Today's Appreciation

I am kinda getting into this "Today's _________" theme I have going here ....

Today, I am grateful for Keens. I bought a new pair of sandals at REI last weekend, and I love them. I have been having heel pain for the past 6 weeks - bad enough that I cannot walk barefoot at all, anywhere, because it is just too painful to put weight on my heels. I think it's a form of plantar faciitis (though it's definitely not a bone spur), and unfortunately there really isn't a cure, other than analgesics and good shoes.

Well, I started taking Advil and I started wearing my Keens every minute of the day except when I am sleeping, and the pain is almost gone.

As far as I am concerned, IT'S A MIRACLE !

Today's Rant.

Today, I hate technology again. I have been having computer problems lately, and bought a new computer - a notebook, for the convenience, about 10 days ago. Still haven't been able to use it, though, as first there was a software mix-up and now I can't get the darn machine online.

I can get it online if I disconnect one of our other computers and plug it in, but I bought a wireless router so that I could use it anywhere in the house, and therein lies my hatred of technology.

I cannot for the life of me get it to work. Now, I am not a technogeek but I hold my own, usually. I got it to work on the kids' notebook computer just fine, but cannot make everything align properly to work with my computer.

I was basically ready to smash the entire thing out the window, or burst into tears, or both, earlier today. Now I am just resigned, and have called in the experts to help me figure it out ... but it will be another day or two before help can get here.

So today, I REALLY hate technology. And please, no one point out the obvious that I am using technology to rant about it. I know. It doesn't help.

Today's Trivia

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) maintains a list of the world's most-translated authors. The current top 10, with works that have been translated from and into English and hundreds of other languages and dialects, are:

Agatha Christie
Jules Verne
William Shakespeare
Vladimir Lenin
Enid Blyton
Barbara Cartland
Danielle Steel
Hans Christian Andersen
Stephen King
Brothers Grimm

Cruise!!!!

Well, I am ***THIS*** close to booking a cruise for the boys and I over MEA! We are going to take a 3-day Disney Cruise ... none of us have ever been on one before and we are VERY excited.

Anyone want to join us? I got a great price ... will tell you all the details if you are interested. We'd love to have friends on board!

Recipes Sought

While we are in the cooking mode, I am seeking good recipes to make for a family going through a bit of a hard time right now. Friends are bringing them meals a few times each week, and they are people who like pretty basic, plain food. Last time I made grilled chicken breasts, white rice, and steamed carrots and broccoli. Nothing with strong spices or unusual sauces.

Now I am surfing for other good ideas (it also has to transport and reheat well) ... thought I would see if anyone out there had good recommendations???

Thanks!

For Carla

This morning as I was reading the paper I turned on the TV, and ended up on the food network channel where Paula Deen was deep-frying macaroni and cheese.

Really not something I would ever think of on my own. Made me think of Carla who is the only person ever to entice me to eat deep-fried Twinkies on a stick at the state fair. Or maybe it was deep-fried Snickers.

Anyway, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it and just looked up the recipe ... may have to try it while Hillmans are in town. It looks pretty easy ... here is the recipe.

If I do make it I will TRY to remember to take pictures as I do it, instead of my usual photos of the crumbs at the end of the meal.

30 day check-up

It's been a month since my blood pressure scare began. Had a check-up this morning.

In the past month I have:
1. started taking hydrochlorothorazide daily
2. cut out all caffeine (well, except for a little chocolate here and there)
3. cut out all added salt
4. nearly cut out all alcohol (one beer in one month!)
5. increased exercise (OK, not by much, but a little!)
6. increased fruits & veggies on a daily basis
7. (for the high cholesterol) cut out eggs
8. (again for cholesterol) had oatmeal 27 out of the 30 days

And today my blood pressure was NORMAL.

Now I go back in 6 months to check it, and the cholesterol, again. And I am supposed to lose some weight, too.

Feeling pretty good right now!

Oh my gosh I need a pedicure!!!!!!!!

First Crush

Hmmm .... was just reading a blog by Kristy about her first big (and lasting) "crush" ... which you really ought to read if you are alive, as everyone has experienced something like this at least once in their lives.

For me, it was a guy in junior high school ... like Kristy, I don't want to write his name because ... oh who knows, really, he might find out? He went to my church and was the same age as me, so I got to see him weekly in confirmation as well as occasionally passing him in the hallway in school. We had no classes together, and shared no interests or activities. But I had a secret weapon. I had a job in junior high - every morning during home room, I was one of a select group of girls (don't know why we were all girls, but we were) who got to take notes and deliver papers to teachers and students all throughout the school building. Remember, this was WAY before computers and cell phones and any other technologically efficient communication devices existed. Back then, to communicate during the school day, teachers relied on adolescent legs.

Anyway, since I had the freedom to roam the halls for those precious 12 minutes every morning, it allowed me to surreptitiously and anonymously slip notes into HIS locker, confident no one would ever see me.

I don't really remember what I wrote to him, or if I wrote daily or weekly or - trying to show my "coolness" - sporadically so he would never know if there would be a note of not. But I do remember once writing "If you want to know who I am, {of course I never SIGNED the notes!!!} wear ... " and I described my favorite shirt of his.

He wore it.

And I was WAY, WAY, WAY too chicken to come clean.

The crush went on. The summer between 9th and 10th grade, I got the idea to call him. Remember, no caller ID. We would chat occasionally - I would be sweaty and nervous and my voice would, no doubt, shake. But still I never revealed my identity.

Now it gets fuzzy.... at the end of some school year (I really can't remember which, though I still have the evidence somewhere so I could go find out), I got up the nerve to ASK. HIM. TO. SIGN. MY. YEARBOOK.

And he said YES.

I felt like Kristy felt when her crush asked to come over and sing.

He wrote something like "Have a great summer." or something equally personalized. And now it's coming back to me. He signed my 9th grade yearbook. It was AFTER that close, personal encounter, that I got the nerve to call him over the summer.

And one day, after many, many phone calls, I told him who I was.

We hung up, and that was it.

Crush was over, I never called him again, and didn't pine after him when high school started in the fall.

But I still think of him occasionally, look him up in the class directory after class reunions, and I admit to googling him a few years back, so I know where he lives and what he does. He owns a family lodge on a lake up north, with his wife and 2 daughters. I do wonder what his impression of all this was, way back then.

Ahh, adolescence.

Spam Filter Creators Appreciation

It amazes me that there really must be a lot of people out there who open their emails with subject headings full of misspelled, suggestive words. I thought about copying some of the more creative ones here but don't want my blog to be marked as spam, but I know you all know what I mean.

I figure people would stop sending them if they didn't have a decent rate of return, right? Sure, some are sent by strange people who either are trying to be funny or who are just experimenting - but I assume most spam emails do have some sort of benefit to the sender and that benefit must be enough that they keep sending them, otherwise why bother?

