Hi All!
Just a short post for today since I am getting to it so late.
You may notice that I posted a new podcast episode - number 27. This is basically a podcast of the blog post "Yeah!" So - if you have read that post - you have "heard" the podcast. If you missed that one, check out the podcast to hear it "straight from the horse's mouth" so to speak.
I didn't do my massages yesterday - I was cranky and had the DI meeting and . . . I guess I could come up with a million excuses but none of them are good enough to explain why I didn't do the exercises which are so vital to me keeping my voice in good shape. In fact, I noticed when doing my podcast today that my voice isn't as good as it was earlier in the week when I was doing my exercises regularly. Darn!
That should give me a good kick in the pants!
My next spate of classes doesn't start for another week and I am getting a little stir crazy. Hubby kindly suggested that I find something to do which will keep my mind busy so I dug out my Logic and Math Puzzle book to take a crack at some of those. Maybe that will keep me going for this next week.
I can't remember if I have said that I was thinking of going back to teaching next year on this blog or not. Well, I have been thinking about it. And I am split pretty much right down the center as to how I feel about the whole shebang! Part of me - the part which loves teaching and kids and that structure - really wants to get back into the swing of the classroom. I want to feel like I am making a difference in the lives of some kiddos.
The other part - the part which remembers all of the paperwork and silly requirements made by the Texas Legislature - wants to run screaming the other direction!
What to do, what to do? I keep thinking about it. It is nice to know that I can think about the situation without having a panic attack - something I couldn't do right after I had to quit teaching (in additional to my voice issues there was a nasty, nasty principal who really caused me some serious anxiety). That is progress, right? I still have a little time - not too much if I want my application in there at the beginning of things.
I wish that God would just send me a neon sign with instructions on it. Do you think that is too much to ask?
I hope you had a super weekend!
Trisha
Voice Update: Well, I pretty much said it all in the post but here we go - I didn't do my massage or exercises yesterday and not too much today (once) so my voice is a bit shaky. I am missing more p's and h's than I have been lately. I am getting "back on the horse" though and working like the dickens this week so that I can get back in shape.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Destination Imagination and The Binary Number System
Hi All!
This morning I will be heading to a high school in a different city to attend Challenge Master training for Destination Imagination. What, you may ask, is Destination Imagination? Well . . .
Have you ever heard of Odyssey of the Mind? If so, Destination Imagination is sort of the same thing. If not . . . here we got.
Destination Imagination is a program designed to challenge students to use their imaginations to solve different problems. The students form teams which are "managed" by an adult. The teams then chose from one of five or six long term challenges. They have several months to work on their solutions and must keep track of expenses, safety, etc. The region they are in holds a regional tournament where the teams present their solutions (often in a skit form) and compete against other teams to go to the next step in the tournament program - state. There are Nationals and even International competitions.
Along with this long term challenge, each team also has to perform an "instant challenge." This is a problem they are given along with supplies to use in solving the problem on the day of the tournament. They have anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes to think of a solution and then additional time to present their solution. Scores from this instant challenge are added to their long term challenge scores to determine their overall score.
Anyway - the students really enjoy it and so do the adults involved in managing teams and those who appraise the solutions presented. It is just a fun time.
I am in charge of our region's Instant Challenge. That means that I gather all of the supplies, train all of the appraisers, chose the problems, etc. I have done this for the past few years and have even conned Hubby into helping out. Each year the Challenge Masters (those in charge of challenges) have to get trained. Today is the day that we all get trained. Fun.
If any of you are interested in this kind of thing - check out the schools in your area to see if they hold Destination Imagination tournaments and volunteer. It is a blast!
In other news, I have officially become geekier! I learned how to navigate the binary number system! How geeky is that???
My whole binary curiosity began when Hubby's nephew and his girlfriend/fiance were talking about getting married on 10-10-10, which is 42 in binary. For those of you not quite geeky enough to know, the number 42 is from the Hitch hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. I am just geeky enough to recognize that which made me start to wonder just how in the world binary works. Well, I finally looked it up last night on the internet and it turns out to be quite easy!
I won't explain it here but this is the site I went to to figure it out. Hubby was a bit mystified that I actually understand the whole thing but was a good sport and gave me numbers to convert into binary. Of course, he found a tool on the internet which automatically converts numbers into binary so he could check my work!
I love learning new things!
Trisha
Voice Update: I did yet another day of massage and exercises! Kudos to me! My voice is doing really well. Thank you, God!
This morning I will be heading to a high school in a different city to attend Challenge Master training for Destination Imagination. What, you may ask, is Destination Imagination? Well . . .
