This journal is my wee piece of cyberspace. Most entries are public. Comments are welcome but tread softly, lest you bruise me with your words.
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July 1st marks the beginning of a campaign to "Make Poverty History". The following websites offer information and a way to get involved.
www.makepovertyhistory.ca (Canadian site)
www.makepovertyhistory.org (UK site)
www.one.org (USA site)
www.whiteband.org (choose a country from drop menu)
If this campaign interests you, please add your support. If we join together we can make it happen.
Whilst perusing Roy's journal, I noticed an ad for getting paid to "blog" (oh, how I hate that term!), so I checked out www.blogit.com.
After a quick scan it seems that you pay a monthly fee ($12.95 per month) to have a journal where you can write about anything your little heart desires - fiction or non-fiction - and get paid when others read your blog. For $9.95 a month, subscribers to blogit.com gain unlimited access to everyone's blogs. Your monthly fee is divided between the numer of blogs you read. If you read one blog, that writer will get $9.95, but if you read 30 blogs, that $9.95 is split between each blog. The opportunities to earn substantial money is pretty small unless you manage to gain a real following of readers.
What sort of topics would garner enough attention to make it worthwhile writing daily? You would have to be making enough to cover the $155.40 per year cost of having an online journal.
That is vanity publishing, my friends, and it is just NOT worth the cost!
Instead, I should purchase another Tabulas account (wouldn't that make Roy happy!), write on any topic my little brain chooses, and have readers pay a subscription to read it. I'll write a few public teasers to whet the reader's appetite, then offer the rest for a subscription.
Who knows... I might be able to generate enough to buy a cuppa coffee! 
Was reading a post by Little Woo, and it brought back memories of my
own television watching, especially The Littlest Hobo and The
Beachcombers. I usually watched Hobo because my parents liked that show
better. Whenever I could, I'd watch Beachcombers just to see "Jesse".
I didn't realize there were two versions of The Littlest Hobo, both with very distinct, memorable songs that probably many Canucks know most, if not all, of the lyrics.
The first run for the show was 1963 - 1965. The song was written by Ronald Stein and performed by Randy Sparks.
1963 LYRICS
I find adventure everywhere,
And friends with whom
I'd like to share.
This is my stop along the way.
Don't really know
how long I'll stay.
Stop over. The world is my friend.
Stop over along
the road without end.
Traveling around from town to town.
Sometimes I
think I'll settle down.
But I know I'd hunger to be free.
Rovin' is
the only life for me.
A-driftin'. The world is my friend.
I'm
travelin' along the road without end.
The second incarnation of the show was 1979 - 1985. The song changed, music by Terry Bush, lyrics by John Crossen, and performed by Terry Bush.
1979 LYRICS
There's a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the
road is where I'll always be
Every stop I make, I'll make a new
friend
Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again.
Maybe
tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving
on.
Down this road, that never seems to end,
Where new adventure, lies
just around the bend.
So if you want to join me for a while
Just grab
your hat, come travel light - that's hobo style.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll
want settle down,
Until tomorrow, the whole world is my home.
So if
you want to join me for a while
Just grab your hat, come travel
light
That's hobo style.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle
down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.
Instrumental
Bridge
Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll
just keep moving on.
There's a world, that's waiting to unfold,
A
brand new tale, no one has ever told,
We've journey'd far but, you know
it won't be long,
We're almost there and we've paid our fare, with the hobo
song.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just
keep moving on.
So if you want to join me for a while
Just grab your
hat, come travel light - that's hobo style.
Maybe tomorrow, I'll find
what I call home
Until tomorrow, you know I'm free to roam.
If that wasn't enough, apparently there was a movie on this same helpful canine, with it's own song!
ORIGINAL MOVIE LYRICS
Looks like we're comin' into town.
Seems like this
train is slowin' down.
Can't help but wonder what's in store.
Could be
I've been here once before.
A-driftin'. The world is my friend.
I'm
travlin' along the road without end.
Ridin' these rails town to
town.
Sometimes I think I'll settle down.
But I know I'd hunger to be
free.
Rovin's the only life for me.
A-driftin'. The world is my
friend.
