More Holdiay Fun

I'm back home now after spending the last 6 days celebrating Christmas at my parents house. I think six days is really too long, but we did have a wonderful time together For the most part. There was what will now go down in family history as the Scrabble incident.

I arrived there on the 23rd and was immediately told by my parents that they would like me to pick up my brother at the airport. His flight arrives at 10 p.m. Neither one of my parents like to drive after dark, but I was expecting at least one of them might like to accompany me to the airport. No such luck they were quite content curled up in their pajamas watching the hockey game. Happily Matt's plane arrived on time and we were both back home a little after 11. Although everyone was exhausted we stayed up until 2:00 in the morning, chatting and catching up. I really hate that I only see my younger brother a couple times a year.

Matt initiated a Scrabble game on Christmas eve, just the two of us head to head. We are both pretty competitive but I did not realize how competitive my brother was until we started playing this game. Now let me say for the record I prefer playing Scrabble online, it adds up the points for you which is for me the least favorite part of the game. Things were going along swimmingly until I put an S at the end of a vertical word and used that S to create a new horizontal word that ended with a triple word score. According to my brother THAT was an illegal move? "WHAT are you talking about?" I asked. "How is that an illegal move?" "You finished a word with an S, that was your move, you can't make two moves in one turn." Matt argued back. Clearly NY rules and IL rules of Scrabble are very different. I looked at him in total disbelief knowing that I had played this way for years and had never been challenged. I'd love if some of my blog readers would chime in on this one.

We pulled out the very small rule book and both argued our points, he continues to insist that if my letter S was in the middle of my horizontal move it would be okay but not at the beginning? I had never heard such crazy talk in my entire life. At this point for me it really was no longer about winning the game but educating my brother on the rules of Scrabble. He did not seem interested in learning. After a few more moves it became evident that in order for harmony to reign for the holidays we should stop playing. So we did, in the middle of the game, we folded up the board and put it away. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The rest of the holidays were consumed by one family gathering after another 4 days worth! I arrived back home yesterday afternoon and have been enjoying the quietness of my own home. I've got a stack of books to read, a new Kindle and far too many Christmas cookies that my mom insisted I take home with me.

A Tale of Two Weekends

Last weekend was insane, this weekend was wonderful.
Last weekend I had to get up early, teach a 4 hour class, clean my house, do laundry, and finish all the paper work to refinance my house

This weekend I celebrated Christmas with the girls in my book club, I slept in this morning, met a couple of dear friends for coffee, finished my Christmas shopping and wrapping. I now have 2 weeks to relax and enjoy the holiday season. My weekend would have been complete if only I had run into this man. And his sleigh.







These pictures were taken last year with my cell phone camera. Today, I had my real camera with me and was hoping to run into this jolly old man who seems to have taken it upon himself to bring cheer to the shoppers in the Rochester area. Unfortunately today he was elusive.

Rude Student Behavior

For the last two Saturdays I have had the privilege of teaching adult students in one of our non traditional programs. Now I realize that the freshmen college students I teach are also adults but sometimes some of them really do not act that way. I've got two classes left with this group of freshmen. I've really enjoyed them but some of their behaviors are beginning to bug me. I realize what I am about to say will not surprise anyone, but why must students send text messages during class?

I set my standards the very first day of class, you do not need your laptops for my class, they'll be no Facebook or Solitaire on my watch and there will be no texting. I've had to occasionally remind a student of these rules, but this last Thursday one of my students nearly sent me over the edge.

She was sitting directly to my right when during the middle of me leading a class discussion she pulled out her phone and began to send a text. "Put that away there is no texting in my class" I said to her quietly. I actually do not like to embarrass students, perhaps that is part of my problem. She put it away and then 5 minutes later she pulled it out again. "Put it away" I said this time a little louder and I thought with more authority. She rolled her eyes at me and stuffed it back in her pocket. A few minutes later she pulled it out a third time, once again I told her to put it away. Now, I'm really pissed! If your texting is more important than what is happening in class than please don't come to class. I glared at her and she once again puts it away. I am being 100% honest when I say that after a few minutes more she pulls it out one more time. This time her hands and her phone remain underneath the table, as if I am an idiot and really don't know what she is doing.

In the meantime, I'm trying to lead a class discussion on Men, Woman and Biblical Equality. We're also discussing the idea of Ordaining Woman and a woman's role in the church. It is a great conversation that my class and I are having. Yet while I'm leading this discussion Ms. text-a-lot is busy working her thumbs. She is close enough to me that I could kick that darn phone out of her hand and sending it flying under the conference table I think to myself. Yes, that's what I'll do I'll kick it out her hands. Wait is that appropriate behavior for a college instructor? What if I break the phone? I really don't want to break her phone but I really wish she'd stop texting. It is so distracting to me. Yes, I'm going to kick it on the count of three, 1,2, Oh wait I'm trying to listen to another student share her thoughts about woman in ministry.

Ultimately I did nothing. I'm a little disappointed in myself. I kind of wished I punted it out of her hands. But then again if I had, I might be cell phone shopping to today and I really did not have time to do that.

Things that arrived today..

December 1st and the first real snowfall of the year have both arrived. That's just swell. Every year when the first snowfall arrives I ask myself over and over again "Why do I live in this part of the country?" I am not a winter enthusiast, I wish I was, but I'm not. Here's the problem, I love being outside and as soon as the first snow falls it reminds me that for the next 4 months I will be trapped indoors. Now I will say that the snow is quite pretty, but it's also cold and wet and slippery to walk and drive in and I just don't like it. Someone recently asked me if I had any winter note cards to sell. I have pictures from every other season besides winter. Proof that I really, really do not like snow.

I have completed all my Christmas shopping, my list this year was much, much smaller since my family this year decided to draw names instead of all of us buying for each other. I'm not sure why we didn't do this sooner. At any rate, my online shopping is done. The beauty of online shopping? Well the first is obvious, never having to step foot in a crowded shopping mall. The second? Multiple deliveries from the UPS or Fed Ex man. I can't help but get a little giddy when I see these trucks turn down my road and wonder if it's for me. One gift arrived today.