This is all in my mind because I just spent some time in my filtered inbox - I try to check it every few days to make sure something important doesn't accidentally end up in there, and I suddenly found myself admiring the people who set up the filter parameters, because really, they do a very good job. It's very rare that I get a spam message in my regular email inbox, and it's even more rare that a real message gets filtered out.

Which is pretty impressive, you gotta admit.

Static in your brain

This morning on my favorite radio station they were talking about some new study which shows what happens in people's brains when they aren't really doing anything. Like when walking alone, or sitting at a red light, or waiting at the dentist, or something. And they have discovered that the majority of people have a mode which they called "static" - now I don't know if this is what the researchers called it or what the radio people called it. But apparently it's quite normal to just let your brain "rest" or something.

But then one of the radio guys went on to say that he doesn't think his brain ever rests; when he is sitting, for example, in a movie theater waiting for the film to begin, he maps out what he would do if a sniper came into the theater. And when he is dropping his son off at school he memorizes license plate numbers around him for the day that some student gets kidnapped and he needs to be prepared to tell the police what the getaway car looked like. And he went on and on with more examples.

Everyone else on the radio station was telling him he is insane and they were laughing at him.

Me, I was thinking "you mean there are people out there who DON'T think like this?" I walk through airports on hyper-alert status, ready to jump into action when someone drops from a heart attack. Whenever I hear a strange sound I look at a clock so I can correctly identify the exact time when I am needed as a witness at the trial for whatever crime has been committed. I always I assumed I am normal. Perhaps not?

I'll try to find a link to the research.

Women's Colony

In blog-browsing, I just found this description of a retirement community I just may be interested in ... anyone want to plan to go with me?

So I borrowed season 1 of LOST from a friend. Started watching it tonight. It's dark outside, I am alone, and this show is freaky.

I have never watched even one partial episode before. But I know from hearing bits and pieces that nothing is what it seems to be, and that the writers of the show had the entire series mapped out before they started filming, and that small details in the early episodes end up being meaningful in the later ones.

Of course I have no clue WHICH small details will be significant, or HOW they will be significant. Which makes for tense viewing.

All alone.

In the dark.

Updates

1. Choco is going to be fine. The cysts are just ugly but not harmful. Phew.

2. My great-aunt is being discharged from the hospital tomorrow and will go into hospice, and everyone is quite calm and content. My parents are there, and it sounds like all is going smoothly.

3. The boys have been working like demons and we are SO close to being done with school!!!

4. I still LOVE my hair.

5. It's almost a holiday weekend and I just got an email about a yarn sale ...

6. Our Wii should be here in a day or two, but unfortunately my fears about Wii Fit are coming true ... it's currently impossible to get anywhere. So ... we'll see.

7. I just borrowed season 1 of LOST, so will have something to watch while I knit this weekend, perhaps?

8. Kristi Yamaguchi won Dancing with the Stars! Yay!!!

Happy Thursday, everybody!

Puppy Love

I think the song Puppy Love came out when I was about 10 or so ... I remember it well.

Last night when I was petting Choco, I found a large lump under his skin near the base of his tail. Really large. Then I found another smaller lump on his tail. Both felt somewhat firm, somewhat soft, definitely wrong. He has not been acting his normal cheery self lately, and when I found the lumps my heart sank.

My parents flew to Texas today to be with my mom's aunt, who has been battling cancer for many years and it appears she has just entered her final battle in the war. She & my mom have been extra-special-close since my mom was a baby, and my mom is having a hard time accepting she may need to say good-bye on this trip.

Choco has been a part of our family for just over a year now, and he has moved so totally and deeply into my heart I can hardly believe it.

We went to the vet today and she biopsied both lumps. They look to be benign cysts, but I will hear for sure tomorrow.

I am waiting for a phone call from my parents about my great-aunt, too.

Irritation

Last night I received an email from someone I don't know. At first I had absolutely no idea how she got my email address, then later realized she was a one-time MNVA mom. Anyway, the email was warning people to not accept the new dollar coin if/when it was offered in a bank or as change at a store. The reason? Apparently it does not say "In God We Trust" on this new coin. The conclusion? By refusing this coin you can profess your faith in God and therefore save our country from .... um, that's where they lost me. {note: I have seen the coin but never noticed this, so I assume that this new design is correct, but can't affirm it from personal knowledge.}

Anyway, I wrote back and asked to be removed from her email list since I didn't know her and did not agree with her sentiments, and (ok, I admit it, went farther than I should have - but it was annoying to be blindly forwarded emails of this sort) said that perhaps she should use her time for more worthwhile things.

Well, she wrote back telling me I ought not to be so judgemental, and that she was sorry that I didn't care what "my Creator" thought of my impolite sarcasm, and that she was so grateful for the opportunity to pray for me and bless me and she truly hoped that one day I would recognize God's will for my life.

I wrote back again - again, I know I should have just hit delete, but this hit a sore spot with me - and said that I found it interesting and amusing that she was warning me about judging and then called me an impolite, sarcastic, apparent non-believer who was in need of her prayers and blessings. What I did NOT say was how is she so darn sure that I am NOT acting on God's will RIGHT NOW, delivering some food for thought into her life?

So today I got a LONG message from her husband who told me his poor wife had been up late with a sick toddler and was merely trying to serve the Lord and share His goodness and wasn't I nasty to not let her do that. Oh, and there was no need for THEM to judge me, God would take care of that, thank you very much. {which sounds vaguely judgmental again, but I'll give him a pass, since his child has been sick and his wife is tired.}

This time I did just hit delete.

Honestly, it started as a "please don't forward emails to people you don't know" but then it escalated.

Escalated into a "My faith is better than yours and if you don't believe exactly what I do you are wrong but I am so gosh-darn good that I will joyously pray for you because that somehow shows my rightness even more but hey, I am not judging you, I LOVE you because we are all children of God."

What gets me the most is the hypocrisy and the total obliviousness of people who profess their faith like this. I know a lot of very religious, and very spiritual, and very faithful people who do not act like this and who respect one another's rights and beliefs and even if they truly deeply believe the others are dead wrong, they would never shove it in their face like that.

Unfortunately I have also had to deal with many people like these anonymous emailers, who, no matter what you say and no matter how reasonable you try to be (or, sarcastically impolite you may sound) their response is "My faith is better than yours and if you were a TRUE _____[insert denomination name here]____ you would see things my way and thank me for LOVING you."

And though I realize I am on a tirade here, trust me I really am not exaggerating. It IRRITATES me.

I read a while ago on Calandria's blog - no, actually I think it was her sister's blog - you'll have to take my word on this as I am not going to go search for the original post - anyways, the upshot was that commenters -and this is where I am pretty sure Calandria came in - said that it's the fanatics in any religion or faith that cause the difficulties in this world.

Amen to that.

Wheeeee!!!! Wii!!!!!

