Sunday, October 29, 2006
Cousins
Rowan and Devon hold Aidyn, their new cousin. I think they like her more than she likes them.....but I could be wrong!
Thriller
Make a Difference Day
This week has been difficult to say the least, finding out with certainty that my father's cancer is back with a vengeance. Definitely the kind of week that makes one want to stay in bed forever.
A small, random act of kindness by a stranger lightened my mood, however, in the Starbucks drive through. Waiting for Devon's Nutcracker rehearsal to end, I decided to indulge in a latte on Thursday. ("Lattes," said Dana, "cure everything.") When I reached the window, the girl in the drive through informed me with a smile that the stranger in the car before me had decided to buy my latte....just because.
That small gesture put a smile on my face for the next two days. Literally.
A small, random act of kindness by a stranger lightened my mood, however, in the Starbucks drive through. Waiting for Devon's Nutcracker rehearsal to end, I decided to indulge in a latte on Thursday. ("Lattes," said Dana, "cure everything.") When I reached the window, the girl in the drive through informed me with a smile that the stranger in the car before me had decided to buy my latte....just because.
That small gesture put a smile on my face for the next two days. Literally.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
My Sister's House is Famous
Check out this link to the San Jose Mercury News for a story about historic landmarks in San Jose. The house in question for the first two sites listed is my sister's property, and she is doing the restoration. One of Rock & Roll's most famous sites! How cool is that?
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/15790119.htm
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/15790119.htm
Friday, October 20, 2006
Solitude
The darkness in my heart has no end
even in the sunshine, it beckons to me
Though happiness can tease - a new life, new hope
I fall back into the comfort of night.
That place I belong forever escapes me
though part of me searches to fit
Hear the soft tinkle of laughter, I'll paint you a smile
but in the end I remain destined for solitude, alone.
even in the sunshine, it beckons to me
Though happiness can tease - a new life, new hope
I fall back into the comfort of night.
That place I belong forever escapes me
though part of me searches to fit
Hear the soft tinkle of laughter, I'll paint you a smile
but in the end I remain destined for solitude, alone.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Smart State Rankings for 2006
Vermont comes in first, while Arizona falls dead last. (Wisconsin, by the way, ranks number 8.) The yearly intelligence rankings for states is here - see the list at: http://www.wftv.com/education/10097048/detail.html
Monday, October 16, 2006
Wine Woot!
A website I've always loved is www.woot.com which provides a new special deal every day beginning at Midnight. Some things are so great they sell out by 1AM - others are dogs and take all day.....but regardless, I find myself checking for the Woot of the day every day when I'm up late working.
Out of Beta is the new Wine Woot website, which you'll find at http://wine.woot.com
featuring one wine deal per week. This week's deal is Armida Winery's 2005 Poizin, which I had the good fortune to taste right AT Armida during the area's Passport Weekend. (Don't be fooled by the screw top - I'm told the screw top is the cork of the future, since it isn't prone to drying, cracking, or otherwise fouling up the taste of the wine, and of course you can re-seal the wine if you can't drink a bottle in one sitting.) At any rate, with their famous five dollar shipping, you can't beat the weekly wine woot - make sure you give it a whirl.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Good Time Had By All
At least, I hope so.Just arrived home from the 20 year reunion weekend. I was able to see so many good friends and it was awesome to reconnect. We talked about having an annual reunion weekend but to be honest I don't know if I could handle the emotional upheaval that comes with the territory of a reunion. At the 15 I was happy the whole time - this one was a little tougher - partly becaue I'm so worried about my father's prognosis. It's funny to see how much people change and yet are still somehow the same....and how well we all still know one another after all this time. It has also made me realize how much I cherish my friendship with Ann, Tabby, and Amy and how I look forward to our monthly lunches. I took the time to read my yearbook entries and Kathy's was the one that made me cry - because we still have the terrific friendship we had 20 years ago and always will.
More photos to come, but for now, I think I need a NAP!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Thursday
Tomorrow is at long last the start of my 20 year reunion weekend. I'm having breakfast with Annaluna and leaving shortly thereafter. I can't wait to see everyone again! Despite the troubles with reunion planning, I have no doubt this is going to be a weekend to remember.
