Archive for January, 2007
for me lately?
First, I’m sending up prayers for McB and her Dad, and the family, and the docs. I can’t imagine what she’s going through, but I know that she’s in my thoughts.
Second, I’m posting today, out of order, because I was supposed to post last week, but ZaZa took care of that for me. Thanks ZaZa. Then I was going to post on Monday, but I got sidetracked (more on that later!) and OH posted. Thanks OH. So, since nobody is on the schedule for the 5th Wednesday of the month, here I am.
Wapakwoman (the one I affectionatly think of as Wonderwoman, or WW for short) had a great last post. She brought out the truth that we all do many things, and many times we don’t give ourselves credit for all that we accomplish. I mean, take me, for instance. A typical day includes waking up, getting the six kids up, making sure they straighten up the house, starting a load of laundry, deciding on dinner, checking e-mail, finishing up a book and posting a review, working on one of my three stories, making sure the kids do something that resembles school, going to work at the restaurant for 4-8 hours, coming home, picking up the house, starting another load of laundry, checking e-mail again, and starting a new book that needs to be reviewed sometime in the coming days. Then there are the other days, that can include anything from mucking stalls for our ponies, to going to the feed store for 10 bails of hay, to building a website (I freelance, for friends), or cooking breakfast for 100+ people on Sunday mornings, or grocery shopping for my brood of 8, or taking care of two or six sick kids and/or a husband, or chaperoning a youth group trip, or helping someone deliver a baby, or, you know, any one of a half million other things that just pops up that needs to be done RIGHT NOW OR THE WORLD MIGHT POSSIBLY STOP SPINNING ON ITS AXIS. Yet every day, I feel like I do very little. My husband laughs when I call him from town (we live about 20 miles from civilization) and go over my laundry list of things I’ve done or am doing: buy groceries, go to the bank, go to the other bank, pay the power bill, pick up the dry cleaning, and oh yeah, I had to take the kids to the book store, because you know, we NEED new books. He always asks if I remembered to have my cape dry cleaned. Cape? Yeah, like the superhero cape. To him, my days sound crazy. He gets up early, drives to the train station, rides a train to his job, works 8 (or 10) hours, comes home, eats, does homework, and goes to sleep. His day sounds like a dream to me!
So that WW post, where we all actually got to share how much we do, really made me think. About the things I do, for other people. And the things I (don’t) do, for me. And I thought about the Indulgences of 2007, and how I’d never made my list, because really, who has time for that sort of thing? Well, with WWs post in my head, and Jenny’s words in my mind, I decided that I needed to start doing something for myself.
Monday, I took the day off work. I stayed in bed until 11am. I let the kids fend for themselves for breakfast and lunch. I took a long, hot bath, and read a book just because I wanted to read it, not because it needs to be reviewed this week. Then I got dressed up and met my friends at The Melting Pot (fondue, in case you were wondering) and had a wonderful “Girls Night Out”. I even turned off my cellphone. I ate strawberries dipped in amaretto white chocolate, and didn’t even think about how many calories were crossing my lips. We stayed well past the 2.5 suggested hours, and had fun just talking to each other. We spoke of friends and husbands and being moms, and all sorts of other things. The conversations weren’t nearly as important as the idea of just being there, four adult, married moms, getting together over good food and decent wine, enjoying the freedom of just being women. And when I left, I continued the evening with a different set of friends at a local tavern. I had one beer, three glasses of water, and more fantastic grown-up conversation. I came home very early in the morning, feeling a bit tired, but INCREDIBLY refreshed.
It’s not something I could do every day. It’s not something I’d want to do every day. Or even every week. But you know, once a month, I could get used to that. Couldn’t you?
So tell me… what have you done for you lately?
