Confessions of a Corporate Escapee

The Dancing Heart

2011-04-29T16:29:00.005-04:00

The screaming episode of a-fib I had last night reminded me of my promise to write more about my experience with this condition in case someone is looking for more information on others experience with this condition. A couple of things I've learned living with paroxysmal (on and off) a-fib for several years and conversing with others who have a-fib.

A-fib presents itself with a unique set of symptoms. Some have it and don't know it until their doctor tells them. Some are highly symptomatic when in a-fib. Some people, myself included, have symptoms that vary from mild to extreme.
Better eating habits, getting more sleep and good quality sleep, and avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and cold medicines does seem to reduce the number and intensity of a-fib episodes.

So what does a-fib feel like?

I've been in the hospital twice now on an EKG machine with the doctor telling me I'm in a-fib. If they hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known. In both of these cases I was confined to bed and medicated heavily enough that my heart rate was controlled, so it stayed in a 'normal' range of less than 100 beats per minute. So sometimes it feels like nothing at all.

I should mention here that I almost constantly have something called PVC's, which are not a-fib but seem to go hand in hand with afib. These are benign (so the doctor says) but they can drive you absolutely insane until you get used to them. I have about 4000 a day, and have had them since 2005, so I guess I'm used to them for the most part now. If you ever took a CPR class, you may recall that you were told to count one & two & three & four & five... when performing CPR. Well, with PVCs imagine your heart beating along one & two & three......and then there's this pause, sometimes long enough that you feel like holding your breath to make sure you feel if your heart does beat again. And then along come four, but it isn't a normal beat. No, it is a super beat that slams so hard that sometimes you feel it is lifting you right out of the bed. If you are not extremely overweight, you can actually see that beat pop out of your chest sometimes. Needless to say, it makes relaxation a challenge.

By far the worst; however, is being here at home or in the hospital in what I call 'full-blown a-fib.' This typically occurs at night, sometimes before I go to sleep, other times waking me from a sound sleep. At first it feels like my heart is playing on the monkey bars. Remember that bar you hold on to and the flip around? Well, it feels like my heart is doing pull ups on that bar, and then every few beats it decides to turn a flip - whee! Except it isn't as thrilling to have my heart do that inside my chest as it is to have my body turn that flip. Eventually that flip changes to an irregular heart rhythm. No more one & two & three. It's like a drunken sailor is staggering around inside my chest.

Except that no drunken sailor could stagger so fast. When it really winds up, my actual pulse rate will soar up over 100 beats per minute. At about 180, I get shortness of breath and lightheaded. I use some basic breathing exercises to bring my rate down to where I can breathe again. But then it pops back up again, so time for more breathing exercises. Repeat, over and over again, until either the rate stabilizes at a low enough point that I can go to sleep; or I convert back to normal rhythm; or I decide it's time for a trip to the ER. Trips to the ER are thankfully rare, and I'll talk about why in a future post.

Oh, and once I hit that magical rate of 180 or so, another symptom develops. Some of my friends call it the 'big pee.' Yes, just at the time that my body needs me to be still and relax to lower my heart rate -- I start wearing a trail in the floor going back and forth to the little girl's room. If I hit that point, I know it's a really bad a-fib episode and I'm going to feel like h*&% the next day. Kind of like I feel right now.

The next day, my blood pressure is typically low. So I'm too tired to do anything more strenuous than operate the DVR. Sometimes I even watch the commercials because the effort to fast forward just isn't worth it. I have to psyche myself up to stand in the shower for five minutes. Trips up the single flight of stairs in our house require a break in the middle. I often get so lightheaded that I have to elevate my feet to clear the rushing in my head.

Sometimes after an a-fib episode, if I try to do normal type activities, I have a near-faint, which is an awful feeling. If you haven't had a near-faint before, for me it goes like this. First, my head starts feeling extremely full. I get very warm and slightly nauseous. Sometimes if I can get to a sitting position fast enough, it ends there. If not, then my vision starts narrowing. It's like someone is slowly covering my eyes from the outer perimeter inward, until I can only see a tiny little tunnel. And my lips get numb - yep, worse than the best Novocain the dentist can dish out. By this time my feet better be getting elevated above my heart, or I'm probably going all the way out. Lucky for me there's been someone around to help with the feet the two times it's gone this far.

So this is what it feels like to live with a-fib in my sample of one - me. Other describe different symptoms. Some choose to head to the ER at the first sign, others refuse to go to the ER at all. Well-intentioned doctors often tell us that we have anxiety we need to deal with (well duh, after what I've just described wouldn't you be a bit anxious?) or that it won't kill us, never mind the elevated stroke risk. They ignore the impact of feeling 70 when you're 45, the fear of the next episode that ruins your plans for the day, and medications that are sometimes worse than the disease.

So what are the options for an a-fib sufferer - that's up next.

From the Heart

2011-04-05T13:34:00.008-04:00

I admit it - I'm a superficial blogger. I've watched with both admiration and consternation as my blogger friends offer intimate glimpses into their lives. Sometimes I've thought about sharing more intimate details, but I'm always held back by the "what ifs." Today's topic is one of those: "what if someday I'm job hunting, and my future employer finds this, and decides I'm too high risk to hire?"

No, this isn't about some wild crime spree or deviant behavior. It's about something potentially worse in an employer's (or their insurer's) mind - health. Yet I know that this story needs to be told, because there are others out there with similar circumstances, who need to hear they aren't alone.

You might recall my prior heart story. A really brief synopsis for those of you who don't want to go back to read it - I had some strange symptoms, for a period of five years or more these were diagnosed and treated as anxiety, turned out I had a hole in my heart.

Foremost among my strange symptoms was a racing, irregular heartbeat that most often occurred around 2AM, often waking me from a sound sleep. My heart rate was often over 150 (this is while lying in bed) and it felt like a psychotic, tap dancing Tasmanian Devil with really bad rhythm was inside my chest.

I now know that this was atrial fibrillation (A-fib for short). If you want more information on this condition, I highly recommend this wonderful website. If you don't, here's the short version: A-fib is the most common abnormal heart rhythm. The only for-sure way to diagnose it is with an EKG. The older you get, the greater your chances of having a-fib. It impacts your quality of life, and it increases your risk of stroke. You can 'have' a-fib without having a heart defect or any other form of heart disease.

I have paroxysmal (some of the time) A-fib. This A-fib can be elusive and rarely seems to occur when there happens to be an EKG machine nearby. But if you have a racing heart for no reason, and the rhythm is irregular, it might be a-fib. To find it, doctor's first have to test for it.

If you are a younger woman, in my experience there is a good chance of getting an anxiety, panic attack, depression, or hormonal disturbance diagnosis without any testing when you complain of a racing, irregular heartbeat. A-fib certainly causes anxiety, and it can also cause depression, and it can be related to hormonal imbalances. In some people anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications can lessen the frequency of a-fib episodes; thus appearing to support the depression/anxiety diagnosis.

A Holter monitor is a non-invasive, relatively inexpensive test. While many report that their symptoms seem to perversely disappear every time they wear a Holter, it does provide successful diagnosis for others. It seems to me a Holter should be an obvious test choice when someone is complaining of a racing heart and irregular rhythm, despite their age or gender.

Why am I telling you this? Because in my case, earlier diagnosis might have led to less enlargement of my atria, and therefore less predisposition to continuing a-fib. Yes, even though my heart defect has been repaired, I still have the a-fib.

More on what it feels like to live with a-fib next post.....

A Lot About A Little

2010-09-29T16:46:00.004-04:00

"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." I'm not sure who said that, but ain't it the truth. Life has certainly been happening to me this year. Here are a few random thoughts about the year 2010.

The human body can endure a lot of self-inflicted abuse like stress, bad eating habits, lack of exercise, and too little sleep. It eventually catches up with you. Get out from in front of the computer (after you finish reading this, or course) and stretch, each some fresh fruits or veggies, take a walk, breathe deeply. You'll be glad you did.

You can spend a ridiculous amount of money going to the top of the tallest building in North America and stepping out into a box that looks like you are standing in mid-air. But your child will have more fun sitting in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel on Michigan Avenue in Chicago learning about acoustics. Yes, in this lobby you can sit in chairs across the lobby (say 100 yards at least) from each other, talk in a low volume voice, and carry on a conversation with the person across they way from you. At no charge, no less.

For all my gambling friends, I have a new pool for you to join. You see, every time Kilowatt goes out of town, something weird happens. Last weekend was the best one yet - he left on Friday night. At 2AM Saturday morning a drunk driver hit a utility pole down the road, and out goes the power. When the power goes out, we have all these things that beep. Loudly. I finally manage to doze off around 4AM. At 4:30, the power comes back on. Cue the beeps. Oh well, at least I should sleep well on Saturday night, right?

Saturday night arrives -- Diva and I are watching a movie when we hear a roaring sound. Since we live in the flight path for the airport, I thought it was just a really big plane. But it didn't get any closer, and the house started shaking. Yes, it was an earthquake. Now NH doesn't get many earthquakes, so what are the chances that the first one I've felt in the 25 years I've lived here would happen while Kilowatt is out of town? Yep, good gambling odds for the house.

So what's next? We've had floods and windstorms. I'm thinking meteors.... Would you like a warning the next time he goes out of town?

Live, from New Hampshire, it's Wild!

2010-05-21T14:52:00.002-04:00

I have returned! Yes, I survived yet another semester of doctoral study. I'll have a nice update post someday, maybe. But in the meantime our local paper has had news that I just had to share...

Only in New Hampshire...:

Today, a 'teenaged' moose caused one of the largest high schools in the state to be on a semi-lock down. Yep, teen moose have the same problem as teen humans - the raging hormones make them think in a less than rational manner.

But this isn't all the 'wild' news of the week. Just two days ago we had a similar incident a bit farther south - but this time it was a bear. Since I had two 'teenaged' bears wander through my yard earlier this year (and take down my bird feeder) I can certainly understand why we might not want to have kids near them.

This is why I love this state!

Happy Girl!

2010-03-14T17:06:00.002-04:00

Diva has been on a Destination Imagination team since 2nd grade, so yesterday was her 5th competition. For the last three years (since they entered the competitive level) her team has just missed progressing to the state tournament. We've dried our fair share of tears each year as the winners are announced, and twice our team has finished 3rd when only two teams move forward.

This year they picked the most popular challenge, which is both good and bad. Good because with nine teams competing in their division, the top three are moving forward. Bad because the odds weren't quite as good this year as last year with a smaller field.

When two very impressive teams took 4th & 5th place, we were a bit worried. Did we finish out of the top 5? Then came the floor drumroll - and Diva's team once again took 3rd - which this time earned them a trip to the state tournament!

This photo says it all:

O Time, Time, wherefore art thou time?

2010-03-12T15:31:00.002-05:00

Something has been stolen from my house. The clever thief snuck in and took it while I was surfing the Internet or something. Because it cannot possibly already be the middle of March, and it can't be Friday yet.

This week was my spring break - no classes to prep for, no 3 hour commutes, just time to catch up on everything I've fallen behind on since December. Last Saturday morning I joyously prepared my to do list for the week, knowing I'd get to mark a lot off of it. Yes, by the time break was over I'd be savoring the feeling of accomplishment that comes with seeing all those items with lines through them. I had 15 items on that list - and 9 days to get them done.

Granted, three of them involved writing 15 page papers. Another is a 40 hour statistics exercise. So these aren't necessarily simple items. But surely at least a couple will get crossed off....

And now it's Friday. Tonight Diva has ice practice for 2 hours. Tomorrow is the Destination Imagination marathon (no, it's not that kind of marathon, it's the kind where you arrive for your kid's activity at 7AM and don't get to leave until 8PM). Sunday chalk us up for 5 hours at the rink. So what's done now is pretty much what's going to get done.

I have two items crossed off my list, but one of them, laundry, has made a mysterious reappearance. That thief who took my time left behind dirty clothes. And to add insult to injury, this weekend we lose an hour - yep - while springing forward 1AM - 2AM just disappears....

So if you see that time thief - stop him - and get my time back. Spring break can't already be over!

Add these to your shopping list....

2010-02-28T11:17:00.008-05:00

Things have been quite crazy around here, and I just haven't been able to find time to blog. Until this weekend, when things screeched to a crashing halt. It all started with a really ugly weather forecast Thursday night. High winds, driving rain -- not exactly normal for New England in February. A foot of snow would be normal... Because it was school vacation week, Diva and I were up late watching the Olympics when the storm started. As the first of many 50+ mph wind gusts came through, it occurred to me that perhaps sitting in our family room with windows on three sides and big trees nearby might not be the best idea. So we moved into the main part of the house to read.

A little before midnight I heard the first crash. A peak out the windows showed something might be on fire, but it was hard to tell. The wind was blowing so hard it sounded like the siding was being pulled off the house - we later discovered it was our empty recycling bin that had been pushed about 10 feet, sideways, and into the side of the house. Then came the big flash of light, followed by a loud crash, and darkness.

Kilowatt grabbed an industrial strength flashlight (where does he buy this stuff?) and stepped out onto the front porch. Lying across the middle of the street were the power lines that service our house. I dutifully called to report the downed power lines blocking the roadway. We tried to get some sleep with the constant wind gusts. At 3AM the chainsaws started - turns out there was also a tree blocking the road that the flashlight couldn't quite illuminate. Here's the view the next morning:

The trees took out our power lines, and our cable too. We have a generator, so losing the cable (broadband Internet access) was actually worse than losing electricity! At lunch we headed out in search of warm food and free WiFi. We noticed a lot of trees uprooted just like this one in our neighbor's yard:

After this, I realized I need to add a few items to my shopping list for winter weather survival:

1) Generac generator - no electricity - make your own

2) 5 gallon gas cans - because you have to have something to run that generator

3) Weber grill - because that generator won't run a stove or microwave AND your furnace.

4) Poland Springs bottled water - unless you are lucky enough to be on city water (we are!)

5) Smartphone - so when your cable goes out, you can still get news from Twitter

6) Small TV set, DVD player, and DVD's - so you can respond to "Mom, I'm bored..."

At the moment, cable is back, and we are running on hour 70 of so of generator power. But here's the view outside my front door:

So maybe we won't hit hour 80!

We Pause to Bring You This Commercial Message

2010-01-07T10:48:00.002-05:00

This week I've enjoyed watching the posts over at that social networking site where all my friends who live a bit south of here are discussing the panic that has set in as they are preparing for 2-4 inches of snow in Southern IL, KY and TN. One friend is hoping to get enough snow to build a 1 inch snowman, another just wants enough to make snow angels. All have visited the grocery store to stock up on supplies. My dear friend Hula has described the scenario beautifully here.

Meanwhile, here in NH Kilowatt's cousin is just settling in to the NH way of life. She described her Christmas gifts, and most of them involved wool or other heavy materials.

In Northern IL, my brother is tiring of shoveling his driveway by hand as another 8 inches of snow is forecast.

All this leads me to present this commercial message designed to assist you in your shopping for winter related items, detailing the brands I just couldn't live without during our long NH winters.

1. John Deere - you may recall my new best friend from last year. Keeps the driveways clean.

2. Subaru Forester- It may not be sporty, but it loves the snow.

3. LL Bean - outerwear (coats, hats, boots, gloves) - need I say more?

4. Cuddl Duds - think layers, lots of them, that still allow you to move

5. Eucerin - hand creme for serious dry hands (works on feet too)

6. Teavana - because we all need something warm to drink, and not just in the morning.

7. Kleenex - I really don't have to explain this, do I?

8. Ricola - See #7

9. Polartec - soft, fuzzy fleece with a great story (Malden Mills)

and, last but not least....

10. Southwest Airlines - nonstop service to Orlando. So what if it is only 50 degrees there - that's swimming weather!

Holiday Mishaps

2009-12-23T22:31:00.002-05:00

I think everyone dreams of the perfect holiday, and yet somehow we end up with a holiday mishap or two that at least make for a good laugh -- often after the holiday is over.

This year has been particularly hectic as university classes ran late, and I just finished grading finals and taking finals last weekend. So I've been doing my shopping a little at a time - that is dangerous, because I tend to buy more than planned .... For example, tonight as I was wrapping gifts I came to the CD that my brother (who is in Chicago now hoping his flight out tomorrow takes off and therefore is unlikely to be reading this before Christmas) had asked for. Both copies of it. Whoops, guess I should do a better job keeping track of what I purchase.

Today at long last I completed addressing Christmas cards and stuffing envelopes. After licking (ick) about 45 of them, I realized I only had enough stamps for 1/2 of the cards. So I picked Diva up at school early so we could hit the post office and the mall before the crowds (yeah right). We walked into the post office and I set the two piles of cards on the counter by the automated stamp machine (so we wouldn't have to wait in line.) I told Diva to take the pile of stamped cards and put them in the mail slot that said "stamped and metered mail." I then turned my back for one minute to buy the stamps, turned back - and no cards! I asked her where the cards were - "I put them in the slot like you told me." So into the line we go, where the postal clerk was fortunately amused enough by our tale to look through the barrel and find 19 cards of the 22 I think I put in without stamps. Some of you won't be getting your cards in a timely manner this year. Diva says it is all my fault as she wanted to stay in the car while I went in.

Last stop - the mall. Just a couple of quick gifts and we are done. We sneak in the back entrance, find a parking place immediately. Looks like pulling her out of school early was a good strategy. We find the perfect gifts and then we're ready to roll. 45 minutes later we made it out of the parking lot. I could have walked home faster.

Tomorrow we're cooking - hopefully we've reached this year's mishap quota. Then again, maybe not!

Simple Physics

2009-12-16T20:40:00.004-05:00

Yes, I am working on my PhD. No, I am not a science major. Nor am I a math major. But I can handle really simple physics. Like this physics problem that I stumbled across yesterday.

You may recall back in June we fostered a mama cat, and five kittens were born. Or maybe you recall my talking about how having kittens in the house is kind of like having toddlers. Well, those cute little kittens are now six months old, and almost as big as our adult cats. Unfortunately, one of them has developed the habit of jumping up on anything and everything. He especially likes stuffed animals, so everything in the house with stuffing (including my Pal Mickey) has had to move to the closet for awhile.

So what does this have to do with physics, you ask? Yesterday I heard a crash of falling plastic in my bathroom/laundry room. The room looks like this:

Note that up on top of the cabinet is the plastic insert for my dryer - you know, the one you put sneakers on if you want to dry them in the dryer. I've had the dryer for nine years now, and haven't used that gizmo once, but I still keep it handy in the laundry room! As you may have guessed, Pepper jumped up on the cabinet tops, hit the plastic, and down it came.

I looked on top of the cabinets, but no guilty cat eyes were staring back at me. No guilty kitten ran out of the bathroom. No kitten was hiding behind the dryer. What happened to that darn cat?

Look at the photo again - notice that if the plastic insert tips up the trajectory is straight into the shower stall. And when I moved the hamper in front of the shower door, and opened the shower door, there was a guilty looking, frightened, but thankfully unhurt kitten.

I don't think he'll try that again. Maybe I ought to put plastic launch pads on top of all of my cabinets!

Holiday Madness!

2009-12-14T20:49:00.002-05:00

What is it that brings out the worst in my home at this time of year? No, I'm not talking about the people in the house - I'm talking about the THINGS in the house.

Last year, you may recall reading that our waterbed mattress required replacement, so we got two new mattresses (might as well replace them all while we were at it) for Christmas 2008.

This year we decided to treat ourself to a new camera - a digital SLR after many years of camera envy toward our SLR toting friends. We were just ready to hit the 'buy now' button when there was a loud 'pop!' followed by a thunka-thunka-thunka coming from the laundry room.

