Vacation woes...

Being how I feel, this post is going to be appropriately green... with envy.

I am tremendously jealous of several friends and acquaintances right now. People all around me are away, going away, or planning to go away. One is in Myrtle Beach as we speak. Two are going to Russia at the end of April. Others are going to a veterinary conference in Aruba next month. My brother and father are leaving on the 1st to fly to Nice and cruise in the Mediterranean for a week.

I want to go away! I want a vacation! Where's my trip? :c/

Stamp! stamp! stamp! NO FAIR!!

One Year

One year ago today, my poor little Jeep and I were in an accident. The stupid %$@*&! that hit me claimed no responsibility for it and his insurance company refused to pay for my claim. So my insurance company sued him. (Extra info: He got booted from his insurance after our accident... especially since it was his third accident at age 21 and the previous one was just a few days before...) I ended up being without my baby for 6 weeks while insurance companies duked it out - but at least I got a Jaguar to drive for a week (woo hoo! Talk about posh!) and then a TrailBlazer as a replacement rental while I waited. All in all, I am certainly thankful that only cars got hurt, not any people. But I was still angry about it!

So after a long wait, I finally got word the other day (Monday, I think) that it was finally settled. The stupidhead's insurance company finally agreed to pay, after lawyer intervention. I got a check from my insurance company for my deductable... minus $175+ in lawyer costs.

... I consider that a small price to pay for my insurance not going up. :) I'm just happy that it's over.

"Do trees have sex?"

...this was the question of an eighth grader today at our middle school. From what I know, he/she asked the question of their science teacher during class. I overheard a follow-up conversation on the subject during choir. One person said the answer was yes, another thought trees were asexual. Not a tremendously surprising question for an eighth grader, but random nonetheless.



BTW, I think the teacher's answer was yes. (strange mental pictures!)

Randomness of the day

1. LIVING ARRANGEMENT? back at home
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW: The Inner Voice by Renee Flemming
3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD: enlarged water droplets
4. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE BOARD GAME: Monopoly
5. YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE: InStyle
6. FAVOURITE SMELLS: baking, vanilla, lavender, the ocean
7. FAVOURITE SOUND: certain voices, ocean sounds, laughing
8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: feeling that your life has completely fallen apart!
9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING: Do I have time to hit the snooze alarm?
10. FAVOURITE COLOURS? Pink, red, lighter blues
11. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? usually four, I think... if it's a phone that rings.
12. NAME OF FUTURE CHILDREN: I keep changing my mind. Currently, I'm liking Sven, Giovanni, Neville, Petunia, Stella.... ;)
13. MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE: Finding your calling and your soulmate
14. FAVOURITE FOODS: oh, too many. Triscuts, Nutella, gilato.....
15. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?: sometimes
16. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? I'll admit that there is one rather well-loved old friend lying around
17. STORMS ARE: usually wonderful, unless I'm stuck driving in them!
18. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?: a 1991 Toyota Tercel named Bing
19. IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE WHO WOULD IT BE?: tough question. Don't know.
20. FAVOURITE DRINK?: Polar Seltzer, but if you're talking alcohol, Amaretto Sour
21. ZODIAC SIGN?: Gemini
22. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?: of course
23. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE? when I figure it out, I'll get back to you!
24. EVER BEEN IN LOVE?: Yes
25. IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?: There's a glass? And there's stuff in it??
26. FAVOURITE BOOK: Don't know, I've done a bit of reading
27. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED: Dust, a keyboard (piano, not computer) and maybe a rogue sock
28. FAVOURITE NUMBER: um, maybe 14?
29. LEAST FAVOURITE SPORT TO WATCH: most of them!

Reason No.497

(aka another reason why I can't wait until June 22)

In the world of teaching, as in many other fields, we are expected to accrue professional development hours within the field. This can be done in a number of ways, like taking graduate classes ot through workshops. Being a music teacher, the workshops that are of any use to me are few and far between, making me want to jump at any opportunity when it arises. I went to the state music educator's convention last month to rack up some hours (I think I got 14 or 15?) and while there I saw a thing for a workshop next month, sponsored by the book publisher that I use. The workshop is completely FREE to attend - and they feed you and give you stuff to take home. I was pretty psyched, especially since my district didn't even pay for half of the convention's price. So, I put in the paperwork request to attend.

I got denied. When I asked why, I was told that because I had gone to the 2 day workshop, I was not allowed to use any other professional days this year. Now here's the kicker... the second day of the convention ended up being a snow day at work... so they didn't have school and didn't have to get a substitute, meaning that I only took one professional day instead of 2!! I brought up this fact to the big boss (in a 'second request' note), hoping that the light would go on and they would give me the OK to go.

Nine days later (nice and prompt,eh?), I got a typed response back, dening me yet again and saying I was already had my 2 days. Don't they understand English? Now I am going to get jipped out of my second day because they say I can only have the two due to the budget crunch. And at this point, if I took a sick day on that day, they would know I wasn't sick. And, best of all, that note got sent to my principal and put into my personnel file.

Oh, June, please come quick! It doesn't matter that I don't know what June 23 will bring!

What does it all mean?

I stumbled on this website while pondering things like names and if names suit the people who own them. I think it's bizarrely interesting, and not too far off, really. My name was too long to put in first, middle and last, but I tried several variations of my name and found it all quite intriguing. Try it sometime. Try your own name, see how it works. Try the names of others you know. Try my name and see if what you gets really suits me.

...it could lead to hours of distraction if you let it. :p

History Lesson

On this date in 1887, a man by the name of Chester Greenwood patented a useful winter-wear item.... earmuffs.

Useful and functional... although sometimes a little silly looking. Hurrah for Chester and his earmuffs!

Poetry for a Wednesday

This poem showed up at work last week. Very appropriate for Read Accross America Day (aka Dr. Seuss' birthday) - a holiday among the elementary-school set.

I'm sure that most of you will relate. I certainly did.

Dr. Phil

I'm not a huge fan of Dr. Phil, but I've gotten this test as a forward before, and wonder if those of you who know me well think it's done a good job of figuring my personality. For those of you unfamiliar with the procedure, you answer the 10 questions and then tally up points for each answer. I ended up with a score of 48... so this is what it says about me:

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

Comments? If you want to take it too, just let me know and I'll send it along.

Adventure

I went on a surprise adventure last night. I haven't really been out adventuring in a while, which made me remember just how much fun adventuring can of be.

Here are some highlights:
therapudic nighttime sledding, a broken bike helmet and a snow stick ball game
a mysterious parked car that drove away as it realized it was not alone
someone removing their pants in the parking lot of Trader Joe's
lobster tails and hot chocolate (a good combination, if done correctly!)
technical support questions and brownies
ending up with two sleds and a tie at the end of the evening!

Hurrah for adventures! ;)

Wound tighter than a....

... I don't know! What best fits in that phrase? I forget.

You know that something is terribly wrong with your work environment when it starts stressing you out when you're home on a snow day... which in itself is an amazing gift! I decided to be good and do some catch-up work when all of a sudden this wave of panic came over me about a stupid concert I have to conduct on Thursday - it was thrown at us very last minute and due to the weather we've been having (and other circumstances), I have not seen this choir since February 18!! I have to have an emergency rehearsal tomorrow (which involves so much stupid work - informing all teachers last minute, making sure the room is free, letting a million others know, and providing lesson plans for whomever covers my classes at the other school...) and still I don't know when we are scheduled to leave for this luncheon on Thursday - or if we have transportation - or if the teachers even know about that yet! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I should be relaxing with a book and some hot chocolate, not feeling this deer-in-the-headlights feeling!

... only 8 more paychecks... 8 more paychecks... 8...

My new hero

Wow. This is amazing. Whoever did this deserves a prize. And the fact that it's a Jeep makes it even cooler in my book. (and it makes me and my baby a little jealous, I must say!)

Hurrah for you, whomever you are! That is bloody brilliant!!!

financial genious or just lucky?

Being the nerds that we are in my house, we occasionally like to play board games. One that I grew up playing was Monopoly - although "house rules" (vs. "real" rules) generally apply around here. My parents and I played today and surprisingly I was the winner - usually my financially astute father has that honor, wheeling and dealing his way to the top. But, today was my day. I was ruthless and reckless and it worked... to the tune of having $17,522 in assets at the end! (For those of you experienced Monopoly players, no, we did not start out with the standard amount of cash - we played with quite a bit more - and we did not play until someone went bankrupt... we got tired of playing and cashed in.)

Final tallies:
Me - $17,522 Dad - $13,185 Mom - $3,924

...Oh, the things I would be doing if I actually had that much cash in my hand at this moment... I certainly wouldn't be sitting in this arctic ice palace in front of the computer! :)

fun times

I think it's interesting how things always come in bunches. For example, I've had two weekends in a row of being away with friends - first the fairies and now up to B&P. I tend to see movies in bunches - no, not all in one sitting (usually!), but several fairly quickly and then none for a while. The one problem with this system is that it spoils me, and then I get sad when things quiet down for a while... blast that dumb Mr. Murphy!

