I See What You Meme

It's the eve of my 40th birthday. A lot of people panic about forty. I've been thinking about this. A lot. In fact, if you have followed my blog for a while (at least a year) you know that it's been on my mind for...well... at least a year . I remember when my mother turned forty. It was only a big deal in the sense that it was a neat, round number. It was the first "major milestone" birthday that I remembered for a family member. Other than that, I didn't really get it. I didn't see it as "middle aged" or "over the hill" (It was 40 then. Isn't 50 the new 40?).  Now, here I am. I'm in the same place my mother was in 1987...in so many ways. Our eldest children were born in the shadow of our 30th birthdays. I was 29. My mom was 28. Within the next ten years, we would both face amazing joys and incredible challenges. For my mom, it was helping my father start his law practice and raising a family. For me, it was also launc...

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...

As the media reeled this week with stories of disaster in Oklahoma, I was especially touched by a story I heard on NPR last Thursday .  The Phillips family knows what it is like to experience loss.  In 1999, they lost their home to another tornado that hit the Moore area.  They rebuilt two miles away only to see their home destroyed by this latest natural disaster.  An aerial view of some of the Moore, Oklahoma destruction. (Source) The entire family is safe and sound. Nobody was hurt. Nobody died. But they have essentially lost everything.  A hall closet filled with linens seems to be the only structure that escaped the scene relatively unscathed.  As I listened to this family speak with cracking voices, you could hear that combination of resilience and sadness that inhabits those who grieve.  Rena Phillips told the NPR reporter, " I ran last time, I'm not running again," she says. "It's like why run? You know I still had a little fear, but God...

The terrible tragedy of Newtown Connecticut rocked our world on Friday.  Other than the initial headlines and President Obama's eloquent and moving address to the nation, I have avoided the mass media coverage.  I haven't even listened to NPR.   All I do is leak . I am sure it has probably already started. It probably started even before the final body counts and the identity of the shooter were known.   The question of WHY.   Here's the thing: we can ask all the questions we want. Journalists and pundits can debate these issues, dissect the facts, and hypothesize until they turn blue in the face. The simple truth is that there is no WHY.  We can question whether mental illness played a role in Adam Lanza's crime but there is no reason to do so.  Show me a similar incident in history when mental illness was not a factor.  People living in stability don't kill other people.  We can question whether more security at the school ...

I look forward to listening to my podcasts every week.  During my time in the car, I catch up on a variety of news programs with topics ranging from the arts and culture to politics and religion.   I have learned so much from the Planet Money team . If you haven't checked out their stories on NPR or the stories they do in conjunction with the PRI program This American Life , you are missing out.  Planet Money covers topics from "Should we use a dollar bill or coin?" to "How did the United States get into a housing crisis?" With their stories, I have gained new insight into topics that are barely brushed over in most other media outlets.  One of the most important things I have learned is that any  current problem our country is experiencing related to money is complicated.  There is no quick fix. There is no easy answer. Yes, most of the causes of monetary problems come down to greed. However, finding a solution that works for everyone without major di...

This was quite a weekend! First, Roger and I competed in our first "official" Comedy Sportz tournament. If you follow our CJSTUF blog, you may remember that back in November, we joined forces with Comedy Sportz Richmond and Richmond Mom for a CJSTUF fundraiser .  We had so much fun that we ended up auditioning for the troop in January and we got in! I will have to share more about the program and what we do in another post, but let's just say we get to laugh a lot, and that's a good thing! Our Story Corps interview area On Saturday morning, Roger and I met at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for a very special event. We were invited to participate in a Story Corps interview promoting the garden. About a month ago, the folks at Lewis Ginter made a call for personal stories that could be used for a special Story Corps promotion. They wanted to know how the garden has made an impact on families in the community.  Roger and I submitted a story about our experiences...

As a rule, I'm not a weepy person.  I have my moments.  We all do.  There are certain topics ( favorite Charlotte memories ) or commercials ( Damn you, St. Judes! ) that push me over the edge from time to time but I am not, by nature, a person who cries easily.  Except when it comes to music.  I have always thought it was my connection to music as a musician  that made me feel the emotion more closely than others.  There are certain songs (we will get to that in a moment) that are guaranteed to trigger the tears, regardless of the time, date, or setting.  I always figured, "Well, maybe it's me." It turns out that it's NOT me. There is actually some science  behind the weepy triggers in music.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal    explained this phenomenon, highlighting Adele's music as a prime example of the powerful emotions a well-crafted tune can bring.   On the Media covered the same story and gav...

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 ...

