Happy New Year!

So I'm no longer completely anonymous. (I like anonymouse better.) That's me...With the lovely and ever so photogenic Carrie. Whom I miss TONS.

I feel good things for next year. I see a Mr Parrish in my future. Keep your fingers crossed.

I'm off to Kansas City to enjoy the arrival of a new person in our family. Sarah will come into the world at something around 930am Monday January 3rd, 2005. We've waited a long time for her. Especially her mom...Who is way more than ready to be up and moving around.

So - We'll talk to you next year. Maybe some great new events, maybe some insights....Maybe nothing. Who knows.

Happy 2005!

Animals & the Tsunami

I read today that in Sri Lanka, they've found not a single wild animal carcas. Now granted, elephants and buffalo are probably not hanging out at the beach on a regular basis. But to not have found any?? That is Mother Nature at work. Those animals must have felt it coming and headed to higher ground. Which begs the question...Sure, they 'felt it coming'. But how did they know what to do?? How did they know higher ground was better? And how did they know where and what higher ground was?

Which begs the next question...Why do we humans not 'feel' anymore? We're animal as well, right? Surely, if we had paid attention, we would have known to go to higher ground too.

And the next question...Do humans know what higher ground is? Do we know where is that inner safe place to just go when emotional and psychic tsunamis are headed our way? If we knew, wouldn't our therapist bills be much lower?

I think we do not pay enough heed to our inner elephants and buffalos. If you stop and think, you can pinpoint that higher ground is with your family, in your garden, on a run, or maybe just at Borders being quite. Do you go there enough? Do you make sure you're there when the tsunamis are headed inland? I think if we do, we might be safe like the Sri Lankan elephants.

Know your own higher ground and know when to go there.

Glad Tidings - Sad Events

I've not blogged for some time...And so much has happened.

I've had a wonderful holiday season, and have more yet to come. I'll spend time with my cousins on Saturday. And new baby Sarah is on her way Monday.

Good times with family and friends. Alone time with Renee. More Hannah time than I could hope for. Bonding with mom, Niki, Scotty. Plus.....A big ol' argument with my brother-in-law. Perceived shortage of defense from my brother. Ugh...Guess there's always some bad with the good.

As happy and sad as it was though....It all seems like nothing. Especially, compared to the devastation our planet has just endured. Last count says at least 50,000 humans are gone. In one fell swoop. And that surely isn't the last count. Not all have been accounted for. 50k is only from the immediate catostrophe. And that 50k doesn't include cats, dogs, cows, sheep, horses, trees, vegetation, beaches, hospitals, homes, temples, mosques.....You get my point. Can't even let myself think about the disease, starvation, and violence that is sure to follow.

They say this will be the greatest tragedy of my lifetime. I hope that carries on to the Hannahs, Sophie, Ashlyns, and Sarahs of the world. I certainly don't want them to see anything worse.

So, even if you have no god....Please say a prayer to something...Our world could use it about now.

I will make a point of putting aside my little troubles. No concentrating on sucky job, lack of love-life, separation from family, or my asshole brother-in-law. Those are all overcome-able.

If we can, let's put together one giant ball of Karmic energy...And see if we can make things over in the southeast a little better some how - some way.

Give anything you can; anywhere you can. Our nation can conjure up a F of a lot more than W's pitiful $35M....I KNOW IT!!

Me

Some things about me....I'll try to keep this list ongoing:

1. I appear stand-offish.
2. I'm secretly very shy.
3. I have an opinion on almost everything.
4. I have a short-list of friends.
5. Once you make the short-list - You're on for good.
6. I'm fiercely loyal.
7. I love root beer.
8. I have a serious bird phobia.
9. I love being an aunt.
10. I'm an animal person. Have a cat now..Lifestyle can't handle a dog.
11. I love crossword puzzles.
12. Reality TV rocks. But only the competitive stuff...Not the lovey dovey stuff.
13. I can remember the first moon landing. And I made my mom take me to pee in the middle of it.
14. I'm named after my dad.
15. I can play the piano.
16. I used to play the saxophone.
17. I don't understand being in the car without singing.
18. Silent Night makes me cry every time.
19. My mom is my hero.
20. I have uncontrollable curly hair.
21. I have boobs and hips.
22. I love being a girl.
23. But I am proud to be a guy's gal.
24. I've been in love more than once.
25. Can never decide between egg drop or hot and sour.
26. Breakfast is the best meal of the day.
27. And of all breakfast foods...No - All food ever...BACON!!
28. Puppies have a great, unique smell. (They smell like love.)
29. Ponchos are a fashion NO.
30. I don't like any soft drinks.
31. Beer only when it is really hot, or I am hanging with the boys.
32. I drink gallons of water a day.
33. White wine over red...Doesn't stain the teeth.
34. My oldest friend is 85...My youngest is about to be born Jan 3.
35. Pie is better than cake. (Unless you are talking about the band.)
36. Rare to medium rare.

That's it for this go round. Like I said..Will try to keep it going.

Chica Louise

So chatting the other day with fellow trying-to-blogger Chica Louise.

And how to blog...Here are the dilemmas --- I blog about something I don't necessarily need YOU (my mom, my family member, my co-worker, my friend) to know...So I don't send to you.

