Just in case there was any doubt in your mind about what a goof I am, I will share with you my excitement over the Census coming out.
No, really, I am just over the top tickled. The Census? YAYAYAYAYAYAY! I feel like Steve Martin in The Jerk when the phone books come with his name in them. The Census is coming, the Census is coming-- OMG, It's HERE!!!
There's just something about being connected to something so ancient. Like Mary and Joseph returning to Bethlehem to be counted, giving birth to the baby Jesus. Knowing that the count would be one less if you weren't here. Our household is 4 more people! Stand up and be counted!
Remember I said I am a goof. Cut me slack. LOL, we all have our quirks.
So last week we get a card that says the Census will be here in a week and my anticipation starts to get all fevered pitched and what not.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASIDE: Why? In this computer age, why wasn't there an option to fill the census out online? Why are we wasting paper, postage, etc when the majority of folks could just go fill the survey out on their home computers thus saving a couple million dollars? They could have password protected it... holy moly, government is silly.
So anyways, yesterday the long awaited Census gets here. I clutch it to my chest, quickly counting... this is only the 3rd Census I've been able to fill out, what a moment. I run in the house, rip open the envelope and grab a pen, getting ready to sit down and fill it out right there and then. I'm wiggling in excitement... and then I read the first question:
1. How many people were living or staying in this house on April 1, 2010?
I get ready to put a big ole 4 in the box and my eyes catch the instructions above "Do not count anyone living away either at college or in the Armed Forces".
WWHHAAATTTTT?????
I read further: Leave these people off your form, even if they will return to live here...
WHAT??? REALLY??? Not count my baby? Are you kidding me???
I throw the form aside.
Forget you! If I can't count my baby, I'm not gonna count myself.
Stupid census. Just like Ralphie finding out his secret decoder was just an ad for Ovaltine, I am completely dejected. My household is 4. Not 3. I will not put 3 in the box. Even Mary & Joseph got to be counted at HOME.
Errgh. Now the government will have to waste more money coming to my door and asking me why I didn't fill out my survey.
QUICK ASIDE: Do you think maybe the winter was too long for me?
Additionally, Why April 1st? Am I supposed to be a mind reader? The sky could fall in by then. Ugh.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Breathe Deep
By now, I am sure everyone is sick to death of hearing about my trip to Florida. Barry & I don't get out much... at least beyond the perimeters of Bowie... so I know we both have been just going on and on about it. I'm sorry to everyone who has hidden us on their facebook news feed! LOL! I do feel as if I need to post a blog for posterity though, so feel free to just go to the next thing if you are sticking your tongue out at your computer screen, saying, "yeah, yeah, we KNOW you went to Florida!".
It was our 30th Anniversary and we wanted to celebrate BIG. Barry & I have never been wealthy, it's never been a big priority but we thought 30 years of dealing with each other's issues and surviving was reason to celebrate LOL. We were planning and researching all kinds of once in a lifetime trips... until our beautiful daughter got accepted into a truly once in a lifetime adventure and we felt that was a much better investment. My BFF recently moved to Florida and extended a generous invitation to have us come impose on their substantial hospitality and we jumped at the chance.
I spent every morning there drinking coffee and watching the palm trees sway in the wind. Jenny would join me, bundled up against the "cold", some days it went as low as 60! LOL After our winter, 60 degrees was absolutely balmy to me, I soaked it up!
This is us at the Southernmost point in the USA...
I have been trying to finish this for 2 weeks so I'll continue later....
It was our 30th Anniversary and we wanted to celebrate BIG. Barry & I have never been wealthy, it's never been a big priority but we thought 30 years of dealing with each other's issues and surviving was reason to celebrate LOL. We were planning and researching all kinds of once in a lifetime trips... until our beautiful daughter got accepted into a truly once in a lifetime adventure and we felt that was a much better investment. My BFF recently moved to Florida and extended a generous invitation to have us come impose on their substantial hospitality and we jumped at the chance.
We are soooo glad we did! Jenny & Ron live in Boynton Beach, which is real close to Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and within a couple hours of the Florida Keys. These are all places I have only dreamed of, never thinking I would actually get a chance to visit. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale and I was enchanted. When I was a kid, one of my all time favorite movies was "Where the Boys Are" which is set in Ft. Lauderdale. It looks just like the movie, I couldn't get the song out of my head the whole time we were there.
Jenny & Ron live in a gorgeous house with a huge screened in porch on the back that they call a lanai. 
Lanai:
I spent every morning there drinking coffee and watching the palm trees sway in the wind. Jenny would join me, bundled up against the "cold", some days it went as low as 60! LOL After our winter, 60 degrees was absolutely balmy to me, I soaked it up!
