Olympic Fever!

I have always been an Olympic nut. I have so many memories of watching the events every four years (I am still not entirely happy about the switch to the every two years' rotation of winter and summer. I know it makes the Olympics come more often, but there is something magical about having all the events happening in one calendar year ...) and I measure some portions of my life based on the Olympics. For example, I know I was living in Norway during the Games as I remember being in a pretty high-powered business meeting one day and noticed everyone getting slightly fidgety until the man running the meeting said, as he pulled a television set into the conference room, "I hope no one minds if we stop our meeting to watch 'our girls.'" The Norwegian women's cross-country ski relay team was favored to win the gold, and the entire country stopped everything - including big, important business meetings - to watch. And they did win the gold.

Then there was the summer games 12 years ago when Ben was a toddler. He and I and my mom sat down in the family room watching gymnastics, and every time a gymnast finished a routine, you know the stance - feet planted firmly together, back arched, arms triumphantly in the air - well, little 18 month old Ben would do that, too!

So I am thrilled to be watching the games again this week. And this year will be remembered forever as the time the Olympics were in the place my friends just moved to, and because I have a "3-degree" link to the star gymnast of the year, Shawn Johnson.

1. I am friends with another Shawn Johnson, a resident of Bloomington

2. My Shawn Johnson is married to Patrick Johnson.

3. Patrick Johnson is gymnast Shawn Johnson's first cousin.

So that makes me PRACTICALLY family, and I feel the closeness every time I see her perform!

And then last night I was whooping in my bedroom, after just having said good night to the boys (and they came running to my room to see what was happening) as the men's 100m freestyle swimming relay happened. If you missed it, it's worth finding somewhere online to watch. The announcers were saying, before the race started, that the Americans would win the silver in this event, as there was just no way they could pull off a win over the French team, the favorites to win. The French team was quoted as saying "We're going to SMASH the Americans - it's what we came here to do!" And ... yes, the magic of the Olympic Spirit came through, and the silver underdogs came from behind in a truly yell-at-your-tv kind of moment, and with 8/100 of one second to spare, the American team won.

THIS is why I love the Olympics.

Hillmans Arrived!

I just spent some time instant messaging with Carla, they have arrived safely and are starting to unpack and explore their new neighborhood. Folks from the school have brought over all the necessities to make do until their belongings arrive, and other than the weather -- terrifically hot and humid -- all is going great!

I am having such fun watching the Olympics, knowing the Hillmans are right there (somewhere) in Beijing, too! I am planning on visiting them while they are there, so it's really nice to get to see so much of their new home right here on my television.

Carla said she would blog and post pictures ASAP. For now I am just so happy to have heard that they made it safely!

Computer Game Whiz!

Ben took an advanced computer game development class at the Science Museum this week. The students created a game using the MIT tool Scratch. So I am told ... this is all foreign to me.

Ben's game can be found here.

I keep falling in the water, though I did manage to win once. The directions are in the Program Notes, which on my screen are way at the lower right corner. On the screen he developed the game on, the notes showed up at the top. Look for them to learn how to play!

I am quite impressed!

Hillmans on the MOVE!

Right this very minute, the Hillman family is on an airplane heading to Beijing. They left Minnesota this morning, had a brief layover in Chicago, and now are en route to the far East. It was so terrific to have them here this summer, and it was not as hard to say goodbye this time as it was when they left for Tanzania - probably because they will be back here more often on home leave over the next three years.

I expect it will be a while before Carla starts blogging again from their new home. They arrive on Saturday, have Sunday to start settling (living out of suitcases as their shipment of belongings won't arrive for 8-10 weeks) and then Monday morning Mark starts work. A week later Carla starts her job, and the kids start school.

They have an apartment already (or townhouse, maybe?) which is just a short walk from a grocery store which stocks a lot of American foods. There is also a Domino's and a Starbucks, so they will be able to live on pizza and coffee for the first few days if need be!

I can't wait to read all about their new adventures!

Big arts day yesterday

Yesterday I was an audience member for a large number of hours. In the afternoon I went to see Brideshead Revisited, the film being advertised for "intelligent viewers." Then last night I saw the new musical Little House on the Prairie at the Guthrie.


