Top Ten Newsworthy Events of 2004

1.  Martha Stewart going to jail
2.  The devastating earthquake and tsunami
3.  Boston Red Sox winning the World Series
4. Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl (aka Boobgate)
5. The election
6.  Scott Peterson being convicted and sentenced to death
7.  Gov. Fletcher's plane disrupting President Ronald Reagan's funeral
8.  The fall hurricanes
9.  The Memorial Day weekend tornados
10. Holiday Storm 2004

The Coolest Things That Happened To Me In 2004

1.  My parents are still going strong at 71
2.  Summer vacation to Nashville
3.  Getting a private tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame
4.  Front row seats for Shania Twain and getting her autograph
5.  Tammy Fest II
6.  Chrysler 300 stretch limo ride to the Glory of Rome
7.  Completing all of my dental work
8.  Going to my first biker night
9.  Starting my own journal
10. Getting my BMW
11. Taking a Pilates class
12. Going to the new Hard Rock Cafe on Fourth Street Live

Holiday Storm 2004 Reflections

I always try to keep a positive outlook about life; even in the midst of trouble and sadness and crises, I try to find something good that came/will come out of it.  It's been a week since Holiday Storm 2004 hit, and I've been thinking back on everything that's happened this past week here in Louisville.  Even though it was a bitch last week and this past weekend, as the thaw continues, I've found some positive things that have happened.  At first glance, they seem like negatives, but if we look deeper we can see how they're not so bad after all.  Also included is commentary by my dear friend and eloquent writer Michael. 

1. No mail
    Negative - no Christmas cards and no package deliveries
    Positive - no bills

Michael Thought:  The US Post Office is free to increase the price of postage with no value adds on its services.  I didn't have mail delivery for five days after the holiday storm and the Post Office could never find it when I drove to their office.  However, the Courier-Jounal was delivered faithfully every morning in a green plastic sleeve.  It seems strange that I see the postman and get the wrong mail but on the other hand, I have never seen my newspaper carrier and receive my newspaper faithfully on a daily basis before 5:30a.

2. No garbage pick-up
    Negative - no garbage pick up
    Positive -  no trips out to the end of driveway dragging garbage bags in 8 degree temperatures

Michael Thought:  I had no problem in this area.  I do fondly remember though in the 1994 storm, how the mayor urged garbage trucks and fire equipment vehicles to visit neighborhoods to mash the snow down since we were lacking in snow plows.

3. Cars being snowed in/stuck
    Negative - you can't go anywhere
    Positive - you don't have to go anywhere

Michael Thought: Snowfall prediction is more accurate than a decade ago.  We should take proactive measures when snowfall is predicted and use the two days to stock up on food, kerosene, beer, cigarettes, video rentals and whatever else will sustain us through bouts of cabin fever.  When asnow emergency is declared, people need to stay in and avoid driving to allow the snow removal team to operate more efficiently.  I often wondered how many drivers of the numerous ditched vehicles really had an emergency to attend or were mandated to be at work.  On the other hand, I'm willing to bet that many were out to catch a last minute sale or finish up Christmas shopping at the local mall.

4. Piles of snow from snowplows blocking driveway/subdivision entrances
    Negative - you can't get out of your driveway
    Positive - friends/relatives that you really did not want to see can't get out of their driveways to come pay their obligatory visit to you

Michael Thought:  Some people need to stay in their driveway.  Bryan and I feverishly snowblowed our neighbors drives and driveway/mailbox approaches without a barely mumbled thanks.  We attempted to plow the wall of snow at the entrance of the subdivision left by the county plows only to be hampered by joyriders who repeatedly entered and exited thereby redistributing the snow wall.  We finally gave up and let the parade of traffic spin and stall.  This storm was easier to weather though because of the computer age and instant messaging.  I don't recall ever wanting to leave the driveway and enjoyed not have the solicitors approach the front door.

5. Not being able to get out to the grocery
    Negative - you run out of milk and fresh vegetables
    Positive - you have to eat leftover Christmas candy and cookies and drink eggnog or pop

Michael Thought:  Again, we have more accurate storm prediction teams and ample time to collect our food and staples than a decade ago.  I was well prepared for this storm and even during periods of boredom, explored the forgotten pantry.  It was amazing the number of chili kits, bread mixes and neat grocery items I had collected from New Orleans and the South that I got to use during and after the storm.  

