Glass Half Full

Tagged by KateyJ....

 

The Rules: Rules are posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their names. Then the player goes to each of the "named" people's blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. If you've been tagged, you do the same, letting the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer. Your answer, of course, is the answer to the following questions. Here we go!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Living in a condo in Austell with two girlfriends, working as an Asst Office Manager.  The company sold air filtration systems for shooting ranges, and I got to attend the NRA convention at the Congress Center that year and meet Steven Tyler and Lou Ferrigno (the original Hulk).  I had just started learning to partner dance at Cowboys in Kennesaw, with a guy named Michael who always wore a ballcap backwards, and I was out there 3 nights a week.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?
Target shooting at the range....already done.  Really should clean and oil the guns before I put them away--we'll see about that.  Invited to go shop with girlfriends at Lennox, but don't want to be tempted to spend....might skip this.  Work on photography website and blog.  Clean out dishwasher.  Glower at evil wireless router still sitting here mocking me.  (Lightbulb:  call Sherrie about router!)

3. Snacks I enjoy:
On a healthy day:  Wasa crackers with peanut butter, yellow apples, granola bars, baby carrots with hummus.  On an impulse snacking day:  crackers with cheese slices, anything sweet I can find in the house, multiple granola bars in one sitting.  On a REALLY bad day:  large quantities of chocolate, ice cream, wine

4. Places I've lived:
Charleston, South Carolina (1973-1974)
Birmingham, Alabama(1974-1975)
Lexington, South Carolina(1975-1980)
Chattanooga, TN (1980-1993)
Powder Springs, Georgia (1993-1996)
Austell, Georgia (1996-1997)
Lithia Springs, Georgia (1997-1998)
Dunwoody, Georgia (1998-1999)
Marietta, Georgia (1999- )

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Immediately pay off my car, credit card, and student debt.  Invest like crazy.  Set up college funds for my nephews.  Set aside "just in case" funds for my sister and my parents.  Donate to my church, Hope From Heaven, and Make a Wish Foundation.

Go somewhere in the Bahamas, rent a house and a boat and spend the rest of the summer in a bikini and a sarong.  Plan my future trips to Italy and Australia.  Buy a ton of awesome camera equipment.

The rules say I have to tag 5 people now. I think everybody has done this now, so I'm going to wuss out and not tag anyone else.  :)

OK, it just really amused me to title this blog "Fiber."  It is, actually, somewhat about fiber, I swear.  But still...

So the fiber I'm talking about is the kind that goes into the mouth and through the gut.  We all need it, we all know we need it, but it's not high on anyone's list to discuss.  That's not quite as much the case these days due to the winds of change blowing through the dieting community.  Now everyone is waking up to the fact that fiber is not only good for old people with digestive issues, but plays a part in GI health for all of us, especially those attempting to eat healthier and/or lose weight.  There's probably not a woman alive who doesn't feel at least of twinge of alarm at the beginning of the summer swimsuit season.  Thus the googling of weight loss and exercise options and the pantry purging of the junk food.  For me, good intentions can only take me so far.  I DETEST feeling hungry or deprived.  (Those of you who have witnessed my visceral excitement over pizza, ANY pizza, can attest to this)  I've tried, people....I have.  The food journals, the South Beach, the cleanses, those ridiculous one-square-of cheese diets--nothing ever lasts long.  Besides, like most sane people, I realize that healthy eating and maintaining one's weight really needs to be more of a lifestyle change than a white-knuckled multi-week endeavor each summer.

Being on a tight budget these days, I've been trying to find the most economical options. But finding options to put decent quantities of food and drink in my mouth, feel good about it, and on a budget....those are hard to come by.  So I felt pretty jazzed by my haul at Big Lots the other day.  Here are two options, specifically designed to up the fiber quota and help keep you feeling satisfied.  Good for your gut function, too, of course.  And CHEAP!

Having recently tried the Special K powdered drink in Tea flavor (BLECK!!), I was only semi-hopeful about this.  But it was YUMMY!  (This is what I was guzzling in my water bottle at WWKIPD, by the way)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there are these crackers.  Living alone, I have a hard time getting through a loaf of bread before it starts becoming questionable.  A lot of snack crackers are just empty calories, and not that healthy, or economical.  But these crackers are crispy and satisfying, and stay good a long time in an airtight container.  With a generous dollop of peanut butter, they give me a little protein and fat to tide me over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy snacking!!

