My Dogs are Mooing

Back in the classic days of SNL Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd used to do a segment on Weekend Update called "Point/Counterpoint", which would begin as a current events debate but generally devolve into insults about their, ahem, personal characters.  Today was a Point/Counterpoint day -- minus the jabs at my integrity. Point -- I donated my old collection of classroom books to a worthy place.  Eight years of books equals a lot of boxes. Counterpoint -- I live on the second floor.  My car is on the first floor.  A lot of boxes of books had to get from the second floor to the first floor. Point -- I went on a walk and found an abandoned license plate by the side of the road and turned it into the police department to be returned to its rightful owner. Counterpoint -- It was really hot today.  Why did I go on a walk? Point -- The police officer who collected the plate from me was appreciative. Counterpoint -- He was probably more appreciative that he was done...

It's been far too long since my last post.  I thought about writing several times, but my brain had other plans.  A lot has happened recently, and my mind has definitely been all over the place.   A new nephew.  Changes at work.  Returning to school for another master's degree.  A fender bender.  Meeting a celebrity.  And that's just the beginning... My life has certainly maintained its roller-coaster tendency. Some days the ride is exhilarating, and other days I wish I'd never even entered the amusement park.  I suppose that's natural though; the road not taken, indeed.  If you had asked me a year ago where I'd be, I never figured I'd be here -- whatever here means.  The impact of changing one part of my life has bled into the other areas, and taking on a new role as a student has me examining all of the other roles of my life in a different way.  My instructors have repeatedly talked about keeping life in balance and not l...

Yesterday was the Go Girl half marathon.  I was privileged and honored to spend 13.1 miles with some extremely special girls. The weather was perfect, and as the ladies started gathering around the starting line there was a great spirit of excitement.  My friend Andi and I saw matching shirts, cheerful signs, and tutus (hey, this was an all-girls race!).  There was even a spontaneous Zumba warm-up before the race, courtesy of Mark Livesay and the Ultramax team.  Once the race started we kept telling ourselves we were just on a nice long walk.  Emphasis on the long part. About three miles in we caught up with two young mothers pushing strollers.  They were part of a mothers' group based out of Fort Leonard Wood; military wives teamed up for races and called themselves "warriors with strollers".  One woman, named Sunny, was embarking on her first half marathon.  She would run in short bursts, telling herself she could make it to the next stop si...

On my refrigerator is a card from one of my first mentors in education.  We met three years ago at a conference; at the time, I was new to gifted education and desperately trying to find my footing.  She and I immediately clicked, and we've been friends ever since.  I see that card constantly, and it always makes me smile.  It's written in her beautiful, formal style and offers words of encouragement and advice -- with a little sass tossed in, as only she can.  The card also ends with the exhortation to "email me sometime, will ya?"  Unfortunately those emails have slipped lower and lower on the priority list.  Every time I see that card I tell myself, "I'll email her tomorrow..."; however, tomorrows have a way of passing us by. Tonight, though, I decided things would be different.  I sat down and wrote her a letter.  It seemed a strange choice -- I actually committed to taking the time and effort to catch up with her, yet I chose the least...

Those of you who know me know I don't normally comment on current events.  It goes without saying that in these kinds of instances people are grieving, or praying, or thinking about those affected.  Tragedies inevitably lead to discussions about what comes next -- why did it happen?  Where do we go from here?  What can we do to keep it from happening again?  Some events, like Hurricane Katrina or the tornado in Joplin, leave us confused and lost; how can we make sense of something that no one could predict or control?  The shootings at Sandy Hook or Virginia Tech lead to debates on school safety and gun control, and sometimes those debates devolve into finger-pointing and demands that may be impossible to fulfill.  Then, of course, there was 9/11 -- the ultimate game-changer. For those of us who have been fortunate to never have been directly impacted by events like these, it's easy to say "what if..." and wonder how we would ever possibly cope....

