Date: Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
Word of the Day: pogonip(POG\uh\nip); an ice fog that forms in the mountain valleys of the western United States
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: still sick
Today, I am just announcing that there are only eighteen (18) days left until Christmas and that Santa Claus will soon be coming to visit us all.
That is all that is being posted today because I am still sick with the flu, I know you understand.
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Managing Monday
Date: Monday, December 6th, 2010
Word of the Day: hyaline(HAHY\uh\lahyn); glassy or transparent
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: sick
Favourite Saying: Where's Jenny Craig?
First off I would like to send best wishes to my sister Ruth, whose birthday it is today, so Happy Birthday Ruth, I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day!
Second, there are now only nineteen (19) days left to Christmas Day, yup, Santa Claus will soon be barreling down on all of us, isn't that great?
Last, I'm sick. I seem to have contacted some kind of flu bug and I have really bad nausea, because of that, I don't feel much like writing, I know you understand.
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Word of the Day: hyaline(HAHY\uh\lahyn); glassy or transparent
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: sick
Favourite Saying: Where's Jenny Craig?
First off I would like to send best wishes to my sister Ruth, whose birthday it is today, so Happy Birthday Ruth, I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day!
Second, there are now only nineteen (19) days left to Christmas Day, yup, Santa Claus will soon be barreling down on all of us, isn't that great?
Last, I'm sick. I seem to have contacted some kind of flu bug and I have really bad nausea, because of that, I don't feel much like writing, I know you understand.
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Salivating on Sunday
Date: Sunday, December 5th, 2010
Word of the Day: scurf(SKURF); the scales or small shreds of epidermis that are continually exfoliated from the skin; any scaly matter or incrustation on a surface
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: 62 minutes, twelve (12) seconds
Ambition: to be shy
Wasn't yesterday just one peach of a day? It was so warm and sunny here that I just wanted to take the day in my arms and never let it go, if you will excuse my pretty sloppy attempts at being literary.
It's always something, especially with me. I seem to have contacted some kind of flu virus. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon, and all night, throwing up. Fortunately for me, Zac is very good at taking care of sick people. In addition, I now have a rather large ulcer on my tongue (I hate getting them there; they are extremely painful,) which Zac has recommended that I gargle with salt water every couple of hours.
We did meet my brother's family (most of them; Biff and Sally were absent,) for breakfast at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) yesterday, and I think we all really enjoyed the breakfast, I know I certainly did. I not only had bacon and eggs, with hash browns and rye toast, but there were also two large buttermilk pancakes for me to add to my already large belly, oh well, I did do an extra long workout on CC, but I really have to learn to eat less, its just so unnecessary to eat as much as I did, shame on me!
After breakfast at the IHOP, Jessie and Raphael came back to our house as they wanted to hang with us for a bit, Jessie, in particular, wanted to play with Winter, and let me tell you, Winter got one heck of a playdate! Raphael played with Winter as well, but he was more interested in playing with the WI computer gaming system which is used with the televsion. Boy, is he ever good at it; for the record, I suck at it!
We went to PETCO to pickup some things for Winter, and this was our first time visiting this pet store. Raphael and Jessie wanted to get a gift to give to Winter for Christmas, very thoughtful of them, Jessie picked out a rubber chicken that clucks and Raphael picked out a squeaking rubber dog. Winter knew we bought them and she doesn't want to wait until December 25th to play with them, alas, Winter too must follow the rules!
Zac and I picked out a brand new bed for Winter as her current one has been damaged big time, we also got a flea collar as we have noticed Winter scratching from time to time and last but not least, we finally got Winter an effective seat belt.
In the past, we have purchased a few seatbelts and they were all so totally useless, naturally you don't find this out until after you have paid for the seatbelt and have taken it home and unwrapped it; none of the seatbelts have done the job a seatbelt should do, and we would be absolutely devastated if we were to lose Winter in a car accident because she wasn't wearing a seat belt, I am still suffering the pains of Princess Diana, Winter is not going to die the same way, no way buddy!
The new seatbelt we purchased yesterday is very unlike the previous ones we have tried out so we are cautiously optimistic. Winter has already tried it out for little errands that we did around Gainesville yesterday, but the real test will be when Winter wears it for a very long travel, such as when we go back home to Canada, oh my goodness, not already.
Yes, you read correctly, there are now only twenty (20) days until Christmas Day, twenty days for you to buy a larger pant size because all of your current pants are not going to be able to hold all of the weight from the goodies that you are going to eat over the holidays, just accept it.
I hope you won't be too disappointed, but because of my illness, I am cutting today's post short.
You take care, as well.
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Word of the Day: scurf(SKURF); the scales or small shreds of epidermis that are continually exfoliated from the skin; any scaly matter or incrustation on a surface
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: 62 minutes, twelve (12) seconds
Ambition: to be shy
Wasn't yesterday just one peach of a day? It was so warm and sunny here that I just wanted to take the day in my arms and never let it go, if you will excuse my pretty sloppy attempts at being literary.
It's always something, especially with me. I seem to have contacted some kind of flu virus. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon, and all night, throwing up. Fortunately for me, Zac is very good at taking care of sick people. In addition, I now have a rather large ulcer on my tongue (I hate getting them there; they are extremely painful,) which Zac has recommended that I gargle with salt water every couple of hours.
We did meet my brother's family (most of them; Biff and Sally were absent,) for breakfast at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) yesterday, and I think we all really enjoyed the breakfast, I know I certainly did. I not only had bacon and eggs, with hash browns and rye toast, but there were also two large buttermilk pancakes for me to add to my already large belly, oh well, I did do an extra long workout on CC, but I really have to learn to eat less, its just so unnecessary to eat as much as I did, shame on me!
After breakfast at the IHOP, Jessie and Raphael came back to our house as they wanted to hang with us for a bit, Jessie, in particular, wanted to play with Winter, and let me tell you, Winter got one heck of a playdate! Raphael played with Winter as well, but he was more interested in playing with the WI computer gaming system which is used with the televsion. Boy, is he ever good at it; for the record, I suck at it!We went to PETCO to pickup some things for Winter, and this was our first time visiting this pet store. Raphael and Jessie wanted to get a gift to give to Winter for Christmas, very thoughtful of them, Jessie picked out a rubber chicken that clucks and Raphael picked out a squeaking rubber dog. Winter knew we bought them and she doesn't want to wait until December 25th to play with them, alas, Winter too must follow the rules!
