Hey, Ann!

Look at this... :-)

You Are Austin

A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. You're totally weird and very proud of it. Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way. Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick

What American City Are You?

The Five Factor Values Test

Your Values Profile

Loyalty: You value loyalty a fair amount. You're loyal to your friends... to a point. But if they cross you, you will reconsider your loyalties. Staying true to others is important to you, but you also stay true to yourself. Honesty: You value honesty a fair amount. You're honest when you can be, but you aren't a stickler for it. If a little white lie will make a situation more comfortable, you'll go for it. In the end, you mostly care about "situational integrity." Generosity: You value generosity a fair amount. You are all about giving, as long as there's some give and take. Supportive and kind, you don't mind helping out a friend in need. But you know when you've given too much. You have no problem saying "no"! Humility: You value humility a fair amount. You tend to be an easy going, humble person. But occasionally your ego takes over. You have a slight competitive streak - and the need to be the best. Tolerance: You value tolerance highly. Not only do you enjoy the company of those very different from you... You do all that you can to seek it out interesting and unique friends. You think there are many truths in life, and you're open to many of them.

The Five Factor Values Test

Cleaning out my purse

... and I thought I'd record some of my recent fortune cookie papers (they're so rarely fortunes anymore) before I recycle 'em.

Where there is doubt, there is truth. 5 11 25 33 41. 16

Prosperity destroys the fools and endangers the wise. 5 12 29 39 41. 23

We are here to create not merely survive. Lucky numbers 34, 11, 24, 4, 49, 5

Utilize what you have been given. Lucky numbers 35, 17, 22, 39, 41, 2

More miscellaneous quotes

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful."

- Samuel Johnson

"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

"Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century."

- Dame Edna Everage

"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better."

- Anonymous

"The sad truth is that excellence makes people nervous."

- Shana Alexander

"The main things which seem to me important on their own account, and not merely as means to other things, are knowledge, art, instinctive happiness, and relations of friendship or affection."

- Bertrand Russell

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."

- Voltaire

Happy (Belated) Vernal Equinox!

Yesterday was the Spring, or Vernal, Equinox. At about 1:30 in the afternoon, we were halfway between the shortest and longest days of the year. Light and dark were balanced, for the moment. The Sun rose due east and set due west, as seen from any location on Earth. The fall and spring equinoxes are the only times of the year when this happens.

That makes today is our first full day of spring (though, as usual, you wouldn't know it from the weather we're experiencing). The various bulb plants have started to poke up from the ground and the trees are beginning to bud out their leaves. It's interesting to observe the rebirth throughout nature with a three-year-old, and I'm so pleased that Mairi is finally old enough to share in this!

Yesterday was also Ostara, one of the Lesser Wiccan Sabbats, a celebration of spring, rebirth and renewal, and the coming lushness of summer. Today is Naw-Rúz ('New Day'), the Baha'i and Iranian new year. Here's a link to a nice overview of Spring Equinox celebrations of Christianity, Judaism, Neopaganism, etc.

Spring does seem like a more appropriate time to celebrate the new year now, doesn't it? Mother Nature is reborn in the visible return of growth in the plant world, the impending births for many in the animal world.

Of course, all this is only true for the Northern Hemisphere. If you're reading this in the Southern Hemisphere — Happy Fall!

My favorite St. Pat's poem

Wearing of the Green
by Aileen Fisher

It ought to come in April,
or, better yet, in May
when everything is green as green-
I mean St. Patrick's Day.

With still a week of winter
this wearing of the green
seems rather out of season -
it's rushing things, I mean.

But maybe March is better
when all is done and said:
St. Patrick brings a promise,
a four-leaf-clover promise,
a green-all-over promise
of springtime just ahead!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, wherever your ancestors came from!

Yes, I know the girls aren't wearing green. For a redhead, Mairi has surprisingly few green clothes. When she got dressed for the day, she changed into a mostly purple dress that has a few green stripes on it. Nora may stay pink, unless she gets these clothes totally messy. She generates enough dirty laundry without unnecessary clothing changes. :-)

Time for a family update!

We're all still battling various illness, but seem to be on the mend. The most recent attack on our good health has been from a head cold that really gets into the sinuses. Nora finally came down with the cold accompanied by the lovely barking cough. All that being said, I've decided that these are the last illnesses for a while and I will accept nothing less than complete good health for the month of April. So there!

