How to use this Page

I just wrote another chapter this morning and found myself back in 6th grade. A new girl had moved to my school. Robin Hill. Creve Coeur, Mo. I'll never forget her name. Rena Macina. Probably spelled wrong. She was different from anything I'd ever seen before. She came dressed in filmy linens that covered her head and flowed to the floor. I'm sure they have a name. She also had a spot on her forehead. Red I think. Like I said. She was different. Soon, I heard a rumor and felt it my duty to spread that rumor. Terrible I know.

Now, I should back up a sec and let you know that my little self-righteous self was very proud of the fact that I had an uncle who was Chief of Police in Brookfield, Illinois. Illinois! Not Missouri! Like that would even matter. (Yeah, I idolized my Uncle Paul.)

By Rena's second day at my school, she was wearing cute tight jeans like everybody else. In one night she went from weirdo to fitting in. That quick. Now, I don't remember when we moved there, but I'm sure it hadn't been for very long and fitting in was something I never did quite get the hang of. (My move to Florida in 7th grade was my 6th home.) She did it in one day. One day, people! She was pretty. The guys loved her looks. Her accent. It just wasn't right, you know? How unfair is it that she could become popular so quickly. A girls who's daddy sold pot for a living. Yeh, if I called my Uncle, he'd have her parents behind bars in no time. I only said this to a couple of my closest friends. They wouldn't repeat it. Right? (I still haven 't learned this.) Except somehow, she found out. And the whole...entire...school was at the bus pickup area to watch us fight after school.

I pressed my way through the crowd to my bus, my violin case banging against my leg. I fought tears the entire way, hearing, "Fight, fight, fight," as I staggered to the bus. To this day, I have no idea if she was there waiting. Too many other students in the crowd. I stared out the window and cried behind my violin case all the way home. I refused to admit to my parents that I knew why she wanted to fight. Even the next morning when my parents took me with them to talk to the principal's office. Between sniffles, I kept saying, "I don't know. I don't know." I was in college before I told my mom the truth about that day.

Rena didn't bother me again, but as I write the next chapter in my book, I'll be drawing from this emotion core of teen angst. Maybe that day wasn't such a total loss after all.

Add a Comment

Joy Ride. So, you've probably heard about the 7 year-old boy who decided to take his parents' car for a ride so he wouldn't have to go to church. Sad. Thank God it wasn't more serious. He could have easily harmed himself or others. I think it was last year when another kid did the same thing, but because he was mad. I'm really wondering what goes through these kids' minds when they do stuff like that. Did he realize that what he was doing was wrong...really wrong? I know psychologically they say kids this young don't really know what they're doing, but, come on! Some of these children know exactly what they're doing. And they know the difference between right and wrong.

And the really sad thing is the child and his family were flown to NY to appear on the Today Show. I don't agree with that. What does that say to other kids? Sure, children. Steal your parents' car; put your life and the lives of others in danger; lead the police on a low-speed chase...at least you'll be invited to appear on a big-time TV show - in front of millions of people - where everyone will 'oh and ah' about how cute you are. Just my opinion...you don't have to agree with me.

Serious Issues. I'm not going to say too much about this subject because it just hurts my heart. A San Antonio mother decapitated her newborn, ate parts of his body, including his brain. She said someone or something told her to do it. Some reports say she said the devil told her to do it. This is sad, disgusting, appalling, etc. They say she wasn't in her right mind to begin with (duh). My heart hurts for that poor baby. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Happy Birthday. Ending today's post on a happy note. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL MOM. SHE'S THE BESTEST MOM IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. I thank God that He's allowing me another birthday with her (cos I know our days are not promised and we won't live forever). She's the best. Love you, Mommy!

Add a Comment

Try to enjoy it. At least, that's what I tell myself. My niece and nephew are still here. Still sleeping. I know I'll get little writing done today. Very frustrating when your self-imposed finish-the-novel-before-school-starts-back deadline is looming. But, I remind myself, that's why I live close to family. So we can help each other out like this. My SIL is at work, and my brother is helping a friend do something(?) on his home. Brother is good like that. He's built three homes himself. And I mean by himself. In his spare time, LOL, he's a middle school band director. Teaching runs in our family.

So I just got home from my 1st trip of the day into town (~6 miles each way.) Took son to cross-country practice. It's voluntary during the summer, but he wants to go and who am I to discourage that dedication? On the way home my little notebook is propped on my steering wheel. I write, Rinse. Spit. Repeat. Then I add, gum. My brain wants to write. My crit buddies pointed out that I'd cheated the reader by summarizing Jessica's day in a journal. A journal that only just now appeared over halfway through the book. Two problems. 1) It's over halfway through the book. Either no journal or put it in sooner. 2) I cheated them. No matter how painful this day is, I cannot spare Jessica or my reader. I must take the reader through it. Every agonizing moment. So painful that Jessica ended the last chapter throwing up. Hence, rinse, spit, repeat...then gum.

