Sometimes you see something on You Tube that you know you must avert your eyes because of the burning, but this I think takes the cake. I sat and watched all 2 minutes and 52 seconds like a deer caught in the headlights.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tower Hill
Hadn't been up to Tower Hill in a while, so my trip up with friends, Kathy & Deb on Saturday was wonderful. They'd never been there and I gave them a guided tour of the place. We were fortunate enough to find this male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly feasting on the Mountain Laurel in bloom.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
I have loved Led Zepplin's music all my life, from the time I was a little girl, it grabbed me. I've seen Robert Plant on one of his solo tours, and when he's toured with Jimmy Page. So it was a treat when he recorded an album with bluegrass artist, Alison Krauss.
The show was A-MA-ZING! They opened with some songs from their album, Raising Sand. But when they ever launched into Zepp's "Battle of Evermore" I just about passed out! That has always been my most favorite song by them. I find it haunting and beautiful and just incredible. It was a wonderful song last night and I found myself with tears in my eyes during the performance of it.
The show was A-MA-ZING! They opened with some songs from their album, Raising Sand. But when they ever launched into Zepp's "Battle of Evermore" I just about passed out! That has always been my most favorite song by them. I find it haunting and beautiful and just incredible. It was a wonderful song last night and I found myself with tears in my eyes during the performance of it.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Lily Belle!
My sister-in-law gave birth this morning to Lily Belle, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces (originally reported as 7 pounds, 1 ounce like her big cousin Jonathan, but that was erroneous), 19-3/4" long.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
PLAY BALL!
Back in December, I was able to get us tickets for Saturday's Red Sox game versus the Texas Rangers. The months passed slowly, but all of a sudden, our day was upon us!
Our plan had been to go in at 5PM to watch batting practice, but we also wanted some time in the team store. So we got to the park a little after 4PM. We moused around the store, I got a new hat and Jonathan got a Jonathan Papelbon t-shirt.
About 4:30 or so, they close of Yawkey Way from pedestrian traffic. This allows them to set up the security check points. There we were standing in line waiting for things to open. Jonathan is bored and sitting on the ground because half an hour lasts about 8 hours when you are 7 years old. Just minutes before the gates open, a Fenway Ambassador walks up and asks Jonathan, "Do you want to be the kid who yells 'Play ball!'?" My immediate reaction, "Of course he does!" We explain it quickly to Jonathan and he says, "Sure!" We're quickly ushered through the crowd to another Ambassador named Nina. She had us write down Jonathan's information, our address, age and our seat assignments. She explains they will take a picture of him saying "Play ball!" and that they will try to deliver it to our seats before the game ends, otherwise they will mail it to us. Nina tells us that we'll be allowed to hang out on the warning track within the ropes (basically running from dug out to dug out) while batting practice is going on. Then at the appropriate time, Jonathan will join the honorary ball boy & girl behind home plate while we wait off to the side.
It was so surreal, and because no one can go in and out without permission, it was safe to let Jonathan wander around without us being right by his side. He had his glove with him and had a couple of players sign his glove, and I had bought 2 team packs of Topps baseball cards, so we had those handy when Mike Lowell came out of the dug out. Now, when I bought the tickets back in December I was all excited because they were right across from third base and I really like Mike Lowell. Then he got injured a few weeks ago. Which meant Kevin Youkilis would be playing third base. Because Mike L. was injured, he was in the dug out when the rest of the team was still in the clubhouse. He was doing some interviews and then came out. That's how we got him to sign our baseball cards and I asked if he'd pose for a photo. He was most gracious and said yes he would. If he hadn't been on the DL, that probably would not have happened.
At the appropriate they had the kids line up and we were shuffled off to the side. Now the honorary ball boy & girl were siblings from Fairfax, VA who had been wearing Livestrong t-shirts. Lance Armstrong was throwing out the ceremonial first pitch (he's in town to run the Boston Marathon today). That's how they got picked out of the crowd. Their mom, Laura was videotaping everything. So we exchanged mailing addresses and have promised to send each other our pictures and her video. It was incredible. Jonathan did so well and the Ambassadors said he was one of the best. Apparently kids get up there and get stage fright or are so quiet they are barely heard. Not our Jonathan!