I'm travlin' along the road without end.
I seem to recall the 1963 theme more than the 1979 theme.
The Littlest Hobo was one of the corner stones of Canadian television, along with such Canadian icons as Pierre Burton, Don Messer's Jubilee, and the Tommy Hunter show.
Excuse me now while I go and purge some ugly childhood flashbacks.
I am unbelievably tired tonight! Almost didn't make the board meeting. However, since they made it part of my job I hauled my weary self to the meeting anyway.
After averaging maybe 4 hours sleep a night, it's no wonder I'm tired. Still, I stayed up last night to watch a really old B&W movie, David Copperfield. Can't recall all the actors, but it was a British production, with Lionel Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Freddie Bartholomew among others.
As with most movies of that era it seems very simplistic compared to the movies today. Yet I found myself so involved with it midway through! Stilted dialogue aside, the movie still touches viewers in a way many of today's movies never will. I wish I'd taped it.
Ended up getting two hours sleep, but it was worth it. Think I'll dig out the book and re-read the story.
********************
Amazing Brother gave me the mp3 player he was given. Tried to find information online about it but what I found suggests it is basically a piece of junk. Still, it's got a couple of songs on it that i'll keep.
I've never downloaded music before, mainly because I feel, as an artist, I have to support the art community by paying for the music. Also, I'm really worried about infecting my computer with a virus.
Before I do anything, I need to research this mp3 issue a little further.
********************
I've decided I want to learn how to play Texas HoldEm poker. I've been watching the World Poker Tournament shows on TV, and I guess I've gotten curious. Problem is, I don't know what card combinations beat what. The betting issue doesn't look too difficult, but I would be guessing about whether I have good cards or not.
A friend suggested I try Pogo.com's Texas HoldEm poker, as I can play for free, and play against robots instead of people. Maybe I can learn a bit before I go make a complete fool of myself. Plus, I can't afford to bet. One needs to have money before one can bet.
********************
Been searching online for children's china tea sets. These things used to be available in department stores but I've not been able to find a set in some time. I need this for photo props but I don't want any boring yucky plastic ones. They have to be old-fashioned-looking and made of china. Checked ebay last night but there wasn't much to choose from. I always wanted a china set when I was a child, but my parents bought me the cheapy plastic set instead.
Another thing they never bought me: an Easy Bake Oven! I so wanted one of those! The ones for kids today look cheap and tacky.
Ah, those sad childhood memories. 
I am receiving spam on my tagboard! Not sure if I should take this as a sign that my journal is being read by a wider audience, or just someone passing through with the IQ of a gnat* and nothing better to do. (*Sorry, that wasn't fair to gnats.)
Normally I don't bother moderating my tag board because most of the posters are civil and pleasant. No so today. Apparently this person doesn't realize their IP address is visible.
I am a supporter of free speech, and appreciate a good exchange of differing opinons. However, this is my journal, and if you can't be civil, then be gone!
The gutless cowards are at work again! London England was bombed, four times today.
When NYC was targetted on 9/11 I was shocked, stunned, saddened. Today, what I felt was anger. Certainly, sadness for those families affected by this act of cowardice, but mostly anger.
I found myself thinking that the pathetic attempt to control and
cripple this venerable city will not work. We are stronger than that!
London was bombed extensively during the war and survived. Londoners
will not allow themselves to be controlled by the actions of ignorant
cowards.
"We". That one word kept repeating itself to me all day. "We" won't give up. Although I've never been there, my connections with the UK are deep. I have always felt the bonds of ancestry; always felt that I belonged there more than in Canada. If I could hold dual citizenship I would.
I guess today's events felt more personal.
Do I think we should all go to Iraq and get involved in the war? No. Because that won't change things. That won't stop terrorism. It isn't the Iraqi people we need to worry about but the radical factions spread out across the globe that need to be eliminated.
The powers-that-be need to join together in honest co-operation, openly share information, and eradicate the terrorist cells that pose a threat to global peace. We also need to educate people to the reality that muslims are not the enemy. The enemy hides behind it's religious beliefs, prostitutes those beliefs to suit their own agenda, and cowardly exploits everyone, including other muslims, to accomplish their aims. Their sole purpose is to create chaos, to control by fear.
