture for you. I cannot wait to hold you in my arms again.
Stuffed. And I don’t mean with stuffing either. I’m.going.to.pop. And that won’t be pleasant so everybody ruuuuunnnnn!!!
I had a really great time at Bebo’s – good food, good times, good company. I hope everyone had as good of a Thanksgiving as I did.
So, where’s spam? That’s what I keep asking … where is it? My spam box is filled with boring credit report, *v*i*a*g*r*a messages and bank updating information. Seems the phishers are having more fun than I am. What ever happened to “you can chop a log with your dick”? Or “your neighbors have lost their alarm clock”? Where have the days of penis enlargement and grammatically challenging sentences gone? The economy is sucking the life out of the only real source of amusement I get now days. It’s not fair I tell you, not fair at all!
And what is with this weather??? It snowed in Australia this week. One week before summer. Here it’s November 27 and we’ve barely had cool weather. I think the spammers are responsible. At least that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
This is boring …
Shhh, give her a moment; she’ll get into the swing.
About as well as an elephant on a vine.
What?
You heard me.
That’s what I was afraid of.
That you heard me?
No, that I understood what you were saying.
Did you just insult me?
Who? Me? I wouldn’t do that.
That’s what I thought.
At least, not that you would notice.
I think I resemble that remark.
You don’t resemble anything.
Yes I do!
No you don’t! I’ve told you, you’re not real.
I’m not?
No, you’re a figment of her imagination.
That’s scary.
Tell me about it – you would hope she had a better imagination than that.
You did it again.
What?
Insulted me.
No, that was a figment of your imagination.
It was?
Yeah, you’re always imagining that I’m insulting you.
Bud?
What?
Will you tell me when you’re really insulting me?
Of course Ern, that’s what friends are for.
I thought they were to carry you home from the bar.
The year has turned its circle, The seasons come and go. The harvest all is gathered in And chilly north winds blow. Orchards have shared their treasures, The fields, their yellow grain, So open wide the doorway~ Thanksgiving comes again!
Author Unknown
>
If you are traveling this Thanksgiving, please be careful. Enjoy your day with your family, I know I will. Peace, Grace and Love to all of you.
I don't understand why it took them this long to figure this out. I mean, yeah Clooney can do it for me, but twice? Damon? Uh uh (sorry Jill). Pitt's a looker. Bt I ask you, what ... what was so hard about picking this guy? I read a list of the best looking men in hollywood and he wasn't even on it? Are they insane? Have they all lost their marbles? Finally, yes finally, People Magazine told the entire world what I've known all along.
How do you tell a friend “thank you”? How do you let them know that their presence in your life means more than they can ever know? And when their birthday comes around, what can you give them when you have nothing to really give? I’ll tell you how …
Happy Birthday Beverly. I celebrate the day you were brought into this world. You are my rock, the support of much of who I am. Nothing anyone achieves in their lives is done in a vacuum, just as nothing that I myself achieve is done without the many things you bring to me. You nurture my soul, you ground me, and you bring me out of the darkness in which I often immerse myself. For that alone I call you friend. But you do more than that. You make me face realities when they are often too hard for me to endure. You make me laugh. You make me cry. I’m happy to call you my friend, but I’m even more proud to be able to call you sister.
I love you …..
When I first heard this song, I thought it could only refer to romantic love. But then I listened more closely and realized that it can also mean the kind of love that we share.
There are days when I feel exactly like that little kitten above. The world is going by while I'm sleeping. Or at least the years. I was driving home from work the other day when I decided to take a different route, one that I don't use that often. It takes me down a really messed up street named Town East Blvd. The Town East is because the mall is there. It's been under construction forever. In fact, when it started, Nixon was in office. Okay, I exaggerate, but it's been a while, with no real end in site. When it's done, it will actually be the best connection between Bebo and me. But I digress. Nixon does have something to do with this though. I'm sitting at this light, cars lined up beside me, strip shops on one side, the mall on the other and I remembered. Yep, my mind did the ol' "I remember when" game. When I was a child we'd go to the lake and pass by this area - it was nothing but farm land then. In fact, one of my favorite restaurants, The Saltgrass Steakhouse, sits where the old farm house once stood. Or at least near it - I don't remember exactly what the historical marker there says. But now it's a hub of retail activity. Things change - so much has changed. Don't know what this post is about, just a rambling thought.
Another rambling thought:
When I go to work, or to Bebo's apartment, I drive down this street and pass this little church that sits a little away from the road. It's not a big building, but it houses a lot of memories. Two of my father's brothers and one of his sisters went to this church. A couple of cousins still do. But that's not the important part. You see, I smile and say "hi dad" every time I pass it. Why? My dad help build that church. It's a visible sign (other than his children and grandchildren) that he was once here.
Nothing really important, just a couple of rambling thoughts and a cute kitten. What else do you want on a Wednesday?
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 8oz. To 20oz. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy!"
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life: 1 Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue 2 Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them. 3 Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. 4 Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker. 5 If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. 6 If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.. 7 It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. 8 Never buy a car you can't push. 9 Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on. 10 Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. 11 Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late. 12 The second mouse gets the cheese. 13 When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. 14 Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live. 15 You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person. 16 Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. 17 We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box. 18 A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Yepper, no spam today. Sorry. I looked through my spam folders and nothing, and I mean nothing, struck my fancy. And believe me, it's been so long since my fancy has been struck that I would have noticed. So I dug through some really old (okay, 2005/06) blog posts and found a couple of those silly college essay posts. Here you are, a sort of rerun since I took a couple of posts, picked the best and put them together. Have a great weekend!!