After he started the game we were ushered off the field. As we were walking up the aisle to get to the walkway, people were high-fiving him, congratulating him, and cheering for him. That's when I started tearing up. At one point the foot traffic stopped and a couple about my folks age were telling him what a good job he did and the wife noticed me with tears in my eyes. She patted me on the shoulder and told me to savor the moment. I told her I had hoped my folks were watching the game, but it wasn't likely to be broadcast at home. She said she was a grandmother, so she was proud for him. That was very sweet. We got to our seats and were surrounded by a lot of really nice families. We lucked out in that we didn't have any drunken chuckleheads being obnoxious around us. When the Fenway Ambassador came to deliver the photo everyone around wanted to see it as they had heard what Jonathan had done.
The one drawback of the night was it was cold. I had worn shorts thinking I'd be too warm. It wasn't bad for me, but poor Mr. Jonathan was quite cold and tired by the time it ended. He did get his energy back when Closer, Jonathan Papelbon, came out to pitch the 9th inning (we were up by 2 at that point). Papelbon does this funky dance during celebratory times after games. Because we were right on a walkway, Jonathan got down and danced to Papelbon's theme music (Dropkick Murphy's "I'm Shipping Off to Boston") and that got the crowd all ramped up and giving him more high fives.
The other fun thing, Matthew McConnaghey was at the game, sitting not far from us in the VIP section next to the Rangers dugout.
Our plan had been to go in at 5PM to watch batting practice, but we also wanted some time in the team store. So we got to the park a little after 4PM. We moused around the store, I got a new hat and Jonathan got a Jonathan Papelbon t-shirt.
About 4:30 or so, they close of Yawkey Way from pedestrian traffic. This allows them to set up the security check points. There we were standing in line waiting for things to open. Jonathan is bored and sitting on the ground because half an hour lasts about 8 hours when you are 7 years old. Just minutes before the gates open, a Fenway Ambassador walks up and asks Jonathan, "Do you want to be the kid who yells 'Play ball!'?" My immediate reaction, "Of course he does!" We explain it quickly to Jonathan and he says, "Sure!" We're quickly ushered through the crowd to another Ambassador named Nina. She had us write down Jonathan's information, our address, age and our seat assignments. She explains they will take a picture of him saying "Play ball!" and that they will try to deliver it to our seats before the game ends, otherwise they will mail it to us. Nina tells us that we'll be allowed to hang out on the warning track within the ropes (basically running from dug out to dug out) while batting practice is going on. Then at the appropriate time, Jonathan will join the honorary ball boy & girl behind home plate while we wait off to the side.
It was so surreal, and because no one can go in and out without permission, it was safe to let Jonathan wander around without us being right by his side. He had his glove with him and had a couple of players sign his glove, and I had bought 2 team packs of Topps baseball cards, so we had those handy when Mike Lowell came out of the dug out. Now, when I bought the tickets back in December I was all excited because they were right across from third base and I really like Mike Lowell. Then he got injured a few weeks ago. Which meant Kevin Youkilis would be playing third base. Because Mike L. was injured, he was in the dug out when the rest of the team was still in the clubhouse. He was doing some interviews and then came out. That's how we got him to sign our baseball cards and I asked if he'd pose for a photo. He was most gracious and said yes he would. If he hadn't been on the DL, that probably would not have happened.
At the appropriate they had the kids line up and we were shuffled off to the side. Now the honorary ball boy & girl were siblings from Fairfax, VA who had been wearing Livestrong t-shirts. Lance Armstrong was throwing out the ceremonial first pitch (he's in town to run the Boston Marathon today). That's how they got picked out of the crowd. Their mom, Laura was videotaping everything. So we exchanged mailing addresses and have promised to send each other our pictures and her video. It was incredible. Jonathan did so well and the Ambassadors said he was one of the best. Apparently kids get up there and get stage fright or are so quiet they are barely heard. Not our Jonathan!
After he started the game we were ushered off the field. As we were walking up the aisle to get to the walkway, people were high-fiving him, congratulating him, and cheering for him. That's when I started tearing up. At one point the foot traffic stopped and a couple about my folks age were telling him what a good job he did and the wife noticed me with tears in my eyes. She patted me on the shoulder and told me to savor the moment. I told her I had hoped my folks were watching the game, but it wasn't likely to be broadcast at home. She said she was a grandmother, so she was proud for him. That was very sweet. We got to our seats and were surrounded by a lot of really nice families. We lucked out in that we didn't have any drunken chuckleheads being obnoxious around us. When the Fenway Ambassador came to deliver the photo everyone around wanted to see it as they had heard what Jonathan had done.
