White Space or Black Hole?

Kids fed to executives?

2010-10-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

I had to share this sentence from a news story I just read: "The company has long made its decisions based on the advice of kids fed to executives through its interactive website, where bear owners play games..." Now, I know it was the advice that was fed to the execs, not the kids, but I had to read it twice! I did get a good little chuckle out of it.

I am impressed

2010-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

I heard about this guy from a friend yesterday: http://gwr7dayrun.com/ He's raising $38,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society (a cause near and dear to my heart) and trying to break a world record. I am so impressed with his ambition and drive. I have a hard enough time trying to raise $2,800 that I can't imagine the effort that is needed to raise $38,000. I hope he achieves both goals.

This is a great story

2010-06-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Have your tissue box nearby. This is truly a wonderful story and further proof that teenagers are not aliens and are out there doing remarkable things everyday. "For love of the game" http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5218228

Do I need to know you’re getting your haircut?

2010-05-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

I don’t understand why people find it necessary to announce where they are all the time. Are we that narcissistic that we think everyone (anyone) wants to know? I think Foursquare, Gowalla and the ilk are a waste of time. The people who need to know where I’m at can call me or they already have the information. I especially don’t like the people that auto-tweet their locations. I really couldn

Dear Facebook, It's Over

2010-05-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Facebook, It’s not me, it’s you. You’ve taken it all too far. You want to own me and I just don’t want to play with you any longer. Yes, I’m breaking up with you. Oh, I’ll keep my name and I’ll check in occasionally, but my love of you is gone. You no longer want to help me. It’s all about you now and what you can do to make money. That is not what I signed up for. I signed up as a way to

Welcome to Spring in Oregon!

2010-04-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

Wow – so much rain today. But the snow in the mountains is helping with the water levels so it might not be so bad in the summer. An update on my adventures in training for the Seattle Rock-n-Roll marathon: This is our 11th week of training. We have 12 weeks until race day! Tomorrow we do 12 miles and next week we do 13. I'll be walking in the Race for the Roses on Sunday for my mileage. March

One Reason Why I Support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

2010-02-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

This is just another reason why I support the work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: Important Update for Myeloma and Waldenström Macroglobulinemia Patients Effective February 1, 2010, eligible myeloma and Waldenström macroglobulinemia patients will now be able to receive up to $10,000 in support to help offset the costs of prescription drug co-pays and other insurance related expenses.

Aren't they cute?

2010-01-31T15:20:00.000-08:00

Kenai and his good friend Bruce after a nice walk this morning (taken by Bruce's mom, Marcia).

It's All Good

2010-01-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

I'm up too early on a Sunday! I'm too excited about the trip to Vegas today to sleep in (mind you, sleeping in for me is waking up any time after 6 a.m.). I just don't know what to expect! Training for the Seattle Marathon officially started yesterday. We had our first team clinic and walk. My enthusiasm had been a bit on the wane but after the kick-off party on Wednesday night and the walk

Where is Star Park's Customer Service?

2010-01-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

I am a monthly parker with Star Park (they also manage the Smart Park lots for the City of Portland). I use their Metro lot because it’s just a couple of blocks from my office and it’s covered. I can tell you without reservation that Star Park sucks at customer relations. Back in December (why does it sound so long ago?), Star Park notified us that the garage needed to be closed immediately due

He's one happy Dog

2010-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

A few photos of my favorite pooch!

30 on the 31st

2009-12-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

I made it! I wrote 30 posts in 31 days! Yippee Skippee! (Where did that phrase originate, I wonder? I'm not going down that rabbit hole right now, though.) As you may have guessed, I am not one to make resolutions. Since things change so quickly, having a resolution can become a burden. I would rather 'work' on things as they come up and are relevant, if that makes sense. I think we should

29 and counting

2009-12-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

To 30! I am very proud of myself for sticking with this 30-day blogging challenge. I have wanted to let it go a couple of times, especially at the beginning, but I'm glad I forged ahead and met the challenge. What I have learned is that 300 words is not a lot of words and is very doable. Finding a topic is the hard part. I know what I need to work on to make posts more interesting and I know

I think I'm the only one

2009-12-29T20:36:00.000-08:00

Snow? Seriously? Sometimes I think I'm the only one who is never excited when it snows in Portland. I was checking Twitter and there were several people very happy that it was snowing. I just find it annoying and limiting. I say that if I want snow, I'll go to it. I do not want it to come to me. Portland is never completely ready for the snow. And forget about having your 'side street' plowed.

29 Shopping Days

2009-12-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right! 29 shopping days left until my birthday! Best time of year to purchase gifts for me. Because, as we know, it's all about me! I like to joke about that since my birthday falls a month after Christmas and everyone is shopped-out right about now. Well, everyone but my friend Terri. She can shop and shop and shop... Today should be busy so I'm getting this post done early.

