According to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count: in January, 2006, there were at least 89, and possibly as many as 142 U.S. Military troops reported as wounded in Iraq, and 62 U.S. military fatalities.
I just wonder why only Bob Woodruff's injuries are worthy of a front page headline and a statement of sympathy from the White House.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
Gainful Employment...
James has a job!! He starts work today at the GameStop here in town. Yep...my boy is growing up.
I can't wait until he gets his first paycheck and sees what's left for him after all the deductions!
I can't wait until he gets his first paycheck and sees what's left for him after all the deductions!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Look THAT up in your Funk & Wagnalls!
knuck·le·head
n. Informal A stupid person; a blockhead.
- n : these words are used to express a low opinion of someone's intelligence [syn: dunce, dunderhead, numskull, blockhead, bonehead, lunkhead, hammerhead, loggerhead, muttonhead]
Monday, January 16, 2006
Come Gather 'Round, People...
I've been lamenting to my kids that they are just not going to have the golden oldies when they are grown up like I do. It cracks them up that we can be playing name that tune on 70s on 7 on the XM radio, and even if I don't know the song...I can usually name the artist.
That's because "back in the day," there was an actual emphasis on voice...and on talent...not on the Look, or the Dance Move, or the Lack of Clothing.
What's funny is to look at the playlists on Amanda's or James' DJ. They have as many old songs as they do new ones. I like taking some credit for that, but the reality is...it's just good music.
Bob Dylan. Janis Joplin. The Eagles. Neil Diamond. Elvis. The Beatles. Chicago. Don McLean. The Temptations. Johnny Cash. John Denver. Dolly Parton. Jimmy Buffett. I can identify the artist, because I can hear his or her (or their, in the case of a group) actual voice, and the voice is most always distinctive enough to stand out from others. The song has a lyric that actually makes sense and means something. Not a lot of synthesizer, no god-awful drum beat that drowns out everything. Instead - a unique style, and a vocal and instrumental sound that, even if you've never heard the particular SONG, still lets you determine the particular ARTIST.
There's good music out there today, don't get me wrong, and I enjoy listening to some of it with the kids. Rob Thomas. Green Day. That "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" song. I love that song, even though it makes me sad - "my shadow is the only one who walks beside me" - how heart-breaking is that?!?
But twenty years later, I hear the first note sung by Karen Carpenter's gorgeous voice, and I know immediately who it is.
Twenty years from now...are my kids going to be able to tell their kids the difference between Brittney Spears or Jessica Simpson or Ashlee Simpson or Pink or Gwen Stefani with just a line from a song?
Nah...but they can't do it today, either. And it's no big loss.
That's because "back in the day," there was an actual emphasis on voice...and on talent...not on the Look, or the Dance Move, or the Lack of Clothing.
What's funny is to look at the playlists on Amanda's or James' DJ. They have as many old songs as they do new ones. I like taking some credit for that, but the reality is...it's just good music.
Bob Dylan. Janis Joplin. The Eagles. Neil Diamond. Elvis. The Beatles. Chicago. Don McLean. The Temptations. Johnny Cash. John Denver. Dolly Parton. Jimmy Buffett. I can identify the artist, because I can hear his or her (or their, in the case of a group) actual voice, and the voice is most always distinctive enough to stand out from others. The song has a lyric that actually makes sense and means something. Not a lot of synthesizer, no god-awful drum beat that drowns out everything. Instead - a unique style, and a vocal and instrumental sound that, even if you've never heard the particular SONG, still lets you determine the particular ARTIST.
There's good music out there today, don't get me wrong, and I enjoy listening to some of it with the kids. Rob Thomas. Green Day. That "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" song. I love that song, even though it makes me sad - "my shadow is the only one who walks beside me" - how heart-breaking is that?!?
But twenty years later, I hear the first note sung by Karen Carpenter's gorgeous voice, and I know immediately who it is.
Twenty years from now...are my kids going to be able to tell their kids the difference between Brittney Spears or Jessica Simpson or Ashlee Simpson or Pink or Gwen Stefani with just a line from a song?
Nah...but they can't do it today, either. And it's no big loss.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Thanks, Y'all
Saw this on westbound Interstate 20, just east of Meridian. The words to the right of "Thanks, Y'all" pretty much say what it is:"Mississippi: Proud. Strong. United."
Very cool state.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Back to Business
Well, things are getting back to the New Normal around here. I just got back from Tuscaloosa, where I dropped Amanda off for the spring semester. Just when we were getting used to having her around again...there she goes!
It was a good first visit home for her, I think. She got to meet back up with some old friends, and realized that many of them are growing away from the group, now that they're out in the college world. I guess that's kind of a sad realization for many of them - that the group they were sure were going to be "BFF"...really aren't.
But Amanda has a good head. I think she knows that her core friends will always be there, and the others...were really just friends by virtue of proximity: they shared classes and had commonalities that way, but weren't really the Friends of a Lifetime. I think she's hopefully making some of those friends now, because college is more about choosing friends because of shared interests and experiences rather than just who you grew up around.
And I think she enjoyed being with us, too! I know Randy and I had a great time with her.
GO BAMA!! ROLL TIDE!! (and take care of my baby girl...)
It was a good first visit home for her, I think. She got to meet back up with some old friends, and realized that many of them are growing away from the group, now that they're out in the college world. I guess that's kind of a sad realization for many of them - that the group they were sure were going to be "BFF"...really aren't.
