Six Word Wistfulness

 

 

Beautiful spring day;

Boring exam prep.

Image courtesy of twobee at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

 

 

 

Find out what other six words people are talking about.

Five Questions on a Good Friday

 

It’s Friday again, and I am glad the week is over.  I got most of my study guides put together, and filled out some scholarship applications for next semester (almost certainly a waste of time, but I couldn’t not try), but other than that, mostly took it easy today.  Now I’ve got two days to cram a whole lot of information into my brain before my mid-terms next week.

But I’m done thinking about it for the moment; it’s time to focus on Five Question Friday.

1. How often should adults have birthday parties?

Well, I don’t know about full-on parties, but I think everyone should have a birthday celebration every year.  A favorite meal shared with family and friends, and a cake.  Everyone deserves at least that much.

2. What was your room decorated like when you were a child?

We moved to a new house when I was in fourth grade, and I got to pick my room.  Back in the day, new houses apparently came with curtains already installed, because the room I chose had long, red drapes that I just loved.  Beyond that, most of the decorations were just posters and pictures.  I had some Teen Beat idols, of course, but most of the things on my wall were Star Trek.

3. Do you have any traditions for Easter? If so, what? and do you have a why behind that?

We usually try to do some sort of simple family meal (picnic is always my preference, but the weather is rarely cooperative around here this time of year), and a little egg hunt. The only problem with the egg hunt is that we don’t have a big family of kids; Taylor’s the only child now, and I think he may have outgrown hunting eggs.  But, whether or not he’s outgrown it, I don’t think we’re going to manage a gathering this year.  My guess is Sunday will be spent doing homework.  Though maybe we’ll try and take my granny out to breakfast or something; Monday is her birthday, but we won’t be able to get together then.

4. Do you get Good Friday off? If so, any plans?

Well, I’m not currently working, and I don’t have class on Fridays, so I was off, but I don’t think that counts.  As for how the day was spent, see above.  And I truly mean no disrespect to those celebrating a holy day today, but, honestly, just having a bit of time to breathe made it a very good Friday for me.

5. Did you wear hats & white shoes to church on Easter? (Or was that just in the South?)

As I think I may have mentioned before, we’re practically heathens around here; no church services for us.  But, when we were kids, my sister and I did always get a new Easter dress—usually matching.  We might’ve gotten some white shoes, but rarely hats.

 

And that’s it.  Now, I think I will continue trying to clear some space off the DVR.  I’m currently in the middle of my annual tradition of being annoyed by March Madness and all its interruptions to my regular viewing—especially considering a pretty significant portion of my regular viewing takes place on CBS—but that did cut down on quite a few hours of television that were waiting on me. Not altogether a bad thing, since I do need to focus on school this weekend.

Hope you all have a happy weekend, and, if you celebrate Easter, may it be blessed.

Feeling It In My Bones

 

So, as I said yesterday—or, rather, early this morning—I was up all night working on homework.  Not crawling in to bed until six meant I operated on about four hours of sleep today.  And, at the risk of repeating myself, I’m getting way too old for that.  My instinct is that this week seemed crazier/busier than it really was simply by virtue of being relatively busy but following directly behind a full week of loafing around.  Still, whether it’s all in my head, or it’s been really busy doesn’t make much of a difference; I am still exhausted, and glad my weekend is here.

Oh, but you know one way I know I really have been busy and not just imagining it all?  Because I haven’t turned the TV on all week.  Yep, whatever I watched Sunday night (maybe The Mentalist, though I have no actual memory of it, but I definitely remember The Good Wife) is the last thing I’ve watched this week.  Just about unbelievable, right?  You have to know I’ve been otherwise engaged to go four entire days without watching any television.  Not even Castle, which is almost always on my same-day viewing list.

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So, anyway, the point is, I’m worn down and sleepy, and altogether feeling kind of old right now.  And the worst part is my all-night session didn’t even help that much; my in-class presentation tonight still didn’t go all that well.  But, that’s not really the point.  What the point actually is, is that there’s a list of things that make me feel old, and these days, it seems to be getting longer and longer.

• Might as well start the list with the thing that started the list: worn to a nub after one short night of sleep.  I can remember the days when that was nothing.
• Today’s the anniversary of the 3 Mile Island accident.  Which wouldn’t make me feel old in and of itself, but it came up in class today and some of my classmates had never heard of it.
• Hearing songs of my youth on the “oldies” radio station.  That’s been happening more and more lately, and it stops me cold every time. 
• Turning on the “top 40” type station and not recognizing any of the songs—and not wanting to.
• When I get really excited about an upcoming weekend, it’s usually because I know there’ll be time for a nap.
• It’s not just music catching up with me.  Do you know what they show on nick@nite these days?  Full House.  And Friends.  Friends!  That’s not even from my childhood, but my young adulthood.  How old do you have to be to have your adult shows already showing up on classic TV?
• A lot of noise makes me a little crazy.  Us old people like things to be quiet and orderly.
• Most of my teachers are at least a year or two younger than I am.
• I make “sleep noises” when I am just drifting off and then wake myself up.  I’m not sure if that’s the exclusive territory of age, but it certainly happens more now than it used to.  Including, incidentally, just about five minutes ago. 
• And, finally, to add the final insult to injury, when I went to find an old granny photo or something to use for this post, the first page of the “old woman” search looked like this:

My God!  If those women are old, what in the hell am I?

So, now that I’m thoroughly depressed, I think I’ll go ahead and turn in, and see if I can manage to sleep through my own strange sleep noises.

Wellness Wednesday, March 27/28

 

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A very short post tonight, because it’s almost 6:00am, and I haven’t been to bed yet.  That’s what happens when you’ve got way too much homework to do.  And, incidentally, I think I’m getting way too old for these all-nighters!

And, I probably really shouldn’t be pulling all-night sessions on the day I’m supposed to be talking about my health and well-being, since I’m pretty confident that sleep deprivation isn’t on anybody’s list of things you ought to be doing.

