Prayers

Please be in prayer about several things:

That Steve Godbold would be released. He is a missionary in Chad who was kidnapped in October.

That my Mom's broken hand would heal quickly.

That the problem with Ky's class would be favorably resolved.

That things will work out for the best involving my upcoming recital--or not.

Most of all, please pray that God's will is done in each situation. I guess I don't want specifics prayed for, just that God would intervene and work things out according to his plan. In each situation, I feel helpless!

Thanks!

Getting older!

Happy Birthday to Ky! I didn't want to post this on her birthday so I will now. I love you!

Ma

Fun Day

Yesterday was a lot of fun. All three of us went to Ikea! It never disappoints, but it always disappoints. It is a cool place and you'd have to go there to understand my last couple of sentences.

DDD (aka Ky) LOVES to go to Ikea, as do I, but it is located down south of the Washington DC metro area and there is no easy way to get there. Ky had received a new GPS from Santa (since she'll be driving off on her own to college soon) and we decided to try it out. We basically just ignored it as long as we knew the way and only used it at the end because it was determined to get us on I-95. Of course, it told us we had arrived about a half mile early, but by that time, I knew where we were and could guide us the rest of the way. Weird. On the way back, it took us WAAAAY out of the way. Probably because we were preoccupied ignoring it!

We found a kitchen table and chairs we like. We had to assemble them at home, but we did quite well. The table is a translucent glass with a green tint to it--the Coca-Cola bottle green tint. We had been painting the house, but stopped halfway through the kitchen. The walls used to be a pale pink and one is now a pale battleship gray. Now, the green table makes the gray look icky. Gotta rethink the gray. Maybe pink again? I don't know. We have some accent walls throughout the rest of the house. They are navy blue and maroon. I wish I had any type of gift with colors, but I definitely don't. The green and gray are driving me crazy, though.

Well, hope the end of 2007 keeps everyone safe and sound and the beginning of 2008 is peaceful.

Messiah

Hooray! It is over! The Messiah went quite well on Sunday afternoon. I felt good about my solos and although there were fewer people there this year than last, it was fun. I seldom have anyone from where I live come to hear me, but many of the people in the church choir with whom I toured in Europe in 2006 come out and it gives us a chance to keep up with each other.

My dear husband drove me downtown and that made the whole thing more special. The weather wasn't very good, but we had been projected to have snow/sleet/ice and having cold wind gusts only was not too bad in comparison.

In other singing-type news, my recital has been moved to February. This time, I'm ready, but two others are not. I guess we can always use time to practice, but it resets my practice. I'll have to change up things a little--can't do the Christmas duet I had planned to do--have to work up another one. I guess we'll have time :-l

Ramblings again

TIme is flying by! Tomorrow is the Messiah downtown. Tonight, we are supposed to get that double storm. Fortunately, the temperature has been above freezing for quite a while, so although it is cold, nothing is freezing. I hope that keeps up. I don't like to drive downtown, especially if, once I get there, I have to sing. I generally take a bus and the subway. The church I sing at is about equidistant from two Metro stops. It is about a fifteen minute walk regardless. Tomorrow it is supposed to be really raining hard, so I guess I'll wear one outfit and carry my performance outfit. Just keep praying for the weather to be above freezing!

Musical Ramblings...

Things are moving right along...

I have a recital coming up. I think it is January 12. One of the three tenors with whom I'll sing has asked me to sing a duet with him. It is actually a soprano/mezzo duet--The Flower Duet from Delibes' opera Lakme, and I'm not sure how it will sound. We'll see. I have always wanted to do that song, but he has only just ordered the music. Do you notice what I just said? I haven't seen the music, so I haven't even worked on it. Ever. I still have my other songs to work on.

I am already scheduled to do a duet with another tenor, but it is a Christmas duet, so we may have to think that through. We've never sung that duet together, either. We sang a wonderful duet together once, but I don't know if it was wonderful to hear. We had practiced the music separately, but never together. Never until we got out on the stage. I have a DVD of that performance and when I look at myself, I think, "Was I that nervous?" I guess I had good reason to be.

On another note, my lessons both this week and last, centered around Rejoice Greatly by Handel. I love the sentiment of the song, but hate singing it. I sang it for the first time just before last Christmas in a freebie sing-along with the Capitol Hill Chorale and DC Church of the Reformation. The building was packed. This song is not so special except that you need three lungs to sing it. I hated it last year and as soon as that performance was over, I deleted it from everything I had. I sang all the soprano solos, but Rejoice is the only one I despise. The others are easy. I thought I was in the clear this year until just about three weeks ago when my teacher asked if I'd sing it again for them. Ugh. It is one of those things you do when you feel like you need to, not because you want to.

I've sung all my life, but never took lessons until about four and a half years ago. My teacher is an amazing musician and is willing to put up with my quirks. Like when I sing something and then add: "I hate that!!" or when I tell him I am done and I won't ever sing again because I am so frustrated. He pushes and prods when he needs to and then strokes my ego when I need that. He has a piano concert a week from tonight that I'd like to hear. He sits behind the piano and it seems like there are no wrong notes on it. His hands fly across the keys and he laughs a little as he plays. It is obvious that he was born to play the piano. I hear him play a lot, but I could always listen to more. I think the reason I am singing Rejoice is because I had so much fun doing the sing along last year. I got there early and he was up on the stage of the sanctuary practicing the organ. I turned the pages for him and sometimes, when I'd turn a page, he'd say, "Oh, no! The next piece has to be done on the piano!" So that was my cue to move out of the way, as I was in between the organ and the piano. It was funny. Okay, I guess I enjoyed it some.