This past weekend was fun. There was the party I mentioned a couple of days ago, then a day which found me in the wildest furniture store/playground and another movie (Ocean's 12), then a long long ride in the snow/sleet/yuck home, getting there just in time to go be captured by pirates (literally!) and then hang afterwards - a rarity, since I didn't have to worry about work today! Hurrah! :)

It's nice to go away, but it's also nice to be home.

A State of Weirdness

... a second attempt at this post, since I lost it the first time, due to stupidness...

I've been meaning to post about this for some time. I live in one of the more colorful states in this large country, known by some as "The armpit of America" and other colorful references such as how we are one big oil refinery or how the turnpike smells. Yeah, I live in the picturesque Garden State. So strange is our humble little state that some people got together and started a magazine called Weird NJ about strange phenomena, locations, and other oddities around here. I knew little about this group until this summer, and then in January a work friend gave me the calendar, which is hanging up at school. I find all of the strange things I'm learning about bizarrely fascinating! How interesting, though, that someone I know lives quite close to several of these obscure locations and yet only ever showed me/told me about one... didn't you think I could handle the weirdness???

Glamour shots, Gimp keychains and Napoleon

Greetings from Massachusetts! :) Here I am at la casa de Wood, enjoying a change of scene from the insanity of work and the bleakness of Snobville. Last night was a Napoleon Dynamite party - a postcard came to me in the mail a few weeks ago, inviting me to the shindig - since I hadn't seen the movie, I was unfamiliar with the references until last night. There were tater tots (both regular and in a casserole!), deviled eggs, a "Pedro hearts Summer" cake, and nachos (also candy sushi, but that was just for fun, not tied into the film), we all had our "Glamour Shots by Peter" taken, made gimp keychains , and there was a lot of 80's inspired fashion accessories floating around. It was a really fun evening - aren't you jealous of the fun we had?

Foofie-foofie

Yes, bizarrely enough, my parents have watched several more episodes of Strange Love. I came home last night from rehearsal and found them staring puzzledly at the television - and there, on the screen was the world's most unlikely couple. I think the catalyst for watching comes from the fact that it is so preposterous, so over-the-top. (And I must say I find it amusing that M&D have seen it several times!) Personally, I'm a fan of Flav's Viking hat... and it gives him a little height, next to Brigitte.

Anyway... TGIF, especially since next week I will only be at work one day! Woo hoo! :) Between a conference and the President's Day Holiday, Wednesday will be my only at-school day! (Few people have an idea of how happy that makes me!)

HAPPY WEEKEND! :)

Fairy Reunion and Whatnot

Hopefully quick update:

Friday: Valentine's Tea went well... not without much stress, of course, and stupidness too, but it was fine. And now it's done.

Saturday: the afternoon brought about the commencement of the Fairy Reunion Weekend. We drove down to the shore (Manahauket?) and went to dinner at a Chinese Food buffet (too many choices are overwhelming for me!!) and then back to the house to begin the movie marathon - which only ended up being HP1 and part of HP3, but then talking proceeded to keep us up quite late - or pretty early, depending on how you look at it.

Sunday: after very few hours of sleep (4), we went to IHOP (or IPOD, as I ended up calling it in a pre-coffee state!!) and then over the bridge to LBI to walk for a million miles on the beach and freeze our ears off before going back to the house to hang a little bit. After a stop at the WAWA for sandwiches (and a water... wawa from the WAWA! hehe!), we drove home. It was too short. There is already talk of a sequel, making sure that all 5 young fairies make it down, not just 4. And the movie choices are expanding - HP, LOTR, and Eleni's opera DVDs... but there will be much laughter and rejoicing. :)

10...9...8...7...6...

...5...4...3...2...1... deep breath...

Can I just quit my job right now? Please?

Accomplishment and Distraction

1. Accomplishment: assembling a small cabinet for our kitchen. (she cooks! cleans! knits! reupholsters chairs! can use a hammer!)

2. Distraction: the discovery of this little site. It will ruin work productivity when no one is looking. I've not yet explored them all, but the cow is pretty funny.

a rather random musing...

According to postcards.org, today is "dump your significant jerk day." Interesting. Considering I don't have a "significant jerk", it's not one I can observe, except as an amused bystander. :)

However, it would not be saying much for me if I did have a "S.J" around to be dumping, would it? Why would one go to the trouble of making someone who is such a jerk a significant person in their life?

...something tells me I'm putting a little too much thought into this... and that means it's time for bed. Yawn.

Happy Whatever Day!

A friend here at work has introduced me to postcards.org It's a lot of fun, considering they provide a list of holidays/important days - the ones you know and the ones you might not be aware of! Yesterday was an easy one - Groundhog's Day. Today is American Pie Day (what makes one pie American and not another? Or is it that an American pie is made out of Americans?). From February 1-7, it is Children's Authors and Illustrator's Week. But watch out... the 24th will be Pancake Day. That one might be a little too much for some of us to handle.... ;)

Do you ever....

...have days where things feel so up in the air in your life? I'm not talking about anything in particular, just kind of everything in general? Where you feel like everything is caving in on you and you're about to be buried by it all, whether it's work, or life, or friends, or love, or the future, or even the paperwork and stuff that you have?

...yeah. Today is one of those days. Oh, joy. Woo hoo.

Love and Ikea

Ok, so we all know that I love Ikea. It's a great place - you can buy inexpensive furnature for every room in your home, get little gadgets and dishes and picture frames and toys and bedding, and even eat a meal quite inexpensively. The carts are addictively fun to ride on in the warehouse and, if nothing else, people-watching is very entertaining as well. (it's funny to see what people are shopping for at a store like that!)

...but that's not what this post is about. It's really more about love. Not my love for Ikea. Not about my love for anyone else. It's really about other people's love and their collective love of Ikea... or at least their love of the unusual. On Friday, February 11th, at 9:30 in the morning, Ikea Paramus is hosting a wedding. Supposedly 10 complete strangers will publically confess their love for one another by getting married at Ikea. (does that mean that they are strangers to us, yet couples, or will everyone be strangers and agree to marry someone unknown to them???) Chuck Woolery will be there. The Honerable James J. Tedesco, III will be there to officiate. There will be a reception in the Cafe. The first 50 adults to arrive at the store in the morning wearing bridesmaid dresses will each receive a $100 Ikea gift card. (Note that it says "adults", not just women, and that the invitation requests you arrive no earlier than 5am.)

I wish I could go. Too bad I have a concert that afternoon at work... otherwise I would want to take off work to see this fiasco... or is it that I'm a sucker for a happy ending?? ;)

Inspiration

Because of my daily reading session of the adventures of my dear friends at World Wide Wood, I have been introduced to a little girl by the name of Hope Natalie. Talk about inspiration. I find it amazing that the human spirit is so resilliant. Hearing the daily reports of this little one makes me and my troubles seem so petty. It's beautiful, really.

I'm just a bill.....

Some of my older choir kids walked in to choir yesterday singing "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly (get your adverbs here)" from School House Rock. I thought it was amusing, and it led to a discussion about it. Then, all of a sudden, I remembered - we have a choir medley in the cabinet of several of the SHR songs! I pulled it out and they went crazy! I never thought anyone would want to sing it at the middle school level, and it was too hard for 4 & 5th graders, so I forgot about it. However, the chamber choristers are actually really excited about it (and the fact that there will be solos in it!) How funny is that, really? I was never a huge fan of SHR when I was a Saturday-cartoon-watcher, but now I think they are cool. :) Hmm. Go figure!

Stinky house

In my solitude, I've been cleaning the house. (well, besides sitting in front of the television for hours, knitting, shopping, laundry, baking, and several trips to Panera, that is.) Oh yes, what a domestic Goddess I am! ;p

Anyway, when I was cleaning the living room on Sunday, I came across one of those plug-in things by the outlet. Personally, I can't stand them, since they are uber strong and aggravate my athsma... so mom doesn't use it much. Well, it was on the floor and I was vacuuming, so I put it on top of the baseboard-heater to get it out of the way. Yesterday, when I came home from work, I thought that the house smelled especially pungent... and figured it was the cleaning supplies I'd used the other day. The smell persisted and seemed to be getting stronger, and as I was sitting in front of the TV I saw an ad for an air freshener... which reminded me of where the "smelly" (as my dad likes to call them) was! The whole point of those things is that the outlet provides it with enough heat to release the smell... and since ours was now sitting on top of the heater (which was on, of course) it was stinking up my house... and leaking! No wonder I felt like I was wheezing!! The oil went everywhere... into the heater (oh joy) and on the floor. So now my house stinks of some floral smell. Yuck. I tried my best to clean it up and have tried a natural smell-neutralizer (vinegar) so we'll see how it is when I get home today. Hopefully not so stinky.

