John Wolf

I tell ya, I have no idea what I did without the thingy on my computer's home page that tells me about things that happened On This Day.

Today's OTD entry is about Eddie Slovic. Eddie had a much-too-interesting life of crime, but he's remembered more for his death. Eddie was drafted into World War II in 1944, and allegedly deserted his platoon (or whatever you call "group of soldiers who work together") several times, often getting "lost" and sometimes managing to be reassigned to another platoon, especially when going into battle was imminent.

One day, the military had had enough of Mr. Slovic, when he actually deserted, admitted to it, wrote a letter stating what he'd done, and said he'd do it again if given the chance. He was given several opportunities to recant his testimony and rip up the letter with no consequences, but he refused, saying he'd made his choice and that he'd take his court martial. He was court-martialed, sentenced to death, and executed on this day in 1945.

Tonight, Thursday, I made dinner for Tony's (my husband's) grandpa. Grandpa is sick; he has mesothelioma, which is a kind of lung cancer caused by asbestos. Grandpa was an electrician and spent most of his working career in Phoenix, building it. Back then, asbestos hadn't been identified as being as harmful as it actually is, and he certainly breathed in his share of it.

Grandpa is quite a man. He had cancer in the 1980s and fought that off. I met him in 1986, when I moved to Phoenix from a tiny town in Michigan after meeting Tony my first year of college. He met me at Tony's house, opened his arms, and said "I'm grandpa!" To this day, I'm his granddaughter, not just Tony's wife. His wife, Grandma, died in 1988, just before Tony and I were married.

But Grandpa put on a burgundy suit (our colors were burgundy and dusty rose--yeah, yeah...it was the 80s!) and had a huge smile on his face when he performed our wedding ceremony. After that, he traveled. He went to Disneyland with us and rode all the rides-even the roller coasters. He drove from Phoenix to Michigan, and to Missouri, and once up to western Canada, across Canada, over to Cape Cod, down to Florida and then back across to Phoenix. He made room for a cat who needed a home, Noel, and he loved her until she died, too.

He welcomed his great-grandchildren when they came, first those of Tony's cousins, driving his camper van back to Missouri, then Michigan, to see them when they were born. Then his sisters children, then ours. He grieved for and with me the best way he knew how when I lost our first baby, a daughter named Emily Claire whose body formed with many massive heart defects and who was stillborn at 28 weeks. He rejoiced when I gave birth to two healthy children, and blessed our son Ben, then our daughter Julie, when they were born. He's been at all the great-grandkids' birthday parties in Phoenix, because as he's gotten older it's harder for him to drive so far. He did fly back, for awhile, for as many trips as he could. He's lived at the other end of our block for the past 14 years, always being a big part of our kids' lives.

But now, he's sick. He's going home to be with Jesus. He's 89 years old, and he has lived every one of his years to its fullest extent. He even fought in World War II. And tonight, when I took spaghetti and veggies and garlic bread to him, I told him that I'd read that today in history was the day that the only man sentenced to death for desertion from WWII was executed. Grandpa said, "I was there."

He proceeded to tell me the whole story, how this man had led a life of crime before the military, was drafted, and kept deserting his platoon. The men that were the firing squad bunked with Grandpa's company the night before the execution, having come from another place and needing a place to stay. All the men in the firing squad were happy to accomodate the government's wishes, he said; they were ready to get rid of this man who caused them so many problems. The day of the execution, Grandpa was on guard duty outside the place where he was executed. He remembers this man being marched into the place, surrounded by armed soldiers. He heard the shots of the firing squad, saw the other troops march out, and saw the ambulance with the man's body inside parade by. He went back to the barracks, he said, and the firing squad soldiers were there. They had been all ready to get rid of this guy, but when he got back, they were all ill and shaking. They'd never had to shoot someone in their own uniform before. They hadn't expected to feel that way, but they did.

"Slovic," said Grandpa. "His name was Slovic." And he was right. Eddie Slovic died in 1945, and Grandpa was there to see it.

I will miss grandpa, when he dies. I know it will be better for him...he's ready to go. He's tired out. He's tired of fighting. He's tired of cancer, and tubes draining his lung, and oxygen prongs. He's tired of catheters, and not being able to drive, and people having to come and make him dinner. I will miss hearing about WWII, about his Dorothy, and about his travels. He has given so much of himself to everyone, and even though he misses his independence, it is truly a blessing to me to be able to give something, even some small pot of spaghetti, or homemade cookies, to him. The world won't be the same without him in it. It will be harder, a little less happy, a little less historic. His house will probably be sold; no one in the family needs it. New people will move in, change the paint, maybe put up a fence. Who knows? It will be different. It will be hard. But this man, who remembers the name of a man he saw executed over 50 years ago, has earned his rest.

