The New Uniform is Here!

...and he's ready!



The sweatshirt is a little big on him, but at the rate he is growing, I figure it won't be for long.

Play Ball!!!

Ghirardelli

Dark Chocolate and Caramel...

Does Life even GET any better than this? :D

Natalie

Here is little Natalie on Easter Sunday. She is my Aunt Marlene's 4th great-grandchild, born February 9th. She is just perfect.

Fambly

Here we are for Easter dinner, clockwise, Ian, Aunt Mary, Laureen, Dorinda, Karen, and Bill's elbow. {heavy sigh} Photographer is not going to go on my resume any time soon.

Bowling and Butternut Squash Soup

I had so much fun today with Ian and my Aunt Mary and my cousins, Bill, Dorinda, Karen and Laureen. We bowled.

Well. . . Okay. I'm stretching the truth a bit.

We tried to bowl. Ian beat the pants off more than one of us with his high score of 93. (Yes, that includes me.)

Funny thing...no one was asking us to join their league. :D

After bowling, we went back to Bill and Dorinda's home for Easter lunch. Rin made this outstanding butternut squash soup that was TO DIE FOR. I helped puree the soup with an immersion blender. Every time I go there, I learn something new. This immersion blender is a very cool apparatus. You put the end of it in the pan, and push the button, and it purees, while the stuff is hot! I was very impressed, and I want one. Even if I only use it to make more butternut squash soup, it will be worth it. I think I could probably use it to make applesauce, too, though, so the investment will be worthwhile.

DFoos said...

Does this mean that you've had a change of feelings about cooking? :D

Serena said...
LOL! Let's just say I'm willing to try some things. I'm just not ready to 'run with scissors' where cooking is concerned yet. Of course, things just taste so much better when someone else is doing the cooking. I can't make an omelet taste as good as Bill's. And not for lack of trying! :D

Rainwater

I read this book this evening. It put a lot of messages between the lines about life's lessons and helping your community. Publishers Weekly, quoted by Barnes and Noble, says, "Bestseller Brown (Smash Cut) brings Depression-era Texas to vivid life in this poignant short novel. At the recommendation of Dr. Murdy Kincaid, Ella Barron, a hardworking woman whose husband deserted her, accepts David Rainwater, a relative of the doctor's, as a lodger at the boarding house she runs in the small town of Gilead, Tex. As the local community contends with a government program to shoot livestock and the opposition of racist Conrad Ellis, a greedy meatpacker, to poor families butchering the meat, Ella grows closer to David. Meanwhile, David becomes a special guardian angel to Solly, Ella's nine-year-old autistic son. Dr. Kincaid has gently suggested Ella put Solly in an institution, but she refuses to do so. Brown skillfully charts the progress of Ella and David's quiet romance, while a contemporary frame adds a neat twist to this heartwarming but never cloying historical."

If I am not mistaken, Sandra Brown usually writes romance novels. This particular novel wasn't heavy on the romance, and I enjoyed it.

Twilight Puts Me to Sleep

After fighting it for quite some time now, I finally read (and finished) Twilight. Ian wanted me to read it to see if it was okay for him to read. {heavy sigh} So I did.

It was a fast read. I finished it in less than 4 hours. I thought it was rather boring, and I fought the urge to close my eyes for a nap about half way through. I'm not sure what the allure is. I mean, if you really want to read a vampire tale, shouldn't you pick up something by Anne Rice?

Ian wants me to read the rest of the series ahead of him. I think I'll pass.

Steve said: Twilight?!

Try Terry Pratchett's Nation. If you like that and find it appropriate for your son, Pratchett has about fifty books in the Discworld series. He is excellent. He has won awards for his Tiffany Aching books, based in Discworld. He also has Alzheimers and some day may be forced to stop writing. They are some of the best novels I have ever read.

You can rent Hogfather, a Discworld Christmas movie based on one of the books. Jim Butcher's Dresden Files may be up to snuff. Jasper Forde is fun as well.

If YOU want to read Vampire books for adults, Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series is good, but after about ten she drifts and replaces plot with sex. And the Southern Vampire books by Charlaine Harris are worth the read. Trueblood, the tv series, is based on them.

I saw the Texas Depression book. Have you ever read Giant? The movie is good but the book is better.

