My head is about to explode.
I have been inundated with an avalanche of niggling little problems so far this year that have added up to a lot of stress. I don't deal well with stress anyway; I get headaches and neck aches and want to cry all the time. So it goes.
We started a project back in September--hardwood flooring in our living room, hallway, office and dining room. We ordered the wood and were told that it would not get in until December. Surprise! It arrived in October. We planned on starting the project by ripping out the old flooring in the living room at the end of the month. That plan went awry when I had to go to Utah for a couple of weeks because my mom was dying. When I returned, we opened boxes--and guess what, the trims didn't match the flooring. Back we went to the store. We ordered new trims. They didn't match either. Then the salesman told us we could have the trims custom-matched! Why didn't he tell us that in the first place?
Those finally came in around the 4th of January. We ripped out the living room floor and began. Funny, though: the boards in the boxes of flooring were only about 1-3 feet long, with the majority about 2 feet. What's the deal? I asked at the store. The salesman looked it up, and oh, this is the norm for this flooring. I had originally been told that it was as long as 6 feet. So we are negotiating what to do with the store. Grr!
My house is a chaotic mess due to having ripped out the living-room floor. This makes me feel antsy.
Last week, my bedroom TV died. It started smelling as though it was burning up. I unplugged it, and, indeed, my husband pronounced the end of its life and threw it in the garbage. We've had it since my mother-in-law sold her house in 1989; it was made in 1982. I felt like we should have a funeral for it! I miss it. I want a new one.
I have an article due at the end of the month. I have not been having much success getting interviews with the people I need to talk to. Aaaargh!
One of my co-workers lost her job for not making sales goals--a wonderful woman with whom I have worked for nine years. She did nothing wrong! Things are totally stressful at work. I have had my schedule changed and I am working a lot more, just when I need some time off. Who's next?
My back has been hurting since early November.
I am worried about my kids. And I am going to have to pay the full out-of-state tuition for my daughter, who did not do well last semester and will not get her loan this one. She is trying to establish residency and this is not going well.
Someone hit our fairly new car in the church parking lot on Sunday. It's not badly damaged, but this will probably mean that the fender and bumper will not perfectly match the rest of the car. I hate that.
I had an upsetting phone call with my dad on Sunday night. Though it was not my fault and I did nothing wrong, I feel my dad is mad at me. I am still coming to grips with my mother's death.
I need to make doctors' appointments for a mammogram, my sinuses, a physical, and with my surgeon for a follow-up. I also need to find a new opthalmologist and see the dentist.
We got a new computer and being relatively tech-illiterate, I am having a hard time transitioning between the old one and the new one. (Yes, this stresses me out!)
Yesterday I took a cashmere sweater from the dry-cleaning wrapping and put it on, to discover a hole in the left arm.
But, as a wise friend says, nobody's sick or in jail. Guess I should be grateful, huh?
Gosh, this year has got to get better, right? Calgon, take me away!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Let it Snow!
(Imagine the Peanuts "Snowfall" piano piece tinkling in the background as you read this blog. Sorry I'm too tech-ignorant to put it on here.)
Wow, as I write this, it is snowing like mad outside. Generally, we don't get a lot of snow here in the DC area, but I've got more than a foot on my deck table, and it's still coming down hard. The newscasters are calling this one of the three biggest snowfalls in the history of DC!
Tha last one was a week of storms early in January, 1996. The kids and my husband were off school and work for over a week. Yep, they shut down the government when there's more than a half-inch of the white stuff.
It gets much icier here than in Utah, and because of the humidity, it feels much colder too. I simply will not ski here in the mid-Atlantic because it is so uncomfortable. I vastly prefer the ideal conditions of Alta and Solitude!
The downside is that we had to postpone the arrival of our youngest daughter. We did not want her to be stranded in a strange place, alone, as she was last year. So she comes in on Monday morning.
Maybe we can make a snowman! I am not, however, looking forward to shoveling the driveway.
Take that, Global Warming enthusiasts!
