Thoughts and notes of the week

Thoughts and notes while walking and biking;

-That dayglo orange lace dress? Never a good idea. Even though you are quite pretty, who told you it looked good on you? A friend? Never shop with that friend again.
-Suicide is selfish. There I said it. I might open myself up to criticism regarding a judgement of lack of respect for the family of those who chose to end their life.  I have experienced a myriad of emotions regarding the news that one of my former co-workers chose to end her life in a most horrible manner. At the end of the day, I wondered what could have been so awful that would make her think it was the only way out? Well-we will never know. No note, no phone call. Nothing.
-Sometimes, people make the most horrible noises while in the workplace. Today, I would swear I just heard someone snoring, big loud bear-like snores! From snorts, sniffles, burps and coughs, it's a wonder I get anything done at all. Since when did disgusting personal habits become acceptable in the workplace?
-Telling people that you love life makes them smile. AND they want to know why you love life. It's like you have a secret potion that everybody wants a sip of.  It makes me think about breaking into song from the Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" musical version, I like life, life likes me.
-Athletic venue tickets are outrageously priced. I just received a tweet about tickets available for the KU/KSU game, on the grassy lawn-SRO, for $75ea. I think I will watch it on TV, drink my own drinks and eat my own eats. Maybe I'll have a few people over to watch it with me.
-I think helping prepare a meal, especially in a community environment, is a wonderful way to share life. I got to help with food prep for our upcoming church Oktoberfest last night. I've got a blister on my finger and a quote in the paper to show for my efforts! Not bad, not bad at all.
-Family Weekend at the university my daughter attends is this coming weekend and we are going to seeher! I'm so excited just thinking about it! Even my husband shared his own feelings of anticipation as we go through this year of 'firsts'.
-What's next after the 50 Shades of Grey reading frenzy? Why-Passion Parties of course. Where you can shop for things in the privacy of your home with a tasteful presentation and giggles galore as we imagine our own adventures.

My girl is homesick. Plain and simple. I feel like if she can make it through the next two weeks, she will be fine. So many new things-new friends, living arrangements, classes, etc. She is missing her friends and the easiness of those friendships. She misses being in her own room, driving her car.

 

Makes me wonder-what is different? She was gone for 3 weeks in another country and came back kicking and screaming (figuratively-of course). Is it the permanence? Or the perception of permanence? She wants to come home next weekend, however she has a commitment on Saturday, so it just really doesn’t work. I feel like it’s silly for us to go up on Sunday for a visit when we will be there the following Saturday for Family weekend. But silly or not, my mom-sense is screaming to go to her. This a learning experience for all of us.

 

Sundays are the hardest day, when I miss her the most. My is husband gone, helping care for his parents and my son is working or doing whatever 16 yr old boys do when they are out and about.  I try to keep busy with the usual mundane things like laundry and housekeeping, reading or watching TV. Oh, we keep in contact via Facebook and text messages and cell phones, so it isn't like I don't have contact with her, but I miss her presence in the house. Maybe she needs to come home to find out she likes living away.

 

I'm trying to remember how I felt my first month away from home. I saw my parents quite a bit due to them having season football tickets, and I roomed with my best friend, so I don't remember being homesick. I was having the time of my life! I know she is too-but during the inbetween times, she longs for something familiar. Looks like I should clean out the junk that has been collecting in her room before she surprises us with a quick trip home!

Bike Riding and Bad Hair Days

I had a great hair day today, right up to the time I put a bike helmet on my head and rode to work. Yep-I ride my bike, weather permitting, to work everyday. And I wear a helmet-it's usually one of the first questions people ask, and I use a messenger bag to cart my daily goodies with me.

I don't live very far from my place of employment, and I started with riding the campus bus. When the bus reduced their service this past summer, I started thinking about different ways to get to work. Walking is an option, but when the heat is above 95 degrees, which seemed to be the case most of the summer, the walk home is beastly. So I pulled my bike out of the basement, aired up the tires, dusted off my helmet, being sure to get all the spider webs out of there, and hopped on.

I'm not the most efficient biker. I am confounded by all the different speed combos, and my bike seems to be rough when it shifts from gear to gear. Mostly, I try to keep it on the same numbers, give or take a gear shift or two. I get kind of wobbly when I'm checking to see who is behind me, so I added a review mirror to one of my handles. It works pretty well, unless the road I'm on is really bumpy, which makes the reflection kind of blurry. It also needs to be constantly adjusted so that I can actually see behind me. I didn't realize how slow I pedaled until the college kids came back and started passing me on the street! My other challenge seems to be turning corners. When I was younger, I had this move down, in addition to riding without my hands on the handlebars, but in my older years, my balance sometimes fails me. On a ride home a couple of weeks ago, I didn't navigate the turn onto a side street and rode right into the curb! I flew over the handle bars and onto the dry hard ground. As I lay there, splayed flat, doing a quick mental checklist to determine if anything was broken, I wondered if, heaven forbid, anybody saw me. I sat up, sure enough there was a car driving up to ask if I was OK. All I could to was nod as the tears were welling up and threatening to spill. It would seem that the biggest injury was to my hand, some road rash on my arm and knocking off the visor portion of my helmet. I debated on calling in  the cavalry to come help me home, but I decided I was fit to ride. Did I mention that I was also a pretty tough cookie?

It would seem that I've joined some secret society of bike riders here on campus. When people spot my helmet, it's met with comments of admiration, confessions of their own treks to campus and a divulging of their personal opinions regarding saving the planet with no pollution emissions, blah blah blah. Mostly, I ride because it's good for my health as well as the pocketbook. But the hair, well-for now I'm proudly showing off my 'helmet hair' to my fellow brethren.