Christmas Vacation

We had a great Christmas. We must've been really good this year because Santa left lots of presents for everyone. We had a great Christmas dinner. I suggested we have something besides Turkey but was overuled by both the kids. It's nice to know that they enjoy my holiday cooking so much that they don't want anything different. So we had: Turkey, Oyster Stuffing, Potatoes Au Gratin, Broccoli Casserole, Jambalaya, Avocado Salad, Rolls and Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream for dessert. Same as always, but it was good. Chuck made the Oyster Stuffing and Pototoes Au Gratin.

Becoming Jane

A new movie about Jane Austen is in production to be released in 07. It's called Becoming Jane. Anne Hathaway stars as Jane. You can vote on which poster you like best for the movie here:
The Film Factory

I voted for this one because it included a Jane Austen quote.

(Thanks to AustenBlog for the information.)

"Great Books" in the News

Should Linsay Lohen be cast as Natasha Rostov in a new movie version of Tolstoy's War and Peace?

From the article "New Chapter in Great Books Debate"

Literary canon losing ground
For the third time in 21 years, The Siena
Research Institute asked college students and faculty nationwide which of the
"Great Books" they have read. The list of 30 volumes was selected in 1984 by
William Bennett, then chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Survey dates were 1985, 1997 and 2006. Here is a sampling of their findings.
Oscar-nominated films based on a classic tale can boost the books'
popularity among students.
"The Odyssey" and "The Iliad" rose from 43
percent to 59 percent readership from 1985 to 2006. That follows the 2004
release of "Troy," a film adaptation of Homer's epic stories, starring Brad
Pitt.
Readership of "Pride and Prejudice" increased from 14 percent (1985)
to 26 percent (2006). Keira Knightley starred in the 2006 film version of Jane
Austen's story.
Perhaps a new adaptation of Dostoevski's "Crime and
Punishment" starring Keanu Reaves or Tolstoy's "War and Peace" with Lindsay
Lohan could revive interest: Those authors sit at the bottom of the list along
with such luminaries as Aristotle, Machiavelli and de Tocqueville.
Over
time, about half of students say they've read the Bible -- 55 percent in 1985,
50 percent in 2006 -- but faculty members' habits changed dramatically: In 1985,
80 percent recommended it, but only 56 percent in 2006.
Apparently, faculty
members instead chose to recommend that students read Emily Dickinson's poems:
68 percent in 1985, 75 percent in 1997 and 80 percent in 2006.

Read the whole article here:
Siena opens new chapter in Great Books debate

O Tannenbaum

I hope you know I was kidding in my previous post about the blog awards. Maybe someday I'll really get into this blogging thing. Anyway, I'm sitting here on a relaxing Saturday morning in front of our beautiful Christmas tree. Somtimes I feel like the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge when it comes to Christmas lights and trees. I wasn't looking forward to getting a tree because of the space it takes in our living room and the mess that falling needles make. I tried to convince the rest of the family that a nice fake tree would be just as good but it was no go. Everyone else wants the real thing.

Well now that it's up I'm glad we have it. I love the way my son gets into the whole thing. He reminds me of Chevy Chase in the movie Christmas Vacation. You know, the guy who never has enough lights and has to outdo everyone in the neighborhood, the one who blows the fuse on the electricity because of the power drain. That's my boy. Every year he insists on getting more lights. It's a good father son activity. But, every other morning the electric outlets in the bathroom don't work because of a blown fuse from the Christmas lights. At first I thought my blow dryer was dead, but no, it was merely a blown fuse caused by the drain of the Christmas lights, bah humbug.

I also love the family time of putting up the tree. We have some great keepsake ornaments that the kids have made through the years, some with baby pictures and little boy and girl pictures. I especially like the one Eric made at daycare when he was three. It's a reindeer head made from the outline of his foot and the antlers are his hand outline. Where did that little boy go?

When I was growing up we had a family tradition that my brother and I each had an angel ornament. Every year we would put that ornament on the tree as high as we could reach. I've instituted that with my kids, but alas, Eric's is almost off the top of the tree, it's even with the star at the top of the tree. I guess we'll have to get a taller tree next year...

Here's an interesting article on the origin of the Christmas Tree:
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

Best Blog Awards

Okay, so no one nominated me for the The 2006 Weblog Awards. Well it's true. But if you're interested here is a link to the finalists.

If you want to vote for one of the finalists you can click here (scroll down to the list of finalist categories).

It's a good way to find interesting blogs in categories of interest to you.

It's been way too long

UCLA 13 USC 9

It's been seven long years since the Bruins have triumphed over their crosstown rivals. That losing streak ended on Saturday. And what a great game it was. I don't watch much football but this was a game to watch, and I was so happy not to be disappointed by the result.

Read more about it here.

GO BRUINS!

A UK shopping trip

I did something I've never done before. I ordered a book from amazon.uk: "Amo, Amas, Amat And All That - How To Become A Latin Lover" by Harry Mount. It's available in the UK and not yet from Amazon US.

I got a confirmation email that it was "dispatched" and is on its way.

My New Car

Happy (day after) Thanksgiving

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Blame it on the accident.

We had a very nice low-key family Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. (Enjoying leftovers today.)Then we went over for desert to some friends' house. They recently bought a new house so it was nice to see it. We were planning to go up to Sacramento to spend Thanksgiving with Chuck's mom and siblings but the lack of a vehicle forced us to postpone the trip until after Christmas.

We're going car shopping this weekend. We're looking at getting a Ford Escape Hybrid.
Some of the reasons for the choice are:

I think they're reasonably cute.

I like SUVs but not large ones.

The gas mileage is great.

We were looking at a used Mercedes SUV but it turns out it only gets about 15-18 miles per gallon. The Escape Hybrid gets 36.

You also get a $2600 tax credit for 2006 for buying a hybrid.

Anyway, that's what we're looking at. We have to get it this weekend because we brought the rental back on Wednesday and that leaves us with only Chuck's truck which he'll be driving to work on Monday. Pray for us to get a good deal okay?

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I like to take some time to read up on the early history of our country and to share it with my kids. Here's a link to a history lesson on the value of thankfulness:
The Rest of the Thanksgiving Story

Better or Worse, Part Two

In the interest of putting this behind me I offer the following words to complete my description of the car crash that totalled my car about two weeks ago:

ambulance ride, bleeding head, concussion, nausea, emergency room, morphine, stitches, headache...

As I said, I'm much better now. The headache is almost gone, stitches are out and only a part of the back of my head is still numb. I still don't remember anything about the crash.

I thank God for several of the moms from Aimee's gym. One of them followed the ambulance and stayed with me in the emergency room. She told Chuck later how the hospital people left me alone and strapped in to this backboard stretcher thing and when I threw up she was the one who unstrapped me and helped me turn on my side. I shudder to think what would have happened if she hadn't been there. (My advice, never go to an emergency room alone.)

Another of the moms came later and stayed with me until they released me at about midnight. She took me home and made sure I was okay. Another of the moms took Aimee home from gym and brought her to my neighbor's house to spend the night. I'm very thankful for all the help and kindness of the people in the gym.

Chuck and Eric had just arrived in Texas when they got a call about the accident. Chuck arranged for Eric to stay with friends so he wouldn't have to miss the youth concert and meetings and seeing his friends. Then he caught the first flight home and got home shortly after I did, at about 1 in the morning. All in all it was a very forgettable experience. Oh, did I mention we're getting a new car?

for better or worse

That's the phrase that came to mind as I thought about writing this blog post. Okay, I'm not married to this blog but since the name of the blog is "all my ways", I guess I need to write about one of the worst things that ever happended to me. It's not something that I've been looking forward to writing about. In fact, I just want to forget about it. (Well in some ways I already have because I have no memory of the actual event.)

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. Psalm 91:15

On Thursday, October 26, around 4pm, I was involved in a serious car crash and I've been recovering since then. Chuck and Eric were out of town. They left early Thursday morning for Texas to go to a church conference. Aimee and I have a sort of tradition of going to Whole Foods for Miso Soup and Sushi before gymnastics on Thursday, so that's what we did. Then I took her to the gym and decided I should go home and put away the milk and eggs I had bought at Whole Foods.
That's pretty much the last thing I remember before I woke up in the car with all kinds of strange things going on. The first thing I noticed was the cracked windshield. Then I noticed that both of the airbags were hanging deflated out of the steering wheel and dash board. It was like I had been somewhere else for a while. I have a vague memory of a place with bright colors and flowers. But the place I woke up to wasn't nearly so pleasant. My head hurt and I realized it was bleeding.

To make a long story short, (just as well because a lot of the details are fuzzy)... Okay, I have to go, I'll finish this post later with Part Two. But don't worry, I'm okay.

Another weekend...

in paradise? Well not quite, but it sure was a nice weekend. This was the view from our balconey yesterday afternoon. We all had a busy weekend and yesterday afternoon was time to relax. (Who is that cute pool guy anyway?)