The one drawback of the night was it was cold. I had worn shorts thinking I'd be too warm. It wasn't bad for me, but poor Mr. Jonathan was quite cold and tired by the time it ended. He did get his energy back when Closer, Jonathan Papelbon, came out to pitch the 9th inning (we were up by 2 at that point). Papelbon does this funky dance during celebratory times after games. Because we were right on a walkway, Jonathan got down and danced to Papelbon's theme music (Dropkick Murphy's "I'm Shipping Off to Boston") and that got the crowd all ramped up and giving him more high fives.
The other fun thing, Matthew McConnaghey was at the game, sitting not far from us in the VIP section next to the Rangers dugout.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
It's All In How You Look At Life
A few years ago I never would have posted what I am about to post. Instead, I've changed how I approach the way I look at life.
For instance, a few years back this is how I would look at things:
For instance, a few years back this is how I would look at things:
- These last few months we've been trying to get Steve's thyroid nodule diagnosed. It is cancer and he has to have surgery to remove at least part, if not all of his thyroid and the tumor.
- My friend Cheryl had cancer throughout her body and died this week. She left two young daughters.
- My mother-in-law's psycho secretary quit this week and I was thrown back into working in an industry I haven't worked in for over 17 years.
- Steve has a very treatable form of cancer and it's the only one not treated by an oncologist, but an endocrinologist.
- Cheryl is free from pain and weakness now. She can watch over her beautiful girls wherever they go.
- My mother-in-law felt that I had the skill set to get the job done. And I did. I amazed even myself with what I remembered about the job.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Lookee! It's My New Brain!!!!
Check it out! My new brain arrived today! I have long been a PDA kind of girl. My first was a Palm, can't remember what model it was, but it was a handy little thing. Back in the day when Steve worked for Compaq, he bought me an iPAQ 3835. That was nearly seven years ago. Lately it's been a bit dodgy. We tried a new battery, but it still continued to waffle, especially with the change in Daylight Savings Time. That was just ugly in terms of booking appointments and synching them with my calendar in Outlook.
I looked into other PDA type technologies. I was hard pressed to find the technology that did not include a cell phone. It's all well and good to combine the technologies, but I love my little pink Motorola phone that is only about 6 months old. And there are times when I don't want to carry all of my technology at one time. But I did check out a Samsung phone that just didn't do it for me.
Having a Windows interface with Excel was critical. I am a list maker, always have been, probably always will be. Sure enough, my heart and head were led back to the iPAQ technology. Amazon.com got my new iPAQ 111 (a/k/a My Brain) shipped out with lightning speed. So here it sits on my desk, communicating with my Outlook to load all the data in. There have been a few hiccups, but I've yet to meet a new piece of technology where there weren't any.
Ahh, my Brain feels whole again......
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
My Ever Changing Aura
I've been helping some friends interpret their aura photos taken over the weekend and thought I would share mine. I started having aura photos taken almost two years ago.
My first one was on 7/29/2006 at The Grateful Heart in Wickford, RI. It's a great new age book store. At the time I knew nothing about aura photos and had gone into it with a friend.
There is A LOT of red in this photo. Red entering on my left is the Force of Will representing stop lights, warning lights and pushing limits. It represents living life to the fullest and doing things with fun ahead. The high red over my head is also a Force of Will and my urge to achieve results. It represents desire, excitability, domination and passion. Then I give it all back, although it gets a bit muddied on the way out which represents overstimulation, inflammation and imbalance. At that point in my life, I was overwhelmed and off kilter because of a relationship among two other friends.
Picture #2 was taken in August 2006 at a local shop called Taproot in West Boylston, MA.
Lots of yellow and orange in this one. Coming in the energy is cheerful and giving in that yellow tinged with green (hard to see in the scan), but represented an awareness that my ideas and interpretations would be changing and growing. The yellow over my head represented the joy and happiness that I was finding with my new growth, and the curiosity & hunger for new ideas. The orange coming out of my right side shows the world that I am creative and artistic. That people around me see me as an upbeat, happy, capable and creative person.
