Graduation Time!

Congratulations all you graduates out there! I know alot of high school seniors in Spokane are graduating this weekend and they are excited. I realize I still have alot to learn about life, but here is what I would pass on if I sat down and chatted with one of these seniors.

You're going from a place you know well to either a new school or a new job. This is exciting and scary at the same time. Enjoy the excitement and don't take yourself too seriously when you mess up because everybody's been the new person at some point.

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't get too caught up in what all the other graduates are moving on to. Whether you think you're better or you think you aren't doing much, you never know what's going to happen. Who you are is way more important than where you go to school or what kind of job you have.

If you're moving on to college, remember that your G.P.A. is very important. God, People and Academics - keep it in that order.

If you feel insecure in your new surroundings, don't forget that there are lots of people who feel the same way. If somebody makes fun of you for making a mistake there's a good chance they're trying to cover up their insecurities.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

You will soon have a ton of new ideas thrown at you. One professor will tell you one thing and another will tell you the opposite and both can prove it. Listen to people and try to understand but keep in mind that even the most educated guess is still a guess.

If you feel like you're in way over your head don't think about the mountain you have to climb, just focus on the next step. If you can't even do this it's always OK to ask for help.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. -King Solomon

~Deanna~

Six-Word Memoirs: Valentine's Edition

Today I was listening to Talk of the Nation on NPR and they had an interview with some magazine editors who had their subscribers write six-word memoirs. They received such a huge response they compiled them into a book. They have now come out with a sequal; "Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak". Some samples from the book are:

Red-eye. Him window. Me aisle. Love.
- Joanne Flynn Black

Leap of faith. S***, no parachute.

- Katherine Yunker

We "I do" -ed. Then he didn't.

- Lisa Parrack

Palindromantically: Eros saw I was sore.

- Aaron Fagan

Best family ever. Thank you, Match.com!

- Alexa Young

Marriage, children, empty nest: Now what?

- Oliver House

There was some great ones that NPR listeners responded with on the story's website, unfortunately my anti-virus software thinks the comments are deadly so I am unable to share some of my favorites right now. You will have to check them out yourself. There are so many that just make me want to know more! It is also amazing to me how many thoughts just six words can stir up. Well, I thought I'd participate too:

Deanna

My Week as a Dear Abby Column

Dear Abby,
You are a syndicated column, which means you are known all over the country. Would you please advise the general public that a three-day weekend should become a social norm?
-Miserable on Monday

Dear Abby, The phone company has had to come to my home three times this week. Each time they would fix the phone and the next day it wouldn’t work again. I’m beginning to see them more than my friends. If this keeps up, will I be expected to remember the technicians’ birthdays and send them a Christmas letter in December?
-Phoneless but Phriendly

Dear Abby,
The other day in my gym's sauna a woman spread out her towel as I walked in. She did not even attempt to make room for me as she sprawled from one wall to the other. I was certainly frustrated at the complete disregard, but eventually moved on. A couple days later I returned to find a different woman having an extremely loud conversation on her cell phone. She made no effort to hang up or even quiet her voice to a regular conversational level as I laid my head back and shut my eyes. About a minute later, realizing she had no intention of ending the cell yell, I gave up, took a shower and went to my locker. I could still hear her through the shut sauna door, on the other side of the wall and down a row of lockers. Would it be inappropriate to dump a bucket of ice water on people like this to ensure a relaxing sauna for myself?
-Heated

Dear Abby,
The water in my shower backs up at certain times of the day (i.e. times when I need to use it). It is not only inconvenient, but pretty sickening when the drain water backs up into my bathtub. My specific drain is not clogged because other times of the day it works just fine. I know it is something my apartment manager should deal with, but every time the manager "fixes" something it ends up worse than before. Should I try to deal with this on my own or take the risk of my bathtub being destroyed?
-Clogged and Clueless

Dear Abby,
Recently I discovered that some ladies from my church are smuggling illegal substances across the border. Does it make me an accomplice if I look the other way... and chuckle. I guess I should mention that the the substance is dishwasher soap containing phosphates* and the border is between Washington and Idaho.
-Washed up in Washington
*Washington has outlawed any soap containing phosphates. While environmentally responsible, the phosphate free soap really just covers the food on your dirty dishes with a soapy film. I eat off the soap filmy dishes as my civic duty.

