tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80472055784815667732024-02-19T00:59:00.278-08:00The Erudite Lit-iteAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.comBlogger598125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-36610560601133832402020-06-23T18:00:00.001-07:002020-06-23T18:00:32.545-07:00Babies and animals and nesty thingsBig announcement, folks. BIG announcement: I think we're expecting babies. Plural. All at once. <br />
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In a nest.<br />
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I've been all enamored of our mama robin building her nest in a prime tree right in front of chair on the porch, which is my favorite reading spot this summer so far. It's all wild life-y at that spot. And me heart is a wee lot bit sad because this prime real estate is looking half dead this year, and the birds love this joint, I tell you. <br />
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We have Chippy the chipmunk, who is a whiz I tell you at stuffing his cheeks and spitting out those seeds before scurrying off for me in a mere blink of an eye. We've had a few bonding moments where we stare deeply into each other's (beady) eyes. <br />
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We have Herman the hairy woodpecker, who (as it turns out) makes a delightful cheep-y sound in between whacks against the tree trunk. <br />
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We have the sparrow gang who flocks together and nests in some tall evergreen trees just around the side of the house. It turns out that they're little thieves who tried to raid Mama Robin's nest (somewhat successfully) as it was a work in progress. It turns out that Mama Robin has some gutsy moves and is at least twice their size. Her nest was well defended.<br />
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We have the darling finches that hop around in the very tippy tops of the tree and belt out the sweetest staccato chirps. They are flashy and everyone's friend.<br />
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We have the wreniest little wrens twittering around. These eensie little birds pack a mighty wallop of noise in their little throats. <br />
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And, (as of today) we have Moliere, a friendly little dude with admittedly lousy eyesight. This little mole champ practically trundled across my foot in his cute-y little way.<br />
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There's a lot of cute-y-ness going on around here.<br />
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Which leads us back to those tiny, tiny little eggs. I. Can't. Wait. They are my bright spot, or will be once they are there are opening and cheepy and sending me into gaggles of joy and delight. Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-15061345637794040422020-06-05T18:16:00.003-07:002020-06-05T18:16:44.746-07:00Today, I choseFollow-up bit on the previous post (<a href="http://eruditelitite.blogspot.com/2020/05/itspuzzling.html">It's...puzzling</a>): Finding puzzles right now is harder than finding a chicken with teeth. Also, I like a certain kind of puzzle and have spent probably far, far too long trying to land on one that is actually available, especially when it takes a sweet forever to sift through the hundreds if not thousands of entries on an indie bookstore's site when you search for "puzzles." I haven't yet figured out a better way to do this.<br />
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Now, a brief spot of happy(er) news: My library is open again for curbside pick-up! Oh the joy that thoroughly filled my hands, heart and soul as I (first) danced enthusiastically around the room with The Elder and (second) quickly added almost 30 books to my holds list. The joy that oozed out of that email announcing I had books to pick up was real and true and good. The timing of this was also primo as I was rapidly, <i>rapidly </i>adding more titles to my To Be Read list following all of the everything that my eyes, ears and brain have been grappling with of late. <br />
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Good timing, indeed. By happenstance when the library opened again, I had <i>Beloved </i>by Toni Morrison up next in my physical hands to read. And then I quickly had several necessary books available to me immediately from the library. Book serendipity is truly magical and while the content has not been exactly what I would call "a delight," it has been <i>a delight </i>to immediately follow <i>Beloved </i>with <i>Eloquent Rage </i>by Brittney Cooper and then <i>Me and White Supremacy: Combat racism, change the world, and become a good ancestor </i>by Lalya F. Saad this week. The serendipity grows deeper because all of these threads came together at the same time as I had a couple of days a-l-o-n-e in the house. Let me repeat it for those of you who think you misread: I had a full 54.5 hours alone by myself and in my house where my favorite reading places happen to be. I wedged another book in there as well (a bit of recon work that was a laughable clunker), but all in all was able to focus and spend honest-to-goodness time with reading.<br />
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I did virtually no work around the house in that time, which just goes to show that sacrifices were made to ensure that I had optimal reading time.<br />
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Good inter web folks: It was mind boggling how immediately relevant <i>Beloved </i>struck me. This is a book about escaped slaves set in the mid-1800s. Woe unto us that this book is still needed as part of our cultural conversations. Both Cooper's and Saad's books discuss events that <i>should be </i>outdated. But are not. WOE UNTO US THAT THIS IS THE CASE. <br />
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My heart has been heavy and beyond words. My heart has been convicted in reading Cooper and Saad...convicted in the best, most necessary ways. My heart needs to learn more. <br />
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I have been taking notes and looking ahead to the start of the next school year when we will in some capacity come together again to talk race and lenses and Otherness in my literature and writing classes. It has always been there. I'm anxious to use my time right now to find more and better and applicable tools to use RIGHT NOW with my students. <br />
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I <i>strongly </i>urge you to read Cooper and Saad. To seek out <i>Men We Reaped </i>by Jesmyn Ward and <i>Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption </i>by Bryan Stevenson and <i>Motherhood So White: a memoir of race, gender and parenting in America </i>by Nefertiti Austin and <i>Brown Girl Dreaming </i>by Jacqueline Woodson and <i>The Nickel Boys: A Novel </i>by Colson Whitehead. To read along with me and challenge me and convict me. To do better.<br />
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Saad makes a point that we are none of not racist. Rather, the goal is to chose anti-racism each day. We have a lot of work to do and this seems like the right time to do it. Today, I thought consciously about it and chose anti-racism. I invite you to do the same. Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-77074359864433357822020-05-09T18:26:00.000-07:002020-05-09T18:27:21.102-07:00It's...puzzling<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Good people, I enjoy a good puzzle. The Younger and I are copacetic this way. A couple of weeks ago, I was in need of a puzzle diversion and gifted myself the chance of putting together this puzzle first…even though I had given it to The Boy for Christmas (and he hadn’t opened it yet). Nailed it in three days. (The Younger helped with a few pieces here and there.)<o:p></o:p><br />
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In this last puzzle adventure, I realized something key to my puzzling exploits: It matters what the picture on the puzzle <i>is</i>. I enjoy vibrant colors (like this one) with symmetric shapes (like this one) over buildings or people (like this one…doesn’t have). And now that I figured out my sweet spot in puzzles and am ready to treat myself to a new one, they’re harder to find than someone holding a 3-pack of yeast in one hand 12 rolls of Charmin in the other. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Couple this with my preference to throw my dollars toward an indie bookstore to find my next puzzle instead of to Ye Olde Amazon, and this has become quite the questy challenge. Where is the outrage and backlash and people throwing shade at others who are hoarding all of the beautiful puzzles? <o:p></o:p></div>
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On the bright side: It’s a good time to be a maker of puzzles, I believe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No matter the circumstances, it’s always delightful to find something particularly enjoyable when you’re not really expecting it. Another new development in the regular routine is that the girls are old enough for The Boy and I to leave them home alone for short amounts of time while they’re occupied with certain activities that tend to be all consuming. This may be quite the head scratcher that it took us this long to figure this whole aspect of parenting out, but our children are just fine by themselves while we run a mile or two together. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I mean, if my children are able to multiply fractions and figure out the order of operations for a multi-step math problem, they can probably figure out how to stay alive for a few minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Boy doesn’t run as often as I do or for as long as I do, but we’ve been able to manufacture some pleasant chats in the nicer weather with some regularity now. Lo and behold, it makes running a wee bit more delightful. This boy is still a keeper.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You know what else is a keeper? My children once went for over a week during these past since mid-March without whining about dinner even once. I kid you not…we’re got up to around 9 dinners in a row. Who knew that they each had it in them <i>all at the same time</i>? It was a precious time of zen (and good conversation).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Folks. My children nailed it, despite having 2 potential dinner offerings to unravel them (i.e. we dared to try new things). And then they scorned my D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S from scratch lemon cake, which I offered up as a big old, sweet HOOZAH! And they turned it down. They are heathens. Still keepers, too…but heathens.</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-42345862915821308982020-04-05T17:41:00.002-07:002020-04-05T17:41:30.122-07:00WhiplashIn the spirit of full disclosure, this post is eventually going to end up talking about the sweetest pair of finches (warning). But first (with a lot of capitalization because all of the feels right now)...<br />
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Can we just talk about the whiplash (of course)? Also, I haven't blow dried my hair for around 3 weeks now and probs don't have to for another 15. It's quite a weird feeling walking out of your job on March 13 and then find out later that you won't be back until the end of July. Perhaps this is something like what going into labor early feels like.<br />
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Let us not fall too far into the words before we pause for a moment of silence that the library is closed for <i>at least </i>another 2 weeks. How does one prepare for this catastrophe? We hoarded and stockpiled a solid 2-3 weeks worth of reading material and now we're either a) going to go rogue or b) blow the budget on supporting independent bookstores. Actually, it's really more of c) a little bit of both A & B. <br />
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For those of you who have wondered through my house and have gazed upon our bookshelves and thought to yourself "Why in the world does this erudite lit-ite person have oh, so many John Grisham books?" For such a time as this, folks. For such a time as this. <br />
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(I've been stockpiling these books for about 2 decades AND IT'S ALL PAYING OFF. Also, I read a 400+ Grisham thriller in 2 days. That's crazy fast for me. Meanwhile, today I have struggled to keep my attention on 60 pages of Alice Walker. Sometimes Walker speaks words of truth and I will carry on to the end of this one, but sometimes life demands all of the Grisham because ESCAPISM IS OKAY.)<br />
