tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73240512011-08-16T20:08:15.859-04:00dawnnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1137724611438578212006-01-19T21:35:00.000-05:002006-01-19T21:36:51.470-05:00

Hey! I'm moving over here. New posts at the new place.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1137352469429655772006-01-15T14:13:00.000-05:002006-01-15T14:14:29.443-05:00

Willow, hitched to a Tinker-Toy sled, is also looking forward to the arrival of Lil's brother to remove some stress from her life.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1137300258660719872006-01-14T23:41:00.000-05:002006-01-14T23:45:47.220-05:00

Here's a glimpse into just how shaky my emotional state is: at Target, I found the perfect drawer pull for a cabinet I painted for our soon-to-be-adopted-from-Ethiopia son, Dawit. It's a soccer ball. The mere discovery of this piece of hardware had me in tears. Can we just go get him, already?

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1137179048297404062006-01-13T13:55:00.000-05:002006-01-13T14:04:08.316-05:00

Unlike the other candidates, I'm not going to hide my evil side. Full story here. See his 13-point platform here. via the Witches' Voice

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1137031034841950222006-01-11T20:42:00.000-05:002006-01-11T20:57:14.886-05:00

February is coming quickly, and so is Wear Red Day. In New York City, designers and celebrities are getting ready to unveil the Red Dress Collection for 2006. Last year, an impressive list of famous women modeled the collection on the runway during Fashion Week. Guess who will be sharing the runway with them this year? Well, on a screen at the end of the runway to open the show? Yes, the

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1136423577741462482006-01-04T20:08:00.000-05:002006-01-04T20:14:34.606-05:00

Another reason to fall in love with Ethiopia. The traditional bread eaten with every meal (and used as a utensil) is made with teff, a teeny tiny grain. I've been learning to create a couple of Ethiopian dishes, and have found most of them to be gluten-free! Maybe I won't be on such a drastic diet during my trip after all. If you'd like to make the spongy stuff, check this out: Science of Bread

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1136217448084295042006-01-03T22:49:00.000-05:002006-01-03T22:57:51.576-05:00

Now that all the gifts have been opened, I can blog my homemade stuff: bookmarks made with flowers pressed from our garden, and pepperminty bath salts. Also, Miss Lily again carried the entire preschool class during their holiday presentation. She stands so tall and proud, and wow...she can really project her voice. I really could ONLY hear her singing, and I thought that was because I have mom

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1136261039753517102006-01-02T23:00:00.000-05:002006-01-02T23:03:59.766-05:00

Brokeback Mountain is a beautiful movie that I find myself thinking about consistently for 2 days.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1136216115131076582006-01-02T10:28:00.000-05:002006-01-02T10:35:18.363-05:00

Last week my circle of friends put on a lovely Blessingway for me. Lester made some fabulous food and put together a ritual focused on the adoption journey. It was perfect. Everyone brought donations for me to tote to the orphanage in Ethiopia. In the photo I'm holding Scoot, the first blessingway baby. The newest arrival is the 2-week old Jack, our third blessingway kid. I love this

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1136083061911656372005-12-31T21:36:00.000-05:002005-12-31T21:39:20.523-05:00

In the year 2006 I resolve to: Reunite the Spice Girls. Get your resolution here Swiped from Easy Bake Coven

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1135809246778699232005-12-28T17:31:00.000-05:002005-12-28T17:34:46.990-05:00

Her: "Why can't I go to that movie with you?" Me: "It's not a movie for kids." Her: "What kind of movie is it?" Me: "A mystery. It may be too scary." Her: "I'll just come along, Mommy. You know they say mystery loves company."

