Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Just a Thought...
Today the cafeteria served foot-long hotdogs with sauerkraut. Why on God's green earth you would EVER serve sauerkraut to 400 elementary children, I'll never know. Have mercy on us this afternoon.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
And the Winner Is...
It's time to post the winner of the Truth or Lies contest. First, I want to thank Marcia for tossing this my way. It was quite fun!
Confession time...
1. When I was 15, I found 47 four-leaf clovers in one summer. I still have them. They're pressed in wax paper and stored in a Dr. Suess "Go, Dog Go" book.
This one is a lie. I did find 17 four leaf clovers one summer. They were all in one spot next to a corn field behind my Dad's shop. I stuck them between the pages of a novel I was reading then forgot about them. I found them again several years ago - then promptly lost them.
2. I once fed 35 Texans chili so hot it'd burn a hole in your cheek and make your tongue drop out, but they still added their own habanero peppers that they carried in their pockets; ran into Kris Kristofferson's belt buckle (he's really tall); chatted up with Johnny Cash (he was a true gentleman), and talked to Johnny Paycheck on the phone - all in one day.
True! I spent a couple of summers cooking for the roadies and band members that performed at Timberwolf Theater at Kings Island theme park near Cincinnati. I got to meet some memorable characters. Some of my favorites were - Mick Fleetwood, who showed up in the green room wearing leggings and fringed boots up to his knees. He was traveling with Pat Benetar, who kept her washer in a road case. She wheeled it into the bathroom, hooked it up to the sink, and proceeded to do her laundry all afternoon. Meanwhile, there were lots of ladies with crossed legs... Mark Chestnutt was the warmup band for Clay Walker. Mark kept to himself that day, but Clay was out and about - riding rollercoasters and greeting people all over the park. The Highway Men were my very favorite. The roadies called me 'mam and darlin' all day. I cooked everything they wanted. ;) I really did make the chile hot. My own crew smothered theirs with LOTs of sour cream and cheese. I had to laugh when the road crew asked if I'd be offended if they doctored their chile with their own peppers. They pulled them right out of their pockets! When I answered the production phone for Johnny Paycheck, he wanted to know, "Is Willie there? I'm across the highway with my eight kids and wife, and need to get into the park." I had to tell him Mr. Nelson hadn't arrived yet, but I'd get a manager to see if they could help him. Funny, most of Willie Nelson's road crew looked just like him. All in the family? The best thing about cooking for 10 hours? Getting to watch the concert for free in the wings.
3. I rode the Tilt-A-Whirl 42 times in a row at Coney Island in Cincinnati, because I love my daughter.
Heck no! I did watch my daughter and one of her friends accomplish the feat. The ride's line was empty. They would get off and run right around to get back on. Made me ill watching them.
4. My husband and I were arrested on our first date.
Nope, but my Mom and Dad were. Dad was in the Air Force and stationed at Wright Patt. He and Mom were on a blind date, and Dad ran a stop sign. At that time, the town of Fairborn expected the military to pay their fine on the spot. That way an offender couldn't get transfered out without paying their fine. Dad didn't have the $5 for the ticket, and Mom had to call her sister to come bail him out of jail. She must have forgiven him. Dad proposed two weeks later, and they were married six months after that.
5. I sang a singing saw part in Aram Khachaturian's "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The guy who was supposed to play the saw got sick, and there was no back-up saw player. I was the only one who could sing that high.
Yes. I really did. I got a call from the conductor who said I'd been recommended by the University, and could I please come right away for a quick rehearsal. It was insane. The highest note was the G above high C (two octaves above middle C). The lowest note wasn't low. At all. When I listened to the recording later, it sounded almost like a synthesizer. It was a pretty cool experience.
6. I competed at the Grape Stomp Competition at the Hollister Grape and Fall Festival in Branson, Missouri. It was over a week before my toes were no longer blue.
I've never been to Missouri, but if I go, I'd like to try this.
There you have it! And now for the winner... (drumroll.......) Nikki! She guessed both truths and became a follower. (The drawing was done by my husband. I had nothing to do with it other than getting the right number of votes in for everyone) Congratulations Nikki, and thanks to everyone who played!
Nikki, please contact me at nora.macfarlane@yahoo.com so I can get your gift card to you.
Confession time...
1. When I was 15, I found 47 four-leaf clovers in one summer. I still have them. They're pressed in wax paper and stored in a Dr. Suess "Go, Dog Go" book.
This one is a lie. I did find 17 four leaf clovers one summer. They were all in one spot next to a corn field behind my Dad's shop. I stuck them between the pages of a novel I was reading then forgot about them. I found them again several years ago - then promptly lost them.
2. I once fed 35 Texans chili so hot it'd burn a hole in your cheek and make your tongue drop out, but they still added their own habanero peppers that they carried in their pockets; ran into Kris Kristofferson's belt buckle (he's really tall); chatted up with Johnny Cash (he was a true gentleman), and talked to Johnny Paycheck on the phone - all in one day.
True! I spent a couple of summers cooking for the roadies and band members that performed at Timberwolf Theater at Kings Island theme park near Cincinnati. I got to meet some memorable characters. Some of my favorites were - Mick Fleetwood, who showed up in the green room wearing leggings and fringed boots up to his knees. He was traveling with Pat Benetar, who kept her washer in a road case. She wheeled it into the bathroom, hooked it up to the sink, and proceeded to do her laundry all afternoon. Meanwhile, there were lots of ladies with crossed legs... Mark Chestnutt was the warmup band for Clay Walker. Mark kept to himself that day, but Clay was out and about - riding rollercoasters and greeting people all over the park. The Highway Men were my very favorite. The roadies called me 'mam and darlin' all day. I cooked everything they wanted. ;) I really did make the chile hot. My own crew smothered theirs with LOTs of sour cream and cheese. I had to laugh when the road crew asked if I'd be offended if they doctored their chile with their own peppers. They pulled them right out of their pockets! When I answered the production phone for Johnny Paycheck, he wanted to know, "Is Willie there? I'm across the highway with my eight kids and wife, and need to get into the park." I had to tell him Mr. Nelson hadn't arrived yet, but I'd get a manager to see if they could help him. Funny, most of Willie Nelson's road crew looked just like him. All in the family? The best thing about cooking for 10 hours? Getting to watch the concert for free in the wings.
3. I rode the Tilt-A-Whirl 42 times in a row at Coney Island in Cincinnati, because I love my daughter.
Heck no! I did watch my daughter and one of her friends accomplish the feat. The ride's line was empty. They would get off and run right around to get back on. Made me ill watching them.
4. My husband and I were arrested on our first date.
Nope, but my Mom and Dad were. Dad was in the Air Force and stationed at Wright Patt. He and Mom were on a blind date, and Dad ran a stop sign. At that time, the town of Fairborn expected the military to pay their fine on the spot. That way an offender couldn't get transfered out without paying their fine. Dad didn't have the $5 for the ticket, and Mom had to call her sister to come bail him out of jail. She must have forgiven him. Dad proposed two weeks later, and they were married six months after that.
5. I sang a singing saw part in Aram Khachaturian's "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The guy who was supposed to play the saw got sick, and there was no back-up saw player. I was the only one who could sing that high.
Yes. I really did. I got a call from the conductor who said I'd been recommended by the University, and could I please come right away for a quick rehearsal. It was insane. The highest note was the G above high C (two octaves above middle C). The lowest note wasn't low. At all. When I listened to the recording later, it sounded almost like a synthesizer. It was a pretty cool experience.
6. I competed at the Grape Stomp Competition at the Hollister Grape and Fall Festival in Branson, Missouri. It was over a week before my toes were no longer blue.
I've never been to Missouri, but if I go, I'd like to try this.
There you have it! And now for the winner... (drumroll.......) Nikki! She guessed both truths and became a follower. (The drawing was done by my husband. I had nothing to do with it other than getting the right number of votes in for everyone) Congratulations Nikki, and thanks to everyone who played!
Nikki, please contact me at nora.macfarlane@yahoo.com so I can get your gift card to you.
Monday, March 8, 2010
This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine version.
I was working hard on my manuscript (cough) when I came across this video that Christy Lenzi posted today on facebook. It is AWESOME! So I thought I'd share. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Truth and Lies and a $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!
I have been fortunate this week to have Marcia Hoehne send me a blog award (Because, you know, it's all about the blog bling!). Thank you, Marcia!
To accept this award I must:
*Thank the person who gave me the award and link to her.
*Add the award to my blog.
*Tell six outrageous lies about myself and One Truth.
*Nominate six creative liars...er, writers, and link to them.
*Let my nominees know they have been nominated.
Just to make this interesting, I'm adding a $10 gift card to Amazon.com as a prize! Like Marcia, I'm a bit of a rebel and plan to change the rules. I'm telling two truths and four lies. Choose your two truths and enter them in one comment. For each truth you guess correctly, your name will be placed in a drawing for the gift card. You have until midnight Friday, March 12th to enter. Winners (and truths) will be announced March 14th.
*For an additional entry, become a follower, and tell me so (or that you already are one) in a second comment.
*For an additional entry, post a link to this contest and then post a comment giving the URL. For the sake of my own organization, if you post a contest link in more than one location, please give each URL in a separate comment. In this category, you can enter as many times as you have cyber-places to post the contest.
Time to unleash the
1. When I was 15, I found 47 four-leaf clovers in one summer. I still have them. They're pressed in wax paper and stored in a Dr. Suess "Go, Dog Go" book.
2. I once fed 35 Texans chili so hot it'd burn a hole in your cheek and make your tongue drop out, but they still added their own habanero peppers that they carried in their pockets; ran into Kris Kristofferson's belt buckle (he's really tall); chatted up with Johnny Cash (he was a true gentleman), and talked to Johnny Paycheck on the phone - all in one day.
3. I rode the Tilt-A-Whirl 42 times in a row at Coney Island in Cincinnati, because I love my daughter.
4. My husband and I were arrested on our first date.
5. I sang a singing saw part in Aram Khachaturian's "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The guy who was supposed to play the saw got sick, and there was no back-up saw player. I was the only one who could sing that high.
6. I competed at the Grape Stomp Competition at the Hollister Grape and Fall Festival in Branson, Missouri. It was over a week before my toes were no longer blue.
There you have it - 2 truths and 4 lies. Good luck! And now, my creative liar nominees...
1. Rena
2. Christina Farley
3. Carrie Harris
4. Julia Karr
5. Chocolateer
6. Sara McClung
Saturday, March 6, 2010
A Refreshing Reminder...
My sister-in-law recently sent this video of Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance to me. I'd seen the clip before, but it had been a very long time since I'd watched it. I say the pledge every day at school, and I'm ashamed to say that I don't pay much attention to what it means. I'm usually thinking about the lesson I'm about to teach, or things I must accomplish at work. The pledge has simply become part of the morning routine. It was refreshing to be reminded that what we recite each day is a powerful promise to uphold the freedoms that were so hard won.
I have always loved Red Skelton. I hope you enjoy him too.
I have always loved Red Skelton. I hope you enjoy him too.
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