My IU Basketball Legacy

Legacy may or may not be the correct title, but in a way this is exactly what it is to me. All my life, all my memories of my life have been surrounded every fall and winter with Indiana University Basketball filling my home. When I was little game nights, especially if on a Saturday night found my mother baking a chocolate cake, with me attempting to help so I could lick the spoon or bowl. The cake would be ready by the start of the game and my mother and I would always retire to the back bedroom to watch television there while my dad and brother would watch the game in the living room. You could hear them yelling and clapping and laughing and often my mother and I enjoyed our mother and daughter time. Every year until I moved out of my parents home found this same ritual. My dad and my brother really were IU basketball nuts too. I came home from school one day and it was tournament time and as soon as I walked in the door IU lost the lead. That was senior year for me. My brother was out of school. My brother immediately blamed me for them losing the lead merely for walking in the door. It is comical now and as I am sure my brother didn't really believe that and he was just in the heat of the game. I hope he sees the humor in it as well. I had always enjoyed playing sports and basketball but had never really found any use for watching them. Now I hate when I miss the games. Can't help but miss a lot of them on the schedule I work, but I watch what I can. What changed? That is easy. I've always been a person who wanted to see my family happy. Sometimes to the point it hasn't always been healthy for me, but I love them and if you're in my life and I love you, you know there is little I wouldn't do for you. When in 1991 my brother met his wife he started spending less and less time with my dad, which is perfectly normal under these circumstances, but it isnt' always easy for a loved one or a parent to catch that connection. Mom told me dad was lonely and that he missed having Ritchie to watch the games with. So I went to the library and got a couple of books on basketball. Then I went and bought the college basketball magazine and watched a couple of college games on my own. After I was sure I knew at least enough about the game I simply invited myself to watch the games with my dad and a new tradition was born. Simple as that. Not long after wards I found I loved the sport both playing and watching it. I also loved the time it gave me with my dad. I think all parents and their children should have such a wonderful experience and something they share on a continual basis. So this Tuesday night will find me watching IU with my dad and more than likely with my brother. I really wouldn't have it any other way and so you see this is my IU Basketball legacy. What is yours?

Happy 9TH Birthday Dakota!!!!

Your aunt 'E' loves you a lot and is very proud of you!

Mother/Daughter Christmas Snow No More

This past Sunday, November 22ND, my mother and I did our annual mother/daughter Christmas shopping trip. Normally I wait until the first or second weekend of December, but this year my schedule wasn't going to allow for that at work for a weekend trip. I suppose we could have done a week day one. Normally on our trip out, every year for as long as I can remember, we have had to fight bitter cold and lots and lots of snow and ice. This year we had beautiful sky's and fifty-four degrees. Who could have asked for a better or more perfect day. These trips are something I cherish. Who knows how many more years my parents will be with me, so I try to make the most of it. We started our day out by meeting my mothers sister, Arlene, for lunch at Azars. It was somewhere my mother hadn't been in a long time. My dad is pretty much a routine person and he's not much for restaurants unless there is a buffet involved. I personally don't understand the need for the buffet, but I suppose to each their own. So mom and I met my aunt and had a leisurely lunch. Azars was packed to my surprise. Apparently their Sunday breakfast buffet gets quiet a good business. During lunch my mother was quiet for her. You see my mother has Parkinson's. She's getting worse fairly quickly I think, but I don't ever dare say that to her. She needs to keep a positive attitude so I try not to play it up. There are things she can't do though for herself that embarrass her somewhat though in public these days. I had to cut her sandwich into four pieces for her. I know from the way she acted that it did bother her somewhat having to ask and having to have it done. Her hand shakes really badly and she can't hold the knife to cut it herself. She's my mother and it's extremely hard to watch her growing so frail. She's always been a very proud and strong woman. She's someone I could only hope to be a little like, for there is no way I could ever be her. I know my friends get tired of me saying it, but my mother is the best you could ever ask for. She's spiritual and loving and kind. Anyway, after lunch my mom had her list of items that my dad had given her that he might like for Christmas. Now with my mom you can buy her anything and she's happy. With my dad if you want him to like it, you should probably pretty much stick to his list. I know, kind of takes the fun out of it, but it is what it is. So we did our run to Kmart. Now I love the Kmart on East Coliseum. I mean it's one of the few stores that still a good old fashioned and simple store. I can run in and find what I want without having to walk a marathon while I'm at it and pass by a thousand things I really don't need in the process. So we went to Kmart and then we went to Walmart. After this my mother was pretty much tired. It wasn't as many stores as we normally would hit, but again her disease wears her out easily. I took her home and helped her with her purchases into the house. We had spent about four hours out and about. Needless to say I was tired too. Sunday wasn't done for me though, it was a family day all around. My dad took my evening walk with me. He slowed me down some. I am so use to walking fairly fast now, but it didn't matter. It was nice to walk and talk with him as he discussed his day with my brother and their trip to our church in Saint Mary's Ohio. All in all the mothers day out went well and the weather cooperated nicely, leading me to believe maybe the curse of snow on our day out might be done and finally come to an end. Memories and times together with my parents is something I will always cherish and for the most part my Sunday was spent with them and doing for them. I did manage a nap and I did go to see "New Moon" by myself which was relaxing, but for the most part it was family filled and I wouldn't change a thing.

