Frank of IMAO and Sarah of Mountaineer Musings, have officially declared their love for each other by becoming engaged. I must be the only one not surprised by what I thought was a wonderful natural course of events. From reading their websites on an occasional basis I could tell how much love they have for each other.

My dear Blog Father wrote 2 wonderful posts (Free Advice and Helpful Wedding Advice) in an attempt to enlighten and prepare the happy couple. I read some of the comments that were left (some are very funny), and thought about what they need to guard against. It is something that is not easily noticed, the slow and almost imperceptible death of a relationship. Here's my humble experience on the sign posts and how to avoid them once you spot them.

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Posted by: Michele at 12:16 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 371 words, total size 2 kb.

There are times when the depth and intensity of my emotions impede my ability to think or write clearly, until I've come to terms with what I'm feeling. It's during those times, when searching for the words that escape me, they find birth in snipets of a poem that will come to mind. I need these poets words to restore my spirit's flight and order to my soul.

Since midnight these lines have circled on the fringes of my thoughts, and now they've come to fully restore my peace. They are as close to what I can remember Shakespeare's words to be:

Love is not love,
which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.


Congrats to Frank J. & Sarah K. on their engagement.

Posted by: Michele at 08:31 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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As I watched the moon across the sky
I thought "what a lucky girl am I"
to have been at the edge of an abyss
and narrowly escaped it's precipice
having stood there is all I want to note
continuing to escape it's grip is all I'll ever hope
I pray for God to bless and keep
the men and women who fight for peace

Posted by: Michele at 07:04 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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As I woke up from my dream
I dreamt that I'd become your Queen
heared my son then thrash around
I awoke without my crown

Those were the words that came to me at 4:30am this morning after being awakened by my son. Shortly thereafter he threw up. No time for poetry on my first day's reign.

Once everything was put away, I said good bye to dear Gawain.

Posted by: Michele at 08:47 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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IÂ’m a bit nervous this morning. At 10:30am my son has to take a 2 hour aptitude test to see if he is able to attend a top elementary school in NYC via a scholarship. My son wouldn't be able to attend this school otherwise.

At the same time I will be taking a test of my own: a psychological computerized profile followed by an evaluation by a psychiatrist. I'm sorry, donÂ’t mind my uncontrollable twitching as I explain. That only happens when IÂ’m nervous. ItÂ’ll go away soon enough. They want to make sure that parents are able to handle the pressure of the hours of homework involved with children in this school.

If my son scores high, as I hope he will, then this scholarship and his acceptance to go to this school will be contingent on a positive evaluation of my mental state. He already passed his psychological evaluation two weeks ago, with a notation that he has to work on his impulse control.

IÂ’m okay with whatever happens. If he doesn't go to this school I can always supplement the education he receives anywhere, as IÂ’m doing now. ItÂ’s just that I donÂ’t like open psych evaluations that are available to several schools simultaneously. I donÂ’t want a negative evaluation to get into my soon to be ex-husbandÂ’s hands, if you know what I mean. I just don't want to give him ammunition.

Sighhhh! Well, thank goodness that I know IÂ’m Okay. Y-you all think IÂ’m okay, I-I-I mean balanced... right?

What was that? What did you say? Are you talking to me? Are YOU talking to Me?

Posted by: Michele at 09:20 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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I began to plan for my sonÂ’s spring break in February. For a single parent, 8 days of togetherness with a 5 year old Sprout can either be quite boring or stressful, if no plans are in place. When planning for a vacation I usually start with a theme and work my way from there to include outings, activities, crafts and lesson plans that will incorporate as many aspects of the theme and will also support his curriculum at school.

The theme this vacation was to be Aerodynamics and Flying. I write “was” because my son began to get sick the day before spring break started. It’s a real bummer because I had obtained free tickets (by pulling some strings) to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum and the Liberty Science Center.

It was not a total loss. Even though he had a cold we were still able to make a variety of paper airplanes and watch some of the theme related videos I borrowed from the Library. For me, making and flying the paper airplanes has been my favorite part of the week so far. I used The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes which provides step by step instructions and visuals on how to make ten of the worlds best paper airplanes. Information is also included about distance, speed, and trajectory, among other things. This helped me teach him about the relationships between bodies at rest and those in motion I also taught him how to use some basic math to predict distance.

We then used that knowledge to also figure out the distance of the moon from earth, learned about the moon mission of the past and current NASA missions to other planets. It was perfect timing since last night we had a full moon and we were able to track easily itÂ’s movement with a hand held telescope. While he surveyed the sky he spotted the North Star, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (heÂ’s known how to find and identify them since he was 3 years old). ItÂ’s absolutely amazing how much of a little sponge he is. Can you tell IÂ’m really proud of him? Well, that was until he let me know that next year for spring break he wants to attend NASA's Space Camp for kids.

ItÂ’s been a great way for him to learn and for us to spend time together in a closed environment. If you have kids I recommend you consider this book for bad weather days, when theyÂ’re sick but especially if you get stuck on vacation with bad weather. Klutz books always provides endless hours of incredible fun while helping kids explore the world they live in. HereÂ’s hoping your spring break was phenomenal.

--------------------------- UPDATE --------------------------------------------------
Received a couple of emails from concerned individuals in my parent's group. No, my son is not being tortured with mathematical equations the size of Pluto, or Eistein's theories of relativity. We covered that 2 vacations ago. We're now discussing "Laws of Motion" and how String Theory and Quantum Mechanics combine to explain quantum gravity.

