Blog Clog And How Blogging Changes after 50

Every night when my head hits the pillow, I think about moments from my day that I'd like to record for "someday" when my organic memory is gone. There will come a time when I'll need to read about my days in order to enjoy those meaningful pauses in my life again. And maybe my grandchildren would enjoy the details, too.

But I hit a blogging snag a couple of years ago and just can't get past it.

I've fallen, and I can't get up.

It's a blog clog.

Every day, I start composing posts in my thoughts such as:

Once upon a time, there was a pregnant woman who had nowhere to go

and no one who cared about her and her twins, so we took her into our home.

Or

I'm in the long, tender process of saying goodbye to my parents.

Or

My child has had a child. I am a grandmother. 

Or

Once upon a time, I had three children whom I mothered ... adequately.

Then they grew up and moved away. I miss their voices and faces so much

that it's hard to look at pictures of our family from those years. 

But I don't get past those initial thoughts. 

These are BIG topics to tackle, and emotions wash in and out like ocean waves. Some waves are gentle, some are scary, melancholy, or bubbly (like the pic on the left)--delightful. 

Forward and backward, forward and backward, one recedes, comes another. The waves always bring in little treasures and take away little treasures. Sometimes I raise my head to the horizon, but I always feel the waves lapping at my ankles and shins, reminding me that everything is changing right under me. I can feel it. 

So I'm going to write about the little treasures that flow in and flow out. Maybe if I narrow things down, I can approach them and put them down for someday. 

But today, all I can do is write generally about the flow and change. Sometimes I'm just speechless. And that is when there is nothing to do but let the waves wash over me. 

What a Way to Welcome Someone Back!

I am completely overwhelmed by your loving, generous comments to my post yesterday! I can't even wrap my mind around the warmth from you all.

I would say that I'm speechless in response, but you who know me also know that would be a lie, so I'll just go ahead and jump into some words like a kid swinging over a pond on a summer day and letting go. Not that I ever did that. That would be way too scary for me (and my mom) to have ever considered doing, but I always liked watching people do it on TV.

Anyway, as I sat here basking in your comments, I'm sure Jorge could see, from across the room, the silvery sparkle-twinkle of your love for me in my starry, starry eyes. But just as I typed the first letters of this very paragraph, my little dog made an editorial comment of the stinky kind in my laundry room. Now that will bring a person back to Earth right quick. But that's OK. I'm resigned to and content with my life, where I fight the battle of the [pet] bowels with paper towel and disinfectant on a daily basis.

But for one brief moment ... I WAS Sally Field.

This was also my first day back to work after having a week off before the wedding. Lots of people welcomed me back and asked how the wedding went, and while I was very happy to talk about it, every time somebody asked, I was keenly aware that he/she had not been invited, and I felt a little sheepish. But here's the thing--it wasn't my idea to limit the guests. It was the bride's and groom's idea. They wanted a small wedding, just a few friends, family and God, and that's what we did. Still, I felt guilty.

I consoled myself by telling myself that the people who inquired were probably happy to merely hear about the event and not be obliged to give a gift or sit through the ceremony.

By the way, the whole ceremony only lasted 28 minutes. I know this because somebody timed it and told us. ??

I don't get it, either.

So after a full day yesterday of counting and counting and counting white rented table cloths and coming up short, and after scraping candle wax off of the borrowed cake plates, and after throwing away box after box emptied of contents ranging from candles to lemon drops wrapped in tulle (also pictured here), I went back to work today to begin the busiest week of our year.

This is the big community service blitz week, cleverly entitled, "Serve."

I was bone tired, but I had to hit the ground running.

As I walked through the empty chapel today going about my business, though, I was surprised to see much of the florist's decorations still at the front of the room. And in the middle of the platform on the floor was a bud vase with two Gold Strike roses (pictured here) in them from the wedding. Do you think that made my heart break a little? Yes, yes it did. I took the vase to my desk and placed it on the ledge. Still beautiful, like my memories of the day.

The happy couple are on their way to California as I write this, Mendocino, to be exact. I received a text from Katie earlier today: "Attn: Parents. We are about to board our flight." I didn't ask her to do that, but it was sweet.

So that was my wonderful "welcome back" to blogging, to work and to days no longer filled with anxious thoughts about "what I need to do as soon as I get home ...."

I'm switching gears, but I'm not doing it so smoothly yet.

And now, there is another distraction as I write this. I do not have any idea how this happened, but somehow, sitting here, I cut the knuckle on my right thumb, and I've been wrapping it up in tissues the whole time I've writing this. You should see the typos I have edited. It will not stop bleeding, so I must stop now.

Gee, that's sad when the only way to end your own babbling is by unstoppable bleeding.

Ok, Universe (meaning battle of the bowels and bleeding) I get the message. Time to stop!

PS: Wouldn't "Gold Strike Rose" be a great name for a racehorse? Dave Barry hears names of rock bands in weird word combos; I hear racehorse names. That is all.

Still on Vacay, But Look! Something Nice Happened to Me Today

Melanie at See My Mom Run was brave enough to publish my thoughts on running on her sweet blog. I'm still on vacation, so I can't go on and on here about how much I enjoy Melanie on Facebook and in her blog writing, but she is exceptional; you should check her out. And now I have to get off of here or Jorge will send me a menacing "why are you blogging while we're on our 2nd honeymoon" look.

