Virginia Tech

Being a campus minister hasn't been easy this week. Not only do all the students and community here identify with the people of Virginia Tech - but some have lost very dear friends. One of the girls in my group has lost her best friend from home. It's hard to walk around campus and not continually be reminded of what horrific thing occurred.

The campus ministers had a service of remembrance and hope this morning here at UNCG. The house was packed (even media), and fortunately God was with us so that people found the service meaningful. One of my colleagues, Zach, wrote a reflection that you must read. They are words we need to hear

Caught

Here's a good story from my weekend at Davis Cup. The interesting thing about watching tennis is that you can't get up and wander around at concessions and bathrooms at will. One has to wait until after odd numbered games or in between sets or matches. Therefore, the time in between matches can create unbelievably long lines for the bathroom. Our line wove through a good part of the concourse and by a concession stand. And you know women - we have the longest line and we always start talking.

A couple women behind me (who were about my mom's age) started talking about the good looks of several of the tennis players. Then they decided that entire Spanish contingent was really hot. I decided to chime in at that point. "Especially Feliciano Lopez," I added. "I haven't minded watching him play at all!"

Then from behind me I heard a voice, "Talking about the hot Spanish players again?" I turned to see Hubby holding popcorn, and then rolled my eyes.

"What makes you think that?"

"You had a particular grin on your face." I rolled my eyes again and let my fellow waiters know that this man was Hubby. Hubby laughed.

"I swear I didn't start the conversation. I just joined in." And throughout the afternoon, anytime I took the binoculars during Lopez's match, Hubby started laughing again. You'd think a women's bathroom line would be a safe place to talk.

USA Davis Cup vs. Spain

Davis Cup is an international tennis competition. Teams play for their country, and the USA team hosted Spain in the quarterfinal this past weekend in Winston-Salem. I can't quite express how excited I was to be able to go. Not only was I seeing professional men's tennis, I was able to enjoy it with my family and with my tennis buddy, Restless Mama, and her two boys. We saw Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan brothers take on a Spanish contingent that included no. 6 Tommy Robredo.

This weekend's Davis Cup was a sell-out. Supposedly George Clooney was even in the crowd (he has been filming in the area). The USA won and the players attributed it in part to the enthusiasm of the crowd. It has even prompted Bob Bryan to request that if they make it to the final it should be played in WS.

I have lots more pics I'll post in the coming days. Being able to see a Davis Cup match was certainly one of the highlights of my life, and being able to see these particular players was an added bonus. Sonny Boy, who resisted our family outing because he thinks tennis is not as cool as snowboarding, was even heard to say, "This was more fun than I thought it would be."

How hard can sewing be?

When I was in high school, most the girls I knew took home ec. I didn't want to waste my time - I wanted to get all the AP courses I could and besides, surely someone else would cook and sew for me. But we all know what happens to our best plans.

I have learned to cook (fairly well, I think) over the years. I can follow directions, and I do love my cookbooks. Sewing has been a different story. I still save hems and buttons for my mom. Mom has taught Princess to sew. She even bought her a sewing machine for her birthday last August. I have quite a collection of pillows now.

Last Friday I reached a crisis with the window covering in our guest room. The cheap blind (which came with the house) had finally fallen apart. I went to the discount bed and bath store (Anna's Linens) but could not see anything at all that I liked. A fabric store was right next door, so I walked in and immediately saw the perfect fabric. How hard could it be to make a basic panel? I bought the material I thought I needed and had them point out the correct thread. I had Princess thread the machine later that day. And then while she spent the next day Geocaching with the Girl Scouts, I had a pleasant day of sewing. Well, perhaps except for the carpal tunnel, the couple desperate phone calls to a student who sews and a friend who was carting around 3 feuding girls all day, a flung bobbin or two (who the heck ever named those ridiculous things bobbins?), a flung instruction book, and a few choice words mumbled here and there.

And didn't it turn out well? (and please, never look too closely when you come to the house)

Caramel Cake, pt. 2

Well, I am officially the parent of a teenager. Much more scary than turning 40. Some of you might recall the trials and tribulations I endured last year while trying to make Sonny Boy's beloved caramel cake. As stores in this town do not deem it necessary to stock caramel frosting, I had certainly been at a loss. But then my husband's sister, Yaya, came to the rescue. She found a recipe from her mom (and thus Sonny Boy's grandma) for caramel frosting. Yaya was so thoughtful to frame it and it has hung on a wall in my kitchen for several months.