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My child "has no books to read" even though I'm looking side eyed right now at about 8 that we snagged from the library the very day before it went under for the season. My child. She has some ability to be exclusive about some books and then decides other perfectly lovely books fall under the category of "I want to read these, but I really want <i>you </i>to read them to me." Positive: YES, PLEASE. I love reading out loud to them still. Negative: My child is at times bouncing around the house like a listless pinball at times.<br />
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BOOKS & CARBS. That is what we are collectively running on for hours at a time throughout our days. But the sun and the springtime have also been poking us hard in the ribs time and again these past few weeks and we laugh out loud and shout "You got us again today, sun & springtime!" When, oh when have the sun and the springtime been more definitively needed and outright worshiped? We have filled our lungs with crisp, sunny air. We have been cataloguing the burgeoning leaves with pictures on the phone so that we can flip through them quickly and watch the leaves emerge. We have been glorying in the daffodils that always seem to surprise us in the various clusters around the house. We have been playing game after game after game of monkey-in-the-middle because when we live on a cul-de-sac and there is only one other house with young children in our vicinity, we basically get the run of the place. And to this, we shout AMEN.<br />
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I have also wondered a half dozen or so times now why, oh why in the name of all that is good and right in this world do people <i>enjoy </i>running outside? There are hills. There is wind. There is sticky humidity at times. What genetic malformation do I have that I prefer a treadmill please and thank you and please turn on the HGTV so that I can forget that I'm running between commercials? <br />
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Then The Boy ran with me today in so far as we shuffled along at his slow rate because he is <i>sloooow </i>right now. It's not like I'm fast, but I quickly realized that this would not be one of those times where I huff "I'm about to die" as he defaults to coach mode. (This has happened.) But this was one of those blessed afternoons where time slipped by and it was so nice just to chat (which you can do if you're running at a pace where even the neighborhood dachshunds were gaining on us). Truth be told, this was the first time since The Elder was born that we went out for a jog through the neighborhood together because we've never felt capable of leaving the girls behind for 30 or 40 minutes. But they were busy and The Elder has been staying home all school year for varying lengths of time by herself and today was the day. We tested the waters a week ago with a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood. Today started as a 2-mile run that ended up being almost 5 for me. The Boy maxed out at 3 and beat me home. And then my children locked me out of the house because they're funny.<br />
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Also, do you know what quanrantining does to a family? It causes the mother to insist on taking everyone out for ice cream (curbside service, folks) followed by sitting in the car in a sunny parking lot while The Younger nibbling ever so slowly on her 1 scoop and The Elder criticizing the same benevolent mother's choice of wearing the-perfect-quarantine-daily-outfits-ever. I have finally culled my wardrobe to a handful of perfect t-shirts, perfect running (and all-day) leggings, and the perfect hits-in-all-the-right-places-while-also-being-the-perfect-length sweater. The Elder thinks I look ridiculous apparently. I'm just gathering pictoral evidence on her daily attire so that way we can revisit this conversation in 5-ish years. I'm patient.<br />
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And so there you are: a bunch of whiplash. Much like this bunch of sentences, we're all over the place of late. But the girls have never been better friends, the sun has never seemed sunnier, and we have a pair of darling finches building a nest in a tall pine tree shrubbery thing outside windows that I look out a lot of late. I don't love the shurbbery, but it's ideal for nesting bird-o-s, like the fab pair of cardinals who hatched a sweet little chickie last summer. I have never studied the finches much before, but they're hard to miss as they bring back bits of nesting material (while Papa Finch keeps guard way up on the tippy-top of the shrubby thing) and since they hang out a lot in my very favorite tree. Just hanging out. As we all are. Yet they are adorable. <br />
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I, however, brought 24 mini croissants, 2 loaves of sourdough bread, and 1 bag of enormous soft pretzels into this house today. I am not adorable (ask The Elder). I am carb loading. And I am carb loading while chasing patches of sunshine around the house while clutching book candy to me. This may very well be what life is meant to be right now. Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-59175351639759190632020-02-24T18:20:00.003-08:002020-02-24T18:20:51.311-08:00Guys. It's been a month.News: Guys. It's been a month.<br />
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Better news: Guys. It's OK.<br />
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Yesterday, we enjoyed breakfast church with our burgeoning ELCA congregation. It basically includes ALL SORTS of breakfasty goodies (i.e. loads of delish carbs) and conversation in small communities sprinkled about the space. There's a Gospel reading for us to share in community, the wine & bread to pass in community, and time to share highs & lows with people who are fundamental in grounding us for another week. <br />
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Lemme say again: Guys. It's been a month. A challenging one at times -- nothing extraordinary or shocking. Just plenty of opportunity for wallowing and time in the pit. <br />
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In short(ish), my last living grandparent died, though not unexpectedly, at the beginning of the month and there has been some ensuing hurt and such. On the same day that The Boy's cousin (of whom he was not particularly close) also chose to end his life. This cousin's brother did the same in early December. That family unit is <i>hurting </i>right now. Each of my brothers have had a child suffering from a bout with pneumonia in the past week on top of the general pink eye/colds/sinus infection germs that are plaguing their houses. My brother's beloved 3-year dog is struggling against a disease that is life threatening, and while it's a pet, there's still a hurt there. The Boy is slowly crawling out from his own week of persistent hacking and discomfort. The days have been incredibly February-ish: dark, dull, and dreary.<br />
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Yet as the highs and lows were being shared around the community table at church and before my turn came, I mentally prepared my own subsequent answers and realized I had several highs to choose from. An abundance. Unfairly. <br />
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1. We had a short week of school, and at this time of year, that's a blessing.<br />
2. I had finished a couple of books lately, and since they were decent / good ones, that feels like a smushy richness of time.<br />
3. I snagged one of the foster babies in our community congregation. She's 4-months but shaped like a 2-month old. She has the best eye lashes, and she was deliciously squishy and snuggly. I got to give her a bottle and gently noodge her back to sleep. That is pretty bliss-y.<br />
4. There was sun, and loads of it. That is enough on many a day. This is the week's high that I choose to share (which was summarily met with hearty head nods and "Ooooh, yes!" by other members of my community table).<br />
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Just the day before, I needed to make a trip that was a bit of a drive and took me through a 90-mile chunk of rural Indiana. While I don't mind driving with a purpose, I'm not much for enjoying a drive through barren fields without a purpose, but hand me some good podcasts or an audio book, a plan, and a quiet, sunny morning, and I'm all in. Along the way, I found a field of windmills (expected -- I've driven by this often), a 1.3 mile stretch of state highway with bumper to bumper pick-up trucks on <i>both </i>sides of the road for a Saturday morning auction (unexpected -- this isn't usually my jam and I can't say that I've ever been to one of these or have ever driven by one), and a boy in the yard beside a farmhouse systematically whacking a tree with a long stick (quasi-expected -- what else might one do with one's time on a sunny, warm enough February morning in rural-ville?). <br />
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So for a month which had plenty of moments where I too could happily whack a tree with a long stick, I'm still going to choose the sunshine. My word but that sunshine felt <i>great</i>.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-3720995099572760572020-01-31T11:21:00.001-08:002020-01-31T11:21:36.596-08:00Relaxing? Mothering? It's All of the Above.
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been all mother-y lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems that my relationship with my kids is
in a shifting point, and there’s a whole lot of new stuff that we’re exploring
in that realm right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s odd to
feel NEW<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>about mothering after a
decade of experience in this role, but lemme tell you that this is so for me
right now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Big picture, my time is also just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">different </i>right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the
first time since before I started grade school way back in 2007, I don’t have
a-n-y professional outside requirements on my time other than my full-time
gig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re four weeks into the semester
and it still feels odd to have nothing that I have to work on at nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One might think that this feels like a breath
of fresh air, a break in the stress even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One might not know me well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t feel comfortable in extended periods of whatever you
might want to call this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A term like “free
time” springs to mind, I guess.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note that I didn’t say “I’m not good at this…” or “I hate
this…” but rather “I don’t feel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">comfortable</i>…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a part of me that does truly delight
in the possibility of calm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there’s
also a decided part of me that feels all itchy and discombobulated all up in my
psyche.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though I full support this
time for deep breaths and good books as a boon to my mental health, I don’t
necessarily always enjoy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Case in point:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
much care for sweet potatoes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, when
my child is watching me, I choke those mushy bits down because I recognize
their value and want to promote that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A different aspect of my free bird status right now is that I
feel even more particularly tuned in to the aspect of mothering, and hear me
out on this – I don’t feel compelled to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be
</i>more motherly but rather I’m more hyper aware of mothering.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Elder is heading off to middle school next semester and I’m
fully aware of any number of ways that this will change our relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a bit more zen with work is enabling me
to truly enjoy some mother-y things with her, and due to some schedule changes
this school year, I often get a bit of time in the afternoons where it is just
her and I alone together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not
