When was the last time you laughed so hard you could not drive?

Yesterday I helped my brother Ken move some stuff from Burlington to his house in Montpelier.  We loaded both cars to the gills and I had a co-pilot (Ken got this from the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth when he worked there briefly in the 1980s)

I was following Ken's Subaru, the state car of Vermont.  He passed the rest area on 89 South and stuck his thumb out to ask if I needed it.  He stuck his finger out to show Ceres, newly installed on the State Capitol building.  I followed his car through a couple of 4-way stops in Montpelier, and took a left on his street.

My thoughts:
"I thought Ken lived a bit closer to town"

"Maybe he is taking me to Thomas's school first"

"Maybe he needs gas"

"Maybe he is going to lunch first"

My mind was trying to normalize why we were now well past past Ken's house.

He called me on my mobile and I illegally answered it.

"Where did you go?"

"Oh shit, I was following the wrong Subaru!"

I started laughing so hard I almost could not breathe and I probably should not have been driving.  Don't worry, I had hung up by now.  I literally laughed all the way back to his house and for the first few minutes there.

Lots of Subarus in Vermont!

On the Eve of Change - one on one conversations

Two days before an incredible change in our country along with a million other pundits I am contemplating the divisiveness in our country.  I read a friend's posting on Facebook just now and that person and I could not be in different places.  I suspect that I am on the verge of being blocked or unfriended by that person which I have already invited "friends" to do.   Sample from my Facebook posts are:

"If you don't like that I post 200 pictures of Zuzu every day please feel free to unfriend me"

"I realize that I might offend others with my shares, so unfriend me in that case.  I cannot stay silent"



When I post on Facebook I USUALLY go through a couple of filters:

1)  "Am I going to embarrass one of my kids with this?"  Honest Chris and Bethany, I do have this filter and it is my first one.

2)  "Have I already shared enough Rumi quotes today or this week, and am I beating a dead horse?"

3)  "Is this important, is this kind and is this necessary?"  OK this filter might not always include the "Is this kind?" but the other two trump the "Is this kind?"

4)  Occasionally I have a filter of "What would friends who are opposite to me politically think of this?"  This one does not stop me from posting but I do think about it.

This last filter is the topic of this post.  I do think that we need to listen to each other and as hard as it is I think we need to listen to those who are on the opposite end of the political spectrum from us.  These are the folks that we like to dismiss, make fun of, get angry with and in all other ways not listen to.  I don't think my Facebook posts are going to help at all with "opposites".  My good friend Gary Holmes wrote an excellent public post about this:

https://garyholmes76.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/the-2016-election-how-to-lose-friends-and-not-influence-people-on-facebook/

BTW, he is one of my friends who is very close to opposite to me and we have skirted around some conversations recently but not had the REAL conversation.    Ready to have it Gary?

A key component to these conversations is that both members will have to be ready, willing and able to have it.  There are skills needed to listen and not rebut, just listen.  There are methodologies many of us have taken in Leadership Training like "What I heard you say......".  It is difficult to have these conversations if you are conflict adverse and these conversations take time and should probably be done live or video conference so you can read the body language of the other person.

THEY SHOULD NOT BE DONE ON Facebook, email, text, social media OR probably in a group.  They should be 1-1.

In my work career I was trained as a mediator and coach, and it was amazing to watch the transformation during some of the sessions.  By identifying the needs of each person, by getting them to really listen to each other, by going as slowly as we needed to make sure the process was being followed, and by having a follow up plan for how each would honor the commitments made, magic happened.  I informally mediated other discussions at work between managers and direct reports, where getting them to listen to each other and resolve misperceptions drastically changed their future interactions.  Often times, I was just a coach in the conversation and would step back and just be a fly on the wall as the conversation continued.  I would say less than 5% of the time we failed.  There are failures and it was usually when people were not listening and/or not ready to have the real conversation

The day after the election, in Cuba, at lunch with a close friend we went at it after our first mojito.  We disagree on the Bernie/Hillary axis and this person pointed out to me "You never listen, you shut me down and talk over me."  This was like cold water in the face.  I teach this listening stuff to many managers.  Why can't I practice it as well?  It is because this issue is so passionate to me, I stop being rational and get so emotional that I shut everyone else and their opinions out.  Any one close to me recognize this Sally?