Well, we just acted on impulse ...

This morning in the paper - front page of the source section, which we all know is where the BEST news is - was an article about the new Wii FIT "game" which is basically Wii's attempts to get overweight, under-fit moms in to the game.

It worked.

The boys informed me you still can't get a Wii easily, so we looked on eBay, and found one that was only $50 above retail, with the auction ending in 30 seconds ... we bid, we won! That $50 saved us getting up at the crack of dawn on days Wal-Mart gets new shipments and hoping that we would be close enough to the front of the line to get the machine. Worth it to me.

So in a few days we will get our Wii, and I hope we do'nt have to wait in line to get the game, and then - well, THEN, baby, we will ALL be getting so fit you may not even recognize us.

(Oh, and I cancelled my gym membership ... I've been paying monthly since December to not go there ... in just a few months I will have made back the Wii purchase.)

My 90 Seconds of Fame

Wow! Yesterday was a whirlwind of attention :-) I bet I got 50 emails from people who saw the article and another 15 phone messages! And when I went to the grocery store, the check-out lady recognized me!

That was just about enough fame for my taste. I did enjoy it, but am ready to move on now with regular life!

Thanks for all the affirming comments, ya'll!

The Makeover!

Today's the day! It's here!

Latest pair of socks

Just finished another pair of socks, watching an old episode of Friends. Here they are in the laundry basket, they need blocking to make them look nice but I still wanted to show a picture!

Yet another post from me today!

I am feeling prolific today so thought since I am here anyway, I would post one more announcement. After a TON of thinking, worrying, research, comparing, talking, pondering, even dreaming - we have enrolled B & T back in traditional school for next year. phew! (wipe that brow.)

Actually they will both be in Dimensions Academy, a school-within-a-school program, so I guess we aren't going totally back to traditional schooling.

I'm not worried about them at all academically, but it will be a challenge to have to do all their work sitting at a desk or table, instead of lying in bed or lounging in an overstuffed armchair. And it will be difficult to be "in school" all day long without taking breaks to walk the dogs, or to go out for lunch, or to play a game of cards just because. And then there is not being able to debate every point with the teacher ... !!! Yeah, they are in for some adjustments.

And me! What am *I* going to do all day long? I admit to being a little freaked out, but also a little excited - perhaps I really will start writing the next great mystery novel!

On my bookshelf

It's been a while since I wrote about what I am reading these days. Usually I finish up a book and forget about it before I come all the way downstairs to the computer. (update - I am about to order a new computer, a notebook, so I can have it upstairs - or anywhere in the house, for that matter - so it won't be so arduous to post!)

Anyway ... here's what I have recently finished, am in the middle of, and have waiting to be read.

This is the latest book I have been reading about how to write a book. It's by a successful mystery author, and really makes sense to me - I have always thought, from my own reading interests, that if the characters are likable you will develop a loyal readership even if your plot isn't always stellar (it has to be good, but if the reader likes your characters they are forgiving on occasion.) So perhaps I will actually start writing one of these days instead of just reading about writing and talking about doing it.
This book was my book club selection for two months ago, and I still haven't finished it. I love that it is historical fiction set in China, since I am interested in all things China these days, and everyone else in the book club who did finish it loved it, but it's just failed to keep my interest and though I have renewed it countless times at the library, I don't know if I will ever finish it.
This one I was excited to order but now that it's here, I haven't even opened it yet. I like the idea of green investing, and socially responsible investments, but to act on those ideas requires that I know a bit more about investing and while I aspire to that state of knowledge, right now I have too many other things (like laundry) on my plate. But I figure having the book in the house is the firststep and I get half-credit for that, right?

This one I bought on a whim at Barnes & Noble. Perhaps that's how you make your millions, you have a book that people buy on a whim? Anyway, it's actually a very good step-by-step instruction book on how to take "your product" from idea stage to market. Now I just need a product.

I was looking for A Tale of Two Cities for Ben to read for school and saw this on the shelf and thought I would re-read it, as I haven't read it since junior high. I suspect I will like Dickens more now than I did then.



Here's one of the mysteries written by the author of that "how-to write a mystery" book. The main character is Brady Coyne, a lawyer who loves to fly fish, and I have been devouring the books as fast as the library can send them to me. Which led me to ...
This one (or rather, this is one of several) - a jointly written book by that author, William Tapply, and, apparently, his buddy Philip Craig, who writes his own series of mystery books about J.W. Jackson, a retired cop who now lives on an island - where Brady Coyne likes to come to fish. So another series for me to get lost in! Such fun!

So ... that brings you up-to-date on my reading. I was just randomly perusing other people's blogs a bit ago and found a recommendation for a new author, Harlan Coben, who was favorably compared to Robert Parker, one of my all-time favorite mystery authors, so now I am going to go reserve some of his books at the library.

Happy reading, all!

Reality Shows and Mormons?

In the issue of Newsweek I got today, there is an article called America's Next Top Mormon, which I (of course) read with interest. Frankly, I didn't realize all the people they name in the article who are or have been on reality shows lately are Mormon - generally speaking, denomination of faith doesn't usually come up - but it was an impressive list! And they put forth one viewer's theory that growing up in large families may be what gives the Mormons the edge in a reality show were you have to share close quarters with a lot of people, and going on a mission trip helps you in shows where you are dropped into foreign situations and have to figure out how to manage.

Hmm.

Whatever, I found it interesting.

Friends in Exotic Places

It's so great having such good friends in such cool locations around the globe :-)

I just got a care package from Carla, and I got an absolutely bee-u-tee-ful suede purse, and the cutest monkey tray ever! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them both! The boys got incredible carved wooden animals - I haven't taken pictures of those yet but will soon.

ASANTE SANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makeover Details

OK, it's not that I am trying to keep you all in suspense ... I just don't have any pictures. I didn't bring my own camera, and while I am planning on emailing the photographer from the paper, I doubt she will send me any pictures before the article runs (and maybe not even after unless I buy them, which I probably won't do. But maybe she will send me the bad pics that she would never have published. She seemed nice, we'll see.)

Anyway. A few details that will give you the flavor of the experience since I am pretty sure those of you who read my blog that I know have not done something like this (if you have, sorry for making that assumption!)

The day started with my "before" picture. Now, they had told me to wear something that was unflattering, and not to put any effort into my appearance. Not difficult to do, since I really don't put that much effort into it on my best day. But I have to tell you, walking through Uptown to get to the salon, knowing I was deliberately out there looking my worst, really started to affect my psyche. I started feeling my worst, too. Since I had had such a rough morning, I was in a bad mood anyway. Then, when I was going through my wardrobe to find what to wear for the "after picture" I got really depressed. They told me to bring something that made me feel wonderful to wear. Well, I have nothing that makes me feel wonderful. It's easy to imagine "oh, she's just saying that" - but it sincerely was true. I really went through my closet and every drawer in my bedroom and could not find one thing that made me smile and say "YES!" because of the good feelings associated with the article of clothing. How's that for sad?