Getting back to the math computation of distance between planets...ever heard of scale models? We used colored balloons and colored tape to do a 3D model of our solar system and their planetary orbits. Observing the moon and other stars at night through our telescope has given my son a true concept of the magnificence of this world.

Posted by: Michele at 08:41 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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If I could dream a dream,
it would be a dream of love;
where soft caresses and sweet words
would be a blessing from above.

If I could dream a dream of love,
it would be of love eternal;
with a man who looking in my eyes
holds my heart and sees my soul.

If I could dream of such love,
it would be for life eternal;
where nothing in this frightful world
could tear this love from up above.
-- Anonymous

Posted by: Michele at 12:56 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 94 words, total size 1 kb.

Just like with any drug, once you start feeling the pain again you want another hit of pain meds to feel better again, so in search of comic relief I decided to do my usual digital walk about. I know who to visit on the web to get my funny on, and as usual they did not fail me. One who I happen to always visit is Eric of Straight White Guy I read this post and lost it. I have not been able to stop laughing the rest of the day. DonÂ’t bother reading the comments, just read the post and the linking article.

Who knows, lovemaking might not ever be the same for you too. I know I still have a smile on my face and have been giggling all day just from the visual in my head.

Anyway, in an effort to continue my therapy while IÂ’m not blogging due to tendonitis, IÂ’ll be leaving this post at the top and the comment space open, in the hopes that you may want to leave a clean joke or two for me and other visitors to enjoy. Thanks for visiting!
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Posted by: Michele at 08:30 AM | Comments (45) | Add Comment
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1 Laughter is often the BEST medicine. What a great friend you have. ; ) Regarding the carpal tunnel and typing, there are a number of voice recognition programs out there. I use Dragon for work and home. You can "train" the program to learn how you say words and it is most helpful for those of us who spend oodles of time on the computer... Take care.

Posted by: Christina at February 25, 2005 09:52 AM (zJsUT)

2 Michele - please take Christina up on her offer. I miss you SO much when you have to take these breaks. Meanwhile: A new law recently passed in Arkansas. When a couple is divorced, they can still legally be brother and sister.

Posted by: Harvey at February 25, 2005 01:13 PM (tJfh1)

3 When my bursitis got too bad to type, I taught myself to type with only my left hand. This is because I write a LOT of english papers, and the last time I tried to use voice recognition software, it didn't go very well. It was deleted from my hard drive with much malevolence. Eye could knot tern inn a paper that looked like this. This stupid program would take the LEAST used word and put it in. I threw it's CD out the window where it bounced off a pine tree and landed in the neighbor's pool. Hrm, a joke... Know what? I can't think of one, so just follow this link. http://www.jumpstation.ca/recroom/comedy/python/joke.html

Posted by: MikeTheLibrarian at February 25, 2005 07:13 PM (GZfL+)

4 Sorry to read the news, Michele. If I were you, I'd give Dragon, or Viavoice, a try. It's not good for everybody, but if it's to you that would be great. Get well soon, and take care of yourself, will you?

Posted by: Franco Aleman at February 26, 2005 04:03 PM (9zkHc)

5 Now for the cheery humor stuff: Q: How many cops does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: None. It turned itself in.

Posted by: Harvey at February 27, 2005 12:55 PM (ubhj8)

6 Just wait, it'll get worse ;-)

Posted by: Harvey at February 27, 2005 12:56 PM (ubhj8)

7 No, wait, Harvey... don't. Please. Eric is a riot. I think I kick over there a couple times a day just to see what comes out of that brain of his. Truly one of the best bloggers out there. And the stuff he finds... cracks me up. Hope you heal up. How is your workstation set up? I had tendonitis in my elbow a few years ago and had to reassess my workstation.

Posted by: Boudicca at February 27, 2005 10:19 PM (z7nbM)

8 Bou - Sorry, the torture MUST continue... Handy Worplace Phrases Some pretty 'useful' phrases you, too, can use at the workplace when truly pushed to the edge: 1. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view. 2. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter. 3. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist. 5. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental. 6. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't care. 7. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and foolish. 8. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!? 9. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant. 11. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you. 15. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me. 16. You sound reasonable...Time to up my medication. 17. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message... 20. It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really quite busy. 22. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers. 23. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public. NOTE: I didn't delete any, that's the way the list came. I have no idea what happened to 18 & 19

Posted by: Harvey at February 28, 2005 11:56 AM (tJfh1)

9 This woman is rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Her husband waits patiently in the waiting room. After a few minutes, the doctor comes out and asks her assistant for a wrench, which understandably concerns the husband. Then, after a couple more moments, the doctor re-enters the room this time asking for a screwdriver. The man grows worried and begins to pace in circles. Then, a little later, the doctor bursts through the doors screaming for a hammer, at that, the husband, in a state of frenzied terror, runs up to the surgeon and asks, ''Doctor, what the heck is wrong with my wife?'' "I don't know," replies the flustered doctor, "I can't get my damn bag open."

Posted by: Harvey at March 01, 2005 01:21 PM (tJfh1)

10 Woman: I have a problem. Doctor: Well, are you regular? Woman: Yes I am. Every day I do a number one at 7:30 in the morning and a number two at 8:30. Doctor: So, what's the problem? Woman: I don't get up untill 9:30.

