I received a cool picture via email the other day – a river bridging over another river!  It’s man-made of course, but what a feat!  It bridges the River Elbe in Germany and connects two important shipping canals.  The project was put on hold indefinitely when Germany was split during the last century and was finally completed in 2003.  I think this is pretty cool, so I’ll share it and thank fellow tangents.org blogger Jamiahsh for sending it to me.  I don’t know why he didn’t put it on his blog, but I  figure he probably would have gotten a chance by now if that’s what he wanted to do with it 🙂  Check it out:

For more information about the bridge, click here.

This story is so sweet, I just had to share it.

Blind border collie gets his own guide dog

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By Aidan McGurran 24/07/2009

Collies usually round up sheep not each other… but as the eyes of her blind canine companion, little Bonnie steers Clyde away from trouble.

The five-year-old long-haired border collie, who has lost his sight because of a degenerative disease, relies entirely on Bonnie as his guide dog. He follows her everywhere.

And like the American gangster lovers they have been named after, the friendly dogs are on the lookout for a safe, new hideaway.

They were recently dumped in the street during a storm and are currently being cared for at Meadow Green Dog Rescue Centre in Hales Green, near Loddon in Norfolk.

The centre’s Cherie Cootes said: “If Clyde’s unsure where he is, he will suddenly go behind Bonnie and put his face on the back of her so she can guide him. He totally relies on her.

“And when she walks she tends to stop and make sure he’s there – she does look out for him. When she’s about you wouldn’t notice he is blind, but when she’s not about he refuses to move. There’s no option of homing them separately. They’ve got to go as a pair.”

A driver found the dogs running through Blundeston, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, during a storm three weeks ago. Neither Clyde nor Bonnie – a short-haired border collie aged two or three – had identifying collars or chips.

Cherie, 40, added: “They’ve got very nice manners and they walk well on the lead.

“They really are a very sweet pair of dogs.”

If you can give Bonnie and Clyde a home, call the centre on 01508 548 216.

No, no this post has nothing to do with the original Star Wars film (or as it is officially known: Episode IV: A New Hope).  Such rather derogatory names have inundated my favorite baseball team for as long as I can remember and definitely beyond that.  This week, The New York Yankees have been on the streets, in apartment buildings, and in the new stadium giving back to the community that they call home.  Whether it be something seemingly trivial like throwing pop flies to a ten year old or participating in an event honoring a Navy veteran who is afflicted with Lou Gehrig’s disease, the NOW solo first place American League East sluggers have been receiving praise both on and off the field.

HOPE (Helping Others Persevere and Excel) week began Monday and has included the following events:

• Alex Rodriguez and pitchers Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettite were in Greenwich Village and visited a young boy who has Cerebral Palsay.  The sixth grader is confined to a wheelchair; however, the Bombers conducted a clinic for him and his little league teammates.
• Ace closer Mariano Rivera, second baseman Robinson Cano, and outfielder Melky Cabrera visited a small Washington Heights apartment where a couple open their home to children for lessons in community and leadership.
• Captain Derek Jeter and first baseman Mark Teixeira (who my mother claims closely resembles our admin… I don’t see it… sorry I cannot find a photo good enough to compare) participated in a ceremony honoring a Navy veteran with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and his wife.

Say what you will about the Yankees… overpaid, over-privileged.  The new stadium is a homerun hitters paradise.  Any team who takes time out off the field to help and inspire (yes, even if the team happens to be from Bean Town) deserves some appreciation.

The family received news today that our extended family has grown by one.  Around 3PM, we got a phone call from Alaska informing us that my cousin Charnel had delivered a 6lb. 3oz. baby girl, Chloe Mae who is being welcomed I am sure by her big 2 year old sister, Kyli Nicole.  20 inches long and has a thick head of black hair (can she mail some to me…or just send it back with grandma and grandpa when they fly up on Saturday).  One very cool thing, the proud papa who is on deployment in Afghanistan was on the phone listening as their second daughter made her entrance into the world.  When Charnel called and talked to Mom, she told her to call everyone.  Well… everyone but two people she called had already heard via text messaging or were called by someone else whom it seems tells everyone in the world after she hears any juicy gossip.  But all is well – healthy baby girl with ten fingers, ten toes, and healthy mama.  Won’t be able to see and spoil her until March when Rich returns from Afghanistan and they come South for a visit.  I’m surprised there haven’t been any pictures sent over cyberspace.  What are you waiting for?!

Welcome Chloe (I like that name)

I recently received two HILARIOUS emails.  The subject of the two was religious but I am going to share anyway they are so funny.  I laughed so hard at the following that I cried.  It is so true.  I have read many a bulletin that could be misinterpreted or have a little typo that creates total hilarity…. ENJOY!

They’re Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:
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The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The sermon this morning: ‘Jesus Walks on the Water.’ The sermon tonight: ‘Searching for Jesus.’
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Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick in our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say ‘Hell’ to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
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Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I will not pass this way again,’ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall Music will follow.
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’ Come early nd listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Scouts are saving aluminium cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a  blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM . All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM . Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement
Friday at 7 PM . The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large
double door at the side entrance.
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church’s new campaign slogan last Sunday: ‘I Upped My Pledge – Up Yours.

Being a member of my church choir, I well know of the need for numbers.  Our choir is sorely lacking in the male voice area.  We have maybe 5 men and probably 15 ladies voices.

No, that isn’t the score of some sporting event. That is the count of my spam comments vs. my accepted comments (as of 11:17 pm on Jul 22 2009). A spam count of 5,284 would be 4x. I’m glad the new filter is in place, and I don’t have to delete all the spam by hand anymore.

