Title - I've been a bad blogger
I'm not sure why. Is life too ordinary or too overwhelming? Steve is out of town this week. He gets home Friday and is in rehearsals immediately and then I leave for Chorale tour on Thursday. So, we have one more evening together before Thanksgiving. We had a great date night on Saturday. We had dinner at Chevy's and then saw The Changeling (I highly recommend it) and then we had "dinner" at home. The rest of the weekend was full of work, studying and family.
I am trying to get myself back on a healthy lifestyle track. Because of my current meds I have gained a horrible amount of weight. So, I'm doing weight-lifting and cardio work. Tomorrow morning I start "running" with Lewis. By running I mean mostly walking at this point. The fact he is six months old is good. I can't push him and I don't need to push myself. So, we're going to start with a 30-minute run, mostly walk session, and eventually will build it up to a 30-minute run. It should take several weeks. Today I got a steroid shot in my right heel so I should be good to go for the next few months. I've already set out my workout clothes for the morning.
Otherwise, things seem status quo. I'm working and studying for school - all "A"s so far. We're both getting excited about the holidays.
I'll try to think of something profound to blog about soon. Thanks for your patience.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tea Towels
I promised to write about tea towels.
I want to preface this post with admittance on my part that there are parts of my childhood I don't remember - such as the fact my mom changed my bed sheets on a weekly basis and bills actually arrived in the mail and were paid (meaning credit cards don't just mean free money).
I don't recall being introduced to a true tea towel until I was dating Steve. Perhaps, they're actually called dish towels, but I'm referring to the really thin, white towels that don't look like they will soak up any water, but in fact do an amazing job at it. Growing up, I remember having the more cloth-like towels. They were almost made out of the same material as a bath towel, but slightly thinner. I also don't remember hand drying all that many dishes, so maybe we didn't have much need for tea towels. Granted, there were times the china was used and it was definitely towel and/or air dried, but I'm guessing my mom pretty much did that on her own, bless her soul.
Steve's family owns tea towels and I reluctantly and skeptically used them to dry dishes on my first visit to his house. I remember being amazed at how quickly and effectively this tiny, thin towel ACTUALLY dried dishes. Now I own several tea towels. I always appreciate them, however, it's when I am hosting receptions for the University that my passion for them is renewed. After a long evening of serving and visiting and usually being left alone to clean up it's nice to know I have this small, still amazing to me, piece of material that soaks up water and dries punch bowls in a jiffy!
I want to preface this post with admittance on my part that there are parts of my childhood I don't remember - such as the fact my mom changed my bed sheets on a weekly basis and bills actually arrived in the mail and were paid (meaning credit cards don't just mean free money).
I don't recall being introduced to a true tea towel until I was dating Steve. Perhaps, they're actually called dish towels, but I'm referring to the really thin, white towels that don't look like they will soak up any water, but in fact do an amazing job at it. Growing up, I remember having the more cloth-like towels. They were almost made out of the same material as a bath towel, but slightly thinner. I also don't remember hand drying all that many dishes, so maybe we didn't have much need for tea towels. Granted, there were times the china was used and it was definitely towel and/or air dried, but I'm guessing my mom pretty much did that on her own, bless her soul.
Steve's family owns tea towels and I reluctantly and skeptically used them to dry dishes on my first visit to his house. I remember being amazed at how quickly and effectively this tiny, thin towel ACTUALLY dried dishes. Now I own several tea towels. I always appreciate them, however, it's when I am hosting receptions for the University that my passion for them is renewed. After a long evening of serving and visiting and usually being left alone to clean up it's nice to know I have this small, still amazing to me, piece of material that soaks up water and dries punch bowls in a jiffy!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Traveling and studying and such
I am on the annual Fall CMU Chorale Tour. I love this part of my job. Some years I can stay more than one night in the same hotel, but this year I'm mostly hotel hopping. Between visits to schools, church concerts, hosting receptions, checking in and out of hotels and driving from one place to another I haven't had the time to do some of the things I really want to do - like blogging. My road map for six days looks something like this:
Rocheport to Columbia to Boonville to Camdenton to Lebanon to Branson to Bolivar to Maryland Heights to Florissant to Ladue to Chesterfield to Waynesville to Rolla to St. James to Columbia to Fayette to Rocheport.