Brideshead was a fascinating film. I had never seen the older movie, or read the book, so I really didn't know the story at all. I saw commercials showing an old English manor, and that it starred Emma Thompson. Enough for me. In case you are as ignorant as I was, I'll fill you in on the gist of the storyline. Charles meets a young man at Oxford on his first day there, a young man who is as different from Charles as could possibly be. Sebastian is from a rich family of nobility, whereas Charles lives with his father in a small flat near Paddington Station in London. Sebastian befriends Charles, and takes him to his family manor, Brideshead, and the rest of the movie is the unfolding story of how Charles becomes involved with Sebastian and his family over the course of ten years.


The drama of the story comes in the relationships the family members have with one another and within themselves. The struggles Sebastian and his siblings have, the sheer force of their mother's love, the search for happiness his father undertakes - all are presented with bold, stark frankness that made me really ponder the situations even as I watched to see what happened next. I found myself wondering how I would have handled each situation, imagining taking on each character in turn, and aching for the turmoil they went through. The movie (and, I suppose the original novel) does an amazing job of allowing you to identify with each character, becoming aware of the good and the bad, and the complexity inherent in life with strong beliefs.

I highly recommend it.


Then in the evening I went to the Guthrie. A good friend of mine took me to a Guthrie production a year or so ago, and that visit reminded me how much I love the theater, and how much I missed it. This year I bought a season ticket series for 8 performances. Little House was the first.


I almost did something unheard of. I almost left at intermission.


It's not that it was a bad play. It was cute. The actors did fine jobs. The young women playing Laura and Mary had incredible voices and it was a joy to hear them in duets. Melissa Gilbert plays Ma and it was thrilling to see her on the stage. Her voice is clearly not her greatest strength, but she held her own. Nellie Oleson stole the show with her trademark mop of golden curls (based on the tv actress) and the actor playing Almanzo was easy on the eyes.


But the musical itself was, well, just boring. None of the songs were toe-tappers, I can't imagine anyone left humming any of the tunes. The story was fine if you are as familiar with the books as I am, and I am pretty sure most of the audience members were, but they condensed so much into a 2 1/2 hour performance that there was really no room for any depth or character development. If you walked in as cluelessly as I walked into Brideshead, I can't imagine you would have enjoyed it. And since I knew how it ended, I really did contemplate leaving at intermission. Sitting home reading with the dogs was just more enticing-sounding. But I did stay, and the second half was mildly better than the first, so I didn't regret it. Much.


My favorite part of the entire performance was when they were portraying a horse race and the entire cast stood in back as the audience for the race. At one point they all acted in slow motion, and it was marvelous - absolutely perfectly done, from the oldest man to the youngest girl, they all moved in perfect synchronicity until you believed you were watching a slow-motion film. That impressed the heck out of me.


But that, really, disappointingly, was it. So I don't recommend this one.

Techie Wannabe

Yesterday I bought an iPod.

Just the shuffle, with the smallest memory. It will hold 240 songs and I was quite sure I don't even know that many.

Sure enough, I don't. First off, it took me way longer than I am willing to admit to figure out how to hook the thing up to my computer and get it so that it was ready to get things downloaded onto it. But e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y I figured it out (if you take out the half-hour I had to MOVE AWAY FROM THE IPOD to avoid screaming at it and smashing it with my fist, well, then it didn't take that long. I mean, probably not a world-record in slowness or anything) and then I got ready to load up all my favorite songs.

First off, three ABBA songs. After seeing Mamma Mia, no surprise there. Then there are a couple other songs I remembered from American Idol that I wanted. Then Footloose, as I cannot sit still to that song, and I want all these songs to be the kinds that make me smile and FEEL GOOD.

Then .... I was stuck.

I searched on a few band names I could think of (how pathetic is it that this was really, really tough for me??) and in the end, after over 90 minutes of trying to find music, I now have 11 - yes, ELEVEN - songs on my iPod.

Yeah, I'm a music guru alright.

This just in ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Friday it has held meetings with U.S. store managers warning them of issues that could arise if Democrats win power and pass a law that would make it easier for workers to unionize, but stressed it was not telling workers how to vote.


Phew. We wouldn't want anyone to think this company has control issues.

(full article by clicking here.)

Here I go again ...

I admit it. I'm an Abba-girl. I can sing almost any of their songs, and if there is room, I will be dancing, too. Maybe it's because I lived in Norway when they were at their peak popularity (and really, one of the 4 Abba members -Annifrida- actually is Norwegian, they aren't all Swedes ... that was very important at that time to anyone living in Norway ...)

