I've had a cough. It was a dry, hacking cough for several weeks and but now it's more of a fruitful, chesty cough. It's been the worst year I can remember for overall sickness. From everything I hear, it's children and school and it happens for all families at this time in their lives. So I'm living with it.
Yesterday, I started to feel overly achy after my workout. I didn't think it was that hard of a workout. Maybe those extra hundred pushups and the four miles of running had something to do with it but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary so I didn't worry too much about it. Then, we went to dinner.
And suddenly, I started to feel very bad. I started to get the aches all over like either you've been hit with a Mack truck or your sick or you've exercised way too long, only some of the places I was aching were internal and were much more along the lines of fever aches than muscle aches.
It was growing worse at a dramatically fast pace. I told daddy when we got home I was putting one child in bed and then climbing in bed myself. When I got home, I checked and had a fever of 100.1, and I wasn't surprised about that given how I felt. A half hour later, after getting tiny to bed, I had a fever of 101.0, and I felt like crap on a cracker that's been soaking in luke warm water. I was asleep before 8:00PM.
My husband suggested I take some Nyquil for the symptoms, which helped some. I took a second dose at 4:30AM but the fever had subsided by then. Today, the fever is gone, but I'm tired and confused as to what the whole thing was about. Am I getting over it? Is this just a lull? I suppose I'll find out.
The Big Boy Update: "Help, I stuck." He was calling out for help and daddy couldn't find him. Finally he realized he had climbed over the back of the big sofa chair in the corner of the bedroom and was wedged behind it in the triangular void of at the corner. The chair was taller than he was. I suspect he's found a future hide-and-go seek location.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "Where's Reese?" She will, unexpectedly, play peekaboo with you. The words, "where's Reese" aren't that clear when she has her hands over her face hiding her eyes so you might not get what's happening until you see her grinning as she pulls her hands away from her face in her car seat and proudly exclaims, "Here's Reese!" Peekaboo is another word she says, sort of. That's a hard one to say but she tries.
Someone Once Said: Seems to be a deep instinct in human beings for making everything compulsory that isn’t forbidden
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Unexpected Board Meeting Event
This post is not for you gentlemen. Guys, just move along because this is all about a lady thing. Trust me, you don't want to know.
Are they gone? Okay, I have to get this off my chest because it was one of those nightmare situations you are afraid is going to happen, and last week, it happened to me. It was our board meeting and we had lots of work to accomplish. As I'm relatively new to the board, I put on something nicer than my shorts and sneakers I'm so known for wearing. I had my new white jeans on and a stylish top and I was ready to be the best new board member I could be as I headed off to that meeting, armed with my Starbucks Venti Non-fat Single Chai Latte 185 Degrees.
The meeting was going well. It's a very friendly group that has more desire to get the work done and do a good job than they do in complaining, pointing fingers and being negative about things. Aside from a nagging cough I'd had for a while, I was having a good time, which is saying a lot because board meetings aren't generally reputed to be "fun." That's when it happened.
I did a large round of coughing and I felt something unexpected in my pants. Something other ladies will be familiar with. Something that wasn't expected at all during that section of the month. Oh no. Oh dear. Well, it's probably nothing. Fortunately I'm in the back of the room near the restroom.
It wasn't nothing. It was something and it was all over the place something. Guys, seriously, you're not still reading this are you? I so warned you it was a lady thing. So I took off my pants and underpants. I had no purse on me, nothing to store very soiled underpants in other than a pocket in my very white jeans, so I threw them away in the trash can, hidden under lots of paper towels. I hope no small child found it the next day but that's the option I had at that point.
I did some uncomfortable damage control with paper towels, because I had no other feminine protection devices on hand. And then there were the jeans. There was a quarter-sized spot right in the back. Not in the crotch, because I'd been, apparently, slouching.
So I washed my jeans in the sink. I don't know if it was the most prudent move, but I was hoping the wet white color wouldn't be as obvious as wet blue jeans would be. And they weren't as obvious, but it was obvious. Oh hell, how am I going to get back to my seat? Also, wet jeans smell not unlike wet dog. How nice. The only thing I could come up with was a small throw rug that was on a stack of boxes in the bathroom.
