May-December

I've heard the Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore marriage referred to as a "May-December romance." I don't know about you, but I think, metaphorically speaking, you don't reach the "December" phase of life until near the end of it. You know, "winter of my discontent" age. At the minimum, at least the age you're old enough to be a card-carrying member of the AARP.

Demi is 43, only a couple years older than myself! If she were the 28-year-old and he the 43-year-old, they would have called it "May-September," if anything, or at worst, "mid-life crisis meets trophy wife." It seems that women Of a Certain Age are perceived as older than men of the same age.

All of these seasonal descriptions got me thinking about the idea of the metaphor of months corresponding with the human life cycle--spring as the time of youth, summer young adulthood, autumn middle age, late autumn to early winter old age and death, and the bulk of winter perhaps that dormant time after death or before birth.

If I were going to assign what I consider appropriate ages for each month, what would they be for a human with an average 80-year lifespan?

March: Birth, infancy, early to mid childhood (0-8)
April: Late childhood to young teen (9-16)
May: Peak fertility years (17-24)
June: Young adulthood (25-32)
July: Mid Adulthood (33-40)
August: Early Middle Age (41-48)
September: Middle Age (49-56)
October: Late Middle Age/"Young" Old Age (57-64)
November: Old Age (65-72)
December: Late Old Age/Death (73-80)
January and February: The Twilight Zone

This little exercise has made me realize how much in denial our society is about how Aging=You're Gonna Die Someday. Middle age is always however old your parents are. We think death is optional, and if we just keep eating healthy/working out/getting ourselves sliced and diced with cosmetic surgery procedures, it won't happen to us.

A coworker of mine was going on and on about how someday in our lifetimes, we'll have the technology to live to 120, and he was all excited about the idea of living that long. Yeah, I don't particularly want to die either, but to me that just seems like hogging the stage and wearing out your welcome.

Dear Mr. Smoke Alarm

You know we love your desire to constantly look out for our safety, your willingness to stun our ears on all three floors at the merest whiff of smoke, amply warning us, and probably our nieghbors, of the possiblilty of a devastating fire.

But, with all due respect, I could have lived without your opinion on the wisdom of my decision to use the broiler the other night. Yes, I know, our oven isn't the cleanest. We don't know how to use its self-cleaning feature,* so it has a layer, or six, of our cooking spills from the past 3-4 years.

Every time I opened the oven, even before putting the chicken in, you just had to open your big mouth with that incessant, shrieking high A-flat "people repellent" tone of voice, causing me to drop to a fetal position with my fingers in my ears, moaning my annoyance. Getting a chair under you to fan you and calm you down was painful as it necessitated the removal of my fingers from my ears. I think I showed admirable restraint in not ripping you innards out, (as I so dearly desired,) but carefully took the time to figure out how to open your battery case and remove what I thought was the equivalent of your brain. A humane lobotomy, if you will.

Imagine my surprise when, as I was basting the chicken, you let forth with more mighty wailing, even battery-less! And not only you, but your syncophant disciples on the basement and top floors who just have to echo everything you have to say. It's enough to make one wonder whether all that public safety talk about replacing your batteries whenever there's a time change is just a load of B.S.

I know it was you, though, because you finally stopped when I fanned you, not your siblings on the other floors.

I know some people pray in vain for miracles, and it doesn't seem fair that I, who never requested one, should receive the Miracle of the Battery-less, but Still Functioning Smoke Alarm, and I don't even appreciate it. Can I trade this one in for a Vision of How To Temporarily Deactivate the Smoke Alarm?

*After this incident, Paul went online and found an oven manual, not of our model, but of one very similar, with self-cleaner instructions. I guess we'll have to wait until spring to do it, since it will be very smoky and smelly so we'll need to have every window open.

Mid-November Health Update

Edited 11/18/05 to add: Here's a new pic of me standing up straight and holding it in on a good hair day.* I make a pretty good-looking size 18, even if I do say so myself. <grin>

*I think I've finally figured out how to style this cut and it's finally finished growing out, looking much better than three months ago.

In 1996, the first time I ever modified my lifestyle on purpose, I lost 35 pounds in 4 months, more or less keeping it off for a year and a half. I have been known to refer self-deprecatingly to that time as my "weight-loss-as-a-full-time-hobby period," meaning, of course, how worth it could it be when I had to spend every waking moment thinking about it?

