Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!!!!!

And fairies, and princesses, and Freddys and 'Scream' guys and football players, and Supermen and Spidermen and cheerleaders and people with just strange makeup, and some who came, I guess as 'themselves.' :)

Because DST is still in effect, it didn't get good and dark until 6:30, and even the little ones, who usually start out around 4:30 didn't come out until after it was dark. By 6:30, I was getting kind of worried, 'cause there had only been about 4 trick-or-treaters, but never fear... once it got dark, they came in droves! The weather couldn't have been better!! Up to the 70s during the day, and while they were trick-or-treating, it was probably in the low 60s.... BEAUTIFUL day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The sun was so bright, it was such a clear day, and the leaves have begun to turn, which makes the hour-long drive each way worth it!!!!!!!

And an hour and a half and 200 pieces of candy later (and yes, they were limited to one piece), the bowl was empty, we had sat on the porch and talked to each other, I got to see M's new granddaughter (absolutely BEAUTIFUL baby!!), and it was time to turn out the light. A short Halloween (and WHEN will I learn I need more candy?! I stopped counting last year at 170!), but a great one!!!!

Had even more fun when the porch light burnt out (scared me to death), got to scare one of the trick-or-treaters when I came out from the dark, DESPERATELY wanted to get outside... so a big chunk of that hour and a half was spent chasing one of them around the bushes and the fence outside!

I was afraid she was going to get scared by some of the kids or the dogs around here and would run off somewhere where I couldn't find her. Once I got her back inside for good (for the third time), she CONTINUED to meow, begging to come outside again. I FINALLY threatened to put her downstairs where there's a door that can be shut, and that shut her up for quite a while. Who says cats don't understand English? ;)

I don't understand why they were so scared of the people this year-- they never have been before, but this year, they got the wild look in their eyes and just took off!!!!!! Especially when one little girl just walked right in the house, 'cause she wanted to pet them. Poor mom was mortified and came chasing after her. Meanwhile, I chased down one of the cats so the little girl could pet her. Secret wiggled and tried valiantly to get away, but I held her, and the little girl did pet her, gently and tenderly. They were SO incensed and insulted when I did that, and when I grabbed them and put them back inside every time they got out... it was hilarious!! But then they would sit by the door, watching and sniffing and meowing to come out. I knew they'd be scared to death, though!

And, now, I've just finished watching the Halloween episode of Journeyman, which just gets better and better every week!!!!!!!

I love Halloween!!!!! :) I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!!!!!!

Monday, October 29, 2007

::Shiver::

Now, fall has hit! BIG time!! Had to scrape off the windshield this morning!! Went back over to J's after work-- they should be back later on this evening... poor Daisy (the kitty) was SO lonely!!

Gotta work on scripts for this weekend's workshop, and memorize my lines for tomorrow's rehearsal! ACK!!! Just so much to do right now!

P called and wanted me to come to the Synagogue this weekend. They're having a speaker and someone who's going to give free flu shots.. which actually would be a good thing. She's going to try to get J to come to get hers-- she works with the public and is SO susceptible. It would be a good thing; hopefully, she will.

Have to get the hose in and turn off the outside water before it REALLY gets cold, although they said it's not going to get quite as cold for the week. But, I'm going to try to do it anyway. I even left work early this afternoon because I really needed to get to Target and the grocery, since this weekend was a total loss as far as doing much around the house. Didn't have any candy for the kids for Wed... and on Wed, I'll have to leave work early, too, to get home and get ready for the trick-or-treaters... they're not supposed to come until 6, but the little ones often come starting at around 4!!!! I won't be home quite that early, but I hope by 5, I'll be ready if they come. Halloween is always so nice, because we all get to sit out on the porches and talk.

And, YAY, the Sox won!!!! I'm not a big baseball fan, but I can't STAND the Yankees. Their fans are just SO rude and disrespectful when they come here. So, I was glad they lost, and I have friends from Boston, and I like to listen to WBZ at night a lot, so I have a fondness for Boston, so I was glad the Sox won.. however, I was kinda rooting for the Rockies, and wish they'd won at least one game. But, what a deal, to have made it to the World Series! That's quite an accomplishment in itself!!!

I keep wondering where the weeks are going... before I know it, another week has started-- I turn around and that week is OVER! It's getting more and more depressing.

