All Traffic Must Exit

Andrew J. Mellen: The Week of Inward Looking: Day Three

2011-12-29T14:39:00.000-05:00

Andrew J. Mellen: The Week of Inward Looking: Day Three: 7 Days 7 Teachers 7 Questions Today's question comes from me on organization. Question: When I look back over 2011 and think of ho...

I have spent the last year contemplating possessions.

First, when I was being pushed to leave my husband and home in the fall of 2010, I considered what I would take with me. Most of the things in our home were mine. Either I had already owned them when we married 20 years prior, or I acquired them through a gift or a direct purchase. I bought things for the house; that was part of my job as homemaker. I didn’t choose to take everything with me, primarily because I intended to return. So I took things that I really needed...like clothes, and things that I didn’t want destroyed or gone through...like my journals and memorabilia. This initially amounted to about 4 carloads of stuff.

After a few months, I realized that I wouldn’t be going back home to husband and my former life and still I felt satisfied with my possessions. I wasn’t lacking for anything material.

Then my house sitting arrangement changed. My temporary home was being leased by a large, newly-blending family. They graciously allowed me to stay on for a time while they were establishing themselves and I found a new place to live. I watched as more and more things arrived. Some items were treasured and useful. Some seemed, to me, to be less than that. I had so few things of my own. I had brought so little with me and what I hadn’t brought, it seemed the universe provided. If it wasn’t there, I didn’t need it. The tide of stuff continued to flow into the home I inhabited, with now at times, count-em! a total of nine people. Stuff literally blocked the doorways and pathways. I felt this not only in my physical space, but in my heart and spiritual space as well. I felt I was being squeezed out, once again.

Then I packed up most of what I had brought with me and relocated. I found myself in what was in an essentially empty home and my possessions were strung out among three different living spaces.

Hurricane Irene hit us at the end of August, bringing down part of a prized oak tree and taking out a bedroom. A bedroom that was filled with all the possessions of my 22 year old daughter, who had been buffeted along with me the past 10 months. Everything of value that Megan had brought with her from her childhood home, everything that was packed and stored from the house sitting arrangement, all her college textbooks that she had saved from the past 5 years and the ones purchased for the upcoming semester were buried under two huge sections of tree, ceiling, drywall, insulation and shingles. And it was raining.

I watched as our two elderly neighbors immediately crawled into the room and under the foliage to retrieve the textbooks. I watched, the next day when the sun shone once again, as these two neighbors were joined by at least four others and items were dug out and handed to one another in a bucket line. Each dainty pair of panties, bras, books, bracelets, glasses, potted plant, her bed frame, gifts from her brother in Turkey...each item was a treasure renewed. Each item retrieved, renewed her hope and spirit. All her important possessions were in that demolished room. Remember, we had moved twice in the previous ten months. All of her possessions were intact sans her laptop and a bedside table. One easily replaced, one easy to let go.

As the house was being repaired, Megan and I shared my bedroom. Again, lots of things crammed into one room; two beds, my computer and work table, an antique desk, a handcrafted table from Italy, an end table, pole lamps, our clothes. Squeezed again, but happily so. We were alive, all the important things saved, and healing.

My possession journey continues. I am asked, ‘do you have such and such?’ and my mind’s eye sees it clearly, in some other home now left behind. Never mind, what ever it is, if I need it, it’ll come back. I know this to be true. I gave away an infant in my youth, only to have her come back to us in the aftermath of this hurricane destruction, which always leads to renewal.

I gave Nia away with the intention that she would return. I always felt that she would. I was confident that she was in good hands and that she would find me when the time was right. I did not live in ‘what ifs’ and ‘why nots’. I released her and now she is back in our lives. Now to find the balance of not trying to possess her in full, but just the amount she is willing to share.

Organization of possessions, time, tasks, thoughts, actions (past, present, and future). I find myself spending a lot of time looking inward. When will I have enough?

Arms Wide Open

2011-10-05T09:37:00.000-04:00

When my children were younger, I would go around the house and check on them after they were asleep. Sometimes I would do the mental check when one of them were away for a camping trip or sleepover. One, two, three...everyone accounted for...except for my firstborn; the daughter I put up for adoption when I was sixteen.

Some of my close friends, family, and high school mates know this story. For those of you that don't...

I was fifteen when I got pregnant. I attended Portsmouth Catholic High School. I loved my boyfriend. I cried all summer; not because I was newly pregnant but because my parents forbade me to spend time with the young man they blamed for my situation.

By the end of August, they had relented somewhat. I could feel the baby moving by this time and the baby's daddy and I went for walks everyday. I did incredibly healthy things. I went to the doctor, took my vitamins, ate good food, cut out SUGAR and caffeine. I went to school everyday and earned excellent grades. I did everything right.

Nia

On February 1, 1983 I took my last exam for the semester (Latin). On the morning of February 2, I woke up with a back ache. By 5 p.m. the baby was born without drugs or mechanical help. She was beautiful. She slipped out with a whoosh and the doctor placed her on the outside of my belly. Wow, she was heavy. Eight pounds, 2 ounces; born just in time for dinner.

My friends and teachers had been calling the hospital to find out if the baby had been born yet but because I was underage, it was against hospital policy to tell anyone if I was there. A placard which read NO INFORMATION ADAMS was hung on her bassinet. When my sister, Fara, saw that sign she said, "Nia". For 28 years, she has been Nia to me.

Two years ago, I started to get serious about finding the woman I had let go as an infant. I contacted Adoption Services in Richmond (with some help from my dear friend, Melina) and was told to write a letter for the file. It took me a year to do that. I just didn't know what to say. About a year ago, I did write the letter. After many follow up calls, I received an important email last week. Nia had come into the Chesapeake office, filing the paperwork requesting that her adoption records be released. They found my letters and current info waiting. On Friday, September 30 I met Nia for the the second time. Her name is Karen Jarman. We welcome her with arms wide open.

The head count is complete.

I extend heartfelt gratitude to Vickie Sessler and all of Karen's family for supporting her decision to find the families that have been missing her.

Close Encounter

2011-09-11T13:43:00.000-04:00

The black, undulating body caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to find him there, on the top of my computer monitor. I was intently focused on the Facebook message in the lower half of my screen, my body leaning in with eyes squinting sans glasses, when in my upper peripheral vision I notice the snake stretched out across the top of my monitor. I thought I was calm since I didn't actually scream, but I apparently emitted several startled sounds as I jumped up and exited the kitchen.

When I came back, I peered around with the flashlight and found him again, this time peeking out of the uncovered electrical outlet underneath my desk. There he stayed, curled up and sleeping until I went to bed. In the morning, he was gone.

Oh, I know he is lurking still and that I am likely to run into him again. I just hope I see him before I get so close.

I have been looking for snakes recently. On and underneath piles of wood, in corners, open holes in the walls and ceiling. I know they are around and it is not that I am snake phobic; I just don't want to touch them. Kinda like my life for the last twenty years. I knew there were people I wanted to avoid, and I thought I was watching out for them. It is not that I am unaware that bad guys and snakes exist, but I am offended that they had to be right in my face for me to see them.

