Saturday Six

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. What’s the last individual song you purchased?
"Too Close" Alex Clare

2. What is the last album you purchased?
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster

3. Which artist have you purchased the most music from?
Duran Duran

4. Which deceased artist whose music you’ve purchased would you most like to bring back for a coffee shop conversation?
Elvis Presley. He was a great storyteller, like my dad. I would just love to hear about some of his experiences over a latte, or two or ten.

5. What genre of music do you have the most of?
Pop, followed very closely by Rock and Soundtracks

6. What genre of music do you have the least of?
Rap. Four songs: "Hey Mama" Black Eyed Peas, "Tilt Ya Head Back" Nelly and Christina Aguilera, "Candy Shop" Fifty Cent, and "Gold Digger" Kanye West & Jamie Foxx. I would classify all four as Pop.

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Healthcare Ruling

This Obamacare thing... I've mostly paid attention to the parts that I support, so I have to admit I don't know about every detail. I'm all for the general concept of it, especially mandating that everyone have health insurance, which not only saves lives, but allows insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions (because people aren't allowed to just purchase insurance after they are diagnosed with something). I also applaud the part of the law that requires coverage of many screening procedures for healthy people to find problems earlier. I still don't understand how it's costing the government a dime, so I need to look into that. I do love watching people run around rejoicing they're getting something for free. If it's costing the government something, it is costing you something. The value of any program may totally be worth the additional taxes you'll pay, but rest assured, it's not free.

Justice Roberts did exactly as Supreme Court justices are supposed to do. He ruled on whether or not he felt the law was constitutional, not if he felt it was right or wrong. Bravo. Every one of them should do the same, every time. The Supreme Court should be one place in government where we can be spared the tug-of-war between partisan lemmings.

Who immediately made negative comments about Roberts via the news outlets? Angry conservatives and suspicious liberals. I guess you know you're doing the right thing, when both parties are irritated.

~

I love chatting with Angel. We continuously live a parallel life. I cannot tell you how many minute details of our current situations and even back through childhood are strikingly similar.We should seriously write a book.

At one point yesterday, she said her hubby is now traveling five days a week for work. I told her to check out this site that sells... well... a product for people who are apart and want to have date nights online. She didn't text me back for about 15 minutes. I told her I wasn't sure whether she was quiet because she was so horrified or because she was signing up for the service. Heh.

Soon she ROFL'd and said she was "driving." Suuuuure she was.

Angel says Jeannie Klisiewicz (on the Ellen show) and Lauren and I are very similar. So if anyone out there is wondering what I'm like... there ya' go.

Friday Five: Oooh, Ahhh, Wow!

1. What were the events leading up to your most recent utterance of oops? 
I dropped a plastic cup that bounced all over the kitchen.

2. What were the circumstances that led to your most recent utterance of aha!?
We were watching the season premiere of Falling Skies and I finally figured out that the dinosaurs I kept waiting to see were actually on the now-cancelled Terra Nova. Falling Skies is aliens. Yes.

3. What most recently caused you to say ick?
Mystery gunk that stuck on a sheet pan after being washed in the dishwasher.

4. What inspired your most recent utterance of yum?
Homemade chocolate ice cream

5. Where were you (and what was going on?) the last time you said ooooooooh?
Angel and I were discussing Joe Manganiello late last night.

"Werewolves don't wear underwear."

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Milestone

I don't want to jinx anything, but I am now officially a 20-year breast cancer survivor. Yay!

Ten years ago I was oh-so-thrilled to be a ten-year survivor. I asked my oncologist the longest latency period he's personally observed before a breast cancer recurrence. He told me 30 years. THANKS. No, he's fantastic. Just too honest. (Unlike many other cancers, like Hodgkins, where recurrence after five years is extremely rare, 25% of breast cancer recurrences occur after the five-year mark. The absolute probability of recurrence decreases each year to some fairly constant, minimal number after about 10 years.)

My breast cancer was discovered in 1992, when my OB/GYN found a lump during a pre-pregnancy checkup, which until that moment had been the giddiest, most joyous gynecological exam I ever had. "You guys are going to start a family? That's fantastic!... Oh, what's this..." We waited a month to see if it would go away, but it didn't, so off I was to my oncologist.

I had already been seeing the oncologist for checkups for Hodgkins lymphoma I'd had four years prior. I've been a patient of his as long as I've been married. Wow! I'll have to remind him it's our 22nd anniversary when I see him this fall. For doctors and patients, I think that's the Lollipop Anniversary.

There are many breast cancer (and lung cancer, bone cancer...) cases in patients treated with chest radiation for Hodgkins. Since the 80's, they've reduced the radiation dosage for Hodgkins by about half, and have better defined fields of treatment, so hopefully they don't see as many secondary cancers now.