I love you, Grandpa.

Is it just me?

My, how times have changed. I know...what an original opening line, eh? Spiffy, isn't it. NOT! :) But I digress...

So tonight is Wednesday, and we were coming back from church, where we have dinner (if we get there on time, which we did not tonight), choir practice for me and Pioneer clubs for the kids (kind of like the Baptist's AWANA, but not AWANA). So I'm driving home, listening to Chumbawamba's Tubthumper CD, which my kids love, and my son Ben was talking about drums. He wants to play drums more than anything...this week. He "practices" at school, sometimes causing him to get in trouble if he keeps at it too long. And Chumbawamba uses PLENTY of drums...there's no question where the beat is in their music. Ben was telling me about his band teacher talking about practicing drums, maybe getting a book and reading ahead for next year (they aren't allowed to play drums in 5th grade, much to the huge relief of the neighborhood!). At one point I asked him when his band class was.

Now I don't know about when you were in school, but when I was in school, we had classes from, say, 8:30 until 9:25, then 9:30 until 10:25, and on and on until afternoon, when we switched to 1:15 until 2:10, and 2:15 until 3:10. Sort of round, easy-to-work-with numbers. When I asked Ben when his band class was, you know what he said? He said, without stopping even a moment to think, "12:03 to 12:49." HUH??????? 12:03 until 12:49?? Could they be a little more exact? What's next- 12:03:15 until 12:49:57? I just thought it was a little odd, and then I though...hey...Blogging Material!!! :)

My "This Day in History" thingy says that today, in 1933, was the day that Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. Boy, I keep looking on the days that are really uplifting, don't I? On the upside, the Bart Simpson quote of the day is "Global warming did not eat my homework!" Not that Bart could ever counteract Hitler, I'm just sayin...

And, I just had a thought...whatever happened to Geritol? Remember that vitamin for those more full of life experience? I haven't heard a good Geritol commercial in years.

TTFN. Have a pleasant tomorrow. And a fairly happy evening, as well.

Today in History

I have a new thingie on my home page that tells me things that happened on "this day in history." Now, I'm writing this on Sunday where I live, but on the east coast it is already Monday morning (sorry, folks in the east). This day in 1986 marks the day that the space shuttle Challenger broke apart and exploded after launch.

That was my first "big world-scale crisis," and I was in my first year of college. I had gone back to my dorm room either after or between classes (couldn't tell ya really, too long ago), and I turned on my little brown, wood-grain-like, square radio. The announcement came on and, like they do, told us what had happened. I remember my first thought was "No! Things like that don't happen!"

It was a very sad day. Christa MacAuliffe was on board; she was an elementary school teacher (which I had aspired to be until just a few weeks ago). The kids in her classroom were watching the launch on TV. Her parents, husband and children were there, not to mention the families of all the other astronauts. It was horrible.

But afterward was worse. That was the first launch ever made with a civilian. Afterward, NASA stopped all launches for two or three years, until they could fix the problem (O rings, I think), and there was no possibility of a civilian flying again.

In 1988 or 1989 (I was married by then), the tried a launch again. I remember sitting on our bed with my husband, watching the 19-inch black & white TV, watching the space shuttle climb higher and higher, crying and praying it would all be OK. It flew higher and higher, did its little 1/4 turn, kept going...

It all worked okay.

Which reminds me of the Ron Howard movie, Apollo 13. In that movie, of course, three astronauts are aboard a spacecraft that explosively malfunctions, requiring superhuman feats to get the astronauts back to Earth safely. There are problems upon problems in this situation, yet we (or more specifically, Gene Kranz) did not give up. He pushed his fellow NASA workers and pushed and pushed them, not accepting any "we can't do that" answer. He didn't permit anyone to give up. He refused to acknowledge defeat. He would not even consider defeat. At times it seemed that his will alone got those men back to Earth safely. It was amazing to see, that kind of drive, that kind of will, even that kind of power.

Why do I walk with Jesus? Because if you take that kind of tenacity, that will that would only allow success, that would not let go of the idea of success, if you take that and substitute love, then you can begin to understand how much Jesus loves his creation, you and me. He won't let go. He won't give up. No matter what I have done wrong (and there has been plenty), no matter what tragedy I have gone through, He is there with me. Always. He won't give up. He won't leave.

Even more tenacious than Gene Kranz. Just thought I'd share.

Fantastic, favorite food

Food is one of my favorite things, so I thought it would be appropriate, since I just finished grocery shopping, to write about it. Sometimes, in the stress of daily life, nothing is ever so good as one of the following things, depending on the situation.

