A Piece of My Ancestry Confirmed
One of my aunts (on my mother's side) recently took a trip to the Smokey Mountains and visited Cherokee, North Carolina. She did some research and found out what my family has long suspected: We are indeed part Cherokee... Western Cherokee to be specific. My aunt found the names of both Indian women in our family. I think she must have been looking at census records. Very cool!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Sammy Terry
horseman either. Kids were all over the place. It was like Chuck E Cheese in the woods.
Somewhere around 20 years ago I met Sammy Terry when he came to the Rushville movie theatre. He introduced a cheesy vampire movie, and after it was over, he signed autographs. I still have the poster that he signed. My mom said she also watched him when she was a kid, so he must be getting up there in age. This time I got a picture, although it was with my cell phone. His trademark laugh is still cool.
 | I met local TV legend Sammy Terry for the second time in my life tonight. At Conner Prairie (a living history museum) they have a Halloween event each year called The Headless Horseman. Sammy was there telling scary stories. There were so many people (mostly kids) that you could barely hear him. There was no way we were getting on the hayride to see the headless |
Somewhere around 20 years ago I met Sammy Terry when he came to the Rushville movie theatre. He introduced a cheesy vampire movie, and after it was over, he signed autographs. I still have the poster that he signed. My mom said she also watched him when she was a kid, so he must be getting up there in age. This time I got a picture, although it was with my cell phone. His trademark laugh is still cool.
Monday, October 17, 2005
The Greatest Inventions In My Lifetime
Ok, they may not be the greatest, but they have certainly improved my life...
1. Pay at the pump gasoline. No more waiting behind some guy with a mullet buying cigarettes and lottery tickets. In fact, you don't even have to go in! Pay at the pump has added hours to my life.
2. Remote control television. I remember sitting directly in front of the television and turning the knob between our five stations... that was channel hopping. I don't watch much television, but when I do, it's really nice to flip channels or activate the Xbox or DVD player from the couch.
3. The microwave. Ah... who could ever forget boiling water on the stove, reheating leftovers in the oven, and making popcorn in those little foil skillets? Those were the good old days. Actually, I hate microwave popcorn, but I have to admit that the microwave does make cooking easier.
4. The Internet (and wireless access). Not only does my career revolve around it, but it's a big part of my personal life. I stay in touch with friends through the Internet, and I can keep James informed on the baby's activities throughout the day. Wireless lets me work right where the baby is playing.
5. Debit cards. I remember my parents writing checks for EVERYTHING. Now, when someone is writing a check at the grocery store, you can see everyone behind them rolling their eyes and sighing. The debit card is so much faster!
6. Cell phones. Of course, I cannot leave this one off the list. My dad came to pick me up from the airport once at about 1:00 AM in the dead of winter. The car decided to break down on the way home. We were stuck on the side of a deserted highway in the snow. A cell phone would have been real handy right about then. Luckily, a tow truck eventually passed by and stopped to see if we needed help. Another time, I had a tire blow out on I-69. I had to walk at least a mile in the dark, which included hobbling down a steep downgrade by an on-ramp, to get to a pay phone. I was alone, and I had two different creepy people stop to see if I needed help. Again, a cell phone would have been nice. Never leave home without it!
Ok, they may not be the greatest, but they have certainly improved my life...
1. Pay at the pump gasoline. No more waiting behind some guy with a mullet buying cigarettes and lottery tickets. In fact, you don't even have to go in! Pay at the pump has added hours to my life.
2. Remote control television. I remember sitting directly in front of the television and turning the knob between our five stations... that was channel hopping. I don't watch much television, but when I do, it's really nice to flip channels or activate the Xbox or DVD player from the couch.
3. The microwave. Ah... who could ever forget boiling water on the stove, reheating leftovers in the oven, and making popcorn in those little foil skillets? Those were the good old days. Actually, I hate microwave popcorn, but I have to admit that the microwave does make cooking easier.
4. The Internet (and wireless access). Not only does my career revolve around it, but it's a big part of my personal life. I stay in touch with friends through the Internet, and I can keep James informed on the baby's activities throughout the day. Wireless lets me work right where the baby is playing.
5. Debit cards. I remember my parents writing checks for EVERYTHING. Now, when someone is writing a check at the grocery store, you can see everyone behind them rolling their eyes and sighing. The debit card is so much faster!
6. Cell phones. Of course, I cannot leave this one off the list. My dad came to pick me up from the airport once at about 1:00 AM in the dead of winter. The car decided to break down on the way home. We were stuck on the side of a deserted highway in the snow. A cell phone would have been real handy right about then. Luckily, a tow truck eventually passed by and stopped to see if we needed help. Another time, I had a tire blow out on I-69. I had to walk at least a mile in the dark, which included hobbling down a steep downgrade by an on-ramp, to get to a pay phone. I was alone, and I had two different creepy people stop to see if I needed help. Again, a cell phone would have been nice. Never leave home without it!
