While we wait, and wait, and wait, here's a general conversation thread...

Summer I. At the rate we've been going so far there will not be a need for Summer II. But just when you think the conversation has ended ...

Great summer smiley, Peg. Imitation is the best form of flattery and all that.

I dunno. I get this feeling that next season could be good, with the writers free to wander where their fancies take them, without the restrictions of "will he/won't he" (Carter or Duchovny, take your pick).

X-ed: Glad to hear you're getting serious with the screenplays. I shall look forward to the black widow one (shiver--spiders???? Yuk). LOL at the diet. Good luck on that. But I do have an easier time dieting in the summer than in the winter.

I've just been through training on WebCT, and may eventually use it for a web site to supplement one of my writing courses. Up til now I've used blackboard.com, which is a whole lot less powerful and a whole lot more user-friendly. But I'll have to bite the bullet and convert eventually. Hope you at least had fun with it--and your continuing ed. journal. I don't have much contact with our continuing ed folks, but it's neat to hear of a journal like that. I've never seen an American version.

Good to be back with y'all again.

XQQ, I hate spiders too. I just have this image of the female spider draining her former mate and digesting him. And having her hanging in her web and trapping Mulder. And the female serial killer one is gelling in the sunsoaked noggin. It's hot here with temps in the high 80s and low 90s this week.

It's easier dieting in winter. Actually I hate it all year round. Right now, every fruit seems to be in season at once. Did get some Arkansas blueberries the other week, and got some of the first batch of BC raspberries on the weekend. Along with cherries from somewhere. Peaches are in, nectarines are in, apricots are in - early CA crop I guess.

And you probably have more training on WebCT than me. I've had maybe a couple hours and the rest I've played with to figure things out. It is not a happy package and loves to screw things up.

Maybe you could email your Cont Ed area and let them know the Journal exists?

hey hey hey

Summer is really busy around here. Getting major work done on my yard ... rip it all out and start over. There goes the vacation ...

OK - I think we need something to get this place jump started again. It's looking grim and critical mass is slipping away.

What's on your top 3 CD playlist right now? Not necessarily your favorites, but what are you listening to at the moment?

Here's mine:

Mark O'Conner - Appalachia Waltz
Chris Botti - Slowing Down the World
Eric Clapton - Unplugged Live

On my WANT list: Appalacian Journey

anyone else?

argo

To Wolfie:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR WOLFIE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!
Hope you had a great day.
Love, cassandra

thanks cass! i can't believe that you remembered you're good

W~

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CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKIN?!

Not only did she remember. . . . she apparently logged on around midnight to wish you happy birthday, wolfie! As you know, cassandra is one of us middle-aged folk, so firing up the computer past the witching hour doesn't happen for just anybody's birthday


So here's another topic for conversation (argo, I'll get back to you on that playlist): Wolfie, don't tell us quite yet, ok? Everybody else, how 'bout let's do a forum pool on how Wolfie spent her birthday? (Do remember that this is a family forum, of course,when speculating!) My own bet: Syxx was sweet and cooked her something vegetarian for her birthday dinner. What do you guys think? Or maybe he gave her an Apollo 11 keychain, which she later gave to her wannabe replacement who took over when she went on maternity leave and almost got eaten. . . . woops, that was someone else, wasn't it. . . .

[This message has been edited by XQueequeg (edited 07-12-2001).]

Happy B-Day Wolfie!

Syxx did get you a nice present, right?

ha ha no meals from my syxx, he did buy me one of the books that i wanted, he is still lookin for the other one to get me. we just had a nice quiet night at home. i didn't need anything very fancy, it was just nice hanging out with him.

thanks again for the birthday wishes, ya'll are tooo nice!

W~

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CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKIN?!

H.B., WOLFIE. I don't think SYXX knows how to cook, does he?

I can't remember the last time I bought a CD.

We finally got a landscaper to our house last night. I tell you, sometimes it is hard to give your money to anyone - everyone is booked solid, won't return phone calls, etc. The landscaping is to finish up what was torn up when we had all that work done on the house last fall.

