It's Always Something!

It seems like recently I have been either saying or hearing this phrase "It's always something!"   I was talking to a work colleague late last week and we were comparing notes on the reorganization at the college where we both work.  Although many of the changes will end up eventually being positive we were both unsure about what the changes would bring to our lives and jobs.  Between the two of us it seems like that was the theme of the day, "It's always something!" 

As I was telling my husband about this over the weekend he also agreed.  No matter what is going on it seems like "It's always something!"  Recently I had a check up with my doctor and even though everything was fine he reminded me I was overdue for two regular wellness check ups.  So I left his office with referrals for two different doctors I need to see over the next six months. 

It can also be something positive that brings up the phrase, "It's always something!"  A few years ago we had a hockey player living with us who has a lobster business with his father.  He and his father have a commercial lobster license and they tend about 100 lobster traps off the shore of Massachusetts.  During his school breaks he works the traps, either selling or giving away the lobsters he catches.  One spring his father sent us 8 live lobsters he had caught the previous day.  He wrapped them in seaweed and sent them over night to our front door.  Although we were thrilled to receive the very generous gift we also were extremely busy that day. Luckily I had a chef friend who offered to cook them for me so that evening we enjoyed fresh lobster for dinner! 

So "It's always something!" can be something negative, like a work reorganization the results in stress and uncertainty about the future.  It can also be something unexpected in the midst of good news, my doctor check up was fine but I needed to take care of some regular maintenance on my body.  Or it can be something positive, a box of fresh, live lobsters on your front porch and a friend who helps to cook them for your evening feast. 

As someone who tries to look at life as a "glass half full" experience I hope to continue to say, "It's always something!" knowing that something can be a transition to a positive experience or outcome. 

What do you think?  How do you handle "It's always something!" 

Tony Awards, The Good Wife, Acting and Education

I have been a little absent recently from this blog.  My only defense is that my work has been unusually busy and I'm also working on writing my dissertation.  So between advising students, helping then get into classes for summer semester and getting data results from my research I just have not had the "umph" to think about topics for this blog.  I will do a better job from here on out. 

On Sunday night I watched some of the broadcast of the Tony Awards.  I always like to do that because I really admire those actors who work in the musicals.  I love watching extremely talented people who can sing and dance - AT THE SAME TIME!  They can also act. 

One of my favorite television shows is The Good Wife (on CBS).  It's a great combination of powerful story lines, great characters and an strong female lead.  One character on the show is Eli Gold (played by British stage and screen actor Alan Cumming).  On The Good Wife he plays a buttoned-up political strategist and chief of staff to the governor of Illinois.  It's a great role and he plays it well.  When watching the Tony Award Ceremony on Sunday night Alan Cumming showed a very different side of himself.  He is currently reprising his role as the emcee of the Kit Kat Club in Cabaret (the role made famous by Joel Grey).  His performance is dead on outrageous and he seems to enjoy playing the part.  Needless to say I will never look at Eli Gold the same way again! 

That got me thinking about acting.  I am an introvert according the the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.  So for me the thought of putting myself "out there" in a role that is totally outrageous is about the same as me doing brain surgery.  Probably won't happen.  Yet in thinking about  it further I realized that in my own way I do put myself "out there." 

During the school year I teach an Introduction to Psychology class at a community college.  I realized that for three hours every week during the school year I am performing.  I tell stories, I do impressions, I cue up videos that make my lecture points and I put on a performance all in the name of education. 

I want my students to first of know that learning can be fun - and what is more fun than using a clip from Big Bang Theory to illustrate a point about learning and classical conditioning.  The second thing I want my students to know is that learning is all around us and can often be found in popular culture. 

So in my own way I am an actor, treading the boards not in pursuit of the "theater" but conducting a class where psychology, acting, popular culture and learning come together in something that is lots of fun! 

Happy Mother's Day!

Yes, I know I am a few days late.  Last weekend I traveled to Nashville TN with my sister in law to visit my grandson (Ronan the Magnificent).  His great aunt had not met him yet so we decided to plan a road trip.  The trip included time with Ronan (and his parents) as well as a little shopping.

