Awaken from My Blog Coma

Hello and Welcome Back!

It has been such a busy, hectic, crazy, time-consuming, where-do-I-start two months. But with popular requests (okay...mom & Kris all over me), I'm back. It seems that it was easier not to make the time for the blog then to do it. Sounds like a lot of things I do in live - avoidance seems to be my route. And realizing that, may shake my butt awake in all areas. So let's play catch up:

In December, Logan went on a cruise with Bill for 10 days where he met Ashley. For most of December they were hot & heavy with emails. In the meantime, it seems to have slowed down only to be replaced by over 1,000 texts from Katie, Hannah, and a couple more female friends.

Mom came up for a wonderful week visit during Christmas. What a wonderful gift! We have not spent Christmas together since 1995. I realized that was the simple reason that my grandmother would visit from Germany during the holidays plus the bad NYC weather does not agree with the thin-blooded Floridian.

The holiday season flew by this year. A good part of it seemed lost since Logan left on December 6th right after waking up to St. Nichlaus' gifts in his shoes until he returned on December 15th.

It wasn't as festive as past years. Our lights didn't work on the outside of the house. Due to the economic crisis, we were not able to have our fun-tastic work holiday party. Weather was wet not snowy. (Wait until I catch you up on this snowy January.)

We did enjoy the annual Christmas Cheer at Tina's house this year. It was great for mom to visit there for a bit to see the young girls she knew with their families as "older" girls. We've been friends for over 28 years and in Kelly's case 36 years. Holy!

Logan was with me for both Christmas Eve and the rest of the time with a short visit with Dad on Christmas day (all of 2-3 hours.) I was thrilled. It seemed that Bill & Betsy had broken up -- again! -- and Bill graciously realized that it would be more festive for Logan to wake up with a tree. New Year's Eve was celebrated at Kelly's with lots of laughter and some great games of LCR Left/Right/Center.

January came blowing in with cold winds and arctic temperatures. That means it's cold enough to make a polar bear shiver. Yuck! In between the cold weather, we have had snow on & off but only one time nice enough to enjoy. That was on Martin Luther King's day. Kelly, Tina, & I took the gaggle of kids sleigh riding at Cedar Creek Park. It was awesome! Not too cold and plenty of laughter.

We did end the month on a very sad note. A very dear friend lost her mom and this is a loss that will be felt by many. A true matriarch of a big, loving Italian family. Ironically, I see my friend as the one now taking on that role. Her style and calming nature draws everybody to her and I think she will fill these shoes with greatness.

And lastly, the economy is taking a turn for the worse. I've had to cut my days at work from four days to three and that is not very comfortable for me. Good news is that I'm actively looking for a part-time job on weekends to supplement this money and hopefully when times turn better, I can continue with this to get myself ahead once and for all.

All else is quiet.

Oh - you're wondering about the lapband. Shoot! I almost forgot about that. Well I'm nearing the 60lb mark but need another 5 lbs to push me there. (I believe in the round-up theory.) I have been exercising more. Walking at least 4x a week and dancing to a video 2-3x while following a favorite old exercise regime - The Jane Fonda Workout. I can only say good things about the lapband. It's a slow journey but I'm enjoying it as I'm taking it.

So now that I have to go shovel some snow -- yes, four more inches just came in last night -- I promise to be back at least on a weekly basis. Ciao for now!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone…yet I can still hold on to it for a bit…according to my scale! Yes, I am able to eat turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, string bean casserole, candied yams, and cranberry plus a little pumpkin pie (no crust). My portions were small but it was nice to be able to enjoy these traditional foods that bring back smells, tastes, and memories.

Let me begin with out Thanksgiving Weekend from the-night-before-turkey…

Kelly, Logan, and I were able to finally see The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Logan had only finished reading the book when I walked through the door and two hours later we were on our way to see it on screen. Without ruining it for anybody, you can imagine that there will be some very sad and hurtful scenes considering it is about little boy in a concentration camp. Kelly cried a bit as we knew she would, then a bit more, and sniffed her way through most of the movie. Logan already aware of her soft heart from previous movies experiences couldn’t help jabbing me and stifling his laughter at her. The movie did the book justice which is not an easy thing to do. After, we went out for a quick drink and appetizers across the street. Logan enjoyed his night out with the girls and his DS Game Boy.

