Posts
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Switching hosting sites
I am in the process of switching hosting sites. I have transferred all the past blogs over to http://writebrainit.wordpress.com/ I don't think that really means anything for most people, as I am not sure if anyone is even subscribing to this blog - I think that is one of the perks of wordpress.com - I will be able to track some of that information a little easier. I have enjoyed blogger and will continue to utilize them for some of my other blogs, but for right now - I liked what wordpress had to offer. I still have some things like favorite sites and information like that to transition over, but I am anticipating a smooth move. For those of you reaching this blog by going to the writebrainit site, nothing will change for you - I have made the changes that will make it smooth. Thanks for your patience.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Remembering 9/11
Last year, I had intended to post a little tribute in my story of that day on the site and had been blown away by a person I met at Blockbuster. I remember I was talking about a movie and when it was coming out. They saw me pretty often in the story, so they never hesitate to make suggestions or ask if I had seen a movie. It was about a week before 9/11 and they said something about the date having been changed for Adam Sandler's Reign Over Me. I commented that I had wondered about it's release date being so close to 9/11 when it has a 9/11 theme. The one clerk said he hadn't realized that. I said that some people may have thought there was a sensitivity issue there and have decided to move it to a different date. This worker whom I had never seen before (come to think of it, I never saw her again) chimed in saying, ‘It’s been six years, I mean come on.' I know I shot her a look of utter confusion and her boss looked a little shocked. I simply responded, 'to some it's still a little traumatic'.
Here's my experience that day:
I was at home the morning of this tragic loss. I had taken a vacation day just to rest. I was up and watching a movie – a friend called and told me to change to a news channel and I remember being annoyed with him and telling him I would. I remember I flipped to the CNN and just lingered on the channel for a few seconds, it was early and I wasn’t processing, so I switched back to my movie – about 30 seconds later I realized what was going on and changed the channel. My friend called again and I remember telling him that I would need to call him back. What we were watching was horrible. When I saw the second plane crash, I thought this can't be real. Then the buildings collapsed and my sister called. She asked me to look at my calendar and see where it said my mother was. It said New York. When my mother started traveling for work – she started putting out a monthly calendar that lets us know where she is, when birthdays are and sporting events for nieces and nephews (since I am the oldest of nine and have many nieces and nephews – we all find this a very helpful tool.)
My mother started traveling for her job over 10 years ago. I knew nothing of where her offices were when she traveled and didn’t even know that her main office was in New York since she was based out of Chicago. I know my sister thought I sounded unaffected by this news that she was in New York and she asked, ‘You do know that her head-quarters are in the World Trade Center, don’t you?’ I didn’t. She said that she had been trying to reach her and could not.
For 3.5 hours that morning we could not reach her and heard nothing from her. About 11:45 that morning, my mother was able to return one of my sister's messages. Her plans had changed the previous Friday and she was, in fact, in Chicago. She apologized and said she had known that she needed to reach us but the phones were a mess with trying to reach people and learning of potential losses from their office. AON was on floors 92 and 98-105 of the second tower. My mother lost a lot of co-workers and friends (AON lost 170 employees) that day and while my family was blessed to be allowed more time with my mother, the tragedy of that day still brings to me that feeling of loss and fear.
Here's my experience that day:
I was at home the morning of this tragic loss. I had taken a vacation day just to rest. I was up and watching a movie – a friend called and told me to change to a news channel and I remember being annoyed with him and telling him I would. I remember I flipped to the CNN and just lingered on the channel for a few seconds, it was early and I wasn’t processing, so I switched back to my movie – about 30 seconds later I realized what was going on and changed the channel. My friend called again and I remember telling him that I would need to call him back. What we were watching was horrible. When I saw the second plane crash, I thought this can't be real. Then the buildings collapsed and my sister called. She asked me to look at my calendar and see where it said my mother was. It said New York. When my mother started traveling for work – she started putting out a monthly calendar that lets us know where she is, when birthdays are and sporting events for nieces and nephews (since I am the oldest of nine and have many nieces and nephews – we all find this a very helpful tool.)