Zac and I picked out a brand new bed for Winter as her current one has been damaged big time, we also got a flea collar as we have noticed Winter scratching from time to time and last but not least, we finally got Winter an effective seat belt.
In the past, we have purchased a few seatbelts and they were all so totally useless, naturally you don't find this out until after you have paid for the seatbelt and have taken it home and unwrapped it; none of the seatbelts have done the job a seatbelt should do, and we would be absolutely devastated if we were to lose Winter in a car accident because she wasn't wearing a seat belt, I am still suffering the pains of Princess Diana, Winter is not going to die the same way, no way buddy!
The new seatbelt we purchased yesterday is very unlike the previous ones we have tried out so we are cautiously optimistic. Winter has already tried it out for little errands that we did around Gainesville yesterday, but the real test will be when Winter wears it for a very long travel, such as when we go back home to Canada, oh my goodness, not already.
Yes, you read correctly, there are now only twenty (20) days until Christmas Day, twenty days for you to buy a larger pant size because all of your current pants are not going to be able to hold all of the weight from the goodies that you are going to eat over the holidays, just accept it.
I hope you won't be too disappointed, but because of my illness, I am cutting today's post short.
You take care, as well.
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Star Saturday
Date: Saturday, December 4th, 2010
Word of the Day: divagate(DAHY\vuh\geyt); to wander; stray
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 44 inches
Rowing Duration: one hour, fifty-nine (59) minutes, four (4) seconds
Okay, well were into the weekend, and I, for one, have been very busy. As you know, Zac and I picked up our kids, Raphael and Jessie from their school yesterday afternoon, and from there we took them to the "Toys R US" store where we exhausted ourselves going up and down the aisles, back and forth over this way, side to side to all of the Barbies, and around again to the helicopters, "you want to make sure you get the right one, don't you Uncle Efrem?" I think you all get the pretty picture of our venture, but you know what?, I loved doing it and would go back to the store to do it again, tomorrow, in a heartbeat, oh yes I would!
Let me tell you what happened at the kids school. We arrived about fifteen minutes early, which is very okay with me, I hate being late. I decided, because it was such a lovely afternoon to wait outside the school, and I sat on a bench that was situated right outside the main hall. Winter kept me company, she's so loyal, and Zac stayed in the car doing his sudoku. Okay, you get the picture, we move on.
Let me say outright, I am very impressed with the supervision at the children's school. I was sitting on the bench no less than two minutes when I was approached by the principal of the school who was named Brad. Brad, asked me who I was there for, I told him the names of our children, and then Brad pressed me further in giving the names of the children's parents. Brad did not want to settle for our just knowing the names of the children, he wanted better data to support our getting our hands on innocent children. I love Brad for doing his job well, and I hope other people who hold our children's lives in their hands are just as thorough. I don't like saying it, but it's a fact, there's some crazy people out there and our children need all of the protection that we can give them. So, hooray to all those caregivers who hold our children's lives and a really big Hooray again Brad, I know our children and I included appreciate all of your efforts, and thank you.
After our jaunt to "Toys R US", we went to McDonalds for refreshments, wherein Jessie, Raphael and I each had a hot fudge sundae, was it ever good, YUM! After Mickey D's, Zac drove us all to my brother Biff's house and we lounged around playing there with Winter until Biff and Louise got home. That is what I call a great afternoon!!!!
Here it comes people, are you ready for it?, do you really want it?, lock up your daughters because there are now only twenty-one (21) days until the birthday of Jesus. Yes, it's Christmas-time, and soon you will not only have to contend with the snow, slush and sleet (good alliteration, don't you think?) but soon your home will be showered with presents, Christmas wrapping, Christmas Pointsettas, bows, Christmas Angels, Christmas Trees, coloured lights (some homes really have truly spectacular lighting and I love it) Nativety sets, tinsil, candy-canes (another favourite of mine,) Angel-hair (for some reason or other, Winter is crazy about this stuff, hehe,) and don't forget to leave that milk and cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve!
This morning, Zac, Winter and I have plans to take Biff, Louise, Sally, Jessie and Raphael to the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) for breakfast. We have been here almost three weeks already and we haven't yet been to the IHOP so I'm really looking forward to it today. They really do a great breakfast!
I'm having more health problems, my back is extremely painful these days and I'm trying to just settle for taking Acetiminophen for the pain, but sometimes I do have to take Dilaudid, yes, the pain is that bad!
Whilst I was on CC this morning, I watched the PBS channel which was playing "In performance at The White House." (originally broadcast in October of this year.) Some of the performers were Nathan Lane, who also acted as host, Audra McDonald who sang two songs beautifully, Tony-Winner for Wicked, actress Idina Menzel who is truly amazing, and a young lady, who I've never heard before, but I expect we'll all be hearing about Miss Assata Alston.
I know I use the word amazing alot, but Miss Assata Alston, who is just twelve (12) years old, really has an amazing voice, I am already a huge fan. Trust me, I know about these things and I predict huge, huge success for Assata Alston, who has already played the lead in the musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie." I wish you all could have heard her sing "Gimme, Gimmee", she sang the heck out of that song, WOW! I know that is only her start, Assata Alston is on her way, some people are already calling her a "legend," so how about that?, remember people, you heard about Miss Assata Alston from me first!
I was thinking that this gift-giving occasion, why not give a gift that's worth remembering by moving away from the more traditional choices and going with something a little more abstract. Friends, family, co-workers and even bosses enjoy gifts that are both thoughtful and engaging.
First on my list, and it is neither new or abstract, but I believe the best gifts to give and receive are those gifts that come from the heart, yup, that hand-made scarf, or that picture of Little Johnny's First Day of School, for me, gifts that come from the heart are the most memorable and they are always, always my favourite gifts, trust me, they are a win-win!
Surprise someone with a gift membership to an on-line movie company, such as Netflix. Netflix, (available now in the United States (U.S.) and I believe is now in Canada,) is a fun and easy-to-use online movie service with more than 100,000 DVD titles available, as well as 10,000 movies that you can watch instantly on your computer. Shipping to and from Netflix is free, and most titles arrive within one business day. With gift memberships available in durations as short as one month to as long as a year, a Netflixgift membership makes for a great gift for anyone with an Internet connection and a love for movies. You may have picked up on it, but just in case you haven't, I love movies.
