Random Tuesday

I'm linking up with Stacy for some random fun.

Another week of record high coronavirus cases in my state!  And a member of the family now has Covid-19, but she is home resting and isn't doing too badly, thank goodness.  She is a nurse at the rehabilitation hospital where my father-in-law spent a few weeks after breaking both his arm and his leg (at the same time).  Her husband is a nurse in an ER.  Another daughter is a nurse at a dialysis clinic.  They have all had patients with Covid, but so far, only one has it.  I still don't know if the health officials know why some patients have mild symptoms, if any, and others need hospitalization.

Click any photo to enlarge

My twins celebrated their 24th birthday over the weekend.  I could have sworn it was only 23, but I missed a year somewhere I guess! We weren't able to do much because of Covid, but we managed to have a little (safe) fun. 

I guess we are still going ahead with wedding planning for November.  If things don't change in the next 2 or 3 months, we will have to consider resetting the date.  I pray that doesn't happen!

And in case you didn't know, June 30 is "Meteor Watch Day,"  a day to look up at the skies and behold the wonder of nature's celestial fireworks, meteors.

Funnies anyone?

Ain't that the truth!

Channeling my inner English teacher

This actually caused some lively debate on Facebook!

This cracked me up!

I love a good pun!

And in honor of Meteor Watch Day...

Have a great week!

Thursday Thirteen

There's nothing like new technology to make you feel older than you are!  But we can turn that back on the young kids and say, "Do you know what basic is?"

1.  Basic - A very confusing computer language, or code, that I had to learn in my last year of college.  I never actually learned it.  I had help!  According to techterms.com Basic stands for "Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code." BASIC is a computer programming language that was developed in the mid-1960s to provide a way for students to write simple computer programs. Since then, the language has evolved into a more robust and powerful language and can be used to create advanced programs for today's computer systems.

2.  Dial-up.  Remember when you had to use your phone to connect your computer through a dial-up modem?  And that awful screeching noise?  If a page loaded in less than two minutes, we were happy!  According to royal.pingdom.com, the average website of today would take two minutes and thirty seconds to load on dial-up.

3.  5.25 floppy disk.  It could store 1.2 MB of information.
4.  3.5 disk.  It could store 1.44 MB of information.

5.  Dot matrix printers.  Some people who have specialized needs still use these, but most people use inkjet or laser printers now.

6.  America Online.  Young folks might ask, "what's that?"  It's still around, but probably not for long.  They are looking at merging with Yahoo.

7.  Netizen.  A citizen of the world wide web.  This is mainly known as digital citizenship now.

8.  Qwerty keyboard.  It's still a qwerty keyboard, but many young people are unfamiliar with this term.

9.  CPU. Central Processing Unit.  Not a common term anymore.

10. Typewriter.  Computers have taken the place of typewriters although you can accomplish typing on your computer.  It's just one of many things a computer can do.

11. Continuous stationery.  You know, the kind with the holes on each side?  Wikipedia says "Most continuous form paper is punched longitudinally along both edges with regularly spaced engagement holes that engage with sprocket wheels or toothed belts on the "tractor" which move the paper through the printer. It is usually perforated transversely with a line of closely spaced holes or slits which form a tear edge that allows it to be torn neatly into separate pages after printing; when fed through the printer the paper is simply a continuous sheet."

12. MP3 players.  This was a great little device that could hold lots of music and it was so small, you could take it anywhere.  But now, with smartphones and apps, an MP3 player is obsolete.

13. ICQ.  ICQ was an instant messaging service.  (I seek you). I heard it is making a comeback with newer and more sophisticated bells and whistles.

For more fun lists, go to Thursday Thirteen.

Photo Wednesday

This is a picture of the diaper cake I made for our daughter's baby shower.  I was feeling crafty! (Just ignore the candle, glass bowl and orchid behind it!)

I'm linking up with Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.  Hop on over to check out more photos!

Random Tuesday

These weeks keep flying by!  Visit Stacy for some random fun!

Every day is much like the other days lately.  Luckily, life will get some shaking up in two days when my daughter comes for a visit.  She and her twin brother (who is already here) are celebrating their birthday.

In sewing news, I made some pajama pants.  It was good practice to help with my skills.  I'm also making another tote bag and trying to organize my craft room, which is a never-ending process. Whoops.  I forgot the picture.  Here it is!

I really have no other news, so I'll just get to these.

Click any photo to enlarge

That would be my poor dart skills!

This is going to be my son when he can finally interview for a job after this pandemic.

And last, but not least...

Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis

Compelling Evidence by Steve Martini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a good book. This new-to-me author really surprised me. So first, let me talk about some things that bothered me. I can't actually say I didn't like them, but these things bothered me. This author tried too hard. He wants the reader to think. And he wants the reader to think he is smart. He used a few big words that I didn't know, and that hasn't happened to me in a long while. One or two, maybe, but many, words like "venireman," "attrited," "percipient," and "subaltern," to name a few. He also uses the term "body English" instead of "body language" and that just bothers me. One more thing is that he uses this phrase tooooo often: "He makes a face like..." He makes a face like - is this for real. He makes a face like - are you kidding me. Instead of all the "makes a face likes" he could insert actual dialogue.

On to the good. The main character is Paul Madriani, a defense attorney now that he has struck out on his own, formerly a prosecutor and formerly on the fast path for partner at the firm Potter, Skarpellos. Newly separated from his wife, he has an affair with the boss's wife. That explains why he is no longer with Potter, Skarpellos.  The affair in the past, he would love to reconcile with his wife. He comes to terms with Ben, his old boss, on the eve of Ben's death. It looks like suicide, but the medical examiner classifies it as homicide. Almost immediately, Ben's wife Talia is arrested. She goes to Skarpellos, her husband's partner, for help.  He pays for an attorney during the pre-trial hearings, but after she is held over for trial, she needs a real defense attorney. Naturally, she asks Paul, her former lover, for help. I won't spoil the rest.

Steve Martini does a good job humanizing his characters. Most of them are dynamic characters with both good and bad qualities, though there are two characters that are basically stereotypes. The main characters are well developed. The book was a little slow to start, and sometimes I felt like I had to plod through some areas where Paul is simply thinking, but, overall, it was interesting, and there is a super-twist at the end. This conclusion won't disappoint.

View all my reviews