By the way, having a great time. Planning on returning to home to Indiana when I have a grandchild to see, which could be a while. Daughter #1 says that is fine with her as long as we keep paying the mortgage. That stinker.

Friday's Fave Five: Zoe Gets a New Bed and Toy--Giveaway!

Go see Susanne at Living to Tell the Storyfor the complete list!

1. The new toy. The princess bed fell apart, so we had to get another bed. This one came with a squeaky toy, so you can imagine the elation. But just in case you can't, there is a 30 second silent video of her playing with it that cracks me up. In her frenzy she throws it up onto the sofa where my daughters are lounging, reading and doing homework. I don't know what all the blue circles are on the video, unless they're her little angelic auras floating around her.







2. Starbuck's Cinnamon Dolce Syrup. My friend told me how to make an Apple Spice drink with this, and I am in heaven. This is the face of someone hopped up on Cinnamon Dolce.

3. Facebook. I'm still reconnecting with old high school friends, and it's a lot of fun. I "trained" my blog to jump right over and post on FB every time I post here. If you're on and we're not friends yet, friend me! Oh, yes, and Jorge finally jumped on board the book of faces, too. He is a loose cannon. Our kids are shaking in their boots.

4. Apron Giveaway! This is the first action shot I've ever taken of myself. Niiiice. Anyway, a friend at church makes these adorable aprons and donates the proceeds to a goodwill venture in Kazakhstan, where I have traveled twice. I'm giving this one away because it's so darn cute with its coffee theme and all! How can you win? Tune in Monday!












5. Song parody of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." I know it's not really a funny topic. I know that disease is really nothing to laugh at. And I'm a little concerned for my college student regarding H1N1. But I am a sucker for song parodies, and this is pretty cute and clever. It starts slow and goes on about three minutes too long, but my favorite line is "Don't blame me; I'm your little buddy." You might enjoy a couple of minutes of it, or your kids might. Or you might never come back here.

At any rate, go see Susanne, have a great weekend, and come back Monday to see how to win the apron!

Blogging Can Bring Fame, Honor and Adulation. Or Roosters.

I've never met most co-bloggers, but there are a couple I've been privileged to know from way back in the day.

Take Jenny at Jenny Wren's Nest for instance. She was part of a Bible study which met years ago at my church. I was in a weird place in life, depressed but not recognizing that fact yet, searching, frustrated, discontent, not really wanting to connect with other women but wanting something ... spiritual, I guess.

So I figured a "safe" Bible study would be one called, "Our Jewish Roots." After all, that sounded impersonal and simple--just what I was looking for.

On the first day, once it got started, I quickly found out I was in the wrong place with the wrong people. This was "WOMEN'S MINISTRY." [Groan.]

But God intended for me to be there, and I grew to love the group of women who attended, and Jenny was one of them. All along, they were the right people.

Anyway, Jenny is a fairly new blogger, still working out the kinks of balancing blogging and mothering and privacy and technical issues. This week she came into my office to say hello and handed me the above picture.

It seems that her husband had torn it from a magazine and said, "Here is Linda Crow, pouring a 2nd Cup of Coffee." And we both had a good laugh at that.

So, you know, sometimes bloggers are the recipients of fame and golden opportunities, like Deuce on The Today Show, or BooMama at the Dove Awards, but I, I bring out the homespun Heartland adulation: Rooster pages ripped from farming magazines. I love it!

Link Up for the Random Dozen

Feel free to copy and paste the questions, post your answers, then come back here and link up so that we can come visit you. Hopefully, no one will die this week, preventing me from visiting you.

I have to tell you that question #11 was written in honor of my friend Linda at Mocha with Linda who told me a celeb look-alike story once that I have never forgotten.

It's just a little story but one of those that when someone tells you, you fall off your chair laughing like you're drunk because it just strikes you as so stinkin' funny. I don't even know why it's so funny to me. I am SURE it will not be as funny to you as it was to me, but all I can say is, it has never failed to crack me up whenever I think of it, which I try not to do often because my boss frowns on my falling off the chair at work.

Here is an excerpt from the post wherein I respond to the story, February, 2008:

Favorite comment of the week:

Regarding my post called Old Happens, which speaks to the natural phenomenon of thighs sliding down our legs and other aging atrocities, one commenter said, "I don't know why, but when I was in high school, my mother told me that I looked like Ted Koppel."

Well, dear Reader, I don't believe a satisfactory explanation exists for this kind of crazed attack, except that maybe it was the day your mom's menopause kicked in AND she got a bad haircut AND an eviction notice AND the McDonald's employee messed up her drive though order AGAIN.

Still. There had to be more frustration than that to inspire that kind of remark.

So maybe you then made a smart-alecky high schooler remark which proved to be your mom's tipping point, so she glanced around the room desperately looking for some way to unleash her exasperation, and Nightline just happened to be on, and so she yelled to you, "And YOU ... why, you look just like ... Ted Koppel!"

Oh, dear Reader, I am as sure that you do not look like Ted Koppel as I am of the inexplicable two pound weight gain that greets me every morning on the scale.

No one looks like Ted Koppel except for Hermie the Elf. [You aren't Hermie, are you?]









And so my "Dear Reader" and Co-Lid Linda knows exactly how to get me every time in a comment--she brings up the Ted Koppel incident.