This is from Non Campus Mentis compiled by Professor Anders Henricksson, Workman Publishing, 2001. These are snippets from Essays by College students. Any misspellings are the fault of the students, not me or spell check.
Balboa was first to lay down his eyes on the Rocky Mountains. (I've lost more eyes that way.) Dick Cavett was the first European to visit Newfoundland. Cabot discovered the Netherlands and codfish. Captain Cook found many continents while deliberately on exhibition and located the perfect navel spot near Africa’s bottom.
Francis Drake was permitted by Queen Elizabeth to sail the seas and find illegal things to do with the Spanish. (Oooh, Antonio Banderas?)
This was the beginning of Empire when Europeans felt the need to reach out and smack someone. (So that’s when it began.)
Charles V spent most of his reign aging. (I hate when they do that.)
Henry VIII divorced his original wife, who had become old and impregnable. Elizabeth I was eventually the daughter of Henry the Ate. Mother to Elizabeth was Ann Beau Lynne, wife of the moment to Henry VIII. (Got that?)
Escaped peseants could be free if they went to a city and hid there for a hundred years and a day. (Really, you think that would work?)
Witch hunts erupted in countries such as Germany, England, Scotland and Salem. (Didn’t Massachusetts invade Salem?) The victim profile was older post-marsupial women unable to bare children. (Which is why they keep them in those little pouches.) Those arrested were torchured until they told a story. The worst of this could be the rack or burning with hot pokers. Some unfortunate women were made to endure the public duckling stool.
Philip II later annoyed the Dutch by speaking to them in Spanish, a language he did not understand. (Those Dutch are soo easily annoyed.)
If the Spanish could gain the Netherlands they would have a stronghold throughout northern Europe which would include their posetions in Italy, Burgangy, central Europe, and India thus serrounding France. (Does Salem know about this?)
The German Emperor’s lower passage was blocked by the French.
There was Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt was actually farther up than Upper Egypt, which was, of course, lower down than the upper part. (obviously a future Government tax form writer.)
Babylon was similar to Egypt because of the differences they had apart from each other. Egypt, for example, had only Egyptians, but Babylon had Summarians, Acadians, and Canadians, to name just a few. (Ah, so this is what they meant by Upper Egypt)
The history of the Jewish people begins with Abraham, Issac, and their twelve children. Judyism was the first monolithic religion. It had one big God named “Yahoo.” (Does Google know this?) Old Testament profits include Moses, Amy, and Confucius, who believed in Fidel Piety. One of the only reasons Confucius was born was because of a Chinese tradition. (Hmmm, I think they have that particular tradition in other cultures.)
Plato invented reality. He was teacher to Harris Tottle, author of The Republicans. Lust was a must for the Epicureans. Others were the Vegetarians and the Synthetics, who said, “If you can’t play with it, why bother?” (Sounds like a good philosophy to me.)
Roman upperclassmen demanded to be known as Patricia. Senators wore purple tubas as a sign of respect. Around the 120s B.C. the Gretzky brothers failed to stop these and other injustices. (Wayne Gretzky really tried, honest.)
Augustus (a.k.a. Octogenarian) founded the Roman Catholic Empire and punished those involved in sibilancy and adultry. … Augustus did have to leave the Empire due to his death. (Ah heck ,they always use that excuse)
Christianity finally became official after the Emperor Constantine’s famous Decree of Consternation. Constantine became a Christian himself after being persued by a neon cross on the battlefield. The entire city of Constantinople rose up with a tremendous ejaculation every time the emperor came.
You know, a blank page looks awfully lonely when you’re sitting here staring at it hoping that magical words would appear on the screen. But guess what? No matter how long you stare, nothing happens. Soooo, you have to put your fingers on the keyboard and just start typing, you know? And even then, magic doesn’t always flow from the fingertips to the screen. You gotta think. What if I’m too tired to think?
Waiting for the next cold front to appear. It’s supposed to hit this weekend. I say cold front ‘cuz that’s what they call it. I call it a cool front. Not supposed to get out of the 60s. But hey, it beats the 80s.
Bought Jill’s latest book “To All a Good Night”, and Loreth’s latest one “Manhunter”. Now I just have to read them. LOL I don’t know why I’m still in this reading funk. Or should I say “not reading” funk. There has never been a time in my life when I wasn’t reading, but since mom died I haven’t really been able to sit down and read a book. Go figure. I suddenly have time to read at my leisure, but my leisure doesn’t want to cooperate.
Hmmmm, what other inane dribble can I send your way? Um, not a dang thing, darnit!!
Okay, so I’ve said what I’m supposed to be reading. What about you? What’s on the TBR pile right now?
Oh, and no, I didn’t make this one – but I thought it was really funny.
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
In November 1919, President [Woodrow] Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"
The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m. The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:
Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
From United States Department of Veteran's Affairs website
So this Veteran's Day, I am going to list those in my family who have served in our Nation's wars since WWI.
WWI
John E. O'Connell (maternal grandfather) Frank O'Connell Glenn Trotter
WWII
Harry E. Mardis (father) Kenneth Mardis Richard Mardis James H. Mardis Walter Watson Mario Carli Charles Allen Glenn Trotter Golda Trotter O'Connell Thomas E. O'Connell Dorothy Rhodes O'Connell William H. Proudfit
Korea
Paul E. Erickson Bruce Beals
Vietnam
Kenneth Alan Mardis Terry Mardis Rick Mardis Larry Allen
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