I saw the stage production several years ago when it was here, and today I went to see the movie. Maybe it's also that I travelled around Europe, including Greece, as a young woman, and could certainly have imagined falling in love on a beach and staying there forever, that makes me such a fan of this show.

Whatever the reason, I love this play, this musical, this movie, these songs ... and Meryl Streep is incredible!

Things my dogs know

When I turn off the TV, it's time to get up.

When I put the stylus away on my DS, it's time to get up.

When I put pants on (as opposed to any other article of clothing), it's time to get off the bed.

When I say "OK" it's time to run to the front door just in case I follow the word with "let's go outside."

When I call the boys upstairs, it's time to stand by the door to the garage so no one is "left behind."

When I pick up a book, it's time for a nap.

Office Update

Well, I am apparently totally inept when it comes to modern photographic technology. I took some photos with Ben's camera yesterday, then put it in my pocket and got to work. I cleared out three bags' worth of paper to the recycling bin, and emptied a couple of shelves - not a huge beginning but I felt pretty good about it! Then I came upstairs to load the pictures onto the computer to post here, and they were gone. (cue scary music.)

Disappeared. Vanished. Like they never were taken.

I am totally clueless as to what happened, sorry!

Yee-Hah!

After my usual WiiFit workout this morning I decided to let it weigh me again ... haven't done that since day one, 3 weeks ago.

DOWN 3.1 pounds!

Break out the chocolate! um, err, maybe not the best way to celebrate ...

an Awwwwww moment

You have to check out this video of these twin babies playing in the backyard sprinkler!

I always say baby anythings are SO CUTE!!!

Hold me accountable, please

OK, this week I am going to clean out my office. All 42 square feet of it (give or take.)

I am between jobs right now and am determined to whip that office into shape. Only problem is, I really don't wanna. But if I write about it here, and know you are all watching, maybe the peer pressure will keep me motivated.

Tomorrow morning I will take some "before" photos. Friday I will take another set.

Hopefully you will be able to see some difference.

Another Book

When I was up at my folks', I borrowed a Wallace Stegner novel I hadn't read before (really!) - and it started out with a Norwegian character in Minnesota, so I thought 'fer shure' I would love it. I have read other Stegner books and enjoyed them greatly, but this one, Big Rock Candy Mountain, just did not draw me in, and in the end I read about a third of it and then skipped to the last chapter, and even that really didn't interest me.

I just discovered that the book is supposed to be autobiographical, which makes it slightly more interesting, but not enough to go back and actually read the whole thing.

Quite the disappointment.

Books

While at camp last week, I read Without A Backward Glance, by Kate Veitch. It's the story of a young (very young) mother in Australia who, one Christmas Eve, walks away from her family - husband and 4 young children, and never comes back. I really don't want to say anything more about it, even though more is told just on the back cover of the book, because I want you to have the delight of reading it yourself and the author unfolds the story so much better than I could here.

Then I read two of Barbara Kingsolver's books - both of which I had read before - The Bean Trees, and Pigs in Heaven. It's been at least 20 years since I read them, and I remembered I loved the books, but honestly, I could not remember anything else at all. So it was great to re-read them - and yes, they are still great books!

Then when we went back to my parents' to pick up Ty and the dogs, my Mom was reading Anne Tyler's Back When We Were Grownups. I looked at the title and said "Oh, I read that, it was really good... What's it about again?" because I realized I had no memory of that book, either, other than I was sure I had read it and I was sure I had liked it. So I re-read it that night (it's not a very long book) and it made me realize that there are a LOT of books out there that I know I have read already and enjoyed, and can now safely read them again and not know how they end.

Yeah, big-time senior moments here ...

Tigger or Eyeore

I just heard on the radio that Randy Pausch died today. He's the author of The Last Lecture, the professor who became a world-wide celebrity based on the way he chose to handle his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

I just went on YouTube and re-listened to his lecture, and have tears in my eyes knowing that even as I see him sharing his wisdom on my computer, his family is saying goodbye to him today.

His views on life, choices, and attitude are worth spending time reflecting on. But it really can be boiled down to one question he asks near the end of his lecture. He says you have to decide how you are going to live your life: as a Tigger, or as an Eyeore.

Love it.

At the end of the lecture I thought to myself "this is one truly great man." And now I am going to be more Tigger-like.