implying that we’re braiding each other’s hair on the regular; we often are spending
that time just co-existing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
opportunities for low pressure conversations are more readily available, and it’s
delightful to just be a physical presence in her space when she is recalibrating
from the emotions of her day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Younger has a feisty streak, it turns out, which became
rampantly present when she was five. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up
to that point, she had been a pretty chill kid, but some burgeoning
independence at that point in her life activated a need to be more dominant and
proactive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This kid is a cuddle bug at
heart whereupon nearly everything can be fixed with presence and touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These same schedule shifts this school year
have enabled me to engage with this child more independently because I am not
shorting the Elder, who has also been afforded her time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, just this week, The Younger had an
expander installed to start correcting a significant over bight concern;
nothing screams “YOU’RE A MOTHER!!” like forcing your hand into your child’s
mouth to floss really difficult to reach spots and expand their jaw one crank
at a time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe it’s the season which is encouraging this level of
introspection, but I blame it on not quite having enough to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’m sure not going to fill my time with
cleaning more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So bring on the books (I
read 13 in January so far with another one all primed to finish today) and the
mounds of blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I’m also falling asleep by 8:30 every night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That does make it harder to actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">read </i>the books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bring it, 2020.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-32787682330495442602019-12-27T19:20:00.000-08:002019-12-27T19:20:05.000-08:00A Bookish Best YearPeople: I'm watching a movie. Not only that, it's the 2nd one in the space of a week. I've now increased my movie watching for the year by 200%. <br />
<br />
So, I'm watching <i>Footloose</i> for the first time ever and THIS IS KIND OF A WEIRD MOVIE. Why does high-schooler-Kevin-Bacon have professional gymnast moves and why are the parallel bars something high schoolers would be using in gym class? Whoa...body doubles. Why does he wear a tie on his first day at a new school? Why does the insult that he flings back to the cowboy-hat-wearing Willard in the hallway make them become friends? Why is Ariel such a jerk? <br />
<br />
Also, this is the first movie I have seen where there's a game of chicken being played out using John Deere's set to <i>I Need a Hero </i>(which Kevin Bacon wins because his shoelace gets stuck and he can't stop...???). This contrasts directly with one of the final scenes on the <i>other </i>movie I just watched Danny (i.e. John Travolta) fills in at a drag race and wins...but in a cooler kind of <i>grease</i>-r way.<br />
<br />
Also (again): product placement. Did Coke pay a boatload of money at the people who made this movie? <br />
<br />
I'm also not entirely sure why Ren move to this no-dancing-uber-conservative-anti-Vonnegut-Midtown-city? I'm (mostly) watching and am confused.<br />
<br />
I'm getting all distracted. I really wanted to talk about my G-O-O-D-B-O-O-K year. This is the first year of my life where I've kept track of how many books I've read, not really with a particular goal in mind but wanting to get as close to 100 as possible.<br />
<br />
I decided to include audio books in my tracking as well, and here's whatI learned about my reading life:<br />
<br />
1. I don't generally like audio books all that much. The narrator really has to be compelling, which adds another elements to whether or not I like a book.<br />
<br />
2. I read more than I really thought that I would.<br />
<br />
3. I like mysteries a lot, and I can't keep going until I talk about a new devotion to Louise Penny and the Three Pines mysteries. Oh, that there was this was a real town and I would take me to there. Other than the alarmingly high rate of murder happening, this place is idyllic, which, frankly, makes for some compelling murdering to happen. My favorite: all of them that I've read so far (5) but you have to read them in order<br />
<br />
4. I read more books set in Australia than I ever have before. So, that was unexpected. I understand why Liane Moriarty is crazy popular, though she's not ever going to be close to a favorite for me. Her chapters tend to end on cliffhangers. A lot. However, she makes up for a bunch with cleverness in the plot. My favorite: <i>What Alice Forgot</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>5. </i>Tana French is another famous and wildly popular mystery writer that I'll explore more, I've no doubt, but right now I'm less of a fan. Bonus: You can read the Dublin murders in any order.<br />
<br />
6. I really appreciate a clever story, no matter the genre. One of my favorites of the year that I wasn't expecting to want to read: <i>The Whisper Man </i>(trigger warnings with this one)<br />
<br />
7. It's hard to write a clever non-fiction story. I keep getting pulled into these non-fiction books that are often just...not.<br />
<br />
8. My favorite author of the year: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie -- <i>Americanah</i>, <i>The Purple Hibiscus</i>, <i>Half of a Yellow Sun</i>, "<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story">The Danger of a Single Story</a>"<br />
<br />
9. I make time for reading at the beginning and end of every day. This is imperative. Be good to yourself.<br />
<br />
10. Frederick Backman, another favorite of the year: <i>A Man Called Ove</i>, <i>Britt-Marie Was Here</i>, <i>Beartown</i>, <i>Us Against You</i>, and <i>Things My Son Needs to Know about the World</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Next year, I'm changing my tracking method <i>and I'm teaching less</i>, which means yes, I do believe I can reach that pure 100.<br />
<br />
YEAR END TOTALS: 82 physical books (though I know I'll finish the 2 that I'm currently reading with an outside shot at finishing a 3rd before the end of the year) + 12 audio books<br />
<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-34865889711674093872019-11-30T18:57:00.001-08:002019-11-30T18:57:11.716-08:002 Things I learned This ThanksgivingFolks, I've been feeding-myself-every-day-all-on-my-own-adulty for 15 years now. In preparation of this shift from kinda-sorta-adulty to full-on-adulty, I went through a lot of my mom's recipes and copied out a bunch of my favorites. This has been invaluable, of course, but also somewhat fruitless. I've learned two things from that:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Even if I have Mom's recipes, my food still tastes like my food and her food still tastes like hers. I don't entirely know how that works.</li>
<li>I've only ever needed a handful of those favorites because I virtually cycle through the same twenty over and over again.</li>
</ol>
One of those essentials that I made sure I got was my mom's / grandmother's pie crust recipe because <i>pie crust is death</i> and I don't love me pie crust, generally, but this one works for me. I've made at least one pie a year ever since this advent of adulting, and this is the <i>only </i>pie crust I have ever made. So on the minimum, I've used this pie crust recipe <i>at least fifteen times</i>. NEVER ONCE have I enjoyed making it. NEVER ONCE have I felt confident in my pie crust making abilities. MORE THAN ONCE I have owned my inability to do much with the pie realm.<br />
<br />
And here we go...FIFTEEN YEARS LATER, I figured out what the hooey is the problem. People: I copied the ding dang recipe wrong. How, might we ask? What, perchance did I copy incorrectly? Well. The recipe that I wrote down has 3 cups of flour, 1 bar of butter (cold, not melted), 1 egg, a pinch of salt, and 1 T of vinegar. Where is the liquid, one might wonder. It took me FIFTEEN YEARS to figure this out after grumbling my way through this recipe over and over and over. So this Thanksgiving, I learned that I'm actually OK at making pie crust. But I'm somewhat rubbish at copying recipes and absolutely dreadful at figuring out when there's a pretty obvious problem. Oh. My. Word.<br />
<br />
Also, what the what is it with my children and Thanksgiving / Christmas? The Elder went through her first stomach bug on Christmas day when she was 2. For a 3-year stretch, The Boy and I alternated with who missed each Christmas gathering at the parents' houses while staying home with a throw-uppy kiddo. I first learned about the convenient marvel of "free shipping" and "online shopping" when a sick child was napping and the other half of the family was enjoying a holiday party elsewhere. And the oddities continue. Over the years, I've learned two things from this:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>My children are weird about stomach bugs.</li>
<li>I can always use the quiet-at-home time with my child and never mind missing that slice of pie and chaos.</li>
</ol>
Yesterday, The Elder did it again, this time waiting until the day after Thanksgiving when we were staying overnight with my parents before leaving early the next morning for the other side of the family. Gross story short, she made it to the bathroom and then I had to clean the whole thing shortly afterwards. <br />
<br />
Kids are maybe the hardest people to understand. Or maybe I'm not the most sympathetic of mothers when my child says "Oh, my heard hurts a bit" and "Oh, I'm beyond exhausted." It <i>may be possible</i> that I rolled my eyes (on the inside) and muttered "Ten year old..." (also on the inside). On the outside, to my credit, she was cuddled all day long and was dosed with Tylenol twice. <br />
<br />
So, this Thanksgiving, I learned how to use a mop. The conversation went something like this...<br />
Me: Mom, what do you want me to use to clean the floor?<br />
Mom: I have a mop and bucket.<br />
Me: Mom, can you teach me how to use a mop? I don't own one. I would use disinfecting wipes.<br />
Mom: (blinking at me) You make a lousy adult who keeps humans alive. (She didn't actually say this.)<br />
Me: How much of this bright yellow cleaning solution do I dilute in some substantial amount of water? <br />
Mom: (blinking at me) You make a lousy adult who keeps humans alive. (She also didn't actually say this but I have my doubts that she wasn't thinking this.)<br />
<br />
Summarily, it has been a couple of days full of learning opportunities (growth mindset, y'all). That's what happens when I step away from a day job to "relax" and "catch up on my reading" and "do nothing for a few days." When we all get back at it on Monday and I get involved in those inevitable conversations about how the handful of days of went, I very well may raise an eyebrow and launch in with "Well, I learned 2 things..." Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-88685947837862957872019-10-26T18:59:00.000-07:002019-10-26T18:59:02.646-07:00A taste of the mid-life feelsI know that 60 or 70 years ago, my age (the big 3-6) would be solidly entering mid-life time. I'm not at all sure where that distinction starts anymore, though I feel pretty sure that my mentality isn't there yet. For Patricia's sake, I have a whole gaggle of high school and college friends who are still pushing out sweet, roly-poly babies, which is certainly the antithesis of middle-aged in my mind.<br />
<br />
But within the last handful of months, I've been faced with some seemingly incontrovertible evidence that the old bod is aging. <br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>I now take a daily vitamin-y / supplement-y pill for <i>the pigmentation in my eyes</i>. I'm not a hundo percent sure what the deal is with my sub-par pigmentation other than I'm strongly encouraged to boost my numbers and these pills are supposed to help: $200/year for old-lady-eye-pills.</li>
<li>I had a normal dental cleaning this week, and my hygienist was updating my chart when she was done and we were waiting on the dentist to come in for his poke around the mouth region. In basically talking to herself out loud, the hygienist made a comment about a couple of spots where my gums are receding: What. In. The. World.</li>