And I am defenseless.

OK, the questions: [I'm answering tomorrow.]

1. Tell me the absolute best way to watch a movie.
2. Do you ever think about your own funeral? If so, do you have specific ideas about how you would like it to be?
3. Are you more of a giver or a taker?
4. Vacations: planned activities and schedules, or play it by ear?
5. What is one often overlooked item in your home that needs to be cleaned regularly?
6. Name a cause that means a lot to you.
7. Do you eat a regular old peanut butter jelly sandwich, or do you customize it? And by the way, jelly or no jelly?
8. If we were having a conversation in person, how would I know if you were nervous?
9. Do you have an elaborate bedtime routine, or just the basics of tooth brushing and jammies?
10. Have you ever regretted something you wrote on your blog?
11. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a famous person or celebrity? Did you agree?
12. If you were going to dedicate a song to a loved one or friend, what would the song be and to whom would it be dedicated?

What Creating the Meme Taught Me

Two Wednesdays ago, I posted my very first own meme consisting of 12 random questions. Honestly, I did it because I didn't have anything else to post that first day, and I had always wanted to try one.

I have to say I am receiving a huge kick out of most people's answers. It is great fun, like hosting a party where you don't have to clean your house before and after the party. Just straight socializing! Woo!

Last week, a site called "Sunday Stealing" picked up my meme, which I was happy about, and from there, several other people participated. I tried to make the rounds to visit everyone who replied, but I didn't make it to all.

I have to tell you, I was surprised by some of the Sunday Stealing people's answers. Let's just say I quickly realized that I usually blog within an insulated little world of nice moms. Newsflash: not everyone out there is a nice mom.

What I couldn't figure out is the number of people who seemed to resent the meme! It was like someone forced them to participate. Very strange.

So instead of feeling happy, I left some sites feeling like I had been jostled about on a crowded city bus. I mean, on a city bus, people don't mean to be evil, but they're just not happy to be on the bus, and they normally don't want to chat; they just want to get where they're going and get off the bus. I felt like people were answering the questions when they really just wanted to get off the bus.

Question: Why would anyone participate in a meme he/she didn't like?

I do want to say thank you for being you, even if you didn't do the memes. I appreciate each and everyone of you who read here and occasionally comment. Thank you for being nice and polite and everything. Your moms would be proud.

Other things creating the meme taught me:

1. I like questions that require a little thought and creativity.
2. Some people don't like the thoughtful questions. They want to do shorter ones, the "either/or" ones, like: "Lysol or 409?" So from now on, I'll mix thought-provoking with easy, I guess.
3. I don't mind if people don't answer every single question, no big deal at all. But I am put off when they they get weird and say, "How the h*** would I know???" (I want to reply, "Duh. It's YOUR head we're talking about here. Squeeze your eyes real tight and form a thought," but I don't say that, of course.)
4. Every time I answer someone else's meme, I will remember that the creator may see my answers. I will never be a grouchy, insulting bus rider. I'll either be civil or get off the bus.
5. Once you start coming up with questions, new ones come to you all during the week. You feel obsessed with creating fun questions.
6. I am genuinely interested in reading people I have never met. For some reason, I want to know whether or not they like Twitter and Twilight. Notice I didn't say whether they're "into" Twitter or Twilight. I got called out on that twice.
7. People can take any innocent phrase and make it ... risque. Who knew that "hoist your sails," as in "make you enthusiastic or interested," was a euphemism for a male anatomical event?
8. Lots of people are "into" erotica.
9. Lots of people are "into" vampires.
10. I thought most women changed handbags (or purses, depending on your region) with outfits. I was wrong, at least in my small sampling.
11. I thought most people would answer that they are people-oriented rather than task-oriented, but I was wrong. Maybe that's because to be a faithful blogger, you've got to appreciate finishing something regularly, which means exercising focus and dedication. Just a theory.
12. I never knew that the Bob Evans restaurant chain is a regional thing; I thought it was as well known as Wendy's or Steak-N-Shake.
13. Lots of people like pumpkin spiced drinks.
14. When I asked about leaving a theater before a movie was over, I anticipated that people would respond that they didn't like a movie or were embarrassed or afraid, but most said it was because they got physically sick, except one said she left to go to the car to make out with the boyfriend. :)
15. Most people are wonderful.
16. Some need to get off the bus.

Whew. Now I feel better.

Weekend Update: Embarrassing T-Shirts, Julie & Julia

Good Last Day of August to you.

I hope you had an enjoyable weekend.

Saturday morning I went to my 2nd-ever cross country meet which I found out is abbreviated by all the cool people as "XC."

My daughter has just started "XC" this year, after giving up many years of dance. So since our son never participated in this sport, I'm still learning so much about it.

Like, there is no regular, obvious way to follow them because, well, it's cross country, not cross asphalt. So they run around cornfields and into woods and around schools and through crowds of screaming parents at various points en route to the "chute" which is not a slide as in "Chutes and Ladders" at all, but the finish lane.

And, all parents of all teams at invitationals wear T-shirts with pithy, sassy sayings on the backs of them, like, and I quote:

XC Parents Need:
No bleachers or chairs, only comfortable shoes.
No announcers, only coaches screaming out splits.
No shelter from rain or shine, only a poncho or umbrella.
No popcorn or hotdogs, only a snack in our pocket.
No cheerleaders or mascots, only a loud voice.
No time outs, only a straight 5k.
And, at the end of the chute, all we need are our runners.