What is interesting about this photos is I asked my spirit guide to sit with me. Something that when I had my first photo taken, I didn't know to do. The swishing marks you see on my right show a very playful spirit guide who did not want to sit still for a photo. It also may have had to do with the energy in the shop that day, there was definitely a vibration going on that I had to force myself to ground myself from.
Picture #3 was also taken at The Grateful Heart, this one on November 4, 2006.
This one is an interesting mix of the two previous, lots of Force of Will coming in and represented in the now of that moment, but being turned out in a creative and artistic way.
But what was fascinating was the violet "spot" on my left shoulder. About a month before I had this picture taken my friend Kim performed reiki on me. After she finished she sat very quietly at my side while I roused. She had a look on her face and I asked what was up. She then asked me, "I have something to share that came to me while working on you. Do you want to hear it?" I said sure. She said over and over while she was working on me that the presence of two spirit guides came to her telling her that they were named Hal & Don. She asked me if that meant anything to me and at the time it didn't. About a week and a half later I found myself feeling very tired in the afternoon. I had some time before J would be out of school, so I lay down to rest. I fell immediately to sleep, which is not like me at all. In my dream Hal & Don came to me, but not in a way that I had expected. Hal said that Kim had gotten the name wrong and that it was Val, as in my late aunt Val-Val and that Don was her husband Gordon (hence the -don) who had come with her to check on me. She told me that everything was okay and that she was so pleased that J was born on her birthday like Nana had said he would be (Nana had predicted that J would be born on Val's birthday--Val was her oldest child, Mum's older sister--who died at age 57, when I was 19). She also told me that Nana & Grandad were with me but Nana had "assigned" Val to me. I woke up in a complete sweat and very shaken. I immediately called Kim and stuttered into the phone, about the dream. Kim said very simply, "I had a feeling, but couldn't get a clearer picture." I had a real hard time wrapping my brain around this information. So when I sat for this photo, I invited my spirit guide(s) to sit with me. Specifically I addressed my aunt. I said that if my spirit guide was my Aunt Val-Val, to please sit on my left shoulder. The moment I saw the developed photo I started crying. After I calmed down I explained to the owner what had shaken me and she said that she was glad that I had received such a wonderful visit from someone so special. Once I got into my car, I called Kim and again, she was not surprised at all.
Picture #4 was taken at The Grateful Heart on May 13, 2007--Mother's Day.
Again I have a lot of orange and red in this photo with a tinge of violet high over the left side of my head. Guess my spirit guide, whoever it was that day, wasn't interested in being in the photo. But there was a lot of green healing energy coming out of me that day. It is an expression of firmness, constancy and resistance to change (most definitely me), sort of an elastic tension. Possession is regarding as increasing both security and self esteem. This vibration represents the willingness to work to gain wealth in terms of education and cultural attainments. Because it was not a large amount of green energy, it represented some self-doubt that I was going through at that time.
Picture #5 is my favorite. It was taken at The Grateful Heart on June 9, 2007 with my mother, Hilary sitting on my right knee.
Again, before sitting I asked my spirit guides, especially Val-Val to join us. The violet area over the left side of my lap was HUGE compared to previous photos. It was my aunt sitting for a photo with her sister and this is one of the highest vibrational frequency that can be distributed to a person on this earth. The energy above us is a force of will that turned to creativity and having fun.
My first one was on 7/29/2006 at The Grateful Heart in Wickford, RI. It's a great new age book store. At the time I knew nothing about aura photos and had gone into it with a friend.
There is A LOT of red in this photo. Red entering on my left is the Force of Will representing stop lights, warning lights and pushing limits. It represents living life to the fullest and doing things with fun ahead. The high red over my head is also a Force of Will and my urge to achieve results. It represents desire, excitability, domination and passion. Then I give it all back, although it gets a bit muddied on the way out which represents overstimulation, inflammation and imbalance. At that point in my life, I was overwhelmed and off kilter because of a relationship among two other friends.
Picture #2 was taken in August 2006 at a local shop called Taproot in West Boylston, MA.
