Backyard Hero

I was given this award 10 or so years ago, and then again this year. Tonight I receive this year's plaque. I appreciate the acknowledgement, but I do not think I would ever associate the word hero with myself. I am a worker bee. I do not inspire people to do great things, I do what I do and hope to have the opportunity to influence others to do the same.

Apathy frustrates me. People who are all talk and no action frustrate me. People who only "go for the glory" aggravate me.

There are way too many people who have thousands of excuses for why they don't get involved, for why they leave things up to other people to do. Pfffffft. I have no time for that, no use for them or their words. I would respect their doing something, but just their words....mean nothing.

When its all said and done, I want to be able to look in the mirror and be proud of what I have done with what I have.

Free Hugs

If you were walking down the street and there was a young man or woman with a large sign that said Free Hugs....would you?

I don't know how I would respond. Physical contact with total strangers is not on my favorite things to do list. But I might stop and talk with them. I might cheer them on, or ask why they were doing what they were.

It was just on the news, and as I listened, I smiled. Its one of those random acts kind of thing. They ended the newsbyte with the fact that the police tried to remove one young man. Thousands of petition signatures kept that from happening.

Good on the huggers and those who supported them. Don't our police have more important things to do with their time than to persecute huggers?

i have been quiet for a while. I am trying to get a handle on why that is, but so far it has eluded me.

I have been busy, selling tees and beads at the college football game (to earn some extra money), went out to lunch with my brother-in-law and niece (niece just started school here), going to the school open house of the buglet, plus all the usual things.

Marveling at the reaction to the spinach issue. Is it so difficult for people to grasp do not eat spinach in a bag. do not eat spinach from an unknown source (which means local growers only, and for Californians...i might even avoid that.) E.coli is a killer, why play with it....

Trying to read, and I have 4 books I have started. None of them are clicking into that "gotta keep reading it" mode. I sense that it is more about my mood.

Small town mentality confuses me. I helped my friend out by working the election in her town after 4 of her election officials ditched...she took some flack from the townies because she had an "outsider" working there (nevermind the countless hours I volunteered there when the tornado hit....I am still an outsider)

People who are intimidated by large vocabularies and intelligent women confuse me. People who do not accept a volunteer gig with the same level of responsibility as a paid job not only confuse me but anger me.

hmmmmmm, I begin to see some of where my strange mood is coming from....

5 years ago

I was driving to work.
Stopped at the Cafe to see what they needed, get my coffee.
Went down to the kitchen.
Heard some commotion on the radio, but I couldnt decipher it.
Fire, plane crash, something weird, but something major.
Got to the kitchen, asked Politician friend what she had heard and she was in the dark as much as I.
Neighboring businesses, people outside talking about the horrible fire in New York.
Finally got the radio tuned to something that would tell us something. OMG
A second plane crashes into the towers.
What is happening.....?

The day is much a blur. We had lunch, watching television on the tv at a local tavern.
Much of the world, silently watching their televisions in shock and horror.
Days of horror, sadness, confusion, heros, tears.

And still we mourn.

Why do YOU volunteer?

Why do people volunteer?
I know why I do, but why do you?

I ask because of a growing frustration with other volunteers. Not all of them. Many are committed and hard working and accept the responsibility of the tasks they take on completely. Then there are some that take on tasks that directly affect the work of others, and do not follow through. The excuses range from "I have a full time job" (so why did you take on something that would conflict with that), to blaming others or just simply not completing the tasks needed. Some people volunteer for the ego trip of "doing something good", some get caught up in their own importance. Some get so impressed with themselves and their role that the only way to stop them from doing real damage is to fire them.

I am frustrated with a board Treasurer who has run amok with power. She took over some tasks when the director was fired, she micromanaged way too many things, but she was a part of keeping the agency open. However there is a new director, and she refuses to let go and just do her job. She has taken vital documents to her home and makes excuses about the fact that she has not turned them back over while she dallies with the information needed to complete the previous year's audit. We are uncovering the poorly managed bits that she did take over (bit by bit). ARG.

She is making me crazy.

The world is INSANE!

Benzene in kids drinks, tiny little countries giving million dollar grants to US cities to help them rebuild after Katrina (and no one talks about it), twenty 16-40yo's gang rape 11yo girl, ABC fictionalizes a movie about 9/11, a law to make necrophilia illegal after teens try to dig up the body of a total stranger to have sex with her body, a calendar of "hunky men of mortuaries".

These are the headlines of the day.

Is there any doubt that the world has gone crazy. I do not remember growing up with these kinds of headlines. I remember growing up with Vietnam and those atrocities, and the space program, Star Trek was big on tv (for me at least).