Ice cream-at least twice a week, at night before bed. Takes the edge off a long day like you wouldn't believe

Oranges-wow! what can I say? One of the true "happy fruits." Great for lifting a mood or for munching on at work when the day is slow and I'm about to nod off.

Pineapple-the other happy fruit. Same properties as oranges, but with a more tropical flavor.

Maruchan Chicken Flavored Ramen-I know. 950,000,000 grams of sodium. But it tastes so good when I'm hungry late at night. To make it even yummier, I drain the noodles, put a little butter on them, and sprinkle just part of the seasoning packet on it-no more than half. Then I try to eat one noodle at a time, winding it around my fork. Yes, I know...weird. But effective!

Spear-O-Mint Life Savers-They have these in the little card shop in the building I work in. These are fabulous, low fat crunchy things that help immensely when I'm stressed at work. I have been known to go through 2 packs a day. Oh, no! I'm a 2-pack-a-day lifesaver addict!!

Tazo Awake Tea-Ummmmmmm....

Good Earth Tea with Caffeine-Ummmmmmmmm...first thing in the morning.

M & Ms-Plain, chocolate ones. Sometimes I eat a few at a time, others I let one melt in my mouth until the inner, thin layer of coating is really soft, then bite in and get all the chocolatey, gooey goodness.

Cranberry Juice and Sprite-when I'm feeling decadent, yet thirsty.

My homemade pizza-with plenty of fresh spinach, tomatoes, LOTS of garlic, and lots of mozzarella. This is perfect for when I want to tuck in for the evening with my husband, and there's a game on, or something else we want to watch.

Applesauce and saltine crackers-when I'm nauseous. Also works with saltine crackers and Sprite.

I didn't buy any M & Ms at the store. If I keep them around the house, I end up putting them in the refrigerator and eating them cold, which is even better than having them at room temperature.

Any foods that make you feel better?

Award, Part Deux

I learned something else this week that is absolutely fascinating. Get this...if you don't want to wait until whatever time the postal worker arrives at your business location, you do have an option. You have the option to pay...yes, PAY $700 every six months to be able to go pick up your own mail at the post office.

That's right, you PAY $1400.00 per year to PICK UP YOUR OWN mail and for this outrageous fee, the Postal Service gets to process LESS work (they already have to sort it in order to deliver it, so all that remains is putting it aside for you to pick up). Wow...that must be a long walk to the "put aside" area in order to cost $1400 per year!

The Government Operation Award!

Howdy Doody, there, folks!

Today I introduce the Government Operation Award! The idea of an award has been shamelessly pilfered from Tori :)'s blog, with apologies and the hope that she will understand that sometimes, stupidity and incompetence is so pervasive, so blatant, that it must be highlighted. Today, I present just such a situation.

The first recipient of the award is The United States Postal Service!

I live and work in a large city, in the central part of the city, really quite near the post office building which is responsible (and I use that term very loosely!) for bringing the mail to its customers, which is pretty much everyone.

Now, silly me, I had always thought that it was the express purpose of the Postal Service to deliver the mail. Since they do this every day, one could possibly assume that some sort of routine would eventually be developed, so that the recipient of the mail could reasonably expect the mail to arrive about the same time each day. HA! NOT!

I have worked at my current company for over a year and a half. When I first began working there, Carl delivered the mail, and he did so at about 2:00 every day. Every day, Carl called me, and I went downstairs to pick up the mail (we get tubs and buckets of mail, so it won't fit into a mailbox and needs to be picked up. We have a note over the Post Office desk in our building, asking the delivery person to call our suite when the mail arrives). Life was good. Then, Carl moved, or changed routes, or something. He had fill-ins for over a year. These fill-ins would last a few weeks, and the mail arrival time would almost fall into a routine, and then BAM! The delivery person would change, and we would start getting mail at 5:45 p.m. Then it would come at 6:00 p.m. Then at 6:15 p.m. I would call the Post Office every day, and every day I'd hear the same story. There was a new person on our route. They didn't know they were supposed to call us (remember the note?) . Or they had had to split up the route and were still delivering. I would point out the ridiculously late hour, and the dork on the phone would apologize, and the delivery person would eventually show up, and then I could go home to my kids.

Recently, though, we were blessed with Sam. Sam brings the mail by 12:30 p.m., even on Monday when it's busy. He's quick and efficient and courteous. His uniform is clean and pressed (which is more than I can say for many of the delivery people we get). Sonny got all the backed-up mail delivered in one week, and then they were caught up (backed-up mail?? Wha?? They can let it just sit there and be, well, backed-up????? Fabulous). But I didn't complain. Every time I see Sam, I tell him what a wonderful delivery person he is, and how we appreciate him so much because now we get our mail on time!

