notinKansasanymore

I hated missing this shindig last year, and am looking forward to ginosko'ing it this year. Thank you for doing this again. I mean, Thank Ya'll.

Yes, it was Grosse Point Blank, come to think of it. I could see John Cusak saying the line, but couldn't remember the name of the film.

Dude, you crack me up. What you just described is a pretty clear repetition of something a guy told me he THOUGHT we were doing all the time, back when he picked me up hitch-hiking on my way from Van Wert to HQ during our interim year. I thought that he was gong to attack me, but I got out of the car okay. When J.Fred heard about it, he made sure that the ministry loaned me enough to buy a Wowmobile so that I wouldn't have to hitch-hike any more. Come to think of it, as I type this, I wonder whether it wasn't J.Fred's own money. He was sweet like that. Speaking of inadequate training for the late-seventies Christian leader, What about the missed financial training, where they should have taught us all to keep a second set of books, with the REAL money records, as they did? What about the training where maids, who think that they are serving God to do it, come in and make our beds and keep our children and get treated like dirt, and THANK US for the privilege? What about training in how to properly walk up the stairway of my own huge corporate jet, and execute the proper kind of wave for the photo op, and training in how to not care that the people who paid for that jet work part time and drive wowmobiles? You may have a point, Rhino, my dear, that only the very upper echelon of Corps got the best training. How did they pick that upper echelon? That question reminds me of a movie, wherein a character was asked why HE was the one recruited by the government to be a CIA assasin. "They gave us all a battery of psychological tests," he replied, "and saw that I had certain wide lapses in my moral center." Or, something like that; it's paraphrased.

To you, my dear, I raise my coffee cup. This is a very important milestone of healing. Congratulations!!!

Ophelia, BikerBabe, Shellon: Here's just a shout out, to tell you that I love you. I cannot imagine the depths of heart that it has taken you to get through these challenges. I support you, I support you. I hope that today is a good day for each and all of you. Love, niKa

Hi, Jerry! Welcome and Love to you and Margie. I don't think that Jeff visits here very often; at least, if he does, he's not anyone whose "secret identity" I know. Most of us on the 9th Corps thread have e-mailed or visited back and forth, and know who folks are. Point is: if you want to contact Jeff, you might want to do that through his work website; I don't think he'll see your note here. It's great to have you here. Hey, sports fans, How 'Bout Them Sooners???? I'm screamed hoarse from yesterday's game. It rained just lightly, right at kickoff, and again a few moments later; just enough to get everyone steamed in the humid heat. When the sun came out, you could practically see the water vapor rising up from the crowded stands. But it was the Miami game, and nobody was going anywhere, even if it downpoured, so we were very lucky. There were a LOT of bottles of cold water sold in the staduim, lemmetellya! It was like Florida weather, but it was three blocks from my house in Oklahoma. Last week, North Texas (my Dad's alma mater, God rest his soul), which is known regionally as a superior music school, 71-10. Yesterday, Miami Hurricanes, 51-13. Something tells me (I am knocking on wood as I type) that this might turn out to be a decent football season. We acquired some pom poms. We'll see.

Welcome. welcome, Jerry and Margie! How good to think of you again! Have a cup of coffee; would you like some pie?

Venus.

I'm so glad that your Rascal has come home to you. It's very nice to see something like this work out. Congratulations!

Yes, me too! The first weekend in November looms ahead, in the barely seen distance, like the big stone post at the entrance to the front drive at Emporia; when it started to come into view, I knew that the three-mile run was actually going to end in the conceivable future. See you there!

Thank you, Lifted. We appreciate the bump. Hi, everyone - school has begun again, and I am so busy that I don't know my coming from my going. Life is very exciting, the new students seem nice, and another year is underway. Barely time even to dance in the kitchen, though I will try to manage a shimmy every now and then. love, niKa

As for what posters look like, rest assured that all of you people are still firmly (pun?) in your twenties. I seem to have turned 50 somewhere along the line, but you folks are still young. At least, that's my rock and roll fantasy. I'll be seeing some of you at the Texas BBQ, and we can catch up. But I will probably still see you as being in your twenties. I know, I know . . . we're more interesting now. We've learned more things, expanded our lives to include spouses, children, careers, experiences, and adventures. But I remember your face when it was fresh and unlined; I remember your vitality on those twelve-minute tests. I know that you are still just exactly like that, where and when it really counts. love, niKa

Looking forward to it, buddy. Travel safely. School has begun here again. I'm working hard. 2 of 4 has begun college. 3 and 4 of 4 are still in elementary school. 1 of 4 arrives tomorrow for a nice visit. It'll be fun. Love you all.

