Celebrating 40

CFC

2009-09-21T20:46:00.001-06:00

I feel as if I have no problems...

2009-01-19T23:45:00.002-07:00

When I look at what this man has done with his challenges.

Get Back Up

Okay, I succumbed, they're just so cute...

2008-10-31T00:07:00.002-06:00

My daughter has full grown dragons. It shouldn't be a surprise, she dressed up as Meliny from the Pern novels when she was a child - sad thing was that even though the teacher asked the students to dress up as their favorite character from literature, no one knew who she was even with the stuffed dragon on her arm.

Anyway, here are the eggs I got from the abandoned egg space in the cave.

So Click on my eggs and help my dragons hatch....

Yep, my boy is a football player...

2008-10-25T23:59:00.002-06:00

So today during practice before the game, DS#2 broke his finger. He didn't tell the coach because he was afraid that they would pull him from the game and wouldn't let him play. Luckily this is the last game of the season. He'll have his finger immobilized for 3 weeks.

When growing up...

2008-09-22T18:14:00.003-06:00

it's a fine line between taking initiative and missing the boat because one didn't ask for help. My daughter is up at school but comes home weekends until she gets here work bonus from the zoo.
During the last week, she had a bit of a mishap and took out the sidewall of her tire. She was able to put on the spare and then went to the nearest tire store to get a replacement. She was so proud of herself for negotiating the price down to $70.

That's when her Dad informed her that if she had called home, he would have instructed her to go to a different tire store since she has a road-hazard warranty on her tires and they would have replaced it free. To top it off, the tire she bought is a bottom of the line tire that should have cost about $50.

Well, being my mother's daughter, I knew this wasn't the end. I instructed her to take the warranty papers into the store, explain what happened and see what they could do. So today she goes into Les Schwab and they honor the warranty on the tire but they did charge her for rotating the tires and stiping the new one (if she could have proved that the damaged one was stiped like the other three that would have been free too). All in all - $115 isn't bad for a life lesson learned. In the future, she'll put together the plan, and maybe call for advice.

An indulgence to unpack emotional baggage

2008-09-09T23:35:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time, school rings were an important fashion accessory. It meant something to have the heavy band and colored stone. It identified you as someone with a connection to a history and traditions, if you were a girl with a guy’s school ring it announced that you were dating a college age guy.
I couldn’t wait to get my school ring, it meant I would be a graduate and ready to move on to college. However, when I brought home the packet with all the graduation accessories and showed my dad the ring I had selected, he told me that I didn’t need a colored stone. After all in a few years, I would have a diamond when I got married.
A few years later, I did have a diamond but I also wanted a college ring. After all, my husband had this beautiful ring with a red stone that had USMC on the band.
I missed graduation because I gave birth the day after the ceremony. And since I wasn’t walking, I didn’t send out announcements and I didn’t buy any of the graduation accouterments so I didn’t get my ring or a tassel for that matter.

So this time around when I got the graduation package with all the stuff I could buy, I went straight for the ring. It was expensive but I knew that this was one piece of emotional baggage that I could not afford to bypass. I’ve always regretted not getting either the high school or the college ring – I wasn’t going to spend any time regretting this one. Oh, and I did negotiate a price lower than the one in the package and the one on the website. Never pay retail, baby!!

I have a Master's Degree!

2008-08-15T21:22:00.003-06:00

You Are the Greek Goddess Athena

2008-08-04T19:45:00.001-06:00

Athena is a very powerful goddess: Remember she was born fully-armed when she was extracted from the head of her father Zeus. She is also very wise and a talented craftswoman, but definitely not a girly-girl. She doesn't like to have her competence questioned. Although not naturally indirect, Athena enjoys a bit of make-believe. Getting Athena on your side will get the job done.

I think I scared my boys when we got to the Louvre

2008-07-25T22:47:00.001-06:00

The Louvre is open late on Wednesday nights but, I was worried that we wouldn’t have time to see the things that I wanted to see or that they had on their list. (What boy reading The DaVinci code doesn’t want to have his picture taken with the inverted pyramid?) We arrived at 5:15pm and there was no entrance line. Obtaining maps, we immediately headed for where we assumed the most crowded area would be – The Mona Lisa. The management of the Louvre has kindly placed signs with arrows directing people to the fastest path to the Mona Lisa. It’s fascinating watching people looking only at those signs and not letting their eyes stray to the sculptures and other artwork they pass between those arrows.
Just before entering the Louvre, my boys had been doing the childish – don’t touch me crap - that drives any parent nuts. I’ll confess that we had been doing the tourist rush to the Mona Lisa before we entered the huge gallery with French painters’ canvases (we had arrived at the correct floor for DaVinci’s work). One of the first canvases I saw was Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People.” I stopped in my tracks and stared and then I started to cry. This is where I panicked my boys. I stumbled backward in front of that bare-breasted woman with the Tri-color until I found myself sitting on a bench in the center of the room with those humongous Delacroix paintings surrounded by my teenagers saying something that could have been an apology for their behaviour. I really don’t know because all I could focus on was this incredible painting that exceeded the size of any wall in my home. I had seen it in textbooks but they didn’t do it justice. The only thing running through my mind was – “I can’t believe that I’m here – I’m really here! This is Paris and I’m in the Louvre.” I have no idea what my children did while I sat there having a meltdown but they were a lot better behaved for the next 2.5 hours. While we visited the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, the Rembrandt room and the Rubens room.

Once in a Lifetime....

2008-06-23T22:44:00.001-06:00

So I'm hiking the trail on the Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls and I pass the booth where they do the rappelling and it hits me, how can you put a monetary value on being able to say, "yeah, well I've rappelled at Iguassu Falls!" The rappelling trip and the pictures ended up being 100 Reis (about $60) so well worth the bragging rights to be able to say that I did it. I was expecting it to be a lot more and had planned on spending it. The whole decision part reminded me of the Brian Reagan skit about "Walking on the Moon."

Oh, and it was a lot of fun too!

OBHR Conference

2008-04-06T19:37:00.002-06:00

Last week I attended a the OBHR conference on managing change. I think I got as much out of the 3 day conference as I did out from some of the MBA classes I've taken. We heard from Kerry Patterson who talked about his book "The Influencer." Bronco Mendenhall and Paul Gustavson talked about how the ultimate goal of BYU football is not necessarily to win games but to surpass the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as the #2 missionary tool of the LDS church. The best way to do that is to win football games as a team while giving back to the community.
The final key speaker was Steven Covey. I don't know why I have never read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People but as of this weekend, I now own it. I have a picture of myself with Mr. Covey. His answer to how to get my boss to listen to what I have to say was to listen to them first and then when they ignore me or cut me off, ask if they feel I've been fair to listening to their point of view and ask if I deserve the same courtesy. The talk Mr. Covey gave could only have been given in an LDS setting. He talked mainly about how to move business from a telestial level to a terrestial level through trust and helping people find their voice, what do they have a passion for doing that they do well and at which there is an economic benefit. Sounds a lot like the three circles from Kerry Patterson's book and like the Hedgehog concept from Good to Great.

Does this count as studying Time Value of Money?

2008-03-10T01:29:00.000-06:00

$4625.00

My Daughter is working in a Cat house

2008-02-24T20:10:00.002-07:00

and the reptile house and the elephant enclosure....

She was just hired to do public education at the zoo this summer.

A week of growth and changes

2008-02-15T21:35:00.002-07:00

My baby turned 12 this week, that means tomorrow I will sit in the congregation and see everyone raise their hand approving in his becoming a deacon. Deacons in our church are usually ages 12 and 13 which is a lot younger than most other Christian denominations. He will also be speaking in front of the congregation for just one or two minutes but again, it is a big change from 8 years ago when he would jump up and down and climb on the wall next to the pulpit (I was so afraid he would fall off it). I was also fully mortified until a recently returned missionary came up, gave me a huge hug and told me that he wished more people had my son's enthusiasm for being in church after all the little girls on either side of him fell asleep. I'm pretty sure that tomorrow, he won't be climbing the pulpit but he may be falling asleep.

As another milestone in our family, tonight my 14 year old is at his first school "social." It seems that when the Academy for Math, Engineering and Sciences first started and called the activities "dances" they found the majority of the student body didn't attend. Hmm, just imagine, no one from "Geek High" as they are commonly known showed up for "dances." Stereotypes, anyone? But if they call it a social and emphasize that it is food with music and a large space in the middle, everyone shows up. He's there tonight and in about 10 minutes I'll be asking him the questions my dad asked me after school activities. Did I mention that girls fall all over themselves to get this young man's attention? and he is just barely starting to notice that they do?

As a third item, I've received a new title at work. It won't show up on the org chart and I'm sure it won't be used by upper management but several of the people under me have started introducing me as the "Crisis Manager." Yep, it's my job to handle service recovery issues, calm everyone down and make sure the customer leaves feeling great. It's a wonderful chance to implement The Fred Factor.

I may be nearing a breaking point...

2008-01-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

So there has been a lot of stress this year (have I mentioned the roof is leaking now?) I realized this morning that I need to take some me time and run away or I'll snap.

Interested in the catalyst?

I decided I needed a sugar boost so I made waffles for breakfast. As I'm sitting down to eat, the dog barfs. I sat down to continue eating before the waffles got cold again (because they wouldn't microwave a 3rd time) and the thought going through my mind was "That's fantastic, now I have my gratitude thought for the day. I'm glad he threw up on the tile, it will be easier to clean than the carpet." Then it hit me that it's a sad day when my gratitude thought is where the beagle threw up.

It's a good thing one of my Christmas presents is classes at Needleplay - I'm going to hide there for 3 hours tomorrow and not think about anything but the way the fiber goes into the fabric.

Don't you just hate ...

2008-01-24T17:31:00.001-07:00

the days when you're exhausted at the end but you can't point to one productive thing that got done during the day?
My mom would call them chicken days - They're days you ran around like a chicken with its head cut off, accomplishing nothing but exercise and frustration. A chicken day every now and then isn’t too bad, they usually contain a lot of small tasks that have been put off until someday and now someday is here. It’s when you get a month of chicken days that your ego and endurance take a hit. A full year of chicken days begins to hit your self esteem. In Ethics class we’ve been reading Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and it hit me that the most frustrating thing about chicken days is that they have no overlying meaning – they’re pointless days with no fruitful purpose. But when you sit down and ask the hard questions, they may have an underlying point. It’s just a matter of making the time to sit and ponder and contemplate and finding the connecting threads.
Or if the chicken days have been endless – just snap out of it. Find a meaning to your life, set goals to reach that meaning, eliminate the chicken actions, and concentrate on the meaningful things that bring you closer to your goals.

