Scribblings

In Other Words...

In Other Words:

Whew!

TB's surgery went well and I am so relieved. I was reading Desperation by Stephen King as I waited. When Dr. Farrell came out, he saw the book and said, "Oh, you are one of those!" I think he meant a King fan because he went on to say that he'd read on short story and found it too depressing.

That didn't bother me. Everyone has their own opinion and besides, this must mean TB was fine. Otherwise, he'd be telling me the bad news. TB woke up really quickly after the surgery. Since he's been home, he's been a lot more active and a lot less in pain than he was after the last two surgeries. Hopefully, his shoulder is repaired now and it'll be fine.

TB's sister Pam was in a car accident. The car was totalled but everyone was okay, Pam, Mike & Alex. Mike's hand got messed up though. Apparently a woman fell asleep at the wheel and ran the red light as Pam was in the intersection. Thank God no one was killed or more seriously injured!

How could anyone ever put poison in baby food? This about scared the heck out of me, especially since T is old enough to eat baby food now. There were just 3 jars and there wasn't a lethal or terribly harmful dose of the ricin but what kind of monster would do that? I picture myself in the parents position. How awful!

Friday Five:

1) Of everything in your wardrobe what do you feel the most comfortable wearing? Why?

My jeans and a tee shirt because they are loose fitting and comfortable

2) How would you describe your style?

Casual

3) How many pairs of shoes do you own and do you wear them all?

Maybe 4 and I wear them all, but for different occasions

4) Where do you buy most of your clothes?

Walmart

Friday Fiver:

You're stranded on an island.

Not a completely desolate island. More along the lines that the boat delivering supplies only comes once every six months and will never, ever take you home. Decide what you'll bring!

Yeesh, never ever go home! That's drastic, dramatic and totally unacceptable because no where on this list does it say I can take TB and my kids or the family. But if we were all stranded I'd have:

One celebrity: David Selby

Two books: Only two? Impossible! Unheard of! Probably the Bible and Outlander

Three edibles: Fruits, vegetables and candy!

Four films: Forrest Gump, Steel Magnolias, Casablanca, and Parenthood

Five music albums: Meatloaf Stories, Essential Billy Joel, Neil Diamond's Hot August Night and Harry Chapin's Story of a LIfe.

5) What was the last piece of clothing you bought?

a nightgown

Just a little too close for comfort!

That tornado we were hiding from the other day did its damage in Woodland. It's not that close but it's not that far either!

Tomorrow TB has shoulder surgery. That's causing an internal tornado inside me at the moment. Three times! I know he is in a lot of pain and needs this surgery. I'm praying God guides Dr. Farrell's hands so that the tear is repaired this time!!!

No More Ear Tails

Ah, poor Kristin! She accidentally cut through one ear tail with scissors. I can't remember what she was cutting, but she leaned forward and the tails hung down and snip! So she had to cut the other one off so she wouldn't look weird. I was just getting used to them too!

Scary Weather

All day it was cloudy and sort of dreary. Late in the afternoon, the sky darkened and became more threatening. As Linda and Kennan left for counseling, the rain began. The National Weather Service usually has a scrawl across the TV screen for warnings. I already knew that our area was under a flood watch because the rain was supposed to be really heavy and really concentrated.

Kristin and I were watching Texas Justice which is a total hoot ... try it, you'll like it! Afterwards, Judge Judy came on and about that time, the TV squawked a loud warning sound and the screen went black except for a message that said "This is a message from the emergency broadcast system, please tune in to Channel 2 ..."

So I switched the channel and the message was that our area was under a tornado warning, not a watch. Well, this was going on with the other TVs on in the house and I guess TB heard the noise and came in. "There's a tornado warning," I said to him.

So we all went into the hallway where our family pictures are. It seemed the safest place to go since we have no basement. The hall is away from all windows and I'm not sure about how strong the ceiling is but it seemed the best place to go. TB went around and cracked some of the windows.

We waited. Heidi was irritable -- I'm sure being in that tight hallway wasn't helping -- and Billy was giving his take on why opening the windows was a good idea. Heidi was snapping at him to shut up! We waited there about 15 minutes or so while TB watched what was happening on TV. He saw some information about a tornado moving through Presidential Lakes. That's just a few miles from us.

The sky began to lighten up and the thunder went away. We were lucky.

Heidi wanted to know why the weather is so weird in NJ now. Well, it's not just New Jersey. The weather is weird in a lot of places around the country and even in the world. I know friends in Europe have suffered through some really hot weather. Example -- in Austria the temperatures have been over 100 sometimes and they don't have air conditioning because they never needed it before!

And then there was this story about rogue waves but I'll save comment on that for another day.

In Other Words:

What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public; ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public.
-- Vilhjalmur Stefansson, "Discovery", 1964

This quote seems pretty straightforward to me: all advertising is deceiving or deceitful. The hamburger never looks the same way in the wrapper as it does in the picture!

Ten on Tuesday:

Ten Things You Wish You Knew When You Were Younger

I wish I’d known how hard it was to lose weight the older I got
I wish I’d known how important my own health was – maybe I wouldn’t have smoked or gained weight
I wish I’d known how easily it is to fall out of touch with friends; I would have made a stronger effort
I wish I’d known that interpreting long hours without a break would cause disabling injuries in my hands and shoulders
I wish I’d known not to destroy my journals
I wish I’d known how easy it was to destroy my credit
I wish I’d known not to max out on credit cards
I wish I’d known more about mathematics when I was younger
I wish I’d known to continue going to church in spite of disillusionment and disappointment
I wish I’d known alcoholism ran so rampant in my family and that I might have been able to talk to my cousins and share our experiences

Tuesday Newsday:

There's not much else in the news this week except the Democratic Convention, which I admit I AM watching, although I have my doubts as to the usefulness of conventions these days, and those are my questions...

Are you going to watch either/both of the conventions? Are there particular people whose speeches you are looking forward to?

I don’t like to watch conventions. They tend to be noisy, very partisan and boring. I’ll read about it on the Net or watch it on the news

And given that we do all know who the candidates are going to be before going into the conventions, and I can't imagine we're going to get any surprises, is all the expense, security, hoopla and press worth it?

I sure as heck don’t think so. And I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop … something awful happening at one of the conventions!

Violence

I’m sort of half expecting to hear some bad news from the Democratic National Convention. We’ve had so much news stories warning that al-Qaida is going to strike sometime soon that as each event has come along this summer I’ve been expecting a major attack. The Fourth of July came and went, and I felt relieved.

I’ve been thinking about it and I wonder if there’s a smaller chance of an attack on this convention because the terrorists would prefer to take out President Bush and the Republicans. If they hit now, we’d be ready for them. Or … are they going to leave both conventions alone and then strike somewhere on Election Day?

It makes me angry that I have to be wondering these things. Many times, I just make a conscious decision to tune the whole thing out. I go through the day leaving it up to the Lord. Then there are other days when I get to wondering again.

Today I saw that the Egyptian diplomat was released safely. Well, I am glad he wasn’t hurt. But … new hostages were taken. There was some new violence and people were killed.

The diplomat from Egypt was taken because the terrorists didn’t like the fact that interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi visited that country. Right away, I could see how differently the diplomat was treated. No orange jumpsuit, no threats made against his life. I guess the terrorists were willing to negotiate and turned the guy loose.

In a way, I resent it. Did they let the man go because he was morally correct as the terrorists stated or was it because he was a diplomat? Why am I feeling cynical about this? I wouldn’t want the man killed, that is not what I’m saying. It’s just that six innocent people were slaughtered by these people and no one negotiated for them.

I’ve been reading a blog written by a young girl in Mosul. She doesn’t want to identify herself because she is afraid of retaliations. I don’t blame her. I wonder what it must be like to be so young and living in a besieged city. Most recently, a car bomb killed three people in Mosul. When I read the girl’s journal, I pray that she isn’t killed by one of these bombs. There is another young blogger, a 13 year old, who seems very young and innocent. She wants to have ‘the best’ blog. Does she worry a lot about all the bombs and other acts of violence?

I think about Heidi and Kristin. They are sweet and very creative. I think they’d each like to have cool blogs too. Then I wonder about what kinds of things they’d write if we lived in Iraq. I worry about that kind of violence coming here and affecting my kids or the grandkids. I keep praying. And then I push it all out of my mind again.

QOTW:

If you suddenly had enough money so that you never had to work another day in your life, what would you do to stay busy or keep your mind occupied?

I would do some of the same things I’m doing now, like surfing, writing and reading. If I had enough money, though, I could also travel and visit cultural centers and museums. I could spend weeks at the Smithsonian Museum and not have to worry about buying food or paying bills. I am interest in cultures and it would be so cool to actually visit Polynesia, for example, rather than just read about it.

A great Mark Twain quote

Weekly Bit:

'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.'
- Mark Twain

If this quote wouldn’t set a person to trying something new and different, I don’t think anything would. I love this quote! I think it could apply to any age but most especially to young people. Eventually, we all settle into a routine: marry, raise a family, work, vacation, retire. But before then, what an opportunity to explore and learn more about the world and about ourselves!

I think skipping a year between high school and college is a great idea. Travel the country, visit overseas, and try different jobs – I think that would be a great way to find out about interests and talents. I wouldn’t take more than a year, though, mostly because you get used to the freedom and the independence and it’s hard to go back to a classroom routine.

