I've been paying attention to how philanthropy is happening in the new media centric world. One item of note that arrived in my in-box this morning: in an email from donorschoose.org, they announced that Stephen Colbert called on his viewers to go to DonorsChoose.org and to support a Pennsylvania classroom project in honor of Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Check it out.
It's funny, timely, and draws attention to the need for public school support. I love it.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Breva in Brussels & Brugge Belgium
Recently spent a few days in Brussels with a day trip to Bruge. Brussels was a bit of a mish-mash - some super charming neighborhoods and some not so much - overall it felt very safe (I walked all over the city and never encountered an area that felt unsavory) and there is enough culture to see in a day or two. We even had a traditional Flemish meal of rabbit stewed in fruity beer (actually very delicious - the most tender white meat I've ever had!) served with beer. Do you get the theme here? Pre dinner beer, beer to go with your meal, apertif/dessert beer....but it's actually very good beer so you don't mind drinking it all the time! Probably the coolest things about Brussels are that it's multi-lingual - English, French, Dutch, a little German and; comic strips are big - as in there are comic murals all over the city and even a Comic Strip Museum. Why? Because Herge, creator of TinTin is from Brussels and they love him!
Bruge (pronounced Broooogah) - we liked it! Bruge has quite a fascinating history - basically it was a hub of int'l trade in the 12th - 15th century. The town is Flemish and has a strong collection of medieval and early modern art, including Jan van Eyck, who lived and worked in Bruges. We walked around, went to a few art museums, and ended the afternoon with some delicious beer and cheese and a tiny pub (seating for about 15 people) and chatting with a native Brugian about his life there and how messed up politics are in the U.S.! The "afternoon" turned into night at the pub and resulted in a last minute hussle to catch the 10pm train into Brussels. We wish we would have stayed overnight there....
Bruge (pronounced Broooogah) - we liked it! Bruge has quite a fascinating history - basically it was a hub of int'l trade in the 12th - 15th century. The town is Flemish and has a strong collection of medieval and early modern art, including Jan van Eyck, who lived and worked in Bruges. We walked around, went to a few art museums, and ended the afternoon with some delicious beer and cheese and a tiny pub (seating for about 15 people) and chatting with a native Brugian about his life there and how messed up politics are in the U.S.! The "afternoon" turned into night at the pub and resulted in a last minute hussle to catch the 10pm train into Brussels. We wish we would have stayed overnight there....
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Minute Details...
As I said, I'm off of work today and it's snowing out, so I have time for inane things like blogging. To that end, here's the latest photo series of the highlights of our lives for the past 2 months; namely - hiking on warm sunny winter days, Bob and his inherent cuteability, Boston sights, graves, and memorials, and a few shots of our neighborhood. I know it's not very exciting...forgive me....
Blizzard Surfing
Well, due to the NE "blizzard", I am home today, and shamelessly surfing online. Reading David Byrne's blog led me to BoingBoing (billing itself as A Directory of Wonderful Things - gotta love it) that in turn led me to this post about Susan Pleshette on Isn't Life Terrible . The video in ILT's words:
"Suzanne Pleshette's major - and often overlooked - claim to Disney fame is that she appeared in the first feature film ever to be shot in Disneyland: 40 Pounds of Trouble. Who would have thought that Disney would allow Universal to use Disneyland as a background for a chase scene? But he did, and the footage of Disneyland seen in 40 Pounds is like a time capsule from the park circa 1961-2, featuring many scenes of many now-extinct attractions... as well as fabulous footage of nearly the entire park. It's terrific."
It has that superfluous wacky 1960's style, so entertaining, yet boring at the same time:
"Suzanne Pleshette's major - and often overlooked - claim to Disney fame is that she appeared in the first feature film ever to be shot in Disneyland: 40 Pounds of Trouble. Who would have thought that Disney would allow Universal to use Disneyland as a background for a chase scene? But he did, and the footage of Disneyland seen in 40 Pounds is like a time capsule from the park circa 1961-2, featuring many scenes of many now-extinct attractions... as well as fabulous footage of nearly the entire park. It's terrific."
It has that superfluous wacky 1960's style, so entertaining, yet boring at the same time:
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tomato Soup
Wanna watch Conan and The Simpsons on your computer whenever you want? Check out Hulu.com and sign up for the beta...I'm lovin' it....