He Gave Me Cheese and I Ate It

2010-09-13T07:22:00.000-04:00

I have recently given up dairy. After many years of overhearing people say that they don't "do dairy" because of the pus, and upon Melina's recommendation to Megan; I gave up milk and cheese. It has been about four weeks now and I really haven't missed it. I must confess that I have been a hardcore cheeser. I ate hunks of sharp cheese for lunch; with crackers or almonds, or cashews, or vanilla cookies, or chips, or pretzels. Yum! I loved milk. Drank gobs of it with chocolate and cakes. I loved mozzarella laden pizza. Oddly, even though I have eaten a lot cheese all of my life it was surprisingly easy to let it go. I have felt amazing. My tongue is less covered in goo. My boobs ache less. I am more energetic and I have lost 10 lbs. As I considered a life with a lot less cheese, I thought when I did have some, it would be special. Goat cheese on rosemary focaccia. It would be savory and extraordinary.

Yesterday, Jay offered me part of his sandwich. He said he would make it how he liked it and I was welcome to half. I was in the middle of a family computer task and when he had the sandwich ready and cut; I jumped up, went into the kitchen and ate the half sandwich while standing. Fairly stuffing this sandwich into my face because I was really anxious to continue with the computer thingie. Eating while distracted.

It was about an hour later that I realized, "He gave me cheese!" There were two slices of white American deli cheese on that sandwich. It was about as unspecial as I could get. Flat, white, greasy slabs of cheese with roast beef, turkey, and ham. I hadn't noticed the cheese because I was in such a hurry. I don't even like beef and turkey deli meat. Why did I eat that? It was what I was offered. I don't get taken care of very often any more. My parents have been gone 20 and 10 years, respectively. So when Jay offers me something to eat; I usually take it. I am so hungry for someone to take care of me that I don't even think about turning it down. It was only later that I realized I had eaten something I didn't like and that I had specifically shunned. I had eaten it quickly while standing because I was anxious to get back to my task. Totally unmindful.

Now I am not faulting Jay here. He shared his sandwich made the way he liked it. I am grateful that he thought of me. But then I had taken what he offered because I just wasn't thinking. He wasn't offering what I wanted. I just don't have to take what's given me. I can accept the intent without accepting the offering. I can practice gratitude and discernment while honoring what I really want. I'll pass on the cheese.

Baseball and Me

2010-08-15T21:16:00.000-04:00

Most of my knowledge has been actively pursued. If I was interested in something, I studied it. I read books. Asked questions. Meditated.

My knowledge of baseball has been acquired almost against my will. I had to watch baseball games because Travis was playing. I had to pay attention because if I didn't, then I would get creamed with a ball. If a game was on TV, and I wanted to be with my family, then I was exposed to baseball, even though I was trying not to pay attention. Then if I wanted to have a conversation with my son, I needed to ask questions about baseball. Even though I wasn't trying, I was acquiring some baseball knowledge. I know there is an inside the park home run, and an infield fly rule. I don't claim to be able to explain those, but I know they exist. There is a pay-off pitch, which is the next pitch when the count is 3-2. That is three balls and two strikes. I know some pitches are knuckle balls, sliders, curve balls, and a change up. I don't know what all those terms mean.

My son loves baseball, so we all follow it to some degree. But never, in all my almost 44 years, would I say that going to and watching a baseball game would be a choice of mine. After traveling to Atlanta, GA - home of the Braves - and seeing two of a four game series; I see things a little differently.

Turner Field, August 6, 2010

Baseball is a family sport. I saw men and women, young and old at the ballpark. Old men and sweet babies and little children. Couples, groups of teens, and families with toddlers.

The field is a work of art. Four bases, diamond shaped, meticulously cut grass, raked earth. It is a thing of simple beauty. I like to watch the grounds crew trot out and rake the field between innings. They know just what to do. Each person advances onto the field in a staggered, diagonal line dropping the rake that he drags behind in a prescribed pattern. They make the field look new again. I love the way the infielders prep as the batter sets up to hit the ball. The team is an entity that undulates slightly forward and then back again. An anemone made of fit dudes. This isn't apparent from the television screen. It is best witnessed from a seat high above the field, allowing your focus to loosen as if you are observing an optical illusion. If you are look only at one player, then you can't see the subtle simultaneous movement of all the rest . The crowd holds it's collective breath when the ball is hit hard and long...this lack of sound more impressive than the dejected sigh if the ball is caught or the roar of the fans if it is a home run. I witnessed the crowd sing along with God Bless America and felt privileged to be part of a group of people honoring our country with song. I witnessed "the wave" circle round the bowl of the stadium up to five or six times. I saw parents carrying their toddlers in the 94 degree heat without complaint. I witnessed folks finding their ticketed seats already filled and just moving up and sitting in an empty. (These were the cheap seats.) Moms dolled out snacks brought in back packs and shelled out bucks for snow cups. The quintessential hot dog and ice-cold Coke, followed by funnel cake are staples at the ball park.

We saw history being made with the induction of Tom Glavine to the Braves' Hall of Fame and what could be Chipper Jones' final home run.

What I know about baseball, I have learned ambiently. And while I wouldn't put going to Turner Field to see a baseball game at the top of choices of things I like to do, I am very glad that I didn't miss it. Thanks to Travis for making baseball a part of my life.

My Benchmark Cousin

2010-08-02T10:02:00.000-04:00

Cindy is my benchmark cousin. By that I mean she is the first baby I can clearly remember being born. I remember her older sister, Susan, being a baby, but Susan is hazy and surrounded by gauze. Cindy, on the other hand, is the yardstick by which I measure time and memory.

You know when you are a little kid, say nine, and someone says, "I got this, I've been driving for fifteen years" and you think, "Wow, fifteen years. That's a long time. I haven't even been alive that long." When you are a little kid, most of the people around you are older than you are. Then the balance begins to shift.

Grandma's back yard, in the winter

In the summer of 1977, I went to Danville to spend a couple of weeks with the Whitt family. I generally liked to be there on July 4 because we could see the fireworks over the mill and Dan River by standing in grandma's back yard. This year my Aunt Maxine was hugely pregnant with her seventh child. Maybe she wasn't so huge, but I didn't have that much experience around expectant moms. While I don't remember her due date, I was really hoping she would have the baby while I was there. I don't know what I thought this would be like because Maxine would have gone to the hospital and left a bunch of hungry people behind her. If she had birthed Cindy while I was there, I imagine my parents would have jumped in the car and retrieved me.

It was hot that July. We had a few days at 100 degrees. This was BA, "before air-conditioning". No one in our family had central air. Bobby may have had a window unit in his room. It was hot, hot, hot. Maxine worked in the garden early in the morning. She hung laundry every day. I remember her running up the hill chasing Bobby with a broom. Well, you can bet her teenager son was faster. I remember dabbing her feet with cotton boll soaked in alcohol. She said that felt so nice.

My visit ended. I think Uncle Wallace and Aunt Colleen brought me home that year. I was so sad that the baby wasn't there yet!

A week or so later, my parents and I were sitting on the back porch in Portsmouth. It was evening; almost dark...probably close to 9 p.m. when the phone rang. Cindy was here. August 2, 1977.

