Music -
Thanks to the inspiration provided by Melsworld, my genius husband has installed the realaudio plugin on my page. The song playing is from the Movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" as performed by me and my sisters (Fugitive and Littleredtahbo).
Ain't we something?
I don't like to do surveys. I like to read when other people do them, but I think that my answers tend to be boring. So I have never posted a top ten, top 25, top 50 or top 100 or any other number of things about myself. However, my friend has dared me to do this survey.
1. What do you most like about your body?
I'm squeezably soft.
2. And least?
Too short to reach the books on the top shelf.
3. How many fillings do you have?
I have no idea, I think I need another.
4. Do you think you're good-looking?
I think I'm cute.
5. Do other people often tell you that you're good-looking?
I get a lot of compliments on my eyes and on my smile.
6. Do you look like a celebrity?
No
-- Fashion --
1. Do you wear a watch?
Not often.
2. How many coats/jackets not counting blazers?
Three
3. Favorite pants/skirt color?
Dark Blue or Black
4. Most expensive item of clothing?
Probably my coat. Other than that I don't think I have anything I paid more than $30 for.
5. What kind of shoes do you wear? Sneakers, sandals, pumps, flats, slings, scuffs, and slippers. Right now I'm wearing house socks with cows and no skid tread on the soles.
6. Describe your style.
Suburban housewife. Easy, wash-n-wear, with an occasional rhinestone.
-- Your Friends --
1. Do your friends know you?
I think that I'm fairly transparent. I don't have many secrets.
2. What do they tend to be like?
I collect people who let me nurture them, or who challenge me.
3. Are there traits in you that are universally liked?
I did a quick survey and found that like Mary Poppins my friends consider me to be practically perfect in every way. 
I'm easy to talk to, laugh a lot, I'm told that I'm a comfortable friend.
4. How many people do you tell everything to?
Other than my husband, I have about six friends who can ask me anything. I don't call them with regular updates, but I think they know all the highlights.
-- Music --
1. Favorite band ever?
Hmmmm, just going by the number of CD's I own, I'd say that my favorite musician must be Michael Card.
2. Most-listened-to bands:
I don't know, I don't listen to the radio much, and most of my CD's aren't bands they are solo performers.
3. Do you find any musicians good-looking?
Duh
4. Can you play an instrument?
yes.
5. Type of music most listened to.
World music, Contemporary Christian, Jazz, Classical, Some pop, folk music, What kind of music category does Leonard Cohen fall into??
6. Type of music least listened to.
Rap
-- Religion --
1. Do you detest religion?
I think that often times "religion" gets between us and God. So yes.
2. How do you think this universe was formed?
I don't know. I think that God did it, and I think that cosmologists are beginning to find out some of the "how" but I don't hink we have all the answers by a long shot.
-- General Questions --
1. Who do you believe is the smartest man alive at the moment?
I don't know. Maybe my husband.
2. What do you prefer, a sunny or rainy day?
Whichever I've had the least of lately.
3. Do you consider yourself lucky?
I think I've been blessed.
4. Do you feel pity for those who commit suicide?
Yes. - and for those they leave behind.
5. Choose one word to describe how you feel most often.
Happy
Hodgepodge
Well, I had a challenging yesterday. Michael tripped. As he was falling he reached out to save himself and grabbed the phone cord. Ripped it out of the wall. We're talking raw little wires sticking out the end of the cord. Not a pretty sight. There I was staring at those tiny little wires and feeling that sick bubble in the pit of my stomach because I knew this meant NO INTERNET until Tim could get home and do that magic thing that makes all of life better.
After an hour I was desparate. I dug out a screwdriver and took the faceplate off the place where the little wires connect me to the outside world. It was amazing. There were little wires running here there and everywhere. I had been hoping that there would be an obvious place to plug them in. It not only WASN'T obvious, I couldn't see anyplace that looked like wires ahd ever been connected. I put the face plate back.
The kids and I cleaned house, played Uno, played with the hot wheels cars, I finished reading a book, then we cleaned house again, played Uno again, played with the Brio train - I finished a second book.