What did I do? I waltzed back out, holding the rug in front of me and sat back down with it on my lap. The head of school gave me a strange look, but I said nothing. Then, some time later when there was a break and the three gentlemen in the room weren't paying attention, I did what any lady would do: I enlisted the help of other ladies, because we've all been there.
I asked Charlotte and Dominique (the head of school) to lean in and I gave them a very quick summary. Charlotte, very kindly said she was feeling hot and wouldn't need her shawl and that I looked cold and would I like to use it as I walked out shortly? They were so kind and they protected me as I walked, shawl-wrapped to my car.
It was awful. It was funny. It was unexpected. But I think, it wasn't known by everyone, mostly the men, which is a relief.
The Big Boy Update: He wasn't even in the room. The other night after both children were in bed there was a commotion on the monitor. This isn't uncommon. What happens is one parent goes up, with a smart phone, and sits in the chair reading email or doing whatever it is they want to do on their phone, until the children settle down. I was there for fifteen minutes and when I got up to leave, the light that came in from opening the door showed that my son wasn't even there. He wasn't in the room at all. He had gotten his pillow, blankets, stuffed animals and pacifier and taken them all to the playroom. He'd made himself a bed on the floor and shut the door. And when I checked, he was happily asleep right in the middle of the little play room.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Bath? Bath? She likes taking a bath. Sometimes, I'll be in the bath because I've been running or exercising and she'll come in and want to get into the bath with me. Yesterday morning she was adamant that it was her turn to have a bath. She tried to take off her clothes (unsuccessfully) and then got toys to put in the tub with me. She was confused I think that I hadn't selected a color to have for my bath (they love these little food color tablets that make the bath fun and outrageous shades.) She was glad when it was her turn for a bath last night.
Fitness Update: My neck is sore. This is not uncommon. I have spine issues most days, but some days are worse than others. It was cramped so badly this morning I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the gym workout. And remember those hundred pushups I did yesterday? Don had us do 126 burpees (in which you get in and out of the pushup position after every pushup and do a jump) in less than an hour. Among other tortures. But fun. It was fun. I hope it was fun. At any rate, I made it to the Chiropractor after drop off so hopefully I'll be in less pain this afternoon.
Someone Once Said: There are three schools of magic. One: State a tautology, then ring the changes on its corollaries; that’s philosophy. Two: Record many facts. Try to see a pattern. Then make a wrong guess at the next fact. That’s Science. Three: Awareness that you live in a malevolent universe controlled by Murphy’s Law, sometimes offset in part by Brewster’s Factor; that’s engineering.
Are they gone? Okay, I have to get this off my chest because it was one of those nightmare situations you are afraid is going to happen, and last week, it happened to me. It was our board meeting and we had lots of work to accomplish. As I'm relatively new to the board, I put on something nicer than my shorts and sneakers I'm so known for wearing. I had my new white jeans on and a stylish top and I was ready to be the best new board member I could be as I headed off to that meeting, armed with my Starbucks Venti Non-fat Single Chai Latte 185 Degrees.
The meeting was going well. It's a very friendly group that has more desire to get the work done and do a good job than they do in complaining, pointing fingers and being negative about things. Aside from a nagging cough I'd had for a while, I was having a good time, which is saying a lot because board meetings aren't generally reputed to be "fun." That's when it happened.
I did a large round of coughing and I felt something unexpected in my pants. Something other ladies will be familiar with. Something that wasn't expected at all during that section of the month. Oh no. Oh dear. Well, it's probably nothing. Fortunately I'm in the back of the room near the restroom.
It wasn't nothing. It was something and it was all over the place something. Guys, seriously, you're not still reading this are you? I so warned you it was a lady thing. So I took off my pants and underpants. I had no purse on me, nothing to store very soiled underpants in other than a pocket in my very white jeans, so I threw them away in the trash can, hidden under lots of paper towels. I hope no small child found it the next day but that's the option I had at that point.
I did some uncomfortable damage control with paper towels, because I had no other feminine protection devices on hand. And then there were the jeans. There was a quarter-sized spot right in the back. Not in the crotch, because I'd been, apparently, slouching.
So I washed my jeans in the sink. I don't know if it was the most prudent move, but I was hoping the wet white color wouldn't be as obvious as wet blue jeans would be. And they weren't as obvious, but it was obvious. Oh hell, how am I going to get back to my seat? Also, wet jeans smell not unlike wet dog. How nice. The only thing I could come up with was a small throw rug that was on a stack of boxes in the bathroom.
