Embrace The Suck

"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap." Carrie Snow Here we are half-way through the month of May and I'm still not finished with April's ABC project. There was a time in my life when I truly believed that I was not only self-motivated, but that I could take down an octopus when it came to a multi-tasking contest. Ha! Those were the days my friend. Today, as you have sadly noted, I'm more of a starter than a finisher. In this case, I have a wee bit of an excuse. About the time I was going to write my last alphabet post, we had another medical emergency that led to four days in the hospital. The last time I kept bedside watch I was able to pick up wireless signals and maintain my finally honed writing schedule. Alas, while the hospital is undergoing a management change, there is no computer service for guests. (Hospital guests! Like people go to there for a vacation, perhaps expecting chocolates on their pillow instead of IV fluids hanging from a bag...

"Whenever it is in any way possible, every boy and girl should choose as his life work some occupation which he should like to do anyhow, even if he did not need the money." William Lyon Phelps If I had posted all these alphabet musings as I had planned, I would have been long finished by the time a particular news item that caught my attention came along. I'm still a day or two late, but as you've probably guessed by now, that's what I call close enough! Since my children are well grown and much more career oriented than me, I was unaware of the recent passing (4/28/08) of National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day (TODASTWD). Since 1993, when the Ms Foundation began a program to encourage young girls to spend time with their working parent(s) so she could get a more realistic idea of career choices than those the Barbie had to offer, the 4th Thursday in April has been designated Take Our Daughters To Work Day. Then, in an age of political correctness, the...

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." Jimmy Johnson (American football coach and broadcaster) I've been wracking my brain for "x" words and not having much luck. Oh sure, there is the obvious "x"ylophone, followed closely by the somewhat familiar "X"erox, and "X"erxes. These are perfectly good words, I just don't have much to say about them. For some people "a little dab will do ya." For me, however, in most cases I usually want a little eXtra. Such as: an eXtra scoop of ice cream an eXtra 10% off an eXtra hour's sleep an eXtra long, hot shower eXtra lights on the Christmas tree eXtra ice in my tea eXtra quilts on my bed someone who goes the eXtra mile an eXtra long walk on the beach eXtra scary mysteries when I'm not alone an eXtra encore eXtra fragrant purple roses eXtra thin spaghetti eXtra chocolaty brownies eXtra room in an airplane seat eXtra room in the waistband of m...

"A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer. " Author Unknown When I was a kid the only early morning TV programming available to watch while I ate my Cheerios was Captain Kangaroo. Bob Keeshan, who over the years grew into his white haired, big pocketed persona, introduced me to some of my favorite books (Stone Soup, The Story of Ping, Mulligan and His Steam Shovel) as well as Mr. Moose and Mr. Greenjeans. It was a simpler, cornier time. Fast forward to the 1970's. When my kids were young, the Children's Television Network was still a novelty, not the staple on which children were raised. Like a lot of kids who grew up with muppet friends named Oscar, Bert and Ernie, they looked forward to life on Sesame Street. They danced with Elmo, recited numbers with the Count and memorized letters of the alphabet with Big Bird. It's no surprise that one of the letters that made a big impression in our house was W. W was for W-w-w-Willamina. "Willamina likes to w...