friday fiveZzzzzzz....
1. In what kind of environment do you sleep best? (e.g. amount of light and noise, temperature, number of pillows, breathe-right strip, sleeping in the buff, etc.)
Windows open, covered with sheet and quilt, but feet have to be out. Noise and light don't bother me unless I'm the only responsible adult in the house, and then I hear everything..
2. How much sleep do you need to feel consistently well-rested? Used to be seven hours, recently it seems like more. Ideally - seven hours at night and a mid afternoon nap.
How much can you get by on? Six or seven hours, but eventually have to catch up. I've done 3-4 per night for a couple of consecutive days, but then I have to crash.
What are the consequences when you don't get enough? Brain doesn't work as well. I get snippy with the family and look like hell.
3. Night owl or morning person? Definitely morning. My eyes close on their own after 10:30.
4. Favorite cure for insomnia - So far this has never been a big issue for me. Usually when I can't sleep it's because the brain is working overtime. Prayer helps for that.
5. To snooze or not to snooze? Why or why not? I do, but probably shouldn't. I always end up feeling more tired when I do get up than if I'd just gotten up the first time the alarm went off.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
In the Middle of the Night
Makes me think of the Billy Joel song:
“In the middle of the night,
I go walking in my sleep.”
Nope. Not walking in my sleep. Awakened from it. Steve’s silly alarm watch went off at midnight in his dresser. He took it downstairs to see if he could disable the alarm feature. When he came back he said that he couldn’t get it shut off so he put it in the refrigerator. “The refrigerator?” “Yes, the refrigerator, not the freezer.” (Like THAT made a difference?)
As we settled back in, the dogs began barking on the back porch. Are those voices in the yard? Steve went downstairs to settle the dogs and to check on things. He was gone too long. An unusual light passed over the window…more like a spotlight than a car headlight. Were those voices? A police radio? I looked out the window. There was a man standing by the dog pen in the back yard. I spoke through the open window,
“Who’s out there?”
“Police Department.”
Yeah, I thought it was a cop.
I got dressed and went downstairs. Steve was watching the man outside. He also spoke to him through the window. Apparently the police had chased a burglary suspect through the yard and they were trying to establish a perimeter. Steve went up and got dressed in case he would need to go outside. We paced around the house for a while, leaving the lights off. I finally went back to bed about 1. Steve came to bed about 1:30. He said the policeman was still in the yard when he came upstairs. They were gone by morning. I don’t know if they caught anybody or not. I called our neighbor across the street this morning to make sure she was aware. She is always good about keeping us informed about such things. Turns out our next-door neighbor’s garage was broken into a couple of weeks ago. Had a minibike stolen. He thought it was somebody he had let into the house. He’s a single guy who tends to be really paranoid about things. He’s been broken into several times that I’m aware of. We haven’t had any problems. Neither has the neighbor I talked to. Weirdness.
I was supposed to have a dentist appointment this morning, but when I got there, they told me that the dentist had just called and he was stuck in traffic and didn’t know when he would be in. I could wait or reschedule. I rescheduled and rode my scooter on into work. A beautiful day for scootering and NO DENTAL WORK TODAY!
Later...
“In the middle of the night,
I go walking in my sleep.”
Nope. Not walking in my sleep. Awakened from it. Steve’s silly alarm watch went off at midnight in his dresser. He took it downstairs to see if he could disable the alarm feature. When he came back he said that he couldn’t get it shut off so he put it in the refrigerator. “The refrigerator?” “Yes, the refrigerator, not the freezer.” (Like THAT made a difference?)
As we settled back in, the dogs began barking on the back porch. Are those voices in the yard? Steve went downstairs to settle the dogs and to check on things. He was gone too long. An unusual light passed over the window…more like a spotlight than a car headlight. Were those voices? A police radio? I looked out the window. There was a man standing by the dog pen in the back yard. I spoke through the open window,
“Who’s out there?”
“Police Department.”
