and the verdict is...

I thought you guys might want to know the end result of my "mascot vs. mascot" NCAA tournament brackets.

I was doing pretty well after Round 1. I "predicted" (if you can call it that) a couple upsets: #13 San Diego Toreros (bullfighters!) over the #4 UConn Huskies and the #11 Kansas State Wildcats over the #6 USC Trojans (wimpy guys in loincloths!). Overall, I got 17 out of 32 correct -- batting better than .500 (to mix my sports analogies).

Unfortunately, my luck ran out there.

In Round 2, I only got 4 right. In Round 3, I only got 1 right. At least I have UCLA in the Final Four. But, since I don't have UCLA winning, it's over for me. Overall, I got 23 of 61 possible correct "predictions."

This season is pretty lame. Did you notice all the #1 teams are the four Final Four teams? Boo! Where's the magic?

Anyway, I really was rooting for those Hurricanes, but they let me down in the Sweet Sixteen round. At least, after all this, I can enlighten people about what a Tar Heel is. (See below if you missed it!)

and i thought "spring" and "snow" were opposites

The story I am about to tell you is true.

A couple years ago, a really great employee of our company quit. He and his wife and kids moved to Montana. We could understand why: get a big house, enjoy less gray, have the small-town feel. We were sad to see him go, since he really was a hard worker.

Well, we got an email from him just recently, and they are moving back to Seattle (and back to the company, thankfully). Yay! I heard the main reasons include that his wife and kids missed the big city, and that his wife missed the great Northwest spring. He followed that with, "we got another inch of snow yesterday." In Montana, it makes sense.

Well buddy, I hate to break it to you, but it's not quite spring here yet either. This is what was outside my window this morning:

Yes friends, that is snow. It's been snowing all weekend. In fact, it snowed Thursday night and I thought I might have a snow day Friday from work.

The other funny thing is, I have this awesome set of snowman plates I like to dig out around Christmastime and invite people over and show them off. I have a matching gravy boat, a pitcher, salt and pepper shakers, plus plates, bowls, etc. I forgot to get them out this year (just too busy). I told Shane, ha ha, I could get them out today! And they'd be perfectly "in season!"

To add flavor to the fun, Friday night I was out with the Young Women from Church, and we stopped by Dairy Queen and got Blizzards. I got a caramel and chocolate Cheesequake. Yes, it was absolutely fabulous. But, I was freezing to the bone. Why in the world did I get ice cream?

I guess there's always room for ice cream. Or snow.

prayer vs. science?

When I was considering doing this blog thing, one of my goals was to educate you, the lovely public, on some recent current events and then use this as a soapbox for me to tell you how I feel. Boy, I've got my chance today. Get comfy. (Rest assured, I'm asking for your opinion, too!)

Our news story for today concerns 11-year old Madeline "Kara" Neumann, who had diabetic ketoacidosis, a treatable form of diabetes that left too little insulin in her body. She experienced nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite, and weakness -- all signs that, hello!, something was wrong.

The problem was, she never knew that was wrong with her, nor did her parents or anyone else, because her parents believed that prayer could help their daughter better than science could, and they did not seek medical attention. After several weeks of suffering, Kara Neumann slipped into a coma and died. (Read more about it here.)

The parents, Leilani and Dale, said it's not that they are necessarily "anti-doctor," it's just that they put more of their faith in God and the Bible, and the Bible says healing comes from God. They fasted, they prayed, they did all they could to put their "faith in the Lord," and Kara died.

Now, authorities and investigating whether to press charges against Mom and Dad for letting their daughter die. Are they right? Who is right?

OK, there are a lot of things going on here, and even though I was never on a debate team in high school, let me attempt to take all sides and explain some thoughts, then you guys can chime in with your ideas.

First, let's look at it from Leilani and Dale's point of view. Maybe they live below the poverty level, or they have had bad experiences with doctors. Maybe the biggest issue is that they don't have insurance and if something is wrong they'll have a several-thousand dollar medical bill to cover. I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they rather not be irresponsible and "work the system" instead of honestly paying for services. They opt for something that is much cheaper, prayer.

A doctor performs a service. I see it as the same as paying for someone to wash your car or mow your lawn or do your nails. You consult a professional and get something of value out of your visit. Can any member of our capitalist society be forced to pay for a service he or she doesn't necessarily want? Sidenote: this is a reason I'm personally against government-sponsored healthcare, but that discussion is for another post (con: would government-sponsored healthcare have saved Kara?).

