Where Have You Been?

Goodness, it's been a long time since I've posted anything!  I've had a busy summer, though, thanks to 2 main things.

1.  I taught summer classes for the first time ever.  I only did the B session, meaning 4 days a week during the month of July.  I taught 2 classes and you would not believe how exhausted I was at the end of every day.  I realized about 1/2 way through the semester that I was cramming the work I would normally do in 4 months' time into 1 month.  No wonder I was so tired!!

2.  My daughter was home for the summer!  Yay!  We had so much fun and it was so nice to have her and her boyfriend around.  We just took them back to the airport last week and I already miss them.

And of course, school started this week, so it's back to lesson planning and dealing with Blackboard (an online communication hub for schools that can be a blessing and a curse at the same time).

I'll try to get back to posting regularly.  In the meantime, please enjoy this musical interlude.

Friday Fun

I've seen several blogs and Facebook posts recently about creating lists.  The Music 30-Day Challenge, the ABC Posts, the Photo 30-Day Challenge, etc.  While I'm not too keen on actually doing any of these (because they always seem to include things I have no interest in) I do like the lists concept.  Lists are fun. 

So I decided to make a list of my Current Favorite Things (not in any particular order, just as I think of them).

1. Pomegranate Lemonade by Crystal Light
2. Supernatural on the CW
3. Fringe on FOX
4. Bejeweled 3 Butterflies
5. History 112 (American History since 1877)
6. Creating playlists in Media Player and on my MP3 player (Next up:  Road Songs)
7. Learning to crochet
8. Having a TV in the bedroom so I can watch the shows my hubby hates in peace
9. The weather (since yesterday)
10. My house post-spring cleaning
11. My tweed blazer
12. Going to the park for a run and finding it nearly empty
13. My crazy, jumbled, crowded and colorful cork board
14. Rock bands with awesome female lead singers
15. Daylight Savings Time
16. The Exiles
17. Def Leppard (always a favorite!!)
18. My Van Gogh "Sunflowers" copy
19. Phone time with my BFF Angie
20. Phone time with my daughter Carrie
21. Phone time with Mom
22. Blogging about favorite stuff!

Crazy Cork Board

"Sunflowers"

An awesome rock band with female lead singer:

Customer "Service"

I once worked at a franchise of a large corporation, which was eye-opening on many levels.  We were always having retreats, training, conferences and meetings, rarely accomplishing more than wasting time that could have been spent on actually improving our services.  But I digress.

I remember one meeting with our Corporate Liaison (THAT was a cushy job) where we were discussing customer service.  This liaison was always telling stories about the great customer service she always got from a particular hotel chain, no matter where she went.  (In hindsight, the fact that her best customer service stories were about another company should have been some kind of sign.)

She asked us to share what businesses we thought had great customer service.  My assistant chimed in with Walmart.  When asked why she thought they had great customer service, she explained that she was able to do one-stop shopping there.  Never mind that she totally missed the point of the question, and possibly the entire meeting, but she obviously had never experienced customer service of any kind at the store.

My gripe with the mega-center is not so much about customer service as it is with the attitudes of their employees.  For instance, yesterday my husband and I stopped in to pick up a few things and ran into some relatives we hadn't seen in a while.  We were chatting in an aisle and since there were 4 of us, yes, we were taking up the whole aisle, but we were in electronics and there were no other customers in the area at the time.  Then an employee bumped past us without an "excuse me" to get to the great unknown through the double-doors at the back of the building. 

Were we taking up the aisle?  Yes.  Did he need to go through those doors?  Yes.  Did he have to bump past us to do so?  NO!  He could have easily gone around to another aisle to make his way to the cave. 

And that's what I experience every time I go there.  An employee who thinks he has the right of way over customers.  An employee who won't move her cart full of things she's restocking to let customers get by.  Employees walking down the aisle, taking up the entire aisle, who refuse to move so customers can easily pass by.  If it weren't for the fact that they are cheap and so am I, I would never shop there again. 

