Home Teachers

Picture of the Day for 4/30/2012. So, for my non-Mormon readers of this blog (of which I suspect there are approximately two), there's a practice in the church called "home teaching." Each family in a Mormon congregation is assigned a set of home teachers to come visit once a month to deliver a brief spiritual message and to make sure the family is doing OK. My home teachers are Jay and Susan Williams, a married couple around my age who live just down the street from me. I always look forward to chatting with them each month as it's a thinly veiled excuse to inflict my space stories on them. They always seem interested in my stories which in my mind makes them EXCELLENT home teachers! That and the fact they are delightful people. I suspect they will need some spiritual uplifting after tonight's visit where I regaled them with tales of my recent visit to a strip club.

Unexpected Family Resemblance

Picture of the Day for 4/29/2012. Since nothing really interesting happened today that would make a good subject for my picture of the day, I decided to continue my discussion of the Crestview Elementary School 50th anniversary celebration I attended last Tuesday. I looked up my sisters' class photos and nearly fell over when I saw this picture of my sister Robynne in 2nd grade. She's a dead ringer (at least in this photo) for our great-niece Hayley who is pictured below. It's interesting how family resemblances crop up in the most interesting ways. I never would have made the connection if I had not seen this particular photograph of Robynne as a young girl.

Avengers Anticipation

Picture of the Day for 4/28/2012. I saw the movie The Raven* tonight with my niece Renee. At the theater, I saw several posters for the movie The Avengers which is coming out in less than a week. Is it wrong/inappropriate/silly for a grown woman of 49 to be looking forward to seeing a superhero movie and to have a crush on a demi-god named Thor?


*The Raven is pretty good. I enjoyed it, but don't need to see it again.

Hot Reagan

Picture of the Day for 4/27/2012. It's been about 18 months since I've seen my nephew Rob's 1980s cover band Hot Regan perform so I was glad I was able to attend his concert tonight. I love all the songs they play/sing since they remind me of my high school and college days.*

*Initially, I was going to use the word "heyday" instead of "high school and college days," but decided that would be inaccurate since I'm having just as fabulous a time now as I ever did in the 1980s.

Crestview Elementary School 50th Anniversary

Picture of the Day for 4/26/2012. I attended an open house for the 50th anniversary of Crestview Elementary School- my alma mater. It was fun browsing through all the student albums filled with the class photos. I'm pictured above and below with my kindergarten class. I love how I look so deceptively demure- deceptive being the operative word. I recall doing something to anger my teacher who then pulled my hair in retaliation. I totally ratted her out to my mother who wrote a strongly worded letter informing my teacher she better never lay a hand on me again.


It's a good thing I didn't include my first grade class photo in this blog entry. Then I'd have to tell you how I once told my first grade teacher to shut up. She totally had it coming (I'm kidding, I'm kidding). She was playing a recording of someone reciting the story of Little Red Riding Hood. It was riveting stuff and Mrs. Wheelwright was talking over the recording which was intolerable to me. I wanted to hear the story so I made my displeasure over her continued discourse plainly known. She looked so wounded and told me that wasn't very nice. I'd like to think my manners have marginally improved in the intervening 40 years.

(On a random side note- check out the pic of me in 1968 compared to the picture in the blog entry below taken just yesterday. I have my head cocked at exactly the same angle in both photographs. I guess some things never change.)

Proof of How Much I Love Space

Picture of the Day for 4/25/2012. If you needed any proof that I'm a space geek (although really- if you've read my blog at all, the copious number of blog entries regarding my space-related activities would be evidence enough), here it is. I'm actually wearing a t-shirt I picked up at the Kennedy Space Center last week and I NEVER wear t-shirts with a logo.

Rambling Discussion

Picture of the Day for 4/24/2012. So I have a job interview tomorrow which prompted me to take my car into the shop today to get the air conditioning fixed since I figured with the unseasonably hot weather I would end up arriving at my interview looking sweaty and disheveled which would not be a selling point in my favor and I ended up waiting hours in the shop since they had to order a plug to replace the damaged one that was preventing the air compressor thingy from working correctly and while I was waiting I read a book filled with very practical and sage advice about how to start your own business which may seem ironic given the fact I had all that time to kill to read the book in the first place because I was preparing for a job interview that if successful will return me to "employee" status as opposed to becoming an "employer."

