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Relax

Today will be another busy and long day. We have the opening reception tonight, so I won’t get home until after 6 pm. Tomorrow though will be a day to relax. The only exception to that may be watching McCain’s funeral, which won’t exactly be relaxing. However, the rest of the day will be spent watching college football. The season starts tomorrow, and I’m so excited.

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Pic of the Day

Finished

Yesterday, I finally finished teaching my online course. I had signed up for one more term before I found out how demanding the people at this school are. I should have known when the class to be able to teach was such a pain in the ass that teaching for them would be likewise. The new term starts September 3, and I am not looking forward to it, but an obligation is an obligation.

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Too Darn Hot

Too Darn Hot

It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight
But I ain't up to my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot

It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
But brother, you fight my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot

According to the Kinsey Report, ev'ry average man you know
Much prefers his lovey-dovey to court
When the temperature is low
But when the thermometer goes 'way up
And the weather is sizzling hot
Mister, pants for romance is not

'Cause it's too, too, too darn hot
It's too darn hot
It's too, too darn hot

I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
But brother, you fight my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot

According to the Kinsey Report, ev'ry average man you know
Much prefers his lovey-dovey to court
When the temperature is low
But when the thermometer goes 'way up
And the weather is sizzling hot
Mr. Gob for his squab
A marine for his queen
A G.I. for his cutie-pie is not

'Cause it's too, too, too darn hot
It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot

Songwriter: Cole Porter

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Stomachache

Yesterday, I had a pretty bad stomachache. No matter what I did, it wouldn’t go away. So I didn’t feel much like writing a post for today.

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Pray About

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (KJV) ( Philippians 4:6 ) 

Do your best with the talents God has given you, and relinquish to Him the things over which you have no control.  When you turn all of your worries to God, a sense of peace will set in.  If you feel anxiety and worry building up in your thoughts, take a moment to ask your Heavenly Father to calm your fears.  Remember to thank Him by acknowledging that He is the creator of this earth. 

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Moment of Zen: The Sun

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TGIF

I am so glad it’s Friday. Even though I had Tuesday off, it still feels like it’s been a long week. There has been a lot to get done. I will be especially busy at work today. I’ve got some writing to do for the next exhibit, which opens next Friday. The weekend will be spent grading. I hate to have to spend the weekend grading, but the term ends Sunday. I have one more term teaching online at this university and then I will be done with them. I do not like or agree with their style of learning.

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Exercise

I’m trying to get back into the routine of exercising again. I joined Planet Fitness and have been going with a coworker of mine. It’s so much more helpful/motivational when you have someone to go with you. So far we have just been doing the elliptical and treadmill. I’m not in very good shape and my workout partner had a foot injury and has not been able to exercise much in the last few months, so we are starting out slowly. Each time we are working out more and more. I need to start eating better and working out more. I’ve got to get my weight down to something more manageable.

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Annoying Things

Vermont can be an annoying state. With all their rules and regulations, they go overboard. Case in point, I’m having to go have my car inspected for it’s Vermont inspection. It’s already been inspected in New Hampshire where I bought it. I bought my car in New Hampshire because it was a couple of thousand dollars cheaper over there. Though it’s been inspected in New Hampshire, it is not a valid inspection in Vermont. I was told by the DMV, “We are looking for different things.” How ridiculous is that? Should all car inspections be the same no matter what state it is. I grew up in Alabama where inspections were not required. I like that way better.

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Coastal Plain

Coastal Plain
by Kathryn Stripling Byer

The only clouds
forming are crow clouds,

the only shade, oaks
bound together in a tangle of oak

limbs that signal the wind
coming, if there is any wind

stroking the flat
fields, the flat

swatch of corn.
Far as anyone’s eye can see, corn’s

dying under the sky
that repeats itself either as sky

or as water
that won’t remain water

for long on the highway: its shimmer
is merely the shimmer

of one more illusion that yields
to our crossing as we ourselves yield

to our lives, to the roots
of our landscape. Pull up the roots

and what do we see but the night
soil of dream, the night

soil of what we call
home. Home that calls

and calls
and calls.

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Up Late

I was up late last night grading, so I don’t have a post ready for today. Hopefully, everyone else’s week is off to a better start.

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Happy

Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD. (KJV) (Psalms 144:15) 

I’ve got some great news for you- God desires for you to be happy! He loves when your life is filled with laughter, beauty and joy.  He delights when a smile animates your face.  When your consider God’s plan for your life, don’t forget, God’s people are called to be happy! 

