Memorable Tribulations

Fri 6/1 Blog Prompt: What was your first memory as a child and why do you think it stands out in your mind?

The actual first memory I have have is running out of my grandmother's house buck-naked. Why? I can't remember; but probably would have had to do with getting in trouble. I was good at that. Or possibly trying to get out of taking a bath.

Why should this memory of a 2-3 year stand out? I am sure that it has something to do about running around the neighborhood in the buff.

Thurs 5/31 Blog Prompt: Since today is Teriffic Thursday, we need something for a positive attitude today. Tell about something that made you smile yesterday or today.

Of course having the Ballerina and Scamp home makes me smile; but today it was Indy who brought the smile out. Nuke sent Ballerina and Indy Fisher Price digital cameras for their respective birthdays. While Ballerina really likes her; Indy was in love with it. He took close ups of all his toys; ran around taking pictures of Ballerina (muct to her dismay) and anything else he could think of. His favorite subject was the 3 foot spider. Pictures will be forthcoming (soon). Just to see his joy and happiness at being able to take his own pictures brought forth that smile reserved for him.

Childish Tribulations

Wed 5/30 Blog Prompt: If you could be child for one day, how old would you be and what would you do?

Are we talking here about chosing an age for one day and living in the present or having chosen an age, time would be as it was when we were that age?

If I could be a child for one day but had to live in the present, I think I would pass. I know each generation has their problems but this one seems to have them in excess. The Princess' doctor and I concur that no 6 year old should have the stress thrust upon children these day to compete academically, physically and emotionally. They should have time to relax, play make-believe and compete with one another in areas that are important to them.

But if we are talking about reliving a favored childhood memory, well then there are a lot I would choose. Only one, huh?

Then in that case I would pick to be 7 again. Only it would be early night, not during the day. Mom, my sister and I would be in the front yard, sitting or laying on the grass looking at the stars. Mom would be pointing them out and we would try to guess which constellation they were.

Learning Tribulations

Tues 5/29 Blog Prompt: I wish I could learn..... because.....

to be more patient and understanding so that maybe my stress level would be nigh unto non-existent.

And maybe I could learn to laugh a little more. Learn to see the humor that is around me each and everyday. Right now, laughter, patience and understanding seem to be taking a backseat to just managing to get by as I listen and watch a 3 year old and a 4 year old decide who is right.

The 4 year old is bossy and the 3 year old has selective hearing. And both think everything belongs to them. Pan has it the worse though.

Guests, Prompts & Tribulations

They are here. Ballerina and the Scamp have met to town. It is so good to see them again, but it has not been completely without trouble. We had to take the Ballerina to the ER last night. She has a middle ear infection in both ears. And while she and Indy have managed to play well together, there is definitely a need to compete; both for toys and for Pan. Maybe today will be better (crossing my fingers, LOL).

Wed 5/23 Blog Prompt: I wish I didn't have to eat...... I don't like this food because.....

At this point in my life, I can pretty much eat what I want and not eat what I don't like. Though I think I have never wanted to eat escargo. Not real big on clams or oysters either. Eww, slimy. Or at least that is how I think they would be. Funny though, just about all my kids will eat them. But then again they suck crawdad heads too.

Thurs 5/24 Blog Prompt: Describe the best teacher you ever had.
I don't know that I can just pinpoint it to one teacher. They all have had some kind of impact on my life. Those I remember best made learning fun. My latin/English teacher from hs... Mrs. Allen; biology teachers, Mrs. Sears and Mr. Behrens and so the list goes on.

Fri 5/25 Blog Prompt: I wish I could see...... because.....
The rings of Saturn right now. I wish I had my telescope again. Four of the planets can be seen this month and it would have been nice to gaze upon them.

Mon 5/28 Blog Prompt: How does your city celebrate this day or do you do anything special? Do you know anyone who has served in the military? If so, let us know so that we can honor all of those who serve their country.

I believe our cities are having picnics throughout our numerous parks; but then I didn't keep up with it as my own Marine son came into town with his daughter. So we will stay at home, watch Indy and Ballerina play out in the yard & water, probably; then either cook out hamburgers and hot dogs or maybe I'll fry up some drummettes this morning and we can just nibble on them all day. We'll see.

