Sunday, May 29, 2011

Eucharistic Prayer C

The Book of Common Prayer has four options for the Eucharistic Prayer within Rite II, and C is my favorite. Apparently, after doing a little googling, I've discovered that it's often made fun of because of its almost hippie-like references to space. Well that happens to be why I like it! It makes God seem really infinite and people really small.

Eucharistic Prayer C
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds
God of all power, Ruler of the Universe, you are worthy of glory and praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.

At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.
By your will they were created and have their being.

From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill. You made us the rulers of creation. But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another.
Have mercy, Lord, for we are sinners in your sight.

Again and again, you called us to return. Through prophets and sages you revealed your righteous Law. And in the fullness of time you sent you only Son, born of a woman, to fulfill your Law, to open for is the way of freedom and peace.
By his blood, he reconciled us. By his wounds, we are healed.

And therefore we praise you, joining with the heavenly chorus, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all those in every generation who have looked to you in hope, to proclaim with them your glory, in their unending hymn:

Celebrant and People
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
   Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
   Hosanna in the highest.


...


Thursday, May 26, 2011

A Horrible Stench

'Sat in a nice swivel chair today while visiting my girlfriend in her office. She happens to be the school psychologist and has been testing kiddies all week - and those kiddies sat in that very same fabric swivel chair. While chatting, I began to notice a terrible musky wild animal odor - a horrible stench - and realized it was coming from the chair!! Despite a good spray-down with Febreze (love that stuff) I am certain that the smell is clinging to me ... I am very paranoid ... and the Seinfeld episode comes to mind where the bo clings to all who enter the car. I wasn't able to find a longer clip to share, but here is part of it:

Monday, May 23, 2011

Life is Just a Fantasy

Aldo Nova.

Wow.

I have not thought of them in years, but this weekend I heard Fantasy and I was zoomed back to the Parish town gymnasium where we would rock out at "dances" on Friday nights in the 80's. Nothing like trying to act all cool under basketball nets!

Where could I have heard this song, you may ask? Well my husband listens to a Canadian classic rock station in his truck, and we were running errands together - you know, romantic destinations like Home Depot, Lowes and Value - and on the truck radio this song starts playing. Jim was not impressed when I started singing.

Copied from Aldo Nova's facebook page:

Genre 
Rock/AOR/Hard Rock

Hometown 

Montréal, Qc CANADA

Record Label 

Sony BMG

Biography 
Aldo Nova (born Aldo Caporuscio on November 13, 1956, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced album, Aldo Nova, in 1981. It had two singles: "Fantasy" and "Foolin' Yourself". His next album, Subject...Aldo Nova had a minor hit with "Monkey on Your Back," his solo career flagged and he became a player and songwriter for other bands. He worked with Jon Bon Jovi in both the early and late 1980s and produced some early Céline Dion albums. He helped write and produce parts of Chantal Condor's 1989 album, Chantal. Nova co-wrote the hit song "A New Day Has Come" (among others) for Celine Dion and has been featured playing guitar, synthesizer, and percussion on her records.

In 1991, Nova sought the help of Jon Bon Jovi to revive his solo career on his release Blood on the Bricks, but it still only managed to chart at #124.

As a songwriter, Nova's recent hits include Clay Aiken's "This is the Night" (co-written with Chris Braide and Gary Burr), which in the US was a #1 hit and the best-selling single of 200.


Current Location 

Montréal Canada

~ Ah, the town gym, where romance bloomed ~
~ hubba hubba! ~

Friday, May 20, 2011

Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese

Yum.

My new favorite guilty-pleasure-lunch is Lean Cuisine's Macaroni and Cheese. It really tastes delish despite being under 300 calories (just don't look at the fat content haha!).


Calories290
Fat7g
Fiber1g
Protein15g
Sodium630mg
Carbohydrates41g
Diet Exchange: 1/2 High Fat Meat, 2 1/2 Starch, 1/2 Skim Milk,
Weight Watchers®PointsPlus*8

mmmm creamy!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Local Lindsay

Entitlement: "belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges"

Parents, do not raise your children to believe that they are entitled to any privileges other than the freedoms provided by our democracy. Spoiled, "entitled" adults abound, and they are not born that way - they are created, everyday, by well-meaning parents.

Backstory: we (here at school) are in the process of dealing with a young community member who comes from a hard working, financially successful and also generous local family. This young - ahem - lady was a snippety thing when she was our student, acting as if this whole following-rules-school-thing was somehow beneath her, and as an adult business owner she is still snippety and treats everyone around her like they are somehow < her. Of course she becomes quite upset when anyone stands up to her ... we are not shocked as she pulled the same defiant act while in high school. 

So how did she get this way? By working hard for everything she has? By learning how to win people over, even when she didn't feel like it? By understanding that the person you are is not based on the family in which you were born? By realizing that class and money are not related at all?? 