Second, let's look at Kara's point of view. For me, I'll admit, there are times when I've been sick, but I know what is wrong with me and I make the conscious decision not to go to the doctor because "it's just a bug," or "I'll get over it in a few days." I've felt it before. However, I know something is really wrong when I haven't felt it before.

The issue here is, the Mom and Dad are not 11-year-old Kara. The news article doesn't say what Kara wanted to do... was she begging her folks to take her to a doctor? Or did she just go along with what they were saying, which is "oh, praying is fine, it'll go away in a few days, no big deal."

I'll get personal for a second here and say that several years ago, I had a bladder infection that spread to my kidney. I seriously thought I would die. First, I just had to pee a lot. Then my back started to hurt. Then I started vomiting and got a fever. I had NO IDEA what was wrong with me. When I finally went to the doctor (where they told me I was completely dehydrated and if I'd waited another day I would have needed to go to the hospital) and filled out a form in the waiting room, there was one line that asked "is there anything else you'd like to tell us?" I'm sure they were expecting someone to write in, "I'm legally blind," or "I've had my appendix removed," but instead I wrote, "I'm just wondering if I'm going to die?"

I imagine Kara felt like I did. In which case my argument starts to swing against the parents and for medical intervention.

Additionally, is Kara, as an 11-year old, legally responsible for her own medical care? Or does society expect her parents to make the decision for her? On the one hand, she is a minor, but on the other hand, HIPPA laws have gotten so strict these days that even if Mom and Dad take her in and PAY for the visit with insurance, (from what I understand) they are not permitted to be in the room while she is in consultation, unless she consents to having them there. So, who is in charge of her care? Her? Or her folks?

Lastly, let's look at it from the point of view of the "authorities." Personally, I am a believer in prayer. I've had experiences specifically where members of my family have been healed with prayer. These experiences can be incredibly faith promoting and beautiful. The Neumanns said that they had absolute faith that their daughter would be healed.

I guess the problem I have with that is that that they put ALL THEIR EGGS in the faith basket. I'm a firm believer in the maxim, "Have faith and pray like everything depends on the Lord, but ACT like everything depends on you." I don't think faith and prayer work by themselves. You can't just sit around and hope for a miracle, especially if you DON'T KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON.

The Neumanns did not even consult a doctor. It would have been different, in my point of view, if they had consulted a professional, the doctor told them what was wrong and the different options for treatment, they weighed the options, and went with prayer. Instead, I argue, they sat passively by, waiting for the Lord to solve a problem that they could solve themselves.

I had a friend who told me about a friend who had breast cancer. She had gone through treatment after treatment, had aggressively fought her cancer, but was not winning. Finally, she stopped the treatment and started trying "natural" and prayer- and faith-based solutions. Medical science wasn't working for her. She tried another option. Sadly, in the end, I do believe she succumbed to cancer. But, she made her decisions knowing what was out there, what was working, what wasn't, and what seemed best for her at the time.

Kara didn't have that luxury. She had no idea that she was an insulin shot away from feeling well again. If this is all true, the authorities do have an argument for prosecuting the parents. In essence, they let her die. I've seen my share of CSI episodes and know that even if it was an accident, if you don't get help or tell anyone and then someone dies, you're at fault.

So, there are the sides of the story, according to moi. Who's right? Who's wrong? I guess, after all that, I still don't know.

how yellow jackets make me happy

Recently, the dearest Shanester and I were discussing happiness. Sometimes it seems like we have jobs and get money and buy stuff, and one would or could assume that because of said jobs and said money and said stuff, we would be very happy. Don’t get me wrong, I feel very happy, but it was just a matter of pinpointing what it is that makes me (us) happy.

The Shanester is considering selling his fancy pants sports car, a 2001 Toyota Celica. I thought a fast car was a big factor in Shane’s (and mine) aforementioned happiness, and so I was questioning his urge to sell it. Why? Dear husband, if a 175-horsepower go-mobile doesn’t make you happy, what does?

Mental image: My cute husband, sitting on the couch, facing me, lifts his left hand and points, rather slyly and with a reticent grin, to our roly-poly kitty sprawled out on the floor. Gabby makes him happy. She didn’t know what was happening, that all of a sudden the conversation was about her. It’s not money or cars or stuff that makes us happy.


It was really a sweet family moment.

Our thoughts went a bit deeper, in that we discussed that it’s easy to see that money can help buy "non-sadness," if you will; financial security keeps you from a lot of problems, but it can’t necessarily buy happiness. You have to make that yourself.