<li>I pulled out a yoga video that I've had for years and use every once in a while when I want to do something physical but also want to stay home. The Older joined me, and while I can for certain promise you that my form was way better than hers, I can also promise you that I cramped my hamstrings <i>so hard </i>on a cool-down stretch that I can still feel it <i>two days later</i>: What is going on with my legs?</li>
<li>In the spring, I went through a whole day where my arm was inexplicably sore: I hurt myself while sleeping.</li>
<li>My hip pops when I run: I sound like a percussive instrument every step I take.</li>
<li>I forgot my glasses on a recent 3-night trip, which didn't stop me from reading or doing the work I needed to do on my computer, but it <i>did </i>change the way I felt about my eyeballs: I fully trust my eye doctor that she knows what my eyes need (refer to #1).</li>
<li>The only thing that helps my painfully dry hands as soon as the average temperature falls below 70 degrees is medicated lotion: old lady cream.</li>
</ol>
All of this just basically makes me want to stay at home, read a good book, and drink loads of warm things like tea. I might want to eat bread, too. It makes as good of sense as anything just to hunker down and embrace my middle aged-ness. <br />
<br />
Also, my girls have been entirely invested in baseball all season with me, even now when my / our team is no longer playing in the World Series. I love them so much.<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-1700091429398860982019-10-10T19:00:00.001-07:002019-10-10T19:00:03.157-07:00An introvert day<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
It's been a stretch of time whereupon I've been meaning to write on here again for literally weeks, since about the middle of September when this day happened. But life and work are what they are. (And also -- get this -- <i>I have nothing that I have to grade tonight</i>.)</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Also, my boys lost last night so my season of soaring joy and crushing disappointment is over. For that, I am overly sad, I admit. But t turns out that I have a fellow baseball-crazed fan who works across the hall from me and <i>we have much to say</i>. I need people like this person.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
About a month ago, the days felt a bit bleak. A bit weary. A bit dull. And I did something that I had never ever in the history of me done before: I took an introvert day. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I fully intended to work at home. And I did.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I fully intended to read and run. And I did.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I fully intended to <i>just BE</i>. And I did.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
It was...nice. For all that this word is bland and I would never encourage anyone to really use it, that's exactly what this day was. NICE. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
There was beautiful sun. There was a sunggly beasty beside me all day. There was plenty to keep me busy but for which I ultimately felt productive rather than over worked. I felt satisfied at the end of it. And not just good-I-got-things-done satisfied, but fundamentally satisfied and quiet. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I really needed that quiet. The boy is on the downward slope of a busy coaching season on top of his day job and all-other-time-fatherhood job. My students have been at times a bit cloying. I always like them individually, but there are some collective personalities that are just a bit <i>blergh </i>for me this semester. And truth be told, I <i>really </i>loved my last group of kiddos, who have now all flown the nest. I miss them, though trying they were as well. This year's class is really more "normal" for me, and after a year of "love," then "normal" is just a bit off.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
So a day came when I could carve out an introvert day and recharge my internal batteries a bit. In the past, I've always guarded my personal days because of inevitable times I need to use them for saving up days to use when on maternity leave, taking care of a sick child, or attending court for some volunteering that I do. But now...no more maternity leave time needed, the boy and I try to split any necessary days off for a sick one (which last year = 1 day each I think), and I'm on hiatus from the court time. Suffice it to say that I used a day on me and it was in September and yes, there's a whole bunch of the year still to come. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I fully trust in mental health days and support my colleagues who use them. It's hard(er) I think when it comes to your own choice to engage in some rest. For me, these days that I am allowed to use each year are not by definition "mental health days," and my type-A personality is a go-by-the-book and ask-permission-first type of person. But I allowed myself some time for deep breaths and, most importantly, silence, which I have learned is a <i>need </i>rather than a <i>want</i>. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
And right now, the washing machine is running, the refrigerator is humming, and it is otherwise SILENT. In fact, it's quiet enough that I hear a book calling my name from the other side of the house. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
May we all engage in recuperative silence on purpose and with deep, calming breaths. </div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-64019617461349953702019-08-25T18:49:00.001-07:002019-08-25T18:49:26.372-07:00Daughters...BLESS<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
Sometimes, we have to take care of each other. Sometimes, it’s hard knowing what to do.</div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
My job forces me to practice empathy each and every
day. I’m glad it does – keeps me
human. As frustrating as it can be when
you just don’t believe someone’s sob story, I still need to care for and about
the individual. That person still has a
story. I almost never feel taken
advantage of and appreciate having avenues to understand individuals for who
they are and what they bring.</div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
I inherently <i>get it </i>that
people need compassion and need a community.
I always want to be part of that conversation, no matter what. And…yet.</div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
I have this thing about being “that parent.” I don’t want <i>to be </i>“that parent.” It
takes me 15 minutes to write a few sentences to a teacher to give a heads up
about my kid feeling her feels because it feels like an imposition to the
teacher who I KNOW has ever so much to keep track of. </div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
My child deserves it.
Absolutely. My child’s teacher
needs to hear about those few times when the feelings are big and when I know
that a quick check-in would do loads of good for her ability to trust her adult
and to focus. </div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
Yet…hmm. It’s a weird
feeling for me to be on the other side of the conversation. I doubt I’ll ever be quite right in that head
space, but I’ll still speak up when <i>I </i>would
appreciate having the communication shared with me were I in that other teacher’s
place. </div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
People. Parents who
are teachers are generally either the worst or entirely silent. I don’t want to be either, so this Type A extroverted
introvert will just have to keep at it. </div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
Bless.</div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
Meanwhile, there's been loads of fun baseball in my day-to-day life and some <i>fun </i>books. I'm f-u-l-l-y onboard the Louise Penny Three Pines mysteries train. Inspector Gamache is my book crush right now. AND THEY ARE ALWAYS EATING DELICIOUS FRENCH FOOD. It makes me want to visit Montreal post haste and eat and read books in a cafe while eating French food in Montreal. (Read them in order, good interwebby people.) </div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
I ended last week with an afternoon coffee shop date with the Elder, a card game, and a French soda. I know there's more of this coming, but I <i>need </i>her to talk with me and if that means we get the whipped cream and pass a drink back and forth, then it shall be so. Gamache would approve.</div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv0525812325ydp15aa4211MsoNormal">
Also, there is a small frog clinging to the window right
now. They are adorable and show up in
squished places occasionally. Our previous
house had slugs; I choose this.</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-26297195847782095452019-07-26T06:57:00.001-07:002019-07-26T06:57:02.798-07:00I know...another camping story<div dir="ltr">
I am happy to report that when your children are
exhausted while camping, they sleep through raging neighbors and raging
thunderstorms.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Ask me how I know. (Actually, I'll just tell you.)</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Also ask me how well I slept. (Not well.)</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Another
week, another camping trip. The foam pad + self-inflating camping mat
are working like a charm even for this side sleeper; I may have sleeping
woes, but these aren't part of 'em. On the other hand, I loathe
sleeping bags. They're restrictive and almost always too hot for
camping in the summer. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
We
joined some extended family for a few days in Wisconsin and ran into
both the hottest/muggiest/grossest weather + loudest/intensest/grossest
storms of the summer all in a matter of a couple of days. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
But the bugs weren't terrible. <small win=""></small></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The food wasn't terrible, either. This family knows how to eat.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
But the heat was relentless, which really puts the kibosh on family-bonding-hiking time. I mean, we still <i>went </i>hiking,
but the experience was something of a challenge, especially for The
Elder, who has a happy temperature zone of 71-74 degrees with low
humidity, mostly sunny, no bugs, and almost no humidity. Given those
conditions, she's a smiley child who is a joy and a delight; she will
explore new places and marvel at nature. Outside of those conditions,
she has easily notched the 20 or so worst days of her life. (She'll
tell us so because each time, "This is the worst day ever." We continue
to find new ways to ruin her life experience, it seems.) . Her
broodiness is prone to infecting others of her age set, so there's no
doubt that this kid is a leader. In other words, we had a few grumpy
kids among our hiking group. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
A joy. And a delight.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
At least nature was surrounding us with craggy views and gorgeous lakes.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The
kid did have a bit of a point, though: We ended up
walking/hiking/plodding almost 3.5 miles with some significant changes
in elevation and general rock clambering. It was also about 2.5 miles
longer than I anticipated, so imagine The Elder's delight when my
promise at the beginning that "It will be short and easy...no one wants
to go on a long, difficult hike in this heat" turned out to be 1000%
false. She was basically expressing all of the frustration that I, too,
was feeling toward the 60-year olds who chose the trail. Who knew that
these people felt like tapping into their mountain goat younger selves
when the heat index was hovering around 100 degrees and it was s.o.
h.u.m.i.d? </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I'll repeat: At least nature was surrounding us with craggy views and gorgeous lakes <i>for these are the times that try men's souls</i>.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Ah,
one tiny detail that I cannot forget: I had around 2 1/2 hours of
sleep from the night before. The boy had around 3 hours. BECAUSE OUR
NEIGHBORS WERE LUDICROUS AND THE STORMS NEVER STOPPED THE NIGHT
BEFORE. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I mean. It's hard to start your day with a fortifying gulp and thoughts of doom & gloom. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The
2 camp sites across from ours had EIGHT tents of people and the
children were still crazy hellions at 1 AM when the park ranger finally
drove by and said "Hey, friends, this has probably gone on long enough.