I had a Stage I localized breast tumor, just larger than 1cm. It was hormone-negative, which is a "bad" prognosis indicator, but it was the factor that allowed me to safely get pregnant later, so I think that worked out for me. :)

They would typically do lumpectomy and radiation, but they didn't want me to have radiation treatments, because of the high likelihood that it had caused the tumor in the first place. They said I should have a mastectomy instead. The doc additionally suggested the possibility of a post-mastectomy chemo option- six months worth- but it only raised my 85% survival odds to 90%. That sort of modest increase, especially after considering the side effects and long-term effects of the chemo itself, along with having already had chemo treatments a few years before, made it a pretty clear choice to me. To each her own, but I chose not to have the chemo.

So woohoo! 20 years later and all is well on that front. Thinking about those who are fighting it today, praying and wishing you all strength and remission. For those women, including Lauren's friend's mom, who are newly diagnosed, hang in there. The fight sure feels far worse than the disease ever did, but each day is one step closer to the cure.

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Happy Hump Day!

I've begun the major work to migrate the Foundation website to the new content management system. National wants us to upload all current assets to their servers for the upcoming training sessions. (I'm not exactly sure why we can't copy from the current site as we set up the new site, but that's what they want. I am here to please!) There's no direct file transfer possible between the current site and national. That means I have to manually copy every single bit of text (no html allowed, so I lose all formatting *sad face*), every link, every PDF, image and form in the entire site to my computer, then upload to national.  Plus I need to rename every file to a new naming convention. It's going to take several days and a ton of verification that I have everything. Whee!

It was a stifling 109 degrees in Austin yesterday. So we did what good Texans do on the first cripplingly hot day of summer- we made ice cream. Does anyone really put homemade ice cream in the freezer to harden before they eat it? The best part about it is tossing it into a bowl in its soft-serve, easily melting form and digging in. Once the leftover ice cream goes into the freezer and hardens, that stuff is like a brick. (Some people are saying, "Leftover homemade ice cream? What is that?")

I finally went to the new Whole Foods. Everyone has been raving about that place. I really enjoy going to the one downtown, mostly because of the cool factor, the wine bar and the bakery's bread section. The south location has only one good thing- excessively large parking spots. Other than that, I think it is very tiny and highly overpriced. The produce was crazy expensive. $2.99 for a cantaloupe? Holy crapcakes. Apples were in the high 2's per pound. HEB has organic produce for a lot less. The bakery (and bread selection) isn't anything to write home about in this location. Neither are the cured meats and cheese. I guess I'm just an HEB/Central Market girl.

The cafe was crowded, just like downtown. I've never eaten there, but I hear good things.

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Rielle Hunter

So. I finally watched the Rielle Hunter piece that Chris Cuomo did last Friday on 20/20, and happened to catch a live interview this morning on GMA. I always thought that she started out as his videographer and that led to their relationship. I didn't realize that she was unemployed when she met him, that he was supporting her during their affair and eventually gave her a fake job as his videographer. What a slacker!

I would understand her making a brief general comment that John and his wife weren't getting along far before she came into the picture. I don't think it's OK for her to make nasty personal comments about Mrs. Edwards, especially after her death, and particularly when she didn't even know her. Even if she were all those terrible things. Hunter is reporting what John Edwards told her, which isn't smart at all, having seen the extreme lengths to which that guy has gone to hide the truth.

It doesn't really bug me that she was "the other woman," because I feel the blame for cheating rests with the married person. My disdain for her is primarily about her selfish and immature "I don't live by society's standards" attitude- the whole sex tape thing, both doing one in the first place and tossing it out instead of destroying it, being completely taken care of financially during her pregnancy (with campaign funds, most likely) instead of working, and agreeing to tell the world that Andrew Young was the father of her baby (just as disgusting as Edwards denying the baby)...

She and John Edwards actually make a great couple, now that I think about it.

I have way too many Words With Friends games going on! The worst are those dreaded multiple games with one friend. (Zynga should be able to prevent that from happening.) I've stopped paying attention to who is winning. It's just a once-daily whirlwind of taking all my turns playing the best scoring words I can come up with. Although... perhaps that is a good way to play.

I would love to play more Scramble With Friends. It's like Boggle. If anyone is playing, let me know.

I play Draw Something, too, although it's more entertainment than actual competition. I'm saving up enough points to get the "obscure body parts" words. *wink*

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Sunday Seven on Monday

My entertainment yesterday was Everett on Facebook, quizzing us all day long on Van Halen lyrics. (Shows how exciting my Sunday was, eh?) He saw them in Houston last night with his son. All I could think of was him and the rest of the guys at lunch in high school, in their parachute pants and bandanas, singing along to VH on the jukebox. Good times!

A jukebox in the cafeteria. Sounds like I went to high school in the 50's. Or on the set of Grease. I think it was our sophomore year that they put the thing in there. It was a brilliant idea, a total money-maker.

