New Years Resolutions

I’ve been listening to the Moody Blues’ rendition of “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” all this month. Every time Justin sings “So this is Christmas And what Have you Done? Another Year Over and a New One Just Begun….”, and it’s got me thinking about what I’ve done with myself this year.

I’ve actually met some of the goals I had for myself last year. I’ve done some yoga, I’ve been more active with things I feel strongly about (gotten active in Peak Oil group), I’ve vacationed. I really didn’t get too much organizing done this year but I did get some house projects off my list (painted it, new gutters to replace the old ones falling off, new screen door).

I’m going to be traveling on New Year’s, so I’m putting my new year’s resolutions on early.

Here’s what I plan to do in 2006.

1) Practice love, gentleness & kindness. Continue to learn how to let go of past hurts & angers.
2) Get to know my niece & nephew better. Spend more time with them.
3) Have fun! Dance, see plays & concerts, ride my bike, spend more time outdoors, get to know my neighbors & spend more time with family & friends.
4) Write for 2 hours every day. Finish some stories; self-publish.
5) Clean out & organize my house so that I can spend more time with God, Ben, family & friends. Get rid of anything extraneous & unused. The organization plan is done, now to sort, organize & have a garage sale. Getting a shed for the backyard will help too because all of the yard stuff can go in there & not in the basement. I want to make the basement a useable room, not a storage unit.
6) Start new holiday traditions. Add activities from the old world.
7) Create a family history scrapbook for my parents. Get pictures, histories & anecdotes from family members. Goal: Finish by Christmas 2006.
8) Take care of myself spiritually, mentally, & physically (exercise & continue to eat lots of veggies & fruits).
9) Volunteer to help feed the homeless.

Random Readings Fall 2005

Happy post-solstice & merry Christmas!

Here's a sampling of some of the books I read this fall.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Just as awesome as the movie is but with more back stories! I liked getting to read about the other 4 Mercury astronauts: Carpenter, Shira, Slayton and Cooper. A must read, even if you aren’t into this stuff.

Confessions of a Teen Sleuth by Chelsea Cain
Did you ever wonder what happened when Nancy Drew grew up? Was she really in love with Ned Nickersby? What if her mom hadn’t really died when she was 3? What if her adventures were really penned by a former, jealous roommate? What happened in her mysterious adventures? Read this and find out. It’s a hoot!


Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence by Paul Feig
This is written by the creator of “Freaks & Geeks”, one of the best TV shows of all time. If you haven’t watched that…watch it. And read this book. This is a humorous and harrowing look at growing up in the 70s. I was laughing starting from page 1.

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell
The first time I ever saw BC was in the Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr. , a too short-lived TV show (hmmm…I wonder if this is on DVD?!). I’ll watch just about anything this man is in. I love him even more after reading this book. In his own words, this is what his book’s about: “So another actor writes a book about his glamorous, whirlwind life. Personally, as an ex-Detroiter, that crap bores me to tears. I’ve always been more interested in the working stiffs of Hollywood, ninety-nine percent of whom are overlooked in those phoney, “tell all” books. …Therefore this is not a memoir about what I said to so- and-so at the Beverly Hills hotel. It’s not about an actor’s meteoric rise or tragic fall. Rather, this book is dedicated to the players on the second string, the B People, if you will, and I cheerfully include myself in that lot.” Ohhh… Bruce…you ROCK!!! ; >


Not a Teen Detective by Susan Kandel
An enjoyable, amusing & quick-read mystery surrounding Nancy Drew and her fanatical fans. The author really researched her book well with lots of Nancy Drew history. It even has Salvador Dali in it. What could be better? From the author who wrote “I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason”.


The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from A Magnificent & Clumsy Life by Laurie Notaro
A female, less cynical version of David Sedaris. I thought this would be funnier. But it did get funnier towards the end. I’m still looking forward to reading her other book about the dorkiest girl alive.

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
A close second favorite (#4 is still my favorite)! The character development is excellent (I love Ron!). I admit, I wept at the end.

