I can’t believe Thanksgiving break is almost over.

Yesterday we had temperatures in the upper 40s and got the outside Christmas lights hung. Mind you, I won’t turn them on until next weekend, but we got them up while it was relatively warm.

Thanks goodness.

Today we made a run to Lowes to get birdseed and a new fire extinguisher, and ended up coming back with speaker wire, since I only have four of my six speakers hooked up. Yes, I’m still excited about the new stereo. And tomorrow is new cell phone day.

I almost feel guilty about this near orgy of spending.

But not guilty enough I won’t be getting my new phone tomorrow. So for tonight I must contemplate: black or purple for the new phone.

So I’ve been complaining for awhile that I need a new stereo receiver.

Mind you, I love my current receiver. It’s a Sony ES series and has been an excellent receiver for years.

(Yes of course it’s tuned to the local public radio station.)

However.

It’s at least 18 years old, if not 19. So it doesn’t have anything close to the number of inputs in the back it needs. XM goes into the tape deck slot, but this is not ideal as the volume is off and there’s a faint buzzing the louder you play it, and although the DVD players goes through the stereo, Dish TV runs only though the TV. Which isn’t that big a deal as Grandmom is the only one who uses the TV, and she’s afraid to touch the stereo.

Nor does it have enough speaker outputs–and I only own six speakers.

And look at my poor remote. The back to the battery case has been held on by a rubber band for about ten years now (at one point it was a black pony tail holder, but that wore out last year and I didn’t have a replacement).

So we’ve known for awhile it needed replaced, we’ve just put it off.

Until browsing the Black Friday sales on Amazon we saw receivers 50% off. Yesterday’s deal, even at 50% off, was way more than we could afford. But today, they have Denon AVR-888 for $350–more than 50% off.

And the thing is sweet. No, I’m not one of those people that can spout specs–my house is too small for that good of a system–but it has everything we were looking for, and it’s a Denon!

I’m sorry I couldn’t find a Sony for a replacement. As I said, my Sony has been excellent for a long time. But never fear, my Sony won’t be heading for a landfill–it’ll head down to the basement so I can listen to something different downstairs than is playing upstairs.

Not that it matters too much. As I said, it’s a small house. But still!

And now I can’t wait for my new receiver!

Too bad we’re not smart enough to figure out what cords we need beforehand.

When Michael got his new cell phone (an Instinct) in August, and we changed our cell phone plan to allow texting and data, I was insanely jealous and wanted a new phone. But alas, but I have to wait until December 1st, lest I pay a zillion dollars instead of pennies for a new phone. (The contact isn’t an issue–there are five of us on the bill–we won’t be changing any time soon.)

I originally thought I wanted a cell phone/PDA. Was sure of it. Knew the phone I wanted to get.

But as the day for getting a new phone grew closer, I started looking at phones in anticipation. And discovered that maybe I didn’t really want a PDA phone. They seemed awfully expensive and bulky for something I keep in my pants pocket.

But there were still some expensive phones on my list that I thought were my top contenders.

Then when we went out to eat yesterday, we stopped by Best Buy, just to peruse what was there. (Black Friday isn’t a big deal with you 1) go late and 2) aren’t planning on buying anything. I discovered that they had the phones I was considering out on display. And once I laid my paws on those little keypads, my top choices plummeted, and the Blackberry, which was on the list as a back-up, fell off entirely (don’t like the keypad–I’m a terrible typist as it is).

The expensive PDA/cell phone I thought I loved had a really flimsy feeling keypad sliding mechanism, and I disliked the layout of the keypad. And the flip phone that had jumped to the top because it had a full alphabet keypad? Unpleasant to type on. Suddenly the phone that was being considered as a backup leaped to the top of the list. I loved the full keypad and the way it typed and the way the letters were separated. It did everything I wanted, and even though it had a slightly smaller screen, I decided it wasn’t that much smaller, since it’s not like I can surf the web easily even on Michael’s phone.

The only drawback is it can’t be used as a modem, which Michael’s phone can’t do either.

But the best part? It’ll cost me about $20 versus $299 if I wait until next week to upgrade.

So it looks like I’ll be getting a Rant, which seems fitting on so very many levels.

Two days!

Better late than never.

OH MY GOD! It’s a GIANT FURRY SLUG!

And then, suddenly, she’s normal sized.

Yes, it’s WVU vs Pitt!

BTHOP!

Ten years ago Michael and I were married.

Saying yes to him was the best decision I ever made in my life.