Lots of yellow and orange in this one. Coming in the energy is cheerful and giving in that yellow tinged with green (hard to see in the scan), but represented an awareness that my ideas and interpretations would be changing and growing. The yellow over my head represented the joy and happiness that I was finding with my new growth, and the curiosity & hunger for new ideas. The orange coming out of my right side shows the world that I am creative and artistic. That people around me see me as an upbeat, happy, capable and creative person.
What is interesting about this photos is I asked my spirit guide to sit with me. Something that when I had my first photo taken, I didn't know to do. The swishing marks you see on my right show a very playful spirit guide who did not want to sit still for a photo. It also may have had to do with the energy in the shop that day, there was definitely a vibration going on that I had to force myself to ground myself from.
Picture #3 was also taken at The Grateful Heart, this one on November 4, 2006.
This one is an interesting mix of the two previous, lots of Force of Will coming in and represented in the now of that moment, but being turned out in a creative and artistic way.
But what was fascinating was the violet "spot" on my left shoulder. About a month before I had this picture taken my friend Kim performed reiki on me. After she finished she sat very quietly at my side while I roused. She had a look on her face and I asked what was up. She then asked me, "I have something to share that came to me while working on you. Do you want to hear it?" I said sure. She said over and over while she was working on me that the presence of two spirit guides came to her telling her that they were named Hal & Don. She asked me if that meant anything to me and at the time it didn't. About a week and a half later I found myself feeling very tired in the afternoon. I had some time before J would be out of school, so I lay down to rest. I fell immediately to sleep, which is not like me at all. In my dream Hal & Don came to me, but not in a way that I had expected. Hal said that Kim had gotten the name wrong and that it was Val, as in my late aunt Val-Val and that Don was her husband Gordon (hence the -don) who had come with her to check on me. She told me that everything was okay and that she was so pleased that J was born on her birthday like Nana had said he would be (Nana had predicted that J would be born on Val's birthday--Val was her oldest child, Mum's older sister--who died at age 57, when I was 19). She also told me that Nana & Grandad were with me but Nana had "assigned" Val to me. I woke up in a complete sweat and very shaken. I immediately called Kim and stuttered into the phone, about the dream. Kim said very simply, "I had a feeling, but couldn't get a clearer picture." I had a real hard time wrapping my brain around this information. So when I sat for this photo, I invited my spirit guide(s) to sit with me. Specifically I addressed my aunt. I said that if my spirit guide was my Aunt Val-Val, to please sit on my left shoulder. The moment I saw the developed photo I started crying. After I calmed down I explained to the owner what had shaken me and she said that she was glad that I had received such a wonderful visit from someone so special. Once I got into my car, I called Kim and again, she was not surprised at all.
Picture #4 was taken at The Grateful Heart on May 13, 2007--Mother's Day.
Again I have a lot of orange and red in this photo with a tinge of violet high over the left side of my head. Guess my spirit guide, whoever it was that day, wasn't interested in being in the photo. But there was a lot of green healing energy coming out of me that day. It is an expression of firmness, constancy and resistance to change (most definitely me), sort of an elastic tension. Possession is regarding as increasing both security and self esteem. This vibration represents the willingness to work to gain wealth in terms of education and cultural attainments. Because it was not a large amount of green energy, it represented some self-doubt that I was going through at that time.
Picture #5 is my favorite. It was taken at The Grateful Heart on June 9, 2007 with my mother, Hilary sitting on my right knee.
Again, before sitting I asked my spirit guides, especially Val-Val to join us. The violet area over the left side of my lap was HUGE compared to previous photos. It was my aunt sitting for a photo with her sister and this is one of the highest vibrational frequency that can be distributed to a person on this earth. The energy above us is a force of will that turned to creativity and having fun.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Good-Bye 2007, Hello 2008
The last month of 2007 could have been a lot better in many ways. Too many to enumerate here, but I thought I would share how despite the tough times, we enjoyed a lovely holiday together.
Here I am, in all my TechniColor glory (soon to be reverted back to a bubbly brunette shade):
My dear 'ole dad, who after 40+ years at his company, will be a retiree this coming summer:
And then there is the J-Man. When he lost his gap-toothed baby teeth I was sad, but his grown-up teeth are just as gapped as the old ones. Isn't he cute?
Me & Mum, if only my greys would look as graceful & beautiful as hers do.
And then there is Steven. What can I say about a man who tortures Mr. Bill, other than to say, he is all mine girls and I'm not sharing!