Dear Abby,
I'm really looking forward to Friday. Have you convinced the general public that we need to switch to a three day weekend yet?
-Here's to Hoping (A.K.A Deanna)

My dreams have been crushed.

Much improvement needed.

52 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test!

Melissa

A Week in Review

It's been a fairly average week. Things passed quickly and I was just thrilled to sleep in this morning, grab a cup of coffee and snuggle up with my book. Pretty typical... although, the more I thought about it, maybe just typical for me. I suppose a "typical week" is more like a thumbprint in that there are no two exactly alike.

My Week in Review:

High: Getting back together with my little sister (BBBS) after months of lost communication.

Low: About 28 degrees.

Made Me Smile: Presenting David with the first of my "Geek Chic" line, a framed set of Dr. Who quotes, for his new apartment.

Major Questions: Why do Disney movie characters never have mothers and, if they do, they are either evil or get shot by a hunter? What the heck am I going to do for Thanksgiving since it is NEXT WEEK?

Shocking Moment: Definitely when I went down the slide at McDonald's with Raylinn. Every screw my butt hit on the way down sent static electricity shooting through my body as I slid closer to that eerie mural of Ronald McDonald. Really? We have robots doing surgery, but we can't find a way to construct a slide that will not electrocute the children of this country? Although... in some strange masochistic way... is that part of the fun? Maybe this should be under "Major Questions of the Week".

Reminder That I am Quirky: When, after an enthusiastic elocutionary outpouring about my favorite modern convenience, I got a smile and the comment, "Wow, I've never known anyone as passionate about indoor plumbing as you."

Favorite Idea: Adding cinnamon and nutmeg to my vanilla protein shake to make it taste like an eggnog shake. Yum yum, I love eggnog.

Favorite Discovery: Playlist.com (thanks to Katy's blog!). Finally a playlist that has the perfect combination of country, gospel, Disney soundtrack, 80's rock, top 40, praise, and 60's folk rock!

Peaceful Moment: My lunchtime walk in the state park when the sun was shining and the scene was just filled with all the exciting things you notice when you are a kid.

I hope you had a "typical week" too!

:) Deanna

Randomness and My Green Tambourine

O Danny Boy
I heard the song O Danny Boy twice today in different settings. I always love hearing this song. This strikes me as odd because it is really depressing.



Presumptious
I love the word "presumptious". It just sounds really cool when you use it in a sentence especially in the form of irony. Here is a sentence I used in an email the other day that was just meant to have "presumptious" in it:

"Last winter my drink of choice was a 16 oz., 2%, double split shot, sugar free vanilla latte. I wanted them to make it upside down, but I thought that might make me sound presumptious."

I have actually said it since then and I do like saying it just as much as writing it. A word I really like using but struggle with saying is "circuitous".

Free to be... You and Me
I was reading a book today and the author mentioned the album, Free to be... You and Me. Wow, I happily shot back in time to the hours I spent listening to the record as a kid. The author said she left it playing in her car once when she went out to dinner. When the valet returned her car he was so excited because he hadn't heard the album in years. I didn't realize so many people shared the memory of this album with me.



Cutting my lip on my sandwhich
On Saturday I went out to eat at Downriver Grill. I was having a brie and chicken sandwich with apple and crandberry on it and the bun was grilled to a beautiful, but sharp, golden brown. I say sharp because at one point I went to take a bite and it scratched my lip. A little while later David told me I still had cranberry sauce on my lip. When I checked, it was actually blood from the cut I got from my sandwich. I got a cut from bread. Suddenly, knowing that my sandwich can cut through my skin, the Ginsu knives cutting through a shoe doesn't seem all that impressive.

