TEST-HOW OLD IS YOUR BRAIN?

I was 39 - Once

How old is your brain? Just click here to take the test.

The site instructions are in Japanese, so read below!
1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1.
3. Memorize the numbers' position on the screen, then click the circles from the smallest number to the biggest number.
4. At the end of the game, the computer will tell you the age of your brain.
5. Forward the message and type your number in the subject line.

Forward it to your friends and include me.

Good luck ! http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY - THE TONGUE IS LIKE A TWO-EDGED SWORD

WORDS

Words can cut
Words can heal
Words can wound
Words can kill

Time is short
Time is fast
Life on Earth
doesn't last

So use them wisely -
words and time
work with them -
not just to rhyme.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: What is a petrologist?

Come back tomorrow to find out

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

Answer to Word for Wednesday: Aegis: Is from Greek Mythology and means protection or support. It was Zeus's breastplate. Read more about it here.

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY and Portland, Oregon is the City of Roses

Romeo and Juliet knew that A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet



But words are what we use to define objects so choose wisely.

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: Aegis

What's it mean? Boldly go where no words have gone before - come on I don't mind looking silly - you might as well play along. Take a guess. Then come back around 3:00 to see if you were right.

CHEAT SHEET FOR WORD USAGE - thanks to John Potter

Usage

affect/effect: Affect is a verb that means "to influence": Counsel's explanation did not affect the hearing officer's decision. The noun effect means "a result": The effect of her decision was financially devastating. As a verb, effect means "to cause to come into being": The new chief thought he could effect a needed change in morale.

among/between: Among is used for three or more entities: Many local runners are among those training for this weekend's race. Between is used when two entities are involved: There is an intense rivalry between the two schools.

fewer/less: Fewer refers to people or objects that can be counted; less refers to general amounts: Fewer technicians means less work will be done today.

its/it's: Its is the possessive form: The board forwarded its recommendations. It's is a contraction of it is: It's time for a party.

lead/led: As a noun, lead is a kind of metal. As a verb, lead means "to conduct." A guide will lead a tour of the ruins. Led is the past tense of the verb "to lead": He led the firm for twenty years.

loose/lose: Lose is a verb whose past tense is lost: Did you lose your elevator card, again? Loose is generally an adjective for "not tight": I have a few loose screws.

maybe/may be: Maybe is an adverb: Maybe the negotiators will succeed this time. May and be are verbs: The rumor may be true.

passed/past: Passed is the past tense of the verb to pass: Everyone passed the test. Past means "beyond a time or location": The band marched past the bleachers.

principal/principle: As a noun, principal means "chief person" or "main or original amount": The principal of Waldorf's Feline Academy prefers titled cats. We paid only the interest on the principal. The adjective principle means "a basic truth": The parties have reached an agreement in principle.

who/whom: Who is used as a subject or subject complement: Who is the new guy in administration? Call Jennifer, who I know has the answer [who is the subject of the verb phrase "has the answer"]. Whom is used as an object: Bill, whom we all know, has just retired [whom is the object of the phrase "we all know"].

SEATTLE Weekend - It Was Wonderful

We went to Seattle for a family wedding. Saw family, made new friends - it was all wonderful.

Crossing the river from Oregon to Washington, the Columbia was filled with boats - it must be fishing season.



In Seattle, we went down on the waterfront to get coffee at the first Starbucks.


We walked through Pike Place Market, forgot it was the beginning of Spring Break - WOW - was it ever crowded.



Played a few impromptu games of bball at my cousin's house.



Jake was playing in flip-flops but boy-oh-boy can those boys jump.

It's not always easy to please six people, but we all had a good time.

Writing Links to Help New Writers

There are so many numerous FREE sites where new and experienced writers can find very valuable information. I thought I would share some of those sites with you.

LINKS FOR MAGAZINE GUIDELINES:

Pockets Guidelines

Guide Magazine

Skipping Stones

Imagination Cafe

Stories for Children

HAPPY WRITING!

LIGHT BOX FOR ILLUSTRATORS - How to Make

Both my sons love art. They work together on an on-line webcomic. Jake got a degree in Multi-media design. And, they have all kinds of high-tech tools. But Jake was determined to have a light box to illustrate on. He went to the art store and they were $300-$400, which was way out of his budget. So he asked his Dad if he could help him make one.