Another good time to “throw off the bowlines…sail away…catch the trade wind sails…” would be upon retirement. All the kids are grown and out of the house? Great! Sell the big old house and go to a smaller home – or, better yet, buying one of those luxurious RVs! Travel around the states. Meet people of different cultures. Go sightseeing. Learn. Enjoy. Then there won’t be disappointment!

As for me: so far, I’m not disappointed. I worked after I graduated high school. I moved to places in which I wanted to live. I married happily two times and have kids. I went back to college part time and enjoyed myself immensely. It was fun to learn new subjects, like marine biology. When TB and I retire, I think it would be great to go on long trips around the country … maybe even overseas! We will not be disappointed, I think.

Unconscious Mutterings:

I say … and you think …

1. Sleep:: lambs

2. Stats:: numbers

3. Portfolio:: personal

4. Lipton:: tea

5. Telly:: Savalas

6. Immigrate:: enter a new country

7. Viable:: living

8. Serene:: peaceful

9. Mountain:: valley

10. Natalie:: Wood
    

A Bad Rain A'Comin

The forecasters are predicting a lot of rain over the next couple of days. We are under another flood watch. I didn't pay much attention to those things in the past because we never had as torrential a rain storm as we did the week before this.

When I woke up today, my shoulders were throbbing. Not the muscles this time, the joints. I took some medicine for it but it didn't seem to help until I took a nap. Some nap! Two hours in the morning and three in the afternoon! I feel a little better now but I've also been taking lots of ibuprofen and tylenol.

With all that sleeping I didn't see too much of Tomas today. It's amazing how much I can miss that baby if I don't see him. He is such a sweet little guy. My shoulders were bothering me too much to lift him but I could hold him on my lap and let him rock himself.

Friday Fiver:

1. Do you follow current events? Why/Why not?

I do because I like to know what is going on around me locally, nationally and internationally. It’s not always a good thing to be current. Lately I’ve had bad dreams of another 9/11 type attack here. That’s not so unusual given the current climate.

2. Where do you get most of your news from?

I like to watch CBS local news and then I also read Internet news stories.

3. Do you believe that the media is biased? Why or why not?

Of course they are, it’s just a matter of how much. Why do I believe it? Because I see the same story slanted different ways on different web newspapers

4. Will you be voting this year?

Yes

5. Describe one political issue that really pushes your button.

Bottom line: Economy. More specific: why are we sending so many billions of dollars overseas when we have homeless people here and people with no health insurance and people who are hungry?

Friday Five:

1) who was your favorite band/musican when you were younger?

How much younger? When I first began collecting 45s and albums, I would say my favorite band was Association. Later on, I added Iron Butterfly, Chicago, the Beatles, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Osmonds, the Jackson 5 and still later the Moody Blues and Chicago. As for singers, they were: Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, Peter, Paul & Mary, Elton John and Billy Joel

2) why?

Because I liked the sounds they made

3) are they still your favorite/one of your favorites?

Most are defunct are retired. Two favorites from then who are still faves are Billy Joel and Elton John

4) what is your favorite of their songs?

No no no, there are too many favorites to try to choose just one for each. Let's put it this way: there are no songs by Elton John, Billy Joel or Neil Diamond that I don't like

5) are there any specific lyrics you hold dear?

I have not forgotten these words since I was a teenager. They were always special to me because I felt alienated in a way from people. I was an adult at home because my parents depended on me and at the same time, my feelings didn’t seem to be important. So I was sort of like the frog that dreamed of being a king. Eventually I learned that I am important.

Heidi's Home

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Oh Mother

part 1 ~ Children rarely misquote their parents. Quite the opposite, they repeat brilliantly word for word things their parents should never have said. (Anonymous)

Just ask any parent who curses. There is a scene from A Christmas Story that is just so funny. The family has a flat tire and the dad gets out to change it. The older son, Ralphie, gets out to help. He’s holding the hub cap for his dad, who accidentally sends the nuts spilling out over the snow. And Ralphie says “oh fuh-udge”. Only that’s not what he said, he said the mother of all bad words. And when his mother asks where he heard that word, Ralphie thought of his dad but knew not to say that and so he gave the name of one of his hapless friends.

We had something like that happen when Billy was a baby. We – Rich and me – would say sh*t a lot. We didn’t realize how often it was until Billy spilled his legos and exclaimed, “Oh, sheee, sheee!” He was just 2 years old but it was pretty clear which word he meant. So we made an effort to clean up the language … sometimes not so successfully!

part 2 ~ We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up. (comedian Phyllis Diller)

Now isn’t that ironic? It’s true! I remember all the days of encouraging one of the kids to say “ba ba ba” and “ma ma ma” and how we sort of danced around the room when we had success. And then it was really cool to hear the baby say “mama” and know that he/she meant me! I also remember helping the kids get ready to sit up by pulling them to a sitting position. Then there’s letting go but having my hands out to catch the baby. How cute they looked cruising around the room, hanging onto the furniture for support. Then there were the “walk to mama” or “walk to daddy” days when one of the kids began to toddle around alone for the first time!

We encourage the kids to become increasingly independent and to begin thinking and reasoning for themselves…And then they become adolescents or teenagers and I think that’s what Phyllis Diller was talking about. Kids of that age are curious. They want to know why we think the kid with the blue and orange hair is “weird” – maybe that kid is a nice person and not weird. Or they think they know it all now that they are going into junior or high school. They let you know, too.

And they like to go places. Sometimes telling mom and dad is inconvenient and embarrassing. Besides, what is the big deal? Everything will be fine. And the moms and the dads get another bunch of gray hairs!

3X Thursday

1. What's your least favorite trait in a person? Why?

I don’t like arrogance or a condescending way of looking at people. Why? Because every person is valuable and there’s no reason to make anyone feel inferior.

2. What is your least favorite kind of music? Explain your reason.
Ah well I have eclectic tastes in music. I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, one more than another depending only on my mood. When I feel quiet, thoughtful or sad, I listen to classical music. When I’m feeling angry, I listen to hard rock. When I’m writing, I like classic rock. The music all soothes me and relaxes me.

3. What is your least favorite house chore? Are you able to somehow get out of it? If not, do you do it anyway?

That would be cleaning the bathroom or the kitty litter. Many times I ask Heidi to change the litter for me or, yes, I do it myself. The two girls clean the upstairs bathroom and the guest bath. TB gets all the awful iron stains out of the toilet and tub and I just disinfect stuff.

Bonus Question for Comments: What do you think is your worst trait/bad habit/etc? Have you done anything to change it? Why/Why not?
My worst trait is this tendency to procrastinate on almost everything, including things I enjoy. I haven’t done anything lately to change it because I just haven’t gotten around to it. ;-)

Baby, Baby

There’s nothing like a crying baby to get all your neck hairs standing up. That’s the way it should be – how else are we to know that the baby needs something? It’s the moms who are ‘supposed to know’ why the baby is crying. Just as we’re able to determine what the different cries mean, they change! We’re back to square one, trying to figure out why Baby is crying. Has he been fed? Has he been changed? Is he lying on his arm or something?

Little T wasn’t really crying this evening. He’s becoming “accustomed” to his new sleeping quarters – his crib. He’d much prefer to sleep in Linda’s bed. This starts the old argument about the family bed. This is just me, but I think a baby should be in the crib until he’s old enough to maneuver … like out from under a sleeping body. Maybe between 18 mos and 3 years, something like that.

Linda’s trying to get T to sleep all night in his crib. He takes these little power naps and then wakes up. Or he takes two nice 2 hour naps during the day to make him nice and energetic at night. Meanwhile, Linda’s been up most of the day and night too and is practically running on empty.

So when we got back from karate, I heard little T making conversational sounds and then realized he and Linda were in the family room. Linda was rocking him, looking exhausted. T, on the other hand, was bright eyed and bushy-tailed. So I took him to give Linda a break. I rocked him, I sang to him, I showed him my screen savers.

Linda came in and he was very happy to see her. She tried rocking him again but he wanted to play so I suggested let me try again. I had the lights turned down and was playing music softly. I rocked him and sang this “go to sleep my ba-a-by, my ba-a-by, my ba-a-by”. I remembered it from some Laurel & Hardy short and I remembered singing it to my own kids. I just sang that song over and over and over and gradually he began to relax. Not long after that, he fell asleep.

You get this really helpless feeling as a tired parent trying to get a wide-awake kid to sleep. It’s one thing if the baby has a room of his own and you can try to sweat it out if he cries. You do the wait-five-minutes routine and go check him out and reassure him. Then you wait ten minutes and so on and eventually the kid does fall asleep. This is what I did with Billy, Heidi and Kristin.

It’s not so easy when you are rooming with the baby, as Linda is. It’s hard to fall asleep when you’ve got “ah, ah, AH” next to your head. I can really sympathize with her, remembering how tired I felt some nights before Rich would come home from work. I felt tired and irritable but I know I shouldn’t be upset with my babies … still, I was so tired. Sometimes I’d find myself beginning to doze as I rocked one of my babies.

