parenting prism

RAGBRAI wrap-up: Day 7

2010-08-04T19:55:00.004-04:00

Day 7

Saturday dawned gray and overcast. I was concerned, considering the 47 miles we had ridden in the rain the day before. The distance for the last day was only 47 miles total, so every mile that went by without rain made me feel a little more confident.

It did not rain, but we did experience the Iowa "rollers." In Indiana we call them rolling hills. We had 2,566 feet of climb, but the hill everyone kept talking about was Potters Hill, a road with an entire mile of climb. Here is a video interviewing riders at the top of Potters Hill. It gives you an idea of how hard it was and how many people had to walk up, but it doesn't show how steep it was. It was not only long, but steep!

Joey and I made it about half-way up on our bikes before we had to get off and walk. I was huffing and puffing like a freight train. Susan and Rick rode all the way to the top (of course). Could I have made it all the way on my lighter, faster road bike? We will never know because there is no way I will ever voluntarily ride up that wicked hill again.

So, you'd think the rest of the ride would be easy after this gigantic hill. Wrong. It was hilly the rest of the way into Dubuque and all the way to the Mississippi River. Tradition calls for riders to go all the way to the river and dip their bike tire in the water upon completion of RAGBRAI, but Joey and I aren't much for tradition, so we went in search of Rick and Susan. Turns out our adventure wasn't quite over yet.

We rode another three miles to the parking lot where we had left our truck and van (we had to haul 5 bikes plus duffel bags) the week before. Rick and Susan had already loaded all our gear and had just returned from a Wendy's run. We snapped a photo, threw the last two bikes in the back of the truck and took off down the road. Joey and I rode 50 miles total for the day at an average speed of 10.6 mph. Hilly but fun.

Joey was miffed that Rick and Susan got Wendy's and he didn't, so he wanted to stop at a Wendy's on the way home. For some strange reason, all I had eaten all day was a cinnamon roll along with a Gatorade and lemonade. I was hungry!

Joey promptly fell asleep in the van only a few minutes outside of Dubuque. After 30 minutes on the road, I saw a sign for Pizza Hut and decided that would have to do, because I was starving. Joey and I refueled at Pizza Hut while Rick and Susan fueled up the truck.

Unfortunately, Rick drives a car the same way he rides a bike, aggressively. I spent the next five hours doing what I did for a week on RAGBRAI, chasing him down the road. We communicated by cell phone most of the way, until I stopped in Fowler, about 30 minutes from home, because Joey needed a bathroom break.

When Joey came out of the convenience store, our right rear tire was flat as a pancake. Of course, when I called Susan she didn't pick up, so I left a message. I texted her and she didn't reply. At that point, I did the only thing that made sense: went inside the convenience store and got something to eat. Joey was happy because they had corn dogs and I was happy because they had Noble Romans bread sticks. There was a small dining area, so we relaxed for a few minutes, giving Rick and Susan time to get home, before I started calling the house.

Yes, Rick got home only to have to turn around and drive back to Fowler to help me change a flat tire, which wasn't nearly as easy as you'd think.

First of all, I told him I was in Kentland rather than the town I was really in: Fowler. While I was talking I was looking at a sign that read "Lafayette" with an arrow to the left, and "Kentland" with an arrow to the right. I knew I wasn't in Lafayette, so for some reason my brain thought, "Kentland."

When I realized my mistake I called the house. Susan answered but Rick has already left, without his cell phone, naturally. So, Joey and I stood along 52, me in my tight biking shorts and a tank top, watching for a Dodge pick-up so we could flag it down. I felt really conspicuous and stupid. I don't want to know how I looked.

We did manage to stop Rick and he crawled under my Mom and Dad's van, which we had borrowed for the trip, and tried to figure out how the heck to get the spare out from underneath the vehicle. It took about 45 minutes and help from three locals to dislodge the spare tire. Really, should it be that difficult? Changing the tire was a piece of cake after that.

Finally made it home around 10 p.m. and our bedroom looked enormous after all those nights in a tent. After a quick shower, I slept like a baby. So good to be home!

RAGBRAI: Days 5 & 6

2010-08-03T19:02:00.006-04:00

The smelly laundry is done. I finally got groceries. So, now I guess I can sit down and tell you about the rest of RAGBRAI. (Okay, I haven't vacuumed yet, but that can wait until tomorrow.)

First of all, Susan is amazing. On Wednesday, the day she crashed, we did 56 total miles at 15.7 mph. I was riding next to Susan most of the way to camp after she crashed, the protective mothering instinct having kicked in. We brought it down a notch, mostly because I was nervous.

But the next day, Day 5, my computer showed 86 miles at the end of the day with an average speed of 17.1 mph. Susan and Rick probably went a little faster. She was not tentative at all. In fact, I was busy biting my tongue, trying not to tell her to slow down and be careful. She is a strong rider with good instincts.

Turns out I should have given my "be careful out there" lecture to Rick. I was not with them, but according to Susan he made a spectacular and unplanned exit from the roadway.

He was trying to pass a recumbent on the far left side of the road on a tiny strip of pavement that just wasn't wide enough. He went off the road onto the gravel, couldn't recover, and rode wildly down into the ditch to where it flattened out below. He managed not to wreck and received some compliments on his mad skills from some of the other crazy RAGBRAI riders passing above.

Day 5 was also the day Joey joined us on RAGBRAI. He flew from Indy to Des Moines, where my sister-in-law gathered him at the airport. Herb and Amy brought him to Waterloo just as we were were about to finish setting up our tents on the grounds of Hawkeye Community College. I traded out my Klein for the Trek 7200 FX hybrid they'd been hauling in the truck and also retrieved Joey's Trek hybrid (a newer version of my bike).

Joey looked great. He took his backpack, threw it in our tent and announced, "I'm all moved in."

We had been locking all three of the road bikes together at night around a tree or streetlight with two thick wire cables and locks. Since the hybrids aren't as expensive (and the cable wasn't long enough for all four bikes), we just chained up Rick and Susan's bikes and I put the key in my change purse, as was my routine. Then, we were off to my birthday dinner, compliments of my big brother.

Day 6

We had many adventures and mishaps the first five days of RAGBRAI, but Day 6 was special in many ways, not the least of which was the rain.

For some reason, Susan had trouble getting up on Day 6. Then, she decided to walk to the college student center to use the bathroom rather than stop at the luxurious port-a-potties just steps from the tent.

Joey and I were dressed and ready. Rick told us to go ahead since he and Susan would catch us soon enough anyway. Just as Joey and I were mounting our bikes to head out of camp, it began to rain. At first it was a light, friendly, "good morning" rain. Then after a couple of miles it became a steady downpour.

We each ate a banana before leaving camp, and planned to stop at the second town for a larger breakfast, which was only about 8 miles down the road. We followed the plan and found some pancakes and a bike shop to fix Joey's front brake. On this rainy day, he definitely needed both brakes in working order.

We got back on the road and the steady downpour turned into a blowing, hard, cold rain. Joey kept asking if Rick and Susan had already passed us. We spent a good 15-20 minutes in town, so I was sure they were in front of us by this point. As you know, Rick doesn't like to lollygag in town.

The riding became pretty miserable. We were soaked to the bone and cold. Plus, the rain was coming down so hard, it was difficult to see. Joey didn't complain, but he did say once that he wished he was back in the tent inside his warm sleeping bag. Me too.

Then we turned a corner and not only did the storm ramp up, but we had a head wind which provided more difficult riding and more cold chills to go with it. At mile 27, I was in the pain cave, focused on moving down the road, not wrecking and trying to keep track of Joey. We turned another corner, blessedly getting us out of the head wind and Joey yelled, "There's Dad and Susan!"

He stood up on his pedals and caught up to Susan. I had no extra energy to exert at that point and was content to watch them converse from my vantage point about 20 yards behind. I was still very much encased in the pain cave. Susan left to catch her Dad, and Joey dropped back to tell me they would meet up with us at the next stop.

Now you may be wondering why it took Rick and Susan so long to catch us. I sure was. Turns out, when I left camp Rick and Susan's bikes were still locked to a streetlight ... and I had the key in my change purse ... in my bike bag.

Very, very fortunately for Rick and Susan, there was a building right across from where we pitched our tents that was marked "Physical Plant." When they couldn't reach me by cell phone, Rick and Susan walked over to the campus building and walked around inside until they found someone. He didn't have bolt cutters, but the guy he talked to on his walkie talkie did.

This set Rick and Susan back a good 45 minutes or so, which explains why they were so tardy catching us.

Okay, back to mile 27. The next stop was Turkey Tom's, which sells those giant turkey legs, and Joey had been craving one. We met Rick and Susan there and Susan was really cold. Joey got a turkey leg, I got a warm turkey fillet sandwich. Susan got a smoothy. Do you know what they put in a smoothy ? Ice.

So Rick and Susan didn't hang around long, as Susan was getting colder (imagine that). I ate my sandwich and Joey ate as much as he could of his turkey leg. He told me when he was done, "Man vs. Food. Food won."

We got back on the road and back into the pain cave. We passed a small town, but didn't bother stopping, because we knew we'd only be colder if we stopped. My shoes were squishing at this point and occasionally squeaking when I pedaled.

At mile 47 I spied a port-a-potty outside a gas station convenience store and stopped. Pulling down wet Lycra bike shorts with a soaking wet cushion in the middle is only slightly less disgusting than having to pull them back up.

We decided to venture inside the convenience store and met up with about 200 other riders with the same idea. The body heat warmed the space so that it was actually fairly pleasant. Joey found a machine with hot chocolate and drank his cup almost before I could pay for it.

We were tired of being cold and wet and decided to don the poor man's RAGBRAI raincoat, a garbage bag. The shelf was almost empty, but there were still two boxes of the tall kitchen size. As I reached for it, a guy asked if I just needed one for a raincoat. He already bought a box and generously gave me two.

We put on our black garbage bags, went outside, and it stopped raining. We rode for about 5 miles and warmed up considerably. When we passed the Beekman's Ice Cream truck at the side of the road, the sun was out. We were warm enough to stop and get some homemade creamy goodness. Joey observed, "Everything got better once we got the garbage bags."

By the time we rolled into Manchester, the overnight town, we were mostly dry, warm and had a much brighter outlook. Joey snagged a free freeze pop on the fly, and later we stopped at a table someone set up outside their house with a sign "Free snacks." We both got a Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie and swapped tales of woe with other riders who had braved the storm.

We rode 66 miles at an average speed of 10.8 mph, and 47 of those miles were in the rain. Rick and Susan managed to ride all 66 miles in the rain. Rick said it stopped raining just as he was putting the tent up. They were showered and well rested by the time we saw them.

I'm really proud of Joey not only for riding 66 miles, but for riding in miserable conditions and never once talking about quitting. That's my boy!

Tomorrow: RAGBRAI wrap-up: Day 7 in Dubuque!

RAGBRAI: Day 4

2010-07-28T17:55:00.004-04:00

Before I get into today's story involving road rash and water holes, I must first tell you that as far as I'm concerned last night was the worst camping night ever on RAGBRAI. We've had noisy, stormy nights before, but never such a variety of noises for so long that allow you to sleep so little.

We left the party downtown to go back to the campsite around 8 p.m. The temperature on the bank clock said 91 degrees. Not exactly your best outdoor sleeping weather. So, although we were tired, we waited until it was really dark to even try to sleep, hoping the temperature would drop.

The Spin Doctors were giving a concert in Clear Lake. Susan wanted to go, but you had to be 21 to get in, so that was a bummer for her. Anyway, she came back to camp and we could hear the music loud and clear at the campsite. Couldn't quite make out the words to the songs, but it was loud enough to make sleep difficult. I was just starting to drop off when the concert ended and the fireworks started ... the really, really loud fireworks.

It was 10:30 p.m., I was wide awake so decided to take a trek to the port-a-potties. Even using the flashlight I managed to trip over some one's tent stake. When I got back to the tent, the fireworks were just winding down. Ah, now I can get some sleep! Wrong. Time for the local bands to start playing.

I'm not sure how long the music lasted, I think I drifted off, when the longest and loudest train whistle in the history of train travel began blowing and blowing and blowing. It sounded like the train was on a trajectory that would bring it directly through our tent.

The train whistle must have woken up the stray cat in the soybean field next to our campsite. It began howling. And then later we had a spectacular thunderstorm, with a crack of lightening that sounded extremely near. As our tent was set up directly beneath a row of trees, it was both the loudest and most disturbing noise of the evening.

The funny thing is the next morning our Charter guy, Bob, asked me if the noise from the generator kept me up last night. No, I didn't notice the generator at all, but I was a little bothered by the loud music, train whistle, howling cat and thunderstorm. I'm afraid I might be just a little testy today.

Just for the record yesterday's ride turned out to be 67 miles. I averaged 16.3 mph. Today's ride? I didn't check the stats (was supposed to be 51 miles), but I did help clean Susan's wounds after her shower. Yes, Susan took a tumble and I was right behind her when it happened, so I saw the whole thing in a weird slow motion.

Today and yesterday, Rick, Susan and I not only have been riding pacelines, but we've also done a few echelons. The idea is the same, to ride faster by drafting, but when the wind is coming from the side, the best draft isn't directly behind the bike in front of you, but to the side. The echelon takes on the form of a staggered diagonal line of riders.

So Rick was leading the echelon today. Susan was to the right, her front wheel about even with Rick's back wheel. I was to Susan's right, my front wheel also overlapping her back wheel. We were probably going around 20 mph. I don't know who moved, but I saw Rick and Susan's bikes bump off each other. Then I watched Susan's bike skid out from under her and start sliding on the pavement. It was awful.

By the time I got to her two other riders were already there asking if she was okay. Rick was directing traffic around her. Her knee was bleeding and banged up the most. She had about quarter-sized bleeding wounds on both of her elbows, and she scratched up her shoulder. For as fast as we were going I'm surprised it wasn't worse. Her bike gloves saved her hands.

Her back wheel was rubbing the brake, so a passerby who had stopped popped out the brake pads so they wouldn't rub until we could make it into town to a bike shop. The left handlebar was also badly bent in, which was mostly fixed by the same guy who simply bent it back into place.

It was scary, but also very nice that almost every rider that went by asked if we needed first aid, if Susan was okay, if we needed help. RAGBRAI riders are the best.

Luckily it was only a few miles to the next town and a bike repair stand at the side of the road. Coincidentally, right across from the bike shop was a huge pond that was the main attraction at the small town we were passing through.

Riders who were brave enough would climb the steps to a zip line that took them to the middle of the pond where they would jump in. It looked like fun and Rick told me he would be right across the street watching while I waited with Susan for her bike repair. Some of the riders would do flips or belly flop into the water and earn cheers from the crowd.

After her wheel was adjusted, Susan and I turned around to look for Rick. There were at least several hundred riders around the pond and stopped along the intersection watching the action. We couldn't find him. We road about a block into "town," this place was tiny. I called his phone and got voice mail. Heading back toward the main road, we saw him waving from the throng ringing the pond.

We all made it back to camp. Susan doesn't seem to be too bothered by her injuries, although her knee is a little swollen. Tomorrow is an 81 mile day. We all better get some sleep tonight!

RAGBRAI: Days 2 & 3

2010-07-27T16:34:00.006-04:00

Day 2

I knew yesterday was going to be interesting because Rick was acting squirrelly and froggy (basically like an animal), as we were riding our bikes out of camp, even before we were on the route. He had some energy and he was ready to leave it all on the road. It was a century day for Rick and Susan, an 83-mile-day for me.

They dropped me like a bad habit around mile 10. We got passed by an ambulance that had about 3 bikers "chasing" it. (Get it, ambulance chasers? Sorry.) Anyway, Rick sped up to also get in the draft, Susan took off and I tried to follow. I was going about 22 mph and couldn't bridge the gap, so I let them go along their merry way.

I should probably explain that car traffic on RAGBRAI is generally much slower than normal traffic. Rick said he hit 30 mph a couple of times right behind the ambulance on a two-lane county road as it manuevered carefully through the hundreds of bikers on that section of the pavement.

I ended up riding with a couple of different groups of people, because there are no strangers on RAGBRAI. I was okay with the idea that I might not see them again until I got to camp after the ride, but I pulled in to the town of Pocahontas and just happened to see them about a half a block away.

Now on any normal bike ride this might not seem like a big deal, but on RAGBRAI when there are at the least hundreds and quite probably a thousand or more people in town on bikes covering several blocks of the downtown, it's actually quite amazing.

They had been in town for quite a while waiting on me, so I had a quick piece of blueberry pie (yummy!) and we took off. They were well rested, I was tired and keeping pace with them totally wore me out. We blew through the next town, Plover, because Rick and Susan were anxious to get on the Karras Loop. The loop extended the day's route to 100 miles.

They dropped me before the Karras Loop, and I had to stop for a Gatorade shortly after (love the many roadside stands on RAGBRAI) and regroup. I took a little rest and made it into the next town, West Bend, joining a group of riders from Illinois and Colorado. There I found an excellent pulled pork sandwich from one of the many street vendors downtown and I found a shady spot to watch for Rick and Susan.

Apparently Rick and Susan flew through their extra miles, forming a paceline with a couple of guys. They claimed to be toasted, but I still had a hard time keeping up with them getting to our final stop of the day, Algona. I ended up with 83 miles at an average speed of 17.4 mph. It was flatter, and I was on my own more, so it was a pretty good day!

Day 3

Today is my birthday, so I think Rick and Susan were being extra nice to me and stayed with me the whole day. I also appreciate that RAGBRAI made the route short and flat, obviously in my honor. Since it was a shorter day, advertised as 58 miles, we agreed to stop and enjoy the towns along the route (Rick, as you might have guessed, is always in a hurry.)

We had our first real breakfast stop of the week in Wesley: pancakes, OJ and sausage at the firehouse. Excellent. Then when we walked through downtown Britt, Rick had the old guy with the microphone wish me a happy birthday. He even sang to me, and according to Rick I am only 29. Yes, Rick scored bonus points. Britt had major personality with a photo op at the "Mayberry Jail" with Otis and a deputy, plus the Andy Griffith Police Car with Aunt Bee and Opey impersonators. Fun.

They also had a lot going on in the park, but we'd already had our plates of spaghetti, and Rick was getting antsy. We did hear the local talent sing "Don't' Stop Believing," the version from Glee, as we pedaled out of town.

We are in Clear Lake for the night, but I didn't check my stats for the day because it was too hot! I couldn't take the extra minute to push the button on my computer, when the shuttle to town was just around the corner. We put the tents up, showered and left the campsite for air conditioned destinations downtown. Yes, I am at the library once again!

It's been a hot day, but an excellent birthday. We've already eaten (again) but are planning some birthday dessert later before we head back to camp. It has been in the mid-90s this afternoon, but is supposed to cool down tomorrow. I hope so!

RAGBRAI: One Day Down, Six to Go

2010-07-25T17:15:00.007-04:00

Our first day of RAGBRAI turned out much better than I expected.

Rick and Susan hauled me across Iowa from Sioux City to Storm Lake. We had 3,687 feet of climb and ended up riding 70 miles total. I drafted off of Susan or Rick most of the way, except when other riders cut into our pace line. And that one time when I dropped, Rick paced me back up to Susan and by that time a new paceline of about 5 bikes had formed behind her. Crazy.

It wasn't as bad as I expected because Susan is a nice cushion between Rick riding all-out and me whining that he's going too fast. She is very nearly as fast as he is, but much more considerate and actually slows down when you ask her to, which I really appreciate!

After about 46 miles I was having a hard time staying up with them. Granted, the longest ride I had done before this was 41 much flatter miles, so it was really not unexpected. I told them to go ahead, I'd meet them at camp. At that time we had been averaging around 17.4 mph, which includes the time we spent walking our bikes through two towns because the pedestrian traffic was too heavy to ride through.

Surprisingly I found them just a couple of miles ahead, flagging me down at the free banana booth. They said they wanted us to ride together, which was really nice, considering I was already spent. The last 20 miles were a little slower, but we still made it in to camp pretty early. I forgot to check my computer, but I'm guessing our total average was 16.8 or so (turns out it was 17.1, not too shabby).

Now I am showered, fed and hanging out at the air conditioned library which the local townsfolk are keeping open until 7 p.m. specifically for RAGBRAI riders. Thank you! Much flatter day tomorrow. It has an optional century loop, which I think Susan and Rick plan to ride.

This may be my only chance to get ahead of them on the route, while they are doing their extra miles. I better take it!

If I can get another library computer, I'll post later in the week and let you know how I'm surviving.

Excuses or reasons? You make the call.

2010-07-02T15:11:00.003-04:00

So you may (or may not) have noticed my lack of blogging lately. My thought was that I should use whatever free time I have to work on marketing my screenplay -- which is done, completed, ready to be sold -- rather than spend that time blogging.

So, how's that plan working out for me? Well, not so good. Turns out free time is hard to come by this summer. Joey has decided that rather than stay at his daycare in the afternoons to swim he would rather come home with me after work and play with the neighborhood kids. This usually results in anywhere between three and eight kids in our yard running around screaming, yelling and causing general mayhem, and then asking for Kool-Aid. I find it just a tad distracting.

