Springy
What a wonderful gift to get a little sip of spring today. Our dog Nicky (or as Claire says, "Gicky") and I took a nice long stroll in the woods this afternoon, squishing in mud from a final melt and enjoying the sunny low-60s weather. Odd how 60s weather felt so cold in Florida a few weeks ago, while here it feels like a heat wave.
It did my heart good to see a patch of wild snowdrops while letting Nicky take a big slurpy drink from a little spring-fed rivulet that feeds into the creek.
It's nearly time to start seedlings inside. Mmm seed shopping...Peas, zucchini, bell peppers, and if I'm really brave, tomatoes.
Is there some sort of secret, all you green thumbs, to starting tomatoes from seed? My two prior attempts were total failures.
2.29.2004
2.24.2004
Tripping
Yesterday morning, I let Claire watch a little kids' programming on PBS while I organized laundry. When I returned to the room, she was sitting on the couch completely mesmerized by this very, very strange program called "Boohbah."
Boohbah makes Teletubbies look like Shakespeare. I really think you need to be under age 2 or a drug user to fully appreciate it. Almost no talking occurs during the program. For a good portion of the show, a glowing ball with a rainbow trail bounces around while children's voices say "Booh-bah" repeatedly and giggle.
The ball eventually lands and these five freaky creatures come out. They have turtle-like retractable kewpie-doll heads--but no mouth or nose--and bulbous bodies in rainbow shades. These creatures would have been the stuff of nightmares for me as a kid. They never, ever talk. They just roll their eyes from side to side with a clicking sound. Creepy. They do occasionally squeak and sing five-note chords. And they dance a lot. In fact, about all they do is dance. How children are supposed to learn anything from watching these singing rainbow freaks gyrate and sway is a total mystery to me.
One segment of the show has normal humans who do stuff--with minimal talking. The episode I saw, Grandpapa and dog Fido race back and forth between two armchairs. Fido always gets to sit while Grandpapa is repeatedly perplexed. Long, boring and stupid.
The Boohbahs dance again for a while, then climb back into the ball. The ball bounces along with its rainbow trail, then hits the ground and creates a rainbow puddle when a child's voice calls "Look what I can do." Next we get to watch a child do some repetitive motion (e.g. touching elbows to knees) for like three minutes straight while standing on the rainbow puddle. And then a group for another three minutes, then another lone kid for yet another three minutes. Mesmerizingly dull.
Please, PBS, bring back "The Electric Company" and ditch this British bad trip.
Yesterday morning, I let Claire watch a little kids' programming on PBS while I organized laundry. When I returned to the room, she was sitting on the couch completely mesmerized by this very, very strange program called "Boohbah."
Boohbah makes Teletubbies look like Shakespeare. I really think you need to be under age 2 or a drug user to fully appreciate it. Almost no talking occurs during the program. For a good portion of the show, a glowing ball with a rainbow trail bounces around while children's voices say "Booh-bah" repeatedly and giggle.
The ball eventually lands and these five freaky creatures come out. They have turtle-like retractable kewpie-doll heads--but no mouth or nose--and bulbous bodies in rainbow shades. These creatures would have been the stuff of nightmares for me as a kid. They never, ever talk. They just roll their eyes from side to side with a clicking sound. Creepy. They do occasionally squeak and sing five-note chords. And they dance a lot. In fact, about all they do is dance. How children are supposed to learn anything from watching these singing rainbow freaks gyrate and sway is a total mystery to me.
One segment of the show has normal humans who do stuff--with minimal talking. The episode I saw, Grandpapa and dog Fido race back and forth between two armchairs. Fido always gets to sit while Grandpapa is repeatedly perplexed. Long, boring and stupid.
The Boohbahs dance again for a while, then climb back into the ball. The ball bounces along with its rainbow trail, then hits the ground and creates a rainbow puddle when a child's voice calls "Look what I can do." Next we get to watch a child do some repetitive motion (e.g. touching elbows to knees) for like three minutes straight while standing on the rainbow puddle. And then a group for another three minutes, then another lone kid for yet another three minutes. Mesmerizingly dull.
Please, PBS, bring back "The Electric Company" and ditch this British bad trip.
Ahhh
The banquet last Friday was a big success. Around 130 ladies attended. The food was better than I've had at many wedding receptions, for a fraction of the cost. Nothing but raves from these women church leaders during and after. The ladies loved our theme of "You are a treasure." I was a little worried that naming the tables after gemstones might seem a little hokey, but it actually did work out to be kind of nice. The centerpieces were gold-painted boxes with rose arrangements and jewelry spilling out. In candlelight, the effect was quite lovely.
