Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I am thankful for ...

I was reading the news yesterday … yes it was on-line and not an actual newspaper (hey, I went old school with my daily planer, don't take away ALL of my 21st century vices). I came across an article about a teenager that lost her fight with cancer. As a last wish she got to record Katy Perry's "Roar". The internet is full of articles like this. We read them, we cry, we thank God (or our higher power) for what we have, we spend an hour or so truly thankful and then we forget and start to complain again about how rough we have it. Traffic, bills, fights with our (ex)partners.    

As you sit down with family and friends tomorrow remember what you are thankful for. Try to make the feeling of gratefulness last longer then just one day. Of course we have the obvious … 
Family 
Friends
Home
Job
Health

And my not so obvious ...
My shoes (and clothes in general)
My ability to walk to the market and buy just about any kind of food I want
My books (all 385 of them)
My notebooks and journals (all 523 of them … yes I have a problem)
The fact that I figured out how to hook up my laptop to my TV
My humor
My ability to ignore things (if you ignore something bad it eventually goes away, its called Scarlet Syndrome)

No mater where you are tomorrow try to remember to be thankful for what you have … not for what you want. Yes, their is a difference. 


Monday, November 11, 2013

R.I.P



I just found out (on FaceBook of course) that the Black Rhino is now extinct. Check out www.geekexchange.com for more info.

Its amazing what we put up with day to day and not say or do anything. But … the slightest chance that all people may have the same rights and look out. I mean really, what affect does my marrying a man have on anybody's life but mine?

Sorry, I digress. 

Below is a list of animals/mammals/plants that we have lost since 1960. The list includes animals from North America. I , you , or your children will never see any of these animals in the wild ever again. 

2007Columbia Basin Pygmy RabbitBrachylagus idahoensispop. 2Douglas, Grant, Lincoln, Adams and Benton counties of Washington statemammal
1994Hadley Lake Limnetic SticklebackGasterosteussp. 12Hadley Lake on Lasqueti Island, British Columbiafish
1994Hadley Lake Benthic SticklebackGasterosteussp. 13Hadley Lake on Lasqueti Island, British Columbiafish
1994Pearson's HawthornCrataegus pearsoniiMississippi, Louisiana and Texasplant
1992Vancouver Island WolverineGulo gulo vancouverensisVancouver Island, British Columbiamammal
1988Fish Lake PyrgPyrgulopsis ruinosaOne spring in Esmeralda County, Nevadamollusc
1988Maryland DarterEtheostoma sellareStreams near the head of Chesapeake Bay in Marylandfish
1988Bachman's WarblerVermivora bachmaniiNested in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisiana; wintered in Cuba and Isle of Pinesbird
1987Dusky Seaside SparrowAmmodramus maritimus nigrescensEast coast of Floridabird
1986Banff Longnose DaceRhinichthys cataractae smithiA marsh fed by hot springs near Banff, Albertafish
1985Shortnose CiscoCoregonus reighardiLakes Huron, Michigan and Ontariofish
1984Green BlossomEpioblasma torulosa gubernaculumTennessee and Virginiamollusc
1983San Marcos GambusiaGambusia georgeiSan Marcos River, Texasfish
1978Kingman's Prickly-pearOpuntia superbospinaMojave Desert, Arizonaplant
late 1970sAmistad GambusiaGambusia amistadensisGoodenough Spring, Texasfish
1975Phantom ShinerNotropis orcaRio Grande River in New Mexico and Texasfish
mid 1970sLewis's Woodpecker, Georgia Depression PopulationMelanerpes lewis pop. 1Southwestern British Columbia and western Washington statebird
1974Tacoma Pocket GopherThomomys mazama tacomensisPierce County, Washington statemammal
1973Carinate Duckwater PyrgPyrgulopsis carinataSpring in Duckwater Valley, Nye County, Nevadamollusc
1971Santa Cruz PupfishCyprinodon arcuatusMonkey Spring in Arizonafish
1971Zion JimmyweedIsocoma humilisWashington County, Utahplant
1971Blue WalleyeSander vitreus glaucusLake Erie, Lake Ontario, lower Niagara River and Lake Huronfish
1970sAcornshellEpioblasma haysianaCumberland and Tennessee River systems in Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentuckymollusc
1970Clear Lake SplittailPogonichthys ciscoidesClear Lake, Californiafish
1969Blackfin CiscoCoregonus nigripinnisLake Huron and Lake Michiganfish
1969Tubercled BlossomEpioblasma torulosa torulosaAlabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginiamollusc
1968Striped Bass, St. Lawrence Estuary populationMorone saxatilis sp. 3Quebecfish
1967Angled RiffleshellEpioblasma biemarginataAlabama, Kentucky and Tennesseemollusc
1967Narrow CatspawEpioblasma leniorTennessee River system in Virginia, Tennessee and Alabamamollusc
1967Lined PocketbookLampsilis binominataUpper Chattahoochee and Flint River systems in Alabama and Georgiamollusc
mid 1960sTurgid BlossomEpioblasma turgidulaAlabama, Arkansas and Tennesseemollusc
1964Bluntnose ShinerNotropis simus simusRio Grande River in New Mexico and Texasfish
1964Lake Ontario KiyiCoregonus kiyi orientalisOntariofish
1964Bay Springs SalamanderPlethodon ainsworthiJasper County, Mississippiamphibian
1963Eskimo CurlewNumenius borealisNested in Northwest Territories, wintered in Argentinabird
I guess it really saddens me that most people don't really care. And yes … I know that extinction is the natural way. But how long until we are on the same list as the Black Rhino. 

R.I.P 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The need to …

I have the need to write. I have the need to paint. I have the need to sing. I have the need to be creative. I guess this entry will have to do for now. 

Consider yourself creativeized.

Bam

Saturday, May 18, 2013

A millionaires check list , based on today's Power Ball, $400,000,000

Hollywood Hills house ($20,000,000)
A penthouse in NYC ($45,000,000)
Laguna Beach house ($10,000,000)
House on Lake Como ($15,000,000)
Paris pied-a-terre ($7,000,000)
Rolls Royce ($375,000)
Charity (undisclosed) True charity is anonymous

Total $97,375,000 +

Man , I'm I shallow. And yes ... I've put some thought into this.