I See What You Meme

As I mentioned previously , Roger and I recently joined the local YMCA.  Our primary impetus was access to exercise equipment so that Roger could rehab from his recent knee surgery.  It has been a good investment, though.  I'm certainly not averse to exercise. I just have trouble making time for it with everything else going on in my life.  It almost always shoots to the bottom of the priority list.  Now I have no excuse. Generally, I don't do a lot of group exercise. On any given day that I visit the Y, I like to get about 45-60 minutes of cardio in while I read the latest selection from my local library and then do a little bit of strength training. My favorite part of joining the Y so far, though, has been regular yoga classes.   I love yoga because everyone gets to set their own pace. The best yoga instructors know how to make adaptations for the less flexible in the class ( Yep. That's me. ) and, when all else fails, it's the most serene 60 mi...

Here we are at Holy Week.  What a crazy Lenten Season this has been.  There is a new Pope on the block . Although I'm not Catholic, the transition seems to have implications across faiths and around the world and Pope Francis is an interesting guy, to say the least.   Sometimes, you just gotta go for the grilled cheese with fresh tomato and basil.  I gave up french fries and soda for Lent.  It was a good choice because I found myself falling into bad habits with my eating and those are two things that can be vices for me.  I only cheated once.  I really really  wanted a grilled cheese sandwich at this restaurant in Charlottesville and there were no "side substitutes".  Yes, I know I could have just not eaten the fries .  I cheated.  I will say 2 Rosaries and 3 Hail Marys.  Oh yeah. I'm not Catholic. In all seriousness, though, my view on Lenten sacrifice is that whatever habit I choose as my focus, whether it is giving up...

I found myself reminded this week of some of my favorite and most popular pieces of writing. Life couldn't get much busier these days so I use that as my excuse and apologize in advance for this post.  This, my friends, is a clip show.   I was thrilled to see Hello Grief  re-post one of my pieces over the weekend. (I'm not the only one who uses reruns.) I have to admit that this is one of my favorite grief analogies, even though I practically tripped over it in the process. I was also thrilled to read this Huffington Post article  regarding Chick-fil-A's turnaround stance in their use of funds toward anti-gay initiatives.  My piece in Richmond Mom  citing my thoughts on the subject last July was one of the website's top articles of 2012. This development gives me new hope for waffle fries in my future.   My thoughts have also been on Downton Abbey this week.  I won't give away any spoilers for those still catching up but I related o...

It's been a crazy few weeks, as you might have guessed by my unintended hiatus.  The biggest news is that I was selected by Style Weekly, a local Richmond publication, as one of the 2012 Forty Under 40 .  It is quite the local honor and I am humbled to be a part of such an incredible group of men and women.  It has been very interesting, though, to be "recognized" by not just friends and family but seemingly random people who I barely know.  As Roger has said, I'm "fa-moose".  I guess that's better than notorious. I have still been writing. I attended a writing workshop led by Carol Henderson for the second year in a row. It was an inspirational and therapeutic experience. At some point, I will probably share a few of my musings as soon as I can "flesh them out" a bit.  There are also tons of thoughts in my little brain. If only I could get them out all at once! The speaking and signing events have been a little slow as of late; how...

The past week has seen such a whirlwind of activity, I almost forgot to share another major announcement.  As most of you know, when I'm not leading the uber-glamorous life of a newly published author or trying to keep things organized at CJSTUF , you can find me working at Commonwealth Autism Service .  As challenging as my job can be, I really love it.   Recently, I was offered a new challenge at work.  Our agency has been working with a local private school in the area for a few years now. Because of some developments in the past year, Commonwealth Autism Service has taken on a larger role in operating the school.  As of July 1st, not only will the Dominion School be operated by CAS but I was selected to be the principal.   Yes. You heard that correctly.  I am going to be the principal of a school.   Isn't that crazy? First of all, I'm honored that my boss and the others at my agency feel so strongly that I was the best candidate ...

There has been a lot of emotion in my most recentposts .  I thought it was time for a change of pace.  With that in mind, today’s post is a list. Who doesn’t love a list? It’s easy to read, straight to the point, and all the hip kids are making lists these days.  Today I’m going to share my top five celebrity BFFs.  Admit it.  You’ve made this list in your head before.  No, I’m not talking about “The List” .  That’s different.  We might share that on another day.  So, in no particular order, these are the five celebrities who I wish were on my speed dial.  If the agents or publicists of these celebrities (or the lovely ladies themselves) are reading this, I promise that I’m not a crazy stalker.  I’d just love to grab a cup of coffee with them someday.  Mindy Kaling I just finished reading Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  It was a refreshing celebrity memoir.  It’s almost an anti-me...

While strolling ( not  trolling) through some of my favorite blogs, I found a fun new meme on Avitable's website.  It seems he got the idea from The Verdant Dude . The gist of the meme is to put each letter of the alphabet into your browser and see what website comes up. If you're working in Chrome or Firefox, you will get a pretty accurate collection of your most frequently visited websites.  As I type this, I haven't even tried it yet so I have no idea  what is going to come up. I promise to share my results just as I find them. Drum roll please... A - The official ABC website .  I will admit that I have been catching up on Desperate Housewives lately. How is it all going to end? B - The CJSTUF blog  (since the official web address is blog.cjstuf.org) C - The CJSTUF website . No surprise there.   D -Google Docs.  I use it a lot for work.  E -My Eagle Rare Life entry . All that daily voting certainly paid off! F -Th...