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1135348155918220722005-12-23T09:25:00.000-05:002005-12-23T09:29:15.933-05:00

For your cat-blogging Friday viewing pleasure, a rare moment of friendship between Wednesday and Mona.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1134876599556989442005-12-17T22:26:00.000-05:002005-12-17T22:29:59.573-05:00

Santa Claus North Pole, Earth Dear Santa, I have been a good girl. It really wasn't my fault what happened at Kate's Office party. It was Leslie who spiked the punch with too much vodka. I can't help it if I drank 23 glasses. It was so good---smelled and tasted just like rosemary. I thought it was funny when I put Miko's scarf on my head and danced the flamenco on the sink while singing `

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1134791634616217632005-12-16T22:47:00.000-05:002005-12-16T22:53:54.636-05:00

Lily got in on the homemade gifts this year. We have a special nightly ritual to keep bad dreams away, and it involves spraying a mist of chamomile and lavender scented water three times and saying "sweet dreams". (can never learn spellcasting too early) So we made Sweet Dreams spray for her buddies. This project was my idea, but she created it. The project she came up with on her own was

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1134675795433506122005-12-15T14:36:00.000-05:002005-12-15T14:43:15.460-05:00

Ouch. I've had 7 shots this week. I'm currently protected against Hep A, Hep B, polio, typhoid, tetanus, meningitis, and Yellow Fever. Even so, I got literature to protect myself from some frightening stuff including plague, rabies, and some scary-ass parasites. The CDC's travel and vaccination site. And I've spent time worrying about the Avian flu...I had no idea I'd be facing a list of

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1134401133304131832005-12-12T10:20:00.000-05:002005-12-12T10:25:33.376-05:00

Scientists watch for birth of new sea in Ethiopia, could take millions of years. I get to see the real Lucy next month. How cool is that?

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1134321476200587282005-12-11T12:08:00.000-05:002005-12-11T12:17:56.276-05:00

We have a Yule tree that is decorated with heart ornaments. Corny, I know, but it suits us. (I guess I should add some kidney ornaments, too) We've made most of them over the past few years, it's been a fun thing for the kid to collect. There's this great heart tree topper that I made. It should be topping the tree. It's too heavy, so it requires the handyman of the house to put it up

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1134314766289610492005-12-11T10:21:00.000-05:002005-12-11T10:26:06.323-05:00

You are Woodstock! Which Peanuts Character are You? brought to you by Quizilla found over at Mac's Posthuman Blues

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1134134355011800172005-12-09T08:16:00.000-05:002005-12-09T08:19:15.023-05:00

Teen suspended for speaking Spanish at school. Time for some administrators to learn a new language.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1133480562943292442005-12-01T18:38:00.000-05:002005-12-01T18:42:42.956-05:00

this darling little 3 year old. I'm off to Ethiopia to get him next month. Much to do to prepare for the trip, and for having a toddler in the house. Who knew? We started this process a year ago with a Chinese baby in mind, almost had twin boys, and end up in Eastern Africa. I saw his photo and thought, "oh, there you are! I've been looking all over the planet for you!"

dawnnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1132892505393251202005-11-24T23:18:00.000-05:002005-11-24T23:21:45.406-05:00

Today's date in Ethiopia: 15 Khedar 1998 To convert dates to other calendars, click here.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1132890802811522982005-11-24T22:49:00.000-05:002005-11-24T22:53:22.823-05:00

We opted out of all Thanksgiving day invitations and stayed in our PJs all day. I made a fairly typical turkey day dinner, and when we noticed our neighbor's car still in his drive, we gave him a last minute invite for a very casual dinner, and he accepted. It was a lovely afternoon. The best part, in my opinion, was the delightful pumpkin-bourbon cheesecake. Wow. We also painted our bedroom,

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1132411057315507452005-11-19T09:27:00.000-05:002005-11-19T09:37:37.316-05:00

Two weeks ago I hosted two birthday parties for my 5 year old, last weekend was the now famous Red Party, and tomorrow is another Blessingway. Some of the good things that come with have lots of people over are that I've made lots of fabulous food and the house is basically clean. Well, cleaner than it would be if it were just my little family. A few unexpected things have appeared as well: I

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1132410436904714392005-11-19T09:25:00.000-05:002005-11-19T09:27:16.916-05:00

You should see her with the homemade unicorn horn.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1131891756816963252005-11-13T09:13:00.000-05:002005-11-13T09:22:37.303-05:00

As if the henna decorations and my very own red party (in addition to being alive)are not exciting enough...my husband somehow managed to get my mom here for the party. From Wisconsin. Sneaky, sneaky.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1131720484427713302005-11-11T09:10:00.000-05:002005-11-11T09:48:04.496-05:00