Patrick's Sunday Seven

I found a list at 12Most.com of the 12 Ways to Turn Off Web Visitors and thought it’d make a great question.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name seven ways a website is most likely to turn you off on a first visit.

1. A Flash splash page. All those moving parts coming together... waaaaaay too slowly... while I wait for a sliver of navigation or some sort of option to exit the Flash version of the site altogether. The webmaster assuming I give a flying fig about his artistic "welcome" to the site. Just take me to the information. Thanks.

2. Forced video. If you must have a video on a page, never have it autoplay. This is almost always the way I (and everyone around me) discover I've accidentally left my speakers on max volume.

3. Music. See #2.

4. Pop-ups. I don't see many pop-up ads, maybe because of the adblocking software I have, or maybe because they are out of fashion these days, or perhaps because I'm never rarely looking at anything pornographic. But I do see tons of "HI!!! Wanna make this site better/faster? Maybe give us your email address? How about taking a survey?" No. Goodbye. I also despise pop up chat windows that appear while I shop or look for information. Place a "Live Chat" icon somewhere on the page and I promise I will find it if I need it.

5. Unprofessional appearance. This is usually indicated by tragic color choices, large, obnoxious fonts and animated gifs.

6. Mystery meat navigation. This term was coined by the way cool Web Pages That Suck site. (Spend some time there today! So entertaining.) I hate when I'm looking for... say... contact info on a site, and I am given navigation icons of a pig, a radiation symbol, a cheerleader and a beach ball.

7. Visual information, no text. This seems to be the way of things- show people answers to their questions so they don't have to do all that pesky reading. Some information is perfect to show via a photo, video or infographic. Most of the time, though, I want a written story to accompany it. If I'm looking for the score to the big game, I don't want to have to watch a video of the news report to find out.

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AVS Video Editor Playback and Sound Issues

I made a video celebrating Lauren's high school graduation, from video clips of her friends, family and teachers since preschool reciting the text from Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go! It turned out very cool, and I'm so grateful to all the people who participated in it!

My video editing software, AVS Video Editor, worked very, very well... until I got a few too many clips into the project. The finished project has approximately 60 video clips and 60 still frames and 120 transitions. I'm not sure where I was in the process when I started having issues, but it was somewhere around 3/4 of the way through- so maybe 45 clips.

First the editing playback stopped working altogether. I could sometimes exit and restart the program and get the playback functionality, but usually I had to either wait a few hours or reboot my computer. Often I would edit completely blind for a while, without playback, just using the timeline and hoping for the best. When the playback randomly returned, I would take the opportunity to tweak everything. Eventually, the video looked great.

Next was sound editing. Oy.

Still dealing with the playback issue, which AVS Support tells everyone can be fixed with a reinstall (it can't), I began adjusting sound levels on the clips that were too loud or too quiet. These clips came from all over the world, from iPhones and Blackberries (the worst) and webcams and goodness-knows-what. The sound was just very different among them.

I could never get the levels right. I thought I had them, and then the next playback they would be back to where they were when I started. In the end, all the audio levels, while appearing on the project view to be adjusted, were at their original, varying volumes and still containing whatever background noise I had removed.

Last came the music. Where I had to join clips of a song for a nine-minute video, I wanted to fade back just a tad and fade into the next clip during a noisy-ish part of the talking. Turns out AVS Video Editor also has a known issue of injecting a really loud, momentary jump in volume when fading sound. Fade, fade... LOUD... next clip. Ohmigosh. Annoying. I tried to end every sound clip at a silent spot, but that didn't work either.

So I can recommend AVS Video Editor for projects under ten minutes, involving a few clips and absolutely no fading audio overlay. Otherwise, use something else. Because after a couple of months of working on a project, you can't just switch to Movie Maker or Pinnacle (both of which have their own issues as well, in my experience, which is the reason I have AVS at all) without starting over from frame one.

I'm not a computer person, but I can report that I'm using a PC with Windows 7 and plenty of speed and memory to handle a video editing project.

The vid is SO fun!! It's totally about the people and not the couple of weird sound transitions. Although the sound thing still makes the editor cringe. :)


Sunday Stealing: The Imaginary Meme, Part Six

101. Name 4 things you always have with you.
iPhone (most of the time! don't start with me, people...), wedding ring, credit card, driver's license

102. How many SERIOUS exes do you have?
Two

103. What causes you to admire people?
I admire people who are intelligent and also those who are notably kind to others.

104. Do you like sports?
Yeah!

105. Would you have sex after marriage? Why or why not?
After? Yes. I don't think many people would sign up if there were no sex afterwards.

