So that thing beloved by college students and beach-side merchants alike is here, once again.

Will plays in the Miracle League -- a baseball organization specifically designed for kids with special needs. His field is a customized cushioned surface, on which wheelchairs roll easily, walkers move with speed and purpose and orthotic-clad legs glide spiritedly. Friends and family serve as buddies, helping players to shag those fly balls and to get that bat swing just so.

For two hours every week, Will has the opportunity to be just a kid. A regular, standard-issue kid. Doing what every other seven year old in the world is doing. 

It's the only time that I'm not watching him constantly or keeping him close by my side. He can wander around and hang out with friends all on his own -- everyone there knows the score and each and every helper and family member and friend watches out. It's safe. It's happy. It's love.

Courtesy of Thursday Thunks!

1. What is your favorite type of soda (if you drink soda)?
Coca-Cola. The original. Preferably a fountain variety. I have had cravings for a fountain Coke before – and I wasn’t even pregnant. I also have craved bakery cake with bakery icing (not that whipped stuff either – butter cream, baby.)

Yeah. I know.

And by the way, I never call it “soda” – every carbonated beverage in my world is referred to as a “coke” or “co-cola." Thanks, Nana.

2. Do you believe in astrology? If so, what does your sign say about you?
I find it more entertaining than insightful – so in the truest sense of the word "belief"… maybe.

And I’m a Libra. So there you are.

3. Who is John Galt?
We should ask Keyser Soze – they have a lot in common.

4. What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep at night?
Set the TV sleep timer… I have to fall asleep with the TV on. Background noise that gives me something to focus on so my always-thinking mind can slooooow doooooooown.

5. Who's your Daddy?
Literally or figuratively? Literally, it’s a smart, more-than-slightly curmudgeonly dude called Bill. Figuratively…

6. Jelly beans or Jelly Bellies?
Beans. Preferably the red and pink kinds. NEVER ever black ones, though. Yuck.

7. What do you think about yellow cars? Why car manufacturer actually made yellow cars?
TAXI!! waves hand

8. Holding on or letting go?
It depends on the situation.

9. What kind of underwear, if any, do you wear?
Wouldn’t you like to know…  actually, it varies, depending on what I’m doing, what I’m wearing, what mood I’m in. The styles range from cotton to lace to silk. But never a thong. Not my thing.

10. Who is your daddy and what does he do?
The adforementioned Bill (and yes, I still call him Daddy) and he’s a freelance management consultant. He spent a jillion years as the spokesperson for our local power company, which is why every single science project/paper I ever did was about some form of energy.

11. Spring - is it here yet??
Have you seen the oak pollen all over my car… heck yeah, it’s here.

12. Does Google Streetview scare you?
Nah.

13. What is your favorite brand of ice cream?
Ben & Jerry’s

14. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Anything caramel/toffee/praline. Gimme gimme gimme.

15. Do you ever get tired of your everyday routine?
Oh goodness yes… can I run away yet?

16. What inspires you?
Will. And the always surprising and never-ending capacity of people to amuse/bemuse/confuse.

17. It’s springtime-do you spend more time outdoors?
Absolutely. It’s perfect weather time here in the F-L-A.

They are the epitome of Better Living Through Chemistry and they give us balance, baby.

22. Do you twitter? Why or why not?
I kinda Twitter – more as a voyeur than anything. Ashton Kutcher and John Mayer (yeah, I know. But he’s a riot.) are my fave objects of Twitter stalking. For my social media fix, I’m all about the Plurk. (Hey, y’all! Holla!)

23. What did you dream last night?
None of your business... purrrrrrr. Mmmmmmmm. And I’m going to leave it at that.

24. What is the strangest thing you've eaten?
Strange-exotic: octopus
Strange-weird: Grape jelly on saltines. That sweet/salty thing gets me every time.

