RIBBONS, CROSSES, TIES AND BOWS
i sandra, do solemnly swear not to purchase any new
books
-or even borrow one from the library-
until i have finished the journals of joyce carol oates
AND these other five books in waiting
*** *** ***
somewhere in the archives here, i mistakenly suggested pleasanton presbyterian church renamed their church, faith, hope, love. -this based on the sign that hung on the wire fence surrounding the new church's construction site. and i was quite excited to see that sign, because that was MY suggestion... the only "unchurched" representative at the meeting
the new name of the church however, which i love, is: centerpointe presbyterian church, and then i was happy to see here in this add in the pleasanton weekly, the tag line:
a fellowship of faith, hope and love. -now, how beautiful is that-
*** *** ***
also, somewhere in the archives here, are the enchanting stories of my brother falling in love with my friend and duplex neighbor.. getting married.. becoming a family.. but now getting divorced.
so faith, hope and love is prayed for each of them.
i do not view relatioships in the same way most people do.. equating long marriages with success and divorce with failure. there are many times and examples where the exact opposite is true
all people in our lives for good reason. catalyst souls.. moving us ultimately toward our best destinies
so blessings to you dyan and emma -we love you- wish you all the best on your journey
and to you my brother.. i love you so much! peace and happiness
faith, hope and love. -music lyrics coming to mind...
"sometimes the hardest thing and the write thing are the same"
-and - worth mentioning for comic relief, how my brother, on his last visit here, refused to meet my new beautiful, single duplex neighbor
"but she's a brunette.. " i told him
GOOD NEWS!!
my recent post regarding the tri valley haven's candle light walk in livermore, has been selected by gail johnston for inclusion in her book, social cause diet, which comes out this summer.
submissions still welcome. -have a meaningful volunteer experience? act of service you'd like to share?
and thank you! gail -huge honor- i LOVE what you are doing
~sandra, ttgp
THAT BILL FRANK IS EVERYWHERE!
if you look on my mom's desk at her place of work
you might see pictures of her family; her children
and grandchildren, but
the emphasis here goes on the word
mightbecause, if you look on my mom's desk at her place of work
you might also see this man
who is in the hilarious habit of stealthly replacing
family photos with his own
so didn't i get a great laugh, when unwrapping my birthday present from my mom this past february:
a beautiful mirrored jewelry box, and inside..
this man of great charm.
-you are there to stay bill frank-
HAPPY 60th TO YOU! love n' laughs, ~sandra
p.s. thanks to darren for assembly ( but, um...how'd it pass quality assurance w/that photo in it?)
OF GREAT INTEREST TO BLOGGERS on TED.COM
jonathan harris
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/144wild, huh..
NEIL TUROK ON TED.COM
i'm so inspired.
my ted wish -on this day- would be a 24 hour, 365 day a year GOOD NEWS PROGRAM on television, radio, in newspapers and the internet.
i'm not talking about pretending there are no problems; i'm not talking about denying war or violence; i'm not talking about denying disease, poverty.. anything of that nature
but it is TRUE, it is NEWSWORTHY, that at the same time we are dealing with war, violence, poverty, disease
there are also VALUABLE stories of love, altruism, volunteerism, problem-solving ideas, technologies -there is progress, success, hope.. there are wonderful people and wonderful things happening in this world EVERY MOMENT of EVERY DAY
it can in fact be seen on TED.COM
more, more, more of TED.. of these people, these discussions, these stories, these ideas
to the masses!
i've never felt so hopeful..
congratulations to NEIL TUROK! and "encore!" to ted.com
JUSTIFICATION FOR A FLAT SCREEN TV: TED.COM
for the first time, i do wish i (or the local coffee shop) had a big flat screen tv, hooked up to the internet, so i could watch ted.com, with family/friends on a great big screen. i can't get enough.
/picturing 21st century juke boxes with ted.com presentations on the menu...
this website has my attention like no other -i'm loggin' in at every leisure moment for more.
my favorite presentation so far is
jill bolte, but i love them all:
christopher decharms, anna deavere smith, eve ensler, daniel dennet, amy tan, bob thurman, robert wright, vilayanur ramachandran, malcolm gladwell
it's a dream come true.