As soon as I can (hopefully during some down time tomorrow) I am going to write about...wait for it...tea towels.
Rocheport to Columbia to Boonville to Camdenton to Lebanon to Branson to Bolivar to Maryland Heights to Florissant to Ladue to Chesterfield to Waynesville to Rolla to St. James to Columbia to Fayette to Rocheport.
As soon as I can (hopefully during some down time tomorrow) I am going to write about...wait for it...tea towels.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wayman's Song
I got to work this morning and found this in my inbox. It was sent to me by my stepfather. For those who don't know it, I had a strong affection as I was growing up for Wayman Tisdale when he played basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners. His death brought a sadness to me and this song, written and sung by Toby Keith, expresses beautifully what a wonderful man Wayman was.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Awesome (like hot dogs) Weekend
It was another great Rocheport weekend. Thursday, I got a message from our friend, Pete, asking if he could come visit. It was perfect timing. We had nothing scheduled. Plus, he was our first overnight visitor from our friends in KC so that made it even more special. This is a long, boring post. So, if you read nothing else at least read this list:
Some interesting things from the weekend:
1. Pete got to see our small town in action - meaning there were some large, unattended brush fires being burnt, and people were walking around with open beer bottles and glasses of wine. Ahh, the joys of fall in a town with no law enforcement!
2. We saw a light on in our occupied neighbor’s house for the first time since moving toRocheport almost three years ago.
3. Pete is a dog whisperer and got our 18 month old Lewis to listen and obey. Amazing!
4. Pete can run really fast - even if he says he can’t.
5. Emerson did not write the quote that begins, “Success…to laugh often and much…”
6. MidMo is becoming home to us. We ran into several people we knew while in Columbia.
7. The Rocheport General Store no longer makes breakfast, but Dean (the owner) is happy to make breakfast for you as long as you are willing to eat what he cooks.
8. The window booth at Shakespeare’s Pizza makes for excellent people watching.
9. A 40-minute wait at a new restaurant really means more like a 60 minute wait.
10. Guys don’t like girly shops even when they are offering free liquor.
Pete arrived in Fayette a little after 3pm on Friday. I gave him a quick tour of campus (along with the family of a deceased alumnus). Then, we drove to Columbia to get Steve at his office (he still was without a car from hitting a deer a week ago) and Pete got the grand tour there. We decided to go to Shakespeare’s for pizza, but it was crazy crowded. So, we drove downtown to try out the new Broadway Brewery. We had some time to wait and so we went into the girly shops in The District who were having an open house and were serving drinks with liquor in them. After waiting longer than expected we headed down to the Mississippi Fish Shack and had some rockin’ catfish and fried pickles. After dinner I had to take Pete to my favorite place – Tropical Liqueurs. We got our drinks “to go” and headed home. Once we were back in Rocheport we changed clothes, grabbed our drinks and headed to the train tunnel and to see if we’d run into Chief Brownpants. There was no Chief to be found, but there were enough noises and flying things in the tunnel that Steve couldn’t even get halfway through it. Upon returning home we played some mad rounds of Rack-O. I kicked Steve’s and Pete’s asses!
Saturday morning we took it easy – despite being invited to a Mizzou tailgate. Around 11am we went out to the KATY trail for a quick 20 minute run/walk. Steve kicked my ass and Pete kicked Steve’s ass. We ended up going out 20 minutes and then walked back. It was a little warm for running, but we still had a great time. We headed into Columbia around 1pm and grabbed lunch at Shakespeare’s Pizza. YUMMY! From there we made a quick run to Wal-Mart to get stuff for dinner and headed back to Rocheport. After dropping off the groceries we went to Les Bourgeois Winery. It was a perfect day to be sitting out at the A-Frame. Pete and I shared a bottle of wine. When we got home I took a nap while Steve and Pete cooked dinner. Then, we ate Steve’s famous inside-out burgers while watching the first half of the OU/Nebraska game (boo). At half-time we headed down to the Rocheport General Store to hear the Rum Runners play. To my surprise, as soon as I walked in the door I saw an old friend from KC, Sarah, who was staying with her mom at the School House B&B right across from our house. She had no idea we lived in the town. Small world. I got hit on by a very drunk man; I then very quickly introduced him to my husband; and then the drunk man proceeded to high-five Steve throughout the evening. When we got back home we played Phase 10 and Pete won. It was past our bedtimes so we all went to bed.