Yes, Jorge and I actually wore shirts with this manifesto on Saturday and will be expected to wear them every Saturday through October. Not to mention that I ordered a size too big for myself, so I'm wearing a frump shirt with all that wise-crackin' talk on the back. I would like to amend mine to say:

Some XC parents need:
Lawn chairs, because we are older than you young parents in skinny jeans, not that we're bitter.
To know what the "split" is that the coach is screaming out. Some of us thought those were things you did in cheerleading.
Shelter because rain makes us cranky.
More than a "snack in our pocket" which should instead say "pockets" because there isn't one giant universal parent pocket, but that's nit picking.
Also, I would like a hot dog, thank you.

I do appreciate that there are not time-outs, though. Time outs are torture, as I remember from our son's sports.

Once again, my intrepid daughter was thrilled that she did not come in last place and that she beat her own time by a few seconds. I always knew she was awesome, and now she has proven it to the universe. She is awesome and very cute, but she doesn't like for me to say those things, so let's just pretend I told you, "My kid is totally average in every respect. More accurately, she is merely one teenager in a nebulous cloud of teenagers."

Saturday night, I went with three friends to see "Julie and Julia," which was a great little entertaining movie, even though, as you know, I cannot cook. J & J contains both funny and sweet moments, but it wouldn't be "Lid the Prude" talking about the movie unless I mentioned that there were also a few bad words and overly sexy scenes in an otherwise pleasant little diversion. I'm sorry, but you just don't need the images of sex and Julia Child within five minutes of each other in any context.

However, Bloggers, this is a movie about blogging among other themes, and I think you will enjoy it. From the time Julie creates her blog to getting her first comments to getting bigger recognition, you will relate and/or fantasize. When tension grows between her husband her because of blogging, you will relate. When she worries about not having a post for her readers, you'll understand her anxiety. When she realizes the narcissistic nature of blogging, you will recognize that truth once again and laugh.

My friends often leaned forward in their seats to see my reactions to the blogging parts of the movie, and I'm sure the row behind us behind us wondered what I must have done to inspire this group action.

This is the first time I've seen blogging featured in a movie. It made me think a lot about why I do this and why you do this and how long it will last for all of us.

Here's a good article on Julie Powell and how her blog "The Julie and Julia Project" inadvertently made her famous, and since I didn't give a true plot synopsis, here is the trailer:



Have a great Monday! Bon appetit!

Cleanin' up the Fish Flakes and First Day of School

Loose ends--who can stand 'em?

Blister yesterday: sorry for the photo. I realize some of you read your blogs early in the a.m., and my blister was a bit too much for you with the delicate early morning stomachs. But it was all I had to post. Seriously. Maybe it's time to consider hiatus when all you have to post is a giant bubbly blister. Anyway, I did a "surgical procedure" on it and ran yesterday afternoon. I'm like a legendary Olympian or something, staying focused, strong, and pushing through the pain. Of a toe blister.

Re-decorating the boss's office: I did not use real paint, although some of you were sweet to worry. I am not crazy. My boss is a man who notices when his paper clips have been moved on his desk, so throwing a Jolly Rancher wrapper on his floor might have pushed him over the edge, let alone painting a wall. By the way--that green? That's the real color of the walls. Our office is wild on color. The wall directly behind me is orange.

Hate Mail: Turns out it wasn't a joke but written as a response from a local person to my newspaper column. I spoke with him personally about it, and he still hates me, but I did try to apologize for being so hate-able, which apparently made me all the more hate-able. Shrug. It's out of my hands now. But you were lovely to surround me like a pack of elephants protecting one from a lion. Some of you elephants had fangs! I felt the love.

What else?

Oh yes, the Sweetness drove herself to school for the first time yesterday; that's why she's holding keys in these pics. She had a pretty good day and didn't starve before lunch like she thought she would, which was her main concern. The apple didn't fall far ....



Despite school starting, I'm dragging out summer as long as I can by enjoying this as often as possible:



And by using Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen 4 as body lotion. I know it's weird. I know that. But I just want to smell the coconuts, to make the summer linger upon my skin where a tan does not.

How are you making summer last?

The Bachelorette and the Subject of Hugs

Excuse the kitschy clip art. I'm feelin' a bit emotional right now, sniff.

Remember this song by Pete Seeger:

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Well, not to whine, but I'm hearing:

Where have all the readers gone?
Long time passing
Maybe out frolicking on their lawns
When will they ever return?

Dude, I don't know about you, but I'm hearing echoes around 2nd Cup. Oh well. That's never stopped me before. I just keep on keepin' on. So if you're a little lonely in the comments section, too, let us just have a big ol' group hug. OK, that's over.


Speaking of hugs.

Question: Why on "The Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" and "Wife Swap" do women run up to the guy and straddle jump him? Once you've seen this about 100 times, and I would think once you've greeted him that way 100 times, it kind of loses its spontaneous, flirty aspect. Thank goodness they're all size 2's, too.


I just wonder if those guys start thinking, "Ohhhh, here she comes! Get ready ... get set ... here she comes ... plant my feet and ... WOMP!" "I made it! I'm still standing!" It's like WWF hugging. You'd think they were returning from war or something. It's the new nonverbal cliche: the jump-hug.


