Fun Monday - Kicking the Bucket

Tiggerlane at the Neophyte Blogger is hosting Fun Monday this week!

Have you heard of The Bucket List? Well, that's what I want from you! Make a list of things you want to do before you die. It must be at least five items - and you can make it as long as you desire. Photos are optional. And let's hear about some of the wackiest, most bizarre to-do's on your Bucket List!

I thought this would be easier than it was. Oh, sure, I would love to win the lottery and cure cancer and secure world peace but then what would Miss America do?

I am, and I hesitate to use this word, contented with my life. I cannot think of anything I have done that I would do differently because then I would not be right here right now.

Having said that, if I found out that I was terminally ill, and money was no object, I would:

• Live on my sailboat. Summers in Monterey, CA and winters in Corpus Christi, TX
• Like almost everyone else that I know, have my novel published. You know, the one I haven't written yet.
• Endow a library.
• Travel abroad, to Tuscany, the south of France, Scotland, and the Black Forest in particular.
• Last but not least. I know this is not Christian. I know it is not kind. I know it would not put me on God's short list. I would break into San Quentin State Prison (where California's death row inmates live out their very long, government subsidized lives) and kill everyone on Death Row. It's California. What are they gonna do? Sentence me to death? I know, I know. I'm also pretty sure that as soon as I did this, they would find a cure for whatever disease I was dying of.

So there you have it. Proof that I am not nearly as nice, as kind, or as morally sound as I know I ought to be. #5 has been on my list since the two murderers who killed my uncle and were sentenced to die were released - yes, released! - when the California Supreme Court overturned the death penalty in 1972. In 1977, the death penalty was reinstated in California, although it would be 15 years before they actually executed anyone in 1992. The murderers who were released in 1972 were never rearrested nor resentenced - that whole double jeopardy thing, you know? Anyway, I just thought I would make sure that some other family did not have to go through what my aunt and my cousins did.

My World

I have been a headachey, whiny brat most of the day. We (Shorty, Lil Man, and I) went to 5:30 Mass. As we were driving home, I said something about my headache. Shorty answered by telling me the tower was for the cell phones. Lil Man answered by telling me about the "War Plan" the British were waging on the American squirrels.

This is how I feel.

Robin's Bacon Tomato Cups

Last month, as part of her Snackalicious Super Dishes, Robin posted her recipe for Bacon Tomato Cups.

Last night, Shorty and I went to a potluck non-Superbowl party at some friends' house. Lil man and I spent yesterday afternoon making 4 dozen of the Bacon Tomato Cups.

Here is what is left this morning.

These are terrific! I must confess that I have never seeded a tomato before, prior to dicing it. It is yucky and gross and the perfect task for an 8 year old little boy. He also had great fun shredding the cheese (our store did not have preshredded swiss).

I can HIGHLY recommend this recipe. Thanks, Robin.

The Color Green

Junebug today posted a couple of glorious photographs and a poem. This poem spoke to my soul. I just knew it had to be a song. It is.

Courtesy of My Aunt Eileen

Four Worms and a Lesson

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed into four separate jars. The first worm was put into a container of alcohol. The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:



The first worm in alcohol - Dead.















The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead

Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead

Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation -What can you learn from this demonstration?

Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said,

"As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!"

That pretty much ended the service

When Is Enough Too Much?

Lil Man goes to a private school. He goes to a private school because his Mom and Dad believe in hugs and swats. In public school anymore, teachers can no more hug a child than they can discipline them. His school has very clear cut discipline practices. There are warnings and there are displinary marks. There are also good marks given. Enough bad marks warrant a trip to the principal's office. There, the child will either be assigned scripture lines to copy (maximum of 10 times per scripture per specific offense) or, if warranted, swats will be administered.

Lil Man has written more scripture this year than I think I knew at his age. So far, the only swats he has received have been administered outside of school by his mom and, once, by me.

I picked him up yesterday afternoon. He told me that he had gotten one warning and two good marks. For such a reasonably good day, he seemed awfully crestfallen. I asked him what was wrong and he said he had lines to write. I asked him why, if he had no bad marks, he had lines to write. He said it was from a warning the day before. I asked him what kind of lines and he said he had to write 100 lines. 100 lines? 100 lines.

I asked him who had given him 100 lines. He said Mrs. H. Mrs. H is his teacher and we love her and she has been absent all week with a sick child. I asked if she was back and he said that no she wasn't and Mrs. B, the substitute said that Mrs. H said.

