The top most interesting person in 2002

is Laura Bush, at least according to the Barbara Walters special which aired last night on ABC. It is satisfying to see Mrs. Bush acknowledged as such. It is great to have a First Lady of which one can be proud.

I Read More

I decided to start a blog to keep track of the books I read in a month. I have been unhappy that I haven't been reading as much as I used to and I have set a goal for myself of at least three books a month. That doens't seem like a lot when I used to read that in a week. There was a time when I could read a book a day (of course I didn't do anything else on those days). The blog can be found here. It has two entries already. Yea for me!

posted by deborah 7:18 AM

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

 

10 reasons to see LoTR: The Two Towers

1) HUMANS IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT
2) A NEW HERO
3) A LITTLE ROMANCE
4) THE RETURN OF GANDALF
5) A HORSE IS A HORSE
6) NEW BEASTS
7) GOLLUM/SMEAGOL
8) TREEBEARD
9) BATTLEFIELD MIDDLE-EARTH
10) ARAGORN BECOMES A LEADER

For details on the above 10, read the entire article.

posted by deborah 8:12 AM

 

This or That Tuesday
(never mind that it's Wednesday)

1. Christmas dinner: turkey or ham (or something else)? Turkey, dark meat (though my husband can bake a mean honey-glazed ham).
2. Candy canes or chocolate? Chocolate (a little dark chocolate, a little white chocolate - I like to maintain a balanced diet).
3. Fruit basket or fruitcake? Fruitcake, the kind you special order from that one place.
4. Mulled cider or mulled wine? Neither - egg nog.
5. Eggnog or hot chocolate? right
6. Holiday cookies: homemade or store-bought? Homemade (like there's even a question here).
7. Roasting chestnuts or popping corn? Never had roasting chestnuts. Never had popcorn on Christmas either.
8. On the buffet table: veggie platter or cheese tray? Cheese tray (what is this, a diet or something?).
9. Apple or pumpkin pie? Sweet potato
10. Christmas Day breakfast: before or after gift-opening? When the children are home, it's presents first!

posted by deborah 7:19 AM

Monday, December 16, 2002

 

The Pastor's Perspective

"Whenever we attempt to have the promises of God fulfilled in our lives without fulfilling the conditions of those same promises, we fall into error in our faith." ~Mike Kozowski Read the entire message

posted by deborah 3:05 PM

 

The Apostle's Creed

It was mentioned in a previous post that the twelve days of Christmas was actually a way for Christians to rembember certain things about their faith during a certain time in history. The 12 items corresponded to the Apostle's Creed. I had heard the creed before, but couldn't remember it exactly. I found this version (where else?) on the Internet.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

posted by deborah 11:34 AM

 

Monday Mission

1. So, what do you want for Christmas this year that you probably won't
get? A diamond anniversary ring. I've been talking about getting one for quite sometime, just haven't followed through.

2. What do you know you will be receiving for Christmas this year? Yes, my husband and I always pick out our own gifts. He got a monitor for his telescope and I got some software for the computer. We are in the process of ordering a new stereo with turntable so we can play all of our old albums.

3. If you had the means to do so, what presents would you get some of your
fellow bloggers? Be specific, it's more fun that way! Whatever their little hearts desired, I suppose. The bloggers I know would appreciate some quality science fiction programming to stay on TV, or new sf progams be developed (as would I).

4. Do you support any organizations that provide for the less fortunate
during the holidays? Or do any volunteer work? We donate to The Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, and the area foodbanks. No, I don't do any volunteer work.

5. Each year about this time, I notice Church attendance seems to
spike, then drops off sharply after Christmas. It tickles me that these folks
think they are pulling a fast one on the Big Guy. What is the most recent
thing guilt has motivated you to do? I don't know. Can't think of anything right off.

6. According to the commercials, the only way to truly tell someone
you love them on Christmas day is to let them "Unwrap a Jaguar" automobile.
Are there any examples of excessive commercialism and/or blatant disregard for
the "Christmas Spirit" that really get under your skin? The Christmas commercials don't bother me any more than any other commercials. Some of them are quite well done and often better than the show I am watching at the time.