Name a star after someone. I love this one, and I would love to have a star named after my self. True, I'd rather be the star, but that's another complicated story for another day, isn't it? Anyway, having a star named after someone is fun, it's romantic, and it definitely shows a certain amount of creativity in gift-giving. Yup, you definetly do not want to be boring. Boring is out.
The International Star Registry is the original name-a-star service, but there are literally dozens of similar companies with different options for extras. For the thrifty star-namer, there is Free Name a Star, who let's you register your star's new name, albeit without all the bells and whistles. I love the bells and whistles, am I being too suggestive? Hmmm.
Give a gift to a conservation society. Anyone will do and any and all are deserved and necessary, this planet is the only one we have, we need to take care of it!
Support wildlife conservation by "adopting" an animal. The Humane Society of Canada can give you some names if you don't know of one. I know of Wildlife Adoption and World Wildlife Fund and these are two of the best sites, offering many different choices of animals. For a contribution to the animal's conservation fund, you can get an "adoption kit" with a mini-plush of your chosen animal complete with certificate of adoption. This gift is a big hit with kids and animal lovers alike, and my child, Winter, thanks you in advance for giving this gift.
Show you care with a Kiva gift certificate. This one is a little out there, but that is what I really like about it. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, meaning that you can make a loan as small as $25 to an entrepreneur in an impoverished country and track their progress as they pay it back. Don't you think that's clever?, I do. A gift certificate allows the recipient to choose their entrepreneur and be involved in this amazing experience. Remember what you've learned in that lesson about teaching someone to fish, they'll be always able to feed themselves, teaching and showing people how to take care of themselves is one of the greatest gifts to give anyone!
Give a gift card to Heifer International. Heifer International is an organization that gives the gift of livestock to impoverished families around the world, going beyond just charity to allow families to create a sustainable income for themselves. Heifer's "pass on the gift" (the movie, "Pay It Forward" is similar to this,) policy requires each livestock recipient to pass on one or more of their animal's offspring to another needy family. This is a great gift for those who love to help others, and you can feel great knowing that your gift will continue to help more and more families in need. I, am doing this one, this year, people, why don't you keep me company!
I think it is essential that we all do what we can to give back, not only to those in our backyard and our community, we need to lend a hand to all who are on this planet that need it, so this year, why don't you use one of my ideas listed above, I'm telling you, you will end up feeling so much joy in your heart, and isn't that what this season is all about?
That's it for me today folks, I have to walk the baby, also known as (aka) Winter, shower, shave, and all the rest of it. You, on the other hand, have your stuff to do so get on with it. Thank you for reading, just in case you don't know it, I'm glad I'm not talking to myself! As always, be careful out there!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Word of the Day: divagate(DAHY\vuh\geyt); to wander; stray
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 44 inches
Rowing Duration: one hour, fifty-nine (59) minutes, four (4) seconds
Okay, well were into the weekend, and I, for one, have been very busy. As you know, Zac and I picked up our kids, Raphael and Jessie from their school yesterday afternoon, and from there we took them to the "Toys R US" store where we exhausted ourselves going up and down the aisles, back and forth over this way, side to side to all of the Barbies, and around again to the helicopters, "you want to make sure you get the right one, don't you Uncle Efrem?" I think you all get the pretty picture of our venture, but you know what?, I loved doing it and would go back to the store to do it again, tomorrow, in a heartbeat, oh yes I would!
Let me tell you what happened at the kids school. We arrived about fifteen minutes early, which is very okay with me, I hate being late. I decided, because it was such a lovely afternoon to wait outside the school, and I sat on a bench that was situated right outside the main hall. Winter kept me company, she's so loyal, and Zac stayed in the car doing his sudoku. Okay, you get the picture, we move on.
Let me say outright, I am very impressed with the supervision at the children's school. I was sitting on the bench no less than two minutes when I was approached by the principal of the school who was named Brad. Brad, asked me who I was there for, I told him the names of our children, and then Brad pressed me further in giving the names of the children's parents. Brad did not want to settle for our just knowing the names of the children, he wanted better data to support our getting our hands on innocent children. I love Brad for doing his job well, and I hope other people who hold our children's lives in their hands are just as thorough. I don't like saying it, but it's a fact, there's some crazy people out there and our children need all of the protection that we can give them. So, hooray to all those caregivers who hold our children's lives and a really big Hooray again Brad, I know our children and I included appreciate all of your efforts, and thank you.
After our jaunt to "Toys R US", we went to McDonalds for refreshments, wherein Jessie, Raphael and I each had a hot fudge sundae, was it ever good, YUM! After Mickey D's, Zac drove us all to my brother Biff's house and we lounged around playing there with Winter until Biff and Louise got home. That is what I call a great afternoon!!!!
Here it comes people, are you ready for it?, do you really want it?, lock up your daughters because there are now only twenty-one (21) days until the birthday of Jesus. Yes, it's Christmas-time, and soon you will not only have to contend with the snow, slush and sleet (good alliteration, don't you think?) but soon your home will be showered with presents, Christmas wrapping, Christmas Pointsettas, bows, Christmas Angels, Christmas Trees, coloured lights (some homes really have truly spectacular lighting and I love it) Nativety sets, tinsil, candy-canes (another favourite of mine,) Angel-hair (for some reason or other, Winter is crazy about this stuff, hehe,) and don't forget to leave that milk and cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve!
This morning, Zac, Winter and I have plans to take Biff, Louise, Sally, Jessie and Raphael to the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) for breakfast. We have been here almost three weeks already and we haven't yet been to the IHOP so I'm really looking forward to it today. They really do a great breakfast!
I'm having more health problems, my back is extremely painful these days and I'm trying to just settle for taking Acetiminophen for the pain, but sometimes I do have to take Dilaudid, yes, the pain is that bad!