In addition, we have been training as a family for RAGBRAI. Susan, Rick and I plan to ride our bikes across Iowa for the entire week. Since Joey knew Susan was going, he didn't want to be left out, and we've arranged for him to ride the last two days with us. This has required lots of miles (and hours) on the bike.

And what do I predict that the outcome of all this training will be for me? Pain. (I believe I am borrowing that line from one of the Rocky movies. Maybe the one with Mr. T.)

Let me explain. I have been riding a lot of miles with Joey at an average speed of around 10 or 11 miles per hour. Rick recently had two solo rides (no drafting) where he averaged 20 mph. Susan came back from a solo 26 mile ride last night where she averaged 18.3 mph (again, no drafting). Even sucking wheel the whole time, there is no possible way I can ride that fast. I am in serious trouble.

If I live through the first five days of RAGBRAI, then Joey will come and I can ride with him ... maybe. Rick took him out for a 27 mile ride last night and they averaged 12.7 mph. Please, just let me be faster than my 9-year-old.

Maybe my goal should be to market my screenplay after RAGBRAI, assuming I survive.

Susan's Home!

2010-05-12T16:11:00.000-04:00

After much last-minute changing of plans, Susan arrived back home from college Friday night. She actually hung out around the house for a couple of days, which was really nice. You might think that she spent some of that time unpacking and putting away all the stuff she brought home from college. But of course, you would be wrong.

I'm not going to say her room is the worst I have ever seen it. And we've all seen it looking pretty bad. Let's just say it's slasher-movie scary and leave it at that.

Now that she is home for the summer we are making some adjustments to our daily routine. For one thing, we are taking some bike rides together, which is awesome, and we are learning to look the other way when it comes to the condition of her room, which will help the family dynamic immensely.

But probably the biggest change is that Susan and I will once again be sharing a car for the summer. Although it is less convenient than having a third car, it is also a lot less costly, which is the major consideration at the moment. And if the weather would just cooperate, it will also mean more bike-to-work days for me, or Susan, or maybe both of us. Anytime we can improve our health while saving energy it is an excellent thing.

But back to the car, I've already had to do my first readjustment of the driver's seat and rear-view mirror. We've already had our first disagreement over car temperature (I wanted the heat on and she rolled down a window) and let's not even talk about musical preferences. Luckily Joey is glued to his iPod, which he found a month after losing it pushed way, way down in the side of the couch, so his car issues are minimal.

Glad my daughter is home for the summer. Hope our attitudes are as adjustable as the driver's seat.

German Chocolate Goodness

2010-05-05T21:51:00.007-04:00

Today was Joey's first baseball game of the season and to celebrate I decided to make a cake. Or, maybe it wasn't so much a celebration, but just a solution to my chocolate craving.

Either way, I found out some extremely valuable information from Joey: He doesn't like German Chocolate Cake. Now this may not be important information to you, but it is to me, because I love German Chocolate Cake.

In fact, Joey may have told me once or even twice before that he doesn't like German Chocolate Cake, but it didn't sink in because my mind just can't quite comprehend how someone couldn't like something so delicious.

But he smelled the cake baking tonight and then he asked about the frosting, because he is a smart boy who plans ahead. And when I showed him the picture on the container, he let me know unequivocally that he did not want any. So, I asked him if he wanted his cake unfrosted, and he was happy with that option. Now, why is this information so valuable to me? Think about it for a second.

The frosting that doesn't go on Joey's side of the cake does go on the rest of the cake making for a super-thick frosting and extra-yummy cake for the rest of us (mostly me). I'm actually kind of glad Joey doesn't like German Chocolate Cake.

P.S. Joey's team lost the game 4-5, but when it came to dessert I was the big winner.

Movie Monday

2010-05-03T22:54:00.001-04:00

I know it's Movie Monday, but I have something to get off of my chest first. I have strawberry envy. My neighbor Suresh and I were both outside yesterday (along with almost everyone in the neighborhood) and he invited me over to look at his strawberry patch. It looks fabulous!

He started with four plants last year, one died, but the rest multiplied like the bunnies in my back yard! And, speaking of bunnies, they haven't nibbled on these robust looking strawberry plants at all. They must be too full from decimating my blueberry bushes.

But, thanks to a tip from another Mary, I have purchased the "liquid fence" which is guaranteed to deter rabbits and deer. Not a big deer problem in my subdivision, but I'm hoping it will protect my baby blueberry bushes so they will live to grow a little larger. I'm starting to think maybe I should have planted strawberries instead.

Okay, now that you've had the gardening update ... on to Movie Monday.

I hate to review this movie, because I thought I'd like it much more than I did. I'd never seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid before, and it was rated PG, so I thought: Family Movie Night. Rick actually got up and went to bed before it was over.

It's a cowboy/bank robber movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. I have to say I never understood what all the fuss was about when it came to these two actors, but I do "get it" after seeing this movie. They have individual charisma and a great dynamic working together.

And the opening scene was a beautifully filmed attention-grabber, setting up the Sundance Kid as the guy who actually lives up to his legendary reputation with a gun. I wanted to go back and watch it again before we went on to the rest of the movie, but Rick nixed that idea.

Maybe I was expecting too much from a movie made in 1969. But, what was up with those weird photo montages? There was a set-up for a love triangle, which would have added some conflict, but that never really panned out. And character arc? What character arc? I didn't detect any change or progression in the characters throughout the entire movie.

Now, is it just me (and Rick) who didn't like this movie? Apparently so. Joey said a couple of times, "Now that's kind of funny," and seemed to enjoy most of it. According to IMDb, the movie won four Oscars and 17 other awards. Maybe it was the bike abuse that soured me on the whole thing. Paul Newman abandons a perfectly good bike in a puddle at one point, which is really just completely uncalled for.

For a cowboy/outlaw movie, it did have some interesting musical choices, including Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head." I never in a million years would have thought that song was used in a western. Shows what I know.

So, my opinion is that this buddy movie is a bit slow in places, with no real story other than two guys who like to rob banks, and then rob banks basically until the end of the movie. There is witty banter, a Burt Bacharach classic, and some beautiful scenery, so give it a try if you want. But I do not recommend it. There, I said it.

Getting Over It

2010-04-27T16:04:00.000-04:00

Rick caught me on the computer last night once again looking at pictures from last Friday's Little 500 on facebook. You'd think it was a crime.

Yes, he knew Susan's team won, but now I should move on ... you know, to my exciting daily life of going to work, doing laundry and helping Joey with homework.

Can I bask just a little bit longer? Am I insufferable? Just a few more photos to share and we'll see if I can "get over it," for Rick's sake.

How it all started

Susan riding her first tricycle. In the background is the infamous blue Schwinn that I actually rode with Susan strapped into the child seat. It is also the first bike she took to IU to train on (the babyseat had been removed years earlier and drop handlebars added).

And here is her first two-wheeler. She is not only wearing a helmet, but also elbow and knee pads. Good grief! You'd think she was heading to the preschool roller derby.

How it ended Friday

Photos by Bree Peacock show Susan coming into the race off of an exchange, and the victory celebration below.

Now back to my regularly scheduled life.

Little 500: Race Report, Part 3 (Conclusion)

2010-04-24T23:02:00.003-04:00

My first Little 500 experience may turn out to be my favorite ever. That is, unless I go back next year and watch my daughter's team win again. I knew winning was a possibility, but Susan and her teammates thought it was a probability. And they were right. Here is a picture of the team taken by Bree Peacock after the victory. (Susan is third from the left.)

The carnations on the leis were real and they smelled so sweet! Over brunch this morning Susan compared the race to taking an exam. Sometimes you go in feeling like you could have studied more, but she and her teammates went into yesterday's race feeling totally prepared, like they had done everything they possibly could to be ready. That kind of confidence is tough to beat.

Pre-race

The gates to Bill Armstrong Stadium opened at 2 p.m., and since Rick likes to live on "Lombardi Time," we were there at at a 1:45. The extra 15 minutes were a good thing because we discovered that we couldn't take our umbrella in, nor could I take in the Gatorade that I brought for Susan.

Rick took the hike back to the car to deposit the umbrella and since we were early I saw Susan ride up on her bike and was able to give her the Gatorade, since riders are the only ones allowed to take drinks into the stadium.

We snagged what Rick claims were the best seats in the stadium, the top row right in front of the press box with a perfect view of the start/finish line. The press box provides some shade when it's sunny and protection from the rain if it's not (which we discovered first-hand today while watching the men's race). Here is a picture of the girls warming up and hamming it up.

By the time 4:00 rolled around, we were ready for the race to start, but there were still lots of festivities to come. They introduced each girl on all 33 teams and had a parade of teams around the track, which was cool. Then there was a prayer, then the national anthem, then 33 riders lined up with their bikes to start the race, then a student group sang "Back Home Again in Indiana," then the race rules, then the explanation of the flags, then the pace laps, then the IU fight song, then FINALLY the race began.

The Race

Caitlin Van Kooten is the strongest rider on the Teter Team and she started the race by taking the early lead, then rotating in and out of the top few places as riders took their turn at the front "pulling" while others drafted behind. She rode the first 20-25 laps, as the coach had planned, out of the 100-lap race. A great start and confidence builder for Teter.

Susan was the second rider in. It was so awesome to watch her ride her first six laps. She took her turn leading the pack -- leading the entire race! -- and rotating in and out of the top few places. When it was time for her to exchange with the next rider, she did just what she was supposed to do, sprinting ahead of the lead group so the next rider would have a little time to get back in place after the transition. It was an excellent first series of laps for Susan. Rick got it on tape, so we'll have fun watching it with her the next time she is home.

Teter rotated its roster of four twice, with Caitlin riding the most laps -- a winning strategy. When Caitlin was in for the third time, around lap 80, she just put the hammer down and pulled away from the pack. Some people thought she was speeding up for an exchange, but she just kept going and by the time she came out a couple of laps later, Teter was ahead of the rest of the closest teams by about half a lap.

Susan went in next and kept the lead for the four or five laps she rode. Then Lauren went in and almost immediately there was a wreck which brought out a yellow flag. The pace of the track slowed and riders were supposed to hold their places on the track. This was nerve wracking, because Lauren was riding slowly and the pack with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams would speed up a little and start to narrow the lead, which they weren't supposed to do. Then the officials would tell Lauren to speed up a little. Then they'd tell her to slow down. It was really difficult to keep the correct distance between the riders while they rode under the yellow flag for several laps.

When they finally got the signal to go back to race speed, Lauren went by the Teter pit and pointed at her mouth as if she was going to vomit. A unique signal saying she wanted to come out of the race. She told me later at the Teter party that after riding so slowly for so long, her muscles started to cramp up when she started sprinting.

For the final few laps, Caitlin went back in and brought the victory home for Teter. Caitlin was the only veteran on the team. Susan, Lauren and Dana were all "rookies."

Post Race

We jumped the fence and rushed the infield to watch the awards ceremony. The girls rode a victory lap and many of the Teter fans ran behind them to celebrate. I chose to take pictures instead and save myself the embarrassment of not being able to complete a quarter-mile run.

Victory was sweet. And it was really cool to watch all the young girls crowd around to get autographs from the Teter riders.

Here we are as a family celebrating Susan's win.

Garage Cleaning Review

2010-04-19T19:46:00.002-04:00

It's Movie Monday, but I really don't feel like reviewing the DVD we watched with Joey this weekend, Shanghai Knights. (Although, this Jackie Chan movie is fun. I was tempted to rewatch his choreographed fight sequence set to music from Singing in the Rain, complete with umbrella props. How about some slow-mo? Good stuff.)

Instead, today I will review for you yesterday's Garage Cleaning project. I give it a 9 on a scale of 10. It quite possibly could have achieved a perfect 10 (we got rid of the junk, reorganized the remaining stuff and it is much cleaner overall), except for the bike incident.

Now first I have to tell you that it was Rick's idea to clean the garage. It was on our "to do" list that we made, now that we supposedly have all this free time since we're not watching TV during the month of April. (Although the weather has had us out riding our bikes much more, so the extra time hasn't really materialized.)

Anyway, Rick wanted to cross something off the top of the list and he made me promise not to add anything new to the bottom. So I told him if he would take everything out of the garage, I would come out to sort and reorganize when that part was done.

And, as you can see, he did a good job except, well, I really can't believe he did this, he parked my "nice" bike up against a bush!

Although it seems counter-intuitive, the nicer the bike is, the less likely it has a kickstand. Weird, I know, but it has to do with extra weight and wanting to go as fast as you possibly can. So since my nice bike doesn't have a kickstand, he decided to rest it up against a bush where it could receive incidental scratches from the branches, get knocked over by a neighborhood kid, or just get pushed and shoved around in the general conglomeration of stuff.

Where did he part his nice bike? He took it up on the porch, and leaned it safely against the inside railing and further protected it by blocking the walk to the front door with the rest of our bikes that actually have kickstands. You can barely see his red bike safely hidden behind the porch railing and my pink bike basket.

I was not pleased by the inequity shown to my bike. Maybe you have to be a "mid-life crisis bike" in order to get any respect around here. My bike is 7 years old and has more than 10,000 miles on it (which Rick pointed out to me on the odometer, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed), so let's give some props to a bike that has served me long and well.

But, beyond this obvious and insulting slight, Rick did do an excellent job on the garage. We even left an empty space for Susan's bike, also sans kickstand, to rest against the back wall when she comes home for the summer.

I'm really tempted to add something to the "to do" list as payback. Maybe when Rick's not looking ...

Little 500: Race Preview, Part 2

2010-04-17T20:41:00.001-04:00

You might think from the title of this post that I am going to give you a full and unbiased preview of the women's Little 500 Race on Friday. Uh ... no. This post is all about why Team Teter will place in the top 5 out of 33 teams competing, and has a good shot at winning it all.

Now before I share my brilliant insights with you, I have to thank Bree Peacock, my first-cousin-once-removed for sharing this photo of Susan with me, so I could share it with you. It's great to have a professional photographer in the family. Thanks Bree! Susan is number 27 above, in the Teter green and grey kit from last year.

Back to my insights, as you probably know by now (since I've been basically shouting it from the rooftops), my daughter Susan is on the Teter Team, but that's not the only reason I think the team will do very well this year. No. I have actual facts, statistics, if you will, that back up my claim of their capability of a top showing.

Out of 34 teams on the track March 27 trying to qualify, Teter had the second fastest time, trailing the first-place team by three-hundredths of a second. In other words, it was pretty darn close.

At the individual time trials March 31, Teter team members placed 1st, 17th, 22nd and 28th out of 139 riders. Not too shabby. The same Teter rider who placed 1st in the ITT, Caitlin Van Kooten, also won the Miss 'N Out event April 10, where the strongest rider survives a series of heats where only the top finishers move on.

So, yeah, Teter is pretty strong. Right now the last warm-up event before the Little 500 is taking place: The Team Pursuit. It is basically a team time trial where the team rides a certain number of laps (4, 5, 8? I didn't say this was the definitive preview) and the team time is set when the third member of the team crosses the finish line. That's supposed to be done by 10 p.m., so we'll know a little more about which teams to watch Friday.

In addition to Teter's strong showing at the pre-race events, Teter has a history of placing well the last several years. I won't bore you with all the many details, but you can find the past race results and records here.

That is my Little 500 Race Preview, probably more accurately labeled "Little 500 Teter Preview." Let's just say, I really like their chances.

Little 500: Susan's Story, Part 1

2010-04-16T12:20:00.005-04:00

The IU Women's Little 500 race is one week from today. My daughter has trained six days a week since August to prepare for the event. No one who knows her well would have predicted she would ride in the upcoming race if you asked them last year. In fact, since Rick and I are both cycling enthusiasts people would ask us, "Does Susan ride?" The answer used to be, "No." But not anymore.

Last year, about this time, Rick decided he'd go down and watch the men's Little 500 race with Susan, since she was a freshman at IU, and have some quality father-daughter time. I didn't think Susan would want to want to sit with her old man and watch the race, instead of hanging out with all her freshman friends, and was a little skeptical about how it would go. Alert the media: I was wrong.

I should have known Susan would enjoy watching the race with her Dad, because he knows a little something about cycling. He can tell you to watch a particular rider, than predict with accuracy what that rider is about to do. So that's kind of fun. Plus, neither of them had been to the Little 500 before, so there was a newness and excitement to the day.

Susan came home for the summer a couple of weeks later and said she was thinking it might be fun to try to get on a Little 500 team in the fall. So, she rode some last summer. Not a lot, just 10 miles here, 15 miles there. Enough that she could ride 30 miles in the CASA Cycling Challenge toward the end of summer.

When she went back to IU in the fall we encouraged her to try to join a team. "Why not contact your dorm team?" someone suggested (probably me, because I always have such excellent bike-related suggestions).

Susan moved to Teter her sophomore year. Having never seen the women's race or any of the women's standings, we had no idea that Teter has a reputation as being one of the premier teams for the past several years. So, protected by a cloud of cluelessness, Susan began training with the Teter Team. She began training hard.

We upgraded her bike and started to hear tales of taco-ed wheels, riding "rollers" on the house porch and cold, cold-weather rides. Susan came home for the holidays and she was thin. Training six days a week will burn some calories. (Not that I would know personally, but that's what they tell me.)

First semester it looked like Susan probably wouldn't ride in this year's race because there were three veteran riders plus a sophomore who had trained all last year, but didn't win a spot. In a four-woman team, Susan was the odd-woman out. And she was okay with that. So she kept training.

Then, two other rookies joined the team -- one very talented; one ... not so much. So now we've got 7 girls vying for 4 spots on the team. Are you still with me? Over Christmas break one of the veteran riders broke the news that she didn't make the minimum grade requirement, so a spot was up for grabs.

I know, now it's really getting interesting! Suffice it to say the competition has been tough and there has been some drama, but Susan earned a spot on the official race team by training, then training some more, and then she tried some additional training.

Tomorrow: What you probably don't know about Team Teter, and what I just learned. These girls can motor.

Movie Monday

2010-04-12T21:05:00.008-04:00

My bike ride today wore me out, so today's Movie Monday post will be short. Frequency.

Excellent murder mystery, plus family bonding over baseball and a "the future is not set" aspect (think Terminator or Back to the Future) with things happening in 1969 that greatly impact the lives of people in 1999.

Basically a man living in 1999 talks with his father who is living in 1969 on an old fashioned ham radio. He tries to save his Dad's life (and others) by sharing information that is -- for his Dad -- from 30 years in the future.

Watched it with Rick and Joey (PG13, we had Joey look away at some gruesome photos and one crime scene). I had to help explain the plot to Joey a little, but when we got to the unsolved murders he said, "Now this is really getting interesting." Not sure I'd recommend it for most 9-year-olds, but it is a thinking man's movie.

For all you baseball fans, the Amazing Mets are the glue that holds it all together. A plot with lots of twists and turns. Rick said he picked up more watching it this time, little details, that he missed the first two times.

Great script. Dennis Quaid and James Caviezel are excellent as well as the supporting actors. If you haven't seen it, put it in your queue. It gets three thumbs up from the Lauries, and it's rare that we all agree on a movie. (Hmm, not sure what Susan would think of it. I'll have to ask her.)

Take your shoes off

2010-04-10T15:36:00.003-04:00

Spring has been officially welcomed by the Laurie household. We'd like to take this opportunity to say to the good weather: "Pull up a chair and stay a while."

Today Joey had tryouts for baseball in the beautiful sunshine and I have to tell you, my boy can hit. Catching pop flies, not his forte, but he can hit. Rick is in Bloomington watching Susan participate in one of the warm-up events for Little 500, and thoroughly enjoying it.

While I, personally, have embraced Spring in many ways: planting and tending to my new blueberry bushes, getting in a few awesome bike rides, and also doing my part for the economy by purchasing much needed summer gear.

I now have a new swimsuit that I think I might actually wear in public, Joey has new sunglasses, and I tried my best to get Rick interested in new swim trunks. He insists his 8-year-old suit with the worn out elastic (thank goodness they have a drawstring waist) is perfectly fine and he doesn't need a new one. Don't feel bad for him, though, because he's already putting lots of miles on his new bike.

Spring has sprung and we're loving' it.

Books and Crushes

2010-04-07T23:05:00.003-04:00

Have you ever read a book just because you liked the title? I saw, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? at the library and thought the title was so witty I just had to pick it up. Joey will tell you he hates that book, because that's where I got my idea for TV-free April.

It's not really a big deal, but the idea in the book is that you use the time you would normally spend watching TV that month to clean the clutter out of your house. I don't know if I'll accomplish that, but I'm hoping after the month is up that we will at least be more discerning viewers rather than bored channel surfers.

So far there is only one show that I truly miss watching: Justified on FX. As I confessed to a couple of girlfriends recently, I've got a "thing" for Timothy Olyphant. I read a review of the show by James Poniewozik in the March 15 issue of Time, and he said one particularly John Wayne-ish scene "left me with a thorough man crush on him." So I'm not alone. Sigh.

Rick said this TV-free month has made him consider all the projects we can get done with our extra time, which is exhausting just thinking about it, and brings him back to, "Maybe we should just forget about it and sit in front of the TV and veg."

Maybe in May. But not in April.

Rules were made to be bent

2010-04-05T19:16:00.002-04:00

I am not made of stone. I am a flesh and blood Indiana native and when I see the modern-day Milan make it to the NCAA Final Four, do I stick to my TV-free month? No way! It is time to bend the rules.