Sadly, too many parents think they are helping their children by sparing them the hard knocks they endured while attaining their success. Instead, they are setting their children up for rejection and failure. 

In dog training there is a principal that NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE, and it's a shame that parents don't follow that same ideal when raising their kids.

~ Classy Lindsay ~

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Childhood ~ Sunday Evening TV

The following will make me sound ancient to anyone under the age of 40:

Growing up, we had three and sometimes four television channels from which to choose. Sometimes these channels were snowy, depending on how well you could adjust the rabbit ears, but once my dad installed the "huge" antenna in the attic our channels became relatively clear. We had to get up to turn the knob, but there really was little point because you purposely turned on the tv to watch whatever was on at a particular time. 'No surfing and running into an episode of Jersey Shore with Snooki falling over drunk, or watching Emeril make a sauce "Bam!", no HGTV or QVC ... nope. 'Just shows that were on once a week that you looked forward to all week long.

Sunday evenings meant three things: a bath (did we go to church dirty?), Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and the Wonderful World of Disney. I recall the bath making me anxious -- I did NOT want to be late for the start of my shows.

Just wait, Young People. You, too, will be reminiscing about the outdated technology and culture of your childhood years once you become a "certain age".  There is something about the popular culture of a time -- the songs, tv shows, commercials -- that when heard again many years after their expiration will send you zooming back to that time in your life.





~ 1980's console tv ... I watched many episodes of "Cheers" on a tv just like this one ~




Sunday, May 15, 2011

Growing School: Shubunkin & Butterfly Koi

Hahn's Ponds is an exceptional store for all pond needs: equipment, plants, fish, tadpoles, lights, food, chemicals, and expert help. The family-owned business is a great place to go if you currently have or are interested in starting an ornamental fish pond. I can drop a lot of change at Hahn's, and I never regret it. Over the past several years I have purchased a lot of expensive equipment (so worth it: my water is crystal clear) as well as healthy fish there.

Up until last week, my pond population consisted of a couple of snails, dozens of comets, and one surviving koi. A heron gobbled up my other koi and one of my largest comets a few years ago, "Gary, Sterling, Goldie and Nemo" ... it was awful ... but "Freckles" survived and has grown fat and sassy compared to his comet cousins. My comets have exceptionally long tails and fins, and they are a nice combo of white, orange, and mixed. They are graceful and beautiful. Freckles has, well, freckles of black and orange on a white body. He is very laid back because I think he knows he pretty much looks like a big ol' carp, and he's not that fancy at all. 'Sweet, though, and always hungry. Anyway, I have been meaning to add to my school and I finally did last Thursday instead of going to book club (I needed a mental health night, plus I hadn't read the book). I needed a new uv bulb, but how could I not walk out without new plants and new critters??

Enter "Shelly" the shubunkin and "Alexis" the butterfly koi. Both fish are absolutely beautiful, and they add nice variety to the school. Shelly has merged nicely with the others, but Alexis seems skittish and darts around even at feeding time. I'm hoping with time she will become more relaxed, but maybe that's her personality? I also purchased three tadpoles without legs, so at least they will be around until next year.

Having a pond is a lot of work and a lot of expense, but it is very gratifying. The sound of the water is soothing to the soul, and seeing all the little fish swim right up to you with their mouths wide open (they even make wakes in the water they swim over so fast!) makes you feel needed and wanted : )

From Wikipedia ...
The shubunkin, are similar to the common goldfish and comet goldfish in appearance. They were first bred in Japan, from mutations in telescope eye goldfish (Demekins) c. 1900. They have streamlined bodies with well-developed and even fins. However, the shubunkins are calico goldfish; they possess nacreous scales (a mix of metallic and transparent scales that are pearly in appearance). The overlapping patches of red, white, blue, grey and black (along with dark speckles) normally extend to the finnage of shubunkins. Blue is the most prized colour in shubunkins. Calicos originally denoted three colours varieties of goldfish that do not include blue. The best blues are produced from line breeding of good blue specimens of shubunkins. Sometimes good blues may be obtained by breeding bronze (metallic) with pink (matt) goldfish, but a grey slate colour may result instead.

It may take several months for the nacreous coloration to develop on a young fry (baby fish). Shubunkins are excellent pond fish because they reach a length of 9 to 16 inches (22.86 to 40.6 centimeters) at adulthood. A shubunkin goldfish is considered an adult at 2 to 3 years of age,[1][2] even though they live much longer.


Butterfly Koi, Longfin Koi, or Dragon Carp are a type of ornamental fish notable for their elongated finnage. The fish are a breed of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, which includes numerous wild carp races as well as domesticated koi ("Nishikigoi").