Whilst I was on CC this morning, I watched the PBS channel which was playing "In performance at The White House." (originally broadcast in October of this year.) Some of the performers were Nathan Lane, who also acted as host, Audra McDonald who sang two songs beautifully, Tony-Winner for Wicked, actress Idina Menzel who is truly amazing, and a young lady, who I've never heard before, but I expect we'll all be hearing about Miss Assata Alston.I know I use the word amazing alot, but Miss Assata Alston, who is just twelve (12) years old, really has an amazing voice, I am already a huge fan. Trust me, I know about these things and I predict huge, huge success for Assata Alston, who has already played the lead in the musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie." I wish you all could have heard her sing "Gimme, Gimmee", she sang the heck out of that song, WOW! I know that is only her start, Assata Alston is on her way, some people are already calling her a "legend," so how about that?, remember people, you heard about Miss Assata Alston from me first!
I was thinking that this gift-giving occasion, why not give a gift that's worth remembering by moving away from the more traditional choices and going with something a little more abstract. Friends, family, co-workers and even bosses enjoy gifts that are both thoughtful and engaging.
First on my list, and it is neither new or abstract, but I believe the best gifts to give and receive are those gifts that come from the heart, yup, that hand-made scarf, or that picture of Little Johnny's First Day of School, for me, gifts that come from the heart are the most memorable and they are always, always my favourite gifts, trust me, they are a win-win!
Surprise someone with a gift membership to an on-line movie company, such as Netflix. Netflix, (available now in the United States (U.S.) and I believe is now in Canada,) is a fun and easy-to-use online movie service with more than 100,000 DVD titles available, as well as 10,000 movies that you can watch instantly on your computer. Shipping to and from Netflix is free, and most titles arrive within one business day. With gift memberships available in durations as short as one month to as long as a year, a Netflixgift membership makes for a great gift for anyone with an Internet connection and a love for movies. You may have picked up on it, but just in case you haven't, I love movies.
Name a star after someone. I love this one, and I would love to have a star named after my self. True, I'd rather be the star, but that's another complicated story for another day, isn't it? Anyway, having a star named after someone is fun, it's romantic, and it definitely shows a certain amount of creativity in gift-giving. Yup, you definetly do not want to be boring. Boring is out.
The International Star Registry is the original name-a-star service, but there are literally dozens of similar companies with different options for extras. For the thrifty star-namer, there is Free Name a Star, who let's you register your star's new name, albeit without all the bells and whistles. I love the bells and whistles, am I being too suggestive? Hmmm.
Give a gift to a conservation society. Anyone will do and any and all are deserved and necessary, this planet is the only one we have, we need to take care of it!
Support wildlife conservation by "adopting" an animal. The Humane Society of Canada can give you some names if you don't know of one. I know of Wildlife Adoption and World Wildlife Fund and these are two of the best sites, offering many different choices of animals. For a contribution to the animal's conservation fund, you can get an "adoption kit" with a mini-plush of your chosen animal complete with certificate of adoption. This gift is a big hit with kids and animal lovers alike, and my child, Winter, thanks you in advance for giving this gift.
Show you care with a Kiva gift certificate. This one is a little out there, but that is what I really like about it. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, meaning that you can make a loan as small as $25 to an entrepreneur in an impoverished country and track their progress as they pay it back. Don't you think that's clever?, I do. A gift certificate allows the recipient to choose their entrepreneur and be involved in this amazing experience. Remember what you've learned in that lesson about teaching someone to fish, they'll be always able to feed themselves, teaching and showing people how to take care of themselves is one of the greatest gifts to give anyone!
Give a gift card to Heifer International. Heifer International is an organization that gives the gift of livestock to impoverished families around the world, going beyond just charity to allow families to create a sustainable income for themselves. Heifer's "pass on the gift" (the movie, "Pay It Forward" is similar to this,) policy requires each livestock recipient to pass on one or more of their animal's offspring to another needy family. This is a great gift for those who love to help others, and you can feel great knowing that your gift will continue to help more and more families in need. I, am doing this one, this year, people, why don't you keep me company!
I think it is essential that we all do what we can to give back, not only to those in our backyard and our community, we need to lend a hand to all who are on this planet that need it, so this year, why don't you use one of my ideas listed above, I'm telling you, you will end up feeling so much joy in your heart, and isn't that what this season is all about?
That's it for me today folks, I have to walk the baby, also known as (aka) Winter, shower, shave, and all the rest of it. You, on the other hand, have your stuff to do so get on with it. Thank you for reading, just in case you don't know it, I'm glad I'm not talking to myself! As always, be careful out there!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Friday, December 3, 2010
Fabulous Fridays Forever
Date: Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Word of the Day: tristful(TRIST\fuhl); full of saddness; sorrowful
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: one hour, fifty-seven (57) minutes, eight (8) seconds
HO! HO! HO! Hear ye, Hear ye, there are now only twenty-three (23) days until Christmas, and I am almost apoplectic with anticipation. Yes, when it comes down to Santa Claus Day, I am the biggest child. I will have difficulty sleeping on Christmas Eve, I will be the first one up, and I'll be the first one to open up all of his presents, yes folks, I am just an adult incognito, at Christmas, call me Peter Pan because I am very child-like and like Pete, I have no intention of growing up, so now you know, I am really just ten years old! Had you fooled, didn't I? No, I know I couldn't fool you Marta, you're much too smart!
My goodness, things have really cooled off down here in Gainesville, Florida. Yesterday, the day was bright and sunny, alas, the temperature was just about sixty-five degrees, which is not horrible by Canadian standards, but for down here, schucks, I'm still happy.
We took Sarah-Jane to the Orlando International Airport yesterday so right now, Sarah-Jane is back enjoying her home life in beautiful, colder than Florida, Canada!
I learned something about myself from Sarah-Jane's visit and that is I don't have much patience with people who don't have or use manners; I feel manners are extremely important, not that difficult to do,and when someone is asking something of me, chances are I will do what is being asked 100 percent of the time if I hear the word please, if manners are not used, I won't say I won't do the task being asked of me, but as Mary Poppins would say, "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down!" So, does this mean I'm anal retentive?, I really want your opinion.
After dropping off Sarah-Jane, we drove to Hudson, Florida to visit some dear friends of ours that we know from the cottage on the lake. We had purchased a lovely Pointsetta Christmas plant to give Ray and Renee, but unfortunately it got murdered by Winter when she decided to lay on it in the car. All the same, we had a lovely visit with our friends, albeit a short visit, but still it was nice to get reacquainted and touch base. We are going to try very hard to go back and see The Lumley's again, if time permits.