Well, here I am 9 weeks into my health makeover with not a single week passing without measurable progress, not a single day of backtracking or bingeing (which I can't say about the first time). And I've come to realize I can't be successful at this without it being a full-time hobby or "project." I'm not OCD about it--I don't count calories, I don't do workouts more than 4 times a week, and no particular food is completely off-limits--but I do constantly think about things like how I can get more walking or fiber in, or how many weeks until I can comfortably wear my 2002 jeans.

It is so worth it, though. I feel like I've knocked 5 years off how old I feel (no longer feeling "middle-aged"). Caffeine is no longer necessary to jump-start me in the morning. My feet hurt a lot less, most days not at all. And I already look noticeably different, and can wear all of my 2003 clothes, having lost almost 3 years' worth of weight gain!

My new workout DVDs finally came about 10 days ago, and I've done all 6 FitPrimes once each already. They are the best workouts ever, and perfect for what I need at this stage of my life. I'm still walking 5 days a week, too.

I've set myself an ambitious but realistic goal--to get back to a size 12 (38-30-40) and 140 lbs, which is healthy for me. At the rate I'm going, I should get there by spring!

I'm about 30% there. Progress so far:
Weight: -13.0 lbs
Bust: -2.0 inches
Waist: -2.75 inches
Hips: -2.25 inches
Thighs: -2.0 inches

An Evening at Dale & Joy's

Last Friday, we spent a fun evening with our friends Dale & Joy, plus two of their kids and a few other assorted friends of theirs we met for the first time. It started with the preparation of gioza, or Japanese dumplings, made by Paul and Dale. They used to make them for years every Friday night after marital arts class, so they really know their stuff.

Here is a close-up of Dale's hands mixing the filling:

Dale, Paul and Joy cooking up a storm. I had the enviable position of staff photographer. :-)

After dinner, which included gioza, Paul's beef curry rice, and sake, we adjourned to the living room for some music making. This was the first time Paul and Dale had ever played together. The audience was very appreciative!

I asked Dale to take a picture when it was Paul's and my turn to play. This is the very first picture of us playing together! It was lots of fun.

Tonight we went to the Haunted Autumn Auction at the UU, which included yummy appetizers, a silent auction and a concert of live rock/folk music. What a great time! Since Paul was coming later, I walked (3 mi.) so we wouldn't have to use gas for 2 cars. I won a buttload of stuff, including 12 vouchers for Cleveland International Film Festival tickets, 4 vouchers for Cleveland Public Theatre, 3 gift certificates for food, and a homemade pumpkin coffee cake that smells heavenly. I immediately froze 3/4 of it wrapped in single portions.

Tomorrow Bev is coming over for a blogging tutorial from me--not that I think I'm an expert--but I guess since she knows zilch about it and I know a little, I can share what little I know.

Andrew's Apology and Other Updates

On Tuesday, I got a cell phone message from Andrew apologizing, saying he was in the wrong and I was right to be upset, and they didn't want to lose me. That did make me feel better. Am I a terrible person for not getting around to calling him back? I have a built-in hiatus from the Gospel choir (until Nov. 13) and it is just so nice to not have to deal with it for a month.

Weather Update
It has finally cooled down to jacket/coat weather, about 50 degrees. I love it. I can finally wear long sleeves, even at work (the studios are now "only" 75-80 degrees) and I no longer need a fan contantly pointed at my face attempting to dry off the sweat. Our house really holds the heat. Even when it gets down to 45 at night, it's still in the mid-60s inside, and that's without the heat on. Every day we keep thinking we'll have to break down and turn it on for the first time since April, but we still haven't. I love beating the system and saving on our gas bill by not using the furnace!

Fitness Update
This week I'm down 2 more pounds and another 1/4" off everything. My jeans are loose enough that they look better with a belt(!) This hasn't been the case for over 2 years.

I've moved up from my beginner videos to the more intermediate ones I haven't used for over 5 years. I'm taking it somewhat easy. They're kicking my butt, but I'm staying just this side of overdoing it. I'm 5 years older and, oh, 35 pounds heavier and my joints and feet don't appreciate some of the high-impact stuff.

