Blog-a-rama

Blogs have been around for a long time, and the first time I came across the term was when I was doing the Tech-Net section at the New Hampshire Business Review.

Like so many things technical, I discovered them before their time -- or before anyone knew what the heck they were.  A lot of techie's were setting them up so that they didn't have to answer the same questions over and over -- "how do I get Windows to do this or that."  The person could refer someone to their blog and tell them to search it.  They weren't fancy in the beginning, just a list of text with headers, but they were easier to follow than bulletin boards because it was the same person posting the information.

The next world of blogs I became acquainted with as we drifted further into the future was political and other opinion-oriented blogs.  If you liked someone's opinion, then it was always fun to see what they had to say.  But they are very forgettable, unless it becomes a habit.  I will bookmark a blog I like and then never visit it again.  Let's face it, like anything, blogging can be time-consuming, whether you're reading it or writing it.

What is a blog?  The term like so many things Internet, is a shortened, scrunched up version of the term Web Log.  Heaven only knows how long that is to say, so hence, throw out the We and you have blog!  And of course it has turned itself into a verb, so if one writes in their web log, they are blogging, and it is also a pretty little noun because one who commits the act of blogging is a blogger!

Ahh, don't you just love it!  What is so fun about a blog is that it's not a monologue -- it's not just one person talking.  If people use the comments section liberally, whole conversations can spring up, creating a world of feedback and inspiration.  The potential is pretty incredible.  Depending on what a blogger journals, you can follow a person's life, without ever even knowing them.  You can "lurk" on a blog and never comment, coming and going with no one ever knowing.  Or you can make your opinions known, agree, disagree with the blogger.  There are no rules!

One blog I follow pretty religiously is Rosie O'Donnell's.  She knows there is a future in it, she just hasn't figured out how to make money doing it.  She is quite forthcoming in the fact that she doesn't need money -- and right now she gives it all away for free.  All of it being her thoughts, her opinions, her feelings, and a glimpse into her life.

Who cares?  Right?  Isn't that kind of silly, who cares what she does.  Well, I do -- and not so much because she is a celebrity, but because I relate to her on so many different levels.  The fact that she has taken herself and put herself into the digital world and stripped herself of everything that she hates (make-up, fake crap, insincerity, the fame game) and just says it like it is, I think, is cool.

She's not for everybody, I get that.  But I've always liked her.  And I loved her when she fought back against the corporate crap that dictated how she should run her magazine, when she didn't want to run her magazine that way.  Look at Oprah.  Oprah is one big corporate suck-up beauty queen.  They told her she had to put her picture on the cover of her magazine, she was like YAHOO.   Rosie was like "I am fat and ugly and I don't want my picture on every single magazine."

But ... that is how the bigwigs wanted it -- Look at Oprah's magazine, they said.  It sells because her picture is on it.  (That is actually the reason I cancelled my subscription, but don't tell them that!)  Rosie did it because she'd signed a contract, but she did it her way and it was a beautiful thing.  My favorite Rosie magazine cover is her in her hospital gown when she was hospitalized for a staph infection in her finger.  She is holding up her bandaged finger, she has not a stitch of make-up on, and she is making a face like "Ugh, I have staph."    I remember examining it and thinking, "Wow, she really isn't that attractive."  Go Rosie.  (Or as her blogging community says "Go Ro!")

She eventually ended up quitting the magazine because her antics such as above caused the publisher (Gurner & Jahr) to take away inch by inch her control.  "I cannot have my name on a magazine if I cannot be assured that it will represent my vision and ideas," she stated in 2002 of her reason to quit the magazine.

So she has been blogging now for quite a few years and she will say anything.  She is quoted daily on talk shows and has an enormous following.  She keeps referring to something she has in the hopper, and I suspect it is talking with guests in a talk-show format that will be available via her blog.  Just think of the possibilities!  They can talk about anything -- there is no network censorship, no big suits upstairs calling the shots.  

I personally think that the end of eunuch-reporters like Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer is a positive thing and I look forward to seeing what kind of backbone other people in the public eye have when they are interviewed (or blogged) by Rosie.

Thinking outside the box -- it's such a stupid corporate phrase.  And yet, the greatest corporate scorner of them all has been doing it all along.

I am not sure why this turned into a Rosie-thon, but that's the beauty of the blog!

Snow shadow

I was working on getting my 366 picture today and ended up with what I thought was a very cool shot.

Yes, I know, it doesn't count as an entry!  Don't worry!