Eric had a Starr Ranch Junior Biologist meeting in South Orange County on Saturday and Aimee had a big gymnastics meet on Saturday in Bakersfield. In case you're not from sunny Southern California, each is over eighty miles away in opposite directions. But we managed to get both of them to their respective destinations and back home again. Whew!

My nerd score

Today in history

Munsell's Every Day Book of History and Chronology records under the date October 15, 1764:

Gibbon says that on this day, as he sat musing among the ruins of the Roman capitol, while the barefooted friars were singing vespers in the Temple of Jupiter, he first conceived the idea of writing the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

from rogueclassicism

For some reason this reminded me of my trip to Israel in the 80s. I remember that our tour group was standing on a kind of floor of an ancient house in the Biblical town of Capernaum.. It was all that was left of the building, in fact it was basically all that was left of the town.” I remember thinking at the time of the words of Jesus spoken to that town that was once thriving and alive, “and you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.”

Home Sweet Home

Prayer for this House

May nothing evil cross this door,
And may ill-fortune never pry
About these windows; may the roar
And rains go by.

Strengthened by faith, the rafters will
Withstand the battering of the storm.
This hearth, though all the world grow chill
Will keep you warm.

Peace shall walk softly through these rooms,
Touching your lips with holy wine.
Till every casual corner blooms
Into a shrine.

Laughter shall drown the raucous shout
And, though the sheltering walls are thin,
May they be strong to keep hate out
And hold love in.

by Louis Untermeyer

Who Indeed

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOT T: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!


(A few days later)


ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on "START. . ."

(from Miss Snark, literary agent's blog)

Guest Blogger

The guest blogger today is my son, Eric. This is a composition that he wrote for his English class. The assignment was to write about a personal incident where he had to make a decision. Since I've been wanting to write about some of our "Hollywood" experiences I thought I'd let him tell this one:

A Memorable Decision

When I was 12 years old I faced a difficult decision. I was sitting in a restaurant in Canyon Country, eating breakfast with my mom. We were planning a fun day at Universal Studios, when her cell phone rang. My heart sank. I knew immediately who it was. I waited impatiently for her to get off the phone; she was writing details on a piece of paper. “I have some bad news and some good news”, she said, “The bad news is we won’t be able to go to Universal Studios today. The good news is you have an audition for a national commercial and you get to skateboard for the audition.” “Mom”, I said, “call her back and tell her I can’t do it today.” I was really looking forward to going to Universal Studios. But turning down an audition wasn’t really a good idea, so I reluctantly decided to go.

When we went in for the audition there were so many kids it took hours to finally get in to see the casting people. The whole time I was waiting I was thinking that I could be having fun at Universal Studios. When I got inside the audition, I had to skateboard and drink Sunny D. Those were two things I enjoyed at the time and I was pretty good at both of them, if I do say so myself. They really liked me and I did really well in the audition. The next morning I got a phone call from my agent telling me I got the part. I was really happy and excited because I got to get paid to skateboard and drink Sunny D. I was so glad I had decided to go to the audition.

They were filming it at house in an LA neighborhood. Out in front of the house there was a huge catering truck that had food out the whole time I was there. They had donuts and sandwiches and every other kind of food you can imagine. I was in my proverbial heaven. I soon learned that I was doing the commercial with another kid. That made me happy because I had someone to hangout with we soon became friends. Before we shot the commercial we had to get our wardrobes they dressed us up kind of dorky but I didn’t care. It was worth it. After we got fitted and dressed we went right to work.

The first thing they wanted us to do was act like we were really bad at skateboarding. We had to fall and not land any tricks. One time I fell kind of hard on my face but I was ok. It was starting to get really hot and they made us fall for at least two hours. I was so relieved when the director finally said, “lunch time”. I took off my helmet and my hair was soaking wet. It was gross. I didn’t care. It was time to eat. I filled my plate with everything on the menu and I filled my stomach with everything on the plate. It was so good. The director gave us an hour for lunch.

When that hour was finally over we had to do the drinking the Sunny D scene. I was happy because we didn’t have to fall on our skateboards anymore. I soon found out that I didn’t have to do the drinking scene right away. I thought I was going to have a break while my new friend had to do his drinking scene. At least that’s what I thought until the studio teacher showed up and made me do school work I had almost finished all of my school work by the time he was done. It was back to work but now I actually got to land tricks. The theme of the commercial was that we were bad at skateboarding until we drank Sunny D and then we became good. It was supposed to give you energy.

Then it was my turn to do the drinking scene. I was happy because I didn’t have to be outside anymore. This scene would scar me for life. It would make me hate something I had loved. In this scene I had to reach in the refrigerator and grab a bottle of Sunny D and chug the whole bottle. Sounds like fun? Well it’s not that fun when you do 34 or more takes. I did literally 34 takes. In the middle of takes they would spray me with mist so I would look sweaty. I haven’t drunk Sunny D since that day.

The day was finally over and so was the shoot. I was relieved and sad. I would miss my friends I made there but I was also happy because I didn’t have to drink any more Sunny D. Even though I was “scarred for life” by drinking so much Sunny D, I was glad I made the right decision.

A Good Word

Here's a thought for today:

Anxiety in the heart of man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.

Proverbs 12:25

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day

Ahoy Mateys! To think I almost missed it. I just now came across this and I need to share it before it's too late. Today, September 19, is International Talk Like a Pirate day.

You can read all about it at the official Talk Like a Pirate Website.

A Good Report

Yesterday was a good day. Aimee competed in her first meet of the Level 5 compulsory season. She won 1st place on vault and floor and 2nd in the all-around.

She also qualified easily for the sectional competition in October.

All in all it was a good start for the new season.

Kathy Paxton, where are you?

Happy 50th Birthday, Kathy. Today is her birthday and I have no idea where she is. Kathy lived down the street from me growing up in a suburb of New Orleans. We were best friends until I moved to a different neighborhood when I was ten and a half. We stayed in touch after that but it wasn't the same as just walking down the street to her house. I haven't seen her in over thirty years.

If I think real hard I can put myself in her house, in her backyard, making whirlpools in her above-ground swimming pool. I remember her toy chest in her room, her older sister Donna, her mom, Miss Phyllis (we called all our friends parents Miss whatever, even though they were really Mrs.), her beautiful collie dog, Lady, her grandpa Pa-Pa. I can't remember her dad's name but I can picture him in my mind's eye. We took dance lessons together at Bayhi's School of Dance. With our other friend Kerry across the street we were the three Ks of the neighborhood.

Kathy, I miss you and I wish you a happy 50th Birthday!

An Update

Back to school is going full-speed ahead. Chuck went back to work after a month-long vaction in August. Eric started as a Freshman at West Ranch High School on August 17th and Aimee started back to homeschool in 3rd grade on Sept. 4, which means I went back to teaching on Sept. 4 also. The past week has been kind of a blur.

After several weeks of taking Eric to school every morning and picking him up every afternoon, I just have one question. What genius decided it was a great idea to put three public schools on the same block? The high school, junior high school and elementary school are within a block of each other, on the same street. This same street is up a hill with only one way in and out. What should be a five minute drive can take up to half-an-hour. And all these wonderful suburbanites, let's just say that it gets rather cutthroat out there on the mean streets of Valencia. Wow!

Aimee has her first gymnastics meet of the Fall season tomorrow. The meet starts at 8am. So much for sleeping in. She's been working really hard and now's the time to shine. I'm expecting to have a good report to share after the meet. Now I need to get a good night's sleep.

My Friends

I have friends whose society is extremely agreeable to me; they are of all ages, and of every country. They have distinguished themselves both in the cabinet and in the field, and obtained high honors for their knowledge of the sciences, It is easy to gain access to them, for they are always at my service, and I admit them to my company and dismiss them from it, whenever I please. They are never troublesome, but immediately answer every question I ask them. Some relate to me the events of past ages, while others reveal to me the secrets of nature. Some teach me how to live, and others how to die. Some, by their vivacity, drive away my cares and exhilarate my spirits while others give fortitude to my mind, and teach me the important lesson how to restrain my desires... They open to me in short, the various avenues of all the arts and sciences, and upon their information I may safely rely in all emergencies. In return for all their services, they only ask me to accommodate them with a convenient chamber in some corner of my humble habitation, where they may repose in peace; for these friends are more delighted by the tranquillity of retirement that with the tumults of society.

Petrarch

My Native Tongue

In honor of the 1st anniversary of Hurrican Katrina, here is a lexicon of my native tongue:

Excerpted from Tim Lyman's introduction to Bunny Matthews' book of comic strips featuring New Orleans dialogue, "F'Sure!: Actual Dialogue Heard on the Streets of New Orleans."

or How ta tawk rite

ALGERIAN - Someone from Algiers (the only part of the City of New Orleans to lie on the West Bank). Some locals say "Algereens", but we always said Algerians. It's funnier.

