Labor Day Telethon

I missed the telethon this weekend. The first time in forever! The telethon for MDA on Labor Day weekend has been a tradition for as long as I can remember. This year the MDA and Jerry Lewis broke up for reasons I don't know and don't need to know. When I was looking at the Sunday paper I remembered it because the cover of The Parade magazine wasn't about the telethon and I commented. I also remembered reading somewhere that it was going to be shortened to only 6 hours I think. But I missed it completely. I would have called and pledged. I always have even in lean years, I gave $10, something. As a kid my brother and I were each allowed to call and pledge $5 that our parents gave us and whatever we wanted to add from our allowance. I was always broke so sometimes I remember only being able to add a dollar or two. It was a big deal to drop change into the boot of a fireman collecting change at some intersection. One year my brother and I sat outside a local grocery chain, coffee cans decorated a la MDA and then went to the local fish bowl collection spot to be on TV when we dumped our change in. I don't remember how much it was but it was a big deal. I remember always watching the last hour of the telethon, to see how much the final tally was. I would write the amount in my diary and each year compare the grand total to the year before. Each year it was more than the last.
The telethon was a big deal, a major tradition for Labor Day weekend. I never knew that we would call on MDAs services for my grandmother years later when she was diagnosed with ALS.
I guess I will have to make my donation on my own without the telethon to prompt me this year. Its sad because I imagine they will loose quite a bit of fund raising dollars with all the changes.

Defining Gift Giving

Giving gifts. We all know there are so many kinds of gifts to give. You could give a money or go buy an item with your money to give to someone. Then there are the things you do that are gifts. Giving of your time and talent. You can give kind words, a smile, a helping hand of some sort etc etc.

So, here's what I have been pondering lately. If you do it habitually, is it still a gift you are giving? If you make coffee every morning, is that a gift you give albeit daily to those who drink it? Or does a gift have to be something more than what you would normally do? Maybe your normal is a gift for someone else? What you think is simply trite, daily, habitual behavior is in fact a gift for those around you. You simply need to be more aware and mindful of these actions and how they are offerings that you give.

I don't know the answers to these (and so many other) questions but it's what I have been thinking about lately. All because of the book I am reading, 29 Gifts from the website I mentioned the other day.

Today is...

Thursday. Today is Thursday. Today is Thursday.

We all get a little confused sometimes and think it's one day when it's really another because some days just feel like a Tuesday and others feel like a Friday. I know this is not unique to me. The problem here is I have been doing it ALL week.

Monday I thought it was Tuesday. So much so that when I was going to the car in the morning I headed towards the curb to put the garbage can away as pick up is on Mon & Thurs. I was grabbing it when I realized that all the neighbors had their cans out because DUH, it was Monday. It didn't stop there.

Tuesday evening my son and I were discussing plans for the week, specifically Wednesday. I was asking him if he wanted me to leave his dinner in the microwave or in the fridge on Wednesday because was probably going to be out when he got home. He paused and looked me in the eye and said mom, you realize that's tomorrow. I said no, I'm talking about Wednesday. He laughed and asked me what day it was and I with a straight face told him Monday. He teased me about it all night because he thought I was joking.

The only day I knew what day it was was on Wednesday. I knew ALL day that it was Wednesday . It was a very long day. It probably had something to do with the fact that in my head I had started this week twice already.

Today I sent some emails to a girlfriend and my SIL to firm up some plans for the weekend. I ended both emails with TGIF! They each answered my emails and I continued on with my workday. Until a client called to tell me that she needed something and could I get it to her today because she wasn't going to be there tomorrow. I said sure! I won't be here either -because in my world it's Friday and I don't work on Saturday- she then commented on how great it was to have a 3-day weekend and I was confused because as far as I know there's no Monday holiday in April. I swear we sounded like an Abbot and Costello bit until I looked at the calendar and realized that today was, I mean IS Thursday. After laughing hysterically with my client, I emailed GF and SIL calling them both out on not correcting me. They were both very PC as they told me that they hadn't noticed. Of course, had it been the other way around I probably would have told them they were complete bubble heads but they are nice that way.