Yes, I did watch Butler win Saturday night. (Is that mascot adorable or what?) And, yes, I'll be tuning in tonight to watch the final game. We may even let Joey stay up late for the event.

Hopefully, as the month goes on, there will be fewer "exceptions" to our rule of no TV for the month of April. But come on! You've got to admit this game is a good reason to bend the rule.

So, it's Movie Monday, but I didn't watch a DVD over the weekend. (Joey watched The Simpsons Movie Friday. Not for me.) But I will recommend the obvious classic, considering tonight's game: Hoosiers. If you haven't seen it, what, exactly, is wrong with you? If you haven't seen it lately, it's time to watch it again. Unless, of course, you are a gizzard.

Go dawgs!

2010-04-01T22:56:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was an awesome day. Shoe shopping followed by a bike ride. It just doesn't get much better than that.

Of all the things you can shop for, shoes are the best. You can find shoes that are practical, whimsical, sporty or sexy. There is a shoe for just about every mood and every budget. The "buy one get one half off" sale was going on at Shoe Carnival, and if there's one thing I like better than a pair of new shoes, it's two pairs of new shoes!

And finding a shoe that fits and flatters is so much easier than finding, oh, let's say a swimsuit. (I went swimsuit shopping over the weekend, not nearly as much fun. In fact, I don't think fun was involved at all.)

Then, before Joey got back from school, I took the bike out for 16 miles. A little windy, but I'm not complaining. I felt energetic the rest of the evening and I'm sure it's because of the bike ride.

It would be difficult for today to live up to the fun of yesterday, but apparently I am good for two in a row.

First of all, I rode my bike to work for the first time this year. Do you ever arrive at work and find yourself trying to wake up and frantically looking for the nearest caffeine IV? Not a problem for me today. I'm awake. I've got a few endorphins floating around in my brain. I am ready to go.

And after work Rick and I spent about 3 hours planting my new blueberry bushes that arrived early. It took us until almost dark to plant all six bushes following the very specific instructions that came with them (holes 15 inches deep, 20 inches wide and filled not with dirt, but a peat-moss, pudding-like mud that we mixed ourselves).

Maybe planting blueberry bushes doesn't sound like fun to you (or to Rick, since he had to take an ax to some stubborn old tree roots that were in the exact spot where I wanted the fifth bush). But, I am so excited about the fresh blueberries to come. I can almost taste them.

And to top it all off, we've decided as a family to give up TV for the month of April. Well, Rick and I decided and Joey has no choice but to go along. We are giving him one DVD selection on Friday nights, otherwise, no TV.

Tonight after we cleaned up from the planting extravaganza, Joey and Rick were huddled together over the Guinness Book of World Records and I was able to read the newspaper in peace without some annoying cartoon character laughing or yelling in the background.

April should be an excellent month.

Blueberry Movie Monday

2010-03-29T21:04:00.003-04:00

We had a very productive weekend, but we still haven't fixed the grout. I tried to get Rick to help me, but he was too smart. We decided since I tried to fix it once, and failed, and he has no better idea about how to fix it than I do, that maybe we should call someone who actually knows what they are doing. I know, a radical idea, but it works for me.

So instead of re-grouting, we spent a couple of hours Saturday out in the beautiful sunshine doing yard work. We've got to make room for the blueberry bushes I ordered, which should be arriving Friday or Saturday. We are also finally going to remove the tree stump in the back yard (from the tree that was struck by lightening), because it's right smack dab in the middle of where I plan to plant the blueberry bushes.

Yes, I am totally excited about being able to pick fresh blueberries from the back yard, even though we will probably only get a handful or two this year. This is another project where I don't really know what I'm doing (surprise), so if you have any experience growing blueberries, please feel free to leave a comment with advice.

It is Movie Monday, and Rick and I did watch a DVD Saturday night, The Hurt Locker. I had heard last week from a couple of friends that it was a good movie, but maybe not "Best Picture Academy Award" good. Rick echoed that opinion after watching it with me. Although, he did fall asleep for the last half hour of the film (he can sleep through anything), so who is he to judge?

I thought it was an interesting and intense movie about a very specific group of people pulling duty in Iraq, the bomb squad. I liked the documentary feel and realism. The brief glimpse of life back in the states with our main character, Staff Sergeant James, was a little too abbreviated. We saw him as a cowboy and adrenaline junkie in Iraq, but what was his life really like at home?

I was glad I watched it with Rick, who spent three years in the army, because he always has insights on guns and weapons and translates the lingo for me. The Hurt Locker doesn't answer any questions about war, but it does raise a few. Worth watching.

Rock 'n' Roll Re-grout

2010-03-26T15:51:00.003-04:00

When I hear this song it reminds me of my cousin Chris's high school graduation. I have a vivid memory of walking by another soon-to-be graduate just a couple of blocks from the school on our way to the ceremony. He was putting on his graduation robe standing next to his pick-up truck with this song blaring from an extra set of speakers.

I remember it, first of all, because this is an excellent song to play at full volume. Secondly, the lyrics are a nice fit for a high school graduation. And lastly, the song just sounded powerful and poignant that night, filling the spring air with energy and hope.

So I've listened to this song several times in the last few days and Tommy Shaw's lyrics sung by Dennis DeYoung have me fired up and ready to tackle the re-re-grouting of my previous re-grouting of the shower, which turned out to be a disaster. This time we will get it right.

Am I fooling myself? I don't believe it.

I'm dragging Rick and Joey into the project with me this time because the blisters on my right hand from the first effort are just now peeling off. It may be called a grout "float," but that doesn't mean it lightly floats over the shower tiles. My hand was "wet with sweat." This time it will be someone else's elbow grease.

Angry? A little. But I'm ready to:

Get up, get back on your feet
You're the one they can't beat and you know it
Come on, let's see what you've got
Just take your best shot and don't blow it

And if it doesn't work this time, I'm calling a handyman.

Health update

2010-03-24T18:46:00.008-04:00

I saw my Dad today, and I've got to tell you I am so very proud of him. It was February last year that he was diagnosed with the onset of type 2 diabetes. By modifying his diet and getting moderate exercise, he has lost 25 pounds and kept it off! And guess what, he's been able to keep the diabetes at bay.

Our country has been divided over health care reform. Whether you are ecstatic or furious now that we have a plan for all Americans to receive basic health care, I think we can all agree that adopting healthier lifestyles could go a long way toward reducing our need for health care, when it comes to many common diseases and illnesses.

I am so glad my Dad made the changes he needed to so he doesn't have to take insulin. And, I am also very happy that one of Susan's aunts will soon be able to get the health care she needs and no longer have to suffer through infections and other easily treatable ailments because she can't afford a doctor visit or prescription.

On another health-related topic, (getting off of my soapbox and into the ciders) I went down to see Susan at IU last Saturday. She and her Little 500 team stayed in Bloomington over Spring Break to continue training for the race which will be help April 23. Apparently Susan was having a little problem getting the hang of the "transition," where one rider comes in, gets off the bike and passes it to another rider as quickly as possible.

She went down on the cinder track, so do you still call it road rash? Anyway, the preferred method of removing cinders from open wounds is by scrubbing them out with a toothbrush. Seriously. I'm not making that up. Her teammates, good friends that they are, took to Susan with the toothbrushes. The picture above gives an overview of her wounds. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

I would like to say Susan gets her toughness from me, but in all honesty, I think she probably gets it from her Dad. The important thing is: she's tough. They practiced transitions again yesterday and Susan reported that there were no accidents. Thank goodness. Let's reserve the new toothbrushes for teeth only.

Mega Movie Monday

2010-03-22T16:01:00.003-04:00

Vacation afforded me the opportunity to watch not just one, but three DVDs last week, which I will now review briefly:

Old Dogs -- This was Joey's selection from the movie rental section of the Ingles grocery store in Cashiers, NC. This movie sucks, which is really sad when you realize it wastes the exceptional comedic talent of Robin Williams, John Travolta and others. Not funny, just unfortunately unfunny (although, in the interest of full disclosure, Joey did seem to enjoy it).

Aliens in the Attic -- This was also Joey's selection, and a much better one in my opinion. It was funnier than I expected. Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical and Disney Channel regular), Doris Roberts (the Mom on Everybody Loves Raymond) a restrained Kevin (SNL) Nealon and the rest of the cast were engaging and entertaining. Great for family movie night. Watch it.

Jaws -- Again, Joey's choice. He's been obsessed with seeing this movie for several weeks, and I'm not sure why. Probably because Rick told him it was scary. We found it in the $5 DVD bin at the Wal-Mart in Franklin, but almost walked out with Jaws2, because they put the price tag right over the "2" and it just looked like Jaws. Luckily, Joey noticed it right before we went to the checkout, so we got to dig around in the bargain DVD bin a little more until we were ultimately rewarded for the effort.

Believe it or not, I'd never seen this classic movie from start to finish, just snippets here and there. It holds up well. We purchased the 30th Anniversary Edition. I haven't watched all the extras, but the "making of" interviews with Spielberg, cast and crew are really good so far. Yes, we let Joey watch it, but Rick had him hide his eyes for the most gruesome parts (and I do mean "parts"). Did you know it's rated PG? What's up with that? It must have been before the PG13 rating was introduced.

Bonus non-review: I also took Joey to the movie theater Friday to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the big screen. I would review it for you, except I missed about 15 minutes of the movie. I had my cell phone on vibrate, and Susan called. She doesn't call often, so I debated about whether or not to go out in the lobby and call her back, when she called again. So, I spent about 15 minutes in the lobby talking to her.

What I did see of the movie was entertaining. I loved the whole "cheese touch" bit. In the local paper a reviewer panned the movie saying the kids were mean. This is about Middle School. I believe mean kids come with the territory. I thought the whole quest for popularity rang pretty true for kids that age. And the mean older brother was priceless. Joey and his friend Sanjay (both fans of the books) enjoyed it.

Back in the saddle

2010-03-21T15:43:00.008-04:00

We're back from our Spring Break trip to North Carolina. Highway 40 was closed due to a rock slide, so we drove up and through the Smokey Mountains to get to our condo at Sapphire Valley, and took the same route again on the way back home.

My eyes loved the beautiful scenery of the mountainous, winding roads. My stomach, however, prefers the straight flat roads of Indiana. Joey didn't mind the alternate route, because he wanted to partake of all the touristy stops in Pigeon Forge. We did indulge on the way home, as Rick and Joey had the need for speed.

Driving the go-carts may have been the highlight of the entire trip for Joey.

Today is Rick's birthday and he was able to take his new vehicle of a different kind out for a spin.

Can you say Madone? That is one sweet ride!

Grout Pout

2010-03-09T18:51:00.002-05:00

My latest home-improvement effort has turned sour. The grout I used in the shower is pouting. And so am I.

I noticed a couple of days ago that some of the seams around the tile in the shower had excess grout extending onto the tile, so I rubbed it to see if it would come off. Bad idea. This grout is a little bit rubbery (which is weird) and if you try to remove the excess from the tile, the grout in the seam wants to come out too.

By accident I peeled off a section between two tiles. No big deal, I thought, I can do a little patch job. Then this morning I noticed that where the water was hitting the grout, the grout was puckering and sticking out. Not good! I don't want puckered, pouting grout!

I spent the better part of a weekend grouting this tile, and now it seems I used some type of bad grout. When it dries it's supposed to be more rock-like than rubbery, right? What's up with that?

Looks like regrouting the tile in my shower has once again moved to the top of the home-improvement job list. And, no, we haven't found Joey's iPod yet, either.

Movie Monday -- Academy Awards

2010-03-08T16:11:00.001-05:00

Did you watch the Oscars last night? What a perfect topic for a Movie Monday post.

I turned on the show at 8 p.m., which is when the cover of our TV insert said it would start, but it appeared to be pre-Oscar red carpet coverage. So, I turned it off and played Uno with Rick and Joey instead (because who wore what dress is more information than I really need). When I turned it back on around 9 p.m., it was obvious I'd missed part of the show.

When I did watch, I found myself turning down the sound so I could read without distraction, because the over-the-top schmaltz, long dance number and (I'm sorry) boring awards the general public doesn't care about were too much to keep my attention. This is even more of an insult to the show when you know that the book I read instead of listening was I Am Ozzy.

During last year's show, when it came time for the lead actor and lead actress awards, they matched different A-list stars with each nominee so the designated A-lister could gush about the nominee's accomplishments. Last year I thought it was hit and miss. This year it was just too much. It's an award for acting, for crying out loud. I don't need to know what a great father and husband this guy is; it's supposed to be about the work.

I did enjoy what I saw of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. But my favorite moment was when Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. did a bit about screenwriters and actors before presenting an award. Tina and comedy are synonymous and Robert Downey Jr. is just spot-on in all he does. He has so much of the "it" factor. He's just full of "it," and I mean that in a nice way.

It was definitely cool to see The Hurt Locker pick up so many awards, especially best director. And having Barbra Streisand present was a nice nod to her overlooked efforts as a director. Beating out ex-husband, James Cameron, must have been pretty darn sweet for Kathryn Bigelow, but did they have to play Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" anthem as Kathryn and Barbra left the stage? The musical commentary seemed a little dated.

I've watched and enjoyed The Blind Side. I'm putting The Hurt Locker and Crazy Heart at the top of my Netflix list. Joey's already seen Up, but I think it's my turn. I'm sure Precious is an excellent film, but not sure if I can handle seeing it after some of the foster kids we've had and the future that I know awaits some of them. The documentary category was also heavy with interesting stories worth watching.

And who knows, maybe it's finally time for my own story to get out of the house and make the rounds in Hollywood ...

The Case of the Missing iPod

2010-03-04T20:15:00.003-05:00

Like most other 9-year-olds, my son has an overwhelming desire to buy the newest high-tech gaming device as soon as he hears about it, or when his friends get it, whichever comes first.

The latest "must have" in our neighborhood is the iPod Touch. Two of Joey's friends already have it, so his longing for one has meant incessant talking, planning and scheming about a way he could also get one.

Unfortunately for Joey, Rick and I decided he would have to pay for it himself. Since he only receives $5 allowance each week, that really slowed down the acquisition process. He had saved more than $40 when he came up with the idea of selling his Nintendo DS and games in order to buy the iPod Touch.

At first I was against the idea. The DS has been great at keeping Joey occupied on long car trips. But, Joey assured me that with the iPod Touch he could download all the games he could possibly need to keep him busy. So after about two weeks of Joey constantly asking, "Why can't I just sell my DS?" I finally gave in.

With my ongoing love affair with Craigslist, I was sure we could sell it with my expert ad copy and photos, if it was priced right. Joey came up with the price. He wanted $120 for his DS, case and a handful of games. We sold it and had the cash in hand in less than two days. When it comes to Craigslist, I rock!

Since he was only about $30 short, Rick and I decided to be generous and give him an advance on his allowance so he could go ahead and purchase it, with the added bonus for us that his nonstop chatter about getting an iPod Touch would finally end.

We got it on a Friday night. With the help of two neighborhood friends (who already have the iPod Touch), the thing was loaded up with games by Saturday. Of course, it can hold photos and music too, but Joey is all about the games.

One week and one day later, the iPod Touch went missing. Now, this wasn't a totally unexpected event. Joey did "lose" his DS from time to time, to only have it turn up in the mess he calls a bedroom a few days or a week later.

But it's been five days now. I'm starting to get worried. We've got a Spring Break trip planned, the DS is gone, and with no iPod Touch, I'm afraid the trip will turn into a whine-fest, with Joey's mantra being "Aren't we there yet?" Not to mention the blow to a little boy who saved his allowance, sold his DS, and is still out his allowance for the next four weeks in order to pay off something that he no longer has.

As much as I've been trying to avoid it, I think it's time for a thorough cleaning of Joey's room. (You know, because I don't have anything better to do.) But, I think the time investment will be worth it if we can find the iPod before Spring Break and save our sanity on the long car trip.

I sure hope we find it.

Which reminds me of a story

2010-03-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

This blog is so very, very sad. It's been two long weeks since I last posted. I will not make up excuses. I will not say that I've been busy.

But, I did re-grout the tile in my shower yesterday, which proved to be a more time-consuming and arduous task than I had expect. Which is, by the way, how all home-improvement projects tend to turn out for me. Go figure.

Yesterday I also rediscovered why I so love my local Ace Hardware. I have never, ever walked into that store without an offer of help to find what I'm looking for, and then have the salesperson take me to the exact location of the item I need.

For example, yesterday I walked in looking for a "grout float." The salesman: "Sure, a grout float." He took me to the shelf, pointed out three different models and was ready to help me with whatever else I needed, which was nothing. But nevertheless, he was ready. (So different from many of the "greeters" you find in large chain stores that don't seem to know where anything is beyond the entryway.)

My best Ace story is rather complicated, but I was looking for a product recommended to me by a fellow cyclist to prevent saddle sores. My friend said, "I can't remember the name, but they carry it at Ace."

So, I went to Ace with Joey, who was just a toddler then, and as expected the salesman offered his help. I told him I didn't know the name of the product, but it was looking for a certain type of lotion. "What do you use it for?" he asked, helpfully. I was trying to evade the obvious answer and explained that it is used by cyclists.

"But what do you use it for?"

I couldn't think of anything but the truth, and said, "You put it on your butt."

He took me right to the product and said, "I hope that works out for you."

Interestingly, he didn't ask me if I was looking for anything else. Can't say that I blame him.

Movie Monday

2010-02-15T16:19:00.008-05:00

My faith in John Cusack as an actor has been both shaken and restored.

I recently saw a trailer for Hot Tub Time Machine, in which he stars. This film appears to fall into a genre I have dubbed "Comedic Movies for Morons." Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting this genre down. I have my own favorite movies that fit snugly into this category: Stripes, Caddy Shack, and Joey and Rick's favorite, Dumb and Dumber. They require little thinking on the part of the viewer and even less effort on the part of the actor. I'm just saying these roles don't usually require much of an acting range.

Hot Tub Time Machine had me questioning my high regard for Cusack as an actor (in the trailer he appears to be phoning it in), but Grace is Gone, the movie I finally watched Saturday night, has restored it.

Grace is Gone is about a man named Stanley whose wife dies while serving in Iraq and how he postpones telling the news to their two school-aged daughters. The movie sucked me in from the very start. We see Cusack walking through a cavernous warehouse to an employee meeting. The script must have read "carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders" because that's exactly how he moves.

Cusack transforms physically, from his gait to his appearance, shedding his usual handsome Hollywood look. DeNiro probably would have gained some weight for the role, but now I'm nitpicking.

The complexity of his character is revealed gradually, in his interactions with his daughters, his brother and his wife, via messages he leaves on their home answering machine. Shelan O'Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk are totally believable as typical bickering siblings who both miss their Mom. Alessandro Nivola has the perfect edge as Stanley's antagonistic brother.

Being a parent, I was a little skeptical that Cusack (who I believe has no children of his own) could pull off the role of a father, since parenthood is such a difficult and indescribably great job. But Cusack does it. Maybe it helps that he's not the perfect father.

A couple of interesting facts: Clint Eastwood wrote the score for this movie and took home an award for it. Marisa Tomei has a teeny-tiny cameo, apparently when I blinked because I missed it.

This movie unfolds slowly to its inevitable conclusion. And as viewers we learn a little more about the price of patriotism and the depth of the sorrow for those left behind.

Memoir Madness

2010-02-11T18:16:00.005-05:00

What do Carrie Fisher, Lance Armstrong, Mackenzie Phillips and Dave Eggers all have in common? They are all the subject of biographies or autobiographies that I've read in the last week or am in the process of reading. Why all the memoirs? It's all Susan's fault.

You see, I was looking at the bike cake we made for Susan's birthday and it was obvious that not only were we missing a bike chain, but several other pieces critical to the actual operation of a bike. But, since I didn't want to invest a lot of time in detail work and because I probably couldn't do it anyway, I decided to leave the intricate mechanical details off and instead explain why there was no chain.

There is a quote I remembered from Lance Armstrong's book, Every Second Counts, that explains why it's sometimes better to have "no chain." Really.

So I'm at the library, in the biography section, looking for Every Second Counts, and as I'm reaching for it I also see Lance: the making of the world's greatest champion by John Wilcockson. Wilcockson wrote one of my favorite books about cycling 23 Days in July, which is excellent cover to cover, so I knew I had to check out this one too.

When I explored the shelves a little further I also saw Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, which has both a clever title and interesting cover art, so I grabbed it as well. Plus, the reason I went to the library in the first place is because the book I had placed on hold High on Arrival, Mackenzie Phillips's memoir, was waiting for me. And, I was already re-reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers at home. It's Memoir Madness!

So here are my (very) brief reviews of these four books:

Wishful Drinking is a wickedly funny look at the people and events in the life of Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher. It reads like the script for a stand-up comedy act, which isn't a surprise when you learn it is the book form of her one-woman show.

She talks about her recent electroshock therapy for depression and goes through the events in her life to see if her memory is intact. It appears both her memory and her wit came through unscathed, although some of the people she discusses do not.

Fisher compares how her father, Eddie Fisher, dumped her mom, Debbie Reynolds, and turned around and married Elizabeth Taylor to the more recent Hollywood love triangle of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie. It's a quick read, funny and poignant, but mostly funny.

