Blacksheep Speaks

Fundraisers are More Important then Remembering 9/11

Fundraising meetings are more important than attending ceremonies in rememberance of September 11. Well, not to ME, but apparently the band directors at Highland High School in Highland, Arkansas, think so. Yesterday, there was a huge assembly at that school to commemorate the day. Personally, I was glad my 13 year old daughter was gong to have the chance to attend such an event, and she was looking forward to it, because they were bringing in special speakers.

However, neither my daughter nor ay other member of the junior high band was allowed to attend. The band directors had scheduled a meeting with a fundraiser representative for that day. This OCOULD have been scheduled for another time, but no. So, these children were left out of this important event, so that they could listen to the same fundraising hype they hear every year, and be sent home with catalogs so that they can try to get people to buy ten dollar rolls of holiday wrapping paper.

Apparently "We Will Remember" is't worth remembering in the Highland band room.

Anyone that happens to be going by the Highland band room, be sure to flip a booger in the general direction of the director, would you?

It's hot. It's so hot I need a bath.

The title of this post is in honor of another blogger, 5xMom, and, I am sorry to say, I have lost the address of the post that inspired it. However, if she ever happens to see this, I want her to know that whether or not she intended those lines to be funny, my husband and I just about died laughing. Thanks, we needed that.

It really IS hot here in spite of all the rain, and a hot aftenoon in a small town is something that I advise you to miss at every opportunity. This really IS a small town, too, less than a thousand people. We have a post office, a gas station, a HUGE out of place looking discount store, a couple decrepit looking discount furniture stores, and the Dairy Shack. It has three tables. Like I said, the count is less than a thousand on the population sign...and I think they included the dogs, cats and cattle. I wouldn't trade my life here for anything.

Today's Notable Deaths

Just what I wanted to think about, let me tell you. Notable people who decded to depart this life, and couldn't come up with a better day than MY birthday to do it on. I think every last one of them planned it that way, don't you?:)

1151 Geoffrey Plantagenet conquered Normandy, dies at 38. 1655 Tristan l'Hermite French dramatist/poet, dies (birth date unknown). 1909 Eugene Lefebvre dies test piloting a Wright A aircraft. 1951 Maria Montez actress, dies at 31. 1966 Al Kelly double talk comedian (Ernie Kovacs Show), dies at 67. 1971 Spring Byington actress (Lily Ruskin-December Bride), dies at 84.

Noisy Neighbors

Have you ever had someone around all the time that you wished would go away? I don't mean forever, just, maybe, for a week or so? I have a neighbor that needs to take a vacatoin before I go insane. He mows his yard ALL the time, I swear. We live in the country, so he isn't RIGHT next door, but about a half a mile away. The noise bounces off the hills, though. I'm ready for a break from it. Problem is, I have tried absolutely everything I can think of. Last time they were here, I even left a couple Florida vacation brochures lying around, hoping his wife would decide they needed a break. No dice. They just talked about hedging tools. Ah, well. They really ARE nice people.

Today's Notable Birthdays (excluding mine)

I know, I know. I haven't done these in a few days. Things have been hectic, and there were a couple things that happened that made me feel like giving up blogging altogether. But I am back now, and it occurred to me tat stopping something I like alot over someone else's silly arguments that don't even affect me would be ridiculous. Here's hoping I can keep up:)

