Some Very Spooooooky Humor

In honor of Halloween, I give you some hi-larity... moaning and groaning is encouraged.

BOO!

Why don't angry witches ride their brooms?
They're afraid of flying off the handle!

Where do baby ghosts go during the day?
Dayscare centers

What's a monster's favorite play?
Romeo and Ghouliet

What do witches put on their hair?
Scare spray

What has webbed feet, feathers, fangs and goes quack-quack?
Count Duckula

What happened to the guy who didn't pay his exorcist?
He was repossessed

Where do mummies go for a swim?
To the Dead Sea

What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter?
Pumpkin Pi

What's a skeleton's favorite meal?
Spare ribs

What is a ghost's favorite party game?
Hide-and-go-shriek

What did the skeleton say while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle?
I'm bone to be wild!

Why does Dracula consider himself a good artist?
Because he likes to draw blood!

What's a vampire's favorite candy?
A sucker

What do you call a ghost with a broken leg?
Hoblin Goblin

What do goblins and ghosts drink when they're hot and thirsty on Halloween?
Ghoul-aid

Yep. Still on My Soapbox for Thursday Thirteen.

Unless you've been living under a rock (and even then, I suspect that you might have heard Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews blathering) you know that Tuesday, November 4th is Election Day.

What are you going to do about it? The answer had better be, "Vote. Duh." But on the slim chance that you are still ambivalent about things, here are...

Thirteen Reasons To Vote!

• To shut up all those "If you don’t vote then you can't complain" people. (And I’m one of those people, in case you hadn’t figured that out.)

• Because if you don’t vote, the terrorists win (unless you were going to vote for the terrorists, in which case they win anyway...)

• You have a hankering to relive taking a test in college when you used the Christmas Tree method of filling in the circles hoping to get some right. (Don’t deny it -- we’ve all been there...)

• You want your voice to be heard by more people than your friends on a night of drinking and BS. (Don’t deny it -- we’ve all been there...)

• You like to stand in line and pretend you're waiting for a Wii or you’re getting tickets to the midnight debut showing of “Twilight”.

• Because it's your right and your privilege. Each prior generation has lived through, suffered through, or participated in a struggle to expand voter rights. Americans have fought against laws barring African American, female, impoverished, and 18 to 20 year old Americans from voting. And even today there are countries where people are still dying for this very privilege we sometimes take for granted.

• You get to sport an "I Voted" sticker after the deed is done. SO stylish and hip.

• To cancel out the vote of that obnoxious neighbor/co-worker/relative who won’t shut up about his/her preference and constantly sends you e-mail propaganda with their viewpoint. We all have at least one person like this in our sphere of existence... I have several, actually. Lucky me.

• Guess what? Our government was designed for citizen participation -- so if you don't vote, other people are going to make the decisions for you. And if you’re anything like me, you HATE to have decisions made for you.

• It's your tax money, job, health care, education, environment and so much more at stake. Elected representatives make choices that directly affect each and every one of us. Your vote can go to ensure that the person who best represents your perspective is the one making those decisions.

• Every vote counts. This was never made more clear than during the 2000 Presidential election. I’m from Florida -- I lived through that nightmare transpiring in my own backyard. It wasn’t fun.

• You want to finally find out what the hell the electoral college is.

• Because this is the most important election of our lifetime. Period. No question.

Do Not Disturb: It's Wordless Wednesday

Just do it.

A Word from Atop the Soapbox

*climbs onto soapbox*

Time to revisit the Hos Before Bros argument again, y'all...

This corporation has a strict 'bros before hos' policy.
~ 30 Rock
(THE best comedy on TV today -- season premiere is THIS Thursday on NBC. Watch. For me. Thankyew.)

I am a woman. Obviously.

I vote. Also pretty apparent.

So, using what I recall as basic equation logic... does it follow that a voting woman automatically has to vote for a woman?

Must I apply the adage 'hos before bros' to this situation?

I’m all about Girl Power. Giving a boost to other members of my gender whenever possible. I belong to a women-only volunteer organization -- was even president of said group. Fact: Women are notoriously tough on other women (I can say that because (a) I am one and (b) I’ve witnessed this first-hand.) And I work really hard not to be one of those kinds of chicks. Empowerment. Support. Validation. All important to me.