ALLIGATOR PEAR - Avocado.

ANYWAYS - And, then; and, so.

ARABIAN - Someone from Arabi, in St. Bernard Parish. See "Algerian".

AWRITE - The appropriate response to the greeting "Where y'at?" Also, a greeting in and of itself: "Awrite, Ed!"

AWRITE, HAWT - A female response of agreement.

AX - Ask.

BANQUETTE - The sidewalk. Pronounced . Usage fairly rare nowadays.

BAT'TROOM - A room in the house where one doesn't find bats, but where one bathes, attends to the elimination of bodily waste, or locks oneself in and cries until one gets one's way.

BERL - To cook by surrounding something in hot, bubbling 212°F liquid; the preferred method for cooking shellfish.

BINHAVIN, BEEN HAVIN' - To have had something for a long time, as in ... Q: "How long ya had dat dress? A: "Oh, I binhavin dat."

BINLOOKIN, BEEN LOOKIN' - To have searched for something for a long time, as in "I binlookin f'dat book."

BOBO - A small injury or wound.

BOO - A term of endearment, frequently used by parents and grandparents for small children, even small children who happen to be 40 years old ... Believed to be Cajun in origin.

BRA - A form of address for men, usually one with whom you are not acquainted. Usually used in this manner: "Say, bra ..." The preferred term of address of SWEATS.

BRAKE TAG - An inspection sticker on your car, proof that you've passed the required annual safety inspection. It encompasses several areas of your car (e.g., horn, wipers, etc.) but is primarily concerned with the integrity of your brakes. Given the fact that New Orleans is surrounded by various lakes, rivers and canals, a bad set of brakes could mean that you might end up at the bottom of one of those bodies of water at the very least. Throughout New Orleans (although I'm not sure about other parts of Louisiana), the inspection sticker is called a "brake tag". If it's expired and you get pulled over, you're guaranteed to get a ticket. (Believe me, I know.)

BY MY HOUSE, BY YOUR HOUSE, etc. - Analogous to the French terms "chez moi", "chez toi", etc. Usage: "He slept by my house last night." "At" is never used in this sense.

CAP - A form of address for men, usually ones with whom you are not acquainted. Women generally do not use this term. See also PODNA and BRA.

CATLICK - The predominant religion in New Orleans. And, according to some Baptists, all Hell-bound.

CEMENT - A standard English word, but with a special pronunciation. Locals say , not .

CHALMETIAN, CHALMATION - Someone from Chalmette, a city in St. Bernard Parish that's part of the New Orleans "metro area". Occasionally used as an insult. (Many New Orleanians have a low opinion of Chalmette.) Out-of-towners often pronounce it with the hard "ch" sound as in "charge". It's more like or , and the city is pronounced .

CHARMER - The quintessential female Yat. Pronounced .

CHIEF, CHEEF - A form of address between men, along the lines of "cap" and "podna".

COARDNER - Corner. As in, "I'm going down to the coardner to get me a shrimp po-boy." This is a contribution from native New Orleanian Powtawche N. Williams, who says, "My family in the 7th Ward uses it all the time." (I've never heard it, me ... but my family's from da 9th Ward, so who knows?)

CUSH-CUSH, KUSH-KUSH, COUCHE-COUCHE - An old French/Cajun breakfast dish my grandmother used to prepare. The words rhyme with "push", and it is prepared by browning or searing cornmeal in an oil glazed pot till light brown, then served hot with sugar and milk in a bowl, just like cereal. (Contributed by Ave from Chalmette)

DA - The.

DAT - That.

DAWLIN' - A universal form of address. Women use it to refer to both sexes, men use it toward women.

DEM - Them.

DERE - There. As in "Dere ya go!", an expression of encouragement or acknowledgement of having done something for someone else.

DESE, DOSE - These, those.

DIS - This.

DODO, MAKE DODO - Sleep. From the Cajun French "fais do do", or "make sleep". In Acadiana, the term "fais do do" is used for a Cajun dance, and is thought to have originated when the parents would tell their kids to hurry up and "fais do do" so that they could go to the dance; alternately, it's said that the hosts of the house dances (bals de maison) would have a separate room for parents to put their small children, and the lady watching them would keep singing lullabyes and saying "fais do do" so that they could sleep amidst the din of the dancing Cajuns.

DOUBLOON - A coin, approximately the size of a silver dollar, minted on a yearly basis by the various Mardi Gras krewes. The standard type is made of aluminum and they're thrown from Mardi Gras floats by the parade riders. The distinctive sound of a doubloon hitting da cement is enough to start a mad scramble, where you're likely to trample on an old lady, or alternately be trampled by an old lady.
Doubloons usually come in a variety of colors, and collectors try not only to collect all available colors, but also the exclusive krewe members-only versions made of brushed aluminum, brass or even silver. Doubloons have traditionally been collected with great fervor and rabidity, but from what I can tell their popularity has fallen off over the years. Pronounced , and the cries of "Da-BLOOOOON!!! Da-BLOOOOOOON!!!" can often be heard along parade routes.
Unfortunately, the passion for catching doubloons and for doubloon collecting seems to have waned in recent years. Seems people want cups, or those stupid long strings of beads, rather than a nice, collectible doubloon. I think it's a shame.

DOWN DA ROAD - A staple in the vocabulary of the St. Bernard Parish Yat, along with up da road. This term is travel directions for someone headed to lower St. Bernard Parish traveling on St. Bernard Highway (US Highway 46). You are usually in da parish when you use this phrase with a destination of either Violet or Poydras. For example: "Let's go down da road and pass over by the trailah pawk."
DRESSED - When ordering a po-boy, "dressed" indicates lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and MYNEZ, on it. See NUTTINONIT.

EARL, ERL -
1. A vegetable product used for cooking, making roux, etc.
2. A petroleum product used to lubricate the engine of your car.
3. Your Uncle Earl. (Most New Orleanians have an Uncle Earl; I do.)

ELLESHYEW - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Occasionally preceded by the term, "Go ta hell ..."

ERNGE, URNGE - An orange-colored citrus fruit.

ERSTERS, ERSTAS - Oysters.

ESPLANADE - Walkway. The street name is pronounced es'-pl-NADE, and the last syllable rhymes with "raid", not "rod".

FAUBOURG - A suburb or outlying neighborhood, as in Faubourg Marigny. Usually pronounced by natives.

FLYIN' HORSES - Accented on the first syllable. A merry-go-round, sometimes specifically describing the merry-go-round in City Park, but also used in general. I've never heard this term used outside of New Orleans to describe a merry-go-round or carousel.

FOR - a preposition used by New Orleanians instead of "at" or "by" when referring to time. E.g., "Da parade's for 7:00, but we betta get dere for 6 if we wanna find pawkin'." This one tends to be particularly confusing to non-natives.

F'SURE! -
1. A statement of agreement. See YEAH YOU RITE.
2. An excellent (but out of print) book by local artist Bunny Matthews, featuring cartoons with "actual dialogue heard on the streets of our metropolis".

F'TRUE - Pronounced . When phrased as a question, it means "Is that so?" or "Ya kiddin'!!". When phrased as a statement, it's an affirmation, a shortened version of "Nuh uh, I ain't lyin' ta ya ..."

GAWD - A supernatural deity, worshipped by most New Orleanians.

GO CUP - A paper or plastic cup for consumption of alcoholic beverages out on the street, as open glass containers (and cans too, I think) are illegal. As a Bunny Matthews bartender character once said, "Here, cap -- I gotta give ya dis beer in a cup, 'cos da City Council passed dis law sayin' I can go ta Angola fa serving ya a beer in a beer can ..."
Many non-New Orleanians are astonished that we can drink out on the street in go cups. When I left New Orleans, I was astonished that you can't do it anywhere else (which nearly got me arrested in Los Angeles ... uncivilized savages.)

GOUT - Pronounced . French for "taste." Usually applied to coffee. As in, "You want a little gout?" Mostly old people are the only ones still saying this.

GRIP - A small suitcase, usually not a hard-shell one, more like a schoolbag or an overnight bag. Other locals have used this to refer to all types of suitcases. "Don't fo'get ya grip!", says ya mamma, as you're leaving the house.

GRIPPE - The flu.

GRIS-GRIS - Pronounced . Noun, A (voodoo) spell. Can be applied for nefarious purposes ("to put a gris-gris on someone"), or as a force to ward off evil, like wearing a gris-gris bag (the folks at the Voodoo Shop on Dumaine will make one to order for about $20).

HAWT - A term of endearment used primarily by local females.

HEY, BAY-BEE! - Pronounced with the "BAY" drawn way out. A greeting between any two people of either gender.