Some of the advice I used to get from other mothers was: "just let them cry themselves to sleep. They'll be all right." That could be, but I really wasn't able to do that no matter how tired I was. I wouldn't have been able to fall asleep if my baby was crying.

Like I said, babies cry to let you know they need something.

It’s just one of those things parents have to endure until their babies grow out of it. And there are always going to be those nights when, for whatever reason, the baby is totally wide awake and will not sleep. No rest for the weary then!

But it all goes so fast. Looking back, losing some sleep because one of the kids won’t fall asleep is not such a big deal at all. And so it goes.

Midweek music meme:

What was the first piece of music you bought with your very own money, and what format was it in?

I think the first piece of music I bought was a 45 rpm record. I’m not sure which song was the first. Maybe it was “I Am A Rock” by Simon & Garfunkel. I bought tons of 45s. They were inexpensive and I could afford them with my allowance.

My first record album was, I think, by the Association. After that, I’d save up my babysitting money to buy other artists, especially Neil Diamond.

Home Work:

Do you recycle? Compost? Reuse household items until no other use can be wrung from them? Why or why not? Do you try any other ways to affect your household's footprint?

We used to recycle. We’d do our bit for the environment, separating paper from plastic, washing out cans and bottles. I think it’s neat that recycled items can be used to make clothes and other things. We’re not recycling now because the town doesn’t have a convenient program.

Kristin's New Look

Kristin is growing up. I can see the signs that she's changing from a child to an adolescent/teenager. She questions things more. She has an opinion about the way she thinks things ought to be. She wants her own individual style.

Today we went for haircuts, TB, Billy, Kristin and I. Kristin got a most unconventional cut. She told me yesterday that she wanted her hair cut short, like mine, but that she wanted her "ear tails" left long.

"Ear tails?" I'd never heard of them.

She gave a rapid explanation that people tended to call them sideburns but they aren't, they are growing from ... where ever it was ... and those just aren't sideburns. She also wants blue hair and a trenchcoat like the one Keanu Reeves wears in The Matrix and some black boots.

It's just hair. It'll grow back.

It's just clothes.

It's not something like a piercing or a tattoo, right?

Kristin got a lot of attention from the other stylists. This is definitely a new look! We found out that Kristin wanted to braid the ear tails and dye them blue. The stylists seemed really excited and helpful about that and directed us to the beauty supply store in the same shopping center.

So here she is, very serious:

And with me, smiling:

And as long as I'm showing off pictures, here is Billy & me:

And Little T:

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Great TV Episodes

Oh yikes!!! This is going to be hard! In no particular order:

1. Edith goes through menopause, All in the Family
2. finale of M*A*S*H*
3. The disco episode of That 70’s Show
4. Alien invaders with 3 eyes and love walnuts, Dick Van Dyke Show
5. “City on the Edge of Forever”, Star Trek
6. “Abyssinia, Henry”, M*A*S*H*
7. “Chuckles” episode from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
8. the ‘what does yellow light mean?’ episode from Taxi
9. season finale from year 6, Falcon Crest
10. Casablanca episode fromFalcon Crest

And many more!

Tuesday Newsday:

Do you keep up with the news while on vacation or otherwise away from home for an extended period? If so, how (newspaper/tv, etc.)? And has any major news item ever happened while you were out of touch with the news, shocking you when you found out after the fact?

When I go on vacation, I take a break from everything. I don’t bother reading the newspapers and am usually too busy to watch TV for any length of time. I’m trying to remember if anything big ever happened when I was away … I don’t think so.

Water Baby

Blogger Seeds:

Land lover or water baby?

I am and always be a water baby. I remember going to the bay beaches of Long Island when I was really little. I loved splashing in the water and chasing the teeny bait fish (I’m not sure what they were called), trying to catch them. One time my brother and I held a towel between us. We lowered it into the water and then raised it. We had quite a few of those little fish! I remember my father teaching us to swim. He held his arms out and I laid on top of them. His arms supported me while I practiced the forward crawl. Soon I was able to swim on my own. My father also taught me how to handle the waves in the ocean. If the waves were too high, I could dive into them and let them pass over head. If they were small, I would just jump up. If there was a bit of a rip current, I would swim parallel to the beach until I was free. A pool is a very tame place to swim but I’ll take it over no water at all.

QOTW

When you meet someone for the first time, what about them are you interested in learning as quickly as possible?

For a potential new friend, the first thing I want to know is if we have enough common interests to be able to keep up a conversation. I also want to get a feel for their honesty or sincerity, whether they are reliable or totally irresponsible, whether they are clean or they drink or do drugs. I don’t need a friend who’s addicted to alcohol or drugs and forgets and leaves the kids at home alone all the time. I’d like to know what they do for a living and what inspires them. As long as we’ve got common interests and common values, we ought to be able to become friends.

Facts of Life

I am still uptight after yesterday. It was very busy, lots of driving around and then that momentary trauma with believing Heidi was missing. It's been a stressful day, week, month, year. Anyway, TB called his doctor's office to get his surgery date rescheduled. We were both pretty sure it would be a couple of weeks away.

Guess when they were going to schedule it.

Yes, Thursday, the day Heidi is to return from Maryland. I about had a breakdown which is a rather extreme reaction considering TB quickly rescheduled it to the following Thursday.

I figure I am still under enormous stress to become as intestinally upset as I am. Even the following week seems too soon.

I found this on another blog. I wish I could remember which one.

Facts Of Life

Not everyone is going to like you.

It doesn't matter.

People may hold beliefs about you that are not true.

Let them believe what they want.

Not every relationship works out the way you want it to.

You can choose to let this make you bitter, or you can move on to something better.

You need not convince anyone that you are worthy.

If they can't see your worthiness for themselves, it's their loss.

You are responsible for you.

I am responsible for me.

What I need to do to make myself happy, may not make you happy.

This is your problem, not mine.

Not everyone is going to like you.

It doesn't matter.

Aging 10 years in 5 minutes

This is why mothers go gray.

Not long after I’d made all Heidi’s travel arrangements to go to Maryland I began worrying. I heard that it was supposed to be raining heavily today so a lot of my thoughts focused on us getting stuck on a road or Heidi’s bus getting stuck or Emma’s father getting stuck … okay enough of that.

The next thing I worried about was the fact that Heidi would have to change buses in Philadelphia. She’d had a 30 minute wait for the bus that would take her to Baltimore. Hm. A lot can happen in a half hour. I had visions of Heidi being lost or abducted and it was really creeping me out.

I was so worried this morning I had to take a klonopin because I felt my blood pressure going wild and my heart thumping.

We got to the Greyhound station early and so I had a lot of time to go over stuff with Heidi: explaining the stops on the ticket, explaining how to find the bus she was supposed to switch to, explaining again how to use the cell phone, and warning her against being all alone anywhere. I told her to hang out with the driver or with a group of people.

Heidi’s bus was a half hour late and the front of it read “OMAHA”. Omaha? Where in Maryland is Omaha? That’s in Nebraska! But it really was supposed to be going to Philadelphia so we walked Heidi to the bus, gave lots of hugs and “I love you”s and “have a wonderful time” and “call me when you get to Baltimore”. And then the bus left.

I was feeling more secure about everything because we’d gone to Verizon and paid for a third line. We wanted to Heidi to have a cell phone in case something came up. TB programmed phone numbers into it for Heidi, our home phone, both our cells, Sue’s home (Emma’s mother), and Randy (her dad)’s home and cell phones. We got a cute little monkey cover for it and I told her to clip it to her bag, putting it just inside.

About 20 minutes after we saw Heidi off, she called to say she was already in Philadelphia and was waiting to board the next bus.

Ah, so all had gone well and I could breathe a sigh of relief!

When we got home, I lay down to take a nap and conked out cold. I’d set my alarm to go off at 5 so I could get up to go with TB and pick up Billy. Kristin was using my computer and when the alarm went off, she said TB had already left and I should sleep. So I mumbled to wake me in a half hour and went back to sleep. I’d already been sleeping since 2:30 … I must have needed it.

Next thing I know, Kristin is shaking my shoulder and handing me the portable phone. “It’s for you, Linda said,” she told me and looked very worried.

I figured, okay, Heidi’s there at last. I said hello and Sue identified herself and then added, “We don’t have Heidi.”

“WHAT?” What could that mean? Where was my baby?

“I got a call from Randy at the Travel Plaza. They’ve been waiting for an hour and she hasn’t come.”

Part of me is thinking: kidnap, bus accident, bomb, tragedy.

My mind was also freaking out, trying to shake off all the residuals of sleep. “Has that bus come in?” I asked. Sue said she didn’t know.

Right away I’m thinking, Heidi called as she was on line. Someone could have snatched her then. Or the bus went off the road and into a ravine. Or some terrorist on there blew the bus up or shot everyone.

“She’s not answering the cell phone,” Sue said.

Because she can’t, I thought. They won’t let her call. Or she’s dead, they’ve killed her.

I told her I would call Greyhound to see if the bus had been delayed.

So, see? On the one hand half my brain was trying to work things out logically. The other half of my brain was screaming with hysteria. My fingers felt so cold and they were shaking. I tried to call Information at Greyhound but the guy said he couldn’t help me; I’d need to call the terminal. So first I tried Baltimore and there was no answer. I tried Philadelphia and there was no answer. Now my logical side is beginning to panic too. I was looking up another number to call when I realized there was a message on voice mail.