Thursday, January 31, 2008
24 Hours on the Jersey Shore!
I picked up Lance in Philly on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago for a quick trip to see Don Rickles at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. Made a few stops on the way home - Asbury Park, by far the highlight. It's actually being redeveloped now but some of the decay remained yet. Some wikipedia history:
"Developed in 1871 as a residential resort by New York brush manufacturer James A. Bradley, the city was named for Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Along the waterfront Bradley installed a boardwalk, an orchestra pavilion, public changing rooms and a pier at the south end of the boardwalk. In 1888 Ernest Schnitzler built the Palace Merry-Go-Round, the cornerstone of what would become the Palace Amusements complex; other attractions followed. During these early decades in Asbury Park, a number of grand hotels were built, including the Plaza Hotel. The 1920s saw a dramatic change in the boardwalk with the construction of the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall complex, the Casino Arena (SEE PICS of the crumbling casino) and Carousel House, and two handsome red-brick pavilions. Noted Beaux Arts architect Warren Whitney of New York was the designer. He had also been hired to design the imposing Berkeley-Carteret Hotel positioned diagonally across from the theater and hall. At the same time, Asbury Park launched a first-class education and athletic program with the construction of a state-of-the-art high school overlooking Deal Lake.
The opening of Great Adventure, a combination theme park and drive-through safari located on a lake in Jackson Township ~ and close to a New Jersey Turnpike exit ~ proved to be stiff competition for a mile-long stretch of aging boardwalk amusements. Although it was placed on the National Registers of Historic Places, in 1988 Palace Amusements was closed, and was demolished in 2004 despite attempts to save it.
The city's changing fortunes, together with municipal mismanagement, led to civic unrest. On July 4, 1970 riots resulted in the destruction of aging buildings along Springwood Avenue, one of three main east-west corridors into Asbury Park and the central shopping and entertainment district for those living in the city's southwest quandrant. In 2007 many of those city blocks have yet to be redeveloped. From 2002 onward, the rest of Asbury Park has been in the midst of a cultural, political, and economic revival, led by a burgeoning industry of local and national artists. Its dilapidated downtown district is undergoing revitalization while most of the nearly empty blocks that overlook the beach and boardwalk are slated for massive reconstruction. In 2005, the Casino's walkway reopened, as did many of the boardwalk pavilions.
The year 2007 has proved to be an important one, full of milestones for the redevelopment of Asbury Park. The eastern portion of the Casino building was demolished. There are plans to rebuild this portion to look much like the original; however, the interior will be dramatically different and may include a public market. There has also been more of a resurgence of the downtown as well as the boardwalk, with the grand reopening of the historic Steinbach department store building, as well as the rehabilitation of Convention Hall and the Fifth Avenue Pavilion (previously home to the last remaining Howard Johnson restaurant). The year 2007 has also seen the purchase of the historic Berkeley-Carteret Hotel, which is to be restored to four-star resort status."
Also learned by experience the Jersey Shore is great birdwatching area, so it was a brief (24 hr) but complete trip; Rickles, losing at slots, $49 room overlooking the ocean and grey sky, best people watching ever (NJ takes the cake!), actually seeing Asbury Park(!), bird nerding, and trying out and appreciating our new GPS system! Here's some proof:
"Developed in 1871 as a residential resort by New York brush manufacturer James A. Bradley, the city was named for Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Along the waterfront Bradley installed a boardwalk, an orchestra pavilion, public changing rooms and a pier at the south end of the boardwalk. In 1888 Ernest Schnitzler built the Palace Merry-Go-Round, the cornerstone of what would become the Palace Amusements complex; other attractions followed. During these early decades in Asbury Park, a number of grand hotels were built, including the Plaza Hotel. The 1920s saw a dramatic change in the boardwalk with the construction of the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall complex, the Casino Arena (SEE PICS of the crumbling casino) and Carousel House, and two handsome red-brick pavilions. Noted Beaux Arts architect Warren Whitney of New York was the designer. He had also been hired to design the imposing Berkeley-Carteret Hotel positioned diagonally across from the theater and hall. At the same time, Asbury Park launched a first-class education and athletic program with the construction of a state-of-the-art high school overlooking Deal Lake.