Well, today, Sam was on vacation. I'm supposed to be off work at 4:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. I called the Post Office, where the phone-answerer-person said that they'd had to split the route up and the carriers were still out. I waited. And waited. I went downstairs, and outside. And waited in the wind. Finally I went into the other building, because the mail truck was in the parking lot, and he obviously wasn't in our building. I tracked him down in the mailroom for the other building. He had already finished our building. He didn't know he was supposed to call us when our mail was here. I asked if I could get the mail, since I was still waiting for it. He said yes, but to give him 15 minutes. So, I waited. Outside, by his truck, with my cart, because I knew we'd have a lot of mail since they also didn't call anyone to let us know the mail was here on Monday.
He finally emerges from the building, gets my mail, I take it upstairs, and finally get to leave at 6:00 p.m., an hour and a half late. I missed choir practice. My kids didn't get dinner until 7:30.

I don't know how this particular Post Office manages to do such a lousy, inconsistent job. I am ticked off that their ineptitude forces me to leave late and ruins my schedule. But their supreme effort toward this goal earns them the very first "Government Operation Award!"

Sometime before our office closes at 5:00. P.M. But today, and on many occasions

Remember me?

It's been awhile. Lots has happened, and I wasn't blogging because not only was Christmas coming, I was also having a personal crisis (nothing really serious, but definitely a big change) and needed time to just take a step back and see what I needed to do.

It all started when I did a report on zero tolerance policies in schools. I did a lot of research and suddenly became completely unsure about my future as an elementary school teacher. I am not the type of person who can blindly follow a bad decision, and while I understand the reasoning for some zero-tolerance policies, many people abuse them, much to the detriment of students.

This led to my thinking about the things I would have to do to become a teacher. The 100 hours of my own time I'd have to find to complete the required observation time; studying for, paying for, and passing the teacher's exam; quitting my job so that I could student teach part-time (for no pay), and finally completing my degree, only to find that I make less than I make now. I have 2 kids to put through school, and who would like to continue spending time with me. Once I became a teacher, I would have work to bring home every night (papers to grade, lessons to plan) and continue to go to classes regularly, to keep my certificate active.

And then I thought about the job I have now, with the really great 401K and very impressive pension plan, the great benefits, and most importantly the fact that I love what I do now. Since I moved to Arizona 20 years ago, I have been desperate to go back to Michigan, where I came from. But I realized that I have a lovely home here, great kids, a husband who loves me and with whom I have lots of fun, and we are blessed beyond reason. So I decided that this is my home. If at some point, God decides to move us back to Michigan or somewhere else, then so be it. But until then, I'm going to practice being content where I am.

With all that in mind, I changed my major (and am still completing a degree, just a different one than I originally planned). I am now a Business Management major, and with all that's gone on, I feel like I haven't, in fact, wasted half my life in the wrong career. I feel like I've been getting experience in my chosen field, and somehow, that makes me really happy. I can relax, not having to figure out how I'm going to move us to Michigan. I can continue in the job I have, learning more about the business world as I earn my degree, and have a good life.

It's a relief!

I Knew It! I was right!

Wouldn't this make a fabulous dining/living room color??

You Should Paint Your Room Red

Dramatic and bold, a red room brings energy. Your red room will inspire you to try a new activity... And bring out even more passion for the things you love.

What Color Should You Paint Your Room?

Tori :) Will Be So Proud!!

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas

For you, it's all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

What Kind of Crappy Christmas Gift are YOU?

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

Socks! I'm socks! I love socks!

I completely ripped this off from Nancy. It looked fun. If you want to rip it off from me (or Nancy ), feel free.

MOUTHOLOGY
Q-What is your favorite fast food restaurant?

A-Del Taco. Try the strawberry shake...really!

Q-What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of it?

A-Tomatoes. Or ice cream. But not together.

Q-What are your favorite pizza toppings?

A-Ground beef, green peppers, and onions (preferably red onions)

TECHNOLOGY
Q-How many televisions are in your house?
A-Three, but one is in our son's room and used for games and DVDs (which are, of course, all approved by his over-protective mother.)

Q-What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A-Ummm...some stock photo that came with the computer, a picture of the Northern Lights (or Aurora Borealis) over a lake in Alaska.


CURRENTOLOGY
Q-Current mood?
A-Tired of school, tired of work; just tired. It is 10:21 p.m., after all!

Q-Currently listening to?
A-Billy Crystal accepting a comedy award on PBS.