Sonny Boy unfortunately was never able to know his Grandma Elizabeth. She died when Hubby was still a very young man. I'm sure she would have liked this teenager who looks so much like his daddy and has his energy (even if he has inherited my argumentative temperament!). I'm also certain she would have been quite pleased that he was eating his favorite cake from one of her old recipes.

Caramel frosting is not easy to make (as I discovered last year). And it wasn't quite perfect this year - I added one cup too many of sifted powdered sugar. But now I know. It was good enough this year, and next year will be absolute perfection!

Of course, it would have helped my ego if Sonny Boy didn't tell me one of his friends still talked about the ugly cake I made last year.

Caramel Frosting - Melt 1 1/2 cups butter on the stove and add one cup packed brown sugar. Cook on low for 2 mins. Add 1/3 cup milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat for 10 mins. Then add 4 cups sifted powdered sugar until desired consistency. Frost your luscious yellow cake.

Make a wish

The moon was shining brightly as the group of women walked side by side along the old fishing bridge. The bright light from the sky revealed all the dark places on the pavement - we were hoping it was only fishing guts. A few seabirds called out in the distance as we strode further to the heart of the Nassau Sound. It was just a touch too quiet - like some really big slasher movie. Yet, we were all about 20 years (and some of us 20 pounds) past starring in such a movie. To break the eerie mood, I spoke.

"Ya'll, this is just a perfect night. That moon is just gooorrrgeous!"

HJ responded, "Kinda feels a little like a slasher movie, doesn't it?"

"No way! This is a buddy chick movie!" We all continued to talk until we were about halfway along the old bridge to Jacksonville. BM took the wine bottle, held it up in the moonlight, saying "Well, here are all our wishes! Let's hope they come true before someone finds this bottle." She then flung it with full force into the ebb of the tide.

"Sure wish I could have used that original wish," I quietly said.

"Rio, one hot night with Mr. Darcy is not something that could actually happen. These are really our intentions." A sigh escaped my lips.

As we walked back to the car, we began to flesh out our buddy chick movie (and it would be far superior to Wild Hogs, trust me). I called dibs on Kate Winslet playing me. That British connection might actually get me one step closer :)

Book Group Rook Goddess!

I have been quite fortunate to spend the first four days of my 40s with my Asheville Book Group buddies at our annual beach trip. We have many traditions - walking on the beach, sharing bottles of wine and beer, eating good food, enjoying long naps, and playing cutthroat games of Rook. Tonight was no exception. I was neck in neck with BM in the lead, each of us hoping to get to 150 first. I kept plying her with wine, hoping that would give me the edge I needed to get across the finish line first. At one point, our very sweet and gracious mommy to be, Corky, was at negative 30. I felt for her and wanted to keep BM from getting some points, so I passed some along to Corky. Well, Corky came on strong at the end - and went from 70 to 165, beating out my final score of 155. My response can be left to your imagination.

So here is a picture of Corky, with little Lizzie (who we look forward to meeting in a couple months), wearing the championship belt - "Rook Goddess." Congrads Corky, but watch your back next year...

Hair Compliment

I got a pretty short do on Tuesday - ready for a change and thought I would hit the 40s in a different mode. So Princess is commenting on my hair. She really likes it. "If your hair was black, it would look like that Charlie guy. You know, uh, Charlie Brown." Huh?

"Oh, no!" She said. "Not Charlie Brown. That guy in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

In other words, Johnny Depp looking really, really weird. Thanks a lot.

Gettin' Old

Well, tomorrow is one of those birthdays that end in zero. 40 to be more precise. I actually think that it sounds better than 39 - everyone thinks I'm really in my 40s and lying about my age. I haven't had much time to fret over where my life may or may not be at this particular age (like I did at 30 - you would have thought chasing 3 year old wild boy all day would have kept me from having time for such reflections). For years now, I've thought that the 40s were supposed to be the best decade. Kids would be old enough that I wouldn't be changing diapers. I would be fairly stable in a career. I would have a decent home and good friends. These things actually seem to be true - wow, who would have thought?

An added bonus to the day is that people seem compelled to give me really nice birthday presents - Sonny Boy is a little jealous! And then on the actual day, I get to head to Amelia Island with my Asheville book group buddies for our annual beach trip. Can't wait. No kids, no husbands - just friends, food and fun.

Getting old could be much, much worse...

