Fun times with the SmileLady

Posted on 31. May, 2007 by kchristieh in education, my life, tv

Debra Johnson is a force of nature! This outgoing, confident woman is also known as the SmileLady. As such, she hosts a weekly cable TV show on Channel 56 (Pasadena Community Network) called “SMILE” that encourages Support, Motivation, Investing, Love and Education.

I met Debra when I spoke about MySpace at the Pasadena Jr. League “” conference at Caltech in March. Debra appreciated that I said that MySpace wasn’t evil, but that it needed to be used correctly in order to be used safely. She introduced herself afterwards, and invited me to be a guest on her show.

Yesterday I took her up on her offer, and had a great time being interviewed on her show. (See picture below.) She asked insightful questions, and was very skilled at filling the space between segments with words of wisdom. I’m not sure how well I did, but I’ll cut myself a break since this is my first real television appearance. (As opposed to the faux ones of my youth and the LCF Educational Foundation video when I was president.)

The show should air next Tuesday at 8:00 am and 8:00 pm in the local Pasadena Charter Cable area, and perhaps at 4:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday of next week. Set your Tivos!

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

- Mother Teresa

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Who is Nuno Bettencourt, and why is his name on my son’s shirt?

Posted on 31. May, 2007 by kchristieh in music, my life, parenting

My son returned from the jr. high church bowling night with “Nuno Bettencourt” written on his nametag:

Who is this mystery man? Wikipedia says he’s a highly acclaimed 40-year-old rock/heavy metal guitarist. My son says he’s amazing. I’d never heard of him, but on iTunes I see that he’s one of the composers of “More Than Words.” Great song. I approve. Wikipedia says that he’s now with a group called DramaGods. Hopefully this means my son’s moving away from extremely heavy metal…I’m not counting on it.

It’s my 20th anniversary

Posted on 30. May, 2007 by kchristieh in my life, parenting

Today’s our 20th wedding anniversary. That’s a long time! My mom says it makes her feel really old. She’s not that old, however, as she was my age (44) when I got married. As the parent of mere teenagers, I can’t even imagine what it would be like right now to have one of my children get married. It boggles the mind. I haven’t even dealt with their first driver’s license yet.

In honor of the occasion, here’s a scan of our official wedding party photo. We were so young that some of our siblings were too young to be in the wedding party! Please excuse the shimmery pink dresses – there weren’t many choices that year. Even at the time I knew they were over the top, and hopefully my bridesmaids have all forgiven me.

Although we lived in Los Angeles, we were married at the church I grew up in, First Presbyterian Church at Red Bank (Tower Hill) in Red Bank, NJ. It was 104 degrees that day, and the church wasn’t air conditioned. It was so hot that my sister fainted during the ceremony.

We had a great reception. The band played Springsteen’s “Jersey Girl” (with slightly altered lyrics) for our first song, and everyone danced to “Tequila” a la PeeWee Herman. (It was 1987, after all.) We’d forgotten to book a getaway car, so we borrowed my sister’s dumpy little Saab. I barely fit my wedding gown into the car! Our honeymoon in Tahiti was fantastic, and all snorkelling since has paled in comparison.

I no longer have my wedding gown. My sister cut the lace sleeves off and wore it for her wedding, and eventually a friend of my mother’s cut it up and made it into christening gowns for babies. She made a nice little purse for me, which I plan on letting my daughter and daughter-in-law use as something “borrowed” on their wedding days. My daughter is quite relieved, as she said she has no interest in wearing a borrowed 1980’s dress. I told her I knew that from the day she was born.

It’s been a fine 20 years, and we look forward to many more. 

Of the 12 (!) people in our wedding party, only one was already married. Nine more eventually got married, and three of them eventually divorced. Those are probably typical statistics, I’m afraid.

On a more positive note, I don’t think I ever noticed what a diverse wedding party we had. One Asian, one African-American, two Hispanics, three Jews, and five non-Hispanic or Jewish Whites. But we didn’t choose them for race: we chose them for coolness!!!