I'm thinking the technique probably takes practice.

It just happens that Jorge is traveling on business this week. Perhaps I should practice up the jump hug on the walnut tree in the back yard for when he returns.


Uh, No!
Not serious!
JK, Jorge!

So what did you think of The Bachelorette finale?

Did Reid's return surprise you? I'm glad she didn't choose him. He looks like he's about 16.

And didn't ya just love the "bleep" Jillian gave us before Ed turned up? Hi-Klass.

It's kind of ironic that the Cymbalta commercial came on right after Jillian spent 15 minutes of air time crying. Heck yeah, "Depression hurts." So does reality TV.

And did you notice that Jillian awkwardly jump-hugged Ed during at her proposal? That's hard to do in a formal. But it wouldn't be The Bachelorette without the jump-hug. Good grief.

As The Bradys Taught Us, "When It's Time to Change, You've Got to Rearrange."

It was time. The cappuccino machine was great, but I couldn't take the dark colors one more day. I still have that template in case I ever want to resurrect the machine, but this feels like I've opened the top of my imaginary Hollywood convertible and let the sun kiss my face and wind tousle my ... bangs? Now that's happiness.

Besides, I've always wanted to change with the seasons, and now I'll be able to easily. And originality? Perhaps overrated. So what if other people have this design? It makes me happy. Floral print, high heel, red nails, Hollywood wave happy.

OK, so the clip art is not classy.

Hello, McFly, have you noticed the content of this blog? Not so classy. Maybe klassy on a good day.

So I'd like to hand a big thank you to Chelsea of Aqua Poppies for this design. She is obviously classy.

And now I leave you with two awesome things.


1. My contribution to Internet Cafe today, where it appears as though I have merely repeated my newspaper column, but upon further inspection you will see near the end of the column that there is a picture and note I could not publish in the column which adds quite a little punch to the whole thing. Thus I dared to call it "awesome."

2. The Bradys singing, "When It's Time to Change." This will be in your head all day once you listen. You're welcome.

Weekend Update (Copyscape, Star Trek, Mice, and Australia)

For those of you born after 1976, that's Jane Curtin doing SNL's "Weekend Update." Just looking at her fake intense-but-pleasant anchor stare cracks me up.

So on with my weekend update, although it would be better if I had a co-anchor to banter with. Any volunteers for bantering?



Copyscaping. I've noticed a big to-do recently over plagiarism. It seems several of my blogging friends' posts have been "compromised."

("Compromised" because this weekend I saw the Star Trek movie, so I'm feeling rather ... unemotional, logical and highly intelligent. Great movie, btw. One finally worth the ticket price.)

I would like to note that I did check my blog at the Copyscape site to see if my writing has been ripped off. (There goes the intelligent talk. Smartness by Spock immersion is a short-lived phenomenon, apparently.)

And now, the shocking revelation to that query: Nope.

I should be happy, right?

I should be happy that no one thought my writing clever or witty or informative enough to steal. They're like, "What a mess. I could do better." And so they're off to steal yours.

Therefore, I do not have the headaches that those of you being plagiarized must bear. The moral of this post is:

Sometimes it's better to be Adam West than Val Kilmer.
Better to be Peter Scolari than Tom Hanks.
Better to be George Costanza than George Clooney.
Rhoda Morgenstern than Mary Richards.

Here's to all the "B" people--no one's stealin' our stuff, and we don't have to dodge the paparazzi. It's good to be average. Yeah, not great or anything, just ... sorta OK.

This joker has moved into a house on campus with three other guys this summer. Do not panic; they are all good, solid characters. It is the first summer he has not moved home.

I asked him what he was going to do about sleeping because he wouldn't have his dorm bed, and he said, "Somebody gave me a mattress."

Ugh.

All the mothers out there say, "Ugh."

(Collective "Ugh.")

So I said, "What about a frame and box springs?"

He said, "I'm just going to put the mattress on the floor."

Oh my.

Jorge said for me to look at this as Jordan's summer of camping in a house. I think that's a helpful perspective.

So last night was his first night in the house. We called him today to see how things are going, and he said, "There are mice in this house."

Not good. The boy doesn't even like centipedes, let alone mice.

So he is having a whole new life experience.

How much do you want to bet that mattress gets moved off the floor tonight?!

This one made it to Australia and is living it up. Here is an excerpt from her email:

Right now it's 4:08 p.m. here and we've just returned from our first full day of sightseeing--we took a tour of the Sydney Opera House and then walked around an area called The Rocks (don't worry, it's not a "bad" place as the name might make it seem.)

This cracks me up because she is totally cutting me off at the pass on worrying.

The hostel is really nice and clean, and we've already been to a seafood barbecue that was on the rooftop last night--fresh shrimp, salmon, and calamari! It was SO GOOD. I also tried Vegemite this morning at breakfast on my toast, and it was the most awful thing I've ever tasted. It's super salty and vinegar-y and disgusting, although it looks like Nutella.

From her comment and all the comments made on this blog about Vegemite, I believe it's safe to say it's in the proverbial "acquired taste" category.

So that's the weekend update. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

PS: Still waiting on Amy.
PPS: Drinking 80 oz of water a day (4 20oz bottles). Yes, you read that right.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Questions About Blogging

I just saw that I have written 1,076 posts on this blog.