1533 Queen Elizabeth I England, (1558-1603) daughter of Henry VIII. 1707 George-Louis Leclerc comte de Buffon, writer on natural history. 1726 Francois-Andre Philidor France, chess champion/musician. 1829 August Kekule von Stradonitz discovered structure of benzene ring. 1829 Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden US, geologist (Geograph Survey 1859-86). 1836 Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman British PM (L) (1905-08). 1860 Grandma (Anna Maria) Moses NY, primitive painter (Old Oaken Bucket). 1891 Roscoe Karns San Bernadino Calif, actor (Capt Shafer-Hennesey). 1900 "Janet" Taylor Caldwell England, novelist (Melissa). 1908 Dr Michael E DeBakey artificial heart pioneer. 1908 Paul Brown Norwalk Ohio, NFL hall of famer (Browns, Bengals). 1909 Elia Kazan Canstaninople Turkey, director (Streetcar Named Desire). 1910 John Shea US, 500m/1500m speed skater (Olympic-gold-1932). 1913 Anthony Quayle England, actor (Anne of 1000 Days, Lawrence of Arabia). 1914 James Van Allen discovered Van Allen radiation belts. 1922 Art Ferrante pianist (Ferrante & Tachere-Exodus). 1923 Peter Lawford London England, actor (Mrs Miniver, The Thin Man). 1924 Daniel Inouye (Sen-D-Hi), chair of Iran-Contra hearings. 1924 Leonard Rosenman Bkln NY, TV composer (Marcus Welby MD). 1929 John Milford Johnstown NY, actor (Lieutenant, Legend of Jesse James). 1929 T(homas) P(atrick) McKenna Ireland, actor (Rivals, Holocaust). 1930 Baudouin I king of Belgium (1951- ). 1930 Sonny Rollins NYC, jazz saxophonist (Blue Room). 1934 Bill Giles Rochester NY, baseball owner (Phila Phillies). 1936 Buddy Holly singer (Peggy Sue, That'll Be the Day). 1937 John Phillip Law Hollywood, actor (Barbarella, Love Machine). 1939 S David Griggs Portland Oregon, astronaut (STS 51D, STS 33). 1942 Garrison Keillor humorist (Praire Home Companion). 1942 Richard Roundtree actor (Shaft, Earthquake). 1948 Susan Blakely Frankfurt Germany, actress (Rich Man Poor Man). 1949 Gloria Gaynor Newark NJ, disco singer (I Will Survive). 1950 Adriano Panatta Rome, tennis star (French 1976, Italian 1976). 1950 Chrissie Hynde Akron Oh, rocker (Pretenders-Mystery Achievement). 1950 Peggy Noonan author (What I Saw at the Revolution). 1951 Julie Kavner LA Calif, actress (Brenda-Rhoda, Tracy Ullman Show). 1953 Linda G Miller actress (Mississippi). 1954 Corbin Bernsen North Hollywood Calif, actor (Arnie Becker-LA Law). 1956 Michael J Feinstein pianist (Isn't It Romantic). 1957 Margot Chapman Hawaii, vocals (Starland Vocal Band-Afternoon Delight). 1957 Melvin Edward Mays one of FBI's most wanted. 1960 David Steele rocker (Fine Young Cannibals-Drive Me Crazy). 1968 Kyle Stevens NJ, rock guitarist (Bang Tango-Dancin' on Coals). 1971 Henry Thomas actor (ET)/ 1985 Tatia Jayne Starkey Ringo's 1st grandchild.

The Birthday Burble

Today is my fortieth birthday. I have been waiting all day for my midlife crisis to arrive, but somehow, it just seems to be stuck in traffic somewhere. ALL of my kids are here, the away ones home at the same time for a change, and they are definitely in the habit of making a joyful noise when they all get together. Well, a noise, anyway. At the moment all is quiet, because they all four trotted off to the football game at the high school. Not one of them goes to actually watch the game, of course. It's socializing time. They are doing my actual birthday...party...thing....tomorrow. I spent my birthday mostly sitting here debating actual values of domain names online. Internet real estate can be hard to pin a value on:)

A Few Good Domains...sort of for sale

Well, for starters, this is NOT a sponsored post, it's my own, although I suppose I am offering to sell you something, sort of. I've been hearing a lot of griping on some of the boards that I visit that there aren't any domains left that are easy to remmember and good for blogs. This is a particular problem for bloggers trying to get off the free sites. I have several no content domains, many premium, that I bought some time ago as an investment. Because I use them for the "parking" income, I am actually not all that in a hurry to sell them, although to park them I had to list them with a broker, Sedo. Because I know full well how much of a pain it is to wind up with a domain address that's full of dashes and number substitutions, I'll list what I have below, and if you want you can go put in an offer....the addresses when copied into your browser will take you to their parking pages. Please understand that I am aware of the value on these, and that they have more value to me parked if the price is wrong. They aren't particularly cheap because they ARE premium. But they are available. Be warned, the last offer I accepted was for eight hundred dollars. But then, I make that much a month blogging, without even trying, so can you.

