Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Being Kermit Green






Places to Go and Things to See

I Want One of Those! is a site to see. It has all the things you don't need but want anyway. It also has a few things that might be exactly what you need....
but do you really need colorful shower? But how can you live without a stress reducing, see-through ant house in a lovely shade of blue?

On the other hand, The Museum of Useful Things is just what its name implies. You can get all sorts of items you'll find lots of ways to use. Admit it! You've always wanted one of those hotel desk bells. Call your family to dinner. Set up codes to who needs to come downstairs. Train your cat to come when dinner is served...Oh, yea. Forgot that cats can hear any can opener or bag tearing from anywhere in the house or yard. They don't need a bell! And, they can only be trained to do things they agree to do. So train your kids instead.


I Like Being Green!

“It’s not easy being green,” Kermit laments. He’s right. It’s not easy being outside the limits of what is seen as average whether it is coloring, height, intelligence, or any of the myriads of characteristics that make us individuals.

Some traits are more obvious than others. We even have names for most. Midget; giant. Obese; skinny. Easy to see and easy to name.

The extremes of intelligence aren’t usually so obvious. “Retard” is a common insult. Usually it means a person has done something silly or unacceptable to the peer group. At the other extreme? Brain, geek, nerd? The dictionary equates these with “bore” and “drip!” Do you think they’re the same?

“Excessive” intelligence and creativity are often equated with insanity. And it’s true that someone in possession of these traits might seem demented to many. Unusually intelligent or creative individuals think, feel and act differently from the average person. It has not been shown, however, that extreme intelligence brings with it mental illness. In fact, individuals of higher intelligence show less mental illness, criminal behavior and deviant behaviors then those of average intelligence.

Schools often identify “gifted and talented” students because it is recognized they need specialized attention to their needs. Gifted adults are often not identified as such by those with whom they associate. They may be seen as weird, strange, opinionated and even slightly scary. Since one of the characteristics of higher intelligence is a questioning of authority, these individuals may indeed prove a source of concern for those in authority.

If, however, as many schools indentify them, the top ten percent of the population exists….and how could it not?....where do they disappear to when they are adults?

Quote Quote: It's not easy being two standard deviations away from any mean. Theo

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

13 Things I’m Glad I Did



1. Flew in a glider
2. Saw the midnight sun
3. Went into the heart of a pyramid
4. Saw Bob Dylan perform
5. Talked with Philip Leakey
6. Stopped work
7. Saw Monterey Pops
8. Took Karate
9. Discovered Christi’s art work
10. Became more myself
11. Taught animation, journalism, fifth grade, eighth grade social studies and English, K-adult computer skills
12. Backpacked Europe
13. Married Paul

Why?
1. It was peaceful and beautiful and lots of fun.
2. The midnight sun brought awe into my heart.
3. I overcame my fear of falling, claustrophobia and the idea of being covered in tons of solid rock.
4. I made up for missing him during university finals when I thought it was more important to study.
5. Talking to experts is stimulating.
6. My job had become toxic to my body and soul due to administrator’s harassment. I’ve now found joy and peace of mind again. front of and behind the stage) and
7. These three days of music, friends (in color will always bring light brightness to my memories.
8. Karate is the most physically demanding sport I’ve ever done, much more than long distance water skiing, badminton, bowling, volleyball or dancercise.
9. Christi has inspired me to try art and share it. I also get wonderful feedback from her group of fans.
10. I’m not trying to be accepted by others or acting the way I think I should instead of the way I am.
11. The variety kept teaching fresh for four decades and gave me a way to touch many lives.
12. Travel introduced me to the wonders of the world and the people who live in it. Backpacking allowed me to get away from the internationally indistinguishable tourist sights that can equalize all cultures.
13. In good times and bad times, he helps make my life interesting.


QUOTE QUIP: Dare to dream isn't enough unless you also dare to do.

Monday, May 11, 2009

13 Places I'm Glad I Visited

HOW DO I GET THESE PHOTOS THE RIGHT SIZE AND IN THE RIGHT PLACE? I CAN'T FIND HELP!




1. The Pyramids
and Luxor
2. Paris
3. Athens
4. Amazonia: Home of the Boto




5. Rome
6. Great Meteor Crater

7. Grand Canyon
8. Norwegian Fjords
9. Portmerion: Keeper of The Prisoner




10. Olduvai Gorge
11. Big Island of Hawaii
12. Stonehenge
13. Glastonbury Tor

Tuesday, May 5, 2009




PLACES TO GO FOR THINGS TO SEE: Creatures from El and Feeping Creatures
Well, I made some Tiny Critters that were cute! OK, I don’t care too much for cute but I thought they’d sell. Not too many of them were born before I got bored and changed to Lil’ Monsters. After putting them up at Christi’s yahoo chat site, someone directed me to Feeping Creatures. Yep, he done it ‘for me. It’s amazing how much alike our critters are. In addition, Dylan’s Creatures have such a great story to their name. Blah! I copied without knowing what I was doing!

Ellen, the creator of Creatures from El, designs and makes elegant, complex figures that I’d never be able to copy even if I tried. And talk about a great name!




FAMILY MATTERS: Meeting my Brother

“I know I have some brothers and sisters but my family is so mixed up I’m not sure who they are.” I said this to a new neighbor who was gathering information about the family who just moved into the neighborhood. I was seven at the time and didn’t realize how strange this statement might seem.

My mother married three times; my stepfather married twice. I have a half sister and half brother who share a mother with me. My stepsister is the blood daughter of my beloved stepfather. None of these other kids were raised in our home.

My stepsister, Kay, wore big hoop earrings and had pet rats. She married the year she graduated from high school. My half brother, Winfield, and half sister, Donna, were raised in a family that always served pancakes on Sunday morning and strawberry pancakes on holidays….always.

My first memory Win was a visit he made while attending the Coast Guard Academy. He seemed a uniformed giant who easily reached his white gloved finger to run it over the top door frame. It came away dusty. He gave a withering look to our five foot two mom.

All the stories I heard about him mentioned his intelligence. He got into the academy because admission was done by testing and not congressional recommendation. His daughter had scholarships to USC and an east coast ivy league university but he told her she shouldn’t be making more money than he did because he was brighter than she was.

When I volunteered my confusion to my new neighbor, I didn’t know just how confusing my family was to become. My stepsister married twice; my half sister twice; my half brother twice. Most of their children carried on this family tradition.

Maybe that’s why I’ve been married for almost forty years. Through good and bad times, I haven’t added to the confusion.

QUOTE QUIP:
Blood may be thicker than water but only when it leaves the body.