NORAD Tracks Santa is live!

Been waiting all year for this. I used to wonder how Santa did it. Imagine that! Forty-eight years old, duh, light bulb goes off {Actually NORAD turned it on,} and there is Santa making his rounds. Here I thought he must have used some kind of magic spell. Couldn't even explain it to my kids. Ha.

I found out about NORAD's tracking after I installed Google Earth. Had fun using that I tell you. And I found out about Google Earth when I saw one of my nephews using it. I asked my sons about it and installed it. Took a trip around the world in three hours. Still not done traveling on it. There are so many places I want to see, even if it's on the 'net. Still, fascinating to watch Santa's progress.

My nephew comes over and we watch until he's almost here, then he goes to sleep when Santa gets to the US. Yes, it is exciting to watch him. He knows Santa isn't really alive, yet there is magic there. To see the excitement in his eyes, to listen to him tell us how to decorate just so and where to leave the cookies. I tried to tell him to leave soy milk out. Nothing doing. Now, I think I might tell him Santa wants something different with his cookies. Maybe, he'll have to ask his other aunt to send over a plate of peanut butter cookies when she starts baking this year. My last batch was too well done. Somehow, I don't think Santa would like that.

My sons have finally quit taking bets on which one would get the chess set this year. Most of my holiday shopping is done already. Finally did what my mom does and get stuff all year round. Course, they had to be small enough to stash. Santa leaves presents for everyone here. I wonder when he does that? While we sleep after 0300? He must make another mad dash back to the house. Or does he use an invisibility spell? NORAD has explained the magic of his visiting each house. Maybe I'll ask them.

On the Campaign Trail (teehee)

Today has been interesting, very interesting. As is usual in my meanderings through the Great Library called the Internet, I've managed to find several interesting things. One of my recently found relatives posted a picture of two of our great, great grandparents. I finally downloaded a copy and had fun checking them against pictures of various family members. Possible, very possible.

Then in the course of looking for the spreadsheet that lists all the books, characters, etc., I came across some poems I had written a few years ago. Naturally, I wrote another one. Then decided I'd check for the poetry group I thought I saw on the Campaign. Lo and behold it is now 7 hours later. I still haven't entered the group and only have 10, now 9 hours to do so. Maybe not.

I've come across more interesting blogs in the last couple days, excuse me if I've already mentioned this. It is so exciting to find so many all in one place. Yeah I like NaNo, and will keep doing the novel writing. I like reading all the different blogs. I read the forums on NaNo and it's difficult to get a sense of the people around you there.

I've come across some books I've added to my wish list. I found some people I'd like to get to know better. They're positive, upbeat and my kind of people. Some have been posting questions and I think I will work on some to post myself.

Tournaments have been held

I thought those little people were having great fun. I received word of their tournament. No word about the results. Seems that they were having regionals. Their next stop must be state, then on to nationals. Could be they're headed to international tournaments. Held back in the old country? Or are they styling them like the Olympics? Must be Word somewhere. I'll be on the lookout for Word of any State tournaments. I think I know where the brownies are. I saw evidence of this when I was walking last evening. The lake was so pretty. They were working on their skills for beautifying their surroundings. There were birds cheering on their efforts. I appreciated this very much. They're having fun themselves.

I've discovered pixies also immigrated from Great Britain. Wow. I've often wondered about pixies. I thought Disney might have distorted their origins. Cause it always seemed to me that Tinkerbell was a fairy. A fairy who uses pixie dust? Pixies don't have pixie dust. Turns out they're mostly from Devon and Cornwall, maybe a small race of Celtic origins. Hmm.

I wonder about this because the little people have tunnels. We were shown the entrances where we weren't supposed to play. The descriptions I read sound awfully familiar. I've not known anyone who went with them though it was a possibility. Hmm.

Will be on the lookout. Maybe I'll do a photo shoot of these places. Methinks I might find out when they immigrated. I've often wondered about our "little people." Off to check out the descriptions of their houses, land, habits, etc. And the tournaments.

Childhood dream

Very soon all caution will be thrown to the winds. A new phase of life begins, a new attitude will be forged from the ashes of the old and time will be critical. Most people want to slow down and relax during their retirement years. I'm not doing that. I'm well on my way to adding stress, tension and unknown foreseen plots to my way of life.