106. What is your favorite male name?
Ethan

107. Do animals go to Heaven?
I don't think so, but I defer to my clergy members for the definitive answer on that.

108. Last time you had a great time with your dad?
About two years ago. It was the last time we were together in person before my recent trip to New York. He stopped over during the day, while on a business trip to Fort Hood. (His company made simulators for many industries, including some for military training.) Jeff was at work and Lauren was at school. Dad and I just chatted and hung out on the back porch all afternoon. It was so nice.

109. What is your favorite hair style?
For me? Longer, with some curl to it. Everyone else seems to prefer it pretty straight, so that's how I usually wear it.

110. Do you like your name?
Yep. 

111. When was the last time that you quit your job?
November 1993. I was about to give birth to my baby girl and wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. :)

112. When you wake up, what is the first thing you think?
What time is it? I usually wake up before dawn and have to decide whether or not I'm just going to get up or try to go back to sleep.

113. Have you ever pulled an all-niter?
A few times.

114. What is the perfect day for you?
A morning hike, afternoon time at home to shower and re-energize, out to dinner and a concert with friends, drinks on the patio at someone's house.

115. Last time you cleaned the bathroom?
Wednesday

116. Have you ever failed a grade? Why?
Nope

117. Have you met anyone online?
Quite a few people.

118. Have you ever smoked?
Very few individual puffs here and there of a cigarette, clove cigarette, a cigar... but I've never been a regular smoker.

119. Do you like celebrities?
I've always been into celebrity news and stuff. I wouldn't say I like or dislike them as a group. 

120. Do you like traveling? 
Love it.

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Fifty Shades

But first... Yay Deutschlaaaaand!! Sorry Greece. :(

I haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey, but I've heard a lot about it, and mostly women say it's a very good story written very poorly. (Sue reports that the term "down there" is overused. Ack.) Several of my friends and I are sure we could easily put out something competitive with it. We've had discussions for years about the possibility of publishing in that genre, and how easy it is for good writers, should you want to go that route with your career, because most of those writers aren't great.

I am confused though, as to why Fifty Shades is such a shocker for an astonishing number of American women. Don't women know that these sorts of books have been around for decades? Where have you been, ladies? Also, there are many amazing writers publishing adult fiction online. Just saying.

Saturday 9 has been a little deep the past few weeks. I don't mind a question or two that require me to really think, but too many just take too long. Maybe next Saturday!

Curious as a Cat

1) Would you rather have one free trip to space or free international travel for life?
Free international travel for life. I don't ever need to go to space.

2) What's your middle name? Do you like it?
Marguerite. Yes! It's my grandma's name.

3) Name a time when you got into big trouble with your parents.
I was in "big trouble" with them exactly twice in my life- once when I was 9 and once when I was 16.

There was one time when I should have been in big trouble, but wasn't. I was 6 or 7, and we were in College Station at my grandparents' house. I was out front, playing with tons of teensy pebbles that were along the edge of the street for some reason. At some point I started throwing them into the air, and I would run underneath them, letting them rain down on me. (It sounds really brainless. I was 7. Maybe I shouldn't be telling this story...)

One time, I accidentally tossed them a little too close to my parents' car. When they hit the back windshield, the entire sheet of glass immediately shattered into a trillion pieces and fell into the back seat.

I burst into tears and people came pouring out of the house. I don't know if Mom and Dad felt sorry for me, or were relieved that I wasn't hurt, or just knew I felt worse than they could ever hope for (probably), but they scooped me up and hugged me and said it was ok. It was "just a window." An expensive window. I'm sure they were upset!

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Eww. Sprinkles make me nauseous. They're always on top of something that is already sweet enough, just to push you into a sugar coma. Of course, one could probably make the same case against chocolate sauce. Totally different.

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Miami Heeeeeat!

We've been watching a lot of soccer and basketball lately. Lauren is a Miami Heat fan, and we've been backing them throughout the playoffs. I'm not a regular NBA follower, but I've learned a lot of backstory in the last several days. So much drama!

What a game last night!! It was sad that OKC seemed to just shut down, but it was so great to see the Heat on fire, so to speak. Many people have unflattering things to say about Lebron James, but from my observations during the playoffs, he's not only a superb basketball player, but a humble and caring team member.

I finally found out who the kissing lady is in the Heat locker room. It's Lebron's mom. She's so cute! When Mike Miller came in at halftime last night, he gave her a wink and started to give her some sort of elbow bump, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him in to kiss him on the cheek. Love it.

Friday Five: Scattergories

1. What random letter was generated by the online random-letter generator? (this doesn’t really count as one of your five questions)
H

2. What food item, whose name begins with the letter in question #1, are you most likely to eat within the next few days?
Hamburger

3. What item, whose name begins with the letter in question #1, are you most likely to purchase this weekend?
Hair products!

4. What famous person, whose last name begins with the letter in question #1, makes you think thoughts you probably shouldn’t?
Harry Connick, Jr.