Kilowatt took my nine year old washer apart, and yelled to Diva, "do you know what catastrophic means?" Uh-oh, this doesn't sound like he's got my washer fixed. He brought a piece of the washer in to me to explain that it wouldn't be getting fixed.

Looks like I'll be getting a new washer for Christmas this year....

December Already!

2009-12-02T14:25:00.002-05:00

As you may have guessed from my long absence, things have been busy around here. I hadn't realized quite how busy until yesterday morning. As I grabbed a few minutes of peace and quiet in the shower, Diva yelled through the door - It's December 1 - hurray - I wonder what I got today?

There went my relaxing moment, replace by an "aw h*1l - forgot the advent calendar!" You may recall the masterpiece Kilowatt made from this post - our tradition has been that each day of December, Diva gets some small gift from 'Santa' in the calendar. Of course, that requires 'Santa' to remember to buy those little items, and then to remember that the calendar needs filling each night! (Note to new parents and parents to be: make your holiday traditions lower maintenance than this, you'll thank me.)

I hopped out of the shower, and quickly threw on a robe, wondering how to deal with this. Diva comes running up the stairs and proudly shows me her December 1 treasure - an LED votive (she's been begging for one, really). Whew - looks like Kilowatt wins the parental memory contest. Unfortunately, the only thing we had to put in for today (12/2) was another LED votive. Diva says this morning - "these come in 24 packs - am I going to get one of these every day?" And she wasn't happy about it.

So dutifully off to Target I go... stay tuned for info on the treasures I found!

It promises to be a busy month - we have a band concert, ice skating exhibition, dance holiday show, final exams, company coming, Kilowatt's birthday - ahh, December.

Is my tree up - no, are you kidding?

So until I get around to posting about those advent calendar treasures - here's a photo from last years' dance holiday show. As the tallest girl in her class, Diva often ends up center stage!

I Can't Watch!

2009-10-11T15:51:00.009-04:00

Today is a beautiful fall day in NH - so I decided to go out into my yard and snap a couple of pictures of things that you can only see for a few weeks each year.

First, the tree in my front yard (I have no idea what kind of tree it is) has these red things growing on it.

Next, we have lots and lots of these

Anyone who wants to come help with the raking is always welcome!

Then I rounded the corner of my house, and was immediately reminded why I needed to stay inside today:

Yikes! Yes, our garage needed a new roof, and after pricing just the shingles and other materials Kilowatt decided he was the man for the job. But it sure is a long way down, and on two sides the ground is asphalt and concrete.

When Kilowatt (KW) caught me snapping pictures, he said "wait a minute, and I'll climb down and lay on the ground and you can take a picture." Ha Ha, funny.

I remember back when Diva was about 3, KW cut down some trees. Like now, I hid in my office and occasionally looked out to make sure no emergency services were needed. Suddenly there was a 'boom' and the house shook, as the gutter ripped off. Diva yelled "Mommy, is Daddy flat now?" Or something like that.... After determining that the only thing crushed was our gutter, I could breathe again.

So for now, I'm holding my breath, saying an occasional prayer, and trying not to watch.

Oh, and in case you were wondering about that odd shaped garage - no, it will not accomodate either of our vehicles.

Wanting what you got

2009-10-02T14:10:00.004-04:00

I received three totally unrelated items in my mailbox this morning. Or are they? The first was a newsletter from the NH Food Bank. The front page article referenced the phrase "happiness is not getting what you want, it is wanting what you get." A nice phrase to start the day on a positive note.

The next item in my mailbox wasn't quite as uplifting. It was an invitation to join AARP. I'm celebrating #45 this month - isn't this invitation coming a bit early? I mean, in this economy I'm all for any discount I can get - except the AARP one. A lousy way to make me realize I'm not as young as I used to be.

The third item was a news magazine called American Profile that comes tucked inside my original hometown newspaper. That gets mailed out to me from Illinois, so it is often a few weeks late arriving. But the cover story, the link to which is provided above, was about working Centenarians. That's right, people who are 100 years old and still working! Now some days I might look at this as a pessimist and say 'great, I've got 55 more years of work ahead of me.' But not today, fresh off my AARP invitation. Nope, I had the optimistic viewpoint of 'I've made it this far and I've got the potential to still be productive 55 years from now!'

Okay, so I must admit in the back of my mind I did think "and it's a good thing, because my 401k still hasn't recovered so I'm going to need a good job at 100."

So how does this relate to wanting what you got - well I'm not totally sure, but somewhere in my mind I have to say that it has something to do with being grateful that I'm still here, and healthy, and doing something I love (most of the time). And that is the essence of wanting what you got, isn't it?

You Can Hide, but You Can't Run

2009-09-23T09:08:00.003-04:00

Last year, Diva chose the clarinet to play in band. I have to admit that I influenced her choice a bit. I remember back in my band days that I wanted to choose a unique instrument, and because all of my friends picked the flute, I picked the clarinet. Well, actually, I started with the Baritone, but the fact that the instrument was bigger than me led me to change my mind.

So when Diva came home wanting to play the flute, I pointed out all the advantages of the clarinet. And so she brought home a clarinet. As did half of her beginning band class. It seems the clarinet is the most popular instrument because in our band, you have to play clarinet before you can proceed to the saxophone.

Diva did well with the clarinet. However, the orthodontist and his device of torture have created a bit of a problem because she can't play as well with all the hardware. I spoke with the orthodontist and with her band director, and both assure me she will be able to play just fine with a little practice.

Fast forward to today - band practice. Early this morning, I hear the sound of running feet going down the stairs. Why on earth is Diva up so early? I slowly head down the stairs and brew my morning tea. Then I realize - the clarinet is not where we left it last night. That would explain the running feet.

After I found the clarinet (Diva isn't very good at lying, and let's hope it stays that way), I sent her off to school with the reminder that her band director has my email address, so I'll know if she skips today. I'm hoping that after she gets used to playing with the hardware, she'll enjoy band again. I'm hoping that once she is with her friends, she'll enjoy band again. I'm hoping that next Monday morning, I don't have to play hide and seek with a clarinet....

Toddlers

2009-09-18T10:05:00.008-04:00

I have to admit, having kittens in the house is a lot like having twin toddlers. I can no longer work with my office door open, because there are just too many cords and other goodies in here that the babies can't keep their paws off.

And then you have to be really careful with appliances:

Yesterday, the little angels unrolled the toilet paper and emptied the tissue box in the upstairs bathroom. Can you believe this angel face did that?

You can't? Well maybe you can believe that this one did:

The "Eyes" Have it (or not)

2009-09-14T16:21:00.004-04:00

When I decided to go back to school to work on my PhD, I worried about a lot of things that I anticipated would be difficult for me. Things like a 90 minute commute, the ability to master the material, the amount of study time required, did I burn too many brain cells in my 20's?

What I didn't imagine was that these were the least of my worries. No, the real challenge was going to school with the eyes of a 40-something. Perhaps nature ensures that we can't see anything close-up in our 40's since we really don't want to be able to see all those 'laugh lines' and 'age spots' that now take up valuable real estate on our faces. Or perhaps it is so it is harder to admire the fact that the hair on our heads is migrating to less desirable parts of our bodies. Whatever it is, trying to read small (or even normal print) with these eyes is a challenge.

My last visit to the eye doctor revealed that my eyes weren't quite bad enough for bifocals. So he suggested picking up a cheap pair of these:

Alas, my eyes aren't quite bad enough to need them, but aren't quite good enough to read without them. So I put them on, I take them off. I put them on, I take them off. I put them on.... you get the picture.

Kilowatt suggested a reading lamp. Because in our house we own a tool for everything, we of course had the perfect one available.

The light works great, but it is really hard to get it adjusted to the right level of magnification. So now I put the glasses on, I take them off. I pull the lamp to me, I push it back. I put my glasses on..... At least I'm getting an upper arm workout:)

This would have been so much easier ten years ago.....

Intolerance

2009-09-03T17:18:00.005-04:00

Intolerance: (n) intolerance (unwillingness to recognize and respect differences in opinions or beliefs)

source: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=intolerance

Wednesday was Diva's first day at school. (Cue Staples commercial "Most Wonderful Day of the Year") As part of first day activities, interested parents sit down to a Q&A session with the school administration. There are 400 students in grades 5-6, and about 25 or 30 parents showed up, myself included.

After the routine questions about H1N1 and cell phone use, one parent expressed concern about "President Obama's speech to schoolchildren." I had not heard anything about this, but I have to confess I was not overly concerned. I'm thinking that it is hard not to have some admiration for someone who rose from relative poverty and a racially mixed background to become president, even though I don't agree 100% with his political views. Isn't that supposed to be what the American dream is all about?

I guess I was wrong. Today I caught the headline over at Yahoo "Parents Angry About Obama Speech." So I decided maybe I should see what these lesson plans that are going to be used to brainwash Diva include. Wow - they want her to listen to a speech and take notes about it. They want kids to develop educational goals for themselves. Really radical stuff. And (gasp) they dare to ask "What does the president want me to do?" and "What would I speak about if I were president?"

Okay, I'll cut the sarcasm now. Will I be likely to agree with everything that is said in this speech? No. I'm sure I won't. Our educational system has lots of problems. I won't pretend to have the answers on how to fix them. I also won't pretend to agree with all the suggestions on how to fix these problems coming from the current president or from the past president, or from the people who would like to have some say in who is the next president.

But I do know that refusing to listen to anyone else's opinion on the issues, looking only for evidence that supports one point of view, and discouraging healthy debate isn't good. And that's what I'm striving to teach Diva. Listen, analyze, and make your own decisions. And part of that decision making process is the ability to understand what it is the person speaking to you wants you to do. You then have to consider what you are told, and decide if it is accurate. This may often involve talking to others with divergent beliefs to see the pros and cons of any point of view. And yes, your peers may often outnumber you in their opinion, and you may sometimes have to be different than your peers with a quiet and calm confidence (aren't we trying to teach our kids this when we want them to abstain from se#, drugs and alcohol?)

EVERY person making a speech is trying to 'sell' you on his or her ideas. We've been teaching Diva to evaluate what people are 'selling' since she was old enough to start asking for things she sees on TV commercials. So I'm not worried about her being brainwashed by this speech. If our school opts to show the speech, we'll talk about it at home. If they opt not to, we'll find it on YouTube, watch it, and talk about it at home. "Stay in school' and 'do your best' and 'aim high' are frequent discussion themes around our house anyway. The speech will provide a teachable moment and as parents we need to take advantage of every one of those moments that presents itself.

I see all this hoopla as a symptom of what is wrong overall with our current direction. Look at most polls about any policy topic in this country (I'm not including opinions about individuals or political parties or elected officials overall) and you'll often see no better than a 60/40 split rather than a hugely dominant majority. We are nearly evenly divided on many important issues. Somewhere there has to be a win/win compromise. Something that satisfies not just what is important to both sides, but also the overall goal to fix the underlying problem without creating new ones. We are a great country with many creative, hard-working people - we can find these solutions - but not if we are all unwilling to let go of our preconceived ideas and idealistic, politically motivated solutions.

Teaching our children NOT to listen to someone just because their political views differ from yours is not the right thing to do. I have no scientific evidence of this, but it seems those same children are more likely grow into adults who get thrown out of town hall meetings because they won't allow anyone else to talk.

I could go on and on, as this politicization and polarization of our country by its so-called leaders really annoys me. I'm not a political person, but I do consider it my civic duty to vote. I rarely speak up about my political views because politics and religion are two topics that are guaranteed to be controversial. But for some reason this situation pushed me over the edge and I just had to comment.

I saw a great bumper sticker the other day, it went something like this:

"when the power of love is greater than the love of power......"

Hmmmmmm.....maybe I'm more idealistic than I realize.

Delay Tactics

2009-08-29T12:11:00.002-04:00

Source: www.thefreedictionary.com

pro·cras·ti·nate (pr-krst-nt, pr-)
v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates

{v.intr.} To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
{v.tr.} To postpone or delay needlessly.

I believe that the fact that I am checking out my favorite blogs, updating my blog, and checking the weather forecast when I have papers to grade (and write) qualifies......

Device of torture

2009-08-20T15:10:00.004-04:00

About two years ago our dentist informed us that Diva had a bite problem - meaning she would eventually need braces. Eventually arrived this year.

After taking out a second mortgage on the house and selling everything we own (just kidding, but if we didn't have good insurance yikes!) the orthodontist proceeded to install one of the lovely contraptions - a Herbst Appliance - pictured here:

image: www.braces.com

It started with just the stuff you see under the heavy bar. After that was installed, we had about five days of tears and complaints, and then all was well. I was so happy that it seemed Diva would have no problem with wearing braces.

Oh, but I was a bit premature in my happiness. Last Friday, the final part of the instrument of torture was installed. You know those things that hold up the hatchback in a car? This thing (the solid bar) looks eerily similar to those, just on a slightly smaller scale. Apparently it feels like having one of those in your mouth too. And according to Diva, like the hatchback ran over all your teeth.

I've purchased every possible pain remedy; none have worked. My sweet little girl now wakes me every morning with a growl, a slamming door, and 'this is all your fault.' Her diet consists of milkshakes and pancakes, with an occasional serving of white rice.

I've called the orthodontist several times to ask for advice and encouragement. I'm supposed to convince her to keep this thing on another week, and then all will be better. The alternative is headgear, and believe me I don't see my little angel wearing that for two years!

Oh well, it's off to make a milkshake!

Crazy Cat People

2009-08-11T14:26:00.000-04:00

The foster kittens are 8 weeks old today, which means it is time to return them to the shelter so they can find forever homes. This is the fourth litter I've fostered (the first for Diva and Kilowatt) and I have to confess I'm more attached to these than my prior fosters. Maybe it is because Diva and Kilowatt are so attached. At any rate, it looks like two of these kittens are finding a forever home right here with us. If the rest of my family had their way, it would be all five plus Mama Cat.

Anyway, as though providing foster care for cats doesn't prove we are crazy cat people - I think these photos will show evidence of our insanity. About two weeks ago, the kittens outgrew the upstairs bathroom, so it was time to find larger quarters. Although the basement seemed ideal, it had a couple of strikes against it. First, our adult cats are accustomed to their litter boxes being in the basement, and have shown that they won't take kindly to a move. Second, it is dark and damp down there and that might make the kittens sad. So instead, we split our main floor in two parts.

First, a baby gate is in order - but requires some modification as the kittens can climb over it...

Next, we must make sure they won't fall between the posts on the stairs, should they get to that part of the house - amazing what Kilowatt can do with cardboard and cable ties:

Then we had to block the other, odd-sized entrance to the dining area (yep, the kittens ended up on the kitchen/dining room side of the house). After considering a few DIY options, we decided that extra sheetrock and our rolling wine rack made an excellent 'door.'

By now, if you aren't rolling your eyes, it is because you are animal lovers and understand what drives us to go to these extremes. And if you are rolling your eyes, I submit this picture to help you understand:

I'm Back!!!!!

2009-08-09T20:35:00.010-04:00

So, did you miss me? I've been on vacation this time, not just too busy to blog. Okay, I was too busy to blog!

We started our adventure here:

We took that photo from here:

Right before we sailed under here:
The Captain told us there was 8 feet clearance under the bridge - I never realized how tiny 8 feet is.

While in transit to our island paradise, we got in a little ice skating. Skating on a moving ship on a postage stamp sized rink adds excitement. So do those funny rental skates. Diva was smart enough to bring her own.

We arrived at our destination with its famous pink sand beaches on a sunny day:

And visited the historic Fort St. Catherine:

Alas, all too soon we had to head back to our awaiting transit:

And now I'm back here in NH, wondering when I'll get to go again....

Shopping madness

2009-07-16T17:43:00.003-04:00

Kilowatt's computer quit working in a puff of smoke this week as the video card failed dramatically. It is covered under an extended warranty (I always buy, and use, the extended warranty on computers) so I had to run down to the really big mall to drop it off for repair.

The really big malls are only 40 minutes south, but they have different stores than we do. Generally more unique higher end stores like Godiva and my new favorite, Teavana. And that computer store I won't name, but it kind of follows with the food and beverage theme of the other stores.

I told Diva she could invite a friend to go along and they could do a little preliminary back to school shopping. First, taking two pre-teen females shopping probably wasn't my smartest move ever. Because together, that teen mentality of 'branding' takes over. They must have the 'hot' brands of clothing. I didn't realize how old I was until I stepped into the first store that they assured me was a requirement of preteen fashion.

The loud music and heavy perfume, coupled with pictures of half-naked people on the walls, made it clear that they aren't really selling clothes there. It's kind of the same way that Starbucks isn't really selling just coffee. It is the whole atmosphere thing. It gave me a headache. It also made it obvious this was not a preteen store despite attempts to convince me otherwise. I later found this particular store actually has two locations in the mall, the 2nd one is the preteen one - no half naked people, softer music, same clothes.

We went to the next store - a decided improvement as the loud music wasn't quite so bad (or maybe my hearing wasn't as good by then) and the pictures were of beaches instead of people. I was almost eager to get my gold card out after comparing this store to the prior one. And yes, I do realize they are both owned by the same company. But what's with this darkness thing - I felt like I needed to pull out my cell phone to light my way through the labyrinth that made up this store. And what's with all these separate rooms?

Then came test number 1 - Diva and friend wanted to try on some clothes. I left my trail of breadcrumbs so I could find my way back to the girls, and dutifully went in search of a worker. I searched, and I searched, and I searched. Other than the one behind the cash register, there were none to be found. Ah! Finally, a worker. Is she really old enough to work?

I asked about fitting rooms, and worker grimaces slightly and says "I have to unlock those." She then proceeds to unlock two, plus one for the couple (yes, a male/female couple) that want to go in one together. I really don't want to know.

I then ask about a certain type of sweater that Diva is looking for. Nice eye-roll from worker. Obviously customer service isn't what I'm paying for here either.

The girls make their selections and head to the counter. They have one of those automated credit card machines where you sign the screen. Someone decided to put a bunch of perfume bottles on display on the counter immediately in front of the screen, so that you have to be a tall contortionist to reach over and sign your charge. Anyone under 5' 9" isn't going to reach that keypad. And trying to swipe your own card is a guaranteed perfume spill. What were they thinking?

So let's just say that I understand why retailers are doing so poorly right now, and I'm not convinced it is totally the economy that is sinking them. But next time, I think we'll go virtual shopping. And then wait for UPS to deliver.

Fun Monday - Lazy Hazy Days of Summer

2009-07-12T17:22:00.010-04:00

School often gets in the way of fun, and I can't recall the last time I was able to participate in a Fun Monday. I just couldn't resist trying to join in the fun once again, and our hostess Jan has come up with a topic that doesn't require research and has easy to follow instructions (see comment on school above to understand why this is important to me). Her instructions to us:

Since the Lazy Hazy Days of summer are upon us now, tell us what activities you enjoy doing outside and how do you stay cool. Share some photos of both if you wish.

When we bought our house, it came with a pool. I have to admit that having an outdoor pool in Northern New England is kind of like having an outdoor ice skating rink in the Mid-South; there are years where it just doesn't get a lot of use. Like 2009. However, today the temp did hit 80, it hasn't rained (yet) and our pool is above 75 degrees, so things are looking up.

