Friday, March 03, 2000

muppet species list: when you just gotta know.
posted by April Fraze 3/3/2000 03:47:53 PM| link

i've been talking to jeff on-line today. our conversation has led me to some memories of me and my father when i was a very little girl. i've been so fortunate. every once in awhile i get a vivid flashback to a specific instance from my youth. today i remembered the day we were out in the pasture with the pigs. my father was squatted down behind me telling me that it was ok to pet them, they were friendly. those were happy times.

i also recall holding daddy's hand walking the trail to the chicken house. i was about 5 years old. our roosters, tom and jerry, used to knock me down and flog me on occasion, but i wasn't scared. dad would grab them off of me and hold them upside down by their legs for a bit then turn them loose. it always worked. there was a time when we went out and a nest of eggs had started to hatch. we helped the little chicks make their way out of the shells and into the world.

another instance of chicken proportions: i get off the bus one day and i see my dad down by the barn. i was about 14. one of the chickens had left the nest while her babies were hatching and they had died from the cold. dad called me down there as one baby chick was struggling to get through the shell. he was the lone survivor. dad passed off the chick to me and i took it in and made it a warm spot in a shoebox. the chick couldn't use its legs and would topple back when it tried to stand up. unfortunately it didn't make it, but it was my buddy for about a week. we kind of expected the worst, but tried to make the baby comfortable through its short life.

i've been lucky. my dad has taught me a love for animals that is irreplacable. i have several instances of animal rescue i could share with you, but i believe i'll save those for another post. i'd hate to use all of my material at one time.

posted by April Fraze 3/3/2000 03:17:18 PM| link

sandra good, one of charles manson's followers has not yet dropped the torch. i checked out access manson just now. is it just me or does anyone else get freaked out that the girth of his charisma has carried on through bars and past years? ~ creepy~
posted by April Fraze 3/3/2000 01:57:48 PM| link

phishtail.com: anyone else who can appreciate dmb's lie in our graves deserves a kudos. that song makes my toes curl.
posted by April Fraze 3/3/2000 01:42:35 PM| link

there are some people in this world who are truly beautiful. case in point: the people of the animal medical center of waseca, minnesota. let me step back and tell you what makes these people so wonderful and why you should check them out if you are nearby.

kyra just hadn't been well since we moved here. she had been treated for worms that she had contracted from a neighbor dog, but had been acquiring some strange behaviors. i called 3 animal clinics. the first one seemed disinterested. the second in new prague interrupted me several times, simplified it down to the flu that was going around, and when i asked that he see her he said if i could get their at 11:30. an hour away and i had 45 minutes to get there. i did try to get there only to turn around. i eventually called this place in waseca which is about 30 minutes away. the tech who answered was really sweet and concerned. she scheduled me in for friday. when i got there they spent 2 and a half hours with us, making sure to explain everything thoroughly.

these people have had to do the grossest things you can imagine. this is not a pretty little sickness we have here! never once have i seen a grimace. the vet actually thanked me for doing such a good job when we went back this week! when i was there and they talked about the pain she was in and my eyes welled up with tears, dr. rundquist insisted that i feel no blame for any of this. he also listened to my theories on the problem and agreed that i was probably right.

last sunday, dr. rundquist called me at home to check on our patient. yesterday i got a card in the mail welcoming me and kyra to their clinic.

well, the reason i am once again impressed with these people: i am broke. i had written a check to be held for the 5th (my next payday), since then i've been freaking out because i have a smaller check this time and i don't know if i'll have anything left if they cash it as far as gas and food and fun money go. so, i called to see if i could possibly break it into 2 payments. heather, the sweet tech who took such good care of kyra bell last wednesday, says she'll just hold it until the 20th for me (my next payday). then she proceeds to ask about kyra and just be a damn nice person.

thanks dr. rundquist and staff!
posted by April Fraze 3/3/2000 12:00:05 PM| link

well, it looks as if keiko made his way out of the pen today as had been hoped for, apparently some of the icelandic fisherman are less than enthused. i never knew they ate horse. interesting.
posted by April Fraze 3/3/2000 10:23:08 AM| link

i'd like to build the world a home
and furnish it with love
grow apple trees and honey bees
and snow-white turtle doves.

i'd like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony
i'd like to hold it in my arms
and keep it company.

i'd like to see the world for once
all standing hand in hand
and hear them echo through the hills
"ah, peace throughout the land."

