Pattie_Shieh's Blog

I was in the car with my children and we started talking about all the differences between their childhood and mine. I suggested we list all the things they have that I didn't... everything from cordless phones in the house, electric toothbrushes, cable tv, to the Internet, desktop and laptop computers, cellphones, etc. My children will never place a call from a phonebooth, never crack an ice tray, never get up to change the channel on the tv. When you show them a record, they think it's a big CD or DVD. So, here's a trip down your visual memory lane... I can't even imagine the conversation they'll have w/their children. "Hey, we didn't get to jetpack over to our friends' houses" "I never got to vacation at the moon when I was little" I would have loved a flying car as my first vehicle, but they weren't invented yet!"

                                   Lot of laughing in the newsroom this Wed. morning.

          That's  because I 'fessed up to leaving my  phone in the bag in which I packed my lunch on Tues. One of my super nice coworkers (thank you, David)  brought me a surprise breakfast, so I didn't eat what I brought. Nope, I stashed it in the frig.... wait for it. So, I'm wanted to call my phone to see if it was possibly in my car or my house Tuesday, but I didn't want the frig to ring. So, this morning, I told the scrum that usually forms around my desk what I had done. They're like... let's call ur phone... no, no I'll go check it in a minute. Well, Zman calls it... and sure enough the frig rings!

              Hey, at least it survived a day in the frig! So, what unusual places have you abandoned/lost/misplaced your portable cell device? And did you get it back?

       Mark the date on your calender. The newest Vince Flynn hits shelves August 26th!!!  That's right... Mitch Rapp jumps back into action.. this time right into the heart of the nuclear program in Iran.

       This may not be your genre. A couple of us here at the station are rabid fans. In general, Rapp is the top counter-terrorism agent in the US. He answers only to 2 people, one of them being the President. He always get the job done and knows when to break the rules. Having read every other Flynn book, I like the nail chewing action. I have not adored every tome, but as a whole, I thoroughly enjoy them and will read them over and over!

        If you're a fan... let me hear from you!

       One of our engineers showed me the website... http://gas2.org

        It sports some of the coolest new cars around. Check out the Mindset Six50.  Created by new car industry start-up, Mindset, this is a gasoline/electric/solar power hybrid that hits the market next year. It reportedly has an electric only range of 62 miles.  A 2 cylinder gas motor kicks in when required and jumps the range to 496 miles. The integrated roof top solar panels assist  in battery charging.

        Price tag is hefty though... just under $48k! I know, I know and to make it worse... that price is expected to get much higher as the Six50 gets closer to hitting the market.          

     Here's the other innovation that I thought was just fascinating. Honda has launched a 400-car fleet of these new Auto-Max railcars. By taking advtange of unused space, these creations will hold more than double the conventional rail cars. A longer lifespan and a more fuel-efficient way of getting vehicles to dealers... this transport system is really interesting.

      These are just a couple of inventions that could change the auto industry... Check out the website, tell me what you think.

   How interesting... one day after 17 year old Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth to a baby girl at a South Mississippi hospital, comes word out of Massachusetts of a pregnancy pact.

    Spears, the star of Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 and the younger sister of stellar role model, Britney Spears, is said to be doing well.

    Now, rumors that some type of bizarre agreement may have led to the recent surge in teen pregnancies in the community of Gloucester.

     The mayor of the fishing town doesn't believe a dozen girls would conspire to get pregnant. But, the principal of Gloucester HS tells Time magazine that the girls confessed to making a pact.

      How many girls? 17 girls there are pregnant. The principal insists nearly half were involved in the pact and none are more than 16 years old.

It's not the first time, one of my children has used the word "versing" in just a hilarious way.

           The night before a swim meet, my 7 year old asked me who we were "versing". My son has used the word in the same context. I figured it comes from the video games where it's you versus someone else.

           Has anyone else run into this new terminology???

Are you smarter than a 4th grader? How about a second grader? My 7 year old and 10 year old were talking about poems. My son let fly with the... we're almost done with our cinquain. I was like... what? To which my 7 year old replied (in that tone that insinuates Mommy is a buffoon) you know Mommy... a cinquain. Ok, I had to look it up. Then my son stated... its like half of a Diamante.. which he informed me is Italian for diamond! So, in case you're wondering... here it is...

                     A cinquain is a five line poem.

                                                   
  triangles
                                                 pointy edges
                                      revolving,rotatin
g, angling
                                     Triangles are all different.
                                                       
    180o

Line 1: one word
(subject or noun)

Line 2: two words
(adjectives) that describe line 1

Line 3: three words
(action verbs) that relate to line 1

Line 4: four words
(feelings or a complete sentence) that relates to line 1

Line 5: one word
(synonym of line 1 or a word that sums it up

A diamante is a seven line poem, shaped like a diamond.

                                      square
                       symmetrical, conventional
                   shaping, measuring, balancing
                     boxes, rooms, clocks, halos
               encircling, circumnavigating, enclosing
                                round, continuous
                                        circle

Line 1: one word
(subject/noun that is contrasting to line 7)

Line 2: two words
(adjectives) that describe line 1

Line 3: three words
(action verbs) that relate to line 1

Line 4: four words (nouns)
first 2 words relate to line 1
last 2 words relate to line 7

Line 5: three words
(action verbs) that relate to line 7

Line 6: two words
(adjectives) that describe line 7

Line 7: one word
( subject/noun that is contrasting to line 1)

   Then, my 12 year old was combing through a list of names for a project. I was telling her what each one was famous for... until she hit Elizabeth Blackwell. Ok, I know Robert Blackwell and his infamous list of 10 Worst Dressed. Then my 7 year old chimes in with... you know Mommy, she was the first female doctor in the U.S. Ok, I admit it... I was like... no way... that's when she said... yes, she is... I read it in my book. She ran upstairs, got her book and she was right. Blackwell, born in Britain, became the first woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree, which she did in 1849.

