And the Red Sox.....WIN!!

Game 6 of the ALCS was a nail biter. My husband and I realized early in the series between Boston and Detroit that we could NOT watch the games on TV (yes, I have sports superstitions).  Any games we saw on TV (even a part of the game), the Red Sox lost. Given that last night was an important game for Boston, we did NOT watch the game on TV, but rather listened on the radio. Things were going along great, but then it took a turn for the not-so-good. We went to bed and quit listening; hoping for a miracle. I was reading a book in another room when my husband called out that Shane Victorino hit a grand slam. Excited? No, I was dancing-on-the-ceiling-head-in-the-clouds thrilled! But we had two more innings to get through. We decided to go to sleep and hope the pitchers could get it done for Boston. I slept restlessly all night. It was like trying to sleep when you're a child hoping Santa would bring you that pony you always wanted. When I got up, I learned the news....I got my pony! The Red Sox were going to the world series. I am still grinning ear to ear watching the highlights on TV. 

I am a card carrying member of the Red Sox Nation (really, the card is in my purse and goes everywhere with me). I haven't always been a Red Sox fan. I was born and raised near the biggest city in Georgia, so I'm a life-long Braves fan.  A few years ago when I met my husband, I started following the Sox. I loved their spirit, their storied history, and I felt right at home when the team won big or went down in flames now and then (Braves fans will understand; the Braves can shine bright, and can flop majestically). You can find Boston Red Sox fans all over the world; their fan base is even bigger than the Brave's organization. I also love the color red. And the most important fact: the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees. Here were a group of fans who snarled at the Yankees as much as I did!

The 2013 season for the Red Sox has been absolutely amazing. Manager John Farrell's leadership has led to a tremendous turn-around in the team's spirit and attitude from the sad finish of the 2012 season under the previous skipper. Many of the media talking heads have been going on about the team's worst-to-first turnaround. For fans, it has been a fantastic ride. And the euphoria of the 5-2 win last night against the Tigers is the type of feeling you want to hang on to for a lifetime. The world series won't start until Wednesday, so right now it about that special celebratory feeling of a "oh-wow-that-did-just-happen" type of win. 

I have enjoyed the "Fear the Beards" campaign the Red Sox started early in the season. The jovial tugging on the beards of players who score runs really shows what animated personality the Red Sox have. And seeing the fans get into the act with real and fake beards makes me smile. My favorite has to be Mike Napoli's beard because it has the quality of being neatly trimmed while still being long and luxurious  But I have to say, all the guys look pretty darn handsome with their beards. Call me biased, but I think the Boston Red Sox have the best looking players in all of MLB. 

I love all the Red Sox players. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has the longest name in the MLB which is pretty cool. "Salty" has made so many awesome doubles and the occasional key home run. I've also enjoyed watching some of the amazing plays Stephen Drew has made during the regular season and especially during the play-offs. Dustin Pedroia seems super human at times in his great defensive plays. Big Papi - what can I say about the Red Sox DH? He is like a grizzly bear scaring the wits out of pitchers with his home runs and grand slams, and also like a teddy bear you want to  hug. I could go on and on about all the great players...that is one of the things I love about the Red Sox: ALL the players have participated in the team's success.

I'm still floating on that winning feeling this morning. As the World Series approaches, I have to figure out what superstitious things will be necessary to give the Red Sox the edge. One thing I know for sure: it's going to be a magical series this year. Go Sox!

Living With Cats Means Never Worrying About...

My husband and I share our home with two wonderful cats. They couldn't be more opposite in personality and body type, but they are both excellent at keeping us safe from these common household dangers:

Being flung into outer space by the rotational forces of planet Earth

This is a hidden danger few people are aware of. Neo and Ixie keep us from being flung into the far reaches of the universe by sleeping in our laps when we are watching TV, and sleeping on our chest or legs while we are in bed. I can't even describe in normal words the feeling of security this gives us from these noble little felines.

Being injured by paper

Paper has many hidden dangers like giving you paper cuts and making you slip on the carpet. It is pretty vicious stuff. Ixie protects us on a daily basis by stalking and killing all the paper that is unfortunate enough to land on the floor or couch. She is adept at shredding the paper, chewing it to bits, and rendering it harmless to the rest of us in the house. What a brave little huntress she is.

Navigating the stairs

More people are injured each year by falling up the stairs in their home than by poking their eye out with a drinking straw. Our cats prevent such tragedy in our home by courageously running ahead of us so we have to slow down and pet them. Ixie makes the ultimate sacrifice by throwing herself down on a stair and making us pet her belly repeatedly. They also run downstairs ahead of us and stop suddenly so we don't descend the stairs at an unsafe pace.