Yeah, I thought it was a cop.
I got dressed and went downstairs. Steve was watching the man outside. He also spoke to him through the window. Apparently the police had chased a burglary suspect through the yard and they were trying to establish a perimeter. Steve went up and got dressed in case he would need to go outside. We paced around the house for a while, leaving the lights off. I finally went back to bed about 1. Steve came to bed about 1:30. He said the policeman was still in the yard when he came upstairs. They were gone by morning. I don’t know if they caught anybody or not. I called our neighbor across the street this morning to make sure she was aware. She is always good about keeping us informed about such things. Turns out our next-door neighbor’s garage was broken into a couple of weeks ago. Had a minibike stolen. He thought it was somebody he had let into the house. He’s a single guy who tends to be really paranoid about things. He’s been broken into several times that I’m aware of. We haven’t had any problems. Neither has the neighbor I talked to. Weirdness.
I was supposed to have a dentist appointment this morning, but when I got there, they told me that the dentist had just called and he was stuck in traffic and didn’t know when he would be in. I could wait or reschedule. I rescheduled and rode my scooter on into work. A beautiful day for scootering and NO DENTAL WORK TODAY!
Later...
Monday, June 12, 2006
Dream Logic in the Real World….
“Did you want a sheep?” asked the scruffy old man seated at the table on the sidewalk outside the café/deli.
“Excuse me?” (Maybe I misunderstood what he said.)
“Did you want a sheep?”
“Uh, no, sir, I don’t think I need a sheep.”
And I went into the deli... Who was this man? He appeared to be a fixture outside the store. Perhaps he was a farmer with sheep to sell. What an odd place to be looking for livestock buyers, here in this trendy neighborhood with its small cafes.
I purchased a sandwich and drink and went back out to await the rest of our group and to eat a little lunch before we took off on the scheduled scooter ride.
As I passed him again, he said, “Now you be sure to call me if you need any help!” I replied, “Yes, sir, I’ll be sure to do that.” I lied.
I returned to stand with the folks that had already arrived and ate half of my sandwich and drank my Coke. When I finished the Coke, I looked for a trash receptacle into which I could dispose of the empty bottle. I would have to walk by him again. Not too sure I wanted to do that! Suck it up, Kim. Just walk to the trash can and throw the bottle away.
As I passed, “I know you told the manager about me!” (Nope, not me.) As I returned, “That manager’s name is Shannon.” (Good to know).
Back with my own group, I pondered what to do with the remainder of my sandwich. It was a very good sandwich, prosciutto ham with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and fresh basil on good Italian bread, but with three to four hours of scootering ahead of me, the sandwich would be spoiled by the time I got home. I couldn’t throw it away – That would be such a waste. I resolved to offer the sandwich to the old man.
“Excuse me, sir, I have half a sandwich here that I just couldn’t finish. Would you be interested in it?"
“Is it Italian?” he asked accusingly.
(What was the correct answer? Is an Italian sandwich a good thing or a bad thing?) “Well, I just bought it in there, it’s the number three on their menu.”
“Then it’s Italian. Okay, I’ll take it.”
I handed him the sandwich and walked away. Later, I saw that he did eat it.
Recounting the story to some of my scootering friends later, they related some things he had said to them – things that almost reflected on their personalities in some obtuse way. Did his offer of a sheep indicate that he knew I knitted and that I had an Australian shepherd in need of a job? Steve suggested that perhaps he was some sort of oracle, like the blind man in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The whole thing was like experiencing dream logic while fully awake. You know dream logic…where things that make no sense whatsoever seem perfectly reasonable. You step out of a house, walk across the street and encounter another familiar place that in reality is miles and years away.
So what does this mean? Steve thinks there is a sermon in it. I haven’t found it yet. Ideas?
“Excuse me?” (Maybe I misunderstood what he said.)
“Did you want a sheep?”
“Uh, no, sir, I don’t think I need a sheep.”
