tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48554593140366400642024-03-05T18:10:52.756-05:00DodesDodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-40348972196809890012010-09-04T10:28:00.028-04:002010-09-04T12:41:22.930-04:00Part-part-part time bloggerMy blogging efforts border on pathetic, so now with my new Mac Mini, I hope to spend more time in this space.Let's see, an update since New Year's Eve 2010 is in order: December - February - Laid off, then not laid off A stunning announcement just in time for Christmas - 60% of company tossed, followed by an agonizing 60 days of frantically looking for a new job. On day 59, due to very, very badDodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-19142632060527109342010-01-27T00:22:00.004-05:002010-01-27T00:44:08.260-05:00Alone-ness. . . is getting tired. I did a 1000-piece puzzle of Rafaello's 'School of Athens.' I bought it at the Vatican in 2008, and saved it for a winter's day (or six).I was sick on New Year's Eve, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. This has been my second NYE solo. I discovered that it's not so bad. Once you get past the count down and stroke of midnight, the sadness goes away. sort Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-78571583640825200432009-11-27T19:01:00.004-05:002009-11-27T19:31:16.767-05:00Lost the Election but Kept the Breast...Well, the breast wasn't ever in danger of being lost, but I'll bet the dramatic title doubled my number of readers (2 to 4).Final election count was about 1485 for the Republican incumbent to 1035, my Dem debut. The independent candidate had less than votes. For my first run for elective office, I'm thrilled with the results.As for the "palpable mass" in my right breast, it's nothing malignant. Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-60201870908048991812009-10-29T01:59:00.003-04:002009-10-29T02:43:41.778-04:00Election Day November 3 2009Ok, so I'm a Democrat running for a seat on the Planning and Zoning board (not to be confused with Parks & Recreation.)One minute I join the Democratic Town Committee, the next minute I'm campaigning.And all it took was someone I just met to say, "... we think you should run for Planning and Zoning."Next Tuesday is election day, and I have no idea what to expect.I will be out at the polls Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-10911840244199274282009-10-08T01:10:00.003-04:002009-10-08T01:24:17.319-04:00"Palpable Mass"Routine checkup, but not so routine this time. Doctor found a lump in the other breast.I guess the right side felt ignored after 7 years of the left side getting all the attention.Hoping it's only a benign fibrous cyst, but a chill went up my spine when the doc said, "It's probably nothing."That's what was said the last time. . .Woe is me. I'm almost more annoyed about the forthcoming medical Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-16446235277789641152009-08-24T23:21:00.006-04:002009-08-25T00:57:23.042-04:00The Common Thread?Last week I was watching NBC news, and when the latest sportscaster began his report, it triggered in me a nostalgia for Len Berman and his monthly "Spanning the Globe" segments. Then I thought about Len's predecessor, Marv Albert, another notable sportscaster. My brain then took an abrupt detour (more like a U-turn) from Marv Albert to Herb Alpert.Herb Alpert? The musician whose famous hit, "Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-66960074024539997922009-07-31T01:06:00.002-04:002009-07-31T01:14:34.412-04:00Mid-summer's Night Blog'Transparency.'If I hear that word again I will scream.I hate fad words and phrases.Here are some more:'shovel-ready'"I can't wrap my head around it."'seamless''accountability'speakin' of accountability:'Bernie Madoff''Ponzi Scheme''healthcare system'blah, blah, blah, blahDodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-89484032455567267212009-06-21T13:28:00.004-04:002009-06-21T13:36:48.454-04:00Mom and Aunt AliceAs promised, a happy day for Alice and Gloria. They loved each other's company, and I loved sitting with them while they talked. I often communicated with my mom through Aunt Alice. Not sure why it was so much easier to speak to her with Aunt Alice present. A brief visit with Al, Diane, and Janice, reminded me how close we used to be. Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-64849845669932640482009-06-21T13:19:00.003-04:002009-06-21T13:26:02.782-04:00Albabe Did It! And I couldn't be happier and prouder. Nice job, sweetheart!Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-84502979863033682132009-06-21T13:07:00.004-04:002009-06-21T13:18:03.397-04:00Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack!Seeing as how the love-of-my-life daughter is now 21, I suppose I'll have to find another child to relish this timeless classic.Every parent should read this to their toddlers, often. It doesn't take them long to "read it to you" by reciting the ducklings' names.Robert McCloskey is a favorite.I especially loved the Homer Price stories, and I used to draw them in grammar school.All those donuts!Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-60286705124586785782009-06-21T12:57:00.002-04:002009-06-21T13:07:21.333-04:00First day of summer 2009My neighbor's blog just reminded me that it's the first day of summer. That means today is the longest day of the year. How did it get here so fast, and did it have to rain so much leading up to these looooong daylit times?Frustrating, but I'll bet the ducks have been partying for weeks.Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-60446549185754790182009-04-09T01:09:00.003-04:002009-04-09T01:14:35.808-04:00Remembering Blog IdeasWhy is it that so many clever, clever ideas that pop into my mind on my morning drive to work vanish before I take the time to jot them down?Infuriating...Hmmm...Waiting...Waiting...Something about...Not happening.Maybe tomorrow.Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-43698750805291284102009-04-09T00:58:00.003-04:002009-04-09T01:09:42.231-04:00Another Precious AuntAunt Alice is in hospice in Florida. I planned to visit her at the end of April but it looks as if I won't have the opportunity to say goodbye in person.She is in her early 90s. She is one of my mom's best friends. She will be SORELY missed. She is a woman BEYOND "ahead of her time."I will miss her unconditional love and support, her funny wit, and her subconscious habit of rolling the edge of Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-7449120766908224952009-03-22T04:21:00.006-04:002009-03-22T05:31:21.147-04:00Wild KingdomSpring is here, so are the deerHoofprints near the pussy willowBuds burst out soft fuzzy sproutsAnnouncing the new seasonThe race is on to keep them onSuch tender fledgling branchesDoe and fawn tiptoe at dawnChoice time to take their chancesSprang into action with deer proof planScattered Milorganite with coffee canHoping the deer will take offenseAt natural, but malodorous, scentSmelling around Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-48079713458300359962009-02-26T07:09:00.012-05:002009-03-22T04:21:43.341-04:00Hair-Raising Event - What Are the Chances?I can't make this stuff up.I spent the night on the couch again, simply because I was too lazy to "get up and go to bed," a phrase my mom always used when she woke me on the couch at night while we both watched TV.Anyway, it was 6 a.m. and I had just finished watching an episode of Law & Order. I got up to make coffee and feed the cat.As I passed the kitchen counter, I noticed out of the corner Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-25972674013509567172009-02-08T14:39:00.004-05:002009-02-08T15:26:26.804-05:00Aunt Millie is Tap-Dancing to HeavenAunt Millie passed last night around 8:10 p.m. My sister-in-law, Pearl, and I were blessed to have spent time with her yesterday afternoon.My cousins and uncle came together in November, and stayed right through to her last breath, February 7, 2009. She was 79. At the beginning of her treatment Aunt Millie reminded everyone that her mother, Grandma Irene, died at 79. Aunt Millie's 80th birthday Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-63213583334186426642009-02-08T06:47:00.013-05:002009-03-22T05:39:15.364-04:00www.how_much_lazier_can_we_get.comYou say "past" I say "paste"After reading about the Google "fault" (meltdown) last week, I found hilarious this quote by the author of an article on Telegraph.co.uk:"Users trying to access search results during the outage were forced to cut and past the links into the toolbar and visit the sites manually."First, my mind had to get "past" the typo because my innate proofreading talent (annoyance Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-83226382090171893272009-01-29T00:22:00.004-05:002009-03-22T05:42:32.138-04:00Thank goodness for Grace KellyI used to be afraid of cats. My parents bordered on animal-phobic, so we never had a pet when I was young.I promised my daughter when she was little that we would get a pet when we bought our home. Coworkers urged me to get a cat instead of a dog, because cats are so much easier. With Jim's help, Alison and I chose our first cat from a rescue home, and my daughter named her Kitty.Kitty was Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-36137332188421932692009-01-28T23:42:00.005-05:002009-01-29T00:21:38.311-05:00The Kindness of NeighborsLast Thursday I went to see Aunt Millie at the nursing home. She had just returned from the hospital the night before, but was now vomiting, and had to be transported back to the hospital.She was so disappointed, so tired of all the moves, yet so incredibly strong.I cried as I drove home, feeling sorry for myself because I had no one to hug me.A few minutes later, at my lowest moment, my phone Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-57266650756748191722009-01-20T14:56:00.006-05:002009-01-20T15:11:41.408-05:00Senator Kennedy collapses at Inaugural Luncheon?Seems that he may have had a seizure. He looked great today. How sad. Hope he pulls through.Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-27172077056820192672009-01-20T11:09:00.017-05:002009-01-29T02:05:55.179-05:00The InaugurationI've already had tears in my eyes while watching the Inauguration this morning. So many people at the Capitol -- it's mind-blowing.Wow, Al and Tipper Gore following Dan Quayle down the steps to the platform. It took me a minute to remember Quayle's name -- evidence of his lack of an imprint on American history.George H.W. and Barbara Bush enter. The only exciting thing there is that George is Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-7989920231493709862009-01-18T19:31:00.005-05:002009-01-18T20:03:40.924-05:00Aunt Millie the StrongAunt Millie is hanging on. Her strength is unbelieveable.She has been through more in the past several months than most of us will ever experience in a lifetime: ruptured appendix, endoscopy, discovery of a stomach tumor, aspiration followed by three weeks of a breathing tube, radiation, chemotherapy, and insertion of a feeding tube because her stomach is blocked by the tumor.Aunt Millie takes itDodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-63498739219434563182009-01-18T17:52:00.013-05:002009-01-18T19:31:37.992-05:00Poetic InaugurationsI was shocked today to learn that only 4 poets have ever delivered a poem at a Presidential inauguration. Obama will be our 44th President.Mathematically, that's one poem for every eleven presidents.Intellectually, that's a sad statement coming from what is touted as the most powerful country on Earth.Robert Frost recited at John Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. I was only six years old. Sadly, Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-64847942614430174122009-01-18T14:44:00.012-05:002009-01-18T19:24:21.406-05:00I Want to Be a Bid Coordinator When I Grow Up!I process technology bids for a living, specifically, formal bids. Q: What's a formal bid?A: It's a document issued by an entity that wants to buy something. Examples of entities include state and local governments, elementary and higher education systems, the federal government, publicly-held commercial businesses, etc.Q: Why can't the entity just go out and buy the item(s) anywhere?A: Because Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4855459314036640064.post-72449894428414071142008-12-31T01:57:00.009-05:002009-01-18T19:09:14.674-05:00Two Whos Do I Make the Check Out? or Dodes Hears A WhoWarning: This is a lengthy post. Might want to get a cup of coffee, or even dinner, before committing.There are a handful of joyful moments in my life that have driven me to tears: getting my first teaching job, seeing fall foliage in Vermont, giving birth to my daughter, and listening to Johnny Mathis sing "O Holy Night," while sharing a warm bath with her at four months old.Tonight, I enjoyed Dodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346761715529306716noreply@blogger.com2