I still have another day to get through before this is all over. OMG, this is the longest week EVER!

Today is Thursday, today is Thursday.

Gift giving

I know, I know we just got over the big gift giving season but I have already started thinking about gift giving for the coming year.

Here's what I am thinking. I want my gifts to be mostly handmade. Yes, I know I have been fighting with the sewing machine but they don't have to all be sewn. I can hand stitch without a problem, cook, paper craft and other crafting too. The trick here, I think, is to plan ahead because it will require time to make the gifts.

There will be exceptions. I can buy books; giving book is always good. Also, I can buy handmade items made by others, its still handmade just not from my hands. Also, I like giving tickets to things like events, shows and other outings. So, maybe its not a handmade thing but its not a big box store purchase. I think that's more the idea. I don't want to give someone another shirt unless I put a design on it myself. I guess the other exception will be my kids and other little kids. My kids invariably get clothes (and they need to keep updating the wardrobe) and little kids it may be more appropriate to give toys. Oh, this is sounding like it won't work. Well, it's an idea and I am going to try it out.

We'll see how far in the year I make it.

Packing for the Beach...

What do you need to go to the beach? My son is on Spring Break and met up with friends this morning for breakfast and from there they are heading to the beach.
The girls got up early and called all the boys to make sure they were up and going to be on time for the meet.
The girls went to pick up a friend and the grocery store to buy needed supplies before going to the meet.
The girls made sandwiches - peanut butter and jelly because it's Good Friday and they can't eat meat- with the jelly and bread they bought at aforementioned grocery trip.
The girls packed a cooler with ice for soda and water and cups (also just purchased).
The girls packed the car with chairs and a bag with towels and sunscreen.
The girls probably also packed other things, I am missing here but it was all on their list that they wrote last night and left on the counter so they would all be in sync and not forget any crucial items. The girls also had to get up early to get the list done.

My son got up (on his own, the girls called AFTER he was up-thank God for small favors), did his business in the bathroom, fed the dog, packed a sports bag with his wallet, a dry change of clothes, grabbed a beach towel, put on his bathing suit, t-shirt and sandals and was ready to go.

And us women complain that men are useless. I say we create these monsters and have no one to blame but ourselves. Alas, the cycle continues. I'm not saying its necessarily bad. I'm just saying, don't complain later.

Super Event

As for many the Super Bowl is an event. My boys are SUPERfanatics of the game as are many of our friends. This all leads us to a large (and every year growing larger) gathering at a friend's house to watch the game.

We by silent agreement divide up into groups. Those who actually want to watch each pass, run and down of the game and debate the wisdom of the play calling during commercials go to the TV room and watch it in HD on the 61" TV. Those who want to watch the commercials and discuss their effectiveness during the game while merely keeping track of who's winning or loosing are in the living room watching it on a normal 27" (I'm guessing here) TV. Those who want conversation with someone other than immediate family stay in the kitchen chatting. You are free to roam back and forth between the areas, there are no real rules just don't interrupt any one's viewing priorities and it's all good.

By all accounts the game this year was actually good, worth watching. I actually paid attention in the 4th quarter. By contrast the commercials - not so much. I was totally underwhelmed by the commercials this year and blame it on Wall Street. I am blaming it on the state of the economy that I think there were more movie trailers than anything else. The Anheuser Bush did come through with the horses and their sweet commercials. But some of the others were pitiful. The only one that I can recall made me laugh was the diet Pepsi one of all the men getting hurt. Actually, it make me yelp each time some one was hurt and then I laughed after the tag line. "Men can take anything except diet soda, until now."

I did not like the Conan one, or the job search ones, or the grease monkey one or the Doritos one where he got hit by a bus! I did think their snow globe one was funny but then I thought what, you have to be an idiot to eat Doritos??? So, I'm not sure about that one.