I did a little research online to discover what's new with The FIRM's exercise videos, reading lots of reviews. It turns out the the original founders of The FIRM are now in their mid-fifties, and have come out with a new line of workouts for people over 35 that incorporates aerobics, strength training, Pilates and Yoga, with an emphasis on functional fitness, flexibility, and good workouts that don't kill you or strain your joints. I thought, perfect! and promptly ordered the whole master set. It should get here in 2-3 weeks. I can't wait!

I'm Having Doubts About the Gospel (Choir)

My Gospel Choir gig was so fun over the spring and summer. We sang every month in May, June, and July, culminating in the Raise the Roof Gospel Service on August 7, which was attended by over 200 people. We sang for 20 minutes and it went really well. We had the rest of August off and it was my understanding that we were going to start up in September with rehearsals to sing on the 4th Sunday as previously agreed upon.

Now I'm on the mailing list for their newsletter, which is how I found out they were planning to sing on the 3rd Sunday (their homecoming Sunday) in September ("featuring special music," etc.). Now this would have been fine with me if someone had let me know, but I was already committed that day at my own church. I got the feeling that no one there had any idea that my Sundays are full of other jobs and commitments, and I can't just be "on call" and flexible.

It's hard because their minister is on a 3-month sabbatical that doesn't end until November, so it seems like no one is in charge there. Andrew, the choir director, is talented and passionate but has real problems being organized, following through, and remembering agreements from one week to the next. So I wrote him a letter letting him know about my other Sunday jobs and reviewing the agreement for my availability for rehearsals and services. So no problem, Dorothea would play for their service on Sept. 18, then they would sing again on the 25th with me playing.

So I learned the 2 new songs, got there at 9:30 am as agreed on the 25th for rehearsal. Only one person showed up and Andrew himself was 30 minutes late! I was understandably irritated, especially when no one else ever showed up and we ended up not even singing after all that. I said I was going home and would see them not the next week, but the week after, as per our schedule agreement.

Last Sunday (Oct 9) was the day. Luckily it occured to me to check my cell phone for messages before trekking all the way there. There was a message from Andrew saying he was sick and rehearsal was cancelled. I called him back and said this was no problem, as I was sick too, see ya next week, etc.

So today I checked my phone--no messages--and drove all the way there, only to see no one in the sanctuary. I went downstairs to the fellowship hall, and there was Andrew along with 2 of the choir members. Everyone else had evidently left already. So once again, no rehearsal. I couldn't help feeling annoyed. I said maybe we should just sing for special occasions, two or three times a year maybe, because I was getting tired of putting energy into preparation only to have rehearsals fall through again and again.

Andrew was upset because every time he sees me I'm irritated, he doesn't like being bitched at, and if he had known I had so many other Sunday commitments in the first place, he wouldn't have hired me because, as he puts it, in his church tradition down South, a Gospel choir is a full-time commitment and his goal was to have it singing every Sunday! The other choir members were trying to calm him down, trying to explain to him that that isn't our agreement, apologizing to me for their fellow choristers' flakiness and thanking me for coming.

I guess we're not singing next Sunday, as we haven't had a rehearsal for too many weeks. I agreed to give them another chance for November, but really, I just don't need this aggravation. It doesn't help that David (the minister) isn't available, especially since he was the one to actually "hire" me. I know Andrew was just upset and venting, but that remark really bugs me. I feel like saying, "Well, good luck finding someone else who is both 1) able to learn your songs from a CD as well as I can and willing to do it for the small amount you're paying me and 2) available every Sunday to be at your beck and call. These 2 requirements tend to be mutually exclusive!" Grrrr.

5 Weeks In--Health Makeover Kickin' Butt!

Other than a horrendously awful cold that just started improving a couple of days ago, my health has improved tremendously in the past month, one lifestyle change at a time. I knew if I tried to change everything at once, it would have been too overwhelming, and I probably would have said, "Oh, screw it--this is too hard."

I haven't had one single moment of weakness in over a month, I think because I'm thinking "Moderation" instead of "You Shouldn't." As an example, I eat extra sharp cheddar cheese every day--1 piece, with an apple.