When we first saw our house, the first words out of my mouth were "gee, this looks like a great party house." So we like to have friends over in the summer to enjoy the pool and our toys.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but Diva's swing set is about 10 feet tall, and will easily accommodate two average sized adults along with a boatload of kids. I still love to swing! In the background is the famous treehouse, and one of our horseshoe pits. We also have a tetherball set up and a basketball goal. When company comes we add badminton and croquet, and sometimes volleyball to the mix. And of course we eat and drink around the patio table:

Finally, my new outdoor activity (other than drying the laundry on a clothesline to save energy, and I'm not showing you a picture of that) is attempting to do a little gardening.

Don't laugh at my puny lettuce and spinach! Remember, the growing season here is short; and this year promises to be shorter than usual.

So I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into the life of my family in NH - now click on over and see what the other Fun Monday folks do to stay cool!

Indoor Sunshine

2009-07-09T20:20:00.007-04:00

We may not have been having much bright and sunny weather in NH this summer, but one look at these eyes and the inside of my house seems to be filled with sunshine:

My foster care kittens are now 3 weeks old, and eager to explore the world outside of the 'queening box' that has been their home so far. They are shuffling along, unsteady as a toddler learning to walk, but with the added challenge of four feet, and in two cases, extra toes:

I don't think these gals and guys will have a hard time finding a home. Just look at this face:

I'm a bit more worried about Mama Cat, who is little more than a kitten herself. She has all of the kitten behaviors that are so endearing in an eight week old kitten, annoying in a fully grown cat. We've about got her broken of her play-biting habit, and she has learned when she sees the water pistol that she needs to jump down off of whatever she is climbing on that she's not supposed to be on (like the kitchen cabinets.) But she has now grown comfortable enough in our home to attempt to sneak out of it (she really does remind me of a wild teenager, not that I was ever one myself.) And a closed door is just a challenge to her - she'll lie in wait patiently until it opens and slip herself through faster than the eye can see.

She is a good Mother:

And yep, that big bruiser there is almost as big as she is. He's going to be one big cat, and he's got the extra toe thing going on too.

I'll hate to give these guys back when it's time for them to be adopted out...

Enough, already

2009-07-02T15:44:00.004-04:00

I'm sure somewhere there is a website that will gladly tell me how many consecutive days of rain we've 'enjoyed' here in the Granite State. I don't need anyone to tell me, I know the answer: too #&^% many.

This seems a bit unreal when I talk to my friends down south, who complain about the heat and humidity. Our high today might hit 65 if we get lucky, and we are under a flood watch. Again.

Here's the view out my back door:

The observant among you will note that the solar cover on our pool is very high. That's because we haven't drained the pool today, yet. We have to drain an average of two inches out of the pool every other day to keep it from overflowing. The water temperature is up to a balmy 73 degrees now. Needless to say, Diva is the only one young enough to get in that water.

How about the view out my front door:

Here you see the small river running down each side of the street. You may also notice how green the grass is. Lucky for us, it occasionally stops raining long enough to run out and cut the lawn.

Q: How do you know someone is from NH?

A1: They have recent Googled "how do you build an ark?"

A2: They can tell you 10 different ways to remove mold from bark mulch (ickkk.)

A3: When the sun comes out, they run out the door regardless of state of dress.

A4: Misting is considered 'not raining.'

A5: They have seen at least five movies since school ended - a week ago.

The Circle of Life...

2009-06-18T10:14:00.003-04:00

Here in our house of cats (almost said cathouse, then realized the connotation that goes with that, oops) things continue to be interesting.

Our senior citizen appears to be eating well and gaining weight now that she is on her twice daily medication. But the drugs (or something else) has changed her personality. Normally a cat who spends the day sitting on my lap while I work, and the night trying to get under the cover with me in bed, Katie has become a solitary feline who hangs out in the downstairs bathroom next to the shower, only coming out to beg for food. Then when food is produced, she eats two bites and heads back into the bathroom. Repeat this scenario 10-15 times a day.

Katie's behavior has led to a lot of guessing what is meant by a particular version of 'meow.' Oh, that one sounds like she is in pain. Now she's hungry. Now she's jealous of the other cats. Now she's just downright mad about something. Twice she's been acting miserable enough that I've been ready to call the vet for the 'final vet appointment' and she has miraculously bounced back before I made the call. At almost 17, she is old, but some cats live into their 20's so she's not ancient.

Meanwhile, in my upstairs bathroom is our foster care cat. The shelter calls her Zulu, Diva wants to name her Alexis, and I call her Jaws since she decided my hand looked like a tasty kitty treat last week. Yesterday, she presented us with five new arrivals:

You may now ooh and ahh over how stinking cute these kittens are.

Two of the kittens look just like Katie did when she was a foster kitten. Diva is begging to keep them all - that would be 8 cats total in the house - a few too many for this family. So in about 8 weeks at least some of these incredibly cute kitties will be at the Manchester Animal Shelter looking for a new home....

Catching Up

2009-06-02T20:50:00.003-04:00

You may be wondering where I've been the last six weeks or so? Well, first there were final exams to get through at school, so no blog time. Then there was a vacation to prepare for - we visited our family favorite - Disney World. We visited the week that Florida got all that rain. I think it was measured in feet. Oh well, at least it wasn't frozen and I didn't have to snow blow it!

Now I am running my animal infirmary. My almost 16 year old Katie has a hyperactive thyroid. At the same time, I succumbed to Diva's pleas and we are fostering a pregnant cat for the local humane society, and she has a really bad respiratory infection. So my days are filled with trips to the vet and dispensing kitty drugs. And let me tell you, these cats are not cooperative patients!

So one day soon I'll download a bunch of photos that I've been aiming to post from my camera, and get them on the computer. But now.... I've got to go dispense some antibiotics.

How to tell it is spring in New Hampshire

2009-04-26T16:47:00.002-04:00

All but the last shaded pile of snow has melted.
Dairy Queen has reopened.
We drive with the sunroof open (and the heat on).
The Coast Guard has to warn people that water temperatures are still dangerously cold.
Skin (other than faces peaking out of a tiny hole) starts to appear.
Flowers appear (my favorite!)
Frost heaves disappear (and everyone gets their car realigned).
April school vacation week (just when we stop having snow days)
The NH state bird (the blackfly) stops by to annoy us all. Males appear first, but only females bite.
The sound of hammering, sawing, and occasional swearing as Kilowatt starts on this years outdoor projects....

April 16 - Do you know where your tax forms are?

2009-04-16T10:39:00.004-04:00

Today is April 16, which means my taxes have been in the hands of the IRS for about 48 hours now. Is there any exercise more frustrating than filing your taxes?

Let's put this in perspective - I have an advanced degree in accounting. I should be able to file a tax form with 100% confidence that I did everything right. But every year I have some strange question that I need to get answered. One year I tried reading all the instructions on the IRS website - won't make that mistake again. The next I tried calling that toll free IRS helpline - but they've obviously been told not to give yes or no answers. I hung up more confused than ever. I've purchased tax books, watched videos on how to do taxes, and called up my CPA friends who specialize in income taxes. Still, every year, I wonder if I'm doing this right.

And every year when I hit that 'send' button on TurboTax, I pause to say a brief prayer. "God, please let my form 1040 sail through the system, let my Schedules A, B, and C be correctly alphabetized, and let form 88-whatever be accurately reporting whatever the heck it is that I have to file it for."

I'm so concerned about accuracy that I pulled out a $150 deduction this year because the receipt I had lacked a taxpayer ID#. I don't think most people are as paranoid as I, because TurboTax has this lovely feature that allows you to compare your return with national averages. And every year, I discover that we pay far more than the national average in taxes. This does not comfort me. It makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong?

Ultimately, it isn't paying my taxes that bothers me. I think I get a decent return (it could be better, but still it is decent) in terms of access to education, interstate transportation, and national defense. I don't think I'll ever get any return from my contributions to healthcare or retirement. But what really bothers me is this: trying to do the right thing shouldn't be this difficult.

I Cannot Possibly Be That/This Old

2009-03-27T13:26:00.003-04:00

It started innocently enough, like most things do. I showed up one Thursday night to teach my room full of future forensic accountants that pleasures of a good fraud story. Timing of the class was great, as Bernie Madoff gave us fresh fodder weekly and tales of such greed that they are hard to imagine.

One of the earlier nights, I happened to make a name connection with a young woman in the class. Her last name was a bit uncommon, so I asked "are you P & M's daughter by any chance?" She looked a bit surprised and answered "yes." That was the first step in my aging process.

Since I waited a bit late in life to have Diva, I forget that people near my age have kids who are now in graduate school. Yikes! I worked with P from 1986-1989 when I first relocated to NH. I had seen him once in the intervening years, but it has been awhile.

A couple of weeks later in comes my student with a note from her father. There is going to be a big retirement party at the place we worked together all those years ago. Four people who were retiring, all of whom worked there many moons ago with me. So I delightedly RSVP'd and counted the days until I could see all of my old friends and former coworkers.

Last night was the party. When I walked into the room, there were probably 70 people there. I expected to know maybe the four retirees and six other people.

Surprise #1 -- I knew roughly half the people there. Many people, like me, had returned to wish these four well in their new adventure as retirees. Good thing the shindig lasted four hours, because there was a lot of catching up to be done.

Surprise #2 -- when you have not seen someone for 20 years, you miss the gradual aging and instead all of a sudden "wow! these people look a lot different!" and "oh x*&^, do I look that old?

Surprise #3 -- lots of people recognized me - and remembered my name. That's really embarrassing, because some of them I couldn't recall ever seeing before in my life. Crap, there goes my memory along with other things.... now where was I?

Surprise #4 -- people I didn't consciously remember would walk up to me and say 'hi' and I would remember random things. I could remember one man's name, but nothing else - not where he worked, what he did - nada. I could remember another's face, but not the name that went with the face. Then there was the one who I could clearly remember going on a business trip with, remembering we watched the Stanley Cup together in a bar in Bangor ME, but once again nothing else.

Surprise #5 -- there were at least five people in the room who time passed by. They had not changed a bit in 20 years. I guess I should have asked for the name of their plastic surgeon:)

I took a lot of pictures last night, and I really need to download these photos off my camera. But for a just a few more days, I think I'll look at the pictures from the 1988 bowling banquet and the golf tournament, and remember the way we were.....

Online Analysis

2009-03-25T19:40:00.003-04:00

I subscribe to a number of daily newsletters, and today one of them came through with the following link to a site called Typealyzer. What, you may ask, is it? Well, it is a site that will analyze a given blog to attempt to determine the writer's Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

I've been a big fan of the MBTI since I first took the test during the early days of my career, and have in fact taken it more than once. One of the ideas behind the test is that it looks at your personality traits and from there you can determine what type of career you are best suited for.

After reading about the Typealyzer, I immediately went to the site to try it out. I have to admit to being a bit disappointed -- I was typed as an ESFP. Why does this disappoint me? Because every time I have taken the MBTI, the results have been that I am an INTP. Granted, I have not shown a very strong preference for the I (introvert) over the E (extrovert). Similarly, the T (thinking) versus F (feeling) has not a strong preference. But.... for the N (intuition) versus S (sensing) I'm typically at the far end of the scale as a N.

So, now I'm curious...and I finally have something blog about:) If you are a fellow blogger who has taken the MBTI before as I have - do you see similar results?

The iPod Game

2009-03-07T19:27:00.006-05:00

My dear friend Hula played a game posted by Jason over at The Jason Show, where I love to lurk. It looks like so much fun I couldn't resist trying it out, particularly with the rule #3 variance. After all, everyone who visits here knows about the one embarrassing song on my iPod, and surely it won't show up (I hope not, anyway) in the shuffle...

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
Unless you don't like it, then you can keep shuffling until you get to something you like!
(Jason added this variance to the game) .

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Defying Gravity - Wicked Original Broadway Cast (this after rejecting Hot Child in the City & Rock and Roll All Nite, maybe when I was younger....)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Life in a Northern Town - Sugarland/Little Big Town
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? I'm a Believer - The Monkees
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Dance the Night Away - Van Halen
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Don't Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? I Wanna Do It All - Terri Clark
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? There's a New Kid in Town - Kathy Mattea
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? I'm no Angel - Gregg Allman
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley (oh how true this is)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? I Don't Like Mondays - The Boomtown Rats
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Find a Way - Amy Grant
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Let the Heartache Ride - Restless Heart
HOW WILL YOU DIE? Your Good Girls Gonna Go Bad - Nathalie Cote (original version was Tammy Wynette)
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Every Time I Think of You - The Babys
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? Two Dozen Roses - Shenandoah
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Bikini Season - Jeff Foxworthy
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Give Me One More Chance - Exile
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
YOUR ULTIMATE FANTASTY? I Can Only Imagine - MercyMe

Local Theatre

2009-03-01T17:37:00.002-05:00

My Mother visited us this week to help watch Diva while I attended classes, given that it was NH school vacation week. Our kids get the last week of February and the last week of April off as vacations every year. That's part of the reason why they go to school until the end of June. The other part of that reason (snow) will probably be tomorrow's post topic!

Last night we decided to head into the city (Manchester) to catch a play at the Palace Theatre. The Palace is a 92 year old theatre, so it is a beautiful old building. Our proximity to Boston and NYC gives us access to excellent productions. Last night we saw Little Shop of Horrors. None of us had seen or heard much about this, but I was assured there was nothing worse than PG-13 in it. I have to concur - it was more PG than PG-13.

Diva attends camps at the Palace, so we typically know at least one of the performers. For this performance we knew both of the leads - the female lead is the director of the youth program, and the male lead was Diva's drama coach last spring. They were both quite impressive in this performance.

In a unique twist, the actresses who played Ronette and Chiffon were familiar faces too, they played in Hercules -the Muse-ical on the Disney Wonder when we sailed in 2005 and 2006.

Diva is ready to go again. Of course, she also wants to take ice skating lessons twice a week, go to Destination Imagination nationals, and make straight A's in school. She's going to be one busy girl!

Birthday Party

2009-02-21T19:48:00.007-05:00

Diva decided to have her 11th birthday party at the local ice skating rink. After seven weeks of lessons, we have become quite expert, and are now both ready to progress to level 2 next session.

We have mastered the two-foot glide, swizzles, and backward skating. In my case, the backward skating not so much.

I'm very proud of Diva, this year she asked all of her friends to bring a donation for the Manchester Animal Shelter instead of a present. Today we took in $80, plus several bags of cat and dog food, wet wipes, dog brushes, canned food, and kitty litter to the shelter. The folks at the shelter were great, treating Diva to a tour of the shelter and a personal thank you from the shelter assistant manager.

After spending two hours on the ice, the girls had pizza and (what else) ice cream cake.

Doesn't everyone put Warrior Cats Rule on their birthday cake?

In case you aren't the parent of a tween, Warrior Cats are a series of books by Erin Hunter, and a particular favorite of Diva, who has all of them and has already pre-ordered the next two in the series.

Ice Skating Party for 11 girls with pizza and soda = $165

Ice Cream Cake from Dairy Queen = $15

Mom not having to clean up the house, and not having sugared up kids in the house after cake = Priceless.

Wanted: Hero

2009-02-10T19:00:00.002-05:00

I succumbed to the flu bug and spent Monday at home, which gave me a couple of minutes to watch some of the Miracle on the Hudson coverage. I was immediately struck by the humility shown by Captain Sullenberger. Apparently, so were a lot of other people.

Today I stumbled across this USNews blog entry titled: What Sully Sullenberger can Teach CEO's. It's well worth a quick read-through.

One thing that struck me as missing in this entry - undoubtedly as a member of USAirways pilot's union, Sullenberger has over the past years been asked to give up some of his compensation to help the airline survive not one, but two trips through bankruptcy court. And yet he didn't use this as an excuse to not continue to train, work, and behave as a professional.

On the other hand, we have CEO's who decimate U.S. workforces, burn through their company's cash reserves, and make such poor risk management decisions that we the people must help their companies stay afloat - and yet they worry about a $500k salary cap - or even worse - their personal income taxes being raised.

We need a hero - a real hero - who doesn't use drugs to enhance athletic ability, who doesn't think about me first and to h*12 with everyone else, who can find a win/win solution when none seems to exist.

Thank you Captain Sullenberger - we need you more than you know.

Flu Season and Daytime TV

2009-02-04T18:16:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's that time of year. You know, when one kid at school gets sick, and then the rest of them take turns getting sick. Finally, your number is up and its your kid who is sick.

Until this year Diva has been the model of health, but she woke up yesterday with a mysterious fever, which just isn't going away. Today was day 2 of home from school, and she was begging to go back to school. Seems there isn't enough entertainment here at home. She gets a bit clingy when she's ill, so I sat with her for a couple of hours this afternoon and we watched a few programs on TV. I rarely watch TV, so I'd like to share a few observations:

~ the prime choice today was Travel Channel's "Extreme Retail Locations" Did you know that there is a store that sells yodeling pickles? And the world's largest underwear at a rate of 2000 pairs/year? And all kinds of bacon themed items (like gummy bacon and bacon band-aids) for your vegetarian friends? How did I live 40 something years without shopping here?

~ Just when you think a program is safe to watch with the kids, they show the extreme Las Vegas store that sells books on learning to pole dance. Remember Diva loves to dance - so guess what book she wants? How does one explain pole dancing to a ten year old?

~ This summer I'm heading for Sharon, PA. Don't know exactly where it is, but they have the world's largest candy store, and that's enough for me. While there, I'll explore the world's largest outlet store, because I'll need some bigger clothes after my visit to the candy store.

Any good shopping in your neighborhood?

Why I call her Diva...

2009-01-30T17:01:00.003-05:00

Where: Museum of Science, Boston

When: December 26, 2008

Me: Stand over by the dinosaur bones and smile for the camera.

Need I say more?

Clear as the nose on your face.....

2009-01-28T11:50:00.003-05:00

So here it is, a month after Christmas. You may recall that just last Monday I confessed to finally putting all the boxes of decorations away.

I've often accused Diva (and Kilowatt) of selective hearing. You know, missing those subtle sentences, usually the ones starting with the words "will you..." Well, it appears I have selective vision. Because after declaring the Christmas decorations down and put away, I stumbled across this:

I could think of some creative excuses, like we don't come into this part of the house often (lie: it is the kitchen/dining window - the one we look out the most often.)

But truth is, only as I was staring out this window at the birds munching down while it snowed (which is something I do pretty much daily) did I realize that the little gel thingys on the window that I was playing with were decorations that shouldn't be there now.

Guess that's a good reminder it is time for my annual eye exam. I wonder if they make glasses for selective vision? ;)

Raking the Roof

2009-01-21T16:57:00.002-05:00

Quite a few of you expressed interest in the roof rake - one of those tools that is unique to those of us living in a snow belt. Well, tonight I was surprised when Kilowatt arrived home from work early. I asked him why he was so early, and his reply 'because you are home tonight, and I have to go up and rake the roof.'

I hear these words about once a year, and they never cease to cause me extreme anxiety. Our house is a Gambrel, meaning two stories in the front, but three in the back as we have a walk-out basement. So there is no way to rake the back roof from the ground.

Raking roofs is serious business. Not only can you get the dreaded ice dams with accompanying leaks -- if you have a flat or low slope roof -- it can collapse from the weight of the snow. Typically this is more common in commercial buildings, but it can happen to houses too. So tonight while I'm praying and typing, I can hear the rake, as see the snow falling out my office window.

Yesterday, my neighbor had a guy with a shovel on her roof - but her house is a ranch - 1 story. Right now I'm wishing our house was only one story.

Fun Monday - Front Porch Lookin' In

2009-01-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

Our hostess this week, Julie over at Another Chance Ranch, apparently overheard me lamenting that I needed to clean my house and put away the Christmas decorations, because here's her assignment:

Instead of standing in your front door and taking a photo of what you see outside, let's turn around and take one of the inside. Maybe that will prompt some of us to pick up a tad (you know who you are). :)

So last night I diligently put away the boxes of Christmas decorations. I even straightened up a bit. Then today hit. I thought of doing a quick deep cleaning, or taking the photo from a different door - but that just didn't seem right. I figure anyone who is reading this wants to know what our life is really like, not see some great photo like you can get from buying a magazine of lovely houses that no one really lives in. So here is the view, in all of its dirty glory.

Yes, I know the photo is a bit tilted, but sometimes so am I. If I'm not going to clean, then getting a straight photo probably isn't going to happen either. Let me describe a bit of what you see when walking in.

First, I don't have a garage, so this is our main entry to the house as well as our family room. We use it to house our impressive collection of winter footwear, including the three pairs of ice skates (one still in the box) by the slider. It also houses our collection of winter outwear. You can see Diva's winter gear lying on the floor drying out after some tumbling in our latest 8 inches of snow -- and looking out the slider you can see some of that snow. Lot's of it, actually. A careful viewer can even glimpse the treehouse that came with our house.

Next, notice the folded up treadmill. I insisted we put the treadmill in this room so I might use it occasionally. I knew if we put it in the basement I'd never step foot on it. Need I tell you how well that strategy is working?

Then there's the Dell box. Since Kilowatt is so handy, we periodically receive such parcels from friends and family with the message - 'can you fix this?'

Finally, the boxes on the surround sound speaker that look like shoe boxes - those are train boxes. Kilowatt picked out his birthday present yesterday. And the surround sound doesn't go with the teeny tiny TV you can see in the photo - there's more to this room than you can see from this photo.

Finally, because I'm in rule breaking mood this week - here's a photo looking out.

This photo is of Kilowatt using another one of those tools you just don't hear much about down south - the roof rake. Yes, when the snow gets too high on your roof, you have to clear it off just like your driveway and sidewalk, or risk something called ice dams.

And the brown thing you see in the left - that's a snow shed. If you want your bushes to look good in the summer, you've got to cover them in the winter to keep the snow from weighing them down. Then you put fencing around them to keep the deer from snacking. Hungry deer don't care that my front door is mere feet from their target.

Well, I'm off to see what you see looking in at your house. I hope someone else has a house as 'lived in' as mine!

It's All About Me

2009-01-16T10:57:00.006-05:00

My friend and blogging idol - Hulagirl - has helped me come up with something to blog about, as my mind is a frozen mush here in the arctic tundra that goes by the name of NH. She has been kind enough to interview me, asking my opinion on several topics of critical importance.

BTW, it was -15 this morning when I took Diva to school. So for my interview I'm wearing a turtleneck, covered by a sweatshirt, topped off with a fleece overlayer. Oh yes, must not forget the flannel-lined jeans and wool socks. And this is indoors, you should see me when I venture out. Oops, that's right, you can't see me when I'm outside, I'm just a very rounded blob of clothing with Sorrel snow boots and tiny eyeballs barely visible between the neck gaiter and wool hat.

Anyway, back to the interview:

1. When you take a week long vacation how many pairs of shoes do you take (just for you) and what kind are they?

Well dear reader(s), I must confess that I'm not a shoe person. I think this comes from wearing a size 11, which basically means I go into a store and ask what they have in my size, and if they have something, that's what I buy. And when you are close to 6 feet tall high heels just don't make sense. Shoes in this size aren't cute or fun, they are just functional. So I typically take 3 pairs - black sensible dress shoes (goes with everything), sneakers (in case I actually do decide to exercise someday, and Tevas (for my beach wanderings.)

2. In Sartre’s play No Exit the three main characters are stuck in a room with no exit and don’t like each other. They eventually realize that hell is being stuck with each other forever. What person or persons would be hell for you to be stuck with in a room forever? If you don’t want to name names, just speak in generalities ie..the girl who relentlessly picked on you in third grade.

Yikes! I don't even like to think about this one - it's too scary! There are a couple of personality traits that drive me bonkers, so let's go with those:

1 - people who can't stop talking. A little conversation is a good thing, but there comes a time when we all need the wonderful sound of silence. I could probably list at least a dozen people I know who fall into this category. You know, the ones who when they call you on the phone force you to lie and say - "gotta go, someone is at the door."

2- Extremists - yes, people who hold extreme views drive me absolutely crazy. In all but a few very extreme situations (like murder) I can usually at least understand both sides of an argument. I'm a very moderate person and I don't believe I have the answers to everything (but I do know a lot of the questions.) I seem to bump into many people who think their point of view is the only valid one, and they have the right answer to everything. Especially in politics.

3. In honor of the inauguration: If you could ask any US President, living or dead, one question and he would have to answer it HONESTLY, which President would you pick, and what question would you ask?

This wanders into the political arena, which I usually try to avoid because it seems to bring out the worst in almost everyone. But having a political figure forced to be HONEST is really an interesting concept. I'd probably have to ask George W Bush "who convinced you that there were WMD's in Iraq, and how strong was your belief in what they said?" Does that count as two questions?

4. Our local newspaper does a weekly thing where they stop someone on the street, ask what the top ten songs are their iPod are and print them. What song in your entire music collection would you be most embarrassed to see in print next to your name?

So I'm not supposed to be embarrassed to see it in print on the relative anonymity of my blog, huh? Okay, most of the embarrassing songs on my iPod are embarrassing because they are kid songs, or pop candy type stuff. But there is one in particular that is embarrassing enough I can't even print the whole title:

Jimmy Buffet - Why Don't We Get Drunk and S*&^% (I just put the whole CD on my iPod, and this song was on it, really:)

5. Are you a “hat person”? If so, describe your hat or hats. If not, explain why.

I love hats! I don't wear mine often, but I do have an impressive collection. One of my favorites is this cowgirl hat, worn back in the days when line dancing was my favorite activity. Another is my much loved black cashmere fashion hat that I got in Germany (there's a good story behind the hat, maybe a future blog topic.) The photo is of me in younger days, on top of a mountain in Switzerland.

Stuff

2009-01-07T11:01:00.002-05:00

Last week I received the sad news that one of my favorite stores - a scrapbooking store - is going out of business. They sent me a mailer and emails with really slick offers. This store happens to carry some items that aren't available from the big crafting retailers, so I decided on New Years Day to make the 30 minute trek down to the store to stock up on these items at 25% off.

When we pulled into the parking lot, there was no warning of what awaited us. I got a lovely parking spot and Diva and I headed in. I quickly selected the items I wanted, and got in the very long line to wait to check out. And I waited, and waited. At 30 minutes into the wait, I briefly considered leaving. After all, I could order this stuff online later. But no, I had already invested over an hour of my time, so I continued to wait. For a total of 2 hours. And forget saving any money, I had to take Diva out to dinner and buy her something to make up for the fact that we stood in line for 2 hours.

So the net effect was - I spent $70 on stuff I don't need right now, but might need in the future. It was on sale, so I probably saved $30 over what I could purchase it for in the future should I really need it. For this, I invested almost 4 hours of my time (counting the drive there and back) and spent an additional $40 or so on dinner and a consolation prize for my ten year old. What on earth was I thinking?

Well, I'm reading a really interesting book right now - Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, that addresses the 'what was I thinking.' It seems I never had a chance at a rational decision because of the way our brains are wired. And good marketers, including the really slick one running this going out of business sale, know this and exploit it.

I'm hoping after I read this book, I can at least cut back on:

~ buying things I don't need

~ rushing out to get something 'free' that isn't really

~ accepting 'free' stuff that I really don't want

~ paying too much for something because it seems like a bargain

So, if you can relate to the above, head to your local library and check out this book. At least you will know you are in good company!

Fun Monday - What's on My Mind in 2009

2009-01-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

Faye at Summit Musings is our hostess for the first Fun Monday of 2009. She has thrown the following thought provoking question at us:

"What's on your mind as we close out 2008 and begin 2009? Large and small. What are often your first thoughts the minute you wake up? When you're alone and unguarded? Working? Stuck in traffic? Playing with the children? Walking the dogs? When you can't sleep?"

This was a lot harder than I anticipated. There are so many things that are always on my mind -- my family, parenting skills (and lack thereof), my dismal time management skills, passing my classes, making sure my students learn something, getting into better shape physically, and on and on. But I decided to think a bit 'bigger' for this assignment, and here's what I came up with:

1. Is courtesy contagious? I'm going to try to be a bit more courteous to everyone I come into contact with, in the hopes that some of it rubs off. Because basic courtesy seems to be a lost art. From rude comments on message boards and online articles, to rude drivers, to rude parents, and even rude fellow customers in stores and restaurants -- maybe if someone shows them an alternate way to behave, some will follow.... Not all, but maybe a few..... Maybe just one... and they can show another one....

2. Do we have the right leadership? Yes, but sometimes we need to look a little harder for our leaders instead of assuming they are just the elected officials we send to DC. There are people who have vision, ability, and resources who are even now doing something that can provide long term solutions. One of them is right here in NH - Dean Kamen - inventor of the Segway (among other things) and founder of the FIRST Robotics competition for high school students. From today's NH Union Leader comes coverage of the 2009 FIRST kickoff, and his speech, which includes these quotes:

"You can't confuse the real invention of wealth with this superficial movement of money, this shell game that's been played by bankers and the Wall Street crowd," he said after his speech. "It's time to get back to basics and invest in serious projects that will create serious wealth."

"Why do we do FIRST? Because the world's a mess," Kamen said. "Read the news, look around you. ... Two-thirds of the people alive today, or 4 billion people, are living on less than $2 a day, and half of those are living on $1. You're the richest people in the world by far, and the world's a mess, and somebody's got to fix it."

He believes in our future, and he's doing something about it. I too want to be part of the solution to the crises that seem to surround us from every angle. I'm not a multimillionaire or a famous inventor, but even if I just do small things like volunteering and being a bit more friendly and courteous to those around me, maybe I'll influence someone. Just one person... and they can influence one person... And so it goes.....

Happy 2009 to all my Fun Monday friends!

I am an Ice Princess!

2009-01-03T13:26:00.003-05:00

Under the heading "it is never too late to enjoy a happy childhood," today I started ice skating lessons. So did Diva. If it weren't for the rink's policy of separating adults and children, we would be in the same class -- beginner level 1.

I'll admit it - Diva was less than enthused about the idea of ice skating - she wanted to take skiing lessons again this year. But as my weight and age both keep climbing in proportion to each other, skiing is getting a bit tough on the body. Last year I didn't really enjoy skiing as much because I kept thinking of all my friends who have had knee surgery as a result of skiing injuries. I've always dreamed of gliding across the ice, spinning gracefully around, maybe landing a jump... Then again, I've also dreamed of skating well enough to not break any bones, which seems a reasonable goal.

I was a avid roller skater back in my younger years. That song about 19-80 Something "skating rinks and black TransAms" I can totally relate to. Of course, growing up in Southern IL there weren't a lot of ice skating rinks, it was all roller skates. I tried ice skating a couple of times, and found blades much more difficult to control than wheels.

Today I learned to stop (for some reason they consider this a critical part of the first lesson), Go, turn around, and go backwards. I also learned how to fall correctly (I'm hoping I won't need to use this knowledge) and how to get back up. Diva learned the same things. Thankfully she is now enthused about ice skating too. Its cheaper than skiing, and closer to home too!

Once I start gliding gracefully I'll have Kilowatt take pictures!

ClipArt: Icesk8.com

My New Best Friend

2009-01-01T23:13:00.004-05:00

As a transplant to New England, I can still recall my amazement when introduced to a few of the items that are somewhat unique to this region. Ever heard of a frappe? How about candlepin bowling? And what about a tonic? I learned about those within months of moving to NH, but I had to wait until I became a homeowner to learn about my topic du jour - the snowblower.

You see, in places where snowfall is measured in feet, and where the snow doesn't entirely melt between storms, clearing your driveway with a shovel isn't really practical. Unless, of course, you have a really small driveway or are looking for a really great workout. Over, and over, and over..... So man invented the snowblower, which takes all that snow and blows it through the air into a big pile at the side of the driveway, hence the name snowblower. The basic snowblower looks a lot like a roto-tiller, the operator walks behind it and it blows the snow. It may or may not be self propelled.

We picked up a basic model when we moved in the house. About a year later I asked Kilowatt to show me how to use it, and quickly learned that this monster and I were incompatible (the snowblower and I, that is.) It was heavy, loud, and had such vibration that it made my arms go numb -- for a couple of days. So for ten years I was totally reliant on Kilowatt to clear the driveway. On the rare occasions where Kilowatt was not home for a storm, I fell back on the trusty snow shovel and All-Wheel Drive. In other words, just shovel enough to get the car in and out of the driveway.

Our New Year's present 2008 was a new snow blower. Since our lawn mower was kind enough to die the same year as the snow blower, we replaced both with a combination big lawn tractor that includes a snowblower attachment for the winter months. We justified it by the fact that I would be able to operate this one.

Fast forward to today.... Kilowatt is out of town for a few days, and Mother Nature gave us 8 inches of new snow as a New Year's gift. So I bundled up and off I went. It was a balmy 9 degrees this morning. Periodic wind gusts brought the wind chill well below 0. Did I mention I'm a wimp when it comes to cold?

The snow was light and fluffy. I started on our second driveway and it seemed no matter what direction I turned that little blower thingy, the snow was blowing right back into my face. The good news is that this little machine is fast, so it didn't take me too long to become totally encrusted in snow with a clear driveway. I shoveled the steps, and headed back indoors. As I approached the front door, I could see my reflection in the glass -- and now I know what the Abominable Snowperson looks like!

Okay Mother Nature, now I know how to work this thing -- could you wait a few days for the next storm? Kilowatt will be home this weekend!

Fun Monday - Christmas Just Past

2008-12-28T20:40:00.007-05:00

Our Fun Monday hostess this week is Sayre, and she wants to know:

What was the most touching, wonderful part of Christmas for you this year?
AND what was the craziest, stupidest, funniest part this year?

The most touching, wonderful part of Christmas... that's a tough one. This is the first year that we have had family members join us for Christmas. Typically it is just my family of three, or in some years a few friends who, like us, have far flung family, will stop by for brunch. But this year my mother and brother were able to join us for a few days. Diva was delighted to have them here to share Christmas with, and her delight was contagious.

The craziest, stupidest, funniest part - that's a lot easier. Kitchen errors tend to abound in our household. Typically they are mine (which is one of the reasons why Kilowatt cooks) but this year he got in on the act by confusing a Tablespoon with a Teaspoon. Not a big deal in some recipes; unfortunately, a big deal when you are making bread. Let's just say the first batch of bread was a bit flat and salty. Then there was my accidental overdoing the butter in the sweet potato recipe. Who knew that the stick of butter was supposed to go in the topping, not the potatoes themselves? Oops. Very heavy, greasy potatoes. And who besides me would try a new recipe out on company on Christmas Day? The dressing recipe left a bit to be desired -- like moisture. But no worries, we had plenty to eat anyway!

And here's that promised photo of our snow - better late than never! Yes, we had a White (and cold) Christmas. Although today it was in the mid-50's so the white stuff is going away fast.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-12-19T12:53:00.002-05:00

Okay, who am I kidding? I'm not dreaming - we are 99.99999999% sure we'll have a White Christmas this year!

Just a quick update:
~ our generator made the rounds of our friends who weren't so lucky. It has returned home since out last power deprived friend found a place to buy a generator and figured he's going to need it. Today, one week post storm, they still don't have power.

~ In fact, as of this morning, NH still had 32,000 households without power.

~ we had a nuisance storm Wednesday - got a whole 2" of snow

~ kids had school Tuesday, Thursday, and 1/2 day today.

~ a Nor'easter is blowing in today. Depending on how it tracks, we'll get 5" - 10" of snow. I'll post pictures tomorrow if it stops snowing long enough to do so. Because fast on the heels of this storm is another, bigger storm that should dump at least an additional 8" on us.

~ that lawn tractor/snow blower we bought last January is looking like a real good purchase right now.

Happy Holidays!

Fun Monday -Random Acts of Kindness

2008-12-14T23:10:00.001-05:00

Mommy Wizdom came up with what turned out to be a very timely topic this week for Fun Monday. Her challenge to us:

Your job this week is to go out and perform a random act of kindness. Now, before you freak out, please read on. This is actually really easy!! This act may be for someone you know or for a perfect stranger. It can be big or small, it'll all up to you. Obviously, it should be something within your means. For instance, don't go out and buy your next door neighbor a car and then complain to me that you can't make your mortgage payment, ok?

So let me start by explaining that I live in Southern NH. Yes, the place where a federal state of emergency has been declared. In case you haven't heard, we were hit with a major ice storm in the early hours of Friday morning, which left 300,000+ homes and businesses without power. To put that in perspective, the total population of NH is only 1.3M. The RECORD number of power failures in NH in past storms was a measly 94,000. In our town of 17,000 people, there were still 4,500 houses without power as of Saturday night.

The local chapter of the American Red Cross has had a tough couple of years, between back to back floods in 2006-07, record snowfall last winter, and in 2008 a couple of large apartment complex fires that displaced a number of families, the most recent just a week ago destroying 28 apartments. Now the Red Cross is operating a number of shelters throughout the state, as there are no hotel rooms to be found even for those who can afford a hotel.

On Friday morning, the extent of the damage from the ice storm became clear as the only reliable source of information was the internet - our local TV and radio were off the air/operating on emergency generators with very low signals. We were very lucky, we never lost power and by mid-afternoon what little ice had accumulated on our trees had melted. The Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at the school next door to my house. A local nursing home was forced to evacuate their residents to this shelter, a school bus was found to transport them. Diva and I spent the morning baking cookies and took them up to the shelter. The volunteers there were so happy, as the NH Food Bank was furnishing meals, but sweets were in short supply.

On Saturday, Diva's BFF revealed they were calling as far south as CT looking for a generator, and even if they could find one, would be lucky to find an electrician to come install it for them. With temps heading down into single digits for the second night, they were afraid their pipes would freeze. Kilowatt loaded our generator (which we thankfully did not need) and his tools into the car and was off again. An hour later their house was slowly heating back up. The local utility warns it could be a week or more before all power is restored, and we have another storm forecast for Wednesday into Thursday this week.

We finished out the week with a run across town -- a couple of posts ago I lamented the loss of my 16 year old waterbed mattress, obviously Christmas wasn't a real convenient time to buy a new mattress. Well, we are fortunate enough that we could afford that mattress, and picked up a new one for my daughter also so we could move hers to the guest room. That left us with a spare bed - the Red Cross was able to put us in touch with a local organization called Beauty 4 Ashes who takes gently used furniture and distributes it to those in need. When I called the woman was very apologetic that they didn't have a truck available to come pick the bed up - no problem, with two SUV's we deliver! Since their storage unit is near Goodwill, let's see what we can find to take there on the way. Double benefit - my house gets cleaned too!

Want to see what things look like up here? The best source is local news station WMUR. Today as I was driving across town what was most notable was that there were large areas with no visible impact from the storm, where just a few hundred yards away were large areas of devastation. One road had no ice or visible damage on the left, but on the right all the trees still had a thick coating of ice. I'll leave you with this photo, taken about a mile from my house. Notice that you can see a line on the mountain where the ice begins....

