Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Ho Ho Ho!! Well it seems Santa Claus is coming to town. Or in this case, Auntie Kari is coming to town! I spent a good part of yesterday and this morning sorting through the gifts I've purchased for family and friends and then set about the task of wrapping them all. This used to be on all day event until I discovered Christmas bags! I love them. It goes so much easier than trying to find a box for those odd shaped gifts and then dealing with all the wrapping paper. Although, I still feel somewhat guilty about taking this route. Not sure why. Afterall, it's not the packaging that really matters. So they say.

My friend tells the story about how she was home for Christmas a few years ago and went with her family to the church service on Christmas Day. The church had gotten a new pastor since she had been there last and so this was her introduction to him. She recounts how his homily started that day. This is now second hand, but it went something like this, "This is the time of year when alot of time is spent on pondering gifts and worrying about wrapping them up just right. But we shouldn't worry about what's on the outside. It's what's on the inside that really matters. Why just the other day I received a gift that came wrapped in a plain old newspaper. I can't remember what the gift was but..." My friend said she and her siblings couldn't look at each other for fear of setting off the dreaded laugh-that-must-but-can-not-come-out. Apparently he should have used the other cliche for his homily "It's not the gift itself but the thought that counts" since the gift was rather forgettable.

That's kind of been a fear of mine. I don't want my gifts to be forgettable. I work very hard at picking out just the right items for people. Which is why I think I feel compulsive about then taking the extra time and care to "wrap it with love" versus just throwing it in a bag. But have you tried loading up a car full of gifts in a manner that won't squish any bows? It's an engineering puzzle for sure. And then the gifts just get ripped into anyway right?

Maybe there can be a happy medium somewhere in the gift-wrapping world. That's the place I tried to go to this year. I put some gifts in bags and wrapped others. Although I have to say my most memorable Christmas wrapping year (and the one I'm most proud of) was the year I focused on recycling. I didn't use any store bought wrapping or bags. I used material from my mothers endless fabric collection (years of well-intentioned projects that never saw a sewing machine), old newspapers, and other miscellaneous and creative coverings.

So whatever you choose to wrap your gifts with this year just remember it's not what's on the outside that really mattters...unless it does!




I'm counting my hour of shoveling as exercise today!
Post post note: According to calorielab.com I just burned around 340 calories. So heck, I am for sure counting that as exercise!

Time--A guest blog by Larry Kellerman

The following is from an email sent by Larry Kellerman, Librarian at Central Lakes College. The email was sent on December 16, 2008 to faculty and staff at the college. The following is used with his permission.


The topic is time. This is an academic institution where we teach English grammar. Yet, one particular grammatical error shows up in much of what we post on the walls and in other documents. The time. More examples later. First some facts:
Meridian means “noon" (mid-day).
Anti- means “before.”
Post means “after.”

Anti-Meridian abbreviated is “a.m.” (lower case a, period, lower case m, period.)
Post-Meridian abbreviated is “p.m.” (lower case p., period, lower case m. period.)
Capital “A.M.” mean amplitude modulation (great sound).
Capital “P.M.” means Prime Minister. Also used for Post Master, Provost Marshall and Past Master (of a lodge).
Lower case “am” without periods is a form of “to be.” I am …
Lower case “pm” has no meaning.

The number and the colon have different meanings if the a.m. or p.m. are not included.
9:18 could be a ratio of 3:6 or 1:2.
9:18 a.m. is a specific time of morning.
9:18 am is a ratio of who you are.
9:00 (with the double zeros) is also important. It indicates “o’clock.”

The hour number without the double zeros, but with a.m. or p.m. is also acceptable, but less specific.
Without the period, 9 am could mean “9 am going to do something.” Also bad grammar.
(All of the above is based on the O.E.D. (that’s the Oxford English Dictionary).