Bad news today as my father's cancer checkup was not exactly routine. It may be back. CT results next week. I can't even bear to think about it.
The flu has been going around here, with both kids missing a day of school this week. Maybe he's just got what they've got.....though his oncologist doesn't seem to think so.
Next week I'll start the production of this year's soundtrack for Thriller, the annual presentation of Wausau Dance Theatre that has become a yearly tradition for me and the kids. It's always a load of work, and Patrik is definitely my polar opposite, but I do love to be a part of it all.
First symphony rehearsal is Monday - ack, what have I gotten myself into? I hope I don't suck.
Bad news today as my father's cancer checkup was not exactly routine. It may be back. CT results next week. I can't even bear to think about it.
The flu has been going around here, with both kids missing a day of school this week. Maybe he's just got what they've got.....though his oncologist doesn't seem to think so.
Next week I'll start the production of this year's soundtrack for Thriller, the annual presentation of Wausau Dance Theatre that has become a yearly tradition for me and the kids. It's always a load of work, and Patrik is definitely my polar opposite, but I do love to be a part of it all.
First symphony rehearsal is Monday - ack, what have I gotten myself into? I hope I don't suck.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
The IgNobel Prizes
The Ig Nobel Prizes are a parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early autumn — around the time the recipients of the genuine Nobel Prizes are announced — for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think." Organized by the scientific humor journal Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), they are presented by genuine Nobel Laureates at a ceremony at Harvard University. The following Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded last (Thursday) night...
ORNITHOLOGY -- The late Philip R.A. May and Ivan R. Schwab for exploring and explaining why woodpeckers don't get headaches.
NUTRITION -- Wasmia Al-Houty and Faten Al-Mussalam, for showing that dung beetles are finicky about the dung.
PEACE -- Howard Stapleton, for inventing a teenager repellent, an electronic device that makes annoying noise designed to be audible to teenagers but not adults. The same technology is used to make telephone ringtones audible to teens, but not teachers.
ACOUSTICS -- D. Lynn Halpern, Randolph Blake and James Hillenbrand for their experiments to learn why people dislike the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.
MATHEMATICS -- Nic Svenson and Piers Barnes, for calculating the number of photographs you must take to ensure that nobody in a group photo will have their eyes closed.
LITERATURE -- Daniel Oppenheimer, for his report "Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly."
MEDICINE -- Francis M. Fesmire, for his medical case report "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage"; and Majed Odeh, Harry Bassan, and Arie Oliven for their subsequent medical case report.
PHYSICS -- Basile Audoly and Sebastien Neukirch, for their insights into why dry spaghetti often breaks into more than two pieces when bent.
CHEMISTRY -- Antonio Mulet, Jose Javier Benedito, Jose Bon and Carmen Rossello, for their study "Ultrasonic Velocity in Cheddar Cheese as Affected by Temperature."
BIOLOGY -- Bart Knols and Ruurd de Jong, for showing that female malaria mosquitoes are attracted equally to the smell of Limburger cheese and to the smell of human feet.
ORNITHOLOGY -- The late Philip R.A. May and Ivan R. Schwab for exploring and explaining why woodpeckers don't get headaches.
NUTRITION -- Wasmia Al-Houty and Faten Al-Mussalam, for showing that dung beetles are finicky about the dung.
PEACE -- Howard Stapleton, for inventing a teenager repellent, an electronic device that makes annoying noise designed to be audible to teenagers but not adults. The same technology is used to make telephone ringtones audible to teens, but not teachers.
ACOUSTICS -- D. Lynn Halpern, Randolph Blake and James Hillenbrand for their experiments to learn why people dislike the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.
MATHEMATICS -- Nic Svenson and Piers Barnes, for calculating the number of photographs you must take to ensure that nobody in a group photo will have their eyes closed.
LITERATURE -- Daniel Oppenheimer, for his report "Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly."