Where's the Advil?

Pain ... sore ... oww ...

I can attest to the quality of Wii Fit. My Tae Kwon Do instructor used to say it was his job to make the students hurt in new ways with each session.

Wii Fit would please him.

The Ben Patrol

A full 25% of the scouts in our group last week are named Ben. Whenever anyone needed something done, they yelled "Ben" and had a good chance of one of them being in ear-shot. Even the camp counselors just started saying "Ben" to any scout in our group, figuring their odds were pretty good that the scout they wanted would respond!

Afraid of heights, are you?

Here is the fire tower at the camp. It's 100 feet high (134 steps but who's counting?) and it shakes in the wind.

Part of the information our guide gave us was how deep the cement foundation it is secured in goes. Seems that is a common question.

And here we are at the top!

Some Many Point Photos

Here are a few photos from Many Point, the Boy Scout Camp we were at. It's a beautiful camp - has been the official Boy Scout Camp for Minneapolis-area troops since the late 1930's.

This is the beach where all the water activities took place. They had kayaks, canoes, sailboats, a water trampoline, and of course a beach for just plain 'ol swimming. During the morning and afternoon there were scheduled activities here, but in the evening everything was open for free time. This is Ben getting ready to sail during free time with Jeff, one of the older scouts who is more experienced with sailing.A bit of trivia for you - this camp, Many Point, has a larger fleet of Sunfish Sailbots (90 in total) than any other place in the US!
Here they are up close, and again from a bit farther away. Ben loved sailing, and got pretty good at it by the end of the week.

Wii Fit Update

Well, this morning I got on the Wii Fit ... it nicely reminded me I haven't been on it for 13 days. There's a good feature, guilt the user. And I did a full 30 minutes' worth, after which it cheered for me. This is the first time I have done the full yoga component and boy are my muscles tight! I can see a huge difference in what I can do today vs. what I could do when I was in yoga class or Tae Kwon Do. So I know what my goals are.

It's just SO NICE to go down the basement and get a good workout that is fun, too! I worked up a really good sweat, and got my heart rate up to a good number, and when I quit after a half-hour there were still plenty of options I didn't even try yet so I don't think it will get boring.

I'll keep reporting in here to keep myself accountable.

Friday AM Update

No rain for over 24 hours.

HOORAY!

Yesterday was a bit more exciting than we as the troop would have liked. One of our first-years was hiking in boots that frankly, to this mother, looked a bit too big and a bit too loosely tied, and the inevitable happened - he tripped on a shoelace and ended up breaking his arm. He spent a couple of hours in an urgent care clinic in Detroit Lakes, and his Dad drove up last night so that they can head back today for the surgery needed to repair the break. But the young man refused to leave until after his merit badge session this morning so that he could finish up the requirements necessary to earn the badge!

HUGE teachable moment, though, as now all the leaders throughout the camp are going around looking at campers' shoes and saying "better tie those up ... yesterday a kid didn't and he BROKE HIS ARM."

I am really enjoying getting to know many of the adult leaders and many of the kids. (Of course there are also a few I am eager to depart from.) The food continues to be great and plentiful, and now that the weather is cooperating, all is well. Ben is finishing up his Environmental Science work, First Aid, and Photography - he will still have a couple of requirements to complete after we return home, but he is very close. Last night I went with one of the boys I didn't know well up to Archery -- he had to have a buddy in order to go, and everyone else wanted to do water-related activities. Turns out this guy will be in Ty's class at school this fall! So that was a fun coincidence.

Tonight is the closing campfire, and tomorrow morning we have breakfast and then break camp and head out. Ben & I are both looking forward to long, hot showers, and then sleeping as long as we want to! We have a bugler in our troop who is just 11 years old but is very, very good. I have actually really enjoyed hearing the Reveille every morning, and Taps at night. But. Sleeping a bit longer in the morning is going to feel sweet.

Thursday Update

Well, we have gone 17 hours without rain but the skies are gray ... Did sleep well last night, though! The mosquitoes are in hog-heaven. I'm going to try to get a picture of everybodies' legs with all the red welts. Nas-tee.

We are looking forward to the end.

Even the turtles are crying UNCLE!

OK, it's Wednesday morning, 10:00, and I am hiding in the administration building where they have free wi-fi (I just learned this fact last night) because it is POURING outside.

