Hi, hope no one requires smelling salts at seeing me post a blog entry!  Bionic just wrote to me asking how I was doing which was so kind I thought I'd mention why I was not present for the past few months. 

I felt funny, walking around kind of lopsided, or not being able to suck in my gut and walk straight. I assumed it was my weight and was trying to cut down and nothing seemed to work.

I went to a chiropractor and he took about ten x rays and pointed out how terrible my spine was etc...and when I tried to say, 'but I'm not in pain, I just have this funny thing...my abdomen is full feeling.'  but I didn't manage well.  I think seeing my body pointed out with this gung ho type of presentation and the price of the treatment for putting everything right...just floored me. 

About two weeks later, I went to the doctor for something minor and did a 'could you check this for me while I'm here?' 

Imagine my shock when the doctor began asking me about my cancer history and ordering tests and avoiding my eyes! 

Within a week, I was booked for one of the best hospitals in the country, about an hour away in traffic. I had different tests each day that revealed different things.  The worst case scenarios were pretty bad, to say the least.  With celebrity cases of ovarian cancer popping into my mind, I had several days to put ducks in a row, and prepare the surgery week.

My sister and parents made themselves available to come with me and stay down there nearby.  

Surgery went well, and my doctor literally wrote the book on this type of surgery.   Two weeks later the definitive reports were in, it was not cancer.

I had a hysterectomy and yet, as this was only step two of a pretty scary chain of things that it could have been, I am thankful that I'm ok.

I'm writing in pink today to celebrate Breast cancer awareness month, the month of my birth as well, as I was born the day after Sputnik was launched. Therefore my fiftieth is truly a celebration, but, I do not wish to let this pass without telling you all to get things checked out and take better care of yourself than I did! 

Many of my FT friends were informed, but I did not have time to inform everyone.  I truly am grateful to have so many people cheering for me. 

 

Best wishes for a healthy year and don't hesitate getting checked up for something...if I'd waited much longer, the doctor says that, it might not have been such a happy story.  I lost twenty five pounds immediately, so, you can imagine how this made me feel dumb!

 

 

 

Here's my son's bearded dragon George and his lovely lizard lady Thorn.   His friend's dragon is a girl and they've struck up a friendship. It was good to finally see the beard!

In this photo they're actually holding paws, claws or hands. 

 

I have to admit I've made progress in being close to them as I can drive with two of them in the car next to me, but, I draw the line at having them scampering around on the ground or on me!

 

It's been almost two years he's been with us and I've grown accustomed to his looks...furtive glances out of one eye when I go in the room and say, 'Hey Georgie'.

 

Our cat looks at him curiously...wondering if he'd be worth hunting.  But my son claims they're 'friends'.  Yeah.

 

It's funny how living with a reptile has changed my views on them.  I always watched lizards when I was little in the Sierras, but, didn't have one in my house. I had a gecko when I lived in Hawaii, but it wasn't tame, just present and eating bugs on the ceiling.  

I also swam with a beautiful salamander in a lake near the reeds and that was neat. 

But a lizard like George is like watching a dinosaur in miniature. 

 

 

I hope everyone's been good, I have been on the site obviously, but unable to make many posts in the blogosphere.  I've kept up with a few of them, but haven't posted much.

 

 

I have not posted for a long time here as I've had lots of 'real life' encroaching on things.

My apologies as it's a fun place to hang out.

 

 

I thought I'd post answers to my old buddy bionic's questions though just to get back into the swing of things.

 

Oprah, Doctor Phil or Jerry Springer? Oprah is one of the most 'real' people on American TV.  She has a lot of charisma and deserves her fortune. 

 

Morning person, or night owl?  I'm not sure, probably morning more than night...

 

 

Rare, medium or well-done?  Well done with meat but a little rare on the inside.   Over well for eggs. 

 

 

Truth or dare?  Truth mostly. 

 

Make your bed or leave it? Make it, just put quilts on so it's not such a chore.

 

 

Your ideal pizza?  I think there was one that was divine with shrimp on it.   But in Italy there were pizzas with artichokes on them...or other things, and those were good too. 

I like the White pizza because I'm not fond of too much sauce.

 

 

How are M&Ms made?

