Karen & Gerard Zemek

The Best Use For Shorthand

2009-12-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

This time of year always reminds me of how we would go through the Christmas catalogs marking the things we'd like for Christmas and my mom making up her shopping list--in shorthand, leaving it on the table in plain sight to tease us! I found secret codes fascinating. (I still have my code book, Codes and Secret Writing by Herbert S. Zim.) Shorthand is a great type of secret writing because not too many people know it anymore and it's very difficult to figure out if not impossible. Here is a sample of it--can you read it?

Try as I might, I could not break that code--could you? It just looked like scribbling to me. I don't think it's even taught in schools anymore since most dictation in offices is done on tape with a transcription machine. This way is more efficient because the secretary isn't waiting for her boss to think what he wants to say. I do use shorthand sometimes for phone messages or transcribing voice mail messages or for a short, quick letter now and then. It will always be good for secret shopping lists!

When I took shorthand in school, I wondered why this way of writing wasn't taught to everyone instead of cursive because it was faster and made more sense. Strokes represent sounds so the word "know" and "no" would look the same. There are no useless letters in words either such as a silent "k" in the word "knife." The only bit of confusion is that some strokes can represent different things such as a dot can be the word "a" or "an" or the ing suffix at the end of a word. Phrases is another characteristic of shorthand that provides more speed--kind of like our URL's today. Common phrases like "Thank you for the" would be written all together like "thankyouforthe." Shorthand is definitely easier to write than to read later because of these little quirks, but after awhile, you get to recognize the phrases as well.

Learning shorthand is similar to learning a foreign language. My mom used to be at the top of her class, able to take dictation for 3 minutes at 150 (or it might have been 180, I'm not sure now) words per minute! I never came close to that because it takes a lot of practice and I just didn't want to put that much time into it. Yes, I was lazy and I HATED homework. I hated homework so much that I used to just turn in class dictation as my homework and always got credit for it.

I'm glad that I learned shorthand because I still think it's cool! Oh, the shorthand translation pictured above is here: "This is a post about why I decided to learn shorthand. Can you read this?"

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3 Things I Learned This Week--Part 48

2009-12-04T06:00:00.004-05:00

Chicago Cats Need Home

UPDATED 12/4/09: I just discovered an urgent need for a couple of Chicago cats at Can You Help Some Buddies In Need over at Daisy, the Curly Cat. The owner is moving and cannot bring the cats because they are moving in where someone is allergic. I know how hard it is to try to find a good home for cats that you wish you could keep but can't because I went through it when looking for a home for my dad's cats after he died. If you are in the Chicago area, please check out this link for more details.

Shopping

After losing out on a good deal on Black Friday sticking to my "don't buy things on impulse" rule, I learned that if you see something you like and it's on sale, buy it right then. Check out my shopping Trip post that taught me this.

Fake Hallmark E-cards

Please be aware of fake E-cards being sent from Hallmark! The link in the card directs you to a malicious site. The easiest way to tell the difference between a real hallmark E-card and fake is, E-cards sent from Hallmark will have the correct email address of the sender, it will not be from Hallmark and the senders name will be in the body of the message.

Mr. Linky

I thought I'd try using Mr. Linky on these posts, we'll see if it works.

I'm trying out the Mcklinky on here for the first time. Just thought it would be nice if you shared what you learned during the week too. You could post any day during the week and link up here. What did you learn this week?

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Know God, No Problem Is More Like It

2009-12-02T16:30:00.002-05:00

“No god? . . . No problem!” The picture that goes with it is of smiling people wearing Santa Claus hats. This is an ad campaign launched by the American Humanist Association on buses, trains and billboards. I like that they used a small “g” in god because the only true almighty God is spelled with a capital “G.” This, however, is a technicality because I’m sure they mean to include the only true God as well. I read about this in the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER today and just had to comment on it because it sort of got me riled.

The Executive Director of the American Humanist Association was quoted to have said, “To the degree that we are reaching out to the godly, it’s just to say that you can be good without god so their atheist neighbor down the street shouldn’t be vilified as though he is immoral.” The fact is there are many “good” people who are lost and separated from God. No matter how “good” we are, we cannot be good enough to earn eternal life according to God’s word.

Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

John 3:16 summarizes how one can have eternal life best: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (Jesus) that whosever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.”