I am hoping to have the roof done by Thanksgiving, and then have most of the house painted over Christmas vacation (it needs it badly!), so that I can have new carpet put in the basement (right now, it's the cheap, disgusting individual square stuff that's just AWFUL), and I want wood (laminate) floors in the living/dining room... but I want the basement painted and there's a couple of places in the drywall and/or ceilings that need to be fixed, as well. That probably wouldn't happen until spring. Cross your fingers!!!!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Ask and ye shall receive!

Well, it FINALLY stopped raining this afternoon... the rain was so hard last night, I thought it would NEVER stop!!!!!! It did not stop from Wednesday morning to this afternoon. UNBELIEVABLE.

Well, my drive to the workshop was not as bad as I thought it would be!! I was so glad to be able to do the workshop again with T! I would love to go to his studio in NYC and take classes..... since they don't offer any on Saturdays or Sundays, looks like it's going to be a while. And he won't be back here for a while, either, as he's beginning a new production in NYC.

J. called to check on kitty and to let me know that they got there... on THURSDAY! :) Anyway, so all is cool.

Then T. called. E. has gotten some interest from some agents in LA. WAY cool!! Looks like she'll be flying out there and if she signs with an agent, I told T. to expect that she will be out there for three or four months during pilot season. She's freaked out at letting her daughter MOVE out there, and I can't say I blame her, but E. has to jump on this chance. We'll work out how it should happen. I am SO thrilled for her (and a little jealous for me!).

I'm writing again today because I feel so lazy for not having written for an entire week! I have to work on scenes for the show this week (no rehearsal on Wed. though! YAY!), and four scenes for the workshop next week. Gonna be a VERY busy week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, I know, we NEED the rain, and I keep telling myself that, but it is SO depressing! And as usual, the morons around here do not know HOW to drive in the rain. They INSIST on staying right on each other's tails (so they are surprised when there are constant pile-ups!), and yet they also insist on moving at 5mph. It took an hour and a HALF to get to work on Wednesday and yesterday, and even longer to get home last night! This morning, despite the rain, it wasn't TOO bad, but still took over an hour!

I am loving rehearsals!!! This is a fun show! The second section we worked on on Wed., I have not yet memorized. That one and the one we're working on next week are going to be the hardest ones, so I've got to work on those BIG TIME over the next few days! And, I had to prepare a monologue for tomorrow AND I have to prepare two scenes for next weekend. ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I am spending the next two weekends doing workshops with a well-known instructor and a well-known casting director.... I can't wait!!!!!

J and L went to NY to visit family, and decided to leave today (who knew it would suddenly start pouring?!).... I hope they didn't run into too much really bad weather and traffic! They left yesterday morning, and I'm going over to J's house to check on and visit her kittycat. Since L's cat is diabetic and has to have insulin injections 2x/day, she has someone else who can spend a bit more time there taking care of him. L lives about 1/2 hour south of here, but wanted J to come down THERE and then go back NORTH. She said not this time, and had L come up to her house. Makes a LOT more sense to me!!!!!! So, anyway, I'm off in a couple of minutes. Will go over and spend some time making kitty feel not so alone. :)

Friday, October 19, 2007

Another one bites the dust!

HOW has this week passed so quickly?! Every day this week, there's been a problem with the traffic. ARGH!! So, it's been very stressful getting to work-- I'm surprised with all that, that it's gone so quickly... guess when you're so busy you don't have time to think, time goes by fast!!!! My kids went to the pumpkin farm today, though, so it was a nice, quiet day. :)

Went to rehearsal Wednesday night-- first readthrough.. .it was a LOT of fun... EXCEPT for the fact that the first FIVE meter things I went to were out of order, which meant that by the time I found someplace to park (and it was raining, for the first time in WEEKS, although not a hard rain, more just enough to make the roads slick) and found a meter that actually WORKED, and walked BACK to where I'd parked the car, I was late... ::SIGH:: I think it's a good cast and I think it's going to be a LOT of fun. He requested we be off book by next week... uh, yeah. Sure. Anything you say!!! I have already done some work, but need to record by tomorrow so I can listen and learn while driving... see, there's SOME use for being in a car for 2 hours/day!!!!