The third thing to arrive today? What I thought was a used book I ordered turned out to be paperwork as thick as a book. I've decided with interest rates being as low as they are to refinance my house. I'm psyched about the money I will be saving and the fact that I have taken 5 years of the life of my loan. I am not so psyched about the load of paperwork I have to do.

Questions

I've had a couple of very interesting encounters this week. By interesting I mean strange and perhaps a bit disturbing.

Encounter Number 1 - Let me set the stage for you, the freshmen class I teach was involved in a service project at a local church. They were hosting a banquet and we volunteered to help set up, serve and clean up. An acquaintance of mine was in attendance and while we were cleaning up, she pulled me aside and quietly asked if she could ask me a personal question. "Sure" I said weakly, "I think you have a problem with your thyroid" she said bluntly. Okay,first THAT was not a question and second, how rude! After I got over my initial shock, I did share with her that I am in fact being treated for thyroid disease. "Well" she said "you might want to get your levels checked because your eyes are bulging and your right eye is a lot worse than your left." Thanks for that! I spent the rest of the night staring at myself in the mirror and judging the size of my bulging eyes. Here's a picture of me and my left eye. I'm so ashamed of my bulging right eye I've decided to wear a patch and refer to myself as Ahab.




Encounter Number 2 - I'm sitting in my office and my assistant Kathy shares with me there's a dad on the phone who wants to talk about career counseling for his daughter. I don't particularly enjoy phone calls from parents, I consider college students to be adults and feel that if they need my help they should ask for it themselves. So dad explains that his daughter is not a student, nor a an alum of the college, but that they live close to campus and that his daughter really needs some career counseling. I explain that my plate is full, he then goes on to tell me that his daughter really needs career advice and that she will be in town over Christmas. "She doesn't live here?" I ask. No she lives on her own, she's 48 years old. What? I think dad is the one who needs help.

Tradition, Texting and Taco Soup

Better sit down for this one folks, I have a major announcement to make. I cooked again today. Yeah that's right I cooked. Well if you count throwing cans of vegetables into the crock pot cooking. But around here, that is about as good as it gets.

I love traditions and for several years my friends and I had the greatest tradition going. Homecoming weekend at the college we would pass on all the college festivities and just show up at my friend Lisa's house, sit around her dining room table talk and laugh about all our college memories and eat taco soup. It is the most perfect soup on a crisp fall day. Unfortunately that tradition ended about six years when Lisa and her husband decided to flee the chilly northeast for the south. I still have not forgiven them for leaving, but I'm working on it. I still show up at their old house on homecoming weekend looking for taco soup. Fortunately for me the new home owners are also friends of mine.

So this morning I decided that I know how to use a can opener and a crock pot, I'll make taco soup. Of course I wanted to let Lisa know that I was thinking of her and making her famous soup, I sent a text message to her husband (Lisa refuses to keep up with today's technology) The text message was simple "I'm making taco soup, you should come over" The response text from Chris just minutes later "We'll be there in 17 hours."

Lisa and I did chat later today, she wanted to know how the soup turned out and to tell me that they received my text during church service. Shame on you Chris for texting from church! The soup turned out great and the chat reminded me just how much I miss my sweet friend.

I believe that Lisa and I along with two of our other friends Eileen and Karine have started a new tradition, a gathering of the 4 of us over Columbus Day weekend. I realize that in order for something to be a tradition, it needs to happen more than once, I think I can safely say that the experience the 4 of us shared was so energizing, uplifting, and valuable that it something we will want to continue for years.

And if anyone is interested in trying Lisa's taco soup, come on over there's plenty.

More Random Thoughts

I made a big salad and a baked potato for dinner tonight. Baked potatoes always make me think of my friend Christy. Christy is a vegetarian and not long ago at a charity dinner she asked for a vegetarian meal. Now most places would have some sort of pasta option, but that particular night the vegetarian option was not one, but two baked potatoes. As Christy would say "not cool" can you blame her?

This past Friday, my friend Gale and I had a great dinner together. She was trying to talk me down from all of the anger and frustration I was feeling toward one particular student. This student clearly does not like the rules I have established for my class, things like what constitutes a free write when it comes to journal writing, no side conversations in class and no texting. This student claims to have the superior ability to multi-task. Well guess what? It does not matter if you can stand on your head, chew gum and quote your favorite author. There is NO texting in my class! This student also decided to do a free write in their journal on the word free. Thanks for that!

That same night when I arrived home in the dark I noticed that when I drove into the garage the kitchen door was wide open. This totally freaked me out, I believe I have already mentioned in a previous blog my OCD tendencies. I asked myself the following questions:
Did I shut the door when I left this morning? I'm sure I did.

Maybe I did shut the door but left the garage door open? If that's the case did someone enter my house through the open garage door and then close the garage door and leave the kitchen door open?

If that's the case what are the chances of someone actually being in my house waiting for me to return? Now it is this very thought that REALLY FREAKED me out. So I took a deep breath, pulled out my cell phone and pushed 911 on my cell. Then I walked inside with my thumb on the send button.

I checked the downstairs bathroom, empty. The kitchen pantry, empty. The hall closet, also empty. Okay all the possible downstairs hiding spots are empty. Then I slowly walked upstairs. My office closet empty, bedroom 1, empty, bedroom 2 empty. And then final the master bathroom. I was terrified pulling back the shower curtain I had visions of the shower scene from Psycho rushing through my mind. Of course I realize that in that particular scene the killer was on the outside of the shower, but I was convinced someone was hiding behind my shower curtain.

Thankfully when he stabbed me it was just a superficial wound and the police officers arrived just a few minutes later. Or the shower was empty, I'll let you decide. One thing that has come from this unfortunate event is that my OCD is again at an all time high. I still do not know why the kitchen door was open. Perhaps Molly and Moses my very overweight cats have learned a new trick?

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

Several years ago my cousin's young son asked if he could marry me. I told him he couldn't because we were family and you could only marry your family member if you lived in West Virginia. A few minutes later when John's dad came into the room I overheard him asking his dad if they could move to West Virginia.