But Amanda has a good head. I think she knows that her core friends will always be there, and the others...were really just friends by virtue of proximity: they shared classes and had commonalities that way, but weren't really the Friends of a Lifetime. I think she's hopefully making some of those friends now, because college is more about choosing friends because of shared interests and experiences rather than just who you grew up around.
And I think she enjoyed being with us, too! I know Randy and I had a great time with her.
GO BAMA!! ROLL TIDE!! (and take care of my baby girl...)
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
I Miss Jon Stewart
I realized when I got home tonight and checked the TV schedule that "The Daily Show" is STILL on hiatus this week. Dang, I hate that. Here we've only had Comedy Central since maybe September, and I'm hooked.
I miss Jon Stewart. I miss his unique way of skewering idiocy, no matter the party affiliation (have you heard him riff on John Kerry? Hysterical). I miss what he can say with just a slight squint and a raised eyebrow. I miss his technique of actually listening to the person he's interviewing before he asks another question. Sure, sometimes he goes for the easy laugh, but still...
I miss the correspondent who's the Stephen Colbert wannabe...keep forgetting his name. Ed Helms. That's it. Do I miss dopey little Samantha Bee? Her...not so much.
I have seen the interview with Jake Gyllenhaal 47 and 14/15 times (missed the toss to The Colbert Report one time. MERRY CHRISTMAS, JON.), because that's at least how many times it seems that episode has been rerun.
And while we're at it, I miss The Colbert Report. Haven't had Tonight's Word in over TWO WEEKS. I love a TV show that you have to read as well as listen to. I love that he has what seems to be a sincerely sweet little smile when he realizes he's been bested by a guest, like Cokie Roberts, or the Walking the Bible guy, Bruce Feiler.
One more week. I can hold on until then.
I miss Jon Stewart. I miss his unique way of skewering idiocy, no matter the party affiliation (have you heard him riff on John Kerry? Hysterical). I miss what he can say with just a slight squint and a raised eyebrow. I miss his technique of actually listening to the person he's interviewing before he asks another question. Sure, sometimes he goes for the easy laugh, but still...
I miss the correspondent who's the Stephen Colbert wannabe...keep forgetting his name. Ed Helms. That's it. Do I miss dopey little Samantha Bee? Her...not so much.
I have seen the interview with Jake Gyllenhaal 47 and 14/15 times (missed the toss to The Colbert Report one time. MERRY CHRISTMAS, JON.), because that's at least how many times it seems that episode has been rerun.
And while we're at it, I miss The Colbert Report. Haven't had Tonight's Word in over TWO WEEKS. I love a TV show that you have to read as well as listen to. I love that he has what seems to be a sincerely sweet little smile when he realizes he's been bested by a guest, like Cokie Roberts, or the Walking the Bible guy, Bruce Feiler.
One more week. I can hold on until then.
Hey! I kinda remember this blog thing now!
Yeah, I know. It's been since what? AUGUST? that I've blogged.
It's been a busy Fall.
But we were visiting with my sister-in-law and her family on Sunday, and my niece-in-law, Kim, mentioned that she's been blogging. Cool! So I log on - http://www.icoulduseanap.blogspot.com - and I notice that she blogs REGULARLY!! And she has a 3 year old and a 10 month old at home!!
I have no excuse.
So I'm back. Regularly? Who knows.
To update from August - the hinky mammogram turned out fine. Nothing to worry about. The radiologist who took and read my second films was incredible. She was warm and reassuring. She showed me both sets of pictures, pointing out what they had been concerned about the first time, and then pointing out all the different views they took the second time, and what it was about them that made them think that everything is fine.
And she had warm hands. If you've ever had a mammogram, you know how important that is.
Amanda had a successful first semester at The University of Alabama. They're even letting her come back!! YAY! And she's made some good friends, and found a good church. Her roommate, Lex, is a jewel. I told Amanda that the day she got her acceptance letter from Bama, that I started praying for her roommate - whoever she was going to be. I think she thought I was nuts...but it's worked out well, I think. She goes back in a week.
My New Year's resolution...aside from the usual "lose 30 pounds, go to Curves every day, spend money more wisely, yadda yadda yadda"...is to blog more often. Umm-hmm...
It's been a busy Fall.
But we were visiting with my sister-in-law and her family on Sunday, and my niece-in-law, Kim, mentioned that she's been blogging. Cool! So I log on - http://www.icoulduseanap.blogspot.com - and I notice that she blogs REGULARLY!! And she has a 3 year old and a 10 month old at home!!
I have no excuse.
So I'm back. Regularly? Who knows.
To update from August - the hinky mammogram turned out fine. Nothing to worry about. The radiologist who took and read my second films was incredible. She was warm and reassuring. She showed me both sets of pictures, pointing out what they had been concerned about the first time, and then pointing out all the different views they took the second time, and what it was about them that made them think that everything is fine.
And she had warm hands. If you've ever had a mammogram, you know how important that is.
Amanda had a successful first semester at The University of Alabama. They're even letting her come back!! YAY! And she's made some good friends, and found a good church. Her roommate, Lex, is a jewel. I told Amanda that the day she got her acceptance letter from Bama, that I started praying for her roommate - whoever she was going to be. I think she thought I was nuts...but it's worked out well, I think. She goes back in a week.
My New Year's resolution...aside from the usual "lose 30 pounds, go to Curves every day, spend money more wisely, yadda yadda yadda"...is to blog more often. Umm-hmm...
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