The opening of Great Adventure, a combination theme park and drive-through safari located on a lake in Jackson Township ~ and close to a New Jersey Turnpike exit ~ proved to be stiff competition for a mile-long stretch of aging boardwalk amusements. Although it was placed on the National Registers of Historic Places, in 1988 Palace Amusements was closed, and was demolished in 2004 despite attempts to save it.
The city's changing fortunes, together with municipal mismanagement, led to civic unrest. On July 4, 1970 riots resulted in the destruction of aging buildings along Springwood Avenue, one of three main east-west corridors into Asbury Park and the central shopping and entertainment district for those living in the city's southwest quandrant. In 2007 many of those city blocks have yet to be redeveloped. From 2002 onward, the rest of Asbury Park has been in the midst of a cultural, political, and economic revival, led by a burgeoning industry of local and national artists. Its dilapidated downtown district is undergoing revitalization while most of the nearly empty blocks that overlook the beach and boardwalk are slated for massive reconstruction. In 2005, the Casino's walkway reopened, as did many of the boardwalk pavilions.
The year 2007 has proved to be an important one, full of milestones for the redevelopment of Asbury Park. The eastern portion of the Casino building was demolished. There are plans to rebuild this portion to look much like the original; however, the interior will be dramatically different and may include a public market. There has also been more of a resurgence of the downtown as well as the boardwalk, with the grand reopening of the historic Steinbach department store building, as well as the rehabilitation of Convention Hall and the Fifth Avenue Pavilion (previously home to the last remaining Howard Johnson restaurant). The year 2007 has also seen the purchase of the historic Berkeley-Carteret Hotel, which is to be restored to four-star resort status."
Also learned by experience the Jersey Shore is great birdwatching area, so it was a brief (24 hr) but complete trip; Rickles, losing at slots, $49 room overlooking the ocean and grey sky, best people watching ever (NJ takes the cake!), actually seeing Asbury Park(!), bird nerding, and trying out and appreciating our new GPS system! Here's some proof:
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Snowy and Cold in MN!!
I've been using Picasa (Google's photo editing & management software) the past few months and love the way it works. Here's a little sampling of the Christmas festivities:
Oh So Pretty
Upon our return from spending the holidays in MN, on a particularly warm December day, we took a walk through Central Park and I got to try out my new camera. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Supercat Strikes Again
He's faster than a speeding bullet! Supercat Bob!
Here he is on SuperCat Duty watching out for trick-or-treaters....cutetastic
Here he is on SuperCat Duty watching out for trick-or-treaters....cutetastic
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Latest Trips and Stuff
Enjoying our new (old) house - more the area than the house really. we broke down and bought kayaks so we can cruise the sound when we feel like it. on our first ride i was feeling kinda icky about spending so much money on them but thinking that i enjoyed it so what the hell, then i looked over and 3 huge yachts cruised by and i felt the immense smallness of me in my kayak and my few measly thousand dollars. Fairfield County is good for one thing - keeping you in check with what you don't have. Most cities keep you in check for what you DO have, but this one makes you feel very humbled by what you don't have and never will. But my boy Lance recently got promoted to a veep so maybe we're on our way after all. Ahhh....the American Dream.
Well, anyways, thanks to a woodsy marsh that surrounds the power plant near our house (!), we have spotted deer, wild turkeys, osprey, opposums, and a few different types of herons on the island. The power plant is sealed off with a fence though, so oftentimes the animals are looking at US through the fence - they have freedom to roam there and we do not! The guy that makes me happiest is a very young buck with one crooked antler (probably due to the power plant!) who curiously stares at me on my evening stroll. Oh, and one night we found a big fat toad on our front lawn and talked to him a little then moved on. A few minutes later, Bob the Cat crawled out of some nearby bushes with gobs of white foam oozing out of his mouth followed by a pyschotic episode of jumping straight in the air. Bob became a celebrity in the vet's office that night - two vets wheeling out a stretcher as we were leaving said to me "Oh, that must be Bob who licked a toad" chuckle chuckle. We'd become neurotic parents to a psychotically induced toad licking cat.
