Voices from the Future

Saturday, March 09, 2019

Road Trip

There's a little store in Buellton, CA. Creation Station is run by Dawn and Patrick (and a few other people). They have a fantastic collection of stuff and fabric there. If you're in the area, I'd strongly recommend stopping by and looking around.

They even have a web site, which they are working on updating:
http://www.thecreationstation.com/

Here's few pics from our latest stop:

Quilt as a bedspread.

Pattern to make a smock.

Yo-yos that you can make into a Christmas Tree.

Pre-cut 1/2 and full yards of fabric.

Yes, this quilt is less than a foot on a side! Too small for me to make anymore.

These are "fat quarters" 1/2 yard of fabric then cut in half to make almost squares instead of a 1/4 yard of fabric.

They have loads of antiques scattered around the shop.

Stacks of fabric divided by color.

This one has a very 50's flavor.

Lots of books for ideas, patterns and learning.

Little packs of fabric.

Rolls of rick-rack.

I think the plants are supposed to grow over the frames.

These were made on a 3D printer. I should have bought the blue one. The ring on the bottom twists to open and close.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Cowboy Logic

A cowboy, who just moved to Wyoming from Texas, walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time.."

The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is an Airborne Ranger, the other is a Navy Seal, both serving overseas somewhere

When we all left our home in Texas , we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.

One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss."

The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs.

"Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains, "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking."

"Hasn't affected my brothers though...."

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

How Kids See Their Grandparents

*1. **She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup under the watchful

eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she

applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But

Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I'll probably never

put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper

good-bye.*

*2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me happy birthday. He

asked me how old I was, and I told him, 80. My grandson was quiet for a

moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"*

*3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old

slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the

children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin.

Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room,

putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she

heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice,* *"Who was THAT?"*

*4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own

childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made

from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We

picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed,

taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you

sooner!"*

*5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know

how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No,

how are we alike?'' "You're both real old," he replied.*

*6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word

processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he

asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."*

*7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I

decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was.

She would tell me, and she was always correct. It was fun for me, so I

continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you

should try figuring out some of this stuff for yourself!"*

*8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the

lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects.

Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy

whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us

with flashlights."*

*9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not

sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised. "Mine says I'm 4 to

6."*

*10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother,

"Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The

grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's

interesting." she said, warily. "How do you make babies?” "It's easy,"

replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."*

*11. "Give me a sentence about a public servant," instructed the teacher

during a lesson. One small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder

pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know

what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently.

'It means carrying a child."*

*12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day

when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck

was a Dalmatian dog.* *The children started discussing the dog's

duties.* *"They use him to keep crowds back," offered one child.*

*"No," said another, "he's just for good luck.”* *A third child brought the argument to a close.

"They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."*

*13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she

lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when

we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."*

*14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I

don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!*

*15. My Grandparents are funny. When they bend over, you hear gas leaks,

and they blame their dog.*

Friday, December 21, 2018

AFI List of Top 100 Quotes From U.S. Films

AFI List of Top 100 Quotes From U.S. Films

The American Film Institute's list of top 100 quotes from U.S. movies, with film title and year of release:

1. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," "Gone With the Wind," 1939.

2. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," "The Godfather," 1972.

3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am," "On the Waterfront," 1954.

4. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

5. "Here's looking at you, kid," "Casablanca," 1942.

6. "Go ahead, make my day," "Sudden Impact," 1983.

7. "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," "Sunset Blvd.," 1950.

8. "May the Force be with you," "Star Wars," 1977.

9. "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night," "All About Eve," 1950.

10. "You talking to me?" "Taxi Driver," 1976.

11. "What we've got here is failure to communicate," "Cool Hand Luke," 1967.

12. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," "Apocalypse Now," 1979.

13. "Love means never having to say you're sorry," "Love Story," 1970.

14. "The stuff that dreams are made of," "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.

15. "E.T. phone home," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.

16. "They call me Mister Tibbs!", "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.

17. "Rosebud," "Citizen Kane," 1941.

18. "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!", "White Heat," 1949.

19. "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!", "Network," 1976.

20. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," "Casablanca," 1942.

21. "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti," "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.

22. "Bond. James Bond," "Dr. No," 1962.

23. "There's no place like home," "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

24. "I am big! It's the pictures that got small," "Sunset Blvd.," 1950.

25. "Show me the money!", "Jerry Maguire," 1996.

26. "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?", "She Done Him Wrong," 1933.

27. "I'm walking here! I'm walking here!", "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.

28. "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By,'" "Casablanca," 1942.

29. "You can't handle the truth!", "A Few Good Men," 1992.

30. "I want to be alone," "Grand Hotel," 1932.

31. "After all, tomorrow is another day!", "Gone With the Wind," 1939.

32. "Round up the usual suspects," "Casablanca," 1942.

33. "I'll have what she's having," "When Harry Met Sally...," 1989.

34. "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow," "To Have and Have Not," 1944.

35. "You're gonna need a bigger boat," "Jaws," 1975.

36. "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.

37. "I'll be back," "The Terminator," 1984.

38. "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth," "The Pride of the Yankees," 1942.

39. "If you build it, he will come," "Field of Dreams," 1989.

40. "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get," "Forrest Gump," 1994.

41. "We rob banks," "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.

42. "Plastics," "The Graduate," 1967.

43. "We'll always have Paris," "Casablanca," 1942.

44. "I see dead people," "The Sixth Sense," 1999.

45. "Stella! Hey, Stella!", "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.

46. "Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars," "Now, Voyager," 1942.

47. "Shane. Shane. Come back!", "Shane," 1953.

48. "Well, nobody's perfect," "Some Like It Hot," 1959.

