Money Can’t Buy It All

 

In the random news of the day, apparently Casey Kasem has disappeared—or, at least, his kids don’t seem to know where he is.  Apparently they are estranged from Kasem’s current wife, and believe that she may have moved him somewhere to deliberately keep them apart.   A judge has intervened in the family drama, and ordered an investigator to locate Kasem. 

Besides being sad to the young me that cherished the weekly countdown, it’s also a sad reminder that it doesn’t really matter if you’re famous or rich; none of us are guaranteed our health, nor a family that cares enough to always make the best decisions when we are unable to care for ourselves.  

Kasem has been ill for a while, requiring constant care, and may not even be fully aware of everything that’s going on.  But, I have to believe that he’d be better if all those who love him were able to visit with him, so I’m praying for a positive outcome for him, and his family.

Snapshot Sunday, Mother’s Day Edition

 

It’s Mother’s Day, and as every year for the past couple of decades, I miss my mama.  This year, I also miss my grandma.  And ever since the year he moved to California—even though he returned shortly thereafter—I have spent Mother’s Day away from my son, so I’m missing him, too.  Not to be all caught up in a pity party, but it’s really starting to bother me that a day that’s supposed to be a special celebration for me always leaves me sad and crying. 

On the upside, Brian and I went up to my office today and did a bit of housekeeping, since I’ve changed offices and haven’t had a chance to move my stuff.  And after that, we went for dinner at Ted’s, which I may have mentioned before is my favorite restaurant ever.  I appreciate that Brian indulges me, even though he’s not fond of the place.

But, this is Snapshot Sunday, so here are some photos of the two ladies who were always there for me as I was growing up, and beyond. 

Six Word Catch Up

Lazy last weekend, making up today!


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Feel Good Friday, May 9

What makes me feel good today? Graduation! A fun memory with my school friends and family there to celebrate with me. Yep, that's definitely a feel good moment.
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Location:Morning Glory Dr,Norman,United States

Wellness Wednesday, May 7

 

Only made it to the gym once this week, but the vacation poundage has dropped back off.  Also, I’ve had at least 100 ounces of water each day this week, so that’s off to a good start.  I’m keeping on.

In other news, in the past couple of weeks—once while in Florida and once just last night—I’m pretty sure that I’ve experienced by first bouts of true night sweats.  I always get hot when I sleep (in contrast to pretty much always being cold when I’m awake), but these were not the same as that.  No, I think I have to accept the reality of the flippant remark that’s been coming out of my mouth for quite a while now: perimenopause.  I’m pretty sure that there are some upsides to actually going through “the change”, but my understanding is that those benefits are slow in coming around.  But, in terms of the matter at hand, it also seems to be a universal truth that the vast majority of the women dealing with either full-on menopause or the preliminary version also experience  at least a difficulty losing weight, if not actual weight gain.  I know I’ve said before that losing weight at 50 is significantly harder than it was even at 47-48, and I am not thrilled with the idea that all of physiology is combining to make it even harder.  But, as I say, I’m keeping on; I can’t just give up now, even if science is against me.

 

	STEPS	ACTIVITIES
Wednesday	6,832
Thursday	7,940
Friday	10,037
Saturday	1,355
Sunday	12,672	39 minutes treadmill; 2.59 miles
Monday	7,717
Tuesday	6,278

Jack’s Back

 

I’ve been working late pretty steadily since I got back from vacation, including yesterday, so I just now got around to watching the first hour of the premiere of 24: Live Another Day.  (And the second hour will have to wait a while longer, as I have got to hit the sack.)

I thought it was off to a bit of a slow start, but as with most series premieres—or even premieres of mini-series resurrecting old favorites—there are a lot of moving pieces to put into place, and a lot of characters to introduce. 

In this case, of course, many of the characters only had to be re-introduced, but we still have to figure out where they are now and how they fit in with the newbies.  And we got a good first look at all that, as Jack Bauer swooped in after four years to save the person who is probably his best friend in the entire world, Chloe O’Brian.  It didn’t look like an overly joyful reunion of the two, though, so it seems likely that Jack will not get a lot of props for putting himself in harm’s way to break her out of her predicament.  That’s nothing new for Jack, though; he seems destined to be a fugitive of one sort or another, just for trying to do what he believes is the right thing. 

The thing about “the right thing” for Jack Bauer, though, is that it very often comes down to simply the lesser of the evils, because he always finds himself in situations where there really isn’t a good solution.  And it doesn’t look like that’s going to change during this limited event series, either.  The political backdrop of this twenty-four hour installment (even though it’s only twelve hours of airtime this go ‘round) is the timely story of unmanned drones.  The president is in London trying to negotiate some sort of treaty, and the first hour ends with a drone malfunctioning and targeting the American military men it’s supposed to be helping to protect. 

