Gin's Drivel

The Semicolon is Not a Surgical Procedure.

2008-09-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

As an unofficial member of the apostrophe posse, I was thrilled to hear that the oft overlooked and misused matter of punctuation is actually celebrated today with National Punctuation Day .

There's a great book called, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss , but if you don't have time to read it, here's a fun game you can play instead.

Be sure to check out this site from the UK.

If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.
~Doug Larson, British Olympic Gold Medalist, 1924

Bienvenu l'automne

2008-09-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Instead of my own words, here's a selection of prose by more eloquent writers:

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
~Albert Camus

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter. ~Nova Bair

falling leaves
hide the path
so quietly
~John Bailey

Enjoy the crispy leaves and cool days.

La Liberation de Paris

2008-08-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

At the dawn's early light on August 25, 1944, the 2nd French Armored Division entered Paris, ending the long German occupation of the City of Light. Despite Hitler's order to destroy Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz refused the order and instead surrendered to French Major General Jacques Le Clerc. Later that day, President Charles de Gaulle led a parade down the Champs Elysees.

On February 13, 1944, Tech Sgt John Prasch was killed over Germany while on manuevers for D-Day. It wasn't until 1971 that a family member visited his grave at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer France, also known as Omaha Beach. I was that family member, a 20 year old college student at the end of a 3 month European trip. That visit to my Uncle John's resting place was a pivotal moment in my life, for not only was he my Mother's only brother, but also my Father's best friend. I will never understand the pain they must have felt when they got the news, yet I am inexplicably tied to an Uncle I never knew, a war I never experienced, and the historical importance of that war, fought by the Greatest Generation.

Defend Paris to the last, destroy all bridges over the Seine and devastate the city.
~Adolf Hitler - August 1944

Attended thanksgiving service…for liberation of Paris…hearing the Marseillaise gave me a great thrill. France seemed to wake again after being knocked out for five years.
~General Sir Alan Brooke - 28th August 1944

The Sounds of Silence

2008-08-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's a noisy world we live in, so when I seek refuge from chaos even from my work at the library, I am elated when I find the rare silence to be deafening. I'm pleased to report that at least one famous author saw it in the same way:

A man's silence is wonderful to listen to.
- Thomas Hardy

Summer Fun!

2008-08-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's the middle of August already! We've had a pleasant, albeit short summer in terms of warm weather, but September and October are still ahead, and the Northwest is best in early autumn.

Was 1968 really 40 years ago? Apparently so, since this past weekend John and I went to his HS reunion in Grandview, Washington. We had great fun, and that's given me the extra incentive to attend my own reunion in October. If I could do anything about the passage of time, I'd be avoiding it like the plague, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing which classmates show up for the shindig.

Perhaps my best weekend so far this summer was going to Cannon Beach with my good pal, Kim. It was a perfect trip all around, with requisite long beach walks, great people watching, and an amazing meal at EVOO, Cannon Beach Cooking School. Wandering the beach at low tide was the icing on the cake, with starfish and sea anemones and puffins aplenty.

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
~Henry James

SNL Favorites

2008-07-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 weeks I've been rising quite early to work out at an outdoor 'boot camp' at beautiful Green Lake in Seattle. A few days ago there was a group of runners who took off for the 3 mile trail around the lake. As each runner returned to the start, someone would enthusiastically ring a very loud cowbell. So as we boot camp girls puffed through our crunches, it became quite hilarious when someone yelled, 'more cowbell, please,' reminding me of another of my fave Saturday Night Live skits. And since I'm on the subject, check this one out, too. Ah, the golden days of SNL.

I got a FEVER! And the only prescription...is MORE COWBELL!
~Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken)

Down to Business

2008-06-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

I am not the only person who uses his computer mainly for the purpose of diddling with his computer.
~Dave Barry

Creating a blog was originally part of a work assignment called Web 2.0. However, I seem to have strayed off course by blogging about OTHER important topics. So I will summarize here my impressions of all that is part of Web 2.0.

To Infinity and Beyond...Despite dragging my feet on several assignments, I must say I really enjoyed the Web 2.0 experience. I've cut my teeth on several 'new' facets of the web and had fun doing it. I would absolutely and willingly participate in future exercises like this!

Gaming...I've grown fond of wasting a bit of time now and again playing mahjong/scrabble/snood or solving a crossword puzzle. I'm happy to know that there are still more opportunities to indulge my whims when the spirit moves me. After all, everyone needs to take some time to blow the cobwebs out!

Maps and Geotagging...I think Google Earth is one of the coolest sites ever! The street shots are still a bit surrealistic to me, so I kept it simple and zoomed in on my family home in San Mateo, California. When I zoom in on our house in Seattle, I can guess by cars, house color and green or brown grass when the image was 'beamed up'. Fun stuff...

