Farewell 2007

 ~~~

Happy End and Happy Beginings.

Cheers!

(I pray each one of you has a blessed and cherished new year)

~~~

 New Years around the globe . . .

 Hogmanay (Scotland)

The birthplace of "Auld Lang Syne" is also the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY), the rousing Scottish New Year's celebration (the origins of the name are obscure). One of the traditions is "first-footing." Shortly after midnight on New Year's eve, neighbors pay visits to each other and impart New Year's wishes. Traditionally, First foots used to bring along a gift of coal for the fire, or shortbread. It is considered especially lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to enter your house after the new year is rung in. [*laughs*] The Edinburgh Hogmanay celebration is the largest in the country, and consists of an all-night street party.

Oshogatsu (Japan)

The new year is the most important holiday in Japan, and is a symbol of renewal. In December, various Bonenkai or "forget-the-year parties" are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a new beginning. Misunderstandings and grudges are forgiven and houses are scrubbed. At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times, in a effort to expel 108 types of human weakness. New Year's day itself is a day of joy and no work is to be done. Children receive otoshidamas, small gifts with money inside. Sending New Year's cards is a popular tradition—if postmarked by a certain date, the Japanese post office guarantees delivery of all New Year's cards on Jan. 1.

Spain

The Spanish ritual on New Year's eve is to eat twelve grapes at midnight. The tradition is meant to secure twelve happy months in the coming year.

The Netherlands

The Dutch burn bonfires of Christmas trees on the street and launch fireworks. The fires are meant to purge the old and welcome the new.

Greece

In Greece, New Year's day is also the Festival of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church. One of the traditional foods served is Vassilopitta, or St Basil's cake. A silver or gold coin is baked inside the cake. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be especially lucky during the coming year.

United States 

(I didn't know the middle one . . .)

Probably the most famous tradition in the United States is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 P.M. Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter.

A traditional southern New Year's dish is Hoppin' John—black eyed peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."

Another American tradition is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Tournament of Roses parade that precedes the football game on New Year's day is made up of elaborate and inventive floats. The first parade was held in 1886.

~~~

Currently Listening The Color Purple (2005 Original Broadway Cast) By Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray, Linda Twine, Joseph Joubert, LaChanze, Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, Renee Elise Goldsberry "The Color Purple" reprise see related

Thank you for the comments and messages, dear people . . .I'll reply to all soon, which I look forward to doing!  Until then, have any of you ever used Excel spreadsheets? (Aside from in Bio Lab, Cilla ;) ) I think I'm in love with it; it's so nifty!  My class schedule is done and I'm eager to fill in more blank boxes.   It's fun just to experiment. . . and Jeeves is back from repair, in ship shape, ready for a new semester, ready for much new experimentation.  I hope to be as well.

(Quick chat about "The Color Purple":  The music really is powerful.  The full gospel sounds are amaaazing, and I'm certainly enjoying it.  There seems to be, though, [and I'm not quite sure about this] threads of pantheism throughout the main theme.  I'm still trying to decipher them without becoming overly analytical. :p  Nonetheless, so far I think Oprah was justified in sponsoring the production.  That I'm sure she'd be pleased to know. :) )

 Now for those interested in becoming more Excel savvy . . .

4 quick tips for using Excel

Enhance your spreadsheets with these helpful hints

You may use Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets, but do you take advantage of its viewing capabilities and create customized shortcuts or charts to let a picture tell your story?

Like a sheet of graph paper, an Excel spreadsheet is divided into rows and columns that intersect to create cells. Columns are labeled alphabetically (A, B, C...); rows are labeled numerically (1, 2, 3...). Both alpha and numeric data can be entered into the cells. Numeric data can be calculated, charted, or graphed.

For instance, to set up a simple budget, type the word Budget in cell A1 and hit Enter. In cell A3, enter the word Expenses. In cells A5 to Ax enter expense categories, such as mortgage or rent, phone, food, and entertainment. Adjacent to the expense categories, in cells B5 to Bx, enter projected expenses. In the cell below Bx (if x equals 25, this would be B26), enter the formula to total your expenses: =SUM(B2:B25) or click on the AutoSum symbol (Greek letter E) in the toolbar and hit Enter. Now the magic begins. Change any number in cells B2 to Bx and watch your expense total change

Locking columns and rows

If you want to freeze a row of titles or categories so that you can keep them in sight as you enter data further down your spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel has a handy Freeze Panes function. "I keep the results budget projections locked in one pane so I can see the bottom-line impact of expense and revenue forecasts I make in another pane," says Lyn Mason Green, founder of CanadianActor Online, an information Web site for aspiring and veteran actors.

To lock a pane, use your mouse to select the row below or the column to the right of where you want to freeze. On the Window menu, click Freeze Panes.

Forcing line breaks

If you enter a lot of data into one cell and then move to a new cell and enter further data, you may notice that the original information gets covered up. The solution is to force line breaks. To do this:

•	Click on a cell.
•	Type the first line.
•	Press Alt + Enter.
•	Type the second line.
•	Repeat step 3 to enter additional lines.
•	Press Enter when finished.

Creating a drop-down menu

Lynda Morris, president of NicLyn Consulting Corp, an Internet-based computer and network service company, often finds herself entering the same information or formulas in different parts of a spreadsheet. Instead of typing data repeatedly, she creates drop-down menus that save typing time. To create a drop-down menu:

•	Open a worksheet and label your menu (Days for example) in the top cell of a column.
•	Enter data (days of the week, in this case) in the cells below the label (such as A2 to A8).
•	Highlight the list, including the label.
•	Click the Insert menu, then click Name, and then Define.
•	In the box under Names in workbook you will see the name of the range (Days). In the Refers to box, it should list "=Sheet1!" followed by the range (=Sheet1!$A$1:$A$8).
•	Click Add and then OK.
•	Select any cell or range of cells in which you want to enter data.
•	Click the Data menu and then Validation.
•	From the Allow drop-down menu, select List. In Source, type "=" and the name of your range (=Days). Make sure that the In-cell dropdown box is checked.
•	Click one of the cells you highlighted to see your drop-down menu. Choose the item you want to enter in the active cell. Enter data from your list, in any order, in each of the cells you selected.

Converting complex calculations into handy charts

Microsoft Excel can also be used to convert calculations into charts. To create a pie chart that shows how much of your income you project to spend on a category-by-category basis, for example, enter spending categories in one column (like A1 through A5) and your estimated expenditures for each category in an adjacent column (B1 through B5).

•	Highlight the column of expenditures. On the Insert menu, click Chart, then Pie, then Next, and then Next again.
•	Select where you'd like the legend to display by clicking the Titles tab. In the Chart title box, enter your title (Family Budget). Then click the Data Labels tab, check the Percentage box, and then click Next.

Insert the chart in a new sheet or as an object in your existing workbook. Either way, whenever you update your data (as you add actual expenditures, for instance) the chart will change and you will see how much you spend by category and the percentage of your total budget that each category represents.

