...and birthdays are the blog topic yet again. Sue's 40th on this coming Tuesday prompted a wine tour and party on Saturday that was quite fun, if not quite exhausting. We may be getting older, but we can still tie one on...and look darn cute in the process! It sure has been a busy two months or so of commemorating the passage of time. Johnny M. was essentially my bday treat, then came all of my kid's extravaganzas, and finally Susan's. Phew! Humorously we are now ripping out the dining room molding in anticipation of re-sheetrocking and paint this coming week. Good thing the party was THIS weekend. It is funny, though, when you think life is back to "normal," the next thing comes along to keep things spicy! It's a good thing, I thrive on change and upheaval of the creative type, so it ought to be a nice thing to keep me going through the end of school and into the summer. Ahhh, summer, it really is JUST around the corner! (although there is 6-12 inches of snow forecasted for tonight...who knows!)
-Cheryl

Did I not promise Johnny M. photos like a MONTH ago? Better late than never...and kudos go out to my "friend!"
-Cheryl

Well, we have just survived another holiday season at our house. No, you didn't miss something...it is a holiday specific to our family; The Month of Birthdays, and truth be told, in the grand scheme it is not even over if you count peripheral family, but for our nuclear bunch, it is, finally, DONE!

It has been kind of crazy around here in March as I turned 36 on the 2nd, Gwynn turned 6 on the 8th, and Devin 9 on the 12th...if my tired mind is not going dyslexic on the numbers. As the month has gone on, and on, and on, we have attended a John Mayer concert for me (photos from my "friend" to come in the next blog), had home birthday parties, brought treats to school, had friend parties, all times two of course, and had the whole famdamily up for an afternoon. It has been exhausting, and exhilerating at the same time, and fun overall, but I am finding a first moment for quiet reflection right now - a treat to the time crunch that we have been living for about 3 weeks.

Along with birthday celebration, somehow, we have all aged another year...the overall premise of birthdays being, naturally, to mark in some signifigant way, the passage of time. Yep, when you get down to the proverbial brass tacks, it is true...I AM getting older. Of course going to a rock concert for your birthday, while youth inducing, can remind you of how much older you are as well. This was actually my second time seeing Johnny M. in concert...and he was wonderful just the same...but I did notice, it is getting a little loud, you know? I will give myself some latitude here, as the concert was in the Onondaga War Memorial, essentially a hockey rink, fairly small, and concrete and metal, so the acoustics, shall we say, leave a bit to be desired overall, but still...it was a little loud. Not to mention, a commercial today informed me that both VanHalen, who I just LOVE, and R.E.M. (never favorites of mine, but still, who could forget "Losing My Erection...I mean Religion?") are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I guess we are all in this together, my generation really IS growing up.

There are a lot of things cropping up like that lately. Things where I am reminded that I fit into a different demographic...times where I have to check a different box, you know, the 32-42 box on the survey and such. Things take a little longer, I get a little tireder a little earlier, a little more oftener, I forget things more. It seems as well like a lot of patterns and events in life are repeating themselves. It is not like life is becoming boring or anything, but it is a bit more predictable, and in turn, it goes SO fast. It is the end of birthday month now, but it will be a flash, I am sure, and it will be here again.

In as much as I am willing to acknowledge this passage of time, and while I will fully admit that it is preferable to the ultimate alternative, I am also finding myself fighting it in subtle, and not so subtle ways. We recently read the book I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron for my bookgroup, and while Sue and I both had the same opinion about it, namely that we didn't QUITE relate to it yet, and that we could've written a few of the segments in a more humorous and cohesive way, it still brought some thoughts on aging to the forefront of the mind. I have been more conscious of my hair for example, and have been enjoying skin care and makeup more than I have in a long time, finding ways it can help and hide things that, admittedly could use a little help and hiding. Makeup was so exciting at about ages 10-12, when you were so despearate to look OLDER. I am finding, now, it is my friend again, but in that money sucking quest for the fountain of youth.

My clothes, too, have gone through something of a metamorphosis in the last few years, as I have felt "olderness" creeping up on me. Here, I feel, though, that as I have aged, my clothes have become more "me" and more modern. For example, as much as I used to love the "teacher jumper," now I refuse to wear the clothes that scream "I'm a teacher/I'm a mom." I hasten to say, it is in some ways a response to the cultural shift, which can be seen in the evolution of "Teacher Barbie" from jean skirt and "teacher print" vest to red print strappy, but appropriate sundress and red platform sandals. See, Barbie's right with us girls, using the clothes to preserve her youth, and she'd got a lot more years on her than I do. While I will readily admit to the roles of both mother and teacher, I don't want or need to wear either as a label...after all, they are as much a part of me as any other part of my identity. The way I DO want to dress these days is as a woman ; beautiful, current, successful, powerful and sexy...I want to dress as an adjective, not a noun. (see, told you the teacher thing was inescapable...)