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Design for the other 90%

Posted on 29. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, international, technical

Doesn’t that sound like a Target ad? It isn’t. I’m talking about design for the rest of the world, for the people that in their wildest dreams wouldn’t even be able to afford Target.

Today’s NYTimes reports in “Design That Solves Problems for the World’s Poor” that the Cooper Hewitt Museum has mounted an exhibition honoring cost-effective inventions that fill the world’s needs.

Interestingly, most of the designers who spoke at the opening of the exhibition spurned the idea of charity.

“The No. 1 need that poor people have is a way to make more cash,” said Martin Fisher, an engineer who founded KickStart, an organization that says it has helped 230,000 people escape poverty. It sells human-powered pumps costing $35 to $95.

Even though they may spurn the idea of charity, inventing something that makes so much of a difference has got to be incredibly satisfying!

Last week, the NYTimes reported in “Solar Flashlight Lets Africa’s Sun Deliver the Luxury of Light to the Poorest Villages” that an American named Mark Bent has spent $250,000 to develop and manufacture a solar-powered flashlight that gives off seven hours of light from a daily solar recharge. He’s distributed over 20,000 so far, and has another 10,000 ready to go.

Here are a few inventions that today’s article highlights:

“The Q-Drum, a circular jerry can, holds 20 gallons, and it rolls smoothly enough for a child to tow it on a rope.” How cool is that? No more huge water jars on the heads of women and girls!

“The Lifestraw drinking filter, which kills bacteria as water is sucked through it.”

(I wonder if American hikers would use this?)

“One computer for every child.”

I’d like to teach the world to blog
in perfect harmony…

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“Very nice?”

Posted on 29. May, 2007 by kchristieh in movies, my life, parenting

Oh my! Now when I say, “Very nice!” my kids’ friends think I’m quoting Borat. I haven’t even seen that movie! I just think some things are very nice.

Then again, perhaps my son’s frequent usage of the phrase has rubbed off on me. He learned it from friends at school.

Saddleback Sunday

Posted on 28. May, 2007 by kchristieh in my life, religion

As a member of a moderate, mid-size Presbyterian church, I’ve always wondered what a “mega church” would be like. So when we had time before yesterday’s baseball tournament game, I took my son to visit Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. For those of you not familiar with the church, it’s the home to Pastor Rick Warren, author of “” and other bestselling books.

It’s only fitting that Saddleback Church is in Orange County, for in many ways the campus feels like Disneyland. There are parking attendants and parking lanes, and there were so many greeters that at least six people smiled and said hello even before we entered the sanctuary. The campus is huge, and includes a stream, a waterfall, a cafe, and many buildings and permanent “tents” to house worship services ranging from Island Style to Rock ‘n Roll to Spanish and more. My son was particularly impressed by the youth center they’re building, which has a beach volleyball court and a technology center, and looks like it would fit right in at Downtown Disney. I was impressed by how the church makes an effort to help people join small groups or attend a more focussed worship service, thereby making the huge size of the church seem more manageable. (Note: According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Saddleback has the second highest weekly attendance of any church in America: 22,000.)

As we approached the church yesterday morning, I thought to myself, “How do so many people in Orange County have so much money for such nice homes and cars?” So it was only fitting that yesterday’s sermon was titled, “Setting Financial Goals.” The service started out with an amazing young musician (Matt Papa) and his band playing a few rock numbers. Then Pastor Rick (as they call him) started preaching. Wow. He kept the topic very current, so it kept my rapt attention, but at the same time he referenced more Bible verses than I’ve ever heard referenced in a single sermon. The band played another song, then a woman named Mary Hunt told about her struggles with and triumph over deficit spending, then the sermon continued. There was no liturgy, no children’s sermon, no baptisms, etc. The service lasted over 1.5 hours, and I wasn’t bored for a moment. The slides showing each verse and the printed sermon summary in the bulletin, as well as the live video feed (!!) shown on big screens up front helped too.