The Ghost of Christmas Past

2008-12-12T13:46:00.003-05:00

Christmas is a tough time of year in higher education, as class projects and final exams hit between Thanksgiving and Christmas, making it necessary to either start Christmas planning in October, or delay it until after exams. Since procrastination is my middle name, I tend to delay it until after exams.

So here we are on December 12, and I still have to complete a Philosophy paper for my studies and grade 15 class projects and 15 final exams for my students.

I haven't even considered what photo to use for our cards this year (thank you Snapfish for allowing me to order online and pick the next day at a local store.)

We were planning to go get our Christmas tree this weekend, but the ice storm has made so many roads impassable that may have to wait. Thankfully, we still have electricity (and internet access:)

Remember as a kid how it seemed like Christmas would never come? The tree went up shortly after Thanksgiving in our house, and the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas dragged on and on. We eagerly marked up the TV Guide for Rudolph, Frosty, and the Little Drummer Boy. If only I knew then what I know now - that having that time - to savor the anticipation of Christmas - was a gift in itself.

Oh well, that paper isn't going to write itself, and I have DVD's of Rudolph, Frosty and the Little Drummer Boy to watch after finals are over. I may not get to savor the anticipation of Christmas as I'm too doggoned stressed about getting shopping done, gifts wrapped and shipped (thank you Amazon for wrapping and shipping for me) (omg, when is Hanukkah this year?), decorations up, and mailing those Christmas/Hanukkah -- oh lets just make them New Years cards.....

Float On...

2008-11-30T22:16:00.002-05:00

It was so nice to be home in our own bed last night, after three nights visiting my in-laws. Not that their guest beds are uncomfortable, just nothing sleeps like your own bed.

We got our first real snowfall today, so I decided it's time to switch over to flannel sheets. I dutifully stripped off the comforter, bedspread (which we keep on the bed to protect the comforter from the cats,) and sheets. As I was moving the bedspread, my hand detected something wet on it. As a cat owner, I'm wondering if a kitty couldn't make the litter box, so I sniffed the cover (ewww, why would I do that?) No kitty smell.

Then I felt the side of the bed, and it was damp too. Uh-oh. Did I mention it is a soft-sided waterbed? Yep, the mattress bladders inside finally gave way. I did what anyone would do in this situation -yelled downstairs to Kilowatt "I think we have a problem."

While I'm trying to figure out how to get the mattress pieces into the bathtub without getting my hardwood floor wet, Kilowatt is opening the bedroom window. Did I mention our bedroom is on the 2nd floor (or 3rd, if you count the cellar, which in the back of the house is 3/4 exposed.) He drains the water out the window, then flings the mattress out after it! I am so glad we don't have neighbors who can see that side of the house.

I had been thinking it was time for a new mattress, but I really didn't plan on getting one for Christmas, you know? A quick look at our files show I bought this one in 1992 - yep, guess it is time for a new one. A quick glance at the internet shows prices have tripled since 1992 - oh goody. And the soonest we can get a new mattress delivered is Friday.

So until Friday, I'm sleeping on one of those inflatable guest mattresses that you put on the floor. We've improved its comfort by putting it up on top of the base of our waterbed frame. Of course, if I get too close to the edge I'll go flying off...and if this is improved comfort I'm not sure how anyone can sleep on one of these. Maybe this is why no one comes to visit us:)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T09:03:00.008-05:00

Thanksgiving is always a bittersweet holiday - it marks the beginning of the hectic holiday season, the beginning of winter for us NorthEasterners, and a stark reminder that there's only two weeks left in the semester to complete projects that should be a lot farther along than they are. But it also marks a day we traditionally spend with family, enjoying the Macy's parade on TV and laughing about Thanksgivings past.

I woke up this morning thinking about everything I have to do today to prepare for the six hour hike to my in-laws. It's cold out, I'm tired, you know the routine. I visited our local paper's website for todays news. All week, there's been a link at the top right of their page "tell us your positive thoughts as holidays approach." And for a week now, there's been one entry there, from a woman who's husband has lost his job. And that's it -- one entry in a city of over 100,000 with probably another 100,000 in the surrounding towns that read this paper.

That's not the whole story -- anyone who clicks on the comments link will see a note that 'no further comments are being taken on this story.' But on the home page, it looks like no one in NH has any positive thoughts to express.

Well, I have a few positive thoughts, and since I can't comment there, I'll share them here. This holiday, I'm thankful for:

~ my family

~ my friends, scattered though they are

~ living in a country where we are free to disagree with one another, and yet can come together in times or crisis

~ my faith. After a semester of philosophy, I'm happy to have faith.

~ the sun. It made an appearance today!

~ my cats. They love me no matter what, and show that love by grooming me in my sleep (a whole post coming up on that topic soon.)

~ kids (not just my own.) amazing how a couple of hours surrounded by the boundless energy of youth can make one feel ten years younger (or older, depending on one's attitude du jour.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

** Thanksgiving clipart from:

Just one dollar

2008-11-11T19:52:00.004-05:00

I heard on the radio today about a town in MA where the mayor (I believe it was) is asking everyone to donate $1 toward heating costs for those who otherwise couldn't afford to heat their homes. Then I saw on the news that the local food banks are almost out of food.

That got me to thinking, what if people would take the mayor's idea and carry it into other areas. For example, if you work in a small office, and everyone donated just $1 per week (only $52 a year), then you could probably scrape up $500 or so for one charity, or spread it around a bit more and give 20 different charities $25. Yes, everyone just give up one trip to the vending machine a week and improve the lives of others. Or if this is too much trouble, how about designating one week during the holiday season as charity week, and ask everyone to throw in their spare change daily. At the end of the week, take what you have collected to a local food pantry where you can help someone actually get a holiday meal.

The holidays are coming, and winter is here. Despite dropping oil prices, a lot of people still need our help as jobs disappear. So, if you are lucky enough to be employed, and have enough money to buy food, clothing and shelter, why not start keeping an extra dollar in your purse/pocket at all times to drop in that Salvation Army pot this year. Or use the convenience of the internet to donate a few dollars to a worthy cause or two. Need an idea: visit the NH Food Bank and participate in a virtual food drive.

What you give doesn't have to be much - if every blogger out there just gives a few dollars to their favorite cause, we can make a big impact. So, what cause will you choose this holiday season?

Fun Monday - Veteran's Day

2008-11-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

I'm really late joining Fun Monday this week, but I think the topic is so worthy that I had to contribute. Our host this week is Janis. Her very timely assignment:

Since Next Tuesday is Veterans Day, I thought it would be nice to salute our Veterans and show our appreciation. Photo requirement of something patriotic.

My stepfather passed away two years ago. He was a WWII veteran, an Army Laboratory Technician.

Occasionally, when I was young, he would talk about the war. I don't remember the specific stories, just the overall lesson that being in a war was a very tough way of life. I know the war made an indelible impression on his life. Maybe if I had listened closer to those stories, I would have understood him better.

Veteran's Day is a tribute to him and all the others who have served our country. Let us never forget the sacrifices made by so many, and do what we can to honor those. Even those lucky enough to come home bring memories of the horrors of war with them that we can scarcely imagine. Let us pause in our daily routines to say a special prayer of thanks for their sacrifice, and to remember those who are no longer with us.

Voter Report from NH

2008-11-04T17:00:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm day in NH for this election. I'm comfortable predicting we'll shatter voter turnout records today for our state at least. The mood at the polls was unlike any I've seen in all my years of voting. Despite the fact that whomever is elected faces major challenges, voters were excited to cast their ballots. I didn't mind having to plan my trip to the polls to minimize traffic congestion and wait time - I think it is great to see such a high level of civic involvement. Let's hope that the involvement doesn't end here!

My town did a great job - they were very well prepared for the turnout, which was quite heavy. I voted at 3:30PM - not usually a real busy time - and the parking lot was full. The high school had set up separate lanes for registered voters versus those registering today. They had also set up extra voting booths and had people directing the traffic.

A few high school students were doing exit surveys for their statistics class - this is quite normal for us, they do it every election. And Kid's Vote was set up in the room next to the polling room.

All in all the process went very smoothly, and we were in and out in 15 minutes or less. Finding a place to park was the biggest challenge!

Giant Pumpkins - Oh My!

2008-10-27T00:05:00.000-04:00

Here's another reason I love NH, and my town in particular. Every year we have this great Giant Pumpkin Regatta.

First, we have a contest to see who can use a trebuchet to shoot small pumpkins thru small holes in a floating target. And yes, the target moves when the wind blows!

Next, we take some of the giant pumpkins that weren't quite big enough to be crowned #1, and make them into boats for our big regatta. Yep, we scoop out the pumpkin guts and there you have it - instant boat.

The racers spend the evening decorating their craft, and the next day we all gather at the river for the big race:
Since pumpkin boats don't travel very fast they also shoot at each other with super soakers to keep things interesting (and this is NH, so that water is cold in October!)
Don't worry, we have divers standing by for any boat that sinks!

Now we'll bring in the 'big guns...'

But still our brave Fire Chief fights on:

Life in a Purple State

2008-10-26T15:01:00.003-04:00

Only ten days remain until the 2008 Presidential election. In my entire adult life I don't recall ever looking forward to an election as much as this one. Is it because I can't wait to cast my vote for my chosen candidates? Nope. Here's a list of the reasons why I can't wait for this election to be over with:

~ so I can answer my phone and actually have the person on the other end be someone who is calling to talk to me, not to poll me. Number of times I've been polled in 2008 -- greater than ten.

~ so I can answer the phone and not have someone offering me directions to my polling place. I know I'm getting older, but honestly, I can remember where and when to go vote.

~ so I can sleep in on Sunday morning, get up and roam the house in my jammies, and not hear my daughter yelling "Mom, there is a strange man at the door with a bunch of papers and an "insert candidates name here" sign on his car." At 9AM no less!

~ so I can listen to the radio again, without hearing the words "I will stand beside George Bush" in the ads of the candidates from BOTH parties in the Senate race.

~ so I can listen to the radio again without having to eventually give up and switch to my iPod because the only stations not playing attack ads are interviewing people about the attack ads.

~ so I don't see the people filling up the comments section of my local paper and tv station continue to spew hate-filled rhetoric about anyone who doesn't share their point of view. And, for the record, no one party has a monopoly on this rhetoric. What happened to basic respect for others? For that matter, what happened to the ability to think for ourselves and not spew some party line?

Okay, I'll get off my soap box for now, plug in my iPod, unplug my phone and cable-tv (but never my internet access,) lock my doors, and count the days until this election ends.

Oh yeah, and I'll pray that whomever is elected has the wisdom, the will, and the ability to do something to rally the people of the U.S. to address the multiple crises our Nation faces. Because the job is too big for any one person.

October Sky

2008-10-10T14:44:00.003-04:00

A five page philosophy paper. Statistics homework I don't understand. A research methods midterm. Clients traveling soon. Tests to grade. Laundry to wash. A house that even I term 'dirty.' Yep, this is the highlight of my to do list for this weekend. All the things I should be doing.

Outside my office window:

The entire sky is that blue - not a cloud in sight. Maybe all that stuff I have to do will just have to wait a bit longer....

This Can't be Good...

2008-10-07T19:04:00.002-04:00

After a long day of classes and a long drive home, I made the final turn toward home. Sitting a few feet away from my driveway was satellite news truck. Uh-oh, this isn't usually a good sign.

The school I live next door to (and my daughter just started attending) was just letting out. Bus loads of kids were waving as they drove by. I walked by and noticed the truck was from a Boston station. We're an hour north of Boston. Double Uh-oh.

When Diva and I walked by on our way down, we noticed a man sleeping in truck. Immediately I start thinking of good reasons why he might be there. With a hotly contested Senate race, and our status as a purple state, maybe some politician was in town at the local college and this guy thought he found a quiet street to take a nap? Yeah, right....

Turns out that a former teachers aid (female) was arrested for an inappropriate relationship with a 14 year old (male.) They communicated via text messages and online chat, so police have plenty of evidence. The school did a criminal background check before hiring her, but she had no criminal history.

Now is when I really envy all my homeschooling friends. It really shouldn't be this scary just to send your child to school.

Back in the "Real" World

2008-09-27T09:25:00.003-04:00

Now that I'm in school I'm actually required to get up, get dressed, and leave my house four days a week. Over the past four years of mostly working from home, I forgot how good I had it.

I just completed week 4 of classes, and Diva, who is fortunately (knock on wood here) a very healthy kid, came down with a flu bug on Thursday. We Mom's know how this one starts:

(Weds. Night) Diva: Mom, my throat is scratchy

Me (hopefully): Maybe you yelled too much at school today?

It invariably continues in a sleep-deprived fog around 4AM:

Diva: Mom, I'm cold and I can't breathe good.

Me (unintelligibly): glubglobglib.... I think that means I'll get you a glass of water and some cough syrup.

Me: Oh drat, we don't have any kid's medicine in the house because Diva hasn't been sick in so long.

Then comes the 6AM arm-wrestling match:

Kilowatt: Do you think she's really sick enough to stay home? She's never sick.

Me: What do you have going on at work today? I have Philosophy class at 10 and Fraud class at 5:30.

Kilowatt: Do you really think she's sick?

Me: If I were still working from home, I'd keep her home. Let me go get the thermometer. (pause.) Uh-oh, we're in 'no man's temperature land' 99.5. That means the school won't officially consider her sick. But I do since she never has a fever.

Kilowatt: I guess I can work from home today.

Me: I'd better go hit the showers so I can come home between classes.

Kilowatt: I'm off to the 24 hour pharmacy to pick up drugs.

Lucky for us, it appears to be a just a 24-48 hour bug. I had Friday off so Diva stayed home both days, and is now eager to leave the house where she's been stuck for two days.

So far, Kilowatt and I are okay. Now I have to go drink my OJ!

They're Baaaaacckkkkk!

2008-09-14T21:12:00.002-04:00

Just when I thought I could safely drive down the road without fear of getting caught in a motorcade -- we became a purple state. Or maybe it's a striped state. At any rate, both Senator's McCain and Obama (in alphabetical order) visited us this weekend to ~~bash each other~~ try to win our votes.

I try to stay away from political blogging, because it just begs controversy and that's not why I blog. But honestly, am I the only person who's really not happy with either choice at the moment?

They both promise to cut taxes and give us all kinds of great stuff. I wasn't born yesterday - that tax cut promise they are trying to use to buy my vote has to be paid for somehow, and borrowing more money from overseas just doesn't seem like a good idea to me. I've already resigned myself to working until I drop dead, hopefully somewhere with good medical coverage so my dropping dead can be put off a bit, since my 401k is going nowhere and social security is going to be bankrupt before I'm old enough to draw.

I'm tired of hearing about the party base - either party base. I'm about as moderate as can be, and I think the polarization that the two parties 'bases' are insisting upon is destructive overall.

I'm tired of political ads telling me how bad the opponent is without telling me anything about the person who is running. I'm tired of ads that anyone with a grain of sense can tell are distortions of the truth - are we really that stupid in this country?

How many more weeks of hearing candidates talk about how bad their opponents are do I have to look forward to?

Random Thoughts...

2008-09-13T14:48:00.002-04:00

Why is it that as soon as I hang laundry on the line, rain clouds move in?

Why does the price of gas always go up right when my tank approaches empty, and drops immediately after I fill up?

Why do I have a hard time asking people to do something for me, but so few people seem to feel the same restraint when asking me to do something for them?

It must be that philosophy class that has me pondering all of these questions. That, and the fact that statistics homework is looming over me like a big, dark cloud. I used to be really good at stats -- 25 years ago. That knowledge was pushed out of my brain-RAM by new knowledge, like how to tell if two ten-year-olds playing upstairs are being just too quiet to be trustworthy.

I often say 'if only I knew then what I know now.' In some cases I really mean it, but in many others I'm so glad I didn't know, because I might have made choices that would have ultimately changed my life for the worst. Isn't it funny how you can tie individual decisions into major impacts they made in your life?

Two Weeks Down, 62 More to Go!

2008-09-12T09:15:00.003-04:00

I'm now two weeks into my PhD program. The way I figure it, I have 62 more weeks of coursework to go. Then two years of writing dissertation materials. I'm ignoring summers in my count - those will be filled with writing articles and comprehensive exams - I deny those exist.

Highlights of what I've learned the last two weeks:

I don't really understand Philosophy. I'm not sure I ever will.
All research is flawed.
People lie with statistics all the time.
Driving three hours roundtrip, 4 days a week, is more exhausting now than it was 10 years ago.

What I'm still struggling to figure out:

What am I doing in a room with all these brilliant, intense people?
Will there ever be agreement between philosophers?

Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-31T11:52:00.002-04:00

I have several friends who live in areas that are likely to be hit by this monster storm. If you are interested in thoughts on this storm (and Katrina) from someone who lives right in the midst of the storm, check out my friend Chuck's website MacChuck, and his blog.

LA and MS have already been devastated by Katrina. Even as I selfishly hope this doesn't do too much to raise oil prices, I urge everyone to remember those who live in these areas in your prayers, and hope that lessons were learned from Katrina that can be implemented now to save lives and property.

Get Ready....

2008-08-25T11:09:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow starts orientation for my PhD program. Panic is beginning to set in as I contemplate how on earth I'm going to be a Mom, study, teach, and keep the sails on my travel business!

Thank goodness I have some great friends & family who have already stepped in with offers to help out.

It's a beautiful day here in New England. Today is my last lesson at UpReach with a client I've worked with this last year. She's an adorable little four-year-old girl who in 12 short months has transformed from fearful and clinging to Mom to brave and waving with both hands at Mom from atop her pony. I'll miss working with her, but our schedules just don't match up this fall. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see her again and marvel at her progress!

I'm going to attempt to post each week with my thoughts on going back to school. And I'm going to try to get back into Fun Mondays again! But for today, this will have to do...

Vacation & Home Improvements

2008-08-13T18:00:00.000-04:00

I love to travel, but looks like we won't be going for any big trips anytime soon. We finally got tired of gluing patches onto our 25+ year old pool liner. Plus this summer started out with a heat wave - two weeks of 90 degree temps. With no plans for a true summer vacation it looked to be the perfect summer for a little vacation at home.

BEFORE:
DURING:
AFTER:

Isn't that just the prettiest pool liner you have ever seen? I'm warning you, say yes, because not only is that my vacation money in that hole in the ground, but it has also been COLDER and WETTER than average ever since we got that thing put in. We've been in the pool about five of the last 30 days since we put the new liner in.

Yes, those guys who tormented us this winter by telling us about the record snowfall (I believe we finished the year in 4th place for total recorded snowfall) have now shared the fact that we are in 7th place for wettest summer - and we've still got 17 more days to move up that list.

So I guess I'll go pump some more water OUT of my pool, and contemplate how nice a WARM weather vacation would be!

Fun Monday - Wordly Wise

2008-08-04T00:30:00.001-04:00

The ladies over at Mothers of Brothers, or MoB (I love that acronym) have challenged us to "use our words" this week. Their instructions:

Words are our building blocks, our stepping stones, and, for many of us, our salvation. We string them together so quickly at times, we often lose sight of how precious they are. So tell us about your favorite word… or if you can’t pick just one, tell us about a few. Are there certain words that feel good the way they roll of your tongue? Do some words make you feel smart? Or silly? Or happy? Which words do you find yourself selecting to put in your posts? Since this response could be a short one, feel free to poll your family and friends and include some of their favorite words as well. If you think a definition is required, please share one. Please keep the words rated G for all audiences. Any language is acceptable, but please provide a translation. And stick to real words as opposed to ones made up along the way. We then challenge everyone to visit the posts on Monday and try to use other bloggers’ favorite words in your blog next week. We can’t wait to expand our vocabulary!