HICKEY - A knot or bump you get on your head when you bump or injure your head. Everywhere else in the world a hickey is what you get on your neck after necking. Not in New Orleans. See PASSION MARK.

HOUSE COAT 'N CURLAS - The preferred dress for charmers while shopping at Schwegmann's.

HUCK-A-BUCKS or HUCKLE-BUCKS - Frozen Kool-Aid in a Dixie cup. A way to keep cool during the summer. I had never neard this term growing up, but contributor Milton Cloutier from the 7th Ward says they used this term in his neighborhood, and another 7th Warder, Darrel Schexnayder, adds even more:
The term was very common for me growing up in the 7th Ward. Neighbors would sell the frozen treats for a nickel, along time ago. Sometimes we'd make them ourselves. They were as popular as "snow-balls" are/were to the rest of New Orleans.
There is even proper etiquette for eating huckle-bucks (as I used to call them). The first thing you have to do after paying your nickel/quarter or whatever the cost:
1. Warm the sides until the frost is mostly gone 2. To loosen the frozen berg from its Dixie cup confines by pushing up on the bottom of the cup. 3. Carefully flip it over so that tapered-down bottom is up and out. There are three major advantages to this technique -- (1) that's where to best flavor resides; (2) easy access to the body of the flavored ice and (3) some folks would wrap a coin in Saran Wrap and place it at the bottom.
Musta been a 7th Ward thing. :-)

I'LL TAKE ME A ... - May I have a ...

INKPEN - A ball-point pen, or any kind of pen, really. Always heavy emphasis on the first syllable ... "Lemme borra ya INKpen, awrite?"

INSURANCE - Pronounced .

JAMBALAYA - A rice-based dish containing meat and seafood, prepared in a nearly infinite variety of ways by Louisianians. The usual out-of-towner mispronunciation has the first syllable rhyming with "jam", when it should rhyme with "Tom" ... jom'-b@-LIE-@, secondary accent on first syllable, primary accent on third. But one local pronunciation that was brought to my attention (although nobody in my family said it this way) is JUM-b@-lie'-@, primary accent of first syllable which rhymes with "bum", secondary accent on third syllable.

JAWN - The most popular boys' name in English, pronounced this way among Localese-speakers. Also, a pot ta pee in. Rhymes with "lawn". See TURLET.

K&B, KB, KB's - A local drug store for decades, beloved by locals, whose trademark color was a deep, violent purple. Everything in KB was purple, from the price tags to the ink pens (and their ink) to the managers' and cashiers' vests. In the old days, K&B used to have lunch counters and soda fountains, but these were all gone by the time I was in high school in the mid- to late 70s. Also in the old days, there were radio and TV jingles for K&B, the lyrics of which were, "Look on every corner and what do you see? A big purple sign that says 'Your Friendly K&B!'" In schoolyards, the lyrics were often changed to have the big purple sign say something uncomplimentary and/or obscene. "K&B" stands for "Katz and Besthoff".
Alas, K&B is no more, having been bought out by some vile Northern chain who changed the chain's name to "Rite Aid" and got rid of the purple. I will never shop there again under any circumstances for as long as I live. It's Walgreen's or Eckerd for me from now on.
"Streetcar" Mike Strauch has put up a K&B memorial page, with the background a brilliant, beautiful K&B purple (see below).

K&B PURPLE - A particular shade of purple that you'll know if you know K&B. Used in phrases like, "He was so mad, his face was K&B purple", or, "I can't believe ya bought dat ugly car! It's K&B purple!"

LAGNIAPPE - Pronounced . A little something extra. Lagniappe is when your butcher gives you a pound and two ounces of hot sausage but only charges you for a pound, or when the waiter at your favorite restaurant brings you an extra dessert or something, and doesn't charge you. Lagniappe breeds good will, friendship and most importantly, return business. Also, "Lagniappe" is the name of the entertainment pull-out section of the Friday edition of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

LOCKA - Where you hang your clothes, analogous to the English word "closet". Example: "Mom-MAH! Where my shoes at?" "Looka in ya locka!" (See LOOKA) Occasionally spelled "locker", as if it was proper English. Generally always used in place of the word "closet", but I must confess I have yet to hear this term used in the context of a gay or lesbian person "comin' outta da locka ..." :^)

LOOKA - The imperative case of the verb "to look". Usually accompanied by a pointing gesture. Often used as a single exclamation: "Looka!"

LOOKIT DA T.V. - To watch T.V. Locals don't watch T.V., they look at it. Oh, and in proper Localese form, it's pronounced , emphasis on the first syllable.

MAKE GROCERIES, MAKIN' GROCERIES - To do grocery shopping. Thought to have originated with the French expression for grocery shopping, "faire le marché". The verb "faire" can mean either "to do" or "to make", and the idiom may have been mistranslated.

MARDI GRAS - This grand pre-Lenten celebration for which New Orleans is famous is pronounced .

MARRAINE - Pronounced . Your godmother. Elsewhere the terms "nanny" and "nanan" (pronounced NAH-nan) are also used for godmother.

MAW-MAW - Ya grandma.

MIRLITON - A vegetable pear or chayote squash, which grows wild in Louisiana and in backyards throughout New Orleans. Pronounced , and wonderful when stuffed with shrimp and ham dressing ... have a look at the recipe.

MUFFULETTA - A quintessential New Orleans Italian sancwich, of ham, Genoa salami, mortadella, Provolone cheese and marinated olive salad on a round seeded Italian loaf. Invented at Central Grocery on Decatur in da Quarter. Locals pronounce this , and will tend to just abbreviate it as "muff". But if you ask a member of the Tusa family (the proprietors of Central), they'll pronounce it in elegantly proper Italian as .

MYNEZ - Mayonnaise.

NEUTRAL GROUND - The grassy or cement strip in the middle of the road. The terms "median" and/or "island" are NEVER used in New Orleans. Use of one of those foreign terms instead of "neutral ground" is a dead giveaway that you ain't from around here, or anywhere close. If you're lucky, you live on a street with a neutral ground big enough to play football on.

NEW ORLEENS - The way silly tourists pronounce "New Orleans". Natives do not do this. Exception -- song lyrics, as in "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans", for example, and when omitting the "New", as in "Orleans Parish", which is always pronounced . Confusing, isn't it? More on this below.

NUTTINONIT - A po-boy that is not dressed, which only contains the main ingredient(s).

ON DA WES' BANK, ACROSS DA RIVUH, OVA DA RIVUH - On the West Bank of the Mississippi River, where such places as Algiers, Gretna and Marrero lie. Interestingly, the West Bank is due south of New Orleans (except for Algiers, of course). Make sense? Thought not.

OR WHAT - Pronounced , and placed at the end of a question: "You gonna finish eatin' dat, 'r what?"

OVA BY - A general replacement for the prepositions "at" and "to", particularly when referring to someone's home, or a destination in general. "Where ya goin'?" "Ova by ma mamma's."

PARISH - A Louisiana state administrative district, analogous to the American "county". When used by locals in the phrase "da parish", it generally means St. Bernard Parish specifically, which is suburban to New Orleans.

PARRAINE - Pronounced . Your godfather.

PASS BY - To stop at a place, for a visit or to accomplish something. "Ya gonna be home later? I'll pass by ya house." It doesn't mean just to drive by in your car and keep going ...

PASSION MARK - The little red mark you get on your neck (or elsewhere) after a passionate session of necking. Called a "hickey" or a "love bite" everywhere else, apparently. Pronounced PASH'n mawk, of course.

PECAN - A nut indigenous to the South, and beloved in New Orleans as an ingredient in pies and pralines. Pronounced , not .

PO-BOY - The quintessential New Orleans lunch, a sandwich on good, crispy New Orleans French bread. This definition doesn't begin to describe what a po-boy is all about, so if you really don't know you need to get one soon. Take a moment to read a little bit about po-boys.

PODNA - A form of address for men, usually for ones with whom one is not acquainted. Frequently used in the emphatic statement, "I tell you what, podna ..."

PRALINE - A sugary Creole candy, invented in New Orleans (not the same as the French culinary/confectionery term "praline" or "praliné") The classic version is made with sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and pecans, and is a flat sugary pecan-filled disk. Yummmmm. There are also creamy pralines, chocolate pralines, maple pralines, etc. Pecan pralines are the classic, though.

REGULAH COFFEE - Not "Black Coffee" as in the rest of the country. "Regular" includes lots of sugar and cream. To drink black coffee in New Orleans will cause people to look at you as though you are from another planet. As a Café du Monde waiter was quoted in a Bunny Matthews "F'Sure!" comic strip, admonishing a tourist who had ordered black coffee, "Lissen cap ... I gotta tell ya, nobody drinks dis kinda cawfee black. So I ain't responsible if ya have a hawt attack 'r sump'in ..."