Have you ever heard of Odyssey of the Mind? If so, Destination Imagination is sort of the same thing. If not . . . here we got.
Destination Imagination is a program designed to challenge students to use their imaginations to solve different problems. The students form teams which are "managed" by an adult. The teams then chose from one of five or six long term challenges. They have several months to work on their solutions and must keep track of expenses, safety, etc. The region they are in holds a regional tournament where the teams present their solutions (often in a skit form) and compete against other teams to go to the next step in the tournament program - state. There are Nationals and even International competitions.
Along with this long term challenge, each team also has to perform an "instant challenge." This is a problem they are given along with supplies to use in solving the problem on the day of the tournament. They have anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes to think of a solution and then additional time to present their solution. Scores from this instant challenge are added to their long term challenge scores to determine their overall score.
Anyway - the students really enjoy it and so do the adults involved in managing teams and those who appraise the solutions presented. It is just a fun time.
I am in charge of our region's Instant Challenge. That means that I gather all of the supplies, train all of the appraisers, chose the problems, etc. I have done this for the past few years and have even conned Hubby into helping out. Each year the Challenge Masters (those in charge of challenges) have to get trained. Today is the day that we all get trained. Fun.
If any of you are interested in this kind of thing - check out the schools in your area to see if they hold Destination Imagination tournaments and volunteer. It is a blast!
In other news, I have officially become geekier! I learned how to navigate the binary number system! How geeky is that???
My whole binary curiosity began when Hubby's nephew and his girlfriend/fiance were talking about getting married on 10-10-10, which is 42 in binary. For those of you not quite geeky enough to know, the number 42 is from the Hitch hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. I am just geeky enough to recognize that which made me start to wonder just how in the world binary works. Well, I finally looked it up last night on the internet and it turns out to be quite easy!
I won't explain it here but this is the site I went to to figure it out. Hubby was a bit mystified that I actually understand the whole thing but was a good sport and gave me numbers to convert into binary. Of course, he found a tool on the internet which automatically converts numbers into binary so he could check my work!
I love learning new things!
Trisha
Voice Update: I did yet another day of massage and exercises! Kudos to me! My voice is doing really well. Thank you, God!
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Wild Walk
Hi All!
The weather here is beautiful . . . for the moment! It was 60 degrees when I set out for my daily walk. I started out wearing a turtleneck and sweatshirt but ended up with the sweatshirt off and wishing I was wearing short sleeves! It is January - isn't it supposed to be a little cold? I am not wanting 30 degree weather - mind you - but come on!
I always knew Texas was weird!
Speaking of walks, Hubby and I are attempting to revive our evening walks. We have managed to walk twice this week. Yesterday we didn't walk because he didn't get home from work until it was dark and I was hungry so we just made dinner (well, I made dinner) and forgot the walk.
Today may be another late night at work for Hubby so the walk for this evening is questionable.
On our last walk though we saw some of the wonderful wildlife that is around our area. We live not too far from a golf course and not too far from a reservoir which is surrounded by land controlled by the Corps of Engineers and which is basically a nature preserve.
There are many houses in our development which back up to the Corps of Engineer land and these people have said that they have seen all kinds of wildlife roaming around. There have been rumors of a panther but they have never been substantiated so . . . who knows!
Our house is not right next to the preserve or the golf course but when we walk we get really close to both and this sometimes allows us to see some of the wildlife. For instance, the last time we walked saw a wild turkey and a beaver. Really!
For those of you who have never seen a wild turkey before - they are BIG birds! This one was simply standing still in an island in the middle of the road. The road was right in front of the houses that back up to the preserve so it wasn't too far for the turkey to roam but still. It was just standing there. Hubby and I think it was thinking it was camouflaged from the barking dogs in the next yard. It was blending in pretty well but we saw it!
Then, we went walking in the golf course (after looking to make sure there were no golfers around so we didn't get beaned by a ball!) by the little pond. At first, I thought the big brown thing was a rock but then I noticed that the water around it was moving. Then, the "rock" moved! It was a BIG beaver. (hmmm BIG turkey, BIG beaver. Well, I guess everything IS bigger in Texas!)
Hubby and I have seen beavers in the golf course pond before. We think that a pair of beavers comes up from the reservoir to breed and then, when the baby is old enough, return to the reservoir. This beaver was feasting on plants at the edge of the pond and Hubby and I got within about 10 feet of him/her before he/she swam away. When it was clear that Hubby and I weren't following him/her he/she came back to the edge and began munching again. We watching the beaver for quite a while totally amazed that there is such a neat animal (with that flat tail!) so close to our house!