Finally, there is this fascination with all things of my youth. Another marketing ploy to be certain, but oh well. I have already expressed my love of iTunes, and truth be told, the vast majority of my downloads are certainly 70's and 80's hits. Truth be further told, I was just pulled away from finishing this rant by "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's," and final truth, I have some issues with their picks and orders. Then there is this attempt at recapturing youth through my children. You all know this one. The joy of buying my daughter the clogs I wasn't allowed to have, and watching Star Wars the RIGHT way (Episodes 4-6 and THEN 1-3) on several Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with my son, when surely I should be cleaning my house, or paying some bills. It is in these moments when I reflect, relive and revel in the joy and plentitude that has been, and will be, my life. I suppose that is it, in a nutshell. Life goes on, and is a one way street. There is no going back, but there are times to reflect, times to try certain things again. As I watched VH1 I saw Keith Richards, once playing "Start Me Up" near 40 in 1982, and more recently in some taped footage from that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which he must've been invited to perform at. I mean, the guy looked old in '82, looks positively pickled now, and is still on a long worldwide tour with the Rolling Stones as we speak, despite a nasty fall from a coconut tree. Maybe we all ought to take a few hints from Keith. Life is for living, age really is just a number, perhaps booze and cigarettes have preservative qualities, and being a little nutty can really help us along at times. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to us, to 36, and bring on the coconut, be it chocolate, tanning lotion or preferably the coconut rum seved up from Coco the Cabana boy! Life is here, it is now, and it is good!
-Cheryl

Just some notes on days of perfect synergy...

I have about MINUTES before I need to head out the door with my daughter for bookgroup/dinner at my favorite high carb chain bistro (Panera anyone? Hello - LOVE IT - and they deserve kudos - starting up a BAKERY restaurant at the height of Atkins - look who's still around...) and shoe shopping, the perfect ending to a perfect day, but those few minutes deserve some reverent reflection.

Last week, even though it was February break, I felt a bit trapped and penned in, not only due to immense amounts of snow, but also due to a sick family. February break is usually such a wonderful treat - FREE DAYS OFF - NO HOLIDAY INVOLVED - and then it all went to Hell. In my pessimists mind, also, I knew that we had tickets to a John Mayer concert for the Tuesday after break and I could just see it playing out with break ending, all of us healthy and heading back to work Monday, and me coming down with the disease on Tuesday.

Well, guess what - THE WORST DID NOT HAPPEN!

The opposite, in fact happened, a day, or perhaps even a day and a half, of perfect synergy.

- PERFECT weather to travel down to the concert - and Dave driving - Thanks Dave!
- Great dinner at Red Lobster - COCONUT SHRIMP - yummy!- AND a good waitress!
- Getting to the concert on time, actually with time to spare
- Buying tee shirts and Sue finding that they were made by American Apparel!
- A wonderful show - Johnny M. in a scarf...need I say more?
- Me making a new friend!
- A safe drive home
- A good night's sleep, with no little urchins waking up, and Tim not snoring:)
- Sending the kiddies off to school
- Seeing on school email that our union approved our contract - only the board to go:)
- Online shopping with mom and getting a great deal on new dishes
- A personal day today as I was BEAT, complete with napping:)
- Sun on snow

...and to top it off, well, at least before "girl's night," doesn't my Lia Sophia order come - new jewelry! I can DEFINITELY make it though the rest of the week, and face my 36th (yikes!) birthday on Friday:)
Here's to good friends, good food, good music, a good LIFE!
-Cheryl

Treating Ourselves

Today's random thought is about treating ourselves. It is such a wonderful thing. Such a necessary part of my life. I think back to some article I read about people who were challenged to go one entire year without buying anything new. I believe food was not included in that. Anyway, at first I thought, hmm, one year, I could PROBABLY do it. But really, I don't think that I could.

I have always gotten enjoyment out of the little things. As a young teenager, when many of my friends were "out" on a Friday night (their parents thought with a group of friends at a movie, but it would be at a party or out with an older boy their parents didn't approve of or know about), I found peace with a trip to the store with my mother. I would get a new nail polish, or a magazine, or that LUXURY SHAMPOO (refer back 5 blogs). At 14 or 15, this was all I needed to make me happy. That and a telephone hooked to my head. I had a friend who actually teased me about my lack of a social life at that age. The biggest excitement of Susan's Friday night is going to Fay's with her mother! Oh yes, it was the big laugh. Several years later, when this same friend came home pregnant at age 15, she admitted how jealous she was. Had she only gone to Fay's with her mother on Friday nights, she might not have been a Mom when I was going to the Prom and beginning my own social life. Even more years later, when her own daughter was 14, she told me that she wanted the biggest excitment in her daughter's life to be going to WalMart (Fay's had long since closed) with her.

I often think of the trouble I have kept myself out of by treating myself to the little things. Instead of turning to heavy drugs or alcohol in times of sadness, I would take a bubble bath, or get a new haircut. Instead of doing something I might later regret, I buy a new skirt. Of course this can also be seen as a problem. And sometimes I have my issues. But in the end I think I am still further ahead.

Something else that is interesting to ponder, is that I am not into the big things. Like, I do not have fancy new cars every other year, nor do I have a snowmobile for the winter months. I do not own a boat or a summer getaway cottage. All these things would certainly be attainable if I did not splurge on the little things. If I was a saver. I wonder how my life would be if I didn't spend money on the little things, but instead saved it. But I don't wonder for long, before whipping a bouquet of roses into my cart at the Chopper. They will make me happy all week.

So back to the people challenged to not buy anything for a year. This could possibly work for me if I was only allowed to shop at a grocery store. I could possibly get by without any new clothes (although I did see the Chopper carrying jeans last week!) or shoes for a year. But I could survive with an occasional new makeup or magazine from the Chopper, or perhaps a new basket or set of spa towels. They sell books, too!

As I head back to the working world tomorrow, after 12 days off, I will think of my roses, at home waiting for my return. My children each picked out a plant for their rooms today, too. I am teaching them the way!

Swimming, anyone?

Just a few photos from our house after the storm of February 2007.