Saturday I was pretty wasted and napped away the entire afternoon. Sunday and Monday, the fog of fatigue gradually lifted.
I have my life back again.
Now what do I have to look forward to?
I need another project.
The banquet last Friday was a big success. Around 130 ladies attended. The food was better than I've had at many wedding receptions, for a fraction of the cost. Nothing but raves from these women church leaders during and after. The ladies loved our theme of "You are a treasure." I was a little worried that naming the tables after gemstones might seem a little hokey, but it actually did work out to be kind of nice. The centerpieces were gold-painted boxes with rose arrangements and jewelry spilling out. In candlelight, the effect was quite lovely.
Saturday I was pretty wasted and napped away the entire afternoon. Sunday and Monday, the fog of fatigue gradually lifted.
I have my life back again.
Now what do I have to look forward to?
I need another project.
2.11.2004
Nuts in the family tree
Part of the reason I'd wanted to go the Ringling Museum last week was to find information about my great grandfather. Like the old cliche, he actually did run off and join the circus.
Well, technically he started in a Wild West show. Mom has very little information because he was something of a verboten topic when she was growing up. You see, my great grandad left my nana in 1903 with a three-year-old (my grandmother) and an infant (Great Uncle Bob). Though he had primarily worked as a tailor, great grandad was a horse enthusiast and loved training animals. He initially ran off to work as a horse trainer in a Vaudeville-era Wild West show.
What happened with his career over the next 20+ years is something of a mystery. We know that after divorcing my nana, he married a trick rider. She apparently kept up a correspondence with Great Uncle Bob's family. In one postcard, dated 1929, this second wife mentions having dinner with the Ringlings at their mansion in Sarasota and being glad they joined Ringling Bros. Circus in 1928.
The only thing Mom and I found at the circus museum was a 1929 series of headshots of all the circus employees. We spend about a half hour poring over the somewhat grainy shots and narrowed it down to one man who looked most like the photos we had of great grandad.
Mom had chatted with an archivist from the museum before I went down and did get a little more information about his life before Ringling Bros. The archivist uncovered a mid-1920's playbill from a smaller family-owned circus that listed great grandad and his second wife. Surprisingly, she was not merely a bareback rider, but also a trainer of "liberty horses" (riderless animals that perform to whip cues). Great grandad had an act called "football horses." I'm hoping to discover more from the links provided by the nice Ringling Museum archivist.
For now, I know for sure that I have horses in the blood! :-)
Part of the reason I'd wanted to go the Ringling Museum last week was to find information about my great grandfather. Like the old cliche, he actually did run off and join the circus.
Well, technically he started in a Wild West show. Mom has very little information because he was something of a verboten topic when she was growing up. You see, my great grandad left my nana in 1903 with a three-year-old (my grandmother) and an infant (Great Uncle Bob). Though he had primarily worked as a tailor, great grandad was a horse enthusiast and loved training animals. He initially ran off to work as a horse trainer in a Vaudeville-era Wild West show.
What happened with his career over the next 20+ years is something of a mystery. We know that after divorcing my nana, he married a trick rider. She apparently kept up a correspondence with Great Uncle Bob's family. In one postcard, dated 1929, this second wife mentions having dinner with the Ringlings at their mansion in Sarasota and being glad they joined Ringling Bros. Circus in 1928.
The only thing Mom and I found at the circus museum was a 1929 series of headshots of all the circus employees. We spend about a half hour poring over the somewhat grainy shots and narrowed it down to one man who looked most like the photos we had of great grandad.
Mom had chatted with an archivist from the museum before I went down and did get a little more information about his life before Ringling Bros. The archivist uncovered a mid-1920's playbill from a smaller family-owned circus that listed great grandad and his second wife. Surprisingly, she was not merely a bareback rider, but also a trainer of "liberty horses" (riderless animals that perform to whip cues). Great grandad had an act called "football horses." I'm hoping to discover more from the links provided by the nice Ringling Museum archivist.
For now, I know for sure that I have horses in the blood! :-)
Banquet
Banquet details are falling into place for our event next weekend. The caterer has been very, very chatty on the phone, but aside from talking my ear off, he has been no problem at all to work with. My decorating ideas finally gelled and I started purchasing what I need.
The only big concern now is the fact that over 100 invitees have not sent back their RSVP postcard. Responses are due by Friday, so I hope we hear from these folks!
Banquet details are falling into place for our event next weekend. The caterer has been very, very chatty on the phone, but aside from talking my ear off, he has been no problem at all to work with. My decorating ideas finally gelled and I started purchasing what I need.