"No problem," Lars said.

My husband is very handy and can build just about anything. So together my two guys built a light box.

The light is just a regular kitchen florescent light fixture bought for about $20.00 at Home Depot. The opeque white plastic cover was bought at Tap Plastics and you can get it any plastics store and it was about $20.00 as well. The light switch is about $3.00 at Home Depot. The electronic light switch enclosure was about $2.00 and the cord (loose end wiring) was about $9.99. You just wire it like a normal light fixture in your kitchen and you're good to go.






Jake's light box turned out so well that his friend Aaron asked him if he'd make one for him. So Jake and Aaron made another one. Now that they have the system down, they think they can build these boxes for about $60 in materials for 17 X 19 (which Jake wanted for professional comic book size pages), cheaper if they wanted to make them smaller. Pretty cool.

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AND EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY

ANSWER: Dutch.

Now, for

EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY:

Here, in Portland, Oregon, someone had the idea of starting a bike registration fee. You can read all about it here.

I am absolutely opposed to a bike registration fee. I think we should encourage alternative forms of transportation, not make it more difficult for those people willing to reduce gas emissions, and pollution by powering their own energy by pedaling to work.

What do you think?

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AND A MYSTERY

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: If the French speak French and the Danes speak Danish, what do the people speak in the Netherlands?

Take a guess and don't forget to come back tomorrow to find out the answer.

Plus, I just thought I'd share:

I love to read—duh—so I’m in a book club at work. And this is a mystery that was recommended by Kama:

Life Sentences: Digging Deep Into the Secrets of Life

Holly said, “I think Laura Lippmann's books are really good -complex character development and a great sense of place to them. Non-mystery people should enjoy them as well. Read the Review A Day here:

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

ANSWER: On my favorite Urban Dictionary, it says to be inundated with emails.

This one made me smile.

:)

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: Blackburied

Take a guess and come back around 3:00 to check it out.

TO READ OR NOT TO READ

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!


The photo is of Hamlet's Castle

The most famous ghost tale of all time has more to do with greed than anything else. But the questions is, “How interesting can an old dead dude really be?” And how exciting could an ancient bookworm seem - even a well-known writer like William Shakespeare?

Listen and you might be surprised.

Shakespeare's stories are often tales of tragedy, murder and mayhem and they are still able to captivate young audiences. His stories are sometimes set in awesome structures.

What kid can resist a mystery set in a beautiful but haunted castle? Hamlet is just such a story.

Shakespeare weaves his web of deception in Denmark. It is here, where this tale of deceit, greed and betrayal begins. This story is the reason behind the famous saying, "There's something rotten in the state of Denmark."

Christian the Lion - thanks to MacKenzie

Just thought we should share a little love:

OH BOTHER - a blustery kind of day here in the Seven Acre Wood

This is a fun little test. Take it, and let me know who you are: Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore.

Can you guess who I am? That's right. Pooh.


Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Time for a Laugh

The talking photo booth.

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AND EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: It's in Dillon, Colorado: The Arapahoe Basin, with a summit elevation of 13,050 feet.

NOW FOR EARTH FRIENDLY-FRIDAY: I thought I'd start a post with links to other sites that have some great information about living green. Here's one and here's another: who wouldn't love Eco-Women: Protectors of the Planet?

Please add some more links to my COMMENTS section so I can add a sidebar with linkage love.

Thanks to all who participate.

Portland, Oregon (Is it P.O. or BO 'cause that just stinks)

Thought for Thursday: What ski area is the highest in the United States?

Come back tomorrow to find out the answer. But first, take a guess.


And now, this is one of those things that makes you say, "HUH?"

I told you all how Portland is one of the top ten places in the country where you can walk around the city, well now they say Portland is the unhappiest place on Earth, according to Business Week. Huh???

How can this be? We have the riverwalk, the Esplanade. Portland is beautiful, an hour to the snow covered mountain, Mt. Hood, one and a half hours to the beach, 2 and a half hours to the desert, and we are smack-dab in the valley, with the Gorge being famous for windsurfing. How can anyone be unhappy here?

