Wikipedia Meme

Dear Friend,
From a meme that's going around on LiveJournal: Go to the Wikipedia home page and click random article. That is your band's name. Click random article again; that is your album name. Click random article 10 more times; those are the tracks on your album. To view the article, click the links! Have fun!

My Band Name: Gosseldange
My Album Name: Mackenzie River

Tracks:
Livingston Energy Flight
Great Slaty Woodpecker
Matt Weinberg
Thomas Elder, Baron Elder
Philip S. Post
Hughson Street
Anna J. Cooper Circle
Pakshikere
WUKQ
Lorri Bagley

Happy New Year

Dear Friend,
Do you remember the list? My goal list for 2007? Let's see what I managed to accomplish on the list. Bold text means I did it, ok?

1. Grow closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
2. Finish reading the Bible through for the 3rd time, and possibly start the 4th
3. Return to regular piano practice (when I get my piano back)
4. Return to regular guitar practice (ditto)
5. Start sewing again
6. Learn Spanish
7. Learn Italian
8. Learn to really crochet
9. Learn to play bass guitar
10. Either learn to play the drums or get rid of my insanely sudden desire to play them
11. Learn cat grooming (maybe dogs, too)
12. Finger train Robbie
13. Make Friends
14. Finish all my season set DVDs
15. Learn to cook
16. Read at least one more book by Charles Dickens
17. Read at least one non-fiction book for the year
18. Watch at least three "classic" movies
19. Go to either New York City or Montreal
20. Finish a knitting project
21. "Recon" some clothes or shoes
22. Redecorate my room in colors other than blue, green or purple
23. Join at least one musician's "fan club"
24. Get a part time job and/or go back to school
25. Organize my music
26. Take a cake decorating (or other cooking stuff) class
27. “Downsize” my purse
28. Get the courage to sing in public (so that I’m heard)
29. Get the courage to dance in public
30. Memorize at least 4 Psalms, and 5 New Testament verses

Not too bad, huh? Especially since not a one of these was a resolution. I've changed my mind on a few, but most of these are still goals. It's late, I hope you have a blessed and happy new year!

Judy, Judy, Judy

Dear friend,
Are you aware that Cary Grant didn't really say that quote so often attributed to him and now gracing my Title slot? He is reported as saying it on the set of Charade and then saying, "There I finally said it."
I adore Cary Grant films, in general, and was the thankful recipient of a box set of his films this Christmas. I am currently watching "Talk of the Town" right this second. I like this movie, even though I find it weird. It seems to alternate between being serious, and being silly. Every now and again the soundtrack goes through a series of cartoonish interludes, yet the plot is about a man accused of arson and murder. Plus, the scene with the other guy's "manservant" crying as his boss shaves is just plain odd.
I already watched "Holiday" one of the only films with Katherine Hepburn in it that I will gladly own. (I don't care for her, you see) Grant is good in it, but it's really more of her movie. She's on screen more often, and she plays the character that explains their ideals.
I love "His Girl Friday" though I admit to liking it a little less each time I watch. Honestly, Grant's character isn't a "good" guy, but he is likable somehow. I love the speed of the dialogue. It makes you pay attention.
"The Awful Truth" is adorable, even though it's about divorce. It's a Cary Grant comedy, so you know it has a happy ending. Besides, you have such fun getting to that ending.
I haven't seen "Only Angels have Wings" in years, and I don't remember liking it much. I'm going to give it a brand new chance, and try to watch as though it's brand new to me. It has Jean Arthur in it, whom I find cute, so I'm willing to like it if I can.
Speaking of cute, I really like the ladies in these films. The aforementioned Jean Arthur, Rosalind Russel and Irene Dunne are like able. The set includes some postcards, half movie posters, half promotional shots. My favorite are the promotional shots, really because of the ladies. Grant's pose is nearly identical in each photo, but the women look lovely. Next time I rearrange my cork board, they're going up on it.
It's not in this set, but Charade is a great Grant film, as is To Catch a Thief. He's older in both of those, but he's a good actor at any age.
The funny thing is, usually if I'm a fan of an actor, especially an attractive one, I say I have a crush on them. No such with me and Grant. I admire him, and appreciate him, but I don't fancy him. I guess he's the exception that proves the rule.

Yes, I do happen to be wearing a Santa hat

Dear friend,
Christmas shopping on the Friday evening before Christmas is just. plain. nuts. Don't you agree? I was in Best Buy tonight. The crowds and traffic and horrible parking were made up for by the necessity of stifling squee-ful laughter. As my mother was asking a question about a printer (yes, we did buy it) this train of thought traveled the track of my mind: "Gee, it's like my mom is asking Will Scarlet about printers. Could this guy look any more like- Oh my word! I think I just saw Allan A'Dale!!!" and then I needed to keep myself from randomly cracking up in a crowded electronics store.
Yes, friend, I saw two guys in Best Buy who look like characters on BBC's Robin Hood. I wondered aloud to my mom if I might find Much in the blue shirt and khakis. I also said that if "Allan" said "I'm not trying to be funny, but-" I'd dissolve into a puddle of laughter. Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have looked for Much in that store (for whom I have much love- ooh, bad pun, I apologize) but rather I should have combed the location for Guy of Gisborne. Now THAT would have been a find!
Eagerly awaiting Christmas. Love that I'm on vacation. Must go now, Patrick Stewart's version of A Christmas Carol is airing on TNT at this very moment!

Dear friend,
I've had a bad day. No really, it just plain sucked. I cried. Three seperate times. At work.
So, are you wondering what happened? Are you concerned for my sanity? Well, friend, I appreciate your concern. Let's just say that a growing problem got beyond control and I felt alone, helpless, frustrated and abandoned. Yeah, the day was that bad. If it happens again, I will probably quit my job.
Let's see, eh?