FAVORITOLOGY
Q-Favorite number?
A-8. It's fun to write.

Q-Favorite season?
A-Fall.

BIOLOGY
Q-Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A-Right-handed.

Q-Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A-No, but I fainted my junior year of high school. I'd been sick and was trying to go to school anyway.

Q-When was the last time you had a cavity?
A-Right at this very moment. Who said blogs aren't fabulous-you're experiencing history right now!

RANDOMOLOGY
Q-Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A-Of course! Gosh!


Q-What color do you think looks best on you?
A-Red.

Q-What is in your left pocket?
A-I'm not wearing a pocket. I'm in my nightie. Remember, It's 10: 25! Keep up!

Q-Have you ever saved someone's life?
A-Umm...no. Not that I'm aware of. Maybe my winning personality gave someone a reason to hang on one more day?

Q-Has anyone saved your life?
A-Jesus


Q-What do you want to be when you grow up?
A-I don't want to grow up. But I do want to be a teacher...I think.


Q-Could you live with roommates?
A-I have, but prefer not to. Too bad about that husband and those kids, eh? (KIDDING!!)

Q-What can you not wait to do?
A-Finish school. But I don't think I ever will.

Q-What's the last movie you saw?
A- The Cutting Edge


DAREOLOGY
Q-Would you never blog again for $50,ooo?
A-Ummm...YES! Where do I sign?

Q-Would you allow one of your pinky fingers to be chopped off for a million bucks?
A-No...what kind of sicko questionnaire is this?

LASTOLOGY
Q-Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A-When yet another uninsured Arizona driver smashed into my car while it was parked outside my house.

Q-Last person who called you?
A-My friend Wendy!

Q-Last person you hugged?
A-My sweet husband.

Random Wednesday

"Animal Crackers and Cocoa to drink,
This is the finest of breakfasts, I think.

Animal crackers are okay, but those cinnamon-y alphabet cookies are even better with cocoa. I learned that poem in the first grade, I think.

Why does it feel so easy and natural to walk straight past another human being and not acknowledge them, both people keeping their eyes straight forward as though the other person isn't there? That doesn't seem natural to me, and I'm going to quit letting it happen. Just so you know.

I have slowly become a coffee snob. If it isn't "really good" coffee, I don't want any. How in the world did this happen? I'm a Michigan-raised, store-brand, generic prescription type of gal. I've found that I also like Earl Grey tea. It makes me feel content. I have no idea why.

My kids are fabulous. My son is becoming a brilliant musician and artist, while also being incredibly intelligent. My daughter sat at the table tonight adding and subtracting three-digit numbers (in the form of currency, like $8.32) in. her. head. Without the use of fingers, calculators, or paper to write a problem on.

My husband and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary on the 19th of this month. We are celebrating by going to Prescott, AZ for this coming weekend. I am excited!

I have started losing track of the many, many projects I have at work. I am interrupted at least 15-20 times per hour. I sit at the front desk, and act as the receptionist for our two companies, plus the administrative assistant for the accounting, scheduling, HR departments, as well as my boss, who is the practice manager. I feel like my head is going to spin around so much some day, it will just fall off and land gracefully on the carpet.

I have a cousin who is with YWAM, a youth ministry-missionary group. I only hear from him when they have financial problems. I don't have much to give, but I told him I'd pray for him and his family. They're adopting a little boy from Guatemala, and in the red tape involved, have gone through what they had saved. I doubt I'll hear from him again for at least a year. Maybe I'll be wrong. I'd like that, too.

I learned this evening (while typing this entry, in fact) that I prefer Wal-Mart brand Hot Chocolate to Swiss Miss. See-I'm still a Michigan girl! Whew!

I hope you've enjoyed this little trek through my thought processes. Have a pleasant tomorrow!

The Sound of Music

I was thinking the other day, while I was doing something mindless at work like stuffing envelopes, about music. There are some songs that immediately take me back to a particular time and place. Here are a few...

1. Tie a Yellow Ribbon by Tony Orlando & Dawn. I was 8 or 9 years old, maybe younger. I was in our family room/dining room (depending on what year it was) and I had my little portable, orange record player. I would play a little bit of the song, then pick up the needle and stop it, and write the words I remembered. I did this until I had all the lyrics written down.

2. Daybreak by Barry Manilow. My mom would get up with us in the morning, wake us up and fix our breakfast. Generally, this song was playing on the radio on the counter in the kitchen, on WTCM Radio from Traverse City, Michigan.

3. Brothers and Sisters of Mine, a hymn. I was at Senior High church camp, and Lester Ford was drawing the cover page for our camp log (kind of like a yearbook, only for camp). He was a great artist. We were sitting on the picnic table, under the big pine tree in the middle of the campground, with a bunch of other people.