Posted by: Harvey at March 02, 2005 11:28 AM (tJfh1)

11 Here's my contribution: 3 nuns were assigned to paint a room in a church. It was a really hot day and the nuns were getting really hot in those black clothes they wear so they took off all their clothes and went on painting naked. Later they heard a knock on the door.... "Who is it?????", The man who knocked replied, "I'm the blind man". So, the nuns decided to let him in since he would not be able to see them. The nuns let him into the room.... The man then looked around the room, then looked at them and said, "nice jugs sisters, where do you want the blinds??"

Posted by: Anonymous at March 02, 2005 01:46 PM (ht2RK)

12 A Dell employee got busted for pot in Manhattan recently. A lot of people are surprised, since conventional wisdom has it that marijuanna is a Gateway drug.

Posted by: Harvey at March 03, 2005 11:14 AM (tJfh1)

13 A woman walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer tells her that the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan, so the woman hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce that's parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls Royce into the bank's underground garage and parks it there. Two weeks later, the woman returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer approaches her and says: "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we're a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked out your accounts and found that you were a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000?" "Well, where else in Manhattan can I park my car for two weeks for fifteen bucks?"

Posted by: Harvey at March 04, 2005 10:44 AM (tJfh1)

14 These were stolen straght from "One Happy Dog Speaks" blog, but I am sure you will enjoy... TOP 5 SMART *SS ANSWERS FOR 2004... Smart *SS Answer #5: A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat she said, "Sir, I need to see your ticket not your stub." Smart *SS Answer #4: A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but she couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?" The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead." Smart *SS Answer #3: The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. "I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said. The kid replied, "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could." When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket. Smart *SS Answer #2: A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that reads, "Low Bridge Ahead." Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead of him and he gets stuck under the bridge. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says, "No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas." AND NOW FOR THE #1 SMART *SS ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2004 A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam. "Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury or illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!" Stolen straight from "One Happy Dog Speaks", but I am sure you will enjoy... A smart *SS guy in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, "What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?" The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student, shakes her head and sweetly says "Well, I guess you'd have to write the exam with your other hand."

Posted by: TNT at March 04, 2005 10:40 PM (ubhj8)

15 A young wife, her boorish husband and a young good looking sailor were shipwrecked on an island. One morning, the sailor climbed a tall coconut tree and yelled, "Stop making love down there!" "What's the matter with you?" the husband said when the sailor climbed down. '"We weren't making love." "Sorry," said the sailor, "From up there it looked like you were." Every morning thereafter, the sailor scaled the same tree and yelled the same thing. Finally the husband decided to climb the tree and see for himself. With great difficulty, he made his way to the top. The husband says to himself, "By golly he's right! It DOES look like they're making love down there!"

Posted by: Harvey at March 05, 2005 01:02 PM (ubhj8)

16 Sorry about the pain, Michele. Who'd've thought a little side-splitting, and losing a bit or your arse would compensate for the pain in your wrists? Will be watching for your comeback

Posted by: Rae at March 05, 2005 02:30 PM (vmsOM)

17 Two men are approaching each other on a sidewalk. Both are dragging their right foot as they walk. As they meet, one man looks at the other knowingly, points to his foot and says, Vietnam, 1969." The other points his thumb behind him and says, "Dog crap, 20 feet back."

Posted by: Harvey at March 06, 2005 12:20 PM (ubhj8)

18 Posted at my site today: A woman was walking along the beach when she stumbled upon a bottle. She picked it up and rubbed it, and 'low-and-behold' a genie appeared! The amazed woman asked if she got three wishes. The genie said, "Nope, sorry, three-wish genies are a storybook myth. I'm a one-wish genie. So, . . . what'll it be?" The woman did not hesitate. She said, "I want peace in the Middle East. See this map? I want these countries to stop fighting with each other and I want all the Arabs to love the Jews and Americans and vice-versa. It will bring about world peace and harmony." The genie looked at the map and exclaimed, "Lady, be reasonable. These countries have been at war for thousands of years. I'm out of shape after being in a bottle for five hundred years. I'm good but not THAT good! I don't think it can be done." The woman thought for a minute and said, "Well, I've never been able to find the right man. You know, one that's considerate and fun, likes to cook and help with the house cleaning, is great in bed, and gets along with my family, doesn't watch sports all the time, and is faithful. That's what I wish for . . . a good man." The genie let out a sigh and said, "Let me see the fricking map again." Feel better soon! We miss you!!!

Posted by: Tammi at March 06, 2005 10:33 PM (HaRi0)

19 Top 10 Funny Store Signs 1.Outside a muffler shop: "No appointment necessary, we hear you coming." 2.Outside a hotel: "Help! We need inn-experienced people." 3.On a desk in a reception room: "We shoot every 3rd salesman , and the 2nd one just left." 4.In a veterinarians waiting room: "Be back in 5 minutes, Sit ! Stay!" 5.At the electric company: "We would be de-lighted if you send in your bill. However, if you don't you will be." 6.On the door of a computer store: "Out for a quick byte." 7.In a restaurant window: "Don't stand there and be hungry, come on in and get fed up." 8.Inside a bowling alley: "Please be quiet, we need to hear a pin drop." 9.In the front yard of a funeral home: "Drive carefully, we'll wait." 10.In a counselors office: "Growing old is mandatory, growing wise is optional.