Here's a list of the ones I've got that I am willing to sell, more or less.

bingointer.net bleepings.com chalkmarks.net childoffreedom.com devilglen.com dragonsspeak.com duncebarn.com electronicinter.net freebays.com glowjangles.com help1040.com huntinggeek.com inkedangels.com internetsidestreet.com investmentinter.net jewelryinter.net lostmelody.com mirrorplay.com oilings.com onelifeforgod.com packerwhacker.com patrioticintent.com peoplepaws.com poetryinmotion.us prayitreal.com redneckroundup.net shriekup.com silvermelody.com squeakings.com stockmarketinter.net usafreedoms.com weirdinter.net wildhunting.com

Well, there you are. If you see anything you want, I do my broker exchanges through Sedo, and somewhere on the parking page is a way to get to the domain name page to handle it. In case you're wondering, now I don't feel as guilty hoarding the good ones....I at least offered to make them available:)

Historic Events that had the audacity to occur on this date

Well, there was a pretty short death list today, but it looks like I am gonna make up for it on the events list. This is one insanely busy date in history. I'm gonna be typing half the night. Since the list of deaths was so short, presumably people didn't DIE in any of these historic events:)

590 St Gregory I begins his reign as Catholic Pope. 1189 England's King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) crowned in Westminster. 1752 This day never happened nor the next 10 as England adopts Gregorian Calendar. People riot thinking the govt stole 11 days of their lives. 1783 Treaty of Paris signed (ending the US Revolutionary War). 1826 USS Vincennes leaves NY to become 1st warship to circumnavigate globe. 1833 NY Sun begins publishing (1st daily newspaper). 1849 Calif State Constitutional Convention convenes in Monterey. 1852 Anti Jewish riots break out in Stockholm. 1861 Confederate forces enter Kentucky, thus ending its neutrality. 1865 Army commander in SC orders Freedmen's Bureau to stop seizing land. 1891 Cottonpickers organize union & stage strike in Texas. 1891 John Stephens Durham, named minister to Haiti. 1895 1st pro football game played (Latrobe, Penn). 1900 British annex Natal (South Africa). 1902 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client". 1903 Resolute beats Shamrock III (England) in 13th America's Cup). 1904 St Louis Olympics close. 1906 Yanks win 2nd game on a forfeit over A's; 2nd forfeit win. 1912 World's 1st cannery opens in England to supply food to the navy. 1914 Cardinal Giacome della Chiesa becomes Pope Benedict XV. 1916 Allies turned back Germans in WW I's Battle of Verdun. 1917 Grover Cleveland Alexander pitches complete wins in a doubleheader. 1918 5 soldiers hanged for alleged participation in Houston riot of 1917. 1925 1st international handball match held. 1925 Dirigible "Shenandoah" crashed near Caldwell Ohio, 13 die. 1930 Hurricane kills 2,000, injures 4,000 (Dominican Republic). 1932 Ellsworth Vines beats Henri Cochet for US tennis title. 1934 Tunisia began its move for independence. 1935 1st automobile to exceed 300 mph, Sir Malcolm Campbell (301.337 mph). 1935 Andrew Varipapa sets bowling record of 2,652 points in 10 games. 1939 Yanks beat Red Sox on a forfeit, their 4th forfeit win. 1939 Britain declares war on Germany. France follows 6 hours later quickly joined by Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & Canada. 1940 1st showing of high definition color TV. 1940 US gives Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for Newfoundland base lease. 1943 Allies invade Italy. 1944 Frank Parker beats Bill Talbert for US tennis title. 1945 Japanese forces in the Philippines surrender to Allies. 1947 Phila A's Bill McCahan no-hits Wash Senators, 3-0. 1947 Yanks get 18 singles to beat Red Sox 11-2. 1951 TV soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" debuts on CBS. 1954 Pope Pius X canonized a saint. 1957 Warren Spahn sets record for a lefty pitcher with 41st shut-out. 1964 Wilderness Act signed into law by President Lyndon B Johnson. 1965 Jim Hickman becomes the 1st NY Met to hit 3 HRs in a game. 1966 24th World SF Convention honors Gene Roddenberry. 1967 Final episode of "What's My Line?," hosted by John Charles Daly. 1967 Nguyen Van Thieu elected pres of S Vietnam under a new constitution. 1967 Sweden begins driving on right-hand side of road. 1968 Chicago White Sox set AL record of 39 losses by 1 run. 1970 Billy Williams ends then longest NL consecutive streak at 1,117 games. 1971 John Lennon leaves the UK for NYC, never to return. 1971 Qatar regains complete independence from Britain. 1971 Watergate team breaks into Daniel Ellsberg's doctor's office. 1974 NBA guard Oscar Robinson retires. 1975 Chartered 707 crashes in Atlas Mts of Morocco, 188 die. 1975 Steve Garvey begins his NL record 1,207 consecutive game streak. 1976 Viking 2 soft lands on Mars (Utopia), returns photos. 1978 Crew of Soyuz 31 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 29. 1978 Pope John Paul I officially installed as 264th supreme pontiff. 1979 Hurricane David, a strong Atlantic storm kills over 1,000. 1981 Gerald P Remy of Boston gets 6 hits in a baseball game. 1981 Longest game in Fenway Park, completed in 20, Mariners-8, Red Sox-7. 1984 28 year old Chicagoan wins $40 million in Illinois state lottery. 1985 20th Space Shuttle Mission (51-I)-Discovery 6-returns to Earth. 1985 NY Met Gary Carter hits 3 consecutive HRs in a game. 1986 Astros & Cubs use a record 53 players in an 18 inning game. 1990 9th no-hitter of 1990: Blue Jay Dave Steib beats Cleve 3-0. 1990 Helen Hudson sings national anthem in 26th park of year (San Diego).