So when someone says they were born in '77, I think "I could've changed your diapers."

Happy Birthday Cindy!

(Footnote: You can find James' and Lena's house in the linked photo of the cotton mill. Press CTRL and + at the same time to zoom in.)

Gratitude

2010-08-01T14:33:00.000-04:00

To tell you the truth, (and why would I do differently?); I have been a little down recently (the past year or so, funny how time morphs after age forty). Various things not worth listing, but I have been searching for a way to get out of a slump. A friend, Sara, has been using her Facebook status as a Gratitude project landing place. Post three things you are grateful for; thirty consecutive days; no repeats. Well, this has been refreshing. And it has got me to thinking about what I am grateful for. Since I do most of my writing in my head I just walk around thinking, "I am grateful for my children, my health, my Breezecatcher, rain, my parents, my home, all my aches and pains that let me know I am alive..."

I didn't know if I wanted to be a copy cat and create my Gratitude project on my Facebook, but I was certainly tempted. Using my finely honed procrastination skills, I rationalized that I could wait until August to begin my Gratitude project. I would do it for the calendar month. Yet I was still not committed to the idea.

I checked out the book, The Happiness Project, from the library. I got up this morning around 1:30 a.m. and begin flipping through this book. I didn't realize until then it was divided into activities by month. I go to August and there it is, "keep a gratitude journal." I am taking this as a sign.

Spinning at the Y

2009-12-13T16:05:00.000-05:00

My family has been participating in various "spin" classes at our local YMCA. The other night it was just Travis and me. The instructor plays a song I haven't heard in years, which I used to own on cassette. Evy says, "something from the 80's" and I am enjoying it, wondering if anybody else knows who the obscure artist is.

At the end of the song, she says, "ten points for the person who can name this artist" and I enthusiastically shout, "Terrence Trent d'Arby". I turn to Travis and say, "I get a gold star." He replies, "You get an old star."

My Friend (?) in the Red Ford Focus

2009-04-02T16:21:00.003-04:00

When I travel northbound on Route 13 shortly before eight in the morning on weekdays, a man that I don't know waves at me. It is not a very enthusiastic wave. It is a nonchalant lifting of the index finger off of the steering wheel. It is barely a wave, really. More of an acknowledgment. This has been going on for months. I don't have any idea who he is or who he may think that I may be. I drive a pewter Buick Lasabre. The cadillac of middle class grandmothers. I am sure that he thinks he knows me; but he doesn't. For a long while, I would not see the wave until he was so close that I couldn't wave back. I would be on the phone with my sister, or drinking a cup of coffee, or eating a hard-boiled egg and even if I saw him wave in time, I did not have a free hand with which to respond. This catches me off guard, and makes me shake my head in wonder. Who is this middle-aged, scruffy man in a ball cap? Why does he wave? Does he wave at all the cars that pass in the opposite direction, perhaps to see if someone will wave in return? Or does he just wave at middle-aged white women? Or just women in Buick Lasabres? Or did I once give him a hard look because my 20 year old daughter also drives a red Ford Focus? Is it just a game of Sweet or Sour that he plays to keep himself awake at the wheel? Now, it has been about a year...and if I see him in time...I will acknowledge him back. Funny, there is no way I would recognize him in any other context.

Casting Call in Suffolk

2009-03-29T11:16:00.006-04:00

Excerpt from Casting VA website:

The casting call will be held Monday March 30th at 5pm at the HILTON GARDEN INN in Suffolk, VA --

Address : 100 East Constance Rd. Suffolk, VA 23434

Please be aware the shoot dates will be April 9th - 12th, so you may have to shoot one of those days depending on the schedule. Shooting locally in Suffolk, Va and surrounding areas.

Basically feel we're going for... everyone is very run down and poor, adults are 'tired looking' and mostly alcoholic... the kids are the type to get muddy on the farm, barefoot, etc.
All from a country, farming town.

Here's the list of characters we are casting:

Two sisters, ages 10-13. They will be sitting at the dinner table listening to the mom talk. One line each “Amen”.

Boy, aged 6-10. Also sitting at the dinner table listening to mom talk. One line- “Amen”.

Young Herbert -aged 14-18. This is the type of young man who’s grown up on a farm and knows how to handle animals. He is introverted and brooding. 5 scenes. (In real life they'd like someone who is not afraid of animals because this person will be around goats, also someone who isn't very shy.

Mom – early 40’s, worn down and drunk. Backwoods type. 3 scenes

Dad – early 40s, drunk, loud, redneck. 4 scenes

Daughter – this is a 3 year old girl that can fit into a safety seat in a car.

Son – aged 5-9. Dark blond hair. Has 2 lines.

Wife of 40 yo Herbert – mid 30’s, she’s a smart alleck, fed up with her husband. One scene.

Girl Victim – aged 17-20. (Miss Peanut type)

My comments:

I read this and thought I could play the mom and Jay could play the dad and Travis could be Young Herbert. And Megan is 20, but what does Miss Peanut type mean? My first thought was "shaped like a peanut" but I don't think short, round, with a slight hint of a waist is what they meant. I began to think about the pageant at the Peanut Fest. Tall, willowy, long BLONDE hair. Here is a 2008 Miss Peanut in Alabama.

2007 Winner

2006 Winner

2005 Winner She is on page eight.

I thought "Miss Peanut" type was a vague description, but apparently not. Sorry, Megan. They are not looking for curly-haired brunettes.

2010 Update: All my links are broken. Sorry about that. Suffice it to say, at the time all the links reflected tall, thin, blonde, young women.

Gratitude

2009-01-13T17:38:00.004-05:00

Last Wednesday night we had a little wind storm. When I went out to move my car the next morning, the windshield was crunched and the hood dented. I proceeded with my day by using Jay's beloved Impala. When I got back home, the insurance claim had been filed, the tow truck was on it's way, and a rental car was reserved for the week and ready for us to pick up. Thank you, Jay, for taking care of these chores that I abhor and for keeping us properly insured.

What I've Been Reading Lately

2008-08-17T18:21:00.007-04:00

I usually choose books by their cover. I know, I know...I'm not supposed to do that. I don't do that to people, though; just books. I usually look for books that say "A Novel" under the title. I also favor books with chairs on the cover.

You see, I also enjoyed this one...

and this one, too.

A Beautiful Mind

2008-07-22T07:16:00.003-04:00

We watched A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe, last night. I like to play Six Degrees of Separation. Here goes...

In the movie, A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe plays a mentally ill Nobel Peace prize recipient.

Ed Harris co-stars.

Ed Harris played Charlie, husband of Patsy Cline, in Sweet Dreams. Patsy Cline was played by Jessica Lange.

Jessica Lange also played a mentally ill actress in Frances. Mozart's Sonata in A Major, K.331 was used in the soundtrack.

While working at his desk, John Nash, Russell Crowe's character in A Beautiful Mind, is listening to Mozart's Sonata in A Major, K.331 on the radio.