5.What is your favorite film whose title begins with the letter in question #1?
The Hangover

6. What geographical location, whose name begins with the letter in question #1, are you most likely to see within the next few days?
Hamilton Pool

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Congrats, Impractical Jokers!

But first... After saying yesterday that I only went out with someone significantly older than me one time, I have been reminded recalled that I did go out with a few 20+-year-old waiters when I was 16 and working as a hostess. They always called Kimberly and me "Jailbait" (if only we had a dime for every time...), but they still took us out.

Boys. So weird. :)

For those of you who aren't familiar with the TruTV show Impractical Jokers... here are a couple of great clips from the first season:





We first watched them on our cruise in April. It was always on TV late at night, when we were getting ready for bed. They've just been renewed! Season 2 starts at the end of the year. Congrats, guys!

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Yahoo Messenger Woes

Yahoo Messenger was being annoying yesterday. I couldn't log in through my desktop app, because supposedly I had no secure connectivity via IE. Why Messenger can't use Firefox, which has no issues, I have no idea. It turned out, upon further investigation, I did have https connectivity via IE. Just not to any Yahoo servers.

Then I logged into Messenger via Yahoo Mail in Firefox, which I've never done. (Intentionally anyway. For a while I was logged in there and didn't know. A whole other story.) Well, it turns out, you have to stay on the web page to remain logged in.

Um... no.

So I logged off and did something constructive instead. :)


Two weeks worth of Sunday Stealing... because I can...

61. Ocean or pool?
Pool

62. Fridays or Ruby Tuesdays?
Fridays

63. Did you want to go to college?
Yes. So I did.

64. What did you last time at a mall?
What did I.... what? I was last at Post Oak Mall in College Station with Lauren.

65. Which close friend have you known the longest?
Cathy, since 6th grade

66. Why do you like the music you do?
I especially enjoy music you can sing along with. Love other types as well, but that's my favorite. There is nothing in the world like listening to a song and singing along, by myself, with someone in the car, or with a stadium full of people (where I totally get goosebumps).

67. Do you read much?
Yes, but not many books. Magazines and online articles.

68. Favorite country?
USA! USA! USA! :)

69. What is something you wish you were better at?
piano

70. What’s your favorite album/CD?
Gah. Purple Rain? I have too many faves to list.

71. What's a good dinner order?
Salmon with capers, come sort of cheesy potatoes, Caesar salad

72. Planes or boats?
Boats

73. One rumor that’s been spread about you:
I don't remember that any have ever made it back to me.

74. Who is your newest friend?
KatieB

75. Have you ever sat on a rooftop?
Yep

76. Was your last text useful?
Yes, I told Jeff I'd picked up something for him at the grocery store.

77. Favorite soda?
Diet Dr. Pepper

78. Do you like yourself?
Yes

79. The worst weather: Hot or cold?
Cold

80. Do you play an instrument? 
Piano, but not well.

81. What’s your favorite action movie?
Iron Man

82. Have (or are) you ever been involved someone much older than you?
I went out one time with a guy who was 27 when I was 20. Other than that, I've never gone out with anyone more than about a year older.

83. Do you believe in lust at first sight?
Of course.

84. Favorite type of venomous snake?
Rattlesnake

85. Do you drink alcohol? 
Yep

86. If you wanted to talk to someone who'd lift your spirits, who'd you call?
Laura or Cathy

87. What do you wear to feel sexy?
A leather teddy and red patent stilettos

88. Do you like to learn?
Yes, as long as the subject matter is interesting.

89. Have you ever been hit on by someone who really overestimated their attractiveness?
Haven't we all.

90. Where did you last go on vacation?
Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. St. Thomas, Nassau and St. Maarten

91. Dallas (as in J.R. & Bobby) returns this week. What film or TV series would you love to be resurrected?
Other than FlashForward? My favorite show in the 80s was Thirtysomething, but it wouldn't much apply to me at this point. So I'll go with Miami Vice.

92. Explain your karma beliefs.
I don't believe in it in a religious sense, that God literally rewards or punishes people for their deeds, but I do feel that what goes around comes around. It's just the natural way of things.

93. When do you think that you have a hard life?
I don't think any of us can think we have a hard life, because there's always someone else who has had it harder.

94. Favorite comic strip?
The Far Side

95. Have you ever broken a heart?
Yes

96. Should pot be legalized?
In general, I don't think pot is much different from or worse than alcohol. The problem is that people would be smoking it, exposing us all to the health effects of smoke. If people wanted to legalize pills or another form of THC, I would be ok with that. Medical use should always be legal.

