July 18, 2009

1. Hi Chrissie!  I see you peeking in from Rome over there on the side bar.
2. It’s 1:28am and I am done with the roster and thank you notes and putting files on the jump drive for the Altar Guild Brunch tomorrow.  The key lanyard is in the wash, so the only thing left on my list is “remarks” and I am not sure what I am going to say, but let’s hope the Lord hits me with something coherent, say around 8am tomorrow, while I am having my coffee.
3. Went to see a good student (high school and college) performance of King Lear tonight.  Creative staging and they really knew their dialoge – meaning not just memorization.
4. Did I mention that I got promoted to Turtle Level 2 at the gym and it like ta killed me?  I think I might have.
5. Melissa (sister-in-law) surprised Michael (nephew) with a surprise visit.  I picked her up at the airport, and she snuck into his room where he had just gone to bed.  He was super excited to see her!  It was great!

June 21, 2009

1. AB and I hosted a tea party for our goddaughter yesterday.  This was quite successful, with little sandwiches, and playing with my dollhouse.  Violet the kitten stayed in her usual spot under the bed, only visiting from under the bedskirt, but Kevin the cat was quite sociable, and even received his own tea plate with some nice wet food.  He had good manners for most of the event, but eventually of course bad habits won out and he was discovered on the table, drinking from the creamer.
2. My garden is growing!  I was very surprised to see, when I went out to look on Thursday that there will little things popping up.  I didn’t realize that it would happen so quickly.
3. Will get to visit with some college friends today.  Very exciting!  Both were in Band with me.  Well, she was, he was our graduate assistant, assistant director of the band.  I think I am taking them to lunch, and I always panic about where to take people.  I think I have settle on crisp and juicy chicken near my school.  It’s just a little takeout, but has some tables, and certainly, has excellent chicken.  I can show them my school too.
4. I’m on vacation!
5. Michael and I are going to St. Elmo’s after church today.  I haven’t had much time with him yet, but now I can ramp that up.  I need to come up with some good adventures.

June 7, 2009

1. “And the devil will drag you under, by the sharp lapels of your checkered coat, sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down sit down you’re rockin’ the boat!” (Watching the tony’s tonight, reminded how fun musicals are. That’s from guys and dolls for those who are playing the home game.)
2. Had a lovely family birthday dinner saturday at the sushi place and we got the sushi boat!  Hooray! That is a wooden boat about 2 feet long filled with delicious sushi and sashimi.  Tip, before the sushi boat, don’t fill up on bread.  I don’t know if I will have any particular observances tomorrow.  Just the usual 21 gun salute maybe.
3. I went car shopping this weekend.  All due respect to the red menace, but that car’s time is DONE.  The engine hitches if it gets about 50 mph, and it has been raining like crazy around here and I have been scrambling to find rides or drive in the breaks in the rain since the windshield wipers went dead.  I know I could have it fixed, but that seems a waste of money since the grim reaper is banging on the windshield. So I test drove the Honda Fit and the Hyundai Elantra and the Elantra touring (which is kind of a code word for “station wagon.”  I was really focusing on the fit, but I was so impressed with the test drive on the elantra that I think that is the way to go, and mama may just have a little wagon to drive around right soon.
4. I started working out with a trainer on Friday,and go again tomorrow  For the time being, until his personality is revealed, we shall refer to him as “Captain Asskick.”
5. Two weeks left of school!

