Random Thoughts
Friday, April 24, 2009, by Sherra
I’ve been so flexible with my Fridays that I haven’t posted for a few weeks.
Between spring break and coming home from spring break and packing to leave again, I’ve been a little, um, irregular.
I flew to Chicago yesterday and there is always so much fun to be had at the airport observing humans and their behavior.
Like the car and people being searched at curbside before I even left Atlanta.
Here’s what I really started wondering as I walked through the airport.
I wondered how we all lived before cell phones? Every other person was using one. Who did we talk to before they were invented? Did we talk to each other at the airport? Or just stare at each other? Does anyone remember?
Here’s one thing that has really changed and I’m going out on a limb here and stating my strong opinion on this one.
When did it become socially acceptable to answer the phone in the bathroom?
Why is this okay?
Is there really any phone call important enough to answer when you are in a bathroom stall?
Frankly, I think not.
If someone died, they will still be dead after you flush, wash your hands and leave the restroom.
I just don’t want to be that connected to ANYONE that I answer the phone in a public restroom.
In addition, I’m not interested in hearing someone else’s conversation while I’m in the bathroom.
Call me crazy but no one is that important.
Please do share if I’m missing the importance of why so many people are compelled to answer the phone while in a bathroom stall.
The most recent airport pet peeve…
A fee if I want to check a bag.
Um yeah, isn’t that what all that space under the plane is for? Bag storage.
So build the bag fee in to the price of the ticket and charge accordingly.
I took a chance and paid the $15.00 because I am a risk-taker like that.
Happy to report my bag arrived.
I am also delighted to announce there is NO SNOW and the weather is actually beautiful.
May you all have lovely spring weather and enjoy your weekend wherever you are!
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Categories: Finding the Funny, Random Thoughts, Rants
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Friday, January 23, 2009, by Sherra
WHEW…it is very good to be home!
I slept in many different beds while on the road…
Wait, that didn’t sound right.
I mean I am grateful I had many different beds to sleep in on my road trip.
Um, that didn’t sound much better.
Let me try that again.
Thanks to Merry, Ann, Susan, Sally and Mom for a place to sleep!
Questions for the Volkswagen Beetle engineers:
Shouldn’t the plastic parts withstand freezing temperatures and not break off in a passenger’s hand, i.e. lever to move front seat forward?
Just curious.
Should the small reflective tail light just pop out and hang by the wires when traveling long distances?
I’m just sayin’
If the odometer can track 2,000 miles, why can’t it keep counting up to 3,000?
Holy cow! That translates into over 40 hours in the car.
It really was the longest road trip of my life.
And I am so grateful that the little blue bug started up every single time…
…in the frozen Midwest tundra.
Lest the Volkswagen Beetle engineers think I’m too negative…
The seat warmer feature is a winner!
***********
To recap family life while I was away…
They survived and thrived without me.
PhilBillPaul did an exceptional job taking care of his children.
Scary Baby scored her FIRST basket in a basketball game.
The darling twins were both accepted into different colleges.
The Grunter was helpful and present when Dad needed him.
Here are the darling twins modeling the lovely clearance winter accessories I brought home for them that we rarely need in Georgia.
The looks seriously represent their personalities. Roger Leroy is living up to her code name.
I was too cold to remember to bring anything for Scary Baby so I’m taking her to a movie tonight.
I’ll work on something for The Grunter this weekend.
I’m catching up and looking forward to getting back into a routine next week!
What have you all been up to in these first weeks of 2009 while I was away?
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Categories: Finding the Funny, Moments, Random Thoughts
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008, by Sherra
When you’re on a roll…
Just keep going.
Last night PhilBillPaul and I did it for the sixth night in a row.
Can anyone check if I should submit this to the Guiness Book people?
Okay, you’re probably right. It’s really not that extraordinary. Except for me.
I should be satisfied that it’s my personal record.
Fine. Whatever.
