Life on the access road...

A Houston Nutt joke...I hope no one is offended!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:44:00 +0000

A southern Arkansas farmer dies and, being a heathen, goes to Hell. When he gets there its 95 F with 90% humidity, but Satan notices he's kicked back on the brimstone relaxing comfortably. He asks, "Why aren't you miserable like everyone else here?" The farmer replies, "Oh, this is like a warm spring day in southern Arkansas. I like it."Angry, Satan turns up the thermostat until its 100 F and 95% humidity. Still,the farmer's happy. "This is like a good June day on the farm. Not bad at all."Furious, Satan turns it up to 105 F and 99% humidity. Everyone is even more miserable, except the southern farmer still resting."Hey, this is like a good August day on the farm bailing hay. Feels good, the hotter the better. "In a total rage, Satan turns the thermostat down to minus 25 F. Within seconds, the air becomes chilly and frost appears, soon followed by solid ice everywhere. Satan smirks, watching the farmer.The confused farmer looks down at the frozen ground for a moment, suddenly jumps up excitedly, looks around everywhere and begins to laugh, scream, and jump for joy."HOUSTON NUTT WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!" "HOUSTON NUTT WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!" "HOUSTON NUTT WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!"

6 Months

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:07:00 +0000

Wow! It has been 6 months since I have posted a blog. Where has the time gone? What have I done? Well, the biggest accomplishment was marrying off our oldest child and gaining a beautiful daughter-in-law. We also took another trip out to California. Other than having my purse stolen, it was a great trip. We came back through Utah, which was absolutely beautiful. I spent a weekend away with friends doing nothing but scrapbooking. I took a full-time job at a local community college, a decision I still debate. Terry and I took a 4 day trip to the beach in Florida for our anniversary.

But now it is football season, and I am once again caught up in the thrill of victory and agony of defeat. My Hogs are 0-2 in conference, and I fear that will kill McFadden's chances in the Heisman race. But today should be a gimme game and so I will be heading to War Memorial Stadium in my Razorback red. Go Hogs!

Prayer Request Update

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:45:00 +0000

For those interested, here is the latest update from my friend Kathy on her daughter's friend:

Here is the latest update I have received on Allison Shaw. She is a friend of Kaitlin's from the Rep. She is 16 and developed bacterial meningitis while on Spring Break. Please keep praying for her. Thank you, Kathy

Allison has shown signs of trying to wake up! It really is a miracle. Just five days ago the doctors told her family there was "no hope". Thank you so much for your continued prayer.The doctors conducted more than 20 tests yesterday on Allison and they are still giving her blood. She is extremely weak on her left side and the doctors think she might have had a mild stroke when she had her seizure last week. Her mother says it's obvious that she is struggling and fighting to wake up, but she is still not conscious. If the CDC clears them to move her (and all the tests come back as we hope) they will attempt to transport Allison at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.Now... here is the next challenge and prayer request. Any and all suggestions/help would be invaluable. A private jet has been secured to transport Allison back to Children's Hospital here in Little Rock, but insurance will not cover a medical team to accompany her. They will need a doctor, nurse, possibly a paramedic to travel with Allison. Although the family has raised some money for this, it would be great if a medical team would donate their time. Please email or call me if you should have any ideas, thoughts...

Prayer Request

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 14:56:00 +0000

It has been so long since I have posted here that I could not remember my password. However, I am trying to pass along a prayer request received from a friend, so I thought, just in case anyone still looks at this, I would place it here as well.

My friend Kathy, who was responsible for spreading prayer requests across the state when Wendy was so sick, sent me this information on Allison Shaw. Allison (16) is a friend of Kathy's daughter.

For those of you who haven't heard yet about Allison's condition... while Allison was on spring break she contracted bacterial meningitis and has been in a coma in Oschner Hospital in Baton Rouge for the last five days. Although she is still on a ventilator, as of the last hour, she is breathing mostly on her own. Tomorrow they will do a CAT scan and move her port from her leg to her neck so that the nurses can begin some physical therapy on her legs. Her red blood cell count is way down which is the reason for the blood drive. Once the blood is processed the doctors will give her a transfusion. There is some concern that Allison might lose some fingers or toes, but some pink-ish color is starting to appear in her hands and feet. (We all know how Allison loves to draw and dance... we should pray - not only for her recovery - but full use of her hands and feet.) She is still in a coma, but there is HOPE. Please continue to pray. I know I'm also emailing this to several people who may never have met Allison. But if you attended HOLLYWOOD AND BROADWAY ON MAIN at The Rep, you will remember her as the spunky girl with bleach blonde, spiky punk hair. Allison is definitely an original. She has a passion for theatre and is one of our big "esprit de Coeur" builders in our group. We all love her very much. Please pray for a very special young lady. And please, if you cannot attend the blood drive, please pass along this information to someone who can! Thank you so much!