Great bookstores in Denver (Tattered Cover - huge, quiet, good selection - we poked around for a few hours on a Saturday night) and sports bars in which to watch the Pack completely destroy the meager Vikes. Great microbrews though - highly recommend the Bull & Bush Pub - the best green chili (Denver's specialty) and house brews, attentive & kind service, and a million TVs. Other than that, not a lot to do in Denver besides shop for Western wear and be a sports fan.
So, we cruised up to Estes Park and spent a day hiking in Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park and watching the elk rut. Well not actually rut but the precursor to the rut. Watched & listened to a few males butting heads from a few yards away. They don't lock horns because that expends too much energy so instead they put their foreheads together and compete in a test of wills which doesn't work out so well because eventually their horns tend to get tangled up anyways. It was cool to hear though - you could hear them huffing hard and then holding their breath as they pushed one another around. We also saw a huge group of females & youth - at least 100 - move through a meadow in the park. The males guard the perimeter of the group so none of the females get away and the largest male (the stud) with a gigantic antler rack stands a ways away & bugles. Wacky wild stuff. Literally.
A better explanation of what we saw:
"You may be fortunate enough to see a bull elk rounding up his "harem" in one of the National Park's montane meadows, or in town on our golf courses and lawns. Bulls have various levels of experience in herding. Some are "studs" and others are wannabes. The stud is the bull that is clearly in command. There may be other competitors nearby, but they can't compete with the mature bull's display of antlers and his bellowing bugle. This swashbuckler gathers and cloisters his cows with apparent ease. Often, one or two other bulls stand on the sidelines, watching with obvious frustration. Even those who have managed to corner a cow or two watch helplessly as their prospects evade them and run toward a growing assembly of cows, yearlings and calves which have gathered near another bull. You may also notice a bull with broken antlers or half a rack — the result of competitive battles between bulls."
Video of stud controlling the harem & he does a nice loud bugle at the end:
Oh, and we hiked for 3-4 hours on a trail up a mountain, around a mountain, and up another mountain, to one of those perfectly picturesque crystal clear national park glacial mountainy lakes, tracking some Germans who ambled up the mountain like they were healthy or something. Damn's us Americans is out of shape! Will post pics just as soon as I can.
Well, anyways, thanks to a woodsy marsh that surrounds the power plant near our house (!), we have spotted deer, wild turkeys, osprey, opposums, and a few different types of herons on the island. The power plant is sealed off with a fence though, so oftentimes the animals are looking at US through the fence - they have freedom to roam there and we do not! The guy that makes me happiest is a very young buck with one crooked antler (probably due to the power plant!) who curiously stares at me on my evening stroll. Oh, and one night we found a big fat toad on our front lawn and talked to him a little then moved on. A few minutes later, Bob the Cat crawled out of some nearby bushes with gobs of white foam oozing out of his mouth followed by a pyschotic episode of jumping straight in the air. Bob became a celebrity in the vet's office that night - two vets wheeling out a stretcher as we were leaving said to me "Oh, that must be Bob who licked a toad" chuckle chuckle. We'd become neurotic parents to a psychotically induced toad licking cat.
Great bookstores in Denver (Tattered Cover - huge, quiet, good selection - we poked around for a few hours on a Saturday night) and sports bars in which to watch the Pack completely destroy the meager Vikes. Great microbrews though - highly recommend the Bull & Bush Pub - the best green chili (Denver's specialty) and house brews, attentive & kind service, and a million TVs. Other than that, not a lot to do in Denver besides shop for Western wear and be a sports fan.
So, we cruised up to Estes Park and spent a day hiking in Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park and watching the elk rut. Well not actually rut but the precursor to the rut. Watched & listened to a few males butting heads from a few yards away. They don't lock horns because that expends too much energy so instead they put their foreheads together and compete in a test of wills which doesn't work out so well because eventually their horns tend to get tangled up anyways. It was cool to hear though - you could hear them huffing hard and then holding their breath as they pushed one another around. We also saw a huge group of females & youth - at least 100 - move through a meadow in the park. The males guard the perimeter of the group so none of the females get away and the largest male (the stud) with a gigantic antler rack stands a ways away & bugles. Wacky wild stuff. Literally.
