Shutdown

 

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times:  politics isn’t my thing.  Even so, like most Americans (I assume), I have an opinion about what’s going on in our nation’s capital tonight.  And also like most Americans (again, I’m making assumptions), I think what’s going on is totally ridiculous.  And reprehensible.  Repugnant, even. 

I get that there are philosophical differences between the parties, though, honestly, I think it’s been a long time since the D.C. arguments were really much about philosophy.  Rather than a philosophical debate, our legislature appears to be more like a playground sandbox engaging in a giant game of “Oh yeah?”, “Says who?”, punctuated by great big raspberries from both sides.  I did say it was ridiculous, right?

Of course, I’ve got a little bit of skin in this game.  As a federal employee, my husband is looking at an indefinite furlough, and we’re just getting things fully back on track after the last furlough.  And things are iffy, even for me.  Our firm practices almost exclusively in federal court, so if this thing lasts more than a couple of weeks, the courts will probably shut down, too, or at least slow down greatly.  How that impacts all the civilian employees who have litigation pending is totally up in the air.  So since I’m sitting here watching the nightly local news with a countdown showing just forty-four minutes remaining, I have to assume that hoping for the shutdown not to happen is futile, and instead I suppose I’ll switch my energies to just hoping it doesn’t last too long. 

But it occurs to me that if there are any congressfolk who’d like to give themselves a little bit more job security, maybe they could step out of the sandbox, brush themselves off, and leave the playground behind.  Because there are an awful lot of Americans who’d be grateful if at least a few of our elected officials would simply grow up.

Brotherly Love

 

With the normal rigors of a job and school, the recent passing of my grandmother, and a looming government shutdown (Brian’s a federal employee), it seems to me that much of my various newsfeeds, as well as my own generated comments, contained a lot of bad news.  So I wanted to share with you a wonderful story that came across my newsfeed recently, all about a brother’s love. 

From our local news channel site, news9.com:  Young Boy Reaches Out to News 9 For Help

Every now and then you find one of those kids; one who validates your faith in future generations. Only this time we didn't find him, he found us. And the letter this Edmond boy wrote left us overcome with emotion.

Read it and you'll understand why.

The words, the penmanship are clearly those of a young child, but the compassion and caring speaks of a much older soul.

Little Tobias, 10, wants to be a pastor himself when he grows up. He says he wants to be an Army pastor, so he can minister to men dying on the front lines.

It's not uncommon for him to write encouraging notes to his hardworking single mom. He brings home good grades and sports trophies. But as remarkable as all that is, that's not why we went to his house.

His big brother, by a year, has been stricken with Cerebral Palsy. Titus can't walk, hear or eat food, but Tobias is determined his brother will get outside, have fun and feel the wind against his cheeks like the other kids do. And that's where the letter to us comes in.

Tobias has already been training for this race, running two miles pushing an empty infant stroller. He's never run the 3.1 miles he'll have to go Friday night, but he won't be stopped. It's about a little boy who has understanding beyond his years. 

And we're so happy to tell you that we contacted Oklahoma Able Tech, and we were there when they delivered a jogging stroller to Tobias and Titus Thursday afternoon, not a loaner, a keeper.

They've been practicing with it and will be at the starting line for their first race Friday night at John Marshall. And you know our cameras will be there too.

Take a moment to read Tobias’ letter; it’s worth definitely worth seeing.  And watch their story to meet this wonderful kid.  He really does restore my faith that things can and will work out. 

More videos from News 9:

Tobias And Titus Gear Up For The Big Race

Tobias And Titus Finish Their 5K

Six Word Conference

 

 

 

 

  Fun times with the PTK group!

A Learning Moment

 

I’m at a Phi Theta Kappa event this weekend, and while I am often frustrated with a lack of organization on the part of my local chapter, I have to say that the events I’ve attended have largely been well run and mostly interesting.  This particular event is on the campus of Oklahoma State University, the rival of my hometown University of Oklahoma, so it’s a little strange to see everyone wandering around in garb you rarely see in my neck of the woods, but that’s okay.  I’m a tolerant sort.  And, I’ve never been up here before, but what little I’ve seen of the campus so far has been very nice. 