I think they are originally little frogs caught in the forest then dropped into chocolate then, their color is chosen. Rumor has it that blue food gives you immortality, so, the blue ones are the ones who are the most precious.

 

You have been assigned to design Bill Gates bathroom. Naturally, cost is not a consideration. You may not speak to Bill. What would your plans be for the Gates bathroom?

I think I'd have a Windows toilet system...and require him to upgrade it every day.  Instead of flushing a handle, you'd click on a mouse. 

What was the hardest question asked of you so far today?

would you like whipped cream with that? 

If you could gather all of the computer manufacturers in the world together into one room and then tell them one thing that they would be compelled to do, what would it be?

They should be forced to explain things without making us feel dumb. 

Explain a scenario for testing a salt shaker.

Do it over a spoon and not the soup! 

If you are going to receive an award in 5 years, what is it for and who is the audience?

The comeback kid in terms of profession...most improved award.

How would you explain how to use Microsoft Excel (or any semi-advanced computer concept)  to your grandma who never even saw a computer?

I would try to explain why people keep on insisting that Excel is so wonderful for shopping lists and lists of any kind when, it really seems awkward to me and it cancels out things, and, I don't like it...so I'd have a hard time.

Why is it that when you turn on the hot water in any hotel, for example, the hot water comes pouring out almost instantaneously?

Because they do not have teenagers in the house. 

Suppose you go home, enter your house/apartment, hit the light switch, and nothing happens - no light floods the room. What exactly, in order, are the steps you would take in determining what the problem was?

I'd find the damn flashlight, probably wouldn't have batteries, then I'd go upstairs and check the fusebox.  I might look outside and see if the streetlights are on though. 

Interviewer hands you a black pen and says nothing but "This pen is red." Your reply?

Oh, you mean the text on the side of it? You've already read it? My turn then?

What was the first book that left a lasting impression?

I would have to say it was one of my grandmother's old books as she was a schoolteacher.  It was Raggedy Ann and the Magic Book.   In retrospect, it had so many stories with a twist in it, that I still remember them.  I read it to my girl when she was little. 
Which book would you recommend to a teenager reluctant to try literature?

First off, whatever makes you want to read...my teenage son likes gory stuff and comics and weird occurences, so be it! 

His knowledge of Mythology comes from games...so I guess that is it for now.  He used to read a lot more.

 

 

When was the last time you laughed?

About a half an hour ago, watching a DVD of Frasier.  
I laugh much more than average.  I know I sound stodgy and boring in writing though. 
Which contemporary author do you think will still be read in 100 years time?

I suspect Rowlings will be read. 

What were you doing at 8 am today?

I was having coffee and getting ready to look for jobs. 

Flip to page 21, paragraph 2 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?

Musicians spontaneously spotted you eating chili in the lunchroom. 

What is the most romantic thing a girl/guy has ever done for you?

Bought me roses on my birthday that was turning out to be a crappy day.

If you could invite three fictional couples to your own house for dinner, who would they be?

I don't know...Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings? Ooops, does that count?

Inspector Morse and his assistant

Barnaby and his assistant.

Do you sleep with your bedroom door open or closed?

Open

 

What is your current desktop picture?

A landscape of Aix en Provence that I've hiked through, by Cezanne.

1. What is the best day of the year for you?

I'm really not sure.  I can't really think of one day in particular, but I'll say my birthday almost always turns out to be a pleasant day.  Almost!

2. What is the best book you ever read?

Perhaps I have something with superlatives or decisions.  I have so many I could not pick one out.  I had a really beautiful book that I found during a significant trip to Paris.  It's called the Mistress of Spices. I must have reread that ten times by now.  It's a dreamy kind of book but I think the message is that someone can love you despite your unconventional appearance. Much like the Princess and the Pea or a fairy tale. 

3. What is your slogan that you live life upon?

Life is a boat, we're all in it, so sometimes I'll help you and other times you'll help me.

4. Do you vacuum or sweep?

Both, I have a laminate floor that scratches, so have to sweep with a soft mop thing, and I vacuum the carpet.  Am I the only one who finds dustpans a chore though?