SCHWEGMANN'S BAG - A unit of measurement. Approximately 3 cubic feet. Derived from local icon Schwegmann Brothers Giant Supermarkets, who until recently had absolutely enormous paper bags in which they packed ya groceries. (Now they have those stupid tiny flimsy plastic bags just like everyone else.) Usage: "Hey, did ya catch a lot at da parade?" "Yeah you rite ... a whole Schwegmann bag full!" The apostrophe-s is optional.

SHOOT-DA-CHUTE - A playground slide.

SHOW, DA SHOW - The cinema. The movie house. The local motion picture emporium. Where works of cinematic art (or crappy flicks, depending) are shown. True New Orleanians never say, "I went to the movies", they say "I went to da show."

SILVER DIME - A small coin of U.S. currency, worth ten cents. Always pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, , even though they haven't been made of actual silver for over 35 years.

SKEETA HAWK - Or, "mosquito hawk", the local name for a dragonfly. I'm not sure if this is particular to New Orleans only, but since moving away I have never heard anyone else use the term.

SOSSIDGE - A meat preparation, made of various kinds of ground meats, seafood and spices, stuffed into a casing. Usually spelled "sausage" by English speakers, but pronounced in New Orleans as you see here, always and not .

STOOP - Usually expressed as "da stoop". The front steps to your house, particularly if it's a shotgun duplex. What ya go out and sit on to chat wit'ya neighbas (an' ta keep an eye on 'em). An example, (partially taken from a Bunny Matthews' "F'Sure!") strip:
"Turn on da A.C., Victa."
"Nuh uh, it ain't hot enough, it's still May. Let's go out and sit on da stoop."

SUCK DA HEAD, SQUEEZE DA TIP - The technique for eating crawfish. If you've never done this, have someone demonstrate.

SUG - A term of endearment used primarily by Yat females. Pronoucned with a soft "oo" as in "book".

SWEATS - A sub-species of New Orleanian; early teens to late 40s, even, with unkempt appearance, dirty hair, heavy metal or biker t-shirts, droopy-eyed, low-intelligence, usually stoned, occasionally hostile. Preferred term of address, "Say, bra ..." Other terms for sweats, depending on your generation and neighborhood, are "loads" or "say-bras". In my day they were known to be fond of Cheech 'n Chong (which they pronounce CHEEK an' Chong) movies at the Chalmette, Lake Forest Plaza and Village Aurora Cinemas. Prone to ask brilliant questions like, "Say bra ... what time da midnight movie starts?" (This question was once actually asked of me, back when it was my lot in life to have been an usher at the Village Aurora Cinema in Algiers. You can't make stuff like this up. And a new one was contributed by Gumbo Pages reader Larry Beron: "A friend of mine went to the Rally's at Vets and Bonnabel in Metairie and overheard the driver of the car ahead of him ask the drive-up clerk, 'Say bra ... how many meats y'all put on them double-cheeseburgers?'")

"THROW ME SOMETHIN, MISTA!" - The traditional (nay, required) request of a Mardi Gras paradegoer to a Mardi Gras parade rider, so that the rider will shower said paradegoer with cheap trinkets like beads, doubloons or cups (actually, the cups are highly coveted, more so than the doubloons are these days, apparently).

TURLET - Ya standard flushable porcelain waste disposal unit found in every bat'troom, referred to by English speakers as a "toilet". Also good for gettin' rid of nasty food ya snuck away from da table as a child (like ma mamma's roast beef ... yuck. That lady makes heavenly crawfish étouffée, but she just murders roast beef ...)

UPTOWN SIDE, DOWNTOWN SIDE, LAKESIDE, RIVERSIDE - The four cardinal points of the New Orleanian compass. "North, south, east, west" do not work in New Orleans.

VALISE - Suitcase.

VEDGEATIBBLE - Neither animal nor mineral. What ya mamma used to make ya eat before ya could leave the table when ya were a kid. The word has four syllables.

VIOLATION - A person from Violet, Louisiana, in St. Bernard Parish. I've never heard this one before, but it's hilarious. Contributed by Karen Schneider of the Southern Yat Club.

WHERE YA STAY (AT)? - Where do you live?

WHERE Y'AT! - The traditional New Orleanian greeting, and the source for the term "Yat", often used (primarily by non-New Orleanians, it is said) to describe New Orleanians with the telltale accent. The proper response is, "Awrite."

UMBRELLA - A standard English word, but with a special pronunciation. We say , not .

UP DA ROAD - Same as down da road, only now you are traveling in the opposite direction heading "up da road" to either Chalmette or Arabi.

WRENCH - To clean something under running water. "Aw baby, ya hands 'r filthy! Go wrench 'em off in da zink." See ZINK.

Y'ALL - The plural form of the second person verb, "you all". It's not pronounced as they would in the south, though -- no twang, no drawl, just "y'all". "You guys" is never said and is a dead giveaway that you're a Tulane student from New Jersey.

YA - You, your.

YA MAMMA - Your mother. Used in a variety of ways, usually endearing. Also usable as an insult, specifically as a simple retort when one is insulted first; simply say, "Ya mamma." Be prepared to defend yourself physically at this point. I once saw my classmate Vince G. beat the crap out of someone (and someone a year older, at that) back in high school at Holy Cross for uttering this retort.

YAMAMMA'N'EM - A collective term for your immediate family, as in "Hey dawlin', how's yamamma'n'em?" Spoken as one word.

YEAH YOU RITE - An emphatic statement of agreement and affirmation, sometimes used as a general exclamation of happiness. The accent is on the first word, and it's spoken as one word.

YEUHRM? - Do/Did you hear me? (Heard often at Schwegmann's.)

ZATARAIN'S - Pronounced . A local manufacturer of spices, seasonings, pickled products and condiments. In context, it's used by some as a generic term for either crab boil or Creole mustard, as it "Put some Zatarain's on it," or "T'row a coupla bags o' Zatarain's in da pot." Context is important here; you don't want to put Creole mustard in a seafood boil.

ZINK - A receptacle for water with a drain and faucets. Where ya wrench off ya dishes or ya hands. See WRENCH.

Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?

I do.






(Thanks to momenem for the cool banner.)

Mansfield Park

Contrary to to his previous comment, Chuck did not take the new profile picture I'm using with a digital camera. It's actually a portion of a tinted line drawing by H.M. Brock, from an out of copyright edition of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. The pictures were posted on Molland's, a resource site for Jane Austen fans.

The illustration depicts Fanny Price, one of my favorite Jane Austen characters.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006

when...

1.You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they
don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone
is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the
first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn
around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile.

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this
list.

AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Okay, so it's a little hokey, but I thought it was funny. Chuck forwarded this one to me. The other mass forward I got yesterday wasn't quite as amusing.

First of all I would never forward a chain-mail type email to a list of friends. Every time I get one of those I groan. Here are some of the reasons:


1.As a former IT network professional, I know that if everyone on a network forwards an email to say, eight people, the number of emails grows exponentially and you have network traffic problems.

2. Those type of chain-mail emails usually contain an unsubstantiated "urban-myth" story. I know enough to be skeptical of these "facts".

3. What I really hate is that they almost inevitably include a threat with a curse attached if you don't mindlessly forward along this piece of trash. I don't think so.

4. The one I received yesterday wasn't the typical "forward this to sixteen friends or you will be sorry" but at the end of an unsubstantiated story was included this nice ditty: "If you don't forward this message, you have no soul." Oh please, is that supposed to motivate me? I don't think so...

Visa National Championships

Tonight we watched the 1st day of the Visa National Gymnastics Championships. The finals will be on NBC tomorrow (Sunday) night. If you want to know who won you can find the results on the USA gymnastics web site.

Aimee is gearing up for her 2nd gymnastics competitive season. She'll be competing at Level 5. The first meet of her season is September 9 in Culver City. She loves her new gym and so do I. She is working really hard and her routines are looking good. It's been twenty-two years since Chuck and I had tickets to the '84 Olympics where we watched Mary-Lou Retton and the gold-medal winning Team USA. We didn't know then that we would one day have a daughter with gold-medal dreams of her own. But God did and I'm very thankful.

New Picture

I'm tired of the 3rd grade picture so here's a new one:

State of Inelegance

“What dreadful Hot weather we have!–It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance.” - Jane Austen from a letter to Cassandra Austen, September 18, 1796

Going to the Top of the Forest

...wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.
The House at Pooh Corner - A.A.Milne




Today the not so little boy, sans bear, checked in to the Freshman Class of 2010 at West Ranch High School. I know this would be an "Oh Mom" moment to him because somehow there is moisture in my eyes as I think of him going off to public high school. I'm confidant this is the right place for him to be but I can't help but be a bit emotional as he embarks on this new season. High School is a big step anyway, but he's been homeschooled since 3rd grade so it will really be a new experience for him. I know he's ready.

Tourne' Bed and Breakfast

Here's a place I'd like to visit someday. It's the Tourne'Bed and Breakfast in Ariège-Pyrénées, France.

