It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a venting complaint post about Walmart.  It seemed like every time I went there, they were changing around their prices in some way that added to their profits from my pocket – it was aggravating.  I got used to it, and I haven’t noticed anything new (or let it get to me anyway) for awhile.  Today after a very long day, I had to go to Walmart, and I actually left happy about THREE things!

1.  They had my shoes back!!  The black Brahma Bravos they haven’t carried for a  year!  It was enough to put a smile on my face and for me to give my cashier an earful about my quest for shoes.  I’ve been toiling over my shoe issue for about a year, and now I found the exact ones I wanted, for the price I wanted – YAY!!!  So tempted to buy two pair, just to put one away in case they decide to shoe-starve me again, but that would just be a waste of money…
2.  The whole reason I went to  Walmart in the first place was to find a snack for my daughter’s Kindergarten class.  Our turn to bring snack is tomorrow, and you are supposed to bring a snack that coincides with the letter they are learning about that week.  Our letter?  X – quite possibly the most difficult letter in the alphabet!  I’ve been pondering this one for a few weeks ever since the snack list came home, and I came up with nothing.  That’s why I had to make the last-minute trip to Walmart today, exhausted as I was.  So I went up and down a few aisles, searching for X snacks –  I had long since decided to settle on a snack with an X in it instead of one that started with X, so that made  it a bit easier.  Trying to also be budget conscious (there are about 20 kids in my daughter’s class), I boiled it down to 3 choices:  Trix, Chex Mix, or Stax potato chips.  Hmm, tough decision.  Of those, the cereal seemed the most healthy, although the Chex Mix had a double-x…  I could not decide.  But then again, I was up at 6:30 this morning to get to the middle school to attend a puberty talk with my daughter.  More on that later, aren’t you excited?  So I called my husband about the X snack – I was so tired, I just couldn’t figure it out.  He said to go with the Stax based on how much the kids would like it and the fact that it was the best value.  Fine.  No one ever said these had to be healthy snacks.
3.  I found a booster seat for under $15.  Ohio is one of the last states to pass that booster seat law –  you know, the one where kids under 8 years old or shorter than 4’9″ have to be in a booster seat?  Well, that would include two of our kids, and we had only 1 booster seat.  I think it’s a dumb law; sure they say it’s safer, but who funded the studies -Graco et al.?  I’m from the 80’s – you know, the era where we kids lay sprawling in the backs of the station wagons, free as birds, feeling safe as can be while our parents braved the Chicago expressways…  Me and everyone I played with in the back of our parents’ station wagons made it into adulthood just fine…  not that I’m saying it was safe, but I just spent $13 on a booster seat, so I deserve to go off a little.  But I expected to pay much more, so I was happy.  Besides, like I told Hubby, $13 is a heck of a lot cheaper than the $100+ ticket it would have cost had our kids not been in the booster.  And I have a question – what about adults who are under 4’9″?  Do they have to ride in a booster seat in Ohio?  You know what, I won’t go there – it’s rude 🙂

So, yeah.  Three reasons Walmart made me happy today; that’s unusual.  Maybe they’re messing with my brain – I had 5 items on my list and came out with a $60 bill; how could that make me happy unless they’re brainwashing me?  That must be it…

Or maybe I’m just excited to have gotten out of the puberty talk at the middle school unscathed.  My husband (bless his heart) was the only male in the room.  We asked our daughter last night if she wanted both of us, just me, or none of us to go, and she chose both.  I won’t go into detail, but it was kind of a reality check.  Man, kids sure don’t stay little for long, do they?  Luckily for us, the talk was given by the school nurse, who is also a friend of the family from our church.  She handled it wonderfully, primitive sketch and all.  And that’s all I have to say about that.  1 (puberty talk at school) down, 3 to go…

As I have been reminded, it is Save the Frogs Day on Friday. I only think one state officially recognizes it, but that is not that point. The point is that we should be there to support the frogs! I would love to see how many of my readers agree with me on this! Frogs are my favorite animal and they are disappearing all around the world! Without our frogs, we are losing so many different important things in our life! Without frogs, so many of our medicine will no longer be around. And think of how many insects that frogs eat, the dieased misquitos for one! There are so many reasons that frogs need our help to survive. I could go on and on, but I won’t especially since I have to go pick up Tony, but think about what would happen if we suddenly had no more frogs in this world.