So there I am, looking frumpy, feeling depressed, and walking in to this hip salon. Yeah, so far it's going just great.

When they greeted me and asked how I was, I nearly cried. So now we have embarrassment on top of everything else. I mean honestly, crying in the salon? Whatever. I gave myself a STERN talking to, and picked up a magazine - I don't even know what it was called, it was one I had never heard of. (an aside - there were a lot of magazines to choose from. Now, I hate Glamour, so I ignored that one. There were a couple others I had never heard of which seemed to be kind of mid-line fashion magazines, there was a National Geographic Traveler, and there was a Good Housekeeping. Guess which one I wanted to pick up and read. Good Housekeeping. But I DIDN'T because really, how pathetic would that be, the frumpy housewife choosing the housewives' magazine over the fashion glossies. Yes, that is really what was going through my head.)

Anyway. I picked up one of the unfamiliar fashion magazines, and flipped through it, stopping at the horoscope page. I KID YOU NOT. My horoscope said "Do not shy away from bold changes (such as a new hair cut) because all the luck is lined up for you, so you should take advantage of it."

Well, with THAT in my mind, how could I not smile and begin to pull out of the funk?

So everyone met everyone else, and I was led off by Audrey to get my new hair color. First she stripped the old color off - which was actually quite exciting to me since I have been coloring my own hair for about 20 years, and know there is a bit of build-up which can't be good. She was pleased with the results, and then took me over to the coloring area. First she bleached highlights, covering my head with those little foil strips (new experience for me!) and then doing the all-over color of red (which comes out of the bottle BRIGHT VIVID PURPLE. Little scary.) The color burned my scalp pretty painfully, so I was really happy when this part was done. Ahh, the pain endured for (free) beauty.

After the coloring, Audrey handed me off to Stephen who was going to do the cut. This was amazing. This man's hands were magical. He cut so fast and so authoritatively and I never for one nanosecond doubted that he was giving me the best haircut of my life. And he has this bizarre and cool method of cutting while he was blow-drying. Held the dryer in one hand and the scissors in the other. Very weird but very cool. He said everyone asks him about it (as did I) and he has never seen anyone else do it that way, but since he wants the hair to look good when it moves, he cuts it while it's moving.

I started grinning when I could see the shape of my head. Since my glasses were off, the shape is all I could see, but even that made me grin, and I couldn't stop. Kendell (the photographer) got some goofy shots of me there.

Then we went downstairs to the spa for my eyebrow waxing. That's when I felt I was entering a different world. I was led into a room with candles, soft music, scented air, and a massage table. I looked at Kim (the journalist) and Kendell, and we all shrugged our shoulders and said simultaneously "all this for EYEBROWS?" I was told to lie down on the table and the waxing commenced and I kept giggling. All that for eyebrows.

Then back upstairs for the makeup, where Kami did an outstanding job of covering my skin with more makeup than I have had on in 20 years (even if you put all the makeup I have worn in 20 years all on me at once, I think) and it made for a very dramatic look and a very dramatic after picture. But when I got home, I washed most of it off before I saw the boys. They would have FREAKED.

So - all in all, it was a magical and fun and bizarre way to spend the day, and I am really, really glad I did it, and I am really, really grateful for the free opportunity. Would I have spent the $300 they normally charge for what I got? Never in a lifetime! But will I go back to have the highlights re-highlighted? Maybe. And Stephen cut my hair again? Again, maybe. I'll know in 6 - 8 weeks.

Quick Clarification

It wasn't the makeover that made my day bad - the makeover was what turned the day around!

12 Hours Later ...

Well, I posted that book cover at 11AM, and it's now 11PM. The day is ending better than it began. No need to go into details about how it started, and no desire to go into details of how it improved - just know that I am now a strawberry blonde!

Today was my big makeover, and no pictures - yet. You will have to wait and see them in the paper. (coming probably May 20.)

It's VERY weird when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror in passing.

And they called it strawberry blonde but I don't know (yet) if I agree, it's definitely got red in it and it's definitely got blonde in it. I'll let you decide for yourself.

And I had more makeup on today than I have had in the past 20 years, and that all got washed off when I got home - it looked good, but it didn't look like me. She used LATEX mascara on me. LATEX. Every lash was coated with its own little rubber casing. Very weird.

And I had my eyebrows waxed.

And I got my book signed by Christopher himself, who is every bit as gorgeous in person as he is in the book - and he's a lot taller.

My day, so far.

Sometimes the road is not the one you planned

This afternoon I went to see Then She Found Me, a movie starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick (and Hunt directs the film, too.) It's based on an Elinor Lipman novel which I realized, about 5 minutes into the movie, I read a while ago. It's the story of a 39 1/2 year old woman (that "1/2" is important!) whose life, in the matter of less than one month, turns completely upside down, then sideways, then flips the other way, and eventually settles back down. But it settles down in ways that she never imagined, and although she ends up happy, the roads she ended up taking to get to that happy ending are absolutely not the ones she planned on taking or wanted to take.

As movies go it was enjoyable and I recommend it - not highly, it's certainly not life-changing or earth-shattering, but it did make me think about how even when you have a goal and you are certain you are going to attain that goal, you can still be surprised at the route you end up taking to get there.

And if you start down your planned route and it doesn't work out, that doesn't mean you won't still reach your goal.

Seems like good advice in this day and age.

A Day of Ups and Downs

Wow, today has been a roller-coaster ride! It actually started yesterday, when I had my annual appointment with the gynecologist. Turns out I have hypertension - big time - and they pretty much freaked out on me until I made an appointment with an internal medicine doctor to get it all checked out. So that's where I started the day ... getting blood drawn, an EKG done, and taking my new prescription to Target (where, BTW, they do NOT give a $10 Target card for new prescriptions unless you have the stupid coupon from last week's paper.) and generally going back and forth between "OK, I can live with this" and "OH MY GOSH I'M GOING TO HAVE A STROKE."

Okey-dokey-then.

So I come home, take my first pill with lunch, and then decide I really need to lay down for a bit. While I do that, I hear the phone ringing but choose not to answer it. When I got up, I listened to the message - and guess what?!?! I WON!!!!!

Yesterday I was listening to the radio and they were interviewing Christopher the Makeover Guy. I have heard him before - he's way cool - and he has a new book out for women over 45. For once my age is a good thing. Anyway, the Star-Tribune is doing a feature article on him, and they are interviewing some of the women in his book, but they wanted to "see him in action" so he had to find two more models to give makeovers to!!!!! AND I AM ONE OF THEM!!!!