January 31st, 2007
well, i was going to do homework but yeah, it’s boring. and i noticed it’s almost at 130 comments and since some of us can’t see past them we need a new post.
first go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz8AuKmItwM
(if you want to skip him talking click at 37 seconds and it gets right to the good stuff)
my mom’s rule of thumb was always to try something, and if i didn’t like it i didn’t have to eat it, but i had to try it. this has turned me into someone who is willing to try any food (that’s reasonable made/cooked; i never lost enough of my mind to try the Bowl- you know, when you and your friends basically mix everything left on you and all your friend’s plates and cups together and dare someone to eat it. in my group of friends, someone ALWAYS tried it. and then normally went into a dark coner to groan for a couple of hours. i miss those idiots).
anyways, i eat fish eyes (white fish, for the most part), pig ears (my friend’s mom Angela used to make them for me when she knew i was spending the night; they tasted so damn good), cow tongue, snake from Arizona (my dad would bring it back), and probably some other stuff i’m just not thinking of that makes my friends go ewww. of course, some of my friend’s go ewww when i eat sushi.
so what’s the grossest thing you’ve ever eaten?
(this better stop all that damn brownie talk that makes me sound like Homer Simpson drooling)
January 29th, 2007
I was so excited about being an author that I blogged last week and the schedule says I should have the 4TH Thursday. It was so much fun, I decided to come back!
What’s on YOUR plate? Now, I am not asking about food, unless someone is baking Brownies. You- over there- pass one over.
No, I am talking about all the things we attempt to accomplish at one time. Jen-T, I already bow to your ability to shuttle your children around and not lose them or yourself. This isn’t a contest to see who does the most, but maybe a time to take a deep breath and be amazed at what one man or woman can do!
Here at the Wapakwoman headquarters, I have many men in my house…clean it up kids, they are tearing up my masterbath and my stairways and entry. My cat is shut in the basement screaming and that power compression thingy for the hammer keeps flipping on whenever my phone rings. And that’s all before 8:00am!
Yesterday, I had to climb through scaffolding to get out of my bedroom. Did I mention that it is 18 degrees and they took 2 skylights out? And I am paying them to do this!!!!!
This all just gets added to the rest of my life. How did I know my mother would be ill at this time? (She is better, thank you.) How does OH deal with being sick and keeping up with her schoolwork? You just do! Somedays we all just want to find a recliner and a cat and an afghan (done by a crafty CB!), and spend it with a new book. How many times do we allow ourselves to do this? We should be DOING something!
So today is pat yourself on the back day. Not for being superwoman/superman. But for working, writing/blogging/and caring about other human beings.
National “I’m glad I am a CB day.” Whatever is on your plate, share it with the CB’s! They always have an extra morsel for a friend!
January 25th, 2007
Sneaking another one in, since Dee is taking care of sick family. (((HUGS))) Dee! Try to get some rest, too. We miss you.
I’m contemplating a multimedia, sort of, craft project. Can’t say more now, since it may not happen, or not for a while, and it’s (shhhh)a surprise(shhhh). Anyway, that made me realize this might be a good time to start a “crafters den,” which could maybe be a section on the website, when we have it.
Any of you who are crafters, if you’d email me, telling about what crafts you do, with contact info, I’ll start making a list. I won’t put any of this info online ever, without permission. I won’t be putting it online, with or without permission, until we have a website, but I’d like to get it put together now.
I’m particularly looking for the CB who did that trunk with the books and HoHos in it to ask for some help with what I’m working on. Any of you reading this who know other CBs (or Cherries, Jenny-people, IOW) who are crafters, who might not see this, be sure and pass it along.
My email: zlamarr @ gmail . com (no spaces)
I saw something on eBay that gave me a brainstorm, so I’ve been surfing auctions, trying to find bits and pieces for my project. I’m getting into jewelry making and beading again, too. Stuff that used to be really hard to find is readily available again, so I’m in a good place to get back into things.
