Those of you who are "Friends" fans will remember Joey's famous line "I've met my identical hand twin!". And he thought they would make a lot of money on this....
Well, I have finally met the person who blends with me vocally. I have been dealing for a long while with not getting duet's and such because the director can't blend other's to my sound. It's really tough on singers because though it's not intended to be personal, it is personal. I can blend with most folks when I have some practice time ahead of me. But this director takes your natural sound and goes with that. Both ways are good, its a matter of taste I suppose.
But as we are headed towards our last few rehearsals to performance she has changed our seating from a big circle, to 2 rows and then to three. Each time I was seated next to Melody. She is younger by 10 years, very outgoing, beautiful voice. For awhile, I was intimidated. But as I got to know her better that went away and I started to suspect we might sing well together.
When we went to the 2 row config last week, I was positive. I called her midweek after rehearsal and told her this. We car pooled this week, and at rehearsal she was standing next to me in three row again and low and behold she passed me a note that said, OMG this blend is so FREAKY. I had to laugh.
We did some tests in the car and yup. Its there. I think she is going to do a duet with me at my recital. Then next year we have plans to learn any duets together before the audition and show the director what we are truly made of.
The other by-product of this is, I have a new friend.
Now, for those of you who know me, I always have a large circle of people whom I consider friends. I was not actually in the market for this one to be honest, but I am not in the least bit upset about it. It was a wonderful surprise. What is truly funny is how similar we are. She is me at that age. Right down to her looks. She's bright and funny, vivacious, personable and all the things that I was then and am the older version of now.
Most of my friends are older than I am, by a good amount. 10 + years is the norm actually. I have my best friends from college and my best friend from childhood, but by and large my friends have always been older. I have never been the older one. So this is uncharted territory for me. Not bad, just different. I think it will be fun to be the older one for a change, though we look similar enough to be sisters. Crazy.
So all in all, I am very pleased with this new development.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Halloween
Halloween - All Hallows Eve. The day/night that departed souls come out and dance on their graves.
My mom does a Halloween listening exercise with her students that she has been doing since I was in the third grade. I love it to death and I think I am going to do it myself this year.
She's puts on Danse Macabre by Camille Saint Saens and gives the kids paper and crayons and tells them to draw what they think or feel based on the music. She plays it once. Then she plays it a second time and they get to draw. We used to do this as kids and it is amazing the pictures that the kids produce. This a tradition that I think I am going to start again.
It pains me that the world is no longer safe enough for kids to go out trick or treating anymore. And even though some neighborhoods are still OK to do this in, the treats they get are still suspect. When I was young the worst thing we had to worry about were razor blades in apples and our parents just didn't let us eat things that weren't sealed or from a trusted source. You can't even do that anymore.
More property damage is done by the living than the dead would ever bother with. Their whole gig is to rise up and dance on their graves in an orderly fashion until midnight when All Saints day dawns then they return to their graves until next year. So why do the living have to make this night about damage - Property or otherwise? Even well behaved kids are looking to buy shaving cream and eggs. Animal shelters stop allowing the adoption of black cats in the beginning of September. Our parents used to talk about "the crazies" who only targeted kids on Halloween.What has the world come to when the true targets of a fun holiday are children and animals?
This year my usual Halloween party is not happening and I'm pretty sure if I arrived on a doorstep in costume with no kids, at the most I'd get laughed at and at the least they'd call the cops. I'm sad because Lilli usually throws this party and it's WONDERFUL. We have the best time and she goes all out. So I didn't plan to get a costume this year. So last week when my director suggested we all come in costume to our rehearsal and have a gathering afterward I almost died laughing. So I looked at the two that I have readily available and I am going as a bar maid. I'll send pics. this aught to be a hoot.
I am bringing my camera as no one will believe this!!!
It's not just a kids holiday.
My mom does a Halloween listening exercise with her students that she has been doing since I was in the third grade. I love it to death and I think I am going to do it myself this year.
She's puts on Danse Macabre by Camille Saint Saens and gives the kids paper and crayons and tells them to draw what they think or feel based on the music. She plays it once. Then she plays it a second time and they get to draw. We used to do this as kids and it is amazing the pictures that the kids produce. This a tradition that I think I am going to start again.
It pains me that the world is no longer safe enough for kids to go out trick or treating anymore. And even though some neighborhoods are still OK to do this in, the treats they get are still suspect. When I was young the worst thing we had to worry about were razor blades in apples and our parents just didn't let us eat things that weren't sealed or from a trusted source. You can't even do that anymore.
More property damage is done by the living than the dead would ever bother with. Their whole gig is to rise up and dance on their graves in an orderly fashion until midnight when All Saints day dawns then they return to their graves until next year. So why do the living have to make this night about damage - Property or otherwise? Even well behaved kids are looking to buy shaving cream and eggs. Animal shelters stop allowing the adoption of black cats in the beginning of September. Our parents used to talk about "the crazies" who only targeted kids on Halloween.What has the world come to when the true targets of a fun holiday are children and animals?
This year my usual Halloween party is not happening and I'm pretty sure if I arrived on a doorstep in costume with no kids, at the most I'd get laughed at and at the least they'd call the cops. I'm sad because Lilli usually throws this party and it's WONDERFUL. We have the best time and she goes all out. So I didn't plan to get a costume this year. So last week when my director suggested we all come in costume to our rehearsal and have a gathering afterward I almost died laughing. So I looked at the two that I have readily available and I am going as a bar maid. I'll send pics. this aught to be a hoot.
I am bringing my camera as no one will believe this!!!
It's not just a kids holiday.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Time ... unexpected
Today was my sister-in-law's baby shower, She's due in December.
The shower was being held in Pennsylvania and My new sister-in-law, my mom and I were planning to drive over.
The Weather however, caused a problem and gale force winds, flooding and torrential rain caused us to call off the trip. At 6:30 AM.
I should be grateful that we called it off that early, but I really didn't like waking up an hour before the alarm because I KNOW I will be up longer tham I want to. I was right, I was unable to fall back asleep until 9:30 ish. So now, I am asleep until nearly 1PM.
I guess I needed the rest. It was weird though. I don't do that unless I am sick normally...
But I decided to use the found time to do things for me. I wasn't really planning to organize anything and my brain really wasn't with it. I caught up with some friends( Bernie,Maplemama, and Lena) then I got the ironing board out and the iron and pulled down my winter curtains and slipcovers for the furniture and pressed and changed everything out in the living room. Then I lit some candles, pulled out my heavier afghans and watched a terrible movie. Do not rent Friends with money. I want my 5 dollars back and those 2 hours of my life.
I feel at peace today, the fountain in the foyer is running, the living room is set for winter, I pulled out my fall/winter housewarmer candles. I poured myself a nice glass of wine and I'm planning a hot bath later.
It felt weird to have NO plans. Nothing needing my attention, no one needing me to be present, nothing that I HAD to do. Not even anything that I WANTED to do. Yes, I SHOULD have gone to WW, but I didn't want to go outside to be honest. All I wanted to do was putter around my house and "nest".
I had French Fries for lunch. I will have soup for dinner. Maybe a crusty roll with it.
It was a pleasant day any way you look at it. And it was all the more pleasant because it was unexpected.
The shower was being held in Pennsylvania and My new sister-in-law, my mom and I were planning to drive over.
The Weather however, caused a problem and gale force winds, flooding and torrential rain caused us to call off the trip. At 6:30 AM.
I should be grateful that we called it off that early, but I really didn't like waking up an hour before the alarm because I KNOW I will be up longer tham I want to. I was right, I was unable to fall back asleep until 9:30 ish. So now, I am asleep until nearly 1PM.
I guess I needed the rest. It was weird though. I don't do that unless I am sick normally...
But I decided to use the found time to do things for me. I wasn't really planning to organize anything and my brain really wasn't with it. I caught up with some friends( Bernie,Maplemama, and Lena) then I got the ironing board out and the iron and pulled down my winter curtains and slipcovers for the furniture and pressed and changed everything out in the living room. Then I lit some candles, pulled out my heavier afghans and watched a terrible movie. Do not rent Friends with money. I want my 5 dollars back and those 2 hours of my life.
I feel at peace today, the fountain in the foyer is running, the living room is set for winter, I pulled out my fall/winter housewarmer candles. I poured myself a nice glass of wine and I'm planning a hot bath later.
It felt weird to have NO plans. Nothing needing my attention, no one needing me to be present, nothing that I HAD to do. Not even anything that I WANTED to do. Yes, I SHOULD have gone to WW, but I didn't want to go outside to be honest. All I wanted to do was putter around my house and "nest".
I had French Fries for lunch. I will have soup for dinner. Maybe a crusty roll with it.
It was a pleasant day any way you look at it. And it was all the more pleasant because it was unexpected.
Friday, October 27, 2006
The aftermath and new realizations
I bought a clock.
That's it above. Its somewhat of an antique and I had been eyeing for awhile. So rather than eat every stitch of food in the house or go buy a pint or 5 of B&J or an entire bakery cake for myself ( In my defense I have never done any of those things actually but I did abuse food) , I bought the clock for my kitchen.
I have been eyeing it for sometime. It's slate actually, with antique B&W paris postcards decoupaged onto it. It was a little but pricey but not a killer. I was planning to spend between 30-50 dollars so this was right in the budget.
The minute I clicked the Pay now button, I felt 2000 % better. I also felt weird because I don't usually shop to ease pain. I don't like shopping most of the time. I don't have the patience to be honest. So, this was a little bit strange.
But not altogether unpleasant.
I also recognize the behaviour change from eating to shopping and I like that replacing eating with something else is good, I just have to be prudent with it so I don't break the bank.
I think the difference is, I have been wanting this clock for months. I have been saving the money and had set it aside. I was waiting, truthfully, for the price to go down.