The Red Party is tomorrow. Today I'm doing party prep. What a nice occasion this is! Five years ago today I spent most of the day in utter shock at the crisis of the day before and my future. Then I started to cry, and that lasted for 12 hours. I was in the hospital alone, 7 days post-partum, while my husband struggled to care for the baby alone at home. Later that day, John arrived with

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1131561861470921462005-11-09T13:29:00.000-05:002005-11-09T13:44:21.510-05:00

I called today to make my yearly ob/gyn appointment. The receptionist asked if Lily is coming, and then I remembered why she was interested in my kid. At the last minute I had to bring Lily to my annual pap smear and exam. We stopped in the bathroom on the way in so I could leave a urine sample. She is a very curious kid, and I always speak frankly to her about our bodies, but I really didn't

dawnnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1131158206608899512005-11-04T21:33:00.000-05:002005-11-04T21:36:46.620-05:00

than to answer the phone after nine. A little baby boy is making his way to my house by way of a social worker. He needs foster parents. It's a crazy story not fit for a blog, but I hope this little 2-week old lands with his forever family soon! He'll probably only be with us for a couple of days.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1131043949053744312005-11-03T13:50:00.000-05:002005-11-03T13:55:34.496-05:00

The little unicorn is 5 today! I made gluten-free cupcakes. I hope 5 is as magical as 4....

dawnnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1130796591219374142005-10-31T16:58:00.000-05:002005-10-31T17:09:51.233-05:00

Blessed Samhain to all! Happy 7th anniversary to us!

dawnnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1130795834090548612005-10-31T16:55:00.000-05:002005-10-31T16:57:14.103-05:00

Names for Pippi Longstocking in other languages: In Bulgarian "Пипи Дългото Чорапче" In Croatian "Pipi Duga Čarapa" In Czech "Pipi Dlouhá Punčocha" In Danish "Pippi Langstrømpe" In Dutch "Pippi Langkous" In Estonian "Pipi Pikksukk" In Finnish "Peppi Pitkätossu" In French "Fifi Brindacier" In German "Pippi Langstrumpf" In Hebrew "בילבי בת-גרב" ("Bilbi Bat-Gerev") In Icelandic "Lína

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1130715704593761682005-10-30T18:37:00.000-05:002005-10-30T18:41:44.610-05:00

Good thing my almost 5-year old came up with a great costume idea. It was economical, too...we shared the wig. Several people who have known me for a long time did not recognize me. Fun!

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1130436010039880762005-10-27T13:53:00.000-04:002005-10-27T14:00:10.080-04:00

4 women(age range 30-45) 1 Victorian house in the 'hood Popcorn popped in the fireplace Red wine Ouija board Chocolate Tarot Pyjamas No boys No kids ___________________ = SLEEPOVER! See you tomorrow...

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1130261610206203512005-10-25T13:28:00.000-04:002005-10-25T13:33:30.216-04:00

Do you know this character? Lily went to a costume party this morning, and was disappointed that her peers had never heard of Pippi. The adults loved it, though. That's Mr. Nielson sitting on her shoulder, and you'll need your imagination to see Alfonso. He's right behind her. We couldn't get him to come all the way down the stairs. You know how stubborn imaginary horses can be. I'm

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1130201386132313692005-10-24T20:39:00.000-04:002005-10-24T20:49:46.136-04:00

Our dog, now known as the Mistress Willow, has taken a liking to Lily's stuffed tricertops named Cera. Cera roars if you squeeze her just right, and Willow can ofter be found squishing and squeezing her conquest hoping to hear her make a sound. Recently, Willow has started humping the helpless dino. In front of company, even. Must be puppy hormones, she just turned 14 in doggie years. I

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1129901402492813572005-10-21T09:19:00.000-04:002005-10-21T09:30:02.496-04:00

My computer is not functioning as it should. Neither is my camera. I dropped it (camera, not computer). I've been tempted to throw the computer, but haven't yet. Been busy compiling adoption documents, getting signatures notarized, blah, blah, blah. One year ago I thought we'd be home with a child sometime around Thanksgiving. We barely made clearance on this side of the border in that time. If

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1129743903238014922005-10-19T13:42:00.000-04:002005-10-19T13:45:03.246-04:00