It was Sue. Heidi was okay. The bus was late. She’d been sound asleep and another passenger heard her cell phone and woke her up.

Thank God. But for the length of time I didn’t know, I swear I aged 10 years and my hair got grayer. When you don’t know where your child is, time slows down to an unbearable crawl. Even after I talked to Heidi, my stomach was still tied in knots. I felt like I was shaking all over on the inside.

Luckily, Linda and Little T came back from their house sitting adventure early. I’d missed the baby and now I held him close to me and showered him with kisses from me and from his Aunt Heidi, alive and safe in Baltimore.

RE: Blogs:

1. Show off your multi-tasking talents! What do you/can you do while you blog at the same time?

Well, definitely I’m not a multi-tasker! I can listen to music but that’s it. I throw myself into what I’m writing and if someone comes along to talk to me, I lose my place entirely.

2. It’s late. I’m not sleeping. I’m resisting the munchies. Do you have a favorite blog food? You know - the one food, in general, that you bring with you as you plop in front of the computer with intentions to blog?

My favorite blog foods are not healthy and they are not going to help anyone resist munchies. I like either candy or peanuts with me.

3. Unique finds? Funny posts? Thought provoking writes? Ire inducing rants? List ‘em!

I am really impressed with Mrs. Alcoholic’s diary. She is so honest about what it’s like to live with a man who has a drinking problem and how her husband’s alcoholism affects her and impacts on their children. She doesn’t try to cover up or lighten things either. She tells it like it happens and like it is.

Hammorabi blogs from Iraq. He supports the United States effort in Iraq. He’s written about the horrors of living under Saddam Hussein. He is refreshingly honest too.

Fayrouz blogs from Dallas but she is from Iraq. I’ve been learning a lot from her entries too.

I feel I have a lot in common with Widower. He lost his wife at a young age. He writes about how he coped with the loss of not only his wife but his unborn child. Eventually he was able to marry again and celebrate the birth of a son.

Unconscious Mutterings:

I say … and you think …

1. Nostalgia:: old days

2. Irreplaceable:: precious

3. Odd:: strange

4. James Spader:: who?
   
   
5. Flamboyant:: showy
   
   
6. Intense:: serious

7. Simple:: easy

8. Septic:: poison

9. Ton:: heavy

10. Turkey:: Thanksgiving
    

I, Robot

The best benefit of having Billy work at the theater: free movie tickets! They are so prohibitively expensive now that we rarely went to the movies. Today we went to see I, Robot. Isaac Asimov wrote a story with the same title. I'm not sure the movie followed the same story or not but the 3 rules of robotics was the same in both.

1. The robot is not allowed to hurt or kill a human.
2. The robot has to follow orders unless it violates the first law
3. The robot can defend itself except if it violates the first or second law

It sounds ideal at first ... but then when you think of the ramifications it gets a little scary. In this case, one super robot (computer) was able to override the commands to follow the laws. The robots under her command began guarding humans ... for their own good, of course. Humans make stupid mistakes that are detrimental to their health (like pollution) so obviously we need these robots to protect us.

Will Smith is terrific and he was great in this movie. It's well worth the ticket money.

In Other Words:

What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.
-- Benjamin Disraeli

This is like planning for a wedding. You spend all this time carefully planning the ceremony and the reception. Nothing goes as planned without some kind of hitch somewhere. The groom’s car breaks down on the way to the church. The heel of the bride’s shoe breaks. The photographer can’t take outdoor pictures because it starts to rain.

The same thing tends to happen around holidays and it’s why some people become depressed. They have certain high expectations of the event. They hope that the dinner will go off well and that everyone will be happy. No fighting. Everyone will be happy with their gifts. No one is going to complain or fuss about something or pick at someone.

People, we’ve all got to learn to roll with the punches!

saturday-8 :: vacation

my kids are out of the country on vacation with my parents, and i get to join them this coming weekend. it will be my first vacation since 1/03, and i'm terribly excited.

1. when was the last vacation you had ... and i mean truly leaving your home, and not just taking a few days off of work?

That would be in 1998, four nights and five days at the Poconos. Oh, it was so wonderful!

2. when you were younger, did you take vacations as a child with your family/extended family?

It was more like when I was a teenager/young adult. We would go to Ocean City every summer and share a place with our relatives, my Aunt Betty, Uncle Bob and cousins Anne and Edith.

3. tell us about your best/favourite vacation ever. what made it so special, who were you with, where did you go?

I went with Rich to the Poconos in 1998. It was special because it was the first vacation the two of us had since our honeymoon. Back then, we went to Washington DC for a few days because we couldn’t afford anything else. During that vacation in 1998, we did something we hadn’t before: splurged and pampered ourselves. The nicest part is that it was just the two of us.

4. tell us about your WORST vacation ever. what made it horrible?

I’ve been racking my brains and I can’t think of a worst vacation ever!

5. who is your favourite person to go on vacation with? parents? children? spouse? bf/gf? best friend? cousin or sibling? or maybe just yourself?

My Teddy Bear, we just haven’t been able to get away for more than a night. It’ll happen!

6. if you could have 2 weeks in ANY locale, no expenses spared, free of charge, tell us about your dream vacation... where? what time of year? with whom? what would you eat? why would you go there?

My dream vacation would be to the Hawaiian islands with TB. I’d like to go during the most seasonable time of the year. I’d like to try Polynesian food. I haven’t had too much of that. I want to go to Hawaii because it’s beautiful and exotic and surrounded by the ocean.

7. how long have you gone without an actual vacation?

What’s considered a vacation? Away, away? If it’s that, then it’s probably been 2 years – went to Orlando, Florida with the kids

8. if you leave on vacation, who usually watches your home/apartment/pets/plants/mail for you?

Neighbors

Friday Five:

1. What color ink pen do you like best?

Blue

2. Do you prefer plain paper or paper with lines (notebook paper)?

Lined paper

3. What's better: books from the library, or reading online?

Books from the library. Reading online hurts my eyes!

4. Which would you rather get, e-mail or snail mail?

Either is fine with me as long as I get some!

5. Do you have a paper weight on your desk?

Yes, but it’s more for decoration

Friday Fiver:

1. Choose one person on your friends list to switch locations with for one month. Who is the friend, where do they live and why did you chose that location?

That would be Robin who lives on Long Island and I would choose that location because I miss it

2. Provide two bits of trivia about your town.

I have been trying to find bits of trivia about Browns Mills. I’ll have to ask TB. He wracked his brains too. Browns Mills just isn’t big enough to be very interesting. Anyway, TB reminded me that Browns Mills used to be like blueberry and cranberry bogs. If you take a close look at the sand in our backyard, you’ll see it’s sort of blue. Blueberries were first cultivated here.

The other bit of trivia is just fun. We have a lot of man-made lakes around here. In one of them, there is a log that is fastened to the bottom of the water. Turtles climb up there to sun themselves and so the road over it came to be called Turtle Log Bridge.

3. I come to your town for a visit -- what three places do you take me to during my visit?

I would take you to Whitesbog Village, which is close to where I live. It has an interesting history to it. We have a beach close to our house so we could go there and maybe go swimming in Spring Lake. Then there is a water festival at Mirror Lake every year. They have floats on the water, entertainment – including fireworks --, and some good food.

4. You are handed a camera, what are four places you take pictures of in your town?

The new Korean war veteran memorial in the center of town, Mirror Lake, and either Whitesbog Village or Brendan Byrne State Forest

5. Revisit question #1 - what are five places you visit while you're in your switched location?

Jones Beach, Robert Moses Beach, Sunken Meadow beach, Montauk Point, and the aquarium.

Friday Q:

FQ TOPIC: Stupidity.

FQ1: Admit it, sometimes you are not the sharpest tool in the shed. What's something stupid you've done recently? (The FridayQ doesn't count!)
Probably left my keys or my pocketbook in the car and then forgotten about it. :P

FQ2: Children do idiotic things all the time because they just can't seem to help it. What's something stupid you did as a kid?

We had an electric range and I was curious about what would happen if I touched a burner with a napkin. Well, it started a fire that scared me half to death. I managed to put it out.

FQ3: Sometimes, being a bit of an idiot is required (or fun!). What's something stupid you will be doing in the future?

I am inspired to idiocy and it has to be spontaneous, not planned. So I don’t know.

FQ OBSERVER: People are morons. Without naming names, what's something stupid you've seen somebody else do?

Put salt in the coffee. Hee hee hee hee hee!

Lots of Memes!

These are all from yesterday:

Theater Thursday:

This week sees the opening of the film adaptation of Isaac Asimov's classic "I, Robot" starring Will Smith.

1) Who or what is your favorite movie robot?

It would have to be HAL from the movie 2001. Poor HAL. As paranoid and ruthless as he became I felt a little sorry for him when Dave pulled the plug on him and he regressed to the point of singing “Bicycle for Two” and beyond.

2) Will we ever see the day where walking, talking robots truly become a part of every day life?

I would say yes although the idea gives me the heebie jeebies

3) Should a robot ever be programmed to kill a human?

No no no no no!!!!

BONUS) If you had a personal robot, what would you call it? What would you like it to do for you?

If I had a personal robot I would call it Hazel and I would have it do all my boring household chores.

3X Thursday:

1. What's the longest distance you've had to commute? Was it worth it?

The longest commute in terms of mileage was 17 one way. In terms of time, it was over an hour. The money was good so I suppose I shouldn’t complain
2. If you have a commute, what mode of transportation do you use? What do you do during it?

Most of the time I’d drive a car because there’s no reliable transportation. I’d play my radio real loud! When public transportation is available I tend to use it.

3. How important is commute distance when choosing a job?

Having been a part of commuting nightmares for years, I would say it is very important.

Bonus Question for Comments: What do you think of carpooling? Does it work? Why/Why not?

I like carpooling! Any time I’ve participated, the time has passed swiftly. I saved on gas and on aggravation. It’s especially nice if the car pool works in the same place.

Thursday Threesome:

::State Fair and Rodeo::

Onesome- State: What state (or territory) do you live in? Have you lived in any other(s)? Where would you like to live? And as a bonus: Any idea what year your state became a state? *grin*

Right now I am living in New Jersey. I’ve also lived on Long Island in New York and in Maryland. I would live with TB wherever he is … it’d be nice if we wind up somewhere along the Jersey shore or the eastern shore of Maryland, or in the Carolinas. When did NJ become a state? Beats me! I'd have to cheat and look it up!

Twosome- Fair: Or amusement parks: Did you enjoy them as a kid? What was your favorite ride? How do you feel about them now? Ready to go wander around one again, sampling funnel cakes and corn dogs and riding rides until you're sick or would you rather just enjoy the entertainment or stay home and avoid the crowds?

I loved amusement parks when I was a kid! My favorite ride was the ferris wheel. It wasn’t as boring as the merry-go-round but also not as scary as a roller coaster! I still enjoy amusement parks and fairs although my joints start aching when I walk around a lot. I loved the theme parks in Orlando. We went to Universal Studios and to Walt Disney World. I’d do it again in a New York minute!

Threesome- And Rodeo: Have you ever been to or watched a rodeo on TV? Did you enjoy it or consider it a barbaric spectacle? If you liked it, what was your favorite event? Ever tempted to race barrels or ride a bull yourself?

I’ve seen rodeos on TV. I thought it was pretty exciting although I would never ever do what those cowboys do. My favorite event is when the cowboys try to ride a bull.

Special Visit & Floods in NJ

TB picked Brandon up so he could spend the day with us. It was so good to see him! We took lots of really cute pictures of Brandon with baby T and all the rest of us. TB has a slideshow in his entry with all of the pictures there! Tomorrow Brandon heads back home to TN and we'll miss him and his family again.

What a shock to turn on the news yesterday to discover much of our county under water! The flooded towns aren't too far away from us at all. Here in Country Lakes, Heidi's friend Liz said that there is water in her basement. Luckily, we have sand in our crawl space. We don't have a basement and the sand absorbs the water well.

There is more rain today. I'm hoping it doesn't add to the problems people are experiencing in the flooded towns. How awful for them!

Blogger Seeds:

How are you keeping your kids busy during this summer vacation?

So far, they are entertaining themselves. On other days: walking around the mall, going to the movies, shopping, watching DVDs together, playing board games

Midweek Music Meme:

What lullaby do you remember fondly, either from your own childhood or that of your offspring?

I really like “Tura Lura Lura” a lot and sang that song to the kids when they were babies. With Kristin, I also sang that obnoxious Barney song, “I love you, you love me” I would hold them in my arms, singing softly. It was very relaxing for them and for me too and a sweet way to connect with them!

Wednesday Whatevers

1. Can you really learn about yourself from quizzes?

If I take the time to think out my answers I do. Sometimes I am totally surprised!

2. What do you think you feel after you are dead?

Love. That is what I have heard and would like to believe … that there is an infinite love.

3.Who is to blame or credit for the state of our economy?

It’s such a complicated mess I have no earthly idea.

Hump Day Fun

My friend Dawn sent this to me:

Hallmark Card You Wish You Could Find

1. I always wanted to have someone to hold, someone to love. And now
that you've come into my life...
(Inside card) - I've changed my mind.

2. I must admit, you brought religion into my life...
(Inside card) - I never believed in Hell until I met you.

3. As the days go by, I think how lucky I am....
(Inside card) - That you're not here to ruin it for me.

4. Congratulations on your promotion. Before you go....
(Inside card) - Will you take the knife from my back? You'll
probably need it again.

5. Someday I hope to marry...
(Inside card) - Someone other than you.

6. Happy Birthday! You look great for your age....
(Inside card) - Almost lifelike!

7. When we were together, you said you'd die for me...
(Inside card) - Now we've broken up, I think it's time to keep
your promise.

8. We've been friends for a very long time...
(Inside card) - What do you say we stop?

9. I'm so miserable without you...
(Inside card) - It's almost like you're still here.

10. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy....
(Inside card) - Did you ever find out who the father was?

11. You are such a good friend. If we were on a sinking ship and
there was only one life jacket...
(Inside card) - I'd miss you terribly and think of you often.

12. Your friends and I wanted to do something special for your birthday...
(Inside card) - So we're having you put to sleep.

13. Happy Birthday, Uncle Dad!
(Available only in Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas)

14. Looking back over the years we've been together, I can't help
but wonder...
(Inside card) - What was I thinking?

15. Congratulations on your wedding day!...
(Inside card) - Too bad no one likes your husband.

hee hee

20 Questions to a Better Personality

20 Questions to a Better Personality

Wackiness: 46/100
Rationality: 60/100
Constructiveness: 46/100
Leadership: 8/100

You are an SRDF--Sober Rational Destructive Follower. This makes you a font of knowledge. You are cool, analytical, intelligent and completely unfunny. Sometimes you slice through conversation with a cutting observation that causes silence and sidelong glances. You make a strong and lasting impression on everyone you meet, the quality of which depends more on their personality than yours.

You may feel persecuted, as you can become a target for fun. Still, you are focused enough on your work and secure enough in your abilities not to worry overly.

You are productive and invaluable to those you work for. You are loyal, steadfast, and conscientious. Your grooming is impeccable. You are in good shape.

You are kind of a tool, but you get things done. You are probably a week away from snapping.

Give it a try? Personality Quiz

We are going to have a rainy week! I don't mind that much. Sometimes I just get to the point where I want to stay in, especially if it's a gloomy rainy day! I have projects I want to work on ... writing a story and arranging my pictures and getting them into photo albums.

The gutter separated from the roof and TB has to get some nails to fix it. We're hoping the gutter doesn't fall down! The heavy downpour combined with leaves in the gutter has probably combined to make this happen.

TB called Brandon's Aunt Sue to make arrangements for us to visit with him. It'll be great to see him again!

And we are expecting Linda and Tomas so the end to our Little T drought is in sight!

In Other Words:

First there is a time when we believe everything, then for a little while we believe with discrimination, then we believe nothing whatever, and then we believe everything again - and, moreover, give reasons why we believe.
-- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

This sounds a bit like someone’s faith journey. For me, when I was a child I believed all the Bible stories I learned about in Sunday School. As I got older, I became disillusioned by everything going on around me in life. Everything from the hypocritical parishioner to senseless killings and tragedies. At some point, I wondered if there really was a God because if there was, why wasn’t He stopping all the bad stuff? I experienced really low moments and I could feel myself lifted up before I totally broke down. And that is when I could believe again and give reasons why.

Ten on Tuesday:

10 Things You Love to Do in the Summertime

1. Sleep late! School’s out for summer and I don’t have a job!
2. Relax
3. Go to the beach
4. Swim
5. Read lots of books
6. watch lots of movies, old and new
7. Take a vacation
8. Blueberries and strawberries are in season!
9. eat food grilled by TB on the barbecue
10. stay up late too!

Tuesday Iffers:

If you take some "time off", do you need to travel elsewhere to feel as if you've vacationed? When vacationing is it necessary to have an itinerary or do you play it by ear?

While I enjoy traveling a great deal, all I need is a break from the daily stress to feel as if I’ve vacationed. If I go away, the last thing I want is an itinerary. I want to be able to do things spontaneously and not worry about meeting a time limit. That’s too much like real life!

Rainy Monday

It's been raining buckets since this morning! TB hopes that the rain will fill up the pool so that he doesn't have to put any well water into it. That would be a real pain because of all the iron in the water.

This afternoon we went to the cardiologist's for the second part of TB's stress test. He did fine! He said the EKG results might have been thrown off because his cell phone was on and in his shirt pocket. Ya think?

Anyway, now we just have to wait for the doctors' to give him the stamp of approval and then reschedule his surgery. My mom did a really nice thing, sent a get well card to TB from her and my dad. I didn't tell her that his surgery had been postponed. I thought it was really sweet for her to do that.

TB began using a new template for his blog Tinnocking. I really liked the way it looks and so I asked if he could help me change mine to a three column blog. It worked but the font is too small for me to read and I wasn't able to put my webrings on the page.

Faith has moved so I am thinking I'll email her and ask what to do about changing the font size.

It was a very good day! The only down side is that Linda is staying at the other house one more day. She and Little T will be back tomorrow night.

Blogger Seeds:

How artistic are you?