Despite the various illnesses, last weekend we went to Detroit for a mini Spring Break. Our friends Lee and Bridget had come down to Tony's to celebrate their birthdays, happily bringing Dan and Judy with them (and their respective daughters, Crystal and Alicia — please forgive me if I've misspelled either of your names!). After getting to town Friday evening and having a lovely dinner with Uncle Dave and family, we spent much of Saturday at the Detroit Zoo. Such fun! We managed to squeeze in swimming at our hotel twice on Saturday (the second time with several of our friends joining us), and once more Sunday morning. On Sunday my friend Dameon (whom I haven't seen in far too long) drove up to join the crowd, and we all went to the Great Lakes Mall for lunch, talking, and a bit of shopping. We left the area far later than anticipated, because we were having too much fun to tear ourselves away.

In other news: Mairi is finally showing signs of being ready to leave the diapers behind, praise be! She also got accepted into the summer program at ECDC (the child care option on campus) and will start going there mornings twice a week in June. We haven't decided for sure, but most likely she will continue on the same schedule in the fall — better get that application in!

Nora remains content to walk along the edges of things, but it's clear her balance is getting better and better. At this point, I think she is capable of walking but simply hasn't realized it yet. She has about five words now: mama, da or dada, kitty, hi and bye; and "kitty" in particular does a lot of work — any animal is a "kitty." Being at the zoo with her was a hoot, as we saw llama kitties, and turtle kitties, and snake kitties, and polar bear kitties ...

Chris and I are doing fairly well, other than the whole being sick and being sick of being sick thing. He's been wanting to start running again, but with the cold settled in his chest didn't think it wise to force the issue. I'm busy at the office, especially with a project to photograph key pages of our Medieval and renaissance manuscripts (part of the Digital Scriptorium initiative) which is due by mid-May. Neither of us have had much time for projects, although of course Chris does bits of this and that with his audio stuff and I crochet whenever I can snatch a few moments for it. :-)

That's all for now, I guess. I hope it's getting to be spring wherever you're at, reader — I woke up to more snow (which thankfully didn't stay).

An amusing bit o' news

Many bishops grant meat exception for St. Patrick's Day

By Emily Fredrix
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE - Michael O'Leary doesn't need to choose between sinning and nibbling this St. Patrick's Day.

O'Leary will enjoy his corned beef on Friday with a clear conscience — thanks to a special dispensation from another Irish-American, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee.

Dolan is among dozens of bishops — from Green Bay, Wis., and Arlington, Va., to Chicago and Boston — granting one-day dispensations from Lenten rules that prohibit Roman Catholics from eating meat on Fridays to observe the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In many cases, the bishops are asking for a similar day of penance in exchange for relaxing the rules this Friday.

...

You can see the whole article on-line in the ContraCosta Times article.

Random foolish questions

1. What does your Blog headline mean? Whatever I want it to.
2. Elaborate on your default photo: They're iridescent weasels — duh!
3. What's your current relationship status? Happily married.
4. What exactly are you wearing right now? An indigo dress, black knee-high sock with a row of flowers up each side, and Land's End clogs.
5. What is your current problem? My younger daughter is constipated. Again.
6. What do you love most? My family.
7. What makes you most happy? Doing something fun with my family.
8. Are you musically inclined? Yes, somewhat.
9. The last song you listened to? "Scales And Arpeggios" from The Aristocats
10. If you could go back in time, and change something, what would it be? I'm not arrogant enough to think I know what would result from a change, so nothing.
11. If you MUST be an animal for ONE day, what would you be? Some sort of lizard.
12. Ever have a near death experience? Not that I know of.
13. Name an obvious quality you have? Intelligence.
14. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now? At the moment, nothing.
    

(15-20 have been stolen and police are currently investigating)

21. What do you usually order from Starbucks? I don't drink coffee, nor do I patronize Starbucks.
22. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? Yes.
    

(23 is assisting with the investigation)

24. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? No (at least, not that I remember).
25. Do you still watch kiddy movies or TV shows? Yes, fairly often.
26. Did you have braces? No.
27. Are you comfortable with your height? Sure.
28. What is the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you? Chris has done many romantic things for me, but they're private.
29. Do you speak any other languages? French and Spanish, un peu and un poco. I'm trying to find time to learn Italian.
30. What is your favorite smell? Cloves
31. What is your favorite word? Sassafras
32. What is your least favorite word? Whatever
33. What turns you on? My husband.
34. What turns you off? Arrogance.
35. What sound do you love? The river bell chime on our front porch, which Jan brought us from the east coast.
36. What sound do you hate? Either of my children whimpering (really, any child whimpering).
37. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Quilt designer.
38. What profession would you not like to participate in? Anything medical.
39. What is your favorite curse word? Don't have one, really.
40. If heaven exists, what do you wish God would say to you when you reach the pearly gates? You did your best and you did okay, kid.