MEDICINE -- Francis M. Fesmire, for his medical case report "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage"; and Majed Odeh, Harry Bassan, and Arie Oliven for their subsequent medical case report.
PHYSICS -- Basile Audoly and Sebastien Neukirch, for their insights into why dry spaghetti often breaks into more than two pieces when bent.
CHEMISTRY -- Antonio Mulet, Jose Javier Benedito, Jose Bon and Carmen Rossello, for their study "Ultrasonic Velocity in Cheddar Cheese as Affected by Temperature."
BIOLOGY -- Bart Knols and Ruurd de Jong, for showing that female malaria mosquitoes are attracted equally to the smell of Limburger cheese and to the smell of human feet.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Romanticizing the Past
I am of the belief that as human beings we romanticize our past on a regular basis. As the years pass, the things that delighted us as children seem to become more important, more vivid somehow - yet, the things that caused us so much pain seem, conversely, less important. My sister used to ask a question to soothe my hurt feelings as a child - "In five years, will it still bother you, do you think?" Of course, the answer was almost always "no".
20 years have passed since I first donned a cap and gown and reached for my diploma. The second of my two class reunions is coming in just nine days, but the planning has been going on, in effect, for 2 years. I have eagerly awaited the reunion and often tell my newer friends how impressed I have always been with my graduating class - how even now, the ties that bind these individuals together is something more powerful than I can explain.
When I first attended Rhinelander High School, I was a troubled teen. My grades didn't suffer, but I was involved in things no teenager should ever be involved with during my days at Wausau East. I had my first bout with what I now know is deep, clinical depression, and went through a period of self destructive behavior that I'm surprised I survived. Outwardly, I scoffed at the idea of changing schools - but inwardly, I was quietly thankful for a new beginning - a chance to reinvent myself. And reinvent myself I did.
Within weeks, I'd begun to form friendships that unbeknownst to me at the time would last a lifetime. I found acceptance, happiness, and a sense of self worth I'd never known, becoming comfortable in my own skin at last. Instead of the financial class-driven society I'd known at East, these kids seemed to operate on an even keel, supporting one another and caring for one another more than I thought possible at such a precarious age.
As time has passed, I've attended every reunion and kept in touch with a surprising number of former classmates. Three of my high school girlfriends and I still have lunch once a month, and I email perhaps ten others on a fairly regular basis. Our 20 year reunion, I thought, would be more of the same.
About a year and a half after the reunion planning began, one small group of students began a campaign to have their own reunion, dissatisfied with the date we'd chosen, as it didn't accommodate their schedules, and from there, it all fell apart. Suddenly, I was 16 again, back at Wausau East, with sides being chosen, accusations hurled, criticisms grumbled to one another. It's been hard for me to believe that all of what I believed about the class of 1986 wasn't true at all - it was just a facade, crumbling around me.
I'm saddened that I had a part in the fractioning of this class. Sadder still am I that I could have been so terribly wrong about this group of seemingly unshakable friends. Were my perceptions so skewed - or has time simply changed us all?
I've run the gamut of emotion in regard to the reunion. First excited, then angry, then hopeful, then sad. And now.....what now? I don't know what I feel about it all. I've stopped romanticizing the past, certainly. I'm trying hard to forget the things that some people did say to me that hurt when I was the new girl in town all those years ago - things I'd forgotten, or chosen to forget, until this controversy arose. I guess I'll make the best of it, look forward to seeing those friends that still mean so much to me - and try to forget about the rest.
So, in five years will it matter, do you think? The answer will come - but for now, it escapes me.
20 years have passed since I first donned a cap and gown and reached for my diploma. The second of my two class reunions is coming in just nine days, but the planning has been going on, in effect, for 2 years. I have eagerly awaited the reunion and often tell my newer friends how impressed I have always been with my graduating class - how even now, the ties that bind these individuals together is something more powerful than I can explain.
When I first attended Rhinelander High School, I was a troubled teen. My grades didn't suffer, but I was involved in things no teenager should ever be involved with during my days at Wausau East. I had my first bout with what I now know is deep, clinical depression, and went through a period of self destructive behavior that I'm surprised I survived. Outwardly, I scoffed at the idea of changing schools - but inwardly, I was quietly thankful for a new beginning - a chance to reinvent myself. And reinvent myself I did.
