Happy Memorial Day (one day late)!

After a few days off, away from the computer, I'm back, baked and breathless to catch you up on the weekend...

First and foremost - we had weather. Good weather. Great weather! Weather that no one could complain about. Three days of it. Sun, warmth, more sun. I'm sunburned (not as badly as DH but good enough that I don't look like a beached whale) but not so burned that it will all begin peeling the night before the family wedding we have to attend in two weeks... Our mini weather station (a holiday gift for DH a couple of years ago) said "rain" all weekend, and we never got a drop! I've never been so happy for it to be wrong!

We took the rowboat out a few times. We really do need to buy ourselves a little motor. Even though I'm dieting and losing some weight, it's tough on DH to have to row us everywhere. (The motorboat will not go into the lake this year either; the dock isn't ready for it, and frankly, between the construction and the cost of gas these days...)

We had some surprise guests at the lake on Friday night. C, J and Mom came up. C was rather insistent that they come, even though the trip was two hours long instead of the 45 minutes it should take thanks to traffic and two horses loose on Route 80! J spent some quality man-to-man time with DH. They talked cars, of course, but J confessed to a D in chemistry. DH gave him the talk about how smart his family is, on both sides, that there's no excuse for him to be anything but an A student, that he should be in the top 25 of the school, with his brains... They talked about the need for J to get a job doing something, anything, and saving his money for a car. They talked about how C is under no obligation to buy him one, that the Honda was intended for him but that the decision to sell it was the right one. You sell it when it's saleable. You don't throw good money into it when you won't get it back when it's time to sell. I hope that it all sunk in, since it wasn't coming from his mom, his aunt or his grandmother... DH also mentioned that insurance companies aren't under any obligation to give him insurance and will justifiably say "no" if he, as a new 17 year old male drive buys a $5000 Porsche. DH put it to him this way: If they insure you and you have an accident that costs the insurance company $50000, was that a good business decision for them? No? Then you get it. You understand that they have to insure you for what they're willing to risk, and they have to charge you enough to be able to pay it out when (not if) they have to...

Some more news... At my WW meeting on Saturday morning, she said I gained .4 pounds. But I weighed in at .4 pounds LESS. I spent a few days a bit depressed 'cause I had been sticking to the program. Today I noticed my actual weigh-in number was lower than the week before. That means I lost weight, weigher-inner! So take that!!! (In case you hadn't noticed - not depressed any more!!!)

Had a BBQ last night with Mom and DH. We had corn on the cob, baked beans, homemade (by Mom) macaroni salad, sausage patties on potato rolls, potato salad (not homemade by me, but bought all by my lonesome at the local Shop Rite!), blueberry pie, two SR muffins (a banana nut muffin and a burstin' with blueberries muffin), and some Swiss Chocolate Almond coffee. Mmm, mmm, good!

I'm back in the office for a short week - today, tomorrow and Thursday here, Friday in NYC for BEA. We're sponsoring the big balloon drop at the opening of the convention, and I have to be there to distribute some company bags (bags are always a big take-home item at our shows) and then I can walk around, see people I haven't seen in years, then go home early and shop 'til I drop.

DH is away this weekend for the Special Olympics' state event and won't be home 'til Sunday afternoon. So on Sunday morning, I'll go to SR and buy something really good for dinner and when he comes home, I'll have it ready so he can go right to bed. This will be a weekend of No-Doze for him... And I'm going to be twenty times as worried as usual since he'll be driving himself home from Trenton after a long weekend without any sleep... G won't be there this year so she won't force him to "phone home" using her cell phone... I already want him home safe and sound...

On Saturday it's our family picnic. I'll be the only one attending. I'm just going to stop by to see all the aunts, say hi, see who showed up, take some notes for next year's event (that our family is sponsoring then!) and then I'll go on to my own weekend. If I can, E and I will be shopping; if not, what a GREAT weekend to clean up, throw some things out, and organize the rest!

Teachers gone wild!

We found out one of the teachers involved in the brouhaha was M's ex!!! But we know nothing else - DH is on a mission to get the details or G will be on his case!

We have a 12:30 dismissal today - 1/2 an hour earlier than DH, so E and I will walk over to the school. I offered to drive her to her car at the train station since the next train for her after 12:30 is at 2:30 and it's a local; she'd be getting home at 4pm-ish. That's NOT the time to get home when you have a 1/2 day!!!

We're off to the lake for the long weekend - I really need to come up with a name for the lakehouse... Other homes have cool names: Sunset Point, Cow Tongue Point, Air Castle Isles,... I want something a bit more exotic than "the lakehouse" but not so pretentious as to sound snooty... I'm taking suggestions...

I'll be sans computer 'til Tuesday, later in the morning. I'm volunteering at the school on Tuesday so that means a late arrival.

Eat lots of healthy BBQ (is there really such a thing?!?) and enjoy the holiday!

Dinner took 4-1/2 hours last night!

We went to dinner with G & M. They're such wonderful people - I can't say enough about them! I met them through DH. He worked Special Olympics with G and he's on the Board with M. We went to Houlihan's - no big gourmet meal, no special local restaurant - in their infinite wisdom, the town held their Memorial Day parade last night. The town is only 1 mile square - there wasn't a place you could go that wasn't packed, so we left town. Besides, dinner wasn't important; the company was. We talked and laughed and laughed and talked. Then we drove them back to their house, and it was like a sign: there was a parking spot in front of their house! There's never a parking spot to be found when you need one! So we went in and sat and talked for a while. According to our sources (M's son), two politicians (or politicians' relatives) came to blows at the parade, actual fisticuffs! There you go - another reason to vote Democrat! Those are a couple of classy mayors...

We're trying to coordinate a mini vacation this summer, a long weekend away somewhere, anywhere, just the four of us. That will be a lot of fun!

DH took the permit applications up to the lake yesterday. They were filled out correctly. Yes! I was a bit nervous. And most importantly, they told DH 7 to 10 days!! Not 2 to 3 weeks! Even if the 7 to 10 days are business days, that's a week-and-a-half to two weeks! We might be able to get things rolling for the end of June/beginning of July, God (and framers) willing!

I had a good month at work, better than I expected, considering I kind of pushed for stocking orders from my customers in April, pre-end-of-fiscal-year. I'm at about $114K in net sales now, with more than a week's billing left. And I know of at least one invoice that will be around $12250, on top of my already $114K! And another $12250 to start June off with a bang! Thanks, SHRM!

We were invited to our neighbor's engagement party this Sunday night. Unfortunately we won't be able to go; we'll be at the lake. I have to think of something nice to get her/them. We haven't met him yet. She's divorced and only recently started dating again. She dated a few (several?!) frogs, then met T. And she said that she was expecting to find someone who was just nice to her and her kids, someone with a good heart. She also said she never expected to find someone better than her first (loser!) husband! Someone she really loves, who loves her back. I'm so happy for you, SL! (I must admit, though, I just don't get it. We live in a very Orthodox neighborhood - we're the token Catholics on our block! - so I've learned a lot about their traditions and culture and holidays. This wham-bam!-thank-you-ma'am! kind of courting is beyond me! They got engaged last Friday, the engagement party is this Sunday, and they'll be married by the end of the summer. I JUST DON'T GET IT. I admit it.

I didn't love DH within the first two or three months of dating. Yes, I liked him, I liked him a lot. But I didn't "know" him. I didn't know his history, what makes him tick, what he thinks about this-that-and-everything, how he'd react to whatever, how he felt about me, his politics, his religion, etc., etc. And that's the tip of the iceberg! Sure, you can be attracted to someone but YOU CANNOT KNOW THEM until you KNOW THEM.

And that's the bottom line. And no one will ever convince me I'm wrong. Ever. No way. Don't even try!

Permits - hopefully...

DH is going to town this afternoon to submit our permit applications for the addition on our house. We went through the paperwork last night and I think we have everything ready. He just has to double check with them on the square footage and the volume of the addition. Math - not our strong suit, that's for sure. I think we have it right, but just in case, I'd rather he check with them before filling it out; that's better than having the permits denied for incorrect information, doncha think?

My nephew is being inducted into the National Honor Society! Yay! I'm so proud of him! J - you rock!!! I think I want to try to come up with something special for him as a reward - maybe we can take him to a car show or something, and out to dinner, just us, just him... I'll think about it...

So we bought some bee-killer. We went to Mom's house and DH sprayed the entire can on the numerous hives we spotted near the front door. The can said to spray at sundown so they're sleeping and what is DH's first comment? "I don't see any bees." Duh! You're not supposed to and you don't want to! The idea is to spray 'em and kill 'em, not spot 'em, spray 'em, and run like h-ll 'cause you pissed 'em off!!! I may not be allergic to them, but I really don't want to get bitten!

I donated to the vampires yesterday. The technician was great! I mentioned to her that I don't have good veins. She put a tourniquet on my arm, tapped my inner arm a couple of times, and - voila! A little pin-prick and I was a test tube down! Hopefully they won't find anything wrong with me. The Mobic seems to be helping; my hips don't hurt as much when I sit at work for a while then get up to walk to the copier. I wonder if it's the meds, or I'm just growing out of it... I'm thinking it's the meds...

This weekend is a long weekend. We were invited to an engagement party for our neighbor. The party is Sunday night at her brother's house. We'll be away so we won't be able to go, but it was nice to be included. I think I'll make her a card this weekend. I wonder what I can give them for a present...

Smitten Kitchen - recommended to me by P. Love it! I quote her: "She's very funny to read, she loves good food as much as I do, but she writes about it so much better than I ever could." And the photos - mm mm, good! (Sorry, Campbell's!) They are so vibrant and bright - even if you don't like green beans, you'll want to dive right in!!! Even though I don't cook (well), I get Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Simple and Delicious, and Everyday with Rachael Ray delivered to my doorstep - and I read them cover to cover - and I rip out recipe after recipe, fulling intending to try to make them someday soon...

