Turns out the flowers were for the girl in the next station but she said,

No, I told him never to buy me flowers. If he really wants to do something romantic, he can fill up my gas tank.

At over $4 per gallon, nothing says, “I love you” like a full tank of gas

But a few months ago, I noticed while reading one of my friend’s blogs that he was not only on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter but a whole host of other social networking sites. Of course I teased him about it. And then proceeded immediately to check out what all the fuss was about. (Do not pass go, do not collect $200)

Before I knew it I had a profile on Facebook and found that a handful of my friends did too. Next thing I realize is that most of my co-workers are on there too.

Little by little my list of friends on Facebook has grown but the absolute coolest thing about this has been the people I’ve found from my childhood who’ve scattered far and wide. What a wonderful way to see what they are up to and how their lives have turned out. A few weeks ago, I stumbled on a friend from middle school. He now lives 3000 miles away but what a thrill it was to trade a few emails. I haven’t seen him in easily 30 years and yet I saw his photo and still saw the kid I knew.

There’s always this fear when I click on someone’s profile and try to add them that they will see mine and go “who???” So far it’s only happened once and let me tell you that reading “how do we know each other?” truly makes you feel like the girl not asked to the dance. All I could think was “how could he not remember me?” (he eventually recalled who I was and immediately apologized but still…)

But aside from that one painful exchange, Facebook makes me smile several times a week. Most recently…today. I got an email from a childhood friend whose brother had found me on Facebook about a month ago. It was so wonderful to hear from her and share where the paths of our lives had taken us.

Another time and place and I would never know how the lives of these long lost friends had turned out. We may have all lost touch as we travelled our own long and winding roads but Facebook has given us a map back to each other.

Not on Facebook yet? Go now. I think you’ll be surprised at who you find there.

But what is sticking in my craw this week is all the talk about race. I mean there is always talk of race but this week it seems like a theme gone wrong. Hillary is accused by the mainstream media of being a racist…and by none other than Bill’s former adviser David Gergen. He’s right of course. And I agree that she’s been pandering to the racist vote as if to say “sure, I’m a girl but at least I’m not black” It’s no secret that I am an Obama supporter. I’ve been one from the start. I find it insulting that people think I should vote for Hillary simply because she is my Senator and that we share the same biological parts.

But before I get too far off track here, I am disgusted by the exit polls in Kentucky that said that 25% of respondents in Kentucky admitted that race was an issue in the way that they voted. And let’s remember that this is from the brave (or moronic, depending on your take) 25% who were willing to admit that they’d rather vote for a white woman than a black man.

In the next few days there will be more and more talk of who the possible running mates are in the VP slot. No matter who McCain picks, I’m still not voting for him (no surprise there). And I sincerely hope that Obama isn’t talked into choosing HIllary for the “good of the party” Choosing HIllary as a running mate would be a huge mistake.

In a comment on momocrat, a favorite blogger of mine (Gunfighter) said it best with regards to race. “Those that voted for a white woman over a black man, are still going to vote for a white man over a black man and a white woman.”

Sad…but oh so true.

Well, OK. So I feel bad for the Bosnians and their high gas prices but they have some bigger problems over there besides gas prices. It’s kind of besides the point.

Here in the New York metro area, the price of gas is $3.85 at my neighborhood station and as low as (and I can’t believe I’m calling this a bargain)…$3.47 near my New Jersey office. Lucky me…today I was driving our minivan when I realized that I desperately needed gas.

$67.50 later, I had a full tank and pain in my chest.

And just so you don’t think that was a typo up there…. Yes, it took sixty-seven dollars and fifty cents to fill my 20 gallon tank.

It seems that not too long ago I was griping about it taking nearly $50 to fill up the van but at this rate it won’t be long before some folks may find themsleves without the financial means to drive themselves to work.

Something is definitely wrong with this picture.

What are people giving up just so they can put gas in their cars? Vacations? visits with family? FOOD? RENT? Mortgage payments?