They are having a special blood drive for Allison at Crews and Associates in Little Rock tomorrow. Kathy didn't have the details, but if you are interested, send me an email, and I will get them to you when they are settled.

After having been through a similar situation with a daughter, I know how important prayer is. It was only knowing that thousands were praying for Wendy that kept us going.

For Tracy

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:47:00 +0000

I haven't done much updating lately - not that I ever did much. However, I did want to post these pictures for my SIL Tracy in response to a picture she had of all the baby spoons she still had in her kitchen drawer, even though she no longer had babies. I relate to her inability to get rid of baby things. I took these pictures when I was cleaning out my cabinets after Christmas. On one of my top shelves remains a container of assorted children's utensils and a stack of bowls and plates. Some of these were Noah's and Adam's so are about 24 years old. Some, I am pretty sure, were handed down from Scott, so they are MUCH older. I briefly thought of getting rid of them, but they are back on that top shelf and will probably remain there. So Tracy, you are not the only who doesn't want to deal with her children growing up too fast.

Hey,

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 05:09:00 +0000

has anyone seen my camera?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 01:44:00 +0000

The only way it should be this stinking cold is if there is enough snow on the ground to keep us all at home where it is nice and warm!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 01:43:00 +0000

Hee Hee!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:24:00 +0000

Week in Review

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 03:46:00 +0000

I have been meaning to update all week, but, as always, the first week of the semester got a little hectic.

I signed up with Facebook about 6 months ago but had never done anything with it until this week. It is fun to do something a little different than blogging.

The week started off with me having a very nice birthday. Of course, the neatest thing was getting watch Noah make his official proposal and give Treece her ring. I can't think of a nicer present. Thanks for those of you who called and emailed with birthday wishes. Thanks also to Mom and Dad for birthday lunch.

The weather was stinking cold. Either give me above 70 or enough ice/snow that I don't have to get out in sub-freezing temperatures!

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were spent either teaching or doing things for school.

Adam and I went to the FOCAL library sale yesterday. We got a ton of books. Now, that is all I want to do, but I'm trying not to let myself until I get the rest of the semester lined out.

Terry and I went to see Night at the Museum. I thought it was hilarious, but Terry was not as impressed.

I went with Noah and Treece to check out a potential place for the wedding - Windsong Center for Performing Arts. It was beautiful but unbelievably expensive. They are going to keep looking. However, Treece did find her dress, so things are progressing.

Wendy got her hair cut. I haven't seen it, but apparently, it is pretty short.

Well, that is my boring week in review.

August 11, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 16:18:00 +0000

Yeah! Noah and Treece have finally settled on a date. After working around Harding's summer term, Treece's graduation, one of her bridesmaids being out of the country, etc. this is what they finally ended up with.

More details to come....

Basketball!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:17:00 +0000

Yesterday was a great day in basketball. First, the Hogs put an unexpected pounding on the 8th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. It seemed like the Hogs could do nothing wrong and the Tide couldn't do anything right. Almost as sweet was Duke going down in OT to Virginia Tech!

Just a quick note...

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:38:00 +0000

Since our new carpet will be installed in the morning, we will be unplugging the computers this evening to get them out of the way, so we will be with out access to the internet for a while. I am so ready to get new carpet in the den. This other has been down 12 years and with 4 children, a dog, and 3 cats over those 12 years, it looks pretty rough. I have to say though that it has held up well and if the replacement carpet does as well we will be lucky.

The new year has been so nice. The weather is great, so we are not having to run the heater as much, which I am thankful for since our gas bill quadrupled last month from the previous month.

Adam has an interview for a full-time position with the library in Jacksonville today; please say a prayer that he will get it as he really needs something right now to give him some focus.

I got to spend time yesterday with Treece, her mom, and best friend Ashley looking at wedding dresses. I thought it was so sweet of her to include me. We spent over 3 hours at one shop with her trying on some really pretty dresses. She narrowed it down to 2 there, but is going to look some more. They are both beautiful, each with a very vintage look. One is very classy - very Grace Kelly; the other is reminds me of something from 1940s Hollywood - lots of lace.

I did look around at the mother-of-the-groom type dresses. It was somewhat depressing. I have SO much weight to lose! Also, most of them look so "old lady." I keep having to remind myself that I am now that "old lady!"

Hunter starts back to school tomorrow, but I don't go back until the 16th.

We used the George Foreman grill last night for steak. Wow! It did a great job. I think we are trying chicken tonight. We used it New Year's Day for waffles - something we don't need to do again for a while (about 60 pounds from now, maybe).