Lance: the making of the world's greatest champion, showcases author John Wilcockson at his best. Meant to be the ultimate authority on Lance's cycling career, it was published in 2009, right as Lance was making his return to professional cycling. So there may be an updated version eventually.

Although people are opinionated and divided on whether or not Lance took performance enhancing drugs during his career, Wilcockson doesn't just give his opinion, he shares racing results (before and after cyclists started using drugs) and lots of quotes from some of cycling's biggest stars.

The variety of sources and depth of his reporting makes this book all the more authoritative and interesting. I have a really hard time putting it down. But Rick has already started reading it, so I need to finish the last 86 pages quickly, before we start fighting over it. If you have any interest in Armstrong or the sport of cycling, this book is a must read.

High on Arrival may be a textbook example of the results of a chaotic childhood and parenting gone bad. I'm only on page 58 and I know there are darker chapters to come. When you look at people who are addicted to drugs and wonder, "How does that happen?" this book reveals at least a few of the reasons why.

Can't really give you a recommendation this early into the book, but it does seem to be an honest, unblinking look at the childhood of a TV star who grew up way too soon, even before she hit Hollywood.

It reminds me a little of Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs -- revealing people so out of the ordinary, most of us find it hard to imagine, but those who grow up around these characters seem lucky to survive.

And last, but certainly not least, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I love this book. The approach is unusual (at least) for a memoir. It's the story of Dave Eggers and how he raises his younger brother after the death of both of his parents when he is barely an adult himself.

The book is unexpectedly hilarious in parts. I could relate to his paranoia about the babysitter: "I become convinced, in a flash of pure truth-seeing -- it happens every time I leave him anywhere -- that Toph will be killed. Of course. The baby-sitter was acting peculiar, was too quiet, too unassuming. His eyes had plans. Of course. So obvious from the beginning."

The book is honest and untidy and riveting. Dave Eggers lets us inside his head, which is a fascinating place to be. There is love and anger and issues any parent can relate to on a basic level, and also not relate to at all. Definitely not light and fluffy, but worth the effort.

So when will this Memoir Madness end? Not any time soon. You see, I just stumbled across this quote today: And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. -- Anais Nin

And now I've placed two Anais Nin biographies on hold at the library. How could I not? Plus, going in a completely different direction, I noticed this book on the best-seller list and couldn't resist putting it in my hold queue: I am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne. It will be interesting to see if he can write more clearly than he speaks.

P.S. If you want to read the "no chain" quote (from George Hincapie), it's half way down on page 173 of Every Second Counts. Or, you can read it here.

Crisis Management

2010-02-08T19:38:00.007-05:00

Rick and I have been anticipating and planning for his mid-life crisis for a couple of years now. It seems there are at least four common forms that the male mid-life crisis can take:

1. The need to achieve an athletic milestone
Rick's been there, done that.

2. The desire to quit one's job and live off the land
Not acceptable to the rest of the family or the IU Bursar's Office.

3. The decision to have an affair, get divorced and/or find a trophy wife
The first two fall into my unacceptable category and, the last one, well, he's already got me :-)

4. The urge to buy a sports car
Given my other options, I decided to throw all of my support behind this choice.

But, unfortunately, with the current economy, a daughter in college and other financial considerations, a shiny, fast sports car just isn't financially feasible. And Rick is 45. I'm thinking the clock is ticking. Like a time bomb. So, we've agreed on an alternative to the sports car: The mid-life crisis bike.

Now for those of you who aren't serious cyclists, you might be thinking, "How much could a fancy bike cost, really?" The answer is: a lot!

We've been looking around on the Internet, our favorite local bike store, and even traveled to Indianapolis yesterday to check out bikes. The most expensive one we saw in a store was near $8,000. That's $1,000 times 8. We're not going that high, but the bike will be light enough to lift with one finger, it will have top-of-the-line components and it will be fast, shiny and quite possibly red.

I can't wait to see it as he rides by me in a blur. And hopefully, he'll slow down and let me ride with him once in a while, too. Now, what to do about my mid-life crisis?

Movies, Connect Four and Caulk

2010-02-01T21:10:00.007-05:00

We have a modified Movie Monday today because Rick and I didn't get a chance to watch any new or interesting movies over the weekend. Joey wanted a Family Movie Night last night, and he chose Big, which we have on DVD. (He actually put on one of Rick's flannel shirts this weekend and told me he looked just like the kid in the movie, so it was obviously on his mind.)

Now, I like this movie with Tom Hanks, he really captures the child-trapped-inside-a-man required of his character. But, after seeing the movie a few too many times, it no longer holds much interest for me. I mostly did laundry and sorted the mail while it was on.

But I would like to recommend one of my all-time favorite movies. Rick and I saw it in the theater 20 years ago. I remember because it was the last movie we went out to see before Susan was born. I was already beyond my due date, with hormones in overdrive and I couldn't stop crying at the end of this sentimental movie. (Think The Notebook meets Ghost meets Pearl Harbor.)

We sat for a while as the end credits rolled, because I was crying profusely. We left the movie theater, the one that closed many years ago but used to be over by Market Square, and I was still crying walking out to the car. We're in the car, turning out of the parking lot, and I'm still crying. Rick asked me to try to stop. He was afraid people were going to think he'd done something bad to a sobbing, huge pregnant woman.

So, my memory may be colored by that particularly intense moment in my emotional history, but I think Always stands the test of time. Holly Hunter. Richard Dreyfuss. John Goodman. And riveting action from Steven Spielberg. What else do you need?

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you are pregnant or particularly sensitive or hormonal, please have a box of tissues nearby. Otherwise, who knows? You might not even need a hankie. I'll have to watch it again soon and see what my reaction is now.

So last night after watching Big, Joey challenged me to a game of Connect Four while Rick was cleaning up in the kitchen. I was in full adult competitive mode and he beat me three straight. Rick was listening to my moans and groans each time Joey beat me and decided he would show his young son who the real master was. Joey beat Rick two out of three. I guess we know now who the real master is. Although I'm sure Susan, also a big fan of Connect Four, could give Joey a run for his money.

I am very happy to report that yesterday I also made substantial progress on our master bath project that has been stagnant for such a long period of time, I am too embarrassed to say exactly how long. Rick and I have been using the hall bath while our bathroom has been waiting to be recaulked and regrouted. I finally finished removing the old caulk and put new caulk around the outside of the tub and the shower. It looks fantastic, if I do say so myself.

I'm almost done removing the old (nasty!) caulk from the inside of the shower and I do have some words of wisdom: invest in the appropriate tools. I don't know what we used initially to try to scrape off the old caulk, but it wasn't nearly as good as the metal scraper I bought specifically for the project. Of course, it also took some elbow grease. I was scraping so hard, my upper arm flab was flapping.

And the "Pro Caulk" (as seen on TV) helped me make my caulk lines clean, straight and even. I'm surely the envy of the elite caulking community. Or, at least a hero in my own home.

Details

2010-01-27T21:38:00.006-05:00

After I wrote yesterday's post I was thinking I should give you a close-up of the bike to show how truly dirty it was, but, basically, I was too lazy. So, I did it today instead. Here is the "before" shot of Susan and her bike, or at least Susan's hand and her bike.

Notice how she hides the crud-covered chain and crank with her body. She also uses her hand to cover a lot of the filth. Sneaky. Here is the "after" shot:

The tires are once again black, instead of dirty brown. And the accumulated dirt under "TREK" has been thoroughly washed away. Rick does good work.

Too bad I didn't get a before and after shot of him.

Dirty Deeds

2010-01-26T17:36:00.011-05:00

I may have mentioned before that Susan's single dorm room at IU is tiny, about the size of my bedroom walk-in closet. So when she decided to train for the Little 500 this year, there was no place in her small space to keep her bike, which is too nice to leave outside. No place except the space I discovered: the paltry area behind her door, which I have documented for you at right.

Yes, that is Susan and her bike in her dorm room. Do you notice anything strange in this picture? We will call it the "before" picture. No? Well compare it to the "after" picture below. Yes, Rick is also in this picture, but that's not the strange thing I'm talking about. (Not to say that Rick isn't strange. He does have his moments.)

Did you figure it out? Don't feel bad if you didn't. I didn't notice it either. But, as soon as Susan shut her door to reveal her bike, Rick was shocked. The bike in the "before" picture is filthy. Turns out Susan went on a 43-mile ride the day before our visit. The roads were clear of snow, but were still covered in salt, sand and muck, which was transferred to the bike. The reason Rick was so appalled is because:

A. He likes to keep all of our vehicles, motorized and otherwise, clean
B. He has a special attachment to Susan's bike

C. Susan's bike is actually his bike

D. All of the above

The correct answer is D. Rick has very generously let Susan use his bike to train for Little 5. Not only has she wrecked while riding a couple of times (these things happen) but to let it get that dirty, well, it's hard for Rick to handle.

We all went out to lunch, ate some cake and ended up back at her dorm room; the entire time Rick was trying to figure out how he could wash the bike. At home if a bike was that dirty we'd use the garden hose on it. But none were to be found outside her dorm on a cool day in January.

Rick suggested that Susan could take it in the shower with her, but she was more than a little hesitant about the idea. And then, just like my brainstorm about where to store the bike, I had another flash of genius. Susan's dorm is co-ed. Why not have Rick go in the men's shower and he could wash the bike? He is the official washer of all vehicles at home. He cares the most about clean vehicles, which makes him the best suited to the job. Well, he fell for it ... or, I mean, he agreed.

The only drawback was that Rick didn't bring any extra clothes on our day trip to Bloomington. It's not like he'd planned to go swimming or anything. Winter, duh! Again, I was ready with another brilliant suggestion (apparently I'd been saving up). Why not just strip down? It is a shower, after all. So, Rick asked Susan for another towel, because he only had one and that was to dry the bike, and headed to the showers.

So in the "after" picture not only is the bike clean, but so is Rick!

Movie Monday Takes the Cake

2010-01-25T16:28:00.007-05:00

Mary "Slacker" Laurie here. Yes, I meant to blog about our visit with Susan way back on Friday. What happened? Well, a lot of things, it's just that blogging wasn't one of them. But, you are in luck. I will make you wait in suspense no longer.

Here is a picture of the cake Joey and I made for Susan.

Okay, so it's not anything near what you'd see on Cake Boss, but it's not a bad effort considering it came from the Laurie kitchen. The bike is made out of Twizzlers (red Twizzlers are Susan's favorite).

It was Joey's idea to use toothpicks as spokes for the wheels. Joey was actually an excellent helper and was also instrumental in providing quality control. He was the official sampler of the red Twizzlers, ensuring their fruity deliciousness. After checking a random (and large) sample, it seems they passed the test.

Susan was pleased with the cake, so we are considering this effort an all-around success!

Special Bonus Post:

Since I have been such a slacker when it comes to posting lately, and because you have been so very patient, I'm also generously providing you with a Movie Monday post today as well. Don't you feel special?

Joey was invited to a birthday party Friday night, so Rick and I took the opportunity to go see Sherlock Holmes. I watched Robert Downey Jr. receive a Golden Globe for his performance a week or so ago and figured we better go check it out. It was a fun, far-fetched plot that was somewhat cerebral (in the detailed explanations and facts that Holmes would recount to explain his various conclusions).

I can't imagine another actor playing the role of Holmes so perfectly. And Jude Law as the buttoned-down and dapper Watson was a nice contrast to the disheveled, yet brilliant, Holmes. Rachel McAdams was also exceptional. She has that wonderful indefinable spark that she brings to all her roles. It's a great date-night movie. If you haven't already, go see it!

Feels Like a Monday

2010-01-21T09:56:00.013-05:00

I've been a little under the weather lately with flu-like symptoms. No fever, just spending a lot of time in the bathroom, if you know what I mean. But today, today I thought I was ready to go back to work. Fate had other plans.

First of all, while Joey was in the shower, the radio announced his school was on a two-hour delay due to freezing rain, which also puts me on a two-hour delay for work. I thought I'd put the extra time to good use by taking the doctor-ordered "sample" I'd collected last night to the lab, which is conveniently located only a few blocks from our house.

Yes, the roads are icy, but I drove slowly and Joey and I made it there without incident. When I handed the sample to the lab tech I discovered I had refrigerated the sample that was supposed to be left at room temperature and, you guessed it, left at room temperature the sample that was supposed to be refrigerated.

So I get to do it all over again. You know, since gathering "samples" while you are in the bathroom is such a pleasant pastime. This time the lab tech put the sample cups in two separate bags that are clearly marked to avoid any confusion on my part.

Back at home, Joey comes to me and says he feels like he's going to throw up. I told him if it felt like he was going to throw up right away, he should get to the bathroom. Well, he almost made it. Half in the hallway, half in the toilet. When he feels a little better, I'll have to reinforce the idea that when you are queasy you go to the bathroom first, talk about it later.

Oh, and I forget to mention, right before that Rick called to report he was in his truck in a parking lot and was hit by a Fed Ex truck out-of-control on the ice. He says the damage to the truck is minor, but I wonder how long it will take Rick to recover emotionally. (He loves his truck.) Does it feel like a Monday to anyone else?

Tomorrow: A more positive post, I promise. Picture of the bicycle cake and our visit with Susan!

Cake Minion

2010-01-13T22:06:00.004-05:00

No, the DVD player is not working yet. But I've decided to move on to another more manageable challenge with a firm deadline. But wait! Didn't you read a resolution somewhere about me actually finishing projects I start? Well, I'll have you know that hooking up the DVD player is officially Rick's project. (Anybody buying that?)

So, Joey and I have discovered a new program to enjoy and watch together: Cake Boss. We love this show! The cakes they create are truly works of art, and the Cake Boss, Buddy, has an awesome family, all with cool New Jersey accents. But the show has presented me with quite a conundrum.

We are going down to Bloomington this weekend to visit Susan and celebrate her 20th birthday. And, of course, Joey thinks we should make her a cake similar to what he's seen on Cake Boss. You know, just something simple, like the cake pictured above.

I appreciate his youthful enthusiasm, but I don't have the knowledge, kitchen equipment or experience of a professional baker. Please! When I make a cake it's with the help of Betty Crocker. I've been trying to explain this to him, and he's a little disappointed with my limitations, but surely we can come up with a compromise cake. You know, something creative and original, but only one layer and much more novice looking.

The most original cake my family ever made was a piano cake that Susan and her cousin Elizabeth created when they were about 6-years-old. They made what looked like a piano keyboard by putting Twinkies side-by-side and frosting them with whipped cream. Then they topped the white "keys" with long skinny pieces of Kit-Kat bars where the black keys would go. It looked fabulous and provided quite the sugar high.

I'm thinking a bike theme would be appropriate this year. I'll take a picture when it's done. And when you see the final product just remember, I'm not the Cake Boss, I'm more like the Cake Minion, so judge accordingly.

DVD blues

2010-01-11T12:20:00.002-05:00

There is no Movie Monday post today because our DVD player is broken. Actually, that's not entirely true. Our old DVD player was broken (it ate a library DVD). We took it in for repair and got the DVD extracted and back to the library before Bookman could track us down. But the DVD player still didn't work right when we got it home, then it quit working all together.

So, yesterday we went to Best Buy and purchased a new DVD player (no, not a DVD/Blu ray combo, because that would be too forward thinking, just an inexpensive DVD player is what we brought home). Although all the wires appear to be plugged in at the correct spots, we can't make it work.

Rick and I are both reasonably intelligent people. We're not brain surgeons, but I'm thinking that shouldn't be required to simply hook up a DVD player. We can't get the written prompts to appear on the TV screen so we can do the "quick" set-up. Why? What is the closely guarded secret that no one is telling us?

Between the two of us we spent about two hours on it last night. Isn't that a little excessive? Am I really that stupid and just don't know it? Or, am I simply technologically challenged. Probably we should just let Joey take a look at it. If we can't figure it out tonight, I may be desperate enough to turn it over to my 9-year-old. I just can't imagine how embarrassed I'll be when he gets it working.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

2010-01-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

The holidays are over. Vacation is over (Joey went back to school today). And we are now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Thank goodness. Not that I didn't enjoy the break and spending some time with my family, but there is something to be said for routine.

Now that we are in a new year, I've not only made some resolutions, but I've been studying up on how to keep them. Some experts say it take two months to form a new habit, so you can't relax until March, and even then you still have to keep working at it. Others say make sure your resolution is something you want, not something others want for you, or you won't have much chance of keeping it. And still others say you need a detailed plan with action steps, rewards for moving toward your goal and friends and family to encourage you in your efforts.

All I want to help me stick to my resolutions are some above freezing temperatures. It's awfully freakin' cold outside! I mean, really, how am I supposed to paint my dining room while I'm wearing a snuggie? Okay, I don't actually own a snuggie, I prefer to hunker down on the couch under a blanket, but you get my point.

"It's too cold" is not an excuse but a reason why it is difficult to follow through on some resolutions. However, I have found the curled-up-on-the-couch-under-a-blanket posture to be perfect for one activity that I've let slide recently -- reading.

Rick recommended Miracle in the Andes, a nonfiction book about survivors of an airplane crash in the mountains who are on the brink of starving and/or freezing to death. Okay, so it makes my complaints seem rather trivial in comparison. But, now is the time to read this book when the mercury has dipped so low and we can have at least a tiny bit of understanding of the hardships the survivors endured (that is, if we go outside in summer clothing and lay in the snow with broken bones after being hungry for more than a week).

It's an interesting read. If you need anything I'll be here, on the couch, with my blanket, book and a mug of hot tea. Just, please, don't ask me to get up.

New Year, New 'Tude

2010-01-02T12:49:00.004-05:00

I have reviewed my resolutions from last year, when I started this blog, and here is how I fared in 2009:

1. Write weekdays in the blog for the entire year -- Not so good. I started strong, but tapered off as the months wore on. For example, this post on New Year's resolutions is being written on Jan. 2nd. A little late, don't you think? Rick tells people we've been planning on joining a Procrastinator's Club, but we just haven't gotten around to it yet.

2. Finish my screenplay -- I must say I deserve a pat on the back for this one because the screenplay is done. I've written, rewritten and rewritten some more, and now it's time for the next step -- marketing.

3. Improve the hair -- Yes, it's better, which is a relative term, but I think I followed through on this resolution from last year, which leads me to my resolutions for this year.

Mary's goals for 2010

1. Sell the screenplay -- Okay, this is one whopper of a goal. I actually started a list of action items to accomplish this, which has been collecting dust since about Thanksgiving. Time to get back to it. I will post updates on the blog in case anyone is interested, but mostly to make sure I move forward.

2. Embrace the concept of imperfect human awesomeness. Are you not familiar with this concept? Then, let me explain. I have at times battled with perfectionism, which can lead to procrastination, because it's hard to start a job until you are sure you can do it right. So this year I plan to be happy with all my imperfect attempts and results. I like to think we can still be awesome even when we are imperfect, thus the concept of imperfect human awesomeness.

I've already started implementing this concept with my workout routine. In the wintertime, when I can't get outside to ride my bike, ideally I ride the stationary bike at the gym for about 45 minutes, which is a good and sweaty workout. But, depending on time constraints and the structure of my day, I don't always want a hard, sweaty workout which requires a second shower. On those days I walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Not as good as 45 sweaty minutes on a bike, but guess what, it's good enough! In fact, it is awesome.

3. This last goal is going to be the hardest one. I want to finish what I start this year (or maybe complete some of the projects I started last year). It's so easy to get something 75 or 80 percent done and not take the time to finish up the last details so it is truly completed. Right now I have a newly created dining room, which looks fabulous except that it needs to be repainted. I sold furniture, moved furniture and purchased furniture (Craigslist!), even bought new decor to transform this room. It could be truly completed in another day (maybe two) with some paint. And there are other projects with similar stories. I'll let you know when I am able to reach closure on them, maybe with pictures to document the results.

Those are my goals for 2010 in a nutshell. Here's to my imperfect and inevitable successes in the coming year, and to yours!

Movies and Musings

2009-12-30T21:59:00.004-05:00

Tonight Susan is on her way to Florida to train with her Little 500 bike team, Joey is at a sleepover, and Rick and I took the opportunity to have an unexpected date night. We used our gift certificate to Applebee's (Thanks, Aunt Mary!) and then went to see It's Complicated at the movie theater.

We both enjoyed the movie. Alec Baldwin and the guy from The Office are pretty funny, and Steve Martin mostly plays the straight man (weird). Of course, Meryl Streep is wonderful as usual. A good date night movie. Rick and I also saw Blind Side recently. Another great movie appropriate for the whole family.

I'm thinking a little bit about New Year's Resolutions, the ones I made last year when I started this blog, and what my goals for the coming year might be. But it's too late to get too introspective, so I'll sleep on it and see what seems relevant in the morning. Something to ponder while I'm putting away the Christmas decorations.

Tonight's Forecast

2009-12-28T13:58:00.006-05:00

I sometimes get emotional. This happens for a number of reasons:

I am human
I have hormones
I am a naturally sensitive person
I experience situations and events that provoke emotions

So, today, I'm feeling a little emotional for all four of the reasons mentioned above and decided to give my husband a heads-up for the emotional mine-field he was about to wander through upon his arrival home from work. I think he was appreciative.