Are you a fan of delicious flavor?

Dear friend,
Aren't you excited about Christmas? I am. I love Christmas, just the sight of a tree ornament or a string of lights and I feel like grinning. I love carols, too. I'm a sucker for Christmas.
I've heard of a lot of carols lately. Did you know that despite so many songs claiming so, Angels don't sing. At least, the Bible never describes them as singing. They talk a lot, but never sing.
Psych has a Christmas special this Friday. I so must be there. I just had a mini marathon with the 2nd disc of my season 1 set. So fun.
I'm in charge of decorating the classroom, my friend. I've done a little shopping, but mostly I plan on raiding my family's well stocked holiday collection. I just want to post to take advantage of my new winter colorscheme and layout. Pretty, don't you think?

Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey

Dear Friend,
Yes, I did catch Time Crash on Youtube. How could I not, since, despite not really watching Dr. Who, my two favorite doctors meet. I've been watching some DW, and find that, shock, I don't like it. Not at all. I need to have something else to do while it's on because it doesn't hold my attention. When it does I tend to think, "This is too creepy to be enjoyable." so I don't really know why I keep trying.
Well, actually, my friend, I do know why: David Tennant is cute. On top of that it's the longest running sci-fi show, it must have something going on for it. It helps that this doctor wears Chuck Taylors, the world's coolest shoes. Whenever I wear my light tan/off white chucks I think of them as my "Who shoes." Yes, I'm a dork.
Anyway, friend, I didn't necessarily begin to write to talk about DW. Actually, I may have. I realized a couple of weeks ago that Netflix noticed I had a "thing" for Peter Davison. It's like the program that recommends things to users looked at my queue and said "Man, this dude's in nearly everything at the top of her list. Let's recommend more!" And so, in the top suggestions for me the had classic DW, and At Home with the Braithwaite's. Both programs that I know I have no intention of watching. (I may relent on the classic Who, though)
I found out that Peter was the voice of Mole in a Wind in the Willows Christmas special I saw as a kid only once and liked. Now I want nothing more than to see it again, sadly it's not to be found on DVD.

So, Friend, how is your Thanksgiving weekend going? I've enjoyed the time off, and thank God that I don't work retail. I can't imagine what it's like to work in a store on Black Friday. I hope yours goes very, very well.
Feel free to watch Time Crash, here:

Dear Friend,
This is where I found the awesome icon this entry is displaying, and many others that rock just as hard.
Now, the real reason I'm writing to you today, friend, is this: I'm starting to really like Chuck. Honestly, I has become the replacement for Psych right now. I'm sad to think that it's probably going to be "gone" soon thanks to the WGA strike. Between Chuck and Heroes Monday night is my TV night now. And thanks to the strike that will soon be over.
As far as the strike goes, I've only heard the side of the writers, and obviously the solutions sounds simple, give them the money. I haven't heard the perspective of the studios, yet I doubt I'd really end up changing my mind. I just want it over so I can get back to being entertained. Especially since only half of next season's LOST is filmed, production has ceased for the Office and they're threatening us with reality TV.
What do you think?

Wake up cat

Where've you been?

Dear Friend,
There is a distinct lack of blogging in my sphere of late. Have the blogs you've frequented experienced a drop in updates, too? I hope not. For some reason my regularly checked blogs (written by "real people" not celebrities or religious groups) have been very quiet of late.
Perhaps my friends have been inundated with hectic schedules just as I have been. I've been, in a way, "upgraded" at my job. I now regularly teach the students in our class. Each day, we divide the 20 three year old children into 3 groups, according to skill level. While one group plays, under my supervision, the second group gets a review from me, whilst the third group gets a new lesson from the teacher in the next room. After the lessons, they all switch, until we've each had time with all of them. I think that system would work best if we had another teacher in the room. However the ideal system for three year old children would be to stay home with a parent, in my opinion. Since that is either not the option or the choice of these children's parents I, and the teacher, are there.
I don't really understand people who think children are inherently good. I've believed for awhile that children are really worse than adults in their habits of selfishness, deceit and just plain sinfulness. You have no need to teach a child to lie, they will discover the talent on their own. Mostly they lie to cover their own butts, but they can even lie just to be awful to someone. You don't need to teach a child about racism or either. It's easy to see how someone is either the same as or different from you. Often you need to teach a child that differences are OK, really. A good deal of what we in our classroom is teach children to say they are sorry to those they've hurt and then forgive those who have hurt them. We try to stop finger pointing.
It amazes me that our biggest "tattletales" are the children who have the hardest time listening to the rules themselves. I can't decide if they're trying to draw attention away from themselves or trying to justify themselves, thinking, "Well, at least I'm not doing that like they are." One of our girls will outright disobey you the moment you tell her to do something, but if you tell a different child to do something she'll repeat it to them as though she's the authority. A different child, a boy, seems incapable of sitting still or paying attention, yet he's the first one to say "Ooh, look what he's doing." He is also frequently heard saying "I'm gonna tell on you."
I can't stand to phrase "tell on". I don't think it makes sense, "tell" followed by "on". Children have been saying it for generations, I've even said it, I'm sure. I also abhor the tone of "Ooh" that all children make when they see someone doing what they shouldn't. They often repeat it and it drives me crazy. If I never need to hear it again it will be too soon.
I couldn't believe when one mother told me her son had flushed his older brother's video game memory card down the toilet. Three times! And broken some of the video games. What got to me most was that she seemed not to punish her son for these actions. You've got to be kidding me! If that had been my son there wouldn't have been a second memory card down the toilet, let alone a third.

I don't get people. Maybe I should work with animals. They make more sense. But, oh, as awful as they can be I do love kids.