Anyway, there are just a couple of things that have been on my mind lately.  First, for a couple of weeks or so now, I’ve been taking those green coffee bean extract pills.  Anyone else tried them?  They’re supposed to be great for weight loss.  (Yeah, I would so take any pill that seemed safe that would help me lose weight.)  Anyway, I think the jury is still out for me.  They haven’t really helped me lose weight, but I will say they seem to help keep my weight pretty stable, even when I’m eating terribly, so I guess that’s a plus.  They’re kind of expensive, but I think I’ll keep taking them for at least another month, and see how it goes.  Oh, and I haven’t noticed any side effects at all.

Second, as long as we’re talking about miracle weight loss approaches, I’ve been thinking about those body toning wraps.  I’ve known a couple of people who’ve tried them and say they actually do seem to work, but I just can’t wrap my head around it.  I guess my thing is that I could almost believe it would dehydrate a specific body part or something, to give you some sort of immediate visible results, but I can’t figure out how it could possibly have any long-term effect.  Unless you just kept doing it every few days for the whole rest of your life, of course.  But talk about expensive!

Still, those are the sorts of things I’m wondering about these days, if there’s any little added boost that can help me get jump started again.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  And if you know of any wonder-secrets, do let me know, won’t you?

Out of the Closet and In the Living Room

 

  This week, the US Supreme Court will hear two different cases involving equal rights for same-sex couples.  It’s been a long time coming, getting this topic so far up the legal food chain, and the ultimate decision will be historic, regardless of the Court’s ruling. 

  And, on the periphery of the legal battle is the battle of opinions that is being waged from podiums to social media.  Depending on who you listen to, you’ve either got a majority of folks who oppose this equality who are being bullied by the liberal media to go along, or you’ve got a majority of folks who support this equality and are railing against the God-fearing conservatives who are trying to keep the country trapped in the past.  Which, of course, got me to thinking that both sides can’t be right.  If there is a majority opinion, it can only exist on one side or the other, and it seems unlikely to me that the populace is split right down the middle.

Then, all of that thinking got me thinking about same-sex representations on television, and wondering if that could give us any clue about how the public really feels.

When I was growing up, you didn’t really see a whole lot of gay characters or storylines on television.  Not all that often in the movies, either, but surely not on TV.   When stories did show up (and this was later in my youth), they tended to be more of the “very special episode” types.  You know: a kid comes out and gets bullied.  Or a cherished adult is outed after death.  Or someone has AIDS.  You’ve seen those types of television episodes or movies of the week, right?  Always the teachable moment.  Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with a teachable moment, but that sort of approach still makes things seem like once-in-a-lifetime occurrences and puts so much weight on one single aspect of a situation that it’s hard to internalize it into something more common.  And, seriously, let’s not kid ourselves; gay people have been common as long as there have been people. 

But, eventually, things began to shift.  Gay or lesbian characters were no longer relegated to a one-off episode or only used to make a point.  Eventually, they simply started showing up and being around.  I’ve tried really hard to remember the very first program I watched that had a regular character engaged in same-sex relationships, but it’s harder than it seems.  I don’t think I can remember anyone any further back than CJ Lamb on LA Law.  CJ was actually bisexual; maybe that made her a little less problematic as a character, I don’t know.  But, while LA Law premiered in 1986, it was several seasons later before CJ showed up, in 1990.  It seems almost unfathomable to me that she could have been the first one, but that’s as far back as I can remember.  (You’ll tell me, won’t you, if you remember someone earlier?)

My So Called Life had Ricky as a regular gay character, but that was several years later still.  Around that same time, ER brought us Kerry Weaver, though I think it was a while before we learned she was gay.  Later still in the decade, we had Ellen DeGeneres coming out both in real life and on her show, Ellen, and Carter Heywood on Spin City.  Through all of this, gay characters were finally simply showing up as characters who happen to be gay, rather than their sexuality being their entire defining characteristic (though I have to say, I think Ellen went a little overboard, though, when you’ve got someone who finally just recognized and admitted their true self, maybe that is just about the most important thing in their lives at the moment.)  Anyway, the point is, we were finally getting to know some gay and lesbian people in the shows we watched regularly.  They were becoming part of the landscape.

Then, in late 1998, we would be introduced to Will and Grace.  Now, gay characters had often been an easy way to get some comic relief, but Will and Grace was set up as a comedy about a gay man and his female best friend; it was clear Will would have to be more than a stereotype to carry a show.  And he was.  A successful professional, an intelligent and kind-hearted man, he was a good guy.  He happened to date guys, but so what?  And, probably just to show how normal Will really was, we also had his friend, Jack, who was just about the most stereotypical, flaming gay character you could hope to have.  But he was a good guy, too, even if the good was buried a little deeper than it was in Will.  If it was television’s intent to create a “gay show” to turn the tide a little bit and help mainstream America recognize that “gay people” are really just “people”, I think they had a major home-run with Will and Grace, as it became immensely popular.  It didn’t really have too many teachable moments, and it took some heat for maybe not making better use of its platform to truly educate people and help erase some stereotypes.  I don’t know.  Maybe if they’d done things differently, we wouldn’t still be arguing about same-sex relationships seven years after the show ended, but I still think they did more good than bad, just by creating characters people could know and enjoy.

So, the nineties started laying the groundwork, and things have been building since then in terms of inclusion of LGBT characters.  And, if you look around the television landscape now, it’s very different than it was a decade ago or even less.  You’ve got Modern Family and The New Normal practically serving as poster children for the LGBT crowd but you’ve also got primary characters (and storylines to go with them) on Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Fire, and my very own favorite, White Collar.  Not too long ago, such things would have been unthinkable.  Or they would have been dealt with in a much more circumspect manner.  Or brought out into the forefront for yet another very special episode, and then put back into the background again, only gay when it’s convenient. 

But that’s not the world we live in.  LGBT people are in all walks of life, and their orientation is what it is all the time, not just when it happens to fit with others’ schedules or concerns.  They are our neighbors and co-workers, friends and family, and even if we might forget that from time to time, TV is there to remind us.