I will be getting a hair cut, color, brow-shaping, and make-up. Somehow they will also have cool clothes for me to wear in the after photo, too. They aren't buying them for me, so I don't know how that will work 'cuz my closet sure doesn't have much to choose from in it. Now, once I get past the idea that the "before" photo is going to be right there in the newspaper for the world to see, I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

So - morning was down, afternoon was up. Can't wait to see what the evening brings.

PS. I am REALLY nervous.

Happy Tears!

The writer of one of the other blogs I read, So, The Thing Is ..., recently moved from Texas to New York with her family, and a casualty of the move was the loss of one of their cats. For six weeks we have been waiting to hear that Edward the cat is back home and today the good news finally came!!! I am still wiping my eyes after reading about his safe return.

Love getting that feeling of "all is right with the world" over something like this!

Seeking Your Thoughts

Hey all -- I am grappling with the idea of workplace satisfaction, and how important it is when making professional decisions.

The thoughts are a bit muddled in my brain, so no doubt they will come out garbled here as well, but hopefully you will understand what I am trying to say enough so that you can offer your opinion or share your experiences.

I have written about 5 sentences right here and then erased them all as I try to figure out how to say what I want to say!

Is it OK to quit a job that doesn't excite you but that you can do perfectly well, without significant reason - i.e., there is no mitigating circumstance making the job unbearable, it just isn't thrilling you daily.

I understand that NO job thrills you daily (or almost no job). And that sometimes sticking with something is worth it in and of itself. And that it could be seen as setting a pattern of quitting if something bores you, which may be a dangerous habit to have.

But then again, why stay with something that is not adding to your life, when life is short enough anyway?

I guess what I am really saying is, is it OK for me to quit a perfectly good job which is kind of blah, or should I stay with it because it's not too bad and it is regular money coming in, and ... I guess I'm out of reasons.

Am I being proactive by wanting to maximize my enjoyment of life or am I being weak by running from even the slightest discomfort? How do you tell the difference?

New favored show

Well, this weekend has been a very busy one and I finally got to sit and put my feet up around 6:00 tonight ... turned on the TV, nothing really was on but I didn't care, I actually expected to fall asleep so the TV was just a minor player in my evening plans.

Then I ended up on some channel doing a House marathon. Five episodes later I love this show.

Whoops. I just admitted to sitting in front of the TV for 5 hours. Wow, I hadn't even realized that until I started typing now.

Perhaps I ought not to blog this.

I did make supper in that time period, do a load of laundry, welcome the boys back and listen to their stories of the weekend with their dad, and ... umm, I guess that's it.

But this SHOW! Carla has told me about it before but I never had the time or inclination to watch it before. Now I fear I may be hooked. Or maybe I can just say OK, I saw a bunch, now I can ignore it. It ended quite nicely with the cliffhanger resolved, so it's not even like I have to watch to find out what happened next. It could have been episodes from 3 years ago for all I know.

I found myself analyzing the hospital set-up they have there. On the one hand they said at one point they have the best neonatal unit in the state (and I don't know what state they are in.) On the other hand, they apparently have ONE oncologist and the medical director of the whole place has time to examine some guy's hemorrhoids. So I don't know what kind of outfit it really is.

But I still liked it, a lot.

Why NOT Kentucky?

Everyone seems to want to know why I want to move to Kentucky. It's because a while ago Calandria blogged about moving there. This was before she decided Barcelona was a good place to live. I remember what she wrote about the rolling hills and small towns and the beauty of the land there.

You can read it here.

And then you can notice, as I did just 2 minutes ago when I went to double-check, that Calandria was talking about Virginia.

Not Kentucky at all.

OK, so maybe I want to move to Virginia now.

You think I'm kidding?

I told the boys the other day that I want to move to Kentucky. They laughed, but today when I woke up - it's April 26, for goodness sake - and saw this, well, now I'm even more serious.

Huh?

Be what you would seem to be - or, if you'd like it put more simply - never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.--Lewis Carroll

Got this off another blog. I have read it four times and I am still not entirely sure I understand it. But I like being confused by famous authors.

Survivor

I know most of you aren't fan(atic)s like me, but last night's Survivor was truly amazing. The players pulled off a HUGE coup and voted out - blindsided totally - the strongest player in the pack. It was delightful. I yelled, I sat up straight, I wiggled (jumping would have been a tad too much) and I was only mirroring the reactions of the players on the TV.

Amazing. Made it worthwhile to be a fan again.

Accents???

Was just reading comments on the Yarn Harlot's blog, and someone wrote this after hearing her speak ...

I never realized that you had such an accent. I guess I just think that everyone on the internets sounds exactly like me.

And it made me stop and pause and think "You mean they don't?" (when I heard the YH speak, as I did with The Knitting Queen earlier this week, I didn't think she had an accent at all. So clearly all people on the internet do sound exactly like me.)

The Pact

Yesterday I read The Pact, a book by three doctors in New Jersey who made an agreement when they were in high school that they would all rise out of their home environments and attend medical school. After I finished reading it, I handed it to Ben and told him I want him to read it, too.

It was an amazing story. The stuff movies are usually made of. In fact, I am surprised it hasn't been adapted into a screenplay yet - I'm sure it will be fairly soon. These young men truly came from childhood situations that are foreign to a girl from Minnesota... two of the three spent time in jail, all three flirted with gangs to different levels, none of them had a father in their lives, all had someone close ... a sibling, a parent, many friends ... who were on drugs. Yet somehow each of them had at least one adult in their lives who recognized the potential in them and brought feelings of self-worth to their young souls, and all three eventually made it through medical school, and all three are practising physicians back in the area they grew up in.

It speaks to the power of the human spirit. It speaks to the importance of believing in a child, because you never know if your one interaction with him or her could change a life forever. It gives hope to the darkest areas of our nation - awareness that there are good people who want to improve the neighborhoods, the homes, the lives of those who live there. It speaks to the incredible power of friendship, trust, and being there for others. And it speaks to the importance of holding on to dreams, not giving up even when you make terrible mistakes, but forgiving yourself and continuing on.

I highly recommend it.

Bumper sticker for you?

(both from Obey the Purebreed. Have fun!)

Bumper Sticker for me?

Attempts to fool myself into thinking spring is still coming ...

Well, I changed a few colors - after Calandria changed the entire look of her blog, but I don't know how to do the types of things she did so this is a pretty rudimentary change.

Anyway, I thought maybe by bringing in some tulip-pink and robin's egg-blue, I might be able to convince myself spring really is coming this year.

They are saying more snow - big time snow - on Friday.

Sigh ...

Roller Coaster of Life

Wow, life is hard sometimes. I feel like for the past two months (maybe three?) I have just been up and down and up and down and occasionally sideways ... I don't quite know what to make of all this. Menopause? Spring fever? Delayed reaction to the changes of last year? Some days are so great and then others I get all confused about so many things.

I am hoping some of you out there who are my age can tell me this is totally normal ...!!!