I thought my teenagers were more responsible...

2008-01-24T00:45:00.000-07:00

As I'm walking out the door to teach my community school class, I tell the 14 year old "Don't forget to feed your father." Three hours later when I call home, my husband tells me that he's starved and he's asked the kids for dinner three times. The responses were "I'm not hungry." "Later, in a minute." and "Uh-huh, which resulted in a bowl of spoiled lettuce being put close enough to the bed to make him sick.

So when I got home with a Wendy's bag for the hubby, I told the kids that 9 pm was way too late for them to eat and (this is so old-fashioned) they could go to bed without supper. Maybe it will help them realize that they need to take better care of their dad when I'm not home.

What happens in a house with no cable or dish...

2008-01-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

I live in a house with no cable TV. We read. I thought I would share this year's main Barnes and Noble receipt with everyone. Yes, that is 5 and 1/2 paperbacks long and I had to hit two other stores to get the missing books from the series. Strangely enough, only 3 or 4 of the entries on that receipt are mine, 2 were for charity, but all the rest are for the children. Yes, all those books are for the kids and they spent the rest of Christmas vacation reading (Most of it was Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's series for my 14 year old). Christmas vacation was a reading paradise when I was growing up. Aunts would be at the house so I was excused from a lot of the cleaning since they and my mom had control of the kitchen. This meant I had time to curl up behind the pine tree with the books I got for Christmas and devour them. It's wonderful to see my kids doing the same thing. Oh and for the record, this year Barnes and Noble paid me $74.32 to renew my membership - yes, it's a lot to spend on books but my kids are worth it.

Update on the husband's condition...

2008-01-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

So today we saw the 3rd orthopaedic to look at my husband's ankle. The first one was in the ER but we couldn't followup with him since he's out of network and his office refused to make the appointment even though I told them I had out of network benefits. The in-network doctor looked at the CT radiology report and said that he didn't feel confident in treating the condition and sent us up to the University to work with an orthopaedic there. The new orthopedic loved the CT scan, can't believe that the bones are still in place (compound dislocation of the ankle - dislocated in 7 places, but no fractures). We had 3 doctors and 2 interns come in to look at him and the comment was made to one of the interns that this was probably the only time that he would see an injury like this. The end result is that DH is non-weight bearing until the beginning of March.

And here's another first...

2007-12-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

Here's to the first Christmas spent in the ER! DH slipped on the ice as we were leaving to my parents house. When I got out there, he was still on the ground and his toes were not facing the correct direction. True to form, the first doctor and all the nurses ended up trooping through his room because it seems an ankle fracture without dislocation is fairly rare. It's become almost comical when we go to the ER. The first time I ever took my DH to the ER they wanted him to sign a release so that they could use his x-rays for training radiologists to locate new fractures when there are a lot of old ones on the film.
Anyway, he is non-weight bearing for the next 3 weeks. It's a good thing that we got the expansion packs for Killer Bunnies so we have something to do for New Year's Eve. Right now, he's on the couch going through the Christmas movies...

Trying to get in the holiday mood...

2007-12-20T15:43:00.001-07:00

I’ve been wondering why the Christmas spirit seemed so far away this year. I thought it might be the lack of decorating but most of the decorating is done (except for the trees which we do not have). The presents are wrapped which is a totally new experience since it isn’t Christmas Eve yet. I think I’ve narrowed it down though. We haven’t been reading Christmas stories or listening to Christmas music. I have found the year round Christmas music station for the car but in the office we never even got the hold music switched over from Ocean Breeze to the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD.
Reading, however, has been the big thing. I’ve been reading Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things, a collection of horror and what used to be called “fantastic” stories; more along the lines of preparation for Halloween than Christmas. So, in order to create the spirit of the season, I hit the library today and grabbed a stack from the holiday novels section. We’ll see how it goes this weekend. After all, I only have 4 days to get ready!

Reading my first Jane Austen novel...

2007-11-26T23:21:00.001-07:00

Well, listening to it during my drive time here in California, I realize why I've never finished a Jane Austen book. I've been listening to Sense and Sensibility.

I want to strangle Marianne and her mother. And all the talk of a gentleman being ancient at 35, it's easy to see that the author was young herself to think of that age as being in one's dotage even given the lifespan for the era and while I'm offing people, can I shoot Willoughby? He's a total twit! How can anyone consider him a romantic hero?

For the Jane Austen Fans

2007-10-23T19:17:00.001-06:00

Take the Quiz here!

You know you're getting older when...

2007-09-21T23:10:00.001-06:00

You go to pop a zit under your chin and end up with a bruise...

The list of books that I still need to do reviews on...

2007-09-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

The Innkeepers Wife – Lynda Wilson
Lee – the Last Years – Charles Bracelen Flood
The Measure of a Man – Sidney Poiter
Burning Bright – Tracy Chevalier
The Goal –
One Good Knight – Mercedes Lackey
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
No One Noticed the Cat – McCaffrey
Wedding Ring – Emilie Richards
Endless Chain – Emilie Richards
Naked Economics -
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand

And the items for the fair are submitted...

2007-09-13T00:25:00.000-06:00

This morning I dropped off my items for the Utah State Fair. I wasn't thrilled with the quality of my stitching so for on more year, I entered in the amateur category. Next year though, I will have the confidence to move up to the advanced amateur, but then that's what I say every year.

(I just called and had them bump my category up)

Utah State Fair

2007-09-13T00:24:00.001-06:00

And I made it to the Utah State Fair today to get pictures of my entries so I could share how I did. I was surprised at how few items there were this year. Most of the entries were quilts and I must have met and remembered something from the time I spent with the quilt quilds last year because I was amazed how many of the names I recognized. Anyway, on with the show...

This is the ribbon that I expected, my needlepoint cranes framed by Jill Rensel.

This little red musical ornament is the surprise prize. They eliminated the ornament category several years ago since there weren't enough entries. So this competed in the "Misc. Christmas Items" category. This means I compete against crocheted snowflakes, hardanger angels, and other items.

Cross-stitch stockings are their own category so they aren't in the Misc. category. It's amazing how many of the Donna Kooler stockings show up every year.

Here is my first place in the Advanced Amateur Needlepoint pillow category. This was the free ANG piece that we got at my first guild meeting. I finished it in a few days and sewed the pillow the night before I had to submit the things to the fair.

This is the piece that I would have been competing against in the Amateur Needlepoint pillow category. I'm so glad that I leveled up. The piece is a bolster pillow of Candy Cane Lane and it's gorgeous. I would have definitely lost to it.

They very nicely displayed Nicole's Guardian Angel next to my cranes. Made it easy to find her piece. She helped motivate me to get my items done in time for the Fair.

This Noah's Ark is the First place winner in the Advanced category where Nicole's Guardian Angel took the 2nd place. This piece was perfect, not a stitch mis-tensioned, not one strand out of place and you couldn't see the holes of the fabric at the corners of the stitches. It looked almost like someone had painted the picture on the canvas.

Below are some pictures of some of the other displays that I enjoyed. Usually there are more than 2 Teresa Wentzler pieces, but as I said, there were not that many entries this year. I'm sorry that the sampler on the left has glare off the non-glare glass.

The one on the right is Heirloom Homecoming by Victoria Sampler. There were some other pieces that I wanted pictures of but the fair was opening to the public and I had to get back to the Hunter Education booth before the kids got there.

Some More Firsts

2007-05-07T16:22:00.000-06:00

I finally saw the Lipizzaner stallions perform live. My SIL told me that they were coming to town and I had her grab tickets for me. We were on the 5th row not close enough they could salivate on us but close enough to see the brands without straining. They were incredible, as were the riders.

Then Saturday morning, I participated in the Law Day 5K Run/Walk. I walked but I finished and I'm not too proud to admit that I was very happy that I had a 5 year old holding my hand as she skipped up the main uphill portion (which occured after the first mile). I may not have the energy of a 5 year old, but I did sprint to the finish line with a teenager who came out of the crowd to give us old fogies some support.

Easter Lamb?

2007-04-07T21:37:00.001-06:00

I've never done and Easter leg of lamb before. Mom was big into Easter ham - only time she would do an orange glaze on it. Or turkey because after all turkey is the all occasion special dinner.
So I'm looking for lamb recipes and the one in the Lion House Cookbook seems to be the most popular - garlic and rosemary served with mint sauce. The only variation on that seems to be in some cases, add white wine (which of course would be dropped from an LDS recipe).
On Oprah I found a morrocan recipe that includes cinnamon and has a great couscous recipe with it. However, I already bought new potatoes and asparagus and I really ought to get the mint jelly in the frig used. Maybe the morrocan recipe for another night.

Anyway, I did find a recipe for lamb that had no spices but has you baste the lamb with currant jelly.

So, do you think that the garlic and rosemary thing would work with the basting with currant jelly? Would you skip the basting if you planned to serve with mint jelly (which the kids don't like which is why I'm thinking the currant)?

Modeling gig?

2007-04-03T08:53:00.000-06:00

Last night my husband was invited to participate with some other photographers in a shoot with some paid models. Typical of girls just starting out, most of them didnt't show and those that did show weren't on time. So, I ended up being painted with an air brush and having my back stand in for someone else. Not something I expected to be doing after 40, I even got paid just like the other models.

Tearing each other down...

2007-02-21T01:13:00.000-07:00

Harvard is about to have it's first female President. I heard an interview with her where she said the one thing that she has always had to fight against was other women telling her that even wanting her dreams was inappropriate. She talked about her grandmother ruling the family with an iron fist but everyone pretending that it was grandma's boys who were in charge. She talked of her mother telling her that is was such a bad thing that she was smart since it would be wasted on her and it was too bad that her brothers weren't brighter since they would have to support families. Now it's true that she grew up in the 50's and 60's but I remember hearing a lot of these same things as late and the mid to late 1980's and I'm running into it again in my master's program. You realize that my slot could have gone to a young man who needs the degree to support a family. I love to shoot back that if it weren’t for me in this program, it wouldn’t have the accreditation needed for any student to be attending it, male or female, so be glad I’m in class.