I think one of the very best things about television is that it gets to not only reflect the world, but maybe every once in a while help make the world better.  And I think bringing these characters to the forefront of our television viewing so that we can all see that they’re people just like everyone else is a good thing.  And, given the popularity of some of these shows, I have to believe there’s an awful lot of people out there who agree.  Does it reach the majority we were talking about earlier? I don’t know, but I bet it’s a whole lot more than it was a decade ago.  And, I bet even some of the Justices watch, too.

I’d Like to Thank the Blogosphere . . .

 

Yesterday, I took a look at my comments and found the nicest surprise:  I was nominated for a Liebster Award.  Liebster Awards are for blogs with less than 200 followers (beat that by a wide margin!), and designed to let bloggers share some things about themselves, as well as help promote other small blogs.  Jeannie, over at For What It’s Worth was the lady kind enough to nominate me.  And, as she says, this sort of thing is a grand idea, because small blogs need love, too.

So, the first rule of blog awards is that you should always post the rules, so here goes:

{1} Each blogger should answer the questions the tagger has set for you.

{2} Choose 11 new bloggers to pass the award on to and link them in your post.

{3} Create 11 new questions for the chosen bloggers.

{4} Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

{5} Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.

{6} No tag-backs!!

 

And now, to see what questions Jeannie has for me . . .

Butter or margarine?

Margarine, though that’s mostly a consistency issue than flavor.  Margarine tends to be much more spreadable, which is what I prefer.  And, it’s what I grew up eating, so it is the flavor I’m accustomed to, as well.

Fact or fiction?

Fiction.  Tell me a story, entertain me, take me to another world. 

Musical or Action film?

As much as I love a good musical, I think I have to go with action film.  Maybe it’s because musicals are easier to screw up, so there aren’t really as many good ones.  But, when I’m flipping through the TV channels, surfing around for something good to watch, it’s frequently an action movie that I will land upon.  Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Rock, The Negotiator . . . I could go on and on, but those movies never get old.

Realist or a dreamer?

Would you settle for a realistic dreamer?  I’m not exactly a pie-in-the-sky type of a person; I completely get the realities of every day life.  But I am an optimist, and I think with that goes some dreaming. 

Do you read between the lines?

hmm.  Jeannie’s notes about her questions said “interpret as you will”, but this one stumps me a bit.  But, I think everyone makes inferences about any number of things they deal with daily, all based upon past experiences.  So I guess I do read between the lines, because I think it’s hard to take some things just at face value.  But I don’t go looking for trouble, trying to find drama that doesn’t exist.

Are you as tall as you want to be?

In my childhood, I wanted to be shorter.  And then, in my young adulthood, I sometimes wished I was taller, like all those striking beauties that show up on billboards and in magazines.  But in my maturity, I’ve decided I’m fine with my height as it is.

Pet peeve?

People who order food at the Sonic drive-through.  I usually rant about it on Facebook every few months or so.  I’ve even talked about it here before, so I won’t repeat the whole explanation, but it’s high up on my list of peeves.  Also, mean people.

Introvert or Extrovert?

Hah.  I think I’ve discussed that too, and not too terribly long ago, though I don’t remember why.  Oh, yes, here it is; one of the 5QF questions.  Anyway, to keep it short and sweet, introvert.  I’ve never really taken a poll, but I’d guess that’s not all that uncommon among writerly type people.

Favorite quote/movie or song?

So here’s another question up for interpretation.  Favorite quote, movie, or song?  Or, favorite quote from a movie or song?  Doesn’t matter.  Either way, I don’t think I could pick.    I like words, so there are a lot of lines that have ended up on my favorites list over the years.  In my mind lately, though I couldn’t say just why, is “So shines a good deed in a weary world”.  Willy Wonka quoting Shakespeare; does it get any better than that?

How many projects do you have going right now?

My only project at the moment is school. 

What is your "One Thing?" (City Slickers)

I haven’t seen that movie in years, but it seems that the “one thing” was in reference to what you do, right?  Like a career/life path type of thing?  I don’t remember.  But, since Jeannie says I can interpret how I wish, it’s not going to be career related for me.  For one thing, I don’t think I know the answer to that.  Though I hope that working as a paralegal isn’t too far off the mark, since that’s what I’m trying to get myself geared up to do!  But, beyond the work life, the “one thing” for me is pretty simple:  try to be a good person.  That’s sort of my deal.  Be nice to people.  Smile.  Get along.  See the good.  If I can manage that for most of my days, I think I’ll be satisfied. 

 

And now, if you haven’t already heard too much about me, 11 random facts:

1. I have never been drunk.  Most people find that hard to believe, but it’s true.
2. I have lots of acquaintances, but few friends.  But my BFF has been my BF for over 30 years.
3. I’m still sort of afraid of the dark; creepy things are there.
4. I hope that some day I’ll be able to travel in space.
5. I don’t like to fly. (But, yes, I still want to go to space.)
6. I have a pretty good memory.
7. I have pretty bad handwriting.
8. There are a lot of foods I don’t like.
9. I don’t wear makeup.
10. I am like some sort of mosquito magnet during the summer; they always bite me (and I get big welts).
11. I can’t go to a baseball game without having a hot dog and some Cracker Jacks.

Next up, the questions for my nominees.  Two things, though.  First, I’m going to re-use a couple of Jeannie’s questions because I liked them.  Second, I’m officially giving my nominees permission to accept an “honorary” Liebster, if they’d prefer not to answer the questions and/or pass the award along.  Okay, here goes:

1. Do you like amusement park rides?
2. What’s your pet peeve?
3. If there was a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?
4. Last movie you saw at the theater?
5. Morning person or night owl?
6. What song makes you cry?
7. Realist or dreamer?
8. Believe in love at first sight?
9. Do you play the lottery?
10. Beach or mountains?
11. If you could have one super power, what would it be?