And I went into the deli... Who was this man? He appeared to be a fixture outside the store. Perhaps he was a farmer with sheep to sell. What an odd place to be looking for livestock buyers, here in this trendy neighborhood with its small cafes.
I purchased a sandwich and drink and went back out to await the rest of our group and to eat a little lunch before we took off on the scheduled scooter ride.
As I passed him again, he said, “Now you be sure to call me if you need any help!” I replied, “Yes, sir, I’ll be sure to do that.” I lied.
I returned to stand with the folks that had already arrived and ate half of my sandwich and drank my Coke. When I finished the Coke, I looked for a trash receptacle into which I could dispose of the empty bottle. I would have to walk by him again. Not too sure I wanted to do that! Suck it up, Kim. Just walk to the trash can and throw the bottle away.
As I passed, “I know you told the manager about me!” (Nope, not me.) As I returned, “That manager’s name is Shannon.” (Good to know).
Back with my own group, I pondered what to do with the remainder of my sandwich. It was a very good sandwich, prosciutto ham with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and fresh basil on good Italian bread, but with three to four hours of scootering ahead of me, the sandwich would be spoiled by the time I got home. I couldn’t throw it away – That would be such a waste. I resolved to offer the sandwich to the old man.
“Excuse me, sir, I have half a sandwich here that I just couldn’t finish. Would you be interested in it?"
“Is it Italian?” he asked accusingly.
(What was the correct answer? Is an Italian sandwich a good thing or a bad thing?) “Well, I just bought it in there, it’s the number three on their menu.”
“Then it’s Italian. Okay, I’ll take it.”
I handed him the sandwich and walked away. Later, I saw that he did eat it.
Recounting the story to some of my scootering friends later, they related some things he had said to them – things that almost reflected on their personalities in some obtuse way. Did his offer of a sheep indicate that he knew I knitted and that I had an Australian shepherd in need of a job? Steve suggested that perhaps he was some sort of oracle, like the blind man in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The whole thing was like experiencing dream logic while fully awake. You know dream logic…where things that make no sense whatsoever seem perfectly reasonable. You step out of a house, walk across the street and encounter another familiar place that in reality is miles and years away.
So what does this mean? Steve thinks there is a sermon in it. I haven’t found it yet. Ideas?
Friday, June 09, 2006
Sumner Singers NYDC Tour
How I spent my Memorial Day Weekend...
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AasWTJm3YsmLko
My daughter's school choir went on tour to New York City and Washington, DC. Since I had never been to NY, I signed on several months ago to go along as a sponsor. We (35 kids and 8 adults) had a BLAST! I shared a room with three teenage girls (one was my own), but they were very pleasant young women. We left KC at 7:15 AM on Thursday, May 25, flying to LaGuardia. One kid missed the flight and had to catch up with us in NY. Scary, but it worked out. We had lunch Thursday at Grand Central Station, and spent a lot of time on a tour bus with a guide pointing things out to us. We stopped at Ground Zero, and spent a great deal of time at Trinity Church across the street while we waited for the lost boy to show up at the hotel across the street. We then went to Chinatown for shopping and dinner. The evening finished with a sunset visit to the Empire State Building. We checked into our hotel in New Jersey about 9:30 that night.
Friday morning, we performed at St. John the Divine Cathedral. A beautiful church, but there was a lot of construction going on as they are still cleaning up following a fire several years ago. The cathedral is 2/3 done. Construction noise and tour groups going through made it a very noisy place. The people that stopped to listen (and the sponsors who weren't singing) said we sounded wonderful, but we could not hear each other at all. I could hear the voices of my daughter on my right and a bass on my left, and that was all. After that we went to the Lincoln Center for a formal group photo while we were still dressed up, changed clothes there, and got back on the bus for more sight-seeing. We ended up in Times Square where we were turned loose in pairs to find lunch and run around. Eileen and I had a nice lunch and she bought some t-shirts. We went to the Hershey store and loaded up on chocolate. Back on the bus and on to the docks. The fleet was in that week, so we got to go on an aircraft carrier. Not really my thing, but it was okay. Dinner was pizza, then some running around in Central Park, then we went to see The Lion King on Broadway. The $60 seats were tiny. One kid from my church really didn't even fit in them, and I had to turn my boats for feet to the sides to fit. But the show was absolutely magnificent! Words cannot describe the incredible costuming and set design. It was absolutely thrilling. Back on the bus and return to hotel in Jersey.
