I Remember

The kids had just gotten to school- kindergarten, and I was at home, alone,  when Matt called to tell me to turn on the TV, someone had flown a second plane into a second building in New York.... and that there was no way this was a coincidence (we, like everyone else, assumed the first plane was an accident). I spent the rest of the day, glued, watching in horror with the rest of the country, unable to believe what I was seeing and hearing.

At one point, I did call the school to see if they needed any assistance... I figured they might be closing and sending kids home, but they stayed open.

Matt works about 4 miles away, at Fermi National Laboratory — high energy physics. They do pure science and have no classified secrets or weapons, but still it was not an unreasonable target in a world where reason seemed to have disappeared.

When the kids finally got home, they walked in and right away I called them for a "double cuddle" (two perfect children in my lap at one time—nothing better in the world)... and then I just broke down, sobbing. Sobbing for them, for the world they would be living in. For the loss. For the unknown.

I don't know how much they understood. Some bad men stole some planes and blew up buildings because they don't like how Americans live and how we believe. Of course it's far more complex than that, but how does one explain to a 5 year old?

It will be interesting to see what they say today, as we watch a bit of the  coverage and...

   ...remember.

(And yes, they really did hold hands on the way to school. It looks adorable, but the truth is that they were making sure neither of them got there "first")

Snow!

View from our stateroom veranda!




- Posted using my iPhone

This

is why I've been neglecting my blog for a week!




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:-(

My dog died.

Ignore This

This has nothing whatsoever to do with Mensa.... but I just had to save it for posterity.

Some people love Peeps®.
Some people hate them.
Some prefer them stale.
Some make dioramas with them

My
children
like
them
in
the
microwave.

Getting Ready for Digital Now

I know, I know... I haven't blogged in a while. usually I blog my notes rom the AMC meeting, but this time, i was very much involved in some of the more heated scissions, so it was difficult to type at the same time. Additionally, Marc and Jared were both writing notes. Marc posted his in the forums  and Jared posted his in several places, including his own blog. I looked at both gentlemen's summaries, and pretty much agree with them.

I came home from the AMC and went right into spring break, with kids home and my mother visiting, so my mensa time has been a bit limited and consumed by the panic regarding the e-newsletter changes. The team is working on developing a full educational campaign for Group officers and general members, and you'll hear more in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, I'm preparing for my next trip, to the Digital Now conference in Florida. Regardless of the election outcome, this will certainly teach me a great deal and pump up my enthusiasm for Mensa's future. Some of the topics I'll be learning about are:

•  Finding the Path to Sustainable Growth
•  How Mobility Brings Traditional and Digital Marketing Together for Successful Engagements
•  How Global Connectivity is Revolutionizing the Way We Do Business
•  Integrating Leadership, Strategy, and Technology to Go Global 
•  Engaging and Empowering the New Member Volunteers
•  Creating and Tracking Member Engagement
•  The Art and Science of Micro Volunteerism
•  e-Commerce Best Practices

My first task was downloading a QR app to my phone-- I'm curious to learn how this will be useful to Mensa.

I'll try to blog or tweet from the conference when I can.

Off-Topic: Kid Pictures

This has nothing to do with Mensa, but I'm a proud mom and I have my own blog and...well... the pictures from Homecoming turned out really nice, so....

I love my alias

So we're changing ISPs here in the Crawford household. So I had to notify everyone in my address book of my new all-purpose email address. Quite a pain in the neck, despite the  fact that I'm looking forward to cutting down on my spam.

One fun thing that results is all the bounce messages I'm getting back, particularly from friends with AOL service. I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity to cull my address files.

What I am really appreciating is how easy it is to do an address change seamlessly with all my Mensa connections. One call to Howard asking him to point my Communications@ alias to my new address and voila-- every elist, every publication, every committee.... is instantly updated.

Busy Busy Before the AG

Preparing committee agendas. Gathering notes, printing out memos. Scheduling all the little "let's find a moment to talk about that at the AG" meetings. Writing and writing and writing. And all in a rush now because I'll be gone and incommunicado for the week before the AG sailing in the Grenadines.

Yeah my life is that rough.

