Good question

11-17-10 pondering brain
A friend sent this to me via email. I had recently seen this in the Des Moines newspaper too and thought this was a legitimate question to ask.

Weekend part II

11-16-10 resting brain
Sunday, the day after Ann's party, I tried to have a restful day... however, I needed to complete one task as preparation for Tuesday. I had to empty the guest room because we are (were) getting new carpet on Tuesday.

Molly helped me with this, since Greg returned to KC early. After everything was out of the room, Molly asked what type of floor was under the carpet. I didn't know, since this carpet had been there since we moved in 1993. We started to rip up the carpet and found beautiful hardwood floors... to my surprise it was in great condition!

Now I have to talk to my carpet guy and see if he will agree to sell me some area rugs instead, or loose my deposit! ? Meanwhile, I'll be living with all the guest room stuff piled up in the dinning room.... chaos for awhile I get this figured out!!



What should I do? It is so beautiful! I really hate to cover it up again.

Weekend update

11-15-10 worn-out brain
This weekend was spent in Des Moines. Greg came in town early, Thursday night, since he had Veteran’s Day off. Friend Molly came into town Friday evening. Temperatures were finally more seasonal, which meant it felt cold and it was also rainy (2 inches in my rain gauge, mostly on Friday). Saturday was windy and a bit nasty out too, but good times spent with friends warmed us all.

Saturday, was lunch with Kelley and Molly… then of course when Molly is in town, it usually means some shopping is on the agenda. Trader Joe’s opened in Des Moines last weekend and Molly and Greg were interested in checking this store out. For me, not so much… grocery stores seem all the same to me, but of course I went along.

It was packed with people! Lines at the check-out where running to the back of the store! It was so crowed, I didn’t even want to wander in. I stayed by the front door as Molly and Greg explored. I was perplexed by what they might be selling here that other stores don’t carry. I guess I’ll have to wait and try again during a less busy time. Greg tells me KC is also getting two Trader Joe's, one close to our KC house, so maybe this will eventually become a favorite store mine. For now, it is Dahls in DM, and Price Chopper in KC.

Saturday evening was Ann’s garage-karaoke birthday party. Good food, singing, dancing, silliness….. She had a good turn out, close to 50 people.



Here is Ann with her "Male Stripper" cake (No Jan, I didn’t bake this, one of her neighbor’s did).. I did however surprise Ann by dressing up midway in the party as Lady Gaga and Ann and I tried to do a dance routine together. If I get the video edited, I may try to upload it on my blog. Since Ann doesn't really need any material gifts, I decided instead to create a fun memory gift for her by doing this. Ann loves Lady Gaga music.


For now a picture will have to do… I think the big lips scared some people. Ann said she didn't even know it was me at first... Greg was wise and departed the party just before I made my appearance. He gets enough of my zaniness at home, he doesn't want to see it in public I guess.

More on Ann

11-12-10 to-do list brain
Just a few months ago, my friend Ann got this wild idea that she needed to create a type of “bucket list” and accomplish a list of 50 things before her birthday. Ann is already a go-getter type of person, so I didn’t quite understand her need to add more activity into her already busy life. But Ann likes a challenge.

Ann is keeping track of this all on Facebook…. She is calling it “50 Things Ann Must See and do by Dec 1, 2010". She even has created sub-categories for this list.

Here are a few examples in no particular order.

Good for the Body and Soul;
Get flu shot
Can something: (Ann was canning apples and making apple butter a few weeks ago)
Schedule Colonoscopy: (good for you Ann, let me know if you need a ride home!)
Things in my Backyard;
Visit Basilica in Des Moines
Just Because;
Take a drive in a red sports car (done... see below)
Buy cowboy boots
Plant 300 bulbs (in her back garden I think)
For Others
Surprise someone with a visit (that’s a nice idea)
Locate my old Army buddy (that could be dangerous if it is the other guy you dated)
Shoots and Giggles
Go on hay rack ride
Watch an Irish Dance Show
Crash a wedding
Spontaneous (these are things unplanned I believe)
Visit the SAC Museum in Nebraska
Buy a ticket to the Policeman’s Ball (i.e. she got a speeding ticket last month)
Adventurous
Visit the Grotto in West Bend Iowa
Drive the Losse Hills
Take the tram up the hill in Dubuque Iowa
Visit an Abbey in Dubuque
Walk through corn maze (I did this with her in October)

Here was an item crossed off her list! I have no idea whos car this is?



Ann asked me if I was interested in creating a birthday list for myself. I said maybe, but I would limit to only FIVE things, not 50…. To tell you the truth, I don’t think I could come up with 50 things. So far I have two things on my list for 2011:

1. Visit Colorado with Greg, do some hiking in the mountains.
2. Slow down and start taking better care of myself which means eating healthier.