--words and music by roquel davis, roger john reginald greenaway, roger f. cook, and william m. backer

found here.

posted by April Fraze 3/3/2000 01:32:58 AM| link

Thursday, March 02, 2000

now playing: down by the seaside, led zep

many thanks to sarah for the notice on her site and the nice things she said about my blog! another big thanks to matt b. for his warm wishes. i'm still checking out his page and working up a reply. what a nice day.

salutations, timmy! just in case you stopped back by....scandalous!
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 11:54:59 PM| link

i am quite proud of my great, great grandfather john bullington, a union man in the civil war. he's the one from indiana. he is laid to rest in the same cemetary as my papaw perry, aunt glenda, great uncle carl, and great uncle russ. he and his wife, nancy, have nothing more than stones to mark their graves. when i make my first million i will have to change that.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 10:39:23 PM| link

ancestry.com: and this time it's serious. my dear, sweet uncle sam has a big piece of our family's history traced. i've been meaning to get this going for so long, so i guess i'll set up a family page here for free. if anyone is related to or has any info on the following: Samuel and Charlotte Bullington, John & Nancy Bullington, Christopher Columbus Beeler, Mary Edna Burke Beeler, Hugh Paul, Hubert Fraze, please e-mail me. interesting fact: my great-grandfather, christopher columbus beeler (cool name, eh?), was a hobo who jumped trains and rode around the country. he kept a journal, which i need to borrow from my mother.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 10:19:14 PM| link

there have been a few posts on rec.music.gdead regarding the new show, god, the devil, and bob, that is premiering next week. apparently god bears a striking resemblance to one, jerry garcia. tonight i actually saw the advertisement and i tend to agree. the website is pretty cool, too.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 08:18:54 PM| link

"As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins."
--Albert Schweitzer
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 07:44:21 PM| link

bert is evil! i always felt that muppet was leaning towards the dark side. the unibrow is often a sure sign.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 06:17:48 PM| link

i stopped by the store a little while ago and my sweet tooth kicked in, so i searched through the donut rack, but if i was getting pastry it had to be the custard filled kind, but i didn't want a four pack, so i moved on to a different aisle and inspected choices. when all was said and done i ended up leaving with some unknown company's equivalent to a raspberry zinger. who invented these and are people really eating them? just curious. kyra loved them, but she's a dog...
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 06:09:35 PM| link

you saw it here first: stopdrlaura.com.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 04:08:36 PM| link

scientists are finding that plants can actually clean up heavily polluted regions. the process, photoremediation, is a slow process, but it has been proven effective and cheaper in the long run. very cool and more proof that plants are the bomb!
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 11:47:10 AM| link

tomorrow is the new release date for keiko, the star of the free willie movies, from his pen in iceland. the whale will be released into a remote bay and will, hopefully, be released into the wild later this year. keiko has been in captivity since he was 2 years old in 1979.....
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 11:01:57 AM| link

the news americans never hear.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 10:50:19 AM| link

could there be relief from these insane gas prices! yeah!
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 10:41:47 AM| link

apparently the etruscans were the earliest known civilization on the italian peninsula.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 10:33:14 AM| link

"april" - "from the latin aprillus meaning open as in the opening of spring. it has etruscan origins and has been given as the name to the fourth month of the year."
--compliments of baby names
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 10:29:12 AM| link

i have a feeling that there are people out there who aren't familiar with the ocarina. so, just to clear things up a bit, it's a clay flute. they are much simpler to play than your regular old orchestra-style flute or even a wooden flute. i picked mine up about 3 years ago at the feast of the hunters' moon near west lafayette, indiana. they come in varying shapes, including animal moldings. mine is round and is signed by the fellow who created it with an interesting symbol. the ocarina is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. they have been found in china dating back 7,000 years and also in africa as old as 30,000 years. several believe that the clay flute has a spirtual connection with animals. i tend to agree since when i play my cats have always "gathered round." even the dog seems interested. they are a relatively inexpensive instrument. i believe mine was only $12 and considering the fact that it is a handmade instrument, i find that to be reasonable. i would certainly recommend them for young children since music is easily read and a kid could clearly produce known songs quickly. my favorite songs to play: three little birds and bach's third minuet.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 10:01:12 AM| link

well, i really should have been in bed hours ago, but before i go, i would like to leave any viewers with a hymn that was often performed by the good old grateful dead as a show closer, courtesy of grateful dead lyric and song finder. btw, i don't consider myself a christian, but this is just a very sweet song.