Saturday morning we checked out and loaded the bus. Drove to Liberty park to board the ferry. Ferried by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We had to stay on the boat because of our tight time frame. Then back on the bus for the long ride to Washington DC. Barbecue dinner at 5 at a marina near the Pentagon, then on to a 7 PM performance at a retirement facility for retired military and their spouses. They were our best audience for the whole tour! Cookies and lemonade while we visited, then back to the new hotel where we had some late night pizza.
Sunday morning, we performed for two services at Christ Church Episcopal in Alexandria. A surprisingly small church, I thought. But they did have a gift shop, and I bought a pewter cross and an apron that said "Have you hugged an Episcopalian today?" which I gave to the seminary professor I work for since she is an Episcopalian priest who I thought would get a kick out of it. She was pleased. We were supposed to go to Smithsonian next, but because Rolling Thunder (100,000 Harley riding veterans) was in town, the guide feared the city would be too congested, and we went to a mall instead. I was very disappointed. I've now been to DC twice, and still haven't made it to the Smithsonian! Next was a LOT of walking in Arlington National Cemetery, where it was very hot! We participated in a wreath-laying at the tomb of the unknown at 3:15. I was somewhat disappointed in this, as well, because our wreath stayed there all of five minutes before the next ceremony. Seemed rather shallow. Dinner was at Buca di Beppo, and there was a birthday party group in the same dining room as we were. We did a lot of cheering each other on, and it got pretty silly. After dinner, many of the kids were whining so much about their feet hurting (poor shoe selections for Arlington) that we went back to the hotel, and those that wanted to see more got back on the bus and we went to the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, and Korean War Memorial. I had not seen the WWII or Korean Memorials before. They are relatively new. We did find the name of one of my Uncle's friends/cousins in the wall. I had forgotten about him (I never knew him), but Eileen remembered us finding my uncle weeping in a cemetery and telling us the story, and I was able to pull up his name from the recesses of my brain. This tour was the best of the whole trip because there were only 8 kids and four adult sponsors plus the tour guide. Made it much easier to keep track of everyone.
Monday, we checked out and flew home.
Whooooo! I'm still tired!
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AasWTJm3YsmLko
My daughter's school choir went on tour to New York City and Washington, DC. Since I had never been to NY, I signed on several months ago to go along as a sponsor. We (35 kids and 8 adults) had a BLAST! I shared a room with three teenage girls (one was my own), but they were very pleasant young women. We left KC at 7:15 AM on Thursday, May 25, flying to LaGuardia. One kid missed the flight and had to catch up with us in NY. Scary, but it worked out. We had lunch Thursday at Grand Central Station, and spent a lot of time on a tour bus with a guide pointing things out to us. We stopped at Ground Zero, and spent a great deal of time at Trinity Church across the street while we waited for the lost boy to show up at the hotel across the street. We then went to Chinatown for shopping and dinner. The evening finished with a sunset visit to the Empire State Building. We checked into our hotel in New Jersey about 9:30 that night.