4. America by Neil Diamond. In my friend Laura's living room, playing it over and over on her parents' big stereo, because we thought it was a cool song.

5. Forever in Blue Jeans, also by Neil Diamond. The sixth grade, at some class party or another. I thought he was singing Reverend Blue Jeans, and so did Tony Buffman. He was a kid who always tried to make everyone feel important and valued, even at his age.

6. Afternoon Delight, by someone whose name I can't recall. We were in our camper, in a campground somewhere in southern Michigan, near Ann Arbor. My sister drank lye when she was 3 years old, and for over a year we had to take her to Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan every other week to dilate her throat, which had to be replaced. During the winter we stayed with my aunt who lived near Ann Arbor; in the summer we camped. That was the campground where I learned to swim (there was a lake).

7. Kiss You All Over by Exile. There were a group of us who made it into the spelling bee, and we were in the back of the principal's van, headed back to school after the bee, when this came on the radio.

That's all I can think of now; though I know there are more. I'll share others in a different post.

The ABC's of Me

A-Attached or single: Married...19 years next month! And people thought it wouldn't work out!

B-Best friend: Tony, Rhonda
C-Cake or pie: Pie. Blueberry, please.

D-Day of choice: Friday

E-Essential item: My laptop...what did we ever do without these things?

F-Favorite color: Depending on for what, Red, Pink, Burgundy, Blue, or Green.

G-Gummi bears or worms: neither...Kit Kat, please!

H-Hometown: Alden, Michigan

I-Indulgences: Ice cream and sleep.

J-January or July: January...but I live in Phoenix. If I move, probably July.

K-Kids: Two absolutely fabulous ones.

L-Life is incomplete without: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

M-Marriage date: November 19th, 1988.

N-Number of siblings: two-a sister, Heidi; and a brother, Terry.

O-Oranges or apples: Oranges! One of the "happy fruits (pineapple is the other)!

P-Phobias or fears: Ferris Wheels.

Q-Quote I love: "Pull your pants up, turn your hat around, and get a job!"

R-Reason to smile: counting my blessings!

S-Season: Fall-no matter where I live.

T-Tag: anyone who wants to play!

U-Unknown fact about me: I love my flannel sheets!

V-Vegetarian or meat eater: Yes.

W-Worst habit: Stress.

X-X-rays or ultrasounds: Ultrasounds.

Y-Your favorite foods: Greek

Z-Zodiac: I don't do zodiac. I like giraffes.

She

It was a dead-air kind of evening; one that wasn't hot and wasn't cold. There was no wind. She'd just come out of Wal-Mart with her two children in tow. God, how she hated Wal-Mart! Yes, the nausea-inducing lights, the football field size of the store, the clientèle who never seem to have mastered the art of pushing their carts on the RIGHT, or actually, any side rather than parking them diagonally in the middle of an aisle. But far more annoying than those problems came at the end of every trip to the store...the 20-minute long checkout line and the demand from some underpaid, overworked employee that she show them her receipt on her way out the door. She'd solved the receipt-at-the-door problem by having her son hand the receipt to the doorway dingbat. She'd managed to hang onto patience the entire 2 hours she was in the store, looking at every toy aisle imaginable and trying to help her children find what they wanted to buy with their birthday money. She'd found the yarn and knitting needles she needed.

All this after she'd spent a solid four hours with her husband and kids, cleaning the back yard. She was exhausted, her feet were killing her even though they sported sneakers, not heels. The cart full, the doorway dingbat satisfied that she hadn't stolen anything, she pushed the cart toward her car, which had been parked miraculously close to the entrance. And then, WHANG!! The cart stopped dead. Thinking she'd run over something, she attempted to back up. Nothing. She tried forward again...no dice. Sadly, she hadn't run over anything. No, the stupid electronic wheel lock had come on. She looked around...there was no yellow line, the traditional marking for such nonsense as locking carts. She was a mere 50 feet from the door. And then, her son saw it. "Look, mom! There's the line!"

And there it was. Maybe three feet long, and near the end of a dark alley on the side of the Wal-Mart store, mixed in with the traditional crosswalk lines, was a yellow line. The merest fragment of the usual thick, yellow line that borders the parking lot.

She lost it. She called information on her cell phone and got the phone number for the Wal-Mart she had just exited. She called the store, and when the poor soul who answers the phone, answered the phone, she heard "Guess What? I'm in your parking lot not more than 50 feet from your door and my cart locked up! I'm standing here in the middle of the road outside your store, trying to get to my car, which is not more than 20 feet away, and I can't, because your cart has locked up! It's bad enough that I have to have my cart searched and my receipt checked every time I leave your store, like some common criminal, and I can never find what I need in less than two hours, and now this! I am tired of being treated this way!"