The only big concern now is the fact that over 100 invitees have not sent back their RSVP postcard. Responses are due by Friday, so I hope we hear from these folks!
2.07.2004
Out of place
My mom and I drove up to Sarasota for Thursday and Friday to visit my former piano teacher and see the Ringling Museum.
We took Donna out to a restaurant she recommended, Dutch Heritage. To my surprise, the place was run by Mennonites, and nearly half of the clientele was Mennonite. It seemed really incongruous to see men in black suspenders and mustache-less beards with wives in cape dresses and starched bonnets walking among the palm trees. They seem more "right" back in Pennsylvania living in rich farmland and rolling hills.
I never would have guessed that Sarasota, home to winter quarters for the circus, would have a substantial community of conservative Mennonites. You try to get away, and home comes to you!
My mom and I drove up to Sarasota for Thursday and Friday to visit my former piano teacher and see the Ringling Museum.
We took Donna out to a restaurant she recommended, Dutch Heritage. To my surprise, the place was run by Mennonites, and nearly half of the clientele was Mennonite. It seemed really incongruous to see men in black suspenders and mustache-less beards with wives in cape dresses and starched bonnets walking among the palm trees. They seem more "right" back in Pennsylvania living in rich farmland and rolling hills.
I never would have guessed that Sarasota, home to winter quarters for the circus, would have a substantial community of conservative Mennonites. You try to get away, and home comes to you!
2.03.2004
Migration
Tomorrow I hope to banish my blahs by flying to see my mom in Florida. You'd think with a trip south to look forward to, I wouldn't have been so mopey the past month.
The best part of this trip--and simultaneously one of the harder aspects--is that I get to go BY MYSELF. Yup. You heard me right. My wonderful husband said that I deserve a real vacation and that we should be able to find babysitting for a few days.
So Claire will be spending time with her grammy and two of my girlfriends the three days Joel is teaching and I'm away (all free! how cool is that?). He'll get to experience single parenting over the weekend. I did it for two weeks when my father got sick, so I know it won't be the easiest time for him. Fortunately, he gets to be single parent in his own home, rather than away from home.
Now I just need to figure out where I stored my swimsuit for the winter....
Tomorrow I hope to banish my blahs by flying to see my mom in Florida. You'd think with a trip south to look forward to, I wouldn't have been so mopey the past month.
The best part of this trip--and simultaneously one of the harder aspects--is that I get to go BY MYSELF. Yup. You heard me right. My wonderful husband said that I deserve a real vacation and that we should be able to find babysitting for a few days.
So Claire will be spending time with her grammy and two of my girlfriends the three days Joel is teaching and I'm away (all free! how cool is that?). He'll get to experience single parenting over the weekend. I did it for two weeks when my father got sick, so I know it won't be the easiest time for him. Fortunately, he gets to be single parent in his own home, rather than away from home.
Now I just need to figure out where I stored my swimsuit for the winter....
1.28.2004
Blahs
Anyone else out there feeling it? You know, the winter blahs? It keeps me from blogging. Really. I'm reading a couple of great books right now, but I feel too blah to blog about them. And Claire is being so cute, but do I write that? Nah.
January is one of those months when I most doubt that I have anything worthwhile to post. So how do I get unstuck?
Anyone else out there feeling it? You know, the winter blahs? It keeps me from blogging. Really. I'm reading a couple of great books right now, but I feel too blah to blog about them. And Claire is being so cute, but do I write that? Nah.
January is one of those months when I most doubt that I have anything worthwhile to post. So how do I get unstuck?
1.15.2004
AWOL
I think I have been AWOL far more often than online the past month. This is mostly because I began a new project at church.
Our women's ministry is holding a banquet for women ministry leaders in February. When I'd agreed to chair the banquet committee back in September, I had no idea how much had to be hammered out behind the scenes for me to even get started. It has been a real learning experience for everyone involved.
Making a guest list for such an event was frankly a scary process. I was initially given a list of 300 guests, which would be approximately half of all women who attend or are members of the church. We have neither the seating capacity or budget to feed such a large group, so we had to start removing names. I just pray our decisions were wise and won't end up fostering a lot of bad feelings in the church.
It was a lot of fun to do graphic design work again. I think the invitations I created turned out quite nice and happily came in under budget. While I normally would have preferred starting the project months ago, I am now thankful that I didn't have this on my plate right after my father's death. The time pressure helped us avoid dawdling on decisons like paper color and the like.
Next I have to nail down details with the caterer. I'd appreciate prayers about this aspect because this person has a reputation of being tricky to work with. I have some absolutely delightful women on my committee who are happy to go to bat for me if I feel at all frustrated with the caterer, so that gives me hope for an overall good experience.
