Mother Daughter

Ok--a younger Nancy with shoulder-length hair (right side picture) shows some closer resemblance, but I admit she still favors her dad more in her facial features.

Holiday Memories

I noticed that on Thanksgiving everyone posted their favorite Thanksgiving Memory, and the same for Christmas and New Years. I know it is a bit early for Valentine's Day, but since I work in retail I have to be in holiday mode far sooner than the holiday is even here...Anyway I was wondering if everyone could share a sweet story about his/her Valentine. I know there are some who will be mourning the loss of a loved one and I do not mean to upset anyone, but I think it interesting to hear the love stories of my elders, people who may have spent the majority of their lives loving each other. And it is equally fascinating to hear about young loves just beginning to blossom. Again, this isn't meant to cause depression among those who won't be celebrating on February 14, but to hear about the people who fell in love and made the families we have now and the people who are just starting a love story that may lead to future generations...I know I'm getting sappy... ;)

This is even less accurate than the dog thing, but this car does bear a strong resemblance to the yellow EXP I once had.

I'm a Lamborghini Murcielago!

You're not subtle, but you don't want to be. Fast, loud, and dramatic, you want people to notice you, and then get out of the way. In a world full of sheep, you're a raging bull.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Which Sports Car are You?

Time for a new quiz. Like the "What Kind of Dog are You" this is "What Kind of Sports Car are you?" Do the same thing--click the title (or the link below) and it will take you to the quiz.

My results:

I'm a Ferrari 360 Modena!

You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Doberman

No surprise with yours, Brother Dear. They don't have enough choices, as I came out to be a Doberman. Surprised I wasn't a Bulldog, too.

What Common Breed of Dog are You?

I have sent this out before via email, so many of you will have seen it. However, it is fun to review and see if you have changed. Plus, there are many new Blog readers who may not have seen it before.

Click the title to take you to the Internet page with the questions. Once you answer them and click Submit, a new page will display with your dog type and a brief description.

If you want to play, add your dog type to the Comments section, and cut and paste the description it gives. This should be fun. Here is mine:

Betty's Birthday Memories

Thanks for all the lovely birthday messages. I think it's the most I've gotten in a good many years. Sure is nice to have a genealogist hanging around who's happy to broadcast birthday numbers that you wish you could forget! Ha-ha!

To comment on a couple of comments: If I lived til Clara's age, I'd have to go through the living Hell of getting another Permanent Visa here in CZ--that's "Permanent" spelled "10 years". I think that would probably kill me dead right on my 90th birthday!

I've had a terrific birthday week, to respond to another comment. Adam Skoumal (y'all surely know who he is by now---my CZ piano teacher/fantastic concert pianist/composer) played a gorgeous concert with the Martinu String Quartet in Prague's most beautiful concert hall. Then things went downhill for a bit. A piano concert by a former child prodigy--still young--was so disappointing that for the first 10 minutes I was convinced some strange concerto had been substituted in the program at the last minute. I couldn't believe I was listening to Mozart. First time I ever heard Mozart hammered to death. But the company was great. Moving right along downhill: Killer headache caused me to miss out on a dance program put on by a very talented young friend who dances with the National Theater Ballet. (She is the wife of my most interesting new student, Pavel Liska, a hot young actor in both theater and films.) And finally on THE day, there was a trip to the dentist!

However, things began looking up after that. Adam and his recent bride Miluska mounted a razzle-dazzle celebration. When I walked in they had 80 votive candles arranged to form the number 80--- all burning merrily away. I wondered why Adam insisted that I must ring the downstairs bell instead of just using my key. The ring was obviously the signal to start lighting the candles while I was coming up 5 flights in the elevator. Amazing timing! Speedy, too! In the meantime, Adam had dropped me at the door and gone back to my flat. He said my birthday gift was in the trunk of the car and he had to have a place to put it together where I couldn't see him doing it. So the rest of us sat around chatting, eating the soup (I think this country would collapse if someone forgot to serve the soup), and I opened some of the gifts: chocolates, flowers, cognac, flowers, several cheery cards one of which (Adam's of course) wished me a Happy 800th Birthday, flowers, rock salt candles, and the big package turned out to be my raincoat just back from the cleaners. This was all interspersed with several phone calls from Adam whose 30 minutes at my flat was stretching to an hour and more. Not surprising since he wasn't having one of his best days. We'd had to make a quick stop for gas on the way when he noticed the needle on zero, and then discovered one of our brand new winter tires was almost flat.

So the rest of us sat around with a little more wine and a nice fire in the fireplace and played with the cat. Eventually, Adam turned up again and the next dinner course was my favorite here called Svickova (svitch-koh-vah) aka Beef Stroganov with Czech-style dumplings (made into a large roll, steamed and sliced). Dessert was a Tiramisu cake, another of my favorites. The rest of the evening was taken up with looking at Adam's and Miluska's wedding pictures, catching up on gossip in the music world, and just yakking in general. Around 1am, a couple of the guests bagged up all the loot and drove me back to my flat. I opened the door and there sat a beautiful dropleaf dining table that I've been meaning to buy ---ohh, for a couple of years now--just never got around to picking one out. Adam's project that held up the party! So all in all, ignoring that dismal number, it was a very lovely day. Now you know more than you ever wanted to know.

Thanks for asking.

Love, Betty

Monday Blues

Roommates

Living with other people can be difficult, even if it is with family members that you have spent your whole life with. I am living with three complete strangers that I met when I moved into the apartment. I chose this option because it was the least expensive at the time. Any time one shares one's abode with other people problems can arise. I am curious if anyone would like to share some amusing anecdotes, memories (good or bad), and/or advice about sharing a household. You don't have to mention who the particular housemate was. Just curious because my roommates had a meeting the other day that I wasn't invited to and they decided that we no longer use the dishwasher or keep anything plugged in because we had a high electric bill. I chose to not point out to them that the AC/Heater was probably to blame...