I'm not officially retired, just entering the ranks of the Elders. I want to explore the world of books from the vantage of the inside, not just the pleasurable aspects of exploring worlds others have created. I will be exploring the real world also, traveling to far flung places. I've saved some money hoping to realize my childhood dream of visiting Stonehenge, checking out the Tower of London, seeing if the grass is really made of emeralds, kissing the Blarney Stone.

That last underwent a slight change after I found out one had to lean down to do so. I will ponder on that item as I make the preparations to visit. I'd like my mother to be able to go. My sons aren't really into it. Their interests are in the opposite side of the world.

Now, I've made some tentative plans for financing the rest of my visit. Hopefully, those will be finalized in the next few weeks. Adventure is about to hit my life and magic will create memories to last a lifetime and beyond. {I really believe magic exists. It's not the cast a spell type, change the environment, one needs to study for years one either; though there are reports that people can and have done so. No, I believe it's already around us. The spells have already been cast. One just needs to reach out and touch the results. }

Once I've realized that dream, I have a couple others that are lining themselves up, jostling for the second position. Methinks, I will leave it so for awhile.

Devising a plan of sorts

Aniin.  Greetings.  Today's another sunshiny morning.  Getting ready to hunt down that black hole that's got hold of my USB cord.  Why don't you just get another one you ask?  It's the principle of the thing.  Black holes shouldn't just appear and then disappear whenever they feel like it.  And then there's the issue of why give back one item and hang on to the rest.

Most of the items are of interest only to me.  A few may have passing interest for some which means that someone on the other side of that black hole has set this item as their heart's desire.  I do not want to encourage this sort of behavior.  

Oh for those of you who might argue that I'm talking about a wormhole:  things come back from a wormhole.  Not so with black holes, unless you have a very smart brownie who will go out of his/her/it's way to rescue something for you.  

And the thing with brownies, one has to feed them. Or so I've heard.  I've not had the pleasure of personally dealing with one, so I don't know how one goes about it.  A quick look on the net reveals that I was right.  There appears to be a catch to this feeding.  If I bribe the brownie or pay it, it will leave forever.  Good thing I haven't done that.  Well, I guess that plan goes out the window.  I must depend on the brownie's goodwill.  

Does that sound familiar to some of you?  Well, not the part about leaving forever after forcing a brownie to accept payment/bribe.  The part about feeding.  Apparently, the brownies are little people who like water, may be related to water sprites, and do household chores if it strikes their fancy.  If you don't feed one, it may do mischief.  According to another site, brownies become attached to a family and may move with the family if they move, due to their protective nature.  Hmmm.  

Another thing I discovered is that some Scots will leave a chair open near the fire for their brownie.  Only children, because of their innocence, {or those with second sight} can see them.  Hmmmm.   Hmmmm.  


On another note, I also looked up gremlin.  Apparently, their origin is more recent, 1923 -1940, the advent of airplanes in general use.  The RAF is credited with telling their stories first.  Now, they seem to be more mischief makers with machines.  Much of the mischief is more along the lines of boys playing pranks.  I may have been right when I first surmised that a gremlin might be experimenting with my USB cord.  


It's looking more and more like I'd best stick to my original plan and hunt down that black hole myself.  

Magic Music

I'm sitting here listening to Josh Turner.  Man, I love his voice.  Very few singers have that ability to put goose bumps on my arms, chills running up my neck.  There's others that catch my attention, but yeah.  My son once told me that when someone puts a resonance in your ears, it's in harmony.  I thought "why wasn't I told this when I was studying music."  (Sorry to my music teachers-piano, guitar, drums.)  

There was another person who absolutely stunned me with his handling of percussion instruments.  That was my other son.  Christmas concert at high school.  I replay that memory quite often.  Watching him concentrate, never missing a beat, moving from instrument to instrument.  

At my niece's graduation, I watched the orchestra and I wasn't impressed.  Yeah, I said watched.  The music didn't grab my attention.  You'd think they'd have played in celebration.  That's what we were there for, celebrating the achievement of all those who got their Master's degree.  Solemn?  Formal?  Not before the ceremony.  You'd think they'd have made the instruments dance.  So, I watched the musicians fidget in between sets, watched them turn their music, watched them move around.  The difference between this and watching my son was the music.  

Both orchestras played, I watched both.  I remember music flowing around one and noise with the other.  Not just because my son played in one.  Those musicians made the instruments dance.  The college ones were too conscious of the audience to make music magic, memorable.  Like listening to Josh Turner.