I guess you could say I love words.

In elementary school, when we would have free time inside instead of outdoor recess due to rain or snow (a good possibility from October to April, btw) I would head to the back of the classroom where my teacher kept stacks of brownish recycled paper with the solid and broken lines on a fly-infested cement windowsill. I would grab a couple of pages and begin writing a novella at my desk while the spiritless peons around me "played," oblivious to the creative genius in two pony tails just rows away.

Apparently, I still love to write because it's difficult for me to skip a day here. I would probably just keep on writing and writing right now, even if you clicked away and didn't come back for five years. If you came back in 2014, I'd probably be blogging about 30 x 5, Phase 72 and how I keep watching American Idol despite it being the worst season ever.

So here's a stolen meme about blogging. Trying to find its source of origin would have led me down a path of links that I'd still be on in 2014, so I'm just plain ol' stealing it.

1. What is your blog about?

Good question! Every bit of advice I read about successful blogging includes the admonition to make your blog about something. "Find a unifying theme." "Be an expert or at least an aficionado." This is also the main problem when I talk to editors about publishing a book. They like what I write, but I don't have a snazzy theme, like, "Teenagers. Aren't They a Hoot."

But my blogging style reminds me of a dog on walk; I'm distracted by every different smell, sight and sound along the path. And off the path. So much is amusing!

I see something on TV or in World Magazine and think, "I've got to blog about that," or my kids say something funky or I have a day when my finger gets caught in the wheel of the paper cutter at work and I break the toilet there as well, and I think, "Yep, that's a post." It's all good. No, literally--it's all good!

2. What will you never write about?

• Something that someone asks me not to write about
• Details about my job, which often kills me because that is one rich topic; believe me.
  
• Details about my marriage
  

3. Have you ever considered quitting blogging?

Yes, when I feel overwhelmed with the pressure to post daily or comment as much as I'd like elsewhere. I just don't have enough time. And time seems to be speeding up exponentially. It's a little freaky.

4. What would you do instead?

I used to write long hand, especially when I went through depression, page after page. Then I started keeping an online journal, just a Word doc. It's possible that if I didn't spend so much time blogging I might submit for publication more. It's also possible that I would be the queen of crosswords because I LOVE solving them almost as much as I do writing.

If you took all writing possibilities out of the equation ... I would ... breed Yorkies? At that point, I would become divorced because Jorge would not even consider that option. So maybe he should buy me a laptop.

5. What do you think blogging will be like in 5 years?

In five years, I'll be 51, which seems unbelievable. I doubt I'll have a grandchild by then, but we'll still have American Idol, so I'm set. I sure hope LOST is resolved by then. Or do I?

6. What is the most extraordinary thing that happened to you because of blogging?

Extraordinary? As in "extra-ordinary?" Hmmm. I've joked about Clinton Kelly emailing me, but that's about the only odd thing that has happened as a direct result of blogging. It has been a little strange and fun to meet people for the first time who tell me they read my blog because someone else introduced them to it.

One time a friend with whom I'd been acquainted years ago but hadn't spoken with in recent years told me that she read my blog regularly and then saw me in the grocery store but was too star-struck to say hello. Totally cracked me up.

It has also been wonderful and "extraordinary" to meet you! Isn't it amazing the friendships that can emerge from just the written word? BTW, happy birthday, Diane.

7. Did you write a blog post or comment you later regretted?

Yes, and I did delete the post. I think it was inflammatory, and I'm not about that. You all know I'm not afraid to have an opinion, but when I first started blogging, I went off on an issue in an un-loving way, and that I regret. But now I'm more growed-up 'n stuff.

8. Pet peeves?

• Music that automatically loads with a blog and scares me to death because my speaker is up.

• Really, really long posts (like this one, Lid?) without paragraph breaks.

• Constantly mixing font styles and sizes within a post. Have mercy.

• Centering posts.

• Preachiness, sermonizing

• "Reaching" too far to make a spiritual point. Sometimes a cookie is just a cookie, a coincidence a coincidence. In my opinion.

• Too much sappy praise for the husband. A little goes a long way because we probably don't think he is the sexiest man in the world, but we're glad you do. Plus, when you're struggling in your marriage and people go on like that, it's painful. It's like bragging about how rich you are to the impoverished or something.

#1 Pet Peeve: Anonymous negative comments. Do that here, and you're toast. Wow-was that un-loving?

End on a happy note:

I love:

• Posts written by missionaries and teachers.

• Posts about teenagers.

• Humorous posts. My favorite post ever is probably Big Mama's Like the Sopranos, But Without the Violence. It is one of the funniest things I've ever read in my life. When I linked to it here, I started reading it again and laughed out loud. It's so funny, but at the same time, it's poignant and loving. It's a blogging masterpiece, if-t you askt met.

I agree with William Davis (no clue who he is, actually) who said, “The kind of humor I like is the thing that makes me laugh for five seconds and then think for ten minutes.”

*********

30 x 5 Update: Elliptical for 30; said no to Sugar Cream Pie, our state pie. But caved in for a piece of pineapple upside-down. Sigh.

Yesterday, All My Troubles Seemed So ... In My Face

Monday.

Wake up to cacophony of Jorge the Jabanero ironing his clothes on the other side of the wall. "Must be beating pants on heated rocks" = first lucid thoughts.