Posted by: Harvey at March 07, 2005 11:15 AM (tJfh1)

20 There was a woman who was interested in getting a boob job, so she went to her doctor, Dr. Smith and questioned him about implants. He explained that, before you do anything too serious, there is a method that has worked for a lot of my patients. Every morning when you wake up rub your boobs and say ''Scoobie doobie doobie, give me bigger boobies.'' She did this faithfully for weeks and noticed one day that they actually were getting bigger, she was very impressed. One morning she woke up, late for work and very rushed. By the time she got on the bus she realized that she forgot to go through her routine. So standing on the bus, while rubbing her boobs she says ''Scoobie doobie doobie, give me bigger boobies''. The man standing next to her says, ''You go to Dr. Smith?'' ''Yes,'' she said, ''how did you know?'' He replies ''Hickory dickory dock!''

Posted by: Harvey at March 08, 2005 10:36 AM (tJfh1)

21 Once upon a time, there was a river. The Nile River, to be exact. On one side of the river lived the rabbit, and on the other side lived the bear. One fine day, the bear was sitting on a stump, enjoying his breakfest of berries. Then he heard someone yelling at him. It was the rabbit. ''Hey! Hey, Teddy, get your butt over here. I've got something to show you!'' ''Not now! I'm eating.'' ''Oh come on!'' said the rabbit. ''It's really important.'' ''No way.'' ''Please. It can't wait!'' So the bear decided to go all the way over the wide river. It took him all day and all night to get over to the other side. He nearly drowned. And when he finally got there he was groaning and panting, and wheezing for air. ''Well, rabbit,'' he panted. ''What did you want to tell me?'' ''Hey, Teddy,'' the rabbit began, ''look how many berries are on the other side of the river.''

Posted by: Harvey at March 09, 2005 10:29 AM (tJfh1)

22 Reasons why Santa can't possibly be a man: - Men can't pack a bag. - Men would rather be dead than caught wearing red velvet. - Men would feel their masculinity is threatened...having to be seen with all those elves. - Men don't answer their mail. - Men would refuse to allow their physique to be described even in jest as anything remotely resembling a "bowlful of jelly." - Men aren't interested in stockings unless somebody's wearing them. - Having to do the "Ho Ho Ho" thing would seriously inhibit their ability to pick up women. - Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment.

Posted by: Harvey at March 10, 2005 10:39 AM (tJfh1)

23 Four expectant fathers were in a Minneapolis hospital waiting room, while their wives were in labor. The nurse arrived and announced to the first man, ''Congratulations sir, You're the father of twins.'' ''What a coincidence,'' the man said with some obvious pride. ''I work for the Minnesota Twins baseball team.'' The nurse returned in a little while and turned to the second man, ''You sir, are the father of triplets.'' ''Wow, That's really an incredible coincidence '' he answered. ''I work for the 3M Corporation. My buddies at work will never let me live this one down." An hour later, while the other two men were passing cigars around, the nurse came back, this time she turn to the thirrd man -- who had been quiet in the corner. She announced that his wife had just given birth to quadruplets. Stunned, he barely could reply. ''Don't tell me! Another coincidence?'' asked the nurse. After finally regaining his composure, he said ''I don't believe it, I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!'' After hearing this, everybody's attention turned to the fourth guy, who had just fainted, flat out on the floor. The nurse rushed to his side and after some time, he slowly regained consciousness. When he was finally able to speak, you could hear him whispering repeatedly the same phrase over and over again. ''I should have never taken that job at Millennium Computers... ''I should have never taken that job at Millennium Computers... ''I should have never taken that job at Millennium Computers...''

Posted by: Harvey at March 11, 2005 01:26 PM (tJfh1)

24 What do you get if you breed a pitbull terrier with Lassie? A dog that will chew your arm off but then run for help!

Posted by: Harvey at March 12, 2005 02:32 PM (ubhj8)

25 A cop pulled over a car for swerving all over the road. The blonde at the wheel looked very confused and scared. "What's going on here, ma'am?" "Well, I was driving along when all of a sudden there was a tree right in my path. I swerved to miss it, but there was another tree. And after that, another, and another." The cop looked inside her car and sighed. "Ma'am. That's your air freshener."

Posted by: Harvey at March 13, 2005 11:59 AM (ubhj8)

26 A man went to visit his doctor. "Doc, my arm hurts bad. Can you check it out please?" the man pleads. The doctor rolls up the man's sleeve and suddenly hears the arm talk. "Hello, Doctor't; says the arm. "Could you lend me twenty bucks please? I'm desperate!" "Aha!'' says the doctor. ''I see the problem. Your arm is broke!"

Posted by: Harvey at March 14, 2005 10:41 AM (tJfh1)

27 Q: What do you call an empty jar of Cheeze Whiz? A: Cheeze Whuz.

Posted by: Harvey at March 15, 2005 10:35 AM (tJfh1)

28 Hey Michele, Please email me about the Dragon program. Thanks,

Posted by: Christina at March 15, 2005 04:28 PM (zJsUT)

29 I posted some stuff for you at my site.

Posted by: _Jon at March 15, 2005 09:50 PM (RZ4Hy)

30 Bob and Phil were taking a flight across the Atlantic from New York to London. About halfway across the Atlantic, the captain came on the intercom and made an announcement, interupting the movie. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I regret to have to tell you that we've had some problems with our number 2 engine, so we had to shut it down. Don't worry, we can still make the flight on our remaining three engines, but we will be a half hour late arriving in England." Bob and Phil went back to watching the movie. A short time later, the captain again came back on the intercom. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm sorry to tell you this, but we've had to shut down another engine. The plane can still fly with just two engines, but now we'll be an hour late to England." Bob and Phil listened to the captain, and then continued to watch the movie. A few minutes later, the captain came back on the intercom again. "Folks, I'm really sorry to have to say this, but we've had to shut down another engine. This plane will fly just fine on the remaining one, but unfortunately, we will now be two hours late getting into England." When the captain was done talking, Bob turned to Phil and said, "You know what? If he shuts down that last engine, we're going to be stuck up here all day."

