Sappy vs. Snappy

Chinese food was brought in to the office today. The two remaining fortune cookies on the counter in the kitchen had opposite (though quite valid IMHO) points of view.

Love is being offered to you. Be affectionate in return!

A wise man knows everything. A shrewd one, everybody.

Tolerance and Respect

Earlier in the week, the dinner time conversation centered around Son #2's reporting of a recent incident in the boys' gym locker room. Another sixth grader throws a bunch of coins on the floor. When someone goes to pick them up, he says, "Oh wow, what a Jew." Old joke, right? Not to our sixth grader who doesn't understand why anyone would profile him in any way because of his religion. He got pissed and told the kid to knock it off, but the kid just laughed, along with the other kids in the locker room.

I was pretty sure the kid picked this schtick up from some other kid, since I know his mother well and didn't think she would encourage that kind of thinking at home. Also, the kid's younger brother is in Son #3's class and they are pals. I would have been content to call the kid's house to discuss with the mom, but hubby wanted the school dean to get involved. So we went that route. The two boys got together in the dean's office for a chat, and the joker came away with a sober understanding of the real meaning of his clowning around. His apology was accepted by my son.

Last night I got a call from the mom. She was mortified, horrified, sickened by the incident. She and her husband have family roots in the Middle East, and have suffered hurtful remarks themselves, but have always told their children that people are people and they are all the same inside. She and her husband grew up in a culturally diverse area of Queens and have always had a variety of friends with a variety of backgrounds. Also, the mom confided that her aunt married a Jewish man so she has had a Jewish uncle all her life. She had no idea where her son got the idea to say or do what he did, but promised that their family would talk about it some more and that they'd reinforce their principles.

Of course I was grateful for the call, and for the warm honest conversation. We hung up the phone both wishing that we could spread a wave of tolerance and respect across the world. Let's take those coins and throw 'em in a fountain instead.

Bracing Ourselves

We be havin' some fun now! We took Son #1 to the orthodontist last night for the first consultation, using the results of the X-rays, photos, and jaw impressions that were taken two weeks ago. The diagnosis was ugly. Severe overbite, two rear molars at 30 degree angles, one tooth completely pushed out of the line on the bottom. Said tooth may not have enough room to come in and may also have lasting complications because there is not enough gum line protecting it. Doc doesn't want to pull it 'til he sees what's going on; hubby wants to yank the thing right now. Top braces must be installed for at least three months before bottom braces, because without movement to correct the overbite the poor kid would wind up biting off the bottom braces. Bottom row of teeth must undergo so much movement that doc thinks we may need a permanent retainer wire installed once treatment is completed.

The fun starts in a month. It will probably take two years from start to finish. After a cool grand down payment, we go on a monthly installment plan for the other $3400 that is not covered by insurance. Best part of this story is that Son #3 has been told he already needs braces but can probably wait until his brother's treatment is done. (Probably?)

Mortgage, taxes, two car loans, and also a home equity loan soon to come because of the concrete work needed on the porch, driveway, and patio...could the gardener please put in a money tree?

Almost

Now I remember why kids want to grow up too fast. Things they want are always a little out of their reach. For example, we're planning out the summer for our clan. Son #3 is easy since his only option in the third grade is to go to camp. Son #2, who'll be beginning the seventh grade, wanted to be a CIT (counselor in training) but that's only open to the eighth grade and older students. Son #1 would like to get a part time job (more excited about the money than the work, of course) but he's not 14 yet.

Sigh, how can we get them to enjoy today? Before they realize it, they'll be in their thirties with debts and kids of their own. Yoicks, I don't want to think about how old and decrepit I'll be then.

Enjoy today! Enjoy today! Sigh...

Happy Birthday Mom

Since she doesn't seem to care that people know her age, as I certainly don't with mine, my mother probably wouldn't mind it if I mentioned that she turns 75 today. I hauled my cookies out the door at 6:35 to the local 7-11 to find a lovely half dozen red rose bouquet, wrapped in red cellophane -- double whammy of her favorite color -- and left it on her car along with the card that we signed last night. Luckily she only lives three miles away, so plenty of time to get there before she went to work, and plenty of time to get home before the Three Amigos needed to be coaxed/cajoled/coerced into getting out of bed.

