Saturday, October 27, 2012

OCD and ADHD Had a Fight

This post could also be titled "Why We Still have CDs".  My G's Mom asked me if I could let her listen to a CD soundtrack, and I grabbed the box only to realize that the CD was missing.  I looked in the car.  I looked in my laptop.  I looked in the car again.  No CD.  I did, however, find about 20 CDs with no boxes, and more boxes with no CDs.

By the time I finally found the CD I originally wanted, there was a pile of boxes and CDs and just a general mess.  I had also noticed that the entertainment center needed a good dusting.  This was 'Give a Mouse a Cookie' for adults.

So...why do we still have CDs?  I have itunes.  I have an iphone.  My car has a jukebox that holds hundreds of CDs for me, provided the jukebox can find the information on the music when I buy a new one.  I have a laptop that would be happy to play music for us, and My G has even copied most of our music, if not all, to the large hard drive we bought for sharing.

So...why bother?

Because here is the CD we listened to when we first got married, and we drove in his mother's car over to the ritzy hotel they had gifted us with during our precious two days together before he had to go back to the Army.  We have lived Breathe's "Hands to Heaven" more times than I can count.



Here is the CD where Big G danced like mad, in her grandparents' living room.  She would boogie and boogie for hours.


Here are all the soundtracks to movies that we watched together as a family... And listened to for "car music" as we drove countless miles from Army Home to True Home, tying our roots together as the highway rolled on.

Here is the first CD Glenn owned, and here is the first song we danced to. Here is music that comforted me during long absences, helped me study, and soothed our babies.

Sure we could have this on our computers, but it wouldn't be the same as looking through these piles and shelves full of memories. Here, in these racks, is our history together. As both the girls find their own tastes of music, they have their own piles of memories (and music files they've begun to prefer to our hard copies). And that's okay. Some people have loads of photo albums to stimulate their memories. I have music and album covers.


Friday, October 5, 2012

Feel 'Em Up

Tonight, my heart is aching.  Nearly a year ago, a dear sweet and spunky friend lost her battle against a merciless foe-- breast cancer.  It just.kept.coming.   Another friend finished her chemo not long after that, and every time I see her post something or I think of her smiling face and her gorgeous hair growing back-- it makes me smile, happy for her. And yet it's bittersweet.

Yeah, yeah, October is this. And that. I don't generally participate in awareness months (ironic considering what I used to do for a living), but this is important. TOO MANY WOMEN are having to fight this battle!  Every day it's someone else. Every day it's a positive biopsy or a lump or a battle lost.

Feel those breasts of yours. If you love a woman, remind her to do self exams. Know what is normal for your body, and get regular exams and know what to look for.

Support research into new treatments, support women who are going through this fight.

There are so many awareness ribbons out there, so many different colors to remember and think about-- but PINK is the color for October.  Pink is for our Mamas (yes, mine too).  Pink is for our sisters, if we have them-- I know a trio of sisters who has been through absolute hell.  Pink is for our best friends, our work friends, our always-there friends.  Pink is for our daughters, those we want to see grow up, and those who deserve to live long, happy and healthy lives.

And Pink is for ourselves.

I miss her every day.  Lawwwwsss, how I miss her.