I keep telling Hubby that walking is fun as well as good for you!
Maybe the next time we walk I will take my camera. Of course then there will be no turkey or beaver!
Trisha
Voice Update: I did my massage yesterday! Now to keep the trend (can you call one day a trend) going! My voice is doing well. I still have some hesitations on words beginning with those beloved unvoiced consonants but as I continue my exercises, that gets less and less noticeable!
The weather here is beautiful . . . for the moment! It was 60 degrees when I set out for my daily walk. I started out wearing a turtleneck and sweatshirt but ended up with the sweatshirt off and wishing I was wearing short sleeves! It is January - isn't it supposed to be a little cold? I am not wanting 30 degree weather - mind you - but come on!
I always knew Texas was weird!
Speaking of walks, Hubby and I are attempting to revive our evening walks. We have managed to walk twice this week. Yesterday we didn't walk because he didn't get home from work until it was dark and I was hungry so we just made dinner (well, I made dinner) and forgot the walk.
Today may be another late night at work for Hubby so the walk for this evening is questionable.
On our last walk though we saw some of the wonderful wildlife that is around our area. We live not too far from a golf course and not too far from a reservoir which is surrounded by land controlled by the Corps of Engineers and which is basically a nature preserve.
There are many houses in our development which back up to the Corps of Engineer land and these people have said that they have seen all kinds of wildlife roaming around. There have been rumors of a panther but they have never been substantiated so . . . who knows!
Our house is not right next to the preserve or the golf course but when we walk we get really close to both and this sometimes allows us to see some of the wildlife. For instance, the last time we walked saw a wild turkey and a beaver. Really!
For those of you who have never seen a wild turkey before - they are BIG birds! This one was simply standing still in an island in the middle of the road. The road was right in front of the houses that back up to the preserve so it wasn't too far for the turkey to roam but still. It was just standing there. Hubby and I think it was thinking it was camouflaged from the barking dogs in the next yard. It was blending in pretty well but we saw it!
Then, we went walking in the golf course (after looking to make sure there were no golfers around so we didn't get beaned by a ball!) by the little pond. At first, I thought the big brown thing was a rock but then I noticed that the water around it was moving. Then, the "rock" moved! It was a BIG beaver. (hmmm BIG turkey, BIG beaver. Well, I guess everything IS bigger in Texas!)
Hubby and I have seen beavers in the golf course pond before. We think that a pair of beavers comes up from the reservoir to breed and then, when the baby is old enough, return to the reservoir. This beaver was feasting on plants at the edge of the pond and Hubby and I got within about 10 feet of him/her before he/she swam away. When it was clear that Hubby and I weren't following him/her he/she came back to the edge and began munching again. We watching the beaver for quite a while totally amazed that there is such a neat animal (with that flat tail!) so close to our house!
I keep telling Hubby that walking is fun as well as good for you!
Maybe the next time we walk I will take my camera. Of course then there will be no turkey or beaver!
Trisha
Voice Update: I did my massage yesterday! Now to keep the trend (can you call one day a trend) going! My voice is doing well. I still have some hesitations on words beginning with those beloved unvoiced consonants but as I continue my exercises, that gets less and less noticeable!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Yeah!
Hi All!
Speech yesterday was good. Susan was pleased with how my voice sounded and how loose my neck muscles were. YEAH! I did tell her that I hadn't been that good about doing the massage three times a day consistently and she told me to work on that. However, she said it was much better than my previous appointment where she had to get all stern on me!
While at my appointment, Susan and I naturally talk about SD and it has gotten me thinking about the whole issue and a lot of stuff.
First of all, I am very grateful that I was led to Susan early in my "dance" with SD. I firmly believe that had I been given the run around that many SD patients are given and had gotten to Susan much later, I would not have been able to recover my voice like I have. Finding a speech therapist who understands SD and has experience treating it is hard to do. Also, finding a therapist who has had a number (albeit a small number) of AB patients is a major victory!
Next, I am grateful that I was able to stop working to recover my voice. Both Hubby and I are careful with our money and this has allowed me to be a "kept woman" for the past couple of years while I concentrated like a fiend on my vocal exercises. I can't imagine trying to continue teaching with a total lack of voice and then trying to find the time to do the exercises. I did teach for a couple months with no voice and it was so utterly exhausting that I would get home at the end of the day worn out and not wanting to do anything. Of course, I had a LOT of work to do for the next day so I could be prepared to teach without a voice again.