My mother started traveling for her job over 10 years ago. I knew nothing of where her offices were when she traveled and didn’t even know that her main office was in New York since she was based out of Chicago. I know my sister thought I sounded unaffected by this news that she was in New York and she asked, ‘You do know that her head-quarters are in the World Trade Center, don’t you?’ I didn’t. She said that she had been trying to reach her and could not.
For 3.5 hours that morning we could not reach her and heard nothing from her. About 11:45 that morning, my mother was able to return one of my sister's messages. Her plans had changed the previous Friday and she was, in fact, in Chicago. She apologized and said she had known that she needed to reach us but the phones were a mess with trying to reach people and learning of potential losses from their office. AON was on floors 92 and 98-105 of the second tower. My mother lost a lot of co-workers and friends (AON lost 170 employees) that day and while my family was blessed to be allowed more time with my mother, the tragedy of that day still brings to me that feeling of loss and fear.
Right Brain vs. Left Brain Thinking
I stumbled upon this site (learned of by another blog and I really need to make sure that I note that in the future - but I can't find the blog at this point - I will note it when I find it again. But you can take this fun little 20 question quiz to determine if you are left or right brained - I posted my results here - fitting in quite nicely with the title of this website.
http://mindmedia.com/braintest.html
Your Brain Usage Profile:
Auditory : 52%
Visual : 47%
Left : 44%
Right : 55%
bill, you are moderately right-hemisphere dominant and have even preferences between auditory and visual processing, traits that might make people perceive you as "slightly off balance."
You are most likely to be slightly disorganized, a "dreamer" and a person who focuses more on the end result than the immediate task at hand. You are creative and spontaneous if somewhat lacking in direction and focus. You are a learner who is generally patient and a person for whom time is an ally, not an enemy.
You are more passionate than most people with regard to life and learning and recognize your own intuitive abilities. You have sufficient goal-direction to satisfy yourself and guarantee success without being or feeling driven. You are willing to be reflective about yourself and others without getting lost in rumination.
The balance of your sensory modes allows for both learning and expressive capabilities achieved by few. You are active and "seeing" while retaining an equally strong propensity for being reflective which slows you down a little but allows for a more comprehensive perception and analysis of situations and problems. You do not spend excessive time analyzing since you mostly trust your perceptions.
In all likelihood, you have a tendency to over-commit and cannot understand why others get upset since you operate on a different "time table" than they do. Your organizational abilities are frequently overwhelmed by the stimulation seeking and active nature of your mind as well as by the tendency to create new categories and gloss over details, making categorization and classification almost impossible at times.
To the extent that your career path allows for creativity and abstraction as well as a bit of disorganization, you should find yourself equipped to handle any learning that is required. Your own personal adjustment to your style should come naturally although you are likely to feel frustrated by your own limited discipline and often wonder "Why?"
http://mindmedia.com/braintest.html
Your Brain Usage Profile:
Auditory : 52%
Visual : 47%
Left : 44%
Right : 55%
bill, you are moderately right-hemisphere dominant and have even preferences between auditory and visual processing, traits that might make people perceive you as "slightly off balance."
You are most likely to be slightly disorganized, a "dreamer" and a person who focuses more on the end result than the immediate task at hand. You are creative and spontaneous if somewhat lacking in direction and focus. You are a learner who is generally patient and a person for whom time is an ally, not an enemy.
You are more passionate than most people with regard to life and learning and recognize your own intuitive abilities. You have sufficient goal-direction to satisfy yourself and guarantee success without being or feeling driven. You are willing to be reflective about yourself and others without getting lost in rumination.
The balance of your sensory modes allows for both learning and expressive capabilities achieved by few. You are active and "seeing" while retaining an equally strong propensity for being reflective which slows you down a little but allows for a more comprehensive perception and analysis of situations and problems. You do not spend excessive time analyzing since you mostly trust your perceptions.
In all likelihood, you have a tendency to over-commit and cannot understand why others get upset since you operate on a different "time table" than they do. Your organizational abilities are frequently overwhelmed by the stimulation seeking and active nature of your mind as well as by the tendency to create new categories and gloss over details, making categorization and classification almost impossible at times.
