Vacation

My bags are packed, (almost) I'm ready to go (yes, really.)

I'm standing here outside your door (well, outside my door.)
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye (I hope you're not sleeping now, cuz its 2 in the afternoon my time but I do want to say goodbye until after the 29th. I won't have time to blog until then so...goodbye!)

The taxi's waiting (we've hired a metro car to take us to the airport!)
He's blowing his horn (jeez I hope he doesn't cuz it will be 5 in the morning and the neighbors will be pissed.)
I'm already so lonesome I could die (well, I am traveling with my sister so I don't think I'll be all that lonesome, and forgive me blog fans, but you are not my life.)

So kiss me and smile for me (well, only kiss me if you are a very handsome, very available nice Jewish fella in his mid 30's to 40's interested in sweeping me off my feet, smile for me if your anybody!)
Tell me that you'll wait for me (and read my blog when I get back.)
Hold me like you'll never let me go (but don't squeeze too tight cuz I won't be able to breathe.)

I'm leaving on a jet plane (and a really big boat.)
Don't know when I'll be back again (actually I do, on the 29th.)
Oh babe I hate to go (NOT!)

Murder at Virginia Tech

I have been feeling incredibly sad that a man could be so troubled and disturbed that he could kill 33 people, including himself. I read today that the suspect, Cho Seung-Hui, may have been romantically interested in the woman he killed in the dorm. I also read that, as and English major, his writings were filled with violent themes and that he had been taking antidepressants. What I didn't find published was information about his childhood and teenage years, how long was he taking the antidepressants and whether or not he had been in psychotherapy. What happened to this man that he felt compelled to murder?

What about Virginia Tech's Administration? Did they not do enough to protect the students at the University. I read that the news about the shooting in the dorm did not get released until a couple hours after the shooting. Had the information been made public earlier, would that have saved the other victims?

What about gun-control? Since the suspect was taking anti-depressants, should he have been allowed to purchase a gun? Are the rules about gun purchases strict enough?

What about the professors who knew that the suspects writings were filled with themes of violence? I read that he had been referred for psychotherapy. Should he have been forced to enter into a therapeutic relationship? Should he have been expelled from school for his writings since at least one of his professors was concerned?

What could have been done that was not done? I suspect nothing.

I don't want this post to be mostly about the suspect. But there isn't much information available about the victims. May they rest in peace.

Remember that time...

I saw this game over at voix's blog. I decided to steal the idea because I really enjoyed reading the stories left by others. It works like this: in comments, make up the most outrageous fictional story about you and me. The only rule is that it must begin with the words “Remember that time you and I…”

This is what I wrote: Remember that time we walked to your house that day after school when we were 8 and your mom made us chocolate chip cookies and milk to snack on. She sat down at the table with us because we were both crying about the boy who was teasing us by pulling your hair and pinching me on the arm. Your mom told us that when boys tease that means they like you. Remember when we looked at each other and made faces and blew bubbles in our milk because we didn't care about boys liking us. Remember when we were in junior high and that boy was still teasing us? Remember when we were in high school and he was still teasing us? And remember when we were in college and living in the dorm together and that boy was still teasing us? Well, I married that boy!

Post your stories about us in the comments!

VACATION!!!!!!!!!!

It is 6 days until I leave on my Cruising Vacation on Carnival's Victory Ship. Now I am excited. Actually, I'm really looking forward to having some down time. I have been feeling pretty fried lately. I've been making some major changes in my life, that I'm REALLY happy about but there's been a lot of stress involved.

Changes involving working on (aka finishing the basement to make room for all my furniture) my soon to be new permanent residence and as a consequence, racking up a lot of debt; which I haven't been in for a decade or so; which causes me ton's of stress as I worry about many things, money especially. Second on my list is praying that my current house sells soon. It's been on the market for a year now and with the economy being the way it is in mid-Michigan, well who knows when it will sell. Third on the list is trying to find ways of coping with the unexpected loss of my mother just last Spring. Fourth on the list is trying to not beat myself up for gaining weight, instead of losing it. Fifth on the stress list includes that very personal, threatening to my psyche, don't want to publish it on the internet just yet until I'm comfortable with it, thing. I could go on here, but I think you get the idea.

So, my reading list for the trip looks like this:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (I'm half way through this and I'd like to finish it.)
Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
And whatever fiction books my sister brings along.

I bet I finish the top two and what I borrow from my sister.

My activities list looks like this:
Sit on the deck
Read
Sit on the deck some more
Read some more
Walk the deck (there may even be a track to walk on)
Sit some more
Okay, you get it.

mom

May 4, 2006. This is the day my mother passed away. 19 days from now will be the 1st anniversary of her death. She was 65. She had M.S.