What did I do? I waltzed back out, holding the rug in front of me and sat back down with it on my lap. The head of school gave me a strange look, but I said nothing. Then, some time later when there was a break and the three gentlemen in the room weren't paying attention, I did what any lady would do: I enlisted the help of other ladies, because we've all been there.
I asked Charlotte and Dominique (the head of school) to lean in and I gave them a very quick summary. Charlotte, very kindly said she was feeling hot and wouldn't need her shawl and that I looked cold and would I like to use it as I walked out shortly? They were so kind and they protected me as I walked, shawl-wrapped to my car.
It was awful. It was funny. It was unexpected. But I think, it wasn't known by everyone, mostly the men, which is a relief.
The Big Boy Update: He wasn't even in the room. The other night after both children were in bed there was a commotion on the monitor. This isn't uncommon. What happens is one parent goes up, with a smart phone, and sits in the chair reading email or doing whatever it is they want to do on their phone, until the children settle down. I was there for fifteen minutes and when I got up to leave, the light that came in from opening the door showed that my son wasn't even there. He wasn't in the room at all. He had gotten his pillow, blankets, stuffed animals and pacifier and taken them all to the playroom. He'd made himself a bed on the floor and shut the door. And when I checked, he was happily asleep right in the middle of the little play room.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Bath? Bath? She likes taking a bath. Sometimes, I'll be in the bath because I've been running or exercising and she'll come in and want to get into the bath with me. Yesterday morning she was adamant that it was her turn to have a bath. She tried to take off her clothes (unsuccessfully) and then got toys to put in the tub with me. She was confused I think that I hadn't selected a color to have for my bath (they love these little food color tablets that make the bath fun and outrageous shades.) She was glad when it was her turn for a bath last night.
Fitness Update: My neck is sore. This is not uncommon. I have spine issues most days, but some days are worse than others. It was cramped so badly this morning I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the gym workout. And remember those hundred pushups I did yesterday? Don had us do 126 burpees (in which you get in and out of the pushup position after every pushup and do a jump) in less than an hour. Among other tortures. But fun. It was fun. I hope it was fun. At any rate, I made it to the Chiropractor after drop off so hopefully I'll be in less pain this afternoon.
Someone Once Said: There are three schools of magic. One: State a tautology, then ring the changes on its corollaries; that’s philosophy. Two: Record many facts. Try to see a pattern. Then make a wrong guess at the next fact. That’s Science. Three: Awareness that you live in a malevolent universe controlled by Murphy’s Law, sometimes offset in part by Brewster’s Factor; that’s engineering.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Children Make People Smile
I have seen this happen too many times to not know it's coming now. Children make people smile. They're little and they're innocent and they're muddling their way through something mundane or maybe they're giggling with joy at something silly, whatever it is, little kids being little kids is endearing and people like to watch it in action.
For instance, of late when we go places I try to walk my daughter from the car to the location. Sure, I could carry her; it would be more exercise for me and it would take about a fourth the time. But she is learning and having her participate in the process and be aware of traffic and understand she needs to hold my hand are important things for a child to learn.
So here we are, she's walking in and looking all around. I'm taking truncated adult steps as I walk beside her and I'm probably talking to her about where we're going or something interesting to see like the dog in the pickup truck to the left. And that's when we meet the smiling people.
They're of all ages. Some are quite old and moving at about our same pace. Some are parents and some are just friendly people who think this whole half-paced procession is charming. Some people talk directly to me. They might say how cute she is or how they remembered when their children were that age. Some people will engage my daughter directly saying something to her in a friendly.
The conversations are always brief because we're usually headed in different directions, but it's always a nice exchange. I think I'll miss it when my children are too old to be that kind of cute. I suspect I'll be one of those people who talks to random children as their parents walk them to their destination at that very special toddler half-pace.
The Big Boy Update: "Happy. I'm a happy boy." This is a cute thing for him to say, and the first time he explained to us that he was happy, I thought it was just words he knew. But no, if he's feeling happy, he will tell you so. Today not only did he say he was happy, he declared that he was a happy boy.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: The terrible twos are coming. I can sense it. Actually, my ears can hear it. She knows enough now to realize she's being told no about something but that the adult that told her no, could have said yes if they'd wanted to. In short, she realizes she's being denied. And she can get pretty angry and loud about it.