West Virginia, I'm sorry I made jokes about you especially since I had never visited your lovely state. Actually while I can now say I've slept in your state for a couple nights, I still don't feel like I know you that well,see you just happened to be a central location for 4 friends coming from NY, VA, SC and MI. And while I still don't know you that well I did appreciate your hospitality. My friends and I had an amazing weekend together.

We stayed in your state's capital and while I seem to recall seeing the gold dome of your capital building as I drove into town, the remainder of our time was spent in a hotel room and then in a hotel lobby and then in a local cafe chatting, laughing and reminiscing with friends.



The four of us have not all been together for about 9 years, some of us have seen each other for short visits from time to time but for the 4 of us to be together for a weekend, I can only describe this feeling of complete contentment. I am inspired by my friends creativity, their love for their families and their passion for their friends and their faith. The only way this weekend could have been better is if we didn't require sleep, I know each of us wanted to eek out as many hours together as possible.

When we did venture of of the hotel we did find the coolest little bookstore, which included tin ceilings and exposed brick. While it was small it included all the best books you would ever want to read, each title that my friends and I came up with we were able to find. Along with some amazing greeting cards, I could have bought about 12 of them, but I settled on two. We all hope to return their next year for a book signing when our friend Eileen's book comes out.



And then as if God was smiling on us, across from the bookstore was the sweetest little cafe that had the best sundae I have ever had, a pumpkin sundae. Pumpkin ice cream, caramel, chocolate chunks, nuts and whip cream. The only thing sweeter than the ice cream was this precious time I was able to spend with my dear friends.

As I ventured home from this weekend, I kept thinking of things I forgot to share or to ask and was wishing the weekend could have lasted just a little longer. I'm already looking forward to next year and what I hope will be a new tradition in each of our lives.

The one where I brag about my niece

My niece Q. is one of my most favorite people on the planet. She lives an hour from here so I do not get to see her very often, but today she and my brother decided to come by for dinner and to celebrate his birthday. It's been over a month since I've seen her and during that time, she has started Pre-K. Not pre-school she informed me Pre-K, apparently there is a difference? She also had her hair cut and is sporting bangs, "Like you aunt Mary."

I was talking to my mom on the phone a couple weeks ago, Q was visiting them and my mom asked her if she wanted to talk to me on the phone. She took the phone and I began asking her questions. Silence. I asked her something else, nothing. Finally my mom took the phone back "Mary did you hang up?" "No, I'm here." "Q why aren't you talking to Mary?" my mom asked. "I was playing the silent game." Nice.

Q knows that I am a career counselor, and she likes to inform me from time to time of her plans for when she grows up. Her latest occupational dreams? Ballerina, Baker, Sharp Shooter. Yes, that's right Sharp Shooter.

Mixing It Up!

My friend Beka is on a 3 month road trip, volunteering her time at various farms throughout the country. She's blogging about here experiences here http://mygreenorchard.wordpress.com/ you should read her blog.

Beka has done many blog entries about "Mixing it up" you know trying something new and different to get out of that rut we tend to find ourselves in. I was thinking about Beka today for many reasons one because it just so happens her favorite football team and my favorite football team were playing against other today, and no surprise but her team CRUSHED my team. And secondly because today I decided to mix things up a bit.

Now my six faithful blog readers may want to sit down for what I am about to say will shock you. Ready? Today I baked. Yes that's right I baked, and along with baking I also cooked. I'm sensing some shouting and the words What? Are you kidding me coming from a particular friend I have living down south. Yeah, you know who you are. Okay now I'm not exactly sure if you all consider browning ground beef for taco salad cooking but here in my house, well that's about as close to cooking as I get.

Now let's get on to the baking. First of all it's been rather fall like around here and I've been craving apple crisp. This morning I decided I would make apple crisp, so here I am mixing it up. But let me take this even one step further. I live in NY State, the number 2 producer of apples in the United States, yet I am not a fan of her apples. My favorite apple by far is produced in Washington State, the Granny Smith apple. There is nothing like it. But today I decided perhaps I have been to harsh regarding my states apples surely there is something comparable to the Granny Smith? So I mixed it up, wandered the produce section of Wegmans as I read the descriptions of the various apples. Now my first hang up with NYS apples is that most of them are red. For some reason I like my apples to be green. I finally settled on the Paula red. It promised to be tart (Very Important) and crisp (also important) no one likes a mealy apple.

So this afternoon, I peeled my apples, and gave Ms. Paula Red her shot at winning my favor. And the result? Well Paula, I'm sorry but you just don't measure up to my granny, but you were still good and so was the apple crisp.

For those of you who are NYS apple lovers I'm curious to hear from you what your favorite apple is. I'm willing to give others a try.

Confession Time - I own pink crocs.

Two years ago at Christmas, my younger brother Matt gave me a pair of pink crocs. I was surprised by this very strange gift. Matt is what I would call a snob (and I mean that in the nicest way possible). He's a golf professional, who cares more about the way he looks than anyone else I have ever met. He works out, he is very careful about what he eats, he buys designer clothes and grooming products. He is what some would call a metro sexual, although I'm not sure many people use that terminology any more. So I was a bit confused as to why he would give me such an ugly pair of shoes. "These are great" he exclaimed "we got them in the pro shop awhile back and you would not believe how comfortable they are." He then acknowledged to us that he had his own pair (not pink) back home. "Careful Matt" my brother Mike warned "don't let too many people know that or they may take away your man card."

At any rate, Matt explained since they were closing the pro shop for the season and they had a lot of crocs left, mostly kid sizes (did I mention I have ridiculously small feet) he thought he'd grab me a pair. This same Christmas season, my 11 year old cousin was sporting her brand new Coach boots. She promised I could have them when she outgrew them, since at age 11 she and I had the same foot size. I'm not sure I'm cool enough to wear Coach boots though.

So for about 18 months these crocs sat in my shoe cupboard. Another sad fact about me, I keep all my shoes in a bottom kitchen cupboard by the door where I immediately kick them off as soon as I enter the house. Finally this summer I pulled them out and thought they would be good to use as garden shoes, if they got muddy I could just hose them down. I'm afraid to admit this, these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned, why haven't I worn them before? Uh because they are pink and they are ugly. This morning I wore my crocs to work, well actually I walked out of the house and then got in the car realizing what I had on my feet. I ran back in and put on my not so comfortable black loafers.