Sixth grade niece, third grade nephew, and ninth grade daughter will soon be up. I'll make them breakfast. Then at 10:00, I'll pick up son and drop off daughter for cheerleading conditioning. That makes trip #2. Are you counting? Trip #3 will be picking up daughter. At 2:30 I'll be taking daughter back to school again so she can interview to be on the yearbook staff. (Trip #4) Nevermind she's declared yearbook as her major for her freshman year. She loves taking pictures. I hope the interview is short and sweet because I absolutely have to bring her and her cousins back home before heading back in, (#5), for my 3:15 doctor's appt. You know the one. Nuff said. It's been two years. I have soooo many friends with cancer that have taught me it's best to find out any bad news early. I'm praying for good news. Of course.

So, today I know I won't get a lot done. Maybe this evening. Maybe a good half hour this morning? But it's not always about the book is it? Sometimes it's best to just enjoy life. I'm going to try to remember that when the frantic feeling starts chasing me down today.

ETA: I hope I remember to go by and pick up Mom and Dad's dog during trip #3. I'll be dog-sitting till tomorrow... Read the rest of this post

Add a Comment

Some time ago, I posted pictures of a mouse rescue. That was in April. Since then, we've received copious amounts of rain. I can barely get up and down my driveway now. I posted pictures on Facebook. It's so wet that apparently the snakes in my 15 acres of woods have decided to head for higher ground.

So now, I'm back in the mouse catching business. Really. A friend suggested I put traps in brown paper bags so that I don't have to touch the critters when I disposed of them. Well, if I'd done that I would have racked up eight body bags by now. In less than two weeks. Ick.

I can't do it. I can't kill them. They are so cute. It's not their fault it's wet outside, right? So I discovered these.




I put squirrel food in them. I've caught them all in the same cabinet. Sometimes two at a time. (I've put three traps in the cabinet.) I've started trying to tag them with green nail polish when I release them so I can make sure I'm releasing them far enough away from the house. So far, only 3/8 have been tagged, none of them have returned. (I don't think.)

I can close up the holes in the cabinet, but that won't keep them from coming in the house. It only means I'll have to find a new place to catch them. At this point, I don't think I have many options.

1) Pray that it will finally stop raining so it can dry up around here.
2) Stop putting goodies in the traps. Maybe they're coming in for the treats now.
3) Stop painting crowns on their heads. They're all going to want one.

And no. I still can't kill them. Just stop the rain. Please?

Oh, and it could be worse. It could be roaches. Shudder.

Add a Comment

I know. I haven't been a very good blogger lately.

Life just kinda got hectic within the past 2 weeks, ya know? You'd think that, since it's summer, things'll slow down, right? Add to that the fact that this week is Adventure Week (vacation bible school) at my church, which means I'm going to work (at the church) then teaching 5th grade for AW (at the church) and returning home (at the...house) late. No energy to do anything but sleep.

Things will (hopefully) return back to normal next week. So, I'll (hopefully) return to posting on Sunday.

Add a Comment

I should be writing. I know that. But this is something I've been meaning to look into for, well, probably the past four or five summers. So, gosh darn it, I took the time today. I have three items that are antiques. Well, I have other pieces of furniture, etc., but these three are special. You know how you wonder if it would be worth it to stand in line at an antique road show? Well, for these three items, probably not. Either that, or I'm terrible at research.

The first? A Singer toy sewing machine, model 20. It really works!

Add a Comment

Why, oh why must getting in shape/losing weight be so hard? Why can't there be, like an easy button or something that'll speed up the process? Can I please have a wand so I can wave this weight away? How bout the twinkle of my nose, like Samantha on Bewitched? Or a nod of my head like I Dream of Jeannie?

I'll be so glad when I've reached my goal weight. Oh to be able to actually run without feeling like I'm going to die! To be able to wear a swimsuit without self-consciously covering it with a t-shirt or wrap! To be able to hear the doctor say, "High blood pressure? What high blood pressure?"

But, alas, I must trudge on. My time will come. I'm working hard on this thing, so I'll see some results. I WILL SEE SOME RESULTS. Sorry, had to reassure myself, there. By this time, next year, I'll be screaming from the hilltops (or at least from the hilltops of blogland), "I did it! I got rid of those pesky little pounds!" I'll be able to run around with my extremely active nephews without needing to be resuscitated. I'll be able to run, period! OMG, maybe I'll be able to play basketball without hyperventilating.

So, yeah, this weight loss journey is long, tedious, and did I mention, long, but when I've reached that goal - when I've stepped out on that Hawaiian beach (that's where we might go next summer) in my tankini (you won't catch me in a bikini, no matter how much poundage I lose) - the pain...the tedious-ness...the 'oh-God-I-don't-think-I-can-do-it-anymore'...will only make my victory that much sweeter!