Those who work in businesses that involve actual people should remember the motto that Corporate Liaison always told us, "A customer is not an interruption of our work.  He is the sole purpose of it." 

Here's a funny video of just how frustrating dealing with customer service can be.

Motivating Music

Whether I'm cleaning, working out, or heading out for a long drive somewhere, I like to have some music that gets me pumped up and ready to take care of business.  I'm always on the lookout for new songs to add to my playlist of motivational music.  Here are my latest additions and a bit about them. 

1.  Ali in the Jungle by The Hours.  I first heard this song on a commercial (see it here).  I really like the message of the song - we all get knocked down, but the key is when are you going to get up?




2.  Help, I'm Alive by Metric.  This is a song my daughter introduced me to and I not only like the tempo for running, but I really like the lyric "My heart keeps beating like a hammer." 




3.  (Geek Alert!!!)  An Awful Lot of Running by Chameleon Circuit.  This is what is known as TRock - Time Lord Rock.  The band only sings songs about The Doctor (from Doctor Who), who is a Time Lord, thus Time Lord Rock, thus TRock.  This song is a reference to the 2008 episode "The Doctor's Daughter" in which the Doctor's companion describes what the Doctor does, "saves worlds, rescues civilizations, defeats terrible creatures and runs a lot.  Seriously, there's an outrageous amount of running involved."



What songs do you find motivational?

Friday Video

One of my favorite Pink Floyd tunes.  Have a great Friday!

Chase Your Dreams

Some people follow their dreams; others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission. ~Neil Kendall


My husband and I were talking about dreams yesterday.  He has a friend who is a musician with some local success who apparently is not getting as far as he hoped in his musical career.  He described his time with the band as "a waste of time."

I have to say, I disagree wholeheartedly.  I don't think that chasing your dreams, even if you never reach them, is a waste of time.

I would say that there is a very good chance that I will never make it to the Ironman Triathlon.  But does that mean having that as an ultimate goal is a waste of time?  NO.  I'm working on getting in better shape, which is better for my health, whether I get into a certain race or not.  I'm learning things about myself, better understanding how healthy food and exercise benefit us, and am coming to appreciate a host of athletes who are an inspiration.  That is not a waste of time.

Sure, there are times when we come to realize that it's time to give up on some things.  Maybe we need to move on to something more attainable, or healthier, or whatever.  And only you can make that decision of if and when it's time to move on.  But in the meantime, you are learning, growing, trying, and persevering.  So keep at it.  Chase those dreams.  Be better and stronger.  

Here's a video about dreams featuring the amazing Blue Angels.  Hope you enjoy.

Friday Film

I just finished reading a book translated from the Swedish (see my book review page) and wrote about it this morning.  Since then, I've been thinking about Sweden, where my daughter lives, and all things Swedish.  So in trying to figure out what to post today, I decided to post my favorite little Swedish film short.

This was a project for a group of film students, one of whom is the brother of my daughter's boyfriend.  Mattis Hansson is his name and I wouldn't be surprised to one day see his name on the big screen.  This always makes me smile, so I thought it would be fun for a cold Friday.  Enjoy!

P.S.  The title translates to "road soul."

For Angie

My best friend Angie is a huge Point of Grace fan.  She got to meet them recently at a concert and she was so excited that she called me on her way home just so she could share.  I love that she gets as excited about meeting her favorite singers as I have about meeting mine, though my favorites are a different style.

Angie shared this video with me one day and I thought it was a beautiful song, so I thought I'd share it with you.  I like this view of Mary in labor.  She was so young and in such a difficult situation, but she obediently and gracefully fulfilled her calling to give birth to the Messiah.  What a woman!

Hope you enjoy!

An Interesting Duet

This video is for my daughter, who's coming home this weekend.  It features one of her favorite singers, David Bowie.  However, the video also features a singer of a different generation, Bing Crosby.

