Commencement 2009

Somehow, I'm not sure I thought the day would ever actually arrive!
But it did. And I'm official.
Now to work on turning "official" into "professional."

dress shoes stockings (purse?)

So, early this morning, I haul my sweet husband off to the Coast to go shopping with the “carrot” of going to Harbor Freight Tools, and the outlets to shop for shoes. For my part, I had just realized as I was falling asleep last night that I needed a dress and shoes for commencement in two weeks!

Rather than go to outlets first, I asked to go to Ross’s Dress for Less. Once inside, I headed for the women’s shoes first, and he headed to the opposite side of the store where are located the men’s shoes. From the looks of what is displayed in the women’s shoes, brown is the new black, and while I was busy being an adult, patent-leather shoes seem to have made a come-back.

What I liked didn’t fit, and there wasn’t a lot to choose from in sizes which would fit, so I decided to go on to goal number two: finding a black dress.

The purses just happened to be on the way to the dresses. Really. I swear.

My first thought though was that if Husband found me in the purses, he would say, “These don’t look like shoes or dresses!” And wouldn’t you know it, not 30 seconds later here he came and guess what he said.

Well, I did find a dress. It is black and white, and I thought I recalled seeing a pair of nice black and white shoes on the racks. I did. They have REALLY high heels. They fit. I bought them.

At this point I needed to eat. We couldn't make up our minds, and ended up all the way down 49, so we turned left and drove across Beach Boulevard.

Now, I've ridden across 90 a couple times since, Katrina, but he had not -- at least not east from Gulfport to Biloxi. It's still pretty sad; the worst is that you feel so disoriented because all the landmarks are gone. There is no sense of *where* you are along the way.

We drove all the way to Ocean Springs, then back to Edgewater Mall area. We decided to eat at the restaurant which is now located where the Baskin Robbins was before Katrina,the Al Freso Italian Bistro (which also has a location in downtown Ocean Springs). The food was quite delicious.

Yes, Husband made it to Harbor Freight Tools, and left with a large bag of goodies. I managed to get out of Hobby Lobby and Hancock Fabrics without a single purchase. We made one more stop, at Hudson's Treasure Chest, then headed home. It was the first time in a very long time that he and I went off like this for a whole day just "pooting around," as Mom would said.

I did not buy a purse.

Yet.

past homes

I was playing around with Google Maps earlier this week, and created a map of the places I have lived. Using the street-view, I was able to see how these houses look now.

This is the house where I lived until the summer between 4th and 5th grades.

Then we moved to this house -- only it wasn't brick-faced when we lived there... and perhaps it is just a child's memory, but it sure seemed wider than it appears in this image.

When I was 14, we moved from Florida to Maryland, and after 6 weeks in the Holiday Inn, we moved into this house... only all white like the one next door, not red!

In 1976, I moved to Texas with my then-fiance. This was his parents' home. I lived in the front left guest room (see the circular area) until we found an apartment; then we lived there again a year later when our lease was up and our new house wasn't ready.
There's no photo of the apartment where we lived, because it is now a single-dwelling housing area.

This is the first house I owned. It still looks the same. I really loved this little house. It had large main rooms -- living, kitchen, master bedroom -- along with two small bedrooms, two baths, a laundry closet, and a garage.


It is kind of cool and yet kind of scary that you can find stuff like this on the Internet.

Changeling

Last night we watched Changeling. You can perhaps guess it made quite an impression upon me as I rise from the depths of oblivion (otherwise known as real-life in a graduate student's world) to post here!

It is a compelling and thought-provoking story, not surprising for something coming from Clint Eastwood, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the screenplay was written by J. Michael Strazcynski (Bablyon 5 television series), his first feature film -- I will refrain from comment on the dialogue <wink to LMA>.

Here's an excerpt from a Time magazine interview with, as B5 fans know him, JMS:

How much of it is true? It's all a true story. Every bit of it. We wanted to go from "Based on a True Story" to "A True Story" in the credits. To do that, I had to work with Universal Studio's legal department and go through every single scene and provide attribution. Every single scene in that film can be traced to something. I spent a year researching this thing and ended up with 6,000 pages of documentation.

(Additional info about the story development & JMS)
So, given "all" of it is true, makes the effect even more chilling.
Among them...
How women were treated a mere 70 years ago... things aren't perfect, but we've "come a long way, baby!"
How children were treated a mere 70 years ago... compare the story, say, to episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Adults (and children) are still committing horrible atrocities upon children, but children definitely have a very different place in society than they did. I wonder how many of them realize and appreciate the change.
Political corruption, disenfranchisement, unlimited power in the hands of a small few... definitely things to take to heart.