Hypermiling - I predict this will be THE word for 2008. The hyperlink will take you to a site all about it if you haven't already heard this term. Since I drive an FSP (fuel sucking pig) I've been trying to follow as many of the tips as possible. Boy do people hate to drive behind me now:)

Imagine - I just hear this word and my mind starts off on wild explorations. It's my happy word.

Interjection - If like me you grew up with SchoolHouse Rock, I probably don't need to say anything more about this one! I start singing every time I hear it.

Sesquipedalian - given to using long words; a word of many syllables.

I use this one on my students when they start trying to BS (pardon my acronymic swear - is acronymic a word?) their way through my class with big words. Unfortunately (for them) they typically use those big words totally out of context.

Call Centers

2008-07-30T16:27:00.003-04:00

I just have to get up on my soapbox about a pet peeve of mine -- call centers.

You may know the drill. You call the toll free (or sometimes not toll free) number that is given for customer service. You get the obligatory recorded message giving you nine different options to choose from. Heaven forbid you don't listen closely, because then you have to go through the entire thing again! You push you number and.....

You get the next menu of recorded options, with nine more choices. You take great care to listen carefully, because you don't want to go through this again. You press the number that most closely relates to why you called in the first place (assuming you remember by now.) And then...

You hear the 'click' as your call is transferred to somewhere overseas, because workers here in the U.S. demand pesky things like decent wages, and benefits. These eat into corporate profits, so they are bad. But I digress....the person who answers speaks very proper, albeit heavily accented, English. But they don't understand the idioms we Americans love to use, and they don't understand the nuances of what you are saying.

You vow to remain calm while you are attempting to get (in this case) your bill corrected. You explain that there is an error on your bill. The person on the other end tells you how much you owe. You explain that no, that's not the right amount. The person on the other end tells you how much you owe (the same amount again.) And so it goes....

After the first three minutes, your voice raises. You begin to swear in your mind, hoping the words don't make it to your lips. You attempt to explain again. Finally, you are getting somewhere, as the person places you on hold. Yep, this is the one time when going on hold is a positive thing.

Five minutes later (why do hold times always seem to average five minutes) the person on the other end of the line comes back to tell you that yes, you are correct, there is an error. Here is the right amount.

But wait -- the amount she quotes is LESS than what you owe. Your desire to be honest wars with your desire to stick it to the company who put you through this in the first place. What would you do?

Fun Monday - Careers

2008-07-21T05:48:00.001-04:00

I've been out of town (and then trying to catch up from being out of town) the last couple weeks, and have missed playing along on Fun Monday. I'm finally ~~caught up~~ beyond caring about being behind, I just wanna have some fun.

This weeks hostess is Dungareesablaze at the Irish Coffee House and here's a great topic for those of us who like to use our blog as a way of remembering things...

Careers- Then and Now

THEN: As a child day dreaming of what your future would hold for you, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you ever pursue or achieve it?

NOW: If you could be trained and placed in any career beginning tomorrow, what would it be?

WAY BACK THEN:

My destiny was clear in my mind from second grade onward - I was going to be a veterinarian. That is, until my senior year in high school, when I met my first love. I just couldn't bear to be separated from him by going away to college. Unfortunately, he didn't tell me not to give up on my dreams, that he would wait for me, we would make it work; the way I now understand that true love does. So I changed my dreams for him. The relationship didn't last, but by the time it was over I was too far into my degree (and student loans) to change majors.

I majored in accounting, because I was good at math. Not exactly the best way to choose a career. I ended up with an internship at a really big company my senior year of college, and this led to my relocating from KY to NH.

THEN, NOT QUITE SO FAR BACK:

A few years later I was still in NH, independent and financially successful, but not really happy in my career (or other areas, but that's a story for another day.) Someone said to me - "why don't you do something else if you are so unhappy?" I decided to look into vet school. I visited the nearest vet school, and they told me the first thing I needed to do was arrange to work with a local vet. I went to the nearest vet's office, and he scheduled me to work with him weekends for a month.

Among those who have influenced me, I have to rank him among the most positive of influences. He took the time to make me really think about what I wanted to do, and to understand what would be required to make this career change. He let me fully observe the activities at his veterinary hospital and realize what really is involved in veterinary medicine. And he told me "You don't do this because you love animals. If you love animals, there are plenty of other ways to be around them and help them. You do this because you love the science of veterinary medicine."

In the end, I understood that I would have to go to school for 4-6 years, incur massive student debt, and when I graduated I would make less than I was making in my current job. And being a vet didn't look quite as glamorous as it did when I had no experience in the field beyond taking my own animals to the vet. I realized that my dream was more of a fantasy - an idea I had created based on a love of animals without adequate consideration of what the career involved. Instead of changing careers, I looked for a new job. Preferably one with lots of opportunities for travel, which was the one part of my current job that I actually liked.

I found a great job, got a huge pay increase, traveled extensively, and while on the road, met Kilowatt.

NOW:

I'm happily married to Kilowatt, with a wonderful daughter who teaches me something new every day.

I explored a few other career options along the way. I considered teaching high school math (shudder), I've been (and still am) a travel consultant, and I've taught computer and accounting classes.

This fall, I'm starting a PhD program in accounting, so I can teach and do research in my favorite areas of accounting: forensic accounting and accounting systems. So I think this answers the 2nd question.

And while I reflect back over how I got to where I am today, I am reminded of the Garth Brooks song Unanswered Prayers: "I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all"

Cute Crowns!

2008-07-20T21:32:00.003-04:00

Every now and then I get a really great idea for something crafty. It usually is really involved, and typically Kilowatt must rescue me from myself as I try to create something beyond my capabilities.

This one is no exception. I came up with the idea Saturday afternoon. Asked Kilowatt for help figuring out how on earth to cut chipboard into the shape of a crown. I have a Cricut (cutting machine) but no way is it going to cut something as thick as chipboard. Kilowatt has the real cutting tools. Tables saws and routers.

A few hours later, he concludes that chipboard is too much like paper to cut well with a router. So off to AC Moore we go to look for an alternate material (or cutting tool.) While I admired the $500 Pazzles that cuts chipboard, there's no money in this family's budget for one of those. So it was on to Kilowatt's favorite place - Home Depot.

There we found hardboard, which the router loves. A few hours today and here are the results -- autograph books/photo albums shaped like crowns for little princesses.

Bristol, CT Pictures

2008-07-20T20:57:00.011-04:00

The previous post talks in more detail about where these were taken.... I finally took the time to pull some photos off of my camera.

First, from the Watch and Clock Museum, one of my favorites:

Next, from the Carousel Museum, one of the most interesting animals. Not the metal handle on the horses withers - this is where the rider held on for dear life as the horse flew down the track.

Finally, a view of Lake Compounce....

and the fabulous Boulder Dash...

Quick Update

2008-07-17T10:38:00.004-04:00

Summer is a time for creating new memories. I am amazed at how different each summer is. Even though we are doing the same things, they are different as Diva matures into a "tween" and Kilowatt and I just mature.

The family held a surprise 75th birthday party for my Father-in-law, so we took a July 4 road trip to New York state. On the way we decided to take a mini-vacation, so I pulled out my "Reader's Digest Guide to Off the Beaten Path Attractions." This led us to Bristol, CT, home of ESPN.

No one in my family is a sports fan, so we looked with only mild interest at the satellites in the parking lot of the home of "Sports Center." Our destinations were much more interesting.

First, we visited the American Watch and Clock Museum. I promise to post some pics after I get them off my camera. Imagine a room filled with grandfather clocks. Imagine 11 o'clock in a room filled with grandfather clocks. Mechanically inclined Kilowatt loved the clock mechanisms. I loved the section dedicated to Disney character watches and clocks. Diva loved the sound of numerous clocks chiming 11 times.

Our travels led us next to the New England Carousel Museum. I have a thing for carousels, and have wanted to visit this museum for many years. The collection includes some fascinating carousel animals (did you know there was once a horse race ride where you zipped along at 40 miles per hour secured only by two metal handles on the side of a wooden horse?) There is also an old Wurlitzer carousel organ that plays the lovely (and very loud) music that accompanies riders on traditional carousels. Diva loved the carousel organ (see a trend here?)

Our final stop on our tour of Bristol attractions led us to Lake Compounce, America's oldest continuously operating amusement park. We were a bit hesitant to spend the admission price when we only had five or six hours to enjoy the park, but the lure of an old wooden roller coaster was too much to resist. Little did we know what treat was in store for us....

Let me digress a bit by explaining that in my younger days, I was quite the roller coaster connoisseur. A group of friends and I once drove four hours just to ride a wooden roller coaster that Money Magazine had listed in it's Top Ten roller coasters list. There was a time when I would ride any coaster in the country. As steel coasters have become more extreme, and I've become less daring, I now limit my coasters to wooden coasters (which will always be my favorite) and those with minimal inversions and average size drops.

Anyway, back to Lake Compounce. They have a wooden roller coaster called Boulder Dash that is built into the side of a mountain. This coaster was worth the price of admission, and there were virtually no lines to ride. I have to rank this among the best coasters I've ever ridden, and well worth a visit to CT. Even for non-coaster fans this is an excellent park, most notable is how clean and well-maintained the park is.

Once I've recovered from the trip I'll post pictures!

Fun Monday: Clothes you can't part with

2008-06-23T10:26:00.006-04:00

Our hostess for this weeks Fun Monday is HulaGirl and she has come up with a fun and creative challenge. Her instructions:

After much thought and consideration I’ve come up with the following topic….clothing…specifically clothing you can’t get rid of. We all have at least one or two items of clothing that we can’t part with, even if we can’t or don’t wear them. I want to know about yours. Show us if you have pictures or describe it in detail. Model it for us if you dare. Nothing naughty please-we don’t want to see your backside (or your front side) in that thong you foolishly bought in Cancun on vacation. Is it your old FFA jacket from high school (which my husband has)? A Grateful Dead concert t-shirt from 1978? A shirt from an old lover or that size *&! pair of jeans you hope you get into again one day? Or maybe the really large pair of jeans you wore before you lost 100 pounds or your grandma’s vintage wedding dress. Dig around in your closets and find something you want to share with us Monday.

I have an entire box full of items, so the tough part was deciding which ones to showcase.
I decided to start with a favorite of mine:

I wore this suit when I was much, much younger and thinner. I looked really hot in it, even if I do say so myself. I doubt that I will ever fit into it again (some things have grown and shifted over the years.) But I just can't bring myself to get rid of it!

I have a whole collection of t-shirts that bring back lots of memories of concerts and events of old. Like this one:
This is from my one and only visit to the Kentucky Derby. I have the matching Derby glass too. Did I pick the winner? No. Spend A Buck beat out my long shot favorite by, well, a long shot.

Then there is this one, a souvenir of my first ever rock concert date:
In case you don't remember, the band is REO Speedwagon. I saw them a couple of years ago here in NH - like me, they have aged a bit. They still make great music though!

And finally,Hulagirl, this is for your hubby:

I actually have two of them, the other is a white one from the year I was selected as Chapter Sweetheart. But the white is now more of a beige -- it hasn't weathered time quite as well as this one has.

The other items in my box include lots more concert t-shirts: Air Supply, Oak Ridge Boys, Brooks and Dunn (signed). Also some Sigma Phi Epsilon Lil Sis items as a reminder of my college days, and my old horse show clothing, which like the suit I will never fit into again.

I can hardly wait to see what everyone else has offered up!

Fun Monday - Walls

2008-06-16T00:01:00.001-04:00

This weeks host is Jan, and she's come up with quite a challenge. Her instructions:

The subject is walls. We all have walls of some sort. What I want to hear about and see, if you're going to show off your amazing photo skills, is what is on your walls, what color are your walls, what is special about them, what is your favorite or least favorite, is it inside or outside. You get the idea, let's show and tell about walls.

When I first considered this challenge, I thought 'uh-oh, this is going to be tough.' But as soon as I began walking through my house, camera in hand, it became easier.

First, I like to showcase some of my favorite things on my walls:

I love pictures of beach chairs, beckoning me to come and sit:

What I didn't realize until I walked around, camera in hand, looking at my walls, is how much into wallpaper borders I am:

This isn't all of them - just my favorites. From left to right:
Master bedroom, Diva's room (but did I have to tell you that?) and dining room...

So: Does anybody recognize the color scheme in Diva's room?
Hint: Disney channel....

Crazy Eights

2008-06-15T14:29:00.007-04:00

Geez, I miss a few days of reading my favorite blogs and return to find myself 'tagged' by Hula Girl. Since I don't have time to think up any topics to blog about, this works for me, so here goes:

8 THINGS I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT:

1. My wonderful family (especially Kilowatt, who is spending father's day cleaning the OUTSIDE of the house!)

2. Reading

3. Scrapbooking (and scrapbook supplies)

4. Computers and the Internet

5. Horses (and their unique healing powers)

6. Business Ethics (and leading the next generation to be more ethical than my generation)

7. Freedom

8. Music

8 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:

1. Write a book

2. Finish my coursework and dissertation

3. Take a world cruise

4. Spend a year traveling around the US, hitting off the beaten path attractions along with the major ones

5. Catch up on my scrapbooking!

6. See Diva graduate from college

7. Make one of my high school reunions

8. Ride a mule in the Grand Canyon

8 THINGS I SAY OFTEN:

1. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch" used when I ramble off on a tangent from the current discussion

2. "Just a sec" This one has come back to bite me, as now whenever we ask Diva to do something, the response is invariably "just a sec."

3. "Brush your hair"
4. "Don't forget to check BlackBoard" if you know what I mean, your either a college student or a college professor!
5. "I need the phone" if you are the parent of a pre-teen girl, you know what I mean
6. "Yes, my husband and I have different last names" I never dreamed how difficult this concept would be for others to accept. We are married, really!
7. "Thank you, God" Okay, I don't say it often enough.
8. "yes, I can do that" and I really need to learn to say 'no, I don't have time for that.'

8 BOOKS I'VE READ LATELY:

1. Extraordinary Circumstances - Cynthia Cooper
2. The Legend of River Mahay - Deborah Cox Wood
3. Race Across Alaska - Libby Riddles
4. Executive Orders - Tom Clancy (for about the fifth time)
5. Jade Island - Elizabeth Lowell
6. Great Family Vacations: Northeast (it's summertime!)
7. 1000 Places to See Before You Die
8. Fraud Examination (yes, professor, I read my text)

8 MOVIES I'VE WATCHED 8 OR MORE TIMES:

1. Dirty Dancing - my favorite 'guilty pleasure' movie

2. Christmas Vacation - our annual tradition

3. Star Wars (original) - and at least six of those on the big screen

4. ET - ditto

5. High School Musical - I'm the Mom of a ten year old girl, what can I say?

6. Hairspray - Diva's current favorite

7. Mulan - MY all time Disney favorite

8. Grease - Diva's past favorite

8 PEOPLE TAGGED TO PLAY ALONG:
Given that on a good day (that being Fun Monday) I'm lucky to have 8 readers, not sure how to handle this one! Can I cheat and make up names?

Only in New Hampshire

2008-06-09T10:03:00.002-04:00

I love quirky places. I remember as a child visiting Rockaway Beach before nearby Branson, MO became the vacation mecca is now is. Other favorite vacation places include Weeki Wachee Springs in FL (home of living mermaids) and Talkeetna, AK (a small drinking town with a climbing problem.)

This quirkiness is one of the reasons why I absolutely love living in New Hampshire. From yesterdays news headlines: "Bear Removed from Tree in Downtown Rochester." It took about 14 hours of efforts by local police and fish and game officials to get the 200 pound bear out of the tree. Residents were asked to avoid downtown during this time.

Makes the deer that were munching on my garden last night look downright tame.

Wardrobe Malfunctions

2008-06-05T14:26:00.006-04:00

While I was avoiding work by exploring my favorite blogs, I found Hulagirl telling a great story that triggered some old memories, which led to more than one stress-busting belly laugh. You know, the kind of laugh that supposedly makes you healthier.

Why Denim is now blended with Spandex:

Back in my high school days, my cousin really liked one of my best friends. So much so that he decided to buy a horse in order to impress her. A friend of his was conveniently selling a horse, so we went out to his farm to take a look. I was quite impressed with my cousin's friend...

When invited to hop on the horse behind my cousin's friend, I didn't need a second invitation. I agilely jumped on just like Tonto would. Unfortunately, my jeans were just a wee bit too tight for that sort of jump, and announced that fact with a loud "Rip." And kids, that's why it's important to wear clean underwear without holes, and to always bring a jacket along (to tie around your waist.) And that's why I love Spandex.

Why Elastic is Evil:

A few years later I was a college girl, and working in a retail store selling pianos. That was when retail store clerks still dressed up to go to work. For me, this often involved wearing panty hose - one of mankind's most terrible inventions. I've always hated to have anything tight around my waist, and so I developed this unconscious habit of constantly adjusting the hose to a more comfortable position. I wasn't really aware of this, or the audible "Snap" that accompanied the adjustment, until my musically inclined boss wrote a poem for me at Christmas that year about my habit! I'm sure I still have it somewhere, I'll have to post it if I can find it.

I saw the light:

A few more years passed, and I was a working girl (no, not that kind of working girl.) I was teaching a class on auditing computers. This was when instructors still dressed up to teach. Because the class was in Atlanta, and it was 90 degrees in the classroom, and I was wearing a very long black skirt, I opted to skip the evil panty hose and almost equally uncomfortable slip.

What I neglected to notice was that directly behind the projection screen was a full length window, which provided excellent back-lighting for myself and my co-instructor. The black skirt was no match for the midday sunshine. My co-instructor calls me "Lady Di" to this day, and says I have great legs.

Stunning Swimsuits:

I was in the YMCA pool with my daughter when suddenly my one piece tank became very, very loose. I decided I'd best get out of the water to see what was going on. Lucky for me our big towel was right next to the pool, and we were pretty much in a corner by ourselves. A quick trip to the ladies changing room revealed that the fabric (Lycra I think) had just given up, and was now 1) very large and 2) very transparent. Time to go home!

I honestly can't believe how many wardrobe malfunctions I've experienced in my life, and we won't even go into wet, white shirts. So -- am I the only one, or do you have a wardrobe malfunction to share?

Fun Monday - I Made It Myself

2008-05-29T09:28:00.007-04:00

Sorry to be so late posting, I've been battling much of the day to get these photos to upload.

Karisma came up with this fabulous idea for Fun Monday. Her instructions:

I MADE IT MYSELF!

I think the title pretty much says it all, but for those of you who may still be wondering, I would like to see or hear about things you have made with your own two hands (or feet, Im not fussy!) We all have different talents and abilities, maybe you like to sew or knit, chisel or sculpt, draw or paint? Whatever your talent is, please share it with us this week.

Da Rules.....

Well there are not any really! But you know, we all know that you made your kids so lets NOT choose them this time. (After all you did not make them with your hands or feet did you?)

I didn't realize how difficult this would be for me. You see, I have a house full of half-completed projects. My first challenge was finding something completed. My second challenge - I'm not really the creative type. I still recall my elementary school art teacher telling me "you just can't draw" in second grade. So I am very sensitive about showing my creations to anyone. My third challenge - I'm a perfectionist. So I can find something wrong with everything I've ever created. Again, this makes me a bit shy about sharing my creations.

As I walked around the house looking for something exciting I created, I pulled out the cross-stitch I started making for Kilowatt the year we met. It isn't even half-completed, so that went back in the bag.