Year of the Tiger

2010 is the year of the tiger according to the Chinese zodiac—a year for bravery and risk-taking. Also the sign I was born under, if one considers such things portentious.

I don't particularly like taking risks, but I'm generally willing to dig up the courage to do and try things I believe are necessary, even when I am pretty sure I'll have to weather a shitstorm later.

Like any zodiac description, some of the tiger traits fit me well and some do not seem "me" at all. I see that there seems to be some modification of the traits based on being a fire, water, wood, metal, or earth tiger.

No real point to this post.. I just found it something interesting to look up.

I Defy This Crap Week

Today I consulted with my mom and the doctor on the most efficient and comfortable way to end my father's life.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

How am I?

I went to a party recently, and everyone kept asking “How are you?” with that tone of voice than meant they really wanted to know, as opposed to just being the standard polite thing to say. It was really nice to realize how many caring friends I have. Apparently, I posted a few alarming status updates on Facebook and then never posted any updates. Oops.

So here’s the scoop: my dad’s stroke was really bad, and recovery prognosis is neither hopeless, nor particularly bright.  I went to visit over Thanksgiving week; I did not hit the peacock that crossed the road as I drove through the Smoky Mountains and I had a wonderful time getting to visit my cousin Donna, who came up from Vicksburg.

Now they have diagnosed lung cancer, and we will know more next week about the degree of severity of that so my mother can have all the information with which to make some difficult decisions. No one wants an enemy, let alone a family member, to endure as my father is now for any longer than necessary.

Freya, my dog, was ill, then seemed to recover with some meds and a special diet, but is now ill again (diarrhea with blood—ick). I have not gone back to the vet because they had diagnosed “pancreatitis” and said there’s no cure but we can try different things to treat the symptoms. So I’m trying different things. Some days are good; some days require a steam cleaner.

As for other, more private aspects of my life some people know about, that's all working out just fine. Strange, of course, but good. No worries.

So how am I? I’m slogging on. I’m thankful that my kids and husband, friends, and extended family are all healthy—not even a flu bug.  I’m half way done with Christmas shopping and looking forward to putting up the tree this weekend. I’m caught up on laundry and most of the yardwork. I’m making good progress on a variety of Mensa projects and haven’t had to shovel snow yet. Report cards came home yesterday and it looks like both kids will probably graduate 8th grade on time. I have lots and lots of people who care about me and are available to help if I need it.

I’m ok, thanks.

(Kids and my parents in happier times, riding a hot air balloon in Utah)

No Time for Mensa

My dad had a stroke and is very ill. I've been preparing to make the made drive ( about 14 hours) down to see him. Now it looks like he'll live, so my trip is likely put off for a week.

This morning I woke up to discover that my dog is ill. Bad ill. A couple of cups of blood all over the kitchen and living room kind of ill.

This is not a good week.

Crisis Solved!

People often wonder why there are so few "young" members in leadership positions (and oh, I do love that in Mensa, at least, mid-40s is still considered "young!").

I think that much of the reason is just age and stage of life. Members in their 30s and 40s are working and raising families, and simply can't give the big, consistent chunks of time and freedom to travel required for some of these positions-- like being on the AMC, for example.

The next AMC meeting is this weekend, As it happens, my husband has to travel for work this same weekend. And of course, the school arranged to have a teacher institute on Friday, making the childcare problem even more difficult. So we forked out a few hundred to fly my mother up from South Carolina to stay with the kids while I go to Dallas. We're not thrilled about the extra expense, but Mensa is my hobby, and all hobbies cost money. This is not a complaint.

But...

20 minutes ago, my mom called to say she's injured and not likely to be able to come this weekend to watch the kids. My plane ticket, and Matt's are already bought. We have no other family in the area who can watch the kids. I was going to start pricing two tickets so I can drag the kids along with me to Texas, but my $#^&! Internet is still being really wonky and I can't get through to Orbitz.

And then I called Beth Anne. With great enthusiasm, she jumped at the chance to drive to my place Friday, pick up the kids, and keep them all weekend long. Wow! So all is well, and I just have to board the dog for the weekend. Hooray! Thanks, Beth Anne! I totally owe you a few shots at Pretentious Drinking.

So back to Mensa.. as I see it, if we want "younger" members more involved, we need to embrace the attitude of "it takes a village."

