Well, Christmas is fast approaching and I am having a tough time getting in the Christmas spirit this year! Really, this used to be one of my favorite times of year. I loved the snow, the lights, the tacky handmade Christmas ornaments that my kids made each year of elementary school (and I still have and hang every one of them, much to their dismay!) This year is different.
I guess it was to be expected. Fall was a tough time. My Mother had a heart attack, followed by triple bypass surgery and my Father passed away the day before Thanksgiving. That in itself, pretty much ruined any chance this year of "Happy Holidays!" But then, the upside started to appear-my brother (yes, the Irish Twin) announced that he would return to KC for the holidays. My daughter, the Army Medic, announced that she too would return to KC for the holidays. My sister, bless her heart, was finally able to return to work and is starting to return to somewhat of a more normal life (or what passes for normal when you are the parent of 4 children, all still in school, with one a teenage driver, and one with a learners permit!) I know, starting to look pretty good, right?
You don't know my life! Truly, I live "TheWorldTurnsGuidingLightYoungandtheRestlessIworkinthedaytimeanddon'tknowthenamesofthesoapoperasanymore" kind of life. In my life, what goes up, must come down. It is! Up-my daughter is home and my son-in-law hopefully will get leave in time to fly in Christmas Day. Down-my pretend-adopted-son, Emmett, will be home tomorrow or the next day, but then leaves to go back to Ft. Bragg, and then Iraq, on New Year's Day. Up-my daughter and son-in-law are expecting a baby boy around the middle of May! Down-my son-in-law got word today that he leaves for Iraq around the same time! Are you seeing the teeter-totter here?
Now, don't get me wrong! My Dad was a proud Marine. Semper Fi! My daughter and son-in-law and my pretend-adopted-son all serve, along with many other friends and loved ones, and can't begrudge a deployment. It's a voluntary military and they are willing to do their duty! There are so many families facing the same situations, or God bless them, situations much worse. I guess I'm just tired and don't think I can take much more bad news right now. I think we all put such high expectations on this time of year. Somehow, we seem to have lost perspective on the "reason for the season". I just watched the evening news, where they showed various holiday-themed clips... NFL football players taking up the handicapped parking spaces because they could afford the fine and didn't want to walk a little farther (I can't even delve into this topic any further right now without blowing a gasket!); people fist-fighting in the parking lot over up close parking spots; the usual Christmas shoplifters; and a host of other heartfelt and touching stories. Then I watched the story of the family who lost a son in Iraq, but fought to adopt their son's battle buddy-who happened to be a bomb-sniffing german shepard, and who was also injured in the attack. After nine months, they finally got the Marine's to release this fine animal from the Corp. and into their loving care. (A first ever for the Corp!) He will live out the rest of his days with the family of the Marine that he lay down next to as he died. The animal that licked that Marine's wounds and tried to keep him alive until help could arrive, unfortunately without a happy ending. After hearing that story, I started feeling kind of guilty for whining! It may have been a rough couple of months, but hey, it could be worse!
So maybe, the solution to this dilemna is to remember what this season is all about. Perhaps we all need to count our blessings and take advantage of each and every moment with the people we love. We need to bite our tongue when unkind comments want to leap from our mouths. We need to practice patience, with those around us, and with ourselves. We need to be grateful for what we have, and pray for those who have less, are suffering, are lost. We need to remember that it isn't about the gifts and the tinsel and the parties, but about the family and the heart! And most of all, we need to thank God for all he has given us, and pray for those in harms way who put their lives on the line everyday to protect us.
May you all have a wonderful holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate! May you be safe, loved, and may we all live long enough to see true peace on earth!
Happy Holidays!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Ice Bites!
Today, winter hit. Now, honestly, we've had some cold temperatures and some bitter winds. We've even had several inches of snow. Having been raised in Chicago, where it seems to be a requirement that Drivers Ed. doesn't begin until there is at least 6inches of snow on the ground, a little snow or cold doesn't bother me all that much. Ok, in the interest of maintaining complete honesty and integrity, I must admit that the older I get, the less I love the cold. As a child, my brothers and I used to play outside all day building igloos in the snow, having snowball fights, and ice skating or playing hockey on the tennis courts at the park. Many an adolescent received their first kiss in the warming house during those cold winter skating session at that park! I can shovel the snow, dress warmer for the cold, duck and strain against the winds, but ice is a totally different animal, and it bites!