Do you still hear some of these things - - that it's bad for a girl to be smart? That reading too much will make you unpopular? That you should never score higher than the guys in anything but especially not math or science? That wanting a higher position at work is "unladylike"?
Do you hear them from other women? Why do women feel the need to discourage each other? Is the cattiness part of our natures or is it trained into us?

Another first for me.

2007-02-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

I had a Pepperment Hot Chocolate with Skim milk from Starbucks this morning.

We had a vendor who was buying and insisted that there had to be something at Starbucks that he could buy for me. I have never ordered anything from Starbucks although I have been to one in Las Vegas with friends. As for the drink I got, lets just say that I've better hot chocolate from the small independent shop by my son's trumpet teacher. And it definitely doesn't hold a candle to the cocoa my DH makes.
My admin asst says I should have gone for a caramel steamer - whatever that is.

So, tell me what your first trip to Starbucks was like or tell me about your best trip to Starbucks. Or who is better than Starbucks in your opinion.

I think I like needles with a spark...

2007-01-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I experienced acupuncture for the first time. I should explain. Shortly after starting school, I began to notice pain when I lifted my book bag. I just figured it was muscle pain and I would just take it easy. Well, here we are 5 months later and I can barely lift my arm to shoulder level. I have pain any time I pick up anything heavier than 5 pounds. DH keeps telling me that I have a rotator cuff tear. I’m not about to take my shoulder to a surgeon. Now I don’t really believe in chiropractors but I do know one who is on the list that the Workers’ Compensation courts use for Independent Medical examiners. So anyway I head over there today, and after 30 minutes, 20 of it with needles attached to electricity, ribs and neck adjusted and I’m out of pain and able to put my arm over my head, albeit slowly. Still can’t lift anything heavier than 5 pounds without pain but I can move again.

Acceptance speech for the TIME person of the Year award

2006-12-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

I would like to take this moment to thank TIMEmagazine for naming me person of the year. This has been an incredible year of doing those things that I would like to do; those things that I have put off doing because I was too busy with life. I appreciate that TIME saw fit to recognize “that time and that energy and that passion” which I use to post and you use to read. I have to admit that sometimes I’m reading and posting not from the energy which I have but because I have no energy and since there are so few worthwhile things to watch on network TV, the internet is my evening relaxation.
As with all acceptance speeches, I would like to take this moment to thank the people who helped make this possible. Blogspot for supplying me with this forum, oneandone.com for powering my webpage, ezboard and Yuku for providing places where people can get together and virtually hang together, and the moderators of the websites I visit for keeping things on a civilized footing. Thank you for helping make me TIME’s person of the year.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

For the first time, I cooked the entire Thanksgiving dinner. I usually do the turkey and stuffing; my parents do the rest. This year my parents are out of the country and most of my family told me they were going elsewhere for dinner. I scrambled to find people to sit at the table. I invited strangers and friends and friends of friends and luckily we ended up with 20 people. I still have a ton of leftovers but that’s good since my kids know how to heat things up and they’ll do well eating what they can scrounge around the kitchen for the next three days. Hope you all had great days too.

You're invited to a book party...

2006-11-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of Usborne Books. A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated by the lavish illustrations and informative content. There are over 1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a wide range of subjects for children of all ages.

Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!

Hosted by: My sister Kat
Place: www.ubah.com/HOS72492
When: Today thru 11/11/2006 11:59:00 PM

A new addiction

2006-11-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

Join me in my new addiction.

Oh the perils of being youngest...

2006-10-28T12:43:00.000-06:00

My youngest had his Halloween parade yesterday. I used to make creative costumes, amazing what you can do with a pair of sweats. My youngest just rummaged through DH's old military gear, came up with a shirt, a helmet and a harness. Dad offered to cami his face but it was turned down.
The video camera battery was dead so it didn't get recorded. Yep, all the videotapes are of the oldest. Not even the middle one gets as much video time as she did. Sorry boys, it's what happens when you have a slacker for a mom...

A dusting of snow...

2006-10-26T01:42:00.000-06:00

We had snow today. Not a real snow storm, just a dusting where it gets cold enough that the rain decides to thicken. I had snow on my truck after work but that's about it. I better get my bulbs in this weekend or I may not get the chance to put them in at all.

I appreciate a craze...

2006-10-03T23:29:00.000-06:00

just as much as the next person but it really bugs me that Sudoku magazines have taken over the counter at the checkout stand. I couldn't find a logic puzzle book anywhere!!
On the good side, I did find the 2006 JCS Ornament issue. Cindy Valentine is in it. Cindy worked on a round robin that I participated in. Her work hangs right by my front door.

On the radio again

2006-10-02T14:52:00.000-06:00

Except this time it was Connie Sokol's show on Grapevine radio. She's doing a 4 week challenge on Simplifying the holidays.

Need recommendations

2006-09-29T20:10:00.000-06:00

DH has decided that we need to pay a website designer because he’s not getting any hits on his site. He’s asked around for references but the only people that seem to be happy with their web designers are the people who do it themselves. So I’m throwing this out to the Great Font of Knowledge - - Who can you wholeheartedly recommend as a web designer for a site that will allow DH to update his galleries and calendar himself (or let me do it for him), allow people to pay for classes or artwork online, have a blog (he calls it an essay section), and help him establish his image as “the wild man of large format photography.”?

Decisions, decisions...

2006-09-22T17:09:00.000-06:00

Bellydancing classes start again on Monday. I find it a great way to exercise, a way to balance myself physically and mentally, and a lot of fun. I just don't know how I can justify another night away from the family though. I really do want to go but time is such a precious commodity right now.

Playing in the Netflix queue...

2006-09-19T01:59:00.000-06:00

My kids told me the other day that they have never seen E.T. This shocked me almost as much as the day my daughter said in a group of her father’s friends, “Who’s Captain Kirk?” (We were soundly scolded for neglecting our children’s education over that). We haven’t worried about running into that issue with the boys since Netflix has the entire 3 year span of the original series but it did get me thinking about movies I loved as a kid that my children have never seen.
My daughter is deep into anime but she’s never seen Battle of the Planets which was our introduction to anime in the 1980’s. (It’s in the queue and I’ll subject her to it someday). She came home from her Art and Culture class talking about this great German film they watched and proceeded to tell me the plot of Dreamscape (another movie to Netflix). There are some films that I remember that I could care less about my kids seeing. That nasty one they showed every year in school about the handicapped boy with the pigeon and the one the school thought would enlighten us about poverty and war but the only scene I remember is the bloated body of the flood victim floating away. What sick ninny thought those were good movies for elementary kids?
I want my kids to know Tron, the movie, not just the Kingdom Hearts 2 character. But it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if they skipped NeverEnding Story or the horrid sequels that engendered. Or the movie I saw on my first date about the motorcycle racer who ends up a time traveler.
On the other hand, I’m glad my kids understand that ultimate evil comes out of a microwave, there are times to use the Force, it’s okay to be afraid of snakes, playing in mashed potatoes can be an obsession or the start of a food fight (2 movies there), don’t annoy the clerk when the parrot is dead, and Wolfman Jack is real. (Hmmm, seems to be a theme there).

A weekend of canning...

2006-09-11T00:49:00.000-06:00

I found it relaxing this weekend to stand in front of the sink like generations before me did. Looking out over a yard with dying grass and pears ripening on the tree, the sounds of children playing while I slipped the peels from scalded tomatoes to make a family recipe which has no set recipe but differs from year to year based on the sweetness or tartness of the fruit.
DH would like it if I altered the sweet chili sauce recipe to be more of a spicy chili sauce instead of tomato chutney (using the chutney term as “jam for meat”). As it is though, it reminds me of Grandma’s pink kitchen and the times we would spoon it over baked potatoes. She was so excited that she could cook them in the microwave instead of having to bake them on her state of the art (when she bought it) push button range/stove. I love her range. It has buttons on the wall instead of knobs for the burners. It’s from that same age that gave us the push button automatic transmission.
I’m so glad that I took the time as a young married woman to go to my grandmothers and learn how to put up fruit, to make sweet chili sauce, and to make mustard pickles. Some things just don’t take right coming out of a can if they’re even made commercially.

Anyway, I have 48 pint jars of sweet chili sauce, 6 pint jars of salsa, and a case and a half of tomatoes left to do, along with finishing my Communications project and taking my final for the same class.

SCORE!!! and my weekend plans...

2006-09-07T17:00:00.000-06:00

I just got 4 cases of grocery quality tomatoes for the farmers’ market price. These are pretty tomatoes, not the overripe, dark funky marked tomatoes that are in the cases at the market. These are pretty, could be sliced into a salad tomatoes. But I'm still going to heat and bottle them.
I've run out of my last batch of sweet chili sauce from my Grandma's recipe. The only reason that I got the secret family recipe is that I invited Grandma over to my house when I had tomatoes to bottle. She suggested that I make chili sauce and we ran to the store for the ingredients. She got me a canning notebook (which disappeared in my last move) and I’ve made chili sauce whenever I ran out ever since. I should add that when Grandma died, the most hotly contested items were the remaining bottles of chili sauce and the mustard pickles (I still have mustard pickles so I’m not making new this year). I suggested a family lottery for them.

Anyway, I’m out of chili sauce, and tomatoes are on sale this week. For kicks and giggles I decided to ask if I could buy cases from the grocery store. The manager at Macey’s was great, I got the tomatoes for about ½ of the sale price per pound which ended up being less than I would pay for a case of about the same weight at the farmers’ market and I didn’t have to get up at 7am to get the good ones before they were sold out.
Can you guess which grocery store I’m going to for peppers and onions and spices tomorrow?

Honey, Can I keep it?

2006-09-03T15:22:00.000-06:00

I told my DH that this followed me home from the Fiber Fair at Wheeler Farm this weekend. Here's another view of it...

I really don't need another hobby right now but weaving and spinning are both things that I've wanted to do for a long time. My mother has several looms and I've been trying to get one from her (the one in pieces at her house) but this one is nice, it's smaller and already warped so I can play with it without really caring about making mistakes. I found a place in town that has classes but usually on Tuesday or Thursdays which means I can't go to them since those are the nights that I'm in school. If you know of any online weaving resources, links would be very much appreciated...