My Homemade Christmas Gifts

I've spent this last week working on a homemade Christmas gift for my family. I was originally going to work on my Egypt videos but since we ran into a wall with that because they were recorded with a Sony camera that records unto mini-dvds in file formats that is not compatible with any editing software, I moved onto the Christmas gifts. My friend Deb on the otherhand has continued to work on the challenge of finding some conversion software that will allow us to edit my hours and hours, no make that days and days, of recordings. The closest we've come is being able to get it into a new file format but sound and images are off, and not by a little, by about 6 seconds!!! Stupid camera! Any other video recorder would be just fine. So frustrating!!!! Just had to complain about that for a little bit...now back to my topic on hand...while Deb worked on researching and trial and error attempts, I worked on my Christmas gift. Surprisingly, it took alot more time than I expected but it's done. I also think it turned out quite well. I'd tell you what it was, but I don't want to ruin the surprise for my family. Let me just say--I had to use my computer to create it!

I wanted to blog about it for a couple of reasons. First, some of you were probably wondering what was up that I hadn't blogged for awhile. Second, I wanted to talk about homemade gifts. As a child, I recall homemade gifts as being less than desirable. It was kind of right up there with gift cards. As a kid, none of my friends wanted a gift card. We wanted stuff. I can remember adults making comments about gift cards showing a lack of effort or thought. Now, that's almost all my teenage relatives seem to want. In fact, it's also what some of their parents recommend we get. So here lies my delemna...what's the current perception on homemade gifts? I hope they like it. I think they will. I put in so many hours of time and care and love trying to make it just perfect--will it be appreciated? Or will it be looked at as less than desirable?

I guess looking back at my thoughts on homemade gifts is influencing me now, making me overly worried about all of this. Maybe karma is coming into play or maybe it's just my paranoid personality. But hopefully they'll like it--I think it's kinda cool. And after Christmas, I promise to let you in on my Christmas gift secret and then you can judge it for yourself.



Other questions for thought:
What homemade gifts did you receive that you really liked?

Did you get any that you weren't real excited about?

What influenced your opinion on the gift?

EGYPT: There and Back Again

"THERE AND BACK AGAIN: A TRAVELLER'S TALE"

Click on this link to read the article about my trip to Egypt published in CLC' newspaper, The Westbank Journal: CLICK ME

The article/interview was conducted by student Westbank Staffer, Hannah Allen.  It was published in the May 7, 2008 issue (pages 6,7, and 9).  Published here with permission of Westbank Journal Faculty Advisor Mike Soderlund.

The Sights and Symbols of Christmas

This evening my friend and I did a little "drive around" to see the sights of Christmas. We like to do so in the evening when many of the houses are lit up with those special decorations that come out only once a year. There was fresh fallen snow today and I guess we were just in the Christmas mood. Although the economy is sluglish, there were still several houses that seemed to have gone all out. We were not disappointed. It was a wonderland of Christmas with all the typical symbols and colors that go with the season.

Then of course, there also seemed to be an over abundance of those white-light deer. If you're from Minnesota you know exactly what I'm talking about. For some reason, people seem to confuse wood deer with santa's reindeer. They look different folks!!! Maybe there's a Christmas deer story out there that I just don't know about. Or perhaps people know there is a difference but figure they're in the same animal class so "close enough". But really wood deer are not Christmassy. But this is when they're put out. Think about it. Come January the white deer will be gone, packed away with the rest of the Christmas decorations. I find that funny. It also makes me wonder if it's only in Minnesota that this is done. I can't seem to picture them being put up all across the United States. But for whatever the reason the fad started, those perky and sometimes animated deer seem to be just as populous here in Minnesota as the real ones that run through our forests and jump out in front of cars (two friends of mine have collided with deer this week alone!). And when the fake ones are all lit up, they just seem to blend right in with all the other colorful Christmas yard decorations.

However, the biggest kick of the evening came when we drove through a little town called St. Hilaire which seemed to be glowing. House after house was decked out with lights and decorations. Then as we approached the last house on the block admiring the usual festive symbols, we turned the corner and there it was with all the other luminous Christmas flair. At first I thought "wow that deer has an awfully long neck" and then it hit me. "That's no deer--it's a giraffe!" A Christmas giraffe! I kid you not. And of course, I didn't have my camera. And no I hadn't been drinking (well ok I had one beer with supper but that had been HOURS previous to our little Christmas adventure).