So, wish me luck. I have a lot to work on in the next two weeks.

Freecycling tidbits

I am a member of a freecycle group. It is online and hosted (I think) by yahoo. It has quite a few odd rules, but basically, you may post anything for the taking, as long as it is free. Nothing is too big or too small and I've seen some strange
listings. I have collected a few to share here. They may be things that you'll
look at and think aren't odd, but from my perspective, they are odd or maybe just sound odd. Here they are:


offer: large divided plate(looks like hen) From: mims_4_hkt

I'm trying to picture this one!


Offer : Preggy pop drops From: Marla Vargas


Offer: Bag 7/8 Girls From: Rebecca IS THIS LEGAL????


offer: two safari kids rugs From: kmabela


Offer: Juvenile bearded dragon pellets From: struesda (ewwwwww!!!)


Offer: boat canal From: Nathan


TAKEN: PPU Muscle & Weight Gain

PPU means "please pick up" and I'd gladly offer my weight gain if someone would please pick it up, but not my muscle--or what there is left of it!



offer:4 needlework books for babies From: mims_4_hkt Don't they hurt themselves when they work on it? Perhaps that is why the books are available. Or maybe the baby didn't finish the work and is now a toddler!


Offer: Adult disposable Brief From: mhomesch Just one? What condition is it in???


offer:Patches of Joy From: mims_4_hkt I want ALL the Joy I can get--not just patches!


Offer: Fold Away Basket Ball Thing From: Rebecca

OFFER: foam stickers From: ses8292001


Reoffer: Camping Wood From: Lisa Okay, how can you re-offer camping wood. Isn't it out in the woods someplace? What differentiates it from regular wood?


OFFER: Barbie Swan Lake costume From: sicmck2652


OFFER: Mosquito lantern Must be very tiny!



I have recieved quite a few seriously good things from freecycle. You may want to join one, too!

Gotta run see if I can find anything to post!

"Turkey" day

Today was the annual Thanksgiving dinner day at my school. I work in the office of a VERY busy elementary school. Over 1000 students. The logistics of a regular day's lunch for all 42 classes is astounding, but when you add in the hundreds of parents we get on Turkey day...you can imagine.

I love watching the first classes of the youngest students walking down the hall to lunch wearing the head dressings they have made this week. I saw turkey hats, pilgrim hats, Native American Indian hats, you name it. The little kids generally have BOTH parents visit and everyone eats the turkey from the cafeteria. The Sixth grades send a few volunteers to serve and clean tables for everyone (a job they are usually loathe to do) and very little actual school work is done. They ask for teachers and staff to help serve the food, as the cafeteria staff simply helps keep the serving lines stocked. The teachers/staff who serve usually give out waaaaay too much food, so that the cafeteria manager said she always orders 500 extra meals that day. Otherwise, she says, the last classes would be getting Thanksgiving pizza! She says since the food for the children is subsidized, she only makes profit off of the adult meals. Interesting.

My job is to do attendance, so I am generally too busy to be able (ha!) to help out on the serving lines. I served my time working in food service while I was in college, so for me, the thrill is gone. One of my office colleagues came back from serving with a lunch for me to eat at my desk. That's where I eat anyway, so I was quite appreciative. Another colleague brought me another lunch later. I think I've had my fill of turkey for a while and we haven't even hit Thanksgiving!

Another activity the kids do in the weeks before Thanksgiving is decorate placemats. They have appropriate lessons all about the Pilgrims and lots of those placemats depict that. The office staff helps check to see that nothing inappropriate is drawn. Our office stopped four that we loved, but they weren't ready for prime time. One was a cartoon of Bugs Bunny flinging a pumpkin at a turkey. Another was a rather morbid story of a turkey's life. A third one was an empty ship asail in the ocean and it was entitled, "The Ghost of the Mayflower." The last one was a brightly colored platter with a turkey drawn on it. Its caption read, "The Last Turkey On Earth" and had holes punched in the turkey with the turkey exclaiming, "Oh, no! I'm dead!" See, nothing too awful, but just normal sixth grade boy humor. I laminated those and we'll use them in the office when we need placemats to protect the table. Or at least we'll use them until the administrators take the time to read them and throw them out.

One very nice thing happened today, too. One fifth grade teacher who is, to say the least, innovative, paraded his class throughout the office saying "Thank You!" to every person in the office. This teacher has a most unique academic history including dropping out of high school to travel around in Europe for a year and then coming home to finish his GED. I am sure he had to work very hard to get into a college after that even though he is brilliant and probably had good grades with little effort, but he finished college and spent a few years in the Peace Corps. Wouldn't it be nice if every kid had a chance to have a teacher like that? One day when his fiancee was undergoing medical treatments, I went to stay with his class while he left to take a phone call. He gave them some order and took off. I watched in amazement as they carried on by themselves. One student took over leadership and directed the exercise and the entire class participated the way they would had the teacher been there himself. I think the fact that this is a Gifted and Talented class helped. Anyone who has seen a GT class can attest to the natural competitive nature of these rooms. When my daughter was in General Education classes, she and one or two other kids were the only ones who attempted to answer questions and seemed engaged in the subject. Once she moved to GT, it was a very different atmosphere.

Next week is a short week. And the real Turkey Day!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ky for being accepted to Virginia Tech next fall into the College of Engineering! Also, congratulations to Ky for making the A Honor Roll at school. I've never known anyone who worked so hard in school! Now, we all need to pray for her to know what God wants her to do.

Halloween!