Next I found this:

I was in an art class where we were given the vase, and told to carve a picture on it, and paint it. I had never done anything with ceramics, and have never done anything since then. The art instructor kept telling me I was taking too long - it didn't have to be perfect. I eventually completed it and I'm pretty happy with the result.

I do scrapbook, but I couldn't find too many pages that I really felt comfortable sharing. Mainly because they had people on them who might not like seeing their picture online. I finally settled on this one as a sample.

Finally, I have to cheat a little bit. Kilowatt is the talented one in this family, and happily Diva shows signs of having inherited his artist talent. Here is one of his masterpieces - an advent calendar he made for me after I complained that I couldn't find anything American made in any store, and didn't really like the ones I found anyway. Isn't is lovely? He used different kinds of woods to make the doors, that's why they aren't all the same color.

Fun Monday - Vacations

2008-05-23T10:39:00.014-04:00

This weeks Fun Monday Hostess is Alison. Here's the assignment she's prepared for us. I'm really looking forward to all the great photos and stories this one should generate!

Vacations...this is the time of year when most of us go on vacations. Show us and/or tell us about your favorite vacation - where you went, what you did, etc. Pictures would be great. Let's all take a trip around a the world via our FM friends!!

I love vacations. It's really hard to choose one as a favorite. So I decided to go with my most recent favorite.

In July 2007, we headed North to Alaska to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. Kilowatt and I were married in Alaska, at the Alyeska Resort. Ironically, we didn't visit the resort in 2007 because it was raining so hard the day we were in that area. Alaska is hard to describe with just words, so I'll let some of my hundreds of photos do the talking.

We started out in this lower 48 city - do you recognize it?

Yes, there is a mountain in the distance. The city is Seattle, and the photo was taken from here.

Next, we took the Amtrak Cascades to this wonderful city:

After we departed from Vancouver, we sailed North up the Inside Passage. We stopped first at Ketchikan, where it was raining. I've give up on ever seeing Ketchikan in the sun. Next stop Juneau, where it was quite lovely. We took a photography tour - of course, if you are in Alaska, what do you photograph? These:

And these:

And then some of these:

Next stop, my favorite port, Skagway. We took the White Pass and Yukon railroad over some white-knuckle territory:

Once we reached our final port, we headed inland. We only saw these at the Alaskan Wildlife refuge, although that may not be a bad thing. Don't think I'd want to be this close to one in the wild:

We went hiking at an abandoned mine:

Participated in this:

Enjoyed a ride behind Iditarod competitor Vern Halter's dogs:

Finally, on our last day, look who peaked out to say hi. We took a ride on a Mahay's Jetboat (a tiny one shows in the photo.) I should note here that our last visit McKinley never graced us with a view, so this was an extra special treat.

Sigh... everytime I look at these I want to go back and do it all again!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2008-05-22T21:43:00.002-04:00

I think Jeanne C Riley (country singer) is the one who sang that song... "Kids Say the Darndest Things." Until you have kids though, I'm not sure you can fully appreciate the truth in this title.

Diva has shocked me a couple of times. Unfortunately, it is usually in front of some authority figure. For example, we recently visited the doctor for her annual physical. Does anyone else's doctor spend more time quizzing the kids than actually examining them? Question 1: do you wear a helmet when riding a bike? Diva answers yes, I smile. Question 2: Do you wear a seatbelt? Again, yes, right answer! Question 3: Do you help Mom & Dad out at home? Diva says "no." Follow up question: Do you set the table (no.) Follow up #2: Do you help with your pets? (no.) Follow up questions 3-10 Do you... (no.)

So the doctor says "what do you do at home?" Diva says "I watch TV!" Doctor gives me evil eye. I turn very red while thinking about the discussion we'll be having in the car on the way home. For the record, Diva earns her allowance money by cleaning the litter-boxes, helping hang up clothes, and occasionally setting the table and running the vacuum.

Then there was last winter. We went on a lovely cruise with some friends for school vacation week. We visited Tortola and Samana, where the snorkeling was divine and we saw incredible sea life, including a huge starfish up close and personal. On the ship, we saw a family of acrobats that were spectacular, and Diva got to talk with the kids in the show. Plenty of wonderful experiences to remember.

The last day of the cruise, we were laying by the pool in the sun. A lady sunbathing nearby us undid her bikini top to avoid tan lines. She was a bit older and heavier than your average bikini wearer. Anyway, something nearby startled her, and she sat up fast, forgetting about the undone bikini top. You get the idea....

So, on the first day back at school when the teacher asks each child to share something they did over school vacation, what do you think Diva shared? I was afraid to answer the phone for weeks after that in case her teacher was calling.

And then just this week, while driving her to dance, Diva asks me how much someone working at McDonald's makes. I tell her an amount, and she says "well I'm gonna get the he-double-hockey-sticks down there and get me a job." After driving back onto the road, I ask her "what was that?" She gleefully repeats her statement. I explain that we don't talk like that (at least no authority figures were with us!) She says "but that's what I heard on TV."

That settles it - more chores and less TV!

Fun Monday - Collections

2008-05-18T17:41:00.006-04:00

Hulagirl inspired me to start blogging. I've read some of her Fun Monday posts, and thought it might help me get a little more consistent about blogging if I tried to participate. When I headed over to this week's host, Mariposa's, I saw that this Fun Monday could have been written for me!

Here are her instructions:

"Collections...

We all have them...and if you don't, you do....you just may not realize it. For some reason or another we all collect something and we collect it for reasons that will definitely make for good reading. So on Monday, I want to see your collection. If you don't have or don't want or CAN'T (wink) show us a picture, then tell us what the collection is in 10 words or less. Then tell us why you started collecting it."

How many of you guessed from this photo what it is I collect? If you guessed scrapbooking supplies, you are close, but that's not quite it. Take another look....

I collect storage containers! I started collecting them to store all the other stuff I collect, but I got hooked on the storage itself! In this photo is merely a small portion of my storage container collection - 23 pieces, to be exact. My collection ranges from the inexpensive pieces by Rubbermaid, to the ~~more expensive~~ overpriced by Longaberger, to the high-tech by Maxtor and Western Digital (hard drive manufacturers), to the truly large pieces like the custom cabinet shown in the photo.

There's a good story that goes with that cabinet. Kilowatt started building it a number of years before I met him, as a gun cabinet. When I met him we stored it for quite some time unfinished in our spare bedroom. As my collection of papers, brochures, books, etc... grew, I eyed the base as a good storage place and he finished that off. But then I needed to expand upward - and thus the top of the 'gun cabinet' became my 'brochure & paper cabinet.'

I'm serious about my collection. The Container Store is bookmarked as a favorite. I own and use packing cubes when traveling. I have a storage bench inside my door for shoes, gloves, and hats. I was a Longaberger Collector's Club member (and I use those baskets). I should consider buying stock in Rubbermaid.

Please feel free to leave tips for me on new storage containers I might need to add to my collection!

He smiles!

2008-05-14T00:07:00.002-04:00

A couple of years ago I began volunteering at a therapeutic riding center. My motives were totally selfish. I needed to get some exercise, and I love horses, and this was a chance to be forced to get exercise and hang out in a stable.

If you are not familiar with what a therapeutic riding center is, visit the UpReach website for an overview.

Many riders require three volunteers - a leader and two side walkers, as well as an instructor. For the last several months, I've been with D, a wheelchair bound, non-verbal male who I would estimate is in his mid-thirties. It is a challenge working with someone who does not communicate. How do you know if they are happy, or sad? Or if something you do hurts them?

Last Tuesday was one of those picture perfect days in NH. The sun was shining, it was 70 degrees, and there was enough of a breeze to keep the black-flies (also known as the NH state bird) away. We decided to head outside for a trail ride. Yes, a real trail ride, back through the woods. Over the years UpReach has cleared a wide trail, and even built bridges across small creeks, so riders can enjoy some time out with nature.

D rides Frodo, a Belgian cross who looks somewhat like a big teddy bear, and likes to nibble on his leader's nearest body part when something makes him unhappy. Like most horses in therapeutic programs, he is calm and extremely intelligent.

Our trail ride starts by climbing a pretty steep hill. Then back through the woods we go. Imagine how much fun it must be for someone who spends their life in a wheelchair, with people looking down at them, to be on top of a horse, looking down on everyone else.

Imagine being unable to move without assistance. Now imagine the thrill of being out in the woods, seeing sites that you can't see from the back of a handicap van, or your apartment. What must it be like?

It must be wonderful, because for a fleeting moment, I looked back, and I know I saw it. D smiled.

The Greatest Mother's Day Ever

2008-05-12T09:40:00.008-04:00

I'll admit it - I take shameless advantage of Mother's Day. Anything I buy in the four weeks preceding Mom's big day is a "Mother's Day Gift." I usually manage to score a couple of dinners out as gifts. And girlfriend time too!

This year we are still reeling from the price of heating oil. Plus the 'maintenance monster' has struck, over and over again. So holidays this year will be a bit more subdued than usual. And let's be honest, I really don't NEED anything.

Diva's art class did some really neat drawings, and a company makes them into more practical items. The Grandmother's got pot holders. I ordered myself a set of coasters:

Sunday morning, Diva keeps telling me to stay in bed. Kilowatt asks what I'd

like for breakfast. Ahhhhh... Mother's Day. Diva eventually comes up to get me. She has made a lovely card all by herself - not bad for a ten year old, huh? A little bling too:)

I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and the chance to read the entire Sunday paper. It was an absolutely gorgeous day here in NH, so Kilowatt washed and cleaned my car (now that's a present I NEEDED!) He even shampooed my floor mats!

Diva locked me in my office to prepare her big surprise for me. When I was led out (eyes closed Mom), imagine my surprise to see the lovely day spa she had set up in our living room. She had brought out a bottle of wine and a wineglass (there's probably a law against that, but don't worry, she doesn't know how to work a corkscrew so it was safely closed!) And set up a lovely 'massage couch' for me.

After a lovely hand and foot massage, and spa snacks, I was greeted by the "complimentary cat" that goes with the spa. As I relaxed and enjoyed the moment, I heard the sound of cutting coming from the kitchen. I was torn between the desire to run in and supervise (no trips to the ER were in my plans) and the desire to let my little girl prove she could do it alone. Knowing Diva is a practical kid, I decided to take my chances.

In came the combination eye treatment & snack - sliced cucumbers. Lucky these can be cut with a butter knife!

Gourmet breakfast, a luxury spa day, and a complete detailing of the limo -- who could ask for anything more?

Big News

2008-05-08T19:16:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had really, really big news you wanted to share, but were afraid to? Maybe its fear of commitment - if I share it then I have to do it. Maybe its fear of failure - what if I tell everyone and then fall flat on my face? Maybe its just the desire to hold the news secret for awhile, and savor it privately.

Actually, I'm going to pick D - all of the above.

I suppose I should build suspense, maybe make a guessing game out of this. Give a few clues and invite you back. But as seldom as I've been posting recently, you might find it hard to patiently wait for my next post!

So, my big news - I've been accepted into the PhD in Accounting program at Bentley College! Those of you who know me may recall my words from 2006 "I don't think I have another degree in me." I guess I was wrong!

I should have all kinds of interesting new tales this fall...

So Much for That Idea

2008-05-02T18:08:00.002-04:00

My plan to blog at least three times a week has been scaled back a bit.... maybe I should start with something less ambitious, like three times a month.

April was a wonderful month here in New England, with the snow finally melting. During our April vacation week the sun was out and the average temperature was in the high 60's -- making for some very happy campers in my family since we didn't travel any further than Boston. Our trip to the Franklin Park Zoo was a big hit with Diva. I couldn't decide if I should laugh or cry as Diva and her friend declared themselves too old for the carousel, but then promptly 'dared' each other to ride it 'as a joke.' They demanded I delete the photo I took of them on it, hmmm....., maybe I should post it here.

Diva performed her first vocal solo at the Palace Theatre - she was a bit nervous. She sang "Play with Your Food" from the musical Honk, Jr. I can't imagine myself singing in front of an audience with a microphone at age 10; I was very proud of her.

Well, I'm not feeling particularly creative tonight, so this is it. But at least it's a start, and I'll be back soon!

Time

2008-03-20T14:59:00.004-04:00

Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is time - or, more precisely, my lack of this precious commodity. My entire reason for leaving my corporate job was so I would have more time with my family.

Here I am, almost four years later, wondering if I've accomplished that objective, or failed miserably. As a work-at-home Mom, I absolutely have more time during which my family and I are physically under the same roof. But if you are considering a change, and are thinking that working from home will solve all of your time related issues -- think again!

On the positive side, I don't run into childcare issues when school is cancelled, or delayed, or released early. That has been a big benefit this year with our record snows.

Another positive is the ability to work when I want, and to take off when I want. Midday teacher's meetings and doctor's appointments are no problem! However, this can also be a negative, as if the to do list isn't shrinking fast enough, working hours may begin and end on different calendar days. Things like sleep and showering get cut down to shorter and shorter duration. And people just don't understand how someone who is home 'all the time' could have so much to do.

I'm a big fan of lists as a way to manage my time, so I thought I'd put out a list of things I'd like to accomplish sometime this century:

~ Complete that 2003 scrapbook I've been working on since 2004.

~ Start a 2008 scrapbook. I'll fill in 2004-07 some day.

~ Blog at least three times a week so my family & friends know I'm still alive.

~ Clean my office. This may require a shovel and wheelbarrow, or maybe a match.

~ Clean my house. Sell stuff that I've owned two years or more and never used yet on E-bay.

~ Take the coats off the treadmill, and use it for its intended purpose.

~ Develop my own website.

~ Write a book.

~ Learn another language.

~ And of course, spend more time with my family.

Diva is growing up fast, and already shows signs of starting to think Mom isn't as cool as she used to be. I try to remind myself to take advantage of any time she wants to spend with me now. And isn't the clock she made (pictured above) lovely? I just wish I had thought to write the year on it when she made it.

So, what's on your long term to do list?

Friends In the Strangest Places....

2008-03-08T19:53:00.004-05:00

One of the great things about being a NH resident is February school vacation week. It is always the last week of February, and is when almost the entire state travels somewhere else. Some go North for skiing. Not us... we have a family tradition of cruising in February.

It always amazes me when I run into people I know when I'm on vacation. In 2006, we sailed on Disney Magic. We're standing in a taxi line in Costa Maya, Mexico. Kilowatt says - "don't you know that woman ahead of us?" In our family, I'm in charge of recognizing people and remembering names. I try to casually look at the woman in question (in case I don't know her) and indeed, she is a former co-worker. I've never run into her in the state of NH, which is a small state, but go to Mexico and there she is!

This year, here we are at the sailaway party on Grand Princess. Diva and I are doing the Electric Slide so we can win great prizes, like a pair of pink flip-flops and a jump rope, when I look up to where Kilowatt is diligently filming our antics for our future amusement. Standing next to him is my former boss, another NH resident I never run into in NH.

Another time we were at Disney World on a boat heading to the Contemporary Resort. I kept staring (casually, of course) at this man because I was positive I knew him from somewhere. You guessed it -- another former co-worker.

So now I have a new travel game - who will I run into this trip?

Where Haven't I Been?

2008-03-03T09:59:00.003-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how time flies! March already. Since the last time I found a chance to blog, I've accomplished the following:

Piled all the junk from all the rooms of my house into my office to "hide" it.
Hosted Diva's Murder Mystery birthday party (hence #1)
Moved all the piles around in my office so I could get to my desk.
Shoveled snow in the pouring rain to try and prevent flooding.
Escorted six ten-year old girls up a lift and down a ski slope (again and again).
Flew to Fort Lauderdale minutes before another major snowstorm hit.
Sailed on Grand Princess to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and the Bahamas.
Missed three snowstorms while enjoying #7.
Flew back home from Fort Lauderdale minutes after another major snowstorm ended.
Cleared driveway, sidewalks and cars of 15 inches of new snow.
Found out that the winter of 2007-08 is now #6 in the record books.

I'll blog more later about some of the above, but just wanted y'all to know what in the heck happened to me! Got to go shovel more snow now!

Ten Years Ago...

2008-02-12T21:31:00.000-05:00

Diva hit double digits today.

If anyone asks me where I was ten years ago, I can recall it in agonizing detail. Diva was in no hurry to be born and dilly-dallied around for a couple of days. I can also recall the first meal I had post-childbirth -- I sent Kilowatt out in subzero temperatures for a Dairy Queen Tropical Blizzard. He didn't dare refuse!

I was a bit late ordering Diva's gifts this year - ordering online Monday afternoon for a Tuesday birthday doesn't work, even if you are willing to pay dearly for expedited shipping. Especially when one item is on backorder. I wrapped up catalog pictures of the items this morning -- Diva was not amused. She said I was 'mean.'

The only thing saving me from winning the Mommie Dearest award is that we are having a party for her this weekend, and at least one gift should arrive by then. Plus we're leaving in ten days for a cruise -- how bad a Mom can I be if I'm taking her with me?

Oh Deer!

2008-02-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

The weather in NH continues to be something to talk about - we have had some form of precipitation every day since Tuesday. I'm getting used to looking out my window and watching it snow. No, we are not buried, because we're just getting these annoying little storms that make the roads slick and leave us with between one and three inches of new snow -- daily.

Diva is taking skiing lessons for the third year. We have a great little mountain about 40 minutes North of our house, and the school takes the kids there every Friday after school. Weather permitting, that is. We've had three of five weeks rained or snowed out.

Last Friday the weather cooperated beautifully. It snowed all day, giving a couple of inches of new powder. The temperatures were in the low 30's and there was no wind - perfect skiing weather. I actually strapped on a pair of skis myself and took a few runs with Diva and her friends. I'm pleased to report that I have no broken bones or torn tissue.

We've been hearing a lot in the news lately about the deer situation. Because the snow is so deep and much of it is now crusted over, they are being chased by dogs and other animals who don't break through the snow, while the deer break through and flounder around. People are being asked to keep their dogs inside or on leash. We've had to put wire around all our shrubs to keep the deer from eating them down to nubs. It is a sad situation, made worse by the fact that our area is so densely populated that few hunters hunt here anymore.

On the way home from skiing, about a mile from my house, two deer ran out in front of my SUV. I drive like an old lady, so I slammed on the brakes and missed them easily. Then BAM, a third deer runs into me! Looking out my driver's side window I see this wild eyed version of Bambi staring in at me as he bounds off, apparently a bit battered and bruised, but not broken.

At first I was hopeful that my SUV was not damaged, but when I tried to open my door to get out and look, and it wouldn't open, I realized that was a vain hope. The deer was uninsured, so my insurance gets to pick up the $1800 of damage he caused.

Diva asked me after this happened, "Mom, if I had rode with Dad instead of you, would you still have hit the deer?" Seems her mind was thinking I would have been somewhere else at that time if she had picked Dad to ride with instead of me. I quickly explained to her that no, it wouldn't have mattered. It is amazing how a child can assume they are to blame for something like this. I hope most parents wouldn't blame their kids when something like this happens.

The Red Dress

2008-02-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

Red wasn't my favorite color. As a ~~natural~~ redhead it clashes with my hair. It draws attention, not all of it welcome. In fact, if you looked in my closet three years ago, you wouldn't find much red.

Today I still don't have a lot of red in my closet, but what is there, I wear with pride and gratitude. In case you haven't heard, February is heart health month. And the Red Dress campaign is directed at women's heart health.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth/whatis/reddress.htm

There are a lot of great causes out there, and I try to support as many of them as I can. But this one has a personal connection for me. In my late 30's, I started experiencing some strange symptoms. My normally low blood pressure would shoot up. My heart would race and skip like a classroom full of preschoolers. While this sometimes happened at work, more often it happened around 2AM, waking me from a sound sleep.

