Sharing Information Over the Phone

We all have had to share information over the phone and resorted to spelling a word using the phonetic alphabet.

I have found that not everyone knows the correct words to use when verbally spelling to someone else.

In an effort to reduce the confusion out there I have created a fantastic system to help in these types of situations.

Feel free to use the following words to help your conversations achieve a higher level of understanding:

Mark's Phonetic Alphabet

A as in Aegis
B as in Bdellium
C as in Cue
D as in Djibouti
E as in Eye or ewe
F as in Futtock
G as in Gnome
H as in Hour
I as in Ian
J as in Jalapeno
K as in Knife
L as in Llama
M as in Mnemonic
N as in Ngami
O as in Oesophagus
P as in Pneumatic
Q as in Quay
R as in Roentgen
S as in Sea
T as in Tsar
U as in Ursula
V as in Veldt
W as in Wretch
X as in Xylophone
Y as in Yew
Z as in Zloty

Best wishes in your next opportunity to reach understanding!!!

Hmm, I find this very interesting...

I have been less than happy with our current options for this year's elections.


I was reading Stef's blog and found a link to an interesting idea:

http://satyagraha.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/why-vote-third-party/

You make your own choice but...

The Constitution Party looks good to me:

http://www.constitutionparty.com/

http://www.baldwin08.com/

Follow the links above and let me know what you think.

Thanks, Mark

Minnesota Temple - Arson

We were shocked to hear that the temple in St. Paul, MN had been damaged by arson. Here is the story from the news:



Arson Suspected In Oakdale Mormon Temple Fire OAKDALE, Minn. (AP) ― Authorities suspect arson in an early morning fire at the Mormon temple in the St. Paul suburb of Oakdale. Smoke and fire were reported in the front entry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints temple shortly before 3 a.m. Fire Chief Jeff Anderson says it was mostly out by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was mostly confined to the front doors, but Anderson says some light smoke got into a front room. Church leaders estimate the damage at $25,000. Investigators found no signs of forced entry, and authorities don't believe the case is a hate crime. Anyone with information is asked to call Oakdale police at 651-738-1022. As of early 2007, there were about 28,000 Mormons and 74 congregations in Minnesota. Mormons typically go to Sunday services at churches near their homes and use the temple for special ceremonies such as baptisms and marriages. The Oakdale temple serves Minnesota and part of Wisconsin and Ontario.



Mary and I were planning to go to the temple last week but the families activities forced us to postpone... now it looks like we will have to postpone much longer...

Memory Class - Joke

An elderly couple had been experiencing declining memories, so they decided to take a power memory class where one is taught to remember things by association.

A few days after the class, the old man was outside talking with his neighbor about how much the class helped him.

"What was the name of the Instructor?" asked the neighbor.

"Oh, ummmm, let's see," the old man pondered. "You know that flower, you know, the one that smells really nice but has those prickly thorns, what's that flower's name?"

"A rose?" asked the neighbor.

"Yes, that's it," replied the old man. He then turned toward his house and shouted, "Hey, Rose, what's the name of the Instructor we took the memory class from?"

Date Ideas

I was searching the web for date ideas and came across these ideas for a date with my wife…

How about:
- A picnic? Surprise your spouse with the foods they enjoy.
- A walk in a park?
- Go someplace where you can watch the sunset...
- Offering to go with her to her favorite store?
- Roller-skating? Its fun, its exercise and you get to hold hands!
- Enjoying nature and just being together.

- Rent a canoe and go float the lake or river

- Hiking, boating, mountain biking or snow skiing…

- A local bookstore and searching the "local/regional interest" shelves. You are likely to find books on things to do within one day of driving.

- A tour of old churches, a local creamery, a local historic battle site, an old plantation, the beach...

- Visiting museums, historic sites, zoos, churches, local nature preserves, and other things of local interest provide a wealth of ideas for "dates".
- A hobby together-- be it cooking, recreational tennis, joining a league, etc.
- Miniature golfing- Bowling- Hiking and/or camping at a state park

- Horseback riding

- Archery

- Buying a dart board set
- The art gallery

- A Flea market or used bookstores...

- Joining the local Little Theatre?

- Ice skating, salsa dancing, a few ballroom dancing lessons, a how-to class at a local home improvement or cookware store, a trip to a local big bookstore to browse the shelves

- Are there any decent comedy clubs in your area? A murder mystery can be fun as well.

- A drive with no particular place to go...

- If your town still has an open air street market that makes a great Saturday morning. You can pick up rolls, deli meat and cheese etc for a grab n go snack.

- Take an unfamiliar bus route, follow it to the end, find a place to eat and come back again.
- The zoo or a conservatory. Bring camera and take pictures of beautiful flowers or fuzzy bear cubs.

- Bird-watching

- Drive down an unfamiliar road, you get some great suprises this way: historical sites, parks, rivers, lakes, little shops and cafes, outdoor art and sculpture, a little league game or tournament, carnivals and small-town celebrations and festivals

- College or high school sports

- Craft shows

- Railroad excursions

- Fishing

- Driving range or mini golf, or go-carts, and other games.

- Historical sites such as living history villages or farms

- Cross country skiing

- HS or college student art exhibits

- Old-fashioned hardware stores, great to browse, you find some unique unexpected stuff, one had an antique toy collection, another had a superb depression glass collection, another had works by a local artist who has since become famous as an illustrator.
- Play scrabble and order a pizza. It's a great game to sharpen your vocabulary.

- Go browsing in an antique shop.

- Go to a concert.

Just enjoy being together ...................

Seth is doing fine now that Gustav has passed...

We received a phone call from Baton Rouge (Seth had been in Houma - and was moved to B.R. before the huricane arrived). Seth is safe, there was a lot of damage in the area and the power is out; so no emails. No damaged occured to the home Seth is in, but the neighborhood has many fallen trees and debris all over. Seth has been helping with clean up.

Labor Day!!!

We started Labor Day in the garden picking tomatoes, peppers, onions, and squash... We have enough to can some tomato soup and sweet & sour sauce.

We went to the beach and buried our kids...Sorry about the lady at the top of the photo... I took the picture with my cell phone and it was so bright out I couldn't tell what was in the picture.

We biked to McDonald's for ice cream and a Family Night treat. It was a good day.