Here I am, in all my TechniColor glory (soon to be reverted back to a bubbly brunette shade):
My dear 'ole dad, who after 40+ years at his company, will be a retiree this coming summer:
And then there is the J-Man. When he lost his gap-toothed baby teeth I was sad, but his grown-up teeth are just as gapped as the old ones. Isn't he cute?
Me & Mum, if only my greys would look as graceful & beautiful as hers do.
And then there is Steven. What can I say about a man who tortures Mr. Bill, other than to say, he is all mine girls and I'm not sharing!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Christmas Music
I always love hearing Christmas music. At least I thought that I did until today. This morning I got in my car to take my finished quilt top over to the local quilt shop and turned on the radio like I always do. There are at least three stations in my pre-programmed twenty channels that are playing Christmas music full time and have been since at least November 12th. Two of the stations made all the local news broadcasts around that time about how they started the Christmas music broadcasts earlier than in previous years. I've even activated all the Christmas music in my ITunes to play on my Ipod. As I sat driving over to Grafton this morning I realized, "I am sick of Christmas music. Even the Vince Guaraldi Trio's 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'." These thoughts left me feeling like Scrooge. How could I be sick of Christmas music with ten days to go before Christmas? How is this possible? Glumly I decided that it must have been listening to the music so early before Thanksgiving.
While I realize it's a little over two weeks away, I am making a New Years' resolution. In 2008, I will not listen to any Christmas music prior to Thanksgiving. And if necessary, I'll change my car radio pre-sets to something else like Talk Radio or a Sports Talk Radio, so I'm not tempted by the sound of sleigh bells too early!
Merry Christmas.
While I realize it's a little over two weeks away, I am making a New Years' resolution. In 2008, I will not listen to any Christmas music prior to Thanksgiving. And if necessary, I'll change my car radio pre-sets to something else like Talk Radio or a Sports Talk Radio, so I'm not tempted by the sound of sleigh bells too early!
Merry Christmas.
Monday, November 26, 2007
72 Hours of Insanity, More Commonly Known as My Life As I Know It
I knew before the weekend started it would be crazy. No, I wasn't going to any Black Friday sales (see previous rant). Friday night we had plans to take J to his first rock 'n' roll concert. We took him into Boston to the Orpheum Theatre to see the Brian Setzer Orchestra. We planned on going in early to have dinner at Fajitas & Ritas. Good plan until we got in, parked and realized we couldn't find the restaurant. This restaurant is on the cusp of the Downtown Crossing shopping area. The same area that night that was having their tree lighting ceremony with a chorus of angelic children singing their little hearts out before Santa arrived. Luckily the Gods were smiling down upon us when we accidentally found the restaurant. No sooner were we seated and placed our drink order when the giant influx of cold, tree lighting observers came FLOODING in. Yay us, we got a table! After filling ourselves with nice hot food we headed to the Orpheum. Now even though it's not the greatest sounding venue, it is by far my favorite place to see a show. It's small with red velvet seats, gilded relief images, a balcony and box seats. It was a great place to see the BSO and we all had a rockin' good time! Saturday morning despite being tired, J & I went to my high school alma mater, Algonquin Regional High School for a tour of the improved school. The National Honor Society student who took us around was very sweet and indulged me in "When I was here, this corridor was the ...... department." I ran into classmates on the tour, including some of my fellow reunion committee members. But I ran into one fellow who I used to be sweet on in eighth grade. Little did I know then that he was gay. He's a love of a guy and he gave me the biggest hug, shook J's hand and said he couldn't wait for the reunion that evening. Saturday afternoon afforded us nap time. Knowing J would be sleeping over at Mum's house, I figured it would be best to have him rested from his wild concert exertions the night before. Right, 4PM, drop him off at Mum & Dad's. Now it's time to get beautiful and look like a grown-up. I had touched up my hair colors after we got back from the tour of The Reeg. So now it was time for spackle, paint and a fun dress with my (bitch) boots. The reunion was a blast. Here it is 2 days later and I still have the sore, swollen feet and knees to prove it. We danced, partied, nibbled bad appetizers and drank extremely watered down drinks but it was great. I saw friends that I hadn't seen in years.