It's kind of like my own personal weather forecast, only for emotions. I gave him an update on my current condition and a forecast for the evening, which could change depending on any unexpected cold fronts that cross my path. (I'm thinking they would be wise not to cross my path today.)

So Rick was understanding and sympathetic and a little concerned. All appropriate and appreciated responses.

"Call me if you get weird," he said, quoting one of our favorite movies, Broadcast News.

"I just did," I reminded him.

In other weather-related news, the kids have been outside sledding for at least an hour and a half. As you can see in the photo above, they were dressed for the weather outside (although they may not be prepared for the storm brewing inside). Luckily, I have plenty of hot cocoa which should help comfort bodies and emotions.

Hoping for sunshine and clear skies tomorrow!

The Best Breakfast Ever

2009-12-27T20:01:00.006-05:00

The holidays have been very enjoyable so far and Joey is looking forward to going sledding tomorrow in the several inches of snow we got today. But right now, I have to tell you about my new discovery -- The Best Breakfast Ever.

I have yogurt every morning for breakfast, not because I love yogurt, or even like it much, but because it makes my day-to-day bathroom experience much more pleasant. I hope that is enough information for you, because that is all I plan to give you, and you're welcome.

Sometimes I'll have half a bagel or a piece of toast with my yogurt, but really, not much to get excited about when it comes to my first meal of the day ... until now.

I've been trying to find a way to incorporate the blueberries in my freezer into my diet. The main obstacle is that they are frozen, so it takes some planning, which I'm not particularly good at. Then I thought: What if I put some blueberries, which I like very much, in my yogurt, which I don't like much at all? Except, as I've already pointed out, they are frozen and it's too cold right now to eat frozen blueberries for breakfast and if I don't want them frozen, I'd have to plan ahead and thaw out just enough for a couple of days and, really, as easy as that sounds it was a little too complicated for me. Then I had an epiphany.

What if I put blueberries in some oatmeal for breakfast? They are both foods I like. And, what if I make instant oatmeal (fast and easy) and put the frozen blueberries in the water I'm heating in the microwave (for the oatmeal) so they will be plump and warm in my nutritious and delicious high-fiber cereal?

Well, I tried it, and the oatmeal blueberry combination is heavenly. It's like having blueberry cobbler for breakfast. Further more, if you put a little yogurt and a little oatmeal on your spoon and eat them together, the mixture of warm and cold, smooth and oat-y, is actually quite pleasing. I almost like yogurt when I eat it this way!

So now that I've discovered the Best Breakfast Ever, I need to discover how to return from the madness called "Holiday Eating." It's been non-stop pies, fudge, cookies and grazing for a couple of days now. I need routine. I need structure. I need all the sugar-laden foods to somehow disappear from my kitchen without having to eat them myself. I need some magic!

Christmas Time

2009-12-19T16:36:00.006-05:00

I've been away from the blog so long, it's hard to get started again! My excuse, I mean reason, for not writing in so long would be the craziness we all call Christmas preparation. I have been on a shopping frenzy the past couple of weeks that has been nothing short of spectacular. After avoiding the mall for so long due to budgetary reasons, well, now I'm just a little drunk from all the spending.

I like to shop. Maybe a little too much. But all the Christmas presents I am responsible for giving have now been purchased (except one, which I plan to pick-up Monday at Von's), so I will avoid breaking down in tears in the women's department at Kohl's again anytime soon. Here's what happened:

I'm shopping for bargains, minding my own business, when "I'll Be Home for Christmas" starts playing over the store speakers. A melancholy song at best, this particular version kept interrupting the singing with U.S. soldiers serving overseas talking about what they will miss the most about being away from home at Christmas.

A soldier/mom talks about missing her three-year-old's excitement on Christmas morning as she opens her presents. I mean, you'd have to be made of stone not to get teary-eyed. I kept hoping they'd break into the song with a store announcement, but no such luck. I was a sniveling mess by the end.

But that's not why I'm avoiding the mall with all the parking and traffic headaches. I found some really good deals this year . . . some too good to pass up. And it just so happens that some of the best deals are on things that are for . . . me.

I think it's good to treat yourself once in a while, but it's been twice or thrice in a while here recently. Merry Christmas to me! I've more than done my part, now it's your turn to go out and stimulate the economy.

More Mushrooms

2009-12-04T16:07:00.001-05:00

I'm feeling a little Christopher Walken today. I just ate some leftover pasta salad and it needs more mushroom, baby. Not cowbell, mushroom. (If you've never seen Christopher Walken in the More Cowbell SNL skit, do yourself a favor and view it here.)

So what foods would be even more delicious with more mushrooms? As mentioned earlier, just about any kind of hot or cold pasta dish, also salads, soups, stews, casseroles, any kind of sauce or gravy, mixed vegetables, and, of course, pizza. I mean, why do you think Campbell's sells so much cream of mushroom soup? It's the mushrooms!

There are very few recipes out there, other than dessert, that wouldn't benefit from more mushrooms. Just to be perfectly clear and remove any question of a double entendre, I'm talking about the kind of mushrooms that can be purchased legally at the local grocery.

I don't have a fever, but more mushrooms might be just the ounce of prevention we all need.

Is That Really Necessary?

2009-12-03T09:28:00.003-05:00

I'm home this morning with a sick child and it reminds me there are a few things in life that I cannot help but question. I'm not talking about the big things like war, famine and the inability of my computer to download large files. But, you know, the little things that would only require a little tweaking by a benevolent Creator.

For instance, why does cold and flu season occur in the wintertime? As if chilly, dreary, dark days aren't enough to drag your mood down, throw in nausea, vomiting and/or snot-filled sinuses. And during the holiday season, no less. It's enough to turn anyone into Ebenezer Scrooge. If we have to have a cold and flu season, why not in the less hectic summertime when you can at least sit outside in the sunshine while you recover from your misery?

And what about green olives? I went to the "Port" in the Lawson Computer Science Building on Tuesday to get a pizzetta for lunch (which sounds so much more sophisticated than getting a personal-size pizza). Anyway, I ordered the veggie pizzetta that included olives among the toppings, which I assumed would be black, because everyone knows that black olives are the best.

But, to my horror, it was loaded with green olives, a few of which were hidden under the melted cheese and actually made it past the pick-it-off process and into my stomach. Yuck! I mean, really, why do you even need green olives when black olives can do it all while tasting so much better?

And last, but certainly not least, what is up with this sneaky aging process that creeps up on you when you least expect it? I got my first gray hair when I was 25 years old and pregnant with Susan, portending the fact that parenting ages you rapidly.

On my 30th birthday, while shopping with my husband at JC Penney, I was given a packet of wrinkle-reducing cream from an employee handing out free samples. I did not use the cream (I was only 30!) but it did guarantee from that day forward I would take the long way through a department store rather than walk past the make-up booths and risk a chance encounter with a sample-happy salesperson.

And now that I'm 45, I've been finding gray eyebrows with more and more frequency. Gray eyebrows! Is that really necessary? Are the hairs with pigment reserved for growing out of the mole on my face and, eventually, I'm sure, the hair sprouting out of my nose?

And don't even get me started on poison ivy.

Winners and Losers

2009-11-28T21:55:00.005-05:00

Have I been DELINQUENT with my blog posts or what? You know how it is, Thanksgiving comes and then it feels like an all-out sprint to the holiday finish-line (at least for those of us buying the presents and coordinating the schedules), then before you know it, it's a new year!

We have had an excellent and busy week-and-a-half while I've been away from the blog. Susan is home from IU. We hosted my parents for Thanksgiving. And today, well today brought out huge winners and possibly the biggest loser right here in my own home.

Yes, we were part of the red horde that descended on Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to watch Susan's alma mater win the IHSAA 3A Football State Championship. It was totally awesome! If you haven't seen any West Lafayette football this season, check out this short highlight on youtube.

For a $15 ticket, and with general seating, I had a very comfortable seat in the humongous stadium right on the 50 yard-line, about 12 rows up from the field. It was a great vantage point to watch the drama unfold as West Lafayette ran away with the victory 24-10.

Yes, Joey was still somewhat fixated on the snacks, (and we sampled several) but I think the game captured even his ever-wandering attention. West Side players and supporters that made it to the game were all huge winners. What a wonderful memory for all of us who got to witness a stunning conclusion to an undefeated season!

The fans for the next championship game couldn't wait to get our excellent seats and jammed the aisles before the awards presentation was over. It was human gridlock. Somehow we inched our way out of the stadium. Then Joey and his friend, Andrius, watched the inside of their eyelids all the way home. All that excitement can be exhausting.

Rick complained during the drive back that the stadium food didn't seem to be settling well. When we got home, he went up to our bedroom. I didn't think much of it until I heard him later in the bathroom revisiting his stadium snacks in a way that conveyed extreme discomfort. He's got it bad and I hereby pronounce him the day's biggest loser.

Whatever he's got, I hope the rest of us can avoid catching it. And when it comes to catching things, you should have seen the completions and interceptions West Side was able to pull out of the air today. Winners and Loser. Um, I think I'll go wash my hands.

Mary Laurie's Day Off

2009-11-18T22:10:00.004-05:00

It might not have been quite as exciting as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, by my day off today was rather excellent.

First of all, I had an appointment with the eye doctor. Now an eye exam may not seem like such a great way to spend time on your day off, but then you are told your glasses, which have a tiny crack in the lens, will be fixed for free because your one-year warranty expires tomorrow. How often do you take in something that needs to be repaired the day before the warranty expires (not the day after)? This may be the first time in the history of our planet.

Then I went shopping, because it way my day off, and I could. I not only found some excellent new boots, but also found some shoes and work pants for Rick. And when he tried them on tonight they actually fit. Let me repeat: I bought some things for Rick that he likes and it all fits. How often does that happen? Just slightly more often than the non-expired warranty thing.

I had a delicious dinner out with friends. A perfect way to end a day off. And as a result, I now have plans to see New Moon with others who will appreciate the experience. (When I asked Rick if he would go with me to see a teenage vampire/romance movie, well ... how often do you think that would happen? It's probably less often than you think.)

And, to top it all off, I stopped at the grocery on my way home for apples, bananas and yogurt and it was fate that I just happened to see two slices of German Chocolate Cake in a clear plastic container cleverly marketed as "Cake for Two." Although, if you know anything about me at all, you will know that it is actually "Cake for One."

As Ferris Bueller would say, "Life moves pretty fast." (Similar to the speed at which I'm devouring this cake.) "You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Movie Monday

2009-11-16T21:07:00.003-05:00

You may have heard movie critics say that there isn't much to the new movie 2012 other than awesome special effects. And, well, they're right. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Rick and I saw 2012 Friday night and if you are considering seeing this movie, see it on the big screen. The special effects are amazing. Once it gets going, it's a roller coaster ride, with edge-of-your-seat excitement.

The plot and character development? Well, there's not much of that here to distract you from the star of the movie: the special effects. The basic premise is that it's the end of the world as we know it, and people are doing whatever they can to survive.

Although John Cusack and Amanda Peet star, the only standout performance is Woody Harrelson. I won't tell you about his character, I'll let you discover that gem on your own.

Unlike Titanic or Independence Day, there is no strong audience connection with the characters, so as you see many doomed to die, you feel very little emotionally, which is pretty weird.

Huh. Why did I like this movie? Oh yeah, the special effects. It's a thrill ride that leaves you breathless but emotionally intact. It has some surprising moments, a few laugh-out-loud scenes, but mostly the behind-the-scenes guys are the ones who shine in this end-of-the-world tale.

Soap and Water

2009-11-12T21:48:00.006-05:00

As we drove by Lafayette Limo on our way to the library today (I am no longer delinquent), Joey told me that he wants to ride in a limo. Who wouldn't when you see them lined up, all shiny and elegant looking? But Joey is also an active boy who sometimes has smelly armpits. Why do I mention this fact? Well, I'll tell you.

Joey can take a shower several minutes long, get dressed in clean clothes and come within hugging distance and I can still smell his stinky armpits. He "forgets" to wash them when he's in the shower. It is hard for me to understand this, but then again I'm not a 9-year-old boy with a short attention span.

The post-shower-smelly-pits was not a one-time occurrence. It happens every so often. So I try to make it easier for him to remember to hit the key areas. As he's walking toward the bathroom, "Remember: pits, privates and hair." Just three things. I'm not nagging about behind the ears or between the toes. I basically just don't want him to smell or have grease-ball hair.

So as we drove past the limos today Joey was ready to rent one. When? Right now, of course. I explained that limos were for very special occasions and maybe he would ride in one when he went to prom, like Susan did. He considered this, because he remembers the Hummer stretch-limo she rode in to her first prom, which was very cool. (That's Susan in white.)

"So are you going to ask a girl to the prom?" I teased, expecting a girls-are-icky face. But apparently riding in a limo is so enticing, even at this age it is worth having to pair up with a girl.

So now if he can just take care of the stinky armpit issue maybe he could actually get a girl to go with him to the prom! Hey, he's the one who brought up the limo!

A Book for Francie

2009-11-11T22:32:00.008-05:00

So my cousin Francie is looking for a good book to read. I see a couple of titles in the bookcase here by the computer that she might like. But, even better, why not check and see what titles I've placed on hold at the library?

I love, love, LOVE that you can go online and just using your regular library card reserve books, or get on the waiting list for books that you want to read. What could be more awesome? Free German chocolate cake is the only thing that comes to mind. So, I log-in at the library website to get ideas for Francie, and the first thing that greets me on my account page is "User is DELINQUENT." I love that they put delinquent in all caps.

Yes, I frequently have overdue books, but it's not my fault. Really. If I check out a really good book that I get through quickly, I usually pass it on to Rick. Right now he is reading two books checked out on my card: Outliers and Man on Wire. Luckily you can even renew the books online. Now that is excellent customer service.

Okay, so this time the delinquent status truly is my fault. You only get to keep DVDs for one week, no renewal. So I better return The Pope's Toilet so I am no longer a DELINQUENT library user. (Can't they just say, "Please return overdue materials?" Doesn't the soft approach work any more? Just a suggestion.)

Despite my DELINQUENT status, I do have two books on hold that are now available: Eclipse (I opened the bag of chips and now I can't put it down) and a book by Jentezen Franklin. My cousin Chris mentioned a book by that author in his Facebook info. I couldn't find that title, so thought I'd try another by the same writer.

I'm still in the queue for The Shack (next on the list!), High on Arrival (15th in line) and True Compass a Memoir (23rd). And because I'm feeling particularly generous, I'll tell you a secret to cutting your time in the hold queue. Put the regular book on hold, and also place a hold on the large print version. After one of them comes in, you can cancel your hold on the other one. I know, good tip!

I'm getting to the age where I prefer the large print version and am happy when that comes through first.

So, Francie, that's what I'm reading and hope to read. Hope you find a good book soon!

Monday Movie News

2009-11-09T19:11:00.001-05:00

I had planned to write a movie review for this beautiful Monday. I really did. I popped The Pope's Toilet into our DVD player yesterday and settled on the couch with a generous serving of mint brownie a la mode, ready to immerse myself in the tale. I saw the movie at the library and had to bring it home. I mean, how intriguing is that title, The Pope's Toilet?

And it started out perfectly. People riding bikes. You know how I feel about movies that include a cycling theme. But, as it turns out, the movie was a foreign language film with subtitles. Have you ever watched a movie with subtitles? I tried. I lasted about 15 minutes and that was all the time I could commit.

So, I turned off the TV and went back to reading New Moon, the second book in the Twilight series. Just in case you haven't read any of the Twilight books, I'm warning you now, don't even bring them in the house. They are kind of like potato chips for the mind. Not particularly filling or overly delicious, but difficult to stop once you've started devouring them.

Okay, so I may not have a move review, I do have exceptionally good movie-related news. Are you ready? I finished my screenplay. For real (as Joey would say). Saturday morning while Joey was attending Space Day at Purdue and Rick was visiting Susan at IU, I finished my last edit and it's time for the next step: marketing.

I am intimidated by the marketing process and reluctant to expose my ego, unprotected, for the inevitable bruising that awaits. However, I am also feeling unusually optimistic. Not just trying to be optimistic, but sincerely feeling like good things might happen.

I've actually made a list of things to do to begin the marketing portion of the project. I will keep you posted. And if you are personal friends with a producer, movie star or other Hollywood big-shot, any and all networking opportunities will be gladly accepted.

Marylaurieland

2009-11-05T20:13:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my world: Marylaurieland.

I almost named my borough Maryville, but was afraid it might be confused with a real place called Merrillville, so Marylaurieland it is.

In Marylaurieland you don't have to ask your son if he ate breakfast because it will show on his face ... literally. Crumbs sticking to the chin, bits of food at the corners of the mouth and/or a milk mustache.

Sometimes I wonder if he will ever outgrow the eating habits that leave traces of food all over his face. Then I look at his father, who is sporting a glob of peanut butter just south of the mouth, and realize: No, probably not.

In Marylaurieland you don't have to ask someone if they were just on the computer, you just have to look at his or her butt. Sarah's favorite chair right now is the office chair, so anyone who sits there will have their backside covered with cat hair upon standing. Just one of the perks of my world.

In Marylaurieland there is lots of pet vomit to clean up, and pumpkin vomit as well.

But, despite all this, citizens of Marylaurieland are optimistic, optimistic to a fault. You see, I know better than to go through the self-checkout lane when Joey is with me. It never works out well. Yet, I tried again just the other day when the other checkout lines were long and my cart wasn't too full.

I started scanning the groceries while Joey was lured away by promises of treasure (the crane machine). When he came back he leaned on the bagging shelf, and then moved, which completely freaks-out the machine.

"Please place the item in the bagging area, or choose skip bagging," a woman's voice said.

"Mom can I have 50 cents?"

I'm busy looking at the screen trying to find the "skip bagging" button. "Just hang on, Joe."

"Please place the item in the bagging area, or choose skip bagging." Like I didn't hear her the first time, or any of the rest of the people lined up behind me waiting for self-checkout.

"Mom, come look at this, it's really cool."

"Please place the item in the bagging area, or choose skip bagging."

There is no "skip bagging" button!

"Mom ..."

Welcome to Marylaurieland.

Movie Monday, Tricks and Treats

2009-11-02T12:00:00.007-05:00

This Movie Monday is a late Halloween trick. I watched a DVD with Rick starring Sam Rockwell and William H. Macy with George Clooney in a supporting role (what woman among us who watched the early years of ER doesn't have a thing for Clooney?) and yet -- I can't recommend it.

You'd expect Welcome to Collinwood to be a winner, and Sam Rockwell nearly saves the movie with a typically great performance. But, the 86-minute story drags. Another 20 or 30 minutes of character development would have been worth the effort to turn this dud into a delight.

As it is, there are a few laugh-out-loud funny moments. Too bad we aren't more invested in the characters. Although Welcome to Collinwood sounds inviting, you'll want to take the bypass to avoid this town full of misfits.

Continuing with the theme of good actors in bad movies, tricks and treats, here are the highlights of my weekend:

Treat: The Colts remain undefeated!
Trick: Purdue played like the whole team had been hexed.

Treat: Rick and I installed a new light over the kitchen table (more about that tomorrow).
Trick: Now I want to replace the rest of the overhead lights downstairs to match.

Treat: Fun pancake breakfast with the Purdue Women's Basketball Team.

Trick: The dog rolled around in poop and guess who had to give her a bath?

Treat: Theresa stopped by Halloween night with her girls and new adorable baby Marshall (who is one-week old today)!
Trick: We ran out of candy and had to recycle some of the treats Joey brought home. He is unaware of that fact right now. Let's keep it that way, shall we?

Treat: Birthday party and bonfire fun. Joey toasted, roasted and consumed the following: half a bag of marshmallows, several hot dogs and an unspecified number of melting Milky Way bars.

Trick: I'm definitely scared when I think about trying to feed this kid through the teenage years.

A Boy and his Pumpkin

2009-10-30T13:45:00.008-04:00

It is a miserable, rainy Fall Break Friday. But Joey and I are making the best of it. He finally got a haircut, which he has been desperately needing. And he finally got to carve a pumpkin, which he has been desperately waiting to do.

Here is Joey's original creation. I like to think he was inspired by my recent bout with the flu, but I think it's probably just a guy thing. It was my idea to name the jack-o-lantern H1N1. Happy Halloween!

As if being sick isn't enough

2009-10-28T21:00:00.000-04:00

I came down with the flu Monday night and it was a strange experience. It started out as a better than normal October night. We'd had a high of sixty-eight degrees and it was still unusually nice out. I walked the dog, did some laundry and got Joey in bed. I sat down to read around 9:15 and around 10 p.m. it hit me.

I don't know if you'd call what my muscles were doing "cramping." But it was an uncomfortable and uncontrollable tightening. I was reading Twilight and I was at a good part, so I chose to ignore the unusual muscle contractions. Then I realized I was really, really cold. I was reading about icy vampires, maybe that was my problem. I decided it was time for bed.

I put on some warm jammies and socks and crawled between the sheets. I could not get warm! My hands were freezing. I tried the old trick of shoving them in my armpits, they still wouldn't warm up. I finally got up and grabbed a pair of thin gloves and put them on and put on extra pair of socks over the ones I was wearing. I went back to bed, teeth chattering. After several minutes, I was still too cold to sleep.

