Thursday, April 27, 2006

Coal Miner's Granddaughter

Both of my grandfathers were coal miners. I spent many summer vacations in the coal region of Pennsylvania. The mines were all pretty much shut down as far as I could remember. But coal mining never leaves an area. It is prevalent in the very air you breathe, and the dust that lives on.

My grandfathers didn't talk too much about the mines. I know they both lost their fathers to mining accidents. In the past few years, I have been researching my dad's family. When my grandfather was four months old, his father was killed in the mines. I never even knew his name. Until my brother found an old newspaper clipping in my grandmother's house. That made me start to search..... Now that there is more information online, it is much easier than going to the LDS Library and squinting through a microfiche viewer.

I was able to find a site that listed mine fatalities in Northumberland County. 1909 Mine Fatalities has my great-grandfather's death listed.

13-Aug Millard, Lot- English, Miner, 25, M, Locust Gap. Killed by fall of slate at face of breast while trying to bar it down.


Just reading that document and the ways that miners died is very heartbreaking. It was a very hard life.

So you can understand why this story from CNN about the lone survivor of the Sago mine accident in West Virgina makes me so very sad.

McCloy said the air behind the curtain grew worse, and he lay as low as possible and tried to take shallow breaths, but became lightheaded.

"Some drifted off into what appeared to be a deep sleep, and one person sitting near me collapsed and fell off his bucket, not moving. It was clear that there was nothing I could do to help him," McCloy wrote. "The last person I remember speaking to was Jackie Weaver, who reassured me that if it was our time to go, then God's will would be fulfilled."


Still a very dangerous way of life for so many.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Out of Practice

I actually 'chatted' for about ten minutes. Well, I might actually have only said three things the whole time. I am soooooo out of practice. And these webchat clients are very slow. Reminds me of having a 14.4 modem on Compusuck! I was hanging out at the AI Conspiracy board after the show, and I was invited to come into chat. Strange... I think I've lost my touch. Plus, my harddrive is too slow. And I'm not talking about my computer! LOL

They're funny people, and I do like to hang on the forum. Just way out of practice chatting.

So what are you all up to? Am I still talking to myself here?

Monday, April 24, 2006

Amazin'

I think it was 1997, and I was learning html to create a webpage. Surprisingly enough, I picked it up really fast. Keep in mind that this is the girl who had to have a cheat sheet in front of her when on the IRCs because I could never remember all the commands!

Well, of course the web has grown. And grown. And my pathetic little html skills are so outdated that it's not even funny. Once again, technology has passed me by. I just find it amazing how the web has exploded in the last ten years. And so many really cool things that we only dreamed of back then! Remember when we thought using .wav files was cutting edge? How quaint.

At any rate, I thought I would share some stuff with you every now and then. Let's talk about youtube. People can make their own short films, or take existing films (as long as they don't get caught infringing on copyright) and upload them to the net. I cannot even imagine the bandwidth this must use.... but it's growing larger and more popular every day.

So here are a few youtube clips that are in my favorites folder. And yes, I am weird, why do you ask? If you are a silent surfer like me, turn your sound on and visit these:

Kicked in the Nuts

Cat vs. Dog

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Aren't ya glad we have a tagboard?


Yes, Morris, I'm talking to you!! Am I the only person who keeps track of passwords and stuff?

Well, it's Sunday night. Last night was prom. Can I brag about how handsome my son looked? He rolled in at 7:30 this morning. I actually did manage to sleep all night without worrying. Does that make me a terrible mother? Okay, so I couldn't sleep until I came out on the couch at around 3 this morning. Then I finally fell asleep until he woke me when he came in. I guess I'm just not the cool mother I pretend to be.

Graduation is only a month away. Where did the last 18 years go? Next August I'm going to be writing a long sad post just like Deblin when he goes off to college.

And Chris has gotten through his freshman year with honors. I'm telling you, the boy is an evil genius. He doesn't seem to break a sweat and still comes home with all A's. It's bizarre. I'm sure that AP Chemistry and Algebra II will kick his ass next year. We'll see.

Jim is back in China. He left on Wednesday and won't be back until the 4th of May. I told him that they better understand that the month of May is completely off limits! We have senior banquets, and graduation... No way is going to be able to leave.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Tax Day!!

Got your taxes done? I always forget about this because ours are usually done in February. Already got the refund. And spent it. Go ahead, throw something at me. I deserve it.

It was a beautiful day today. I installed a fountain and got a flower bed ready. I love working in the dirt. I'd rather be out doing gardening than housework. It's taken a few years to learn what will grow in the hotter-than-hell Texas summers, but I think I've finally got a handle on it. I'll put up a picture of my new zen garden as soon as I can. Love the fountain. It definitely improves the feng shui of the garden. What? So, it's a gimmick. But I like it!

Well, Happy Easter everyone!

Saturday, April 08, 2006