Wiki...I do like the idea of wikis for planning events and ongoing discussion, but again, email or the good old phone can work here as well, although eventually land lines may find this to be their graveyard...

Avatars and Second Life...fun to know about, but not enough time or inclination to create a fantasy world that reaches beyond my penchant for certain reality shows.

Online Application Tools...since I have Microsoft Office at work and home, I am unlikely to have a need for these, but it's nice to know they exist.

Search Engines....One of the millions stuck in a Google rut, I was happy to try out other search engines. Searching dogpile is just...well, fun. Still a Google girl, however.

Podcasting...I downloaded several podcasts last year before vacation. I was able to learn a bit of Spanish and catch up with a few of my favorite NPR shows while airport delays vanished.

Playtime with Online Generators...So much advertising seems to 'junk up' the screen. I want fewer distractions from a website.

Overdrive.....For all the time that SIL has had this product, I've been asked for help just a few times. I'm still not on this bandwagon myself, but a product that's so user friendly is a good thing!

Social Bookmarking....I now absolutely LOVE del.icio.us. It has replaced Favorites, as it is much more useful and logical to me. Seems strange coming from someone like me who avoids the visual catalog like the plague.

YouTube, Hulu...How else could I satisfy the urge to watch Chris Farley as Matt Foley on SNL. His skit about 'living in a van, down by the river' is simply too funny to believe. RIP, Chris. I call YouTube 'Hoover', because it just sucks the time out of my life as I surf around looking for ridiculous videos. It's good to know that when my Tivo croaks that I can watch my favorite silly shows on Hulu, too.

Facebook, MySpace...I'm not a social networker on these sites although I once set up an account on Facebook and promptly deleted it (I thought) when I starting getting weird emails. I really don't like putting my whole life out for the world to see...it creeps me out.

Flickr...I haven't yet made the full leap to Flickr, although I use Picasa2 for my photos. Soon I will download one to the other so I, too, can have a cool slideshow on my blog.

Technology... the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it.
~Max Frisch

Holey Donuts, Batman!

2008-06-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

Pow! Shazam! who knew that today is National Donut Day! Finally, a celebration for cops, kids and Catholics! In my youth, we went to Mass every Sunday. As a reward for sitting through sermons, part of our ritual was to buy the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle on our way out of church and then walk to the donut shop for a dozen. Actually, they always threw in an extra and called it a baker's dozen. The ride home was always too long, waiting to get our favorites out of the pink cardboard box. That takes care of the Catholics and kids. As for cops, well, we all know it's no urban myth that cops and donuts go together like...well, like cops and robbers!

Anyhow, the hole in the doughnut is at least digestible.
- Henry Louis Mencken

Pike Place Market..real or Vegas?

2008-05-19T19:46:00.001-07:00

This photo combo amused me...the top photo is the real deal, the bottom photo...not so much. Why spend a fortune on vacations in Seattle, Paris, Venice and New York when you can have them all in Vegas?

The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually in one's own.
Susan Sontag

Family Ties

2008-05-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

There are few experiences, if any, that surpass the comfort of being with one's family. On the flip side, there are also few experiences that can be more taxing and stressful. It's really a mixed bag for all of us, don't you think? After spending a week in Chicago with my extended family, I'm happy to say that I'm feeling nicely nestled in the former state. I've shared much with my Aunt Fran and all my Riley cousins, and the loss of my parents causes me to hug them even tighter so we can enjoy whatever time we have together. Though there are memories too abundant to share, I must indulge in just one. In 1964 the entire Riley clan traveled west to visit us in the Bay Area. With 5 children in tow, it was important to limit the kids to one box each (not counting clothes) in order for everyone to have space in the old Ford wagon. Having the sound mind of a 14 year old girl (as did I), my cousin Mary Fran chose to fill her box with records...Chad and Jeremy, The Beatles, Dave Clark Five, etc. What better way to spend our time together than swooning over the music of the British Invasion!

I marvel at my Aunt Fran's life. She is 80.5 going on 60. I don't know anyone with a richer life than she. She teaches senior aerobics, attends Mass every morning at 6:30, reads, knits and bakes like crazy, and still finds time to be my Godmother Extraordinaire...WOW!

Heirlooms we don't have in our family. But stories we've got.
Rose Cherin

Garden Inspiration

2008-04-20T18:45:00.001-07:00

I'm always a bit impatient when a house project goes on and on. More frustrating still is my inability to twitch my nose ala 'Bewitched' so we can at last enjoy the fruits of our labors. That said, we are all but finished with our side yard renovation. We are well on our way to having not only a better view, but also a functional space for relaxing. Soon the plants will heel in, leaving only the chairs to pull up and the firepit to be stoked. I can already feel my patience returning, thanks to thoughts of a crackling fire on a beautiful summer eve.

