Pithy Place

2001-11-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to be blogging for a while. I need the break. And I don't feel like having my life out here at the moment.

2001-11-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

I went to Colorgenics and took the color quiz. It's remarkable how close this is to what I'm feeling in my life.

Thanks to Laura for blogging this site!

You have a vivid imagination and this is good. Great inventors, explorers all had inventive, imaginative minds. Your friends and acquaintances may consider you over-imaginative and given to fantasy or day-dreaming. So what ?... this is a part of your character and charm.

Recently you have been experiencing considerable mental anguish and turmoil. You are bored and discontent. Nothing seems to be going right for you. Even your relationships aren't working out and you don't quite know which way to turn.

You are not an argumentative sort of person and "rather than fight - you'd switch" (an old cigarette ad cliche). But when you try to assert yourself - as sometimes you may try to do - you meet with so much resistance and effrontery that manifests itself so obviously that you become hurt, indignant and resentful. So in order to have peace and quiet ... you tend to become inhibited You keep it all to yourself ...but deep down-you 'feel' and 'hurt' a lot

Presently, you are experiencing stress because of restriction on your independence. You need and seek respect from other people and it is essential that they appreciate you for yourself and not for what they would like you to be. You have your own beliefs and convictions and you would like to be respected for them. You are anxious to avail yourself of every opportunity that may come your way but nevertheless, come what may, you have the need to control your own destiny without imposed limitations or restrictions.

You are anxious about all the limitations to which you are subjected to at this time.... You feel that you are not valued for what or who you are. You need OUT. So why procrastinate any longer .... MOVE!

2001-11-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

I got to work this morning and there were 3 messages on my phone. All were from my step-mother. She's an early morning person and instead of bothering us non-morning people at home with a bunch of questions, she phones our work voice mail and pesters that instead. What it all boiled down to is she's ready to do serious Christmas shopping and needed feedback.

Good grief. Christmas shopping!

LLP: Build A Bear has opened a workshop in Salt Lake City! Finally! Laura took the girls and me to their workshop in Denver and we had the best time picking out our bears, stuffing them just right, making a wish on their hearts, and then dressing them to perfection! One thing the girls will be getting for Christmas is a gift certificate to Build A Bear!

2001-11-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm getting off easy for Thanksgiving! I just need to do a couple of raisen pies and an apple/banana salad. Too cool!

2001-11-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

It's November. Time to officially start thinking about the nutty holiday season. Thanksgiving will be huge this year. My cousin is leaving on a mission the first week of December, so the whole family wants to get together one more time before he leaves. And my step-mother's family wants to have everyone together, too. And this will all take place at my parents home. We have managed to seat 45 at one time there, so I'm sure we'll all fit. And it will be fun! Just a lot of work.

I wonder how many pies I'm making this year? Ugh.

2001-10-31T14:10:00.000-08:00

It's Halloween! Time for trick or treating! Time to get ready to swipe any and all Reeces that my kids may bring home! LOL

2001-10-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

A thought: People who can't post a comment on a blog and take credit for it probably shouldn't post their comments. I admire people who can loathe me, dislike me, or whatever and have the courage to let me know their views and actually let me know who they are. They are people to be admired, even with opposing viewpoints. And while I know I'm not admired or respected by everyone, I do have the backbone to post my name with any comments I may make.

2001-10-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

I love pithy emails:

Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary storm. No matter how raging the billows are today, remind yourself: "This too shall pass!" (T. D. Jakes)

2001-10-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

Stomach flu sucks. Especially when it doesn't go away for days. But I lived and I'm back.

2001-10-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs belongs to Diane S.. She has such a way with words. When she twists that knife, I squirm!

2001-10-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

I am getting more money for my injured car than I was planning on. Still not enough to buy another car right away, but enough to make a good start on saving for one! :-)

2001-10-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

I hate family parties. Especially ones that I'm in charge of. Especially with the silly cousins and brothers that I have that cannot seem to let go of old feuds long enough to get together and celebrate a joyous occasion without snarling.