Now, if you have ever had a conversation with an 8 year old who thinks he is in trouble, the above conversation did not go smoothly nor swiftly. I got more and more frustrated and finally said, "fine" because the whole thing made no sense to me. Lines come from the office. They have never come from the classroom.

We got to my house and Lil Man did his homework. He had 10 sentences to write for spelling and then 11 pages to read in his reading book. I then had him start on his punishment until his mom got off work and we could discuss it.

Julie, and I give her credit for this, is not one to automatically take her child's side over those in authority. She has never, that I know of, gone to the school to complain that they were too hard on her baby. She has gotten on the child for being disrespectful of and disobedient to those in authority.

We talked it over and decided that Lil Man had obviously done something to merit punishment.

We talked it over and decided that Lil Man obviously was not going to be able to write

100 times before his 8:30 bedtime. We (Julie and I) had once given Lil Man's sister 100 lines to write but she was 12. Her sentence was also shorter and grammatically correct.

He got it written 34 times.

His school starts at 8 but the kids can be there at 7:45. His mom starts work at 8. I offered, and she accepted my offer, to go in and talk to Mrs. or Dr. M.

Mrs. M agreed that 100 sentences was a bit much for 2nd graders. She told me that the administration was unaware of the punishment until after school was over. She told me that she was unsure what the outcome would be but that they would be looking into it and that Lil Man would not get in trouble for not finishing his punishment.

We shall see.

A Very Spatial Meme

Ok, here goes: I was tagged with this last week by the incomparable Swampy, who evidently has more faith in my abilities than I do. This one actually took a little thought. It was also very satisfying to finish.

Here's how the Intelligent MeMe works:
1) Link to the person who tagged you and notify him/her that your MeMe post is up and running.
2) Once you create your Multiple Intelligent MeMe, tag any number of people who won't reach through your computer screen and choke you because you tagged them.
4) Alert them to the fact they have been tagged by any means possible. Smoke signals are an acceptable way to do this. Just make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand.
5) Threaten them with marshmallow stonings and wet noodle beatings if they don't post the Intelligent MeMe within one week.
5) Post the rules and then do what you darn well please. Works for me.



RULES: (Made to be broken... or at least bent.)


A. List the 8 Multiple Intelligences:
1. Visual-Spatial
2. Verbal-Linguistic
3. Musical-Rhythmical
4. Bodily-Kinesthetic
5. Interpersonal
6. Intrapersonal
7. Naturalistic
8. Logical-Mathematical


B. Here's where your creativity will shine through:
Post "something" that corresponds with each of the above. "Something" can be a quote, a picture, a drawing, a story, a song, a book, an anecdote... whatever corresponds with each intelligence.


Example: I will use songs: (clink the following links for ideas)

1. Visual-Spatial: "If" by Bread. "If a picture paints a thousand words..."
2. Verbal-Linguistic: "Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
3. Musical-Rhythmical: "Different Drum" by the Stone Poneys. "You and I travel to the beat of a different drum or can't you tell by the way I run..."
4. Bodily-Kinesthetic: "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin. "Watching in slow motion..."
5. Interpersonal: "Sunshine" by Jonathan Edwards. “You can't even run your own life. I'll be damned if you'll run mine."
6. Intrapersonal: "It's My Party" by Leslie Gore. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to..."
7. Naturalist: "Sunshine" by John Denver. "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy..."
8. Logical-Mathematical: "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw. "And he said some day I hope you get the chance to live like you were dyin' "


Bonus:
9. Male Intellect: "Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk" by Trace Adkins. "We hate to see her go but love to watch her leave."
10. Female Intellect: "Seven Year Ache" by Roseanne Cash. "Don't you know heartaches are heroes when their pockets are full?"
11. Child Intellect: "Watching You" by Rodney Atkins. "We like fixin’ things and holding momma’s hand. Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad."
12. Create Your Own Intelligence: I chose here to create Witch Intelligence: "Marie Laveaux" by Bobby Bare. "So if you ever get down where the black tree grow and meet a voodoo lady named Marie Laveaux, and if she ever asks you to make her your wife, Man, you better stay with her for the rest of your life."

I am going to tag:

The Anglophile Football Fanatic
My very own Crown Princess at Ooh, a shiny pen
and any one else who wants to play.