Cancer and Odds and Ends

The other day I heard the news that a good friend of mine has breast cancer. I have been fairly lucky and have not had to face a death of a loved one (other than grandparents), nor have I had any friends diagnosed with cancer. I have a philosophy, though flawed, that you get what you can handle. I've always figured I can't handle much, so therefore I'm lucky. This summer my friend will be going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I will be able to help in a small (but important) way and others will be helping too. Those of us that are helping all have our strengths and my friend is thoughtful in her assignments.

When she told me about what she is going to going through, she said "I know you don't do gross. So, your assignment is to take [the kid] and show him how to ride his bike and how to pump on the swings." I have a cool job.

I'm glad she was able to think of things we could all do. She is in the health field and is thinking more clearly than I ever could... Rational and organized.

I won't be writing for the next couple of weeks. We're going to take some time for the family without computers, phones, or television. I do have a book that I just started to read, "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer. It's about the Mormon faith, John Smith and how the Mormon religion began. So far, it's very disturbing. Check it out if this sounds interesting to you.

Here is the Mormon response. Here's the Amazon link.

Here it is, June 16th and it's raining and cool. Have a great next couple of weeks!

~ch

Last Day of School!

It's here...The last day of school! The kids are officially off a schedule : )
Things to do...

Go on a family vacation.
Enjoy being dry.
Talk to the neighbors.
Pot luck on nights when the refrigerator is running low on goods.
Cache.
Bike ride.
Shop down town.
Summer camp.

I was listening to OPB on my way home yesterday listening to an interview with a principal who believes that children of today have their free time too scheduled. I agree. She said that today's student is too reliant upon their parents to schedule them for lessons, play dates, sports etc. She also noted that when at recess, kids have more difficulty making up games. Imagination is diminished when kids aren't given the freedom to exercise it. Most of the kids (on her playground at least) gravitate to organized games with set rules, like soccer, football, baseball etc.

I'm excited for summer, not because I'm a teacher and I'll have some free time, but because I'll have some time with my kids. Though, as they get older, spending time with mom probably isn't what they had in mind for summer ; )

I'll be with them when I can. I'll do a lot of what's on my list when I can't and hopefully I can combine the two!

~ch

Should I Give my Mobile Service the Boot?

Last month, I changed my cell phone service to C------r, as it is the only provider that I can get service with while I am working. I really only have the phone so my kids can reach me, so I changed thinking that would be a good thing.

When I first signed up, I was told that my phone has quad-band (something like that...) and can be used in countries other than the U.S. Cool... I do a bit of traveling, but not so much that I need to purchase the international plan. I was assured that whenever I was planning on leaving the states, I just needed to come into the C------r office and sign up for the plan for however long I would be gone. Although, the plan is 1 month at a time minimum. This is no big deal, it's only $6 for a month.

I am planning on a trip this summer and so I go into the phone place. They are very nice and helpful. The clerk needs to make a phone call to the international people first and they might like to talk to me personally. O.K. fine.

She makes the call and as suspected, the international lady wants to talk to me. I get on the phone and she says that I'll be taking a SHORT TEST (wtf?) She began by telling me that will ask questions regarding my past and should I answer any of these questions incorrectly, I will FAIL the exam (again...wtf?)

Question #1: "I'm going to name several addresses, please tell me which one of these did you not reside?"

Me: "You are kidding right?"

"Just answer the question."

I answer.

Question #2: "The vehicle purchased before the last was financed through which financial institution?"

Me: "For Gods Sake! Fail me. Fail me now." "I don't have a clue who's financing my current vehicle, much less the last one!"

I handed the phone back to the clerk and said it's NOT that important that I take my phone with me.

Was this some sort of Homeland Security policy?! It's six dollars!! What was this about?

Anybody know? Conspiracy theories welcome...

BTW: The clerks at my C-----r office were very helpful. I appreciate their efforts and I in no way connect them to my international phone test.

the internationally unconnected,
~ch

I Have an Attraction...

Today I went to pick up some "Thank you" cards for gifts I have received and I am dreadfully behind in showing my appreciation... arhg, I am so bad at this!

Anyway, I'm standing in the checkout line at the Hallmark store (which I usually try to avoid, because even the air smells "cute" (gag) and I can't stand that...) and I look down and see these cool magnets. I am a sucker for magnets, rocks and glass. All of these things, I cannot kill.

So I pick up one and the Hallmark lady says to "grab two and throw them in the air." How cool is this? I'm in the place I don't like to go and they actually tell me to pick up heavy objects and throw them...yipee!!

So, I throw. They attach. They spin. They make cool sounds. I spent $5 and now, I'm even starting to annoy myself, because I can't stop messing around with them.

I wonder if I bought two more and threw all four in the air, would that sound even cooler?

Does anyone else out there have these? And are there other tricks you can do with them? I've already made a nose ring and have stuck them everywhere that they'll take... so, what should I try? Ideas welcome!

So there it is... a challenge.

What cool thing do you do with magnets?

~ch

The Log

Tonight we went out for dinner. Earlier in the day I went geocaching. After dinner, as we were coming into the house, I said... "i'm going to log my find." Beautiful and extremely funny daughter said..."well, I'm going to find my log."

s'all I have for tonight... I'm celebrating the completion of a stinking fantastic year : )

As ever,
~ch