Ladies and gentlemen.
I have….
Pneumonia!
Continue reading I got the walking pneumonia, and the boogie woogie flu.
Tag Archives: scottopedia
I love Halloween! Mexico has the right idea!
Every autumn, Monarch Butterflies, which have summered up north in the United States and Canada, return to Mexico for the winter protection of the oyamel fir trees. The locale inhabitants welcome back the returning butterflies, which they believe bear the spirits of their departed. The spirits to be honored during Los Dias de los Muertos.
Los Dias de los Muertos, the Days of the Dead, is a traditional Mexico holiday honoring the dead. It’s celebrated every year at the same time as Halloween and the Christian holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day (November 1st and 2nd). Los Dias de los Muertos is not a sad time, but instead a time of remembering and rejoicing.
The townspeople dress up as ghouls, ghosts, mummies and skeletons and parade through the town carrying an open coffin. The “corpse” within smiles as it is carried through the narrow streets of town. The local vendors toss oranges inside as the procession makes its way past their markets. Lucky “corpses” can also catch flowers, fruits, and candies.
In the homes families arrange ofrenda’s or “altars” with flowers, bread, fruit and candy. Pictures of the deceased family members are added. In the late afternoon special all night burning candles are lit – it is time to remember the departed – the old ones, their parents and grandparents.
The next day the families travel to the cemetery. They arrive with hoes, picks and shovels. They also carry flowers, candles, blankets, and picnic baskets. They have come to clean the graves of their loved ones. The grave sites are weeded and the dirt raked smooth. The Crypts are scrubbed and swept. Colorful flowers, bread, fruit and candles are placed on the graves. Some bring guitars and radios to listen to. The families will spend the entire night in the cemeteries.
Skeletons and skulls are found everywhere. Chocolate skulls, marzipan coffins, and white chocolate skeletons. Special loaves of bread are baked, called pan de muertos, and decorated with “bones.
The celebration of Los Dias de los Muertos, like the customs of Halloween, evolved with the influences of the Celtics, the Romans, and the Christian holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, but with added influences from the Aztec people of Mexico.
The Aztecs believed in an afterlife where the spirits of their dead would return as hummingbirds and butterflies. Even images carved in the ancient Aztec monuments show this belief – the linking the spirits of the dead and the Monarch butterfly.
Random Scotto factoids
Pebbles Flintstone was born (on TV) 7 years to the day before I was. (Though I wasn’t on TV).
The scariest thing about Weebles was that you can’t lie them on their side to indicate when one is sleeping or dead.
I saw a bus-stop ad yesterday that read, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for pork tenderloin.”
Weebles may wobble but if you drop one from a helicopter hovering a few feet over an active volcano, they will indeed fall down. That’s gravity, you know. Not only will they fall, they will melt. It’s true. And the same goes for your sun glasses and random objects you can find sitting around inside the helicopter. Oh yeah. Helicopter pilots don’t like it when you throw random things from the helicopter into an active volcano. Remember that. It’s important.
read the dictionary sometime –
*sigh*
So many emotions.
My current pleasant surprise is that people are realizing that not all of Islam is behind all if the recent hubbub, but a non-peaceful, misguided splinter fringe.
Why can’t these same folks realize that other religions are the same way? When I say something is Christian, I mean it as a compliment… some folks I know use it as an insult. It’s really a small, misguided percentage of the whole who claim to be Christian, too. They’re not all Pat Robertson… many more are kind, giving people that are quite tolerant, working to make the world a better place.
Thanks a lot, ya dang Hussites!