On Thanksgiving Day, as traditions calls for it, I called my mother four times as I was preparing to prepare the turkey and even while actually preparing it. Logan made his delicious S-W-E-E-T potatoes with ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, marshmallows, and half-n-half and let’s not forget the sweet potatoes. It was a diabetic coma waiting to happen! Of course, we loved them! Dad came down to join us and within 30-minutes, maybe less, we were done. After cleaning up, Logan and I went out in front and threw a football and then Frisbee around in the dark. After being beaten up by the ball and the Frisbee, I went in to start the desserts…and we had a lot. Our dear neighbor Lisa brought over some home-made pumpkin cake. Pies, cake, and even rice-crispy treats put us over the top. (Again, I could only have a bit – but it was yummy!)

Unfortunately I had to work on Friday which left Logan and Papa home to their own devices. Luckily our day was shortened and I got to spend a little time with Logan before he left for his weekend with Bill.

Hoping to get my Christmas tree set up in its new location in the living room over the weekend so that when Logan returns on Monday, we can dig into the new holiday season!

And so the curtain closes! (11/20)

As only a very few of you know, Logan had a fleeting thought of joining the school play this year. He unknowingly missed the mandatory meeting on 11/10 and only received a packet of info yesterday. Within this 24 hours, we got the sheet music for the theme song of Mamma Mia which he was going to sing. Luckily enough they requested only Broadway shows and Logan knows only one. It was fate!

Together we filled out the paper work, checked our conflicts for rehearsal dates, made note of his special talents – juggling, British accent – and packed his juggling balls. Both he and I signed a contract that was part of his “audition packet” and we…I mean…he was ready.

After spending the day in the city for a class trip to see Cirque de Soleil: Wintuk, Logan arrived back at school. I, in the meantime, was counting the minutes until his big break would occur.

As time neared, I called my father and told him half-jokingly, “I’m waiting for Logan to call to tell me he’s on the bus coming home.” Then I walked down the hall, with cell phone in hand and handed something to my boss. I told her “Logan’s auditioning any minute now for the school musical.” Her response, “How exciting!” And then it happened….CHIME, CHIME…I look down and see a text “ma, i changed my mind.” Followed by an actual phone call. Being the ever supportive mom, I told him that it was okay and that maybe next year he could give it a shot.

Head hung low, mother shuffles back out of the spotlight, and longingly looks across an empty stage

Boy in Striped Pajamas

While waiting for a movie to begin a while back, I was drawn into a preview of the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It showed a young German boy befriending a young boy through a barbed wire fence. Quite obvious from this scene was the fact that the German boy was healthy, clean, and well-cared for compared to the toothless, sickly, young boy in striped pajamas. I waited patiently to see this movie and was surprised when it opened on November 14th and could only be found in five theaters within a 500-mile radius of my home – only two in my state & too far for me to go.

So what’s a girl to do?

I went to the library, only to find that it was out and already on hold. I thought maybe the audio book version, that too out and on hold. When I noticed it was in the Young Adult section, I took a quick look-see. Lo’ and behold – it was there! I opened it up to learn more.

Let me say that if you read the inside of the book jacket and hadn’t seen the coming attractions as I did, you’d have no idea what it was about. The inside flap of the jacket said:

"The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the jacket, but in this case we think that it would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter one."

In less than 1½ hours, I was done with it. All I can say without adding any spoilers is...

Wow!


PS Logan is now reading this novel for a school book report.

Being Content (11/9)

Yesterday in Church my seat-mate, a sweet Italian lady who has been visited by St. Padro Pio three times, touched my shoulder and said "you seem so happy." The funny thing is I was just sitting there chatting with Mrs. Salerno before mass began. And to realize that my aura is one of happiness, pleased me beyond words. About a month or so ago, I listened to a visiting priest talk about being content. We always think "the grass is always greener in the neighbor's yard."

I don't think that way.