I am really glad my friend called me on my behavior, since we deescalated the conversation by avoiding it.  We could have used a 1-1, but not in the middle of the restaurant and not with anyone else around and not after a mojito.

I just invited two people to step up to the conversation with me.  You know who you are!  I am willing to have these conversations, ready to have them and occasionally when reminded to use the skills I teach to 100s of managers, able to have them.

BTW, this idea of conversations, listening to "opposites" was suggested/mentioned to be by another close friend here in Burlington.  I have thought a lot about it since I head this from him and it confirms what I know, good difficult conversations between two people ready, willing and able to have them will get us all as an organization/country/world to a better place.  Yes I am a pollyanna AND I have seen this magic happen, many times, right in front of my eyes.

Oh, Man! as our grand daughter Zuzu would say

OK, I don't as regularly as I used to post.  Sitting on the floor of our elevator today I said to myself "This is blog post worthy for sure."

I have a lot going on today for a retired person.  I did not have to get up at the crack of dawn but my first phone call was at 8:30 and I had another one at 10:00 so at 9:45 I decided to take the microwave that we are giving away on Freecycle down to our lobby.  We live on the third floor and carrying a microwave down three flights is probably not a good idea with my wonky knees.  I also remember saying to myself, I don't need my phone, and it needs all the charge it can get for my 5 phone meetings today.  I even said to Rod as I left "If I get locked out, I can call your phone which is........" and we both looked at the bedroom where he charges it every night.

A bit of back story, the elevator acted up twice on us, in December and in November.  We called the property management company, and they called the elevator people to come fix it.  Oh, the joy of condo living, and I am serious about that, not being sarcastic this time.  More back story, the running joke in our family is that Rod rarely receives a phone call, and often has the ringer turned off.

SO the elevator goes down the three stories, and when I get to the lobby, the door does not open.  I put the microwave down, and start pushing buttons.  One sounds like a door bell, one is a picture of a fireman's hat, none of them do anything and by now, all of the floor buttons are lit up AND neither door will open.  I do find a small door with a phone button in it and dial the elevator emergency service.  Finally a live person.  I ask them to call Rod's phone so he can tell my 10:00 meeting that I might be late.  They call him, it goes to voice mail, because it is still beside his bed with the ringer turned off.  I don't panic yet.  I do wonder if I will run out of air to breathe but that and my 10:00 meeting are the only things I worry about.  I don't expect to be there long.  The emergency service cannot give me an ETA for the tech, but I don't really worry about that.

In fact, this is the point at which I say to myself, probably out loud "I could do some yoga!"  Every time I hear anything I ring the bell to let people know I am locked in the elevator.  The person on the phone told me to do that so the techs could locate me.  Our lobby is tiny, there is only one elevator, clearly they deal with larger accounts than our 17 unit condo.  I call them back, and they let me know Rod's phone went to voice mail, I ask them what time it is.  My only time device is my phone which is still charging up stairs.  It is 10:02 so I am officially late for my 10:00.

At this point, I have been gone for 20 minutes Rod starts to wonder where I am and comes down to the lobby after the elevator does not come up.  We have been through this twice so he is not surprised.  He hobbles down the 3 flights of stairs (he is in a boot nursing a calf sprain), looks for me, does not see me at the bottom, hobbles back up, thinking I have gone for a walk and he picks up his phone message and just hears " blah blah blah Wife is stuck in the elevator blah blah blah."  He hobbles back down the three flights at each landing saying "Sally you in there, which floor are you at?"

This is the point at which I am OK.  Finally someone knows where I am, in fact someone that loves me knows where I am.  To an extravert being alone is not comfortable, and in this case it was pretty terrifying, but the yoga did help.  What was I supposed to do? If I had known I would be shut in the elevator I would have brought my book with me to read, or my knitting, or I would have my phone with me to check email, or Facebook.

The tech arrives, two condo board members and Rod are waiting for me at the door, the tech shows us how to open the door from the inside and I dash upstairs 30 minutes late for my 10:00 meeting.  This is a story we will be telling for ages, so it must be blog worthy.

The Mini was stolen

If anyone has been following our lives on Facebook for the last month it has been very very very full.  I cannot tell you for sure but I think today we reached the brink of craziness.