Another thing I am grateful for is my stubbornness. Many times it isn't a good thing to be stubborn but in this case, I honestly believe that my stubborn refusal to accept my lack of voice helped in my recovery. It made me determined to do everything I could possibly do to try to recover. It made me get "Mr. Timer" so I would do my exercises every hour, on the hour. It made me follow Susan's instructions to the best of my ability (sometimes I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do when I got home!). Who would have thought that such a character trait would work in my favor?
I am grateful for my support network: my Hubby (who should be sainted for being so supportive), my parents (especially Mom who would valiantly try to understand me as I barely produced a whisper on the phone!), my friend D (who also was good about the phone thing) and her daughter C (who is compassionate and understanding beyond her years), Susan (who spent almost as much time helping me deal with the emotional side of having SD as with the actual physical side), Lori (who helped me by being "just like me"), Dr. Stasney in Houston (who was oddly thrilled when I walked into his office with ABSD and then invited all of his interns in to listen to me try to talk). I am sure that there are others I have forgotten to mention - those who accepted my use of a microphone without too much comment, those who encouraged me to talk even when it was hard for them to listen, those who acted like it was normal for a person to order by writing things down instead of talking, those who didn't treat me like I was an idiot just because I had no voice. How could I be where I am today without any of these people? I have truly been blessed by God.
Finally, I am grateful that I can help others. Through my podcast, this blog, and my work with the SD support group (the one I started, not the one I am banned from), I have come in contact with so many nice and interesting people who have SD. I have shared my story with them and listened (not quite the right word since it is mostly via email) to their stories. In a small way, I like to think that I make a difference in their lives - if even for a moment.
All of this gratitude doesn't mean that there aren't times when I curse SD and the fact that I have it. I go through my "why me" stages and my "I hate everything and everyone" stages. I have days when my voice is bad and I am catapulted headlong into depression. There are times when I feel helpless to help people who contact me with SD because I simply don't know what to say or do.
Whenever I find myself in an "ungrateful" day, I have to stop, step back, and remember that my ABSD is here for good, no matter how wonderful my voice sounds on any given day. When I remember that I remember to think of SD not as an enemy but rather as a dance partner who sometimes lets me lead and who sometimes forces me to follow. If I can remember to dance instead of struggle, even when I am forced to lead, my SD isn't that bad. It is when I put up a fight that SD amps up the intensity to prove who is boss.
So, even though I don't usually know the steps, I keep dancing.
Trisha
Voice Update: Well, speech went well and my voice is doing really awesome. I am only at about 85% of where I was before I decided to be a dork and stop doing my exercises regularly but . . . that is better than nothing. I am still determined to get a handle on these exercises and massage so that they are a part of my routine that I do without thinking. It isn't looking too good right now but . . .I am really, really stubborn!
Speech yesterday was good. Susan was pleased with how my voice sounded and how loose my neck muscles were. YEAH! I did tell her that I hadn't been that good about doing the massage three times a day consistently and she told me to work on that. However, she said it was much better than my previous appointment where she had to get all stern on me!
While at my appointment, Susan and I naturally talk about SD and it has gotten me thinking about the whole issue and a lot of stuff.
First of all, I am very grateful that I was led to Susan early in my "dance" with SD. I firmly believe that had I been given the run around that many SD patients are given and had gotten to Susan much later, I would not have been able to recover my voice like I have. Finding a speech therapist who understands SD and has experience treating it is hard to do. Also, finding a therapist who has had a number (albeit a small number) of AB patients is a major victory!
Next, I am grateful that I was able to stop working to recover my voice. Both Hubby and I are careful with our money and this has allowed me to be a "kept woman" for the past couple of years while I concentrated like a fiend on my vocal exercises. I can't imagine trying to continue teaching with a total lack of voice and then trying to find the time to do the exercises. I did teach for a couple months with no voice and it was so utterly exhausting that I would get home at the end of the day worn out and not wanting to do anything. Of course, I had a LOT of work to do for the next day so I could be prepared to teach without a voice again.
Another thing I am grateful for is my stubbornness. Many times it isn't a good thing to be stubborn but in this case, I honestly believe that my stubborn refusal to accept my lack of voice helped in my recovery. It made me determined to do everything I could possibly do to try to recover. It made me get "Mr. Timer" so I would do my exercises every hour, on the hour. It made me follow Susan's instructions to the best of my ability (sometimes I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do when I got home!). Who would have thought that such a character trait would work in my favor?
