Posts filed under 'all posts'
I have been tagged for a meme by my friend Linera. I’ve never done a meme before, but what the heck? Even if it does steal all my good material for when I play “Two Truths and a Lie”! So, okay. Here we go with 8 random things about me:
1. I have been in the hospital ICU unit twice: in the spring of 2002, when I came extremely close to dying of pneumonia, and in the fall of 2004, when I had open heart surgery for a condition that also very nearly killed me.
2. During my heart surgery, I was essentially “dead” for 29 minutes, during which the doctors drastically lowered my body temperature and took me off the heart-lung machine while working on a particularly tricky section of my heart.
3. As far as I can tell, I suffered no brain damage. As far as I can tell, I suffered no brain damage. (Ha ha! That was Craig’s little joke after the surgery…)
4. My grandfather was a contortionist.
5. My grandfather invented the famous “Master Cleanser” lemonade detox diet.
6. I have had e. Coli. (Waaaay up there, in terms of pain; though not quite as bad as recovery from heart surgery.)
7. My husband and I adopted one of our children and had the other two via gestational surrogacy.
8. In 2005, I had a terrible, brutally painful (on par with the e. Coli) abscess/staph infection in my leg. (Left a nasty scar.)
What strikes me most about my 8 random things is how many are medically related. If I had lived in any other time, I would have died long ago, from one of scores of different illnesses. Medical technology has saved my ass so often, it’s frightening. More than that, it gave me at least two of my children. (Twenty years ago, the boys wouldn’t even have been possible.)
Amazing!
And now, in keeping with the theme of randomness, here are three old photos of my children, which I’m posting for no particular reason other than I think they (children and photos) are beautiful.
July 29th, 2007
While we were on vacation last week, Craig fashioned small boats out of driftwood and sticks for the children. After Eugenia’s floated away just before bedtime, she began to panic.
Eugenia: My boat! My boat! GET IT!
Me: But it’s floating! That’s what boats do.
Craig: Let it go, honey. Maybe the water will bring it back, and you’ll find it on the shore in the morning.
Eugenia: But MYYYYYY BOOOOAAAT!!!!!
Me (ironically): “If you love something, set it free . . .”
Eugenia (sounding world-weary and utterly disgusted): That NEVER works!
July 18th, 2007
Craig: Does Will finish your sentences, too?
Me: Well–
Will: Yep.
July 17th, 2007
This morning, my husband Craig slept in, sick, while I got ready to take the kids to summer camp and pick up a latte. When it was time to leave the house, I couldn’t find my car keys, so I grabbed Craig’s and left him this note:
When I got home later, Craig held up the paper towel and pointed at it with a puzzled look on his face.
“I had no idea,” he said, “that you and my keys were so close.”
July 7th, 2007
My husband is an inventor, so he keeps up on this stuff. Here’s what’s new at www.PatentlySilly.com.
I especially like the third item on the page: “Female Doll Resembling an Angel.” PatentlySilly.com says: “Kids, never talk to a giant angel with a sword and no halo.” Luckily, the giant angel also has no hands, and thus cannot access the sword in her sheath (she said in a Dwight Schrute voice).
July 4th, 2007
Last night I opened up my laptop and read the news about W commuting Libby’s prison sentence.
“Son of a –!”
“What?” Craig asked. I thrust out the computer screen angrily. “Oh. Yeah.” He nodded. “I know.”
I proceeded to rant furiously about Bush’s cronies and how they get away with everything.
Then this morning, I read Ben’s take on the whole thing. I shook my head. While (hardened cynic that I am) I can’t go so far as to echo goodhearted Ben’s last, credit-giving two sentences (and, at the risk of dating myself, my saying that “Bush got it right” is as likely to happen as Arthur Fonzarelli admitting that he was ever “Wrr-rr-rrrong”), this post absolutely made me sit up and reconsider my position. Do I believe in compassion, or don’t I? Do I believe in mercy only for those people I like and agree with? I’m still furious with G.W. for the horrific damage his administration has done, domestically and globally. But I’d hate to see anyone rot in jail. (Thanks for setting me straight, Ben. Give my love to Megs.)
LATER CLARIFICATION: Several hours later, after I’ve had time to think about it, I still think GWB is as much of a grade-A you-know-what as ever (like that was in question?). He didn’t do this because he’s compassionate and merciful, but because he wants his administration to get away with a bunch of $#!+. And that still royally pisses me off. But while I do think Libby’s actions were inexcusable, I think of his wife and kids, and I can almost feel the relief. It’s just a shame he’s the only guy in the country who’s getting cut a break. The ones who really suffered in this — Valerie Plame and all the undercover operatives who worked with her — are the ones who are up a creek. So sad, really.
July 3rd, 2007
LOVE this post (excerpt to follow) from Magpie Girl, a.k.a. the Urban Abbess:
“My girls are attending half-day church camp this week. . . One of the downfalls of this particular camp that makes it tip into the “indoctrination camp” category at least once each year, is that mid-week the group leaders give the kids a piece of paper asking them to sign if they’ve made a decision “to accept Jesus as their personal Savior . . .”
July 2nd, 2007
More new Zen, baby. All about my birthday weekend. I’m getting ooooooold, my sistas and brothas.
My children’s beloved former nanny showed up with a bottle of wine branded “Jezebel.” Later in the evening, while my two regular babysitters poured shots of Wild Turkey down their throats, the rest of us (mostly moms who had to get up early the next morning) shouted in horror and admiration.
“You have great friends,” they all said to me, one after the other. “Let’s do this for your birthday every year!” By Shari MacDonald Strong.
June 25th, 2007
This morning, as we were driving to our Quaker meeting, our family stopped at an intersection where nine or ten girls from a local high school rally squad were standing on the corners, holding signs that said things like “Go Trojans!” and “Oh, yeah, Trojans,” and hollering for cars to come into the gas station to participate in their car wash fundraiser.
While we waited for the light co change, I smiled through the window at the girls and muttered to Craig, “Can you imagine being a Trojan? Having your team name be ‘the Trojans’? How do the other teams not just laugh at them?”
“Yeah,” said Craig seriously. “But at least they get to chant: ‘We’ve got condoms. Yes, we do. We’ve got condoms. HOW ‘BOUT YOU?”
June 25th, 2007
I forgot to post my last Zen and the Art of Child Maintenance column, written shortly after Jerry Falwell’s death. I’ve seen a lot of conservatives write affectionately about Falwell in recent weeks, but I personally don’t see it as a bad thing that he’ll no longer be serving as a spokesperson for Christianity.
“As a Christian I feel that role modeling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children,” Falwell wrote in a statement [about the Teletubbies] at the time. Notably missing was any speculation as to what modeling harsh views and behaviors in the name of religion does to these same kids. Or about the damage done to our society when spiritual leaders who emphasize judgment over love serve as spokespersons for an entire religion. (I won’t even get into the questionable logic that credits an asexual purse-carrying fictional character with “modeling the gay lifestyle.”) By Shari MacDonald Strong.
June 25th, 2007
Next Posts
Previous Posts