Being as woman-centric as I am, I’ve been asked the following question more than once: "Aren’t you voting for Sarah Palin?"

Hmmm. Do I have to vote for a woman candidate? Am I obligated by common physical composition to support the chick on the ballot?

Therein lies the rub. And the conundrum facing female voters this election season.

I say no.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, MSNBC, CNN, and yes, NOW (and doesn't that one hurt the most): I just got back from the big secret National Vagina Convention and we decided that women are in fact capable of independent thought and are not contractually obligated to check the box for the candidate with the box.
~ a very pithy and wise poster, screen name Francie Nolan, from Television without Pity.com

When I vote, I give serious time and thought to how and for whom I’m going to give my support. My choices are totally based on the individual. Not gender. Not race. The person. Especially in such a critical election as the one before us.

I totally agree that this campaign season is groundbreaking, with each ticket sporting candidates with labels that heretofore have not been seen in viable candidates. It’s historical and I’m thrilled I have the opportunity to participate in this scene-changing election.

But I don’t vote based on labels.

Just because I have a vagina doesn’t mean I’m genetically obligated to vote for a candidate with a vagina.

Just because I’m a Caucasian doesn’t mean I have to vote for the candidate that looks the most like me.

Just because I’m a WASP doesn’t mean I have to vote for the WASPy-ish candidate.

Just because I’m a church-going Christian does not mean I have to vote with the evangelically preferred candidate. (Want my take on this? Check this blog post out...)

When it comes to stuff like this, I think with my head and my heart, not my reproductive organs or the color of my skin or my religious preference or my ethnic background.

I vote for the person. And what she or he has to say. How they conduct themselves. What they believe in -- and how that works with what I believe in.

Frankly, I don’t need to vote for a woman to demonstrate that I support my gender. I put my time and my money where my mouth is on that one. I’m voting with an eye towards the future -- not for a fight that’s already been settled for the most part. In theory anyway. Believe me, I’m grateful to the thoughtful and smart women who came before me and fought to insure that I would and could be taken as seriously in any workplace as a man. I watched the news when I was a wee lass, seeing Betty Friedan and Bella Abzug with her fab hats, speaking on behalf of, well, me. Young as I was. I read the papers and newsmagazines -- Gloria Steinem was all over the place. I sang along with Helen Reddy... "I am woman/Hear me roar."

Too young to participate, but old enough to watch and appreciate.

Things are different now for my gender, in the workplace and in our American society. For the most part and if you're looking at the big picture...however, I will admit there are still issues. But that’s another rant for another day.

Anyway.

The things my peers and I are concerned about -- balancing work and family and money and self -- are issues relevant to everyone.

It’s not a woman thing. It’s not a man thing. It’s a person thing.

I would be doing myself and the country and yes, my gender, a disservice by automatically and rotely voting for the female candidate -- any female candidate. The struggle to give women the right to vote would be seriously marginalized if mandates were placed, even informally and societally, on for whom we cast our vote. We’ve come too far for such insulting and demeaning histrionics.

And yes, the female vote is, once again, critical to the success of the candidates. Soccer moms, urbanistas, seniors, single chicks. All important. Wonder if Susan B. Anthony ever anticipated that our reproductive organs would become such hot commodities and bargaining chips when she helmed the suffragette movement... what would she say about all of this?

By the way, the candidates on my preferred ticket... both men.

I think I’m a better woman for supporting them.

Does feminist mean large unpleasant person who'll shout at you or someone who believes women are human beings. To me it's the latter, so I sign up.
~ Margaret Atwood

A Thursday Thirteen Special Report: Chaos! In the Choir Room

(Kinda like Panic! at the Disco -- only less emo and more Elmo.)

I have the great honor and pleasure of directing the four-and-five year-old choir at my church. Most exhausting but greatest 45 minutes of my week. Love my little Choir Urchins as if they were my own -- those sticky hugs and high-fives they give me are golden and always cure what’s ailing me.

And it’s totally true what they say about “out of the mouths of babes.” What my Urchins say never fails to amuse me. So in the spirit of kids saying the darndest things, I give you 13 comments overheard at last night’s choir practice.

1. “Miss Jane, I have to go potty. NOW!”

2. “I’m tired. It was a long day at school.” *SIGH*
Yep, it’s tough out there in the preschool world.