Taxi Driver

2006-08-31T00:41:00.000-06:00

So I watched Taxi Driver the other night and I loved the documentary which came along with the DVD. I had been warned that Taxi Driver was a disgustingly violent movie. The documentary talked about how the ratings board made Scorsese de-saturate the shooting scene. For the 1970’s it was violent but you can see much worse on cable TV today. Robocop was a lot bloodier. I have to admit that I can see Scorsese’s point about the last scene but it really makes more sense to me to use my husband’s interpretation. We know that the movie is a descent into madness with an ending which has a socio-political message about violence in society. But what if Travis did die in Iris’s apartment and the final scene is not reality but a dream sequence in which everything Travis did caused things to work out for the best of all possibilities. It would do more to support the descent into madness than looking at it as a “Travis is okay and he’s famous and it all turned out wonderful and he saved Iris.” The movie makes more sense to me anyway if the scenes after the climatic overhead shot are just a dream in Travis’s head.

A trip to the dentist

2006-08-30T19:18:00.000-06:00

I hate the new dental anesthesia procedures. I feel like someone has hit me in the jaw and I'm popping both Tylenol and Ibuprofen (yes, not a good combination but the Ibuprofen takes down the swelling and the pain killer in the Tylenol means I can actually talk now. The most fun was that he only got 3 minutes of working time before it wore off. He actually did the last 5 seconds of drilling with me screaming since the ligamajet had worn off and he'd already given me the maximum combined dose he felt safe doing. He put down in the notes that Lidocaine seems to still be the best option. He tried the ligamajet on DS too but switched to Lidocaine halfway through the procedure. And as further proof that DS is my spawn, the Lidocaine had worn off on him before we left the dentist office. Dentists hate me and my kids. I've warned DD that having kids will be interesting for her since she has my ability to metabolize drugs and the anesthesiologist’s hate me. Luckily, all my kids have an extremely high pain tolerance.

Back to School

2006-08-28T17:31:00.000-06:00

I’ve been so busy with my own school, moving my daughter up to college and the transitions at work that shopping has been the last thing on my mind. My boys didn’t bring it up and then last night as we’re getting everything ready, it hits me that I haven’t even thought about back to school clothes. My wonderful husband tells me don’t worry, they both have clean shirts and jeans that fit (although calling the pair that the 13 year old is wearing a pair that fits is cutting it close, Mississippi in Katrina wasn’t as high and I do believe this will be the second time he’s worn them. Too bad the little one isn’t the same shape so that they could be passed down.) I figure we’ll take care of school shopping after we get the supplies that they’ll need. I have class on Tuesday and Thursday so maybe this weekend.
So, does it make me a horrible mother if I didn’t get around to buying my boys new clothes for the first day of school?

First night at college....

2006-08-20T02:25:00.000-06:00

Tonight is my daughter’s first night in her new dorm room. Tonight there are 3 of the six each in a separate room. She has rice, fettuccine, alfredo sauce, and soy. Two of her violins are with her and one of her roommates wants violin lessons. Yes, the cheerleader is a blonde and my girl is the shortest in the room so far. My girl is so easy going, it seems like everything rolls off her back. I hope she’s ready for roommates. This is the true test of whether or not I’ve done my job right as a parent. Is she ready for this adventure? Is she capable of standing on her own? Balancing her checkbook? Staying on a budget? Is she strong enough to not let others manipulate her and smart enough to see when they are doing it? If not, she’ll learn and she’ll grow.

A word that you own...

2006-08-18T01:12:00.000-06:00

In marketing class, we are supposed to describe ourselves with a word that we own. In my communications introduction, I used the word ebullient. However, if you google “Shondratasha,” it is page 4 before I hit the spammers who link to my blog (and just how am I connected to Tony's Sex vidio? is a vidio anything like a video?). All the others are me. So, it’s definite, I own the word Shondratasha – or Stasha for short.

Saturday my daughter moves up to college...

2006-08-14T11:01:00.000-06:00

My daughter just got an email from one of her new roommates. Reading through the email, I have visions of “What is this feeling?” from Wicked.

A lifetip from my coach...

2006-08-09T17:31:00.000-06:00

"When we settle for less in order to feel safe, we always feel sorry. If we compromise our dreams, limiting ourselves with negative ideas gleaned in childhood or adulthood; if we accept that it's useless to ask for what we want and need; if we believe lack is safer than abundance, our lives will close around us like a safe but suffocating blanket.

We do need security but security can be purcahsed at too high a price. Security obtained at the expense of exhilerating, creative growth and change merely strangles us.

Surely the caterpillar feels secure in the cocoon but when it emerges, it needs to unfold its wings and risk flight."

Connie Sokol

I needed this today. Three more weeks and I'll have a different boss at work while my current boss takes off for 2 years.

The more they stay the same...

2006-08-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

Why is it that even though everyone is prepared, no one raises their hand in class? Even if they know the answer people are afraid to raise their hands. The sad part is that grading is based on participation so if you don’t participate, you don’t get graded. Still I wonder if I’m talking too much. I saw so much of this in junior high school, in high school, college, and now in graduate school. Is it the fear of looking foolish? Being afraid of being wrong? Worried what people will think?
Long ago, I figured out that I would learn more if I talked with the teacher. I probably didn’t have time after class so the best time to talk is during class, either by asking questions or answering questions in the best manner possible. When learning through cases, participating in class matters but people still worry about looking foolish as much as they did in Junior High.

The more things change...

2006-07-31T15:45:00.000-06:00

School really has changed. The students were in suits and the first professor was in jeans and a T-shirt. Very few people got out paper for notes, it was all laptops. The professor was introduced to the fanfare of the windows login sound. Notebook doesn’t mean paper and pencil anymore. It’s fascinating watching people take the screens off and make notes on them. I’m just wondering if I need to find something like that for my daughter when she goes to school.

Back to School...

2006-07-30T23:14:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school for my EMBA. I will be leaving home at 5:30 in the morning and driving to Provo. I’m looking forward to class but I’ll admit that I’m nervous. I’ve been out of school for 20 years and even then I was a Humanities major. Just in the pre-class work, I’ve done more math than I ever did in school (but less than I do at work every day). I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Have I said thank you lately...

2006-07-27T23:24:00.000-06:00

Have I said Thank you to the women who support me? Have I told you how much you mean to me and how you keep me sane? If not, consider yourselves told. I really appreciate you coming here and listening to me ramble.

Another thank you to people who actually work when they are at work, and don't sit around saying catty things and making co-workers feel like they are in a hostile environment.

Wednesday, must be time for bellydancing!!!

2006-07-26T23:28:00.000-06:00

Today in bellydance, we did a fusion step. It’s a cha-cha step but done with bellydance moves. We did it with a shoulder shimmy, a hip drop, a hip raise and another fusion, a touch of flamenco. There are only 3 more classes until my teacher goes on vacation. She’s taking a wish list to Egypt and Turkey. I figure I’m still new enough that I have no clue what I would even put on the list. She says she tries to go at least once a year. Maybe in a year or two, I’ll have an appreciation of what to get. So if you had a friend going to a foreign country, what would you have them put on their shopping/shipping list for you?

On another note, after class, I helped my aunt sorted out the medical bills and EOB's from my deceased uncle's cancer treatment. I can't believe how messed up doctor's billing offices are. They either have no clue how to read an insurance EOB or they just don't want to take their contractual write offs.

Thoughts from studying Economics

2006-07-25T06:24:00.000-06:00

Ideas are a more specific type of information that also have public-good attributes. That is, the use of an economically valuable idea by one person does not necessarily lessen the value when the idea is used by another person. As a consequence, ideas, like other types of information, will tend to be under produced.
Economics and Public Policy: An Analytical Approach James R. Kearl pg 301
I can’t begin to explain hilarious I find this quote and how true it is. Not only are ideas under produced, the good ones are under utilized and the bad ones propagate exponentially.

Well I had always meant to do freezer meals...

2006-07-24T16:39:00.000-06:00

I’ve been meaning to try the once a month freezer meal cooking. I just didn’t plan to start doing it at midnight on a Sunday but that’s when I discovered that the freezer door had been left open and in the 105 degree heat, almost everything was thawed.
The oldest two kids and I threw the entire supply of hamburger into cake pans and put it in the oven. Same with the leg of lamb and a pot roast. Chicken went out on the grill along with all the pork chops. I continued defrosting while the kids fried and microwaved bacon. By 3:30 am we had ziplock bags of spaghetti and meat sauce, teriyaki chicken, hamburger cooked and ready for hamburger helper, chicken ready to be added to anything, a mason jar of bacon bits (and a freezer bag too). I plan on having lamb for dinner tonight and picking up fresh veggies to go with it. Now’s the time of year that I really wish I had a garden and I let my neighbors know that I’m more than willing to take their extra zucchini. When I left for work this morning, I was running a bit late but I did get my average 4 hours of sleep. The kids were still asleep but the kitchen was almost clean.

Things that make you go hmmmm..

2006-07-23T22:23:00.000-06:00

It just hit my husband while watching “Miri” tonight, which is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes. In the old Star Trek shows, Capt. Kirk is usually lit in Rembrandt lighting during his dramatic moments. We’ve been getting the original series of Star Trek on DVD from Netflix. The boys really love the series. We’ve explained the difference between a Trekker and a Trekkie. My kids have decided they like the old versions better than Voyager. Next Generation is still up for debate and I don’t think they’ve seen Deep Space Nine yet.

Saturday with S.M.O.G.

2006-07-23T03:23:00.000-06:00

I love waking to the sound of the kids mowing the lawn. Too bad it wasn’t today. But they did mow it while I did homework. We celebrated an early finish to the yard work by going to a movie. I have to admit that Ice Age 2 was not on my list of films to see this year but it was cute and worth the $1 ticket price. X3 is at the dollar theaters. I may get some SMOG this week. All three boys may go camping with the boy scouts next weekend so a girls night out with X3 followed by a morning together at the spa. After the movie, I took more homework and went out photographing with the husband. He brought my new hip scarves and a top that he thought went well so as soon as he scans the negatives, I’ll have pictures of me in bellydance attire out by the Great Salt Lake. The heat was incredible but it felt so good to bake my skin. I finished the evening working on Gandalf and watching SMOG. The SMOG acronym has two meanings – Silly Movies of Girls or Sexy Men Ogled Gladly. I watched Walking Tall with “The Rock.” Hard to believe he’s the same age as my youngest little brother. Now I’m heading back to Gandalf and the 1999 Thomas Crown Affair. I came to the computer to see if the 1968 version with Steve McQueen was available and ended up over here blogging while waiting for the dial up to finish loading the appropriate webpages.