49. "It's alive! It's alive!", "Frankenstein," 1931.

50. "Houston, we have a problem," "Apollo 13," 1995.

51. "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?", "Dirty Harry," 1971.

52. "You had me at `hello,'" "Jerry Maguire," 1996.

53. "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know," "Animal Crackers," 1930.

54. "There's no crying in baseball!", "A League of Their Own," 1992.

55. "La-dee-da, la-dee-da," "Annie Hall," 1977.

56. "A boy's best friend is his mother," "Psycho," 1960.

57. "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good," "Wall Street," 1987.

58. "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," "The Godfather Part II," 1974.

59. "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again," "Gone With the Wind," 1939.

60. "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!", "Sons of the Desert," 1933.

61. "Say `hello' to my little friend!", "Scarface," 1983.

62. "What a dump," "Beyond the Forest," 1949.

63. "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?", "The Graduate," 1967.

64. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!", "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.

65. "Elementary, my dear Watson," "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," 1929.

66. "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape," "Planet of the Apes," 1968.

67. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine," "Casablanca," 1942.

68. "Here's Johnny!", "The Shining," 1980.

69. "They're here!", "Poltergeist," 1982.

70. "Is it safe?", "Marathon Man," 1976.

71. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!", "The Jazz Singer," 1927.

72. "No wire hangers, ever!", "Mommie Dearest," 1981.

73. "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?", "Little Caesar," 1930.

74. "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown," "Chinatown," 1974.

75. "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers," "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.

76. "Hasta la vista, baby," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," 1991.

77. "Soylent Green is people!", "Soylent Green," 1973.

78. "Open the pod bay doors, HAL," "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.

79. Striker: "Surely you can't be serious." Rumack: "I am serious ... and don't call me Shirley," "Airplane!", 1980.

80. "Yo, Adrian!", "Rocky," 1976.

81. "Hello, gorgeous," "Funny Girl," 1968.

82. "Toga! Toga!", "National Lampoon's Animal House," 1978.

83. "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make," "Dracula," 1931.

84. "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast," "King Kong," 1933.

85. "My precious," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," 2002.

86. "Attica! Attica!", "Dog Day Afternoon," 1975.

87. "Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!", "42nd Street," 1933.

88. "Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go!", "On Golden Pond," 1981.

89. "Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper," "Knute Rockne, All American," 1940.

90. "A martini. Shaken, not stirred," "Goldfinger," 1964.

91. "Who's on first," "The Naughty Nineties," 1945.

92. "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac ... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!", "Caddyshack," 1980.

93. "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!", "Auntie Mame," 1958.

94. "I feel the need ś the need for speed!", "Top Gun," 1986.

95. "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary," "Dead Poets Society," 1989.

96. "Snap out of it!", "Moonstruck," 1987.

97. "My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.

98. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," "Dirty Dancing," 1987.

99. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!", "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

100. "I'm king of the world!", "Titanic," 1997.

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Pecan Pie

the recipe for the filling is

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup rum

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup corn syrup

3 eggs

1/2 stick of butter, melted

capful (maybe a tsp?) vanilla extract

the crust umm not yet really quantified...

Flour, water, salt, butter, then some more butter, a little more flour, etc..

Baked at 350 for an hour

Wednesday, September 05, 2018

Poem - Listen

Can you hear me?

Are you there?

All alone like me.

I can see you across the void.
Your home, comfortable and warm.

I send you messages with information.
To engage you, but you don't reply.

Is it that hard? Do you understand me?
Or is the ability just beyond your grasp?

The hard work of advance. Each one lleading
to the next bringing technology to
to use for a purpose.

Far away across space and time, we
look and ask if anyone is there.
And wait for a reply.

Time is our currency, while radio waves
make a slow march, looking for attention.
Of those that can hear me.

-- 1999

Poem - Starshine

Can you see the stars shine?
They twinkle in the dark
As the Earth turns beneath
Showing us the glories above.

Hidden jewels sparkle
Among the nebulae.
Young stars cast their first light.
Old stars show their last.

Galaxies hold the stars
in orbit, in orbit.
Arms carry them
Spinning in a slow dance.

Spread across the unvierse
They push back the darkness.
And give light.
And give hope.

For the future traveller
Places to explore.
New planets, yes.
New peoples, perhaps.

There is only one way
To find out for sure.
Go to the stars,
And make our own starshine.

-1999

Saturday, September 01, 2018

Send a post card to Mars

We haven't heard from the Opportunity rover in a long time, but NASA wants people to send a post card back. Go for it, it's free and easy.

Monday, July 30, 2018

You left it WHERE?????

Murphy showed up at Mass one Sunday and the priest almost fell down when he saw him. He'd never been to church in his life.

After Mass, the priest caught up with him and said, "Murphy, I am so glad ya decided to come to Mass. What made ya come?"

Murphy said, "I got to be honest with you Fadder. A while back, I misplaced me hat and I really, really loved that hat. I knew that McGlynn had a hat just like mine and I knew he came to church every Sunday.

I also knew that he had to take off his hat during Mass and figured he would leave it in the back of church. So, I was going to leave after Communion and steal McGlynn's hat."

The priest said, "Well, Murphy, I notice that ya didn't steal McGlynn's hat. What changed yer mind?

"Murphy replied, "Well, after I heard your sermon on the 10 Commandments, I decided that I didn't need to steal McGlynn's hat after all.

"With a tear in his eye the priest gave Murphy a big smile and said;

"After I talked about 'Thou Shalt Not Steal' ya decided you would rather do without your hat than burn in hell? "

Murphy slowly shook his head. "No, Fadder, after ya talked about 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' I remembered where I left me hat."