smile-worthy

Okay, so I have to go to the dentist again today. And this time it even involves shots and drills and all manner of nasty things. I've already been sick, despite the fact that I knew better than to put anything in my stomach besides coffee. Uhh yeah. Way too much information. Sorry. Panic overload.

But I am not going to allow this mental meltdown to lead me down any paths as stupid as I did last week. Instead I figured it was a good time to focus on "good stuff."

*The Ask and the Answer...only a bit over a hundred pages in. Know a lot of shit is coming. Want to know so badly what's to come, yet realize I'm not going to like it. The events, that is. Not the book. Nearly certain I will continue loving the book.

*On a related note, Rich started reading The Knife of Never Letting Go last night. Squeeee. :D :D :D Doesn't it just make you downright giddy when someone you love starts reading a book you love?!!!

*This vlog. Okay, I hate that I caused Ana so much stress...really I do. But I am so very, very happy that she made this vlog!!! I probably shouldn't admit how many times I've watched it already. Kind of like the way I look at my pictures of our visit with Chris all the time. And Renay. Ahhh, I just have the greatest friends. :D :D :D :D

*This outfit. Just makes me smile. (And makes me wish that I could dress like her.)

*This vlog. Oh my goodness, how I love this video review!!! Amanda and her boys are just too adorable for words. Seriously. :D

*Okay, here's a no-brainer--the read-a-thon is less than a week away! :D :D :D :D  So, so, so, so, sooooo excited.

*One more vlog. Eva simply could not be any cuter...I just love how she arranges her bookshelves! And what fun getting an in-depth look this way...feels almost voyeuristic. Anyway, it looks so pretty arranged by color. Wish I could do that, but I know I'd never be able to find anything.

*And speaking of bookshelves. Yes, I'm still in the process of rearranging our "library." Rich put a few more shelves in the former closet, so I'm going to be able to get all of Annie's books (not counting the massive number of books she still has housed in her bedroom, that is) into there. And this means, I will get one whole wall for my fiction! :D And Rich also built an additional bookcase for that wall this weekend...we're sneaking it in behind the door. Anyway, maybe when I finish rearranging, I'll post pics of the completed sections. Ahh, I just love playing with all the pretty books. :D

In fact, I think I will head off and do just that while I await my doom...

Pedro and Me...random thoughts (and then some rambling)

Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned by Judd Winick.

Pedro, being Pedro Zamora. Me, being Judd Winick. Both of whom appeared on MTV's The Real World: San Francisco. I have to admit, I've never watched a ton of MTV. (Factoid which proclaims my ancientness: MTV didn't even exist until I was a senior in high school.) And I never watched much more than a very occasional episode of The Real World. Until that year, 1994. I still by no means watched every episode, but something about that year drew me in far more than any other season. That something was Pedro. I honestly cannot imagine that anyone who watched didn't fall in love with Pedro. Pedro Zamora was special.

And this book is special. It's a story of friendship. Of courage. Of incredible giving. In graphic novel form, Judd Winick brings Pedro back to life and shares with readers the undeniable gift he was to this world. The book begins with chapters about Judd's and about Pedro's childhoods...two childhood's that could not have been much different. Judd was born and raised in a middle-class family on Long Island, New York. Pedro was born in Cuba. At the age of eight, his family boarded a boat and came to the U.S. Well, part of his family did...at the last minute, passage was denied to his five oldest siblings. And this was not the only tragedy of his young life. But you can read about it all yourself, and I strongly recommend you do read this book!

The rest of the book focuses on their lives once they arrive at the house in San Francisco, where they will spend six months getting to know one another, and growing to love one another in a powerful and beautiful friendship. I love so much that Judd didn't paint himself out to be some sort of "perfect" guy without fears and doubts. I appreciated his honesty about the fact that he was nervous and unsure when he found his roommate was HIV positive. In his own words:

Of course I'd be fine. I'm liberal boy and had decided that I was okay with this. Problem? Not me. I'm okay with this.

I'm informed. I subscribe to both Rolling Stone and Spin. I've seen An Early Frost and Philadelphia. The very special episodes of Thirtysomething.

I'm okay.

Well, I wasn't okay. In truth, I was terribly uninformed; but no AIDS hotline or doctor could begin to tell me what I was going to learn in the next six months.

Pedro learned he was HIV positive at age 17. He died at age 22. How many lives he saved in between those two events, I can't say. But I'm guessing it was many. Because after the initial shock and denial, Pedro spent his time educating people. And that is what led him to apply to be on The Real World in the first place...what a better way to reach millions of people all at once. And he did reach millions. He touched the lives of countless people. And of course he touched the life of Judd Winick and his other housemates in a very profound way. This is that story. It's no surprise that it's heartbreaking. But ultimately, it's a book brimming with love.

*****

I have a point of blame (a.k.a. thanks) to award for this one. Part of our health education this school year is going to focus on the human stories of HIV/AIDS, and I had this book on a list of possible reads. After reading Amanda's review, I knew this one would definitely be one of the books we would end up reading.