Fitness Update: 4.5 miles for a short Mother's Day run before daddy had to go to work. Also, decided to do one hundred pushups for fun as well. Wait, did I say, "for fun?" I must be coming down with something.
Someone Once Said: A present should show that you considered that person’s tastes. Something he would enjoy but probably would not buy.
For instance, of late when we go places I try to walk my daughter from the car to the location. Sure, I could carry her; it would be more exercise for me and it would take about a fourth the time. But she is learning and having her participate in the process and be aware of traffic and understand she needs to hold my hand are important things for a child to learn.
So here we are, she's walking in and looking all around. I'm taking truncated adult steps as I walk beside her and I'm probably talking to her about where we're going or something interesting to see like the dog in the pickup truck to the left. And that's when we meet the smiling people.
They're of all ages. Some are quite old and moving at about our same pace. Some are parents and some are just friendly people who think this whole half-paced procession is charming. Some people talk directly to me. They might say how cute she is or how they remembered when their children were that age. Some people will engage my daughter directly saying something to her in a friendly.
The conversations are always brief because we're usually headed in different directions, but it's always a nice exchange. I think I'll miss it when my children are too old to be that kind of cute. I suspect I'll be one of those people who talks to random children as their parents walk them to their destination at that very special toddler half-pace.
The Big Boy Update: "Happy. I'm a happy boy." This is a cute thing for him to say, and the first time he explained to us that he was happy, I thought it was just words he knew. But no, if he's feeling happy, he will tell you so. Today not only did he say he was happy, he declared that he was a happy boy.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: The terrible twos are coming. I can sense it. Actually, my ears can hear it. She knows enough now to realize she's being told no about something but that the adult that told her no, could have said yes if they'd wanted to. In short, she realizes she's being denied. And she can get pretty angry and loud about it.
Fitness Update: 4.5 miles for a short Mother's Day run before daddy had to go to work. Also, decided to do one hundred pushups for fun as well. Wait, did I say, "for fun?" I must be coming down with something.
Someone Once Said: A present should show that you considered that person’s tastes. Something he would enjoy but probably would not buy.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Nap Strategery
Some days my son doesn't take a nap, most days he does. My daughter, so far, hasn't missed a nap yet, although sometimes this involves a short nap in the car until we arrive at our destination. But however it works out, we try to make sure naps happen so that we don't have angry, hungry, tired, annoyed children when we need to have happy, full, rested toddlers for an event or activity.
Today is one of those days we worked planned for tired with great intention. We have an all-school event from two to four and a birthday party from four to six. This means any afternoon nap is not happening, and we would very much like them to enjoy the two events, instead of being cranky and irritable. So, we decided to action-pack the morning.
We got them packed into the car with sand toys and a healthy snack in a bag and took them to the park down the street. We dumped the sand toys in the large sand area and then let them run around for a long time, hoping this would wear them out. We gave them fruit and juice and fig newtons and then let them run around some more. We thought naps might follow, but we needed to confirm there was no way they would stay awake. So we went to ChickenFries.
ChickenFries is McDonald's. Well, it's what my son thinks McDonald's is named. We went to the one with the largest indoor playground and we fed our already full children some fries and chicken and let them run around more. The good news is, they were too tired to play much more. We got them back in the car and presto, two asleep children right at Noon as we approached our house.
They're still asleep now, which is good because we're about to head over to the school. Hopefully it will be a fun afternoon for everyone. I hope our strategy worked.
The Big Boy Update: "Sorry Reese. Sorry Reese. Sorry Reese" He hurt her. I don't know what he did, but he upset her and he felt contrite. He apologized multiple times in a row to her--and she stopped crying.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "Hi Reese. Hi Reese." She was looking at my phone yesterday, specifically the pictures. She has seen herself in the pictures a lot so she expected to see herself in all of them. Regardless if she was in the picture or not, she would say, "Hi Reese" to each picture. Also, I didn't realize she knew how to swipe to see the next picture until I watched her.