The last two rehearsals have been dedicated to blocking the entire show… preliminary blocking anyway.  You just know that it is going to change, particularly when we get our two weeks (of rehearsal) time on the stage.  But even to get that little idea in your head as to what you will be doing on stage is a big help.  It was like the blind leading the blind but when aren’t first blockings like that.  We did get to see “Eve’s” development of her big moment and the rest of us think she is off to a good start!

I am pleased with where I am at this point!  The memorization is coming.  Although, I do find myself running over “Kate’s” lines at times which at times seems appropriate since most of our moments end dramatically.  However, I will focus a bit more on the cue lines.

One of the highlights last night did not involve any blocking or scripts.  In the middle of a scene, we heard the thrilling refrain of John Williams’ “Superman March.”  I should have ignored it and kept the others guessing.  I was as surprised as them because I am usually careful to turn the cell phone off at inopportune times.  I did silence it after I read the text.  I did get HOMEWORK!  I’m to find my recording of the instrumental “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” which is an important part of the show.  It is in my itunes library.  I wonder if there is a way to send it to Beth via email.  I’ll see.

All in all.. a successful rehearsal with less than 4 weeks to go?!

After getting a few things done this evening, I sat down to read a bit and listen to some music. The story got put down early as I sat and payed more attention to the selection of songs playing. Random shuffle of songs I like played and stirred many memories.

Memories of children being born. Memories of good family times. Memory of love. Memories of people missing. Memories of people still around.

It has been said, that music touches the soul, and this I believe to be true. It is a gift to be able to recall the good times.

Not really an e-book review, since I’ve read or heard the various stories since my childhood, but I’ve been reading selections from Edgar Allan Poe on my Nook for the past week or so.

What I really enjoy about Poe, is the variety of writing I can read from him. He wrote short stories, poetry, black comedies. He wrote mysteries, horror and love poems. He wrote about real life mysteries. But he is mainly remembered for his stories and poems of the macabre and a lone visitor to his grave years after his death.

This past week I’ve been reading stories I’ve remembered from my youth. For those who don’t know the story, my older brother would read me Poe for bed time stories. He was 12 years older than me and had been reading Poe for school. For some reason he thought that these stories were fine his 4/5 year old kid brother. While there were a couple that kept me hiding under blankets for many nights (Tell Tale Heart, Pit and the Pendulum), I remember most of the stories and poems with great affection. I have to thank my brother for enlightening me at such a young and impressionable age. I’m sure this help/hindered? in my becoming who I am today. 😉

This past week, I’ve revisited the above mentioned stories and many others. 45 years and many readings later, these stories still hold my attention.

This is another look into the writing styles of the past. Think back to these stories being printed in various magazines. Then they are read in a time without electric lights. Candles, oil lamps and some gas lamps, plus the fire in the hearth, were the lighting of the time. All of these lamps were darker than our current electric lights. They make moving and shifting shadows on the walls. Poe’s stories of Horror and the Macabre read in those settings still can give a chill to the bones. With story telling/reading, the imagination of the listener/reader are key to the sense of the story. Poe’s stories readily help feed a fertile imagination.

Looking for a bit of that evening thrill, read ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by the light of a hurricane lamp. Or read “The Cask of Amontillado” in a damp cool cellar under candle light. Or how about “The Raven” in dim light during a wind/rain storm. Let your imaginations go, pick up some Poe and enjoy a shiver or two. Of course, you may need to read them alone…

I’m listening to some old CD’s and relaxing after a day driving in the rain. In the truck, out of the truck, into that building and then out. With all of the rain, my clothing was soaked as I drove back from Fort Wayne. As much as I complain to my children, I really don’t mind walking in the rain at times. I prefer a warm summer rain to these cold spring rains, but they can be refreshing at times.

With the short walk back to the truck this evening, after dropping off my youngest, I really got soaked. The rain just decided to drop in buckets as I turned the corner heading away from my daughter’s apartment. Anyway a warm fire, a change of clothes and some relaxation was called for when I got home.

The music is still playing, the fire is slowly dieing. And for now, I am relaxed. The weekend is at an end, and I enjoyed it. Now to look forward to the coming week. If I could save time in a bottle, the hours of this weekend would be ones to save.