To the extent that your career path allows for creativity and abstraction as well as a bit of disorganization, you should find yourself equipped to handle any learning that is required. Your own personal adjustment to your style should come naturally although you are likely to feel frustrated by your own limited discipline and often wonder "Why?"
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Is this really it? (Writing Prompt)
Last night I was closing up my house to head to bed. I remember thinking that 'oh, is this it? I feel like I forgot something.' It was one of those kind of melancholy thoughts that hits us every now and then. I am not sure what it meant, but I went upstairs and before going to bed wanted to post to the blog. I had these great pictures from camping out around Fremont this weekend and I wanted to share them.
I rode an ATV for the first time this weekend and was lucky enough to get this shot - of course I played with it a little in a picture adjuster thing.
I had every intention of doing lots of writing and 'transcribing' this weekend, but didn't really get anything done.
Then I had to come back early from the campsite to attend a friend's wake and celebrate his life with his family. Oddly as I was on the way to the funeral, I almost grabbed a notebook - you know, in case I was inspired. Then rational thought hit me and I realized the insensitivity that would present and left the notebook at home. Isn't it funny something like that happens and you are actually inspired. That's what happened - in my head came the beginning of a short story. Throughout the day, I worked on it in my head and as soon as I got to my computer I started putting it down. (I am trying to get used to writing on the computer as opposed to longhand, because I am just not good at getting around to getting it then onto the computer (hence my hope to 'transcribe'). What's the oddest situation you have been that has prompted a story?
This rainbow is actually what greeted me when I got to the campsite last Friday. How cool of a welcome mat is that - props to you, D.
I rode an ATV for the first time this weekend and was lucky enough to get this shot - of course I played with it a little in a picture adjuster thing.
I had every intention of doing lots of writing and 'transcribing' this weekend, but didn't really get anything done.
Then I had to come back early from the campsite to attend a friend's wake and celebrate his life with his family. Oddly as I was on the way to the funeral, I almost grabbed a notebook - you know, in case I was inspired. Then rational thought hit me and I realized the insensitivity that would present and left the notebook at home. Isn't it funny something like that happens and you are actually inspired. That's what happened - in my head came the beginning of a short story. Throughout the day, I worked on it in my head and as soon as I got to my computer I started putting it down. (I am trying to get used to writing on the computer as opposed to longhand, because I am just not good at getting around to getting it then onto the computer (hence my hope to 'transcribe'). What's the oddest situation you have been that has prompted a story?
This rainbow is actually what greeted me when I got to the campsite last Friday. How cool of a welcome mat is that - props to you, D.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Kansas City Irish Fest
I had every intention of posting some fun Irish fest pics, but forgot to bring my camera, so the ones I found on the Internet will have to do.
This was the weekend of the Kansas City Irish fest - it was amazing. This is only my second year attending, but it has grown again. One of the nice things about this fest is the way it is spread out - the only times that I ever felt crowded was when I was checking out the stuff at the vendors (but I don't have much patience for people bumping into me and stalling in front of something I really want to see - I'll try again later). I did buy a new fisherman's hat as my last and favorite one was recently absorbed into the Niabrara river. I went with my mother and a friend of hers. We stayed at Harrah's which was just a hop skip and a jump away from the crown center (where the Irish fest is held). I ran into a friend and his son from Omaha - his other children and wife were there as well - but I never saw them (his daughter was participating in the Irish dance competition). I met the nun and some of her family there - we ate and had a good time. The nun did try to talk me into buying this $22 apron which had it not been so feminine (it had green frills on the bottom), I would have considered it just because I liked the saying it had on it 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...Watch Out.' It would have been a fun conversation piece - but green frills are not really my thing (take note for any future presents).