Preventing intruders from coming into the bathroom

As you can well imagine, when you have to "do you business", you are vulnerable to random attacks by bugs or various intruders (even ghosts). Neo always shows up as I visit the throne so he can sit at the door and protect me. I can honestly say I have never been the victim of an insect or ghost attack during my private time. I feel totally safe with Neo standing watch.

Burning yourself with an iron

How do cats prevent this tragedy you ask? By becoming the iron. My cats are adept at sniffing out fresh, warm laundry and laying on shirts, pants, and towels in order to "iron" them flat. Occasionally their are some wrinkles, but that is a small price to pay to prevent dangerous ironing injuries.

As you can see, cats perform vital services to help keep their humans safe and sound. I have lost count of the potential disasters my cats had a paw in preventing. So look around your house today and ask yourself, are you safe? If you have cats, chances are you can say "yes". And give those brave cats some extra tuna to say thanks.

Various Foot Ware I Just Don't Understand

I was flipping through a footwear catalog this afternoon and there it was...the vast selection of Ugg Boots. Of all the foot fashion trends, Ugg shoes and boots baffle me. I think the only other shoe that intrigues me more are Crocs. In both cases, these are shoes or boots that literally look like you rolled out of bed, grabbed the laziest thing you could find and shoved your feet into them. And now Ugg boots come with Swarovski crystals! I'm sorry, but a shiny crystal does not a fancy shoe make. As if that weren't enough, they now have sequin boots too. If you want to go as an 80's pop star for Halloween, you're set. 

Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh on this fashion trend. After all, who am I to say what people should and shouldn't be seen in? I'm hardly a fashion maven. I guess I'm just disappointed when people could do so much better than walking around in a glorified house shoe. I know they are comfortable, but so are my pajamas, and I certainly don't leave the house wearing those (although maybe I should; I see enough people in the grocery store and the mall wearing what appear to be pajama bottoms). Perhaps I've watched so many episodes of TLC's "What Not To Wear" that I can no longer look away from lazy fashion.

As I continued to flip through the catalog, I came upon something that made me smile: actual Ugg house shoes! Here is something you can put on your bare feet and walk out to get the paper on a subzero morning. At last, something cute and casual that isn't meant to leave the house. But the more I looked, the more my photographic memory recalled teenagers wearing this very type of shoe as they shuffled around the mall. Sigh. I actually considered buying a pair of the Ugg house shoes until I saw the price; I'll just keep wearing fluffy socks and turn the heat up a degree or two in winter. They are probably worth every penny (Ugg is a very reputable brand), but I can't justify it for shoes I'll never wear outside the house.

I mentioned Crocs earlier. Here is a shoe that (from what I understand) was originally meant as a gardening shoe, or perhaps one to wear near water (after all they are rubber; you'd be hard pressed to ruin them with water, mud, or sand). Now they seem to be everyone's favorite "bang around town" shoe. Even small children are wearing them (although I blame the parents for that). I don't go to the store or to work wearing my gardening boots...and I certainly wouldn't go wearing a pair of Crocs. I do, however, wear my fancy flip flops now and then (maybe that isn't much better?). I've seen a bit of a decline this year over last year as far as the number of Croc sightings out in the world, so maybe this is a trend that's had its say and is on the way out. 

Maybe I'm being too hard on those who want to wear a comfortable shoe. But I have plenty of comfortable shoes that look nice too! It just seems to me that people are selling themselves (and their fashion) short in the shoe department. But then again, I'm sure people might look at some of my outfits and wonder what rock I popped out from behind. I guess if the shoe (or boot) fits, wear it. Even if it is a super sparkly Ugg boot.

New Year, New Me? Not Really...

The new year is upon us and it is barely two weeks old. This is the time of year where people's best intentions (also known as New Year's Resolutions) start to waver. By the end of January, a large amount of folks won't even remember what they resolved to do in the first place.  

A common resolution is to get in shape and lose weight. The popularity of this resolution is apparent by the astounding increase of advertisements offering weight-loss pills, deeply discounted gym memberships, and diet or food programs. I have nothing in particular against any of the companies pushing their products, but the bottom line is the same: you have to WANT to lose weight and/or get in shape. 

I've not lost a single pound since I last wrote about this topic. Not one. In fact, I think I might have gained about three pounds. I was certainly exercising more before I went back to a full time job last summer. Since then I have all but stopped working out. Sure, I get some minimal exertion walking around the building I work in, but that is hardly enough to qualify as "exercise". I figured things might get better when my desk was converted to a stand-up desk. While it has minimized my back and neck issues, it hasn't done anything to help me shed any pounds. I still have to do the hard work associated with that. 