The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt

Here is a song from the Thermals that is quite appropriate for the season of Lent. I also like this group because they were offered $50,000 to allow Hummer to use one of their songs in a commercial - certainly a good amount of money for a little indy band. But - they could not in good conscience support a product that is so bad for the environment. My kind of band...

Chinese New Year Dance

Sunday was Chinese New Year - the year of the Pig. Princess danced in the downtown New Year's Celebration with the Greensboro Chinese Association. (She's in the long green dress.) Sonny Boy taped this. He said the time he taped the floor was when the girls threw candy to the crowd and he bent to pick up some. Enjoy!

Austen sequels

It is a truth universally acknowledged that my all time favorite author is Jane Austen and my best loved book is Pride and Prejudice. For many years, I have steadfastly avoided all the "sequels" to this masterpiece. Why mess up the little world I created in my own mind in relation to all these wonderful characters?

I have been trying in the past 20 months to seek comfort reading instead of comfort food. Thus, I have reread P & P about 6 times in those months (even a bit much for me). Last spring, I decided to venture one of the Austen imitators. I picked up the first book of Pamela Aiden's Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman series. The next two in the trilogy eventually came out in the following months. I liked the first one - it held true to the world Austen created and seemed to illuminate the story I held dear. The second one got just a touch weird - the author obviously had to try her own Northanger Abbey. Yet, it was still an enjoyable book. I must say I was getting tired of the lovey-doveyness that never seemed to end between Darcy and Georgiana. If he said, "Dearest" one more time to her, I thought I might gag. I found the final book about a month ago, and felt like Aiden had done well. The story was completed beautifully. I would recommend these to any Austen lover.

After all my years of suspicion ending so well, I picked up Elizabeth Aston's Mr. Darcy's Daughters. Now, my one big pet peeve is lack of consistency with characters (do you hear that people at Gilmore Girls?) Aston obviously has no problem with it. Otherwise, how could Darcy and Elizabeth end up being very neglectful, oblivious parents? How could Col. Fitzwilliam end up being a sex-obsessed, brutish boor? How else could vapid airhead Lydia get some observation skills and shrewdly make her way in society? And how on earth else could the very bright Caroline Bingley fill her life with junior high high-jinks?

Aston's book was one big soap opera. None of the daughters were likable. They were doomed to making very bad decisions after the apparent abandonment of their parents. One could only hope the book would end. Aston does create the world quite nicely and writes well. It was just a ridiculous, soapy story.
Aiden - B+, Aston - D+

I'm through with this experiment. Only the real thing (Austen herself) for me from now on.

A little is better than nothing

Well, I finally saw some snow. It wasn't much and it was gone by the end of the day, but it had been two years - so I'll take anything I can get. I still haven't had anywhere near enough. Hopefully a lot more will come, and very soon. I am in desperate need of a snow day (or even two). But doesn't my house look pretty with just a little bit of snow?

Old Spice Commercial ft Bruce Campbell

Here is my favorite B actor in a truly great commercial -

Blogging for Books entry - The Best Time of Your Life

Here is my Blogging for Books entry for this month -

Those ladies were great. Every Saturday morning I would see them running to the the door about 9:45 for the 10am opening. They had really, really nice cars - one even had a Mercedes convertible. I was usually in my '78 Fiesta, waiting for them to arrive and unlock the building. I would get out of the car and meet them at the door. I couldn't wait to see what they were wearing. Such great dresses, skirts, tops, dress pants. And the shoes - oh my! I could not wait until I stopped buying shoes at Payless.

I knew I was lucky. While most of my 18 year old friends donned a McDonald's uniform and worked until the wee hours of the night, my after school job was quite different. I dressed nicely each day and was always finished by 5:30. On Saturday mornings I could easily watch "Alvin and the Chipmunks" before leaving for work, once again finished by dinner so I could enjoy my Saturday nights. And the store was never opened on Sunday. I had the good fortune to be employed at a gift and card shop in the "Village." That little shop has been owned and operated for many years by a number of well-to-do women who wanted some fun thing to do on the side.

Saturdays were always the best. They would sit in their glorious outfits, sip on Bloody Marys (they made virgin ones for me) and talk over the social exploits of the previous week. Their friends would come in to order stationary or to exchange interesting tid-bits. Occasionally, a teenage or college-age child of theirs would pop by. These women were having the time of their lives. They looked incredible! They were always having fun! They had great friends and families they loved!