Wow, as I write this, it is snowing like mad outside. Generally, we don't get a lot of snow here in the DC area, but I've got more than a foot on my deck table, and it's still coming down hard. The newscasters are calling this one of the three biggest snowfalls in the history of DC!
Tha last one was a week of storms early in January, 1996. The kids and my husband were off school and work for over a week. Yep, they shut down the government when there's more than a half-inch of the white stuff.
It gets much icier here than in Utah, and because of the humidity, it feels much colder too. I simply will not ski here in the mid-Atlantic because it is so uncomfortable. I vastly prefer the ideal conditions of Alta and Solitude!
The downside is that we had to postpone the arrival of our youngest daughter. We did not want her to be stranded in a strange place, alone, as she was last year. So she comes in on Monday morning.
Maybe we can make a snowman! I am not, however, looking forward to shoveling the driveway.
Take that, Global Warming enthusiasts!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Christmas Run-Up
I love Christmas. I really do. I try to plan ahead so things are not too stressful (this is not especially effective), and I enjoy looking for presents all year 'round. All my kids (three I birthed and two I got as in-laws) will be home, and I want to make it fun and joyous and cozy for them.
I am working my way through several recipes (some multiple times!) and sharing with my co-workers and my dad, and nibbling a few myself. Well, more than a few, but I'm trying to be more mindful of my eating. We have a Continental breakfast on Christmas; I make pizzelles and my mother's cinnamon twists.
We sleep in now that our children are adults--which is just fine by me. When I was a kid I got up at the crack of dawn and sneaked downstairs for a look at the haul. Then I got my sister and we looked together, then tried to go back to bed until a more civilized hour, but we couldn't sleep. Eventually my parents got up and my dad filmed us "waking up" and "discovering" our gifts under the tree. He always panned around the room to get the whole display.
The run-up to Christmas is more fun than the actual day for me. I don't particularly care about getting any gifts myself (which frustrates my husband, who loves having lots of presents under the tree). I like to prepare the meals and the pies and the cookies and candies, and watch Christmas movies. And every other year or so, we have a huge party, the highlight of which is a White Elephant gift exchange. I had planned to have one this year, but my mother's passing has taken a bit of the stuffing out of me, and I got very far behind because I was away for three weeks. And my kids lament that they cannot be here for the party--they loved it when we had them when they were young. Next year, I hope!
I am grateful for my Savior and the miracle that was His birth. I am so glad that our Heavenly Father provided for a way we can repent of our sins, and the example of His Son, who came into this world in the humblest of circumstances. When I compare the ease and comfort and conveniences of my life compared to his, I feel very blessed. I am grateful that I could live in this day and age, despite the wars and problems. I try to let the peace begin with me, and as I get older and learn more, I am becoming more successful.
Merry Christmas, every one!
I am working my way through several recipes (some multiple times!) and sharing with my co-workers and my dad, and nibbling a few myself. Well, more than a few, but I'm trying to be more mindful of my eating. We have a Continental breakfast on Christmas; I make pizzelles and my mother's cinnamon twists.
We sleep in now that our children are adults--which is just fine by me. When I was a kid I got up at the crack of dawn and sneaked downstairs for a look at the haul. Then I got my sister and we looked together, then tried to go back to bed until a more civilized hour, but we couldn't sleep. Eventually my parents got up and my dad filmed us "waking up" and "discovering" our gifts under the tree. He always panned around the room to get the whole display.
The run-up to Christmas is more fun than the actual day for me. I don't particularly care about getting any gifts myself (which frustrates my husband, who loves having lots of presents under the tree). I like to prepare the meals and the pies and the cookies and candies, and watch Christmas movies. And every other year or so, we have a huge party, the highlight of which is a White Elephant gift exchange. I had planned to have one this year, but my mother's passing has taken a bit of the stuffing out of me, and I got very far behind because I was away for three weeks. And my kids lament that they cannot be here for the party--they loved it when we had them when they were young. Next year, I hope!
I am grateful for my Savior and the miracle that was His birth. I am so glad that our Heavenly Father provided for a way we can repent of our sins, and the example of His Son, who came into this world in the humblest of circumstances. When I compare the ease and comfort and conveniences of my life compared to his, I feel very blessed. I am grateful that I could live in this day and age, despite the wars and problems. I try to let the peace begin with me, and as I get older and learn more, I am becoming more successful.
