WanderingAmylessly 2.0

There's nothing quite like getting together with all sorts of friends and family at the holidays and spreading around the love. Oh, and the ghastly germs. We survived Thanksgiving day. It was the day after that turned our Black Friday into a dark day, indeed. Henry woke puking early Friday a.m., just as the rest of the country was being trampled in malls for doorbuster deals. His uncle got it around the same time, and by late that afternoon, on the inlaws' drive back home, the bug hit Tim's mom. Tim and I got a somewhat subdued version of the illness, but it was miserable, all the same. (The only bright spot in all this was the fact that it was NOT my food that caused the illness. Henry ate a peanut butter sandwich instead of turkey on Thanksgiving, and he had a fever, which is NOT a food poisoning symptom. Whew.) So there goes our four-day weekend, down the toilet. Literally. I think I'm going to quarantine us for Christmas. No one goes in or out. And we're leaving...

"Thankful" Josh Groban Somedays we forget To look around us Somedays we can't see The joy that surrounds us So caught up inside ourselves We take when we should give. So for tonight we pray for What we know can be. And on this day we hope for What we still can't see. It's up to us to be the change And even though we all can still do more There's so much to be thankful for. Look beyond ourselves There's so much sorrow It's way too late to say I'll cry tomorrow Each of us must find our truth It's so long overdue So for tonight we pray for What we know can be And every day we hope for What we still can't see It's up to us to be the change And even though we all can still do more There's so much to be thankful for. Even with our differences There is a place we're all connected Each of us can find each other's light So for tonight we pray for What we know can be And on this day we hope for What we still can't see It's up ...

If you're in the mood for some stress-relieving amusement, I'd suggest checking out the Butterball Holiday Checklist . I know. Doesn't sound like a document chock full of hilarity. But give it a peek. I hooted out loud at work while reading it (that's what we idiots who don't have sense enough to take a vacay day on Thanksgiving eve do all day). Among the highlights: -- The checklist begins two to three weeks before the big day, with planning your menu, creating a list of everything you'll need, and taking inventory to make sure you have things like matching silverware and a gravy boat. Damn. I was already screwed weeks ago. -- Last Thursday was National Thaw Day! I didn't get the memo. I didn't even buy my bird until Saturday night. Hope it isn't still a turkeysicle tomorrow morning. -- A week before Thanksgiving... iron your tablecloth and cloth napkins . (This is where I really started to bust a gut from the side-splitting laughter.) -- Decorate t...

Well, it may not have been the greatest movie ever made, but it made teens and tweens of the female variety swoon. It probably made a few studio executives giddy as well. I guess they just gave the green light to start work on the sequel. Like we didn't see that one coming... LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The vampire romance "Twilight" drained the box office in its opening weekend, taking in $70.6 million. Catherine Hardwicke's film also enjoyed the biggest opening ever for a female director, blowing away the previous standard of $41.1 million set by Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact" in 1998. And the fangirls will get another taste soon enough: Summit Entertainment, which released "Twilight," announced during the weekend that it's going ahead with production of "New Moon," based on the second book in Meyer's internationally best-selling series.

Not a lot of fanfare about the 5k I did this morning. Mostly because I hadn't actually been running since...THE ACCIDENT. Luckily, it was only 30 degrees this morning, so I had to wear pants instead of shorts, covering up my knee that is 16 shades of black and blue and all kinds of flaming red with crusty scabs. And I ditched my wrist brace Friday (luckily you don't have to make a fist or grip a pen to run). I ended up running partway, walking partway, and coming across the finish line in 46 minutes -- only about 10 minutes slower than I usually run a 5k. Which I suppose shows you just how slow a runner I am. The most frustrating part of the run was the course itself. I'm used to running on a flat, asphalt-paved trail or an even flatter treadmill. Remember the last time I ran an uneven surface? This time, it wasn't a cracked sidewalk that presented peril, but a lumpy, mole-hole-covered cross-country course. Other than a couple rather ungraceful bobbles when nobody but t...