On the other hand, I resided in high school hell. I was a smart girl, made to sit through that ridiculous movie they showed us every year about how high school was meant to be the best time of our lives. The movie showed all these beautiful teens in cheerleader outfits or football uniforms, laughing together in absolute bliss. I would simmer through those movies, muttering under my breath, "This is NOT meant to be the best time of my life! How pathetic!"

Each Saturday morning I had a glimpse of what else was out there. They were smart women in their 40s who had control of their lives. They always looked great, because they were happy and not entertaining the fashion whims of the world. They were comfortable with friends and family. They had a certain amount of peace. As I sat there fuming in that high school auditorium when the yearly viewing of the movie ended, I knew this was not the best time of my life. I didn't expect to be miserable for many years to come - but I knew the 40s would probably be the best. As I anticipate my 40th next month, I cherish this vision that the best time is still yet to come.

The Good Intentions of a Thank You Note

I am one of those moms who force their kids to do thank you notes. I have been doing this before they could write. Back in those days, I would write a few lines they would dictate to me, and then they would sign their names. It was a long, arduous process - but I believed they should learn to be thankful people and this was part of that development.

Nowadays, all I have to do is leave the list of who gave what and they do the notes themselves. I still address the outside, just out of consideration for the postal service. Sonny Boy finished and mailed all his Christmas thank yous last week. Princess is still working on hers. She takes more time and tries to make each one individual - which is really good.

After she did several last week, I looked over them before putting them into envelopes and addressing them. She had written one to my parents. The words were very nice. At the bottom of the note, she had drawn some pretty symbols - how thoughtful of her! She had drawn a hand with a finger pointing up and the letter "I" written on it. Just under it was a heart, and then just under that was the letter "U." How sweet! Then I looked more closely. The hand with the fingers was well drawn, but the finger that was held up was actually the middle finger.

I was about on the floor I was laughing so hard. I definitely mailed it to my parents. Mom agreed it was unlike any other thank you note she had ever received. I'm sure it's been a while since someone shot them a bird, and definitely a first from a grandchild.

If Princess does some more thank you notes, I'll have to be more selective as to who gets that kind of drawing...

I WANT WINTER!!

One of the things I have always enjoyed about living in a mid-Atlantic state (particularly when I was in the mountains), was having four actual seasons. Each season came and went, and with it all the joys of that season. I like each season (fall the best), and they normally lasted just long enough.

And so today is Jan 5, and we are still in the midst of record setting high temps. It's currently about 60 degrees and raining. Yes, raining. Not snowing or threatening it - but just rain. I dressed in a turtleneck, light sweater and rain jacket this morning - and have been burning up.

I want winter. I want to get at least an inch or two of snow (I haven't seen any in two years now). I want the ground to freeze so that all the fleas will finally die, so that mosquitoes will not keep me inside all summer, and so that the crocus buds will stop and not see an early and short life. I want winter!!

It's been tough in recent days. Every time I am driving around town, and I want to ram into every Hummer I see. Like someone needs to drive a Hummer in the middle of Greensboro - those potholes sure can be hard to navigate. It's their fault!! Global warming is here, and it's 60 and raining today!! I do realize that ramming my '91 Nissan into a Hummer isn't wise - so I have chosen not to do it. Perhaps I just will make a bumper sticker - "SUVs - It's your fault we don't have winter anymore!!" or "Kyoto - Who Cares? Bring on the heat!"

I've never considered moving north (or to Colorado), but I might have to do so to experience four seasons once again.

2006 in multimedia

One of my favorite things about my Entertainment Weekly subscription is the Stephen King article found on the back page twice a month. In homage to his year end lists, here is my top 10 in multimedia, in no particular order.

1. Gilmore Girls - still continues to be one of the best tv shows ever. It is a sin that Lauren Graham has not even been nominated for an Emmy - and just the continued disrespect for the WB and now the CW. It has great characters (I really wish Lorelai were real and we could hang out together), humor, interesting stories, growth, a fantastic cast. I could go on and on. And yes - I am very glad Lorelai married Chris.

2. An Inconvenient Truth - I've been ticked at Al Gore for years for the shotty campaign he ran for pres, but he helped win me back with this movie. He's dealing with issues vital to our survival on this planet, and in an entertaining way (even my 12 year old was able to sit and enjoy it).

3. Taking the Long Way by the Dixie Chicks - easily their best CD to date.

4. These Streets by Paolo Nutini - a young Scotsman with a CD I can't hear enough. James Blunt should watch his back.

5. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - a book recommended by the Asheville book group - I probably would not have picked it up otherwise. The story is unique with characters I don't think I will forget for many years.