We were called by our real estate agent at 12:30 that there was a loft unit in Somerville we needed to see. I was bathing in anticipation of our 3pm departure to the airport with our nephew,for his trip back home to Newcastle and our trip to Colorado for a wedding.

Yes, we told him we can get there by 1:15 to see the unit.  We made it by 1:20, spent 20 minutes walking the unit asking quite a few questions, etc.  When the listing agent left, we asked what we would need to get the unit.  He guided us to an offer, we electronically signed it and drove to get a drink to quench our thirst in Winchester on our way home.

I parked right in front of an ice cream shop (this is important to the story) and we walked around the corner to a Starbucks. 20 minutes later at 2:40, we walked out of Starbucks and walked across the street.  Both of us panicked because the Mini was not in front of the Ice Cream shop. There was a fire hydrant and I was pretty sure I had not parked in front of it, but what other reason could there be for its absence?  Someone stole the Mini!

I ordered an Uber to drive me home to get Spencer to drive him to the airport and Rod called 911 and talked to the Winchester Police department.  He described what he was wearing so they would recognize him when they drove us and I waited for the Uber.  At the exact same time we said to each other "This is where we parked the car right?"  In that split second I remembered walking around the corner to Starbucks, versus parking right across the street. I hurried to the adjacent street and indeed there was the Mini, in front of THAT ice cream shop.  We cleared it up with the police, or rather they accompanied Rod to the car and looked at his license and the registration.  I cancelled the Uber and we got in the Mini.

We both laughed all the way home, at ourselves, at our level of stress and the situation. This is why we belong together and why we have stayed together for 28+ years of marriage. So this caused us to slow down a bit and be ready to get to the airport, sign more documents electronically, run reports to prove funds, photocopy a check and wait to hear that we got the unit, which happened exactly 5 hours later at 5:45.  This day will always be known as "The day the Mini was stolen".

"Please don't tell me what to do!"

On one of the early days of our Morocco trip, this was uttered by one of the participants (name withheld intentionally).  This is such a complicated dynamic and I have thought about it, and examined it almost daily since then.

We all have expertise and knowledge that we like to share with others.  Remember back to second grade when the teacher asked a question and hands shot up waiting to be called upon.  We were rewarded back then for having knowledge and the correct answer.  

So this sharing of knowledge is a good thing right? especially as some of us start forgetting things.  It is nice to have someone around who can remember the name that you cannot remember.  Or that place, or that person.

I want to come clean and just say that I do not like to be told what to do.  I already have a mother, and don't need another one, thank you very much.  So often the telling comes across as parent to child and protecting.  I don't need to be protected, although sometimes I do need to be warned about the pot hole I am about to step in.  

I think another reason I react to the sharing of knowledge is that I do not learn by lecture or by reading.  I learn by doing and talking about it, so when someone "shares" their knowledge I view it as a lecture and immediately glaze over and check out of the conversation.  

I know that almost all of the time, this sharing is done to be helpful, and has a positive intent.  In the last 6 weeks, and even during the Morocco trip, I was able to reframe the words and say "This person is just trying to be helpful and share all they know."  It is not because they are being a know-it-all or a show off, but they really are trying to be helpful.  This helped/helps so much to reframe their intent.

I will still react with the "Don't tell me what to do." and if I can catch myself I might be able to reframe it and not feel like the child in the classroom lecture.  The wonderful thing about being human is that if we choose to, we can learn about ourselves every single day.  AND we can reframe and hear things differently, if we catch ourselves and let ourselves.  It is a great day to be alive!

Liam, snakes and gardening

WOW, I really thought that I had already blogged about this.  One of our first years at Coniston, Christopher walked up the boardwalk to the house and jumped back when a snake slithered out of the woodpile.  My sister stayed here for a few weeks and named the snake Liam.

Rod said when Christopher jumped back "He is a lot more afraid of you than you are of him."

Christopher said "Then he must be shitting his pants."

We have retold this story many times since that day.

Today while out gardening, weeding actually, a snake slithered out of the weeds and I jumped back and screamed loudly.

Rod said "What, a snake or a spider?"

Sally said "A snake, I don't scream for spiders, and only call you for wolf spiders."

