Happy New Year!

(well almost)
2009 will be a verrry interesting year, I'm sure. We'll become an obama-nation, with hope for a new direction.
on a more personal note, Third Son will graduate from high school, and we'll be ever closer to that so-called "empty nest." (Though I'm pretty sure I'll be ready for assisted living by the time all the off-spring have spread their little wings and flown away for good.)
Best wishes for the New Year to one and all!

Is there a Glasgow Coma Scale for blogs?

I have no excuse.
First Son's wedding could have been an excuse, but that was 2 months ago!

Having to spend my evenings helping Third Son with his homework could have been an excuse, but he has been exemplary in doing it without being nagged (not that I could help him with the math and physics homework anyway).
Spending my time reading great literature, training for a marathon, or redecorating the house could have been excuses, had they actually happened.
I have no excuse at all.

No this blog is really not dead...really

goodness, what a long time since I've updated this blog.
What's been going on?
First Son and Girlfriend are now First Son and Fiancee, soon to be First Son and First Daughter-in-Law.
Second Son has gone to New Mexico to learn Apache medicine ways.
Third Son has finished 11th grade, making him a Senior in High School Which is impossible since I clearly am too young and vital to have things like Daughters-in-Law and babies who are Seniors in High School.
Speed Racer and I are going to take a vacation On Our Own, without any of our off-spring to make sure that we don't get into trouble and to suggest to us things we should buy for them.
Speed Racer put a small scratch in my mid-life crisis (but I forgive him!).
The Dog cut his tongue on a cat food can, and cost us $261 and ruined the bedroom carpet (but we forgive him.)
Third Son found a racing pigeon who seems to have decided that racing is too much hard work (more on that later.) He named the pigeon "Pidgin."
The pond is looking fabulous! Just fabulous!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom Overture

Speed Racer is Right

Speed Racer always says I don't have a sense of humor. Apparently he is right....
On April 1, I eagerly listened to NPR's "All Things Considered," waiting to hear the annual April Fools Day joke.

After hearing it, I fired off the following response to NPR (which I thought was mildly humorous:)

"I was disturbed by Bryce Cobham-Dowling"s review of Simon Fluegels opus, "B-Flat." Surely a distinguished critic like Cobham-Dowling would know that Fleugels piece is derivative of - nay is a blatant rip-off of - the under appreciated femi-minimalist Bingegard von Hilden's seminal "A-Sharp? " Von Hilden's master-work (or should I say mistress-work?) pre-dates Fleugel's, and her choice of instrumentation (broken door-bell, vacuum-cleaner, and toy piano) brings a raw poignancy to her daring musical manifesto on womens' role in society. Her work is superceded only by micro-femi-minimalist Barbie Ma-Tels "A Dolls House," in which an A Natural is played on a mini-harmonica by a performer "au naturel.""

A few days later I got this e-mail from NPR:

Dear Bella,

Thank you for contacting NPR's All Things Considered.

"Fluegel's 'B-Flat' Starts on a Good Note" was actually an April Fools Day joke. We regret that you were disturbed by it.

We are always delighted to hear from listeners. As the primary news source for millions of Americans, it is our hope that the information provided will be both enlightening and suitable to your request. Should you have additional questions regarding your inquiry, please contact NPR Services at (202) 513-3232.

Thank you for listening to All Things Considered, and for your continued support of public broadcasting. For the latest news and information, visit NPR.org.


Sincerely,

Chay

How about that -- it was a joke? I'm shocked!

Batten down the hatches!

The next big primary is in Pennsylvania. The two remaining Democratic candidates are getting ready to blitz the state (even though they can't even sew up the nomination with a victory in PA). This is going to be interesting.

Mid-life crisis car

Don't laugh at me. I just bought a brand new, two-door, totally impractical red convertible. No-one in my family can fit in the back seat. There's no going back to mini vans now.
It's really cool!

Look-alike Meter 3

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family history - Dynasty

Survivor: Shawnee Mountain

Okay, everyone has talents. Mine is not skiing. But here is a picture to prove I was really there. I have to say that I never actually figured out how to stop without falling down. But I had fun. I could be talked into doing it again. But not till after the bruises heal!

Life is good

Even though the Groundhog saw his shadow today, life is pretty good.