I was looking forward to the Miller High Life one-second commercials that their spots leading up to the big game had hinted at. I cracked up with after the game their commercial came on and it was just the delivery guy saying "1 Mississippi!" In the previous spots he had said that anything could be a commercial for high life LOL!

So, here's hoping that next year's Super Bowl brings us better commercials.

GOLD!

Over the weekend one of the things I did was go to a Gold Party. Have you heard of these things? I hadn't. I had heard commercials on the radio about jewelry stores that would buy your jewelry but not house parties.

Remember Tupperware parties? Well, this was a bunch of women showing up at a friends house where 2 jewelers sat at her dinning room table and tested and weighed our pieces and paid us in check or cash for whatever we chose to sell them. HUH!? Exactly. I went with another girlfriend and we figured if we got $50 bucks that would be a lot. We did not have very high expectations.
I took junk. I mean I took earrings that had lost pairs, old awful stuff that I had since I was a kid but now think is hideous, some broken necklaces that I wasn't going to get fixed because I didn't even like them anymore. Most of what I gave him I thought was fake, some of it was and he handed it back to me. I took only one bracelet and my high school ring that I new were 'good'. Are you ready to hear what I got? Drum roll please...prrrrrrrrrrr......$515! I could not believe it. My girlfriend got $315. We were shocked. One woman took a necklace to just find out if it was any good. She'd worn it once. She got over $800 for it! Needless to say, we were very impressed. So impressed that my girlfriend and I are going to co-host a party ourselves. Obviously, the host gets a commission from the jewelers. It's all good!
Cuz let me tell you honey, Obama can do what he will for the economy but I know Uncle Sam isn't going to knock on my door and bail me out. A girls gotta bail herself outta this mess. So, why hang on to broken and mismatched pieces? No more. Sell it for cash. I did and I am going to spread the word to my friends.
Now, I can afford some of that comfort and joy ;)

Debate Schmebate

I didn't watch the second debate last night. I am tired of it all. I am tired of all government and want everyone out and to start over but I guess we can't really do that. OK, I did listen to only one question not get answered by either one and that got me all bent out of shape. They both using different words said the exact same thing. Hubby of course argued No, they didn't. I said ok, what did M say? this that the other...and didn't O say, that the other thing and this? He thought about it and finally agreed. Neither one answered the question and they both said the same thing! FRUSTRATING!!!!
Instead of a debate they should have a 20 questions. People get to just ask questions and they can only answer yes or no and then we have to guess which candidate it is.
I can see it now...
Are you for off-shore drilling? Would you invade Pakistan? Are you for Minimum Alternative Tax? Are you for govt funding of stem cell research? etc.
That would be more enlightening that listening to them skirt around the meat of the questions.
Maybe I should send that in as a suggestion....

spork...knork

You've heard of and learned to hate the spork. That plastic spoon with mini fork tines at the end that makes this adult feel like she's 3 again! But what about a knork? How cool are they!? They would have really come in handy on the 4th of July. A combination of the fork and knife. Now THAT's handy.
http://www.knork.net/

I just have one stinking question. Why can't I think of something like that?

Cool Quote

"Every action of our lives touches some chord that will vibrate in eternity."

-Edwin Hubbel Chapin

WOW! huh?! Think about that one for a while!

Musical cards

You know that commercial that is playing now for Hallmark Father's Day cards. You know the one with the musical card that plays Can't Touch That by MC Hammer and the kids give it to the dad and he sees himself in Hammer's video. My household loves that commercial. It makes us laugh. So last night 15 asked us what song we would want in our card. The first song that popped into my head was Celebrate by Kool and the Gang. Remember that one?! It took hubby a while but he thinks he'd want something by the Bee Gees and the Staying Alive album.

What song would you want in a card celebrating you?

