Do Over

Did you ever wish that you could have a "do over" of some event in your life? I thought about that with the end of my marriage...what if I could do it over, knowing what I know now, would I do so? My first reaction was that I would not have taken the relationship to that level but then I started remembering the good things about the marriage, namely three wonderful children.

One of my daughters wrote an essay for school about a person that she admired and I was pleased to find out that I was the subject of that essay. However, in the essay she lamented, for my sake, the life that I had given up in order to marry her father. I had to remind her that if I had made a different choice then she would not be here and because of that I thought it was one of the best choices I had made.

King of Pop

Michael Jackson dead at age 50..too young..but not a surprise. I found myself going back and listening to some of his music that I had not listened to in years. And with that reaffirmed in my mind that he really was a musical genius and deserved the title King of Pop.

Those whose posts are flying off keyboards and dwell on the bizarre aspects of his life would do well to remember what he created in the world of entertainment. He never failed to deliver with his music. His appearance changes, while strange, were his choice (or due to medical reasons as some of have suggested) and the allegations made against him remained just that "allegations" and in this country we proclaim that a person is innocent until proven guilty. It is time that we did more than just pay lip service to that ideal of justice.

My personal opinion is that while misguided, his actions were those of a young man who did not make the social jump to adulthood but remained the "Peter Pan' and could be himself when around children. As for the parents who settled out of court, as a mother myself, if I truly believed that someone had molested my child, money would not buy my silence, so my belief in their allegations is just not there.

And so I hope that he can find peace in Neverland.

Celtic Music

Maybe it is a result of my heritage but every time I hear music performed by a Celtic group I feel homesick. This one is not exactly Celtic in nature but it does give me that same feeling.

Summer Time and the livings easy..

or so the song claims. Yesterday it was in the 90's and very humid. It felt like you were wading through the air and I thought it was a miserable day. Oh foolish me! Today it is 110 and all I want to do is stay inside with the AC blasting. A few months ago I was complaining about the cold and now this..I wish Mother Nature could just come up with a compromise with Old Man Winter and they could work together to give me the perfect day.

Window Shopping

..that is I am looking at windows but also for the house in which they sit. During this real estate surfing I have quickly noted that certain terms used by Realtor are in no way defined as we might think. Take for instance the word "cute". When used in real estate lingo it could mean anything from a small but charming abode to a postage stamp size dwelling or even one that has features that are beyond description. The pepto pink house is described as cute because the realtor was at a loss for any other terms to describe what had to be a Mary Kay/Barbie nightmare house.
Ideal for young family means "don't expect much" from this listing. Won't last long means it is overpriced and the owner really wants to unload it.

Executive means that it is pricey and has more space than anyone really needs in a home. Investment property tends to mean that you will need to do a lot before you will see any return on your money.

Raise Your Glass

Research has found that beer hydrates the body better than water. According to Science magazine, researchers at Granada University in Spain tested 25 students who ran on a treadmill at a high temperature until they were exhausted. After the workout, half the subjects drank water while the other half were given two pints of lager.The researchers found that the beer drinkers had better motor skills and ability to concentrate. The study suggests that the sugar, salt and bubbles found in beer help the body to absorb fluids.

So crack open a cold one and toast this wonderful piece of news.

Relationships

I don't need a man. But I'm happier with one. I like to have someone I can touch and squeeze and kiss. But I don't fold up and die if I don't have a man around.
Cher

Like Cher, I don't feel the need to have a man in my life. I was married and even then did not want to have the other party involved in every aspect of my life. And now the only thing that I really miss is ....well..nothing. It is sad to say about a relationship but I what I miss the most is the friend that I had prior to the marriage vows being said. Marriage ended that relationship and what replaced it was never as good.

Now I date. It is nice to have someone to go to events with you and to take part in lively conversations, someone to convince you to try something new, and with the right person that physical comfort. However, I don't need the have that person with me at all times and I think my relationships are better because of that time alone.

