May 2007

Thursday Thirteen: Edition #19

May 31, 2007

“Let’s think outside the box, people!” Synergy Best practice email Topics: Thursday Thirteen

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What are you willing to do?

May 30, 2007

Really, it’s a very simple question, isn’t it?

What are you willing to do in order to improve the quality of your life?

Notice that I did not say “lose weight.” That’s just a nice side effect of a new approach to living.

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It’s hard to believe that this little cutie, my nephew, will be graduating from high school on Friday night and heading off to college in the fall! wordless wednesday Thanks for reading “Colloquium”! Topics: Wordless Wednesday

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In “Other” Words: “Well, what did you expect?”

May 29, 2007

“Lower your expectations of earth.This isn’t heaven, so don’t expect it to be.” Max Lucado “Well, what did you expect?” Has anyone ever said that to you? Or have you ever said it to someone? My response to both questions is “yes.“My mother said it to me more times than I care to remember … […]

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Carnival of Family Life

May 28, 2007

Everybody likes to talk about their family, especially if you have kids. Sit down, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the informative, funny and inspiring stories, insights and observations offered by the many gifted writers participating in this week’s Carnival! You can learn more about the Carnival at An Island Life. Let Kailani know […]

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Monday Candle Moment: Memorial Day 2007

May 28, 2007

Here in “Livable, Lovable Lodi,” we are blessed each Memorial Day by Cherokee Memorial Park’s annual “Avenue of Flags.” Today marks the fiftieth year that Memorial Day has been commemorated by a breathtakingly beautiful display of American flags. These are not just any ordinary flags, however. When a veteran is buried, entombed or inurned in […]

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Discipline: A Characteristic of Great Writers

May 27, 2007

Any form of writing requires discipline. It requires devoting yourself to the task, setting aside a time and place to do it, and making a commitment to work diligently at developing your individual voice. Even when you feel as lousy as I do right now. Yes, I have a raging sinus infection. I saw the doctor […]

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Another Contest Entry

May 27, 2007

This post is also an entry in the Carnival of Family Life No, I couldn’t quite bring myself to put the full name of the contest in the header. I’m a wimp. I admit it. The full title is “The Poop Contest,” hosted by Adventures of an Awesome (Sometimes) Mother. Yup. It’s official. Bloggers will make […]

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Sunday Scribblings #61: Simple

May 26, 2007

As the years roll by, what will sociologists make of us? I find myself pondering that question sometimes when I think back to “the way life used to be” even in my lifetime. I find myself pondering that question today having spent some time reading the entries from my fellow participants in Sunday Scribblings, many of […]

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No, overeating will not make me feel better

May 25, 2007

I feel crappy.

It started a few days ago … that familiar ache in my cheekbones, radiating up into my eye and down into my gums. Yesterday, I developed a very stuffy nose and scratchy throat. By last night, I was miserable so it was off to the doctor today. Sure enough … the sinus infection has returned and I am back on an antibiotic.

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Photo Hunt: Colorful

May 25, 2007

This Week’s Theme: Colorful A barbershop quartet singing on Main Street in Disneyland in their colorful costumes. I snapped this photo during a visit in the summer of 1979. photo hunt Thanks for reading “Colloquium”! Topics: Photo Hunt

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Friday’s Feast #145

May 24, 2007

Appetizer Name a sound you like to hear. Music! All kinds, all day every day! Soup What is your favorite kind of cheese? Sharp cheddar which, fortunately, is now available in nonfat! Hooray! Salad Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not? What’s your definition of “late”? I sleep until 8:30 and get to water […]

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Thursday Thirteen Edition #18: Thirteen Random Thoughts!

May 23, 2007

A friend e-mailed me a list of random thoughts today. I don’t know where it originated, but some of them were so witty and/or descriptive of the week I’ve had, I just knew I had to share them with you today! 1. If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have started with […]

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II">An Island Life Photo Contest II

May 23, 2007

Congratulations to the Winners!First Place: Dana of Sunshine’s BlogSecond Place: Mike of Eyes by Ear Thanks to those of you who voted for my entry: (I took my entry in June 2005 on the lawn of the Sheraton Moana Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, just as the sun was setting. I am not a photographer, but I got […]

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(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: Brushes — and Near Brushes — with Greatness

May 22, 2007

The photo was too good not to use for “Wordless Wednesday,” but I figured you would want the explanation! David Letterman used to do a regular bit on his old NBC show called “Brushes with Greatness” during which members of the audience would stand up and tell their story about seeing or meeting a famous […]

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The Cost of the Call (Part Five)

May 22, 2007

Since I first saw the quote for this week’s writing exercise, one of my all-time favorite Bible passages has permeated my thoughts:

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.“
Jeremiah 1:4–10

There are no accidents. There are no coincidences. Not one single person is living on this planet at this moment in time who wasn’t placed here as part of God’s plan. Each of us has a specific purpose, a particular path we are meant to walk, neither of which is necessarily easy to discern. We each have something to say, whether we do it verbally, via prose, poetry, musically, theatrically … We have each come into this world according to that plan for our life … and should leave it in the same way.