I might have to go back tomorrow night to get a picture. I was going to go back tonight but it was already 10:30 pm and by the time we drove home, got the camera and drove back (an 18 mile round trip) I was afraid the home owner would turn out the lights and the trip would be for naught. But that little visit got me thinking about Christmas and the influence culture has on the symbols people associate with it. Think about the colors, the shapes, the smells, the food. Think about what you would see on an average drive down a typical neighborhood at night the week before Christmas. Even Santa one of the biggest Christmas symbols is culturally unique. He has different names in different countries, he wears different colors and different clothing in different places, and I hear his behavior can change from region to region. But nowhere in my studies of Christmas symbols have I heard of the Christmas giraffe. But I gotta admit--I liked being surprised! So that's my reality for today!

If you want to know more about how Christmas is celebrated all over the world here's a great website I found: http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

"A Date Which Will Live In Infimy"

Today marks the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.The attacks that started around 8 am on that morning and lasted about a couple of hours resulted in 2,403 American deaths (68 of which were civilian) 21 US ships damaged or sunk, 159 US aircrafts damaged and 188 aircrafts totally destroyed according to the Department of Defense. As most know, this event was the impetus for the United States to enter World War II.

The sneak attack on Pearl Harbor and the 9-11 attacks on the United States in 2001 have many similarities. However, the technology and the forms of media used in 1941 and 2001 are not as similar. Even since 2001 there have been substantial changes. This becomes apparent when analyzing the timeline surrounding the Pearl Harbor attacks and message disemination thereafter and thinking about how those messages would have been communicated today. It's crazy to think about especially when you think about the fact that it was only 67 years ago.

One of the most famous messages that came out of that time period was President Franklin Roosevelt's "Day of Infimy" speech delivered on his first address to the nation after the attacks. He addressed a joint session of Congress and the Nation via radio at 12:30 pm on December 8th. The following link has the timeline as well as a link to his speech: http://www.authentichistory.com/ww2/news/19411207-8.html

Contrast that with how people got their information about what was happening on 9-11.

Pictured in this blog is President Roosevelt's Reading copy of his famous speech. According to the National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/ President Roosevelt dictated his speech to his secretary, Grace Tully, at 5:00 Pm. "President Roosevelt then revised the typed draft—marking it up, updating military information, and selecting alternative wordings that strengthened the tone of the speech. He made the most significant change in the critical first line, which originally read, "a date which will live in world history." Grace Tully then prepared the final reading copy, which Roosevelt subsequently altered in three more places." (National Archives www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy). A typewriter! Most of my students have probably never used a typewriter.

Although some might dispute this, I don't consider myself that old. I remember typing research papers on a typewriter and the planning and organization it involved. I also remember the frustration of what finding one spelling mistake meant to a completed paper. Heaven forbid if you wanted to add a word or two--it could mean having to retype the entire paper. And don't even get me started on footnotes!!!

So yes, technology has changed greatly in less than a person's lifetime. And yes, within this timespan we as a nation have experienced some major tragedies and defining moments that altered our history--the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9-11 are just two. And it is because of both the similarities and the differences in these two "moments" in history that they can and should be compared.

Mother-Daughter Bonding

Saturday was a mother-daughter bonding day. We went to St Cloud to do some Christmas shopping. Overall, we were gone about 8 hours. It was the first time in a long time that we had spent that much time together doing something other than working on my mother's geneology project. And let me tell you--this was alot more fun and much less stressful for me.

We used to go shopping together frequently and just haven't for, well various reasons I suppose. But it was kind of fun and we actually got several people checked off our lists. Of course it is sometimes also nice to have a second opinion about gift ideas for family members. Or as was the case for my mom, to get a better idea about what some family members would like for Christmas. I found an article of clothing that I pointed out to her as something that I thought was nice. I told her to watch the paper for upcoming coupons, but I learned that evening that she won't out to the store after getting home from a long day on her feet and not just purchased the item, but had it ordered and shipped from another store. That was very sweet. She had lots of time to look for it or to find something else. But she knew that was something I liked, she she went the extra mile to get it for me.

She's quite the mom and I enjoyed our day together, it was good for the soul and I've kind of taken that for granted lately. So today's reality was that it truly tis the season to remember the important things in life--and it's not a paricular piece of clothing.