Like I said earlier to all you thick heads: Can I just say to all the people who I used to like and respect and now am having trouble liking and respecting to get over themselves already?

2001-10-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

"All living relationships are in process of change, of expansion, and must perpetually be building themselves new forms."

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

2001-10-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Something I admire: People who aren't afraid to take chances. I wish I was more like this. And I admire deeply those who continually take chances.

And, this is a general observation. I'm really not talking about anyone in particular.

2001-10-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Posting vague posts so no one gets hurt seems to not be working very well for me on my blog. Because the world revolves completely around a lot of people, many thought my posts were about them.

So, off to the races.

To Laura and Amy: Yes, my feelings are hurt. Yes, I'll get over it. I always do. If you'll notice the time line of my posts yesterday, when I finally started reading blogs and trying to find out where you guys had all disappeared to (you guys meaning Amy, Laura, Aimee, Verna, and others) I found Aimee's touching farewell. At that time, darn near FIVE HOURS after the bite me post, I still did not know about the other boards that you have set up. So, obviously (to me, anyway) the bite me post was not directed at you because of the other board set up.

As to whether or not I'd be offended at the content of your boards, who the hell made you my content police? You guys have always been wonderful in letting me know if you think I might fall off my chair going to one of your links, but you've always left the choice to me whether to go there or not. And, while I don't type the "f" word much and say it even less, it doesn't make my hair stand on end. I thought you knew that about me. But that would be assuming, and from the correspondence I've had this morning there has been way too much assumption going on.

So anyway, the people who can bite me because I'm loosing respect and like for them are mostly a group of people who I'm related to.

Now, on to my pity party post. Colleen, my very dear friend, has made some changes at Moms Life. They are hard changes to adapt to. Gotta tell you that I loathe the new software. I MISS the WebX software, page views and all. I've even been trying to find more boards at Moms Online that I can like so I can use that software. And at the same time, I have been Colleen's assistant for a very long time. Long enough that when she asks me to help her and support her thru all these changes I told her I would. And I have done my damnendest to help. While at the same time bitching about the changes. It helped a lot when Colleen and I talked on the phone and talked about both of our many frustrations with the changes. It is nice to feel that someone else has the same frustrations. Made me feel validated. And helped me to get rid of the heaviness of the frustrations. I'm still not a happy camper. But I'm beginning to understand the new software. And the emails requesting help have slowed down to a trickle.

The pity party was the lack of support that I was feeling from others who I thought would still be in Colleen's cheering section. And because I noticed these people missing.

That's what started my blog reading. Which lead to my post about Aimee and her farewell. And her farewell frosted me. Why? Well, if a friend is moving on and is truly a friend I would expect at least a personal goodbye, if not a forwarding address. Not just a vacancy notice posted where she used to be.

And that is the meaning behind my posts from yesterday. I promise never again to post vague posts. I promise to always call everyone by name here in my blog.

2001-10-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

I was wondering where all my online friends had gone to, so I went reading blogs. Aimee posted a touching farewell on Friday, but left no clues as to where she went to. Oh well. Don't let the door hit you in the butt.

2001-10-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm having a pity party. I'll get over it one of these days. But currently, I'm feeling very sorry for myself. And for another. I think I'll have ice cream for lunch.

2001-10-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

Can I just say to all the people who I used to like and respect and now am having trouble liking and respecting to get over themselves already?

If you see yourself in this and get your panties in a wad, bite me.

2001-10-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Subject FWA Marine Tells It Like It Is!

As a Marine Fighter Pilot and as an Astronaut, John Glenn has earned our undying respect. As a U.S. Senator, he appeared to lose integrity or common sense at times, especially during the "Chinagate" hearings. Nevertheless, this dissertation is right on the money and needs to be read by everyone. Kind of like Kipling's "Tommy."