I didn't want to get out of bed a second time and start the teeth chattering again, so I quietly asked Rick, "Are you awake?" No reply, so I got out of bed one more time, grabbed a blanket from the closet and put it on my side of the bed, still folded in half for a double thickness. After the teeth chattering stopped for the second time, I finally felt warm.

These were not my only flu symptoms, of course, but I'll not be sharing the more disgusting details here. If you're looking for that kind of entertainment, go watch a Jim Carrey movie.

Was it H1N1? I have no idea ... but exotic flu or garden variety, could I get just a little sympathy from my family? That's not a rhetorical question. The answer is no.

I called Rick Tuesday morning to tell him I was home from work with the flu. Although he heard my teeth chattering in the middle of the night (yes, he was really awake) he still didn't think I was that sick. He said I had H.5. Apparently he shared that joke with his coworkers who thought he was quite funny. I'm so glad my misery could be used for someone else's enjoyment.

Then last night, exhausted after, well just walking around the house a little bit, I collapsed on the bed next to where Rick was sitting watching basketball on TV. (Isn't it a little early for basketball on TV?) I didn't get the comfort I was looking for, so I went ahead and crawled under the covers. Rick asked me to move saying he didn't want me spreading my germs on his side of the bed.

My Mom dropped some magazines off this afternoon, but wouldn't step inside the house. I called my daughter knowing I'd get a little sympathy from her. But she was on her way out to meet some friends for a bike ride and couldn't talk.

Okay, I don't mean to whine here, or anything, but come on! Would a little sympathy kill you? I actually did get a sympathetic e-mail from my Dad, and Susan called back and was very understanding. But as for the rest of you ... It's not my reaction to the flu that is scary. It's the lack of a reaction from my family. As I told Joey after his last report card, I'm looking for some improvement here.

Boiler Basketball

2009-10-22T11:53:00.002-04:00

My Dad is a member of the Boilermaker Network. It's the die-hard fan base of the Purdue Women's Basketball Team. He invited me to go with him to the Tip-off Banquet last night, and it was awesome!

We heard a little bit from each of the coaches and players, and I'll tell you this about Coach Versyp: She is intense! We've got some injuries, we'll be starting the season with only eight players who are healthy, but the big news from the banquet? My Dad took my picture with Ukari Figgs. (Hey Kathy, na na na na naaa naaa!)

If you don't know who Ukari Figgs is, she is one of the best Purdue basketball players of all time. Yes, I said it ... of all time. Why? Well, she not only led her high school to the Kentucky State Basketball Championship her senior year, but was also named Miss Kentucky Basketball, the best female high school player in the state.

Her senior year at Purdue, she was named the most outstanding player in the Final Four Tournament. Oh, and did I mention that was the year the Purdue Women won the NCAA National Championship, with Ukari, the best player in the tournament? Ukari can play some ball.

So while she was shooting hoops at Purdue, she went ahead and earned her degree in mechanical engineering. She played pro ball for five years and won a WNBA Championship title with the Los Angeles Sparks. Then she went to work as a production engineer for Toyota in Kentucky, working on the redesign of some car called the Camry (you may have heard of it). She even recruited Purdue engineering graduates for the company.

But now, she's back at Purdue, her first year as an assistant coach on the team. We're all pretty happy about that in Boiler-country. (A huge understatement, by the way. We're ecstatic!) She's an automotive engineer, she's an awesome basketball player and now we can all call her coach.

Looking forward to a great season!

Fall Fashion Report

2009-10-20T15:05:00.005-04:00

It's the middle of October, which means only one thing: nobody knows what to wear. Where are Stacy and Clinton when you need them? It's been cold for at least a week, unseasonably cold. Now, all of a sudden, it's nice out again.

So, in my travels around campus today, I couldn't help but notice that college students are as confused as the rest of us about how to dress. (Some would probably say even more so.) For all of you who don't really care about fashion trends in New York or Paris, here's what students are wearing at a Midwestern university that will remain nameless (as if you don't know already).

Shoes

For men I'm seeing both flip-flops and tennis shoes. What can I say? They're men! A couple of the boys on my street are still going barefoot, but they're only in middle school, so they obviously won't be mentioned in this report. For women, there is much more variety. Flip-flops, cute flats, tennis shoes, Ugg boots and high-heeled boots were all spotted today.

Clothes

Mostly jeans and zip-up hooded sweatshirts over T-shirts, with a sprinkling of shorts. I did see a couple of women sporting really cute sweater jackets. I was the only one I noticed early this morning wearing light gloves. (My hands get cold. So sue me.)

Accessories

The top three accessories, without a doubt, are backpacks, cell phones and ladybugs -- the last one not by choice.

In a related note: I saw one guy almost walk into a parked bike while walking and texting. There was also a biker on the sidewalk who was texting while he was pedaling. Since he was heading in my direction I was prepared to make any necessary evasive maneuvers, but so far I've avoided tire marks on my clothes, which is not only painful, but is a major fashion faux pas!

And in a barely related note: Joey models the fashion for today's third-grader who attended a field trip at Wolf Park. Here's to howling at the moon!

Ladybug Blues

2009-10-19T21:28:00.006-04:00

I went out on a 16-mile bike ride today and saw a few yellow ladybugs. No big deal. It's that time of year. But on 75 East between 900 North and 725 North I went through no less than three giant swarms of lady bugs.

What is up with that? I could feel them landing in my hair through the vents in my helmet. They were on my tights, on my jersey, bouncing off my sunglasses. Is it a creepy Halloween trick just a little bit early?

I survived the ladybug onslaught, but not sure if I survived the bike ride. It was rather windy and battling the stiff breeze wore me out more than I expected. This will be a short post because I'm going to bed early tonight.

If you're looking for something in the media more thought-provoking than the Bubble Boy or recaps of last weekends football games, try reading this column by Purdue's Dean of Agriculture, Jay Akridge. It may open your eyes to the role ag research plays in finding solutions to the huge problem of world hunger.

Sweet (bug-free) dreams!

Week in Review

2009-10-13T21:29:00.004-04:00

Monday Oct. 5th

I was busy packing for a Tennessee trip with Rick to celebrate our 25th anniversary, when Joey's coach called from practice. It was around 6:30 p.m. He said I might want to pick up Joey a little early. He took a hard hit and we probably should get some x-rays, just to be on the safe side. Even though Rick was on the way, I decided I'd go too, in case Joey needed to go to Urgent Care. Rick hates waiting around for the doctor.

When I pulled up at practice there was a firetruck there, lights flashing. I believe it's called first responder. I got out of my car and spied the HS athletic director, whose son is on Joey's team, "Is that for Joey?" I asked. He nodded with a grimace.

R.J.'s family had produced a pillow for Joey's head so he had some measure of comfort while he was laid flat out on the field. Both legs of his football pants had been cut up the sides, so they could examine Joey's legs. I was hoping he didn't have any holes in his underwear, but since they were talking about the possibility of broken bones, I decided to worry about that later.

An ambulance arrived and they loaded him up and off to Home Hospital we went. I rode up front in the ambulance for the first, and hopefully last, time. After x-rays that didn't show any breaks in the leg or pelvis, the Doc decided we should use a knee immobilizer, a soft Velcro contraption that went from the crotch almost to the ankle, and crutches.

Joey was feeling very important, what with the ambulance ride and all of the attention for his injury, but once we got home he was very upset that his football season might end early. "We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow," I told him.

Tuesday, Oct. 6th

It's our 25th wedding anniversary. We had planned to leave around 9 a.m. for Tennessee. Instead, we waited for Joey's follow-up doctor appointment. I was hoping for good news so we could leave him with my Mom without too much guilt and head out in the afternoon.

We scored a 1:30 appointment with Dr. Page at Lafayette Orthopedic, who is awesome, by the way. He started moving Joey's leg slowly, then bent it at the knee and moved and twisted it every possible way. It was a little scary to watch, but Joey didn't look distressed at all. He was pronounced fit as a fiddle and able to go back to football whenever he felt ready. The best news possible!

The doctor explained that most kids have a hard time gauging pain, since they haven't really experienced any serious pain. So when Joey said it hurt, everyone was cautious in case he had broken something; plus, it was a hard hit, I'm told.

Of course, Joey wasn't ready to give up his new found celebrity and decided to continue using the crutches for a little while longer. Rick and I waved as he left with my Mom in her Prius, and we took off for Tennessee.

After driving for about six hours in the rain, Rick wasn't too excited to stop for a nice dinner. He was ready to reach our destination. But, I thought we should celebrate despite the late hour. We got off I65 near Nashville, and after passing on Shoney's, Pizza Hut and Hooters (Rick's idea), we settled on Olive Garden. It was a really nice dinner. Another hour on the road in the rain and we reached our destination, Fairfield Glade near Crossville. It didn't rain again until our trip back.

Wednesday, Oct. 7th

We stopped for an official southern breakfast with grits and all the trimmin's, then headed to Cumberland Mountain State Park to do some hiking. We have actually been hiking there before, Spring Break '08, with Susan, her friend Megan, Joey and our three foster daughters. And ... we got lost in the woods. Seriously.

We had to climb up out of the woods and walk to a road, then hitch a ride from a guy who drove us near some cabins and assured us we were almost back to the park office. He was wrong. We had to hike another couple of miles and then cross a bridge that was blocked off due to construction. We had a score to settle with that trail.

This time Rick and I did not get lost. We found the suspension bridge we had somehow missed before and crossed over. We were victorious, you know, being able to walk around a lake and not get lost.

So, giddy with victory, we drove to Cookeville and got tickets to see Whip It! at the movie theater. While we waited for the show, we went to the mall, which was not nearly as robust as back in the day when I was in Cookeville, a student at Tennessee Tech. Penneys was still open for business, so that's where I shopped. Rick found a bench and read a book, so we were both happy.

After the movie (Rick liked it, I still can't commit one way or the other) we had dinner with Rick's sister Christi and her husband Comer at Cracker Barrel. It was really nice to visit with them.

Thursday, October 8th

Drove to Knoxville to spend the day. We found an extremely enthusiastic and helpful volunteer when we visited the Knoxville Museum of Art who sent us off with maps and a visitor's guide. We had lunch at Calhoun's on the Tennessee River (that's us outside the restaurant at the top of this post).

We browsed Market Square and went up in the Sun Sphere (photo above). But, as luck would have it I was getting a blister on my pinkie toe because of my impractical shoes. So to avoid additional pain and suffering of the pinkie, we rode the trolley through the University of Tennessee before leaving Knoxville proper.

We found a VW dealership on the outskirts and test drove a Jetta TDI (for Rick). Then I decided my feet could take a little more punishment, and we made a quick visit to the mall (for me).

Friday, October 9th

Cleared out the condo and headed back for Indiana. As soon as we got in the car it started to rain. I left Rick to navigate the wet roads and immersed myself in Outliers, a good read that reminds me I'm fortunate to live where I do, in a town with an abundance of opportunity.

Saturday, October 10th

Football and laundry.

Sunday, October 11th

Checkbook, laundry and football.

Monday, October 12th

Back to work for me and Rick. Back to football practice for Joey. Thought about blogging ...

Tuesday, October 13th

Back to the blog.

Movie Monday

2009-10-05T17:11:00.002-04:00

As the debut of the second movie nears, I decided it was finally time to watch Twilight. I haven't read any of the books by Stephenie Meyer, so this was my first exposure to the tale that is a huge hit with viewers and readers.

As I watched it, I was surprised to see the story of my own first love unfold before my eyes. It was just like the movie, except for the fact that Rick isn't a vampire. Otherwise, exactly the same.

Okay, maybe not exactly the same, but like Edward, Rick was a good runner. (He just didn't run up trees.) And like Bella ... I went to my junior prom. The similarities are fascinating.

Twilight may pretend to be a movie about vampires, but it's really the story of first love, and forbidden love.

As Rick and I celebrate our 25th anniversary tomorrow, the movie was a reminder of that intense young love, that has now grown comfortable. Those overpowering feelings of not being able to live without your love, that have now grown and changed with knowing that you can live without your love, but you certainly wouldn't chose to do it.

The movie? Not bad for a PG13 vampire romance. The marriage? Well worth the price of admission.

Sleepovers and CDs

2009-10-02T23:08:00.002-04:00

Joey invited his friend Mason over to spend the night tonight. They just got in bed, so I'm waiting until 11:00 to tell them to stop talking, then it will probably take another 20 minutes or so for them to fall asleep.

Being a responsible parent requires that I stay up late. Now maybe your kid can be trusted to be left awake at night while the rest of the house sleeps, but this is Joey we're talking about here.

So while I wile away the time, I've been reflecting on my reintroduction and recent fascination with the Black Crowes. Their music got me back home during a recent rainy drive from Bloomington, and since then I find I have really been enjoying cranking it up in the car on the way to and from work. I also may have to make a ringtone from the opening to Twice as Hard (tell me I'm wrong), or possibly Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye (love the bluesy guitar intro).

I was surprised to learn after my last trip to our local Borders that they have all but done away with their large selection of CDs. I went to look for a Christina Aguilera CD, because I don't have any, and that woman can sing: they had one. One Christina Aguilera CD. So I thought I'd check out their Mellencamp offerings. None. Zip. Zero. Is it the whole iTunes thing? Am I the last person on the planet that still buys CDs?

The boys have been quiet for a few minutes, so I think I can sneak off to bed now. Pancakes for breakfast. Yummy!

Al Franken

2009-10-01T21:43:00.005-04:00

I have to say, there's something about having a former SNL writer as a U.S. senator that is kind of cool. We had a former actor as a president, so why not a comedy writer? I was impressed with Al Franken when I saw this video of him explaining his take on health care reform at the Minnesota State Fair.

But, I think I'm even more impressed watching his artistic skill in this video. Check it out, it's Al Franken drawing a map of the United States freehand. But possibly even more impressive is the little boy -- maybe 4 or 5-years-old -- at the end of the video who starts pointing out the states on Franken's map. He even identifies Kansas! I've been to Kansas (believe me, I'm not bragging) and it wasn't particularly, well, memorable.

So in honor of Al Franken and his map, and my confessed inadequacies with directions (I sometimes have trouble telling which way is up), I cordially invite you to try your hand at placing the states on a map of the U.S. Think of it as a pop quiz, and if you've been out of school for a while, you're due. My last score? I got 86 percent, with an average error of 55 miles. Again, not bragging. How about you?

Suck It Up

2009-09-29T15:15:00.006-04:00

I'm due for a bike ride today, and fighting the urge to blow it off. It's a little cold and a little windy, and I'm a little tired. Then I came across this picture. I guess if this guy can pull it together and head out on his bike, maybe I can too.

This is not my only source of inspiration. Here is a picture I took yesterday of a lily in my backyard. The rest of my day lilies have called it quits for the season. They are no longer blooming. But this day lily is determined.

It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Night at the Museum. The miniature cowboy and miniature Roman are hanging on for dear life, battling the hurricane-force gales of air they are letting out of the tires on the get-away car. One by one the other miniature men are literally blown away. The Roman turns to the cowboy and says, "Go! Save yourself!" But the cowboy stays, yelling, "I ain't quittin' you!

Beautiful blue Klein: I ain't quittin' you ...

To quote a great philosopher, John Mellencamp, "So suck it up and tough it out and be the best you can."

Yes, all this just to get motivated for a bike ride. (It is a little bit cold out, after all.)

Susan's Scholarship

2009-09-24T19:56:00.006-04:00

Susan was presented with her scholarship today at the regular monthly meeting of the AAF North Central Indiana Chapter. They had a nice buffet lunch, great speaker, and now Susan has a check to deposit. It doesn't get much better than that! And don't we look nice?

After the lunch, I took Susan from downtown Lafayette back to Bloomington. We left around 1:30. She had a 4:00 class, so we were on a mission. There was a steady rain the whole way and we hydroplaned a few times. It was rather intense (especially when I made a wrong turn outside of Indianapolis, which is, well, it's just what I do). But, we made it to her dorm just in time.

I did note that students at IU sloshing to class in the rain look pretty much like the students at Purdue sloshing to class in the rain, except some of them were carrying IU umbrellas. I know, you never would have guessed. Glad to put my reporting skills to use.

Underwear and Updates

2009-09-22T20:53:00.016-04:00

Today after school Joey unleashed his plan to drive me completely crazy. Okay, maybe it wasn't an actual plan, maybe it was just a by-product of being the creative and interesting boy that he is.

First, he just had to go to the bathroom before he could start his math homework, but I made sure he didn't take a book with him. When he came out he was tossing a white ball the size and shape of a junior football. He used about half of a double-sized roll of toilet paper to make it (guess he had to do something while he was in there).

So after the "toilet-paper costs money" lecture and the "you know better than to do that," scolding, I noticed Joey was trying to tuck in his shirt to hide the fact that he was wearing his Dad's orange, monopoly-themed boxer shorts.

After a quick cross-examination I discovered that not only was he wearing his Dad's underwear (because he thought they were "cool"), he had fished them out of the dirty laundry and had removed his own before putting them on. Gross! How are you supposed to discipline that? I have no clue, so I went with my go-to punishment, no TV for the rest of the day. Thank goodness Joey had to go to football practice, because I can't imagine what other stunts he would have come up with to deny me the little bit of sanity I had left.

To completely change the subject, Susan is coming home tomorrow for a quick visit. So, in honor of her return, I decided to wash her sheets and blankets and make the bed. She's been doing her own laundry for a couple of years, but I can't remember the last time she washed her sheets, and I've already been grossed out enough for one day. I even cleaned up the hairball on her carpet that had hardened to a rock-like substance. (I'm such a thoughtful Mom.)

And one more update ... remember all those home-improvement plans I so proudly proclaimed in a recent post? (Dang, can you believe more than a month has gone by since then!) Well, we've made some progress, sort of. We bought a new light fixture for the kitchen and removed the old one. So now our kitchen ceiling looks like this:

Instead of this:

It may not look like an improvement, but soon, very soon, there will be a new light fixture and one less item on the to-do list. That is, if I don't go crazy first.

Movie Monday

2009-09-21T21:34:00.004-04:00

Man on Wire is an interesting and inspiring film for two very different reasons. First, we see the careful planning and execution of what may be the most daring high-wire walk ever.

Plus, we are also taken back to 1974 to see World Trade Center Tower One and Tower Two in all their glory, before the devastation of 9/11, and the awesome sight they were as they dominated the New York City skyline. The 91-minute documentary held me entranced for both reasons.

It was 35 years ago when Phillippe Petit completed his high-wire walk between the twin towers, but the movie goes back even farther, showing us the cast of characters who helped Petit plan and pull-off his dream, which also happened to be illegal.

The DVD special features include a short film, Sydney Harbor Bridge Crossing (1973). The short tells the story of another wire walk in Sydney, Australia, and gives a better glimpse into Petit's life as a street performer (magician, unicyclist, and juggler). You'll want to watch it as well.

Now in the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you while I was spellbound by the story, Rick was having trouble staying awake. It was hard for the movie to compete after Rick had been outside in the cool weather for a couple of hours watching Joey's football game.

And, the most taxing event of all, we also spent about 20 minutes shopping ... at the mall. For Rick, a man who has a deep disdain for shopping (and spending money in general), a trip to the mall takes about as much effort as running a marathon. He was obviously mentally and emotionally spent.

As someone who has actually seen the entire film, I would say the story is bigger than its subject matter. It is about art and achieving the impossible. Watching someone at the top of his craft, thinking about the practice and patience it takes to get there, and seeing the video and photographic evidence in Man on Wire is truly an inspiration.

Oblivious to the Blog

2009-09-18T17:18:00.003-04:00

Hey, what happened to Mary this week? It would appear I took some time off from the blog. My week was actually a series of ups and downs that interfered with any attempt at worthwhile writing. For example:

UP! -- Susan found out she's going to receive a $500 scholarship from the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation. I'm excited, proud and happy that Susan's time and effort on the application paid off.
down -- Found out I didn't make the second cut for interviews for the ever elusive full-time job.
UP! -- Rode my bike 32 miles last night at an average speed of 17.3 mph and it felt great!
down -- General feeling of mental malaise and lack of motivation. (I know! See, who wants to read about that? Not me.)
UP! -- Finally finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
down -- Started Zeitoun last night, got caught up in the story and stayed up way too late reading. Hope I can stay conscious for Joey's stay-up-late night, a Friday family tradition.
UP! -- Joey brought home a reading test today showing dramatic improvement over the last two weeks.
down -- Joey got busted by his Kumon teacher for sneaking out early, before he finished all his work. (He's also tried the same trick my brother mastered when we were kids. When it's time for him to do a chore he says, "I have to go to the bathroom." He hides out reading a book until the coast is clear and then ignores the previous instruction to do his chores. I found Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the bathroom counter as evidence.)

Anyway, I'm back. I'm glad it's Friday. And, I'm looking forward to going to the Purdue football game with Rick tomorrow. Funny, he hasn't mentioned anything about the snacks, unlike my date the last time I went to a Purdue game . Hope things are looking UP for you this weekend.