Lay down my dear brothers, lay down and take your rest
Won't you lay your head upon your saviour's breast
I love you, oh but Jesus loves you the best
And I bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
And I bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight


posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 02:26:44 AM| link

this notice came to me by way of an animal issues alert newletter i receive. if anyone can help, please contact dr. eubanks. if you are interested in other animal issues, please look at the old incarnation of this site. there is a page dedicated to causes and people who are making a difference. good luck, dr. eubanks!

My name is Dewayne Eubanks. I am a neurosurgeon, conservationist, dog lover, horseman and all -'round country boy. I was brought up to believe in caring for the animals that we own and I love my 4 year old black Lab, Rebel, like my kids. He was stolen from my home on Dec 18, 1999. I have solid information that he was taken by (or for) a nearby "buncher" who sells dogs to research facilities. I am working on proving it. For now, I am working very hard to get him back, realizing that it is extremely unlikely. My home is on County Road 464 in Jonesboro, AR. My goal is to post this notice on every animal Website that I can find and send it to every USDA licensed Class "A" and Class "B" animal dealer and every licensed research facility, vet school and medical school in the country. I would appreciate it if you could keep your eyes open for my friend. I will pay $3000 dollars for his safe return, no questions asked. I will pay $7000 MORE for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the thieves and others involved in the conspiracy. I am planning a Website specifically devoted to the problem of stolen animals, making public the incredible evidence that I have uncovered as well as serving as a database for others who have had pets stolen. Please feel free to forward this to anyone or anywhere you wish. If you would like to be notified when the Website is up and going, please forward to me your e-mail address. Please pass this on to anyone you can think of who would be able to help.

Thank You.
K. Dewayne Eubanks, M.D.
Jonesboro, AR
SkyDoc314@aol.com
870-931-5511 (home),
870-931-5599 (fax)

posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 12:44:57 AM| link

advertising that works: pets.com. that sock puppet is great! i think the commercial with him singing spinning wheel is pure genius. apparently, i'm not the only one who digs the sock, i noticed a kudos on kottke.org as well.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 12:32:41 AM| link

as a kid, i used to go to stephenson's general store with my mom. it's kind of a tourist attraction in our small town, but it's right by my school and not far from granny's. i always got candy or ice cream and i always favored the willy wonka gobstoppers. really, they have the best candy on the market....and their site is really cool! it appears that there is a new wonka chocolate bar.
posted by April Fraze 3/2/2000 12:07:54 AM| link

Wednesday, March 01, 2000

you know, the net is truly for everyone. one of the things i like about starting this blog is it has inspired me to dig in and actually look for things to include. today has been a bad day for me, so i've been weeding through some humor sites. of course, everybody loves a webcam, so i decided to link to litterpan alley, home of roscoe. a litterbox cam....who would have thunk it...only on the web...now i ask myself...do people actually watch? poor cat, not a minute's privacy.
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 11:33:44 PM| link

i've been a little low on content today, so i figured i'd browse tonight for some fun links to include. check out this interactive poetry site. there are several poems in progress that you can add to as you please. and thanks for coming to my site.
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 11:29:31 PM| link

so, does anyone else seem to be having a lot of net lags these days or is it just me?
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 11:02:49 PM| link

nobody for president!
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 09:55:16 PM| link

it's funny how quickly life can take a turn. i've been nursing my sick dog over the past week and i had to take her to the vet today....the damage: $362! money well spent, but all the way home i kept turning it over in my head that i may not have a dime left over on my next check. i post-dated the check for payday, since i have nothing to spare right now. now, i think i may need to call the vet and see if i can return and reclaim that check and perhaps divide the expense over 2 pay periods. the problem: i will still have no fun money.....argh!!!!

it's just me in a mood i suppose, but i swear i can't get past the fact that until may i am looking at total financial burden. april brings the due dates on my auto insurance, auto tags, and state taxes...it's also my birthday, so i get a bit pouty about it. no money, no friends, no fun. just another wednesday at home.

can you say "feeling sorry for myself"?

