Christmas survey...like I don’t have enough to do today...
Current mood: busy
Category: Quiz/Survey

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?   Paper...unless the gift IS wrapping paper, in which case it should be in a gift bag...

 

2. Real tree or Artificial?  Okay, you got me...real is better.  Believe me baby...real is ALWAYS better ; )

 

3. When do you put up the tree?  Whenever I have to...I might put it up this year by tomorrow...

 

4. When do you take the tree down?  Sometime in March?  Is this a trick question?

 

5. Do you like eggnog? Oh, hell no.  I don't even know what that stuff is, but I ain't drinkin' nothin' made of eggs.  Or nogs.

 

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  I really have no idea.  It's been a long (long) time since I was a child.

 

7. Hardest person to buy for?  I don't really have anyone that's hard to buy for in my life anymore.  In fact, most of them just tell me what to get for them...

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Actually, I think I maybe do...or I might have tossed it when I cleaned out the closets a while back.  Oh, don't be so scandalized...it was nothing special!

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Uhm...much like the "best", I really don't remember. 

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?  No thanks, I hate doing Christmas cards.

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't have one.  Really.

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas?  When the sense of panic becomes too strong to ignore.  Usually about December 22nd...

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?  Please.  It's called "regifting".  And yes, I have.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?  Christmas cookies!

15. Lights on the tree? As opposed to glow sticks?  Yes...lights on the tree.  Even mine.

 

16. Favorite Christmas song? The Holly and the Ivy by Mediaeval Baebes.  Or maybe the mis-named Canon by Pachelbel.  Technically, I don't think either of these are Christmas songs.  But whatever.

 

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I always travel for Christmas. 

 

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?  Of course, because of the song.  Lemme see, there's Grumpy, Sneezy, Stinky, Dumbass...

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Well, it used to be an angel.  But now my tree comes with a star on it.  I think.

20. When do you open the presents? Whenever I'm with people. 

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?  I gotta pick just one?  The stores, the traffic, the Salvation Army bell ringers (God bless 'em, but that bell gets annoying after a while.  Like, say, 8 seconds?)

22. Favorite ornament theme and color?  Whatever, dude.  Whatever.

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner?  Turkey.  Or steak.  Some kind of roast beast is nice.  Just not ham, so much.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Same thing I ask Santa for every year...a big bag o' money.  But that fat bastard never comes through for me...

25. Who is most likely to respond to this? Since I'm "bloggin'" it instead of sending it, no one should really be responding to it.  Some may comment on it, some may copy it...

26. Who is least likely to respond to this? People who are dead.  Followed closely by people who've never seen it. 

Currently listening : Chronicle, Vol. 1: The 20 Greatest Hits By Creedence Clearwater Revival Release date: 1990-10-25

12:17 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

New words!
Current mood: restless
Category: Life

I've learned a couple new words lately, and I need to try to work them into my vocabulary.  The first was "photogasm".  That's when you're looking at the pictures from a shoot and the model starts to exclaim, "Oh...OH...YEAH...oh my GOD, it's so GOOD"! 

The other was "spewage".  That's when people go on and on about something that they know nothing about.  There's an awful lot of that on Myspace and Model Mayhem.  Seems like a handy word to know... 

Anyway, that's all.  Just thought I'd share...

Currently listening : Kill to Get Crimson By Mark Knopfler Release date: 2007-09-18

1:54 PM - 7 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Life is an Echo
Current mood: inspired
Category: Life

Once upon a time….
A man and his son were walking in the forest.
Suddenly, the son got scared and screamed "Ahhhhhh!"
To his surprise, he heard coming from the mountain a voice that said: "Ahhhhh!"
Curious, he screamed back: Who are you!?
But the only answer he got was: Who are you!?
Ouhhhh, he quickly got upset and then screamed: You are a coward!
And the voice too replied: You are a coward!
He looked at his papa and asked him: Papa…what is going on?
The father kneeled down, held the hand of his son,
looked him in the eyes and said:
"Beloved son, people call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE."
So now, …pay attention:
And the father screamed: I admire You!
And the voice replied: I admire You!
Then the father said: You are wonderful!
The voice said: You are wonderful!
The little boy was surprised but still…he could not understand what was happenning.
You see son, Life gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more compassion in the world, give more compassion.
If you want more comprehension and respect, give comprehension and respect.
If you want people to be patient and respectful towards you, be patient and respectful towards them.
This law of nature applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it.
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE
IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

Currently listening : Odyssey Release date: 1996-09-01

9:41 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Flight or invisibility
Current mood: busy
Category: Quiz/Survey

So...you can choose.  You can have the power of flight, or the power of invisibility.  Which would you choose, and (of course), WHY? 