I think I have been AWOL far more often than online the past month. This is mostly because I began a new project at church.
Our women's ministry is holding a banquet for women ministry leaders in February. When I'd agreed to chair the banquet committee back in September, I had no idea how much had to be hammered out behind the scenes for me to even get started. It has been a real learning experience for everyone involved.
Making a guest list for such an event was frankly a scary process. I was initially given a list of 300 guests, which would be approximately half of all women who attend or are members of the church. We have neither the seating capacity or budget to feed such a large group, so we had to start removing names. I just pray our decisions were wise and won't end up fostering a lot of bad feelings in the church.
It was a lot of fun to do graphic design work again. I think the invitations I created turned out quite nice and happily came in under budget. While I normally would have preferred starting the project months ago, I am now thankful that I didn't have this on my plate right after my father's death. The time pressure helped us avoid dawdling on decisons like paper color and the like.
Next I have to nail down details with the caterer. I'd appreciate prayers about this aspect because this person has a reputation of being tricky to work with. I have some absolutely delightful women on my committee who are happy to go to bat for me if I feel at all frustrated with the caterer, so that gives me hope for an overall good experience.
1.06.2004
Sickly holidays
I've been pretty busy since we returned from our trip to visit family last week. It was nice to see my siblings, though under less than ideal conditions. Claire started running a fever on our drive down. After fighting through some pretty nasty traffic around Washington DC, Joel began to feel run down too.
When we arrived at my brother's house, both of them were feeling lousy. We began Claire on a 2-hour rotation between Tylenol and Motrin. A little Simply Cough helped her get to sleep. When Joel hit the hay for the night, he had the chills so bad I piled three quilts on him and he was still shivering. Claire woke every three hours throughout the night burning up with fever and screaming for "mommy, mommy, mommy."
Sunday morning my sister-in-law called around and found us an urgent care center that had Sunday hours. I had to do some hoop jumping with the insurance company to get approval for the visits. The urgent care center was fortunately not too busy. A nurse practitioner diagnosed Claire with an ear infection and Joel with a viral respiratory infection. We got prescriptions for both.
Within about 24 hours of starting antibiotics, Claire's fever finally broke and she became much more her usual self. Joel improved with lots of rest, which disappointed my nephew greatly (he wanted Uncle Joel to play soccer in the yard).
How I managed to escape illness is frankly a miracle. I'm asthmatic and very susceptible to respiratory infections. Perhaps my long illness in December gave me immunity.
Tuesday we continued south to visit another of my brothers in North Carolina. Two of my oldest nieces were there and it was fun to visit with them. Both are in their 20s and closer to me in age than most of my siblings.
They threw a New Year's party with 30 or so guests, most in their 50s. My sister-in-law warned beforehand that no one would stay until midnight. How well she knows her friends! Several asked if we could "call midnight at eleven." LOL! So, we toasted "Newfie New Year" at Newfoundland midnight. The guests promptly departed and we had all evidence of the party cleaned up before EST midnight, giving us time for a quieter family toast.
The drive home was clear sailing. If you ever have to take nasty Route 95 around Washington, New Year's Day (and Christmas Day as well) is a good time to do it. We made it from Wilson, NC to Philly in just 6 hours and 20 minutes!
I've been pretty busy since we returned from our trip to visit family last week. It was nice to see my siblings, though under less than ideal conditions. Claire started running a fever on our drive down. After fighting through some pretty nasty traffic around Washington DC, Joel began to feel run down too.
When we arrived at my brother's house, both of them were feeling lousy. We began Claire on a 2-hour rotation between Tylenol and Motrin. A little Simply Cough helped her get to sleep. When Joel hit the hay for the night, he had the chills so bad I piled three quilts on him and he was still shivering. Claire woke every three hours throughout the night burning up with fever and screaming for "mommy, mommy, mommy."
Sunday morning my sister-in-law called around and found us an urgent care center that had Sunday hours. I had to do some hoop jumping with the insurance company to get approval for the visits. The urgent care center was fortunately not too busy. A nurse practitioner diagnosed Claire with an ear infection and Joel with a viral respiratory infection. We got prescriptions for both.
Within about 24 hours of starting antibiotics, Claire's fever finally broke and she became much more her usual self. Joel improved with lots of rest, which disappointed my nephew greatly (he wanted Uncle Joel to play soccer in the yard).
How I managed to escape illness is frankly a miracle. I'm asthmatic and very susceptible to respiratory infections. Perhaps my long illness in December gave me immunity.