Here's my timeline so far:

8/29/05. My job at Case starts and the price of gas goes through the roof. I have ample motivation to walk to work 5 days a week. every week I walk a total of 15 miles for a total time of 4 hours and 10 minutes.

9/8/05. I finish my last economy-size bag of bite-sized candy bars and decide to stop bingeing. For the next few days I still eat more than I need to, but at least it's real food instead of candy.

9/12/05. I begin watching portion sizes and eating more fiber. My stomach "shrinks" overnight and I am amazed at how little I actually need to feel full.

9/19/05. I decide to take my measurements so I can measure progress, even weighing myself for the first time in a couple of years. If I were a more typical female victim of our society's brainwashing, I probably would have thought, "Ugh, huge, what a cow," etc. But I don't hate my body. I just thought, "Wow, kind of big."

9/26/05. Time to start incorporating stength training, putting the mid-day holes in my work schedule to good use. I am alternating my 2 entry-level Firm videos 3 times a week. So far I've only skipped once, this past weekend, because I was sick.

I feel great. I've lost about 5 pounds and at least half an inch of every measurement. Ideally, I could stand to get rid of about 40 extra pounds (!) but I'm not in any big hurry. I don't want to become one of those boring people and get all anal about it. Last time I did that, and I eventually rebelled--for the last 6 years.

Column A Total Must Equal Column B Total--A "Duh" Concept

After agreeing with everything in this Newsweek column last week, I was moved to sign and add my comments to a MoveOn petition yesterday. It seems that our Congress is still planning to push through more tax cuts for the wealthy (which I think was a stupid idea even before the Gulf Coast devastation), and then--get this--plans to pay for it by cutting crucial social services which of course mostly benefit the poor.

I am a liberal except when it comes to finances. To me it seems painfully obvious that if you need to increase your expenses (Column A) you need to either increase your income (Column B) or cut down on non-essential expenses in column A. Food stamps and Medicaid are not optional expenses--they are the equivalent of emergency health care in my personal budget.

The MoveOn petition suggested I write my comments for our congressional leaders, so here is what I wrote:


Please, please do not support any more tax cuts for the wealthy. It's obvious that supply-side economics don't work, with more people in poverty every year since Bush has been in office.

If the government has a non-optional added expense (reconstructing the Gulf Coast), common sense says that reducing the government's income would be the worst idea possible. If you need to spend more money, you need to earn more. Seems like such a "duh" concept to me.

I don't particularly enjoy paying taxes (and we are one of those DINK couples who therefore pay higher taxes than those with children), but that is part of living in a society, so I don't complain.

We as moral human beings cannot just say to poor people, "Oh, too bad for you" when they don't have the fortunate circumstances and connections some of us are privileged to have. Cutting back safety net programs would just be inhumane. I don't know how you can live with yourself if you choose to do that.

Doesn't the wild fiscal irresponsiblity of this administration keep you up at night? It should. Just think of all those interest payments spiralling out of control, taking up a bigger and bigger chunk of the budget every year. Don't you care? At this rate, someday the entire country will suffer a storm surge of fiscal disaster when foreign countries currently investing in our treasury bonds decide it's not worth the risk. What is the government going to do, declare bankruptcy?

A Great, New (and Possibly Addictive) Tool

Here's a brilliant answer to the eternal question, "How can I (easily) be notified of updates on my favorite sites, at one convenient location?" Some of us (like Eric) post new entries on our blogs almost daily, while others of us (like yours truly) post maybe twice a week, maybe twice a month, maybe three days in a row.

I've discovered an amazing tool called Bloglines, where you can "subscribe" to any website that has regular updates, including blogs, for free, via the cutting-edge technology you may have vaguely heard of called "RSS Feeds." You know, the one that Newsweek magazine says only 10% of internet users know how to use. I am now one of the elite, and the Bloglines site has made it really easy.

I now subscribe to blogs by Darcy, Dad, Eric, and Rusty. So cool!

A Deluge of Work

When I was under-employed all summer, sometimes I felt bored. Now I feel pressured. Sometimes I'm not so sure which is worse.

Here's my weekend.