Gaelic Storm was one of the bands I listened to. Man, they were fantastic - you should have seen the energy and the crowds they bring. I couldn't believe the age groups of fans they had. The first night I saw them - there was this threesome of people I found easy to watch. One guy had really long hair, dressed in black and had a gothic look to him - the woman and man who were with him looked a little hippie-ish. The hippie-ish guy had an amazing camera and stood in the top corner of the bleachers taking pictures. Their title song from the new cd "What's the Rumpus?" had this fun audience participation thing - where the audience after the bagpipe stud hit the symbols was supposed to yell 'pow' while throwing their hands in the air. The most amusing thing was this goth guy - was standing there arms folded looking completely un-interested was so into the pow. It was like he was waiting for it and then would look away, arms folded and bored.
The second day - I actually met the lead singer. He was listening to another Irish performer who I was listening to and when trying to get to my seat - he feared I was going to knock over his beer - so had to move it before I got there (truth be told, as careful as I was trying to be, I am a klutz and it was probably a good save on his part). After the performer finished, I waited a few minutes and took both my mother's and my cd inserts and asked for his signature. He talked with me for at least 10 minutes. This Jimmy Crowley (whom had just performed) was who he had heard when he was a child and made him want sing as well - he said had it not been for Jimmy, his path might have been completely different. He referred to Jimmy as a legend in his eyes and had teared up, he said, on at least 6 of the 10-12 songs he had performed. The opening song of the concert they would be performing that evening was the one that he had heard Jimmy play when he was 10 or 11 and it was the start of his desire to play music. He was a very nice man.
On of the funniest things he said at both of the concerts I attended was when he thanked the crowd for helping their new cd debut at #1 on the world-wide billboard music chart. He said, 'we finally beat our nemesis, Celtic Women, those bitches.' He laughed and said they were very nice people. But on the second night there was an audience participation piece as well - and this time we were sitting in our chairs on the grassy area before the stage. Behind us sat a family and they had a 'goth' looking kid of about 14ish and he was singing to their songs at the top of his lungs. This audience participation piece was in the song 'me and the moon' (which is becoming one of my favorite songs on the cd). This was a male/female contest. On the chorus the women were to throw their arms up and yell I brought the whiskey and the men were to show their cellphone lit and say 'he brought the light.' It was so amusing the way this kid got into it - he and his sister were yelling their parts and he even stood at one point and yelled, 'everybody get up' to get more into the song.
There were many great bands, vendors and the food was amazing. I can't mention them all - I recommend you check out the website though. Oh another band who does merit mentioning (though I regretfully didn't pick up their cd yet), was Pogey - another great band.
This was the weekend of the Kansas City Irish fest - it was amazing. This is only my second year attending, but it has grown again. One of the nice things about this fest is the way it is spread out - the only times that I ever felt crowded was when I was checking out the stuff at the vendors (but I don't have much patience for people bumping into me and stalling in front of something I really want to see - I'll try again later). I did buy a new fisherman's hat as my last and favorite one was recently absorbed into the Niabrara river. I went with my mother and a friend of hers. We stayed at Harrah's which was just a hop skip and a jump away from the crown center (where the Irish fest is held). I ran into a friend and his son from Omaha - his other children and wife were there as well - but I never saw them (his daughter was participating in the Irish dance competition). I met the nun and some of her family there - we ate and had a good time. The nun did try to talk me into buying this $22 apron which had it not been so feminine (it had green frills on the bottom), I would have considered it just because I liked the saying it had on it 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...Watch Out.' It would have been a fun conversation piece - but green frills are not really my thing (take note for any future presents).
Gaelic Storm was one of the bands I listened to. Man, they were fantastic - you should have seen the energy and the crowds they bring. I couldn't believe the age groups of fans they had. The first night I saw them - there was this threesome of people I found easy to watch. One guy had really long hair, dressed in black and had a gothic look to him - the woman and man who were with him looked a little hippie-ish. The hippie-ish guy had an amazing camera and stood in the top corner of the bleachers taking pictures. Their title song from the new cd "What's the Rumpus?" had this fun audience participation thing - where the audience after the bagpipe stud hit the symbols was supposed to yell 'pow' while throwing their hands in the air. The most amusing thing was this goth guy - was standing there arms folded looking completely un-interested was so into the pow. It was like he was waiting for it and then would look away, arms folded and bored.