Random historical tidbit:
The wagensburg was based in its organization on that of the Hussites. An Ordinance of 1480 speaks of two lines each of 50 wagons, a line either side of 100 each, and two outer lines of 300. Colored signal flags were used, largely of red and white, four of them bearing the symbols of a cannon, crossbow, halberd, or pike as easy recognition signs. An executioner and gallows accompanied the army; robbery brought the loss of a hand, while deceit concerning the enemy might mean being clubbed through the wagon lines.
eye post.
for
today is going *poorly*
running late.
in clumsy oaf mode, I’ve broken the door, because I lost my temper when the keypad didn’t work for the umpty-umpth time, and smacked (I only smack inanimate objects) it, putting a hand-shaped dent in the cheap, hollow plywood piece of crap they call a door.
I just went to kevin’s office, and told him to let me know how much a replacement cheap, hollow plywood piece of crap they call an excuse for a door will be.
Stuff I’ve learned, or been reminded of these last 12 months.
Things I believed in a year ago that I don’t right now.
Karma, especially enforced karma.
People are basically good. (Some are but I don’t feel it’s the norm. I feel it’s more environment than nature. Man is a savage creature.)
Things I believe right now, that I didn’t have as good a grasp on this time last year.
Innate Evil in Everyone, and Society & Law is needed to contain it. (When left to his own devices, man will seek the most selfish way, not the most kind or beneficial for the whole)
Mercy is vital, perhaps more so than Justice, as it’s not my place to be the judge.
Things I still believe
Be Nice… it doesn’t matter if they’re nice back.
Don’t bother arguing past the point of reason with a stupid person
Some people will not accept what I find to be reasonable or common sense to be such.
The opinions of folks I don’t care about don’t matter.
On a lighter note, I bet
Scotto helpful hint of the day –
If you think you’re enlightened, then you’re not.
straight dope on kegel.
For all you women entering that odd time called menopause and have been told that doing Kegel exercises will help strengthen your uterus so that you don’t have “leakage” in your older age.
Ever wonder if men have problems as they get older and if they can strengthen their own appendages?
Don’t be stupid, Scotto.
Unless it’s entertaining, and the person knows you’re not *really* stupid.
I’m still worried for/about her… I’m confident that she’ll be less anxious once she gets ‘back on track’ but I wish I could give her some sort of supplemental happiness, strength or good feelings. I love her so much, and want her to feel maximum goodness, and the absolute minimum downsides needed to make her healthy and complete. I can offer a strong arm, an accepting heart, and a willingness to ride with her through any troubles that may come… and of course all my love.
Hey, I’m a nice guy and all… but… look at me.
Let the Wookie win…it’s just a good idea.
http://www.usflag.org/us.code36.html#176
ยง176. Respect for flag
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.
(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
hmm… I have a few car lots around here that should read this.
for respect, maybe a trip to http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html is in order.
THE ACCOUNT OF THE FISHER KING
The story of the Fisher King begins when the king is a boy, having to spend the night alone in the forest to prove his courage so he can become king. And while he’s spending the night alone he is visited by a sacred vision. Out of the fire appears the Holy Grail, the symbol of God’s divine grace. And a voice said to the boy, “You shall be keeper of the grail so that it may heal the hearts of men.” But the boy was blinded by greater visions of a life of power, glory, and beauty. And in this state of radical amazement he felt for a brief moment, not like a boy, but invincible, like God. So he reached in the fire to take the grail and the grail vanished, leaving him with his hand in the fire to be terribly wounded. Now as this boy grew older his wound grew deeper, until one day life for him lost its reason. He had no faith in any man, not even himself. He couldn’t love, or feel love. He was sick with experience; he began to die. One day a fool wandered into the castle and found the king alone. Now being a fool he was simple-minded; he didn’t see a king, he only saw a man alone and in pain. And he asked the king, “What ails you, friend?” The king replied, “I’m thirsty. I need some water to cool my throat.” So the fool took a cup from beside his bed, filled it with water, and handed it to the king. As the king began to drink, he realized his wound was healed. He looked in his hands and there was the Holy Grail, that which he had sought all of his life. He turned to the fool and said with amazement, “How could you find that which my brightest and bravest could not?” The fool replied, “I don’t know. I only knew that you were thirsty.”