I know, I know. I should have realized that the heater was not the place to put the smelly. I think that the thing to focus on is not that, but rather that I was giving the house a thorough cleaning!!!!!

bibliophile

This morning, in the midst of a cleaning frenzy, I had on a favorite program - Great Hotels. One of the places she went to was The Library... and now I want to go there, too. What an unusual concept - classifying floors and rooms by the Dewey Decimal system. (boy, does that prove what a nerd I am!) I love the concept, location, quirkiness of it all. How much fun would it be to go there!?!

It really doesn't matter that I live nearby. It really doesn't matter that it would cost me a bundle. It's now on my list of places to go at some point in my life.

Solitude

I like solitude. It's not that I'm antisocial, it's just that sometimes it's good to have some time to yourself. True, sometimes it's downright awful - like at the end of this past August, for example. But for the most part, time to yourself is healthy. I could never live alone, though - I'd either go postal or become one of those recluse people with a million cats.

Hmm. maybe that's what I should do. Quit my job and go off into the woods and simply write, a la Thoreau. Who needs work? Who needs health insurance? Who needs education debt? Maybe we all just need to live deliberately...

One of these things is not like the others.....

My parents are downstairs watching television. No big deal, it's a regular occurance. But when this is what they are watching, you know that something is not right in the cosmos. Hmmm.

note to Bec - I like the fact that one of the episode titles is "the smack is back." hehe! :)

Extremely red in the face

Yesterday was one of those days where you remember you've forgotten something and then you want to either...
a) crawl into a hole
b) bang your head against the wall
c) submit yourself to a public flogging
(Yeah, so any or all of the above would be appropriate.)

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, REBECCA!!!

It's funny... I feel like I've known you forever, and I'm glad

you're you and that you put up with insane me.

Here's to a fantastic 26th year, smacky. Too bad we couldn't go

tubing with the drunk guys again this year. ;)

I promise to spoil you when I see you... hopefully soon!!!

Mary and Joseph

I know, Christmas is over, but these are two things I have been thinking about for a while...

1. Mary. Catholics revere her, and some even put up little Mary shrines or statues in their yards. (something some of us affectionately refer to as "Virgin on the halfshell"). But while I am not well versed on the whole Mary thing, it must be really really bad if your Mary statue has lost its head. There is a house I drive by every day that has a headless Mary. That's got to be a really really big sin.

2. Joseph. He doesn't seem to be as important as Mary in the whole scheme of the Christmas story, but still obviously a big part. Some people like to set up those light-up Nativity scenes in their yards... sometimes just Mary, Joeseph and Jesus, and others display everyone - shephards, wise men, animals, etc. There seem to be two major brands of these light-up figures: one has Joeseph wearing brownish robes. The other has him in pink. Pink? I understand the whole Mary-wears-blue thing, but to put him in Pink?

HB VSBN

Happy Birthday to my sister Vanessa!

She probably doesn't even know this blog exists, but I'll wish her a HB anyway. In thinking about it, I don't even remember the last time I saw her... wow, it has to be several years ago. Sad that I don't remember when. I guess that's what comes of her living all the way out in Mormon Land. I wish I knew her better, now that we're both older... back in ye olde days when we she lived at home, she probably didn't like me too much because I would tattle on her (such is the curse of being 6 years apart in age!), but I always thought she was so cool. I kind of still do.

useful gifts for a cold girl

My parents are cute. They know how cold their daughter gets in the winter, what with Raynaud's and all. For Christmas, I got several helpful, heat-filled things.

1. Microwavable mittens and booties. They are like those funky heating pads that go in the microwave - you pop them in and the pellets warm up. They are good if you're sitting around watching tv or right after you come in from the bitter cold. Just don't try walking around in the booties... too clumsy and noisy!

2. A heated blanket. We actually got this yesterday, and it is my new favorite thing. It has adjustable settings and a 'preheat' setting too, and an auto shut off if you leave it on for 10 hours. Considering how cold my room gets, this is wonderful. I slept so well last night! :) Yay for the people at Sunbeam.

Isn't it sad that such things make me so happy? This is what my life has come to! I should probably just move to Florida, but I think I'd shoot myself. :)

Resolutions?

Happy New Year!

Last year was the first year in my memory that I actually kept a New Year's Resolution. Usually, I resolve dumb things like everyone else - eat better, exercise more, etc... but last year I resolved to change my life - to actively try to do new things, experience different things, be bolder. I know, an overachiever with an impossible task. But I actually fulfilled it, for better or for worse! Here's a taste. There were more things, but these are just highlights:

January: Blindly went and auditioned for Patience.
February: Agreed to be set up by people from work and went on a blind date. (Didn't see him again.) Oh, and cut my hair, which was big.
March: Agreed to a second set up, but this one through a friend and by email. Kept emailing. (Also this month, had a car crash, but it had nothing to do with me. Just thought I'd mention it.)
April: Dethroned myself and stepped down as the queen-and-dictator of "The Club." :)
May: Conducted the G&S people on the field at a NJ Jackal's game. Very cool.
June: (Oh, many in June...) Decided that I would teach in my school for only one more year. (Big, scary choice!)
July: Fell in love... or perhaps realized I was already there.
August: Made a realization that broke my heart.
September: Started rehearsing for my first ever sung role. As a soprano... identity crisis!?
October: Went to my cousin's wedding with a tres fabulous dress and the attitude to go with it (yes, it fits the resolution in that I was much bolder than I felt.)
November: Sang my first role. In front of an audience. With an orchestra. Yikes.
December: Became the last-minute substitute chef and cooked my first Christmas Turkey dinner!

So. I wanted to change things in my life, to choose to experience new things. I succeeded. For what it's worth, good and bad together, this past year was the best of my life. I've seen my highest highs, and my lowest lows. I did things I had never done before. I took risks. I laughed. I loved. I cried. I lived.

How do I top that? Anyone have a suggestion for a new resolution?

Oh, the sadness!

How sad is this? Jerry Orbach is dead! What an amazing shock! I love him! Lennie Briscoe! Lumiere! Oh, dear man, how sad.
And it's scary - prostate cancer. Every time I see that happen in the news, I thank God that Dad has now been cancer-free for over 10 years. It makes you thankful for the little things.

Check out Becky's eulogy. It's more eloquent than mine. But I have the same sentiment. We both love him. :)

Lose Pesky Holiday Pounds Fast!

Do you overeat during the holidays? Too much turkey? Gallons of eggnog? Piles of cookies? Don't fret! Try this lose-quick method today! The stomach flu!

Yes, you too can feel absolutely wretched for days on end! You can eat whatever you want! (if you can bear the thought of eating at all!) Total body detoxification is the key - and if you're lucky, you'll become dehydrated and have a lovely fever, too! Those pesky holiday pounds will just slip away!


As you smart ones can now guess, I got one gift this year that was unwanted... and I know the giver (mom) wishes she hadn't shared, either. The past two+ days have left me feeling like a little more than a dishrag. Talk about unpleasant and exhausting... not to mention that I look oh so beautiful with my hair standing on end and no color in my face at all. Woo hoo, what a hottie! At least I know I am on the mend, although I am certainly not ready to go out and dance on a table. (have I ever?)

Merry Boxing Day!

Hope your Christmases were all merry and bright, and that Santa brought everyone the gifts they wanted!

Christmas Eve was better than anticipated. We picked up Dad at work promptly at three and headed for the Island of Long... expecting that it would take hours to get to my brother's house. Shocked were we when it took only 90 minutes, a miracle in anyone's book! The house is very nice - they have done loads of work on it and the kitchen is incredible. The kids, of course, were amazingly wired... my nephew Patrick spent a good half-hour literally running in circles around the house!

The drive home was also amazingly uneventful (and as short as the drive out!) and we opened a few things before bed. Poor Mom ended up being sick all night with a nasty stomach flu which kept her on the couch all day Christmas Day... leaving me in charge of cooking the turkey. It couldn't wait, since it was defrosted, so I had to do it. I was successful, too! Never expected to be cooking my first Christmas dinner yesterday, but we had turkey breast, baked pasta, broccoli and cranberry-orange relish. (the full production was not necessary for a meal that only Dad and I ate.)

It certainly wasn't the Christmas I expected on many levels... Christmas is a time of surprises, and I for one wanted to believe that this year, yet I didn't think I could. But maybe I was wrong...

Merry

Well, readers (the few of you that there are!) I want to wish you all the Merriest of Christmases. May you find much joy and love in time spent together with loved ones in celebration. Peace and love to you all.

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good tidings of great joy that

shall be for all people. For unto us is born this day in the city

of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

P.S: Remember others, especially those who are sacrificing much to keep us safe. Operation Dear Abby

is it true?