I’m just a little tired of this crap. I don’t want to have to choose between gas and driving to a park..or gas and dinner out with my family or really gas and just about ANYTHING!

Do you think that the oil company executives are worried? I think not. Want to stick it to them? buy a Prius. Thats’ our other car and it’s getting 46 or 47 mpg.

Thursday evening I came home from work to find the local water company’s trucks on my street. I didn’t give it much thought. They were doing some routine stuff last week so it didn’t register that there might be a problem.

About a half hour later one of my kids turns on the water in the bathroom…and nothing comes out. Hmmm. OK?

So I picked up the phone and called the water company only to learn that it was not routine work…someone on my street had complained about a leak and not only had they been working on it for most of the day but it looked like we were looking towards a “boil your water” order.

Fabulous.

So now I’m annoyed because it’s now 6pm…I’ve got chicken defrosted in the fridge that I cannot wash and there’s been NO communication from the guys in the trucks on my street. (by the way…I live on a dead end street that has about a dozen houses on it.)

So I gathered my 2 kids (and my dog) and we took a stroll up to the trucks up the street to find them working on a huge hole in the ground. I ask what the problem is and when they might be done only to learn that they’ve been at this most of the day and expected to be done by now but that it would probably be at least another hour… oh and we’d likely be looking at 4 or 5 DAYS of a “boil water” order for all consumable water.

That’s when I lost it.

I not-so-calmly asked “the guy” who appeared to be the supervisor why there was no communication about the problem. A flyer in the door was all it would have taken to alert people that there was a problem. I could have turned right around and gone out and gotten a pizza.

“I have a family to feed and I’m sure my neighbors are in a similar boat. Could you have let us know that there was a problem?”

“Well, ma’am (ACK, I hate when people call me ma’am)…one of our guys did go around earlier to day when we got here and started working.”

“So you went door to door on THIS street where the majority of the people WORK all day? How’d that work for you? And how long are we going to have to boil water?

4 or 5 days?

And just WHEN were you going to let the residents on this street know that?

UGH. OK, so we all piled in the car and ran out to get some pizza and a few gallons of bottled water but now had to deal with the challenge of not being able to consume any water without boiling it first. Think about it.

Brush your teeth…with bottled water

My filtered water that I carry around…nope.

Rinse fresh fruit…nope…not without the bottled water.

Oh, and those dishes that are now piling up in the sink? Can’t wash those either…not by hand or in the dishwasher. I learned that dishwashers don’t heat the water enough to get those pesky microbes off the dishes. My dishwaser was about half full when this whole thing started on Thursday and despite using paper plates whenever possible, the bowls and glasses and silverware were really starting to pile up.

The options were boil enough water to wash the dishes or wait it out.

By Sunday, my husband couldn’t stand it anymore and proceeded to wash and boil the silverware and whatever bowls and small dishes he could fit in our largest stockpot. God bless him.

And, of course, our water got a clean bill of health the following day after he spent hours de-contaminating our dishes. Isn’t that always the way?

So (as my daughter would say), “what did we learn” here?

First, we waste an incredible amount of water in our daily lives. How many times a day do we turn on the faucet and let it run while we brush our teeth, rinse the fruit or wash the dishes. If you had to rely on just a few gallons of water on standby, how much would you use for each of those functions. I can guarrantee it would be less than the gallons we waste while the tap is running.

Our little adventure went on for four days and despite the HUGE inconvenience, we all got a little lesson on what it would be like if we suddenly had no running water.

Think about that the next time you turn on the faucet.

Want to do more? Check out Filter for Good to get your reusable water jug and coupon for brita water filters or see these easy tips for conserving water in your own life here.

It’s been one of my all time pet peeves. I mean how hard is it to REPLY to an invitation with your intention to attend or not. These are the days of voice mail, email and IMs so you don’t even have to actually TALK to people when you reply. Just leave a freakin message. What is wrong with people?

