Jean’s Neighborhood

IMG_0186.JPG - Vox

Not your traditional photo of the Christmas tree, but I wanted to see how it would turn out.  I need more lights.  One of the strands I had on the tree burned out after we had started putting on the ornaments, so I just rearranged the ones we had for this year.  Plus they are blinking, so you can't see all of them. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my Vox neighbors and friends! 

So the boyfriend was in a pretty bad car accident last Friday and has a small fracture in one of his vertebra (T2) and, until recently, was unable to drive. So that made me the designated driver! I don't mind though. In fact, he wanted to get out in his huge truck sooooo bad that he risked life and limb by letting me drive it all around town while we ran errands. I zip around in a small little focus most of the time. He drives this huge, mamma-jamma diesel truck. I'm sure I looked pretty ridiculous driving that thing. Me, a skinny little b*tch driving this monster truck and squealing when the little volkswagon beetle next to me (far below me actually) looks to be crossing the line just an itsy witsy bit. BUT I didn't hit anything! AND when I parked the huge thing, I was IN BETWEEN THE LINES!!!!

Score for me!

If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would it be?

It depends on exactly where the mistletoe was hanging...

John

fog and thunder on Mt. Oread

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I'd heard from several people, even perfect strangers, that three was actually worse than two. Maybe it's because I'm in the thick of the threes, but right now, the "terrible twos" look like a warm sunny day at the park.

Do I really have another half a year left??

Ok, that might be a teensy bit on the extreme side, but right now it seems like this hellish nightmare will never end. I feel like I'm always repeating myself (who's the broken record?) and even though my little boy knows he's not supposed to do *insert fill in the blank here*, he just can't seem to help himself. Add to that a side of open defiance, a dish of kicking and screaming and a dash of you can't make me, and it's a recipe for disaster.

We are working hard at being consistent and making sure we follow through, but what seemed to work fine and be effective ... even two weeks ago ... just is not cutting it anymore.

When we discovered we were pregnant, I signed up for the weekly pregnancy emails at babycenter.com and since they asked, I shared Stephan's information with them as well. This means that I also get several emails about the rambunctious toddler. Every once in a while something turns up useful, and sometimes, even at just the right time.

Being that I'm about ready to pull my hair out, Christmas is around the corner, and I really do want to enjoy my last break before the business hits and baby comes in the spring, I was thankful for this series of articles on time-outs and toddler discipline. (I'm a little freaked that they are geared toward threes and fours, but eventually something's got to give, right?

• Time-outs: How to make them work (ages 3-4)
  
• What to do when time-outs don't work (ages 3-4)
  
• Moving beyond threats (ages 3-4)
  
• Alternatives to threats (ages 3-4)
  

Each of these builds on the other and provides some great ideas and strategies, and provided some small changes that will hopefully make a HUGE impact.

My biggest issue is keeping my cool. I'm already frustrated and stressed about the whole situation and really will need to work hard at keeping that out of the equation. No sense adding to the drama. I'm hopeful gaining some additional tips on discipline now that he's changing things up a bit will make all the difference.

So here's to a better tomorrow!

I found this blog recently it is all about soap. I am thinking to try them out when I have got more money. I am feeling lost right now as I lost my job.

Anyway I hope to start again with another job it is going to take time to do what I like. I need to go out soon as need to find a Christmas present.

and I'm not ready!  I worked again today, so nothing accomplished on the home front.  I did buy the last present I needed last night.  My daughter's father-in-law died Saturday night, so we will be going to the wake tomorrow.  My hubby did put the tree together this morning, but I don't know how he is going to get it up the stairs. I'm going to have to move some more stuff out of the dining room so we have a place to put it. 

I'm going to post the photos from Saturday, even if the quality isn't what I had hoped it would be.  I may try editing them again to see if I can fix them.  Here goes!

IMG_0120.JPG - Vox3

Well, this is a bit better.  I had changed it to black and white, and really like the effect, but it was too fuzzy.  I lowered the saturation and brightness on this one for a similar effect.  It is still fuzzy instead of crisp, but not as bad as it was in black and white. 

IMG_0145.JPG - Vox2

Well, you can sort of get an idea.  Wish I could show you a good shot.  I sent a "help" message to Vox, but haven't heard anything back.  I am really disappointed.  I'll try to find something to take a picture of tomorrow and see what happens. 

Today at 17:47 UTC (11:47 AM CST) will be the Solstice, a traditional day in many religions. But what exactly is the solstice?

To a scientist, it marks the shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest day in the southern [2]. To a TV weatherman, it represents the “first day of winter” [3]. To an astronomer, it marks the low point in the Sun’s apparent travels in the sky, known as the analemma [4,5]. And to some religions, it marks the start of festivities.

In truth, these are all inter-related. The solstice is the point at which the Earth’s tilt and orbital path combine to create the shortest day in the year [6]. Because this is the shortest day in the year, the Sun does not rise as far in the sky and so is at a lower altitude at noon, making this the lowest point in the analemma. And because less sunlight hits the Northern hemisphere, the hemisphere radiates heat away faster than it comes in and cools, creating winter [7]. Though early priest/astronomer/astrologers didn’t know the physical link between the Sun’s travels and the seasons, they were clever enough to understand that there was a link. Thus, the solstice marked the start of festivities in Babylon, Egypt, Rome, and the Olmec and descendant civilizations.

In any case, this is a special day of the year [8]. So go out and enjoy it!

John

[1] Geek points for the reference!
[2] Thereby demonstrating the old adage that each thing contains its opposite.
[3] Thereby demonstrating that a simple untruth has greater staying power than a complex truth. Remember that Midsummer’s day takes place on the summer solstice, thus “Midwinter’s day” should take place on the winter solstice [a].
[4] Or the high point, for those in the Southern hemisphere.
[5] By the way, making an analemma is easy and a fun science project. All you need is a stick and a place to put it [b]. Just go out to the same place once a week at noon and prop the stick up so it is sticking straight up (i.e., makes a right angle with the tangent to the Earth’s surface). Now mark where the shadow of the stick falls. Plot them up over the course of a year, and you’ve made an analemma! Analemmas made closer to the poles will be fatter and more like a Hershey’s kiss in shape; those made nearer to the equator will be skinnier and look more like a figure eight.
[6] NB: This is not the Earth’s closest approach to the Sun; that happens in early January . If the Earth had no tilt, then perihelion and the solstice would take place on the same day, with summer in January and winter in July.
[7] In the Southern hemisphere, more sunlight comes in, so heat builds up, creating summer.
[8] Then again, what day isn’t?
[a] Yes, these are hemisphere-centric terms. My apologies to all who live in the Southern hemisphere; feel free to swap “winter” for “summer” at will throughout this post.
[b] Get your mind out of the gutter!

if only I hadn't already bought my sink and toilet this princess pink pair would be very tempting...

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