Add a Comment

AND

HAPPY NATIONAL TEACHER'S DAY

Add a Comment

We lost one of our geriatric kitties today. Trouble was 15, almost 16. He and his two sisters were born in our home. We've had them longer than we've had our children. When my daughter was a teeny tiny baby, we'd open her bedroom door each morning just enough to let Trouble in. He'd jump in her crib and walk around her, rubbing up against her, till she woke. Even when we moved to our current home, and my daughter was three, we'd let him in her room and he'd jump up on her bed and gently wake her for me. That's when he also started waking my son. He did it literally for years when they were little. I loved it. They didn't get grumpy with him like they tended to with me. What a great start to the day, yes?

Last weekend I began noticing that the community water bowl was dry in the mornings. It didn't take long to figure out who was drinking so much. (His waking me in the morning meowing in my ear kind of made it hard to ignore.) Turns out he was severely diabetic as well as having some kidney issues. We thought we'd be able to manage the diabetes and left his with our friends, his vets, Thursday night and then again Friday night. Dr. Mike even took him home with them to monitor him throughout the night. But Trouble didn't make it.

He was just the coolest cat. If you check out the picture below, you can see he has two toes that have two claws each. He's a six-toed kitty. He was quite gifted in the claw department. He had 26!

As you can tell by his name, he was loads of fun as a kitten and brought our family much joy over the years. He will be sorely missed. His two sisters are definitely missing him already.

On  more fun topic, my husband took my daughter and one of her friends to see Taylor Swift last night. Just behind the railing, the light is brightest on my daughter, elbows on the railing, wavy hair. Yeah. Watch for the hand shake.


Life and living. That's what it's all about. We were fortunate to have so many wonderful years with Trouble. He was one lucky, happy, pampered cat.

Add a Comment

My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's about a year ago. Today I went to a symposium on Parkinson's Disease to learn more. Uh...it was not without humor.

Add a Comment

I couldn't find my writing notebook last night. I couldn't find it this morning, after a quick glance around. It wasn't at school. Looked more after I got home. All over. Moved stacks of junk mail. Looked on my desk. On the dining room table. The table by my chair. The kitchen. The bedroom. Kids room. The laundry room. The car. Even my bathroom. Beginning to feel panicked, (sooo many WIP ideas in it), I even drove back to school and searched my classroom again. Nada. Came home. Stood in entry to living room telling son that I couldn't find it. Trying very hard not to panic. Looked under the table by my chair. Behind the trash can.

You guessed it. It was there. Standing on edge! Which explains why I didn't find it when feeling under the table. Unbelievable. Yeah. Guess it's time to de-clutter. Sigh.

No...gonna write first!

Add a Comment

Rappers' Bling. Within the last year or so, I've noticed rappers wearing less blingage. I haven't been blinded by the amount of sparkling jewelry worn on necks, fingers, or teeth (which, IMHO, is very ew worthy). Glad to know I'm not the only one who've noticed. Saw an article on the 'Net and found that rappers are indeed toning down the bling wattage. I am so glad. To me, it's not about the bling, but about the swagger (urbandictionary.com definition: to move with confidence and sophistication...to be cool; to conduct your self in a way that would automatically earn respect). Jay Z's got it. TI's got it. Luda's got it. These men don't need an absurd amount of bling for people to know they got money. Even dressed down, Jay Z is always impeccably dressed (if you don't know by now, Jay Z's my all-time fave Hip Hop artist...the absolute best).

Dancing With The Stars. One of my fave shows. Steve-O's got a lot of fans because he shouldn't been gone before this week. Who do I think will win? That's a hard one. Gilles Marini, Shawn Johnson, Melissa Rycroft, and Lil Kim have been doing well. This week, Lil Kim's dance was awesome. Not sure just yet who I'd want to win...I'm thinking maybe either Shawn Johnson or Lil Kim (but that may change). Guess I'll have to stay tuned.

El Rostro de Analia. I am not a big fan of soap operas...not at all. The only soap I watched repeatedly was The Young and The Restless...and that was ONLY because Shemar Moore was on there. Other than that, I watched soaps every once in a while. So, it's quite funny to me that my new 'must see' show is a soap. Actually, it's a telenovela, a Spanish soap opera, called El Rostro de Analia. Now, granted, I only started watching it because of Pedro Moreno, who plays Cristoban (very yummy), but I am officially addicted to it. Like, I can't miss it. It comes on every weekday at 8, which is why I'm late posting this - couldn't miss my show. The time slot presents a problem on Mondays (Heroes), Wednesdays (Criminal Minds), and Thursdays (CSI), but I just flip back and forth. The best thing is, it's helping me with my Spanish. I learn more every time I watch it. I can actually understand what they're saying! Next stop, being able to respond, which will come in handy should I ever meet Pedro Moreno in person, heehee. This is Pedro Moreno:

See, didn't I tell you...very yummy...