Although I hadn’t thought the topic would particularly touch me, I was very challenged by it. I was impressed by Rick’s genuine sincerity, especially since he and his wife give away 90% of what they earn. (He calls it reverse tithing. He and his wife started tithing when they were married, and upped it by at least 1% each year.) Unlike preachers such as Joel Osteen, who spread a gospel of prosperity, he wasn’t promising that people would get more earthly riches by giving more to the church. Instead, he spoke about how God has entrusted us to manage our blessings, and that we should live below our means and give to God’s causes and to the poor. He said we’d reap heavenly rewards, which are far more important than earthly ones. (Oh my! I feel guilty about that couch we’re getting for our 20th anniversary now!!) I’ve never attended a church which made such a good argument for tithing. That’s a tough message when you’re already tied in to a hefty mortgage, but it really made me think.

Not every church can have such amazing resources, and not everyone would feel comfortable in a worship service with thousands of people. Even so, there were some programs and practices which smaller churches could adapt that could be quite successful. At any rate, the more we learn about other successful organizations, the more we can improve our own. That applies to churches, too!

If you can take pictures at European churches, why not take them at American ones?

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Boy bags big boar

Posted on 28. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, food

From ABC News:

In this photo released by Melynne Stone, Jamison Stone, 11, poses with a wild pig he killed near Delta, Ala., May 3, 2007. Stone’s father says the hog weighed a staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9-feet-4 from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail. If claims of the animal’s size are true, it would be larger than “Hogzilla,” the huge hog killed in Georgia in 2004. (AP Photo/Melynne Stone)

They plan on mounting the head and using the rest for sausage. I’m glad they’re using the whole animal. My son is quite impressed by all of this. Too bad he lives in suburban California, not the rural South.

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Tournament takeaways

Posted on 27. May, 2007 by kchristieh in my life, parenting, sports

I’ve spent the whole weekend thus far at my son’s baseball tournament. One more game to go tomorrow! A few observations:

• Why isn’t there a Christian word for “Zen”? As in “I was in such a Zen state that I had no idea what the score was.” I’m there to watch the game, and I root for each boy and hope he does well and doesn’t get hurt. Of course, it’s more fun to win, but that’s not all that it’s about.
• I’d be a lousy scorekeeper, as I’m having just as much fun talking to the other parents on the sidelines as I am watching the game. Nothing new about that.
• It was cool to play a team from Sinaloa, Mexico, this evening. They played like gentlemen: when their pitcher accidentally beaned kids, he’d go to first base and apologize and shake hands. Hopefully our boys will do that in the future; I wish they did already. My son was impressed, especially since he was one of the kids hit. He cherishes the necklace the other team gave him (and each boy), as well as the t-shirt he traded with one of the boys.
• I think our boys would be horribly embarassed if the parents got organized and chanted in unison. The Mexican boys seemed to love it when their parents did, however.
• It’s a beautiful thing when boys try really hard but can still keep the perspective that it’s just a game and move on when they mess up.

Time for bed!

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How to say “thank you” in 456 languages

Posted on 26. May, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites

How do you say “thank you” in Korean or Armenian? That was my dilemma yesterday when I was writing my final PTA president column, and wanted to thank the gals who organized our school’s Multicultural Week.

A quick Google search found Jennifer’s Language Page, which lists key phrases in 456 languages. From Afrikaans to Zulu, she’s got it all. It’s like an online Tower of Babel.

I quickly found what I was looking for: komapsumnida and shnorhagallem. Now to decide if I should proceed with the column’s Fleetwood Mac theme. (long story)

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Become an early bird

Posted on 25. May, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites, life lessons, quotes, religion

ZenHabits has a great post today about the benefits of waking up early, and how to switch from being a night owl to being an early riser.

One of my favorite parts of his post is a quote from the Dalai Lama about how to approach the day. I’m Christian, not Buddhist, but I think these wise words could apply to everyone:

I love being able to get up, and greet a wonderful new day. I suggest creating a morning ritual that includes saying thanks for your blessings. I’m inspired by the Dalai Lama, who said, ”Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.’“

I think it’s important to appreciate the blessings you have, and to try to share those blessings with others. If we remind ourselves of that each day, we’ll be more likely to do it.

