1. Each time I pick a lucky winner, I pray that God guides my hand to choose a bloggy friend in need of a boost. I want my FABULOUS giveaways to benefit creative bloggy friends like Laurie Hertzel, but I also want them to brighten a person's day because it feels good to be picked as a winner.
That's why it made me happy to find Fannie's name in my hand last night when I drew a winner for a copy of News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist. Fannie's nest just emptied out and her sister's been very sick. If ever a bloggy girlfriend needed a little joy in her mailbox, it's her. Congratulations, Fannie! I hope you find a quiet afternoon with a cup of tea (or a glass of wine) to escape into this book.
2. Saturday Mr. B and Mr. T had candidate training for their black belt tests in October. I've been making them run and practice ahead of time. Mr. B always dogged it, walking most of the run. I tried yelling, encouraging, bribery--every tactic known to moms. Nothing worked terribly well--one week he ran like a champ, the next week everything was the same, right down to the tunes on his iPod shuffle, but he'd walk it. "Why?" I'd ask him, gnashing my teeth in frustration. "It was rainy last week. This week it's not."
So it was with great apprehension that I watched my sons line up for their first 3-mile run Saturday afternoon. To my shock and awe, they did really well. They were among the first half of people to finish, they ran very well and Mr. B beat Mr. T by a good length. I'm just so damn proud of both of them, it still chokes me up a little.
3. Driving home the other day I heard Madonna's Material Girl on the radio and was reminded of a dirty secret from my past. When I was in 8th grade I learned a routine to that song and tried out for the freshman pom and dance team. I made the team that spring, but before I could even get sized for a uniform my family moved that summer to a new town, dashing my dreams of entertaining the fans at half-time.
This is a dirty secret because when I was in high school in this new town, I despised the cheerleaders. I actually sat at games in my old man overcoat (from the local thrift shop) and mocked the cheering squad. My BFF and I even encouraged the crowd to do cheers against the cheerleaders. I must have forgotten those starry-eyed dreams from middle school. I never think of myself as a cheerleader type, but in fact, I did try out for a squad and made it, even though I never participated.
4. I get great pleasure out of torturing phone solicitors. If they're calling for a donation to a charity, I ask if they work for the charity. "Oh, so you work for a fundraising company on behalf of Save the Children/Stop Cancer/Help the Puppies. What percentage do you keep from any donation I make? Twenty percent? So four bucks out of my $20 donation to cover mailing and other costs? That's great. Tell you what, I'll just cut a check directly to this charity and bypass you so they can get the whole amount, okay?"
If they're calling for a political donation, I say, "I only donate to local politicians who I can actually vote for. You see, most of the problems today in our country come from this partisan bickering--and donations to political parties just endorse the divide destroying America. I shouldn't have any say in who gets elected in Massachusetts if I live in Wisconsin. It's my principle to only donate to people I can vote for because that's keeping the intent of the Constitution pure and intact."
5. My left thumb is double-jointed.
Spill it, reader. It's secret reveal day!
0 comments:
Posting Komentar