<>Deanna<>

Leaning Tower of Propaganda

Well, I've had some very faithful penpals lately. Kevin and Don have been sending me notes almost daily and calling me. Oh, and so has Dino, John, Chris...

Something tells me these relationships will soon be over. I see them everywhere. They tell me how much they care and how much I mean to them, but once I tell them where I stand it's done. They don't call... they don't write.

The pile of letters from the last couple weeks were stacked in my recycle bin. I grabbed them to see if I was exaggerating the level of correspondance in my head. I really wasn't. The level turned out to be 6. Well, 6 stories I guess...

Here's a little monument to all those campaigning for my vote. I like to call it the Leaning Tower of Propaganda.

_Deanna_

On Weddings and Personal Hygiene

Well, last Saturday I went to a wedding reception. The bride and groom slide show was going in the church and everybody was "aahhh"ing at the loving couple gliding onto the screen. I happened to have the groom's four year old daughter sitting next to me in the pew. I set my arm on the pew behind her head to keep it from falling asleep. At this point she was eye level with my armpit... which is always a precarious place for a four year old girl who says whatever comes to her mind. She looked up, and because I had a capped sleeve she was privy to what was under my arm.

"Why do you have pokeys coming out?", she asked as she pointed to my armpit.

I glanced down wondering how I had managed to get something on my shirt so early in the day. I was confused for a second until I looked past my shirt to the skin under my arm. It had been a bit cooler lately, so in the absence of tank tops I hadn't bothered to shave my armpits for a few days. I chuckled to myself thinking about how kids say the darndest things.

"Well, I shaved the hair there and now it's starting to grow back."

Now at this point we'd kept the conversation within earshot of only a couple of people, so when she asked why I shaved my armpits I explained that usually people do when they're grown up. Not picking up on my subtle, low voiced cues she decided to tell me a little about her family... quite loudly.

"Oh! My dad shaves his armpits!"

The only thing that could've been louder at that moment was the snorts coming from the surrounding adults unsuccessfully muffling the jocularity. A glance over at her father, the groom, all the way across the center aisle confirmed the strong vocal ability of his daughter. Turning away from his raised eyebrows, I hushed the little princess to a whisper.

"We need to talk quietly while the pictures are being shown."

And of course the explanation comes in a quiet whisper.

"I've seen him shave. He takes a can and sprays it on the hair in his armpit, pulls it back out", and with a sweeping motion of her hand to the top of the imaginary can, "and puts the lid back on!".

Bless her heart.

~Deanna~

The Value of a Person

Last week had a theme to it. Everywhere I (Deanna) went I was hearing messages about the value that every person has. I finished the book, Frankenstein, watched some movies with the focus, and the sermon on Sunday was about bioethics. I think my main conclusion was that yes, everybody has intrinsic value, but wondered how do we recognize it. I've decided that it's something that we live out whether or not we are directly confronted with issues like abortion or euthanasia. So, what does that look like? This is what I came up with. It looks like...

...the mom from my church who, as a way to deal with the loss of her young son to cancer, takes in babies through foster care. She often ends up becoming a mom to the baby's parents because they are usually young and just as hungry for love.

...my friend, Lauren, who drops everything to grieve with people that most people would overlook.

...my sister who buys fingernail polish and paints the nails of the ladies in the nursing home.

...my friend, Miranda, who gets excited about working with people who live out on the street.

...my dad who helps half the town with computer problems, knowing the most he'll get in return is an occasional apple pie.

....the family here in town that has adopted 9 out of 12 of their children, many of them having major medical needs.

...my mom who used to go over every morning to have coffee with our aging neighbor who rarely had her out of town family come visit.

These are the ways to show the value of each life.

-Deanna-