Finding it hard to find inspiration .....

I have been having a hard time getting back into the swing of things after my vacation. I haven't been posting on Facebook, haven't written a blog ..... just haven't really known what to say. There are of course so many things in the news to talk about:

1. Journalists held in Libya, the horror & celebration in Libya
2. CEOs pledge to end campaign support
3. My first earthquake experience that shook my 10th floor office
4. Hurricane Irene & my weekend plans that won't happen
5. The fact that I am already feeling twinges of empty nest syndrome because the teenager is driving himself to work these days and the little one in starting kindergarten on Monday
6. Kim Kardashian's Wedding (actually I would never talk about that .... just wanted to see if you were paying attention)
7. Warren Buffet's call for higher taxes on the rich
8. The fact that my fabulous vacation has resulted in a serious lupus flare which has left me itchy & exhausted
9. Steve Jobs & the future of Apple
10. The aftermath of the riots in England
11. The 10-year anniversary of 9/11

As I look at this list I realize I am a little overwhelmed. There is so much going on in our world right now ... and not much of it seems to be happy news. You really need to read the fine print in the news to find stories to make you smile such as people in Japan returning money they found after the tsunami. But again, that is positive news in the face of horrific news. For once I would like to turn on the news or boot up the computer and have the headlines be: No one has been killed today, everyone ate 3 meals, the weather is beautiful everywhere and everyone is getting along. Just for one day! Of course the reality of the day after those headlines would probably throw the world in to massive depression. I realize of course that I am babbling and not being very creative.

I will say that I have watched two really great Masterpiece Theatre movies this week: Bleakhouse and North and South. Aside from the fact that I love classical literature (I have actually started reading Bleakhouse, I apparently missed this one during my Dickens phase), I am amazed at how the themes of these particular stories are still in the news today!

Bleakhouse is primarily about a civil court case involving a will that goes on for years to the point that there are only two distant heirs left. By the time the case is settled, there is no money left because it has gone to the attorneys. It is about poverty, despair, drug addiction, inequity. In a word it is a bleak existence (but all works out in the end for the heroes and heroines).

North and South is about unions. The battle between those whose job it is to maintain a profitable business and the workers whose job is to feed the family. I was shocked at how much of an issue this still is today when the original novel the film was based on was written in 1855. Elizabeth Gaskell questions religion, female roles, family, honor and extreme poverty. I feel like if you changed the clothing and the accent you could be talking about so many places in the world today.

I have completely digressed from my topic that I have had a week lacking creativity. But I guess that is ok. So, I will end with answering my last 30-day blog questions .... and then I must be off to plan how I am going to spend the day tomorrow preparing for Irene. I am a firm believer that if you are prepared the storm will swing on by (most of the time, and if it doesn't at least you are prepared)!



The Outsiders



My first celebrity crush: I don't really remember. I know that these two posters were on my bedroom ceiling for a very long time when I was a tween - and I am pretty sure I had some sort of tween crush on all of them (except for Molly Ringwald - although I did want to be her).

The last person who texted me: that would be the teenager - several times a day! I actually love the fact that we communicate more than we did when he did not have unlimited text on his phone. I always know where he is, what he is going and who he is with. It is a great parental invention!

Five Things Within Touching Distance Right Now: I am not going to include the laptop - that is kind of a given.

1. The five-year-old (he fell asleep next to me and I have not had the ambition to put him back to bed).
2. A glass of Diet Pepsi
3. 3 remote controls (Television, DVD player & cable)
4. Map of New Hampshire (from when I was preparing for vacation)
5. A ceramic hurricane-like lamp that my Nana made

Someone's facebook status I can always count on to annoy me: I don't know how to answer this one. The only people I am friends with on Facebook are people I actually like and am friends with .... anyone who annoys me I have already blocked.

And last ..... name everything in my pocketbook right now:

• $5.00 cash & a handful of coins
• My wallet - id, credit cards, health insurance cards
• checkbook (yes I still carry one)
• monthly calender (yes I still have one of those as well)
• small photo album of the kids (it actually only holds wallet size pictures)
• aveeno hand cream
• nail file & clippers
• Soft as lips vanilla lip balm
• gum
• small pill box with Tylenol and Tramadol
• keys
• ID card for work

That is all I can think of (my pocketbook is actually downstairs and I am not going to get it :)

I hope everyone has a safe Hurricane Irene experience this weekend - see you on the flip side!



What Police in a New England City Deal With!

So, today's blog question is to talk about my siblings. My parents divorced when I was 3. My mom remarried when I was 4 and my step-dad adopted me (he was daddy from that point on! One of my favorite sayings is "anyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a daddy). So, I was raised as an only child. I did meet my 2 half-sisters and brother when I was about 18 and we were in touch for a number of years. Due to family drama we lost touch. I have found them again on Facebook and I hope we can someday be close.

So - on that note I decided to write a blog about funny things that happen where I live. On Facebook there is a local news page called The Patch and you can follow the blog for cities all over the US. Part of this blog is the "Tales from the Police Log." Mixed among the robberies and sadness are some entries that make me laugh so hard I thought I should share - because really couldn't we all use a little laughter in our lives!

August 18, 2011

At 3:32 p.m., a Sprague Street resident called police about a cat that is constantly trying to get into his house. Animal control responded, but did not find the cat.

August 16, 2011

1:11 p.m. A caller on Lowell Street reported she would like to turn in a weapon found in her house. An officer said the woman thought it was a taser, but it was actually just a battery charger.