The main speaker of the evening was one of the professors here at OSU, from their journalism department (though the department actually has a different name now.)  Anyway, when she was 22, just barely graduated from this same institution, she was in a horrible car accident that left her paralyzed.  She told us—from her wheelchair—a little bit about her life since that accident.  The accident happened in May; by December of that same year, she was working in her chosen field.  She has not only worked consistently since then in various forms of advertising, but completed both a masters and a doctorate to go along with her original undergraduate degree. 

She’s pretty impressive, though she doesn’t really see her accomplishments as all that spectacular; she said it would’ve been harder to just lay around and wonder what was going to happen next, so she took charge. 

She had several thoughtful anecdotes to share, but the single most important things I think she said tonight was, “defeat is not permanent; it’s just an opportunity to try again.”  So many times when things don’t go just the way we planned, we assume they will never work out.  Or we just sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, which really doesn’t accomplish anything at all. I think we could all probably learn a thing or two from her. 

Going Drama Free

 

I’ve mentioned that I’m not much of a fan of drama, right?  Some might say it’s me causing the problems, since I seem to run into it so often, but they’d be wrong.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve got a pretty long list of faults, but I guarantee you that causing drama is not one of them. 

Currently, it’s my paralegal club giving me grief.  We’ve got officers bickering, professors trying to take advantage of students, and basically just a whole lot of stress from something that is supposed to be fun.  And while I try to help people navigate through their hurt feelings and see the opposite sides of any given situation, I still find myself having to remind them that this is not high school and we are not children.  Personally, I think you really shouldn’t have to explain that to grown—and I mean fully grown, not like just-barely-21-grown—people; that’s something they should’ve learned for themselves or from their parents a long time ago. 

So, the school has a big annual function this Saturday, and we’ve finally hammered out all the details and I think the group is ready to make it a success.  But, I’ve got a schedule conflict and will be out of town with the PTK group, so I’m hoping for the best and leaving them to it.  On the upside, I think most of the drama that existed last year with traveling with PTK is now gone (though we still have to share a room), so maybe a day away will be just what the doctor ordered.

Weigh Loss Wednesday, September 25

 

I’m not putting my steps down this week; it’s depressing to me.  There were a few days I think I got into the 5K range, but there were also a couple that I barely made it out of triple digits.  Maybe by next week I’ll feel like heading back to the gym again, though I’m not even sure about that.  There’s the physical part, of course, which will hopefully be resolved by the plethora of medications the doctors have given my for my back.  And then there’s the mental/emotional part, which feels like it’s getting stronger every day but then is also surprised every day and I don’t know where to start.  Just this evening, sitting in the exam room, it hit me that it had been two weeks—almost to the hour—since the last time I talked to my grandma, the night before she died.  I don’t know that there has ever been a two week span of time when I didn’t talk to my grandma, and it made me sad to think of all the times I would get annoyed when she would call about just some pointless little something.  Anyway, fortunately I was in the room alone waiting for the doctor since I wouldn’t have wanted to explain the tears suddenly running down my face. 

Anyway, I’m continuing to take the Skinny Fiber supplement, though I didn’t lose any weight this week.  I forgot to take my measurements, so I don’t know about that, though there was one pair of pants that felt a little looser than before, so maybe when I break out the measuring tape next week I’ll be pleasantly surprised. 

Really, it all seems sort of pointless, but I’m staying the course,

2013-14 Under Way

 

Early thoughts on the first couple of days of the new television season . . .

First, I really need to upgrade my DVR to something that will record more than two programs at once.  There are two new shows that were on my list that I was unable to program due to conflicts.  First, some brain child decided to cross-program Robin Williams and Michael J. Fox.  Now, there’s a business side of my own brain that thinks that makes an awful lot of sense, but the viewer side is screaming out that nothing could be more stupid.  Or selfish.  Robin Williams won the initial face-off and The Crazy Ones is on my to-do list, but you know I’m hoping MJF decides to rebroadcast, or change nights, or something. 

Then there’s Hostages, which lost out to The Blacklist.  In some ways, I think Hostages looks like a better show, but as I think I commented, it does not seem sustainable, so that’s the one that landed on the chopping block. 

And, even though the Robin Williams program is safe and sound for now, come October 17, it’s going to find itself in a head to head combat with White Collar and its new night.  I gotta tell you: I adore Robin Williams, but there’s not too much that makes me put off White Collar, even for the couple of hours until the encore showing.  Mr. Williams better prove himself fast. 