I remember reading an article about money and happiness, and the essence of the article was that people who are most happy have relationships (families, friends, and I’d argue even cats) and experiences (adventures and memories). It read:

“Doing things can bring us more joy than having things. That's what [researchers at] the University of Colorado found when they asked students to compare the pleasure they got from the most recent things they bought vs. the experiences (a night out, a vacation) they spent money on. Of course... a book that sits unread on a bookshelf is [just] a thing; a book you plunge into with gusto, savoring every plot twist, is an experience. [One researcher] suspects that the people who are happiest are those who are best at wringing experiences out of everything they spend money on, whether it’s dancing lessons or hiking boots.”

That’s the kind of attitude I want to have. Make every day an adventure.

At the end of our lives, we don’t remember our bank account balances; we remember the Christmas where we actually went home and helped Mom make cheesecake. We remember the camping trip where a Nor’Easter practically whipped our tent away. We remember the summer in the backyard where dad sucked yellow jackets out of an underground hive and we sorted their remains into piles of 10 and counted. For fun.

(All this is true by the way. There were hundreds of them. It was fascinating.)

The relationships, the adventures, the laughter: that is happiness. I wish many of each to you and yours.

a lesson in history, and much more, thanks to bball

I did it! I really haven’t been this excited about something in awhile!! For those of you who missed my previous post, I decided to fill out March Madness brackets, solely on the basis of which mascot could beat up the other mascot. I think the coolest part about this whole process was actually finding out the nicknames of the teams, and then, with the weird ones, finding out what the names actually mean. How many of us have wondered, but never actually asked: What the heck is a Tar Heel?

First, I consulted this Web site which was very helpful in identifying which nickname/mascot belonged where. Just perusing the listing itself is a fun adventure. Lots of Bulldogs, Eagles, and Tigers, but the best college nicknames include the Banana Slugs, Dirtbags, Koalas, Missionaries, and Poets… with the Banana Slugs being my personal favorite.

Now, a few lessons in U.S. history, courtesy our NCAA college basketball system:

• What exactly is a Tar Heel (UNC)? Well! From what I understand, it has something to do with the Civil War, and Virginia and North Carolina were fighting side by side, then the Virginians got scaredy-cat and left the battle field. Then, evidently there was some heated conversation where a Virginian asked a North Carolinian if there was any tar left in the state, and the NC guy said something to the effect of "No, we sold it all to Jefferson Davis so he could put it on your heels so you'd stick around in a fight." So basically, if you have tar on your heels, you fight it out until the bitter end.
• A Sooner (Oklahoma) is a settler, claiming land in the South. I guess Sooners stake out their land very quickly and aggressively? Sooner rather than later? The mascot for OU is the "Sooner Schooner" which is a covered wagon.
• A Volunteer (Tennessee) is kind of what I expected, someone who was brave enough to volunteer for the Revolutionary War.

Some other things you probably didn’t know:

• A razorback (University of Arkansas) is a feral pig. I thought it was a snapping turtle or a snake or something, but I was wrong.
• The vast number of schools that have “fancy names” where you can’t really tell what it is, are actually bears. The Cornell Big Red and the UCLA Bruins are good examples.
• Hoosier is a resident of Indiana. I guess they didn’t like Indiana-ian? Indiana-er?
• The mascot for the Davidson College Wildcats, a la Cosmo the Cougar at BYU, is named “Mr. Cat,” which I think is really funny.
• Stanford is a Cardinal – the color, not the bird. The mascot is a tree. How weird is that?
• Western Kentucky University are the Hilltoppers. What’s that? You’d think maybe it’s another name for a mountaineer or a fierce Alps-dwelling St. Bernard, but no. Turns out the University itself was once a gathering of buildings, and then they decided to move the university to the top of a hill where a new gathering of buildings was constructed. Hence, all WKU students are Hilltoppers. The funniest part, however, is that whoever authored the WKU Wikipedia article humorously refers to the mascot as an "amorphous red blob," which didn’t really mean anything until I saw this…

Hahahahaha!

Now, onto more serious matters.