Add a Comment

One thing I love about blogs is seeing people discover books that have become so much a part of my own life that I develop the sense that everybody else on Earth has also read them, and so there's no need for me to talk about them, because we all know these are great books, right? It's nice to be reminded that this is a fantasy -- nice to see people suddenly fall in love with books I've known for a little while already.

The great and glorious Anne Fernald just posted a list of some books she's read lately with joy and happiness, and the two books on the list that I've read are ones I recommend without reservation: Tropical Fish by Doreen Baingana and Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys.

I first heard about Tropical Fish when I was in Kenya for the SLS/Kwani conference and Doreen Baingana was part of a panel discussion; I found her captivating. Later, a Ugandan friend (who also told me about FEMRITE) exhorted me to read the book. I did. I exhort you to do the same.

I don't remember when I stumbled upon Good Morning, Midnight -- I feel like the battered, crumpled paperback I've got has been with me for years, but I know I read it only a handful of years ago. Few other books have affected the prose of my own writing as deeply. Much of what I've written, and even some of what I've published, I could call my pre-Rhys writing -- aspiring toward a sort of lyricism that now I have little interest in. Good Morning, Midnight offers, to my eye's ear, a prose that I would rank in its stark, precise beauty with that of Paul Bowles, J.M. Coetzee, and even, to some extent, Beckett.

Meanwhile, much like Anne, I've been reading a lot without writing about it. I've felt like I either didn't have much to say about what I've read, or what I'd have to say has already been said by plenty of people. Here, though, are some quick thoughts on some of what I've read over the last few weeks:

I was looking forward to Jedediah Berry's first novel, The Manual of Detection, with so much excitement that I may have slaughtered it with expectations. Some of Jed's short stories are among my favorites of recent years, and I had high hopes for the novel, but those hopes were never quite met. It was a brisk and sometimes exhilarating read, but ultimately felt whispy to me, especially in the last third, from which I ached for much more. Much more what? I don't know. But more.

Similarly, I think Brian Evenson is one of the better contemporary American writers, and so my hopes for his new novel, Last Days, were unreasonably high. It's an interesting and sometimes harrowing book, but again I wasn't satisfied with it in the last third or so. (Matt Bell has written a comprehensive and thoughtful take on the novel here.) It's not that I didn't like either The Manual of Detection or Last Days -- I read them both, and neither ever really felt like a slog to get through -- but both left me unsatisfied, yearning for more complexity and depth and nuance and implication.

Then one day the mail brought both The Letters of Noël Coward and The Letters of Samuel Beckett: Volume 1, 1929-1940. I wondered what the mail gods were trying to tell me (one friend replied, when I mentioned the coincidence: "I think it means you are either: an absurd gayist ... or a flamboyant abusrdist. Possibly both." I'll try for both). The Coward was a review copy, the Beckett a book I splurged on for myself. I tried reading the former for a bit, because I do have a certain weakness for good ol' Noël, but the letters are presented amidst a narrative of Coward's life, and I found it annoying, so couldn't continue.

The Beckett is a masterpiece of editing, a feat of scholarship, and utterly fascinating. I devoured half of the big book in only a few days (then stopped, ready to go again on the second half very soon). Gabriel Josipovici reviewed it, so I have nothing else to say.

Partly because of my "Murder, Madness, Mayhem" class, I happened to read some Robert Aickman stories and became obsessed. I had last read Aickman when I was about 17 or so, and I had hated his stories. I thought they were the most boring, pointless things ever written by any human being ever, ever, ever. Ahhh, youth! "The Hospice" and "The Stains" are now stories I am simply in awe of. I quickly hunted up the only two relatively affordable Aickman collections available on the used book market: Cold Hand in Mine and Painted Devils. They are full of exactly what Aickman says they are full of: strange stories. Beautifully, alarmingly strange stories.

Someone should publish an affordable paperback of Aickman's selected (or, be still my heart, collected!) stories. Tartarus Press published a two-volume collected stories, but it's going for at least $700 these days, and though I love Aickman, I can't spend $700 on him. Thus, I implore the publishing world to relieve my yearning and reprint a collection or two or eight of Aickman's stories in inexpensive editions! Someone? Anyone? Please? NYRB Books, I'm looking at you right now.....

