High-Tech Scrabble

If you have an IPhone, there is an app called "Words with Friends" you can download for free. It is a game of Scrabble, and you can play it with your friends or anonymous people. Here's my tip: Go to Lexical Word Finder, and put all the moves (yours and your opponents) on the Lexical screen as they are played. This website finds the highest scoring letter and word combinations possible. Now you are armed to always win, if that is your thing!

Hey, Tom, you wanna play?

Snow!

The first snowfall of the year came today. It's cold enough for it to stay. At least the dogs will be cleaner; no more running into the house with muddy paws!

And the hot tub (in the picture above) will be even more welcoming. I just need to brave the cold to get the courage to step outside into its warmth. It always amazes me how one does not feel cold in an outdoor hot tub, even in very cold weather.

Today is my day off, as I teach catechism on Tuesdays, but I have already heard the ambulance go screeching out several times. The first snowfall of the year tends to catch drivers off guard and they rush into intersections, forgetting they need more time and distance to come to a stop. It pays to be a defensive driver, and I hope everyone has their snow tires on by now.

How to Open a Stubborn Jar Lid

This post may not help you get to heaven, but it will help you to open a really stubborn jar lid. On the other hand, if you lose your temper trying to open a jar lid that won't budge, then maybe it will help you get to heaven!

Yesterday, I learned the simplest little trick for opening a jar lid. You know those rubber bands that hold broccoli stems together? Save them!

All you do is slip the rubber band around the lid and presto! You have all the traction you need to open the lid. It comes off with such ease, it will make you smile.

Please, hold your applause.

Canadian Tenors

Living right across from the high school certainly has its drawbacks. The street right outside our front yard is always littered with fast food garbage and cigarette packages. I would like to go outside at lunch hour one day when the derelicts are gathered in my driveway and hand them all garbage bags. (Then I suppose I would be just be known as the crazy lady who lives too close to the school!) Or worse, they would vandalize our vehicles. Oh, wait, that already happened. This morning, I noticed my passenger mirror was missing, so I checked my husband's truck, and sure enough, his driver side mirror was missing too. I found mine on the ground and re-installed it, but his was nowhere to be seen. It's probably in the bedroom of some teenage derelict who is using it to straighten her hair, apply her makeup or check her cleavage.

On another note, I hurt my back at work yesterday - not lifting a heavy patient, but cleaning the bathroom as per our regular duties for down time in between calls. I look like an old lady, walking with a hunch back, as I can't stand up straight yet. My teenage daughter actually laughed out loud when she saw my walking posture. Lots of ice, visits to my chiropractor, and some anti-inflammatories should have me upright in a few days.

The good thing about being home from work is I get to listen to my new Canadian Tenors CD, The Perfect Gift. For just $20, you can purchase yourself this amazing CD in time for Christmas. (Don`t I sound like an advertisement?) They do a beautiful rendition of Instrument of Peace, and their version of O Holy Night will knock your Santa socks right off your feet; there are many more. I highly recommend it to round out your Christmas music repertoire.



To listen to more from this album, here is the You Tube link. Now I really must go put ice on my back.

Not just another Bambi

Uh, this is the town we are moving to - and I was worried about gang violence! Apparently the dog survived and is recovering. That is one curious cat!

They don't make them like they used to!

Drop-front secretaire MOLITOR, Bernard, 1789, veneered oak



cabinet, MEKEREN, Jan van 1690-1710. Oak, veneered with various woods



chest of drawers, unknown cabinet maker, French, 1770



Cast Bronze Baptismal Font,from 1107-18, REINER DE HU



Layetter Cupboard, unknown Dutch Cabinet Maker, circa 1650




French Table, circa 1700, unknown

Two things

Here's two quick tidbits of information meant to help you grow spiritually:

This, according to St. Alphonsus, when you feel remorse for a sin that has already been confessed, it is a sure sign it has been forgiven. Let it go.

This, according to my priest, (a great confessor!) Always confess one mortal sin from your past each time you go to confession. Even though it has already been confessed and forgiven, doing so helps you to become humble.

What's your caption?

From the combox - Mother Superior said to cool off!

On a different note

If you ever text while driving, watch this enactment of what could happen to you:

Hot, hot hot!

It has been so incredibly hot here the last week or so, with temperaures soaring into the low thirties. That's over a hundred degrees Farenheit for you Celsius challenged people! I have been thinking about getting a heat pump for the house. I'm not sure of the thermodynamics of it all, but I know it's better than an air conditioner. Your house can be kept at a comfortable temperature year round, with no heat waves in the summer or cold rooms in the winter. It saves on the natural gas in the cold weather as well. Right now, we can get a rebate for buying and installing one, with an income tax break as well on next year's taxes. If anyone installed one, how do you like it?

Naturally Beautiful

A total solar eclipse is seen in Jiuquan, in China's western Gansu province Friday Aug 1, 2008.



A bird flies in the sky as a solar eclipse is seen in Xiangfan in central China's Hubei province Friday Aug. 1, 2008.




Another view of a total solar eclipse as seen in Jiuquan, in China's western Gansu province Friday Aug. 1, 2008.