In the meantime, to avoid thinking about it all, I knit.

More socks on the way.

Finished late last night

I have been reading the wit and wisdom of The Yarn Harlot lately, and she defines 'knitting jag' as being stuck on knitting the same pattern over and over and over again. Me and socks .... CHECK!

She says the best way to get over the jag is to buy enough yarn to make 100 more of the same pattern. Once you have invested all that money, the previously addicting pattern will bore you, and you will find something new to hold your attention.

Guess I'm not quite there yet.

Finally, it's coming!

September 20.

I've pre-ordered it.

Expectations are high!

New Career Path?

I put store in my dreams (I was going to say 'great store' but really, if I'm honest with you and with myself, I actually use my dreams as entertainment more than inspiration or predictors of the future) so last night's dream has stuck with me.

In it, I had launched a new - and, seemingly successful - career as a swimsuit designer.

Just what you always thought I would be, right?

Fooling with Reality

I see Google Mail has a new feature. It will let you send an email with a date stamp of a time already passed. And it can make the newly-delivered email look like it's already been opened and read in the recipient's mailbox.

Heh. So when you miss a deadline you can quick send a new email with a retroactive time and make it look already read and then say self-righteously "What do you mean my reply is late? I sent it 6 hours ago and you already opened it!" and the recipient will check his/her inbox and see "whoa, how did I forget about that email? It says it's been here for hours! I must have totally blanked it out." And then that person will beg your forgiveness.

Until they catch on.

Then, how will anyone ever know what is real and what is g-manufactured? Now, Google says you can only utilize this feature 10 times per year. As if. Now that the technology exists, you know it will just be a matter of time (perhaps time already passed) until anyone can use it anytime they want.

Methinks this is a slippery slope, indeed.

Superhero Powers

On the radio yesterday they were talking about superhero powers, and which one(s) they would like. As I listened I found myself rejecting many of them, and have been pondering which one I would want ever since.

Read people's minds: Nope, really don't want to know what they are thinking as they look at me or talk to me or work with me. And I do'nt have the self-control to only do it occasionally.

Fly: OK, fun, but really, what use is it? Unless you can carry a full trailer of camping gear and people and everything you need for a vacation.

Be invisible: Again, fun in certain situations, but do I really want to spy on people? Certainly not on the people I know, (TMI!!!) and on people I do'nt know ... I just think the novelty would wear off really, really fast. And I am certainly not the type of person who would use it for illegal gain.

See through walls (and everything else): Um, again, what use is it really? And how distracting to be watching something but also be seeing through it (and where does it end, anyway? If I am sitting on the couch watching TV, I would also see THROUGH the TV, through the wall behind it, through the wall behind that, and so on and so on. How could you focus?)

Super-human strength: OK, so far this one has the most potential, never have to ask for help to open a new jar, be able to pick the car up and put it in that tight parking space, rearrange the furniture without having to empty the bookshelves first, yeah, this one is growing on me.

Invincibility: I worry that this one would be like that disease some kids have (that they always use as a story line on doctor TV shows because it's so sensationalistic - that, and Munchausen by proxy) where they don't feel pain - would I even notice my hand had been cut off? Or does this mean that a saw could go through my arm but it would refuse together as soon as the blade was past? But then again, how often am I in mortal danger, and is it needed for the occasional stubbed toe or paper cut?

Hmm ... so I guess the strength one seems to be it for me. What other powers have I forgotten? Stretchiness like Reed in Fantastic Four or the Mom in The Incredibles? Speed like the kid in Incredibles? Neither of those are of much interest. But perhaps I am not realizing the true advantages to some of these gifts.

What would you pick?

Ty's Room

Ta-da! This gives you an idea. I still have to finish the other curtain panel, and the bedspread is just one layer - not a quilt yet. But we are all quite pleased with it so far!

1:00 Sunday Afternoon

Painting in Ty's room is DONE!!

Woo-Hoo!!

Now just have to run to the hardware store for new outlet covers, and IKEA for a few fun accents ... my goal is to have it completely finished when he comes home this evening.

Will take pictures!

You knew this was coming, right?

Is anyone out there surprised that I had to go buy more yarn today? I was driving past the Burnsville store and really, it was prudent of me to stop, as there are no yarn shops near my house, so I just saved myself gas and time by pulling in to the parking lot since I was right there, in the neighborhood.

I walked in and went straight to the sock yarn shelves, and the clerk came over to ask if I needed any help. I explained how I had finished a pair of socks recently (see the orange ones below) and was down to only having enough yarn in reserve for two more pairs.

I kid you not -- she, as well as the two other customers in the store, *GASPED* out loud.

We all felt much better when I made my purchases. Phew.

Finished these last night ...

Maybe spring will come now?

Confidence-Inspiring

So this afternoon I am meeting with a realtor and a prospective tenant who is interested in renting the property I sort of manage.

The realtor calls all excited that he has worked out a great plan.

The prospective tenants are in St. Paul.

The rental property is in Bloomington, as am I.

The realtor's office is in Wayzata.

His plan? Let's all meet at his office because it's so centrally located and convenient for everyone involved!

Snow, Snow, Go Away

I am so sick of the snow. We were teased with that week of warmth ...

I was just ready to not have to wear coats anymore.

Ready to not have the dogs' feet be all wet.

But no, it's March Madness, which means snow.

Snow.

And more snow.

Thought-Provoking

As we do every spring, we are looking at educational alternatives for B & T for next fall. This article just came to me in an email newsletter, and it is making me re-think all the things I thought last week!

When I read that kids with high IQs can actually finish all the curriculum of elementary school in as little as one year, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Granted, I know my children's temperaments are not ones that they would have been willing to sit and learn that intensively, but the fact that research proves they could have ...

Well, there's always more to think about ....

Teaching to the Average in Same-Aged Classrooms By Deborah L. Ruf, Ph.D.

Remember how I said that the average IQ difference between people who get our jokes-people most likely to become our friends-is 12 points (on a 100 point scale with a 100 IQ being average)? And remember I told you that the typical same- aged elementary classroom has a 70 to 80 IQ range in it? You probably have been told by others-not me-that this is good for children because it teaches them about the real world. Well, in the real world we choose our friends and our activities by how comfortable we are in that environment and by who else we get to spend time with. Also, although it may be nice to have a mix of abilities in the office, we pretty much want all CPAs or medical doctors to have a certain high ability, no lower than what is required to get the job done, right? That's why we have examinations at the end of such training to guarantee that everyone who earns the title actually can do the job.

Did you know that every job or career actually has its own IQ average and its own proven necessary minimum? Google Linda Gottfredson and Frank Schmidt to get you started. They are among those who have shown that people in the professions or other very complex careers need a minimum IQ of about 120 in order to both learn what they need to learn and perform it well. Like IQs or not, these numbers keep correlating with real life outcomes. Oh, and in case you are assuming that you can change somebody's IQ, there are no replicated studies that show any more than an average 6 point temporary increase in testable IQ with even the most intrusive interventional approach, adoption. So, the way I look at it, we need to start educating and training people for what they can do and for what will give them satisfaction, pride, and the ability to take care of themselves.