Guess who got FBI clearance despite the crazy people I hang out with? Finally, CIS notified us that we have "a notice of favorable determination." Adoption updates to follow, we've changed course. Oh, and the sun is shining today. Life is good.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1129332990052211552005-10-14T19:23:00.000-04:002005-10-14T19:36:30.060-04:00

Because I hang with the coolest, most clever cyber-friends around, I'm asking for your help in a theme or title for my party. The scene: A gathering to celebrate the fact that I am outliving the odds quoted to me the day I was diagnosed with heart disease. The resident told me I wouldn't live more than 5 years without a heart transplant. Here I am, no meds, and planning on sticking around. I am

dawnnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1129331720038747052005-10-14T19:13:00.000-04:002005-10-14T19:15:20.043-04:00

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1129298430052174572005-10-14T09:52:00.000-04:002005-10-14T10:00:30.146-04:00

I managed to get an appointment for Lily's flu shot this year, after much internal debate over the vaccine controversy. If she gets the flu, it's more likely to hit her hard because of her heart. (structurally not normal) As far as the vaccine preservative issue, there is much controversy linking mercury to neurological issues. And Miss Lily may have a neurological issue. So.....I got the

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1128987589811857792005-10-11T08:38:00.000-04:002005-10-11T12:02:12.003-04:00

The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. - Anais Nin

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1128986279764549612005-10-10T19:12:00.000-04:002005-10-10T19:17:59.770-04:00

Today I've come across two references to consuming babies. One at DRT, and the other in the form of a photo in my inbox. Babies made of marzipan. A midwife friend found it. Yummy?

dawnnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1128953579486970792005-10-10T10:11:00.000-04:002005-10-10T10:12:59.486-04:00

Thanks, Miko! Nothing but Happy News.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1128953284051685352005-10-10T08:43:00.000-04:002005-10-10T17:47:36.710-04:00

At the Faire, a kind woman (who had no idea what she was getting herself into) told Lily that the yellow wax in her ears is faery poop. "That's rude behavior." *Thoughtful moment of silence* "Then where do they pee? And what do they wipe with?" Update: Continuing the fae poop conversation: "Well Mommy. I don't think they are trying to hurt our feelings. It's affectionate poop, right?"

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1128386748781437462005-10-03T20:36:00.000-04:002005-10-03T20:45:48.790-04:00

Instructions: 1. Delve into your blog archive. 2. Find your 23rd post. 3. Find the fifth sentence. 4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. It's a Lilyism: But mommy, when I blink I miss some of the movie! Found at the Purple Goddess, and the Cap'n, who found it at Spinning Girl...

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1128385204346724362005-10-03T20:12:00.000-04:002005-10-03T20:20:04.353-04:00

A beautiful envelope arrived today with "The Office of Homeland Security" in the return address. I was so giddy I photographed it. Then I opened it. It's a form letter stating that some of our homestudy, submitted by the adoption agency, is not complete. They need more information. The information must be sent in by the agency. And then be notarized, certified, authenticated. Someone

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1128310277903560382005-10-02T23:18:00.000-04:002005-10-02T23:31:17.910-04:00

We went to King Richard's Faire over the weekend and had a lovely time. My favorite sight was this wonderful Birch woman, and Lily's favorite was the Gargoyle. Kate joined us for the day, and John got a break from taking the kid on all the rides. And she also did piggy-back duty. Overall, great fun and the weekend passed too quickly. Ten31 Productions created both of these creatures. They

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127958358925912792005-09-28T21:40:00.000-04:002005-09-28T21:45:58.933-04:00

Kylie Manogue imitates Kylie Minogue. Feeling reluctant to admit any connection to this lineage... Although raising funds for breast cancer research is a good thing. Maybe if I told him about my heart disease plight he would create a show based on me and raise some funds for WomenHeart. Kylie Manogue imitates Dawn Manogue. Could be interesting. spotted on Ghost of a flea, which I found by happy

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127949947344813422005-09-28T19:22:00.000-04:002005-09-28T19:25:47.350-04:00

So, that letter. You know, the one from CIS clearing us to adopt an unidentified orphan from another country? The one which required $700 and fingerprint clearance from the FBI? The only which I've been expecting since the 3rd week of July? Still not here.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127860524254045732005-09-27T18:23:00.000-04:002005-09-27T18:35:24.263-04:00