For a while, I was wondering if I was actually blocking good comments with the vast number of spam messages that are received in a day. I did notice that I am getting a lot of ‘over seas’ visitors to my little blog. Some are actually visiting, some just go to the same posts over and over again. Kind of messes up with my keeping track of what is interesting to people.

Don’t worry about me, I’m just on a numbers kick this evening. This is the second time today I was having fun with numbers.

It seems as if the camp series was mostly a failure so I guess I will move on to other things rather than wrap it up.  I just have to think about something to write about.  Work maybe?  From what Rene was telling me, I might be coming out of training and getting the first of my own stores starting this Friday.  All I know right now is that Kim (one of the owners) wants me and another trainee from Elmhurst to do a store every Friday starting this week.  Since there are two of us doing it I didn’t make a connection to having my own store, but Rene seems to think this is it.  Hmm.  Well, a less exciting post than camp, at least to me, but who knows?

UPDATE: Well, the dealership I will be at Friday is not to be a store for me.  It will be another store for the trainee who started after me.  I guess it just works out like that because of the one who quit recently who lived in the same area.  These dealers were already being served.  I’m sure they will start picking up new stores for me soon, in my own area.

The title of this post is a quote from my favorite tv show, The Office.  Now I must go on a brief tangent to find out when this awesome show starts for the season – there it is, September 17, ugh, almost two months to go!  Time to add a countdown to the site…

Tangent over.  Anyway, in the tv show The Office, they have an annual awards show called The Dundies.  The lovable yet jerk of a boss, Michael Scott, gives (mostly silly) awards to his staff, and the workers generally are not thrilled about the Dundies.  A character named Oscar Martinez says the following about Michael and his Dundies:  “The Dundies are kind of like a kid’s birthday party, and you go, and there’s really nothing for you to do there, but the kid’s having a really good time, so you’re kind of there? That’s… that’s kind of what it’s like.” The reason I’m sharing the quote with you is because it floats through my mind every time I invite our family friends to one of my kids’ birthday parties.  I have 4 kids, one born in every season, so we have a birthday party around here every few months.  For the older ones, we invite their friends from school, and we invite family and a few of our adult friends to the parties for the younger ones.  I really hope no one is ever bored – it is, after all, a bunch of adults sitting around at a kid’s birthday party.  We don’t play “pin the tail on the donkey” or break a piñata; it’s just a reason for a bunch of us adults to get together, chat, and have some cake.  This is exactly what we did this past Sunday at my son’s first birthday party.  He had a really great time, and so did his sisters helping him open the presents.  He turned blue from his birthday cake, which he absolutely loved, of course!

BEFORE:(his bib says “My 1st Birthday”, but he hated it and is trying to get it off in this picture)

AFTER:

He also got lots  of great presents –  some adorable outfits and cool toys that actually kept him busy for more than 10 minutes!  He likes his new toys so much that he’s been playing with them non-stop!  They’ve actually kept him out of trouble – well, kind of, he did have two baths out of necessity already today and he spilled a glass of water all over my computer wires, but that’s nothing for him.

So thanks again to everyone who attended – he especially loved it when everyone sang ‘happy birthday’ to him!

I noticed two decidedly absent characters from the latest Harry Potter film.  I believe there was only a passing glance or two of Draco Malfoy’s partners in crime Crabbe and Goyle.  Well, it seems that Jamie Waylett who plays Vincent Crabbe in the films was charged with growing 10 marijuana plants in his mother’s England home.  The 20 year old actor was sentenced to 120 hours of community service after pleading guilty to the charge on July 7th.  The judge went easy on the malefactor after deeming the botanical exercise “small scale.”

Actually, I have been noticing a limited amount of screen time for most of the supporting cast.  Very little of Professors McGonagall and Snape and Hagrid was only in one major scene.  One scene in which the head of Gryffindor House appeared brought a chuckle.  Once again, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were once again in the thick of trouble and Minerva ever so eloquently pointed this out:

Professor Minerva McGonagall: [to Harry, Ron, and Hermione] Why is it that, whenever anything happens, it’s always you three?
Ron Weasley: I’ve been asking myself the same question for six years, Professor

Maggie Smith (who plays Prof. McGonagall) is definitely starting to show her age.  It has been nearly 20 years since she got into the habit as the Mother Superior in Sister Act. Surely the supporting cast will all be front and center for the final 2 installments.

Also, the concluding two films better be made quick or the young stars who are entering their twenties will be too old.  As one commented, by the time Harry Potter graduates from wizard school he will be collecting Social Security.

I had to re-install windows on my laptop today. Now I have to make sure that everything that should be working is. Then there are some other programs I use that will need to be re-installed. This machine is getting older, so I may have to shop for a new hard drive soon. Seems like there are more ‘bad’ sections recently. I’m glad I backup my data files with some regularity. I would hate to lose pictures of my kids, grandkids, weddings, and other fun occasions.

The bigger problem is the small fact that I have a lot of computers in this house. It seems like I was re-installing some operating system just last week. Oh, I was, it was on my ‘play’ machines where I keep installing different versions of Linux.

I have noticed one thing, my touch pad seems to be a bit more sensitive. I keep having my cursor jump all around the screen as I type this. I’ve had to go back and correct mistakes as the cursor jumps to places earlier in this post. I need to check that out too. Grumble….

Oh well, I got the sound to work again….. Now if I can just find my CD with 100 card games on it…. 😉