When I think of artistic, I think about paintings and drawings and other forms of art. I don’t think of writing or music. Anyway, I am not the artistic one in the family. I can’t draw well at all. On the other hand, the girls are excellent artists. Heidi has such a good eye for details! Her drawings are beautiful.

Question of the Week:

What is your all-time favorite line (or lines) from a movie? (For example, "I'll be back", or "If you played it for her you can play it for me".)

From The Shining: “Heeeeeeeere’s Johnny!”
From Network: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
From Harvey “I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.”
From Casablanca: “We’ll always have Paris” and “Here’s looking at you, kid”
From Forrest Gump Mama always said life was like a box a chocolates, never know what you're gonna get.
I have very many more favorites but they’d take up lots and lots of web space!

http://subliminal.lunanina.com/ Unconscious Mutterings:

I say … and you think …

1. Crippling:: debilitating

2. Tough:: strong
   
   
3. Slinky:: toy

4. Slogan:: saying
   
   
5. Stuffed:: animal

6. Instructions:: directions
   
   
7. Expletive:: curse

8. Cartoon:: Peanuts
   
   
9. Toddler:: baby
   
   
10. Insinuation:: sneaky
    

Some Sunday Funnies

I love answering quizzes like these

You Are Right Brained In Love

Bit of a drama queen
Peacemaker, first to end a fight
Good at thinking up creative dates
Tend to fall in love and get hurt easily
Going with your gut instead of your head
Emphathetic and caring, sometimes to a fault
Good at recognizing patterns in relationships
Been in love many times, perhaps too many to count
Wildly passionate and intense when falling in love
Spontaneous with relationships, going with the flow
Overly visual - can play back past dates like movies in your mind
Roses, love poems, and stuffed animals are a good start to winning your heart

Are You Right Brained or Left Brained in Love? Take This Quiz

Find the Love of Your Life (and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

A to Z Questions (stolen from another blog, can't remember which one!)

Act your age?: I act the age I feel

Born on what day of the week?: Sunday

Chore you hate?: the bathroom

Dad's name?: Peter

Essential makeup item?: Nothing absolutely essential

Favorite actor(s)?: wow, there are so many: Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson & Jim Carrey are current favorites. Favorite actresses are all from the past: Katherine Hepburn and Maureen O'Hara

Gold or silver?: Gold.

Hometown?: Bay Shore, NY

Instruments you play?: Guitar

Job title?: Mom/Nana

Kids?: 3 kids from my marriage to Rich; 2 grown stepdaughters.

Living arrangements? : Got a husband, 3 teenagers, 1 stepdaughter & 1 grandbaby, ADD and 2 cats. ADD means a dumb dog ;-)

Mum's name?: Norma

Need?: peace and quiet for a few hours ;-)

Overnight hospital stays?: 1 tonsillectomy, 1 surgery on my back, 3 child births, 1 ruptured appendix

Phobias?: Driving over a bridge; crowded places

Quote you like ? : “Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Yoda

Religious affiliation?: Presbyterian

Siblings: I have 1 baby brother who just turned 47

Time you wake up?: between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. usually.

Unique talent?: fluent in sign language

Vegetable you refuse to eat?: Brussels sprouts, blech!

Worst habit? : I eat too much – yeah, me too.

X-rays you've had?: back, hands, ankles … I think that’s it

Yummy food you make?: everything I make is yummy heh heh

Zoo animal you like?: Panda bears!

If I had a million dollars, I mean, a magic wand!

Gotta play the numbers to win the million! :P

Bogger Seeds:

What if you had a magic wand?

Ah, what magic I could do with a wand! I would send myself to Washington D.C. to point it at George Bush and relieve him of his rigid righteousness, inept misguided thinking and that idiot Dick Cheney. Then I would feel a little more secure about our country’s future.

Next, I would get myself over the Middle East and I’d touch all the clouds with the wand and fill them with kindness and brotherly love. Then I’d have it rain on everyone down there until they soaked it up. I would pour extra heavy on bin Laden and the members of al-Qaida. I’d do the same thing on the clouds over any troubled country having wars with someone else.

I would wave my wand and there would be homes for everyone so that no one has to live under a bridge – especially not a war veteran! I would also wave decency and fairness over all the third party carriers so they wouldn’t cheat people or deny them coverage. I’d also use the magic wand so that everyone could get enough food.

I’d save magic for my family of course. There is just so much in a magic wand, there’s plenty to go around!

That’s what I would do.

Today TB and I spent the afternoon at the doctor's office for Part I of the stress test. They injected him with radioactive stuff and later took pictures of his heart. The stuff is supposed to show them if there are any blockages in his heart or if his heart is enlarged. Part II is Monday afternoon. Well, at least we have the first part behind us!

Friday Five:

1) Do you remember your first kiss?

I think so

2) How old were you when you had your first kiss?

By today's standards I was old!

3) Where did your first kiss occur?

If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it was in a car

4) Where do you think is the most romantic place to exchange a kiss? (locations, not body parts)

on the beach, in a dimmed room with nice music, in a Jacuzzi, and well, almost anywhere!

5) What type of kisser are you? (peck, smooch, French, sloppy, etc.)

I do them all!

Friday Fiver

1. Do you own a wristwatch? Describe.

I have two. One has a gold link band with a regular watch face. It runs on a battery. The other is a sports watch I found. It’s got a digital face with all kinds of settings and it runs on a battery too.

2. How old were in you 1997?

I was 43 that year.

3. Which is more important – financial success or personal happiness?

Oh it’s got to be personal happiness. Money means nothing in the end

4. Can you whistle?

Yes, one tune brings Amber running

5. Do you believe in the supernatural?

Yes I do!

Weekend Wonderings:

1. If you were walking down the street behind someone and they dropped a $20 bill, would you try to give it back to them or automatically pocket it?

I’d try to give it back, have done that before. If the money was just lying there and I didn’t see who dropped it, I’d keep it.

2. If a clerk gives you more change than you were supposed to get what do you do?

Give it back

3. What would you do if you were saw an old lady or man struggling with a bag of groceries? What if he/she dropped the bag or it busted?

I would help him or her with the bag, help them pick up the groceries.

Yeah, I sound like a Girl Scout, huh?

Better Quizzes

I saw the better personality quiz on Tinnocking and I thought I'd give it a try. TB and I are true soul mates, we're both evil genuises!!!

Better Personality Quiz

Wackiness: 50/100
Rationality: 46/100
Constructiveness: 44/100
Leadership: 44/100
You are an SEDF--Sober Emotional Destructive Follower. This makes you an evil genius. You are extremely focused and difficult to distract from your tasks. With luck, you have learned to channel your energies into improving your intellect, rather than destroying the weak and unsuspecting.

Your friends may find you remote and a hard nut to crack. Few of your peers know you very well--even those you have known a long time--because you have expert control of the face you put forth to the world. You prefer to observe, calculate, discern and decide. Your decisions are final, and your desire to be right is impenetrable.

You are not to be messed with. You may explode.

20 Questions to being a Better Person

Your score as a human being is 87.45.

You are close to ideal. So close, and yet so far. Amusing, really, to watch someone squirm so close to the vaunted ranks of perfection and still remain so very, very ordinary. It is all one can do to keep one's ingratiating smile from polluting one's perfect face.

Actually, one recommends you take the quiz again and lie a little.

The Year I Was Born:

TB would be the same as me and so for the fun of it, I tried other special dates ...

Watermelon Seeds

I miss watermelon seeds. Most of the melons I see in stores today are seedless. They look like pregnant footballs. I seem to remember watermelons looking like big zeppelins. Now they are round and not nearly so big. And they don't have seeds!

It's so much easier to eat a seedless melon. No muss, no fuss, just the clean up from the liquidy fruit and rind.

Do they still sell real watermelons?

It's been a long time since I've seen one.

When I was a kid, it was so much fun to eat watermelons with seeds. I could spit them out at other kids and we'd have a seed bombardment. Or I could pretend I was a machine gun on a plane and go rat-tat-tat and shoot at a pretend enemy. Or maybe I'd be a farmer planting seeds.

I wonder if my kids make believe like that?

3X Thursday:

1. On average, how many hours of sleep do you get a night? Is it enough, or do you need more?

On average, I sleep around 6 or 7 hours a night. It doesn’t seem to be enough because in the mid-afternoon I tend to get very sleepy and I have to take a nap!

2. Do you normally sleep pretty well at night, or are you a toss & turner, insomniac, etc?

It’s hard to say exactly. I get up a lot and I find that I’ve pulled the fitted sheet off the corner. I must toss and turn.

3. Do you sleep alone, or with someone? If you sleep alone normally, how do you fair when you sleep next to someone, or vice versa if it's the opposite?

I sleep with TB and I think we do just fine together.

Bonus Question for Comments: What's your ideal sleep schedule?

Ideally, it would be to go to bed around 11 or 12 (midnight) and sleep until 8 or so.

Thursday Threesome:

::Not so much easy as addicted...::

Onesome: Not so much-- --to do now that school is out for the students? ...or maybe a little too much to do for those student's parental units? What are you up to this July? Back for Summer Sessions? ...off to the beach? ...headed out on a weekend adventure? Surely you must be doing something!