I am grateful for my support network: my Hubby (who should be sainted for being so supportive), my parents (especially Mom who would valiantly try to understand me as I barely produced a whisper on the phone!), my friend D (who also was good about the phone thing) and her daughter C (who is compassionate and understanding beyond her years), Susan (who spent almost as much time helping me deal with the emotional side of having SD as with the actual physical side), Lori (who helped me by being "just like me"), Dr. Stasney in Houston (who was oddly thrilled when I walked into his office with ABSD and then invited all of his interns in to listen to me try to talk). I am sure that there are others I have forgotten to mention - those who accepted my use of a microphone without too much comment, those who encouraged me to talk even when it was hard for them to listen, those who acted like it was normal for a person to order by writing things down instead of talking, those who didn't treat me like I was an idiot just because I had no voice. How could I be where I am today without any of these people? I have truly been blessed by God.
Finally, I am grateful that I can help others. Through my podcast, this blog, and my work with the SD support group (the one I started, not the one I am banned from), I have come in contact with so many nice and interesting people who have SD. I have shared my story with them and listened (not quite the right word since it is mostly via email) to their stories. In a small way, I like to think that I make a difference in their lives - if even for a moment.
All of this gratitude doesn't mean that there aren't times when I curse SD and the fact that I have it. I go through my "why me" stages and my "I hate everything and everyone" stages. I have days when my voice is bad and I am catapulted headlong into depression. There are times when I feel helpless to help people who contact me with SD because I simply don't know what to say or do.
Whenever I find myself in an "ungrateful" day, I have to stop, step back, and remember that my ABSD is here for good, no matter how wonderful my voice sounds on any given day. When I remember that I remember to think of SD not as an enemy but rather as a dance partner who sometimes lets me lead and who sometimes forces me to follow. If I can remember to dance instead of struggle, even when I am forced to lead, my SD isn't that bad. It is when I put up a fight that SD amps up the intensity to prove who is boss.
So, even though I don't usually know the steps, I keep dancing.
Trisha
Voice Update: Well, speech went well and my voice is doing really awesome. I am only at about 85% of where I was before I decided to be a dork and stop doing my exercises regularly but . . . that is better than nothing. I am still determined to get a handle on these exercises and massage so that they are a part of my routine that I do without thinking. It isn't looking too good right now but . . .I am really, really stubborn!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Feeling Better
Hi All!
Well, last night prior to going to bed I made sure that all fishing pole type toys were safely on the mantle out of kitty reach. What a difference it made! I slept wonderfully (okay, I did have a very disturbing dream about working in a nuclear power plant but . . .)! The kitties did come to visit me at about 5:00 but, since they didn't come bearing toys, it was so much easier to ignore that I actually went back to sleep with Skor draped over my neck.
Hubby said it looked like I had a fur stole wrapped around my neck!
It is amazing what a good night's sleep can do for you!
For all of those people who told me to just close the door . . . well, I would do that but Hubby won't do it. I can close the door before going to bed and sometime during the night Hubby will get up and open it. I am not sure just what his reasoning is and I certainly make him suffer about it when the cats (okay, it is mainly only one KITTEN) get particularly feisty early in the morning.
I can live with the kitties coming in each morning as long as I keep the toys out of the bed (those of you with dirty minds . . . come out of the gutter, please).
Yesterday, I had lunch with my friend, M. and her cute little daughter, A. We do lunch on the first Tuesday of each month and I really enjoy it. This is a chance for us both to get out of the house (M is a stay at home mom) and to talk about things that we don't get to talk about with our husbands (because, let's face it, they just wouldn't care about the "girl" stuff we talk about). No matter what mood I am in (and yesterday I was in a cranky mood), having lunch with M brightens my day.
Returning home from lunch with M (after stopping off at Half Price Books to get four FREE books thanks to a coupon and getting a new cat toy at Petsmart) I even looked upon my little toddler kitten with kind eyes. I played with him for about thirty minutes and then read some in my comfy reading chair with Skor purring on my lap.
What a difference good friends can make in your life!
On the walking and weight front, I am doing well. I was out there this morning wrapped up like a mummy in coats, earmuffs, and scarves only to slowly peel them off in a bizarre slow motion parody of burlesque as I heated up from the exercise. Then I came in and finished the strip tease (sadly, with no Hubby to witness it) and headed up to the bonus room to do my weight routine. I think I might try doing the recommended two sets of exercises next week since I am slowly getting the hang of these things. I still have to read each day what to do and how many to do but I am getting there. I wonder if it is making any difference in my poor, flabby arms? I would like to think so!