Posted by: GEBIV at March 15, 2005 10:01 PM (S0N3t)

31 One night a blonde nun was praying in her room when God appeared before her. "My daughter, you have pleased me greatly. Your heart is full of love for your fellow creatures and your actions and prayers are always for the benefit of others. I have come to you, not only to thank and commend you, but to grant you anything you wish," said God. "Dear Heavenly Father, I am perfectly happy. I am a bride of Christ. I am doing what I love. I lack for nothing material since the Church supports me. I am content in all ways," said the nun. "There must be something you would have of me," said God. "Well, there is one thing," she said. "Just name it," said God. "It's those blonde jokes. They are so demeaning to blondes everywhere, not just to me. I would like for blond jokes to stop." "Consider it done," said God. "Blonde jokes shall be stricken from the minds of humans everywhere. But surely there is something that I could do just for you." "There is one thing. But it's really small, and not worth your time," said the nun. "Name it. Please," said God. "It's the M&M's," said the nun. "They're so hard to peel."

Posted by: GEBIV at March 15, 2005 10:02 PM (S0N3t)

32 Two men were lost in the Sahara Desert. They had gone for days without water, and were just about to give up and die when they saw a strange thing on the horizon. At first, they thought it was just a mirage. But as they got closer, they saw it was a small market set in the middle of the desert. They staggered up to the first tent. “Water, please.” They begged. The proprietor said he was sorry, but all he served was a dessert dish with fruit, cake and pudding. The two men left his tent and stumbled to the next one. Again, when they asked for water, they were told that all that was available was a dessert dish with fruit, cake and pudding. This held true for every tent they went to. Finally, after searching the whole place and not finding any water, they walked off, once again, into the desert in search of water. As they left, the first man turned and said to his companion, “That was pretty odd. All they had was that fruit, cake and pudding dish.” To which the second man said, “Yes, it was a Triffle Bazaar.”

Posted by: GEBIV at March 15, 2005 10:02 PM (S0N3t)

33 Here's my favorite joke. It took me a little while to find it... This bloke is working on the buses and collecting tickets. He rings the bell for the driver to set off when there's a woman half getting on the bus. The driver sets off, the woman falls from the bus and is killed. At the trial the bloke is sent down for murder and seeing as it's Texas he's sent to the electric chair. On the day of his execution he's sat in the chair and the executioner grants him a final wish. "Well" says the man, "is that your packed lunch over there?" "Yes" answers the executioner. "Can I have that green banana?" the man asks. The executioner gives the man his green banana and waits until he's eaten it. When the man's finished, the executioner flips the switch sending hundreds of thousands of volts through the man. When the smoke clears the man is still alive. The executioner can't believe it. "Can I go?" the man asks. "I suppose so" says the executioner, "that's never happened before." The man leaves and eventually gets his job back on the buses selling tickets. Again he rings the bell for the driver to go when people are still getting on. A man falls under the wheels and is killed. The bloke is sent down for murder again and sent to the electric chair. The executioner is determined to do it right this time so rigs the chair up to the electric supply for the whole of Texas. The bloke is again sat in the chair. "What is your final wish?" asks the executioner. "Can I have that green banana in your packed lunch?" says the condemned man. The executioner sighs and reluctantly gives up his banana. The bloke eats the banana all up and the executioner flips the switch. Millions of volts course through the chair blacking out Texas. When the smoke clears the man is still there smiling in the chair. The executioner can't believe it and lets the man go. Well, would you believe, the bloke gets his job back on the buses. Once again he rings the bell whilst passengers are still getting on, this time killing three of them. He is sent to the electric chair again. The executioner rigs up all the electricity in America to the chair, determined to get his man this time. The man sits down in the chair smiling. "What's your final wish?" asks the executioner. "Well" says the man, "Can I have that green banana out of your packed lunch?" The executioner hands over his banana and the man eats it all, skin included. The executioner then pulls the handle and a zillion million trillion volts go through the chair. When the smoke rises the man is still sat there alive without even a burn mark. "I give up" says the executioner, "I don't understand. How you can still be alive after all that?" He stroked his chin. "It's something to do with that green banana isn't it?" he asked. "Nahh" said the bloke,"...I'm just a really bad conductor."

Posted by: GEBIV at March 15, 2005 10:09 PM (S0N3t)

34 Get well soon.

Posted by: GEBIV at March 15, 2005 10:09 PM (S0N3t)

35 GEBIV - Those jokes of yours are just going to make her sick all over again :-) Anyway... There was a chicken and a horse playing together on a farm one day. The horse fell into a mudpit and yelled to the chicken to run to the house and get the farmer. The chicken ran to the house and the farmer was nowhere to be found. So, it got into the farmer's BMW and pulled the horse out with it. The next day the chicken and the horse were playing on the farm again. This time the chicken fell into the mud pit and yelled to the horse to get help. So, the horse stood over the mud pit and told the chicken to grab on to his p3n1s and he'd pull him out. The chicken grabbed on and, indeed, the horse pulled him out. The moral of the story: If you're hung like a horse, you don't need a BMW to pick up chicks.