Most people think that teachers teach to the average. Well, no, they don't. They can't! If they taught to the average, too many of the slower learners simply wouldn't catch on to most of what was happening in the classroom. Teachers teach to the top of the bottom third once they know their class. This way, they reach the slower learners fairly well and the majority of the kids in the middle get lots of encouragement and opportunity to manage their time, learn study skills, and how to handle a certain amount of intellectual struggle and feel success when they finally "get it." The sad truth, though, is that the brightest students end up spending a lot of time waiting for something new to happen. Depending on a number of other factors, like whether they are male or female and their personality profiles, they learn a lot that ends up not being helpful to real life. They learn that if you are smart, you don't need to study or work hard. They learn that their parents and teachers don't know what they are talking about if they think this assignment matters. They learn that they are smarter than everyone else in the class and are in for a shock when they actually do get out into the real world.

David Lohman says that by 1st grade the typical same-aged mixed-ability classroom already has 12 grade equivalencies of achievement in it. Brighter children absorb more from their environments than lower ability children, so regardless of their preschool environment, brighter kids will know a great deal more than low ability children by the time they reach 1st grade. Environment is an extremely important factor in someone's development, but it does not change whether or not someone is very bright or very slow. A child whose IQ is 120 could finish the typical elementary curriculum in about 4½ years, not six. A child whose IQ is 130 could finish it in less than three years. Above 140 needs only one year, but they are required to stay all six and go at the pace of everyone else their age. What a waste of time and talent. Folks, there has got to be a better way.

My Love-Hate Relationship with Technology

Well, I bought a new DVD-VCR combo at Target yesterday, brought it home, hooked it up, and it was incompatible with my television.

I can't even begin to tell you the frustration. (Carla can, as she got to IM with me at the worst of it.)

So I re-packed it up and will take it back to Target tomorrow.

I HATE TECHNOLOGY.

Missed my show last night, Survivor, and couldn't record it. Major frustration continues.

This morning I got up and watched the entire episode online. Fewer commercial breaks, and each commercial was 15 seconds instead of 4 minutes (or whatever.)

I LOVE TECHNOLOGY.

Longing for the good 'ol days

My VCR died this week. It's only 27 years old, so I guess I can't complain. But now I am faced with a dilemma. I have to replace it so I can record Survivor and Dancing with the Stars. Really, I don't bother with much else.

But guess what? You can't buy a VCR any more. At least not all by itself. The simplest I can find is a VCR/DVD player combo. For $99.99.

Call me old-fashioned, but I just don't really want a DVR. I like how videos work. I know how videos work. And I don't want to pay $200 for a DVR.

All I want is a nice under-$50 VCR. Ain't gonna happen.

Sigh.

Overheard at the dinner table...

Mom: tonight I have to knit, to finish up a birthday present which I have to give on Wednesday.

Son 1: Oh, you're not going to work on my quilt?

Mom: Oh yeah, I will do that tonight when I am watching "Dancing with the Stars"

Son 1: But I thought you were going to knit tonight?

Mom: Oh yeah (laughing) -- lately I am so distractable.

Son 2: Maybe that's why you haven't finished it yet.

Mom: Finished what?

Silence.

Laughter all 'round.

Snowy Day

Just got this photo from my Dad - he took it this morning from their front deck. It's hard to tell, but those are two deer on the driveway. How beautiful!

What Would Colby Say?!?

from I has a hot dog (thanks, Carla, I was running out of things to look at on the 'net)

Painting + Carpal Tunnel

Bad mix.

Ouch.

Yesterday I painted about 2/3 of Ty's bedroom. See, he is getting a new bed, which meant he had to get new sheets, as it's a different size. Since we were getting new sheets, we needed a new comforter cover. Which led to new drapes, which, naturally, led to the need for a different wall color. And of course we couldn't find a comforter cover or drapes that we liked, so we went to the fabric store and bought fabric for me to make them.

So far, so good. I was actually quite excited to begin all these projects as they are the types of things I really enjoy doing and haven't done for a long time. In fact, it took me over an hour to find my sewing machine. You know the house isn't that big.

Anyway, after I started painting, all was going well until I stopped for lunch ... and my right wrist really began hurting. Really. Hurting. And now I am afraid to pick up the brush or roller again as I don't want to aggravate it further. But only 3 of the 4 walls are done. And the one that's not done is partially done, so I can't even leave it the old color like it's a planned decorating element. Contrast and all that.

One curtain panel is done, the top of the comforter cover is done, and the weekend is almost done. Maybe it was a titch too ambitious to try to do it all in one weekend with only my two hands.

I'll post pictures when it's completed.

Hopefully that will be before June.

Made for me

Now I have so many more blogs to read ...

2008 Weblog Awards winners:
(sorry to not have all the links, you will have to go find the ones that interest you on your own ...)

Best web application for weblogs: Blogger
Best Australian or New Zealand weblog: Reasons You Will Hate Me
Best Asian weblog: Freshly Squeezed
Best African weblog: Dotty Rhino
first off, can I say this is only because they don't read Hillmans' blog?! But secondly, I just visited this one, and I enjoyed it - it's the site of the wildlife refuge started by George Adams, of the "Born Free" Elsa the lioness fame, and it's in Tanzania so that makes me feel like I have proprietary rights over it or something! I recommend it!
Best European weblog: Chocolate & Zucchini
OH.
MY.
GOODNESS.
Calandria, you will join me in drooling over this website, I am quite certain. A French woman obsessed with food and cooking, specifically focusing on healthy and organic foods but with a VERY healthy appreciation for chocolate ... I am truly salivating after just one visit, of course that was because one entry (about 3 or 4 down) is about making ice cream from evaporated milk and Nutella - nothing else - which, hey, sounds good to me!
Best Latin American weblog: The Wired Blog
Best Canadian weblog: Attack of the Redneck Mommy Monkey
Best American weblog: Dooce
Best photography of a weblog: I Can Has Cheezburger? (see photo at right ...)
Best art or craft weblog: PostSecret
Best food weblog: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Best fashion weblog: Go Fug Yourself
Best weblog about music: Said the Gramophone
Best gossip weblog: Dlisted
Best entertainment weblog: Television Without Pity
Best sports weblog: Fat Cyclist
Best weblog about politics: Crooks and Liars
Best computer or technology weblog: Lifehacker
Best topical weblog: I Can Has Cheezburger?
Best GLBT weblog: PerezHilton.com
Best teen weblog: Sarcastica
Most humorous weblog: Overheard in New York
Best writing of a weblog: Confessions of a Pioneer Woman
Best group weblog: Jezebel
Best community weblog: PostSecret
Best-designed weblog: Dooce
Best-kept secret weblog: So Very Alone
Best new weblog: Jezebel
Lifetime achievement: Heather B. Armstrong
Weblog of the year: Dooce

Another Knitting Day-brightener

Another fun knitting project completed! I made a set of 3 nesting felted bowls.