Fitness Update: Running again. Eight miles with my neighbor around the main loop. We ran slowly, and I took Advil, but my shin splints didn't bother me, so hopefully they're mostly healed.
Someone Once Said: I'm running late. (Okay, that was me that said that. It's true though, gotta run.)
Today is one of those days we worked planned for tired with great intention. We have an all-school event from two to four and a birthday party from four to six. This means any afternoon nap is not happening, and we would very much like them to enjoy the two events, instead of being cranky and irritable. So, we decided to action-pack the morning.
We got them packed into the car with sand toys and a healthy snack in a bag and took them to the park down the street. We dumped the sand toys in the large sand area and then let them run around for a long time, hoping this would wear them out. We gave them fruit and juice and fig newtons and then let them run around some more. We thought naps might follow, but we needed to confirm there was no way they would stay awake. So we went to ChickenFries.
ChickenFries is McDonald's. Well, it's what my son thinks McDonald's is named. We went to the one with the largest indoor playground and we fed our already full children some fries and chicken and let them run around more. The good news is, they were too tired to play much more. We got them back in the car and presto, two asleep children right at Noon as we approached our house.
They're still asleep now, which is good because we're about to head over to the school. Hopefully it will be a fun afternoon for everyone. I hope our strategy worked.
The Big Boy Update: "Sorry Reese. Sorry Reese. Sorry Reese" He hurt her. I don't know what he did, but he upset her and he felt contrite. He apologized multiple times in a row to her--and she stopped crying.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "Hi Reese. Hi Reese." She was looking at my phone yesterday, specifically the pictures. She has seen herself in the pictures a lot so she expected to see herself in all of them. Regardless if she was in the picture or not, she would say, "Hi Reese" to each picture. Also, I didn't realize she knew how to swipe to see the next picture until I watched her.
Fitness Update: Running again. Eight miles with my neighbor around the main loop. We ran slowly, and I took Advil, but my shin splints didn't bother me, so hopefully they're mostly healed.
Someone Once Said: I'm running late. (Okay, that was me that said that. It's true though, gotta run.)
Friday, May 10, 2013
All Caught Up
Historically you would watch a television show and then you would wait another week until the next episode or installment came out. If you forgot SuperExcitingShowX was on on Wednesday, you were just out of luck (unless you knew how to program your VCR). If you heard FantasticShowY was something you just had to start watching because everyone wouldn't shut up about it, you would need to have a friend catch you up on the story so far, because no one had full seasons at their disposal.
In the past few years that's changed dramatically though. There are DVR's which make it so easy to store weeks of a show, including reruns for you to watch at your leisure. And what about that new show you should really catch up on? Easy as three slices of pie. Just go to one of the handy streaming companies and stream the last four seasons back to back until you're bought in to the current plot line, no matter how far-fetched.
We live in a time of media convenience. It can be very nice. I am known for getting behind on anything television related. It could be my favorite show, but I might let it pile up for six weeks and then be in the mood to watch it. That just happened to me last week. I finally decided to watch all the queued episodes I'd been putting off, saving up, looking forward to, only I wasn't in the mood right now. And now there's a void because I have to wait--yes, you heard me correctly--I have to wait for the next episode to be released.
But I was just getting into the show. I remembered how great all the characters were and they did this new, interesting plot twist that I am keen to see the outcome of. But I have to wait.
It's much easier to wait when you don't have to. It's harder to wait when you don't have a choice.
The Big Boy Update: "No, I have my own hands." This morning, Papa offered to help my son down the stairs by saying, "Would you like my hand?" to which my son told him he had his own hands, thank you very much.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Two bows. Her hair continues to need some sort of up-top maintenance to keep it away from her eyes. She came home with two little top knot bows that worked very well. I'm so going to have to figure out how to do little girl's hair soon.
Fitness Update: With Nana and Papa at the house this morning, daddy and I got a rare treat: we went to the gym together. Normally, one would stay back to manage two sleeping (or usually not sleeping) children until it's their turn to go exercise. It was a nice change. I discovered my husband isn't as chatty as my girlfriend is.
Someone Once Said: Bravery is going on anyhow when you are so terrified you’re sphincters won’t hold and you can’t breathe and your heart threatens to stop.