Second random thought:  though I might not be a big fan of season-ending cliffhangers, I realized yesterday I don’t seem to have a problem with them during the season.  Castle returned to the air yesterday, and though it resolved last season’s cliffhanger marriage proposal within the first five minutes of the new show, an hour later it flashed the  powerful TO BE CONTINUED across the screen.  I have to say that you just don’t see that many season premieres ending with that level of uncertainty.  Good job to the folks at Castle for keeping us on our toes; I didn’t mind that one little bit. 

And, lastly, though it’s not really about the new season, let me say that as far as I’m concerned, Neil Patrick Harris could host every award show from here on until forever. As you might suspect, I am a big fan of the Emmy awards, but NPH just makes the show that much more enjoyable, and I thought he did a really good job.  And, like Castle offering a two-parter for a season opener, NPH bucked tradition just a little bit with his song and dance production number, and he came up with a winner.  Watch:

 

And that’s about it for tonight.  I had a club meeting after class tonight, so didn’t get home until late, so no TV watching at all today, though I have to say, I was really tempted to punch up the opening episode of Person of Interest and see how it goes, but I guess that can wait until tomorrow.

Sleep Cycles

 

“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.” ~ Victor Hugo

 

It’s a strange pattern I seem to have slipped into.  When I’m sitting on the couch—watching TV, doing homework, writing a blog post—I don’t have any trouble sleeping.  In fact, when it’s the end of a long day, like today, I often can’t stay awake.  During my lunch break, if I don’t have any homework to do, I can sit in my chair at my desk, close my eyes, and grab a few minutes of rest.  But when I’m lying in my bed, I toss and turn and pray for sleep.

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Really, though, it’s easy to understand why it’s so easy for me to drift off when I have those moments of stillness:  I’m exhausted. 

For months now—most of the year, really—I’ve always had something to do.  Very little down-time, very little time for me.  The pace has been taking its toll for a while.

But in the couple of weeks since my grandma’s passing, sleep has been backwards:  when I should be comfortable and ready to rest, I toss and turn; but when I am focused on something else, sleep claims me easily—even when I might not want it to.  I’m sure there’s a message there somewhere, something beyond the idea that I should just slip on my pajamas, stretch out on the couch with my laptop nearby, and go with the flow.  But I’m not giving up on setting things right, so it’s time to slip off to bed.  Good night.

A Little Good News

 

 

In the past ten days or so, as I’ve been mired pretty deeply in my own thoughts, I haven’t spent too much time watching the news.  But I have seen enough to know that the horrors of the real world haven’t gone away.  Last year, I talked about the violence that is so rampant in our country, our world.  And even though I’ve been burying my head in the sand of my grief, I’m still aware of the large numbers of people who are also grieving their own losses due to causes far from natural. 

But, I can’t focus on that sort of insanity, not now.  So I had to visit the good news network and remind myself that there really are still some good things happening in the world these days.  And that’s where I got to read about the man in Spain who found—and turned in—a six million dollar lottery ticket.   And about the young Dairy Queen employee who did the right thing for a customer who couldn’t fend for himself.  And it’s also where I ran across this charming performance:

There really are good things going on, every day and all over the world.  I just wish we didn’t have to look quite so hard to find them.

Six Word Nothing

 

Zero motivation, zero interest, in anything.

Image courtesy of FrameAngel at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

  It’s Six Word Saturday.

Goodbye

 

Sometimes the simplest words are the hardest ones to say.

 

I love you, Granny, and you’ll be missed.

Strange Traditions

 

We had the visitation for my grandma tonight.  I have to say, I think it’s sort of a strange tradition, sitting around in a room chatting with family and friends while there’s a dead body on display.  I don’t know; I have mixed feelings.  I don’t visit cemeteries, there’s no comfort for me there.  But I do usually visit my loved ones while they’re at the funeral home and say my farewells.  I guess since I personally find some small amount of comfort in doing so, I shouldn’t find the visitation ceremony weird at all, but it still strikes me as just a little bit odd.   And the idea that people back in the day used to have their visitations in their actual house—well, there’s just no way I could get behind that. 

But here’s the thing:  even though I might think it’s a little bit of a strange tradition, it is still the tradition, so I was a little sad when not too many people showed up tonight to visit Granny.  It seems disrespectful somehow, knowing all the people she’s cared about over the years, to think that so few of them could be bothered to take a few minutes out of their lives to stop by the funeral home. 