A Gem of a Quote

2008-07-12T10:08:00.001-04:00

Interesting that this article pertains to tilapia and catfish, but what about chickens and cows?

clipped from health.usnews.com

"In the 1970s, we lost the ability to feed the planet with fish we catch," Chilton said. "Farm-raised fish has to be part of our future, but we must do it correctly. We must feed animals the correct foods. Animals become what we feed them, and we become what we eat as well. The food chain is fairly consistent."

Maxine's Six Word Memoir

2008-07-06T21:56:00.001-04:00

Maxine emailed her memoir. She said she did not know how to link. Thank you, Anut Maxine.

Born

school

work

married

babies

old

melina thinks: Want to get stick to your goals? Don't have too many.

2008-07-06T09:56:00.004-04:00

melina thinks: Want to get stick to your goals? Don't have too many

I have observed the following connection in my own behavior; when I exercise regularly, I eat less junk food. Perhaps Melina's blog entry and the link therein help explain the phenomenon I experience. One self-discipline success leads easily to another. It really does work that way for me and I have often wondered why. It is as if I magically stop wanting M&Ms and Hershey kisses and chips when I am moving my body in a purposeful way.

My challenge is to move; because for the last-going-on-3-years, I have just been eating. But where are all my self-discipline chips being spent? On keeping quiet. The things that bother me most are the most unlikely to be heard.

A Weekend Without Work

2008-07-05T12:29:00.006-04:00

I am trying really hard not to click on the company software link. I am racking my brain thinking of other activities I could accomplish.

So far I have...

Read part of a lame book
Loaded two crockpots with meat
Frozen four beef roasts and eight steaks
Made some natural all-purpose cleanser
Flossed my brain
Neatened up
Ate a bag of Tostitos
Made some yogurt with raw milk

MTBar Farm: Meme-oire

2008-07-01T15:11:00.001-04:00

This is the direct link to Tina's 6 word creations.

MTBar Farm: Meme-oire

Tag: Write a Six Word Memoir

2008-07-01T06:14:00.009-04:00

Tina tagged me. Here are the rules.

* Write a six-word memoir.

* Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like.

* Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogsphere.

* Tag 5 more blogs with links

* Don’t forget to leave a comment in the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Okay, here goes...

What am I going to do? (the story of my life)

Don't cry over that snot-nosed boy. (advice from Mama when I was eight)

I should not have married him. (this only covers half my life)

You can not get it all. (A truism uttered by me, age 11, but I cheated here and split the original contraction of can't to meet the writing requirements. This really is "you cain't get it all")

Sadness and depression begat better writing.

I am tagging Iisha, Megan, Jane, Cindy, and Maxine.

Part Deux

2008-06-29T10:47:00.001-04:00

My response to my own post. Now I am talking to myself online. What is worse, I am answering myself online.

clipped from www.imdb.com

MY BAD: The release date is correct and my memory is failing. I went to visit my friend in June of '88 and we must have seen the movie then. That would have made me about 3 months pregnant with my daughter (DOB 11/21/88) and prone to emotional outbursts; hence the uncontrollable crying as we left the theater.

So, I WAS pregnant and Demi was not.

The Seventh Sign : IMDB Post

2008-06-29T10:34:00.002-04:00

My first post to IMDB:

The release date of The Seventh Sign according to IMDB was April 1, 1988. Rumer's birthday is in August of 1988. There is no way Demi could have been heavily pregnant in the bathtub scene, IF she was pregnant at all during the filming of this movie. Remember, there is some lag between shooting the film, editing it, and releasing the film.

Also, if she was actually heavy with child in a movie in 1988, why would have there been a big deal about a photograph of her heavily pregnant in 1991, the date of the Vanity Fair cover? Been there, done that.

A prosthetic device was used for The Seventh Sign.

My question is...could the release date noted in IMDB be incorrect? I vividly remember seeing this movie in the theater in 1986. The birth scene created emotional wrecks of my friend and I as we exited the movie. She had given birth in January of 1986, and I had attended the wonderful, natural birth of her baby girl. I had my daughter in November of 1988 and I do not remember being pregnant myself when I saw The Seventh Sign. Furthermore, my friend had moved away by 1988 and we could not have been on a girl's night out that year.

Harborfest Parade

2008-06-14T13:18:00.003-04:00

Jay, Travis, and I went to Harborfest last weekend. The best part for me was the parade. This is a little movie of it; not in chronological order. Appreciate the dancers. Norfolk had record temps last week of 97, 99, and 101. The crowd size was half of what is routine attendance. Lower even than if it had rained. It was probably 85 degrees and soggy humid at the time of this performance. I was soggy and I was trying to be really still.

Dismal Swamp Smoke

2008-06-14T12:28:00.003-04:00

The smoke from the fire in the Dismal Swamp has been a problem this week in Whaleyville.

MK's Spider Lesson

2008-06-03T19:10:00.002-04:00

My friend, Mary Keith, educates me about the wolf spider.

Batting Practice

2008-06-03T06:14:00.006-04:00

I have a new gagdet called a Flip Video. It is a video camera for children, most elders, technophobes, and me. I caught some of yesterday's batting practice for training purposes. This batter really appreciated the ability to view himself in action. Of course, this morning it occurred to me that training applies to the work setting, too. Check it out.

The First Meeting

2008-03-24T23:39:00.003-04:00

I thought this event would go more smoothly than the first by sheer experience. Doing something the second time is easier, right? Maybe not. First, we ran right into a HUGE problem we have at work - communication. Half of the team didn't know we were meeting the first scheduled day. So the first meeting was delayed from Thursday to Monday. Unbeknownst to me, the time was also changed from 2 p.m. to 12:15 p.m. One of the team members has pulled out altogether because of time constraints, even though the time was altered. A member was added from finance, (yeah! outside eyes). Next week we are changing from 12:15 back to the original 2 p.m. time slot.

So, first of all - communication is poor. (what about email, IM's, blogs, collaboration in the review notes? arrggh, it is too soon to suggest solutions)

Second - the parameters of our process seems murky to me. The SIPOC seemed all over the place. SIPOC equals Suppliers, Input, Processes, Output, Customers. Our focus is on scheduling. The inputs we listed today varied from material to spec sheets. It seems like the inputs for scheduling would be brokers (sales/box store reps), customers, production manager, installers.

Brokers "The customer is ready [ ].
Customers "I have a chip in my counter top edge"
Production manager "I will have the material on this date and the manpower to make the job by this date"
Availability of installers by qualification, for example, A is available for this HD job.
Geographical availability, for example...Tuesdays are reserved for Newport News jobs. Maybe these are calendar restraints.

I think the point that the RIE begins is when MK gets the request to schedule something to the completion of the job, including punches, but not billing/invoicing.

Also, the "customers" are the brokers, production, field techs (templaters/installers), and the purchaser of the product.

As I review the Charter Summary for this RIE, the main target is COMMUNICATION and the secondary target is scheduling. Up until now I thought the focus was scheduling with communication being secondary. This is totally reversed from my expectation. Ironic, this customer's expectation was influenced by my understanding that MK/Scheduling was the next RIE, but that is not the case at all. Wow!