Just the photos du jour in the continuation of "The February That We Didn't Work."
Call the first one "5:15 am SnowBLOW"...the second "Snow Up to My __________" ...the third "Drifts Up to My ________" You can fill in your own body part depending on age and gender:)
TO SNOW - L'CHAIM!!!
Cheryl

Mother Nature gives day 6

Well, the Lord giveth, the district tries to taketh away. That is pretty much the story of today. Let's back up and review the month of February, shall we? We'll even leave out the whole kick off on Monday, January 29, when a blizzard was predicted well in advance but our Super was playing God and chose not to dismiss before it hit. We learned, via channel 9's website, that one of our district's buses rolled over. 7 were sent to the hospital and all were forever changed. Our first snow day was a peace offering, Tuesday, January 30. But like I said, we will leave all that out.

So we worked February 1 and 2. Winter was scheduled to arrive in full force on Sunday the 4th. Sure enough, I couldn't make it out of my driveway and had to cancel my church school class. The snow came as predicted and we got our first legitamate snow day on Monday. How exciting it was! A day to stay home and watch tv, read, cook, eat. Tuesday came and other districts remained closed. We went with a 2 hour delay. A very nice bonus. Wednesday also warranted a 2 hour delay. We certainly were getting used to these bankers hours!

Thursday arrived and the weather was still center stage. Oswego was closed yet again, while the county remained in a state of Emergency. Celebrities were flocking to Mexico and Parish to report live and give the weather report. Red Creek managed to go to school on time that day, although I was unable to see the bottom of my driveway and had to call in at 8am. Having planned to be out for the afternoon anyway, I couldn't see the point of killing myself to get there for the morning, only to possibly be trapped for the afternoon. It cleared temporarily later, long enough for us to make a scheduled Dr. appointment. Red Creek decided to play it safe and dismiss an hour early. That bus incident still replaying like a bad dream.

Friday came and we closed after a 2 hour delay and several plans in place for what I was doing. The weather was roaring and kept me from driving to Syracuse for the workshop I was scheduled to attend. Cutting all the details of this story, which could be a separate blog in itself, we were IN for the day.

The weekend gave little reprieve. I left here for my grocery shopping on Saturday with the sun shining and the roads clear only to run into the yellow radar of white out conditions. I made it home, filled our fridge and our pantry, happy to be home. In the meantime, our church school coordinator decided to cancel for the next day.

Sunday was the one bright spot. It was clear and sunny. Dave, Jillian and I went to Syracuse for a brief shopping trip and out to lunch. Ethan went with a friend to the Hannibal Winterfest and won first place in the snow sculpture contest.

School returned and life was back to normal on Monday and Tuesday. In the midst of this little calm arrived my first nephew, Owen William! Born at 5:18am on Tuesday, weighing in at a lucky 7 even!! I was dying to get up to that hospital to see him while the weather was holding off. NOT SO FAST, laughed mother nature. A huge noreaster was in the works. It was all the buzz at school on Tuesday and bets were placed on when we'd see each other again. As we left school, see ya in March was the joke. February 26, to be more accurate, but at the same time, that is the first week of March. I did make it up there to see Owen, and back home in time before Mother nature struck again.

Sure enough, all schools in a radius of 100 miles were closed. Valentine's day was spent at home with kids. It was kind of nice and we were happy to get it. On Thursday my children returned to school on time, but Red Creek felt the need to delay. I was happy with this and looked forward to a 2nd cup of coffee, putting my kids on the bus here, a late shower and a shortened work day. NOT SO FAST! We closed for day #5 at 7am. Quite the shock. It didn't even seem that bad! But mother nature had plans for more horror later in the day.

Today, Friday February 16 brought snow day #6. The weather band sat right over our district and several others, closing several once again. Could this really be real? A total of 7 working days between Feb 1-Feb 26? NOT SO FAST. The principal called with news of a plan to bring us in for a couple of days next week. In a way we were expecting it, but a little voice in the back was saying, not so fast! Someone very much on top of things gently reminded our Superintendent that we have 7 days in which we can use in case of an emergency and that he already has a plan in place in the event that ALL SEVEN of those days are used. After a brief scramble, we received this email:

Good Morning everyone, Today, Friday the 16th, is our 6th snow day of the year. We have one more built into the calendar. Considering the forecast for next week and the amount of snow we have received recently, we will not try to make up any days over the February break period. This means that if we have to close for more than one day after the break, we will have to make up the days as necessary. The school calendar calls for April 13, 12, and 11 as emergency make-up days respectively. There are other options that may be feasible i.e. student day on Good Friday and conference day after graduation, but it all depends on how many make-up days are required (some years March has been cruel month weather wise). Hopefully, we will not have to cut into the April break and the snow will avoid us in the future. If you're a faculty member enjoy the time off next week. If you're a 12 month employee, enjoy the holiday on Monday. Take care and be safe!

So, it looks as if we are in the home stetch. Perhaps if mother nature calms down we will make it to our April vacation without having to use day #7. But even if she has other plans, we still do have that day. What an unbelievable month this has been.

Shampoo is more than just washing your hair.

Shampoo. Definitely unchartered territory. Something I may have not thought about to blog on my own. But after reading Cheryl's thoughts on the subject, I couldn't just post a comment. I have my own thoughts.

Having lived a deprived childhood when it came to things like wardrobe and hairstyle, (I went to a school requiring a green plaid uniform and my mother hated complicated hair), I was, shockingly, not deprived of luxury shampoos! Which is very shocking, as my mother was the queen of generic items (a separate blog, about my phobia of geneiric products).