In the past few years that's changed dramatically though. There are DVR's which make it so easy to store weeks of a show, including reruns for you to watch at your leisure. And what about that new show you should really catch up on? Easy as three slices of pie. Just go to one of the handy streaming companies and stream the last four seasons back to back until you're bought in to the current plot line, no matter how far-fetched.
We live in a time of media convenience. It can be very nice. I am known for getting behind on anything television related. It could be my favorite show, but I might let it pile up for six weeks and then be in the mood to watch it. That just happened to me last week. I finally decided to watch all the queued episodes I'd been putting off, saving up, looking forward to, only I wasn't in the mood right now. And now there's a void because I have to wait--yes, you heard me correctly--I have to wait for the next episode to be released.
But I was just getting into the show. I remembered how great all the characters were and they did this new, interesting plot twist that I am keen to see the outcome of. But I have to wait.
It's much easier to wait when you don't have to. It's harder to wait when you don't have a choice.
The Big Boy Update: "No, I have my own hands." This morning, Papa offered to help my son down the stairs by saying, "Would you like my hand?" to which my son told him he had his own hands, thank you very much.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Two bows. Her hair continues to need some sort of up-top maintenance to keep it away from her eyes. She came home with two little top knot bows that worked very well. I'm so going to have to figure out how to do little girl's hair soon.
Fitness Update: With Nana and Papa at the house this morning, daddy and I got a rare treat: we went to the gym together. Normally, one would stay back to manage two sleeping (or usually not sleeping) children until it's their turn to go exercise. It was a nice change. I discovered my husband isn't as chatty as my girlfriend is.
Someone Once Said: Bravery is going on anyhow when you are so terrified you’re sphincters won’t hold and you can’t breathe and your heart threatens to stop.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Security Light Reminiscence
We use our cell phones as flash lights in dark situations these days. It wasn't always so easy to find your way when the lights were out thought. For that matter, there weren't always lights when it was dark, but as I'm a child of the 1970's, I have had the luxury of living in a world with electricity and lights so my perspective is skewed.
When I was in elementary school I remember my parents had friends over for dinner one night. The husband was a doctor and I don't know how the two families met, but they were friends for some years. That night he brought over a nifty new piece of technology he had, "The Emergency Light."
All right, truthfully I don't know what the thing was called, but it was an emergency light to me. It plugged into the outlet in your room and sat there doing nothing, that is, until there was an interruption in power. At that point, the bright flash light component at the top lit up and you had light in the night, in the storm, in the whatever it was that merited light.
Speaking of, if you just needed a flashlight you could pull it out of the wall and presto, you had an unwieldy yet workable flashlight. All due to a rechargeable battery and some advances in circuitry. This is all boring and old news today, but that little light sat on the wall in my parents room for many many years, ready to serve if it was ever needed.
That doctor I later learned was at the general practice I went to whenever I needed general medical assistance. I remembered him being somewhat larger and discovered from my parents that he had been, until he lost a lung due to cancer. I also bought a town home just across the street from where they lived, but that was much later too. Sometimes, when I drove home I would think about that doctor with the one lung and the emergency flash light as I turned into my parking lot.
The Big Boy Update: Mickey Mouse Club House. He is still nuts about this show. He is also intrigued with the iPad. Both are reserved for times of need. Or at least the iPad is. I think we bring it out about once every two weeks and I don't mind if I forget about it all together. The good news is he doesn't remember it enough to ask for it so it always performs the magic of keeping him occupied in special cases when that's important.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: I want outside. She really wants to go outside, all the time, in any weather. This afternoon she went outside with Nana and enjoyed swinging so much she fell asleep in the swing.
Someone Once Said: Better to be tempted and resist, than be disappointed.
When I was in elementary school I remember my parents had friends over for dinner one night. The husband was a doctor and I don't know how the two families met, but they were friends for some years. That night he brought over a nifty new piece of technology he had, "The Emergency Light."
All right, truthfully I don't know what the thing was called, but it was an emergency light to me. It plugged into the outlet in your room and sat there doing nothing, that is, until there was an interruption in power. At that point, the bright flash light component at the top lit up and you had light in the night, in the storm, in the whatever it was that merited light.