Mom has a collector's item birthday card, for more than one reason. First, it's one of those "here are all the milestones of 1935" cards, and second, it has some unique inscriptions. When Son #2 signed it, he wrote his full name as if he were endorsing a check (wishful thinking on his part, possibly). When I asked him why, he said oops he was just used to signing it that way. Wouldn't you know, the other two clown faces followed suit. So I inserted a commentary to point out that the card would be worth mega money one day. Lastly, I told hubby to get off his perch on the couch and sign his mother-in-law's card because, after 17 years of living together, I was tired of signing his freakin' name all the time. So what does he do? He writes "ME!!!!" I was the only "normal" signer in the bunch, which we all ought to find pretty scary.

Who knows how exciting my birthdays will be 30 years from now? Stay tuned.

Yeowch

I'm walking down the hall in the office this morning with my friend J to go for my ceremonial start-the-day cup of cocoa, when I feel a little pinch in one of my fingers that's holding my Daffy Duck mug. What could that have been? Sure enough, I didn't imagine the pinch. A small wasp appeared a foot away from me, on a cubicle partition. I guess it happened to be flying by and I walked into it. I got a few ice cubes and wrapped them in plastic when we got to the kitchen. It's still a little swollen around the sting, but I'm definitely going to live.

Seems like a good time to mention this because I've seen lots of bumblebees outside already (the big ugly ones) and people with allergies must be careful. Luckily we know that my family doesn't have the allergy. One of my kids was stung on his chest while playing in the yard several years ago. Hubby has been stung many times, most notably by a pack of hornets when he was installing high hats under an overhang and accidentally encountered a nest.

Stock up on the EpiPens and Benadryl -- summer will be here before we know it!

Got Health?

My middle child has been on a "lower my carbs" plan for a couple of weeks now, and has lost four pounds. We're proud, and he's proud. His tipping point came when he literally tipped the scale at five pounds more than I weigh. We were both horrified, and he asked me what to do to change. Let's hope that he sees it through. He probably has twenty pounds to go to hit his goal, a healthy weight that will see him have a normal waistline (and not a hang-over gut).

My personal moment of horror as a college freshman came when I realized that I would always be too fat to trade clothes with any of my dorm mates unless I did something about my high school chub plus the freshman 15-20 I had gained through courtesies such as cheap, filling dining hall food, Domino's, and a really excellent local shop which made their own ice cream and delivered pints to campus at 11PM. (If you've ever been to Pat Mitchell's in Endicott, NY, you know what I mean!)

Tonight we spent the evening with two friends who are on new health plans. L is doing regular kickboxing at the gym, in addition to a more vegetable friendly diet. R has been running as part of her fitness regimen, which is taking its toll on her knees but is also showing its effect on her physique.

I have accepted it as a way of life to balance my foods so I can always fit into my clothes tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. I hope that my son and our friends can find a comfortable weight where they look good to themselves and feel good from the inside out.

Now...straight to bed...no late night snacks for you! (it's 10:30PM here...LOL...)

Wet Wet Wet

Lots o'rain today on Long Island. I'm trying to keep it in perspective though and recall that something had to enable my 100 mini tulips to bloom along the border in front, and my hydrangea in full glory, and the hostas that are beginning to come up on the shady side of the house. We had two glorious summer days yesterday and the day before, and this is balance. Plus, we get the rain over with before the weekend. Am I Pollyanna or what?!? :-)

Happy Friday, everyone!

My Collection of Planets...

...is definitely aligned right now!

I had a great yoga class last night (and what a shame that next Tuesday is the last one) and a relaxing mini session today in the office at lunchtime (half an hour each Wednesday).

The five minute relaxation track that we listened to today talked about being lifted into the cosmos and twirling around among the celestial bodies. What a great slant on Dancing with the Stars! I was smiling as I walked out of the conference room.