This song was recorded for Bing's 1977 Christmas special, which was taped only a month before he died.  It was, even then, considered to be an odd pairing, but something about the mixture of these two great, yet different, voices has really stuck with people and the song has become very popular.  (Read the full story here.)

So sit back and prepare to be wowed by the musical stylings of Bing and Bowie.

A Blast From the Past

The past few weeks in my Geography class, I've been teaching about Africa.  One of the things we studied was just how massively large the continent is, but with that size comes massive problems from droughts, health problems, ecological disasters, wars and famine.  We looked in detail at the genocide in Darfur and the 1984-85 famine in Ethiopia.  Tears flowed in class, I can tell you that.

I've been reading several friends' and family members' comments on Facebook and blogs about trying to get in the Christmas spirit.  I don't know if I would call what I've been feeling this past week "Christmas spirit" but it has certainly been an attitude of gratitude.  We are so blessed in this country to have peace, shelter, food, clean water, and the comforts of home and family.  We don't have to worry about whether our children will survive the night because they've had no food.  We don't have to flee to a neighboring nation to escape rockets and roving bands of rebels intent on killing us.  We don't have to work in the field gathering cash crops that will only make us poorer while enriching our corrupt leaders.  We have so much to be thankful for - that should be enough to get us in the Christmas spirit.

So I challenge you to learn about what is going on in Darfur. (Learn more here.)  I challenge you to remind yourself of the famines that killed hundreds of thousands in Ethiopia. (Learn more here.)  I challenge you to learn about the health issues that still result in the deaths of 22,000 children under the age of 5 world-wide EVERY DAY. (Learn more here.)

Then I think you will feel a bit better about your own life and the Christmas spirit will come a little more easily, if also more humbly.  

Of course, you can also watch this video from the 80s, a fund-raising response to the famine in Ethiopia, to get a little cheer, too.

Christmas Wishes for You

This video is of Amy Grant singing "Grown Up Christmas List."  The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson-Jenner and was on Foster's 1990 Christmas album, featuring vocals by Natalie Cole.  But it was Amy's 1992 version that popularized the song.

You can find lots of versions of this song online, but I like this one, and I hope you do, too.  And I hope you get everything on your list for Christmas.  

And Now for Something Completely Different...

My mom and I went to visit relatives this weekend in St. Louis and surrounding areas.  We stopped off at The Factory in Farmington on the way home to see my Aunt Rita, who was doing a book-signing. As we chatted away, she mentioned how much she enjoyed seeing Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on a Christmas special recently.  So I thought I'd post one of his videos for my aunt.

However, as I perused through his various Christmas songs, all lovely, I found one that just really stood out.  Not because of the song itself, but for the pairing and the fun of the video.  

So here's a clip from a PBS special featuring Andrea Bocelli and some very special friends. 

Getting in the Spirit

I was digging out my Christmas CD's to put on my computer and I thought, "Hey, why not share some of my favorites on my blog all month?"  So that's what I'm going to do.  I'll try to share a video with you each day and tell you a little something about the artist and/or song.

Yesterday's video was from Harry Connick, Jr.  Harry is a New Orleans jazz musician and actor.  He has been recording since he was about 10 years old and does standards like "It Had to Be You" and his own, original songs.  He has appeared in movies like "Independence Day" and "Memphis Belle."  If you like Frank Sinatra or Michael Buble, you will enjoy Harry Connick, Jr.

Today's video is of Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss performing "The Wexford Carol."  I have an instrumental version of this carol and it instantly became a favorite.  It is an Irish song, from County Wexford, and is one of the oldest carols from Europe.  This version features the Grammy-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Grammy-winning bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss.  I hope you enjoy.

P.S.  What do you think of my red and green font?  Christmas-y, ey?

Save Some Money

Whether you're unemployed, underemployed, or just trying to save a bit for a special vacation or Christmas presents, saving money can be important.  And it turns out that there are lots of simple ways to trim your budget.  A little here, a little there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

Here are some of the methods my family has used to save money.