July 16, 2005! Harry Potter #6!

Monday again

Well, that concert crisis did, of course, work out.... eventually. I did end up going with the fairies, and we did take the ferry, which is still in existance, although it is a ticking time bomb in terms of when it will stop. We did not go out afterwards, which was good on several levels. The concert itself was interesting, but being that I was not in good voice I was frustrated with myself and my singing. Yesterday's music extravaganzas at church went fine, and I made it through better than I anticipated. Now it's just to get through work craziness for a few days before I can run and hide for a little while on Christmas vacation. Sleep sounds nice. As does quiet.

Quote of the day:

"Not only is she a good choir teacher,

but she's a good cook, too!"

Thanks, John. You don't know it, but you made my day.

Deer in the headlights

(no, not actual deer, although we've been seeing many more lately... poor babies, being driven out of their homes by McMansion construction-influx. Grr.)

So. stress has not abated - I thought that after 5 school concerts and a mental-health day on Friday I would be more sane... but no. Tonight is the G&S thing in the city and getting into the city is proving to be a disaster. Originally, I was planning on going with some fellow fairy friends - but there seems to be a plan in the works to go to some bar somewhere in a not great neighborhood afterwards, and since I have to sing tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening, such a plan isn't so kosher for me. So now I am throwing everything on its head to try to get in and out without driving, since traffic will be a nightmare the weekend before Christmas. Luckily the ferry is still running, and mom is going to be an absolute angel and come with me so I am not wandering the city alone, if the girls decide to go to the bar. Of course, though, a little nasty voice in the back of my head can come up with a much more pleasant way this whole scenario could have taken, and proceeded to incessantly remind me of it all last night and this morning during choir rehearsal. But obviously the "nicer" plan is about as far from reality as it is possible to be.

Extremely tired. Pretty cranky. Very stressed. Not feeling so great, which is freaking me out for tonight. Nervous. Cold. Amazingly frustrated on so many levels. And now depressed even more due to seeing that DeLovely is coming out on DVD this Tuesday. (much the same feeling as when I saw that The Terminal was also coming to DVD.) Not merry. Still running unrealistic scenarios and old memories through my head, which I know is not helpful in the least, but unfortunately I can't seem to stop them.

Why did I have to make my life like this?????????? Grr.

Am I crazy or am I just S.A.D?

Beware... there is much grumbling ahead. If you don't want to read about it (and I can't say I blame you!) then you should just come back another day. How about doing something positive instead?

Considering how Scrooge/Eeyore/Grumpy/etc I am feeling this Christmas season, I have been reminded of the fact that there is a special brand of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. It has to do mostly with the fact that your body is reacting to the lack of natural light that it is exposed to (vastly less than the summer) and therefore makes you depressed, gain weight, sleepy, etc. This perhaps refers to me, but I think my gloominess is due more to the fact that the world puts so much emphasis on "the holidays"... and personally, it never seems to live up to my prefabricated expectations. I guess I miss childhood's naive vision of it all, with all of its magic and mystery. I guess, too, that the person I was this summer had me, quite early, looking ahead to a magical Christmas that isn't going to exist. I hate, too, that my job makes me irritable about this time of year, too. I have five school concerts this week. One is done, four to go. And then church stuff, too, which I am sadly not doing with any kind of a joyful or generous spirit. I can't even listen to much Christmas music, which is usually my favorite.

This time of year is supposed to be a season of joy, faith, good tidings to all and peace on earth. A magical time of year with surprises and miracles and secrets wrapped in shiny paper. Of friendship and family and love. And I wish I felt better about it all. Of course, I will celebrate. I will sing, conduct, give generously, find things to be thankful for, pray. Try to hold on to hope... and faith. Hope that the New Year will bring better tidings.

P.S. Happy half-birthday to me. Woo hoo.
P.S.2. Boy have I written something majorly depressing. Maybe I need some happy pills. Or a drink. Or a massage. Or just run away and join the circus.
P.S.3. Don't worry about my mental state. I usually don't share like this, and am a fairly good chameleon. I can manage to look all perky and cheerful and full of Christmas spirit. I just vent a lot here.

speechless

This is just bizarre. I think this person is on crack.

Now who's the stupidhead?

Ding ding ding! I win! Smack the "L" on my forehead!

This weekend, the Iolanthe gang has our last concert appearance. (besides the one for the Manhattan G&S people) Now, being that we had no rehearsals this week, I didn't think about it much. So this morning, I had to go to a choir rehearsal - then I ended up running errands, which took longer than anticipated. Which made me late getting home, and put me into a tizzy in terms of showering and getting ready to go and pick up Heather and drive down to Teaneck. I was a little tardy in picking her up and as we were driving away from her house, she said, "I could have sworn that the concert was tomorrow!" Yeah. It is tomorrow. Good thing we didn't even make it down the street.

I'm a winner. What can I say? Maybe I can make excuses and blame it on my current mental status? Next week's five school concerts are more than enough to affect mental health, added to the whole holiday depression gloominess... or maybe I really am just a stupidhead.

What a stupidhead.

I heard about this story through a dear friend who recently migrated to Minnesota:

Supposedly, there was a man breaking into houses in the Minneapolis area... naked. A police officer and K-9 dog responded, and the naked man became very defensive and combattive in the apprehension. So... the dog did what he was trained to do. Attack. And what what area are the dogs trained to aim for?

Really, how dumb can you be, cold, stupid and (now) castrated man?!? Certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed! And if you really wanted to rob houses in Minnesota, why in the world are you doing it naked... and in December? It's got to be cold enough to freeze off any part of the body not attacked by dogs!

photos

I've been meaning to link up to these pics taken when Becky came for the weekend, but never got to it until right now. Here's the marquis of the Loew's Theatre, and one of a fairy and a mortal - it's amazing how frightening stage makeup looks up close! I hope that some of my fellow actors will share digitals taken this weekend at the home shows - if they do, I'll post those as well.

"We know it's weakness....

...but the weakness is so strong!"

With the Iolanthe weekend extravaganza now drawn to a close, here are a few remarks on the whole thing...

1. My first role. Wow. And as a.... soprano? Who'dve thought?
2. Strangely, I'm going to miss the big sparkly eyelashes and glitter!
3. Funny comment - this past week, during the finale when we all get paired off and the queen sentences us all to death, Tololler turned to me and (quietly) said, "well, there goes the honeymoon!" good thing I didn't bust out laughing!
4. Us young fairies are already planning a "fairy reunion weekend" down the shore, complete with marathons of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter (and hopefully some candy sushi!)
5. Speaking of Harry, there was much dueling was done backstage with our wands... Expelliarmus!
6. The Lord Chancellor's teddy bear (complete with fairy wings I made for it!) made it out to curtain calls tonight with our baby fairies! hurrah!
7. Boy, am I glad I didn't turn this role down. I came close... dangerously close, considering that I got the call on the night of the 23rd of August. I think it serendipidous that I forced myself to accept!

Two more concert performances over two more weekends and then this production of Iolanthe will be history. A sad thought, but a happy memory, too.

IOLANTHE WEEKEND PLANS

It is certainly an IOLANTHE weekend extravaganza! I will be quite busy tripping hither, tripping thither in all of my fairy glory - and here is the 411 on all of the plans:


TONIGHT: Between 7 and 8, we'll all be singing at the Town&Country Pharmacy in Ridgewood as a part of the tree-lighting festivities. Come on by and see us!

TOMORROW: 8pm performance at the Ben Franklin Middle School, Glen and VanDien Avenues, Ridgewood (next to Valley Hospital).

SUNDAY: 3pm performance, same place as above.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students and seniors. Information: (973) 423-0300 or www.ridgewoodgands.com


Do not go and defy us, you great geese!! :)

to knit or not to knit?

maybe I will just quit teaching and go into knitting full time. yeah. good idea. it's got to be more peaceful and less stressful, right? I made those adorable little car-booties for a friend-of-a-friend (and got paid! woo hoo!) and now it appears that there might be a market for such things on commission... hmmm....

Books

I finally finished Finding Faith, by Jodi Picoult. I'd read Becky's review of it and thought it sounded interesting, so I borrowed it. Well, yes, it was interesting... and somewhat bizarre, too. A little girl, interestingly named Faith, is convinced she is speaking with/interacting with God (in an imaginary-friend type of way)... and this actually gives her the power to heal people... and also curses/blesses her with stigmata... and she quotes Biblical things (including in Hebrew) despite all lack of any religious training... and she refers to God as a woman. Hmmm. Of course, there is the whole media frenzy associated with such things as well, including interaction with a character who is a "tele-atheist", and thrown in for good measure we have a case of marital infidelity and a nasty custody battle, in which one parent had been a psychiatric patient in the past due to a suicide attempt. Merky, no?

