Trying to walk to my own beat...

Here's what I'd like...

1. More time
2. More time
3. More time
4. Bloggie friends to please stop blogging so I can catch up!!!
5. More time
6. No more migraines
7. No more migraines
8. No more migraines
9. Warmth
10. Warmth

Okay, since we have that out of the way, NEXT!

Here's another throwback post celebrating ten years of blogging, suggested by Chelsea, who wants it known that she is no longer scared of BTVS and also, she does not talk to ghosts. Or vampires.

From 7/6/04, If you only knew...

My daughter begged and begged to be allowed to watch an episode, ANY episode, of Buffy...her reasons being that she is a big fan of the Once More, With Feeling soundtrack, and she is almost 12 now, and ALL her friends are allowed to watch the show, except for her, etc...
So I thought, well, the first season was pretty tame, I'll let her watch Welcome to Sunnydale/The Harvest.  I even made her close her eyes through the bad parts and turned the sound down.
She seemed to take it well enough, until bedtime.  Here are the top five reasons why letting your immature almost-12-year-old watch Buffy is not a good idea:
5.  There is no question, this time, about whose bed she is sleeping in tonight.

4.  You get drawn into a long, drawn-out treatise on why vampires really do exist.  Even when you say, "They're not real. Period."  You get asked back, "How do you KNOW?".  "You can't be sure."  The child then proceeds to tell you where in the Bible it says that demons walk the earth, and vampires are demons, right? Um...

3.  She immediately makes plans to ask our preacher to bless some holy water for her.

2.  She rearranges the kitchen cabinets looking for garlic powder.

And, even though I've assured her that a) vampires aren't real, and b) they couldn't get in the house anyway without being invited in, the top reason against letting her watch this is:

1.  She slept last night with a wooden 'Medieval Times' stake under her pillow.

We only get what we give...

Do you remember the 2002 Winter Olympics? I do...specifically, because of Sarah Hughes. She became the women's figure skating champion after winning her long program, but that's not why we remember her. 

We remember her because her long program was magical...unexpected...joyous...nearly perfect, and, after her fourth place short program, a Good Story, which is what the Olympics are REALLY all about. 

Well, to everyone except for the athletes, that is.

More good stories from past Winter Olympics:

Remember Dan Jansen, speed skater from Lillehammer, 1994? Best skater in the world for ten years? Lillehammer was his fourth Olympics - he'd had extremely bad luck trying to get on the podium so far.

That year at Lillehammer he'd brought a secret weapon...his baby daughter Jane, named after his sister Jane, who died in 1988 on the day Dan competed in the 500 meter race in Calgary. 

Dan finally won his gold medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, setting an Olympic record while slipping twice, and took a victory lap around the lane with his baby daughter.

One last Good Story...MIRACLE ON ICE!

I mean, this winter Olympic victory was so huge they made a movie out of it! (no no we're not talking about Cool Runnings in this post go away go away)...

In the 1980 Lake Placid games, our US guys were huge underdogs against the Soviet team that had dominated in play against every single team in the world. But WE WON, 4-3. Do you believe in miracles?

So, it's been great reminiscing about Olympics past...I never, ever miss an Olympics, you know? It doesn't matter if I think the sport is completely ridiculous (read: curling) or frilly (ice dancing), I still watch it. It's always been one of my things.

Until now, that is.

We've dropped the ball, here. Our friends and neighbors in Russia are suffering and scared for their lives, and the lives of their friends and families. 

How is it possible that we are dealing with a leader who has clearly lost his mind? It is not acceptable for him to be bringing down a reign of terror on any segment of his population!

I guess I'll just keep saying this until someone hears me: It was bad enough that we kept dealing with the President of Iran after he denied the Holocaust ever happened. 

But here, we have another world leader cut from the same cloth, and it's our second chance to get it right. We are the leader of the free world and it's our responsibility to do the right thing, which is to boycott these Olympics.

America going to the Sochi Olympics gives it legitimacy,which is the same thing as giving Putin legitimacy, which means that his stance on homosexuality is legitimate and so everything's okay, which IT IS NOT.

Putin's latest missive explains that gay Olympic athletes at the games will be fine, 'as long as they stay away from children'.

I can't even go there about how insensitive and unfair that is, except to say that this uneducated and hate-filled man is leader of a very dangerous and unbalanced region. 

We need to boycott, we need all of our people out of there, and we should offer asylum to anyone who needs it. I don't want another Holocaust, and this feels like the very beginnings of something.

So. US boycott, and if they don't, then I'm at least boycotting anyway, and one of my favorite things, too.

We should be able to do something, somehow...

Once in a lifetime...

Yogi Berra, Don Larsen - Moments after Don's perfect game, 1956 World Series, Game 5

Way back a long, long time ago, Dwayne and I were on a bowling league. Every Saturday night, we bowled. We had our own bowling balls, bags and shoes - we were serious!

But even though I loved bowling, I wasn't very good at it. My average was only 112, and that was after lots of practice and studying. 

Yes, studying...I always study up when I do something, even a new sport. So when I started bowling, I went to the library, and got bowling books. It's well established - I'm geeky that way.

One bowling Saturday, though, I blew my average out of the water. I hit 'the zone' that night. To this day I have no idea how I did it, but from my first few practice shots until my last shot of the third game, I couldn't miss.

THE ZONE.

