Brain Teaser of the Day*

Six letters have I, and many more;
One word tells what the others are for;
Conceal a thing is what I do;
So what am I? Need a clue?

Words together make this rhyme;
Now while you ponder for a time,
Your brain is on a merry chase,
And I'm staring you right in the face!

*From Brainangle.com

Thanksgiving Fun

Playing guitar with my cousin Hanzel.
Escaping my dad's new attack birds.
Baking/Cooking.
Seeing family I haven't seen in a really long time.
Catch Phrase with over twenty people (The guys creamated the ladies).
Getting a face covered in mud.
Dunkin' Donuts.
Graceful moments such as tripping over invisible sidwalk bumps.
Discussing movies with my dentist (Yes, he was working on my teeth at the time).
Cats & Dogs (not the movie).
Hammers, nails, and tin roofing.

Giving Thanks

'Tis the season so I'm going to list a few things I'm thankful for, though I must say this is the massively truncated version.

Being healthy and alive
Awesome friends and a supportive family
Great co-workers
The blessing of a home and income to share
The opportunity to lead a small group and to share life with other people
Being able to see, hear, sing, and talk
Smiles
Laughter
The smell of rain and the comforting hypnotism of a warm, cozy fire
Hot tea and good books
Hugs
The ability to hike and play and generally immerse myself in the beauty of creation
Thunderstorms and snow flurries
Memories and being able to recall them
Cooking, sewing, baking, and the like
Gummy Bears (bouncin' here and there and everywhere...)
Faith and Hope

Oh there's so much more to even begin to list them all in humbling. I mean, those are the macro things, let alone the micro things like synoptic nerve tissue firing electronic impulses, H2O molecules reacting uniquely in transformation through phases, the exact cubic crystals of sugar and the fact that Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the ABC song have the same tune. YEA!

PS--You know you just started singing one of those if you've read this far.

Fun Fact

According to the US federal government, no person has legally died of old age since 1950. As of January 1, 1951, old age legally cannot be listed as a cause of death; underlying causes such as organ/tissue failure are required to be cited. There is still debate concerning this logic in cases such as a 97 year old John Doe passing away while sleeping due to cardiac failure who was otherwise in perfect health. In other words, if he didn't die of old age, why did his heart stop?

Oh, and for the record, road traffic accidents, consumption, and unintentional injuries are still acceptable.

L'amour and le mariage

This article saddens me greatly. On one hand, there is something to the argument that marriage and intimacy are very personal things, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to dedicate my life to someone who wouldn't make a public statement to the same effect. Its a matter of accountability in working on building the relationship. It also saddens me that most of the couples mentioned in this article have been together significantly longer the the average American rate for years married before divorcing. Its just a very sad commentary upon our societal direction and priorities.

The quotes below, located at the end of the article, come from a long term, cohabiting couple, Folet and Titouh. Maybe it's petty, but to say that marriage does nothing for them and then use the terms husband and wife to make social situation easier though they refuse to acknowledge it legally or religiously seems like a major logical schism to me.

"I don't see how marriage would bring any more to our union as a couple," Folet said. "It doesn't take away anything, it doesn't bring anything."

Followed by: "Saying, 'This is my friend or my companion,' doesn't say you've been together as long as we have," Titouh said. "So I say, 'This is my wife,' not to have problems."

"When you say 'husband' and 'wife,' it's more concrete," Folet conceded. "More like a real couple, not a relationship in passing."

Weekend Reminder of Friendship

The major life lessons of the weekend were reminders defining friendship, both good and bad. Last evening I was looking through my quote journal and found a few great thoughts to ponder and to share:

"Sometimes the measure of friendship isn't your ability to not harm but your capacity to forgive the things done to you and ask forgiveness for your own mistakes." ~Randy K. Milholland

"A good relationship expands your circle of influence rather than closing in on itself." ~Mike Godzwa

"It’s the friends you can call up at four a.m. that matter." ~Marlene Dietrich

"Adversity does teach who your real friends are." Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

"There isn’t much better in this life than finding a way to spend a few hours in conversation with people you respect and love. You have to carve this time out of your life because you aren’t really living without it." ~RealLivePreacher.com August 27, 2003

"If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair." ~Samuel Johnson

"I couldn't be friends with somone I couldn't find the absurdity in." ~Darcy Scott

"Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." ~Albert Camus (often attributed to but not confirmed)

"A friend is one who walks in when others walk out" ~Walter Winchell

"Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden). The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, "What? You too? I thought I was the only one." . . . . It is when two such person discover one another,when, whether with immense difficulties and semi-articulate fumblings or with what would seem to us amazing and elliptical speed, they share their vision - it is then that Friendship is born. And instantly they stand together in an immense solitude." ~C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Brain Teaser of the Day*

Can you identify the following songs and their artists?

