Some More Random Rambling

A mind is a terrible thing to lose, and I feel sometimes like it's happening! Often I will think of something that I want to write here, and I'll think of just how I want to say it. I'm so positive that I'll not forget this brilliant phrase, but it lasts about 10 seconds. I truly need one of those little recorders so that I can capture my brilliance before it disappears. So sad.

I have little slips of paper all over the place with notes to myself - I try to write things down while I'm driving, but that's not such a hot idea, and I can't even read it most of the time. So here goes - I'll dump some of the overload from my "memory card" or "hard drive" and call it good.

You know how many times I've written about my chocolate addiction? There's good news - there's a reason! I read this article in the paper the other day. "If that craving for chocolate sometimes feels like it is coming from deep in your gut, that's because maybe it is." It seems that there is a "small study" (meaning, it's probably not going to prove to be true) that "links the type of bacteria living in people's digestive system to a desire for chocolate. People who crave daily chocolate show signs of having different colonies of bacteria than people who are immune to chocolate's allure." That explains the difference between me and say, Barb or Diane! It's such a relief to know that I'm not just weak or powerless, but there's a good reason!! Ha.

Has anybody read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom? I've heard of it for years, but just recently saw the author on Dr. Phil, and decided I needed to read it. I got the cd version from the library and am listening to it on the way to and from work. It is wonderful, and very well written. But it has me thinking and questioning - Morrie was a wonderful man who acquired ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in his 70s after teaching sociology in a university for 35 years. His outlook on life was amazing - he refused to let his disease ruin the rest of his life, short as it may be. The thing that puzzles me about him and the other guests that both Oprah and Phil have had this week, who know they are dying, is how they can have such good outlooks on the end of their lives with no mention of eternity. No mention of God's help in making it through their illnesses. No feeling of hopelessness. I can't imagine facing the end of life without knowing that God was going to be there to greet me when I die.

I have not often been rebellious in my life. In fact, my brothers give me a hard time for being what they like to call "Goody Two Shoes." Once as an adult, they were teasing me so much that I actually cried to my mom, "So what's so bad about being GOOD?" But I must confess to all of you that I am in a state of rebellion - against the parking services department of our university. They are the largest money-making entity, next to the athletic department, on campus. They are raising parking fees every year, and significantly so for the next 5 years. (Interestingly, when you retire, you are privileged with FREE PARKING on campus for as long as you live!) But I digress. This year I decided not to buy a parking pass, but to park on the one free street on the periphery of the campus. Don't ask me why they haven't grabbed it up and make it into restricted space. But they haven't yet. Trouble is - you have to get there by 7:00 a.m. to be sure you get one of the coveted spots. That's not a problem for me, because I love getting there early and having a bit of time to myself before the busy day begins. The unexpected plus is that I make someone happy almost every day. You see, I leave at 11:30. Almost every day, someone spots me getting ready to leave and waits for my spot, holding up a line of traffic behind them. I can only imagine how excited they are to get it. It's nice to make someone's day!

The moon has been so awesome this week. Quite a few people have taken pictures and posted them. When Kevin was in Africa, every month I'd look at the beautiful moon and think of it hanging over Africa as well, and hoping he was looking at it. It made me feel closer to him.

It's been a year now since my father-in-law went to heaven. Mom C has done remarkably well. She's had a hard time with her memory, but it has improved. But one disadvantage of sort of coming out of the fog of the first year is that the pain becomes more acute. She has been dreaming about him almost every night. After 65 years of marriage, it is certainly understandable. But the dreams usually involve her looking for him in some large place like Wal-Mart. But then that really happened when he was alive - he tended to wander off and do his own thing without thinking to tell anyone where he was going! I just know he's up there in heaven waiting for her to join him.

On my birthday a month ago, DC gave me an IOU for this:

The promise was for "when he had the money." I thought it would be awhile. Imagine my surprise and delight when he wrote me an e-mail yesterday saying he had heard from Dell that it was being shipped. He wanted me to know that I should be watching for it. I can't believe it! I am so excited. The only down side is that now I get to learn a new operating system, Windows Vista™. I'll be way ahead of everyone at work, because we haven't been upgraded there yet. I'll keep you posted.

I think that's about enough, except for one great quote from Care Bear. We didn't have a birthday party or cake for me this year. In fact, the adults all went out to eat, and we didn't really tell the kids where we were going. She asked me a few days later when we were having a party. I said I guessed we weren't. She said, "What's a birthday without a party?" What indeed??

Have a wonderful week-end!