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Vote for the New Seven Wonders of the World

Posted on 24. May, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites, international, things that bug me

Can you name the “Seven Ancient Wonders of the World”? According to Wikipedia, they are (or were):

• Great Pyramid of Giza
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Lighthouse of Alexandria

Only the Great Pyramid of Giza still stands, so there’s no way anyone can see all seven wonders.

That’s why New7Wonders.com is having a vote to determine the NEW Seven Wonders of the World. You can choose among 21 finalists, and the winners will be announced on 07/07/07.

(I voted for Chichen Itza, Easter Island Statues, Eiffel Tower, Great Wall, Machu Picchu, Stonehenge and the Taj Majal.)

Newsweek’s ridiculous high school ranking system

Posted on 23. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, education, startling statistics

Here’s how Newsweek says it ranks America’s public high schools in this week’s issue:

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2006 divided by the number of graduating seniors.

What if a school has a high dropout rate? It wouldn’t be penalized by this system. In fact, getting rid of the kids less likely to take AP tests would increase a school’s ranking. Also, what if the kids that take the test don’t pass it? (Click here for the author’s explanation of his grading process.)

There are some surprises on the list regarding the schools in our area. Marshall Fundamental School (#123) in Pasadena ranks higher than Palos Verdes (#156), La Canada (#162), Corona del Mar (#237) or San Marino (#239).

The Newsweek ranking doesn’t jive with other data. GreatSchools.net says that Marshall’s average Academic Performance Index (API) score of 699 (with a state ranking of 6/10) is far below that of La Canada (898, 10/10). In fact, GreatSchools gives Marshall a 4/10 rating overall, but it gives La Canada a 9/10 rating. Also, the Pasadena Star News reports that Marshall’s AP pass rate is only 26%. (La Canada’s pass rate last year was 84%.) It looks like Marshall does an admirable job given the demographics of the kids it serves, but I think that Newsweek’s rankings are misleading.

By the way, here are a few surprising statistics from GreatSchools.net:

• La Canada spends $6,875 per pupil, but Marshall spends $8,460 per pupil.
• Average class sizes in grades 9-12 range from 30-36 in La Canada, and from 28-29 at Marshall.
• Percentage of English Language Learners: La Canada (2%, of whom 67% speak Korean); Marshall (12%, of whom 88% speak Spanish)

Does finger size determine relative SAT scores?

Posted on 23. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, education, my life

LiveScience.com reports that researchers have found that:

• Teens with longer ring fingers than index fingers are more likely to do better on the math SAT than on the literacy or verbal portions, and;
• Teens with longer index fingers are more likely to do better on the verbal and literacy than on the math portion.

They think that this is due to the ratio of testosterone to estrogen in the womb.

Somehow, this all sounds like chiromancy to me.

Anyway, I can’t tell which of my fingers is longer. (see picture to right) Perhaps that makes sense for a geek who blogs. Then again, I did score 140 points higher on my math SAT than on my verbal. Oh well…perhaps I’ve changed in the last 27 years. Or maybe my fingers aren’t their natural lengths since I type so much…

Surefire Ways to Spot a Liar

Posted on 23. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, life lessons

I think I can usually detect when a person’s lying. Unfortunately, I don’t always know why I think they’re lying, and I usually don’t have proof that they are.

Here’s a recap from Reader’s Digest to help you determine when someone is lying. Some of it’s surprising, but most isn’t. Now, maybe my brain will be able to process what my intuition is telling it.

Hear the Voices: Look for changes in pitch, breath rate, and speed. Hesitation can often indicate lying.

Watch Those Words: Liars often use fewer first-person pronouns such as I and me. It’s a way for them to put separate themselves from their stories. For example, a liar would be more likely to say, “The check will be sent tomorrow,” instead of “I’ll send the check tomorrow.” Liars also use fewer exclusionary words such as but, nor, except, and whereas. Researchers say this is because they’re spending enough energy concentrating on the lie, and can’t also perform complex thinking.

Look Past Shifty Eyes to Body Language: Look at the whole body, in context. If someone looks away while concentrating, that’s ok, but if they look away when the answer should be easy, that’s bad. Also, look for changes in baseline behavior, for example talking too much or too little compared to usual, or a change in body posture or hand usage.