The trip was a huge success.  We visited the Jim Beam Distillery in Kentucky and took the tour.  This was after we went to the wrong location because of my sister in law's GPS.  We found out they don't give tours at the real Distillery, just the one set up for tours.  After that little side trip the tour was great.  We bought some bourbon and headed further south to Nashville.

We spent time with my grandson's mom while my son was away on tour for a few days.  Then we traveled 2 hours south to South Pittsburgh, TN to the Lodge Cast Iron Cookware outlet.  Now if you know my sister in law and me you would know that only we are crazy enough to drive two hours to check out cast iron cookware.  The drive down I-24 in Tennessee was beautiful.  The day was perfect and we had a great time (bought lots of cookware also).

Finally on Mother's Day my son made it home from his tour and we were able to all get together to celebrate the day.  Ronan's great grandmother stopped by also so it was a fun gathering of several generations.  We got to see him say many of his new words.  He has mastered "touchdown!" with the appropriate hand gestures.

All in all it was a wonderful trip.  I returned home with great memories, as well as photos and videos on my cell and camera.  I'm looking forward to the next visit where Ronan will have mastered more words and skills.

I hope your Mother's Day was a chance to connect with those you love and a chance to see your children.

Our pack has increased by one!

Late last year I wrote about the loss of our dog, Buddy.  He had a long life and enjoyed every minute of it.  When it was time to say goodbye we were devastated but knew that it was time for Buddy to move on from this existence.  After a while we decided we wanted to start looking for a new pet.  It had to be a very special dog because our remaining dog, Allie, is very special.  We needed a dog that would let Allie continue to be the diva she is while still providing companionship for her, especially when we are not home.

We worked with the Humane Society of Hamilton County (HSHC) to find that right new addition to our pack.  We were committed to adopting a shelter dog.  The staff at HSHC were wonderful.  They encouraged us to attend events and also were very patient as we went through the process.  The first visit to the shelter was very emotional for my husband, Bob.  He had to leave because seeing all the dogs there who were eager for loving homes was just too much for him emotionally. 

As time went on and we were still looking for that right match we visited one more time with Allie.  The dog we were looking at was not working out with Allie.  She was very stressed and the male dog kept trying to mount her.  As a last resort the executive director brought out a dog that had just been surrendered.  She is a full blooded beagle and her name is Sage.  She interacted well with Allie and the executive director suggested that we foster Sage for a while.  We were told that she was surrendered because her owner was ill and could not care for her any longer.

As we were driving away I told Bob that we should take them up on the foster placement.  So the next day I returned to HSHC and signed a foster agreement for Sage.  We took her home and were eager to see how she joined our pack.

Sage and Allie had a few little disagreements but overall they did so well together.  Allie was fine with the new dog and seemed to enjoy having another dog there.  Sage is what we needed as a family.  She is loving and a snuggler.  She loves to have her ears scratched and enjoys just sitting on the couch with us.  It was such a great transition that we finalized the adoption last week.  Sage is now a member of our family and part of our pack.

Here are Sage and Allie together on the couch.  They enjoy being close and both of them are a major part of our lives.

So our search has ended.  Sage is part of our pack and will be with us the rest of her life.  I cannot thank the people at HCHS (www.hamiltonhumane.com) for their help, guidance, patience and expertise in matching us with Sage.  When I envisioned our next dog it was not an eight-year-old,  slightly overweight beagle with a huge bark.  Yet she fits perfectly.

If you are looking for a pet "Adopt a Shelter Pet!" 

"If you remember this you can sit with me"

Yesterday I was sitting in church with my husband.  Because it was Easter and the church was doing baptisms several of our friends had to move to different seats.  So it ended up that a group of us "baby boomer" sat together during the service.  We started talking before church and I told the following story:

As a college professor I sometimes talk with my students about "back in the day."  I was telling them about when I was in college in the early 70's we did not have online registration for classes.  In fact there was no "online" anything.  If we wanted to sign up for classes we had to go to this large room where the departmental secretaries were set up at tables.  You lined up in front of the class/department you wanted to take.  Once you got to the head of the line you would ask about the class you wanted, such as Psychology 101 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 2:00.  The secretary would look through her stack of cards and if there was a card remaining for that class you were given the card.  Then you would go to the "computer station" and the card, which was key punched, would be run through the computer key punch reader and you would be included in the class.  If there were no cards left for the class you wanted you would know it was full and you had to pick another class. 