Symptoms like this are alarming, so I went to my doctor, where because of my age and other risk factors (normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol, normal weight, no irregular heartbeat that she could hear) the symptoms were attributed to anxiety. I found a therapist who specializes in anxiety and learned all kinds of relaxation techniques, and learned everything I could about stress reduction. Things seemed to be improving for awhile, then they would get worse, then improve, then get worse....

Soon I found myself tiring easily, and unable to climb even a flight of stairs without being out of breath. I again went to the doctor, and we decided I wasn't getting enough exercise so I started a mild exercise program that didn't seem to help much. During the winter months I caught every flu bug that passed through town, but I had a kid in school, that hotbed of germ activity.

Finally during my annual physical the year I turned 40, my heartbeat was so audibly irregular and I was immediately hooked to an EKG machine and the EKG was immediately taken to the cardiologist next door. He said the skipping pattern was benign, but I should come in to have it checked out anyway.

A few weeks later I went to the Cardiologist for a Stress-Echo. As it turned out, I was born with an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), basically a hole between the Atria in my heart. Until 2001, the only fix for this would have been open heart surgery. Thankfully science has provided and the FDA approved a non-invasive option that I was eligible for. I had the device inserted in September 2005.

The reason I'm sharing this is to urge every woman to trust their instincts when it comes to their own health. I was pretty sure what I had went beyond anxiety, but it took three years for the symptoms to show up during an appointment with my Primary Care Physician. They had shown up in a couple of urgent care appointments for various flu bugs, but not significantly enough for it to warrant more than "tell your PCP about this." In retrospect, I should have pushed harder for alternative explanations to anxiety. I was very lucky as many with this condition find out about it after a cardiac arrest.

Irregular heartbeats are actually very common, but I had other symptoms that aren't that common: the spike in blood pressure, the fact that this would wake me from a sound sleep, the shortness of breath, and chronic fatigue. I frequently suffered from respiratory illnesses.

Even if you feel fine - know your risk factors, know the symptoms of heart disease, and see your doctor regularly. Exercise, eat healthy and manage stress. And when you figure out the best way to do those last three -- let me know! I try, but it's not easy.

A meme

2008-02-01T17:54:00.000-05:00

I was tagged earlier this week by Hula Girl for a meme. Being new to blogging, I was of course eager to participate (hurray, someone actually read one of my posts!) Of course, the pressure was on to come up with something creative, intelligent, and fun.

I had planned to do an equine theme since horses are one of my great loves. I considered heading over to the barn at UpReach to take a few photos. Time ran out, so I'm using a mixture of words and images. First I have to figure out how to link to the images to give credit where credit is due - so here goes, with fingers crossed.

1. Visual-spacial:

Kilowatt makes these sculptures from old motor parts. He made this one for me shortly after we started dating, and it is therefore one of my most treasured possessions.

2. Verbal-linguistic: I love quotes. While I often can't seem to find the words to express how I feel, I can almost always find a quote that expresses my feelings. Like this one: "There is something about riding down the street on a prancing horse that makes you feel like something, even when you ain't a thing." --- Will Rogers

3. Musical-Rhythmical: Ahhhh.... music is such a great way to unwind after a stressful day. And to stay awake during a road trip. And to dance. Occasionally I enjoy heading out for a bit of line dancing, and one of my favorites is an upbeat dance called "The Billy." It goes very well with a song performed by Kimber Clayton that goes like this:

"I was raised up right and I know my Mama loved me but I begged her to let me go. Said the grass is greener on the other side, somewhere there's a bluer sky. And I won't stop running 'til I'm satisfied - if wishes were horses I would ride, ride, ride."

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic: Anyone who has ever seen the Lipizanner Stallions knows that horses can, indeed, dance. And they do it on four legs! I found this great photo by anotheremily over at Flickr

5. Interpersonal: Together, we can do anything. Just like these mares getting ready to run over the camera man....

6. Intrapersonal

What horse am I most like? Kilowatt suggests I am more like a mule. Close enough. I am stubborn. I'm not sure how big my ears are since I keep them covered up by hair. And I do tend to make a braying sound when I laugh!

7. Naturalist

There is no artifice in a horse. If they are mad at you, you know it. Usually when the teeth sink into whatever flesh you get too close. I'd like to be more like that - except I don't really want to start biting people.

8. Logical-Mathematical
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Need I say more?

Girlfriends

2008-01-25T11:21:00.000-05:00

One of the major challenges of working at home is socialization. There's no one else here but the cats for me to talk to! In my corporate days, I could head out to lunch with coworkers, and we could complain about our ~~idiot~~ less than highly intelligent superiors. I'm trying to discourage Diva from calling people "stupid" or "idiots."

Back to my original train of thought -- working from home does lead to some degree of isolation. I battle some of the isolation by volunteering weekly at a Theraputic Riding Center:

http://www.upreachtrc.org/ I have to admit I get much more out of this than I give -- great company, beautiful horses, and forced exercise. I also believe so much in the work they do there and have seen so many success stories. If you caught Extreme Makeover - Home Edition last Sunday you saw a similar program. That keeps me socialized at least one day a week.

Last night, I had arranged a dinner meeting with a couple of business associates I had not personally met before. Both of them are still in the corporate world. After dinner we were chatting, and something I said triggered a rather unexpected response. This professional woman I had just met began talking about a serious problem she was having at work. It didn't take long to see that she really needed someone to talk to -- someone who understood the issues she was facing -- both on a professional and a personal front. In short - Girlfriends.

I'm sure she did not come to this meeting with the idea of sharing her problems, and I didn't come to the meeting with the idea that I would be able to help her in any way, and yet in the end I made a new friend and was able to do just that.

In the rush of the world we live in today, it is hard to find enough time to spend with our families. It is even harder to find time to squeeze in some 'time with the girls.' But don't forget to make time for your girlfriends, because they (and you) might just need each other more than you realize.

The Other Side of Me

2008-01-19T10:40:00.001-05:00

Anyone with a 'tween girl in their life probably recognizes the title as a song by Disney Channel star Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. I'm a huge Disney fan from my Mickey Mouse watch to my Peter Pan tape dispenser. Recently, I was asked what Disney character I am most like. After a bit of thought, I'd have to answer "Hannah Montana."

Why? Well I'm closer to another age beginning with fif than I am fifteen, so it's not an age thing. I've lost my adorable southern accent after 22 years in NH. My singing voice doesn't exactly inspire millions of fans to go crazy trying to get tickets to come see me. I'm more LL Bean than Limited Too when it comes to fashion sense. Nope, it's the portfolio career thing.

If you have no contact with a 'tween and you don't follow entertainment news, you may not realize that Hannah Montana is a high school student by day, pop princess at night. She's also the loving daughter of still cute Billy Ray Cyrus (don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart.) In addition to his role as Dad, he plays her manager and songwriter. Yep, that qualifies as a portfolio career.

I start my portfolio with a few basic careers: spouse, mother, family CFO, taxi driver, personal secretary, and queen of laundry to name a few. I'm lucky that Kilowatt joins me here as spouse, father, taxi driver, chef, landscaper, mechanic, and general home repairman.

The difference is that Hannah just has one more career. Right now, I have three more. I'm a part time (sometimes full time) travel consultant --- that's where Cruise Mom comes from. I'm a part time college professor. And I'm a part time student, finishing up a graduate certificate program in forensic accounting (think CSI with numbers.)

Now is probably a good time to share with anyone who has fantasies of quitting their full time job -- I work more hours now than I ever did when I was a full-time employee. I make less money now. Some days I swear I'm going to polish up my resume and go back to work full time, usually after Diva is complaining that I spend no time with her, or a particularly difficult student or client has me pulling my hair out.

But my reduced income is offset by spending less money on commuting expenses, eating out, clothing, and childcare. Snow days really don't stress me out because I don't have to find childcare or drive in the snow (and that's a real good thing this year!) For the most part, I arrange my own schedule to fit what I want to do. So my resume remains a bit outdated for now.

And my portfolio career makes me really cool like Hannah Montana (or maybe not, LOL!) So, what Disney character are you most like, and why?

High School Math

2008-01-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

I was good in high school math. Really, really good. I was successful in the corporate world. Not a CFO, but I made it as high as I wanted to up the food chain. I still like to play with retail store clerks by giving them $22.02 for a $16.77 check. Preferably after they've entered $20 in the computerized register as amount tendered.

For the last four years I've been deciding what I want to be when I grow up. I realize most people do this in their 20's, but I've always embraced being a bit different than most people. I decided that what I really want to do, maybe, is pursue my PhD. I've researched b-schools, made my selection, requested my transcripts, collected letters of recommendation, and developed a proposal for my dissertation. All that leaves on my to do list is taking the GMAT.

The GMAT includes a verbal section and a 'quantitative' section. The quant section supposedly covers high school math concepts. By the end of the test, I was just hoping to see ONE question where I actually had a remote clue of how to calculate the answer.

This experience led me to reflect on the differences between high school math and, well, real-life math:

1. Never underestimate the power of being able to add and subtract without a calculator, in case you are working in a store and somebody messes up that automatic answer the register gave you.

2. You will need to know how to set up an equation, and solve for X. X may be how much money you have left over at the month after paying the bills, or it may how much car you can afford, or how weeks it will take at x lbs/week to meet your weight loss goal.

3. You do need to know how to calculate area. You may need to buy paint, or fertilizer, or something else that relies on area.

4. Ditto for volume if you ever hope to own a pool. Chemicals are expensive and it is critical to use the right amount.

5. Probability is useful too. Remember, the lottery is a tax on those who are poor at math.

6. Exponents - can't recall using them in the last 25 or so years. Anybody out there use exponents in their line of work? Kilowatt designs big pieces of electronic equipment, and responds in the negative too.

7. The dimensions of a triangle that lies within a circle - can't think of a use for that one either.

8. Derivatives - not the financial kind, the calculus kind. Nope, haven't needed that.

So, am I missing something in my life by not knowing how to do all these mathematical equations? I sure hope not, because I'm just not ready to take high school math again!

Primary Day Recap

2008-01-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

I'm not an intensely political person, so it is rather ironic that many of my first blogs would contain references to politics. I have to say that this election excited me more than any election since I've been old enough to vote (except when the town where my university was located was voting to go from dry to wet, but that's a story for another blog. And if you don't know what that means, it's probably something you'll enjoy reading!)

Even though I've complained about the annoyances that accompany the primary, I'll miss them. No more planning my route to work around potential motorcades and debate locations. No more counting how many pieces of political mail I get daily. No more poll of the week phone calls during dinner. No more political activists knocking on my door asking me if I have questions about their candidate. No more five candidate commercials in a row during Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Yes, life in NH will be much quieter now.

But today I'm proud to be from NH, where yesterday we turned out in record numbers to vote. When I went to my polling place yesterday, there was an excitement there that I don't remember seeing in past elections. I saw several young girls who were in the line next to me, proudly announcing that it was their first time voting. I saw senior citizens, business people in their suits, Mom's with kids coming along to see them vote (and since we participate in kid's vote, the kids had their own opportunity to cast a ballot.) And people were happy!

Today's news discusses why the turnout was so high. True the weather was great (60 degrees, so we waded over melting snowbanks.) But I think the reason is - for once, most of us -- democrat, republican, libertarian or independent -- actually felt like we had a choice of a candidate or two we liked. I can say that in the last two elections I voted for the candidate I disliked the least, so actually having a choice of more than one candidate I like was a refreshing change. Let's hope that whomever is eventually elected delivers on some of the hopes that I saw reflected in voters faces yesterday.

Snow is a Four-Letter Word

2008-01-03T22:14:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I cursed myself. That lovely contraption I described for my friends who live in places where you don't get snow measured in feet -- our snow blower -- developed a terminal case of engine-itis on New Year's Day. Yeah, after using it to clear the seven inches of heavy, wet snow that we got on New Year's Eve, hubby thought he'd do a little clean up work before he had to use it to clear the snow we were forecast to get on New Year's Day. He comes walking into the house with something mechanical in nature in his hand.

Hubby: "Do you know what this is?"

Me: "No, looks kind of like the engine on the old roto-tiller my parents used to have."

Hubby: "It's a snow-blower engine that is beyond repair."

Me: "I'll call Home Depot and see what they have in stock for snow-blowers. I think they are open until 6, and we just got a 90 days same as cash offer!"

I've lived in NH for almost 22 years now, but I totally forgot what happens when you have two very mild, dry winters followed by a record-breaking December. Let's just say that at least some of the Home Depot associates in NH, MA, and ME didn't laugh at me when I asked what they had in stock.

I decided to take a break from my search and check the weather forecast - our local ABC affiliate, WMUR, has as a top story "Snow Blower Stolen from Driveway of 84 year old." On the local radio station "Do you know where you Snow Blower is?" I'm pretty sure somewhere in NH someone is offering to trade their Wii with accessories for a snowblower - that's how hot an item they are right now!

Hubby and I spent two hours shoveling on New Year's Day - about 5" or so. I spent another two hours yesterday cleaning up the 4" additional that fell after we shoveled. Today, another 45 minutes cleaning up the mess the town plow made when they came by knocking snowbanks down to a level where those in the tallest four wheel drive vehicles might be able to see over them, barely.

In case you are having difficulty picturing what all this snow might look like, I posted a picture. That vehicle is a Honda Pilot - about 6 feet, 4 inches tall.

Oh, on a side note - if I don't get buried in snow, I will be buried in paper. The Presidential primary ad count for yesterday was three ads. We received six more today. I think our post office may not have anything to do after the primary next week!

Ending 2007 with a Few New Records

2007-12-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

The seven inches of additional snowfall we received overnight has given December 2007 the distinction of being the snowiest December on record. We got somewhere around 44 inches of snow this month - yes, that is 44 inches of snow in 31 days.

As someone who still considers herself a bit of a Southerner, this snowfall amount is amazing to me. For those of you from the south who are wondering what we do with all of this snow -- we use something called a snowblower - a loud, gas powered machine that looks a bit like a roto-tiller - to pile the snow up next to our driveways and sidewalks. In our household we determine how bad a winter it is by looking at our lamp post in the front lawn. If we can still see most of the post, it's a pretty mild winter. If the post is buried, I am counting the days until we escape to somewhere where the only 'white stuff' we have to walk through is sand. Well, as of right now there isn't much of that post showing, and I'm counting the days (53) until we fly south for the winter (okay, for a week, but one can dream.) Oh yeah, tomorrow's forecast? Snow. Followed by frigid temperatures for Friday. I'm reminded of an old commercial -- "Calgon, take me away...."

Another record was set today at our household when I went to the mailbox. There were six -- count them, six -- Presidential campaign ads reminding me to vote next Tuesday. Barack Obama is offering me a ride to the polls. Hillary wants me to know that she has the endorsement of 13 NH unions and three newspapers. The Alliance for a New America (who are they anyway?) wants me to support John Edwards. And three unions are sending me materials telling me how great Hillary is. Apparently the Republicans have missed the fact that there is a registered independent in our household - or they don't care. Aside from John McCain, they've ignored us. In NH if you are registered as an independent (undeclared), you CAN vote in the primary, you just select which party you want to vote in at the polls.

I'm still undecided. All of the candidates are selling their ability to effect change, and heaven knows we really need some changes in this country - but I'm not convinced any of them can do that much.

The most recent poll I answered asked "what are you most concerned with in this election?" My answer "reducing the federal deficit." There was silence at the other end of the line. I don't think the script included this as an option - it appears from looking at the ads that I was supposed to say healthcare, or education, or energy independence, or the Iraq War. Yes, I care about all of those, but if we don't get our spending under control how in the world will we address any of them? When I want something I can't afford, I have to save up for it, or give up something else, or work harder to earn more money. Why can't our elected leaders learn to do the same?

Your Estimated Hold Time is....

2007-12-30T19:05:00.000-05:00

There are some really great benefits to working from home. My favorite of these is that, most of the time, I can dress however I please. My uniform in all but the hottest months typically consists of jeans and an appropriate number of layers to keep me warm without running up the equivalent of the national debt in heating bills.

The downside is, that here it is Sunday evening at 7PM, and I'm working. With an office in your home, you are never really 'off.' True, you can close the door, turn the ringer off on the phone, and try to ignore your office -- but it is right there. The temptation just to go in for a few minutes to catch up on paperwork always looms. I was never tempted to do this when I had to drive 20 minutes to the office...

So tonight I had to make a call to a supplier, who has employees that are actually stuck working on Sunday evening. Apparently not many of them though... the lovely recorded message told me 32 minutes ago that my estimated wait time was 64 minutes -- what???

Working from home means I can roam around the house - grab a snack, chat with the family, start a load of laundry - all while I listen to the lovely hold music, interrupted periodically by an annoying voice telling me that my patience is appreciated. There is a downside to this freedom - on one occasion I forgot why I was holding, and, after holding for 45 minutes had to ask the person who finally answered to hold while I ran into my office to refresh my memory on why I was calling! There was a feeling of justice when I said "Can I put you on hold for just a minute while I run back into my office? I've been on hold so long I can't remember what I was calling about."

If hold times continue to be this long, I can see great possibilities for incorporating my annual resolution to exercise more into hold times - the music will be great to listen to while I walk on my treadmill. I wonder what the person on the other end will think when they hear my heavy breathing?

My View from NH - Counting Down to January 8

2007-12-29T13:23:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, I discovered a high school friend was blogging, and I've followed her adventures with delight, thinking "I should be blogging too." For the last couple of years I've been considering blogging, but seeing her blog pushed me to go ahead and do it. There is certainly no time like the present, especially since I live in NH -- and we are mere days from our Presidential Primary.

For readers who don't live in NH - and let me add that I am not a NH native - this is a fascinating place to be during the primary season. Of course, it seems that season never really ends. We've already been hearing from potential candidates exploring bids for 2012, and the current crop of candidates is still very visible on every street corner (I live just outside Manchester, one of the states largest cities.)

When my husband walks in the door from work, for the last couple of months the first words out of his mouth have been "how many pollsters called today?" You see, I work at home most of the time, so we have three residential phone numbers, one business phone number, and two cell phone numbers. The pollsters have lots of ways to reach us, and reach us they do. I must have done something to get high on their list (could it be that I'm still undecided about who to vote for, but I'm 100% certain I will do my civic duty and vote?) For the last month, we've averaged a poll a week.

Unfortunately, all polls are not created equal. Recently I participated in a UNH/AP poll that was very professionally done, and took about five minutes. A week later, I got a call from a polling organization I didn't recognize - that was my first warning. It started out as a standard poll, but when I said I was undecided the person on the other end of the line started pushing me for a commitment to some candidate (Honestly, I'm really undecided right now.) Then she started reading all these statements about "if you heard a candidate says he will do this, but we could show you he did this instead, would you be less likely, somewhat less likely, more likely, or somewhat more likely to vote for him?" And it wasn't just a few statements, I made it through about ten of them before I told her I was not completing this particular survey.

So while the rest of the country is counting the hours until the New Year, we're counting the hours until January 8, when all the CNN trucks and candidates pull out of our state. Of course, the primary is incredibly early this year, thanks to attempts by other states to move forward in the process. So we've had to deal with politics over the holidays, not a particularly jolly topic.

But in just ten more days, our state will return to normal - as we welcome all the 2012 contenders.....