I've always had a soft spot for folks who work in customer service.  Having spent five years in high school and college doing the salesclerk thing, I know how difficult it can be to work with the general public.  For all of the nice, polite, appreciative customers out there, you can bet there are even more who are rude, pushy, and self-absorbed.  I know firsthand how much patience and fake smiling it takes to make it through, so I try to be extra respectful.  Two different salesclerks today, however, made me briefly reconsider. Salesclerk #1 had the best of intentions.  Really, she did.  She was smiley and friendly.  As I was checking out, though, she made a big production of telling me how much money I had saved today.  No big deal, I suppose, until she followed the amount up by telling me, "good job!".  I realize that for some couponing and saving money are not just hobbies or ways of life, but art forms.  However, I was not a puppy ...

I had the ultimate pleasure of visiting Charleston, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina during my spring break.  While I could go on and on about the sights and the food (oh, man -- the food!), I'd rather talk about the people.  I met some amazing folks who, although I will never know their names or see them again, made me think about life in a different way. There was the woman  who did more than just confirm that we were on the right street -- she took the time to give us complete directions to where we wanted to go.  She didn't need to do that; when asked a simple "is this so-and-so street?" she could have nodded or barked out a quick "yes" before heading on with her day and her life. Four different shopkeepers took several minutes to answer our questions and advise us on places to go and things to do.  Their tips would prove invaluable, and the time they spent probably cost them more than what we paid for the coffee we drank or the time we sp...

I realize it's been a long time since my last post, but life has been so eventful that it's kept me away from my writing.  There have been so many things going on that I could write about -- and I still may -- but for now I'm focused on the (semi) new year.  It seems like every January I make certain promises to myself about how things will be different, better, new.  I'm going to stick to that new gym routine, I'll train for this new race, I'll visit those new places, I'll put myself out there and try new things; every year new resolutions emerge and I find myself struggling to keep them.  I manage to follow through on some, but others tend to quietly fade away.  Part of me gets excited for the new challenges, but another part of me wonders about my motivation.  Am I trying to be better than I already am, or am I looking to forge an entirely new path and reinvent myself?  I also get that the whole idea of new year's resolutions can seem a bit silly....

Well, Dog fans, I did it -- I completed my first half-marathon!  After surviving Redman I wasn't sure I was ready to jump back into a race so soon, but a friend from Jefferson City was doing the half-marathon at Bass Pro and convinced me to tag along.  Unfortunately this has been a crazy time of year -- parent/teacher conferences, robotics, state gifted conference -- so my training was little more than walking to the mailbox.  The night before the race we were fortunate enough to hear a speech from Frank Shorter, the marathon gold medalist from the 1972 Olympics.  His victory lap was famously disrupted by an imposter who jumped out of the crowd and raced ahead of him into the stadium.  The emcee for the evening decided to find the footage of the race, and towards the end Frank stood up in front of the screen with the most intent look on his face.  It turns out he had never seen that footage before, and we got to experience him experiencing that moment....

Now that the Halloween candy is on clearance, 'tis officially the season all up in this joint.  The stores are already in full Christmas swing.  I even heard "Winter Wonderland" playing, which was hard to take seriously when it was 75 degrees and sunny.  With Black Friday fast approaching, I've already seen some holiday hysteria: * I was in a store looking for lady stuff.  There were three nuns in the lady stuff department.  I was torn between wanting to stay as far from them as possible and wanting to sneak up behind them and see what they actually bought.  I know that they need unmentionables too, but I figured that was just standard issue with their habits, along with the sensible shoes and Clorox to keep their whites looking white.  Do they have to follow a dress code for their underpinnings, too? * A guy walking in front of me clearly had his shirt on inside out.  Was he a messy eater and figured, "hey, it works for the couch cushions..."?...

