Being the first grandchild and niece on both sides of one's family has certain perks and privileges, a fact that I learned the day that I was lucky enough to have been born into that blessed position. I'm the first to admit to having been spoiled by my grandparents and having experiences that other kids my age never got, thanks to my aunts and uncles who dragged me along with them on their various adventures. One of those adventures was my very first concert which I attended with my Aunt Naomi and a couple of her friends in 1965. I was nearly six years old at the time and every bit as much in love with The Beatles as my mom and aunt.

I don't remember a lot about the concert except that it was loud, full of crying and screaming girls, and that some of the girls peed their pants from excitement! My aunt bought me a purple t-shirt from that concert, and somewhere my dad has a picture of me wearing it. I'll have to ask him to scan it so that I can post it (he's on vacation in Colorado at the moment).

The video I have chosen is from The Beatles first US concert at Shea Stadium in New York because it gives the feeling of excitement that we experienced when we saw them in California.

My list is inspired by song from the Dixie Chicks' album, Taking the Long Way.




I hope . . .

(1) . . . that the people who face the possibility of losing their homes will find the help they need in time.

(2) . . . that I will one day scale Laundry Mountain, conquering it once and for all.

(3) . . . that the fleas of a thousand camels will infest the armpits of Kanye West for his lack of civility during and after the VMAs.

(4) . . . that General Motors' new marketing plan succeeds in helping to rebuild buyers' confidence in their products so that the company doesn't go completely under.

(5) . . . that the cold I am fighting off doesn't amount to much of anything.

(6) . . . that this latest stock market rally lasts long enough for folks to recover at least a significant portion of what they lost when it collapsed several months ago.

(7) . . . that summer leaves soon so that fall can arrive!

(8) . . . that more people will start to live by the notion that wanting for your neighbor what you want for yourself is a good thing.

(9) . . . that the heatwave we're supposed to experience over the next few days isn't bad enough to trigger more fires.

(10) . . . that in our upcoming gubernatorial election, we Californians will remember that just because someone has experience on the big screen doesn't mean that he or she will know what to do in the big house in Sacramento!

(11) . . . that our latest container, which is scheduled to arrive at the port in Long Beach in the second week of October, doesn't have a long and drawn out hold up at Customs -- we need the products in it like last week!

(12) . . . that I get a chance to learn how to sync my Google calendar to my iPhone this weekend.

(13) . . . that the Muslims of the world have a wonderful Eid celebration! For those who don't know, Eid is the holiday that comes at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.

It is hard to not be drawn to a movie set in your home city, state or region. Share on your blog movies set in your part of the world and then link back to The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

And here we go . . .

I was born, raised, and still live in Southern California, the capital of the film and television industry in the US. Lots of movies are made here, and it's not uncommon to find a film crew in a random neighborhood at any time; it's just part of living in SoCal. Remembering movies that are set in Los Angeles or California, though, is a different story. It turned out to be a little more challenging for me than I thought it would be, but here's what I managed to come up with:

Boyz n the Hood (1991): Set in South Central Los Angeles, which isn't too far from where I grew up, this film is made all the more tragic because of its unfortunate realism.

Freedom Writers (2007): Based on the true story of Erin Gruwell, a young teacher from the perfectly planned city of Irvine (the first "Stepford" community in the OC, as I call them), who gets a taste of real life when she teaches a group of high school students in Long Beach. Despite the disparities in their life experiences, Erin finds a way to reach and connect with her students so effectively that her classroom model has now spread across the country with incredible success. As an educator, this movie resonates with me in so many ways. We need more teachers like Erin Gruwell!

Gidget (1959): Gidget learns to surf at the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica. Who doesn't love Gidget?!

Paint Your Wagon (1969): I love this film! Set during California's Gold Rush, this musical comedy starring Clint Eastwood -- who sings in it -- and Lee Marvin is a movie that everyone should see for reason other than to laugh like a fool.

The Aviator (2004): Multi-millionaire Howard Hughes, the enigmatic subject of this film, lived and worked in Southern California. In fact, my father, mother, grandmother, 2 aunts, and 3 cousins all worked at, and many retired from, Hughes Aircraft, the defense contracting company he built in El Segundo.

Pulp Fiction (1994): This film provides a glimpse into the seedier side of life in Los Angeles. It's on my list of frequently played films.