Ah, the holiday everyone can enjoy! Okay, not everyone. Some folks feel it is too anti-religious or whatever, so maybe they should go to bed early on the 31st.

The church where we attend is having what is called, "Trunk or Treat" in which you sign up for two parking spaces at the church building, bring your vehicle and decorate. You are allowed to have the requisite candy, of course, but you may also have games or whatever for the kids to do while they are there. The point of it is to give the kids/families safe alternatives to traditional trick or treating. We are new there, so I'd planned to sit this one out, but my daughter, Ky, signed up for a couple of spaces. She has a cute little Scion xB and will decorate it as a Lego block. There may be some other girls helping her--I certainly hope so--but I'll be there, too, to be sure she has everything she needs. I'd like to see this because the people I've met there are very creative and they are the most positive people I've ever met.

I'll see if I can figure out how to post some pictures afterwards!

How Does One Go About Choosing a College?

My DDD is in the final stages of choosing which college she'll attend next year. I tried as hard as I could to convince her to stay nearby and go to the local community college or even a nearby 4-year college, but I didn't get far. Truthfully, I don't want her to go to either of those places.

College is a great mid-way point in a person's life. You are still kept busy with activities like classes, yet you have free time and new living arrangements and strange environments to adjust to and you get to be surrounded by a culture centered around others like you. Your money worries are minor compared to those you'll have for the rest of your life and everyone expects that you'll do some stupid things and for the most part, you'll escape with little consequences, as long as you don't go to crazy. You decide when to be awake and when to sleep, you decide when you'll eat and do your laundry and homework. It's a great situation. You have some freedoms and some restrictions.

When I chose my college there was no choice. Okay there were other colleges, but there was really no discussion about where I'd end up. It turned out disastrous in Oh-So-Many ways, but I survived.

Usually, when I face a problem, I turn to my older sister, whose children are now grown and married and doing quite well in all the ways a parent hopes. The only problem is, neither she nor her children really chose their schools. I mean, not like today. Where the kids are told to apply to at least one "probable" school, one "certain" school, and one "reach" school. It seems almost like a lottery.

I wonder who perpetuates this multi-application to colleges atmosphere. Probably the accountants at the colleges, since applying to a school is an expensive act: in time, emotions and money.

Sometimes, you must apply to both the university and the college you wish to attend. I did that a couple of years ago. I was a little worried about getting into the university, but not the college. Instead, I got my rejection letter from the college (of my proposed major) before I got the acceptance letter from the university. So, I was admitted to return to college, but had no major. End of adventure.

Well, keep DDD in your prayers as she does all the necessary paperwork for admission. She has two schools who want paperwork NOW, but she'll know early if she is into those schools. That would be nice since then she could spend her time doing well on her FIVE AP classes this year instead of having to continue to answer essay questions and fill out online forms, only to have the entire form disappear suddenly when you accidently hit the wrong button.

Any suggestions for schools???? (Engineering is the proposed major!)

Ain't I smart?

Your Vocabulary Score: A-

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Actually, I was surprised at the minus. My vocabulary used to be pretty good. I think working in an elementary school hurts ones vocabulary. If you use interesting words, no one understands you. I need to subscribe to a "vocabulary word of the day."

Just thinking

Fall is here! I grew up mostly in Texas, where they have one, and maybe two seasons. I moved here to NoVa on October 6, 1986 via Northern Florida, where my dh and I had lived with his mother while awaiting final plans for the job/move. We drove our two little cars up here on I 95. When we left Florida, it was a very warm day, so I was wearing a shorts jumpsuit. I think my car had AC to begin with, but by Richmond, VA, it was gone. I was HOT. We got to Tysons Corner, VA and stopped for gasoline. I happened to notice that everyone else was wearing sweaters and at least, long sleeves. Yep, by nightfall, it was pretty chilly. We stayed in a motel that night and walked up and down that area (because the traffic had us almost terrified to drive!) and looked for SOMEPLACE where we could buy some sweaters or a coat for each of us. We expected summer to last until Thanksgiving and we expected our warmer clothes to be arriving about two weeks later. Ah, how innocent we were!

The fall here was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. It seemed like the trees planted in this area were chosen because of the colors they turned in the fall. This area has lots of hills, too, so even a trip to the store was gorgeous!

Fast forward twenty-one years (can it be that long??) and here we are again. There is a lot to love about living here. There are few down-sides: lots of traffic, occasional ice instead of snow in the winter, very busy people, and no family in this area.

I miss my family. I have dh (dear husband) and ddd (dearest darling daughter) but no one else nearby. Sometimes it is a good thing, like when I want to be alone. I've had a lot of aloneness, and I wish I could drive by to say hello to my Mom and Dad on the way home from work. They are the types who would, no doubt, offer to buy dinner for my family or invite us over. I'd have LOVED to have their advice and free babysitting when my daughter was a baby. I had lots of questions and the answers I was getting from professionals was just plain bad.

I also have the best sister anyone could ever have. Don't know why she puts up with me, but I guess she has no choice! She helped raise me, in fact, since my parents were pretty busy with my brother from the time he was born until he died in February 2001. My sister lives in Michigan, with a wonderful man who has been like an older brother to me since I was 10 years old. No stopping by her house after work, either. Her kids have moved away, so she is alone, too. Maybe eventually we can retire near each other, but I don't know. "Independence" ain't all it's cracked up to be. Some of us are tied to jobs, such my dh's and my BIL's. Their jobs are in Washington DC and Michigan, respectively, and that's where they will stay.