Merry Christmas, every one!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Well-Lived Life Ends
Goodbye, Mom.
I have been in Utah for two weeks because my mother was dying, and she passed away one week after I got here, on November 6, 2009 at the age of 84 years and 8 months.
My mother was both brilliant and naive, loving and domineering, enthusiastic about her own interests, pessimistic and negative about those of which she didn't approve or share. Often, she didn't approve of me. I learned to deal with it, though often her anger and disapproval hurt or enraged me. But, as my husband observed once, people are a mixed bag. Mom certainly was.
At the end of the day, though, I always knew my mother loved me. She had serious anxiety issues and never really learned to adequately control her emotions. However, the strength she taught me gave me the ability to stand up to her disapproval and do what I knew to be right.
Each day since her death has been a little easier. Having watched her decline for nearly 3 years made it easier to say the long goodbye. I am glad she is in a better place, no longer prisoner in that pain-riddled, deteriorating body.
I have been in Utah for two weeks because my mother was dying, and she passed away one week after I got here, on November 6, 2009 at the age of 84 years and 8 months.
My mother was both brilliant and naive, loving and domineering, enthusiastic about her own interests, pessimistic and negative about those of which she didn't approve or share. Often, she didn't approve of me. I learned to deal with it, though often her anger and disapproval hurt or enraged me. But, as my husband observed once, people are a mixed bag. Mom certainly was.
At the end of the day, though, I always knew my mother loved me. She had serious anxiety issues and never really learned to adequately control her emotions. However, the strength she taught me gave me the ability to stand up to her disapproval and do what I knew to be right.
Each day since her death has been a little easier. Having watched her decline for nearly 3 years made it easier to say the long goodbye. I am glad she is in a better place, no longer prisoner in that pain-riddled, deteriorating body.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
No Kindle Inflames my Passion!
"I could not live without books."
"So many books, so little time."
"...books are keys to wisdom's treasure. Books are paths that upward lead. Books are friends. Come, let us read."
I have loved books and reading since I was a very little girl. Walking into the library never fails to give me a little frisson of excitement. I cracked the code quickly and became impatient with the repetitiveness of Dick and Jane; I wanted to move on! I never liked Dr. Seuss because of the repetition when I was a child, though I like the cadence of the prose as an adult. Reading is the activity that I enjoy above all. I could read and do virtually nothing else.
For some reason, even with two voracious readers as parents and frequent trips to the library, none of our children are the readers we are. I stood before our crammed shelves one day with a daughter, pointing out to her the merits of various books when it dawned on me: those stories are not a part of her the way they are of me. And they likely never will be. This realization broke my heart.
The various experiences and the infinite wisdom I've gleaned through books are invaluable to me. My child, whom I love so much, is bereft without even knowing it, and this breaks my heart. How much will this diminish her life? She may never know or care, but I do know that my own life would be greatly diminished without the vast storehouse of information I've read and pondered and stored up for many, many years.
Lately I have been reading for escape. I just finished Cold Comfort Farm, a brilliant and hilarious book that sends up the overwrought English countryside novel popular between the wars (much as the Jeeves and Wooster books do). Lately my life has seemed difficult and bleak, and to get myself out of this mood, I have been reading. Real printed paper-between-covers books.
I cannot imagine using yet another electronic device to read when it is so easy and inexpensive to read a book. You don't have to plug it in or recharge it; it doesn't cost hundreds of dollars plus a fee to read, only a short trip to the library. I have been told that a Kindle stores 1500 books (but since length varies so much, who can tell?) but that's a load of money too, since it costs about $16 to download a book. Who needs this gadget? Not I.
In ninth grade, I took a Power Reading course. It was a proud moment when my teacher stood before the class and said that I had completed the highest available materials in the course by semester's end. (One other boy, my crush for a couple of years, had overcome the material at the beginning of the class, but he decided to finish it anyway.) I'm zipping through novels and biographies at the rate of several a week, just to keep ahead of what Winston Churchill called "the black dog."