A couple of comments:

-Yes, I was trying to see if I could fit that entire description of the picture of the day in one sentence. No particular reason why- just felt like it.

-To my sister Robynne- don't be alarmed about the fact I have a job interview. I'm still very much committed to getting the speech therapy business off the ground!

I Really Don't Mean to Bring Down the Property Values in My Neighborhood

Picture of the Day for 4/23/2012. Um yeah, I think it's about time I mowed my lawn. It was starting to get just the tiniest bit overgrown when I left for Florida over a week ago so I thought it would be no problem to wait until I returned to arrange for a lawn service to take care of the yard. I had no idea that while I was away this jungle would sprout. I suspect I'm the bane of the neighborhood which is filled with homes with nicely manicured lawns. My house is the only one that looks like this. Oops- sorry neighbors!

Controversial Birthday Pie

Picture of the Day for 4/22/2012. So, here are the players in a little family drama that played out today:

Paula- my older sister
Chantal- Paula's oldest daughter (who turned 39 on April 1)
Corinne- Paula's youngest daughter (who turned 25 on April 14). Corinne is pictured below glaring at her sister Chantal


We celebrated Corinne's 25th birthday tonight with a peanut butter/chocolate pie (which was divine, by the way). On the surface, it sounds rather innocuous, but the birthday pie stirred up major sibling rivalry and controversy. You see, we're more of a pie family than a cake family and Chantal has been campaigning (unsuccessfully) for years on end to have her mother bake her a chocolate cream pie rather than a birthday cake. Paula has resolutely refused- stating that one has birthday cake on one's birthday. Chantal begged her mother for a pie for her 39th birthday three weeks ago, but to no avail and was forced to settle for a chocolate cake (which was also divine, by the way).

Fast forward just three short weeks to Corinne's birthday celebration where for the first time in recorded history, Paula capitulated and baked Corinne (her baby) the requested peanut butter pie. Chantal was INCENSED. We told her to look on the bright side- now that a pie precedent has been set, next year she should have absolutely no problem getting her chocolate cream pie when she turns 40.

Vibrant Colors

Picture of the Day for 4/21/2012. I know this is nearly an exact visual repeat of my recent post about the flowering Magnolia tree at the end of my street, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of these bright pink blossoms against the vivid blue sky. I love the vibrant colors of spring.

Lunch with Diane

Picture of the Day for 4/20/2012. Today was the last of my lunch dates for the week before heading home to Utah. Pictured above is Diane, one of my author buddies. (I should mention she's NOT the one who took me to T's Lounge on Monday.) You'll notice I'm not pictured with her since I cropped myself out of the image due to the fact I looked AWFUL. (Not just a little awful, but world class awful.) That's the beautiful thing about the fact that this is MY blog- I can cater to my vanity occasionally.

Lunch With Joe

Picture of the Day for 4/19/2012. I wasn't kidding when I mentioned that this week's primary activity would be going out to lunch with various friends. Over the past couple of years I've been vacationing in Florida, I've been lucky to assemble a good group of buddies who I like to catch up with while I'm in the state. Today I met Joe, a retired cop, for lunch. I love hearing stories about his police career which couldn't be more different than my very tame career as a group health & benefits consultant.

Shopping for Ammunition

Picture of the Day for 4/18/2012. This week has just been full of "firsts" for me. I accompanied a friend to a sporting goods store where he picked up ammunition for two of his guns. I've never been ammunition shopping before, but I actually found it rather interesting since it's sooooo far outside my realm of experience.

Space Shuttle Discovery Fly-Out

Picture of the Day for 4/17/2012. I had a front row seat near the runway to see the space shuttle Discovery take off on the back of a 747 from the Kennedy Space Center for its eventual home in the Smithsonian. After the take-off (which I failed to capture on video- long story), the plane flew at 300 feet over Cocoa Beach as a farewell to the area and then returned for a final fly-by over the runway before beginning the journey north. Fortunately, I was able to get my act together in time to capture video (see above) of the final fly-by. It was an amazing sight!