But last night we did go to our sixth movie in a row.
There aren’t many of his movies I miss and I knew had to see this one.
I give it a solid “A” for all the things I like about movies. It made me think and it took my breath away.
Some of you will never see it because of its “R” rating which was deserved for raw language and violence.
But if you do choose to go, know that Gran Torino is gritty and real and disturbing.
I’m pretty sure we’re breaking the streak tonight. Because the big kids are all going in different directions.
Then again, maybe we can take Scary Baby to a light-hearted, family movie before we get settled in at home to watch Dick Clark at midnight and ring in the new year…
Enjoy this last day of 2008.
Here’s my wish for each and every one of you in 2009…
May you be blessed with enough…
Enough…
Whatever that may be…
With love,
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Categories: Random Thoughts, Raves
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008, by Sherra
Sunday night I was thinking I should have posted a lovely holiday message last week and said I’ll be back on January 5th.
But that would have required planning.
Which has not been my strength of late.
I wish I had planned a few posts for the coming days because I know it can be a good feeling instead of flying by the seat of your pants.
So now here is my Monday post on Tuesday which will make total sense when you see how doggone busy I’ve been. Busier than the rest of the universe. Sure. Right. That’s me…busy, busy, busy.
Or not.
So…now it’s time to guess what I’ve been busy, busy, busy doing.
Go ahead.
Guess.
I’ll wait.
Look, we don’t have all day.
Hurry up.
GUESS ALREADY. I’M BUSY.
Geez, here’s a hint:
It is something I did with PhilBillPaul for five days IN A ROW.
STOP IT.
Get your mind out of the gutter.
My family reads this blog for goodness sake.
For FIVE DAYS IN A ROW, starting on Christmas Day…
Sort of as a quasi-Christams gift to PhilBillPaul…
I gave him the gift of QUALITY TIME.
Yes, I know what his primary love language and it’s actually not quality time.
But that’s my primary love language so that’s the gift I gave.
Hey now - good manners dictate that you should be gracious and say thank you for any gift you get.
The quality time I bestowed on him was in the form of going to FIVE MOVIES in the last five days.
Side note: See that line in the middle of the ticket stubs that says: Pass $0.00 Oh yeah…
If your teen is ready for a part-time job, check the local movie theatre. Ours allows the immediate family to go to the movies for free. Thus, PhilBillPaul, an avid moviegoer who will sit through bad movies, has informed The Grunter that he must work at the said movie theatre for the rest of his life. Which is not exactly the career choice I was picturing for him. Pun intended.
Here are my very short movie critiques with the disclaimer that I’m a tough critic, don’t necessarily like mainstream, predictable movies and often like non-box office hits. You can click on the movie titles for more movie details like: plots, professional movie critic reviews and Yahoo! movie reviews in case you don’t value my opinion–I don’t take it personally.
Really. To each his own.
- 1. Doubt starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Unusual, different, love, love, love Meryl Streep. Lives up to its title from beginning to end. No tidy ending, made us think and have conversation which I always like.
A-
- 2. Quantum of Solace starring Daniel Craig
James Bond, *man* movie, cars, boats, dizzying chase and fight scenes.
C
- 3. Marley & Me starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson
Dog lover movie, I’m not a dog lover in spite of the two wiener dogs at our house. Still, I cried remembering our own naughty family dog, Andy, who ate at the table with us but when company came we pretended we were appalled when he sat at the table.
C+
- 4. Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise
World War II movie, love the history, love to learn something new during a movie and I did.
B+
- 5. Seven Pounds starring Will Smith
Roger Leroy’s words, “It was kinda weird.” Yeah. I’d have to agree. A little too melodramatic for me or maybe it was Will trying to be melodramatic that I didn’t like.
C
In previous weeks we did see Australia (Hugh Jackman=lovely=A), Slumdog Millionaire (A) and Four Christmases (C).
I’m telling you, if you like movies, get your kid a job at the theatre!