3.“My sister’s birthday is in two days!”

4. “Miss Jane, do you like chicken noodle soup?”

5. “I’m Darth Vader!”

6. “Wanna see my tattoos?” (temporary ones of what appeared to be Transformers on his forearms. It was hard to tell because they were both missing their heads for some reason.)

7.“Can I do a cartwheel?”

8.“Miss Jane, how do you spell octupus?”

9.“I don’t like this song. I’m not gonna sing it.”

10. The Star Wars Darth Vader theme, hummed while we were playing rhythm sticks. That, natch, came from Lord Vader himself, (see #5) a towheaded bundle of boy energy.

11. “My dog eats his own poop.”

12. “Can we sing ‘Jingle Bells’?”

13. “I love you, Miss Jane.”

Me too, sweetie. Me too.


PS: This little quiz is a rewind for me. But it still seems appropriate somehow. Boo-yah!

13

Play Ball, Y'all!

Tonight’s the night, y’all.

Look out for porcine revelers winging through the air -- they’re all over the place. And note that there’s a serious cold front moving through the gates of Hades -- Mephistopheles is sporting a hoodie and Uggs to keep warm.

Pigs are flying.

Hell has frozen over.

The Tampa Bay Rays are playing in the World Series.

Unbelievable.

It’s been a beautiful and amazing and slightly surreal ride this season. Whoda thunk it?

I’ve followed this team since the beginning -- from the first pitch in March, 1998 (with The Mister and his pals in attendance) until now. Attended a lot of games in the BW (Before Will) era -- loved the grounds crew and their choreographed tending of the field, shaking their groove things and rakes to Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins.” Paying attention some years more than others, as the team was more often hapless than not. You know you are not a big player in the success business when you celebrate a 70 win season -- and that season featured 91 losses.

Given that, you can imagine I might get a little perturbed when I hear the taunts of others stating that the Rays don’t have “Real Fans” or a serious fan base -- especially when compared to teams like the Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs. Look. It’s a given that a season like this one would draw a certain number of bandwagon fans -- c’mon. But what is not mentioned or considered in those taunts is that this team has only been playing for 10 years -- and has been abysmal in all but one of those seasons. We've only had the chance to rise and fall with our Boys of Summer for a relatively short time -- while there are some teams, like our World Series opponents the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been playing for nearly a century. Plenty of time for generations to get emotionally involved.

Also consider the fact that many baseball fans in our area already had team loyalties before the Rays came to town -- such things aren’t relinquished lightly. And especially not for a team that provided very little to cheer about.

So pffffftt to all youse who are using that “real fan” stuff as part of your smack talk banter. Come here and let me show you the splinters I’ve got in my tuchus from being on the Rays bandwagon for a decade. Then we’ll talk. Over a beer, of course. I’m a lover, not a fighter.

As I get ready for this game, wearing my new Grant Balfour t-shirt (gotta love a bad ass, passionate and slightly nutty Aussie relief pitcher) and singing countless renditions of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with Will (in his Carlos Peña t-shirt), I’m going to remember the history of my team fondly -- for without it, this moment in time would not be nearly as sweet.

And as I sing along with the National Anthem in my living room tonight (Shut up. I am nothing if not a total participatory fan, even when watching at home) and hoist my beer at the first pitch by Scott Kazmir and nosh on my soft pretzel (frozen, but it's better than nothing) while watching those middle innings, I'll do it all with pride and not a little bit of awe at what I'm watching.

Emotional investment taken to its very apex.

The World Series. In my hometown. Unbelievable.

Play ball, y’all!

A Word from the Domestic Goddess

Just got back from a quick little road trip -- up and back to Atlanta to see in-laws and friends over a longish weekend. (More about that later... ai yi yi) And while I don't mind car trips, thanks mostly to my iPod touch and torrents of past seasons of America's Next Top Model ("I see six beautiful girls standing before me, but I only have five photos in my hand. And those photos represent the girls who are still in the running towards becoming America's Next Top Model...") I get very tired very quickly of eating all that crap that seems to predominate at roadside exits and near hotels.