The really bad part of being so far apart is that when you get to be together, you are REALLY together. Like in the same house for several days in a row. If someone gets tired, they can't just wait a day to return your call or your invitation. I still think living near extended family would be great.

Wow! I am surprised!

Thank you, Hol & J, for the award.

I received an award from Hol and Ky has promised to show me how to put it here on my blog, but don't hold your breath. She is back in school and has her hands quite full with 5 AP classes. She went to a workshop today to help her prepare for Senior Regionals in orchestra. That is one set of quite hard music. Then, she has seating auditions for her school orchestra on Tuesday, 9/11. She was Assistant Concert master last year and the Concert Master graduated. She REALLY wants that job. She has worked very hard, but isn't assured of the position until she does well on the auditions. Please pray that she'll do her best and be calm during the audition. Oh, and all of this is in addition to AP calculus BC (those letters mean something that means the class is for those who intend to take more math in college, I think,) AP English Lit, AP German, AP Computer Science, regular Government and AP Physics online. I don't like to think of the pressure she is under with that load. I guess next year she'll be taking ALL AP since APs are supposed to be college-level classes, but really. Please pray that she can handle all of that this year. Oh, and college applications are due in November, I think.

Since school started, I have been working full-time for a week. The novelty has definitely worn off.

Oh, excuse me--I fell asleep because I haven't gotten to bed anywhere near the right time all week, either.

Guess that means it is time to go to bed.

Ugh

Yep, tomorrow's the day. The first day back at school for the students for the year.

I'll try to not appear down about it, but how can one not be depressed when one looks out over the course of a school year and sees 183 days looming in front of one? Okay. enough of the "one" business. Let's see, why do I hate it?

The noise level in the school building goes up 1 million percent. Every complaint you've ever heard from a teacher is true. Classes are too large. Kids are uninspired. Parents are too busy (not all parents, but enough to make a difference) to help out their own child. I have to see so much neglect that it is sickening. Kids rushing in at least once a week looking like they've been up all night holding cookies in their hands for breakfast.

I do attendance for the kids. Do you know friends who are ALWAYS late? They were probably taught that by their parents. It is crazy how the same kids are late once or twice a week. Those are the parents who can't understand why their kids are not doing well in school and can't pass the state-mandated tests.

I hate the first day of school because there is this "school is fun" mentality that is just a lie after about second grade. School is work and sometimes, just SOMETIMES, learning and knowing is fun.

Ah, yes, it will be a great year.

Try, try again

This is my third attempt to blog. I sit down and a feeling of tiredness plops down on top of me and that is all I can think about. I think it is the result of trying out this full-time work stuff. I hope I get used to it.

I did find something amusing to mention today. Since about three weeks ago, we have been the caretakers of a little hamster. Ky's friend is going off to college and her parents are selling their house and moving to Chicago, so the hamster needed a new home. Ky is as much of a softy as the rest of us, so we now have this little guy named Blueberry. Poor thing. I have no idea how he got that name.

It's been a while since we've had a hamster. I have nothing against them, but I hate getting attached to something that looks so much like a mouse. I've never seen a hamster who looks happy. They always want out of their enclosure because they don't realize that being out would mean certain death. They bite. They move in such a frantic way that I feel pity for them.

I decided to give our Blubie a little freedom in his ball. I put him down and came over here to check my email. I heard him gliding across the floor, first this way and then that. Ky was in DC with friends, so I was trying to be responsible. Then, I heard, "thunk, thunk, thunk," before it dawned on me that the sound was the ball falling. By the time I caught up with Blubie, he was about eight steps down the stairs to the basement. I picked him up and it seemed as if he was a little mad at me for stopping his fun. At least I know he's tough!

Crazy

If I am so crazy busy that I don't have time to do half the things I want to do, how is it that other folks have loads of time to get into everyone else's business?

August view

How could it be August already? It is doubly depressing because I work in a school and although I have been working during the summer, I go day-to-day because thinking that I am stuck there until next June would be too much for me to bear! How odd it is, though, that I used to work all year-round and that was okay.

Changes, changes, changes! I had planned to move from part-time in the school office to full-time next fall, to coincide with Ky's move to college. Instead, my office manager told me that I need to go full-time this fall. She looks out for me! She asked me why I keep waiting to go full-time and when she heard it was because I love being home to spend time home when Ky is home, she offered me hours that will allow that, more or less.

Schools are pretty good places to work, as long as you don't want a large salary. They are great, though, for those of us who love to be home when our kids are there and who are blessed enough to have spouses with decent salaries.

So, I am hesitant, since I have always enjoyed my time off (and the ability to leave work regardless of what was happening!!!) but I'll do it.

I know, boring post, but I feel boring today.

A what????

Just a quick funny note:

I have a gmail account. I love it, by the way. The way it organizes my email, etc. For all that cool organization, you put up with some advertisements that are drawn from something on your letter on the right side of the screen. If you mention "music" in the letter, you'll get ads about "piano lessons--the secret piano teachers don't want you to know about!!!" That sort of thing. No big deal.

Yesterday I was looking at a letter that really didn't have any "buzz words" and I glanced at the ads. It said:

"Embroidered Whale Pants"

Close your eyes and think of that!

Doesn't a whale only need one pant?

Is the whale out of breath?

Who embroidered him and why? HOW???

At best, it might be some ladies pants with whales embroidered on them. Why would a woman want to wear pants with whales on them?

Just thought it was funny.

I coulda told 'em this....

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Feeling old

I can find anything on the internet. Anything.

This blog, however, stumps me continuously. The options it gives me at the top change with each visit. I think I would do okay if it remained consistent.

