1. I got up at 5:00 so that Anthony & I could take Mike to the airport for his flight back to AZ.
2. I washed, dried, folded and put away the dining room tablecloth, napkins, etc., from Thanksgiving.
3. I changed out the Thanksgiving decorations in my house (candles, wreath, dried flowers, table runner, etc.) with the winter/Christmas things.
4. I went to Drawnames.com and signed up our family to draw names for Christmas.
5. I had breakfast at LaMadeleine, in front of the fire.
6. I removed the rest of the landscaping bricks from the backyard in preparation for having the pool removed.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
What I Did Today
1. I got up late, and then picked up Anthony and drove to Mia’s, where we had lunch (brisket tacos for me with flour and corn tortillas) with Mike, Katharine and Xander.
2. I spent a luxurious afternoon talking with Mike, home for Thanksgiving from his junior year at UA. It’s a dreary, wet, cold grey day, but we were quite cozy in the living room, each of us curled up on one of the two brown velour slipcovered couches, facing each other, all comfortable with pillows and throws and a fire in the fireplace.
3. I moved more of my landscaping bricks from the backyard to the patio in preparation for having the pool removed next week.
4. I spent a frustrating 45 minutes, with Mike, unsuccessfully trying to access two programs on my work-issued laptop that I must be able to access to work from home.
5. I paid various bills and filed the paperwork in the appropriate binders.
6. I read more of Russell Martin’s fascinating book, Beethoven’s Hair.
7. I spent some time playing the vocabulary game at Free Rice. If you haven't visited this site, check it out. It's a neat way to increase your vocabulary and do some good at the same time. You'll see a word with four possible definitions; for every word you get right, an international aid agency donates 10 grains of rice to the hungry. Sound too good to be true? Snopes says it's legitimate. The highest vocabulary level is 50; so far, the highest level I've reached is 46.
2. I spent a luxurious afternoon talking with Mike, home for Thanksgiving from his junior year at UA. It’s a dreary, wet, cold grey day, but we were quite cozy in the living room, each of us curled up on one of the two brown velour slipcovered couches, facing each other, all comfortable with pillows and throws and a fire in the fireplace.
3. I moved more of my landscaping bricks from the backyard to the patio in preparation for having the pool removed next week.
4. I spent a frustrating 45 minutes, with Mike, unsuccessfully trying to access two programs on my work-issued laptop that I must be able to access to work from home.
5. I paid various bills and filed the paperwork in the appropriate binders.
6. I read more of Russell Martin’s fascinating book, Beethoven’s Hair.
7. I spent some time playing the vocabulary game at Free Rice. If you haven't visited this site, check it out. It's a neat way to increase your vocabulary and do some good at the same time. You'll see a word with four possible definitions; for every word you get right, an international aid agency donates 10 grains of rice to the hungry. Sound too good to be true? Snopes says it's legitimate. The highest vocabulary level is 50; so far, the highest level I've reached is 46.
What I Did Today
I've stolen this exercise from one of my favorite writers and fellow bloggers, Theresa Williams. Check her out if you haven't already done so.
1. I slept in until a little after 10:00. This is highly unusual for me, but as it was a little after 4:00 when I went to bed last night, I don’t feel too guilty about it.
2. I took Mike to meet A for breakfast at Bagelstein’s.
3. I spent some time looking at art on eBay.
4. I called The Nasher to accept an invitation that I received for a reception on November 30th.
5. I took Mike to The Nasher, where we had a late lunch before perusing the Gaston Lachaise exhibit (which was terrific).
6. I took Mike for a quick walk through the DMA, where we looked at a Rothko and a Pollock before heading home.
7. In anticipation of having my pool removed, I looked at the portfolios of half a dozen local landscape architects on the net (and despaired a little; none of them appears to have done work for families with yards like mine, which happens to be significantly smaller than a football stadium...).
8. I joined Mike, Chris and Anthony for our traditional post-holiday family flick. We went to see the Coen brothers latest film, No Country for Old Men (based on Cormac McCarthy’s book of the same title, said title taken from the first line of Yeats’ poem, Sailing to Byzantium). An excellent, if incredibly grim, film.