1. Skip movie theaters.  We only see movies in the theater that are big special effects films.  Aliens, superheroes and monsters we tend to spend the big bucks on.  Romantic comedies and other genres can wait until they hit DVD or Netflix.
2. Netflix.  For $9 a month, we can get as many DVDs by mail as we want, and we can watch tons of movies and TV shows online.  It's usually a better deal than paying extra on your cable or satellite bill for movie channels.  (I've sent all my Facebook followers a link for a first month free.  If you are not a Facebook follower or didn't get the link and want it, be sure to contact me and let me know.)
3. Cook at home.  Eating out is so convenient and easy, but the money adds up fast.  We eat out only a couple times a month instead of a couple times a week.  You can save a lot this way.  Taking your own meals for lunch at work is a big savings too.
4. Take out.  When we do get restaurant food, we generally do it as take out instead of eating in the restaurant.  It saves us the tip.  I know this is super cheap, but sometimes you do what you gotta do.
5. Coupons.  When you are doing all that grocery shopping, be sure to use coupons.  It used to be that the only way to get coupons was to get the paper or magazines.  You'd spend more on those things than you'd save.  But now coupons can be printed from online providers or even sent to your cell phone.  Check out Coupon Mom, Redplum, and Smartsource for printable coupons, and Cellfire for digital ones.  Coupons reset each month, and you can usually print up to 3 of the same coupon each month.
6. Savings alerts.  Sign up with your favorite store or blogger for newsletters that let you know when something is on sale.  I have gotten some beautiful jewelry for free this way.  You never know who might be giving something away.  Check your favorite store's website, or try out Faithful Provisions.
7. Make virtual money.  You can use Swagbucks to earn Swag points that you can then use to buy all sorts of things, from jewelry to game systems to gift cards.  Or take surveys at My View to earn points that can then be used on gift cards. 

These are just a few of my money-saving tips.  What tips do you have for us?

P.S.  As an added bonus to today's blog, here's a video of one of my favorite bands singing about this very topic. 

Roll With the Changes

My Poor Ankle!

Life can be ironic sometimes, can't it?  I recently wrote about how I was going to increase my efforts and try to double the number of days I exercise for the remainder of the year.  And when I did try to increase my mileage, I messed up my Achilles' Tendon!

So now I have to stay off my foot as much as possible while my tendon heals, which could take weeks or even months.

I suppose I could whine, cry, complain or just give up on exercise altogether.  But instead, I'm going to try working on my upper body strength and core since I won't be running for quite awhile.

That's the way life is, though.  We make plans and then life interferes with those plans.  We lose the dream job, the relationship doesn't work out, the best friend moves away.  Whatever.  What we need to do is not give up or act childishly.  Instead, we need to be the mature people we are and respond appropriately, find an alternate course, and go on.  We need to roll with the changes.

Aging Well

A man's age is something impressive, it sums up his life:  maturity reached slowly and against many obstacles, illnesses cured, griefs and despairs overcome, and unconscious risks taken; maturity formed through so many desires, hopes, regrets, forgotten things, loves.  A man's age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories.  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

There's a song we used to sing in church when I was growing up.  "Count your blessings, name them one by one..."  I thought I'd count some of the ways that it's actually really neat to be middle-aged.

1. My self-esteem is no longer based on what the other kids think of me.
2. After many, many years together, I no longer am concerned that my husband will stop loving me.
3. I actually like having an "empty nest" because the room formerly known as my daughter's bedroom is now my super cool office.
4. I can try all sorts of new things, give them up, and move on to other things without being thought of as a flighty young woman, but instead as an adventurous older woman.
5. I like me more now than I ever did when I was a young woman.
6. I get to live vicariously through the adventures of my adult daughter, and also share my own adventures with my mother.
7. I really get how much my parents did for us kids.
8. I'm not afraid to reach out to other people and make friends.
9. I'm not afraid to speak up for myself.
10. Men seem to just keep getting better looking with age - my husband included.  ;)
11. I can re-read a book or re-watch a movie and probably enjoy it as if I've never seen it before because I probably won't remember half of it.
12. I realize that life is too short for bad literature, obnoxious people, stupid guidelines, or saying no to dessert.
13. Okay, I cry at sad movies...and TV shows....and sometimes commercials.  So what?
14. It's really fun to start working on checking off bucket list items.
15. I like being the middle aged woman who just started running because it makes me feel like one of those inspirational women you'd read about in a magazine.

