case closed

inspiration comes from the weirdest places.
for example my kids' neighborhood spy team.
i saw how much fun they had creating secret missions.
it gave them purpose, power and brought them closer to their pals.

i decided it was time to start a team of my own.
we are not spies, but we have cool silver briefcases.
since the group is called The Sisters of the Secret Silver Case Society
i can't divulge too much about it.
but we have a mission or two....
and our first meeting is tomorrow!

life is short.
grab it by the handle.

fighting mid-january winter blahs

every freezing, overcast, never ending rochester winter
makes me think of living somewhere more sane like virginia where my mom is
or arizona or california where other family members live.
i picture myself walking to my car without a jacket in february.
i picture myself going for a bike ride in march.
it's just a fantasy. and it only lasts for 3 or 4 months.
the rest of the year, i am perfectly happy to be an upstate new yorker.

i heard of someone a few years ago that had come down with a strong case of the winter blues
and decided to try to cure it in an ingenious way. his idea was to go out to hear live music for thirty days in a row.
the person did in fact do just that, and if my memory serves me, it worked.
how cool is that?
i've always been inspired by that story even though, with two young kids and a job that starts early in the morning i knew that cure would be close to impossible for me
to pull off.
so, i'm trying a compromise cure.
live music once a week.
there is a groovy bar not too many miles from my house that has an open jam on thursday nights.
so far i've ventured there twice.. even though the thought of going out in minus zero temps at 9 at on a work night seems like a nice idea..but maybe i should just get some rest..
i tell myself i'm just going to go for "a little while", but let's face it..once you're out and you hear that electric guitar start to wail and that skinny trombone guy start blowing..you're just gonna stay a little while longer.
yeah. i'm dragging on friday.
but it is such good medicine.
and those blahs?
they're fading.

my new squeeze..an examintation of my relationship with the bald guy with the white t-shirt and one earring

clean.
the word brings up a complex set of feelings for me.
i understand the concept..but have never quite embraced the practice.
if cleanliness is next to Godliness, i'm in a world of poop.
cleaning was something my grandmother embraced.
get out of her way..she was a machine!
she threw things out without a thought. if it was in her way, it was gone!

i've always seen cleaning as a punishment of sorts.
something cinderella had to do because she was the stepchild!

when that little poster came out in the 80's that said
" A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind" i was happy as a pig in..well... you know.
l felt understood..vindicated.
now i was sane and the neat freaks were the crazy ones.

i've matured now and realize nobody is right or wrong, sane or insane..
it's just what you can live with and how you choose to spend your time.

with each new year i vow to get rid of stuff and organize my life.
it's never happened.
this year it might.
i have more time.
and a different perspective..cleaning and getting rid of stuff will free me!

yesterday i went to the store for M&Ms and syrup and came home with many, many dollars worth of other stuff ..including Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. four boxes of them. they were on sale.
my sister-in-law jen told me about these things years ago..she swore by them.
she was right.
these suckers live up to their name. THEY ARE PURE MAGIC.
if i wasn't so proud i would include "before and after" pictures involving my bathtub,
but i just can't.
after years of trying to get rid of this crud in my tub, years of abrasives and all the elbow grease i could muster, including help from a battery powered scrubber, the only thing that cut through this crud was the Magic Eraser.
No elbow grease at all. Just a gentle back and forth motion, and years of junk started disappearing.
MAGIC.
It was so addicting that i began cleaning other stubborn surfaces with the same result. The hint of mold on the bathroom ceiling..gone. The soap scum on the tile..gone.
i had to hold myself back from putting the thing in my mouth and trying to polish the stained enamel on my teeth....so much easier and cheaper than white strips!
MAGIC is so rare in life!
Magic is FUN!
Mr. Clean, who used to scare the bejesus out of me as a kid, was now the object of my passionate
obsession.
After cleaning the bathroom and brushing my teeth the right way...a kernel of doubt crept in to this blissful love fest.
WHY does this stuff work so well?
It is so strong and powerful..it must be toxic. Was Mr. Clean not the lovable guy i was coming to think he was? Was he really a dangerous guy that i should avoid, no matter how much pleasure he brought me?

