HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DON!!!!!!

Can't wait for another party weekend! I Love You! ~ Des

Firsts

Today is the very first day of Autumn (I like when the Summer is over. It's time.) and the very first week of the first year of our new Jr. High Explore! program. Wow! Everything went very well, and the buzz is good. I hope that the kids really take to the program. Of course, I'm fixated on the handful of trouble makers. I need to learn to deal with them but not let their misbehavior color how I view the entire group. For the most part, we have wonderful and thoughtful kids. It's been a lot of work, but I believe it will be leaps and bounds better than what they've experienced before.

If any of you have the unfortunate experience of listening to Mark & Mercedes in the morning, you may have already heard them talk about Blender Magazine's Top 500 Songs Since You Were Born (circa 1980). Well, we actually have a subscription to Blender, so what you missed on M&M is my very own commentary on the Top 10. Here goes:

10. In da Club 50Cent: Ok, maybe I am "older" than my peers, but other than a sampling on itunes just now I don't remember ever hearing this song before. So, I really can't agree with it's spot at No. 10 when songs I do know and love like You Oughta' Know and Nothing Compares 2 U are at 149 and 113 respectively. So, I'm a chick song girl.

9. Baby, One More Time Britney Spears: Yeah, this is a guilty pleasure for me, too. I love this song, and I have danced to it in front of a mirror more than once (now you know.). How come I didn't look that good in a plaid skirt at 16? I am not at all implying that Britney is a good musician/vocalist, because she isn't. So, it must be a great song if it can catapult a precocious (for lack of a better word) girl with mediocre talent into a global superstar. The other Brit song that I like, Toxic, makes the list at No. 110.

8. Sucker MCs Run-DMC: (Sigh) I think that I missed the whole rise of rap. I suppose that this is old school, but it's new to me. Should I know this song? Do I really know this song, but itunes had a crappy sample? Well in any event, this song is not in my CD collection. Maybe, it's a classic and I just don't know it. Is this the song that started it all? So many questions that I'm not sure if I care if I get answers to...

7. Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division: I have an excuse for this one: I was only a few months old when it came out in 1980! How in the world can we be expected to know this one, especially those of you who were born way after 1980?! I'm really batting a thousand here! lol.

6. Like a Prayer Madonna: Ok, now we're talkin'! I'm a little surprised, but I totally agree. I loved this song the first time I heard it on KLUC 98.5 during the 5th grade and I still do. This is the song that made me a Madonna fan. I don't know if it was the Catholic ties or its appeal to my developing secret inner wild girl, but I couldn't get enough of it. I wasn't alone: in the 6th grade, seven of my girlfriends and I performed Like a Prayer in the school talent show. We had killer outfits of Batman pants, vests and black felt hats and our dance was, well, very literal. If you're lucky, someday when I'm drunk I'll show it to you. We had a great one to Papa, Don't Preach too. (BTW: That's No. 468 in case you were wondering.)

5. Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana: Wow, I know two in a row! I'm not a huge fan of this song. I like it fine, but (surprise, surprise) I didn't really "get" the grunge thing when it was at the height of its popularity during the end of Jr. High/beginning of High School. I wanted my Madonna glamour, plus I was entering my country faze ( Garth did make the list at No. 207 with Friends in Low Places- I'm partial to that one.) However, I can't hear this song without being reminded of my Freshman year, and we spoofed that video quite a bit back then. That janitor was a riot! It always takes me back...

4. One U2: I must admit that I am a late U2 convert. I have only recently discovered that I really do enjoy a lot of their songs. I just missed the buzz. This is a great song. Did you know that it's actually a break-up song? I didn't.

3. Sweet Child O'Mine Guns N' Roses: 80s Hair Band! Yeah, embarrassingly enough I do a pitiful Axl Rose impersonation to this song. My childhood bestfriend and I used to take an old rag mop and turn it upside down saying that it was Axl Rose. We thought that we were hilarious. I am discovering that I really do like 80s Rock. I just missed it. What was I listening to?! Must have been Disney records and Tiffany.