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Moment of Zen: Paradise

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Christine Hallquist

Christine Hallquist is an American politician and former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC). She is the first openly transgender major party nominee for governor in the United States, winning the Democratic nomination with over 40% of the vote on August 14, 2018. Hallquist worked at VEC from 1998 to 2018, the last 12 years as CEO, when she resigned to run for governor. Drawing national attention as a pioneering example of a CEO transitioning while in office, her transition was documented by her son in an award-winning documentary, Denial.

Hallquist grew up in Baldwinsville, New York. She attended Catholic school as a child. She moved to Vermont at age 20 and worked for IBM as an electrical engineer. Hallquist lives in Hyde Park, Vermont, and has three adult children and two grandchildren.

Hallquist's professional life began at IBM, then she took a job at Digital Equipment Corporation. There she became part of a training program to become an electrical engineer at the University of Massachusetts and worked with Digital to create low-cost power supplies quickly using lean manufacturing. She took an early buyout from Digital and moved back to Vermont to become the CEO of a small electronics company in Barre, Vermont, then founded a consulting firm that worked with such companies as Xerox, Miller Beer, and Honda. She started at VEC as engineering and operations manager in 2000, shortly after its recovery from bankruptcy.

She announced her gubernatorial campaign in Morrisville, Vermont on April 8, and said, "I truly believe Vermont is ready to elect a transgender governor because I don't think Vermonters are going to look at that." Hallquist is running on a platform of increased broadband access, universal Medicare and aggressive action against climate change.

She has my vote in November.

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Wishful Thinking

Too bad I can’t sleep in today, but it’s going to be a busy day. I have a tour at 10 this morning, and then a lunch appointment at noon, which I hope I won’t be late for. The tour is supposed to last an hour and a half. Hopefully it won’t last that long. The afternoon will be spent writing labels for the next exhibit. Hopefully, that will go smoothly. I don’t mind writing labels on stuff I know a lot about, but these two labels are something I know next to nothing about. It seems that ever since I took over this new job, I’m busier than ever.

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Brand New Car

I just bought a brand new car. It only had 17 miles on it when I drove it off the lot. It’s a Honda CR-V, and I’m in love with it. It’s a bit bigger than I had anticipated when I started looking at this SUV, but that’s not a problem. It has just the right amount of roominess. It also has everything on it: remote start, heated seats, push button start, it syncs with my iPhone, and the list goes on.

It was an easy purchase too. I did most of the negotiating online and over the phone with their express buy option, and lucky I did too. The guy in charge of the express buy is gorgeous, and he had a butt like you wouldn’t believe. Anyway, all in all it was a great experience and they made buying a car so easy.

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Humdrum

Humdrum

 by Carl Sandburg

If I had a million lives to live

   and a million deaths to die

   in a million humdrum worlds,

I’d like to change my name

   and have a new house number to go by

   each and every time I died

   and started life all over again.

I wouldn’t want the same name every time

   and the same old house number always,

   dying a million deaths,

   dying one by one a million times:

   —would you?

                        or you?

                                or you?

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Blue Monday

It has a been a busy weekend. First, I went to an astronomers convention on Saturday. Sunday, I spent grading. Oh, how I hate to grade. It was always one of the drawbacks to being a teacher. With my new teaching gig, they have grading deadlines. Ugh! I’m tired and a bit down today. My parents were supposed to come visit at the end of the month, but for the second year in a row, they have backed out of visiting. This always gets me down. I haven’t seen them since Christmas, and they promised me they would come this year since they didn’t come last year. Anyway, it’s just disappointing.

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Love Only

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? (KJV) ( Matthew 5:46-47 ) 

As God's people, we are representatives of the difference He has made in our lives.  If we behave the way nonbelievers do, how does this glorify God?  It’s often difficult and ironic to love those who have hurt you in some way, whether it’s a coworker or even your father or mother.  However, it's amazing how much peace comes to you when you learn to replace resentment with love.  

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Moment of Zen: Windows

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Fell Asleep

I fell asleep while reading last night. It’s been a whirlwind seven days, but I have time to rest now.

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Beauty

For my friend’s last night here in Vermont, we decided to go have Italian food. Then she needed a new bag because she’d bought some stuff while up here. We ended up at TJMaxx and decided to get beauty treatments while we were there. Lips, face, and feet. We were beautiful afterwards, LOL.

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The Robin

The Robin

by Witter Bynner

Except within poetic pale

   I have not found a nightingale,

Nor hearkened in a dusky vale

   To song and silence blending;

No stock-dove have I ever heard,

Nor listened to a cuckoo-bird,

   Nor seen a lark ascending.

But I have felt a pulse-beat start

   Because a robin, spending

The utmost of his simple art

Some of his pleasure to impart

   While twilight came descending,

Has found an answer in my heart,

   A sudden comprehending.

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