 

With all the router drama going on the last few days, I almost forgot to say something about this past weekend.

Saturday was World Wide Knit In Public Day, and several of our LYS had events.  I had another event in the morning I had to attend first, the second annual motorcycle ride in memory of my friend Loren Lilly.  Loren was a Cobb County Sheriff's Deputy, newlywed, and all-around great guy who was killed in an accident on his way to work in December of 2006.  The first ride to benefit one of his favorite charities (Hope From Heaven) was last April, only a few months after his passing.  Another year has passed, and although the feelings are still there, the rawness of emotion was more manageable.  (Translation:  I wasn't fighting tears all morning)

His widow Jamie was in good spirits, and very excited to ride her new bike.  The turnout was HUGE, even bigger than last year.  The civilian riders lined up in the Chattahoochee Tech parking lot across the street, leaving the Earl Small's Harley lot for registration, socializing, and the Cobb County uniformed riders who arrived just before the ride.  Once Loren's goddaughter Summer sang the national anthem and Loren's pastor prayed to bless our ride, they were off.  Jamie and her stepdad Harlan led off, just behind the Honor Guard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the riders were off, I took off for WWKIPD.  Steph picked me up at my apartment, and we met up with the crowd already assembled at The Whole Nine Yards in Woodstock.  Very nice store--I had never been there before, and I was impressed.  But the main event was outside on the green.  There were tents, snacks, lots of chairs holding lots of people knitting and spinning.  Luckily for Jilly, there was also a crackly water bottle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, thunderstorms were looming, and before long everyone had to pack it up and make a dash inside or to their cars.  Our little group decided to trek over to Only Ewe, another shop I had never visited.  Jilly was very comfy leaning against Aunt Katey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To round out the weekend, I had a church singles event Sunday night.  We did a movie night on the lawn up at the main church campus in Alpharetta.  The movie had been chosen by online vote, and it was "August Rush."  Unfortunately, I can't say that I recommend it.  The group on our few blankets seemed to get more enjoyment from making fun of the movie than actually watching it.  At least it was a really pretty evening:  not too hot, and with gorgeous late afternoon light.

 

 

When compared to daily life in a third world country, or say, Iraq, my life is pretty good.  I have a lot to be thankful for, I know.  But then there are some days, days when just nothing is simple, everything seemingly is wrong, and even relatively simple tasks are hard.  Some days, just suck.

Yesterday was one of those days.  After purchasing a wireless router over the weekend to enable both my desktop computer and my new laptop to access the internet in my home, a friend who was moving gave me one she still had in the box.  So the router I purchased can now be returned, saving me money.  Yeah. 

Supposedly, everything I needed was in the box, including a CD to guide me through the installation.  Uh-huh.  In the same way "You can't miss it" almost insures getting lost, a CD to guide the consumer through a simple installation almost guarantees complications.  Like many people, I can hang with computer stuff and lingo, until the scenario gets complicated and things NOT addressed by the handy installation CD begins occurring.  So I did what anyone would do:  I called a friend who speaks computer.  Her name is Sherrie, and she is a woman of extreme patience and understanding.  We're talking, she had to first clarify terminology, so that when I was hysterically describing plugging the blue wire with the squarish plug into "the box thing", she knew what she was dealing with.  It sounded something like, "So going forward, we're going to refer to the black box that is the Comcast Cable Modem as the.....modem, and the D-Link Router box as the.....router.  Got it?"

Unfortunately, due to forces beyond anyone's immediate control, our efforts did not meet with success.  Here's what the ugly scene looked like in the thick of things...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only thing missing is me, sitting cross-legged in the middle of that mess, swearing profusely getting really frustrated.  It is beyond me why hard drives were designed with all the connections ON THE BACK, and computer desks such as the one above were then designed with a space for the box that necessitates sliding the @#$%^&! box out whenever you need to do anything with it, scratching and dinging the desk each time.

 

 

These are the days, when one has to draw in a deep breath, and find some solace.  Maybe it's leaving things a mess and going for a walk.  Maybe it's sitting down with the knitting for 30 minutes or so.  Maybe it's chocolate, or on a particularly bad day, a cocktail (or two).