RIE # 2

2008-03-20T06:48:00.002-04:00

Today begins the second RIE at work. We are looking at the scheduling process. The team consists of the scheduler, a box store rep, a salesperson, the production manager, and production assistant, that I know of at this point. I hope there is someone designated as "outside eyes" or "fresh approach" because I think we are all too close to the process for it to be totally new to us. I can't imagine how this project will be more difficult to improve than the last, which was the long, complicated task of fabrication. Plus, fabrication involves so many steps and people. I know the scheduler is factoring many variables into her equation of who goes, where, when. Perhaps the beauty of the RIE process is not only greater understanding for the bystanders of scheduling, but a greater clarity of process for the scheduler herself.

On a personal immediate level, this gives me a chance to play with my own routine of when I arrive at work. Funny how doing something a little different jolts one out of a little rut and opens up new possibilities, like posting to my blog at 7 a.m.

An Angry Florence Nightingale

2008-03-04T18:38:00.000-05:00

My family has been sick for two weeks. First it was Jay. By last Tuesday, when Jay had decided to visit the doctor, Travis was also sick. The doc said Jay had had the flu, but now had a secondary respiratory infection. Travis, on the other hand, had the flu. Tamiflu was prescribed, but the pharmacy was out until Wednesday. By Thursday, Megan was sick, too. Fast forward to today, Tuesday.

I have washed more dishes than I ever have in my life. No one has thought to use the same glass twice. I could have bought plastic cups, but I didn't think of it. I would have been prepared for a party, but it didn't occur to me to prepare for a flu party. I just kept washing various glasses over and over. 7 Up, OJ, Ginger Ale, Apple Juice, Water, honey and lemon, Vinegar and Water, Jack and Coke, ad infinitum. Soup bowl, soup bowl, soup bowl, etc.

I feel like a drug dealer..."hey buddy" in a raspy voice, "I got what you want...guafesin, dextromathorphan, pseudephedrin...what?...yeah, I got tylenol, man...I got it all for you and any combination. What to you want to drink?"

Trip after trip upstairs to check on children. Heat the rice sock, plump the pillows, elevate the bed, open the window, close the window, heat the rice sock. You get the idea.

I feel so bad for them and scared for myself. I could be the next to go down. I could go at any time. Mostly, though, I feel angry. How could they be so sick and for so long? We have never had the flu before. I didn't know it could be so bad.

I confess; I am an angry Florence Nightingale.

Back to Blogging

2007-10-27T10:49:00.000-04:00

What! I want to blog and I have a lot of thoughts and none of them will coalesce for me. I am just swirling in thoughts and nothing is coming out of my finger tips. I am just so overwhelmed. I want to blog here, but I also want to blog on MySpace. I would like to look at Facebook, too, because I think I can link articles to Facebook, which I can't do on MySpace. I will try this approach. I will title my post and just write about that topic.

First Sign of Confusion

2007-09-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, while pumping gas at the Green Apple, I noticed these two signs on the pump. Just now, I noticed the third sign to the lower right of the photo about checks. The editor in me says, "Cash customers, please pay first", "Cash customers please prepay", or "Cash customers pay before pumping" and "Credit cards accepted". I think what the station is trying to say is you can pay with cash or check before you pump your gas, and this is one of the credit card islands, too. Simplified, whatever method of payment you choose...pay the attendant first.

These stickers were the first to pique my interest. Or maybe it was the Hours of Opertion plate on the parking meter in Virginia Beach that I did not get a picture of; sigh.

Virginia is for Gangstas

2007-08-28T00:11:00.002-04:00

The Virginia Tourism folks thought this was a great idea, but others see this as a gang sign.

I'm Calling...

2007-08-27T23:52:00.001-04:00

I thought it strange that the agent had placed her sign right in front of these dilapidated (albeit historic) buildings.

Another Slightly Confusing Photo

2007-08-27T19:38:00.000-04:00

There really isn't anything historical about this community center. There are some people in the community that have some historical items on display in the center, and are promoting a historical society of sorts. Therefore, the hybrid name is trying to include the special interest of some while confusing many.

Confusion

2007-08-27T19:29:00.000-04:00

I realize that I tend to take things literally. I read from left to right and from top to bottom. I am a visual learner, but drawings don't always help me understand the directions. Do I insert the card fully or withdraw it quickly?

Shooting Sisters

2007-07-06T19:44:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, Matt took his mom and me to the range. I have to admit, this experience was a little more fun than I anticipated. I learned I am cross dominant, which means I'm right-handed and left-eyed. This makes it challenging to use the steel sights of the .22 that Fara is holding. The AR-15 that I used has a EO Tech sight which enabled me to hit the target. Ironically, I found that using my yogic breathing helped my aim and steadiness.

Mom, what do you do all day?

2007-07-02T16:57:00.000-04:00

How would you describe your responsibilities? Thinking in terms of daily averages, how much time do you spend on your various responsibilities? Do you feel you have enough time to complete all your tasks? Do you feel you have enough time to attend to your own needs?

I am the planner, administrator, and (sometimes) delegator of our family. I do laundry, wash dishes, wipe the table, plan meals and shop for same, cook (or ask Megan or Jay to cook). I garden a little and I clean a little. Somedays I feel like I've accomplished a lot and somedays I feel bereft of accomplishments.

As far as homeschooling goes, there is a yearly rhythm that has established itself. In the spring, I order and administer some type of test to satisfy the school system and our own need for some shallow, objective assessment of the year. I research curriculum a little in the spring. Since we have been homeschooling since 1993, I already have access to most of the books that Travis needs. Then I update the curriculum plan for the year and send all of that documentation (Notice of Intent, Curriculum Plan, Test results, and Cover Letter) to the Superintendent of Schools for "approval". We don't homeschool during the summer. We read, watch tv, play baseball, grill out, and sleep in late. In the late summer, I pull books for Travis and divide the number of pages of each textbook by number of days in the school year so he will have an idea of about how much to cover each day. Sometimes we go so far as to create a weekly assignment chart, but usually after a couple of weeks, Travis has the hang of it so that isn't necessary.

I digress. I believe the question was pertaining to a day. I don't plan in terms of days. I don't really don't do anything every day except for eat, sleep, and brush my teeth. If I accomplish my weekly goals, then I'm okay with that. Monday through Friday I work from 8 a.m. - noon. This is new for me since the beginning of June 2007. I am trying to balance out work/family/baseball. Baseball got really intense for us since Travis made All-Stars, so we have been at practice/games almost everyday for month.

There are 24 hours in a day. I sleep for 10, but not in one block. We are down to 14. I work for 4 hours. Down to ten. I spend 2 hours on personal hygiene; you know, showering, brushing, flossing my teeth, peeing, washing my hands, etc. Down to eight. Two hours house cleaning/maintenance. This generally means that I move items around or throw them away. Down to six. Two hours on the internet, easily. Two hours meal preparation, total for the day. Two hours watching tv; be it baseball, news, a movie. Notice there is no time alloted for travel to and from work, which is forty minutes a day. Notice there is no time for taking Megan to work or school, which could take up to 1 and 20 minutes per day. Notice I haven't scheduled any book reading, which I do a lot of, or talking...or listening...which also takes time. I haven't mentioned exercise, which should take up at least as much time as I spend actually eating, which I also didn't list but takes between 90 minutes and 2 hours day, too. I mean, three meals at twenty minutes is an hour, and what about snacking and jonesing for a snacK? Doesn't drinking coffee require time? What about watering my plants? That takes time.