I am finding that taking these pictures has me constantly thinking of what I can do next.  This morning I actually laid down in the snow with wet hair spread about to see what I could get.  Not one of the pictures came out good.  All that for naught!

I just don't know

Most of the time I seem to know the right answer.  And if I don't, I feel quite confident that I am doing things the way they should be done ... no sweat.

But I am in unfamiliar territory right now and I have no compass.  There is nothing wrong with winging it when it's just yourself (like the gallbladder saga).  But when it is your child, it's just so ... different.

Maddie hurt her knee in France over Thanksgiving.   The MRI and the doctor say she has a torn ACL.  How torn, we don't really know.  Apparently there are degrees, and if say she had a level 3 tear she wouldn't be able to walk.  So, we have to presume that's not the degree.  But no matter how many times we've asked, we can't seem to find out what degree it is.  Maybe it's all just a guessing game.

After asking us which day we could schedule surgery, I asked the doctor what was the likelihood of her skiing THIS year.  Sans surgery.  He said, somewhat under duress, that she had a 60 percent chance of skiing at her level without surgery.

I've never been diagnosed with cancer, but if someone told me I had a 60 percent chance of surviving it, that to me is the same thing as saying I've been cured.  I can't help it, I am an optimist.

So with that information in hand, the fact that Maddie didn't seem to be in any pain at all and wanted to keep skiing, we decided that she would do physical therapy and get a brace and try skiing.

So all that sounds good in theory, I agree.  But now we're getting into the nitty gritty.  She has been doing PT ... she has her brace ... and she has tried skiing the past three days.  The first days were at Blackwater and were tentative stabs at best.  Today we were at Sunapee and by afternoon the corn snow was thick and tough on muscles.  Maddie would ski, with great, deep carving turns.  Then stop.

Was she hurt?

Was this it?

Were we pushing her?

Was this nuts?

Do sane parents let their children ski with a torn ACL?

WHAT DO THE DIRECTIONS SAY?

Damn, the parental directory has no chapter on this.  (Or anything else, mind you, but one is always hopeful).

What is the worst-case scenario?  She blows out her knee (again) and needs surgery.  Well, supposedly we were at this stage months ago.  So no loss there.  I just don't know.  No one does, not really.  The surgeon says operate (surprise surprise) the physical therapist says no way can she ski (I am thinking that if she said anything else she'd be concerned about being sued) and the general population opinion is all over the map.

One woman, whose father is an orthopedic surgeon, told her, when she tore her ACL and meniscus NOT to have surgery.  She did not and skis -- but certainly not at the level that Maddie is accustomed.

Many people say "good for her," when they hear she is skiing.  Like -- is she sucking it up?  I don't know.  Good for her?  It's not a competition -- she who has the most screwed up knee skis until they explode.

The people who have had torn ACL's and total reconstructive knee surgery are everywhere.  Don't start a conversation with a commentary that surgery is not the way to go, because you will only find out minutes later that they have had knee surgery.  It's kind of freaky.  

Umm, what happened to knees?  What are we doing to our knees?  There is no end to the story of knee surgery, knee replacement, knee this and knee that.

Hey.  I only have one question.  Can you ski with a bum knee?

I guess we'll find out.  Maddie is going to train with her team next week and attempt the race on Sunday.

Just so you know.  I am not pushing her.  I am a total spectator in this.  I know how stubborn I am and maybe she is just kidding herself.  I know that I did that for four years, believing without a shadow of a doubt that I could save my gallbladder.  Maybe she is just like me and believes.  But can someone shun that?  Certainly not I.  If she believes, maybe she can take herself places that no one has ever gone before.  Do I believe that can happen?

Yes.  I do.

In the real world they call them miracles.

In mine, we call them intentions.

Regardless of the outcome, Maddie will learn from this.  Whatever that lesson will be, it's hard to say.  But she has maintained a healthy optimism from the start -- maybe we are all fooling ourselves in believing that she can pull this off.  But I don't know.  I mean, I really don't know.  But there is a part of me that knows that we can do anything we want.  Anything.  

And I've tried so hard to teach my children that.  And when they decide to put that faith into practice, I guess the only thing I can do is stand back and watch.

And no one has to know that I have my fingers and my toes crossed.  You know, just in case!

So, does it say a thousand words?

Is it soup yet?
Not yet!

Kombucha underway

All about food

Today was all about food.  I haven't been shopping since before Christmas, with the exception of a few quick run-in's to the local Hannaford's.  We haven't had a decent dinner (or lunch for that matter) in weeks.