Like many of you, I will never forget September 11, 2001.   It was my first year working as a school speech therapist and I was only about a week into the school year. We lived about an hour from the Washington, DC area and many of the families at the school worked for the military or the government. The news came in spurts throughout the day but it was only on my drive home that I started to learn the whole story. As I sat in my car, listening to news coverage on NPR, I tried to absorb the weight of the events of the day and it was incredibly overwhelming. I just leaked . As the day waned, I alternately found myself drawn to and wanting to avoid the news. It was just too much and yet, I needed to take it all in.   Did I mention that it was also my birthday? Although I do not know anyone personally who died during the events of the day, we had quite a few friends who were in the vicinity of the Pentagon and the Twin Towers on that day.  Even though we did not feel...

My job requires me to drive quite a bit on a daily basis. My time in the car on a given day can range from 60 minutes to almost three hours. I don't mind the driving but I definitely need something to occupy my time. I've tried books on tape (or CD) and I find them distracting. I really just need to READ if I'm going to enjoy a book. I do, however, love listening to podcasts. If you haven't jumped on the podcast bandwagon, this week's Follow Friday is for you!  First of all, if you've never heard of podcasts, they're basically radio shows archived and available for download on iTunes or on various websites. Many podcasts are archived editions of radio shows heard elsewhere. Some have never hit the radio waves but are produced by everyone from celebrities to your average Joe or Jane with a microphone and some basic sound editing equipment. The best thing about subscribing to a podcast in iTunes is that new episodes will download automatically to your comput...

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I know that I'm suffering from penis fatigue. It's a sad day when the lead stories on the national news all seem to involve men and their  sexual escapades (DSK...Weiner...Edwards....Schwarzenegger...you get the drift).  Surely, there must be something else to talk about. It's hard to believe, considering the coverage that CNN (and other news organizations) gave to the Weiner story just yesterday. I was sitting in a diner with cable news playing in the background and I am pretty sure that 90% of the screen time during my hour (or so) at lunch revolved around the build-up of the lead-up to the announcement that Weiner was going to announce that he was planning to decide that he was announcing that his next big decision was to decide THAT HE WOULD RESIGN his office.* (* yes, that sentence was purposely rambling. No, I have not completely lost my ability to write a coherent sentence.) So in case you are finding it difficult stay...

It was ten years ago this month that I finished graduate school. Although I had held a few jobs in the decade preceding that graduation, that was the moment I launched my career . That was the end-point for 6 years of advanced schooling. I was ready for the next chapter.  In the decade that has passed, there have been a lot of chapters. In fact, I feel like I've experienced more of a novella. Most of you (my devoted blog followers) know the gist of the story so I'll spare you the details.  Sometime in the early 2000s ( the "NAUGHTies?" ), after a conversation that I'm pretty sure emerged during a road trip with the hubby, I made a list.   What were my top 5 Dream Jobs?     I've kept the list in various forms and it currently lives on my iPhone...for handy reference.   I've been thinking a great deal about that list lately.  First of all, I'm living my dream. My job at Commonwealth Autism Service is #3. I love my job and I'm proud to say...

So how was your weekend? I have to admit that all the rapture talk was good for a giggle. Hopefully many of you were able to embrace the idea of living like there's no tomorrow. Unfortunately for some of our neighbors and fellow citizens in Joplin, MO, it was not a happy or relaxing weekend. My thoughts are with those who are currently healing, grieving, and surviving in the midst of disaster.  There was an interesting story on NPR this morning discussing how President Obama is forced to balance priorities when it comes to planned events vs. sudden disasters. It's an interesting predicament: the President has a planned trip to Ireland. Hours before his scheduled departure, the tornadoes hit Joplin, MO. What to do? Stay and manage the crisis "up close" or proceed as scheduled and manage from a distance, reporting for a personal visit upon his return to the States?  This is not a situation unique to the Obama administration. Presidents through the years (in fact,...

For this week's Follow Friday I would like to feature some of the men in my life.  Specifically, the men who make me laugh.  In no particular order, I give you:   Andy Borowitz: (@BorowitzReport) One of the funnier political humorists in the blogosphere these days. His tweets have me in stitches on a daily basis. A few of my faves:  To beat #Gaddafi at his own game, Pentagon says it will spell Odyssey three different ways. #Oddicy #Ahdassy #Qaghhikhy Glenn Beck moves to SciFi Channel. No format change necessary. FACT: A shutdown will close the USDA, halting all shipment of beef. But you will still be able to eat at Taco Bell. Of course, my prime source for political news and humor is none other than the dynamic duo of Jon Stewart at The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report (@StephenAtHome).  I was so excited to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity in DC last year, even if the closest I got to the madness was a jumbotr...