I've created monsters

2009-12-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

We've only had our Wii for two days and I think my children are already addicted to it. It has been the source of many hours of amusement for them over the past two days. At least they are doing some of the Wii Fit activities and not just sitting and playing games (but sitting probably occurs most of the time). I played with it yesterday and my shoulders are sore today. I think it's from the

The Day After

2009-12-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

I took an unplanned day off from blogging yesterday. I really wanted to have the 31st as my day off, but I guess that is not to be. Had a lovely day with my girls. Day started with a nice walk with friends. Marcia's birthday was yesterday so she decided the route. We started at Pittock Mansion and went down through Forest Park on the Wildwood trail to Hoyt Arboretum and back up (yes, for those

Christmas Present

2009-12-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

Just a few hours left of Christmas Eve. We had a nice time at my aunt's. It was quiet but it was good to have time to just visit with one another. My aunt is in her 80's and a real 'pistol.' She has always been a lot of fun to be with and easy to talk to. Driving home gave me time to reflect on Christmas and what I want out of it. And what I really don't want is a lot of gifts. I am very happy

Christmases Past

2009-12-23T21:27:00.001-08:00

Growing up we always had our big Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. My mother was an only child so I guess it didn’t matter to her when we celebrated as her parents were always with us. We usually had the big dinner at our house with my maternal grandparents. Every other year my dad’s mother would join us. Dinner was always turkey. We never had anything but turkey. No ham, no roast, no

Breakfast for dinner

2009-12-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

We had French toast and bacon for dinner tonight. My but it was tasty, if I do say so myself. And filling, very filling. In fact, after three hours, I’m still full. That doesn’t happen to me very often. Girls were happy with it, too. Dog would have loved to have some but he got his standard lamb and rice kibble with a couple tablespoons of canned food. Cards are in the mail; package to my Dad

Almost done

2009-12-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

If you don't read my friend Kimberly's blog (the link to it is over there on the right), you should. She is very funny and quite a talented writer. Too bad she doesn't post more often, but she's in law school and working. I suppose that doesn't leave too much time for writing witty blog posts. I think, hope, pray that I am done shopping. I just need to go to the post office tomorrow to mail two

The Seinfeld of Blogs?

2009-12-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

Another struggle for a topic tonight. I looked at my list of possible subjects but I was not inspired. I don't want to use my 'free' day yet so here it goes. There was a clue in yesterday's crossword - "TV show about nothing." Maybe today's blog post is the Seinfeld of the blogging world. A blog about nothing. I don't think I could be as entertaining as Seinfeld was, unfortunately. Weird

Christmas Tree Day 3

2009-12-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

The Christmas tree is now upright and in the living room. It was probably the easiest set-up I've done. It went in the stand and was straight pretty much from the start. It's not a wide as some other trees we've had which makes it fit in the living room much better. I put the lights on it. The girls are in charge of the ornaments. However, right now, there are about twelve ornaments on it - that

A little of this, a little of that

2009-12-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

Claire and I got the tree last night. We ended up with a grand fir this year. I’ve heard they are more fragrant. I’m hoping that doesn’t translate to being more aggravating and causing my hay fever to flare up. I put it in a bucket in the shed. I’ll either put it in its proper stand tonight or tomorrow. I’m thinking tomorrow because I don’t think I feel like doing it tonight. All of us are off

Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree

2009-12-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

I guess tonight is the night. Claire and I will be going to get a Christmas tree. I’ve put it off as long as possible but I think it should go up this weekend. I like to get it a day or two before bringing it in the house to give it time to dry off (it has been raining in Oregon) and for any little creatures to abandon ship. I’ll probably stick it in the shed since there’s no room in the garage

Why I Think Chad Ochocinco is Good for the NFL

2009-12-16T17:17:00.000-08:00

I follow Chad Ochocinco, @OGOchoCinco, on Twitter. I was not too familiar with his story before I started following him. I knew that he played for the Oregon State Beavers where he was known as Chad Johnson. I knew that he had changed his name to Ochocinco. I knew he had a big personality and generated a lot of ink. What I didn’t know was how entertaining and generous he is. I started following

3 Words I Want to Go Away

2009-12-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

I have ranted about words before. But I cannot say it enough – we need to stop making nouns into verbs. We don’t dialog with one another, we converse. I’m not efforting a story, I’m looking into the allegations (or whatever it is I could be working on). And I most certainly don’t office from my home! When I hear people use such words or read articles with them, my opinion of them/it plummets.