Anyway, we are into week two of our visitor from Germany. She is one of the kindest girls I have ever met. I just dropped both girls off at Ky's friend's house. This friend is also her boss. They will be returning some samples to the Washington Design Center for the boss. I have heard tales about the design center and how cool it all is. Of course, since the Boss is pretty cool herself, that may color the design center, too.

Ky really does have one of the coolest jobs I've ever heard of. Who else do you know who is 17 and works as a personal assistant for an Interior Designer? Ky does a lot of filing, but filing includes assembling boxes of samples used for different projects. She also gets to go to all these cool places to try to find JUST THE RIGHT thing for a client.

I hope they have fun. I plan to try to get some down time so we can be ready to go again tomorrow. Whew!

Anyway, all of this makes me feel old and tired.

Interesting picture

Just because I think this is the most interesting picture of me ever, Here it is.

Guess which one is me!

Splash Down

Went to the water park today. The weather was perfect for it! Since Silke and Ky had nothing but cool, wet weather in Germany for two weeks, they absolutely loved it! We usually only stay until 3 or 4 p.m., but this time we stayed until about 7. The best part was that when I got home, my sweet husband was cooking hamburgers for us! He can be very sweet and thoughtful. He did this after working all day. Glad I married him!

We got to Splash Down with print-out-at-home tickets. The big advantage was that you didn't have to wait in line! There were even signs saying so! So, we went to the ticketed people's line. The park ranger (this water park is located and owned by the county) told us we'd have to go to the ticket counter to get the tickets checked. Of course, when we got there, those folks wondered why we were drunk so early in the day, what with all the signs, etc. We finally got in and had a great time.

Now, I am wooly tired.

Good night all!

They are here!

La and her friend Silke, made it here around their scheduled arrival time. Instead of calling right then, they waited until they had their baggage and were ready to be picked up. Several things happened at the last minute for me and I was at the grocery store when they called. That was why I wanted them to call when they first arrived. It was okay, I just hated for them to have to wait. Kim had come home early from work and was able to zip over to the airport to pick them up.

Silke has been adopted by our dog, Radar. I think he is ready to abandon us and stay with her. He is a good judge of character. She is a very kind young lady who we already enjoy being around.

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. If we get up early, we can attend a good old fashioned parade in P-ville which is about 20 miles away. Instead of going downtown to DC for the fireworks, we plan to attend the local ones here in H-Town. I think we'll all be work out!

Thanks to all who were praying for the girls to arrive safely!

La's coming home!!!

Well, the countdown is on! Only about 5 hours until La arrives back from her two week visit to Germany! She has had a packed two-week adventure! She will bring her friend Silke back with her. I hope we can show Silke as good a time here in the US as her family showed La.

Keep praying for them to have an uneventful trip!

Their weather has been unusually cool and wet. I know we need rain here, but I'd like for the weather to be warm and relatively dry.

By the way, it seems that every year the weather is unusually cold/wet/dry/hot somewhere. Pretty soon, we'll have to reform our ideas of what is normal, right?

Help!

Well, here I am blogging. Do I have time for this? No. I need to be busy getting ready for company. My dearest darling daughter and a friend of hers will arrive from Germany in two days. I am sure elves will come in the middle of the night to clean my house and prepare for their arrival. Once they get here, it will be two weeks of crazy sightseeing/shopping/cooking/eating/driving that will leave me too tired to clean and plan. I am old enough to know better. I could really use those elves, though.

What do you show someone who is probably totally unaware of US history when they visit Washington DC? It wouldn't be hard if everyone else would vacate the city so that when we choose to do something there wouldn't be crazy traffic and huge crowds. I guess that is like wishing for a day at DIsney World alone!

Okay, I'll go work. I just want everyone to know I am doing it!

Wish me luck. I hope the elves have gotten a head start!

Things I enjoy

Okay, this is just, as my daughter would say, "Random."

I was flying home from Texas a couple of days ago and realized that my favorite parts of flying are 1) getting to the destination relatively quickly, and 2) the great changes in G forces. It is like a roller coaster without the jolting and jarring that my back can no longer tolerate. Remember, enjoy those roller coasters when you are young because if you are lucky enough, you'll eventually be in one of the categories that should not ride them anymore. I guess the G force thing is what used to make people throw up so much. I remember some of my first airplane rides--not the small aircraft I rode in for fun with my friend's Dad. Those barf bags were really used! I can remember hearing someone throwing up in nearly every flight. I don't recall the flights being any different. Why don't people throw up anymore? Did we get stronger? Did those people just never fly anymore? I doubt it. The flights now are much rougher and the conditions are much more primitive now than they were then. At that time, it was rare to have to sit next to someone. The flight attendants were called stewardesses and they had to be drop-dead gorgeous. They were assigned to desk jobs once they hit 40, got fat, or became pregnant. In the middle of the flight they roamed the aisles and passed out decks of cards, blankets, pillows and little gold-covered plastic wing pins. Every girl wanted to grow up to be a stewardess. Then, once I grew up, they became flight attendants and they look/act more like drill sargeants than Barbie dolls. The thrill is gone.

Well, one more thing I like is a brief thunderstorm. It washes everything off and my dog wants to be held. Otherwise, he is quite independent. He's getting better after his surgery. Now, we have the job of trying to keep him from overusing the reconstructed knee. He is a rascal.

I'll take a picture soon. My camera says it has a battery problem. I think there is no flash. Where is my techie-daughter during my time of crisis?

Where did it go????

Okay, earlier tonight I wrote an entry and saved it but couldn't ever find it again. That makes me very sad. I really don't want to rewrite it. :o((((

Ode to Yankee Doodle

Whew! Was I glad to get home from work today!!