Friday morning, we performed at St. John the Divine Cathedral. A beautiful church, but there was a lot of construction going on as they are still cleaning up following a fire several years ago. The cathedral is 2/3 done. Construction noise and tour groups going through made it a very noisy place. The people that stopped to listen (and the sponsors who weren't singing) said we sounded wonderful, but we could not hear each other at all. I could hear the voices of my daughter on my right and a bass on my left, and that was all. After that we went to the Lincoln Center for a formal group photo while we were still dressed up, changed clothes there, and got back on the bus for more sight-seeing. We ended up in Times Square where we were turned loose in pairs to find lunch and run around. Eileen and I had a nice lunch and she bought some t-shirts. We went to the Hershey store and loaded up on chocolate. Back on the bus and on to the docks. The fleet was in that week, so we got to go on an aircraft carrier. Not really my thing, but it was okay. Dinner was pizza, then some running around in Central Park, then we went to see The Lion King on Broadway. The $60 seats were tiny. One kid from my church really didn't even fit in them, and I had to turn my boats for feet to the sides to fit. But the show was absolutely magnificent! Words cannot describe the incredible costuming and set design. It was absolutely thrilling. Back on the bus and return to hotel in Jersey.
Saturday morning we checked out and loaded the bus. Drove to Liberty park to board the ferry. Ferried by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We had to stay on the boat because of our tight time frame. Then back on the bus for the long ride to Washington DC. Barbecue dinner at 5 at a marina near the Pentagon, then on to a 7 PM performance at a retirement facility for retired military and their spouses. They were our best audience for the whole tour! Cookies and lemonade while we visited, then back to the new hotel where we had some late night pizza.
Sunday morning, we performed for two services at Christ Church Episcopal in Alexandria. A surprisingly small church, I thought. But they did have a gift shop, and I bought a pewter cross and an apron that said "Have you hugged an Episcopalian today?" which I gave to the seminary professor I work for since she is an Episcopalian priest who I thought would get a kick out of it. She was pleased. We were supposed to go to Smithsonian next, but because Rolling Thunder (100,000 Harley riding veterans) was in town, the guide feared the city would be too congested, and we went to a mall instead. I was very disappointed. I've now been to DC twice, and still haven't made it to the Smithsonian! Next was a LOT of walking in Arlington National Cemetery, where it was very hot! We participated in a wreath-laying at the tomb of the unknown at 3:15. I was somewhat disappointed in this, as well, because our wreath stayed there all of five minutes before the next ceremony. Seemed rather shallow. Dinner was at Buca di Beppo, and there was a birthday party group in the same dining room as we were. We did a lot of cheering each other on, and it got pretty silly. After dinner, many of the kids were whining so much about their feet hurting (poor shoe selections for Arlington) that we went back to the hotel, and those that wanted to see more got back on the bus and we went to the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, and Korean War Memorial. I had not seen the WWII or Korean Memorials before. They are relatively new. We did find the name of one of my Uncle's friends/cousins in the wall. I had forgotten about him (I never knew him), but Eileen remembered us finding my uncle weeping in a cemetery and telling us the story, and I was able to pull up his name from the recesses of my brain. This tour was the best of the whole trip because there were only 8 kids and four adult sponsors plus the tour guide. Made it much easier to keep track of everyone.
Monday, we checked out and flew home.
Whooooo! I'm still tired!
RevGalPals Friday Five
1. Favorite way to spend a rainy day
Knitting on a new project and/or reading a good book.
2. Favorite song about rain
Laughter in the Rain (What can I say, I'm old.)
3. Favorite movie featuring rain
I can’t think of any except “Singing in the Rain” and I don’t know that I’ve ever watched that one all the way through. Wait! Does "The Wizard of Oz" count? Isn't there a rainstorm before the tornado?
4. Favorite piece of raingear, past or present
Felted wool hat
5. Favorite word for rain
Sprinkle, mist, toad strangler(!?!)
Knitting on a new project and/or reading a good book.
2. Favorite song about rain
Laughter in the Rain (What can I say, I'm old.)
3. Favorite movie featuring rain
I can’t think of any except “Singing in the Rain” and I don’t know that I’ve ever watched that one all the way through. Wait! Does "The Wizard of Oz" count? Isn't there a rainstorm before the tornado?
4. Favorite piece of raingear, past or present
Felted wool hat
5. Favorite word for rain
Sprinkle, mist, toad strangler(!?!)
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