And, now, finally, my Liebster nominees.  I don’t get to visit blogs nearly as often as I’d like, but when I do, these are some of the folks I like to drop in on.  Also, some didn’t have follower information that I could see, so apologies to anyone if I’ve labeled you a “small blog”, and you’ve really got thousands of folks awaiting your every post!

1. Suzy at Someday Somewhere
2. Melissa at The Bright Side
3. Roger at Ramblin’ with Roger
4. Jessica at Finding Sunshine
5. Jess at Splashes & Dashes of Yellow
6. Candy at clh Photography
7. Nubia at Brighter Horizons
8. Melinda at Musings
9. Holly at Aggravation Station
10. Connie at Sunfire’s Ramblings
11. Miss Riki at Refreshingly Riki

Well, I have to say, that was sort of fun!  Everything you never wanted to know about me, right?  Well, I don’t imagine I’m ever going to be on stage making an acceptance speech, so this is me, taking my bow.  Many thanks to Jeannie for including me in her list of nominees.  And, since I don’t say it often enough, thank you, Gentle Readers, for being here.

Also, if you’re curious about the beginnings of the award (like I was), it seems we weren’t the first to wonder, and someone has already done a bunch of research to try and track down the info.  What answers she found (which weren’t many, I gotta tell you) were detailed in a post about the Liebster origins.

Okay, guys, I’m off to tag my recipients and then off to bed.  Sweet dreams to you all.

 

 

 

Snapshot Sunday, March 24

 

So, spring break is drawing to a close, and I have not been nearly as productive as I had planned.  Oh, the things that absolutely had to be done got done, but all the extra stuff I wanted to do?  Getting ahead on schoolwork, finding a way to exercise that didn’t cause immediate and lasting pain, taking a bunch of pictures?  None of that stuff got done. 

But you know what?  Even though I might regret it later this week, when things are hectic again and I have to really buckle down to keep up with everything, I can’t deny that I enjoyed a few days of doing nothing.  I think that’s what breaks should be about.

One of those days, I did see a pair of mourning doves out in our yard.  We recently had some drains put in our yard, and while most of the birds have avoided the dirt areas that have been left behind, the doves seemed to prefer it.  Whatever is in the ground, I guess maybe it’s easier to get to if they don’t have to burrow through some grass first.  And they didn’t seem to mind the few weeds that are trying to take over, so it’s good that someone can enjoy the ugly part of the yard. 

About a month ago, I saw one of these birds in our yard for the first time, and I hadn’t seen any more since, so I was glad to see this pair hanging out around here.  I like it when we get more visitors to the yard, even when they don’t want to take a meal from the feeder. 

When I see new birds out my window, I like to read over some basic information to find out about them, and one of the things I read about these doves is that they’re not only very widespread and heavily populated, but also the leading game bird in the country.  They say 20 million or more of them are shot each year.  That’s sort of a staggering number, isn’t it?  Of course, I’ll admit my bias that I can’t see the fun in hunting for sport, and it seems like there’s not a lot of meat to be had on most birds, but maybe that’s why the hunters need to take so many of them.  Still, twenty million is a lot of birds.   Oh, and I also found out that they make a kind of milk to feed their babies for a while; I didn’t know birds did that.  And, that they eat about 71 calories per day; wish I could get by on that!

Anyway, I always like to have feathered friends come by to visit; I’ll be glad when it warms up so I can go back to sitting outside and watching them from a little bit closer.

Tomorrow, it’s back to the real grind again, so tonight I need one last really good night’s sleep.  I hope you all have a good week ahead.

Six Word Productivity (Mostly)

 

 

Home repair, lunch, homework, Firefly marathon.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Link up with Cate and share your six words.

First Five Questions of Spring

 

Well, my spring break is dwindling away, and I haven’t gotten even a fraction of things done from my to-do list.  I guess I’ll have a busy weekend.  I did finally do my taxes today, though, so that’s one less thing to worry about.  Tomorrow (or maybe even tonight, if I don’t crash out too early) I’ll tackle a bit of homework.

For now, though, let’s see what’s happening with Five Question Friday.

1. What advice would you give a newly married couple?

I think I might’ve answered this question—or something similar—once before, so I hope I don’t contradict myself too much.  But, one of the things I think I’d say is that it’s okay if it seems like married life is an adjustment.  Assuming that you weren’t living together beforehand, just getting used to being around someone so much takes some getting used to, no matter how well you know them.  There are a lot of little daily things to work out; getting along with someone for the rest of your life doesn’t just happen magically.  But it’s worth the effort.

2. Who does more laundry around your house?

Brian does the vast majority of the washing and drying, but I end up with most of the putting away.  Though, to be truthful, quite often the clean clothes sit in a pile or basket longer than the dirty.

3. What items, if any, do you prefer to buy organic or make yourself?

I’ve got nothing against organic anything, but I guess I’m too much a product of the convenience generation, because I won’t go out of my way to find anything organic.  Billy occasionally goes out and buys his own groceries, and when he does, he prefers to shop at the natural food store, but I notice he doesn’t turn down the less-clean, free food I serve him.  I suppose that might make me not a very good mother, but I think I’m too old to change too many of my ways.

4. What book/TV series would you recommend for a friend on bedrest?

Well, obviously that would depend on the friend, though I’d say if you’re going to be laid up for a while, you couldn’t go too wrong with working your way through the Harry Potter books.  If you’d rather watch TV, there are plenty of shows that I think make for good marathon viewing, but to keep the list short, I’d select just one drama and one comedy: The West Wing and The Big Bang Theory. 

5. So, they say it's Spring now...what does your "spring" look like at this very moment?

Well, at this literal moment, it’s night time, so it looks black.  But today, it was mostly sunshiny, but cool.  And this weekend is supposed to be dreary and cold.  They say we might even see some snowflakes.  I’m pretty sure the Pennsylvania rodent missed the mark this time around.  Still, a week ago we had some lovely spring days.  The early spring trees in the area have bloomed and are making things look more lively, even when the temperatures have dropped again.  My guess is that’s not actually so good for the trees, but I like to see the flowers; it reminds me that the for-real spring can’t be too far away.