After a puzzled moment, the poor soul's voice came back on. "Ma'am, I don't even know where you are."

"I'm RIGHT OUTSIDE your door! Not more than 50 feet away! And now I'm going to have to leave my minor children with my cart, go and get my car and block your drive while I load it up! They're just kids! It's dark outside! Can't you make your carts work a little further than 50 feet?"

"Ok. I'm sorry, ma'am. And you know what? Even we employees get searched every time we leave the store, so I know how you feel. I'm really sorry."

She took a breath. "Thank you, and I know it isn't your fault personally. I'm sorry I'm being a jerk."

"That's perfectly alright, ma'am. You have a good evening."

So she went to her car and backed it out of the space. Miraculously, there was no traffic. She drove to the kids, and got them in the car, then unloaded the cart into the trunk and was on her way. She got about a quarter of a mile down the road before she heard a still, small voice talking to her about patience and how people behave in public, especially in front of their children. She picked up her phone and dialed information again. Miraculously, there was an option for being connected with the last number searched for, so she pressed "1." The poor soul came on the phone, and she apologized profusely for her attitude when she called earlier. The poor soul was very gracious.

She ended the call and hung up, and then realized that all those miraculous happenings...weren't. God knew what was going to happen, and let it. He didn't do it because He loves to see people suffer. He didn't do it to punish anyone. His son Jesus took all the punishment that God ever would have had for us, no matter what we do or what future generations do, when he let himself be nailed to a cross and then rose from the dead three days later.

No, He let it happen, I believe, because we are here on Earth in order to learn. Perhaps we're here to learn how to live in heaven. I know I've got a lot to learn..."She" is me.

Foley's Fire Eaters Finally Finish!

No, I'm not really eating fire. Ick. The title is a reference to a line in the famous and popular movie, "An Officer and A Gentleman," when the platoon (or whatever you call it) that Richard Gere's character is a part of, finally finishes basic training and is on their way to Pensacola to "get jets."

I, however, am done with my independent study class. I'd really like to know how these can be called "Independent Study." 'Cause I pretty much had a set syllabus of what I had to do. I didn't feel free to study butterflies, or wave frequency at Clearwater Beach on the Gulf of Mexico. No, I had to study what they told me (ha, ha).

I figured it out tonight, and I wrote 12 papers of at least 800 words. In 5 weeks. Actually, in 10 days, because I did all of my homework for this class on the weekends, around everything else that's happening in our lives (Tony's grandpa's cancer; the kids in a new school;everybody being sick because it's a new school year and hey, why not; my husband's fabulous book deal; church; choir; and, oh yeah...work.). And I am tired! My husband found me on our bed at 2 a.m. this morning, literally asleep on my laptop. He woke me up to tell me it may be time to put the computer away, and I was so startled that I was like, "I'm up! I'm up! Hang on!" Yeah, right. Then, he gently told me he was going to unplug my computer (because the cord was hanging across his side of the bed, and it of course has an internal battery, and it being 2 a.m. he wanted to go to sleep). I'm like, "Wait! Hold on! I don't want to lose this," at which point he patiently explained to my sleep-befuddled self that it wont' turn off the computer if he unplugs it; the computer has an internal battery. I swear, the poor man had no idea what he was getting into when he married me. I can be such a dork sometimes! :)

But, I am finished. And it is good. Now, I just have a meeting on 10/16 and classes start again 10/23. But for now, a break! From school, at least...

Randomness

-Have you ever noticed how rude the world is becoming? We're hiring for a position at work, and we scheduled second interviews with three people. Second interview--that's a big deal, right?
Well, not apparently for this one lady, who didn't show up and didn't even call. I left her a message after she didn't show, asking her if I'd gotten the day wrong or if she wasn't interested in working with us. I asked her to call back. She didn't.

-Don't buy toys from MGA Entertainment/Rescue Pets. My daughter (8 yrs. old) did, and the little bone that they put the code on, so the kids can play online, got lost in the flurry. I tried to register without it (there's a website that apparently they can go and play on with the toy they bought), but I couldn't and the webpage said to contact myepets.com. I did, and after ingnoring my first two e-mails, I got irritated with them and sent a stronger e-mail. They wrote back with a form letter that said they had been having trouble accessing my e-mail...yeah...right. They also said in the form letter that the UPC code I gave them didn't match a toy that could go online, even though the web address and the things you can do on website are plastered all over the box. In yet another form letter. And then tonight, I got an e-mail from a person with a name, rather than MGA Customer Service, that matched almost exactly the letter they sent last night, stating they were "unable" to help. So, I e-mailed this information to them, and then they responded that they are "unable" [read, "don't give a crap"] to replace the code. I promised them I'd tell everyone I knew, and though I don't technically know all of you personally, I thought I'd pass it on. If you buy a Rescue Pet, guard the tiny paper bone with your life, because MGA Entertainment has no intention of being customer friendly.

