Posted on 04/11/2008 5:47:55 AM PDT by Squidpup
Happy 2000000!
Another Kenyon fan!
Check out JR Wards sight....lots and lots of fan pics up there. Lots. Really. :)
Thanks for the tip!
Glad to see that the lovely things I gave a name to are doing well.
Birds, that is. I was the one who came up with the name “bird”, remember?
Really? Fascinating.
. . . . Before There Was Dirt . . . by NicknamedBob.
When I was a little kid, a real long time ago,
We didn’t have a lot of things that you have come to know.
There was no clothing fashion, because no one wore clothes,
We spent our time just looking ‘round, and saying, “Look at those!”
A boy without a pocket means a boy without a frog.
We had a sort of clubhouse. We called our place “the log.”
The grown-ups never scolded us, we didn’t have the words.
I got a lot of credit then, for coming up with “birds.”
We summered in a place they called the briddish isles,
The briddish folk who lived up there seemed generous with smiles.
The little hopping critters that had grown their feathers out,
Seemed happy, so I called them brids, a word that went about.
The word got twisted round a bit, and so it came out bird,
But we were very language poor and needed our new word.
The job of giving names to things was one for senior folk,
And I was so much younger then, they took it as a joke.
But still the word got out and I got better known,
And in a way because of it, I got one of my own.
They gave me tufts of feathers, and tied them in a knot,
A rumper-sticker that said Bird-On-Board was something else I got.
After a while just B-O-B was stuck upon my rear,
And when I left somewhere they said BOB has been here.
We traveled around the world back then, or what we knew of it.
Some places seemed to be real nice, and some we quickly split.
(From my home page ...)
Woke up overtired Wednesday morning -- a bad start compounded when I discovered work laptop wasn't in my backpack and I couldn't find it! A quick search that should have shown it failed, and I was out of time so I headed off to the airport via the office. Nope, I hadn't left it in the office either, but I grabbed the spare laptop, exchanged its power supply for the one in the kit bag, tossed it in the backpack and headed on to the airport.
The parking lot operation I always use was gone and some construction beginning on the site, so I went to another. As soon as I got in the shuttle I noticed a second zipper in the suitcase (this was a small one I haven't used in years, because it's been years since I've had a trip that was an overnighter. Sure enough, there was my corporate laptop, put there because I was lugging one of the larger cameras in my backpack. So now I'm stuck with toting TWO laptops.
Get on the plane in good order but nervous to see a mechanic around the cockpit. Yup. Mechanical problems. I start counting flight time, time to get to the car rental and grab a car, any car, and drive up to just north of Petaluma ("Peanuts'" Charles Schultz's old stomping grounds) in time for my talk. It's still okay.
After a considerable while it's announced it's fixed... but they discovered fuel beneath one of the engines. More time while they run tests to verify there's no fuel leak. There isn't.
But in announcing that, the pilot said that San Fransisco had issued a "ground stop" on incoming flights due to bad weather (gusty winds) reducing the rate at which they could land planes. And that the delay could be an hour to an hour and a half. I refigure the times and I'm too late. Do I abort and go home? Can't call the boss -- I lost her Blackberry number (along with the rest of my phonebook) when my cellphone's SIM card died recently. (Yes it had been backed up -- from the old phone, with different software now deleted.)
They start disembarking the plane for those who want off -- only to announce when it's almost done that they should re-board the plane! Mass confusion, and I think some folks left and didn't come back.
Eventually we're settled (I stayed on) and a few minutes later, Hallelujah!, we're on our way.
Almost.
Seems we now need a new departure slot.
We get it and leave.
Quite a number of folks were clearly not going to make their connections in SFO, so I was feeling a bit fortunate. It was going to be close, but in the session in which I was speaking I was not the first speaker so I had an indeterminate margin.
Arrive at SFO, take the AirTrain (slow... slow... slow... "Greas ort 's cabhag" --Speed on you and hurry!-- goes a Gaelic song we learned about a train going too slow) all the long way to the car rentals. Go to the National Emerald Aisle (as a member you choose your car and drive to the exit)... and there's nothing but big vans. Figures, but oh well. Grab 'n go.
Then... the I80 bridge across the Bay and the 580 back (recommended by the mapping website), or a few miles through San Francisco? I opt for the latter. Shorter, same amount of time it appears. Fewer (no) toll$.
Arrive at the hotel minutes before our session is to begin. No time to check in, I find our conference room and enter. Things are running a little late -- but the other speaker was sure happy to see me. (He knows he could have done it since I had filled out the powerpoint Notes Pages, but as he said it would not have been the same not coming from me.)
A quick review of my Notes Pages (printed before I left the office Tuesday) and we're on.
All goes well, but the entire conference turns out to be MUCH busier than I planned. No time to fire up the laptops (besides, the hotel's WiFi was a bit pricey for my blood).
Was tempted to skip out on this afternoon's post-conference wine-tasting tour (three vineyards) when I learned it could easily run late (1-5 PM scheduled) and I had a flight to catch. Went on it anyway - tried all the wines at the first (so-so), half at the second (better), and one at the last (best!).
It went late, but got to the airport two hours before the flight. (California seems to be down on letting gas stations have signs along freeways anymore -- it was hard to find a place to gas up the car before the return.)
Then when checking in they tell me the flight is delayed, and the plane itself doesn't arrive until after our new boarding time. Oh well, at least it arrived and I'm now home for almost 4 weeks!
This sort of thing makes one very happy about staying home!
All my favorite guys!
That’s a great painting! When I get my ink refilled, I’ll print it out.
Sounds like a rough trip. Morning all.
Good Morning!
*HUG*
You got a mission today?
Yep...WWII vet out at RNC.
I’ll send some prayers with you.
How are your bugle lessons coming?
Speaking of which...I must be going...
I really blow....
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