5. Honestly here, and it shows for some, how long do you go on your computer each day? Way too much at the moment as I'm looking for work.   I bet it's about six hours some days.  That will be over soon.  I normally spend time on here at FT though to do my 'job'.

6. What is the strangest dream you've ever had?

Well, not to reveal everything, but, I really would like to go up in a hot air balloon some day or fly in a glider to see if that's not what it was.  

7. Your biggest life accomplishment?

My children, daughter and son...are probably one of the accomplishments. 

8.  Do you wish we were back in the 80's?

No, I had some very good times, don't get me wrong.  I traveled around the world, studied abroad and got a degree there, lived in France and used my second language, had a child in the eighties, worked at university jobs, but now, I have done that, and need to get on with the rest.  I wouldn't mind the state of physical fitness I had at thirty or so though...that would be nice.  Why did I think I was out of shape then?  I don't want the twenty something body as it would look odd, but, the thirty something body after two kids would be fine. 

9.  The thing that you most regret that you did in your life?

Yes, but I can't say it here.  It's ok, there are other paths to take.  The path I chose must have been for a reason. 

10. How fast can you type?

I just did an online typing test to check.  Normally when I compose from my mind to the keyboard, I'm about 90 wpm, but when I'm typing something of someone else's text, it's apparently about 70 wpm. 

When there are figures, it probably goes way down to fifty wpm!

I just began wearing good glasses so things have improved. 

I learned touch typing in junior high school at about fourteen years old.  It's been a great boon to finding jobs and using this as I traveled. 

 

What are the contents of your junk drawer? 

Birthday candles, a little violin with a necklace from my grandpa, pen nibs, pen capsules for my drawing, colored pencils, hairpins from my girl when she had to wear the ballet bun but I keep to open locks if necessary, ribbons, twist ties, rubber bands, corks, the museum of corkscrews that didn't work out but we haven't thrown out yet, my great grandmother's silver fork and spoon marked one hundred years before I was born...datebooks that I never got around to filling out, McDonald's toys, post its, address labels that were sent to me by charitable organizations, but I don't want to use them as I didn't pay for them but don't want to waste them as they've got my name on them and it presents a moral dilemma, receipts from the grocery store, pens, pen caps, and that's about it.

Well, that's cleaned up now, as I've moved once again. 

 

 

 

Ok, if you dumped out your wallet or handbag or backpack on the table, would it be a frightening sight? Are there any interesting things in there?  (please remember family site guidelines!)

My purse, there's about five dollars worth of change in the bottom depths, something called Feng Yu Jing...a sort of Chinese medecine that my students gave me and that you put on your temples when you're tired, earrings in the secret pocket...as I leave them in there for safekeeping...receipts, stamps, a notebook where I write quizzes, a guarantee for my computer from two years ago...

I have all the free offers I got in the mail for various things...and today I finally used one and got a thirty five dollar rebate!...but it's getting old now to keep all that junk in there.

My cell phone is there, but has its own little pocket.

No toys, but I usually have a toy in there...I have a little dragon my kids gave me...I'll put him in there.

I used to have a screwdriver, jeweler's style, and a flashlight...but when I began taking planes, I stopped that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's under your bed?

weights, books, and a few other things...if it were only mine, there would be many others!

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever performed a defrag on your computer?  

Yes, and often....I did one on my mom's and it took nine hours!!!! yes indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, I got to thinking about silly things I'd like to know about others...to see if I'm not alone.

 

Some questions for you.

 

What are the contents of your junk drawer? 

 

 

 

Ok, if you dumped out your wallet or handbag or backpack on the table, would it be a frightening sight? Are there any interesting things in there?  (please remember family site guidelines!)

 

 

 

 

 

What's under your bed?

 

 

 

 

Have you ever performed a defrag on your computer?  

 

 

 

 

Ok, that's about it. I'm looking to see if others are like me, my cleaning up urges come and go.  It's sporadic!

 

 

 

 

 

I hope other parents will sympathize with the harried working mom story I must tell.  It's a tale that as Copago used to say, if you're going to laugh at this in a few years, you may as well laugh now.  It's a tale of a young mom with two kids in tow, going to take her one child to kindergarten, and holding her second child firmly on her hip that God gave us for this purpose...going gingerly down the steps of the third floor apt we lived in then, clutching the trash bag in one hand, the keys ready to open the Trooper, the purse, and of course, the hand of the older child...as people tend to behave very badly in parking lots in my experience and you must watch your kids at all times. 