XQQ-actually, I rushed over to the computer, realizing that it was after midnight(and technically in EDT not wolfie's birthday anymore) but I knew it was still her BD in her time zone! cassandra jr. and I have been keeping our natural night owl hours lately since school ended. Camp will be a rude awakening for her(literally)and then when she returns, she has track practice at 7 am every morning til school starts!(guess who has to get up to drive her)

wolfie- you share your b'day with my best friend from college,so it's easy for me to remember. I love those nice, quiet evenings at home. What books are you reading?

argo- I listen to an extremely eclectic combination of music-from my Disney Cds to eavesdropping on cassandra jr's Linkin Park!( I imagine shouting "shut up" at the top of your lungs must be quite cathartic) I've been enjoying Aaron Copland, Debussy, and the Beatles 1 CD. I've been in the mood for some majestic Bach on organ so I will probably be looking for a Virgil Fox Cd soon-maybe the Saint Saens Organ Symphony too. BTW-a friend gave me Appalachian Journey for my B'day. I wasn't crazy about it, but maybe I should give it another listen. I tend to like my classical music pure and unadulterated-it's not snobbery or anything, it's just what I enjoy. I like my rock and roll that way too.(with a few exceptions, like Pink Floyd)

[This message has been edited by cassandra (edited 07-13-2001).]

quote:

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Originally posted by cassandra:
... maybe the Saint Saens Organ Symphony ...

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NO MAYBE ABOUT IT !!!

quote:

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Originally posted by argonauta:
What's on your top 3 CD playlist right now? Not necessarily your favorites, but what are you listening to at the moment?

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Can't answer the "listening to at the moment" part but I do have favorites in my desk drawer at work. Current favorite is the Rachmaninov sonata for 'cello and piano.

I had a couple custom CDs made by an internet company (this was before mp3 and Napster). The selections are mainly old time hits from the 50s and 60s plus one "international mix" of music from Africa, China, Bulgaria, and Tana Tuva (throat singing).

Now I have a bunch of mp3 oldies on my home computer just waiting to be burned into a CD. I got these off Napster before they added the restrictions. Got some songs I'd been wanting for a long, long time.

Hello from the lurker of all time. Just have to jump in when music is mentioned. My current three favorites are:

Buena Vista Social Club
Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey and a Marvin Gaye
Anthology.

I've enjoyed reading your remodel stories. We're jumping in and remodeling our kitchen starting sometime soon. In California if you don't have an "up to date gourmet kitchen with granite, etc, etc." you just can't compete in the home selling market. (which happens to be in the tank right now anyway). We had our house on the market earlier this year, but took it off....we missed the market by several months. BTW does anyone want a kitten? We have five. All way too cute - about 8 weeks old. I'm babysitting them for my son and his girlfriend. Two are siamese/tabby crosses, one black brown tabby, one black/tabby and one dark smoke color. If I didn't already have two of my own grown cats, I'd take one. I really though my old cats would think a new baby kitty would be fun.....(can you tell I'm really a dog person??) oh well. just another poor soul out here waitin' and waitin' and waitin'...

Interesting you should mention granite countertops, REDNOTCHIE. In today's Pioneer Press is a lengthy article entitled "The Trendy Kitchen." It says in countertops that "granite is the star today...even if people can't afford the real thing, they want materials that resemble granite."

Cabinets are getting darker.

Cabinets need "cabinet jewelry" (i.e. fancy knobs and handles.

Cabinets don't match and look like furniture.

Cork is the latest thing in floors.

Appliances are stainless steel and commercial grade.

Center islands look like tables instead of boxes.

Blue is the favorite color.

Trends are either the Tuscan Old World or the streamlined and spare look.

And there you have "the latest." Don't worry, REDNOTCHIE, whatever your kitchen looks like, someday it will be trendy again.

Govt, the chic counters here are either granite or corian. Dark is right in terms of cabinets, although the white California style with glass doors is still right up there in popularity.

Same thing with stainless steel appliances. Next big "in" color is black.

In terms of floors, hardwood (even for kitchens) is what's wanted. Lino is second. Not much cork.

What's really been neat at Home Depot and such are the cool stainless steel bathroom sinks. Some even look like works of art.

Rednotchie - stop lurking ... all we former lurkers finally spoke up ... and look where it got us

ALL - thanks so much for the music recommendations. I'm looking for some new music and I know y'all have such good taste ... after all ... you hang out here!

I'd love to hear about more forum members' hit list.

I've got the major demo to the front and back yards ... now that it's all dirt and a giant dumpster in front, the activity seems to have slowed down a bit. The driveway pavers went in today. They look great. Still can't drive on it but I'm enjoying looking at it. One upside to having piles of miscellaneous building materials in my front yard is getting to meet all the looky-loo neighbors who wander by and then stop an converse. I know my immediate next door neighbors but the rest go by in a blur. Everyone is so busy it takes either a neighborhood disaster (like a house catching on fire) or the looks of a bomb explosion in a front yard to bring them out of the woodwork.