Might go see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but at almost three hours, that is a real time investment and I guess I’m not that curious. Anyone want to change my mind?
We’ll definitely see Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood.
So how was your Christmas? See any good movies? Come on, give me your reviews!
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Categories: Finding the Funny, Moments, Random Thoughts
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Monday, December 8, 2008, by Sherra
One semi-spontaneous trip…
With PhilBillPaul…
And no kids…
Hardly ever happens.
Which led to no blogging
because…
I stayed off the computer for FIVE days.
I’ve been home for three hours…
And it’s way past my bedtime.
Back later to tell you where we went.
And how we managed to leave
3 teenagers + 1 nine year-old
And get away for a mini vacation…
Woo-hoo!
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Categories: Random Thoughts
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Friday, October 24, 2008, by Sherra
My mom told me today on the phone that she was sure she read last Friday’s post.
Thanks mom.
But there was no post last Friday.
I was so flexible that I didn’t write anything.
Partly due to the fact that my Wizzy has been having some heart *issues* which we believe she inherited from her Nice Dad.
This is how the second half of last week went…
On Thursday we were at a cardiologist making sure she could run in her favorite Cross Country race of the season. She got the okay from the doctor.
On Friday Scary Baby spent the day at home from school and in the evening I took her to our hairdresser because I could no longer tolerate the tangled, scraggly “I’m growing my hair down to my butt” look .
When she allowed me to fix her hair, I was okay with the length.
But those days were all too rare. Photo circa July 2008. We didn’t take any pictures of the long, tangled look. Add at least 4 more inches of growth and that would bring us to last Friday.
So we headed to get a haircut and I was more than a little surprised when she looked through the hairstyle books and picked a cute shoulder length bob.
When our hairdresser said if she went that short, she probably had enough for Locks for Love, that really sealed the deal.
Scary Baby remembered a girl in her class getting a haircut in the 2nd grade for Locks of Love.
What a special gift it is for a young girl to donate her hair to help make a precious wig for another girl who needs it even more…
Such a sweet gift of love…
Oh, and Wizzy did run in the race.
With her knees buckling at the finish line, they helped her into the paramedic’s tent where they administered oxygen and hooked her up to their EKG monitor.
We’re patiently waiting for additional test results but she is feeling much better.
Never a dull moment…
I hope this weekend is a little calmer.
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Categories: Moments, Random Thoughts, Teens, Tweens
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Thursday, October 2, 2008, by Sherra
I’m planning a few changes and tweaks with my site in the near future.
I’d love to hear from each and every one of you about…
- What you like.
-
What you don’t like.
- What you’d like to see more of.
- What you’d like to see less of.
Like maybe me not ending sentences with a preposition.*
Or like me not starting sentences with the word “like.”
Or like not even using the word “like.”
Bring it on. Leave a comment below.
Remember if you are reading this through email subscription or an RSS reader you have to click through to the website.
In the two most used words of my mom, my Aunt Jane, my cousin Sally and me, please try to…
BE NICE.
Think of me fondly as I go to another cross country race on Saturday without a chair and not running into the woods after my daughters.
Have a great weekend!
*Like I totally feel a lot better about the preposition issue since I just learned this thanks to dictionary.com
Could someone please verify this and then notify my high school English teachers?
—Usage note The often heard but misleading “rule” that a sentence should not end with a preposition is transferred from Latin, where it is an accurate description of practice. But English grammar is different from Latin grammar, and the rule does not fit English. In speech, the final preposition is normal and idiomatic, especially in questions: What are we waiting for? Where did he come from? You didn’t tell me which floor you worked on.
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Categories: Moments, Random Thoughts
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Monday, September 29, 2008, by Sherra
Only a few days left of my favorite month of the year - and not just because it is the month of my birthday.
I love September because the kids go back to school.
I love September because it brings the hint of Fall.
Fall is my favorite season.