Coffee.

Look outside.

Snowing.

Want to cry.

Get ready for work.

Straighten hair.

Same length since January.

Why can't I grow hair.

Get to work, much to do before 10:00 staff meeting.

Much to do after 10:00 staff meeting.

No time to eat lunch or snack.

Starving.

Arrive home to find ants taking over kitchen.

Freak out.

Considering eating ants 1) for revenge and spite 2) to mollify hunger

Clean up ants.

Zoe watches, mesmerized.

Heat bowl of oatmeal, put pork loin roast in oven.

Walk through house to bedroom, see pile of poop on family room rug.

Clean up poop.

Zoe watches, mesmerized.

Zoe goes in cage. "Grounded."

Leave for 15 minute drive to school.

Pick up Kristin.

Unexpected sidecar occupant. Take another child home.

Drop off Kristin at our house.

Go to Wowmart. Because I hate myself.

Wowmart = lines.

Lines.

Lines.

It is Monday afternoon, for crying out loud.

Lines.

Peruse magazines while in line. Hate Gladiator shoes. Hate the big floral print "maxi dresses" that are apparently in.

Hate lines.

Home again.

Put away groceries.

Finish dinner.

Begin cooking for a meal tomorrow night at Alpha meeting.

Check blog comments.

Miss people. Sad.

Fear that people will resent that I did not come by to check on them.

Will write apology post about not coming by to check on them.

They will forgive.

Get on elliptical at insanely late hour.

Write draft for Internet Cafe.

Write draft for newspaper article.

Check blog comments.

Miss people. Sad.

Will write apology post about not coming by to check on them.

Go to bed.


Special message to 30 x 5'ers:

How's it going? If the weekend (and Monday) threw you for a loop, don't despair, and don't give up! Tomorrow will be another day ... and so will the day after that ... And we just have to take it One Day at a Time.

BTW, have you seen Valerie Bertinelli in her bikini? What do you think? What do you think about the way she lost her weight?

Do you think we should all post pictures of ourselves in bikinis on Thursday when we do our posts?!

"Vive La Meme!" (Why Do We Do Memes?)

Recently someone asked me about memes. I told her that this word/concept is apparently an ongoing mystery in Blogdom.

Not only are we not really sure what "meme" means or where it began, but we're not sure how to pronounce it.

For instance, for me, it rhymes with "dream." My good friend Debbie of Like a Rose, however, pronounces it "mee-mee."

As I was talking about this, in mid-sentence, I had a revelation. Or maybe it was more like a memory.

Yes, blogging friends, I actually remembered something! Something useful!

Rewind to 1979. I'm a sophomore in Mrs. Jones's French class, where my French club name was "Lise." I'm sitting there with my winged hair plastered to the sides of my head, when out of the blue, Madame Jones tell us "meme" is the word for "same."

Now hurry up and fast forward to today.

OH, I GET IT!

Memes are conduits of sameness. That is, they're thematic in nature. We're answering the same questions that have no right or wrong answers! The same! La meme!

So maybe we should be saying, "mehm" because that's how you say it a la Frenchy.

After I totally discovered this on my own, I searched the Web, and yes, proved that I am right, even though I did not discover this on my own, per se. I just feel like I did, and that's pretty good.

At The Daily Meme I found these tidbits:

• A meme is: An idea that, like a gene, can replicate and evolve.

• A unit of cultural information that represents a basic idea that can be transferred from one individual to another, and subjected to mutation, crossover and adaptation.

• A cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one generation to another by nongenetic means (as by imitation); "memes are the cultural counterpart of genes".

Well, I'm glad to know my kids can't be classified as memes.

Oh, Whatever. The Internets don't need to be all high and mighty book-smart about the definition of "meme. "

We're just bloggers asking pivotal questions like, "What is the one personal maintenance tool you would take to a desert island?"

Why do we do memes? I think CS Lewis informs us on this topic:

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one."

For very often, in silly memes, we find that we are at least nearly the same in thought as someone else; thus, we make emotional connections.

In these little exercises, then, we reveal an inherent, God-given need for relationship and community. Every day, in a million little and big ways, we reach out to reassure ourselves that while we are individuals with unique perspectives, we are not, thank heaven, alone.

Vive La Meme!

Ultimate Blog Party 2009!

First -- Happy Spring, Everybody!


Don't let this whimsical, carefree greeting fool you; I'm not always so amiable. It's just that I live in Indiana, and we've been waiting to trade in black boots for kicky polka dot or hot pink shoes for so long that I had to give a little shout out to Spring.

So you’re clicking around the Ultimate Blog Party, eh? Congratulations on letting everything else in life slide while you "build community."

You have landed at 2nd Cup of Coffee, a place where I hope you’ll develop a new habit of stopping daily for the extra few moments it would take to sip a 2nd Cup. I try to write as if we’re sitting across the table from each other IRL. Except you can’t see my crazy eyes.

