One small thing

It's the end of the month. I hoped to have more posts.

I will try to post one small thing that happened on a daily basis. Today it will be a relaxation kinda thing. I was worked up over going back to work today since I had 4 in a row off. That hasn't happened to me on Thanksgiving since time immemorial.

The relaxation was getting home for a few minutes before class. I had a yogurt. I had apple pie with whip cream about half an hour after that. There was time for the cats and birds and time to get changed and read. The last day of November, 2009, was a good thing.



from the painted bridge at Carroll Creek:

Objectionable leading man

Recently, I shared the joy of Stargate: Atlantis with my father. We're both avid sci-fi fans. I am the more picky, a show has to really jive with me for me to watch it. Atlantis is 5 seasons long. After getting Season 1 back, my dad mentioned to me that he did not like the character of John Sheppard at first. To be fair, I thought the Sheppard character was written too much like Jack O'Neill, of the original Stargate: SG-1. Dad agreed with that and went on to state he didn't like John's hair. He thought it should have been a crew cut, or buzz cut, not the length the actor wore it on the show. Joe Flanigan, who portrayed Sheppard, has cowlicks. That kinda struck me funny. I mean, it's a TV character, not a military man. Also, since the show takes place in another galaxy (Pegasus), The characters tended to bend the rules a little on military standards.

This made me wonder, would Dad's "military look" rule apply to other sci-fi characters? What about Han Solo, William Riker and Jean-Luc Picard? I put the question to Dad. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief about all 3 of my characters. They are okay. I had to ask, "What about Commander Riker? He was shaving, then he had a beard for 6 seasons." Dad told me it was okay. He thought Riker was fine with or without a beard. Bit of a double standard to me, I love John Sheppard and his cowlicks (and by extension, Joe Flanigan, hee hee).

Off to watch more of my new favorite, current show, Sanctuary. Dad can't complain about my favorite guy, Druitt. He's bald and cleanshaven. Although, Bigfoot might throw Dad for a loop. Both are portrayed by Christopher Heyerdahl. If I do inquire of Dad, I will update in another post.

Oh, happy, belated American Thanksgiving, everyone! I had it all, rolls, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, and piiiiieeeeee!

My artistry

Today is a special day for me, martial arts-wise. First, I received my green belt/blue stripe in tae kwon do. The test was last Saturday. When one passes the test, the new belt is donned at the next class attended.

I also made the giant leap into Kum do by purchasing my uniform and 2 swords -- One is for sparring purposes, the other for everything else. Kum do is the Korean style of Ken do, the japanses sword fighting art. I am excited. The next fun thing to do will be to purchase the Kum do sparring gear. It goes for a pretty penny and may be a few months into the future. For now, it is learning from square one--what to do and how to behave.

For tae kwon do, it is more kicks, a new, challenging form and a further fall into the martial arts I love.

How far have I come? White belt, White belt yellow stripe, yellow belt, yellow belt green stripe, green belt. Now green belt blue stripe.

Hail to the Veterans!

Due to real life and being sick, I have been away from my blog. However, Veterans Day is today.

My dad served 20 years in the U. S. Navy. When he retired, he was a Chief Petty Officer. It’s a non-commissioned position. I was fairly young when he retired, so all I remember of the ceremony is sitting in a cafeteria like room on a plastic chair and listening to some officer go on about the ones who were retiring. Oh yea, there was cake, afterward.


Dad’s always been humble about his service. He does not think it is a big deal. Was just doing a job. He did more than that, I say. He protected the freedom of every family in the U. S., he protected our rights and our livelihoods. Dad shipped out twice that I know of. Once when we lived in Morocco (I being born there) and again in the 1980s, to Lebanon. He was in Beirut when the suicide bomber drove a truck into a building during breakfast. When he got back to North Carolina, my baby brother didn’t recognize Dad. He cried when Dad held him. The rest of us didn’t know what to expect, even though we had kept in touch with audio tapes and he sent us post cards.


Myself, I did not enter the Armed Forces. I respect all who have. I have friends who are still in, or in the Reserves.



Hats off to you today, Dad! And cousin Butchie! And to all of our service members, commissioned and non-coms, alike!