On this particular day I chose.......SHOES.  Technically, there is really no room in the budget for shoes right now, which means I shouldn't have even darkened the door of DWS in the first place, I know.  But these were on the clearance rack, fit me perfectly, and made me smile like an idiot when I tried them on.  Done.    Aaaaahhhhh......better now!

 

And yes, I wore them around the apartment, for at least an hour, until I felt better!

 

 

 

What you are about to see is not a cell phone training class, a technology demo, or a scene from your local T-Mobile store.  No, this is what happens when a group of woman, normally united by love of fiber arts, engage in a feverish discussion about cell phones. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And to think, all of this got started with the simple comment, "Hey, let me get your number."  Then it was, "Listen to this ring..." and the dam broke.  Everybody had to show off their various features and ring tones.  It was like a mass quick-draw contest in the wild west, but with cell phones. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone was so absorbed in what they were doing, that they barely noticed me taking pictures.  Except for one who glanced up at a key moment, like a deer in the headlights.

Nicole......here ya go!!  :)

By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil Show, you too can find inner peace.

Dr Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have
started and have never finished."

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and
hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished
off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's
Irish Cream, a bottle of Kahlua, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old
Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of
chocolates. You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.

So it seems I've finally gotten over my fears of the unknown, failure, etc., and decided to take the photography thing seriously and see where it goes.  A big push for that was a request by my friends Eric and Jessica to take their engagement photos a few weeks ago.  In preparation, I spent a LOT of time online, trying to find tips and ideas and generally just preparing.  I also realized that I didn't have either enough equipment, or the right equipment.  With only a few days prep time, I traded in the film camera equipment that hadn't seen the light of day in 2 years to get a new digital camera body.  And I put a lens on my credit card.  Ouch....but I rationalized that it's an investment into my future, a tool I need.

 

So....the photo session was definitely a success.  One of the shots they really liked......

Since the new lens is supposed to be great for portraiture, be it people or things, I just HAD to try it out on some yarn.  Hoooooyeah.....yummy looking yarn. 

 

The past few weeks have entailed several fun social functions that I have not commented on.  What's interesting is how wildly they were different from one another, while still being very enjoyable.  So here we go...

Sunday the 13th was a roller skating party put on by some people I go to church with.  The theme was 80's, with a promised speed round when "Living on a Prayer" came on.  Oh, dear.  A few people went all out and even resurrected some of their 80's fashion for the occasion.  Yours truly stuck with jeans and a top, thank you very much.  There's only so much nostalgia I can take--the music was sufficient!

Here's my friend John, very leery of the polished wood floor, who proved to be reminiscent of Bambi on ice once he got out there.  I snapped this as I went around for maybe the 10th time....all the while him yelling at me to stop.  He would never admit it, but he gripped my arm for dear life and still almost wiped out both of us a time or two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend Michael, on the other hand, was a wild man...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there are these yahoos.  Ya know, I'd love to explain this, but.....there are not adequate adjectives.  Really.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, so moving right along...

The following Saturday, the 19th, was an event called do.justice.  This was an event created around community service within the city of Atlanta.  It was an opportunity for three church campuses (all basically the same church meeting at different places) to use the resource of a huge singles community in order to make a difference in the community.  The event kicked off at Buckhead Church will breakfast at 9 am.  From there we divided up into service teams to go out to 9 organizations around the city of Atlanta and participate in tasks such as meal prep and delivery, cleaning, construction, childcare, sorting, landscaping, and construction.  About 700 people paid $10 to participate in this event.  When we were done we met up back at the church to eat barbeque and celebrate all that had been accomplished.  Here's what it looked like...

 

 

 

Key Quote:

 

"everybody can be great...because anybody can serve." 

 

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My assignment was food delivery, and I was partnered with 3 other women.  One person drove, another navigated, and the other two got in and out of the car walking the meals to the door.  We delivered meals to elderly living below the poverty level in downtown Atlanta through Senior Citizens Services.  This particular service is not new to me--I delivered Meals on Wheels in the past and was really touched.  This experience was the same, if not moreso.  It was so obvious by the reactions we got that these people had very few visitors.  As much as I wanted to stay and visit and try my best to brighten their day, we had a lengthy route and a tight schedule, so we had to drop off the food.

