Pic of the Day

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Ok, so I’d take him without underwear, too. Today is my birthday. I took today off from work so I can sleep in and do nothing all day long. I just want a nice lazy day. My birthdays are not as happy as they used to be. It’s not because I’m getting older; I don’t mind that. It’s because three years ago on my birthday, I found out that one of my best friends had died in a car crash. I’ll always remember the day I lost him, sadly it happens to also be my birthday. So I won’t be doing anything special on my birthday. Instead, I will be celebrating tomorrow, when I go to the Lorrie Morgan concert.

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The Offer

They called and made their monetary offer yesterday. It appears they would usually add 5 percent to what I am currently making; however, because I am making close to the top of the salary range, 5 percent would put me over the salary range. Apparently, they can’t do that, so they would offer me just a few extra hundred dollars a year. With the reduced benefits, it’s just not worth it. I had already pretty much decided I would not take it. I think it would be a step back in my career at this point. I talked it over with several people, and the truth is, I am happy where I am. Maybe in five years when I have experience as an educator, public programs manager, and more experience in collections, then I can look again, but I need some experience before I try to move forward. Honestly, the only thing I don’t like about up here is the winters and being away from family, but I can handle those things for now.

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Pic of the Day

Something in Red

Something in Red

written by Angela Kaset and recorded by Lorrie Morgan

I'm looking for something in red
Something that's shocking to turn someone's head
Strapless and sequined and cut down to there
Stockings and garters and lace underwear
The guaranteed number to knock the men dead
I'm looking for something in red

I'm looking for something in green
Something to out do an ex-high school queen
Jealousy comes in the color of jade
Do you have some pumps and a purse in this shade
And a perfume that whispers "Please comes back to me"
I'm looking for something in green

I'm looking for something in white
Something that shimmers in soft candlelight
Everyone calls us the most perfect pair
Should I wear a veil or a rose in my hair
Well, the train must be long and the waist must be tight
I'm looking for something in white

I'm looking for something in blue
Something real tiny, the baby's brand new
He has his father's nose and his chin
We once were hot lovers now we're more like friends
Don't tell me that's just what old married folk do
I'm looking for something in blue

I'm looking for something in red
Like the one that I wore when I first turned his head
Strapless and sequined and cut down to there
Just a size larger that I wore last year
The guaranteed number to knock a man dead

I'm looking for something
I've gotta have something
I'm looking for something in red

I’m giving myself a little birthday present. I bought tickets to go see Lorrie Morgan in concert Saturday night. Fifth row, center seat. I’m just a wee bit excited because I’ve always loved Lorrie Morgan. In case you don’t know who Lorrie Morgan is, she is an American country music singer and the daughter of George Morgan, a country music singer who charted several hit singles between 1949 and his death in 1975. At age 13, songstress Lorrie Morgan was the youngest person ever to become a member of the famed Grand Ole Opera. The country giant has gone on to win four Country Music Association “Female Vocalist of the Year” awards, notch fourteen Top Ten hits, and sell more than eight million records over the course of her illustrious, song-filled career. Morgan has left a strong, contemporary woman’s mark on country music history with timeless standards such as “Five Minutes,” “Except for Monday,” “Something in Red,” “What Part of No,” “Watch Me,” and “A Picture of Me Without You.” 

“Something in Red” has always been one of my favorite songs along with “Except for Monday.”

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O, Christmas Tree

For the three years I have been in Vermont, I have not put up a Christmas tree. The first year was because one of my dearest and closest friends had just died, and I didn’t feel like celebrating Christmas. In fact, Thursday will be the three year anniversary of his death, and I am still heartbroken. I doubt I will ever fully stop grieving. The second and third year here in Vermont, I didn’t put up a tree because I told myself, why should I? I wouldn’t actually be here at Christmas. This year was something different though. Even though I will not be here at Christmas, there is no reason why I can’t enjoy a Christmas tree while I am home. Isabella seems fascinated by it. She’s played with the balls, sat under the tree, and pondered what the hell this thing is. She’s only ever seen a Christmas tree once before when she stayed at a coworker’s house over that first Christmas. She was a holy terror there, so she’s not welcomed back. It appears that my calm sweet cat just doesn’t like other people’s cats, so she went nuts. But she had some times of peace and wonder that Christmas like in the pictures below.