Answer to Word for Wednesday

ANSWER: Entropy is the dispersal of energy. Read all about it here. One of the ideas involved in the concept of entropy is that nature tends from order to disorder.

The second law of "thermodynamics" (therme=heat + dunamis=power) is the science of the power or energy contained in heat. Entropy is wasted energy.

Poetry Northwest and Word for Wednesday

My friend Jacqueline, me and my husband went to Happy Hour at the Blue Monk to meet up with loyal listeners (readers) of Poetry Northwest.

The Blue Monk has open mic poetry readings on Wednesday nights and the food is good too - which is always a plus in my chubby little brain. So we went to feed our minds with a little literature and our bellies with beer, wine and other libations.

It was a fun night out. If you're interested in subscribing to the magazine you can do that on-line or at Poetry Northwest, 4232 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215

WORD: Entropy

Take a guess. I know there are a few of you who know what it is. Come back around 3:00 and I'll tell you.

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK (April 12-19)

Book Lovers Unite! I know there are lots of you out there and to celebrate the upcoming event April 12-19, 2009 is National Library Week, I'm going to be offering games, prizes and fun features during this special week.

To celebrate and help spread the love of reading, I’d like to hear what your favorite book(s) of all time happen to be.

Please include your favorite book list in the COMMENTS section and I’ll compile a final list.


Remember:

"Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill."

Barbara Tuchman (Historian/Author)

2009 GAP Conference

The Oregon Commission for Women held an All-Day Conference at Portland State University on March 7, 2009.

I went to this conference on Saturday and thought it was invigorating: filled with people and panelists who are full of passion and creativity.

Portland State University in conjunction with the Oregon Commission for Women hosted the 2009 Gap Conference in Smith Memorial Student Union. This all-day conference was open to the public and admission was free.

The goal of the Oregon Commission for Women is to Bridge Gender Gaps in Education, Health Care, Employment and Leadership.

One way the commission is hoping to get more young women involved is by appealing to their interests in movies, theater and films.

Lana Veenker of Veenker Casting,

who helped with the casting of the Twilight movie last year in Portland, participated in a panel discussion, answering questions presented to the group with humor, passion and perspective. You can read her blog here.

Lourrie Hammack the President of Laika House, which produced the amazing stop-motion animated film CORALINE which was written by Newberry Award winning author Neil Gaiman was also on the panel together with Jan Johnson, also from Laika House.

The panel was rounded out by Ellen Bergstone Beer, who is involved with the Women’s Film Initiative and Film Action Oregon.

It was an eye-opening panel discussion moderated by Susan Castner from the Oregon Commission for Women.

Nike’s own Phil Knight owns Laika House and his son, Travis, who is the CEO of the production company, which used to be Will Vinton Studios, here in Portland, Oregon and which became well known due to their advertising campaign for the California Raisins are taking Laika into new areas.

Laika House has recently done animated work for Dole, M&Ms, Soyjoy, Coca Cola, Carnation Breakfast Essentials, Apple, Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food, Nike, the Oregon lottery and more.

The Women’s Film Initiative is working to engage Portland Women in the film-making industry and has contributed more than $17,000 to help fund five different film-making projects: three documentaries and two narratives have been supported by these funds.

If you are interested in getting involved in this program, here is the contact information for the Oregon Commission for Women: 3218 Pringle Road SE, Suite 270, Salem, OR 97302, Phone: 503-378-2139, Email: oaco.mail@das.state.or.us

The Watchmen - The Minutemen

The Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbens

The family all went to see the movie Saturday night. Lars, Jake, Luke, Kara and I really enjoyed the show. MacKenzie, Luke’s girlfriend, came too.

I thought the cinematography was absolutely amazing. The angles of the camera made everything seem so rich and the colors were so vivid, that this film seemed full and deep.

This show was based on a graphic novel written in 1986.

One of my favorite lines was: “There is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise on this.”

Also, I love the line, "Who Watches Over the Watchmen?" and I thought it was interesting that the superheroes were really The Minutemen not The Watchmen. But maybe the watch correlation came into the script with Dr. Manhattan's Dad being a Watchmaker...?

There were so many great lines, I’m going to have to watch it again—maybe when it comes out on DVD (because taking a family of six to see a show nowadays is crazy expensive—just one pop and one bucket of popcorn was over $12.00) to see them all again.

