I feel like a scene out of Fiddler on the Roof

It wasn't much but it was home...

I am in shock about AOL closing up our journal world.  But, why does it not surprise me that they tell us using that stupid banner!  That is just another example of how out of touch they are with their customers. 

Remember the scene from Fiddler on the Roof when the towns people were forced out of their homes so abruptly?  That is how I feel but believe me, I will not be like the mom in that scene.  When I shut the door, I am leaving the mess on the floor.  No last minute sweeping for me. 

I will get over this and hope to keep in touch with as many ofyou as possible.  I am writing down as many email addresses as possible and invite you to come over to my new home

http://dustbunnyprotector.blogspot.com/

 

Leave a link to your new home.  I will come visit.

 

Donna

Tags: this sucks, this sucks, this sucks

Introducing: Miss L

This past Friday was a red letter day for me.  My granddaughter, Miss L, actually spent the night at my house.  This was a first.  She is 14 months old and up until now, I have done all my babysitting at her place.  I had agreed to watch her while her parents went out and they were planning to pick her up before they headed home.  Logistically it was just going to be too many miles going in too many directions so I asked if we could make it a sleep over.  I picked her up and then drove her to my place.   

What fun we had!  I had placed two stuffed animals on one of my chairs and maybe it was because they were at eye-level, or maybe because she is just so smart, Miss L made a beeline for the toys.  She recognized the fun stuff right away. 

Miss L is getting to the stage where she says a lot of things but mostly jabbers and you listen for any word you can pick out.  You can tell she is telling you something because she will say the same "words" over and over and I just wish I could translate.  She will repeat most of the words you ask her to say (which has put me on my best behavior when she rides in the car with me!) and gives a good effort to multiple syllables like "butterfly."  My son in law is a big Cowboys fan and has taught Miss L to say, "Go, Romo!"  I have been working with her on "Trick or Treat" and hope to surprise her mommy and daddy by the end of October.  It is like having your own Mina bird that hugs and kisses.

Saturday morning when she finally woke up, I stood around the corner, out of view for a few seconds.  Jabber, jabber, jabber, Nana, jabber.  When she looked up and saw me she started to grin and melted my heart with a big, "Nana!"  Whata sweetie!

I have started the "anything you want" fund.  I think it will come in handy.

Tags: Miss L, sleep over, Nana

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Grateful to someone I don't know

As I mentioned in a previous entry, when I went to the air balloon festival last weekend, I thought my camera was charged enough but, just as the majority of the balloons were lifting off, my battery died and I was not able to capture some of what I thought would be the best shots.

I looked around as we were leaving and saw some folks with cameras much like mine. I pulled out something to write on and jotted down my email address. I approached two different people and told them of my situation and asked if they would mind emailing me some of the last shots that I had missed.  They agreed and one of the people came through.  Yeah!  Not sure if it was the lady by herself or the couple where both were taking pictures with their own camera.  Either way, I am very happy to get shots that I missed. 

I am sharing this entry with them and I am so glad that they were kind enough to help me out when they did not know me from Adam/Eve.  Just the simple kindness of strangers.

I love the composition of their shots. 

Tags: air balloon festival, grateful

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ABC - Air Balloons and a Camera

 

Things have been so crazy for me since I went back to work, trying to catch up with everything that must be complete before the end of the month.  I am just not getting enough sleep.  But, what do I do when I get home?  I get online, read other people's journals, leave some comments (but never enough), try to figure out my camera, fiddle around with this computer I inherited from my brother, save tags from the new tag group I have joined, organize pictures into folders, answer emails and maybe, just maybe, I add a new entry of my own. 

I stopped earlier at Walgreens and, now that I have my most recent pictures saved to a disk, I can show you some of the shots I got this past weekend at the air balloon festival.  I love my camera!!  Three years of using disposables will make you appreciate most anything but this is really user friendly and I have not even taken any of the free classes offered with the purchase - yet. I can hardly wait to learn about lighting and aperture and filters.  I am pleased that I got the zoom lens since some of my favorite shots were taken with it.

At the festival, they started with a small air show which was fun.  This is where I ended up with so many shots of the jumpers' backsides.  I will spare you the other 20 views and share my favorites.

And, then there were the balloons. 

 

I have never been this close to a launch before so it was fascinating to see how involved it all is and to watch the crew.

And, this was the last shot I got before my camera battery died. Talk about your failure to launch!!  It was still so pretty and my granddaughter, Miss L, kept pointing and saying Wow!

The perfect end to a wonderful vacation!

Tags: air balloons, camera, airshow

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Just another day at the zoo

I was on vacation and away from the office for 12 days and going back has kicked my butt!  I am having trouble getting motivated and that is just not like me.  The days usually fly by but I find myself watching the clock now.  Maybe it is because summer is officially over and the days are getting shorter - outside but not in my office.  Whatever it is, I better snap out of it soon!!