What bites even more is that every idiot with a drivers license and insurance, and evidently many who feel those two items are not a requirement of driving, get out on the road as soon as they start announcing "The streets are icy, so stay home if at all possible". You would think that anyone with an average intelligence would say "Hmmmmm. Lets not drive all the way to the other side of town to go to the casino tonight. Lets stay at home and watch a movie instead." You'd think wrong! Now of course, there are those who have to get out due to emergencies, work, etc. I know my job in the school district requires me to come in. They don't care how bad the roads are or how much our lives might be at risk by attempting the drive in. Even when they cancel school and there are no students or teachers or activities, we still have to come in. That tells me that we are expendable and certainly undervalued, but that is another posting altogether!
Anyway, back to the ice. Not only do the cowboys get out on the road, but instead of driving slowly and staying back from any other car around them, ice drivers pretend the are in the Indy 500. They draft, rub, pass,and spin out- pretty much everything you see on a Nascar track. The only thing is, when they have to brake or go into a slide, they take it to a new level seldom seen in a Nascar race. Similar to a race though, they more often than not take out a lot of innocent drivers in the mix! Kansas, being a No Fault state, allows these morons to cause accidents, and then YOUR insurance company has to pay for it. Nobody is interested in hearing "The girl was talking on her cell phone in the middle of an ice storm, while applying her contact lenses, tailgating, and driving way too fast for conditions." What they hear is "It was icy and there was no way to avoid this accident. No Fault." Two months later, your insurance premiums increase by 40% because you've had an accident. Something is wrong with this picture!
In closing, here is a message to all of you who have to drive when icy weather hits (and especially those of you who just can't resist, even though you don't need to be out there!) Please remember that:
1. Your life and the lives of others are at stake as soon as you turn the key in the ignition.
2. You may think you have things under control, but you don't. Nobody does where ice is concerned. You just do the best you can and pray!
3. Even if you are VERY SPECIAL and do manage some control of your car, there is no way you can control what the other cars around you are doing.
4. Be afraid! Be very afraid! So afraid, in fact, that you don't go near another car; you begin your stop long before you get to the intersection; and you don't TOUCH your cell phone until the ignition is off.
5. If they say the streets are bad, stay home-DO IT. That makes it all that much safer for those of us who need to get out.
Note: For all of you employers who require your employees to come into work for no reason what so ever, value them enough to say "Stay home, be safe, see ya tomorrow."
Ice bites!
What bites even more is that every idiot with a drivers license and insurance, and evidently many who feel those two items are not a requirement of driving, get out on the road as soon as they start announcing "The streets are icy, so stay home if at all possible". You would think that anyone with an average intelligence would say "Hmmmmm. Lets not drive all the way to the other side of town to go to the casino tonight. Lets stay at home and watch a movie instead." You'd think wrong! Now of course, there are those who have to get out due to emergencies, work, etc. I know my job in the school district requires me to come in. They don't care how bad the roads are or how much our lives might be at risk by attempting the drive in. Even when they cancel school and there are no students or teachers or activities, we still have to come in. That tells me that we are expendable and certainly undervalued, but that is another posting altogether!
Anyway, back to the ice. Not only do the cowboys get out on the road, but instead of driving slowly and staying back from any other car around them, ice drivers pretend the are in the Indy 500. They draft, rub, pass,and spin out- pretty much everything you see on a Nascar track. The only thing is, when they have to brake or go into a slide, they take it to a new level seldom seen in a Nascar race. Similar to a race though, they more often than not take out a lot of innocent drivers in the mix! Kansas, being a No Fault state, allows these morons to cause accidents, and then YOUR insurance company has to pay for it. Nobody is interested in hearing "The girl was talking on her cell phone in the middle of an ice storm, while applying her contact lenses, tailgating, and driving way too fast for conditions." What they hear is "It was icy and there was no way to avoid this accident. No Fault." Two months later, your insurance premiums increase by 40% because you've had an accident. Something is wrong with this picture!