At least it's working, even if I don't get much else done.
Just give me the words printed and bound. I am happy with these treasures.
"So many books, so little time."
"...books are keys to wisdom's treasure. Books are paths that upward lead. Books are friends. Come, let us read."
I have loved books and reading since I was a very little girl. Walking into the library never fails to give me a little frisson of excitement. I cracked the code quickly and became impatient with the repetitiveness of Dick and Jane; I wanted to move on! I never liked Dr. Seuss because of the repetition when I was a child, though I like the cadence of the prose as an adult. Reading is the activity that I enjoy above all. I could read and do virtually nothing else.
For some reason, even with two voracious readers as parents and frequent trips to the library, none of our children are the readers we are. I stood before our crammed shelves one day with a daughter, pointing out to her the merits of various books when it dawned on me: those stories are not a part of her the way they are of me. And they likely never will be. This realization broke my heart.
The various experiences and the infinite wisdom I've gleaned through books are invaluable to me. My child, whom I love so much, is bereft without even knowing it, and this breaks my heart. How much will this diminish her life? She may never know or care, but I do know that my own life would be greatly diminished without the vast storehouse of information I've read and pondered and stored up for many, many years.
Lately I have been reading for escape. I just finished Cold Comfort Farm, a brilliant and hilarious book that sends up the overwrought English countryside novel popular between the wars (much as the Jeeves and Wooster books do). Lately my life has seemed difficult and bleak, and to get myself out of this mood, I have been reading. Real printed paper-between-covers books.
I cannot imagine using yet another electronic device to read when it is so easy and inexpensive to read a book. You don't have to plug it in or recharge it; it doesn't cost hundreds of dollars plus a fee to read, only a short trip to the library. I have been told that a Kindle stores 1500 books (but since length varies so much, who can tell?) but that's a load of money too, since it costs about $16 to download a book. Who needs this gadget? Not I.
In ninth grade, I took a Power Reading course. It was a proud moment when my teacher stood before the class and said that I had completed the highest available materials in the course by semester's end. (One other boy, my crush for a couple of years, had overcome the material at the beginning of the class, but he decided to finish it anyway.) I'm zipping through novels and biographies at the rate of several a week, just to keep ahead of what Winston Churchill called "the black dog."
At least it's working, even if I don't get much else done.
Just give me the words printed and bound. I am happy with these treasures.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Road Trip
I went on a road trip with my friend Kacie last weekend. She had to drive to meet her family at the National Order of the Arrow (Boy Scouts) conference at Indiana University in Bloomington. Her son was receiving a prestigious award. She didn't want to make the trip alone, so I agreed to go with her.
We were near the Flight 93 site in Shankstown, Pennsylvania, so we went over there. Now I have been to all three memorials from 9/11. It is still very makeshift, but very touching for that. Hundreds of mementoes are there, left by those who have visited. There are park benches with the names of the victims engraved on each, and granite headstones with messages too, presumably from families. The actual site of the crash is across a field and is fenced off. It is very rural. Living near Washington, D.C., I can only imagine what plot those brave passengers foiled. How many lives did they save? Amazing.
We went on to the Workshops of Gerald Henn headquarters, where there is a small gift shop. The company is going out of business and I wanted to add to my daughters' pottery collections before the stuff was completely unavailable. Lo and behold, their warehouse was open, and I was able to garner a whole bunch of stuff far below the retail price! I was very satisfied with my purchases. I love this pottery because it is of such high quality. Now my girls will have some kitchenware that will be passed down to their kids, as well as serve them well throughout their lives.
We went on to Fort Wayne, Indiana where I had the best chocolate I've ever eaten in my life (DeBrand, check out their website at debrand.com) and made the acquaintance of my friend's niece, a very precocious ten-year-old who reminded me a lot of myself at that age. On Sunday, we drove to Bloomington, and made the mistake of stopping at a White Castle burger place for lunch. The worst food I have ever eaten, bar none. The thinnest piece of meat possible, gray, on an over-steamed bun. No flavor. I took three bites, as did my friend, and we gave up and ate the fries only. We should have asked for our money back. Eeeuuww.