This was swiped from Caiterwauling, and I added the resident 4 year-old's answers. She rarely fails to entertain. This little quiz is supposed to test your mental agility/ability. See how you do. 1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127578000490802902005-09-24T11:55:00.000-04:002005-09-24T12:06:40.533-04:00

Who said Hartford is boring? This weekend there are so many options that interest me, I'm not sure what to do. GothStock: A weekend of peace, love, and darkness... and 40 bands. 30th Anniversary celebration of Curbstone Press. They publish Latino authors, and I've enjoyed following their journey as a small press with a huge impact. I focused on Latin American literature as an undergrad and grad

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127486138326550402005-09-23T10:32:00.000-04:002005-09-23T10:38:01.106-04:00

I haven't had pizza in years. The other day I found a frozen pizza with a brown rice crust made by Amy's Meals. It. was. so. good. I actually wrote a letter to express my pizza joy. It is a rare thing to find a good tasting convience food for celiacs. Now all I need is a gluten-free beer.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127260254913435912005-09-20T19:39:00.000-04:002005-09-20T19:50:54.920-04:00

Click here to see a world map marking the latest visitors to Gaiagal. gVisit offers a free service to track your blog visitors near and far. Found amongst lots of good stuff at La Cueva Blog

dawnnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127136292789627662005-09-19T09:23:00.000-04:002005-09-19T09:24:52.796-04:00

I suspect that there is no ickier way to start the day than by cleaning up dog puke after she's been snacking in the cat litter box.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127083332971040932005-09-18T18:38:00.000-04:002005-09-18T18:42:12.973-04:00

I want to go to this symposium on structural heart disease. I don't qualify to attend as a patient/informed parent. Maybe I could sneak in... It's in D.C., where I understand that Lily and I grace a billboard as well. Maybe that could get me in?

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1127082548052005262005-09-18T18:19:00.000-04:002005-09-18T18:29:08.060-04:00

At the grocery store yesterday, Lily bumped into a Halloween display. The witches were her height, wearing sparkly purple robes, and had red glowing eyes. They had sensors and began to move and cackle when someone came by. It terrified Lily. Really put a crimp in my shopping style to avoid the display at the center of the store, close to the checkout. We saw another little kid get scared and cry.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126884697862963962005-09-16T11:27:00.000-04:002005-09-16T11:34:46.583-04:00

You can read more about Ken's experiences in Syria/Turkey in two updates: 9/13: Maybe Sifty Shoot Mr. Ken 9/14: Back in Damascus

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126884365559663212005-09-16T11:18:00.000-04:002005-09-16T11:26:05.566-04:00

Here's a little survey and site worth looking into: The 10% Challenge A short survey of your personal energy use habits will give you some suggestions to make a small reduction, which added with the other pledges will result in a big impact on the planet. I'll be looking into new lightbulbs and John's moving forward with the plan to add some solar panels to our home. I would like to be as

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126714599605253032005-09-14T12:14:00.000-04:002005-09-14T12:16:39.616-04:00

I left this big kid at school this morning. In her unicorn dress.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126659276007062362005-09-13T20:43:00.000-04:002005-09-13T20:54:36.013-04:00

Playing with the kid was complicated today. We pretended to be characters from Strawberry Shortcake, who were pretending to be faeries. The faeries had a lot of housework to do to get ready for the impending birthday party. A couple of Lilyisms that came out of playtime: "Oh, they didn't even know what the word washing machine meant, those people in the original days. You know, the people

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126543670589380082005-09-12T12:31:00.000-04:002005-09-12T12:47:50.623-04:00

The ongoing adventures of Ken, slightly crazy journalist from CT: Dispatches from Deir Ez-Zor, The River Euphrates My high school Western Civ teacher would have been jealous, I thought, as I strolled the south bank of the Euphrates in Deir Ez-Zor on a busy Friday night. After the bus station incident, the Euphrates proved relaxing. Recorded history pretty much begins with life on the

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126483804916331892005-09-11T20:01:00.000-04:002005-09-11T20:10:04.923-04:00

So this week we visited the neurologist, naturopath, and endodontist. Hopefully we are not adding to the list of "conditions" in our family. I had the third root canal (on the same tooth), and it became inflamed and infected on Friday. I've spent the last two days in bed, sick with pain, antibiotics, and narcotics. Oh, and that letter-- still not here. And to torture me further...the hot water

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126226304458215802005-09-08T20:34:00.000-04:002005-09-08T20:38:24.463-04:00

The CT Celiac association has a new mascot. Do other diseases have mascots? Well, we have the pink ribbons for breast cancer, red dresses for heart disease...but fictional creatures?