Interesting, from many points - controversial, definitely... which is what drew me to it. It is certainly not a "religious" book by any stretch, although it questions religions - namely Christianity and Judaism. It was a quick read, which was good - such subject matters could bog the reader down into really dark, troubled waters. I'd say read it and see what you think.

Tried starting a "chick lit" book this weekend - What A Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck. It was a gift from my aunt - but I am putting it away for now, since the main character is partially too familiar at the moment (depressed singleton in life crisis) and since I can already guess the inevitable outcome. I guess I'm not in the mood for formulaic happy endings. I guess I'll finish Things You Should Know By Now and then perhaps I will revert to an old friend, which may be the basis of a lot of chick-lit, but at least is more academic, complicated, and well written....

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife...

Reflections on a trip to Manhattan

Yesterday, mom and I had some girl-time in the city. I have stayed away in recent months, hiding from some fond but now sad summer memories, but it was time to suck it up and face my demons. We took the ferry in, which is the best and most enjoyable way to go – and hopefully the company will not fold, as has been talked about in current weeks. The beautiful QM2 was docked across the river – lovely and depressing all at the same time, since there were no tickets with my name on them! Our main goal of the day was to visit the American Girl Place – and it is quite a production! Three floors of my childhood dreams come true, including a café and a theatre. However, with the enormous influx of people in the city, we stayed only briefly in the store, since it was hard to navigate through the crowds! (there are already plans to return on a quiet day.) We tried seeing the windows at Saks, but the line was huge. We took a look at the Rockefeller tree (ready to be lit on Tuesday) and the skaters, who always make me envious… I’ve grown up a stone’s throw from it all and never been skating there! Saw an enormous Rolls Royce in front of the Dahesh Museum – did not go in to the exhibit, but wandered through their museum shop. We had lunch at a little diner, looked at more shops, and wandered as far as Bloomingdales, whose windows have recreated scenes from the upcoming movie The Phantom of the Opera, complete with set pieces and costumes. I hope that the genre of film will make it better than the stage production, since they can do more with locations, effects, etc. It was a chilly day and we walked for miles in the concrete jungle, but it was some good bonding time.

Gobble gobble gobble...

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
It might sound cliche, but we really all do have so much to be thankful for - and I for one often tend to forget that. Despite my grumblings and gloominess, I really am quite fortunate and actually do need to stop every once in a while and count my blessings. And, dear ones, they include you.

So... don't forget what my college choir director always told us... remember, you are what you eat... you turkeys! :)

a little movie quote for Turkey day:
"Happy Thanksgiving.... you're supposed to say, 'Happy Thanksgiving' back."
"Happy Thanksgiving Back."
"Knock, Knock."
"Who's there?"
"Orange."
"Orange who?"
"Orange you going to let us zip this card through? Zip Zip?"

"... they make me think of fishing..."

Hola, personas locas. Yo soy loca tambien, y yo tengo tres frijoles en mi bosillo ahora mismo.

So. This weekend. It went tres fast. On Friday night, I actually saw Alisa for dinner... the poor girl was hit by a car (as a pedestrian!!) three weeks ago, and suffered a massive concussion and jaw issues. It was nice to catch up, poor sweetie. Saturday brought a church choir rehearsal (unfortunately, I succumbed to the "I'll sing just for the Cantata" scenario), followed by Becky arriving! :) Then it was off to a concert performance... at which I decided to try to be trendy and wear fishnet tights... and received a comment from one of the men in the show about the fact that they were interesting and made him think of... fishing. (I don't know if that's not creepier than some kind of dirty comment!) Anyway, the concert was followed by a pilgrimage to Ikea - where Bec and I collectively spent a grand total of two dollars and eight cents, if you can believe it! We decided to forgo the customary meatballs in lieu of California Pizza Kitchen for dinner, however. Mmmmm....! Sunday we trekked out to Jersey City to perform at the Loew's Theatre (a little confusing to get there, perhaps, but an amazingly beautiful venue!) - and we did a nice job, too - well, at least I think we did! Dinner out with the parents rounded out the weekend. Busy!!

I must say I am enjoying my stint as a fairy. Perhaps the costume isn't as fairylike as we'd all like (more 50's prom dress than woodland fairy) but with all of the hair and the wand and the wings and the glitter it becomes more plausible, and the sheer silliness of it all is quite appealing. And it's been good therapy to be doing this... you've all heard of music therapy and art therapy - roleplaying is a good separation from reality, and I find the 'happy-ending' scenario to be a nice diversion from the monotony of the everyday life of this disgruntled music teacher who is desperate for her life to change but is also monumentally afraid of failure in making said changes... if she only could figure out what it is she should be doing with her life, that is!

If you're tired, but you can't sleep...

...just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings!

Oh, Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas. It's almost time for a movie or two like that! Especially The Miracle on 34th Street. Must be watched on Thanksgiving weekend.

I randomly found that song in my head for several reasons. One - it's one of Becky's favorite movies, and she is coming this weekend! "Now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!" (can you reference that quote?) Another reason is that it is a gloomy, movie kind of a day, and I am quite the fan of old movies. Yet another is that in my trying-not-to-be-so-blue mode, I am looking for things to be thankful for - and the fact that it is Friday is a big one. Gloria Deo, this week is over. On to the weekend, complete with a concert and a performance, which is bound to be fun, especially with a friend mixed in! :) It will make the craziness of the next few weeks a little more bearable, I hope!

Question to people more knowledgable about cars... why does my Jeep sometimes roll forward even if I put it into reverse and hit the gas? Is it that it is not fully in gear? And also because my parking space has a slight dip in the front? It freaks me out when it does this... I feel like something is tremendously wrong, but then it drives beautifully. Hmm. **shrug**

Change of plans...

I was going to rant and rave about stuff at work and life in general, but I deleted it all. Instead I will say this, and hopefully remember why I thought it was important in the first place. It's something I really do need to learn...

We would never learn to be brave and patient
if there were only joy in the world.
-Helen Keller

Happy Happy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOMMY!
:) I love you! (:

And so it begins....

This weekend we had our first show, in Connecticut. After the awful dress rehearsal last week, I feared a disaster... partially my own, since I botched up several lines and am still riding out the end of this blasted sickness. But the CT show was good, with minimal glitches and an excellent audience. :) Yay. And then a concert performance on Sunday hindered only by the fact that we all went to the wrong place first (because of directions given to everyone!)... things get busy from here on out with most weekends double booked. And imagine my shock when I open up the community newspaper for the town I work in and find a picture of myself, all fairied up, with an announcement that the music teacher is in a show! (Hey - it improves my popularity - the kids all think I'm famous now!)

The musings of the disgruntled and damp music teacher

About 90% of the time, it's really frustrating to have your office out in an awful trailer. True, people don't know where you are so they don't go looking for you, but especially on days like today (rainy, cold and dark) it's far from ideal to have to lug loads of junk and remember your coat. And with no overhang over the door, you get soaked trying to open it. Add to that the fact that I was told that I would have to flip my entire schedule upside down in order to hold rehearsals for the first grade holiday concert, including rescheduling my lunch to 8:35am one day if I "want" to practice with the children. (no, of course he didn't use those words, but it was implied.) And being told that I could not have a full-day substitute one day as to have time to rehearse - I can have a sub in the morning, since I will be with my other kids for my other concert, and I can have coverage for the last class of that day, but not the rest. Does that make any sense? No, but it comes from the man who comments on the fact that you have a mug or water bottle with you in the classroom and tells you that you're not interacting with the students enough during lunch duty. (no kid wants to talk to you while they are eating, stupidhead!) And since you don't have a classroom, there is a large implication on behalf of some teachers that you are just there to cover their prep, not actually teach the students something. What you do isn't important - she just sings songs with the kids all day, right? grumble grumble grumble. I guess it's just affirmation that for once I made the right life-choice - that keeping this up would really drive me batty.

Oh, how I wish for Prince Charming to rescue the blue music teacher and whisk her away from such bureaucratic monotony. Hey - something as simple as a cozy couch, roaring fire and some hot chocolate would be heaven!

quote and other randomness

Well, I dragged myself through work today, very begrudgingly (sp). I totally resented being there. (16 more paychecks, 16 more paychecks...) I have really been trying to combat the grey cloud over my head, but with all of the sickness and whatnot it appears to have gotten darker and cloudier. I guess life is just giving me a real pothole-laiden road for a good long stretch... something which could be fun in my Jeep, but since I am walking... well, it's just not cool.

Oh yeah. here's the quote, before I forget:
"I ate the fuzzy mints. They tasted like keys."
-Lorelai Gilmore, in a very hungry mood on an old episode I watched while sick.


Ok. Off to watch Regency House Party. (too bad there is no Mr. Darcy!)