No mention here of being good because salvation (being saved from the punishment of sin we deserve) is not based on what we do or don’t do, but on our belief in Jesus as our personal Savior who died for us, rose from the dead and wants us to live for Him.

I want others to know Jesus like I do because according to the Bible (God's Word) it is the only way to eternal life. If I’m wrong, I’ve lost nothing. If a person chooses to reject God and they are wrong, they’ve lost their soul. This is why it really bugs me when people who do not know God still insist on trying to get other people not to believe in Him too. What is the point of that? What do they gain by convincing someone else to reject God?

Christmas was first a religious holiday before it became a commercialized secular holiday. It’s a fun holiday that even non-religious people join in celebrating which is fine. I love that the Christmas spirit is contagious and many people join in being kind and generous particularly around Christmas time but the purpose of Christmas has always been to celebrate Jesus taking human form, God himself becoming man to show us what God is like and be the Savior of the world—WOW! I suggest we change the slogan to “Know God? No Problem!”

How do you feel about this ad campaign? Do you think I'm over reacting here?

What Do Your Cookie Eating Habits Reveal About Your Personality?

2009-12-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

Gerard is the "cookie monster" in our house. The first day we met he told me he never met a cookie he didn't like. I thought that was funny. My favorite cookies are those chocolate marshmallow ones, but I also like chocolate chip, those vanilla, chocolate and strawberry wafer cookies and Oreos the most. I took the test and the result describes me perfectly. What about you?

I Am Traditional and Dependable

You tend conform with the rest of society, even if you aren't trying to. No one would accuse you of being a freak!
You are a go-getter. If you set your mind to a goal, you achieve it.
You're easy going and easy to be around. You aren't picky or high maintenance.
You seek security in your life. Feeling safe is important to you.

Take The Sandwich Cookie Personality Test

and share your results in the comments. Also, what cookies do you like most?

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Our Best Reads In November: The Associate & The First Fall Classic (Writer's Workshop)

2009-12-01T06:00:00.005-05:00

Karen's Favorite: The Associate by John Grisham is definitely a page-turner that kept my interest all through but was a bit of a let down in the end. Kyle, a first-year associate at a big New York law firm was being blackmailed to steal confidential information from the firm he worked for and struggled to find a way out. It demonstrates how one's past can come back to haunt them. I enjoyed this book even though the story line seemed far-fetched to me and there were several loose ends. I recommend this to anyone who likes some suspense and enjoys reading about lawyers. Since I work for a law firm, perhaps that's why I could relate to the main character and got into this book. I found it to be entertaining.

Gerard's Favorite: The First Fall Classic by Mike Vaccaro
A MUST READ FOR BASEBALL FANS! (800 stars)

The First Fall Classic by Mike Vaccaro has three things that I really look for in a book: (1) non-fiction, (2) a topic that interests me, (3) a topic I know little or nothing about.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it felt like I was right there. The writing is superb. It is about the 1912 World Series between the Giants and the Red Sox--what a series it was! The ending has to be read to be believed. If you are a baseball fan or just a sports fan in general, you owe it to yourself to read this book! Thank you, Mr. Vaccaro, for writing this very enjoyable book!

This is part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop for this week answering the prompt: What winter read has you snuggled in and turning pages? Visit her blog for more posts or to participate yourself.

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Our Annual Black Friday Shopping Trip

2009-11-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

YES, my husband looks forward to this even more than I do. We left at 7 a.m. (not too crazy) and got home around 1 p.m. and then went back out at 3:00 for another hour. We had fun and it was very productive. We go to a two level mall, Southpark, and first kind of window shop together. Then one takes the lower lever and the other the upper level first, then we switch and wind up at the food court for lunch.

Even though I caught a cold, I did not let that stop me from going. It was only 31 degrees and snowing, but we leave our coats in the car and run to and from the mall because if I wear it in the mall, I get too overheated and tire a lot quicker. I don't like carrying my coat either so this works best. I just find a parking spot close to the door. So far, we've been able to do that.

When stopping in the restroom I found this new hand dryer I never saw before. There are no buttons to press, just stick your hands inside and they get blasted with nice warm air from all sides. It worked very well, better than those that you press the button to get the air and rub your hands together trying to get them dry before it turns off. I like this one much better!