It was a beautifully written story and the movie stayed true to most of the graphic novel, which I find admirable.

The character I connected with the most is Rorschach—especially since he was the writer, with his journal. I also thought he was heroic because he tried to warn his “friends” that someone was trying to kill them. And, he was willing to sacrifice himself and die for what he believed in.

I thought it was a fun/entertaining movie. Of course there were a few things I didn’t like. There was a bit of gore (I had to turn away a couple times) and if you’re a parent thinking of taking your children to this superhero show, think again. You need to be aware of the sexual scenes plus Dr. Manhattan was always nude, which my 20-year old daughter said, “I don’t know why he never wore clothes.” That didn’t bother me because he seemed so comfortable “in his own skin” and he did have a perfect physique. Plus, he did wear a suit once or twice: like for the funeral and the newscast.

However, MacKenzie (who doesn’t come from our gene pool and has her own opinions that don’t seem to be so similar as ours) wasn’t that into the film. But she’s not that into action films or superhero shows. And, maybe she didn’t think it was so good because she didn’t understand why they (Dr. Manhattan and Lori) went to Mars and why they couldn’t just talk on Earth. Also she didn’t understand why no one tried to save Dr. Manhattan when he got stuck in the time-lock vault or what made him turn blue. Maybe it was the magical/mystical elements that took her out of the story so she couldn’t enjoy it like we all did. Somehow the superhuman aspects didn’t seem to bother any of us.

SPOILER ALERT: (Don't read further if you haven't seen the show)

Two things I didn’t like about the film:

1) The movie digressed from the actual novel in that Dr. Manhattan became the scapegoat rather than an alien Squid, which I would have been happier with; and,
2) I hated that Dr. Manhattan killed Rorschach, who was the moral superhero, even though some people might have thought he was totally crazy. He believed in doing the right thing no matter what and even if it caused a bad outcome. I’m a person who doesn’t believe in situational ethics so I really identified with that.

My son put a link on his web comic about The Watchmen from a spoofed comic: check it out here. Of course, remember it's only a spoof.

THE BLOOM AWARD - writing contest

Blooming Tree Press is going to have a mystery contest in honor of Mildred Bloom. You can read all about it here.

On-Line Comic

My sons, Luke

and Jake

have been working on a graphic novel together even though Luke's away at school (the University of Oregon). Plus, the two of them put together an on-line comic strip. I just thought I'd share my sons' on-line comic link.

If you're not easily offended by boy humor, check it out here.

(P.S. I don't know why Luke's photo is so much bigger...honest)

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AND EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY

Answer to Thought for Thursday: To stop them from stealing pepper, it was used as currency at the time.

Now for EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY: With the high price of gasoline and the recession hitting the economy and all of us pretty hard, why don't we try walking a little more? Rather than going for a Sunday afternoon drive, why don't we all go for a Sunday afternoon walk? It will be good for the heart, health and be Earth-Friendly too. We don't have to do a lot, if we all do a little, we can make a big difference.

And, if you happen to live in Portland, Oregon, you just might be in luck because my hometown is one of the top ten most walkable cities in the country. Check it out here.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

This one is for all you writers working in the historical fiction area/genre:

QUESTION: In Elizabethan times, why did dockworkers have to have their pockets sewn shut while ships were being unloaded from the Orient?

Come back tomorrow and find out if you were right. ;-)

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

Answer: To make mild or less severe, relieve, according to dictionary.com

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

WORD: ASSUAGE

Okay take a guess, what's it mean? And just to let you know, it's not a typo and just missing the (m)assage, with a random (u). :p

Come back around 3:00 to see if you were close.

Techy Tuesday Tips

Okay all us writers need help every now and then when it comes to computers, Word, PowerPoint and here's one link I think you will find helpful: check it out here.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK - by Neil Gaiman

I loved it. But I always love scary, creepy and mysterious books-and always have.

Some of my favorite lines: "Teeth so strong they can crush any bones, and tongue sharp and long enough to lick the marrow from the deepest marrowbone or flay the flesh from a fat man's face."