So, Christopher comes by this fear of snakes honestly and I have yet another reason not to garden or weed.

Mobile phones and technology - Who else thinks about these things?

Maybe not every body, but I am sure some of you have done the following:

1. Sent a text and then put the phone to your ear to talk expecting a call to have been made
2. Tried to turn the cable box off with your cell phone
3. Looked for your cell phone while you are talking on it

I regularly do the second two things on this list, and just now I did the first one, which was a first for me.

With all the technology we have for someone easily dis tractable, I get confused.  Every time I try to turn off the cable box with my phone, I think that someone should invent this feature.  Actually, someone probably already has invented this, but it has to be a one click feature.  It cannot involve getting into an App.

Now that I think about it, I have another technology desire which I think is being worked on by smart people.  I pay for my coffee right now through the Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts preloaded cards on my iPhone.  Starbucks has had this for a few years and I was an early adopter of that App and DD just released it at the end of last year.

I would like ONE APP, which allows me to pay for everything, everywhere from my phone.  Because of the Starbucks and DD apps, and being able to pay by phone, I have left my house a few times with just my phone and no other means of payment.  Unfortunately for those who live with me, I can only buy coffee if I forget my wallet.  Starbucks and DD have lulled me into being able to leave with just my phone. 

How soon will we be able to pay with just a chip implanted inside our body somewhere.  Maybe I should have asked the wrist surgeon this when she put the plate in my wrist.

Getting Stuck on a Quilting project

For a variety of reasons, I get stuck on a project.  Right now I am stuck because the piece of fabric I bought for the border is too dark of a teal color.  I could charge ahead and install that piece but it would ruin the flow of the piece, so I am waiting.  The quilt is lying on my design "wall", aka the floor of my sewing room.  I want to leave it out so that I don't forget to finish it and so that I am sure to buy the right color teal the next time.

While I sorted my fabric yesterday, I also put a few piles of fabric down, with the pattern on top for my next few projects.  They are not stuck, they are just not started yet.

Truth be told, some of my works in progress are not really stuck, they are just stalled in that phase of production, and sometimes are too low in the pile to actually see them.  When I sort my fabric I happen upon these little surprised, "Oh, I remember that project, I wonder if I have the pattern?, and I wonder if I know what I am doing next?, and I wonder if I really ever want to finish this one?"

I actually am being patient with myself in this stuckness.  If I plunge ahead, I will put in the wrong piece and will be upset with myself.  If I wait long enough the right piece will emerge from the universe.

For now, I walk into my sewing room and there are piles of projects laid out, and works in progress lying in the design "wall".

Oh the fun of being a textile artist, and of having the right space in which to have chaos that sometimes get converted into order.

Surgery update

Since I am "one-handed typing" this post will be lots of pictures.

I wore this bulky foam rectangle a lot in the last 2+ weeks.  It prevented me from really injuring myself right after surgery and was a comfortable place to lean the wrist.  BTW, the wine glass in this picture belongs to my daughter, not me, and we are watching the results of the election.  I was on Percocet, so wine would have been a really bad idea.

My surgery was on November 9th at a pretty quiet Lahey facility in Peabody, MA.  While in the waiting room, we noticed these cool monitors so that loved ones could watch the progress of the patient.  The smiley face means you can visit them.  Rod took pictures of my progress. 

 And here I am right before surgery listening very attentively to what is about to happen.

For those who have not heard yet, apparently I talked for 1.5 hours non-stop.  I had a nerve block and was still awake for the procedure.  Clearly the way I cope with things is to talk.  My surgeon said it was remarkable that someone could keep talking for that long.  I remember thinking, why not just keep talking it is a way to pass the time, I don't really care if anyone is listening and that was my natural reaction to being mildly sedated with a plate being inserted into my arm.

Measuring tapes gender differences

We were having some work done on a bathroom recently.  The male carpenter asked if I had a measuring tape.  I reached into my knitting bag and produced a measuring tape that I use in knitting and because it is a nice long one, I actually use it to measure most everything I need to measure up to 4 feet long.

This friend looked at me as if I had two heads and not being a person of many words, that was about it.  I wondered what the problem was.  I had actually laid my hands on it in less than 15 seconds, which is pretty good in our house.

