"Watch my nose"

I've been thinking lately about career and job choices. Watching people perform their jobs and seeing if they seem to enjoy it or if it's just drudgery. Wondering if they consider their salary adequate for the job they do, or for the life they live.

I visited the optometrist today (just a routine blinding). And as part of the many things they check on, they want to test your peripheral vision. So the young woman doing the test says to me "I want you to look directly at my nose. Tell me when you see the ball (a florist pin stuck on a bit of dowel) come into sight. Remember to watch my nose."

Now I don't have a horrible nose. (Even though one of my little darlin's once told me I have a nose like a Clydesdale horse. ) Neither did the young woman I was staring at. But there are decidedly cuter noses than ours wandering around the planet.

I would personally classify my nose as a triumph of function over form. And I would venture to guess (based on a comprehensive survey of 5 of my closest friends) that 80% of women don't consider their nose their best feature. So any job that directs people to stare at it?

Scratch another career choice.

Burnt around the edges

We spent the day yesterday at a local lake that is an absolutely gorgeous spot. Not too many people (although some goose doo to dodge), clear water, mountains surrounding the lake, very little boat traffic and sunshine galore. (And flush toilets, although some of us rank those a little higher on the necessity list than others.) It seems to be a popular spot to bring your favorite floatie and just drift for a few hours.

Of course, sunshine means sun screen. When you belong to the chalk tribe like I do, it's far too easy to end up looking like a lobster fresh out of the pot. My kids mostly inherited their dad's skin so I tend to use myself as the human barometer for SPF recoats.

But apparently my gauge was a little off yesterday. Even with the SPF 30 & 45 out, one of the kids got a little crispy, and I can definitely tell where the spots I couldn't reach on my own back were. We bought the aloe vera gel + lidocaine and are coping, but we also bought the SPF 50 in the easy apply spray version for next time.

'Cause we'll be going back. For sure.

And I'll probably even remember my camera next time...

The pros and cons of metal chairs

Usually when I'm having a hard time making a decision, I sit down and make a list of pros and cons. Sometimes it helps sort of solidify my thoughts or preferences. But sometimes, there are things I just don't think of.

For example:

As part of a home renovation, we had to put in a beaucoup-bucks drainage system with sump pump. (Gravity and water make a funny combination when you live on the flat spot mid-way down a hill.) We had to leave the drainage pipe relatively open so that water could actually flow into it. That meant no major landscaping. (I can really live with that.) So we opted for a stone-block patio for the majority of that space. The crew that installed it did a very nice job of sloping it so that water runs off into our beaucoup-bucks drainage. (Which didn't help with the storm that came through last week but that's another story.) It is surrounded by flowerbeds behind a retaining wall, and is generally becoming a lovely little space.

Being susceptible to home decor magazines like most people, I decided I needed a bistro set on the patio. Nothing huge, but a table big enough to hold a laptop or an easel and a drink. A couple chairs to sit on (not the barstool type) and we'd be good. So I started looking. And I came up with a variety of different looks and a variety of price ranges too. Bought two, broke a third, and ended up with a very cool table (that's it over there -> ) and two metal chairs.

But it wasn't until today that I started thinking about the pros and cons of those chairs.

Pros: Metal chairs don't have any of those sissy weight limits that wicker chairs or plastic chairs or folding chairs do. Anyone of almost any proportion should be able to sit on my patio without being let down.

Metal chairs won't blow over or sail plane into the neighbor's yard during a wind storm. (BTW, if you lost a barbeque cover, call us. It was under a bush at the bottom of our yard.)

They look totally cool. The chairs I have are a bronzed finish with slate insets in the backrests and are actually very comfortable for the shape they are. (I also saw a gorgeous set in galvanized steel but it was out of my price range.)

They can be repainted pretty easily should I need to do a little maintenance or if I just want a change.

Cons: (beginning with the ones I did think of) Don't want to be sitting on one in a lightening storm. (The storms around here always seem to find the ground. We've had two houses and a McDonald's hit so far this year in our valley.)

They can rust if you leave them out year round. Or spray them with a hose every day. Or sit them directly on dirt. Or put them in the pool, I suppose.

(Now the one I didn't think of)

They get HOT! When the temps hit 100 degrees (and that's most of August and parts of July and September), you definitely don't want to rest your bare summer legs (or back or arms or elbows) on one of those puppies! I could get cushions but that'd be a dangerous sort of dance if it shifts when you sit down. And if you forgot it'd be very embarassing (yes you can break down that word to catch my drift) to explain the burn marks to the doctor at the ER.

They are my chairs now, so I suppose there's a few options.

1. Don't use them during August and parts of July and September. Really, if it's that hot, I wimper when I have to go outside anyways.

2. Set up one of those cool misting systems over the bistro set. (A few restaurants in town have them over their patio dining and they work very well.) But that means water on metal, which means more likelihood for rust, which means more instability, which means I might let down some poor unsuspecting visitor someday who will have to explain the rust on their pants to the doctor or ER I'll have to call when they hit the stone patio ... (see the vicious cycle developing?)