There is so much to love about Fall especially if you live where the leaves turn colors…
and you love …
pumpkins and gourds…
apple cider and pumpkin pie…
the smell of cinnamon and the chill of the night air.
Ahhh, I really do love Fall.
In the coming weeks, I’ll definitely share some of our award-winning Halloween costumes from past years.
We’ve always celebrated Halloween as a fun day to dress up and celebrate Fall.
We’ve never celebrated Halloween as a demon and devil holiday with ghouls and goblins and scary things.
This weekend, Scary Baby got busy living up to her “code name.”
She had a friend over to spend the night on Saturday and she apparently wanted to get a head start on Halloween festivities.
PhilBillPaul got wind of the fact that they had been busy putting flyers on neighbors’ mailboxes and they were preparing to host an event at our house:
PhilBillPaul especially enjoyed the part where she stressed “No food provided” since she knows she gets in big trouble when she starts providing snacks and drinks for any kid who walks by our house.
This is not the first time our creative, lovely, last child has made a flyer and distributed them through the neighborhood.
Nice Dad actually took control of the situation and made her go through the neighborhood and remove the flyers. She insists they only put them at houses with small children.
Small children who would like participate in Scary Story Night with
Scary Baby?
I’m sure that we have neighbors who wonder why her parents don’t supervise her and channel her creativity in different ways.
Sorry neighbors…
I wish I had a good answer other than we are old and tired.
But that’s all I’ve got.
We are old and tired.
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Categories: Finding the Funny, Moments, Random Thoughts, Tweens
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008, by Sherra
In honor of my birthday this week, it seemed a perfect time to make this very public announcement in case you ever want to bake me a cake.
I shall never, ever want a Pork-n-Beans Cake.
Seriously. I thought it was a joke.
I felt sick when I saw the title too.
On my Yahoo home page I have one of my favorite recipe sites provide me with daily recipes in three categories.
I do have a dessert category.
I do not have a bean category.
You know I had to click on the recipe when it came up a few weeks ago because I did think it was a joke.
But it’s not. People have actually made it, eaten it and liked it!
I had to dig deeper because that’s just how I am.
I like to read the reviews because there are always good tips from other cooks. Since this cake got 4.5 stars out of 5 from 16 reviewers I had to read the comments and reviews.
My favorite tip of all was from reviewer MJ who gave it 5 stars…
“This cake is moist and tastes great! I do suggest mashing the beans, otherwise you end up seeing whole beans in the cake.“
Um, yeah, mash up those beans so you don’t SEE beans in your CAKE.
Reviewer kristina gave it 4 stars and shared these helpful tips…
“I was skeptical about this recipe, but it was a HIT at the office. I made it again, substituting the raisins for bacon bits and peanuts and I cut the sugar in half - amazing. I also used applesauce instead of oil to make it healthier.”
Oh yeah, ADD bacon bits and PEANUTS to your BEAN cake.
You can find the recipe at allrecipes.com.
Has anyone here ever made a bean cake? Go ahead, admit it here and I promise I will still like you but I’ll know to pass on dessert if I come to your house.
I dare you to make it. But please, no sharing.
Surprise me with cake any time but please don’t ever bring a cake with beans, smashed or otherwise.
Excuse me, I have to go now…I’m feeling really queasy.
P.S. This might actually be a funny cake to bring to a Halloween party. Just a last random thought. 
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Categories: Finding the Funny, Food, Random Thoughts, Rants
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Monday, September 8, 2008, by Sherra
Back in May, I offered to answer any coma questions.
Because I know if I knew someone who had been in a coma and I had never been in a coma myself, I would be very nosey interested and ask lots of questions.
For your reading pleasure, here are some coma questions I’ve been asked. I remember very little so most of my answers are what PhilBillPaul or my mom has told me…
Could you see, or are your eyes even open, but were not able to respond?
My eyes were closed. PhilBillPaul was very concerned that they had restraints on me to keep me still. He knew that I am claustrophobic and hate to be pinned down.