 

And that’s another wrap.  Link up with Mama M to share your own answers, or tell me all about it in the comments.  And have a wonderful first weekend of spring, whatever your weather may be.

 

A Celebration of Extra

 

 

  Today is World Down Syndrome Day, set aside to build awareness and promote inclusion of those with DS. 
 

  Like many people, my own awareness of DS was pretty limited—no understanding of even the cause, much less how it might be manifested in different people.  It’s pretty typical, I think, for folks to think about the things differently abled people can’t do, as opposed to what they can.  And it’s very typical—regardless of the circumstances—for us to focus on our differences, rather than our similarities.  We miss out on a lot that way.

I recently mentioned my friend, Kim, and her son, Nathan.  His 16th birthday would have been last week, had he not been taken from this world far too soon.  Nathan was like a lot of kids: sweet, funny, and had a way of making people smile.  He was a picky eater (I used to say one of the few people even pickier than I), enjoyed school, and liked participating in the Buddy Walk.  And he loved Santa Claus.  I mean, seriously, loved him.  I’m a fan of Christmas, and Santa, but I’ve never known anyone who enjoyed it as much as Nathan.  He had Santa pjs that he liked to wear year-round, a Santa beard, and Santa toys.  He even had his room decorated in a holiday theme; Christmas didn’t ever come to an end as far as Nathan was concerned.

And, as you might have guessed, Nathan also had Down Syndrome.  I remember when he was born, Kim was understandably upset.  It isn’t easy to learn that the precious baby you’ve dreamed of for so long isn’t perfectly healthy, and to know right then, in those earliest moments, that his life—and yours—will  never be what you’d imagined.  But it didn’t take long to realize that whether or not he was exactly what was expected, he was every bit as precious as anyone had ever imagined he’d be. 

A Facebook friend, who also has a DS child, commented today that her son was born with “extra”, and I thought that was an apt explanation of Nathan, too.  An extra chromosome, sure, but so much more than that.  Mostly, I think it came down to an extra bit of love and goodness.  Nathan always had a smile or a hug, and he found true joy in simple things.  And whether he knew it or not, he shared that joy with others. 

I miss Nathan, and the joy he brought to those around him, but, mostly, I feel blessed to have had the chance to know him.  The chance to learn that those with DS are more similar to the rest of us than they are different, and that they have more abilities than disabilities.  It’s a lesson that can be applied to a lot of people and a lot of situations, if only we will learn.  World Down Syndrome Day is a good way to begin learning, to help us recognize the value those with “extra” can bring to our lives, but I can’t help but hope that there will come a time when no such day is necessary.  I think Nathan would’ve liked that.

 

 

 

 

 

Wellness Wednesday, March 20

 

 

So, the craze making the rounds of the Internet these days is salad in a jar.  Multiple posters swear to the stay-fresh goodness brought about by a good ol’ canning jar, though I’ll admit I have my doubts.

Still, since strenuous exercise is off the table for a while, and since I also apparently can’t completely control my food intake, I thought I’d give it a try.  See, I do love a nice chef salad, but I will rarely take the time to put one together—especially when I come strolling home after class around nine or ten o’clock.  And, pre-making them and storing them in a typical storage bag or plastic ware container has never been particularly successful for me, from the freshness standpoint.  All in all, stopping for a quick burger is usually the easier way to go, even if it’s not the healthier way.

So, I figured spring break would be a good time to test it out and see how it works, since I’ll have other ready options on hand, just in case.  That’s how it came to be that Monday afternoon I was putting together a few jars of salad.  A couple include a bit of dressing, and a couple don’t; a couple include boiled eggs, and a couple don’t, all designed to see if any of that makes a difference.  But, the lettuce is going to be the biggest factor, I’m sure. 

So far, I’ve only eaten one of them, and that was right about the 24 hour mark after putting them together.  I will say that it was good as new, though one day is a long way from the 7-10 that the world wide web assures me they will last.  They still look okay right now, but looking and tasting aren’t the same thing.  I’ll be having another tomorrow, then the others before next Monday afternoon, just to see if they really can stand up even for a week.  I’m crossing my fingers; even if this isn’t the most low-cal salad available, it’s certainly better than those easy burgers I fall back on so often.  I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Have you tried salad (or any other meal) in a jar?  How did it work for you?

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of africa at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Best Neighbor Ever

 

Tomorrow, March 20, marks the birthday of a man who made everyone’s neighborhood a little better, Fred Rogers.  Mr. Rogers would have been 85 this year, though for me he’s forever timeless, frozen in my memory as a kindly gentleman, grandfatherly, perhaps, but still spry and engaging. 

   That trademark sweater, those sneakers, and that ever-present smile—really, who could ask for a better neighbor?  I still remember fondly the time I spent with him, listening to his songs and stories, and traveling to the Neighborhood of Make Believe.  Oh, how I loved X the Owl and Daniel Striped Tiger and the entire Platypus family.  And, of course, who could forget King Friday and Lady Elaine Fairchilde?  I considered them all my friends.  But none were better friends than Mr. Rogers himself.

Mr. Rogers was the kind of guy who made everyone feel good about themselves, just with a simple reminder that someone cared about you.  For myself, I was a lucky child and had family and friends in my real world who cared about me; I had parents who told me every day that they loved me, but even so, I loved to hear it from Mr. Rogers, too.  I can only imagine how other kids felt, those who weren’t lucky enough to have anyone other than Mr. Rogers to give them that love.  And the grown-up me is grateful to him for being a light for all children, but especially those who weren’t as lucky as I.

