Learning

Earlier this week, I had a friend send me a link to an online course catalog. There were offerings for a variety of subjects, from languages to history.

I was not even tempted.

Now, I have always been the professional student. I have attended 3 colleges and hold 4 degrees, two of them Master's degrees. I loved learning about new things.

I can't figure out what has happened. Am I just tired or lazy? About all the learning I am up for these days is watching Discovery Health and HGTV.

I do like learning new art techniques for my cards. I still like to learn about new things to cook. But as far as "formal" stuff, the desire is just not there.

Will it come back?

Stay tuned.

Six Year Old Fun

I am excited today. Our six year old niece is coming to visit (with her parents, of course!) and we are going to have fun.

Little Sarah is a neat kid. She is well, behaved, but not TOO well behaved, if that makes any sense. She does not have so much that she is blase' about small treats and happies. She likes to be read to and loves art projects. In other words, a kid after my own heart! :)

I had a good time at the dollar store today, stocking up on books, puzzles, and art supplies. I have never quite grown up myself, so I get a kick out of looking for things a kid might like. Not to mention things that I will enjoy playing with as well!

So, let the fun and games begin!

Granna and the 'Rents

Today, three of the people I love most in this world are out of pocket.

My dad and sweet stepmom at flying off to Salt Lake City, where they will rent a car and drive to Montana. They both have some health issues, and I am just praying that none of them flare up during this trip! Stepmom is going to see one of her grandbabies for the very first time and is so excited she can hardly stand it. I am praying for uncomplicated flights and easy driving for them.

My sister's MIL, Granna is in Texas having a heart catherization. Granna represents security for me and has been a mama to me since mine died. The thought of losing her brings a level of sadness to me that is scary in its depths. She is one of the only people in my life who takes care of ME.

So many prayers for health and safety are going up this morning.

Many.

A Little More Talk...

Yesterday I went to a "voice therapist." Apparently this is different than a "speech" therapist. This lady's job is to teach me how to use my speaking voice more effectively.

I am allowed to talk for short periods to people who are in close proximity to me, but not on the phone or anywhere where I would have to raise my voice at all. But what gets me is the way I am supposed to talk. I am essentially supposed to talk the way I sing. This means resonant voice, fairly soft, and on a higher pitch than I am accustomed to speaking on.

Of course, my speaking voice has never been anything to write home about. I have a Southern accent and MG has caused my voice to lower and become more nasal. People are usually surprised when I tell them I am a soprano and are usually surprised because my singing voice is nothing like my speaking voice.

But, the aim is to make my speaking voice as efficient as possible to take stress off of my vocal cords and the nodules. I have to think before I speak (no comments from the peanut gallery here!) and place my voice in what singers call "the mask."

To me, I sound like a robot.

Danger, danger Will Robinson...

Week One

Well, I have made it through my first week of silence. I think I accidentally forgot and said about 3 words, but other than that, these lips have been sealed.

It has actually not been that bad. I have the internet and I have the ability to express myself pretty effectively in written words. I also have my trusty Magnadoodle (tm) and three white boards of assorted sizes. I have found low odor markers that look like razors with a squeegee on the end for erasing what I have written.

People I meet tell me I must be just bursting to talk, but this is really not the case. I am wanting very much to sing, but not necessarily to talk.

Week one down.

? weeks to go...

The Vortex

For months, I have seen these captioned cat pictures in my e-mails and on Facebook. But, I never knew where they came from until I read an entry in the blog of a friend's son.

These funny cat pictures come from a place called Lolcats.com After I clicked on the link in Luke's blog I was sucked into an almost all day vortex of looking at sometimes hysterical pictures of not just cats, but dogs, walruses, foxes, and bunnies.

Of course, I had to share the fun, so I started to e-mail pictures to friends. I just could not resist. I was in the grip of the vortex.

I am now on page 151. And the website promises that these pictures go "to infinity and beyond."

Uh oh...

Shhhhhhhhhhh

Went to the doctor today. Not unexpectedly, all the coughing I did during my bout with bronchitis, coupled with reflux, has caused nodules to form on my vocal cords.

"Node" is a word that strikes fear in the heart of any vocalist. In college, no music student even dared speak the word aloud. The word "nodes" would be spoken of in a hushed whisper. As in "Do you remember ______? She has...nodes!

I have been strictly instructed not to utter a word for the next 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. Like a friend suggested, that can actually be a gift of sorts. But, being vocally restricted for up to 3 months is harder to view that way. And not singing till the end of summer or early Fall is even harder to think about. Not when singing has been like breathing for most of my life.

The doc seemed pretty optimistic. I am trying to be optimistic as well.

So, for the moment, the watchword is

shhhhhhhhh

Finished!

I am FINALLY finished cleaning and organizing my office. It has taken over two weeks and involved literal blood, sweat, and tears.