Yes, rain. Or, as the staff says here, there's a little dampness on the grass.

We got here Sunday at noon. Ben & I had a pleasant journey across the middle of the state on small roads and in cheery sunshine. We arrived, got our tent up, settled in to the camp, and all was well! That night it was cool - but not cold - and we slept wonderfully.

Monday was crisp and clear and we spent the day going to merit badge classes in the morning and then Ben went to the shooting range in the afternoon where he got to experience and try out a lot of different historical weapons - he really enjoyed it. That night he went sailing with one of the older scouts in his troop and they had a fabulous time out on the lake.

Monday night we got in bed around 10:30 ... just as the thunder started. For the next 3 hours we had a HUGE thunderstorm ... I would try to find a more colorful way to describe it, but frankly, I am tired. It was massive. Our tent held strong and tight until about 1:00 AM when two drops of water came through and I braced myself for a deluge ... but then the storm blew over and we had a peaceful rest of the night.

Tuesday dawned clear and sunny, and the tent dried out quickly. Mid-day we had a few scattered showers but nothing worth getting the rain coat out for, and then we had a beautiful evening. Mosquitoes are everywhere, but other than that no complaints at all!

The food has been terrific. Very filling and quite tasty, too. Every morning adults can go into the staff dining area and get fresh homemade caramel or cinnamon rolls, and coffee. THEN we join the kids for the real breakfast. One day we had breakfast corndogs (pancakes wrapped around breakfast sausage on a stick), one day Belgian-style waffles, today bagel breakfast pizzas. Lunches have been hamburgers, taco salad ... dinners spaghetti, ham and baked potatoes ... and every meal has a dessert of some sort. So we are not losing any weight while here!

We aren't gaining any, either. Yesterday I wore my pedometer all day just to see ... I walked nearly 9.5 miles. And our camping area is near the beach, at the bottom of a hill, and pretty much everything else is up the hill - the showers, the dining area, many of the merit badge class areas ... so we are going up and down all day long. Some of the paths are mud and rocks, some have actual steps, but all are steep!

This morning we awoke to rain - a gentle drizzle. It stopped as we walked to breakfast, and we hoped we were in for some sunshine. Not to be. While we ate, the drizzle came back and quickly escalated into a full-blown rain storm. So another leader and I got our computers after we got all the boys to their first merit badge class of the day, came here to the Admin building, and I am sitting here feeling a bit guilty that I am inside where it is dry and I know the boys are out there walking from class to class, getting SOAKED. But it wouldn't help anything if I got wet, too, right? That's what I tell myself anyway. It is supposed to rain all day today but tomorrow and Friday should be clear and sunny.

PLEASE keep your fingers crossed for us.

Last night Ben & I agreed that we were having a good time. Tonight may well be a different story. I hope he is able to keep his spirits up when soaking. We were supposed to do archery this afternoon but I am sure that won't be happening. And tonight is our night to climb the fire tower, but that may well be cancelled, too.

I have been taking a lot of pictures so will eventually get some posted here (we don't have the connecting cable to put them on the computer here.) I will be back to check email and comments again probably Friday morning so will report in on the water-tightness of our tent (so far, so good ... but I am worried about the length of the rainfall today ...) and the level of our spirits!

Friday Night Lights

Greetings from the Great "Up North"! The boys, dogs & I arrived here (my folks') around 8:30 tonight. At 8:30:05 the heavens opened and we were soaked to the skin just running the 20 feet from the car to the front door. The "lights" we are seeing here are magnificent bolts of lightning over Lake Superior. Tonight, very aptly named.

This follows our excitement yesterday when a violent yet brief storm swept through Bloomington, and our power went out. For 24 hours. Just long enough for us to be miserable and for the refrigerator to completely warm up.

But we got our freezer contents safely to a friend's house so all would stay frozen, and we emptied the refrigerator, and then left town. Just another day in the life of this suburban housewife.

Sunday I deliver Ben to Boy Scout Camp. Six months ago when I signed up to stay in the tent with him for a week it sounded like a grand adventure. With two days' worth of nasty storms, it's not sounding quite so good to me right now. I will be taking close note of which hotel is closest to the camp ground, just in case.

Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny and beautiful.

It is July, after all.

FINALLY!