Sat, 11 am. Cindi's wedding out in Boondockland, Lake County. Running there from a 9 am class at Gladisa's, dragging 75-pound behemoth keyboard and lots of songbooks. Dressed up, probably in the rain. Have I practiced anything for this? No. But I already know a lot of the music I'm going to play, and I'm a good faker.

Sun, 9:30 am. UU Choir practice. This is one of the few things this weekend that's not stressing me out. It's just that it means no sleeping in.

Sun, 11 am. Play for church service. Since the topic is Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth Revisited , Paul really wants to come. We've decided to play our version of Wagner's Liebestod, from Tristan and Isolde, that I learned for Darcy's wedding. When else would be a more appropriate time to play it?! Tristan is only one of the great myths Campbell explores in depth. We'll be playing two other short pieces, we already know as well. Yes, I do already know the music, but I still have to practice and then we have to go over them together.

Sun, 12:45 pm. Gospel Choir rehearsal. I'm supposed to have learned 2 new songs from a CD, including writing down the vocal notes since Andrew is bad with pitch. I've only done 1/3 of one of them. Well, if I'm behind for this one, no one will be mad. I meant to do it earlier in the week but I got sick with a bad cold for days and didn't feel up to it.

Sun, 4:00 pm. Windsong rehearsal. No, I haven't even looked at the music. I can probably get away with this one, too--I've certainly done it before.

I tallied up all the hours I'm actually working at my 6 (count 'em!) gigs, and its 35.5 hours a week. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Boy, am I glad it's not more. Could be worse, I guess. I could have a sugar hangover on top of everything else.

My Diet is Finally Ready to Become a Grownup

I always used to think that by age 40, I would have outgrown my candy habit, that I would be like other, more "normal" adults who say things like, "Oh, I think the peanut butter in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is just too sweet." It didn't happen. I spent a lot of my copious free time over the summer (as well as the past several years) chowing down on my favorite candy while playing on the internet.

Well, I'm finally getting tired of the sugar hangovers and tired of feeling unfocused and lethargic even with buttloads of caffeine. I haven't had any candy since last Thursday (it's my 5th day), eating a bowl of non-health-foody cereal (Kix or Rice Chex) as a substitute. I'm actually less hungry and feel a lot more alert and even-keeled! My addiction must be totally psychological because I don't feel any withdrawal symptoms.

This doesn't mean I've become a candy teetotaler (let's be real here!). Nor does it mean I avoid dessert--I've had treats like sorbet, homemade banana bread or a can of (non-diet) coke, once or twice a day. I am never going to be a health food puritan/fundamentalist or Woman on a Diet--you know, the type who "feels guilty" after eating a Sinful Food. Screw that! Life's too short.

I'm going to embrace the philosophy of moderation. So far it hasn't been hard. Today when I picked up some things at Target, I window-shopped the 3(!) aisles of Halloween candy, decided none of it was really worth it, and left without buying any. This is big for me--I haven't passed the Halloween candy department empty-handed for at least 10 years.

Labor Day Weekend

We've had one of those weekends where everything lines up just right. Paul and I had all three days totally off work. The weather was perfect every single day, brilliantly sunny and in the 70s. And we had fun plans every day. We started our Saturday sleeping late and indulging in a leisurely breakfast of blueberry pancakes.

We had all the windows open because the weather was so perfect. Mouchie wanted to get as close to outside as possible, so he sat in the window. As you can see, the sill is skinnier than he is, so he oh-so-casually let his arm dangle off the edge.

Such a funny boy! Here he is from above. You can see all the beautiful shades of black in his coat, plus my blue-polished toenails on the floor far, far away.

Saturday night, we went to the last concert of the season at Blossom Music Center. It was the Cincinnati Pops' Star Wars Spectacular. Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in all six movies, narrated basic plot points between excerpts from all the movies. We noticed John Williams gives especially kick-ass parts to the horn section. Here is a pic of the Pavillion from the lawn, where we sat having our picnic.

I held the camera at arm's length to snap this one of us at intermission.

On Sunday (yesterday), we went with Bev, Fred and little Bruce to the Cleveland Ingenuity Festival, a downtown fest full of events combining the arts and technology. Brucie was a little young for most of it but enjoyed the bubble machine, live music and baby owl. He is at that age where he doesn't want to be strapped in the stroller, but would rather walk and push it himself. When we had had enough of going .02 MPH, Bev and Fred gave him a little "lift," which he loved!