Tuesday we continued south to visit another of my brothers in North Carolina. Two of my oldest nieces were there and it was fun to visit with them. Both are in their 20s and closer to me in age than most of my siblings.
They threw a New Year's party with 30 or so guests, most in their 50s. My sister-in-law warned beforehand that no one would stay until midnight. How well she knows her friends! Several asked if we could "call midnight at eleven." LOL! So, we toasted "Newfie New Year" at Newfoundland midnight. The guests promptly departed and we had all evidence of the party cleaned up before EST midnight, giving us time for a quieter family toast.
The drive home was clear sailing. If you ever have to take nasty Route 95 around Washington, New Year's Day (and Christmas Day as well) is a good time to do it. We made it from Wilson, NC to Philly in just 6 hours and 20 minutes!
1.04.2004
Webcast
The webcast of our Christmas eve lessons and carols service is available online. Scroll down to the archived music events and select 12/24/03 - Christmas Eve. The prelude was performed by the Westminster Brass and the Tenth Chamber Players. Both groups accompanied the choir on several pieces later in the service.
The webcast of our Christmas eve lessons and carols service is available online. Scroll down to the archived music events and select 12/24/03 - Christmas Eve. The prelude was performed by the Westminster Brass and the Tenth Chamber Players. Both groups accompanied the choir on several pieces later in the service.
12.26.2003
Reprieve
Our best Christmas present? The "service engine" light in the car went out! Joel called the service department at the Saturn dealership this morning and they agreed that nothing of immediate concern is wrong if the light does not stay on. The mechanic said that moisture in the engine from Wednesday's torrential rains could have made the light turn on, or "sometimes the computer just hiccups."
The other great news was that Cory Kloth's wife Heather delivered three healthy babies Christmas day. The triplets are breathing on their own and reports of their birthweights seem pretty encouraging. The Kloths graciously hosted us, sight unseen, when we were in the Atlanta area in July.
Our best Christmas present? The "service engine" light in the car went out! Joel called the service department at the Saturn dealership this morning and they agreed that nothing of immediate concern is wrong if the light does not stay on. The mechanic said that moisture in the engine from Wednesday's torrential rains could have made the light turn on, or "sometimes the computer just hiccups."
The other great news was that Cory Kloth's wife Heather delivered three healthy babies Christmas day. The triplets are breathing on their own and reports of their birthweights seem pretty encouraging. The Kloths graciously hosted us, sight unseen, when we were in the Atlanta area in July.
12.24.2003
Gloria in excelsis!
Our Christmas Eve lessons and carols service went very smoothly, though I am now exhausted and a bit wheezy. Most of the service is choral piece after choral piece, and our director really put us through our paces. Singing for a packed house is rather energizing, and we had some superb brass and strings accompanying on several of the pieces. Times like these make me love being in a big church.
You can read about our repertoire here. A webcast of the service was available live. I'll post a link when the recorded version is available.
The most difficult piece we sang was Laurisden's "O magnum mysterium." Dissonance and unusual harmonics are not easy, but it also requires a lot of pianissimo, which takes tremendous breath control to achieve. It's also the longest piece we sang. It's incredibly beautiful though, with some harmonies that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, they're so otherworldly.
On the downside, the "service engine soon" light came on in our "new" car when we headed over to church tonight. Please pray that it's nothing serious. The car is still under warranty, but we don't want to be stuck with it in the shop for any length of time because we had planned to leave Saturday to visit some of my family.
Now, to bed!
Fröliche Weihnachten!
Our Christmas Eve lessons and carols service went very smoothly, though I am now exhausted and a bit wheezy. Most of the service is choral piece after choral piece, and our director really put us through our paces. Singing for a packed house is rather energizing, and we had some superb brass and strings accompanying on several of the pieces. Times like these make me love being in a big church.
You can read about our repertoire here. A webcast of the service was available live. I'll post a link when the recorded version is available.
The most difficult piece we sang was Laurisden's "O magnum mysterium." Dissonance and unusual harmonics are not easy, but it also requires a lot of pianissimo, which takes tremendous breath control to achieve. It's also the longest piece we sang. It's incredibly beautiful though, with some harmonies that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, they're so otherworldly.
On the downside, the "service engine soon" light came on in our "new" car when we headed over to church tonight. Please pray that it's nothing serious. The car is still under warranty, but we don't want to be stuck with it in the shop for any length of time because we had planned to leave Saturday to visit some of my family.
Now, to bed!
Fröliche Weihnachten!
12.22.2003
Into the homestretch
Whew, I only have one last Christmas gift project to finish up, and just a few days left. These past few weeks have been really packed between giftmaking, baking, guests and fun events.