I do have other points to pass out as well. I really need to get on that. As well as trying to catch up on my blog reading. I'm sooooooo far behind. :( Since we're heading out on vacation in a week, I've been trying to get a bazillion things done. Especially for school...it seems like the new school year is barreling down upon me at tremendous speed.

But I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about our trip!!!! Not only are we going to get to see Jean again (giddyness abounds!) and finally meet her guys...not only are we going to get to spend a couple days with some wonderful friends that we haven't seen in a few years...but guess what...I get to actually meet, in person, two of the most amazing bloggers, two of the most amazing people period, I've ever had the privilege of calling "friend." We're heading to New Orleans...and I'm sure you all can guess who's going to be our own personal tour guide! Of course, we'll be hanging out with Chris!!! At least until he gets sick of us. ;) And as if that isn't already the treat of a lifetime, I then get to meet Renay!!! I'm so hoping some of her sheer awesomeness will rub off on me! You know, I'm somewhat surprised I'm managing to get anything done around here, because I am so overwhelmingly excited about this trip I can hardly think about anything else! Ana, you know what could make this trip even better...if you flew over here and went with us!!! We have room in the car...I'm so not kidding!!! And Eva, are you sure you and your mom can't make it?!! Of course, I really do understand, but man, did I have my hopes up!!!

Okay, before I hurt anyone with the overuse of exclamation points (though certainly you can see the necessity of such punctuation), I suppose I'd better sign off here. Hope you all are having a fantabulous weekend!

friends make all the difference

It's almost eerie. It's always wonderful. The way that friends give you that unexpected boost just when you need it most. I'm sure you know the feeling, even if I'm not putting it into words very well.

Latest case in point:

This arrived in the mail yesterday. From one of the sweetest people on the planet...Chris. He remembered that I really wanted to read this book, and so he just hauled off and got it for me. And what was even better was his note (on the cutest freakin' Where the Wild Things Are postcard, I might add). I just felt my spirits lift and my attitude brighten! Perfect timing, I tell you.

And you know what, if you've read Chris's post today, he sort of puts into words exactly what's had me down. As he said, "I need to slow down…life has felt like chaos lately. And it’s not really bad…I haven’t been feeling bad, just overwhelmed." I swear, I could have written those very words myself!!! That is exactly how I've felt my life has been the past several weeks. Everything is absolutely fine. I'm not unhappy. I feel blessed beyond measure. But I'm just so damn tired and overwhelmed by all there is to get done...and by all the things that aren't getting done because of more pressing issues. Do you know that feeling? The one where you know you have no right to complain...the one where you can't possibly conceive the reasons that you have been given so much in life when others who surely are more deserving have so much less...the one where you can honestly say "life is good!" and believe wholeheartedly that it's true...all combined with the uncontrollable urge to just cry because you feel like you're suffocating and you just want to escape from under the enormous pile of obligations that you're buried in? Yeah, that feeling.

And hence, the added specialness of a friend's thoughtfulness. Thank you, Chris! Your heart is made of gold, and your timing is exquisite!

(BTW, speaking of generosity and thoughtfulness, I can't wait to share what my wonderful cuz-in-law/friend, Jean, sent us from her adventures in Vietnam! I just need to get some photos first.)

long time, no see

We had such an incredibly fun weekend here! Our friends, Bill and Deborah, arrived late Friday afternoon. We hadn't seen them since we left Cleveland, TN almost four years ago. And they are just such wonderful, fun people...we've really missed them!

Friday evening, we ate a big supper and pretty much just sat around catching up. Saturday, we took them to Bill Gray's, Home of the World's Greatest Cheeseburger, for a taste of Rochester's finest. And then we headed up to Chimney Bluffs State Park on Lake Ontario. This was Deborah's first time to any of the Great Lakes.

Bill, Deborah, and Annie:


the bluffs:


Max with his prize find (a fish skull...just what Mommy wanted--more animal skulls in the house):


The long walk on the rocky beach pretty much tired us all out, so we just ordered in pizza for supper.

Sunday, we headed out to Niagara Falls. We've been here for nearly four years and this is the first time we've headed over there, despite the fact that it's only an hour away. I was there as a kid, but this was everyone else's first time. In fact, it was Deborah's first time out of the country. We all simply had the best time! We walked our poor legs to death, but it was definitely a good kind of exhaustion. And there's so much we didn't get to do and see that our family has decided that we're most definitely heading back again soon.

Bill and Deborah with their best game show hostess impressions:


My little gang waiting for the Maid of the Mist to "leave port":


Bill and Deborah traveling up the river:


Horseshoe Falls from the deck of the boat:


American Falls from the deck of the boat:


Bill and Rich after supper at the Hard Rock Cafe:


My beautiful family:


Two of my favorite guys when we stopped to watch a street juggler:


A rainbow at the falls:


Rich, Annie, Gray, and Bill on the Aerocar over the whirlpool (Deborah and I were too wimpy to go):


Early Monday afternoon, our wonderful friends took off heading out for new adventures. We're so grateful that they made us part of their vacation!