Check for Emotional Leaks: “Micro-expressions” can leak through, often lasting only a split second. Perhaps an odd smile, not a happy smile. These are hard to spot, even by pros.

Now to figure out how to deal with liars and prove they’re wrong!

Take time out to see the lilies

Posted on 23. May, 2007 by kchristieh in environment, my life

As we were running out the door to school yesterday, my son noticed that one of the lilies we got at the farmer’s market on Saturday was starting to open. As we watched, we could see the petals open up before our eyes.

Here are a few pictures taken within a short time span yesterday morning:

Too bad I can’t put their aroma on the blog. They smell incredible. Not bad for $6.00!

“24″ Season Finale: All tied up, neat as a bow

Posted on 22. May, 2007 by kchristieh in tv

I think the producers of “24” have absolutely no idea what they’re doing next season. That’s the only explanation for how well everything tied together last night. Not much was left hanging!

We had lots of arguments here about whether Jack was right to risk many lives to save his nephew. It’s like my Darfur Puppy post: one innocent 16-year-old boy is much more compelling than a whole military base full of people we don’t know. My son and I argued that it was worth it because Jack would succeed. (Yeah, we’re optimists.) My daughter wasn’t convinced. I told her that someday, perhaps her brother would save her child. She still wasn’t convinced. He was.

I recognized Chloe’s pregnancy as soon as she started acting sick. My kids were skeptical, but I was right. Of course, it’s Milo’s baby.

And where did Stewart (Milo’s brother) go? Hmmm…

That’s all I’m wondering about. Not bad! I can actually sleep well for the next seven (!!) months until next season.

Except for all the cliffhangers from “Ugly Betty” that will keep me up at night until September…

 

Top 5 reasons to use a cloth bag

Posted on 21. May, 2007 by kchristieh in environment, food

1. The petroleum in 14 plastic bags could drive a car one mile.
2. Americans use over 14 billion plastic bags annually. (Do the math: that’s 1 billion miles worth of petroleum.)
3. Cities spend up to 17 cents per bag in disposal costs.
4. But, if you think that means you should use paper bags, you should know that it takes 70% more global warming gasses to make a paper bag than a plastic bag.
5. Also, paper bags do not biodegrade in landfills. (There’s not enough oxygen.) (!!! I had no idea!!!)

Now I just need to remember to bring my cloth bags to the store, and to get them out of my gas-guzzling car when I shop… 

Source: The tag of the cloth bag I purchased at the grocery store today. See www.1bagatatime.com for more info.

Here’s the real Secret: we’re too Optimistic!

Posted on 20. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, books, environment, health, life lessons, politics, religion

I recently watched an Oprah show about Rhonda Byrne’s best-selling self-help book, . This book encourages readers to visualize success and channel the positive energy that comes from optimism. It’s like a for our times.

The testimonials on Oprah ranged from people who saved their marriages to a woman who decided to halt her breast cancer treatments. Watching the show made me feel like I was sitting in a tent at a revival meeting.

I can definitely see how important it is to be optimistic. If you don’t think you’ll be able to do something, you almost certainly won’t be able to. Optimism gives us hope, and it gives us the energy we need to move forward.

However, there’s a limit to the power of optimism. As hopeful as I’d want cancer patients to be, I wouldn’t want them to think that hope alone will solve their illnesses. And I don’t think the people of Darfur could surmount their troubles with The Secret alone.

In “Think Negative!“, Slate’s John Gravois says that our bigger problem may be that we’re TOO optimistic. He implores Oprah to invite Rutgers professor Karen Cerulo to her show.

Cerulo, a professor at Rutgers University, wrote a book last year called . In it, she argues that we are individually, institutionally, and societally hellbent on wishful thinking. The Secret tells us to visualize best-case scenarios and banish negative ones from our minds. Never Saw It Coming says that’s what we’ve been doing all along—and we get blindsided by even the most foreseeable disasters because of it.