We got to see Return of the King the day it opened, in the afternoon. We got free babysitting--always a plus. Getting to the theatre was a bit scary, as our windshield wipers were malfunctioning in the midst of a major downpour. At every red light, Joel had to hop out of the car to get the left blade back on the windshield. Fortunately, we had pre-purchased tickets and the afternoon show was not sold out.
I liked the film a lot, but I'll probably like the extended DVD better. A few of the cuts disappointed me greatly. Eowyn and Merry get short shrift when the Houses of Healing section is cut. I expected Eowyn's plotline wrap-up to get some screen time since she is so prominent in the beginning of the film. I was also disappointed that the ships' arrival at Minas Tirith was so undramatic. The whole sails unfurling bit in the book seemed to suggest a really visually stunning moment that never made it to the theatre. Sigh.
For our anniversary, Joel and I went to hear Anonymous 4, a female quartet that sings mostly Medieval and Renaissance music, as well as works and modern composers who have similarly modal harmonics. Accompanied by different types of harp, they filled the Gothic-revival church with tight harmonies and even tighter unison singing. I think I was most impressed by their ability to sound like one voice when singing unison. It's evidence of both intense rehearsing and many years together.
Whew, I only have one last Christmas gift project to finish up, and just a few days left. These past few weeks have been really packed between giftmaking, baking, guests and fun events.
We got to see Return of the King the day it opened, in the afternoon. We got free babysitting--always a plus. Getting to the theatre was a bit scary, as our windshield wipers were malfunctioning in the midst of a major downpour. At every red light, Joel had to hop out of the car to get the left blade back on the windshield. Fortunately, we had pre-purchased tickets and the afternoon show was not sold out.
I liked the film a lot, but I'll probably like the extended DVD better. A few of the cuts disappointed me greatly. Eowyn and Merry get short shrift when the Houses of Healing section is cut. I expected Eowyn's plotline wrap-up to get some screen time since she is so prominent in the beginning of the film. I was also disappointed that the ships' arrival at Minas Tirith was so undramatic. The whole sails unfurling bit in the book seemed to suggest a really visually stunning moment that never made it to the theatre. Sigh.
For our anniversary, Joel and I went to hear Anonymous 4, a female quartet that sings mostly Medieval and Renaissance music, as well as works and modern composers who have similarly modal harmonics. Accompanied by different types of harp, they filled the Gothic-revival church with tight harmonies and even tighter unison singing. I think I was most impressed by their ability to sound like one voice when singing unison. It's evidence of both intense rehearsing and many years together.
12.14.2003
Down with dictators
Listening to the radio during breakfast, we heard a long segment on the capture of Saddam Hussein. At one point in the broadcast, a crowd reacted to the news with clapping and cheering.
In response, our toddler daughter kicked her high chair tray, clapped and said "woot!"
Or should that be w00t? Only 16 months old, and she's picking up Internet chat slang. Thanks bq.
Listening to the radio during breakfast, we heard a long segment on the capture of Saddam Hussein. At one point in the broadcast, a crowd reacted to the news with clapping and cheering.
In response, our toddler daughter kicked her high chair tray, clapped and said "woot!"
Or should that be w00t? Only 16 months old, and she's picking up Internet chat slang. Thanks bq.
12.09.2003
No, I'm not dead
Though in the past 10 days or so I've felt less than lively. I caught some particularly virulent respiratory infection from my germy toddler and have been sick since the weekend after Thanksgiving. She, of course, bounced back in a few days.
Despite feeling lousy, I've been trying to finish up Christmas projects. This is probably why I'm not completely well yet. Well, that and dragging myself to very intense choir rehearsals. I'm getting very good at lip synching when I feel a cough coming on. I think I should have worked on this technique earlier in the season when I realized just how rusty I am at sight-reading.
Another dirty secret I also recently learned is that we soprano IIs can stealthily morph into the alto section when the soprano part is getting into the brittle end of our range. Believe me, if we didn't do this, people would complain. If the ladies in your choir don't know this cheat technique, please pass on the word. Let's save our churches from needless screeching and strained vocal chords.
Though in the past 10 days or so I've felt less than lively. I caught some particularly virulent respiratory infection from my germy toddler and have been sick since the weekend after Thanksgiving. She, of course, bounced back in a few days.
Despite feeling lousy, I've been trying to finish up Christmas projects. This is probably why I'm not completely well yet. Well, that and dragging myself to very intense choir rehearsals. I'm getting very good at lip synching when I feel a cough coming on. I think I should have worked on this technique earlier in the season when I realized just how rusty I am at sight-reading.