Of course, for some people, it’s a difficult thing to do.  Billy didn’t come because he doesn’t want to see her like that, and I can understand that.  This is really the first loss he’s had to deal with (he didn’t particularly know Brian’s parents), and he’s not taking it too well.  Not only his first loss, but he is the one who found her, so it’s like a double-whammy for him.  I did try explaining to him that she actually looks better now than the last time he saw her, so a visit might make him feel a little better, but he wasn’t convinced, and it’s just not the sort of thing your try to force someone into.

So, yeah, I get that there are some people who just have too much grief to come to a visitation.  But there are some people that I just can’t understand doing the things they do.  For instance, my uncle—Granny’s son—didn’t attend tonight.  Not that I should be surprised, I suppose; he’s behind about 100% of the drama I mentioned the other day.  I keep reminding myself that he’s just lost his mother, so he’s entitled to a little slack.  But just a little.

Tomorrow we shall conduct the final remaining traditions and lay my grandma to rest.  It will be a hard day, but I think it’s time to start letting go.

Weight Loss Wednesday, September 18

 

Obviously, this has not been a good week.  I haven’t been sleeping well, eating right, or getting even a little bit of exercise.  And, to top off everything else, I’ve either pulled a muscle in my back or perhaps gotten myself a kidney infection; I’ll be heading to the doctor tomorrow to see what’s going on with that.

But, something else that’s new is that I started a new diet supplement last week.  I was taking green coffee bean pills for a while, but I kept seeing something else around online—Skinny Fiber—so I thought I’d give it a try.  I’m not too proud to try these things, as long as they don’t promise miracle results.  Some of the before/after stores people post are pretty amazing, but I completely recognize the truth of the standard disclaimer, “results not typical”.  But, like I said, I don’t even want to try a product that promises I can eat anything I want, sit on my butt 20 hours a day, and still end up looking like some runway model.  Even if such a pill were to work, I’m pretty sure it would be horribly unsafe.  No, I like things like Skinny Fiber that basically say, “yes you should eat right, yes, you should exercise more, but whatever small steps you’re taking toward improvement, we’ll help you out a little bit.”  I’m willing to give that sort of product a try.

So, anyway, I started taking the pills last Monday, so I guess it’s been ten days.  So far I’ve lost 3.2 pounds and 2 inches.  That’s certainly not earth shattering, but it’s the biggest movement I’ve seen in a while.  And, I’m not discounting the idea that my “not eating right” included a day or two where I didn’t really eat much to speak of at all.  My experience is that grief usually effects the waistline, you can just never tell which direction it might go.  At any rate, it’s been a bad week to judge anything, much less something new, but I’ll put myself in the “cautiously optimistic” column. 

I clearly haven’t been to the gym this week, and I don’t think I see a visit there in my near future, certainly not before next Monday, maybe later, just depending on where my head is at.  We’ll see what happens

	Steps	Activities
Wednesday	7,369	--
Thursday	3,790	--
Friday	2,502	--
Saturday	1,709	--
Sunday	4,139	--
Monday	5,136	--
Tuesday	5,356	--

A Bill to a Law

 

Well, it’s Constitution Day here in the good ol’ U.S. of A., but around here at Idle Chatter, it’s also Tube Day Tuesday.  I thought about telling you about any of the many legal programs I enjoy (probably my current favorite law show, Suits) as a tie-in to both items, but, honestly, even as much as I love Suits, I knew that I just didn’t have the enthusiasm necessary to be trying to detail an entire show.

Then I thought about just blowing off the television theme for the week, and just reposting last year’s Constitution Day post, but that seemed like a little bit of a cop out.

Instead, I’m going to let you watch one of my very favorite things from my childhood.   (Childhood?  I’ve got a copy on my iPod now!)  But, besides being a sentimental favorite, it also details out the basic legislative process, and all on television—way to combine the themes!

A Mild Fixation

 

It’s not exactly that I want to keep talking about my granny, because honestly, I sort of don’t. I’d rather be talking about something else, but my brain won’t really focus on anything else.  Every time I open homework assignments, or bills, or even blog posts, my mind goes right back to Granny.   It makes me feel sort of fixated and obsessed. 