Growing up I can recall the tube of PRELL (or a glass bottle). The commercial showed a PEARL being dropped into the bottle. The shampoo was so thick that is took forever for the pearl to sink to the bottom. Looking back on PRELL, it would be the equivalent today of washing your hair in TIDE. Talk about DETERGENT! Those were the days you washed your hair on a Saturday night and couldn't go out because it was an all night event (detangling must have been a nightmare before conditioners!). Around that same time was BRECK. Funny, because I recently saw BRECK at Big Lots and bought a bottle just for the memories. It is in the TIDE category. I should actually finish up the bottle by pouring it in to wash towels or socks.

I remember the EARTH BORN NATURAL Ph BALANCED SHAMPOO and can even still sing the jingle. I definitely remember the Clairol Herbal Essence bottle. I can recall the shape of it, the cap and the girl with the long flowing hair of flowers. I remember the smell.

I definitely had GEE YOUR HAIR SMELLS TERRIFIC. I want to say around 5th grade which would have been the late 1970s.

Another product I remember at that time was BODY ON TAP. The shampoo with beer added for body. Had that.

Then there was the introduction of the BLOW DRYER! Our first one was only 800 watts (maybe?) and had loads of attatchments. It took an hour to dry your hair with, but wow, was it something! Then came the shampoos designed for use with a blow dryer. I can still sing the ULTRA MAX song. Start with Ultra Max shampoo and your hair's gonna do what you want it to do! It's gonna flip, the way you want it to, it's gonna curl the way you want it to! The shampoo was a thick golden color but didn't smell the best.

Probably my fondest shampoo memory is VIDAL SASSOON. This was definitely 7th grade. I can recall the shape and color of the bottles. The shampoo itself was clear and smelled of almonds. Conditioners were just becoming the IN thing and Vidal offered a 3 step system. Very high maintenence, but as a 7th grader, what else did you have to do with your time? I haven't thought about Vidal in years. I wonder if it is the same?

In high school, Mom got hooked on a shampoo from her hair dressers called APPLE PECTIN. Wow was that nice! Thick, creamy and apple scented. She would buy it by the pint and we all shared. I also just recently found this at Sally Beauty supply and bought us a bottle. It is everything I remember from the early 1980s!

In between there were the Salon Selectives, the HDR and PERT. Remember PERT??? I didn't (and still don't) like any of the 2 in 1s.

In college I got hooked on PAUL MITCHELL. I still enjoy that line.

Perhaps because I was never deprived of these splurges as a child, I don't feel the need for them today. I really prefer to use the Suave versions of the salon shampoos, and an occassional real PANTENE purchase is sometimes all I need to feel spoiled! I think it is the same idea of not banning alcohol from your children. Growing up we were always allowed to have a sip of wine, and then a very small glass of our own around age 10 when adults got together. It was never a big deal and therefore I never felt that need to BINGE drink in high school or college. Nice correlation there, eh?

Now MAKE-UP? There is another story!

So, I thought to myself, as I was home on the 4th and 5th snowdays of the season, and merely 1 day away from a week off/February break, GOD it is GREAT to be a teacher! No, really, I was thinking we hadn't yet examined shampoo. I mean, I blogged about life through lipgloss, and Sue threw out the whole fragrance map of life thing, but shampoo, now there's uncharted territory.

Thing is, shampoo is a life necessity, you know, so I think you can tell a lot by people's choices. Some people are "down to business" types, and are going to choose the quick and dirty. Literally, what will quickly make me less dirty. Then you have the "pennypinchers" who say, I need it, so how can I do it as cheaply as possible. Me, well, surprise, I am one to try "the new thing," reminisce in the old, and treat myself well if I damn well feel like it. Yeah, yeah, you can read that last line as sometimes I will "pay the price" to get what I want. My marketer's wet dream trait, again, SURPRISE! There's my personality, in a nutshell, well, a shampoo bottle, well, whatever...

I guess it goes back to childhood, as all good psychosis does...and I am going to begin by attributing it to Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo. You know the one, green like the old Tube 'o Prell, but in the pretty bottle with the girl with the long flowing blonde hair that turned into flowers? Well, did I ever want that! But did I get it? No! According to mom, it was a "want," not a "need," and even when it was time to go to summer camp for a week, and I needed some shampoo of my own, mom had already taken care of it and I had a half sized bottle of Fabrege Organics that she had gotten somewhere on special. And that bottle lasted me for YEARS of camp, YEARS! Aargh, probably my "If I want it I am going to buy it, damn it..." attitude comes from that. And as much as I am usually pointing to Dad for my formative moments, a shout out goes to mom for that one, Thanks mom!

Then came the middle grades - 5th - 7th I would say - and "Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific" hit the shelves. Again, I believe I was told I didn't need it, but with my own solvency due to babysitting gigs, I bought it myself. And, gee, my hair DID smell terrific, but alas, I was young, and who was smelling it but ME?

Moving on to the High School years and along came Nexxus. I was IN LOVE with Nexxus Therappe, and it was expensive, but I did not care. The rich creamy lather and texture, and the smell, OH the smell. I think that was where my love of all smells tropical began, and it has not wavered in all these years. In fact, I just bought myself a bottle of Therappe the other day, needing something rich and thick to buffer my hair from the harsh upstate NY winter we are enduring. It is just as good today as it was all those years ago, and now, years older (and wiser?) the name gives me a little giggle as well...Therappe in a bottle? I'll take it!