Sounds bad--doesn't it? But that is probably the harshest writing in the book, at least in my mind. It wasn't really a "bloody" book. Now I wouldn't let a 4-8 year old read the book, but I think others might think it's okay. But of course, only parents will know for sure what's right for their kids and what's not appropriate.

Another favorite part was:

"And there are always people who find their lives have become so unsupportable they believe the best thing they could do would be to hasten their transition to another plane of existence.

"They kill themselves, you mean?" said Bod. He was about eight years old, wide-eyed and inquisitive, and he was not stupid.

"Indeed."

"Does it work? Are they happier dead?"

"Sometimes. Mostly, no. It's like the people who believe they'll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, but who learn it doesn't work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. If you see what I mean.""

I loved those lines. There's a deep message there. And, to me I came away thinking there's power in positive thinking.

Another thing that hit me: my husband was reading the story aloud to me, 'cause I wasn't feeling well - home sick with a cold.

And, some of the words were difficult for him. He didn't know what a brooch was. I giggled when he said it like, "pooch" "brew-ch"

I explained the pronunciation to him and he said, "then why do you say "pooch" when you're talking about a puppy?

It was fun having him read to me - like I was a little kid again. And, he loved the story too.

Okay, so we're a couple of grown up kids - and nerds to boot.

;) Anyway, in my opinion, a very good read and worthy of the Newberry award!

COMMENT CONTEST FOR $1,000 PRIZE

It's a COMMENT YOUR BUTT OFF contest

Okay, I can't make any promises. I mean who wouldn't want a smaller . . . butt, beware. If we comment it off... where will we sit to rest our weary bones?

Shelli's prizes sound fantastic though, one being a new website design. So, I had to share.

All it takes is a comment to be entered in the contest and who wouldn't want to win a prize worth $1,000?!!!

So, if you're interested, read all about it here.

Europe in the Springtime (Spring 2007)

I was looking back through the photos of our trip to Paris with Jake for his graduation and thought it was such a fun trip. I thought I'd share a few more photos.

I might make a slide show next week of more photos.

Cute house in Helsingor:



Here's the famous opera house in Paris:

You tell me, do Lars and Jake look like giants in front of Notre Dame?



One of the scary things in Europe, is sometimes how narrow the streets can be. Watch this car driving through the arch, and we followed it in a bus. I could have touched the walls.



We took the ferry from Calais in France to Dover, in England. We had to drive all around England to see everything we wanted to see and that meant driving on the leftside of the road:

We visited Stonehenge while we were there.

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AND EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY

ANSWER: VENUS (So many of you are so smart)

AND now it's time for Earth-Friendly Friday.

Check out the Green Heroes Grant Program here.

The gist of the program is to spread some good green and watch your eco-friendly community project grow!

Here is what they say:

"We want to recognize and reward you for your efforts to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Enter The Green Works™ Green Heroes Grant Program and you could be one of five Green Heroes who'll each receive a $10,000 grant to help your eco-friendly community project grow and flourish!

Whether your project takes place on your neighborhood block or throughout your entire community, just upload a photo of your green program in action and then describe how a Green Heroes grant could help your project blossom. A panel of Eco-Experts, including representatives from the Sierra Club, ecofabulous.com and Josh Dorfman – the Lazy Environmentalist, will select 10 finalists. The public will then have the opportunity to vote for five Green Heroes who will receive a $10,000 grant from the Green Works™ team!"

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

QUESTION: What celestial body (other than the moon and sun-those are givens) is bright enough to cast shadows on Earth?

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: DOUBLE FREETURE according to my favorite Urban Dictionary is when you pay for one movie but then sneak into a second film for free.

Some people call this "movie hopping".

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

Okay, I was trying to think up a good word to stump all you wise women and genius gentlemen but was having trouble. So, I asked my husband (who speaks multiple languages) "What's a hard English word?"

He said, "Rock."

Not everything comes out in translation. :(

WORD(S) FOR WEDNESDAY: Double Freeture

Time to take a guess. What do you think it means?

Come back at 3:00 to see if you were the wizard(ress) of words or NOT.

Contest for Teachers and Librarians

Check out Lisa Greenwald's contest here.

Lisa is of the Longstockings blog fame and her contest is about her LIFE IN PINK & GREEN

You can enter by simply writing to her and telling her what your class is doing to help the Earth by being green.