9. I prepared a quick late night supper of Thanksgiving leftovers for Anthony, Mike and me which we ate sitting around my kitchen table.
10. I accepted my brother Dave’s invitation to be his friend on Facebook.
1. I slept in until a little after 10:00. This is highly unusual for me, but as it was a little after 4:00 when I went to bed last night, I don’t feel too guilty about it.
2. I took Mike to meet A for breakfast at Bagelstein’s.
3. I spent some time looking at art on eBay.
4. I called The Nasher to accept an invitation that I received for a reception on November 30th.
5. I took Mike to The Nasher, where we had a late lunch before perusing the Gaston Lachaise exhibit (which was terrific).
6. I took Mike for a quick walk through the DMA, where we looked at a Rothko and a Pollock before heading home.
7. In anticipation of having my pool removed, I looked at the portfolios of half a dozen local landscape architects on the net (and despaired a little; none of them appears to have done work for families with yards like mine, which happens to be significantly smaller than a football stadium...).
8. I joined Mike, Chris and Anthony for our traditional post-holiday family flick. We went to see the Coen brothers latest film, No Country for Old Men (based on Cormac McCarthy’s book of the same title, said title taken from the first line of Yeats’ poem, Sailing to Byzantium). An excellent, if incredibly grim, film.
9. I prepared a quick late night supper of Thanksgiving leftovers for Anthony, Mike and me which we ate sitting around my kitchen table.
10. I accepted my brother Dave’s invitation to be his friend on Facebook.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007
So the plan was that there were to be 6 of us for Thanksgiving at my house this year: Anthony, me, Katharine, Alexander, Chris, and Mike, who was flying in from Arizona where he attends college at UA. It's so easy to get caught up in the crazy and busy aspects of this season; to become annoyed by little things; to become impatient...but that is always a mistake, and today I was reminded of that.
Mike’s flight was due in at 9:55 AM; A and I were driving to the airport to pick him up. Mike reached me on my cellphone at 9:45, on my way to the airport. He told me he was on the ground in Lubbock, where his plane had made an emergency medical landing because of a sick child. Unfortunately, in making the landing, something that regulates the plane’s cabin pressure had stopped working, and so the flight was grounded until that could be fixed.
Hours passed, but thanks to cellphones, we had pretty much ongoing communication with Mike. Normally, if there’s a mechanical problem that can’t readily be fixed, the airlines would simply deboard the plane and put all the passengers on another flight. However, there aren’t a lot of flights out of Lubbock, so for several hours all of the passengers on that flight were stranded.
In Dallas, we considered our options. Katharine and Chris were willing to get into Katharine’s car and drive to Lubbock to pick up Mike, but Lubbock is 350 miles from Dallas, so that would have been a looooooonnnnggg drive. We looked on the net to see whether Mike could rent a car, but he’s under 25 and it was snowing in Lubbock, so that didn’t seem like the best option. We also looked to see if we could find any additional flights out of Lubbock. Hours passed, and eventually, the airlines decided they would try to fly the plane back without cabin pressure, at a much lower altitude than usual. Apparently, all of the luggage had to be removed from the cargo hold to do this, but when that was done...voila...the cabin pressure returned. The cargo hold was then repacked, and Mike (and all of the other passengers) finally arrived, safely, in Dallas at a little after 4:00 PM, where Katharine, Xander and Chris picked up Mike at the airport. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner together, a little later than originally planned, but that hardly matters.
Re the child for whom the emergency landing was made...Mike didn’t know what the emergency was, but he said the child was a young boy whom Mike estimated to be perhaps 12 years old. Like Mike and Chris, the boy was a twin, whose brother and parents were also on the flight. Before the decision was made to land in Lubbock, two doctors on the plane had examined the boy, and both agreed that the plane needed to put down immediately so he could be hospitalized to receive emergency medical care. Mike said the boy was conscious and able to walk from the plane, but that he looked dizzy and disoriented, and that his parents were both crying as they walked with him from the plane.