In closing, here is a message to all of you who have to drive when icy weather hits (and especially those of you who just can't resist, even though you don't need to be out there!) Please remember that:
1. Your life and the lives of others are at stake as soon as you turn the key in the ignition.
2. You may think you have things under control, but you don't. Nobody does where ice is concerned. You just do the best you can and pray!
3. Even if you are VERY SPECIAL and do manage some control of your car, there is no way you can control what the other cars around you are doing.
4. Be afraid! Be very afraid! So afraid, in fact, that you don't go near another car; you begin your stop long before you get to the intersection; and you don't TOUCH your cell phone until the ignition is off.
5. If they say the streets are bad, stay home-DO IT. That makes it all that much safer for those of us who need to get out.
Note: For all of you employers who require your employees to come into work for no reason what so ever, value them enough to say "Stay home, be safe, see ya tomorrow."
Ice bites!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Where Do All of the Stupid People Come From?
Do you ever wonder where all the stupid people come from?
Sometimes, after a long day at work, I need to come home and empty my brain out. So....I turn on the TV. There are certain shows that I just don't like to miss. I always watch the Ghost Whisperer, and then I watch Moonlight for the hot vampire guy! I love Grey's Anatomy, but I miss a lot of them and always end up buying the entire season on DVD. (Great to watch while waiting out a snowstorm or tornado, unless the darn power goes out!) Most of all, I love all of the CSI shows. They provide a community service by trying to teach all of the idiots out there how to commit the perfect crime without getting caught. Unfortunately for them, they must not be taking notes, or they are under the learning curve. Have you seen Cops?????
Why is it that when every one of these guys hears the squeal of a siren and sees the flashing lightbar, their first instinct is to jam on the accelerator, then race up a one way street the wrong way, where they hit a light pole, jump out of the no longer running (but now smoking) vehicle, hop over a fence where they remove all of their clothing, and then lay naked under a children's plastic swimming pool thinking nobody can guess where they are! This is not flashlight tag buddy. These are cops and they are legally carrying loaded weapons that they actually know how to use! Hello!!!!!!!
Of course, when this is too much for me, I can always switch to that reality TV show where people quit perfectly good jobs to go live on an island in the middle of nowhere. Once they arrive, they become pest-control agents, whereby they are legally bound to eat every bug, slug, snail, and unidentified object, while plotting and planning to get the other people kicked off the island. I'm here to tell you that in less time than it takes to type slug, I would be smashing out my flame on my own torch and heading to Bordino's in Fayetteville, AR for a good meal and a chocolate martini (even if they don't make them with the shaved chocolate anymore!) Anybody left on the island is welcomed wholeheartedly to my share of the tasty items on their deserted island menu with my blessing! REALLY! Now, at least, I know who to call if I have an infestation problem!
Then there is always the talk show. If am forced into brain drain down this path-suicide by talk show, I prefer to turn the sound off and make up my own words. It always much more interesting.
All of this brings me to the question that started all of this, which was, "Where do all of the stupid people come from?" It's a question that is philisophical by nature, like "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Was televsion invented to give stupid people a platform upon which to show their skills, or is it a plot by the government (or alien worlds) to eat away our brains and take over our cities?
Just to be safe, I think I'll start coming home, turning on some Irish music, and sipping on a "beverage". Surely that's safer than watching Jerry Springer!
Sometimes, after a long day at work, I need to come home and empty my brain out. So....I turn on the TV. There are certain shows that I just don't like to miss. I always watch the Ghost Whisperer, and then I watch Moonlight for the hot vampire guy! I love Grey's Anatomy, but I miss a lot of them and always end up buying the entire season on DVD. (Great to watch while waiting out a snowstorm or tornado, unless the darn power goes out!) Most of all, I love all of the CSI shows. They provide a community service by trying to teach all of the idiots out there how to commit the perfect crime without getting caught. Unfortunately for them, they must not be taking notes, or they are under the learning curve. Have you seen Cops?????