And do I know anyone who has served in the military? I should say so.

Air Force: my father, a co-worker, numerous friends. (I live near an AF base)
Army: my cousin
Marines: Scamp, Bear, Pan's brother, my uncle
Navy: NavyNuke, my FIL, one of my other uncles.

So for my family, friends and all those who serve: THANK YOU.

Word of the Week - REFLUENT

Disclaimer: All words that I choose come from the 1968 edition of the Webster's New World Dictionary, 2nd college edition. It's nearly 40 years old so we may come across some words that are no longer in general use or have completely changed definitions. But that is part of the fun.

refluent(adj)
flowing back; ebbing, as the sea.

Why not take a moment and see what you can do with it. Use it as a jump start for a short story; if applicable, find a picture of it; let us know how you would incorporate it into your daily life. Whatever you do, post a comment or a link so I can check it out and put a link back to your post. And have fun.

Belated Birthday Tribulations

I have been so bad. I have been getting so excited about the Scamp and Ballerina coming for a two week visit that I completely forgot to post a Happy Birthday to her. On Wednesday, May 16, little Ballerina turned 4 years old.

So Ballerina from Pan and Tink.... A Great Big

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SWEETHEART

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

www.ImageShack.us

A Rant of a Tribulation

Yes, I am ranting. I should actually be catching up on blog prompts but I am sooooo mad. I would like to know what happened to "the customer is always right." Anybody know? Anybody?

It started earlier this week (like on Saturday) when Pan made a call the insurance company to see about getting my windshield replaced. It's got a crack across it. And if you live in Florida, insurance companies pay the cost of replacement. (I'm sure our insurance rates are a little higher because of it, as well). Anyway they gave him the name of the company they want us to use.

Pan calls, gets perky little Wendy on the phone who says they can come on Tuesday, 1-4. We can't do it Tuesday, I work. Thursday then, 9-12 or 1-4. Again I work (he had already told her this to begin with). So let's try one more time... Friday 9-12 or 1-4. Friday morning would be great, as I am going out of town Friday afternoon.

Wendy calls me today to say they aren't going to make it out until tomorrow afternoon. "Wendy, I'm not happy about this. I have to leave tomorrow afternoon," I reply more than tersely. Well according to her this is the only time I can have it done or wait. "Can you have them there by one?" the ice is filtering through the phone I am sure. "No." "I need a time, Wendy." "No. Can't guarantee a time." "Can you at least make sure they are there before three?" as the volcano of a headache starts to erupt and the speech grows louder to compensate for the lack of my being able to hear what I am saying. "No." "I will call you back."

Pan called back and they are coming tomorrow. If they don't show until 4:00, I will be making a complaint to the insurance company, the company itself and the better business bureau and anybody else you can think of. Forget that I am going to making a complaint no matter what.

Maybe I should have mentioned to her that I worked for a newspaper and we were thinking about doing an article on how businesses fail to live up to their responsibilities and hire nincompoops to man their phones.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... Secrets are such Tribulations

I have a blog brother. Yep, my blog mother, real life baby sister, went and had another. Is she ever going to learn? Probably not.

His posts are a verbal creation into the mind of a father wannabe along with the trials and tribulations he and his wife are having to endure to make that vision a reality.

So without further ado, I am pleased to present my blog brother

MATTHEW of Maybe Baby

Go give him a big welcome into the Bad Example Family.

Update to Movie Meme

For those who have been taking a gander and those who just wondered the answers are now on the post Movie Plots & Tribulations of a Meme Kind. The name of the movie is below the keywords.

I really had fun with this; just wished more had played. I thought I came up with a variety of movies; all of which Pan and I own except #7 and that is soon to be added to our collection.

In the meantime, does anyone remember the name of the movie with the talking bomb which I believe was done either by George Lucas or Stephen Spielburg?