 

Locking the door etc..then clutching this whole entourage and equipment firmly to me...I cross the parking lot to the trash bin, peer into the bin, and let go of one of the objects in my hand.   I suppose anyone has experienced the coordinational challenge represented in holding keys, phone, kid, or a piece of paper and a trash bag.  Dropping the right object isn't easy.  So, did I drop the baby?  No, the older child was to low to be dropped...but don't worry, she's rarely excluded from any story as she always gets into the middle of it.  Did I drop the trash bag? No, that was clenched firmly in the hand, but the keys were now at the bottom of the dumpster.  The baby was happily watching my dismay and then subsequent excitement over the situation.  The big sister was probably tsk tsking already at Mommy being such a dolt.

However, for the price of a new Barbie to seal her lips as to her father's knowledge of such a tale, she went into the dumpster in her school attire, probably something fluffy and twirly at that point, and fetched the keys out.   Her brother was happy again, as he didn't get dropped in all this mess.  No one let the proverbial cat out of the bag either...because a mark like that on the marital scoreboard would have been hard to erase!   You'd have to save up big booboos for a year to have that one fade!  

 

So, we went about our business that day and basically forgot about it, or did we?  I think I had forgotten the boy's memory was good. 

 

One day many years later in France, our apt building had a complicated system for getting in and out of the building, and the parking lot was about ten flights of tiny stairs carved into the rock and three keys access and the door key was not copiable so I was always very worried about losing my keys.  My children no longer required carrying on my hips though.  We had a little lady on our floor who was very sweet to my kids and we always gave her hand if she needed it.  That's the way I was raised, as I'm sure you were too.  So, poor Josee was in a flurry of key loss down in the lower car parking lot...as she was basically locked downstairs, out of her house and out of her car!   I tried to calm her down, but she was worried that her younger relative would hear about it and think she was a total failure and ready for the loony bin. 

I told her, 'you know, I did that when I was a young mother to two small kids...the keys went into the bin..so don't feel bad.' 

And we went upstairs to the bin and my son looked at me and...all his knowledge of the past came back to him and he went into the bin and looked for her keys...but alas...nothing doing. 

 

I sighed, and then, we went to the former concierge's apt...who had been ousted but was suing them for backwages and living in the apt he'd occupied for years.  An old lady downstairs looked at us, and said, 'you haven't got the right to ask him...he's no longer employed by us.' 

She looked at my neighbor Josee, another lady around the same age, and looked at her like she was despiccable for losing her keys! 

I quickly said, 'oh well, we'll just have a go, shall we?'

We went up and the guy's wife answered the door and I said, 'I know you don't have to help us, but she thinks you might have a pair of keys for her place....could you look at it please?'

And the lady gave us the keys!   Yoo hoo!  Those keys require a code to duplicate or, you have a locksmith take the entire door down!  

 

Whew, we went back and unlocked the door and she made me some tea...and said, that other woman was rabid...I agreed.   I just said, 'well Josee, some women really are 'old' and others are like you and me...we don't lose our sense of humor ever!' 

She also told me that, some people would not have wanted to help her...which I personally found obscene.  The fact that you would not render assistance to an older lady...just doesn't jive with me. 

My son became the paragon of virtue...deserved or undeserved, but a young lad who rendered service above and beyond the call of duty to her was an ok guy in her book.

 

When the older sourpusses would complain about him playing outside with a little squirtgun...she went down and said gently that he was a marvellous boy and had helped her on many occasions.  

 

One day, on his birthday, one of his friends was scaling the corridor walls, you know when you shimmy up a few feet?   The wallpaper was fuzzy seventies style yuck...and the footprints were pretty obvious...

Her guardian friend came out and yelled at the boys...and she came out and intervened divinely.  

Once the boys had left the party, my son and I went out with scrubbers and got to work...and she came out and said not to pay the old man any mind. 

She brought the boy some chocolates because she found him so responsible after his friends did the stupid thing.