My shopping list has been ready for a few days now, but actually getting to the store was a challenge.  Not because I don't have the time, but it's far more about inclination.  And with good reason, for once you bring in bags and bags of fresh food, you have to deal with it, or else you'll be throwing it away in a few days.

This is really the first time all day that I've had a chance to sit down for more than five minutes.  It was actually a very productive day in terms of getting big things done.  The house to the Vineyard has been chosen and the food I have prepared today will keep showing up at lunches and dinners throughout the winter.

I was at the Co-op in Hanover by 10:30 and out the door $300-plus later at 11:30.  Since I buy as much organic as I can, it jacks up the cost considerably.  But oh, it's so worth it.  I just love to browse through the organic produce, taking in the real colors, the normal sized strawberries, the beautiful imperfect beets.  I feel such a sense of peace being surrounded by good food, a sense of harmony that all of my actions will result in healthy meals for myself and my family.

And the people in the store are like myself -- they care about food.  As opposed to the regular grocery stores where people are throwing in mounds of high-fructose corn syrupy items into their carts, or stacking up boxes of prepared (and processed) meals, these are people with lists and agendas.  Their agenda being to put into their bodies the best food possible.  To hell with the cost!

After schlepping in all the bags I sat down at the computer and wrapped up the vineyard house.  And then kept glancing over at the counter, knowing what type of hours all those bags represented.  After fortifying myself with a little sushi I'd purchased at the store, I spread out my recipes and began to do the "chop till ya drop."  (Which is roughly about now!)

I peeled the skin off of two free range chickens and immersed them in water along with some onion, bay leaf and garlic to simmer for several hours.  If you have never peeled the skin off of a chicken, well, you are missing something.  You see where the fat layers congregate, you see how it adheres with a special type of bond to the bone ... okay, okay.  I think you need to become one with your food.  You have to examine it, feel it, ally yourself with the notion that this before you will create a wonderful meal.

I think it's what cooking with love means.  You have to completely put yourself in the moment.  It's not about throwing a can of this and a bag of that into a pan and calling it dinner.  It's envisioning the finished product, the steaming bowl of soup or the spicy chili, or the wondrous turkey pot pie as it steams before you on the plate.  It's almost tasting it, and setting forth a spell "I deem this chicken to become the chicken soup that makes me swoon, that warms my belly in the dead of winter and fills me with its healthful promise."  (Can you picture me waltzing around the kitchen and using my magic spoon to cast my spells!)

I don't cook like this often.  And that is why it takes so much build-up to get there.  I know that I have to be in the proper mood, and the weather is helpful.  Today it rained, and there is nothing like a gray day to make me want to change the world.  And the best way to change my world is to fill the house with incredible aromas.  Everyone in the house is in a good mood when there is cooking going on.  They walk around singing, they keep asking when dinner is.  There is such promise in an upcoming meal -- even better when you get to smell it for an hour or so beforehand!

I was in the kitchen for four straight hours.  I started with a counter full of ingredients, and ended with pots, pans and dirty cutting boards and bowls.   Since I doubled everything, I had to kind of shift things around in order to utilize the 12-quart stock pot I bought myself for Christmas.  First I made the chicken stock and started the chili in the smaller pot.  Then I transferred the chili to the crockpot in order to simmer for a few hours while I cleaned out that pot then transferred the stock to its pot.  Then I cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces for the soup and then transferred the chili from the crockpot to the big pot.  Then added the 8 cans of beans and let that simmer for another few hours.  

In the meantime I cooked the turkey breast, let that cool, then chopped that up into bite-sized pieces.  That will go into the turkey pot pie that I will assemble tomorrow.  So despite all those hours, I only ended up with one complete meal.  (But ... I will freeze the chili in individual and family-sized portions so we will get at least one big meal and a lot of lunches out of it.)  I feel good!

And because the weather is so crappy, I don't really feel as though I am missing anything not skiing.  Tomorrow I will finish up the chicken soup and the turkey pot pie (I am making two of those, one to eat right away and another to freeze).

We just finished the chili and it was delicious.  And I am stuffed.  

It was a good day.

Race Day

Today Charlie had a middle school ski race at Mt. Sunapee.  While he spent the day slipping courses, standing around waiting to take his 40 second runs (four of them) or eating junk in the lodge, I had quite a productive time myself.