AND, it's a lovely summer day on Long Island today. Warm gentle breeze, sunshine, temps in the high seventies. Took a 15 minute stroll around the building/parking lot after eating lunch. I felt as though it was glorious to be alive, and anyone should be able to smile today.

Ahhhhhh! :-)

Why USA's Finances Are in the Dumper

"A budget tells us what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it." William Feather

What Does a Concert Ticket Really Buy?

Last night, I went to a rock concert with a friend. We're both longtime fans of the band, and hadn't seen them in a while...and therefore were excited about the music. A youngish couple in front of us was talking or smooching the great majority of the time. This put a damper on our being able to see the stage, and was a big distraction.

During a break in between songs, I asked them whether they could curtail their conversations, as their behavior was ruining our enjoyment of the show. They looked at me as if they had every right to be doing whatever they wanted, and I had some nerve asking. The couple next to them then tried to justify it by pointing out that the people behind them (next to us) were also talking a lot. I then pointed out that it's a lot harder to annoy a distraction when it's directly in front of your face. They all just turned back around and went about their business. My friend told me that one of their group shot me a dirty look a few minutes later. Really!

Luckily we spotted two empty seats a couple of rows ahead of us, and several places to the right. When they were still empty at intermission, we made the break for freedom. All our new neighbors were interested in what was happening on stage, so we got maximum enjoyment out of the latter part of the show.

I'm sure these people's behavior would have been immediately squelched by an usher at a classical music concert, or at another event where the noise level was similarly low. Does the fact that it's a loud performance give people the right to be loud and disruptive, because they've purchased seats in the theater?

Negativity

This morning, again due to my "advanced age" of 45, I had extra medical tests in the womanly regions, added to the annual rap sheet. I had the mammogram earlier in the week, and the pap smear last week. Today I went for the halo test, which is tantamount to being hooked up to a milking machine on a farm. Heat and massage are used to attempt to express breast fluid, and this fluid is tested for the presence of cancer cells. This supposedly beats the mammogram for early detection by something like six years. New this year: a pelvic sonogram (same as I had during the early stages of my pregnancies) which my gynecologist recommends for all patients over 45. Yippee.

So I saw the doc after I had the two tests this morning. He went through all the results. "Pap smear: negative; mammogram: negative; halo: negative; sono: negative." I remarked that I'm usually not so comfortable with so much negativity. His response? "Where I come from, that's good news. Have a nice holiday." Amen to all of that.

Hope all of my Easter-celebrating friends and family have a wonderful time with loved ones.

Taking it on the Chin

Normally we don't observe Passover for the entire eight days in our house, but this year hubby said let's go as long as possible because the kids are older now. Without too much complaining, we made it from Monday to Friday.

Dinners weren't very different from what they usually are...just more potatoes and yams without any pasta or rice (hubby has to have some starches to cover his insulin regimen). The boys ate fruit every day for breakfast, sometimes accompanied by some of the "Passover rolls" I made or a piece of matzoh with a smear of butter or cream cheese. They've been eating a lot of salad for lunch. On a couple of days we had matzo pizza (or Machu Picchu as my witty friend R remarked) which is actually quite tasty as long as you go very thin with the layers of sauce and cheese so the matzo stays crispy! Chili is also good, as it's just meat and veggies...and the roast turkey was very good left over, with the sauce from the brisket.

Tonight I'm working late, and they were going to go out to dinner...so that might be the end of it or maybe not...have to check with hubby later. For sure we can't observe the rules tomorrow night and Sunday night as we have plans to have meals out of the house. Still...I'm proud of everyone for being flexible and grownup about this. AND...they complimented some of my new stabs at healthy flavorful dishes. That's what I would call a good week!

Quote Variety

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. e.e. cummings

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein

The reason that the All-American boy prefers beauty to brains is that he can see better than he can think. Farrah Fawcett

These are all from the Cryptoquote in the Long Island daily paper. The last one is a bit of a shame. If I'd known the dear lady was that insightful I'd have paid more attention to what she had to say while she was still alive.