Serena said:

LOL! Thank you so much! Ian wanted to read Twilight, but I wouldn't let him read it until I had read it first. I didn't want him reading inappropriate content, and I wasn't really sure what was in it. He is loving it, but then again, he's 9. I thought it was awful. :D

Vampire books really aren't my thing. I will check out your suggestions for Ian. I, too, am more of a murder mystery type. I have been hooked since I was Ian's age reading "Encyclopedia Brown". Remember those? I moved from that to Agatha Cristie's Murder on the Orient Express. GREAT book by a GREAT author. :D

I love Dick Francis and Mary Higgins Clark (Moonlight Becomes You is one of my favorites, and The Cradle Will Fall). I like more plot than sex. I've read some of the Nora Roberts as JD Robb stuff, and although I find the futuristic cop idea pretty cool, I think the sex in the stories takes away from the stories, if you know what I mean. What murder and mayhem authors would Dawn recommend?

Steve said...
Have you read the Dexter books? Pretty fun. Dawn has been read books by Chelsea Cain. She likes the Kathy Reichs books too.

Pratchett's books aren't just for children. He writes them to be enjoyed by all. Many are mysteries in their own right. One of the few authors will make me laugh and sniffle back a small tear at times. He writes to and about people, things that are universal and strikes home for everyone.

If Ian likes the fantasy stuff, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Howard's Conan books are wonderful. Tarzan kicks a**, and soon the John Carter of Mars movie will be out.

Neil Gaiman is another Brit author with kids' books, like Coraline. You can try American Gods if interested.

Douglass Adams books are worth the read. Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy has been a movie, but the tv miniseries is better.

Serena said...

I LOVED Hitchhiker's Guide -- and I read it LONG before they decided to make it a movie. :D The pages in my hard-covered copy are dog-earred from re-reads.

I think Ian and I will hit the library tonight.

Steve said...
There is the Doc Savage series too. The best and greatest of pulp fiction stories. Superman was based on Doc Savage.

Your library probably carries the original British miniseries of Hitchhiker's Guide. It is very close to the books, unlike the movie.

Serena said...
I thought the Hitchhiker movie stunk. The Erie County Library lets readers reserve copies of whatever they have to your local library by requesting online, so I will request the miniseries online from the Library and have them send it to my library. Life is good!

Steve said...
By the way, American Gods is for adults. Gaiman has a children's line, and a whole bunch of comics. Just in case. Well worth the read and kind of a mystery too.

Lots of great authors, so little time.

Serena said...

I truly enjoyed a few by Rick Riordan, who wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympian Gods series (that spawned The Lightning Thief). He is writing another children's series, also, called The 39 Clues. Excellent boy stuff - mysteries with history. I am so glad Ian is a reader. Ian also liked Pendragon and wants me to get more of those.

You are SO right -so many great authors, so little time.

Tweaked

My nephew came over today and 'tweaked' my computers at home. Life is good! He found the drivers I needed for my old laptop, so Ian can use it now for games/movies. And he upgraded my new laptop to Windows 7, uneventfully.

Thank you, Eric!

(He's so good to me, even though I forget his birthday.)

The Joy of Mathematics

For fun in the evenings, Ian and I have been watching a series of lectures called "Joy of Mathematics". The lectures are taught by Arthur T. Benjamin, Ph.D. They are wonderful! I especially enjoyed the lecture on the Fibonacci series of numbers, and Ian got a kick out of the lecture on Algebra. (He gets it!) All the lectures are in plain English, and Dr. Benjamin makes them easy to understand.

Dr. Benjamin gives excellent examples on how things work and why. (For example,"Think of a number between 1 and 10. Triple it. Add 6. Then triple again. Now take your answer, probably a two-digit number, and add the digits of your answer. If you still have a two-digit number, add those digits again. You should now be thinking of the magical number 9. The reason this works is based on algebra and the fact that the digits of any multiple of 9 must sum to a multiple of 9.")

I learned how to square any number ending in 5 without a calculator. And how to multiply any two-digit number by 11, yes, without a calculator. Ian thinks it's amazing. I think it is really, really cool.

It is obvious as we are watching the lectures that Dr. Benjamin loves Mathematics as much as I do. I am thoroughly enjoying them!

Michael said...I wonder if that DVD is available for rent some time in the future???

Serena said...

You could 'rent' it from me. :) I'll let you borrow it when I'm done. It's really interesting!

A "Math" Pun

There were three Indian squaws. One slept on a deerskin, one slept on an elk skin, and the third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All three became pregnant. The first two each had a baby boy. The one who slept on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. This just goes to prove that...

The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.

I love it!

A Pun

A marine biologist developed a race of genetically engineered dolphins that could live forever if they were fed a steady diet of seagulls. One day, his supply of the birds ran out so he had to go out and trap some more. On the way back, he spied two lions asleep on the road. Afraid to wake them, he gingerly stepped over them.

Immediately, he was arrested and charged with...transporting gulls across sedate lions for immortal porpoises.

On-Line at Home - Finally!

The Internet is still running slow, but hopefully my nephew will be able to make some sense of it when he comes over this weekend.

Women and Weight

Received this by email today...

With time, women gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror, I will think, Good grief, look how smart I am!

Windows 7

I recently attempted an upgrade to Windows 7 on my new Dell laptop, which THANKFULLY is still under warranty.

A Dell technician and I misunderstood each other. He asked me if I had backed up all my data. Yes, I replied, I have backed up all my personal files and photos. Okay, said he, because this upgrade will erase them. No problem, I said. All my personal files and photos are on CDs. He began the upgrade for me, and said I should be completely upgraded in about 45 minutes.

Well. Windows 7 erased EVERYTHING - -including my programs!!! My Microsoft Office suite? Gone. Games? Gone. Adobe Acrobat? Gone. My printer and drivers? Gone. My integrated webcam? Gone. What a nightmare.

I figured I could reinstall the programs from the discs that came with the computer. Unfortunately, the discs, which had never been removed from their packaging, arrived damaged. The Microsoft Office CD was actually cracked, and it wasn't noticable until I removed it from the packaging, which it was stuck to. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

By this time I am almost in tears. I called Dell and, of course, was directed to a very nice gentleman whose native language is not English. I believe I understood roughly 3/4 of everything he said. Ultimately, he and his manager took pity on me. They are shipping a new hard drive to me, a factory image of what I had, so I can start from scratch again with what I originally ordered.

Language barriers and lack of technological knowledge cause a whole gamut of problems. I am grateful Dell is making it right with me. I should be up and running at home again in about 4 days.

Lacrosse

Ian and I went to a Rochester Nighthawks lacrosse game yesterday with Dorinda and Bill. I don't really have a good grasp on the game, but we had a great time. The goalie for the Nighthawks, Pat O'Toole, tied a record for saves.

Lacrosse seems to have some elements of hockey with some elements of basketball. I don't know if there really are any rules. I mean, what constitutes 'roughing'? They are always hitting each other and pushing each other...where does playing the game end and roughing begin?

I'm going to get 'Lacrosse for Dummies'. :)

Reading - For Fun!

I ordered my textbooks and am all set for next semester (Economics and Marketing), so I decided to do some reading for fun.

Ian wanted to go see "The Lightning Thief" when it came out, so prior to seeing the movie, we read the novel. And then I continued on and read Sea of Monsters, Titan's Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, and Last Olympian. An excellent series! Ian is now reading Sea of Monsters, and he can't put it down.

I started on another 'kid' series...Ian begged me to read the City of Ember series, which, until he read the Lightning Thief, were "The GREATEST books EVER!" It's a series of four books, all very good books with lessons to be learned about getting along and saving the planet. I read City of Ember and People of Sparks so far. I've started on the Prophet of Yonwood, the third book, and then Diamond of Darkhold is left.

Ian also wants me to read Twilight. I've never been into vampire stories, so I'm not thrilled about it, but I will humor him anyway. I'm putting it off, though, as I also started the 'Women's Murder Club' series by James Patterson. I read First to Die, Second Chance, Third Degree, and I'm about half-way through Fourth of July.

Oh, and I've also re-read Clive Cussler's Sahara, also an excellent book. Clive Cussler is one of my favorite authors. He's right up there with Dick Francis and Mary Higgins Clark. The movie Sahara was also very good.

Next on the novel list are Echo Burning by Lee Child and Missing by Lisa Jackson. Murder and mayhem. :) Erica, one of the ladies I work with, read the entire Prey series by John Sanford, and she is going to let me borrow them. Life is good!

Of course, I'm also keeping up with the Wall Street Journal and Money Magazine to try to keep up with the wonderful world of finance.

Oh! And I ordered, and started watching, a great DVD course entitled The Joy of Mathematics. It's a great course! I've learned all kinds of neat things, like about the Fibonacci series and various patterns it makes, how to square numbers ending in 5 without a calculator, cool, cool, cool stuff.

The sun was shining today, and it was well over 50 degrees outside. It was great to sit in the sun for a little bit, soak in fresh air and rays, while reading a book. One of my favorite pastimes...

Can't you just tell I'm smiling?

4.0!

That would be my final grade in Quantitative Analysis!

WHOO HOO!

Michael said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Serena said...

