Anything Goes

Okay, 43 degrees this morning. Herbst is here. Herbst being the German word for Autumn. I wrote a poem about Fall once and my host father translated it for me. I’ll have to post it. I also wrote a poem in German, not translated. I actually thought it up and wrote it in German. Then I translated it to English, which was much more difficult than I thought it would be, even though I knew exactly what I meant to say. I can’t remember the name of it now, but it’s the one with the German title. I’ll post them over the weekend.

Have you guys checked out Live Science? I’m such a science freak. This is as good as online Trivial Pursuit or solitaire to keep me happy and enthralled. My favorites were the Top Ten Missing Links and Vestigial Organs. The stuff about King Tut was pretty fascinating too, even if he died (possibly) of a systemic infection instead of poisoning, not to mention that whole section on dreaming, which is how I found it to start with. If you like science, head over there. Give yourself a few hours though. And don’t forget the Bog People… fascinating.

What the hell is this? Short Attention Span Friday?

Nate bombed his mid-terms. I mean bombed with a capital BOMB! Naturally, this was my fault since I hadn’t made sure Nate was bringing his homework home. This is what his dad told me. Oh yeah, his dad picks him up from school. But its my fault he didn’t take the time to open the damn backpack, check Nate’s assignment book, first to make sure it was filled out, and second to make sure the shit listed was actually in the bag. That’s my fault.

I AM ALL POWERFUL AND KNOWING. I AM THE GREAT OZZETTE. I CAN REACH MY HAND ACROSS INFINITE SPACE AND TIME. I CAN SEE THROUGH BACKPACKS FROM 15 MILES You get my drift. WTF ever. I talked to the teacher two weeks ago and warned her about Nate “forgetting” (*ahem* AVOIDING) taking work home. I talked to his dad. But, no one listens to me.

Nate… oy, my Nate. I tell yas, that young ‘en… he’s catching on right quick. He got one of those flexible rubber band type bracelets (like the Armstrong bracelets) from the school for participating in the fund raiser. Its says Dream, Believe, Achieve on it. Cool. Yesterday, he was holding the ends of it, and then pushing it together, like a mouth. He said, “That’s what Daddy does about you all the time.”

“What’s that dude?”

“Run his mouth.”

“About me or to me?”

“About you. He said he was going to take me away from you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, we were at the farm and he said he was going to take me away from you.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“It made me cry, but inside, I was thinking, ‘Oh no you won’t!’ He said he had some pictures of our house but he wouldn’t show them to me. I think he’s lying.”

“Don’t underestimate people Nate, not even your dad.”

“I still think he’s lying.”

“Well, I know you love your dad very much Nate, right…?”

*Silence*

“You love your dad very much right?”

*Silence - hard cold stare*

“Well, dude, we’ll just keep our ducks in their rows and we’ll be fine.”

“K.”

I guess that goes to show, if you give people enough rope, they’ll hang themselves. There’s a little paragraph in the parenting agreement which states neither parent shall interfere or undermine the love and affection between the absent parent and the child or children. It should come with a disclaimer that states Please be advised your children have a brain and will use it. At some point, they will wise up and understand who the asshole is. Please make sure its not you.

Oy, Nate again. This morning I went into his room to sign his assignment book and found his Reading paper, with the last one unfinished. I groused about it and I told Nate that a job worth doing was worth doing right. His response, “Don’t guess it was worth doing.” I can’t imagine where he gets that smart mouth. As T-Bird would say….

“He is so YOURS!”

Me? *Innocent look*

Hmph. Happy Friday.

Okay, 43 degrees this morning. Herbst is here. Herbst being the German word for Autumn. I wrote a poem about Fall once and my host father translated it for me. I’ll have to post it. I also wrote a poem in German, not translated. I actually thought it up and wrote it in German. Then I translated it to English, which was much more difficult than I thought it would be, even though I knew exactly what I meant to say. I can’t remember the name of it now, but it’s the one with the German title. I’ll post them over the weekend.