To give in to this fear is to let them win. "We" refuse to bow to that kind of tyranny.
Finally received a message from 'M' today. In it she told me to "F" off and leave her alone. Then she blocked the email addy so I couldn't reply and get to the bottom of this mystery.
To say I am angry is an understatement! I do not deserve to be treated this way! I haven't, to my knowledge, done anything to have her behave in this manner. I thought we were friends, but apparently she feels different.
What really pisses me off is the fact that she didn't just tell me she no longer wished to receive emails from me. I wouldn't have sent any more, wouldn't have wasted my time and made myself look pathetic. I certainly wouldn't have added her to my MSN list. A simple note telling me she didn't want to be friends anymore would have sufficed. Handling the situation in an open, honest, adult manner would have been better than a foul email.
This hurts. A friendship has ended and I don't know why.
Fine. I get the point.
Note to those readers who know 'M': please do not try to mediate/find out details. She has made her decision and made it quite clear she no longer cares to be a friend. Leave it at that. Thanks.
Mother's health is not much improved. She still is not able to stand
for longer than five minutes, cannot walk without the aid of a walker,
has lost over 50 lbs. since the end of March, and is just barely
hanging on. Although she will drink meal replacements, it is
getting so someone has to actually stay in the room to wake her up and
remind her to drink. She sleeps most of the day, drifting in and out.
She has started showing small lapses of short-term memory, often not
remembering what has occurred five minutes ago. She feels nauseous
and has this horrid nasal drip that chokes her.
Still she refuses to go to a hospital. She is determined to do things her own way. I have given up trying to change her mind. She is entitled to make her own decisions, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
Her GP did offered to come out and see her. That was four weeks ago. Last week when I went to him to renew her meds he said he would try and get out on Thursday. That didn't happen. Where the hell is the medical profession when you need it? We don't live miles out of town, just a 10 minute drive. He could come out on a Wednesday or Friday afternoon because he has no office hours then. He hasn't seen her so he has no idea of what is happening to her. She needs meds to clear up the sinuses, something to help increase her appetite and control the nausea, and maybe an antidepressant to help her want to get better. But there is no one to help her.
I have been staying up into the early morning hours to be there whenever she calls for assistance getting in and out of the chair she sleeps in. I had three hours sleep last night and today didn't wake when my alarm went off. As a result I missed hearing the nurse who comes to draw blood for her INR. Apparently the poor woman pounded on the door and beeped the horn, but with the A/C on and the doorway closed to downstairs, I never heard a thing. Now mother must wait until next week to have her INR done.
She has refused to let me help her with her hair and now she has mats that she cannot brush out. They will have to be cut out.
This was not supposed to happen! The gallbladder operation was supposed to be "a piece of cake", according to every doctor she spoke to. Instead, it has become a hellish nightmare she is having to suffer through.
Watching her, I am afraid that she won't survive this, or if she does, that there will be damage to her other organs or some other long-term condition. She doesn't need more health problems. We thought the congestive heart problems were the big thing, and she worked so hard to get that under control. It is just heartbreaking to see her this way.
When I watch her sleeping I am reminded of her description of her own mother when she was hospitalized. A woman gaunt, unable to stay awake, wasting away. They chopped my grandmothers hair off, no doubt because it had become matted and they couldn't brush it. My mother was so saddened by this, and now I am watching it happen to her. History, repeating itself.
After nine days without internet access the Telephone Repair Guy finally came to fix the phone. A week ago Sunday we had a rather nasty thunderstorm and the house was hit by lightening. Fortunately we have lightening rods on the house and barn, but the upstairs phone line was somehow affected. The TRG disconnected that line and voila, the downstairs phone worked!
Unfortunately for Amazing Brother, it seems his modem was also affected. His laptop computer is upstairs, connected to that line. He tried to connect to the internet tonight and kept getting the message that AOL could not connect to the modem. So I am going to have to take his laptop computer in to be repaired tomorrow. Amazing Brother was not happy with this. Today he rewired the phone line upstairs only to discover he still cannot get online.