I know, I know...you want details.  No.  That isn't the game.  This is all the information you get.  Flight or invisibility.  You choose.  And tell us why. 

And yes, I'll answer, too.  But not first.  Later, after others have.

Currently listening : Deadwood: Music From HBO Original Series By Various Artists Release date: 2005-02-08

6:52 PM - 18 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

A tougher one!
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Uh-huh.  So...lawyers vs. engineers!  Who would win?

Currently listening : Kill to Get Crimson By Mark Knopfler Release date: 2007-09-18

2:16 PM - 5 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

A tough one...
Current mood: sleepy
Category: Religion and Philosophy

So...an important question came up last night:  Werewolves vs. robots.  Who would win?  Hmm...  That IS a puzzler... 

I really need to get out more...

Currently listening : Life’ll Kill Ya By Warren Zevon Release date: 2005-07-26

9:37 PM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

That faire quiz thing
Current mood: sleepy
Category: Quiz/Survey

6:20 AM - 9 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Aloha, Part Two
Category: Travel and Places

Here are a few pictures from Hawaii.  Yes, eventually these and others will get posted on Pbase.  But for now, here’s a "preview":

From the luau that was going on the night I arrived.

Never actually been on a horse before...  Sarah, Chris, some doofus, Aaron, and Jill.

Sunset from the suite.

The boogie-boardin’ beach.  Well, not right THERE...

Two ki’i, guardians of the place of refuge.

Breaching baby humback whale.

’Akaka Falls.

Showoff...

Currently listening : Grog n'Gunpowder By Salt Sea Pirates

2:52 PM - 5 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Aloha
Current mood: tired
Category: Travel and Places

Several people have asked about the trip to Hawaii.  There’s no way I’m gonna write a blog about that whole trip, it would be far too long.  But what I have done is grabbed my side of some email conversation that took place during the trip.  If you really wanna know about it, this should pretty much tell it.  It’ll be somewhat annoying to read, because you’re seeing only one side of the conversation and only the non-personal stuff at that, and getting it in a day by day form, not a handy summery.  But this is the best you’re gonna get, at least until the pics show up on Pbase.  Which will probably be months from now...  Also, I should mention that I was just getting over the flu when we begin our tale.  So, if you REALLY wanna know, without further ado:

Okay, lemme start by saying I am fully aware that this screw up is entirely my fault.  Which just makes it all the more frustrating.  That said, I got some ranting to do.
 
My flight (MY flight?  Well, not so much, really, as it turns out)  was scheduled for 7:41 and I live about 15 miles from the airport.  I leave running a little late (surprise, surprise) at about 6:15.  In a blizzard.  Hey, it’s February in west Michigan...I should have expected it.  As near as I can tell, nothing has actually been plowed and for once, traffic is moving at a reasonable speed for just such a situation.  Which means the 15 mile trip takes me a good 40 minutes.  Things are getting a little tight, but Grand Rapids is a very small airport, still plenty of time. 
 
Uhm...apparently they’re completely rebuilding the Grand Rapids airport.  Seriously, I parked in the handicapped area (which was as close as anyone could get to the terminal) and I’m fairly certain that I was parked closer to the airport when my car was still parked outside my apartment.  So I start walking the 20 miles or so back to the terminal (did I mention the blizzard?) when a helpful "airport shuttle" pulls over to give me a lift.  Thankfully I climb aboard, and then she drives around the rest of...well, what seemed to me to be the city...picking up other poor souls lost in the driving snow,  By the time she actually drops me at the terminal (actually the 1/4 mile walk to the terminal on the ramp through the construction) it’s about 7:10.  By the time I get to the counter, it’s 7:15.  And I’m told that I can not check in for "my" flight because they close boarding 1/2 hour before scheduled departure time.  I’m four minutes too late.  The plane is there, everything is in order, but that’s "the rule". 
 