Oh yeah, I finally got to see Snakes on a Plane last night on DVD. I had been wanting to see it since it was on at the theaters. I thoroughly enjoyed it with the exception of the 1 sex scene and the rough language. I thought it was pretty funny.

If Hunter gave you his new cell phone number, be advised that it has changed. Cingular inadvertently gave him a number that is long distance from our home phone - not good - so they had to change it. I don't want to post it online, but if you need the new number, send me or him an email.

I plan to post some Christmas pictures soon.

Hope everyone is having a great new year!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 16:25:00 +0000

Well, 2007 is here! Terry and I saw it in last night with Wendy, Noah and Treece - no big parties for us. We interrupted our game of Apples to Apples long enough to count down and snap a couple of pictures. I hope 2007 is as good to us as 2006 was.

While surfing the internet Saturday night when I was unable to sleep, I came across the plethora of "Top" lists that come out at the end of every year: top 10 movies, top 10 songs; top 10 albums, top 10 books, etc. Before I started looking on the lists for movies, I did a mental recall of what I had seen over the year and had to admit there weren't very many stand outs. Now I know that is because I haven't seen any of the top 10 with the exception of Cars, which some listed among the best for the year.

Anyway, out of boredom, I went ahead a made a list from my rather limited movie viewing of 2006. Because my selection was so small, I narrowed my list down to the top 5. I also included what I consider to be the 3 worst movies I saw in 2006.

Cindy's Favorite 5 Movies of 2006

5. Barnyard
4. The Devil Wears Prada
3. The Lake House
2. She's the Man
1. Cars

The Worst of 2006

3. The Break Up
2. Abominable
1. Nacho Libre

I think my biggest disappointment for a movie this year was the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. I anticipated a movie as good as the first; it didn't happen.

Where Are You Christmas?

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 04:58:00 +0000

It seemed like a really short Christmas season. I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it is not having small children to anticpate Santa. It was busy, but it seemed to pass by so fast. We didn't have a chance to do many of the traditional things we used to always do: looking at lights, going to the capitol, watching Christmas movies or spending hours out shopping. I especially missed not buying toys. Hunter did get three big Lego/Mega Block sets; one was the ship from Pirates of the Caribbean. He has already built two of them, so they will just set up somewhere and probably not be touched again. Last year, Noah asked for a RoboSapien, but we could not find one. I never dreamed an about to be engaged 23 year old would still want one, but he indicated he did, so I did rush out and find one. I figure it will definitely be the last "toy" I ever get to buy him.

I guess I am now officially an adult. I was really hard pressed to give Terry any ideas for what to get me. There was just not anything I could think of that I really wanted or needed. I got a portable sewing machine (for scrapbooking, not making clothes), a new coat, a bunch of scrapbooking supplies, a new robe, 2 watches, a cool George Foreman (with 5 cooking options) and a promise from husband to build these because he thinks he can build them for much less:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/application?namespace=browse&origin=catalogProducts.jsp&event=link.itemDetails&demandPrefix=12&sku=65/85054&prodCatId=377489&mode=Browsing&erec=5&Ne=90000&sp=true&Ntk=all&Ntx=mode%252bmatchallpartial&N=377489&tabId=Crafts&sd=ALL+IN+ONE+STORE+IN+STYLE+UNIT

http://www.orientaltrading.com/application?namespace=browse&origin=catalogProducts.jsp&event=link.itemDetails&demandPrefix=12&sku=65/85121&prodCatId=377489&mode=Browsing&erec=6&Ne=90000&sp=true&Ntk=all&Ntx=mode%252bmatchallpartial&N=377489&tabId=Crafts&sd=CROP+IN+STYLE+DESK+KIT

That means I might have them by next Christmas; we'll see.

It was nice to have all 4 kids home. I think it was the first time in 26 years of marriage that we actually spent Christmas eve at home instead of my parent's house. They came to our house instead, along with Terry's dad. We also had a nice visit with my brothers George and Larry and their families before Christmas and Scott and his family after Christmas.

That's it for tonight. I want to read a bit from the book I got at our book club Christmas party: The Christmas Box Collection by Richard Paul Evans. I am on The Christmas Box. I have not read anything by him before but am enjoying what I have read so far.

Christmas Movies

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 15:03:00 +0000

Terry and I were discussing Christmas movies last night, so I thought I would make a list of my 10 favorite Christmas movies. The trouble is that I really can't think of 10 movies I would consider favorites. To be a favorite, I felt it should be a movie that I would willingly watch every Christmas. As a result, I only ended up with 6!