I goofed though. Found a bargain on a real nice pet bed at Macy's for our dog and didn't get it because it was so big I didn't want to lug it around the mall and wanted to check out the ones at PetSmart. Dummy me, I should have just bought it and if I found something else I liked better, I could have just returned it. I just didn't think of that soon enough. So then after checking PetSmart and Pet Supplies Plus, I still wanted the one I saw at Macy's so went back for it at the Macy's closer to us. Unfortunately, it was only on sale until noon and by then it was 3:00--AAARGH! I bought it anyway and hope Abby likes it.

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6 Things I Learned This Week--Part 47

2009-11-27T05:44:00.000-05:00

Catster-Dogster Cat show & Dog Show

Lots of cat and dog pictures to look at over at the Catster & Dogster show. Judges choose winners of the categories but anyone can vote once for the best in show for one cat and one dog. I had a tough time choosing! Go check it out: The World's Coolest Dog and Cat Show. Our friend Harley is up for two categories! He has some very stiff competition there though! We didn't know about this contest soon enough to enter our pets.

Toxic Flowers to Cats

I knew Pointsettas were poisonous to cats but in playing my trivia game at the top of my blog this week (like I hope all of you do) I learned that daffodils, tulips and especially lilies are also toxic for cats.

Weight

At Greed Girls Guide I learned that it actually is good to get weighed every day. It helps you make good eating choices through the day and makes you aware early of any unwanted weight gain before it gets out of hand. I also liked the interview with a personal trainer. It is a Q&A format on video with the trainer. Very interesting and well done.

Sandy Alomar

Thanks to the PLAIN DEALER, I learned that the Cleveland Indians former catcher, Sandy Alomar, will be back with the tribe as a first base and catcher coach. Welcome back! Now, if only we could get Omar Vizquel to be the manager!

It's A He

Surprise!The Cleveland Zoo tortoise named "Mary" was discovered after many years to actually be a male and was renamed "Terry" this week.

Traditions from Shell In Your Pocket

I found a blog this week through SITS that shares great holiday traditions at Shell In Your Pocket. Here are just a few that I was especially impressed with: Mini-Van Express--neighborhood tour of Christmas lights with special fun and excitement built in, Thanksgiving table cloth with things the family has written that they were thankful for over the years, advent boxes with something small for the kids each day, surprise Christmas Eve box decorated to look like it actually came from afar delivered to the door by a neighbor with a special ornament and DVD for each child and many more great ideas. Be sure to go check out this great blog by Sandy Toes.

Click to find more Friday Fragments at Half past Kissin' Time.

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A Thanksgiving Day Poem (Writer's Workshop)

2009-11-26T05:45:00.001-05:00

This is the year we got our dog,
So thankful it is not a hog.
Abby, Dabby Doo,
We love you!

We also love our cats,
Even though they don’t wear hats.
We are thankful they both love to play,
And do so without any pay!

God is so good,
He knows what we need,
Which is a good night’s sleep,
So we don’t fall in a heap!

Although Cancer struck,
We did not get drunk.
As we looked up in faith,
God restored my health!

So this Thanksgiving,
We’ll be eating
At Hometown Buffet
In the middle of the day!

Thanking God for all his blessings,
Including our blogging buddies
Who visit our blog and comment away
Leaving us compliments that make our day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AS YOU COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!

To see a complete list of things Gerard and I are thankful for, go to "Give Thanks" on our Zemek's Updates blog.

This was a prompt from Mama Kat's Workshop where you can go see more posts or participate yourself.

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What Does Your Walk Say About You?

2009-11-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

I think these results accurately describe me. I know I am approachable because people always ask me for directions or what time it is.

Your Walk Says You're Approachable

You are intelligent, thoughtful, and even philosophical. You like to go unnoticed for the most part.
Other people see you as humble and down to earth. You don't put on airs.
You are assertive, energetic, and curious about the world. You never hold back, and you're often the first to try something.
You are a kid at heart. You love to have fun and believe that life is for living.

Why not take the quiz and share your results in the comments:

What Does Your Walk Say About You?