Changeling (2008): I didn't care for this one very much, but it is set in Southern California.


Have a great week, everyone!

Considering all the fires that are currently burning in my area of Southern California, I decided that the only song appropriate for a Monday meme at a time when rain is very much needed would have to be "Rainy Days and Mondays" by The Carpenters who, by the way, are from a suburb of Los Angeles.

Can you say irony?



Lyrics | Carpenters lyrics - Rainy Days & Mondays lyrics

I live just a couple of blocks away from the Magic Kingdom. Yes, folks, that's right -- Mickey Mouse is my neighbor!

I don't mind sharing the streets of my neighborhood with the throngs of tourists that inhabit the city during the summer months. Heck, I don't even mind the extra traffic that clogs up the street on which Disneyland's main entrance sits. After all, tourists bring money to spend in the city and help to keep our economy afloat. What's to complain about tourists?

It's not the tourists that make sharing my hood with the Mouse House that makes it unpleasant shortly after 9 p.m. every single night of the year. Although the tourists flock to specific locations within the two theme parks at the designation time, it's not they who rock my world, rattle my windows, and send my poor dog into a tail spin. So what does?


It's the nightly fireworks display! This shot, which my niece took at California Adventures just a few days before she headed back home to Egypt, shows the beauty of the fireworks display; however, it doesn't give you even the slightest inkling of what that beauty sounds like a couple of blocks away!

You know the scene in Mary Poppins where the old Navy captain fires a cannon to mark the time? The entire neighborhood knows exactly what time of day it is thanks to the captain's noisy ritual. Well, it's the same around my neighborhood. Like, pardon the pun, clockwork, we can set our clocks (sorry -- another one!) by the nightly fireworks display from Disneyland and Lily's barking at the sky until the cannon's last boom. Ain't life grand?

Egypt Everlasting is hosting a weekly meme to introduce participants to different parts of the world. Every Saturday, they post a theme and participants take it and show that theme in their part of the world. This week's theme is WATER, so share something about an ocean, lake, river, pool, waterfall, the rain, water of any kind in your part of the world. Next week's (8-15) theme: SCHOOL

To see entries from other participants or to join in the fun, click here.

Here we go . . .

I live in Orange County, California, an area that is sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the San Bernardino Mountains. This area is technically a desert, but that doesn't mean that we are lacking water!

The Beach Boys, who are from my hometown (Hawthorne, California), made surfing the beaches of California popular in the 1960s with their song, "Surfin' U.S.A." Most of the beaches that they name in the song are located in California, with a few in Hawaii thrown in for good measure.



Newport Beach is as famous for its super, super rich people (Orange County is the wealthiest county in the whole state) as it is for surfing.


The part of California where I live also has a beautiful lake hidden 5100 feet up in the mountains that I see every time I go outside of my house. Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains is about 90 minutes away from my house, but going there is like going to a different state -- maybe even a different country! I get really nervous driving the winding two-lane road up the mountain and can't imagine what it must be like in the winter when there is ice and snow.




Finally, the city where I live is the neighbor of the Magic Kingdom. Disneyland is so close to my house that we can walk there. Disneyland may be in the desert, but anything is possible in the Magic Kingdom, including places like Splash Mountain!




All of these different kinds of water can be found in less than 80 miles from my door. California, in spite of its current budget woes, is still a wonderful place to live!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

With the recent announcement that 2009-2010 will be an official El Niño year, I decided to compile a list of things to know about the El Niño weather system.

1. El Niño events occur when the see-saw effect of the water movement in the western and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean reverse. When this happens, the tradewinds weaken and the surface water temperature in the eastern tropical Pacific rises.

2. The name, El Niño, comes from the Spanish for "the boy." It alludes to the birth of Jesus because the weather pattern is first noticed off the coast of South America in the month of December.

3. There are written records of El Niño’s effects in Peru at least as far back as 1525, and researchers have found geologic evidence of El Niños in Peruvian coastal communities from at least 13,000 years ago.

4. El Niño is known to have had an effect on the Incas. They often sacrificed people during El Niño events based on their belief that the excessive rain from El Niño was a punishment from the gods. To appease the gods and stop the rain, they sacrificed more people.


5. An El Niño event typically occurs every 3 to 5 years and lasts for 1 to 2 years. The most recent El Niño system occurred in 2006, and the worst in recent history occurred in 1997 when abnormally high rainfall triggered flooding and mudslides in the western portion of the United States and Mexico as well as Eastern Europe. While these places were flooding, a severe drought was going on in Australia and Indonesia.

6. El Niños have produced devastating storminess in California and Central and South America and disrupt marine life on the West Coast. In 1997, California experienced some of the heaviest flooding and mudslides that I ever remember. The photo below was taken in Laguna Beach during the 1997 El Niño system.


7. When El Niño is in effect, California receives the most rain from March to May.



8. El Niño reduces the number of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. Just because the number of hurricanes is reduced, though, doesn't mean that the Gulf States are out of the woods because El Niño likes to drop lots of rain there.

9. Hawaii's most powerful hurricanes hit during El Niño years. Another danger is the lack of rainfall during El Niño years.

10. El Niño's effect on weather has a profound impact on health. Heavy rainfall creates puddles that become the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Incidents of malaria, dengue, and Rift Valley fever increase in El Niño years, as do cases of cholera. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) - a lung infection which causes eye pain, haemorrhaging in the lungs and other side effects - first appeared in the USA in 1993 after the 1991/2 El Niño; 14 cases were reported between January and August 1998 which scientists at the University of New Mexico think are linked to the El Niño of 1997/98.


11. The 1997-98 El Niño marked the first time in human history that climate scientists were able to predict abnormal flooding and droughts months in advance, allowing time for threatened populations to prepare.

12. The development of the TAO (tropical atmosphere/ocean) array of 70 moored buoys that span the equatorial Pacific help scientists to predict an El Niño year. Completed in 1994, the TAO buoys are now the world’s premier early-warning system for change in the tropical ocean. They monitor water temperature from the surface down to 1,600 feet [500 meters], as well as winds, air temperature, and relative humidity.

13. El Niño/Southern Oscillation involves only one-fifth of the circumference of the planet, but it transforms weather around the globe.

It's been a few days since I had the chance to do anything but my regular memes, so it's time for me to play catch up. Let me tell you what's going on in my world.

Betty's condition is improving. Because she can't eat by herself, a feeding tube was inserted through her nose and into her stomach. Even though she was seriously drugged for the pain, she didn't like the tube and managed to pull it out a couple of days ago. Rather than put it back in, the vigilant nurses have been feeding her whenever she's awake and alert. It worked like a charm. She is now alert and talking, which means that she will be moved from ICU to a regular room once the chest tubes are removed. That should happen today or tomorrow.


I had some real excitement on Thursday afternoon with my retirement paperwork. In the midst of Betty's illness and my going back and forth to the hospital, I received a letter from the retirement agency indicating that they had received my application and asking that I contact the university's HR department to request that they not remove me from the insurance roll while the application is processed. So on Wednesday afternoon, I did as instructed. Much to my surprise, I got a response from the HR person who helped me take care of the retirement paperwork indicating that the university can't do what CALPERS had requested. It took several phone calls and faxes for me to learn that although I should have been removed from the insurance roll on July 1, a mistake that I made has worked in my favor. Because I turned in the application paperwork directly to CALPERS, the university doesn't know that I am retiring; therefore, I am still on the books, so to speak. No lapse in insurance coverage, which the only reason that I took an early retirement in the first place! Big sigh of relief.

The sorry state of my state has gotten worse. I didn't think it was possible; I was wrong.

• California still does not have a budget.
• We have no money to meet our financial obligations and such a bad credit rating that borrowing is not a possibility.
• Unemployment is now just above 10%.
• Our sales tax was recently raised to help raise funds but since so many people are worried about losing their jobs, they are not shopping enough for it to do any good.
• We're in the third year of a drought so bad that water rationing will likely happen before the end of summer.
• Just yesterday, I heard on the local news that the consistent increase in water temperatures on our side of the Pacific Ocean have made 2009-2010 officially an El Nino year. Rather than go into all the details now, I'm going to use the Thursday Thirteen meme to talk more about El Nino and its effects on the Golden State. Let's just say that it gets really ugly around here when El Nino pays us a visit.
• Our fire season, which normally starts in September and goes through October, has started early. The dry brush, thanks to the drought, on the hills and mountains surrounding Los Angeles, coupled with the outward sprawl that occurred over the past decade, has set up ideal conditions for a far more threatening fire season than normal. It doesn't surprise me that the hills have started burning three months earlier tha usual.

My headaches seem to be under control for the time being. This is a very good thing. Does the absence of headaches mean that everything is well and good? This is my life, peeps -- nothing in it is well and good at the same time! The stress factor is currently high and with stress comes headaches, seizures, and eczema. It's been several days since I had a headache, but The Brain doesn't like to play understudy to my life for very long; therefore, It makes its presence known through seizures. Thankfully, the four that I've had in as many days haven't been too bad. Now the eczema, my body's stress-o-meter, isn't doing as well as the headaches and seizures. I'll save you the gory details and say only that my hands are covered with a rash and blisters that itch like mad. And now, add to the seizures and eczema a sciatic nerve issue that is giving me grief at the area of the right hip. Yesterday was w complete waste because the pain was so bad, I used a couple of Naprosen to help me get out of bed and later, off my chair. In spite of all this, things could be so much worse.

Here's wishing everyone a great weekend!

Just a few things I've been thinking about. . .


It didn't take long for the conspiracy theorists to start doing their work on the death of Michael Jackson! Why is it that we have such a hard time accepting the fact that even icons die and that sometimes, their deaths are the result of decisions they made or actions they took?


Bernie Madoff's sentencing hearing is today. I'm still wondering why his ill-gotten assets haven't been taken and sold to repay at least a small portion of the money that he stole? If the man has been convicted of fraud and evidence shows that these assets were purchased after he began the Ponzi scheme, why would his wife or children be allowed to keep anything that was bought with stolen money?


Later today, Lieutenant Dan Choi, a West Point grad who was recently discharged from the New York National Guard for being openly gay, will have the opportunity to argue his case before a special board. Lt. Choi, a specialist in Arabic and a combat vet, stands to lose all of the veteran's benefits that he earned during his time in service. Where is the justice in that? And what happened to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"?


In two days, the State of California will be bankrupt. Our state's credit rating has dropped so low that the possibility of getting loans to keep us afloat is out of the question. Even though I am now retired, the state still owes me two months salary from my last contract. Will I become a victim to the mismanagement of state funds come Wednesday, when my paycheck should be deposited into my bank account?

I am officially sad today. The world has lost two remarkable entertainers with the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson; I have lost two more pieces of my childhood. Both of these entertainers played a significant role in my formative years; I grew up watching Charlie's Angels and listening to The Jackson 5 and later, just Michael when he embarked on a solo career. So many fond memories are wrapped around these two artists. May they both rest in peace.

I think that. . .

• I will survive today's class without falling asleep again. Why? Because I'll have my laptop with me and can do my own work. If I have to work, I have to stay awake, right?
• Camry might not forgive me for getting her spayed. I'll know for sure in a few more days as her incision heals. Although she still wants to sleep with me, she is doing a really good job of ignoring me the rest of the day.
• I could get used to the June gloom that has brought wonderful summertime temperatures to Southern California for the past three weeks. Usually by this time, I'm running the a/c whenever I am at home; however, open windows and doors, supplemented by a ceiling and floor fan, has been adequate to keep the whole house cool.
• I'm going to splurge and get a blog template specially made for me. I'm still thinking on this one but at the moment, I'm leaning much more to the go for it side.

Back in 2006, when Al Jazeera English, the English language sister news channel to Al Jazeera in Arabic, launched, I really wanted to watch it. I called our satellite company and asked which channel number it would be assigned, only to discover that they had no intention of carrying the station -- ever. When I asked why, I was told in no uncertain terms that this company did not support "terror television." Since the channel was brand new, I wondered how they had determined that it broadcast "terror" and decided to shop for a cable service that carried it instead. My luck was no better in that arena than it had been with the satellite provider. Just like the kid who has never tasted spinach announces that he doesn't like it, our local satellite and cable providers had blacklisted Al Jazeera English before the station had had an opportunity to prove itself.

"Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage." -- Winston Churchill

Three years later, the new satellite system that the Amazing Egyptian Dude had installed several months ago has given us access to Al-Jazeera English under the Free-to-Air format. I have been able to watch it and assess for myself just how much "terror" the station broadcasts. Instead of "terror television," as countless fear and many believe it is, I have found Al-Jazeera English to be a news source every bit as valuable to the American audience as the Western mega news channels.

Much like CNN, Al-Jazeera English's hosts and reporters come from around the world. With such a diverse base, the channel is able to offer a true global perspective on the news. Take, for example, the case of Josh Rushing, whose report on Fault Lines, "Lone Star: The Death of a Small Town," chronicles the decline of the steel industry in his hometown of Lone Star, Texas, and illustrates how a small town with a population of less than 1700 people is dying because of the current economic crisis. The coverage of California's budget crisis and its impact on the state's poor in "California: Failed State" has been exemplary, as well. I suppose, though, that considering how bad off the Golden State really is at the moment, one could call this report, at least, "terror television." All in all, though, I fail to see what the hype and fear-mongering over Al Jazeera English is all about.

More and more, news reporting has become like the informercials that plague late, late night television: full of hype, rife with loaded language, and often downright comical to watch. CNN says it delivers “All news, all the time”; FOX claims to offer “Fair and balanced news reporting”; MSNBC uses technology to deliver "a fuller spectrum of news." Bells, whistles, catchy tag lines, slogans, and visually appealing hosts aside, each of these mega news channels claims to report the news. While this all sounds well and good, the truth of the matter is that even in the No-Spin Zone, far more spinning than reporting takes place on these channels. MSNBC caters to the far left, FOX delivers news with a distinctive far right twist, and CNN feeds both audiences.

Perhaps because I have a background in language analysis and research, or maybe just because I love to argue (not in the negative sense as in to scream and hurl insults, but to weigh the pros and cons of an issue using reason, logic, and facts), I learned long ago never to rely on a single source for important information. Recalling my mom's wise advice to me and my sisters whenever we fought with one another, I know that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the "my side vs. your side" equation. And it is that middle ground, that truth, that I strive to find. Thus when it comes to the news, I follow a single story from multiple sources, analyzing the use of language, word choices, and presentation of facts to determine wherein that middle ground, or truth, can be found. It's not as hard as one might think to figure out a news source's position on an issue just by examining word choices and understanding denotation and connotation.

Mega news channels do have their place in American society. They all spin events to suit the ideology of their viewing audience; they are, after all, for profit entities and without an adequate rating to generate advertising dollars, these mega channels would fail. For those of us who long for the days of old-fashioned news reporting Edward R. Murrow style, however, they all leave a much to be desired.

If you're not already a fan of country music, it's not likely that you would associate it with California. But California has a rich history with country music, especially with the artists whose families fled the Dust Bowl during the years of the Great Depression and came to the Golden State in search of work. These sharecroppers and migrant farmer workers brought the traditional music of America with them on their Westward trek, but something magical happened to it once they settled in a city in the central part of the state.

The Bakersfield Sound began in the 30's and 40's with those migrant farmers and their offspring, but it cut its teeth in the honky tonks of the 50'sand 60's with artists like Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell, Buck Owens, and Bonnie Owens. It was during this time that the Bakersfield Sound became both unique and identifiable as a sub-genre of traditional country music.

With the popularity of John Tavolta's 1980 movie, Urban Cowboy, country music became "cool" and popular among the younger crowd. However, the old sounds of country were quickly replaced with crossovers that fit equally well in the pop genre. The result was that the Bakersfield Sound was all but forgotten except by diehard fans like me. That is, until Dwight Yoakam came along.

Dwight's love of the Bakersfield Sound and his association with it, helped to bring Buck Owens out of musical retirement. He revitalized the genre, reintroduced it to the newer country fans, and made people like me thrilled to hear it on the radio once again. It is this song that sparked a renaissance in the Bakersfield Sound. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!



Dwight Yoakum and Buck Owens





Lyrics

I came here looking for something
I couldn't find anywhere else
Hey, I'm not trying to be nobody
Just want a chance to be myself

I've done a thousand miles of thumbin'
I've worn blisters on my heels
Trying to find me something better
On the streets of Bakersfield

Chorus:
You don't know me but you don't like me
You say you care less how I feel
But how many of you that sit and judge me
Have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?

Spent some time in San Francisco
Spent a night there in the can
They threw this drunk man in my jail cell
Took fifteen dollars from that man
Left him my watch and my old house key
Don't want folks thinkin' that I'd steal
Then I thanked him as I was leaving, and
I headed for the streets of Bakersfield

Chorus:
You don't know me but you don't like me
You say you care less how I feel
But how many of you that sit and judge me
Have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?

You don't know me but you don't like me
You say you care less how I feel
But how many of you that sit and judge me
Have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?

How many of you that sit and judge me
Have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?

To see more Music Monday posts, go here.

What moves me this week? Songs about the Golden State!

For more Musical Monday posts or to play along, go here.

I'm on a California kick this week, so the theme continues with The Mamas and Papas singing "California Dreaming." Enjoy!




Lyrics | California Dreaming lyrics - California Dreaming lyrics

Our very strange weather continues. . .but we haven't had an earthquake, yet.




Ok, so click the play button on the YouTube video and then look at these photos I took today. These were taken shortly after 9 this morning as I was heading from our home to our business:

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll already know that I am a Geek who loves things that teach me something. As a result, I'm hooked on documentary films and now, podcasts. I had heard my students talking about podcasts but knew nothing about them until I got an iPhone two years ago. Now, I not only know about podcasts, but I subscribe to approximately 30 different ones! So this week, my list is for my Top 13 Educational Podcasts. Whenever possible, I've included a link to the RSS feed just in case you might be interested in listening, too. if you use iTunes, most of them are available there, too. Enjoy!

1. Stuff You Missed in History Class: In addition to hosts with pleasant voices and some really quirky topics, these brief (10-20 minutes long) podcasts make history lessons lots of fun! Some of the recent topics include things like

• Did Betsy Ross Really Make the First American Flag?
• Was There Reall a Pied Piper of Hamelin?
• How Hitler's Propaganda Machine Worked
• Will the World Really End in 2012?
• Does My Vote Count?

2. This American Life: Part of the Chicago Public Radio programming, This American Life offers mostly real stories from, by, and about real people. Some are funny, some are sad, some are poignant, all are good and offer a life lesson to be learned. Immensely popular, the radio show has become a television show; both have won numerous international awards.

3. PRI's The World: American Influence: The World's American Influence covers US foreign policy, from inside Washington to the far corners of the globe. I've learned a great deal about the way our government interacts with others from this podcast.

4. Bill Moyers Journal: Moyers' popular PBS show in podcast form. Topics range from politics to ethics to faith, and everything in between.

5. American Experience: Listen to introductory segments for new and upcoming American Experience programs, America's most-watched history series. This one doesn't really "teach" per se, but if you're a fan of this series, it's a great way to stay on top of upcoming episodes.

6. The News Hour with Jim Lehrer: Daily, in-depth news and analysis from the Web site of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

7. 60 Minutes (Full Broadcast): I don't always remember to watch 60 Minutes when it airs on television, so this podcast is a godsend for me. It's the full show in audio form!

8. The Marketplace of Ideas: The Marketplace of Ideas is a radio show and podcast about books, culture, commerce and fascinating concepts.

9. President Obama's Weekly Radio Address: The weekly address to the nation by President Barack Obama.

10. Hunting Humbug 101: A crash course in shooting down bad arguments. Two skeptics examine poor reasoning - 1 fallacy each week - real fallacies from pseudoscience, science misconceptions, politics, philosophy and media. Learn how to argue using logic and reason instead of emotion.

11. Great Books -- A Chapter a Day: A free audio book podcast of the best books and poems ever written. Choose any book or poem from the online library and click to listen. A great book is labeled thus because its themes are universal and transcend time, language, country, and culture. The end result is that there's always something to learn from reading a great book.

12. Living Books for the Ears: This weekly podcast offers "old time radio" adaptations of great books and historic stories. These fully dramatized half hour audio programs are a terrific way to introduce kids to these classic tales. But everyone, young or old, will enjoy listening to these excellent, wholesome radio adaptations (in great sound quality).

13. Old Time Radio Thrillers: Old Time Radio Network Thrillers, thrilling mystery, espionage, and political intrigue. Step into the world of action and Psychological twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

• No seizures, no headaches yesterday! Keeping my fingers crossed that today is the same.
• Later this morning, I'll drop off the paperwork that makes my retirement official. Our esteemed Governator is still ticked off that the people didn't vote his way in the May 19 special election and as a result, he keeps making all kinds of threats about where he will make cuts to save money. Lucky for me, my pension fund is one of those areas. As he attempts to pull the Golden State out of the fiscal crisis, the next few weeks will be interesting to watch.
• Camry, the kitten who came to dinner 9 months ago, is in heat. It's been a very long time since I had to deal with a cycling cat, as all my others are spayed or neutered. My daughter, whose cat Camry ended up being, didn't get around to spaying her before she brought her back to live at my house. And now, I get to deal with a cat that slinks along the ground with her fanny in the air, while she chirps out a call for a boy -- any boy. I managed to get an appointment for her to be spayed at the same low cost clinic where I take all my cats, but she won't be "fixed" until June 22! In the meantime, we'll have to deal with the funky walking and chirping kitty.
• Back in February, I wrote about a song that had become an obsession. It has happened again! Maybe because I didn't get to see Phantom, thanks to The Brain taking control of me, that I am once again absolutely obsessed by it. I've watched the movie at least three times a day since Saturday and even put it on my iPhone to listen to in the car. How easy it would be if my obsession were for just one song, but my life could never be that simple! Oh no, I have to go through half a dozen songs before starting all over again.
• Because I had no seizures or headaches yesterday, I was incredibly focused and productive. Armed with my desktop To Do list, I knuckled down, buckled down, and did it, did it, did it (you do remember the lyrics to last week's Music Monday meme, right?). Today needs to be much of the same so that I can catch up to what went by the wayside while I graded papers.
• I don't usually do this, but I am going to open my big mouth and speak my piece about the murder of Dr. George Tiller on Sunday, 31 May 2009. If this isn't a clear cut case of terrorism, then I clearly don't understand the definition of the term! Just like the idiots who blow up themselves and others hide behind their backasswards interpretations of my religion to justify their actions, Scott Roeder, Dr. Tiller's suspected killer, has hidden himself behind the robe of Christianity to justify his. Already, the freakazoids are coming out of the woodwork with some even going so far as to say that Dr. Tiller "reaped what he has sown" (Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue). I'm going to monitor this situation and case very closely, because I have a sneaking suspicion that the Phelps KKKlan, also of Kansas, will stage their usual "march" at Dr. Tiller's funeral. If you're not already familiar with Fred Phelps and family, the best way to become acquainted with them is to visit their website, www.godhatesfags.com. I refuse, on principle, to provide a link here to such an enterprise. People, get off your high horses and call this one for what it is -- first degree murder committed by a terrorist.
  

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Since the time of summer vacations is rapidly approaching, I decided to take a virtual vacation by making a list, with pictures and learning links, of some of the Amazing Natural Wonders found in the United States. They aren't listed in any particular order, nor are they only Amazing Natural Wonders -- I could easily make another list of 13! I hope that you enjoy the trip!

1. The Grand Canyon
Location: Arizona
Learn more about it here.

2. Pike's Peak
Location: Colorado
Learn more about "America's Mountain" here.

3. La Brea Tar Pits
Location: Los Angeles, California
Did you know that right in the middle of the city of Los Angeles is an area of black tar lakes? In prehistoric times, those lakes trapped and killed several animals like the woolly mammoth, the giant sloth, and the sabre-tooth tiger. Their skeletons were preserved in the tar, making it easy for scientists to put them back together and study them. I've been to this place at least a dozen times, and I'm amazed with each visit! Learn more about it here.



4. Yellowstone National Park
Location: Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho
Learn more about it here.



5. Death Valley
Location: California
Learn more about it here.
Learn more about the mysterious moving rocks here.



6. Everglades
Location: Florida
Learn more about it here.



7. Kilauea
Location: Hawaii
Learn more about it here.



8. Arches National Park
Location: Utah
Learn more about it here.



9. Atchafalaya Basin Swamp
Location: Louisiana
Learn more about it here.



10. Mt. McKinley
Location: Alaska
Learn more about it here.



11. Ruby Falls
Location: Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Learn more about it here.


12. Niagara Falls
Location: New York
Learn more about it here.



13. California Giant Redwood Forest
Location: California
Did you know that the Giant Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world or that a grove of about 135 of them, all measuring more than 350 feet (107 meters), is also home to 3 trees that measure higher than 370 feet (113 meters)?
Learn more about it here.

Did you enjoy the trip?