Even though I was dead on my feet, it was time for a home cooked meal. And soup was just calling my name. So while I unpacked and caught up on my internet stuff (the in-laws somehow faffed up their wifi connection. Again, more later...) I made a pot of White Chicken Tortilla Soup. Mmmmm. Just the thing for weary travelers. It's good, especially now that the temperatures are slightly less than scalding here... enjoy, y'all.

White Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb.) chicken, cut up
2 ribs celery, cut into chunks
1 large onion, quartered
2 large carrots, quartered
cluster of parsley, torn
2 T. chicken soup base (I use Vigo brand)
2 large cloves garlic

1 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and quartered (to make all one size, basically)

Combine the first seven ingredients in a large stockpot and cover with water by about two inches. Bring to a rapid boil; lower heat to a simmer and cook for about one hour until chicken is tender and falling off the bone.

Strain and reserve the broth. Let chicken cool slightly, then debone and tear meat into small pieces. Set aside.

In four cups of the reserved chicken broth, boil the potatoes until tender. Remove from heat. Do not remove the broth. Mash the potatoes while still in the broth and then add the following:

1 large can creamed corn
1 can black beans, rinsed well
1 (10 oz.) can Ro-Tel tomatoes, crushed
1 1/2 C. cream/half & half
2 to 4 T. minced cilantro

Add enough of the reserved chicken broth to thin out the soup to the desired thickness. Simmer on low for about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning. Be careful of adding too much salt.

Moments before serving, stir in:

1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
(note: I use blocks of both cheddar and jack and shred using the food processor. I prefer the consistency of freshly grated cheese better in this, rather than pre-grated store bought)
Reserved cut-up chicken


Continue to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is heated through.

You can serve with corn tortilla strips that have been deep fried. Or just do what I do and crumble some tortilla chips on top -- soooo much easier. A bit of sour cream is also nice as well.

The sounds of Wordless Wednesday

I'm Batgirl

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks (and a Bud Light!)

Torn between two lovers, feelin' like a fool
Lovin' both of you is breakin' all the rules...

True confession time: I’m juggling two objetos de amor right now. At a time when I usually give my heart to one and only one...

Fall has always been the moment when football and I are together -- we are committed longtime companions. College and pro, we have kept steady company on weekends for as long as I can remember. I was cheering for the Florida Gators before I could walk. (Yes, I talked -- very well, I’m told -- before walking. Shocking, isn’t it.) I’ve wept and gnashed my teeth over the follies of the long-suffering Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three decades. And just this year, I even strengthened my commitment to the game by not only joining a Fantasy Football league, but serving as commissioner of one. My L’Oreal long-lash mascara’d eyes were only for the pigskin.

Until another suitor came along and totally by surprise, swept me off my feet. Giddily, I might add.

America’s Pastime, the venerable game of baseball, is now courting me as well. All thanks to the new darlings of the diamond, the fresh owners of my heart. The Tampa Bay Rays.

Baseball passion in October? From the OFC (Original Football Chick)? Inconceivable! (and yes, it means exactly what I think it means...)

I’ve always liked baseball -- grew up watching my brother play and my dad coach little league. Even thought at one point I might want to be an umpire -- until I realized how unflattering the ump’s work attire was. Ugh. Loved the Cincinnati Reds -- aka The Big Red Machine -- as a young girlie. Won my first sports bet with them, too, taking the hard -earned lunch money of the boys in my sixth grade class when my Reds beat their Red Sox in the 1975 World Series.

However, my interest in recent years has waned -- the game changed. The big players on the scene -- specifically the Yankees and the Red Sox -- did nothing for me. And my hometown team, the hapless Rays, pretty much stunk. I followed them out of community loyalty, through sub-par play on the field and bad administrative decisions and fan frustration but there was never really anything to get excited about. At all.

Until one day in March when I caught wind of the news that the Rays had brawled with the Yankees in a spring training game. Hmmm. Cut to a couple of months later and the Rays are atop the AL East. Said to be the toughest division in baseball. Hmmm hmmm hmmm. Home grown baseball worth watching. Yowza.

And watch I did. Didn’t surf by the games while wielding the remote -- actually stopped and checked things out. Started buying tickets to Sunday afternoon games, taking and introducing Will to the game which in turn created a new young fan. He loves it so much that we’re redoing his room in a baseball theme, as a matter of fact. He's very excited. Yay!