I need a drumroll please. Yes, another one Lily, I happen to like drumrolls! There are now only two hundred and forty-five (245) days left on my goal to lose one hundred pounds. I honestly don't see any outwardly changes, Zac very kindly says he does, but Zac is like that, he's a really nice guy.
I really don't feel much different, although I do know that the cardiovascular exercise that I'm doing daily must be doing my heart some good. And since my blood pressure is under control, my doctor did recommend that I stop taking Avapro, which I have, I guess that is some progress!
I do know that I have lost at least twenty-five (25) pounds but I haven't weighed myself in a couple of weeks, because, as you know, there is no scale here to monitor my weight. Yikes, I just had a frightening thought, MY WEIGHT COULD BE UP!, oh my goodness, I'm going to have to go to Walmart today and find a scale to weigh myself, maybe I could do that whilst I'm out later with my kids.
Didn't I tell you? Zac and I are picking up Jessie and Raphael from school today and we get to babysit them for a couple of hours which Zac and I are really looking forward to doing. We are planning to go to "Toys R Us" to get some ideas on the gifts that Jessie wants for Christmas, knowing me, we won't be leaving the store without a package or two.
I need to make reservations today to get tickets for Louise, Zac, Sally, Jessie and I to go and see the ballet, "Cinderella," for the matinee performance on Saturday, December 11th, Biff and Raphael do not want to go.
I was reading something interesting on the internet last night and thought I would share it with you: The universe, it seems may contain triple the number of stars previously calculated. The new estimate it, and I hope I get this correct is 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or 300 sextillion. Red dwarf stars, small, dim stars with relatively cool surface temperatures, are at the heart of the debate Because astronomers cannot actually count the number of these dwarf stars in galaxies outside the Milky Way, they count the brighter SUN-like stars and estimate that there are about one hundred (100) unseen dwarfs for each. However, new observations suggest that eliptical galaxies which make up about one-third of all galaxies, contain far more dwarf stars than previously estimated, now just think about that the next time you wish upon a star!
Stars, I really am meant to be part of that Hollywood Galaxy, ah well, maybe in my next life, or maybe next week, we'll see!
Please remember, time is flying by, this is going to be the last weekend that you will be able to breathe easily in shopping malls, so try and get out there to do some shopping because next weekend, the crowds are going to be unreal and you know I'm going to say to you, "I told you so!" (don't you hate it when people say this, I do!, and I promise, I will try not to say it.
Have a great weekend!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Word of the Day: tristful(TRIST\fuhl); full of saddness; sorrowful
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: one hour, fifty-seven (57) minutes, eight (8) seconds
Fabulous Friday Finally, I told you, you could do it and I was right! You made it to what I feel is the best day of the weekend; it is just the beginning of the weekend, there is over forty-eight (48) hours left to do as you please before it all begins all over again, and if you were smart, you did your grocery shopping last night, so you don't even have to go out and get the groceries! However, should you have been busy and didn't attend to the groceries last night, why not do them now and get them over with, that's the advice I always give my kids about any, and all chores, do it now!, sometimes I'm successful with this advice, sometimes I'm not!
My goodness, things have really cooled off down here in Gainesville, Florida. Yesterday, the day was bright and sunny, alas, the temperature was just about sixty-five degrees, which is not horrible by Canadian standards, but for down here, schucks, I'm still happy.
We took Sarah-Jane to the Orlando International Airport yesterday so right now, Sarah-Jane is back enjoying her home life in beautiful, colder than Florida, Canada!
I learned something about myself from Sarah-Jane's visit and that is I don't have much patience with people who don't have or use manners; I feel manners are extremely important, not that difficult to do,and when someone is asking something of me, chances are I will do what is being asked 100 percent of the time if I hear the word please, if manners are not used, I won't say I won't do the task being asked of me, but as Mary Poppins would say, "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down!" So, does this mean I'm anal retentive?, I really want your opinion.
I need a drumroll please. Yes, another one Lily, I happen to like drumrolls! There are now only two hundred and forty-five (245) days left on my goal to lose one hundred pounds. I honestly don't see any outwardly changes, Zac very kindly says he does, but Zac is like that, he's a really nice guy.
I really don't feel much different, although I do know that the cardiovascular exercise that I'm doing daily must be doing my heart some good. And since my blood pressure is under control, my doctor did recommend that I stop taking Avapro, which I have, I guess that is some progress!
I do know that I have lost at least twenty-five (25) pounds but I haven't weighed myself in a couple of weeks, because, as you know, there is no scale here to monitor my weight. Yikes, I just had a frightening thought, MY WEIGHT COULD BE UP!, oh my goodness, I'm going to have to go to Walmart today and find a scale to weigh myself, maybe I could do that whilst I'm out later with my kids.
Didn't I tell you? Zac and I are picking up Jessie and Raphael from school today and we get to babysit them for a couple of hours which Zac and I are really looking forward to doing. We are planning to go to "Toys R Us" to get some ideas on the gifts that Jessie wants for Christmas, knowing me, we won't be leaving the store without a package or two.
I need to make reservations today to get tickets for Louise, Zac, Sally, Jessie and I to go and see the ballet, "Cinderella," for the matinee performance on Saturday, December 11th, Biff and Raphael do not want to go.
I was reading something interesting on the internet last night and thought I would share it with you: The universe, it seems may contain triple the number of stars previously calculated. The new estimate it, and I hope I get this correct is 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or 300 sextillion. Red dwarf stars, small, dim stars with relatively cool surface temperatures, are at the heart of the debate Because astronomers cannot actually count the number of these dwarf stars in galaxies outside the Milky Way, they count the brighter SUN-like stars and estimate that there are about one hundred (100) unseen dwarfs for each. However, new observations suggest that eliptical galaxies which make up about one-third of all galaxies, contain far more dwarf stars than previously estimated, now just think about that the next time you wish upon a star!
Stars, I really am meant to be part of that Hollywood Galaxy, ah well, maybe in my next life, or maybe next week, we'll see!
Please remember, time is flying by, this is going to be the last weekend that you will be able to breathe easily in shopping malls, so try and get out there to do some shopping because next weekend, the crowds are going to be unreal and you know I'm going to say to you, "I told you so!" (don't you hate it when people say this, I do!, and I promise, I will try not to say it.