I just decided to stop waiting and buy it now. So it wasn't the impulse buy that most people would do to ease suffering. Much like binging to ease suffering. Because it makes you feel good. I feel OK wiht the decision to buy it and my on again off again romance with ebay is ingited yet again. I am currently watching 26 items of which I REALLY want about 10. Largely picture frames ( a passion of mine - I have picture EVERYWHERE ) and some candles and a bowl that was discontinues in my china pattern that the cats broke. And a teapot in my china patter discontinued so many years ago I can't believe they are still selling them on ebay.
So the aftermath seems to be realistically harmless and I got my clock for the kitchen.
The other thing that has started happening is my nesting instinct has kicked in. At 10PM last night, I started cleaning off and reorganizing my desk. Even I was surprised. I feel so much better for it too.
Tomorrow I head to PA for my sister-in-law's baby shower. Of course the weather is supposed to be gale force winds and torrential rain. Typical. Last time we went, it was 9 MILLION degrees and I was picking up Wolfi from his foster mom to go to our furever home. All that travel in 9 million degree heat with a 3 month old kitten in the back and stupid traffic at the Holland tunnel.
If I weren't going, I start doing my closets again. Of course there is always Sunday. I really want to take advantage of my mental state to clean house - literally. And I also want to get the furniture I don't want out, and the stuff that I do want ( at brother's house) in.
In closing, my normal organizational skills are heightened and my behaviours are changing now too which is good.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Having a tough time
I'm having a tough time this week. I ate very well in terms of being healthy and making some smart choices, Not every day, but more often than not.
I didn't attend my meeting today because I had a gig. Nothing major but I had a gig, and it nicely allowed me to sleep in a bit. My lesson got canceled. so there it is.
I have been enable to work out since Monday due to this issue with my knee. I strained it Monday and knew immediately that I was going to pay for that move dearly ( I stepped on the step wrong). Not being able to work out made me realize some things:
1. I do like it. Go figure
2. I really feel like my head is in the weight loss game when I am working out regularly
3. I don't have as much stress when I get regular strenuous activity.
I am doing the Firm body Sculpting II and I love it. So not being able to do it is a really challenge for me and I am STILL retaining water which is driving me nuts.
More importantly I am not seeing the losses at the scale that I would like. Its going down but not with the numbers I feel I should be seeing at this point.
My goal is to be 10 pounds lighter by my recital. More would be nice but 10 is my goal.
My knee is almost better, enough that I could walk tomorrow and maybe monday or tuesday start the firm again with low impact. I'm trying to take it slow, but its making me frustrated to not work out at all.
At least now I have stated my goal, in the positive and I know the steps that I need to take to get there. Cheer me on!
I didn't attend my meeting today because I had a gig. Nothing major but I had a gig, and it nicely allowed me to sleep in a bit. My lesson got canceled. so there it is.
I have been enable to work out since Monday due to this issue with my knee. I strained it Monday and knew immediately that I was going to pay for that move dearly ( I stepped on the step wrong). Not being able to work out made me realize some things:
1. I do like it. Go figure
2. I really feel like my head is in the weight loss game when I am working out regularly
3. I don't have as much stress when I get regular strenuous activity.
I am doing the Firm body Sculpting II and I love it. So not being able to do it is a really challenge for me and I am STILL retaining water which is driving me nuts.
More importantly I am not seeing the losses at the scale that I would like. Its going down but not with the numbers I feel I should be seeing at this point.
My goal is to be 10 pounds lighter by my recital. More would be nice but 10 is my goal.
My knee is almost better, enough that I could walk tomorrow and maybe monday or tuesday start the firm again with low impact. I'm trying to take it slow, but its making me frustrated to not work out at all.
At least now I have stated my goal, in the positive and I know the steps that I need to take to get there. Cheer me on!
Friday, October 20, 2006
"I see" said the blind man
Today was my followup appointment at the opthamologist. I have been going quite frequently since the corneal abrasion on 9.23.06, so this is just one visit of many!
This time I went armed with my list of concerns and issues.
Q. I am on Prednisone drops for the eyes. Is this going to cause vision issues??
A. Not in drop form, but in ointment form, yes it could.
Q. Your nurses continue to tell me that my vision with the glasses is still 20/20 and without hasn't changed from 20/25 in right eye and 20/20 in left, so why am I having MORE trouble seeing without my glasses than ever before?? I shouldn't need them all the time and I seem to.
A. That has nothing to do with your actual vision. You have some swelling around the tear ducts in your eyes causing the lids to swell, both upper and lower. This is causing your eyes to tear, but not to moisten the eye properly as the moisture is leaking out rather than working on the eye as it is supposed to. You will need to fill a script for a opthamologic ointment called Tobradex to be used on the outer eyelids and refresh PM on the right eyeball at night before you go to bed. That should help solve the problem. Both eyes are affected so if you don't see an improvement with the one eye, go to both until the tear duct and lids are not so swollen and visible.
Q. All these steroids make me nervous. Especially Prednisone. Is this going to get into my blood stream and cause problems with my body? I also don't need to gain any more weight.
A. Do you have any idea how many bottles of this stuff you would need to take in rapid succession in order to have those things happen? Your kidding with me right?
So, we may have found the root behind why my eyes water so much when the rest of my body is not suffering from allergies. It will take some time, but time is all I've got really.
I don't have to go back until December and my vision should be cleared up by then as far as this blurriness is concerned. I won't need to wear my glasses as much and frankly I don't have anything against them other than the fact that its a hassle and I'm not accustomed to wearing them that much and tend to misplace them a lot.
I am feeling better about this than I have in a long time. I was worried there was scarring on the cornea. I am lucky.
This time I went armed with my list of concerns and issues.
Q. I am on Prednisone drops for the eyes. Is this going to cause vision issues??
A. Not in drop form, but in ointment form, yes it could.
Q. Your nurses continue to tell me that my vision with the glasses is still 20/20 and without hasn't changed from 20/25 in right eye and 20/20 in left, so why am I having MORE trouble seeing without my glasses than ever before?? I shouldn't need them all the time and I seem to.
A. That has nothing to do with your actual vision. You have some swelling around the tear ducts in your eyes causing the lids to swell, both upper and lower. This is causing your eyes to tear, but not to moisten the eye properly as the moisture is leaking out rather than working on the eye as it is supposed to. You will need to fill a script for a opthamologic ointment called Tobradex to be used on the outer eyelids and refresh PM on the right eyeball at night before you go to bed. That should help solve the problem. Both eyes are affected so if you don't see an improvement with the one eye, go to both until the tear duct and lids are not so swollen and visible.
Q. All these steroids make me nervous. Especially Prednisone. Is this going to get into my blood stream and cause problems with my body? I also don't need to gain any more weight.
A. Do you have any idea how many bottles of this stuff you would need to take in rapid succession in order to have those things happen? Your kidding with me right?
So, we may have found the root behind why my eyes water so much when the rest of my body is not suffering from allergies. It will take some time, but time is all I've got really.
I don't have to go back until December and my vision should be cleared up by then as far as this blurriness is concerned. I won't need to wear my glasses as much and frankly I don't have anything against them other than the fact that its a hassle and I'm not accustomed to wearing them that much and tend to misplace them a lot.
I am feeling better about this than I have in a long time. I was worried there was scarring on the cornea. I am lucky.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Flexible spending - Just how flexible is it???
I have had a FSA now for about 3 years. My particular one allows me to use a debit card from their company in addition to submitting paper claims.
For those of you unfamiliar with this, in short, this is an account that your company will automatically take pre-tax money from your check and deposit it in this account for you to spend on medical co-pays, prescriptions, child care, OTC meds and supplies etc. Basically, it saves money in the long run.
The IRS has rules for these accounts as well. The FSA company that my place of business uses is called Payflex. They have diferent levels of service as most companies do. For my place of business, we are somewhere in the middle. The rules that the IRS had when I first joined the account 4 years ago, were, any charge on the card that was not an even dollar amount required a receipt to be faxed to them to verify that the card is being used properly.
They changed the rules, but did not notify the plan participants. Now one must submit receipts for every single thing. I think that makes more sense, though there communication skills could be re-vamped a little.
So, let me tell you why I chose this topic today. I logged into the website to verify the status of my card as it was declined and I have an obscene amount of money still available. There is no bill to pay since its prepaid, so I am confused. I can only see the words "permantly inactive" on the screen and my head spins around.
So I call the company and I get a young chick with attitude.... just my luck, someone who likes to fight, working customer service. This aught to be good. I explain my issues to her, she, nicely at first, advised me that new cards had been shipped - in January of 2006. Clearly mine didn't arrive, and my old was working till recently. So I share that with her and she tells me its not possible. Of course, my card activity proves her wrong, which sent her into a tailspin. She reviews the account and tells me that my new card will not be shipped to me until I clear up some receipt paperwork that is missing.
I can't tell you how I reacted but picture Linda Blair and your probably close. I was provided by the individual I was working with 6 items that needed paperwork. I hit the roof because well over half had been provided more than twice and some up to 5 times. with verbal confirmation. I wanted confirmation in writing but they don't do that for paperwork to back up card claims, only paper claims.
So now, I have to spend the time to locate these 6 items in my files, some as far back as 2004. You have to be kidding me. 2004???? Thank goodness it was 20 dollars because the vendor I used may not have the information I need on this if I cannot find it myself.
The other half of the problem is my laptop crashed in July. I lost all my medical records, electronic receipts etc. This means that i have to go back to Medco, CVS and FamilyMeds and hope they can assist me in re-constructing my records so I can have my card released.
It's a pain in the butt however this year my benefits plan is changing and I am going to need this card more than ever. I will now be paying a percentage of prescriptions rather than just a flat fee like this year.
I'm not sure that the title Flexible account is accurate. Though when the card is working its flexible and peace of mind during emergencies, however the upkeep and maintenance is a pain in the butt. Mostly becuase these people operate soley by fax. I would LOVE them to use emails. I put in the suggesstion with psycho girl that they should send email notificiation of receipt of all documentation whether its for a paper claim or a card claim and they should also accept email documentation as well. I'm not holding my breath but it would sure make things easier for me.
