Seven Quick Takes Friday
/I am laughing to myself right now because, according to B, I went "off the grid" this morning. Now, this is a new term to me, but I kind of got the essence of what he meant. Apparently, leaving a silly Facebook status and then leaving the house for a couple of hours and not taking my cell phone with me causes a nationwide panic to set in.
Literally.
I had people from Georgia to Arizona wondering what was going on with me.
I'm fine. Really fine. Just being silly.
It is nice to know so many people care, though. Thanks everyone!
Now, on to more serious matters.
I heard yesterday that shares of Hormel are going through the roof because sales of Spam and Dinty Moore Beef Stew are way up due to the economy. (Is it just me or is everything these days tied to the economy?) I got my fill of Spam as a kid, thankyouverymuch, and I just can't stomach that stuff. The squishy jelly that surrounds the "meat," the strange combination of spices, and even the protein itself (it's hard to even call it meat)--all of it just kind of freaks me out. I might as well be eating Thunder's food.
Sorry, kids, as much as I'd enjoy the challenge of making that stuff actually taste good, I am NOT going to treat you to that piece of cultural literacy.
While we're on the topic of the economy . . . I've pretty much stopped watching the news these days. My heart can't take what has happened in our country over the past few weeks. But this guy--Rick Santelli--caught my attention with the interview he did with CNBC yesterday. Watch the video, even if it's just the first 2 minutes or so, and let me know what you think.
A couple of his comments made me think, like when he says, "You can't buy your way into prosperity."
Or when he asks, "President Obama, are you listening?" I wonder . . .
I'm already in deep, so I'll just take the plunge . . . I feel like I live in a cesspool called the State of Illinois. Now it seems Rolland Burris wasn't exactly truthful when he gave sworn testimony in front of the Illinois Senate. Apparently he did contact Blogo's people--a few times--to let them know that he'd be interested in the Senate seat if offered to him. Oh, and if he needed a little help with some fundraising, just let Burris know.
These people just won't quit, will they? And the good people of this state are left trying to figure out how to pay for the mess these politicians have left for us.
O.K., enough about that.
Back to #1. Want to know what my Facebook status was? I said I was "trembling with fear."
Want to know what I was fearful of?
This afternoon I will be getting on a bus and riding three hours to the University of Illinois with 140 high school orchestra students. If that isn't enough to leave you quaking in your boots, we are supposed to get somewhere between 6 to 10 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. So, combine a bus, high schoolers, and all that snow, and you've got one trembling mama.
But do you want to know why I'm going? Well, the orchestra teacher sent an email to all the parents saying that she needed chaperones, so I asked Abby if she'd want me to go (hey, I'm not stupid--I'm not going to put myself through this kind of torture if my daughter didn't want me there!). To my surprise, Abby said yes, she would love it if I came along. It sure didn't take me long to email that teacher back to sign up. I know the day will come when Abby says that, no, she wouldn't like me to come along, so as long as she wants me there, I'm there.
So, here I am, about two hours away from a new adventure. With high schoolers. Should be interesting. (I wonder if I should pack sometime soon.)
This morning was a bit of a milestone for Maggie and me. I dropped her off at school on my way to the gym. (No, that's not the milestone! Keep reading!) Normally we walk to school--it's only 2 blocks away--but I was on my way and the wind chill is below zero again, so I dropped her off.
Now, Maggie loves me. She REALLY loves me. She's what you might call "attached" to me. I haven't worried about it--I figure she'll grow out of it in about a year or two when it's not cool to like your mom in middle school.
But on days past, especially if I was leaving for a night and Maggie wouldn't be seeing me for a while, she would have made a big production out of hugging me and kissing me and saying goodbye. She would have said, "Bye! I love you!" about 20 times. (She gets her closure issues from me.)
This morning, however, Maggie gave me a hug and a kiss, said "I love you" and simply got out of the car and headed to the school. No big production. No sappy tears. She just said goodbye and walked away.
In a way, it made me sad, but in another way I was so relieved. It was just another sign that Maggie is growing up. It didn't mean that she didn't love me any less than she did yesterday. It didn't mean that I wasn't still her #1 person. It just meant that she didn't feel the need for all that drama. She knew that I would be back tomorrow night and that everything would be fine.
This, my friends, is a huge milestone.
I have no #7. I think I'm just so wrung out over politics and the economy that if I wrote any more, things would get ugly.
So I'll stop right here and just wish you a great weekend!
(Thanks, Jen at Conversion Diary, for hosting this very fun carnival. Pop on over there to read her 7 Quick Takes.)