A highlight of the festival for me was seeing the Symphony for 21 iPods. In a basement art gallery, the iPods were hanging from the ceiling all over the room, playing a variety of bright, sparkly sounds in space, changing as you moved around beneath them.

On the way out of the gallery, I saw this striking sculpture of blown glass. It didn't have a title, so I christened it Condomcicles.

We went to the old Cleveland Trust Rotunda, since I had never been there and it looks pretty grand from the outside. They advertised hands-on technology activities all day, but I guess they decided to end it early since nothing was going on. Still enjoyed seeing the beautiful building, though. It used to be a bank. Imagine doing your banking in a place as grand as a museum or theatre! The stained-glass dome above was beautiful, and we could see why someone is always arguing against tearing it down.

By five or so, my feet were killing me. I feel like such a wimp and an old fart, but it's never been the same since I broke my foot last year. We went to Tower City for a breather and sat by the fountain, which has jets of water choreographed to music.

We took the Rapid and walked a mile to get home, since Bev & Co. had left a couple hours before. We feel so lucky to live close.

Today (Labor Day) we went to a Lake County Captains minor-league baseball game with Paul's work folks, courtesy of his boss, Dr. Hoppel. We had a loge, a big party deck with a nice spread--burger, hot dog, taco, and ice cream sundae bar, plus pop and water. The food was really good.

A lot of Paul's co-workers brought their kids and grandkids, who were able to run around, etc. It was very breezy up there--it felt like we were out on the lake. The stadium was much smaller than Jacobs Field--maybe it holds 15-20,000. It was nice, though, and had a small-town feel. The captains won in 12 innings, so I was able to keep my streak of the home team always winning at every pro game I've ever attended--all four in my life!

All in all, a great weekend. Tomorrow it's back to work at all of my jobs, which I am actually looking forward to.

Gasoline Market Timing

All week I have been following the Hurricane Katrina coverage on NPR, Salon.com and the New York Times. It took a day or two for the magnitude of the catastrophe to sink in. I feel terrible for all those people who have lost everything and haven't been sleeping that well.

Of course, by Monday night it occured to me that gas prices would probably jump any minute. I started back at Case this week, walking to work all 5 days.

1. It gets me moving
2. It makes me feel more connected to my neighborhood and aware of the beauty I would miss if I drove
3.It saves the wear and tear of short trips on the car
4. My Case parking pass probably hasn't been activated yet anyway and I hate paying for parking
5. And not least, it's one way I can conserve energy and live lighter on the planet.

On Monday, the BP station I walked past was selling regular unleaded at $2.55/gallon, at least a dime cheaper than any other station nearby. Since I didn't drive that day, I didn't fill up and gambled it wouldn't be too bad Tuesday. With relief, I saw on Tuesday that it was still $2.57. I ran errands that evening, stopping on the way to fill my 3/4 empty tank. I was surprised there was no line. I remember right after 9/11, cars were lined up around the corner at every gas station.

The next day as I walked by and gasped when I saw the display sign--it was up to $2.99!! I had beat the system, saving about $4.00. I know, my tank is only 11 gallons, my car gets over 30 mpg, and I only drive 6000-7000 miles per year. I used to spend about $30.00 a month on gas, now it might be $60.00. The $30 extra isn't such a big deal for me, but I can't help thinking about those moms from all over suburbia driving their kids to ballet class in their SUVs. I just hope they don't decide to pull their kids out as a way of cutting back. I'm feeling like the NE Ohio recession, which lingered here for years before finally starting to lift only recently, might come back with a vengeance.

On Tuesday afternoon I went online to reserve plane tickets for our Houston trip right after Christmas. I wanted Paul to have a chance to check our flight schedule with his brother Peter before we purchased. The next day Peter sent us his itinerary (times were different than ours) with the idea that we could share a rental car.

So back to the Continental website I went, (I had just signed us both up for OnePass, since Continental is the only airline out of Cleveland that hasn't screwed us over,) plugging in the new times and cancelling the old reservation. Ack! Everything was over $100 more per person than the day before, including the same flights from yesterday's reservation! I was kicking myself for cancelling it so fast, since otherwise I could have bought it at yesterday's price, saving us $220.