The total solar eclipse is observed above the Siberian city of Novosibirsk on Friday, Aug. 1, 2008



The partial solar eclipse is seen, pictured through the telescope of the observatory of the University of Applied Science in Kiel, northern Germany, on Friday, Aug. 1, 2008




The moon partially covers the sun over the Orthodox Church during a solar eclipse seen in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008.



The moon partially covers the sun the during a solar eclipse observed in Kabul, Afghanistan , Friday, Aug. 1, 2008.



Partial solar eclipse is seen against a crescent of Islamabad's grand Faisal mosque in Pakistan on Aug 1, 2008




A woman looks at the moon partly covering the sun, during a partial solar eclipse, in St.Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008



A bird flies by, as the moon partially covers the sun, during a partial solar eclipse in Srinagar, India, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008.

Incredible, aren't they? I found them while scrolling around the internet, looking at pictures from space on Canoe.ca news the other night. I have more, pictures taken by the Hubble telescope, but that is for another time. God's creation is so amazing!

It's a toss up...

between sleep and blogging when I'm on my 48 hour work block. I work 12 hour shifts; four of them in four and a half days, so sleep looks pretty attractive to me during this period. Oh, the lengths I go to, just to keep up this blog!

My two cents

One of my pet peeves is when I see healthy people without a disability parking in the handicap zone. I am not talking here about people who look able-bodied, but have a medical condition that qualifies them for a handicapped parking permit. I am talking about the guys and gals that use these spaces on someone else's permit.

Not even when the ambulance is on a life-threatening call will I consider taking up a handicap parking space, and most certainly never when I am in my private vehicle. Oh, these people I am ranting about have the appropriate signage on their dashboard, so I assume they must have a family member who has a disability, but it is shamefully lazy for someone who is not handicapped to park in these zones. Here's a thought - park further away, buddy; the excercise will do you good!

One other thing, how valid is it take up a handicap parking spot when the person with the disability sits in the car and the able-bodied caregiver or friend runs into the store to get what they need? Like what is the point of that?

My Sunday

Yesterday we took a boat cruise up to Indian Arm from Vancouver on a three decker ship/cruise line. Indian Arm is part of the Burrard Inlet that stretches up past Port Moody. It reminds me a lot of Kootenay Lake, which I'm sure my sisters will attest to when they see these pictures. We had forgotten to bring the camera, so I took these pictures with my cell phone, and I am surprised at how good they look.


Here is one of many waterfalls we saw. The captain of the boat was able to nose right up to this waterfall, but my picture of that didn't save.


This is the oh-so-recognizable skyine of Vancouver as we were leaving the harbour. Some of you may have been to the Harbour Towers restaurant shown in the photo. It is the circular rooftop restaurant shown in the middle of the photo. It rotates 360 degrees for a full panoramic view of the city. The next time my sister comes to visit, I think I will take her up in the glass elevators for a nice dizzying lunch at the top of the city!


This is a view of well-known Stanley Park.



Here is one of the old powerhouses that used to supply power to the area we visited.

It was a wonderful little excursion to go on, and a nice thing to do on a Sunday after Mass.

Housekeeping

They say a change is as good as a rest, but I`ve done both. I have done a little housekeeping and changed things around after a three month absence. So what do you think of the place? Is it too girly? If you want to try some changes with your own blog, go to this site for a free selection of backgrounds and other blogging tools.

I have updated my list of addresses for Vatican correspondence, since that list keeps popping up on Google searches, and I am working on a new quiz, which will test your biblical knowledge. It`s good to be back!

Life happens

I didn't plan on taking a break from blogging - it just turned out that way. And it's been a very nice break. Funny how the world keeps on going without you! I recommend all my blogging friends to give it a test.

Thanks to everyone who sent me emails. November has been a busy month with lots of travel; I haven't even been able to get to the Latin Mass for a month now, but tomorrow things will get back to normal. Today I am going to start decorating the house for Christmas, and will post some pics when I am done.

Here is something really cool - it's a memory test from BBC Science and Nature. Give it a try - I scored better than I thought I would.

Out of this world

I often publish pictures of ancient religious art, whose purpose serves to elevate the mind and heart to God. Here is some art of a different nature, created by God Himself. I had these emailed to me a few weeks ago, and they are so incredibly beautiful I think they are worthy of sharing. The pictures and their descriptions originally appeared in the dailymail.couk, and were taken by the Hubble telescope, though their true credit belongs to the Author of the universe.


The Sombrero Galaxy - 28 million light years from Earth.



The Ant Nebula, a cloud of dust and gas that lies within our galaxy between 3,000 and 6,000 light years from Earth.



Nebula NGC 2392, called Eskimo because it looks like a face surrounded by a furry hood. The hood is, in fact, a ring of comet-shaped objects flying away from a dying star. Eskimo is 5,000 light years from Earth.



Cat's Eye Nebula



The Hourglass Nebula, 8,000 light years away



The Cone Nebula. The part pictured here is 2.5 light years in length (the equivalent of 23 million return trips to the Moon)



The Perfect Storm, a small region in the Swan Nebula, 5,500 light years away, described as 'a bubbly ocean of hydrogen and small amounts of oxygen, sulphur and other elements'



Starry Night, so named because it reminded astronomers of the Van Gogh painting. It is a halo of light around a star in the Milky Way



The glowering eyes from 114 million light years away are the swirling cores of two merging galaxies called NGC 2207 and IC 2163 in the distant Canis Major constellation.