It's not a 'feel-good' film, y'all (thought there are some happy moments). But something everyone ought to take time to watch.

As early as I could with ±200 days til commencement, I submitted my application for master's degree in Library & Information Science.

And, of course, bureaucracy being what it is, there were small glitches, but as of 10:30am CDT, the check is written and the myriad forms are submitted.

Now, all that remains is the work.

diabetic blues

There is a strong risk of depression with diabetes, especially if one is older. I've seen links to reports lately, but didn't read them/it yet. But, I'm guessing that my low mood of late is some what attributable to my weight gain and poor eating, both of which I know are hurting me and putting me at greater risk for complications.

I try to think back to how frightened I was when I got the frantic call from my doctor's nurse in 2006, how well I immediately responded to the diet and lifestyle changes I knew I had to make... now, although I've only regained 10 of the 30 pounds I lost, and although I don't eat nearly as bad as I did, I still am not following the lifestyle that will keep me living well as a Type II diabetic.

I am so proud of my friend who has done so well with Weight Watchers recently. I don't, however, feel like I want to follow that program, either by attending meetings or enrolling online (if she lived here, perhaps, but she's 2 hours away). There are some other diet programs online but I can't justify the cost-use-benefit of those with fees, and others are not tailored to diabetic needs. So, I was happy to discover (which doesn't mean it's new, only that I just found out) the Meal Plan program at the One Touch Gold Tools. (One Touch is a brand of blood glucose testing meters from LifeScan. It is a free program, and though I haven't explored enough to determine its limitations, I am hoping it can provide me some incentive and positive feedback to get me back on course...

At the beginning of the year, I was at 150 lbs., looking forward to the 135-140 lb. range to get my BMI at recommended level. Because my A1C was consistently below 7%, my doctor reduced my daily medication by 50%. Perhaps I was eating too many carbs, but it seems like immediately I gained 10 lbs. My courseload and full-time work and 90-minute daily commute leave me with little time and less energy for even minimal exercise, and my overindulgence in carbs and reduction of protein and vegetables does nothing to help either. Honestly, it will sound strange, but we eat out less now than in the past few years, and I eat better when I eat out: salad, lean meat, low-glycemic vegetables, and rarely desserts. At home, I'm too lazy to fix proper meal and am more likely to grab something which is not necessarily bad, but definitely not as good and balanced.

So, not exactly back to square one, but feeling weary with what I need to eat and do. I return to the doctor in November; hope to have a chance to discuss it all. For now, I'll use the meal planning ideas and ranges on the OneTouchGold.com to try to get back on track.

things you find online

It started innocently enough.
A book for which to prepare a call number spine label: The Mallettes of Fort Bayou.
Interesting... my mother's maternal grandmother was a Malley (corruption of Mallette). I puruse with an eye out for my ancestor's name: Clement.

Next thing I know, I'm googling for the LDS genealogy website, trying to remember my mother's paternal grandmother's maiden name (Loftin), and with a wicked interest, I search for the EX. Nothing on his first, surname and state combination, so I try his father's. What I do find is rather sad: his mother passed away in 1994, and his father in 2001... having only the dates and location leaves me wondering about causes. I have ideas. His father was the same age as my mother, and she died two years before him. His mother was three years younger and died five years before my mother. I never find any information about the EX or his sibs online -- not that I want to have contact, but curiosity being what it is and all... you know how it is.

Obviously, I did not leave the marriage hating my ex-in-laws, or I would not be saddened for him/his family about this. Ed and Sally were good to me, even though I feel they force the EX to choose between me and them -- often enough that is was one of the prime reasons why I left him.

So, many years late, I pause to remember them. There were good and fun times there in Dallas, though they are slightly overshadowed by the grief of a failed marriage.

anniversary

Well, I didn't totally forget it this year... it was only about 9am when I realized today is my wedding anniversary.

Rodger and I have been married 28 27 years today.
When I get home, I'll find out if he also forgot, or he remembered.
It is a long-time joke for us. Often it is days or even weeks later when we realized we've missed our anniversary. In recent years we are getting better about remembering on the day or maybe, if we are really lucky, before the date.
Right now, I just want a nap -- and someone to drive me home from work -- so I'm glad we don't have any plans to go out anyway!


ETA: He got a McDonald's Apple Pie for his gift; I got an egg sandwich for supper. Ah... the simple life!

I'm hoping for Sunday brunch at Semolina's.

patience, hell...