Sunday morning after sharing some coffee and conversation we got dressed and headed to Columbia to meet some of Steve’s coworkers for a game of “touch” football. My team lost – twice. We all headed to B&B for bagels and beverages and then it was time to head our separate ways. We said goodbye to Pete and he headed back to KC.
I can't think of anything that could have made it more perfect except for a Sooners victory.
Some interesting things from the weekend:
1. Pete got to see our small town in action - meaning there were some large, unattended brush fires being burnt, and people were walking around with open beer bottles and glasses of wine. Ahh, the joys of fall in a town with no law enforcement!
2. We saw a light on in our occupied neighbor’s house for the first time since moving toRocheport almost three years ago.
3. Pete is a dog whisperer and got our 18 month old Lewis to listen and obey. Amazing!
4. Pete can run really fast - even if he says he can’t.
5. Emerson did not write the quote that begins, “Success…to laugh often and much…”
6. MidMo is becoming home to us. We ran into several people we knew while in Columbia.
7. The Rocheport General Store no longer makes breakfast, but Dean (the owner) is happy to make breakfast for you as long as you are willing to eat what he cooks.
8. The window booth at Shakespeare’s Pizza makes for excellent people watching.
9. A 40-minute wait at a new restaurant really means more like a 60 minute wait.
10. Guys don’t like girly shops even when they are offering free liquor.
Pete arrived in Fayette a little after 3pm on Friday. I gave him a quick tour of campus (along with the family of a deceased alumnus). Then, we drove to Columbia to get Steve at his office (he still was without a car from hitting a deer a week ago) and Pete got the grand tour there. We decided to go to Shakespeare’s for pizza, but it was crazy crowded. So, we drove downtown to try out the new Broadway Brewery. We had some time to wait and so we went into the girly shops in The District who were having an open house and were serving drinks with liquor in them. After waiting longer than expected we headed down to the Mississippi Fish Shack and had some rockin’ catfish and fried pickles. After dinner I had to take Pete to my favorite place – Tropical Liqueurs. We got our drinks “to go” and headed home. Once we were back in Rocheport we changed clothes, grabbed our drinks and headed to the train tunnel and to see if we’d run into Chief Brownpants. There was no Chief to be found, but there were enough noises and flying things in the tunnel that Steve couldn’t even get halfway through it. Upon returning home we played some mad rounds of Rack-O. I kicked Steve’s and Pete’s asses!
Saturday morning we took it easy – despite being invited to a Mizzou tailgate. Around 11am we went out to the KATY trail for a quick 20 minute run/walk. Steve kicked my ass and Pete kicked Steve’s ass. We ended up going out 20 minutes and then walked back. It was a little warm for running, but we still had a great time. We headed into Columbia around 1pm and grabbed lunch at Shakespeare’s Pizza. YUMMY! From there we made a quick run to Wal-Mart to get stuff for dinner and headed back to Rocheport. After dropping off the groceries we went to Les Bourgeois Winery. It was a perfect day to be sitting out at the A-Frame. Pete and I shared a bottle of wine. When we got home I took a nap while Steve and Pete cooked dinner. Then, we ate Steve’s famous inside-out burgers while watching the first half of the OU/Nebraska game (boo). At half-time we headed down to the Rocheport General Store to hear the Rum Runners play. To my surprise, as soon as I walked in the door I saw an old friend from KC, Sarah, who was staying with her mom at the School House B&B right across from our house. She had no idea we lived in the town. Small world. I got hit on by a very drunk man; I then very quickly introduced him to my husband; and then the drunk man proceeded to high-five Steve throughout the evening. When we got back home we played Phase 10 and Pete won. It was past our bedtimes so we all went to bed.