Posted by: Harvey at March 16, 2005 11:50 AM (tJfh1)

36 10. Sometimes stays in bed till after 6 am. 9. In his sock drawer, you find pictures of women without bonnets. 8. Shows up at barn raisings in full "Kiss" makeup. 7. When you criticize him, he yells, "Thou sucketh!" 6. His name is Jebediah, but he goes by "Jeb Daddy." 5. Defiantly says, "If I had a radio, I'd listen to disco!." 4. You come upon his secret stash of colorful socks. 3. Uses slang expression: "Talk to the hand, cause the beard ain't listening." 2. Was recently pulled over for "driving under the influence of cottage cheese." 1. He's wearing his big black hat backwards.

Posted by: Harvey at March 17, 2005 09:56 AM (tJfh1)

37 OOPS! The title of the above list is "How to tell your Amish teen is troubled" :-/ By the way, I'm gonna keep posting these awful jokes as long as this post is on top :-) A guy walked into a bar one day and said to the barman, "Give me six double vodkas." The barman says, "Wow! you must have had one hell of a day." "Yes, I've just found out my older brother is gay." The next day, the same guy came into the bar and asked for the same drinks. When the bartender asked what the problem was today the answer came back, "I've just found out that my younger brother is gay too!" On the third day, the guy came into the bar and ordered another six double vodkas. The bartender said, "Jesus! Doesn't anybody in your family like women?" The man downed the first drink and shook his head, "Yeah, my wife!"

Posted by: Harvey at March 18, 2005 10:51 AM (tJfh1)

38 How to Tell When You Have PMS 1) Everyone around you has an attitude problem. 2) You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet. 3) The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans. 4) Your man is suddenly agreeing to everything you say. 5) You're using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that says, "How's my driving- call 1-800-E**-S***." 6) Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice. 7) You're convinced there's a God and he's male. You're counting down the days until menopause. 9) You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy. 10) The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.

Posted by: Harvey at March 19, 2005 10:03 AM (ubhj8)

39 Classic Baseball Quotes "It was too bad I wasn't a second baseman; then I'd probably have seen a lot more of my husband." --Karolyn Rose, ex-wife of Pete Rose, 1981 "It's a weird scene. You win a few baseball games and all of a sudden, you're surrounded by reporters and TV men with cameras asking you about Vietnam and race relations." --Vida Blue, 1971 "I watch a lot of baseball on the radio." --Gerald Ford, 1978 "It's a beautiful day for a night game." --Announcer Frankie Frisch "The most important things in life are good friends and a strong bull pen." --Pitcher Bob Lemon, 1981 "Well, that kind of puts a damper on another Yankees win." --Announcer Phil Rizzuto, after a news bulletin reporting the death of Pope Paul VI, 1978 "They brought me up with the Brooklyn Dodgers, which at time was in Brooklyn." --Casey Stengel, 1962 "I won't play for a penny less than $1500." --Honus Wagner, turning down an offer of $2000

Posted by: Harvey at March 20, 2005 12:38 PM (ubhj8)

40 During the Super Bowl, there was another football game of note between the big animals and the small animals. The big animals were crushing small animals and at half-time, the coach made a passionate speech to rally the little animals. At the start of the second half the big animals had the ball. The first play, the elephant got stopped for no gain. The second play, the rhino was stopped for no gain. On third down, the hippo was thrown for a 5 yard loss. The defense huddled around the coach and he asked excitedly, "Who stopped the elephant?" "I did," said the centipede. "Who stopped the rhino?" "Uh, that was me too," said the centipede. "And how about the hippo? Who hit him for a 5 yard loss?" "Well, that was me as well," said the centipede. "So where were you during the first half?" demanded the coach. "Well," said the centipede, "I was having my ankles taped."

Posted by: Harvey at March 21, 2005 10:58 AM (tJfh1)

41 Harry Potter Sequels Harry Potter and the Throbbing Muscle of Love Harry Potter and the Revenge of Montezuma Harry Potter and the Sorcerer from NAMBLA Harry Potter and the Painful Rectal Itch Harry Potter and the Decline of Literacy Harry Potter and the Sticky March Issue of Hustler Harry Potter and the Sorceress's Sore Harriet Potter after the Life-Altering Surgery Harry Potter and the Curse of the Lisp Harry Potter and the Inflatable Sheep Harry Potter and Spinning Grave of Tolkien Harry Potter and the Trenchcoat Mafia Harry Potter and the Carnivorous Pony Harry Potter and the Over-Hyped Children's Author and Clever Marketing Campaign Harry Potter and the Unexplainable Wad of Tissues

Posted by: Harvey at March 22, 2005 10:16 AM (tJfh1)

42 A very rich man met a beautiful lady and he decided he wanted to marry her right away. She said, ''But we don't know anything about each other.'' He said,''That's all right, we'll learn about each other as we go along.'' So she consented, and they were married, and went on a honeymoon to a very nice resort. So one morning they were lying by the pool, when he got up off of his towel, climbed up to the 10-meter board and did a two and a half tuck gainer, this followed by a three rotations in jackknife position, where he straightened out and cut the water like a knife. After a few more demonstrations, he came back and lay down on the towel. ''That was incredible!'' she said. ''I used to be an Olympic diving champion. You see, I told you we'd learn more about ourselves as we went along.'' So she got up, jumped in the pool, and started doing laps. After about thirty laps she climbed back out and lay down on her towel hardly out of breath. ''That was incredible!" he said. "Were you an Olympic endurance swimmer?'' ''No,'' she said, ''I was a hooker in Venice and I worked both sides of the canal.''