The blog about nothing

Seinfeld is probably one of my favorite sitcoms it aired for 9 seasons, it was called the show about nothing. It still airs on various cable stations as well as on Fox at 11:00 pm on week nights. It is one of the reasons I am usually tired when my alarm goes off in the morning. It doesn't help that my second favorite sitcom Friends airs after Seinfeld.

Last week The Father's House a mega church here in the area had its "Service about nothing" I don't attend The Father's House but I was able to catch their late service online, and their service about nothing, was actually a very powerful, worshipful service.

I thought today I would write a blog about nothing. I'm still new to this blogging thing and quite frankly I'm not sure if I am very good at it. I find myself blogging a lot at night when I'm tired and then if I look at my blog the next day I find all sorts of errors that I have made. So I'm writing a blog about nothing that is hopefully error free. How did I do?

I Like Doughnuts on Sunday

I like doughnuts on Sunday; I blame my aunt (and of course my lack of self control). Growing up my aunt would often take my brothers, cousins and I to what we affectionately called the doughnut mass. Really it was just Sunday mass at Canisius College followed by doughnuts, and refreshments in a large hall. There really is only one doughnut that I truly like the ones with white cream and chocolate icing. Not to be confused with Bavarian cream which quite frankly reminds me of phlegm. .

There is a Tim Horton's located between my church and my home so it is a very tempting for me when I have my Sunday craving. Now I will say that Tim's probably would not be my first choice however it is convenient. Tim Horton was actually a hockey player who played for both the Toronto Maple Leafs and my favorite team the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately Tim died tragically in a horrific car accident, I think it was poor choice for them to name their doughnut holes Tim Bits considering the way he was killed.

A small coffee and a doughnut at Tim's cost $2.09. I typically hand the cashier $2.10, and he or she then hands me my order and then I wait. Typically after a few awkward seconds the cashier says "oh did you want your penny?" Umm, yes I'd like my penny, it is after all still my money and when did it become okay for businesses to assume that you really don't want your change, even if it is only a penny. I have an old glass bottle just inside my kitchen door. I dump my spare change in the bottle on a pretty regular basis. Spare change adds up quickly, I probably cash my change in 4 times a year and typically end up having between $65 and $85. That is a lot of pennies, of course I realize it would be a lot more if I didn't spend that $2.09.

Stream of Consciousness

I was actually dreading the start of a new semester and if I am being a 100% honest (which I do try to be) I was really, really dreading teaching my freshmen course this fall. The main reason for that is last fall when I taught the class the group dynamics were absolutely terrible, the students didn't seem to click with each other and quite frankly I felt several of them were not academically ready for college work. It was a very long semester for me and when it was over I didn't care if I never taught this class again. Fast forward 12 months, here I am teaching the same class and I after only 2 days I am absolutely flabbergasted by the difference between the two groups. During this past Thursday's class one student raised her hand and said "this is so embarrassing, but I really have to use the rest room but this discussion we are all having is so great I don't want to miss any of it can we pause for two minutes?" WHAT? I literally laughed out loud and was happy to grant her request.

Today I went to the mall, I hate the mall but I needed some new bras, this was not a task I was overly excited about. Apparently 80% of woman are wearing the wrong bra size and I believe now that I am probably one of them. I tried on multiple bras in what I thought was my size but they all felt wrong. So after about a 35 minutes I gave up on the bra buying business and instead bought myself some new yoga pants, a long sleeve t-shirt and a new blouse for work.

I was going to spend a good part of my day today getting my note cards ready to sell at our homecoming bazaar in a couple weeks, instead I've done three loads of laundry and baked chocolate chip cookies. Oh yeah and I still need some new bras.

Ready or not, here they come

Today was move in day for the college freshmen at my campus. I have a love/hate relationship with this day. I've worked at the college for 18 years, which essentially means that I started working at the college the year these students were born. Whoa. I love this day because I think the freshness and enthusiasm of these students is down right infectious, yet it also signifies the end of the summer, the laid back days and long nights. When the semester begins I often feel like a mouse on one of those crazy exercise wheels. It depresses me that by 8:00 in the evening it is already getting dark.

So I'm exhausted by all of today's events. Along with meeting the new freshmen, I also met our new graduate students in social work, met with my awesome student mentor to discuss our class, I also had a meeting with a fellow staff member to plan for another class she and I will be team teaching, provided career advisement to a seminary student and tried to put out a couple fires that have been burning.

I know there is some left over macaroni and cheese in the fridge, it is mere 20 feet from where I am sitting yet I don't have the energy to get up and reheat it.

Things that make me go hmm

I realized today in the grocery store that I only buy green dish detergent. Not green as in environmentally friendly, but green the color. I don't think I have ever considered another color. I don't know why that is, maybe one of these days I will break out of this rut. Other odd things about myself that I have noticed lately I love hummus but I am really not a fan of the chick pea. I adore tomatoes but would pass on tomato sauce most days of the week. And finally a new mystery today, emptying the dishwasher I counted 9 plates, 6 bowls, and about 14 glasses. Apparently I am heavy drinker. The mystery however is that there were no forks in the dishwasher, which makes me wonder - what exactly did I eat on all those plates?

Yes officer I was taking pictures

Those that know me know I love to take pictures. I'm quite obnoxious at it, I take pictures that most people wouldn't never think to take pictures of, unless of course they are like me. The last few years I have been taking my camera into places that most people would not even think to take a camera; inside various stores, gift shops and supermarkets. Yes, I said supermarkets.

This past weekend while visiting one of my dearest friends in Philadelphia I found myself at Whole Foods. I think I could actually cry when I think about how pretty it is inside Whole Foods, the rainbow display of beverages, drinks from fruits I have never even heard of. Don't even get me started on the aisle dedicated to coffee and tea. And I must not forget the honey, fresh honey multiple kinds kept in vats to keep it warm. I could go home with warm honey from Whole Foods. I'm not sure why this makes me so excited, it just does. Unfortunately I do have one bone to pick with my new found love, they have a strict rule - No photography allowed. It's written on their door. It killed me not to take pictures, but alas I do tend to be a rule follower.