Why is it that when every one of these guys hears the squeal of a siren and sees the flashing lightbar, their first instinct is to jam on the accelerator, then race up a one way street the wrong way, where they hit a light pole, jump out of the no longer running (but now smoking) vehicle, hop over a fence where they remove all of their clothing, and then lay naked under a children's plastic swimming pool thinking nobody can guess where they are! This is not flashlight tag buddy. These are cops and they are legally carrying loaded weapons that they actually know how to use! Hello!!!!!!!
Of course, when this is too much for me, I can always switch to that reality TV show where people quit perfectly good jobs to go live on an island in the middle of nowhere. Once they arrive, they become pest-control agents, whereby they are legally bound to eat every bug, slug, snail, and unidentified object, while plotting and planning to get the other people kicked off the island. I'm here to tell you that in less time than it takes to type slug, I would be smashing out my flame on my own torch and heading to Bordino's in Fayetteville, AR for a good meal and a chocolate martini (even if they don't make them with the shaved chocolate anymore!) Anybody left on the island is welcomed wholeheartedly to my share of the tasty items on their deserted island menu with my blessing! REALLY! Now, at least, I know who to call if I have an infestation problem!
Then there is always the talk show. If am forced into brain drain down this path-suicide by talk show, I prefer to turn the sound off and make up my own words. It always much more interesting.
All of this brings me to the question that started all of this, which was, "Where do all of the stupid people come from?" It's a question that is philisophical by nature, like "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Was televsion invented to give stupid people a platform upon which to show their skills, or is it a plot by the government (or alien worlds) to eat away our brains and take over our cities?
Just to be safe, I think I'll start coming home, turning on some Irish music, and sipping on a "beverage". Surely that's safer than watching Jerry Springer!
I'm Just Too Young to Be a Granny
This past week, my daughter was home on leave. It was a sad occasion that brought her home, (see "Heroes"), but it was good to see her. She is in the US Army and until recently, was serving overseas in Germany. Now she is posted in Texas, although it might as well be Germany, as much as I get to talk to her! This will be her last post, at least for awhile. Soon after the New Year rings in, she will be leaving the Army, at least officially (and the permanence of her leaving is still in question). Her husband is still in the Army and they will be moving to Ft. Hood in Kileen, TX. She keeps reminding me that "everything is bigger in Texas", and apparently that is true even for my barely over 5 ft. daughter. They are expecting! The rumor is that it may be twins, but I can't imagine that my daughter would tolerate that, so we'll see when the blessed event (I can say that, but not with a straight face!) occurs.
Now I have gone through this process twice myself, a boy and a girl-the perfect family. (Ahhh ...we'll have to discuss that in another posting, but I can hear my friends laughing all around the country.) Having trusted my prenatal care and childbirth to a close friend, I never knew there were drugs available, let alone the WONDERFUL invention called the epidural. No, I chose (not really-I wasn't ever really given a choice) to have my children with no medication of any kind. Note:
1. Do not choose an OB-GYN who, in their other life, is a drinking buddy of yours.
2. Natural childbirth is not all they crack it up to be. Take the drugs! Most doctors, like the one I had, for instance, who say natural is best, didn't give birth.
I have also had the great pleasure of having a stepdaughter who I didn't have to give birth to, but get to enjoy all the same. (Take note-this isn't a bad plan!) She has provided me with 3 wonderful grandsons (although there are days she might argue at least part of that statement). Somehow, it just seems different when it's my baby, my youngest child, giving birth.
When I was an adolecsent, my mother used to curse me by saying, "Someday, I hope you have a child just like you!" I did! Two of them, in fact! I am biting my tongue, even as I write this posting not to utter those same words! In fact, just the thought of my baby have a baby(ies), seems on many levels to be all wrong. I am way too young to be a grandma, let alone a grandma many times over. Just yesterday, an old friend from high school called and told me so! (I believed him too! Thanks Paul!) Perhaps I should explain that although my friend has seen a picture or two over the years, we haven't seen each other in person since I graduated at the end of my junior year of high school and moved to another state. Then he moved to California, which is nowhere near the state that I moved to. That might explain the lovely compliment, or maybe... it's just true.