Posted by: Harvey at March 23, 2005 10:10 AM (tJfh1)

43 A woman walks in a bar and asks the bartender if he has any peanuts. He says no. She comes back the next day with the same question and gets the same answer. She then comes back another day and asks him again. He says ''No, and if you come back I'll nail your freakin' hands to the table!'' So she comes back and asks him, ''Do you have any nails?'' He says no. ''Well then, do you have any peanuts?''

Posted by: Harvey at March 24, 2005 10:26 AM (tJfh1)

44 As he is quietly watching television at home, a man hears a sound on the roof of his house and rushes out to investigate. Seeing it is a fair-sized gorilla tearing the shingles off his home, he promptly calls up the local zoo autorities to inform them one of their animals had escaped. He is reassured that a gorilla recovering unit is on the way and to remain calm. A few minutes later, an old beat up truck, displaying the Gorilla recovery unit logo on its panels, pulls up to the house. The elderly driver takes from the back of the truck a chihuahua dog, a pair of handcuffs, a ladder, a baseball bat and a 12 gauge shotgun. Puzzled on how this lone elderly was to solve the problem of this gorilla who had by now torn half the roof apart, the chap ask him how he will go about doing this. As he hands him over the .12 gauge shotgun, the zoo employee explains the plan: 'First I'll climb up there with the ladder, then I approach the gorilla and knock him off the roof using the baseball bat; As soon as the gorilla hits the ground, the specially trained chihuahua dog will attack its private parts. When I get back on the ground, the gorilla will have lowered its hands to its groin area to protect itself thus making it easy for me to slip on the handcuffs. Then, I lead him to the truck, lock him up and take him back to the zoo...' Amazed at the procedure, the somewhat startled house owner asks why he was handed the .12 gauge shotgun? 'Well... ' explains the experienced gorilla retriever, 'It's just a precaution should things not go exactly as planned. In the unlikely event that once on the roof the gorilla knocks me off with the baseball bat, shoot the dog.'

Posted by: Harvey at March 25, 2005 11:47 AM (tJfh1)

45 YAY! You're better now! :-)

Posted by: Harvey at March 26, 2005 02:14 AM (ubhj8)

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Yesterday was the first good day IÂ’ve experienced in more than 6 years. For the first time I thought about Mike, Larry and the others in a way that celebrated and honored their lives during my morning walk.

Afterwards, while in Chinatown buying some Chinese herbs I ran into the Master, whoÂ’s Karate school I trained in for a year. After learning of my condition he insisted I go see his practitioner. In fact he insisted on taking me to him right then and their. Because heÂ’s a man whom I greatly respect I complied willingly. For 3 hours my arms underwent an herbal wrap, localized Chinese style acupuncture w/Moxa (incense) treatment followed by the slathering of some interestingly scented oils on my arms, and a very deep tissue massage that included acupressure in the most painful areas. Afterwards all my pain was gone. GONE! For the last 24 hours I have not used any form of pain relief whatsoever.

Afterwards, I floated down to the river and sat facing the sun for almost an hour. During that time I meditated, while in a state of gratitude, about everything and everyone in my life. I also made it a point to say prayers for the wonderful members of my blog family.

The rest of day was spent in appreciation of the world around me and connecting to it in a spiritual way. By the end of the evening, the sense of inner peace I was experiencing was incredible. To my blessing, it has carried over through to today. So while in this state, I will continue thinking and saying prayers of gratitude for all of you.

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I lay awake last night in my darkened bedroom staring at the stars I glued to my ceiling some time ago. I really miss laying on the soft grass of my front lawn, surrounded by the smells of a dewy earth. I remembered many a nights staring up into the heavens searching for a number of planets and stars and feeling a sort of cosmic connection to the universe once I found them.

They were my anchor during times when I felt adrift in places and times I now wish I could forget. It was at those times that I thought of Copernicus turning to the heavens for answers in solitary introspective moments during times of great personal challenge.

Last night, as I tried not to stare directly into a star's light, I discovered it was already being reflected back to me through a most unlikely mirror. As I lay there, lost in thought, I saw that my celestial oracle had revealed more about myself than I anticipated seeing.

As the stillness of the night turned to daylight, I finally realized that in spite of all my losses, I don't regret the path my life has taken, because it has brought me to where I am today: a place where I can finally heal myself, and allow others to help heal me.

Thank you for being here and commenting, and for your friendship and support. The greatest lesson last evening was learning I could never grow or heal in an isolated vacuum.

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As someone who was educated in an Irish Convent for a number of years, I can hardly let today go bye without wishing all a spiritual and reflective St. Patty's Day! Below is one of the first poems I memorized thanks to those wonderful nuns.

When You Are Old and Grey

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

~ William Butler Yeats

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First, thank you ever so much for the videotape. YOU ARE TRULY THE BESTEST! The exercises are definitely helping and I am slowly feeling better. Your jokes and those of my blog family help enormously. Some of them were uproariously funny. Thanks!

Regarding your SOX project, if you're referring to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements, then you truly are screwed! At my firm we have close to 100,000 employees and I was managing a very, very small portion or a roll-out [that was gearing up to go global] out of a huge development team project. The end result, my hands are what they are now because of it. My condolences, sympathies and prayers are with you. I'm still not back at work and spend part of my days in either physical therapy or acupuncture.