I've had my 15 minutes of fame. I was on the Martha Stewart Living show on May 11, and last night I got to watch it. And while TV didn't add the 40 pounds I was expecting it to add to my not-so-thin-but-on-the-way-to-thinner body, I do have to pay more attention to the expressions on my face. I make some funny faces, that's for sure!

And - BIG NEWS! Our niece and nephew-in-law have bought a house! They're still in attorney review ('til tomorrow, I believe) but they have a tentative closing date for July 11 and they're really excited! It's a townhouse in Wayne, which is better for them since the maintenance of the property will not be J's responsibility. He's not the handiest tool in the shed right now. Of course you can learn and I'm sure he will, but for starters, it's good that they're looking for less work rather than more. Anyone can learn - my sister had to take her house on herself. She does what she can do, but when it's something beyond her capabilities (DH - working with electric, for example!), she farms it out just like she should. J would, in my humble opinion, try to do it himself, possibly mess it up, then have to pay more to fix and repair what could have just been done cheaper had they called someone first...

I had my x-ray done last night (BTW, why am I all of a sudden typing "ex" when starting to type x-ray? I've done it several times recently...) - 4 x-rays, to be precise. "The doctor will have the results in 2 or 3 days and will contact you then." Tonight I go to donate some blood for testing - to check for rheumatoid arthritis or some other joint problem. We'll see. I'm sure I'm healthy, but I'd rather be safe than sorry! And I want to get a jump on any potential osteo problems before I have to take medicine like my mom... If I have to take a calcium supplement or drink a bit more milk now, I'd rather do that... I started the Mobic (7.5mg) last night; I don't know if it's my imagination, but my hands seemed to ache a bit less this morning.

Tonight we're going to rescue mom from the Invasion of the Bees, and spray her front yard. She's been so patient, waiting for us to come and do it - thanks, Mom!

It was a nice weekend... it rained a little, but we got to sit on the dock on Sunday for an hour or two, just soaking up the sun...

Happy B'day (one day late!), SIL! You are the best!! Hope it's the best b'day ever!!! See you tonight!!!

I LOST 1.8 POUNDS THIS WEEK. WW really does work, when you follow the plan. I journaled, drank my water, and I think the walking finally caught up with me and, to quote another favorite blogger, "that glorious time of the month" has passed (sorry, T.M.I.). That 1.8 pound loss, though, no matter how I got it, has fired up all my cylinders! I'm eager again to stay on plan, to lose more, to exercise more, to try harder, to succeed at my weight loss plan. And I will do this. (With, most likely, a few more setbacks, but still...)

Mom has bees. Either wasps or yellowjackets or hornets - DH and I have to stop at HD and pick up some spray of some kind. Mom was going to purchase some yesterday at the SR and spray it herself, but I pointed out that she'd have to run like h-e-double-hockeysticks back around the front door... Could she? No. So it's back to being our job, most likely for tomorrow.

I went to the dr. on Friday. I'm going to get an x-ray of my knee today, pick up a prescription for some heavy-duty anti-inflammatory, and find out when I can have some blood work done to rule out rheumatoid arthritis, gout, etc. I guess then they'll check the osteo-stuff. When I wake up in the morning, my hands are sore, they just ache. They're not physically swollen, but the joints feel like they are. And when I sit for a 1/2 hour, blogging, or working (ha!), and I try to get up - whoa! My hips are so sore that it takes the distance of 2 cubicles for me to be upright and homo sapiens again. And let's not forget to mention the first of these special aches and pains - the clicking knee. If I walk a certain way, rotate a teeny bit, there's an audible click. Not real "pain," per se, but if I lean on my right knee in just the right spot, there's some point tenderness and if I hyperextend my right leg, there's significant tightness in my hamstring.

This is what comes from being 46 and on the slippery slope of the downhill side of "over the hill."

I can't wait to retire.

One of the first things I'll do is convert all of DH's bill paying to online status - I've already saved $15 on stamps!!! I just figured it out! God knows I can use that $15 elsewhere...

To pay for last night's scrapbooking purchases, perhaps? We had a SB Garage Sale at the Days Inn. I believe there were 7 people selling; I bought from 4 of them... I got a nice Creative Memories cropping bag from AM for $20 - I'll sell the two smaller ones I have that are not working for me. This one stands upright and is large enough for albums and paper. I like it! I also got a small trimmer and some adhesive from AM, some SU stamps from JP, some doodads from MB, and a stamp from DR.

I spent $55.50 - AND I got some FREE kids videos from SR. Despite my current almost-deep-and-abiding loathing for all things Lindsay Lohan, I used to like her when she was young and cute and relatively innocent. I got a copy of her version of Parent Trap!!! I could watch that - or the original with Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith - every day!

Actually there are several movies that fall into that I'll-never-get-sick-of-them-no-matter-how-many-times-I-watch-them-in-one-day category (in no particular order): Gone with the Wind, Dirty Dancing, While You Were Sleeping, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, Parent Trap (either version), Pretty Woman, The Sound of Music, any Clint movie, Ghost, to name but a few...

I got a little off topic... When I retire, I also want to take cooking lessons, learn how to digitally scrapbook, travel, learn (again!) how to swim, keep a clean house (still haven't figured that out - I'm too much of a clutter person/packrat, and I have a high tolerance for "stuff"), and loads of other things...

What do you want to do when you retire? Or grow up, whichever is applicable... *wink, wink*

Books - delivered to your house.
Left on the front step, just inside the screen door.
Books about scrapbooking - Ali Edwards' A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking and Denise Pauley's Organization Tips for Scrapbookers. Of course, you could drop off books about almost anything and it would make me a happy camper...
I love books. I love to read. I would rather read than, well, do almost anything else.

Is there anything better than the book fairy just dropping them on your doorstep? It's like magic! All of a sudden I have new books to read, pictures to browse through, ideas to steal (copy!), and without an ounce of expended energy! No driving to the bookstore, searching for a parking space, waiting for a seat in the cafe (which involves stalking innocent readers until they feel guilty for taking up seats that could be providing this middle-aged-but-in-denial-about-it-woman with a place to rest her weary bones), standing on line for long minutes only to be served by a child who's 1/3 your age and has never read a book in his or her life...

Nope, I like it much better when the book fairy drops them off at the house... Hmmm... If it was December, I'd think it was Santa, but it's May... (If it's May, it must be the Book Fairy!)

We met with J the plumber last night (K's friend) and he had to estimate a price for the permit application: $3500. That's $300 cheaper than the other plumber, and DH says he's a fanatic about his work so it will be worth it. Obviously he'll give us a little bit of a break... so that was a financially sound move, deciding to go with him. Which is good - he found more work that has to be done or we won't pass inspection - for instance, your kitchen sink must be vented. Guess what. That "construction" guy who built it? Uh-uh, no vent. Oh, I forgot - he was a cheap construction guy... Ahhhh...

Tonight DH will call L the electrician (and one of our 2 best men). I know he'll help us out, too, with a price and I think DH should call his cousin A about the wiring for cable and phone... Just so we have everything we need done while the walls are open. I don't need the house wired for sound, but cable and computer and phone? Yes. For sure.

I was reading on a favorite blog of mine that some readers seem to feel that the author's writings are 150% true. Okay. She addressed the fact that she's a writer, that this is her writing blog. Writers don't just write the truth. Sometimes she includes truth, stories from her life, and sometimes they're just writing exercises. If you've read her more than once, you can figure it out quite easily.

My blog is basically an online diary. What I write here happens or happened to me. Yes, I live a boring, quiet, tedious life. You're not going to read about serial killers and wild orgies. You're going to read about the trials and tribulations of adding a second level to our home. You're going to read stories about my college years (stories which are, well, boring, quiet and tedious, but might make for some almost fun reading now, 26+ years later!). You're going to read about things that are going on in my life, in my family's lives (names changed to protect the innocent and the embarrassed!). No lies, no tales, no writing exercises. The actual accounting of these mini episodes of not very much (an homage to Jerry Seinfeld) is my writing exercise. I would like to try to make them a little less boring than they were in real life, but without deceitful embellishment and lies. Let me know if I succeed.

My DSD gave me a little ornament-sized, hand-carved angel for Mother's Day, and mentioned that she thought I might like to keep it on my desk. (http://www.demdaco.com/detail.aspx?ID=10285 This is the one she gave me.) With my renewed determination to stick to my WW diet and exercise at least a bit more than I've been doing, the health and happiness angel is the one for me!

Last night DH had a Board Meeting to attend. (Update: They approved his After-School Program, but didn't hire any instructors or approve the budget. Go figure.) He met me at his sister's house, where we were both invited to dinner. (Thanks, DSIL!) It's our usual Monday night routine, with a twist. Usually we have dinner and go there for dessert, every Monday, without fail, unless derailed by illness or other plans. We watch Dancing with the Stars (well, it's on in the background and we usually wind up transfixed!) and talk. Talking is good. I heard some rather entertaining stories about some non-family members and ex-family members last night. Stories that would curl your hair if I repeated them here, but they are too unique - there would be no way to protect the guilty and I don't want to be responsible for putting these out in cyberspace for all to see and judge. Suffice it to say, there's a really good reason my SIL loves me and hates DH's ex!!! Aside from being a vindictive witch, she's malicious and mean, too.

Okay, I'll tell you the story... There was a girl, long ago, who had a crush on my DH (before he was my DH!) and he really didn't have anything to do with her. Years went by. Eventually he met and married his ex. The ex knew about the crush somehow, or just guessed; the girl was a friend of an in-law. The girl got engaged and then she was dumped. The ex sent a copy of her own wedding invitation to the girl, with a note scrawled on it: "The best girl won."

WHAT???!!! WHY on EARTH would you do ANYTHING so MEAN and ROTTEN???!!! 'Cause she's who she is. That's why. 'Nough said.

And that's a true story. Not part of my immediate life, but once or twice removed. But it does make good reading, I think...