Superbugs and Trash
We live in a disposable society. Everything is thrown away, only to end up rotting ever so slowly in a landfill somewhere. I've often wondered where those landfills are and how close people are allowed to live. Surely the smell is overwhelming. I've never seen a landfill in person. I have no idea where my trash goes once it's picked up by the trash truck. Given the amount of trash generated by Americans, one would think the landfills would be reaching our own backyards at this point.
I have seen several products lately that make me wonder "Why?" because they are just adding to the problem. One of them is a plastic crock pot liner. You cook your food in a plastic bag lining the crock pot, and when you're done, you throw the liner away. What a waste! It's not that hard to wash the crock pot when you're done. Plus, just think of all the plastic chemicals that could be seeping into your food while it simmers all day long. Bon Appetit!
Another wasteful product is the toilet wand that has a throw away scrubber. After you scrub the toilet, you release the scrubber and flush it down the toilet. Yet another piece of unnecessary garbage. The basis for this wonder product is germs. The advertisers try to scare us into buying products like this with the threat of germs, but little do people realize that there are probably fewer germs on the toilet brush than on their tooth brush. This brings me to my next topic.
Not only are we creating mountains of trash every day, we are also creating superbugs. Every cleaning product is anti-bacterial now. You can't even find liquid hand soap that is NOT anti-bacterial. We are killing the good bacteria while trying so hard to get rid of the bad bacteria. The result is that the bacteria are evolving into superbugs: bugs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. This problem, like the disposable products, can be traced back to companies trying to make a profit. "You must get rid of those bacteria, now here is the product to do so!" There is one commercial in particular where a woman is washing down her kitchen with a raw chicken breast. "If you're not using x product, you might as well be doing this", the commercial says. I never had salmonella growing up, and my mom didn't have these products. Good old soap and water works just fine. I try not to be sucked in to these gimmicks, but some of them do make life easier. Now excuse me while I go Swiffer the floor.
We live in a disposable society. Everything is thrown away, only to end up rotting ever so slowly in a landfill somewhere. I've often wondered where those landfills are and how close people are allowed to live. Surely the smell is overwhelming. I've never seen a landfill in person. I have no idea where my trash goes once it's picked up by the trash truck. Given the amount of trash generated by Americans, one would think the landfills would be reaching our own backyards at this point.
I have seen several products lately that make me wonder "Why?" because they are just adding to the problem. One of them is a plastic crock pot liner. You cook your food in a plastic bag lining the crock pot, and when you're done, you throw the liner away. What a waste! It's not that hard to wash the crock pot when you're done. Plus, just think of all the plastic chemicals that could be seeping into your food while it simmers all day long. Bon Appetit!
Another wasteful product is the toilet wand that has a throw away scrubber. After you scrub the toilet, you release the scrubber and flush it down the toilet. Yet another piece of unnecessary garbage. The basis for this wonder product is germs. The advertisers try to scare us into buying products like this with the threat of germs, but little do people realize that there are probably fewer germs on the toilet brush than on their tooth brush. This brings me to my next topic.
Not only are we creating mountains of trash every day, we are also creating superbugs. Every cleaning product is anti-bacterial now. You can't even find liquid hand soap that is NOT anti-bacterial. We are killing the good bacteria while trying so hard to get rid of the bad bacteria. The result is that the bacteria are evolving into superbugs: bugs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. This problem, like the disposable products, can be traced back to companies trying to make a profit. "You must get rid of those bacteria, now here is the product to do so!" There is one commercial in particular where a woman is washing down her kitchen with a raw chicken breast. "If you're not using x product, you might as well be doing this", the commercial says. I never had salmonella growing up, and my mom didn't have these products. Good old soap and water works just fine. I try not to be sucked in to these gimmicks, but some of them do make life easier. Now excuse me while I go Swiffer the floor.
Monday, October 03, 2005
You Say It's Your Birthday
I'm 32 today. I'd like to stay at this age and not grow any older. It's been an exciting year with the new addition to our family, Tess Elizabeth. She is 8 months old, and we can't imagine life without her now. Where does the time go?
The arrival of my birthday also means we're in my favorite season. It's getting darker earlier, and the air is taking on that cool, crisp quality that can only mean one thing... it's autumn! Time for pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, and Halloween. I'm going to be a witch this year, and so is Tess. We found the cutest little costume for her. I was excited to find a "scary" costume for a baby. Most of them are cutesy animals. Who wants to be a cow or a lion for Halloween? Not my baby!
Happy October!
I'm 32 today. I'd like to stay at this age and not grow any older. It's been an exciting year with the new addition to our family, Tess Elizabeth. She is 8 months old, and we can't imagine life without her now. Where does the time go?
The arrival of my birthday also means we're in my favorite season. It's getting darker earlier, and the air is taking on that cool, crisp quality that can only mean one thing... it's autumn! Time for pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, and Halloween. I'm going to be a witch this year, and so is Tess. We found the cutest little costume for her. I was excited to find a "scary" costume for a baby. Most of them are cutesy animals. Who wants to be a cow or a lion for Halloween? Not my baby!
Happy October!
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