This past weekend I went with my daughter and granddaughter to an air balloon festival.  It was a blast and I got a lot of great pictures.  Too bad the battery died on my camera just as the majority of the balloons took off. Good grief.  Every time I use my new camera I learn a valuable lesson.  This time I learned that even if you think you have enough juice in the camera, recharge the battery the night before.  Better yet, buy a back-up battery.  I think where I went wrong was taking so many pictures of the air show and the sky divers as they made their descent.  With a fast shutter digital, it is so easy to take 30 - 50 pictures before you even realize it.  And, how many pictures do you really need of the same group of guys floating to earth?  I ended up with a bunch of rear-end shots, from teeny tiny to full screen!

This was a three day festival and they were expecting over 85,000 to attend over the course of the three days.  We went on Saturday and I am pretty sure we were three of at least 50,000. Long lines at every concession stand and the kids' activities were super crowded.  Walking down the main street my daughter was attacked by a life size cardboard cutout of Barack Obama. (Someone must have bumped it from behind and it fell at her, face first.)  We started to laugh and obviously offended one of the campaigners who screamed, "Hey!  There are thousands of us!  Thousands!"  I assume she meant BO supporters but regardless, it took me a minute or two to convince Tenderheart it really was not the time or place to engage in a discussion of the merits of cardboard. <smile> 

I am still trying to figure out how to manage my pictures, taking them from the camera to the computer without a trip to Walgreens first and tonight was no exception.  Maybe tomorrow.

Big thanks to Betty for helping me get rid of those pesky SPAM comments.  Funny, how you can see a button/word/action on the screen but never really see it.  Duh!  Now I know how to use "Actions" on each comment.    

Tags: air balloons, barack obama, skydivers, camera,

Patrick's Saturday Six - Episode 231

What’s in a name? Well, when it comes to your own, it’s all about whom you ask. This week’s set of questions will take a look at your name to try to find what secret meanings or hidden traits you might not even have known you have. And just to make sure you get a good picture of yourself, there are two memes to work with.

For both memes, use your real first name, but if you’re not comfortable posting your real first name, just list the traits it lists to that name. Neither quiz lists results as words that start with each letter of your name, so you should be able to disguise your name if you wish.

Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as “first to play,” you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!

1. Take the quiz: What Is Your Name’s Hidden Meaning?

2. Which single sentence best describes your personality?

3. Of any negative traits listed in the results that you think are really true about your personality, which one do you most wish you could change?

4. Take the quiz: What Does Your Name Say About You?

5. Which of the two results describes you better, the first set or the second?

6. What single word from the second set of questions best describes your personality?

 

My answers:

 

What Donna Means

You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

 

2.  Which single sentence best describes your personality?

 

You are loyal and people can count on you.

 

3.  Of any negative traits listed in the results that you think are really true about your personality, which one do you most wish you could change?

 

You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

 

 

 

What Your Name Says About You

Your name says that you are mostly: Shrewd but overbearing Your name also says you are: Moral but jealous Unconventional but unstable Ambitious but stubborn

What Does Your Name Say About You?

 

5.  Which of the two results describes you better, the first set or the second?

 

The first set of answers.

 

6.  What single word from the second set of questions best describes your personality?

 

Stubborn

Embarrassing Moments - Part V

Some years ago I worked in a high rise building. I happened to have an assigned parking place in the basement which had many advantages.  It gave me quick and easy access to the underground elevator. 

In the winter, the wind whipped through the parking garage with a vengeance and we found ourselves hurrying to the elevator bay to get out of the cold.  Because of the pressure of the interior of the building against the outdoor suction of the wind, the door leading to the elevators did not always close properly.  A notice was sent out to all the tenants of the building to take extra care to close the door and not allow the building's heat to escape into the garage. 

One morning I found myself rushing into the building, trying not to be late.  My arms were full of folders and pages of the current project assigned to me and my purse was hanging precariously on my shoulder. I entered the elevator bay by myself and realized I did not hear the heavy outside door close behind me.  Without turning to look, I reached back with my free hand and pulled the door handle.  No, wait!  I did not feel the metal of the door handle.  I realized I was feeling material. Kind of a wool blend  - like a suit. 

I turned back and, to my horror, I saw the stricken look on the face of a very tall, handsomely dressed black man. I had grabbed him below the belt and all I could do was blurt out "Oh, I am so sorry. I was reaching for the door handle!  I am sooo sorry."  He didn't (or, more likely, couldn't) respond.

Awkward silence followed as we stood in the elevator bay waiting for what seemed like an eternity.  I could feel my face was hot and I just prayed he would say something to break the tension.  Nothing. We got on the elevator,  just the two of us, and he no doubt moved to the furthermost part of the elevator from me. Silence. 

I prayed he would exit the elevator on one of the first floors ahead of me but instead we continued our ride together.  Oh, please, Lord.  Don't let him be a co-worker.  I eventually got off at my designated stop and he continued on, never to be seen by me again.

Naturally, I had to share my story with my girlfriends in the office and as politically incorrect as it may have been, I reinforced a stereotype that day. He had made quite an impression on me, as I am sure I did on him as well.

Tags: embarrassing moment, elevator