A couple years ago at a pottery store in Maine I quietly took a picture of some vases I thought were absolutely adorable and I loved the way the owner had them displayed. I took out my camera and quickly snapped a couple pictures. I was quickly scolded and asked to refrain from taking any more pictures and of course as a rule follower I gladly obliged though quietly feeling somewhat bitter. This has not deterred me from continuing my ways. I have noticed that if a store is large enough I'm pretty good at snapping pictures without anyone noticing. I may be a rule follower but I'm also kind of sneaky and if I can get away with something with out anyone knowing (within reason of course) I'm going to do it.

This past week however in the city of brotherly love, or more specifically a suburb of the city of brotherly love I was up to my old tricks. My friend had taken me into a quaint gift/flower shop. I took a few pictures of a table place setting, some candle holders and then finally a row of fresh flowers sitting in pails.


After taking this last shot of the flowers the owner threatened me from across the store "you take another picture and I'm calling the police!" Seriously. I quickly apologized and we left the store pretty quickly. I'm not sure why he felt it was necessary to threaten me that way. My friends and I debated this a bit, perhaps he was worried that I was taking pictures so I'd know the lay of the land and he was worried I might come back and rob him. So for all my blog readers if you happen to find yourself in Peddlers Village outside of Philadelphia and you feel the need to steal some fresh flowers here's what they look like and where there located. Of course I cannot reveal the name of the store to you, that just wouldn't be right. And I'm not sure I even noticed it when we went in.

So now I've been chastised about picture taking in two states. I'm pretty sure it will not deter me from future picture taking antics.

I thought I'd include a few from throughout the years.


These are sweet little drawer pulls, I found in gift shop in Maine called Art and Soul. I have no use for drawer pulls like this but I thought they were absolutely adorable.

I'm not sure exactly where this picture came from, but I have kept journals for as long as I can remember and I just loved how simple they looked and the quote at the bottom "If your life is worth living it is worth recording"


From LL Bean of course. This display took me immediately back to my childhood and how when we visited my great aunt's house the only game she had for us to play in her small backyard was croquet, but we would spend hours playing it. $129.00 seems like a lot of money to me for a backyard game and it made me wonder what ever happened to my aunt's set.

And finally aren't these berry bowls pretty? I didn't know that they made special bowls for berries but I'm sure if I had some, I would eat more fruit.

The One Where I Had Dinner With The President.. And a few other random thoughts

If you have been reading my blog this week, you know that I have been on vacation in Ogunquit, ME one of my favorite places in the world. While we were there we visited Portland, Freeport, Kennebunkport, York, Wells, and lots of other places in between. When we visit Kennebunkport we always make time for a leisurely drive down Ocean Ave where there are some spectacular homes with some of the most gorgeous ocean views. One of those homes located on Ocean Ave is the home of former President George Bush and his wife Barbara. Here's a picture of their lovely home.
We've joked every year about how much fun it would be to actually run into the Bushes somewhere around town, but then again, what are the chances of running into a former president? Apparently better than I thought. Wednesday night we decided on dinner in Perkins Cove, of all the places in Ogunquit, Perkins Cove is probably one of our most favorite hang outs. There are several restaurants in Perkins Cove along with some cute shops selling pottery, jewelery and of course cheesy t-shirts. Lots of lobster boats, sailboats and some of the prettiest gardens I have ever seen.

So that night we decided on Barnacle Billy's, it has some great views of the cove along with amazing food. My mom always orders the crab cakes there even though I tease her that Maine is not necessarily known for its crab, but she insists they are still outstanding. It was while we were waiting for our salads to arrive that my mom says to me "Oh look it's Barbara Bush" and she gives me a funny smile that I read as there's a Barbara Bush look alike. And then all of a sudden people are clapping and my mom's look changes and I realize quickly that the Bushes are in fact going to be joining us for dinner. Okay so you all know I didn't actually dine with the Bushes but they did sit down about 30 feet from us. I was able to snap a couple very poor pictures of President Bush as he walked by our table and then another one of their table while they ate. But of course that was it, I certainly wasn't going to make a spectacle of myself and I wasn't exactly sure what the secret service might do to me if I got too close.

















Apparently Barnacle Billy's is a favorite spot of our former president as I noticed several pictures of him throughout the years dining there.

Oddly enough on this night I almost met my demise. Ogunquit has a great public transportation system and they like to shuttle beach goers via trolley. The trolleys all have "Olly" names I don't know why but throughout town you can see Dolly, Holly, Lolly and so forth. Well on this particular night perhaps it was my excitement over seeing a former president or perhaps I was focusing too much on the picture I was about to take, I was almost run over by a Jolly the trolley.

We are home now and I must confess that while it is great to be home, I miss Ogunquit already and cannot wait to get back. And one final thought, a pet peeve actually why is that the restrooms at thruway rest stops are always at the far end from the entrance of the building? I'm stopping because I have to go! I am not interested in a happy meal from McDonalds.

When is 35 cents worth a dollar?

Today we decided to take a little road trip, to view a couple light houses, do some sightseeing and just be tourists. We wandered towards York beach which tends to be very touristy and it made us quite thankful that while we enjoyed driving through this town, we were not in fact staying there. There is a huge beach in York that must run for 5 miles. The only parking at this beach is by parking meter. So as my mom and I were stuck in traffic, a beach goer stops at my car window and asks "Can you spare some change?" So I reached into my change tray and handed him what I had only about 35 cents in dimes and nickels. To which he says "thanks for your generosity, here's a dollar." He then hands me a gold coin, a Jefferson 1 dollar coin. I had no idea these things even existed. After he walked a way I felt a little guilty that I didn't search harder for more change for him.

Beautiful Place by the Sea

I'm currently on vacation in Ogunquit, ME. This happens to be one of my most favorite places to visit. It is hard not to relax here. I tend to be pretty frugal as a rule but for this trip we splurge with an ocean front room. Today I woke up, looked out my window and watched the waves of the Atlantic ocean crashing on to the shore in front of my window. I sipped coffee, both hot and cold watching those same waves and marveled at how the beach in front of me disappeared as the tide rolled in. I started reading a new book, which I could only describe as a "beach read" which was perfect because hey I'm at the beach. I belong by the water, there is not one other place that I feel so relaxed and refreshed at the same time and this is only day one of my vacation.