May 10, 2009

1. Who is it out there who keeps searching “5 things eleanor?”  That is the most popular search leading to this blog.  People, please, bookmarks!
2. I was a scone making machine yesterday! 12 coming out of the oven every 15 minutes for four hours.  Reviews were very good.  Having the  girls prep all the dry ingredients into bags was very handy.  The food processor and I worked though our getting to know one another issues and are now boon companions.
3. This play is in four days. AHHHHH! (I have tickets.  Call me!)  I don’t feel very ready, and need more practice.  This week is going to be pretty tiring I think, but I hope fun.  One of the problems is that I don’t want to be a teacher backstage, but I can’t help but notice things like people leaving trash around, or not being ready to go.  I just need to let the stage managers handle that stuff and try to losen up.  On the other hand, I think the director is hoping I will ride herd a little.  But I am tired of people looking nervous when they see me coming!  I don’t want this to be more of that.  I want to be happy fun time girl.
4. My dear kevin the cat hung very close today, as I hung pretty close to home, napping beside me or on me, and that was very comfortable.
5. I did go out to have coffee with my mother for mother’s day.  We talked about The Magnificent Seven, which was on PBS last night, and both agreed that that Yul Brenner was one fine looking fella.  Also he went through the whole movie and never got a spec of dust on his snappy black outfit, not one spec, for the whole movie.

March 11, 2009

1. Hey!  On the Feedjit on the sidebar there is a visitor from Kabul!  Afghanistan! (Thanks for pointing that out Chrissie!)  Is that my big brother?  HI!!!!! HI!!!! Hi Chris!!! ::waving frantically:: Miss you!  Did the government unblock my subersive thoughts?  I bought you a book for your birthday!  Actually going to mail it soon!  Hi!!!! Love you!
2. And um, if it is someone else from Afghanistan,  um, hello.  Nice to meet you!
3. Oh and leave a comment!
4. Saw Little Dog Laughed at the Signature tonight.  Very good.  Commander Dave from the coffee shop came with me.  It was very good, and gave me alot to think about.  I am looking forward to a good discussion on Friday after Paul sees it.  He is going with another coffee shop friend.
5. I think I am going to go to the Thursday meeting for the Tanzania mission trip.  I thought I was interested, then I wasn’t, then I was a little, and today, when we were doign our Africa map activity, I said randomly to a kid, “I really want to go to Lake Victoria, and I looked down at the map to see what country it was in, and one of them….was Tanzania.  SO at the very least, I think I ought to go to the meeting!
6. Hi again Chris!   ::wave, wave::

February 24, 2009

1. Almost midnight, I’ve got a kitty resting on my arm as I type, and I need to be to bed, since I have to get up 5 hours from now for a full and exciting day of Ash Wednesday church action!
2. Pancake supper tonight.  I do love me some pancakes.  Suffice it to say that tonight was not a great weight watchers moment. 
3. I do feel like I have only eaten cookies for the past 24 hours.
4. Having two close friends have major challenges in their life, with their children, makes me reflect that I really need to be more cheerful about my circumstances.  I have a wonderful life.  I really need to quit bitching about how busy I am because people think I am smart enough that they ask me to do things.  Oh woe is me, right?
5. I am allowed of course to worry about Chris and Richard.  I sent Chris a box of pencils and pencil sharpeners today.  I say a thing on the news about a man in Kabul who didn’t send his girls to school beacuse he couldn’t afford pencils.  I know my pencils won’t lead to world peace, but maybe they can be useful to some kid or school.
6. Everytime El Presidente speaks, I fall in love with him all over again.

February 1, 2009

1. C has been busy…or not perhaps, but has found this very lovely artistic statement on the Inaguration.  I like it because it is clear she went to museums etc, and it reminds me what treasures we have here and how important history is. 
2. There is also this photo “meme” (all about me – Me! Me!)  I don’t often do these but I tried this one.  You are to go to your photo folder, pick the sixth folder and the sixth picture in that folder.  And here is what was there.  My beloved big brother in Afghanistan.  A good picture.  He is happy.  He’s not a gunner, but they were all taking a turn.  I think the story is not so important, but the reminder, for me, that we must pray constantly, and without ceasing.
3. Cousin Richard is now in Iraq,  so that is 2/3 of our generation galivanting about. 
4. Constantly.  And without ceasing.
5. To dos today:  Pray.  Buy knitting basket for the day school auction.  Finish the schedule.  Vacuuming. Laundry.  Hmm, perhaps I should go put those items on the task list in my new crackberry.  WHAT?  You got WHAT?  I promise, it is needed to replace my dead palm pilot.  And I already turned the email feature off.  (but it sure is red and cute.  Like a leetle car.)