97. Have you ever gone skinny dipping with someone that you shouldn't have?
No

98. What do you do when you're down?
Turn up the tunes.

99. Last time you were really angry?
I don't know. I'm sort of numb these days.

100. What is your favorite flavor in general? 
Chocolate

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Prometheus 'n Stuff

The example event when you click to add something on Google Calendar is "Dinner at Pancho's." Random! Is Pancho's even around anymore? We used to go there for dinner every now and then, when I was little. I was the official flag raiser at our table. I don't know that I actually ate. Just sat there asking if anyone needed anything.

We saw Prometheus this weekend. Jeff liked it a lot. I thought it was slow. I also didn't like Dr. Shaw's character at all, because she is frail and emotionally weak for a strong female lead. She does manage to survive everything that's thrown at her for two hours though.

I loved the tie-in with Alien, one of my all-time fave movies. I recognized similarities, background/history, etc. Then Jeff told me they started out making it the prequel to Alien, but in the end it was not intended to be that at all. It's just a movie about finding the origin of the human species.

Oh. Disappointing.

Ridley Scott said of the space jockey in Alien, "The very simple question was 'Who the hell was in that ship? Who is sitting in that seat?' and 'Why that cargo?' and 'Where was he going?'" YES! And to me, this movie answers that question and more. They retained enough of the Alien prequel-ness to satisfy fans, and the origin of the species angle fits in just fine.

It was just... slow.  :)


Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Which word have you heard entirely too much this past week?
Urostomy

2. Which word have you not heard enough this week?
Happy

3. Which word do you wish everyone would learn how to spell correctly?
Lose (one "O" please, not two)

4. Which word do you wish everyone would learn how to pronounce correctly?
Nuclear

Also Chipotle.

And Pedernales.

Ok, I'm done.

5. Which word would you like to ban completely?
Chillax

6. Which words do you have more trouble saying: I’m sorry or Thank you?
"Thank you" is always easy. "I'm sorry" is typically more complicated.

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Dad

As my friends already know, my dad passed away on Friday. The first couple of days I was at the hospital last Sunday and Monday, and into Tuesday, he had moments where he was able to communicate well, and we had several very short but meaningful interactions. He was able to talk to Siegfried on the phone a few times. It was a particularly hard few days for him at the end, and we are all very relieved that he is at peace.

Dad was "a brilliant man who never met a stranger," my Grandpa (Mom's dad) said this weekend. I think that's a perfect description of him. He was the life of any party, the storyteller with a crowd gathered around at the pub, the first to laugh, the first to break into song. He was incredibly intelligent, a genius with numbers, and a scholar of philosophy as well, with a quotable and elegant answer for every life question I had.

I've said here many times that I get my appreciation of the simple joys in life from him. Whether singing with his German Club buddies or hanging out on the back porch in the evenings, watching the birds and feeling the breeze, or taking walks through the woods or enjoying a sunset... he was always in the moment, aware of the blessings surrounding him.

My favorite time with him will always be when I was 15 and Duran Duran was playing Wembley Arena for one last night in London, while I was visiting him in Brighton. I saw the story in the newspaper. I was pretty obsessed with them at the time. I imagined the concert was long sold out, but Dad didn't hesitate one second before saying, "Let's go!" We'd try to get tickets on the way in, and if we couldn't, we would just enjoy the train ride. We ended up in floor seats in the 11th row, where the girls next to me kept telling me how cool my dad was to come with me and dance along with all of us.

Best. Time. Ever.

So thanks, Dad, for all the love and fabulous times. You will be missed.

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Celebration!

Tonight is our family celebration in Dallas for Lauren's graduation! Yay!

Sadly, tomorrow I'm going to New York to visit my Dad. He's very sick in the hospital and they've just found out that his cancer has spread to the point where they are stopping treatment. :(( Weekend of ups and downs for us.


Friday Five: More Symbolism

1. Which circus act best describes you this past week?
Trapeze. So much has been going on. I cannot even describe the back and forth from this important activity/event to that one- unfortunately managed from what feels like 100 feet in the air without a net.

2. Which summer Olympic event best illustrates what your professional (or academic, if you’re still in school) life has been like lately?
Sailing. Not the strenuous Olympic version, but more a "Nantucket with friends," relaxing sort of sailing. I'm not working at all at the moment.

3. Which household chore is most symbolic lately of your romantic life?
There are so many clever answers here that my daughter would find completely unfunny.

4. What item on your current grocery-shopping list pretty much sums up your relationships with friends lately?
A six-pack of Shiner Bock. We are superfun and very close. And you could pick us up for $6. ;)

5. Which of Crayola’s standard colors has a name that would be a good title for the coming weekend?

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A&M New Student Conference

It's always great to be on the A&M campus. Every turn of a corner brings up some memory that you cannot help but blurt out to your child, who is very interested, until about the 10th story between the dorm and the MSC. Oh, and she's heard half of them before. 

I am so impressed with the brand new Memorial Student Center. It's beautiful!

