10 years ago:
Ten years ago, I was a Group Marketing Manager at Microsoft—2 weeks away from 6 months maternity leave, and after that, 4 months away from quitting. I was in charge of marketing efforts for products which have shipped only in the past 4 years or never saw the light of day: interactive TV, that Windows OS that fits on PDAs (how pathetic that I can’t remember the actual product name). I was also on the verge of missing my 20 year high school reunion (see above re: maternity leave). We lived in another house 3 miles away which we had just remodeled from a 2 bedroom house to a darling 2 bedroom house. Then I got pregnant…
5 years ago:
Five years ago, we probably went to Colorado, and we were surely in the midst of one remodel or another—I think it was the landscaping, actually. BoyBob was on the verge of going to kindergarten, busy swimming at our neighbor’s pool, and going off the diving board without a life vest. Why is 2000 such a blur?
1 year ago:
We were in full swing of mid-summer, meaning swim team, including the B-Champ blue ribbon for breast stroke. My parents came out (instead of our going there) and I sent my dad and my son to a model railroad convention. It was so cute, BoyBob having a little badge and a bag with all the materials. It was over the 4th of July, and our community has a lot of fun that weekend—parades, fireworks, pet parade, street dance, bingo, Deano the Clown, softball game… We were also in the middle of a remodel (KathyJo moves to a new location; we just change the house itself) that was never-ending because of a flooded basement. I call 2004 “The Year of Moving Boxes Dangerously.” Never again.
Yesterday:
My son had a playdate and I got to be alone for 2 hours. I got in the mail the 30 Year High School Reunion Book (which reunion I am not attending) and spent time poring over that. I was left with a distinct sense of appreciation that I don’t share an “address” with about 15 of my former classmates, who now live in “Deceased.” I was also left with a renewed sense of how much people do NOT change.
Today:
We went to the B-Champs swimming meet. See post below. Then we spent three more hours at the pool so BoyBob could play with his friend Pickles (which is not a net-alias) and swim for fun. We celebrated with age-appropriate lemonade. (Hint—the grownups get tequila in theirs.)
5 snacks I enjoy:
Dark chocolate (but candy bar only—I’m not a chocolate fan otherwise). Caprese. Newly discovered sunflower butter (lifelong allergies to peanut butter—I can see how this stuff makes one fat). Guacamole. Grilled cheese sandwiches, preferably poolside.
5 bands I know most of the lyrics of their songs:
I’m pathetic. I would have to say…ummmm…welllll…I can’t actually think of a band. OH—Spike Jones!!! (Whew.)
Things I would Do with 100 million dollars:
I’d get a housekeeper so I wouldn’t have to even be told that the washing machine was broken, let alone find and call a repairman and then wait for the 4-hour agreed-upon block of time. And a cook. And the house next door for them to live in. And this realllly amazing RV we found on the web. I asked DadBob how much it was; he said, “More than you can imagine.” I doubted it. I can imagine quite a lot. Well, he told me, and the only thing I can conclude is that I have a stunted imagination. Google for Earth Roamer RV.
5 bad habits I have:
I have a temper. (This must have arrived with the offspring—I didn’t have one before.) I hate returning phone calls. For no good reason, I delay paying bills. I speak indirectly rather than directly. (What I say: “I wonder if I have any email?” What I should say: “Get off my computer! Go play Spider on YOUR computer—I want to check my email!” (Please.)) I think laundry is done when it is in the dryer (and other assorted not-really-completed tasks).
5 locations I would run away to:
The basement. The cabin. The Italian restaurant in town that has Caprese to die for. Paris. Steamboat Springs.
5 things I would never wear:
A manufacturer’s label on my backside or elsewhere. A size D cup. Or C. Or B. (Sigh.) Stilletos. Anything that makes people wonder if I realize that I am over 40.
5 things I like doing:
Reading. Talking on the phone or email. Getting hot under the collar about inane government or education. Observing KathyJo’s website redesigns (this consumes so much of my time that I haven’t read a book in weeks.) Sewing. Traveling in the US and to Paris. Sorry, that’s 6. Sue me.
5 biggest joys of the moment:
Seeing DadBob making next career moves. Watching BoyBob at the swim meet today. Having so many people care about us so much that I had to post the swim meet information because I couldn’t tell everyone individually. We are blessed to pieces.
