Posted Saturday, October 15, 2005 at 11:00 p.m.
NOTE: Umm… He Said (mentioned in the second paragraph below) was later added to this section (Oo’s Writings).
I have not posted any news on this site since April 5, 2005 because things have been very busy around here. Also, I believe I have somewhat lost interest in doing much website work. I still want to keep this site open but do not believe that the frequent, detailed updates are necessary. People who know us keep in touch by phone or in person, and the rest of the world could probably care less anyway.
On the other side of the coin, this site represents our whole family, and I do not yet have a personal site where I can freely muse, rant or present whatever I please. Joe has his own site devoted to video games and anime; Wendi has her craft site; so I am creating a blog using the free Web space we get from our Internet service provider. It’s called Umm… He Said: Ummamum’s Musings, Rants and Other Stuff. It’s very much bare-bones so far; it will get a navigation bar and a little bit more styling soon. But my first post (October 14 at 10:35 p.m.) is worth a read.
Anyway, here are some updates. I have only included the important stuff. Also, I’m not going to mess with the category thing anymore; it’s a pain in the neck. And I personally don’t find it very useful; if I want to look for a given post, I find that the Google search on our Home page actually works better! Just be sure to select “Search ookingdom.com” before hitting the “Google Search” button.
Joe fell in his room and sprained his ankle on April 13. He wore an air cast and was out of physical education until April 25.
On April 21, Fergus Murray from Great Britain sent me the following comments about the name of our site:
Hello!
You say ‘What does Oo mean? Nothing at all!’ — I beg to differ! As it happens, I have written a piece about the sundry meanings of the word, which I thought you might enjoy: https://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1259249
Most of it is about one-syllable meanings, but you can’t have everything eh? For what it’s worth, the Greek word (‘oion’) from which most oo-words in English are derived does have two syllables, and I think that words like ‘oologist’ probably have it that way too… so maybe you’re onto something after all?
Regards,
Fergus C. Murray
(frequently known online as Oolong, sometimes shortened to Oo)
oolong.co.ukp.s. In case you are wondering, I came here on a quest for information about relative font sizing and web accessibility. What a minefield eh? It does seem like newer browsers are finally getting their act together though…
Thank you, ‘Oo’, for your comments.
Wendi underwent a sleep study on May 18 and was found to have obstructive sleep apnea. She now sleeps with a CPAP unit, which provides positive airway pressure to keep her airways open so she breathes normally during sleep. Her sleep pattern has improved dramatically.
Wendi’s brother, Patrick Ringer, passed away on May 22 from a relapse of throat cancer.
Wendi met a young lady named Chrissy Lawrence in May, and soon she began spending time here with our family. She became a close friend, and when she needed a place to live, we took her in. She has been living with us since July 1.
Chrissy brought with her a grey female kitten named Nermal (born about April 11, 2005). Nermal had her first shots on July 11 and her follow-up shots on September 9, when she weighed 4 lbs. 9 oz. She was spayed and front declawed on October 3. She is doing fine at our home.
Joe went to Tennessee with the church youth group, for a CIY (Christ In Youth) conference and humanitarian work project, from July 16–22. In addition, Joe did some volunteer work for ECHO, a local charity, from August 11–14.
Wendi, Joe and Chrissy helped out with Vacation Bible School at the church from August 1–5.
During the summer, I (Charlie) sang at Rock Haven, a home for the elderly, during their “Prayer and Praise Time” every other Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
We had a rummage sale at our house August 17–20. We sold an air conditioner and a few clothing items, but not much else. What remained we donated to charity.
We are all into watching WWE wrestling now. We splurged and ordered SummerSlam 2005 on Pay-Per-View on August 21. It was awesome! “Day of Reckoning 2” for Gamecube is currently the most frequently-played video game at our house.
Wendi and Chrissy have been attending the Alpha course at church, beginning September 1. It’s aimed primarily at new Christians and those seeking salvation. Chrissy accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior on the first night; she was baptized the following Sunday (September 4).
The annual craft show at Ben Franklin on September 10, yielded poor sales, possibly due in part to unusually hot weather, but it was a fun day.
We refinanced our house, closing on September 26. We got a lower interest rate and no PMI (private mortgage insurance), so our payments are lower now.
And finally, I have updated the Billboard Song page again, probably for the last time.