An Invasion of a "STRANGER" Kind.... NEW THREAD IS UP!! Go Thee NOW!

[glennbo123]

Will you be taking TR notes in your Mickey binder or do you have a separate notebook for that?

 

[All7OfUs]

I love all your planning books. So cute! I never manage to find the time to do anything like that. I'm lucky of mine make it out of the 2 prong file folders I "borrow" from work. I'm a bit in awe of everyone who makes such pretty folders.




Thanks! I get a bit kick out of watching them shake.

2 prong "borrowed" file folders work just as well! Really, if I hadn't had almost 2 years to plan this trip, there'd be no Minnie or Mickey to tag along.

Will you be taking TR notes in your Mickey binder or do you have a separate notebook for that?

Now, now, Master Meriaglennbo.... let's not be too hasty. I"ve channeled my inner Ent for a short time.

 

[KatMark]

Greasy beef-noodle soup- meh. But we did enjoy watching the macho wannabes do the electronic punching bag thing. We think one guy might have broken his wrist. Cheap entertainment.

It's Monday AM, Hope you're feeling lots better now!

Not overly organized, just utterly forgetful.

Feeling much better today. I woke up feeling better yesterday (Sunday) and washed two cars, planted my flowers and then sat on my rearend (house did NOT get cleaned this weekend) and watched our Blackhawks sweep the Sharks! It was a good day. I took hubby to Chili's for dinner once he got home from umpping. He actually ended up doing Andy's teams' semi-final game. Mark tried to get three other umps to switch the game with him because he never wants to be accused of favoritism, but no one would budge; so Mark just told the kids on Andy's team -- YOU DON'T KNOW ME FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS; it didn't end up making a difference--Andy's team won going away in the semi's (unfortunately they lost the championship game 10-6).

Love the Mickey page.

I'm trying to think of what I could have you do for me, except aren't you there after me?

 

[All7OfUs]

Feeling much better today. I woke up feeling better yesterday (Sunday) and washed two cars, planted my flowers and then sat on my rearend (house did NOT get cleaned this weekend) and watched our Blackhawks sweep the Sharks! It was a good day. I took hubby to Chili's for dinner once he got home from umpping. He actually ended up doing Andy's teams' semi-final game. Mark tried to get three other umps to switch the game with him because he never wants to be accused of favoritism, but no one would budge; so Mark just told the kids on Andy's team -- YOU DON'T KNOW ME FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS; it didn't end up making a difference--Andy's team won going away in the semi's (unfortunately they lost the championship game 10-6).

Love the Mickey page.

I'm trying to think of what I could have you do for me, except aren't you there after me?

I'm so glad. I was starting to wonder if you indeed needed to go in for an antibiotic. We're pretty minimalist (like my kids see a doc. every 3 years like it or not), but then again, we can get them over the counter in a dire emergency (ie. sore throat that goes on for too long with ***** tonsils). Chilis is pretty good! I could go for a giant bacon cheeseburger right now, but then I'd like totally cancel the 28 minute jog/walk thing I just did. Half way done with the C25K!!!!

I would NOT want to ump any of my kids' teams! Too many whacko parents out there! You'd think their kids were in a million dollar tourney or something.

What are your dates again??

 

[Flossbolna]

Interesting German going on here... Google isn't really that great for that!! Ich mochte Mickys Kopf (please note: Mickey is called Micky in German!!) can easily be mixed up with Ich möchte Mickys Kopf which means: I want Mickey's head....

And I was thinking of WS Germany. I think I might be able to take care of taking a pic of you and family in the real Germany myself (and possibly one of us together!! ).

 

[All7OfUs]

Interesting German going on here... Google isn't really that great for that!! Ich mochte Mickys Kopf (please note: Mickey is called Micky in German!!) can easily be mixed up with Ich möchte Mickys Kopf which means: I want Mickey's head....

And I was thinking of WS Germany. I think I might be able to take care of taking a pic of you and family in the real Germany myself (and possibly one of us together!! ).

I KNEW you'd be calling us out on our sloppy German. Question: Do Germans always capitalize the first letters of all the words in a sentence?? Is the only difference in these sentences the o with dots above it?? I think the more important thing to learn here is: "I WANT German sausages and potato pancakes!!!"

Ok that's not funny, I really do!

OK, you got it! A picture in WS Germany. I'll have to get creative on this one.....

 

[KatMark]

I'm so glad. I was starting to wonder if you indeed needed to go in for an antibiotic. We're pretty minimalist (like my kids see a doc. every 3 years like it or not), but then again, we can get them over the counter in a dire emergency (ie. sore throat that goes on for too long with ***** tonsils). Chilis is pretty good! I could go for a giant bacon cheeseburger right now, but then I'd like totally cancel the 28 minute jog/walk thing I just did. Half way done with the C25K!!!!

I would NOT want to ump any of my kids' teams! Too many whacko parents out there! You'd think their kids were in a million dollar tourney or something.

What are your dates again??

I thought of calling my doctor...but I hate bothering her on the weekend unless I absolutely have to. Parents are nutso--I saw it for too many years...you couldn't pay me to coach or ref or any of that nonsense.