Ouch. I don’t know what condition that child has, but my heart goes out to him and his family. Most of the time, whether we realize it or not, most of us are so incredibly lucky...to be alive, to be healthy, to be loved and able to love...and today I was reminded of that.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Mike’s flight was due in at 9:55 AM; A and I were driving to the airport to pick him up. Mike reached me on my cellphone at 9:45, on my way to the airport. He told me he was on the ground in Lubbock, where his plane had made an emergency medical landing because of a sick child. Unfortunately, in making the landing, something that regulates the plane’s cabin pressure had stopped working, and so the flight was grounded until that could be fixed.
Hours passed, but thanks to cellphones, we had pretty much ongoing communication with Mike. Normally, if there’s a mechanical problem that can’t readily be fixed, the airlines would simply deboard the plane and put all the passengers on another flight. However, there aren’t a lot of flights out of Lubbock, so for several hours all of the passengers on that flight were stranded.
In Dallas, we considered our options. Katharine and Chris were willing to get into Katharine’s car and drive to Lubbock to pick up Mike, but Lubbock is 350 miles from Dallas, so that would have been a looooooonnnnggg drive. We looked on the net to see whether Mike could rent a car, but he’s under 25 and it was snowing in Lubbock, so that didn’t seem like the best option. We also looked to see if we could find any additional flights out of Lubbock. Hours passed, and eventually, the airlines decided they would try to fly the plane back without cabin pressure, at a much lower altitude than usual. Apparently, all of the luggage had to be removed from the cargo hold to do this, but when that was done...voila...the cabin pressure returned. The cargo hold was then repacked, and Mike (and all of the other passengers) finally arrived, safely, in Dallas at a little after 4:00 PM, where Katharine, Xander and Chris picked up Mike at the airport. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner together, a little later than originally planned, but that hardly matters.
Re the child for whom the emergency landing was made...Mike didn’t know what the emergency was, but he said the child was a young boy whom Mike estimated to be perhaps 12 years old. Like Mike and Chris, the boy was a twin, whose brother and parents were also on the flight. Before the decision was made to land in Lubbock, two doctors on the plane had examined the boy, and both agreed that the plane needed to put down immediately so he could be hospitalized to receive emergency medical care. Mike said the boy was conscious and able to walk from the plane, but that he looked dizzy and disoriented, and that his parents were both crying as they walked with him from the plane.
Ouch. I don’t know what condition that child has, but my heart goes out to him and his family. Most of the time, whether we realize it or not, most of us are so incredibly lucky...to be alive, to be healthy, to be loved and able to love...and today I was reminded of that.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Happy Birthday Katharina!
Some girls get singing chickens at work on their birthdays...29 years ago yesterday, Katharina was born, at home, in Chicago. We're doing the family celebration of her birthday tonight. I called her yesterday and asked where she'd like to go for dinner. "I dunno," she said, and then she added, wistfully, "I'd really just like someplace small and intimate, where we could have a nice dinner and sit around and talk afterward..." "Let me think about that and get back to you," I said.
In five minutes I called her back. "I know just the place, but of course you can opt for something else if you'd rather..." I described it. She agreed.
So it's all set: tonight, Katharine, Chris, Stephanie and I are having dinner at home. The weather has finally turned cool, so we'll start with cheese and crackers and glasses of champagne in front of the fireplace. Then Chris and I are grilling the flank steak (which is marinading in the refrigerator as I write), with which I'll serve asparagus with hollandaise, orange basted carrots, new potatoes and a tossed salad, followed by birthday cake...
And the only voices we'll be talking over will be each other's, and we can sit at the table, or move to the couches in the living room, when we feel like it...Happy Birthday, Katharina!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
7 sins meme...
I stole this from Terroni...
WRATH
With whom did you last get angry? With The Liar, of course...don’t ask...
What is your weapon of choice? My tongue...I’m capable of scathing criticism...
Would you hit a member of the opposite sex? Hit ON for sure, but no, I can’t imagine hitting anyone....
How about the same sex? See above, except that I wouldn’t hit ON anyone of the same sex
Who was the last person who got really angry with you? I dunno...I’m sure there’s someone, but usually, I try to use humor when things start to get heavy, to defuse the situation...
What is your pet peeve? I hate it when guys blow their nose in a napkin at dinner...I’ve never seen a woman do it. It’s totally gross, guys!
Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily? Ha! I have Attention Deficit Disorder, and one of the big advantages is that I can’t usually remember who I’m supposed to be mad at, or why. If someone behaves badly, I tend to keep my distance, but I’m pretty good natured, and don't hold grudges...
SLOTH
What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't? Exercise...
What is the latest you've ever woken up? Dunno...although I’m not a morning person, I’ve never required much sleep...
Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't. David Clark...my best friend from the U of C...
What’s the last lame excuse you made? I voted against doing monthly potlucks at work, saying, "I don’t want to transport food all that distance..."
Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through? No, I fall asleep watching infomercials, every time!
How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock this morning? Once...
GLUTTONY
What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice? Starbuck’s cappuccinos...they aren’t even that good!
Are you a meat eater? Oh yeah, I’m a total carnivore...although I had scallops for dinner tonight, and can easily go for weeks without eating red meat...still, a few times a year, there aren’t many things I enjoy more than a bloody filet mignon...
What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting? Hmmmmmm, I dunno...my younger brother could probably answer this for me better than I can, as he witnessed it (I was maybe 21 at the time)...
Are you comfortable with your drinking and eating habits? I’m totally comfortable with my drinking habits these days, but re eating...no, I know that I need to give up most carbs, because it's clear that I’m not exactly metabolizing them efficiently...
Do you enjoy candy and sweets? Not particularly...a little goes a long way with me, although I confess to a love of dark chocolate with chipotle or curry...
Which do you prefer: sweet, salty, or spicy? Salty, every time...
Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought, "lunch"? Ewwwwwww...no, I haven’t...
GREED
How many credit cards do you own? Probably 20 or 25...but usually, I just use my American Express
If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Pay off the mortgage, book a 10-day river rafting trip for me, my kids and their significant others, and my ex, and probably save the rest for retirement...
Would you rather be rich or famous? Rich. I love my privacy.
Would you accept a boring job if it meant that you would make megabucks? Sheesh, I’ve done exactly that, minus the megabucks. I settled for a decent salary with good health benefits, but until you yourself have worked places for very little money, where employee abuse is rampant, don’t knock it...
PRIDE
What's one thing that you have done that you're most proud of? Against all odds, I completed college and grad school...
What's one thing you have done that your parents are proud of? I think my mom was proud that I went to college...I don’t remember her ever saying so, though.
What would you like to accomplish late in your life? There are LOTS of things...but if I have to pick one...I dunno, I ‘ve always wanted to learn to play the piano...
Do you get annoyed by coming in second place? That depends...if it’s something where I expected to come in first, then yes, for sure...
Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than the other competitors? No...to me, that would be incredibly lame, and I like to be able to look myself in the eye when I’m brushing my teeth each morning...
Have you ever cheated to get a better score? No, but I’ve lied to my therapist...
What did you do today that you're proud of? I ate a healthy breakfast: I had unsweetened yogurt (it’s very sour, and I love that stuff) with fresh raspberries and a handful of cranberry granola, all washed down with a small glass of freshly squeezed OJ...
LUST
How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies, family, strippers, locker rooms)?
Shoot, I’ve lost count...(just KIDDING...I haven’t a clue!)
How many people have seen you naked (not counting physicians, family, locker rooms, or when you were a young child)? What kind of questions are these? Who keeps track of this stuff?
Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a person of your chosen sex during a normal conversation? I’m stealing Terroni’s answer here, because it’s absolutely accurate and I can’t improve on it: No, I was looking at...uh...you had a piece of lint there.
Have you ever had sexual encounters (including kissing/making out) with multiple persons? Sheesh, no!
Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute? Not to my knowledge...
ENVY
What item of your friends would you most want to have for your own? If we’re talking stuff, I can’t think of a thing...
Who would you want to go on "Trading Spaces" with? I absolutely LOVE my house, and all of my stuff, and there’s no one I’d trust to make changes in it, so I’d never go on Trading Spaces...
If you could be anyone who existed in the world, who would you be? I can’t imagine being anyone else...now, if I could meet anyone who existed in the world, I have a long list, starting with Mark Twain...
Have you ever been cheated on? Yeah, and take my word for it, it was not a good experience...
Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own? From the time we were kids, I always wished I had my brother Dave’s beautiful coloring...ash blonde hair and sky blue eyes...
What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself? Self-confidence...I always doubt myself.
What deadly sin...
Do you do the most often? Sloth.
Do you do the least often? Envy.
Is your favorite to act on? :) Lust...
WRATH
With whom did you last get angry? With The Liar, of course...don’t ask...
What is your weapon of choice? My tongue...I’m capable of scathing criticism...
Would you hit a member of the opposite sex? Hit ON for sure, but no, I can’t imagine hitting anyone....
How about the same sex? See above, except that I wouldn’t hit ON anyone of the same sex
Who was the last person who got really angry with you? I dunno...I’m sure there’s someone, but usually, I try to use humor when things start to get heavy, to defuse the situation...
What is your pet peeve? I hate it when guys blow their nose in a napkin at dinner...I’ve never seen a woman do it. It’s totally gross, guys!
Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily? Ha! I have Attention Deficit Disorder, and one of the big advantages is that I can’t usually remember who I’m supposed to be mad at, or why. If someone behaves badly, I tend to keep my distance, but I’m pretty good natured, and don't hold grudges...
SLOTH
What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't? Exercise...
What is the latest you've ever woken up? Dunno...although I’m not a morning person, I’ve never required much sleep...
Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't. David Clark...my best friend from the U of C...
What’s the last lame excuse you made? I voted against doing monthly potlucks at work, saying, "I don’t want to transport food all that distance..."
Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through? No, I fall asleep watching infomercials, every time!
How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock this morning? Once...
GLUTTONY
What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice? Starbuck’s cappuccinos...they aren’t even that good!
Are you a meat eater? Oh yeah, I’m a total carnivore...although I had scallops for dinner tonight, and can easily go for weeks without eating red meat...still, a few times a year, there aren’t many things I enjoy more than a bloody filet mignon...
What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting? Hmmmmmm, I dunno...my younger brother could probably answer this for me better than I can, as he witnessed it (I was maybe 21 at the time)...
Are you comfortable with your drinking and eating habits? I’m totally comfortable with my drinking habits these days, but re eating...no, I know that I need to give up most carbs, because it's clear that I’m not exactly metabolizing them efficiently...
Do you enjoy candy and sweets? Not particularly...a little goes a long way with me, although I confess to a love of dark chocolate with chipotle or curry...
Which do you prefer: sweet, salty, or spicy? Salty, every time...
Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought, "lunch"? Ewwwwwww...no, I haven’t...
GREED
How many credit cards do you own? Probably 20 or 25...but usually, I just use my American Express
If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Pay off the mortgage, book a 10-day river rafting trip for me, my kids and their significant others, and my ex, and probably save the rest for retirement...
Would you rather be rich or famous? Rich. I love my privacy.
Would you accept a boring job if it meant that you would make megabucks? Sheesh, I’ve done exactly that, minus the megabucks. I settled for a decent salary with good health benefits, but until you yourself have worked places for very little money, where employee abuse is rampant, don’t knock it...
PRIDE
What's one thing that you have done that you're most proud of? Against all odds, I completed college and grad school...
What's one thing you have done that your parents are proud of? I think my mom was proud that I went to college...I don’t remember her ever saying so, though.
What would you like to accomplish late in your life? There are LOTS of things...but if I have to pick one...I dunno, I ‘ve always wanted to learn to play the piano...