 

The lesson of this story? Not sure there is one, except that the key thing could happen to anyone, and your attitude counts.  You can either flip out, or, find a way of getting the keys out of the dumpster.

 

Ah yes, I forgot, Josee came up to me and sheepishly said, 'Heather, guess what?  I found them...they were zipped into the pocket of my bag and they didn't make any noise.'   She looked at me as if I was going to tell her she was a stupid old woman losing her marbles...and I thought, gee whiz, that could have happened to me and has!  

Who is your role model or hero?

 

I'm drawing a complete blank.  Isn't that funny?  I hope it isn't because I can't be inspired by anyone as that's not true, but honestly, I'm coming up a complete blank.  I'll come back and write it in in a different color ink as I go on.  

 

Highlights of my life

I think I'll leave travels for the travel section I see a couple of spaces down.  I'm going to say, well, the birth of my daughter, my first child, was momentous.  It first sunk in when I heard her heartbeat on a doppler thing as the doctor just shoved the thing at me, and I was about four months along...and she said, 'here, don't you want to hear the baby's heartbeat?"   I heard this little snapper sound like the old film about the heart, Hemo the magnificent...how exhilirating.  I had not expected that somehow as I'd lost two pregnancies prior to that...

The actual moment was after about thirty hours, nothing to eat or drink for the last twenty of those.

My son's birth was also thrilling as it was long and dangerous...and yet, he was a joyful little guy and very peaceful.  really faked me out!

 

Now there have been a bunch of others, but one that sticks out in my mind is helping out at a motorcycle race at Monza, the triumvarate of motor speed.  Plus, getting my press pass because I kind of bent the rules and spoke Italian.   That was fun. 

 

Professional highlight, I once helped out an English teacher with some newcomers from teh Hmong community, who were teens, but had almost no English and we had to manage to teach them how to recognize alphabet letters, pictures etc...they'd never written at all. but, had to try not to make them feel silly like babies...it was wonderful.  

 

 

 

Imaginary wishes

Flying...I have gotten to pilot an airplane for a few minutes with my uncle though, when I was sixteen.  That was great fun. 

I'd like to fly more like a kite though. 

 

Most unusual places visited

I've been around the world, in a roundabout way, but, I've visited some odd places in my life.  Iceland is interesting...no trees.   I've been to New Zealand and Australia and they aren't unusual, but more like home to me.  The Kiwis were about as hospitable as you could be...they invited us to stay with them, they drove us places...it was wonderful.   The Aussies, well, I think they were more blase about being visited, but, were kind to us nevertheless.  My favorite place in Australia is Perth, least favorite is Kalgoorlie...because there are prostitutes there, or there were, and, it was pointed out like a tourist attraction.

Elsewhere, Sri Lanka, the temple of the Buddha's tooth.  India, least favorite, the Taj Mahal as I was violently ill on the way.

 

 

 

Famous friends

I don't think there is anyone really famous thus far...maybe it will come.  Several of us have written and published though. 

 

Major venues visited

 

Well, the stadium of Monaco was where I actually worked!  I also went to the Opera building there to watch dance performances as that's where my kid was performing.

That was scary as, where's an old hippie like me going to find something suitable to wear?  

By venue, I'm never sure exactly what people are referring to in English any more...concerts? Sports?  

I went to many sports fields as a band geek....kind of fun, but cold in the winter.

 

Other ambitions...

 

Being published, having my own gallery or shop....teaching more...doing more for others. 

 

I have to add that, though I think marriage sometimes works out, I'm no longer a believer in the eternal marriage thing...I'm more of a believer in a clan forming through affinities and family ties...I've seen some people who were made to be in the same clan...and who also love each other.  

 

 

 

 

Unusual abilities

I'm not at the Shirley McClaine level of whoo whoo..but, I"m a pretty quick study.  However, I think that it comes and goes. Sometimes you get a flash of knowledge or intuition, and then, sometimes you completely blow it!

 

 

Where do I think I will go after death?

Not sure, I'm kind of fond of the idea of karma to explain how such injustice can happen....and also your basic 'what goes around comes around.' 

I think my older loved ones who've already left this world are with me in my heart and mind though...and eerily, sometimes I'll get a flash of intuition from one of them.