i'm sure i'll get over this, but it is only proof that money is, in fact, the root of all evil. i've been under the thumb of debt for so long i just don't deal well with extra expense. to make it worse, i moved here for my job and i hate my job. i was anxious to get somewhere, however, and the raise and bonus opportunities were good. well, i was asked to sign a contract before i left stating that if i left the company before 12/31 i would have to reimburse the $1750 in moving expenses. well, that leaves me feeling trapped. then about a week ago i find out they've overpaid me the past 3 pay periods and will be taking the entire sum out of my next check. how nice of them! you would think such a decision could be negotiated since i don't make that much and there are obviously expenses required in my life and i need to fulfill them, but the decision was already made before i even knew anything was wrong....i love working for such a considerate bunch of assholes. it was already going to be tight, but with $462 in vet expenses (i paid $100 last week), it is now impossible. well, thanks for listening.
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 09:10:30 PM| link

i'm not a ufo buff...but, i think it's interesting. as with about everything else in the world, i simply don't disbelieve in anything. i do approach most issue with a degree of skepticism though......today, skirting around the issue of work i decided to search under ufos, and i found this page discussing a contact in hopkinsville kentucky.

this was the first i ever heard about this early sighting, and i thought it was pretty cool. i grew up in southern indiana, so i was surprised that it wan't common folklore. anyone know any more about this story? if so, send me your info.
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 03:01:40 PM| link

happy birthday, opie cunningham and daisy duke! both ron howard and catherine bach turn 46 today!
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 01:02:42 PM| link

yeah! i got my minnesota state driver's license today! it took a month....geez! in indiana we always got them the day we went in and i was shocked at the difference. one good thing: the picture is actually pretty good. now, how often does that happen? the snowflake holograms are pretty cute, i have to admit.
posted by April Fraze 3/1/2000 12:19:45 PM| link

Tuesday, February 29, 2000

ok, i've been at this all day, tomorrow i have to work on other things, so content will be minimal. before i wrap up the evening, i wanted to mention an e-mail i got from a friend. last year there was a gas out to drive down the cost of gas, and if i remember correctly it worked. a bunch of people banned together and did not buy gas for one day. well, according to this circulating e-mail, there are plans for a gas out in the works. this time for 3 days! i know it may seem hokey, but it can't hurt to try. so, from april 7-9, 2000 try not to buy gas. let's see if we can do anything about these outrageous prices.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 11:46:35 PM| link

just a quick note: i just bought a djembe on e-bay yesterday....guess how excited i am!!!! now if i could only find someone to teach me to play the mandolin i got for christmas or maybe i could get a little more into my guitar or my harmonica or my ocarina. yeah, like i need another instrument to learn, but like a wise man once said, "let there be songs, to fill the air." anyone with tips, techniques, words of encouragement: e-mail me, please.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 11:34:04 PM| link

i'm beginning to think i may be the only person who has registered with phone free. i've had 4 calls from dudes in 24 hours and i knew none of them. i'm telling you, girls, this is the way to meet men. i think i'll ditch the program myself. you see, i don't think i need any more distractions when i'm on-line. blogging is bad enough itself.

i am happy to say that today has been my all time high for visits to my site! so far i've had 24 people stop by, and although that might seem miniscule to some of you more serious bloggers.....it makes my day!

"strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hand........"
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 11:13:34 PM| link

ok, i'm sitting here watching my video of wonder years episodes again. think i will have to get a dish or cable, so i can watch it. it's only the coolest show ever! and for all of you diehard fans....the wonder years book is on-line! no, i haven't read it. i love the show, but i have other things i'd rather spend my time reading.

i think the best episode is the one where karen celebrates her 18th birthday and jack has no idea what to give her as a gift. they are arguing, of course, and in the end he gives her his army bag with his dog tags. the perfect gift.

always been a daddy's girl myself.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 09:06:56 PM| link

i can't believe it! another school shooting, and this time it was a couple of six-year olds. i just don't get it. my heart goes out to that little girl's family.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 05:08:52 PM| link

is this thing on?
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 04:54:37 PM| link

"Sandwiches were invented by the Earl of Sandwich, popcorn was invented by the Earl of Popcorn, and salad dressing by the Oil of Vinegar. The moon invented natural rhythm. Civilization uninvented it."
--from still life with woodpecker, tom robbins

i promise this won't turn into a bunch of book quotes, but i continually find myself looking back to a few of the paragraphs i read this week and contemplating the validity of the words. imagine a world where everyone allowed their biorhythms, the phases of the moon, and the rise and fall of the sun to naturally determine their days. perhaps businesses would fail because there would be no one there at 8:00am, but it's still nice to consider. i'm just tired. the moon phases have a greater impact on the world than a lot of people realize.