For those of you unfamiliar with this, in short, this is an account that your company will automatically take pre-tax money from your check and deposit it in this account for you to spend on medical co-pays, prescriptions, child care, OTC meds and supplies etc. Basically, it saves money in the long run.
The IRS has rules for these accounts as well. The FSA company that my place of business uses is called Payflex. They have diferent levels of service as most companies do. For my place of business, we are somewhere in the middle. The rules that the IRS had when I first joined the account 4 years ago, were, any charge on the card that was not an even dollar amount required a receipt to be faxed to them to verify that the card is being used properly.
They changed the rules, but did not notify the plan participants. Now one must submit receipts for every single thing. I think that makes more sense, though there communication skills could be re-vamped a little.
So, let me tell you why I chose this topic today. I logged into the website to verify the status of my card as it was declined and I have an obscene amount of money still available. There is no bill to pay since its prepaid, so I am confused. I can only see the words "permantly inactive" on the screen and my head spins around.
So I call the company and I get a young chick with attitude.... just my luck, someone who likes to fight, working customer service. This aught to be good. I explain my issues to her, she, nicely at first, advised me that new cards had been shipped - in January of 2006. Clearly mine didn't arrive, and my old was working till recently. So I share that with her and she tells me its not possible. Of course, my card activity proves her wrong, which sent her into a tailspin. She reviews the account and tells me that my new card will not be shipped to me until I clear up some receipt paperwork that is missing.
I can't tell you how I reacted but picture Linda Blair and your probably close. I was provided by the individual I was working with 6 items that needed paperwork. I hit the roof because well over half had been provided more than twice and some up to 5 times. with verbal confirmation. I wanted confirmation in writing but they don't do that for paperwork to back up card claims, only paper claims.
So now, I have to spend the time to locate these 6 items in my files, some as far back as 2004. You have to be kidding me. 2004???? Thank goodness it was 20 dollars because the vendor I used may not have the information I need on this if I cannot find it myself.
The other half of the problem is my laptop crashed in July. I lost all my medical records, electronic receipts etc. This means that i have to go back to Medco, CVS and FamilyMeds and hope they can assist me in re-constructing my records so I can have my card released.
It's a pain in the butt however this year my benefits plan is changing and I am going to need this card more than ever. I will now be paying a percentage of prescriptions rather than just a flat fee like this year.
I'm not sure that the title Flexible account is accurate. Though when the card is working its flexible and peace of mind during emergencies, however the upkeep and maintenance is a pain in the butt. Mostly becuase these people operate soley by fax. I would LOVE them to use emails. I put in the suggesstion with psycho girl that they should send email notificiation of receipt of all documentation whether its for a paper claim or a card claim and they should also accept email documentation as well. I'm not holding my breath but it would sure make things easier for me.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Oktoberfest
Today I went to an Oktoberfest at the rectory of our Church, hosted by my priest. What a great time I had.
Being a weight watcher and really serious about it now. ( That Cornea thing really burned me!) I saved up an extra 12 points to be able to accommodate the food that was sure to be there. This is, after all, a church gathering of adults and our motto is "Give them food and they will come!". And they always do.
I specifically did not eat dinner but had a snack that I planned for but did not plan enough for. I wanted a 3 point snack and I was at Dunkin Donuts getting my coffee, so I ordered what was sure to be an over priced cookie, sight unseen, and that was my first mistake. It was bigger than my hand. My three point cookie rapidly went to 5 plus my coffee so there goes that.
Being smart ( or being a "smart cookie" as Poodle would say), I compensated by drinking half a beer rather than an entire one. I had two brat's and one slice of cake. I was not only proud of myself, I wasn't hungry for anything else either.
On the exercise scene, I did the body sculpting session today ( 55 minutes) and did the entire thing, somewhere between beginner and advanced, depending on the moves. I haven't felt this good in a long time. So the answer is slowly but surely its starting to phase in the way I want to be so it doesn't bite anymore.
Back to Oktoberfest, the food was delicious. The Beer was wonderful. I hadn't been in the rectory since Fr Christopher came to town and it looks wonderful. I spent some time talking with what surely should have been my twin, she has the same name and spelling as mine and we share the same birthday - what are the odds of that? We are both musicians. She teaches my god daughter in school and we both sing with the same group in different seasons..... it's kind of weird to be honest. I sing with her mom in our church choir and I absolutely adore her! So it was kind of cool to be able to socialize with my twin and her husband tonight, they usually have the kids and they are so adorable but at a tough age for the parents to be able to socialize.
Both of us being musicians and singing with the same director during different seasons, she and her husband are going to come to the concert in November. I think I am going to have the two of them and her mom over for dinner some night. That would be fun. We'll talk about it in the morning at church.
All in all it was a nice and successful evening. I am really happy I was able to get there. I also wore a pair of pants I haven't even attempted to wear in two years and they looked pretty good.
I showed a big gain at the scales this morning, but honestly this has been a crazy week and I could make excuses but the reality is I had an awards banquet on Thursday, my cycle started on Friday and I am evidently retaining water in the event of a drought. I couldn't even put my rings on this morning and they were big on me to start with. By this evening I stood on my scale and some of the water has finally left my body. I am just watching the sodium intake to make sure that isn't playing a part.
Tomorrow I will try to start Pilate's. I need to keep some variety going or I get bored. I think got "it" back!
Being a weight watcher and really serious about it now. ( That Cornea thing really burned me!) I saved up an extra 12 points to be able to accommodate the food that was sure to be there. This is, after all, a church gathering of adults and our motto is "Give them food and they will come!". And they always do.
I specifically did not eat dinner but had a snack that I planned for but did not plan enough for. I wanted a 3 point snack and I was at Dunkin Donuts getting my coffee, so I ordered what was sure to be an over priced cookie, sight unseen, and that was my first mistake. It was bigger than my hand. My three point cookie rapidly went to 5 plus my coffee so there goes that.
Being smart ( or being a "smart cookie" as Poodle would say), I compensated by drinking half a beer rather than an entire one. I had two brat's and one slice of cake. I was not only proud of myself, I wasn't hungry for anything else either.
On the exercise scene, I did the body sculpting session today ( 55 minutes) and did the entire thing, somewhere between beginner and advanced, depending on the moves. I haven't felt this good in a long time. So the answer is slowly but surely its starting to phase in the way I want to be so it doesn't bite anymore.
Back to Oktoberfest, the food was delicious. The Beer was wonderful. I hadn't been in the rectory since Fr Christopher came to town and it looks wonderful. I spent some time talking with what surely should have been my twin, she has the same name and spelling as mine and we share the same birthday - what are the odds of that? We are both musicians. She teaches my god daughter in school and we both sing with the same group in different seasons..... it's kind of weird to be honest. I sing with her mom in our church choir and I absolutely adore her! So it was kind of cool to be able to socialize with my twin and her husband tonight, they usually have the kids and they are so adorable but at a tough age for the parents to be able to socialize.
Both of us being musicians and singing with the same director during different seasons, she and her husband are going to come to the concert in November. I think I am going to have the two of them and her mom over for dinner some night. That would be fun. We'll talk about it in the morning at church.
All in all it was a nice and successful evening. I am really happy I was able to get there. I also wore a pair of pants I haven't even attempted to wear in two years and they looked pretty good.
I showed a big gain at the scales this morning, but honestly this has been a crazy week and I could make excuses but the reality is I had an awards banquet on Thursday, my cycle started on Friday and I am evidently retaining water in the event of a drought. I couldn't even put my rings on this morning and they were big on me to start with. By this evening I stood on my scale and some of the water has finally left my body. I am just watching the sodium intake to make sure that isn't playing a part.
Tomorrow I will try to start Pilate's. I need to keep some variety going or I get bored. I think got "it" back!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Miscellaneous Stuff
This is a short post to let you know what's going on and I'll do a more detailed post tomorrow or later.
Tonight is the Installation to the Board of directors for the community service group that I am receiving the award for. The award presentation will be tonight as well. I am also being installed as a director. I am wearing the red dress and black shoes from the wedding as the dress I had ordered is back-ordered. sad. But I am sitting here with rollers in my hair getting ready to go. I am warming up my voice as I am also singing the National Anthem and trying to find a reasonable key which is looking like B Flat at the moment.... not my choice but people tend to join in so I try to make it reasonable. My personal choice for anyone who cares is D major. No one asked - but just in case !
Last night was the my first board meeting with this crew and it went really well - some awesome ideas. This looks to be an awesome year. I'll submit some pics when I get them.
The work out yesterday actually allows me to still move though I feel every movement I make amplified. I will continue because as luck would have it - I feel great. So it blows a little less.
OK Have to run - have to finish some work and get my hair out of rollers, I do look wired for sound!
Tonight is the Installation to the Board of directors for the community service group that I am receiving the award for. The award presentation will be tonight as well. I am also being installed as a director. I am wearing the red dress and black shoes from the wedding as the dress I had ordered is back-ordered. sad. But I am sitting here with rollers in my hair getting ready to go. I am warming up my voice as I am also singing the National Anthem and trying to find a reasonable key which is looking like B Flat at the moment.... not my choice but people tend to join in so I try to make it reasonable. My personal choice for anyone who cares is D major. No one asked - but just in case !
Last night was the my first board meeting with this crew and it went really well - some awesome ideas. This looks to be an awesome year. I'll submit some pics when I get them.
The work out yesterday actually allows me to still move though I feel every movement I make amplified. I will continue because as luck would have it - I feel great. So it blows a little less.
OK Have to run - have to finish some work and get my hair out of rollers, I do look wired for sound!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Wow exercize kinda blows
I'm sure I'll change my mind as I do more of it, but I have to tell you, exercize kinda blows.
I used to like it. I used to be addicted to it.
I can't imagine what happened and why I don't like it anymore.
I am the kind of person that has to be successful at what I do. I go after all the information available, test lots of different things - trial and error, I work hard to get better at whatever I take on.