I wish I was headed to the beach! I expect to be very busy this month … driving. TB has to have his shoulder surgery some time because he is in so much pain. Dr. Farrell, the surgeon, is going to handle TB with kid gloves this time. No driving, no physical therapy too early, lots of rest … it means that I will be doing all the driving. If Linda gets her car and some insurance, that will lessen some of the responsibility for me. If that happens, I’d just have to drive with Billy to and from work, drive TB to the doctors, the girls to where ever they need to go …

Twosome: easy as-- Pie? Sure, how about your favorite pie? ...and hey, homemade versus store bought! Would you rather have Mom's Apple Pie or head on over to Marie C's for a slice of heaven there?

Oh, please! Give me home made pie over the store bought stuff! Pie baked in a bakery is good too. My favorite flavor is blueberry, followed by Dutch apple. Yummmmmmm!

Threesome: addicted-- Okay, what is it you are addicted to, that element of your life you simply cannot do without. Reading? The Net? Little porcelain dolls? Oh, yeah: Money? Nah, make it something you'd spend your spare change on...

There are a couple of things I cannot do without. One is without writing. I must keep a journal and it’s better if I’m writing stories. I must have books to read. I would go totally bonkers without something to read. I must have music. I can’t have just voices, there has to be music!

Just some memes today

It's been hectic and stressful today -- not so much from today's events, it's more like an accummulation of things. Anyway, I just seem to have energy for the memes but that's it today.

Blogger Seeds:

What if you had 3 wishes? What would you wish for and why?

I would wish that everyone would love each other as Jesus preached. I would wish that the earth would be cleansed of pollution so that none of us would get sick. I would wish I could get all this weight off me easily.

Wednesday Whatevers

1. In the morning, do you brush your teeth before or after eating?

Usually after

2. Do you believe in the emotional power of colors?

Absolutely. Some shades are very soothing and some are very irritating

3.b>What do you do to preserve your memories?

I take pictures and I write many memories in my journal

What’s On … right now?

What's On your 'fun things planned for the near future' list Right Now?

Writing my book
Going to the ocean
Going to see another movie
Playing with Little T

More complications ...

Today was the doctor visits from hell. TB had an appt to see Dr. Farrell (the surgeon) at 11:45 and then he was to see his primary care physician Dr. Bross at 2 p.m. We figured the times were spaced out enough so we could get to both of them. Well, that alone should have made us wary.

We got to Dr. Farrell's office around 11:30 and sat down to wait. And we waited and we waited. We began to put down root and languish from thirst when TB was finally called. It was already 2 p.m.! We'd sat there for almost 3 hours! TB had gone red in the face from heat, frustration and probably thirst.

When Dr. Farrell came in, he asked "so what's up with your heart?" and that threw us both. TB didn't know what the doctor was talking about. So the doctor looked at the chart and said Dr. Bross should have gone over that in TB's preop visit.

That reminded us. TB said he was supposed to be seeing Dr. Bross ... like now. I asked Dr. Farrell if one of the nurses could call Dr. Bross's office and let them know we'd been detained here. He gave me this really funny look and said why worry? We'd make it on time. TB and I exchanged puzzled looks and Dr. Farrell looked at his watch and said it was only ten after one.

After going over what would happen in surgery this time, we went out the door. When we got into the car we looked at the clock and it said 2:15! That doctor had fibbed to us! Yeesh.

We were about a half hour late to see Dr. Bross. It turns out that TB's surgery has to be rescheduled because there was a difference in his EKG from one presurgery to this recent one. Dr. Bross called the cardiologist and they decided it would be better for TB to have a stress test first.

It's always something ...

The other event of today would be that it's my brother's birthday. My "little" brother is 47 today! Eeeeeeeeek!

In Other words

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

People who don’t mind giving up some of their civil rights for the Homeland Security Act can’t complain if the law becomes more and more invasive. They think they will be safer under the Patriot Act. It might work for a short time, but in the end it will end up taking more liberty than it should.

Tuesday Twosome:

Share your two favorite...

1. ways you cool off from the summer heat:

swimming and drinking cold ice water

2. summer activities:

swimming and barbecuing

3. cold beverages:

ice water or lemonade

4. summer memories:

Ocean City and July 4th

5. vacation spots:

Ocean City and Cape May

Tuesday Newsday

Tuesday Newsday:

John Kerry has picked John Edwards as his running mate. For some reason, they seem to think it's news. I don't know anyone who didn't think this would be the ticket. But it got me to thinking about Vice Presidents in general. And wondering:

1. Is this a fair way to pick a VP? Or might it be more fair to have the person with the second most delegates automatically get the VP slot? Or is there another way to pick a VP that you think would be fair?

I think it’s fair to do it this way. In the early days of this country the people with the top two votes became President and Vice President but they didn’t necessarily agree or even belong to the same party. Maybe John Edwards is too obvious a choice but it is a smart one on Kerry’s part. He is from the north and he has got money. Edwards is personable, good looking, competed well against Kerry in the primaries, and he is a southerner. They could win.

2. At one point there were rumors of a Kerry/McCain ticket. As a Democrat who disagrees with most of McCain's views, I wasn't very happy about that. Do you think it's possible to have a split party ticket work?

It doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. They might be working at cross purposes. I was really taken aback that Kerry wanted McCain as his running mate.

3. Does the VP really count for anything? I mean, like, do you know which Presidents had VPs named Alben W. Barkley, Garret A. Hobart or Hannibal Hamlin? Even names you know like Adlai E. Stevenson and Nelson Rockefeller, do you know for whom they were VPs? I know you can look them up on the internet, but did you know, or care?

I really like the quote about the vice president being about as important as “a warm bucket of spit”. Nelson Rockefeller was President Ford’s vice president, that’s all I think I know. The other name I remember is the infamous Spiro Agnew, who resigned the vice presidency a few months ahead of President Nixon. If I need to find out who was vice president, I’ll look it up. Otherwise I don’t much care.

Fourth of July

I was surprised and annoyed to see that a lot of the fireworks around here were set off last night. Last night wasn't July 4th. I don't get it.

I have always enjoyed watching fireworks at the beach. I've been in Ocean City a couple of July 4ths and those have been the best. You've got the ocean to swim in all day, the board walk to walk on during the early evening and the beach to relax on, waiting for and then watching the fireworks. Last year, there was a decent show over Mirror Lake and I enjoyed watching them with the kids and TB.

Maybe next year in Ocean City? We'll see ...

Re: Blogs

1. Have you ever blogged something you’ve regretted in the morning? Do you leave it? Delete it? Pray that no one reads it?

I haven’t really regretted any of my entries because I don’t post them while I’m still feeling emotional. If I need to vent and the things I say might hurt someone then I keep it offline. This way I don’t have to worry about deleting an entry or worrying someone will read it and feel hurt.

2. Last week, RE: Blogs asked about the location from which you blog. This week, RE: Blogs asks for a photo of your favorite blogging environment. If you don’t have a camera ready - or aren’t willing to share a photo - - describe your favorite blogging place to the best of your ability

This is where I write my entries but my desk has been moved from the family room to my bedroom. I have had better looking days. :P

3. What do you like most in a blog post by another blogger? Personal experiences? Fictional stories? News/Current events? Tech advice? Share some of your favorites from this week (either yours, or someone elses).

I enjoy a little bit of everything from other blogs. These are just a few of many I read:

Back to Iraq and Hammorabi are two of many blogs I read for stories about what’s really going on in Iraq

Homeless & Disabled in Alabama – this is a young man who was homeless and describes life on the street and his struggle with mental illness

I Speak of Dreams – I enjoy the tidbits of information

Widower – one of my favorite reads because it’s the story of one who lost his beloved and went on to find life and love again

The First Four:

What are the first four things you think of when I say

Freedom

Speech, religion, rallies & my home is my castle

Unconscious Mutterings:

I say … and you think …

1. Resignation:: quit

2. Coupling:: connecting

3. Grounded:: punished

4. Habit:: repetitive behavior

5. Chainsaw:: cutting tool

6. Rental:: don’t own it

7. Deleted:: erased

8. Online personals:: is seeking out
   
9. Penguin:: Arctic bird

10. Offend:: insult
    

a bit of a scare

I haven't felt all that great last night and into the morning. I was watching Little T and began to feel really lightheaded. My face got hot. I checked the air conditioner in the family room and found someone set it to 77. That's okay if it was just to cool the family room. The air conditioner there is supposed to cool the whole downstairs. Anyway, I lowered it to 68 and not long afterward I began to feel better.

I felt fine enough to have Billy drive us to work. Billy tried parallel parking a couple of times and didn't do too badly. He's gaining confidence and experience.

When I got home, though, I didn't feel so great. I felt a little nauseous but other than that, there wasn't anything specific to complain about. I was going to take Linda, T, Heidi and Kristin over to Ted's mom. From there, we were going to go to some town celebration/party.

It was hot outside but not terribly humid. Still when I got into the car, my face felt like it was burning. I figured that maybe it's more of that perimenopausal crap. But by the time we got to Lucille's, I was feeling a little lightheaded again, just like yesterday.

Lucille has this blood pressure monitor and she was concerned enough by my appearance to check my BP. It was high -- 173/92...scary. I rested for a bit while everyone else ate lunch. I held baby T on my lap until Lucille came back out to check my blood pressure again. It was a little bit better, 160/90. Still high, though.