This is a letter written to all Americans from a Marine Corps pilot. It is in response to that Canadian newspaper article that is flying around everyone's e-mail praising the U.S. This is his opinion but many in the military community can't help but agree with it. Read and pass on to anyone that you think didn't believe in the military before 11 September. Remember John Glenn's famous quote when he was asked what it felt like sitting atop the rocket, ready to launch? "I felt about as good as anybody would, sitting in a capsule on top of a rocket that were both built by the lowest bidder." (Senator John Glenn, Major USMC, Retired)

Dear Americans

When I opened my e-mail this morning, I had about 20 forwards of the article written by Gordon Sinclair, the Canadian who so eloquently praised the United States. What most of you do not realize is that this commentary was written many years ago. Those of us in the military service have known about it for a long time. Now Americans are flooding the net with it as if it were new. It is not. When it was written, most Americans didn't read it because most Americans did not care.

The tragedy that befell all of us on September 11th shocked America. America no longer feels safe. Many of you have said, "The government should have known! Thirty billion dollars is spent on intelligence! What about the military?!?"

Just a reminder America: you voted our government into office. For years, you allowed some dishonest politicians and twisted television media personalities to shape your ideas about the defense of our nation. Why? Because most Americans were too lazy to look beyond the three-minute Sound bites on the evening news. Here's a news flash not being broadcast much "On September 11th, America had the exact level of protection, both militarily and intelligence, that it was willing to pay for." Only yesterday, the Congress and the Senate approved 40 BILLION dollars as a "down payment" to fight this war. A short time ago, our politicians said a 100 million dollar increase for the Navy budget was substantial. In that same bill, they ordered the Navy to conduct an 85 million dollar study on ... missile defense? (No) desperately needed parts for our fighter aircraft? (wrong again) training for Navy SEALs? (Nah)

They wanted breast cancer research. Yes, America, your elected officials decided that the U.S. Navy needed more mammograms and less missiles. Was this an under-the-table sneaky move? No, it was right out in the open. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy both opposed it. A New York Senatorial candidate (yes, she's the one) was enraged that the military would be so sexist and irresponsible to the needs of civilians and wanted the Navy to give the money back immediately! But the media paid it little mind. So America paid little attention.

Did anyone ever watch CSPAN? Particularly when the heads of our armed services essentially begged OUR representatives to give the military more money to fight terrorism and maintain a strong defense? Did you see the debates by the heads of the intelligence services that terrorism was the new threat? They told the committees of Congress that the CIA, the FBI, and the military did not have the money to build the necessary intelligence networks in the areas where terrorists were being harbored. They warned again and again that there was clear and present danger within America's borders.

America must have been watching one of the other 114 satellite channels.

The military said"We need more money to maintain military readiness and combat training." America answered"What the military needs is sensitivity training! You're all sexist homophobes! I saw it on 60 Minutes!"
The military said"We need money to build ships, planes, and tanks and to improve our technology. America still has credible threats throughout the world. Terrorism will come to America's doorstep." America answered "You're all part of a vast right-wing conspiracy. There is no more Soviet threat! My Senator told me so! He/she says we do not need such a big military! You're dinosaurs trying to hold onto the Cold War! We need social programs!"

The military said"We need to recruit more Americans into the military. We need to increase our force." America answered"You're not taking my kids! We're going to shut down the ROTC programs at our high schools and universities because you discriminate against alternative lifestyles! ROTC teaches children (under 21) how to shoot guns! You just want another Columbine! Rosie and Oprah say so!"

The military said"We can't keep interfering in the civil wars of small, insignificant countries. It wastes our time, expends our resources, decreases training, and demoralizes our troops. The men and women of the United States are warriors trying to defend OUR nation; we are not the Third World's police force." America answered"You heartless bastards! Can't you see the tear in the eye of that starving child?! There are flies on her face, for Christ's sake! Get moving! Jesse Jackson on CNN said that is what we pay you for!"

The military asked"Why isn't America enraged over the terrorist attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 AMERICAN sailors? How about the Air Force barracks bombed in Saudi Arabia? the embassy staffs in Africa? the soldiers mutilated and dragged through the streets in Somalia?" America answered "We don't have time right now! We're busy defending animal rights! Our schools are handing out automatic weapons! The federal government is discriminating against cross-dressing Bolivian hermaphrodites! The police are all members of the Ku Klux Klan! The lack of ozone is ruining my tan! If they cut deeper into food stamps, those poor women will have to move down to Size 18/20 Chanel dresses! AND THE WORST! Corporations are raising the prices of their products sooo high that I might not be able to afford the multi-disc DVD player for my 36" digital-ready TV! Besides, YOU GUYS ARE PAID TO DIE!"