So To start a program of exercize that I hve been wildly successful in my past and suck at it, really pissed me off. I have been walking steadily though so I was able to get more than halfway through the first 55 minute session. Not much past the halfway mark, but past it none the less which made me happy. I was exhausted after and thinking seriously about a nap. I didn't take one, just hydrated and then ate my lunch.
I know that I need to do this, and I know that I want to do this. The fire is lit inside me to get better at this. The benefit of course is that I will look better too. And my clothes will fit. Oh and I'll be healthy too - yeah I know that should have been first but life's full of choices. LOL
The Weight watchers plan is working great, my losses are small but mighty. My bigger issue is I am reacting heavily to sodium - more so than normal and I am assuming it has to do with the weather too. There has to be a way to make good foods without that much sodium. Seriously. I don't want to have to do EVERYTHING from scratch. I don't have that kind of time.
At the end of the day I am going to my program of 3 days a week ( MWF) for a couple of months and then see where we are at. My Goal is to be doing 100% of the workout with weights where I am supposed to in 3 months. If I can manage that, then changing the frequency or adding pilates is next. Depends on my mood.
But today was the hardest. It should get easier moving forward.
I used to like it. I used to be addicted to it.
I can't imagine what happened and why I don't like it anymore.
I am the kind of person that has to be successful at what I do. I go after all the information available, test lots of different things - trial and error, I work hard to get better at whatever I take on.
So To start a program of exercize that I hve been wildly successful in my past and suck at it, really pissed me off. I have been walking steadily though so I was able to get more than halfway through the first 55 minute session. Not much past the halfway mark, but past it none the less which made me happy. I was exhausted after and thinking seriously about a nap. I didn't take one, just hydrated and then ate my lunch.
I know that I need to do this, and I know that I want to do this. The fire is lit inside me to get better at this. The benefit of course is that I will look better too. And my clothes will fit. Oh and I'll be healthy too - yeah I know that should have been first but life's full of choices. LOL
The Weight watchers plan is working great, my losses are small but mighty. My bigger issue is I am reacting heavily to sodium - more so than normal and I am assuming it has to do with the weather too. There has to be a way to make good foods without that much sodium. Seriously. I don't want to have to do EVERYTHING from scratch. I don't have that kind of time.
At the end of the day I am going to my program of 3 days a week ( MWF) for a couple of months and then see where we are at. My Goal is to be doing 100% of the workout with weights where I am supposed to in 3 months. If I can manage that, then changing the frequency or adding pilates is next. Depends on my mood.
But today was the hardest. It should get easier moving forward.
Monday, October 09, 2006
and there goes my patience
After the raw rough emotion of the weekend I woke up much more content back to my old self.
Except that I have a short fuse.
Now, those of you who know me know I have a fairly long fuse but when we get to the end - run for cover. I am, after all, my father's daughter.
I worked today. I had a lot of things to get done. I am dealing with the move of my order entry hub from MO to Buenos Aires. I have to be honest here, this move is quite possibly the worst decision I have had to deal with. And I had nothing to do with it.
I spend an inordinate amount of time, explaining to them how they need to write my orders, how fast it needs to be done and I am escalating right and left to get things done in a timely fashion as there really isn't an reasonable explanation I can provide to my customer for delays outside of 48 hours.
Not that I am expecting any of you to have to deal or even understand this, but the extra time that I need to take out of day to manage them when I didn't have to manage the weldon Springs, MO group at all is making me nuts.
So my patience was short to start with, its Monday and this is taking up most of my time.
For my job I keep several different instant message systems up. AOL occasionally, Lotus notes Sametime and Windows Communicator. I like Communicator the best out of all three, in the event you were wondering about my opinion. One thing that is a pet peeve of mine, is people who have entire conversations on it in place of the phone. Now it's one thing when you are on a conf call, but something else entirely when I am just sitting here working on my spreadsheets. My true pet peeve about it largely deals with the fact that if I am just sitting here typing conversation back and forth with my co-workers than chances are neither of us is getting much done. sure once in a blue on a slow day during the moratorium maybe but every day I have co-workers who do this. Then to hit me line after line after line while I am trying to respond to the first comment?????
Normally, I yell at the lap top and tell whoever it is to shut up. today I was so incensed with my lack of patience that I shut all three down altogether. I offered up the suggestion to call me while I am typing so as not to seem anti-social. I wanted to chat but I really had to get this stuff done. I don't want to be pressured tomorrow like I am every week to get all these reports out and the client was on holiday today so I was making the most of a semi day off. I also have a truckload of orders to put in tomorrow.
I was a little bit stressed about teaching today too.... I was afraid that I would lose my patience with my kids but I was OK with them. They can pull me out of that mood really easily which is my patience isn't suffering now. I taught Gil and Jen today and they did pretty good.
So now I am driving home and it's dark out, I can't find my glasses and I notice that my right eye ( the one that had the torn cornea) vision has degraded substantially. everything is blurry until I am close enough to touch it. This is not acceptable to me. I have a sinking feeling that this is scarring of the cornea and I am praying that can be addressed. The other thing that scares me is the steroid drops degrading the vision. I have an appt on the 20th. So I am trying to adjust to this. My left eye is perfect - no problem. I am planning to call the doctor tomorrow though just to ask about this.
I had called my best friend, Jax, last night while sitting in the drive through line at McD's for the eternity that it seemed like. She called me back this evening between kids. she couldn't believe how angry I was last night and how impatient I was today. I know that this is part of my grieving process - I recognized it immediately.
Its getting back to normal around here! Slowly Slowly....
Except that I have a short fuse.
Now, those of you who know me know I have a fairly long fuse but when we get to the end - run for cover. I am, after all, my father's daughter.
I worked today. I had a lot of things to get done. I am dealing with the move of my order entry hub from MO to Buenos Aires. I have to be honest here, this move is quite possibly the worst decision I have had to deal with. And I had nothing to do with it.
I spend an inordinate amount of time, explaining to them how they need to write my orders, how fast it needs to be done and I am escalating right and left to get things done in a timely fashion as there really isn't an reasonable explanation I can provide to my customer for delays outside of 48 hours.
Not that I am expecting any of you to have to deal or even understand this, but the extra time that I need to take out of day to manage them when I didn't have to manage the weldon Springs, MO group at all is making me nuts.
So my patience was short to start with, its Monday and this is taking up most of my time.
For my job I keep several different instant message systems up. AOL occasionally, Lotus notes Sametime and Windows Communicator. I like Communicator the best out of all three, in the event you were wondering about my opinion. One thing that is a pet peeve of mine, is people who have entire conversations on it in place of the phone. Now it's one thing when you are on a conf call, but something else entirely when I am just sitting here working on my spreadsheets. My true pet peeve about it largely deals with the fact that if I am just sitting here typing conversation back and forth with my co-workers than chances are neither of us is getting much done. sure once in a blue on a slow day during the moratorium maybe but every day I have co-workers who do this. Then to hit me line after line after line while I am trying to respond to the first comment?????
Normally, I yell at the lap top and tell whoever it is to shut up. today I was so incensed with my lack of patience that I shut all three down altogether. I offered up the suggestion to call me while I am typing so as not to seem anti-social. I wanted to chat but I really had to get this stuff done. I don't want to be pressured tomorrow like I am every week to get all these reports out and the client was on holiday today so I was making the most of a semi day off. I also have a truckload of orders to put in tomorrow.
I was a little bit stressed about teaching today too.... I was afraid that I would lose my patience with my kids but I was OK with them. They can pull me out of that mood really easily which is my patience isn't suffering now. I taught Gil and Jen today and they did pretty good.
So now I am driving home and it's dark out, I can't find my glasses and I notice that my right eye ( the one that had the torn cornea) vision has degraded substantially. everything is blurry until I am close enough to touch it. This is not acceptable to me. I have a sinking feeling that this is scarring of the cornea and I am praying that can be addressed. The other thing that scares me is the steroid drops degrading the vision. I have an appt on the 20th. So I am trying to adjust to this. My left eye is perfect - no problem. I am planning to call the doctor tomorrow though just to ask about this.
I had called my best friend, Jax, last night while sitting in the drive through line at McD's for the eternity that it seemed like. She called me back this evening between kids. she couldn't believe how angry I was last night and how impatient I was today. I know that this is part of my grieving process - I recognized it immediately.
Its getting back to normal around here! Slowly Slowly....
Sunday, October 08, 2006
the last Indian standing
Tonight was the last funeral and it was the hardest for me. Yesterday was Larry's. I loved Larry, but he was ill for a long time and I think he died of a broken heart. Tonight was Doris'. That was particularly rough as she only went to the hospital - perfectly healthy I might add - to have cataract surgery. The minister at the memorial service was barely getting through the service himself. I found myself crying during his sermon. Doris was a COOL lady and she was 79. Her husband is devastated. and I don't blame him.
Anyway after all these services, I realized that I was not fit company for polite civilized company. So I walked out of my rehearsal very early as everything there was pissing me off and went home. On my way I stopped and had a big mac, I can't tell you how long its been since I have eaten one of those. The drive through line had three cars on it and we were there for 20 minutes. evidently the first car was getting enough food to send to the troops overseas. Once we got there they handed me my order and I drove home. I normally check before pulling away for accuracy. Hell, most of the kids working there don't even necessarily speak English THAT well. I didn't and I was sorry - the Iced Tea I asked for came to me as Hi-C. I was a little bit annoyed. Just one more thing to add to my night.
Since I know I am angry I opted to not talk on the phone. though I did return some calls to people who weren't home, so I didn't speak to them just to their machines and warned them nicely not to call back tonight. I spoke to one friend of mine who knows how I can be at these times and is very calming. After that, I played a computer game that required major concentration. I needed something to focus my aggressions on and this seemed to be the ticket as no one gets hurt ( well except for the witches and wizards in the game and I am telling you that stupid dragon is gonna be next!). I am feeling better after that game to be honest. I could be fit for polite society again after all. I just left with a lot of rage and anger tonight. All the little stuff I normally do not care about was just aggravating me to the point of anger.