Sunday morning after sharing some coffee and conversation we got dressed and headed to Columbia to meet some of Steve’s coworkers for a game of “touch” football. My team lost – twice. We all headed to B&B for bagels and beverages and then it was time to head our separate ways. We said goodbye to Pete and he headed back to KC.
I can't think of anything that could have made it more perfect except for a Sooners victory.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Blog Share 5.0
I am honored to present you with today's post. She has shared from her heart and I appreciate the trust of her to send this post to Blog Share.
My son is nine. My son thinks he's gay.
And I say that, knowing that I would never say that he thinks he's straight, even if such a thing were true, which, of course, it's not. I mention this last point simply to show that heteronormativity is far too easy to fall into, even for those of us who think we treat everyone equally and squirm at the thought, always so close to the surface, that there might be a need to point out that we think we treat everyone equally.
I can't even remember how he told me. I just remember that it was very natural, and that it was about a year ago. I spent some time trying to figure out what he was really saying. My husband's still not totally convinced. My son, on the other hand, is pretty sure. He knows what it means to LIKE like someone. A few of the girls in his class LIKE like him. His best friend LIKE likes a little girl.
Since then, he's told me that he has a crush on a little boy in his class, and that the other boy is NOT gay. Their conversations go something like this:
"I want you to be my boyfriend.
""NO. THAT'S GAY."
"Yeah, I'm gay. I said that. I really want to kiss you."
I get the sense that this is all very overwhelming for the other little boy, and that he is not sure what to make of it all. He hurts my son's feelings, but it's hard to turn off a crush. Especially when you're nine.
So we've had talks about how to tell people you're gay. I have no experience with this. My gay friends generally didn't tell anyone they were gay until they were well into their teens, even though they knew when they were around the same age my son is now.
When the Prop 8 silliness was happening in California, my son watched a TV commercial about how terrible it was for gay people to get married or have kids. He turned to me: "They think it's BAD to be gay, but it's not! *I* want to be gay!"
Sometimes I just want to wrap him up and hold him tight. I want to protect him from the people who would say such things.
People like my parents.
And that's why I can't post this on my own blog.
Today is the 5th installment of Blog Share. This is my 3rd time to participate. Essentially, several bloggers loan their space for a day to another blogger and all those participating write something that is anonymously posted on another participant's blog. Somethings are funny; somethings are serious. Many people use this as an outlet to share something they'd really like to write about on their own blog but for whatever reason can't do so. Others take is as an opportunity to simply share their perspective on something or introduce their writing to a new audience. Somewhere out there is a post from me. I'm happy with what I wrote although just this morning I though, "THAT'S what I should have written about." So, at least I have something for Blog Share 6.
I give my heartfelt thanks to -R- for organizing us and putting hours of work into Blog Share. Below is a list of all the blogs participating. So, feel free to hop around the blogosphere and see what else has been posted today.
Not the Daddy
O is for Olson
Red Red Whine
Rediscovering Me
Reflections in the Snow-covered Hills
The Reluctant Grownup
Sauntering Soul
Serendipity Now
Snarke
So, This Is a Treadmill
Thinking Some More
Time for Change
Together They Come
Wondering and Pondering
And You Know What Else
Andrea Unplugged
Arctic-ulate
Bright Yellow World
Bwildered
Catheroominations
Did I Say That Outloud?
Dispatches from the Failed Mommy Club
Full of Snark
Heidikins
Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men
Just Below 63
The Little Goat
My son is nine. My son thinks he's gay.
And I say that, knowing that I would never say that he thinks he's straight, even if such a thing were true, which, of course, it's not. I mention this last point simply to show that heteronormativity is far too easy to fall into, even for those of us who think we treat everyone equally and squirm at the thought, always so close to the surface, that there might be a need to point out that we think we treat everyone equally.
I can't even remember how he told me. I just remember that it was very natural, and that it was about a year ago. I spent some time trying to figure out what he was really saying. My husband's still not totally convinced. My son, on the other hand, is pretty sure. He knows what it means to LIKE like someone. A few of the girls in his class LIKE like him. His best friend LIKE likes a little girl.