But I think it’s maybe because we haven’t had the services yet, and it just feels like there’s so much to do, even though there really isn’t.  (Well, of course there’s still a lot to do, but not in the immediate sense.)  That’s probably part of the “closure” everyone talks about that a farewell service can bring, and only then will my mind settle down and release some of its fixation so that I can put some focus on other things.  Unfortunately, I’ve got some homework due before then, so I hope I can find another way to let go just a little bit, or that could be a problem.  And in the meantime, I might keep talking about my granny a lot.   

Bad Timing

 

So I’m wondering . . . are my relatives just completely dysfunctional, or is there always family drama when someone passes away?  I’ve heard others talk about some of the things they’ve gone through in the wake of a loss, so maybe it’s fairly common, but it seems like maybe this is the time families should come together and put aside differences, not make things more difficult on each other. 

I guess I get it though, at least to some extent.  Family members are stressed, and grieving, and we always strike out most easily at those we are most comfortable with, right?  And for most of us, that means family.  Besides, I guess there’s something to be said for the idea that if you can’t rely on family to put up with you even at your worst, who can you rely on?  And, I suppose one of the many things grief takes from us is our sense of timing.  But still, I don’t think it would be asking too much to let just a little bit of time pass before all the drama begins.   

Image courtesy of scottchan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Six Word Boredom

 

 

Already too much football on TV.

Those Three Words

 

 

 

 

  I think it’s probably normal when you lose someone to wonder “what if?”, and second guess yourself and your actions.  Could I have done things differently, done things better, made more of a difference?  And, because we’re human, and don’t always treat other people—even the most important people in our lives—the very best that we could, the truth for most of us is that we probably could have done better.

  But in some cases, and certainly with my grandma, I’m confident in the idea that she thought I did enough, even when I am not so sure.  And, the thought that brings me more comfort than any is that the last thing I said to her, just hours before she passed, was, “I love you.”  I am convinced they are the most important words in the world, and can never be said too often. 

 

 

Granny

 

Family.  I think it’s what grounds you in life, makes you feel connected to something bigger than yourself.  When my mom passed away several years after my dad, I remember my sister and I discussing that we felt like orphans.  We were grown women, but being parentless made us feel alone in a way that we had never felt before.

Today, my grandmother passed away.  She went peacefully in her sleep, which I think is probably the best thing that any of us can hope for after a long, full life.  But while the loss isn’t like losing a parent, I again find myself feeling sort of adrift, cut loose from a foundation that I’ve relied on my whole life.  Not to mention the family history that went with her.  We were looking through some photos today at her house, and they’re filled with people none of us can identify.  There’s a sadness in that loss of heritage, and maybe a lesson we should all learn.

But for now, I don’t think I can put too many feelings into words, so I will share with you an older post about Granny, and what may well be my favorite picture of her, though it was only taken last year.

Today, my grandmother, son, and nephew went to a studio to have pictures taken together.  They’d done this once before, when the boys were just young children, but time is passing, and it seemed a good time to do it again.  Especially since my son is preparing to move across the country to California and may not have the opportunity again to make pictures with his great-grandmother.  Of course, one hopes this won’t be the last chance, but as I said, time is passing.  So, we went to the photographer’s.

My grandmother—we call her Granny, a title she’s not particularly fond of, but it’s always been the great-grandmother designation in our family—is 92.  She’s always loved having her photo taken, especially with her two great-grandsons, who are the light of her life.  Between shots, I was playing around with the prop hats and plopped one onto her head, a big flouncy purple hat.  It was cute, but when the photographer mentioned she also had a red hat, I knew she had to have a picture in that.  After all, isn’t that the epitome of aging women living life—to wear a red hat bravely and brazenly, even if it doesn’t quite match your outfit?  Just a couple of snaps of the lens and Granny’s red hat moment was immortalized.  We all loved it—just a goofy photo that seemed to take years off her age.  Granny said she’d never had a picture taken in a hat before, but now she can check that off the list.

I’m glad we went to the studio today.  The group shots will be nice mementos, and we also got some pictures of the boys together and separately—all very good.  But what I’ll remember most is the impromptu moment when Granny became a member of the Red Hat Society, even if only for a few seconds.  At her age, I think she deserves to join, even if the hat doesn’t quite go.