Have you guys checked out Live Science? I’m such a science freak. This is as good as online Trivial Pursuit or solitaire to keep me happy and enthralled. My favorites were the Top Ten Missing Links and Vestigial Organs. The stuff about King Tut was pretty fascinating too, even if he died (possibly) of a systemic infection instead of poisoning, not to mention that whole section on dreaming, which is how I found it to start with. If you like science, head over there. Give yourself a few hours though. And don’t forget the Bog People… fascinating.

What the hell is this? Short Attention Span Friday?

Nate bombed his mid-terms. I mean bombed with a capital BOMB! Naturally, this was my fault since I hadn’t made sure Nate was bringing his homework home. This is what his dad told me. Oh yeah, his dad picks him up from school. But its my fault he didn’t take the time to open the damn backpack, check Nate’s assignment book, first to make sure it was filled out, and second to make sure the shit listed was actually in the bag. That’s my fault.

I AM ALL POWERFUL AND KNOWING. I AM THE GREAT OZZETTE. I CAN REACH MY HAND ACROSS INFINITE SPACE AND TIME. I CAN SEE THROUGH BACKPACKS FROM 15 MILES You get my drift. WTF ever. I talked to the teacher two weeks ago and warned her about Nate “forgetting” (*ahem* AVOIDING) taking work home. I talked to his dad. But, no one listens to me.

Nate… oy, my Nate. I tell yas, that young ‘en… he’s catching on right quick. He got one of those flexible rubber band type bracelets (like the Armstrong bracelets) from the school for participating in the fund raiser. Its says Dream, Believe, Achieve on it. Cool. Yesterday, he was holding the ends of it, and then pushing it together, like a mouth. He said, “That’s what Daddy does about you all the time.”

“What’s that dude?”

“Run his mouth.”

“About me or to me?”

“About you. He said he was going to take me away from you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, we were at the farm and he said he was going to take me away from you.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“It made me cry, but inside, I was thinking, ‘Oh no you won’t!’ He said he had some pictures of our house but he wouldn’t show them to me. I think he’s lying.”

“Don’t underestimate people Nate, not even your dad.”

“I still think he’s lying.”

“Well, I know you love your dad very much Nate, right…?”

*Silence*

“You love your dad very much right?”

*Silence - hard cold stare*

“Well, dude, we’ll just keep our ducks in their rows and we’ll be fine.”

“K.”

I guess that goes to show, if you give people enough rope, they’ll hang themselves. There’s a little paragraph in the parenting agreement which states neither parent shall interfere or undermine the love and affection between the absent parent and the child or children. It should come with a disclaimer that states Please be advised your children have a brain and will use it. At some point, they will wise up and understand who the asshole is. Please make sure its not you.

Oy, Nate again. This morning I went into his room to sign his assignment book and found his Reading paper, with the last one unfinished. I groused about it and I told Nate that a job worth doing was worth doing right. His response, “Don’t guess it was worth doing.” I can’t imagine where he gets that smart mouth. As T-Bird would say….

“He is so YOURS!”

Me? *Innocent look*

Hmph. Happy Friday.

One of the most endearing things about West Viriginia is the abundance of ghost stories and eerie happenings, past and present. Let me take you to -

Point Pleasant

Point Pleasant, located on the Ohio River is the burial site of Chief Cornstalk, who was murdered there during the Revolutionary War. Point Pleasant is also home to the Mothman, a strange apparition resembling part-man, part-moth or bird, who was first sited 40 years ago. Mothman hung out at TNT, the old ammunitions factory/storage facility. TNT was a series of concrete igloos, covered with dirt and vegetation, connected by a honeycomb of tunnels. Located next to McClinitc Wildlife Preserve, Ye Olde Mothman had plenty of places to hide.

He didn’t hurt anyone but he sure scared a bunch of peeps. During this time, there were also reports of “Men in Black,” and strange lights, and then the collapse of the Silver Bridge. Point Pleasant is haunted. Take it from an empath who has written about this strange place before. It’s the last post in my May 2004 archives. Strange, strange place, but I love going there. Its like a game of hide and seek in the light… or the dark.

You can learn more about Ye Olde Mothman by watching “The Mothman Prophecies” starring Richard Gere or reading “The Mothman Prophecies” by John Keel.