But what truly touched my heart was a woman who came up to me and said "Hi Jenn. Do you remember me?" I looked into the hopeful face knowing that we'd met before, but my brain failed me when it came to saying, "Of course I do! How are you........?" Instead I pleaded insanity and said I knew the face, but my brain was addled by the warmth of the room and the alcohol. She said, "I'm Rhonda from elementary school. I am so glad that you are here tonight because I've been wanting to say something to you for some time now." Now that's the sort of lead in that you can take one of two ways. One is "Really?" The second is, "Where's the nearest exit and do I have room to defend myself should this get ugly quickly." It turns out that we were in kindergarten together. She had not originally been on the beginning of the school year bus route, but was added in later on. We were sitting together on the bus and the bus driver apparently had forgotten her stop. She was so painfully shy (by her own admission) that she was afraid to go tell the driver and she begged me with tears running down her face to go say something to the driver. And I did. Then I went back to my seat and held her hand to tell her it would be all right. She says growing up she always thought I was a nice person, but it wasn't until she became a mother to a very shy girl herself that she fully appreciated what I had done for her. As she told me all this, my eyes filled with tears and I got a lump in my throat. Heck I'll admit that as I sit here typing this, it's hard to read the screen for the tears that I've got in my eyes. Rhonda gave me a kiss and a hug and thanked me for being such a sweet person who cares about others. That will stay with me for a long time. As will the sore knees and feet from four hours of dancing like a maniac.
Me & My Sweetie
Sunday was a quiet day. Mum & Dad brought J home just after 9:30 AM. He had a wonderful sleep over at their house. He was good as gold and had 10 mini pancakes with 4 slices of bacon for his breakfast. The night before he tried 3 new foods and declared them all delicious. The one real downer of the day, I woke up with a migraine. Never a good thing to wake up with one. Those are the ones that I can barely bring under control, if at all. Steven on the other hand he was starting to feel achey and cold. We were both among the walking wounded. I did manage to go out to the market and pick up a few things, but that exhausted me to no end. So much so, that despite the fact that the Patriots were on, I went to bed around 10PM. I was vaguely aware of Steven coming to bed, but more aware of him tossing and turning than anything. Finally at 2:00 AM he woke me up because he wasn't feeling right. He said that his neck was real stiff and that he felt like something was wrong. Not, "Call 911" wrong, but just wrong. So we wake up J and the three of us head to the emergency room. We spent a little under four hours there with labs and a CT scan to show that he probably has a virus, but because his right ear had been aching for nearly 2 weeks, here are some antibiotics just to cover the bases. We got home this morning at almost 6:30 AM. Oy vey. We all went back to bed with J lobbying to go to school late--yeah, like that was going to happen after missing the last three days of school before Thanksgiving. I set the alarm and got him up later than normal and knowing it would be a tough sell to go to school on time, had stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for a box of Munchkins to have for breakfast since he had been so good at the hospital all night long. Got him off to school, got Steven's prescription filled, bought some yogurt to keep his stomach settled and went home to crash for three hours. This is my life. It's insane. It's fun. It's touching. And it's filled with wonderful people. I am truly blessed!
Me, Kimmy and Joe dancing with the crowd!
But what truly touched my heart was a woman who came up to me and said "Hi Jenn. Do you remember me?" I looked into the hopeful face knowing that we'd met before, but my brain failed me when it came to saying, "Of course I do! How are you........?" Instead I pleaded insanity and said I knew the face, but my brain was addled by the warmth of the room and the alcohol. She said, "I'm Rhonda from elementary school. I am so glad that you are here tonight because I've been wanting to say something to you for some time now." Now that's the sort of lead in that you can take one of two ways. One is "Really?" The second is, "Where's the nearest exit and do I have room to defend myself should this get ugly quickly." It turns out that we were in kindergarten together. She had not originally been on the beginning of the school year bus route, but was added in later on. We were sitting together on the bus and the bus driver apparently had forgotten her stop. She was so painfully shy (by her own admission) that she was afraid to go tell the driver and she begged me with tears running down her face to go say something to the driver. And I did. Then I went back to my seat and held her hand to tell her it would be all right. She says growing up she always thought I was a nice person, but it wasn't until she became a mother to a very shy girl herself that she fully appreciated what I had done for her. As she told me all this, my eyes filled with tears and I got a lump in my throat. Heck I'll admit that as I sit here typing this, it's hard to read the screen for the tears that I've got in my eyes. Rhonda gave me a kiss and a hug and thanked me for being such a sweet person who cares about others. That will stay with me for a long time. As will the sore knees and feet from four hours of dancing like a maniac.