Word of the Week - VOLANT

Disclaimer: All words that I choose come from the 1968 edition of the Webster's New World Dictionary, 2nd college edition. It's close and also nearly 40 years old so we may come across some words that are no longer in general use or have completely changed definitions. But that is part of the fun.

volant(adj)
1. flying or capable of flying
2. nimble; agile; quick
3. [heraldry] represented as flying.

Why not take a moment and see what you can do with it. Use it as a jump start for a short story; if applicable, find a picture of it; let us know how you would incorporate it into your daily life. Whatever you do, post a comment or a link so I can check it out and put a link back to your post. And have fun.

Movie Plots & Tribulations of a Meme Kind

Rachel of Pereiraville tagged me with a very interesting meme:

Pick out ten favorite movies, then look them up at IMDb. In the overview at the top of each movie’s page, there are “Plot Keywords,” usually five of them. (Plus more, if you click the link.) Take the first five, and post them. Then the rest of us get to play movie buff and see if we can guess them.

Let's see if you can figure them out:

1. Dracula; Gunfight; Synthetic Blood; Redemption; Engineer
Sundown: Vampire in Retreat
(1991) Starring David Carradine; Bruce Campbell; Deborah Foreman; M. Emmet Walsh; Morgan Brittany
2. Naval Battle; Plague; Whist; Yellow Fever; Megalomaniac
Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N.
(1951) Starring Gregory Peck; Virginia Mayo; Christopher Lee
3. Pinball; Greek Mythology; Remake; Animated Sequence; Artist
Xanadu
(1980) Starring Gene Kelly; Olivia Newton-John; Michael Beck; Joe Mantegna
4. Independence Day; Father; Fourth Of July; Missing Child; Medical Doctor
Asteroid
(1997) Starring Michael Biehn; Annabella Sciorra; Don Franklin; Michael Wetherly; Anthony Zerbe
5. Speech; Singing In Shower; Dog; Locker Room; Stroke
Dave
(1993) Kevin Kline; Sigourney Weaver; Frank Langella; Ving Rahmes; Ben Kingsley
6. Absurd Violence; TV Show In Film; Disturbing; Bizarre; Phone
Videodrome
(1983) Starring James Woods; Deborah Harry
7. Space; Astronaut; Mirror; Space Travel; Spacecraft Accident
Doppelganger
(1969) Starring Roy Thinnes
8. Artificial Intelligence; Computer; Mathematics; Nuclear Threat; Scientist
Colossus: The Forbin Project
(1970) Starring Eric Braeden; Susan Clark; Marion Ross
9. Castration; Mansion; Hanging; Decapitation; Slasher
April Fool's Day
(1986) Starring Deborah Foreman; Jay Baker; Tom Heaton
10. Cocktail Party; U.S. Air Force; Torero; Count Down; General
Fail-Safe
((1964) Starring Dan O'Herlihy; Walter Matthau; Henry Fonda; Larry Hagman; Ed Binns

1. the Bug
2. Sticks
3. Matt
And whoever else would like to play along.

Now I guess I need to find out if we are ever suppose to post the answers.

Honestly Trib! No Whines Here

Tues 5/15 Blog Prompt: What is most important to you in a friend--loyalty, generosity, honesty--why?

Not on the list here, but trust is an important factor in my friendly relationships. I need to know that I can spill my guts, so to speak and know that my friend is going realize it is just a release. Honesty and loyalty follow in a close tie for second.

Wed 5/16 Blog Prompt: List the 5 things that annoy you the most. If you are like me, this can change from day to day, but tell me the recent annoyances that have just gotten on your nerves.

I can't think at 8:30 in the morning. Things that got on my nerves yesterday, seem to have flitted right out of my head. Maybe it is because I didn't get enough sleep. But here it goes:

1. Co-workers who think they know everything and like to let you know.

2. Co-workers who feel impelled to ply you with hundreds of baby pictures of the same baby doing the same thing. Especially when you have just gotten back from
vacation and are trying to get caught up.

3. People who say they are going to call and then don't.

4. Pans who are with the kid in one room while I'm in another and fail to tell me when said kid leaves his sight. Okay, I have to admit, Pan doesn't do this anymore, but it use to bug me.

5. Nurse-practioners who spend 5 minutes looking in your ears, your throat and listening to you breath; ask what you think is wrong and then charge $70 for your own diagnosis.