1) Refrain from halting, the first person, immediately.
by Female monarch.

2) Multiple timepieces.
by Low temperature, stage production.

3) Unbleached, natural sweetener.
by Perpetual motion of small rock.

4) Sugary infant, belonging to me.
by Firearms & thorny plants.

5) Refrain from remaining, on your feet, near myself.
by Poisoned insect injection.

*from Braingle.com
Answers are listed as a comment, but no cheating.

Air Force Memorial

Lyrics to Life: "I Enjoy Being a Girl"

In response to some verbal comments I've received concerning last Wednesday's posting, I couldn't help but post these lyrics.

“I enjoy that my silhouette is curvy.
That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait…
I adore being dressed in something frilly,
When my date comes to get me at my place…

When I have a brand new hairdo
With my eyelashes all in curl
I float as the clouds on air do
I enjoy being a girl…

When men say I'm cute and funny…
As around in a dance we whirl,
I just lap it up like honey
I enjoy being a girl…

When someone with eyes that smoulder
Says he loves ev'ry silken curl
That falls on my iv'ry shoulder,
I enjoy being a girl…”

~from Flower Drum Song, I Enjoy Being a Girl

Anne's 21st

.

The lovely Scottish Warrior Princesses strike again.

Lyrics to Life: "One of the Guys"

So, a good friend sent me this lyric and well, I think this says it all. I love being girlly but I can hold my own. Its often hard for other people, especially guys, to put the two together, but I maintain that it is entirely possible for a girl to be a lady and a tom-boy at the same time.

"I love getting all dressed up to the nines
But sometimes it's fun to be one of the guys
Somethin' bout old blue jeans and a baseball cap
Fellas I get it and I admit it
It just don't get any better than that ...
I like to put my hair up in a ponytail
Climb up in a pickup and just raise some hell
Have a four-wheelin mind boggling real good time
Then go home and play poker all night long
I still love chick flicks and a real good cry
But sometimes it's fun to be one of the guys"
~Kellie Pickler, One of the Guys

Letting go...

"Sometimes it is harder to deprive oneself of a pain than of a pleasure." ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is such an odd statement; yet it is so true. Too often the heartaches we face come not from letting go of those we love, but rather in holding on to things we mistake for love. We often cause ourselves undue pain and heartache by not wanting to let go of something or someone, because we think it is or that they are exactly what we want. I love Corrie ten Boom's sentiment on this:

"I've learned to hold things loosely in my grip, lest God need to pry it from my hands."

We need to hang on through struggles and not lose faith while trusting that God knows what's best for our hearts. It is God and faith that we must never lose. It is rare that these things will cause us pain, though other things may bring pain as we stand up for them. Too many pains could be avoided if rather than clinging desperately to someone or something without which we do not want to live, we allow ourselves to give things up to God. He may take them away for a while; He may allow us to keep them; He may take them away completely; but, in the end, His will for us and our relationship with Him is better than anything we might imagine .

The sweet, sweet smell of success

Emily Dickinson once said that "Success is counted sweetest/by those who ne'er succeed/ to comprehend a nectar /requires sorest need." And while there are definitely times when I agree with her, esepcially concerning the generally successes of everyday living, last evening was definitely a great example of a successful person relishing success. Vsev's movie is great. Even better was being there for his night, to see him beaming all evening. And, the best was hearing him tell of how thankful he was to everyone who helped with the film and supporting him in its making.

I'm so blessed to have such awesome friends.

Ex-Mas Eve Premieres Tonight

The long awaited movie premieres tonight. YAY!
Sir Vsevolod rocks. That's all I have to say on the matter.




Chris, Rob and Alex have just been dumped, but they are not about to let their ex-girlfriends ruin the holidays. Instead, they launch a collaborative effort to get back at the three women who broke their hearts.

Written and directed by Vsevolod Horodyskyj. Starring Joshua Mims, Jefferson Smith, Bret Terrill, Rachael Barainca, Megan Lee, Lori Lewis and Randahl N. Lindgren.

This film has won several top honors at the Visions Film Festival including Best Screenplay.

For more information check out: http://www.exmaseve.com