This is it -- the official rundown of my triathlon experience!  I know many of you (well, at least my parents) have been anxiously awaiting this post, so here it goes. My Nationals experience actually started a day before I left for OKC when I arrived home to discover my beloved bike had been stolen (chain and all).  This was probably one of the least articulate moments of my life; most of the phone call to my father consisted of four-letter words.  My next flurry of phone calls went out to my lovely friends and coworkers, who made sure that I would have a bike to take to OKC.  I also put out the SOS to the rest of the racers in Oklahoma and was assured that a bike would be waiting for me there. Saturday was a really inspiring day.  I got to watch several races, including an Ironman distance race.  I saw people overcome pain and fatigue to accomplish something truly amazing.  As the sun set over Lake Hefner I had a moment of fear and panic and exci...

I just spent the weekend in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma competing at the Redman Triathlon for Columbia Multisport Club.  Throughout the course of the weekend I made a number of discoveries. Discovery #1 -- Oklahoma has more tolls than any state I've ever visited.  I paid two to get into the state, two to get out, and a whole bunch in between.  One day I got lost and took the wrong exit; I literally paid for that mistake because I had to pay a toll to go back in the right direction.  At one point I pulled off the highway to get gas and the toll lady gave me a fifty cent refund.  When I got back on the highway a few minutes later I had to give the fifty cents back.  The toll booth giveth, and the toll booth taketh away. Discovery #2 -- There is nothing to see on the drive to Oklahoma.  It's kinda like driving through Kansas, with the only difference being it's not Kansas. Discovery #3 -- Tulsa has an El Chico.  It is yummy. Discovery #4 -- My GP...

People who work for Springfield Public Schools often do a Plus Delta chart after major events.  The Plus side lists all of the positive things that occurred, while the Delta side is suggestions for changes or improvements.  I have had the ultimate of Plus Delta days. Plus: * Work was lovely today. * I saw the parents of my father's first groupie (a little first grader who, after watching my dad play guitar for choir, presented him with a drawing she had made of him singing.  It's now framed in his music room.  Cutest thing ever!). * The hot dog I had at lunch was delicious. * My teaching partner and I had a wonderful talk and super tasty BBQ dinner. * Only one more day of teaching this week before a much-needed work day. * I had already flushed. * I learned about ukeleles from a guy at Radio Shack. Delta: * It was hot today.  I felt icky. * I forgot my lunch, necessitating the need to eat the delicious hot dog.  While I was happy with the hot d...

1.  Last Friday night I was driving home from my parents' house when I saw two gentlemen on the corner.  One was wearing a jumpsuit and the other was dressed as (I swear) Captain Hook.  They appeared to be brushing up on their creeper skills.  Well played, boys.  Well played. 2.  I've been watching a lot of "Storage Wars" lately.  Who puts glass eyeballs in a storage locker?  Why are plastic chairs worthy of storage?  If someone can afford to purchase and store randomly valuable items, why can't they afford to pay the storage fees?  And why do so many people store money in storage lockers?  Haven't they ever heard of a bank? 3.  My father used the work "Grok" in Words with Friends.  He claims it means "to understand."  Later when I was telling him about my bad day he told me he totally grokked (groked?).  Thanks for the support, Dad. 4. - 6.  I'm sure I've mused about some more stuff here, I'm just to...

I'm home from an amazing trip to Colorado! My friends and I had a ton of fun walking in the beautiful weather, sitting by the pool, watching the Olympics, browsing bookstores, and hiking in the mountains.  The one less than stellar part?  The actual travel. On the plus side, leaving from Branson airport instead of Springfield airport is a real money-saver.  On the down side, I had to go to Branson airport.  As one of my fellow travelers observed, "It's in the middle of nowhere!"  That about sums it up.  The only landmark is the Murder Rock (???) Golf Course and Restaurant.  The airport is small, which does make it easy to navigate.  The airline lady probably didn't even really need to use the microphone, but it did give things an air of big city-ness.  She announced that our flight was full and asked for volunteers to gate-check luggage for free.  Since I was taking a direct flight I had no problem giving up my suitcase.  I wa...