I might be known to freak out if I get tangled in the sheets at night.
Did you experience pain, or did your body go into shock and make you numb?
At the scene of the accident I had a grand mal seizure and I stopped breathing on the helicopter en route to the hospital. PhilBillPaul says I never appeared to be in pain.
I thought maybe they would have been poking the soles of my feet or my limbs but PhilBillPaul says they didn’t (or he wasn’t paying attention which is more likely).
Or I watch too much TV.
Could you hear people talking to each other and to you?
I do not remember hearing anyone even though someone was always with me, talking to me and/or playing music.
I do know that they made a tape of my friend talking to me and played it in my room. She was the other passenger and she was taken by ambulance to the another hospital. My mom was worried that I might think she died since she wasn’t able to come to the hospital and talk to me because she was being treated for her own injuries.
I still have that tape locked away in a trunk.
Could you smell certain foods, etc.?
I have a nose like a bloodhound and maybe the coma heightened my sense of smell? Oh wait, I’m suppose to be answering questions, not asking them.
I can literally tell you where and what PhilBillPaul had for lunch by the smell of his clothes and skin. Most perfume and floral or musk scents are migraine triggers.
But I don’t remember smelling anything in particular at the hospital.
Were you told to squeeze someone’s hand, and were you able to do it, or did you want to and couldn’t?
I did not respond to anything or anyone while in the coma. I woke up in the night or very early morning and the hospital called PhilBillPaul and told him I was awake and trying to talk.
His biggest fear was that I would not remember him or that we were married because we had only been married for seven months.
Lucky him, I remembered.
Did you have a “near-death experience”?
Did you see anything like what is referred to as an afterlife?
Did you see Christ/God?
All variations of above question are what I refer to as “the white light” question. Again, probably too much TV on my part.
I didn’t see or hear anything. I don’t remember feeling like I was going to die. Nor do I remember fighting to stay alive.
There is just a big blank space in my life in that entire month of June. And a lot of memory loss both before and after the accident that friends and family tirelessly help me remember when I ask a million questions.
Did you feel emotions?
Only after I woke up.
I still remember the utter frustration of not being able to say the word my brain was thinking. Several months of speech therapy helped with this.
I have a notebook I wrote in for months after the crash that is still hard to believe is my handwriting. My mom saved an envelope I insisting on addressing to my dad for Father’s Day.
Those things are also locked away the trunk.
Do you remember the accident crash?
I’ve always made a conscious effort to call it “the crash” instead of accident. Because accident infers that it was unintentional or caused by chance or luck. The slogan M.A.D.D. used shortly after our crash, “Don’t Call Me Lucky” really stuck with me. It’s not that I’m not thankful that I survived. I am. I promise. I am grateful beyond words. But drinking and driving is intentional and hurts innocent people every single day. Okay, off my soapbox and back to the question.
I barely even remember going to the movie with PhilBillPaul that night. I have very foggy memories of being at a house and playing a computer game at the house we had driven to let two dogs out.
Do you have flashbacks?
When I am on a two-lane road at night, I sometimes have serious anxiety when an oncoming car approaches. I believe this is some sort of residual memory from that moment when those blinding headlights came out of nowhere and I threw my hands up and let out a blood-curdling scream. That is the memory that has been described to me by my friend and PhilBillPaul in the split second before the drunk driver hit us.
I have learned to breathe and focus on the car I’m driving and not fix my eyes on the oncoming headlights.
Alrighty then, how’s that for some fascinating Q & A? If you’ve felt shy up until now and wanted to ask something that I didn’t answer, jump right in and ask. Just use the comment box to leave a question or contact me via email!
Or if you’ve been in a coma and want to share your experience, please do. I’d love to hear because I really am nosey interested!
On Wednesday I will share something really, really good that came from the crash and the coma…
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Categories: Milestones, Random Thoughts
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