Capt. Ron, as Jenny affectionately calls him, has a great boat. The very first full day we were there, knowing how much we love to boat, he generously offers to take us out. Generous because there were 
HUGE thunderstorms and rain on the horizon. Jenny seemed quite concerned. Barry & I, weather geek and thunderstorm enthusiast, were thrilled. BRING IT!!!! Barry & Ron seemed to bond quite nicely as they watched the radar and predicted how long we had til Gilligan's Island became a reality show starring us! It was soooo fun! We finally decided one of the storms may require us to get off the boat for a sec, so we docked at the West Palm Beach new... tie ups? docks? I dunno... and ran into a swank little waterside restaurant for the biggest plate of nachos I've ever seen. The bar was actually outdoors, but they had plastic screens to tie down so we sat outside while the winds howled and the lightning flashed. Ahhh, that was a great day!
HUGE thunderstorms and rain on the horizon. Jenny seemed quite concerned. Barry & I, weather geek and thunderstorm enthusiast, were thrilled. BRING IT!!!! Barry & Ron seemed to bond quite nicely as they watched the radar and predicted how long we had til Gilligan's Island became a reality show starring us! It was soooo fun! We finally decided one of the storms may require us to get off the boat for a sec, so we docked at the West Palm Beach new... tie ups? docks? I dunno... and ran into a swank little waterside restaurant for the biggest plate of nachos I've ever seen. The bar was actually outdoors, but they had plastic screens to tie down so we sat outside while the winds howled and the lightning flashed. Ahhh, that was a great day!Jenny had planned an itinerary for us, and Thursday was 'go to the Florida Keys' day! They were planning to take us to Key Largo (go ahead, start singing...) but as we were searching for a hotel, we kept going South and finally Capt. Ron said the magic words: Well, when will you get a chance to see Key West? We've come this far, may as well go the whole way! What he didn't see was Barry & I high-fivin' in the back seat... 
We lucked out and got to stay in the most beautiful hotel/condo/townhouse, Tranquility Bay... in Marathon Keys... ahhh.
Here we are by the pool. In February...
This is the view from our room...
This is us at the Southernmost point in the USA...I have been trying to finish this for 2 weeks so I'll continue later....
Monday, February 22, 2010
Normal?
Everything has been in such an upheaval for the last month. I've had so many folks tell me they just want to get back to normal. My teacher friends have loved it--my parent friends, not so much. It's an interesting case study to watch what happens when routines are completely broken... and not by choice, like vacation. My Reiki appointments have been very interesting, the energy is like a white fuzz, people feel detached from their bodies, mind in a fog.
It got worse as we all tried to go back to work. Trying to navigate the changes to our landscape, while dealing with people driving in this foggy, white fuzz state of mind has been brutal. I've tried to work my yogis a bit harder to get them back in touch with their bodies. If you ask them to hold a warrior pose for 10-15 breaths, they will rapidly remember where their thighs are!
I've been stressed. My schedule is always in an upheaval so I didn't have the confusion of navigating changes. In fact, other than one class, I just kept on working. I'm having the melt down (pardon the pun) now as I plan to disrupt my schedule with a trip to Florida. Such juggling! Crunching up my appointments, rearranging my classes before and after, figuring out how to work in rehearsals and retreats and lordy, how do you pack for going from ice/snow everywhere to 80 degrees?
Not that I'm complaining. In fact, the stress is because I know the minute that plane takes off, Bowie, snow, shows, classes, traffic will all disappear in a white fuzzy fog to be replace with a cold Landshark in the hot sun........ahhhhhhhhh! Stress? What Stress?
Maybe I won't come back.
It got worse as we all tried to go back to work. Trying to navigate the changes to our landscape, while dealing with people driving in this foggy, white fuzz state of mind has been brutal. I've tried to work my yogis a bit harder to get them back in touch with their bodies. If you ask them to hold a warrior pose for 10-15 breaths, they will rapidly remember where their thighs are!
I've been stressed. My schedule is always in an upheaval so I didn't have the confusion of navigating changes. In fact, other than one class, I just kept on working. I'm having the melt down (pardon the pun) now as I plan to disrupt my schedule with a trip to Florida. Such juggling! Crunching up my appointments, rearranging my classes before and after, figuring out how to work in rehearsals and retreats and lordy, how do you pack for going from ice/snow everywhere to 80 degrees?
Not that I'm complaining. In fact, the stress is because I know the minute that plane takes off, Bowie, snow, shows, classes, traffic will all disappear in a white fuzzy fog to be replace with a cold Landshark in the hot sun........ahhhhhhhhh! Stress? What Stress?
Maybe I won't come back.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
S-no-w Meditation
What a week.