Happy Mom's Day, one day late!!!

I spent Mom's Day at my SIL's. As always, I had a lovely time. To top it off, my own mom got to come, too, and I love it when she can come with me. Family is so very important to me; my first choice of anything to do would be to spend time with my family. My family includes my family, DH's family, our friends - anyone we care about and anyone who holds a special place in my heart. It doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to cost a lot. In fact, DH got me the most beautiful card - but you know what meant the most to me? When I opened it, before I even had a chance to read it, he told me that the "words were special," that he liked what the card said.

Words are important to me. I don't know what you mean, I know what you said. I can't tell you how many times I've said this to someone! Reading. Books. Words. Me. We go together.

To hear DH tell me that the words meant something to him, that they expressed what he wanted to say to me, what he thinks he can't express himself - that was my gift from him. The best gift in the world. He loves me. And I love him. And that rocks!!!

Martha and I, we're like this! (Picture thumb and forefinger, close together!)

Yesterday I called out sick and went to a taping of the Martha Stewart Show. The set was so cool. I could live on that set and be happy - she has a beautiful industrial kitchen, done all in stainless steel, behind closed glass doors and windows. She has a craft corner, all neat and organized and colorful and coordinated. I could be creative there! She has a fake greenhouse with all sorts of leafy green plants and some beautiful flower arrangements scattered throughout the studio... Yes, I could live there. Not a lot of privacy, I'll grant you, but nice? Yes siree, Bob!

The guest was supposed to be Lindsay Lohan, who unfortunately couldn't come to publicize her new movie, Georgia Rule (with Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda). She'd been videotaped snorting a line of cocaine the night before, apparently; perhaps she was a bit busy with the authorities... She was supposed to come to the studio (today) to film her portion of Friday's show.

Which brings me to my 2nd television appearance of all time: Friday, on Martha's show, they'll be airing what we taped yesterday. And I was there, in the audience, clapping and cheering like a Stepford Wife! But I had fun, and that's what counts! I was there with my scrapping group, a great bunch of creative women - so creative that even my pride in my own creativeness (what little there is!) pales before their talent! We had fun. We brought our scrapbooks and got to sit with them opened to our favorite page(s) and the camera scanned past us several time. I was wearing a pink, 3/4 length sleeved, v-necked T-shirt with a sparkly pink pin at the V. Hopefully the 10 pounds the camera adds to Martha (she's much thinner in person than I expected!) will not look like 40 on an already plump me!!!

I went into school this morning to read to the little first graders. I love being hugged by cute little kids who are genuinely happy to see me come in 'cause it means that they get to spend time on the library rug, listening to me read them a book or two. We read two books about Mother's Day, and did a couple of projects - a decorated frame and a Mother's Day coupon promising something nice for Mom. My favorite was from little Michael N - "I promise to never behave!"

What a week at work this is - Monday, work, left 3:30 w/ a ride from Eva; Tuesday, "sick"/Martha; Wednesday, work, leaving 3:30 w/ a ride from Eva; Thursday, out of office, visiting USDC with Estelle; Friday, work (leaving on the 4:17 train at the latest - hair color appointment at 5:45!). This job is going to make me gray! (Oh, wait - you'd never know 'cause I'm getting my roots done Friday!)

I have to say, I'm so happy I have no gray hairs yet. I'm 46 years old. Officially middle-aged, according to Star magazine, who mentioned "middle-aged" actresses Kirstie Alley (56) and Valerie Bertinelli (46) and their Jenny Craig affiliations in a recent article...

I don't feel middle-aged. Except for a bum knee (Oh! I have to call the doctor and make an appointment to have my knee x-rayed!) and a few minor aches and pains, I feel exactly the same as I did 20 years ago, or more! Granted, I have a lot more self-confidence, and I think, except for a few extra pounds, I've done nothing but improve with age. You know when it hits me? When I have to figure out how old my "little" sisters are: 41 going on 42 and 40 going on 41. WOW! THAT'S utterly unbelievable to me! They're my baby sisters! They can't possibly be in their 40s!!! That makes me... hmmm... NO EFFIN' WAY!!!

'nough said...

Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day. I sb'd for 6 straight hours (I couldn't stay for the whole crop) and on Sunday, I couldn't figure out why the fingers on my right hand were so stiff and achy. Dummy! DH had to remind me I scrapped all day on Saturday!

The weather was beautiful outside - sunny and warm - the first real day of summer, even though it's only spring! I could have gotten a wonderful tan, had I not spent the day at my 3' of table space, under flourescent lights, with the a/c blasting! But I had a good time! And I accomplished some things - finished one partial page, finished two pages entirely, and started four other pages.

I'm still suffering from "I-packed-too-much-but-I-still-don't-have-everything-I-need" syndrome! This was better than last time, but I have a way to go to be efficient and prepared!

DH was coaching for Special Olympics on Saturday. He got home at 4:30-ish, much later then he or I thought he'd be home. He took the motorcycle to the lake (along with my helmet, which I forgot to load in the car in the morning). On Sunday, though, it was 43 degrees and neither of us was prepared clothes-wise for a ride in that weather, so I didn't get to ride with him. We went home early, I went to Shop-Rite and then took Mom to AC Moore. DH bought me a few embellishments as a present. (I must have been a good wife lately!)

When I got home, I baked eggplant, made dinner (sausage patties on the George Forman grill with corn on the cob), cut up my cantaloupe and my fresh pineapple. I have the strawberries and the blueberries left to wash and dry, then I'll be ready for my healthy snack week! I'm going to try to stay away from junk food this week entirely, and see how that affects my weight next week - healthy snacks all the time, instead of most of the time, without any fun snacks at all. We'll see if it makes a difference. And I'm going to do my best to get all my water in daily, too; I've been slacking off a bit.

We've been walking; I just have to get into the basement to start on my arms. Still haven't done that! But I will. Maybe even today, before we go to my SIL's house for dessert - um, no - for healthy snacks!!!

Dealing with DH can be stressful. He doesn't know how to deal with stress himself, so he shuts down, stops talking, and pisses me off.

If things don't go the way he thinks they should, if things are temporarily out of his control, if he doesn't get the answer he wants - the little vein on the side of his head starts to throb and his voice gets really quiet and I get pissed.

Two nights ago his friend said something about the construction DH didn't want to hear. Even unnamed friend noticed and called last night to go out to get a snack. We went, and before snacks were served, he asked DH, "So. What happened to upset you last night?" Now we couldn't tell him that he said something DH didn't want to hear, so DH just started blabbing on about how "this one didn't" and "that one wouldn't" and "I thought" and "we should have" and on and on and on and on...

As he talked he calmed down and became more reasonable, he understood that it's not our fault, that things will work out in the long run and that you have to kiss a few frogs - wait, wrong metaphor. But you understand where I'm going with this. He got human again.

When he went to pay for our snacks, unnamed friend asked me what happened. Again, I couldn't tell him he was the one who upset DH, so I just vaguely mentioned he was annoyed by people not doing what he thought they should do when he thought they should do it... So when DH came back to the table, unnamed friend kind of directed the conversation back to what had happened and calmed DH down some more.

Thanks, unnamed friend!

This morning, en route to work, we were even able to discuss the construction situation calmly and rationally even though we were talking about how we didn't get what we thought we were going to get and how I was going to call the architect and, well, demand it anyway.

Keep your fingers crossed for me - I'm not that good at demanding...

It was a bright sunny day. I left work early because in their infinite wisdom, the town requires I pick up my permit applications in person. So I picked up Mom and we left for the lake. I was in the Zoning Office for literally 5 minutes. 5 minutes!! That's how long it took for them to hand me 4 permit applications and mark each one of them up in exactly the same places to show me what I had to fill in and what the contractor had to complete. I am not stupid. I can read. If it says "Homeowner" I have to fill it out. If it says, "Contractor stamp/seal here," the contractor has to complete that part. Duh!

Then we went to QuickChek for lunch - I was starving. Then we went to Target, en route to the dentist. I bought another acrylic stamp set - doodle-style lower case alphabet. Then we went to Dr. M. Chris told me my teeth looked great - clean, very little build up - I'm doing a good job taking care of them. Yay!

I have a story from Sunday... When we got home from the lake, I picked up Mom and we went to Shop Rite. At one point, 3/4 through my shopping, I was near the bakery department. I was pushing my cart slowly behind an older gentleman (and I take that word back later on!!!). He was carrying his basket behind his back, perpendicular to his body. All of a sudden, without warning, he stopped! I tapped the basket. Literally. Not bumped, tapped. I didn't knock him over to the floor, or snap a bone or push him off balance. I directed my cart around him to the left and as I passed him, I looked him in the eye, smiled, and said, "I'm sorry!"

As I got in front of him, I hear him say, "What an idiot!"

I lost it. I turned around and confronted him. "I apologized. What more can I do?"

He said, "You're still an idiot."

So that was it. I replied with, "I'm not as idiotic and rude as you are, thank goodness! At least I didn't stop in the middle of the aisle for no reason!" Then as I walked off, I was muttering under my breath about how some people are so rude...

There was no reason for that. Had I pushed past him without apologizing, and I spoke to him - I didn't just apologetically grimace or nod in his direction. I said the words out loud, to his face, meeting his eyes. "I'm so sorry." What part of an apology don't you get, old man? How rude!!! That literally set me off for the remainder of the afternoon!!!

I'm taking a 1/2 day off from work today to run some errands, not the least of which is picking up permits from the boro for building, plumbing, electric and propane.

Permits which they can't send via the USPS or fax to me. Permits I have to pick up in person. Permits which I can't fill out until I get the memorialization from the upcoming Board meeting (which means I'll have them way earlier than necessary to fill them out). Permits I can't pay for 'cause they don't know how much they will be ("somewhere between $46 and $2000, depending on the work you have done").

It just seems to me that this little batch of bureaucracy could run a bit smoother. Can you say "red tape"?