Butterfly Koi originated in the mid-20th century as a result of an effort to increase the hardiness of traditional koi. Japanese breeders interbred wild Indonesian Longfin river carp with traditional koi. The resulting fish had longer fins, long barbells, pompom nostrils, and were hardier than koi. These were known in Japan as "onagaoi" or "hire naga koi", or translated in English "long tail koi". Randy LeFever, the son of Wyatt LeFever, a noted breeder of koi, is credited with suggesting they looked like butterflies, a trait for which the breed is named. They are also sometimes referred to as Dragon Koi.

~ Freckles ~
~ waterfall ~
~ there's Freckles, like a carp ~
~ Freckles and the comets (sounds like a band name), begging for food ~
~ butterfly koi that looks like Alexis, but she is more sparkly gold, not orange ~
~ shubunkin that looks like Shelly ~
Find Hahns Ponds on Facebook:
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Email
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Backyard Cacophony

The players in tonight's ensemble include ...

~ I hope he finds somebody soon ... his little peep peeps in between his songs make me sad ~
~ these pretty boys really belt it out ~
~ So many of these ... they remind me of waiting for the school bus in early spring when I was a little girl ~
~ who doesn't love a robin?? ~

PS: all photos courtesy of the world wide web

Kinda Funny Lookin'

I love Bumble so much, but when asked to describe how he looks I have to say he's kinda funny lookin'. 

In Bumble's defense, he is a mix of unknown breeds: possibly lab, possibly fox terrier, possibly boxer, possibly pit. In any case, some parts seem too large, and some parts seem too small. My favorite parts of Bum include his bright brown eyes, his perky yet floppy yet thin little ears, his waggly tail, and his white toes. And it goes without saying that he is sooo sweet.

Unfortunately for Bumble "kinda funny lookin'" brings to mind this classic scene from Fargo ...





~ Sorry, Bumble. You are far more handsome than Steve Buscemi as Carl Showalter. Really you are ~




Monday, May 9, 2011

May is Thursday

May is Thursday ... anticipation of upcoming freedom ...

June is Friday ... right on the doorstep of freedom ...

July is Saturday ... sweeeet freedom ...

August is Sunday ... knowing that the end of freedom is coming soon ...



Friday, May 6, 2011

Pulling Mussels

This song is in my head today.

Why? WHY????

I bet I haven't heard it in at least a decade, yet it is plaguing me. And even worse: it contains lyrics that until this very day I have never known what the heck they were. So as this song replays on its crazy continual loop, and as the faux lyrics I have made up in my head for 20 years play on (I really thought the word "stinky" was in here somewhere - but its "Waikiki"), I decided to look up the lyrics in the hopes of exorcising this tune from my already-overbooked brain.

Remember the days of rewinding your cassette tape over and over again to write down the lyrics to songs? Assuming you could tell what the lyrics were by listening, of course : )



Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)
They do it down on camber sands
They do it at Waikiki (note: NOT "STINKY")
Lazing about the beach all day,
At night the crickets creepy
Squinting faces at the sky
A Harold Robbins paperback
Surfers drop their boards and dry
And everybody wants a hat

But behind the Chalet
My holiday's complete
And I feel like William Tell
Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet
Pulling mussels from a shell

Shrinking in the sea so cold
Topless ladies look away
A he-man in a sudden shower
Shelters from the rain
You wish you had a motor boat
To pose around the harbour bar
And when the sun goes off to bed
You hook it up behind the car

Two fat ladies window shop
Something for the mantelpiece
In for bingo all the nines
A panda for sweet little niece
The coach drivers stand about
Looking at a local map
About the boy he's gone away
Down to next door's caravan

Thursday, May 5, 2011

No-No Flags and Zaps

Today Bumble felt his first zap from his collar, and he survived.

Our "homework" for the last week was to walk Bumble around the perimeter of the yard, and whenever he hears the beep pull him back and say "back back!" Well, Bum figured it out fast and wouldn't go near the flags. He isn't as dumb as he looks, apparently! These little flags are now known as "no-no flags" to all of us -  'kinda funny.

One of the Invisible Fence boyz came back today to help Bumble experience his first zap - the next step in training. My poor little man tried to follow me down the driveway while I walked away and "ZAP". His collar is set at the lowest setting, but he still yelped a little and jumped backwards, clearly not willing to feel that again. We walked around the yard, and Bum was having nothing to do with getting close to the flags, so it appeared he has it kind of figured out. I was told that he will probably make some mistakes this week, but depending on his reaction we may not even have to adjust the strength of his collar.

Tonight after dinner I took Bum out, left his leash to drag, and started playing with him and the soccer ball, Chandler joined us, and it went very smoothly. He stayed far away from the flags, but ran freely around the yard, checking out the goats, saying hi to Mari where she was on her tie out, and rolling around in the rich spring grass. He is now fast asleep.

I am so excited that sometime soon Bumble can freely roam in the yard, and I can stop worrying sick about the road.