What I have been doing with the other 6 hours of my day is planning my exit strategy. I love myself and my life too much to work in an environment where my soul, creativity and life blood is being sucked out of me on a daily basis. Since I've been out of work I've handwritten 3 story treatments for novels and 1 outline and chapter breakdown, along with research needs for a non-fiction book. I've been researching and looking around for possible agents I can approach and lots of other things along those lines. You see, writing is my first and most passionate calling. Teaching comes second. What I'm doing now is between fourth or fifth on that list.

It is what pays the bills and affords me to live comfortably. It pays my mortgage and helps me plan my future and achieve other goals. But during these past 8 weeks I've come to the realization that I can try to do what I love and live like a poor happy person OR I can continue the work I'm doing, get paid well without being able to enjoy it and be continuously miserable. I've made my decision. I was happiest when I was teaching as an adjunct at the University for peanuts. However, in my free time I was able to be creative and to publish a few of my stories
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1 Thank You. I was hoping they would help. I hope they help a lot. :hug:

Posted by: _Jon at March 16, 2005 11:14 PM (1YCbi)

2 I've been mulling the "Oscar the Grouch" comment. 1. I'm moody. I know it. I try to "warn" people about it. Sometimes I'm happy. Often my brain gets overloaded with worry because I keep so many thing in it. 2. I'm deeply disappointed in so many people I've tried to help. My "safeguard" has become to try to distance from people by being grumpy. It's safer to not be disappointed if you don't know. I can't pretend to not care. If I know someone, then I care. So being grumpy is a self-defense mechanism I've developed. And I'm not offended that you noticed. One thing I've realized is that good people see right through my act. Most abusers think I'm a jerk and steer clear. - and that's what I want.

Posted by: _Jon at March 17, 2005 12:10 AM (1YCbi)

3 _Jon as Oscar the Grouch... Yeah, I can see it :-) Definitely. And I'm glad you popped up again, Michele. Can't wait until you're back for good.

Posted by: Harvey at March 17, 2005 09:55 AM (tJfh1)

4 Funny Michele - I'm planning my exit strategy too. Going back to Northern Indiana to take care of my mother, but can't post that yet. Don't have a job, but will temp and pray that something I enjoy comes up. Doesn't seem too responsible I know, but I need to take care of Mama and I know God will take care of all those silly little details. Good luck dear. I'm proud of you.

Posted by: Tammi at March 17, 2005 07:18 PM (HaRi0)

5 Heh - SOX... thank goodness they threw the book at Bernie Ebbers - since he's been one of the biggest reasons we're stuck with that crap piece of legislation - it's the very least the jury could've done for us. *grin* Anyhow, Michele, I hope you are able to figure out a way to make your dreams real and I wish you the greatest success with your writing! Oh, and the fact that Johnny_Oh lives... is proof positive that _Jon's bark is way worse than his bite. *grin*

Posted by: Teresa at March 17, 2005 10:52 PM (nAfYo)

6 Not only do I Live, I'm right cocky about it! Seriously though: If you're going to relocate to assist you in getting closer to your dream, take someone you Love with you. It's no fun seeing new sights if you have noone to share them with. IF you're anything like me, you'll wind up back "Home" within a years time. Flat-broke, and tryiing to start over from square one. All my good thoughts go with you, whatever you decide. Welcome back.

Posted by: Johnny - Oh at March 17, 2005 11:52 PM (6XYy1)

7 Hee, Hee, _Jon as Oscar the Grouch - perfect. And, he was one of my favorites on Sesame Street, along with Grover.

Posted by: TNT at March 18, 2005 12:17 PM (ubhj8)

8 Heya, blogSis... sorry for being so delinquent in posting here - I've been reading and enjoying, and not taking the time to comment, and that is WRONG. As for your exit strategy from NYC and mention of NC or VA as possible destinations, I can assure you that they would be good choices for higher learning teaching opportunities in the arts, and yes, TONS of greenery. One caveat: If you choose VA, choose central-to-north of the VA/NC border, and if you choose NC, choose central-to-south of same border. Both states are doing relatively well economically overall, but there is an incredible "dead zone" just north and south of the state border. Outrageous unemployment numbers, skyrocketing homelessness and structural decay, etc. Is a consequence of that area having relied for many years on textile industry, and that textiles have largely moved overseas to places like China et. al. Huge textile mills down in the depressed areas are laying off left and right, and shutting down. The central areas of both states are hugely dependant on higher education for their economies, and doing just fine. The city I live in (Lynchburg, VA) boasts about five colleges (two of them world-renowned women's private colleges). Charlottsville is much the same with UVA. Central NC has something known as the "Triad Area" which is almost an East Coast version of Silicon Valley in terms of high tech research and development. Just some food for thought...

Posted by: Jeff (Au fait) at March 21, 2005 04:35 AM (bg+Ml)

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Today my thoughts are with those who perished, those who survived the Madrid bombing and their loved ones who are trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. May they all find peace.

A dear friend and blogger, Barcepundit, has listed the names of the deceased to help put a face and remind us of the human cost of this war on terror.

Os tengo a todos en mi corazon y mis pensamientos.

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Via Barcepundit comes this:

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS reports that one of the suspects of the March 11 terror attacks in Madrid was found to have a detailed skecth of Grand Central station in New York:

You can read the post in the extended entry or visit the link above. Michele misses you all!

~ Melissa

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