Moon Shot by Alan Sheppard & Deke Slayton
Still on that NASA kick. This was another excellent book. Written by two original Mercury 7 astronauts it’s a totally gripping account to their NASA experiences.

Confessions of An Organized Homemaker The Secrets of Uncluttering your Home & Taking Control of your Life by Deniece Schofield
I’m always in the process of organizing my home. I go through purges every few months. This book actually gave me several inexpensive (mostly using things I already have) & inspired me to create an organization plan. The house is already running more smoothly. It’s a quick & fairly entertaining thing to read. But then I am an organization freak.

Making Candles & Soaps for Dummy’s
Not very exciting but I thought it could be handy. Now I know the basics of making candles. I still haven’t even made any candles. Maybe next year.

Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook by Shel Silverstein
One of the highlights of this posthumously published book.

“Runny’s jib Bump”

Runny be quimble,
Runny be nick,
Runny cump over the jandlestick.
But now – what smells like furning bluff?
Guess he didn’t hump jigh enough.

A Quote to Remember

"The Greatest strength is gentleness."
Iroquois

Is the President's Soul in Jeopardy?

An interesting perspective from an evangelical Christian who looks at Bush's membership in Yale's Skull & Bones.

"On August 17, 2000 there was an interview with President George W. Bush that bestirred controversy regarding his initiation into Skull and Bones. Time Magazine asked if it troubled him that he had been initiated into the Society when he was a young man. President Bush responded, "No qualms at all. I was honored." Inevitably some people, knowing the Skull and Bones reputation of blasphemy, were surprised that the President said he was "honored." Others, particularly Christians defended him saying, in effect, "Let's put this aside. He was forgiven of that when he accepted Christ." The disturbing fact, however, is that President Bush's statement came many years after he announced he had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.

In that light, the more one learns about Skull and Bones, the more distressing the President's statement becomes. It raises vexing questions for those of us who live our life in Christ and do so as evangelicals.

...After reading the President's statement, I felt compelled to investigate the actual content of the Skull and Bones ritual that he believed so honored him, hoping by this to understand the man who is President of the United States. And so I write this as a friend of the President's soul, but also disturbed by what he has called to himself."

The author researched the rites of the Skull & Bones & describes what is a very un-Christian & sacreligious ritual that includes shouting the name of Judas 3 times, & drinking blood from a human skull & someone dressed as a pope.

Read the full article.

December 3: International Day of Action to Stop Global Warming

This Saturday, December 3 is shaping up to be a pivotal day of action against global warming. At the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Montreal this week, representatives from 189 nations are making headway on an agreement that could make the Kyoto Protocol fully operational -- thereby paving the way toward a society based on clean, renewable energy that's in balance with our global biosphere.

Unfortunately, the United States government refuses to join the international community in ratifying Kyoto, or in shifting away from polluting fossil fuels as the basis for our economy. That's where the rest of us come in.

Climate activists are on the move in every state of the union, demanding that their communities, state legislators, and the federal government take bold action to fend off a runaway climate catastrophe. At least 60 local actions are planned around the country for December 3.

Momentum is building across the United States. Check out local actions in your part of the world

This ties in really well with an article in the news about a study done by British Scientists who have found that ocean currents that transport heat around the glob and keep northern Europe's weather relatively mild appear to be weakening. According to data collected from a section of the Atlantic, gathered periodically since 1957, the overall movement has slowed 30 percent, especially the low of cold water back to the south.

The currents act like radiator pipes, carrying warm water from the tropics to northern latitudes (i.e. the Gulf Stream); while others carry the cold water south from the poles. The currents warm the climate of various places by several degrees because of prevailing winds.

Of course, scientists disagree on the effect of this weakening currents. Some say it will disrupt the way the planet regulates heat & cause Europe to become cooler & have harsher winters. Others say it will balance out the effect of global warming.

This article to me seems to give some credance to the Pentagon report from February 2004, in which the usually conservative Pentagon says, "A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.". Here's the original article from the Guardian article.