There was a major thunderstorm (complete with hail!) yesterday at my school. A couple of trees in neighboring yards had fallen and closed some streets and the remainder of the leaf/branch debris was a little scary looking. When I went into the building, I was told that there was no electrical power in the gymnasium. I am generally the one who does work orders and I am a little mechanically inclined, so they asked me to help the custodian open up a fuse box. Seemed easy enough, right?

None of our keys fit the lock for the fuse box. Our head custodian just retired at the first of May after many, many years of service in this building. Her replacement works nights, but the building is new to him. The second in command is very nice and can handle most of the work, but she is new to the building and speaks (and understands) very little English. Finally, we decided to call the retired expert. She told me we aren't allowed access to that fuse box. I spent about 30 minutes checking every other fuse box I could find and finally went to the gym to see how bad the outage was. I walked in and heard the fans running and every light was on.

Always verify that there is a problem before you spend a lot of effort to solve it.


School is out Monday at 11 a.m., so the teachers are inventing things for the kids to do to entertain them. A teacher found me at lunch time and asked me if I'd help her out later in the day. The second grade classes were having a talent show. The teachers asked different kids what there talent was. Alex wanted to show off his skill at whistling. Another boy in the class had assured the class that whistling was not a talent. This teacher asked if I would come to the class and whistle a song to support him and prove that it was a talent. (I know, that is a reach, but we're talking about second graders.) I love to sing, but I whistle a lot, too.

Okay, about thirty minutes later, Alex was brought to meet with me about our "talent." I asked him what he wanted to whistle. "Ode to Joy" was his response. Wow! I was impressed. He whistled it for me and I really was impressed because he whistled both breathing in and out. He told me that the only song he couldn't whistle was "Yankee Doodle." Okay, that is not my favorite song, but I can't see how it is more difficult than "Ode to Joy." I told him it was pretty plain and couldn't be made fancy very easily, but I whistled it and asked him if he wanted to try it.

"No."

"But I am sure you could whistle it! It isn't that hard! Why can't you sing it?"

He said, "I just don't like that song!" Oh.

We went to the talent show and he whistled his ode to joy and I whistled "Yankee Doodle."

Kids are terrific!

Pet peeves

Hmm. My niece, Hol, is having AC problems right now and she lives in a warm, humid area. I'll keep her in my prayers in regards to that. It is awful to be so uncomfortable. How did my generation make it so long without AC? I guess we just didn't know better. Friday was my school's field day and also a Code Orange day. Some of the parents were so worried about that. Sheeesh. I HATE hot weather.

We also had a little first grader who spent all of the month of May in the office during his recess times. Why? Because of his allergies. That was why I was amazed when he told me that his family was going to go camping over Memorial Day. "FIve days with no electricity!" One of my pet peeves is when kids have to spend time in the office. Whoever put them there is not going to be supervising them, I guarantee! They are bored and it takes only a few minutes before they start bothering the office staff. We would not be allowed to teach the normal classroom group--we aren't qualified as teachers--but we are allowed to supervise those students a teacher cannot handle, while we are also doing our own work!

Let's see. What else? patterns that don't live up to their measurements. Of course, women should be able to take their measurements and sew something up. My daughter and I recently went looking for a sundress for her. They are all slinky looking. She was looking for something a little more wholesome--the Doris Day look, I guess. I finally suggested we look for a pattern and material. We found just the right thing. It has been years, so I took her measurements and set out making this dress. It is one that you sew up the top and sew up the bottom, hem first, and then put the whole thing together at the end. At the end, I realized that she isn't a size 10 (I had my suspicions at first, since she wears a 5 or 7 usually, but the patterns don't have junior sizes) so I've been trying to take this monster up ever since. Looked like the top needed about two to three INCHES taken out. Why post the measurements at all?

Speaking of sizes, why can't she just pull down a 5 and carry it home? My husband manages to do that with his clothes!

Okay, this pet peeves business may be a continuing post...

What are your pet peeves???

Appointments

What is it with appointments?

When I was young, back in the dinosaur days, appointments were special things you dressed up for. I never recall going to the doctor's office, even if I had the measles, without having to get all dressed up for that appointment! We never had appointments for playing with another kid or the many other things that require appointments now.


Cars. Why does one need to make an appointment for one's car to get repaired? Still, it is necessary.

Air conditioning/heating. There's another useless appointment. The service industry is all upside down. The service we get is lousy, at best, usually. Don't know how it is where you live, but here in VA, to get service on your AC or Heating, you must have a contract with an HVAC company. We went with the ones who were doing it when we moved in, since the previous owner said they installed the heating/cooling system and had converted the heat from electric to gas. These contracts are a tiered system: the top tier gets first priority when you have a problem, the second tier gets service within 24 or 48 hours and I think that is all there is. In other words, without a contract, you won't see a tech for days after the problem begins.

A couple of years after we bought the house, we had several problems in a row. The humidifier was clogged. The guy fixed it. It reclogged and the moisture collected in the heater and ruined it. When it was replaced, they told us the hose had been reconnected incorrectly and had caused the problem. I reminded them that we NEVER touch those hoses and electronics, so it must have been their technician. Why would I bother it? I'm afraid of it! It is big and noisy and has way more electricity running through it than I care to sample. They looked up in their records and said it probably was his fault but that they had fired him, but we'd still have to pay for a new system.