Game after game after game they won. Division champs. Playoffs. I got lucky and was selected to have the option to purchase tickets to the Championship Series. Picked up four seats for Friday’s opener -- the heartbreaking pitching duel/loss. What an experience -- especially since I got to sit next to my brother, who watched with the eyes of a former player and the heart of a kid for whom this was the moment of which he’d always dreamed.

I got my own chance to weigh in with the team a few days ago when, at a stop light, I saw Joe Maddon, manager (head coach, basically) of the Rays pumping gas at a station on the corner. The Rays had just won a playoff game against the Chicago White Sox. Rolling down my window, I yelled across two lanes of traffic "Hey! Joe Maddon! Great game!" and waved frantically. He looked up, smiled and gave a wave back. Poor dude was just going home after work and he has crazy dames like me bugging him -- but I simply couldn't resist.

And now here we are -- two wins away from the World Series. Unbelievable.

I’m still keeping company with football -- please. Saturday night, as the Rays battled the BoSox and the Gators schooled the LSU Tigers, our picture-in-picture was smoking from so much use. And with my honor on the line in Fantasy Football (that Adrian Peterson better get his act together quickly. Plus -- do NOT get me started on the disappointment Randy Moss has been -- yeah, I know his game is off thanks to the absence of Tom Brady. But still...), I’m keeping close tabs on the pro game as well.

But right now, it’s the Boys of Summer and their brave crusade into Autumn that bring the biggest smile to my face and the twinkle to my eye. My Rays play with confidence and fearlessness and a purity that showcases the essence of this game. Yeah. I’m more than a little head-over-heels for them.

Ain’t love grand?

Back in the Swing on a Meme Monday

So now that the drama at Casa de jane has subsided *knock on wood*, it's time to resume some normalcy -- whatever that may be -- and get back to business. The first order of which is something new for Meme Monday. Feel free to steal this -- it's a fun one.

1. Are your parents married or divorced?
Married -- 46 years this past June.

2. Are you a vegetarian?
Good grief no. I’m the OCG = Original Carnivore Girl. I love my meat.

3. Do you believe in Heaven?
Without question I do.

4. Have you ever come close to dying?
No.

5. What jewelry do you wear 24/7?
None, actually. Any jewelry I’m wearing usually comes off immediately once I’m home and settled.

6. Favorite time of day?
Late afternoon, when the shadows dance and the light is mellow.

7. Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
Sometimes -- I prefer the florets.

8. Do you wear makeup?
Yep. Not a full face all the time, but lip gloss and mascara are musts.

9. Ever have plastic surgery?
Nyet.

10. Do you color your hair?
Have we just met? I’ve been coloring my hair so long I cannot remember what my original natural color actually is.

11. What do you wear to bed?
Depends -- usually PJs, which might consist of lounge pants and a t-shirt.

12. Have you ever done anything illegal?
Next question, please. ;-)

13. Can you roll your tongue?
No. And it pisses me off that I cannot.

14. Do you tweeze your eyebrows?
Between waxings -- you betcha. I am one with my Tweezerman tweezers.

15. What kind of sneakers?
Nike for walking/gym; Converse Chucks for goofing around.

16. Do you believe in abortions?
I believe in the woman’s right to choose what’s best for her.

17. What is your hair color?
Dark brown with a delightful purple swath, with the occasional gray streak at the hair line.

18. Future child’s name?
All done with that. Although I love the names Lucy and Grace for girls...

19. Do you snore?
I am told that I do.

20. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
I want to go to South America so badly I can taste it. Or NYC.

21. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
Nope.

22. If you won the lottery, what would you do first?
Pay off the debts of my family and friends.

23. Gold or silver?
Silver.

24. Hamburger or hot dog?
Both. Cheeseburger, rare. Hot dog with sauerkraut.

25. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Please do not make me decide this one. Oy.

26. City, beach or country?
City. No question.

27. What was the last thing you touched?
This keyboard!

28. Where did you eat last?
Other than my own home, Pepin’s -- a terrific Spanish restaurant.

29. When’s the last time you cried?
Yesterday.

30. Do you read blogs?
Of course!

31. Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
This is a weird question -- but given that menswear is very hot in the fashion world right now, I would say yes.