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1126224371009034942005-09-08T19:59:00.000-04:002005-09-08T20:06:11.026-04:00

My friend Ken is in Syria to write a piece for The Progressive magazine. He also writes for CT News Junkie. It appears this will be an interesting trip, as he details in his first email: Our plane landed in Damascus and taxied around the tarmac for 20 minutes. The ants in my pants were already wild because the flight left an hour after its scheduled 11:35 p.m. departure. At 2 a.m., not even

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125968036015091212005-09-05T20:52:00.000-04:002005-09-05T20:56:30.223-04:00

You Know You're From Wisconsin When... You can taste a difference in cheese made somewhere else You own at least one tie with a or peice of jewelry with a Green Bay Packer theme You can find and pronounce : Eau Claire, Oconomowoc, Menomonee Falls, Waukesha, and La Crosse, Fond du Lac. You can correctly spell Milwaukee. You know what "bubbler" means. At least one of your family members

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125932062612113592005-09-05T10:44:00.000-04:002005-09-05T10:54:22.620-04:00

815 pounds of pumpkin! The weather was perfect, and I had just the right amount of people watching, greasy food, loud bad music, and kiddie rides. Can you believe I let Lily do this?

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125788336242432692005-09-03T18:47:00.000-04:002005-09-03T18:58:56.246-04:00

I had a conversation yesterday with a longtime friend. We talked about Katrina, of course, as the entire planet continues to discuss it. She said of the people trapped "they are people who have tended to make poor decisions all through their lives". I ended the conversation quickly after trying to do a bit of analytical thinking with her...but it quickly became clear that her meaning was "if

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125581033659391912005-09-01T09:15:00.000-04:002005-09-01T09:23:53.666-04:00

A special report on the hurricane from a very angry squirrel. (There's a lot of words coming out of the squirrel that you wouldn't want your little kid to hear.) Found at squirrel central: DRT

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125497752747163482005-08-31T10:10:00.000-04:002005-08-31T10:15:52.753-04:00

Someone finally returned my phone call about our CIS approval. I called this morning and used what John calls my "teacher voice" to leave a message. I got a return call immediately. We could be waiting for another month. If that is the case, we won't travel until next summer. I'm so frustrated. At least Squidward will be pleased that I won't be stalking him anymore.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125447975506056622005-08-30T20:00:00.000-04:002005-08-30T20:26:15.513-04:00

My kitchen: Small, somewhat functional, and decorated in a way that hurts me a bit in the form of blue toile. If the dishwasher is open, I can't get to the sink. I try and see the positive: I'm lucky to have a dishwasher. I do a lot of cooking because of our gluten issues, so a kitchen that I want to hang out in would be groovy. We've come up with a layout, and now I need to think about the

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125443488895627882005-08-30T18:57:00.000-04:002005-08-30T19:11:28.903-04:00

Today's the day, our PSA for WomenHeart is in this week's New Yorker. So flip through it while in the checkout line, and find the 4-page pull out special ad. I haven't seen it yet, it's only in major city areas....apparently not Hartford....despite the fact that we are two hours from NYC and Boston. More heart stuff: WomenHeart Survival Charm My 5 year anniversary is coming up, but I don't

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125266075771111322005-08-28T17:53:00.000-04:002005-08-28T17:54:35.773-04:00

Upon being told by her father that she shouldn't hold the sparkler so close to her face, Lily took one huge step back. Hard to get away from those attached limbs.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125262724885228632005-08-28T16:53:00.000-04:002005-08-28T16:59:58.280-04:00

Did you know that after a long day of swimming, crafting, drawing sand pictures, star-gazing, and marshmallow roasting that it is possible to be too tired to open the tent and to simply doze off leaning against the outside?