Mom is going for the ride with me. We have Dr. M. appointments this afternoon, at 5pm and 5:15pm. I just have a cleaning. They're finishing Mom's root canal (we hope!). When we're done, I'll call DH and see if he wants to go out to dinner, rather than cook something which won't be ready for who-knows-how-long 'cause he'll be getting in just as we're leaving the Dr's office. He did take soup out of the freezer last night and we put it in the microwave to defrost. And we left it there. Rats! Completely forgot to put it in the refrigerator!

We went for another 2+-mile walk last night. But this time, we went DOWN the Allwood Road hill, instead of up it! I was much less dead when we got home! We saw a couple of our neighbors going the other way (yes, they were heading uphill!). Tonight is arms in the basement - I've mentioned it too many times to try to get out of it... Double rats!!

Well, 'tis time to work...

I'm cropping this weekend. I'm going to try as hard as I can NOT to overpack, to bring what I need, and only what I need (with just a little bit extra 'cause Lord knows I can't go cold turkey from over-packing!). It's National Scrapbooking Day, and I'm lucky enough to be able to spend the day with my Morris County Scrapbooking MeetUp Group friends. The event runs from 9am through 10pm, but I'll be leaving around 4-ish. DH has a track and field event for Special Olympics so he'll be gone all day. What a nice co-inky-dink!

I am feeling the need for a haircut. I'm going to try to grow my hair into a longer style, perhaps something from slightly less than shoulder length to perhaps shoulder length. It means cuts and trims more often to urge my hair into a semblance of a style, rather than the "blah" that it is. I've been so bored with my hair for so long that I'm so looking forward to this! I hope that my new hairdresser (recommended by my friend E) can do the trick. She sure sounded like she understood when I went there last month... I will be calling today for a haircut, and I hope she can fit me in on Thursday night...

Tomorrow I will be taking a 1/2 day so that I can go up to the lake and pick up the permit applications we need to begin working on the house. I found out yesterday that
(a) they frown on faxing or mailing applications - they really prefer you to have to take a day off from work and go in person,
(b) the permits will cost somewhere between $46 and $2000, depending on the type of work we're doing (HEY, town! We're not putting in a road, for cryin' out loud!!!),
(c) I have to get a permit for building, electrical, plumbing, propane installation (which I absolutely insist on so I can have, at some time in my near future, a gas stove there - I can't even boil water on that electrical stovetop!), and
(d) we have to make a decision about a builder SOON.

We went on a 2.5 mile walk the other day, including going up the Allwood Road hill between Main Avenue and Passaic Avenue (while on my cell phone - this could have contributed to my early demise if the hill was much longer!). While walking we saw another contractor. We took the number. I did make the point that the longer we keep waiting for and getting estimates, the longer it will take to make a decision and the longer it will be before they can start construction. In the ideal world, I'd like to have the shell up and windowed and roofed and Tyvek'd by the end of August... Please, God...

The weather has begun to change. Yesterday it got to 80 degrees, but the wind rushing through the streets of town as I walked to the bus stop and to the school was incredible! It about took my head off! It was a warm wind, but the dust and pollen was blown into your eyes and ears, and every other exposed orifice! It was very uncomfortable, I must say. I had to stop a couple of times to let my eyes tear and clear the dust. And I hadn't taken my allergy medicine, so thank goodness it was more dust than pollen!

We took the motorcycle to my SIL's house last night. I felt a little silly on the way there, in the sun, wearing my light down jacket (it was, after all, April 30!) but on the way home, I was glad I had it zippered up to my chin! The wind was cool, not winter cold, but cool enough for me to appreciate the jacket. I hope DH is listening - we need gas in the motorcycle! We will run out on the next trip. I'm going on record.

Tonight is walk/exercise time. Yuk. But it must be done. I have literally one month to do something with my fat arms. Everyone says I can make a difference in a month, as long as I exercise. (I wonder how long recovery from liposuction takes... hmmm...)

Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day! [NOT!!!]

The first 5 pictures are from my neighbor's house. The DPW said her house was the worst they saw in our town. The next three pictures are from my girlfriend MAR's house, from the flood two weeks ago. Keep in mind there is still water in her basement; it was as high as the first floor at one point! The photo showing her garage door... she sent me one of the inside of her garage, as well. Obviously the water was as high inside as outside, and her basement was filled to the ceiling. I feel so bad for her.

When I woke up this morning, DH asked me if I'd heard the rain and thunder and lightning last night. ?????!!!!!????? I didn't hear a thing! Which is good --- and bad. I guess I could sleep through, well, a flood... I'm almost afraid to go home; we had some water in our basement this morning, but had to leave for work. I wonder what will be there when we get home...

I have to run... it's time to go meet DH at school - I hope he can pick me up; it's still raining!

I have a goal - I must learn how to insert pictures into my blog. Oops, I think I've figured it out... I just saw an icon labeled "Add Image." Ya think?!??

I volunteer (through my employer) at a local elementary school once every other week. I am teamed up with another woman from "employer" and we take turns reading to the 1st grade class assigned to us. I LOVE doing this! I was very nervous about taking it on, but I'd love to continue to do this every year that I'm working here at "employer" and I think I really want to stay with the younger kids. I thought about the "special" classes but I really think (selfishly, I admit) that I thrive on the interest and the feedback I get from these kids who, for the most part, are paying attention to me! I'm not sure the "special kids" would be as involved in the story and that's what I love about this class...

Well, today, for the first time, I FORGOT TO GO. Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!! I realized it at 9:37am, and I was due in at 9:00am. I called. I emailed. I beat myself with a wet noodle. And Ms. G. emailed me back and said she'd be happy to have me come in any other day this week that I'd like to, that the kids really enjoy it and it's okay that I forgot.

NO, IT'S NOT. I promised them. I made a commitment. And I forgot. I hate myself when I do dumb things like this.

I know from whence it came, to butcher that phrase... I was mad at DH today and since I was being incommunicative this morning, we didn't have our usual discussion about "what's on your plate for today?" Which would have sparked a memory. And I wouldn't have forgotten. So it's not really my fault at all, it's his. I feel better.

We passed... The Board approved the variances necessary to begin seriously working on the addition to our lakehouse. YAY! The Board members commented that we lived in a beautiful area of the lake, that it was definitely the right decision to add on rather than try to find something else, that adding on to our mini-ranch would upgrade the neighborhood and our house would then fit in to the neighborhood... Personally I think we fit in a bit better than one other house on our street but it's way less visible than ours so...

My couple days off were fun - I completed my card swap: 12 "love" cards, but I'm not sure I really like them. But at least if I can't finish another batch I have something done. I put together the rack I bought for my embellishments. It's big. Jack's first comment was where are we going to put that? It will find a home wherever there is space, and when I finally have my room done in the addition (Lord knows when that will be!), it will have a home there... Unless I choose another organizing method and I sell the rack...

We went to a party at Nanina's in the Park for little Lenny's confirmation. First of all, "little Lenny" (who will always be "little Lenny" to us!) is not so little - he's 16-1/2 and has his driver's permit, a girlfriend who wears really cute mini-skirts and is over 6' tall - bigger than his dad!!! Wow. Do I feel old today...

The party was wonderful - the food, as usual, was out of this world and included:
marinated artichoke hearts, grilled vegetables (roasted peppers, eggplant, zucchini, anise, asparagus, portobello mushrooms), marinated mushrooms, mozzarella and tomato salad, crackers, cheese, fresh fruit (pineapple, watermelon, honeydew, cantalope), scallops wrapped in bacon, rice balls with tomato sauce, mini Beef Wellingtons, sushi, shrimp and mushrooms on mini toasts, beef marsala, penne with vodka sauce, bowties with Alfredo sauce, sausage and spinach, eggplant rolatini, chicken balsamic with peppers, chicken Cordon-Bleu, a carving station with turkey and chateaubriand, an official confirmation cake, a chocolate fountain (you could dip Oreos, pretzels, hazelnut wafers, fruit), chocolate-covered strawberries, apples and bananas, assorted cookies and Italian pastries, carrot cake squares, brownie squares, zeppolis with honey or powdered sugar, cream puffs with and without chocolate, and even more!! That's just what I remember!!!

When we got home, I went to the bathroom, changed my clothes, and Jack and I went for a walk - maybe 1-1/2 miles or so - around our neighborhood. We were a couple of streets over, on Amsterdam, and some little guy on a bicycle said, "Do you know the W's?" (names concealed to protect the innocent!) They're our next-door neighbors, we replied. "I thought so, I recognized you." And off he went, with legs pumping and head helmet-protected.

When we got back, we stopped next door and told the story. They figured out it must have been Y's friend, who's been over to the house several times.

Either we're very memorable, or it's easy to remember 2 of the very few Catholics in the neighborhood...

Today I have LOADS of phone calls to make, so I'm off to put a second coat of nail polish on my toes (yes, I'm at work!), pick up my breakfast, then start my day...

More soon!

It's going to be quiet for a few days...

I'm taking a 1/2 day from work today, and I'm off tomorrow and Friday. We'll be opening up the lake house for the season. I don't have computer access up there, so I won't be writing or checking emails until Monday, when I return to work.

I'm taking Mom to get her nails done before I leave, and tonight we have our Variance Meeting with the Zoning Board - please keep your fingers and toes crossed! I hope no one has any objections to any of our plans - we won't be blocking anyone's view, we'll be adding to the value of the other homes on the street, and besides, we're nice people! And we need more space in order to retire to this home...

I'll update you next week...

WARNING: Bodily functions will be discussed below. Proceed at your own risk.

Who knew I could blow my nose so darn much?!? And who knew that it would be productive blowing each and every time?!? Each and every five minutes... I'm soooooooooooooo tired of blowing my nose. I should have stock in Boroleum Ointment. It's the only thing keeping the skin from peeling off my nose.