In her research, Cerulo found that when most of us look out at the world and plan for our future, we fuzz out our vision of any failure, fluke, disease, or disaster on the horizon. Instead, we focus on an ideal future, we burnish our best memories, and, well, we watch a lot of your show. Meanwhile, we’re inarticulate about worst-case scenarios. Just thinking about them makes us nervous and uncomfortable.

I totally agree. It’s depressing to think of worst-case scenarios, and since most Americans reading this probably haven’t personally faced many of them so far in their lives, we don’t see a pressing need to start thinking negatively now. But perhaps we should…Read my previous post: clearly, many couples who are optimistic that they won’t become pregnant do, and wind up having abortions. Many people don’t wear sunscreen, or drive drunk. Our fearless leader himself continues to be optimistic that we’re still on track to win the war in Iraq. Worst of all, our planet’s balanced ecosystem is declining fast, and we’re not doing nearly enough to save it.

Gravois encourages readers to join his petition to get Oprah to invite Cerulo to speak. I will. Our personal futures as well as the futures of others not only depend upon hope, but upon a realistic outlook that encourages us to prepare for the worst so that we can successfully deal with it if (or when) it comes. Here’s how to participate in Gravois’ campaign:

Has a healthy dose of pessimism improved your life? Has envisioning the worst ever helped you to avoid a disaster? Or has an overly rosy outlook left you blindsided by calamity? We’ll append your anecdotes to this letter, and send the whole package to Oprah. Write us at

Contraceptives not as effective as some think

Posted on 19. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, health, politics, startling statistics

I didn’t realize that the newer, lower dose oral contraceptives, though they have less side effects, have more room for error. According to Dr. Atul Gawande in today’s NYTimes editorial, “Let’s Talk About Sex,”

Oral contraceptive pills, for example, are nearly 100 percent effective when used consistently. But in the real world, they fail 8 percent of the time — that is, 8 in 100 women on the pill get pregnant in a year. The lower dose hormone formulations used nowadays have fewer side effects, but missing a dose by even six hours puts a woman at serious risk. (One should add condoms for that whole month, experts say.) Miss two days and one is effectively not on birth control at all. Anyone prone to missing really needs to consider switching methods.

Birth control requires constancy, and most people overestimate how constant they can be. Fifteen percent of women who rely only on condoms get pregnant in a year, largely from inconsistency in using them. Withdrawal is even more dicey — it has a 25 percent failure rate.

Dr. Gawande points out that both sides of the abortion debate would rather there were less abortions, but few seem to focus on the fact that it’s primarily women, not teens, who are having abortions.

Fact two follows from this: Abortion is mainly an adult problem. Forty-five percent of abortions occur in adults ages 18 to 24; 48 percent occur after age 25. Most are in women who have already had a child. The kids are all right. We are the issue.

And many of these women say that they were practicing birth control. Clearly, practice doesn’t make perfect…so it looks like much more education is needed!

Kids and the Law

Posted on 18. May, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites, parenting

Did you know that:

• Kids can legally be out past curfew if they’re participating in a religious, educational or political activity?
• In developing a school dress code, parents must be involved in the decision-making process?
• Parents are often liable when their kids damage, destroy or deface others’ property?
• It’s illegal to tether a dog to a doghouse or a tree for more than three hours?

These and other California laws that might concern children and their actions are explained in a VERY readable format in the 2007 version of Kids & the Law: An A-Z Guide for Parents. Topics covered include driving laws, drugs, alcohol, online predators, juvenile court, and much more.

There are two other similarly excellent publications: When You Become 18: A Survival Guide for Teenagers and Seniors & the Law: A Guide for Maturing Californians. I’m going to try to order the printed versions for the next PTA meeting.

Hopefully I’ll never need to know all this information – it’s every parent’s nightmare! But, it’s best to be prepared.

Do you have an accountabilabuddy?

Posted on 17. May, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites, parenting

Not sure? Here’s what it is:

A friend, maybe a best friend, who you get into trouble with and who is somewhat responsible for your actions.

Well…I like the part about being somewhat responsible for your actions, but not the part about getting into trouble.

Anyway, this is one of the words of the day at UrbanDictionary.com. This comprehensive site has thousands of definitions for modern slang terms. So, the next time your child says, “Hi, moms. I can’t reach the remote control because it isn’t within couching distance,” you’ll know your kid is just plain lazy.