If you riddled this blog with "bullets," topics you would likely find are:

• That Cute Dog up there named Zoe.
• Stories about my kids, like my 16 year-old who racked up 6,000 texts last month.
• Video Blogs called "I See What You're Saying"
  
• My work at a youth ministry, where we doled out 405 sundaes this week
• My current addiction to crosswords, where phrases like "doled out" often appear
  
• Observations made by my husband, "Jorge"
• Obsessions with the latest food faves
  
• Recaps of certain TV shows, including Biggest Loser, Idol, The Office and LOST, the best TV show of all time
• Writing a newspaper column: the trials, the triumphs, the lack of pay
• Amish Heaters, elderly parents and musicals
• Commercials for the Department of ED (Er*ectile Dysfunkshun)
• 70-s music (See playlist below) (I am about 6 or 7 years old in dog years)
• Becoming a "conscientious objector" to the concept of cooking
  

In a nutshell: Married almost 24 years, 3 kids (22, 20, 16), Writer, Blogger, Envelope Stuffer, Friend to all. Also, I'm a contributor to this book which just came out, and I'd like to give one away at the end of this party. I think the book would make a nice little addendum to someone's Mother's Day plans, whatever they are. So if you'd like to be entered, let me know in a comment.

Thanks for stopping by 2nd Cup. Please come back. And thanks to Five Minutes for Mom for sponsoring annual springtime fun. And that reminds me ... it's time to put on my hot pink ballerina flats and snap some pics of spring!

PS: I think we're supposed to list prizes we'd like. Dear Santa:
58 - Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer
Provided by: Moms Who Think
(winner's choice of color, $349.99 retail value )

Who couldn’t use a Target gift card?
19 — $50 gift certificate to Target Stores
Provided by: Shoot-Me-Now
http://www.shoot-me-now.com/

21 — $50 gift certificate to Target Stores
Provided by: Agoosa - Funny Name, Sound Advice
http://agoosa.com/

22 — $50 gift certificate to Target Stores
Provided by: Beginner Baby Blog
http://beginnerbaby.com/blog/?p=100

Say it Forward: Have You Met My Friend Chatty Kelly?

I know. She's purty. This is my friend and often co-conspirator in "discussing" the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies of life that make sitting upright and breathing interesting:
Chatty Kelly.

I don't remember the first comment she ever made here or that I made at her place, but somehow, we connected, and just like Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, "We Go Together." Well, not just like them, but you know what I mean.

Kelly gets, or at least pretends to get, my humor (like my disdain for musicals), and she usually adds a witty comment just to spur me on, I think. For instance, she totally understood my fascination with and laughing-until-I-cried response to the Ken Lee woman, and occasionally refers to this post which highlights my all-time favorite video ever. EVER. Alas, Kelly does not watch LOST, but really, other than that, she's perfect.

Seriously, Kelly is a great encouragement to me. She's a talented, multi-faceted writer/speaker who loves God, so please go visit her today and say hello.

And now, the interview:

Question 1: Salmon or Fruit Roll Ups?? JUST KIDDING!

Real Question 1: One of the things I like best about your writing is your ability to see spiritual applications in everyday moments. What is your thought process when you create those posts? Do you have light bulb moments of inspiration? Do you write with a certain audience in mind?

I really don't live my life for blog entries. However, it seems after a real life occurrence, I will glean a spiritual lesson from it, something that makes me go "Wow!" I just naturally want to share the "wow" with someone else, and the blog is the perfect place to do it. Sometimes it resonates with my readers and they go "wow" too. (Faith & Mustard Seeds.) Other times, I realize that while it was big for me (Does God Get Mad?) maybe it is just where I am in my life journey, and not so wow for everyone else.

Question 2: Are you a doodler? If so, what is the usual doodle-picture that you draw?

For some reason I always doodle a daisy. It's always in the corners of the page. I also color in all the letters with spaces when listening to a lecture with a handout. I doodle big time.

Question 3: So, we met at She Speaks last June and even sat by each other. Tell me your first impression of me, and then I’ll tell you mine of you!

I was already reading your blog when I met you at She Speaks. My very first thought when I saw you was "She's wearing the white pants!" I remember you seemed nervous about meeting with the book publisher the first day when we talked. The next day after you had completed your publisher meetings you seemed much more relaxed and friendly. And I thought you were a snazzy dresser. Since I have a gift for putting my foot in my mouth, I tried to listen more and talk less at She Speaks. (Isn't that ironic, that at She Speaks, Chatty Kelly was trying not to.)

Linda: And my first impression of you was that 1) You were pretty 2) You were quiet 3) You reminded me of a friend back home.

Question 4: What’s on your screen saver?

My screen saver is just the blank black screen. It's peaceful.

Question 5: Salmon or fruit roll ups?

Both! Just not at the same time.

Question 6: Tell us about the book!

"Christmas Miracles" is a compilation book edited by Cecil Murphey (90 Minutes in Heaven) & Marley Gibson. It's being published in Oct 2009 by St Martins Press, and you will find my short story "My Christmas Wish" therein. I am also currently writing two devotional books, but writing and getting published are two different things, so I'll share about those if and when the time is right.

Question 7: Favorite scripture is?

The thing I love about scripture is that it is alive and different verses speak to me at different times in my life. However, the verses in Philippians 4:4-7 seem to speak to the way I want to live my life, always rejoicing in the Lord, and with a heart of thankfulness in all things. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Linda: Uh, so I guess I should not have been anxious about wearing white pants and meeting the publishers at She Speaks. Oh well.

Thanks, Kelly, and always remember, "Ken Lee, Tu Libu Dibu Douchou."

Everyone: Please go say "Hi!" to Kelly!