I needed quiet time today and seriously was not getting it. I tried to watch a movie and lay down but i picked the wrong movie. I chose Syrianna. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD choice. I couldn't focus and I had really been interested in seeing this. I was disgusted and annoyed after the first 40 minutes and fell asleep - for 10 minutes when the phone rang, the rest of my afternoon went right along the same way. So I gave up, showered and got ready for the memorial service. You know the rest.
Its too much to have this many deaths and one pending happen so fast. It looks like my grandmother has spit in the eye of death one more time as she will be released from the hospital to a nursing home for a short term visit temporarily. That will give my mom the chance to recharge her batteries as she is suffering too. Lack of sleep, stress and always wondering and worrying what happens next. She started working out and I am going to do the same starting tomorrow. It's just better over all to manage my stress.
I'll be better after a good nights sleep. Lord knows I need it. I am headed there as soon as friends is over ( 10 minutes from now). I'll be better in the morning once I have one day not to be in a church of mourners. I am feeling sad for these families. I even feel sad for Diva's husband. I know what this feels like from their perspective. I still want to call my dad on the phone and tell him things. I forget sometimes. Its normal, I am told by my priest. I talk to him about these things when the going gets rough, which helps. We are the same age within months and we get along great.
Anyway - things will be back to normal in the morning - I will be my normal chipper self!
Anyway after all these services, I realized that I was not fit company for polite civilized company. So I walked out of my rehearsal very early as everything there was pissing me off and went home. On my way I stopped and had a big mac, I can't tell you how long its been since I have eaten one of those. The drive through line had three cars on it and we were there for 20 minutes. evidently the first car was getting enough food to send to the troops overseas. Once we got there they handed me my order and I drove home. I normally check before pulling away for accuracy. Hell, most of the kids working there don't even necessarily speak English THAT well. I didn't and I was sorry - the Iced Tea I asked for came to me as Hi-C. I was a little bit annoyed. Just one more thing to add to my night.
Since I know I am angry I opted to not talk on the phone. though I did return some calls to people who weren't home, so I didn't speak to them just to their machines and warned them nicely not to call back tonight. I spoke to one friend of mine who knows how I can be at these times and is very calming. After that, I played a computer game that required major concentration. I needed something to focus my aggressions on and this seemed to be the ticket as no one gets hurt ( well except for the witches and wizards in the game and I am telling you that stupid dragon is gonna be next!). I am feeling better after that game to be honest. I could be fit for polite society again after all. I just left with a lot of rage and anger tonight. All the little stuff I normally do not care about was just aggravating me to the point of anger.
I needed quiet time today and seriously was not getting it. I tried to watch a movie and lay down but i picked the wrong movie. I chose Syrianna. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD choice. I couldn't focus and I had really been interested in seeing this. I was disgusted and annoyed after the first 40 minutes and fell asleep - for 10 minutes when the phone rang, the rest of my afternoon went right along the same way. So I gave up, showered and got ready for the memorial service. You know the rest.
Its too much to have this many deaths and one pending happen so fast. It looks like my grandmother has spit in the eye of death one more time as she will be released from the hospital to a nursing home for a short term visit temporarily. That will give my mom the chance to recharge her batteries as she is suffering too. Lack of sleep, stress and always wondering and worrying what happens next. She started working out and I am going to do the same starting tomorrow. It's just better over all to manage my stress.
I'll be better after a good nights sleep. Lord knows I need it. I am headed there as soon as friends is over ( 10 minutes from now). I'll be better in the morning once I have one day not to be in a church of mourners. I am feeling sad for these families. I even feel sad for Diva's husband. I know what this feels like from their perspective. I still want to call my dad on the phone and tell him things. I forget sometimes. Its normal, I am told by my priest. I talk to him about these things when the going gets rough, which helps. We are the same age within months and we get along great.
Anyway - things will be back to normal in the morning - I will be my normal chipper self!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
I figured out why I am so Blue
For the past week I have been a little bit down. Not so much that most people would notice, but those close to me did. I had no idea why - it just hit me.
Nothing major, no crying jags. Just not feeling "my usual bouncy" self. Less bounce to ounce so to speak. There really wasn't anything I could put my finger on. Fall is here and I LOVE this season, the weather, the colors, the clothing, the food, the smells - I mean YUM. So this melancholy that descended on me was kind of weird.
Physically I am feeling ok. Work is no more stressful than it normally is. My family is doing OK. Except for my step dad's mom. She's ill and she's in the hospital. Her mind has been drifting to the past a lot lately more and more and things haven't been going well there. She is 101. It's not too uncommon but it is sad as she's a tough strong independent woman. She has her opinions and she is super lady - so this is difficult to watch and my parents are having a tough time with her at home.
That alone isn't enough to bring on this melancholy though it is certainly a contributing factor. Then when I really got to thinking about that, it occured to me that last week Dennis passed away at age 50. Then today Howie, our IT guy in my NYC office, passed away from a sever asthma attack. That was kind of freaky being an asthmatic myself. They pulled the plug on the life support with him. It happened over the weekend. Then it occurred to me that my friend of 25 years is doing the same thing with her mother on Monday. Which is really sad for me as her parents are so wonderful and I adore them so. As if that wasn't enough, Larry passed away yesterday and though he was older and suffered from Parkinsons, he was a friend of my step mom's parents ( I knew her father well).
Just when you think, who else could possibly die that the Contessa knows? Diva's husband's grandmother ( who raised him).
No one specifically close to me, but I knew all of these people well. I would grieve anyway but this was like a slam dunk for me. 5 people in 9 days.
I am reasonably sure that the melancholy is due to this.
I have a few funerals to attend now. I will be singing at Larry's with my church choir on Saturday morning. I did not attend the funeral for Diva's Husband grandmother. I don't feel guilty about that either. Neither one of them has been "friends" of mine for over a year now. Almost 2 actually. Her husband is still very angry though I am unclear on why he is angry with me. I also no longer care. The point is I was not comfortable with this so I did not go, but I did send a card. Whatever takes place with Doris I will be there in whatever capacity that Nancy wants me to be.
I had to pick and choose the funerals to attend you see. I still can't "do" funerals real well since my dad passed 3 years ago. I can handle them to a degree but I don't do the viewings if I can avoid it and I prefer to "work" the funeral in an official capacity as soloist even for those I know as it keeps me focused.
I will say that writing it here was very cathartic for me. I feel the haze lifting as I type to be honest. At least I know what caused this melancholy is so I can deal with it.
Nothing major, no crying jags. Just not feeling "my usual bouncy" self. Less bounce to ounce so to speak. There really wasn't anything I could put my finger on. Fall is here and I LOVE this season, the weather, the colors, the clothing, the food, the smells - I mean YUM. So this melancholy that descended on me was kind of weird.
Physically I am feeling ok. Work is no more stressful than it normally is. My family is doing OK. Except for my step dad's mom. She's ill and she's in the hospital. Her mind has been drifting to the past a lot lately more and more and things haven't been going well there. She is 101. It's not too uncommon but it is sad as she's a tough strong independent woman. She has her opinions and she is super lady - so this is difficult to watch and my parents are having a tough time with her at home.
That alone isn't enough to bring on this melancholy though it is certainly a contributing factor. Then when I really got to thinking about that, it occured to me that last week Dennis passed away at age 50. Then today Howie, our IT guy in my NYC office, passed away from a sever asthma attack. That was kind of freaky being an asthmatic myself. They pulled the plug on the life support with him. It happened over the weekend. Then it occurred to me that my friend of 25 years is doing the same thing with her mother on Monday. Which is really sad for me as her parents are so wonderful and I adore them so. As if that wasn't enough, Larry passed away yesterday and though he was older and suffered from Parkinsons, he was a friend of my step mom's parents ( I knew her father well).
Just when you think, who else could possibly die that the Contessa knows? Diva's husband's grandmother ( who raised him).
No one specifically close to me, but I knew all of these people well. I would grieve anyway but this was like a slam dunk for me. 5 people in 9 days.
I am reasonably sure that the melancholy is due to this.
I have a few funerals to attend now. I will be singing at Larry's with my church choir on Saturday morning. I did not attend the funeral for Diva's Husband grandmother. I don't feel guilty about that either. Neither one of them has been "friends" of mine for over a year now. Almost 2 actually. Her husband is still very angry though I am unclear on why he is angry with me. I also no longer care. The point is I was not comfortable with this so I did not go, but I did send a card. Whatever takes place with Doris I will be there in whatever capacity that Nancy wants me to be.
I had to pick and choose the funerals to attend you see. I still can't "do" funerals real well since my dad passed 3 years ago. I can handle them to a degree but I don't do the viewings if I can avoid it and I prefer to "work" the funeral in an official capacity as soloist even for those I know as it keeps me focused.
I will say that writing it here was very cathartic for me. I feel the haze lifting as I type to be honest. At least I know what caused this melancholy is so I can deal with it.
The bird never flies far from the nest
Many people didn't believe me when I said that being the only unmarried child in my family didn't bother me. But it's true.
I say this because Autumn is here. My housekeeper left after cleaning house on Monday and I walked in to a peaceful environment. And a sweeping sense on contentment filled me. I started to think about what it would be like to share my space with someone that I had vowed to love till death do we part. I don't know if I know HOW to share on those terms. I'm sure I can learn - most people do. It just occurred to me that at this point in time I am not sure that I want to compromise. Anything.
Thats not to say that if the right man came along and all things being equal, I would say "sorry not willling to compromise". I'm not stupid. But I'm not kiling myself looking right now.
So now that its fall, I come home, I turn on my rock fountain in the foyer, remove my shoes and survey my home. You know what I see? I see my humidifier humming quietly in the corner ( It does not need to in the summer as the humidity is higher) keeping my skn and my piano healthy, my candles waiting to be lit and fill the air with pumpkin or fireside smells ( in summer its clean cotton or ocean side), my kitchen with it's homey french provincial wall paper, my bathroom with the multitude of bath salts and bubble baths and my bedroom with my wicker ceiling fan and the most comfortable bed on earth. And I am filled with a sense of calm. I always wanted my home to have this feeling when I arrived in it. I have the foundation in place and I intend to continue it.