Speaking of rehearsal, on the way there the engine light came on.... had me worried, but I stopped and tightened the gas cap, as I thought it might have come loose in all the AWFUL roads I have to drive on... I mean, seriously could make you black and blue! Says it takes one driving trip if that's the cause for the light to go off. So, I waited a while, and the next time I started it, it went off after about 5 minutes and hasn't been on again since. Thank goodness! I was REALLY stressing about if it might cause some damage to the engine, being as I drive so much each day (minimum of about 45 miles, often more), and trying to figure out when I could take it in as my weekends for the next month are pretty full, and wondering how I was going to pay for whatever might have to be fixed, and how long it would take..... I hope that's all it was. If it comes on again, guess I'll have to deal.

And it actually rained today!!! I mean, seriously rained! We are about 10 inches below where we should be, rain-wise... but I still wish it wouldn't rain until the roof is fixed!

There was some VERY severe weather last night near my mom's house. Called her today, but no answer. So will call back tomorrow, just to make sure she's ok. I think she gets tired of my calling so much while on my way home, but I get SO bored during that long drive every day, and she gets upset when I call her when I'm at home and I'm 'multitasking.' I can't HELP but multitask, but she thinks my attention should be SOLELY on what she's saying.


Halloween decorations are up all over. I just can't BELIEVE how fast the time has come. Mom keeps asking every time I talk to her if I have my ticket yet. I had told her we needed to make a decision about who was going where for Christmas within the next week or two, so I keep telling her, "I still have another week!!!!!!"

I could not find paper luminarias, so I got metal ones, which are pretty cool, but I'm afraid to put them out before Halloween.. maybe next weekend. We'll see.

Have been listening to what's going on with oil prices and with the stock market, and it's freaking scary! I keep telling myself that it will recover, but somehow this time I'm not so sure that it will... not anytime soon, anyway. If oil prices continue to stay where they are (or go higher) and Bush pushes his war with Iran, and/or if Turkey ends up going into Iraq, we are all going to be in some serious trouble.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Damn this traffic jam!

Did I mention that I HATE to drive? Especially long distances? ESPECIALLY in the traffic of one of the WORST congested areas in the COUNTRY? With one of the longest average commutes???? ARGH! Today there were six-- count 'em, SIX-- different major accidents all over the area (almost all of the major roads) and I sat in what was essentially a 12-mile backup, in which we never got above 20mph, and even then not for long..... an hour and a HALF (actually, a bit longer) for what SHOULD have taken 45 minutes, even in normal rush hour traffic.

AND I had to stop at the grocery store again because somehow the milk and cottage cheese got knocked behind the MOUNDS of work stuff in my car and ended up out there all night. So, I had to go and get more. I am SO exhausted!!!! And now I will not get the things done that I had planned.... which makes me even less happy. It would be a WHOLE different thing if I could ride the train like I did when I lived in London, and I could read a book or the paper (or even do work) on the way, and not worry about when I was going to get there, or what accidents there would be-- last year, I kept track... except for 2 days, for NINE STRAIGHT WEEKS there was an accident every single day, often morning AND afternoon... I HATE never knowing how long it's going to take to get somewhere, or how much time you should leave. I hate even worse being late. And the problem is that if there's an accident on the main road, the other routes are JUST as bad with all the people trying to avoid it.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Cats and Cashiers......

What do they have in common? They do things that are COMPLETELY incomprehensible!!! My beautiful little orange tabby female, Secret, has a thing about things that roll. She doesn't like regular cat toys (none of my cats do/have, for some reason). They STARE at them and at me, like I have three heads, when I give them the toys I spent a million dollars on! A piece of string or a pencil.... THOSE are real toys! And since Secret likes to stand in front of me when I'm on the computer (with her bum in my face, of course!) so I can't see the screen, when I make her move, she will almost always knock over the pencil/pen cup on the desk... and then proceed to stand on the printer and roll those same pens/pencils INTO THE PRINTER! THEN... you've heard of a lap cat? Secret is a chest/shoulder cat!!! Especially when I'm sitting at the computer... she feels the need to climb on my arms/chest/shoulders and lay there-- and heaven help me if I somehow let her slide or fall!! If looks could kill!!!!

Meanwhile, WHY is it that cashiers INSIST on putting bread on top of HARD objects in plastic bags? Where they don't STAY on top? And have none of them heard of 'keep raw meat away from other things, especially things you plan to eat RAW?" When I complain, I am told, "Was the bread on the TOP of the bag?" "Um, well, maybe when she PUT it there, but once you pick it up, it doesn't STAY there!" "Was the meat in a separate plastic bag?" "Um, a SMALL one that won't keep it from leaking on my vegetables!" "Oh, well, that's the way they're TAUGHT to bag things."

A nice (but, again, way too short) weekend. Friday I was supposed to go to J's after work to be there when the window guy came. She's going to get replacement windows. However, I ended up leaving work later than I planned, and HE ended up getting there a lot EARLIER than planned, so he was already gone before I got there. So, we decided to go get something to eat.... of course, J. couldn't decide whether we should stay in and order pizza or go out and get something. She didn't feel like going out, really, but we both wanted a salad, so I asked her if she wanted me to pick her up. She immediately said, "YES!" Not sure if she was just tired or what, but she did NOT want to drive. Not a problem, since I was out anyway.

Yesterday, I drove to Virginia. More about why later. So that was most of the day, there and back. Did I mention I really DO NOT like driving? Especially spending up to 2 hours each DAY in my car? And that I RELISH a day where I do not have to get into my car at ALL???????? Though they very rarely happen.

Today was a very relaxing day, for the most part. J., L., and I thought about going to a movie. Since L. was at home and J. was at work, I ended up playing phone tag between the two of them to make arrangements.... eventually we decided that there wasn't a movie we really want to see that badly-- well, not that we ALL want to see-- so we just went out to get something to eat. We discussed Thanksgiving-- it's definitely going to be here... since Bob Evans has great banana bread, I ended up promising I'd make some banana bread for Thanksgiving, along with the usual rolls.... then L. decided she'd like pumpkin bread even better, but since everyone wants a pumpkin pie, I guess banana bread it will be. But, I already told them, NO NUTS. I HATE nuts, especially when they ruin my wonderful banana bread. They said they'd bring their own and stuff them in the bread before they eat it!!!

Mom is going to send me some pecans because I cannot find chopped pecans here, and I really don't like to use half-pecans for pecan pie.... now, of course, I COULD chop them myself (and DID the first year I was here and was shocked that they didn't have them-- chopped walnuts, yes. Chopped pecans, no). But, the ones Mom can get are better. :) No-one here had ever had pecan pie before I made it for Thanksgiving one year, so that one they always want. I made a chess pie one year instead (which is very similar), which they liked, too, but since Sis is coming, I'm going to stick with pecan... it's her favourite.

Anyway, after we ate, I had to do all the things I had put off.. .going to Target, going to the grocery, washing clothes, changing the bed, etc., etc., etc. I also got some Halloween decorations and a whole bunch of cute little $1 stuff for my 'treasure box' at school that I think the kids will love.... so it was worth the aggravation of trying to maneuver through all of the people out shopping-- you'd think people had NOTHING else to do!!!!!!!!!!!
Other little rant, which is towards myself-- I spend a lot of time going through coupons, trying to find the ones (VERY few) that I might actually USE, that aren't ".50 off of FOUR of....".... and then totally go and forget to use them! ::SIGH:: There they sit, in my purse!

When I talked to Mom today, she informed me that someone had 'invited herself' for Christmas dinner... her down-the-street neighbour, Katie, who is a divorcee who is used to having a lot of money to spend and time to 'go have lunch,' etc. She is now living on much less since the divorce, and is very lonely. The problem is that she doesn't want to do anything about it! Mom volunteers at the Senior Center, and invited Katie along. Nope. Told her she should get a part-time job (to get out of the house and earn some extra money). Nope. Told her she should get some hobbies. Nope. She calls several times a day and wants to talk-- for HOURS. Which Mom is too busy to do. I said, "If she doesn't have anyone to spend Christmas with, let her come!" Which she will, I know. Mom is nothing if not generous and kind. And when we were there in August, we kind of 'hid' from her, so she didn't get to see me, and was very disappointed and upset. So, hey, when I'm there for Christmas, I don't mind spending some time with her..... she is a very nice person, just very needy and lonely. She's actually quite a bit younger than Mom, though you'd never know it.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Well, to start with, didn't get to go to fencing today anyway. I was SWAMPED with work, and by 4:00, just knew that if I left to go to fencing, I'd be there REALLY late finishing up. So, I just kept working and was able to get out of there by 5, with the room looking NOT like a hurricane had hit it! Thank goodness!

So, we'll have to wait 'til next week to find out if the mask is causing the problem.

Anyway, got a phone call today at work-- I was cast in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did NOT think I'd get the role I did. Another woman was at the audition (well, several others), and I thought for SURE that she would get that role. I thought I'd probably get a different one, and was looking forward to working with her-- I HOPE she got a role!!! She seemed like a really fun person! And very nice--even offered me a ride to my car when we walked out of the auditions, 'cause it had started raining. Being as we haven't had any rain for a MONTH, just about, it was a good thing, but we had no reason to think it would start then... and my car was two blocks away (in the rain and the DARK). So, she was very nice! The director seems really cool. It will all depend on who the kids are that he cast.... I mean, after all, you know the saying, "Never work with kids or animals!" They will ALWAYS upstage you! :) Seriously, I usually don't like to do shows with a lot of kids in them... I deal with them all day, and really don't want to have to go and deal with them at NIGHT, when they're tired, cranky and hungry and we need to get WORK done. So, that's going to be important. First read-through on Wednesday. I can't wait!!!!!

Now, the bad news. We don't close until Dec. 23. Which means that if we go home for Christmas, it will be late on the 23rd or early on the 24th. Not so bad, I guess. Or, Mom may come here. Don't know that I really want her to come here, though... the house is never good enough, and I hate her to see it (she even said, "That's why you don't want me to come, isn't it?" Um, YEAH, but I'm not going to tell HER that!). I told her, if you come, you're more than welcome, but you'll be here all day without a car (not so good), no bathroom on the main floor, and do NOT expect the house to be really clean!!! But, she wants to see a show-- she's not seen one really since I was in college. When the last movie I was in comes out on DVD, she can see that, but the shows I've got copies of are mostly on video, so she hasn't seen them, and hasn't gotten to see any in person, so I kinda would like her to get a chance to see this one. We'll have to see. But, we really have to make a decision within the next week or two to get a decent rate. Unfortunately, where she lives is 'the end of the line,' so you don't tend to get bargains, but from what I'm hearing, things are filling up quickly and prices are WAY up. I figure that flying early on the 24th, there won't be that many people flying-- I HOPE!

Dinner, tonight, since I was so late getting home, it was 'mcmuffin pizzas.' :) Take a couple of whole wheat English muffins/person, spread them with a good tomato sauce, (fat free for me) mozzarella cheese, whatever other toppings you want (for me, pineapple. I LOVE pineapple!), and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. YUM! And HEALTHY, if you don't put a lot of meat on them!

Well, I'm off to enjoy the cool weather (down 20 degrees from yesterday!)... it finally feels like fall. I thought the kids were going to be trick-or-treating in their shorts!!!!!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Good friends!!!!

Yesterday was fun!! J. came, and the four of us went out to lunch. She looked GREAT!!! And she's gotten back her English accent!:) Sounds like she is enjoying her job and life over there, which is really a good thing! It was a bit of culture shock, I think, after being over here for so many years. The one thing she was surprised about (and so were we all!) was how HOT it has been here. Going from 40s/60s to 70s/90s was a bit of a shock. And it started the day she arrived, and will end after she goes home tonight. Tomorrow, it's supposed to be cooler. The first thing she did when she got off the plane (with her jumpers and coats, etc.) was to say, "I have to go buy some short-sleeved, cooler clothes!"

Tomorrow is fencing again-- I'm looking forward to it, but I THINK that I may have gotten some sort of contact dermatitis from the mask... at first, my face (almost my ENTIRE face) was almost like it was peeling. And the right side of my face was swollen some and very red. This was Saturday morning, after fencing on Thursday. Saturday morning, my eye seemed a bit swollen and almost sticky (not wanting to open all the way)... after an hour or so, it was better, but my cheeks were still swollen as well as my chin and under my chin. I took some Benadryl, and I also used some cortisone cream, and some neosporin (not knowing exactly WHAT is causing it), all of which helped a LOT. I could see three separate spots on my right cheek and to the side of my eye that were (and still are!) red. I finally got rid of most of the 'peeling skin' today. It is SO weird... and I think it MUST be due to the mask. ARG! If this happens EVERY week, I can't keep going, and I would HATE to give it up. But, the only other choice would be to buy my own mask, and that is not happening. Not at this stage of the game. I guess I'll see what happens tomorrow. If it happens again, that's going to have to be it. It's been miserable, and does NOT look good when going out on auditions!!!!!!!!