6. Beyonce's and Carrie Underwood's Cheatin' Songs - Irreplaceable by Miss B and Before You Cheat by Miss U are two very different, but very great songs about the same thing - how to treat a man who cheats on you. Just be sure to shove the truck to the left with the baseball bat.

7. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series - I discovered this series this summer, right before the latest one was published. The last couple are not quite up to par with the earlier ones, but still a highly entertaining series perfect for the beach.

8. The Office - When NBC announced they were stealing yet another BBC series, I was understandably quite concerned. Yet, they have transformed a series I liked into one I that I absolutely love. The American version has even funnier characters, and with a sweetness that makes me pull for each one of them. Can't wait to see more.

9. Casino Royale - Sean Connery, you will always have a special place, but I am officially over lamenting the years since you left.


Well, I only have 9 in my list and there just is no 10. I haven't seen as many movies or read as many books as I have in years past (or watched as much tv). So to round out the list - here is my biggest disappointment of the year - easily XMen 3. Brett Ratner will forever be on my hit list for taking an incredible series and really blowing it. The movie just stunk. The only thing that saved it was the fantastic cast and the history of the first two movies. Brett - shame on you, and learn to tell a story with a little more character development, less fright about women's power, and a little (or a lot) less violence that does not progress the story. Stop dating models or celebutants and start shadowing Spielburg or Soderberg.

All in all, a good year. I'm sure other great movies, books, tv shows and cds came out - and I missed them. Hopefully I catch up in latter years.

Nativity

Princess was Mary in the Children's Nativity this past Sunday. She's sitting beside the donkey (if you're not sure what the little boy's costume represents). Each year, the children grades 5 and younger dress up and are the Nativity scene while the Christmas story is told. My favorite part was when it was said that Mary gave birth, and Princess unceremoniously grabbed the baby doll from under her wrap and plopped the baby into the manger. He was left with his left arm sticking straight up for the rest of the scene. When I asked Princess about it later, she responded, "It's just plastic - it wasn't a real baby."

7th ring of hell

I must first say that I should not have been in the situation I found myself yesterday. This meeting in Fort Worth did not have to be scheduled a week before Christmas. It could have been last week, two weeks ago, or some other time. I didn't schedule it. And I know it could have been much worse - I could have been traveling with kids.

Yes, I found myself in the 7th ring of hell at DallasFortWorth airport yesterday. I had a direct flight to Greensboro at 1:20. Weather was fine there and in Gboro, but my flight was delayed and had gate changes 5 or 6 times until about 4:30. And then they announced the flight was cancelled due to mechanical difficulties. It's a little regional jet with about 36 seats, but when those of us on the cancelled flight arrived at the gate where rescheduling was taking place - there were about 100 people in line in front of us and two flight attendants working the desk. 20 minutes went by and about 5 people were helped. I began to wonder if I could get home that night - certainly there were enough flights going somewhere, but if it took 2 hours to get my flight rebooked...

Then an attendant told us we could exit and go to the main desk to rebook. (which of course meant going back through security, but hey, if it sped things up by an hour or two...) About 15 of us took off. I walked 12 minutes as fast as I could (and I had already walked rather quickly for some of those gate changes). If I walk at that pace, I can make a mile in 15 minutes. So, I found myself at the main desk out front. She said she would book me on the 8pm flight to Gboro - the following night! I explained (hopefully calmly) that I wished to get home that night and would take any flight which would connect me to Gboro. She found a flight to Philly that left in an hour. I was tired and not enjoying the prospect of being stranded without my bag in either Dallas or Philly. I made my way rather quickly to the gate, only to find out that flight had been delayed so long that I would not make the connection to Gboro. (Did I mention that most of the monitors in DFW were not working properly, so that we were always having to ask attendants for correct info?)

So there I stand, thinking, I'll be stranded in Philly. Then I happen to overhear someone mention a flight that was leaving in 5 mins for Philly at a gate in that same terminal, but at the other end. I took off. I got there about 2 minutes before they closed the door, and they did have 2 empty seats.

Once in Philly, I had just enough time to get to the new gate, get a fizzy diet coke (which was dinner - they don't even give pretzels on American anymore), call hubby, and then get on the little connector to Gboro.

My luggage did arrive in Gboro this morning on one of the full flights directly from DFW. Thank heavens for that.

Just pure luck, good ears, and fast feet got me home last night. Thank heavens. And I sure hope all those people not in good health and traveling with kids get where they need to be.