FOR THE LOVE." Even The Boy couldn't sleep, which is telling of their
ludicrosity. We did enjoy a generous 15 minutes of silence then before
the first round of storms came.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
SO
LOUD. Rain is quite thunderous on a tent. Searing lightening + bone
crunching thunder = no sleep gonna happen. And these were crazy storms
with at least 3 sustained rounds rolling through right on top of each
other: one round starts to taper off, the next round rolls in just as
fiercely. I did drift off for about 30 minutes around 2:45 AM before
waking back up for a bit and then finally getting to some deeper REM
sleep after 3:45 AM. The Younger, who slept through all of everything,
did wake up at 4:30 AM and decide she needed to snuggle (of course she
did). Fortunately, we got to doze for a bit after that. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
My
sleep schedule is just to let you know that it was a slog. And while
we have 1 more camping trip planned for the year, I'm ready for a
break. It's just too extra right now. If you find us vacationing in
some fancy schmancy resort in Aruba next year, this could be why. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Camping whip lash -- a bit of yin to this year's yang.</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-24329936627938933862019-07-15T11:43:00.000-07:002019-07-15T11:43:08.119-07:00A 2-week countdownInterweb people:<br />
<br />
I am 2-weeks-from-tomorrow back to my full-time gig and I still have a pile of 12 books waiting to be read. Because I added 3 more to it today. That might be possible for some and that "some" is <i>not me</i>. I've been chugging along at a brisk-ish pace, though, and it has been a good stretch of reading that I'm all in for. <br />
<br />
I do believe that I'll miss that the most of all come 60-work weeks on top of keeping 2 humans alive. And I'll miss my top-knot-bun thing I've been living with all summer. Deep layers of sadness and sorrow happened to my hair when my normal hair dresser was at a conference (in somewhere Norway/Sweden/Denmark-y, none the less) and I told the sub, "I usually tell Hannah to just do whatever as long as I can still pull it up in a ponytail." DEEP layers of sorrow and sadness. And my hair is fine, slippery stuff, which means that you can tell me all you want that "You can pull this into a ponytail, no problem," but those <i>deeeeeep</i> layers defy your foolish words. <br />
<br />
I've been managing my sorrow, but just barely, as you can tell. <br />
<br />
Also, my kids were about pushing me over a gentle cliff with their anxious we're-waiting-to-leave-the-house-ness, and then they both sat down with books. My word, that is what dreams are made of (which is also while I'm here for a minute -- when in Rome...).<br />
<br />
I had other things to say but am currently beyond irritated at my computer/printer combination.<br />
<br />
Also, I am going to eat an ice cream bar today, I believe.<br />
<br />
I must go read.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-48910233848503642852019-06-26T17:19:00.001-07:002019-06-26T17:19:05.188-07:00Camping in Our 30s<div>
This is the summer of the camping trip. We have a whopping FOUR
trips planned, which is a couple more than normal. We're usually down
for 2 definite camping trips and sometimes slip a 3rd into the mix
somewhere, but scheduling purposes have allowed and encouraged four
trips to happen. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And folks, we are tent campers. Also, the boy and I are solidly in our 30s and THIS IS NO JOKE anymore. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Case
in point: As I lay on my bedding situation Sunday night at
approximately 1:36 AM (not approximate at all, mind you...I was still
trying to fall asleep and had just looked at the time after trudging to
the bathrooms <i>twice </i>which is not common to my current life
situation & nothing wakes you up more than coming face-to-face with a
campground-fat raccoon), I wondered A) how is it that we went from
blithely sleeping on grounds/floors/hard surfaces to
these-hips-don't-lie in a matter of a mere decade, and B) how do people
do it on the regular on legit hiking trips? Props and claps and all the
nods to them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't know if you've
noticed, but this spring has been 178% saturated. Nary a day has passed
in the last 24 weeks (give or take a couple) that hasn't included
either threatening or downpouring skies. I know we're just wallowing in
our inconvenience here, but this family is over it. We have been
inside more and crabbier. We. Need. Sun. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And
like any fully technologized person of 2019, we obsessively followed
the radar for seemingly by the minute updates on whether or not it would
dump buckets on us SLASH throw more severe storms at us. It turns out
that the correct answer here is both "neither" and "yes." There was
rain, it turns out, but it was always conveniently located and the dense
foliage basically kept us happily comfortable. There were severe
storms but only as figments of our radar's imagination as they kept
magically breaking up. So, around the witching hour (the one where our
children turn into ravenous, impatient little people who <i>must be attended to right now or else they will become banshees</i>),
we faced a decision: There was a (literal) room at the inn and we had
the chance to grab it as insurance from those promised and threatening
severe storms but we had to make that decision <i>imediamente</i>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We paid the $130 insurance policy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There were also no subsequent storms.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was a beautiful night for camping.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, the joy that nestled in my heart.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The
boy and I were on a camping trip with siblings 11 years ago that was
the opposite of this experience. During ye olden era of 2008, none of
us had smart anything or tuned into anything resembling THE WEATHER
FORECAST. Here's what our rationale for the trip likely entailed: It
is summer. Summer is hot. Today is sunny. Today is a sunny, hot,
summer day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Did you know that sunny, hot summer days can also (freakishly) turn into scary, turbulent, stormy summer nights? True enough.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That
trip resulted in leaking tents, scary lightening, high winds, a mad
scramble for a hotel room that could house 6 people sometime in the
midnight-2 AM range, a wallet left out on a picnic table, and a brand
new turned ruined canopy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It seemed like the
prudent idea to grab the room at the inn and not challenge the camping
gods again. And I did get to sleep in a bed instead that night. But
still.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>IF </i>we had the space and <i>IF </i>we
had a few extra grand (can we talk about a new shed and a new roof and
new
flooring-that-costs-more-than-the-roof-because-the-previous-owners-installed-it-wrong),
we would probably be looking for something like this: </div>
<div>
<img alt="Inline image" class="yiv6107479282yahoo-inline-image" src="https://apis.mail.yahoo.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-QCgAGAR8v_jhu4W79JrleYGixNjIH1xXvXsYcg_63EsQ-ako8qjq_I2by4YI9jp9ACEIX844TYBZX60ggyQmhg/messages/@.id==AIgK9j4Nxm-KXRF8OgYWmIp2KtM/content/parts/@.id==2/thumbnail?appId=YMailNorrin&downloadWhenThumbnailFails=true&pid=2" style="max-width: 750px; width: 100%;" title="Inline image" /><br /><span></span></div>
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Because nothing says "riding out the storms at the campground" like a vintage 1970 Shasta camper. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(It's actually pretty sweet inside.)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
It <i>has </i>to be an upgrade over sleeping on dirt and tree roots.</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-5784881587163249302019-06-10T19:22:00.000-07:002019-06-10T19:22:01.090-07:00One more trip around her sun<div>
Birthday season happens in some furious bursts around here. Fresh
on the heels of reckoning with the Elder's age change, we have another
one today with the Younger. She is every bit a force clothed in the
guise of a cuddle bug. This one is my special little something that is
alternately incomprehensible and perfectly predictable. Sometimes,
that's how our days go as well - as if a veritable pendulum swings us
one way and then another. She loves her people fiercely, and I have <i>no idea </i>what
her future will look like. She's a chameleon who doesn't give us any
indication where she will establish her groove into her life's journey.
I find that delicious and tantalizing that there will be options a
plenty: It's a joy to watch her casually explore her possibilities. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
She
is always our last one to ... and that gives me the feels on a day like
today. She's the last one that I will carry across a parking lot.
She's the last one who will let me hold her hand. She's the last one
who I will drop off before school. She's the last one who will let me
read to her. I'm not one who cares two pennies for many a socially
expected sentimental milestone (my children want to skip the rigmarole
of a graduation ceremony...good for them! skip Senior year entirely and
graduate early...YES and PLEASE!), but these are my milestones that I
care deeply about, ones that are largely found in the solitude of just
me and my girl. My favorite milestones are measured in the distance
between our hands, the space between our cheeks, and the span of our
arms. </div>
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This is enough.</div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-57436534507728171202019-05-25T18:38:00.000-07:002019-05-25T18:38:04.075-07:00Figuring out what 10 looks likeThe Elder is a giganto 1-0 today...fully embracing that decade status. You might think to yourself that three's not so much of a difference between 9 and 10 years, but there seems to be big changes on the horizon. <br />
<br />
Case in point: NO birthday cake today. Apparently, we are raising a heathen. Instead, she wanted a big bowl of homemade whipped cream, a big bowl of chocolate buttercream frosting (which has been her favorite "food" for years now...we talk about it a lot), and ice cream (sorbet <i>and </i>ice cream). She conceded to throwing some strawberries in there for some sort of nominal foundation for that sugar surge. <br />
<br />
She is truly living her best life, it seems.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, she learned how to ride her bike. And I am furiously OK with her waiting until she cared about riding a bike to do this, even if that looks like 9-years old. And now we're anticipating this kiddo riding herself to school <i>and then back home again</i> all by herself next year. It's only through our neighborhood, about 1/2 a mile, but there are still things like intersections and teenage drivers and will-she-get-herself-out-of-the-hosue-on-time-all-by-herself that we're going to need to contend with and bump into and generally figure out is a normal transitioning process for a kid her age. More compelling in this new next-school-year scenario is that she'll be coming home to an empty house every day after school. <br />
<br />
Is this what <i>really </i>happens when your kid suddenly comes up to your shoulders? WHO KNEW that 21" suddenly morphs into 48" virtually overnight? It's a mystery (beffudling many, I'm sure).<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I'll just leave this hear to soothe my tender heart strings. I <i>might </i>revisit this page <strike>a few</strike> many, many times (just to, you know, glance at my girl).<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-46821382521672290532019-05-10T18:24:00.001-07:002019-05-10T18:24:18.155-07:00Daily YES<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">So I started this 2 weeks ago. I’m finishing it and posting it tonight
because of all that’s coming out in the next paragraph. That’s me life, mates.</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">All, listen up. I have
more book-y things that I can’t help but talk about (again). 2019 is my year of remembering what I love
about reading, I think. It just so
happens that these book-y things have corresponded largely with ends of
semesters and beginning of a new course, and 100 essays due. But that’s also partly why I’m here today:</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">What is saving your life, <i>today</i>?</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">I halfheartedly listen to a podcast that ends every show
asking the guest this Barbara Brown Taylor question: What is saving your life
today? And in my moments of
mind-boggling business, I’m trying to find those chunks of time (even if it’s
just 3 or 5 minutes while I’m waiting for the next thing to start) and to
remember those daily rituals that truly do <i>save
my life right now</i>. </span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">One of those key “things” for me right now is BOOKS. </span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">A few years ago, I virtually s-t-o-p-p-e-d reading
fiction. I didn’t stop reading…just
fiction unless I knew for 100% and certain that I was probably going to like
it, which means that I pretty much quit the habit. I dove hard into memoir and non-fiction,
which I was finding to be more reliably satisfying for me. I went through a period of time where it
seemed like virtually every fiction book I picked up was gimmicky, cheesy,
trite, predictable, formulaic, and gag-inducing. Largely speaking, I loathe first person
perspective. Generally, I don’t want to
see the end of the story in the first chapter.