Do you get annoyed by coming in second place? That depends...if it’s something where I expected to come in first, then yes, for sure...
Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than the other competitors? No...to me, that would be incredibly lame, and I like to be able to look myself in the eye when I’m brushing my teeth each morning...
Have you ever cheated to get a better score? No, but I’ve lied to my therapist...
What did you do today that you're proud of? I ate a healthy breakfast: I had unsweetened yogurt (it’s very sour, and I love that stuff) with fresh raspberries and a handful of cranberry granola, all washed down with a small glass of freshly squeezed OJ...
LUST
How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies, family, strippers, locker rooms)?
Shoot, I’ve lost count...(just KIDDING...I haven’t a clue!)
How many people have seen you naked (not counting physicians, family, locker rooms, or when you were a young child)? What kind of questions are these? Who keeps track of this stuff?
Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a person of your chosen sex during a normal conversation? I’m stealing Terroni’s answer here, because it’s absolutely accurate and I can’t improve on it: No, I was looking at...uh...you had a piece of lint there.
Have you ever had sexual encounters (including kissing/making out) with multiple persons? Sheesh, no!
Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute? Not to my knowledge...
ENVY
What item of your friends would you most want to have for your own? If we’re talking stuff, I can’t think of a thing...
Who would you want to go on "Trading Spaces" with? I absolutely LOVE my house, and all of my stuff, and there’s no one I’d trust to make changes in it, so I’d never go on Trading Spaces...
If you could be anyone who existed in the world, who would you be? I can’t imagine being anyone else...now, if I could meet anyone who existed in the world, I have a long list, starting with Mark Twain...
Have you ever been cheated on? Yeah, and take my word for it, it was not a good experience...
Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own? From the time we were kids, I always wished I had my brother Dave’s beautiful coloring...ash blonde hair and sky blue eyes...
What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself? Self-confidence...I always doubt myself.
What deadly sin...
Do you do the most often? Sloth.
Do you do the least often? Envy.
Is your favorite to act on? :) Lust...
Monday, November 12, 2007
Double the pleasure, double the fun...
Ah-HA! Check this out: Nigeria's 'land of twins' baffles fertility experts
My fraternal twin sons, Mike and Chris, are now 22 years old. When I found out I was carrying twins, I felt as if I’d won the lottery. Actually, by the time they were ready to be born, I felt as if I were carrying the lottery...all in coins...they weighed 8 pounds EACH...carrying twins is HARD work...
But back to when I got the news...I remember, I was lying on the examining table in my doctor’s office, and his nurse had just confirmed the diagnosis with a sonogram. “Woo hoo!” I exclaimed. “That is GREAT news and I am SO excited!” My doctor looked at me, grinned, and said, “Jude, in all the years I’ve been practicing, I have to say, that’s the very first time I’ve heard THAT reaction to news that a woman is carrying twins...”
I don’t have a family history of twins, so I was curious as to how this had come about. I mean, I know how it came about, but with the result that I was carrying two...how had that happened? I had my own theory, which was basically that I had willed it to happen (I very much wanted two more children), but ...I wondered if there were a more logical explanation. I read and read and read...this was 1985, pre-internet...and eventually, I came across an article that said that there was a tribe in Nigeria with the highest fraternal (two egg) twinning rate in the world, and the diet there was heavy in yams...so one theory was that the heavy dose of phytoestrogens in yams causes women to release multiple eggs when ovulating. I was fascinated by this theory, because I love yams, and ate a lot of them in November 1984, coincidentally the month that the boys were conceived...
Over the years, when people have asked me if twins run in the family ("Well, they do NOW!" I quip), I’ve talked about the yams linkage...only to observe their eyes glazing over as I wax eloquent about it, as if I were making it up...which I’m quite capable of doing, by the way, but in this case NOT...and now, today, here, on Yahoo’s Most Popular News stories...confirmation! So check it out...and if you’re thinking you’d like to have twins...go eat some yams!
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