We are there September 17 - 21.

 

[winkers]

Don't bow too low, take a look at your tag...

too true!

with my luck you never know what I could hurt!

 

[All7OfUs]

I thought of calling my doctor...but I hate bothering her on the weekend unless I absolutely have to. Parents are nutso--I saw it for too many years...you couldn't pay me to coach or ref or any of that nonsense.

We are there September 17 - 21.

I can understand that. I'm sure the docs want to have a decent weekend too.

Well, you are there AFTER we are. Sure you don't want me to look for anything, or get a certain fun picture, or ???

too true!

with my luck you never know what I could hurt!

I've seen your version of pole dancing too, lest you forget...

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh, I just realized you are already half way to 5k!! Congratulations!! Perhaps we can go for a run together in Nuremberg in August?

German only capitalizes the first letter of every noun (so in order to know how to write, you need some basic knowledge of grammar) as well as in English: names. Also in a letter we would write "you" with a capital letter. You might have heard that German uses two forms of "you": "Du" and "Sie" - the former is used under friends and young peoplem the second one is more formal. Foreigners always find it very difficult which one to use. It really is a cultural skill and even varies in different areas and is changing a lot at the moment. For example when my parents were at university "Sie" was still very common among the students, while today in my generation anyone my age I meet privately I would most likely use "Du" with, but not if I meet them professionally. Even I find it difficult!! So don't be confused!!

Speaking of German grammar: it is pretty similar to Latin grammar we are always taught. Partly this comes from the fact that one of the first ever written texts published in German was Luther's translation of the New Testament from the Latin text. He believed that the Bible had to be the foundation of faith and thus had to be understandable for everyone. His translation was incredibly important for the development of a common German language at a time when various dialects were spoken in Germany.

 

[KatMark]

I can understand that. I'm sure the docs want to have a decent weekend too.

Well, you are there AFTER we are. Sure you don't want me to look for anything, or get a certain fun picture, or ???

Yes, and they have families too.

Well, the only thing I can think of now, is if you notice any place that is selling t-shirts in size 3X for my darling Mark, let me know. We have such a hard time finding him shirts. The 2X's fit, but they shrink and then they don't fit.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. You are a doll to offer.

 

[All7OfUs]

Oh, I just realized you are already half way to 5k!! Congratulations!! Perhaps we can go for a run together in Nuremberg in August?

German only capitalizes the first letter of every noun (so in order to know how to write, you need some basic knowledge of grammar) as well as in English: names. Also in a letter we would write "you" with a capital letter. You might have heard that German uses two forms of "you": "Du" and "Sie" - the former is used under friends and young peoplem the second one is more formal. Foreigners always find it very difficult which one to use. It really is a cultural skill and even varies in different areas and is changing a lot at the moment. For example when my parents were at university "Sie" was still very common among the students, while today in my generation anyone my age I meet privately I would most likely use "Du" with, but not if I meet them professionally. Even I find it difficult!! So don't be confused!!

Speaking of German grammar: it is pretty similar to Latin grammar we are always taught. Partly this comes from the fact that one of the first ever written texts published in German was Luther's translation of the New Testament from the Latin text. He believed that the Bible had to be the foundation of faith and thus had to be understandable for everyone. His translation was incredibly important for the development of a common German language at a time when various dialects were spoken in Germany.

That is EXACTLY the same in Blankistani (all Turkik languages, in fact). There are 2 "you"s, well, in fact, there are actually 4. Singular casual, singular formal, plural casual, and plural formal. It is VERY confusing, but is eased somewhat by the automatic asking of one's age first thing. But for English speakers, and in particular, Americans, I think it is VERY difficult to get used to- since we tend to be an overly informal culture.

That is very interesting about Luther! We, in fact, JUST watched that movie about 2 weeks ago, and loved it. They made several references to his wanting various dictionaries in Latin and other needed materials for his translation. Vernacular Scriptures certainly were incredibly important in church history, as well as, the development of German, and likely other languages too.

Yes, and they have families too.

Well, the only thing I can think of now, is if you notice any place that is selling t-shirts in size 3X for my darling Mark, let me know. We have such a hard time finding him shirts. The 2X's fit, but they shrink and then they don't fit.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. You are a doll to offer.

Hmmm... ok. That's a more specific request. I like that. Aimless shopping, not so much, but 3X, I can look for. I'll let you know what I find.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Interesting German going on here... Google isn't really that great for that!! Ich mochte Mickys Kopf (please note: Mickey is called Micky in German!!) can easily be mixed up with Ich möchte Mickys Kopf which means: I want Mickey's head....

I said:
Ich mochte Mickey kopfs. Not Mickey's kopf!

I was going to tell her how to ask for a Dole Whip but I couldn't think of a good reason why she would be speaking German to do that.

 

[All7OfUs]

I said:
Ich mochte Mickey kopfs. Not Mickey's kopf!

I was going to tell her how to ask for a Dole Whip but I couldn't think of a good reason why she would be speaking German to do that.