We arrived at the mountain at 8:30.  I skied from 9-11 and then watched Charlie come down on his first run.  When I say I skied, I mean, I really skied.  I was alone, and the sun was beating down on me and I had the slopes to myself.  I skied hard and fast, making big carving turns or short snappy turns, all the while pushing my leg muscles until they groaned.

Each time I arrived at the bottom I was breathing hard.  It was awesome!  Then on the chairlift ride up, I closed my eyes, turned my face to the sun, and meditated.

I don't normally like to ski alone, but it was different today.   I enjoyed the solitude and I fell into a groove.  I was loathe to give it up but I didn't want to miss Charlie's run.  

After I saw that, I ran into the lodge, changed, and then went to my hair appointment.  I had high lights and low lights done, I chatted, I relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed my hour and a half of pampering.  Then I went over to the general store and bought a tuna sandwich and a newspaper and ate that while reading in the car.  

For some reason, again, being alone felt so good.  Then my phone rang.  It was Maddie.  She was done with classes.  Hmmm.  I had called Peter, who was at the mountain, and he said that they hadn't even started the afternoon race yet.  So I drove to Proctor and picked up Maddie and we both returned to the mountain.  And we still had plenty of time before Charlie's first run.

I am so glad that I didn't spend the entire day watching that race -- it didn't get done until 4:30 -- that's a lot of hours to spend doing pretty much nothing.  But that is the nature of ski racing.

And ... when I do it (stand around) I get very tired and uninspired.  Hence the boring post!  But I did it!  Haven't missed a day yet!

Oh phew! Obama isn't through!

**Please note:

This particular entry is psycho.  The type has a mind of its own, I have played with it forEVER, I can't make it perfect.  I apologize.  But I am only making it worse with each attempt to make it better.**

Because my candidate did not win the New Hampshire Primary, and because I am a terrible, sore loser, I decided I needed to figure this whole thing out.  Clearly the damn media isn't going to give me any facts or truths -- they're still trying to decide if Hillary won because she @$(*&$#(@@#$ cried.  Give me a break.  So I decided to do a little research and come to my own conclusions based on (gasp!) facts.

Following are the Democratic and Republican N.H. Primary statistics from 1960 to present.  Those in bold (and their color!) became president, below each candidate are their running mates.

1960:

Democrat

Senator John F. Kennedy

(against John Fisher)

Republican

Vice President Richard Nixon

(no serious opposition)

1964:

Democrat

President Lyndon Johnson

(no serious opposition)

Republican

Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge

(Senator Barry Goldwater)

1968:

Democrat

President Lyndon Johnson

(Eugene McCarthy)

Republican

Former Vice President Richard Nixon

(Governor George Romney)

1972:

Democrat

Senator Edmund Muskie

(George McGovern)

(John Ashbrook)

Republican

President Richard Nixon

(Paul McCloskey)

(Nixon was president for two terms but was impeached in 1976.  Gerald Ford was then sworn in as President of the U.S.)

1976:

Democrat

Governor Jimmy Carter

(Congressman Mo Udall)

(Senator Birch Bayh)

(Senator Fred Harris)

(Ambassador R. Sargent Shriver)

Republican

President Gerald R. Ford

(Governor Ronald Reagan)

1980:

Democrat

President Jimmy Carter

(Senator Edward Kennedy)

(Governor Jerry Brown)

Republican

Governor Ronald Reagan

(Ambassador George H.W. Bush)

(Senator Howard Baker)

(Congressman John B. Anderson)

(Congressman Phil Crane)

1984:

Democrat

Senator Gary Hart

(Vice President Walter Mondale)

(Senator John Glenn)

(Reverend Jesse L. Jackson)

(Senator Al Gore)

Republican

President Ronald Reagan

(no serious opposition)

1988:

Democrat

Governor Michael Dukakis

(Congressman Richard Gephardt)

(Senator Paul Simon)

(Reverend Jesse L. Jackson)

(Senator Al Gore)

Republican

Vice President George H.W. Bush

(Senator Bob Dole)

(Governor Lamar Alexander)

(Steve Forbes)

(Ambassador Alan Keyes)

(Gary L. Bauer)

1992:

Democrat

Senator Paul Tsongas

(Governor Bill Clinton)

(Senator Bob Kerrey)

(Senator Tom Harkin)

(Governor Jerry Brown)

(Mayor Larry Agran)

Republican

President George H.W. Bush

(no serious opposition)

(Bill Clinton did NOT win the N.H. Primary and yet he became President of the U.S. for two terms, giving him the term "The Comeback Kid..." which they are now trying to give to Hillary.  I am thinking I'd rather have Obama be the Comeback Kid!!!)