A better explanation of what we saw:
"You may be fortunate enough to see a bull elk rounding up his "harem" in one of the National Park's montane meadows, or in town on our golf courses and lawns. Bulls have various levels of experience in herding. Some are "studs" and others are wannabes. The stud is the bull that is clearly in command. There may be other competitors nearby, but they can't compete with the mature bull's display of antlers and his bellowing bugle. This swashbuckler gathers and cloisters his cows with apparent ease. Often, one or two other bulls stand on the sidelines, watching with obvious frustration. Even those who have managed to corner a cow or two watch helplessly as their prospects evade them and run toward a growing assembly of cows, yearlings and calves which have gathered near another bull. You may also notice a bull with broken antlers or half a rack — the result of competitive battles between bulls."
Video of stud controlling the harem & he does a nice loud bugle at the end:
Oh, and we hiked for 3-4 hours on a trail up a mountain, around a mountain, and up another mountain, to one of those perfectly picturesque crystal clear national park glacial mountainy lakes, tracking some Germans who ambled up the mountain like they were healthy or something. Damn's us Americans is out of shape! Will post pics just as soon as I can.
Rocky Mountain High
A short trip to Denver & Rocky Mountain National Park AND we got kayaks!
More to come soon!
More to come soon!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
1960 Madison Ave
Recently started watching a new series called Mad Men on AMC. AMC, you say? Yeah, it's odd but AMC has put together the most amazing show. "Set in 1960 New York, the daring new series is about the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising, an ego-driven world where key players make an art of the sell while their private world gets sold." and "The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women in this era while exploring the true human nature beneath the guise of 1960 traditional family values." Or, in other words, the first show in about a decade that I make sure I am home to watch.....
Any show that plays Miles Davis as background music has me hooked on the first go-round. I'm not a big TV person, especially serial shows; just never been my thing. But each episode of Mad Men is like a mini movie. The same feeling you get sitting in Peter's Grill in downtown Minneapolis eating your club sandwich picturing the 1950's scene - same color scheme (rich tans, greens, burgundies), same simplicity, same wood veneer...it's enjoyable to watch simply due to the intricate details of each set, down to the pens.
Regarding detail, it's all very intentional - the set designer "When we started this show, during my first show-and-tell for the producers, we laid out 20 to 30 running feet of table with everything from record albums to cigars, cigarettes, transistor radios, cameras -- anything that if you had gone through someone's house in 1960 you would expect to find." What a cool job - I'm so in the wrong field.
And the characters are smoking ALL THE TIME, at work, in stores, in BED. The main character is Donald Draper, a name that sounds right out of Main Street. And now that I think more about it, it's completely appropriate for AMC to be broadcasting this series; it fits perfectly.
Any show that plays Miles Davis as background music has me hooked on the first go-round. I'm not a big TV person, especially serial shows; just never been my thing. But each episode of Mad Men is like a mini movie. The same feeling you get sitting in Peter's Grill in downtown Minneapolis eating your club sandwich picturing the 1950's scene - same color scheme (rich tans, greens, burgundies), same simplicity, same wood veneer...it's enjoyable to watch simply due to the intricate details of each set, down to the pens.
Regarding detail, it's all very intentional - the set designer "When we started this show, during my first show-and-tell for the producers, we laid out 20 to 30 running feet of table with everything from record albums to cigars, cigarettes, transistor radios, cameras -- anything that if you had gone through someone's house in 1960 you would expect to find." What a cool job - I'm so in the wrong field.
And the characters are smoking ALL THE TIME, at work, in stores, in BED. The main character is Donald Draper, a name that sounds right out of Main Street. And now that I think more about it, it's completely appropriate for AMC to be broadcasting this series; it fits perfectly.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Lake Superior & Duluth
Just moved; will write more later, but for now enjoy some pictures of Lake Superior!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
A nurse who changes lives....my mom!
I'm so proud of my dear mother! This article is a great testament to her ability to care for others in an honest and meaningful way. Plus you have to love the title of the article! Should we all be so lucky to positively impact people such as she has....
Diabetes, denial, heavy drinking - something had to change
BY RHODA FUKUSHIMA
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 07/27/2007 04:40:43 PM CDT
St. Paul native Rick Sorensen was diagnosed with diabetes in 1972, when he was 17. He figured he wouldn't live long, so he decided to live recklessly, partying hard through his teens, 20s and 30s. He didn't manage his diabetes well. He didn't take his insulin shots on time. He ate foods that sent his blood sugar levels all over the map. He drank. And drank.