Number 2 is actually very important to me. I realized that in this marathon race called life… I have been doing too much sprinting and not enough walking.... I need to slow down and pace myself, or I’m not going to make it to 60!

November birthday coming

11-11-10 celebrating brain
For the next few weeks in November, I will be helping my friend Ann celebrate her birthday in various ways. Ann turns “39 + 11” at the end of November…. and Ann is not thrilled by the “11” part and not wanting to even admit to the extra “11”. Here she is age 24.

I’ve told her that the 5th decade can be wonderful, and actually has been an exciting time in my life, some of the happiest really…. But she’s not convinced yet.

One of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, put it this way in her book “Plan B, further thoughts on faith”

Lamott’s take on aging….page 171-172

I smiled with a secret smile of pleasure in being older, fifty plus change, which can no longer be considered extremely late youth, or even early middle age. But I would not give back a year of life I’ve lived.

Age has given me what I was looking for my entire life- it has given me me. It has provided time and experience and failure and triumphs and time-tested friends who have helped me step into the shape that was waiting for me. I fit into me now. I have an organic life, finally, not necessarily the one people imagined for me, or tired to get me to have. I have the life I longed for. I have become the women I hardly dared imagine I could be. There are parts I don’t love- until a few years ago, I had no idea that you could have cellulite on your stomach- but not only do I get along with me most of the time now, I am militantly and maternally on my own side.

Left to my own devices, would I trade this for firm thighs, fewer wrinkles, a better memory?

You bet I would. That is why it’s such a blessing that I’m not left to my own devices. I have amazing friends. I have a cool kid, a sweet boyfriend, darling pets. I’ve learned to pay attention to life, and to listen. I’d give up all this for a flatter belly? Only about a third of the time.

I still have terrible moments when I despair about my body- time and gravity have not made various parts of it higher and firmer. But those are just moments now- I used to have years when I believed I was more beautiful if I jiggle less, if all parts of my body stopped moving when I did. But I know two things now that I didn’t at thirty: That when you get to heaven, we will discover that the appearance of our butts and our skin was 127th on the list of what mattered on this earth. And that I am not going to live forever. Knowing these things has set me free.

Yes, the 50’s are all about freedom and something special to celebrate... even if you have to throw yourself your own party!

More DC: Experience the Rally

11-10-10reminiscing brain
My birthday weekend.....
For those of you who did not get to watch any of the Rally to Restore Sanity on October 30th, and you are curious. You can watch it HERE.

or at this link
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/rally_to_restore_sanity_and_or_fear/index.jhtml

Also this is a small video clip which I took to show what it felt like to be in the huge sea of humanity. Thanks Ann for helping me post the video. This shows one of my favorite signs.... A guy named Ray, trying to get a date!

Washington DC Rally, October 30, 2010 from Drake Smart on Vimeo.

Another experience I had while in DC was to see Fox News doing what it does best.... "fair and balanced" you ask? NOPE!

When we got back to our hotel room Saturday evening after the rally and we were surfing the TV channels, we came upon Fox News with a clip from the Rally. Basically what the Fox reporter had to say was that he saw someone dress up in a marijuana leaf costume... that someone knocked his camera out of his hand, and people were high and drunk.

Well, I can report also that yes- I too did see this marijuana leaf costume, along with many other costumes for Halloween. However, I never smelled pot in the air, or I never saw anyone high or drunk.

Of all the things that Fox could have reported on, and all the thousands of people Fox could comment on or interview.... they reported on the guy dressed in the pot leaf costume.

Jon Stewart addresses the "media" here in this video.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
MSNBC Suspends Keith Olbermann>
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Monday night "football" for us gals

11-9-10 dancing brain

When it comes to cooking, I feel like Bristol Palin, just when I think I’m getting the hang of it…. I can’t seem to score much above a 7 or 8.

Of course that’s a reference to Dancing with the Stars, and of course Monday night was another gathering of my gal pals on Allison Avenue to watch the show…. This time at my house, with me trying to offer up the meal.

My soup was mediocre and my baked chicken salad sandwiches were a little doughy. I was using a recipe which calls for Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.... and I didn't bake it quite long enough.

We did have some good laughs though AND we actually picked up the phone and voted for Kurt Warner several times, since we felt his dance should have been scored higher than Bristol Palin’s.... And politics have nothing to do with that fact!


PS:Jennifer Grey is a good dancer,but she can't out shine "Baby". That signature nose would be helpful to her now.

PPS: I dreamt about George Bush last night .... weird, I must be excited to see him on Oprah today! ? He and I are friends now that he is not President.