The one where I check the locks

I think about Lot's wife often. I'm talking about Lot from the bible, Lot's story is told in Genesis. I don't think about Lot very often, just his unnamed wife. I'm sure she had a name, and I'm sure it was quite lovely however the bible never tells us what is was. The reason I think of her often is because as she and Lot and their family were fleeing Sodom she did what the Lord told them not to do, she looked back on the city they were told to leave and because of this she became a pillar of salt.

I am not a biblical scholar, nor do I pretend to be one, but I'm pretty sure the lesson from Lot's wife is that we need to obey God's commands, however I wonder if Mrs. Lot was not a little like me and dealing with OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I dislike this about myself and I'm really trying to work on it. I wouldn't describe myself as over the top when it comes to OCD, I'm certainly not like the character Monk played byTony Shalhou and I'm not even in the same ball park as Howie Mandel however daily as I drive away from my house I look over my shoulder multiple times to make sure the garage door did actually close. I've watched it close, told myself it was closed and then I find myself circling the neighborhood to make sure that yes it is in fact closed. I do this with locks on my doors, windows, the oven and stove.

The blinds in my bedroom have to be a certain way, and I cannot stand seeing the warning label at the bottom of the blinds reminding me of the strangling hazard that blinds can be to small children, it's hard for me to relax in bed seeing the bright yellow warning label. I've often driven back to my office hours after I've left to make sure that I did in fact turn off my space heater, of course I could contact campus security and have them check for me but that would mean 1. admitting I have a contraband heater in my office and 2. admitting that I can't remember if I turned it off or not. Thankfully, it turns out I have always turned it off and the building where I work has never been in danger of burning down, at least not at my hands.

Over the years, my chronic checking has been getting worse however I am reminding myself regularly out loud that almost 100% of the time the iron is off, and so is the stove, the doors are locked and the garage is closed. I think it's working but I may go check just one more time. Kidding.

Farmers, Flowers and Strawberries

I really love the local farmers market. I don't ge there as often as I would like but today it was the first thing on my agenda to do. It's true that in my neck of the woods I can get pretty fresh produce anytime I want at my local Wegmans, but shopping at the local farmers market provides me with an opportunity to chat with the growers as well as run into friends and neighbors. This is also the best time of the year for strawberries, my most favorite fruit.







I had one other stop on my agenda today and that was a visit to a city park I had heard about but had never visited before. Maplewood Park in the city is apparently famous for it's rose garden and now I know why. I would guess there must have been over 2,000 rose bushes in so many varieties I quickly lost track. It really was a beautiful spot in the city and while today may have been my first visit it certainly will not be my last.

10 Things I Like

My friends and I were joking the other day about what sort of people we are. While life is not always easy I do tend to be a glass half full sort of gal and I think part of the reason for that is I tend to find joy in the small things. Such as:

The way my cats curl up in their cat beds. Molly, especially likes her bed and I just love how sweet she looks as her head rests on the edge. I especially like on mornings when I wake up and find them sharing one of the beds and they have to figure out how to untwist themselves from each other.

Hockey - I really like hockey and while most people fuss about how long the season is, I'm currently going through withdraw, the season ended one week ago tonight and I already miss it.

Coffee - Hot, cold, it doesn't matter. I also like the fact that the baristas at my favorite cafes know me and my drink of choice. Perhaps this is a problem. It also helps if I have some nice dark chocolate to go with my coffee.

My camera - I've been taking pictures for years, but last year I received my first digital DSL and while I still do not understand many of it's functions, I'm having a blast trying to figure it all out.

Toe nail polish - Yes,I realize this may sound silly, but I love toe nail polish, especially in the spring and summer. If I'm going to bare my feet for everyone to see, I'm certainly going to decorate my toe nails in a pretty color. Currently I am wearing a funky shade of purple called Grape Going.

My deck - I consider my deck the bonus room of my house. The weather here prevents me from using my bonus room as much as I would like, but once the weather does cooperate this is the spot I choose to spend the majority of my time. It really is nothing special, but it is my special little haven.

My niece - Okay I don't just like my niece I love her, and I love the way the back of her neck smells and how her hair curls when its wet, how she squints when she smiles big. I love how she will thank you for hours for something little you have done for her. "Thank you for the dental floss, aunt Mary" she said over and over when she came to visit a few weeks ago and told me she had a piece of apple skin stuck between her teeth.

Reading - I wish I could figure out a way to get paid to read. I would never retire. I currently have 5 books sitting on my nightstand and I've realized recently that I need to develop better reading habits, instead of trying to read 5 books simultaneously I need to focus on one at a time.

Scrabble - I'm addicted to scrabble on Facebook and I know I am not alone in this addiction. I'm actually wondering how many employee hours are lost because of Scrabble, I'm also wondering if anyone plays Solitaire anymore.

Lavender - I'm a very amateur gardener and I have a lot of "favorite" flowers, hydrangeas, roses, delphiniums, daisies, pansies. But when it comes to scents lavender is by far my favorite. I can walk by the lavender in my garden, and suddenly the scent of it stops me in my tracks and immediately I feel more relaxed and at ease.

Adventures in the kitchen part 2 and 3

I'm very happy to report that the strawberry rhubarb pie that I planned to make this week turned out to be better than I expected. In fact I made two strawberry rhubarb pies this week. As I mentioned in my previous blog several of my girl friends were coming over on Wed. night for pizza and cards and I promised them dessert. So Monday evening after chatting with my mom I got down to pie making. Things went relatively smoothly, much better than my first pie baking experience and I was pleased with the outcome. Assignment done, or so I thought. On Tuesday I tried a slice and deemed it acceptable for guests and breathed a sigh of relief. However on Wednesday when one of my friends got wind of the fact that I made the pie on Monday, she deemed this "unacceptable" and claimed after two days the crust would be all soggy. I took another look at the pie and turns out she was right (insert heavy sigh here).