5 famous people I would like to meet:
A bunch of people who have actually done something to make the world a better place. My political and religious bent will be obvious here. William F. Buckley: What an interesting life lived reflectively, effectively, and with humor. Ronald Reagan: A warm and caring heart put to work for something that outlasted it. Barbara Bush: Someone who lived well into all her seasons and opportunities and came out smiling. Pope John Paul II: One who lived into great difficulties with great faith and opened to a new generation the love of Christ and political liberty. John Adams: He, of all America’s Founding Fathers, had the greatest understanding of all the political positions in the wrangling, great personal character and the courage to stand in the face of danger to do what is right.
5 movies I like:
The Thin Man. Babette’s Feast. Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday. Singin’ in the Rain. The Magnificent Seven. I saw The Incredibles, but other than that, I haven’t been in a theater in 18 years.
5 TV Shows I like:
Columbo. Bertie and Wooster. Warner Brothers Cartoons. Green Acres. Rocky and Bullwinkle. (We have these on DVD—I don’t think I’ve watched anything other than news, and that’s during disasters or momentous events…) I own all the Columbos ever made.
5 favorite toys:
PC, cell phone, paper-based personal planner, car, Google. You can ask Google anything and it KNOWS.
5 people I tag:
The Upward Call, One Life to Learn, A Circle of Quiet. And ladies, if you don't "meet the challenge", I will still love you and respect your boundaries! I have a couple of others, but they are on vacation. If I didn’t tag you but you want to respond, either tell us where to look, or leave your answers in my comment box. (Some people I would like to tag don’t have blogs!)
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7 comments:
LOL! You goobernut, I'm not THAT bad. :~)
Oh, how I remember your flooding basement. As I recall, we did cost comparisons of moving cross country vs. having your basement flood, and came to the conclusion that both stink.
:~( I didn't order a biography on John Adams. Got one you'd recommend?
YES on the Adams biography. David McCullough's. I bought every book he ever wrote. I don't even CARE about the Johnstown Flood, but I knew it would be a story well told by him.
He won the Pulitzer for his bios of Truman and of Adams. His latest is 1776, which is largely about GWashington. I'm waiting to get a cheaper price, but one of my greatest bases of hope for America is that this book is actually on the best-seller list.
McCullough does not write from the perspective a know it all with 20-20 hindsight who tells you what everyone SHOULD have done. He lets the story unfold. It is just beautiful.
Of the three most famous founding fathers--Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams--most people choose the first 2. Franklin for his humor, his "real person"ness (read: general lack of character to make others feel morally inferior, no matter how much he preached character as Poor Richard); Jefferson for the beauty of his writing, the expression of the ideals of liberty, and his romantic personality and nature.
Of course all three were very smart and made great sacrifices to make America happen. But Adams was disciplined, well educated, smart, wise, and a person of character. All three of these men were necessary to the founding of our country (I think without the "oil on troubled waters" provided by Franklin, the whole thing would have blown up, and same if there hadn't been the personal affability and romantic nature of Jefferson, and same if there hadn't been the understanding of and adherence to ideals and principals of Adams).
Adams is the most valuable AND the most under-appreciated. He was kind of a spikey personality--but his character and intellectual consistency is above reproach. And any man who can keep and enflame for a lifetime the love of a woman the caliber of Abigail Adams is certainly a person worth understanding.
What a great tag! I loved reading this, and I'm glad you posted your answers.
Dy
Cool. I just bought 1776, and I like his writing style. The whole first chapter was from the viewpoint of the Brits, which was very interesting. I knew that he'd won a Pulitzer for a bio on ONE of the Founding Fathers, but I didn't remember that it was Adams.
I also ordered Climbing Parnassus yesterday. :~)
Thanks, m'dear. :~)
If Climbing Parnassus makes your head hurt, you can read a "practical" version by the Well Trained Mind Board frequenter named "Mungo". I am convinced that the path is the right one, but sometimes I need help, like Mungo provided, to read the map.
I will definitely play along with this. When my Open House is all over with, I'll post my answers.
I LOVED Babette's Feast, but I hardly know anyone who has seen it. Wonderful images.
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