Hartford Marathon
Chloe ran 2.2 miles on Marathon Day and crossed the finish line with the SRS Team. She had a blast, and raised a little over a hundred dollars for the Cornerstone Foundation. Thanks to everyone who contributed!
October 15, 2008
random facts #'s 21 - 30
Today's Quote: "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion." - Abraham Lincoln
21. I'm not a fan of Jay Leno. I do, however, love David Letterman.
22. I have this weird thing about talking on the phone. I don't really like doing it. I'm not sure why exactly. It's like I get performance anxiety. What if I sound stupid? What if I can't think of anything to say? What if I can't hear them? What if they can't hear me? What if I'm interrupting something? (For a reasonably intelligent person, I have an awful lot of weird hang-ups.)
23. When I was a kid I used to pretend that I was an orphan. Sometimes I pretended that I was adopted by Julie, the Cruise Director from The Love Boat. Other times I pretended I'd been adopted by Aunt Ruby, a former prostitute turned nice old lady on the soap opera General Hospital. I pretended all of this in my imagination, of course. I didn't actually go around telling people I was an orphan.
24. I've seen Bette Midler in concert three times. I've also seen REM three times. Or maybe four. No, I think it was three. I can't remember. I'm getting old.
25. I love celebrating my birthday. I'm not thrilled about getting older, but since it's going to happen anyway, I might as well celebrate the fact that I was born. My birthday is February 12th and I love chocolate cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream, FYI.
26. I frequent the public library on a regular basis. I love libraries.
27. I enjoy going to the dentist. Maybe because I've never had any major dental issues. I had my wisdom teeth removed. I've had an occasional cavity. Oh, and once I had to have some tissue removed from my tongue for a biopsy. But never any root canals or anything terribly painful. (Okay, the tongue thing did sort of hurt.)
28. I am often filled with a restless, unproductive energy.
29. I wish all my friends had blogs. I'd read them all. I swear I would.
30. I like to wear jeans. I think at the moment I only own one pair of pants that are not denim . . . and I hardly ever wear them because, in my mind, they are only for dress-up. (To me, anything other than jeans qualifies as "dress-up.") Sometimes I think it might be nice to own some non-denim pants, but when I attempt to buy some I can't seem to figure out what I want. I'll try on black slacks and think, "Oh, this material is gross.", or khaki pants and wonder, "What shoes would I wear with these?" And so I typically end up leaving the store with another pair of jeans.
October 09, 2008
random facts #'s 11 - 20
11. I am very intuitive. I tend to be an exceptionally good judge of character and can usually tell from my first meeting with someone if they are a good fit for a particular situation. (This made me very good at hiring when I was responsible for doing so many years ago.)
12. I like jewelry. Not big, flashy, expensive jewelry, but simple, hand made jewelry made with leather, thread, clay, or glass beads.
13. Someone I really admire is Christin. She is very stylish - not in a Stacey London of What Not to Wear kind of way, but rather in an artsy, uniquely Christin kind of way. She's also a gifted artist and a kind, adventurous person.
14. I have many "favorite" authors, but John Irving is at the top of my list. A Prayer for Owen Meany and The World According to Garp are among his best, in my opinion.
15. Most people don't know this about me, because in general I tend to be very easy-going, but I hate to follow other peoples' directives. I have a real aversion to being told what to do.
16. I suck at math. I mean big time suck. I struggle to help Chloe with her math homework, and she's only in 3rd grade. It's pretty pathetic.
17. I have the second ugliest feet in the world. (The award for First Place Ugly Feet goes to my dad.) They are big, flat, wide, and I have a bunion on my left one. Not a pretty sight. Thanks, Dad.
18. I LOVE Christmas. LOVE IT. I love the preparations, the list making, the menu planning, the cookie baking, the creating of hand made gifts, the signing of Christmas cards. I love it all.
19. I have some issues with social anxiety. I cover it up really well, so I don't think it's all that obvious, but it's definitely something I struggle with. I'm very shy until I feel comfortable. Once I'm comfortable I am talkative, outgoing, and confident. But sometimes it takes a long while before I feel comfortable. Sometimes I make plans with people and look forward to those plans right up until the scheduled day, at which point I begin to fill with a sense of dread and have to force myself to follow through with the plans. (Once I'm there I'm usually glad I went.)
20. I type with one hand. But I manage to be pretty fast and mostly accurate.
Guess I'm equally left and right brained . . . is that normal?
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(9)October 08, 2008
list of ten
Today's Quote: "It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
— J.K. Rowling, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE
I am eager to write, but having nothing significant to write about I've decided to copy my friend Shelly, who recently posted in her blog a list of 100 random facts about herself. (I may, in fact, have done something like this before -- but hopefully it was long enough ago that nobody remembers.)
1. I am extremely curious (some might even say nosey, but curious sounds so much nicer) about people. It's no wonder reality tv holds so much appeal to me. I am fascinated by human behavior. I wish I could crawl inside people's heads to better understand what they are thinking and feeling.
2. I am super intrigued by the paranormal. I believe in ghosts, ESP, reincarnation. I don't pretend to understand these phenomena, but I firmly believe there's way more to the Universe than what meets the eye.
3. I enjoy being a Stay-at-Home Mom. I love being available to volunteer in my childrens' classrooms, chaperone field trips, have their friends over after school for play dates, and so forth. There are some things I miss about working, but ideally when I return to work it will be part-time.
