Tuesday, January 31, 2006

"Wordplay" Wednesday #4...

 

                                       
Happy Wednesday!  It is time for another Wordplay game!  I wanted to do a guessing game today.  I worked on five anagrams.  An anagram is a word or phrase that can be made by using the letter from another word or phrase.  For example, the letters of "Margaret Thatcher" can be used to make the phrase "The Great Charmer".

For this game I made five anagrams.  They are anagrams of five screen names of readers that regularly visit my journal.  If there were numbers in their screen names, I dropped the number or numbers and everything after it.  Who are these peopleWhat are the screen names?  Have fun!! xox

      
1.  jasmines laser a
     2.  eardrum eye ado
     3.  fact stark
     4.  relic bibs
     5.  eh tea ebb a

ABC's of Me!...


I have been tagged again.  There are alot of tags going around J-Land.  Who starts these tags?  I kind of like this tag.  This is an alphabetical, describe yourself tag,  What does each letter of the alphabet say about you?  Ah, this may be fun!  I was tagged by Deb from Frosty Thoughts.  Here is my alphabet:

     A
unt (to eight lovely nieces and nephews)
     Brain surgery recipient
     Cat owner and lover  
     Disabled
     Everyone's friend
     Frog collector (the inanimate kind!)   
     God's child
     Hug giver
     Intelligent
     Joyful
     Krissy's sister
     Lover of words
     Mother
     Nature freak
     Often lose things
     Polydactyl
     Quirky
     Romantic
     Silly
     Transcendental meditator
     Unique
     Voter
     Worrier
     XOX giver
     Yam eater
     Ziggy reader

That was fun!!  I am not going to tag anyone, so if you want to do it, go ahead!!  I dare ya!!  I will see youall tomorrow with a new installment of Wordplay!!  Toodles!! xox

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

"Wordplay Wednesday"#3!


Thanks so much for all of your congratulations for Chelsea and me on the birth coming up in our family!!  That was so nice of all of you!!  I heard from Krissy last night and she is holding up.  John finished his chemotherapy yesterday and is still able to sit in a chair, so that is a good sign.  The doctors called him a "Star Patient".  Please pray for his transplant on Friday.  I will keep you all up-to-date as best as I can.

Today is Wednesday so I have an installment of "Wordplay".  I hope you guys take a stab at this one.  It takes some thought, but it will be lots of fun!  Here it is...

                                       

One of my favorite poems to write is the haiku.  I like the flow and rhythm of them.  I like that they don't rhyme. 

Haiku defined from Merriam Webster - an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usually 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.


            
Paper holds choice words
          Plucked while dancing in my thoughts
          A haiku is born

I would love to read a haiku you have written!  Leave it in the comment section or write it in your journal and leave me a link so I can go read it!  Write on a favorite subject of yours!  Go ahead, give it a try!!  You know you want to try it =)!!  Thanks for playing!

Have a good day everyone! xox

Monday, January 23, 2006

Good News and Stuff!...

I'm gonna be a grandma, I'm gonna be a grandma!!  Yep, Yep!!  So, congratulations to Chelsea who is due on September 13!  Wow, a grandma!  She is making me a grandma at 40!!  Did I just say my age?  LOL  Chelsea is doing very well.  Just a little bit of nausea here and there and a little bit of apprehension.  I just wish she wasn't in Florida and I was in Pennsylvania.  I am going to have to figure out how to save enough money to get down to see her sometime after the baby is born.  I wanted to help her out a little and see the little one.  So, I think the baby is a girl.  I said it here first!  I really think so.  So, yes, I am gonna be a GRANDMA!!  Do you think I am excited?

I have been pretty darn sick the past couple of weeks with a chest cold and asthma attacks so I wasn't able to do "Wordplay" last Wednesday, but it will resume this Wednesday.  I have been chastising myself all week for starting a game while I have been ill.  Should I have done this again?  I need to have a regular schedule.  Regular posting times.  I hate to confuse you guys.  I have lost alot of readers already.  I am so inconsistent with the "Up Close With Val" game as it is.  By the way, I have not been able to purchase a USB cable for my camera yet and that is why I haven't posted that game in awhile.  I do hope that life will slow down and my energy will pick up and I will be able to do both consistently after I purchase the cable.

John and Krissy are now at The Transplant Center.  John has received four days of chemotherapy thus far.  He will have two more and will get Wednesday and Thursday off and will have his transplant on Friday.  He will be in Hershey for a couple of months.  Thanks for your prayers and support, everyone!!