Rudder always smells the same as it did in 1990. It's not a good or bad smell, just one of those definite scents that takes you right back to school days. Reminds me of great dates, shows, panel discussions, working student organization tables at events, etc. I also like that no matter how hot and humid it is outside, you walk into Rudder and it's like a refrigerator. Soooooo nice.

I guess they're just leaving the store in G Rollie, even though there is now a Barnes & Noble A&M store at the C. The G Rollie store is great on game days. Seems like a small use for a big space, but the money that thing generates probably more than justifies it.

I thought most people were going to stay on campus for the conference. Turns out everyone in Lauren's major but Lauren and I stayed in a hotel. It was convenient to stay in the dorms, and of course the students running the accommodations were wonderful and so friendly! I do have some advice:

1) Bring your own fitted sheet. You get two flat sheets, which would be fine, but the mattresses are made of some sort of 25th-century nylon fabric with a zero coefficient of friction, so the bottom sheet slides all over the place through the night. I tried every sort of tucking there is, to no avail.

2) Bring a laptop. There aren't TVs in the dorms in summer. Netflix or Hulu is helpful when winding down for the night in a very quiet corner of campus. We had heard the wifi was slow, but that wasn't the case. We watched a couple of comedy shows on Netflix and the streaming was fine, as long as we turned off HD.

Students can log onto the net with their credentials. The network is tamu-wpa. You have to do some cartwheels to get the password for tamu-guest, so good luck with that. And never ever ask for your child's login info, because if the university finds anyone other than the student logging in with his credentials, they ban the student from online access to their account. I cannot imagine what a huge hassle that is for the student to deal with. Everything is online now.

3) They say to bring your own pillow, but the pillows they provided were actually fine. There was also a freshly-washed blanket provided, though they said to bring one.

4) Pack light. There are no elevators in the dorms.

Lunch is easy to find on campus. Breakfast and dinner, not so much. In summer most places are closed altogether. Most of the open ones close early. I think people were just eating at Sbisa.

Wear comfortable shoes. They tell you, but I just want to repeat it. You will walk for miles, especially if you stay on campus.

My favorite part of the whole three days was the Corps of Cadets presentation during the final event of Day 1 in Rudder Auditorium. (It was a student activities talk, with a mini- yell practice at the end.) During their time, two senior Corps members gave a brief history of each of their subgroups, and brought out representatives from each of them. They really moved the crowd. They got the most enthusiastic applause of the entire conference at the end of their presentation.

During the conference, I was surprised at how few of the students were familiar with A&M culture. I always assume a great majority of students who attend A&M have family members who attended, or at the very least have seen a football game or two on TV. It was not the case at all. It was great fun watching students completely new to the experience learn yells and sing the school song during the last program of the conference.

Lauren is now officially enrolled in classes. Her schedule is much like mine always were, with all my classes at times I liked... except one. There was always that single class stuck out in the middle of nothing else, so I had to make a special trip to campus. I preferred all my classes in the morning, so I could be done by lunch and have afternoons to play. (Except for the one day I inevitably had a 4pm class to go back to.) Lauren prefers to have all her classes after lunch so she can go to bed very late and sleep in. She doesn't start any day before noon, except on Tuesday when she'll have 8am Biology lab. Not bad!

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Off to Aggieland

I am heading to College Station to meet the kiddo for A&M New Student Conference. (She's been there over the weekend, visiting a friend.) She and I will be there until Wednesday.

We're going to the Student Rec Center after registration this afternoon to play badminton or something. I also can't wait to see the new MSC. There are a couple of official activities tonight, including letting the students try on a 2016 Aggie ring at the alumni center. How cool is that?!

Looking forward to meeting Lauren's friends' parents as well! It'll be a really fun few days.

Have a great day, all!

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Sunday Stealing

What is it with all this public breastfeeding discussion all-of-a-sudden. I think breastfeeding in public is fine, as long as you don't expose yourself while doing it. We live in the remnants of a Puritanical society that frowns upon women showing their breasts in public, or even showing too much cleavage for that matter. You don't get a free pass just because you're feeding a baby.

(After our discussion of this topic, I duly note here that Jeff does not frown upon women showing their breasts in public, or showing too much cleavage. He's very progressive.)

Gotta love the "it's natural" argument. Peeing is a natural thing, too. It's totally OK do it outside, as long as your private parts are sheltered from public view.

So breastfeed away, wherever and whenever you want to! Just get out a receiving blanket or whatever is in fashion these days- something much more chic I am certain- and cover up.

Guys thinking exposed breastfeeding moms are hot-- creepy.

Breastfeeding your preschool-age child-- also creepy. We had one mom in Gymboree when Lauren was 2 who was still breastfeeding her toddler's 4-year-old brother. At Gymboree. The moms were unanimously appalled.