 

This Day In Soap Opera History

This can't compare with the test tube baby story, but it's blog-worthy, nonetheless. This day will be remembered years from now in All My Children soap opera history -- the day that Bianca woke from her deep coma and was reunited with her baby Miranda, who everyone thought had died in a horrible helicopter crash.  She was switched at the faked crash of the hospital transport helicopter, and given to Babe and J.R. Chandler, whose own baby (born just hours after Miranda) was stolen by the evil Paul Kramer and given to his sister Kelly, who was unable to have a baby. (Guess they never heard of IVF there in Pine Valley and Landview). Poor Bianca, the anorexic lesbian daughter of tycoon Erica Kane was left to believe that it was her baby that had died at the crash site.  But baby Miranda was the one to make Bianca come out of her coma (caused when she was pushed out a 2nd story balcony by the aforementioned J.R. Chandler, who refused to believe that Miranda was not his child) and all is well in Pine Valley for at least a few days.

This Day In History

How many of you, my faithful readers, know who Elizabeth Carr is?  No, she's not the girl abducted from bedroom of her family home in Utah; that's Elizabeth Smart.  No, she's not the recent winner on "Survivor" nor "American Idol." She's not the reigning Miss of America, the Universe, Kentucky, nor any other state or principality.  But she holds a very strong place in American history:  Elizabeth Carr is America's first test-tube baby. 

Elizabeth was born 23 years ago today.  At birth, she was a normal 5 pound, 12 ounce baby. The obstetrician that delivered her told reporters that she was the perfect baby; the only difference in her and the other babies being born that day was that she was conceived through in vitro fertilization.  FYI - "in vitro" in Latin means "in glass" - makes perfect sense since she was conceived in a petrie dish.  The first picture above is of Elizabeth when she was just four cells old. 

Just last year, Elizabeth got to meet Dr. Fred Wirth, the obstetrician that delivered her.  Even after 23 years, the doctor was still proud from delivering the country's first test-tube baby.  He still says "When her eyes opened up I was the first person that she saw."  The second picture above is Elizabeth and Dr. Wirth. 

In the ancient time of 1981, medical technology like this was scarey - it was something we'd only dreamed of or watched in a science fiction space movie.  Now, IVF is commonplace; in fact, I have a friend who had a baby through IVF.  Little Taylor is now a year and a half old - a healthy, happy cutie patootie.  Maybe when she's older, her Mom will teach her about Elizabeth Carr. 

I've Been Googled

Last week was a historic week in the short life of TWIT.  Not only did I receive my first fan latter, someone found my journal through Google.  Yes, I was Googled.  And I was proud.

Friday afternoon, while snowed in, I was playing games at Pogo.com when the AOL Instant Messenger box popped up. I didn't recognize the screenname, but I thought that it might have been a friend from work IM'ing (instant message-ing) me to see how we were coping snow.  They asked "How are ya doing?" and I answered back "Fine" and went back to my game of Jungle Gin.  After a couple more IMs (instant messages), they explained that they went to Google and did a search for "Holiday Storm 2004" and TWIT was the first hit that they got.  Can you believe it?  On a powerful search engine like Google, my journal was the first hit the search engine found.  I can't tell you how proud I was.  I was almost weepy.

While I was basking in the afterglow of this accomplishment, I left my computer to go take a nap.  When I returned, I noticed that while I was gone, I had received 25 IMs, all from the person that IMd me earlier.  I looked at my computer screen and let out a gasp when there in black and white was notes that I had posted on message boards over the past few years.  I was horrified.  My first thought "this person is a stalker."  I even IMd them back and told them so.  But they said they were just trying to keep me informed and aware of things; they said that all they did was go back to Google and this time, they put in "PuddinPRP" in the search and it brought up all of these messages that I had posted.  I did it for myself, and came up with 3 Google pages full of things I had written - notes on forums, posts on friends' blogs, comments on message boards, etc.  It taught me that you need to be careful what you write online because everyone on the world wide web can read it.  I'm still amazed.  I don't even post things that much, other than comments on friends' blogs, and maybe an occasional message on a forum board.  So it's not like I'm putting messages out on the web on a daily basis. 

So now, I would like to give props to my new faithful reader and non-stalker, LaBonteBoy.  Thank you for taking the time Christmas Eve to do a search for "Holiday Storm 2004" which led you to TWIT.  You've opened my eyes to the ways of the web. 

Happy Birthday Dear Stacy, Happy Birthday To You

I'd like to give a shout out to the world wide web and ask that you join me in wishing my best friend and co-Diva, Stacy, a happy birthday today. 

I always felt kinda sorry for her, because her birthday fell on the day after Christmas, and I thought she got cheated.  So nothing, not even nine inches of snow, was going to prevent me from coming over to help here celebrate her birthday this afternoon.  All I will say is thank God and General Motors for building such a fine 4WD as the Blazer.  I was prepared to park and walk to her house, but I was able to maneuver the big hill and safely made it to her driveway. 

For one month and one day, I'm able to rub it in to her that we are [sorta] the same age.  Then for the other 11 months, she can rightfully proclaim that she's younger than me.  I still love her anyway.

Happy Birthday, my dear friend.  You rock.