Another dirty secret I also recently learned is that we soprano IIs can stealthily morph into the alto section when the soprano part is getting into the brittle end of our range. Believe me, if we didn't do this, people would complain. If the ladies in your choir don't know this cheat technique, please pass on the word. Let's save our churches from needless screeching and strained vocal chords.
11.27.2003
Gobbled
Hard to believe it's already Thanksgiving. A month ago I flew down to Florida. Since losing my dad and returning home, I've been pretty wrapped up in time-consuming projects like buying a car, making Christmas gifts and organizing a volunteer day at the church library.
After spending a day deshelving, repairing and reorganizing the church library, I was appalled at how few books we have that are actual commentaries. Our "Christian living" section, on the other hand, is huge. (Largely, this is because we get so many donations for this category, and our funding level being what it is, we are grateful to get them.)
I'm somewhat discouraged by the types of things Christian publishers market most. If you looked at Christian Book Distributer's catalog, you'd think the only things being published are fiction and 75 versions of "Prayer of Jabez" and "Secrets of the Vine." I know that good, solid stuff is out there, but without Joel's help, I wouldn't know where to find it.
Hard to believe it's already Thanksgiving. A month ago I flew down to Florida. Since losing my dad and returning home, I've been pretty wrapped up in time-consuming projects like buying a car, making Christmas gifts and organizing a volunteer day at the church library.
After spending a day deshelving, repairing and reorganizing the church library, I was appalled at how few books we have that are actual commentaries. Our "Christian living" section, on the other hand, is huge. (Largely, this is because we get so many donations for this category, and our funding level being what it is, we are grateful to get them.)
I'm somewhat discouraged by the types of things Christian publishers market most. If you looked at Christian Book Distributer's catalog, you'd think the only things being published are fiction and 75 versions of "Prayer of Jabez" and "Secrets of the Vine." I know that good, solid stuff is out there, but without Joel's help, I wouldn't know where to find it.
11.16.2003
Woop! Woop!
Err, I accidently just discovered that our new car has an alarm system when I stowed something in the glove box. Aparently opening the door with a key will trip the alarm. I'm sure the neighbors were just thrilled by this loud intrusion on a quiet weekend afternoon.
Amazingly, the car dealer never mentioned that this optional feature was included. I should have suspected when they didn't try to sell us Lojack, a system much hyped when we bought our Prizm in '99.
Good news: insurance rates will go down. Bad news: for convenience's sake, we need to go to a dealer to buy a second transmitter to turn the alarm on and off.
Err, I accidently just discovered that our new car has an alarm system when I stowed something in the glove box. Aparently opening the door with a key will trip the alarm. I'm sure the neighbors were just thrilled by this loud intrusion on a quiet weekend afternoon.
Amazingly, the car dealer never mentioned that this optional feature was included. I should have suspected when they didn't try to sell us Lojack, a system much hyped when we bought our Prizm in '99.
Good news: insurance rates will go down. Bad news: for convenience's sake, we need to go to a dealer to buy a second transmitter to turn the alarm on and off.
11.12.2003
Cars
Sigh. I've been waiting by the phone for a few days for the Purple Heart towing people to come get our wounded car. Just before I left for Florida, we decided to not sink any more money into our Prizm that needs new bearings and transaxle/transmission repairs, but to donate it to charity. It was such a great car when we first got it, but Philly streets have really done a number on the shocks, struts, and let's see...about 9 tires.
Tomorrow we pick up the "new" car. Finding something that fits our garage and budget with more cargo space has been incredibly frustrating. We finally found a low mileage Saturn wagon that fit all our criteria. The interior isn't quite as cushy as the Prizm, and the engine is a little louder, but after renting a Chevy Metro with no power anything (locks, windows, steering) for over two weeks, Joel is very excited to get the wagon. I think it will be cool to let Nicky ride in the back without shedding all over the seats. w00t.
Ring, phone, ring! Come get our sad ol' car so that we can transfer the tags!
Sigh. I've been waiting by the phone for a few days for the Purple Heart towing people to come get our wounded car. Just before I left for Florida, we decided to not sink any more money into our Prizm that needs new bearings and transaxle/transmission repairs, but to donate it to charity. It was such a great car when we first got it, but Philly streets have really done a number on the shocks, struts, and let's see...about 9 tires.
Tomorrow we pick up the "new" car. Finding something that fits our garage and budget with more cargo space has been incredibly frustrating. We finally found a low mileage Saturn wagon that fit all our criteria. The interior isn't quite as cushy as the Prizm, and the engine is a little louder, but after renting a Chevy Metro with no power anything (locks, windows, steering) for over two weeks, Joel is very excited to get the wagon. I think it will be cool to let Nicky ride in the back without shedding all over the seats. w00t.