7. I remember a song where the singers wished they could teach the
world to sing, in perfect harmony. What would you like to teach the world? To live in peace, what else is there?

BONUS: Do they know it's Christmas time at all? It's a bit bigoted to think that everyone would know it is Christmas. It is a "Christian" holiday after all, although I wish everyone in the world would have an appreciation for Jesus Christ.

Today's comment question: What is your favorite holiday beverage? Thick, rich egg nog!

posted by deborah 11:25 AM

Saturday, December 14, 2002

 

Solaris

The book by Stanislaw Lem is a strange story of how the planet Solaris tries to communicate with the humans on the science station that observes it. Of course, at first the scientists don't realize that is what is happening when apparitions appear and attach themselves to the three remaining scientists, the fourth having committed suicide in an apparent effort to escape the apparition that was plaguing him.

Kris Kelvin is newly arrived on station and it doesn't take long for the Ocean of Solaris to send up a copy of Kris's dead wife. Kris is horrified, then fascinated by the apparition. At first he does away with her but discovers that a new version will appear. He decides to accept her presence and work with the other two scientists to find out how to get rid of the apparitions permanantly, or maybe not!

I didn't really enjoy this book. There were large section of nothing more than rambling on and on about what was Solaris. That was quite boring actually and I found myself skipping large portions of the book. There wasn't really an ending to the story either. Things were left unresolved. I don't like that in a novel.

Solaris might be a classic, but I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

posted by deborah 11:04 PM

Friday, December 13, 2002

 

All is not as simple as it seems

In an article in the Thursday paper, it seems that a Centralia resident, Roberta Spencer claims that Ray Wallace is not the "father of Bigfoot," as claimed in an earlier article. The Centralian claims that it was her friend Rant Mullins was the real "father of Bigfoot." She says that Wallace got the idea for the hoax and his first pair of wooden feet from Mullins.

Spencer says that Mullins first heard of Sasquatch in 1924 when he and a friend were near Spirit Lake near Mount Saint Helens. They heard local miners inform the Spirit Lake Ranger Staions that "hairy apes threw rocks at them."

Years later, Mullins went to work for the Forrest Service and apparently decide to stir up a little excitement. According to Spencer, Mullins drew an outline of a friend's foot and enlarged it a few times; then cut an alder about 9 inches in diameter and 17 inches long and split two boards about 1 1/2 inches thick from it. Mullins then trimmed it and used a jack-kninfe to create one pair of feet, each of which was 14 to 15 inces long. He then claimed to have left prints around the cars of huckleberry pickers who reported the "bigfoot" prints to the ranger station.

Some years later, he gave the feet to Wallace and never got them back.

But, the paper is quick to sum it up, "if Mullins' account is true, Wallace may not be the creator of the Bigfoot legend, but he was definitely the prankster that kept the legend alive for more than 40 years.

"The miners near Spirit Lake in 1924, the same men whose stories of a large man-like ape inspired a young Rant Mullins, should perhaps be given the credit for creating Bigfoot."

posted by deborah 10:06 PM

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

 

Fantasy of another sort

I was so tickled with the book The Polar Express that I checked out three more van Allenburg books from the library. These children's books are delightful.

The Wreck of the Zephyr. A man comes upon the wreck of a ship far above where the highest waves of the ocean could deposit it. At the wreck is an old man who tells an exotic story of a young boy who thought he was the best sailor on the sea and of an island where ships sailed on air high above the ocean.

Jumanji. A brother and sister are left home alone one afternoon. They are bored, bored, bored and decide to take a walk in the park. In the park they find a board game. They take it home and decide to play especially when they find the instructions proclaim, "Jumanji, a young people's jungle adventure especially designed for the bored and restless." After playing the game, the young people will never, never, never, say they are bored again!