What I remember specifically about that night is how focused I was. I KNEW that I wouldn't miss. Every time I grabbed my ball and walked up to the lane, the world narrowed and I knew exactly what was going to happen.

So...what WAS that? The next week things were back to normal, I was just me again with my 112 average. I don't know if I've ever experienced anything like that ever again. I don't know if I want it to happen again, either...it's a little unsettling to think about, like it was someone else doing this awesome thing, not me.

Have YOU ever been in 'the zone'? Have you ever been able to recapture it? Would you want to?

I promise you there's hope...

Sometimes it seems like I'm wasting space. Well, a lot of the time it feels like that.

I promise I'm better, comparatively! It's just a habit, I think, along with feeling a little at odds in my environment. Now that I'm feeling a little healthier, I don't even know where to start.

:)

I asked Chelsea for ideas on how to celebrate my 10th anniversary of blogging and she was way too important and busy.

She used to be a proper minion who did all my work for me but now she has a job and thinks she's allowed to like, live her own life and stuff.

What's up with that? Children just think they can grow up and move on and OMG! - NOW I understand why my mom is always so mad if I don't talk to her on the weekends!

*Epiphany*

:)

Sooo...

Here is a look back ten years ago at one of Chelsea's and Mom's favorite posts:

Good Memories, Part 1

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

We spent Memorial Day at my grandparent's farm last summer.  My grandparent's farm - this is the place where I love to go for the peacefulness and the woods and the brilliant night sky.  I guess it's nice during the day, too, if it wasn't for the bugs and the heat and the sun and that since it's a family picnic you're not supposed to stay inside and read your book.

My daughter was doing softball at the time at the Y and I suggested we play baseball so she could get some practice.  My bossy brother heard me and insisted we play kickball instead.  I'm 31 and my brother is 36 and we still regress back to our childhood roles of him being bossy and me being sneaky.

He decided we were going to choose teams, that archaic schoolyard practice that still haunts me - I was always chosen last in elementary school.  But this time, my daughter was picking - she picked me first!  She also picked my 73-year old grandfather.  

This is the part that makes it my favorite memory.  I never knew anything until I saw my grandfather, who I love and admire and who I placed on a pedestal when I was five years old, playing this kickball game.  Determination.  Coaching - "Michelle, you need to run fast!".  Verve.  

And the best moment of all, Popa sprinting around third base and heading for home, with my bossy brother aiming for him, and so my 73-year old grandfather slides into home plate.  SAFE!  And the crowd roared.

 It was a perfect moment. 

It won't be long before my turn is next...

Y'all? Youse? You guys?

Have y'all taken this little quiz up there?

I've taken it three times (the questions aren't always the same), and each time, my top answer says I'm from LOUISVILLE.

This freaks me out just a tiny little bit...that I can be so easily profiled! Like on Criminal Minds...not that I'm a serial killer or anything, but still!

It does remind me of 5 or 6 years ago, when my family and I were doing Derby Day at the Whirlaway Room at Trackside. Our server for the day was so sweet, and at one point she said something like, 'I'm going on break, do you'uns need anything right now?'

YOU'UNS.

The only people I've ever heard say that is my great-grandmother and great-aunt...I looked at her and said, are you from down near Eastern Kentucky, like from London, Kentucky, maybe?

OMG I freaked her out so bad she almost had to sit down...I sent over to my grandma's table to see if they were related, everyone from down there is related. Everything you've heard about Appalachia is true.

G'night!

:)

This is war...

He has been taking up all my bandwidth for the last two hours, and it's taking all I have to not go in there and just shut his computer off for him.

My floor-sleeper has to go.

It's pretty bad when I get irritated, because I never get irritated. I'm on lots and lots of medication to make sure I DON'T get irritated.

But, you know...don't come between me and my internet.

:(

I can't even tell you how bizarre this situation really is, because this is a family blog. Let's just say his/her gender-switching back and forth is dizzying and I really think my shrink is going to have to up my doses.

You know what it is? It's being home these past few days on vacation. I never thought I'd say this, but I'll be happy to go back to work on Monday. 

This just isn't me, someone please save me!

... ... ...

Since it's 3 a.m., I guess I'll try to go to sleep and maybe wake up in 3 or 4 hours and see if I can steal some computer time then...

This is my life...

And yes, I brought it on myself, and yes, I have the power to kick my squatter out in the freezing cold snowy weather, still homeless with nowhere to go. I just don't know what to do!

... ... ...

When all else fails, hug my kitty. That's what I'm going to do. Must. hug. kitty. 

Goodnight. :)

You've got to see what tomorrow brings...

Well.

I hate to leave stuff incomplete, but my December photo challenge ended on Day 25 for me. The stupid camera on my stupid iPhone stopped working. 

Stupid technology.

:(

It's finally 2014, and you know what that means? 

Well, it's a little ridiculous to even say it, but I can't help myself...

My blog's 10-year anniversary is almost here!!!

I feel really old even thinking about it. 2/16/04 is the actual date I started blogging. I was working and going to school and Chelsea was 11 and when I read back on it I was so busy and healthy and doing all the things I loved, it hurts a little to see it. I'd love to be that person again.

So, I might revisit some of my favorite old posts...or not. I dunno. I just think it's a cool milestone, but then again, it ages me terribly, LOL!

:)

Happy New Year and I hope we all have a wonderful 2014...