Privacy

2009-12-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

My day just got better. Tom Jones, yes, THE Tom Jones is playing in Vegas ON MY BIRTHDAY!! For years, years, I have been threatening to go to Vegas to see him. And now, he’s there ON MY 50th BIRTHDAY. I cannot believe it! Who wants to go? Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post… Eric over at Mindshare Strategy posted this today: Keep things separate. I find this timely because I

Odd 'n' Ends

2009-12-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening. Appears that the bad weather we were supposed to have just passed us by or fizzled out. There was ice on the deck this morning but it didn't last long. Although the dog was very careful every time he went out - guess he actually learned from his first experience of slipping on it this morning. I love watching football on Sunday but I feel guilty for just sitting there. Today, I

Saturday and the Weather's Fine

2009-12-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Or is it? I woke up this morning expecting some snow on the ground but there was nothing! So I turned on the tv to see what happened. Apparently, the front didn't grow into what they predicted. They are still saying we should get some freezing rain, but I haven't seen anything yet. Just in case, I went out at 8 a.m. this morning to get cash for my daughter's allowance (which I owed to her on the

Day 11 - Stayin’ in it for the long haul

2009-12-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

When I decided to take the 30-day blogging challenge, I did it to get the process jump-started and the juices flowing. I wasn’t sure exactly what direction it would take but I hoped that it might give me some clarity on what direction I want it to take. I have never been one to set goals. It doesn’t work for me the way they are usually structured. If you’ve ever taken the Strengths Finder 2.0

Musical Parent

2009-12-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am a ‘musical parent.’ What comes to your mind when you hear that? I received an email earlier this week addressed to “Musical Parents!” I had no idea what to expect before I opened it. Turns out to be from the drama teacher at my daughter’s high school. Marie will be part of the stage crew for the spring musical at BHS next year. This is the first production she’s been involved with

Am I the only one

2009-12-09T18:27:00.001-08:00

Who really doesn’t care what Tiger Woods did with whom? And why is it any of my business, anyway? Yes, I understand he’s a ‘role’ model, or maybe I should put that in the past tense. But he’s a golfer, a grown man who plays a game for a living. Did he promote himself to this role or did we put him in it? Are we so concerned about it because we arbitrarily appointed him to this and now that he’s

2009-12-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

Well, time got away from me today. I'm posting but I'm not sure I'll make the 300 word minimum for the 30-day challenge. But I'm ok with that - I'm still writing something and that's what counts for me. I watched "Men of a Certain Age" last night. Not sure how I feel about it. A little disappointed, I guess. I thought it would have more humor in it that it did based on the commercials. And if

No Gifts, Just Time

2009-12-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Joy is not in things; it is in us. --Richard Wagner Too bad I didn't have this quote last week for my Joy posting! No Gifts, Please I have decided upon a no Christmas gifts policy for friends this year. Here's why: We all have enough stuff and I certainly don't need more things It's stressful trying to find the perfect gift I prefer the spontaneous gift instead of the mandated one My

Football

2009-12-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

I love to watch football. I'm very happy that Indianapolis is still undefeated, just wish I could have seen the game but I'm limited to viewing games that are shown in my area. The Saints-Redskins game was quite a good one. I'm not sure I like the structure of overtime. I think they should have to play the full time alloted and whoever is ahead at the end is the winner. Just seems like each

Uh-oh it's Saturday Night...

2009-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to post a blog today! I’m not ready to use my one ‘free’ day this early in the 30-day challenge process. I do need to get a couple extra ‘in the bag’ so that I don’t have to write at post at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night. I attended the summer season mentor meeting today. I will be fundraising this time so I have to start thinking of my approach. This time will be different. This

Joy

2009-12-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

Joy I really like that word. I see it/read it and I feel good. Maybe because it was my mother’s middle name Maybe because it is so positive Maybe because it’s so short and easy to say ~ Joy My children definitely give me joy. They are growing up to be good people and I’m very, very proud of both of them. I’m excited to see what directions their lives take. The rest of my family gives me joy,

My Favorite Christmas Music

2009-12-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

It’s not Christmas in my world without “Christmas with Conniff.” Who can resist listening to Christmas Bride – a song you won’t hear anywhere else? I know a lot of people think I’m weird for the fondness I have for this album, but I grew up with it and it’s here to stay. It will be forever on my Christmas play list. My daughters even like it, sort of. However, my favorite song is John Lennon’s

I'm so excited!

2009-12-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I learned that I was selected to mentor walkers on behalf of the Oregon/SW Washington chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society' Team in Training (TnT) for the Seattle Rock n Roll marathon in June.This will be my ninth marathon and my fifth time as a mentor. I'm more excited about this one than any of the other times I've mentored. I'm not sure why but I'm going to take advantage of

I may be crazy

2009-12-01T08:34:00.000-08:00