Welcoming, isn't it?

Please note - this is NOT from my church, or any other you're likely to enter unawares!

Thoughts on Restoration

OK ... not in the spiritual sense ...

Working on my laptop, while watching Carbonite restore the Mac. It has 48,531 files to go, and has 73,606 done.

I'll feel SO good once everything is back to normal again!

The last two weeks have been SO stressful. Looking forward to a visit to some friends in Missouri in a few weeks ... a get-away will feel very good.

baby chicks

The robins' eggs have hatched. Here they are on day 1. As last year ... SO ugly! :)

Computer/electronics nightmares continue at work. Yesterday the internet went down, and we have had no success in restoring it. Still no word on repairs to the office Mac.

Thinking of buying an abacus and a typewriter ...

this year's robin's nest

I have a mama robin sitting on the nest on my porch. Here are a couple pictures. One of the eggs appears to be cracked, though maybe it's just the way some straw is positioned. It's too early for them to be starting to hatch, I think, since the mama's only been sitting there less than a week.




It has been a truly rotten week. I am really looking forward to a solitary three day weekend to get my feet back underneath me again!

Tentatively Hopeful

I've been through a nightmare computer-week, which culminated yesterday with the knowledge that I had definitely lost a week's worth of work.

After a good cry (the preliminary step to any massive recovery project), God gave me an idea for how to retrieve some of the information from paper records. Then, as the plan began to take shape, He gave a strategy to verify the accuracy of the information when I was done.

It will be a long, dull day ... but I have hope that by 5:00, I'll have regained some ground.

(and be really, REALLY ready for the far-off weekend)

What on earth is Burger King thinking?

My sister-in-law told me about BK's most recent advertisement. I had a hard time believing I was understanding her correctly.

Then I saw it last night.

Ick.

Tell me how scantily dressed women with square backsides, and a music star talking about women's bodes, tie in to fast food? Particularly how do they tie in with a promotion for Sponge Bob at a fast food place?

Wouldn't a cartoon character promotion be aimed at children?

So ... we're targeting children with ads that feature disgusting lyrics, misogynistic performers, and dancers dressed like prostitutes?

I. Don't. Get. It.

From this morning's conversation with the adorable nieces ...

Oldest: "Daddy gets to play at work."

Me: "What does he play?"

Oldest: "He has a big playground with monkey bars and ropes and ..."

Youngest: "But we weren't allowed

(He is in the Army.) :)

the Adorable Nieces' auction purchase

I went with my brother, sister-in-law, mom & nieces to an auction today, and the youngest fell in love with this little tykes vanity. She bid on it (with a little help), and sold it. Everyone seems to have had a pretty good time watching them too! Here's a picture of them tonight enjoying their purchase.

Carbonite saves me yet again

The Mac here at work just froze up. I re-booted, and the most recent files were those I had saved on April 3.

YIKES!!!!!!


I'm restoring from Carbonite as I speak.

This is twice now that thing has saved me - once at home and once here at work.

LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Flirting with Strangers' Babies

In the post office this morning, there was a little guy in a stroller waiting for his mom to finish her business at the counter.

He was shrieking ... you know the shriek ... it feels like someone is using a rasp to re-shape your brain stem?

It entered my mind to go up to the front and flirt with the little guy. The shrieking diminished considerably, and nobody arrested me for kidnapping. (I'm always concerned if I show interest in someone's child, that they'll expect me to run out the door with him/her).

Flirting with strangers' babies ... I think this is going to be my new approach to the shrieking. (Someone please come and bail me out, if I end up imprisoned.)

Looking forward to a weekend with the adorable nieces (and their parents). Yippeee!

Video of the Social Secretaries' Talk I went to

L. found this video of the lecture I went to last week Tuesday:

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent

Have a look at her video.

LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Another video to smile at

Dancing happens at the Antwerp train station. :)

Take time for a tea party

I know conservatives aren't really known for protesting ... we pretty much just grit our teeth, and make the best of things.

But there are a couple of tea parties being held locally to protest Obama's taxes ... if you get a chance, do try to attend one tomorrow!

# Hudsonville - Gemmens parking lot at Noon
# Grand Rapids - Ah-Nab-Awen Park at 5:00pm

If you're not from around here, just google "tea party" for your area -- they're being held all over the place tomorrow.

Here's an article from Fox News that tells a bit about them.

Trinka

He is risen!

Wishing everyone a blessed day today as we remember that Christ rose from the dead, and in Him, we will also rise.

In a less spiritual note ...

I'm beta testing some software I've been eagerly awaiting ever since I started acquiring multiple email accounts.

Trillian Astra combines instant messaging from Yahoo, ICQ, Hotmail, AOL, Gmail, as well as info from Facebook and Skype.

So you've got one small window, that hosts all those goodies.

I'd gotten so I just used Gmail for my instant messaging, but I still had a lot of people who looked for me under the old names. Now they're all available, as well as lots of other gadgets.

So far ... I'm most impressed!

If you're interested in giving it a try, I've got some invitations to send out. Just let me know, and I'll ship one your way!

Off to enjoy the smell of the bread baking, which I'll be taking to Pastor & Bonnie's for dinner in an hour or two.

An Insider's Look at the White House

Last night, the Gerald Ford Museum here in Grand Rapids had a program where 3 different ladies who had served as social secretaries in 3 different presidential administrations (Bush Sr., Johnson & Ford) came and spoke.

It was delightful to hear their stories of different things that had happened when they worked at the White House. Such a neat opportunity!

It was marred, however, by the rudest behavior by a couple of women in the back row.

One of the speakers had a very quiet voice. You had to concentrate while she was speaking to be able to hear her. However, it was a small auditorium, and was very possible to understand her. You just had to pay attention.

When she began to speak, a rude woman in the back row called out "Can't Hear!" very loudly. (note that she chose to sit in the BACK ROW ... where it would naturally be hardest to hear.)

The lady gamely tried to carry on speaking, and then the woman, and another sitting next to her, did it AGAIN.

Um ... if you can't hear ... maybe if you would BE QUIET, you would find it easier.

They brought out a different microphone for the lady who was speaking, and it did make her somewhat louder, but every time she forgot to speak directly into the mic, I was afraid rude-women would yell at her again! Certainly gave a really bad impression.

It's not like they had paid a fortune for tickets, and weren't getting their money's worth -- the lecture was free. And it WAS possible to hear ... if a person shut up and concentrated.

It was such trashy behavior, and I'm still irked!

I've noticed this at other gatherings also. Those who don't hear well will almost always sit at the back, and then, if (when) they have trouble hearing, start talking to each other about the fact they can't hear ... thereby guaranteeing they won't EVER be able to hear, nor will anyone else.

I know, I'm not doing much writing lately

But I DO keep finding these cool videos.

This person has trained a fish. Watch!

The real purpose of the internet

Is to allow one to share adorable video of piglets with one's friends and family ...



Kingsford Goes to the Beach - video powered by Metacafe

I'm the only one of my kind ...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?