We decide to do an outdoor event = rain

Key West has been on level 3 water restrictions due to drought conditions. They should have called us earlier. Because that's all it took was for me and my family to want to stay and see the sunset for the skies to open and shower down on us. After a long hot day and the Trolley Tour which I recommend if you have never done it, we had dinner at The Rum Barrel (The Southernmost Philly Club in the US) and then walked over to have a slice of Key Lime Pie before heading to Mallory Square to see the locals do their shows and watch the sunset.
We felt the winds picking up but kept deluding ourselves and saying it would be a quick sun shower and move on as is common in FL, especially the Keys. The sprinkles started the camera and my in-laws ran for cover in a store. We milled about and watched some vendors pack up but one stayed. An escape artist, a la Houdini. The drops were getting bigger but he would get into the straight jacket and chains and escape if we agreed to stay and watch and not take off. We agreed. The sun teased us and peeked out from behind a cloud as he got tied up into his contraption. By the time he was locked in the rain was lightly but steadily coming down. As if nature were working with him, as his drama unfolded so did the rain. He got free and as the crowd was dropping $ in his open case the thunder and lightning came. A careful dash to the car and good-byes were said as we were driving home and they were driving back to the camp site for another night. We drove home in the dark in the pouring rain with our hazard lights on so that other cars would see us at 35 mph for 3 hours! Need rain? Call us and we'll make plans for an outdoor event near you too.

Expired

Most of our food and drink products now have expiration dates on them. How far past that date is it ok to consume the stuff? This isn't Mission Impossible the container doesn't self destruct when it expires, hmmmm, maybe I'm on to something. Self-destructing food containers when the item reaches the point of non-consumption. You heard it here first people, just for the record. Anyway, back to reality. I rely on my nose; my nose knows when not to eat something because it's gone bad. I really don't use the date for much more than a guide. The other day I was going to use my last bouillon cube and noticed the box expired 2 months ago. I'm thinking how does this go bad? I used it, we all ate and we are still walking and talking.
So, last night at Coffee night the barista was going to toss a bunch of their sandwiches and salads because they expired. The date stamped on them was 4/30. I understand that they can't sell it anymore because if something were to happen to someone they'd be out of business. He offered them to us. We all took one for lunch the next day. My nose will know when I open it today if it has expired or not. Meanwhile I am looking forward to my chicken tarragon sandwich later. YUM!

We ALL have to share this world...

Today at a famous brand coffee shop where they ask your name as they take your convoluted order I didn't actually give mine as the girl knows it. I go there often. I work in the building. So, I'm chatting with another regular as we wait for our coffee creations and they call out my name and order. Another woman starts to take it. I politely say, Excuse me I believe you are taking my coffee and I smiled at her. Armed with an attitude that no one should have at 7am, said WELL, She said MY name, so I took it! as she glared at me daring to take it from her. Mind you I heard her give her order as she was right behind me. She ordered a half-caf, non-fat latte. I ordered an Egg nog latte with an extra shot. I took a deep breath, smiled and said that's ok you can have mine. I'll wait. I turned to the barista and asked her if she could duplicate the drink for me. She laughed and said sure thing. The woman didn't try her drink, she proceeded to add 2 sugars at the condiments bar as it looked like she was talking to herself but it was really on the phone she had one of the bluetooth thingys in her ear and was relating the story to a person on the phone that some woman tried to steal her coffee. When she left the store EVERYone at the pick-up area laughed and we all just wished we could see her face when she takes that first sip!
'Tis the season...

Fuzzy math

I know math is not my stong suite but I think I can do basic math. So either the math is fuzzy or my memory is. You figure it out.
I heard over the weekend that the Thriller turned 25. I think there's a mistake because that means it came out in 1982 (2007-25=1982). I wasn't in Miami in '82 and I was in Miami when it came out. I saw the premier of the video on my first date when my now hubby that was in December 1983, I was 18. I know I was 18 when I moved to Miami so 1965+18=1983. Both hubby and I remember that we saw the premier at the club that we went to adn it makes sense, if it was a year old they would replay it around Halloween not Christmas. So, you figure it out...fuzzy math or faulty memory.