Multiple sclerosis: Function: noun : a demyelinating disease marked by patches of hardened tissue in the brain or the spinal cord and associated especially with partial or complete paralysis and jerking muscle tremor.

My mom had the relapsing/remitting kind: Relapsing-Remitting MS :In this form of MS there are unpredictable relapses (exacerbations, attacks) during which new symptoms appear or existing symptoms become more severe. This can last for varying periods (days or months) and there is partial or total remission (recovery). The disease may be inactive for months or years. * Frequency - approx 25%)

But she died from an aneurysm unrelated to her M.S.

I miss her.

How personal do I get here.

So I'm thinking that I've not written in a bit and I wonder why. The answer is that I'm thinking about issues that I'm not sure I want to publish on the internet. These issues feel particularly personal. I know, I know...I've written some very personal things in the past, but what's going on in my life is not past personal issues but current personal issues. And those other personal musings, were based on past events, or events not threatening to my psyche such as what's going on in my life today.

Amendment to previous post

Okay, my sister told me that in my last post I made it sound like I visit Krispy Kreme often and she wanted me to make sure that everyone knows that that is not the case. I actually only visit KK about once every 6 months. I know they used to give away free donuts because my neighbor told me and then we started visiting KK every 6 months or so. She and I drive by our local KK frequently as it is on the way to our local Meijer store and we enjoy shopping together. We do look to see if the orange light is on which indicates they are making donuts currently and we would tease each other about should we or shouldn't we go get a free donut. But, we only very rarely did. So what happened that prompted to me to write my last post was we were driving by, saw the orange light and she took me up on my tease. Since I was driving I drove us there. And you know the rest of the story.

Now, just because I don't frequent my local KK does not mean that I don't like donuts, or don't have an amazingly powerful sweet tooth. I LOVE SWEETS! (Especially dark chocolate with 70% cocoa. Dr. Oz says 70% or more is better for you but I think any more than 70 is way too bitter for my taste.) I just try really hard to not eat too many sweets and sometimes I don't have as much discipline as I would like to have.

I know I've mentioned in previous posts that I would like to lose some weight. Actually, again following Dr. Oz's advice, I'd like to lose some inches in my waist. I weigh quite a bit, but as I used to lift weights regularly and windsurf I am very muscular and solid. And, we all know that muscle weighs more then fat so my weight is actually greater then what I look like I should weigh. I have really cut down on how much food I eat. I try to exercise, but still struggle to fit that into my daily routine. And sometimes I eat too many sweets. Not just the dark chocolate...because I am very good about limiting my intake of that. But things like dried fruit, cookies, jelly beans, peeps, and etc.. Now, I never ever buy the cookies, jelly beans, peeps and etc.. My best friend, who has 3 little kids, always has junk food. She does not buy it either; the babysitter will bring it over, or my friend's mother brings it, or my friend's husband, who also has a sweet tooth and is not overweight, will buy the sweet stuff and hence, when I am visiting and preparing desserts for the kids, I will snack on it too.

KRISPY KREME NO LONGER GIVING AWAY FREE DOUGHNUTS

OH MY! I stopped by my local Krispy Kreme tonight hoping to pick up one of their free, hot off the roller, glazed doughnuts. However, when I was walking towards the door I noticed that there was a hand written sign taped to it that said "As of April 1, 2007 Krispy Kreme will no longer be giving away free doughnuts to its customers...." I was so upset that I couldn't read the rest of the sign. Consequently, I don't know what prompted Krispy Kreme to make this decision. I've been trying to find some information on the web about this but I haven't been successful. If you know something about this, let me know cuz I'm curious. Here's what I wonder...why would Krispy Kreme cease to give away free doughnuts when at the end of the night they throw away dozens and dozens of doughnuts. When I asked one of the clerks at my local Kremery, she told me about throwing away the doughnuts and she told me that they used to donate the left overs but they've stopped that practice too. The employees can't take them home to their loved ones either. For the life of me, I can't understand why they stopped the practice of giving away the doughnuts.

I suppose part of my feeling so out of sorts about this is that I have a really hard time throwing away food. It seems such a waste especially when there are so many people who don't have enough to eat. (Remember in a previous post I mentioned one of the things my mother used to tell me was that I should only put on my plate what I can eat and eat what's on my plate cuz there are people in other countries starving. I don't believe I mentioned that one of my responses to her was to offer to pack up and send my leftover food to those poor starving people. You can imagine that she never took me up on my offer.) REALLY!!! I cannot wrap my brain around the wisdom behind the decision to stop giving away free doughnuts, when those said doughnuts end up in the trash. What is up with that?!?