Had a lovely Easter weekend, despite the cold. On Friday, I spent the day cleaning my house, making homemade mashed potatoes and homemade cole slaw. Yum! Two of my specialties, I must admit. Then on Saturday I went for breakfast with Jack, then to the bridal shower. It was fine. Although there's a big difference between young 23/24-year-olds and people of my generation. She was so naive that she didn't know to announce who the gift was from, what it was, or hold it up for people to see it. We were all wondering who gave what to her. She wasn't a very gracious bride-to-be, and I sincerely don't mean that in a malicious way. She just didn't know what to do.

A woman who thinks she used to date my husband was there. This is the 2nd time I've met her. She also attended a funeral that I went to; she's Patty's sister-in-law's best friend, or one of them, anyway.

Check's in the mail, Patty! I overheard my sister-in-law telling this woman (who claims she dated my husband, but he only remembers taking her out once or twice with Patty's sister-in-law, sort of baby-sitting them both, and avoiding her the rest of the time... Patty says she used to come to the house and stalk him and he'd just walk right past her, ignoring her...) - anyway, Patty was telling her that I was so wonderful, so sweet, the best for Jack, so loving, that they all love me... I told her, sure, on a good day, but obviously you haven't seen me on a bad day!!!

Apparently she's a sharer - we all know much more than we really want to about her - I know she's dating a cop from Bensalem, PA, and that she met him on singles.net, or some such website. I know that she's skeeved by replies to her own post that include pictures of guys with their shirts off or their tongues sticking out in an ostensibly sexy pose... And Carrie knows a lot about her personal life, details she didn't ask for but that Vicky shared with her. (I did not ask for examples!) Why would you tell someone you've met once in your life the private details of your love life (or sex life, as the case may be)?

Now, I realize I'm posting all this out in cyberspace for anyone to read and respond to, but I'm not going to be putting that kind of really private information out there. My life is pretty much an open book, but what goes on in the privacy of my own love life is going to stay there, with the exception, perhaps of a comment or two when my husband absolutely drives me up the proverbial wall!!! But that's not private, between-the-two-of-us-stuff...

Anyway, after the shower, I drove home and Jack took me out to dinner and to the movies. He must have been absolutely insane for the entire day; it was too cold to do anything outside and the house was cleaned up for the holiday so there was nothing for him to do, a fate worse than death for my workaholic, Energizer Bunny of a husband! We went and saw The Last Mimzy and I really liked it! The opening and closing sequence didn't particularly add anything to the movie, but in general, it's a good one!

Well, it's 8:56 and I have to skedaddle - I'm already a 1/2 hour into my work day without a bit of work-related productivity to show for it... More another time...

Sucker... Yes, that's what I am. (It would sound better if I could set it to music...)

Had meeting with an insurance salesman on Tuesday night. DH doesn't have to pay any premiums anymore, so what do we do? Instead of saying thank you to the nice man and giving him the bum's rush to the door, we sign me up for a whole life insurance package that we have to pay into for the next 11 years. Could we use the estimated $1200 elsewhere?

You bet your a-s, we could!

But no, we sign me up. Okay, call me a sucker...

Yesterday was my friend's b'day. She turned 29. I turned 29, too.

17 years ago.

In 1989.

Wow.

Today is the WASCP lunch at Houlihan's. I'm leaving somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00; think I should get some work done? Me either. Think I'll blog some more...

I have a cold. An annoying cold. A cold that makes me hear things as if they're under water or behind a foot-and-a-half of thick glass. And today I have a little cough. Now, I don't know if it's the cold coughing, or the Promethazine w/ DM that I took this morning, working. Either way, I have a cold. And I'm miserable. And I have to clean and cook tomorrow, and attend a bridal shower on Saturday. And entertain on Sunday. Yuk. I can do it. I am woman. Hear me roar (cough).

I am also congested at the same time. One half of my nose is breathe-through-able (I like to make up words. But you all know what I meant, right?!?!). The other half feels as if it's been filled with concrete. I blow and blow and nothing comes out. (Oops - I should have made the title of this entry "Warning: Bodily functions will be discussed below. Proceed at your own risk.") It makes me tired and cranky (not enough oxygen to my brain, I'm sure).

Maria called yesterday and asked if my company would like to donate some books to Bingo Night at her school, for door prizes, I presume. So I ordered a sports assortment, a puzzle assortment, a kids' assortment, and a cookbook assortment. Perhaps I'll tie them up with some pretty ribbon or something... We have a thing that helps you tie bows. Maybe I'll use it and make nice bows, instead of pathetic bows.

[I really do tend to jump from topic to topic - I'll have to work on that...]

We were in a little car accident two days ago, on the way home. There I was, riding shotgun, reading the local newsrag to DH when - BOOM! We were rear-ended. Good thing DH was not moving, and had his foot firmly on the brake. And it's also a good thing we were far enough away from the car in front of us that we weren't pushed into it. We put the four-ways on, got out of the Subaru (well, DH did - I thought getting out on the passenger side in the middle of Route 3, near the Meadowlands, might not be the smartest thing to do...), and proceeded to talk to the other drive. She thought it prudent to tell us we had no damage to our car and we should just go our merry ways.

Yeah, right.

We pulled off onto the shoulder and exchanged names/addresses/telephone numbers. DH didn't want her insurance information. (Duh - even if I didn't want to use it, I would have taken it) Then Bad Driver decided she wanted to take a picture of the non-damage on the back end of my Forester with her cute little pink phone.

Great idea! So I went into the car, intending to take out my not-as-cute little navy blue phone, when I remembered: I have my digital camera with me! So I take it, and begin shooting close-ups, wide-angles, auto photos... of her car, my car, her, her with her car, the scenery (for placement on Route 3, should a court hearing ever come to pass...).

Then, I commented to her, "Good thing your child wasn't in the car." She had a child's carseat in the back set of her mondo-SUV (some Ford derivative, I believe). She looked at it, looked at me, and said, "Yea."

That's the end of that. Glad she's not my mother!

Except that there were no sore muscles, no whiplash, no bleeding into the brain - we're all just fine. Thank goodness.

If my head weren't attached...

Tomorrow is my friend Eva's b'day - have I purchased a gift for her yet? No.
Have I known her b'day was fast approaching for, well, a year? Yes.
Will I have time to buy her a present tonight? I sure damn hope so!

We're taking her out to lunch today, me, her boss, and her cubicle neighbor. Should be fun.

The K0fC guy is coming tonight to tell us we've overpaid on one insurance policy and to probably try to sell us another. Hope we can stand strong...

I also have to go bridal-shower-gift-shopping this week. I'm just too darn busy - take a look at my next few days...
04/03/07 - lunch w/ Eva, KofC meeting, SR for more ice cream for WASCP party
04/04/07 - WASCP party
04/05/07 - retirement mtg at work, WASCP instructor lunch at Houlihan's, dentist appt (cancelled and rescheduled)
04/06/07 - prepare all food for Easter dinner, clean house for company for Easter dinner
04/07/07 - drop food to be blessed at kids' house, en route to bridal shower, pick up blessed food from kids' house en route home (it's anybody's guess if I remember to do this!)
04/08/08 - Easter dinner
04/11/07 - variance meeting for addition to lakehouse
04/12/07 - J's b'day - no gifts yet, so somewhere prior to today I have to get him something
04/14/07 - Memories expo (no I didn't miss the 13th - I really have nothing planned for that day - YAY!)

Lunchtime...

Dallas is not for me...

I just came back from a 3-day conference in Dallas, TX. Now there's not anything really wrong with Dallas (or Texas), but I just didn't really like the city too much. Not that I saw very much of it other than the 3 blocks around the Magnolia Hotel, en route to the Convention Center, and the highway back and forth between Dallas and the DFW Airport...

It seemed to me that the sidewalks just rolled themselves up after 6pm every night. Not that I'm a city girl, but I like the idea that I can go and get what I want or need when I want or need it. Here's an example: THE STARBUCKS IN THE MAGNOLIA HOTEL CLOSED AT 6PM.

How is that even possible?????!!!!!?????!!!!!?????

We talked with a few locals, and they told us that there are tons'o'people who live in Dallas' city limits, but only 5000 of them live in downtown Dallas. Apparently, you live in the suburbs of Dallas (Irving, Richardson, etc.), drive in every weekday to go up into your highrise office building, go downstairs into the food court underground in your building's basement for lunch (similar to what's under Rockefeller Center in NYC - which doesn't close at 6pm, by the way!), then leave to go back to your home in the suburbs. You don't stay in the city.

Apparently it's a GREAT city for philanthropic fundraisers - lots of black tie events to collect oil money for good causes, but it's not the kind of city where you go to Burger King on Tuesday night 'cause you don't feel like cooking...

The Magnolia Hotel is GORGEOUS! I had a "cute" room, according to the front desk. Room 616. It had a huge king-sized bed, 3 walk-in closets, a BIG tub/shower combo, and an absolutely immense full kitchen. A full kitchen. A full kitchen bigger than the kitchen I have in my 5-bedroom home in Clifton! With a dishwasher, a full-sized refrigerator, a microwave, a full-sized electric stove and oven, a coffee-pot, blender and toaster, and cutlery, china, and pots and pans. Amazing! And all for the low, low price of $261 a night! (Not in NYC, baby!!!)

I took some pictures - if I could only figure out how to download photos into this blog, I would. I tried some artsy ones - we'll see how they came out when I pick them up from Costco tonight...

I had the brilliant idea to visit a Recollections; there's one 5.5 miles from the hotel, according to the almighty Mapquest. According to the person who answered the phone and admitted she didn't know downtown Dallas very well, it was "much farther than that." So without a car, I didn't go. Rats!

This weekend is a surprise party for SN, then Jack has an all-day Special Olympics event on Sunday. I think I might shop a bit, then scrap a bit, then clean a bit, then cook a bit... I'm big into bits, as you can see...

Who ever thought that booking one measly little haircut, actually, a trim, would be so complicated and would totally affect the schedules of three or four different people?!???