-My kids and I are reading "Harriet the Spy" together. Great book.

-I have purchased Christmas presents for five people already. And it's technically still September. Woo-Hoo!

-I have been obsessed with thoughts about and curiosity with someone from my past for the past two weeks. The last time this happened, the person moved here. Hmm...

-I had my teeth cleaned today. I went in for 2 crowns, but all they could fit in was the cleaning. Next Thursday is crown day. I had a credit of $67, and my bill for today was $62! Woo-hoo again!

-The soundtrack from "Dirty Dancing" makes me happy. ;)

I was tagged by Jail Diet to do the following...List 5 things that certain people (who are not deserving of being your friend anyway) may consider to be "totally lame," but you are, despite the possible stigma, totally proud of. Own it. Tag 5 others:

1. I made the honor roll every marking period in the 12th grade.

2. You know those letters you get for sports in hight school? Well, I was the first member of my freshman class to be awarded a band letter, which we got by earning points for showing up for band camp at the end of summer, being on time, participating in try-outs for chairs, etc. The stupid thing is, the school wouldn't let us buy the regular jacket that you sew the letters on. No, we had to have cheap black and orange (our school colors) windbreakers. I still have mine.

3. I was captain of the flag squad my sophomore, junior, and senior years in high school. Yes, I was a "flaggot." And a darn good one, too!

4. I was President of my church youth group in 12th grade, too.

5. I made a fantastic apron and at least one really cool long 1970s-style dress (because it was the 1970s) as a member of our local 4H club. I got blue ribbons on them.

I tag Lauren and Tori, having very few blogfriends I am familiar enough with that they may not openly jeer at me in their blogs.

Five Hours in the Penalty Box!

I'm not a real hockey fan. I just thought it appropriate for what happened today. I woke up this morning with a GINORMOUS neck/shoulder/headache.

I should've known it was coming. I've been dizzy for two days (well, three now), I've had chest pains a lot the past three weeks (I get those with anxiety-at least I hope that's all it is) and have been incredibly stressed out at work. So, Wham-o! Major, life-stopping, energy-sapping headache. For five hours. Couldn't look at light or hear sound. At all. Ugh. Happily, the kids had no school, and their awesome grandma took them canoeing up in Prescott. My fabulous husband got them up, dressed, and ready to go (though these days, they do much of that themselves). I laid there in bed, in agony. I called in to work, then went to sleep. I woke up at 11:00. Still couldn't move until noon.

I must get healthier. I've been hardly eating lunch, trying to keep up at work, and not sleeping enough, trying to be everything else I need to be and do homework.

I did go in to work at 1:30. At least it was something, I thought. My sweet boss called me into her office and told me that I need to let her know if I have too much to do. She knows she runs around like a headless chicken all the time, but doesn't want to make others sick because of it. This is good, because if one more person handed me something they just didn't want to deal with themselves, I was going to rip their arm off. Okay, probably not. But it was tempting.

I am so blessed to work there. But I do have to learn to say NO, or it won't be good any more. I am not a doormat, but I'm letting myself be one by saying yes to everyone who needs help. I also "take on" other people's feelings, and when my boss is stressed, I want to help her and I just figure I will somehow fit it all in. And more often than not, I do fit it in. But I end up hurting myself and my health. N-N-N-N....NO. I can do this. I must do this. Or I will drop over dead from a heart attack.

No.
No.
No.

And now, Deep Thoughts...by Penny

Have you ever noticed how little quiet is in the world? Media is everywhere; clock radio, TV, car radio, Ipod, CD collection. Different ways to make noise on each noisemaker; CD player/radio/alarm; CD/Stereo; TV/VCR/DVD/TiVo; multiple ring tones; on and on and on. I would love to just sit in a hammock or a rocking chair or lie in the grass and hear...nothing. Crickets, maybe. Bees buzzing by. Watch the clouds and think. Or--gasp!--read a book. In the quiet. With no music or alarm or phone or TV or radio commercial telling me I need to Get Down There Now!! Now!! Now!! and buy a Subaru...anywhere nearby. Quiet. Rest. Peace.

Just a thought...

Peace out...