He went on to say that when we're 10, we want to be 18. When we're 18, we want to be 21. When we're 21, we want to be 25. When we're 35, we want to be 25. When we're 50, we want to be 35. With all those examples, I understood what he was saying: appreciate every moment and realize the beauty of that age. The priest did admit that at 70 years, he most certainly did not want to be 18 again…but 50 wasn't so bad.

And I think that's where I'm at in life - my "content stage." This includes my weight-loss story. I'm no longer calculating how much I'll weigh in six months. I'm happy to know that I'll get there. I'm not regretting that Logan's not my baby anymore (always will be!) but instead, I'm enjoying his pre-pubescent years and the wonders of discovering that girls are not entirely icky. Though they're not babes…yet. And finally, my family is healthy - what more can I ask for? So yes Francesca...I am happy!

Are you?

Let me end off this little monologue with a saying that I have taped on my computer at work:

"You'd better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last."

Slow down folks and enjoy every moment of this song we call Life.

The Day After (11/5)

So…there’s a new president-elect. As a woman, I am excited to see a minority achieving a top position. It’s going to take a while to get used to the non-traditional American surname. With predecessors like Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, and Kennedy – I think you get my picture – Obama is not going to run off our tongues.

I mean out of the names I mentioned maybe a foreigner would struggle for a split second on Reagan but then again the south said “Ree-gen” and the north said “Ray-gen” so that was more of an accent issue not pronunciation. Obama just doesn’t flow for me. Not yet at least. (I don’t think I have to mention Barrack Hussein falls under that same direction for me.)

I’m sorry. I’m losing my thoughts. As a woman, it’s wonderful to see the glass-ceiling of politics cracking. But is it going to shatter the nation into a multi-cultural unity? I for one hope that we become one nation – American. No black American. No white American. Just American. But truthfully…my main issue is color-blind. What is going to happen with our economy? If President-Elect Obama can turn this around and help us to pull away from Bushenomics, then he’s my man! And if he can’t, he’s just another president to me.

Many of you know that I do get involved with local politicians and issues that touch my world. My faith in my voice counting continues to give me the confidence to believe that America is still the best country in the world. And if in four years, the nation is worse off, there are two options. We can elect a woman to finally get it right or maybe we can elect *Tom Clancy for President. She or he may be the only ones to save us!

Good Luck Mr. President Elect! As a nation, we are behind you. We have to be.
*Ref: “Executive Orders”

Doctors, Doctors, Doctors! Oh…and a New President (11/4/08)

On this Election Day, I was pretty busy bringing dad to his doctors. He had had blood work done on Friday and was then surprised when his doctor requested from him on Monday morning to make an appointment to come in and discuss. I – of course – am thinking the big “C” but didn’t share my paranoia with him. (End result – no cancer!) So I was able to make an appointment for Election Day. Why not – we already had an appointment for his semi-annual chest cat scan for that morning and his monthly allergy shots. What’s another appointment? {{{Dad felt horrible eating up Logan’s day off.}}}

So we began with 9:30 a.m. cat scans, on to voting which was in and out, on to 11:00 a.m. allergy appointment, and rounded out his day with a 2:00 p.m. appointment to find out his blood is not too bad. No big issues. So why did his doctor ask him to come in? I’ll tell you. The HIP center he belongs to now requires the specialist doctor to send a referral to the primary to tell him why he needs to come back. Sooooo this means that when his primary sends him to the pulmonogist, the pulmonogist has to write back to primary to ask him to allow him to come back. Too much red-tape. Dad finally blew a fuse and called the head of the PBA which agrees that chronic patients (asthma and chronic bronchitis) should not have to ping-pong back and forth. We have a lot of respect for Dad’s primary care physician so we will do what needs to be done. Ugh!

I also spent time setting up a blood drive donor sign-up table at Logan’s middle school which was being wo-manned (“manned”) by my small committee of four and then later in the evening, I sat on duty at another table that I set up at his elementary school. I did get about 20 people to sign up in the 2 ½ hour time I was there. Hopefully they will follow through when we remind them in January.

The night ended with a new day dawning. President-Elect Barrack Obama is that new day. Some of you know my political views and this is not my place for them. We’ll see how he does and hopefully keep with the thought that it can’t get any worse. Or can it?!?