Wanting to read some nonfiction about Aickman, I borrowed S.T. Joshi's The Modern Weird Tale: A Critique of Horror Fiction from a library and read the fairly astute chapter on Aickman. But I have to admit, my first thought on reading various parts of Joshi's book was, "What crawled up this guy's ass and died?" I know some people have thought the same about things I've written, so I didn't hold it against him. I was curious how Joshi is perceived within the horror community, though, because his rants against writers like Stephen King and Peter Straub seem so over-the-top to me that they actually work better as humor than as criticism, and he sometimes seems to get angry at writers for not fitting into his own narrow categories, for not agreeing with his (Lovecraftian) view of the universe, for not being more, well, Joshian. He has some fascinating things to say, but also ... not. Is he the Ezra Pound of genre criticism? The Cimmerian quotes Joel Lane (whose short stories I like quite a bit):

[Joshi's] Lovecraft biography is a serious classic. Joshi’s recent book The Modern Weird Tale is a mixed bag, highly idiosyncratic and unfair, but full of good insights. His new book The Evolution of the Weird Tale, despite its grand title, is basically a collection of review articles; but it’s enormous fun and less narrow than some earlier Joshi stuff. The Weird Tale, published in 1990 and covering the weird fiction genre from Machen to Lovecraft, is ambitious and dynamic but heavy-handed and too fond of extreme statements. Behind the veils of academic objectivity, Joshi can be seen to be a volatile, short-tempered, aggressive and highly intense young man. He has mellowed a little since, though his sarcasm can still wither at forty paces.

As I prepared my class to watch an episode of Dexter, I read around in Jack the Ripper and the London Press by L. Perry Curtis, Jr. and Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture by David Schmid -- both well worth reading, rich with insights.

Nowadays, I'm mostly doing research about British imperialism and its connection to mystery and adventure fiction. Fascinating stuff, which will, I hope, bring a new project to fruition...

Display Comments Add a Comment

I've decided to stop taking the Alli. Not because it doesn't work, but because I'm terrible with taking any kinds of medicine. There have been several times when I'd forgotten to take it when I was supposed to. So, needless to say, it's a hassle that I don't need right now. As far as pills are concerned, I think I'm just going to stick with trying to take my blood pressure pills faithfully like I should. Unlike Alli, or any weight loss pill for that matter, the blood pressure pills are for my health...kind of like a matter of life and death, so, I'm thinking these are more important. I do need to find out about vitamins to take, though. I've been so tired lately (but I think I may be coming down with something). Gotta get vitamins.

I'm still eating better. I've been eating breakfast (yay me), which is usually hard for me. I'm not a breakfast eater, but, every morning for the past 2 weeks, I've been faithfully taking the time to eat breakfast. I've also been eating a small snack (like yogurt) between meals so I won't get the munchies. I haven't been snacking on junk either. In my parents' house, there are 9 of us (3 children, 2 teens, and 4 adults), which makes it hard to buy ingredients for the healthy recipes. Starting next week, it'll only be my sister and I (we're moving into our new house), so it'll be much easier. That's one thing I'm looking forward to.

Can I see the fruits of my labor in pound loss? Not much. I only see a 5 lb weight loss. My clothes are fitting a little looser, which means inches are coming off, if not lbs. I'm still happy, though. I mean, it could be worse, right? I could've gained everything back and then some.

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Friday, the 13th. Beware of the Friday, the 13th curse! Mwahahahahahah! That, in case you're wondering, was my evil laugh. Sends chills down your spine, doesn't it? Anyway, I don't believe in the whole "Friday, the 13th=bad luck" deal, but I do love a good scary movie. I hadn't really seen one in a while, though. The Ring? Not scary to me. The only scary part was @ the end when she walked out of the TV. The Grudge? Uh uh. Do you know of any scary movies? In honor of the release of an updated Friday, the 13th movie - which, really, could they just leave the 'franchise' alone already -I'm listing my top 5:

5. Child's Play (1988):

You must understand, the thought of a homicidal doll coming to life to terrorize its owner was creepy for someone who collected dolls. I was that someone. After the first one, though, Chucky became funny instead of scary.

4. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

Yep, had me a little afraid to go to sleep. But after the first one, Freddy Kruger, like Chucky, became comical. I stopped watching after the 3rd or 4th one.

3. The Shining (1980).

I was but a little girl when this first came out, but I did watch it years afterwards. I never got a chance to see the whole movie, but what I've seen...pretty scary. The pic says it all: Jack Nicholson did his thang.

2. It (1990).

I swear, this movie has turned me against clowns. I can't even see a clown (especially Ronald McDonald...he's creepy by himself) without seeing It. That clown haunting those poor boys...CREEPY!

1. The Exorcist (1973).

I still can't watch the whole movie...at least not by myself...and definitely not at night. Maybe early morning - like, say 8 or 9? Just to give it enough time to leave my brain by the time I go to bed. This movie terrifies me...like, if I were to watch it now, I'd be a 32 year-old woman sleeping with the lights on. I think this one scares me the most because, as a Christian, I know that Satan/demon possession is biblical and real. I'm not scared of being possessed by demons because I know, as a child of God, they can't touch me or my soul. But to witness it? OMG, I wouldn't want to witness it. Were Jesus's disciples creeped out when they saw someone demon possessed? I mean, yeah, they had the Son of God by their side, but come on. They had to be at least a little frightened.