Why haven't I made any progress? That is a question I ask myself every day. Yes, I have to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, but shouldn't I have plenty of time leftover for hitting the gym? I don't have any excuses. I have no children, I don't have a dog to walk (perhaps I should invest in one so I DO walk), and I don't have any activities that take up all my spare time (well, other than trying to devote more time to the art and craft of writing). I have no reason for avoiding exercise. Well, other than that whole....exercise thing. It's hard. Apparently too hard for me.

I've decided on a new path. I will make a conscious effort to watch what I eat and the amount I eat. I've taken to writing down on little sticky notes EVERY bit of food I put in my mouth. This gives me a visual for how much I'm consuming. It makes me much more aware of times I'm eating because I'm hungry, or just eating because I'm bored. I'm trying to make a habit of eating smarter, but I don't beat myself up when I have a snack or eat a bite of fast food now and then. I'm not a big fan of the "deprive yourself of fill-in-the-blank" type of diets. For me, I do much better by slowly shifting my diet toward smarter eating.

On the exercise front, I'm also taking a slow, steady approach. I started wearing a pedometer every day (which gets uploaded to tracking software). I'm working up the courage to wake up 10 minutes earlier each morning so I can work out on my elliptical (which has been idle so long it has cobwebs on it....sigh). I'm also considering buying some leg weights and climbing the stairs in my house for 10 minutes every day. It may not be much, but it is a small step (no pun intended) toward working the habit of exercise back into my daily life.

My diet and exercise plans aren't going to put me in the TV spotlight or win me any awards, but they work for me. The bottom line for any sort of life-change: you have to WANT the rewards in order to stick to the WORK required. Now all I need to do is get off this couch and climb some stairs. I'll let you know how it goes.

"Turkey Day"...I spent it with very different birds

Today is traditionally a day for families to gather around a feast that features a large bird: the turkey. Instead of feasting on fowl, my husband and I spent our day with a very different kind of bird: the man-made variety. We visited the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles, VA. For our meals today, we had pretty typical fare: oatmeal for breakfast, Indian buffet for lunch, and Irish sports pub for dinner. I had no turkey, no mashed potatoes, no stuffing, and no pie. But this is a story of airplanes, not food.

I'd never been to this wonderful place called Udvar-Hazy. For anyone fascinated and enthused by things that fly, this is heaven-on-earth. It is chock full of every kind of flying machine imaginable from the early 1900s all the way through modern times, including space flight and rocketry. I saw my two favorite planes: the F-14 Tomcat and the A6 Intruder. (For the record, I was a fan of the F14 before "Top Gun" made it famous.)

A6 Intruder

As we wandered around the museum, I realized just how much I loved airplanes. I live near the airport and see (and hear) large jets flying over on a daily basis. I never get tired of seeing these flying beasts; I often run outside or to the window to see them fly over. Many years ago I lived near Dobbins Air Force Base and I loved seeing the F/A-18 Hornets and other big aircraft flying over my apartment. When I lived in Seattle, a co-worker invited me to watch the Blue Angles from his boat. It was beyond awesome. 

F-14 Tomcat

Some of my favorite toys as a child were my airplanes. I had die-cast fighter jet models, a very cool GI Joe Apache helicopter, a GI Joe F14, and one of my favorites...a Space Shuttle model. I still have my F14 die-cast model and I also have a commercial jetliner model. Why? They are just plain cool. I actually miss my Space Shuttle model; it was neat-o.

A WWII Fighter and The Enola Gay B29 Bomber

I am always a bit nervous when I take a flight somewhere, but at the same time, I get a thrill at the power of the jet as it races down the runway and thunders into the air...the ground falling away. Even mundane parts of the flight like making a turn before landing are fun. Of course I could always do without turbulence. I love to have a window seat behind the wings where I can see the flaps working at takeoff and landing. What can I say.....I'm a sucker for anything that is well engineered.

Speaking of well engineered, I was in absolute awe when I walked around the Space Shuttle Discovery. I literally stood there and soaked in the wonderful aircraft (spacecraft?). Discovery was actually in space; what an amazing achievement for humankind.  I've taken up astronomy lately, and I was standing there imagining what it must have been like to be outside Earth's atmosphere looking down on our beautiful blue-green globe. I am sad there will be no more Shuttle missions, but I know we will continue to explore space well into the future.