Trisha
Voice Update: Today is speech. Today is the day that I will find out if my efforts at massage and exercising have made a difference. Today is the day that I face the truth. It makes me shudder to think about it. I have tried to be better with the massage and exercises, honest, I have. Of course, I haven't been doing too well but even that is better than I was doing, right? My voice is strong - I have that going for me! I will let you know the verdict tomorrow!
Well, last night prior to going to bed I made sure that all fishing pole type toys were safely on the mantle out of kitty reach. What a difference it made! I slept wonderfully (okay, I did have a very disturbing dream about working in a nuclear power plant but . . .)! The kitties did come to visit me at about 5:00 but, since they didn't come bearing toys, it was so much easier to ignore that I actually went back to sleep with Skor draped over my neck.
Hubby said it looked like I had a fur stole wrapped around my neck!
It is amazing what a good night's sleep can do for you!
For all of those people who told me to just close the door . . . well, I would do that but Hubby won't do it. I can close the door before going to bed and sometime during the night Hubby will get up and open it. I am not sure just what his reasoning is and I certainly make him suffer about it when the cats (okay, it is mainly only one KITTEN) get particularly feisty early in the morning.
I can live with the kitties coming in each morning as long as I keep the toys out of the bed (those of you with dirty minds . . . come out of the gutter, please).
Yesterday, I had lunch with my friend, M. and her cute little daughter, A. We do lunch on the first Tuesday of each month and I really enjoy it. This is a chance for us both to get out of the house (M is a stay at home mom) and to talk about things that we don't get to talk about with our husbands (because, let's face it, they just wouldn't care about the "girl" stuff we talk about). No matter what mood I am in (and yesterday I was in a cranky mood), having lunch with M brightens my day.
Returning home from lunch with M (after stopping off at Half Price Books to get four FREE books thanks to a coupon and getting a new cat toy at Petsmart) I even looked upon my little toddler kitten with kind eyes. I played with him for about thirty minutes and then read some in my comfy reading chair with Skor purring on my lap.
What a difference good friends can make in your life!
On the walking and weight front, I am doing well. I was out there this morning wrapped up like a mummy in coats, earmuffs, and scarves only to slowly peel them off in a bizarre slow motion parody of burlesque as I heated up from the exercise. Then I came in and finished the strip tease (sadly, with no Hubby to witness it) and headed up to the bonus room to do my weight routine. I think I might try doing the recommended two sets of exercises next week since I am slowly getting the hang of these things. I still have to read each day what to do and how many to do but I am getting there. I wonder if it is making any difference in my poor, flabby arms? I would like to think so!
Trisha
Voice Update: Today is speech. Today is the day that I will find out if my efforts at massage and exercising have made a difference. Today is the day that I face the truth. It makes me shudder to think about it. I have tried to be better with the massage and exercises, honest, I have. Of course, I haven't been doing too well but even that is better than I was doing, right? My voice is strong - I have that going for me! I will let you know the verdict tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Stike Throughs and Skor
Hi All!
Many of you are still in the dark about the whole strike through thing so I am copying and paraphrasing the directions sent to me by Ann B. I also read directions linked at Speaking of Simplicity in which the word "del" is replaced with "strike" instead. I have tried it both ways and both are verystriking! Striking, I say!
Take a sentence: Striking through a word or words is not so very easy to do! "
To strike through the ~not so~ in the sentence, do this:
Go to the "edit HTML" tab when you are composing and before the word/words you want to strike through type the <>. (I can't type it the way it looks because it strikes through the stuff I write!) After what you want to strike through, type another <, a / and then the word del or strike followed by another >. There should be no spaces between the > or <>Does that make sense? If not, email me (my email is in my profile) and I will email the exact thing to show you.
Many of you are still in the dark about the whole strike through thing so I am copying and paraphrasing the directions sent to me by Ann B. I also read directions linked at Speaking of Simplicity in which the word "del" is replaced with "strike" instead. I have tried it both ways and both are very
Take a sentence: Striking through a word or words is not so very easy to do! "
To strike through the ~not so~ in the sentence, do this:
Go to the "edit HTML" tab when you are composing and before the word/words you want to strike through type the <>. (I can't type it the way it looks because it strikes through the stuff I write!) After what you want to strike through, type another <, a / and then the word del or strike followed by another >. There should be no spaces between the > or <>Does that make sense? If not, email me (my email is in my profile) and I will email the exact thing to show you.
Okay, I hope that helps you out. Don't forget to switch back to the "compose" tab to continue working on your post.
As for my "real" post today . . . I am FRUSTRATED! I am cranky and frustrated and tired and cranky. Did I mention that already? Well, I am cranky so I tend to repeat myself.