Book Theft News

A librarian in Manchester, England admitted stealing very valuable rare books from the Manchester free library and placing them for sale on e-bay. The crime was discovered by an antiquarian book dealer who saw the books for sale on e-bay with their library markings. You can read about it at Grumpy Old Bookman: Bookdealer turns detective.

$798.25

The amount of our electric bill for July.

50th anniversary

This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of the US National Motto: “In God we Trust”.

On July 30, 1956, 50 years ago last Sunday, Congress passed legislation making "In God We Trust" our National Motto.

May our nation continue to live by our motto and defend it from those who would like to remove it from our money and our hearts.

You can read more about the history of our National Motto by clicking here.

Mr. Coffee Nerves

Thought I should explain the Mr. Coffee Nerves cartoon from my previous post. It's from a series of ads from the 1960s or so for a coffee-substitute drink called Postum. I found it on a website called The Institute of Official Cheer in the Orphanage of cast-off mascots section. The whole web-site is very funny and witty.

I really do enjoy my coffee. I just have to watch how much I consume and not drink coffee or any caffeinated drink after noon if I want to sleep that night.

Here's an incentive to quit drinking coffee:

Spelling Lessons

I picked up the book, Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary, at the library. Spelling has never been my best subject. I try to write most of my posts in Microsoft Word before publishing them to my blog so I can remove all the red underlining indicating misspelled words. Well this post has three red-lined words in the first line. It’s the title of a book about spelling and these are three often misspelled words. It’s an entertaining book of lists of facts about English spelling, with the subtitle: “or why can’t anyone spell?”

I was intrigued to learn from the back cover that the author of the book, Vivian Cook, was inspired to write it out of frustration with those who assume he is a woman because of their lack of familiarity with the difference between the British spellings Vivian and Vivien.

I also enjoyed reading the scathingly practical Letter of Lord Chesterton to his son from November 19, 1750, which can be found in its entirety at Project Gutenberg.

I come now to another part of your letter, which is the orthography, if I may call bad spelling ORTHOGRAPHY. You spell induce, ENDUCE; and grandeur, you spell grandURE; two faults of which few of my housemaids would have been guilty. I must tell you that orthography, in the true sense of the word, is so absolutely necessary for a man of letters; or a gentleman, that one false spelling may fix ridicule upon him for the rest of his life; and I know a man of quality, who never recovered the ridicule of having spelled WHOLESOME without the w.

Reading with care will secure everybody from false spelling; for books are always well spelled, according to the orthography of the times. Some words are indeed doubtful, being spelled differently by different authors of equal authority; but those are few; and in those cases every man has his option, because he may plead his authority either way; but where there is but one right way, as in the two words above mentioned, it is unpardonable and ridiculous for a gentleman to miss it; even a woman of a tolerable education would despise and laugh, at a lover, who should send her an ill-spelled billet-doux. I fear and suspect, that you have taken it into your head, in most cases, that the matter is all, and the manner little or nothing. If you have, undeceive yourself, and be convinced that, in everything, the manner is full as important as the matter. If you speak the sense of an angel, in bad words and with a disagreeable utterance, nobody will hear you twice, who can help it. If you write epistles as well as Cicero, but in a very bad hand, and very ill-spelled, whoever receives will laugh at them; and if you had the figure of Adonis, with an awkward air and motions, it will disgust instead of pleasing.
Study manner, therefore, in everything, if you would be anything.

From: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3354/3354.txt

Gymnastics Animation

Here is a cool gymnastics animation.

Why Study Latin?

I’ve been brushing up on my High School Latin this summer. I’m working through Wheelock’s Latin grammar and workbook. I’ve been working on it in the gym while Aimee works out. One of the moms who homeschools her children asked me what I was doing. When I told her I was studying Latin she asked me why I would want to do that. She said that she knows it’s a good idea to learn Latin but she’s not sure why. We started to talk about the advantages of learning Latin but were interrupted by the end of her daughter’s class and she had to leave.


For me Latin was the language that started my love of language learning. It improved my vocabulary and opened up English grammar to me. It provided me with a foundation to learn the 10 plus other natural languages that I’ve studied since High School. (Not to mention assorted computer languages) It appealed to my love of logic and I believe it helped me to think more clearly.

I found a great curriculum for starting a young learner on Latin studies. It’s called Prima Latina, the first level of Latin curriculum from Memoria press. It incorporates many of the suggestions that Dorothy Sayers makes in her essay. Children can start it as early as 2nd grade. I covered some of it last year with Aimee, but this year we are resolved to study Latin with consistency.

Just last night I came across this essay by Dorothy Sayers about her own study of Latin and her recommendations for teaching and learning the subject. I’d like to share some of it here with a link to the rest of the essay.

Read the whole essay here.

Part II: Latin grammar: the most practical subject
By Dorothy Sayers
I call this a very lamentable history. Yet there are two things I feel bound to say with all the emphasis I can command. First: if you set aside classical specialists and the products of those public schools which still cling to the great tradition, I, mute and inglorious as I am, and having forgotten nearly all I ever learned, still know more Latin than most young people with whom I come in contact. Secondly: that if I were asked what, of all the things I was ever taught, has been of the greatest practical use to me, I should have to answer: the Latin Grammar.
An early grounding in the Latin Grammar has these advantages:

1. It is the quickest and easiest way to gain mastery over one's own language, because it supplies the structure upon which all language is built. I never had any formal instruction in English grammar, nor have I ever felt the need of it, though I find I write more grammatically than most of my juniors. It seems to me that the study of English grammar in isolation from the inflected origins of language must be quite bewildering. English is a highly sophisticated, highly analytical language, whose forms, syntax and construction can be grasped and handled correctly only by a good deal of hard reasoning, for the inflections are not there to enable one to distinguish automatically one case or one construction from another. To embark on any complex English construction without the Latin Grammar is like trying to find one's way across country without map or signposts. That is why so few people nowadays can put together an English paragraph without being betrayed into a false concord, a hanging or wrongly attached participle, or a wrong consecution; and why many of them fall back upon writing in a series of short sentences, like a series of gasps, punctuated only by full stops.

2. Latin is the key to fifty per cent. of our vocabulary—either directly, or through French and other Romance languages. Without some acquaintance with the Latin roots, the meaning of each word has to be learnt and memorised separately-including, of course, that of the new formations with which the sciences are continually presenting us. Incidentally, the vocabulary of the common man is becoming more and more restricted, and this is not surprising.

3. Latin is the key to all the Romance languages directly, and indirectly to all inflected languages. The sort of argument which continually crops up in correspondence upon the teaching of Latin is: "Why should children waste time learning a dead language when Spanish or what-have-you would be much more useful to him in business?" The proper answer, which is practically never given, is the counter-question: "Why should a child waste time learning half a dozen languages from scratch, when Latin would enable him to learn them all in a fraction of the time?" When I wanted to work on Dante, I taught myself to read the mediaeval Italian in a very few weeks' time, with the aid of Latin, an Italian Grammar, and the initial assistance of a crib. To learn to speak and write the modern tongue correctly would demand tuition and more time—but not much and not long. Old as I am, I would back myself to learn Spanish, Portuguese or Provencal with equal ease. But knowing French would not have helped me very much to read Italian, and I doubt whether, without the Latin substructure, Italian would help me very far with Portuguese; although, of course, the more languages one knows, the easier it is to learn more. It is difficult to be sure, because it is impossible for me to empty my mind of the Latin, even in imagination. But I know how very different a task it would be to start upon a language like Czech or Chinese, which would not open to the Latin key.
And I remember, too, in my own school-teaching days, being confronted by a class of girls of fifteen or sixteen, who had to have some German pumped into them for an exam. They had done French in the ordinary way, but now had to offer a second language. I remember saying—stupidly and without thinking, for I was still young—"No, you can't say, 'Ich bin gegeben ein Buch', 'I have been given' isn't a true Passive". I remember their bewildered faces. And I remember realizing that we had come to the Wood where Things have no Names, and that everything would have to be laboriously thought out and explained from the very beginning. And that they hadn't got much time.

4. The literature of our own country and of Europe is so studded and punctuated with Latin phrases and classical allusions that without some knowledge of Latin it must be very difficult to make anything of it. Here we are getting away from the uses of grammar to the benefits of background and culture. I will therefore not say very much about it at this point, except to point out that the student of English history or English literature or English law is always encountering the odd tag, the Latin title, the isolated phrase, and that it must be quite maddening to have to stop and look them up every time in a reference book.

5. There is also the matter of derivation, as distinct from vocabulary. I cannot help feeling that it is wholesome, for example, to know that "civility" has some connection with the civitas; that "justice" is more closely akin to righteousness than to equality; and that there was once some dim and forgotten connection between reality and thought.

Blog Me!

