Facie’s Ramblings

That extra-long title is courtesy of my nine-year-old and was something she uttered during "Say Yes to the Dress" on Friday evening. I watch very little reality TV, but I make an exception for this show because I like to look at the dresses. And sometimes, the stories are heart-warming. Typically at the end of the show, a snippet of a wedding is aired. In this particular show, a woman who was confined to a wheelchair was exchanging vows with her fiance. After the two of them finished, J made her comment. I asked her what she meant as I must have been on the computer while the TV was on, and she explained that because so many people just get divorced, why do they even say "as long as we both shall live"? That is tough one, kid. I tried with what I thought was a sound explanation: Most of the people who get married truly believe they will be together the rest of their lives, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. But if you don't think that you will be ...

So there was a hostage situation in the Burgh today. You can read the details here (I have not read the entire article yet). As it dragged on and before it thankfully ended peacefully, I started to think, as I have many times in crime-related situations, can you ever really "come back" from a serious crime? I know someone who is a drug addict (once an addict, always an addict, and know that I say this without malice or condescension). This person has been in and out of jail more times than I know, starting if not before he was 18, then not many years after. Most charges were drug-related. At least one was for assault or something of that nature. And one or more were related to theft. After a particularly long stint in jail (one to two years; I forget as it has been about four or five years since), this person came out a better man. A changed man. I believed in him and that he finally had overcome this soul-crushing addiction, something he either did not want to or could not...

Fourth grade, so far, has gone well for J (knock on wood, fingers crossed, thank you, God). My much more laid-back approach and the reasonable amount of homework are mostly responsible for this (so far) less stressful year. J, for the most part, does her homework without my begging or yelling. And she has been much more responsible. If she says she has no homework or knows the material for a test, I give her the benefit of the doubt. Hubby is not a fan of my mostly hands-off approach, but considering she is a motivated student who makes mostly A's, I say why not give her the chance on her own. But, of course, eventually, a snag occurs. Three weeks into this school year, J forgot a workbook. Bri was rather disappointed. I, on the other hand, thought it was impressive she made it that long. Considering that by this time last year, she had forgotten books and/or her folder or planner at least three times, I call this progress! Regardless, J was quite upset with herself and worried a...

On Monday, I wrote about how I was going to try to limit my 9/11 exposure. In case it was not clear, my intent was not to diminish the day or pretend it did not happen. I can guarantee I will never forget. Rather, I was concerned that perhaps I spend too much time rehashing the events and crying about them. Is it really healthy to re-watch a plane crashing into the WTC for what is probably the 100th time for me? But, as I suspected, I did watch more TV than I wanted. Here is how the 24-ish hours unfolded for me. Not that most of you (or probably any) care, but here goes. Monday night, I watched snippets of a few programs on the H2 and either the History or the Smithsonian channel. One program, which centered on people who escaped, I had seen before. The other, which I cannot remember, might have been new to me. I was so tired from staying up for the Steelers game the night before, that I was asleep by 9:30, so my about one hour of 9/11 rehashing seemed pretty respectable. Before ...

Even though tomorrow will mark the 11-year (11 years!) anniversary of 9/11, so many memories from that day are as fresh and raw as they were when the events happened. Almost every year in this blog, I talk about 9/11, typically rehashing where I was and what I was doing. But now that more than a decade has passed, I am wondering if it makes sense for me to keep going through it. Typically, I watch an overabundance of 9/11-related programming. I caught the end of one such show over the weekend, and I am proud (for lack of a better word) that I did not watch the show that followed. I also have some plans tomorrow to keep myself from ODing on shows, though I am sure I will catch a few minutes or more here and there. Most of the time, I don't think about 9/11, which puts me in good company with most Americans, I suppose. At other times, however, I cannot suppress it. Last month I drove my mom and two nephews to the airport from two counties away. The flight was scheduled to leave...

Last evening, I attended a meeting for an after-school program in my area. A local church hosts just under two dozen kids, from K through 4th grade, for about three hours an afternoon/evening, one day a week. These kids will get a snack, help with homework, some recreation, arts and crafts, and dinner. All for $.50 per week. Some of these kids don't have much of a home life. And a number struggle with school. For some kids, this will be their only "home-cooked" meal of the week. For these reasons, I think the program is absolutely wonderful, and I commend the church (not mine or my religion) for putting it on. I am not sure how this will go for me, my kid (who has to go with me and does not want to), the other kids, or the other volunteers. But considering that many of the volunteers I met last night have done this for years, they must believe in the program and want to make a difference. And so do I. As I continue to question what I should be doing with my life, ...

I am sitting here waiting for the oven repair guy (or gal) to show up. Earlier this year, our oven, which looked brand new when we bought the house 10.5 years ago but was probably several years old, would randomly shut off during baking. Fortunately, if we turned it back on, it was fine, so we chose to ride it out. Then, a few weeks later, it would not light/start (whatever happens with a gas oven). So hubby scheduled a repair and mentioned only that the oven would no longer light/turn on. The repair guy fixed that, but within a day or two, the oven would shut off again. Since hubby failed to mention the randomly turning off issue, we knew we would have to pay for another appointment, so we, once again, ignored the problem. Unfortunately, it has gotten worse, and the oven hardly stays on now. And that is why I am waiting for the repair person and hoping beyond hope it won't set us back more than $150. Wall ovens are not cheap to replace! But wait, there's more. Back in July, ...