This has been both a physical and a mental challenge. I am extremely sentimental and love to keep cards, memorabilia, pictures that have been drawn for me, etc.

Don't get me wrong. I kept plenty. A lot of the challenge was figuring out how to organize it effectively. But, I got rid of things that were not truly special. And now, I have the space and tools to really ENJOY my room.

And enjoy it I will.

Progress

Well, the great office cleaning and organizing project is STILL going on. But I am making progress. I have moved my desk over by the window and I can see the desktop for the first time in recent memory.

I am using Julie Morgenstern's book "Organizing From the Inside Out" as a guide. It talks about putting things where you really USE them. So, I have set up a vanity area in my office, so that I can easily get ready when my darling husband is hogging our one tiny bathroom, or asleep in our tiny bedroom.

Books, CD's, and sheet music are all being sorted and what is not being used or enjoyed has gone to a local church for their yard sale. Other books have flown off to friends who might enjoy them.

Trips down memory lane have slowed me down, but I do see an end in sight.

As as God is my witness, I will never let it get this cluttered again!

Really!

Letting Go

Well, today I am continuing the task of cleaning and decluttering my office. A lot of what I am doing is letting go...

Letting go of most of my "professional counseling" life.

Letting go of those books that I am never going to read again.

Letting go of unrealistic expectations of myself and current life conditions.

Letting go of the need to keep every memento that belonged to my deceased loved ones. The best memories are in my heart. ♥

How Do They KNOW???

As many of you know, my dear husband has had "new truck fever" for the past several weeks. His beloved GMC Sonoma has over 200,000 miles on it and is beginning to show it's age. For his 2 hour round trip commute, he has to have a reliable and low maintenance vehicle.

So, yesterday he went to our local Chevrolet dealer and got figures on a Chevrolet Colorado. He liked the gentleman with whom he was dealing and planned to finalize a deal on Tuesday, his next day off.

This morning, I was awakened by my husband, who told me that the truck would not start and that he would need to take my van to work.

Maybe it knows...

Bronchitis & Clutter

It has been a while since I have blogged. This is largely due to a bout of bronchitis that I have been battling for almost a month. I am on round three of antibiotics, but the cough just hangs on. I felt better for a few days and actually rallied enough to go to Montgomery to see some dear friends. But the symptoms are just hanging on and I am worn out. Bronchitis is not only sapping my physical energy, but it seems to be affecting my mental energy as well. My singing voice is gone, but I am trying not to panic too much about that just yet.

There have been some pluses to being more confined than usual. I have made some lovely cards. I have read several books. Looking at the clutter around me has actually inspired me to start a bit of organizing and getting rid of things I don't need. I found a cool organization, Bridge to Asia, http://www.bridge.org/books.html that sends used textbooks to China and Southeast Asia. I have decided that it is time to get rid of most of the counseling textbooks. Most of the information I want is online. I need to de-clutter in order to be able to physically maintain my home.

So, bronchitis has been a bit of a gift, but I am ready to give it back now!

The New Phone

Last week, during an extended power and internet outage, I did a foolish thing.

I bought a new phone without researching it first.

I don't do well without access to the internet. Some of my best friends are online on a Weight Watcher thread called RML. Most of my F&B (flesh and blood) friends are overwhelmed with their own problems. RML is my escape, my support, and, possibly? an addiction.

I also check my e-mail regularly. I get the news and prayer requests from my church and fun things from my friends.

So, I bit for a Palm Treo 680. It was an older model, but I really liked the size of it and my ability to see the screen clearly. Not knowing how long I would be off line, I bought the thing without really knowing enough about it.

It has bugs! For starters, the battery does not completely charge. Strike one! At times, the little AT&T at the top of the screen turns to gibbersish and tells me I have no service. It takes a time consuming reset to fix this problem and it is only temporary. AT&T sells no ringtones for this phone. I can download a costly ringtone creator, but why should I have to?

So, this phone is going back to the store, to be replaced probably by a Palm Centro. I like the Palm OS and want to be able to sync it with my other Palm Pilot data. I don't like the size of the Centro as well and the screen size is smaller. The keys are closer together and harder to manage. But, I want something reliable. I must admit to a lusting for an iPhone, but that is not in my current price range!

So, I am off to research phones and make a better choice when I am of sound mind and not suffering from internet withdrawal!

Wish me luck!

AI & DWTS

For those who are fans, these initials need no explanation. For those who are not, these are the initials of two of my favorite TV shows: American Idol and Dancing With the Stars.

Talent shows are nothing new to television. I still remember Ted Mack's Amateur Hour and Star Search. There is just something that fascinates me about some ordinary person being "discovered" and carried on to fame and fortune. If American Idol had been on when I was a twenty-something, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would have been one of those people lined up to audition. I am a ham. Just slice me up and serve me with honey and mustard. :)

I am really impressed with this year's crop of talent. They are the most original and talented bunch since Bo and Carrie.