New Book

As horrible as it is to say, I stopped reading for a while. I was reading too many deep-thinking and relationship-self-help books that I was going crazy, so for now all of those books are put aside. So in my illness, I picked up a novel. Becky had mentioned something she read a while back that sounded interesting to me, so I borrowed it from her. It's ironic that its subject matter follows my old pattern in a way, but it is strangely intriguing. I'll talk more about it once I've finished.

sick, sick, sick, grumble, grumble, grumble.

Yeah. So it's official. I'm really sick. Called out of work today and went to the doctor, who said I'm on on the border of pneumonia. He's given me some real grown-up drugs (from Germany - maybe like my uber-pills?) which should hopefully make me feel like a new person in a day or two. No work for me tomorrow, either, which will throw off everything I need to do this week, but O well.

The big concern is Saturday - our first Iolanthe performance, up in CT. As of right now, I am in no condition to sing (and barely have a voice at all)... but I have worked far too long and far too hard for this, so I am willing myself well. And praying a lot. And stressing out.

Grumble. Cough. Grumble.

grumble.

Sick. On a blasted day off from school/long weekend. Just my luck... it figures.

Reading...

I actually had the time today to read the local newspaper, a rarity that I enjoy. Here's a recap of what I found inside...

Section A: The main section
People in the news: did you know that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston bought Jamie Oliver’s house in London? They think Europe is a great place to raise children.
Section B: The business section (Didn’t open it up. Who cares about business?)
Section F: (Features) Thurs. is Shopping and Entertainment
“Turn of the Tied: Neckwear makes a comeback among the fashion-conscious”
Article obviously on neckties, and one guy mentions that he buys them as travel souvenirs from places he has visited. Pink is a hot color for ties this year.
Bill Ervolino: I didn’t know that people say that Ringwood Manor is haunted!! I’ve been there a million times! How did I not know this?!
Dear Abby: Scroll down to the very bottom of the column. How strangely ironic that Abby printed that limerick today. (I can actually remember the last time I heard it, too… April 30th of this year, in a playhouse in Montclair, NJ.)
Section L: Local (and Religion on Thursdays)
It appears that my hometown voted for Bush and not Kerry, even though we ended up being a "blue" state. They published vote tallies town by town, and here in Snobville, Bush got 2,758 and Kerry got 2,210. I think it’s funny that one local town only had 21 people vote – 7 and 14 votes, respectively.
I don’t ever read the Religion section, but for some reason I read the lead article today: Christianity’s future may lie in the ‘global south’. It talks about the Anglican Church primarily, and the fact that half of the world’s Anglicans are African. The thing about it that caught my eye, though, was the fact that the author heavily quoted some important guy from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Their hill was the best for dining-hall-tray sledding at night in winters past.

Last thing of note: Today in Rome they were expecting clouds and a high of 72F, London was to get rain and a chilly 55. Prague was expecting clouds and low 60’s. Even though the temperatures aren’t tremendous, I’d take any of the locales in a heartbeat!

To Vote or not to Vote....

(don't worry. I did my civic duty. I just thought it would be an interesting title.)

It will be interesting to see how everything pans out with this insane election.... are we back to the land of the unknown winner, where we must recount and look for pregnant Chads? (do you know what "chad" stands for? I do!) At lunchtime, I went to my old elementary school today and voted. Some buttons were pressed for Democrats. Some for Republicans. I guess it's my perogative, considering I'm registered Non-Partisan. Who knows if any of the people I voted for will win or not! With the country in so much uncertainty, I guess we just have to hope that our new/current President will do a good job with the mess he's got, right? It's not like the Washington underlings don't have all of the power anyway....

It's sad that I am more interested in the fact that we got the day off from school! :)

Halloween 2004

Happy All Hallows Eve to you!
A quick update of things since my last post.

* I ended up being quite boring in my costume choice for Friday. I wore my pajamas, a robe, slippers, and carried a bear. The kids all wanted to know what I was (if they didn't think I was a doctor, which was often guess #1....)

* Saw a play on Thursday night with a fellow Iolanthe fairy.... A Servant of Two Masters. It was very funny and well done. Bravo, Brighella, if you read this.

* All day rehearsal yesterday for Iolanthe. With 5 rehearsals to go before our first show, shouldn't the director stop trying to re-block the scenes???

* I'm not into horoscopes, but was curious as to what my "Costume horoscope" was, so here it is: Geminis may enjoy dressing as a dictionary or Scrabble board this Halloween. Born under the sign of the Twins, this sign might also pair up and go as a famous duo. Bert and Ernie, Mary Kate and Ashley, or Bonnie and Clyde are all great choices. Well, considering I had nowhere to go, and no friends to go with, I have not donned a costume today. Maybe I'll just eat the chocolate that we bought for the zero trick-or-treaters we've had ring our bell.

* Do you ever think that you are getting a handle on one of the crazy-out-of-control pieces of your life just to have life throw it back into your face?

* I am frightening myself with the crazy thoughts of running away lately. It's amazing how attractive it seems. I know it wouldn't do me much good - life would just catch up with me - but the little voice keeps telling me to run anyway... and fast!

Red Ribbon Week

This week is National Red Ribbon Week - anti-drugs, etc. Our school participates with a whole week of events -

Monday: Team up against drugs - wear sports team stuff
Tuesday: Tie one on against drugs - wear a tie
Wednesday: Turn your back on drugs - wear clothes backwards
Thursday: Drugs and I don't mix - mismatched clothing day
Friday: Say "boo" to drugs - wear costumes (but only after lunch)

I wasn't around Monday, which is good since I have no sports things, but I wore a tie and had (some) clothes on backwards and today was quite the sight - a striped sweater, multicolored scarf, my red Hawaiian print skirt, rainbow tights and purple shoes. A chuckle occurred when a first grader said to me, "But Miss President, you aren't wearing mismatched things!"

...I still need to decide what to do for tomorrow...
Do some good!

Happy Cotton Anniversary, Woods!

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wood! Thanks for being a good example of a healthy relationship for those of us who are more relationally challenged. Year two of the marriage is supposedly the "cotton" anniversary... and I contemplated sending you a bag of cotton balls or some Q-tips... but, alas, I did not get so creative. So enjoy the thought, if you can! :)

It's funny... Peter's post for today mentioned 63,072,000 Seconds... and ironically I was recently contemplating a post with similar number equivalents, on a whole range of topics... maybe I will do that some time this week... since computer time at the moment is short.

Reflections on the Weekend... a long post.

Back from the wedding weekend of my cousin Dawn, now Mrs. John West. It was a crazy-busy trip, and I will be glad to slow down and sleep in my own bed after such a weekend!

Left home at 6am Friday to get to the airport. Flight at 9-something. Arrived in Jacksonville close to 12. Waited for my Aunt to arrive from CO, then got the car and drove 2 hours to where my grandparents live. Visited with them, then slept at the lodge. Left there Saturday around 10am (grandmother in tow) to drive to Orlando, getting to the hotel around 3:30 (frequent stops and lunch delayed arrival time.) Got to the church after 5... luckily the ceremony was a little late in starting! Then there was waiting for the pics to be done, cocktail hour, and reception. It was a nice wedding, quite fancy for Florida. Sunday am: breakfast brunch with the family at the hotel (nice hotel, very posh) and then the 4+ hour drive back to Dowling Park... dinner with both grandparents and sleep again at the lodge. Left for Jacksonville this am around 8, flight left at 12ish, then waited for the car to pick us up at the airport... the original driver assigned to us broke down, so we had to wait for another. (and I'm planning on going to rehearsal tonight?? Am I crazy?!)

Total time in the air/plane: less than 4 hours.
Total time on the roads in Florida: at least 12 hours. (yawn.)

One thing I learned this weekend... I guess it's something I already knew, but saw it in action. We, the young, certainly shouldn't think we have a lock on the concept of love. Sure, we feel its hormonal/emotional/giddy side perhaps more than the "veterans", but what they have is perhaps more beautiful - longevity and experience - a love which transcends the emotions of "falling in love" - love in which you choose to love, even when the chips are down. I saw both in action this weekend.
My cousin and her husband were the picture of happy, truly glowing, looking ahead to an incredibly bright future. But then, to see my grandparents and their love in action was almost more amazing - two people who have been together for over 60 years, have seen incredible hardship and tough times (both socially and in their relationship, I am sure), and yet there still exists such a sweet love - my grandmother's concern at leaving my grandfather to come with us to the wedding - my grandfather sweetly taking a nap in my grandmother's bed while she was away.... I can only hope and pray for that kind of love, dedication, selflessness and collective faith in my lifetime.

Supermarket Man

Ok. Only one response to the "analyze the shopping list" game. Too bad for the rest of you. You lose!!

Here's my thought on the scenario:
One of two types of people are coming. Either the girlfriend or the parents. Makes sense, no?

click me!

'Tis a puzzlement....