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Why We Don't Have Flowers On Our Table

2009-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is a fall flower arrangement of fake flowers that Gerard brought down from the top of the curio cabinet and put on our dining room table. I didn't say anything, but every day the cats would be chewing on it and pulling out the leaves and flowers. Of course when I got the camera out, Spunky got out of the flowers but she did have her whole head in a nice hole in the arrangement that she made by pulling some of the fake flowers out.

Manny liked them too and helped spunky Doodle slowly dismantle the arrangement a little at a time from the other side. Finally, when Gerard got a piece from under the table stuck in the vacuum cleaner (which is probably why the belt broke), I just put them back up on the curio cabinet where I had them before and explained why to Gerard. The cats enjoyed them for a couple weeks at least but I thought I better rescue the arrangement before it was all torn apart.

Can you have flowers out in your house? The cats would still like it on the table. What do you say I should do?

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Vote For An Animal Shelter

2009-11-23T06:00:00.002-05:00

The Animal Rescue Site is giving money to shelters each week through December 20. When you click on the Animal Rescue Site, another screen pops up that says your click was counted. At the top in red letters is a button that says vote for a shelter. Here is your chance to vote and help a shelter win some money. The two I vote for are the Parma Animal Shelter which is where we got our first cat from and which helped us save him when he was very sick and the second is Kitten Krazy which is run by a friend of mine in Medina, Ohio. You can vote once a day. Please vote for one you are familiar with or one of these that I mentioned.

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4 Things I Learned This Week--Part 46

2009-11-20T06:00:00.009-05:00

Canine LifeLine

The foster mom of our dog, Abby, has formed a volunteer organization called Canine LifeLine. Canine LifeLine is an all volunteer organization with a mission to save adoptable dogs from being euthanized at shelters due to overcrowding or treatable medical conditions such as heartworm. All of our dogs are in foster homes throughout northeast Ohio. Abby will be featured on her "Happy Tails" page at www.caninelifeline.org.

Canine Lifeline does not have a shelter. All of our dogs are in foster homes. Please email caninelifeline@gmail.com if you're interested in meeting any of our dogs.

Tail Waggin' Tutors

I just learned about this program this week where kids read to therapy dogs. I think Abby would make a wonderful therapy dog and we are going to look into this. Check out this video at Therapy Dogs International. This is just of of many programs they have. Some dogs also visit assisted living facilities, hospitals and hospice facilities.

Alice.com

If you don't like to shop, you may want to try out Alice.com that I learned about at Freaky Frugalite: "Meet My Maid: Alice.com". Shipping is free!

Taylor Swift

In the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER Wednesday of this week, I read that Taylor Swift, the 19-year-old hit country music singer is going to have a signature line of greeting cards, gift wrap and stationery with American Greetings Corp. She is an amazing, very talented girl!

Click here for more Friday Fragments.

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Did I Really Want To Change My Life Forever (Writer's Workshop)

2009-11-19T04:39:00.001-05:00

(Photograph taken by Mike Solomon)
Deciding to marry Gerard was a bit scary because I liked my single life. I was already in my 40s when I met Gerard and I only knew him for six months before we got engaged. I said "yes" to his proposal of marriage even though I knew my life would be changed forever. (You can read "13 Changes In Our Life Since Marriage" to see how both our lives changed.)

For both Gerard and me, marriage is a sacred union that is for a lifetime with no guarantees. I knew Gerard thought I was "the one for him" right off but I wasn't so sure. After much analyzing, I did know I loved him and that I could be a good helpmate for him. I thought of how I would feel if he wasn't in my life and I didn't want to go there. I also knew I didn't want to spend my whole life alone like four of my aunts did.

Although many things did change, I'm glad I took the plunge! I love our house, our pets, and our life together. There are little bumps now and then, but we are both committed to each other and that will carry us through. We both compromise on things and each gives in to the other to keep things good between us. Marriage is a work in progress but I think we are doing very well.

Gerard says marrying me was the smartest thing he ever did. I think it is too!

