Thursday, January 08, 2004

In an attempt to help counteract the Creativity Killer #1, I wrote about the Creativity Enhancer #1 today. 9:59:47 AM    comment []  trackback []

Monday, January 05, 2004

Good news!  I finally got my domain name working and can only hope it will stay that way.  You can now get to my weblog using www.michellemcbride.com.  I also posted a new article today, titled Creativity Killer #1.  I hope you will enjoy.  There is a link on the new weblog to subscribe or syndicate the site.  I hope you will continue to join me in the next year! 11:39:00 AM    comment []  trackback []

Friday, January 02, 2004

I’m Moving   My salon blog is close to expiring.  I had considered stopping my weblog altogether, but my husband talked me out of it.  I’ve found it terribly creepy that not only my ex-husband reads this, but my husband’s ex-wife read it as well.  I’m sure I’ll write more about this in the near future. When we decided to keep this weblog going, I wanted to do a couple things.  First, I wanted to use my domain name – www.michellemcbride.com.  Second, I wanted something a little easier for me to use and design.  My husband, being the internet/weblog addict that he is, found Typepad.com. So, my new weblog can be reached either using my Michelle McBride domain or the typepad address.  I hope you will follow me there and continue to visit me.  I will post on this blog a link when I post something on Typepad until the Salon blog expires. 3:13:48 PM    comment []  trackback []

Monday, December 29, 2003

Quandary                 My daughter recently completed her testing for admittance into Kindergarten.  I must confess I was shocked by her scores.  Don’t get me wrong, I knew she was smart, but hadn’t realized how smart.             After getting these scores and talking with the admissions officials at the school, my husband suggested we consider joining her in MENSA.  I had seen MENSA before, but it was on those mind game books at Barnes & Noble.  So I went out to their website and read up on the organization.             Evidently the only requirement for membership is an intelligence test score within the top 2% of the population.  There’s also the willingness to pony up the yearly dues – but that’s a whole ‘nother topic.  Anyway, her scores were listed at the top 1% so I guess she’d qualify.             The dilemma comes from wondering if this is the best thing for a five year old little girl.  I’m focused on education and learning all that they can.  Both of the kids are reading and can even do some basic math.  My daughter knows more about animals than I can begin to expound upon here, but their life right now isn’t all about education.  I want them to be kids and enjoy being kids.  They should have the opportunities to play just for the sake of playing (like video games and Barbies).             I don’t want to “enroll” her in MENSA just to have her then pressured to achieve more and go further.  There’s nothing wrong with not skipping any grades in school and enjoying her childhood in its entirety.  That’s not to say that if she wanted to move further along, she certainly could, but that’s her free choice, not a pressured one from the adults around her.             But then there are also the benefits of joining a group such as MENSA.  Resources can be available to her that may not be available otherwise.  Support and encouragement from other children experiencing some of the same things is another great advantage.             So, being the over-protective, uber-worrying mother that I am, I’m torn about what the best path is for her. 12:15:41 PM    comment []  trackback []

Saturday, December 06, 2003

Tis the Season! Today has been Christmas decorating day.  We put the tree up which was a HUGE production with the kids.  We got all the lights and ornaments on it and are all set to go.  Tomorrow is cookie baking with Grandma.  ALL DAY LONG!  Sugar cookies and Peanut Blossoms mainly. I'll be back to writing on Monday.  I've been trying to write a response to a comment made to the Choices article by Steve.  I've vowed to get it written tomorrow while Grandma and Aunt Peggy do the cookies with the kids. I have to admit, I feel I am a little behind on the whole Christmas thing this year.  Considering this year the stores and malls decorated after Halloween and Santa was even out before Thanksgiving.  The scary part is, I can remember as a child my parents saying, "One of these days the stores won't even wait for Thanksgiving.  Halloween will kick off the Christmas season."  And here I am to witness my parent's prediction. 5:37:35 PM    comment []  trackback []

Saturday, November 29, 2003

Reinvention               I need to put my sci-fi geekoid hat on for a while.  In nine days (December 8) the Sci Fi channel will air a mini-series remake of Battlestar Galactica.  The creators of the modernized version wanted to step away some from the original and make it deeper, richer and … well … modern.             Interestingly enough the change that has been touted the most is making Starbuck a woman.  In the interviews and snippets of “behind the scenes” that I’ve seen, that is the item they’ve worried over with the reception.  They claim they’ve made changes while sticking to the “core” of the original.             Here’s my issue with this.  How can they stick to the “core” and change the entire underlying premise of the show?             In the original series, the “rag-tag” group of humans searched for Earth – they weren’t from Earth.  The cylons were machines out to destroy the humans and the looked like machines.  They weren’t created by humans and look like humans.             So, what core are the creators talking about?  The name?  The character names?  The look of the fighter ships?             I will admit, I haven’t seen the new series, so this is off the interviews, trailers and such that I’ve seen.  Will I watch it?  When I first heard about it I had said, YES, definitely, but now I’m not so sure.  I haven’t been convinced that what they’ve put together is even remotely Battlestar Galactica. 1:24:41 PM    comment []  trackback []

Thursday, November 27, 2003

Amazing!               I have now seen it all!  I’m telling you, nothing will surprise me again.  In Winston-Salem, Doctor Stuart Meloy is trying to find 10 women (only found 2 so far) to test his “orgasmatron.”  Yep, you read that right – orgasmatron.             He has created a device that connects to a woman’s spinal column that can trigger orgasms.  He’s had one woman complete the first round of trials.  Supposedly she had several orgasms over the nine days – her first in nine years and the first ever multiple orgasm.             Now, here’s my problem.  Do I really want electrodes surgically implanted onto my spinal column in order to get more orgasms?  Hmmm, I was all for having anesthetic numbing medicine sprayed around my spinal column to block out the contraction pain during labor, but that was temporary and nothing was actually connected to the spinal column.             I will admit, as a writer, this could offer up some incredible material.  I may have to explore how the orgasmatron could be used in a future book.  Would women kill for such an opportunity?  Evidently not if he can’t even get women to test it, but who knows.             If you’d like to read more about it, here’s the article I found about it on msnbc.com. 11:34:45 AM    comment []  trackback []