But then I thought, let's check Expedia and Travelocity--maybe they haven't jacked everything up yet. And they hadn't! I bought those suckers fast, saving the $220, then emailed our itinerary to Paul's family members, advising them to book their flights ASAP before the prices go up. It felt so good to beat the system twice in one day!

This was probably my last chance to save big on gasoline-related expenses. From now on, I am even more motivated to 1. Walk instead of drive whenever possible, 2. Consolidate errands as efficiently as possible, and 3. Drive in as fuel-efficient manner as I can--stopping and starting as slowly and smoothly as I can get away with. I want to see if it makes a difference.

X-treme Flushing: The Great Toilet Upgrade

Wow. We were actually serious about upgrading all of our toilets after this lovely episode last month, and are now the proud owners of 3 brand spanking-new pressure-assisted toilets. These things are the piranhas of the toilet world. You'd better make sure all arms and legs are inside the cabin and the lid is down before flushing or somebody could get hurt.

I would much rather have a mighty fanfare announce my business for 4 seconds than deal with the sluggish, finicky crap toilets we had before. Is it normal to have to plunge every other day or am I just really hard on conventional toilets?

These things could probably handle 5 or 6 golf balls and have so far effortlessly whisked away even my most challenging offerings without leaving so much as a calling card.

Did I mention I'm thrilled?

Married 2 Years

A week ago today was our 2nd wedding anniversary. We like to make a big deal of romantic milestones whenever possible so, since we were in Colorado, we stayed in the Hotel Teatro,"Denver's #1 Rated Hotel." Check out the Deluxe Room on the Virtual Tour page to see exactly what our room looked like. It was huge and gorgeous. This is the kind of place where everybody on the staff treats you like you're one of The Rich People. After a delicious dinner of western fare (bison filet mignon!), we returned to find our bed turned down with premium Belgian chocolates left on the pillow. We couldn't help chuckling at the open TV Guide, encased in leather, along with a very elaborate remote, that was also carefully placed on the pillow. We certainly had much better things planned than an evening of TV watching!

A delightful surprise--there was a note from all four of my parents wishing us a happy anniversary and crediting our room with $40 for breakfast the next morning! That was really sweet and unexpected. (The next morning we thoroughly enjoyed a lavish room service tray with pastries, tea, orange juice, fruit platter and an omelet which we ate in a state of total indecency!)

After we got back to Cleveland we had a long weekend off work together. On Sunday night, we continued an anniversary tradition we started last year--attending the Cavana Ballroom's Sunday dance party in our wedding attire, which we can get away with because it's comfortable, lightweight and only a little over the top.



Lat year, we also wore our duds (sans hats) for a special dinner out. I don't feel bad that we skipped that this year. Unless I am leaning forward with my head directly over the plate, food, especially if it is covered in something tomato-based, tends to land directly on my chest, especially when I'm wearing something in a solid, pastel shade. I love that this dress is machine washable, but I just don't think it would have survived buffalo with barbecue sauce!

Family Recipes

I took note of a couple of recipes that came up in conversation. Here is a really easy one for a moist, delicious, reasonably nutritious cake from Mom:

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
1 Pkg Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 Can Pumpkin (sm) the plain kind, not pumpkin pie mix/filling
Use a 9x13 pan. Cook according to package directions.

And from Eric, one that's low starch, high nutrition, and sounds delish:

Tacomole Salad
Brown 1/2-3/4 lb taco meat. Season to taste.
1 lb spinach leaves.
Toss w/6-8 oz guacamole.
Divide into 2 servings.
Top w/meat, crushed tortilla chips, tomatoes, and olives.

What a great trip!

We had a very rich, wonderful time in Colorado this past week. Grandma's memorial service was just right, and after a couple of days in Denver, we enjoyed a few days in the Rocky Mountains.

From eating out on the town and toasting Grandma's memory,

to cooking out and enjoying our "Magic Fans" from Eric,

to hiking along bridle trails,

to enjoying stunning views of mountains, forests and lakes,
to just hanging out on the back porch of our cabin to watch the hummingbirds,

we had a great time with the family. See all the pics on my website here.