High School years also brought swim team and Helene Curtis Salon Selectives. I will always be drawn to the smell of apples and chlorine...always...

College was full of years of frugality, all in the name of conserving more cash for drinking and fun, and so came the years of Suave. Not a bad product overall, and the Suave Mega Hold Styling Spritz DID plaster up those 90's bangs to hold strong against the Oswego State wind, but it was really the only time I was shopping completely based on price. I would occationally splurge on some Aussie product, but their grapey smell would draw me in, but then wear on me, and often the bottles of product would go unfinished...

And we end our journey, for now at least, in Adulthood. I have come full circle in that I have gone out and gotten that Clairol Herbal Essences of my youth with my OWN money. Now packaged to provide a "Truly Organic Experience," a la "When Harry Met Sally," it entices, but really, I still long for the flowing haired beauty of my childhood. I can buy what I want, I can clean as I please, but the pleasure brought to me along with my bathing necessity, that is what it is all about.

Off to shower, and to be transported, for a short time at least, away from the frozen tundra and off to my tropical isle. Therappe - take me away!

-Cheryl

As promised to my friend, some images of good 'ol Oswego, post recent "lake effect event."
You know it's winter when the icebergs pack in behind Rudy's! Frozen fish anyone?

Of course, these are being uploaaded on the eve of the up coming "Nor'easter event" that is already closing schools faster than the flu...stay tuned for tomorrow's weather update.

From the Snowy North,
Cheryl

The Lord will provide...

Okay, so I am not really religious, and Bible quoting is not my forte. But I often think of this one quote (in my own words). When I was little I remember my mother's verison was God knows what we need and will take care of us. I remember really thinking about that. What does that mean? How does God know what I really need? I really need those new clogs with the braided trim at Vona's shoe store. I really need to have Mom let me have Trish spend the night this weekend. When things didn't go my way, I would really wonder what the message was behind why I was being denied.

As an adult, I often try to put things in God's hands whenever possible. When I really have a tough decision to make, I try to go with my instinct and let God handle the rest. I have never been let down.

There are weeks when things are tough at work. There are days when things are tough at home. There are times when I promise myself a day off to go do something that I want to do, for me. I will admit that I feel guilty taking a day off like that on my own. What if I need that day later? What if my kids get sick or the weather is too bad for me to drive to work? So I try to push on. Go in and work even though I really want to give in and take a me day. Monday (1/29/07) was a perfect example.

I heard the weather report and saw the radar. The afternoon was not looking good. A big storm was headed our way late morning/early afternoon. I didn't want to get stuck in a white out situation driving home. I actually considered calling in for a sub at noon. But I put my trust in our administration, that if it truly was as bad as they said it was going to be, that they'd dismiss early. I knew deep down that that was stupid. It was like putting your trust in a pathological liar. In fact, who I was really trusting, was God.

Sure enough, right on time and just as predicted, the heavy band sat on our district and pounded, relentlessly all day. No early dismissal. We learned, by seeing a breaking news report online, that one of our busses rolled over. Another was in a ditch. Very poor decision making by our Superintendent. I left at 3:45, knowing how bad the drive would be, but again, trusting. An hour and a half later, I was safe at home. I was shaking and mad at myself for not trusting my own instincts to leave at noon.

The next day, God gave us what he knew we all needed. A recovery day at home. I put my children on the bus on a 2 hour delay and went to Oswego for me time. The sun was smiling at me as I followed dry roads all the way to pick up my new Norah Jones CD, some wine, a book for my son and a latte at Dunkin' Donuts. I came home to a phone call from Cheryl, we laughed and talked about in laws. I drove out to pick up my children from school and took my son to a Dr. appointment. It was a day when time stood still, not a day of rushing to beat the clock. It was the perfect day.

The day was truly what I needed. Little did I know, more was to come. A beautiful stretch of snow, causing us to delay, close early or close completely, every day the following week. I enjoyed being home with my kids, watching tv, shopping online, staying in pjs and cooking meals. A chance to stop time, have to be no where, and just be.

It has been a stressful year and a half without a contract at work. Many of us are feeling frustrated and burnt out. I feel that this was really what we needed. A break from school, but not our vacation. We still have that to look forward to!

The Lord really is good to us. If we look for his hidden messages and see his gifts, they are there every day!

So, a friend pointed out that I really needed to get some photos up about the "historic" events that are taking place all around me. "Historic," yes, that is how he put it. Well, you can tell he has sold out and moved South as this is wild, but I don't know about historic. We are hearty folk up north here, and where 8 feet of snow would paralyze most areas, we are really business as usual, just business as usual under States of Emergency and such. We are business as usual, with one snow day, two two hour delays and one two hour early dismissal. We get by, even when we have to tunnel to our cars and scale small mountains to fetch the mail. We have been in a Lake Effect event, as the (tired!)news weather guys call it, since last Friday...same band, oscillating back and forth, like a fan, blowing fluff all over the lake shore, endlessly. It is tiring, but it is life. You can see it in everyone's windblown faces, and the hobbled gait of people who have spent WAY too much time shoveling out enough to even USE the snowblower. It has been interesting, exciting even, historic maybe as Oswego State did cancel classes for THREE DAYS, but you know, I have had enough. It can stop now - before I lose track of my house. If it was one story, I think I'd be a little nervous. Time will tell.
-Cheryl

Our life story, one fragrance at a time.

