212 / 365: Good Bye to a Class Act

Yet another icon is signing off into the sunset.

Chuck Roberts, the inaugural anchor for CNN's Headline News, is leaving the network. While his plans were not made known, I do know his departure struck something in me.

I remember moving out of my parents' house in 1990. When I set up my TV, one of the first channels I loved was Headline News (my father was a newshound, so I come by it naturally). I looked forward to coming home from work and turning on Channel 34 to catch the latest news. Sometimes I'd even sleep with Chuck after an exhausting day of teaching.

The qualities that I really appreciated in Chuck were his dependability, professionalism, and just a "no-nonsense" approach to the news. There were few, if any, editorial quips so prevalent in journalism today. Just the facts, ma'am.

While I wish him the best in his future endeavors, I am sad to know that yet another generation of journalists will miss out on what delivering news is about. Good bye Chuck. You'll be missed!

Until next time....broadcast away!

211 / 365: Retail therapy

I spent the day at two large shopping "meccas" in the area.

This morning, I accompanied my dear friend to support her as she made the purchase of her lifetime!! Her excitement was contagious and I'm still thrilled that she did what she did!!

This afternoon, we all went to another shopping "mecca" so AAC could purchase some stuff. While we were there, we took advantage of the free entertainment: a water area for children. These fountains were the perfect remedy for the boys, who don't see shopping as an important task.

Judging by my lack of spending today, I didn't see it as important either. At least for today.

Until next time....shop away!

210 / 365: Nice

This rainbow was a vision to behold!

Ironically, earlier in the day we listened to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" while driving home from Costco today. SRR was discussing his favorite food (Ramen Noodles), so I drove past the Maruchen factory located about 5 miles from our house. While planning his future employment with the company, he burst into song: (With warped collaboration by the entire R family.)

Somewhere, over the Ramen,
Way up high
There's a bowl of noodles
That will say bye-bye.

Until next time....slurp away!

209 / 365: The Soloist

Tonight, Hubby and I watched this thought-provoking movie, a true story of an LA Times journalist discovering, then befriending a homeless man. This man was a gifted cellist at Julliard. This man is schizophrenic.

My thoughts bounced around. First, to gratitude. While I often joke about my mental stability, I know that I have a somewhat sound mind and can take care of myself. I often express appreciation for physical health, but after seeing this movie, a shout out to good mental health is in order.

My contemplation soured as I thought of the millions of mentally ill people living out on our streets. According to the statistic at the end of the movie, 90,000 homeless people live in Los Angeles ALONE! Out of those 90,000, how many are of sound mind? How many can take care of themselves? Not all of them have an LA Times journalist to help them.

It's a frightening, sad and frustrating issue. How can we help?

Until next time....think away!

208 / 365: Kickboxing....a Haiku

The class was a blast!
Teacher is pregnant and still
Beat our a**es down!!

207 / 365: Goofs!

One more week of vacation and I'm torn. Do I rush like a madwoman and try to get domestic and work / business / choir stuff done? Or do I chill, knowing that the work will get done eventually? I have two reasons I'm going with the latter.

Do you blame me?

Until next time....goof away!!

206 / 365: My 168 Hours...

I posted last week that I was reading 168 Hours, a book on time management. The author's claim is that we have more "free" time during a week (168 hours) than we think. Her first assignment for the reader is a self-assessment of how we utilize our 168 hours. I printed out a blank schedule from the website and kept track of seven full days. Above was the end result.

While it is accurate, it is truly not a reflection of a "normal" week. I'm still on vacation (hence the "BG" for the Tuesday's Busch Gardens trip), there are many blocks of nap time (yeah!), and the boys and I played a lot. However, there were somethings I noticed about my time:
-I squander too much of it on my computer (shock!).
-Cleaning and laundry really don't take up much time, especially when Hubby does it.
-With all my reading time, I still didn't finish my book.
-There is the potential that I DO have enough time in the week to get things done. I don't mean housework either. Playing with the boys, watching a movie with Hubby, hanging out with friends, can all be accomplished as well.

This experiment will continue next month, when I track my work week. It will probably be the second week of August, when work is going full throttle and I won't have Vacation Bible School at night. That will be the litmus test. Am I really making the most of my 168 hours?

Until next time....accomplish away!!