Thank you! It was hard work. :D

Advice to the Lovelorn

There is a boy named Jack and a girl named Devan who ride the school bus with Ian, and apparently Jack is head over heels for Devan. I heard about this in an almost non-stop narrative from Ian the other night.

Mom! There's this guy Jack on my bus, and he told me he is gonna tell Devan he loves her! I told him you can't DO that! If you just come right out and tell a girl you love her, she'll smack you upside the head!

She will?!?

Yeah, Mom. Girls do that these days. So I told him first, you gotta ask your Mom to get you some deodorant, because you can't tell a girl you love her if you smell bad. And he's gotta lose that hat he wears. He wears this wool hat, and it is NOT attractive. I told him he should wear a Sabres cap or something. He's got to ditch that hat.

It's that bad?

Oh, yeah. And I told him he's got to dress fashionably. You can't tell a girl you love her if you are wearing sweatpants and have a hole in your t-shirt. That's just dumb. I told him he's got to wear jeans and a nice shirt, maybe something at Abercrombie, and make sure he smells good. That's important to girls.

It sure is. Did you shower today?

Why? I'm not telling any girl I love her.

{heavy sigh}

Michael said...

I'm very glad to see that he knows the only reason a man needs to shower. :D

Jeff said...

and when not to wear your PJ's :D

Serena said...

Heaven help me.

Anonymous said...

This is the dad from Ian's baseball who doesn't like watching baseball. I thought thought you'd like to know I thought this post was funny.

Serena said...

Thank you, Jack's Dad! LOL! Not too many dull moments in my house, that's for sure!

Asbestos

Unencapsulated asbestos.

"Leave it alone and you'll be fine. It's only dangerous if you mess with it."

So good to hear. I'll just keep this in case I ever get diagnosed with mesothelioma. Just in case.

And now, the Lighter Side :)

"Desperata"
sent to me by my brother, I don't know who wrote it.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what peace there may be in apathy.
As far as possible be on good terms with all persons and be prepared to surrender your ideals in order to find acceptance from others.

Speak your truth clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too may be rich and powerful.

Do not extend yourself; those who reach out are easily hurt. Accept the life-style you are handed.
System-bucking is uneconomic and unwise, considering all you have to look forward to.
In an ever-changing world, strive to be the same. Be yourself, whatever that means.

Especially avoid affection. No one likes a sook.
Do not distress yourself searching for answers to deep questions of self-examination.
Be content with emotional charges from occasional religious activities.
Keep your religion, whatever you conceive it to be, separate from your mind.

There is comfort to be found in vagueness. Avoid the enthusiastic, their feelings may be contagious.
Beyond an occasional discipline, don’t push yourself.
Reject kindly the counsel of the aged and experienced. They are well-meaning but things are different these days. Still, humour them - as you too may be old one day.

You are a child of the system. No less than a credit card, you have a right to be here.

And, whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as your perceptions will allow it.

Whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life let not prejudice and fear break down your walls of contentment.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; selfishness, corruption and self-defeating internal wars, emptiness, disappointment, carelessness and hate, fear, persecution, home-spun comforting philosophy and people, it is still a beautiful contract.

Be carefree; strive to be vapid; pushback when ready.

Deteriorata

Go placidly amid the noise and the waste and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.

Avoid quiet & passive persons unless you are in need of sleep. Rotate your tires. Speak glowingly of those greater than yourself & heed well their advice, even though they be turkeys; know what to kiss & when.

Consider that two wrongs never make a right, but that three do. Wherever possible, put people on hold. Be comforted that in the face of all aridity & disillusionment & despite the changing fortunes of time, there is always a big future in computer maintenance. Remember the Pueblo. Strive at all times to bend, fold, spindle & mutilate.

Know yourself; if you need help, call the FBI. Exercise caution in your daily affairs, especially with those persons closest to you -- that lemon on your left, for instance. Be assured that a walk through the ocean of most souls would scarcely get your feet wet. Fall not in love therefore; it will stick to your face.

Gracefully surrender the things of youth, birds, clean air, tuna, Taiwan; & let not the sands of time get in your lunch. Hire people with hooks. For a good time, call 606-4311; ask for Ken. Take heart amid the deepening gloom that your dog is finally getting enough cheese; & reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot, it could only be worse in Milwaukee.

You are a fluke of the universe; you have no right to be here, & whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back.

Therefore make peace with your God whatever you conceive Him to be -- Hairy Thunderer or Cosmic Muffin.

With all its hopes, dreams, promises, & urban renewal, the world continues to deteriorate. Give up.


Copyright © National Lampoon. Written by Tony Hendra.