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. When Allen Mitz is left dogsitting the irrepressible Fritz, one of Allen's duties is to take Fritz for a walk. Things go well until they encounter a path that warns: ABOSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NO DOGS ALLOWED IN THE GARDEN. Signed: ABDUL GAZASI, RETIRED MAGICIAN. Well, Allen is all set to turn around, but Fritz has other ideas. What follows is a horse . . . er dog, of a different sort.

posted by deborah 12:12 PM

 

And after all that, some people still believe

Lewis County resident Ray Wallace passed away last week. Wallace's family recently broke decades of silence and announced many of the stories, footprints, and film footage supporting the Bigfoot theory were all false. It seems that Wallace would use friends (even his wife) in homemade Bigfoot films. He also used large wooden feet to leave tracks that got the attention of the media. He is even credited with helping coin the word "Bigfoot" when a newpaper in northern California (where Wallace was working at the time) interviewed him about mysterious tracks and sightings in 1958, after which the term soon became synonymous with the supposed creature.

Wallace apparently began his "pranks" in 1958 in an area about 50 miles east of Eureka. Wallace was a road builder, he left the giant footprints around the construction equipment parked in the woods. The footprints were an effort to scare away vandals who had been repeatedly messing with the vehicles. Trouble makers would steal fuel, batteries, sometimes even the engines. The effort worked, the thefts stopped, the stories that resulted soon became legendary.

According to newspaper reports after Wallace's death, one of his former co-workers thinks Wallace should be thanked for what he did. The co-worker says that when Wallace created the Bigfoot mythos it brought tourism to a dying California town.

posted by deborah 11:42 AM

Friday, December 06, 2002

 

One Word

This is a fun site. They give you one word, and you write about that word for a minute--whatever comes to mind. It's kind of like a poetry exercise. Fun (oh, I already said that.)

posted by deborah 10:11 PM

 

The Value of Pi

According to an AP story, the value of pi has been calculated to 1.42 trillion digits. It apparently took a group of Japanese scientists with a Hitachi supercomputer 400 hours to do the calculation, but it would take you about 40,000 years to say the number outloud. The new calculation is six times more than the old number of 206.158 billion places, which is the current Guiness World Record.

Just think of the fun the Guiness mathmetician who has to verify the new number will have. One trusts he or she will have access to the same type super computer :-) Forty thousand years is a long time.

posted by deborah 3:25 PM

 

Published

My poem "To a Silver Sea at Sunset" has been published by Artistry in Poetry. This pleases me because this is one of my favorite (and most recently written) poems. It was inspired by a photograph at Short Stuff. The photo was posted with an invitation to write a haiku caption. I didn't write a haiku, but the lyrical words for "To a Silver Sea . . ." came to mind. I wish all poems were as spontaneous as was this one.

posted by deborah 7:51 AM

 

Like Bilbo . . .
by Deborah Beachboard

I would like to live in a house in the Shire;
sit upon the stoop, smoke a pipe, blow fancy rings into the air.

I would like to go adventuring; slay the dragon,
retrieve its hoard of gold, become a legend.

I would like to live to one hundred and eleven;
celebrate, then disappear.

posted by deborah 7:04 AM

Thursday, December 05, 2002

 

Speaking of Books

A couple of months ago I decided to set a goal for myself to read at least three books a month. Since the 10th of last month I have read two books (counting the children's book mentioned below). I'm pathetic!

posted by deborah 1:43 PM

 

A Sweet Book

Last week I rode with my sister-in-law down to the Portland airport to see her mother off on a trip to California. While there, we browsed the Powell Bookstore. She mentioned that she was trying to get my brother to read their children (ages 3 and 5) books. He evidently told her he would if she would buy "The Polar Express" (which she didn't at that time, but might for Christmas). Anyway, I had hear of this book before and that it was a highly recommended children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, the author of Jumanji. I decided I wanted to read the book myself and checked it out from the public library.