When I was a kid, getting a big snow was the best thing that could ever happen. You would hover around the tv (since we just had one), awaiting the news, and if it flashed "PG Cty Schools Closed" my brothers and I would run around the room, dancing and rejoicing. We would be outside all day...even my dad would come out. We'd play football with the neighbors (I always think of Dave when it snows) We'd have snowball fights... we didn't live on a main city street so lots of times all of our neighbors would get together and shovel the whole street. It was a party!
When I had kids myself, snow became a love-hate thing. I loved taking the kids sledding, we would go up to the water tower hill which is right in back of our house. The hill is infamous for great sledding... and great accidents since it's so steep and there's a fence alongside it that has created many a scar on our legs going under it. It was GREAT! We would be there all day, late into the night, kids would make big bumps so you could fly into the air, making sure the chiropractors stayed in constant business.
Our house was always kid central, so I made gallons of hot chocolate, had the dryer constantly going, had a collection of scarfs, boots, gloves and plastic bags to put over the kids poor frozen feet. Sometimes it made me crazy. Kids tend to be in and out... snow gets everywhere... and as much as you love it, schools being closed for days at a time eventually leads to massive boredom, especially once the city started plowing the beloved snow hill. Boy, did I give them a piece of my mind over that! What I had left...
When I was a teacher, I loved snow days-- the more the better! I worked at a private school so we didn't have to worry about making them up so we prayed for them, wore our pajamas backwards, did the 3 turn snow dance... but it never seemed to snow then.
Snow is a different thing round here now. My kids are grown. There's no one to sled with. I can't get out cause I'm reluctant to drive in it-- plus, I think those folks out there driving are nuts, I will not add to the chaos. My husband is a snow geek, but he prefers to watch the snow and hope for huge totals, he doesn't like to mess up the snow so he won't go outside to play and make snowmen. I've kinda been at loose ends. The federal govt. has been closed all week, Starbucks hasn't really been open, the gym I work for is closed, I've been able to do some of my classes at CCPC but yesterday I finally had to call "Uncle!!!!!!!" and cancel. So we've all been home for days.
I feel like my brain is on whiteout like the snow. I can't really think a whole thought. I look outside and am shocked-- is this my backyard? Where's my car? Will we ever see our fish again? I started out making potato soup and working on PowerPoint's and being very productive and now I just wander around... checking facebook... playing stupid video games...and dreaming of the beach.. in July.
We keep trying to go for walks, but it's downright dangerous out there. You have to walk on the road... where the 4WDer's are going 50mph down Belair Drive... cause they think they can. Yesterday in the height of the wind storm I had to get out so I bundled up with everything I had, Barry joined me with Suki and we ended up walking around the back of the church to get away from the traffic. You ever try to walk in 3 feet of snow? It's downright comical... especially with a tiny dog. It was also crazy with the wind whipping around, branches falling, snow pelting you in the face and in your eyes. It was the best part of the snow for me-- finally felt like I was alive LOL.
So yeah, we got a historic snow. It's awesome. Now, go away!!!
When I was a kid, getting a big snow was the best thing that could ever happen. You would hover around the tv (since we just had one), awaiting the news, and if it flashed "PG Cty Schools Closed" my brothers and I would run around the room, dancing and rejoicing. We would be outside all day...even my dad would come out. We'd play football with the neighbors (I always think of Dave when it snows) We'd have snowball fights... we didn't live on a main city street so lots of times all of our neighbors would get together and shovel the whole street. It was a party!
When I had kids myself, snow became a love-hate thing. I loved taking the kids sledding, we would go up to the water tower hill which is right in back of our house. The hill is infamous for great sledding... and great accidents since it's so steep and there's a fence alongside it that has created many a scar on our legs going under it. It was GREAT! We would be there all day, late into the night, kids would make big bumps so you could fly into the air, making sure the chiropractors stayed in constant business.
Our house was always kid central, so I made gallons of hot chocolate, had the dryer constantly going, had a collection of scarfs, boots, gloves and plastic bags to put over the kids poor frozen feet. Sometimes it made me crazy. Kids tend to be in and out... snow gets everywhere... and as much as you love it, schools being closed for days at a time eventually leads to massive boredom, especially once the city started plowing the beloved snow hill. Boy, did I give them a piece of my mind over that! What I had left...
When I was a teacher, I loved snow days-- the more the better! I worked at a private school so we didn't have to worry about making them up so we prayed for them, wore our pajamas backwards, did the 3 turn snow dance... but it never seemed to snow then.