August 15, 2011

9:30 a.m. A caller on Highland Street reported he had a bat isolated in a room in his home. He said neither he nor any member of his family came into direct contact with the bat or spent the night exposed to it. The animal control officer advised him to open the window and let it fly out on its own or hire an exterminator.

August 8, 2011

1:54 p.m. A caller on Columbia Boulevard reported he left his bicycle at a Castle Circle residence and a person there sold it. Police said the bike wasn't stolen or sold. The person was just teasing his friend. Both of them were "advised to refrain from their youthful shenanigans." ...... (doesn't the word "shenanigans" just make you smile?)

August 7, 2011

3:40 p.m. Police received a call of a snapping turtle in the road at the corner of Lowell Street and Samos Circle. The person said the turtle was causing a traffic hazard.

July 30, 2011

12:51 p.m. The Fire Department requested assistance with ducks in a pool on Daniel Terrace.

July 20, 2011

9:07 a.m. A resident on King Street reported she lost her chicken. The female said her chicken got loose the night before and was missing. The chicken is described as “solid black.”

July 21, 2011

1:54 p.m. A male caller reported he had the missing chicken from Wednesday morning. The owner was contacted and put in touch with the man. (just FYI - there are no farms on King Street!)

These are just a few of the entries that I found particularly amusing! I am sure every city/town has similar stories. Again - I am not saying that there are not terrible things that happen, that make me shake my head and wonder what this world is coming to. It never ceases to amaze me what one human being will do to another human being.

30-Day Blog Challenge Catch Up!

So, just a reminder (since I have been gone for awhile): On July 29th I decided to join Sam and Cheryl in completing the 30-day blog challenge. The goal was to post everyday for 30 days and answer all the questions/prompts. Well - since I have not posted since August 11th I am 8 days behind and August 29th is fast approaching .... so here is the catch up post!

Talk about your family:

Family is such a huge word! There is the family in my home - my husband and the boys! I like to think we are the happiest dysfunctional family you will ever meet. On most days there are two people in the house not getting along about something. It could be my husband and the teenager (step families are really hard to blend), or me and the pre-schooler (I discipline more than Daddy), or me and the teenager (do I have to explain this one, he is after all a teenager) or the five-year-old & seventeen-year-old, or it could be all of us and the dog! Who knows .... our life would be pretty boring without the drama we create. But at the end of the day there is nothing we wouldn't do for the other - whether it is the boys taking care of me when I am not feeling well, or my husband giving the teenager rides to work, or the teenager protecting his brother from older kids. We care about each other and love each other regardless of our faults (and we admit to many). Then there are my parents ... who are fabulous and who we could not live without! I do not have the time or space here to go through the list of trouble my parents have gotten me out of - including our vacation this week (we booked our vacation before we got the puppy, they do not allow dogs so my parents dog sat for the week). My Nana (my only grandparent still living) is one of my idols. I think she would be even if she was not family!

My family is not perfect - there are people I don't speak to much or get along with all the time or agree with on many occasions, but they are family and you can't choose the family you are born into. Overall I think I am fortunate and I am glad I have the family I have.

Things that instantly make you happy:

I have a page on my blog ....1,000 things that make me smile. I have been trying to update the page on a regular basis, the idea was to find one thing everyday that makes me smile. Again - I am a little behind. But here are a few things:

• My children's laughter
• Coffee
• Watching my children do things that make them happy
• Quiet mornings (with coffee)
• My House

Name the thing you are most scared of:

First it is always my children being hurt - not a booboo hurt that a bandaid will fix, but the kind of hurt that Mommy can't fix. That is the thing that will wake me up in a cold sweat.

Then there is the completely irrational and illogical fear of driving on the highway. Many years ago I suffered from panic attacks (I have since learned that this can be one of the weird lupus symptoms I suffer from). I had several while driving on the highway. The thing about panic attacks is that they happen for no rhyme or reason - your body suddenly goes into fight or flight mode, and on the highway you have nowhere to go. So ever since then I will avoid the highway at all costs. This is not a bad thing - I have discovered alot of small out of the way places on back roads that I never would have found speeding by on the highway. I can drive on the highway if I have to, I just prefer not to.

Your favorite music:

I have been known to like all kinds of music. I admit I am not one to seek out new music. I tend to stick to my favorite songs (see the blog about my MP3 player). But I am willing to listen to just about anything. Right now I love the show Glee! and I actually tortured the boys all week listening to it in the car!

How important do you think education is:

I think education is the most important thing you can give your children. I don't mean that I think everyone needs to go to college (of course don't tell this to my boss - enrollment is part of my job). Some of the smartest people I know never went to college - but they were always learning. Education can come in so many forms, whether it is learning about your job, or about politics, or nature. So, I think everyone needs to keep learning and education should be a vital part of a child's life.

What is one of your favorite TV shows:

Right now I have two. I like both of them because they are completely unrealistic and give me that sort of break from reality that is needed. One is just funny, the other is full of suspense. Glee and The Walking Dead. I can't pick one as my favorite because they each have a different purpose.

What is the last movie you saw in the theatre:

This answer actually compliments the last answer! Last Friday my mom and I went to see Glee 3D. My husband got me 8th row tickets to see The Glee Live Tour for my birthday and I went with my mom. We went to see the movie to see if you could see us in the audience (you can't, they did not use our concert as part of the footage). If you are a Glee junkie it was a great movie, if you are not I don't recommend it! :)

List photos of 5 famous guys you think are attractive:

Wow - seeing them all together I just realized how much they all look alike!

So, I am all caught up on my 30-day blog! Hope you enjoy!