So - while you sit on your couch or around your office coffee pots and ask, "Why did those terrorists kill innocent civilians? Why didn't they go after the military?" - remember this, America: They already had gone after the military - but America didn't care. These terrorists realized that theyneeded to kill American civilians - and lots of them - before they could have their desired reaction from the people of this country. Well, now they have it.

Semper Fidelis

(written by a U.S. Marine Corps pilot.

2001-10-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight the girls and I are going up a canyon and building a fire. Then we shall roast hot dogs and eat until we burst. We'll probably talk about boys and things, too. When we get home, we will exude the aroma of campfire. Life is good!

2001-10-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Katie, lost her job at Hogi Yogi last week. She wasn't aware that she was scheduled to work on a day other than her usual day. So she was fired for not showing up. My trick knee says that she zoned out when she was being told about the schedule change. But it's good to have these learning experiences while you're young so that you eventually will turn into a productive member of society.

Today, she hit the pavement turning in applications to all those teenage work places that are within walking distance. And the effort paid off. She is working right now as a bus person in a Mexican restaurant. She was glowing when she went off to work. And she told me that she will check the schedule every day before she leaves there to make sure she knows when she works next.

Happy day. Now we need to work on her grades. It just never ends. LOL

2001-10-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

A strangely satisfying site!

2001-10-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Go here and then click on the WTC hoax picture. It made me laugh!

BTW, this is where I found the awesome picture of Amy being a blonde!

2001-10-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

LBP: My friend Laura. She fixed my comments thingy when I messed it all up. So now you guys can frost my cookies!

I wuff you, LaLa!

2001-10-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Swiped from Laura.

Drinks, alcoholic or regular - ice water (lotsa ice!), Pepsi, milk

Clothes - loose fitting dresses, cotton pants w/nice tee-shirts, birkenstocks.

Time of year - I love the times of the year as the seasons are changing. Leaving winter and going to spring...leaving spring for a sultry, hot summer day...leaving the heat of summer for the crisp days of autumn...the first snowfall of winter and the taste of hot chocolate by the fire.

Colors - yellow, pink, green

Music - Garth Brooks, Reba McEntyre, Classical

Food - apples, sausage, anything from Laura’s kitchen

Places you shop, for fun, not food, etc - the funnest times I’ve had shopping lately have been the neat finds I have found in the clearance bins at my Fred Meyer! Then ebay and Claire's

Entertainment - besides hanging out online, I entertain myself by reading and watching television while crocheting my latest project

Sexual acts/positions - what’s that?

TV Shows - ER, West Wing, Law and Order

Computer programs you want/have - the Sims is on my list of things to get when I retire! I really can't think of anything else.

Places on the web you visit - Moms Life, several blogs, ask Jeeves

Jellybelly flavors - popcorn is my most favorite because it is so different for a jellybean flavor! Cinnamon. Pina Colada

2001-09-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

ValueSpeak
A Weekly Column
By Joseph Walker

COPING WITH CRISIS

The world changed this morning.

A thick cloud of smoke and dust still hangs heavily over the New York
City skyline. Firefighters and emergency personnel are responding to
crises in New York and Washington, and who knows where else. Confusion
and concern dominate the nation's airwaves, as America collectively
grapples with . . . what? No one seems to know for sure.

As this is being written, the full extent of the tragedy is unknown.
But this much is certain: the world changed this morning.

Lives have been lost. Families have been forever impacted. Businesses
have been destroyed. And the cultural landscape of the world's most
free and secure nation has been altered just as surely and just as
permanently as has been the physical landscape of New York City.

