Details, details, DETAILS

I'm awash in tiny details - has this cup arrived, what point should the Powerpoint be, does that projector work or not? Ready or not, I'm leaving for a conference in Orlando Saturday and the day after I get back our Wood Badge staff gathers to get ready for Weekend 1 of SR-764. This week is a whirlwind!

What I'm reading: London Bridges by John Patterson, AND MY TO DO LISTS!

What was for lunch: South Beach Chicken Caesar Wrap

What's for supper: Salmon fillets, if I remember to get Evan to take them out of the freezer

Currently listening to: "Could I Be You," on Matchbox 20's More Than You Think You Are

Last tv watched: American Idol. Go Taylor!!

Biggest worry today: plated belt buckles

Celebration quotes

Spent a bit of time researching Celebration quotes for the Day 5 Thought of the Day. Here are the ones I'm considering:

Barbara Hoffman: Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!

Daniel Day Lewis: The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. (like this one but the "illusion" phrase may kill it)

Oprah Winfrey: The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Og Mandino: Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial or unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by a simple change in your routine. No more busy work. Nor more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!

Welcome, Spring!

First day of spring - in theory. It's rainy and cold and gloomy out my office window this Monday. At least at home I can see the flowers blooming -- my gorgeous Yoshino cherries, crabapple, daffodils, forsythia and hyacinths are about to be joined by the glorious procession of azaleas.

Of course that means it's time for my camellias to bloom, too. I love the things, but mine only bloom concurrently with the azaleas! Who needs them then? I need some earlier varieties...

Snapshot:

What I'm reading: Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. Almost done, enjoying it.

What was for lunch: Leftover Mongolian beef from Friday's Chinese takeout lunch with Mary Beth.

Currently listening to: "When You Say You Love Me," on Clay Aiken's Measure of a Man.

Last tv watched: Friday night, TLC's What Not to Wear followed by What Not to Underwear. (yes, really)

Friday night

A quiet night at home. Well, quiet except for the occasional yell at the teams playing basketball. Poor UAB lost their way to the basket during the latter parts of the second half, giving the game away to Kentucky. I still ponder the view I've had for years -- WHY don't basketball players learn to shoot free throws? Yes, it's not at "sexy" as the pick-up game, but long hours perfecting the free throw is a virtual point guarantee.

Tomorrow Evan is heading to Florida for Spring Break. The troop is going to Ocala to canoe, then on to Kennedy Space Center to visit the facilities there. I'm definitely jealous of the activities but do not envy anyone the bus ride. They gather at the church at 5:30am, so I'd better get on to sleep...

Five child-free days. Ahhh. Well, not really. I love being Evan's mom, and enjoy his company when he will share it!

Snapshot time:

What I'm reading: Just finished The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg. Excellent. Up next... well, haven't decided. Perhaps Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.

What was for supper: Ugh. Chicken pot pies. Definitely not good for me, and I feel lumpen.
What was for lunch: Leftover Tex-Mex stew. Quite yummy.

Last tv watched: UAB vs KY NCAA Round 1, followed by local CBS news.
Currently listening to: "Friday," on Daniel Bedenfield's Gotta Get Thru This

American Idol

Bye, Michelle!

Should... and AI

Read an interesting comment in Jennifer Louden's ComfortQueen newsletter this morning. The premise was that moving a possibility into the "should" plane took the joy out of an anticipated action. To quote her 3/15/06 newsletter: "The theme is that our desires and needs become contaminated when they are leashed to a 'should,' as in, 'I should write, I should go for a walk, I should eat a salad'- suddenly these possible delights are squeezed into two dimensions." Her blog entry is here.

What a super insight! That "to-do" list robs the joy from things we love. So the conundrum... how to do what needs doing and keep the fun? How to be spontaneous when you DO have to routinize your efforts? More personally, how will I remember all the ticky little details if they aren't on the list?!?

So many of my "shoulds" and "musts" spring from choices I made to further pursue things I love. My continuing to staff Wood Badge, for example, comes from my love of training, my love of Scouting, and the wonderful friendships and camaraderie... but there's no way around it being a huge pile of shoulds, musts, and TO DO RIGHT NOWs!

On another note altogether... if I'd had more energy last night, I would have punched out the television and tossed the digital reoorder. My own fault, of course. I had the DISH digital recorder set for taping American Idol every Tuesday night. Unfortunately, when it moved to a 2-hour show last night, it kept TAPING a 1-1/2 hour show! The recording ended with Ryan saying "after the break, Taylor, Paris and Chris!" AND THEN NOTHING!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHH! The paper this morning said all three were great -- but it's hard to get an objective review of Taylor around here, naturally. When is AI going to give up the rest of it and just come to Birmingham to fill out their rosters? Ruben, Bo, now Taylor...

Teresa's Corner

Teresa's Corner
A new blog. The same thrill as the first blank page of a journal. Here's a freeze-frame of me right now:

What I'm reading: Unmasked, by Virginia Henley and Living out Loud by Keri Smith
Last Read: Bait, by Susan Robards
Next Up: Lifebank, by Howard Olgin, M.D.
Explanation: I'm active on Bookcrossing and Paperbackswap, and what I'm reading often is a response to something I'm doing on one site or another. Right now I'm participating in a Release Challenge on Bookcrossing (2006 Never Judge a Book By Its Cover release challenge) and I need to release 2 books this week with a picture of a mask on the cover. If you get curious and join either site, please use my name as a reference: WarEagle78.

What was for lunch: Blue Moon Cheese sandwich on 3-seed bread, from Jonathan Benton Booksellers. Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke.
What was for supper: Hamburger with sauteed mushrooms, onions and bell pepper on whole wheat English muffin; slaw; water

Best news of the day: Evan was pumped up after his interview for the Engineering Academy. The interview was not scheduled in advance, but he felt like he did great. He explained the situation behind his math grades, apparently was articulate about his interests, and all-around was enthusiastic about how he did. He'll learn at the end of spring break whether he is accepted. Either way, I'm fine. If he doesn't get in, he gave it a shot, and he'll have more time for science and art.

Worst News of the Day: Too much to list! Prayers going up hard for Brett's son, Angela's son, Martha in the Pres' office, and the son of Evan's past bus driver (and graduate of T21) who was diagnosed with Hodgkins.

What's Taking My Time (besides work): Wood Badge! SR-764, for which I'm ASM-SPA. A job that can consume every waking hour.
What's Taking My Time (at work): Today, working on retention files so I can send off a cohort crossmatch file for the IPEDS grad rate cohort.

Okay, that's it for tonight. It's raining, and I'm going to bed.