4. I love to take pictures, but I'm not a very good photographer.
5. I compare myself to others far too much, and most of the time feel as though I just don't measure up. Seems like I never feel smart enough, funny enough, talented enough, social enough, etc. I realize it's not good to constantly compare one's self to others. But knowing doesn't stop me from doing.
6. I have never broken a bone.
7. There are few things I enjoy as much as home made chocolate pudding, still warm, with a skin formed on the top.
8. I tend to form instense, enduring attachments to people. There are people I've not seen for decades with whom I still feel a strong attachment.
9. I generally trust just about everyone unless given a really compelling reason not to.
10. I have kept a journal in one form or another for the past thirty years. I started in 4th grade with a little blue 5 year diary given to me by my teacher, Miss Price, as a reward for earning High Honors. I still have it.
. . . . . . to be continued . . . . . . .
October 03, 2008
a message from Chloe
October 3, 2008
Hi friends!
I have some exciting news I want to share with you. I am running in my first Marathon on October 11th in Hartford, CT. I will run as part of the Skinner Rd. School Relay Team with friends, teachers, and parents to raise money for an important cause. We are running in support of The Cornerstone Foundation, an organization that is very important to my school community. I am trying to run 25 miles (about one mile at a time) to train before the race, and will run my 26th mile during the race. It’s hard work, but I’m having lots of fun training with my dad!
Will you please consider making a donation to support my run and help people in need? (For more information about the Cornerstone Foundation go to www.cornerstone-rockville.org.) If you would like to make a donation you can do so securely online at www.firstgiving.com/SkinnerRoadSchool2008.
Thank you for your support!
Peace,
Chloe
October 02, 2008
i did not proof-read this
Today's Quote: "A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it."
— Roald Dahl, BOY: TALES OF CHILDHOOD
Has anyone else noticed that the mosquitos have been awful the past few weeks? I can't walk from my front door to the mailbox without getting swarmed by mosquitos. And it's not just here in my yard. It's the same way at Jack's bus stop and the soccer field at the middle school. How long do mosquitos typically hang around? It's already October, so I'm hoping we won't have to deal with them too much longer.
Yesterday I was chatting with Suzanne about blogs we love to read, and I told her that I'm very much aware of the fact that my own blog is no longer of the same quality it once was. For the first few years I did some really fine writing here. And occasionally I still do. But only very occasionally. For the most part, I've lost the drive and enthusiasm needed to devote much time to "good" writing. Sometimes I feel guilty about that. I mean, there aren't all that many things at which I truly excel. I know that I am capable of writing well -- by not doing so am I squandering a gift? Yeah, I guess perhaps I am. But ultimately, I'm okay with that. At least for now. One of the lessons I have learned over the years is just because you happen to be good at something doesn't mean you have to do it. Having said that, I don't feel inclined to give up this blog altogether. I've grown attached to it over the past several years. It feels like an extension of me. And writing here, short and infrequent as my posts may be, still provides me with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Casey is four days into his first week of school, and so far so good. Actually, so far REALLY good! Glenn drops him off at school at 8:00 AM and the school bus drops him off at home just before noon. He doesn't tell me a whole lot about what happens at school, but he seems happy to go each morning and is in good spirits when he gets off the bus each noon. He's yet to have an accident at school, however I'm not fooling myself into thinking we're in the clear. He still poops his pants at home, so I'm fairly certain it's just a matter of time before it happens at school. I know everyone is probably sick to death of me talking about Casey's bowel movements -- and I swore I'd never be one of those Mommy Bloggers who assumes that the entire world should be fascinated by her child's toileting habits. But here I am, still obsessing over Casey's poop. Anyway, I just need to share this one last observation, and then I'll put a moratorium on the topic for a while. I am convinced that Casey's refusal to poop on the potty isn't really a refusal at all, but rather a legitimate inability to do so. He knows when he has to go, and he can get himself to the bathroom, pull down his pants, and sit on the toilet. What he can't seem to figure out how to do is actually push the poop out. He's completely stumped by it. So his failure is not for a lack of trying, and not a power and control issue, as I thought it might have been. I really feel that it has something to do with brain mechanics. The signal one's brain sends to tell the sphincter what it needs to do, just doesn't seem to be working. Of course, I've no idea if such a phenomenon exisits. It's just my theory, and I'm no doctor. But I am pretty observant. So that's my take on the matter.
Okay, must take Casey to gymnastics class -- 45 minutes of fun for him, 45 minutes of stress for me. Fun for him because he gets to jump, run, hop, tumble, roll, and swing. Stressful for me because I must sit there watching him not follow the teachers' directions. For those whose children are all exceedingly well behaved, I will share with you that it is incredibly uncomfortable when your kid is the only one in the group who never seems to follow directions. SIGH. Good thing he's so darn cute.
September 29, 2008
firsts
Happy first day of school, Casey!
Happy first morning of freedom, me!
September 26, 2008
Santa just came down the chimney
I feel as exuberant as a child on Christmas morning! Santa just arrived at my house in the form of a phone call from The Montessori School informing me that Casey can start school on Monday! Not potty trained? No problem. They'll manage it. Holy Jumpin' Jupiter. The Universe is good.