I soon realized that he meant one of those measuring tapes, that retracts and lays on the item you are about to measure and has a hook to hold onto that end so you can measure pretty long things.  He meant a "measuring tape".

I said to him at this point, "You mean a male measuring tape?".  We both laughed and about 100 times since then, this expression has been of use.  "Oh, you mean a female measuring tape" or "Oh, you mean a male measuring tape".

Gender differences are pretty funny, aren't they?

I gotta be more careful

I come by it honestly, I am impulsive and prone to falls just like my Mom.  We both move quickly, and often are in conversation or have our head in the clouds.  We don't see the pot holes and we step in them.

The Friday before I left for Star, I tripped on the hammock stand.  My left foot stayed put and the entire force of my body went down on the right knee.  I have bad knees and until my surgery a few years ago, my right knee would occasionally give out.  The arthroscopic surgery fixed it, and honestly, I think my yoga practice has kept my knees and back healthy.  This was not the same kind of fall.

My family thought this was a knee give-out fall, since they have lived with me for over 20 years.  I ordered them around, asking for ice, refusing help to get up etc.  Following the advice of everyone, I iced it and kept it elevated for much of the first 24 hours at Star.  I also wore a "sock" on my knee for compression.  At Star there was a friend who is a PT, who gave me great advice on how to treat the knee.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday, I re injured it, tripping up the front stairs of the hotel at Star.  I was carrying too many things, and was not holding the railing.  I currently have a really colorful bruise from the around my knee cap down the front of my leg.

What have a I learned from this injury:  1)  Use the railings (my women's group today helped remind me of that one.  2)  Slow down.  Since the injury I have actually been approached stairs differently and rather than running of them, I have been walking on my heels up them  3)  To be safe I am going to get some assisted devices.  I ordered hiking sticks for my Mom and myself and I am going to try to start using them. 

Funny story, I have a cane and tried using that yesterday around the house to experience what the walking sticks will be like.  I left it lying around and tripped over it.  This is going to be a journey to learn to slow down and walk more deliberately.

This is not the first post I have made about accidents, and probably won't be the last.  Oh well......

I am not going to finish these books

Earlier in my life, if I started a book, I finished it, even if I was not enjoying it. This week, I started two books, and half way through both of them I slammed them shut and refused to continue reading them.

I might say that I am too old to waste my time reading books that I am not enjoying. That is not the problem. In both cases, there was a description that led me to think, "this is not going in a direction that I will enjoy". Sometimes in these cases, I might peek at the ending to see if it is a happy one. Not these two books. There was some foreshadowing in both cases, that were clues, which I ignored, but once the description of a scene was too vivid, I was done.

This is different from not being able to get into a book. I started "The Help" twice before I read it to the end, and I had to start "Caleb's Crossing" twice before I could get into it. In those cases, I ended up loving them.

This character flaw is very similar to another post of mine about scary movies. My imagination is too vivid and I will have nightmares about the paragraphs that caused me to slam the books shut. AND, there are too many good books out there that I will enjoy.

BTW, the two books I slammed shut are "Little Bee" and "A Spot of Bother".


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Scary Movies and the Oscars

Around the time that "Silence of the Lambs" won an Oscar for best movie, I decided to try to see the Oscar nominated movies prior to the Oscars. I never did see that movie. Even today, just seeing clips of it scare me. I did not understand any references to it during the awards ceremony which is I guess my loss.

The same thing is happening this year with "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Someone who knows and loves me said, "don't read the book and definitely don't see the movie." We have a saying in our house, usually following an advert for a movie or a preview which is "Not a Mom movie".

I really do limit myself to the movies which I enjoy, since I won't tolerate too much violence, suspense, blood and guts, etc. Give me a nice love story or even a sad love story. I actually surprise myself at the movies that I can watch, since I have given myself permission to NOT SEE a movie, even if it is a blockbuster.

Since I have become more aware of how sensitive I am, I have not gone to a movie in a theater, that I had to walk out of. Prior to that, I have walked out of two movies, "Trainspotting" and "American Beauty". I would have walked out of others prior to this, if I had given myself permission to. I sat in the front row of the theater for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and spent most of the time trying to climb and sit under my seat, covering my eyes and ears. I did not enjoy myself at all.