All I wanted to do was get my hair trimmed before I leave for Dallas next Monday. It's like this: my hair can get to be "too long" overnight. That's right. Overnight. Not over the course of two or three weeks, or even two or three days. I can go to bed and all's well with my head, and in the morning? Voila! Too much hair!

So I called to make an appointment with Kristen at the "new" hair place. She was busy until Thursday night. Okay, I can do Thursday night.

NO I CAN'T DO THURSDAY NIGHT. Jack needs my car Thursday night, and I'm just not good enough at a stick shift to take the Subaru through traffic and into that teeny-tiny parking lot. So I call to reschedule.

BUT WAIT! I can't reschedule 'cause on Friday I have the Credit Union dinner right after work, on Saturday I have an all-day crop, on Sunday the salon is closed and on Monday - well, I'll be in Dallas on Monday.

So I'm now going to A WHOLE NEW PERSON AND A WHOLE NEW SALON to get my hair trimmed. Eva's hairdresser Leah is going to do it on Saturday morning, at 9am. Eva says she's great but Eva's haircuts involve a blunt cut bottom. That's it. No layers. No bangs.

Keep your fingers crossed!

So now I had to let Deborah know I'd be late for the crop, and ask her to save me a seat. And my new friend (I really do like her a lot, to say nothing of the fact I adore her little son Harrison!) said she'd be "sad" if we didn't sit together at the crop! Awww... She's great!

I love you, Dad, and miss you with all of my heart!!!

Tonight's dinner was cancelled - depending on who you listen to, we're getting a surprise March snowstorm. Basically, it can be anything from nothing to 17 inches!!! Come on!!! It was 79 degrees at Newark Airport two days ago!!! I'm definitely going to get sick. I just know it.

Back to work, since I'm most likely leaving early with Jack; Maria called to tell me they're letting the kids go home at 1, and the teachers at 2:30. (What's wrong with that picture?!?!) Hopefully that will be enough time for the WASCP parents to pick up their kids and not make Jack (and me!) stay later than everyone else!

Tomorrow is 20 years since Daddy died. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him and miss him. They're right - it gets easier to deal with, but the missing just doesn't go away. I wish he were here - for me, for Mom, for P and C, for J and A. They just don't know what they're missing, not knowing their maternal grandfather. And Dad? He would have been in his element with grandchildren! He would have been that favorite grandparent, the fun one... I can just see A with him now!

I've been married almost 8 years now, and I still can't watch a bride dance with her father at the reception without crying. It could be in person or in a movie - I'm still just a big wuss when I see that. And I get mad. I get mad that I was robbed of that moment. I remember Ivy (from Sher) telling me I can't get "mad" 'cause that's getting mad at God and that's wrong. Wanna bet?!?? I don't love God any less but it really ticks me off that he took Daddy when he did. What can I say? If that makes me a bad Catholic, so be it, but there are people still living long and fulfilling lives, people who are mean, vindictive, malicious - you know who you are! And my dad, a man with a huge heart, an incredible mind, a phenomenal personality - he's dead. Gone. Forever. Yes, that really ticks me off!

On to other topics...

I got a couple of invitations in the mail yesterday. One was an invitation to a bridal shower for Kim (as in Justin and Kim). Their wedding is June 9. Looks like I really have to start exercising and dieting again, BIG TIME, so I can look semi-decent in photos... At least I have an immediate goal. Hope that will be what I need to really stick to WW again. I know it works. It took 20 pounds off me. But I've gained some back, and I MUST START AGAIN. I MUST STICK TO IT AGAIN. I WILL START AGAIN. I WILL SUCCEED AGAIN. I AM SUCCEEDING.

I also got an invite to Stan's surprise 50th. I'd really like to go, just for the surprise part, and the wish him well part. We don't have to stay for the entire thing; we don't know anyone there but the Stan and Cheryl and I think they'll be a bit busy... Somehow I don't think we'll be going, though...

Dinner tomorrow at Villa Amalfi in Cliffside Park with the Hoboken School Employees Federal Credit Union. What can I wear? What can I wear? Hmmm. Black pants... Dressy top... I know! I'll wear the same thing I've worn to all the dinners!! Well, that was easy...

Mom's new bed was delivered yesterday. She says she slept well in it. I'm glad.

Saturday, March 24, is my all day crop. I can't wait! I printed out some pix from C's trip to Punta Cana, and I'll make her a page, perhaps for Mother's Day or her b'day... or just for nothin'!!! I'll work on my card swap, too - 12 "love" cards. Hope they come out respectably okay...

Well - I'm at work. Guess I have to do some. Work, that is...

I think I'm sick...

A couple of days ago I spent the entire day sneezing, chasing after my runny nose and my runny eyes - basically I felt pretty miserable. Yesterday I felt much better, so good in fact, that I was able to attend my Scrapping MeetUp. Got up this morning - the first thing Jack said to me was, "Do you feel okay?" Guess I didn't look so good! And I've been dizzy since I woke up. Not dizzy-spell dizzy, but light-headed, really bad if I close my eyes... I had a good b'fast (multi-grain bread with peanut butter and raisins, for iron); it didn't help. I went and got a slice of multi-cheese pizza and some salad with delicious, calorie-laden bleu cheese dressing. I feel a bit less dizzy, but I'm not walkin' crosstown this afternoon, that's for sure! I'm cold, I'm hot, I'm cold, I'm hot... YUK!

We had a tag swap last night - I have to remember next time that I can make the tags larger. I made a small size; it came out okay. I signed up for a card swap for May. Thank goodness there's enough time 'til then. Think I'll work on them at the all-day crop in two weeks... Have to remember to bring home some fibers, etc., from the lake this weekend...

Next Friday is the Credit Union dinner. I wanted to do some shopping pre-dinner for some clothes, but it's period-week and I'll be bloated. So I think I'll take a day off the week after and try to spend a whole day shopping. I asked Eva if she wanted to come... She said she might...

So, it's been a while since I wrote about my life. I spent some time online last week Googling high school friends and acquaintances. Here's what some of them are doing:

• Liver transplant specialist
• Breast cancer specialist/with clinical trials in progress, and also specializing in sarcomas
• CEO of high-tech aeronautics company, former CEO of production company that produced a Broadway play
• Doctor - hemotology, internal medicine, oncology
• Chiropractors
• Publishing account executives

I was pretty impressed! Especially by the fact that the ones who have proven themselves to be so successful - well, they weren't all rocket scientists in high school! Some of them? Yes, they were real smart. Others, not so - or should I say, not apparently so...
I'm excited - I might be able to visit P this summer! It sounds like we might be having our next set of sales meetings in San Francisco. If we do, I'm taking a few days after to fly to a state in the SW. She asked me the other day if I had any ideas as to what I might want to do while I was there, but I really don't - she can work, I'll stay home and watch TV, take the dogs for a walk (one at a time, thank you very much!), and generally just veg!
I was in Mom's attic the other day, cleaning out some of my old things - letters, books, etc. I found some old letters from Barb B., a former friend/roomie. I always prided myself on my memory. I could remember everything, actual conversations, the clothes I was wearing, etc. FORGET IT! I was reading about people I don't even remember! Ex. Grayson & Jimmy. WHO??? I had no clue. Then, after straining my brain, I remembered: the people with the ferret that Donna lived with for a while! It hurt, but the brain came through!!! I cannot believe that I couldn't remember such memorable people!!! But I didn't!!!
I just called Stan to wish him a Happy B'day, three days early, since I thought he might take some time off next week. Apparently not. He couldn't talk; he was real busy. Said he'd call back. We'll see.

Lent - a reason to keep some resolutions rather than deny myself something...

I've decided to give up cursing - my language is atrocious and needs massive improvement!
I've decided to do better at WW - I've been tracking my points better, and will continue to do so.
I've decided to exercise - still a hurdle, but I'm going to try my best. (I just hate it so much!)

So, Kevin came home, maybe not hale and hearty, but certainly better than when he went into the hospital. He's had a stress test since then - I'll have to find out how he did. Thank goodness he's better. According to the doctors (he updated us when we visited with him earlier this month!), this was 20 years in the making. And it could have been "the big one!" Thank you, God, for this wake-up call!

We primed Mom's bedroom - she's got a new bed being delivered early next month. I think she's decided on lavender with white trim for the walls. I want her to fix up her house. I'll get on over there soon and clean up some stuff for her... I really need to get into her attic, too, and go through all the "stuff" of mine that's accumulated there over the years...

C is in Puntacana with T. Happy vacation to her! The kids are home alone, which really makes me insane, but I'm not their mom and have been told that in no uncertain terms! The fun part? T's kids aren't home alone...

Tonight is a big Board meeting in town. They'll be introducing the two finalists for the position of superintendent. I'll pick up sandwiches for Jack and me so we can eat something before the meeting.

P's house was broken into last week. I can't imagine the feeling of violation, of seeing my things touched and disturbed. The theft was bad enough, but to have to live with knowing some stranger was in my home, touching my things... It would drive me bonkers! It's times like these that I wish P lived closer, but I know she's happy out there.

We're scheduled for a variance hearing before the town on April 11, then we can finally begin to make some decisions about the addition to the lake house. Now Jack is looking for cheaper and less permanent storage in the spare room. We'll see...

Kevin is okay, and he's supposed to come home today. He had an angioplasty yesterday (I believe) and they put a stent in him. He had a 90% blockage near his heart. This could have been "the big one." It's really woken him to the fact that he (a) HAS to quit smoking, (b) has to eat well, (c) has to exercise, and (d) HAS to take care of himself.

And it's woken me to the same facts, minus the smoking one... I MUST STICK TO WW. I MUST NOT CHEAT A LOT. I MUST EXERCISE. I WILL EXERCISE. I NEED HELP TO EXERCISE.

Last week was so productive - at work and at home (at least over the weekend). I will be as productive this weekend at home (if we don't go to the lake), and I'm going to try to be as productive at work for the rest of the week. I've done okay, but just not as well as last week...

A had had her braces removed! Apparently I'm allowed to know, but not allowed to acknowledge, according to C.

Had lunch with Eva today. She had a bit of an argument with her mom last night. I feel so badly for her. She is trying so hard to eat healthy, exercise when she can... She just doesn't get support from her family; she only gets criticism. Her sister seems to be supportive, as much as little sisters can be, and Eva doesn't have a problem with Paul, but the rest of them? I wouldn't give you a plug nickel for 'em! It really makes me appreciate my family, even on their worst day!!!

WE HAVE A NEW CAR!

We bought a 1998 Subaru Forester, white (yes, I still hate white cars, but what are ya gonna do?!), manual, AWD, $3700, 98K miles... and yesterday I went for my first lesson in driving a stick shift...

Well, I didn't break the car. And I didn't break my marriage. A wonderfully accomplished day, if you ask me! I thought I did remarkably well considering that although I'm not a clutz and have never broken a bone, I don't really think of myself as all that coordinated a human being... I realize it's all timing and coordination, but I really think part of my biggest problem is not associating "downshifting" with increasing your speed going up a hill. Innately I feel you "give it more gas" in order to "give it more power." It just doesn't seem to work that way with a manual transmission. Of course, it could all be in the translation - maybe I just don't understand Jack's instructions/explanations... It could have been filmed for a movie - how cliche - I'm at a stop sign at a traffic light in the Meadowlands (near Medieval Times, for any of you who know the area) and although there's turn on red there, I'm behind the wheel of a car with a stick shift, so the automatic (pardon the pun!) "look three ways and proceed" just wasn't happenin'! I was in a mild panic 'cause there was a car behind me, but Jack told me to take my time and turn when I was ready. So I was talking myself through it when all of a sudden, Mr. Rude Driver in the silver sedan behind me blew his horn. Well, I stalled. Three times. And each time I stalled, it bucked, and I got flushed, and cranky, and sweaty... AND THEN, WHEN I FINALLY TURNED THE CORNER, HE WENT STRAIGHT AHEAD!!! Whoever you are - you suck!!!

But I'm sure with a little practice and a lot of praying, I'll be able to drive a manual transmission and Jack and I will still be the happy-newlywed-couple-even-after-7.5-years that we are today!
I worked hard this weekend, even though I believe with all my heart that weekends are for goofing off! When you work all week and are almost never home in the evenings, weekends just have to include some housecleaning and other boring chores. Although I didn't squeeze in any scrapbooking, here's my weekend in a nutshell:
Saturday 1/27 -
* up at 6:30am, in the car at 7:00am, en route to the DMV to register my white non-rental Forester, even though we found out the DMV opens at 8:00am on Saturday
* at Panera's for coffee and a bagel by 8:45am (thanks, DMV, for being so efficient and easy this time!!! For NJ residents, bet you never thought I'd ever write anything like that!!!) - Panera's is Jack's new favorite b'fast place (along with our local Atlanta Bread Company)
* home by 10:15am and back in the car at 11:10am to go to the lakehouse to check for frozen pipes - it was COLD this past Saturday - 0 degrees in the house according to our weather barometer thingee on the island and 23 degrees outside - we poured some more anti-freeze in the pipes, crossed our fingers, and left for Wal-mart
* 12:00noon - shopping at Wal-Mart - bought a pair of jeans that claims they will make me look thinner - we'll see
* home by around 4:30pm, ate dinner normal time, then showered and left to see Tommy's band, 50 Amp Fuse, play in between Alternative Groove sets at the Exchange on Main Street in Rockaway - their band is great, but I think their singer isn't as good as their musicians are - we had a great time, though!
* home at 1:15am - tuckered out
Sunday, 1/28 -
* 7:00am - up for Mass at 8:00am
* 8:00am - Mass
* 9:00am - breakfast at Atlanta Bread Company
* 10:30am - home with the TV on - took down Christmas tree (don't worry - it was a fake one!) - now that Mom's home and we had our belated Christmas dinner/party, the decorations (sans my Santa collection) can come down without tears! AND I WORKED MY A-S OFF (well, if only it was that easy!) - It's all down except for a candle in the main bathroom, a sled-and-only-three-tiny-reindeer in the stairway, and the clingy gel "Merry Christmas" words on the kitchen window - it all just has to get carried upstairs... Jack...
* 11:30pm - lights out, to bed

Tonight we're picking up Mrs. D. to take her to see KD in the hospital - apparently he suffered an infarction of some sort on Saturday morning - he's got a blockage. They're transferring him from St. Clare's in Dover to Morristown General (Memorial?) today so we're going to see him tonight - be well, KD! We worry about you! (See what happens after about a year of eating better, exercising, and cutting down substantially on his smoking?! To say nothing of his seeing a lady we have yet to meet...)

Okay - 'tis actually work time, so I'm off to be as productive as I was last week...

I need to retire...

I spend a bit of time daily looking at my favorite blogs - correction - I USED to spend a bit of time daily looking at my favorite blogs - NOW I can only pop on by a time or two a week... I miss all those scrapping bloggers! I need more hours in a day, or less work to do in a day, so that I can apply myself to more fun in a day...

Mom is home! Hip! Hip! Hooray! I picked her up at Newark's Penn Station last night at around 5pm. I sat in the Amtrak Luggage Office with a few very nice men - thanks to the Amtrak guys for keeping me company 'til Mom's train came in! I had fun!

After we dropped her luggage at home, we went to IHOP for dinner, and C, J, and A came, too. Jack was at a Special Olympics dinner in Jersey City. Mom got home around 8pm and I went home and plopped down in front of the TV to watch Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Men in Trees. I like Thursdays!

We have a three day weekend - I will be minimally creative since I have a lot of my tools and other scrapping stuff at home, but I will try to make some more cards, covers for my new planners (wonder if I can make a transferable cover that can go from month to month... hmmm... must put on my thinking cap...), and perhaps a page or two. Or perhaps I will remember my camera and I can learn to use it. Maybe I'll see some interesting photos to take and print and scrap...

I have a doctor's appt on Monday at 4:15 (gyno annual) - will talk with Dr. K. about the spotting these past two months (we'll see if it happens again this month...) - perhaps he'll suggest another pelvic ultrasound? And I need a prescription/referral for my annual mammogram.

P and C and I are going to try to create a reading list for the next 12 months that includes 12 books we really want to read, excluding my usual monthly release type reading... I started and have already added Kite Runner, Knowledge for Generations, and Reading Lolita in Tehran to my list. I'm going to try to pick some stuff I wouldn't normally read... step out of the box, so to speak...

Eva wants to talk with me about a career decision she has to make - I wonder what that's all about. More when I talk with her...

Eva got a new car. Finally. With help from mom & dad. Finally. 'Nough said.

I asked Jack to help me be a better person. I'm quick with the sarcastic comment or the biting response, and it's not the best character trait I have... My wonderful husband said I already was a nice person (without a hint or any prompting from me!) but I truly want to be a more compassionate and more generous and more loving person. I will try.

Okay, on with my story...

FHP year was great. Having skipped senior year in high school, I was only 16-1/2 when I started college. And a young 16-1/2 at that. I came from a very protected home - looking back at it, it was such a wonderful gift that my parents gave me. We didn't have a lot - Dad worked the night shift 'cause of the 10% differential, Mom made most of our clothing when we were younger, she was a stay-at-home mom 'til C was in high school - if I had had children of my own, I would have been so proud and happy to be 1/2 the mom mine was. And my dad? Does "perfect" describe him? Yes. He was so smart, and loving, and caring, and sacrificing...

I think Mom and Dad each deserve their own part in my story, so I'll save more on each for later...

As a FHP, I was part of a rather unique group of kids - they were SMART. Smart and weird. Most of them felt compelled to be "different" - to act differently, to dress differently, to draw attention to themselves by being what others easily considered "weird." There was Klaus, who wore his hair long and scraggly and dirty, and wore a long woolen coat even in May... There was Elizabeth (?) who walked around with unshaven legs and underarms, wearing long flowy skirts and John Lennon glasses, with her flute in hand... There was RichS (whose first and last names were always used, like they were actually one word) who, looking back at him, so obviously acted a bit strange to be the center of attention... As an adult, he was less strange and weird than he was unsure of his own worth, but that didn't help in 1977... There was Rhonda Y., my accordian-playing, felon-dating first-semester roommate...

Then there were the Wesley students we all interacted with on a daily basis - Drew R. (an older man who became a good friend of mine - 26, in college on the G.I. bill - whose "What I Did over Summer Vacation" report was entitled "How I got V.D. in Greece."), Dana P. (basketball player and extremely nice guy), Nancy M. (my ex-second-semester roommate), Buddy N. (my freshman year crush - he was from Kenilworth), and many more...

I remember the Amish coming in their buggies to the little deli on the other side of campus, near Williams and Gooding Halls. I remember the guys in Williams putting a sign out when the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crashed and Ronnie Van Zant died. I remember snowball fights between those two dorms. I remember meeting Chris the first time on the steps of Carpenter Hall, on the way back home from breakfast the day before Thanksgiving, when he made a joke about the donuts I had for breakfast. I remember the guys from Budd Hall lifting Buddy's car (a Celica) out of the snowbank so he could go get food. I remember the campus being quarantined due to the Russian Flu - I WAS SO VERY SICK THAT WEEK. I can barely remember EVER being THAT sick EVER. I remember hanging out in the College Center lounge, with Chris, until all hours of the night. I remember the girls who had crushes on him - Ginger, Lorna. I remember a party at Drew's room, with microdots (I left when I found out they were drugged with LSD). I remember being in the boys' bathroom with Jeff F., helping him get ready for the Halloween party. I remember driving home in Sue L.'s little VW bug, with Drew. I remember Sue and Melissa L. rooming together next door in Carpenter Hall. I remember them dressing up for Halloween. I remember Nancy's birthday party. I remember mystery meat and scrapple and spam. I remember the salad bars in the cafeteria at Wesley College.