Tribulations of Me: A Scrapbooking Challenge

Karen of Scraps of Mind has posed a challenge for scrapbookers everywhere. Fortunately it is the same challenge SNL's Blast from the Past is this month. So I can peg two birds with one golf ball.

Here is a layout of me. One picture is from my marriage to Pan in 1989; the other is a picture of Pan, the Ballerina, Scamp, Honey and me on Waikiki Beach in December 2006.

And what it says:
Hopes, Dreams & Aspirations
So many years, so many dreams. By the time you have reached half a century, many of your dreams, hopes & aspirations have either been realized or discarded. But one dream still lives from childhood days. To be an astronomer. It was what I majored in at college and maybe one day I'll go back and finish.

Husbands, Kids & Pets
Two husband, 3 kids, 3 grandkids and numerous pets have wandered through my life. Glad to be rid of husband #one and fortunate to be married to Hubby #two. Three fabulous kids who by their acts make me proud to be their mother. Two granddaughters & one grandson are my world now.

Birthday Tribulations of 3 Year Old & a Special

Birthday wish to Love2Scrap, whose birthday apparently coincides with Indy's, both of which occurred on Mother's Day.

Indy turned 3 years old yesterday and I swear he grew a foot taller. Then again I haven't seen him in a week.

The young man he is with here is a whooping 8 years old. (I don't know if you can make out what is on the shirt but it says "I tried to be good but I got bored." Indy needs a shirt like that.)

Since Indy is obsessed with Star Wars, he naturally had to have a Star Wars party; complete with blow up lightsabers that glowed when you squeezed the handle to a cake decorated with his favorite character. I love the DV candle holder. And did you notice the snacks being served at this toddler's party? No candy; a few cookies; but mainly chips and salsa with a couple of veggie trays.

Not one to wait, Indy promptly put his plate on the floor and started eating, sans a fork. Once he started there was no stopping for fork, spoon or guests trying to get by.

Now isn't that just a satisfied face for a three year old?

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY INDY

Foolish Tribulations

Mon 5/14 Blog Prompt: What do you think is the most foolish thing you’ve done in your life?

Gosh there are a number of them and I am sure that my mother can add to my list as well. Quitting college; marrying my first husband, and so goes the list. So I am having a hard time thinking of just one really foolish thing.

Okay, there is one. But it is a private one that I will share with no one. Now you can just use your imaginations and decide what you think the one foolish thing was....

A Belated Friday Tribulation

Fri 5/11 Blog Prompt: Where would you prefer to be right now--mountains, desert, beach--and why?

Antartica would be a nice start. It is already starting to get hot here with the highs in the 90's during the day and being near the water, that means lots of humidity too. And did anyone (Loony especially) notice that we have already had a named subtropical storm? While I am not on the east coast, these means that hurricane season is getting started a little early. I can only hope they stay out of the gulf.

And when did they start naming sub-tropical storms?

Word of the Week - VICINAL

Disclaimer: All words that I choose come from the 1968 edition of the Webster's New World Dictionary, 2nd college edition. It's close and also nearly 40 years old so we may come across some words that are no longer in general use or have completely changed definitions. But that is part of the fun.

vicinal(adj)
1. neighboring; nearby
2. designating a road that is local and not a highway
3. [mineralogy] designating faces on a crystal that approximate or take the place of fundamental planes.

Why not take a moment and see what you can do with it. Use it as a jump start for a short story; if applicable, find a picture of it; let us know how you would incorporate it into your daily life. Whatever you do, post a comment or a link so I can check it out and put a link back to your post. And have fun.

Tribulations of Superman's Mom

In my Tribulations of a TV Mom, I chose Martha Kent from the Lois & Clark television series.

Karen of Scraps of Mind (if you haven't ever checked out her blog, you should) made this comment:

"How can you say that Superman would have been hard to raise Tink. The boy never put a foot wrong. Never got into trouble with the law. Never brought undesirable girlfriends home. Never was seen in disreputable place. And, perhaps most importantly of all, could lift up the couch when she was vacuuming."