I was sorting through the cups in the kitchen the other day and realized just how much my collection of mugs told a story of my life.  Today, for a change of pace, we have a photo blog: This might be one of the oldest mugs in the cabinet, dating back from my pig collecting days .   I don't have to add extra sugar to my coffee when I use the Precious Moments mug. I actually have been given two of these over the years.  The back contains an acrostic poem on my name:    R efreshing A dventurous C harming H armonious E ager L ight-hearted It's almost like it was custom designed for me.   When I'm not writing or working on the Foundation, I'm working for Commonwealth Autism Service .  It's the job that pays the bills but it's also one of my dream jobs .  I'm a lucky girl.   Roger is actually the one who drives the Saturn in the family. Our household is on our third Saturn. Not sure what we will do when the latest ...

Woke up this morning to this witty and heartfelt post from my husband. Happy Birthday to Me! The World's Most interesting Man Wishes He Was Her by Roger Reynolds On this day in 1975, a child was born in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Upon entry into the world,she promptly looked around the hospital room and began organizing things alphabetically and by color. During a 3rd grade field trip to the Kennedy Space Center, a NASA scientist heard her ask, "Are you sure you want to do it that way?" And then she showed him how.  After that, Tang became obsolete. When she entered college, extra staff were assigned to manage her file and break it up into smaller components so as not to make the senior faculty feel inadeuqate. That's what I've had to live with for 14 years. Happy Birthday to the love of my life! Aw, shucks.  Thanks, hon'!

Photo by Evil Erin Is it just me or has it become exceedingly difficult to get information from people these days?  Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just not asking the right questions. Maybe you can help. A few scenarios: Exhibit A I'm at the post office. I'm mailing a package. It's a framed piece of artwork. The postal worker asks the requisite question, "Is there anything fragile, perishable, hazardous, or potentially hazardous?" [side note: I think they started asking this question when they stopped asking you at the airport if you packed your own bags.] Me: Well, it's a framed picture. Is that fragile? Postal Worker: Well, you tell me. Me: Um. I guess. Sure. What difference does it make in mailing this? Postal Worker: It just means I mark it as fragile.  Me: Oh. Ok. Then, yes. I guess it's fragile. I'm not sure what you classify as fragile. Postal Worker: Well, if it can break, it's fragile.   Me: (in my mind) Well, I could b...

With our discussion around Mad Men still "on the brain" I thought I would share some favorite advertising campaigns that I have seen recently.  In the culturally creative category, we have Target's latest coupon mailer. Have you seen this? Haiku-pons! Genius! Each page of coupons consists of three panels and each panel contains a haiku for an advertised product. For example, near a coupon for cheese we have: If that weren't enough, the detachable coupons are interchangeable so you can make your own original haikus with distinct meanings. Check out some of my original creations: Saucy, eh? I think I just entered Haiku Nirvana Before I show the next ad, I will run the disclaimer that I am not a Wal-Mart fan. I don't shop there and I will never shop there if another option is available. This commercial, however, made me laugh out loud. Bravo, Martin Agency . Finally, while it's not a recent advertising campaign, I would have to say tha...

The apocalypse is approaching .  Maybe.  I want you to be prepared so I'm bringing this week's Follow Friday to you a bit early...with an assignment. I bring you 5 pieces of entertainment that you MUST see before you're raptured.  Take some time to check these out. You might as well. You've got all the time in the world. Bobby McFerrin singing Ave Maria. Quite possibly one of the most amazing voices on the planet. I hope that whatever side of the rapture I'm on come Sunday, Bobby is there as well.  The Conchords are my indie music heroes. I love their show. I love their songs. If I were a little more obsessive, I could be their Mel.  I'm definitely into them so I figured I'd share If You're Into It with you. I discovered Nanci Griffith thanks to my dear husband. She's another national treasure who's completely under-rated. Love at the Five and Dime ranks right up there as a must-listen. You may not have time to see the post-apocalypi...

So it’s been a busy week in terms of news. Everyone is still reeling from the May 1 st headlines so in case you’ve been suffering from a mediasphere hangover, I’d like to share a few key news stories that you may have missed: Florida does it again. It seems that the Florida legislature may have inadvertently made sex illegal . Oh, Florida….what are we going to do with you? You can’t manage the 2000 election. You lead the country in bank foreclosures and your government is facing a shortfall of over $3 billion. You’re not even really part of “The South.” Maybe we should give Puerto Rico a turn. Or sell the whole state to Disney World.   Meanwhile, while we’re all still giddily euphoric over the Royal Wedding , we were slammed with the news that a branch of America’s royal family has been pruned.   Arnold Schwarzenneger is no longer a Kennedy. Maybe it’s all part of the Governator’s plan to be the next Bruce Wayne . Maybe Maria feels the need to search for an eligible b...