Why am I cranky and frustrated and tired, you may ask? Well, let me tell you!
It is this little bugger's fault! That is right! Skor is in the doghouse (so to speak) again. He and Miss Cleo have been waking me up at about 5:00 A.M. every morning in anticipation of food at 6:30. Miss Cleo comes in, curls up at my feet and naps. Skor, on the other hand, comes in and pokes his cold, wet nose into my face, my ear, my neck, or any other exposed flesh he can find. Needless to say, a cold, wet nose at 5 in the morning is a rather rude awakening!
Well, I have gotten used to this wake up call and am even getting pretty good at ignoring it (and that, my friends, is quite a skill!). However, this Sunday Skor decided to herd Miss Cleo into the room at 3:00 A.M. That is no typo, THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING! Adding to this REALLY early visit, Skor decided to bring his toy. This is a fishing pole type of thing with a Mylar "tassel" on the end. Skor proceeded to put the toy into my ear - not a pleasant feeling.
So - I woke up. Wouldn't you?
Luckily, Hubby got up and fed the critters so I could sleep a bit more. What a good guy! Too bad his idea didn't work too well!
Right after eating, Skor was back in the bedroom with his toy and he discovered a really annoying "fun" game. He takes his toy firmly in his mouth, burrows down under the covers, and then attacks the toy viciously. With his claws. Fun, right?
Wrong! Why? Well, the toy is always located in a place such as against the small of my back and the claws don't stay on the toy exclusively. So - my back gets scratched. NOT FUN!
So much for my nap. I got up and did what I needed to do. Then, in the afternoon, I tried to nap again with the same results but with scratches on the back of my neck. I should say that Hubby had kindly closed the door to the bedroom for a while and then inexplicably opened it again to let dear Skor in!
Then, this morning, Skor and Miss Cleo were back in their true form at 5:00 A.M. Since I was already cranky, this just added fuel to the fire!
Cranky and frustrated and tired!
I should say that I did repeatedly throw Skor AND the toy off the bed and even went as far as to throw the toy out of the room. But, by then, I was up anyway! I think we will be putting the toy away before going to bed from now on!
Trisha
Voice Update: Two thirds. Does that count? I did two of the three sessions of massage and exercises yesterday. Rats!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Books, Books, I Gotta Have My Books!
Hi All!
First of all let me try out something from Ann - instructions on how tostrike out text.
The title for today's post is courtesy of my dear Hubby. This is what he says every time I grab a book to read or look at the books in Wal Mart or Sam's Club. Knowing my passion for books, you can imagine just how frequently he says this quote to me! To tell the truth, it is annoying at times!
Anyway, I have been doing some reading (I know, I know, so - what else is new?). Here is the latest batch.
First is a book my friend J loaned me while I was in Ohio. It turns out that she and A (another good friend) both watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight like I do. When the three of us went out to dinner we spent some time talking about the show and low and behold, J had the book. I borrowed it first, read it (it is a quick read) and then took it over to A so she could read it also and, presumably, return it to J.
If you don't know, Jon and Kate are a young couple who have eight children, a set of twins and a set of sextuplets. Yes, that is a LOT of kids all at once. They have a regular television show in which the viewer is shown just how they manage with this large family.
The main plot of the book centers around the auto industry during the early to mid 1900s and the desire of a very old man to create a new car to bring his company, Bethlehem Motors, back to life. Intertwined in the plot are many tales of lust, passion, infidelity, and intrigue.
Well, Aunt D, I give the book two thumbs up!
This book is a super read. It is filled with intrigue but isn't heavy and dense with details as many intrigue books tend to be. This book was surprisingly easy to read and the plot kept me reading rapidly along until the end. In fact, I finished this book on the plane back to Texas.
Stone Barrington, a lawyer and retired police officer, joins forces with some CIA operatives to investigate the death of his cousin who worked for the CIA and was found dead along with his wife and daughter. The deaths looked like a straight case of murder/suicide until Stone noticed a few problems. First of all, his cousin was right handed and was found with the gun in his left hand.
As the plot moves forward, additional clues pop up to indicate that this was not what if first appeared and Stone and his friends doggedly track the clues they can find. However, the motive and the killer are frustratingly elusive.
By the end of the book I had pretty much figured out "who dun it" but I still felt compelled to read the final pages to see if I was right. That is something I consider good writing, when an author can keep me hooked right to the last word on the last page.
Stuart Woods meets my criteria of good writing and I can tell Aunt D that I will be hunting down more of his books. It just might take me a while to find them for a dollar!