 

 

 

 

                              

                                                Granny, 1920-2013

Weight Loss Wednesday, September 11

 

So, I seem to have a bit of a routine with the step count, without even realizing it—Thursdays and Fridays don’t seem like such good days, and Sundays seem like I’m just some sort of bump on a log.  I’ll be working on spreading those steps around more evenly, now that I see it out there in black and white.

And I’m still not getting to the gym as often as I’d like, though I can’t say for sure I can do much about that right at the moment—both work and school have been a little bit hectic.

Still, my overall activity level does seem to be increasing just slightly, and I did manage to drop just under half a pound this week, so at least some progress.

 

	Steps	Activities
Wednesday	11,176	31 mins treadmill, 1.53 miles
Thursday	6,239
Friday	8,755
Saturday	12,642	Football game; approx 2 mile walk from parking lot to stadium and back again
Sunday	5,873
Monday	10,171	25 mins treadmill, 1.46 miles
Tuesday	10,752	Approx 1 mile walk downtown while working

Coming this Fall

 

It’s that time of year again: time to start thinking about clearing space off the DVR (despite my best efforts, we still have only about 15% capacity remaining), juggling schedules, and trying to find out which of the new-comers will have what it takes to succeed.  That’s right, it’s just about time for the fall season premieres!  For a television addict like myself, that’s  like football playoff season, or something, so you know it’s important. 

So, without further ado, here are the new programs I’m looking forward to this season:

Mom.  There are more comedies than usual on my list this year, including this one.   We’ll see how that works out.

Hostages.  I think this has the potential to get old really quickly, but I’m going to give it a try anyway.  The initial premise sounds interesting, and it’ll be nice to see Dylan McDermott again. 

The Blacklist.  Speaking of people I’ll be glad to see again, here we’ve got James Spader.  I still miss Boston Legal, and this show looks like it moves Spader about as far from Alan Shore as possible, but he’s an interesting actor to watch.  Besides, this looks like some kind of strange cross between Silence of the Lambs and White Collar—what’s not to like?

Ironside.  A little iffy for me, since I grew up watching the original, but sometimes a reboot can work.

The Millers.  Family comedy can be hard to make work, but the previews make it look like this one might know the secret.

The Crazy Ones.  How can you not tune in to anything with Robin Williams?  Honestly, the show looks a little weak, but he can carry a lot of weight.

The Michael J Fox Show.  Ditto from above.  Watching Fox in his recurring role on The Good Wife, it’s been plain to see that his health issues have not prevented him from being a very watchable performer, and I think comedy is what he does best. 

And I think that’s it, the upcoming shows that I’m most looking forward to seeing.  How many will actually turn out to be worth watching for the long run?  Only time will tell, but that’s part of the fun.

What new programming looks most interesting to you?

What’s Playing—Little Bit of Everything

 

As I have likely mentioned before, I am a big fan of music.  Peppy tunes keep me moving on the treadmill, more thoughtful songs speak to me of life and loss, and then there is everything in between.   There really isn't a time that music doesn’t make better.

Keith Urban gets a lot of play time for me, so today, I thought I’d share his current single; I like it lots.  (Though the video is a little weird to me.)  Oh, and he’s coming in concert next month, too—I can’t wait!

Good song, right?

Lessons Not Quite Learned

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

There are an awful lot of things I miss about my mom, but one of the biggest is that I never really got the opportunity to learn how to be a mom.  My son was not even a year old when she passed away, and in the past twenty one years there have been about a million questions I’ve wanted to ask.

Of course, like all parents, I second-guessed just about every decision I ever made in raising a child, just hoping that loving him and always being guided by wanting what was best for him would be enough.  And, of course, like all parents, I never felt that it was.

Long ago, I was foolish enough to think that if I ever made it through childhood, things would get easier—if I could just get him “grown up”, then most of my work would be done.  After yet another painful conversation with my grown son today, I realized anew how wrong I was.  And I realized again just how much I miss my mom.

Six Word Sloppiness

 

  

 

  Ugly game, but still a win.

Day One. Again.

So, I fell asleep on the couch last night (thankfully after submitting my homework assignment), and when I woke up about 2:30am, I immediately stumbled off to bed.  But, just as I was laying my head on my pillow, I remembered what I’d been doing just before I dozed off—loading up the Live Writer to create yesterday’s post. 