Today’s word is obviously for John Scalzi.

chawbacon \CHAW-bay-kun\ noun
: bumpkin, hick

Did you know?
“Chaw” is an alteration of “chew” that is still used in some English dialects, especially in rural areas. Cured pork, or bacon, was a staple of some rural folks’ diets in the past. Since the 16th century, “chaw” has been combined with “bacon” to create a ludicrous name for an uncultured yokel. Over the centuries, the word has lent its delicious dialect flavor to a wide range of publications, but it has become less common in recent decades. Today, city dwellers are as likely as country folk to chow down on bacon, and the word “chawbacon” isn’t often on the lips of either group.

Nothing like trying to shoot photos from a moving car with dirty windows.

Sun is in the east on these two pictures–we left the house around 8:30 AM. This meant the sun was at a moderately annoying angle for half the trip.

It was about 26 when we left the house, so the trees were frosted over, and there would be a small window of time between the sun hitting them and the frost melting where they would sparkle in the light.

Very pretty, and one of the reasons I like mornings.

And here’s the drive home. Interestingly, this view is of the north east. The color to the west so so strong it was reflected in the clouds to the east.

Unfortunately, the actual sunset wasn’t photographable from the car, as it was behind us.

If you’ve only seen WV on a map, you may wonder why it takes so long to get from one place to another. After all, in DC and other urban settings you have to contend with traffic. But this is WV, and we don’t have hour long traffic jams (even football game Saturdays in Morgantown aren’t that bad.)

But what we do have are roads that follow the contour of the land. Here is Interstate 79, which runs pretty much the length of WV.

(more…)

This year I am thankful for:

Michael
My grandmother’s continue longevity
Orange juice
Gainful employment that I often enjoy
My family
Paying off our car loan
Chocolate
Our house
Michael enjoying his job
Snow
My cats–most of the time
Down comforters
My new camera and printer
Michael

NOTE: Any updates today will appear in the Twitter widget on the sidebar.

Grandmom: That’s IT! I’ve had enough! I’m gonna BAN computers! NO MORE COMPUTERS!
Michelle: You realize Michael and I will both be out of a job then.
Grandmom: Then you’ll just have to find ANOTHER job!

You answered 30 out of 33 correctly — 90.91 %

Average score for this quiz during November: 78.0%
Average score: 78.0%

I can’t keep my speeches straight, I can’t keep my amendments straight, and I don’t know what the public good is. :) Other than that, I’m golden.

Take the Civic Literacy Quiz yourself.

I’m going to print out the quiz so my grandmother can take it. We’ll see how she does. Probably better than the rest of us.

(via Stereo Describes My Scenario)

ADDENDUM the First:
Grandmom didn’t do as well as she wanted, but part of the problem was she kept changing her answer or knew the answer was wrong but left the wrong answer. Regardless of her score, she really enjoyed the quiz.

If you wanna know why it’s for the UCF, click through and read the alt/title text on the image.

I discovered that when you take your (actual) teeth out of your mouth in sections, they’re much easier to brush.

So Thanksgiving is Thursday, and for the first time in awhile, I won’t be making Thanksgiving dinner.

I’m actually saddened by this, because I like making big special meals. Yes, I make Michael clean and stuff the turkey but everyone else likes turkey, and I always use the leftovers in turkey pie, so it’s okay.

But not this year.

No Yukon gold potatoes for masked potatoes. No buying two types of sweet potatoes–one for sweet potatoes an one for sweet potato pie. And no stuffing. The past couple years, with Grandmom guiding me, I’ve gotten the stuffing just right. And since stuffing is the best part of dinner, not having cold stuffing to nibble on for a couple days saddens me immensely. Even if it rarely lasts a couple of days.

I’ll be making two pies–one pumpkin and one sweet potato–but they’ll be traveling, so I might not have any leftovers.

But just wait for Christmas!

What was the last book you bought?
The last new book that came into the house was Fables Volume 11, by Bill Willingham et al.
My last Amazon order was The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri, Lucifer’s Shadow by David Hewson, Hellboy Vol. 8: Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola

Name a book you have read MORE than once
A book? Just one? Craziness! Here are some of the more frequently re-read: The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Hobbit by JRR Tolkein, The Phoenix Guard by Steven Brust, the Belgariad by David Eddings, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman. Plus there are a bunch of books I can’t wait to reread.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Everything I read teaches me something new, and every time I learn, my life is changed.

How do you choose a book? (E.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews?)
Yes.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Yes.