And knitting! OMB, is knitting THE THING to do these days? Which is great, because it can be very soothing and give you some time to think through things, problems or puzzles or whatever. And I love the funky cool sweaters and stuff that are the by-product of all that thinking time. /;+)
So, what do you guys do in the crafty mode. Anyone else tried a…darn, I can’t think of the name, a book like Heidi did for J&B? I don’t think I could get myself to tear up a book, but it looks like a fun idea. Collages? Beading? Crochet? Needlepoint/embroidery? Painting? Felting? Anything???
January 23rd, 2007
Don’t want to step on OH’s time in the sun, but I wanted to slip this in between her post and Jen-T’s on Monday. The category is a new one, “FYI.” It’s really just a heads up, although comments are welcome.
I’ve been trolling Project Gutenberg for that past several days, ever since I got a hit there when I was Googling for info on a very old book, which they just happen to have online. 150+ year old book, and it’s online for free download!!!!
If you’re unfamiliar with PG, they take books which are in the public domain, scan them, run the scans through an optical character reader (OCR), which turns them into editable text. Then they are proofread so that the scanned version matches the original and, voila! Free books!!!! Well, there are more steps than that, but basically FREE BOOKS! Ones you might never see otherwise. FREE. Did I say…/;+)
It’s a great initiative, since it puts books many people use for research right out there where anyone can get them. No more trying to find a library that can get it for you, or saving your pennies to buy an actual hard copy of a very old book. Or just for reading pleasure. I have most of what P.G. Wodehouse wrote, somewhere, but I can download many of his books now and reread without digging through a couple hundred boxes. YAY!
In case anyone is interested, there’s an affiliated site called Distributed Proofreaders, where you can sign up to be a proofreader, or one of the other volunteer jobs that get’s the process done.
If you have books that meet the “public domain” requirements and can scan them or have them scanned, you can submit them for inclusion in Project Gutenberg. It’s a really cool thing. I signed up to be a proofreader, which I think is pretty exciting. You know what a nit picker I am. At least, in this, I only have to make things match, not correct the original. /;+)))
January 21st, 2007
so i thought up most of this last night, then my computer did it’s stupid thing and ten hours later i decided to go to bed instead. but we’re hitting near the 130 mark (some of us can’t read after that), so here it is:
wapa talked about fear on the last blog, and did it beautifully, and we discussed it, and then elephants and church shopping and g-g’s new man and cary’s need for shovels (umm, turns out shovels made out of chocolate get eaten before we reach a destination, we may need to buy actual metal next time…the rest of you were using metal? huh, who’d a thunk it) and it ended- the last time i looked- with a promise for a fun night on the town with two librarians, those wild ladies.
anyways, my point is we got off topic. yes, i realize this is not news for you. you probably realized this back when it first started, and we talked about kitties with guns and squirrels that talked and did things to Rene LaFavre he probably still hasn’t recovered from, the poor man. going off topic is not a new idea in CB World. heck, it’s almost mandatory.
but what about in the real world? (remember, we are all imaginary figures, we don’t count as the real world)
a few years ago, i remember asking every adult i came in contact with what they did now and what they wanted to be when they were kids. very few people matched up, which isn’t a good or bad thing, or even necessarily true of most people, but i found it fascinating.
to date, i have wanted to be: a veterinarian (until i realized the sad aspects would make me too sad), a hairdresser (until i realize i would also have to cut boys hair, which never seemed as fun), an assassin, not a hitman (until i realized i would be killed rather quickly considering i can’t move without it sounding like a pack of wild elephants met up with fifty drummers playing at the same time), a brief flirtation with being a pilot (actually, that’s always in the background), and now in the publishing industry, which is the goal i am working on and will end up as. where exactly, as this is a big industry, i’m not sure, but something in my job is going to help an author’s work get into the hands of as many readers as i can. i love books, and what better career (and i want a career, not a job, which is two very different things) than to work with them? reading has always been a constant, and it always will.
