Thursday, December 28, 2023

Day 4140: Graduate and Santa Sensei

 

   

"Nativity:  collage, acrylic, digital


    




  

Want music?

    Click here: Corine Bailey Rae, Put Your Record On



 

2GN2S


Thousands of graduates will take the stage at the University of North Texas this weekend to celebrate earning their degrees.
 
 

One of them completed a master's program at 90 years old. "My grandson will accompany me across the stage," said Minnie Payne, who's graduating with her master's in interdisciplinary studies 73 years after she graduated from high school.

"Of course it's a long story," she said. "My mother and father were uneducated textile workers. We were poor." Payne was able to attend one year at a junior college before she started working. Marriage and kids followed, and decades went by.

"I always wanted to improve myself," Payne said. "When I retired at age 68, I wasn't doing anything constructive, and it's my philosophy to constantly be doing something constructive."Doing coursework alongside students decades younger than her didn't phase Payne one bit.

"I was 73 when I earned my undergraduate," she said. "They treated my like I was one of them. They treated me with respect, and I respected them." Payne is now the oldest person to ever earn a master's degree at UNT, and she plans to put what she's learned into practice.

"Now that I've accomplished it, it seems sort of surreal," she said. Payne recently got a new job working at a magazine in Houston. "It's my intention to continue working as long as I am physically and mentally able to do it," said Payne.





* I will be posting earlier than the 12:03 am that I have used for past 11+ years. I will post late afternoon or early evening. Before, I had to send the e-mail notification after 12:03 am, so I could get the link. By moving my post time earlier I may get to bed as an 82 year old should?




Throwback Thursday



Demura Sensei sent his best wishes for Happy Holidays and I am pretty sure he send them still. He liked this photo.


 
 
 

  
 
A 2+ minute video, Notre Dame Rooster,  here.
 
 
  
Just because ...
  

Crow

 


Thursday's Smiles ...  



 



  
   

 
 
 
 


 
   


 






    








 

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Day 4139: Henderson and Apple.

 

"The Divide": junk mail collage, digital.



  


Want music?

    Click here: DeBarge, Love Me in a Special Way.


 

2GN2S


I am home from ten days in Henderson, NV, being spoiled by WonderWoman and Superman and the three offspring, the Grandhunks. It was great to be all together. It used to be easy, when we all lived closer, and took it for granted. It was good to see the Super-heroes dog, Zoey too.
 
Zoey, photo by WW
 
They walk her 2-1/2 miles every early morning, but that may be moved to later soon, as it is really cold and will be getting colder. I got to go to their church twice since I had two Sundays. It's always special but the Christmas service was spectacular. We take up a whole row, with our six, GH#1's girlfriend and her family. When I am there, I am spoiled ridiculously, great meals, my own suite, daily laundry, the worlds best mattress, and my favorite people, like being at a spa.

I rode home Tuesday with Grandhunk #2, Jake. We had heavy traffic, a 3-1/2 hour drive, for us was a 4-1/2 hour drive. It is great to be home, I have an empty refrigerator which I will shop for today. I had my mail held for ten days, so it will be delivered today in one big chunk.


For you that follow the silly blog, I again apologize, I was going crazy trying to use this laptop as it was definitely haunted. It wouldn't let me use the upper symbols, it would take part of a sentence and insert it in a different place, and more. WonderWoman drove me to Summerlin's Apple Store. 

 I had am appointment, so an older gentleman (younger than me) helped me. 


He was amazed, and said he had never seen what was going on with my used-to-be-sweet laptop, never in his 30 years experience. After trying many fixes, none of which worked, he consulted his boss and it was determined that Max, my errant laptop, would have to be sent away. He was to be sent to Tennessee for rehab. Apple is amazing, and thankfully, I have Apple Care, which will expire soon and I must get it renewed. I was in the store on the 20th when Apple mailed Max, I got constant updates, and received Max at WW's house on the 23rd. I hadn't anticipated that all the apps would have to be updated to make sure it was me, which meant remembering passwords from 4 + years ago? Thank goodness the Grandhunks are all pretty tech-y and they helped me, sometimes with a new password. TMI??  There's more and pictures, but I have gone on too long.


 
 

  
 
A 3+ minute video, Dear Alice,  here.
 
 
  
Just because ...
  

red-tailed hawk

Tuesday's Smiles ...  




 

     


 



   



  






Monday, December 18, 2023

no number

                  

 

 



               I'll be back as soon as the blog is okay.

                          Please don't give up on me.


 

DAY 4137 - Pancho's and Ice Skating.


Offensive - junk mail collage.

   
 
 



2GN2S
 

China’s ‘most inconvenient convenience store’ hangs off the side of a cliff


The name Shiniuzhai – “stone ox village” in Chinese – was inspired by one of the hills, which is shaped like the back of an ox.

The convenience store is located along an 800-meter via ferrata route. Via ferrata – Italian for “iron way” – is a pathway along a mountain that uses metal anchors and other structures that climbers can fasten themselves to as they make their way up/across challenging terrain. 

Hunan, a landlocked province with 64 million people, is also home to The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which is famous for its  pillar-like karst formations believed to have inspired otherworldly landscape in Canadian director James Cameron’s 2009 hit “Avatar.”  



After church we went to Summerlin and


for a long, fun, delicious meal for 11.
Superman, Wonderwoman, Grandhunk1, his girlfriend Grandcutie, her parents, Larry and Tina, Grandhunk 3, his friend Jason, and
friends of GH1and GC, Brian and Monica.
 
GH3, GH1, GC.

We had heard that they had a ice-skating rink by the Redrock Hotel and Mall. None of us skated but enjoyed watching all levels and a lot of first-timers. 

GH3, Superman walk grandma to the rink.

It was more crowded than it looks in the photo.

I have wanted to be tall like WW, This is as near as I got.       


Our gang watching from the outside.
  


WW and Mom/Grandma


 


  
 
A 6 minute video, Kinetic Sculpture, here.
 
 
 
 
Just because ...
 
 
Yellow-backed Oriole

 


Monday's Smiles ...