I was tagged by
Tom with these questions.  If you would like to do them, go ahead and copy and paste and do them!!  I am not going to tag anyone.  Have fun and I hope you enjoy my answers!  That is all for today.  See you on Wednesday for "Wordplay!!  xox

1) What is your middle name? 
Maire... it is Gaelic for Mary


2) What size is your bed? 
Twin long

3) What are you listening to? 
An airplane in the sky, cars going by my window

4) What are the last two digits of your phone # ? 
15

5) What is the last thing you ate? 
Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal (Mmmmm... love that oatmeal!!!

6) Last person you hugged? 
My boyfriend

7) How is the weather right now? 
Cold, windy, 33 degrees, dusting of snow

8) Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? 
My friend, Roger

9) What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? 
Probably their smile and how confident they are

10) Do you have a bf/gf ?
  Yes

11) --- whoops ---lol 
Where is number 11?  I am curious what it asks! LOL

12) Do you drink? 
Nope, I'm loopy enough without drinking :-o !!

13)Have you ever gotten so drunk that you don't remember the entire nite? 
A long time ago, 20 years ago maybe, when I did that kind of thing... ugh

14)Hair color? 
brown - I have to dye it, though, because there is alot of grey in it now!

15) Eye color? 
green/brown

16) Fav baseball team? 
I don't watch baseball.

17) Fav animal? 
Kitty cats!  I love all kinds of animals, though!

18) Favorite season? 
Fall, although Spring is in stiff competition

19) Ever cried for no reason? 
Sure, but no reason is a good enough reason for me!

20) Last movie you watched? 
Good gravy, my memory is soooooooo bad... let me think... In Her Shoes at the theatres.  I probably watched a movie or two at home, but I can't recall which ones.

21) What book are you reading? 
"90 Minutes In Heaven".  I have also started a couple others.

22) Piercings? 
Three in left ear and two in right.  Daring, I am ;-)

23) Favorite movie? 
"The Sound of Music", although these "favorite" questions are hard.  Favorites change for me!

24) Fav college team? 
Go Penn State!!!

25) What are you doing right now? 
What do you think I am doing?  Who wrote this stupid question?  I am answering these questions!  LOL

26) Pets? 
Two wonderful meow-meows

27) Dog or cats? 
Cats.  I do love dogs, too, though.  If I had a big enough house and enough energy, I would have a dog, too.

28) Favorite flower? 
Poppies, violets, hydrangeas

29) Have you ever been caught doing something you weren't supposed to be doing? 
I would imagine so, although I can't remember the last time.  Haven't we all sometime in our lives?

30) Have you ever loved someone? 
Yes

31) Who would you like to see right now? 
My children in Florida.  I would also love to meet some J-Land friends!!

32) Are you still friends with your ex's? 
Some of them

33) Have you ever fired a gun? 
No, and have no desire to.

34) Do you like to travel by plane? 
I have never been on a plane and the idea makes me nervous, but I would like to get over the fear and get on a plane someday.

35) Right handed or left handed? 
Right-handed

36) If you could be with someone right now, who would it be? 
My children

37) How many pillows you sleep with? 
Seven strategically placed.

38) Are you missing someone? 
Yes ~sigh~

39) Do you have a tattoo? 
No, but I would like to get one.  I can't because I am on a blood thinner.

40) Do you watch cartoons on Sat. mornings? 
No, but I did when I was a kid.

41) Are you hiding something from someone? 
No, thank goodness.  Hiding takes too much energy.

42) Do you play an instrument? 
I used to play the violin and guitar in my youth.  I want to learn the wooden recorder and piano someday.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

"Wordplay Wednesday" #2!...

Good Wednesday to all of you, good journal people!  I decided that I am going to try and do "Wordplay" every Wednesday.  I will make it "Word Wednesday".   I am not the best at being counted on for posting, but I am going to try my darndest!  Here is today's installment:
 

                                       

What city, town do you live in Do you know what it is translated from Do you know why it is named thisWhat about the state you live in?

My answer:  I live in Bellefonte, PA.  "Bellefonte" means beautiful fountain or spring in French.  I live close to Spring Creek which is very pretty.  It is a famous fishing spot.  President Carter even fished here =).  Our water source comes from Artisian wells and the big spring produces 1.5 million gallons per minute and has been traced to Lake Superior and Lake Erie through dyes.  It drains into Chesapeake Bay.  Thanks, Roger, for this information!  "Pennsylvania" comes from Penn's woods.  William Penn made peace treaties with Indians and founded Pennsylvania.

What about your town/city and state?

Sunday, January 8, 2006

My "Fives"...