So for this year's movies, I won't go to see "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" but I might go see the rest. "War Horse" is a toss up since it is about war and it seems like a sad story.

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New hot water bottle on it's way

I cannot remember which wise person I learned this from. It might have been a member of my womens group or another group I belong to.

On these nights during the cold winter months, about 15 minutes before bed time I fill a hot water bottle, and put it under the covers of my side of the bed. When I arrive, my bed is warm, and my feet don't freeze.

Last winter, at the end of the winter, the hot water bottle sprung a leak. It was a small leak, but nevertheless, a leak. Our second hot water bottle also had a small leak so I pitched that as well. I did my research and read the reviews and last night ordered a new one online. Why did I not visit our local pharmacy you ask? I looked and they are not the same quality. Even some of the reviews about the one I purchased, mentioned that often ones bought at CVS or Walgreens are inferior.

This is such a small purchase, and one I am so excited to receive. This routine of warming the bed has happened for many years. Before central heating there were in fact bed warmers.

As the temperature was 12 degrees when I left for yoga this morning, the USPS shipment cannot come soon enough! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Carhenge, why not a Treadmillhenge?

OK, this is a bit silly but when we were in Alliance NE for my Uncle Chuck's memorial service, we took a 2.2 mile detour to see Carhenge.  Honestly, this is a major attraction and people drive from all over the Midwest to see it.  Murg was a bit miffed that we went there instead of the western wear store, and some in our car needed caffeine, and there are not many decent lattes in Alliance, BUT they do have Carhenge.

Driving with C and M and Murg yesterday, we saw a treadmill by the side of the road, and there also happens to be one on the back porch of Coniston.  All of us laughed that maybe we should have Treadmillhenge in South Hero.  Would it get by the zoning board do you think?  The sign of a real Vermonter is a dead car on the property, but what about treadmills?

Nobody is Going to Tell me What to Do

I am once again amazed at how we are hard wired, and how our personalities are pretty consistent throughout our lives.  I found this card while looking through a box of old memories.  It was sent to me by a good friend of my grand parents, probably when I was 13-14. It is true that as a child I had a strong personality and I guess that has not changed.

Even funnier is what she wrote inside the card.

For those who cannot read her hand writing it says: 

"Dear Sally:  Found this today and it reminded me of you and the fun we had last night so I thought I'd send it along and you could stick it in your mirror and think of me.  A deaconess who worked with me in the Chapel at Episcopal Eye Ear and Throat Hospital and the Wash. Hospital, once sent it to me years ago, so don't get stuck up and think you are the only stubborn gal.  Lots of love Ruth Dunlop"

Yes, I chuckled when I found this card and it now is pinned proudly beside the other card I have blogged about in a blog here.  So I am stubborn and an optimist, and stubbornly optimistic.  There are worse traits I could have.

Darn, another reason to get my head out of the clouds

Two days last week I had a flat tire on two sequential bike rides. I don't ever remember having a flat while I was riding a bike. I have had a flat when I was getting it ready for a ride, but not while riding.

The technician discovered glass shards embedded in the treads of the tire, hence the two flats. BTW, Bikeway Source in Bedford MA has excellent customer service. Both times they fixed it on the spot, and tightened my front tire as well. They also showed me how to put the tire on correctly, so it was tight enough, avoiding another potential accident (previous post on my bike accidents to date). And most importantly, they did not make me feel stupid.

On my first ride after the bike was fixed, I kept my eyes totally on the path in front of me to spot more shards of glass. Where did I pick them up? Are the other just waiting to jump into my tires? You might say for that I rode very tentatively, and in fact did not go near the area where I might have picked up the glass. 
Also recently I have tripped and fallen several times, as have relatives of mine. The sympathy I get from loved ones is "Slow down", "Look down", "Watch for pennies on the ground", etc. I actually found four coins the first day I tried that technique and just missed a twenty dollar bill on the bike path yesterday. Someone else beat me to it by seconds.

I should look where I am going, but I am always dreaming, always talking, and my head is always in the clouds. If I want to avoid glass on the tires, and if I want to not trip, I need to be looking down more. I am not a cautious person, but the older I get and the more falls I have, the more I am learning to be cautious, and look for those coins and bills as a technique and reward.  This does not mean I will have no accidents, falls or flat tires.  Just less hopefully.  Look up occasionally to see be on our wonderful bikepath.


