Friday Trivia

While shampooing my hair this morning with shampoo (note that the word is both verb and noun), I began to wonder how we got such an odd word.

Sham-poo. Sham as in fake? Poo as in, well, poo?

Well, as you know, that's not it at all.

And since I am sure that you are all agog to know the origin of the word, here it is:

From Dictionary.com: 1755–65;  earlier "champo"  to massage < an inflected form of Hindi cāmpnā  literally, to press.

 

And from Wikipedia: The word shampoo in English is derived from Hindi chāmpo (चाँपो [tʃãːpoː]),^[1] and dates to 1762.^[2] The Hindi word referred to head massage, usually with some form of hair oil. 

 

So, there you have it, dear reader!  Trivia to start your weekend.

 

You're welcome.

 

- Catherine 

If it's [insert your favorite day here], it must be snowing

It has been snowing in fits and starts since yesterday afternoon, which means the roads are very slick and  there's an inch or so of accumulation. Just enough to be incredibly annoying.

Will. This. Never. End?

Punxutawny Phil lied, folks!!!!!!!

Ahem.

It's Friday morning. I have summoned all of my creative powers this morning and will be treating you to..... my random thoughts.

I knew you'd be pleased.

Random 1) Email traffic at work slows down considerably on Friday afternoons. We must all be staring blankly at our computers, dreaming about the weekend to come. It's like a collective sigh of relief.

Random 2) The puppy is a 50 pound monster -- at only four months old. I am thinking of putting away the antiques until he is older and there is not so much romping around. I calculated our dog food bill the other day and it stands now at $80 per month for the two dogs (it used to be about $30 for just Hank). I'm told that Charley's mother eats 12 (TWELVE!) cups of dog food per day. Charley is up to seven cups. And the "little" pup is STILL growing.

Random 3) Charley has taken to sleeping as close to me as he can get -- which means he is under the bed at night. Tim refers to him as a Mama's Pup.

Random 4) Number 4 will be arriving from Canada in just over a week and will be here for most of the month of March. Wedding planning, crafting, card-making, cooking, racquetball -- all are on the agenda. Can't wait!

Random 5) Grandbaby #9 is due in just a couple of weeks!! Each baby is unique and it fascinates me to see the traits they develop as they grow.

Random 6) I am now the proud owner of a Droid X. I am in love with it.

I never thought I'd say that about a cell phone. 

Random 7) It never ceases to amaze me that the dogs can stand perfectly still together at the door for several minutes while waiting to be let in the house -- and then commence another round of wrestling, snarling and romping as soon as they tumble inside.

And now, to work.

- Catherine

This and that on a cloudy Friday

It's Friday! I'm so glad the weekend is about to begin. It's been A Week in a number of ways.

So, to be completely random:

The burden of grief that I'd been coping with is gone; singing at the Pink Tea last weekend seems to have sent it into hibernation again (at least for now -- I'm not under any illusions about this process).

Something that's making me very nervous these days is the sight of my middle-aged, one-armed hubby up high on an extension ladder, scraping paint off the side of the house and caulking windows. Eeek!

Something exciting coming up is a Pacific Storm that is due to bring rain, high winds, and even some snow this weekend. There's a cold front behind it so temperatures next week will plummet. I've really enjoyed the beautiful fall weather that we've had for the last few weeks, but I'm a sucker for a little weather drama here and there (East Coast girl that I am).

My current cell phone is doing something very alarming -- literally -- because it sets off those lovely security alarms located at the doorways of most stores. Even when I enter the store, the phone sets off the alarm. Even if the phone is off it sets off the alarm. It is very annoying and, occasionally, embarrassing! Especially where the alarm includes an automated female voice booming store-wide, "Please return to the customer service desk!!!"  I'm trying to remember to leave my phone in the car.

Last night I think we solved the mystery of our aquarium's MIA algae eater -- we think the Parrot Fish ate him. I'll never look at the Parrot Fish in the same way again. How did he get the algae eater through that tiny mouth opening of his???  No wonder the catfish is agoraphobic!

Happy weekend to all!

- Catherine

A random Wednesday -- updated with a photograph!

I've kind of been missing the Random Dozen while Lid at 2nd Cup of Coffee is taking a summer break.  I don't have a dozen things to say, but here are a few:

1) the Conference Center I'm currently working in will be subject to a scheduled power outage today while the local power company gets some work done.  We are running on generator as of now (7:30 a.m.) and we've got an entire morning of sessions to get through, coffee to make, computers to run, etc.  Keeping my fingers crossed that the generator holds up and we do not meltdown before noon.

2) I couldn't play racquetball this morning because the gym next door is closed for the scheduled power outage. Apparently they don't have a generator.

3) There are only three days (including today) remaining in the conference.