Movie Monday

2009-09-14T20:26:00.004-04:00

You've got to see Living in Oblivion if you are a fan of Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney or Danielle von Zerneck (she was "Donna" in La Bamba, and played "Lou" about 25 years ago on General Hospital, for all of you with fond memories of Luke and Laura and the whole GH gang).

If you're not a fan of any of the four actors mentioned above, you really should be. Watching this film will probably do it for you.

The movie is about the making of a low-budget movie. It switches between black and white and color quite effectively to convey the switch from fantasy to reality. I won't tell you too much more, only that I was particularly impressed by an emotional scene with Catherine Keener, quickly followed by a hilarious rant from Buscemi.

I think I'd like to watch this movie again, and pay closer attention to the details and telling of the story. We even get Peter Dinklage as Tito, giving us a preview of the "angry elf" character he plays several years later in the movie Elf.

Rick and I give this movie two thumbs way up.

Sunny Sunday

2009-09-13T17:47:00.007-04:00

Joey had his first football game today and it was awesome! He plays offensive tackle and he kicked the ball to the opposing team at the beginning of the second half, which was fun to watch.

Even though we lost to county rival Harrison, 0-8, I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. It's really neat that he's found a sport he enjoys and is good at.

It appears his sister has also found a sport she likes. Rick took the Trek down to Bloomington Friday night and Susan's already put 74 miles on it in two days. Today she rode with her friends on a route they call "the alps."

In contrast, the most difficult thing about my bike ride today was dodging the multitude of yellow butterflies and rust-colored woolly worms who all had an overriding desire to cross the road ... right in front of me.

A beautiful sunny Sunday. Hope you're enjoying yours!

Tomorrow: Movie Monday is back with two of my very favorite character actors in an unusual and entertaining movie. I highly recommended this film. Check out my review tomorrow.

Upgrading the Hand-Me-Down

2009-09-11T18:54:00.006-04:00

Rick has made three trips down to Bloomington in as many weekends. He's about due to spend an entire weekend in Boiler country!

The last Saturday in August we all went down to move Susan back to IU to her slightly-larger-than-a-closet single dorm room.

The first Saturday in September, Rick made a quick trip to take her the beloved Schwinn upon its return to Indiana from Iowa. As it turns out, Susan is really getting into the biking thing, riding with some girls from her dorm who are on a Little 500 team. Susan has discovered, while riding, that it is a tad hillier in Southern Indiana than at home. Who knew? (Just about everyone except Susan.)

And so that brings us to today. Rick once again made the trip from West Lafayette to Bloomington, this time taking Susan an even better bike. His bike. The Trek. I think this is the fastest series of upgrades in the history of upgrading bikes. From a hybrid mountain/road bike to an older road bike one weekend, then to a nifty racing bike the next. Here are the top five reasons Susan got an upgraded hand-me-down bike:

Even though Herb improved the Schwinn when his son, Daniel, was riding it, the toe-clips just don't cut it with the clipless pedal set.
With shifting in the middle of the handle bars on the Schwinn, Susan would stand-up to take a hill and shift into a bigger gear by accident. Not fun when you are climbing.
The Schwinn was made to hold only one water bottle. When you go on 29-mile bike rides in the hills of Southern Indiana, like Susan did last Saturday, you really need an extra water bottle.
After Rick rode the 300-mile marathon, he hung his bike up for the year. Once he reaches a goal, he moves on. That's just how he is. So, if he's not riding the Trek, Susan might as well be.
We are so thrilled that Susan is showing an inclination for riding, we'd travel to Timbuktu if it would help cultivate the passion.

So for these reasons, Susan just got some new clipless shoes to fit her Dad's bike. And as you can see above, it comes fully loaded with two water bottle cages, shifters on the handlebars (of course!), an aero bar, a tire pump, an extra tube and a small bag that fits under the seat.

Hope she likes this bike, because I guarantee you it's the last upgrade she'll be seeing for a while.

Sweet Stock Options

2009-09-10T22:29:00.004-04:00

It's hard to explain stock options to a 9-year-old. So, Rick told Joey that he, and his co-workers, all own a little piece of the company where they work.

After thinking about this for a few days, tonight Joey asked, "You know that little piece of the store you own? Does that include the candy machine?"

A Room with a View

2009-09-08T21:50:00.009-04:00

Today I moved from an office with two windows to an office with one window. Not that I'm complaining. I've still got a window, unlike many on campus. And I still have an office. A very good thing.

I must say, however, that my old office had me spoiled. From one window I had a view of Hovde Hall, the fountain on the Purdue Mall and, if I looked up over the top of the fountain, I could see the press box on the top of the football stadium. Kind of cool.

Of course, now what you can mostly see from that window is the gigantic hole that will soon be the addition to the Mechanical Engineering Building. And, what you hear is the construction noise that goes with it. Won't miss that so much.

The second window had a view of a service drive, not too exciting. But, I could just make out the flag on top of Knoy Hall, which was a nice wind indicator, especially if I was planning a bike ride later in the day.

My old office I shared with a coworker. My new office? All mine! Okay, so another coworker has to walk through my office to get to her office, but it's a small price to pay for an office of my own. Did I mention I have a window? Here is the view from my new office.

Okay, this is the really the "good" view, looking to the left. If I look to the right I have a nice view of a parking lot.

Actually, the best view in my office might be the poster of Einstein riding his bike, or my poster of Lance from the year we rode RAGBRAI together. (To be honest, we didn't actually ride together. But we were both there at the same time, riding the same route. Just me, Rick, Lance ... and about 15,000 other bikers.)

Hmm, guess I could say the best "view" from my office depends on the thoughts that I think while I'm working there. But, upon further reflection, the best view is without a doubt my new screen saver.

Enjoy the view!

Football and First Aid

2009-09-05T17:59:00.008-04:00

Rick scored some free tickets from a friend, so Joey and I rode our bikes to watch the Boilers play today at Ross-Ade. Riding bikes was my idea. We usually park on the street near the high school, but Joey hates walking several blocks to the stadium. So, I figured if we biked, we could ride our bikes right up to the stadium, and we did. Luckily, we parked our bikes near a first aid station. More about that later.

Kick-off was at noon, and we left just a little after twelve. I knew Joey wouldn't want to stay for the whole game, and leaving a little late would help us avoid traffic. I had a route all mapped out that is as low-traffic as possible for a football Saturday and avoids most of the ongoing road construction.

We rode through our neighborhood, past the elementary school, and cut through Bar Berry Heights. We pedaled across a parking lot to the frontage road and crossed 52 at the light at Nighthawk Drive (a good place to cross Sagamore that also happens to go right by Silver Dipper Ice Cream).

We went through that neighborhood with all the roads named after Indian tribes (I don't know what it's called) and came out at the Burtsfield Gym on Lindberg. Now, up to this point traffic was almost nonexistent and riding in the road was no problem. We took Lindberg to Northwestern, turned left and rode up on the sidewalk. Almost all the pedestrian traffic was already in the stadium, so it worked okay ... until we got to Cherry Lane.

We were almost at the stadium, we just had to turn right on Cherry Lane and cross the street, but the sidewalk had a steep downhill right before the turn. Joey was going a little too fast and wiped out. To his credit, he got back up on his bike and rode the rest of the way with me to the stadium. He'd scraped his left knee and elbow enough to bring up some blood.

Luckily, a first aid station was on the corner of the stadium where we parked our bikes. We got our tickets out, walked in and they cleaned Joey up and even wrapped his band aids at the knee and elbow so they wouldn't come off.

Even though we've got a huge University as the focal point, West Lafayette is a small town at heart. The woman who took care of Joey asked where he went to school. Her husband happens to be one of Joey's teachers.

All cleaned up and disinfected, we got our nachos, hot dog, big pretzel and cheese (hey, we didn't have lunch) and Powerades and found our seats near the band. We were in a perfect spot to watch when Carson Wiggs kicked a 59-yard field goal at the end of the first half to set a new school record. Pretty cool.

We didn't stick around too long after that, because once Joey finished his snacks, he was ready to roll. It looked like an easy win for Purdue (and it was), or otherwise I wouldn't have been so quick to give in to Joey. We basically rode the same route home in reverse, although we could probably cut through Hills and Dales next time and avoid the traffic on Northwestern altogether.

Don't think I'd want to try riding bikes in the thick of game day traffic, but getting there late and leaving early worked well. Plus, we made good use of the route and stopped at Silver Dipper on the way home. The junk food at the game wasn't enough, we just had to have ice cream too.

Speaking of biking, Rick made a quick trip down to Bloomington today and took the blue Schwinn for Susan. She found a place behind her door in her dorm room to keep it inside, because a bike with as much history as the Schwinn deserves a little TLC.

New Office Decoration

2009-09-03T21:17:00.009-04:00

Why are cats so weird? That's kind of like asking, "Why is the sky blue?" Some things just are.

Susan and Joey took it upon themselves to move some stuff around in the office and left open space on one of the shelves. Apparently Sarah thinks that space was created just for her.

Okay, the photo makes her look even weirder than normal, with crazy glowing eyes. That is only because of the flash. She is not that weird in real life. But still, pretty weird.

The Schwinn

2009-09-02T21:50:00.011-04:00

Just a couple of months after Susan was born, Rick and my brother, Herb, got interested in cycling. I can't remember if Herb already had a bike or not, but Rick had to go out and buy one. He was planning to visit K-Mart and buy the cheapest bike he could find. I urged him to, "at least buy a Schwinn."

Well, that blue Schwinn only lasted a few months before Rick caught biking fever and upgraded to a Cannondale he found for a good price at a back-to-school tent sale. But we kept the Schwinn. It was handed down to me and I rode it until I got serious about biking (many years later) and purchased a Klein. But we never got rid of the Schwinn.

It was loaned out to a friend for about a year, and most recently it has been ridden by my nephew out in Iowa. But it's about to make its way back to our house to be handed down yet again, to Susan.

I was looking for a picture of the blue Schwinn and I am shocked and dismayed that I am unable to find one. I think Rick was still riding that bike when he left with Herb from West Lafayette and rode to my parents house back when they lived in Springport. It was 102 miles and here is a picture of them after the ride. Yes, that's Rick in the classic Mickey Mouse shirt and striped sweat socks. I thought the bike in the background, to the right, was the Schwinn, but upon closer inspection I think it must be my brother's.

Here is a picture of Susan (right) and Herb's daughter Elizabeth dressed for a bike ride. Herb had a two-seater trailer and would pull the girls behind his bike. I had a child seat put on the Schwinn and Susan would ride behind me, all buckled in, wearing this same astronaut helmet.

Which reminds me, I need to buy a helmet for her at Hodson's (she borrowed mine all summer) before Rick takes the Schwinn down to IU.

Nostalgia meets necessity. I hope Susan loves that Schwinn as much as I do!

Birthday Bowling Bash

2009-08-31T20:59:00.008-04:00

Joey invited a bunch of his neighborhood friends to the Purdue Memorial Union for a bowling birthday party yesterday. He is officially 9 years old today.

I couldn't help but think of Susan's birthday party in the same location 7 1/2 years ago when she turned 12.

Both parties were co-ed, and both were loud and rowdy. I think both were also a lot of fun.

Susan's birthday celebrations have been neatly scrapbooked (as you might be able to tell from the photo scanned in above). That is, up until her junior year, which is where I need to pick back up and finish. Then I can start Joey's school scrapbook (hopefully before he's graduated high school). It's the second child syndrome. Hey, at least I'm still taking pictures.

There's just so much to scrapbook. So little time!

White Pants Rant

2009-08-25T21:04:00.001-04:00

Joey has worn his brand new football pants to two practices. I've washed them afterward, both times, spraying the dirty and grass-stained areas with stain remover. This is what they look like after last night's washing. Here's a close-up of the left knee.

It looks like I didn't even bother washing them.

Why do they make white football pants? They were probably invented by the same person who came up with white carpet and white kitchen floors and they're all in cahoots with the people who make stain-removers (that clearly don't work).

Football pants should come in three colors: green (to hide the grass stains), brown (to hide the ground-in dirt) or black (to hide just about anything). Actually, a brown and green tie-dye would be most ideal, which is probably what these pants will look like anyway after a few more practices.

The label says "wash in cold water" (like that's going to help) "with like colors." I clearly need some guidance. Any suggestions from other parents on how to get these pants clean?

Movie Monday

2009-08-24T20:50:00.004-04:00

The perfect movie for all ages and practically any occasion, if you haven't seen it yet, you'll love The Blob. Joey requested this movie and we watched the original version from 1958 starring Steve McQueen.

First of all, as the opening credits roll the music makes you want to get up and dance. Really. It's playing in the background as I type and it's all I can do to stay in my chair.

So, you're feeling good from the music, the movie starts and all of sudden -- it just can't be! There is Steve McQueen sitting in a convertible making out with Andy Taylor's girlfriend, Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut). Good thing Barney's not around with his bullet!

But then a meteor falls out of the sky, and that's as much romance as we're going to get. No sex. No profanity. No blood. The Blob obliterates a few people (hey, what did you expect?) but we don't actually see anything disturbing other than the rolling, oozing, gelatinous blob.

It's a great movie to watch with a group of friends, because if you talk through parts (like Joey tends to do) it's not like you're going to miss any subtle plot twists. It's not a fast-moving Blob, and any conversation you have will probably be superior to the movie's dialogue.

It's also a great movie to watch with your parents and grandparents. In The Blob, it costs teenagers 80 cents to go to the movies, 10 cents to make a call from a pay phone and the use of the word "queer" means that something is strange. It's even got a puppy. How family-friendly is that?

I'll have to say the ending of the movie did leave me feeling a bit uneasy. But, I won't ruin it for you. Let's just say global warming is more of a concern for me now than ever before.

"Beware of the Blob. It creeps and leaps and glides and slides across the floor right through the door and all around the wall ..." Hey, Burt Bacharach is not kidding with those lyrics. Beware! Or else, you could end up having fun watching this movie.

My Role Model

2009-08-23T09:20:00.013-04:00

You may remember my friend Elsa that I have mentioned in my blog before. She's one of the women on my bowling league. Elsa was on the front page of today's sports section for shooting her first hole-in-one on the golf course. She is 88 years old and a role model for us all.

Now I thought I would brag in today's post about how we have changed the downstairs office back into a dining room, and I still plan to do that. But, really, this accomplishment pales in comparison to being an 88-year-old woman with such a positive outlook that you move beyond the many obstacles life puts in your path and just enjoy the journey. Her hole-in-one was a happy little by-product of the way Elsa lives her life. I hope to cultivate such a good attitude.

And the dining room? Check out the before and after side by side comparison. The desk is gone along with the rest of the clutter pictured below.

The table and chairs are in. Eventually we'll get a new light fixture, some art on the walls.

I like it!

Tomorrow: Movie Monday returns with a great movie for any age!

Time to Tailgate

2009-08-20T17:26:00.007-04:00

Joey just left for his first all-pads football practice. He looked like a serious athlete in all that gear. But then again, Joey is a football player from way back. When he was just two-years-old Rick taught him how to do a three-point stance on the line, and growl at the player across from him. Joey could do a pretty good grimace and growl. He even got to try it out on some Purdue football players.

One of his teachers in the two-year-old room at his daycare knew some of Purdue team members and had them come and throw the football around with the kids. They got a kick out of Joey when he got down in his three-point stance and growled at the real football players, who must have looked like giants to him. Too bad we didn't get a picture of that! But, we did get a picture of Joey (in the red coat) and his classmates with the Purdue football players back in Nov. 2002. Pretty cool!

Boys of Summer

2009-08-19T18:30:00.005-04:00

Our neighbor Andrius and Joey hanging out in our front yard today after school. Is summer really over? You wouldn't think so by looking at them. The long, lazy days of summer may be past, but the feeling of summer lingers.

Queen of Craigslist

2009-08-18T21:38:00.001-04:00

I am the Queen of Craigslist! Why do I deserve such a title? Well, for starters I listed two desks for sale over the weekend and sold them both yesterday. Plus, I've found furniture on Craigslist that fits perfectly into my plan of changing our downstairs office back into a dining room, all at bargain prices. I rule! (Benevolently, of course.)

However, I do have to revise my top-priority projects list because I found the perfect desk Saturday that was the missing link in our office-back-to-dining-room project. So, we're putting the new sink on hold, because finances are finite. (Did I mention Susan is going back to college? And as we know, money doesn't grow on trees, just hangers.)

Now, most people would probably approach the office-back-to-dining-room project in a practical, step-by-step manner:

Clean out the office roll-top desk.
Find new places to put all the stuff that was in the roll-top desk.
Sell the roll-top desk.
Clean the carpet.
Move the table and chairs currently in the kitchen into the dining room.
Buy a new table and chairs for the kitchen.

But this practical plan (which Rick would prefer) does not take into account the complexities of finding deals on Craigslist. When you find the perfect piece of furniture on Craigslist you have to move quickly, or it's gone. So here are the actual 12 steps I used to tackle the office-back-to dining-room project:

Buy cute wooden kitchen table and six chairs found on Craigslist. I did this back in early June. Rick wasn't too happy because we are storing it all in the garage until the dining room is empty. But the table is just what I wanted and the price was right!
Move files from roll-top desk to upstairs filing cabinet. This took about two weeks because I consolidated, alphabetized and otherwise cleared out some old, dated files. I did not clean out the rest of the desk, because there was no place to put all that stuff.
Determined that the upstairs desk I received as a college graduation present in 1987 was no longer appropriate for functioning as our all-purpose computer and bill-paying desk. Decided to sell it on Craigslist.
Before I could sell the upstairs desk, I needed a replacement desk (can't use the computer when it is sitting on the floor). Started looking for the perfect desk on Craigslist.
Discovered that the variety and quality of desks available on Craigslist in my geographic area is almost infinite. Maybe it has something to do with living in a University town. Decided to hold out for the perfect desk.
Found, purchased and moved the perfect gently-used desk (with chair) on Saturday.
Advertised roll-top and upstairs desks on Craigslist.
Sold upstairs desk to man who traveled all the way from China to purchase it. Well, maybe he traveled from China to attend Purdue, but he was very happy to purchase our desk, and even happier when I told him we would deliver it.
Sold roll-top desk to woman who traveled all the way from Avon to purchase it. Rick delivered it (for a fee) earlier tonight. It can be a very good thing to own a pick-up truck.
Clean dining room (it's no longer an office!) carpet.
Move kitchen table to dining room
Move table from garage to kitchen.

Done! Or, we should be done by the end of the weekend after we've had a chance to clean the carpet. Remember, I have two cats, a dog, an 8-year-old and a teenager. My carpet always needs to be cleaned!

P.S. If anyone else is curious, like my friend Tammy, I walked past the pine tree today and the hanger is gone. Where did it go? I have a few ideas ...

Milestone Monday

2009-08-17T20:24:00.001-04:00

You may be wondering, "Whatever happened to Movie Monday?" It has been on hiatus, and will return soon. But today -- today is Milestone Monday because events over the weekend and on this beautiful Monday have been a series of milestones for my family. I told Susan Saturday, "It's positive change." And, having learned how to be a smart alec from her father, she asked, "Change we can believe in?"

Anyway, here it is, Milestone #1: You've heard me complain about it, you've seen the horrific image and now I have new photographic evidence that miracles do happen. This should give hope to all parents of teenagers, or children who will eventually become teenagers. Susan's bedroom has gone through a transformation that is nothing less than miraculous. It happened Sunday. I haven't seen this much carpet clear of debris in her room for years. Years! You can walk without tripping; you can find stuff; the closet is even organized! I'm still not quite over the shock. (I didn't say it was perfect. She is still, after all, a teenager.) I would like to think she was inspired to take action by what I did Saturday. This is my newly reorganized office with a new chair and desk I discovered on Craigslist and purchased Saturday. My husband and an unsuspecting neighbor pulled and pushed the desk upstairs with much effort and perspiration. It cleared the office doorway by about 1/4 of an inch. We probably shouldn't ask that particular neighbor for another favor anytime soon.

I took the picture from this angle because there is a pile of junk on the other side of the desk that still needs to be dealt with, but still, a vast improvement over what my office looked like prior to Saturday.

And today -- today was Joey's first day of third grade. It is a milestone for him, because in third grade you are allowed to ride your bike to school unsupervised. We live, I don't know, probably less than a mile from his school, so the bike ride takes five minutes at the most. He had his backpack on and a new zip-up sweatshirt (it was hot, but the sweatshirt is cool, dude) and was ready to leave at 8 a.m. The earliest you are supposed to be in the school is 8:30. I stalled him as long as I could, but he left a little after 8:15.

It felt a little strange not dropping him off on my way to work this morning. I told him I will only pick him up after school if there is lightening. A little shower, and he can ride his bike home. I will not miss lining up in the queue of cars and waiting for the final bell to ring signaling the end of school. I may, however, miss making snarky remarks about other parents who let their kids get in and out of the vehicle on the traffic side, talk on their cell phones while driving through the parking lot (while kids dart in and out) and even stop to chit-chat while blocking the rest of us who are trying to drop our kids off and get to work!

Okay, I just took a deep breath. I guess I won't miss the stress of that little morning and afternoon ritual. Hurray for Milestone Monday!

Tomorrow: Home-improvement priorities revised and Mary's personal 12-step program.