Within weeks, I'd begun to form friendships that unbeknownst to me at the time would last a lifetime. I found acceptance, happiness, and a sense of self worth I'd never known, becoming comfortable in my own skin at last. Instead of the financial class-driven society I'd known at East, these kids seemed to operate on an even keel, supporting one another and caring for one another more than I thought possible at such a precarious age.
As time has passed, I've attended every reunion and kept in touch with a surprising number of former classmates. Three of my high school girlfriends and I still have lunch once a month, and I email perhaps ten others on a fairly regular basis. Our 20 year reunion, I thought, would be more of the same.
About a year and a half after the reunion planning began, one small group of students began a campaign to have their own reunion, dissatisfied with the date we'd chosen, as it didn't accommodate their schedules, and from there, it all fell apart. Suddenly, I was 16 again, back at Wausau East, with sides being chosen, accusations hurled, criticisms grumbled to one another. It's been hard for me to believe that all of what I believed about the class of 1986 wasn't true at all - it was just a facade, crumbling around me.
I'm saddened that I had a part in the fractioning of this class. Sadder still am I that I could have been so terribly wrong about this group of seemingly unshakable friends. Were my perceptions so skewed - or has time simply changed us all?
I've run the gamut of emotion in regard to the reunion. First excited, then angry, then hopeful, then sad. And now.....what now? I don't know what I feel about it all. I've stopped romanticizing the past, certainly. I'm trying hard to forget the things that some people did say to me that hurt when I was the new girl in town all those years ago - things I'd forgotten, or chosen to forget, until this controversy arose. I guess I'll make the best of it, look forward to seeing those friends that still mean so much to me - and try to forget about the rest.
So, in five years will it matter, do you think? The answer will come - but for now, it escapes me.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Lessons of Give and Take
I saw an article in this week's issue of The Week, of which I am a religious reader, about an incident in Groton Massachussetts last week. To grasp the enormity of the Holocaust, students in Groton and Dunstable began collecting pennies this year. The goal was to collect 1.5 million pennies - one for each child who perished in the Nazi genocide - a number that still, to this days, shocks and amazes me. The count had reached 270,000 pennies when someone noticed that nearly half the coins had beeen stolen! Devastated, the students put out an appeal, and local residents and businesses donated their pennies in droves - the students reached their goal in just four days. Certainly a lesson of give and take....and food for thought.
Hmmm.......
I never thought about how dirty those bar darts must be.....until now. Think I'll be packing handi-wipes in my purse next time I go out!
Pot.....meet Kettle.
Speaking of Bill Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky scandal in 1998, Rep. Mark Foley said "It's vile. It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Voices from the Past
Today the kids and I went to Marathon County Historical Society's presentation of "Voices from the Past: A discovery walk through the Pine Grove Cemetery". It's a bi-annual event, but this is the first year we've attended. The walk features eight different actors or actresses portraying important figures in Wausau's history, standing at their gravesites and telling the story of their lives. The top photo is Missy Campbell portraying Leigh Yawkey Woodson in front of the family tomb. The tour was fascinating and well done - we'll be sure to go again in two years when they'll have new people to portray.
Sunday
The week has been a long one and there's been no time for posting. There are just not enough hours in the day, you know? I wish someone would come up with a sleep substitute pill so I could just work all day and all night - maybe then my house would be immaculate and I'd be able to catch up on the backlog of work that just seems to grow exponentially by the day.
Rowan is now playing center instead of OT and it's a much better position for him. Devon is still strong safety and doing a great job. The games are so fun to watch, even when they don't win. They play hard and try their best, and that's all I can possibly ask.
The kids and I went on a cemetery tour today - photos to come!
Rowan is now playing center instead of OT and it's a much better position for him. Devon is still strong safety and doing a great job. The games are so fun to watch, even when they don't win. They play hard and try their best, and that's all I can possibly ask.
The kids and I went on a cemetery tour today - photos to come!
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