And my response:

Have you seen him when he has gotten ahold of red kryptonite? What about as a youngster while being instilled with the morals and values that he was raised with? Can you imagine having to deal with a super toddler having a temper tantrum? (and if there is a toddler out there who hasn't had one, I'd like to meet them.) You may end up with matchsticks of a couch to vacuum up and at that point you wouldn't have to have him lift the couch for you. Raising a "super" child, to me anyway, would seem to be an impossible task.

Then there are the teenage hormones to deal with. To get a good idea of what Clark Kent may have been like as a teenager, you really should watch "Smallville." In one episode, against his parents objections, he joins the football team. (Sound like any kids you know?); in another, under the influence of red kryptonite, he races to Las Vegas and gets married to that 'disreputable girl'. Yep, I think the Kents had their hands full with a "super" child to raise.

Tribulations of a TV Mom - Martha Kent

Wed 5/9 Blog Prompt: Since Mother's Day is approaching, who do you think was the best TV mom and why?

Martha Kent from Lois & Clark is the best television mom. She is strong, sure of herself and is not afraid to try new things even as she gets older. She sees the best in everyone; but not to the detriment to her own values and morals. Besides she raised Superman; no easy feat I would imagine.

Safety Tribulations

Tues 5/8 Blog Prompt: What makes you feel safe?

Confidence in my abilities; wisdom to see what I need to do; the love of my family; Pan love and trust in me. All of these make me feel safe.

Scrapbook Tribulations of a Comically Dinner Ghost

Thurs 5/3 Blog Prompt: You have heard that the President and his wife of an obscure country is coming to visit and picked you (and your family if you want) to have dinner with. You can decide to cook for them or order in or take them out. What 5 dishes would you want them to taste? They can be any part of a meal (appetizers, main dish, vegetables, salads, desserts) or all of one type (all desserts for example).

What a great prompt. And for at least one dish I have something to fall back on. When Scamp was visiting his in-laws in Japan, he called me for the recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. My list would then look something like this:

Chicken and Dumplings
Turnip Greens with scallions and cornbread
Meatloaf
Pan's hamburgers and finally
Grilled steaks with Heritage tomato & mozzarella salad

I think I'm getting hungry.

Fri 5/4 Blog Prompt: Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day where I live (see http://www.freecomicbookday.com/ch_timeline.asp) Hopefully this will be easier for y'all. Who are your 5 Favorite Comic/Cartoon characters?

Okay, I have to admit, I love Superman, okay, not really Superman, but Clark Kent. Yeah I know he is not the super hero; but to have to keep such a secret and still act normal. That is amazing. We watch Smallville and have the Lois and Clark series on dvd. Oh you want 4 more? Ohhhh and they don't have to be superheroes? Not that that really helps.

2. Batman
3. Jughead
4. Smurfs
5. Green Arrow

Weekend Blogging 5/5-5/6: I posted a layout to commemorate National Scrapbooking Day brought to us by Karooch.

I didn't get to participate on any online activities or even paper activities since I had been on the road and at Universal Studios that day. Though if you look below you can find a layout I did of my nephew, Tot.

Mon 5/7 Blog Prompt: What do you think about ghosts?

Not much as long as they leave me alone. Actually I'm not really sure how I feel about them. Being as that I have never really seen one, I can't discount that others may have.

Universal Tribulations

Well we made it. Even though we made around noon, they had a room ready for us. Not a great view, but a nice enough room. After settling in we headed over to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Great thing about staying at a Universal hotel is that your room key is a fast pass to all the rides. No waiting in line; so we actually rode just about every ride they had.

Well I didn't ride the Hulk, but Pan did. And for the Bug, we tried to win a Spiderman doll for the boys. It was taller than Tater. Sorry we didn't win it, the boys would have probably loved it.

That night we ate at Captain Jack's here at the hotel. Talk about the quantity of food. Pan was in heaven. He likes his steaks well done and his was absolutely perfect. Well done and still tender and juicy.

Yesterday, I stayed around the hotel as it looked like it was going to rain. Finally that afternoon it did. Thunder and lightning. Glad I stayed in. This morning I will head over to one or both of the parks to take pictures, so that I can go one day without the camera.