2. B.O.B Outkast: I know one Outkast song and this is not it! It's that whole Poloroid picture thing... Speaking of shaking things, that hideous Milkshake song actually made the list. Unbelieveable. That song is not better than a lot that were omitted. I digress, I'm sure that Outkast has done something that the Blender people think is important for our pop culture lives, but I can't tell you what it is. They did help us come up with "Hey, God" at church. Probably not what they were shooting for.

1. Billie Jean Michael Jackson: OMG! I love this song! As long as I'm in the confessional, I am actually a closet Michael Jackson fan (no pun intended). Let me clarify. I am a fan of Michael Jackson's music, not Michael Jackson the man. I wouldn't be caught dead crying outside the courtroom or pledging my allegiance to the King of Pop, but every time one of his songs plays through the ipod I can't help but dance along in my seat. And the quintessential Michael Jackson song is definitely Billie Jean. If I were only allowed to like one MJ song, that would be my choice. In light of his recent troubles, what a different song it would have been if Billie Jean had actually been a prepubescent boy or if it was just BJ... oh, never mind. He may be a freak, but he has some great songs!

Songs I'm Glad Made the List Somewhere: Livin' On a Prayer (Go Jersey Boys!), Losing My Religion (Quirky R.E.M., but I like it all the same), Creep (I didn't think that this was mainstream enough, but I love this song!), Freedom (Go pissed off George Michael! Great video.), Building a Mystery (The F-bomb probably moved it way up the list.), Time After Time, Ray of Light

Songs That Surprised Me: Islands in the Stream (love the song; classic Kenny & Dolly, but I wouldn't think that it was cool enough for Blender.), I Touch Myself (One of these days I will sing this at a karaoke bar.), Jump (Who remembers Kriss Kross? I remember the clothes...), I Need to Know (this has got to be the whiniest song ever.), Macarena (stupid dance, annoying song... No. 198?), The Humpty Dance (the video and nose ruined this one for me.)

Whew! That's a lot. I thought that I would be totally out of touch, but I didn't do too bad. How did you all do?

Gute Hausfrau

In honor of Oktoberfest, I am dusting off my very rusty German skills. Today I attempted domestic goddess status. It all started with my morning dose of Martha. I really enjoy her new show. She's a lot more personable than she was on Martha Stewart Living. She's very upfront about the jail time, too; she doesn't try to hide it. I am by no means a Martha, but I do get excited about crafts and baking and at least trying to be domestic. After Martha and some office time, I set off to find a comforter set for our bed. We've had our new bed for almost a year & have been using not so great sheets and stretching a Full sized comforter over a King sized bed. Surprisingly enough, it works ok. Don and I have looked for a set but couldn't find one that we both liked or that wasn't too expensive. I finally bit the bullet and bought a set that is mostly rich purples. I'm not sure that Don is too keen on the color, but it will serve its purpose fine. I even bought little pillows to put on the bed. Big excitement.

After my bedding shopping, I came home to cook a "real" dinner. My recent goal is to cook something new or involved every Monday for dinner since I am usually home and have time to do it. This was week number two. I'm really enjoying this plan so far. It feels like a good start to the week, and we end up with just enough leftovers for Don to eat during evenings when I'm not home. Tonight I made WW friendly baked beef ziti. Since I am not the most graceful cook, the kitchen was pretty disasterous as I tried my best to manage boiling pasta, sauteing garlic and draining meat. I had sauce everywhere and ended up dropping a measuring container into the boiling water. That was fun! However, I cleaned up so well that if I hadn't told Don he would have thought that it was effortless. The ziti tasted great; you couldn't even tell that it was a WW recipe and low in points. Most of the meals I am attempting are WW recipes. So far so good.

I can hardly believe that tomorrow is the first day of our new Jr High program! I am excited and nervous at the same time. I think that we have been blessed with an awesome group of catechists, and everyone has been working so hard to make this a success. Now, we just add the student X-factor and leave it up to the Holy Spirit. Of course, my nervous self plagued me with dreams of unprepared teachers and hideously behaved students last night. I know that neither will actually happen, but it was enough to keep me tossing and turning! I can't wait to find out what tomorrow brings!

Itching Update: It seems to be subsiding. I still itch every now and then but it's not such a compulsion anymore. I guess I won't have to put socks on my hands after all!

