The light is coming back. Sunrise today was at 6:37 a.m. and the sun will set at 9:23 p.m. Both times are deceptive, however: It’s bright before the sun comes up and after it goes down.
On Friday DF and I went to the Alaska Dance Theatre recital. Even though it was past 9:30 as we walked back to the car, there was daylight to spare. The better to see icy spots in the street and snow piles in parking lots.
Got health insurance? If not, you can get some free testing this Saturday at any Sam’s Club location that has a pharmacy. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., both members and non-members can take advantage of: Total cholesterol test Blood pressure reading Vision screening Glucose test Body mass index screening Oral health questionnaire “Dental tablets,” … Read more
Early this month it seemed that breakup — local parlance for “spring” — was marching right along. The days were warm (high 30s-low 40s) and the nights were chilly (teens and 20s). Between actual melt and sublimation, we’d gotten glimpses of roads and even bits of sidewalk here and there.
Several dumps of snow later, I remembered just how big a tease breakup can be. Sort of like a stripper who never shows you all the good stuff at once, and who covers up with both fans and the stage curtain just when you’re getting all worked up.
Yesterday DF’s father died. I am so, so glad that it happened after DF’s recent trip down south to take care of business. Now his father’s widow, who’s 95, won’t have to stress out over death-related details or to face her late husband’s very disorganized papers.
No, DF did that for her – with complete transparency – because she was too busy coping with the impending loss. I’m glad he did that. I’m gladder still that he was able to say some things that needed saying, while his father was still able to hear and to respond.
Please, please do the same – before you miss your chance. If something needs saying, then say it.
Their relationship was not ideal, but DF made a conscious choice to put aside rancor and say, “I love you unconditionally.” As in, no conditions attached to his statement:
That last is counter to pop-psychology tenets, but not everyone needs or wants it. A therapist I know once said, “Closure is overrated.” I think I know what she meant: Those openness-and-healing talks aren’t necessarily a panacea.
Want to change careers but fear you’ve already invested “too many” years in your current one to give up?
Or needing to focus on what’s happening right now while still hoping for change?
Maybe you’re trying to follow a dream but beset by setbacks and naysayers. Or you’re either on top of the world or at the depths of despair.
If any (or all!) of this is true, you might want this week’s giveaway.
When I was a kid I felt sorry for people with “hay fever,” the catch-all name for seasonal allergies. Those greatly magnified images of pollen on the Contac commercials gave me the creeps: Imagine all that pointy-edged stuff digging its way into your nose and eyes! (It didn’t occur to me that I’d inhaled the same li’l monsters.)
A few years ago I discovered that you can develop seasonal allergies after childhood. Lucky me.
So if you’ve noticed sniffles, itchy eyes and raw throat in the springtime but figured it was just an end-of-winter cold you couldn’t shake, you might have developed allergies as well. You can find out for free on Saturday, March 9 if you live near a Sam’s Club with a pharmacy.
As in, my relatives are never cold. Specifically, my great-nephews are never cold. I was visiting them on a 10-below-zero night when a friend called to say that Jupiter was quite visible in the night sky.
The boys stampeded out the front door – in their PJs – and stayed out there for at least five minutes, looking. At least they put on their boots.
I used to be that kind of badass. But I find I’ve lost my happy thoughts after 11 years Outside – which is how Alaskans describe Everyplace That Isn’t Alaska. (It gets the upper-case even in the newspapers.)
The every-Friday giveaway fell by the wayside for a few weeks. I missed it again last week because I was waiting for a couple of items to arrive from Good Earth Beauty.
They sat in the mailbox until my roommate got home late Friday evening and I must admit that the first glimpse caused me to make the girl-noise. Take a look at the accompanying photo and you’ll see why.
Couldn’t use them right away, because they were solidly frozen. But oh, how delicious they smelled on Saturday morning.
Recently a commenter left this message:
“Donna, is it possible for you to write more thoughtful posts instead? All you are doing is writing simple posts on ways to try to make you money and giveaways.
“That’s nice and all, but the writing quality is really low. There’s not much insight or value added.”
My first response was, “Feel free to skip the stuff that doesn’t work for you.”
OK, that’s a lie. My first, visceral response was, “Feel free to kiss my ass! Even when I’m doing a quick-and-dirty piece the writing quality is higher than you’ll find just about anywhere else on the Internet.”***
My second response? She’s right. And I know it. Not about the low-quality part, but about the fact that I haven’t been doing enough substantive writing lately. That’s because the work-life balance continues to elude me.
Specifically: How do you balance work and life once you’ve gotten a glimpse of what life could be like if it didn’t have so much work in it?
Recently ING Direct did a survey asking about saving for retirement vs. training for a marathon. (The company sponsors the New York City Marathon.)
More than half the respondents think retirement is harder. I disagree, mostly because I do not choose to run.
Actually, I hate running. Walking is fine. Walking fast is OK. I even plan to learn cross-country skiing when enough snow falls to permit it. (Which could happen any minute: The sky is fluffy and gray and the temperature is inching into the high 20s.)
I’ve automated my retirement, living carefully so that I can save as much as possible. My work history does include an 18-year stretch of full-time employment, but I’ve spent about 14 years working only part-time (and earning very little indeed during five of those years).
But frugal living is a lot easier for me than running. I just don’t have the inclination. The only way I could ensure that I would run for health would be to hire someone to chase me.