32. Ever been involved with the police?
Yep. Nothing serious, though.

33. What’s your favorite shampoo conditioner and soap?
Alterna Caviar for shampoo and conditioner; Ivory soap.

34. Do you talk in your sleep?
Sometimes.

35. Ocean or pool?
Pool for swimming; ocean for relaxing. They are both wonderful.

36. Who would you take on a ménage à trois for a dirty weekend?
I’ll never tell --- guess!

37. Window seat or aisle?
Window seat. Still kind of a kid when I fly.

38. Ever met anyone famous?
No.

39. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life?
It’s still a work in progress.

40. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
Twirl.

41. Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey?
Tyra Banks (this is an old question -- Ricki Lake’s talk show’s not even on the air anymore)

42. Basketball or Football?
Must I decide -- don’t make me. Love them both.

43. How long do your showers last?
10-15 minutes.

44. Automatic or do you drive a stick?
Automatic.

45. Cake or ice cream?
Ice cream.

46. Are you self-conscious?
Incredibly.

47. Have you ever drank so much you threw up?
Please. I didn’t just go to college for the education, you know...

48. Have you ever given money to a beggar?
Yes.

49. Have you been in love?
Absolutely.

50. Where do you wish you were?
Lying on a beach somewhere.

51. Are you wearing socks?
Nope.

52. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Yes -- with Will.

53. Can you tango?
Sort of.

54. Last gift you received?
Scene It/Seinfeld -- a birthday prezzie from my college roomie Liz.

55. Last sport you played?
Catch with Will.

56. Things you spend a lot of money on?
Media = books, movies/TV, music.

57. Where do you live?
In a house.

58. Where were you born?
St. Anthony’s Hospital.

59. Last wedding attended?
The nuptials of a girl for whom I used to baby-sit.

60. Most hated food(s)?
Coconut, olives, gin.

61. Can you sing?
I have been told that I can. I think I can carry a tune pretty well -- I do it often enough.

62. Last place you went on holiday?
Captiva Island.

63. Favorite regular drink?
Iced tea.

64. Current fave song?
“Troublemaker” by Weezer! Want me to sing it for you?

EEGs and IVs and MDs -- oh my!

Dateline: Tuesday

It is Tuesday, isn't it? Time has rather blurred for me at the moment. Will is still in residence at the hospital -- though hopefully for not much longer. Craziness abounded over the past few days: continuous EEGs; weird never-before-seen seizure behavior (he's had seizures, just none that presented like these most recent ones have); IV lines gone bad; itchiness and headaches from all those EEG wires being attached to his head.

In other words, my brave little man has been through the wringer.

On the bright side, the EEG caught the technical, physical stuff surrounding the incidents, giving his neurologist lots of data.

And on the even brighter side, Will had a wonderful day yesterday, with NO incidents and the return of his sunny, happy, charming self. That bloop in the atmosphere you heard yesterday was me exhaling. With relief. We read books with great interaction and participation; we walked around the hospital floor, chatting with everyone (when you've been a patient for a week, people get to know you); we watched the Rays game and cheered, especially when Will's favorite player, Carlos Peña was in on the action.

It was, simply, divine. In every sense of the word. Amen.

And you'll be glad to know that I am still actively in the running for Mother of the Year -- Will's amazing teacher came to visit, and when he walked into the room, we were reading. Oh yeah. Timing is everything -- if he had arrived just a few minutes earlier, he would have seen me playing solitaire on the iTouch and Will playing with his toys, singing "Troublemaker" by Weezer.

Whew.

Hopefully we'll be one family unit together under the roof of Casa de Jane here soon, with The Mister not traveling this week for obvious reasons.

Here's to the roller coaster coming to a complete stop so we can get off and experience some less exciting rides for a while...

Hanging out at the hosptial hotel

So. Long time no see, y'all. It's been a crazy week 'round here. Something is up with Will medically and we've been ensconced in various rooms in the neurological wing of the local kiddo hospital since Wednesday. Not sure what the deal is, but he's just not himself. Lethargic, crabby and in some obvious distress. He's going to be there at least through the weekend for more extensive tests. Needless to say, I'll be there as well.

Any good thoughts or good mojo or prayers (love those!) would be appreciated if you've got a moment...

Remind me to tell you later about my encounter with Joe Maddon, manager of the AL East Champion Tampa Bay Rays. It's pretty funny...

Love to all y'all.