but jobs are one aspect. socially, physically, emotionally…how many people got sidetracked from what they wanted and ended up where they are? i have some very set ideas about my future: no kids, though i’ll be the best “auntie”, a comfortable house/apartment with clutter but not junk, continue working with my activism, continue writing, etc etc etc. but there are other things i don’t know about- where i’m going to live, what exactly my work will be, how many countries i am going to visit….
ok, you probably have the gist by now. so my question is this: what is one thing you were absolutely going to do when you were a kid, and what are you doing today to make it happen? and why haven’t you done anything until now?
p.s. i know at least one of is going to say writing, how can you not, but anything else?
of course, if you don’t want to think, wait around till post 19 and we’ll have moved on to “what is it about fuzzy robes that you can’t get enough of?”
January 20th, 2007
After reading the most current posts, I am now convinced that the Cherry Bombs are connected by more than a Love of Him and Her Books, (together and singly), and a love of words and reading in general.
I came home tonight from the Hospital where my mother was taken today. She had a heart attack. She has some issues that complicate the surgery she may be facing.
Then I read that others on the same board, on the same day, have people with health issues. It is more of the cosmic connection. My best thoughts and hugs I needed a *snort* when I got home so I immediately bellied up to the CB B&G. And I found humor and a hug. Just exactly what I needed.
FEAR
I have had January 18th circled on my calendar for some time. My first day to post to the Cherry Bombs. What would they think? What should I say? They will know that I am not a writer and will disregard me from now on. Yeah and I am paranoid, too. Most people that know me think I am absolutely fearless. Need something done, hey- she’ll yell at them. She speaks her mind, let her do it. But, doing something as easy as breathing to me-writing- paralyzed me with fear.
And then I sat with my mom and listened to the Doctors give her the options she faces in the next week or so. THAT is scary. Not so hot right now, more tests needed.
I thought about why I don’t link my blog to this site. I thought about why I don’t blog very much. I don’t like the answer. Because I am afraid I am not good enough. If you don’t write it, then only YOU know it, and YOU like it, so it has to be a MARVLEOUS story. Then, I look at the top of the blog and Bryan has listed “Author Schedule.” Just seeing my name on that list- to know that I will have to write something in public- just felt awesome. I am a writer.
How do/did you all get over that fear? Discuss while preparing for the next field trip to somewhere.
January 17th, 2007
Hello all, some, and others
Had a neat idea for a post- then reality intruded- so now I’m going to ramble a bit
Resolution, dissolutions, and goals- or what I plan on doing this year-
be creative every day- this can be a variety of things: writing, crafting, knitting, gardening, sewing, painting my bedroom, or even working up plans for decorating the house
actually move into my house- I now own a house, I want to make it a home. I want to quit living out of boxes, have curtains that match, and make my pantry usable.
clean out my closet- I have clothes that are 20 years old, clothes that I haven’t been able to wear in years, and clothes I simply don’t like. It’s time to get rid of them.
be a better friend- return calls, send letters, let people know when something they do touches me
Jewelry
I love jewelry. Which is a very bizarre statement for me to make because I stopped wearing a watch when I got a cell phone. My ears have grown closed so I now have one hole instead of three. A few years ago I had two gorgeous rings that were pretty, and expensive, and low/smooth so I could wear them under gloves at work and I took them off, placed them on the band of my watch, and stuck them in my backpack at a charity event I was working. That was the last time I saw them. I haven’t worn rings since. I have a necklace that has a small silver cross on it that is a match to one I got for my sister years ago. For many years it has been the only piece of jewelry I wore. And then this fall and winter happened.
I went home to OK for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful and fun and everything that a trip home should be. A friend of mine was wearing a beautiful glass pendant that I complimented her on. Turns out her mom and aunt are now making the most amazing fused glass jewelry. And I got me some. Came home with eight or so new pendants and earrings to match. Each morning I placed a new pendant on a silver chain and I was off. I started getting compliments. People noticed what I was wearing. This was pretty cool. I really liked it. Then Christmas happens. The BF gets me a really neat necklace, a sterling circle faced with diamonds that looks like it’s floating on the chain. Very nice. I’m loving the compliments.
