Archive | 6 August 2008

"Oh, Yee Gods!"

Aug6

The topic for the upcoming Carnival of Genealogy is the Family Language…Does your family use words and phrases that no one else knows or understands? Where did they come from? Did you ever try to explain your “family language” to outsiders? Tell a story about your family-coined words, phrases, or nicknames.
(This will be a short post, as I am getting reading for the upcoming Genea-Blogger Group Games and these “two-a-days” in this Texas heat wave are about to wear me out!)

Two phrases that immediately come to mind are emitted by my 92-year-old grandmother when she is frustrated or has caught us grandkids (and greats and great-greats) doing something we shouldn’t:

  • “Oh, Yee Gods! Where did you get that!”
  • “What in the Sam Hill are you doing?”

I have no idea where “Yee Gods” or “Sam Hill” came from. But I remember hearing them directed at the children in the family from the time that I was a small child!
ADDENDUM- My cousin Susan has added a few more Nanny-isms:

  • Moose Mess
  • Damn son of a sea-cook
  • Mell of a hess

Thanks, Susan!

Just fun and games

Aug6

First of all, thanks to Donna of What’s Past is Prologue for my 2nd BFF award! Philadelphia isn’t really that far from Texas… not for us cousins! :)

And now.. for The Games!

The 2008 Genea-Blogger Group Games will begin on Friday and I must decide which event(s) to compete in. Since the 100m Backstroke is not an official event this time around, nor are (is?) the Hurdles (hey, my great-grandmother Dovie C McBurnett had 6 husbands!), I’ll have to focus on an “approved”  :( event.

As I am a bit of a perfectionist and definitely a neat-freak (I drive my kids nuts! I can spend 5 minutes at my daughter’s house and have to either leave or compulsively start cleaning. And her house is in pretty good shape to begin with!), I believe I must be genetically-predisposed to compete in, and win Category 3: Organize Your Research!

To organize my research, I first must define what will be organized:

  • Physical research- my desk could stand a bit of tidying up:

A. Dell 710m laptop

B. HP 1310 Printer-Scanner-Copier

C. 2-Drawer metal file cabinet

D. Research Assistant- RaeRae

E. Comfy chair with back support

F. Nourishment- Sonic Dr Pepper, the best!

G. Emerson radio-cd player (I can’t think in a quiet room…)

H. Pens, pencils, sharpener

I. Calculator

J. Garfield trash can with Sponge Bob basketball goal

K. A print-out of the 2008 Genea-Blogger Group Games official rules & regulations

L. 9-Generation ancestor chart

M. Fire hazard :)

N. Western Digital 160 GB external hard drive

  • My filing cabinet (divided by surname):

  • My digital files (the basic element is the surname folder):

  • Virtual research, the bottom-line:

Specify what to research- Do I focus on a particular surname, an entire line of my family tree, one region or geographic area, or something else? Develop clear, realistic goals.

What steps I will take to achieve those goals- create a flexible research plan

Address economic concerns

And don’t forget to back-up!

It seems I have a lot of work to do! The sacrifices I must make, the sweat, the pain..The Thrill of Victory & The Agony of Defeat!

(Sorry, I had to throw in this picture of my granddaughter, winning her first T-ball trophy! :) )

ADDENDUM to Just fun and games: I ‘ll also be entering Event 2, Back Up Your Data! Organizing and Backing-up are intertwined, so why not compete in both!
ADDENDUM II: I have set up a separate blog for my competition stats

iCompete!