By the time that Tim got home I was exhausted. I retired to the bubble bath while he performed that magic trick with the wiring.
Ask and You Shall Receive
dwaber asked, Which version of the bible do you prefer, and why? On a related note, how do you account for there being so many versions of the one true word of god?
Dan, I'm glad you asked. Really. This question gets right to the heart of one of my biggest peeves about people (not just Christians although the remainder of this blog will be devoted to haranguing them. 
)
I assume that you are asking why there are so many different English translations. I think it goes back to the beginnings of the story of the English Bible. The Church had a policy that forbade translation. This effectively kept the Bible away from the common people and gave enormous control to Church leadership who interpreted it.
All the early translators (Wycliffe, Tyndale, Miles Coverdale) were persecuted to varying degrees - Tyndale was burned at the stake for his efforts. This set a certain tone that was difficult to overcome. So when the English monarchs finally got behind the translation idea for their own political reasons, the translators were very conscious of the need to present a pleasing version of the Holy Scriptures.
From the beginning there were translation errors. Some accidental and some deliberate (for example, in the New Testament the name "Jacob" was translated "James" to please King James.) Also from the beginning there have been revisions and improved versions all seeking to provide a translation that is closer in meaning to the original documents.
For the most part I applaud these efforts. On the other hand, I think that we forget that we are always looking at a document that is at best a translation, but in many cases it is a paraphrase or "interpretation" of the original documents. It seems self-evident that any paraphrase will include the prejudices of the author. A more subtle difficulty in bible study is recognizing that even a straight translation can also include prejudices.
The Greek language (the primary language of the New Testament autographs) was precise and nuanced. Much more so than English. Often times English words will have a range of meaning where the original Greek words had a very narrow meaning. My favorite example is the English work "know." There are two Greek words that are translated "know" in the New Testament. These words have critically different meanings. They distinguish between experiential knowlege - the kind of knowing that can be acquired through study, and intuitive knowledge - the kind of knowledge that is available only to the person who perforns the action. This difference produces some confusing verses in the English versions. If you look at Matthew 24 Verses 32 - 36 you find a passage in which Jesus is teaching his disciples about the time of the end. In verse 33 he says "when you see these things you know that it is near" then in verse 36 he says "But as to that day and hour, no one knows, neither the angels of heaven but my Father only." So which is it? Can we know or not? In the first verse the word for know is the word for acquired knowledge - if you study the signs you will know. The second verse is a translation of the word for intuitive knowledge. No one can just know except the person who performs the action - which in this verse is God alone.
Which version of the Bible do I use for study? I have a CD Rom that contains 10 different English versions, plus the Greek and Hebrew. For devotional reading I like the Jerusalem Bible. For study I like to compare the New American Standard to the New International Version. The NAS is a word for word translation. The NIV translates phrase for phrase. My pastor, Darrel, likes the New Revised Standard Version because the translators chose gender inclusive language - it's more user friendly.
Language is a flexible slippery vehicle for transmitting meaning. Anyone who studies the Bible seriously quickly comes to the understanding that the words "inerrant and infallible" as used by many fundamentalists are misleading and incorrect. Theologians use those words to mean that the concepts revealed in the Bible are anchored in absolute reality. Fundamentalists use those words to exalt the specific word choices of the Biblical authors. This leads to a very dangerous position of trying to live according to the "letter" as opposed the "spirit" of the Word. I believe that it is possible to open the Bible and meet God. But, I think that it is dangerous to assume that the specifics of your encounter are the standard by which all encounters of God are to be measured.
Good morning! Dwaber has been writing poems. Yesterday he posted a sonnet in honor of quiltnmomi. It's delightful and I hope that you'll check out his site. If you haven't discovered him yet, you're missing a treat.
I'm finishing up a book on Chaos and Complexity this week so that I can dive into my summer reading. I have the list pretty much together. There are some "heavy" books alternated with "snack" books. With any luck there is SOMETHING for everyone on the list.