Kacie went to the festivities at IU Sunday night while I stayed in our motel talking to family. I love cell phones! On Monday we drove home over I-70, a route I had not taken since 1984 when we moved to Maryland. (Well, technically, I did take it in 2008 when we drove to Utah, but it was in the other direction.)
All in all, we had a great time. I'm glad I did something different for a few days, and I'm glad I could help my friend. I would not have wanted to make that drive alone. And I'm really excited to have gotten my hands on more pottery!
We were near the Flight 93 site in Shankstown, Pennsylvania, so we went over there. Now I have been to all three memorials from 9/11. It is still very makeshift, but very touching for that. Hundreds of mementoes are there, left by those who have visited. There are park benches with the names of the victims engraved on each, and granite headstones with messages too, presumably from families. The actual site of the crash is across a field and is fenced off. It is very rural. Living near Washington, D.C., I can only imagine what plot those brave passengers foiled. How many lives did they save? Amazing.
We went on to the Workshops of Gerald Henn headquarters, where there is a small gift shop. The company is going out of business and I wanted to add to my daughters' pottery collections before the stuff was completely unavailable. Lo and behold, their warehouse was open, and I was able to garner a whole bunch of stuff far below the retail price! I was very satisfied with my purchases. I love this pottery because it is of such high quality. Now my girls will have some kitchenware that will be passed down to their kids, as well as serve them well throughout their lives.
We went on to Fort Wayne, Indiana where I had the best chocolate I've ever eaten in my life (DeBrand, check out their website at debrand.com) and made the acquaintance of my friend's niece, a very precocious ten-year-old who reminded me a lot of myself at that age. On Sunday, we drove to Bloomington, and made the mistake of stopping at a White Castle burger place for lunch. The worst food I have ever eaten, bar none. The thinnest piece of meat possible, gray, on an over-steamed bun. No flavor. I took three bites, as did my friend, and we gave up and ate the fries only. We should have asked for our money back. Eeeuuww.
Kacie went to the festivities at IU Sunday night while I stayed in our motel talking to family. I love cell phones! On Monday we drove home over I-70, a route I had not taken since 1984 when we moved to Maryland. (Well, technically, I did take it in 2008 when we drove to Utah, but it was in the other direction.)
All in all, we had a great time. I'm glad I did something different for a few days, and I'm glad I could help my friend. I would not have wanted to make that drive alone. And I'm really excited to have gotten my hands on more pottery!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A Day Late and a Dollar (or More) Short
Guess what. I've been scooped again.
Annette Lyon, a Utah writer, just published a book: Their, There, They're, a grammar guide.
I went on Amazon and looked at her chapters. It's definitely got a Utah slant (she has one section on Supposedly/Supposably, and it's only in Utah that I have ever heard this error. That is also the only place I've heard the remark, "He was bein' really ignernt to me." People use the term "ignorant" to mean "rude."). She has a lot of the same things I have on Mrs. Clark's Grammar Rant, which has yet to see the Internet light of day, mostly because I do not know how to set up a website.
Oh, well.
I know I could not hold a candle to Eats Shoots and Leaves, the wonderful grammar book written by Lynne Truss, an Englishwoman and therefore a higher authority than I, but I was trying to make my little light shine.
Move on, dear. Move on.
Annette Lyon, a Utah writer, just published a book: Their, There, They're, a grammar guide.
I went on Amazon and looked at her chapters. It's definitely got a Utah slant (she has one section on Supposedly/Supposably, and it's only in Utah that I have ever heard this error. That is also the only place I've heard the remark, "He was bein' really ignernt to me." People use the term "ignorant" to mean "rude."). She has a lot of the same things I have on Mrs. Clark's Grammar Rant, which has yet to see the Internet light of day, mostly because I do not know how to set up a website.
Oh, well.
I know I could not hold a candle to Eats Shoots and Leaves, the wonderful grammar book written by Lynne Truss, an Englishwoman and therefore a higher authority than I, but I was trying to make my little light shine.
Move on, dear. Move on.
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