I created a Trillian profile for him so he can access Yahoo chat via Trilliam on my computer. I refuse to allow him to install Yahoo chat without Trilliam, as Trillian offers some additional protection from the resulting spam Yahoo spews out.
********************
More changes happening around me. Amazing Brother has been tearing out fences on the property. We used to have many fenced-in areas near the barn to accomodate the goats my mother raised. We no longer need those fences which were falling down after over 30 years use. So AB spent the last couple of days ripping them out.
It looks so strange to see them gone, and I'm not sure why it bothers me, but in a tiny way it does. Perhaps the end of an era, and nothing visible on the horizon?
********************
Still no
doctor visit for Mother. Last week was extremely trying. Many times I
felt she would not make it through the week, but somehow she did. The
last two days have been a bit better, but I don't wish to jinx
anything. Seems the moment I start to think she might have turned the
corner, it all falls apart. So I am grateful for the tiny improvements,
but am still very worried. Father informed me today there was blood in
her stools. I pray this isn't the beginning of yet another problem.
Bought her some nightgowns on the weekend, but she didn't want to see them. Mother is very particular about what she wears, and isn't one to try anything new. She is, as my 91-year-old grandmother put it, "very stubborn". My grandmother is one to talk! But that's another story.
Because of things with mother I am still only averaging 3-4 hours sleep a night. It is beginning to take its toll. I'm dreaming about mother's health issues, and often think I hear her call for help only to discover she is sound asleep. I'm jumpy and very moody right now. But that is normal, n'est pas?
********************
It seems that my friend Dewi might actually still be alive and maybe living in the US. I was contacted by someone who says he is her "special friend", and who is trying very hard to convince me they had a closerthanthis friendship. He says he is also looking for her and that he had spoken to her many times after the tsunami. He suggested in a recent email that the email we received saying she was missing might actually have been sent by Dewi. I find this difficult to believe, as it suggests that she would let her friends believe she had been killed. It is out of character for her.
I am unsure about this "special friend", but am trying to keep my suspicions to myself, opting to get as much information from him as possible. Today he suggested that he pass along the information he has regarding Dewi because it would be easier for me, "her female friend", to get information rather than a male friend.
If it is true that she is alive, it begs many questions. Why didn't she contact her friends to let them know she was okay? What has happened to her since the tsunami? This "special friend" said she got married in November and that her husband's last name is Mitchell. I know for a fact that over the last four years she has listed Mitchell on her yahoo account. Yet she states in that same account that she is single.
He wrote today that she desperately wanted to marry a non-muslim. He thinks she was meaning him, but I believe she was meaning my brother, as they were engaged. I have decided to keep quiet about her relationship with my brother, opting instead to let "special friend" offer information to me with the belief I am eager to help him find her.
He says he cannot recall her "husband's" first name, and that he believes Dewi is living in the Denver area. It will be interesting to see what other information he passes my way.
Why am I still looking for her? She was someone very special to my brother, and I had hoped they would have a good life together. It would have been great to have her as a sister-in-law. I need to know what has happened, if she is safe and happy. It will be closure for Amazing Brother as he has been mourning her loss since the tsunami. He will then be able to move on with his life, too.
If, however, it is discovered that what we knew about her is false, that she played games and lied about her feelings for my brother, I want him to know this so he can let her go in his heart.
AB harbours a tiny thought that she might be trying to make her way here, but won't call him in case he no longer wants to see her. Apparently she asked many questions about where we lived, and how to get there. She has his cell phone number and there have been a couple of calls that, by the time he picked up the phone, the caller had hung up. He doesn't have voice mail. If she did call him I know he would send her the money to come here.
The heart wants what the heart wants.
The quiz gauntlet was thrown down by MacDaddy Tatsu, so here are the answers.
Seven Things That Scare You
Seven Things You Like The Most
Seven Important Things In Your Room
Seven Random Facts About You
Seven Things You Plan To Do Before You Die
Seven Things You Can Do Well
, as my credit card can attest.Seven Things You Can't Do
Seven Things That Attract You To The Opposite Sex
Seven Things You Say The Most
Seven Celebrity Crushes (whether local or foreign)
)Seven People You Want To Take This Quiz