I also need to start working on songs for Cabaret night. It always seems to sneak up on me. It looks like this year will be no exception. Oh, well.

Less than two weeks until Don's birthday! Yeah! No plans yet, but I'm sure that the schedule will fill itself very soon.

Well, that's it for me. Time to start settling down for the evening in anticipation of a very busy tomorrow.

The Itch that Rashes

Well, I've been to the doctor this morning and that's what they call it. Isn't that pleasant? It appears that my itching problem is allergy related and not uncommon for severe allergy sufferers like myself. Sometimes you just end up itching like crazy for no discernable reason. They gave me some more drugs (joy) and all kinds of tips for ways to banish the itch. Some of them I have already been doing; I use Dove soap and I changed to a milder detergent. Interesting thing about detergent, though- they said that a second rinse in the washer is more effective than changing your detergent. I'll have to do that for a while. Of course, I need to go back to Target and buy more lotions to add to my growing collection. I'm supposed to encourage water absorption in my skin. What I like about this idea is that the doctor actually told me to take long showers and baths. I have never had a problem with that. I take forever in the shower! Now I have an excuse. The other day the women at the bank made me cut all my fingernails so that I can't hurt myself as badly anymore. That has helped a little. On top of it all, my doctor has advised me to minimize stress in my life (Ha! This has only been the most stressful week in recent memory! Go figure.). Anxiety, anger and frustration (all very appropriate for this week in Hell) provoke and aggravate my problem. So, go away! My mental, emotional and now physical health can't take anymore. Doctor's orders.

Dissonance

Lately my whole life has had a very obvious lack of harmony. Confrontation is around every corner. No wonder I am having such troubled sleep! I am so stressed about all the confrontation around me. Some of it is full blown war and some of it is unspoken and just plain passive agressive. All of it is unnerving. At least, I can always feel that at the end of the day I am true to myself and the things I believe in. So, maybe that makes me a hard pill to swallow at times, but I will never apologize for standing up for what I feel is important. It would be a lot easier to pay lip service to people, but I respect others enough that I don't ever want anyone to question my motives or my feelings. When dealing with me, you know exactly where I stand. I have integrity, which seems to be a forgotten virtue in the "keep yourself and everyone else happy" world we live in. So, call me what you will. I have big shoulders; I can take it. But respect me enough to be honest with me and yourself.

Boring Stuff

This is super geeky, but today I got my hands on Spirit and Song 2. I spied it on Mary's shelf, and could hardly believe that it was real. We have been waiting for Spirit and Song 2 for years! A lot of the songs that they have included are old news to us now like Breathe and If Today. That's a little disappointing other than the exciting prospect of throwing out 40% of our sheet music. I'm all for that! There are still a lot of songs that we don't know, so I'm excited to listen to the CDs when Mary gets them. They are on back order right now. Other news: there is going to be a Gather 2 as well. That's so cool. I am so sick of doing the same music over and over. Hopefully, we'll find some cool new stuff.

This is kinda' gross. For six weeks or so I have had an insufferable itching problem all over my legs. I don't have a rash. I've changed my detergent, so we can rule that one out. I have used just about every itch lotion possible, and nothing has helped. I have scratched so hard that I have scabs and bruises all over my legs. It's kinda' embarrassing. I had meant to call my allergist today, but got called into an impromptu meeting. It's been really annoying.

Today the battle over the Youth Lounge culminated. Debbie and I did a great job of standing our ground. I was really proud of us. For those who don't know, the "battle" is really about symantics: are Jr High kids considered youth and by extension eligible for ownership and usage of the Youth Lounge? We didn't really get a concrete answer, but the important thing is that we didn't lose any ground. We represented our view very well, which made it very difficult for there to be a compelling argument in opposition. For now, things will be ok, but we'll see what happens in a few months.

I had really troubled sleep last night. I tossed and turned all over; I was hot and cold. It totally sucked. I remember talking, too, but I don't know what I said. As a result, I have had a very groggy day. Hopefully, that means I will sleep well tonight. Don will be leaving in about a half hour for the show. Maybe I'll cozy up to my pillow after he leaves.