I thought it would be better if I went home. I didn't think it would be a good idea to go out in the heat after what happened. Lucille thought I ought to go to the emergency room. I thought about it and thought I might feel better and it would be a wasted trip but everyone convinced me I should go get myself checked out.

So I did. On the way home (Linda drove) and then out to the hospital, I still felt kind of sick to my stomach. TB drove me and the girls to the hospital. They wouldn't hear about staying home. Kristin said she waited at home 'when dad went to the hospital and I'm not going to wait at home anymore.' I almost cried.

We were at the hospital two hours and, sure enough, my blood pressure was fine and dandy. Actually, that is a good thing or else they would have kept me overnight. My face was still bright red and hot. If that was a hot flash it was a really long one!

So Monday I'll see my regular doctor. I would not want this to happen again!

What day is it?

Since school let out, I've lost track of which day it is. All day today, I kept thinking it was Saturday because the kids were around and because Billy went to work. During the school year he worked weekends so it was easy to get confused. All day yesterday I thought it was Saturday, too, which was really bothersome. Tomorrow, when it's really Saturday, I'll probably doubt my sanity!

Linda got her driver's license back and also got a crib for Little T. It was a very productive day for them! She may be broke but she's going to get more on her feet now that she can drive. T definitely is growing too big for the basinette. We can convert it to a playpen. The new crib is upstairs and T gets to try it out tonight.

Of course Kennan was a total $%@ about it. He didn't want to help pay for the crib (and didn't) because he figures he's paying child support now and so that lets him off the hook or something. :P I am polite to the guy for Linda's sake but personally, I think he is a world class louse and she could do a lot better. Oh well I better shut up.

Linda was hoping to go see Michele in September but it looks like it's not going to happen. Realistically, she can't afford it. She's got other big obligations she has to pay off. Her WIC check wouldn't be any good in Tennessee and she would have to buy the baby's formula out of the little stipend she gets. I know she feels terrible about it but what can you do? We can't really help out financially very much because of TB's new surgery coming up. We don't know what's ahead of us so we can't make any long term loans or anything. We'll manage with what we've got and we'll be okay.

Blogger Seeds:

What do you drink to cool off? warm up? get energy? relax?

My favorite beverage is water and I’ll drink it especially when I want to cool off or I’m very thirsty. I’ll drink something hot to warm up, like coffee. I don’t have a drink specifically for energy. I let my vitamins take care of that. I can’t think of any particular drink that helps me relax. I enjoy water, iced tea or diet soda when I’m just hanging out.

Friday Five:

1. Would you rather earn more money or have more time off?

I have all the time off I need so I’d like a million dollars to just drop out of the sky, thank you, and land on our house.

2. Which is more important, the ends or the means?

The Means

3. How are our personalities formed, by nature or through nurture?

I think it’s a little of both. I think that we are born with certain dispositions that are inherited. We’re also formed by our parents’ upbringing. Some people successfully survive the worst abuse. But not everyone does.

4. Who do you feel closer to, your mother or your father?

My mom

5. Why do you answer these silly questions, out of boredom or out of love of introspection?

I answer them because I think they are fun!

Friday Fiver:

1. What kind of parties do you like? Big beer bashes? Small get-togethers?

I’m not into big beer bashes anymore. I had enough of that when I was younger. There are a whole lot of alcoholics in my family and I stopped drinking altogether because I could see myself developing a real problem. I prefer small get-togethers now.

2. Do you play drinking games? Which ones? Are you any good at them?

No, no and no

3. What was the best party experience you've ever had? The worst?

Does a wedding reception count as a party? If so, it was my wedding reception with Rich and my wedding reception with TB. The worst was at a Thanksgiving get-together with Rich’s family in 1983. His mother had just been killed in a car accident two weeks earlier and everyone was trying to be brave and put on a good face. I kept accepting the Manhattans Fred made and I got so drunk I couldn’t feel my face anymore. That sucked.

4. Do you feel snacks are an important part of a party? What do you like to munch on?

People like to have something to do with their hands and it’s better than smoking! At a party, I like to munch on potato chips and dip or peanuts.

5. Have you ever thrown a wild party while your parents were out of town? What happened?

Nope, they were the ones who’d throw the wild parties. I was just dull, I guess. :P

Friday Foofah:

1. What's the very first thing you do after waking up in the morning?

Go to the bathroom. I know, yuck!

2. Breakfast - essential energy boost or unnecessary waste of time?

Breakfast is essential. It gives me fuel to keep going. I’d rather have breakfast and skip lunch than the other way around.

3. Are you a person of routine, or is each day a unique chaotic adventure?

I really enjoy having a routine. Lately, everyday has been a “unique chaotic adventure.” I don’t mind that on some days but I really want some stability back!

4. Do you go to bed because you have to or collapse onto the pillow every night?

It’s a little of both.

5. Early to bed, early to rise...or I'll be up by noon?

Yes, that … if I go to bed early, I wake up early. If I go to bed late, unfortunately, I still wake up too early!

6. What's your nightly ritual before going to bed?

Put on my gown, brush my teeth, kiss TB goodnight and maybe snuggle a few minutes, read for 30 minutes or so, turn out the light, put my CPAP mask on and fall asleep.

Weekend Wonderings:

1. If you were in a bank and robbers came in, telling everyone to drop to the ground, would you drop automatically or freeze?

I would certainly hope I’d drop automatically!

2. If you were sitting peacefully in your house and heard a fight outside and heard someone start yelling threats, what would you do?

I would call 911 and ask them to send the police. I’m not going out there!

3. If you witnessed something like a car accident, would you pull over and wait for the police to tell them what you saw?

Yes, and I have done that before so I know I would.

A New Month!

Einstein was right about time -- it's relative. When you enjoy what you're doing the time just goes in seconds. If you are bored, though, a half hour lasts a day. Well, I must be pretty happy because my months are flying by in a real blur!

The hearing on child support went okay. On the positive side, Kennan has to pay regularly, every week. On the down side, the money goes to the state of New Jersey. On the positive side, he and Linda are still speaking. On the negative side, I bet he won't be so willing to help Linda buy a crib or other things Tomas needs. I'll just bet that Kennan uses the excuse that he is already contributing to Little T's support. But at least it's over and done with!

Billy got us tickets to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (sp?). It was really good! I might even decide to read the next books in the series. I'd gotten through the first 3 reading them to Kristin or having her read them to me. I haven't read #4 or #5 yet. I'd better get a move on, #6 will be out soon!

Blogger Seeds:

How will you celebrate our country's independence? If you are from a different country, what are your traditions?

I shouldn’t be surprised that memes have similar questions this holiday weekend. I’ve always enjoyed celebrating July 4th, especially if the evening is capped off with fireworks. I’ll probably want to watch movies centering around the holiday -- 1776, Independence Day, The Patriot -- have a cookout, and then watch the fireworks. If we were at the beach that week, it would be fantastic! I would swim all day, walk on the boardwalk in the evening and then settle down on the beach somewhere to watch the fireworks.

3X Thursday:

1. Do you celebrate July 4th? What does this holiday mean to you?

As above, we do celebrate the 4th. For me, it’s the day America became separate from England. I don’t think it actually happened on July 4th because it takes awhile for the post to bring news everywhere. Still, we decided we wanted to govern ourselves and be free of a foreign power.

2. What did you typically do for July 4th when you were a kid?

Oh, it was fun! We’d have family barbecues in someone’s back yard or we’d go to a park or join a picnic near the beach. We’d eat all the traditional picnic foods, swim, play games, light sparklers and then watch the fireworks once it got dark.

3. What are you doing this year for the holiday? Anything fun?

If the weather is nice, TB will grill our dinner. Or ... if there are fireworks scheduled for our town maybe we'll pack up a picnic dinner and go to the lake early so we can get good seats for the show.

Bonus Question for Comments: What does being an American ('Merkin) mean to you?

I am free. I can say or write what I think and I don’t have to worry about being jailed or killed for it. I can worship which ever religion (or none at all) I want to. I can vote and not feel intimidated. I can move anywhere in the country I choose to. I am free to marry who I want. I can have as many children as I want. I can read any book, even if it’s controversial. I have say in the government, by exercising my right to vote. I will never take being an American for granted. I am truly blessed to be free.

Thursday Threesome:

Onesome: Yankee- Hey, this is the 4th of July weekend here in the States; do you have any plans? Fireworks? Watching the Boston Pops? Hiding under the bed with the dog?

I’m hoping we won’t have any bad weather. I’m hoping TB will be able to grill our dinner. If we’re seeing fireworks that night, I’d like to take a picnic with us to the lake’s beach. We’d have a nice spot with plenty of room to watch the fireworks.

Twosome: Doodle- Is there any paper safe from you, or are you a doodler? If you are, when are you most likely to doodle and what do you draw?

I used to doodle on everything, especially when I was in school. I don’t do it much anymore. If I do, it’s while I’m listening to someone talk.

Threesome: Dandee- Or dandy. It's one of my favorite words. How about you, do you have any favorite words that you like to use, just because you like the way they sound or just because you can?

'Okay' and various variations of it. I’m not sure which other words I use but I’m sure there are others.