Plane Crashes. On to another topic...Man, what is up with the plane crashes? After the happy ending of Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, we have the sad ending of Flight 3407 in NY. My heart and prayers go out to all who were affected. So sad. And the weird thing is, last night, I dreamt I witnessed a horrible plane crash in a residential neighborhood that ended up in fire, then, this morning, my sis tells me about Flight 3407. Seriously, I'm creeped out.

Fitness Friday. Nothing really to report. Maybe in a week or two.

Add a Comment

Well, this is my first post about my journey to physical wellness. My hope is to lose 65 pounds...if I could do it by the end of the year, that would be awesome! My main reason for the goal of weight loss isn't for looks. I could care less what society thinks of my body & my shape. I LOVE my curves and wouldn't trade them for anything. It took me a while to get to the point where I can say this and really mean it. As a teen, I had an issue with my weight - so much so, that, during my junior year in high school, I tried the whole "don't eat" deal...and got away with it until my parents got hip to my game. I am so grateful to God that they found out. If they hadn't, there's no telling what would've happened. I didn't start really love my body until after I
graduated from college. Now, I absolutely love the way I look. Yes, there are a few areas I'd like to change. What woman doesn't have those areas?

Anyway, I'm doing this more for my health. I have high blood pressure and diabetes runs through my family. Also, I want to be able to play with my nephews and young foster brothers without feeling like I'm about to die, lol. This week was my sister and my first week. I'd like to say we stuck to it. We did well with the strength training, but the cardio...yeah, not so much. Did I mention this is the first week of school? Yeah, so we both have been so tired by the end of the day. BUT, we're not giving up. She's agreed to participate in a walkathon with me this year, so we're gonna start training for it. I figured, since this will be our first walkathon, we'll start small. In October, the Susan G. Koman Foundation will be holding a 5K walk/run here in Houston.
Eventually, I want to work my way to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, where they walk a marathon and a half during 2 days (13 miles on Sat + 13 miles on Sun or 26 miles on Sat + 13 miles on Sun).

So, we'll be doing cardio every other day and strength training. As far as eating is concerned, our problem isn't eating too much. It's not eating enough. I usually only eat dinner. I know, I know. Not good, especially since I find myself snacking. I'll be trying to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with healthy snacks in between. It sounds weird but it's harder for me to eat breakfast than it is for me to walk 4 miles. Weird, right?

For the next year, I'll be posting about my progress and anything that may benefit others in the area of fitness (by my experience, not cause I'm an expert...cause I'm not. An expert, I mean). So, here's to good health and weight loss for anyone who needs it. Will I succeed? I believe I will. Stay tuned... Read the rest of this post

Add a Comment

Ah! 2009 is finally here. Did you have an awesome New Year's Day? Guess what I did...rested. That's right. I slept late, then spent the rest of the day watching TV and reading. I loved it! I haven't taken enough "Me Days" in my life. One of my must-dos for 2009 is take more me-days...don't be afraid to not work every once in a while.

2008 was a pretty good year. I mean, nothing overly exciting happened - besides my 5 week trip to Cuernavaca (Mexico) in June/July...my 1st real summer vacation since I started working in 1992. Still, nothing horrible happened either. Now, it's time to leave 2008 where it belongs - in the past - and move forward. Every year, or almost every year, my family comes up with a motivational slogan to live by. This year's slogan is: It's Our Time in 2009! Why? Because we feel that God's about to do some awesome things for our family. He's already started putting things in place for us. And the best thing is we're doing it together (did I mention that we're a close-knit family).

About 5 years ago, my parents started a business called Weakly Family Ministries, that, as the name suggests, focuses on bettering the family. They started out with marriage counseling, pre-marital counseling, family counseling, mentoring, etc. Now, WeaFam is expanding. They're looking into officially moving into an office building (they'd been counseling in our garage-turned-office). Also, now, WeaFam includes the AYM Enrichment Program, which is my sister's & my business (also looking for our own space), along with the urban wear store my brother wants to open, my children & teens novels that will published, and my other brother's poetry/spoken word books that will also be published (if you're a Houstonian, check out Freez.Eturnal's performances at clubs around Houston...my brother is a talented spoken word artist). So you see, God has given each and every one of us a talent to use to help others (and glorify Him, of course) and we're about to do our thang in 2009. IT'S OUR TIME IN 2009!