"I would drink a 12-pack of beer or a half-quart of booze. My thinking (was) I'll die before the complications set in. I was in denial.
"The complications set in. About five years ago, I lost most of my eyesight. I have Raynaud's Syndrome (numbness in my fingers and feet). I've had congestive heart failure. I have slow function in my kidneys. I have chronic fatigue. I've had frostbite and lost six toes (he's more susceptible because of poor circulation). There's arthritic factors that are probably related to the complications.
"In June 2003, I joined the Wilder Foundation's assisted-living program. It may sound corny, but this nurse (Barb Breva) changed my life.
"I was taking insulin but not having balance with my blood sugars. She asked if I was drinking alcohol. I told her I had a bottle of vodka in the refrigerator. She said to get rid of it. She told me if I wanted to stay in the program, it was a requirement. She was delivering an ultimatum, but it wasn't harsh. She was leaving the decision to me.
"Over the years, lots of people had tried to get me to give up drinking. I had been in treatment, Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step groups. None of it worked. But Barb was so warm and genuine. Her approach was right for me.
"I didn't want to lose the program. It gave me the opportunity to make myself better. And I grabbed it.
"I dropped the alcohol. My blood sugars stabilized. My attitude changed real quick from 'I'm addicted to alcohol and I have to drink' to 'I've got better things in life.' It was as simple as that.
"I am legally blind, but I decided I could still walk around. I had used a white cane, but I don't anymore. I began walking and working out. I have more energy.
"I needed to find a way to relax at night. I had used alcohol as a tranquilizer. I now take quiet personal time. I focus on one thing. It's like a meditation.
"I'm a graphic artist and photographer. My photography is a method for me to see. I go places, take pictures, come home and look at the details. I blow it up. It's high-resolution. I can keep zooming in. Computer technology is a marvelous tool for me to see and create.
"My home health-care nurse encouraged me to go to a HealthEast leaders training program for the chronic condition self-management program. It taught me so much. It gave me confidence to stand up in front of people to relate thoughts, feelings, ideas. It was enriching.
"Now, I've got purpose. I have places to go, things to do. I set up my schedule so I don't sit home for more than two days. I take the bus or a friend picks me up. We have a mission."
For more Turning Points, go to www.twincities.com/health.
Diabetes, denial, heavy drinking - something had to change
BY RHODA FUKUSHIMA
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 07/27/2007 04:40:43 PM CDT
St. Paul native Rick Sorensen was diagnosed with diabetes in 1972, when he was 17. He figured he wouldn't live long, so he decided to live recklessly, partying hard through his teens, 20s and 30s. He didn't manage his diabetes well. He didn't take his insulin shots on time. He ate foods that sent his blood sugar levels all over the map. He drank. And drank.
"I would drink a 12-pack of beer or a half-quart of booze. My thinking (was) I'll die before the complications set in. I was in denial.
"The complications set in. About five years ago, I lost most of my eyesight. I have Raynaud's Syndrome (numbness in my fingers and feet). I've had congestive heart failure. I have slow function in my kidneys. I have chronic fatigue. I've had frostbite and lost six toes (he's more susceptible because of poor circulation). There's arthritic factors that are probably related to the complications.
"In June 2003, I joined the Wilder Foundation's assisted-living program. It may sound corny, but this nurse (Barb Breva) changed my life.
"I was taking insulin but not having balance with my blood sugars. She asked if I was drinking alcohol. I told her I had a bottle of vodka in the refrigerator. She said to get rid of it. She told me if I wanted to stay in the program, it was a requirement. She was delivering an ultimatum, but it wasn't harsh. She was leaving the decision to me.
"Over the years, lots of people had tried to get me to give up drinking. I had been in treatment, Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step groups. None of it worked. But Barb was so warm and genuine. Her approach was right for me.
"I didn't want to lose the program. It gave me the opportunity to make myself better. And I grabbed it.
"I dropped the alcohol. My blood sugars stabilized. My attitude changed real quick from 'I'm addicted to alcohol and I have to drink' to 'I've got better things in life.' It was as simple as that.
"I am legally blind, but I decided I could still walk around. I had used a white cane, but I don't anymore. I began walking and working out. I have more energy.