The events and images of this day will remain with us, burned into our
minds and souls, for years to come. We will all remember where we were
and what we were doing when we first heard the news, just as earlier
generations remember Pearl Harbor, the day President Kennedy was shot,
the Challenger disaster or the Oklahoma City bombing. September 11,
2001, will join other dates of infamy among the historical landmarks of
our generation.

This is a troubling time for all of us. It is a time of uncertainty and
fear. We are going to see horrifying descriptions of death and injury.
There will be angry cries for revenge and retaliation. As a nation, we
will hurt. We will mourn. And we will try to make sense of it all. It
will be a challenge, even for the greatest minds and most astute
observers. But it will be especially difficult for our children. As
much as we'd like to, we can't shield them from all of the horrible
realities of life. They will see and hear what we see and hear. They
will feel everything we feel and then some. And they will watch us,
and take their cues from us. How we respond to this tragedy will affect
how they will respond, and to other times of crisis they will surely
face during their lives.

That's why it is so important that we as adults respond carefully. I'm
no expert, but it seems to me that there are a few things we can do to
help our children and ourselves cope with times of wide-spread
crisis: Watch TV news reports with your children. They are going to be
just as interested in what's going on as you are. So watch together,
and then talk about what you see and hear. Try to help them understand,
as much as possible, what they have seen.

Talk with your children about what they are feeling. There is no one
right way to feel at times like this. We feel what we feel that can't
be controlled. It isn't as important WHAT our children feel, as that
they be given the opportunity to talk about it, and to deal with it.

Mourn with your children. We all grieve in our own way. Some do it
with tears, others with laughter, others with silence. Let them grieve,
and let them see your grief. And then talk about it. Share it.
Experience it together, even if you experience it differently.

Pray with your children. This is a time for faith, a time to draw
courage and strength from our beliefs, whatever they may be. Gather
your children and pray for the victims and their families. Pray for the
men and women who are risking their lives in rescue efforts. Pray for
the medical personnel whose skills and endurance will be sorely taxed in
the coming days. Pray for the President and all who will be making
decisions regarding the appropriate responses to these acts of violence.

And while you're at it, pray for the rest of us. After all, we have to
live in this world.

And the world changed this morning.

2001-08-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

This is a repeat for all you Moms Life readers. :-)

13 years ago, on Monday, August 29, 1988, I went into labor while I was sitting at my desk attempting to get some end of the month reports done for my commander. I was active duty Army at the time. Anyway, I felt the contractions and decided I'd time them, so I pulled a notebook out of my desk and noted the start and stop times of my contractions. I was having them every 15 minutes for 2 minutes. Big whoop. So I started hurrying to get all my stuff done by the end of the day so if I didn't make it in to work for a while it would all be done. My commander walked past my desk, stopped to see what I was up to, noticed my notebook with the times on it, and completely fell apart. He was a bachelor and was paranoid about working with a pregnant woman. The thought that I was having contractions in the same room with him made him NUTS! He gave me a direct order to go to the hospital. I told him they wouldn't want me there yet and I wanted to get this stuff done. He unplugged my typewriter (remember those?), handed me my hat and my purse and told me to go home. He said even if it turned out I wasn't in labor I was not to come back to work until my maternity leave was over with.

So I left. I went home, cleaned the kitchen, did the little bit of laundry that hadn't been done over the weekend, and went walking for an hour around the block. My husband came home around this time, all in a tizzy because my commander had told him that birth was imminent. LOL My contractions hadn't stopped and had started coming closer together, so I decided that we would go to the hospital and get checked while Katie was at daycare. I was dilated to 3. Sent home. No problem. Hah.

Alrighty, it's now Tuesday, August 30, 1988. The contractions haven't stopped. They are still very painful. And they have been at every 5-6 minutes for over 24 hours. I walk and walk and walk and walk. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't sit, I can't stand. I am a BITCH! LOL And every time I go to the darn hospital, I am only dilated to 3.