 ~~~

Buongiorno!

~~~

Currently Listening Crooner's Christmas By Various Artists see related

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Sing a song for a glorious season . . .

 I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It's a White day in Colorado, "and baby, it's coooold outside." I'm enjoying those special things found under (and in ;) ) the tree.  The fire places are roaring . . .all very cozy.  This morning I had fun racing back and forth from family breakfast to the downstairs TV . . .I could NOT miss Josh Groban's performance in the Christmas Parade, which, as always, was excellent. He brings an element of class to every stage.  My brother was with us for the morning; it was really nice having everyone together and opening gifts together . . .I love handing out random packages and seeing them opened . . .it just makes one smile with a chuckle and shrugged shoulders. 

Homeside shots from the day:

I love this. It was taken right behind our home . . .Mmmmm, the scene's absolutely Narnian!

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. 

~Washington Irving

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time.  Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? 

~G.K. Chesterton

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. 

~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

. . .our stockings. . .

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home! 

~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

 Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen; never forget love . . . Buon Natale, my friends!

And so, as Tiny Tim said, God Bless Us, Every One!

~Lizzie 

Currently Reading Leading From the Front: No-Excuse Leadership Tactics for Women By Courtney Lynch, Angie Morgan see related

"In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet.  Eating words has never given me indigestion."

"Although personally I am quite content with existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement."

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

Winston Churchill.  What a person. 

I've been thinking more about political life . . . PHC will either lead you toward it or away from it.  Those feelings first felt during TeenPact days are coming back (just a renewed interest in our government's many affairs).  It seems now that I'm back home I can re-discover what I use to enjoy.  But that enjoyment can never be exactly the same. . . I have other "focuses" now.

Sadly, this semester I've lost touch with the outside world . . .most definitely with things that will soon affect our nation.  It's hard to believe more candidates exist than Obama and Clinton! But there you have it. :) Weeell it's only been one semester and I feel I've grown in leaps and bounds.  The Elizabeth who stepped onto Patrick Henry Circle the first day was not quite the same Elizabeth who hurried off on the last.  I've been "stretched out and pruned down". . .thankfully the real me is still down in there somewhere.

Although it's very true that all life lessons are not learned at college, school really does provide the perfect outlet for many of those experiences. Annnnyway, I'm hoooome! That joy cannot be tainted. I've returned to the sweetness of nothing to do, yet sooo much to do! I'm already thinking of how to fit in all those last things that are "essential" before I leave in a month.

Friday I arrived home weary and completely "finalized". . .but being greeted by freshly fallen snow, a bouquet of flowers, and smiling parents was completely worth it.

Saturday  . . .Christmas dinner at Monument Country Club with the Knights of Columbus. Quite nice. :) But I nearly fell asleep and couldn't properly enjoy my chocolate swirly sticks.  Quite sad.  

Tomorrow a dear friend is coming to visit . . . I can hardly wait!

Thursday I have a date with some friends to see our FAC Rep production of "A Christmas Carol."  The incredibly talented Susan Dawn Carson is directing.

Friday is caroling!  Which will certainly get me into a much more Christmassy moooood. I'm looking forward to a full and blissful holiday season.  I'll be trying to milk it as long as I can.

I still haven't done a lick of shopping, more just dreaming and window shopping. I'm making Bliss Victoria Christmas edition my inspiration. (I thought I'd surprise Mama by telling her about its re-emergence and the subscription I bought; she thought she'd surprise me by having the newest copy on my bed. We both surprised each other.)

 Food for thought. :)

 Raspberry laced brownies . . .Mocha Mousse Bombe . . . don't these look scrumptious? This is the type of stuff you simply have to sneak back in a napkin, smushing can't ruin its flavour.

Happy Christmas to all.

A good day to 'ya,

Lizzie