i went downstairs to find the packaging.
there were warnings about keeping out of the reach of children.
there were warnings about direct contact with skin.
What was missing was the list of INGREDIENTS!
My heart sank. that could not be good.
so now i'm left to do my homework.
i'm afraid i'll get on the Internet and find stories of
just how nasty these magic pads are.
and then i'll be faced with a sad choice. clean or green.
will i have to breakup with a man that has brought me so much satisfaction?
i can't bear to find out.

make stuff do stuff

not too long ago, on a dark sunday night,
there was a loud knock on my door.
by the time i got upstairs to answer it
nobody was there.
just this cool handmade pirate ship,
with old postcards for sails
floating in a sea of
blue crepe paper and glistening streamers
along with a blue dolphin helium balloon
weighted down by a book.
(you can click on the image for a closer look).

i knew who it was from.
but was completely shocked by the
time, energy,love, creativity,
and fun that went into
this caper.

it was a good lesson..
don't just do what's expected.
do what's unexpected..
and you can make someone
seriously, deliriously happy.

so far so good

i don't want to jinx it
but i like the way this year
is rolling so far.

the imagined contemplative new years eve by the fire
wasn't to be.
friends across the street
wooed us over to their
outdoor fire and hot dog roast
complete with tv on a stand! genius!
watching tv outdoors
was strangely satisfying.
it felt like we were renegades breaking some unwritten societal rule.
if you've never watched the festivities in Times Square while wearing snow pants,
i highly recommend it.
there was a

never ending
supply of goodies
including hunks of homemade fudge
cheese fondue to die for
potato skins
mini roast beef sandwiches
flowing wine and beer
followed
by champagne
party hats
horns
lots of
stories
laughter
and
confetti
everywhere

some people just know how to
do it up right.

it was the best ringing in
of a new year that i can remember.
thanks jerry and crew.

and a happy new year

my friend lindsay told me that 2008 is going to be an amazing year.
an electric year.
lindsay is a smart person and a bit of a psychic.
so
if she said it, chances are, she's right.
she said that if you turn the number 8 on its side
it becomes the symbol for infinity.
and apparently, that means good stuff.
i'm willing to believe it.

new year's is the best of holidays.
only slightly edging out the fourth of july.
last new year's eve was spent standing on the main street bridge
in the pouring rain
with a kazoo in my mouth.
i hope for better things this new year's eve.
like a fire in the fireplace.
staring at it with my family.
something good to eat.
a modest amount of drink.
clear and peaceful thoughts.
my wooden pen and journal.
as usual, i will fight the urge to
create a long list of re-run resolutions:
eat better, exercise more, read more, spend less, be more patient ....
intentions are always good but
resolutions tend to intimidate me more than inspire me.
so i will just try to focus on a few things:
start as many days as possible with meditation
keep rooted in the now (which is all we really have)
and beat my son john at arm wrestling.
there is so much more i want to
strive for, experience and accomplish,
but i'm going to keep it simple.
and leave some room for
adventure,
fate
and
electricity .

giving what you would like to receive

last night while at a christmas eve gathering, the subject of gift giving and re-gifting came up.
one very honest soul admitted that she bought a present ( a book)
for her son mostly (entirely?) because she knew that she would be able to read it when
he was done with it.
so in actuality, it was a gift to herself, but with his name on the tag.
most of us have probably done the same thing.
i'm sure that i have.
feeling strongly that this concept needed it's own name,
i dubbed this phenomenon "pre-gifting".

another person told an amazing tale of a friend that gave her a gift this year with the condition
that it be returned to her within six months.
that's a new one on me.
but seemed like it needed a moniker as well.
we called this a gloan (meaning :gift- but -really- a-loan) .

we spent the remainder of the evening trying to come up with a name for a business
for one of the people at the party.
it started off as an earnest pursuit to help jim brainstorm some viable ideas
but eventually devolved into a mostly lewd and lascivious laughter fest. that session of hardcore laughter
was the best present i have received
in a long time (other than my laptop).

merry christmas .
with wishes for a hearty HO HO HO filled new year!