I'm
a Ravenclaw!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Yeah, this fits...
Your result for Which musical mode are you?...
You are Ionian Mode
Ahh, Ionian Mode. Or, as it's more commonly known, just plain old Major. What would popular music be today without good, old-fashioned major keys? Nothing, that's what. Take a scale with zero sharps and zero flats, start on C, and boom, you've got a major key or Ionian Mode.
You're generally very optomistic. You tend to see the good in any given situation before you see the bad. A real glass-is-half-full kind of person. You have bad days just like everyone else, but you like to put things in perspective and always come out of your rough times even stronger than before.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Mommy time!
This is a "Mommy survey" from Facebook -- I like sharing that stuff here, for those who aren't on Facebook yet.
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Nope, he was “early”! We didn’t plan on having kids for about 2 years after we got married.
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes, for all of 2 months!
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Surprised and pleased – both of us were.
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Absolutely not.
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 20 years, 4 months.
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I was queasy in the mornings, and had cramps at weird times.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My husband, then my parents, then his parents.
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? No. Besides, they didn’t do ultrasounds as a regular thing then, unless there were complications with the pregnancy.
9. DUE DATE? August 11, 1983.
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not so much. Just a little queasy.
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Cantaloupe, strawberries, any fresh fruit like that, and Yodels. Not at the same time.
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The fact that I was alone for much of my pregnancy – my husband (at the time) traveled a lot, and he was stationed in England, so I spent a lot of time on my own. Also, the smell of things that were bad for me irritated me no end – coffee, cigarettes, meat that was almost going bad…
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope. I really was just happy that he was healthy.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 30 lbs.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, sort of! My mother and sisters had one for me in NJ, and my sister Kit opened the presents for me! They then packed everything in a box, along with tons of pictures, and sent them on to me. It was the next best thing!
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew – my mom had told me ahead of time.
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? None at all. The midwife frequently said I was made to have babies. I think that means I have big hips… {{sigh}}
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? RAF Lakenheath military hospital, England.
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 14 hours. Back labor. I hold it over my son’s head periodically.
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Bill (my husband)
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Bill. And about 6 doctors. And my midwife. And unnumbered nurses. A real private moment.
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural, with Lamaze breathing. Again with the “made to have babies” thing. Didn’t even need an episiotomy – just a few stitches where the little dear kicked me on the way out!
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope. Just to help me sleep between contractions.
27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8 lbs, 10 oz.
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? August 8, 1983, at 6:10 pm England time.
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? William John Morgan. William for his father’s family, John for my dad.
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? My little boy is 25!
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Nope, he was “early”! We didn’t plan on having kids for about 2 years after we got married.
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes, for all of 2 months!
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Surprised and pleased – both of us were.
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Absolutely not.
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 20 years, 4 months.
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I was queasy in the mornings, and had cramps at weird times.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My husband, then my parents, then his parents.
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? No. Besides, they didn’t do ultrasounds as a regular thing then, unless there were complications with the pregnancy.
9. DUE DATE? August 11, 1983.
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not so much. Just a little queasy.
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Cantaloupe, strawberries, any fresh fruit like that, and Yodels. Not at the same time.
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The fact that I was alone for much of my pregnancy – my husband (at the time) traveled a lot, and he was stationed in England, so I spent a lot of time on my own. Also, the smell of things that were bad for me irritated me no end – coffee, cigarettes, meat that was almost going bad…
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope. I really was just happy that he was healthy.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 30 lbs.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, sort of! My mother and sisters had one for me in NJ, and my sister Kit opened the presents for me! They then packed everything in a box, along with tons of pictures, and sent them on to me. It was the next best thing!
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew – my mom had told me ahead of time.
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? None at all. The midwife frequently said I was made to have babies. I think that means I have big hips… {{sigh}}
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? RAF Lakenheath military hospital, England.
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 14 hours. Back labor. I hold it over my son’s head periodically.
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Bill (my husband)
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Bill. And about 6 doctors. And my midwife. And unnumbered nurses. A real private moment.
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural, with Lamaze breathing. Again with the “made to have babies” thing. Didn’t even need an episiotomy – just a few stitches where the little dear kicked me on the way out!
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope. Just to help me sleep between contractions.
27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8 lbs, 10 oz.
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? August 8, 1983, at 6:10 pm England time.
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? William John Morgan. William for his father’s family, John for my dad.
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? My little boy is 25!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
I've been tagged a few times on Facebook, so I guess it's time to respond! This is a "reprint" of what I posted over there.
1. I love to sing. I started singing in my church choir (St. Thomas the Apostle!) when I was 10. Thanks, John Ferreira, for encouraging me!