The Trifid Nebula. A 'stellar nursery', 9,000 light years from here, it is where new stars are being born.

No thanks, you can keep them

Catholic Fire has a video post that encourages all the Obama supporters in the US to move to Canada. That would really empty out America of all its problem people, wouldn't it? I realize that Americans are very patriotic, often more so than Canadians, and I have noticed that Canada often gets criticized by Americans for its lax moral standards.

Yes, Canada has legalized gay marriage and our school boards are pushing the gay agenda on children right from the kindergarten level. Canada currently has no restrictions in place on limiting abortion. We have become so politically correct that it sickens me. Our Human Rights Commissions should be abolished. Their focus is advancing the rights of any minority group at the expense of fair play.

What about America? Is it any different? Are not these same things happening there as well? I read yesterday that the state of Massachussettes is forming up to fourteen schools for gay, lesbian and transgendered students. Oregon kills their sick and elderly, and they do it legally, protected by their euthanasia law. Now their neighbour, Washington State, is gearing up to pass their own "death with dignity" law this November. Earlier this year, a California appeals court ruled that home schooling is illegal. Planned Parenthood is on a killing spree in Kansas.

Is there really any moral difference between our two countries?

The video is intended to be funny, but I actually find it offensive. I guess that means I'm a patriotic Canadian, eh?

Judge not

It's been a busy week for me; I barley have time to visit my own blog never mind check on any of my favourites!

Yesterday, while working at one of the stations in my post, we were about to head out on a code 3 call when a tow truck pulled up and blocked us in. I motioned for him to move, but he said he was there to tow vehicles that were in violation of the city's parking ordinances. He was a big burly man, fitting the stereotype of what I thought a tow truck driver would look like.

It turned out that all he wanted was for any paramedics who had vehicles that were about to be towed to move them so he wouldn't have to tow our vehicles away. The reason he was so gracious toward us? One of the crews at this particular station I was working at had saved his life when he had a heart attack some time ago. He said the last thing he wanted was to make life difficult for the guys who saved his life. It wasn't my car that was in any danger of being towed, since I park and walk, but his generosity did make a difference to one of the fellows who quickly moved his car. So much for judging people with sterotypes.

Diversity at the price of freedom

In Canada, all religions, sexualities, races, cultures and people are equal. Even if we do not all think alike, act alike and live alike, we must pretend that we do. Heck, we are just good little government robots, controlled by the strings of the Human Rights Commissions of each province. We are expected to be a tolerant multicultural society that extols each others preferences of religion and sexuality, no matter what they are. We are being censored.

As a result of the Macleans case that is currently before the BC Human Rights Commission, our government has just launched an independent review on hate messaging on the internet: (I have placed my observations in red).

Canadian Human Rights Commission Launches Independent Review On Hate Messaging on the Internet

(Ottawa, June 17, 2008) – The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) has launched a comprehensive policy review of how best to address hate messages on the Internet. Leading constitutional law expert Professor Richard Moon of the University of Windsor will conduct an independent study as an important part of this review. (Think censorship and control)

Speaking today to the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA), CHRC Chief Commissioner Jennifer Lynch, Q.C. said, "The current debate on how to balance freedom of expression with the need to protect Canadians from hate messages in the Internet age is an important one. We are confident that this review will provide insight into the issues and move the discourse one step further."(And will result in the HRC controlling what people say so they can further their own agendas.)

Growing public interest and continued advances in technology all point to a need to examine issues surrounding hate on the Internet. The Commission is dedicated to ensuring that the Canadian Human Rights Act remains effective. "Legislation must evolve – when necessary – to respond and reflect changes in society," said Lynch. (Please, please pray hard for the demise of the Human Rights Commissions!)

Professor Moon is a prominent expert on freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and religion, and the structural aspects of constitutional rights protection. He is the author of the seminal book, "The Constitutional Protection of Freedom of Expression". (Never heard of him, but if he is such an expert, then he must understand freedom of speech is a fundamental right).

He will conduct legal and policy research and analysis and make recommendations on the most appropriate mechanisms for addressing hate messages on the Internet, with specific emphasis on section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act and the role of the CHRC. His work will include a review of existing statutory and regulatory mechanisms, an examination of the mandates of human rights commissions and tribunals, and a consideration of Canada’s international human rights obligations. (Section 13 deals with communicating any message that is likely to expose a person to hatred or contempt. There goes Leviticus and reading the Douay Rheims version of the Bible where Jesus calls sinners, “Broods of vipers”).

The review is to begin immediately and Professor Moon is expected to submit his report to the Commission this fall. (And shortly after, all Christian Canadian blogs will be under review for discrimination and hate mongering).

EDIT: Here is an interesting Catholic perspective on the totalitarianism that Canada is reeling towards, through the dangerous abuses of freedom by our own appointed Human Rights Commissions.