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Champagne Jellies were my birthday present

I have the best husband in the world. He always gives me thoughtful and appropriate presents. Yesterday he gave me a 31.75 oz box of Bassett's Winegums as my primary present and it was perfect. You Brits will know what they are and of course there is a story behind this.

While visiting London last month we spent glorious time with A and J. M was too busy working so we did not see her. It was j's birthday the next day and while in a shop he commented while pointing to a bag of sweets, "These are my favourites (yes, we are in England for this story so this is correctly spelled) and I can only get them in the states at a shop near Davis Square!"

I thought a bag of these would be a great present for his birthday the next day. Remember that I am challenged by details, so Murg and I were looking for sweets that I described as "champagne" and "jellies"! Every shop we were in, I looked form the bag as did Murg. Finally at the end of the day I held up a bag of Wine gums, and said "Here they are!". Ok, my logic, champagne is close to wine, and we call them jellies in the states, not gums, so this made perfect sense to me.

If I had only one detail wrong, Murg would have understood, because he has learned to do that translation when I say the wrong word. Horizontal instead of vertical. Koala instead of Panda, etc. The fact that I was wrong on both words really confused him.

Going forward in our house J's favorite candies are know as Champagne Jellies. I like the sound of this name better.
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Jet lag and Melatonin

I don't get it. I am wide awake in London at 4am, UK time, and 11pm East coast time. I took a Melatonin on the plane last night and slept for a couple of hours on the plane, napped for two hours, got up to sight see, ate dinner at 9pm and off to bed at 11pm, all UK times. I probably should have taken another Melatonin last night as well. Is there a residual effect from Melatonin? So it is still working on my body?

My body SHOULD be wanting to sleep, right? But my mind is racing. I followed updates from Fenway, and cruised Facebook, and tried to get my twitter feeds updated. Sox won, so I just tried to fall asleep. It probably is unwise to go for a walk at 4am in an unfamiliar neighborhood in London although the street is lined with coffee shops so give me 2 hours more of this and you know where I will be, right?

One of my thought tangents during these wee UK hours, has been about jet lag and the times when I have been really tired and jet lagged. Traveling to Chiangmai to visit Bee last year was the worst for sure. Luckily she put her arms around us and guided us through those unfamiliar streets. London in 1979 to visit Dau with Mom and the three "little" boys was pretty bad. Norway in college, London after college with Nancy and Pam, etc.

My red eyes back from the West coast while at Intuit were not debilitating. I always said to people who questioned my sanity on this last one, "I would rather be tired for one night at home, than sit in a hotel room for one additional night, wishing I were on the red eye".

I am not anxious about this, since I sort of understand the language although it is British English. I know where we are headed today, and have my Oyster card to get around on the tube and buses. I am just curious about why me, why 4:15 am? And I am really curious about whether Melatonin works or not?

BTW my ever so supportive husband just said to me in his sleepy daze "You are supposed to be trying to get on the new schedule!". This coming from someone who took the French language brochure at St. Paul's Cathedral yesterday in his jet lagged state. The attendant handing us the tour listening device asked him which language and when Murg said, English, the guide said "You have the French brochure!". I guess they are used to jet lagged tourists. We go back there this morning to finish our tour.

(Murg=Rod)-topic of another post

now for a few more hours of sleep. . .
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Location:London, uk

Birkenstock Time

For most of the summer, I wear a variety of birkies. As soon as it gets warm enough out they come and I have a hard time wearing anything else. Concurrent to that my earrings that are miniature Birkenstocks also appear.

I actually jumped the gun last week, and put them on one morning. I had to go back and change into winter shoes, because it was below freezing later in that day.

You should know that every morning I stand in front of my earring rack and chose my earrings. During the summer, I almost always put on my mini birkies. In fact, I have three of them. I once told someone that these are my favorite earrings and will be heart broken if I ever lose one. She took off one of hers right then and there and gave it to me. I have never lost one of them although I came very close at one time, which was a previous post.

So, even if the weather gets a little cold, I don't care, it is Birkie Time!


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