Maybe I just didn't process the crazier things of the times. Maybe they didn't publicize those things so heavily then.

Some days it just seems that the world has gotten so much uglier, so much scarier. Or was I just oblivious to it before?

The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

The telethon has always meant the end of summer, school starts the next week.

I have been watching this since I was just a kid. One year, I was actually motivated to roam my neighborhood with my little sister and a coffee can with a slot cut out of the top. "Could you help Jerry's Kids?" was what we asked at each door.

I grew up watching the "tote board" numbers increasing, amazed at the dollar amounts. I watched year in and year out. As a young mom, I sometimes watched the whole telethon, feeding children, folding laundry, and sniffling throughout the night and day. My youngest son was born the weekend of the telethon.

To this day, I always take a bit of time to watch some of the telethon. I always end up with tears in my eyes at some point in my watching. And most importantly, I always remember that no matter how miserable I feel, no matter how disadvantaged I feel, I have so much more than some.

It makes me sad though, that for all the money that comes in, and all the research that happens, there is no answer, still. I learned one of the base philosophies that guide my non profit work, from the telethon....the importance of the relationship between monies raised and direct program services vs administrative services.

Crikey

Steve Irwin, an Aussie who gained the attention of television audiences everywhere with his fearlessness in the wild, has met his untimly end. With a uniquely Australian sense of humor, a conservationists focus, and a true love of sharing, he brought native species across the world into our living rooms.

Not since Jaques Cousteau has anyone had the knowledge and the passion to bring the natural but unknown into the lives of everyman. While Cousteau was an obvious scientist, his awe showed through. Irwin never came across as scientific, but his scope of knowldege and love for his subject matter were matched only by his showmanship and passion.

I have read conflicting stories about whether or not his young daughter was with him at the time of his death. If she was, that will be a horrible thing to have to remember, but I have to believe that her parents have taught her the risks of the business as well.

Thank you Steve, for sharing yourself, your family, your love for your subject matter, your Aussie drawl.....you will be missed

Getting OLD

Used to be that I could go until the wee hours of the night. Used to be that I could live on few hours of sleep and still do what needed to be done and more. Used to be . . .

Now I fade early. I can push past the first layer of tired, and move into hyper speed. But I pay for that with down days, and days and days.

I know I put a lot of energy into the summer's events, did the work of two of us and then some. I know I burnt every candle I have at both ends and the middle for about 2 months.

But I should have bounced back. A week of traipsing and touring shouldn't leave me falling asleep in mid-conversation. It shouldn't take me down for 4 days of dragging my tail just to do the very least I need to do.

I am not happy about this.

But, as has been said by others....what is the alternative.

grumble.....grumble....grumble

A Stolen Meme

10 FAVORITES

Favorite Color: periwinkle
Favorite food: lobster tail with drawn butter
Favorite month: October
Favorite song: Canon in D
Favorite film: Dirty Dancing (at the moment)
Favorite sport: synchronized swimming
Favorite season: Fall
Favorite day of the week: Tuesday
Favorite ice cream flavor: Amaretto
Favorite time of day: night

9 CURRENTS

Current mood: tired
Current taste: chocolate
Current clothes: black shorts, red tank top, tan denim over-shirt
Current desktop: watercolor sunset in pinks and lavenders
Current toenail color: natural always
Current time: 7:53p
Current surroundings: office
Current thoughts: what will i make for dinner?
Current company: my own

8 FIRSTS

First best friend: Mary Julick (grade 1)
First kiss: Dan
First female lover: Sandy
First screen name: kc
First pet: black cat
First piercing: ears
First crush: Mimi
First CD: (or "45") Time of the Season

7 LASTS

Last Cigarette: sigh-too recent
Last Drink: Last Saturday
Last Car Ride: this afternoon
Last Kiss: let's not go there
Last Film Seen: Brother Bear 2
Last Phone Call: Dawnne
Last CD played: the iPod eliminated CD's

6 HAVE YOU EVERS

Have You Ever Dated One of Your Best Girl/Guy Friends: mmhmmm
Have You Ever Broken the Law: I have a Lead foot
Have You Ever Been Arrested: no
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: no
Have You Ever Been on TV: yes
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: no

5 THINGS

Thing You Are Wearing: Punamu (river jade) pendant
Thing You've Done Today: blogged
Thing You Can Hear Right Now: Iron Chef America
Thing You Can't Live Without: music
Thing You Do When You're Bored: read

4 PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY

1. Katie's housewarming party
2. the back deck
3. the office
4. the kitchen

3 PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AT YOUR DINNER TABLE (DEAD OR ALIVE)

1. JULIA CHILD
2. MAYA ANGELOU
3. LINDSEY WAGNER

2 CHOICES

Black or White: black
Hot or Cold: cold

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE

Travel the world

Long Weekends

I am not sure about long weekends anymore. When I was younger they were all about more time with the kids, no school and no work. The older I get, the less impact they have on my reality. I can read a book, wander the internet, write something or watch home improvement channels on tv (or the food network).