The second day - I actually met the lead singer. He was listening to another Irish performer who I was listening to and when trying to get to my seat - he feared I was going to knock over his beer - so had to move it before I got there (truth be told, as careful as I was trying to be, I am a klutz and it was probably a good save on his part). After the performer finished, I waited a few minutes and took both my mother's and my cd inserts and asked for his signature. He talked with me for at least 10 minutes. This Jimmy Crowley (whom had just performed) was who he had heard when he was a child and made him want sing as well - he said had it not been for Jimmy, his path might have been completely different. He referred to Jimmy as a legend in his eyes and had teared up, he said, on at least 6 of the 10-12 songs he had performed. The opening song of the concert they would be performing that evening was the one that he had heard Jimmy play when he was 10 or 11 and it was the start of his desire to play music. He was a very nice man.
On of the funniest things he said at both of the concerts I attended was when he thanked the crowd for helping their new cd debut at #1 on the world-wide billboard music chart. He said, 'we finally beat our nemesis, Celtic Women, those bitches.' He laughed and said they were very nice people. But on the second night there was an audience participation piece as well - and this time we were sitting in our chairs on the grassy area before the stage. Behind us sat a family and they had a 'goth' looking kid of about 14ish and he was singing to their songs at the top of his lungs. This audience participation piece was in the song 'me and the moon' (which is becoming one of my favorite songs on the cd). This was a male/female contest. On the chorus the women were to throw their arms up and yell I brought the whiskey and the men were to show their cellphone lit and say 'he brought the light.' It was so amusing the way this kid got into it - he and his sister were yelling their parts and he even stood at one point and yelled, 'everybody get up' to get more into the song.
There were many great bands, vendors and the food was amazing. I can't mention them all - I recommend you check out the website though. Oh another band who does merit mentioning (though I regretfully didn't pick up their cd yet), was Pogey - another great band.
Monday, August 25, 2008
What Will They Say - Writing Prompt
I got sent this obit in my email from my writing group the other day. It is horrible enough that I am including the snopes.com assessment of it. It got me wondering about my obit. Who will write it, what will they say. If I have to define myself, how would I want to do that. What do I know and hope will be missed about me.
As a single person from a large family - I do wonder who would actually write the obit? So as a fun activity I have decided to not only write my own obit (we've all had to do this experiment before), but I am going to write a 'glowing with praise' obit and a 'most horrible person in the world obit'. I challenge you to do the same.
As a single person from a large family - I do wonder who would actually write the obit? So as a fun activity I have decided to not only write my own obit (we've all had to do this experiment before), but I am going to write a 'glowing with praise' obit and a 'most horrible person in the world obit'. I challenge you to do the same.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Michael Phelps
Congratulations and thank you Michael Phelps!!!
I have been totally involved in the Olympics this year and I haven't completely understood why. But I love it. I tear up every time some one wins, I tear up every time someone fails, and I am so invested this year.
I think for me, I love that the Olympics offer us the ability to dream. I think that is what Michael Phelps has done for me - he has taken me back to my childhood - when Mark Spitz was earning his golds. I remember that we were glued to the set - we were drawn together as a nation, but more than that - I believed that I could do whatever I set my mind to do. I was encouraged to dream - to reach for my highest aspirations and dream.
Thank you Michael Phelps for reminding me of that enthusiasm! Congrats on all your GOLD.
I have been totally involved in the Olympics this year and I haven't completely understood why. But I love it. I tear up every time some one wins, I tear up every time someone fails, and I am so invested this year.
I think for me, I love that the Olympics offer us the ability to dream. I think that is what Michael Phelps has done for me - he has taken me back to my childhood - when Mark Spitz was earning his golds. I remember that we were glued to the set - we were drawn together as a nation, but more than that - I believed that I could do whatever I set my mind to do. I was encouraged to dream - to reach for my highest aspirations and dream.
Thank you Michael Phelps for reminding me of that enthusiasm! Congrats on all your GOLD.
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