Hello you =)!  So, I have been tagged with three different tags and have not responded yet.  I better get moving.  I have to list five ways in which I am "weird" - um, not too hard, LOL.  I also have to list five things that drive me crazy - um, not very hard either.  The last tag is five funny stories.  So, WHO IS starting all of these tags anyway??  So, to get moving here are five ways in which I am weird...

Five Weird Things About Me:

1.  When I am watching television I have the remote control in my hand at all times.  I flip through the channels when a commercial is on.  I HATE commercials.  I often mute them.  I am a channel surfer.  I can be watching two or even three or four shows at one time.

2.  I love pillows!  I sleep with seven pillows.  I want to buy more!  I love them.  Give me more pillows...

3.  I only wear "outside clothes" when I have to leave the house.  In the house I love to be in my pajamas.  I love pajamas.  I wear pajamas or comfortable "inside clothes" inside my house.  This may have to do with being chronically ill, but I change clothes ALOT.

4.  I can eat anything cold out of the refrigerator.  Cold spaghetti, cold pizza, cold leftovers.  I have no "breakfast foods".  I can eat almost anything.  Food is food to me and it can be eaten "as is".  I can even eat most foods right out of the can.

5.  I like to sit on the floor.  I don't like chairs very much.  I find them confining.  I even like to lie on the floor.  I think this might have to do with pain, too.  Okay, am I weird enough for you??


Five Things That Drive Me Crazy:

1.  Loud voices/loud places and chaos in general

2.  Irresponsible drivers...oh my gosh, don't they understand that they are behind a machine that CAN KILL????

3.  When people can't stop talking, and talking, and talking, and talking, and talking... especially when I am very tired.

4.  Greed and stepping on the little guy or unfortunate

5.  This country's government and how they ARE NOT taking care of the children, elderly, disabled, low-income, and hurting...now this might have to do with greed and maybe apathy, but I better NOT get started....

So, onthat note... my blood pressure is starting to boil, so I think I will take a few deep breaths...

John and Krissy went to Hershey this past week.  For those of you who haven't read Krissy's journal, John was to go into The Transplant Center on January 11th, but it was pushed back because the donor contracted the flu.  Perhaps it will be a couple more weeks.  Thanks for your prayers.  I will keep you updated!!  Now I am off to think of five funny stories...

Have a lovely week, all!! xox

Tuesday, January 3, 2006

Play My New Game!...

Happy New Year, all my good journal friends!!  I had a good holiday week.  Except I was awful sick.  My insurance company (the state of Pennsylvania) decided it didn't want to pay for my control-released narcotic for pain so I went through alot of withdrawal and pain for nine days.  I got pretty darn sick.  I didn't mind the pain so much, but the withdrawal sucked.  They didn't make up their mind what they wanted to do until after the holiday weekend and then they decided to put me on a different medicine than I had been taking for over five years.  So I am taking a new medicine on a lower dose and still don't have good pain control.  I don't have withdrawal anymore, though, thank goodness.  I have been left with ALOT of anger, though.  I don't know why "suits" get to make these decisions and not doctors?!!  I have started my new insurance company under the new Medicare system January 1 and hope that I won't have too many problems.  Ack, wish me luck!

I wanted to wish my precious brother-in-law, John, a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
 
 
  Happy Birthday to you...
  Happy Birthday to you...
  Happy Birthday my dear John John...
  Happy Birthday to you!!!

It looks like John's bone marrow transplant will be in about ten days or so.  They are finalizing everything this week.  Thanks so much for keeping him in your prayers!

I wanted to start a new "game".  I have a love for words.  We probably all do as we are all writers of sorts.  Words are beautiful to me.  I think I got this love from my Mom and Dad.  They always had/have a dictionary sitting around and we are always discussing them.  Words are just wonderful, magical... Well, you get the picture.  Anyway, I am winging this.  I wanted to start some "wordplay" games.  Some will be very easy, some hard.   Some you will be able to answer and discuss right away, some will need some thinking, and there will be a winner, but like I said, I am winging this.  I will be posting a game once a week.  I hope we can have some fun!!  For the first installment I wanted to discuss something I have always found very curious, so here it is...

                             

I have looked at your screen names for months or longer now.   Why did you choose itHow did you come up with it Does it mean something special to you?

My answer - My screen name, valphish, is simply a play on my name Valerie Fisher.  I was kind of sad I chose it after all the phishing scams came about.

How about your screen name?

One last thing...
Kellen did a wonderful recap of 2005 and it deserves a look-see.  Pop over if you can.  Great job, Kellen!   Have a great rest of the week, all! xox