Getting to the event was quite an adventure (but definitely worth it). I left West Palm Beach at 1:00 a.m. to make sure I arrived in plenty of time for the 5:10 a.m. call to board the buses to the runway.



We arrived at the runway at 6:00 a.m.-ish while it was still dark. Pictured below is the control tower.


Here is a photograph of the runway shortly after daybreak.


Below are pictures and video of the plane slowly taxiing down the runway before take-off at 7:00 a.m.




As you might guess, there was a lot of press coverage of this event.



After the final fly-by, it was back to the buses. It didn't take long to return to the visitor center and from there the parking lot to retrieve my car. I was back in West Palm Beach by 10:45 a.m.

T's Lounge

Picture of the Day for 4/16/2012. I ended up at a strip club today. How I got there is kind of long story. I was meeting a couple of my author buddies for lunch and one offered to pick me up from my hotel in West Palm Beach so we could do a little shopping beforehand. After lunch, she mentioned that she needed to drop off a couple of copies of her recently published novel at T's Lounge (the aforementioned strip club) since the owner was pleased she had mentioned the establishment in her novel. I was more intrigued by the experience than anything because as the possessor of a womanly bosom myself, the sight of a bare chest (in this case- multiple bare chests) is just not that titillating.

Lunch With Hank Hartsfield

Picture of the Day for 4/15/2012. I'm writing this blog entry a week after the fact. I ended up spending a week in Florida and my entire trip can be roughly summarized as "going out to lunch with friends." This is merely the first in a series of "going out to lunch" blog entries.

My friends Al and Brad (pictured above) and I ended up going out to lunch with Hank Hartsfield (pictured in the center of the photograph), an astronaut who was in town to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 16 and to participate in activities at the Kennedy Space Center related to the space shuttle Discovery being flown out to its new home at the Smithsonian.

Hank is charming (as are my buddies Al and Brad of course) so it was a nice outing.

Apollo 16 40th Anniversary Celebration

So, here's the deal. If you're a nerdy space fanatic like I am, there's a good chance you have a favorite Apollo mission. In my case, it's Apollo 16. I'm sure you're relieved that I'm sparing you the reasons why I'm fascinated by this particular mission which I could discuss in length and in exhaustive detail. I'm also sparing you all the "me with" photographs taken with the astronauts (Apollo and shuttle), politicians, and Kennedy Space Center administrators in attendance at the 40th anniversary celebration hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. In the interest of brevity, I decided just to post a picture of me with Charlie Duke, the Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 16, as he was the featured guest of the evening. Unfortunately, the other Apollo 16 crew members, John Young/Commander and Ken Mattingly/Command Module Pilot, were unable to attend.

The evening's activities consisted of a reception to give the guests an opportunity to mingle with the astronauts, a banquet, and a panel discussion with Charlie Duke along with members of the Apollo 16 back-up and support crews.

Neil Armstrong did a brief introduction of the Apollo 16 crew before the panel discussion started.


Below is a picture of the panel (Hank Hartsfield, Edgar Mitchell, Fred Haise, Charlie Duke) discussion being moderated by Jim Lovell. The group told some funny stories. My favorite (which I'm wildly paraphrasing) was how Ken Mattingly lost his wedding ring in the capsule and had been searching for it in vain. The ring finally showed up at the most inopportune time- when the hatch had been opened for Ken Mattingly to perform an EVA (i.e., spacewalk). Charlie Duke tried to grab it before it floated away into the reaches of space, but was unsuccessful. Fortunately, the ring hit the back of Mattingly's helmet which caused it to reverse its trajectory and float back into the capsule.


The party did not so much end as it transferred to the lounge at the event hotel where everyone was staying. I finally cried uncle at about 2:00 a.m.

Overall, it was a really nice event. It was fun mingling with the astronauts and hanging out with my space buddies.

Discovery Tour

Picture of the Day for 4/14/2012. I went on a special bus tour at the Kennedy Space Center that took us close to the space shuttle mate-demate device that "is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist the orbiters off the ground during mating and demating operations with the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA)." In this instance, the space shuttle Discovery is being prepared for its upcoming flight on the back of a 747 to its eventual home at the Smithsonian.



The bus let us off at the Apollo/Saturn V Center where I managed to snap some interesting close-up photos of the massive Saturn V rocket on display.

