Miracle Mouse

I believe in miracles! Mouse movie.

Reno 911 on The Adam Carolla Show

Caveman Dance

Don't have drink in your hand when you watch this. It will come out your nose.

Help an Author Get Published

I have an old friend who has written her first novel! The publishing world is a tough nut to crack and I applaud her for attacking it from a different angle. Below read her email to me, then read chapter one and rate it a 10!

~~~
Many of you know that I've written a novel, and many of you have been very supportive of my ongoing efforts to get it published before I turn 90. Now I need your help! I’ve entered it into a contest that is sponsored by Borders and is sort of like American Idol. The first chapter of each entry is posted online for 14 days for voting by the public (scale of 1 to 10), and the entries that receive the highest scores go to the next round, where the second chapter is posted. I believe there are three rounds total, and the winner gets a publishing contract.

I know the chances of winning are tiny, but I figured this would be a great way to get my writing out there. And who knows? Maybe someone in cyberspace will like what they read, and maybe that will lead to something.

Anyhow, I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to read the first chapter and score the book. And please leave comments so others will be encouraged to read the chapter as well! And if you could please send the link to your friends who might enjoy it, that would be great. All of you have so many funny, smart, connected friends, so maybe once my book gets into those networks it will take off like the “Di** in a box” video.

To vote you need to sign up for gather.com (free) here. Then you can click on this link to read the first chapter and vote.

By the way, the book is called PERFECT ON PAPER. PLEASE VOTE BY FEBRUARY 8. And please leave comments to get others to read it!!

Thanks so much for helping. Waverly and I sincerely appreciate it.

Maria :)
~~~

45 Life Lessons

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
12. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
14. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
15. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
16. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
17. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you, and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
25. Always choose life.
26. Forgive everyone everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Believe in miracles.
32. Whatever doesn't kill you, really does make you stronger.
33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
34. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
35. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
36. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
37. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
38. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
39. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Take a deep breath. Relax, it calms the mind.
44. If you don't ask, you don't get.
45. Yield, don't stop.

Rumpus Update

Office Space Game

Pick up file folders while avoidingthe boss in this too-real video arcade game. Makes work look like play. Start game.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

If you have not yet seen this video by OK GO, you really must. It is just delightful.

The Ceiling Has Been Painted

Who knew one could get so excited about paint? After oh, probably 50 years of a red ceiling in the family room (aka rumpus room) we have changed the color to oyster. The ceiling looks 3 feet higher than it was 2 days ago. We still are not certain that we have the right color up there - we might repaint it at 50% color so it appears lighter. I never felt like I had a weght on my head, but with the ceiling paited I feel like a weight has been lifted. The ammount of light that was absorbed by the old ceiling was incredible. Now when we are in the room at night, our two dim little lights light up the entire room no problem.

Photos from Boulder

Click on "See it Big" to see these pictures full size in your browser window. Just click the "Back" button to return.

Blogging Buddies

My blogging circle is ever widening.
Fred's blog: An outlet for his narcissistic tendencies.
Dirt Kids: A window into the harsh life in the Sierra foothils.
SCRC Blog: A "running club" for those who know the value of a good walk.
Boulder Marchi's: An insight into the Boulder, CO lifestyle. (coming soon!)

Rumpus Room Revival

Soon our Rumpus Room will get a much needed makeover. I've collected some before photos as you can see. I'll be adding photos to this Loop as we go through demo and reconstruction. You'll be reminded to look at the Loop from time to time.

FilmLoop has a new feature, "See it Big". If you click on the Loop above you will see all the photos BIG within your browser. Just click the back button to get back here. You no longer need to download the player to see the Loop, but you do need to download the player if you want to create a Loop.

The Mafia Wedding

We went to a wedding the past weekend. It was in Half Moon Bay - one of the most beautiful days I have ever experienced there. The ceremony joined together as one, two very Italian families, one from New Jersey the Abbondanalos, one in the concrete business in Half Moon Bay the Fontanas.

I had never met the bride or the groom. I know the bride's mother through my husband's work. So I was really an outsider looking in - or so I thought. Immediately upon arriving I get a BIG hug from the father of the bride. Apparently we are old friends and I didn't know it. Two kisses on the cheek and off I go to meet the rest of my new circle of best friends.

I could go on and on, but suffice to say I have never seen so much hugging, dancing and kissing between a group of very obviously heterosexual men. I thought it was all a lot of fun. The 90 year old grandfathers on both sides got up to sing and dance - when I say dance I mean like Zorba - and toast the happy couple. Those Italians know how and love to have a good time.

Gallery Looplet

World Cup Mania

Every four years I retreat into my cave with my remote control and my web sites and my printed schedules and brackets. Those who know me know not to try to reach me unless it is to discuss the poor showing of the Czech Republic or the unbelievable referee that nearly cost the United States the game of the Cup. I'm simply unable to talk intelligently about anything else. I don't even know if we are still at war with Iraq, though I think it is a safe assumption that we are.

Brazil is my team. I love the way they play. The have such a tremendous love and respect for the beauty of the sport. Ronaldino plays with pure joy and delight that is so infectious I catch myself smiling at the TV. I envy their attention to detail in their skill. I always wanted to dribble like Pele did in his movies.



I love the World Cup.

Aloha!

As it turns out, I still love Kauai. Poi Pu beach is still wonderful. The monk seals enjoy the sand in the early morning hours. I saw several sea turtles - one group I think was a family (large and small turtles). We saw them while we were geocaching (very fun).