Sunday Stealing: The Imaginary Meme, Part Three

41. Growing up, who was the easier mark: Mom or Dad? 
Most definitely my dad.

42. What is the stupidest pet that you ever saw?
Well, that would have to be Dad's leftover bait minnows (I choose to think of them as my little "rescued minnows") that I kept in a fish bowl for about a week. When I got home from a sleepover the next weekend, Mom had flushed them told me they "got sick and died." :)

43. Tell us about a band whose every CD is a “must have”. 
I have a lot of favorite artists and bands, and I can't really say for any of them that EVERY CD is a must-have. Second albums almost universally suck. Well, I'll go with The Beatles.

44. Where you surprised when Jim Parsons came out?
As surprised as I was when Ellen came out.

45. Have you ever shoplifted? 
When I was a kid, Lori and I each stuck a 2-cent green apple bubblegum from the candy aisle in our pockets, just to do it. We felt SO incredibly guilty for the next week that we went back and put a bunch of pennies in the change dish there.

46. We currently have a person who plays both this meme and Saturday 9 who signs in to Mr. Linky every week. Yet, if you click on that link, you are told that only “members” can read the blog. Why do you think that person even bothers to sign in or for that matter, do the meme? (Don't misunderstand, we have no rules and we aren't angry. But it is damn peculiar, no?)
I can see why they do the meme, because whether or not any of us can see it, their visitors can see it and copy it to their own blogs. Maybe they sign in, because they are looking for people to apply for membership to see their blog.

47. Have you ever driven a Ferrari? 
Nope. I'd rather drive a Beemer Z series, if I ever get the chance.

48. What do you call those little plastic things on the ends of shoelaces?
I believe the technical term for them is "plastic thingies."

49. Have you ever walked more than a mile?
I walk about a mile and a half in my neighborhood almost every day.

50. Do you believe in magic?
In a young girl's heart? How the music can free her whenever it starts? Yes.

51. Have you ever been arrested? 
Um, no. The closest I've come to being arrested was at A&M Bonfire in 1987 (I was 20), when a TABC agent caught me with a beer. He just made me pour it out. Jeff would add here that I had two beers in my jacket pockets that I voluntarily pulled and poured out as well. Bad boys, bad boys, what'cha gonna do...

52. Have you ever skinny dipped?
I've swum topless in the ocean, and skinny dipped in a hot tub. So technically, not really. It's on the bucket list.

53. Explain what you think about hippies.
They seem to be positive people, who appreciate the simple joys of life. Sometimes they need a bath, and to lay off the MJ.

54. New York or California?
California, whose clear edge is the weather.

55. Have you ever been dumped?
Yes

56. What are you wearing right now?
athletic shorts and a black, lacy tank top

57. John Edwards had a mistrial. How do you think he conducted himself after the verdict? 
Like the fake, smarmy liar he's always been.

58. Did you watch the series finale of House? 
No. We haven't watched the last few seasons. I LOVED that show for years though. Sad to see it go.

59. You may need to go back a long way if you are old like Harriet. Who was the last person who asked you out?
Other than Jeff? I don't specifically remember the names of any of the random guys who asked me out after Charlie, but the last one may have been Tiffany's bodybuilding friend- number 5 on my worst dates list.

60. Do you have any collections? 
Every year I get a Christmas ornament related to something from that year, so I have a 22-ornament collection and Lauren has a 18-ornament collection that I have begun for her.

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Congratulations, Class of 2012!

Many of my favorite kiddos are graduating, including my very own, and I just want to say how excited I am for them! I'm especially proud of my daughter. Her accomplishments are impressive and her SAT scores and GPA are out of this world, but it's the funny, inquisitive, nurturing and compassionate person she is that really blows me away. She's headed towards a nursing degree, and I think that suits her very well!

I have enjoyed watching these kids grow up- many since preschool... a few since they were babies. I'm thinking of Julie and Laura and I walking Sean and Kelsey and Lauren in their strollers around the neighborhood when the kids were toddlers. Sean and Lauren were snacking on carrots in baggies, and Kelsey was in the middle, with Cheetos.

The first-borns had never even seen a Cheeto, but all it took was one little orange-fingered hand reaching over to each side to share, and Sean and Lauren ditched those carrots.

There's my advice for all of you graduating this week... Try the Cheetos.

It can mean whatever you want it to. That is the beauty of enigmatic graduation sentiments.

CONGRATS Class of 2012! You did it!!

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TGIF

I don't know what is more disconcerting- finding out that someone I was sure was a regular reader of my blog doesn't read it at all, or finding out that someone I had no idea even knew about it IS reading it. The net is a funny space, folks.

Sean Percival's guess at the appearance of the new Facebook Phone...

Heh.

We're off to Joshua's wedding tonight! Very exciting! Have a wonderful Friday, friends... and people who are waiting to tell me ten years from now that you read this thing every day. xoxo

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