"Bits and Pieces" (ad infinitum)

This is just a little bit of this and piece or two of that, adding up to nothing very significant!  The first  part is really just a test to check out how this new template sets up postings.

*** I saw the Easter Bunny...uh...er...our bunny again today!  It had been several days since I saw him last.  I was afraid that the recent visit by the landscapers had scared him (her??) off.  (They are awfully loud!)  But he's still here, making himself at home.   Yay!   When first he appeared in the yard today, he seemed very cautious, looking around and sniffing the air.  We passed muster I guess, because before long he had stretched himself out up on the deck, back legs extended to the side, looking the very picture of "just lounging around".  He is a fairly small, brown bunny, with little ears that perch right on top of his head, a real cutie as bunnies go!!  As we can see the deck from our back windows, we have a ringside seat for whenever he comes to visit!  Soooo cute!!

*** Birthdays in our family never seem to celebrated just for one day, we regularly have "extended" birthdays.  Right now we are still celebrating M-t-G's extended birthday.  You may recall we had her family party on Easter Sunday, her actual birthday the following Wednesday, that Friday was cupcakes for her class and again for her softball team (with singing twice), her Daddy (T.A.) returned from Finland on Monday and Tuesday was the at home celebration, and tomorrow, fully 9 days after her actual birthday, she is having her "kids" party.  She and 5 or 6 (I think) of her friends are going to the Pottery studio where they will each make something that strikes their fancy with ice cream afterwards.  And then, at last I think, that's it till next year!   Just to clarify, extended birthdays are not because we are obsessed with birthdays!  It's just that trying to juggle schedules in this family to try to get everything done all at once seems to be beyond us.  So we do this instead.  And, actually, when all is said and done, no one ever feels left out and we pretty much all get a birthday that seems to go on forever!  It's kinda neat when it's your turn!  So M-t-G's 9th birthday will soon be over, and well before her 10th birthday is due!!!

*** I'm sure everyone has seen the news about the volcano erupting in Iceland and the voluminous cloud of ash and "stuff" that is now floating over England, and most of western Europe.  According to the experts, the volcano could go on erupting for several more days continuing to spew out more ash and "stuff".  One article I saw said that this particular volcano has periodically had lengthy eruptions, once spreading over an entire year!!  Yikes!!  The most immediate problem being caused by this is the closing of air space to airplanes in the affected areas.  That means flights are being cancelled all over the place.  People are camping out in the airports with no way of getting to where they were going for the duration, at least not by air.  A couple of things struck me:  first, I have never really thought of Iceland as much of anything but a lot of cold and ice....not what you get typically associate with volcanos;  secondly, a lot of those folks stranded in airports and such were on business trips and they missed deadlines, meetings, and opportunities. There were many who had completed the initial part of their trip, but  now can't get home.  But the ones I really felt badly for are the people who missed a wedding, or a funeral, or a graduation, or a reunion.  How sad!   Modern air travel has become such an integral part of life that  you just kind of take it for granted (except for the few, like me, who stay off airplanes on general principles).  Nevertheless, when the air space is closed, there's not a thing to do but wait till it opens up again!  And if, by some horrible possibility, this volcano keeps erupting for a YEAR again, well, I cannot even imagine what chaos this would cause.  And there's not much we could do about it!  Somewhere Mother Nature (or whomever) is sitting and laughing....she wins again!

***  The whole idea of a new fun design for my musings was originally so that maybe somewhere in the  process I could end up getting my own "button" that readers could "grab" and possibly extend my audience a bit....not that I don't love the readers I've got, I do.....but wouldn't it be fun to have a few more new friends??  Well, as you can tell, the button hasn't evolved yet, but other things have happened.  Things that I really had no intention of happening!  For instance, somewhere along the way, all of the bloggers that I follow have disappeared from my page....sigh!  Believe me it was not intentional!  I'm proud to display the blogs I enjoy and hope it sends a few new readers their way.  I will be putting them back under "Other People's Opinions", but I can only add one at a time.  Its a slightly tedious operation, but never fear, all of you will be back where you belong very soon.  I apologize and don't want you to think I don't love you anymore!!  Now, does anybody know how to make a "button"??

And, as the saying goes, "that's all she wrote"!!