The other things that make me so content now are my food systems ( lots of slow cooking in croc pots, different cheeses, roasts, stews and soups) and my exercize routines. I hate working out in the heat. Mostly what happens to me in the fall is the basic nesting instinct. I spend a lot more time cooking for myself good wholesome healthy foods, I pull out my fall and winter clothes, my snuggly pj's, drink hot tea and mostly I organize like mad.
I did my kitchen cabinets over the weekend. I completed re-organized them now that I have lived with this kitchen for two years. The cabinets originally made sense, now they make MORE sense and I am finding it easier to keep them this way. Clothing closets are next.
Fall is truly one of my favorite seasons. I think I am the best version of myself in the fall. The colors I love, the smells, the weather, the foods. All of these things make me happy and give me that overall sense of peace and contentment. I looked back on previous falls in my life and it always makes me feel peaceful.
I was talking that over today with my friend Jenna. She and I live close by and try to meet for coffee on the days that all 4 of her kids are in school. Today we were going to meet in a starbucks that honestly, I thought I knew how to get there however I got lost and we were short on time to start with. So she picked up my coffee for me and we ended up back at her house. We had our coffee and caught up. We talked about men( because we ALWAYS do that - both hers and mine! ), we talked about jobs, mutual friends, meanwhile her 3 year old daughter was cooking for us in the pretend kitchen. We got around to talking about fair weather friend and how we are going to have dinner soon. We were talking about different foods and what not. We found out that we both LOVE fall. We can't get enough of it. The clothes, the food, the colors, the hair, the holidays.
I found that to be so funny that she feels the same way about this season. Its not a common discussion point - I don't normally ask my friends "What is the best season for to feel like the best version of you?" That's a crazy question. But we both do.
we are not going be having our Halloween party this year and it almost feels weird. Usually we are running around planning our costumes. So this is another weird thing.
All in all - this fall feels nice, the weather is cool enough and sleeping is good. I am content.
I say this because Autumn is here. My housekeeper left after cleaning house on Monday and I walked in to a peaceful environment. And a sweeping sense on contentment filled me. I started to think about what it would be like to share my space with someone that I had vowed to love till death do we part. I don't know if I know HOW to share on those terms. I'm sure I can learn - most people do. It just occurred to me that at this point in time I am not sure that I want to compromise. Anything.
Thats not to say that if the right man came along and all things being equal, I would say "sorry not willling to compromise". I'm not stupid. But I'm not kiling myself looking right now.
So now that its fall, I come home, I turn on my rock fountain in the foyer, remove my shoes and survey my home. You know what I see? I see my humidifier humming quietly in the corner ( It does not need to in the summer as the humidity is higher) keeping my skn and my piano healthy, my candles waiting to be lit and fill the air with pumpkin or fireside smells ( in summer its clean cotton or ocean side), my kitchen with it's homey french provincial wall paper, my bathroom with the multitude of bath salts and bubble baths and my bedroom with my wicker ceiling fan and the most comfortable bed on earth. And I am filled with a sense of calm. I always wanted my home to have this feeling when I arrived in it. I have the foundation in place and I intend to continue it.
The other things that make me so content now are my food systems ( lots of slow cooking in croc pots, different cheeses, roasts, stews and soups) and my exercize routines. I hate working out in the heat. Mostly what happens to me in the fall is the basic nesting instinct. I spend a lot more time cooking for myself good wholesome healthy foods, I pull out my fall and winter clothes, my snuggly pj's, drink hot tea and mostly I organize like mad.
I did my kitchen cabinets over the weekend. I completed re-organized them now that I have lived with this kitchen for two years. The cabinets originally made sense, now they make MORE sense and I am finding it easier to keep them this way. Clothing closets are next.
Fall is truly one of my favorite seasons. I think I am the best version of myself in the fall. The colors I love, the smells, the weather, the foods. All of these things make me happy and give me that overall sense of peace and contentment. I looked back on previous falls in my life and it always makes me feel peaceful.
I was talking that over today with my friend Jenna. She and I live close by and try to meet for coffee on the days that all 4 of her kids are in school. Today we were going to meet in a starbucks that honestly, I thought I knew how to get there however I got lost and we were short on time to start with. So she picked up my coffee for me and we ended up back at her house. We had our coffee and caught up. We talked about men( because we ALWAYS do that - both hers and mine! ), we talked about jobs, mutual friends, meanwhile her 3 year old daughter was cooking for us in the pretend kitchen. We got around to talking about fair weather friend and how we are going to have dinner soon. We were talking about different foods and what not. We found out that we both LOVE fall. We can't get enough of it. The clothes, the food, the colors, the hair, the holidays.
I found that to be so funny that she feels the same way about this season. Its not a common discussion point - I don't normally ask my friends "What is the best season for to feel like the best version of you?" That's a crazy question. But we both do.
we are not going be having our Halloween party this year and it almost feels weird. Usually we are running around planning our costumes. So this is another weird thing.
All in all - this fall feels nice, the weather is cool enough and sleeping is good. I am content.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Bless all the animals
In honor St. Francis, My little episcopal church did a blessing of the animals.
Wolfi usually makes an appearance. He likes the activity, being outside, seeing his buddies.
Bandit is not exactly sociable. In fact for the first year I wasn't sure he even liked me. However he turned a corner and now loves to cuddle and play. He's just not as "Hey look at me!!!!" as Wolfi is.
Needless to say I got out the BIG carrier and bribed Bandit with treats. I got him in. Closed the door and picked up the other little man and the sneak got it and booked under bed - in the middle.
I'm out of time, so Wolfi is the only one going. One minor hitch, he hates the carrier and made that clear with the "car meow". You cat owners will be familiar (new cat owners be prepared) with this phenomenon. Your seemingly nice cat who meows quietly or even the rambunctious raucous ones during play, will be AMAZED at the sound and depth of the meow of a cat in the car.
We aren't even on the elevator yet - and he starts that. I blame myself. When he made the hospital trip, the carrier was MIA so he rode in the car without it. So he knows the difference and it wasn't that long ago.
I get there nice and early so that as it starts to fill up the noise level goes up slowly. He's doing OK - I take him out of the carrier as I want him not to be at the same level as the dogs on leashes. He's much more relaxed and happy that way. I make sure he and I are first on line after the prayers. He loves Fr. Christopher. He's been to the house twice to visit and Wolfi just loves him. It's mutual. Most people who meet either of them tend to love them so it's no stretch that they love each other.
I put him in the car with his carrier and I sit with him. I am waiting for my step mom to get the dog blessed. wolfi is not entirely fond of Liesel but that's OK.
It was a wonderful day and the blessing was a success. For my own part, the best was when I got home and released Wolfi. He ran right up to Bandit, they stood nose to nose chatting amongst themselves. If I had to imagine what they were saying it would have gone like this:
"Wow I'm back - man you should have been there!"
"Really what was it like???"
" Well the big box with the cage was a drag, but the big one who calls herself Mama took me out when we got there, only she held me the whole time"
"There's no WAY you were getting me in that box"
" It wasn't so bad, once you get used to it - its kind of roomie"
" She wouldn't have let me out. You know I used to LIVE outside - I was born there"
" So was I, hello, do you EVER listen to me?"
" So who was there? Anyone I know?"
" Liesel was there, she's gotten big - she had on a HIDEOUS collar. Tigger couldn't' make it, his mom had no time to get home. Sammy was there, but he and Liesel aren't speaking - I don't know why but I'm sure Freckles was involved.
" Freckles? I heard he got the axe!"
"Nah - he moved that's all"
"Anyone else - Any "newbies"?
" some new dog - not sure what her deal is, she looks like she's been through the mill - we talked a bit, but she won't say who did those things to her. She's getting help though. There was another cage with some babies of our kind. Tigger's mom seemed interested since she lost one. Luther won't like it though I can tell you. "
" Wow sounds like a lot of folks turned out for this one"
" yeah - they had those snacks that you chase and Catch too. Mama wouldn't let me near them though."
" I LOVE those. Darn I should have gone.
" Let's go lay down I've had a long day."
" Sounds Good!"
My boys like to dish! And me without my camera..... Sad.
Wolfi usually makes an appearance. He likes the activity, being outside, seeing his buddies.
Bandit is not exactly sociable. In fact for the first year I wasn't sure he even liked me. However he turned a corner and now loves to cuddle and play. He's just not as "Hey look at me!!!!" as Wolfi is.
Needless to say I got out the BIG carrier and bribed Bandit with treats. I got him in. Closed the door and picked up the other little man and the sneak got it and booked under bed - in the middle.
I'm out of time, so Wolfi is the only one going. One minor hitch, he hates the carrier and made that clear with the "car meow". You cat owners will be familiar (new cat owners be prepared) with this phenomenon. Your seemingly nice cat who meows quietly or even the rambunctious raucous ones during play, will be AMAZED at the sound and depth of the meow of a cat in the car.
We aren't even on the elevator yet - and he starts that. I blame myself. When he made the hospital trip, the carrier was MIA so he rode in the car without it. So he knows the difference and it wasn't that long ago.
I get there nice and early so that as it starts to fill up the noise level goes up slowly. He's doing OK - I take him out of the carrier as I want him not to be at the same level as the dogs on leashes. He's much more relaxed and happy that way. I make sure he and I are first on line after the prayers. He loves Fr. Christopher. He's been to the house twice to visit and Wolfi just loves him. It's mutual. Most people who meet either of them tend to love them so it's no stretch that they love each other.
I put him in the car with his carrier and I sit with him. I am waiting for my step mom to get the dog blessed. wolfi is not entirely fond of Liesel but that's OK.