Life on the hill has been exciting. We've had so many storms and the ground is so saturated, that many areas of our county are flooded. On Monday, it rained ALL day long. A steady soaking kind of rain. That night on the weather report, they were showing rainfall totals for counties around Southern Indiana. All around us it said things like 4 inches, 5 inches, 3.5 inches. For Washington County it said less than .5 inches. ?!? They also showed scenes of flooding - all shot in our county. I think that the "weather reporter" for our area must be a guy who can't read a rain gauge.
We have been ten days televisionless. I've taught the kids to play UNO and I'm thinking of teaching them Risk. I LOVE Risk. They may be a little young but I can make allowances. When I play Risk, the little pieces don't represent armies. They are churches. We don't have "battles," they are exchanges of ideas. And in the end the whole world has come to a consensus regarding the best philosophy of life. Oddly enough, I tend to "win" this game. I choose the yellow pieces to represent sunshine and harmony. (Tim usually picks black.) It's only a board game, it's only a board game, it's only . . .
It looks like clear skies today. I have patterns for making birdhouses, and if the weather holds I'll drag out my safety goggles and my saws and cut the materials. I'm going to predrill the holes, but the kids are going to assemble and paint their own birdhouse. In my mind they are beautiful little creations a result of a harmonious day spent with Momi. (In reality they will probably be splotchily painted and haphazardly assembled - but that's okay too.)
Now I just have to overcome my urge to go back to bed so I can get out and get started.
I apologize to those of ou who will get this emailed to you twice, because I'm updating the time stamp. I got this link in an email from Maryt63 and I had to post it. Go check out the duct tape fashions.
Good Morning -
I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day. I did. The kids gave me rosebushes, and took me out to lunch at Hardees. (I'm pretty sure that Dad paid.) They also made me Mother's Day cards that were wonderful. Marker's and glitter and glue - oh my!
I got great and wonderful suggestions last week for summer reading. Some of the ideas you forwarded will go on my 'private list' and the rest I'll try to incorporate into a reading list that I'll post here in hopes that you will join me in discussion of your favorites. I haven't yet sorted through all the categories and figured out how many we can incorporate. But, I do know that the first book I'll read will be The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
I'll open discussion of that book on Thursday May 30. Each Thursday through the summer I'll add another book (or books) to the discussion page.
Now, I need to go catch up on laundry and vacuuming since I took the weekend off. I'll be back later to visit your sites.
My husband tried an interesting writing exercise last night. He's been working long hours and then bringing work home with him a lot lately, so he hasn't been on Xanga much. But, this blog is such fun that I'm hoping you'll go over and try a paragraph or two in his comment section.
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Not only are we Xangans obsessive chroniclers of life, we are also readers. Almost every Site I Read contains mention of the books in progress or favorite books that we've read. I'm compiling my summer reading list now, and I got wondering if you guys would be interested in joining me as I make up the list and work my way through it. So far I only have a few books penciled in to the list so if there is something in particular that you'd like to add, that can be done.
So far it is:
Fiction -
Robert Louis Stevenson - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Anne McCaffrey, Dragonriders of Pern (Original Three books)
??? - Need at least three more
Non-fiction
Philosophy/Theology
George Santanaya, The Life of Reason
Thomas a' Kempis, Imitation of Christ
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man
Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ
History
???
Science
???
I have a pitifully small library available to me, so I'm limited to volumes I can order from BarnesandNoble.com and on the advice of my budget I'd prefer not to exceed $15 for any one item.
Once the list is completed, I'll post a schedule so if you want to read any of these with me you'll know when I'll open discussion on them.
It Isn't Paranoia
It isn't paranoia if you have reason to be concerned. I woke this morning to booming thunder and the rattle of heavy rain against my window. So instead of wandering in to ht ecomputer for some early morning surfing, I dashed in to unplug it from the wall AND the phone line. My Dad just lost his modem to a lightning strike, and it's only been a couple years since his entire computer was fried in a similar incident. I'm learning from his experience.
The kids are getting along fine without the tv and video games, but I am old and set in my ways. If I had to live without my Internet, I'd be cranky and unloveable.
That got me thinking about the other things in my life I'm reasonably cautious about.