Speaking of, if you just needed a flashlight you could pull it out of the wall and presto, you had an unwieldy yet workable flashlight. All due to a rechargeable battery and some advances in circuitry. This is all boring and old news today, but that little light sat on the wall in my parents room for many many years, ready to serve if it was ever needed.
That doctor I later learned was at the general practice I went to whenever I needed general medical assistance. I remembered him being somewhat larger and discovered from my parents that he had been, until he lost a lung due to cancer. I also bought a town home just across the street from where they lived, but that was much later too. Sometimes, when I drove home I would think about that doctor with the one lung and the emergency flash light as I turned into my parking lot.
The Big Boy Update: Mickey Mouse Club House. He is still nuts about this show. He is also intrigued with the iPad. Both are reserved for times of need. Or at least the iPad is. I think we bring it out about once every two weeks and I don't mind if I forget about it all together. The good news is he doesn't remember it enough to ask for it so it always performs the magic of keeping him occupied in special cases when that's important.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: I want outside. She really wants to go outside, all the time, in any weather. This afternoon she went outside with Nana and enjoyed swinging so much she fell asleep in the swing.
Someone Once Said: Better to be tempted and resist, than be disappointed.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Mystery of Fundraising
Fundraising is like magic to me. But I don't mean magic like in Harry Potter. Definitely not. I mean magic like the wonderful slight of hand my father does when he performs as a magician. I've been watching him perform magic all my life and it is still fascinating. Knowing the amount of skill and time investment he has in order to make what appears to be a trick go off successfully and effortlessly is a fairly good comparison I think to the magic of fundraising.
You have a cause and you need to raise money. If you know what you're doing, have a compelling case and know how to ask potential donors in just the right way, you will get that money and you'll be able to build the black bear conservatory you know we desperately need. But, if you fumble through it or ask the wrong way at the wrong time or to the wrong people, you'll not only get no money, you'll have angry, insulted people who don't want to have anything to do with your cause.
And that, is pure magic. I've seen it in action. I've been approached and a compelling case presented in the proper way has caused me to want to join the cause personally. But I don't know how to work that magic myself.
And yet I find myself involved in a capital campaign with our children's school. I will be responsible for asking people, convincing people, to participate in our cause. It's rather like a fear of rattle snakes or of heights and yet I accepted the position.
There is something to be said for going out of your comfort zone to learn new things. This feels like more of a leap off a cliff right now though...
The Big Boy Update: Fire ants! He's having a rough day. His skin is still a mess, he still itches and then he threw up his lunch because he said, "my tummy is full." So I don't know what's going on right now. He was feeling better though and then, to add one more insult to his dermis, he found some fire ants. Grandpa saved him and got them off quickly though.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "I want the water." She'll be eighteen-months-old later this week and she's doing very well verbally. She says many small sentences, some two and three words. She even manages four word sentences sometimes, such as when she wanted the water in the car the other day but couldn't reach the bottle.
Someone Once Said: Society adapts to facts, or doesn’t survive.
You have a cause and you need to raise money. If you know what you're doing, have a compelling case and know how to ask potential donors in just the right way, you will get that money and you'll be able to build the black bear conservatory you know we desperately need. But, if you fumble through it or ask the wrong way at the wrong time or to the wrong people, you'll not only get no money, you'll have angry, insulted people who don't want to have anything to do with your cause.
And that, is pure magic. I've seen it in action. I've been approached and a compelling case presented in the proper way has caused me to want to join the cause personally. But I don't know how to work that magic myself.
And yet I find myself involved in a capital campaign with our children's school. I will be responsible for asking people, convincing people, to participate in our cause. It's rather like a fear of rattle snakes or of heights and yet I accepted the position.
There is something to be said for going out of your comfort zone to learn new things. This feels like more of a leap off a cliff right now though...
The Big Boy Update: Fire ants! He's having a rough day. His skin is still a mess, he still itches and then he threw up his lunch because he said, "my tummy is full." So I don't know what's going on right now. He was feeling better though and then, to add one more insult to his dermis, he found some fire ants. Grandpa saved him and got them off quickly though.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "I want the water." She'll be eighteen-months-old later this week and she's doing very well verbally. She says many small sentences, some two and three words. She even manages four word sentences sometimes, such as when she wanted the water in the car the other day but couldn't reach the bottle.
Someone Once Said: Society adapts to facts, or doesn’t survive.
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