Often, I find dialogue tired and irritating.</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">However, I’ve discovered book-ish podcasts, as I’ve
mentioned. Spoiler: I now listen to 3 a
week. </span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">These
really get my ink filled heart ventricles pumping, let
me tell you. Maybe it’s the soothing
tones of the podcasters’ voices. Maybe
it’s their collective ability to hit on the best bits of the stories.
Maybe it’s something else…don’t know. But it’s almost single handedly
reunited me
with fiction, and I’ve been hoovering up a good bit of it (at least
relative to
my recent couple of years). Renewing my
confidence in a good story is truly <i>saving
my life right now</i>.</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">(Also, one particular kind of coconut granola. It’s perfection. I buy myself 1 box a week and burn through it
often M-W. There are more than 3 servings
in a box. Imagine how I feel when I read
<i>while </i>eating a large-y bowl-ful.)</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">I meant to write a gabby little post over Spring Break <i>five weeks ago </i>about book-y things and
book-ness and probably some book-itude, but it never happened because,
honestly, I was reading. So I’ll add
this to my life saving moments: carving out thou-shalt-have-these-few-moments-each-day-just-for-reading
time has been such a boon to my mental health of late. I work ever so much better when I set myself
up with manageable chunks of work to do each night and then STOP. Knowing that I have a personality that enjoys
a challenge, even if that challenge is DUMB, like “how much can I work tonight?”
is h-u-g-e to understanding my limits.
If I don’t set them from the outset, then I just don’t stop well or
enough. That’s another one that’s really
saving me right now. And it only took me
a decade and a half of adulthood to start figuring that one out. (Maybe if I had read a book about it earlier…)</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">And so, like the particular coconut granola and my book time,
I have a few more things that individually are a blip on the day’s radar but
collectively are evidence of me supporting ME.</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Taking a deep breath</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Not caring if I’m wearing my same, favorite
clothes a lot</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Ice cream – just a few bites</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Ginger beer – so delicious</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Food in the freezer – not just the ice cream,
but packing lunches is <i>ever so much
easier </i>when you can pull a muffin or some flatbread out of the freezer to
get things started</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Project VII front porch lemonade gum</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Waiting an extra 5 minutes to wake up the girls
in the morning – a few more pages of reading & we still get out of the
house at the same, general time</span></div>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Two weeks ago, I had included “Funny, funny
teenagers – they’re really something” on my list. I’ve since removed that. They’re no longer saving my life (shortening
it, more likely); they’re all the feels, though.</span>
<div class="yiv8808340986ydp4c670aa4MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">It’s been grey and dreary all day, but right
now as I am thinking about how to wrap this rambling bit of thoughts up, I glanced
out the window and see perfect pre-summer sunset colors. Less rain lately & more sun…saving my
life. Bless.</span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-77912491924303872092019-03-23T04:24:00.003-07:002019-03-23T04:24:27.511-07:00A few books of late<div>
Folks,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every time I work through a couple
of books quicker than normal leaves me with a sense of awe. Why yes, I
did just read for fun. Sure thing I did nothing but just read for a
bit. I know that I've mentioned this before, but it's truly one of the
most mind boggling possibilities in my life right now. The cool thing
about the spring semester is that my Spring Breaks are staggered a bit,
which effectively draws out one week off to about a month of low
workload (read: GRADING). And. That. Means. More. Reading.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A sample from the last week...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>The Reckoning </i>by John Grisham - 400+ pages, done in 1 week while working full-time and keeping 2 minors alive every day</div>
<div>
It's
a lot of classic Grisham and a decent amount of a different perspective
that we've not seen from him before. Here's the thing. We still all
love Grisham for classic Grisham writing. But after a couple of dozen
novels, I get how he wants to try new things. I'm cool with that. I'm
even more cool with that when it's caught up in something that's well
familiar and, as aforementioned, well loved. Dang, but he's a good
storyteller. It's hard to get readers to care about characters that
they don't like and aren't supposed to like.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Tracks</i> by Robyn Davidson - 200-ish pages, taking longer to get through</div>
<div>
I'm
a bit too meh about this, but it's gripping in the unexpected. She's
not the best writer, but she also makes no bones about not trying to
be. There are enough Australian moments and wordings that pass me by
to keep things tingly as we go, which is really what I like best about
it. I don't want to be reading another American's privileged journey.
Here's the thing...I don't really know WHY the journey was a necessary
moment in her life. And that's a bit disorienting. But, there are
camels. And who knew that camels could be so interesting. ***Addendum since I've finished reading this: It never paid off for me, but I OK enjoyed it because camels and Australia.***</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>The Cafe by the Sea: A novel</i> by
Jenny Colgan - almost 400 pages, not a debut novel but rather reads
like one (a bit twisty, loose ends that are long in the set-up but quick
in the resolution)</div>
<div>
It's nice to read something that tastes a
little bit familiar in a vastly different and unknown environment.
Overall, light and fluffy is sometimes so satisfying just to
flip-flip-flip through a chunk of pages. Skim read. Who cares if you
remember all the details? Jettison a few chapters instead of just one
before bed. This was my runner-up option to take this new author for a
spin, and I think I'll come back for another round once I find the book I
was trying for to begin with.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm dabbling in
the possibility of utilizing more audio books, something I've never
really used for myself being more of a podcast kind of girl. But those
podcasts are going to have to go on hiatus for a bit. Because it turns
out that I can listen to a couple of Mary Roach books, which have long
been on my list to explore. And if you're on the Mary Roach fan club,
let me know which is your favorite (I have <i>Stiff </i>waiting on deck ready to go tomorrow). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I
have words to hear and sentences to explore, new story lines that I've
never been privy to before. I'm 10 books done for 2019, and it's a
comparable feeling (I imagine) as looking up from your iPhone one day in
a crowded cafe and locking eyes with the one who you used to believe
was going to be the love of your life but has only turned into a passing
acquaintance. But then that eye catching moments leaves you realizing
that YES, you remember why this person is so perfect in any way, despite
the flaws and weird quirks (s)he has. It's time to rekindle some of
that old fire.</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-89271719154789853672019-03-09T19:02:00.003-08:002019-03-09T19:02:40.210-08:00Today: nothing special & pretty greatToday,<br />
<br />
1. I got paid to sit at my desk on my day off and grade for 5+ hours...sounds like a scam, but it even involved doughnut holes. For the win.<br />
<br />
2. I played Scrabble (the real one) with my 6-year old, who is thrilled to play 2 & 3 letter words and didn't that I got the J, the X, the Z, and the Q and threw them down on a couple of triple letter tiles. Boss points that we weren't keeping.<br />
<br />
3. I made dinner. And extra dinner for the week. And cinnamon rolls for a <i>carry-in brunch</i> at church (have sweeter words ever been uttered before...!?!). And no one complained that dinner was 40-ish minutes late in so doing. And it felt great flexing my triple-dipping-at-a-time skills. Cutting board kung fu.<br />
<br />
4. I got to just read out loud to my child. Some day they won't want me to anymore. My soul feels a little bit shrively when I consider that possibility. (Our pastor will tell me "You read well" when I volunteer for the prayers at church. I think to myself "I have months upon years of practice. I can narrate Paul in his letters to the Corinthians like a boss.") Voices for every chracter.<br />
<br />
5. I ate 2 1/2 of the cinnamon rolls in front of my child while they were perfectly warm, soft & pillowy, and she didn't notice. Admittedly, I take some joy in my ninja skills. Plus, I needed her to eat some peas <i>for the love of vegetables</i>. All were happy.<br />
<br />
6. The boy single parented most of the day, and props to him because winter is wearing on that guy's soul, and the girls have been sharp like icicles a few times too many when he's been wearing the proverbial parent hat. But then he had some quality Monopoly time and work time and chit-chat-just-because-time with the Elder. Some things are true and necessary. For the love.<br />
<br />
7. I got to write a court report tonight for my CASA kid and just <i>glow </i>in it for the first time - so many good things happening, so long in coming. We're on the upswing here. Thanks be.<br />
<br />
8. I heard the Younger sing. And sing. And SING unconsciously. She just does, with all of the joyful verve and abandon that a 6-year old can bring to to the table. She has a knack for picking up on lyrics, and there's something delightfully ironic (if not forehead-slapping-I-can't-believe-my-kid-sings-this) about a tiny tot putting some soul into "Jolene" and the one who's "begging on my knees, don't take my man." Eat your heart out, Dolly.<br />
<br />
9. There have been a couple of rounds of thunderstorms roll through - honest to goodness, I just jumped out of my skin thunder boomers. Tonight, the boy added "spring thunderstorms" to our thankful prayer because any sign that the end is drawing 'nigh is a praise ye, hallelujah. Let it be so. <br />
<br />
10. Books are saving my soul right now. Get thee to a book repository and read Tsh Oxenreider's <i>At Home in the World: Reflections on belonging while wondering the globe</i>. Post haste. I may have absolutely searched flights and guesthouse rental options for Europe last night. There's validation in the pages that discomfort and childish airport shenanigans are, you know, worth traveling through. Why do we need the OKAY in order to take our children and go do world things (not resort things but real, honest-to-different-culture-world-things)? I don't know. But validation sure helps. My itchy travel itch is getting all itched up. Let's go.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-29567274332677691242019-02-13T17:32:00.003-08:002019-02-13T17:32:29.821-08:00unrelenting grossness<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Folks, this winter is the worst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure I think that and feel that every
winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m serious this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Until next winter.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a point of comparison, the boy hasn’t had
a full 5 days of school any week yet this semester, and they returned from school
on January 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This winter has all of the
bad weather possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally,
all of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On consecutive days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Snow, fog, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>thunder storms within 24 hours…mind boggling.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because I live <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">here </i>and that means I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">actually
</i>live in the upstairs of our house for the 6-months of the year when the
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</span>I disagree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do, however,
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</span>But that also brings about more possibility of STATIC ELECTRICITY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Again, I insist that we all consider this to
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Case in point: The boy washed a load of
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MOMMY’S blankets when we’re not feeling at our very best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So into the wash went Mommy’s blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I retrieved them tonight from the dryer
deliciously warm and toasty, ready to wrap up in that luxury only to be
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Serious face: During this process, I did
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One shouldn’t have to contend with considering
her personal pain threshold when trying to tuck into blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>THIS WINTER IS THE WORST.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a last point of contention, exhibit Q: I