Some of the difficult decisions in the course of my picks include:

• Interestingly enough, two of the matchups were the exact same. The UCLA Bruins against the Mississippi Valley State Devils, and the Belmont Bruins against the Duke Blue Devils. I’m sure one could argue that the two “devils” On the Road to San Antonio could possibly wreak the most havoc. Of course, the “Devil” himself is a bad guy and there’s no arguing there. But, I guess, for this purpose, I imagined a “devil” as an obnoxious little kid dressed up on Halloween just poking me in the rear with a pitchfork and laughing. You can see why I’d have the Bruins win both times.
• A Hoya (Georgetown) and a Retreiver (UMBC) are both dogs... so I feel a bit like Michael Vick trying to make a decision here. Plus, whichever I choose, goes on to face a Bulldog (Gonzaga, beating the aforementioned Davidson Wildcats), so there is still more dogfighting and I'm still Michael Vick. This made me start to feel a little uneasy.
• To solve this conundrum, the rational thing would be to check out which team was ranked higher, and pick that team. But not me! I found their athletics logos and decided which one looked tougher. Take Baylor’s Bears vs. Belmont’s Bruins, for example. No contest, the Belmont bear would totally win that battle.

So, what were my final choices, you ask? My final four are the Cougars (WSU), Tigers (Clemson), Hurricanes (Miami), and Bruins (UCLA). WSU and Miami advance, and Miami takes all. I guess the truth is, a UCLA Bruin or a WSU Cougar could weather the hurricane and live to tell the tale, but they certainly won’t be doing much during the fight. Hence, the hurricane is victorious.

I’ve always been a little intrigued by natural disasters. I think they are terrific mascots that strike fear in the hearts of the competition. In fact, before 2006, I was a big fan of the word “tsunami,” and thought that would be such a great mascot! Unfortunately, there was a pretty serious and awful tsunami, and I’d feel guilty buying a Little League team and calling them the Tsunamis. But, luckily (or unluckily?), Miami is a hurricane and, as we all know so well, not much can stack up against a hurricane. They’re taking it all, baby!

Go Miami!

st. paddy's yay!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

For the last 6 years, I’ve loved St. Patrick’s Day? Why?

Happy Birthday Shanester!!!

What a fun fun fun day to have a birthday. So, it’s a great day. My plan so far (and assorted commentary):

Food

I made him cupcakes to take to work. In years’ past I’ve made brownies with green cream cheese marble swirls and last year I made frosted shamrock sugar cookies.

I think when we were newlyweds (awww) I made green eggs and ham. It was such fun! He said in his foggy recollection of birthdays’ past, he only thinks one person has made green eggs and ham for him, and that was one of his mission companions! Well, I’m his eternal companion (for better or worse) so I did, too, and it was awesome! This morning he just had cereal. Sorry ‘bout that, babe.

Then today, we’re going out to dinner. Macaroni Grill! I have a coupon. It seems like we never go anywhere unless I have a coupon. Unless it’s the La Palmera because that place is already pretty cheap and SO GOOD. (Plus they have palm tree Christmas lights. How cool is that?)

Presents

Then, we have presents. I finally bought them all on Saturday. Let’s just say most of the presents I bought him also make my life easier. Isn’t that how men usually do it? Buy their wives vacuum cleaners and table saws? (Or we could talk about my brother who bought our mother a toilet bowl brush from the Dollar Tree for Christmas one year…) Well, I guess we’re just practical in the Gottula home.

Goofy Card

I didn’t get the goofy card done. I think I’ll write him a goofy e-mail. Maybe make a goofy e-card or something.

So basically, birthdays are awesome. Especially on St. Patrick’s Day when you’re married to ME!

And now, to take this opportunity to reflect on how awesome the O’Husband is and celebrate:

• I love it how he makes me laugh, either with his funny demeanor or his escapades tormenting the cat or his brilliant social commentary


• I’m so grateful we have the “cooks don’t clean” rule in our home, because of his dedication


• I appreciate how hard he works, even when it isn’t always fun


• I’m so glad he is so patient with lil ole imperfect me

OK enough with the sappiness. Happy Green Day everyone!

mad mad mad

OK, totally mad at the auto loan people right now.

I'm such a good organizer, putting our bills in order and paying them off as the time comes. But for some reason the auto loan (due TOMORROW, on a SUNDAY) got stuffed in the back and ignored. And we happen upon it today and need to pay it. All the mail places are closed, so maybe we can pay by phone or online.

We go through the hassle of creating an online account... I hate creating online accounts, because it's just another place that has your info and another password to remember. And they tell us the fee is $10. Whatever, we need to pay it. I go through the whole process, typing in my account numbers, etc., to pay the bill, and the system is unavailable. What does that mean?? I do it again. No dice. I do it a THIRD time, STILL UNAVAILABLE.

I try calling customer service. Their hours are only until 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, so no one is there. They're all merrily enjoying the evening with their families and friends, probably ordering dessert at the Olive Garden and planning their St. Patrick's Day parties. And I'm super stressed trying to pay my stupid bill.