Anyway, back to talking about me! I really am too young for this whole grandma thing, but since I make my living in early childhood, I've decided that I will try to find the silver lining. After all, 1. I don't have to give birth to him/her/them. 2. Grandparents get to enjoy all of the good parts, like having chocolate eating contests, or cookie dough fights, and then send the little darlin's home to their parents. 3. You only have to nod, smile and commiserate over sleepless nights, never having a shoulder that hasn't been urped on, and the inevitable trips to the ER to get an errant screw out of his/her/their nose. (Don't ask!) 4. You don't have to do parent/teacher conferences! (Enough said!)
Now don't misinterpret that I would change having my children. One lives in Texas, as I said, and I miss her terribly everyday. The other is soon to be 22,spreading his wings, and living his life as an adult. (Now, having said he, that intimates he is male. All of my early childhood training teaches me that men do not even start to grow a brain until age 25, and evidently car insurance companies agree, so again I say "enough said!") Watching them grow, watching me grudingly letting go, and at other times shoving as hard as I can, parenthood has been a learning experience for all concerned and it has made me appreciate my own parents more than I ever thought possible. The fact that I am alive still is a testament to their parenting skills! Now I just have to bite my tongue and not utter that curse, but you know what they say, "What goes around, comes around!" Besides, I'm just too young to be a granny!
Now I have gone through this process twice myself, a boy and a girl-the perfect family. (Ahhh ...we'll have to discuss that in another posting, but I can hear my friends laughing all around the country.) Having trusted my prenatal care and childbirth to a close friend, I never knew there were drugs available, let alone the WONDERFUL invention called the epidural. No, I chose (not really-I wasn't ever really given a choice) to have my children with no medication of any kind. Note:
1. Do not choose an OB-GYN who, in their other life, is a drinking buddy of yours.
2. Natural childbirth is not all they crack it up to be. Take the drugs! Most doctors, like the one I had, for instance, who say natural is best, didn't give birth.
I have also had the great pleasure of having a stepdaughter who I didn't have to give birth to, but get to enjoy all the same. (Take note-this isn't a bad plan!) She has provided me with 3 wonderful grandsons (although there are days she might argue at least part of that statement). Somehow, it just seems different when it's my baby, my youngest child, giving birth.
When I was an adolecsent, my mother used to curse me by saying, "Someday, I hope you have a child just like you!" I did! Two of them, in fact! I am biting my tongue, even as I write this posting not to utter those same words! In fact, just the thought of my baby have a baby(ies), seems on many levels to be all wrong. I am way too young to be a grandma, let alone a grandma many times over. Just yesterday, an old friend from high school called and told me so! (I believed him too! Thanks Paul!) Perhaps I should explain that although my friend has seen a picture or two over the years, we haven't seen each other in person since I graduated at the end of my junior year of high school and moved to another state. Then he moved to California, which is nowhere near the state that I moved to. That might explain the lovely compliment, or maybe... it's just true.
Anyway, back to talking about me! I really am too young for this whole grandma thing, but since I make my living in early childhood, I've decided that I will try to find the silver lining. After all, 1. I don't have to give birth to him/her/them. 2. Grandparents get to enjoy all of the good parts, like having chocolate eating contests, or cookie dough fights, and then send the little darlin's home to their parents. 3. You only have to nod, smile and commiserate over sleepless nights, never having a shoulder that hasn't been urped on, and the inevitable trips to the ER to get an errant screw out of his/her/their nose. (Don't ask!) 4. You don't have to do parent/teacher conferences! (Enough said!)
Now don't misinterpret that I would change having my children. One lives in Texas, as I said, and I miss her terribly everyday. The other is soon to be 22,spreading his wings, and living his life as an adult. (Now, having said he, that intimates he is male. All of my early childhood training teaches me that men do not even start to grow a brain until age 25, and evidently car insurance companies agree, so again I say "enough said!") Watching them grow, watching me grudingly letting go, and at other times shoving as hard as I can, parenthood has been a learning experience for all concerned and it has made me appreciate my own parents more than I ever thought possible. The fact that I am alive still is a testament to their parenting skills! Now I just have to bite my tongue and not utter that curse, but you know what they say, "What goes around, comes around!" Besides, I'm just too young to be a granny!
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