Warning: this site contains MANY offensive terms. Don’t introduce it to your kids, or they might learn some really nasty stuff. It operates best as a resource for understanding teenspeak.

The best season finale EVER!!

Posted on 17. May, 2007 by kchristieh in tv

Oh my gosh!! (I’m too old to say OMG.) I was all tears at the end of tonight’s finale of Ugly Betty. The last five minutes were like watching the end of the 1983 Big Game!

Santos: dead. Amanda: Faye’s daughter. Christina: married. Charlie: cheater! Claire: fugitive. Alexis and Daniel: injured? dead? Wilhelmina: actually did something NICE?!?!?

Maybe I should write a note to FutureMe with my theories about next season. But nothing will bring back Santos…nothing…unless he’s not dead…

Maybe by then today’s immigration bill will have passed and Mr. Suarez will be legal. But they’ve set up his heart condition. Oh my!

Hopefully Kristin Chenoweth will return as the orthodontic technician. Her perky, optimistic personality was perfect for the role.

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A letter to Future Me

Posted on 16. May, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites, life lessons, my life

I spent a few minutes today writing a letter to my future self, to be emailed to me on my 50th birthday. I did it at FutureMe.org. This free, easy-to-use website allows you to send an email to yourself and choose a delivery date from 30 days in the future to whenever you’re optimistic you’ll still get it.

You can choose whether your email is private or public. If it’s public, your name and email address won’t be shown. I chose to keep mine private, since I mention the names of loved ones, but I must admit that the public ones are fascinating. Many deal with the uncertainty of human relationships, and some are so pathetic that I wish I could hunt the author down and hug them.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from public letters:

• Do I still hate you? Do you still hate me? Isn’t it time we made up?
• It’s graduating day. Your last chance. Make sure to make the best of the day… Get the phone numbers and emails and stuff from as many people as you can…
• Your husband is adorable and only 25, but isn’t very turned on by the thinner you. You spend more money than you make and still have nothing to show for it. I hope when this email is delivered, you have something to be proud of.
• If 3 cities on list have not been visited, close email and buy plane ticket(s) immediately.
• If I am not speaking to you in five minutes time it means that my experiment has failed. What I would like you to do is build a time machine and travel back to Bristol 30th March 2006 14:33 pm and track me down. I would then like you to inform me of what mistakes I made between now and your time and how I can avoid making them.

I like the last one the best. Instead of just writing to the future, I wish I could write Past Me and advise myself when to take the other fork in the road.

I won’t reveal all that I said in my letter, but I did encourage Future Me to have a big piece of pie with mint chocolate chip ice cream for my 50th birthday. You only live once, after all!

Show us your Dirty Wow Wow

Posted on 16. May, 2007 by kchristieh in books, cool websites, my life

Whenever I click on Cute Overload to confirm that I should delete this silly little site from my Blogroll, I wind up deciding to keep it on the list.

I checked it out again yesterday, and then linked from there to “Show Us Your Dirty Wow Wow.” The latter site is a tribute to a of the same name. Here’s what the book’s about:

What’s a Dirty Wow Wow? It’s the shabby stuffed toys and blankies you clung to and treasured from childhood, with nicknames like “Fuzzy Wuzzy,” “Night Night,” “Huggie,” “Dup Dup,” and yes, “Dirty Wow Wow.” Ten Speed Press celebrates these well-loved friends of childhood in the book Dirty Wow Wow, a touching, sweet, and funny collection of photos and stories.

The site features pictures of many beloved animals and blankets, and the stories behind them. If you scroll all the way to the bottom, you can enter a contest by sending in a picture of your favorite stuffed friend.

To the right is Snoopy the Bear. I received him for my third birthday, over 41 years ago, from my Aunt Joanne. My mom says he had a third dimension and a mouth when I got him, but I can only remember him as flat and mute. It’s ok, as we communicate telepathically anyway. He has a great smell that’s very comforting and will always put me in a good mood.

I’d bet that most adults have a favorite stuffed animal that they still cling to.