This weekend, while getting ready to go to a Mary Kay party with my sister in law, I was inspired to pull out an old Mary Kay perfume that I had not worn in years. JOURNEY. I could remember what was going on in my life when I bought it, how much I loved it, and pondered for a moment why I stopped wearing it?

On the drive home from the party, Margie and I discussed, the fragrances of our lives. We had a good laugh, wondered what ever happened to certain perfumes and how could we smell them again? Her long lost love was Debbie Gibson's ELECTRIC YOUTH. That was the one we laughed over. I, being almost 5 years older, missed out on that one. We traced it to circa 1987, when my fragrance was probably LIZ CLAIBORNE. She said she also did the that, but probably a couple years later, when electric youth died out.

My earliest fragrance was probably Avon's SWEET HONESTY, probably purchased for me for Christmas by my Aunt Barb in 3rd or 4th grade. Not counting the countless Avon pins with the fragrance glace tucked inside a trap door that was like your training period with perfume. I still have my yellow kitty pin somewhere with a tiny bit of glace still remaining.

I remember a perfume called BLUE JEANS probably from 4th grade. It came in a box with a denim looking texture. If there is any fragrance I would love to return to for a day it would be BLUE JEANS. I have no idea who even manufctured it. In 5th grade Mom got me the Avon Church Mouse decanter filled with Delicate Daisies perfume. That wasn't as big a hit as I still have it in my drawer and it is 3/4 full.

Love's BABY SOFT was probably the next fragrance which began in 6th grade. I had the powder and the pink spray with the bubbled tops. Weren't they the best? Every now and then I have to take a sniff while at Walmart. Just to go back for a minute.

In junior high I began the stockpiling fragrances. I recall several Christmases and several Avon decanters. There was some bird from my grandmother, with most likely Bird of Paradise inside. I remember Here's my Heart and others.

High school brought new friends and new influences. A friend of mine wore Jean Nate, but I couldn't do it because that is my Grandmother's fragrance. When she branched out to WINDSONG I gave that a try. It was a little on the grown up side, but pretty. I also became very much a fan of ALYSSA ASHLEY'S musk. BONNE BELL's skin musk followed as did Avon's soft musk. Yes, just as high school was a time of trying to find myself, it was a time of no one particular signature fragrance.

College came and the musks did follow. But then I went through a time of testing the newer, not usually ME smells like BIJAN! and Opium (the generic of course). Liz Claiborne was a favorite as were some of the bath and body works scents like GINGHAM.

The one perfume I wanted so badly was ETERNITY. It was just so expensive! I finally splurged on that in grad school and was horrified to find out how completely overpowering it was! You could TASTE it! I recall putting it on BEFORE showering and then being fine.

When I got married in 1992, my fragrance was Victoria's Secret's VICTORIA. I am not even sure if they make it anymore. In my drawer I think I may still have a brand new bottle of it (purse size of course).

Then came the years of MARRIED WITHOUT CHILDREN. A part time teaching job with lots of time to shop and explore fragrance. In 1996 I fell in love with OCEAN DREAMS. Not for myself, but for a very close friend I left behind at Hillside Children's Center. I bought an expensive bottle of it as a goodbye gif for her when I left to work at the Crick. The photo at the top is of that perfume. I never did buy a bottle for myself as promised, as I learned that the salary at the Crick did not allow such extravagant self indulgences!

Then came children. I don't recall wearing much other than Bath and Body works bath splashes as fragrance (cheap!). The Christmas after Ethan was born I told Dave that I wanted Estee Lauder's Pleasures. I got it and used the whole bottle that year. It was nice, but I never really felt it was who I was. But the expense made me pretend!

In 2000, around the time I got pregnant with Jillian, I had bought myself a bottle of Mary Kay's JOURNEY on the black market (ebay). Again, still at the Crick, I couldn't shell out the $36 price tag. So I bought a full sized sample bottle for less than half the price. I lived in that fragrance and loved it all through my pregnancy. I had a happy pregnancy, as stressful as it was. The house building, house selling, moving....perhaps that is why once we moved, I never unpacked it?

After that I did a 2 year stretch of CLINIQUE'S HAPPY and HAPPY HEART. They were what they say...happy. Not sexy or heavy or beachy or musky....just....happy. It was all good. But then....I found ME! Well, the ME of 2005 anyway!

So we wrap the story up with where I am now. Sarah Jessica Parker's LOVELY. I am on my 2nd bottle now, my 2nd year stretch. Will it carry me into my 40s? Not sure. Depends on whatever else is out there for me...

So, I was happily watching an episode of Men in Trees (great show, by the way) which I taped (yeah, didn't TiVo, or download, I'm hip, but not that hip) and I saw that one of the main chicks had that knack, which I just DO NOT, for layering necklaces.

(Now, this chick also happened to be Justine Bateman, so I had to launch into a chorus of the Family Ties Theme Song, much to my husband's irritation, but you know, as much as I'm not hip, my mind is a steel trap of useless Pop Culture Knowledge. Ever going on Millionaire? I might be a good "phone a friend" for such things. Keep it in mind, but know I'll want a cut!)

So, I watch, check out the chick, sing a bit, but then ponder again, why is it some can layer the necklaces and some, like myself, just look like they couldn't make up their mind on what jewelry to wear? Now, in the photo above, you will see Jewel, (I will refrain from singing - but I may strumm a guitar) off another episode of Men in Trees, also working the dual necklace thing. Of course, she does have the boobs, which help her to pull off many the wardrobe trick, but I digress with my jealousy. I finally had the epiphany that the wardrobe woman for this series must be the one with the knack. You know, I'm offering up my pop culture knowledge for all the world to pillage, she ought to give it up with the fashion tips.

