View from the Couch

I couldn't think of a better title.  I'm not really having an existential crisis, not questioning my place in the great scheme of things; but I am having some sort of of "what now?" moment.  At this very moment, my daughter Bridgete is enduring the last day of the Massachusetts State Bar exam.   All my energy is directed at her and holding her in my thoughts.  It's the least I can do.  It's the only thing I can do from here.  And it's probably best that I am here and not anywhere near her.  I'd be one of those  awful hovering parents - and I don't hover well.  But I love well.  As much as it breaks my heart to be so far from her, I celebrate the fact that she has become this amazing person.  So strong and capable.  Wise and funny.  Kind and honest.  With such great friends, people I would be proud to call my friends.  And I just sit back and love her.  There is great joy in being a parent at these m...

Sorry I've been so long in writing.  The block is strong in this one.  But I did want to update everyone.  Feeling much better.  Still not 100% back to strong, but I have to pat myself on the back for seeing things coming and knowing there was a cause and fighting the demons away.  Seeing Dr. Molly tomorrow for an update on the Vitamin D and thyroid issues. I'm getting very excited about Paris.  VERY EXCITED.  I just have to get my plane ticket to and from Boston!  I've been waiting for prices to drop, but so far, no luck.  I don't have enough miles with Alaska to get a half price ticket just yet.   So it's down to Continental which would not be a direct flight but reasonably priced or my usual direct flights on Alaska.  Have to decide by next week - or at the very latest - the first of August. I promise to update you later.  REALLY!  I do!!

I've been very depressed lately about a number of things. The weather is awful.  Yeah, I know I live in Oregon and we have a lot of rain, it's a rain forest for god's sake.  But this year is the worst I can remember for some time.  Today is JUNE 9th.  The Junior Rose Parade is today.  All the years we lived in the Hollywood district, the Junior Rose parade meant fun and sun and kids out in shorts and sandals.  The BIG PARADE is Saturday. The pools are getting ready to open!   But it's 60 degrees and RAINING...torrents of rain.  I have friends who have natural swimming holes in their back yards now.  Not that they asked for them. No matter how hard I am saving, I can't seem to get to a place where I can relax about money.  No matter what I do with my diet and exercise, I am ballooning up, not going down.  No matter how hard I avoid the news, it finds me and it depresses me even more.  And even when I think I'm clearing ...

Can I send this to every education administrator on the planet??? We are starving our souls. Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the teaching revolution! | Video on TED.com

 This has been a frustrating week for me.  It started out wonderfully.  My beloved sisters and my niece Nikki spent Monday evening with me at dinner, followed by a fabulous pub quiz.  Tuesday, I was able to spend a little more time with them and with my niece Dawn.  I love these ladies.  They make me laugh until I hurt.  We talk about important stuff and silly stuff.  We praise our children and share our griefs.  And I teared up trying to explain to my sister Judie how I am at a loss of how to tell my beautiful daughter how proud I am of her.  It just doesn't seem enough to say, "I knew you could do it.  You are amazing.  Your gift is to be the light of my life."  I don't know what to say. After a stop in at Papa Haydn's for a light nibble and a tasty dessert, I opted to take mine home.  Chocolate Truffle Cake.  And I couldn't finish it.  I thought I was past this hurt.  I thought I was ready to move ...

I love TED Talks. It always gives me something to think about, wonder, contemplate and ultimately incorporate into my being. This one is especially telling as our "social networks" have become increasingly virtual and not actual. Yet the ties, at least in my experience, are no less important, influential and necessary to the health and happiness of our being. Enjoy. And thank you for being part of my network. I know I am better for it. Nicholas Christakis: The hidden influence of social networks | Video on TED.com

In Act Two of My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle declares to Freddy Einsford-Hill that she's "so sick of words.  I get words all day through, first from him, now from you."  She want Freddy to take action - and "Show Me."  While I understand the sentiment of don't talk, show, I've never been sick of words.  I love words.  Words make me wet - to put it bluntly.  I love to read them, hear them, sing them, write them, play with them, invent them.  Words, words, words....fabulous words. So why is it that when I commit myself to sitting down and writing something specific - using my words to unleash my soul - that I suddenly can't find them. Or they seem foolish and empty.  Or the universe steps in and says...no, you don't get to be a writer. I've called myself a writer for years.  I've written poems that I think are bloody fantastic.  I've written short stories and treatments and short plays and outlines and ideas and blog posts unt...