Guess I Knew This...

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (34%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (54%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Just For You, Hummie

Ok, Hummie, you asked for them. So here they are - some of my refinery pictures. Click on them to see the larger version since the larger version really is a better picture than the small size. The last picture is of a swing set in a small, small park that we passed on the way home from taking the refinery pictures. All of these were made using only the light available and using a monopod to steady the camera. I did do some minor touching up in Paint Shop Pro to make them a little sharper in the small size displayed here. See them in a bigger, better version by clicking on the individual picture.

Houston or Bust

Gene and I made a mad-dash trip to Houston over the Memorial Day weekend to attend his family reunion. 1700 miles. Long. We left Douglasville Friday night at 7 and arrived in Hattiesburg, MS around 1 AM. Left the next morning and drove to Houston, arriving at approximately 6 PM, Saturday. Rode around Saturday night and took some fun pictures of the oil refineries lit up at night. It’s amazing how something so grimy and nasty looking during the day can turn into something so magical at night. It’s kind of hard to find a place to take a good picture since the best viewing is from the interstate overpasses. But Gene managed to get close to several and some of the pictures are (to me anyway) quite good. We went to the family reunion Sunday at 11 AM and left at 4 PM headed back home. Made it to Hattiesburg around 11 PM, got up Monday at 8 and drove to Douglasville. Fortunately, the driving weather was great and the mini-van is as comfortable as a vehicle can be when you’re driving that far. I’ve already told them that I don’t plan on being there next year but will try to make it every other year. It was good to see everyone but it was even better to be back home.

Remember Those Who Died

Today is the day for remembering and honoring those who died in our nation's wars. Let's pay them honor. Let's remember them.

Louisiana Welcome

Just a few photos I took at the Welcome Center coming from Texas into Louisiana. This is a beautiful swamp/marsh area with a wooden walkway that allows you to explore a tiny little bit of the Louisiana bayou country.

Mothers Day

Sunday was Mothers Day and my mother spent the weekend with me. It was so much better than going to her house and having her work her buns off preparing a huge meal for everyone and wearing herself out. We decided that for a Mothers Day treat we would go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, figuring that since it was a special day when a lot of people would stay at home it wouldn't be very crowded. WRONG! It seems that everyone in the Metro Atlanta Area had the same idea I did. But it wasn't a problem. We parked at Colony Square, caught the free shuttle to the Gardens and were deposited at the main entrance building. Easy peasy. We decided that since it was very warm and my mother's endurance isn't very good that we would use a wheelchair (which the Gardens provided for free). There were a lot of people there but it never seemed crowded and we never felt rushed. What a beautiful, beautiful place. I've lived in Atlanta since 1969 and had never been there. Now I'm really sorry I waited so long. There was a special exhibit going on, "Big Bugs and Killer Plants," and it was fabulous. I took lots and lots of pictures and we had a really special time. We stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home and treated ourselves to a Banana Split Blizzard - yummy! It was a wonderful Mothers Day and I'm glad I was able to make it happen.

The Wedding

I've never been to a wedding before where the preacher wore a bright purple suit. But I've also never been to a wedding where the preacher in the purple suit talked, during the ceremony, about the color of his underwear (purple) and then proceeded to show it to the assembled group. But I'll never be able to say that again. I agreed to take my mother to my cousin's wedding. This is a cousin that we hadn't seen since he was a young kid so we didn't really know what to expect. Well, it was an interesting experience. Oh, did I mention that the preacher was also the DJ for the reception? Interesting, but really kind of fun.

A Kind-Hearted Man

My husband is a good, kind-hearted man. He worked on a secret project this weekend and unveiled it to me tonight when we got home. It's a handicap ramp for Cowgirl! Cowgirl is our geriatric dog, 15 years old, and stairs and steps have become increasingly difficult for her. We've had a pet door for many years but going back into the house required Cowgirl to go up two steps to get to the door. Not anymore. Now she has a ramp. And she loves it!! (The angle isn't nearly as steep as the picture makes it look. It's a nice, gentle rise that is perfect for Cowgirl. You're a good, good man, my husband.

Free Fun

Love those free concerts! The Etowah Jazz Society had a free concert in our little local outdoor park area and Gene and I decided to go. We really enjoyed it. The weather was unseasonably cold so I got a little uncomfortable but I had enough forethought to bring two jackets and I'm sure glad I did! But the music was worth a little discomfort. It was more "Big Band" than jazz and the musicians were obviously enjoying themselves. We got to hear "Summertime", "A Train", "Fever", and lots of other good sing along music. Good quality music and musicians - the leader of the groups was really good on the saxophone and the singer had a wonderful voice. A nice, pleasant Saturday evening. Really glad we decided to go.

It's So Honking Big!!!

Well, I'm mostly enjoying my new laptop, but I had no idea the thing would be so honking big!! I got so caught up in the 17" hype at the Scrapbooking forums that I never really thought about getting out a ruler and measuring how big the thing would be. And I didn't realize the 17" was actually meant to be a desktop replacement. I didn't need a desktop replacement! I wanted a laptop. And I have one other problem, the monitor colors aren't very true. The display is gorgeous, nice and crystal clear, but oranges are light brown, etc. And I can't find a way to change it. I'm going to visit the Dell site today and see if I can find something. I dread the thought of dealing with their customer service, especially since I am not fluent in any of India's multiple dialects. Other than those two things (one my fault, one theirs), the laptop is working great. It picked up my home network with no problems at all, I love that it has Windows XP and I enjoy sitting with my husband as he watches TV and I play on the computer.