The County Fair started yesterday. I'm planning to eat myself silly there sometime this week ... then get on the "Brain-A-Whirl" to top it off.

After the yard is done, I'd love to tackle the kitchen ... or did someone say Harvest Gold countertops and dark cabinets are coming back in style? Wood floors are on the top of the priority list ... front to back ... everywhere.

argo (debating on the typhoid shot and thinking that prudence is the better part of valor)

I'm sure neither XEDOUT nor I mentioned a return of "harvest gold", ARGO, but just wait until next year and it will be back.

We have a stainless steel kitchen sink but it is very pedestrian looking. I keep it because it cleans well. We are "in" on some of the trends in our kitchen - let's see, the refrigerator is white and the stove is black. My advice: DON'T buy black applicances - at least not a stove - it is a monstrosity to clean. Get white for the stove. That's my decorating warning of the day.

Are the typhoid shots painful, ARGO? Why do you need one?

I've been living with Harvest Gold counters for 11 years now and will definitely change them someday! I have a white fridge, white stove w/black door) and a black DW. But for fun(or because we've just been too lazy to change it) I actually have an Avocado Green hood/vent over my stove that's probably been here since the house was built!(a touch of That 70's Show) obviously I don't care about trends and such, but I would like to do some updating/remodeling. The cabinets are painted off-white and have all these annoying paint chips around the knobs. We have so much that needs to be done here that it is truly overwhelming-which leads to catatonia instead of enthusiasm!
BTW-welcome rednotchie and mea culpa!

rednotchie-saw the movie Buena Vista Social Club and really enjoyed the music. I have always liked Ry Cooder and was glad to see what he was up to.

On a whim I watched "Memento Mori" today and I was overwhelmed at just how good "The X-files" has been over the years. Granted, we bitch and moan about everything, but the fact that a season 4 episode still hits me is proof that this show has staying power. Whatever becomes of it in the future is irrelevant because we've already been treated to so much in the past. The final scene in this episode -- where Scully tells Mulder she's goiing to fight her cancer and return to work -- is one of the best in the course of the series, but at the same time it reminded me of all those moments we've seen. Honestly, Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have come a long way over the years. I can't imagine either having the acting skills early in the series to pull off the emotion in the "Memento Mori" scene, or, more recently, last year's finale.

Well, I'll end this now. Just felt like sharing (and this is the best place to do it).

[This message has been edited by trustno1 (edited 07-15-2001).]

Cassandra and all you classical music lovers ... why does most classical music make me feel like I'm kinda stupid? When I listen I sure don't feel like I'm getting everything out of it that everyone else is. I don't have a music background and I'm trying to broaden my knowledge, but sometimes I just dont get it.

govt - I've got a trip to Vietnam next month and in addition to having the dates shuffled around at the last minute, I also have the opportunity to extend my visit beyond the "work part" and to stay an additional week and toot around the countryside. I got the requisite shots but in my additional reading, especially since I'll be away from the city areas, I think I'm going to get the typhoid shot too. Just call me a human pincushion, but there's some scary stuff floating around out there. I'm very excited about the trip and don't plan to let a little thing like microbes get in the way.

I watched "This Is Not Happening" last night and I don't know if it's the summer doldrums or what, but re-watching the eps having seen the season play out, I'm enjoying them more the 2nd time around.

Here's a new site with X-Files music from Fox OS:

X-Files Music.com



X-Roads - are you out there? I thought of you when Rednotchie mentioned the kittens.

argo

[This message has been edited by argonauta (edited 07-16-2001).]

quote:

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Originally posted by argonauta:
Cassandra and all you classical music lovers ... why does most classical music make me feel like I'm kinda stupid? When I listen I sure don't feel like I'm getting everything out of it that everyone else is. I don't have a music background and I'm trying to broaden my knowledge, but sometimes I just dont get it.

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To broaden your knowledge, start with the familiar. What classical music do you like? Maybe I can recommend other works to listen to. Don't force yourself to listen to works you don't like.

quote:

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I watched "This Is Not Happening" last night and I don't know if it's the summer doldrums or what, but re-watching the eps having seen the season play out, I'm enjoying them more the 2nd time around.

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I watched it too. Yep, better the second time around.

quote:

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Originally posted by trustno1:
... this show has staying power. Whatever becomes of it in the future is irrelevant because we've already been treated to so much in the past.

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Amen to that.