Oh, my. The answers to the last two questions are no and no.

Childhood Jobs

2007-06-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

As a child, I had a few jobs/chores, but nothing at all like the jobs that my sister and brother had. My siblings worked. Because my parents were "old" when they had me, my dad was 40 and my mom, 36; they both had mellowed considerably and my jobs were pretty mundane. One of my jobs was to take the eggs from the egg carton and place them in a wire basket in the refrigerator. This job, in retrospect, seems dumb. I don't know why I was taking the eggs from one perfectly fine container and placing them in another, less fine, one. My mom did this task after I left home. When she was the only one eating eggs, she didn't use them as fast, so she marked the old ones with a black X, so that she would know which ones to use first. Why didn't my mom just keep the eggs in the carton? Was the wire basket a throwback to when they had their own chickens and she just liked her eggs in there? I don't know.

Another job I had was to take the Alka Seltzer tablets out of their foil packets and place them in a long, cylindrical, glass jar. This glass jar had been the previous packaging for Alka Seltzer that had been phased out in favor of the packets. My parents liked the tablets better from the bottle. The one pictured in the link is shorter than I remember, but you get the idea.

I also helped with counting money from the "slush" trucks. I was pretty good at rolling coins and I know this helped with my math skills. Counting by twos and making stacks of ten and then figuring out my 2% where all concrete applications of the concepts taught at school.

I was reminded of this job when my friend, Tina, told me her sugar bowl was purchased with green stamps. "Oh, I remember those!" I said, "that was one of my jobs, to lick and stick green stamps." Green stamps are now virtual.

I started cutting grass when I was nine. There was a method. Pick a section of grass to mow, like a rectangle or square. Cut around it in a counter-clockwise direction so as not to run over the cut grass again. No need to cut it twice, according to the Douglas Adams theory of grass cutting.

Last, my not least, I spent a lot of time "holding the flashlight" for my dad, the aforementioned Douglas. I don't think he really needed me there as much as he wanted my company. Or maybe Daddy didn't like to be by himself. Nevertheless, I was asked many times, to my consternation, to hold the flashlight. This was the most boring of my jobs. I had a difficult time attending to whatever my dad was working on at the time. It was always boring. My arm was killing me. The flashlight was so heavy. (It wasn't.) What was he trying to see? My beam irrecoverably wandered, and then Daddy was angry. Why couldn't I do this simple task? Just hold the flashlight for me.

Playing the Field

2007-05-27T15:38:00.000-04:00

by Sara Jane Caldwell can now be found at:

http://www.femmefan.com/site/featuredarticles/2007/June07/Playing%20the%20Field_article0612.htm

Twin Study

2007-05-27T11:48:00.001-04:00

I like to read books that say "A Novel" somewhere on their covers. I do not enjoy collections of stories. After watching The Prestige with Megan, the title Twin Study piqued my curiosity and and checked the book from the library's new shelf. That night I went to bed and started reading. "Hey, this is good stuff," I thought after reading chapter one. "I wonder what happens next?" Chapter 2 is about a dog named Velvet. That's okay, chapter one also had a dog. The author likes to include pets in her writing. But pages and pages of life from Velvet's perspective? I was tired, but I wanted to read more about the twins. When were they coming back? I persevered. I finished the "chapter" about Velvet. Now back to the twins, right? Wrong. I had been duped.

In my defense, Stories is printed upside down on the cover of the book.

Crocs

2007-05-27T10:36:00.001-04:00

I love my Crocs!

I started wearing my original pair of Crocs in August of 2005. I didn't hang out with anyone who wore Crocs at the time. In fact, most the people who looked at my Crocs, which were a sedate navy blue in color, LAUGHED OUT LOUD. I touted their attributes; lightweight, super comfortable, non-skid, anti-microbial, washable, durable, and like Ivory soap, Crocs float. Still they laughed. Patrick laughed. Mike Marshall laughed. Bob laughed. "Crocs are the new Jellies!" Jay rolled his eyes at my feet. Megan didn't laugh. She wanted her own pair. Fara didn't laugh, after all, she had purchased them for me. I was the guinea pig.

I wore that navy pair for a year. I wore them all over Busch Gardens and Washington, D.C. My feet didn't hurt. I now have a brown pair for the yard, a bright orange pair for every day, and my Mary Janes for dress attire.

Two weeks ago I was stopped in Walmart and asked by a young man with plantar fasciaitis if my shoes were comfortable. I wasn't the only customer in Walmart wearing Crocs that Sunday, as a pregnant lady down the same aisle was wearing a bright blue pair. Of course, I gave him the whole spiel.

Flash forward to yesterday. I'm at Ben and Sasha's 20th Anniversary Reaffirmation Party. Pat and Mary Keith are wearing Crocs. Melina and Larry are wearing Crocs. Travis Essert is wearing Crocs. When they are wearing shoes, Patience and Gabriel are wearing Crocs. Sasha, the beautiful bride, wore Crocs that coordinated with her dress. I wore my Mary Janes; after all, it was a special day. Others may have been wearing them, but I was overwhelmed by this point.

After my Travis (who eschews Crocs) and I came home, Jay and I walked across the street to Paul's Welcome Back/Reuben's Birthday Party. We were the only ones wearing Crocs.

A Headache

2007-05-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

I had a really bad headache yesterday. I was driving home from Ben and Sasha's 20th Wedding Anniversary celebration when I actually felt nauseous. I thought, "maybe this is a migraine. I'll use one of those ice packs on the back of my head and that will reduce inflammation and bring relief." Well, the opposite occurred. The ice made the muscles the back of my neck seize up; creating more pain. So I researched a homeopathic remedy, took it twice (Cocculus Indicus), took three ibuprofen, and put the heating pad on the back of my neck. The homeopathic remedy fit perfectly, worse for cold, better for warm, pain in the nape of the neck. I was feeling better within 30 minutes, which was really a record for that type of headache in my experience.

Inspiration

2007-05-26T12:53:00.000-04:00

Today I decided to go public with my blog, like my friends Tina and Melina. Check their blogs that I linked on the right sidebar. Also, check out my cousin Cindy. She is not really a blog, because she has her own website. Their lives are way more interesting than mine. Perhaps I have to actually do something before I can write about it.

Spring is Really Here

2007-05-17T15:47:00.001-04:00

Jay has a new job at Lipton.

I finished my Associates Degree in General Studies. Yippee!

Megan had her wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday the 15th.

We have a new kitten named Clarence.

Slacker

2007-04-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

I feel like I have been slacking off, but I guess I have just been doing different things. I have done a little yard work. I have fermented some homemade yogurt. I went to tea with my friends Melina, Tina, Sasha, and Lorraine on Friday. We had a baseball game on Saturday and I worked the concession stand. I've cooked a lot of food and then eaten it. Maybe I haven't been slacking after all.