"I needed to find a way to relax at night. I had used alcohol as a tranquilizer. I now take quiet personal time. I focus on one thing. It's like a meditation.
"I'm a graphic artist and photographer. My photography is a method for me to see. I go places, take pictures, come home and look at the details. I blow it up. It's high-resolution. I can keep zooming in. Computer technology is a marvelous tool for me to see and create.
"My home health-care nurse encouraged me to go to a HealthEast leaders training program for the chronic condition self-management program. It taught me so much. It gave me confidence to stand up in front of people to relate thoughts, feelings, ideas. It was enriching.
"Now, I've got purpose. I have places to go, things to do. I set up my schedule so I don't sit home for more than two days. I take the bus or a friend picks me up. We have a mission."
For more Turning Points, go to www.twincities.com/health.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Bob Makes the Big Time
My East Coast kitty....
Monday, Jul 30
Bob and Trout Join the GalleyCat Army
Memoirist Adrienne Martini reports that her cat, Trout, likes to warm his 'tocks on her laptop; the can of compressed air in the corner of the photo, she explains, "is how I encourage Trout to stop sitting there." I had the same problem with my GalleyCat Army officers, until I got one of those plastic stands that raises the back end of the compputer so that it rests on your desk at an angle. So now they just spread out over the rest of the desk and occasionally turn their heads to fix me with a stare of withering disapproval.
"BookExpo America event director Lance Fensterman sends us a "totally unposed" photograph of Bob That Cat curled up with several good books. "This fits well with a long dream of mine and HarperCollins' Carl Lennertz to produce a cute cat calendar," Fensterman confides. "I think I speak for both of us when I say that the world cannot have enough of them." We've got nearly enough photos to make it happen, but I'm still going to hang back and let those two chase their dream...at least until the end of 2008. If they haven't got it together by then, we're moving in, because I've got this idea I call "Cats on My Stuff" that I think'll be huge."
Posted by Ron | 08:04 AM | LOLgalleycats
Monday, Jul 30
Bob and Trout Join the GalleyCat Army
Memoirist Adrienne Martini reports that her cat, Trout, likes to warm his 'tocks on her laptop; the can of compressed air in the corner of the photo, she explains, "is how I encourage Trout to stop sitting there." I had the same problem with my GalleyCat Army officers, until I got one of those plastic stands that raises the back end of the compputer so that it rests on your desk at an angle. So now they just spread out over the rest of the desk and occasionally turn their heads to fix me with a stare of withering disapproval.
"BookExpo America event director Lance Fensterman sends us a "totally unposed" photograph of Bob That Cat curled up with several good books. "This fits well with a long dream of mine and HarperCollins' Carl Lennertz to produce a cute cat calendar," Fensterman confides. "I think I speak for both of us when I say that the world cannot have enough of them." We've got nearly enough photos to make it happen, but I'm still going to hang back and let those two chase their dream...at least until the end of 2008. If they haven't got it together by then, we're moving in, because I've got this idea I call "Cats on My Stuff" that I think'll be huge."
Posted by Ron | 08:04 AM | LOLgalleycats
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Earth Without Us
Lance brought home a great new book this week - The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. I heard an interview Weisman did with Leonard Lopate (WNYC) and I was a little skeptical, because it seemed too fantastical to be all that interesting. Too quick of a judgement; the book is fascinating - and common sense, but one of those things that one never really thinks about. If we ceased to exist, how long would anything last and what would be left to mark our existence? Seems basic right? But what's truly intriguing is the process by which things (homes, streets, dishes) deconstruct and what remains the longest. It's more an anthropological study than anything else. What we know of extinct cultures is only what remains, and what remains may only be small facets of their existence (eating utensils, etc.). Check out the site for great images and visuals of how long it takes a house to decompose and what NYC would look like upon human extinction (or annihilation as it were).
on another note re:humans, anyone remember these? I think maybe Hallmark(?) sold these in the 1980's and they are indelibly burned into my memory for all time. I'm convinced that in my last breaths, the very last images to pop in my head will be a ceramic human bean saying "Bye Bye Human Bean". So, when we kill ourselves off, all the next humanoid will find is this dumb thing saying "I'm Sorry"...omg...
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