... feeling much like that buzzard. My cats have fleas. We are on our SECOND season of Lovebugs this summer.

(Wikipedia--that fount of accuracy--states there are two "flights" per year, but I don't recall having any but the late summer flight in past years. Oh well... you think you are driving in black flurries of snow, or through tiny dark hail pellets as you speed down the interstate.)

And I had to call the insurance company today... Great. Now I'm so upset I can't think straight. Heaven only knows what kind of cataloging will result today... Dealing with our insurance company has been a surprisingly easy process every since Alcoa bought Eastalco and we began dealing directly with the insurer rather than the local company insurance handler. That is, until today. Both my sons and I have been dropped from health insurance coverage retroactive to May 2008. I am required to provide birth certificates, marriage license, tax return and enrollment verification for all three of us. NOTHING has changed with the insurance company or our status. We have been married for nearly 30 years, all of it while DH has been employed or retired with the same company; our sons are 24 years old, and still eligible for coverage. Or so I've been told every time I talked with them -- under 25 and full-time students. Until today. Now the smart-a$$ed ("You don't tell me, I'm telling you!") customer rep (and I use the term very loosely) tells me they also have to be claimed on our income tax. (Nevermind that they are, it's the point of never knowing that before.) I am just SO mad I feel like I'm going to explode. Her attitude, the whole inconvenience to me based solely upon the fact that THEY did a "retiree audit" in April. And most all the information is right there in their files! Marriage licenses and birth certificates!

sponsor me!

I'm trying something to gain sponsorship for the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi's Walk for Diabetes to be held October 26th, 2008: using Paypal's donation button. You'll see it there to the right in the sidebar. For every $5.00 donation, I will enter my sponsors in a drawing for two skeins of sock yarn (see center of photo below). I'm also gathering other yarn prizes, as well as beads/beading projects, and/or other needlework prizes than knitting.

click photo for larger image
The two skeins of sock yarn (center) are ArtYarns UltramMerino4, 50g each in color 132. Also pictured are three additional yarn prizes: Classic Elite Yarns' Alpaca Sox Hand Dyes, 100g in color Peacock (top) Trekking XXL, 100g in color 100 (left) Brown Sheep Company's Wildefoote Luxury Sock Yarn, 50g in color Columbine, SY-16 (bottom) ... more prizes to come!I am lucky. Though I have Type II Diabetus Mellitus, at this point in my life I am able to control it with diet, exercise, and oral medication. It may not always be so. More to the point, I have excellent insurance which provides my medication at no cost and my testing supplies for a small co-pay. Many, in fact, I should probably say most diabetics are not so fortunate, and supplies are expensive! Testing strips are about $1.00 each, and many people must test multiple times a day!
The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi's goal for the Hattiesburg walk this year is $50,000.00. Here's some information from a DFM flyer about how donation monies are used:

Insulin for patients in need ($25)
Educational information for parents of newly diagnosed children with diabetes ($25)
Blood glucose testing strips for patients in need ($50)
Sending a family to Camp Kandu ($75)
Diabetic shoes for adult patients in need ($100)
WE Care 2 backpack for newly diagnosed child and family ($125)
Diabetes emergency box for a school ($150)
Screening supplies for 100 people ($250)
Diabetes Camp for one child ($400)

"Here's how your donations from Walk 2007 made a difference in many Mississippians lives:

518 patients have received meters/strips, insulin, oral medication
98 schools and school districts received the teacher education training and emergency boxes
45 children received camp scholarships to attend summer diabetes camp

"Putting your donations to work. Our patient assistance program is our largest program in the state. Children and adults alike have benefited from timely donations of lifesaving insulin, oral medications, insulin pump and blood glucose testing supplies.

"It is so important to have immediate help available when you or a family member has diabetes. Things happen--emergencies spring up when you least expect them; someone gets laid off from work or has a visit to the ER, and bills start piling up. The $200 pharmacy bill that the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi pays for a child or adult with diabetes means a family can get through a month without missing their insulin or test strips. Or the $400 that we give to the two summer camps in Mississippi means a child can have a carefree week at summer camp without breaking the family bank. Many families in Mississippi are just making it every month with no room for added expenses. Every dollar counts--all donations stay in Mississippi to help Mississippians live with diabetes here and now!"

I feel very strongly that because I am able to treat my condition easily that I have a responsibility to help those who are not so fortunate economically. And really, it doesn't matter whether you help me do so or you help in your own state, or even if you don't donate at all... my primary goal is to raise awareness of diabetes epidemic occurring in our country.

oy! what a day i had today!