Online Search For Love

The other night, a co-worker went on a blind date with a man that she "met" via an online match service. Everyone had given her advise, meet in a public place, have someone you know at that same place just in case, etc. She followed the advise, meeting at a local restaurant with two friends eating at the same place. The next day we were all eager to hear how the date had gone from her perspective. He was not as good looking as his online photo had indicated (no surprise there as photoshop can do amazing things and who doesn't want to look their best) but what really surprised her was how mild-mannered he was in person. Not her type she said but still a nice guy who just did not know how to be himself around women. "I felt more manly than him." but she still thought that she could be friends with him as he wasn't a jerk and that was what she had feared the most.

Despite the somewhat disappointing date, she plans to continue using online means to try and find someone with whom she will find that magic chemistry that we all hope to find.

Pink is for girls?

Suddenly the folks on Madison Avenue have decided that all little girls are made of sugar and spice, want to be princesses and wear nothing but pastels, preferably pink. Toy stores are filled with special editions of toys with the only difference being the color pink. There is a pink Monopoly, a pink Ouija board, pink Sit & Spins, etc. Then there are the long aisles of princess paraphernalia.

My girls enjoyed the stereotypical girl toys like dolls, dress up clothes, etc but they did it with a twist. The girls wore their frilly dresses but often carried swords or bow and arrow and went off on quest. Their dolls were part of these scenarios. They had a Barbie who was given the nickname of "Scarface Barbie"( a result of the head coming off and splitting then being super glued back together resulting in the "scar") and was as tough as GI Joe.

Avon Calling

Cafe Press

http://www.cafepress.com/Alyn2004

Fun With Photos

I have found that even the worst of my old photos can be made interesting by some careful and fun editing like this one. The style is a good fit for the "me" of the time.

MM

"I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." Marilyn Monroe

I found this wonderful quote and can really relate to what she was saying. True friends, those who profess to love us, should be able to standby when we are at our worst. They may not enjoy being around us during some of the out of control times but they should be able to understand and be waiting for us on the other side.

Kisses

"According to U.S. statistics, an American woman would kiss an average of 80 men before she gets married."

I found this little bit of trivia on a site and found myself wondering if I lost count somewhere along the line because I can't for the life of me remember this many!

Where Did The Years go?

The cute little guy on the left is now "grown up" and a writer of Sci-fantasy. The ghoulish photo was from his birthday celebration, which happens to fall on Halloween. To his mother, however, he remains the cherubic child of my heart.

Oh, Sure, the British are better

25/05/2009 - 10:10:39
A new poll has found that Irish people spend almost 9.5 hours moaning each week.

The figure adds up to more than 20 days a year.

Bad weather tops the list of daily groans, followed by tiredness, traffic and work.

The poll found that only British people moan more than the Irish.

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/eykfcwkfsnmh/#ixzz0Gkm8Jm7v&B

Thoughts on Life from great minds

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. Robert Frost


All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. Ralph Waldo Emerson


All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. Henry Ellis

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out. Anton Chekhov

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact. William James

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. Buddha

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. Mark Twain

Memorial Day

When I was a kid (many,many years ago) Memorial Day was always the 30th of May. Then some bureaucrat decided to propose that the date be moved to a "floating" date to allow government employees to enjoy a 3-day weekend to start off the summer. Other holidays have been treated the same way and it seems as if the meaning behind the holiday no longer matters as long as folks can get a long weekend.

In addition to everything else that is on my schedule, I have once more started with Avon. The funds, as in the past, earmarked for vacations, entertainment, etc. And this year it will go to help fund my son on his bike ride across the country. He is planning on riding from Madison, Wisconsin to Portland, Oregon with stops along the way with friends from school and from the web. He is looking for sponsorship as well as folks who are interested in riding along with him for a few miles.

So Avon Calling...

How to describe myself...that has always been a question that I dreaded, whether it be during a job interview or simply friends asking the question. For me, the answer to that question would depend upon the current frame of mind. There are days when I still think of myself as the shy, somewhat nerdy high school girl who chameleon like was able to blend with the group of people I was with at the time. Then there was the college years and the personality changed to a surprisingly sophisticated co-ed. After college I went through a few years of rebellion before settling into the role of career woman and mother. And now, years later the person is once more changing as I find myself a single woman once more.