More Paint...

2006-07-21T23:37:00.000-06:00

This afternoon demonstrated an additional difference between oil and acrylic. The canvas is sitting in front of the basement window. With the sun coming through, I can see light through the acrylic side of the canvas. The oil is opaque.
The brush strokes have dried and it’s easy to see the frantic, frenetic pace I was using with the acrylic. It looks hectic, slapped together. The oil is smooth, flowing, calming. I realize this is just a practice canvas, something to experiment with but I love what is coming out of the brush. When it’s dry enough to add more, I may actually put other colors on it.

My tuition for this semester is paid. Now all that’s left is to figure out how to pay the added monthly gas for the commute. It will work out, it all does. It comes back to small economies paying for the larger ones.

Now back to homework...

Connecting with a medium...

2006-07-20T23:56:00.000-06:00

I was playing with paint tonight. Acrylic vs. Oils. Both tubes were Cobalt blue and I had a large white canvas to play with. The acrylic was brighter with a plastic smell and I ended up with frenetic brush strokes. I was energized, I felt bouncy, and it reminded me of high school. Then I tried the oils. They were smoother, heavier, calming. I’m left handed but I kept finding the brush in my right hand and all I could figure was that something in my head was trying to slow me down. The color was deep and rich and dark. Not the bright monitor blue from the computer like the acrylic, it was blue but it was wind and waves and long smooth strokes from a rhythm guitar with a low bass in the background. Acrylic is a piccolo like in Peter and the Wolf. Oil is relaxing and rejuvenating and peaceful. But, I know it’s going to take expensive brushes since this one kept dropping bristles in my strokes. Oil is forgiving; Acrylic is dry before you change your mind. Oil is still there ready to be moved to where you want it; ready for you to manipulate it, even a few hours later, it can still be moved to where I want it. And the smell of oil? Something earthy and natural and familiar. I wonder if I can lighten the cobalt with some Titanium White? It’s not just the right color, but it’s closer than the acrylic.

2nd night of belly dancing...

2006-07-19T22:29:00.000-06:00

Second night of bellydance class and I am still a Goddess. Tonight I broke down and bought a hip scarf so I could make jingling noises when I practice at home. We did a few stomach exercises but its still legs and thighs that hurt most at the end of class. But it’s a good hurt.

Econ midterm....

2006-07-18T23:04:00.000-06:00

I took my first Econ midterm and turned in another assignment. I also called the school to see if I could get an additional extension since I haven’t been getting feedback in a timely manner from my professor (turns out that he’s in Israel which is why I haven’t been receiving things back.) I feel pretty good about the exam but I’m still not sure I understand the math. I understand the Econ theory just not the numbers or how to get them.

Back to work...(and more savings at the mall).

2006-07-17T11:12:00.000-06:00

I’m glad the office gave me at least two days notice before letting me know that I would be running the accounting office temporarily. I’m glad they hired a temp. I’m really glad the two people still there know what they’re doing, although I’m sorry to be losing one later this month. My boss called to say that my tuition check for the EMBA is in the mail. I have one more Econ assignment ready to email in but the midterm still isn't at the testing center. I’m enjoying the book Naked Economics and it’s helping me understand the text. I had forgotten how much I love school.
On the shopping side, I had to get a present for a wedding shower, I got the teddy at Victoria’s Secret (clerk gave me a 10% markdown when I flinched at the price and offered to take it back to the rack), in addition, I got two pairs of stretch pants for Bellydancing class ($5 each) and a really nice sheer robe that will knock the hubby’s socks off. The book I got to go with the teddy was free since I had accumulated enough points to pay for it. I tell you bookstores pay me to have their membership cards…

Peaceful Sunday

2006-07-16T22:55:00.000-06:00

Today, I’m glad that my parents have a cabin in the mountains where I can run away and read my Economics homework out of the heat in the city. I’m glad my professor chooses entertaining books (even the one that he wrote himself). I’m starting to enjoy economics even if I’m not math and graph inclined. I have one assignment finished, and I’m ready for my first midterm. I finished cataloging the videos in the church library. Husband made a great impression with his knowledge of emergency preparedness (he’s been called as a CERT block leader). The kids made chocolate chip cookies and I got Chinese food and ate it without any major stomach pain. I’m going to practice bellydancing, go for a walk with my husband, and maybe stitch while watching a NCIS DVD.

You mean it isn't common sense?

2006-07-15T19:29:00.000-06:00

So I’m in the grocery store today, and at the end of ringing up my items, I hand the cashier my preferred customer card (which is tied to an old address and has a phony phone number, enough people data mine my life without my helping them!). The guy behind me lets out an explicative as he watches my total go from $90 to $41.50. I ask him what the problem is. He asks me how I did that. I mentioned that the store is running multiple 2 for 1 sales. I told him that I learned long ago that I could make my budget stretch a lot further using in store sales. I pointed out that I needed eggs and would normally buy the 18 count large for $1.28 but today, I was getting 2 dozen medium for .99 and I needed bread anyway so why not get the 2 for 1.98? Since I was getting more bread than usual, it paid to pick up the 2 pounds of sliced turkey for $4.99 since I already had cheese which I bought last week at 2 pounds for 6.99. When I picked out the chicken breasts, I found the packages at the butcher block which were still frozen so I knew they were safe to put straight in the freezer (you have to watch that, re-freezing poultry is not a good idea). So yes, I had just picked up a week’s worth of staples for $41.50. No, there weren’t any veggies. I get those from the farmers market after I’ve compared the grocery store price so I don’t pay more for the fresh than I would for the pretty. He jokingly said that he should have me do his shopping for him. I think he was surprised when the cashier who is a friend of my daughter replied, “She will but she charges a 10% surcharge on the total of the groceries.” The cashier then asked me which rain checks I needed and I had her fill three out. He asked if I really would use the rain checks and I said, “Yes in two weeks when they’re back to regular price. In the mean time, they will have been restocked on Sunday and the sale doesn’t end until Tuesday so I can pick the items up Monday evening and then again in 2 weeks. Is this really such an odd way of shopping? I have to admit that it was an ego boost to have him admire how much money I saved, especially when I was feeling horrid about how much I was spending since I had only gone in for eggs, bread, and milk.

Falling asleep in the tub

2006-07-14T23:46:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I got home from work at 8:30 after starting at 7:30 this morning. I know that isn’t a really long shift and it’s not been the longest I’ve done (although I’ve decided that I will never do another 48 hour shift for an employer again in my life). When I got home my husband asked me if I wanted pizza for dinner, I took one look at the pepperoni and hot sausage and my budding ulcer told me I was full. I figured I would sit down and stitch before doing homework (units 6, 7, and 8 by Monday Econ fans!!). Instead I ended up cuddling with the hubby for a minute and then he said he had to go do something upstairs. I was deciding whether to work on Gandalf or the TWRR and watching the end of Vegas when I was called upstairs. I headed up thinking that I was going to be using the “Thumper” on the hubby’s back since it’s been hurting him with all the drywall he’s been doing. Instead, he hands me a book out of my bath basket, opens the bathroom door and the tub is full of bubbles and surrounded by candles with soft music playing. I started reading but then I put the book down to relax and I fell asleep in the tub. I love my husband; he always knows just what I need.

I AM A GODDESS!!!!! (And so are all women).

2006-07-13T07:09:00.000-06:00

Find a spot in the mirror where you can look yourself in the eye, put your hand up so that you’re accenting the apple of your cheek, don’t look away, look at yourself and shout, “I am a Goddess!” and that is how class at Bellydancing by Thia ends.
It’s sad that I needed to be reminded. After all for years, starting in college and continuing on, I’ve been Shondratasha, the Goddess of Chaos. Somewhere I forgot the power in being woman. Not the blatant power, (as Thia said in class, “It’s just plain rude to shake your breasts in someone’s face, a shoulder shimmy is different.”) but the power that comes from walking into a room and knowing that you can make someone in the area feel better than they did when they arrived. The power in seeing a child read when they’ve been struggling for so long because they finally found an interesting book on their reading level. Seeing another budding goddess discover that she doesn’t have to go along with the crowd and can create her own “in-crowd” from people just like her on the fringes of the ballroom. Needless to say, compared to how I was feeling, I left feeling empowered.
Beginning Bellydancing was not what I expected it to be. There was lots of stretching, an introduction to the syncopation of Egyptian music, and a real workout. Now if I can just remember how I was supposed to do the Doom – Tekka – doom – doom exercise that we learned. I had a great time! I was not the heaviest person in the room, nor the thinnest. I wasn’t the oldest or the youngest. I may have been the least coordinated but I wasn’t the shortest in the room (which is a miracle in most cases). I haven’t felt so good about getting sore in ages. I felt at home when the warm-up started with head rolls followed by rib cage isolations. That’s the starting warm-up I used to have in jazz class as a teenager. I was expecting to leave with sore abdominal muscles; instead it’s my glutes and upper thighs that are sore.
I loved all the hip scarves people were wearing and the jingling that they made when they moved. Thia has some lovely hip scarves for sale, I’m thinking that I can give up going out for lunch at work in order to get a purple one with either gold or silver coins on it, or the peacock blue with silver. I can’t wait to go to class next week! If I get enough Econ homework done maybe I’ll go in for the Saturday class. If not, I should be recovered enough by next Wednesday for class. This could keep me sane during the upcoming school year.
By the way, for a shoulder shimmy - - gently rock your shoulders back and forth, just enough that “the girls” come along for the ride. AND remember to start every morning by looking at yourself in the mirror and shouting loud enough to believe it - - I AM A GODDESS!!!

Wouldn't it be easier to be complacent?