Of Bags and Baggage

You know, what with the kids going off to school, we practically had to rework the entire house. With younger sisters claiming rooms older sisters were vacating, a lot had to be hauled up to the attic. First, the attic needed rearranging. What is up there is mostly luggage, and if I had remembered it was there, we wouldn't have had to buy more for the kids. You wouldn't believe it. A steamer trunk is there, plus a whole set of Samsonite luggage from the early sixties, I think, plus some flower power cases from the seventies or so, plus the tailored blue set from the eighties, and numerous backpacks, the list goes on and on. Now we need something to pack all that luggage in....

People who managed to expire on this date in history

If you have been reading my earlier entries, you know I don't particularly care for this entry, but I do it because when I don't, I hear about it from those of you who DO like it. You also know I have another blog dedicated to dead celebrities and ghost stories. I have been accused by those fondest of me of having a double standard. Well, yeah. And no. I do grave locations and a brief synopsis on that one, and I do ghost stories and purported haunted sites, the last two of which I see as fictional, whether others do or not. So, not the same:) Anyway, here's today's set of historic deaths.

1189 Rabbi Jacob of Orleans killed in anti Jewish riot in London England. 1658 James I king of England (1603-25), dies at 92. 1658 Oliver Cromwell the Lord Protector of England, dies at 59. 1962 e. e. cummings poet, dies at 67. 1969 Ho Chi Minh North Vietnamese president, dies. 1970 Vince Lombardi football coach, dies in Washington DC at 57. 1982 Michael Thomas actor (8 is Enough, Fame), dies at 55. 1984 Arthur Schwartz actor, dies after a stroke at 83. 1984 Duncan Renaldo actor (Cisco Kid), dies at 80. 1990 David Acer Florida dentist, dies of AIDs after infecting 5 patients. 1991 Frank Capra director (It's a Wonderful Life), dies at 94.

Just a thought...

Has anyone ever noticed exactly how the news fails to be accurate more and more of the time these days? There are times when they deliberately cover things up, as well. Take the Iraq war, for example. What the news reports, the American people believe, even though it may be the exact opposite of what they reported the week before. I distinctly remember one incident in particular. The military had found the mobile lab units used for creating those nasty mass destruction weapons we keep hearing they didn't have. I got a breaking news email about it, AND I went and read the story which was rather detailed. Five hours later the story was no longer there and no one was saying they ever found it. They still aren't.

This isn't new, you know. Even back when the Titanic went down, there was one paper reporting that everyone was safe and the ship was being towed in, and another reporting "vessel sinks". It isn't new at all.

People of Note who were Born on this day in history

Well, after my couple days off, I certainly am slow getting restarted, aren't I?:) I let an awful lot of work stack on me, so I am really getting to this as soon as I could. I'll try to do better tomorrow:)