I remember.

It's 2007 - I went to my Weight Watcher's Meeting last night and the topic was resolution vs. lifestyle. Resolutions have a beginning and an end, and lifestyles are forever. What a great way to look at it. WW is an easy change, at least for me - the plan was easy to begin and who wouldn't like a diet where you can eat anything you want, as long as you honestly account for the points! I'm at 21 pounds and still going... (To be honest, I made it to 23+ but have had a bit of a slip up recently... I hit one of those plateaus the leaders are always talking about... I'm hoping it's over since last night the scales showed a .8 lb loss - after the holidays and two weeks of not weighing in!!!)

I have treadmilled every day since the new year began (yes, I know, that's only two days!- but that's two days more than last year!). I'd like to do it at least 4 days a week and when my endurance and breathing and strength has improved, I want to add a bit of weight training and exercise ball toning to my plan. And it will be easy - I have my own personal trainer - my sister-in-law does that for a living! We've already discussed some exercises that I can add in but that was months ago, when it briefly crossed my mind... I'll meet with her again to create a plan when I really decide to add it into my daily program...

Santa came and his imminent visit was the impetus I needed to clean my house. It looks so nice and festive and the holidays will last until at least Martin Luther King Day this year - my mom isn't due home from Arizona until the 11th and I'd like to do a family dinner the following weekend to welcome her home... Of course, since this is the place I can be honest (after all, who's reading this but me!), you can't go into Maria's room or into the computer room (formerly known as Johnny's room) without a helmet on - all the stuff I cleaned out of the rest of the house is hidden behind those two closed doors! That is part of my New Year's resolutions - no - lifestyle changes - to clean and keep my house clean.

My friend Chris has this habit of missing my b'day by one day every year - he either calls or emails or snail mails the day before or the day after - this year I must have been really good 'cause he emailed me, and then sent me a card, too! Thanks, Chris!

Well, this was much ado about nothing, to quote Bill and imply a Seinfeld connection... perhaps my next entry will be a bit more in keeping with the story of me and mine...

Thank you to my one and only commenter! Glad to hear someone's reading this! And that I haven't bored you to death! I'm so busy I don't really get a chance to write very often (obviously!), but I hope you'll check in from time to time to catch up!

I got a Christmas card yesterday from Chris' parents. Mrs. T. invited Jack and me to visit next June or Thanksgiving, and mentioned that our holiday card (the first where I included a photo of the two of us) is hanging on their fridge, with "the rest of the family." I've met these people a handful of times in my life, but they are so very important to me. I always write "miss you" in the Christmas cards I send them, and it's true.

Chris is an integral part of my life, a friend I first met in November of FHP year, but who became my "BFF" on January 30, 1978. We began to spend time together - not time, TIME. We were together for hours on end, hanging in the College Center, just talking, just being with each other (when he wasn't with Lorna!). He is a smart, kind, thoughtful, considerate, funny man, and I'm proud to call him my friend.

There was a time I thought he might be more than a friend, but distance can sure put a whammy on that! On one of my visits, he got drunk and we made out on the front porch of the house where the party was being held. Looking back, that was strange! Fun, but strange! He was Chris, after all. Even though I thought I wanted that to happen, I was nervous. Then we went back to Tim's house and we "slept" together - literally. He passed out in the bed (drinking can do that to you!) and when he rolled over and his arm landed across my upper body, I froze. And that was the end of sleep for me! The first time I ever "slept" with a man, and I was SOOO nervous! And all we did was sleep!

Then he met his wife and they are happy. I can see it when I see them together. I visited them in 1992, while  P and I were driving cross-country. I think "D" (Chris' wife) was a bit uncomfortable with my visit, but when she came this past October with Chris and their three boys, I truly felt as though that was gone. It was so nice to see him so happy with her. Their sons are TERRIFIC and C & D deserve kudos for being GREAT parents!

So... back to Chris... We spent all of second semester/freshman year together. When school was over, he wrote me a note and instructed me to read it when I got home. I cried all the way him from Delaware, sure that I would never see him again. ("Why are you crying? He's not crying 'cause he's not going to see you..." Thanks, Mom!!) His note (if only I could find that autograph book! Hopefully it's in Mom's attic.) said something along the lines of being my friend forever. It's 28 years later, and we still are!

He followed the harvest for a summer, and we wrote back and forth. It's funny, but I can still go days, weeks, months without thinking of him, then all of a sudden, I'll think of him, and he'll call. He'll pop back into my life with a phone call or a letter. We've always been "connected" that way!

He came to visit two or three years later, while I was in the Park Place apartment, then again for our FHP reunion. That was cool - the rest of the class was amazed that we were sharing a room in Christiana Towers - "you and Chris???!!!" Yup.

In between, my college graduation present from Mom and Dad was a plane ticket to visit Chris in Missouri ("Are you sure you don't want a watch, or something?"). I spent a week or so out there - had a wonderful time! Spent time with Mr. and Mrs. T. Met Gail and her family, Tim and his. Met Grandma Franklin - what a wonderful lady, may she rest in peace.

Then I flew out there for Chris' wedding, spent some time with the family again. One of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me was Mr. T's comment that he wished I was going to be his daughter-in-law. I know they love D, but it was nice to hear how much they loved me, too!

In 1999, Chris and D flew out here for our wedding (at that point, I really didn't speak with her too much, I'm sorry to say), and then this past October, their whole family came to NYC for vacation, and spent a couple of evenings with us. (Thanks, guys!)

Chris is so much a part of my past, and my present, and hopefully we'll stay friends forever. It's the kind of relationship where we email back and forth a few times, every 4-6 months or so, and we talk on the phone maybe once or twice a year. But always, always, we are friends. There's no awkwardness, no lack of things to talk about... We're friends. And that's nice.

I'm proud of the fact that there are a few people in my life that have been there for what seems like forever. People who played different roles in making me who I am today. People who still mean the world to me, and to whom I am eternally grateful for being part in my life.

As promised...

The first night of college was nothing if not exciting! There was a hurricane warning so they advised students to go into the basement of whatever building you were in. I was in the College Center, having just finished eating dinner with a dorm neighbor, Sue L. (first names and initials only, to protect the innocent and not-s0!). The basement was crowded and there was really no room for us, so John P. (I remember a big football type body and white, white teeth!) suggested we sit on the floor under the pool table. And we did.

Now, at 45, almost 46, it's incomprehensible to me that I actually sat under a pool table with a stranger, and talked animatedly with a guy holding a cue stick who, every few minutes or so, stuck his head down to see if Sue and I were still okay! We stayed there about 45 minutes to an hour, then people started leaving, so we did as well. Back to the dorms (Carpenter Hall, on the Wesley College campus in Dover, Delaware), to get ready for bed and the beginning of my college career.

The Freshman Honors Program at the University of Delaware was only a couple of years old at the time; we might even have been the second class or so. (It's a long, long time ago, and I can't still remember... an awkward reference to a popular song...) The Program was housed on the Wesley College campus, although we were University of Delaware students. Wesley College, at the time, was known for its nursing program and its football team, not necessarily in that order! Imagine a class of 130 or so geeks, on their own for the first time in their short lives, on a campus surrounded by macho football players... It's a story waiting to happen.

And stories did - happen, that is. Here are a few highlights (lowlights?):

1. At least one attempted suicide (that I know of)
2. More drinking and drugging (not me, ever) than I've ever thought about, let alone witnessed
3. Parties, with and without microdots, costumes, and beer
4. Four days of class, and one "free day," Friday, for visits to main campus in Newark, DE, via the FHP shuttle
5. Although not my first experience with cutting classes, my first experience with not being scared to do it - after all, I was "in college," an adult, responsible for myself (not really, check out my grades that first year!)
6. Chris
7. Chris, and
8. Chris.

Can you tell that Chris was an important part of my freshman year? And guess what?! He's still an important part of my life, even now, 28 years later!!!

But enough for now - he warrants his own entry... more later...

More about me...

It was a big decision, to leave high school and go to college at 16-1/2 years of age, and I was a young 16-1/2. My parents were very old-fashioned and protective, and although I never had a problem with that (even then), I can truly appreciate the wonderful upbringing I had and I'll be forever grateful to them.

I took the PSATs and the SATs on schedule, and after my SAT scores arrived (don't even ask me now wha they were, but they were good), the college brochures started to arrive. I can clearly remember receiving flyers from Case Western Reserve University, Lehigh Valley University, Washington University,...

I had never even considered the University of Delaware but one day I had a meeting with my high school guidance counselor, Mrs. Betty Zoehller. One of the routine questions was, "Have you heard from any colleges? Which ones?" So I started reciting the list. I sort of threw the UD Freshman Honors Program in there, in conversation. It wasn't something I ever would have considered, but Mrs. Z. jumped on it! "The UD FHP doesn't ask just anyone to be in that program! You have to respond to that!"

So I did. I was asked to come down for and interview, and so we went, Mom, Dad and me. I interviewed with Stephen Skopik, the biology professor. I remember him asking me what made me think I was good enough for the University of Delaware, and I remember replying, "I don't know that I am, but I'm here to see if the University of Delaware is good enough for me! They're the ones who sent me the brochure!" I can remember trembling as I said it; even then that was pretty aggressive for me! I could just feel my mom grimacing behind me... Dr. S. just chuckled and went on with the interview. We toured the campus - I remember seeing Hullihen Hall, Memorial Hall, the Morris Library, the Green. We have a great picture of Dad in his shorts and a white T-shirt, standing on the steps of Hullihen Hall with his hands up in the air like he was being arrested - there was a security guard behind him locking the doors!

I joined the FHP and became a FHP!

I started keeping a diary on August 16, 1977 - two weeks before FHP, the day Elvis Presley died. I can remember it like it was yesterday.

The next time I make an entry, I'll tell you about my first night on the Wesley College campus...