please check the old farmer's almanac for details.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 04:22:22 PM| link

uh.....i don't know what to say about this. so how many guys wish it was their idea?
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 01:55:41 PM| link

o.k., girls. are you hoping to find mr. right on-line? might i suggest you try phone free. i saw the commercials on tv and downloaded it even though i had no idea how it worked. i sent it to my family and a few friends i want to be able to talk to when we're on-line. well, in the past 24 hours i've had 2 calls from strange men trying out their phone free accounts. personally, i'm happy to help them figure it out, but who knows who you're talking to?! oh well. just a suggestion....if you want to call me while i'm on-line, i guess you can. my number is: 926184. please, have something to talk about if you're going to call me....i do actually work. well, sort of.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 01:44:47 PM| link

the truth is out there, and it's scaring the hell out of me....yikes! no more rotten dot com for me.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 11:48:56 AM| link

every once in awhile you see something that makes your jaw drop...this is it for today......
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 11:40:47 AM| link

this has to be the most beautiful day i've seen in minnesota thus far! days like this get me really excited about the spring and starting my first all me, out of pots, in the ground, so do it up big time garden! i plan on trying to do it organically, as i did last year on my balcony, thank goodness i have light this year, my corn only reached my knees. still all the effort was a blast for 4 green beans, about 20 strawberries, 9 new potatoes and a few pretty flowers. i had so many plants i thought the balcony might cave under the weight.

mother earth news has a nice article about keeping pests out of your garden without dousing it with a bunch of chemicals...certainly worth the read.

i've got several houseplants recently, but my favorite is the giant philodendron. it's getting a new leaf! yeah! the leaves start out as a spike in the center of the plant approximately 8 inches long. they eventually pull away from the stem and you can begin to see the way the leaf is rolled up. mine is at that stage now. soon it will unfurl into a huge shiny new leaf. could anything else be this exciting?

i'm not sure where i first developed my love for plants. maybe it just comes from growing up in the woods, or maybe granny taught me something when she showed me what she planted. perhaps i just get a satisfaction from seeing something living thrive from my love. i always buy small, 3 inch pots (well almost always), and watch them grow. one day, i will have a lush plant populous throughout my house that started on a small shelf or windowsill.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 10:50:03 AM| link

it really is all about the money. ratings soared for abc, a down-trodden network, when they first aired who wants to be a millionaire? now every channel has their own version of a high-paying prime-time gameshow. you know, i think they suck. please tell me this won't last. could it be possible to run out of trivia questions? i think the worst thing about it is the fact that they're on every other night or so, yeah, i'll admit the first week of airtime the show seemed cool. of course, on my lunchbreak one day while sitting on my bench reading the paper i predicted this would happen. abc had soared in the ratings, so it made sense they would try to hold on to the momentum. i just don't get the longevity of it. write me, tell me why you watch. if you're anything like me it's because you don't have cable and it's all that's on. the spin-off shows are lame.....and what the hell is up with all the drama?!
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 10:15:01 AM| link

" 'Neoteny' is 'remaining young', and it may be ironic that it is so little known, because human evolution has been dominated by it. Humans have evolved to their relatively high state by retaining the immature characteristics of their ancestors. Humans are the most advanced of mammals-although a case could be made for the dolphins-because they seldom grow up. Behavioral traits such as curiosity about the world, flexibility of response, and playfulness are common to practically all young mammals but are usually rapidly lost with the onset of maturity in all but humans. Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature."
--from still life with woodpecker by tom robbins

well, i might be able to argue that certain apes maintain their immaturity and playfulness, but i'm not a zoologist, so i won't. but this passage leaves me to wonder why generations of parents tell their children to "grow up". will humanity be lost if we do? so, on behalf of the prolonged existence of humanity and to further aid the evolutionary processes. i vow to never grow up. are there any supporters out there?
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 10:02:09 AM| link

so, i've been moody and somewhat restless today. i was thinking about starting a new site under an alias and seeing what direction i took if only strangers where reading. in the end, i realized that there wasn't anything i would write that couldn't be seen by my friends and the real desire was to be working on something new. so, i decided to create alter::ego. i've been looking at a lot of weblogs created with blogger and i realized that it might be fun to do a weblog page that had other useless information on it....so, welcome to the birth of my new weblog.
posted by April Fraze 2/29/2000 12:04:30 AM| link

Monday, February 28, 2000

attention minnesotans! tomorrow is the last day to get your ice-fishing shacks off the lakes! don't fall in!
posted by April Fraze 2/28/2000 09:39:16 PM| link

if you're here, let me apologize for the mess. in the meantime, if you're putting your own site together, check out daddy longlegs productions.
posted by April Fraze 2/28/2000 09:07:58 PM| link