The good part about this day is I had already decided to name the baby Sarah if it was a girl, but I had no idea on a middle name. (My boy name was David Allen, after my dad and a grandfather) While I was being miserable and laying on the air conditioning duct watching some silly game show they were introducing a new contestant. Her name was Sarahbeth. Wham! Sarah Beth finally had a middle name! LOL

We decide to have Katie spend the night at a friends home because maybe this will end in having a baby. It could happen! LOL After we drop her off around 9 pm, we decide to make another hospital run since we are closer than we would be at home. Rah. And by this time I cannot handle the car moving while I'm having a contraction, so it's a very long process to get me anywhere. Off we go, put on the stinking gown, get hooked up to all the monitors. Nurse says, "Your contractions are really strong and regular." Duh. Get checked. 3. Get sent home again. I start crying. I just want to be shot. Nothing is worth this.

As I'm walking out the door, one of the midwives notices that I'm crying and stops me. We have a nice long chat. Well....actually I have a nice long vent and she's sypathetic. She tells me to go home and take a nice, long, hot bath. She says that this will either stop my labor so I can finally sleep or it will organize my contractions so they will start doing something. I perk up. I LOVE hot baths! I haven't had one in a couple of months for fear of infection. So this is terrific news! Off we go, back home again. Slow process, what with stopping the car for each contraction.

We got home a little after midnight. My husband went to sleep on the couch so he could actually get some sleep. I headed straight to the bathroom and filled the tub with some seriously hot water. You could see the steam rising off the top! I layed in that tub for about 2 hours, draining and refilling when it cooled. It was the first time in a bunch of days that my back didn't hurt and my contractions stopped and all was well in my world. I got out and went to bed and managed to sleep a bit. About 4 am, I wake up and I'm in a bunch more pain. I decide I'll hit the tub again and then, while I'm still feeling the good after-effects of the bath we'll head to the hospital. I go in the bathroom and start running the tub. I sit down to go to the bathroom and throw up. Ugh. Then the diarrhea starts. This is truly the pits. I'm not feeling so hot. The tub starts to run over the top before I can gather myself together enough to shut off the water. I sit there for a while, dealing with stomach cramps and just feeling generally sick. Then my light bulb starts to burn brighter. I realize that I may not just be straining because of an upset stomach.

Sure enough, I check and there's a little head coming out! Holy Hannah! I reach around behind me and grab a couple of big, fluffy towels and then I scoot forward and seriously push. Sarah came out to her waist and I was holding her and she was just looking around. Then she pulled her hand up to her face and started sucking on her thumb! I had seen that one other time in an ultrasound! She was already hooked on the thumb and I didn't even know if she was a boy or a girl. Another push and she got all wrapped up in a towel.

It was the most incredible moment of my life. It was just Sarah, me and the cat. I was the first to know it was a girl. I got to count her fingers and toes and just sit there with her. And she got to be born in a quiet, calm atmosphere instead of the bright chaos of a delivery room.

I finally got my husbands attention and he was just stunned! He called 911 and then went out to flag them in as we lived in the country on a rural route with no clear addresses. I called my mom and told her all about it and she was just incredulous that I was sitting there in my bathroom, still on the toilet, wearing absolutely nothing and holding my new baby while talking to her!

The paramedics arrived and they were funny! They let me cut the cord and then they took Sarah away and wrapped her in that aluminum space blanket. She loathed that blanket. She started screaming and didn't stop until we got to the hospital and got out of that darn blanket! Finally I could push out the afterbirth. I had been holding that in because I didn't know what I would do with it. But the paramedics had a tupperware-like thing to put it in. Yum.

I took a nice shower and then got dressed and went out to the ambulance to the cheers of my neighbors. LOL When we arrived at the hospital I was checked over and Sarah finally got released from the blanket and got her bath and measurements. 7 lbs 6 oz, 21" long. The same as her sister. We got our own room (a MAJOR LLP in an Army hospital) and I skipped all of the training classes and we went home the next day.

And that is how I gave birth in my bathroom. And I did not gnaw the cord with my teeth. :-)

So I would like to wish my youngest daughter, Sarah Beth, a very happy 13th birthday! Silly girl!

2001-08-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

ValueSpeak
A Weekly Column
By Joseph Walker

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!

Carla was a superstar in junior high last year. But the first week of
high school was tough.

"I feel like such a geek!" my young friend wailed as we chatted at the
grocery store. "Nobody knows who I am! Nobody cares! And I still
can't remember where all my classes are! "Last week we had an assembly
and I couldn't find the gym," she continued. "I finally asked some guy
where it was and he laughed and told me to turn around. It was right
behind me! I was, like, TOTALLY humiliated!"

I laughed. I know, I probably shouldn't have done that under the
circumstances. But I couldn't help it. Her frustration was striking
too many familiar chords that tickled fond and not-so-fond
memories. Like the time those seniors on the basketball team convinced
me that the coach really admired players who had the spunk to talk back
to him during practice. Or the time those older girls breathlessly
advised me to ask out the school's reigning beauty queen because she had
a secret crush on me but was too embarrassed to say anything about it.

It turned out to be such an incredible secret even SHE didn't know about
it.

Talk about rejection. Talk about humiliation.

Talk about life.

It's amazing how often the sun comes up the morning after we are
absolutely sure our world is going to come crashing to an end. Hurts
and frustrations come and go, but somehow we survive. Sometimes we even
benefit from the lessons learned through pain and embarrassment. None
of which makes the suffering less insufferable. But it may help Carla
and other newcomers to life's ups and downs if we point out a few
realities they can expect to confront on the bumpy road to maturity.
For example:

1. Bad things happen. They just do. Nobody's going to make it out of
here without first experiencing adversity. Expect it. Then when it
comes, deal with it and move on. Good and bad is life's ultimate tag
team. You can't really have one without the other eventually.

2. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That's a
law of physics and of life. There are consequences, both good and
bad, for every choice we make. Our ability to anticipate those
consequences will have a lot to do with our happiness now and forever.

3. There's more to life than fun. Believe it or not, life isn't really
a game no matter what Milton Bradley says. So it's OK if every moment
of your life isn't exciting. As far as I know, no one has every
actually died of boredom.

4. Working works when wishy-washy wishing won't. I don't remember
where I read that, but it's true. There is no shortcut to success.
It's a simple, time-worn formula consisting of hard work, talent, work,
faith, work, discipline and more work.

5. People are more important than things. While it's great to have
nice stuff, none of that means much if its been acquired at the expense
of the important people in your life. Broken things can always be
replaced; with broken relationships, the damage can last a lifetime.

But then, you already knew that, didn't you? That's because you've
probably experienced a good share of life's realities first-hand. But
to Carla and her generation, a lot of these concepts are revelations.
Which means we still have a chance to give them the benefit of our
experience. Otherwise, they'll end up doing some of the same dumb
things we did, and social progress will have to wait for another
generation to live and learn.

And that may be the harshest reality of all.

2001-08-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

For my friend, Colleen. A primer in weights and measures. LOL

1 cup = 8 ounces
1 pint = 2 cups = 16 ounces
1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups = 32 ounces
1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups = 128 ounces

And, according to Kath, you need to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. Add one cup of water (8 ounces) for each 25 pounds that you need to loose.

Have a wonderful, water-filled day!

2001-08-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

I took Sarah to back to school night tonight. She has her first day of Junior High School on Monday. She is totally excited! I love the format for back to school night. We follow her schedule and go to each of her seven classes. Each period lasts for seven minutes. The teachers explain their homework policies, rules, and any special supplies needed for their classes. And Sarah learned that she has plenty of time to get to each of her classes. During school they have five minutes between classes. Tonight we only had three minutes and we were never late! So Monday I can check her schedule and picture where she is and who she's (hopefully) listening too. Awesome!

2001-08-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a crappy day in the sewage business. Heh. On the bright side, no one was hurt.

2001-08-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

16 years ago, on August 16, 1985, in Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, I became a mom. What a life event! Nothing, short of my actual birth, has shaped me as profoundly as becoming a mom.

My daughter, Katie, is becoming an awesome person! We have had our moments in the past and I'm sure there are many, many more moments to follow, but I wouldn't trade her in for anything. I look forward to interacting with her as an adult soon. I can't help but wonder what life holds in store for her. I hope and pray that it holds nothing but wonderful discoveries! (and a couple of grandchildren for me :-) )

So, anyway, Katie Happy 16th Birthday!!!!

2001-08-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

I heard today that depression is like a stealthy thief - it sucks the life force right out of you and leaves you with little to no energy for anything else. Ain't that the truth?

2001-08-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

The air conditioning system at work is not working. And I work in the basement, so there is no fresh air. And it's a sewage treatment plant. No positive pressure to force the bad air out.

Anyway, earlier the maintenance guys found a fan belt that was broken and they replaced it. At last! I hear the system working! I feel air blowing thru the vents.

Alas. The system thinks I'm cold. It's blowing HOT AIR! I'm about to become a nudist at work.

2001-08-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

My brother used to do just what Mikaija did! It used to tick me off! LOL

2001-08-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight I don't have to come up with a dinner plan. It's our church barbeque and I'm very grateful! LOL

On the brighter side, meal planning is something that is beginning to work again at our home. Thank goodness. I really hated having to come up with a plan when everyone was hungry and grouchy. The little joys that the right meds can bring.

One of these days soon I will blog about the darker side of me. I can truthfully say that I've never lied about myself. I just have never shared the darker, harder, living in hell side of me. And that has recently bit me in the butt. So I practiced sharing from the dark side with a friend today on ICQ and she still likes me, so maybe I'll be able to share here, in a more public forum, soon. Thanks, Cathy, for being there for my practice run.

2001-08-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

LLP: Kath! She edited her blog for me! What a friend!

2001-08-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Feelings are a funny thing. They don't necessarily follow the logical path. They get hurt when your head knows that they shouldn't be hurt. I hate that feeling.

2001-08-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

LLP: the Universe stepping into my life in an understated way to help me with some things.

2001-08-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know who Helga is. Her reply to my post at another blog was blocked from being posted. But I swiped the copy and am blogging it here in the hopes that she sees it and knows how much I appreciate her!

Maybelline, I can only agree with one thing you said. Kimmie is a fine example for her children. Feel free to pray for evil people till pigs fly and the cows come home. What goes around comes around. We reap what we sow. This person asked for a lot of things. She asked for respect, prayers, love, loyalty and affection, which as it turns out, was undeserved. She asked for friendship from good people who freely gave it to her. She is now in the process of stabbing her faithful friends in the back. I have not seen one ounce of pleasure from anyone who checked this person out. No one is happy about this. Indeed, I will pray for those who checked her out. (She was an absolute idiot to post a phone number on a public board). I will thank God for the blessing of honest friends who have no fear of being judged, and speak the truth, at all costs. I'm glad this shameless, sociopathic "thing" was publically humiliated. Liars who take pleasure in hurting people need to be publically humiliated. You are trying to shame and guilt the wrong people. It won't work. Only one person in this mess should feel guilty and ashamed. She won't though. She has no conscience and she will be back.

2001-08-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

And I now have comments. And I may never change another thing! PITB

2001-08-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

A small peeve of mine. Being called Kimmie. It's not a pet peeve. It's not even a large peeve. But I was NEVER called Kimmie IRL. And the first person to call me Kimmie religiously online was Sheri. And that still hurts, but I'm not going there.

When I signed on to the boards at MOL, I had to use Kimmie V because I was tired of running thru the options and wasn't smart enough to use the tilda. So people I have met thru MOL are excused from this peeve all together. And it's not like the world is going to come to an end or that I will suffer immeasurable emotional distress if I'm ever called Kimmie. It's just a peeve.

And, on a different topic, one of these days I'll figure out how to get comments here. Because I love having feedback from friends and really interesting garbage from annonymous people.

2001-08-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

I am hoping that I am teaching my daughters something. Teaching them to follow their gut instincts, even if it isn't considered the "right" thing to do. Heaven only knows they aren't learning anything else.

2001-08-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

OK. It works. Onward.

2001-08-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Testing. Why? Because I always want to know it's working right before I put any thought into it.