And there are great prizes like snacks, goodies and gift cards with a party for your class on Earth Day!!!

Deadline to enter:
3/31/2009

Become an MnM Shared by Rena

Me as an M&M character:


I loved this fun little photo game. Rena Jones shared this on her blog. You can link to it here.

Plus Rena shared this button eyes fun too. And, you guys all know I loved Coraline so I had to share me, looking like the Other Mother.



If you want to button your eyes, click here.

David Sedaris in PARIS: Me Talk Pretty One Day

Just finished the book. It was a fun, easy-to-read book.

Each of the short essays could be read as a stand-alone story. So, at night, I would pull the book off my headboard and read one little essay. They are all funny. So, I would go to sleep with a smile on my face and sleep more restful than if I didn't pick through the pages.

There was a lot of talk about Paris, and it made me think of the time we took our oldest son, Jake, there for his present for his graduation from college.

Some people might think the humor in Me Talk Pretty One Day is a little twisted and maybe it is, but that doesn't change the fact that I laughed out loud at some of the stories. And, of course, some stories are funnier than others but none were bad.

I especially liked the fact that David Sedaris made fun of himself more than other people.

It was also fun to read about American tourists in Paris. I've been to Paris twice, and the one thing I noticed when we were there, is how very tall my husband and son seemed. At 6'4" and 6'5", they looked like they were being filmed for a Land of the Giants episode. I stepped back behind them so I could watch the people's faces as they walked through the crowded areas. I was snickering into my sleeve but then I noticed I was taller than most people too and I'm only 5'7".

We enjoyed the people in Paris and found them to be very friendly. Of course, we tried, hopelessly, to speak in French. And we attempted to order everything in French. My husband is very good with languages-having been born and raised in a country where it's mandatory to know more than one or two languages. So, that helped. But, sometimes it seemed like a comedy of errors. The French people tried to understand what we were attempting to say and, for the most part, they did a good job but once we even walked into an English language school looking for directions-and I had trouble understanding them-and they were supposed to be speaking English.

Here are a few pictures from our last trip to Paris. My oldest son graduated from the University of Oregon and deserved some sort of present ;-) Of course, he would have preferred to have gone by himself or with a friend - but hey, we were paying so it was a good excuse for us to go too.

My son, Jake, graduated with a degree in Multi-Media Design and he said he really wanted to see the Louvre - so we did.

Hope you enjoy the photos too.

OK - Here it Goes Again

I wish this is what my workouts looked like.

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AND EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY

ANSWER: Sardine and spinach sundaes. YUMMY for your TUMMY ;)

Bonus Question - answer: Pickle Juice.

NOW, for Earth-Friendly Friday. This is info (which I got from my work via Beverly Michaelis-Kongslie) to help clean up out there in cyber space.

Living green means not wasting wattage by having a slow running computer.

Is Your Computer Performance Lagging?

Over time, computers can become sluggish due to unnecessary applications as well as fragmented files. Take time to clean up your computer periodically to improve its speed and efficiency by following these steps: . . .

•. Uninstall any applications you no longer use. Don't just delete the icon - it's only a shortcut. Use the uninstall feature that came with the software, or go to the Control Panel in Windows and. choose Add or Remove Programs. Once the program list is populated; select the unnecessary program and click Remove. For help with this step, try the PCDecrapifier: www.pcdecrapifier.com. This program is free for personal use.

• Delete any downloaded or temporary files you don't need. These may reside in C:\Temp or C:\Windows\Temp, or C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name]\Local Settings\ Temp. Be careful NOT to delete any downloaded programs you still use. These can be found at C:\Windows\Download~d Installations or C:\Windows\Downloaded Program Files. If you aren't sure whether a file should be deleted, leave it. Your computer will still benefit from the other steps described in this article.

• Run Disk Clean-up and Disk Defragmenter from your built-in System Took (In Windows XP, click on Start, All Programs>Accessories>System Tools.) If you want a more aggressive clean up tool, consider the freeware application Cleaner available at www.ccleaner.com.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Okay, this one should be EZ-smeezy for all you parents out there.

Take a guess.

QUESTION: What is the favorite food of Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch? And, if you can get that one, then try to guess his favorite drink too.

(Come back tomorrow to see the answer.)