I leave you with a few of my 2009 goals:

• Complete Who's Got Tha Moves
• Begin/Plan novel #3 (not sure of title, but I do know what it's about)
• Move into own home (my sis & I are starting our journey of becoming home-owning roomies)
• Start journey to become debt-free & financially stable
• Complete my dissertation by June 1st (which means, I'll become Dr. Weakly & have my degree by July/August if all goes well, but I won't actually walk across the stage til January 2010)
• Become more confident in my Spanish (I'm basically a chicken when it comes to speaking Spanish...I know it, just too scared to speak it. I'm getting better, though, thanks to my sis, who speaks fluent Spanish)
• Concentrate on making AYM my full time job
• Go to more conferences for writers and entrepreneur since I am both
• Travel more
• Work on crossing more things off my list of things to do by the time I'm 35 (I've only gotten a chance to cross one off, while I'm working on about 3 others...my list is about 60 items long)
• Take better care of myself physically, mentally, and spiritually

Also, I've added more to this blog:

• Inspirational Sundays: I'll post anything that can be seen as inspirational, whether it be my own inspirational writing (like what I do on my myspace blog) or inspirational stories I've read online or heard about.
• Tickle-Me Tuesdays: This day is reserved for stories, pictures, jokes, or comic strips that'll make you laugh. We all should enjoy a good laugh every once in a while, right?
• Random Thoughts Thursday: Same as last year
• Fitness Fridays: My sis and I have started our journey to a healthier us last month. On Fridays, I'll chronicle my journey by posting any weight loss success, success in lowering my high blood pressure, great workouts, trials, triumphs, etc.

Add a Comment

Finally, back on Thursdays...at least til I'm without a computer again. I've decided to get a pink Dell (still trying to figure out which Dell). Unfortunately, I won't be able to buy one til February. Why pink? Cuz it's different. Although the black laptops are business-y, they're just so...blah. I want color. Guess I'm reverting back to my childhood days when pink was my color, before I outgrew it. Anyway, that's what I'm getting. On to my thoughts...

Display Comments Add a Comment

We went shopping yesterday! The main goal was to get our tree. We didn't finally leave home till after 1pm. (Don't ask.) I bought a warmer jacket for my daughter, plus some jeans. Can you say Areopostle? Seriously. I never thought I'd be one of those Mom's who buys expensive name brand clothing for her children. But here's the problem, besides having a name-brand, fashion conscious daughter. She's a 13 year-old skinny-minny! She's grown a couple of inches, (soon I'll be the shortest one in the family), and her legs are about a mile long. She can wear girls size 14, but they really don't fit right. So we end up at Areopostle scouring the sales racks for regular length double zero jeans. I remember my neice, Sami wore 00's for what seemed like forever and my daughter seems to be built the same way, except I think she may end up taller than her cousin. Anyone know where else I can get this tiny size? The department stores only go to zero's. Anyway...I digress. (So what else is new.)

That's all I bought. No. That's not right. I bought one pair of jeans. For me. I'd gotten up to a size 18. (Cringe.) I'm now down to a 14. I'm getting rid of the big stuff as I buy smaller sizes. But I don't want to buy too many even of the new sizes, I want to get to a 10 again. Oops. More digression.

We went out to eat at Longhorn's and I had their 12oz prime rib. Medium. It was exquisite! MMmmmm! I love their prime rib. I eat it about once or twice a year. Usually once during Christmas shopping, and once while we are on vacation. Yummyy. Got some leftover in the fridge for later tonight.

Then we wandered around Best Buy for quite some time. Wow. Have you guys seen those new Blue Ray discs? Holy cow! They are so .... what's the word? Alive! Yeah. That's it. Alive. Crisp and clear. So I looked into the cost of a blue ray player and found out that you're better off buying a Playstation 3, at least 80GB. It plays the discs, plus games, and updates itself. Hmmm. Cost, at least $500! Ack! Who has that? Did I mention that my daughter wants an IPod shuffle? And my son wants a 120GB Zune? And hubby wouldn't mind one of those thingys that will take your old vinyl records (of which he has a ton) and turn them into MP3 files, cost $169. And. And. And.

I don't have the money. I don't want to do credit cards again this Christmas. I don't care if I get anything. Maybe some warm fuzzy socks. My hands and feet get so cold during the winter. Believe it or not, I don't even have to have any books. My to-read pile is huge. There is such a thing as a library. Even so, I could list $200 worth of books in a heartbeat. Libba Bray's The Sweet Far Thing. M.T. Anderson's second Octavian Nothing book. Heck...that means I'll have to go ahead and get the first one also. (I checked it out from the library, but it's a classic in the making worth owning.) Laurie Halse Anderson's new release, Chains. Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key. Lauren Myracle's Bliss, and How to Be Bad, Sheman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, Jo Knowles' Lesson's of a Dead Girl. Oh, there are so many. My daughter may get a couple and I'll read them when she's done. No, don't tell me that's not fair. You won't believe how many of the ARC's that I get to review for Teens Read Too that she grabs and reads before I have a chance to get my hands on them.

So, we came home with jeans, and a list. Remember the main goal of our shopping trip? When we left Best Buy it was 9:30. Who knew that all the Christmas tree places would be closed by then. We just finished watching another pitiful showing of the Jaguars. (My theory, aliens have the real jaguars, these are stand-ins. Either that, or the aliens sucked out all of their greatness, motivation and drive before sending them back to Jacksonville.) Anyway....we still don't have a tree. Maybe next weekend?

