ChattaBaby

a poem

let's dance around the chestnut tree
fall is here for you and me.

yipee!

Meg the Magnificent

For those of you who have not heard, the world suffered a great loss this past Thursday, September 22 when a bicycle accident took the life of Meg Sanders. She was an exemplary humanitarian and a very gifted artist.

Our paths crossed only briefly but she had a profound effect on my life. Meg was one of my first students in my short teaching career and to be honest, I have never been more intimidated by anyone in my life. She was a scholar, more well-read than most undergrad students. Her stoic silence irritated me because I was hungry for her wisdom.

I must admit that while in attendence of her memorial celebration yesterday evening I was so envious of the people she was close to. One such person said something profound... to the effect of "When I would watch the news and see all of the terrible things that humanity is capable of I would calm myself with the thought that as long as Meg Sanders is out there everything will be alright. I'm forced to acknowledge the fact that the world is indeed a darker place in her passing."

Think Pink

Chattanooga hosted the Susan G Komen Foundation Race for the Cure yesterday and the turnout was overwhelming to say the least. This was my first time participating in a competitive race and I just can't help but think how perfect it was that it was this one.

As I mentioned in my (rather inactive) running blog, breast cancer recently has manifested itself in people that are relatively close to me. This connection purportedly fueled my preparation for this race. It's wierd because I was not prepared at all. It wasn't just the quantity of people but the attitude of all the participants. Evidences of how touched everyone is by this disease. Many runners wore "In Celebration of" and "In Memory of" tags and it was rare if there was just one name on each tag. There were upwards of 3 or 4 names on each.

There was cheering. Cheering for the gifted runners that thought enough of the cause to raise the level of competition. There was cheering for the not-so-gifted runners (my peeps) that dug deeper than they ever had because they knew had no excuse not to. There was cheering for the paraders, the families and friends that raised banners and signs to ensure that their loved ones would never be forgotten. And then (my favorite) there was cheering for the survivors - a very touching ovation for the men and women that are living through it.

I walked away from this event with an appreciation for my physical strength and my (rapidly diminishing) youthful vigor - something I have squandered away playing video games and watching television. It was a reminder that these things are temporary and should be enjoyed to the fullest...and so I shall.

Midnight

Ah, my day off. I can't wait. Sarah and I have GOT to get out of the house because we are both going crazy. She'll bring me her shoes and say "Outside?" And today we're gonna do it! We are on our last roll of toilet paper, the last tab of detergent for the dishwasher, and I think our giant bottle of Advil has made it down past 10 pills left, and we've got to stock up on meds for the weekend. Barry will be Racing for the Cure on Sunday while I will be mosy-ing in behind him as I finish Walking for the Cure. Yeah, not as dramatic, but running makes me feel like I'm being stabbed in the chest. Sixth-grade cross-country was enough for me.

And also this weekend: Sarah's first County Fair (Will she get eat her own funnel cake or feed it to a goat?)

And Sunday also marks THE RETURN OF NANA!!t

mittwoch

And so it appears my sister-in-law has been hatching some schemes to motivate some site up-keep...as you wish.

Training for the Breast Cancer 5k has resumed after an insane week of mega-overtime at work last week. I had a really good run last night that included a torturous hill that I had never been able to conquer...b*#%! is mine now. Special thanks to my sister who has raised nearly $500 in sponsorship cash for the run.

Learning curve is on the incline on our D70. We are figuring out all sorts of ways to make fuzzy dark photos all in the name of "I hate flash".

Pro Football is so fulfilling to me this year. I really have been enjoying every game I have seen. I hate the Steelers more than I ever have...it's weird, they just continue to over-achieve offensively and it's driving me nuts.

Sarah was being mean to Meg today and is probably abusing her grandfather as we speak so I must rush off to save the day with my assertive parenting style. There will be no Tubbies or Ernie tonight, only the reading of books with a few achromatic illustrations...repair manuals and such, followed by a cold bath, gruel (grool?) and goats milk. You don't know how good you have it kid! Eh eh.

keep rollin little homie

home on the range

baba louie

sarah fawcett

babies feeding babies