Fine, I call the automated PHONE system and try to pay there, where the fee is an even heftier $14. I'm desperate. I go through the huge hassle there, listening to the automated menu patiently, hitting "1" then hitting "2" then trying not to swear, as THEIR SYSTEM IS UNAVAILABLE, TOO.

So the point is, there is no way, no how, no conceivable option for me to pay this bill today, on time. A part of me suspects the powers-that-be "shut off" their system every weekend, or whenever they feel like it, just so finance charges accrue on customers' accounts and our credit scores go down. I am completely powerless right now.

Here's praying the bills never get jumbled again. I need to lay down.

lights, camera, action!

Juicy Seattle gossip!!! Someone I work with today told me that they are filming a movie in downtown Seattle. I am so excited! Maybe I'll wander down to the set tomorrow. Anyway, the movie is called "Traveling" and it stars Aaron Eckhart (whom I love!), Jennifer Aniston, and Martin Sheen.

Word on the street is that Aaron Eckhart is in town (coooool) but Jennifer Aniston isn't and they are using a "body double" for her parts. Whatev-a. Anyway, they are filming in Pioneer Square and at Post Alley at Pike Place Market. The guy at work said they had like "irrigation" systems set up or something in Pioneer Square since they wanted it to rain in the scene and lo-and-behold, it currently is not raining in Seattle. (What, does everyone think it rains here all the time??)

Very cool.

When me and the Shanester lived in Simi Valley, California (very cool surburbia), I had to go to Santa Monica for something and it was our first time, so of course we had to check out the pier, you know, the "famous pier" with the ferris wheel that is in all the movies. It was seriously 6 in the morning, because we didn't know how bad traffic would be and my appointment was at 8 a.m. So, 6 in the morning, we want to walk the pier -- and a movie is being filmed!

They have people posted all around the perimeter for inquiring minds, so some gal about 26 or 27 told us all about the movie and the stars (probably the same story for my friend who happened upon the star scene today). It was "Cellular" with Kim Basinger and William H. Macy. (Note: we did rent the movie after it came on DVD and it was OK... nothing to write home about. Moving on.) We saw no stars; it was a beach scene with "extras." But, it was pretty interesting. People just stood in spot -- the ENTIRE thing was choreographed -- and then when someone yelled "action," they all walked in a predetermined line for oh, a minute, then the same someone yelled "cut," and they went back to where they started. Every once in awhile they'd let us passers by walk through to wherever it was we needed to go.

That was about it. From my perspective, shooting a movie was kind of boring. I remember a couple years ago, John Corbett, the groom in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," announced he was retiring from acting because it was so boring. He said you'd shoot for 5 minutes, sit around for 5 minutes while the director decided what color some actor's shirt should be, then shoot for 5 more minutes, then sit around more. I thought it was fascinating, but I saw it for myself!

But alas, Hollywood, fascinates us. If I could catch a glimpse of Aaron Eckhart, how cool would THAT BE!

Also, he's Mormon. Maybe not active, but he is. Wikipedia says so... and I believe EVERYTHING I read on Wikipedia.

my husky can beat up your terrapin

Just want everyone to be aware I am planning on filling out March Madness brackets this year, using the sole criteria of which mascot could wreak more havoc on the other mascot. I'm truly looking forward to it. Wouldn't it be hilarious if I picked many, many winners?

I'll keep you posted.

sporting equipment getting a second life

I am so proud of myself, I just got finished mopping the bathrooms. I hate it. I try to do it every 3 months and I whine and complain the entire time.

HOWEVER, today was different. Well, I still pretty much hated it, but today I had a brilliant idea and it made life so much better!! In mopping the bathrooms, I first get on my hands and knees (ugh) and go around the baseboards with a bristle brush and toothbrush to clean them as best I can. Then I finish with the regular mopping and rinising and I breathe a sigh of relief for the next 3 months.

Well, I was a volleyball player in high school, and still have my knee pads. Yeah, 10 years later I still have the same knee pads from when I was off-setter #10. I thought, why not put these babies to good use? I pulled on my kneepads and scrubbed away! It was brilliant! With my iPod and no husband home and the acoustics of the bathroom (great mental picture of me, remember I am 5 months pregnant), it was quite pleasant!

I got to thinking of how useful it is to give used sporting equipment another shot at greatness. (Sidenote: of course, I could still use the kneepads... if anyone was brave enough to invite me to be on their volleyball team and I didn't have a baby in my belly...)