Now I must tell you that I do not like to let people down but at this point I was ready to make my old favorite standby dessert; dark chocolate brownies. But friend number 2 said she was soooo looking forward to strawberry rhubarb pie. So I obliged and made my second pie of the week. It turned out great, maybe even better than pie number 1. I'm also happy to report that today, two days after I made the pie, the crust is still holding up and is not soggy. I just had a piece for dinner.

Adventues in the kitchen.

I believe in my very first blog I indicated that this would NOT be a food blog. And now after only 1o entries I am writing about my adventures in the kitchen. It may sound crazy but this morning I woke up and the first thing that I thought was wouldn't it be fun to make a rhubarb pie this weekend? "WHAT?" I said this out loud because 1) it was such a random thought 2) I really have no place in the kitchen and 3)the last time I tried to make a pie it turned out very bad, very, very bad. So bad in fact that my friend L. who I consider to be one of the kindest, sweetest people I know looked at the pie, laughed and said "no wonder no man has ever married you, don't you know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" Okay, so she really didn't say that, but she did laugh A LOT at my baking abilities and we started again from scratch.

These are the pies from my first pie baking experience. My friend C. said it reminded her of the old just say no to drug campaigns with the fried egg, this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs.

So on to the pie adventure number 2. I've left a voice mail for my mom, on those rare occasions when I decide to cook or bake something my mom serves as my phone a friend. Oddly enough as I'm waiting for her to return my call, my next door neighbor knocks on the door (my next door neighbor is a trained chef). He'd done his own baking today and hands be a slice of angel food cake with fresh berries, a slice of mixed berry pie and a slice of blueberry pie. I'm pretty sure I will not be making a rhubarb pie this weekend, but a few of my friends are planning to show up here Wednesday night for a euchre game perhaps I will make them a rhubarb pie. To be continued.

Tradition! Tradition!

I love Fiddler on the Roof, it may be one of my top ten favorite musicals. But this blog really isn't about musicals but about traditions and my love for them. For instance my family always goes to 4:00 mass on Christmas Eve and then we return home for a huge Christmas Eve dinner. My mom and I for the last 15 years have been taking a summer vacation together, just us girls where we do all sorts of things that the men in our family would hate, and we laugh about it.

Memorial Day is also one of those days steeped in tradition for me. It's where every year for the last 35+ years my friend MJ and I meet at the end of the street we grew up on (where my parents, and her mom still live) to watch our hometown Memorial Day parade. In terms of parades this is a great one. Lots of fire trucks, girl scout and boy scout groups and the local high school bands. There are three actually the two public schools that are located in the the village and the all girls Catholic school that I attended. My school's band is clearly the best of the three. You may think I'm bragging, but it's true they are an outstanding band have recently performed in one of the Disney parades and in Washington during the inauguration for President Obama.

But I digress, this is not about which of the local high schools has the best band, but about friendship and tradition. MJ is my oldest and dearest friends she was the only other girl, my age on our street growing up. We were surrounded by boys and the two of us were in fact tomboys, we were viscous kick ball, 4 square, and kick the can players. Except when we weren't. We tried gymnastics together and together we failed miserably. We both continue to hang our heads in shame that neither one of us ever mastered a cartwheel. We tried synchronized swimming for a summer, we were better at this, but we decided at the end of the summer it wasn't for us. Neither one of us was real excited about the thought of putting jello in our hair for performances.


MJ would say she saved my life once. I tripped and fell in the middle of a 4 lane road as we were walking to the drug store to get our daily pixie sticks. Instead of waiting for me to try to get up MJ dragged me safely to the other side of the street. "You could have been killed by that El Camino" she stated as the rusty looking car/truck slowly drove by us. "Yeah, but wasn't that your brother Dan?" I asked. "I'm pretty sure he would have stopped before he hit me."

She was also with me the day I was taken home in shame in the back of a police car. Our plan that summer morning was to go to the local public swimming pool. My backyard pool was not sufficient that morning, we wanted to practice our diving off the high board. So we threw on our bathing suits and jumped on our bikes and headed for the local pool. The local pool is located at the bottom of a very steep hill on a very busy 6 lane road. We were not allowed to cross this road but fortunately for us at the bottom of the hill was a pedestrian bridge that our parent's deemed safe. "I dare you to pedal down the hill, instead of just coasting" MJ said to me. Never one to refuse a dare I agreed and took off. Big mistake. I flew down that hill and lost control of my bike flying over the handlebars and rolling the rest of the way. I was bloody from head to toe. A local police officer happened upon us and decided that I was in no condition to ride home and instead opened the back of his cruiser and so began my first and what I'm pretty sure will be my last ride in the back of a police cruiser.


So this Monday, MJ and I will sit on the corner of our street surrounded by other friends, neighbors and family we will reminisce about the year we sold balloons in the parade for 50 cents while this years hawkers are charging $5.00 for a can of silly string and $10.00 for crazy Dr. Seuss like hats with what appears to be a marijuana print on them. I will remind her of the summer I wanted to be blond and we used sun-in to achieve that goal. She'll remind me of when the two of us along with our brothers stretched Stretch Armstrong a little too far and his insides oozed out all over my parents bedroom and how Stretches sticky insides got all over her hair and how it needed to be cut because it couldn't be removed any other way.

We will laugh at the fact that one year when we decided to attend VBS together the pastor asked me to leave because I was talking to much. He told me I could come back the next day if I could be quieter. Neither one of remembers is we went back. My mom insists that we did. We'll shake our heads over the fact that the first boy either one of us ever kissed was the same boy. He's long gone of course but our friendship remains. At the end of the parade we will walk home together and insist that we need to get together more often and like most summers we may catch up a few times but if we don't we know where to find each other on Memorial Day.

The home office

I am fortunate enough to work from home once a week. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy my colleagues and the college students I work with but this mid week reprieve really does allow me to catch up on emails, planning and other projects. Oh yeah and I get to wear a t-shirt and yoga pants. Although today the forecast is high 80's so I'm wearing a tank top and shorts. For 8 months of the year my home office pretty much consists of the chair by the window in the corner of my living room. But when the weather cooperates I move my home office outdoors. I truly believe I am far more productive in the outdoor office, with the sun warming my skin and the sweet smell of flowers.