My daughters’ birthday party is next week. I sent invitations out 4 weeks ahead since I knew some people would be out of town for spring break during that time. I gave people plenty of time, was very clear when I wrote the phone number on the invitations and asked that they reply by tomorrow (one week before the party)

So far, does any of this sound unreasonable?

So here we are…one day before the RSVP date on the invitation and I’m still waiting on NINE guests’ replies…or more accurately, the parents of just under one third of the guest list.

Don’t get me wrong… I don’t really want them all to come given the costs of kids birthday parties but I think it’s just freakin’ rude to not reply. Come … or not but just let me know if I need to eat bologna sandwiches that week for lunch to pay for the darn thing.

Which brings me to the next point. The pure extortion that is the children’s birthday party industry. Lindsay over at Suburban Turmoil wrote a great piece on this topic for the Nashville Scene. Check it out. She’s a scream.

The problem is that the days of simple pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey birthday parties are, alas…over. I have twins so while it does mean that I only have to do this party thing once… the cost of it no matter how you slice it is enough to make your head spin. I’m embarrassed to say that we will spend nearly $400 for under 2 hours of “fun” for a party for two 7-year-olds. I’ve already tried to rationalize it with “but we only have to do it once a year so it’s like 2 $200 parties. Right?

And if I have it OUT somewhere, then I don’t have to clean my house within an inch of it’s life.

Humor me, will ya?

I remember when a birthday party meant 15 or 20 kids came over your house, you played games, ate lunch, ate cake and went home. In fact, my most memorable birthday as a kid was the one when I was 6 and my grandma made chicken legs and french fries for everyone and all the guests got their own little ketchup packets for the fries (which now that I think about it, she must have been lifting from McDonald’s for quite some time prior to the party). We all thought that was “cool.” I don’t know what else we did but the pictures of the day, show about 15 little girls around my grandmother’s table and we all looked pretty darn excited about those chicken legs.

Betcha’ my mom didn’t have to chase down my friends parents for a reply to the invitation.

Let me preface this by saying that she is a self proclaimed “gun carrying Republican” and I am…well….NOT.

On more than one occasion, politics has come up around the lunch table and I have done my best to make a point when it was worth making or bite my tongue if the atmosphere just wasn’t right. She is entitled to her opinion (even if it makes my blood boil) But I’m continually shocked by the blind spot she has for the current administration and the rest of the Republican party.

Close minded is probably the nicest thing I can say about her….without launching into vulgarities.

Not long ago, someone started a conversation about documentaries. And in the midst of it I asked someone at the table if they had seen Sicko. Many people at the table had and offered their (mostly) positive comments about it. Well SHE chimes in (with disgust) with “Yea, well Michael Moore isn’t exactly known for truthful reporting” Ummm. excuse me? Had she seen it? NO. Had she seen Fahrenheit 9/11? No. How about Bowling for Columbine? Certainly not.

Dead silence at the table.

So, with the urge to bite my tongue notwithstanding… I said, “well, I think most people would agree that his films are thought provoking so whether you believe everything he says word for word…if his films make people think and then go out and look into the issues themselves…well, then I think he’s done his job.”

More silence as 8 people at the table stare intently at their plates.

No one talked much about politics at the table for a long time after that. Occasionally there’s discussion of the primaries. We all know who she is voting for…and the rest of us chime in on the Barack vs. Hillary debate in a very friendly respectful way.

Today I didn’t know whether to ring her neck or pity her stupidity.

It’s Earth week at my company and as part of a series of events going on to show how environmentally conscious we are, each day in the cafeteria, they are showing a different documentary on this theme. I didn’t catch the name of today’s film but when we all sat down and got settled into our meal, the film was discussing the survival of polar bears. And while we are making chit chat about the film and the polar bears; and after she says, “why can’t they show us something uplifting about the environment” ..and to keep from biting my tongue clear off, I say (to no one in particular)… “Tomorrow they are showing An Inconvenient Truth which does a great job on this topic, too.