Yesterday, actually, but the sentiment from "Funny Lady" is still worth noting.

You know it is going to be a bad Monday when...

you take the wrong club card into the coffee shop;

you go back to the car to get the right one and then

you leave your credit card and have to go back to the car yet again;

you open the building door where you work and are hit with 90-degree heat;

you turn on the fan at your desk and discover if you get more than 18 inches away from it you are miserably hot;

you receive an email at 8:45am saying those in the hot part of the building should begin to see relief in 20 minutes and the thermometer in the coolest part of your hot part drops 1 degree (from 88 to 87) about 2 hours later;

....jumping ahead

you find a parking citation on your car on the first day of the new semester and wonder WTF happened to the two-week grace period on parking permits (on top of the fact that you are staff not student!);

you just about get into an accident because the driver is hanging out his window "conversing" with some girls across the road and drives into your lane;

you stand in line at parking management with dozens of students who have had all day on campus but waited until a half hour before PM closes to try to get their permits only to find that your online registration -- which you did weeks ago -- did not go through and not only can't you get your permit today, you have to re-register online and there is also a line of students at the computers in PM;

your adjustment at the chiropractor's is a waste of time because you are so stressed from heat and aggravation and you hurt all night long once you finally get home;

you have seen two of the three episodes on the NCIS DVD which arrived in the mail and the next disc is marked "very long wait" in your Blockbuster queue;

. . .

however, your sweet husband fixes you comfort food for supper, you enjoy the one NCIS episode you haven't seen and one of the two you have seen anyway, you manage to turn the heel on your 1st sock for SOS 2008 (which ends in two days) without having to reknit, and your hand finally quits hurting so you can actually get a good night's rest...

time to face Tuesday. It's only 7:30am, but so far so good...

return of the students

shudder
The irony is never lost on faculty and staff that if our favorite times of the year (those weeks without students on campus) lasted all year, we wouldn't have jobs. Still those quiet weeks are rather precious.

And even though the dorms just opened today, it is already quite apparent from the traffic both on campus AND around town that the hoard is back. Out-of-state plates on pokey cars, whose drivers don't yet know there way around, on top of Friday afternoon commuters made getting to the interstate a real pain this afternoon.

Classes begin on Wednesday. Time reset my alarm for 5:30am instead of the 5:45am respite in which I've been indulging lately... 'cause the coffee shop will be busier. Heh, heh, heh.

28th anniversary

of my d-i-v-o-r-c-e is today... I can't explain why I always notice this event, but it was certainly a  M - A - J - O - R  crisis in my life.

If I'd paid more attention to my head and less to my heart, I might never have married him in the first place. But that's spilt milk, and I'm a big believer in the idea of life as a tapestry : pull one thread and the whole thing changes (or falls apart). Since I'm pretty happy with my life both at the moment and as a whole, I suppose I wouldn't take the opportunity if offered to go back and change it.

I don't have a photo of me coming out of court that day, my maiden name restored and that part of my life behind me, but I did previously post on this blog a photo of me on the "happy day" . . . exactly three years and five months earlier:

Somewhere, I think I still have the dress. And that precious child with me? She now has nearly-grown children of her own. grown groan

inspiration where you find it

"All these books and not one 'inspirational'."

What a sad thing to overhear in the book aisle, don't you think? To have such a narrow definition of "inspiration" is very nearly sinful, imho.

For myself, I managed a small haul from the 80%-off sale on books (salvaged Borders inventory) at a local discount store:

Knitting by Anne Bartlett
Inca Trail: Cusco & MachuPucchu by Richard Danbury
Climbing the mango trees by Madhur Jaffrey
Lamb: the gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood pal by Christopher Moore
Wild Meat & the Bully Burgers by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
The diaries of Adam & Eve by Mark Twain
River Midnight by Lilian Nattel

... for the sons:

Simple foods for the pack: more than 200 all-natural, trail-tested recipes by Axcell, Kath & Cooke
Bobby Fischer teaches chess

and for hubby:

The New York City cab driver's joke book (vol. 2) by Jim Pietsch

birthdays & numbers

A couple years ago, I mentioned to my son that on 07-07-07 I would be 52, 5 + 2 = 7. I like playing around with numbers that way... what I realized today, is that it works this year too (as it has since 2005 & will next year): 2008? 5 + 3 = 8. When I have to remember what year I was in which grade of school, I've always been able to look at the grade-year, for example, I was started 1st grade in 1961, started 8th grade in 1968, started my sophomore year of high school (10th grade) in 1970. Being born in a year that's a multiple of 5 is handy for calculations.
I received my gifts from my sister and father and opened them first thing this morning before heading off to work: the book, from my sister, was Sky Burial

and I am anxious to read it. There were also multipl e-cards in my mailbox this morning. I have a lovely red-violet rose, fruit and sugar-free chocolates from my co-workers.
So far, a lovely day... oh, yes... DH indulge my purse fetish by telling me to purchase both I found yesterday rather than chosing between the two. Ain't he a sweetheart? He also treated me to breakfast Sunday morning.

working cozy

A few days after I began my job, I posted photos of my bare cubbie. Although it's not quite so sterile looking now, here is how I like it best:

surrounded by books,
24-oz. coffee mug & sweater close at hand

These photos were last month, but it's much the same today except that cart on the left is totally full -- though the coffee mug has been empty since 9AM.
Happy Friday on Thursday, everyone... and may all y'all have a safe Independence Day weekend.

summertime blues

Nope, I'm not sad, well, except that I spent last weekend in Memphis and heard none! It was a stitching weekend -- you can see the results on Crewel Intentions -- two other members of my EGA chapter also attended, but they had to be there for board meetings on Thursday while I didn't need to arrive until noon on Friday when classes began, so, I invited my sweet DH to accompany me. He drove, I read.
So why the blues? Well, I some how thought the hotel was downtown when it was actually outside the interstate circle which surrounds Memphis. Lack of planning on my part meant DH had little to do all weekend. On the other hand, he enjoyed the quiet and relaxation.
But we didn't get the blues like one couple. Sunday morning, DH took our luggage to the car. There were some people driving through the lot that seemed suspicious, so he hung around the car for a bit... the last thing he'd taken down was the bag with my laptop and school books. Sure enough those people broke into a big SUV parked up the hill from him. It happened so fast, he couldn't even do anything except tell the man (who came out right after it happened!) what he saw. The burgler somehow used something IN the keyhole to open the door and it also overrode the alarm system. That's pretty distressing. When we were pulling away, the gentleman was still talking with the security guard.
There's a little more about the weekend on my FickleStitcher blog ... and here's a little summertime "pink" to close:

he's a star!

Yesterday, being Father's Day, DH & I went to visit my dad. Son#1's name came up in conversation and Dad mentioned that he saw Son#1 on television news -- he's on the MS Coast with a group of anthropology students participating in an excavation of an old burial ground. This morning I checked the station's website, and sure enough, there's my boy working his little heart out...

There's probably a way to embedd the video, but I don't know it, so here's the link: Digging at a Biloxi Burial Site

He first appears in the background when the student in the pink shirt (Barbara) is speaking -- that's him in the tan shorts and black tank; later that's also him holding the tiny pieces of bone in the gloved and un-gloved hand, I think. Near the end there are a couple of shots of him working alone.

(Just a mother's pride! Whachagonnado?)

needing green?

On a day full of odd happenings and even odder feelings, I received an e-mail from a distant friend which led me to her blog. There I saw on her sidebar, "You Need Some Purple in Your Life." Apparently, though she does, I do not:

You Need Some Green in Your Life

Green will make you feel alive, renewed, and balanced. And with a little green, you will project an aura of peacefulness and harmony. If you want stability, you've got to get a little green in your life! For extra punch: Combine green with blue or purple The downside of green: It can promote jealousy in yourself or others The consequences of more green in your life: You will be drawn to a new life path You will feel free to pursue new ideas and interests, no matter how strange You will be released from the demands and concerns of others

What Color Do You Need?

ah . . .

a guilt-free Sunday!

Tomorrow begins finals week, but my exam was a paper due tonight at midnight. I submitted it (electronically -- I love the Web) last evening about 6:45 pm, and IM'd a classmate all I wanted to do was read fiction for a week! (Mini-session class begins on the 12th.)

Today began with mid-morning breakfast with my DH, a quick stop for groceries and prescriptions was followed by a short nap and then a visit to the library book sale. (Found myself a hardback copy of the Artist's way for a buck, among a few other prizes.) But, I did get to read some fiction today, The secret of jin-shei, by Alma Alexander. I'm only five chapters into it -- about 36 of 488 paes; not sure I'll stick with it, but so far it's at least interesting, so I'm giving it a chance. Not long ago I read Mistress of the spices by Chitra Divakaruni, and enjoyed it; should probably try to find some more of her books. Really, though, I only have a few days to indulge in fiction, then it's back to scholarly articles and textbooks.