Oscar the Dog...

2008-04-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

I've been somewhat amiss by not mentioning our new dog, Oscar. He's an 18 month old Australian Cattle dog and Black Lab who is quite sweet. He brings a great energy to our home, and after losing our girl Sadie in July, it was worth the wait it took for us to find each other.

On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog.
Peter Steiner, The New Yorker July 5, 1993

RSS, Meebo and Music...Oh No!

2008-04-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

I am awash in ways to communicate electronically, but frankly I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices that are racing by me at warp speed. Email is my choice, and I must admit I like this blogging habit I've recently started. But IM/MEEBO/GoogleTalk and RSS have me nauseous from info overload. I prefer serendipitous web surfing instead of RSS. If I want to talk to someone NOW, I'll call them, and perhaps it will even be from a land line, not a cell phone. Don't get me wrong, I think it's fine for some folks, but I prefer the sound of a voice over an instant message. I'm going to watch Dial M for Murder now on my other favorite electronic device, the revered TV.

Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad.
Diogenes the Cynic

Happy Belated Daylight Saving Time!

2008-04-06T23:11:00.001-07:00

It's good that I'm somewhat observant, although in this case you may be thinking, 'wow, she really has a flare for the obvious'! You see, I noticed that one of our clocks had sprung forward this morning. Other household clocks did so weeks ago thanks to a 'new and improved' change to Daylight Saving Time. Coincidentally, by noticing said springing, I saved John from a mini crisis, since this is the alarm that he sets to wake up at 'o'dark-thirty' on Monday morning. Otherwise he would have slept right through to 'o'dark-tardy'.

I don't mind going back to daylight saving time. With inflation, the hour will be the only thing I've saved all year.
Victor Borge

Happy April S'loof Day...

2008-04-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

I've never thought too much about April Fool's Day. When does a prank cross the line? If I think it's funny, will you? Besides, the only AFD prank I've played doesn't really work in 2008. I once left a message for a coworker to return a call from Mr. Lyon. No surprise when the local zoo was the 'caller'. The nice zoo humans still played along, despite taking oodles of calls for Mr. Lyon that day. Who can reach a real person on the first call anymore? It's just not fun if voicemail delivers the punch line. We can all relax tomorrow, hoping that a fool's opportunity/gullibility vanishes at midnight.

The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.
Will Rogers

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

2008-03-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today my Dad would have turned 88. The greatest gift I have ever been given was being his family caregiver as he moved through the fog of Alzheimers. I celebrate and miss him every single day, but none more than today, the anniversary of his birth in 1920.

Happy Almost April???

2008-03-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

You would never know by the snow flurries outside that it is almost April. I found this photo that reminds me of our favorite vacation...a canal boat holiday in and about Oxford, England. Of course, it was summer and we were bathed in sunshine, but still, in an odd fashion these two events came together in this lovely photo. Enjoy, and cozy up. I'm off to make a big pot of tater leek soup. Yum.

Happy Kasurogin!

2008-03-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the inaugural dinner for the newly formed 'foodie group' at work. We had a delightful time at Restaurant Zoe in Belltown. I won't pretend to be a food critic, but I do know that when food is especially yummy I have to close my eyes in order not to taint the taste with an extra sense. The meal was divine, and ditto on the service. And by the way, can you guess what the title of this entry means? Bon appetit and bisous!

Happy Birthday, Queen of Soul!

2008-03-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Aretha turns 66 today. Pay her R-E-S-P-E-C-T and thank Memphis for its' greatest export.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

A Tribute to Nat King Cole...and my folks.

Dyed eggs rolling down a grassy hill,
Raindrops dripping on your nose,
Easter hymns being sung by a choir,
And kids dressed up in their best clothes.

Everybody knows a canned ham and some chocolate eggs,
Help to make the season bright,
Tiny kids with their tums all filled up,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Bunny's on his way;
He's loaded lots of Peeps and baskets on this day,
And every mother's child is going to drop
To see that bunnies really know how to hop.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although it's been said, many times, many ways,
Happy Easter to you!

(music by Wells/Torme; sung by Nat King Cole, these lyrics by me!)

Happy Leap Spring!

2008-03-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to leap year, we celebrate the first day of Spring one day early this year. Enjoy the daffodils, cool air, and the sound of lawnmowers!!

Happy St. Patty's Day....

2008-03-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well, here's my first venture into the world of blogging. I just don't seem to have the time or inclination to do this kind of thing. Still, it's a great way to keep up with friends and family who aren't so close, so no doubt I'll try it out and be hooked!