***
may is full of miracles
big and small
this is what my pen wrote during a recent automatic listening/writing session. -and i've two miracles to report so far
my neighbor..
alive w/neck brace, but here to tell the story of a recent car accident on 680.. someone cutting him off, sending his car rolling over and over.. he is participating in a type of therapy i can't recall the name of.. but it helps not only address the physical injuries, but helps release the emotional trauma also -many prayers- for everyone involved in and touched by this accident
MIRACLE TWOi met with kathy cordova at coffee beans n' bistro around 10:15 in the morning.. after a wonderful visit (thank you kathy!) -went home, continued on with the responsibilities of the day..
3:30pm - 4 o'clockish.. went to grab my JOURNAL.. handwritten JOURNAL..
67 out of 70 pages FILLED HANDWRITTEN JOURNAL and it was nowhere to be found
checked every drawer, closet, table top, pile of papers, laundry basket..
in the car, on the car, under the car..
and then realized that maybe i left it at the coffee shop. i bolted to the coffee shop, turning my panic into a casual stroll once inside.. trying real hard to act cool, casual.. like -hey- if i find it, great, if i don't -no big deal-
but i ask you -fellow writers and journalers- which would you rather forget at a coffee shop
your newborn or your 67 out of 70 pages filled handwritten journal? -and the thing is,
you have to stop and think about it for a minute
i mean, you can always make another baby, -write.
so -GLORY BE TO GOD- and THANKS BE to the kind man with the lap top, and anyone else who sat at the table between 11a and 4p who did not take my journal
so i could find it, exactly where i left it, and return to a normal life.
****
TWO TRUE STORIES: my favorite story -shared with me on the bleachers during my daughters softball game by a fellow mom.
her father, 80 years old, i believe (or close). stroke survivor.. at home, and recently surviving a series of smaller strokes -tia's- too. receiving home care by a nurse so many hours each day
her mom, his one and only wife of many years .. very near her 80's.. also battling her own set of age-related complications
but still finding a way to get to the store and shop
-for a baby monitor-
so she could secretly spy-in and listen to the conversations between her husband and the nurse during his daily bath.
i love this woman!
*****
I TRIED: my heart was in the write place. really it was. both my kids and i ... with cup and cardboard trying to capture the spider without killing it, and transport it outdoors to safety
but the damn thing was SO BIG! so CREEPY CRAWLY.. kept moving SO FAST.. those 37 GIANT LEGS
"NO GAPS! NO HOLES.. HE'LL ESCAPE! HOLD THE PAPER FLAT!!" taryn and i were yelling at jack loud and obnoxious -terrified- with one slip of his hand that spider would fly out and kill us all
so -got the attention of young boy on his way to the local middle school
"hey.. you afraid of bugs? can you help us out?"
and then we backed up. backed away. real silent.. watching as he -real casual like- slid the paper under the glass jar, lifted the spider chest high, walked out to the curb
and from that distance -his chest- he separated the glass jar from the paper, turned it upside down, shook.. and we watched as the spider fell some
87 floors worth in spiderland to the cement street.
and so i'm not so sure that went exactly as planned.
-if you save a spiders life, but it's say,
paralyzed in the process. not sure how karma records that one.
i wonder these things...
like -what if it was a poinous spider?- and we save its life, not knowing, and then it goes and bites an innocent being..?..
... so many questions
and then later -dawned on jack-
"hey," he said, "you guys were yelling all loud, making me nervous, yelling and screaming when i was holding the glass jar, but when he came around, you got all quiet.. made it easy for him
that's not fair."
"you're write," i said.. "sorry about that.. "
-and i could see how his 8 year old mind was at work.. upset i'd called in another young boy to accomplish the rescue mission he was quite capable of doing if we'd only shut up for a minute and give the kid some space
let the record show -our fault- not his.
love n' thanks n' apologies -phobic mommy-
THE WRITE INCENTIVE for (me!) sandra, ttgp
here's the deal... for every post or comment i write, i'm gonna force myself to clean a little somethin'
for every comment, i'll wipe clean a counter-top, and for every post.. i'll clean out a drawer.
and i'm gonna eat write and exercise too
BUT FIRST..
i'm burstin' at the seams to tell the whole wide world
"LEONARD STEGMANN'S 3RD BOOK IS HERE!