I almost got back out of bed to make my way back into the living room and write it up.  I knew exactly what I was going to say; how long could it possibly take?   But, the reality is, it would take at least half an hour, possibly longer if I got distracted at all.  That would make it at least 3:00 before I’d be back in bed, and by then I’d be wide awake again, with no guarantee that I’d go back to sleep quickly.  Since my alarm goes off at six, that seemed pretty risky.

So, sad as it was, I made the decision that my much-needed sleep was more important than continuing a daily blog post, so once again, my streak has ended.  I didn’t even make it a year.  (But about ten months, which is a personal best for me.)  I’m continually impressed with people who can manage to post day after day, year after year.  People like Roger.  It’s because he’s more organized than I.  (Probably they all are, but I can’t say that for sure.)  Anyway, he’s been at it for something like five years now.  That really is impressive.

I may never make five years, but I will begin again today and see where it leads. 

Weight Loss Wednesday, September 4

 

Well, I got up this morning and forgot it was Wednesday, so I forgot to weigh.  These short weeks really mess with my head, though, as I said to someone earlier today, that sort of confusion is a small price to pay for a three day weekend, and I’d gladly do it more often.

Anyway, while I didn’t think to step on a scale, I can say that I don’t feel like I’ve lost any weight this past week.  In fact, I may have even gained a pound or two, judging by the way I feel.  Of course, not to get into TMI, but it is just about TOM, so that could be making a difference. 

On the upside, my step count is becoming more consistent.  I mean, sure, I spent almost all of Sunday sitting on the couch watching TV, but other than that, I had a pretty good showing for the week, I think.  And, for what it’s worth, I still don’t regret Sunday.

 

	Steps	Activities
Wednesday	8,855
Thursday	6,476
Friday	8,767
Saturday	12,146	Football game; approx 1 mile walk from parking lot to stadium
Sunday	1,301
Monday	6,528
Tuesday	12,099	45 mins treadmill; 3.22 miles

A Note to A&E

 

   Only a few short months ago, I was telling you about The Glades and how much I enjoy it as perfect summertime viewing.  And only a few months before that, I mentioned that I’m not typically a fan of a season-ending cliffhanger.

  But over the weekend, I had a chance to get caught up on some of my DVR stockpile, including the last month or so of The Glades that I hadn’t yet seen, including the season finale.  And I have to say, though it ended with a cliffhanger, I didn’t get that normal feeling of annoyance that usually comes along, because I was totally unprepared for the cliffhanger we got.  Seriously, I gasped.  Now, let’s be honest: it was a season finale and the main characters were getting married; anyone who really thought everything would go off without a hitch hasn’t been watching enough television.  I know the score.  There was going to be trouble in paradise, and we were destined not to see a blushing bride walk down the aisle just yet.  But, the trouble I envisioned most certainly was not the trouble we got.  I was impressed.  As much as I truly love TV, it doesn’t surprise me much, so when it does, I hold those moments in a special place in my heart.   I’ll even forgive the cliffhanger; it was that good.

But I quit singing their praises today when I found out that A&E has cancelled the program.  WHAT?  First of all, I thought the show was getting pretty solid ratings.  I mean, not like blockbuster numbers or anything, but I thought it held its own.  Besides, it’s a really good show.  And have you looked at some of the other stuff that’s available on the network?  Trust me, The Glades really shines. 

But even if you’re not going to renew a show for a full season, and even if you can’t make that decision before airing a such a non-resolved episode, as a  network, you still have a responsibility to get your fans what they want.  And, in this case, what the fans want is not to leave poor Jim in his current predicament for all of eternity; we want at least a conclusion.  In a perfect world, A&E would change their mind and the show would come back for season five, but at the very least, they need to authorize a movie or a few episodes or something, that not only resolves the cliffhanger, but adequately wraps up the show as a whole. 

And I’m not alone; browse around the web and you’ll see that there a quite a few folks who are equally disappointed/frustrated/shocked that A&E would cancel a show on such a note.  There’s even been a petition started to bring it back to the air.  I don’t sign a lot of internet petitions, but I signed this one.   As spectacular as that cliffhanger was, it certainly is not the way I want to remember the show; I do not want to be left wondering.  Please, A&E, do the right thing.

Why Choose?