I blog ABOUT you...My mom, my family member, my co-worker, my friend...I DEFINITELY don't send to you.

I blog about something you might tell someone about me blogging...My mom, my family member, my co-worker, my friend...You get it.

You read my blog...You can't read my blog...So how to get blog readership..

THAT is the connundrum.

Jet Lag

So may things to blog about. So little time to blog.

I just returned from a very quick (two days) trip to London. Jet lag is an odd thing. For me, it has less to do with sleeping...And more to do with eating - Or I guess I should say not eating. I have no interest in doing so for about the first two days going over....Which, actually, works out fine. Since we all know how very famous the British are for their culinary skills. But then - I have no interest when I get back for about two days as well. Today I've filled up (by 3pm) on a cup of hot chocolate and a granola bar.

So what I've decided....Is that I should figure out a way to take a couple of months sabbatical, and fly back and forth to London every 2 or 3 days. I'd eat like a bird for the entire time. If I can find a cost effective way to do it, I think I'll put Atkins, WeightWatchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach and every other diet plan way out of business. Any marketing gimmicks anyone can think of are welcome.

As Promised - Agnosticism...The Lazy Man's Decision

I'm reading a book now where the main character embraces three religions. Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. His basic premise is that he wants to love God...And the more ways - The better. I have to admire it...And think it is a swell idea. But I don't know that I have the brain power to fully embrace three ways of thinking and, on top of that, to meld them together.

But it got me to thinking about atheism, agnosticism, and belief...Or faith, some might call it. Those who don't know me well probably couldn't guess which is me. But I am full on belief/faith. God exists..He does. Jesus and all that raises zillions of questions (to which I have lots of answers/theories)...But God, alone, is an absolute in my mind. He (could be She or It - doesn't really matter to me) loves me, I love him. That simple.

So athiests...At least they've put thought into their conviction. I don't, necessarily, like the thought. It is way too final for me. One chance & that's it just isn't enough for me. To have no reason in the universe at all is just too bland. Too whitebread. Too skim milk. I have great arguments against athiesm (rainbows - no reason for them...and singing...no evolutionary reason for it) and love to expound upon them. But again - At least athiests have thought about it.

Which brings me to agnostics. They've just given up. The question was just too much for them. Don't want to bother their heads with it. So they'll just wonder for the rest of their lives. Obviously they believe a LITTLE bit....or they'd call themselves athiests. So they believe..Right? If there's a doubt; there's a little belief.

I'm glad I have this one comfort in my life. This one area where I just don't question. I know I'm a good person...I love people..I love life...I pretty much love everything. And that's what it's all about, right? Just love. That's why we're here. That's what we do best. So embrace it. Laugh, love, smile, hug, cry, and tell people you love them. You'll feel SO much better - I promise.

What Am I Doing Wrong?

Two odd events over the last couple weeks. Let's investigate.

#1 - Heavy Atlanta freeway traffic. Truck to my right is hovering...and hovering. Reminds me of that tow truck that was hovering some months back. Any commonality? OH - The split front jeans skirt. Look down - Sure 'nuf....In all the on the clutch/off the clutch, skirt has scooched up to the hoohoo. Or almost the hoohoo....Really just the fat of my thighs meeting. Can that really be that attractive? Guess the suspense of what comes next is just too good. And the dude has the balls to smile, honk, wave, and turn his head completely backward when I fall behind him. Whatever - Hope he at least got a good monkey spank out of it.

#2 - Out for drinks with coworkers...Turns into a big night. Normal bars close...What to do? Head to those that are open, of course. Those that are open = Nakey-butt bars. (From here on out referred to as nb bars.) So - We all know chicks in nb bars are targets, right? And the female friend with me is just too hot and flaunts her kick-your-ass potential too much for even a stripper to go for her. I become said target. Skank approaches & kneels behind me. "You're so beautiful..Blahdeblah." Yeahyeah - Not thinking a lot about it. Hold the phone! (The next scene takes place in approximately 15 seconds.) - What's this? Is that her hand going down my shirt? Her hand is on my boob! She just tweaked my nipple! Cannot say it felt bad....But the girls prefer boy attention.

So - Truckers and strippers. Is this why I am single? Am I concentrating on the wrong demographic? Are "single, nice looking, professional, witty, 40ish men" THAT off base? I guess so. Truckers and strippers.

Sigh.....

Next go round I'll bring out the brainiac. Considering a brain dump on agnosticism...The lazy man's decision.

Trixie Defined

So Trixie is my alter-ego. I was given the moniker approximately 12 years ago by my, at the time, boss. He's a Guido and a nugget (read gold jewerly wearing but semi-cool dude)...And I still love him to this day for the name and his tackily charming persona.

Trixie is the inner fun-girl in all of us who doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks. She smiles big, laughs loud, shows her teeth, and flirts like a vixen. Boys love her.

Trixie is always present, but not always visible. All my good friends know her. As my friend, BH, says...When she's drinking she gets 'kissy'. I think kissy is generally good.

So - As I blog, more from Trixie. Probably sometimes from just me...That'd be the more introspective side. I like the dichotomy. It is what makes me me.