Random Thoughts

I'm having a garage sale tomorrow, I'm really not a garage sale kinda girl but my neighborhood association holds this event every year and I've lived here 10 years so I figured maybe it's time to get in on the fun. I haven't had any fun yet and for the last few days I found myself saying over and over "why am I doing this?" I still don't have the answer to that, although it did feel good to go through the house and start purging items. My house is small and I have always thought of myself as someone who really does not have a lot of extra stuff, but I have managed to fill three tables with junk, excuse me, treasures. My other problem with having a garage sale? Being tied to my garage between the hours of 8 -4 on a Saturday. I have lined up several friends to come visit me though out the day and I will bribe them to stay with promises of good strong coffee and dark chocolate brownies.

My plan after the garage sale was to use any money I made to buy flowers for my garden. I couldn't wait and spent this afternoon at my local nursery forking over $80.00 for annuals. I can't wait to plant them all and just sit on my deck and admire them. Have I mentioned how much I love spring?

Finally I have become obsessed in the last few weeks with a bake shop in the city. They only make cupcakes, but these are the most amazing cupcakes I have ever had. The bakery also does a good job marketing themselves and their flavors of the day. I "won" a contest with them today which entitled me to one free cupcake if I buy 5. I know what you're thinking, I didn't really WIN anything but there flavors today were just so enticing. In the end though I decided I really wanted flowers for the garden more than I wanted a cupcake. This was not the case last week when I just had to have a mounds cupcake. Dark chocolate with coconut filling and a dark chocolate frosting.

Sometimes I have to scratch my head and laugh

I'm one of those people who really, really enjoys her job. I love working with college students and alumni, assisting them as they begin their career journey. But sometimes I just have to shake my head and laugh. I manage a small career center, basically I am the only person in the office who does career counseling, provides cover letter and resume writing assistance, mock interview, job search strategies, etc. My philosophy of career development is that I want to empower others, to provide them with the tools they need to be successful but ultimately they are responsible for the final product. Over the years I have had some real strange conversations with students Here are just a few:

Student - I hear you write resumes.

Me - No, sorry you heard wrong, but I'd love to teach you how to write your own and I'd be happy to assist you with writing one.

Student - Well you don't understand I'm VERY busy.

Me - (nodding my head, trying to show my empathy skills) I'm sorry to hear that,I'm pretty busy myself. I need to provide services to all the students and alumni here at the college so you can see I really can't write your resume for you. But again, I'd be happy to teach you how to write one.

Student - Well I just don't have time, I'd be happy to pay you to write it for me.

Me - Gee that's very kind of you, but you see the college is already paying me to teach you how to write a resume, so it would really be a conflict of interest for me to take your money.

Student (Leans close and whispers) I promise I won't tell anyone.

This volleying went back and forth for a few minutes before the student finally asked me if I could recommend a resume writing service to her. I couldn't of course because I had never had to recommend a resume writing service. Every other student I met was very eager to learn how to do this, it is after all the first step in a job search. This student did come back a few weeks later after learning what a great deal I was, or perhaps the time commitment it would take to tell her story to someone who was willing to take a lot of her money to write her resume for her.


Interviewing Skills?
Student walks into my office and says she is really nervous about an upcoming internship interview and asks if I can assist her in any way.

Me - Sure, I'd be happy to do a mock interview with you, but before that let me give you a handout on preparing for an interview. I give her the handout and she looks excited.

Student - Wow this has sample questions that an employer might ask?

Me - Yes, along with questions that you may want to ask the employer.

There is a few moments of silence while she is looking over the handout.

Student - Where are the answers?


Today's conversation with a student takes the cake though and I'm still shaking my head in disbelief.

Student - Did your assistant tell you why I made an appointment to see you?

Me - Well she make a note on the calendar that you had some questions about your job search.

Student - Yeah, I have not received any job interviews and I'm trying to figure out why.

Me - Okay well, can you tell me what sort of positions you are looking for and how many resumes you have sent out?

Student - (Blank Stare) I have no idea.

Me - You have no idea?

Student - Haven't you been sending out my resume for me?

Me - (Blank Stare) Why would I be sending out your resume?

Student - I thought that's what you did here.

Me - (Another Blank Stare) No, sorry and besides, how would I know what positions and organizations to apply to for you? You and I have never met before.

Student - Oh that's true. So maybe that's why I haven't been called for an interviews?

Me - Umm Yeah.

You're Off and Away

It's graduation weekend at the college I work at. It's always such a bittersweet time for me, I love the college students I work with, I love getting to know them, listening to their dreams, calming their fears and frankly just being in relationship with them. But then darn it all, they decide after 4 years or maybe only two that it's time for them to leave. Why do they do that? Why am I in a profession where each year I have to say good-bye to some really awesome people. But this is what's supposed to happen and as hard as it is to say good-bye, I am excited about what lies ahead for these graduates.

I've always been a fan of Dr. Seuss, during graduate school I lived on Forest Park Ave just a few short blocks from Mulberry Street. "And to Think That I saw it on Mulberry Street" was the first book he published. Forest Park itself also has a place in Dr. Seuss history. It is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States and includes a zoo. Dr. Seuss often spent time there studying and drawing elephants. My graduate school roommate and I loved this park and once became very, very lost among its 700 + acres. Perhaps that is a story for another blog.

As they cross the platform and collect their diploma's I wish I could hand them each another gift, "Oh The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. I realize that this is not exactly an original idea but I've worked with enough students and alumni to know that this particular book is full of wisdom

Graduation is a new beginning with lots of excitement ahead. But it's also about choices we have and decisions we have to make. Choices! This is so liberating for some and absolutely terrifying for others. But as Dr. Seuss reminds us, even when we make bad choices we are a resilient bunch, it's okay to make a wrong choice, we'll bounce back and we can learn so much about ourselves from mistakes that we've made. He also teaches us about patience. This is tough one and I'm afraid for this year's crop of graduates they may need to be very patient, it's a tough job market. My advice to these students is don't let that scare you, work at what you love, even if you don't get paid for it. Volunteer with an organization that you believe in, serve others, network, stretch yourself, make a difference! The first step is usually the hardest but remember "Kid, You'll Move Mountains!"

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.


You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on y our way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!