My previous declaration still stands firm: it's a bad idea to watch a movie made from a favorite book. I won't bore you with a full-blown Twilight review (mostly because my blog readers don't fit the fan demographic). I will say that the movie was about what I expected...shallow, rushed, and devoid of the rich character development that made the Stephenie Meyer novel (and its three sequels) such a captivating read. Yes, the actors are pretty. Yes, the special effects and on-location shots are impressive. And I have to give the movie folks kudos for sticking, for the most part, to the plot and important details from the book. But it all just felt like skimming the surface. Most secondary characters (basically anyone who wasn't Bella or Edward) became caricatures of their book versions because they barely had speaking parts or screen time. The real problem stems from the fact that they had to turn a gripping, teenage-angst-filled, unique-take-on-a-traditional-vampire-rom...

In the interest of the public good, I'd like to direct your attention to a lovely little story for the holidays over at CNN.com. It's a little something they like to call: How to Survive Thanksgiving with Family In case you don't have time to read the whole article (and, because it's a topic loaded with twists and turns and drama galore, it's quite a long scroll), here are the story highlights. • Economic anxieties might add stress on families during holiday • Discussing problems at the table might be a good brainstorming session • Don't always avoid political conversations; they might make for better understanding • Deflect questions about personal life without getting snippy Translation... • Don't bitch when your guests bring a $3 bottle of wine, then proceed to open your $25 bottle and chug it down like it's Uncle Cletus's homebrew. • Ask others at the table what kind of second or third jobs they're considering taking on to help pay the mortg...

Outdoor cats want to be indoor cats. Free to good home. Spayed, neutered, litter trained, leave mess 319-631-XXXX If you're trying to convince someone to adopt the cats you don't want anymore, the last thing you want to do is include "leave mess" in a classified ad.

Tim and I held our small child down, pushed him against a cold, sterile table and crossed his arms over his chest, and watched as his face turned 12 shades of red, as large tears welled in his frantic eyes and slid down his cheeks, as his mouth opened and he screamed as though someone was piercing his limbs with numerous razor-sharp needles. As though? Actually, two Nurse Racheds were piercing. Again and again. When all was said and done, Henry got four vaccine boosters and a flu shot. To Daddy's credit, at one point right before the first needles broke skin, he gave in to the trauma and declared we would give Henry two now, the rest later. But Mommy could only imagine having to do all of this over again in a few weeks. So she overruled and told those nurses to hurry up and do it. Her right ear is still recovering from the drum-splitting shrieks. Mommy and Daddy are still speaking to each other, but for a while it was questionable. Henry's over it now. Five minutes after we le...

I heard something on the radio this morning that made me laugh. Perhaps it is the juvenile consumer in me coming out to play. Where do you go when you want to drop your pants... And shirts? And jackets? I don't even know which dry cleaners was advertising. But I was sophomorically amused. On an unrelated note, my hand still hurts. So I am avoiding doing any typing that isn't absolutely necessary. You know, like this earth-shattering blog post.

Keeping this short and sweet... I fell while running in the early a.m. and tore muscular tissues in my hand. I also ripped the skin off my knee and jammed the joint something fierce. So I'm bandaged, splinted, and narcotically medicated. But typing simply sucks, a dilemma for a professional copy editor. Lesson learned: Don't run in the dark. Or, as I was told several times today, don't run unless something's chasing you.

I had one of those days. One of those days when you thought you'd heard everything, then someone opened her mouth and you realize that yes, it could get worse. And did. It started innocently enough, with my quest to fill a prescription written for me by my health professional -- someone who knows intimately about my health AND who is a PROFESSIONAL. Remember that. It will be important later. The prescription was for "light box therapy," or the purchase of a special light that emits a certain level of UV rays designed to mimic sunlight during the gray, short winter days. Research has shown that using the light for 20-30 minutes a day can help boost the mood of people suffering from certain mood disorders. It involves serotonin and other brain chemicals and processes that I'm not sure anyone fully fathoms. But the point is, researchers say it works. My psychiatrist believes in its value. And, therefore, I had a prescription in my hands which I thought would mean a quick...

Tim: Did you realize that in 9 years, Henry will be able to drive? Amy: *Shudders* (Long silence) Amy: Well. Maybe by then, there won't be any cars. Tim: Yeah! No gas. That'll be great.

On this night five years ago, I ate Thai food, cuddled my dog who had just had minor surgery, watched some TV, went into labor, breathed and groaned and puked and begged for drugs, pushed, cried, and held a squirming, bloated, purple creature in my arms for the first time and thought he was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Tonight, as I'm sitting here typing this, that beautiful creature might as well have sprouted horns, fangs and a tail. He is buck naked, dripping soapy water all over the bathroom floor, screaming and whining because he has had entirely too much sugar today, is incredibly tired, and lost his bedtime-story privileges because he won't listen to one damn thing we say. Happy Birthday Henry. We love you. But you drive us nuts. You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. -- Franklin P. Jones, author

Rosa sat so that Martin could walk. Martin walked so that Obama could run. Obama ran so that our children could fly.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there... While the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress... To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn -- I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too. -- Barack Obama, presidential acceptance speech, Nov. 4, 2008

U.S. President - Electoral College Obama (D) - 338 McCain (R) - 156 270 votes needed for presidency Hope – Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead. -- Barack Obama And a sincere, heartfelt thank you to Senator McCain for his humble and gracious concession. May his hope for bipartisan cooperation in the coming months become a reality.

When planning this evening’s election-night menu, I turned to the 'Net for inspiration. I found listings of the presidents’ favorite foods at The White House Kids' page , which offers a bundle of quirky facts about our nation’s 43 presidents. Did you know, for instance, that William Taft loved Turtle Soup? Or that an unnaturally large number of our presidents listed pancakes as their favorite food? Or that John Quincy Adams considered silk worms and an alligator his pets? But I digress. Here's what we're serving at the Schoon house tonight, as we watch the returns roll in: Crackers and cheese – Abraham Lincoln, great emancipator and, perhaps, greater nosh’er, named these his top snacks. Shrimp – LBJ and JFK both loved seafood. And, adopting a theme of bipartisan spirit, I have discovered Obama and McCain both enjoy shrimp dishes. Broccoli Salad – Of course, George Herbert Walker Bush once said, “I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little...

It's not any big mystery who I'm voting for tomorrow. So I'm not going to make any sort of official endorsement. I'm also not going to try to change anyone's mind. What I am going to do is tell you why I love being a liberal. Being a liberal means believing in the... • inherent goodness of humankind, even when humanity seems to falter. • promise of a better tomorrow. • ability to make a difference. • rights of women to have control over their own bodies and minds. • sanctity of a loving relationship between consenting adults. • intelligence of legitimate science. • wisdom of separating church and state. • celebration of diversity and inclusive spirit. • fairness of giving breaks and second chances to the folks who truly deserve them. • importance of saving our natural world for those who come after us. • integrity of fair campaigning, even when the other side calls you fear-mongering names like socialist and terrorist. • promotion of peace. • possibilities. Barack s...

Someone just called me the "s" word. I'm not. I'm really not a slacker . I honestly have a completely legitimate reason for the sporadic blogging, the lack of posted photos related to the most recent festive holiday, the fact that I'm a bad Obama-ite (I haven't knocked on one door, never made one phone call). I've just been running non-stop for days and days. I worked all day yesterday and today which, if you do the math, means I will be working 12 days in a row. And during those 12 days I will have attended at least two parties, won first prize in a Halloween costume contest, had dinner guests over for homemade pizza, taken my kid trick-or-treating, baked pumpkin bars, found a new psychiatrist, gotten a flu shot, attended week 5 of a 6-week class at church, somehow managed to get to the gym almost daily, planned a 5-year-old's birthday party, signed up for 2009 benefits from work, made my Christmas list, elected a brilliant new president (cross finger...