How are you spending New Year's Eve?
This New Year's Eve I reluctantly made plans to go to a party with some friends, I even made the offer to be the Designated Driver. Should be easy enough since I haven't drank alcohol since September 6, 2006, five days before starting chemo for breast cancer. Plus the fact that it drinking alcohol would not mix well with the meds I take in order to tolerate people...or do I take them to tolerate myself? Either way, it will be easy not to drink and entertaining watching people who don't know their limits and say/do stupid things. I do have enough mind left to remember that I celebrated previous New Year's getting so drunk it nearly erased everything from the old year that was seen out. Nothing beats a 3am phone call when you are drunk and passed out on the east coast from someone more drunk than you on the west coast screaming, "HAPPY NEW YEAR", yet you don't remember that call till January 7th.
~Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage which we did not take, towards the door we never opened into the rose garden~
I own more regret for the things I've not spoken, than for the things I have.........................
We've been progressively working our way through a book called the Family Virtues Guide. We take a virtue a week (or two), discuss it, play it out, and consciously put it into everyday experiences during the week or two. For example, our last virtue was self discipline, and we not only talked about it, but made a game out of pointing out good and not so good examples of the virtue everyday. "Mom, you didn't put your laundry away. That's a lack of self discipline. Oy!" 
Well, this week's virtue is Unity. It's about how we're all part of the human race, working together, creating harmony, being a peacemaker, respecting the Earth and all things. Not only have we covered unity inside and out from a second grader's perspective, but it's also given me much food for thought on how we consciously create unity or even disunity around us with our actions and inactions. I know I'm not perfect, and I know there are times even when I avoid contact with people I deem different, or I don't care for the Earth as I should because of somewhat selfish excuses. It's much food for thought. Anyway:
Last night, as part of our Unity study we were roll playing "what would unity look like if....." then shared a hypothetical situation. So, I threw out the example: What would unity look like if you overheard a friend saying something negative about someone different (whether you knew the person or not). Then I pretended to be the friend and said, "Did you hear about that girl's mom? She's gaaaay! *sneer* Isn't that so weird?"
My daughter, as the respondent (of what unity would look like in this situation) was quick to action! She was confident and full of passion when she looked me right in the eyes and said, "Hey, what's the problem with that? Other people are gay. We're all different. We're all human. It doesn't make her any less than you or me." She came up with this answer on her own. I can't even begin to say that I welled with pride. My eyes got teary, and I wonder if she knows how much of a miracle she is to me. This week's virtue has really made a deep impact on me.
May we all be mindful of what Unity takes: Courage.
Love and light 
New Belgium Fat Tire Ale
New Belgium Springboard Ale
New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale
~The search is over~
Side Note: TN peeps must cross the Mississippi to buy this! Bring a cooler, ice the beer down, and by the time you are back home, it's good and cold!
get a bike
find a trail
ride
persuade friends to join you
ride
wreck
buy a full suspension ride
ride
wreck
drink a cold beer with friends and compare scars
It's true. I never believed it.
Standing above the corner of Clark and Balmoral, looking out at the people passing below, I was struck by the words "You can never go home again". My home has changed and it's no longer the place that has to accept me when I have no other place to go. Home is where I hang my hat; where my heart is; wherever I make it.
Right now, it feels a million miles away.
Why, why, why does Staples sell "a lot" of their freakin' Easy Buttons?
Apparently it's been a while since I've been into a Staples. Today I popped in to buy some packing tape and was unnerved to see a giant display of Easy buttons. You know the bright/shiny button from their commercials? Ya, well, apparently for ~$5-6 you can have your own Easy Button. You press it and it says "Well, that was easy". That's it. That's all it does. Why are people buying these things?
Well, maybe it's altruism. Afterall, Staples claims it's giving all proceeds to Boys & Girls Club of America. But my god, why not just drop a $5 in the mail to BGCA? Do you really need this plastic piece o'crap?
I'm not Irish; in fact, I am just about as far away from being Irish as anyone could be. I like music created by Irish bands. U2, Sinead O'Connor, Cranberries, David Gray, and the list could go on... I like beer, but I guess, when I think about it for any length of time, the beer that I like is not Irish so never mind.
I'm not Irish, but I have dated my fair share of Irish women. I mean, what are the chances that I would date two women from two different times in my life that were straight out of Ireland-- one a red head and the other a dark-haired lass. I can even incorporate the word "lass" into a sentence in my blog! How great is that?! I have a really good friend in Chicago who is Irish-- does that count for anything?!
I'm not Irish, but I love the Boston Celtics. I prefer clover honey over wildflower honey anyday... I have even been known to drizzle some clover honey on my Lucky Charms to reach that perfect level of sugary heaven.
I'm not Irish and I refuse to drink green beer! I just CANNOT force myself to do it!
I'm not Irish so don't pinch me unless you really mean it and can successfully defend yourself...
Well, as expected, I didn't sleep worth a crap last night. Oh, I got a A LOT of shut-eye, but absolutely no amount of actual sleep transpired. I don't think I can even consider what happened last night as any amount of dozing off and on. It just didn't happen! Dannnnngggg-hhitt!
After much tossing and turning, looking at my watch, negotiating with myself to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths for 10 minutes, I succumbed and got up with a raging headache and a sheet wrapped around my legs so tightly I almost felt over when I tried to roll out of bed...
My sweet Olive (best kitty in the world) followed me to the kitchen to get something to wash down the three Advil clutched in my hand like the Hope Diamond. We had juice and diet Coke-- neither would add to my futile attempts at sleep. Ahh, I found some milk hiding behind the bloody mary mix! I poured myself a glass(usually it tastes better straight from the carton) and noticed that my sweet Olive was winding herself around my feet trying to get my attention. I found one of those little bowls you use for individual salt portions and gave her a midnight snack. I sat it on the floor and watched as she crept up to it, looked at me, and stuck her nose in it. She rubbed herself against my legs one last time as a thank you and headed straight for the bowl.
The next time I saw her, which was around 4:00am, she was sacked out at my feet! I'm glad someone got some sleep!