Spring Cleaning

2007-03-13T19:10:00.000-04:00

Today we cleaned off the mud porch. Straightened the shoe department. Weeded out some old coats. Swept. Jay cleaned out the shed. Megan did a lot of laundry and school work. I planned to go grocery shopping all day and got sidetracked by cleaning!

We ate reheated ziti for a late lunch.

Now the boys are at ball practice and Megan and I are hanging out. I'm writing and she is making her lunch for school tomorrow.

It has been a good day.

Cholesterol

2007-03-12T20:10:00.000-04:00

Today I received the results of a lipid analysis that I had done last week. Here are my numbers in italics.

Total (0-199) 221, borderline high
HDL (40-60+) 67 good
LDL (0-99) 139 borderline high
Triglycerides (0-149) 74 good

The doctor sent me these results in the mail, so I take it these numbers are not a crisis. The box was checked that requested me to come back in 3 months for a recheck.

Megan and I walked 2 miles today.

Chicken Burritos

2007-03-11T12:05:00.000-04:00

I cooked some really good chicken burritos. First, I cut up some chicken breasts into chunks and put them in a ziplock freezer bag. I doused them with Frank's Red Hot Chili Lime sauce and some extra lime juice. Then I froze the chicken. When I was ready to cook it, I thawed the chicken and placed it in a large pan with a little chicken broth from a box for extra liquid. Then I braised the chicken until done, probably 30 minutes. My pan was covered with a lid and the juice was bubbling. Then I removed the lid and let the juices evaporate for the most part. While the juice was cooking away, I broke up the chicken into smaller pieces with my wooden spoon so it would fit better in my burrito. I cooked brown rice and added bottled salsa for my spanish rice. I put a little bacon grease in my cast iron skillet, emptied a can of pinto beans into that, got them warm, mashed them with a potato masher, added cumin and called that refried beans.

This chicken would also work in chili beans in place of ground beef. The ticket to the flavor is the freezing of the chicken in the sauce.

Is Blogging a Cop-Out for Writing an Email?

2007-03-11T11:20:00.000-04:00

I don't think so. It is true that the days I blog, I will be less likely to write an email. My writing time may be limited or I may just run out of steam.

But does my blog entry take the place of a personal email? Well, I would never have sent Fara the link to the beer throwing fridge. I did send it to Patrick and then thought, "I'll blog this, too." I wouldn't think about a theme/label for a personal email. I have never set a personal goal to write an email everyday. I did say I would blog everyday and then I didn't.

My idea about blogging was that it was a somewhat generic accounting of my day-to-day life and thoughts. A letter sometimes details what one has been doing, but it also includes personalized stream of consciousness thoughts and responses to your recipient. I expect a letter to be read. I don't know if anyone is reading my blog or not. Well, I know a few people really are and I wonder about the rest. I also wonder if more people would like to read it, or if the people I invited to read it wish that I hadn't. I thought, I have some things to say that aren't really directed to anybody, but maybe a few people would like to read some of what I have to write. Additionally, I usually expect a response to my letter. Finally, I usually feel guilty if I don't respond to a letter I have received, while I can read and enjoy a blog without feeling that I have to comment.

I also thought I would write memories and stories about my family and that my blog would grow into a journal of sorts. I probably wouldn't write "memories" in a letter.

Beer Throwing Fridge

2007-03-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

Did you see the beer throwing refrigerator? http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,257698,00.html

Since this guy is so smart, why didn't he just put his mini fridge beside his couch to begin with? It looks like the fridge is positioned in the middle of the room, so the trajectory of the can ends at the couch. Poor feng shui.

The Waltons

2007-03-07T18:43:00.000-05:00

I received the first season of The Waltons on DVD for Christmas. I remember when the very first episode aired. I was in the shower and Mama called through the bathroom door that I should hurry up because a good tv show was coming on. I remember sitting in the red and black recliner with Daddy and watching Elizabeth Walton. She was my favorite then because she was just my age, which was 6. As an adult though, John Walton is my favorite. Ralph Waite played John. He was a good actor. He could play a good character or a meanie. He was a really good bad guy in Roots. That is my acid test for acting ability. If I can love'em and hate'em, they must be good at their craft.

As I watched the credits for the Waltons, I saw that Jerry Goldsmith composed the music for the show. Jerry Goldsmith also wrote the music for The 13th Warrior.

See how everything is connected?

This is how we are spending spring break; working on school at home and watching DVDs.

Romeo + Juliet

2007-03-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

We also watched Romeo + Juliet. Megan is writing an English paper about R & J, so we are compelled to view a couple of different versions of the movie. Do you think Romeo and Juliet could happen today since so many of us have cell phones? Would Romeo have had service in Mantua? Or would he have forgotten his charger when he was banned?

I really liked this version by Baz. Did you know that Juliet's mother, Diane Venora, was also in The 13th Warrior? She played Queen Weilew. She knew the village of the traumatized child.

The 13th Warrior is one of our favorite movies. We are going to start saying the lines during the movie, like Rocky Horror Picture Show.

If you haven't figured this out by now, I am really just trying out my links and labels. :-)

Terrence Howard

2007-03-05T23:08:00.000-05:00

Jay and I have watched three Terrence Howard movies in a row. On Saturday, we watched Hustle and Flow, on Sunday, Crash, and tonight, part of Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Jay thinks Terrence is a fine lookin' brotha. Last week, we watched Four Brothers.

Its like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I could been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong, you know, and I'm sorry cause I could be wrong right now, I could be wrong, but if I'm right... Bama in Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Biggie Smalls

2007-03-04T14:23:00.000-05:00

I was in the computer lab on Friday morning working on my Access project. I was the only one in there except for the lab attendant. This lab attendant is probably about 50 years old. She is a large, black woman. She is not generally very helpful. Even though the posted rules include NO FOOD or DRINKS in the lab, she routinely has a pile of Fritos in front of her keyboard and a soda on her desk, too. The attendant spends most of her time on the computer playing solitaire or assembling online puzzles. On Friday though, this solemn lady had a radio on her desk. She was listening to music while she did her puzzle. Casual Friday? Spring fever?

I went to my corner and got set up on the computer. Ms. Shelton had turned the music down a little, but I could still hear it. Then I realized I was listening to Biggie Small's Ten Crack Commandments. I don't know what amused me more, that she was listening to old school rap, or that I recognized it.

I also recently discovered that Biggie sampled Herb Alpert's Rise on Biggie's Hypnotize. I was checking Rise on Amazon.com over Christmas and read a forum about it. I owned a cassette of Rise back in 1980. Now you can only buy them used for about 40 bucks. Who knew?

Spring Break

2007-03-04T13:56:00.000-05:00

I finally went to the library on Friday and picked out some books for myself. I read About Alice by Calvin Trillin. I picked it up primarily because it is a small book. That worked out well for me because I was able to read it quickly. I am also reading Beauty, which is a fairy tale with a science fiction bent. It's author is Sheri S. Tepper. I don't know if I'm recommending this yet, or not. I'll let you know.

Megan and I are on spring break this week. I think we'll go to Orlando and watch the Braves practice at spring training. Okay, I'm kidding. We are not going to Orlando, but we are on spring break. I think Megan has some major school work to do, though. She has to write papers. I, on the other hand, can do some mad MS Office training from home. I am ahead right now on my assignments, but I'd like to continue with the online training so I can be finished early and earn the Access Specialist Certification. The break in routine is that I won't be going to school on Monday and Wednesday to tutor and work on the school computer.