Snow is a different thing round here now. My kids are grown. There's no one to sled with. I can't get out cause I'm reluctant to drive in it-- plus, I think those folks out there driving are nuts, I will not add to the chaos. My husband is a snow geek, but he prefers to watch the snow and hope for huge totals, he doesn't like to mess up the snow so he won't go outside to play and make snowmen. I've kinda been at loose ends. The federal govt. has been closed all week, Starbucks hasn't really been open, the gym I work for is closed, I've been able to do some of my classes at CCPC but yesterday I finally had to call "Uncle!!!!!!!" and cancel. So we've all been home for days.
I feel like my brain is on whiteout like the snow. I can't really think a whole thought. I look outside and am shocked-- is this my backyard? Where's my car? Will we ever see our fish again? I started out making potato soup and working on PowerPoint's and being very productive and now I just wander around... checking facebook... playing stupid video games...and dreaming of the beach.. in July.
We keep trying to go for walks, but it's downright dangerous out there. You have to walk on the road... where the 4WDer's are going 50mph down Belair Drive... cause they think they can. Yesterday in the height of the wind storm I had to get out so I bundled up with everything I had, Barry joined me with Suki and we ended up walking around the back of the church to get away from the traffic. You ever try to walk in 3 feet of snow? It's downright comical... especially with a tiny dog. It was also crazy with the wind whipping around, branches falling, snow pelting you in the face and in your eyes. It was the best part of the snow for me-- finally felt like I was alive LOL.
So yeah, we got a historic snow. It's awesome. Now, go away!!!
Monday, February 01, 2010
15 minutes til work...
Total stream of consciousness post:
The snow is sunny.
Why won't anyone eat the candy canes? What do you do with them... bring them out year after year? Seems like there must be some creative project I am missing.
We have new and expanding holes in our living room. For the 9th? 10th? time, the ceiling has flooded. Well, it was the floor that was flooded... we didn't realize til I kept smelling mildew. We had to play the no, it's not mildew.. it's just the trash can game first. We play the same game with kitty litter. As if the trash can smelling is better than the former. This is what happens when you live in a house for 27 years.
Sheesh. 27 years. That's kinda mind-boggling. It was only supposed to be 7 years. The 20 snuck up on us. Sort of like our 30th anniversary this month. 30 years? I have now known Barry twice the amount of time I didn't.
Yes, I'm doing another Evening at CCPC.
Yes, I am crazy.
No, you shouldn't be surprised.
But you could surprise me with a funny act if you'd like.
So, I have encountered a new addiction.. well, 2 actually. 1 is a very stupid game we downloaded on Wii called "Aha! I found you!" It's old school Japanese where aliens come to make people happy by cleaning up their places for them. You look for hidden things that you have no idea what they even mean because they are in Japanese and when you find them all the people are either sad, happy, or very happy. I find it very Zen. We were up til 1am the first night trying to find a shubeken. Whatever that is. Even when you find it you still don't know. Sort of like happiness.
My 2nd addiction I am more sheepish about. I love to watch award shows while I'm on Twitter. It's so ridiculous... like you are watching it with a million people. It's so fun seeing what people think of each act. Like esp. other famous people... who are twittering from inside the show. Like they have nothing better to do. Like me. LOL.
Oh well... 15 minutes are up... heigh ho, heigh go!
The snow is sunny.
Why won't anyone eat the candy canes? What do you do with them... bring them out year after year? Seems like there must be some creative project I am missing.
We have new and expanding holes in our living room. For the 9th? 10th? time, the ceiling has flooded. Well, it was the floor that was flooded... we didn't realize til I kept smelling mildew. We had to play the no, it's not mildew.. it's just the trash can game first. We play the same game with kitty litter. As if the trash can smelling is better than the former. This is what happens when you live in a house for 27 years.
Sheesh. 27 years. That's kinda mind-boggling. It was only supposed to be 7 years. The 20 snuck up on us. Sort of like our 30th anniversary this month. 30 years? I have now known Barry twice the amount of time I didn't.
Yes, I'm doing another Evening at CCPC.
Yes, I am crazy.
No, you shouldn't be surprised.
But you could surprise me with a funny act if you'd like.
So, I have encountered a new addiction.. well, 2 actually. 1 is a very stupid game we downloaded on Wii called "Aha! I found you!" It's old school Japanese where aliens come to make people happy by cleaning up their places for them. You look for hidden things that you have no idea what they even mean because they are in Japanese and when you find them all the people are either sad, happy, or very happy. I find it very Zen. We were up til 1am the first night trying to find a shubeken. Whatever that is. Even when you find it you still don't know. Sort of like happiness.
My 2nd addiction I am more sheepish about. I love to watch award shows while I'm on Twitter. It's so ridiculous... like you are watching it with a million people. It's so fun seeing what people think of each act. Like esp. other famous people... who are twittering from inside the show. Like they have nothing better to do. Like me. LOL.
Oh well... 15 minutes are up... heigh ho, heigh go!
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