Christmas Shop @ The Memorial Coliseum This Weekend

Indiana Flea Market
Friday, November 20 @ 3:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday, November 21 @ 10:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday, November 22 @ 11:00am - 5:00pm
Admission: $1.00 - available each day from the ticket office

Forgetting and Forgiving Are Two Different Things

The Webster’s dictionary definition of forget and forgive:

Forget – to disregard intentionally (overlook) or to lose the remembrance of or be unable to recall the incident.

Forgive - to give up resentment of or claim to requital for or to cease to feel resentment against.

If there is one life lesson I have learned over and over it is that it is easier to forgive someone than to forget what they’ve done. That in itself is probably responsible for many sayings. One that comes to mind is to not burn your bridges. I mean even if someone forgives you, if they can’t forget they may not keep you in their good graces. I suppose I am one who finds it easy to forgive for most things. Eventually I probably could forgive about anything. There is one person I will never forgive, but then seeing as how that person is no longer among the living I suppose it doesn’t matter if I forgive them or not. I think it’s an important life lesson that many should be taught early on. It would save a lot of heartache and grief down the road. We’ve all known people who’ve lied to us in some major form. I am not talking the little white lies that sometimes make you shake your head and wonder why someone would bother, but I am talking the big ones. Once that person has lied no matter if we forgive them or not we truly never really trust them again. It’s just part of human nature I believe. It’s also one reason relationships revisited seldom work. Whatever reason the relationship didn’t work in the first place is always going to be close at hand in the person’s memory. They can forgive and move on even, but forgetting is something unless you lose your memory completely or have Alzheimer’s that just doesn’t happen. Life often will hold on to mistakes we made when we were adolescents and make us pay for them in some small way continually was we mature. Thinking of this brings up another saying that comes to mind about a leopard not being able to change its spots. I believe that to be true for the most part; however, I do believe occasionally people learn from their mistakes and would never repeat them. I personally know from my own experience I am nothing like the girl and woman that was around until my mid to late twenties. I’ve learned to play honestly with my words especially to those I care about. I have learned to watch my step somewhat. I am still very outspoken and opinionated, but there are things that would have driven me to complete insanity when I was younger that I just try to tell myself is human nature and not personal and move on with. So almost everything and everyone who’s wronged me in my past I have forgiven. I would be remiss to try to say that I had forgotten anything though. I remember pain as much as anyone else. I remember good times, laughs and even sadness and disappointment. It’s what keeps me at arms lengths with some people. One person in particular who has been trying ever so hard to get back in my good graces would be wise to give up. If he’s reading this the plain and simple truth is I loved you and I could have forever, but I could never trust you again. Perhaps I am a little snobbish in saying this, but I believe I deserve better than I was dealt at this parties hands. Either way it doesn’t matter. What we do in life will always be remembered by someone. I recently met someone again that I had known years ago. I really wouldn’t have thought I impacted that person at all as I rarely spoke to them or seen them. Yet they were telling me about one conversation I had with them that helped them to move on from a relationship that would have only gotten worse and how they had met the love of their life to which they are still married only a few months later. As human beings I think we need to think more of how what we do and say is affecting everyone around us. We owe it to ourselves and to them. The simple truth of the matter is that when it comes right down to it, it isn’t that hard to forgive someone. Forgiving doesn’t mean erasing the issue though. It doesn’t mean healing the wound or taking the person back. It simply means we don’t sit and fester and mourn over things that might have been and could have been. We can often forgive, but for reasons known only as life, we rarely forget.