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PERILOUSLY LOW (emphasis & embellishment mine).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, THIS WINTER IS THE WORST
BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN NO SUN IN WHICH I WISH TO PARTAKE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Conversation with P.A. who ultimately sent me
over to “the labs” for an $800 blood draw that I DID NOT know was $800) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Are you tired a lot?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I teach 9 classes.”</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“So…are you tired a lot?”</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“See previous answer.”</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Take vitamin D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women in the Midwest often have really low levels
which leads to feelings of tiredness.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i have="" left="" nothing="" say.="" to="">)</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But no matter what the cesspool that is WINTER
throws at me, I can still eat ice cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Yes, it probably <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> because of the layers upon layers of clothing and languishing in
all of the warm air in this house.)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Also, snow banks are fun to drive through and I
hope that I don’t accidentally hit someone’s mailbox in so doing because
sometimes, I think I get really close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That would be embarrassing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-10847218717864785192019-01-05T08:32:00.002-08:002019-01-05T08:32:43.555-08:001,000 milesWhen you sit down to hammer out the deadlines and details and end up a couple of hours later with your head spinning because <i>all of the numbers to juggle</i>...<br />
<br />
The beginning of the semester: lots of dates, lots of assignment points, lots of bits and details that you sometimes remember to do and sometimes don't. And I'm also trying to jam in all of the reading that I can manage and all of the rounds of Skip-Bo and Yahtzee that we can happily play together. But it's a good kind of busy.<br />
<br />
Except for the painting that I'm (hopefully) finishing up today. I'm done with painting.<br />
<br />
But I'm also going to run first because painting makes me tired, it turns out. And this year, I'm tracking my exercise miles with a goal for at least 1,000 miles this calendar year. I broke out my new pair of shoes to start me off, though some of my toes are still getting a bit numb around 15-18 minutes in, but they fit like champs and they have that delightful, grippy feel that just makes me feel faster. <br />
<br />
(But I'm not faster. True story: I've slowed down a couple of ticks from where I was running last year and added a couple of extra pounds last year. I see a correlation, but I'm also hungry a lot.)<br />
<br />
But 1,000 miles: 20 miles for 50 weeks. If you want, check in with me throughout the year. Once the semester starts, it's <i>really </i>easy to justify a short run every time (2.3 miles = 300 calories x 5 times a week = <i>not enough miles</i>). <br />
<br />
I like round numbers. I like goals to aim for. And I really like the accomplishment of an extended effort. Slow and steady this year, folks. Let's do it. Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-5543891494657164932018-11-14T19:15:00.001-08:002018-11-14T19:15:09.624-08:00It's been forever...my brain hurtsThis is a momentous day. I have FINALLY looked up the password for this old blog so that I can sign in on the computer that I actually use on the <strike>daily</strike> minute-ly basis, which should (I'm hoping) restore some of my blogging frequency. 'Cause folks...it's been over 2 months. And per my normal, I've been thinking blog frequently and even wrote a post once and then <i>never took the time to wrestle with the other computer</i>. <br />
<br />
Thanks be to employers that gift me with faster, more reliable computers. It's really all I want for most of my day.<br />
<br />
I also want a brain break. I'm hot in the middle of a stretch of every-minute-is-scripted-and-vital-to-getting-everything-done-in-a-matter-of-weeks. I'm doing a wee bit better this semester finding little chunks of break time and keeping those sacred and <i>all the difference </i>right there as far as fighting the mental fatigue. But still, some of the days-turned-weeks are still heavy. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I renewed some amount of my voracious reading appetite over Fall Break thanks in no small measure to the <a href="https://modernmrsdarcy.com/">What Should I Read Next </a>podcast. It's like walking into a French pastry shop after you've been walking around Montmartre all morning and didn't realize how hungry you were. Then suddenly, you must have all of the pastries. Perhaps this isn't a familiar situation to many of us, but still, I have full confidence that this is the same emotional outpouring that I'm experiencing about books right now. A favorite book candy author of late is Sarah Addison Allen, who dabbles in just a skoshe of magical realism and the fantastic, a pastry-esque bite of it: quick reads & leave you wanting another one. (Confession: I've read several of her books and still had to just look up the author's name.)</li>
<li>My baseball season combined both exultation and heart rending emotions. It was a fun year. Feel free to ask me about the post-season awards this year, but come prepared to that conversation with a beverage of choice and maybe a comfy pillow to sit upon. You'll be my captive audience for a while.</li>
<li>We took the girls to the biggest, closest body of water that we could find in October for a couple of days. And it was frigid. And we <i>still </i>had lovely, lovely times, proving that YES, my children are growing up. </li>
<li>Every couple of years, I remember that I have an electric tart warmer and pull it out for a day or two. Well. We're all delighted with the copious amount of smell goods of late. </li>
<li>We spent weeks puttzing around on figuring exact figures for adding a 3rd bay onto the garage for storage and, frankly, aesthetics rather than finally getting that shed. Because while we're not at all hoarders of things in sheds, it's still convenient to have a place to put <i>both </i>a car and a push mower inside <i>at the same time. </i>Our mini garage doesn't fulfill that dream. But the projected cost of the 3rd bay kept ballooning, and now we are the tepid owners of a shed that is nominally the same tannish color as the house that is plainly visible from the street (kudos HOA...that doesn't look pretty dumb AT ALL!!!) and was stuck IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR BACKYARD FOR A WEEK before *they* figured that situation out. It's a mostly hate-hate situation between me and the shed. And then I still had to pay for this annoying thing. There's obviously a story here (a couple of them, in fact), but it's all about a S-H-E-D. I'll spare you the gory details.</li>
<li>Also, I'm crafting a brand new course this semester that a) no one else teaches (i.e. I'm not terribly accountable to anyone at or above my pay grade) and b) is currently studying horror in literature. Gory details indeed...</li>
<li>I don't really like or need 95% of what constitutes as Christmas and lo it is still coming. I shall soon hermit myself. (Maybe I'll blog more...?) </li>
<li>I do like Thanksgiving. I want to keep this one. </li>
</ul>
<div>
I'm currently reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Buttermilk-Graffiti-Discover-Americas-Melting-Pot/dp/1579657389"><i>Buttermilk Graffiti </i>by Edward Lee</a>. IF you like food stuff and IF you like memoir writing, I encourage you to give this one a read. It's more anthropological than memoir, but there's a definite strand of that intertwined and, frankly, it's an interesting take on food origins. Let me know what you're reading; I'm primed for new suggestions!</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-34157600102526254692018-09-11T02:52:00.000-07:002018-09-11T02:52:00.210-07:00Another day, another thoughts dump<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Some ramblings as they come and as I have time:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I just finished one course that I’m teaching,
which leaves me with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just </i>9 full
semester classes that I’m responsible for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m shriveling a bit more just writing this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess what I’ve been doing a lot of
lately….?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That will just shrivel your soul, too.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Yes, that’s my fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I still want your pity just a teeny
bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>My children are a study in contradictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can someone who looks so much like me act
with so little logic at times?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why can’t
6-year olds use words and not throw a hissy fit over previously accepted truths
(i.e. “This is all of the ketchup that you get tonight.”)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can previously mentioned 6-year olds flip
a switch and suddenly become Model Child A in the space of time it takes me to
shower?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re going to sulk, then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">logically speaking</i>…SULK already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re done-zos with this hot-cold behavior.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Turning on some Pandora or Spotify almost always
smooths my furrowed brow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love it each
and every time and am always glad that I turned it on (even better when I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">also </i>remember that we have one of those
newfangled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">speaker things</i>…jam baby,
jam!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I don’t often enough remember
to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Here’s where I’m at mentally and teaching-ly: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Like Me</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Americanah</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read one or
both, but mostly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Like Me</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not enough people have read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be that person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You should be better than the others, folks.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>My boys are in first place in their division and
have been for a good part of the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Delightful.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>SO MUCH RAIN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Make it stop.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I 100% came to the conclusion today that if I
was living on my own with no one else to feed or nurture, I would pretty much only
eat cereal and fruit with some veggie somewhere every couple of days.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Also, frozen edemame (microwaved, obvs) with soy
sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re welcome.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>My kid asked for brie and crackers in her lunch
tomorrow, and since we live in Bougie-ville now, she’ll fit right in.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>You should see some of the houses around us
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>U-N-R-E-A-L</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Someday, I’m going to roll up to one of these
estates when it’s on the market in my 11-year old green CR-V with “air
conditioning” and check things out in person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ll be sure to bring my kids, who are perfectly well behaved when given
large spaces and squishy couches (AKA any time we’ve gone into a store that
sells furniture).</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>So we went without A/C in the house for 3 weeks
at the beginning of summer when the sidewalk was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">literally </i>(i.e. “figuratively”) melting outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was after we had no hot water in the
house for 2 ½ weeks in the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
“my” car has this notion that when the air temperature is 80+ degrees that “air
conditioning” means “blow hot hot hot scorching hot air to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">condition </i>the occupants to get used to Little House on the Prairie
style summers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s basically a
Conestoga wagon.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Yes, fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This car was at one point purchased so as to be my primary car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the boy got cheap and convinced me to get
the cheaper of the 2 CR-Vs that we were looking at (i.e. the stained-er and
ugly-er and less fancy-er one) so as to save $1000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eight years later, I’d rather have a sunroof,
faux leather seats, and air conditioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus, I schnookered the boy into letting me have the other “new” car