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125070475208756322005-08-26T11:29:00.000-04:002005-08-26T11:34:35.213-04:00

We're off for a weekend of camping. The one and only time I've been camping is in June with Kate, and we roughed it on an island off the coast of Maine. We slept on the ground and peed in the woods. This time, I'm going with the family (and dog), driving for one hour and staying at some sort of luxury camping site. Bathrooms, showers, lake, paddle boats, in-ground pool, water at each site.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1125028433195768582005-08-25T23:51:00.000-04:002005-08-25T23:53:53.203-04:00

An article I wish I hadn't read: Puppies as shark bait witchvox

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124735613400058302005-08-22T14:24:00.000-04:002005-08-22T14:33:33.400-04:00

Yes, just 22 hours until the next US Postal Service Delivery. Squidward is back on duty, and today he didn't even look at my face as he handed me the stack of CIS-approval-less mail. I need an intervention.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124734755181930382005-08-22T14:13:00.000-04:002005-09-02T23:47:39.416-04:00

Death. Been there, done that. Got the t-shirt.medtees

dawnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124577617983756482005-08-20T18:37:00.000-04:002005-08-20T18:40:17.990-04:00

Ooo, exciting news! Dan Levine, creator of CT News Junkie website, will be featured in the NY Times tomorrow! Congrats, Dan!

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124415681337540032005-08-18T21:38:00.000-04:002005-08-18T21:41:21.343-04:00

Unsure of how to feel about the fact that someone visited here based on an AOL search for CT women fucking animals. That's my other blog! Sorry.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124397423983907122005-08-18T16:19:00.000-04:002005-08-18T16:37:03.990-04:00

John had his regular, every-3-month kidney check up last week. Things are stable. A little review of his four kidneys: the original two were destroyed by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis,he was diagnosed at age 7 with the disease. He had a transplant from a living donor (his brother) at age 18. He immediately had an episode of rejection and then infection, got through it, only to have that

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124323870461781492005-08-17T20:10:00.000-04:002005-08-17T20:11:10.466-04:00

No letter.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124222640762718652005-08-16T16:02:00.000-04:002005-08-16T16:04:49.143-04:00

But even Squidward's replacement didn't bring me my letter. The letter is coming from the same agency where this is happening: Babies caught up in "no-fly" confusion

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124202280447845702005-08-16T10:15:00.000-04:002005-08-16T10:24:40.453-04:00

I've been waiting for 2 weeks for a letter from CIS which will approve our petition to adopt an unidentified orphan. Usually, the mail arrives at 12:00, faithfully delivered daily by our postman, whom we affectionately refer to as Squidward. Three days in a row, the mail hasn't come until 5:00. That is a full 5 hours of my family putting up with me checking the mailbox every 10 minutes.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124161284463294982005-08-15T22:41:00.000-04:002005-08-15T23:01:24.470-04:00

History is made less by those who make it than those who tell it. Go explore Vanishing Point. You'll find a world map connected to a world news database which colors each country in varied shades of grey, depending on the country's mention in the world news of the day. Click on a country, and you are able to explore how they were portrayed in popular world-wide press on a given day. A country

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1124058140277138292005-08-14T18:04:00.000-04:002005-08-14T18:22:20.283-04:00

I bumped into a former student this weekend, and she reminded me of some fun we had in class. (I always had fun teaching, I miss it) My students had a difficult time expressing possession in Spanish. They wanted desperately to use an apostrophe. It didn't matter that this was their third year of studying the language, many of them would still use it: Jorge's libro. For those of you who've never

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123890248394275972005-08-12T19:38:00.000-04:002005-08-12T19:44:08.396-04:00

I'll spend some time at StumbleUpon tonight. StumbleUpon is backed by a community of members who explore and review sites they like. These reviews help everyone discover the best sites and meet like-minded people. So says the homepage. via Popgadget

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123889383860080492005-08-12T19:24:00.000-04:002005-08-12T19:29:43.866-04:00

A French amateur psychic's powers of prediction were under sharp scrutiny after his crystal ball started an inferno that burnt out his flat, a British newspaper reports today. more Found at the Online Church of Bob

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123713046328452552005-08-10T18:22:00.000-04:002005-08-10T18:30:46.336-04:00

The Pixies were in town this week, for a private screening of their new movie at Real Art Ways. They were here, right down the road. It was all kept hush-hush, and I had no idea. I love the Pixies, and most of the spin-off Pixie stuff too. Brings back fond 80's memories.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123686144550046862005-08-10T10:57:00.000-04:002005-08-10T11:02:24.556-04:00

(while playing pretend) Lily: "Grab your arrows, we're going hunting!" Me: "Sounds exciting. What will we be hunting?" Lily: "Lions and cows and cantaloupes."