Turbo Snake a Big Success in My Book.

Love those, "As Seen On TV", products! Even when they don't work I find that I am somehow just enamored by them. Why? Heck I don't know... Perhaps I really do have sucker tattooed across my forehead. I keep trying them no matter how many of them don't work though. So never fear your product tester is here. I love it when I find a product that actually does what it claims though. This is the case with the "Turbo Snake". My bathroom sink and the bath tub as well took forever to drain. I tried the store liquids, such as Liquid Plumber, and I also tried bleach to no avail. Nothing seemed to make them drain more quickly, so on a whim I purchased this little guy at Walmart's last week. I took it home and first did the sink. Gross most definitely, but it did what it said and it pulled out hair and what have you. Then I did it to the bath tub. Guess what! My drains are now draining appropriately. So if you're having this problem then I am highly recommending this product. It did wonderful things for me. Just make sure you have a strong stomach when you do it. Some of that stuff it pulled out was not so enticing. The "Turbo Snake" gets two thumbs up from me.

Favorite Text I've had In I don't know how long...

Joe - "We're all crazy. Some of us just get caught." ---- Just have to love it!!!



It worked out quiet well in my opinion as I was walking today and saw this hotel watering the lawn? Aren't we in November? Is there a point to watering it at this point?

IPOD Classic 2009

Sounds like a graduating class. Doesn't it? Well, welcome me to the age of technology. I still have my Walkman by the way and will still use it some. I also have an MP3 Player a friend gave me. I will use it as well. I am liking my IPod Classic though as well. I think I could get to like Apple products. Hum. The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't have a radio on it, although apparently there is something you can buy and attach to it that will give you a radio signal. It also has a cute little Karaoke gadget you can attach to it which I just think is too cool and at $50 I really really want. I spent some time the other day leafing and reading through the manual for it. Then I went out and browsed around the Itunes site. I got a movie and a book so that I could see what they were like. I put on several of my albums. 633 songs out there right now. It's going to take me forever to get all my albums into the digital age. I am thinking I need an external hard drive for my computer to store all this stuff on. I also didn't like that it appears that the IPod people think everyone who walks with one of these babies is going to want it holstered to their arm. Uh, I really really don't. They don't appear to make hip holsters for these so I went to Walmarts and bought an IPhone hip holster and guess what? Perfect fit. After playing I have figured out how to skip through chapters in the books and the movies. That wasn't easy. I also realize the IPod I have is not the IPod touch I originally was wanting but I like it. All in all I would have to give two thumbs up to the product, even though I had to be dragged by the hair into this technology thing. Hey I just started really using my DVD player in the last year or so. I was convinced it was way harder than VHS to learn to use. So I am a little on the slow up take when it comes to advancing my life into technology, but for now I can jam with some cool music as I take those long walks. As always anyone wanting to check this product out and play with it, a test run you might say, you are welcome to see me.