Here they are all knitted but not felted yet. Really, they are just hats before you shrink them down. I was talking to my friend Shawn whose daughter has a magic knitting loom (or some such thing, Calandria, isn't that what Lidia has?) And you could make hats with that, out of 100% wool, and then shrink them into a felted bowl, I do believe.

Here I've attempted to make them stand up like they will when done:

And here they are, nesting so cozily, after the transformation:

Finally, sitting out side by side.

It's just so cool to look at them and think "I made those with a long piece of string!"

I'm past it (for this month, anyway)

OK, I think I am past my two-and-a-half days of feeling down. You'd think I would be used to it now as it happens pretty much every month, but it still takes me by surprise and I don't realize it's the hormones talking until I am on the way out of it again. That moment of clarity came to me about 5PM yesterday.

Last night I had dinner with a friend ... actually I forced her to buy me dinner as when I got to the restaurant I realized I had left my purse at home on the kitchen counter. She was a good sport and we had a delightful meal together. Afterwards when I got home, I sent her a quick email thanking her, and she responded with a note that said "You always make me feel braver about making changes."

You know, that totally changed my mood around last night. I know, I was coming out of my funk anyway, but it reminded me that overall I am so satisfied with my life and the choices I have made and the place I am in now.

So I went upstairs and started knitting - always a sign of good humor here - and started my first pair of "two socks on one needle." A concept I have been aware of for a while and been intrigued by, and now finally got up the nerve to try. And you know what? It's a bit tricky at the beginning to keep all the yarn going in the right direction, but overall I really, really like it. And the best part is, when you're done - you're done! Both socks finished at the same time. Oh - and the really best thing is - both socks the exact same size.

Yup, today is sunny and life is looking up.

my secret vice

I just learned something about myself. Laundry is my drug of choice. (Well, not a drug really, but doesn't that sound intriguing?)

What I mean is that laundry is what I do when I know I need to be doing something but either don't know or don't want to do what really needs doing. By doing laundry I can justify my inattention to those other things, because I can rightly claim that I am not wasting my time or sitting idle.

Nope, those sheets and towels simply must be washed today! And the work projects, and school assignments, and tax organizing ... well, I'm doing LAUNDRY, for goodness' sake, and that's important, too.

Sigh. We have clean clothes but I still have angst about all those other things.

The Great Teeter-Totter of Life

It's all about balance and lately I have not been feeling good about my life.

I have been working a lot more than usual, which while is nice in some ways, is really hard in others. I have been burning the midnight oil, as they say, which I used to be able to do a lot better when I was 10 or 20 years younger.

They say 50 is the new 40 but even with that I need more!

Fairy Frost

She calls it "Impossible: Part 2" and this is just one photo of her series ... I literally gasped when I followed a link to this blog. You have got to check out her photos of what she has named "Fairy Frost." Impossible yet so incredibly beautifully possible it just takes your breath away.

The Reality Show for Me

Finally, a Reality Show I could WIN. Unfortunately I didn't know about it until way after the players were selected ...

Oprah's The Big Give. Now, Oprah is not my favorite person, even though I do admire many of the things she does. This reality show is all about giving to the community - to individuals and organizations needing a little (or a lot of) help. I watched the first episode, and there were 5 teams of two -- each team had a "situation" where they just had to do whatever they could in 5 days to help. All of them involved raising money, but they also had the chance to bring in community, connections, publicity, and anything else.

And I could have kicked 4 of the 5 teams' collective butts :-) One team did an amazing job on their task, 2 did a really good job, and 2 were very close to being worthless (in fact, I suspect that Oprah did a little behind-the-scenes rescue operation on one team.)

It's all about coming up with a plan, spreading a wide net, and working REALLY REALLY fast.

Totally up my alley.

I'll have to be satisfied watching and knowing what I would have done in their places. And maybe it's just as well, because several times during the show Oprah is standing there looking at the groups saying things like "We'll see who the biggest giver is" when it's obvious that she finds it a rhetorical question, and she is expecting all of them to bow down to her and say "Oh, YOU are the biggest giver of them all."

And she is. But does she have to be so smug about it?

Big C, Little C, Eensy-Weensy C

I often refer to Colby and Chaco as "Big C" and "Little C" but this weekend we had a really tiny C staying with us, too! The boys landed a dog-sitting job for their uncle's 6-month old St. Charles Spaniel, Charlie.

Big C & Little C were wary when we brought in the equipment.

The wariness increased as they met the intruder .. errr, I mean guest.

Chaco decided he did NOT like this at all and spent the weekend hiding from Charlie.

Charlie had a bit of hero-worship for Colby, who tolerated the attention quite well.

We loved having the BABY here and miss him now that he's back home!

Happy Birthday, Jess-kah!

In just under an hour it's my friend Jess-kah's birthday! I met her in Tanzania last summer ... here she hangs with the evolutionary chain at Ngorongoro Crater.

HAPPY DAY, GIRLFRIEND!!!

Book-Banning Controversy

This morning I was alerted to a movement by a group of University of St. Thomas parents who are trying to remove Margaret Atwood's book The Handmaid's Tale from the required reading list for freshman literature. The reasons they list on their website basically boil down to there is some (a lot of?) graphic language and imagery in the book that they believe will make some 18 or 19 year olds uncomfortable when reading.

This bothers me on so many levels. First and foremost, I am upset that this is still happening today - that a small group of people try to control what others read, that they try to insist their opinions are more valid than the teachers who assign the book. Wasn't there an episode of The Brady Bunch in the 1960s that dealt with book burning? Didn't Mike & Carol Brady teach their children - and the entire neighborhood - that burning a book is never the solution? Obviously these parents didn't watch The Brady Bunch - or at least they missed that episode. It just makes me sad that this is happening now, in 2008. Probably I am naive.

Secondly, I have read the book in question ... I probably read it the first time when I was in high school - what would these parents say about that?! And I remember the book for its themes and commentary and the futuristic genre. I do NOT recall how many times the "f" word was used (which seems to be one of the main complaints of this group.) I do not remember, much less dwell on, the scenes of violence other than to remember the grimness of society in general in the book. Which, afterall, was the whole point of the book.

I believe the parents underestimate their children's ability to read and discuss the book, and I believe they insult the integrity of the literature professors who selected the book and prepared the discussion activities.

So, as this parent group website urged me to do, I wrote to the faculty of the University of St. Thomas. Unfortunately for the parent group, I don't think my email (to the addresses they so thoughtfully provided) was what they were looking for.