Ring, phone, ring! Come get our sad ol' car so that we can transfer the tags!
11.08.2003
Home
Claire and I got home Thursday afternoon after a good but somewhat bumpy flight from Florida. Not only did my big brother fly back with me to help, but we also got a free seat for Claire, who took a nice big nap.
The past two weeks have been the most exhausting in recent memory. I was glad to be able to be supportive to my Mom during this difficult time. All those boring tasks of keeping her apartment in order—laundry, dishes, meals, tidying up—generally fell to me. Thankfully, neighbors and church friends dropped off food every day, so no heavy-duty cooking was required while I watched Claire.
Believe it or not, near the end my father was recovering from the pneumonia and sepsis. What did him in was the medication he takes for bipolar disorder. He'd been on lithium for 27 years and had likely been in toxicity for several weeks. It took a nephrologist to help us understand the level of severity of that toxicity, and the irreparable harm it had done to his body.
Dad survived extubation and transport to hospice last Saturday. It was the best decision we made to move him. Suddenly, we were away from all the machines, and no limits on how many can visit or for how long. I was even allowed to bring Claire into the hospice. The room was lovely and comfortable like a hotel room, with a view of the lagoon in the retirement community.
Mom stayed the night at hospice last Saturday. My brother woke at 4 a.m. Sunday unable to sleep and went to see Dad. Mom was so thankful he woke her, because he was able to move her bed next to Dad's so she could hold his hand the rest of the night. Mom called me at about 6:10 to say that Dad's breathing slowed way down, then just stopped. It was peaceful and she was able to be right there with him the way she wanted to.
I put in calls to her pastors, and one came out at 8 a.m. with an elder. Several other friends from the retirement community stopped by before church. The eye bank arrived shortly thereafter to get his corneas, the only usable organ he could donate.
The next three days were a whirlwind, helping pull together the memorial service for Wednesday afternoon. More family arrived little by little, making our preparations all the more difficult. Who wants to run errands and make phone calls when there are family to visit and share stories with?
The service turned out beautifully, however. It was just right and I feel like nothing important went undone. I'll post the memories I shared at the memorial service in another post.
I still feel like I have hardly begun to grieve, I was so busy in Florida and needed to be strong and fully functioning for my daughter. A close friend who has lost both parents warned me that the grief may not fully hit for several weeks.
Claire and I got home Thursday afternoon after a good but somewhat bumpy flight from Florida. Not only did my big brother fly back with me to help, but we also got a free seat for Claire, who took a nice big nap.
The past two weeks have been the most exhausting in recent memory. I was glad to be able to be supportive to my Mom during this difficult time. All those boring tasks of keeping her apartment in order—laundry, dishes, meals, tidying up—generally fell to me. Thankfully, neighbors and church friends dropped off food every day, so no heavy-duty cooking was required while I watched Claire.
Believe it or not, near the end my father was recovering from the pneumonia and sepsis. What did him in was the medication he takes for bipolar disorder. He'd been on lithium for 27 years and had likely been in toxicity for several weeks. It took a nephrologist to help us understand the level of severity of that toxicity, and the irreparable harm it had done to his body.
Dad survived extubation and transport to hospice last Saturday. It was the best decision we made to move him. Suddenly, we were away from all the machines, and no limits on how many can visit or for how long. I was even allowed to bring Claire into the hospice. The room was lovely and comfortable like a hotel room, with a view of the lagoon in the retirement community.
Mom stayed the night at hospice last Saturday. My brother woke at 4 a.m. Sunday unable to sleep and went to see Dad. Mom was so thankful he woke her, because he was able to move her bed next to Dad's so she could hold his hand the rest of the night. Mom called me at about 6:10 to say that Dad's breathing slowed way down, then just stopped. It was peaceful and she was able to be right there with him the way she wanted to.
I put in calls to her pastors, and one came out at 8 a.m. with an elder. Several other friends from the retirement community stopped by before church. The eye bank arrived shortly thereafter to get his corneas, the only usable organ he could donate.
The next three days were a whirlwind, helping pull together the memorial service for Wednesday afternoon. More family arrived little by little, making our preparations all the more difficult. Who wants to run errands and make phone calls when there are family to visit and share stories with?
The service turned out beautifully, however. It was just right and I feel like nothing important went undone. I'll post the memories I shared at the memorial service in another post.
I still feel like I have hardly begun to grieve, I was so busy in Florida and needed to be strong and fully functioning for my daughter. A close friend who has lost both parents warned me that the grief may not fully hit for several weeks.
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