I See What You Meme

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...

I got to spend the last week in Florida.  Yes, for those of you reading my blog in Virginia or other frigid climates, you are allowed to be a tad jealous.  Even though the evenings were cool, I got by with a sweater. And I walked on the beach almost every day.   It all ends tomorrow.   Overall, I had a great time with friends and family.  I spoke at my hometown library to a crowd of over 60 people and also presented to a great Girl Scout troop run by an old childhood friend. After all of that, I had a chance for some rest and relaxation.   I did have a few realizations during my trip. I have become the queen of reminiscence. I think I drove Roger crazy with stories of "there used to be a huge hotel in this spot" and "back when I was a kid, nothing was built out here" and "I remember when...".  Yeah, I'm getting older.  There is a mixture of feelings in watching your hometown change, especially when you don't live there all the time.  ...

On Monday, I did something incredibly stupid.  Without going into details (they just aren't necessary), a moderate sized box fell on my head.   At the time, I said a few choice words, rubbed my head, took some ibuprofen, and moved on.  By Tuesday, I had a nice little bruise and some tenderness but nothing else in the way of symptoms.  On Tuesday night, the headaches started.  I wasn't feeling good.  I couldn't sleep.   Roger and I had a conversation. At 1 AM.  Me: (after checking my symptoms on Web MD) I think I might have a concussion. Roger: Well then you need to go the ER. Now.  Me: No I don't. What good would that do? I will just sit there for two hours and then I'll be even more sleep deprived in the morning. Roger: Well just promise me you will go if it gets worse.  Did I mention we had this conversation at 1 AM? The headache kept coming and going through Wednesday. It seemed worse in the evening. I was too busy tryi...

It could have been a really bad day.  I could have stayed at home and moped. I could have done nothing but cry.  I could have been miserable.  Instead, I was inspired by Roger's amazing blog posts ( Part 1 and Part 2 ).  I have some wonderful colleagues at work who treated me to lunch and distracting conversation (Breaking Bad and the Walking Dead, anyone?).  I was touched by the multiple messages I received via phone, text, and facebook post.  My heart was warmed every time I saw a butterfly posted in Charlotte's honor as someone's profile picture.   To top it off, we came together with friends and neighbors to release a bunch of purple balloons. This has become our annual tradition on this day and I think it is a good thing.  I know. It might not be the most environmentally friendly thing to do.  However, I'm a rabid recycler and a Tree Hugger in all kinds of other ways. It balances out in the end.   In short, I felt loved...

Have you heard this question a lot lately? I have.  Three years after losing Charlotte, I still feel like I don't quite handle the holidays well.  Worse, I still don't know how to answer this question.   On the plus side, I am blessed with a great job and had two full weeks (three full weekends!) of vacation time.  I completed a number of projects around the house and managed to work on some pending CJSTUF projects that had been on my to-do list for quite some time.  I had some grown-up playdates (AKA lunch!) with friends.  I was able to sleep in and managed to get in some pleasure reading as well.  Who can complain? On the other hand, I experienced the usual grief flare ups.  It actually started early, thanks to the horrible events in Connecticut .  Learning that any parent has lost their child, regardless of the cause, tends to open my heart up again. The ache returns. It was a rough week leading up to Christmas.  Then Christmas...

Me playing with Thomas in one of his last shows. Today I awoke to unimaginable news.  Thomas George, one of my fellow ComedySportz players and friends, died in his sleep last night.  Thomas was just a little bit younger than me.  I played in his last ComedySportz show on Friday night.  We were supposed to play together last night as well.  He never showed up at the theater.  I am shocked and sad.  Although I have mentioned ComedySportz (CSZ) a few times on my blog , I have never really talked about the impact it has had on my life in just one short year.  Roger and I stumbled upon CSZ through a Richmond Mom fundraiser.  We were invited by Kate Hall to participate as "guest performers" in November 2011.  We had such a good time with the two-day event, we decided to audition for the major league troupe last January.   I had no idea that we would make it into the troupe.  We really went to the auditions on a lark. ...

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 ...