In retrospect, it was a simple formula, a simple show.  But it was a simpler time.  I’d like to think if he was still around, kids would still be entranced by his messages of love and acceptance, but I just don’t know.  Really, we need those messages now more than ever, but I don’t know if they’d still get through.  Even when my own son was growing up, Mr. Rogers did not have the same appeal to him as he did to me, and that made me sad.  Oh, Billy watched Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and he liked it okay, but it didn’t engage him the way it had me.  He was much more content with Barney, or Sesame Street, or even Reading Rainbow.  And I’m certainly not complaining about those choices; they all had a lot to offer.  But none of them had the genuine love and concern that Mr. Rogers could give, and I think it’s unfortunate that later generations would trade heart-felt emotion for a little more pizzazz. 

Recently, I ran across a piece about this childhood hero on the Cracked website.  It’s not the kind of thing you’d expect to find on that particular site, but it’s worth a read (and a watch; there are some nice clips to accompany it), though if you’re an old softie like me, I’d advise you to keep a tissue handy.

So, tomorrow, I’ll be thinking of Fred Rogers, and I’ll remember again how very lucky I was to have him as a neighbor.

ps:  If you opted not to visit the Cracked article, you missed out on the fact that a petition has been started at WhiteHouse.gov to make Mr. Rogers’ birthday a holiday.  Personally, I don’t find it very likely that it will become an actual close-the-banks-and-take-a-day-off-work type of holiday (though if anyone is worth that, Mr. Rogers is), but I don’t think a bit of recognition and a designated day would be too much to ask.  If you agree, you can sign here.

Medical Monday

 

  Well, I finally had my long-awaited CT scan today, no thanks to me.  When my nurse called a couple of weeks ago to tell me of the schedule, it was early in the morning, and I was sound asleep.  She gave me all the proper instructions about the medications to take leading up to the test, as well as where/when to pick up the contrast liquid to drink before showing up for the scan.  As it turns out, the only part I remembered was about the medications.  In my defense, though, that’s the part that gave me a better chance of not having another allergic reaction to the dye and subsequently dying, so you can see why it was the part that sunk in.

But, when I got to registration this morning and read over all the papers, that’s when I had the flashbulb go off and I remembered she’d distinctly told me I had to drink some nasty-tasting stuff to get ready for the scan.  Oops.  The registration lady was certain I’d have to reschedule, but, thankfully, I’m not the only person to ever have this problem, and the technician was kind enough to let me drink the stuff then, though that meant I had to wait another hour and a half before getting the scan.  Not the way I wanted to spend my whole morning, but my own fault, so what are you going to do about that?

Of course, I was already a little worried about having the scan with the dye, so I wasn’t thrilled with delaying it, since the meds I’d taken had been on a very precise schedule based upon the time of my test, and now I’d screwed it up.  But the technician assured me she had a five hour window while the medicine would still be effective, so not to worry.  Easy for her to say; she’s not the one who’d been previously told to NEVER take this stuff again, on fear of potential death.  It’s the sort of thing a person tends to remember. 

But, as you may have deduced by the fact that I’m writing about the event, I did manage to survive.  No hives like last time, or the breathing or heart problems that the medical folks list as the most serious of the possible side effects.  But I didn’t escape entirely without problems; the stuff gave me an immediate and fairly severe headache, along with puffy-feeling eyes, and a warm, flushing face.  That worried the folks, but all my vitals were fine.  They had me hang around another half hour or so to make sure nothing was going to get worse, and it didn’t, but the symptoms haven’t gone yet, even after a day of lounging, napping, and even eating sensibly.  Seriously, I don’t know much about iodine (the main ingredient in the imaging dye), but it and I clearly do not get along very well.

But after all that, now I’m back to waiting.  I’ve got my follow-up appointment Friday, which will hopefully be a clean bill of health on everything, leaving the GYN solution as the most likely to resolve my issues.  Of course, like I said, it’s still a couple of months before I’ll be able to do anything about it, which means another couple of months of putting up with the constant pain, but I’ll just be glad to have a plan of action in mind. 

Image courtesy of renjith krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Snapshot Sunday, March 17

 

So, it turns out I did not take a single photograph this week.  Well, that’s not exactly true.  Our DSLR currently sits permanently affixed to a tripod, pointed out the window in the direction of the bird feeder.  I have snapped a few pics there, but nothing spectacular, and not even any new birds. 

But, in terms of my pocket camera, the one that’s almost always with me, or my phone, which is always with me, nothing.  Not a single frame.  That’s really unusual.  Typically something catches my eye at least every couple of days or so.  But not this week.  Or, more accurately, nothing caught my eye when it was possible for me to take a photo.  One day, I did see a group of hawks circling over an area that I assumed had some sort of meal opportunity, but I would’ve had to stop right in the middle of the road to capture it, and I was already running late for school, so it was kind of a no-win situation.  Other than that, nothing that even made me pause to consider a snapshot. 

But, over on Facebook, I do see quite a few photos every day.  I mean, besides fuzzy baby animals and Grumpy Cat.  Some of the ones I see are from one of my bloggy friends, Candy.  One of her shots won some recognition on a photo site contest recently; you can see it here.  Since it was a bird , you know I liked it! 

Also, I saw a beautiful picture from a page called 999,999,999 People.  They credit this photo to a woman named Emily Stauring, and if this is the kind of work she does, I’d like to see more.  My instinct is this did not come directly from the camera this way; I’d assume there is some post-processing involved.  But I’m not one of those purists who gets upset by that sort of thing.  It’s still a creation of art, and this is gorgeous. 

Okay, had to take a short break for a quick Google search; turns out Ms. Stauring has an online shop, and you can own your very own print of this lovely photo starting at $27.00.  Tempting.

 

Maybe during this week of a break from classes, I’ll get outside and get back to snapping a few pictures of my own, even though it seems the weather people were right about the return to cooler temperatures.  Of course, my pictures won’t look like this one, but I love to see these sorts of shots to serve as inspiration. And, even though I have a lot of homework to do this week, I still need to have a little bit of fun, right? 

Six Word Allergy

 

 

 

Sniffing and sneezing—downside of spring.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

 

Check out other six word stories at Show My Face.

5QF—5 Quarters Full

 

So, it already looks like spring break is turning into a case of “the best laid plans”.  Looks like there might be issues to deal with for my granny over the next few days.  Really, I should be grateful that things are happening now, when I actually have some time to deal with it.  I’ll just keep reminding myself of that.