In other news, I walked (in the rain, thank you very much!) and did my weights this morning! YEAH! I also did ALL my massage and exercises yesterday! Another YEAH!
Trisha
Voice Update: YEAH ME! I did it! One day back on track! I am now shooting for two days in a row. Of course, one reason I am really working to get back on track is the sneaking suspicion that I have speech on Wednesday! My voice is doing really well even though I am not talking as much as I was over the holidays. I will keep on keeping on!
First of all let me try out something from Ann - instructions on how to
The title for today's post is courtesy of my dear Hubby. This is what he says every time I grab a book to read or look at the books in Wal Mart or Sam's Club. Knowing my passion for books, you can imagine just how frequently he says this quote to me! To tell the truth, it is annoying at times!
Anyway, I have been doing some reading (I know, I know, so - what else is new?). Here is the latest batch.
First is a book my friend J loaned me while I was in Ohio. It turns out that she and A (another good friend) both watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight like I do. When the three of us went out to dinner we spent some time talking about the show and low and behold, J had the book. I borrowed it first, read it (it is a quick read) and then took it over to A so she could read it also and, presumably, return it to J.
If you don't know, Jon and Kate are a young couple who have eight children, a set of twins and a set of sextuplets. Yes, that is a LOT of kids all at once. They have a regular television show in which the viewer is shown just how they manage with this large family.In the book, written primarily by Kate, the beginnings are revealed. She talks about meeting and marrying Jon and how they decided to do the fertility treatments (and why) which led to the birth of their twins, Cara and Madelyn. Kate shares her feelings and responds to common criticism as she relates going through fertility treatments again and ending up with six babies.
This book is a fascinating look into something which most of us will never experience (hopefully!). It is a quick read and really gives you more insight into the family you see on television each week.
Next is another book by Harold Robbins. The Betsy is a very . . . . interesting book.
The main plot of the book centers around the auto industry during the early to mid 1900s and the desire of a very old man to create a new car to bring his company, Bethlehem Motors, back to life. Intertwined in the plot are many tales of lust, passion, infidelity, and intrigue. To be honest, I must say that some of the language in this book shocked me. After all, this is another of the books from my GRANDMOTHER's house. The frequent use of the "f" word left me flabbergasted. My grandmother read THIS book? *gasp!*
Once past the shock of the language and the frequent side stories involving sex, the book is actually very interesting. I enjoyed reading it to the end to find out the resolution of the story as well as the resolution of conflict among the family which founded and continued to run Bethlehem Motors.
Not a bad read once you become used to the language and "extracurricular activities."
Last in the line up today is Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods. My aunt has been hounding me to read a book by Stuart Woods for several months now - maybe even a year or more. However, I have just not found his work in my clearance section at Half Price Books. Okay- to tell the absolute truth, I did find one of his books but they wanted $2.00 for it and that was twice my allowed budget of $1.00 per book.
Aunt D finally gave up and gave one of Stuart's books to my mother to give to me so that I would read it. I know she is waiting anxiously to hear my opinion of the book
Well, Aunt D, I give the book two thumbs up!This book is a super read. It is filled with intrigue but isn't heavy and dense with details as many intrigue books tend to be. This book was surprisingly easy to read and the plot kept me reading rapidly along until the end. In fact, I finished this book on the plane back to Texas.
Stone Barrington, a lawyer and retired police officer, joins forces with some CIA operatives to investigate the death of his cousin who worked for the CIA and was found dead along with his wife and daughter. The deaths looked like a straight case of murder/suicide until Stone noticed a few problems. First of all, his cousin was right handed and was found with the gun in his left hand.
As the plot moves forward, additional clues pop up to indicate that this was not what if first appeared and Stone and his friends doggedly track the clues they can find. However, the motive and the killer are frustratingly elusive.
By the end of the book I had pretty much figured out "who dun it" but I still felt compelled to read the final pages to see if I was right. That is something I consider good writing, when an author can keep me hooked right to the last word on the last page.
Stuart Woods meets my criteria of good writing and I can tell Aunt D that I will be hunting down more of his books. It just might take me a while to find them for a dollar!
In other news, I walked (in the rain, thank you very much!) and did my weights this morning! YEAH! I also did ALL my massage and exercises yesterday! Another YEAH!
Trisha
Voice Update: YEAH ME! I did it! One day back on track! I am now shooting for two days in a row. Of course, one reason I am really working to get back on track is the sneaking suspicion that I have speech on Wednesday! My voice is doing really well even though I am not talking as much as I was over the holidays. I will keep on keeping on!
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