2. I wanted to sing professionally, and even went to the Summer High School Music Institute at Northwestern, the summer between my junior and senior years of high school (1979). However, when it came time to perform my solo (Schubert’s Ave Maria), I chickened out because of my terrible stage fright. I have always wondered if I could have made it.
3. After that, I didn’t sing in public again until 1992, when I joined my current church choir. I loved it, and again entertained the idea of singing professionally, until I decided I wasn’t competitive enough for that.
4. I hate rejection. Really hate it. To the point that I have to talk myself out of trying to force people I really don’t like to like me.
5. I was painfully shy as a little kid, to the point where I wouldn’t even buy my own movie ticket. I was always afraid of being laughed at.
6. We moved, and I changed schools, when I was 10, going into 5th grade. In my new school, I became the kid everyone picked on. I hated it, and became a very angry 13-year-old by the beginning of 8th grade. Me getting angry (like, really, explosively, biologically Irish, swearing-like-a-sailor angry) shocked the other kids so much, they left me alone after that.
7. I was an exchange student to Germany with AFS from 1980 – 1981, and the experience literally changed my life. I got over my shyness, and figured out that I was valuable enough to be someone’s friend.
8. I love German food! Bratwurst, Schnitzel, Broetchen for breakfast, Schokolade Schnitten… just love it!
9. I lived in England from 1983 – 1987. I always say I missed the 80s – I was living in Europe most of the time! I didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t get a residence visa. I’m still an Anglophile.
10. Along those lines, I really love a good cream tea! I haven’t found one over here. Guess I’ll have to take a vacation to London.
11. I had a very nasty divorce from my first husband, full of battles over custody. It always amazes me that my son emerged from that whole mess relatively unscathed. He is an astoundingly strong person.
12. I hate pepperoni on pizza. I think it’s because my ex-husband wouldn’t eat anything else on pizza. I’m not scarred by that experience at all, am I?
13. I am in awe of the wonderful person my son is turning out to be. I am always humbled when I see flashes of my family’s values showing in him. He’s also very much like my father, for which I’m very grateful. He has the same sense of the importance of family, and the same sense of personal honor.
14. I am absolutely addicted to Four Seas Ice Cream, made in a tiny shop in Centerville, MA. I have been since I was a kid, when we summered around the corner from there. I can only buy it on a cone, or in a pint that I share with someone else, or else I will eat it all in one sitting.
15. My second husband was a gift I never thought I’d get. He was my best friend, knew me better than anyone else, loved me completely and unconditionally, and I still find myself wanting to turn and tell him something about my day, even 2 years after he died. I still miss him every day.
16. I don’t expect I will get married again. I’ve had the worst and the best, and that’s enough for me. I’m enjoying living alone for now.
17. I love my family! I am good friends with my mother and sisters (which is a real gift), I really like my brothers-in-law, I think my niece and nephews are the greatest kids on earth (well, next to my son, of course), and my cousins are a weird and wonderful group of people. I have 20 first cousins on my father’s side – and only 3 uncles. Do the math. We’re a large and loud bunch, but we’re also lots of fun.
18. I grew up Catholic, but I now attend a Protestant church. The church is a federation of Universalist and Congregational, and suits me perfectly. My husband and I were quite active there, until his death. I have kind of backed off this past year. It’s really hard to be there without him.
19. I have two step-children who have become very good friends to me. We all made a commitment to remain close after their father died. That, too, is a gift.
20. I didn’t learn to type until 1991. Now I type up to 65 words a minute, when I’m warmed up. I like to amaze my students by touch typing while I’m looking at them, usually while they’re taking tests. Makes them freak out. My sort of fun.
21. I hate correcting papers. Absolutely hate it. I would be perfectly happy to just teach every day, and never have to correct. If you figure out how I can do that, let me know, ok?
22. I love to read romance novels, especially Regencys. I can go through one a day in the summer. I’m also really picky about what I read. Most “bestsellers” just don’t appeal to me.
23. I love to travel. I get itchy feet on a regular basis, and feel a desperate need to just get away from the Cape. Usually, these days, though, I’m content to go to Boston or Virginia, due to personal budget restrictions. Some day I hope to take a cruise around the world.
24. I am a planner. I currently have my classes “timed out” through the end of the year, I’m lost without my calendar, I use MS Money so I can plan out my budget, and I’m always looking ahead to the next month. I think this is because I can be very absent-minded, and this is my form of defense.
25. I have a very varied vocabulary, but I stink at Scrabble! I can just never think of words over 3 letters, without some prompting. However, if someone puts down “triskaidekaphobia”, I’ll know what it means. Of course, those of who grew up in the NY area pretty much all know what it means, don’t we? (Think PBS……)
1. I love to sing. I started singing in my church choir (St. Thomas the Apostle!) when I was 10. Thanks, John Ferreira, for encouraging me!