Today the boys & I were out running errands and, on a whim, stopped at the Mall so Ben could check out Legoland for what's new. When we got there, we decided to walk around for a while - using the pedometer to make it feel like exercise - and we walked past the store "Game Stop." I glanced at the name above the door and for some bizarre reason read it as "Canine Soup." I know, not even close. But it made me giggle, and when the boys asked me what I was laughing at I stopped to explain, and somewhere in that 2 minutes we were standing I got the urge to go in and say to the sales clerk (who looked to be about 14) "I don't suppose there is ANY chance you have a Wii Fit, right?" ... and being the realist I am, I started to walk away before he even answered ... because when he said YES, I about fainted!

So there we were, in the middle of the Mall, and I could not stop grinning and saying "WE HAVE A WII FIT!!!!!" Over and over. The boys begged me to stop.

So. Came home and tried it out. Ty went first, being the Wii champion he is. The body testing was not pleasant. It weighs you, did you know that? And then it asks your height and your birth date. Then it tells you the bad news. Both Ty & I are NOT in the "good health" category, and both of us have body ages above our real ones.

But ok, that's why we bought it.

We made the rule - well, *I* made the rule - that NO ONE, and that means NO ONE, is allowed to talk about what they see on the Wii. What happens on the Wii stays on the Wii.

Anyway, both Ty & I did about a half-hour's exploratory playing-slash-exercising with it, and you know what? It felt good. Like a good workout, fun, and worthy of feeling of accomplishment and pride at the end.

And THAT, really, is why I bought it.

My least favorite modern convenience

People sometimes wonder why I hate the phone, as if I am some sort of weirdo. Well, I am not alone. I found this post and after reading it and the ensuing comments, I feel like I am in VERY good company!!!

Phone-haters of the world, unite!

My Inner European

This is only because Norwegian was not an option ...

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

Ta-Da!

This is the end product of my afternoon's activities. Well, not this EXACTLY but one just like it (I am too lazy to go take my own photo and upload it here. Much easier to find a photo someone else already took. And this is what it will look like when there is snow ... which, according to the wonderful weather in Minnesota, could be in as little as 3 weeks.)

It's way fun.

I did it!

You may remember a while ago I was contemplating leaving a job which was not fulfilling ... well, today I turned in my letter of resignation, and I feel great! I have been agonizing over the decision for a long time but know that the job has not been good for me and even though I hate the "quitting" part, I know it's the right way to go.

I will still be working with the group for a while to ease the transition, but the end is in sight and it does feel good.

Now I get to clean out my office (some people would call it a closet but I like to think of it more officially) and --- biggie, here --- figure out what comes next!!!

They're Here!

Met all the Hillmans yesterday at the airport ... they are happy to be in Minnesota again! And we are happy to have them :-)

Especially the boys, because now they finally can play TOGETHER.

Today's Laugh

Laughed til I got tears ... check out this YouTube video about a little girl who loves her goldfish crackers.

Snapping Turtle

On Tuesday, I took the dogs out as usual in the morning, and right at their favorite rock-to-pee-on was this HUGE turtle! I pulled them away - they didn't seem to notice it, nor it them, but I freaked out a little bit. I went back to the house and called Ben to come see (Ty was at a friend's) and he came out and agreed with my take on it -- it was a female laying eggs. He went back inside and verified online that yes, this is a snapping turtle, and June is the prime time for egg-laying. She seemed to be in a bit of a trance, not noticing us at all. We watched her for a while, then went inside, and when we came back out about an hour later she was gone and the egg hole was neatly filled in.

According to the website Ben looked at, hatching can occur anywhere from 9 - 18 weeks from now ... that's quite a window, but we will be watching for signs.

I was amazed at how far away from the pond she was (almost 2 blocks in a residential area) and how quickly the whole thing went - I mean, I don't know when she started digging the hole, but if I had gone a different direction that morning for the walk, we never would have known.

We have been trying to get the dogs to pee there now to keep raccoons and foxes from finding the eggs. Don't know if that will actually work, but we thought it sounded good. If we do see baby turtles I will get photos!!!

Today's Focus ...

... is on the Hillmans, who are beginning their journey which takes them from their much-loved home in Arusha, and will eventually land them in their new home in Beijing ...

As I write this they are scrambling to gather up all their luggage, and will shortly be heading to the airport in Arusha ... they will fly to Dar es Salaam, then to Amsterdam, then to Minneapolis.

Send your best thoughts for a safe journey their way!

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.