P.S. I still have a little more decorating to do. I need to get a skirt or blanket for the bottom, and I need an extension cord to light up the tree topper.

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There Is A Season

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (KJV) ( Ecclesiastes 3:1 ) 

Sometime's bad things happen to good people. But how do you make peace with this thought, especially when you are fighting back anger, hurt, betrayal, or loneliness? It's important to realize God has perfect timing, even when we can't understand it. Without placing your faith in His timing, you leave room for resentment, despair, and rebellion. When you can't see the work God is doing through tragedy, remain faithful in knowing God's timing is perfect. 

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Moment of Zen: Coffee

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The Day After

I had a surprisingly good Thanksgiving. I found out my parents were going to my sister’s in-laws, so I am especially glad I wasn’t home. They are not nice people. Then I got to talk to a friend all during the Thanksgiving Day Parade, so it was like she was here with me. For most of the day, I relaxed. At 6, I went down to my neighbor’s apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. It was simple but yummy. Then I came home and watched The Wizard of Oz. It was a pretty good day.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I wanted to tell you a few things that I am thankful for this year. I’m thankful for my good friends Jennifer and Susan. Though they are not here with me (one’s in TX, the other in NYC), they are with me in my heart. Speaking of being in my heart, I am also thankful for my loving family, who I hope will have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’m also thankful for my job. This time last year it was uncertain if I’d have one. I’m also thankful for the people I work with who I love dearly. I am thankful for my new neighbor who is having me downstairs for Thanksgiving dinner today. I have so much to be thankful for this year. What are you most thankful for?

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Snow Wednesday

It’s supposed to snow all day today. This will be the first white Thanksgiving I’ve had in Vermont. Thanksgiving is expected to be a really cold day with highs expected to be between 10-15 degrees. With wind, I expect it will feel even colder. I am glad I’m only going downstairs for Thanksgiving dinner.

In other news, for the first time since moving to Vermont, I’m thinking of getting a small Christmas tree. I’ll probably decorate it with simple white lights and red and silver ornaments. I don’t know how well this will go over with Isabella, but we shall see.

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Neighbors

About three months ago, I was looking for a new place to live because I had a very unfriendly neighbor who made it uncomfortable to live here. Then she moved out. A new lady moved in, and I am now feeling very blessed. She just warms my heart. We are the same age and talk nearly every day. We’ve gone to dinner a few times and she even took care of Isabella while I was gone. I’ll be going to her apartment for Thanksgiving this year. I am very thankful for having her as my neighbor.  

Speaking of neighbors, a few months ago, this really hot guy moved in next door. I’d spoken to him a few times in passing, but never got to learn what his name was or what he did for a living. Last night my neighbor and I kind of cornered him as he was loading up his car, and we were unloading groceries from my car. I not only found out his name but where he works. He’s very sweet, and unless my gaydar is completely broken, he’s very gay. And from my observation, I think he might be single. We will see how this plays out.

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The House on the Sand

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: (KJV) ( Matthew 7:26 ) 

The Bible has a lot to say on how we should live our lives. If we know how we are supposed to live and disregard that knowledge it is foolish. As we build our lives, we should strive to build it on a solid foundation that will last forever, the Kingdom of God.  What are you building your house on? 