25. What was the last picture that you took?
This one of Will at baseball!

26. What is your favorite part of spring?
It features the perfect mix of weather for my part of the world – cool mornings and evenings, warm days with low humidity, birds singing, trees greening, flowers blooming. And tulips. My favorite flower of all.

27. What is one thing that you did this past week that no one knows about?
Gave money to homeless people standing on corners/stoplights. I pass so many on my daily routine travels -- it’s the least I can do.

28. What kind of bandages do you typically have in your household?
SpongeBob. Duh. And some specially designed for blisters.

I'm getting ready to put my feet where my mouth and money are.

No, not by wielding my sometimes inappropriate rapier wit.

By pounding the pavement for a cause that has exceedingly personal meaning to my little family.

I'm Walking for Babies with the March of Dimes. April 25th. Safety Harbor, FL.

Walking with Will -- a phenomenon a long-time coming.

Walking for Will and countless other kiddos who came into this world precariously early.

Walking in humble thanks.

Walking to make a difference.

And I'd love your support... however you can share it.

During the journey known as Will's Life, we have been so blessed to have received so much love and support during the most challenging of times and experiences. And goodness knows, we've had our share of them.

But this experience is a celebration of sorts -- a chance to give something back in honor of Will to an organization whose efforts and research undoubtedly helped him to survive. And now thrive. I've got a little "personal page" up on the March of Dimes site -- go check it out, if you've got a chance.


If you can throw a few $$$ our way, thank you in advance.

If you can actually walk with us -- even better. If you know me (and after reading me unvarnished on this blog, you certainly do), you know it will be a fun way to spend a morning (with special guest stars my parents!)

If you can just offer some words of support -- love it!


While this might be the first time I'm writing about this little adventure, it won't be the last. (Hey. My blog, my rules. So there.)

And in the words of those great philosophers Bartles and Jaymes: We thank you for your support.

Much love, y'all.

Because I love The Police and this song like no other.

Because Lucy Van Pelt is my alter ego.

Because it's Friday.

Because.

Enjoy.

The charge: think of 20 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world.

In no particular order...

1. Helen Reddy /“I Am Woman”

FIrst album I bought with my very own money.

2. Elton John/ “Rock of the Westies”


The first album I remember listening to from start to finish. Think it's rather underrated today.

3. Squeeze/ “Singles 45’s and Under”

Defined my senior year in college.

4. “A Chorus Line”/OCR

My first great theatre obsession. Wore the groove out on this one -- no lie. Can still sing every single word to every single song.

5. Genesis/“Abacab”

My first college roommate had this album and I think I listened to it more than she did. The disc that taught me how to really listen to music -- the nuances and elements and mood.

6. Wynton Marsalis/ “Hot House Flowers”
First instrumental jazz album I ever bought. My pals thought I was crazy. One listen and I became a jazz fanatic for life.

7. Green Day/“American Idiot”

Possibly my favorite album of this decade. Passionate and rhythmic. With a message.

8. Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits

A classic. Period.

9. Mary Chapin Carpenter/Come On Come On”

I listened to this cassette every single day for a year. Seriously. Wore it out. Bought another. Words cannot express what it means to me.

10. Smithereens /”11”

Would listen to this cassette while studying/reading in grad school (because, really, when one is a grad student in English, it's all about the reading.) Not sure why, but it worked for me.

11. The Replacements/ “Let It Be”

Reminds me of a college beau. He was a cad but had amazing taste in music.

12. The Police/ “Ghost in the Machine”

The Police. My fave band ever. Enough said.

13. Al Jarreau/”Breaking Away”

Listened to this the summer I graduated from high school. *smiles*

14. The Frey /”How to Save a Life”
Reminds me of summer and being on holiday and late nights with friends talking about life and love and the pursuit of happiness.

15. They Might Be Giants/”Flood”
Was working as a girl friday for a theatre when this came out -- 'twas a carefree and decadent and youthful era in my life.

16. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers/”Into the Great Wide Open”

I listened to this particular song ad nauseum during a pretty serious career/identity crisis. Still love it, even though it's evocative of a tough time.

17. Billy Joel/”The Nylon Curtain"

Love me some Billy Joel (but only up until this album, truth be told. This may be my favorite song of his -- at least top three.

18. Kenny Rogers/"Greatest Hits"

Now -- before you get all WTF? with this one, let me explain. My first serious boyfriend and I would make out in his Honda Civic listening to this album. His car, his music choices. It simply brings back some very lovely memories.

19. Liz Phair/ “Liz Phair”
Listened to this constantly when Will was very young -- I needed something strong and individualistic to listen to as I processed the unfathomable changes in my world. This fit the bill.

20. Carole King/”Tapestry”

My idol -- or one of them anyway. This is my go-to disc when I'm mellow and contemplative.

A healthy meme for this fine spring Monday...

You born early, late or right on time?
Right on time, from what I’ve been told. However, my mother went into labor the evening of September 26th… but the insurance my dad bought didn’t take effect until September 27th. And he refused to take her to the hospital until then. So they drove around. And around. And around. Until 12:01 am, September 27th. I was born seven hours later.

Chicken pox?
Nope. **knock on wood** **spit in palm** ** cross fingers**

Allergic to bees?
Not that I know of. Although I am deathly afraid of this very thing, thanks to this book. Scared me to death when I was a kid.

How about strawberries?
Nope – thank goodness. LOVE strawberries, and living so close to a place that has a yearly Strawberry Festival, I usually get the best of the best.

Hereditary illness?
**achoo** **sniff** Sinus troubles. **achoo** Thanks, Daddy. Thanks a lot.

Have you ever been in a car accident?
Yes. Ugh. Moving on…

How much do you smoke?
Don’t. Used to “social smoke” while out drinking, but haven’t done that in years and years.

How much do you drink?
Not a lot. Don’t during the week, and only do so on weekends if going out or having a nice meal. Unless we have pizza and then I have to have a beer. Just because.

Is your cholesterol normal?
Yep. (This kind of makes up for the sinus thing, Dad.)

Have you ever run a marathon?
Not yet…

How many x-ray's have you had (not including dentist)?
None, believe it or not.

Have you ever had surgery?
Wisdom teeth and fibroid tumor removal.

Do you watch what you eat?
These days, you betcha. I am finally (knock on wood) on a sensible healthy eating path. And you know what – it feels and tastes pretty damn good. Not even craving Chick-fil-A anymore. Will wonders never cease…

When was the last time you worked out? 
Saturday – played outside with Will as well as doing the baseball thing – running the bases and shagging fly balls.

What is your ideal weight?
150 pounds.

Current?
None of your damn business.

How old was the oldest living relative in your immediate family?
96

Veggies or Fruit?
Fruit

Low-carb or High-carb?
Gotta strike a balance. Need carbs for energy -- but everything in moderation and healthy-sized.

How do you want to die?
In my sleep.

Heads up: Lazy Ass Post ahead.

I've been wrestling with a sinus headache for a few days now. Couple that with baseballs games and Playhouse Disney Live and trips to the park and watching Apocalypse Now Redux all afternoon and you've got a girl who has just looked at the clock and cannot believe the weekend's gone.

So in order to get myself back in the writing swing of things, here's a quickie Sunday Seven post, for grins and giggles. And for the principle of the bloody thing.


Name the last seven entrees (or main dishes) you had for dinner or lunch. (I'm going with dinner, as it's much more interesting than lunch. At least in my world.)

1. Sausage, onion and extra cheese pizza. (Hush. Don't judge me. It was a long day yesterday...)

2. Bowl of Kashi with dried cherries (I love breakfast food and could eat it -- even cereal -- every meal of the day)

3. Half a Subway Club, no cheese, lettuce/tomato/onion, red wine vinegar; Sun Chips. (This was leftover from lunch. Can't beat that $5 footlong deal they've got going on at Subway.)