As the day wound down (I had totally lost track of time), I realized all the things I am thankful for: my family and friends; all the men and women who risked their lives flying these planes at home and abroad, in war and peace; living in such a great country;  the men and women who work at the museum so we can see all these great pieces of history. And I am also very thankful for human ingenuity and the human spirit. Happy Thanksgiving.

Halloween...it actually is like it used to be!

I sit here tonight handing out candy as I have done for many, many years. Not much has changed since I was a child, ringing doorbells and yelling "triiiiick ooor treeeeeat!". I get a kick out of everyone's costumes, kids and adults. Every year I also get the teenagers, some with decent costumes and some who don't bother. Some adults are annoyed by older kids participating in trick-or-treat, but I figure as long as you are under 18, you can share in the fun too. I never refuse to give anyone candy even if they are not dressed up. If you are bold enough to walk a neighborhood in any weather, ring a stranger's doorbell and ask for candy, I'll make it worth your while.

I've been carving a pumpkin (or two) for the past several years with varying degrees of success. Without the right tools, it can be tough to get a really detailed carving. I tend to use large, well sharpened knives to do the rough carving and purpose-made carving saws for more detailed areas. This year I had a rotten spot on my pumpkin, so I had to improvise. I gave him a snarl to work around the bad spot.

This year's pumpkin had a snarl giving him extra Halloween 'tude

One thing that always comes to mind while I wait for the doorbell to ring is how trick-or-treaters seem like popcorn. You get a ton during the early evening, then a few more bursts as the evening wears on and then suddenly you get no more "pops". This year I waited until 8:30 to blow out the pumpkin's candle and turn off my lights. I stood on my porch for a few minutes to make sure I didn't hear any more kids around the neighborhood. It was quiet and still, so I knew the festivities were done.

This is the one holiday my black cat can celebrate. He has been cooperative most years in hanging around the front door so the kids can see him. He gets his share of oooos and aaaaahhs. Truth be told, I think he enjoys the celebrity that being a black cat brings on this spooky holiday.

Neo enjoying a sunny day, dreaming of Halloween

Another Halloween has come to a close, and I am ready to go to sleep. I have just enough candy left over to treat myself for the next week or so. I take comfort in the tradition of Halloween in this modern, technology driven world. With that, I bid everyone a Happy Halloween, and before you know it, we'll be eating some turkey and dressing.

Back To School

It is that wonderful time of year again: back to school. Bus drivers are getting their dormant busses back in service, teachers are getting their lesson plans written, parents and kids are shopping for school supplies, and commuters are bracing for worse traffic. 

For the previous two summers, this time of year has passed uneventfully for me. This year is very different. I will be starting a brand new job on Monday, just as all the kids in my area are headed back to class. It brings to the forefront of my mind that tangible feeling of excitement and anticipation I had every fall when I started a new school year. This year, I may not have to buy #2 pencils, paper, or a new calculator, but I will be learning quite a bit as I settle into my new role. 

I am a little sad to give up my self-guided schedule and workload, but I wasn't making much headway earning a living wage as a writer and illustrator. My cats were thrilled to have me home with them (they took turns "managing" me), and I wonder who will be more upset about working outside the house every day: me or them. Maybe my new employer will let me bring them to the office if we have a "bring your child to work day". I can teach them all about careers in the IT field while they blink at me and drift off for another nap. Or maybe not.

In all seriousness, trading my time for a paycheck is something I wondered if I would ever do again. After leaving my last employer, I had real doubts if I'd ever go back into the IT field because my experience had been so stressful. I really wanted to make it as a writer and artist, but I discovered I was not good at marketing myself, or managing my time when left to my own devices. A big part of my problem was the fact that I didn't take my "work" seriously so I let everything and everyone interrupt me. I downplayed my work since I wasn't earning a six figure income (or even a four figure income!). 

In spite of the fact that I didn't "make it" as a self-employed individual, I am not bitter about my decision to go back to the 9-5 working world. The difference this time is I researched the company and I knew what I was getting into. I knew my past experience would be helpful and I could do real, productive, creative work. And I had to admit to myself that I did miss being a technical expert. I don't look at my decision as giving up on my self-employment; I look at this as an opportunity to expand my experience and have enough spare cash to invest in my writing or other business ideas. 

I still firmly believe the way to financial independence is through self-employment, but that path isn't for everyone. It isn't for me right now, but I know I can make a go of it again when the circumstances in my life are better aligned. In the meantime, I need to get my pen and paper ready to take notes from my new teammates, and I have to get the perfect outfit ready to wear. Now I have to hope I can get through all the traffic...