Many looks, for whatever reason, just stay illusive for some of us. No one but Diane Keaton, in my opinion, really has any business with the menswear look - except maybe Heidi Klum in some Vicki's Secret ads, but there is another dynamic at work there. Audrey Hepburn had the skinny black pants, as much as Gap tried to use her to bring the look to the masses, it remains hers. Some pull off the layered necklaces, or layered clothes, and some of us just end up looking like refugees. And, final case in point, let's face facts, French women have their scarves. There are some lines in the fashion sand that are really hard, for some of us, to cross.

So, to Justine, or Jewel, or wardrobe woman, as much as you brought aggrivation to my TV viewing experience, more power to you with the layered necklaces. I will continue my lifestyle of envy. I will, most likely, never quite get it, I am sure. I will always look like I am trying too hard to make it look as effortless as you. But you know, in this crazy life, if we don't have a fashion goal, what do we have, really?
-Cheryl

Thank you Santa! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, for my iPod! Even though I was not, at all times, a good girl, goodness knows, I do believe, that maybe in some small way, I was good enough to deserve it.

I am so impressed with it, really. What a cool device. It is so seamless with the iMac, and subsequently, I feel so techno savvy! It is a real youth inducing turn on! I mean, I know, to most "kids these days" it is no biggie, but the fact that now I can carry around 1,000 songs, expertly organized by me, self proclaimed "Music Gal," blows my little "brink of the technological revolution" mind. I have always felt that people of my EXACT age (...35 soon to be 36 - ack!) are just a TOUCH behind the computer curve as it is. In elementary school, I had NO computers, whereas my brother, 4 years my junior, had a burgeoning Commodore 64 lab, tape drives and all, at his disposal. In highschool, my class took keyboarding and subsequent classes took word processing. In college, papers would still be accepted if handwritten, and some of us did haul ass to the on campus computer labs, but I had an electric typewriter. Actually, I recall mine being a hot commodity around the end of the semester term paper crunch. When one of "us" in college got an electric typewriter that actually had word processing capabilities, it was the hot, HOT commodity on the floor. In the next four years, everyone came to school with their own desktops, and now you have wireless capability surging through most dorms. I have always, in this venue, felt just a little bit behind...but not anymore. I was already the Apple cheerleader, but I have gone totally over the top since the iPod...Apple really ought to be paying me for the free advertising I give out everywhere I can. Tim always calls me a Marketer's Wet Dream, and again, he has been proven true. Thank you Apple Gods, I will now buy anything you market to my quickly becoming middle age little mind!
-Cheryl
(...can't believe I mentioned the "S guy" at the beginning of this blog and wet dreams at the end!)

So, I said to myself, Self, it is TIME TO GET BACK TO NORMAL. This Christmas season, while wonderful and fun, has been exhausting! I now have been back to work, teaching, for two days, and it feels like it has been a MONTH. The first day back was the toughest, due to the need to "retrain the students," but also, in particular, because of not being able to graze all day on snack foods. I found myself arriving home with the best intentions of just having tea or something, and instead noshing on chips and dips in an almost visceral way. I HAD to have them. I also am craving sleep like nobody's business. By nature, I am a night owl...not a crazy one, but left to my own devices I like to go to bed around midnight and sleep until 8 or so. Over vacation, a couple of days I slept until NINE - as did my daughter, aka MiniMe. Now, as we arrive home each night, my daughter plays with her new dollies endlessly, and I can't help but be envious. They sit up, their eyes are alert, no struggle with the snooze button, no need for undereye concealer. They lay their heads back, they are asleep, with not a care in the world, no worries that they didn't water the Christmas tree, or forget to pay the cable bill. They are played with, but then left in their beds, sometimes for DAYS on end. "Vacation" should come with a buffer zone time at the end, maybe some half days back to work. Or,even better, practice days...where you are required to "keep" your normal hours, but aren't actually asked to teach any kids. Maybe an item to throw on the old contract negotiations table - yeah - like that'll fly! I'd probably have a better chance of getting to live the life of my daughter's dolls, if only for one, sweet, sleep filled day! Dream On!
-Cheryl

The Music Gal's Musings...Christmas Songs that send me over the EDGE

...and this is meant in a melencholy, oh my, another year is over, what have I done with my life, why does time go so fast, what happened to my misspent youth, what is with the world/people/kids these days sort of way...

1. River - Joni Mitchell
I actually have recordings of this song by several artists, James Taylor, Sarah McLachlan, Joni herself. Still, my favorite is a recording by some Broadway dude named Michael Ball. It is actually the first version of the song I ever heard. It starts with a few piano bars of "Jingle Bells" and then goes into this great singer/songwriter vibe. The very The first time I heard it, in my car - SURPRISE - I cried. "I wish I had a river I could skate away on..."

2. Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg
Don't even need to get more than 2 or 3 notes into this one and I am there. I remember hearing this one as a little girl, SO interested in boys and love and romance and wondering if that kind of heartache awaited me somewhere down the line. Well, I now know, that kind of heartache is just life, and feeling, and love. "Drink a toast to innocence..."

3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - PREFERABLY The Pretender's version
Just a great tune, but the part that gets me "Through the years, we all will be together. If the fates allow." Just sends me down that path of having NO control on this ride we call life, and being the daughter of a controller - yep, not QUITE ready to claim this trait as my own - I HATE THAT!