This was a prompt for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop. Find more posts there or pick a prompt and participate yourself. Here are links to the other Writer's Workshop posts I did this week: A Thanksgiving To Remember and Our Dog's Most Destructive Behavior

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Wordless Wednesday & Give Me Your Best Shot

2009-11-18T04:50:00.002-05:00

(This guy is in Napoleon's Pizza on State Rd. in Parma, Ohio)

Go to Daisy the Curly Cat for more Wordless Wednesdays.
This is also my best shot of the week for Better in Bulk's "Give Me Your Best Shot"

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So Long, Shay--Sorry You're Not The Biggest Loser

2009-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

I like watching "The Biggest Loser." It's my favorite show right now because I like seeing these people succeed in their weight loss journey to get healthy and enjoy living again. Last Tuesday though I was sorry to see Shay voted off. I do not understand why the others think she can do this on her own.

Shay was the heaviest one there, well over 400 lbs.! In just nine weeks, she lost 100 lbs. and now holds the record for the woman to lose that much weight in the shortest time. Tuesday she lost 17 lbs. in one week! Clearly she worked hard and even losing the 100 lbs. only brought her down to well over 300 lbs. which was the starting weight for many on the show. Obviously, she still has a long way to go and definitely should be there.

I felt bad that she had to leave when she was finally making great progress and has so much more work to do yet. Jillian, one of the trainers, felt bad for her too and really wanted her to stay. I wish Shay the best and hope she can stick with it.

Do you watch this show? What do you think about this?

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What Type Do You Fall For?

2009-11-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

This quiz is right on the money for me. Gerard and I met on November 16, 2006 for the first time at a Pizza Hut. Here is the link to the post about how we found each other: Our Anniversary Of The Day We Met. (Find other posts about us under the "About Us" tab at top).

You Fall for the Guy or Girl Next Door Type

You think that people make love too complicated, and what you want in a partner happens to be pretty simple.
You're content with someone who's nice, attractive, honest, and normal. So how come that's so hard to find?
You are fairly traditional, and you value security in relationships more than most people. It's important for you to find someone loyal.
When you find the right person, you don't expect much from him or her. You're just happy to be together.

Click here to find out What Type You Fall For

Share your results in the comments and let me know if that's the type you married.

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Summer In November In Ohio!

2009-11-14T19:00:00.002-05:00

We started the day with our usual breakfast at Hometown Buffet. I went to the ladies "Sweet Saturday" gathering at church and had a great time. Then we took Abby for a ride to Sears and Gerard bought a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner.

Today our weather was great--unbelievable for mid-November! We took Abby to the park where she got to meet some new dogs, bark at some squirrels and see a couple deer who she did NOT bark at! I was very surprised at that. By the time we were on our way home, the temperature was 70!

Gerard and I changed into shorts and went to play tennis. Other years the nets are taken down on Oct. 31, but this year they are still up so we took advantage of it. It was the first time I've played since my lumpectomy and I still won 6-2, 6-1 and didn't have any pain. I am SO thankful for that because I tried using my left hand at first and it was not good!

To top off our day, the Ohio State Buckeyes won in overtime against Iowa and are headed for the Rose Bowl now on New Year's Day! Gerard is very happy about that!

Hope you had a super Saturday too! Was your weather as good as ours? What did you do?

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6 Things I Learned This Week--Part 45

2009-11-13T06:00:00.010-05:00

Agassi

Agassi was interviewed on 60 Minutes last Sunday and I happened to watch. He said he hated tennis! He dropped out of school but now funds a prep school to promote the importance of education. The funniest thing was about his hair--during one match he was so worried it would fly off that he didn't run and didn't care he lost, he was just happy his hair stayed on!

November

When playing my trivia game to feed cats and dogs, I learned that November is National Adopt A Senior Pet month. Senior pets are less work than kittens or puppies and make for great companions!

Upward Sports

At Word Journey I read a post about the kids Christian sports program called Upwards offering scholarships to military families. This is a fun program for kids that teaches the fundamentals. Here's the link to the post about it: Upward Sports Offers Scholarships to Military Families.

At The Cleveland Zoo

We also learned a lot at the Cleveland Zoo last Saturday. I did this as a separate post: What We Learned At The Zoo Saturday.

A Baby Blog

Even babies blog, well a 22-month yr. old:

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Here's a chance to participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange at Turmoil and Tranquility .

Go to Half Past Kissin Time for More Friday Fragments.