Colorado, here we come!

Tomorrow we leave for a week in Colorado. Paul and I will be joining Eric & Rusty plus Mom, Ron, Phyllis, Alec, Peter and Roxanne for a second memorial service for Grandma in Denver. I was really disappointed I couldn't make the first one in Portland last December due to my cast & crutches, plus 3 jobs. I am going to be playing selections from Phantom of the Opera because it was her favorite music ever.

We've decided to make a vacation of it and will be staying in a charming place in Estes Park called Idlewilde by the River for a few nights. We'll spend our 2nd wedding anniversary (8/17) in Denver at the posh Hotel Teatro and maybe see a show or have an elegant dinner. We won't be returing until the 18th, and I anticipate a total internet vacation the entire time, not a bad thing.

Here are my reflections on Grandma that I will be sharing during the service.

One of my earliest memories of Grandma was the Christmas I turned 5. I was in my ballerina phase, and I wanted a ballet tutu more than anything in the world. When I opened my present from Grandma, it was this wonderful creation she had made herself--a skirt made out of stiff pink tulle, decorated with an array of colorful poufs commonly used to scrub pots and pans. *holds pouf as visual aid* I gasped in my excitement, "It's a ballet dress!" She laughed her famous laugh and said,"Oh, no, it's a Silly Grandma!" I thought it was the most beautiful skirt ever.

We always lived far away from our grandparents and didn't get to see them very often, so a visit to their house was a Really Big Deal. Grandma would bend over backwards as a hostess, wanting to make sure we were comfortable, well fed and had enough to do. When Grandpa would sometimes get fussy or grumpy when we inevitably got on his nerves, she would say, "Oh, he's just being an old fuddy-duddy!"

I was kind of an uptight kid and she was always loosening me up. Even in my 30s she spent several years encouraging me to try margaritas, which I didn't like at all at first. Now it's my favorite drink ever, and I always think of her whenever I have one. She was very proud of "corrupting" me at last.

Peace to you, Grandma. My life is better because you were part of it.

Bush or Chimp?

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Hazardous Waste

I never thought taking out the trash could be so dangerous as it was last Tuesday. These things always seem to happen to me when home alone. Paul was at Joy & Dale's, at a barbeque which I could not go to because I had Troy's ballet class to play for and then the piano competition to attend.

So I got home around 9:45 and thought,"I'm gonna get the trash now so it'll be done before Paul gets home." Everything went harmlessly enough until I took the kitchen bag out of the can. It was heavy and over-filled so I set it down on the kitchen floor. I took a step and ended up stepping on the bottom of the bag. Next thing I knew, something really sharp had cut the inside of my big toe, deeply I might add, as most of my weight was on that foot at the moment of impact.

It was the worst pain since I broke my foot. My immediate, instinctual response: a yell that made the walls vibrate, lots of cussing, and bursting into tears as blood started dripping all over the kitchen floor.

I was freaking out, hopping to the bathroom to get a kleenex or 3 to staunch the flow. Poor Mouchie was very upset by my antics. Usually when I yell like that only when he pounces on me while I'm running up the stairs, an attempt at behavior modification. Every time you scratch me, I will cause you to lose some of your hearing. This time I had to reassure him that for once it wasn't about him, but he still looked like this:
I limped upstairs to my bathroom where the band-aids were, but it was nowhere near ready for that. I went through about 10 kleenexes. Every time I took my finger pressure off so I could get another one, it would start gushing again, leaving giant drops of blood (like 1" in diameter!) all over my bathroom floor, some of which landed on my pristine white bathmat, upsetting me further.

I was still cussing and wailing like a frustrated infant when Paul called about 15 minutes later. I tried to calm down so as not to alarm him unnecessarily, so I just told him the short version. By the time he got home it had finally stopped bleeding and I was able to cover it with a band-aid, but if I bent the toe a certain way or accidentally put any weight on it at all, it felt like a burning hot poker.

I am so sick of foot pain, and it doesn't help that this is the same foot I broke. I couldn't walk much until Saturday. Now, a week later, it is just starting to feel halfway healed. So much for getting in better shape for hiking in the Rockies next week. I am glad, though, that it happened last Tuesday and not tonight, so it should be almost normal by early next week.