2006-07-12T16:35:00.000-06:00

It’s hot outside, it would be so easy to just go home and sit in front of the TV and watch movies and stitch tonight. That’s what I’ve done so many nights for so many years. I’ve been a bump on a couch and I’m tired of being a bump. I want to go out a do things, I want to be someone more than just a knothole in the log of existence. The whole purpose of this experiment was to see if I could go out and have fun for a year. A year of putting aside the “should do’s” of life and enjoying myself. I wanted to spend some time rediscovering who I was and what I liked doing. It’s so easy to get into a rut of go to work, come home, fix dinner, sit in front of the TV, go to bed, do it again. I didn’t feel happy in that rut but, I’m not really feeling excited and happy now.
The number one thing that I really wanted to do this year was go to the Carousel. I’ve had to cancel the trip because my sister is getting married. I was on track for a Porsche autocross trophy and that’s been derailed by extended family obligations too.
It’s beginning to look like going back to school is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. It could end up sucking up all of my time so that if I want any time with my kids, I won’t be able to do things for just me without them along. I guess today, I’m just feeling overwhelmed and in need of some time alone.
Maybe after my first bellydance class tonight...

Brass Kisses get attention

2006-07-06T12:30:00.000-06:00

So at work today the “brass kisses” on my neck and collarbone are causing some comment. I’ve let several people believe that they’re hickeys from a great weekend away with my husband. To anyone who asked, I’ve explained about what happens when a hot .45 casing hits you in the dark.

Frontsight Fourth of July

2006-07-05T01:39:00.000-06:00

I love the Fourth of July party that Frontsight puts on for the first family members every year. We haven’t been down for a couple years but I knew I wanted to come down in this my year of doing what I want. Today was great and I got to do some things I enjoy like shooting full automatic weapons, long distance sniper rifle, and I won a nice Emerson blade (Funny, the very first time I went down there I won a knife in a skills contest involving throwing rocks at a target.)
They had a fantastic giveaway where the wives who weren’t first family members got to come up and answer questions about their husband’s shooting habits. Some great questions were asked and answered, “Who is your husband’s favorite Frontsight instructor?” (My husband’s answer is Brad Ackman) What is your husband’s favorite gun? (His PSS that I bought him) and my answer brings up the one question I would have love to have heard – “What was the last firearm you bought your husband?” (My answer; the left handed shotgun that I got at the end of a really fun bargaining session with Leo from Gallenson’s.) That would have been just as fun to hear as “When was the last time you cleaned your husband’s gun?” (The winning answer was NEVER). I was glad to see some of the women that I met (like Katherine and Kathy) win custom Frontsight memberships.

I did something else for the first time ever; I rode on a zip line. I have to admit that if I hadn’t spoken to Jim before I went, I possibly would have chickened out. But before I ever put on the climbing gear, Jim told me that I would love it. He said that when I first got on the tower I would look over the edge and say, “Oh, #$(%& what have I gotten myself into.” Then when I was about 1/3 of the way down I would tell myself, “This isn’t so bad.” He added that about ½ way I would be saying, “This is kind of fun.” and at the end I would be asking how soon until I could go again. Jim was right on the money.
After putting on gear and climbing up the 4 interior ladders to the ledge of the tower overlooking the arroyo, I was ready to turn around and climb back down except I wasn’t sure I could navigate the ladders with all the climbing gear on. Thank goodness for the instructor who hooked my safety line to the tower, helped me up onto the ledge and suggested that I look up and to my left at the beautiful moon in the sky surrounded by lovely clouds. Eventually I was ready to face west and look at the horizon but still not ready to look into the arroyo. Soon, I was sitting on the edge of the tower’s ledge with the cable above me, instructions to let go of the rope as soon as I was off the tower and just pretend I was flying. Jim was dead on – I sat on that platform thinking “OH #$(%&!!!!!! What have I gotten myself into?” The final instruction was to either scoot forward or if I wanted, the instructor would push me. I did manage to scoot forward off the platform on my own. I will admit that I skipped the “This isn’t so bad” step and went straight to “This is fun!” Although by the time I hit the bottom, I was so ready for that cherry picker to come up to the wire and get me (rather than hitting the ground, the line ended with the rider hanging in the air and a platform on a cherry picker coming up and getting them). I should clarify that my anxiety didn’t come from the ride but I must not have had my “seat” tightened down right because one of the straps slipped and I was hanging in an uncomfortable position. It was so worth the ride. Jim was right about another thing - - I wanted to do it again but didn’t have another time slot close to the time that I was there. The other reason that I wanted to do it again was that my husband was trying to use my digital camera instead of his analog camera and thus, we have no pictures. Next year, we’ll take the kids and the video.

YES!!! STATS IS DONE

2006-07-03T16:31:00.000-06:00

I just took my final exam for Statistics... 90% YES!!!

Nighttime Handgun Training

2006-07-03T02:22:00.000-06:00

I came down to Frontsight, NV early so that I could take a 2 day night defensive handgun class. Now before you go haring off about how horrible guns are let me explain something. I just moved to a new office building. In the four weeks we’ve been there, we’ve been at lockdown three times. They say the key to great real estate is location and this building was not that expensive. It seems few other people want to work in between the Social Security Building, the Worker’s Compensation Fund, and the state department of corrections parole board. Needless to say, the last day of the month when I’m here until 10 pm by myself, I like to have “a friend” along. It’s only appropriate if I’m going to be carrying my .9mm friend that I have some decent training. The best place for a woman to train is Frontsight. The instructors are wonderful. There is military precision but not a boot camp feeling and no one talks down to even the least familiar person. I’ll admit that I was not in top form this trip. I’ve been complacent and haven’t even handled my firearm in over 3 years. Needless to say, I was having trouble with lots of things. Ed Winchester (great name for a firearms instructor, isn’t it?) took me off to a separate range and worked with me individually. He noticed one problem I had which was causing the three different problems I had noticed and was trying to work on.
Needless to say, I was having trouble with just handling my Glock let alone adding the flashlight so that I could shoot in the dark. I was also terrified of the going back into the “house” which is a situational simulator shoot. The first time I went to “the house” I forgot all the training and froze. This time was a lot better, although I was so nervous that I didn’t hit the guy with the Uzi. I did nail the guy with the hostage situation though which was my big problem the last time I did the simulation.
Again, the offer is still open for anyone who wants to learn handgun training at the best facility in the world, I’ll pay for your class, and you just sign up and tell me when to be there.

Teaching our kids about money...

2006-07-01T16:33:00.000-06:00

Most of us have really screwed up attitudes toward money. Money is not good or evil, it’s a neutral tool (so is a gun, a screwdriver, and the spikes environmentalists put into trees). There is no shortage of money, no matter what a Keynesian economist tells you. Just because Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have billions does not mean that poor people are without billions because of them (in fact, poverty stricken people will have tons because of them). The economy is not a pie, with limited supply, new inventions do not take money from existing ones, if you insist on believing in the pie; new things to spend money on make the pie bigger. So much for the economy part of the lesson…
The worst thing we can do to a child is to tell them that “we can’t afford that…” First off it is a lie. You can always afford something, it all comes down to the sacrifice you’re willing to put up with. I used to get really irritated by the welfare mother who rented from us. She never had rent money but she could afford cable TV, Dominos or Pizza Hut for dinner every night, and laser tag equipment. Not to mention, I didn’t have to heat my apartment all winter, the amount of heat she had going in her place, kept mine warm although the floor was almost too hot to walk on barefoot. Needless to say, her choice of purchases was poor. She always complained about how she didn’t have any money for clothes for the kids or for the rent. She and many women who came to Mary Kay parties I held. I learned that women whose kids had no clothes would still buy makeup for themselves and my stuff cost less than the department store stuff, so actually, I was saving her money. People will always find a way to afford the things they really want.
True, there are some thing’s that are currently out of my price range (Shelby’s new Cobra anyone?) But, it’s possible that if I was to sacrifice silk, fabric and canvas, eating out and Netflix plus found a better paying job, I could get it. I can afford it; I just don’t have the money right now.
In order to create a healthy attitude toward money in children instead of creating an image of scarcity, give them a goal or a reason. “I’m sorry, buying bubble gum instead of fresh veggies is just a poor choice right now.” “Yes, it would be great to get that right now, but you need to earn the money for it first, let’s think of ways for you to earn money.”
I have to admit that I fell down in teaching my kids the truth about money. I realized this when my youngest told me that we could buy the toys that he wanted because, I had a credit card. I was able to answer that request with, “Honey, credit cards are not free money. Let’s go home and I’ll explain it to you.” See, I still didn’t say, we can’t afford it.

Just a short note today...

2006-06-20T11:27:00.000-06:00

Savage Chickens: Full Potential Cartoon

I have to admit that there are times that I feel like the cartoon portrays and there are others where I’m motivated to go out and do something. Take last night for example, it’s scout camp and orchestra tour so I was home alone with my youngest. He wanted to go to a swimming pool instead of having mommy time so I grabbed my homework and headed off with him. He had a great time, I got school work done and on the way there, we signed up for the Summer Reading program at the county library. Don’t you love days when you can multitask and still relax?
This morning, I had a fun time with Rebecca and Kurt on AM820’s Tuesday’s Café. Thursday they’ll be talking about an incredible way to help women in the Middle East. Later today, Satellite Sisters will be talking about Radio Al-mahaba too. No matter what you feel about the military situation, this is a way to help make a difference in the world. Any amount adds up and makes a difference.

Well I made a decision...

2006-06-15T23:35:00.000-06:00

Well, it's taken a lot of soul searching and evaluating but I've decided not to ride in the MS150. I should probably explain why I'm dropping this. I've been conditionally accepted to the Marriott School of Business EMBA program in August. However, due to a misunderstanding on my part and a generous extension of a deadline on their part, I have until July 1, 2006 to complete a statistics course and until July 15, 2006 to complete Econ 110. I'm currently spending every waking hour studying and I haven't done any training at all this week. I'm either working, studying or on the computer (insomnia is very much my friend). The MS150 is a 2 hour drive from my house. My husband will be at boy scout camp with my son, my daughter will be on tour with the Granite Youth Symphony, and I don't have a ride up or back. My husband was very concerned about my attempting to drive 2 hours after a 40 mile bike ride. I can understand his concern. Also, right now, I'm not as far along in the Econ 110 and Stats course as I hoped to be at this point (I’m about one Econ assignment behind my study schedule.) I really cannot justify taking 12 hours on a Saturday without any studying. I would be ever so grateful though if those of you reading this would do me the favor of going to the MS150 national website and give what you can; either as a general donation or just pick a rider in your local area. Next year though, I’m going to be in shape to do at least the 40 mile and working toward the 75 mile ride. Now I don’t want you to think that all the goals are going to the wayside for school though. I’ve been contacting bellydance teachers and will be starting lessons in July (after the 15th), I’ve sent in my reservations for the Frontsight 4th of July celebration, my husband set up my easel in the basement and it’s set up for me to go play with both oils and acrylics to decide which medium I want to paint with, and my third Autocross race is on Fathers’ Day so it’s still on track.