This long weekend has been spent vegitating because its the first one in a long time where there were no "have to's". Having the tail end of vacation added to the beginning of the long weekend is a bit disconcerting because yesterday felt like it was Sunday.

Ok, I am a bit strange. But I do not always think about the differences between when I was young and now. Just when the pace lets up, or when the pace does me in. Then I feel OLD. Otherwise I don't think about it.

Birthday Calculator

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

15 March 1955

Your date of conception was on or about 22 June 1954 which was a Tuesday.

You were born on a Tuesday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 11.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 3 & 6.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 9.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2435181.5.
The golden number for 1955 is 18.
The epact number for 1955 is 6.
The year 1955 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 1/24/1955 and ending 2/11/1956.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Goat.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Pachons, the first month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 21 AdarI 5715.

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 10 April 1955.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 17 April 1955.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 23 February 1955.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 29 May 1955.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 5 June 1955.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 17 September 1955.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 7 April 1955.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 22 February 1955.

As of 9/1/2006 12:56:10 PM EDT
You are 51 years old.
You are 618 months old.
You are 2,685 weeks old.
You are 18,798 days old.
You are 451,164 hours old.
You are 27,069,896 minutes old.
You are 1,624,193,770 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Caitlin Wachs (1989) Sean Biggerstaff (1983) Joe Hahn (1977)
Eva Longoria (1975) Mark Hoppus (1972) Fabio (1961)
Sly Stone (1944) Phil Lesh (1940) Judd Hirsch (1935)
Harry James (1916) Macdonald Carey (1913) Samuel 'Lightnin'' Hopkins (1912)
Andrew Jackson (1767)

Top songs of 1955
Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing by Four Aces The Yellow Rose of Texas by Mitch Miller
Autumn Leaves by Roger Williams Learnin' the Blues by Frank Sinatra
Ain't That a Shame by Fats Domino Moments to Remember by Four Lads
I Hear You Knocking by Gale Storm A Blossom Fell by Nat King Cole

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 7.3573385518591 years old. (You old hound dog, you!)


There are 195 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 52 candles.

Those 52 candles produce 52 BTUs,
or 13,104 calories of heat (that's only 13.1040 food Calories!) .
You can boil 5.94 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1955 there were approximately 4.0 million births in the US.
In 1955 the US population was approximately 150,697,361 people, 50.7 persons per square mile.
In 1955 in the US there were approximately 1,667,231 marriages (11.1%) and 385,144 divorces (2.6%)
In 1955 in the US there were approximately 1,452,000 deaths (9.6 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1955 the population of Australia was approximately 9,311,825.
In 1955 there were approximately 207,677 births in Australia.
In 1955 in Australia there were approximately 72,172 marriages and 6,724 divorces.
In 1955 in Australia there were approximately 82,036 deaths.


Your birthstone is Aquamarine

The Mystical properties of Aquamarine

Aquamarine is often used to experience love and mercy. It is said to help ease depression and grief.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
Jade, Rock Crystal, Bloodstone

Your birth tree is
Lime Tree, the Doubt
Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.


There are 115 days till Christmas 2006!
There are 128 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waning gibbous.

Sister Act 2

No matter how many times I see this movie, I end up teary-eyed. I am not sure why but the combination of music and youth overcoming odds is always a good formula for tears for me.

Another Meme - One Word

One Word for -

1. Yourself: unsettled
2. Your family: unique
3. Your hair: grey
4. Your Mother: unparalleled
5. Your Father: inconsequential
6. Your favorite item: ipod
7. Your dream last night: didn't
8. Your favorite drink: caffine
9. Your dream home: someday
10. The room you are in: office
11. Your pleasure: entertaining
12. Your fear: poverty
13. Where you want to be in ten years: settled
14. Who you hung out with last night: no one
15. What you're not: wealthy
16. Your best friends: fit
17. One of your wish list items: travel
18. Your gender: female
19. The last thing you did: blog
20. What you are wearing: denim
21. Your favorite weather: fall
22. Your favorite book: impossible
23. Last thing you ate: bagel
24. Your life: chaotic
25. Your mood: tired
26. The last person you talked to on the phone: friend
27. Who you are thinking about right now: Bug

Tag - you're all it, too!!