We are all equal. We are all worthy.

We are all modern-day Jeremiahs.

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My Secret Weapon

May 22, 2007

My “secret weapon” is a product I was introduced to about ten years ago by one of my clients who was a coach and distributor.

Whether you are trying to lose, maintain or gain weight, it is very important that, in addition to eating properly, your plan provides you all of the important vitamins and minerals in the amounts necessary to maintain good health. I use Advocare’s Metabolic Nutrition System.

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Monday Candle Moment

May 21, 2007

There is a beautiful blog that you simply must see: Defining Spiritual Presence authored by Greenwoman. Each Monday she posts a “Monday Candle Moment” entry. Her reasoning? “There is great power in community prayer.” A few years ago, I took a class on prayer and the facilitator said some thing that I had never — […]

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Life Without the Internet? Not for Me!

May 20, 2007

Well, the tangible response to my challenge was pretty pitiful, by anyone’s standard. I am not disheartened, though, because I think that you all thought about the challenge. You just didn’t post about it. Most of you claimed to be too busy … working on your computers, of course! I think that Ron spoke for […]

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Breaking My Own Rule in Order to Speak Out

May 20, 2007

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.“
~~ Maya Angelou ~~

I am breaking my own rule. I have to because I must speak out. I am compelled and convicted to do so.Just the other day, I told someone at the office, “Oh, yeah, I have a blog and it reveals what I do for a living, but I never talk about my work, my colleagues … that is all off limits.”

Not today.

Why?

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Blog Your Blessings Sunday

May 20, 2007

My mother’s roses are in full bloom right by the front step of the house. The sun is shining brightly this morning and it is a beautiful 62 degrees right now but will warm into the 80’s as the day progresses. Topics: Blog Your Blessings Sunday

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Sunday Scribblings #60: Masks

May 19, 2007

What mask do you wear? When do you put it on? For whom? Who is your audience? Do you have more than one mask and change them the way you do your wardrobe, depending upon the occasion? Are you ever without your mask? What is your biggest fear about letting the world see you without your mask(s)?

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Photo Hunt: Cooked/ing

May 18, 2007

This Week’s Theme: Cooked/ing Thanksgiving 2002 The table was set. I had just cooked Thanksgiving dinner and was about to serve it. photo hunt Thanks for reading “Colloquium”! Topics: Photo Hunt

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Tips for Dining Out

May 18, 2007

Tips for Dining Out Thea, one of the founders of the May Day Weight Loss Challenge site, “Tales from the Scales,” writes a weekly column, Thea Thursdays. This week she offered some tips to assist in making good food choices when dining out which I enumerate here and expand upon and modify to conform with […]

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Friday’s Feast #144

May 17, 2007

Appetizer

List 3 emotions you experienced this week.

Frustration, anger, elation.

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“I get it!”">“I get it!”

May 15, 2007

That is what Tony Soprano shouted at the end of this past Sunday’s fourth-to-the-last episode of the all-time best show in the history of television, The Sopranos.

It’s also what I was mumbling to myself a couple of hours later.

Earlier in the day, I was channel surfing and stumbled upon “The Soup” on E! which I love. They showed a clip of Rosie O’Donnell, as they have been doing every week for the past year since she joined “The View.”

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Wordless Wednesday

May 15, 2007

Let’s play Caption This!What are these girls frowning about?Leave a comment with your ideas and write a caption!I will post the name, a screenshot and the link to the blog of the first person who guesses what caused those sour expressions. The girls in the photo will pick their favorite caption and I will also […]

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Why I Love Water Aerobics

May 13, 2007

In my experience, water aerobics are the best form of exercise.

Here are my reasons:

* Comfort ~~ I exercise strenuously and really sweat, but I don’t care. I just splash some water on my forehead and keep going. That’s the most important reason why water aerobics is the perfect form of exercise for me. I hate to sweat. Ever. Anywhere. For any reason.

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Get Off That Scale!

May 13, 2007

There are some aspects of the May Day Weight Loss Challenge that I cannot embrace or take part in. If they work for other people, that’s wonderful. As I said in my initial post, weight management is a highly individualized matter. No single approach is right for every body.

The first issue is the planned weekly “weigh-ins” after which participants are supposed to post a graphic on their site saying how many pounds they have lost. The graphics are being offered in 5 pound increments. Additionally, the hosts will be posting gold stars on their site for each participant, with a link back to that individual’s site.

Unless I have occasion to visit the doctor’s office again during the challenge, there will be no gold stars or links for me because I do not weigh regularly nor do I have any intention of starting.