Add a Comment

Feeling much better, thank you. :) Hubby thinks I had salmonella poisoning. Whatever it was, I don't ever want it again. Last night I piddled around with my MySpace. It's been forever since I changed my profile. I was feeling a bit Christmassy. Chatted with a couple of students.

Speaking of students, I have great news. Remember my student from last year that has selective mutism? She invited me to come hear her sing a solo in church last Sunday. She did a beautiful job. But that's not the really big news. She did a PowerPoint presentation Wednesday in her world geography class. That's sooo huge! She and my son both practiced their presentations in my classroom Tuesday afternoon. They each had been assigned a state and they had to "sell" it to their classmates. The presentation had to be 20-30 slides long. And they couldn't just read the slide. They were to use lots of pictures and talk about them. My son's state was Indiana. (He loves Indiana.) Hers was Deleware.

She! Did! It!

I am so proud of her. This time last year she only spoke to two students at school and never spoke in class at all. I'll say it again. She's a truly amazing young lady.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this video. I'm a geek in many ways, but science is definitely not one of them. One of my students asked me if I'd ever heard of Ruben's Tubes. And here I thought they were some kind of new game or logic puzzle. Enjoy.

Add a Comment

As I walked through our neighborhood (yeah, gotta walk off those Thanksgiving pounds), it occurred to me that we have some lazy, trifling humans here on Earth. I balked at the amount of trash I saw on the streets. Now, don't get me wrong, the neighborhood doesn't look like a dump - it's a nice place to live in - but nevertheless, thrash still litters the streets.

I noticed empty chip bags, burger wrappers, fast food cups, empty beer cans, cigarettes, cigarette boxes, broken beer bottles, a squished baby diaper (don't even wanna know what was in there), candy wrappers, Styrofoam cups, etc. I even saw a used condom (Are you as grossed out as I was? I would've stepped on the darn thing had I not been looking down at the time.).

People, it doesn't take much to hold on to your trash and throw it in the nearest trash can. We have a Walgreen's and 3 gas stations right around the corner that have trash cans. It takes less than a minute to pull over and throw the trash away. And the used condom wrapper? Ew! Please, spare us the evidence of your passionate night (or day). The sad thing is, the condom was right across from a mosque. Now, I'm not Muslim, but I do respect the worship place of those in our neighborhood...just like I would want someone to respect my church (also in the neighborhood). Call me prude, but I wouldn't dare go there across a worship place. *shaking head in disdain*

Add a Comment

Dissertation. If you've been following this blog at all, you know my feelings on this subject. That graduation date just seems to drift farther and farther away from me. I keep telling myself it'll all be worth it in the end, but, really, sometimes, it's hard to keep that in mind. I just have to continue to picture myself all decked out in my doctorate regalia, walking across the stage as they call my name: Dr. Raenice B. Weakly.

Display Comments Add a Comment

My son and husband participated in the local celebration as they do every year with the boy scouts. We honor those unknown, and those known. My husband's father is a Korean War veteran, a recipient of the purple heart. His grandson, my nephew, just graduated from high school in June and joined the Marines. He left home and family in August. Being close to Jacksonville, Florida, and closer yet to Camp Blanding, where hundreds of troops are sent yearly for training, we know many who are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and we hear daily of families adjusting to military life without a loved one. Many former students are currently serving in various parts of the world. A co-teacher returned from Afghanistan just a few years ago and taught my son social studies as a first year teacher, and my daughter the following year. He's their favorite teacher ever and is one of the most amazing teachers I've known. I've taught for 20 years, yet I've learned so much from him. He would be embarrassed to have such a big deal made over what he believes is simply doing what's right in serving his country. If knowing him is knowing the other men and women serving America, then I am truly, truly proud and humbled.

Meanwhile, I've cleaned like crazy today. I have a huge box of stuff to get rid of and it feels great! I'm going to write up a reveiw and then see if I can wake my muse. He's been in hibernation for weeks! Thank goodness, football is over. We still have band for a couple more weeks since they made state. But life is definitely less complicated. My son is turning human again and earning back a select few priveleges.

" No, no, son. You can NOT have video games back yet!"

Do you think I'll be able to get away with NEVER letting him play video games again? Yeah. Probably not. I was afraid of that.

Happy writing  all. I'll try to pop in a little more regularly now. But no promises. I don't want to jinx myself.

Add a Comment

Jennifer Hudson's Tragedy. My heart goes out to Jennifer Hudson and her family. To lose her mother, brother, and nephew... I can't imagine losing my mom, brother, and nephew individually, but at the same time? And to hope that her nephew's alive, only to find the body. It's so sad. They are definitely in my prayers.

Add a Comment