AH…. Saturday… nothing to do, day off.  I watched Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (can’t beat Doc Brown chewing the scenery as a Klingon baddie getting kicked by the ever poetic William Shatner…”I…have HAD… ENOUGH of…YOU!“).  Then watched the start of the ball game before heading to church and some grocery shopping (UGH… grocery shopping). However, we did have some Chinese.  Mass was interesting: the musicians decided to not show so Father Jim led the congregation in “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” a capella.  I’ve heard worse.  The remainder of mass was music-less.  Someone asked why I did not jump up and volunteer to lead.  Since it was not my home parish and I was not appropriately dressed (I did not have time to change out of my jeans and sweatshirt before we left… last minute thing) I said “Not today.”  Hmm… kind of reminds me of another tangenteer’s latest post!

At the Chinese restaurant, my fortune was actually one of the most fitting I have ever received.  “You have a great appreciation for the arts and music.”  REALLY… A great appreciation sounds just a bit less than reality but I’ll take it! I did not even ask “What kind of fortune is that?” I had to make sure that the cookie was not opened beforehand, but I did take it out of the sealed wrapper.  Six year old Alyssa’s said: “Sell Your Ideas They Are Worldly Appropriate.”  Her idea: “To be on Spongebob.”  😉

While at the ‘Mart, I was asked to go to the toy department.  Sounded more fun than wandering around the grocery aisles.  Push push here and honk that bicycle horn!  Buy me this!  30,000 piece puzzles (well… 300 piece Cinderella’s Castle puzzle that looked fun). Tossed around the Nerf balls.  Whatever happened to the cool Star Wars blasters.  Out of stock? Then the inevitable bathroom break that seemed to take 20 minutes… and of course both girls had to go at the same time… imagine that!  But in the end, I came out relatively unscathed and not a penny poorer than I went in.. so all was good!

We took a family walk down to Walgreens last night, and about halfway there, I happened to look down and noticed that my husband was wearing his slippers.  We proceeded to give each other a hard time, neither one understanding the other’s point of view.

MINE:  It’s embarrassing.  I don’t really concern myself with what others think for the most part, but I also know that many people are judgmental and will treat you differently if you have the appearance that you either don’t take care of yourself or are dirt poor.  I don’t want to make either statement about my family, and I don’t like drawing attention to myself or my family.  I definitely don’t want our daughters to have any excuses to not want to go places with us as they approach their teen years, when they will fashion plenty of these excuses themselves.  I will teach them not to care what other people think in that way as much as I can, but teens will be teens.  Besides, the signs on public places say, “No shirt, no SHOES, no service.”  Technically, slippers are not shoes, and I like to follow the rules.

HIS:  I’m comfortable.  Who cares what people think?  If they judge, that’s their problem.  The signs on the doors of public places are referring to no BARE feet.

I told him if I wrote to Dear Abby, she would say wearing slippers in public is not appropriate, and he challenged me.  So I said I would make a poll on my blog.  What do you think?

[poll id=”17″]

[poll id=”18″]

[poll id=”19″]

Happy Earth Day a day (or two at his point) late!  Did anyone happen to see this remarkable play begun by a little-known third baseman in the top of the 6th inning against the Oakland A’s?  The first time such a feat was accomplished by the team since 1968 when one of the greats was involved.  The bad news is that he Yanks still lost.  The good news is… it did not matter, they still took the series!  There was even some squabbling between A-Rod and the pitcher for the A’s.  Something about how the Yankee made his way back to first base after a play… I dunno.

But check out the historic play… even though the A’s came out on top in the end.

Barnes and Noble is really making headway with their book reader. Today I just got a software update for my Nook. They made somethings easier like connecting to Wi-Fi sites and loading music. And they added a thing or two. The first was a section for Games. So far there are only two games, but I’m sure they will add more. I’m sure part of it will be a money maker for them too. I can see them charging for ‘Game’ apps. They said they did some changes to make the page turning quicker. All good right!

Then there is the big change. I can now access the internet on my Nook. I was able to read blog posts, check up on email and some other things you can do on the web. I don’t think it is made to play movies or things like that, but it does handle basic text and graphics very well. I don’t think I would ever use it for more than quick replies. The data entry is a bit rough for me. I did try to reply to a blog, but it said I was posting from a spam site, even when I was logged in as me. Hmmm.

Big problem though, the Web seems to eat battery life. I guess I will need to keep my charging cord available at all times if I want to scan the web often.

I just hope the abiltity to store my books in files, or give them tags will be available soon.