Braxton County

The Braxton County or Flatwoods Monster, which supposedly descended from a UFO/meteorite over 50 years ago. They actually have a sign on the Interstate that reads - Welcome to Braxton County, Home of the Flatwoods Monster- or something like that.

Moundsville

Besides being home to the largest Indian mound in West Virginia, it was also home to the state penitentiary. Now, you can tour Moundsville State Pen and even spend the night, if you dare. Naturally, a prison has seen its share of sorrow, hate, anger, pain, and death. It may as well seeped into the walls. During a riot, the prisoners disembowled another “snitch” prisoner. Yeah, he was alive when they started. They say the area this happened in is especially haunted. You can check out more at www.wvpentours.com. Sounds like a great blogger get-together!

Parkersburg/Shepherdstown/Harpers Ferry

West Virginia has a deep Civil War history and the towns listed above have some of the richest. A lot of the current hospitals and even schools and colleges were used as hospitals during the Civil War and boast a multitude of ghosts, sounds, and just general creepiness. Many say John Brown is still a frequent visitor along the streets of Harpers Ferry and is seen with a black dog.

Mountain Lore

One of the most interesting stories is that of Coal Mountain, located in the Potomac Highlands. The story says a man and his servant were coon hunting one night and the servant, being a younger man, soon outdistanced his master (?) And when he returned to look for him he couldn’t find him. He was distraught at the loss and continued to search for him until he himself disappeared. A strange orangish glow is seen weaving up the mountain. Many believe the servant still seeks his master.

There’s also the ghost which used to ride the cowcatcher on the train beginning as the train came through Silver Run Tunnel, located on the North Bend Rail Trail, located between Parkersburg and Clarksburg. There are pictures from North Bend on my photoblog, first month.
There’s a ghostly historical marker in Sam Black Church (1897). It relates the story of the Greenbrier Ghost, Zona Heaster Shue, who was said to have appeared as a ghost to her mother for four days, explaining how she was murdered by her husband. This ghostly appearance lead to the exhumation of her body and an autopsy which revealed a broken neck and crushed windpipe. Her husband was arrested and convicted based on the ghost’s testimony and sentenced to life in prison. One way or another, we’re gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha

There are so many more ghost stories, I couldn’t write them all down and its seems like everybody has one. Like me. I went to T-Bird’s the other day to visit and was sitting in the living room with her, her ex, and a young lady who is staying with them. We spent some time watching the motorized monster truck make its way across the room in spurts and fits, the remote laying on its side, no batteries. This happens quite often, especially when J3 gets new toys. Its kind of fun, if you can get over the fact its moving by itself or rather, under spirit power.

One of the most endearing things about West Viriginia is the abundance of ghost stories and eerie happenings, past and present. Let me take you to -

Point Pleasant

Point Pleasant, located on the Ohio River is the burial site of Chief Cornstalk, who was murdered there during the Revolutionary War. Point Pleasant is also home to the Mothman, a strange apparition resembling part-man, part-moth or bird, who was first sited 40 years ago. Mothman hung out at TNT, the old ammunitions factory/storage facility. TNT was a series of concrete igloos, covered with dirt and vegetation, connected by a honeycomb of tunnels. Located next to McClinitc Wildlife Preserve, Ye Olde Mothman had plenty of places to hide.

He didn’t hurt anyone but he sure scared a bunch of peeps. During this time, there were also reports of “Men in Black,” and strange lights, and then the collapse of the Silver Bridge. Point Pleasant is haunted. Take it from an empath who has written about this strange place before. It’s the last post in my May 2004 archives. Strange, strange place, but I love going there. Its like a game of hide and seek in the light… or the dark.

You can learn more about Ye Olde Mothman by watching “The Mothman Prophecies” starring Richard Gere or reading “The Mothman Prophecies” by John Keel.

Braxton County

The Braxton County or Flatwoods Monster, which supposedly descended from a UFO/meteorite over 50 years ago. They actually have a sign on the Interstate that reads - Welcome to Braxton County, Home of the Flatwoods Monster- or something like that.