Since then, he's told me that he has a crush on a little boy in his class, and that the other boy is NOT gay. Their conversations go something like this:
"I want you to be my boyfriend.
""NO. THAT'S GAY."
"Yeah, I'm gay. I said that. I really want to kiss you."
I get the sense that this is all very overwhelming for the other little boy, and that he is not sure what to make of it all. He hurts my son's feelings, but it's hard to turn off a crush. Especially when you're nine.
So we've had talks about how to tell people you're gay. I have no experience with this. My gay friends generally didn't tell anyone they were gay until they were well into their teens, even though they knew when they were around the same age my son is now.
When the Prop 8 silliness was happening in California, my son watched a TV commercial about how terrible it was for gay people to get married or have kids. He turned to me: "They think it's BAD to be gay, but it's not! *I* want to be gay!"
Sometimes I just want to wrap him up and hold him tight. I want to protect him from the people who would say such things.
People like my parents.
And that's why I can't post this on my own blog.
Today is the 5th installment of Blog Share. This is my 3rd time to participate. Essentially, several bloggers loan their space for a day to another blogger and all those participating write something that is anonymously posted on another participant's blog. Somethings are funny; somethings are serious. Many people use this as an outlet to share something they'd really like to write about on their own blog but for whatever reason can't do so. Others take is as an opportunity to simply share their perspective on something or introduce their writing to a new audience. Somewhere out there is a post from me. I'm happy with what I wrote although just this morning I though, "THAT'S what I should have written about." So, at least I have something for Blog Share 6.
I give my heartfelt thanks to -R- for organizing us and putting hours of work into Blog Share. Below is a list of all the blogs participating. So, feel free to hop around the blogosphere and see what else has been posted today.
Not the Daddy
O is for Olson
Red Red Whine
Rediscovering Me
Reflections in the Snow-covered Hills
The Reluctant Grownup
Sauntering Soul
Serendipity Now
Snarke
So, This Is a Treadmill
Thinking Some More
Time for Change
Together They Come
Wondering and Pondering
And You Know What Else
Andrea Unplugged
Arctic-ulate
Bright Yellow World
Bwildered
Catheroominations
Did I Say That Outloud?
Dispatches from the Failed Mommy Club
Full of Snark
Heidikins
Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men
Just Below 63
The Little Goat
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Day 1
After not running since my injury in mid-March, Steve and I started a training program last night. Our goal is the April 11, 2010, half-marathon in St. Louis. It's totally doable. I'm having to really take baby steps - which is hard since I used to easily run four miles a day. However, I know I am essentially starting at ground zero and have a lot of base-building to do.
Last night we did and easy 20 minute run/walk. That means we ran for 1 minute and then walked for 90 seconds and did this eight times. Pretty easy. I told Steve to push me this year because I tend to be a slow runner. I know I can run faster than my old pace. I got into a habit of running a slow pace because that's the pace my KC running partner and I set for ourselves and we were happy with that. Now, I want to get my pace to at least a 10 minute mile. I'd be thrilled if I could push it to a nine minute mile, but time and training will decide that.
The goal is to be able to run steadily (more than a jog) for 30 minutes without stopping and I anticipate being there in a couple of months. The last thing I want to do is injure myself again. Then, we'll start our official half-marathon training in mid-January. I'm excited!!
Last night we did and easy 20 minute run/walk. That means we ran for 1 minute and then walked for 90 seconds and did this eight times. Pretty easy. I told Steve to push me this year because I tend to be a slow runner. I know I can run faster than my old pace. I got into a habit of running a slow pace because that's the pace my KC running partner and I set for ourselves and we were happy with that. Now, I want to get my pace to at least a 10 minute mile. I'd be thrilled if I could push it to a nine minute mile, but time and training will decide that.
The goal is to be able to run steadily (more than a jog) for 30 minutes without stopping and I anticipate being there in a couple of months. The last thing I want to do is injure myself again. Then, we'll start our official half-marathon training in mid-January. I'm excited!!
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