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Moment of Zen: Follow Your Arrow

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4 Degrees

I can’t believe that it’s just the middle of November and it’s 4 degrees outside. Four degrees, which means the wind chill is even lower. I’d love just to stay in bed today wrapped up under a blanket. However, I’m going to be teaching all morning. I’ll be teaching three classes. They will all be the same class, but I’m looking forward to it. I get to talk about one of the few times Thomas Jefferson was proven wrong. Jefferson was known for believing he was the best and brightest. It is likely he had Asperger’s syndrome, but that’s hard to prove nearly two hundred years after his death. Today will be a busy day all around, because after the classes in the morning, we have one of our public programs. It will be a talk about railroads in Vermont, and I hope it will be interesting. I know it will be interesting to train enthusiasts. After the program, I might be able to take a breath, but I’m sure there will be more to do. All this, and now it will only reach 24 degrees today.

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Winter Has Come Early

The snows came yesterday. We got at least 6 inches of snow. No snow plow came to my apartment before work, when at least 4 inches had accumulated. When I got home, no snow plow came to get the 6 inches of accumulation. I texted my landlord to see why no snow plow had been by. They had been everywhere else around us, including the property he owns next door, yet no plow for us. The funeral home across the street was plowed 5 times yesterday; we were not plowed once. After waiting hours for a response from my landlord, I finally got one. He said he had talked to the plow driver and they had decided to let it melt on its own. He said it would be warm enough last night and today to melt it. I’m no physicist, but doesn’t the temperature have to get above freezing for snow to melt. The high today will be 22 with a low of 7. Tomorrow the high will be 28 with a low of 23, and Friday, we are expecting another 6 inches of snow. When will it melt? How will it melt? Am I missing something? Please tell me if I am, because I really want to understand.

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The Snow Storm

The Snow Storm

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803 - 1882

 Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,

Arrives the snow, and, driving o’er the fields,

Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air

Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,

And veils the farmhouse at the garden’s end.

The sled and traveler stopped, the courier’s feet

Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit

Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed

In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

   Come see the north wind’s masonry.

Out of an unseen quarry evermore

Furnished with tile, the fierce artificer

Curves his white bastions with projected roof

Round every windward stake, or tree, or door.

Speeding, the myriad-handed, his wild work

So fanciful, so savage, nought cares he

For number or proportion. Mockingly,

On coop or kennel he hangs Parian wreaths;

A swan-like form invests the hidden thorn;

Fills up the farmer’s lane from wall to wall,

Maugre the farmer’s sighs; and, at the gate,

A tapering turret overtops the work.

And when his hours are numbered, and the world

Is all his own, retiring, as he were not,

Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art

To mimic in slow structures, stone by stone,

Built in an age, the mad wind’s night-work,

The frolic architecture of the snow.

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The Fall

Yesterday as I was leaving for the Armistice Day celebration in town, I slipped on the icy outside steps leading from my apartment and fell on my back. I should have been paying closer attention to where I stepped. I got up fairly easily, but as the day dragged on, I became sorer and sorer. I’m fine; there was no major damage that I know of, but I’m still quite sore. I will probably wake up this morning even more sore, but the good thing is that I have the day off and can recuperate.

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Peace

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. - Matthew 5:9

The Great War was over. One hundred years ago — just before 3 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918 — The New York Times received the first bulletin of the Armistice, which had been signed aboard a rail car in a small village in Northern France. A searchlight on the tower of the Times building, previously used to announce election results, gleamed rays across the city until daylight broke.

After more than four years of fighting, 8.5 million soldiers had been killed, including more than 100,000 Americans, and 7 million civilians were dead. In that time, modern warfare was born, and the trenches of Western Europebecame a charnel house.

As news spread of the war’s end, people gathered in parks, streets and town squares, overwhelmed with jubilation on what is now officially celebrated as Armistice Day. 

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Moment of Zen: Music

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Up Late

I was up late at the bar with coworkers, not much to say. Yesterday was a bit boring. Hopefully, today will be less boring,

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In Connecticut

I’m at a conference in Connecticut. We had drinks while watching the returns come in. There was good news and bad news when I went to bed. I hope the good news wins out, but it wasn’t looking good for Christine. It seems that everything else in Vermont went Democrat except for the governor. I’ll check final results this morning if they are in, but I just couldn’t stay up late last night watching returns. I had to be up early this morning for breakfast before the conference sessions start.