Is anyone else interested in the new TV show Reunion? It sounds like a really interesting concept for a show. Each episode is a different year all the way to the present. Supposedly, they are going to use soundtracks appropriate for each year. That will be so cool. The premiere is Thursday night on Fox. I think I'll check it out.

Don and I are trying to plan a vacation for January of next year. At first, we thought that we'd go on another cruise, but now we're thinking about going to New York instead. We're really jazzed about the chance to see a lot of shows on Broadway. Our wish list includes Phantom and Wicked. Both trips would be a blast. We had hoped that another couple would join us on the cruise, but we aren't having much luck. So, maybe New York would be the better bet. Plus, I love snow, and I'm sure there would be a lot of it.

Well, that's my really busy yet kinda' boring Tuesday.

Labor Days Past

Happy Labor Day everyone! Don's working and I slept in pretty late, so our holiday is half over without much fun to show for it. Maybe I'll go swimming later. We'll see...

Once upon a time, my Labor Day was always a big family trip to Zion National Park. My parents usually took us out of school on Friday which was great since it was usually the end of the first week. I always hated the first week of school. My grandparents usually had been at the park for a few days before any of us got there, so we didn't have to worry about finding a good site. But, back then Zion wasn't as crowded and had a lot less rules and regs. All my aunts, uncles and cousins would converge on the park sometime on Friday or Saturday. We spent countless hours playing and tubing down the Virgin River. That was the best! It was always pretty cold, but we didn't care. I've heard that they don't even allow people in the river anymore. That sucks! We'd usually hike the Narrows or the Emerald Pools together. Both were fun, because the hike would make you so hot and there was a refreshing river or lake that awaited you. I don't think that we were supposed to swim in the Emarald Pools, but we did anyway. We painted rocks, played with bubbles, played badmitton, hit pinatas. It was so fun!

Our Labor Day trips to Zion are the true origin of my festival birthday. My aunt would bring a birthday cake for me from Salt Lake, and I'd get all my family cards and presents then. It made waiting a week for more celebration well worth it. Of course, our family got older and busier and the Labor Day tradition faded away. Zion changed too. It is no longer the fun place that we rode bikes around and explored for hours on end. The area has gotten so commercialized. It's really sad that a huge Imax theater competes with the natural beauty of the area. Even worse, the increased patronage of "serious" hikers and campers combined with the Gestapo park rangers has made Zion a place that just isn't that much fun anymore. It really saddens me, because I have such fond memories of all of our Zion trips. It will always be a beautiful natural wonder, but I'd rather go to Lee Canyon or check out Panguitch so we can have fun that includes campfires and sing alongs that don't have to end at 10:00pm.

There had been talk of resurrecting our Zion family tradition this year, but with cousins leaving for boot camp and all sorts of rifts in the family it obviously didn't happen. I haven't had a bad weekend. It has been nice, but uneventful compared to the Zion trips of old. I always looked forward to that trip. Now, I hardly see my family at all. I guess it will just be weddings and funerals from now on. I suppose that's what happens to extended families. I'd like to start some family events like our Zion trip. The Fourth of July is a great new tradition, but it's not really a true family event. We don't have many traditions right now. Maybe it's time to start some of our own.

Twilight Zone

Last night we had such a surreal experience that we couldn't believe that it wasn't a dream. For the first time, we made the treck out to the District at Green Valley Ranch. Of course, we had heard a little about it, and finally we had a real reason to check it out. As the night progressed, we could hardly believe that we were still in Las Vegas. It felt so much more like a utopian California village. It was very strange. Don and I joked that we were waiting for the stroke of Midnight when all the vampires and prostitutes come out and take over the square. I guess it's a sad comment on society when seeing people in a wholesome and family friendly atmosphere seems so strange. Tons of people were actually walking their dogs everywhere. What was even stranger was that they all seemed to have red leashes. I hope that was a coincidence! We were actually there to see a band and much to our surprise the green was totally packed with families on blankets and lawn chairs. Parents and kids were dancing and singing along to Beatles tunes all over the square. No one was dressed to provocatively or tacky. It just seemed too good to be true. There was even a clock tower for goodness sake! Adding to the strangeness was the fact that people actually own condos above the shops. I had heard about this in real estate circles, but the concept is so foreign to me because it has never really existed in Las Vegas. We've never really had any true urban centers. Honestly, we've been a very suburban town in which you rent an apartment or buy a house with a yard. So, it was really weird to be dancing around to The Magical Mystery Tour and look up at a woman working on her computer in front of a huge window.