 I have to agree with David Coverdale of Whitesnake.  These truly are "the best years of my life."

How to Thrive...at Any Age

The truth is, I do indulge myself a little the more in pleasure, knowing that this is the proper age of my life to do it - Samuel Pepys

My best friend is learning how to play guitar.  She never wanted to be a rock star, as far as I know, and best I can recall, her singing is not going to make her famous.  But she's always wanted to play an instrument and when she tried guitar, she fell in love with it.

I myself am learning to speak Swedish and am trying to get in shape for a triathlon.

Odd behaviors for women over 40?  Perhaps, but Ang and I don't care.  We love learning and we love our new-found hobbies.

Sometimes I think that's one problem people have - just doing something they enjoy.  We've always got this huge To Do list in our heads and we feel guilty if we put that aside for a while and do something for no other reason than we want to.  But guess what.  I can do those dishes now and I'll just have more to do tomorrow, or I can put them off and sit and play a game with my family now.  I can worry about the bills that need to be paid though my funds are low, or I can just forget about it while I watch Doctor Who with my hubby.

One thing is for sure.  "Life moves pretty fast.  You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

One way I'm going to indulge in pleasure this weekend is by going to a concert with my sister-in-law.  She won tickets and we are so excited to be seeing the classic rock group Heart.  Now there are 2 ladies who are really thriving after 40.  They still sound amazing and I can't wait to see them live.  If you aren't familiar with their music, just watch this little reminder and I bet you'll either say, "Oh, yeah.  I know them," or, "Holy cow!  I have to get some Heart!"  Or both.

Enjoy!

A Little Def Leppard

No particular reason on today's post.  I just felt like sharing a little Def Leppard with you.  This is one of my favorite running songs as it is upbeat and melodic.  Hope you enjoy and have a great Thursday!

Why Exercise?

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius

A friend's daughter has had health issues and several surgeries since she was a little girl. She had an appointment with a new doctor this week and he told her she needed to try to lose weight in order to be "pretty and sexy." Now, in my opinion, this doctor isn't worth the paper his diploma is printed on for saying something like that.

Weight is a health issue, not a beauty issue. Obesity is one of the top three causes of preventable deaths in the US (http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/medicine-health/articles/smoking-high-blood-pressure-and-being-overweight-top-three-preventable-caus). Obviously, weight is a serious issue.

But it's not exactly easy to lose weight, either. This particular young lady injured herself quite badly trying to work out and lose weight. I myself have been laid up for weeks at a time from twisted ankles, shin splints, and bad knees just from running a few miles. I keep trying, though, because I want to live a long and healthy life.

What those who are overweight need is understanding, love, help, encouragement, and support, not humiliating and belittling comments, snide remarks, or any other form of abuse.

However, we can't escape the vanity, can we? We're human and it creeps up on us. The society in which we live doesn't help much in that department, either. We are daily bombarded with images that would have us believe we're only beautiful if we're skinny and perfect in every way, and we often forget that those very images have been airbrushed within an inch of their lives.

If you wonder sometimes if you are pretty and/or sexy, I suggest you ask your spouse, significant other, parents, children, and best friend. These are the people who know the true you and can see just how lovely you are. Anyone who doesn't see your beauty is not worth your time or effort. To paraphrase what I told that young lady, "You are beautiful and whoever doesn't think so is an idiot."

A little reminder for you: