"I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to 'cut back.' From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible."
(Erma Bombeck)
Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 9:44PM This blog entry is about one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face (besides cancer and divorce). I’ve never written about it before and I’ve rarely talked about it, even with my own family. It’s only now, nearly 20 years later, that I’m reckoning with the emotional distress that infertility has caused in my life and marriage.
Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 10:39AM My first week of teaching high school students is behind me. How do I feel? Depleted--emotionally, physically, and mentally. I knew this was going to be a challenge and a steep learning curve, and it is. I knew that the certification class, the books, and all of the advice given to me by fellow teachers would not be enough to cut it once I got into the classroom, in charge of a room full of teenagers. I knew that the only way for me to become a good teacher was to just get in there and do it.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 7:49PM Last Friday, I was interviewed for an article in the community magazine, Healthquest, a publication of Skagit Valley Hospital. There really wasn’t an “angle” that I could tell. Rather, I was simply asked to talk about my experience as a breast cancer survivor.
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 2:29PM For many years, I’ve participated in a graphic design forum on the internet where I’ve forged friendships with people from around the world. We have critiqued one another’s projects, asked for and offered advice--both personal and professional--debated politics and religion, shared jokes, and learned about the latest trends in graphic design.
Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9:26AM I saw a counselor this week. After all of the preliminaries about insurance and appointment times, she wanted to know why I was there. I spent over an hour with her and did most of the talking. I wasn't really sure why I was there. I have some ideas about it, but I'm feeling mixed up, confused, depressed, so we started there. I told her that maybe it's about the time of life I'm in right now. I suspect it has to do with loss--either real or perceived.
Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 2:38PM Lately it seems that I have become preoccupied with bad news. Mind you, my husband and I have taken great pains to avoid being inundated with news—we don’t even have TV reception. I can honestly say that I don’t miss all those talking heads a bit. I do listen to the radio for a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes in the car when I’m running errands or driving home from work. Most of our news comes by way of the Internet.
Friday, April 10, 2009 at 2:34PM Last week was Spring Break for the Mount Vernon School District. Since I work half-time at the high school and half-time for the district office, I had to work 20 hours during the week for my district position. I took my days off at the end of the week so I could have a long weekend. Now, one of the things I’ve learned is NOT to plan on accomplishing much when I have these kind of breaks. I inevitably don’t get everything done and then I beat myself up about it. So, I purposely planned to do NOTHING and give myself a break.