Moundsville

Besides being home to the largest Indian mound in West Virginia, it was also home to the state penitentiary. Now, you can tour Moundsville State Pen and even spend the night, if you dare. Naturally, a prison has seen its share of sorrow, hate, anger, pain, and death. It may as well seeped into the walls. During a riot, the prisoners disembowled another “snitch” prisoner. Yeah, he was alive when they started. They say the area this happened in is especially haunted. You can check out more at www.wvpentours.com. Sounds like a great blogger get-together!

Parkersburg/Shepherdstown/Harpers Ferry

West Virginia has a deep Civil War history and the towns listed above have some of the richest. A lot of the current hospitals and even schools and colleges were used as hospitals during the Civil War and boast a multitude of ghosts, sounds, and just general creepiness. Many say John Brown is still a frequent visitor along the streets of Harpers Ferry and is seen with a black dog.

Mountain Lore

One of the most interesting stories is that of Coal Mountain, located in the Potomac Highlands. The story says a man and his servant were coon hunting one night and the servant, being a younger man, soon outdistanced his master (?) And when he returned to look for him he couldn’t find him. He was distraught at the loss and continued to search for him until he himself disappeared. A strange orangish glow is seen weaving up the mountain. Many believe the servant still seeks his master.

There’s also the ghost which used to ride the cowcatcher on the train beginning as the train came through Silver Run Tunnel, located on the North Bend Rail Trail, located between Parkersburg and Clarksburg. There are pictures from North Bend on my photoblog, first month.
There’s a ghostly historical marker in Sam Black Church (1897). It relates the story of the Greenbrier Ghost, Zona Heaster Shue, who was said to have appeared as a ghost to her mother for four days, explaining how she was murdered by her husband. This ghostly appearance lead to the exhumation of her body and an autopsy which revealed a broken neck and crushed windpipe. Her husband was arrested and convicted based on the ghost’s testimony and sentenced to life in prison. One way or another, we’re gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha

There are so many more ghost stories, I couldn’t write them all down and its seems like everybody has one. Like me. I went to T-Bird’s the other day to visit and was sitting in the living room with her, her ex, and a young lady who is staying with them. We spent some time watching the motorized monster truck make its way across the room in spurts and fits, the remote laying on its side, no batteries. This happens quite often, especially when J3 gets new toys. Its kind of fun, if you can get over the fact its moving by itself or rather, under spirit power.

My little fingers have been busy beading, beading, beading. I finally ripped my head out of its moorings in my gluteus maximus and started working on a design for my Mom’s Christmas present. I’ve had the idea floating around up top for a while and when I saw an advertisement for Bead & Button magazine and their submission guidelines… well… what an idea! Do my design, write about it… submit. Bingo! BooYAAA!

Okay, so maybe they won’t like it but I won’t know unless I do it. To my credit, the design turned out as I had hoped it would, although right now, all I have are prototypes. Its not that I need a massive amount of beads, its that I need a good variety of colors in the same type of bead, which, I don’t have and I won’t have until later on this month.

Oh, my design. Well, its actually not MY design, its an idea to incorporate something my mother loves into something I love. And me Mo, well me Mo is a quilter. Its an antique design, used for over a hundred years in quilting. Now, I’m just trying to decide… what the hell to do with it? Do I make individual blocks? Already have but then that just didn’t suit me much. I mean, its OK, but then I was looking at the completed quilts and thought how much prettier that is than just one block. Here’s an example.

I was most pleased with a variation of the Log Cabin in which I put a matching Swarovski crystal where the normal red square goes. (The red square represents the hearth of home.) There are so many variations its not funny. But anywho, I adapted it for beading. I thought about using the blocks to make a bracelet or watchband. We’ll see.

Then I thought about my miniatures. Although it’s a variation of an established pattern, as long as I give the original creator credit, then I can still use it. And write about it. Everything leads to writing.

Which reminds me… I need to go to the library to look for a book on government grants. I may apply for money to just write. Wouldn’t that be the shit? I know it’s a possibility that if my firm joins with another firm at the first of the year, I could be without a job. That’s not far off. So much to think about, so much to do.

Happy Hump Day.