Other companies' contracts cost a lot more because of the length of our commitment to this company, so we stayed with them. The next few visits were different techs, and I had really liked the first guy. He seemed reliable and could tell me exactly what was wrong and why. However, just last visit, I noticed that the old technician is back again! My husband gets to enjoy these appointments, and I think he doesn't want to bother, but I just wonder how much rehab this guy had before they allowed him back on their payroll. Or was he ever off?

Meme from Hol

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn’t make sense. No Cheating!


How do you feel today?
Ah, se in ciel, benigne stelle (Italian for "Ah, if in heaven, benign stars")

What's your outlook on life?
Dirait on (French for "One would say") It is a dumb song I had to sing last year on my trip to Europe)

What does your family think of you?
Fantasie de Carmen (Fantasy from the opera "Carmen") by Sarasete

What do your friends think of you?
Answer me sung by Renee Fleming

What do your exes think of you?
Wozzeck: The Midnight Sun If you've ever heard Wozzeck, this is an interesting answer!

How's your love life?
In This Very Room (sung by my friend CJ Liotta)

How will your love life be in the future?
Aer tranquillo sung by Rita Streich

Will you get married?
Comfort Ye by Handel from the Messiah (I'm married already.)

Are you good at school?
Finale: Presto, non tanto (It means "quickly, but not a lot" in Italian)

Will you be successful?
Ou va la jeune Indoue (the Bell Song from the opera "Lakme," sung by Joan Sutherland)

What song should they play on your birthday?
Laudamus te (Latin) written by Mozart and sung by Renee Fleming

What song should they play at your graduation?
Caro Nome by Verdi from the opera "Rigoletto" and means "sweet name" Rigoletto's daughter, Gilda (pronounced Zheelda) is in love with Gualtier (Walter) Malde and sings of her love for him in this aria.

The Soundtrack of your life?
O mio babbino caro from the opera "Gianni Schicchi" by Giacomo Puccini This is a song sung by Lauretta, stating that if she isn't allowed to marry Rinuccio, she'll throw herself into the Arno (river.)

You and your best friends are?
You've changed sung by Renee Fleming

Happy times:
Carol of the Birds sung by Kathleen Battle

Sad times:
Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind be Opened by Handel from the Messiah

Every day:
"Rejoice Greatly" by Handel from the Messiah sung by Joan Sutherland

For tomorrow:
E strano...ah, fors lui (also called "Sempre Libera" from the opera La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi)
E strano means "it's strange" and "sempre libera" means "always free" This is a great aria!

For you:
Oh, zittre nicht mein liebre sohn! which means "Oh, do not tremble, my dear son", but it is being sung by an evil witch who is trying to trick this poor wandering man into helping her. It is from "The Magic Flute" by Mozart.

What does next year have in store for you?
L'adieu les bergers or "The Shepherd's Farewell" by Berlioz

What do you say when life gets too hard?
Vocalise by Rachmaninov sung by Renee Fleming

What song will you dance to at your wedding?
Je suis seul...Ah, fuyez, douce image by Jules Massenet in the opera "Manon") It means "I am only...flee soft image"

What do you want as your career?
Entr'act which, of course, means "between acts" which is a piece of music that plays in the opera "Lakme" by Delibes

Your favorite saying:
Introduction et Rondo Capriccio played by Joshua Bell This is my daughter's FAVORITE violin piece! It most likely would be HER favorite saying!

How will you die?
Scarlatti, Mentre io godo (Aria della Spreanza)
Scarlatti is the composer, I think, and the title means "While I enjoy" and it is Spreanza's aria to sing. This version has Cecilia Bartoli singing it, though.

Please play along! It helps to have an iPod, or another MP3 player. Leave me a link if you play so I make sure not to miss it.


Once again, I don't know other bloggers, so anyone who wants can do this one. It is fun, even if the song titles are hard to read. Of course, it might be easier if the songs were in English. I just don't have many. Definitely no "top 40" types. I listen to and enjoy classical music, and especially opera. Just wish I could speak some of the languages and know what is being sung!

This was fun!

Thanks, Hol!

Okay, now I am supposed to link back to Hol, but I have no idea how to do that. Sorry, but I'll email you to tell you I did this. I will also do the other one that I only just found today!

Sad, sad news

Well, Radar went to see the vet (alias "Dr. Death") today and the bad news is that his other ACL (left rear appendage) is ruptured. Badly enough that it will have to be repaired.

A few weeks ago, I read an article by a "newspaper vet," you know, the kind who publishes all sorts of wisdom about everyone's pet ferret or lizard or whatever. This guy was asked about a dog's torn/ruptured ACL. He answered that it needs to be repaired in a large dog, but not in a small dog. First, I asked my self what happens to a medium dog? Since then, though, I have been pondering why a vet wouldn't repair a leg of an otherwise healthy small dog. Radar is a large chihuahua. I mean HUGE. Not fat, just longer and taller than chihuahuas are supposed to be. But he still is small. 11 pounds. See? That is huge for a chihuahua.

If anyone has an answer, let me know. This little guy hopped around on three legs, so he was certainly in pain when he used his bum leg.

Of course, I am glad I hadn't read that article before he had the right knee repaired. What would he hop around on now???

I guess we are in for another fun few months.

Oh boy, I can't wait!

Time Flies...

Wow! I must be having fun since time has flown by so rapidly!

I am feeling better. Still have allergies and trying my best to dodge whatever viruses seem to be hovering nearby. I wish sick folks would stay home!!!

I was tagged by Ky, and I had to ask what I am supposed to do. Man, am I old and behind the times, or what?

I am supposed to list five reasons I blog.

FIVE???