• Cool-E baby made his grand entrance to planet earth
• Lost is back on for eight episodes, and we're getting some new episodes of Torchwood and Jericho too.
• I found a pair of ski pants on sale in the first store we looked in
• Second son's python has moved on to a new home (but we did acquire a turtle and a rat to fill the empty place in our hearts..)
  
• We're getting FiOS in our neighborhood, which is bringing great joy to Speed Racer.
• John Edwards dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination.

Now if I just survive the ski trip....

High Anxiety

I am going on a ski trip.
If you know me, you will realize that I have maintained a firm commitment to not slide down hills, especially on wooden planks. However, I am going to give it a whirl. It is actually a youth group ski trip, so as an adult chaperon, it would be well within my rights to sit in the lodge, and wait the whole thing out, but I am going to actually take a ski lesson. On actual skis. After that, we'll see. Will I make it to the ski lift? If I make to the ski lift will I be able to get on? More importantly, get off the ski lift? If I get off the ski lift,will I be able to make it back down to the bottom of the bunny slope? In less than 3 hours? In one piece?
Wish me luck!

Dream a little dream

Well not many people read this blog, but one person dreamed about it.

I certainly hope that Kelly is the girl with all the answers, because I have plenty of questions.

For example, why does it seem that more people drive home from work on Friday afternoon than drove into work on Friday morning?

Why do we put more effort into preventing terrorists from hijacking planes than into preventing automobile accidents, which kill far more people than terrorists ever have?

What does the check engine light really mean?

And why are all my questions car-related?

Saints Alive!

This afternoon, Speed Racer and I went to the funeral of an old family friend. This lady was a close friend of my mother's, as well as being Second Son's godmother. She was someone who dedicated her life to reaching out to people, especially the dying. She raised five children with her husband, was a lay Eucharistic Minister at our church, and really tried to practice Christianity. Not the kind of Christianity which seems to be all about judging other people and telling them that they are doing something wrong, but the kind of Christianity that is about loving each person exactly who and how they are at the moment. That kind of Christianity is hard work!

The church was packed -- Speed Racer said they had print additional copies of the service leaflet four times. During the service, I thought of all the ways this lady had touched my life, and realized that it was likely that everyone in the church had a similar experience with her.

I don't know exactly how old she was - I would guess about 86. Those years were well-spent. I don't know what a real saint would look like, but I think she was pretty darn close.

Abscess makes the heart grow fonder, part deux

or should I say abscess of malice....

As I previously reported, the Cats have nasty habit of biting each other, and developing expensive abscesses.

I have not previously reported (on this blog anyway) that once the Devil Cat bit me, which resulted in a large abscess on my hand. I spent four days in the hospital on IV antibiotics, and had to have the abscess incised and drained in the OR, which is even more expensive for people than it is for Cats. At the time he bit me, Devil Cat was getting himself all riled up and ready to have a fight with the three-leggedy Cat. I unwisely tried to separate them, and he bit me instead of his arch-enemy.

Now, I flatter myself with the opinion that I am reasonably intelligent. This is actually not the case, as demonstrated by the fact that a little more than a week ago, I got between Devil Cat and his other arch-enemy and my hand ended up in his mouth again.....

See, you would think I had learned not to let my hand get in his mouth. But obviously, I hadn't learned that lesson and needed to take the remedial class.

This time, I knew that I needed antibiotics immediately, so I made poor Speed Racer take me to the ER, where I got the bite cleaned, got a tetanus shot, and got Augmentin. The ER reported Devil Cat to the State Health department, so I guess now he has a rap sheet.

Thirty-six hours later, my whole hand was red and swollen. The Augmentin clearly wasn't up to the task. Back to the ER, and this time I was admitted for IV antibiotics. I am glad to say they worked amazingly fast -- I could almost see the infection recede. Now my hand is fine, and I swear I will never again get in Devil Cat's way when he has malice in his heart towards another Cat.

This blog is not dead

It's just sleeping.
I have been remiss, but I will attempt to amend my non-blogging ways.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
I have played Spider Solitaire, when I could have been sharing my innermost thoughts with the world.
I have watched American Idol.
I have surfed the web, vainly seeking Lost spoilers.
All of these things have stood between me and my blog. No more! I will blog, even if I have nothing to say!