I've been tagged! My friend and blogging mentor, Donna, at socalmom tagged me to do an on-line self-interview in preparation for the upcoming BlogHer Convention



BLOG ME SELF-INTERVIEW (See the complete list of questions here.)

When did you start blogging and why? Or Talk about your blog. What can I learn about you in under 5 minutes?

I started blogging in October 2005. I started blogging after I met Donna at my daughter's gymnastics and she told me about her blog. I actually had created a blog about a year before I started but I didn't know where to start. After seeing Donna's blog and others that she links to, I realized it was something I could do. I love to write and I've always aspired to be a writer, but I needed an outlet to get the juices going. I've also kept a journal on and off for almost thirty years or so. There's just something very appealing about blogging. I'm constantly thinking of topics to blog, or writing something in my notebook to blog about later. I'm hooked on it!

How do you use blogging to build friendships?

Well I haven't been very proactive in building on-line friendships. That's something I need to work on. I'm kind of shy. I enjoy reading other people's blogs, but so far I've mostly been lurking. I'm setting a goal right now to be more proactive about commenting on other people's blogs and promoting my own.

How would you describe your writing style?

I think it varies with my mood, but I like to either say something that will get someone to think or to laugh. I also think that the more I write the better my writing will get so I want to write more often.

How do you feel about meeting bloggers in real life? Are you nervous? Will you have great expectations? What do you home to take away from the BlogHer experience?

Too bad I couldn't get it together to go to the conference. Maybe next year. I'd really like to meet more bloggers.

What don’t you write about? Anything considered a no-no in your book?
I try not to write anything that would hurt someone's feelings.

So soon we’re going to meet each other at BlogHer. Important question. How do you party?

I'm not much of a party type.

Ancient Greek Blogger

Here is definitive evidence that the ancient Greeks engaged in blogging!

25 Years

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary! Yes, it's been 25 years since we stepped into this great unknown state called marriage, and here we are! If anyone would ask me, "What is the secret of a successful marriage?", my answer would be, "Marry the right person." Only by the pure, unadulterated grace of God am I able to say with assurance that I indeed did marry the right person. I'm so glad that I surrendered that decision to God so many years ago and He heard the cry of my heart and put me and Chuck together.

Even though I can't say that our marriage is pure wedded bliss every day (close enough on this side of heaven though), there has never been a day where I doubted our marriage. Chuck is a great husband, a great father and a great man. I thank God for His grace in putting us together and I know the next 25 years will be even better!

Farewell to Moose

I heard that Moose, the Jack Russell Terrier who starred in "My Dog Skip" and the TV show Frazier, died on June 26. He lived to the ripe old age of 16. Actually Moose is partly to blame for the fact that our family is now exploding with Jack Russell Terriers.

It all started about five years ago when our lovely first dog named Cassie was diagnosed with cancer. She had developed tumors and needed expensive surgery to the tune of over a thousand dollars to take care of it. At the time she was already fourteen years old, quite elderly for a dog. The vet told us to take our time to think about whether we wanted to spend the money for the surgery or not. Of course we thought about it, but what else could we do? Cassie was our first baby. We got her from the Pet Adoption Center in Canoga Park when she was three months old, years before our son Eric was born. So we did the only thing we could do and went ahead with the surgery.

Cassie lived for three and half years after the surgery, to the ripe old age of seventeen. But the surgery and the fact that Cassie was fourteen and not getting any younger got us thinking that we should get another dog, a puppy, to lessen the sting of the inevitable day when Cassie would no longer be with us, especially for the kids. So we started thinking about what kind of dog we'd like to get. Around this time our family saw the movie "My Dog Skip" and my son Eric decided he'd like to have a Jack Russell Terrier. Moose did such a good job playing the perfect little boy's dog that we were convinced.

Of course now I know that he was only acting. Because the real Moose was rescued from being given to the pound by his owners because:

"He was extremely mischievous, always escaping, chewing up things and running off. When he killed a neighbor's cat and chased some horses, that was it."

That was the start of our Jack Russell Terrier explosion. We found Skip (guess who he was named after) and brought him home in 2002 when he was only six weeks old. They told us he was the calm one of the litter. We liked to joke about how if he was the "calm one" we'd hate to see the other puppies bouncing off the walls.

The Fourth of July

One of my all-time favorite books is the biography of John Adams by David McCullough. McCullough tells of John Adams pivotal role in the colonies’ declaration of independence, which happened by the way, on July 2. (quoted from page 129-130)

It was John Adams, more than anyone, who had made it happen. Further, he seems to have understood more clearly than any what a momentous day it was and in the privacy of two long letters to Abigail, he poured out his feelings as did no one else.:

"The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other from this time forward forever more."

That the hand of God was involved in the birth of the new nation he had no doubt. “It is the will of heaven that the two countries should be sundered forever.” If the people now were to have “unbounded power,” and as the people were quite as capable of corruption as “the great,” and thus high risks were involved, he would submit all his hopes and fears to an overruling providence, “in which unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe.”

Later, at the end of the book, McCullough recounts how Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the same day in 1826, July 4(!), the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

He writes (page 647):

That John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had died on the same day, and that it was, of all days, the Fourth of July, could not be seen as a mere coincidence: it was a “visible and palpable” manifestation of “Divine favor,” wrote John Quincy in his diary that night, expressing what was felt and would be said again and again everywhere the news spread.

So Happy Fourth of July! Enjoy your solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty with “pomp and parade, shows, games sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other.”

Toxic Gym: Part Two

It will be a week tomorrow that we left the “gym from heck”. Thursday morning I finally spoke with one of our friends from the gym. After being away for only two days the drama continues. Here are only a few of the things that happened in those two days. Again, I can’t tell you what an incredible relief it is to be away from that place.

1. One of the moms slapped another mom hard across the face, after sticking her finger in her chest and face and telling her she’s just like all the rest of the bleep bleep bleep parents in this place. One of the coaches saw the slap and ran across the gym yelling for her to leave and never come back. In the meantime the one who was slapped was sitting in the office crying and the head coach came in and told her that nothing like this happened in the gym until she came.

2. Various parents were taking sides on the issue of what to do about the situation, with comments such as “She and her daughter should both be banned from the gym, no telling when she might come back with a handgun.” There was a parents meeting and I’m told that the outcome of the meeting is that parents are no longer welcome to stay and watch their daughter’s work out. They can only stay in the gym for a maximum of thirty minutes.

3. Another mom who was in charge of coordinating the purchase of leotards for an upcoming meet was accused of appropriating ten free leotards given to the gym to sell as a for her own daughter.

4. One of Aimee’s friends stepped on something sharp in the gym while she was running for conditioning. No one saw what it was or where it came from but she was bleeding all over the gym. She ended up needing stitches in her heel and will be unable to compete in running and jumping events at the meet in Vegas. Her mom wasn’t there at the time this happened but all she was told from the gym was that she owed three dollars for the tape they used to tape up her foot so it wouldn’t bleed all over the floor.

All this happened in only two days. Did I say how happy I am not to have to go there anymore?

Toxic Gym, Part One

I feel like we’ve been exposed to the “dark side” of the sport of gymnastics. We’re done with the far-away gym with the ever-present pressure. I recently read The Devil Wears Prada. (Can’t wait for the movie to come out.) The sad thing is that as I was reading I found myself relating to the pressure the main character lived under, but it wasn’t due to the “boss from heck”, but to the “gym from heck”. I related to the way that she couldn’t really explain why this job was consuming her life.

I’m going to attempt to put some perspective on this experience of the last five months by setting down some of my thoughts and feelings. I chalk the whole thing up to experience and I’m thankful that my daughter is very resilient and that she still loves gymnastics and still wants to pursue her dream. I’m thankful that Chuck and I are still willing to help her pursue her dream. I’m thankful that over the last five months she’s become stronger and more physically fit.

The best words I’ve heard recently were on Monday night after her six hour workout. We were still in the gym and Aimee was reaching in her locker to pull out her shorts and shoes for the ride home. She said, “I want to move gyms right now.” “I don’t want to go to Vegas and I don’t ever want to come back here.” My heart leaped because those were my feelings exactly but I wanted it to come from her.

I’m going to start out by relating a conversation I had with a Mom last summer when Aimee went to gymnastics camp at UCLA. We were both watching our daughters from a look-out window above the gym where the girls were working out. I asked her about her daughter and how long she’d been doing gymnastics. She told me that her daughter started rather late in the sport because she had done everything she could to keep her out of it and tried every other sport to try to get her hooked on something else, anything but gymnastics. When I asked her why, she told me a little bit about herself and her past life in gymnastics. In the eighties she had been a world class gymnast and an Olympic alternate.