Are you ready for her response?

Are you sure?

She says “What is An Inconvenient Truth?”

I swear to you that my blood pressure went up 10 points.

I had to look at her face to see if she was joking. She was not.

OK, so I get that not everyone has seen it. But the fact that she didn’t even know what it was terrified me. I told her it was the documentary that Al Gore did on global warming. The one that had won an Oscar. (thinking perhaps THAT would ring a bell).

I mean I would have EXPECTED that she might have discounted it because, well, if it was made by Al Gore then it must be a lie (in her twisted little mind). But to not have even HEARD of it. This is not a NEW film. It’s been out for TWO YEARS.

To say that I was floored by her ignorance is an understatement.

What rock is she living under?

Am I delusional? Am I a liberal snob? Am I out of touch?

Please set me straight or share in my misery.

Let’s just say that having your kids out of school for a week in February, nearly a week in March and now a whole week in April is not the utopia in Time Management.  Hubby is self employed but that really just means he works longer hours than most and when the kids are off from school and I cannot take time off, then he spends every waking hour minute, thinking about work he could be doing when he has to mind our two chickies.  This week is especially tough since he is pressed up against a hard deadline with his work.

What I don’t understand is WHO does this school schedule serve?  Now that the kids have had all this time off, they will not be done with school until the last Friday in June.  The school year is 180 days no matter how you slice it.  Did we really need all these breaks?

Don’t get me wrong.  In the grand scheme of things we are pretty fortunate.  Both grandmas live close by and I can work from home periodically if I need to.  I have no idea how those parents without these resources do it…especially ones that are one parent households.  If you are managing that equation, I bow and say “I’m not worthy!”  You’re my hero.  Please tell us how you are doing it.

How many playdates/pawn my kids off on some unsuspecting stay-at-home mom can I plan in a week?

Maybe the School Superintendant isn’t doing anything tomorrow.

UGH!

In any case, I had heard about her breast cancer about a month ago from a mutual friend and was very affected by the news. Mostly, I guess because this is a woman who is my contemporary. And certainly takes better care of herself than many of the rest of a group of friends we have from that same time. It saddened me to think that she had to go through this. And of course I started to wonder how I would handle the same challenge if faced with it.

Thankfully, she is fine. She is the poster child for early mammography (so please go and get one if you haven’t.)Treatment has gone well and now she is moving forward with the next big thing in her life. But in the path to this point, she commented on just how random her illness was. There was no history in her family and she was otherwise healthy. But when faced with an obstacle, she had to decide if the brick wall was going to stop her or if she had to find someway to go around it or over it….something she learned from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture.

So after I got home, I went and checked out Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture on YouTube and was really moved by this man and how he is choosing to face his illness an the obstacles it presents.

I asked myself how many of us would be so brave? I’d like to think that I’d be brave for my family and friends.

But the epiphany really came as I remembered this quote from Randy Pausch, “We cannot change the cards we’re dealt but how we play the hand.”

Certainly the challenges I face in my life are not on the scale of his…or of my friend’s… but in the end, what matters is how you face those challenges. Big or small. How will you face life’s challenges?

Are we all closeted writers? (or maybe not so closeted, depending). Are we looking for a place to vent? Or, are we all simply voices striving to be heard.

All of the above, I’d guess.

As for me, this isn’t my first blog. Nor do I think it will be my last. Over the last few years I’ve started several blogs, some with very specific topics and some more generic. Some were “well read” (if you consider a small but loyal following “well read”) and some…well…not so much.

This time around, I felt like I needed to find my voice on a wider range of topics. We’ll see how that goes.

I’ll try and mix things up a bit and you might not always agree… and that’s OK. I love a heated debate so comment to your heart’s content. Check out the About Me page to see where I stand on some things. And who knows…along the way we might open some new doors and change some minds.

I hope you’ll join me for the ride.