6. A Christmas Carol - (The 1951 version)
5. The Bishop's Wife - (The original, not the remake)
4. Christmas Vacation
3. Miracle on 34th Street - (Again, the original)
2. Home Alone
1. A Christmas Story

Others I considered were Scrooged, Gremlins and Die Hard (it IS set at Christmas).

Notably missing is It's a Wonderful Life; sorry, it's not my cup of tea!

I need a break....

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:57:00 +0000

from essay grading. The semester is over, and I am grading final essays. However, I needed to get away from them for a few minutes so thought I would post a little something. I have been reading essays for the past couple of hours that discuss things like the "lesions" learned by a student her first year in college; how to apply for "finical" aid; and how the mountain "humanity" changes rather quickly. I am sure most of you were unaware that, "Even tough a mountain is quiet where there no animals, which it possible that you can relax ands chill. As a result, woods who would be the perfect place." Huh? How do I even begin to point out the problems with this? This is where I usually end up just underlining and inserting a big question mark out to the side.

I am also blown away by the email I just received containing the final essay for an English Composition I student. The minimum word count was 750 words; this student's "essay" consisted of one paragraph - why bother?

I definitely - or as my students would say "defiantly" - am in need of the upcoming 6 week break. I need to get away from teaching correct grammar and mechanics for a while since 1/2 of the population refuses to use it. I had decided to take a break last Friday and read a book. Unfortunately, I was unable to get away from instructor mode and was frustrated the entire book because some editor did not catch all the incorrect commas used with subordinating conjunctions. Things like that drive me crazy.

Well, time to go post some grades and let some students know they will be taking these courses again. Some are already aware of it, but others will be shocked. They will not understand how failing to complete an assignment that accounts for 35% of the grade for the course left them not passing. Yes, their math skills are pretty much in line with their writng skills.

For the Hog Fan Who Has Everything

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 13:57:00 +0000

You might consider bidding on this offering from Hogwired.com:

This is a game used football from the Arkansas-LSU football game on November 24, 2006. The ball is signed in silver ink by running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Under McFadden's name is the notation 182 yards vs. LSU....School record 1485 yards. Under Jones' name is the notation 137 yards vs. LSU. The ball comes wth a certificate of authenticity.

Current high bid: $795

Although the Heisman is already a done deal, it is nice that McFadden is one of the finalists. Hopefully, he can bring it home next year.

Happy Thanksgiving....

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 00:07:00 +0000

and Go Hogs!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:50:00 +0000

The Secret Elf

Now I know why it has taken my son 6 years to finish college. Does Harding offer a degree for this?

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:44:00 +0000

I'm not so sure I agree with this. I usually keep my opinions to myself rather than causing any sort of confrontation; in fact, I avoid discussions of any sort that may end up being problematic.

Bragging Rights

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:07:00 +0000

Due to Thanksgiving, our mid-week services at church were moved to Tuesday night. After tonight's devotional, we came home and had a friendly, exciting game of bowling among family: Terry, me, Wendy & Hunter. I must say, I ruled! My undefeated Wii Bowling streak continues!

I'm getting both nervous and excited about Friday's big game. GO HOGS!

Terry's New Toy

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 03:15:00 +0000

Actually, it was for the "family," but we got an early Christmas present: the new Nintendo Wii. I had no interest in it whatsoever until Terry convinced me to play a game of bowling. This is the coolest thing ever. You actually go through the motions of rolling the ball using the controller. In the baseball game, you actually swing the controller to hit the ball. The greatest thing is I actually beat Terry at bowling by 6 pins. I think that is a first.

Best in the West!

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 14:54:00 +0000

After getting pounded by USC in the first game of the season, the Hogs went to work and have chalked up 10 straight wins. Yesterday's victory, ugly though it was, clinched the SEC - West. Little Rock will be fired up for Friday's game between the Hogs and the LSU Tigers, the Battle for the Boot. It is going to be an exciting week!

47 Rules for Writers

noreply@blogger.com (C. Beck) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:20:00 +0000

1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
10. No sentence fragments.
11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
14. One should NEVER generalize.
15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
16. Don't use no double negatives.
17. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
20. The passive voice is to be ignored.
21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
22. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
23. DO NOT use exclamation points and all caps to emphasize!!!
24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
25. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth shaking ideas.
26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.
27. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.
29. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
31. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
32. Who needs rhetorical questions?
33. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
34. The passive voice should never be used.
36. Do not put statements in the negative form.
37. Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
38. A writer must not shift your point of view.
39. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
40. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
41. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
42. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
43. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
44. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. 45. Always pick on the correct idiom.
46. The adverb always follows the verb.
47. Be careful to use the rite homonym.
And Finally...
47. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.