What’s more important in a novel, beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Yes.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Going back to my childhood, it’s probably a toss-up between Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple. Otherwise, it’s probably the character in the series I’m currently reading, or the last book I read that I loved.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Now, the books on my nightstand are way different from the books strewn throughout the house that I read throughout the day.
The Histories by Herodotus (I will finish this book), Healing Anger by the Dalai Lama, Faerie Tales ed Martin H. Greenberg, Latin American Folktales ed by John Bierhorst, Russian Folk Belief, A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, The Path to Tranquility by the Dalai Lama, Vellum by Hal Duncan.
Of course some of these I haven’t read in a year or more, but still they’re there.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
Today I finished The City of Falling Angels by John Brendt and Hellboy 8 Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Repeatedly. But I’ll also finish a book out of sheer stubbornness (see Herodotus).

(via Janiece)

It’s just one of those blue days I suppose.

My brain is muddled and my body is trying to convince me to curl up with a book and take a nap. Maybe after the next load of laundry.

So, as I’ve got nothing, I put forth the following: what’s your personal cure for the blues?

White broke the NCAA record for career yards rushing by a quarterback in leading the Mountaineers to a 35-21 victory over Louisville on Saturday. The senior ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns to give him 4,292 yards for his career, breaking the record of 4,289 set by former Missouri quarterback Brad Smith from 2002-05.

I’m thrilled Pat is doing so well, and would like to see him end his season in the same vein.

My aunt & uncle are visiting, so no live blogging.

However…

1) They totally stole that touchdown from us

2) Pat White rocks

3) YEEEEEE HAAAAAW!!!!!

ADDENDUM the First:
Pat White
123 yards passing
204 Yards rushing

Pat White is now the all time leader for quarterback rushing!

Pat White rocks!

It would not be an exaggeration to say that I listen to the radio constantly.

I wake up to Morning Edition on WV public radio. I go to bed listening to the Real Jazz station on XM. At work I listen to jazz on WDUQ over my computer. When there is a WVU football game, I listen to it on the radio even if it’s on TV. There are radios throughout the house, all tuned to WV public radio, and the first to stations in the car are WV Public Radio and WDUQ (I can’t get WDUQ in the house.)

There’s even a radio in the bathroom. Which brings me to this evening’s incident.

On Friday nights WVPR plays a mixture of bluegrass and folk programs. I was in the shower (I’m still pretty tired, and admit I’m going to bed after I finish this) one quarter listening to what I could hear of the radio over the shower, and three quarters letting my mind wander, when I suddenly realize that the radio is playing Rage Against the Machine. I actually turned the water off so I could hear better, because that just seemed… wrong.

Yes, it was Rage Against the Machine, but it was the local pop/rock station overpowering the public radio station. (It’s been down a lot recently, so who the hell knows what happens.) My first thought was to wonder what Rage Against the Machine song qualified as folk or bluegress.

My second thought–after realizing that WV public radio had gone out. again–was to wonder how many other people listening when the other station cut in, actually knew they were listening to Rage Against the Machine.

It my personal guiding word:

non sequitur \NAHN-SEK-wuh-ter\ noun
1 : an inference that does not follow from the premises
*2 : a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said

Did you know?
In Latin, “non sequitur” means “it does not follow.” The phrase was borrowed into English in the 1500s by people who made a formal study of logic. For them it meant a conclusion that does not follow from the statements that lead to it. But we now use “non sequitur” for any kind of statement that seems to come out of the blue. The Latin verb “sequi” (“to follow”) has actually led the way for a number of English words. A “sequel” follows the original novel, film, or television show. Someone “obsequious” follows another about, flattering and fawning. And an action is often followed by its “consequence.”

And it’s SNOWING again!

WHEEEEE!

Why won’t she get out of my face?

Yes, Michael’s shins are apparently extremely comfortable.

Some of these (perhaps all) have appeared here before, but all are worth visiting again.

Name Voyager Not related to Star Trek. Looks at the popularity of names over time. Shockingly, the popularity of my name peaked in the 70s.

Giant Microbes I have a cold sitting on my desk.

Odd news from the BBC: Who doesn’t have a belly button. (More importantly, How and Why?!)

Basic Instructions My favorite is this one.

for erin:

gravid \GRAV-id\ adjective
*1 : pregnant
2 : distended with or full of eggs

Did you know?
“Gravid” comes from Latin “gravis,” meaning “heavy.” It can refer to a female who is literally pregnant, and it also has the figurative meanings of “pregnant”: “full or teeming” and “meaningful.” Thus, a writer may be gravid with ideas as she sits down to write; a cloud may be gravid with rain; or a speaker may make a gravid pause before announcing his remarkable findings.