2. I wanted to sing professionally, and even went to the Summer High School Music Institute at Northwestern, the summer between my junior and senior years of high school (1979). However, when it came time to perform my solo (Schubert’s Ave Maria), I chickened out because of my terrible stage fright. I have always wondered if I could have made it.
3. After that, I didn’t sing in public again until 1992, when I joined my current church choir. I loved it, and again entertained the idea of singing professionally, until I decided I wasn’t competitive enough for that.
4. I hate rejection. Really hate it. To the point that I have to talk myself out of trying to force people I really don’t like to like me.
5. I was painfully shy as a little kid, to the point where I wouldn’t even buy my own movie ticket. I was always afraid of being laughed at.
6. We moved, and I changed schools, when I was 10, going into 5th grade. In my new school, I became the kid everyone picked on. I hated it, and became a very angry 13-year-old by the beginning of 8th grade. Me getting angry (like, really, explosively, biologically Irish, swearing-like-a-sailor angry) shocked the other kids so much, they left me alone after that.
7. I was an exchange student to Germany with AFS from 1980 – 1981, and the experience literally changed my life. I got over my shyness, and figured out that I was valuable enough to be someone’s friend.
8. I love German food! Bratwurst, Schnitzel, Broetchen for breakfast, Schokolade Schnitten… just love it!
9. I lived in England from 1983 – 1987. I always say I missed the 80s – I was living in Europe most of the time! I didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t get a residence visa. I’m still an Anglophile.
10. Along those lines, I really love a good cream tea! I haven’t found one over here. Guess I’ll have to take a vacation to London.
11. I had a very nasty divorce from my first husband, full of battles over custody. It always amazes me that my son emerged from that whole mess relatively unscathed. He is an astoundingly strong person.
12. I hate pepperoni on pizza. I think it’s because my ex-husband wouldn’t eat anything else on pizza. I’m not scarred by that experience at all, am I?
13. I am in awe of the wonderful person my son is turning out to be. I am always humbled when I see flashes of my family’s values showing in him. He’s also very much like my father, for which I’m very grateful. He has the same sense of the importance of family, and the same sense of personal honor.
14. I am absolutely addicted to Four Seas Ice Cream, made in a tiny shop in Centerville, MA. I have been since I was a kid, when we summered around the corner from there. I can only buy it on a cone, or in a pint that I share with someone else, or else I will eat it all in one sitting.
15. My second husband was a gift I never thought I’d get. He was my best friend, knew me better than anyone else, loved me completely and unconditionally, and I still find myself wanting to turn and tell him something about my day, even 2 years after he died. I still miss him every day.
16. I don’t expect I will get married again. I’ve had the worst and the best, and that’s enough for me. I’m enjoying living alone for now.
17. I love my family! I am good friends with my mother and sisters (which is a real gift), I really like my brothers-in-law, I think my niece and nephews are the greatest kids on earth (well, next to my son, of course), and my cousins are a weird and wonderful group of people. I have 20 first cousins on my father’s side – and only 3 uncles. Do the math. We’re a large and loud bunch, but we’re also lots of fun.
18. I grew up Catholic, but I now attend a Protestant church. The church is a federation of Universalist and Congregational, and suits me perfectly. My husband and I were quite active there, until his death. I have kind of backed off this past year. It’s really hard to be there without him.
19. I have two step-children who have become very good friends to me. We all made a commitment to remain close after their father died. That, too, is a gift.
20. I didn’t learn to type until 1991. Now I type up to 65 words a minute, when I’m warmed up. I like to amaze my students by touch typing while I’m looking at them, usually while they’re taking tests. Makes them freak out. My sort of fun.
21. I hate correcting papers. Absolutely hate it. I would be perfectly happy to just teach every day, and never have to correct. If you figure out how I can do that, let me know, ok?
22. I love to read romance novels, especially Regencys. I can go through one a day in the summer. I’m also really picky about what I read. Most “bestsellers” just don’t appeal to me.
23. I love to travel. I get itchy feet on a regular basis, and feel a desperate need to just get away from the Cape. Usually, these days, though, I’m content to go to Boston or Virginia, due to personal budget restrictions. Some day I hope to take a cruise around the world.
24. I am a planner. I currently have my classes “timed out” through the end of the year, I’m lost without my calendar, I use MS Money so I can plan out my budget, and I’m always looking ahead to the next month. I think this is because I can be very absent-minded, and this is my form of defense.
25. I have a very varied vocabulary, but I stink at Scrabble! I can just never think of words over 3 letters, without some prompting. However, if someone puts down “triskaidekaphobia”, I’ll know what it means. Of course, those of who grew up in the NY area pretty much all know what it means, don’t we? (Think PBS……)
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