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I Made A Fence Around The Litter Boxes (Writer's Workshop)

2009-11-12T05:00:00.004-05:00

When I discovered our dog starting to eat the cat poop, I asked Gerard to bring me a couple big boxes so I could put them around the litter boxes. I was just going to cut a hole for the cats to walk through and have some space inside before getting to the litter box. The boxes were not big enough, so I just cut along the one side so it would open up flat. I proceeded to cut a hole big enough for the cats to walk through and just stood it up like a fence around the litter boxes. To anchor the one above, I just folded one flap under the box and the other flap I put the chair on to hold it. Of course, the cats were watching me the whole time.

I also did it for the box in our upstairs bathroom. For this one, I put one of the short sides between the box and the wall to hold it and then wrapped it around to meet the tub. I used our cat doorstop to hold that end in place. I was happy to see the cats were okay with this and still used the boxes.

Related Posts:
Litter Box Fences Solve Poop Problem by Manny & Spunky Doodle
So I Ate A Little Cat Poop--What's The Big Deal? by Abby
But Dad, I Don't Want To Ruin My Doors

This post is the Writer's Workshop assignment to "Show something you did yourself." See more or join in at Mama Kat's Workshop.

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What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

2009-11-11T05:25:00.000-05:00

My least favorite subject in school was history/social studies. I didn't like it at all! I think this description is accurate except for the part that says I don't like to commit to anything. I feel I am a very committed person as being in many bowling leagues, the summer softball league, teaching Sunday School for years and being on the puppet team would indicate. Also the fact that I have worked at the same place for 22 years and being married to the same man for 12 years would indicate.

Disliking History Says You Are Unpredictable

You are unpredictable, unusual, and challenging.
For you, history is too irrelevant and set in stone. You rather look toward the future.
You don't like to commit to anything. You're a dynamic person who is always growing and changing.
You are very interested in new ideas and technology. You like to keep up with the latest trends.

What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

Why not take the quiz and share your results in the comments, or at least share what your least favorite subject is.

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Things We Learned At The Cleveland Zoo Saturday

2009-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we did something spontaneous again because it was such a nice day. We went to the Cleveland Zoo to see the baby Red Pandas but learned a lot of things while we were there.

Red Pandas

The baby red pandas were inside the Primate/Aquatics building and were resting when we got there after playing an hour. They had stuffed toys in their exhibit that they played with. We were sad to learn though that they will be transferred to some other zoos as part of the conservation project because there are so few left.

Poop

Even in the gift shop we learned that paper can be made from elephant poop! We bought a calendar with paper made from elephant poop! It doesn't smell at all which surprised me so we bought one! The elephant exhibit is being remodeled and won't be done until 2011. We miss our elephants but once it's done, we'll have even more than the three we had before!

This is a note at the bottom of one of the calendar pages about recycling the poop in the spring:

Octopus

Did you know octopus have beaks--the only hard spot on them? The docent had one in a jar that we could see close up.

Giraffe

How much does one of the bit giraffes weigh? We were shocked when we heard a big giraffe could weigh up to 4200 pounds!

Animal Inventory Website

The zoo docent also told us about the International Species Information System, www.isis.org, which is a site that shows what animals are in what zoos around the world.

Teeth

Shark teeth are pointy and in layers. If a tooth breaks, another pops up to replace it in 20 minutes. Wish we had teeth like that! We saw the skull of another fish that eats plants and its teeth were flat like ours (can't remember what kind).

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A Humiliating Experience (Writer's Workshop)

2009-11-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

In fourth grade a little girl was totally humiliated. She was a very quiet, shy, sensitive little girl who ALWAYS did as she was told. Unfortunately, when this girl had to move from the suburbs to Cleveland during the school year, she got the meanest, crabbiest teacher she ever had who I'll refer to as Ms. Grump. Although the little girl tried very hard to please this old lady, nothing she could do was good enough, especially handwriting. The girl's grades plummeted and she hated school that year.

One day after giving permission for several children to use the restroom, Ms. Grump got very angry at the class and announced "NO ONE IS ALLOWED OUT OF THIS ROOM FOR ANY REASON UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY!" Well, shortly after this proclamation, the little girl had to use the bathroom which she never had to do at school before until was Ms. Grump said that. Not wanting to make Ms. Grump any angrier and knowing she wouldn't be allowed to use the restroom, the girl just sat at her desk quietly and tried to hold it but peed her pants rather than ask permission to leave from Ms. Grump. A puddle formed around her desk. A classmate close by pointed out the water on the floor and pretty soon giggles busted out around the room. Ms. Grump saw what happened and the principal called the girl's mother to tell her that her daughter had a little accident and she should bring a change of clothes.