Me & My SweetieSunday was a quiet day. Mum & Dad brought J home just after 9:30 AM. He had a wonderful sleep over at their house. He was good as gold and had 10 mini pancakes with 4 slices of bacon for his breakfast. The night before he tried 3 new foods and declared them all delicious. The one real downer of the day, I woke up with a migraine. Never a good thing to wake up with one. Those are the ones that I can barely bring under control, if at all. Steven on the other hand he was starting to feel achey and cold. We were both among the walking wounded. I did manage to go out to the market and pick up a few things, but that exhausted me to no end. So much so, that despite the fact that the Patriots were on, I went to bed around 10PM. I was vaguely aware of Steven coming to bed, but more aware of him tossing and turning than anything. Finally at 2:00 AM he woke me up because he wasn't feeling right. He said that his neck was real stiff and that he felt like something was wrong. Not, "Call 911" wrong, but just wrong. So we wake up J and the three of us head to the emergency room. We spent a little under four hours there with labs and a CT scan to show that he probably has a virus, but because his right ear had been aching for nearly 2 weeks, here are some antibiotics just to cover the bases. We got home this morning at almost 6:30 AM. Oy vey. We all went back to bed with J lobbying to go to school late--yeah, like that was going to happen after missing the last three days of school before Thanksgiving. I set the alarm and got him up later than normal and knowing it would be a tough sell to go to school on time, had stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for a box of Munchkins to have for breakfast since he had been so good at the hospital all night long. Got him off to school, got Steven's prescription filled, bought some yogurt to keep his stomach settled and went home to crash for three hours. This is my life. It's insane. It's fun. It's touching. And it's filled with wonderful people. I am truly blessed!
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Insanity of Black Friday
I just don't understand why people would want to line up in the middle of the night in the name of a bargain. I'm all for saving a few bucks, but people seem to be losing their bloody minds over this stuff. Yes, the economy isn't great and rising gas prices are eating into people's disposable income, but is that reason enough to forget decorum, manners and a good night's sleep? Not in my mind.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Holidays Are Upon Us
The last few years I've let the holidays overwhelm me. This year I went back to my "old" ways and started my Christmas shopping early. My shopping is nearly done and it's less than a week before Thanksgiving. What I haven't bought yet, I've at least planned out and that makes me feel good.
Thanksgiving will be low-key this year with Steve's family celebrating it in Florida. But with my 20th high school reunion that weekend, we're staying put. Plus we're taking J to his first "real" concert next week, the Brian Setzer Orchestra. They are a band I've wanted to see for over 10 years and for one reason or another, I've not been able to. J has loved their music since he was a toddler. I can't wait to see his face when we get to the venue next week.
Thanksgiving will be low-key this year with Steve's family celebrating it in Florida. But with my 20th high school reunion that weekend, we're staying put. Plus we're taking J to his first "real" concert next week, the Brian Setzer Orchestra. They are a band I've wanted to see for over 10 years and for one reason or another, I've not been able to. J has loved their music since he was a toddler. I can't wait to see his face when we get to the venue next week.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
I Am The Empress
You are The Empress
Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.
The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.
The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Fifteen Years
For the last fifteen years, I've woken up next to my best friend every morning (okay, almost every morning). I have rented to own a clue with him. I've gripped his hand so tightly when we take off and land in an airplane that I've thought one of us would have broken bones by the end of the trip. I've cried on his shoulder. I've laughed so hard that I've snarfed, sometimes multiple times to the point of startling small animals and children. I've melted countless times when he's walking towards me with "that smile" that turns my knees to rubber.
For the last fifteen years, I've been married to my soulmate. I love you Steven.
For the last fifteen years, I've been married to my soulmate. I love you Steven.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Creature of Habit
I will be the first person to admit that I am a creature of habit. I like routine. And I loathe not having one that I can settle into. It took almost three weeks to settle into a back to school routine. And that makes for a very cranky me when life is like that. Now I'm not such a Pollyana to think that every day has to be a carbon copy of the previous day, but it's been a long road getting settled down.
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