Plodding On
I can't even imagine how hard it is to think about how to get through this day in Buloxi, Gulfport, New Orleans or one of the other hundreds of communities that endured Katrina. I can pray that God will give them the things they need to physically survive and the mental strenght to keep going. My friend is somewhere in Mississippi working with the Red Cross and trying to help survirors put their lives back together. Please, God, bless all the efforts to aid them.
Several friends and family members are expereincing unsettled times. Please, God, give them the strenght to plod on and know that you can make the unfolding events turn out good even though things look scary right now. Help me to know that and not just type idle words.
Plodding On
I can't even imagine how hard it is to think about how to get through this day in Buloxi, Gulfport, New Orleans or one of the other hundreds of communities that endured Katrina. I can pray that God will give them the things they need to physically survive and the mental strenght to keep going. My friend is somewhere in Mississippi working with the Red Cross and trying to help survirors put their lives back together. Please, God, bless all the efforts to aid them.
Several friends and family members are expereincing unsettled times. Please, God, give them the strenght to plod on and know that you can make the unfolding events turn out good even though things look scary right now. Help me to know that and not just type idle words.
Catfish in Georgetown
Tonight we went to eat at the Georgetown One Stop. Georgetown is literally at the end of the road. The highway that leads to this town (population is listed as 142) ends at the river running beside this town. There is a small eatin' place that serves some of the best catfish in the state. There is no menu. You order the catfish dinner. It is a very small place about the size of a living room and people call for reservations and line up outside just to eat their fish. They told us that they serve 300 pounds of catfish on a weeknight and over 400 on weekends. As soon as we finished eating one of the waitstaff started clearing off our plates and pretty much made it known that our time was up.
But that fish was goooood.
Maybe the Spam is Gone
I was not a child who enjoyed the canned ham-like substance known as SPAM. It was occasionally served at my house by my Mom but not often. I am highly offended by internet spam. Now my friend tells me that there is instant messaging spam called spim. When did the marketing profession become so intrusive? I have turned off the anonymous comment posting and guess that I will have to keep it off. I am sorry but I don't know any other thing to do right now.
Here's to spam-free blogging.
Can I Enroll in Your Class Without the Pre-requisite?
One of my colleagues received the following email from a student.
"I would like to take a class from the Mass Communication department.
I was thinking about taking COMM 259, Typography and Graphic Arts, but
that class has a pre-requisite, which is COMM 177. So I was wondering
if I could still take the class without the pre-requisite."
How can a college student a) not understand the meaning of the term pre-requisite and
b) be brazen enough to ask a professor if he/she can go outside the rules?
Do they think that a pre-requisite is just a suggestion?
Has anyone heard of the lady who thought the movie "SuperSize Me" was mean spirited and misleading so she started a 90 McDonald's diet concentrating on the healthy side of their menu? It seems that she lost weight. I just love a happy ending!
Comments are Back for Now
I am trying this again. Spam on a blog is just wrong!
Some Things Never Change
My new phone arrived and I spent about four hours worrying with it, harassing it, and generally trying to punch every button it has. I am a little disconcerted because the answer/end call buttons on the the opposite side of the terrible outdated last phone. In addition, the "soft buttons" for select and back are also on the opposite side. I feel certain that I will end several phone calls instead of answering them before I get used to the new phone.
School starts tomorrow. Classes start next Tuesday. Freshmen are arriving. Upperclassmen are returning. In every restrauant students are squealing and screeching as they see their friends that they haven't seen in two and half months. It is loud and it is annoying and I did the very same thing at the very same age and in some of the very same locations. Tammie, Vivian, Jeanine and I could screech with the best of them.
I love my friends.
And I love the students.
And I love my job.
I had to hide the comments on this blog because I got spammed and I don't know how to just delete that comment. I will keep working on it.
A New Cell Phone
Today I pulled my cell phone out from the depths of my purse and noticed that I could not lock the keypad. The phone is almost two years old and has suffered a good deal of unintentional physical abuse so I decided that it might be time for a new phone and rate plan. First I went to the company store/office here in town. There was the sweetest young lady there who said that I needed to upgrade my phone before I can upgrade my plan. The company is "phasing out" my type of phone. The only phones available for purchase were about $40 and I really wanted the "free" to very inexpensive type. The sweet young lady whispered to me that if I called the Customer Service and asked about upgrading phone they would have some free phones. So I called them and they suggested that I look online. After 30 minutes I finally got an online account and discovered that I needed to tell them my husband's birthday and drivers license number before they could get the online account then I found out that I could not order the upgrade on the rate plan until I upgraded and had the phone in my possession. That representative told me that I had to call another number to get the phone shipped and activated first to get the upgraded rate plan...Are you tired yet, because I certainly was. Called the second representative and she was very hesitatnt to give me the free phone...it seems that the free phone is refurbished and she thinks that is pretty much trash. So I went for the $10 phone. It doesn't take photos but it is one of those cute color flip phones....Since it is a flip phone maybe my purse will stop dialing people who's numbers I have stored in the phone. I tried to add the photo of my new phone here but I think it is going at the top of the blog.
I am Favoring Caning at the Moment
Do you remember several years ago when the entire US media was comsumed with the caning penalty the Singapore judical system handed down to US teenager? If my memory is correct the caning was the typical punishment for vandalism and the young man in question had participated in spray-painting cars in Singapore. At the time I thought that caning might be a little extreme but that some form of punishment should happen and certainly the young man should be be required to pay for the damage. I now have first hand experience as the victim of vandalism. Last night someone or some group decided to go through our neighborhood and spray paint cars.
I have not blogged about my car. I love my car. Last June we were looking for a car smaller than my gas guzzling Surburban for me to drive around town. While crusing used car lots my husband spotted a beautiful, incredibly classy silver-blue 2002 Sebring convertible (navy top). It worked out that it was in great condition, fairly low mileage and a pricetag that we could live with. It was immediately christened Sophia, the therapy car. The name Sophia came at my daughter's suggestion because it is a car that looks like Sophia Loren should be driving it and the therapy car from my friend Bonnie who said that riding and driving the car was better than any psychotherapy and lots cheaper. So I have been using my car as therapy for me, my family, my friends and pretty much anyone who wants a ride with the top down. I love my car.
Just last night three friends and I went for a lovely evening therapy ride. Cool evening air, fun friends, and some great music on the CD.
Last night (early this morning) my husband (local police officer who was actually on duty so that the police car was not parked next to mine as it usually is) was taking reports from several in the neighborhood that their cars had been sprayed with black paint. He drove by our house to check my car and sure enough, it had been hit also. The only redeeming factor is that they seemed to be running out of paint so my car didn't get any stupid smiley faces or sayings. I got blobs of paint all over the back of car and down half of one side.
I have revised my feelings about penalties for vandalism. I say bring on the caning!