We had a very nice time, but it is far enough away that I don't see us frequenting the District especially since so many of the stores and restaurants that I would be interested in are right down the road from our house at Boca Park. The talk is that the new Red Rock Station will have an area like the District. I could see us going there fairly often, because it would be so close to home. Thankfully, developers are doing a really great job of creating comparable areas in different parts of the city, so that if you live in Summerlin everything you want and need is right there. You don't have to go to Green Valley or the Strip for anything. I love where we live. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the city. Whenever the day comes that we feel we want another house, I'd like to stay in the same general neighborhood. We are so close to so many great things, and far enough away from the Strip that it doesn't influence us much. Plus, we actually have a backyard and a pool which is getting harder and harder to come by these days. Honestly, the only thing we are missing out here is a really good mall. But, I hear that is coming too. Once we get all this out here, it is going to be really hard to convince us to drive anywhere else. The only reason we'll have to go to Green Valley or Southern Highlands will be to visit our friends. Thank goodness!

Bend Over

I've got to tell you that in general 2005 has been the year that sucks. It's not just me, either. It seems like every time I turn around someone new has proclaimed this as the suckiest year in recent memory- not to mention all of the awful global disasters. A guy at the bank said that this year has been so bad that on New Year's Eve he's going to tear down his 2005 calendar and crap on it literally! Pretty crude, but you get the point. I have felt much the same way as everyone else has been sharing: helpless, sad and wondering if God is trying to get our attention. What makes me even more depressed than the actual events that have occurred is the pitiful condition of the human race in reaction. Maybe it's our media obsessed society that seems to like to show ten awful images to scarcely one positive one. There's more news in the bad, right? Or have we really become such a greedy and self-serving people that we don't know how to help anyone except ourselves? What happened to group identity, pride and the greater good? I know that I'm preaching to the choir. It's just hard to tell a bunch of kids that they can make a real difference in the world when I'm so easily disheartened myself.

I'm going to sound like a big whiner, but hear me out: this gas situation is totally out of control! I don't want to hear about how much they pay in Europe and my argument isn't motivated out of being a tight wad. I'm pissed at the greedy gauging that is going on. Last night in two hours we witnessed a six cent increase at a local gas station. This morning, it was ten cents in three hours. You cannot tell me that there has been such a huge demand for gas in the last 24 hours that the stations have purchased barrells twice. You might say, "Well, it's just gas." But it's not! This is just the beginning of what could be major economic problems. We are so dependant on gas to transport ourselves and just about everything in our lives that we are going to end up paying more money for everything. We won't just feel it at the pump. We'll feel it at the grocery store, in our travel, at the post office (I smell another postage increase)... it goes on and on. Are our cost of living raises going to keep up? Hell, no! And it's all because of the immense selfishness and greed of the wealthiest one percent of the world's population. Wouldn't you think that there would come a point when wealth is just obscene and one more billion really doesn't matter? It makes me sick.

Let's go back to that whole making a difference concept. Last night I expressed my upset about the gas station's increase to the surly woman behind the counter and of course she countered, "What do you expect me to do about it?" How awful was that?! I said, "Tell your owner that I'm never coming back to this station because of the gauging! I'll get a bike." True, alone my little outburst doesn't mean much, but what if we all refused to buy gas on Fridays and Tuesdays and limited unnecessary driving. If thousands of us organized ourselves, it just might hurt the pocket book and send a little message that we won't just take it. It would be a great lesson in supply and demand. Right now we have a supposedly low supply and a high demand, which means the prices are free to continue rising. But if we decrease our demand, theoretically, prices should decrease too. That's a really simple way of looking at it, and I know that there are a lot of other factors to consider. But, it could work if people weren't so convinced that they are powerless. That's the even bigger tragedy. If we don't fight the good fights and exercise the power we do have than we deserve to be screwed.