Top-Secret Tree

2009-08-14T17:06:00.007-04:00

Do you ever see something when you are out walking around that makes you go (in the words of Arsenio Hall) "Hmmm." I saw this on my way to the Memorial Union yesterday.

In case you can't tell, it's a green plastic hanger hooked on the branch of a tall pine tree. And today, when I walked by and it was still there, I had to take a picture. Who put it there and why? I wondered. And, as usual, I have a few ideas:

It's a welcoming gesture for first-year students who are arriving on campus this weekend. Short on hangers? Here's one just for you.
It's a squirrel trapeze.
It's a chipmunk chin-up bar.
It's the result of top-secret research ... a tree that sprouts hangers. Money doesn't grow on trees, but now we know hangers can!
It's the college equivalent to throwing your combat boots up on the roof. When my husband was about be discharged after three years in the Army, the tradition was to take your extra pair of boots, tie the laces together and throw them up on the barracks roof. Purdue recently held summer commencement ceremonies. Maybe a graduate took his cap and gown off the hanger and left it in the tree as a sign that incoming students will also eventually make it to graduation. It's a hanger of hope.

We'll see if it is still up in the tree, blending in chameleon-like, on Monday. I know you must be as fascinated as I am, so I'll keep you posted.

Making a List

2009-08-12T18:18:00.016-04:00

Now that Rick has survived his epic bike ride and most of the post-event work is done, it's time to get some work done around the house. With all the training Rick had to do, it didn't leave much time for home maintenance. Is there work waiting to be done? Oh, yeah. I have a list:

The front door The paint is peeling and it needs to be repainted. Sounds easy enough, except it was just repainted last year and this time I think we need to scrape and/or sand it before painting. Plus, we have to get the paint color mixed to match.

The window sill, etc. As you can see, Annie likes to look out this window. When she sees another dog or a cat walk by she begins barking and scratching at the window sill, which leaves lovely claw marks. Now, repainting one window sill is not a big deal. But, it's not like the baseboards and other window sills don't need it too (just not quite as badly).

The kitchen light The plastic cover for this light doesn't fasten securely anymore. It was an accident waiting to happen. (Someone slams the door and the light cover falls and shatters all over the stove and possibly in my dinner. Plus, Susan has a history of loose light fixtures falling on her head. Really.) So, for a quick fix, Rick just removed the light cover. Seems like we might want to do something a little more aesthetically pleasing. Soon.

And at the top of the "top-priority projects" is a new kitchen sink. The old one looks so bad, I don't even want to show you a picture. Maybe when we replace it I can post a "before" and "after." Just imagine yucky, gunky build-up all around the seam where the faucet meets the sink.

I'll keep you posted on the projects. I thought if I wrote about them it might give me additional incentive to actually get them done. Or, at least keep pestering Rick until he gets them done. (Not everyone can be management, you know.)

A&Q

2009-08-11T23:19:00.004-04:00

Answers to the first five questions yesterday:

Who showed up at 2:30 a.m. Saturday and began riding, after getting off a plane and driving straight to the event from the airport? -- Michael R.
Who are the only two riders to complete all 300 miles in both 2007 and 2009? -- Rick and Joe
Who ran 10 miles Saturday morning before coming out to ride 90 miles? -- Zane
Who almost got hit by a car that was cutting the corner on Soldiers Home Road at 4 a.m.? -- Rick
Which rider finished 300 miles, then loaded up his backpack and rode his bike home? -- Babu

I don't have the answers to the second set of questions, and apparently neither do you!

Bonus fun fact: Some people were confused and thought that Rick's brother Brian was actually his son. Brian was a 2-month-old at our wedding, so they weren't that far off on the math. Still, kind of funny.

Cycling Q&A

2009-08-10T18:55:00.008-04:00

I'm the kind of person who has a lot of questions constantly bouncing around in my head. When will the economy truly recover? Will Rick and I ever get around to regrouting the tile in the master bath? How did Walk Like an Egyptian make it into the Top 20 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s? I mean, really, how?

But today, my questions center around last weekend's CASA Cycling Challenge I've put them in the form of a Quiz. Take it and see how much you know about the ride, and it's riders:

Who showed up at 2:30 a.m. Saturday and began riding, after getting off a plane and driving straight to the event from the airport?
Who are the only two riders to complete all 300 miles in both 2007 and 2009?
Who ran 10 miles Saturday morning before coming out to ride 90 miles?
Who almost got hit by a car that was cutting the corner on Soldiers Home Road at 4 a.m.?
Which rider finished 300 miles, then loaded up his backpack and rode his bike home?

I'll reveal the answers tomorrow. But, I also have some questions the riders might be able to answer for me, just because they're bouncing around in my brain:

How many medical doctors participated in the event?
How many riders rode 100 miles or more?
Which is hardest to ride in: rain, wind or heat?
About how many calories did the 300-mile riders burn?
What hurt worse, legs or bottom?

If you have any answers (or questions) leave them in the comments below and I promise to answer the first five questions tomorrow.

Success!

2009-08-08T21:19:00.007-04:00

The CASA Cycling Challenge is complete! Rain, strong winds and 90+ degree heat couldn't stop the riders, or the donors. We raised around $22,000 (surpassing our goal of $20,000) and six riders attained their personal goal of riding 300 miles in 25 hours. It was awesome!

Now some people don't believe anyone could ride 300 miles in just over a day. But, Patti O'Callaghan and Donna Osborn stayed up all night with the riders, counting each rider's laps and keeping everyone honest.

We had six riders complete 300 miles, including my husband, shown above as he was finishing the last leg with Andy Hirsch. We had one rider go 275 miles before he hit the wall and called it quits. Another, 210. Many others did not intend to go 300 miles, but pushed themselves to do a century, or more. Everyone rode according to their personal goals, and physical limits.

For example, let's talk about my favorite bikers on the ride (who also happen to be family). Rick rode 300 miles; Susan, 30; Joey, 5; and Brian (Rick's brother) did 60. Apparently youth and cuteness count for something more than miles, because it was Joey who was made it into the newspaper photo from the kick-off event.

Dozens of people worked together to make the event successful, and it's kids who need it the most that will benefit. It was rainy, windy and hot, but all-in-all a beautiful day!

60 miles down, 240 to go

2009-08-07T23:04:00.004-04:00

Just got back from the CASA Cycling Challenge. The solo riders have completed 60 miles, with 240 to go. Yes, they'll be riding all night long. I, personally, will be sleeping very soon. This photo is of the solo riders and the teams (that made it in time for the 5:30 photo). We had some rain, but are hopeful for clear skies tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see. So far $19,000 has been collected for the CASAs for Kids Fund. We're almost there!

Challenge Update

2009-08-05T22:23:00.006-04:00

Today we had our last meeting to get ready for the CASA Cycling Challenge. At the first Challenge we had six riders, including one woman, attempt to ride 300 miles in 25 hours. All six reached the goal. This year we have 10 riders, including two women, who will attempt the Challenge. Will they all make it? We'll find out Saturday night.

Of course, the athletic effort -- while impressive -- is secondary to the fundraising effort, which is nearing the goal of $20,000. The Challenge raises money for the CASAs for Kids Fund, which exists to improve the lives of abused and neglected children in Tippecanoe County. With most rider donations turned in we have raised $16,000 toward the goal! We hope community riders at the kick-off event, and some last minute donations, will help us reach and even surpass that amount.

If you're in the neighborhood and would like to learn more about the CASA program and the CASAs for Kids Fund, come out to the kick-off event at 5:30 p.m this Friday at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in West Lafayette. I'll be there with my kids. And Rick will be there until the last, long mile on Saturday. I hope they all make it, but more importantly, I hope we reach our financial goal. I'll keep you posted!

Imperfect Examples

2009-08-03T22:59:00.007-04:00

Well, I didn't "ask unclutterer" for advice, but I want to thank the authors of that blog for two pieces of advice posted today:

1. You don't have to be perfect. It's not all or nothing. You can still try or participate or enjoy, even if you don't achieve perfection. Who knew?

2. Lead by example. Don't tell people your philosophy, show them by the way you live your life. And I love the Quaker reference, "let your life speak." Perfect.

My own conclusion from these two posts is both obvious and self-serving: when you do try to lead by example, it's okay to be imperfect. Isn't that parenting in a nutshell?

Tote Bags, not Trash Bags

2009-08-02T09:57:00.008-04:00

Have you ever had to pack just a few belongings for a trip to an unknown destination for an unknown amount of time ... in a garbage bag? Unfortunately, kids who are removed from their homes due to suspected abuse or neglect frequently have nothing else to pack their things in other than a plastic garbage bag. We think they deserve better.

If you agree, you can donate a new or gently used (and sparkling clean) tote bag at the CASA Cycling Challenge, coming up this Friday. The bags will be used by children so they can take a few personal items during the very stressful and unsettling time they are removed from home. If reunification with family is possible, children typically progress to overnight visits before returning home to stay. Their tote bags also can be used when they pack their belonging for an overnight or weekend visit.

Trash bags are for trash! Help us show children in need that we value them and their belongings with a simple, sturdy tote bag they can use again and again. Tote bags can be donated any time during the CASA Cycling Challenge, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 7 and concluding around 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8. Or, get the tote bags to me and I would be glad to take them to the event for you. For more details visit the event website here.

Mary's Magic Dryer

2009-07-30T19:46:00.004-04:00

My dryer's new nickname is Houdini. Not only can it make socks disappear, but abracadabra, also odors. The funky smell is gone from my dryer. Completely. Where did it come from and where did it go? I have a few theories:

1. Rick's khaki pants were exposed to some noxious substance when he visited a job site and when combined with heat in the dryer, the pants produced the funky smell. The smell spread to the other clothes as they sat in the dryer together for about 20 hours. Hey, it could happen.

2. A bottle rocket or smoke bomb left over from the 4th of July intentionally or inadvertently made its way into my dryer exhaust vent on the outside of the house and left a lasting and pungent aroma. I'll be keeping an eye on all the neighborhood kids.

3. Maybe Rick's first inclination, to blame Joey, was correct. After all, when something is broken, missing or dirty, Joey is responsible more than half of the time. However, if I remember correctly the last person to use the dryer prior to the funky smell was ... Susan! If you can't pin the blame on one of your kids, try another one.

4. We all know this recession stinks. As payback for my recent penny-pinching ways, the stimulus-plan police looked deep into my bank account and decided I could spare $75.95 for no obvious reason other than to support the local economy. I would have preferred a new outfit, but at least I can say I have done my part.

Maybe one of these theories is the explanation for the elimination of what was a very vexing odor. Or, maybe not. Either way, the laundry train is rolling once again and no animals were harmed in the writing of this post. Time to fold the laundry!

What's that Funky Smell?

2009-07-29T09:51:00.008-04:00

The inside of my dryer, it looks innocuous, even somewhat inviting for that load of laundry fresh from the washer. But looks can be deceiving and inside of my dryer lurks, not clothes-staining crayons, but one extremely funky smell.

It all started Monday night when I dried a load of khaki work pants for Rick. He pulled out a pair to wear Tuesday, and left the rest of the load in the dryer. So Tuesday when I went to the laundry room to deal with the rest of the dry clothes, before I even opened the dryer I was greeted by the aroma of something very foul.

Now as you may recall, dirty clothes and nasty smells are not all that unusual at my house. I have a couple of canvas contraptions that hold dirty laundry, so I began to sniff around to see what was causing the stench. The beach towel that Susan left out in the back yard for a couple of days was a prime suspect, but its scent was pleasantly neutral.

When I opened the dryer, all questions were answered. It smelled like sun-baked road-kill in there. Someone was going to have to investigate further. This looks like a job for Rick! (Because I sure didn't want to be the one to discover a dead animal.) When I shared my discovery with him, he told me he had been smelling something bad at work all day. Turns out it was the khaki pants he was wearing. (We'll have to apologize to Jack who shares his office space.)

Anyway, we worked as a team, with Rick doing all the up-close work, disconnecting the exhaust hose, checking the vent on the outside of the house and even taking the back of the dryer off and reaching blindly into the small opening where the exhaust comes out (yuck!).

But no dead animal, or anything else was found. So, I had to call in a professional. He completely took the dryer apart and found ... nothing but lint. Okay, there were parts of what looked like a beaded earring, a small plastic thing-a-ma-bob and lots and lots of lint. He vacuumed up all the lint, put the dryer back together and gave it a trial run. No smell. He also shared some work-related stories involving a dead pet hamster and an almost dead bird. He was glad he didn't discover anything similar in our dryer.

So where did this mysterious odor come from? Is it gone for good or will it come back? Yes, this post has a cliffhanger. I've rewashed the offending load and am about to dry it. I'll let you know how it all turns out -- tomorrow!

Too Much of a Good Thing

2009-07-27T20:30:00.007-04:00

Today is my birthday and I have a relevant question: When did the tradition of serving cake to celebrate birthdays begin? My guess is it was a long time ago, back when sugar was a scarce commodity. So, having a sweet cake on your birthday was a rare and special treat.

Now, in our era of candy bars, doughnuts, sodas and all manner of sweet junk food, it's not all that special. In fact, today sweets are so prevalent, it might be more unusual to get some fresh fruit on your birthday. Lucky for me, I got both.

My Mom and Dad had us over for dinner Saturday to celebrate my birthday. Mom always makes the best dinners, but my favorite part this time was fresh cantaloupe, strawberries and cherries! Yummy, delicious and nutritious. My only complaint is they also served an extremely moist and rich chocolate cake for dessert. (Yes, I am high maintenance.)

I must admit the cake was extremely tasty, my complaint is they sent all the leftovers home with us, and it's a big cake! Susan just left on vacation with a friend, and she and Rick are the two most suited to excessive cake eating. (Susan is skinny and Rick has been riding his bike so much, he can eat just about anything right now without gaining weight.) But Rick rarely eats sweets (I told you he was weird), and Susan isn't home, so Joey and I will be finishing off the cake, when we could really use the fruit instead.

I hereby proclaim that for all upcoming birthday celebrations I will strive to serve less cake and more fruit. This will be my new mantra: Less cake, more fruit. Less cake, more fruit.

I wonder if saying it will actually help me do it?

Heating and Cooling Tip

2009-07-26T22:01:00.006-04:00

We have lived in our two-story home for nine years now. I love it, but I hate how the upstairs and downstairs are always different temperatures. In the summer, the upstairs is too warm. In the winter, the downstairs is too cool. I figured it was part of living in a two-story house, because as we all know, heat rises. But today I found out the secret to keeping both floors the same temperature. And it works!

Okay, first I should back up. Today was the last day of the annual Parade of Homes in Lafayette. Builders open brand new finished homes for the public to tour, which is a lot of fun for anyone, but if you're looking for a new home, it's particularly informative. Anyway, Rick is on the event committee, so we always try to visit as many homes in the Parade as we can.

We stopped to see some pretty town homes on Happy Hollow Road, right across from the park. (Joey thinks we should move into the red one.) The builder has been one of Rick's friends and customers for a long time. So, when I went in the town home and climbed up to the second floor (living area, dining and kitchen), I didn't notice any change in temperature. Then, when I went up to the third floor (bedrooms), it wasn't even warmer way up there!

I asked Jay if he had separate thermostats for the different floors and he said you just have to close off vents depending on the season. In the summer, close your air conditioning vents on the lower floors and open them on the top floor; in the winter, close the vents on the top floor and open them on the bottom.

Well it not only makes sense (you know, heat rises) but it works. I went around closing all the vents downstairs and making sure all the upstairs vents were open, and the temperature in the house -- for the first time since we moved in -- feels uniform. I love it!

Now, if you already knew this tip. Good for you, and why didn't you let me in on the secret earlier? I'll be sleeping well tonight in my cooler upstairs bedroom. Thanks, Jay!

I Have Strange and Wonderful Children

2009-07-22T12:41:00.009-04:00

Most parents begin to see how their children are unique and as individual as snowflakes from their very first day together. And it has been the same way for me with my children.

Joey. Where can you even start with Joey? He asked again yesterday if it is illegal to have a bad hairdo. I think he is under the mistaken impression that Britney Spears' problems began when she shaved her head. And no, the last time I checked bad hairdos are rampant and sometimes ridiculous, but not illegal.

I peeked into Susan's room this morning before I left on a bike ride, and her bed was empty ... except for a couple of purses, assorted clothes, DVDs and a sleeping dog. I was momentarily alarmed until I saw her sleeping on the floor. She told me later she laid down on the floor next to Emma, our full-figured cat, and decided to sleep down there with her all night.

Emma had discovered an extremely soft blanket on the floor to use as a bed. Susan used a scratchy wool blanket (senior gift from high school soccer) and another blanket with a less-than-pleasing texture. That's a lot of sacrifice for one fat cat!

Last night I played Yahtzee with Susan and Joey. Joey rolled two Yahtzees in one game! Maybe I play with unlucky people, but that's pretty unusual in my experience. The last time we played, Joey rolled a Yahtzee on his very first turn. True story. He is one lucky boy and now officially my Double Yahtzee Boy.

And Susan, well I inadvertently found out about a local scholarship that she was qualified to apply for. I e-mailed her the application and she took it upon herself to request the needed paperwork from IU, fill out the application and write the required essay, all without any prompting from me. When did this whole responsibility thing kick in? I sure didn't see it coming!

So for those of you who are still turning around half-way to soccer practice to go back home and get the cleats your kid forgot (been there), take heart. When you least expect it, they start to grow up. It's strange and wonderful.

Several Small Victories

2009-07-20T21:12:00.002-04:00

Last weekend was wonderful in that I experienced several small victories. First of all, Susan and I completed our R.A.D. class offered at the Purdue University Police Department. It was 12-hours (three days) of instruction on self defense for women, and Friday was our simulated assault training.

There were three scenarios, each one a little more intense than the last. Susan and I learned a lot and were able to draw on that knowledge during the individual simulations. I would recommend the R.A.D. system to any woman to learn both risk reduction and defensive tactics. (And the Purdue police were excellent instructors!) I'm so glad Susan took the class with me.

Another small victory? I rode the CASA 10-mile loop successfully. I turned down all the right roads and found out 750 North is a great road for biking! Victory over my defective sense of direction.

Probably my biggest "small" victory is that I was able to spend several hours working on my screenplay. Rick and Joey went to Tennessee for the weekend, and I went to the library. I spent Saturday morning at the Ivy Tech branch of the county library, my second favorite library for browsing, but my most favorite library for studying. Then Saturday afternoon I went to the Purdue Engineering Library at Potter. Also an excellent studying library, and not as cold as Ivy Tech. Sunday I worked at home (which isn't as good as going to the library, but was the best option considering schedules).

I added a critical scene to my screenplay, made some good changes, and edited the entire thing. Last night I thought of one more fairly major change that will help develop my heroine and add some conflict, but I'm really, really close to being done. Really.

No movie review today. But I do highly recommend both the Ivy Tech and Purdue Engineering libraries, and that's as close to a review as you are going to get.

P.S. Neil Armstrong? Purdue Alum. Walked on the moon 40 years ago today!

Biking Mishap

2009-07-16T21:35:00.010-04:00

Rick knows me too well. Tonight I asked him, "If I told you I had a mishap on my bike ride, what would you think happened? And remember, it's me we're talking about." Now there are a number of things that could go wrong on a typical bike ride:

Flat tire.

Wreck.

Run-in with a crazy driver.

Dog or wildlife encounter.

And the list could go on and on. But, Rick thought for one second and said, "Well, first of all, you got lost." Have I mentioned before that I am directionally challenged? Unfortunately I passed it on to my daughter. She was at McCord's downtown (Main and Sixth) and thought she would walk to the library (a couple blocks over between Sixth and Seventh). She ended up, instead, at the courthouse. I blame myself.

But, I was the one who got lost tonight on the CASA 10-mile route, which I have driven before in a car, and which I actually created a Google map of and posted on the website! I mean, come on! It's got to be a bad gene or something.

The route is basically a square and I am very familiar with three of the four roads, but that fourth road, well I couldn't remember where the turn was. And as I discovered later, it was 750 North where I should have turned not 850 North. Now one mile difference on a bike ride doesn't usually make that much difference to me (okay, two miles round trip) but the difference between 750 North and 850 North is huge when you are on a bike.

Rick chose roads for the CASA route based on mileage and ride-ability. He was looking for smooth surfaces. I think 850 North may be the worst road in Tippecanoe County for bike riding. As soon as I turned on it I began to wonder as I encountered an extremely rough paved surface. Have you ever ridden over rumble strips? It was like that. Then, the pavement gave way to gravel, which then turned back into an extremely rough paved surface, back to gravel, and on and on. I thought I might never see a regular paved road again, when I finally came to the intersection with 100 West. At last!

I guess I was due to get lost because I had called Rick earlier in the day to help me find my way to the house of one of Joey's friends who lives on the far south side of the county. Now, I have been to this kid's house before, probably three or four times. But there is a new road now (231 extension), and that confuses me.

Here is what my conversation with Rick sounded like when I asked for directions:

"Hey, I'm on my way to Sage's house. Do I take the new road?"

"Yes, take the new road. Just stay on River Road."

"Where do I turn?"

"On 800 South."

"Which way?"

"Left."

"Okay, thanks."

Maybe it's time I take advantage of the technology and get a GPS navigation system. And maybe we should get an extra one for Susan.