It was a wonderful day and the blessing was a success. For my own part, the best was when I got home and released Wolfi. He ran right up to Bandit, they stood nose to nose chatting amongst themselves. If I had to imagine what they were saying it would have gone like this:
"Wow I'm back - man you should have been there!"
"Really what was it like???"
" Well the big box with the cage was a drag, but the big one who calls herself Mama took me out when we got there, only she held me the whole time"
"There's no WAY you were getting me in that box"
" It wasn't so bad, once you get used to it - its kind of roomie"
" She wouldn't have let me out. You know I used to LIVE outside - I was born there"
" So was I, hello, do you EVER listen to me?"
" So who was there? Anyone I know?"
" Liesel was there, she's gotten big - she had on a HIDEOUS collar. Tigger couldn't' make it, his mom had no time to get home. Sammy was there, but he and Liesel aren't speaking - I don't know why but I'm sure Freckles was involved.
" Freckles? I heard he got the axe!"
"Nah - he moved that's all"
"Anyone else - Any "newbies"?
" some new dog - not sure what her deal is, she looks like she's been through the mill - we talked a bit, but she won't say who did those things to her. She's getting help though. There was another cage with some babies of our kind. Tigger's mom seemed interested since she lost one. Luther won't like it though I can tell you. "
" Wow sounds like a lot of folks turned out for this one"
" yeah - they had those snacks that you chase and Catch too. Mama wouldn't let me near them though."
" I LOVE those. Darn I should have gone.
" Let's go lay down I've had a long day."
" Sounds Good!"
My boys like to dish! And me without my camera..... Sad.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense
Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and Maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. He declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer corporal punishment, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Friday, September 29, 2006
The eyes have it
Most of you don't know it, but I have a really weird body in terms of how things go wrong and what is wrong.
I consider these "challenges" to be God's way of making me stronger though sometimes they are tough to take.
For example I have the triumvirate. Asthma ( though its only congestive now, the viral is gone), allergies and eczema. All are related and each one compromises the immune system as a whole. That does not mean you are Immuno-suppressed. That is different and I want to point that out right away. What it means is that you have an immune system that is not behaving normally. It might be quicker to heal in some areas and slower in others. It also means that you will be more susceptible to illness.
My immune system is compromised. That was a tough nut to swallow. Ironically it was my Opthamologist that pointed it out and explained it to me.
You see people with a compromised immune system caused by the things that I have, can sometimes ( more frequently than not though you may not know it) have what is called a reactive cornea.
This is an interesting development. As you may remember, After the wedding, I tore my cornea. I was on the phone with Jax when it happened. I was using a head set and I was sitting calmly on the couch. I did not touch my face and there was nothing to indicate how this happened. It just did. It wasn't immediately painful.
This is not the first time either. Two years ago this happened right before the Diva's wedding. Horrific pain then.... not so much now. The tear was in a different place than the first time.
The treatment this time didn't move as quickly as the last time either. That scared the hell out of me to be honest. I see this doctor every single day. twice in fact, per day. And even though its only a co-pay - its starting to mount up. Though that's the least of my problems.
The treatment is first two days hourly drops of an antibiotic called Zymar. Most people don't have problems with that. My eye considers this a hostile environment. That's the reactive cornea at work. So on the third day, my doctor is hemming and hawing and finally stands up and says he wants a second opinion. He leaves the room and comes back with another doctor from the practice. He looks at my eye and says "Jon - this is a classic case". And he recommends treatment, they confer a minute or two longer and he leaves.
My doctor chooses to gloss over these events like they didn't happen. Meanwhile my eye still looks like I've been in a bar fight. So I ask him what a reactive cornea means to me. His answer in a nutshell is that when ANYTHING enters my eye, my cornea becomes an overly hostile environment. The drops are working fine on the tear but they are causing major swelling of the eye and the vessels are all swollen up which is actually slowing down the healing process. So what's the answer? Cortisone drops. Twice a day in addition to the antibiotic 4 times a day.
I'm not caring a whole lot that I have steroid drops to be honest. I just need my vision back and the eye to look normal again.
The reactive cornea is very common in people with compromised immune systems, so you know that means right?
The plan just changed.
I am no longer JUST losing weight. I am losing weight, exercising and doing it in a way that will help me boost my immune system. I am now researching this and reading up on it. There has to be SOMETHING I can do to help prevent this from happening again. The pain alone is worth doing the work here. Its indescribable. If you will, imagine the pain of a migraine. Now multiply it by 100. put it in one eye area. And no drugs to stop it. Waves of pain over longer periods of time and light sensitivity that is unbearable. So you see my incentive.
I was depressed after the wedding as I am not happy with the pictures and I feel really really really fat. It was discouraging in so many ways. But this gave me the motivation that I really needed to get moving.
And after one day with the new drops - I look normal again! Yippee - looking in a mirror no longer scares me.
Lets have a show of hands for who thinks this is a great twist to a good plan?
And the "eyes" have it!
I consider these "challenges" to be God's way of making me stronger though sometimes they are tough to take.
For example I have the triumvirate. Asthma ( though its only congestive now, the viral is gone), allergies and eczema. All are related and each one compromises the immune system as a whole. That does not mean you are Immuno-suppressed. That is different and I want to point that out right away. What it means is that you have an immune system that is not behaving normally. It might be quicker to heal in some areas and slower in others. It also means that you will be more susceptible to illness.
My immune system is compromised. That was a tough nut to swallow. Ironically it was my Opthamologist that pointed it out and explained it to me.
You see people with a compromised immune system caused by the things that I have, can sometimes ( more frequently than not though you may not know it) have what is called a reactive cornea.
This is an interesting development. As you may remember, After the wedding, I tore my cornea. I was on the phone with Jax when it happened. I was using a head set and I was sitting calmly on the couch. I did not touch my face and there was nothing to indicate how this happened. It just did. It wasn't immediately painful.
This is not the first time either. Two years ago this happened right before the Diva's wedding. Horrific pain then.... not so much now. The tear was in a different place than the first time.
The treatment this time didn't move as quickly as the last time either. That scared the hell out of me to be honest. I see this doctor every single day. twice in fact, per day. And even though its only a co-pay - its starting to mount up. Though that's the least of my problems.
The treatment is first two days hourly drops of an antibiotic called Zymar. Most people don't have problems with that. My eye considers this a hostile environment. That's the reactive cornea at work. So on the third day, my doctor is hemming and hawing and finally stands up and says he wants a second opinion. He leaves the room and comes back with another doctor from the practice. He looks at my eye and says "Jon - this is a classic case". And he recommends treatment, they confer a minute or two longer and he leaves.
My doctor chooses to gloss over these events like they didn't happen. Meanwhile my eye still looks like I've been in a bar fight. So I ask him what a reactive cornea means to me. His answer in a nutshell is that when ANYTHING enters my eye, my cornea becomes an overly hostile environment. The drops are working fine on the tear but they are causing major swelling of the eye and the vessels are all swollen up which is actually slowing down the healing process. So what's the answer? Cortisone drops. Twice a day in addition to the antibiotic 4 times a day.
I'm not caring a whole lot that I have steroid drops to be honest. I just need my vision back and the eye to look normal again.
The reactive cornea is very common in people with compromised immune systems, so you know that means right?
The plan just changed.
I am no longer JUST losing weight. I am losing weight, exercising and doing it in a way that will help me boost my immune system. I am now researching this and reading up on it. There has to be SOMETHING I can do to help prevent this from happening again. The pain alone is worth doing the work here. Its indescribable. If you will, imagine the pain of a migraine. Now multiply it by 100. put it in one eye area. And no drugs to stop it. Waves of pain over longer periods of time and light sensitivity that is unbearable. So you see my incentive.
I was depressed after the wedding as I am not happy with the pictures and I feel really really really fat. It was discouraging in so many ways. But this gave me the motivation that I really needed to get moving.
And after one day with the new drops - I look normal again! Yippee - looking in a mirror no longer scares me.
Lets have a show of hands for who thinks this is a great twist to a good plan?
And the "eyes" have it!
Death of a salesman
As I am busy recovering my vision in my eye with a strict regimen of drops and ointment, I receive an email from a former customer and continued friend. Her email is very cut and dried and forward from the consultant to the customer who I have worked with in the past.
Dennis, the former IT director, has passed away in a tragic accident.
I am stunned and saddened. This big man, large as life, dedicated to his family and his job, who believed that the people who worked for him had amazing potential and worked with them to realize it, died in a tragic car accident.
The accident was so bad that the consultant, a long time friend of Dennis', had to bring dental records to identify him.
He was young too, in his 50's.
He had grown children, a wife, and grandchildren who meant the world to him.
Something is wrong. It shouldn't have been his time.
It doesn't matter that he no longer worked for the same customer (neither do I), or that I left before he did ( Which I did). What matters is that while we were on the same assignment he was a generous, intelligent and patient man to work with. I enjoyed those meetings with him tremendously and while there are some decisions that he made that I do not agree with, and I am sure the same thing applied to me, there was mutual respect.
I am truly saddened to hear this news and I spent a lot of time with my friend on the phone letting her talk it out and vent. She can't travel to the funeral ( which is today in Georgia) as the company is sending a delegation from NY.
He wasn't a salesman - he was a brilliant communications guy. Either way, his death is a tragedy that truly hit me when I least expected it.
Dennis - my prayers are with you. I hope that you went quickly and without pain. I know that you love your family without question.
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
The 23rd Psalm of David~
Rest In Peace Dennis Southern.
Dennis, the former IT director, has passed away in a tragic accident.
I am stunned and saddened. This big man, large as life, dedicated to his family and his job, who believed that the people who worked for him had amazing potential and worked with them to realize it, died in a tragic car accident.
The accident was so bad that the consultant, a long time friend of Dennis', had to bring dental records to identify him.
He was young too, in his 50's.
He had grown children, a wife, and grandchildren who meant the world to him.
Something is wrong. It shouldn't have been his time.