December 31, 2008

1. Still cranking out the Christmas Cards.  Hooray for me!
2. Is it insane that to buy sale wrapping paper at IKEA, that I drove out there during rush hour?  Probably.  But I moved pretty efficiently, and even made it back in time to meet AB and some work friends for happy hour downtown.  I have to say though, the valet parking makes it possible to go downtown efficiently.  I’m a big fan of that.
3. Stressful moments when the sink backed up, but the neighbors did too, and he called the rental company (since he is renting, and they sent someone to fix it, and fixing his clog, fixed my problem too, and I didn’t have to write a check!  Hooray!  Now I can do dishes again.  Hooray?
4. Chris’s Christmas Report:   “Speaking of other countries, we have a large French contingent here at Phoenix.  Their job is to run the ANA staff college and NCO school system nearby.  They live in one corner of the camp which they have marked off and dubbed “Quartier Lafayette.”  For all of some Americans’ bad mouthing of the French, even to the point of renaming french fries “freedom fries” the French are intensely proud of their role in our Revolutionary War.  The buildings in the “Quartier” are all have names like “Valley Forge”, “Yorktown”, “Rochambeau” and “Louisiane”.  For Christmas, they built a very elaborate mechanical Christmas Nativity scene, which is apparently a Foreign Legion tradition, with platoons competing for the best one.  This one showed all of the local area and had a narrative of and american and a French soldier sharing a beer and talking about life at the camp.  At one point the French soldier talks about the crazy traffic, and seemingly unaware drivers and pedestrians running through the streets on Route Violet which runs in front of the camps.  I turned to one French NCO and said “I have driven in Paris; it is the same!”  He had a laugh at that.  At the climactic moment of the presentation, part of the Afghan mountainside is lifted away to reveal the creche.”
5. Reports from our friends visiting up north.  Hooray for a babies that coo and gurgle!

 

 

December 29, 2008

1. I am about to head over to my parents where we are having a party tonight with the Berry’s to celebrate 30 years of knowing one another.
2. I am very glad of this, but reflective about the idea of friendship, and how often I fail at following through on simple things like calls and cards and emails that will maintain friendships.
3. My college roommate, with whom I have been a shamefully poor communicator has given me yet another chance and inspired me by sending me a Christmas card with her new address.  I am quite resolved to do better and indeed have written 7 cards today to family and friends who have continued to write to me, even though I have been silent lo these many years.
4. Kitchen sink is backed up.  It seems to be a contagion, effecting the whole building.  On the one hand this is a plus because if it is effecting the whole building the condo association will pay for the repair.  On the other hand, should blame be able to be assessed, say if a large ball of yarn or cat hair is found to have made the blockage, then bills will no doubt be assessed accordingly.
5. Chris called on Christmas day and is well.  Pictures of the French troops nativity construction competition to follow.

December 26, 2008

1. We had a really nice Christmas dinner last night. 
2. Church at 5 was also great, where once again my ego vied with my love for the Lord and I swung some crazy smoke as thurifer and thought, “Damn baby, I am swinging some crazy smoke!”
3. Fondue and presents with Pauls’ family.  M and B gave us Rock em, Sock em Robots!  Awesome!
4. AB and I took M and C to the new American history museum today.  That museum better not be finished in terms of displaying the collections, because if they are the American Taxpayer needs a refund.  The place is better lit than it used to be, but bare.  I want them to pull all of the stuff out of the attic and lay it out!  I know it is now trendy to  create a narrative and have lots of white space, but I kind of think it should look like one of those Oklahoma junque/antique shops.  Wall to wall stuff, and you make up your own damn narrative.
5. I will be able to join the digital tv revolution!  I’ve been, sadly, mesmerized for much of the day  by the crystal clear picture on my new TV Paul got me.  and to have channels like rader scan 4.2 and the A-Team, Magnum PI 7.3 is pretty exciting.