4) I miss #7 and #8 so much that I can hardly stand to think about it.  So I don't.

5) It looks like we will be able to purchase the 4-acre place where our horses have been pastured for the last three years. The house there needs work and we will have to carry two mortgages for a while so that we can finish the work on our current house, but it will be worth it! We've prayed about this for three years, asking God to either firmly shut the door or make the purchase possible.  And here we are!

6) #4 is officially engaged and will be getting married next May!  I would post the pictures of her wedding dress but she has forbidden me to do so because she doesn't want her fiance (4.5-to-be) to see them.  If you'd like to see her in the dress when she tried it on, I'll be happy to email the pics to you.  Here's her engagement ring:

Well, that's a random half-dozen!!

Happy Wednesday to all!

- Catherine

Another haiku . . after the deadline

Submitted and done.
Shoulders relax and we smile.
Celebrate tonight!

A haiku for the deadline

Deadline looms today.
Many things still to prepare.
Celebrate tonight!

- Catherine

Summer is starting and I've only got random stuff to report

Summer has officially started for us.  We are in Park City getting prepped for the Summer Institute that I manage each year.  The load-in of equipment (audio, video, blackboards, computers, whiteboards, supplies, etc) begins on Monday.  (No, our house in Idaho isn't empty while we're gone.)

I am experimenting with WebEx as a means of meeting virtually with others across the nation. My colleagues and I are working on a big funding proposal and it's good to be able to talk once in a while through that process.  If WebEx works well for us, I will be one happy camper.

Got a message from my niece, Mandee -- at whose home Hank Williams Jr stays while we are away for our summer work.  We call it "Puppy Summer Camp" because he has many more animals and kids to interact with while there.  Seems Hank has a hankering (ha!) for dry cat food and likes to sneak a few mouthfuls out of the bowls in Mandee's kitchen. She caught him at it yesterday and merely cocked an eyebrow at him, at which point he lowered his ears and slunk out of the kitchen.

I love that dog!

And now, it's time for my WebEx meeting!

- Catherine

Random Stuff on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon

It's Tuesday afternoon. In about 10 minutes, some 200 check requests will be put on my desk, each one of which requires my handwritten signature (electronic not allowed).

Shoot me.

So, while I wait, I will take a few moments to blog.

In NJ recently, I was very careful NOT to use my cell phone while driving -- because it is totally and completely and absolutely against State law to be on your cell phone while driving.  I had to wonder, though, at the signs on the Interstate highways that flashed the following message: "Traffic Info: Dial 511"

Huh?

While in NJ, I visited with an elderly aunt. The difficult one. Notorious in the family for picking fights, misconstruing information, and generally being about as narcissistic and bitter a person as I've ever met. She's 83 and hasn't mellowed one bit since her childhood (going by my mother's stories).  I've kept my distance over the years because the stress of it is more than I can handle. But she's 83 and it was time for me to see her.  We had a perfectly lovely visit, including lunch, and it was all going swimmingly . . . until the end, when she informed me that she had written me out of her will.

Well, all righty then.

I figure she can leave her money to anyone she wishes. But taking the time to include a whole paragraph in her will that specifically writes me out of her will?

I feel so . . . infamous.


- Catherine

Random FB updates

My mind has been running through a variety of possible Facebook status updates this morning. And there are too many to post on my Facebook profile, so I thought I'd share them here.

Catherine wonders: what is up with the post-mascara hot flash? It never fails -- as soon as I finish applying mascara to my eyelashes, my entire body overheats. If someone can explain that one to me, I'd be grateful.

Catherine is enjoying the sound of the wind chimes blowing on the deck this morning.

Catherine's dog, Hank Williams Jr., kept watch over her suitcase all night. Not sure why.

Catherine pulled her first all-nighter since #4 was 16 months old and in the hospital. The crash is coming later today, I'm sure.

Catherine wonders: can you call it tennis elbow when you've been playing racquetball? "Racquetball elbow" seems like too many syllables.

- Catherine

It's Friday.. by the numbers

I usually do the Friday Fave Five, but I have been completely off schedule today and I never got to it.

So, here are some random things:

I have an unscheduled weekend ahead of me. Ye-es!!!

Tonight #7 is going over to a friend's house for a couple of hours, so Tim and I will hit Costco for the monthly visit to get necessities in bulk.

#7 will turn 14 in the upcoming week! He was just 4 years old when I married his Dad.

I got to have coffee this morning with #3 and her daughter, and that is always fun.

#4 will be back on the North American continent (for good!) in just 30 days. Yeah!

The dog (I guess he's #8, technically speaking) keeps wanting to visit those two hoodlum bulldogs that live three blocks down from us, despite the fact that they threaten to tear him limb from limb whenever he sets foot in their alley.

Have a great weekend!