I often find it interesting to people-watch in the checkout line at the supermarket. You can sometimes learn a lot about a person that way - whether they have kids, live alone, are on a diet, etc, just by what they buy. As is true everywhere, sometimes someone is just more interesting or noteworthy than the rest.

Take a look at the items purchased below, and see what you make of the man in the line next to me last night..... then hit the "comment" button below and tell me your thoughts on his story. (I'll share my ideas about him tomorrow.)

A toilet brush
Fumigation spray
Carpet deodorizer (the sprinkle-and-vacuum kind)
Air freshener/neutralizer
Shaving gel

...hmmm. I have two theories on the items, although both are related...

Two links for the start of the week...

#1. Tee hee hee. I agree with the tiger. :)

#2. Free. A good deed. Takes two seconds. And is appropriate for October. What more could you want?

Knitting and Murder

(interesting combination, no?)

Now that the weather is turning cooler, I am in a knitting mood again. It's not easy to knit in the summer... too hot for all that yarn. But fall makes me think of chilly days and bundling up in cozy things, which makes me want to be crafty. This summer, I had an early inspiration - I was going to take on the big project I'd been afraid of - a sweater. I had a recipient in mind and was ready to start searching for patterns and yarn... but alas, the road of life threw me a nasty blind curve, and that project has been scrapped. I still like the sweater idea, but need a person if I am to make one, since I am not ready to put that much effort on something for myself at the moment. I guess I need some inspiration. Anyone have any ideas for a project?

Oh yes. Now to the "murder" portion of the post. I saw the movie Mystic River last night. I had no inclination to see it when it had been in the theatres, even after it was nominated for Academy Awards. Anyway, saw it last night and found it to be very interesting. Basically, it's a murder mystery set in Boston involving three men who had been childhood friends who ended up taking very different paths in life, and how their lives intertwine again through the murder of one man's daughter. I thought it was well done, with some strong performances (Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won Oscars for it, and I thought Marcia Gay Harden was very good as well) and an ending I didn't anticipate. My dad had wanted to see it because it was directed by a favorite of his, Clint Eastwood. I recommend it, but suggest that if you're not a fan of excessive use of the "f" word, you may want to avoid it.

One last thing: almost bought the "Law and Order" book today at B&N. It was on sale for $4.95! Had a lot of interesting stills of crime scenes they created and the making of the series. Maybe I'll go back for it, being the addict I am... like I need another book! (doink doink!)

"...We are fairies down to the feet."

Today was a day-long rehearsal for Iolanthe. Such days are both a blessing and a curse - good, in terms of getting a lot done - bad, in terms of the looooong hours. I came prepared for what I thought would be a lot of "hurry-up-and-wait" time... a knitting project, notecards to be written, the score on CD to practice, etc... only to get to none of it. We didn't even really get a lunch break! They kept us uber busy a large majority of the time. It was a good rehearsal, though - costume fitting, pretty much solidifying the finales of acts 1&2, etc. However, considering the lack of a proper lunchbreak and the overabundance of goodies brought to rehearsal, I must confess that I am guilty of consuming half a bagel, two donuts (chocolate and Bavarian creme), a brownie and coffee (and triscuts and carrots I brought from home). How is one to remain in fairy form with such things around?? (any friends of Atkins would have had a coniption fit!)

However, I became the joke of the day after an incident between my derriere, a bench, and a cup of mint tea. (You're smart, figure it out.) Hey - at least I was minty fresh?

Uy. Yeah, it's time for bed. Night night.

Interesting Observation

I am eons behind in filing any of my 'important paperwork' and discovered some recent cell phone bills in the pile of file-able things. Compare and contrast two bills... August and September of this year:

Plan: 300 general minutes, unlimited nights and weekends.

7/21-8/20: used 223 general, 447 unlimited. (670 min.)
8/21-9/20: used 28 general, 148 unlimited. (176 min.)

...interesting how things change...

vineyard photographic moments

Peter was not as prolific as usual with photos this weekend, but some nice ones can be found here. I like this one of my 'brass ring ride' on the Flying Horses, and this one in Edgartown at the bus stop.

Can't I just go and live there? Or at least hide there for a while? The idea of running away from home is rather appealing these days...

Columbus Day 2004

It was a very good idea to get away for the weekend. With the way that things have been going, some kind of escape was overdue. Here are some tidbits and observations from the past 3 days:

1. I have decided that I really must live near the ocean. I don't care how. It needs to be done. I want a beach house. And I really don't care if it is my only house, either. I guess I'll have to start buying lottery tickets or something... that's the only way it will work, knowing that anything, anywhere with a ocean view is going to cost more than I could ever make in a lifetime.
2. I hate driving by myself. Locally/short distances, fine. Long distances... absolutely not. Especially when you get stuck in endless miles of traffic in Connecticut on the way home. There is no one there to distract you, so instead you go insane. (this must be amusing for other drivers to watch, however.)
3. Went on the Flying Horses on Sunday. Guess who caught the brass ring? :) woo hoo!
4. Next time I go to the Vineyard, (if it is not the summer) I am bringing my Jeep. I'll suck it up and pay the $70. I want to drive around.
5. It really really bites that my closest friend lives over 200 miles away.
6. My favorite mode of transportation really is by boat. It doesn't matter what kind. Rowboats, sailboats, ferries, cruise ships... heck, I'd even love a raft made out of logs. The water and the wind and the salty air are lacking in my life.
7. I really don't like being a third wheel. I got spoiled for a little while, but my old place has returned. Grr... blast and wretch. (B&P, I adore you and do honestly like hanging out with you... please don't take this grumpy girl's words the wrong way!)
8. Forgot to buy some fudge to bring home today, but did eat some. Yum. Fudge and salt water taffy are such 'beachy' sweets.
9. Thank you, Peter, for the books. It was sweet of you to think of them after reading my book post the other day. :)
10. How did the Lowe's know that wallpaper removal yesterday morning would be just the therapy I needed after the craziness of last week? It's amazing how satisfying it can be to rip things off the walls...
11. How much do I really want to just run away from my life and go back and hide here in a lovely blue house called Five Gates ? Especially since I know where they hide a spare key?

Thank you, Lowes and Woods, for a lovely weekend. I really did have a good time, and it was so necessary. Thank you thank you thank you!

Yawn. Time for a hot shower... my bed is calling my name, and unfortunately there is work tomorrow. (at least it is a short week and there is a payday at the end of it... it's the small things.) How many days until the next day off??

Good, Not-so-good...

Good: Today was Lee Denim Day at work. Donate $5 to Breast Cancer Research and get to wear jeans to work. yay. Another good way to do something for Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to click here. Free and helpful to others... definately good.
Not-so-good: I should be watching the presidential debate. I should be trying to educate myself on the political front. I should care about voting for a president. But I really don't have the energy to care... and would just rather move to Canada. Or maybe England. Or maybe start my own country.
Good: Educator Appreciation weekend at Border's. They had a reception today - raffle tickets for baskets of books and things, free coffee and cookies and cake, and a 'goody bag' with a load of promo stuff, a book of poetry, a children's book, 2 CD's, etc. And 25% off books and music. Muy Bueno.
Not-so-good: The fact that in recent weeks my personality has come to resemble that of a favorite children's character... Eeyore. Grey cloud and all.
Good: Columbus Day weekend. No work on Monday. Leaving to go to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow morning. Actual socialization with friends, a big novelty when you find that all of your friends live far away. An escape from the monotony and humdrum existence at home. Very necessary, even if I don't look forward to the long drive by myself.

I could keep this up, but I am dead tired and need to get a good start in the morning. It's been a long week, both emotionally and physically. I dragged myself through most of it rather reluctantly, practically counting the minutes until 3:00 this afternoon. Well, here's to the weekend - and hopefully a better state of mind when I return... which would be good.

Book stuff

Time to update the whole book thing. I decided to add a new catagory of books I've recently finished. Lately I've been doing a lot more reading, for various reasons, and figure I should share. A lot of it has to do with faith and religion and relationships... hmmm. I wonder why. (It's a long post. So beware.) Let me know if any of the links are screwy.

Wrestling With God. This one was excellent. Among other things, it compares The Wizard of Oz, The Matrix, Star Wars (the original ones) and the story of Jesus in the desert (being tempted and tested) - with how we all end up with some kind of crazy catalist in our lives (the "tornado") which spins us into a strange, frightening and lonely place of self-discovery and crisis and questioning (the desert). It's not preachy. I've read other "Christian" books before, and this one is quite different. It inspires you to seek actual faith, not just rely on 'religion' as a crutch.

The Christian Culture Survival Guide. This was amusing, from the same publisher as the one above. It was written by a guy who grew up in a real strict Southern Baptist Bible thumpin' family and has since explored many other genres of Christianity as well. He finds a way to explain things that only the 'church kids' have experienced. Really, the subtitle says it all... The Misadventures of an Outsider on the Inside. (I can relate!) I got this one out of pure curiosity - and it was on sale!