Have a great weekend!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Trust Thursday
Date: Thursday, December 2nd, 2010
Word of the Day: palingenesis(pal\in\JEN\uh\sis); rebirth, regeneration
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: one hour, fifty-seven (57) minutes, 39 seconds
I wasn't feeling well so I'm rather pleased that I was able to do my time on CC, exercise is hard enough for when you do feel well so today, the hats go off to me.
The weather changed yesterday, it dropped down to the mid-sixties, yes, I know you're feeling for us with this sudden burst of cold that we are experiencing, hopefully, the cold snap won't last and that warm weather will soon envelope us again.
Last night, Zac, Sarah-Jane (a friend from Canada,) and I went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. Gainesville does not seem to offer a very high-end restaurant, other than the country club, and were not members there, so the Cracker Barrel seemed to be a nice, safe choice. I had the roast beef dinner, which was very nice, and both Zac and Sarah-Jane had fish for dinner, albeit not the same kind; Zac had rainbow trout, which he liked very much, and Sarah-Jane had breaded catfish which she said, lacked taste.
Sarah-Jane, by-the-way, came with us from Canada for an eighteen day holiday, alas, all good things must end, and tomorrow, Sarah-Jane is flying back home to Canada.
Since the holidays are fast approaching, one thing we should all be aware of is that there are alot of drivers out there on the road who take drugs, so please use the utmost caution and drive defensively when you are on the road, as about eighteen (18) percent of drivers killed in automobile accidents in 2009 tested positive for drugs, either legal or illegal, a five (5) pêrcent increase since 2005. Since not all drivers killed in crashes were drug tested, the numbers could, in fact, be higher, that is a rather scary fact, isn't it? The data do not indicate at what point prior to the collisions the drugs were taken or whether they played a role in causing these fatal accidents.
While blood alcohol content provides law enforcement with a standard measure of impairment for drivers, researchers have yet to determine the level of drug use that impairs a driverès ability to operate a vehice safely. I, think, if one is under the influence of any drug, no matter if it is a small dose, they should abstain from driving, that's how I feel folks, safety first!
Who could forget Peter Pan? I surely will not, and today is the birthday of Mary Virginia Martin, who was born in 1913. Mary Martin was an American musical comedy star who cowned a dance school in her native Texas before moving in 1938 to New York City, where she earned a small part in the musical "Leave it to Me" winning widespread popularity with her buoyant singing voice and high-spirited temperament. Mary Martin went on to star in several enormously successful musicals, including "South Pacific," one of my very favourite shows, the aforementioned "Peter Pan" and "The Sound of Music", as well as a number of films. Mary Martin's famous son, Larry Hagman was the star of the television series "Dallas" playing the role of that bastard of all bastards, JR Ewing, naturally, I loved his character!
Like I said earlier, we say good-bye to Sarah-Jane today and we will be driving down to Orlando to take her to the airport this morning. Since we are going south anyway, we have decided that we are also going to visit some old friends of ours from the cottage area, Ray and Reene Lumley, who live in Hudson, Florida.
We estimate that after dropping Sarah-Jane off at approximately noon, we should be at the Lumley's by two o'clock, have a good one-hour visit, and then make our way back to beautiful Gainesville, Florida. Winter, is of course, coming with us today on our road trip.
Well, I have much to do; I have to shower, address my email, have breakfast, take Winter for her morning constitutional, and the rest of my usual morning routine!
I hope you all have a good day; the work week is almost up and soon you will be on your weekend, relaxing just like me!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Word of the Day: palingenesis(pal\in\JEN\uh\sis); rebirth, regeneration
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 43 inches
Rowing Duration: one hour, fifty-seven (57) minutes, 39 seconds
I wasn't feeling well so I'm rather pleased that I was able to do my time on CC, exercise is hard enough for when you do feel well so today, the hats go off to me.
Okay, well were not yet at the Ides of December, but Christmas Day is fast approaching, did you know that there are now only twenty-three (23) days left for you to finish your Christmas shopping, wrap those presents, write that letter to Santa Claus, decide on what you'll be serving to eat on Christmas Day, should you do that ham and a turkey?, buy that special Christmas outfit to wear to all of the festive social gatherings, oh the decisions are endless, but I know you can do it, I, for one, can't wait for the big day. I have so many, many blessings.
Last night, Zac, Sarah-Jane (a friend from Canada,) and I went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. Gainesville does not seem to offer a very high-end restaurant, other than the country club, and were not members there, so the Cracker Barrel seemed to be a nice, safe choice. I had the roast beef dinner, which was very nice, and both Zac and Sarah-Jane had fish for dinner, albeit not the same kind; Zac had rainbow trout, which he liked very much, and Sarah-Jane had breaded catfish which she said, lacked taste.
Sarah-Jane, by-the-way, came with us from Canada for an eighteen day holiday, alas, all good things must end, and tomorrow, Sarah-Jane is flying back home to Canada.
Since the holidays are fast approaching, one thing we should all be aware of is that there are alot of drivers out there on the road who take drugs, so please use the utmost caution and drive defensively when you are on the road, as about eighteen (18) percent of drivers killed in automobile accidents in 2009 tested positive for drugs, either legal or illegal, a five (5) pêrcent increase since 2005. Since not all drivers killed in crashes were drug tested, the numbers could, in fact, be higher, that is a rather scary fact, isn't it? The data do not indicate at what point prior to the collisions the drugs were taken or whether they played a role in causing these fatal accidents.
While blood alcohol content provides law enforcement with a standard measure of impairment for drivers, researchers have yet to determine the level of drug use that impairs a driverès ability to operate a vehice safely. I, think, if one is under the influence of any drug, no matter if it is a small dose, they should abstain from driving, that's how I feel folks, safety first!
Who could forget Peter Pan? I surely will not, and today is the birthday of Mary Virginia Martin, who was born in 1913. Mary Martin was an American musical comedy star who cowned a dance school in her native Texas before moving in 1938 to New York City, where she earned a small part in the musical "Leave it to Me" winning widespread popularity with her buoyant singing voice and high-spirited temperament. Mary Martin went on to star in several enormously successful musicals, including "South Pacific," one of my very favourite shows, the aforementioned "Peter Pan" and "The Sound of Music", as well as a number of films. Mary Martin's famous son, Larry Hagman was the star of the television series "Dallas" playing the role of that bastard of all bastards, JR Ewing, naturally, I loved his character!