My little fingers have been busy beading, beading, beading. I finally ripped my head out of its moorings in my gluteus maximus and started working on a design for my Mom’s Christmas present. I’ve had the idea floating around up top for a while and when I saw an advertisement for Bead & Button magazine and their submission guidelines… well… what an idea! Do my design, write about it… submit. Bingo! BooYAAA!

Okay, so maybe they won’t like it but I won’t know unless I do it. To my credit, the design turned out as I had hoped it would, although right now, all I have are prototypes. Its not that I need a massive amount of beads, its that I need a good variety of colors in the same type of bead, which, I don’t have and I won’t have until later on this month.

Oh, my design. Well, its actually not MY design, its an idea to incorporate something my mother loves into something I love. And me Mo, well me Mo is a quilter. Its an antique design, used for over a hundred years in quilting. Now, I’m just trying to decide… what the hell to do with it? Do I make individual blocks? Already have but then that just didn’t suit me much. I mean, its OK, but then I was looking at the completed quilts and thought how much prettier that is than just one block. Here’s an example.

I was most pleased with a variation of the Log Cabin in which I put a matching Swarovski crystal where the normal red square goes. (The red square represents the hearth of home.) There are so many variations its not funny. But anywho, I adapted it for beading. I thought about using the blocks to make a bracelet or watchband. We’ll see.

Then I thought about my miniatures. Although it’s a variation of an established pattern, as long as I give the original creator credit, then I can still use it. And write about it. Everything leads to writing.

Which reminds me… I need to go to the library to look for a book on government grants. I may apply for money to just write. Wouldn’t that be the shit? I know it’s a possibility that if my firm joins with another firm at the first of the year, I could be without a job. That’s not far off. So much to think about, so much to do.

Happy Hump Day.

That’s right peeps. My friend Troy has made it through his deployment in Afghanistan and should be home this time next week!!

I’m not sure where he will end up, probably somewhere where he will write government contracts and be able to run a lot, since he put in 801 miles while deployed. His good bye letter to Afghanistan and the military was tear-inducing.

Maybe I can convince him to guest blog for me on occasion while I plow ahead with my creative writing.

I’m so very proud of him and proud to call him my friend.

That’s right peeps. My friend Troy has made it through his deployment in Afghanistan and should be home this time next week!!

I’m not sure where he will end up, probably somewhere where he will write government contracts and be able to run a lot, since he put in 801 miles while deployed. His good bye letter to Afghanistan and the military was tear-inducing.

Maybe I can convince him to guest blog for me on occasion while I plow ahead with my creative writing.

I’m so very proud of him and proud to call him my friend.

Instead of saying g-dd**n, I do try to say God Bless American instead. Its been a cussing kind of week. I’m still miserable with TMJ. Although I just took four Advil ©, so I’m hopeful that will give me some relief. I’m pretty sure I know where my terry cloth covered rice bag is too. They can be heated in the microwave, in case you don’t know what they are here’s your link. And for you more enterprising types, it includes instructions on how to make your own.

The most miserable part of TMJ, apart from the swelling and pain, is the fever. Just a low-grade fever, 99.8 or so, but just enough to absolutely make me feel like shit. All day. Naturally, its quite difficult to concentrate on my writings and my plan for total world domination.

Hopefully I’ll feel better over the weekend and I’ll be able to continue with my WV series next week. If I feel like it, I’ll blog over the weekend but I have a lot of work to do, so if I don’t, I’ll see you on the flipside.

Instead of saying g-dd**n, I do try to say God Bless American instead. Its been a cussing kind of week. I’m still miserable with TMJ. Although I just took four Advil ©, so I’m hopeful that will give me some relief. I’m pretty sure I know where my terry cloth covered rice bag is too. They can be heated in the microwave, in case you don’t know what they are here’s your link. And for you more enterprising types, it includes instructions on how to make your own.

The most miserable part of TMJ, apart from the swelling and pain, is the fever. Just a low-grade fever, 99.8 or so, but just enough to absolutely make me feel like shit. All day. Naturally, its quite difficult to concentrate on my writings and my plan for total world domination.

Hopefully I’ll feel better over the weekend and I’ll be able to continue with my WV series next week. If I feel like it, I’ll blog over the weekend but I have a lot of work to do, so if I don’t, I’ll see you on the flipside.