    To make you feel more mentally inferior, at least I do, here is one of my 4th grader's recent spelling lists... but the most current  one included the word... sociolinguistic! 

 1. synonym 2. genesis 3. patronymic 4. pseudonym 5. eponym 6. gene 7. generator 8.  anonymous 9.  generic 10. regenerate 11. genetic 12. homonym 13. antonym 14. progenitor 15. genre 16. progeny 17. acronym 18. hydrogen  19. retronym  20. ethnonym  21. antagonym

      Grab the remote... tune in to the University of Michigan's popular American Consumer Satisfaction index. Every year ther e is alot of interest in the findings which were just released today. Specifically, I was interested in the cable and satellite tv industry, which the index has been tracking since 2001.

    The index found consumer satisfaction with cable and satellite tv is at its highest since the monitoring started. Wait for it...  but, the industry still ranks next to the last among 18 industries... hovering just above airlines.

     I'm sure many of you have struggled with the decision... cable... or satellite. I did and am now paralyzed with indecision. So, I offer this up as food for thought.

     The survey revealed Comcast tied with struggling Charter Communications for last place. At the top of the list smaller operators... such as Cablevision Systems Corp. and RCN Corp. (never heard of them). Next were

 DirecTV         and Dish network respectively.

     He's a heavy equipment operator and his wife works at an agricultural research institute. Paul and Sue Rosenau are also the winners of the largest Powerball jackpot ever in the state of Minnesota... we're talking $180.1 million dollars. Yeah, I'd be smiling, too!

     The couple insists they already have everything they need and that they realize money is "probably not as important as friendship and helping others". That's where I come in!!! Woo hoo... I'll be your friend!
      The family lives in Waseca and say they plan to stay there. They will get a lump sum payment of $59.6 million. But, it was not all celebration... the win came five years to the day of the death of a 2 year old granddaughter who had Krabbe disease, a nervous system disorder. Some of their funds may go towards efforts to encourage routine newborn screenings.
 

 My best friend and I were talking about this... do you allow your children to drink caffeine?

My children have friends who not only drink soda, but monster drinks! I couldn't believe it when I went to have lunch with my children and spotted so many children who brought soda with their lunch! The teachers must hate that!

But, apparently our children are in the minority. My 12 year old usually drinks water with her meals. My 2 youngest will have water or lemonade. I don't need them sugared up or bouncing off the walls.

I guess the reason I was thinking about it,   is because my best friend was at lunch with a big group and they seemed to think it was strange that her son is only allowed soda as a special treat once in awhile. But, I don't think it's that strange. So, I figured I would ask the bloggers. Do you allow your children to partake in the caffeinated beverages?

The first state title in any event for Alvin HS rests on the shoulders of some pretty strong girls. The girls team hoisted their way to the state championship.Three of the girls, Suzanna, Brittni and Francia who each powered their way to individual titles in their weight division dropped by our studios. It's hard to really appreciate just how strong these girls are. To win the title, they must perform well in 3 events, dead lift, bench press and squat... I think I have that right.

Francia on the left, deadlifted over 300 pounds on our air.

Suzanna, second from the right, is in the lightest weight class of under 97 pounds, she can pick up 2 and a half times her weight. Brittni, on the right, is a softball player in her first year of powerlifting. Not only did she win a title in her weight class, she's seen a big difference in her softball play.

Coach Taylor tells me a lot of people want to be part of the team now. I bet they do, because 2 seniors are graduating, but the rest of the team remains intact.

So, what happens when I tried to pick up Suzanna's weights... come on, I thought I could at least move it an inch up... first get the phone and dial 9-1... then wait... for this...

ok, go ahead and hit the other "1"... that hurt!

What a treat this week to get a visit by the great voice of the Houston Astros, Milo Hamilton. He's starting this 24th season with the 'Stros. I just love the voice because I've listened to it for so long. I'm a homer dating way back into the 1980s. Remember the likes of Glenn Davis, Alan Ashby, how about Charley Kerfeld, Casey Candaele, Billy Hatcher, I don't know why those names stuck with me... besides the more obvious faves Baggey, Bidge, Berkman, Nolie, etc.

     Milo broke down spring training for us. He said this is the first time he has ever seen the roster be decided on the very last day of spring training. It was up in the air til the end. A fave of mine this spring training, Jose Cruz, Jr. Sure Cheito is a sentimental draw, but Milo says... no doubt... he played his way onto the club... not bad for a non roster invitee.

    I could sit down and chat  with Milo forever. His insight is great, his humor sharp and he is always entertaining! Let's hope this season will be a great one!

So, my neighbor headed back to the Coach store at the outlet mall on the northwest side. She had been in there a couple of times since the opening a couple of weeks ago. Well, Gina figured it would have calmed down... Oh, no!

When Gina walked in, the women had converged at the back of the store. Yes, right at the door where the inventory is brought in. The Fire Marshal had apparently come in and told the store it was an unsafe situation. So, the store had to put up barricade lines and only let a few women in at a time. HOLY SMOKES! The customers aren't even letting the staff get the handbags to the floor!!!

Anyway, since I'm kinda of a Coach bandwagoner (that's right made up a new word!!).. here's what I am coveting from the SOHO collection.

And here is why I am coveting... and not buying... purse is $398. Envelope wallet $248 and the keychain/change purse $48. That's right even the keychain/change purse is more than I pay for a regular sized purse!!! If I just wait a season, it'll eventually end up at the Outlet mall!!! But, it would still have to drop more than 50%!!!