"Down in the Depths (on the Ninetieth Floor)"

Composer and Lyricist Cole Porter wrote an enormous volume of songs over the course of his (too brief) life.  Like many other composers, he wrote lots of love songs with haunting melodies and beautiful lyrics.  What sets him apart, though, are his witty, clever, funny songs with lyrics that were unbelievably wonderful.  He generally gave his songs, titles that were spot on as well.  If you're not familiar with him or his work, you are either under 35 or totally and complete ignorant of music.

One of my favorite of his song titles is a little ditty entitled, "Down in the Depths (on the Ninetieth Floor)".  Isn't that a great mental image?  Without knowing the song at all, you can get a pretty clear picture of what this song might be about just from the title.  The man had genius!

Although I love Cole Porter music, today it's the title that fits my mood more than the lyrics or melody.  Yep, I'm feeling like "I'm Down in the Depths (on the Ninetieth Floor)".  Don't get much lower than that!  I think I'll go listen to some Porter music.  I think I'd really enjoy someone serenading me with "You're the Top"! 

It's been that kind of day, ya! know?

"I'm Changin' All Those Changes"

As you can see, "I'm Changing All Those Changes"! I seem to have become obsessed interested in getting my blog design sorted out. It isn't really too hard. (HAH!) Actually, it is fun in a "creative for the non-creative" sort of way.


So what do you think about this one?? A contender or an also-ran?

"Whistle While You Work"

Maybe if I was able to whistle, my work would have turned out better. But it probably wouldn't have helped at all. 


I was sitting around having a boring evening, I didn't have a good book at hand, I was tired of computer games, and so I started looking around Blogger at some of the features I haven't dealt with before.  I have mentioned before one or two....thousand (!) times, I'm no techie whizz when it comes to computer stuff.  So I should have known better, but well, I didn't.


Blogger in Draft has some nifty stuff available for designing your blog so that is more interesting and personal than the basic choices they offer.  So I played around.  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my good friend, C. Beth, was reworking my blog design and that the whole thing was a work in progress.  She did a bunch of design work, but it wasn't quite done.  (Beth has toddlers, free time is not something she has a bunch of!!)  That was okay, I was in no hurry.


So there I was tonight fooling around with the designs and  somehow I managed to lose all the design elements of my original design!  What I was left with in what you see.  I'm not certain how that loss will affect the work Beth has done, but I'm afraid that she will have to do more stuff in order to finalize things.  I really can't ask that of her, so I'm going to live with what I've got for awhile.  Its not too bad, do you think?


Next time I get bored, maybe I'll just go practice whistling instead, it might keep me out of trouble.

"Fame"

I buy People magazine sporadically throughout the year.  I am intrqued by the lifestyle that celebrities live and I love to see the beautiful clothes and jewelry they wear for all their special occasions.  Having your life on display is one of the drawbacks of "Fame" I guess.  I like seeing photos of their babies or their homes.  But looking at the photos and reading the short little articles does not make me feel that I know them.  It doesn't give me any real insight about who they are or whether they are "good" people or "bad" people.  For instance, a couple of years ago when Brittney Spears appeared to be heading for a full-scale breakdown (according to the photos), during the same period of time, she was also reported to be working on a movie or a recording.  Which was true??  I have no idea.  But I do know that those two situations are pretty much mutually exclusive. 

I may admire or disdain someone's talent (or lack thereof) but that gives me no right to judge them or their relationships, families, or actions.  I don't know the whole story.  I wasn't there.  I have no idea what they are really like.  No photograph can accomplish that. 

I find it ridiculous to read some of the letters to the editor of People or comments on FaceBook in which the reader will pronouce that "So and so totally deserves to be  happy." or "You can just tell, they are so in love!"  or "She is such a good person."  or  even "They are scum and shouldn't be allowed to (whatever)."  How do they know?

If these readers are basing their judgement on the photos or press releases as it appears they are, then the readers are delusional. 
No matter how pretty, or "hot", or desirable these celebrities might appear, seeing pretty pictures is no more getting to know someone than reading the phone book!

The best you can get out of the "tabloid" publications is the knowledge that so and so was actually in attendance at the Oscars, or the beach, or somewhere.  That's about all you can say is really true.  If they "look" happy, or "in love", all that says is they can put a good face on.  But why wouldn't they?  They are celebrities and all celebrities are partially actors in a way.  They have a public face and a private one, just like everyone else.  How would we know which we're seeing??

Read the magazine, enjoy the photos, oooh and ahhh at the pretty dresses, but please, don't pretend that you "know" these people or understand them.  You don't.  For the most part, all you know is their "fame"!