PS – I submitted Snoopy’s picture to the Dirty Wow Wow site, and they posted it on May 15th.

Adding iTunes music to Powerpoint

Posted on 16. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, education, music, technical, things that bug me

I spent way too long last night trying to import a song from iTunes into Powerpoint. My daughter has a presentation about Italy today, and purchased a few songs on iTunes that she wanted to accompany it. Unfortunately, even when we figured out how to convert the iTunes song to an MP3, when we imported it into Powerpoint it wouldn’t play. Aargh!!

Today’s Wall St. Journal Technology Alert says that,

Amazon plans to launch a digital music store later this year without copying restrictions on songs. The move follows an announcement from label EMI that it would allow its music to be sold on Apple’s iTunes and elsewhere without so-called digital rights management software. Amazon said EMI’s catalog will be part of the “millions” of songs it will offer at launch, but didn’t identify other labels or say how much songs will cost. Amazon will sell tracks in the widely compatible MP3 format.

Too bad this doesn’t exist now! Unfortunately, all our music is in iTunes, so we might not be able to convert it to the Amazon software when launches

What does a president look like?

Posted on 15. May, 2007 by kchristieh in politics, things that bug me

For the first time in U.S. history, there’s a woman, a Black and a Latino running for president.

So I was shocked to see the cover of this week’s Time Magazine. Next to a huge picture of Mitt Romney, it says, “Sure, He Looks Like a President.”

What does a president look like? Must it be a White man with graying temples? I hope that American voters can think outside the box and choose the person who will do the best job, not just the person who looks the most like previous presidents.

 

 

“When the dog bites, when the bee stings…”

Posted on 14. May, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites, movies, music

It’s depressing to read the news too much. I’m not advocating burying your head in the sand, but every once in awhile we need to remember that there is some good in the world.

When the flow of sad, scary and tragic news gets to you, check out the following:

• HappyNews.com
• Good News Daily
• MSNBC: Wonderful World
• Good News Network
• Daryn Kagan
• Positive Quote of the Day

“When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.”

- “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music

The ultimate Lazyboy

Posted on 14. May, 2007 by kchristieh in technical, videos

I wish I had a !

It’s designed by a Stanford Mechanical Engineering student named Reuben Brewer. Maybe the campus would be safer if everyone rode motorized La-Z-Boys instead of bikes. They could even get the heat/massage models…coool!!

Back from my virtual trip to China

Posted on 13. May, 2007 by kchristieh in books, international, religion

Who needs travel when you can read? Just kidding, sort of.

I finally finished my long “trip” to China via by John Dalton.

I followed the main character as he was transformed from an idealistic Midwestern “Jesus Teacher” forming a mission in Taiwan to a humbled, skeptical young adventurer on the Chinese mainland. I don’t want to give too many details away, so I won’t say much more about the plot. Although I’ve never been to Taiwan or China, I suspect that the book realistically depicts its people and culture, as neither are glamorized but both are depicted with detail and sensitivity. The missionary and his naive faith are particularly realistic, and my guess is that the author based him on at least one person he knew.

I’d give this 4 stars out of 5. It was a worthwhile, enjoyable read, and I learned a lot about human nature and another part of the world.

If only life were as easy as pie

Posted on 12. May, 2007 by kchristieh in feminism, food, movies

That’s the catchy tagline of the great new movie “Waitress,” which I had the pleasure of seeing this evening at the Laemmle Theater in Pasadena. Keri Russell does a magnificent job portraying a young waitress stuck in a dreadful marriage who finds out she’s pregnant. She’s an expert pie baker, however, and her daily custom pies are the hit of the diner where she works and finds support from a beloved cast of characters.

I was completely blubbering at the end. It was so touching, and had some great life lessons about unhealthy relationships and independence. It’s PG-13, but it might be best for mature 15 and older, especially girls. But men should like it – my husband loved it.

We wanted to eat pie afterwards, but we couldn’t think of any worthy pie shops. We wound up at Penguins. Lucky it isn’t the 17th, as they’re closing down that day to shoot a movie. Ah, life in Lalaland…