Here's a brainstorm:

• My father-in-law plays handball and is planning to win the world championships when he's in the 80-year-old-and-above age bracket. Good for him. His used handball gloves, and balls I believe, have become dog chew toys for their loveable mutt Toby.
• My super awesome new white marshmallow coat has down in it (or maybe fake down, I don't know), but the label specifically says to put it in the dryer with a tennis ball. Viola! A new use for a beat-to-smithereens tennis ball!
• I think when my husband solders he puts on his racquetball goggles. I fully support him protecting his peepers.
• Some people use a wooden rod as a spacer on their sliding glass doors and windows, so an unwelcome intruder can't sneak in. We use a baseball bat.
• I've always thought cleats would be good aerators for a lawn. I've got to get myself a lawn to try it out. If anyone wants me to come over and aerate their lawn, let me know. I think it would be fun. Maybe I'd put on my iPod and start singing for you.

That's all for now! Happy reusing! (My, we're sustainable in Seattle; I love it!)

reality tv

I think I figured out today why I like reality television. Let me preface this with not ALL reality TV falls into the acceptable realm of reality TV. More on that later. Basically, here it is: these people, these real people, are out there doing something, and they don't mind letting us watch. Let me further explain.

Sometimes it's nice to come home from work, make dinner, post to your blog, lounge around, then catch some Z's. But, to me, that is a pretty boring life. Life is about doing stuff, having fun while doing it, learning some lessons, becoming better, getting great stories to tell later on. Going to the park, scoping out a museum, joining a Scrabble club, getting away for the weekend: these are all fine examples of doing stuff.

Reality TV people go out of their comfort zones to do something interesting, and we get to go along for the ride. They learn to dance (Dancing with the Stars), they work on their singing skills (American Idol), they eat bugs in Fiji (Survivor), they venture to lose hundreds of pounds (The Biggest Loser), they move to New York and try out a new career (America's Next Top Model), and on and on. I mean, wow. If I tried to do all this stuff in my life, how exciting it would be! Honestly, I admire them. They're trying something new in front of America.

This is where the disclaimer comes in that "all reality TV shows need not apply." If you live in a house and let cameras in your house to watch your every move, this is lame. Britney, Jessica and Nick, Travis and Shannon, I'm talking to you. You can see how their lives all turned out. (In case you've been living under a rock, Jessica and Nick AND Travis and Shannon are both divorced. Maybe they should have gone on Survivor instead.)

If only we could all be so brave as to venture and do something with our lives. Last year I made a resolution to plan one exciting date every month with my hubby. We went snowmobiling one month, snowshoeing in another; we saw a play and had dinner at a fancy place downtown; we went to the Museum of Flight; we went to this cool man-made island in Everett on a gorgeous day and watched kite surfers. It was awesome. I never want to stop getting off my duff and trying something new, enjoying where I am, living it up.

Now on camera, ha, that may not be for me.

life lessons, installment 1?

Thought I'd share some lessons I've learned. Feel free to comment and add your own.

• Tuesdays are the busiest day at the gym at 6 a.m. in the morning. Everyone who slept in on Monday feels guilty and wants to get their week started right with exercise. So they come on Tuesday. Sometimes Wednesday is just as busy, but by Friday it's dead. Friday is the best day to try to get a lane in the pool.
• No matter how prepared I think I am, people's birthdays will always creep up on me. Did I make them brownies? Send a card? Remember to call? Maybe half the time.
• As soon as I put my headphones in at work, someone will call or my boss will call my name and I won't hear her. Then she'll feel stupid and I'll kind of look stupid, too.
• If I think I'm running late, I can run to the end of my condo complex's driveway and look down the street, and I can see if the bus is coming. If I see it, I high-tail it to the bus stop. If not, I've got time.
• If I check my Facebook page on my lunch break, an hour will fly by.
• If I bring up the subject of baby boy names, my husband will suggest a rock star, either dead or living (e.g., Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Marley, etc.) before considering anything else.
• If I drink a glass of milk before dinner, I don't eat so much and feel fuller, yet better about myself. I guess rules like this go out the window when one is pregnant.
• If I nuke my lunch at work for 2 minutes, I've got time to run to the bathroom and get back before it's done and the next person in line is glaring at me for hogging the microwave.
• If the hub runs out of La Victoria HOT salsa, it won't be on sale. When I finally have a stash of 3 jars in storage, it'll be a fabulous price and I'll need to buy 3 more.

That's all for now. Happy life lessons to you all!