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

Answer: To talk to oneself. If you want to read more about it, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday

Word: Soliloquy.

Take a guess - what do you think it means?

COME BACK at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific time) to see if you were right.

EZ Cooking Craft for Kids

Butterflies, Dragonflies and cupcakes? What could be better?

Almost nothing.

Here's an EZ cooking craft for kids. Just make a batch of cupcakes, and one small bread loaf pan cake. Place them on a flat platter, baking sheet or even wax paper. Arrange the loaf/cake as the head, the cupcakes as the body, and use licorice whips to form the wings. Pour a caramel glaze into the wings, (which you can make with brown sugar and butter, melted slowly in a cast iron pan), then use rolo candies for eyes and you have a dragonfly. When you've eaten the loaf, just downsize the cake into a butterfly.

I used to make all sorts of things like this for the kids, when they were little. And they and their friends just ate it up ;)

Frida by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand

FRIDA won the Notable Award from the American Library Association and the silver seal of the Pura Belpre Honor Book.

It tells the story of Frida Kahlo who was a native of Mexico. Her story is told in biographical poems along with her artwork.

She had a traumatic life, which is reflected in her artwork. She had polio as a child and her right leg shriveled then she got into a horrible bus accident when she was young. The handrail pierced her hip bone and she had multiple broken bones. Then her husband had an affair with her sister and he asked her for a divorce.

She got pregnant and her baby died in the summer and then her mom died in September. Frida said she paints her pain.

She had a pet fawn and painted pictures for family and friends. One of her artworks was done on glass and the Louvre bought it: it was a self-portrait in which Frida was framed by birds and flowers.

It may be classified as a picture book but, I think it is so beautiful, it could easily be a coffee table book for children and adults to enjoy.

UNTIL TOMORROW

Poetry is such a nice way to give a voice to feelings. I wrote a lot of poetry when I lost loved ones.

My father passed away in 2002. I wrote and then read this poem at my father's funeral:

UNTIL TOMORROW
by: Kim Kasch

Letting go… is so hard for you
but this is what you have to do.

I know… my passing may be hard to face
but – remember - I’ve merely left ‘this’ place.
So when you think of me, don’t cry,
remember
my soul lives on – it cannot die.

Think of me, with a smile –
I’ll see you soon, in a while –
And then
I’ll hold you close - to my breast
until then – I merely rest.

Still, we can visit in your dreams.
Time passes quickly, or…so it seems.

Think of me: don’t say “goodbye”
Love lives on… and so do I.
I am not gone – I did not die.
Remember that and please don’t cry.

Our Father stands with me today,
I am not dead – merely away.
Remember this and be brave
My soul is not in my grave.

Soon we’ll meet at heaven’s gate,
Until then, I’ll simply wait.
Remember in your heart and head,
I am not gone – I am not dead.
I’m with the Father, just ahead.

So do not think of me in sorrow
We’ll be together – UNTIL TOMORROW

The Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry

Thursday, February 12, was the book opening for Rosanne Parry's debut book: The Heart of a Shepherd. It was held at Annie Bloom Books in Multnomah.

Rosanne talked about her journey as a writer. And about her daughter who loves to write too.



It was a fun evening and I bought the book. I'll have to do another post after I've read the book.

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AND EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: Walt Disney with 28 Oscar Awards and 48 nominations.

NOW FOR EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY:

180 million Valentine’s cards are given out in the U.S. every year—and this doesn’t include those given out by children in their classrooms. About 65% of American households join in the fun by giving cards, going out to dinner, exchanging flowers or other gifts. This year why not try something different?

With Valentine's Day upon us, I thought I'd suggest an alternative florist shop for the holiday. Why not buy organic flowers?

Or, if you can't get flowers delivered in time, buy local. You'll do the Earth a favor by using less fossil fuels for flower transportation.

Consider making your own card, using recycled products: lace, ribbons or even family photos. You can take your photos to the copy shop and make color photocopies and make a collage-card.

Or, how about a quiet evening at home watching a romantic comedy? You won’t waste gas getting to an overcrowded restaurant, you’ll save a little money and probably end up being more relaxed at the end of the night.

But, whatever you do, I hope you have a Valentine's Day filled with love :)