It is a sweet story of a boy who takes an unexpected trip to the North Pole on "the polar express," an old-fashioned steam-powered passenger train. Once at the Pole, the boy is chosen by Santa as the one who will recieve the first Chrismas present of the year. The boy knows he could chose anything he wants, but the gift he decides to ask for is a very special gift. The gift is so special he still has it in his old age.

posted by deborah 1:41 PM

 

Return to Middle Earth


Last night the family and I watched "Return to Middle Earth" on the WB. It was fun to view scenes from the upcoming movie, The Two Towers. It was even more fun to see the comraderie among the stars while they they lived in New Zealand while the movie was being filmed. It was also astonishing to see how much effort was put into the filming of the movie. The three movies were filmed simuteously over a period of years (think three, though I'm not sure on that point). The scene involving Helm's Deep, for instance, took 4 months to shoot. It was apparently a miserable shoot, done in the dark, icy rain, and muck.

The graphic left points to a website called Middle Earth Tours. I haven't explored it fully,yet, but it looks very interesting. The webmaster of the site says, "I've collected all my favorite LotR pictures by a variety of artists, including the great John Howe and Alan Lee; reduced them just enough to make them easy to see and easy to load; and arranged them all by topic. Finally, I've added in quotes from Tolkien and a few comments of my own -- all to give you the best possible idea of what a person or place should really look like. Now you can access several artists' impressions of Gollum or Gondor or whatever at the same time, compare them, and decide for yourself which one really has the goods. Then, if you like a particular picture well enough to load the full-sized version, you can use the links on that page to find it at Rolozo Tolkien, theonering.net, There and Back Again, or the official LotR movie site. "

posted by deborah 1:30 PM

Wednesday, December 04, 2002

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their Faith openly. At that time, this traditional English carol was used as a catechism song for young Catholics. For them, it had two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning. The hidden meanings parallel the verses of the Anglican catechism song "A New Dial" about the numbers on a sun-dial.

One partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
Four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
(Originally the "calling" birds were "colly" birds = black birds., "Colly" means "black as coal" in Shakespearian English.)
Five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
(Orignally these were pictured as "golden ring"-necked pheasants, not jewelry.)
Six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophesy, serving, teaching, exortation, contribution, leadership, and mercy.
Eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
Eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
Twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

posted by deborah 2:11 PM

 

The Twelve Days

So, I was reading Dave Berry's column Monday. It was about Christmas hymns, and he mentioned that you should never start singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" because everyone is all right until they hit day five, after that the lyrics become a free-for-all (and I suppose that could get pretty ugly!).

I found that I was okay up until day nine--I knew day 8, so in the spirit of the season I Googled. Here are the 12 days:

A partridge in a pear tree
Two turtle doves . . . (we'll assume this part)
Three french hens . . .
Four calling birds . . .
Five golden rings . . .
Six geese a-laying . . .
Seven Swans a-swimming
Eight maids a-milking . . .
Nine ladies dancing . . .
Ten lords a-leaping . . .
Eleven pipers piping . . .
Twelve drummers drumming . . .

posted by deborah 2:04 PM

Tuesday, December 03, 2002

 

This or That Tuesday

1. Go out and buy gifts, or shop online/mail order? Mail order. I hate going out to shop for gifts because the closer one gets to Christmas the more crowded the stores. When I do go out to shop for gifts, it is usually in the early morning when not to many other people are out and about.
2. Gift cards/certificates or pick out gifts? I actually like to pick out gifts for everyone, unless the person is hard to please or I really don't know what they would like, then I get gift certificates.
3. Pay cash or charge holiday gifts? Pay cash, I've had it saved for some time.
4. Are most of your gifts mailed or given in person? Given in person. Most of my family and friends live close enough that it's not a problem. The children's grandparents live in California, so we ship those gifts.
5. Are you an early-bird or last-minute holiday shopper? Earlybird. I think one year, about 20 ago, I waited until the last minute to do my shopping--never again!
6. If you shop in stores...big chain stores or smaller specialty stores? Walmart! mostly.
7. Wrap gifts yourself or have them wrapped at the store or mall? Wrap them myself. I usually wrap them as I get them home, that way they don't all pile up. Or, I have the children wrap them. They like to do that, and I let them.
8. Shopping on *Black Friday* (day after Thanksgiving)...did you or didn't you? No, I think sale prices are pretty much the same all the time, so why fuss with all the crowds?
9. Is your holiday gift list large or small? Fairly large. I try to buy even for the great nieces/nephews because there is nothing worse than waiting while presents are being handed out and not getting anything, and you never know which family members are going to show up for the annual family gathering. I like everyone to have something under the tree.
10. Is it better to give or to receive? It is better to give, especially to children. Their delight can not be equaled.