I was that little girl. I must say the other kids were great! They still treated me the same without making fun of me or teasing me about it. I think they all understood and felt sorry for me. I questioned if I should post this or not since it is something I'd rather forget, knowing that now the whole world could know. Since it was so long ago, I decided to hoping any teacher reading this will learn that being mean and intimidating is not the best way to teach.

What experience would you like to forget?

This post is in response to the assignment to "Describe an experience that you wish you could shake from your memory" as part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop where you can find links to others or participate as well.

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3 Things I Learned This Week--Part 44

2009-11-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

Little House On The Prairie

I learned from reading Prairie Tale that Melissa Gilbert's brother played Willie on Little House On The Prairie and that she had quite a difficult time in real life.

Skunks

(photo from Wikipedia) When Gerard was walking Abby one morning, she found a skunk and went right up to it but fortunately, it ran off without spraying them! I thought, what if they did get sprayed, I wouldn't know what to do to get out the smell. Then yesterday in the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER there was a big article on critters which included how to get out skunk smell according to wildlife-removal.com: Shampoo with a combination of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid dish soap. Flush eyes out with water if sprayed in that area.

Cab Fare

Just a 20 min. drive from downtown to my home cost $35 by cab now! For more detail, see My Terrible Tuesday post.

To to the original Friday Fragment post for more at Half-Past Kissin' Time.

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We Were Not Alone On Our Honeymoon (Writers Workshop)

2009-11-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

It is customary for newlyweds to take a trip somewhere to have some quality time together, just the two of them. One of the things I liked about Gerard is his knack for putting me at ease and his sense of humor. I loved that he had stuffed animals too when we got married and looked forward to “introducing” them to mine.

We even took some along on our honeymoon with us! The lucky pets who got to come along with us were Patch Dog, Brownie, Snoozer, Leo the Lion and Spotty (my purse). When we unloaded our things at the hotel, Snoozer rolled of the cart and we did not realize it until we got to our room. Gerard ran back down the hall to retrieve him. We even took pictures of our entourage. It was fun! We had a great time!

This post was inspired by the prompt: Share a humorous wedding experience. To read more posts or to participate, check out Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

Related Posts:
A Fun Honeymoon
What Does Your Handbag Say About Your Personality

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My Terrible Tuesday

2009-11-05T06:00:00.003-05:00

I woke up in a good mood, praised the Lord as I walked to the bus stop, marveling at the sky with the dark clouds covering spots of blue where the sun shone through.

I got on the bus and there was water on the floor where I usually sit so I went to the other side. But when I got up, I noticed my pants were all wet! The seat was wet but I couldn’t tell because it had the cloth covering. When I got to work, I put a plastic bag on my chair to sit on so I wouldn’t get my chair all wet from my pants. It was not good.

When I left work to go for my radiation treatment, I waited and waited . . . and waited for the bus to come and it never did. I decided if it didn’t come in time for me to get home in time to get to my radiation appointment, I’d have to call a cab. Fortunately, I had the number in my cell phone. After waiting for 40 minutes without my bus arriving, I called the cab and got home at my usual time, but it cost me $35! It only took 20 minutes, half the time the bus takes, but $35? Whoa! When I got back from my radiation, I put in the number of my radiation oncologist so if it happened again, I could just call and let them know I’d be late or skip that day. It better not happen again though.

When I got back from voting after my radiation treatment, I found the paper torn up in the dining room from the pizza box ready to be tossed out that I had on the kitchen floor. Abby got into a little bit of mischief while I was gone. Guess I'll be putting it on the counter top from now on. Also, sad to say the Casino issue passed which I voted against.

To top off the day, I went to a special meeting at church that the Pastor called that dealt with a “sensitive topic.” We got a call and email the day before asking the congregation to come if we could. It was very sad to hear that our youth Pastor who has done such a great job with the youth was relieved of his duties for good reason. I felt a bit responsible for not holding him up in prayer more when I knew he had to be experiencing some burn out after the very hectic summer with the youth group.

I was glad to see this day end! I looked forward to Wednesday and hoped for a better day! It was!