4. Silent Night - AT Christmas Eve candlelight service
Every freakin' year, can't even sing verses 3 and 4 'cause I have tears streaming down my face. It is just one of those times, where the feelings, and the sights, and the sounds just get the better of me and I am filled with such wonder that I just burst. And you know, as much as it drives me crazy, I hope I am always well aware of the beauty and mysticism around me.

So, have a listen, and I'll be sure to have the tissues at the ready.
-Cheryl

All I can say is WOO HOO!
Tim and I have been joking about me being all about the Mediterranean diet lately - like throwing feta and black olives on everything - and hey, here is yet another reason to love it.
Bring on the Baklava,
Cheryl


Alcohol in moderation may extend life
Tue Dec 12, 12:32 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Moderate drinking may lengthen your life, while too much may shorten it, researchers from Italy report. Their conclusion is based on pooled data from 34 large studies involving more than one million people and 94,000 deaths.



According to the data, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol -- up to four drinks per day in men and two drinks per day in women -- reduces the risk of death from any cause by roughly 18 percent, the team reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

However, "things radically change" when consumption goes beyond these levels, study leader Dr. Augusto Di Castelnuovo, from Catholic University of Campobasso, said in a statement.

Men who have more than four drinks per day and women who have more than two drinks per day not only lose the protection that alcohol affords, but they increase their risk of death, the data indicate.

The reason why men are protected at up to four drinks per day, while women lose the protection after two glasses has to do with how men and women metabolize alcohol, researchers say. It's been shown that when men and women who drink the same amount of alcohol, women experience higher blood alcohol levels than men.

Therefore, women who consume more than two glasses of alcohol per day may be at increased risk for diseases of the liver and certain types of cancer.

"Our findings, while confirming the hazards of excess drinking, indicate potential windows of alcohol intake that may confer a net beneficial effect of moderate drinking, at least in terms of survival," the Italian team concludes.

"Heavy drinkers should be urged to cut their consumption, but people who already regularly consume low to moderate amounts of alcohol should be encouraged to continue," they add.

The manner in which alcohol is consumed also appears to be important, the researchers report. "Little amounts, preferably during meals, this appears to be the right way (to drink alcohol)," said Dr. Giovanni de Gaetano of Catholic University, another author on the study. "This is another feature of the Mediterranean diet, where alcohol, wine above all, is the ideal partner of a dinner or lunch, but that's all: the rest of the day must be absolutely alcohol-free."

"The message carried by scientific studies like ours is simple," Dr. de Gaetano continued. "Alcohol can be a respectful guest on our table, but it is good just when it goes with a healthy lifestyle, where moderation leads us toward a consumption inspired by quality not by quantity."

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, December 11/25, 2006

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The Music Gal's Musings...aka songs that make me want to DRIVE FAST!

I had this "Top 10" type thought, but then realized that was kind of lame. I need to do more of a "Top 5 with Liner Notes" to be true to my authentically longwinded self...so here goes.

1. "I Alone" by Live - This is honestly one of the best songs ever...gets me up and dancing around the room in a spastic headbangerish way every time I hear it...and I am generally not a headbanger type. The lyrics are totally bizarro but I could care less. It starts slowly, almost hypnotically, with very metered, monotonously repetitive type singing...then builds and builds until it explodes. OK, now I'm thinking about sex. The song goes through this mellow to loud transition like three times too...woah, now I am thinking about multiple orgasms! See? Good song!

2. "Bring Me to Life" - Evanesence - You know, very similar song in a way, where its strength comes from contrast...Amy Lee's ethereally high voice paired with gravelly male voices and hard rockin' guitar. This one, thought, rocks on the lyrics too and if it is playing in my van, trust that it is loud and I am belting it out right along with Amy! And on the topic of singing in your car...you may look foolish when you are caught, but it's better being caught singing than, say, picking your nose or something!

3. "Thunder Island" - Jay Ferguson Didn't think I was gonna go all hard rock on ya there did you? Now HERE'S a classic 70's tune to beat 'em all. Catchy as all get out. When you hear it in the morning, you'll be humming it all day, and driving fast to try to get to the beach. Doodoodoodoo - Doodoodoo - Doodoodoo doodoodoodoodoo...

4. "Middle of the Road" - The Pretenders "Come on baby, come on now, in the middle of the road -Yeah!" WAIT NO! Bad choice...but check that song out - the drum beats have you pressing the accelerator at hello.

5. "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake "Honey" by Mariah "Finally" by CeCe Peneston, and "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls, "This One Thing" by Amerie when I'm "feelin' my groove," ya know?

Alrighty, my "Top 5 is suddenly a "Top 9!" Oops! But that's the thing, there are just so many great driving songs! Take for instance, "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots, "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam (which can also make you drive into a ditch, laughing, as you and your husband recall the Adam Sandler/"Opera Man" version of it on SNL) , "Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty, "Rock the Casbah" by the Clash, "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes (just don't envision the cat from the video jumping in your lap as you drive...), "Sowing the Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff, "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, "Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet, any NUMBER of songs by Journey, in particular, "Ask the Lonely," and who wouldn't be pushing the pedal to the metal as Madonna belts out "Like a Prayer" or "Into the Groove." On further examination, maybe I ought to be asking Santa for a radar detector to go with the iPod...

And somehow, the "Top 5" is now a "Top 22!" Oh well, get behind the wheel and DRIVE!
-Cheryl