The next flight out has already been canceled (did I mention the blizzard?).  Everything else is full until Sunday. 
 
So...I get my extra day or two of recovery time.  Honestly, apart from being angry with myself for not leaving 4 minutes earlier, I really don’t mind.  Another day’s rest will do me a world of good.  And may save my companions from catching a horrible disease...  And my lesson is learned:  Next time I’ll leave 3 hours early.  After all, I live 15 miles away!  Jeez, in good weather I could have driven to Chicago and beat the plane there... 
 
Every year or two I have to travel by air just so I can remember how much I hate it...

Okay, I think I gotta go get ready for the horseback trail ride.  I hope I don’t die...  None of this is gonna be easy for me.  Oh, and did I mention it’s very hot?  And humid.  And the volcano’s active? 

I love vacation...

Oh, you’ll get proof I was on the horse.  And also proof of the large bird that crapped all over me on the trip.  It’s been just another delightful day in Rogerworld.

I’m actually feeling way more better gooder, so no worries there.  For the most part, things are good.

The horseback ride did involve a lot of water, but nothing for us to swim in.  I made it, I’m still alive, I can still both walk AND sit down...so what if I was covered in bird shit?  We spent most of the rest if the day at a beach and then shopping at tourist shops after dinner.

Today we start with a trip to a beach where a herd of dolphins hang out.  I have no idea what happens after that.   Sarah and Jill have done most of the planning on this trip, and I honestly haven’t paid much attention.  As I think you may have been aware.

The weather yesterday was particularly beautiful, not as hot as the day before.  Partly cloudy (which was actually VERY pleasant to me). There’s a view of the ocean from the hotel room, and the sound of the surf is always with us here.

No dolphins, but we did see some whales.  Other "watching" expeditions are planned.  This was a very interesting beach with many tidal pools filled with fish, crabs, and a lot of weird things which I have no idea are plants or animals. 

We kind of spent the rest of the day hanging out "downtown".

Today we rented snorkeling equipment and boogie boards for the "adventures" to come in the next two days.  Yeah, seeing that they didn’t get me killed on the horses, they’ve decided to try to drown me.  And, being in my current state of
mind I said..."okay".

So...if you never hear from me again it’s because I got pulled out into the ocean and perhaps eaten by a shark.

"Shoot the tube?"  Baby, I’m just gonna try to NOT die.  I’m pretty sure you’d have to measure in decades to go back to the last time I was swimming.  And no, there are no birds to worry about.  But there are riptides, sharks, giant man eating octopi, and various recently awoken giant hungry dinosaurs.

Turns out I’m not really a fan of Mai Tais, so whatever frame of mind I’m in is all organic.  Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad.  How far is it from Alaska to Hawaii, anyway?

Oh, I rode the wave, baby.  And it rode me...  Actually, that was a lot of fun.  Sarah and Jill turned out to be insane about it, however.  They boarded for hours.  Something like four of them.  The waves really were amazing, though.  Something like eight feet high and pretty much constant.  I’m not crazy about the part where I get sand blasted on the way in to shore, but the rest was fun.

We saw a few whales today just as we were driving along.  Pretty cool.  Not sure what the rest of the day holds.  But I’m pretty sure frostbite doesn’t enter into it.

The mai tai was pretty wretched.  I’ll not be doing that again.  And so far I’ve only swallowed one mouthful of seawater.  The ocean will hardly miss it.  And no spam at all!  I may have been mis-informed.

You mean Hawaii is closer to Alaska than it is to Michigan?  I guess that makes sense, but I think there may be a message for me in there somewhere. 

After a brief reprieve for more touristy shopping (which is where I was when I sent my last message) we followed a road to the very north end of the island.  The view there was pretty spectacular.  Looks like the end of the world. 

Then back to the beach for...more boogie boarding.  I did not partake this time around.  I had finally dried off and my ankle was frankly pretty bad by then.  I did walk ever so slowly to the end of the beach where I thought I could get some pretty spectacular photos.  Wish I could attach some here, but it will just have to wait until I get home. 

It’s hard to say if the various red areas of my body are from the sun (some certainly are) or from sand abrasion (some certainly are).  They all hurt.  But none of them very much.  Sunscreen seems to come off when sandblasted...

All is well here, though I am exhausted.  Maybe I’ll be able to sleep beyond 4:30 AM tomorrow...  Okay, gotta eat.  Then collapse.