posted by deborah 4:06 PM

Monday, December 02, 2002

 

I have Christmas Cards

I have received the first thee cards of the season (fa-la-la-la-la-la...). The first one is from a fellow member of UAPAA, the second is from my husband's grand-daughter. It is really cute. The graphic is of Santa using a missle as a sleigh. The caption reads "To earn extra cash, Santa does government weapons testing on the homes of bad kids." The third is from President and Mrs. Bush. I know we get one because we contributed a few meesly dollars to the campaign, and who knows how many thousand(s) of the things were sent out, but still . . . I got a Christmas card from the President of the United States of America. Cool!

posted by deborah 9:25 PM

 

Monday Mission

1. Suppose God . . . .grants you one miracle. Consider the world in which we live. Consider your life and family. What would you request for this miracle? Are you sure that is the best way to use it? You only get one. The miracle I would ask for is that everyone I know would accept Jesus as Savior. Yes, it is the best way for Jesus is "the way, the truth, the life."

2. I believe that prayers do get answered, but I realize not everyone agrees. Have you ever had an experience where you truly believe your prayer was answered? If you don't believe in such things, how come? What is your philosophy on prayer?Yes, prayers do get answered. My philosophy on prayer is "His ears are open to the cry of the righteous."

3. Have you ever lost a pet? That is, have you ever had a pet get loose, run away or be stolen? Did you get it back? How did the loss impact impact your life?
your life? When I was three or four, I had a calico cat with green eyes. It's name was Green Eyes. Anyway, we lived on a farm and one day Dad backed the tractor up over the cat. It's green eyes were squished out. It was a mess. I don't know that it impacted my life, but I still remember the event and how sad I was that the cat had died.

4. Getting together with family at the holidays is great, I just love it. Most of all I love the food. What is your favorite holiday food? Favorite holiday food? Almond Roca! (Chocolate is one of the four main food groups, isn't it?)

5. One thing I've noticed about the holidays is that no one makes Pumpkin Pie like my Grandmother. She has totally spoiled me on her recipe, I just don't like the taste of anyone else's Pumpkin Pie. Are there are dishes or desserts that someone in your family fixes better than anyone else? Of course, no one makes a turkey the way Grandma did, though now that Grandma has passed away, my husband Jim does the turkey and it's pretty darn good!

6. Since I have no brothers or sisters, I am always wondering what it would have been like. Now that I am older, it kinda stinks that I will never be an Uncle. Do you have any siblings with children? How does it make you feel to be an Aunt or an Uncle? If not, would you like to be have nieces and nephews? Would you make a good relative to them? I have quite a few nieces and nephews. I like it because it is good for a hug everytime I see one of them, like they actually like me or something!

7. I am putting together a CD of great holiday music. Do you have any suggestions of what songs (title/artist) I should include? Just some old classics, like "White Christmas" sung by Bing Crosby.

BONUS: How would you feel knowin' prejudice was obsolete and all mankind danced to the same beat? Prejudice should be obsolete already, after all there is only one race: the human race.

Today's Comment Question: Did you see Titanic? Did Rose die at the end or was she just sleeping? I say she was just asleep and dreaming. I never watched the movie. I wasn't interested in it.

posted by deborah 3:27 PM

Sunday, December 01, 2002

 

The Pastor's Perspective

"In other words, our present struggles are simply an investment toward the rich inheritance of God's glory in the long run. This glory will make our burdens seem like weightless trifles." ~Mike Kozowski Read the entire message.

posted by deborah 4:48 PM

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