So what would you do...

2006-06-09T11:55:00.000-06:00

The captain of the MS 150 team broke his ankle and without his leadership, the team has fallen apart. I could still do the 40 mile ride but at this time, I have no one to be a support team and would be driving by myself to the race site. I have not yet registered as an individual rider and haven’t paid the fee or started any fundraising. The other issue is the weekend after that, I’m in Vegas. I know I should just go ahead and register but it seems weird to do it all alone.

2nd autocross of the season.

2006-05-22T15:11:00.000-06:00

I ran autocross again this weekend and placed second, at 1:34 to the leader’s 1:33. I’m not as excited about the second place as I am about the time. After all, there were only 2 of us running in the class that day. I ran the entire day without a DNF (did not finish). Several of the guys ran into that problem. Now I did forget my hat and my sunscreen so I’m a lovely shade of cherry today. But I now have points for 2 races and only 2 more to go until I’m considered “in for the season.” We did get a rock chip on the way out to the race though.

Took the GMAT today

2006-05-20T15:07:00.000-06:00

Today I took the GMAT, I was totally lost in the fractions on the math section. The verbal section was simple though and I was done with 30 minutes to spare. I scored 620 in the 76th percentile so not really hot but hopefully good enough. The cool part is I did this well without taking any prep classes (I did buy a couple preparatory books but I didn’t get all the way through them.) I was panicked after taking the practice test from the www.mba.com website but I’m glad that it’s over and I think I did okay. Now I just have to forward my preliminary results to the school to which I applied.

Here I am, out of school for 18 years and thinking about going back.

Things I've done in my life before reaching 40

2006-05-11T15:41:00.000-06:00

Studied Isaiah with a Rabbi
Been substitute host on a radio show
Modeled for professional photographers
Ridden an elephant
Married and had children
Won Best of Show at the County Fair
Won First place in the State Fair
Taught a needlepoint class
Owned a strip mall
Owned a 66 Mustang, 62 Lincoln
Owned a Porsche
Been the owner of an exclusive car (only 4 in the state, one of 2 in that color)
Own a house
Own a fur
Own pearls and opals
Heard Itzak Perlman play and seen him conduct
Been 4 wheeling in Moab
Waterskiing in Lake Powell
Been inside Hoover Dam (down by the turbines before they closed that off)
Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree
Shot a submachine gun
Ate at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant
Had articles printed in the newspaper
Written editorials for the newspaper
Spoken on the radio with G. Gordon Liddy
Had my name printed in the program as a contributor to the Utah Symphony
Modeled for an art class
Attended events at the 2002 Olympics
Attended the World Track and Field Games
Cooked in a Dutch oven
Attended a Rendezvous dressed in recreation costume
Sunbathed nude in the Uintah Mountains
Skinny dipped in a lake in Finland
Seen Old Faithful erupt in summer and winter
Driven a snowmobile in Yellowstone National Park
Organized an International Stitching Convention
Attended my 20 year reunion
Attended Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals
Learned how to preserve food (pressure can and water bath)
Learned to quilt, stitch and do needlepoint
Made friends worldwide
Survived being hit by a drunk driver
Shattered my knee in a sleigh riding accident
Been on a cruise
Participated in a Sub for Santa
Personally helped victims of Hurricane Katrina
Done static line skydiving
Went to school classes with a Mohawk haircut
Dyed my hair purple
Gone barefoot for a week everywhere I went (including class and church)

2006-05-06T11:51:00.000-06:00

One of my goals is to support causes that I believe in. I believe in the 2nd amendment.
I show my support by being a member of Frontsight and last night, I attended a “Friends of the NRA” fundraiser. I’ve never been to one of these before and it was a fun event. I tried my hand at darts in the hopes of winning the WAGC T-shirt (I didn’t). My husband was there for the Winchester that was up for auction (It went for more than we were prepared to pay at the moment.) All in all it was a great time, we came home with 3 bronze statues (a mountain man that looks a lot like the husband when he goes out to teach history to school kids, a cowboy, and the 2006 sponsor statue, the paratrooper), a certificate for sporting clays, 2 new knives, and a picture of Lewis and Clark and all this for the price of new tires for the Jeep.

The first Autocross that I've gone to this year...

2006-04-30T15:47:00.000-06:00

Unofficially, I placed third out of the four women in the WC class racing today. My best time was 1:08:50. The winning time was 1:03:48 and my husband’s best time was 1:07:55 so I was less than a second behind him (but he's not in my class!) That should put me 4th in points for the year. So, as long as I go to more races than at least one other person I should get a trophy (they give 3). We're really hoping that we don't have to go to the Wendover race since that will mean we'll need a new set of tires (really bad tarmac).
The next Autocross will be May 21st (the day after the GMAT - what a great way to unwind?)
Of course, the rest of the women in my class are all Boxster Girls which means that I have a heavier car which is harder to turn so I'm even happier. If we got racing slicks, it would put me in a different class where there are no other women (so as long as I went to 4 races in that class I would have a trophy). So the question is: is my ego big enough that I would spend money on a set of tires that would only be used 4 times this year?
Either that or I need to find someone who would let me use their 944 at four autocross events....

I just finished...

2006-04-29T15:03:00.000-06:00

A one hour bike ride. I've decided that I need a padded seat let's face it, my bum was a lot smaller 20 years ago when I was last on a bike. I haven't been on a street bike in that long just the ones in the gym and their saddles aren't the hard skinny kind and I want gloves. My hands kept going numb on the handlebars. I'm not sure if that's from the overuse tendonitis in my elbows or another problem. My biggest fear in life is not losing my sight (although that would be horrid); it's losing the use of my fingers.
If I can see and not use my hands, I would be longing for the things I can't do. Stitching, crochet, needlepoint, typing this blog, hand quilting. So many things for which I need my hands. If I lost my sight, I would still have the desire for those many things but if even I can't see to do them, I can still listen to audio books and type using an audio response system so I'm not as isolated as if I lost the use of my hands. It's amazing what ADA and technology have done and how far they've come.

Something learned at CATS

2006-04-26T15:44:00.000-06:00

I learned one very important thing at the Stitching Festival in Vegas – I don’t have enough smelly stuff in my bathroom. I grew up in the middle of four boys and was more of a tomboy than a girlie girl. My travel kit includes sunscreen, toothbrush and toothpaste, antiperspirant, a travel makeup kit, shampoo, soap and a hairbrush. It all fits in a small bag. Compared to my roommates, it’s like having a snack size baggy when everyone else has a gallon size freezer Ziploc. Out bathroom had bottles of lotions and body splash and hair products and other perfumed things that I had no clue what they were (but they smelled nice). But then I also packed all my clothes for a 4 day trip into an overnight bag. How did I miss the over-packing gene? Now my friends did have to pack all their stitching supplies in their bags along with their clothes and I had a separate bag for that (not to mention boxes of things to give away.)

A letter on our anniversary

2006-04-16T09:14:00.000-06:00

Today, My Love, will be 19 years together. I still remember the night before when my mom tried to convince me that it wasn’t too late to cancel the wedding. I remember her trying to stall me with a shopping trip after my hair appointment and before the ceremony. I remember being all hot and sweaty from having escaped her at the mall and walking in an unseasonable warm April day to Natalie’s apartment where she and Hinckley had convinced me to leave the dress. I know they were right and if I hadn’t left it there, I wouldn’t have had a white dress to wear at the reception. I knew what I was doing was right. I was ready to fight my family and the entire world to be with you. I knew without a doubt that our Father in Heaven approved of our being together.
Now here we are getting ready to start a 20th year together. Our oldest will be 18 this year and leaving the house. Just think only another 9 years and we will be alone again together.
Already, I’m picturing the fun we could have with just the two of us alone. The things we talked about and promised to each other, after the kids were gone. I do hope that you still remember that you promised me a mission. Even if it’s just a local leadership mission or something like Jim and Margie did. I look too at the opportunities to help those around us. You have such great educational abilities. People learn when you teach. I think of all the construction experience you have even though your back won’t do it anymore. What a great tool to share with others. You know how to build with the old tools. Without electricity, and the modern things that may not be available in a third world. But I digress...
I wanted this to be about how much I love you. How much you are still my diamond in the rough. I still see the king that you can be. It’s been 19 years and you still treat me like a queen. Thank you for being you. For helping me grow and letting me be myself even if I am more responsible than I ever planned on being. One of us had to keep their feet on the ground while the other flew. Also, remember you’re FyreRaven’s hero too. She can’t believe that being married so long; I would be going through withdrawal after only three days apart and would be planning how to get a burger in the airport or at least on the way home.

Insomnia and Cars...

2006-04-04T02:22:00.000-06:00

I usually revel in my insomnia, except for tonight it just seems a little off. Usually I get a ton done during my bouts of insomnia - house cleaning, stitching, quilting, and reading. Tonight, however, I'm sitting here aimlessly surfing the Internet and that is not an efficient use of time.
I guess I could pack for Vegas but that would probably disturb my sleeping husband. I could hit the treadmill, that might even make me tired enough to go to sleep. However, it could also give me an energy boost and then where would I be?
The kitchen could use a good scrubbing but that just doesn't sound much fun at all, especially since the stove is filthy after the boys boiled over the Mac and Cheese.
I have a ton to do at work tomorrow so that I can leave for Vegas. Maybe that's the problem; I'm trying to work in my head instead of doing anything constructive around the house.
I have laundry that could be folded, new fabrics to put away, a table that’s been collecting paper that could use sorting. The last of the Harry Potter Quilts is on the frame and has maybe 6 to 8 hours of work left on it (which of course means that I have absolutely no desire to even look at it, stupid completion anxiety complex).
I'm not looking for a cure for my insomnia; I really do enjoy having 2 -3 hours for myself at night. And I’m not complaining about having insomnia, I just don't like it when I feel like I'm wasting the extra time that I’ve been given.
Maybe it is time to go to bed; I need to have the car at the dealership in the morning since it really hasn’t been aligned well since they repaired it after the Dodge Neon drove under it.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 2 years since that happened. I just haven’t felt the same about the truck since then. Tonight I saw the ads for the new Mustang. I wonder if I could get a good trade on the ’66 in exchange for a new one. I just love that image actually, driving up to the dealership in the red ’66 Mustang that has me listed as the second owner and asking them if the new one will last just as long. Except I think I want Ice Blue or that new chameleon paint that goes teal to purple. I just don’t want a car payment though so it will have to wait. There is supposed to be a Shelby style model in 2007 and who knows what Saleen will do to it. Then again, I could get a used Boxster (Porsche) for the same price. I do like my truck though, there aren’t too many ¼ ton Chevy trucks with pink and purple detailing.