1596 Nicolo Amati Italy, violin maker (Stradivari & Guarneri). 1757 Charles X Versailles France, Duke of Prussia. 1803 Prudence Crandall founded school for "young ladies of colour". 1811 John Humphrey Noyes Vt, found Oneida Community (Perfectionists). 1849 Sarah Orne Jewett Maine, author (Country of the Pointed Firs). 1856 Louis Henri Sullivan Boston Mass, father of modern US architecture. 1860 Edward Albert Filene merchant, established US credit union movement. 1866 Alain Locke famous African. 1905 Carl David Anderson NYC, physicist (1936 Nobel Prize for physics). 1907 Andrew Brewin Canada, lawyer/cofound New Democratic Party. 1907 Dr Loren Eiseley professor of Anthropology (Animal Secrets). 1910 Dorothy Maynor Norfolk Va, soprano (founded Harlem School of Arts). 1913 Alan Ladd actor (Shane, Carpetbaggers, Boy on a Dolphin). 1914 Kitty Carlisle Hart New Orleans La, actress (Animal Crackers). 1917 Eddie "Brat" Stanky Phil Rizzuto's nemesis/2nd baseman (Dodgers). 1918 Helen Wagner Lubbock Tx, actress (Nancy-As The World Turns). 1923 Mort Walker cartoonist (Beetle Bailey). 1923 Terry Wilson Calif, actor (Bill-Wagon Train). 1926 Anne Jackson Penn, actress (Dirty Dingus Magee, Angel Levine). 1926 Irene Papas actress (Anne of Thousand Days, Guns of Navarone, Z). 1931 Mitzi Gaynor Chicago Ill, actress (South Pacific). 1932 Richard Tyler NYC, actor (Henry Aldrich-Aldrich Family). 1935 Eileen Brennan LA Calif, actress (Laugh-In, Pvt Benjamin). 1940 Pauline Collins London England, actress (Shirley Valentine). 1942 Al Jardine rocker (Beachboys-In My Room). 1944 Sherwood C "Woody" Spring Hartford Ct, Col USA/astronaut (STS 61B). 1944 Valerie Perrine Galveston Tx, actress (Steam Bath, Superman, Lenny). 1945 Mike Harrison keyboardist (Spooky Tooth-It's All About). 1956 Hans-Georg Beyer German DR, team handball player (Olympic-gold-1980). 1965 Charlie Sheen actor (Carlos Estevez), NYC, actor (Wall St, Platoon). 1971 Tonja Christenson Salt Lake City Utah, playmate (November, 1991).

Maternity Clothes with STYLE... Kiki's Fashions!

It's absolutely amazing what has been done with maternity clothes these days. I stopped by a website called Kiki's Fashions earlier today, and what I saw sure has changed since I was the one wearing it. This shop has some absolutely beautiful styles, and, while I may not agree with the website's assessment that they are sexy, I will say that they are everything I would have wanted and more. It's wonderful to see maternity clothes made with a sense of style instead of a sense of tent. Just click the link and you'll see what I mean. These are awesome. Good prices too.

Banana Brain?

I just saw the most asinine story on the news, and, me being me, I can't keep my mouth shut. Some guy is planning to build a three hundred and fifty foot, or close to that measurement, flying.... banana. He plans to ultimately send this thing into space, where, I assume, the space monkeys will be thrilled. He is also, aparemtly, calling this ART.

This is not Art. This is a very expensive stupidity. If you want to impress me, turn the darn thing into a food filled piniata and explode it over a third world country. THEN at least it would not be a COMPLETE waste of money.

Seriously, folks, with the money this guy is spending, a small town could eat for a year. Just thought I'd share.

Dog Tags from QuickTrophy!

I hadn't thought about dog tags for years until this review came up. I used to own a set of military ones, my own. Don't know where they went. In any case, these dog tags from QuickTrophy are really not the same thing. I like the one I got, though. It is pictured below. You can click the link to get to QuickTrophy, where I am sure you will want to go when you are don reading this. They have a pretty good, easy to navigate website, and the dog tags are really different for a trophy idea. They come in a large range of colors, with insignias for just about any sport you can think of, plus music as well. The one pictured is the one with the music insignia. Th price is not bad, and they can be imprinted with whatever you like. Just remember that the middle line is the one in bold, and you are good to go.

Happy Labor Day! Got a template you can spare?:)

Happy Labor Day!

Hello again, everybody. Thanks for the blog program opinions I recieved, on both this blog and my other one that I asked about it on. I think the best idea I heard was the one about leaving my old blogs as they are while I start a new blog on Wordpress, and if I like it, I'll switch over. Which leads me to a new problem. Anyone know a good source for non-ordinary templates? I have a blog that I don't advertise anywhere yet that is only about three months old, give or take, that is about dead celebs and ghost stories. Yeah, I know, morbid as hell, but I like ghost stories:) Problem is, none of the wordpress templates I have seen seem to have the right feel. Looking for a template with gravestones or a "haunted" theme. Anyone know of any?

By the way, sorry for the lack of posts. I took the holiday weekend off:)