- Catherine

Rambling stuff

1. I have two fire extinguishers in my kitchen and I’ve never actually had occasion to use a fire extinguisher. You can’t practice using a fire extinguisher or you will waste the whole container, so how do you know if you know how to successfully fight a fire with the extinguisher? You don’t, I guess. And very comforting that will be should I ever have a fire in the house.

2. Why does my dog have to race past me to the top of the stairs? I’m plodding along with a basket of laundry and he’s hauling his butt as fast as he can go, nearly knocking me over. He’s not getting anything when I get to the top – and he knows that – so is it just canine one-upmanship or what?

3. I’m wearing a "Thanks, not Cranks" bracelet and it’s making me cranky. Just sayin’…. And switching it to the other wrist now….

4. Why can’t I see my lower eyelid twitch, even though I can clearly feel it?

5. After 9 years of marriage, my husband finally told me that he doesn't like ricotta cheese. I called him a Philistine and put away my lasagna recipe.

Happy Monday!

- Catherine

Haphazard musings on a Friday

It's Friday at last. With the snowstorm earlier this week and the subsequent arctic temperatures, these five days have dragged by. And I'm feelin' a wee bit snarky, between the cold outside and the headache that I woke up with (with which I woke up).

I usually do a Friday Fave Five here, but somehow I'm just not in the mood. Let's say it's because the arctic temperatures froze my brain for the moment. It's -7 this morning, after all. The forecasters are promising us a veritable heat wave for the weekend -- in the 30s during the day. Woo hoo. Oh, and more snow to come on both Saturday and Sunday.

Yes indeedy, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

I'm still struggling to find the inspiration to finish the Christmas projects that I had planned for the girls this year. My well-stocked craft room awaits me, but when I go in there, I have a hard time envisioning anything. I've been experimenting with the shapes of a new Cricut cartridge, which I hope will spur something creative happening this weekend.

Today marks the 40th day since my mother passed. Weather permitting, I hope to burn those letters today.

I went to the eye doctor for my annual eye exam this week. It's been four years since I had Lasik done, and my vision this time came up 20/15. That's even better than last year, when it was 20/25 -- which beat the year before when it was 20/30. Prior to the surgery, I remember the doctor telling me that, with my vision problems, I probably couldn't expect to ever be better than 20/40. And I was more than willing to accept that, having lived with 20/200 for so long. Really, I just wanted to be able to function at a basic level without the need for lenses of some kind. I wanted to get up in the morning and not have to immediately put glasses on my face. I wanted to feel that I was safe in my own house even if I couldn't find my glasses for some reason. 20/40 would have been great. So that makes 20/15 doubly amazing! The fact that my eyes have continued to improve in the years since the surgery is also amazing!

Everyone seems to have their knickers in a knot about the new Facebook privacy settings -- I've had a couple of messages from frantic strangers warning me that the entire world will be able to stalk me now. But when I access my privacy settings to review them, they are exactly the same as they were before. So what is the problem? Am I missing something here?

I certainly hope everyone has a great weekend -- relaxing and fun. And if you live in the regions of the country that are experiencing cold and snow, stay warm and dry! I'm thinking this will be a good weekend for me to wrap presents while competing with the dog for space.... ahem.... relaxing... in front of the family room fire.

- Catherine

Just stuff that I'm thinking about (about which I am thinking)

Tomorrow is the random dozen. Today is just a random list, and probably not very interesting. But here it is anyway:

1. My sister-in-law is getting married on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Ten years as a widow and single mother -- she deserves this terrific guy that God has brought into her life, believe me. Tim's sisters are coming home from Florida and the Thanksgiving weekend looks to be one family celebration after another this year. And I've got a song to sing! Specifically, I'll be singing "Cherish the Treasure" (originally recorded by Steve Green). This is one song I'd never heard before, not being a fan of the genre of "wedding music" -- but the lyrics are good and my sister-in-law requested it for her big day because it expresses her heart. And I aim to please, so I'm working hard to make this song into something she will remember (in a good way, of course).

2. A dear friend was life-flighted down to Salt Lake City yesterday from her home in Wyoming. Her liver and kidneys have shut down from what may possibly be a bout of meningitis. We don't know what the outcome will be -- her condition is very critical at this time. If you are so inclined, please pray for Kelly.

3. I'm fighting some depression that I assume is a normal part of the grief process. I miss my mother so very much. A friend of mine described his father's death as "the horizon tilting," in that you not only miss the person, but you are also missing a reference point that has always been in your life. That's pretty much how it feels -- the horizon has tilted.

4. Despite #3, this is my favorite time of year -- from now until January. I love the holiday preparations and planning, and I love the weather as it slowly grows colder. I especially love the luminous quality of the late autumn sunlight.

That's it for today -- a rather boring list, I'm afraid. Thanks for stopping by.

- Catherine