Now, I’m going to have to go get the ears re-pierced. Not a big drama, but not something I’m really wanting to do. But I have these really cool fused glass earrings and these cute little diamond studs, and the blue topaz set my grandparents got me for college graduation, and some fun sterling silver snakes from my days working the Grand Canyon, and some chili peppers, and carousel horses, and…
Yep, I guess it’s time to admit it. I love jewelry. Too bad I still can’t tolerate make-up.
My visit to Children’s Hospital
I don’t have kids. I have rentals. It’s a nice compromise. I get hugs, pictures for my fridge, and great memories and don’t have to fight over home work, stress when someone is late getting home, or pay the orthodontist. I realize there are things I’m missing and there are times when I truly think, “Hmm, maybe I’ll do foster or adopt an older child.” then something happens to a friend and suddenly, it’s good to rent.
Teddy went into the hospital the Wednesday before Christmas for an appendectomy. Things went well, we thought, but his fever remained high. After almost a week his surgeon finally got a real live person at the pathologists office. The guy wasn’t around, what with a blizzard and holiday and all, oh well. So, while the pathologist isn’t returning calls or whatever it was he wasn’t doing Teddy is getting worse. The docs are thinking Crohn’s Disease and a million other not good things. Turns out Teddy had micro perforations in his appendix so the gunk oozed out. They finally get the fever down and he gets to go home on New Year’s Eve. He took a quick trip to Children’s in Denver and got to come home, where he laid on the couch and felt like $#^. Another trip to Children’s for a few tests and they end up keeping him and pulling the equivalent of two Coke can’s of fluid from an abscess in his abdomen. BF and I pop in Saturday after the stock show and entertain him for a bit. Talked with the nurses. “Things look good. Plan on going home Tuesday.” Talked to his mom this evening. He gets to go in tomorrow and have two more abscesses drained. This is really starting to stink. He’s a healthy active 16 year old kid who has spent the last month in a bed somewhere because of a hot appendix. I know 100 years ago this was often fatal. I know today it is still dangerous. But otherwise healthy teenagers aren’t supposed to be down from something like this for more than a few days. I’m going nuts and I’m just the friend, I don’t think I could be the parent who goes to Children’s for a day of testing and comes home three days later with my kid still in the hospital. Thanks, but I think I’ll rent.
January 17th, 2007
No. I’m not going to post about Vanilla Ice. I don’t even like Vanilla Ice, or that song. Although I do like Under Pressure by David Bowie and Vanilla stole that riff (sp?). And I do like Vanilla. It’s my favorite scent. I use Victoria Secrets French Vanillia body wash, lotion and spray, not that you care. But since the last post had some issues with designer labels, I thought I put in my two cents. I’m a designer label nut. Hmmmm, wonder where my daughter gets it? Actually, I’m only designer with certian stuff. Underwear and lotion stuff only from Victoria Secrets. Only Clinique facial products and make-up. Weird, the other stuff, who cares. Show me the best price.
But this is not my post.
ICE ICE Baby – or should it be ICE ICE Hockey. Yep. We’ve got some ICE in the rink and out of the rink. Back in 1991 my town had a horrible ICE storm. I was pregnant at the time and working as a subsitute teacher. I woke up one morning and all the lights were out. I got my little radio and listened to the news only to find out a state of emergency had been issued and everything was shut down. I looked out my window and it was covered with ICE. It was very pretty. When I finally made out my frozen shut door, all of my trees (all three of them) were no longer standing. We were lucky. Our power came on a few hours later. I had friends with no power for up two weeks.
A couple of years ago, on the same weekend, we had another ice storm. Both made national news, which doesn’t happen often. Buffalo, yes. Syracuse, yes. Rochester? Nope. The last ICE strom wasn’t as bad as the first, but it left some people without power. Not me. Never lost it for a minute. Gotta love that.