My students thought that sounded so archaic (as in "OMG, you are such a dinosaur!").  As I was telling my friends they all were nodding their heads and saying they had been through similar experiences when they attended college also. 

So we decided that if you could remember before the internet was available and "online" was a reality you could sit with our group.  Although I love my technology (I'm now even on Twitter and don't go anywhere without my Kindle Fire) there is something comforting to be able to talk about an experience with someone near your age and not be looked at like you are talking Klingon. 

As with the generations ahead of us someday all those memories of taking cards to sign up for college classes will be gone with us.  It's a little daunting to think that I hold the memories for something as mundane as how you signed up for college classes before there was on "online." 

For my husband and me, that is how me met.  We were both standing in line to sign up for classes and chatting in line led to having a drink at the Rez (Miami University) and eventual dating, engagement and marriage. 

Recipes, recipes everywhere

Along with my other fetishes (pens, tote bags, books and purses) I am a collector of recipes.  I cut them out of the newspaper and magazines.  I find them on the internet (Food Network and All Recipes are my favorites).  I also follow several blogs where the authors post recipes, how-to's and photos.  So in my quest for the best chicken or pasta recipe I end up printing out piles of recipes. 

To get organized I will start a folder and once the recipes are printed I carefully place them in the labeled folder (Recipes).  Then when I am looking for something ("Now where is that great recipe I saw for crock pot pork sliders?") I will flip through almost everything looking for the one I am seeking. 

I find that those recipes I use more often float to the top of my neat stacks in folders, like the slow cooker chicken teriyaki and the chicken fried rice that I make about every other week.  While other recipes I have not tried tend to settle to the bottom of the stacks.  Every once in a while I will go through everything and find a hidden gem ("Wow, I forgot about the Lemon Pasta with Chicken and Asparagus recipe I printed out!  Have to try that one soon.")  But for the most part those recipes I cut out/printed and don't use get to languish at the bottom of the pile and never get prepared. 

I know you are saying, "Hey Carolyn, there are better ways to organize your recipes!"  I'm sure there are better ways but for me, right now, I will print them out and file them away. 

A few years ago my one sister and I decided to make a family cookbook.  We gathered recipes from everyone and using online cookbook publishing software did put together a great cookbook with family photos and written notes about when recipes were used.  It was a huge success.  Maybe that needs an update.  I could put some of my favorites in there! 

Also, I could just go through these piles of recipes and get rid of the ones I know I won't use.  Hmm.  That is a thought.  Then I would have room for more as I continue the search for the perfect chicken recipe. 

March, What a Month!

I had an eventful March, 2014.  It came in with snow and storms (remember as a kid we talked about March coming in like a lion).  During the month I worked through issues with the Institutional Review Board at Ball State University to begin my dissertation research.  (Thanks IRB for the final approval!).  I spent time gathering data for my research and have the final work in early April.  So if all goes well I will be done and graduating with my Ed.D in July this year. 

Also, during March I was on my way to an early morning meeting for a board on which I volunteer and sitting in traffic at a red light when, BOOM! some idiot who was not paying attention ran into the car behind me and caused a four car pile up.   It's interesting that when he got out the the car he said, "I don't know what happened, I looked up and everyone was stopped."  Yep you moron, we were all stopped at the red light that obviously you did not see!  Maybe if you concentrate on driving and not on whatever you were doing (probably texting) then this type of thing could be avoided.  Because of his inattention three cars were totaled, including mine. 

The crazy thing is that I was not supposed to be at that intersection at that time except I was on my way to that breakfast meeting for a volunteer board position.  I have been struggling with anger ever since that morning. 

I know I am grateful that I was not hurt worse than I was.  My car will be paid off and a replacement is available.  I am thankful the car the guy was driving had insurance even though he did not.  I keep thinking of the phone call that driver made to the owner of the car.  "Hey, I have some bad news.  I totaled your car and two others.  Sorry, man!" 

So life moves on and April is upon us.  Hopefully it will be a better month and we can look forward to the end of this long, difficult winter.  My friends and I have made a pact.  No matter how hot it gets this summer no one is going to complain about the weather!