My neighbor's son is BACK in Iraq-- third tour. And this time he's going to be there until May. Prayers would be appreciated. This 'stop loss' garbage is just TOTALLY unfair. And if he isn't back when he's supposed to be, he's going to miss his son's wedding, which would be the WORST.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Monday, Monday!

Well, the weekend was nice (but WAY too short!!!). Didn't do the work for work I had planned to do, but, hey.... got some things done around the house (family room is STILL a mess!), and got my hair done, deep conditioned, and the 'caterpillars' (otherwise known as eyebrows) whipped-- or should I say waxed-- into shape. :) BOY, did I feel (and LOOK!) better after that!!!!!!!

My friend J., who is from England but used to live here and work with me, is visiting! So, tomorrow, we and our boss (well, still my boss), and another friend/coworker, are going to have lunch tomorrow. YAY! It'll be a lot of fun!

The other J. called today, too. P. is going to visit family for Thanksgiving and she wanted to know what we might be doing (if we're going home). Since I usually do Thanksgiving for everyone, I guess I'm back on the hook this year! :) P. doesn't really like to come over to my house, because of the steps and the fact that there's not a half-bath on the floor (and I can't blame her!), so if she's here, we go to her house, and if not, it's usually here. I got out of it for two years... so, I guess it's my turn again. Hey, I don't mind. Will ask sis and partner if they want to come, too. And, J. had BETTER not be working this year!!!! But, that also means that I am going to HAVE to get the family room cleaned up!!! BLECH.

Heard this on the radio this morning, and went to see the video. EVERY mom HAS to see this! You will hurt yourself laughing!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

Oops! Doesn't look like it's going to link-- well, just copy and paste... it is VERY DEFINITELY WORTH IT!!!!!!

And, on the not so light side, here's a video of a police officer arresting a 15-year-old girl... a girl who resisted arrest and then bit him. What do you think? Do you think it was justified or not? I'll wait a while and then post what I think about it.

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=6414


I still can't get over George Bush vetoing the SCHIPS bill.... I really can't. This program has been a GODSEND for a lot of my kids' families. I went to graduate school with a girl who had had to give up her job while raising her son because she simply could NOT afford to be without insurance and she couldn't work and get medicaid and her job didn't include benefits. If she'd had something like this when she was raising him, it would have allowed her to work instead of having to be on welfare. I certainly think it would be much cheaper in the long run to provide preventive care than ER care when it gets dicey, or having a child die (as did a 12-year-old last year) from an infected tooth (which became septic), because his mother AND social worker, try as they might, could not get an appt. with a dentist who would accept medicaid. Not only was it more expensive financially to treat that child for sepsis, he lost his life...... this is INEXCUSABLE, in my opinion, in this country. I think that Massachusetts has the right idea, however. I'm not convinced that single-payer is the right way to go. I think requiring insurance, and providing assistance in paying the premiums, is a better option. The thing is that right now we pay more than almost any industrialized (or should I say, post-industrial) country in the world, and it doesn't seem to be providing better care. We are 41st in life expectancy. I think that says a LOT about our focus on treating illness instead of preventing it. In any case, children should NEVER be without health care.... it is better for ALL of us if our children are healthy.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Three Weeks in October

Today is the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the DC Sniper killings. Hard to believe it's been 5 years. I remember how terrifying it was-- going to bed wondering when the next killing would happen, waking up and turning on the news to hear. How much worse it got when a few days would go by, because you knew it wasn't over and you could only wonder where they were and where they would strike next.

Afraid to stop and get gas-- and looking all around the ENTIRE time, and ONLY doing it when you hit empty. Being afraid to take your bags to the car. Meeting the kids at the bus and walking them in as quickly as possible, them not being able to go outside for recess or gym, or anything else. The classes in the portables had to move inside (where there was no room, which was why they had been in the portables in the FIRST place!). I remember how unbelievable it was that they would actually target and shoot a THIRTEEN year old AT SCHOOL, and the worry of the teachers that OUR kids would be next. I remember the amazing relief when they were caught, but still not quite being able to believe it was over for several days. How I shook when I read after they were caught just how close they were to our school (within a few miles), and how they were looking particularly for schools to target.

And I just heard on the news today that one of them called the family of one of the victims last month to apologise.... ::shudder:: Just the THOUGHT! And the thought of what they were planning and what they could have done had they not been stopped.

Something no-one around here will EVER forget.... Three Weeks in October.