1996:

Democrat

President Bill Clinton

(no serious opposition)

Republican

Pat Buchanan

(Senator Bob Dole)

(Governor A. Lamar Alexander)

(Steve Forbes, businessman)

(Ambassador Alan Keyes)

(Gary L. Bauer)

2000:

Democrat

Vice President Al Gore

(Senator Bill Bradley)

Republican

Senator John McCain

(Governor George W. Bush)

(Steve Forbes, businessman)

(Ambassador Alan Keyes)

(Gary L. Bauer)

(Now here we have another situation where those of us in New Hampshire did not vote for the candidate who eventually became president.  (Though I suppose that is debatable, as Al Gore "technically" won the election, but we were just beginning to get a taste of G.W.'s disregard for rules, constitutions, U.N. agreements, etc. so we shouldn't be surprised that actually losing the election didn't stop him from becoming president!)

2004:

Democrat

Senator John Kerrey

(Governor Howard Dean)

(General Wesley Clark)

(Senator John Edwards)

(Senator Joseph Lieberman)

(Congressman Dennis Kucinich)

(Reverend Al Sharpton)

Republican

President George W. Bush

(no serious opposition)

2008:

Democrat

Hillary Clinton

(Senator Borack Obama)

(Former Senator John Edwards)

(Governor Bill Richardson)

(Representative Dennis Kucinich)

Republican

Senator John McCain

(Governor Mitt Romney)

(Governor Mike Huckabee)

(Mayor Rudy Giuliani)

(Congressman Ron Paul)

And there we have it!  The N.H. Primary has earned a reputation as a launching pad for long-shot candidates, but I can't really see any definitive patterns here (except for one!)

In 1960 John Kennedy ran against V.P. Richard Nixon.  I assume that JFK was considered to be the long shot, but I bet the charisma of JFK just blew Tricky Dicky right out of the water!  And both Nixon and Kennedy won in N.H.  So nothing mind blowing there.

In 1964 Lyndon Johnson was elected -- nothing long-shotty about this.  He was the successor to JFK, there were three candidates more or less in the race from both parties.

In 1968 Nixon came back into the picture, beating out Democratic NH Primary winner Lyndon Johnson.  Nothing unusual here.

In the 1972 election Nixon won re-election.  Long shot?  I think not.

In 1976 Governor Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford.  Well, this is a no-brainer.  Ford was attached to the recently-impeached Nixon.  Republicans were in the doghouse and while the peanut farmer might have seemed like a long shot, if you look at the list of candidates, they all were.  I'm still not buying this long-shot label!

In 1980 Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter.  Was Reagan a long shot because he was an actor?  More like the Republicans needed back into the White House and if you didn't like Carter your choices were Edward Kennedy (Chappaquiddick Chappaquiddick) and Jerry Brown.  Nuff said.

In 1984 the Old Gipper was re-elected while Gary Hart was out doing Funny Business.   Bringing to us the first of political morons who couldn't keep their dicks in their pants when there were cameras around.  (This was also my first presidential election, and I thought Gary Hart was cute.  Shows you how smart I am!)

And then 1988 brought about the beginning of the Bush era.  Long shot?  Unlikely.  Money shot more like.

Then, in 1992 Gov. Bill Clinton did NOT win the N.H. Primary.  But he became President of the U.S.  Which should have been the end of the Primary's ridiculous media draw.  But alas, they can not let go of a bone they've been gnawing for so long.  And while in 1996 Clinton won both the primary election and the presidential election, things took another turn in 2000 when Gov. George W. Bush lost to John McCain (and Al Gore, but I am trying not to gnaw on the same bone myself!)  And yet ... as we all woefully know ... became president.

In 2004 Bush won again and that brings us to present day, when Hillary beat Obama.  And here it is folks, the bestest discovery of all.  The last two presidents DID NOT WIN the New Hampshire Primary.  WOO HOOO WOOOOOO HOOOOOO.

There is no real impact for these candidates in terms of delegates from New Hampshire, so the real impact is the media coverage and the "momentum" which is in itself a media phenomenon.  But remember, that momentum is built up in a diner with a bunch of puppet-waving sign holders behind the glass ... it's only an illusion.

Hey, I gotta go get me a corn dog down at the diner.

Mustard anyone?