The Dirt on Breaking Up. This one was sent to me by my aunt, who I adore and think is wonderful. It had some helpful information, but was geared more towards a much younger crowd (as evidenced by the website.).

Two more on the "Currently Reading" front:

Mere Christianity, by C.S.Lewis. I was required to read it in freshman seminar in college, and honestly remember nothing about it except the title and author. Now, I find it is much more interesting, and appropriate. It's not big in size, but amazingly dense... it argues Christianity and principles/doctorine from an interesting angle - Lewis was a staunch Atheist for most of his life, and then became a man of faith through personal searching, questioning, rationalizing, and through conversations with other intellectual and literal friends like Tolkien. So much of what he has said (so far) resounds with me. I highly reccomend it to both people who agree and who disagree with Christianity... I think it provides interesting food for thought.

Define the Relationship (A candid look at breaking up, making up, and dating well.) Also from my dear Aunt E.. I am still only in the midst of chapter 1, but I will be able to report more at another time. So far, it has started to open the can of worms called communication (or should it be called miscommunication?). I just hope it won't be too preachy... I hate that.

Still reading Things You Should Know By Now (see sidebar for the link) but I will probably put it aside for a while since my dearest pal Rebecca wants to borrow it... and I will see her this weekend, on Martha's Vineyard! :)

(In looking at this post, I see a big need to read some fiction. Any good suggestions as to non-depressing good lose-yourself-in-them-books?)

Answer

Well, congratulations are in order to my mystery comment person... Someone plagued with harpaxophobia suffers from a fear of thieves or robbers (or thievery/robberies).

Anonymous... if you are indeed so smart, then why hide yourself?

strange tidbit

I learned this word at dinner last night...

HARPAXOPHOBIA

Do you know what this is a fear of? Leave a comment if you do. Answer to follow...

Hmm. Kind of scary, if you think about it...

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deson't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

(Yes, this was a forward that I got. I'm sure you've gotten it, too - but it's just so strangely fascinating to me, so I shared.)

Strange combination of stuff...

First subject: I saw the strangest commercial today for an LG Refrigerator. It seems like a nice refrigerator and all, as far as refrigerators go - stainless, sleek look, ice and water in the door, etc.... and a TELEVISION! Who in the name of all that is good and normal needs a &$%@&#! tv in the door of their fridge?!? Oh, wait. That's right. Market a stupid product to the obese Americans!

Next subject: our house. It's leaking. No, not because of the post-hurricane rain we're experiencing today, but internally. Something is terribly wrong upstairs, and the downstairs bathroom and closet and basement ceiling are all wet. The plumbing is the problem, and the super isn't coming until Saturday or Sunday. Meanwhile, we're taking amazingly fast showers and praying that the walls don't come apart. What joy. No wonder our basement has been getting mustier smelling.

Last subject: Back-to-school-night. Remember mom and dad heading out to school one night in September to talk to the teachers and read the cute note you left in your desk for them? Our school's BTSN is tonight. And I so don't want to be there. It's not like anyone cares to come up and speak to a "special area" teacher. You just sit there and eat cookies because you are so bored. And it's raining, which makes the commute and parking issues a joy. Yay.

...I know, I know - I'm all sunshine-and-flowers lately... you may not believe me, but I am trying to improve!

well, at least I know I'm consistent...

This afternoon, being the fine afternoon that it was, my parents decided to get outside and asked me to come along. We ended up going mini-golfing... at a place I hadn't been since May 24th. (yes, I do remember the date I was last there... although not because of the golfing!) Well, my previous visit yielded some sketchy scoring... many retries and quite a few balls ending up on the gravel instead of the 'green'. However, none of that mattered in the least, as it was hilariously fun.

Well, this time I must say that my scores were probably similar to the previous run on the course, had actual scoring come into play. Par for the 18 holes was 47. My score was 59... the loser of the group. However, I came into my own in the back 9, only 2 above par, and the winner of those holes. (being 10 above par on the front 9 is what killed me!)

At least I wasn't the only one in the group that ended up with 'gravel balls'... although I did rack up the most! I guess eye-hand-putter coordination is not a strong suit of mine...

four random thoughts for saturday

1. Happy Yom Kippur. Too bad it didn't fall on a weekday, or we'd have the day off. :(
2. Last night, went to Queens with mom and dad to meet up with a bunch of family for a big dinner (my great aunt was visiting from Georgia). V. nice time.
3. Random poetry I found...
Roses are red, violets are blue,
I'm a schizophrenic, and so am I.
4. Waiting.... waiting... waiting... waiting... a week of waiting! :c/

I'm now off to spend my morning at the supermarket. Oh, Joy! Do Saturdays get any better than this?

regression?

Recently, I was reminded of something I used to say in college. It is funny, sure, but also perhaps holds a bit of sense in it as well. One can never be too careful, you know...

Boys are dumb, and we should throw rocks at them.

Is it obvious that it's not a good day? Grr.

100 things

A very long time ago, Becky made a list of 100 things about herself. (I forget where the inspiration came from.) I was inspired by this... and thought that it would be an interesting thing to do myself. Well, I started one once, and found it again recently. I had to change some things, but I still am only up to 61! I'll have to keep working - it's harder than you think to come up with 100 random facts about yourself. Here are a few from my list....

9. I was 'dethroned' from my position of Supreme Queen of "The Club" on 04/30/04.
18. One of my apartment-mates in college was born on exactly the same day as me. (yay for Flag Day babies!)
26. I want to learn to tango.
29. I also want to learn how to fence. (yay for swordfighting!)
39. I crave triscuts.
41. I can fold my tongue in three. (like a W.)

I know. More than a little random... but I'm scrounging for something to post about. (shrug)

hello, space cadet...

This is sad. Really really sad. Yesterday was one of those days with a lot of deep thinking and stressing and obsessing and worrying and whatnot... which is awful, since it was also a day off from school (yay for Jewish holidays!). Anyway, my brain was swirling with so many things as I drove to rehearsal last night that I missed a turn and ended up getting lost. LOST... on the way to a place I'd driven to twice a week all winter and spring, and several times already this fall!!! How incredibly awful is that?! And it made me late! Grrr.

(at least I was able to figure myself out and actually get there... but not before pandemonium ensued!) Stupid girl! :/

odometer milestone and books

Yesterday, on my way to rehearsal, I happened to look down at the odometer of my Jeep and was happily surprised to observe a milestone (palendrome, really) - 011110. (you can now ooh and aah appreciatively...) I know. I'm a dork. Whatever.

Thought I'd update the "currently reading" catagory as well, since I have found a new book... actually, several. Things You Should Know By Now is a lot like Quarterlife Crisis, but lighter and funnier. It has chapters with titles like "First Dates are Hard, Except on TV," "Financial Procrastination Will Eat You For Lunch," "How To Buy Groceries," and "How To Cook Eggs a Bunch of Different Ways." I have a few others in the pipeline as well, (has anyone ever known me to actually read just one book at a time?) but thought this one might be worth sharing.

Remember

On days like today, we realize that so many of our own personal concerns and problems seem almost petty and unimportant when we remember that others have had such amazing tragedy enter their lives. I'm not downplaying the fact that we all have valid problems and concerns in our lives, because we do. It's just that I think there are some things that supercede us all.

Reflections like this make you so thankful for what you do have - the people in your life that you care about, the opportunities that you have, the ability to love and laugh and learn and give. Count your blessings. Be thankful. Remember to tell people that you love them. Don't take things for granted. We can't let tragedy corrupt the human spirit and only bring us down... use it to find the good, to learn from it instead of being destroyed by it.

So my friends, I leave you with this - I love you and am thankful that you're a part of my life.

Grumble.

First day of school. Pouring rain, like the shower. All day. Crappy schedule for the year. Two lunch duties and line duty. An 8-minute prep one day. Principal switch at the two schools. (how many days are left????) Health insurance claim chaos letter in mail. Lawyer letter for car accident in mail. Damp. Tired. Grumpy. Angry. Disappointed. Lonely. Heartbroken. Frustrated.

... so, how was your day?

Labor Day Weekend 2004

Hope you all have good plans for the holiday – I don’t. I can’t believe that the summer is over. It was, honestly, the best summer of my life. I played, I had great adventures, I lived life fully, I fell in love. The past two weeks, though? Well, the highest highs go with the lowest lows, I guess.

I hate to say this, but I fear that the hope I’ve been clinging to is slipping away from my clenched fists. I hoped and prayed that this week maybe things could start to mend, or at least questions be resolved… but silence proved me wrong. I will continue to hope, continue to pray… but as hard as it is I need to try to scrape myself up and try to plug along as best I can, try to figure myself out – who I am and who I am meant to become.

I still hurt… I still hope... I still pray… I still love.