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The Long Good-Bye

May 13, 2007

My mother, Ethel, left this world on October 13, 2005, but she left her family long before that. She left us gradually, slowly inching further and further away until she finally retreated into her own little universe — a little corner of her own mind where we could no longer connect or interact with her. And eventually, I did something I never would have believed I could do: I wished that she would die.

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A Challenge: Are You Game?

May 12, 2007

Back to the topic broached a couple of weeks ago before my life took an unplanned detour: Just how much time do you spend on the Internet? Per day? Per week? I suspect that few of you us are very excited about the prospect of “getting real” on this topic. So I have come up with […]

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Photo Hunt: Five

May 12, 2007

This Week’s Theme: Five A Mother’s Day gift made for my mother at school when I was in grade five. Check out those glasses and that teased up hair! Was I stylin’ or what? photo hunt Thanks for reading “Colloquium”! Topics: Photo Hunt

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Stay Off That Scale!

May 11, 2007

I have lost 50 pounds since last autumn when I started back to water aerobics in earnest. I’m not done losing weight yet, but 50 pounds is a nice round number and I am happy with what I have accomplished thus far. Obviously, I look better, but I also feel better and have gone from […]

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Friday’s Feast #143

May 11, 2007

Appetizer Tell about a time when you had to be brave. I could spend the next several months writing about all the times in my life when courage has been required of me, some of which I have mentioned here previously, e.g., arguing before the California Supreme Court, as well as the Third District Court of […]

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Thursday Thirteen Edition #17: Thirteen Thoughts About the Past Week

May 9, 2007

Thirteen Thoughts About the Past Week 1. Water aerobics classes finally moved outside. Hallelujah! The sun felt great. 2. BigBob came home from the hospital yesterday.3. The doctor informed him that he had five different types of infections raging when they operated. 4. BigBob is lucky that he responded to the antibiotics. 5. The surgeon told him […]

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Wordless Wednesday

May 8, 2007

In Loving Memory this Mother’s Day Mercedes Siess Ethel Hickokwordless wednesday Thanks for reading “Colloquium”! Topics: Wordless Wednesday

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Just Do It

May 6, 2007

Last week I explored the issue of maintaining balance in one’s life, pondering how anyone could possibly maintain multiple blogs while doing justice to their remaining responsibilities. I planned to continue my exploration of that topic after spending the week paying conscious attention to the number of hours I spent reading other people’s blogs and […]

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Sunday Scribblings #58: Ocean and Blog Your Blessings Sunday

May 6, 2007

This Week’s Prompt: Ocean love builds up the broken walland straightens the crooked pathlove keeps the stars in the firmamentand imposes rhythm on the ocean tideseach of us is created of itand i suspecteach of us was created for it ~~ Maya Angelou ~~ There is much to write about the events of this week, but […]

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Interview Me!

May 5, 2007

I interviewed Dana at Southern Gal Goes North — check out her answers and get to know her a little bit better.

Here’s how this rather new meme works:

Deb from Surviving NJ interviewed me. She lives in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and has been in that state her whole life, hence the name of her blog. In addition to her husband, she lives with her two teen-age sons, two dogs and a cat. I don’t know how, but she maintains six blogs!

Want to participate?

Leave a comment saying “Interview me.” Make sure you leave your blog address because I will visit, read some of your posts and your profile, and then interview you by e-mailing you five questions.

You then post the questions and your answers on your blog, including the instructions so that other folks can join in, as well as a link back to this post. When folks leave comments on your site indicating that they would like to be interviewed, you do the same thing: Visit their blog, draft five questions, get a link back to your post … and on it goes.

This is a great way to get acquainted with other bloggers and, hopefully, attract some new readers!

So … on to my interview.

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Photo Hunt: Childhood

May 4, 2007

This Week’s Theme: Childhood Still one of my favorite photos of my boys. In this 1993 shot, Robert was 6 and Matthew was about 15 months old. photo hunt Thanks for reading “Colloquium”! Topics: Photo Hunt

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Friday’s Feast #142

May 3, 2007

Appetizer Name something you would not want to own. A septic tank service company. Soup Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.). Current: Picture in the upper left.Former: Artist’s rendering on the right.Next: Who knows? I want to be like one of the dolls that some of the kids in my neighborhood had when we were growing […]

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Thursday Thirteen Edition #16

May 2, 2007

1. “Which side is the appendix on?” That’s what BigBob asked me this morning about 10:45 a.m. At the time, I was unsure but told him, “I think it’s on the right side. Why?” 2. A few minutes later, we were in the car on the way to the ER. 3. He was in excruciating pain. 4. […]

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Wordless Wednesday

May 1, 2007

Here’s another shot of the Temple of Dendur which is part of the exhibit of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City: As I stood in the Museum looking at the temple, I was intrigued by the juxtaposition of the Temple, built in 15 B.C.E., and the backdrop: The Manhattan skyline […]

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May 2007

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