Like I said earlier, we say good-bye to Sarah-Jane today and we will be driving down to Orlando to take her to the airport this morning. Since we are going south anyway, we have decided that we are also going to visit some old friends of ours from the cottage area, Ray and Reene Lumley, who live in Hudson, Florida.
We estimate that after dropping Sarah-Jane off at approximately noon, we should be at the Lumley's by two o'clock, have a good one-hour visit, and then make our way back to beautiful Gainesville, Florida. Winter, is of course, coming with us today on our road trip.
Well, I have much to do; I have to shower, address my email, have breakfast, take Winter for her morning constitutional, and the rest of my usual morning routine!
I hope you all have a good day; the work week is almost up and soon you will be on your weekend, relaxing just like me!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wishes on Wednesday
Date: Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Word of the Day: lilliputian(lil\i\PYOO\shuhn);extremely small; diminutive; tiny
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Rowing Duration: 96 minutes, three (3) seconds
Well here it is, the very first day of December, which means, there are now only twenty-four (24) days left until Santa Claus comes down that chimney to wish everyone a very "Merry Christmas!" Yes, Christmas Day will soon be upon us, and I, for one, can't wait, Christmas is my favourite holiday, oh hush up, as if you never repeated yourself!
Don't you love the word of the day, if I recall correctly, and I do have an amazing sense of recall, the word stems from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels," the country that Gulliver visited was Lilliput, and the people in Lilliput were called Lilliputians, you knew that, didn't you?
We had a day of overcast yesterday and it really affected me. I, like the day was listless, dark and brooding. I've known for some time that I do have an element of Seasonal Affective Disorder, sometimes referred to as "SAD" (gosh, is it ever!,) and I am much happier when it is bright outside, or at least brighter than it was yesterday.
Zac and I are greatly concerned about Zac's Aunt Effie. Aunt Effie hurt her leg about six weeks ago, and ever since, she has had nothing but a plethora of problems surrounding this injury. The pain is unbearable, but codeine "helps," and the infection does not seem to be under control yet, even though Aunt Effie has been taking antibiodics for awhile now.
Aunt Effie, and Zac, are afraid that she could lose her leg, and I have been praying that God will take care of Aunt Effie's appendage, I feel Aunt Effie's great age of ninety-six (96) years is a challenge enough without the added challenge and difficulties surrounding an amputated leg! I really hope that it doesn't come down to that!eight days ago and ever since I have been sucking on them like they're going out of style. Really, I'm hooked on the stuff
True Confession Time, yet again. I am now hooked on the Tootsie-Roll flavoured lollipops. I had one of the suckers from my kids halloween stash about eight days ago and ever since, well, I'm addicted to the stuff. I suck about four of them a day! I especially like the cherry flavour lollipop!
I bet there are some of you out there that are hoping I'll forget about my weekly grammar lesson(?), I won't, as I believe a little bit of grammar is good for all of us, when the time comes for me to stop learning, I hope that means I'm dead! I need to keep on learning, and growing, and learning, and growing, and ...
This week's lesson is a small one, yet important. One of you, and I won't say who, as that wouldn't be nice, well one of you wanted me to define a participle, and I'd like to thank you Ruthie for giving me this week's grammar lesson.
What is a participle? And, don't worry, today we are not going to get into the dangling participles, that's the good stuff that's coming, today, we're keeping things as simply as we possibly can.
A participle is a lexical item, derived from a verb, that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. The adjectival form of the term participle is participial. (I do so think I'm cute!)
Examples of Participle because by example, we learn:
In English, participles may be used as adjectives, and in nonfinite forms of verbs.
Here are some examples of participles, the participles are italicized and bolded:
'He ate a boiled egg for breakfast.'
'I like to see smiling faces.'
'You are singing a good song.'
'I have exercised.'
'He has eaten dinner already.'
'She got a bad sunburn while playing in the pool.'
I think you get the general idea, and if you don't, well, you may want to change your attention and interest to basket weaving, whew, aren't I in a mood?, MEOW!
Today is the birthday of one of my biggest heroes, so today my hat goes off to the memory of Mr. Mark Twain.
Mark Twain was an American author who, as a humourist, narrator, and social observer, is unsurpassed in American literature. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (such a distinguished name, don't you think?), Twain grew up in a port town on the Mississippi River and eventually became a river pilot. Mark Twain first won fame with the comic masterpiec "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Isn't that a fabulous title?, it truly ranks as one of my favourites. Mark Twain's 1885 novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has been called the first modern Americal novel.
Twain was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.
Mark Twain was very popular, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned praise from critics and peers. Upon his death he was lauded as the "greatest American humorist of his age", and William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature".
When Twain was four, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a port town on the Mississippi River that served as the inspiration for the fictional town of St. Petersburg in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." At that time, Missouri was a slave state, and young Twain became familiar with the institution of slavery, a theme he would later explore in his writing.
Mark Twain made a substantial amount of money through his writing, but he squandered much of it in bad investments, mostly in new inventions, particularly the Paige typesetting machine. It was a beautifully engineered mechanical marvel that amazed viewers when it worked, but was prone to breakdowns. Twain spent $300,000 (equal to $7,518,462 today) on it between 1880 and 1894, but before it could be perfected, it was made obsolete by the Linotype. Mark Twain lost not only the bulk of his book profits but also a large portion of the inheritance of his wife.
Mark Twain was in demand as a featured speaker, and appeared before many men's clubs, including the White Friars, the Vagabonds, the Authors, the Monday Evening Club of Hartford, and the Beefsteak Club. Mark Twain was made an honorary member of the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. In the late 1890s, he spoke to the Savage Club in London and was elected honorary member. When told that only three men had been so honored, including the Prince of Wales, he replied "Well, it must make the Prince feel mighty fine."
Mark Twain passed through a period of deep depression, which began in 1896 when his daughter Susy died of meningitis. Olivia's death in 1904 and Jean's on December 24, 1909, deepened his gloom. On May 20, 1909, Mark Twain's close friend Henry Rogers died suddenly.
Mark Twain is quoted as saying: I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'
Mark Twain's prediction was accurate, Twain died of a heart attack on April 21, 1910, in Redding, Connecticut, one day after the comet's closest approach to Earth.