Dancing With the Stars fascinates me because it takes people who are already stars of some sort, whether in entertainment, sports, or business, and gets them out of their comfort zones. I never cease to be amazed at how very good some of these humongous athletes can be, given the right partner and a lot of hard work. And even entertainers who have some dance experience find ballroom dancing a whole new ball game.

My favorite "star" this year is Kristi Yamaguchi. I have been a fan of hers since she was a 14 year old pair skater with Rudy Galindo. The discipline and dedication she showed on her way to her Olympic gold medal is standing her in good stead in this competition. I look for her to take the whole thing! :)

Tire Karma?

Well, the tire sagas continue...

Thursday I got in my happy little van and headed for Memphis to see my BFF. Ten minutes out of town, I could tell that my tire was flat, so I took the Bovina exit and pulled into the parking lot of the "Total Horse." This is a locally owned and operated place that caters to the equine population.

No worries. I called the number on my AAA card so that I could get some roadside assistance. The nice lady on the other end started asking me where I was. Unfortunately, neither the "Total Horse" nor the nearby Bovina Cafe were on her list of landmarks. Imagine that.

Finally, a man drove up and I was able to get an actual street name from him. This made the AAA lady happy and she told me that help was on the way. A nice man named Robert came out to put the spare on and I ambled over to the Bovina Cafe in search of a Diet Coke and a bite of something to get me through until I could make it to Madison to pick up my BFF's mom, who was making the trip with me.

As it was between breakfast and lunch service, the only thing available was a luscious, homemade slice of lemon meringue pie. Famished, I decided to order a piece. With a thought for my pie loving friends Andie and Bev, I totally enjoyed eating my pie and drinking my Diet Coke while waiting for Robert to finish with my van.

Within minutes, the spare was on and I went back to Vicksburg, where Mr. T.D. promptly fixed me up with 2 new tires and sent me back on my way to Memphis.

First the scooter, now the van. My friend, Q, says that I may have bad tire karma.

Is there any cure for that?

New Toy

I went to Wal-Mart today to buy a new toy for my scrapbooking and card making. It is a gadget that makes stickers out of cutouts, etc. You just feed them into this machine and out comes a piece of waxed paper with your cutout affixed to it with sticky stuff.

I decided I had to have this thing after seeing my friend play with hers Monday. It looked SO simple...

Yeah right.

I got mine home, took it out of the box, and looked at the directions. I promptly punched out a butterfly from some pretty paper and fed it into my new machine. It did NOT come out the other end neatly stuck to the waxy paper.

I took the cartridge out, and tried to figure out what I had done wrong. I am a klutz. This HAD to be operator error. A few minutes later, I gave up and called customer service. After about 15 minutes of trying to figure this thing out, the lady on the other end of the phone told me that she would send me a new one. "Just put it in and DON'T TOUCH IT!" she instructed.

Together we finally figured out that my cartridge CAME broken. I felt a little less clueless as I disentangled myself from the gooey mess and threw it in the trash.

So, unable to stand the 10 to 14 day wait for my replacement, I took myself back to Wal-Mart and got another cartridge. Came home, popped it in, and it worked! I am sending everything not nailed down through this handy dandy gadget.


Simple minds.

What can I say?

Holy Week

And, we're off!

I love Easter. I really do. This is my favorite time of year. I love Spring, with it's warming temperatures and budding trees and flowers. But, this is also my busiest week of the year.

One solo this morning in church...check!

That just leaves one trio on Maundy Thursday, two Good Friday service solos, and then the three ring circus that is Easter at my church.

This year, it looks like I will be singing for a funeral this week as well. The friend who just lost her mom, lost her dad today.

Sending up fervent prayers that the voice and body hold out for this all important week.

Some chocolate Easter eggs might not hurt either...

Bunny

My young friend, Anna, came today to decorate a bunny cake. The kind that you make by cutting one layer to make ears and a bow tie. Every kid needs to make a bunny cake at least once! :)

Waiting

Well, it has been over a week and I still have no new tire for my scooter. I feel like a kid who is grounded. I can't go to the mall!

Granted, I may not have gone to the mall this past week ANYWAY. It's just the knowing that I can't that drives me nuts.

My scooter guy is a peach and I know he has it on order and will call me as soon as it comes in.

I'm just missing my wheels...

Election

It's that time again. Time to start deciding who will make the best president of these United States.

Personally, I just want to trade them all in on new models. I am looking at the lesser of the evils, rather than someone I can really believe in.

This may just be the year. Yep, it's something I've always been tempted to do on a ballot, but never quite had the nerve. I may "write-in" a candidate.








Alfred E. Newman, anyone?