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123608171238596352005-08-09T13:15:00.000-04:002005-08-09T13:22:51.243-04:00

This morning as Lily and I were going through our morning routine, I was surprised when I noticed Willow sitting on the front step looking in at us. I thought she was safely locked in our fenced-in back yard. I still don't know how she got out. We live on a very busy road, I'm glad she had the sense to stick close to home. Now, as I type, Miss Willow finds herself locked in the bathroom. She

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123522246585779432005-08-08T13:12:00.000-04:002005-08-08T13:30:46.613-04:00

The phone numbers turned into words and phrases completely annoy me. I'd rather remember a number than try and translate a word into the right number on the keypad. 1-800-832-CCSU is the one that sparked this post. I have to enroll in some grad courses in order to keep my state certification for teaching. The state requires a certain amount of credits to renew the certificate. Well, there

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123293301608573292005-08-05T21:53:00.000-04:002005-08-05T21:56:55.920-04:00

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1123278717874442442005-08-05T17:46:00.000-04:002005-08-05T17:51:57.880-04:00

GetUpGrrrl moved easily from blogging about infertility to blogging about surrogacy, and is currently blogging about parenting! Congrats to this insightful, clever, often hilarious mommy! Read her latest adventure: Chez Miscarriage

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1122939965269025122005-08-01T19:35:00.000-04:002005-08-01T19:46:05.326-04:00

Have you ever called the office of Homeland Security? I was on hold for 47 minutes. I listened to pleasant music occasionally interrupted by an announcer who explained the ins and outs of applying for various states of residency/naturalization/visas in the US. Over and over and over. I finally got a real human, and she couldn't answer my question (for security reasons) My question? "Does

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1122845631853667232005-07-31T17:27:00.000-04:002005-07-31T17:33:51.860-04:00

Willow is sound asleep on the deck after an eventful afternoon with best buddy Lily. There was swimming, lots of chasing, then more running after bees and large dogs while the ears flap in the wind, and even some doggie bridge crossing. She is ridiculously cute.

dawnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1122760516578012632005-07-30T17:54:00.000-04:002005-07-31T08:43:28.363-04:00

Heard from the kitchen: "Is it OK to go outside with blank feet?"

dawnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1122760005659231462005-07-30T17:28:00.000-04:002005-07-30T17:46:48.356-04:00

Yes, still obsessing about the accident. After some investigation, it appears to have been a mechanical failure in the braking system of the dump truck that caused an accident involving 20 cars and 5 fatalities a little too close to my house. The company's vehicles have failed 10 of the 16 most recent inspections. This particular truck had a long history of failed inspections. My hub works

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1122730079348430362005-07-30T09:20:00.000-04:002005-07-30T14:58:50.726-04:00

I saw the Mark Morris Dance Group last night at Jacob's Pillow. They had live music! It's a small theater out in the middle of the Berkshires, so it's about an hour from here. It was a lovely drive with a good friend and we were able to get caught up on each other's lives. What a fabulous evening!

dawnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1122660117783827012005-07-29T13:53:00.000-04:002005-07-29T14:06:37.110-04:00

This is an intersection that I cross daily. Some days several times. The accident site is so close that we heard all the sirens. A fully-loaded dump truck lost control coming down the mountain (really, a big hill) and hit a bus head on at the intersection located at the bottom of the mountain. A total of 20 vehicles are involved, 4 fatalities confirmed now. Several cars are burned beyond

dawnnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7324051.post-1122642853591794032005-07-29T09:14:00.000-04:002005-07-29T09:14:13.653-04:00

Wednesday Originally uploaded by gaiagal. On Cat Blogging Friday, I present our no-eyes black kitty named Wednesday (do-do-do-do *snap,snap*)

dawnnoreply@blogger.com4