3. Use them for cooking. It'd triple our grill capacities and the perfectly flat surface would be great for pancakes.

I guess I'll have to see how it pans out.

But they look great.

Had to laugh...

Nuts!

It's been a very full week. We just finished the Inspire Worship & Creative Arts Conference here and I must say I think we have to count it a success. Not everything went the way we'd hoped but, that's only to be expected, and nothing went horribly wrong throughout the event either. Russell Fragar is a delightful man and I met some other very interesting and creative people as well.

The biggest challenge of organizing an event like that is actually eating healthy meals. When you're there 5-8 hours a day, chances are you've skipped a meal or two. "Let's just finish hanging the ginormous frame and then I'll eat." "Just let me finish ironing the bubbles and I'll grab something." "What? We need lamps in the oasis? Okay, be right there." I generally pack at least a snack but lately I've even stretched that a bit. I carry a bag of raw almonds or some kind of nuts everywhere but the closer we got to the kick off concert, the more got wrapped around the nuts. Almond Joy, Snickers, Turtles -- all passed as a meal at some point. I'd get home late and grab a PB&J before bed. I may have eaten a cheese string a friend brought once but that's about as close to real food as I managed for awhile.

Here's my logic. Nuts are a good source of protein. And some of those healthy oils you hear about. Some fiber too. So I figure as long as it's got nuts in it, it's healthy right?

No?

Nuts.

In requiem

It was a bitter sweet moment today. Our toaster died.

That toaster was a wedding present. It still has the marks on its black side of where DH melted a bread bag onto it. It was a nice streamline model that fit in the appliance cupboard. And now I have to face the world of small appliances again.

DH is not so concerned. "Get a four-slice toaster that can handle bagels." Such a moving testament to the toaster that has finally cooled after almost 18 years of service.

Of course, he's also the one that just snapped the handle of the shovel given to us on our first anniversary...

"Rot Your Brain" Day

School finished in our neighborhood last Friday. It took about 20 minutes for boredom to set in.

But because it is the beginning of summer vacation and because I don't have the day off to loll around like some people, I declared today "Rot Your Brain Day." Yep, contrary to every bit of parenting advice, today there is no limit to screen time - video, computer, TV, hand held games - it's all good. (At least until 6 o'clock. I'm still a mom after all.) It was amazing the spontaneous shows of affection that erupted after my announcement at supper last night. And even more amazing is the silence in my house today.

I expect them all to be cross-eyed and cranky by the end of the day, but at this point...

totally worth it.

Do the hustle...

Toddler legs are some of the cutest things God ever chose to make. My kids are growing and now it's only a fond memory or an afternoon with someone else's kids that let me enjoy those chubby little knees and inverted ankles.

But, let me be frank, there are many stages of those younger years that I do not miss. Many, many stages that I don't miss. And because they're pretty safely behind me, I can laugh at other mom's that are living with them. Not too loudly, of course, and with the hope that the twinkle in my eye is taken for empathy should I ever get caught.

Case in point - I was at Starbucks the other day (laugh - I know - not a coffee drinker but there I sat) waiting for a friend that I was also interviewing for a magazine article. Two grown-up sorts of activities. As I waited, I tried to figure out how to duplicate the ceiling panels for our church, smiled at the too friendly and obviously over-caffeinated staff, and ran over some notes for the interview. And I briefly noted a young mother visiting with a friend in the corner while two little blond toddlers played on the floor.

Then came those electrifying words "Mommy, I have to go potty."

She didn't even stop to finish her sentence. "Mommy" dashed across the coffee shop to locate the restroom door and then stood there doing a "hope-we're-on-time" dance of her own while her small son tried to run behind her with his knees locked together to avoid the inevitable. They disappeared from sight before the dent in her chair cushion had even had a chance to start relaxing.

Gotta tell ya...

Don't miss those days.

You've got mail

My mailbox lately has been an assortment of junk mail envelopes. Occasionally, something I actually want will show up so, of course, I have to sift through it all.

The president of my credit card company has been writing me personally to let me know that there's more ways to get into debt at a ridiculous interest rate;

I can have my windows tinted at home (I have blinds) or in my car (already tinted) (Do you suppose they could tint my car windows in the comfort of my home?);

my 1-year magazine subscription is expiring in 8 months (!) and it's time to renew;

the Sierra Club wants me to join and in the interests of preserving nature is sending me a free plastic narrow calendar to stick on my keyboard;

a make-up company who's moisturizer I like has 3 FREE GIFTS if I order within 10 days (I deal with them online);

Oh - here's a new one: The Dalai Lama is writing to me! Now understand, I have nothing against the Dalai Lama. He's a sharp dresser. He always manages to look calm. And I expect the cause in the envelope is a worthy one. But I just think that somewhere in the chain of command, someone might have said "Do you really think the Dalai Lama should be sending junkmail?"

Ed MacMahon and his million dollar check are starting to look better and better...