Brusselball -- Part Deux

I really hope we get Round Two of the Travelling Brusselball game (Son of Brusselball) started up again!

Here's a picture of Perla playing with Brusselball The First.

A couple of family photos

We're getting ready for Dad and Lorraine's collective 160th birthday party. (That's 80 years for each of them.) I scanned in a bunch of really old photos so we can incorporate them into a slide presentation for their party. Here are just a couple.

This first one is a picture of Barry and me -- taken about a jillion years ago -- at Shakey's on Rockville Pike after an STSC softball game.



Next up is a picture of my Dad that was taken in front of the Smithsonian Castle sometime in the 70's. Check out the Gremlin over his shoulder!



Finally, here's a picture of the Kenner Kids!

We Can Do Better

This weekend, bloggers all over the world are coming together in the name of tolerance. Enough hatred, disrespect, name-calling, racism and killing. Here's hoping that the 21st century will be much less hateful than the 20th ever was.

I've done a lot of thinking about this, and I think there are really only two forces in the world: love and fear. Every negative thing can be traced back to fear, and every positive thing can be traced back to love.

What is greed? The fear of not having enough. What is hatred? The fear of "the other." Fear shuts you down. It closes you in. It separates you from others.

What is friendship? It's the love of a person who is special to you. What is fun? Ultimately, I think it is happy times shared with others whom you love. Great music, great art, great literature... they are all created by people who want to express their love through their own gifts. Love is expansive. It connects you to others and to the earth. Even science can be employed in the service of love by people who want to make a difference.

Lately, I have been focusing on the idea that good things are abundantly available. Just having that mindset helps you to see the good things that are around you all the time. You can get through the bad stuff by focusing on and appreciating what's good.

I've heard it said that the opposite of love is not hate. It is fear. For a different perspective on this, I found a quote from Plan Be, "The opposite of love is hate; but the obstacle to love is fear."

Thank you, Leon, for challenging me to write this post.

Answers to the "How Well Do You Know Andrea Kenner" Quiz

I got the idea from my friend Happy (i.e., John) to post an answer key to my "How Well Do You Know Andrea Kenner" Facebook quiz here on my blog. So for anybody who knows or cares, here it is

How well do you know Andrea Kenner? 1) Which of the following is not one of my cats? a) Augie b) Beckham c) Cali d) Ethel e) Perla Ethel is not my cat now, but I once had two cats named Lucy and Ethel. They previously "owned" a friend who moved to Atlanta. We kind of have an alphabetical theme for naming our cats, but Perla broke the mold. I mean, what can you say... she's a different kind of kitty. 2) I would secretly like to be a/an _______________ for a day. a) artist b) film critic c) deejay d) doctor e) singer I wouldn't mind being a deejay too, but I'm a shower/car singer who can really belt it out when no one is listening. Oh well, a person's got to know his or her limitations! 3) My favorite flavor of ice cream is a) Mint Chocolate Chip b) Denali Moose Tracks c) Peach d) Vanilla e) Yes! Pecan Mmm.... moose tracks. I like the idea of Yes! Pecan, but to be honest, I've never tried it. 4) What song would I choose to sing at a karaoke bar? a) The Love Shack b) Act Naturally c) It Wasn't Me d) Pink Cadillac e) Somewhere Over the Rainbow OK, believe it or not, I have actually already performed The Love Shack and It Wasn't Me in the great karaoke hall of fame that is The Cat's Meow in New Orleans. Neither one was by my choice, even though I really do love to sing the Love Shack. But I actually think I would do better on Act Naturally, becuase it has a smaller range. And, as Melissa Reilly knows, Pink Cadillac really bugs me because you can basically sing it in only three notes. I mean, it sounds cool and all, but it's pretty basic, and not really a singer's song. And Somewhere Over the Rainbow.... Oh forget it! It has a full octave change. The only thing that could be worse is trying to sing the Star Spangled Banner! 5) What is my favorite holiday? a) Hanukkah b) Christmas c) Passover d) Fourth of July e) Halloween I adore the Fourth of July. Maybe it's because it's close to my birthday, but I really think it's just because I'm such a summertime girl. 6) What is my favorite vacation spot? a) Vegas, baby! b) New Orleans c) Ocean City, MD d) Aspen e) Bermuda I know it doesn't sound glamorous, but I really love going to Ocean City. It's so homey. And I love the popcorn and the french fries. 7) What kind of car do I drive? a) Honda Civic b) Honda Accord c) Honda Insight d) Scion XA e) Toyota Camry I bought my Accord on July 8, 2000. That's a pretty easy date for me to remember, since it's my birthday. But don't tell anyone. For my next car... hmm.... maybe a Mini Roadster? 8) Who wold I most like to meet? a) Barack Obama b) Dick Cheney c) Brad Pitt d) Jennifer Aniston e) Billy Ray Cyrus OMG, I keep hoping I will run into the Big Kahuna. I mean I do live near DC and all. I guess I gotta start hanging out at Five Guys or something. 9) What would be the perfect present for me? a) A beach towel b) A treadmill c) A fruit basket d) Something with cats on it e) A vacuum cleaner Hee hee. This one's a giveaway. 10) How many credit hours do I have left to finish? a) 3 b) 6 c) 9 d) 12 e) 15

OK, as of this moment, I'm down to nine. I can't wait until this whole thing is over so I can stop worrying about writing the next paper!

Ciao!

Barry and Emma -- What a pair!

Don't they look cute together?

Augie and Cali

Don't these two look just like an old married couple? Augie takes very good care of his furriend Cali.