Random

First: Snow is in the forecast Near Philadelphia for tonight and tomorrow and, of course, all the students and half the staff of our school will be wearing their pajams inside out tonight in hopes of a snow day tomorrow. My buddy down the hall has her radio on for updates -- she's part of the mechanism that makes the decision. She comes up periodically to tell me it is still "iffy."

Now you know I keep the radio on all day at my desk, classical music streaming through my 'puter. So you'd think I wouldn't need Polly's updates. But it's a pledge week at our public radio station, and during pledge weeks I switch stations. A long time ago we lived in Kent, Ohio, in the snowbelt, and listened to WKSU for many years. So that's where I go when WRTI is having a pledge week. It's great to hear old familiar names and places and takes me back to happy times in Northeast Ohio.

'Cept I forget I've changed the station. And when I hear the weather forecast for Kent, Akron, and vicinity -- "a significant winter storm" I get so excited! And so hopeful! And then need a jolt back to reality.

Second: Earlier today I read about a woman in California who had octuplets and plans to breastfeed all of them. I'm not going there. Instead, I read through the rest of the story and came to this: "The United States' first live octuplets were born in Houston in December 1998. They were three months premature and their weights at birth ranged from 11 ounces to 1 pound, 11 ounces. The tiniest infant died of heart and lung failure a week after being born. The surviving siblings — girls Ebuka, Gorom, Chidi, Chima and Echerem, and their brothers Ikem and Jioke — turned 10 in December."

Still with me? Okay. We've got Ebuka, Gorom, Chidi, Chima, Echerem, Ikem, and Jioke. Here's the question: Did their names come from Word Verifications? Or was it the other way around?

Idle minds are the devil's playground. Or so it's said.

Echeremly yours,