Watching the Olympics inspires me to bone up on my sports and athletic info, and I came across this gem of an article: Preventing Zumba Injuries My favorite line from the article came from a neurologist -- and admitted Zumba fan -- who theorized that some injuries were caused by  "women (who) slip on any sneaker that they think will match their outfit" instead of wearing proper footwear.  That's harsh, yo. The article also contained a link to a list of ways to avoid Zumba catastrophes.  The same neurologist, who clearly does not have stock in DSW or Nine West, made this intriguing argument: "Consider my patient KM, 45, from Brewster, N.Y., who took a hard landing on the concrete poolside surface while teaching Aqua Zumba two years ago. She felt pain in the soles of her feet, and over time developed severe plantar fasciitis (an inflammation of the connective tissue in the feet). Her condition worsened because of the prolonged standing required by her day ...

Hey all!  I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but it's been a busy summer.  Not to worry, though; in the midst of the chaos there have been some Dog-worthy moments.  One happened today at Target (which is what I get for going to Target during the back-to-school bonanza).  I'm preparing for my final adventure before heading back to school -- a trip to Colorado to see my friends and their new adorable little guy.  So like any doting friend, I stopped by the store to get some presents.  After taking the childless walk of shame through the strange and mysterious baby aisle (why is it that babies need more stuff than I did in my first three apartments combined?) I made my way to the cashier.  I ended up in line behind a mother and a daughter who insisted on ringing up their identical items separately (seriously, they bought the same shirts and unmentionables and everything).  Finally, it was my turn.  I laid down my items and politely ...

Last night we enjoyed a lovely meal at Ophelia's.  When we were done we decided to return to Finnigan's Wake, the sight of some of our biggest accomplishments of late.  We were shocked to see that the place was packed, and the doorman told us that they were all rugby players.  Real ones, too -- not like Ross on "Friends".  We proceeded to spend the evening conversing with some lovely Welshmen.  As it turns out, in 1985 a Welsh rugby player and a Springfield rugby player (yep, Springfield actually has a team) were buddies and decided to organize a goodwill game.  Every few years the Welsh team travels here, or the Springfield team travels there.  This tradition has gone on so long that some of the original players are now cheering on their sons.  The guys were an absolute blast.  An older gentleman gave us a really interesting history/geography lesson on Wales and its inclusion in the United Kingdom.  Folks played shuffleboard and pool ...

Pop quiz, hotshots.  You're driving late at night when you approach an intersection.  The traffic lights are flashing.  There are cars on the other three streets at the light.  What is proper traffic etiquette? The correct answer would be to treat the intersection like a four-way stop.  However, these three drivers apparently missed that question on their drivers' tests.  They were all sitting at the light.  All of them.  Completely stopped.  No waving.  No leaning on the horn.  Staring at each other like they thought that would cause the lights to change.  This wasn't even one of those times where everyone thought the other one would go; I saw these cars nearly a block before I stopped, and when I stopped none of them made a move.  In fact, once I crossed the intersection another car behind me stopped, waited, and crossed the intersection before any of the other cars moved.  Perhaps I stumbled onto some we...

A friend invited me to play on her softball team.  I played catcher and only missed the ball 50% of the time.  I even got a hit, which sounds great until you learn I struck out twice.  Despite my Mr. Magoo-like performance we actually came back from an 8-1 deficit to take the game 10-8.  After our impressive rally, we decided to take our winning selves to trivia.  Our egos were quickly deflated after the first round of general knowledge.  Apparently, we know nothing about the Vietnam War.  Or renewable energy.  Or the Beatles' final album.  Oops. Round 2 was in honor of one of the guest emcees, who is from Ireland (accent and all).  I learned two things from this round: 1.  I know nothing about Ireland. 2.  I don't want to know anything about Ireland. Round 3 was devoted to science fiction.  I know Ray Bradbury was a total icon to his fans, but could he have maybe waited until Friday to pass away so we...