Starting work on the next level...

2006-03-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

So last night was the first workout with my personal trainer in order to start getting in shape for the MS 150 Bike Tour. It’s the 20th anniversary and used to be called Utah’s Best Dam Bike Tour but it seems that the route this year doesn’t hit the dams that it used to hit. I’ve never ridden the 150 mile ride but this year seems like the year to do it. I’m going to be participating as part of a team but we aren’t registered yet. The team captain is still busy with fund raising for the MS Walk and hasn’t had time to register the team but I’ll let you know when we start fund raising.
Anyway, I worked out with weights for a full hour and then later than night I walked for 30 minutes. Today I was supposed to take a 30 minute bike ride but it’s 10 pm and I’m just getting ready to leave the office.

Riding the Carousel in Carson County, CO

2006-03-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

Maybe it stems from a childhood fascination with horses. Maybe it comes from the motion sickness on the rollercoaster. Maybe it relates to vague memories of happy afternoons with my grandparents in Liberty Park. But, I’m a lover of carousels. I adore the white horses in Fantasyland. I cried to find the aluminum Liberty Park horses replaced with spray painted fiberglass. I drool over the wonderful animals on the Lagoon midway (still wood!)
In college, I learned about the Philadelphia Toboggan Company when a roommate gave me a calendar of their artwork. I mourned that such wonderful treasures disappeared in the name of progress.
When I discovered the Internet, I searched out things I loved and I found the Kit Carson Carousel. I vowed that I would ride it someday before I died. Since I could step in front of a bus tomorrow, someday is during this year of Celebration

Flowers in the yard....

2006-03-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today, I planted flowers in my front yard. It’s just a small and simple thing (36 bulbs) but it’s something that I’ve never managed to find the time for before now.

2006-03-18T02:05:00.000-07:00

There’s something intrinsically pleasing in this age of political correctness to walk into a restaurant and hear, “Oh my God, is that real fur? How does she dare do that?” Of course it helps ones composure to be wearing spike heels, a full taffeta skirt, and be on the arm of a scary looking escort. I grew up in an age before farm bred animals had feelings. Well, maybe the industrious Little Red Hen did but she was allowed to keep her assets after she worked for them. Mary Kay did a “Think Pink, Think Mink” campaign that would have caused boycotts if they tried it 50 years later. (They don’t even do the pink anymore, it’s all silver now). I remember the year that my mother got a red fox half coat for Christmas. She was so excited. That coat still matches my hair but this year for Christmas, I got my own full length silver fox.
Now before you start thinking that I’m rich, I should say that my husband is on very familiar terms with eBay, sometimes too familiar. The cool thing is that inside the coat, are his and my initials. The day the package arrived, our beagle went nuts. The UPS man dropped off several packages (did I mention that eBay is my husband’s idea of the mall?). Mr. Darwin obligingly sniffed each box in our own version of homeland security until he came to the last one which was my coat. His nose worked double time, some primitive part of his brain kicked in and you could just see him thinking, “I recognize this scent, I know this scent, it’s supposed to be moving but when it stops there’s something I’m supposed to do, now what was it, oh yeah…” and he started to bay. My quiet beagle who doesn’t bark except on rare occasions was baying. He did that full-throated, straight from the movies, the fox is treed, calling the pack and the red coated hunters baying. I wish we had sound video of it. The box had to be removed to a locked room where dogs, kids and I couldn’t reach it. (Yes, I knew before Christmas – with a reaction like that you don’t think I didn’t check the Paypal records and then his auction purchases?)
But, back to last night…
When I was small and my mother didn’t want to go to the opera with Dad, I got to go. The opera was a sparkling place with jewelry and fur and designer dresses. It smelled of perfume and money. Die Fleidermaus was the first opera I remember seeing. No one has ever matched the jailer’s performance that I saw from Glen ?(get the last name from John before publishing)????? that night. I don’t know if it’s just my memory or the joy in the discovery of such a magnificent spectacle. I have several favorite opera’s now and The Magic Flute is one of them. Last night’s performance, however, was marred by the soprano’s failure to hit the high F in her 2nd aria. I admit I’m not the most musically literate, so when I can tell that someone’s flat, they have to be way off. The fun part of wearing my coat was I didn’t freeze in the first act, I was warm by intermission but the people next to my husband left so we could put it over there. The couple on my side was having their first date after getting engaged.
During intermission, I ran into some people I knew. One of them told me that she had a full length beaver that she leaves in her apartment back East because she’s afraid of the animal activists out West. Another said that she had dreamed of a fur as a girl but fears what her clients would think if they ever saw her in one now that she’s an adult.
I consider myself a pragmatist when it comes to the political spectrum. I believe that the first amendment gives both sides the right to believe what they feel is the truth. I believe that your right to express your opinion ends when you assault me or my property. I believe I have the right to express my opinion and my right ends if I injure someone or their property. Wearing a fur does not injure any human physically; it does not inflict damage on anyone’s property; I do not feel bad at the deaths of animals grown for the express purpose of being used by humans. In fact, I consider mink to be smelly, mean, nasty rodents who would be on the level of rats in the scheme of things if they didn’t happen to feel wonderfully soft and look luxurious on a woman’s back. I don’t like chinchilla coats because the live animal makes a great pet. It would be like wearing a guinea pig. That’s enough of spouting my views on a controversial issue. I’m old enough now that everyone’s entitled to my opinion. I just don’t have to cram it down their throats like young people do.

Starting on the project for the State Fair.

2006-03-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I’m the youngest person in Needlepoint class. I don’t think it’s an age thing though as much as a cash and time thing. Painted canvases are expensive if they’re hand painted to the stitch. Bad canvases are available on eBay for a quarter apiece but I don’t like working on those. Money aside, it take’s time to make nice perfect stitches. Yes, I’m one of those people that stitch to perfection. I’ll rip things out if they aren’t exactly the way that I want them. Anyway, today in class the subject of physical beauty came up (the class teacher is giving a church lesson on the topic). She said she was looking for an example of pictures of good looking guys for her lesson. Funny me had the old SEAL teams calendar in my car since it was getting ready to ship out for a good cause. I have never seen so many white haired women grab for a calendar. It definitely got passed around and drooled over. One woman made the comment, I may not have anyone at home but it still feels good to dream.

First thing off the list...

2006-03-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today I volunteered at the Tribune Home and Garden show. I was seated right across from where the quilt I made for my husband was hanging. So that’s one thing done on the list. I’ve enter a quilt in a quilt show. I came home with an honorable mention ribbon too.

One thing that wasn't on the list...

2006-03-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today I bought a 5 year CD. It’s one of those things that I meant to do 20 years ago. I was going to have 10 5-year CD’s that would come open every April and November (taxes and Christmas). But I never quite got around to it. I have one now though….

Learning to Autocross...

2006-03-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

When my mother-in-law died, I watched my husband go a little nuts. Mourning would be expected; he lost his mother. Instead, he seemed energized. He went on a spending spree and bought all the camera equipment he ever longed for, he took vacations he dreamed about, and he bought a Porsche. Now that I think about it, he did his own year of celebration without the elation I’m feeling.
The first time he took the Porsche to my parents, my dad said, “So where did you get Ben’s car?” It seems Dad knew the original owner of the car. A few days later, Ben’s wife called me at work to congratulate my husband on getting her husband’s Girlfriend. I loved it. It’s been His Girlfriend ever since, but it means I don’t drive it much. It just seems wrong to take my husband’s Girlfriend for a test drive. This year, however, we girls need to get together and spend some time getting to know each other. What better way than to spend some days together at the races?
Now I would love to take her to Vegas for the PCA Driver Education, but that’s a bit outside my budget this year. So, I’ll plan on doing Autocross races sponsored by the local Porsche club.
We’ll try to get some video for y’all.

Something to start working on...

2006-03-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

I tried on my wedding dress a few days ago. Did you ever consider that your arms gain weight? The dress came over my shoulders, bust, and hips with no problem. The problem arose when I tried to pull the sleeves up. My dress had big poofy sleeves based on a dress from the 1940’s that a friend owned. The problem is that the sleeve is actually a form fitting sleeve with the poofy stuff attached to it. The sleeves got stuck on my elbows. It’s true I’m about 10, okay well really 15, pounds heavier than I was on my wedding day. But I thought that was congregated on my hips and belly. I didn’t think about my arms but there was the proof. I couldn’t pull up the sleeves that slid so nicely on my wedding day in 1987. I didn’t think my arms were a problem, I will admit that I can’t bench press what I used to but my arms don’t have that old lady hanging flab on them either. But when I flex, I don’t get a defined muscle line anymore. I guess it’s time to use the weights at the gym.

And another reason to celebrate

2006-03-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

I found another reason to do this project.

"We renew our appeal for the keeping of individual histories and accounts of sacred experiences in our lives--answered prayers, inspiration from the Lord, administrations in our behalf, a record of the special times and events of our lives. From these records you can also appropriately draw as you relay faith-promoting stories in your family circles and discussions. Stories of inspiration from our own lives and those of our forebears as well as stories from our scriptures and our history are powerful teaching tools. I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to you individually, your husband or wife, your children, your grandchildren, and mothers throughout the generations."

Spencer W. Kimball, "Therefore I Was Taught," Tambuli, Aug. 1982, 3