Anyway, be good and when I get back today I will take a look at the blog prompts and maybe get some posted.

Word of the Week - WHIFFET

Disclaimer: All words that I choose come from the 1968 edition of the Webster's New World Dictionary, 2nd college edition. It's close and also nearly 40 years old so we may come across some words that are no longer in general use or have completely changed definitions. But that is part of the fun.

whiffet(n)
1. A little whiff or puff
2. [var, if whippet] a small dog
3. an insignificant, esp. young, person.

Why not take a moment and see what you can do with it. Use it as a jump start for a short story; if applicable, find a picture of it; let us know how you would incorporate it into your daily life. Whatever you do, post a comment or a link so I can check it out and put a link back to your post. And have fun.

Trips and Tribulations

You kids be good. I'm off to south Florida and will be back next week.

Trekkie Tribulations

Just something fun as I rush around getting packed for my trip.

The Worf Song

Sandy Beaches and E-mail Tribulations

Well sis, I tried emailing this to you. The full size one that is and it just wouldn't go through. But I thought you might just like to see it.

Tribulations of Dressing for a Visit and Salary

Mon 4/30 Blog Prompt: Since this week will start the month of May, I thought I'd do lists of 5 this week: You are in charge of giving out a major award to the 5 Best Dressed People of the Year. Who are they?

Well not me.... I go for comfort not style.

First on the list though would be my sister, ddpup. She knows how to dress and look perfect for any occasion. Wish I had her fashion sense. For special occasions, I try and let her pick out my clothes.

Second would be my oldest, NavyNuke. He doesn't always follow the newest fashion trend; but is always tastefully dressed. He's more relaxed these days; but you can still find him sporting about in silk shirts and tailored pants. He is a believer in that real men can wear pink.

Third would be my daughter, Bombshell. That is when she tries. She is a lovely woman (guess I can't really call her a girl anymore at 27); tall, lanky with long legs. She can wear just about anything and look good in it.

Fourth would be other son Scamp; although he is more like me and goes for comfort. Still he can look pretty good especially in that Marine Corps uniform or in his khaki slacks and polo shirts.

Fifth would be Pan. Again he is like me and goes more for comfort; but when he was a contractor for the base and had to wear a suit, he would make any woman swoon when he walked by. Then add his trench coat and you had another James Bond in the making.

Tues 5/1 Blog Prompt: You won the travel lotto! You will get an all expense paid trip for you and your family to 5 places anywhere in the world. List the 5 "Must See" places in the world you would go see.

I have been pretty lucky in life having visited some really wonderful places; the Redwood Forest; the Painted Desert; the Meteor Crater; Grand Canyon; Cape Cod; Orlando; New Orleans; Atlanta; New York; San Fransico; Sacramento; Omaha; Memphis; just about every little town in Alabama and Mississippi; Guam; Hawaii; Hong Kong; Germany; Austria; Rapid City, SD (birthplace) and the list goes on - so narrowing it down to 5 is going to be hard. But here it goes:

1. The Keys (Pan use to live there and I would like to see them for that reason)
2. Rapid City, SD (would like to see it as an adult)
3. Australia and New Zealand (because didn't get the chance when we lived in Guam)
4. Alaska (to see the ice floes and the whales)
5. Ireland (ancestral home of Pan's mother) & Scotland (ancestral home of Pan's father and possibly of my own father)

Wed 5/3 Blog Prompt: You have been appointed the head of the Department of Labor and plan to set salaries according to how important an occupation is. What do you think are the top 5 most important occupations?

Boy, Loonyhiker really knows how to pick them doesn't she? This one is tough.

1. Elementary, middle school and high school teachers would be on the top. They are the people who shape our children for the future.
2. Non-commissioned military personal would be the second most important. They are out there defending our nation and deserve to be paid accordingly.
3. Astronomical research personnel. We are depleting our resources and need to expand our horizons, literally.
4. Pediatric surgeons. What is a child's life worth?
5. Hospice personnel. They do a wonderful job but such a hard and difficult one.