Here we are getting our food boxes ready to go...  There were different meals tailored to the recipients:  low sodium, diabetic, etc.  It was very important to have everything we needed before we loaded up the cars and left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There aren't any photos of us "in action" for several reasons.  For one, we just got really busy--it took a decent amount of effort and concentration to find the houses, not get lost, make sure we had the right box, and walk it up to the door.  But besides that, it really wasn't about us--it WAS about the work being accomplished.  And I didn't want to embarrass any of the recipients or invade their privacy by waving around a camera.  As it was, I really enjoyed setting everything else aside, all my own trivial personal crap, and simply harnassing my time and my energy for a purpose bigger than myself.  It was also a huge perspective clarifier to be in an already crime-ridden and income-challenged neighborhood that had recently suffered some serious damage from the tornado.  One lady was practically home-bound because a tree had crashed into the back of her house, blocking the rear door, leaving only the front entrace with a long flight of stairs.  She has arthritis in her knees and can barely make it up and down.  Heck, we could barely make it up and down--it was a huge and steep flight of stairs. 

Another lady had such severe osteoporosis that her back was basically shaped like a C--her face was only 12 inches or so from her knees.  She grasped my hand and thanked me over and over again, telling me how we'd be "blessed" for what we were doing.  I dropped down on one knee so she could see me and we could chat for a minute, and walked back to the car in tears.  Most of us are so fortunate, so blessed, and we often don't realize it.

 

The following Saturday was a rare event for me:  a black-tie gala fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis.  My buddy Jim works for Choate Construction, one of the sponsors, so he broke out the tux and asked me to go with him.  We were in a rush to get there, especially since it was across town and we had to drive in a torrential downpour, so I didn't get any pictures.  Once I got home, though, I tried to capture my ensemble.  Bear with me:  math may be hard, but so is self-portraiture, people!

The never-fail Black Dress... it was my bridesmaid's dress for my sister's wedding, and has come in handy many times since.  I feel every woman should have a plain black crepe sheath in their closet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A prime example of WHY I adore black crepe is what happened within minutes of our arrival.  But first of all, I have to tell about the chariot in which I rode.  Jim had the Lincoln in to be serviced in preparation for the evening, and of course, it wasn't ready in time.  So he picked me up in a white Choate truck.  Having a decent sliver of country girl in my makeup, I found it highly amusing to arrive at a black tie function in a construction truck!!

After being handed out by the valet, we got our table assignment, and were ushered into the champagne reception so we could peruse the silent auction items.  As the waittress approached us with her tray, another guest picked up a flute, leaving only two glasses at one side of the tray.  It happened so quickly that neither the waittress or anyone else could react before the tray tipped over and sent two flutes of champagne down the front of my dress.  While the mortified waittress ran to get some black napkins, I went into the bathroom, rinsed out the front of my dress, and came back to the party.  You couldn't even tell!

There's a reason women everywhere love the LBD!!

 

 

 

So Friday I got to hang out with Baby Dean, and he was a very good baby.  His mom got to get her teeth cleaned and run some errands, just getting out of the house.  That gave me some time to stage another photoshoot with the little man.

First things first:  Dean modeling the things I crocheted for him.  (I'd love to tell you that he's smiling because he loves his hat so much, but actually he was filling up his diaper.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the booties.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also worked on getting some more shots of features for the BW Montage:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He's a cute little guy, and I managed to get a few more decent shots.  I have to say, though, it's a little easier to take good photos once babies are past the newborn stage.  With my youngest nephew now 2-1/2 years old, I'm a little out of practice with infants.  They stay asleep quite a bit, which makes it challenging to get photos with their eyes open!

Here's one more....

 

 

 

 

Sometimes there is just nothing that can improve your outlook as much as spending time with a new life.  I got to do that this afternoon, and it definitely brightened my day.

My friends Lynn and Greg have just welcomed their first child.  Baby Dean made his debut on Friday, 4/4, at 9:41am.  He was 37 weeks, 4 days, weighed 8lbs, 4oz, and was 21 inches long.  He spent two days under special care with very mild respiratory issues, but all is well now and they are home.  Lynn is recovering both from the C-section and the intense stress of those first few days, and Dean is thriving and putting on weight as fast as he can chug his bottles.

Today I popped over for a visit, camera bag in tow, and we had the first of what will probably be quite a few photo sessions.  Is it just me, or are baby feet about the cutest things ever?  Kinda makes the fingers itch to knit a baby sock or pair of booties, doesn't it?