4. This chicken breast thing I made at Let's Eat (one of those make dinner/take home and cook places) - it was stuffed with feta and roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts. Yummy. Oh -- and I had some carrots along side.

5. See #4

6. See #2

7. Scallops and cheese grits, with green beans and collards on the side. Mmmmm.

Hello, lover...

My laptop is back where it belongs -- underneath my tap-tap-tapping fingers. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition... all is almost alright in my techno world.

And while I do not mean to demean or derogate my lovely iTouch, its limited internet abilities grew old and frustrating many, many, many days ago.

The whole data retrieval issue with my old desktop is still to be resolved. While I could not care less about getting all my old Safari bookmarks, I am despondent over the fact that there are a boatload of family photos still trapped there, along with literally thousands of music files. I'm going to explore the whole data retrieval thing next week -- I know it's going to be a bit pricy, but the things on that drive are priceless.

Need to get back to the writing thing as well -- it figures that while I had no virtual white paper at my disposal, I came up with lots of ideas and topics, most of which escape me at the moment. I'm so spoiled that I can't do the pen/paper thing with any success any more. Diva as Writer... there's an image for you.

Now I'm off to catch up on everything I've missed over the past week -- including Twitter and playing copious amounts of Mafia Wars on Facebook. And I swear that I was tagged in 72 notes on FB as well in the previous seven days -- my friends really want to hear what my favorite 15 albums are of all time, apparently.

Hello, laptop... well hello, laptop -- it's so nice to have you back where you belong.

Been without ye olde laptop since Friday -- it's fine, but as with Most Things Janey, there's a long story involved. (I'm typing this on my iTouch, which is good in a pinch, but not ideal for the writing thing...)

Hopefully tomorrow all shall be normalized and I can carry on with my regularly scheduled programming. Or something...

xoxoxo

1. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?

If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say?

Nothing. Because I would have passed out.

Do you trust all of your friends?

My closest ones – yep.

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

Yes, yes I do.

Can you make a dollar in change right now?

You betcha.

Which one of your friends do you think would make the best doctor?

Depends on what sort of doctor you’re talking about…

What naughty word do you use too often?

Please. Shit.

Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times?

Aside from Boutros Boutros Ghali – maybe.

What's your most favorite scar?

The one on my right pinky toe, sustained in a terrible X-Acto knife incident during a 48-hour work session my senior year in college.

When was the last time you flew in a plane?
Between Christmas and New Years, to Manhattan.

What features do you find most attractive in the preferred sex?

Have we just met? The brain, baby – intelligence, wit, charm. All brain stuff.

Plus a hairy chest never hurts, either.

Fill in the blank. I love __________.

laughter

What is a goal you would like to accomplish in the near future?

To get in really great physical condition and to finish my novel.

If you were to wake up from being in a coma for an extended time who would you call?

Pizza delivery dudes. Sausage, onion and extra cheese.

Where was your favourite picture taken?

In my childhood backyard, late 1960s

Honestly, what's on your mind right now?
Laundry, Will’s schedule this afternoon, that last episode of Brothers & Sisters.

If you could go back in time and change something, what would it be?
The circumstances surrounding Will’s birth.

What are you wearing right now?
Jeans, black peasant top, black clogs. Well, the clogs are on the floor and I'm barefoot. But for public parading, they're part of the ensemble.

Ever had a bar fight?

Nyet.

Who knows you the best?

Hmmmm...

What have you bought, so far this week?

Groceries. That’s it. But it’s only Monday. Morning.

Did you get in a fight with someone today?
No. Hooray!

When was the last time you had a massage?
It’s been years… sadly.

Last person to see you cry?
Will

What was the last TV show you watched?

Brothers & Sisters

Who was the last person you hung out with?

Dean and Susan -- yay yay yay yay yay!

Have you ever taken a peek at someone else's diary?

No, believe it or not. I’m nosy, but not that nosy.