Clouds Over Cocoa Beach

Picture of the Day for 4/13/2012. This is kind-of a throwaway blog entry as my day has been entirely devoted to traveling from Salt Lake City, UT to Cocoa Beach, FL. I did laugh at the TSA agent who was directing people through the security scanner at the SLC airport. He acted as if he were a carnival worker and encouraged everyone in a singsong voice to step through the magic portal to discover the wonders of the universe. It's unusual to see a smile on the faces of travelers as they are enduring the security screening process. Smart guy.

This photo is of the clouds over Cocoa Beach. It was an impressive sight.

Second Hiatus of 2012

Check back on Sunday, April 22 for new blog posts.

Young Zombie

Picture of the Day for 4/12/2012. My great-niece Sadie does a wicked zombie impersonation.

Crazy Teapot Lady

Picture of the Day for 4/11/2012. Upon seeing some pictures of my home several months ago, a friend of mine observed that I've got a "grandma" house. She was just teasing me, but it was an astute observation as I inherited my parents' house which still reflects their decorating choices for those most part and is filled with a lot of their furniture. Now I not only need to de-pink the house, but I have to un-grandma it (no disrespect to my mother who was a lovely grandmother to her grandchildren) as well.

I was unpacking some of my boxes and came across my extensive teapot and teacup collection. I realized that while very pretty, they certainly do nothing to dispel the impression that a little old lady lives here. I kind of felt like a crazy teapot lady after I got done unpacking the collection.

Tiffany & Co.

Picture of the Day for 4/10/2012. Wonder of wonders- there's finally a Tiffany's in Salt Lake City. Exciting news for a jewelry junkie like myself. I was running some errands downtown today so I made a quick stop to the new store. It's ironic that the store opened precisely when I'm vigilantly pinching pennies so I can stretch my severance out as long as possible. I was strong and left the store without buying anything, but I do have my eyes on a pair of earrings that will be my first purchase when I obtain gainful employment.

Lethargy

Picture of the Day for 4/9/2012. I know I blogged about the TV series Mad Men in 2010, but I've got a different take on the topic today. I'm finding that looking for work is a dreadfully boring activity. It requires every ounce of self-discipline I have to remain focused on the task when all I want to do is watch Mad Men on DVD.

Family Crests

Picture of the Day for 4/8/2012. I sat next to my nieces (ages 35 and 24) at church today. When the topic turned to the glories of motherhood, we all kind of emotionally checked out (given the fact that all three of us are single and childless). Instead of listening to the speaker, we started drawing family crests that would appropriately reflect the values of our respective families. I immediately thought of desserts. We Merrills have a ferocious sweet tooth and my dad was famous for consuming a bowl of ice cream every single night of his life before going to bed. He was so committed to ice cream that he even found a way to obtain it during his stint on Guam during World War ll- amazing given the shortage of supplies during the war and the fact he was on a tropical island. My dad worked in the supply depot and requisitioned himself an ice cream maker and ice cream mix. At nights when he was off duty, he would purloin salt from the mess halt, get ice from the ice maker down on the docks, and return to base to make a batch of ice cream for the men in his barracks. I'm sure the guys loved my dad.

In case you can't tell, that's a bowl of ice cream in the picture. I drew the ice cream and the mottos. My niece Corinne added the arms (one arm is holding a severed head and the other arm is brandishing a spoon) and the Viking-like helmet. I thought the helmet was a nice touch, even if it does have the unfortunate effect of making the scoops of ice cream look like boobs.

Flowering Magnolia Tree

Picture of the Day for 4/7/2012. I wait all year for the flowers to bloom on the Magnolia tree at the end of my street. They are so lovely. I have to be vigilant since they don't last long. Blink and I'll miss them as the harsh Rocky Mountain climate kills off the flowers shortly after they bloom.

Some Personal Grooming is Called For

Picture of the Day for 4/6/2012. One sad consequence of spending my days at home searching the internet for work is the fact that I've basically given up on:

-Brushing my hair

-Getting dressed in anything more formal than my exercise clothes

-Applying make-up

-Putting in my contacts

-Getting my hair dyed before I have several inches of gray showing

It's too much effort.

I'm a real treat to look at right now.