I can’t remember exactly her age when she was sent away to a training facility in
Washington state? ( I think it was eleven or twelve). Anyway the girls who were selected for the training lived away from their families and only saw their parents occasionally. The coaching was done by intimidation. Their diets were strictly monitored, After every practice they were weighed. If anyone put on a pound or so they were humiliated by having their ponytail lifted up and mocked with “Look at the little piggy’s tail.”

If anyone complained to parents or said anything that got back to the coaches against the treatment they received they were either kicked out (which was horrible because it was their dream to be there.) or intimidated into denying everything. Of course the parents weren’t around to observe the mistreatment so they were left on their own to deal with the mental and physical intimidation.

She said she was left with permanent physical injuries an eating disorder, and only after years of therapy was she mentally able to put the past behind her. That was why she didn’t want her daughter involved in the sport and why, even though her daughter was ten, she was standing on the observation deck, watching. I listened to all this wide-eyed and taking it as a caution to observe coaching styles and any sign of mental abuse. I actually had forgotten all about this conversation until I started thinking about what to write for this blog and I came back to mind.

Of course what I’ve observed over the last five months is nothing so severe as what this Mom related to me, but the accumulation of things I’ve seen has left me very wary, exhausted, and very relieved to be moving on.

I'll post more later...

Waxing Nostalgic?

We're back from our wonderful time at the Lake. We drove back Monday morning from Big Bear in time to get Aimee to gymnastics at noon. (That's another story.) Since I didn't have my camera cable with me at the lake. here is a picture from the deck of the house. It was so relaxing! You can see Chuck and Aimee fishing off the dock down below the house.

Ssturday in our rented Big Bear Cabin we were making sandwiches to take for a picnic lunch on the fishing boat. I realized we didn’t have any plastic sandwich bags, so I looked in the cupboards to find some. There weren’t any, but there was some wax paper in the back of the cupboard. This brought back to my mind memories of the school lunches my mom used to pack for me before the invention of plastic sandwich bags. I wrapped the sandwiches and rolled the top of the wax paper just the way my mom used to do it. I realized that before the invention of “baggies” that was how school lunches were packed, at least in my family. It must have been some time when I was in elementary school that “baggies” came out. I’m calling them baggies because that’s what I remember calling them as a child.

Wow, this also brought back memories of smelly lschool lunch boxes, milk that we used to purchase from the school to drink with our lunches which always made me feel sick to my stomach. Then there was the time when I took a big gulp of sour milk! Maybe those school lunches weren’t such great memories after all. All that and more from a bit of wax paper.

From Big Bear Lake

I’m sitting here on the deck of a beautiful lakefront cabin that we’re renting in Big Bear for the weekend. I thought I’d have a picture or two of the awesome view of the lake from the deck, but I brought the wrong cable to connect the camera to the computer, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I’ll post some pictures when we get home. Right now I’m enjoying the incredible peace and quiet, clean air, pine tree smell and wireless networking right here on the dock outside the cabin. It’s almost too good to be true, pinch me, I must be dreaming. And, you may ask, where are the kids and how is it that they’re so quiet? Well they are off on a grand fishing adventure in the fishing boat Chuck rented. I opted to stay behind because 1. I hate boats; ever since the deep sea fishing trip when I was ten I’ve had to fight seasickness. 2. I’m way overdue for a few hours of alone time to do whatever I want.

I just came back from a leisurely 45 minute or so walk up the street to gaze on the beauties of nature and the way cool cabins on the lakefront. Then I came back, got connected to the wireless network and started blogging.

This is our first vacation in two years? Can it be? I think we just get so caught up in our kids’ activities, like gymnastics, that we forget to take time to sit back and smell the roses, or pine needles in this case. . I’d forgotten how nice Big Bear is. I can’t believe it but it’s actually been about eleven years since we were here last. Eric was three when we sold the vacation cabin we owned and we haven’t been back since. I guess we thought it’s just not the same when you don’t have your own cabin to come to, but this is fantastic!

We got here yesterday around four o’clock, settled in, did some fishing off the dock on the property and then went out to eat at Evergreen’s restaurant. Chuck and I ordered prime rib(the waitress came back to say that they’re out of it, we had to settle for rib-eye instead, too bad), Aimee the kid’s 7 oz. steak and Eric the swordfish special. We ate outside with a beautiful view of the sunset over the lake.

Okay here comes the fishing crew back from their adventure. I don’t see any fish in hand but the day is still young; Chuck rented it for 24 hours so they can go out at dusk and early in the morning. Tonight we’re barbequing steaks on the deck and then hopping in the hot tub. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it, right?

8th Grade Graduation

My son, Eric, graduated from eighth-grade on Friday. It was a pleasantly nice ceremony, (I was going to say, surprisingly nice but I was pleasantly surprised only because I didn’t know what to expect.) There were approximately 430 or so graduates from all over Southern California. An added bonus was that it took place less than five miles from my house at the new auditorium at College of the Canyons. The last two years of home school my children have been enrolled in California Virtual Academy, (CAVA), which is affiliated with K12.com.

I didn’t realize that there were so many eighth graders enrolled in the school. Since it’s a virtual school we never see all the students together and they are scattered all over the state. Each graduate was asked to provide a brief statement describing their “post-secondary” aspirations. This statement was read as they were presented on stage to receive their diploma. About half-way through the presentation, I found myself wishing that I had been jotting down all the college majors\career choices that were mentioned. It was an interesting lesson in what life choices appeal to the fourteen-year olds. I can’ document this since I didn’t catalog it but the top three choices appeared to be: 1. entertainment; 2. culinary arts 3. forensics. Could this be because of the popularity of cooking shows and CSI type shows?

The keynote speaker was Dr. Thomas Boysen who is the Senior Vice President of K12 inc. He gave an interesting talk on the subject of learning and read the following quote from T. H. White's, "The Once and Future King" which I found very interesting. So interesting that when I got home I googled it so I could have it.

“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting."”

By T.H. White
The Once and Future King

Thus ended Eric’s illustrious homeschool career. He’s been homeschooled since 3rd grade. Next year he’ll be attending the local public high school I’m very confident that this is the right choice for our family. He needs other teachers. I’m confident in his ability to make right choices for friends and activities. Congratulation Eric!

Happy Flag Day!

National flag day Is June 14.

Promise

I promise, I'll blog more once school is out for the summer! I feel like I'm neglecting my blog, but I'm in sort of a funk, and I don't like to write much when I'm feeling this way. I know, I should make myself write and it'll help me get out of the funk. I'm just not sure how personal to get on a public forum like this. I really want to keep it positive because I am a positive person.

The big thing right now is what to do about Aimee's gymnastics. As you know, my daughter loves gymnastics.We switched gyms about four months ago. It's just so much time (six hours a day, five days a week, more in the summer) and so much driving (38 miles one way down one of LA's busiest freeways) and some red flags about the style at the gym, so we're praying about what to do and when to do it.

Eric is graduating from eighth grade on Friday! Congratulations to him! We've decided to send him to the local public high school for 9th grade so big changes are afoot. He is looking forward to it and also to summer vacation! (Update on bagpipe playing: We found a local person for lessons and he's been learning on the "practice chanter". We've promised him a bagpipe for Christmas or birthday.)

We're having a pool party here on Thursday for our home school co-op group. Eric and Aimee's Grandma is coming in on Thursday to be here for Eric's graduation We're really glad she can come. It should be a fun and busy week. And after Friday, school's out for the summer!

And I promise, more blogging!

About Books

I started re-reading Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. (see the previous post) I read it years ago and enjoyed it. I also like the movie version with Sean Connery. It’s a kind of medieval murder mystery. The first chapter contains a description of the book which I especially appreciate:

For it is a tale of books, not of everyday worries, and reading it can lead us to recite, with ‘a Kempis, the great imitator: “In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro.”

It fits right in with my current kick of reading books about books.
Umberto Eco is one of my favorite authors, and one of the things I like about his writing is how he inserts Latin, Greek, Hebrew you name it into his text with no translation. My high school Latin is a bit rusty but I knew the quote had something to do with books (cum libro), so I googled it and here is the translation:

Everywhere I have sought rest and found it not except sitting apart in a nook with a little book.

A particularly apropos statement since lately all I want to do is get home and curl up on the couch or in bed with a good book.

Take a Classic Literature Quiz; Which book are you?

I did and this is the result:


Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose. You are a

mystery novel dealing with theology,

especially with catholic vs liberal issues.

You search wisdom and knowledge endlessly,

feeling that learning is essential in life.


Which literature classic are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! Our family is enjoying a day off to catch our breath, do a little backyard barbecue and relax. This is, I'm sure, what the majority of Americans do on this great holiday. I do want to take some time to remember the meaning of the holiday. It's a day to honor all of our fallen soldiers who gave their lives so we could have such a great country. In spite of its faults, I believe our country to be the greatest country. I'm thankful to live in such a great country and don't ever want to take it for granted. As one of the founding fathers of our country once said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." GOD BLESS AMERICA!