First I should clarify that there’s a big difference between shopping
and buying.  And you may have noticed that while it goes on, I’m often
writing you.  So I dunno what everyone else is planning to do, but my
purchases will fit in my suitcase.

I’m not really doing all that much photography, but some places are
"point and shoot".  We’ve got a few minutes this morning to try to get
some shots of Sarah’s dress, and that’s pretty much it. 

As for the burns, well...I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.  The
burns are slightly uncomfortable, but that’s about the extent of it.
No treatment is necessary at this point.  I’ll be avoiding the sun a
little more proactively from here on out.

Okay, I’ve done Sarah’s "mini shoot" and I gotta head out for the
snorkeling part of our show. 

I know you warned me about the sun.  The thing is, I really hate sunscreen.  I put it on, but didn’t keep re applying it.  Too late for that now.  But I am trying to avoid any more damage. 

I wasn’t a big fan of the snorkeling.  Turns out I have a pretty strong psychological block against inhaleing while my face is under water.  It didn’t help that it was very deep and fairly turbulent water that had to be entered by climbing over slippery jagged volcanic rocks.  Abrasive, would be the word.  In retrospect, I’d have been far better off leaving the snorkel on shore and just holding my breath while looking under that water.  But the view was spectacular. 

We then went to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, a kind of refuge in time of war.  Now it’s a great place to find sea turtles, which we did in abundance.  Then for a tour of a coffee plantation (appearantly Kona coffee is a big deal).   After that was the inevitable shopping.  This time at a local artisan’s market.  Which I have to admit even I enjoyed. 

Tomorrow, it’s more boogie boarding and then a whale watching tour. 

Yesterday we were back on the boogie boarding beach in the morning.  I did not partake this time (it’s all about the sun, baby).  But I did hide under an umbrella on a beach chair and read your book.  Which, as I think I said, I’m enjoying greatly.

In the afternoon we went on a whale watching cruise.  That was awesome.  I lost track of all the whales we saw, something like a dozen.  They’re Humpbacks, and apearantly this is the breeding and birthing season and Hawaii is the place where that happens.  The highlight of the trip was finding a mother, her "escort", and a calf, maybe a little more than a month old.  The young whale seemed to take great delight in splashing the surface with it’s tail and leaping out of the water (I guess to get a view of us weird looking boat dwellers).

Today we drove across the island to Hilo to see ’Akaka falls.  Very tall, very beautiful.  Then on to Volcano National park.  The girls didn’t want to breath any volcano fumes, so it was a very brief visit.  We visited a lava tube for a few minutes and were gone.  It was a lot of driving without much payoff.  But now I’ve pretty much circled the whole island.

Okay, today is travel day.  There may be some dolphin watching before we leave.  There’s a resteraunt that has some kind of dolphin pond where we’re gonna try to get lunch.  And then off.

Well, the dolphin watching lunch was actually pretty awesome.  There were several "pools" of dolphins.  For a substantial sum of money (and a reservation purchased well in advance) one could swim with them.  We merely watched.  But it was really amazing.  I’m always touched and moved by intelligent creatures that share our world, and this was no exception.  Amazing creatures! 

Then for the looong flight home.  I made it as far as Chicago.  My flight from there to GR was overbooked, so I volunteered for a later flight and got the free ticket anywhere in the continental US.  As I write this, I’m still waiting for that flight.  Oh, yeah.  And to get me on it, they had to bump me up to first class.  Bummer... 

When I get home, I’m gonna sleep until I can’t anymore and then try to figure out where and when I am. 

Currently listening : Music From Purple Rain By Prince & The Revolution Release date: 13 January, 2008

6:32 AM - 6 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Luminary
Current mood: tired
Category: Life

Imagine for one second you could drop in on a past life.  What would you like to find yourself doing there?  What would charm you, make you proud?  Ask yourself that, and the question of what to do in this life becomes so simple it's terrifying.  Just to do that thing that would charm you, that would make you say, "Yes, it's the real me".  Do that, and you're alive.

Millennium, Season 2:  "Luminary"

Currently listening : Bach: The Cello Suites Inspired By Bach, From The Six-Part Film Series / Yo-Yo Ma By Yo-Yo Ma Release date: 17 February, 1998

2:16 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment