Because it's still so true ....

Look back at Easter-time, 2009 .... sadly, the Flickr link doesn't work anymore.

Santa -- Yes! Easter Bunny -- No.

Through a highly-scientific survey process (read as: I asked a couple of teachers and students during recess yesterday), I have determined the following:

The Easter Bunny is downright creepy.

Not the concept of the Easter bunny. Not the idea of jellybeans, Peeps, Cadbury Creme Eggs, colored eggs. No, it's the actual bunny.

Folks dressed up in bunny suits for children's events, in particular.

I get a lot of e-mail. A lot. I'm not that popular a person, but I sign up for mailing lists, free offers, coupons, that sort of thing. Recently, every restaurant, tourist information board, Chamber of Commerce I've ever had any contact with has been contacting me with various bunny-related activities. Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, Welcome the Easter Bunny to the Mall, Brunch with the Easter Bunny, Steam Train Ride with the Easter Bunny, Car Wash with the Easter Bunny, Lap-Dance with the Easter Bunny ... (OK, maybe I made up one or two of those)

And, we all know what these events will entail ... a giant bunny-suited individual who may or may not talk through a bewhiskered, screened-in mouth frozen in a rictus of Easter-loving joy. An eight-foot, bowtied, tailcoated horror in fluffy white faux fur.

They're downright creepy.

I understand the need to "make fantasy come alive" for children. I understand the props and costumes and so forth to make Santa and Rudolph and all "real" for our kids. I take the kids to see Santa. I encourage the letter writing. I make sure we leave out cookies and milk and that they're at least partially consumed by morning. But ... the Easter Bunny?

I don't get it. And more than that ... it's creepy. I can't find a better word for it. OK, well, maybe I can. Disturbing. It's disturbing.

Some big sweaty men with fursuit fetishes are taking advantage of our children, and I don't care for it, not one little bit. And somehow, the "face" suit bunnies are even weirder. You know the type ... some perfectly genial intern or college student (usually female) dresses up in a pastel jacket, waistcoat (with obligatory pocket watch), plaid pants. Then there are obscenely large furry feet and mitts sticking out of the ends of the garments. Odd, wired-shaped ears stick up from a crooked headband or hood-like contraption. Then there's the biggest ick-factor ... the nose/whiskers/buck teeth prosthesis. There's nothing about this that says, "Trust me, I'm loveable and mean you no harm."

Beware the Bunny, friends.

--End--

ps. I'm not the only one to think so. I just Googled easter bunny creepy and found a lot of back-up. Like this gallery, or this Flickr image.

Blogging Paradox

I enjoy blogging. I know I don't do it very regularly, especially recently, but I really do enjoy it.

I like words. I like the way they work together in comfortable, creative, clever, surprising ways.

I like people. I like interaction and conversation and give and take.

I like attention. I know I'm capable of wit and cleverness and smarts and using words well and I like it when other people confirm that now and then. Especially when I'm not feeling witty or clever or smart or good with words.

But that's the rub. When I most need a boost or a pick-me-up or whathaveyou, that's when I blog the least. When I most need someone to say, "Attagirl...keep up the good work!" or "Fight the good fight!" or even just "lol," I am least likely to actually post something, let alone post something worthy of comment.

I've been in one of those phases lately. (if by "lately" you include big hunks of the last 12-18 months)

I don't know if it's age; I turned 40 last year. I don't know if it's weight; I've gained 25 pounds in the last two years. I don't know if it's fatigue; I'm working, parenting, going to school, volunteering, getting less sleep and sleeping less well when I do. I don't know if it's boredom; for which I have no real excuse. I don't know if it's malaise; global warming! Liberal media conspiracy! Racism! Poverty! Health care crisis!

I don't know. All of those things. None of those things.

What do you do when you feel like this?

--End--

As Time Goes By

Inspired by Adrienne ... as are so many things ...

Interestingly, I, too, have been reminiscing about the early days of my babies' lives. This is my prep period, and one of the teachers has his 8th grade class in the lab, researching historically-significant women for Women's History Month. The students are on Day One of their 3-day stint parenting "Real Life" babies. The lab is filled with the sound of crying and cooing (most of it coming from the robo-babies).

This inspired me to go back and look at early pictures of my own babies. They're all still up at my first blog. Which looks very dated and low-tech, but it is what it is.

This lovely cherub, my first-born, my little peanut is turning 13 in eleven days. I goggle.

And, this one ... my baby, my ever-smiley sensitive boy. This one is now 5'1" tall and wears a (men's!!!) size 10 shoe. At 10-1/2 years old. Again with the goggling.

My babies. I find it hard to remember that I built them inside of me way back when. The brain and body both forget so much. The pictures and the memories do evoke powerful feelings and misty eyes, though. Some part of the heart never forgets.

--End--

This Week

In the past seven days, I ...

woke up each day with an increasingly painful sore throat
developed a stuffy head and worthless cough, as well

woke up at 5am more often than not
grumbled and tossed and turned until the alarm went off at 6am

ate Buffalo wings
and enchiladas
and mixed nuts
and strawberries

read three medieval romances in Middle English
as well as Hamlet
and two articles

watched Glee, Castle, Criminal Minds, Parenthood and Sports Night

knitted for several hours

cooked steaks, roasted potatoes, butter-garlic rolls, Parmesan-garlic broccoli and made a big salad
and made some of the best chili ever

picked up 34 rubber bands from my Behaviorally Disabled class which insists upon shooting them
picked up a chair after one of same students threw it
shut down computers 729 times when same students refused to stay on task and tried playing bloody first-person shooter games instead

taught word-processing
and spreadsheets and formulas

explained what a self-portrait is to kindergartners

researched travel options between the Hawaiian islands

made reservations for Disney World dining in August

went grocery shopping and found clearance chocolate-covered fortune cookies in the Valentine's Day section labelled, "Emily's" so I had to buy them

helped set up a Wine and Cheese soiree at a local community theatre
and attended same

organized coupons and prepared menus and shopping lists for next week's cooking

made broccoli salad to take to an Oscar party
and attended same
and ate ribs, brisket, broccoli salad, and homemade guacamole and Bev's cinnamon cream on Irish cream bars, and two Irish potatoes
and added several movies to my must-see list

finished Week Two (again) of the Couch to 5K plan
researched 5K races in late April through May
tentatively decided to run in the Philly Race for the Cure on Mother's Day
procrastinated about sending in the registration form

disinfected 28 computers, keyboards, mice several times each

researched replacement screens for Joe's so randomly broken laptop

cleaned out my car

took down Valentine's day/winter decorations
and switched them out for Easter/spring ones

moped over wrinkles and grey hair entirely too many times
same for my current weight

wrestled and laughed with the kids and the dog all in "the big bed"

played family board games in my pajamas

--End--

ps. And most of it I'd love to do all over again next week.

Disney Planning: Dining Reservations

This past Sunday was a significant landmark in the Disney trip planning cycle ... 180 days to our arrival in Orlando.

As all experienced Disney planners know, reservations for Disney restaurants can be made 180 prior to the reservation date.* So, on Sunday, I dutifully logged on to the Disney dining reservation site and made our first-night reservation.

When we first arrive in Orlando, we don't usually visit a Disney park on the first day. After traveling, checking in to the hotel, getting settled ... most of the day is burned and we don't want to waste a park ticket day. But we do like to have dinner on Disney property in order to sort of break into the Disney spirit. This dinner is followed by a ride around the entire monorail system, both the Magic Kingdom loop and the Epcot loop. I'd hoped to get us a table at the Hoop De Doo Revue (HDDR) at the Fort Wilderness campground, near the Magic Kingdom. I figured we'd ride the boat over to the Magic Kingdom and hop on the monorail from there.

But ... the best laid plans, etc, etc. No reservations were available. I didn't think that the HDDR was a wake-up-first-thing-in-the-morning-and-start-hitting-refresh-twnety-minutes-before-reservtaions-open sort of meal.** Some online message board research revealed that many people were having trouble with August HDDR reservations and the prevailing thought is that it's shutting down for refurbishment. Bummer.

I admit I was more disappointed than I had any right to be. I even went through a brief moment of "Here we go ... all my planning is for naught" self-pity.

Then I regrouped and made a reservation at the Wilderness Lodge's Whispering Canyon Cafe. Then I rethought things once again, and decided a new experience is always preferable to a repeated experience (we'd eaten dinner at the WCC in 2006), so I made a new reservation at Ohana in the Polynesian Resort, instead.

And I'm happy with it. We'll be right at a monorail resort and we can ride around to our heart's content before getting to bed nice and early in anticipation of an early start at the Animal Kingdom the next morning.

I've already booked reservations at Boma, at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, for dinner the next day and Raglan Road, in Downtown Disney, for dinner the following night.

Hopefully things continue to run smoothly, planning-wise, from here on out.

--End--

*This is for Disney guests staying off Disney property. Disney resort guests have 180+10 days for reservations.

**Prior to the online reservation system, I used just this sort of technique on the dining phone line to score a coveted first sitting of the day reservation for breakfast in Cinderella Castle.

New Product Review: Dole Shakers

I coupon. I love browsing matchups between weekly specials and coupons and saving tons of money. I also love trying new products and figure if the financial investment is minimal then it's worth the risk of a new product. And, although I don't really do product reviews in my blog, this disaster could not go unremarked.

This time the couponing/bargain-shopping gamble most certainly did NOT pay off.

I present to you: Dole Fruit Smoothie Shakers.

Lose the blender ... simply add juice, shake vigorously and enjoy. Right? Simple, tasty and remotely healthy. Right?

Wrong.*

I followed the directions (add juice until one reaches the "fill zone," shake for 30-45 seconds, open and enjoy) and when I re-opened the lid I was greeted by a fresh, pleasing aroma and a satisfying pile of foamy goodness at the top of the canister.

I took a sip ... yummy. A few more swallows ... hhhmmmmmm, unpleasant bit of pulp** here and there, but nothing too bad.

I put the canister down to take a breath. Joe and Emily were watching me expectantly. I commented on the pulp. Joe gave a knowing look, "Wait 'til you get to the bottom." Again, I figured I shouldn't waste the money I'd spent and that I could just power through. I mean, how bad could it be?

It could be very, very bad. That's what. After a few more seconds of sipping, the pulpy sludge began to accumulate along my upper lip. I opened my mouth wider to accommodate swallowing the goop in one big*** gulp. The resulting sensation in my throat triggered a violent gag reflex.

My eyes watering, I dumped the rest of the nasty concoction down the kitchen drain.

Eeew. SOOO wrong despite tasting quite good.

I wrote to Dole's customer service department. The berries reconstitute really very poorly and most certainly do not form anything that should be described with the adjective "smooth," as in smoothie.

Bleah. Avoid at all costs.

--End--

* To be fair, I was duly warned. "Try one of the smoothie thingies," Joe said, "Watch out, though, they're nasty." I figured he must have done it wrong. I was wrong. He did it right. Dole did it wrong.

** Again, to be fair, I'm not a fan of pulp. We buy pulp-free OJ, too. The flakes of fruity matter always make me think I'm swallowing little caterpillar legs. (good luck shaking that image the next time you drink some freshly-squeezed juice!) I could never handle a Survivor-esque eat gross creepy, crawly things contest.

***I initially typoed "bug" here. Freudian?

What a BAAAAD Idea

There is a proposal afoot in New Jersey to merge Rowan University and Rutgers University's Camden campus and to rename the merged institution as entirely Rowan University.

I think this is a terrible idea and would love to discuss my reasons with anyone willing to listen. The following is a list of talking points with which I wholeheartedly agree.

1. The plan robs South Jersey of the benefits of a university with a world-class reputation. South Jersey residents have been paying taxes and tuition for centuries to build Rutgers into a world-renowned university. If this plan goes into effect, South Jersey residents will instantaneously lose all of their accrued principal in The State University of New Jersey. That is fundamentally unfair.

2. It will take decades or centuries for an unknown regional university to attain anything like the status of Rutgers. This is one more example of South Jersey being treated as a second-class region of the state. Central and North Jersey will continue to be served by world-class Rutgers, and South Jersey has to settle for an institution unknown beyond South Jersey.

3. Rutgers–Camden has top-flight faculty because we are Rutgers. We can recruit people at the very top of the field, who bring their expertise to the South Jersey region. Jacob Soll’s Macarthur is a recent example. Rowan cannot do that and will not be able to the same for the foreseeable future.

4. Economically successful regions are driven by the presence of several strong diverse institutions of higher education. The Bay Area in California draws from the research outputs of Stanford, multiple campuses of the UC system, multiple campuses of the Cal State system, and many private universities. The Research Triangle is driven by three research universities. Boston and its 128 corridor are driven by the presence of innumerable colleges and universities. Yes, helping Rowan grow and improve will bring benefits to the region. But South Jersey needs more higher education activity, not less. Folding a campus of a great research university into a minor regional university is a net loss for the region.

5. The commission began with a charge to study medical education, and they never really got past that frame. The whole analysis is driven by the fact that Rowan is connected to the Cooper Medical School. The Cooper Medical School is not even offering classes yet, so the significance of that relationship is far less than the significance of the relationships of all of the Rutgers-Camden programs to Rutgers. If we are to reorganize higher education so drastically, it should be driven by a study that looks holistically at higher education, not as an afterthought to an analysis of medical education—which is important, but isn’t the only important issue.

6. The commission was studying higher ed and medical education. It contained two lawyers, no physicians, and just one former higher education official. These are honorable and respected citizens, but we should not make such a drastic change without having the right mix of knowledge and experience in the room. We need proposals based on the right mix of expertise, and we need careful deliberation that includes the residents of New Jersey and our elected representatives.

7. The recommended path represents the worst kind of government over-reach—just the sort of thing Chris Christie has built his reputation opposing. Rutgers and Rowan have been growing successfully despite dwindling state support and a bad economy. Rutgers continues to cement its strength as a world-class university, and Rowan has become a successful regional university. The recommended reorganization puts all of that at risk because five people behind closed doors think it’s a good idea.

8. Rutgers-Camden is helping make the right kind of revitalization happen in Camden—the slow, steady growth of jobs and an increase in education levels in the city. Folding Rutgers-Camden into Rowan will shift the focus away from the necessary revitalization of South Jersey’s urban center.

Thank you.

--End--

Disney Planning

OK, we'll also be visiting the Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure (Hogwarts!!!), but we all know what a trip to Orlando means .... Disney World!!!

I love planning trips. I'm a planner. I also love to travel ... so it works out really well. I often think my dream job would be a trip planner/coordinator. Or a guidebook writer. Travel, travel, travel.

I also love Disney World. Not in a go-every-year-and-never-vacation-anywhere-else kind of way. But, in a Happiest Place on Earth, take my breath away, I know the castle doesn't have an "apostrophe s" in the name kind of way. I adore the level of planning and detail that Disney puts into every aspect of their theme park experience. I'm kind of a planning and details kind of gal ... so it really appeals to me on vacation, too.

And a Disney vacation is a vacation with pre-planning. Piles and piles of pre-planning. Yay! I mean, sure you could just show up and buy your tickets at the gate and pick up a map and wander around and eat wherever you can manage to get a seat, but honestly ... I am completely convinced of the value of pre-planning a Disney trip.

That's how I did our family trip in 2006, and the trip Joe and took minus the kids in 2009. So, it's how I'm setting up for 2012.

I've already subscribed to TouringPlans.com and bought their 2012 edition of the Unofficial Guide. I browse AllEars.net and receive their weekly email newsletter. I've scoured restaurant reviews and examined charts of which parks are likely to be more or less crowded on any given days.

The result of all of this research is compiled in a color-coded document I call At-a-Glance. When complete, it will include which parks we're visiting on which days, all of our dining reservations and confirmation codes, as well as which meals I'll need to buy groceries for. We stay in a timeshare and have a full kitchen ... saves a LOT of money on dining out.

It's too early to have much of the information. I can't make dining reservations until 180 days in advance of the trip, which begins in February. But, I just thought I'd give you a glimpse into the (neurotic?) way I plan a big trip.

At-a-Glance

---

	Friday 8/17	Saturday 8/18	Sunday 8/19	Monday 8/20	Tuesday 8/21	Wednesday 8/22	Thursday 8/23
Main Idea	Travel	Animal Kingdom		Magic Kingdom		Universal Studios	Magic Kingdom
Park Hours		9-7		9-10			9-10
Special Events
Depart
Breakfast, 7am		Timeshare	House of Blues Sunday Gospel Brunch	Crystal Palace	Timeshare	Timeshare	Timeshare
Morning, 8-noon			Downtown Disney
Lunch, 12:30pm							Liberty Tree Tavern
Afternoon, 1-5
Dinner	Hope-de-Doo Revue	Boma
Evening, 6-8
Night-time, 8-10

	Friday 8/24	Saturday 8/25	Sunday 8/26	Monday 8/27	Tuesday 8/28	Wednesday 8/29	Thursday 8/30	Friday 8/31
Main Idea		Epcot	Epcot		Disney Studios	Islands of Adventure	Epcot	Travel
Park Hours		9-9	9-9		9-9		9-9
Special Events
Depart
Breakfast, 7am	Timeshare	Timeshare	Timeshare	Timeshare	Timeshare	Timeshare	Timeshare	1900 Park Fare
Morning, 8-noon
Lunch, 12:30pm							Rose & Crown
Afternoon, 1-5
Dinner		Biergarten	Le Cellier		Mama Melrose’s
Evening, 6-8					Fantasmic!
Night-time, 8-10

The Beginning of the End ...

I've spent part of my morning today exchanging emails with various members of the Rutgers-Camden English department.

I'm working on a timeline for wrapping up my Master's program. Which is awesome. And scary.

At the end of this semester I'll have completed 7 of the required 10 courses. And every MA student in English must choose one of two graduate requirement options: two comprehensive exams or one exam and a thesis.  Most people choose the exams.

So, naturally, I'm opting to write a thesis. I plan to analyze and discover the sources for Thomas Southerne's Restoration play Oroonoko. 'Casue, you know, that's something everyone wants to read, right?

So in addition to writing this over the summer in conjunction with an Independent Study with my advisor, I'm also working on trying to transfer in some credits for my prior graduate work in other fields. I'll have to argue those points, maybe quite a lot, because the work isn't in English and was done several years ago.

*sigh* Never hurts to try, right?

In any case, the end of the tunnel is in sight. I should graduate next January.....with any luck.

--End--

Baby Steps ....

I started watching what I eat and trying to move more starting after we returned from the Poconos on January 1. (before then it was a holiday food free-for-all, multiplied by the extra eating (especially of crap) we always do when we're at the mountain house.

Anyway ... 4.5 lbs down so far. That's almost as much as a standard bag of sugar. I used to just be carrying that around all the time.

It helps me to visualize what I'm no longer carrying around. Before I'm done I want to carry around a total of eight fewer bags of sugar.

Or four of my cat.

Or half my daughter.

Or five gallons of water.

Or a cinder block .... a cinder block!

That last one hits home. I've been carrying around a cinder block with me all day, every day. No wonder I'm tired.

--End--

[EDIT: 1/20/12 -- Another pound and a smidge down.]

Many Things Make a Post

a la Adrienne ...

I know the Many Things is Adrienne's thing. But today I've come across some things I wish to recall later ... so why not record them here?

Just another way that the Republicans are successfully lying to everyone.

How Google is breaking Google -- We don't use you to make friends, Google!

If you're ever in Scranton ... I can highly recommend this place.

Yeah, Sarah ... because breast feeding is only an option when milk is expensive. Hate to break it to you, but babies shouldn't be fed cow's milk. Keep reading, later she blasts a healthy food for youth initiative, too. The "god-given right" to what, Sarah? Childhood obesity? Diabetes?

And, finally, on a non-political note -- I wish this necklace were cheaper. Emily would simply love it.

--End--

Scaly, flakey, itchy ....

This is not me. But -OH BOY- do I empathize.

I want to scratch my face right off.

It itches.

Quite a lot.

Allergic reactions suck. See yesterday's post.

:(

--End--

My Fears of the Superbugs

I'm allergic to penicillin.

I developed this allergy as a small child. When I was very young, I had repeated strep throat infections. One after another after another.*

I was given penicillin over and over again, which I apparently hated taking.  Lacking the modern pharmaceutical convenience of bubblegum flavoring, my mother resorted to giving me the medicine mixed in juice. This is now known to reduce the efficacy of many drugs, including some antibiotics.**

Anyway, I eventually developed a "Gloves and Socks" rash. Doctors interpreted this as an indication of a penicillin allergy (and indeed the rash went away as soon as they switched meds), and ever since penicillin has been on the "DO NOT USE" list for me.

So, I've made my way through life without it. No biggie. I've become friends with the other families of antibiotics, including tetracycline (makes me throw up if I don't use with a large meal),  erythromycin, and my especial favorite -- the Z-Pak.

Due to my physiology, exacerbated by my seasonal allergies, I get 3-4 sinus infections and/or upper respiratory infections each year, primarily in the fall and winter months. Each time I wait as long as possible to see if my body will fight off the bugs in its own, and each time I wind up on some sort of antibiotic, occasionally accompanied by a nasal spray of some sort.

A few weeks ago, right before Christmas, I felt the tell-tale signs of this season's first bout -- the abrupt lack of drainage, the low grade fever, the positional pain, the pressure, a weird taste in the back of my throat. Believe me, after all these, years, I know sinusitis.

Determined to be well for the holidays, I hesitated less than I normally do and I called the doctor's office. The nurse checked my chart and prescribed a Z-Pak (my favorite!).

Within 48 hours I was all better (don't worry...I always finish out my antibiotic prescriptions like a good girl). Or so I thought.

Last Friday, the pressure and pain were back. So was the fever. When I called back, the nurse was unsurprised, "This one's a bad one. Everyone's having trouble shaking it." This time I was offered a prescription of Cipro (which I've taken once that I recall -- for a resistant staph infection) and a nasal spray.

I took my dose Saturday morning and my next dose in the evening.

Sunday morning, I woke up feeling scratchy and hot -- my face felt sunburned. I wanted to claw my skin off. Strangely, I didn't attribute it to the drug right away, so I took my morning dose.

I little Googling later, I found that facial rash can be an indication of antibiotic allergy.

Great.

The on-call doctor told me to stop the Cipro and start taking Benadryl. He also cautioned me to avoid the quinolone family of antibiotics in the future. Joy.

Today I'm a bit better. I still want to scratch my face off. My face feels hot and tight and scratchy. I'm swollen and puffy. (my coworker assures me its unnoticeable) I feel like my head is a tight, hot, itchy pumpkin.

Anyway. Now I'm just that much more concerned about the world's increasingly numerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Superbugs are multiplying faster than we can find additional antibiotics to try.

I try not to read the reports and I try not to use antibacterial products in my house. I want to let the weaker bugs live and crowd out the tougher bugs. Or something. I don't know. I just can't believe that excessive use of antibacterials in everyday life is helping. I strongly believe such products are rarely used in a way that truly kills off all bacteria. I think we're mostly killing off the weak and poorly-evolved ones, giving the tough guys more room to flourish.

So, that's what's on my mind today. Well, that and the fact that my sinus infection (which the Cipro took the edge off) will be back in all it's glory now that I'm not medicated. I have to wait until the reaction completely goes away before I'm allowed to start a new prescription.

Joy.

--End--

*These infections apparently resulted in my mastoid bones no longer having the hollow mastoid cells. Scar tissue or something? I don't know. Doctors attribute it to the infections. So my head is heavier than it should be, I guess.

**When my mom first read these studies a number of years back, she called me on the phone, almost in tears, about what a terrible mother she was for basically neutralizing the medicine that could have made me better. For the record, I harbor no ill will toward my mother in this regard.