http://meryl.gather.com Recent Articles on Gather by Meryl Johnson en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:04:32 GMT 2009-12-31T18:04:32Z en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 http://www.gather.com/images/header/logo_gather.gif http://www.gather.com/ http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977253007                                  My life in my apartment is under threat. . . . Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:29:40 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977253007 Meryl Johnson 2008-02-08T15:29:40Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977144185 When I took my garbage out yesterday there were two little gray mice sitting on two different garbage cans. One scurried away immediately, but the other just sat there. I'm not sure whether he was . . . Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:41:21 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977144185 Meryl Johnson 2007-10-11T13:41:21Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977142035 Columbus day was a real fizzle this year. Even the parade In New York was pretty dull. Nobody seems to believe that Christopher Columbus discovered America any more. We've all heard all too often about . . . Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:28:49 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977142035 Meryl Johnson 2007-10-09T13:28:49Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977132653 Yesterday I received a phone call about an article I posted in August. I had guests and my mind was so completely on other things that at first I had no idea what the caller was talking about. I didn't . . . Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:06:31 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977132653 Meryl Johnson 2007-09-30T15:06:31Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977103800 Senator Larry Craig (R. Idaho) is being forced to resign his seat by irate fellow Republicans who are outraged because he was arrested and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct after . . . Sat, 01 Sep 2007 18:20:44 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977103800 Meryl Johnson 2007-09-01T18:20:44Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977091656 Last week I received a letter in the mail from the Warranty Activation Headquarters, 12244 Tesson Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO 63128.  On the envelope, inside a black bar above my address, it said, in . . . Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:25:53 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977091656 Meryl Johnson 2007-08-20T16:25:53Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977091478 Early Saturday afternoon, August 18, fire engines began heading south past my place on the West Side Highway, and this happened again and again for many hours. Details are still trickling in, but the fire . . . Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:44:15 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977091478 Meryl Johnson 2007-08-20T12:44:15Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977084536 Karl Rove resigned last night. I heard this on the news this morning around 5 AM. He leaves office on Aug. 31, and won't be able to claim executive privilage to protect himself from testifying before . . . Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:18:13 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977084536 Meryl Johnson 2007-08-13T13:18:13Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977062544 I woke up around 3:10 yesterday morning because an alarm went off. At first I assumed it was a car alarm outside, and when it was still blasting an unusually loud screech at around 4:30 I called 911 and . . . Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:44:23 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977062544 Meryl Johnson 2007-07-21T13:44:23Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977023737 I have lived a happy life. Of course I've had my share of setbacks, disappointments, and downright catastrophes, just like everybody else. But in spite of that, my life has been a happy one. I have . . . Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:27:28 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977023737 Meryl Johnson 2007-06-08T13:27:28Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977019709 The cat became so used to me getting up around 4 AM or so that now that I'm not doing it any more he's upset about it. When I stopped getting up rather than lie there and worry about what the result . . . Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:38:38 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977019709 Meryl Johnson 2007-06-04T13:38:38Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977004151 So I staggered out of bed this morning at 4:30 to change the litter box and feed the cat because he was crying plaintively in the hall. At least for a change he wasn't climbing over me, but his crying . . . Sat, 19 May 2007 14:46:39 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977004151 Meryl Johnson 2007-05-19T14:46:39Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976961371 As I sat down at the computer, 26 police cars sped past my place, lights flashing. I'll probably never know why. It could be a sudden need for traffic control somewhere, or something serious may have . . . Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:08:40 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976961371 Meryl Johnson 2007-04-17T20:08:40Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976957689 New Jersey's Governor John Corzine is in the hospital in critical but stable condition because of a hit and run accident. He is considered to be lucky to be alive. He has had one surgery, will have . . . Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:13:26 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976957689 Meryl Johnson 2007-04-13T16:13:26Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976956351 It's amazing to me how many people just don't get it. What's so sad about what happened is that Imus spoiled the golden moment of the remarkable achievements of the Rutgers women's basketball . . . Thu, 12 Apr 2007 12:56:27 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976956351 Meryl Johnson 2007-04-12T12:56:27Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976942163 Try substituting "Occupation of Iraq" for "War in Iraq." This makes an incredible difference in how one thinks about what the US is now doing in Iraq. We've been brainwashed by . . . Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:12:54 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976942163 Meryl Johnson 2007-03-26T15:12:54Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976935612 I've been neglecting my Gather groups lately, posting to them but not reading them. The Gather Essentials are very easy to use. I can check the topics that interest me very quickly, reading what I . . . Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:11:54 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976935612 Meryl Johnson 2007-03-19T12:11:54Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976934538 This is how I've been using Gather, and I'm writing this because I'm sure there must be better ways. I get on my page. If there are any messages or invitations I check those first. Before I . . . Sat, 17 Mar 2007 22:32:39 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976934538 Meryl Johnson 2007-03-17T22:32:39Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976929032 Have you ever heard of cow foot soup? One of the delis on the main street near me in Greenwich Village has recently been refurbished and enlarged. It's very clean and fresh and now has a large lunch . . . Sun, 11 Mar 2007 20:15:53 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976929032 Meryl Johnson 2007-03-11T20:15:53Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976921022 I could hardly believe it, but this morning I received a spam letter in my Gather inbox (thank God I blocked stuff like this from getting to my regular e-mail) which was sent to a list with easily over . . . Thu, 01 Mar 2007 13:59:14 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976921022 Meryl Johnson 2007-03-01T13:59:14Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976918735 When I first moved to Manhattan thirty years ago the assumption was that the only "wildlife" here was rats, mice, squirrels, pigeons, feral cats and occasional packs of stray dogs. The rivers . . . Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:09:37 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976918735 Meryl Johnson 2007-02-26T14:09:37Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976912599 This is great weather for using the oven, and one of the easiest and most forgiving things to make is bread pudding. If you have any stale bread around you would like to use up, or can spare about 8 slices . . . Sat, 17 Feb 2007 18:59:52 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976912599 Meryl Johnson 2007-02-17T18:59:52Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976911388 There are times when Bush gets my head twisted around so far that I have trouble trying to make sense of what he's doing and why in the world he's doing what he does. I've posted what I'm . . . Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:44:03 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976911388 Meryl Johnson 2007-02-15T19:44:03Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976907415 Yesterday I posted an article about having problems getting on Gather. Little did I know that it was about to become impossible to get on Gather, that Gather was about to vanish. Last night, around . . . Sat, 10 Feb 2007 15:45:19 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976907415 Meryl Johnson 2007-02-10T15:45:19Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976906289 Lately I've been having a lot of trouble getting into Gather, to the point where I've had to give up, wait a few hours, and then try again. A similar problem is when I do get into Gather, having . . . Thu, 08 Feb 2007 23:29:18 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976906289 Meryl Johnson 2007-02-08T23:29:18Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976897934 Cesar Borja died of pulmonary fibrosis while his son was in Washington, at the invitation of Hillary Clinton, to attend the President's State of the Union address. At least 90 of those who worked at . . . Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:21:35 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976897934 Meryl Johnson 2007-01-30T00:21:35Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976894472 I have made gold. I rarely mention this because I don't expect anyone to believe it, but it's true. I made gold as a sort of initiation ritual when I was a graduate student working in nuclear chemistry. . . . Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:21:17 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976894472 Meryl Johnson 2007-01-25T19:21:17Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976893004 Taking any kind of scientific or academic interest in the paranormal has been taboo for several generations now. I'm deliberately using the word taboo, with its implications of the irrational. Anything . . . Tue, 23 Jan 2007 23:35:46 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976893004 Meryl Johnson 2007-01-23T23:35:46Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976891225 Yeah, I'm serious. Ronald Reagan killed my mother. The irony of this is that nobody could ever have more completely believed in and exemplified his social theories, or have ever been a more totally . . . Sun, 21 Jan 2007 21:23:31 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976891225 Meryl Johnson 2007-01-21T21:23:31Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976890260 Up through the elections I posted a lot about politics. Then I paused, waiting to see what the Democratic victory might mean and how the political scene might adjust itself to the changes. Ok. Now we know. . . . Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:17:08 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474976890260 Meryl Johnson 2007-01-20T16:17:08Z