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Election Day

Nothing human disgusts me unless it’s unkind, violent.
-Hannah to Shannon, Act III, The Night of the Iguana 

Hannah’s words to Shannon is my favorite line in The Night of the Iguana. While she is a chaste woman, she does not judge others for their sex/private lives. If more people had this attitude, the United States would be a much better place. That’s why it is so important that we go vote today. Everything Donald Trump and his MAGA minions stand for is “unkind, violent.” We can change that. We can vote and put Democrats back in office. We can strip Trump of his power. Get the message out, and please go vote. Vote to have sanity back in the United States. Vote for hope, not fear. Vote for change. Vote Democrat.

I leave today to go to a museum conference. I’ve been to academic conferences before, but I’ve never been to one specifically for museums. Even though I will be leaving this morning, rest assured I will be voting before I leave; I’m casting my ballot especially for Christine Hallquist. She has a vision to bring Vermont into the twenty-first century. While socially the state is mostly ahead of its time, economically it is far behind. She can make the changes we need which is why I’ll be voting for her. I believe in Christine for Vermont. I believe in Democrats across the country. I will cast my vote first thing before going to work today. Please vote today for a better United States of America.

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Guy Fawkes Day

The Fifth of November

    Remember, remember!  
    The fifth of November, 
    The Gunpowder treason and plot; 
    I know of no reason 
    Why the Gunpowder treason 
    Should ever be forgot! 
    Guy Fawkes and his companions 
    Did the scheme contrive, 
    To blow the King and Parliament 
    All up alive. 
    Threescore barrels, laid below, 
    To prove old England's overthrow. 
    But, by God's providence, him they catch, 
    With a dark lantern, lighting a match! 
    A stick and a stake  
    For King James's sake! 
    If you won't give me one, 
    I'll take two, 
    The better for me, 
    And the worse for you. 
    A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope, 
    A penn'orth of cheese to choke him, 
    A pint of beer to wash it down, 
    And a jolly good fire to burn him. 
    Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring! 
    Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King! 
    Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

 

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Perhaps most widely known in America from its use in the movie V for Vendetta, versions of the above poem have been wide spread in England for centuries. They celebrate the foiling of (Catholic) Guy Fawkes's attempt to blow up (Protestant controlled) England's House of Parliament on November 5th, 1605. Known variously as Guy Fawkes Day, Gunpowder Treason Day, and Fireworks Night, the November 5th celebrations in some time periods included the burning of the Pope or Guy Fawkes in effigy.

This traditional verse exists in a large number of variations and the above version has been constructed to give a flavor for the major themes that appear in them. Several of the books referenced below cite even earlier sources.

While not all eight cited versions contain all five groupings of lines, the "verses" present in each of the eight appear relative to each other in the order used above. 

References:

Chambers, Robert.  The Book of Days. London: W. & R. Chambers, 1888. 

Hems, Harry. The fifth of November: Guy Fawkes Celebrations.  Notes and Queries, 1908; s10-X, 496-497. 

J.C.R. The fifth of November.  Notes and Queries, 1857; s2-IV, 450-451.

McDowall, S.S. The fifth of November: Guy Fawkes Celebrations. Notes and Queries, 1908; s10-X, 496.

Moore, Alan & Lloyd, David. V for Vendetta. New York: DC Comics, Inc., 1990. 

Northall, G.F. English Folk-Rhymes. London: Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. Ltd., 1892. (As reissued by Detroit: Singing Tree Press, 1968).

Thiselton-Dyer, Rev. T.F.  British Popular Customs, Present and Past. London: George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden, 1876. (As reissued by Detroit: Singing Tree Press, 1968.)

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From:  Habing, B. (2006, November 3).  The Fifth of November - English Folk Verse. Retrieved from http://www.potw.org/archive/potw405.html