While there we toured through a time share right on Poi Pu beach. As is always the case with time shares they are priced just a bit too high, but still somehow competitive. I swear I feel like just a complete moron when it comes to time shares. I always walk away thinking that there is something I am missing or a question I didn't ask or a catch I didn't pick up on. I'm the perfect person for them. I'm like chum in the water. I walk around a beautiful property and imagine myself there and I'm ready to move in. My saving grace is this nagging feeling that there is a catch. Thankfully, Roy likes to "run the numbers" and figure out what the real story is.

So my question, do you have a time share? Where? For how long? Has it been valuable to you? Have you traded for other properties? Tell me everything.

Twenty Years Later

I just received my first notification of my upcoming high school reunion. That's right I am a card carrying member of the Palo Alto High School Class of 1987. Go Vikings! Yeah! It is all so surreal. Twenty years! Ouch.

This is one of those areas where I don't get any sympathy from friends and family. My shock and dismay at the fact that I have been out of high school more years than I had lived when I left falls on deaf ears. My mom is being notified of her 50th reunion, my husband just passed on his 40th. Most of my friends have already either dealt with or happily ignored their 20th high school reunion.

Here is the thing: I LOVED my 10 year reunion. I was stunned at how much fun I had. There was nearly 500 in my graduating class and about half came to one of the three events we had. I think I may have talked to every single one of them. What is so strange about this to me is that I have almost no memories of high school that don't involve actually attending class or playing some sort of sport. I honestly can not recall how it is I seemed to personally know all of these people. But there I was, "Sally! Hi! So you went to Brown and I think you majored in subterranean mammals, right? How is that working out for you?". This will largely be funny to those of you who know me today and know that I can't remember the details of a story you told me 30 seconds ago.

So what advice do you have for me? Lose 10 pounds? Change my hair style and color? Botox? I suppose I'll have to go shopping...

Flash Looplet

Sophie is on the mend

We call the vet on the morning of day 3 to casually ask, “Should there be this much swelling?” and she says no, bring Sophie in right now.

She looks Sophie over and says that she really doesn’t like what she sees. She wants to send us to an orthopedic specialist. Roy asks if this could be cancer and the vet says that she can not rule that out at this time. I, of course, fall to pieces which makes Dr. Blount start crying and the 3 of us are a complete mess. It would be just too much to lose Sophie especially so close to losing Sammy. She says that it may not be cancer, but it is something they have to consider. Anyway she tells us the “worst case scenario” which is that the swelling is due to bone cancer, osteocarcoma, which is very aggressive and not curable. The treatment is to amputate the leg, do chemo therapy and maybe get 6-8 more months of life from Sophie. She reminds us that it may not be cancer and sends us home to wait for our ortho appointment. That was one sad, stressful afternoon.

The orthopedic specialist took more x-rays and did a pain test on Sophie. He found the arthritis, but he did not find any fractures, dislocations, tumors or odd bone behavior. It is his opinion that the swelling is due to an infection probably due to a cat bite (one of my mom’s cats attacked Sophie last Sunday and got a few swings in before I could pull her away and trap him in the attic) and he recommended rest and antibiotics. Whew! He did say that she will probably need surgery on her shoulder to restore the support that she has worn down through the years.

I still don’t know what I would have done if Sophie had bone cancer. I don’t know if amputation is the best option for a dog that lives to run, swim and play. I just don’t know. Lots of dogs do really well. Anyway, I’m grateful we didn’t have to decide. She has been resting and getting better each day. She and I just started taking walks again, she is eating normally, and she picked up her ball yesterday and dropped it at my feet. The swelling is going down, but is not completely gone and her arm still hurts.

Whew!

Sophie - Little Trooper

My poor little Scoo.

Yesterday morning Sophie and I went on our usual 6am walk. Everything was normal, there was absolutely nothing – even looking back – that could be reported as odd. I wasn’t feeling well so I went back to bed for about 90 minutes. When I got up, Sophie was having a tough time walking. Clearly her left front leg was bothering her but it looked like she didn’t really want to walk on either leg. We thought maybe she was stiff from her nap or she jumped of “her” chair and landed funny. I was sufficiently worried to call the vet and get an appointment @ 3pm

We left her to rest while we ran some errands. When we returned, she didn’t meet us at the door, nor had she moved from the spot she was in when we left. I took her outside to relieve herself, which she did, and let her wander around the back yard. Well she limped right into a dark corner, dug a small hole and lay down in it. I called the vet back to say that I didn’t want to wait ‘til 3, they said I could bring her in, drop her off and the doctor would check her in-between her other patients. I was relieved to get Karen Blount’s call saying she saw Sophie and thought she would step in and check her out (the original appointment was with a different doctor). She prepped The Bean for x-rays and called us when they were done.

We have known that Sophie was developing arthritis in her left shoulder for probably 5 years. The x-rays showed that it has progressed. Dr. Blount is sending them to a specialist for further review and it might be that Sophie Ann Marie will have to go to San Mateo to see an orthopedist. We picked her up yesterday with a bottle full of anti-inflammatory and a bottle of pain relief medicine. Right now Sophie is a sad little pup. She is VERY swollen in her left should/elbow and can not walk at all on that leg, nor will she lie down on that side. I finally got her to eat something about 30 minutes ago, which was a huge relief since I didn’t want to continue to give her the medicine on an empty stomach, but she is in so much pain I didn’t want her to NOT have the medicine either.

Dr. Blount said the first 48 hours would be tough, so I’m trying to not freak out completely until tomorrow afternoon. I am worried about the swelling and Sophie doesn’t even want us to lightly touch the fur around the area. I got an appointment for tomorrow morning, just in case the swelling and pain don’t subside – or get worse.

That’s the scoop.