Event Horizon Joke

Finally, I managed to finish designing the art and setting up the Cafe Press store so people can order Event Horizon shirts!

What's the Big Deal about May 22nd?

Several people have asked, so this is as good a place as any to try to explain May 22^nd.

You know how everyone looks forward to Christmas? You feel happy and keenly aware of the season and the good people and aspects of your life. There is a pervasive sense of magic. There is anticipation of wonderful surprises.

Well, a million years ago, when I was about 10 or 11 years old, I decided that I wanted a day like that all to myself. I chose May because it’s a pretty, green month, and 22 because the numbers are round and curvy and identical. There is no other reason. It commemorates nothing.

But since then, I have celebrated it as a day to notice how great my life is. I always know good things will happen that day: A call from a someone I haven’t heard from in years. A rebate check I’d forgotten I sent away for. Friends inviting me out for lunch or drinks. A hairstyle that works perfectly on the first try. More things checked off the to-do list than added. Even if I spend the day alone, mowing the lawn or doing laundry, it is a perfect, zen-mowing afternoon, and the weather is always perfect. The few years it rained, it turned out that those days were absolutely ideal for curling up with a great book.

It’s a day when life is really really good and I’m particularly inclined to notice. It's when I celebrate... just being.

Help for a Friend's Child

Those of you who know me, know that I never, ever send out spammish letters like this. Heck, I don’t even forward cute LOL cat pictures. However, today, I’m making an exception.

Allie Gagnon is the daughter of a good friend of mine in the local Mothers of Twins and Triplets club. Allie is just a bit younger than my twins, and I’ve known her since she was born. Sweet girl. Great family. Awesome mom. As sometimes happens with multiples, Allie has cerebral palsy. She needs a fancy-schmancy wheelchair to get around, and a special van to transport it. Unfortunately, the family has 4 other kids, including others with special needs. Mom is in school to become a nurse so she can get a better paying job to help with the crippling finances. Dad works... and works and works. But still, the cost of caring for a child like Allie is astronomical.

My mothers club has decided to solve the problem. We’re doing charity walks, spaghetti dinners, auctions, etc. In addition, we’ve discovered that Luvs diapers is having a contest to win $1000. People register a child or charity as a recipient and friends go the the Web site and vote. You can vote every day, as it turns out. We’ve got Allie as one of the kids you can vote for, and for a while she was in the lead. But now, we need more, which is why I’m writing to you.

Please go to the Luvs site. There, you'll see a list of all the “signs” of people hoping to win the money. Type “allie” in the search box (lower case). This will take you to a sign that is by Tina of Montgomery (Tina is the club member who found this resource).

Vote.

Yes, you’ll have to “register" and give them your information—I suppose this is where the gimmick is that makes it worthwhile for the Luvs company to give away money.

To learn more about the Spreading Sunshine For Allie project, visit alliegagnon.org.

Thanks for whatever help you can give, even if it’s just a click a day.

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IBD ExComm and Murder

(I'll bet that title will get a lot of attention!)

Saturday night I went out to dinner with the IBD ExComm, since they were meeting here in Chicago over the weekend. I was curious to meet the people behind the names and magazine portraits. Nice bunch. Pleasant dinner. All very much dedicated to helping Mensa grow stronger. I'm glad I went.

But the thing that I've been mulling over since then has nothing to do with Mensa. As we entered the restaurant. a woman came up to me saying "I know you-- where do I know you from?" We guessed about a few possibilities, but finally I remembered that I'd worked with her at Forest Hospital back in the 80s. We chatted about it and she asked if I'd heard about Ari Squire, the son of the hospital's owner. I live under rock, so I hadn't heard anything. She gave me a brief description, and I googled when I got home to learn more .

OMG! I knew this guy. I knew his wife (yeah, she was a shrew, just like the papers are painting her). I have a large gold and diamond ring from Ari's father. I worked closely with his older sister. When I quit twelve years ago, this arrogant, spoiled rich kid was sitting on top of the world, and now look where he is.

Certainly makes me pause before envying others who seem to have it all.

Feeling Artsy Today

Been ignoring Mensa and working on figuring out how to make an image of my tattoo so I can show it off.