Photo note: This picture was taken at the week-long 50th anniversary celebration after a golf "lesson". I know it seems odd to have a picture of us in shorts for a Dec. post, but I forgot to take my camera with me to St. Cloud so this is the photo you get ;)

PS The T-shirt my mom is wearing is from the last play I wrote and directed. Even though it was a few years ago, I still see my mom wearing it. Sweet.

Use It or Lose It

Today was spent decorating the house with winter and Christmas items. I just had a huge garage sale this past summer and I still have over 8 tubs of Christmas/winter decorations. This doesn't even take into account the 3 tubs of lights and outdoor items that are already up. In today's tubs were nick nacks and collectibles. I brought in some glassware and hung up stockings. I hung glitter snowflakes on the windows and set up my snowman village. All the while I decorated, I played some of my favorite Christmas CDs. ( I have alot of those too by the way). Of course I had to sing along, and what I noticed was that by the third CD my voice was feeling worn out. I guess I haven't really sung much since the last musical I wrote and directed up in Thief River Falls. I guess last Christmas I must have sung to my favorite CD's, but today was a full day and I think I'm going to be hoarse. Use it or lose it I guess. Serves me right.

Then it got me thinking, there's several contexts in which "use it or lose it" can come into play. I took French in High School, two years of it. But if I had to try and put together logical sentences, I'm not sure how well I'd do. I took a semester of Spanish two years ago. Unfotunately although it is much more recent, I think the same rule applies. I didn't use it, and now I've forgotten some of it. How come it is so hard to retain a foreign language? Especially as adults. They say kids pick up on languages much easier than adults. Maybe my brain is just too full. It feels that way sometimes. Like today when I was having to try and find spots to put all the Christmas stuff. Afterall awhile I didn't want to have to make any more decisions or put any more stuff up, so I refilled at least a tub and a half of miscellaneous "things" which went back out to the garage. Humm...maybe I have too much stuff and should only keep the items I use. If I haven't used it the last couple of Christmases than I should just get rid of it.

See the "use it or lose it" theory is a great motivator for lots of contexts--not just with one's singing voice!

"Sign" Language

The following is a site dedicated to funny signs around the world. Check it out.

http://www.signspotting.com/index.php?do=rate&gender=0

This one is titled "sign language" and comes from the UK Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/3371844/Sign-language-week-23.html

Enjoy!

Sucker for free stuff

OK I'm home and back to blogging. My last blog here was on Thanksgiving Day. I mentioned that one of my traditions is to go shopping early Friday morning--black Friday. Well, shop I did. I did all right too. I think I have most of the people on my list checked off now. I did score some good bargains, but I'm a sucker for the free stuff.

Free stuff is part of the reason I still get up so early and head out. For the last few years we've been going to this one store that is known for giving out a goodie bag to the first 50 people that go through the door. In the past we've gotten Christmas ornaments, CD's, lotion samples, and fun food treats. This year's bag didn't have any ornaments in it, but did have a first aid kit, lotion samples, a notepad and free food. Gotta love free food!! I love food anyway, but when it's free--I am really happy. And sometimes I don't need or sometimes don't even want it, but because it's free--I have to have it.

Point in case--continental breakfasts. Generally I am not a breakfast eater. But when I'm staying at a hotel that has continental breakfast, I usually make sure I get mine. Why? Because it's free! I also find that I tend to eat more than I would if I was paying for it too. Why? Because it's free! It's crazy, I know. But there's something that mentally reframes my perception when I know it is free. My friend's laugh at me for this silly personality quirk. But whatever! Let em laugh, afterall, I am the first to admit that I am a sucker for free stuff!

Pictured above: Me waiting outside our favorite store on Black Friday. Note the two coffees--my favorite--Ho Ho Mocha. And guess what? They didn't cost us anything!!! Kathy treated us to them--what a nice surprise and a great way to start off the day--thanks Kathy!

Second picture: some of the free stuff we got at our favorite store. This was most, but not all of what we got FREE in our gift bag thanks to the owners for making our Black Friday tradition a fun one!
W: 3.6 miles