Posting everyday is hard. I have lots of great ideas when I am away from the computer, but when I get back here, the words are not spontaneously spewing forth from my fingertips.

Waiting for the Train

2007-03-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

Why do strangers always talk about the weather? The weather is easy to talk about because it is omnipresent and affects us all. Most of the time the weather doesn't really bother our plans. Occasionally, weather is a nuisance. Sometimes it changes our lives. Think Katrina on a grand scale, or Isabel on a more personal level. Twenty people just lost their lives due to tornadoes over the past few days. I heard the weather last night, or early morning, rather. The wind was blowing and the rain was splatting against the windows. The power flickered off and back on. I got up and unplugged a few electronics. Mostly, I listened to the wind, waiting for the train. I made a mental plan of how I'd get the kids downstairs and stuff them under the buffet. Perhaps being in a triangle against the wall would increase our chances of surviving a tornado. I seriously doubt it though. With no basement to provide shelter below ground, we are very vulnerable to a tornado. It could rip up the neighbor's house and leave ours standing. We really couldn't make much of difference.

What I Did Today

2007-03-01T22:05:00.001-05:00

Got up
Drank coffee
Read the internet
Sat around
Ate breakfast
Took a shower
Watched Invincible
Took a nap
Talked to Patrick on the phone
Watched Flyboys
Ate Girl Scout CookiesS
sat around some more
Wrote this list
Previewed blog so that I would not stop at number 13
Published blog

Baseball Begins

2007-02-28T19:07:00.000-05:00

Jay and Travis have gone to the first baseball practice of the season. Megan is watching Phantom of the Opera and I am blogging. My last two posts have been made after three-hour , post dinner naps. After sleeping off my meal, I have jumped up just in time to write my entry for the day. I thought I would try to post a little earlier today.

Travis was really excited to go to practice. He has spent a lot of time doing pull-ups and push-ups to grow stronger for baseball. Then he broke his arm right before Christmas. He was skating on Patrick's rockered, Bones Swiss bearings, a little too big skates and fell on his outstretched hand. FOOSH. The link is not really Travis's arm, but it his x-ray was similar. Needless to say, after spending weeks sitting on the couch playing PS2, Travis has very carefully rehabed his arm. The doc says it will be good as new on March 8, and gave him no restrictions.

This picture of Travis is from last spring. Once I post a new picture, you will see how much he has grown in a year. Yes, he is taller than his mother... and sister.

Roots

2007-02-27T22:47:00.000-05:00

I recently saw an advertisement for a Roots: 30th Anniversary Special. Roots, by Alex Haley, was a highly successful television miniseries which was originally aired in 1977. I remember standing in the checkout aisle of the A&P grocery store when I first read about Roots in the TV Guide. As a black history buff, my heroines were Harriet Tubman and Phyllis Wheatley. I don't know why, but I really enjoyed a good slave story. (Not the slavery part, but the overcoming oppression part.) Additionally, the Biography section of the library was the first part of the Dewey Decimal system that I figured out. I don't really think the teachers gave students enough time to browse the library, so I had to pick a book quickly. Hence, I could find another book about Harriet Tubman fairly fast.

After reading about the upcoming television event, I was pretty excited. The miniseries was a new genre in tv and there were a ton of good actors in the show; Cicely Tyson (who also had portrayed Miss Jane Pittman), Leslie Uggams, Ralph Waite (from the Walton's), Ed Asner, Ben Vereen, Louis Gossett, Jr.

Everyone in school was allowed to stay up late and watch Roots. It was a very big deal.

An aside here: I did read alot when I was a kid and I remember reading The African and thinking "this passage sounds familiar" and finding the same description of Kunte Kinte being brought to America in the slave ship in both books. Checking the copyright, I realized that Alex Haley had borrowed a little bit of Roots from The African. I just read that he settled that plagiarism suit out of court.

I am aghast. Not that Alex Haley copied part of his Pulitzer Prize winning book from another source, but that I can clearly remember events that occurred thirty years ago.

Monday, Monday

2007-02-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

I spent the better part of today at Paul D. Camp, where I was scheduled to tutor five tutees. If I am the tutor, the receiver of the tutoring is the tutee. I don't really like this word because it reminds me of the word tutu. Tutoring at PDC is nothing like ballet. I was left at the altar by three of the five scheduled students. The only student I really had a session with was Matt Brown. Can you guess who I am in the picture? No, I'm not Gomer. Sgt. Carter is saying, "Can you tell me the eight parts of speech, private?"

I did make some progress on my Access project for ITE 215. That class is pretty fun. I'd like to get really good at Access and Powerpoint, too. Then I could run for president of the United States.

I was disappointed that I got sixteen errors on my five-minute typing test. The proctor wanted me to get 5 errors or less. Therefore, she wouldn't write a letter of recommendation for me for a prospective employer. I hadn't asked her for a letter. I just wanted the official typing test. My speed was 49 wpm. Isn't there a mathematical formula for adjusting the wpm/errors? For example, 49 wpm/16 errors would work out to be 35 wpm/5 errors?

Travis beat XAN in Unreal. He washed the dinner dishes, too. Maybe Travis should have his own blog?

Why isn't Google's blog called Glogger? By the way, as part of writer's craft, my audience (so far) consists of Fara, Cindy, Megan, Patrick, and Jay. Travis, Sara Jane, and Maxine are invited, too. So, dear readers, you know who your co-readers are and you can feel comfortable that this is a family fare blog. I won't write about anything risque, at least not on this blog and probably not ever. Gird yourself for basically boring observations. (update May 26, 2007: I have gone public with this blog.)

For example, consider the following. On the way to school last week, Megan and I noticed a house with about 15 turkey buzzards roosting on it. This is a nice house. It is a slate colored brick located on high ground. It has a landscaped yard and a detached garage that looks like it has an apartment above it. The driveway is asphalt and there is a basketball hoop. The sale price would be around 400,000, I guess. I'm not sure of the size of the lot, but the house is upscale. But, how do you stop these huge, horrible birds from sitting on the apex of the roof? There was a line of turkey vultures sitting on their roof, just sunning themselves. I imagined they were dropping leftovers all over that roof and yard. Gross!

An Experiment

2007-02-25T16:19:00.000-05:00

I am an avid reader of select "online journals". I enjoy keeping up-to-date with my aunt Maxine and cousin Cindy via their journals, but I haven't had the guts to try my hand at my own journal. I really wanted to be able to control who would have access to my little drivel. Hopefully, with Blogger, I can determine who can read my posts and possibly even invite a co-author, or two. (Update May 28, 2007: I've given up control and gone public to a degree. While my blog is not currently listed in the directory, I have asked a couple of friends to link my site to theirs. Additionally, if a reader wanted to share my blog, they could send a link and it could be accessed. If more people are reading, then there's more reason to write.)

In case you're wondering, All Traffic Must Exit is a real sign in my city. I find profundity in the most inane places.