 

As I have undoubtedly told you before, often I like to browse around different sites to see what sorts of topic prompts I might run across or just to see what other folks are talking about.  One of the prompt places I like to visit is a random question generator.  I dropped by there this afternoon just to see if anything caught my attention, and the question was, “Would you rather be the most popular kid in school or the smartest kid in school?”  I didn’t really think much about it at first, but the idea sort of kept niggling around in my brain.  Maybe because I’d never been either one, it was an intriguing idea. 

Both seem to have their appeal, don’t you think?  The smartest kid in school never has to worry about passing an exam or whether or not the homework is correct.  That’s an awful lot of school stress they get to completely miss out on.  I mean, I get that the smart kids don’t just naturally know the things they know; they learned them by putting in some effort and attention, but with most of the really smart people I’ve known, they require far less effort and attention than I do, and they end up knowing a lot more, too.  Especially as I sit here knowing that I’ve still got a few pages I need to read before class tomorrow night, I kind of think being super-duper smart could come in handy.

On the other hand, while I was never even close to the smartest kid in school, I can admit that I was often considered a little bit “brainy”, and I know that learning does come easier to me than it does to some others.  I’m lucky in that regard, even if I’m really not super-duper smart.  But when you’re a kid, being considered “brainy” by the other kids isn’t always a good thing.  In the hierarchy of the schoolyard, people passing tests and not worrying about homework come in a long way below football players and cheerleaders.  The popular kids have lots of friends and they always get invited to parties and asked out on dates.  And, the sad reality is, if they’re popular enough, it doesn’t really seem to matter if they pass their tests or not.  There were a lot of days in my childhood when thought it would be much cooler to be even a little bit popular instead of a little bit smart. 

By the time I was in high school, though, I’d mostly given up that idea, having recognized that a large number of popular people seemed to be not only very superficial, but also very phony.  I have never had much patience for those who try to present themselves in a certain way just to be accepted.  Because, really, what good does it do to have an army of friends if none of them really know you?  To have people with you day and night without being able to talk to them honestly?  There’s no benefit to that at all.

So, yeah, maybe being the popular kid and the smart kid both have their advantages, but—like most things—they’ve got their disadvantages, too.  So, if you ask me which I’d rather be, I’d have to say neither.  Or both.  I don’t really want to be lumped into any category that may or may not truly represent me, but I wouldn’t mind being both a smart and popular kid—someone who makes good grades and still manages to do homework between the parties and the dates.  I don’t know what you’d call a person like that, but I’d hope maybe they’d be called “friend”. 

Making the Most—and Least—of the Weekend

 

 

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”

                                                   ~Sydney J. Harris   

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of Ohmega1982 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Every once in a while, even when there’s stuff that you ought to be doing, I think it’s more beneficial to spend the day doing nothing.  You know, looking back over that sentence, I think maybe it should say, “especially when there’s stuff that you ought to be doing”.  Honestly, that’s precisely the time it’s most important to take a step back and regroup.

Lately, I am really beginning to feel the strain of always having something to do.  Deep down, I’m glad that I front-loaded my classes so that this final semester only requires six hours, but I am also really beginning to wish that I’d had an actual summer break.  A new job while carrying nine hours over summer semester (which followed a jam-packed spring semester of eighteen hours) really wore me down, and a couple of weeks between summer and fall just didn’t let me wind down much.  Add to that trying to launch the Paralegal Student Association, and also trying to figure a way to stay involved with PTK, and I am beginning to feel stretched far too thin. 

So, even though I’ve got a couple of chapters I need to read, an assignment that needs doing, and a bunch of PSA stuff that needs sorting out, those things didn’t get done today.  Instead, I slept in this morning, snoozed a little on the couch this afternoon, had cereal for lunch and a simple tuna and crackers for dinner, and worked my way through a whole bunch of programming piled up on the DVR. (I’m all caught up now with The Glades, Rizzoli and Isles, and Perception, and hope to finish up with Longmire and maybe one other show before I have to jump back on the treadmill Tuesday morning.) 

Not that I never take time for myself even when I should be doing other things, but then I’m usually overcome with guilt and end up staying up far too late to finish up the things that needed doing, thereby undoing any possible benefits of the relaxation time.  But not today.  Today was totally a mental health day, and I’ve got zero guilt.  I might even do it again tomorrow.