But this is 24, so of course the “malfunction” is certainly some sort of terror act, and that will begin the real drama that’s going to require Jack to swing into action and really save the day.  All while he’s being hunted, no doubt, because he is currently wanted as a traitor.  Life’s not easy when you’re Jack Bauer, but he just keeps doing what he does, knowing things will work out until they don’t. 

And I, for one, really like watching him do what he does. 

On the 5th of May

 

Is it just me, or is there a certain irony in a society that celebrates all the fun and revelry (read: good food and flowing alcohol) that comes along with Cinco de Mayo, but has so little respect for the culture that inspired the holiday?  Not that everyone disrespects , of course, but enough that it makes me wonder.  It was just a thought.

Unrelated, but also on my mind today is the Supreme Court ruling upholding the right of governmental entities to open their proceedings with a prayer. 

I’m sure I have mentioned that I’m not a particularly “religious” person, in that I don’t have need for organized religion, nor the need to be overt about my beliefs.  But I get that that’s just me, and that plenty of folks find joy and purpose in their church life and in sharing their beliefs with others.  And that’s okay; I don’t begrudge any of it.

But, I’ll admit that I’m one of “those people” who thinks it’s a little odd that legislative bodies open their sessions with a prayer, that local town councils are doing the same, that our courts ask witnesses to swear on a bible and proclaim their honesty “so help me God”. 

I don’t think it’s odd because those things don’t apply to me; I think it’s odd because I recognize that they don’t apply to everyone.  There is a subtle discrimination in the way that our “society”—as portrayed by our government—is Christian.  It’s a little bit insidious, really.

I think if it’s important to organizations that the members have an opportunity to begin sessions with prayer, that maybe there should just be a moment set aside for people to say their own prayers silently.  Or even out loud, if they are so inclined, though our society really doesn’t have a whole lot of tolerance for “others”, so anyone not saying a “typical” prayer might not feel comfortable in speaking out. 

I’m not saying that Christians should be subjected to oppression of their own; I’m just saying that I think sometimes we forget that Christians are not the only people in this country, and it’s too easy to forget the idea that just because any particular group might be a minority, does not mean that they should be marginalized. 

Come to think of it, it’s possible that this is not as unrelated to Cinco de Mayo as it seemed.

 

Snapshot Sunday, May 4

 

Yes, it’s May 4th, so for the record, Happy Star Wars Day! 

But, it’s also a lovely spring day, after what seems like a simply interminable winter.  So, the photos for today are the signs of spring.  As an aside, I always wish I had more color in my yard, but the truth is, except for things that pretty much take care of themselves—like irises—I’m not much of a flower grower.  Oh, well, maybe in some other life.  Or when I win the lottery and have a landscaping service.  Yeah, that’s it.  Still, it makes me grateful for the irises!

I hope you all had a good weekend, and that the week ahead brings good things, as well.

 

Six Word Layabout

Man, I did absolutely nothing today.


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Feel Good Friday, May 2

 

Nope, not particularly feeling good today.  I’m in a funk and ready to get out of it, but I don’t think it’s quite time.  Consequently, I haven’t really been spending much time on Facebook, and even when I have been, not much has really struck my fancy.

However, even though I didn’t dwell on it too much, I have to admit that I loved the idea of a kid taking his great-grandma to prom.  I have no doubt that she will cherish that memory for as long as she lives, and I hope that he will, too.

Ties that Bind

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately.  Or, more accurately, what makes family.  There’s biology, of course, or sometimes legal unions.  But that makes relatives, which is not necessarily the same thing.

And, as I most always do, when I dwell too long on the topic of family, I also begin to dwell on my mom, and how much I really wish she was still around.  In this particular instance, because I think there are still some lessons I need her to teach me. 

She was one of those people who could make family out of anybody; she had a way of cultivating genuine love and concern for people, and people returned that affection.  But she also had a way of making actual family feel like it was important to belong to that select group—knowing that there was always a safe haven in any sort of storm, and being grateful for that sort of security.

Now it seems maybe I took that too much for granted; maybe I didn’t realize that those sorts of feelings don’t happen naturally, that they have to be coaxed and tended and cherished.  But, having realized that, I fear that it may be too late, that maybe I didn’t recognize it soon enough, and some relationships are already lost.  Or, maybe sometimes “family” is only one way; that’s possible, even if it’s not ideal.  I’m not sure, and I’ll probably never be sure, not entirely.  All I know for certain is that family matters to me, and you can bet I’ll be thinking even more, trying to figure out what it might take to make it important to others.