Upon hearing of Twain's death, President William Howard Taft said:
"Mark Twain gave pleasure, real intellectual enjoyment, to millions, and his works will continue to give such pleasure to millions yet to come... His humour was American, but he was nearly as much appreciated by Englishmen and people of other countries as by his own countrymen. Mark Twain has made an enduring part of American literature." I think so too!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
Word of the Day: lilliputian(lil\i\PYOO\shuhn);extremely small; diminutive; tiny
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 44 inchesRowing Duration: 96 minutes, three (3) seconds
Well here it is, the very first day of December, which means, there are now only twenty-four (24) days left until Santa Claus comes down that chimney to wish everyone a very "Merry Christmas!" Yes, Christmas Day will soon be upon us, and I, for one, can't wait, Christmas is my favourite holiday, oh hush up, as if you never repeated yourself!
Don't you love the word of the day, if I recall correctly, and I do have an amazing sense of recall, the word stems from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels," the country that Gulliver visited was Lilliput, and the people in Lilliput were called Lilliputians, you knew that, didn't you?I am so happy that I was blessed with having so many siblings, because of their help and encouragement, I learned to read at an early age and even more fortunate was my interest in reading the classics! I loved them all from "Ivanhoe" to "The Scarlett Letter," I had them read by ten years of age, yes, ten years of age! Even earlier, I remember being somewhat confused with my classmates in Miss Jackson's class of Grade One, I couldn't understand why all the other children had so much difficulty with reading, after all I had been reading "books" for about two years already, and the material they were asking us to read was, well, elementary.
Zac and I are greatly concerned about Zac's Aunt Effie. Aunt Effie hurt her leg about six weeks ago, and ever since, she has had nothing but a plethora of problems surrounding this injury. The pain is unbearable, but codeine "helps," and the infection does not seem to be under control yet, even though Aunt Effie has been taking antibiodics for awhile now.
Aunt Effie, and Zac, are afraid that she could lose her leg, and I have been praying that God will take care of Aunt Effie's appendage, I feel Aunt Effie's great age of ninety-six (96) years is a challenge enough without the added challenge and difficulties surrounding an amputated leg! I really hope that it doesn't come down to that!eight days ago and ever since I have been sucking on them like they're going out of style. Really, I'm hooked on the stuff
True Confession Time, yet again. I am now hooked on the Tootsie-Roll flavoured lollipops. I had one of the suckers from my kids halloween stash about eight days ago and ever since, well, I'm addicted to the stuff. I suck about four of them a day! I especially like the cherry flavour lollipop!
I bet there are some of you out there that are hoping I'll forget about my weekly grammar lesson(?), I won't, as I believe a little bit of grammar is good for all of us, when the time comes for me to stop learning, I hope that means I'm dead! I need to keep on learning, and growing, and learning, and growing, and ...
This week's lesson is a small one, yet important. One of you, and I won't say who, as that wouldn't be nice, well one of you wanted me to define a participle, and I'd like to thank you Ruthie for giving me this week's grammar lesson.
What is a participle? And, don't worry, today we are not going to get into the dangling participles, that's the good stuff that's coming, today, we're keeping things as simply as we possibly can.
A participle is a lexical item, derived from a verb, that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. The adjectival form of the term participle is participial. (I do so think I'm cute!)
Examples of Participle because by example, we learn:
In English, participles may be used as adjectives, and in nonfinite forms of verbs.
Here are some examples of participles, the participles are italicized and bolded:
'He ate a boiled egg for breakfast.'
'I like to see smiling faces.'
'You are singing a good song.'
'I have exercised.'
'He has eaten dinner already.'
'She got a bad sunburn while playing in the pool.'
I think you get the general idea, and if you don't, well, you may want to change your attention and interest to basket weaving, whew, aren't I in a mood?, MEOW!
Today is the birthday of one of my biggest heroes, so today my hat goes off to the memory of Mr. Mark Twain.
Mark Twain was an American author who, as a humourist, narrator, and social observer, is unsurpassed in American literature. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (such a distinguished name, don't you think?), Twain grew up in a port town on the Mississippi River and eventually became a river pilot. Mark Twain first won fame with the comic masterpiec "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Isn't that a fabulous title?, it truly ranks as one of my favourites. Mark Twain's 1885 novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has been called the first modern Americal novel.
Twain was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.
Mark Twain was very popular, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned praise from critics and peers. Upon his death he was lauded as the "greatest American humorist of his age", and William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature".
When Twain was four, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a port town on the Mississippi River that served as the inspiration for the fictional town of St. Petersburg in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." At that time, Missouri was a slave state, and young Twain became familiar with the institution of slavery, a theme he would later explore in his writing.
Mark Twain made a substantial amount of money through his writing, but he squandered much of it in bad investments, mostly in new inventions, particularly the Paige typesetting machine. It was a beautifully engineered mechanical marvel that amazed viewers when it worked, but was prone to breakdowns. Twain spent $300,000 (equal to $7,518,462 today) on it between 1880 and 1894, but before it could be perfected, it was made obsolete by the Linotype. Mark Twain lost not only the bulk of his book profits but also a large portion of the inheritance of his wife.
Mark Twain was in demand as a featured speaker, and appeared before many men's clubs, including the White Friars, the Vagabonds, the Authors, the Monday Evening Club of Hartford, and the Beefsteak Club. Mark Twain was made an honorary member of the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. In the late 1890s, he spoke to the Savage Club in London and was elected honorary member. When told that only three men had been so honored, including the Prince of Wales, he replied "Well, it must make the Prince feel mighty fine."
Mark Twain passed through a period of deep depression, which began in 1896 when his daughter Susy died of meningitis. Olivia's death in 1904 and Jean's on December 24, 1909, deepened his gloom. On May 20, 1909, Mark Twain's close friend Henry Rogers died suddenly.
Mark Twain is quoted as saying: I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'
Mark Twain's prediction was accurate, Twain died of a heart attack on April 21, 1910, in Redding, Connecticut, one day after the comet's closest approach to Earth.
Upon hearing of Twain's death, President William Howard Taft said:
"Mark Twain gave pleasure, real intellectual enjoyment, to millions, and his works will continue to give such pleasure to millions yet to come... His humour was American, but he was nearly as much appreciated by Englishmen and people of other countries as by his own countrymen. Mark Twain has made an enduring part of American literature." I think so too!
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Technology
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