For now, let’s take a look at Five Question Friday.

1. What is one thing you wish you did not have to teach your children?

That not everyone is a good and decent person.  I wish we lived in a world where people could all be trusted and counted upon to do the right thing, but that’s just not the way it is.

2. What are you going to use since Google Reader is going away?

I don’t think it’s going to be too much of an impact for me.  I do use Reader, sort of, but I don’t think it’s going to leave a big hole in my life, or anything.

3. British comedy; Hilarious or strange?

Strange, without question.  I mean, you have seen Benny Hill, right?  Though I will never forget literally busting out laughing one day years ago when I heard a commercial for some Monty Python movie or another.  I was shopping somewhere, and the radio was playing over the PA system.  I wasn’t paying much attention because I’ve always thought British humor was strange, so I had no intention of seeing whatever film it was advertising.  Then, the ad got to the typical closing line, “Coming soon to a theater near you”, but what made me laugh was the follow up line:  “And if it’s not . . . MOVE!”  That still amuses me.

4. Do you prefer card games or board games?

Board games.  From Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders as a kid, to Trivial Pursuit and Taboo as an adult, those kind of games are much more fun than cards.  Not that I haven’t had some enjoyable hands of Go Fish or 5 Card Draw, mind you.

5. Will winter ever end?

I’m hoping it’s actually over around here, though I’m likely getting ahead of myself.  High 70s yesterday and low 80s today, with another spring-like day predicted for tomorrow.  Sunday it’s supposed to cool off again, though, and be cool all week.  That’s not really my idea of a “spring” break, so I’m hoping they’re wrong about that.  Goodness knows, it wouldn’t be the first time.

 

Okay, my brain is a little fried right now, and also feels like it’s overflowing with things to think about, so I think I’m going to wrap this up.  The only debate will be whether I just crawl into bed to forget everything for a while, or veg out while clearing off some DVR space.  Tough call.

Happy weekend to you all.

Spring Is In the Air

 

Image courtesy of Kookkai_nak at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This evening, shortly before 7:30, spring break officially began!  I mentioned to someone earlier that while I’m beginning to feel an itch to get back to work, I don’t feel that way when it’s time for a break from school and I actually get to take a break.  Those who are juggling a job with their school schedule don’t get that luxury, since work goes on even when classes don’t.  So, yeah, for the next week or so, I’m going to be really glad I don’t have a job to worry about.  Of course, the week won’t be a complete break, since I do have a lot of homework to do before classes resume again, but I’m definitely going to slow things down a bit.

And, the first half of the semester wound down on a pretty positive note.  Four mid-terms, with three As, and one still awaiting a grade.  I sort of think that one will be a B, but I suppose I can even live with that.  Not that there’s much I can do about it now, anyway, so it’s a good thing I’m okay with it.

The other thing that happened today was that Brian and I attended a retirement planning seminar.  I think that might be part of what made me really think about missing having a job, since I don’t have an employer to be worrying about 401Ks and all that fun stuff.  And, besides that rather depressing thought, a day of listening to financial planners, social security representatives, and personnel officers is enough to really drive home just how unprepared we are for life after the daily grind.  Jeez.  Pretty scary.

Also on my mind today is my BFF, Kim, and her darling son, Nathan.  Nathan would have been 16 today, but he passed away about five years ago.  Sixteen.  It’s sort of hard to wrap my head around that, when it seems like only yesterday she welcomed him into this world.  And it reminds me that kids should not be frozen in time at ten years old. 

And the best part of today is that true spring weather seems to have finally rolled in.  It was in the mid-70s today, and is supposed to hit 80 tomorrow.  Other than the fact that I had some chocolate in my car that is now a melted blob, the sunshine is a really good thing.  Maybe some of that homework that has to be done over the break can be done sitting outside, watching the birds, and soaking in the fresh air.  Sounds like a perfect spring break to me.

 

Wellness Wednesday, March 13

 

So, I gained a few pounds during my weekend away.  I suppose that’s what happens when you give up what little routine you have and add extra meals and snacks into the mix.  I had hoped to make use of the hotel treadmill, but the workout room there kept very early hours, and my only available time was in the middle of the night.  That’s true of a lot of hotel gyms, even at fancier places than the La Quinta we were staying in, and I’ve never entirely understood why. 

But, thankfully, all but one of those pounds has come back off in the few days I’ve been back home, so I’m hoping to be back to where I was before the week is out.  But I still haven’t found the trick to working in a workout regularly, much less daily.  I’ve managed a few times to use the gym at school, but the times I can get there are times that I usually have to spend studying.  I do know the student president, so I’ve been lobbying her for a change of gym hours.  Their first argument was that the gym is staffed by student workers, so the hours are kept early to try to accommodate them.  I made the logical point that if it’s not too late for students to be in class learning, it’s probably not too late for students to be working, either.  She seems hopeful that it can be changed, but there’s some whole process for when the idea can be presented to the senate, so it doesn’t look like it’ll happen any time soon.

I’ve also been looking at Weight Watchers online, but I’m not sure that’s a whole lot different from what I was doing on my own—tracking calorie intake and output.  And what I was doing wasn’t costing me twenty bucks a month, either.  The problem, of course, is that that’s what I was doing, not what I am doing.  I can’t seem to find the motivation to do all that tracking, much less the workouts that create the calorie output.  Maybe the twenty bucks would give me that motivation, but I’m not sure I’m willing to risk it.

Of course, it doesn’t help that I never feel completely well, and that I’m always in some degree of pain, but I’ve pretty much decided that I am just going to have to find a way to deal with that.  At this rate, even if I pursue a surgical remedy for my health issues, it seems it will be after the semester, so another two months.  I know that I can’t continue what I’m doing for two months—especially when then there will be at least another two weeks or so of recuperation following surgery.  Nope, I’ve got to find something that will work for me now. 