Needles. I'm okay with the needles I use for sewing and quilting. But, a needle with a hollow core that enables a chemical compound to be injected beneath my skin . . . I want no part of that. Not only could the needle break (which whould cause a tiny projectile to hurtle through my system and make my heart explode,) but how do you really know that the stuff they are injecting is what they think it is?
Snakes.
Overdraft notices.
Telephone salespeople.
Evangelical Flatlanders.
Dentists.
Notice how all these things are related to hypodermic needles? Snakes come equipped with natural needles they use to inject their victims. Overdraft notices are simply informing you that the projectile has reached your financial heart and caused a meltdown. Telephone salespeople work to get beneath your skin and undermine your resistance to temptation. Flatlanders are the human equivalent of those unknown chemical compounds, they base their whole reality on a tiny portion of reality and they attempt to alter other's views through the export of their flat little justifications. Dentists . . . <shudder>
Ooooops, Your Prejudice Is Showing
Today is another rainy, stormy day in Indiana - at least where I live. So that's means another day of challenge in my house. I made a new rule this past weekend. No video games and no more than one hour of television per day. That means that if the boys want to watch a video that lasts more than an hour, we stop it after an hour and they can watch the remainder tomorrow.
What on earth would make a sane woman deprive her kids of these staples of American life? After all, without the electronics to amuse them, they will be under my feet all day. It really comes back to the word I used in the last sentence 'a muse.' Muse=Think, a=not. Every minute that my kids spend in front of the television is a minute that they are 'not thinking.'
At one point in my life I was so anti-television that I didn't own one. I'm not sure when I lost my grip on the television habit. I know that I slipped quite a distance when I was pregnant with Tucker and on bedrest. Michael and I could lie on the couch and watch videos together. We really liked Disney's Cinderella that year. So much that I wanted to name Tucker "Gus" after that cute little mouse. But, Tim wasn't impressed with our choice.
The surprising thing to me is that the kids haven't protested their loss. Yesterday, we worked puzzles, did chores, they helped me cook, they read books, they put on their animal costumes and played lion and bumblebee, we built an elaborate train track and played with the brio trains . . . I was a happy Momi.
Many mornings my kids wake up early and start the video game before breakfast. Today, with the Nintendo system locked away, they are playing Ker-plunk in the floor next to my desk where I'm typing away. They act almost relieved to be released from their bondage to the brain sucking waves emitted from that demonic box.
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I'm pretty much done with quizzes, But I did these because they are pretty. Thanks for the link Moniet. 
More Thank You Speeches
Several days back my sister wrote a blog on low maintenace people. That got me thinking on who the low maintenance people are in my life and what that concept means about how I relate to them. Cheryl didn't say, nor do I think she meant, that a low maintenance friend was someone that you could take for granted. Low maintenance people are the ones I appreciate most and so even though they don't make very many demands on me (hence their status as low maintenance) I am more than willing to give them the largest share of my time and energy.
Maureen, is such a person. She is easy to be with, makes no demands and few requests. I admire her as much as anyone I've ever known. She's a single parent who's teen son has a terminal illness. Her mother is gravely ill. And her daughter is leaving home this Fall for college. You'd think that under these circumstances she would be "high maintenance." I know for certain that if I had even half her challenges on my plate, I would be demanding time and attention from everyone I know. I'd be crying on shoulders and whining in my prayers. Maureen handles her life with a humor and grace that I can only marvel at.
She and I live in separate states now. I don't get to talk to her as often as I once did, and I haven't seen her in years. We had hoped to get together this month for her daughter's graduation party, but we are postponing the visit while the family adjusts to her Mom's illness.
When we are finally able to see each other again, I'll have a nice brie, grapes, homemade bread and wine. (Does that tempt you to make your travel arrangements, Mo?) We'll share the communion of fellow pilgrims on the mysterious journey through life. We'll probably cry a little and we'll laugh a lot.
I've heard it said that anyone who gets through life with 3 good friends has been blessed. I'd like to say that (in alphabetical order ) my life has been blessed enormously by Barb, Cheryl, Mary, Maureen, Ruby, and Sandy. In friends, I'm one of the richest people I know. And Hey! My life isn't anywhere near over.
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