1. It makes me organize my thoughts.

2. I can complain and no one has to listen!

3. It is a "new" thing to do, as opposed to keeping a diary, and I'm a hip, happenin' type o'girl.

4. It puts the burden of communicating on someone else!!! It IS an efficient way to get what is going on spread to lots of folks.

5. Five? I guess I wanted to try this. I'm such a risk-taker!

Okay, I did it. Now, I am supposed to tag someone. Unfortunately, I don't know any other bloggers besides the one who sent it to me and the one who sent it to her. So, if you have a blog and read this and haven't already answered this, you are officially tagged!

Feeling not so good

I think someone shared a cold with me. I had lots of things to do this weekend, but they are not getting done. I should go into DC tomorrow to practice, as usual, but if I don't improve an awful lot, FORGET IT. That would be okay, though, since tomorrow is Mothers Day and I hate to not be with my family.

I finally resorted to making a list of things I need to do because I rest for a while, then get up and do one thing. Okay, I got the laundry done. Or almost. I think there is still something in the washer, come to think about it.

I got a call from my Mom today. She was down. I wasn't good at lifting her spirits, I guess. She only said a quick hello and then was done. That is really unusual for her. I really don't have the energy to call her again. If I tell her I don't feel well, she will feel worse.

I have the greatest sister, by the way! She and I talked for a long time yesterday and we laughed, we cried (almost) and I love the way we can just pick up where we left off. I am very lucky to have her, but very unlucky to live so far away from her. Maybe someday we will live closer to each other.

By the way, the post times are three hours off. Never noticed that before. Guess I should change them. Maybe next time!

Not again!

The dog is limping again. This time it is his other leg. I hate that because he just got use of his right leg again after surgery. Complete rupture of his ACL. Who knew he was such a sporting dog? I really hope it isn't the same thing in his left leg for reasons:

1. The surgery is awful for poor little Radar!

2. The pre-op, post-op and recovery are awful for us.

3. He looks so pathetic.

4. I hated him being in a cast while he was in the cast, but hated that less than once he was out of the cast.

5. I hate his vet. Most annoying vet on the planet. Maybe in the universe. A single office visit can take HOURS. He starts from the beginning each time we are there. Rereads the entire history and then performs an entire physical exam each time. Meanwhile, little Radar is panting buckets of doggie spit all over and his little eyes look like they will pop out.

I guess we have to take him in. I plan to get the appointment at a time when I can't be there. I had to endure most of the office visits on the previous surgery and I just can't face that doctor again right away.

Day 2

Whew. Today was okay. My daughter used to write a journal every day. She was very good at it. Of course, nearly half the entries were identical. "(date) Norm day." I guess today was a norm day for me, too. Our allergies are awful, and it is too cool for the air conditioner, but in the afternoons it is a bit warm.

Tonight I had Chorale practice. Different from the chorus I am in on Sunday afternoons. This one is local, about 130 voices. The director spends a great deal of time berating us and then wonders why no one sings. He mumbles and wonders why no one knows what he said. The group has a governing board that must make him think he is doing a great job. He mentioned tonight that there were many folks who have just dropped out during this segment (from March until mid-May.) What a surprise!!!

My section leader called during the previous segment (when I did not participate) and asked why. I told her I was tired of being yelled at for no reason, for having no consistency in direction, for the lousy selection of music and we no longer have solos that we can audition for. He just has the section leader (generally it is the woman I was speaking with!) sing them. She simply agreed and still asked me to join in anyway. So I did. I actually joined in because three friends asked me to come back.

The director doesn't like to do classical music. He claims it is because he thinks that music needs an orchestra and we can seldom afford one. Lousy cop-out. Most of this year has been pops music. I can tolerate one segment of pops, but this is ridiculous. They count this segment as classical, but it is a commissioned piece, so it is modern and full of mistakes.

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Singing is supposed to be fun. Hard work, but fun.

I still don't know if I will perform with the group on the 19th. I am not supposed to attend practices if I am not performing, but I am only there for my friends. If I can get a ride to the dress rehearsal and performance, I might do it. We'll see.

Music is supposed to be fun.

By the way, Happy Birthday, Mom!

Genesis 1:1

This is my first blog. I know I am behind the times, but I am old and old folks are allowed to take their time.

I am not sure I want to share this blog at all. I guess I'll be pretty vague about things until I get comfortable.

About me:

I'm married with a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. We have a sweet dog named Radar. I am sure I'll post some pictures of him. He is watching me right now, as if to ask me why I can't find anything more interesting to do!

I love to sing. I have always loved to sing, but never felt I was more than mediocre. Growing up, I went to a church that had only a cappella music, so I learned to read music very early. I took a few piano lessons in second grade and felt that I did pretty well. My older sister took piano lessons for many years and I remember going to her recitals and dreaming of when I would be able to play, too. I never was offered piano lessons and didn't find out why until I was grown. My sister didn't like to practice and my parents didn't want to have to force yet another child to have to practice, so they just never asked me if I'd like lessons. I doubt if I would have practiced, either.

After my daughter got old enough to take care of herself, I decided I needed a hobby. I decided to take voice lessons. I happened to find an ad that piqued my interest and called the teacher. We have worked together for four years and I love every lesson!

I am tired today. Saturday was my daughter's prom and I had driving duty at 1 a.m. and at 4:30 a.m. Then, a few hours later, I had a performance in DC from 3-5 p.m. I had a solo I had only just learned. I was very worried about it and although I think it worked out, it was very tiring to do. Loved the song, just wish I had been able to practice it with the chorus a few more times.

I think this is enough for a first post. I can delete it later!