Nope, can't see any reason to use German ordering a Dole Whip, unless I didn't want to pay, and needed to pretend I didn't speak English.

 

[All7OfUs]

A day of monumental importance has arrived for The Belle Battalion!! Please join with us in a celebration of gargantuan proportions, and lend your party ear this way.



I thought I’d start by turning your attention to the past, reminiscent of Carousel of Progress… (if you get too far down, and find it boring, please feel free to skip straight to the Disney stuff below!)


“This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine...

The year is 1906. One hundred (and 4) years ago. What a difference a century makes!

Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:

• The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
• Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
• With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
• The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
• The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
• Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.
• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
• Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
• 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke
• The American flag had 45 stars.
• Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea had not been invented yet.
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
• Two out of every 10 U.S. adults could not read or write.
• Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then the pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
• Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

So, to think I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and posted it to you in a matter of seconds!

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.”

Copyright © 2002 JPS/Kitco Inc.

As fascinating as all that was, my aim is not to dwell on the distant past, but rather turn our eyes to the not-so-distant future.

100 DAYS ​

in the future, in fact!!!


If you’ll recall, Soldier #1 (that’s me) has been fighting the various battles of real life, in hopes of a resounding Victory Week at Disney World. Here are some of the real life “enemies” that I have been hard at work against for the last 10 years.

I NEED A BREAK!!

I NEED A LONG VACATION,

with good friends, a bit of pampering, and a whole lotta fun! I want someone to cook for me, make my beds, clean my toilets, and not yell, “MOOOoooooooooom!”

I want to go to bed when I want to, get up when I want to, go where my own feet take me, and watch fireworks from restaurant balconies.

In exactly 100 days, I will be staying somewhere here:

(Thanks JenBear, for letting me unashamedly heist that!)

Doesn’t really matter where… as long as it’s not here:

Doing that!

Even Tate was pretty excited when he woke up this morning! He got out his favorite shoes and all his party stuff to celebrate!

And if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will!

So, in honor of our 100 day mark, I give you:

​

 

[Flossbolna]

Wow!!! 100 days, I can't believe that your trip is finally getting so close!!

And have you realized that you are only 30 pages away from your PTR Part III??? You are soon going to hit the 250 pages mark!

I loved your 1906 post! I recently read some of the Betsy/Tacy books (thanks to some discussion on PPP's PTR) and the first one I read was the first year in High School which takes place in 1906. I was amazed how modern life in 1906 in the US was, but I assume that this was just a small minority of people if I look at your statistics. Betsy has a telephone for example...

 

[All7OfUs]

Wow!!! 100 days, I can't believe that your trip is finally getting so close!!

And have you realized that you are only 30 pages away from your PTR Part III??? You are soon going to hit the 250 pages mark!

I loved your 1906 post! I recently read some of the Betsy/Tacy books (thanks to some discussion on PPP's PTR) and the first one I read was the first year in High School which takes place in 1906. I was amazed how modern life in 1906 in the US was, but I assume that this was just a small minority of people if I look at your statistics. Betsy has a telephone for example...

It's both exhiliarating and anxiety-inducing all rolled up into one collossal ball of frenzy! I've had people in and out of my house non-stop (literally!) for 2 days and people nearly beating down my door trying to rip my refridgerator, oven, furniture and dishes right out from under my nose. It's rather frightening how a simple garage sale can induce such mass hysteria. Please people, I know the clothes are marked at $.60 a piece, but stand back, or I'll skewer you with a shashlik stick!!!!

Moving on...

Yes! Speaking of hysteria, I did notice that I'm scarily close to the 250 page mark!! To be honest, it frightens me a teensy bit. Starting a new thread is a bit of work, and my time is getting rather tight. Now, all that to (NOT) say I want ANYONE to stop posting! AT. ALL!!!! This thread is the only link I have to sanity and relaxation right now. Please, lurkers, one and all, regular posters- all 10 of you... how fast can we bring this one to a close?? Who knows? I do know that it'd be nice if we can end this one to perfectly coincide with my leaving for Chaostan on June 6th. That would be tidy indeed! But, if necessity warrants a new thread (yes, I have been thinking about a new title!!! ) then so be it. Bring. it. on.


I guess I am a sucker for nostalgia. I was helping Bek study for her American Lit. test today, and it was all about the Romantic Period- 1820-1965. I learned a LOT! It was absolutely fascinating- from Poe, to Hawthorne, to Whitman, to Melville. Although I cannot agree with the basic precepts that were fundamental to the Romantic Period, I do enjoy the literature in some respects. All that to say, that 1906 was interesting as well, and I found that little bit of trivia fun to read. We've just sold our one and only Betsy and Tacy book- Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Hill; my kids read it to death and LOVED it!! Fun stuff!

 

[glennbo123]

100 days? Next you'll be telling us you're in double digits.

 

[All7OfUs]

100 days? Next you'll be telling us you're in double digits.

YA THINK??!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

That was a great 100 days Celebration!! I shared the random facts with my co-worker, we enjoyed them. Thank you.

100 days!!