We have had an amazing storm passing through for the past several hours. It's only raining normally now, but I was out on the porch with a cup of coffee at 4:30 am, and there were extended blasts when the street was white with blowing, hard-driving, sideways rain. Mr. niKa saw the radar; he said that it was a huge circular storm, with a well-defined eye, and a curliecue tail. Norman was, at the moment, just under the curliecue. I'm not saying that we had a hurricane in Oklahoma, but I do think that this is the closest I've ever seen to one. It was amazing. Do you think that the President believes in Global Warming yet? I saw the racoon (she's nursing pups, and lives under the house next door) hurrying home at about 5:am; she looked like she believed in it, and she did not look pleased. There was a wet-looking skunk hurrying down the street about an hour later, during one of the lulls; looked like he believed in it, too.

We got up at 3am on Monday morning/Sunday night, and took the kids out to the country. Light pollution was unexpectedly abundant; it seems that everybody has to have a streetlight out in front of the house in the country, these days. We finally found a decent spot, pulled off of the road, and looked up. Although there weren't quite as many as we'd hoped, some of the meteors were pretty cool. Left nice streaks in the sky. There was a hoot owl not far away, and not many mosquitos. All of the farm dogs were talking to one another. All in all, a very nice family experience together. The only other local person we know who got up to see the meteor shower is one of the waitresses at our normal lunch spot. She and Mr.niKa discussed it yesterday. I suppose you could say it was an astronomical gastronomical conversation.

Hi, Roger and Darlene! It's wonderful to know that you're both doing well. You will know who I am if I say that you stayed at my house during part of your honeymoon, and visited the Fair. Love to both of you; send me a private message if you'd like. Hugs across the years, niKa

God rest Mick Heron. He was a good one. Here's to you, bro.

"Here's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember." Ophelia is a perfect new name, given your situation. I am so very, very sorry for your loss. You are very wise to be getting counselling and doing what needs to be done to heal. Please pm me if there's absolutely anything that I can do for you. You sound like a strong and determined person. I thought that your posts as AdiosMiCorazon were wise and uplifting, and am glad to see you here again. Welcome back, welcome back.

firkin n 1: a British unit of capacity equal to 9 imperial gallons 2: a small wooden keg Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Firkin \Fir"kin\, n. [From AS. fe['o]wer four (or an allied word, perh. Dutch or Danish) + -kin. See Four.] 1. A varying measure of capacity, usually being the fourth part of a barrel; specifically, a measure equal to nine imperial gallons. [Eng.] 2. A small wooden vessel or cask of indeterminate size, -- used for butter, lard, etc. [u.S.] Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary Firkin Used only in John 2:6; the Attic amphora, equivalent to the Hebrew bath (q.v.), a measure for liquids containing about 8 7/8 gallons. ____________________________________________________________________ That said, it's almost time to quit our jobs, load up the station wagons, tie the tents and extra bedding on top of the cars, and head to Ohio for the Rock of Ages . . .. :blink: Daa-aaang, we were young.

Firkin: (n) small ground squirrels, genrally having two stripes down the back, infesting the former campus of the former Way College of Emporia, so named by former Corps Director (and honorary 9th Corps graduate) John A. Lynn. Taken from the verse in the Gospels about Jesus turning water into wine; refers to the size of the vessels in which the water was kept: "containing two or three firkins apiece." And yes, I certainly am. Anybody else from Firkinville going to be there?

One thing to think about: if you currently take your glasses off (as I do) to get a good look at something close up, you will no longer be able to do that after Lasik. You will need close-up vision glasses to see things very close up. I live my life with my glasses on top of my head half of the time, because I read and grade so much that is close.

Oh, you guys are sooooo weeeeeiiirrrrdd. Translation: Can't wait to see you!

Yes, there were lots of flying firkins. We fed them peanuts to keep up the excitement. There were also marmots, and a rather large and quite agile bear . . .. We declined to feed it peanuts; things were exciting enough with the flying firkins. My spellchecker thinks that "firkins" is mispelled. It must be of the world. Some townie wrote it, no doubt. Wait - I'm a townie now. WOH. This is to celebrate being a Townie. wa-HOOOOOOOOO! Bless Patrol, do you still read these things? This Townie says "hi." Here's to the Bless Patrol: :beer:

I have wondered what ever happened to this nice person. He got into the Word in Joliet, Illinois, courtesy of the '76-'77 WOW's, and the last I'd heard, he'd relocated to the Bay area of California. He had been in the Navy. He could walk on his hands, and had a sweet heart.