It doesn't matter that he no longer worked for the same customer (neither do I), or that I left before he did ( Which I did). What matters is that while we were on the same assignment he was a generous, intelligent and patient man to work with. I enjoyed those meetings with him tremendously and while there are some decisions that he made that I do not agree with, and I am sure the same thing applied to me, there was mutual respect.
I am truly saddened to hear this news and I spent a lot of time with my friend on the phone letting her talk it out and vent. She can't travel to the funeral ( which is today in Georgia) as the company is sending a delegation from NY.
He wasn't a salesman - he was a brilliant communications guy. Either way, his death is a tragedy that truly hit me when I least expected it.
Dennis - my prayers are with you. I hope that you went quickly and without pain. I know that you love your family without question.
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
The 23rd Psalm of David~
Rest In Peace Dennis Southern.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
The wedding
Well its over.
The day started out literally pouring buckets. My date Eeman, calls me the night before to advise me that he has to take care of his brother and will be 30 minutes late. That's OK because we shouldn't need that extra 30 minutes.
He pulls up, opens the door for me and we're off. I have the directions and things are going well, we stop for gas before leaving town. Once we are on the parkway, I am trying to relax. I am really tense. I don't mean to be, but this is my family and the last thing I want to hear 6 months from now is "Typical Contessa - always late" from anyone.
So we are literally flying along the parkway and oh NO!!!!! A funeral procession. On the West bound side. This not only freaks me out, but it annoys the hell out of me because we are heading east bound. Rubber neckers drive me banana's! We are finally moving and we merge on to the south bound parkway and Eeman asks me what time we need to be there. I had to say 5 minutes ago. Its 11:20 and I'm starting the internal panic. He picks up his speed and I say - "wait! Can't you feel that??? We are being pulled in by the tractor beam!" That broke the tension a bit so he changes the subject and asks if my older sibling will be there and I respond with I don't smell any sulfur so probably not. Nor do I see any flying monkeys....
We pull in at 11:24. I run in and they are not ready - thank goodness. My family looks fantastic. I introduce my siblings to my date and we take our seats.
So they wedding goes well - inside - because its still pouring buckets. The wedding ends and Eeman steers me towards the bar and gets me a drink. Of course now everyone is in and the food starts being passed around and the pictures are being taken.
We are having fun now. Seeing people I haven't seen in years. Drinking, dancing, eating. Eeman has to leave to go to a gig. So he says goodbye to my family who he has charmed the hell out of all afternoon ( literally all of them LOVE him!)
I get on the party bus with everyone else and we head to The Nautical mile - the long way. On the local roads - at this rate we will get there in two days. We get the driver to change his route and this guy needs to seriously evaluate his career choice! Every time he made a turn - I was on the other side of the bus. The poor MOH was green from motion sickness.
The night ended at EB's where we all talked and drank and hung out. I walked down to ott's to catch Eeman's last set and then took a cab home. I found that somehow my new sister-in--law's garter ended up on my leg - not sure when or how!
The next morning I got myself dressed andn out the door for teh brunch my mom was holding. That was on the water, outside, gorgeous day. We had a lot of good food and fun, the kids were invited so there lots of little ones running around.
Mar emailed the pictures today which came out wonderfully!
The day started out literally pouring buckets. My date Eeman, calls me the night before to advise me that he has to take care of his brother and will be 30 minutes late. That's OK because we shouldn't need that extra 30 minutes.
He pulls up, opens the door for me and we're off. I have the directions and things are going well, we stop for gas before leaving town. Once we are on the parkway, I am trying to relax. I am really tense. I don't mean to be, but this is my family and the last thing I want to hear 6 months from now is "Typical Contessa - always late" from anyone.
So we are literally flying along the parkway and oh NO!!!!! A funeral procession. On the West bound side. This not only freaks me out, but it annoys the hell out of me because we are heading east bound. Rubber neckers drive me banana's! We are finally moving and we merge on to the south bound parkway and Eeman asks me what time we need to be there. I had to say 5 minutes ago. Its 11:20 and I'm starting the internal panic. He picks up his speed and I say - "wait! Can't you feel that??? We are being pulled in by the tractor beam!" That broke the tension a bit so he changes the subject and asks if my older sibling will be there and I respond with I don't smell any sulfur so probably not. Nor do I see any flying monkeys....
We pull in at 11:24. I run in and they are not ready - thank goodness. My family looks fantastic. I introduce my siblings to my date and we take our seats.
So they wedding goes well - inside - because its still pouring buckets. The wedding ends and Eeman steers me towards the bar and gets me a drink. Of course now everyone is in and the food starts being passed around and the pictures are being taken.
We are having fun now. Seeing people I haven't seen in years. Drinking, dancing, eating. Eeman has to leave to go to a gig. So he says goodbye to my family who he has charmed the hell out of all afternoon ( literally all of them LOVE him!)
I get on the party bus with everyone else and we head to The Nautical mile - the long way. On the local roads - at this rate we will get there in two days. We get the driver to change his route and this guy needs to seriously evaluate his career choice! Every time he made a turn - I was on the other side of the bus. The poor MOH was green from motion sickness.
The night ended at EB's where we all talked and drank and hung out. I walked down to ott's to catch Eeman's last set and then took a cab home. I found that somehow my new sister-in--law's garter ended up on my leg - not sure when or how!
The next morning I got myself dressed andn out the door for teh brunch my mom was holding. That was on the water, outside, gorgeous day. We had a lot of good food and fun, the kids were invited so there lots of little ones running around.
Mar emailed the pictures today which came out wonderfully!
I have to say that though it was a nice weekend, I am a little bit sad. My good friends, Jax and Jen were really superb in talking me through it. Jax commented that Eeman was the ideal date to deflect and get me through this and she would know. Jen completely understood the sadness as her sister-in-law went through that too - and she was actually in the wedding party ( Snaps to my buddy - she always does the right thing! ). I spent yesterday with her and the twins ( 3 yrs). We had such a good time.
I rounded my weekend out with a tear in my cornea - AGAIN. Its God's way of telling me to stop going to weddings in the fall. Two years ago almost to the day, I attended the Diva's wedding and got a tear in my cornea. So here I am with another one. It's not nearly as painful as the first one and it is healing.
So all is said and done.
Friday, September 22, 2006
And the rockets red glare
I hate to jump on the Star Spangled Banner boat but I feel I have something to add. Bernie's World really stated the situation in this country perfectly, however my addition is in a positive light.
I have a student who has huge promise musically. She has already decided that this is her dream and she has the drive and the talent to do so. She is a stunning young lady and incredibly personable. My hour with her is one of the privileges of my life. She makes me work harder as a teacher than I have ever had to and as a professional she makes me work as hard as I make her.
Tonight we had a lesson. I should tell you that going to her house is always an experience. I don't know the town that well though its directly north of me I never have cause to go there.
She lives in a lovely neighborhood and has a large house. Her mom, breeds small white fluffy dogs not sure if they lassa's or bijon's but they are small and white and loud and yipey.
Each time I go there, a pack of 6-10 of them come rounding the corner and if you could please picture the bumpus hounds from "A Christmas story" only miniature you would be able to appreciate the musical soundtrack behind it. then they descend on you. One of the pack is an ankle nibbler I refuse to call him a biter since I could fling him across the yard with a well placed flick of my foot. They are all sweet dogs ( and this is a HUGE step for me since I hate little dogs as a rule), but they are all jealous of one another.
Once I make it past the cavalry, she and I settle into our lesson. We talk about school and apparently this week, her English teacher decided to do a few lessons on the Star Spangled Banner, its history and the text and what it means. This same teacher also proceeded to play different versions of it for the class. My student was able to name the artists singing and tell what was wrong AND right with the performances.
I can't tell you how important it is to me that our schools are doing this. I am frankly surprised that the English teacher is doing it, but I don't care if the SHOP teachers do it, as long as it gets done. lets face it, we are a country that doesn't have any experts on the national anthem, since we barely know it as a country.
I am performing it in two weeks at the Kiwanis installation where I am receiving my award. Its the first performance in my season of singing this tune.
If you haven't read it, please read it on Bernie's world. IT IS a crisis. We as educators, parents, and citizens need to help correct it.
This has been a public service announcement. :-)
I have a student who has huge promise musically. She has already decided that this is her dream and she has the drive and the talent to do so. She is a stunning young lady and incredibly personable. My hour with her is one of the privileges of my life. She makes me work harder as a teacher than I have ever had to and as a professional she makes me work as hard as I make her.
Tonight we had a lesson. I should tell you that going to her house is always an experience. I don't know the town that well though its directly north of me I never have cause to go there.
She lives in a lovely neighborhood and has a large house. Her mom, breeds small white fluffy dogs not sure if they lassa's or bijon's but they are small and white and loud and yipey.
Each time I go there, a pack of 6-10 of them come rounding the corner and if you could please picture the bumpus hounds from "A Christmas story" only miniature you would be able to appreciate the musical soundtrack behind it. then they descend on you. One of the pack is an ankle nibbler I refuse to call him a biter since I could fling him across the yard with a well placed flick of my foot. They are all sweet dogs ( and this is a HUGE step for me since I hate little dogs as a rule), but they are all jealous of one another.
Once I make it past the cavalry, she and I settle into our lesson. We talk about school and apparently this week, her English teacher decided to do a few lessons on the Star Spangled Banner, its history and the text and what it means. This same teacher also proceeded to play different versions of it for the class. My student was able to name the artists singing and tell what was wrong AND right with the performances.
I can't tell you how important it is to me that our schools are doing this. I am frankly surprised that the English teacher is doing it, but I don't care if the SHOP teachers do it, as long as it gets done. lets face it, we are a country that doesn't have any experts on the national anthem, since we barely know it as a country.
I am performing it in two weeks at the Kiwanis installation where I am receiving my award. Its the first performance in my season of singing this tune.
If you haven't read it, please read it on Bernie's world. IT IS a crisis. We as educators, parents, and citizens need to help correct it.
This has been a public service announcement. :-)