A YEAR ON PLANET MERCURY IS HERE!"
don't believe me? well, i don't blame you.. the promises started back in 1980 somethin'
so i took a picture. well, actually tony took the picture
and write about the time he "clicked" -some joe passerby stepped on my bare toe with his 800lb work boot
"but hey!" i said.. "doesn't it kinda look like i'm cracking up.. like i'm laughing really hard?"
and he said, "no."
so i said, "sure it does.. use your imagination a lit... a lot. this is a great publicity shot!"
(not as great as maybe ... a centerfold... holding the book over her face.. but still)
and then i spent a whole hour walking around downtown, carrying a year on planet mercury, cover face out, and reading and laughing and smiling and making everyone curious who
a) wrote this hilarious book?
b) is this strange person?
all to say a BIG THANK YOU! ~because~
(standing on cement bench, corner of main and w. angela with megaphone):
"I'VE BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED!"
(pg 276/hardcover).
and now.. all those times you never sent me a birthday card, or present, ..all those times you never sent me a christmas card, or gift... all those times you ignored and forgot me..
well, you can not get me anything for three more years!
but after that..
diamonds.
CONGRATULATIONS!! SQUIDMANN!! ON BOOK 3 and your NEW WEBSITE TOO! ~s.c.
THE WRITE REWARD for (me!) sandra, ttgp
here's the deal.. for every drawer or closet section or counter top i clean... i'm gonna let myself write a little somethin'
today, i finally went through the avalanche of papers & misc stuff overflowing in my wicker-basket organizer thingie in the kitchen -what a relief!
catherine would be proud. she's my ultra organized, on top of everything friend, who in fact gave me the wicker organizer in the first place, to help me along..
and last night we had dinner together at baker's square in livemore where a big sign hangs on the outside of the restaurant that reads TUESDAYS: KIDS EAT FREE
we love that price. -and i'm not sure catherine and her two adorable children will want to dine with me and my two adorable children again, because.. well, i'm not the greatest role model when it comes to nutrition..
i think chocolate chip pancakes for dinner is perfectly fine -don't you? anyway.. we had a good visit.. and when someone else is making the food and cleaning the dishes, you won't hear any complaints from me
but i couldn't help but complain some too when catherine noticed the price on our check was kinda high..
only two out of the four kids actually ATE FOR FREE... and EAT FREE, does not mean DRINK FREE.. so there was a charge for the two milks (that would be for catherine's children) and two sodas (which go lovely with the chocolate pancakes i ordered for my children)
anyway.. short story shorter.. my kids didn't eat free because i didn't eat at all (having something to do with my 4 o'clock hunger attack and enchilada) -so- the real deal at baker's square is this:
with every one full over-priced adult meal, two kids eat (but do not drink!) for free.
"but it doesn't say that anywhere," catherine said to the manager, "it's not on the sign.. it's not anywhere on the menu," she continued, "how can you do that? the sign says kids eat free on tuesdays.. that's it.. not IF you buy an adult meal..."
and you're going to love this... the manager leaned in towards catherine and i, and she said,
"i'm not supposed to say this, but that's how we take advantage of our customers."
and i've been giggling ever sense.. but i don't think you'll see catherine at any bakers square restaurants for a long time..
AND since i'm bloggin' 'bout catherine.. mine as well add in and share that catherine is the first recipient of the new and now annual
LUCKY, LUCKY YOU AWARD.
if you've never heard of it, it's because i just made it up, -the
lucky, lucky you award is to be bestowed on friends by friends when something like this happens -'cuz check this out:
it was february, 2008, 9:30ish in the early morning, coffee beans n' bistro, pleasanton
and four of us mom friends were meeting for coffee to celebrate february birthdays
AND because we were celebrating.. we each made that special extra effort before going out in public and took showers, and put on make-up, and accesorized and everything
and i don't think i'll be hurting anyone's feelings to point out that out of all of us.. catherine was lookin' especially hot and gorgeous and all around beautiful
and IT WAS ON THIS DAY.. ON THIS MORNING... WHEN CATHERINE COULD NOT HAVE LOOKED BETTER
THAT SHE RAN INTO A HIGH-SCHOOL BOYFRIEND she hadn't seen in years.
now let's all count on a fingerless hand just how often that happens...
"cheers! to you my lucky, lucky friend! the God's are with you!"
-and now...
bottom drawer in the kitchen: attack.
i sandra, do solemnly swear not to purchase any new 