that we bought in the last decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess
what this one has?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess what I’m not
driving now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess who might use this to
leverage herself into a Mini Cooper someday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Sidenote: Guess who’s the youngest child and prefers to just get to drive
the car that she prefers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, you
might see that as “just wants to get her way,” but it could also be interpreted
as “knows how to maintain marital bliss.”)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>After school today, while chatting with The
Younger, she asked me if “you have met any new friends this year.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>And sadly, not really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m lousy at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Case in point, a teacher in my department and
someone whom I do consider to be a friend thought that “You’re probably the
person who we would find at the bar.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
(I think because that's where you sit to just chat with others?) </span>See, even my friends…</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Earlier this semester, a student straight
facedly asked me if I’m “always like that or if it’s just a show?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is wrong with me?!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>My children treat me as if I’m their personal
recycling/trash service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything is
“for you, Mommy!” which I’ve since come to realize means “I just don’t want to
walk this over to the recycling on my own two feet.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> But then they give me sweet notes sometimes for no apparent reason. I mean, for the most part, I'll still recycle those, but I feel less...perpetual maid-y about it. I guess that's what you do. Here's to another day of whatever comes. </div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-69960871290430445022018-08-02T19:18:00.000-07:002018-08-02T19:18:02.273-07:00Taking a moment to breath<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I had a whole blog post written and it even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">smelled </i>smoky (I typed it a couple of
weeks ago while campfire-side and under starry, starry skies).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can just trust me on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saved it, really and truly, but it’s no
longer there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In summary: Camping is
great, big wide open starry skies are greater, and saying yes to a few days of
breathing is greaty great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are (or more accurately, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am</i>) a bit of a wimp as far as pushing the girls too much and too
far for vacations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Days of driving – no
bueno and no thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was not my
family’s style when I was growing up and I see little purpose in it now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get me there quick and then let me be there
is a legitimate traveling motto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boy
doesn’t believe in dropping big coin on plane tickets for us to fly (and,
frankly, I get that), so we’re always looking for new, interesting, wistfully
beachy locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they’ve been good
trips all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So now we’re exploring a bit
further and a bit further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fate would
have it that my brother moved a little over 6 hours away this past winter, so
that was easy summer vacation planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(For the record, when I say “a little over 6 hours away,” that really
means “It took us around 8 hours to get there.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s always fun.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we did a little bit of camping and a little bit of
visiting and had pretty great weather all the live long while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want camping three times as a fam this
summer (the boy took the girls one more time for his annual daddy-daughter
camping trip) and never a raindrop was shed upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s some good camping ju ju.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were s’mores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was the
we-forgot-the-roasting-forks-so-let’s-use-these-long-sticks-that-I-found-in-the-woods
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was also subsequently
followed by the oops-the-stick-is-on-fire-and-I-dropped-my-sausage-in-the-fire
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were hikes, complete with
200-foot sheer drops and beautiful waterfalls and whispering caves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were turkeys <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">along</i> the road and snakes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in </i>the
road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lot of breathing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Folks, I forget to breath deeply when all the days get going
rapid rapid rapid, and that’s truly one of my favorite feelings – a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">good</i>, deep breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s something pretty great about inhaling
some air and just letting it fill you top to tips and giving some of it (but
only some) back for someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
free and readily available, and it never feels better or worse depending on the
surroundings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It always feels
GREAT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There wasn’t a day in the 7 weeks and 5 days between
graduation and the first day back when I didn’t intend to sit down with a book
for a while but then found myself having never done that by the end of the
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a SINGLE day all summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, there were always games to play,
muffins to bake, grading to complete (I taught 2 classes this summer), bedrooms
to paint, and miles to run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
something satisfying like reading feels extravagant and time wasting, a BIG
DEEP BREATH is the ticket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a
stop but rather a soul satisfying pause.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8047205578481566773.post-33667169135293747202018-06-24T18:00:00.002-07:002018-06-24T18:00:24.457-07:00YES to that<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2629">Good
people of the interwebs, I know...it's been a while. All I can offer
is all I'm going to tell you about here in a moment. But first let us
begin with the fact that my fingernails have NOT been painted a
delightful shade (mixture) of glitter/pink. I had high hopes of
achieving this first before starting out, venturing forth, and carrying
on with any blogging or posting. But the mentality that I've been
abiding by of late is that when I say YES to one thing, that means that I
say NO to another. And right now, I'm saying YES to writing and NO to
working on the Younger's Harry Potter puzzle which her mother graciously
got her for her birthday, knowing full well that she would get to do a
decent part of it because 500 pieces, people. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2672">And I'm also saying NO to glitter/pink fingernails. For right now. I have high hopes for tonight, though.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span>I'm
also 3 days behind on reading the newspaper, which is both the story of
my life and crushing my soul. I only get the paper from
Thursday-Sunday, and I can never keep up. Because I'm saying YES to
other things. I think I need to cut the cord and say NO to the
newspaper. I tried that once, but those newspaper sales people are very
persuasive.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_3003">Back
to the "It's been a while..." beginning. It has. School took a couple
of sharp turns for the mountain of grading and for the scary. That
basically consumed 4 of the best weeks of the year for me, which is
standard fare, but still, always a bit sad. And then we spend the month
of June digging our way out and uncovering the furniture and corners of
the house that magically sprouted piles of everything that was cast
aside for those 4 weeks. I also have 5 rooms to paint and a new course
to plan for on top of 2 course that I'm teaching this summer. I needed a
mental break and didn't allot for one, knowing full well what I was
doing. Someday, I'm going to grow a backbone and say NO because I'm not
saying enough YES to me. And in other news, by the time we reach the
end of the fall semester (the next time I"ll have a break in grading),
I'll have gone 18 months with exactly 2 weeks off that had no grading.
OY. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
So school stuff was scary there at the end of May. There <i>was </i>a
school shooting 5 minutes away from me, 5 minutes away from our girls,
in the middle school in our school district where our girls will go when
they're each a bit older. And now I know what it feels like to be
involved in that situation. I was there at the triage sight, helping to
reconnect 1300 middle schoolers with their scared parents. My students
were on lockdown for 4 hours with other teachers throughout the
school. I was on my prep time and didn't have a class at the moment, so
I was fortunate to be able to help the parents. And I saw my face in
their faces. I saw my daughters' administrator and guidance counselor
and speech therapist. I saw teachers from my school working steadily
and without break. I fielded texts from my husband who felt helpless 45
minutes away. And our school system made it through like champs, but
my word people, the mental scars are fresh for many. This will carry on
and continue to be part of the national debate. We'll continue to
drill and have meetings about safety, as we should. And my heart just
hurts. We have no intention of removing our children from the public
school system; we're thrilled with the environment that they have been a
part of here. Despite the way it ended, four days before the end of
school. Despite whatever bitterness and frustration that kid must have
been feeling. There are good people who do good, <i id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_3005">good</i>
things for my children every day that we cannot match. And this is our
new reality no matter where we are. So instead of wringing our hands
and fretting "Please no, please no, please not us..." we step up and
work harder. I could write more, but I'm not going to. Because it's
been a while, and this isn't what I want to say YES to right now.</div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
I
want to say YES to talking about how the Elder and the Younger each had
birthdays. And how my oven managed to make decent cakes for each (oy
oy oy, I loathe my oven). And how our air conditioner putzed out for
most of May and half of June when there was no spring but only mid-July
heat. And how we read <i>The Doughnut Fix </i>together with the girls,
which is a brilliant read for kids. AND, how my boys are leading their
division for the first time in years (though we still get beat up by the
weakest teams...go figure).</div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_2630">
We
also said YES to an late addition, 4-day hiking & cabining trip the
very first day that we could following the end of school. We hiked all
of the trails, which turned out to be dramatically harder than our
girls were used to. The Elder grumbled at the beginning of each one (it
turns out, she did all of the miles in shoes that were 2 sizes too
small because <i>end of school </i>and <i id="yiv8146511435yui_3_16_0_1_1529863685975_3178">parents who are teachers </i>and <i>why-can't-she-let-me-know-prior-to-leaving-on-the-trip-that-things-didn't-fit-anymore?. </i>But
then as soon as we got going, each and every time, she was all
"Ahh...nature" and 'I'm going to sit on that log over there and stare at
the waterfall for at least 20 minutes because <i>nature" </i>and "This
is my favorite trip that I've ever been on because NATURE." It was soul
soothing. We're strongly considering springing for some tree houses
come Fall Break to go back for a different hit of <i>NATURE </i>in a
different season. Plus, who doesn't love a good tree house (with a hot
tub)? The Elder took it as her personal mission to be the mountain goat
guide for each trail, and fearlessly, she led us well (though she
didn't knock down nearly enough spider webs, what with her height
disadvantage and all) until the last trail when together, she and I
managed to lead the group astray. There was a lot of mud, a logs to
navigate, and one moment of dropping the Elder face down in a
particularly slippery, touchy situation. But it makes for a fun story
that I'm sure the Elder will repeat frequently.</div>
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So
all of this has brought us here, a couple of weeks in but not enough
weeks left. The Younger is making puzzle-sounds in the next room, so
with the lickety-split summer feeling fresh in my mind, I'm going to say
YES to wrapping this up and go crouch beside her while we figure out
just which pieces comprise Ron's and Hermione's faces. YES all day to
that. </div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07721355441326290311noreply@blogger.com0