If only I knew what that something is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of africa at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When Other Legends Are Forgotten

 

This week on Tube Day Tuesday, it’s a short trip down memory lane. 

This morning, for no reason I can fathom, I was thinking about an old show called The San Pedro Beach Bums.  It was a goofy little show that I barely remember, but I do remember being amused by it.  It only lasted a couple of months, so I’m guessing it wasn’t really all that good.  Of course, I never have been much of a comedy person, so maybe I’m just not that good at picking them.

But, since I was thinking about that short-lived show, it got me to wondering what other comedies might have crossed my path in my youth.  Well, really, there were quite a few of them:  Mork and Mindy, Happy Days, The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, The Monkees . . . and probably many more.  Maybe this whole anti-comedy thing is newer than I thought.

But, those were all successful shows, nothing like those beach bum boys, so I wondered what else I’d watched that crashed and burned really quickly, and one show immediately sprang to mind:  When Things Were Rotten.

Image courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Even if you’re not familiar with the program—which wouldn’t be surprising, since it aired only 13 episodes way back in 1975—you can probably guess from the photo that it was show about Robin Hood.  I wasn’t even quite a teenager yet when this show was on the air, and I still remember thinking it was absolutely hysterical.

Created by Mel Brooks, and starring Dick Gautier, this was not your typical telling of the Robin Hood legend.  Here you had over the top slapstick comedy about a band of total idiots running wild in Sherwood Forest, making you wonder how they ever survived.  But, of course, the answer is because the Sheriff of Nottingham was an even bigger fool, making the merry men appear almost heroic by contrast. 

I can remember cackling at some of their antics, though I’m not really much of a Brooks fan.  Honestly, that kind of broad humor pretty much leaves me cold these days, and it has for a lot of years.  But, apparently, when I was 12, it was just the ticket.  Sight gags, stupid puns, and characters talking to the camera, they all made me LOL decades before we’d ever dream up such an abbreviation.  I wish I could see it again, because I can’t really remember the details all that clearly.  I’d like to get them refreshed.  Though, I might be just a tiny bit scared that seeing the episodes now would ruin my memories.  I seem to remember it got pretty good reviews, but good reviews don’t always mean a good or successful television program.  I guess some things really never change. 

One of these days, maybe it’ll hit Netflix, or somebody will decide the episodes ought to be on DVD.  Until then, I guess I’ll just have to be content with my memories, however vague they may be. 

Are there any shows that came and went quickly in your childhood that you still remember fondly?

Teaching, Learning, and the Stuff In Between

 

  I’m thinking today of the difficulties of teaching, especially teaching those who are no longer children.  I’ve been a trainer in my corporate life, and I’ve had many other work-related opportunities to teach, so I know how hard it can be to reach learners.  And while I am certain that reaching young learners brings its own brand of difficulties, I think teaching adults causes the instructor to have to combat many years of pre-existing ideas and acquired life lessons—much of which may not be on par with the lessons that need to be taught in the classroom.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of my instructors seems to be fighting that battle right now.  It’s my Contracts class, and I think I’ve mentioned that it’s fairly difficult, with some complex ideas to consider.  And I also mentioned that the difficulty caused me to make only an 80% on the first exam, and that many others in the class struggled far more than I.  As we’ve gone along since that first test, it’s been pretty apparent that many of the class are still struggling, though it’s not entirely apparent just why that is.  But I think maybe it’s a classic situation of failure to communicate.

For myself, after that first exam, I did some serious re-evaluating of how I studied his material and tried really hard to recognize what it was I thought that he truly found important.  I asked a lot of questions during class, trying to hone in on key concepts and soak them into my brain.  At least for our most recent test, that approach was successful and I aced it.  But, I’m far from confident I can repeat that performance, and that can be kind of scary.  For the students who did not adapt to his style of teaching and did not do well on either exam, I can imagine their frustration.

But, while I understand that the most successful of instructors should be able to adapt their styles to the different learning styles of their students, I also think successful students have to be prepared to do some adapting of their own.  I think they at least have to meet half-way.  And, while a lot of my classmates would disagree, I think our professor has tried to adapt some, too.  He has offered different examples at times when I’m pretty sure he thought the first couple should have been more than clear.  He’s devoted entire classes to reviews of topics when it seemed that we were struggling with particular concepts.  He’s tried to spell out specific ways that we should approach learning the material.  I think he is trying to reach the masses, though I don’t think he’s succeeding very well just yet.

But, what he doesn’t do is coddle anyone.  He has made clear from the beginning that he believes we’re all adults, responsible for taking control of our own educational experience.  His attitude is pretty much, “come to class or don’t, study or don’t, turn in your assignments or don’t; it’s your grade and your future”.  But he always follows that up with offers to meet with students one-on-one, encourages class discussion and questions, and encourages study groups.  And, tonight, when many, many people were quite vocal about their dissatisfaction with their test grades, he allowed them to state their case and offer proof of why his questions were wrong or ambiguous.  He allowed himself to be persuaded on two questions, and will update grades accordingly, though on at least one of the questions, I think it’s just the class being whiny babies.  Still, I think it proves that he’s trying to be fair—something that most of the class doesn’t believe—and that he wants to work with us to help us succeed. 

But, somehow, I think a lot of people have gotten the idea that learning is completely the responsibility of the teacher.  This seems to be true even in my night classes, which have a good proportion of older students (though few as old as I!) who I would expect to know better.  Maybe it’s my old age showing, but I still think people are primarily responsible for themselves.  But this expectation that knowledge will somehow just be handed over on a silver platter is a great deal of the problem teachers face.  I saw it in the professional environment when I was teaching, and I see it now in the educational world.  It makes me feel bad for teachers, especially those who won’t give in and lower their expectations, those who recognize that learning to adapt and grow and think for ourselves is a critical part of the education we pay for.  It might make me want to pull my hair out sometimes, but I’m grateful for it, just the same.  And I think I wouldn’t want to be a teacher.

“You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room.” ~ Dr. Seuss