So, this morning we woke to the crackling of branches against the window. But since hockey is never cancelled. Might have something to do with it’s a cold sport? Anyway, I woke up middle kid and we headed to the ICE rink in the ICE. Roads were slick, lots of black ICE, but wasn’t too horrible. Only saw like 8 cars off the road on the 16 mile ride to the ICE rink. I’m actually kind of glad it’s finally gotten cold up here in north country because that means the ICE rink is warmer than the outside air. Nothing worse then coming out of the not so warm weather into the freezing cold ICE rink.
So, my son’s teams decides to spank the other team like 10-1. Yeah, it wasn’t much fun for either team. But this meant that I had to drive home only to come back for the championship game a few hours later. In the ICE. So, it’s really not all that bad. I mean I’ve only watched half my lone tree come crashing down into my yard. My driveway is an ICE rink, although my kids don’t want to try it out just now. My grass looks like frozen green beans because well, there is no snow! Just ICE.
To really make matters worse, dear son lost the championship game in over time as one of our own defensmen accidentially scored on our goalie. Poor kid. Wasn’t his fault. A slapshot came from the blue line, he tried to deflect it and well, the puck had other plans. We lost. Kids get off the ICE, only to drive home in the ICE. Really, it’s not that bad. Only one road completely closed because power lines were down. Really, this is not as bad as 91. I mean, they keep telling us that we’d need like another 1/2 inch of sleet to do that kind of damange. I feel so much better.
Of couse, DH just gets home with youngest boy. I say, “Honey, where is daughter?” he says, “At the rink.” I say, “Why?” DH says, “She has practice. Didn’t you get my e-mail?” Mind you, I have not seen my husband all weekend because he’s been in Buffalo with youngest child for a different tournament. Poor kid lost every game. And DH and I only communicate via e-mail since we’re like never on the same sheet of ICE. Anyway, I say, “Maybe, I don’t know. It’s been kind of ICEY out.” He says, “Speaking of that, I have hockey tonight at 10:30, so you have to go back to ESL and get her at 9:40.” Me replies, “Excuse me? I have to go out in this #$^^ again?” He says, “Yep.”
Like I said, ICE ICE BABY!
January 15th, 2007
I’m not technically supposed to be ‘on stage’ until the weekend, so let’s just start the weekend early, shall we?
What’s the big deal about designer labels? I’m not talking about the high prices. If something is exactly what you want, the quality is good, the right color and style, particularly suits your needs, etc. – if its right and you have the money go ahead and get it. But what’s the big deal about whose name is on it? Would it be any less the perfect handbag or pair of shoes if the label wasn’t recognizable?
There’s this kind of fish, a type of puffer fish, called fugu which is apparently extremely toxic unless it is fixed a very specific way in which case its a great delicacy. Who figured out what the right way was and, more to the point, why? How did they know they finally got it right, experiment? “Oops, there goes another customer. Back to the drawing board.”
That woman in the Bathfitters commercial (Do you get this commercial? This woman walks into her bathroom and pulls back the shower curtain only to discover that her tub is covered in grime and mold, really and truly filthy. And she’s shocked. Apparently she never noticed before): what happens when her bathtub gets filthy again? Does she just keep buying new ones? I mean, she never cleaned it before, why would she start now?
Has anyone every been enticed to buy a particular perfume based on those scented cards stuck in magazines? Have you ever decided against buying the magazine because of them?
Does Bob have a middle name? If so, what is it?
Do you realize that every culture on the planet has figured out how to make alcoholic beverages from something? I mean even from things like rice and potatoes. Why?
~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. after making fun of my pansies, you guys probably don’t deserve this … but here’s a snap of Cerise and her friends anyway. 
Yes today was the day I took my cousin’s family to see the National Zoo.
And no trip to the National Zoo is complete if you don’t have photos of …
PANDAS! Baby on the left and Mama on the right.
January 12th, 2007
Previous Posts