Happy Memorial Day!

Well, I'd assumed everybody had stopped checking my little ol' blog eons ago, seeing how I never update it. But then I got a nice email from "Anonymous," who told me she still checks in. Which means she's continually disappointed!! So I apologize to her. Or him. :) I vow to do better!

Lots has been going on in my life lately; some good, some bad. For now, I'll tell you guys about the newest addition to the Atlas abode. Yes, it's one of the two doggies you see above. But not both.

Here's the story on the dog on the left, which resembled a piglet in the face: He showed up at our house last weekend, all full of energy and love. He had tags on, so I immediately called the number. Turns out it was to an animal hospital about 15 miles from our house.

Jake, Emily and I (and the dog) then drove to that neighborhood to look for lost-dog signs. Finding none, we checked the streets around our house. No go. The animal hospital wasn't open over the weekend, so we figured we might as well bathe the dog and buy him some toys. Oh, and give him a name (Scooter). What the heck.

Yes, I know all of this was a bad idea, but I tried to remind the kids that we were still looking for the owners. Apparently, they figured we'd never find said owners.

But we did; on Monday morning, I called the vet's office again and was given a number for the owner, named Ida. Ida wasn't home, so I left a message. A few hours later, Ida's son called. "Thank God!" he said. See, he was in charge of dogsitting his mom's little pooch (whose name was Chiquita -- and is a girl, not a boy as I had surmised! Don't ask).

The son lives down the street from us, so we returned Chiquita to him that afternoon. The picture above was taken right before we walked him home, which explains why the kids' mouths are smiling but their eyes are not. Right before I snapped that photo, Jake had the saddest expression I've ever seen on his face. Poor guy.

But the Chiquita drama did inspire us to get our own little doggie, one that we don't even have to return! After looking online at area animal shelters, Mike found a picture of the Jack Russell terrier pictured above. The ad noted that he's a great fetcher and can even catch things in mid-air. A superstar in the making!

We liked his face and online profile, so we drove to the shelter on Friday for a blind date with him. He was everything he'd appeared to be in the photo, but there was one glitch: "He hates cats," the shelter worker said. "He tries to hurt them." Rut-roh.

But we decided it could still work out; Scooter will be a backyard-only dog, and our three cats are indoors-only. Their worlds don't ever have to collide. But in case they do, we're trying to re-teach Scooter that cats can be his friends.

This afternoon, we gave him a bath and walked him around the house on a leash. He did lunge at our cat Circles once, but he got a bop on the nose with a newspaper along with a stern "No!" The next time the cat got in his path, he turned around and went the other way.

Could it be that he change his ways with just one lesson?? You're looking at a genius dog!

So we were very happy with our selection, but the choosing process wasn't easy. The shelter was full of adorable puppies, precious kittens and other home-needing animals, all of whom are living in tiny pens that stink to high heaven. I wanted to take more than one home that day.

I think Jake was feeling the same way when we left; rather than being overjoyed by the happy dog in the back of the car, he was melancholy. I think we were all just hoping we'd done the right thing.

That night, we went out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. My fortune cookie contained the following message: "You will find your solution where you least expect it." OK then.

As we left the table, I realized the cookie had two fortunes in it. The second one said, "Life is a series of choices. Today, yours are good ones."

I ran to catch up with Mike and the kids, eager to tell them the good news: We'd done the right thing! The fortune cookie said so!

And while I als0 feel I did the right thing today in blogging, I know this here post is miles long. That's what happens when I fail to keep on top of these things! I have lots of other news to share, but that can wait for another day. Another day when I make good choices.

:)

Easter finery

I realize the holiday is long gone, but here's a pic of the kids all dressed up and smiling cutely. :)

Two short anecdotes to go along with their photo: The other day, I bought Emily a Disney princess purse because she desperately wanted something to carry around with her. She'd soon filled it with the following items: my old, inoperable cellphone ; some loose change; and an old container of eye shadow.
"Now I just need some receipts!" she said with determination.
Why? "So they I can crinkle them around like you do in your purse," she replied. But of course! If you don't have random trash in your purse, the effect is just not complete.

Now for a Jake quote: This weekend I went to a wedding in Austin, so the kids stayed home with Mike. When I called the house, Jake got on the phone and said, "Hi, Mommy. Say hello to your little friend."

"Um.... hello!" I said, not sure if I should laugh or cry about the fact that my son was quoting from Scarface. No, he's never seen the movie, nor has he even heard of it. But somehow, he knows that famous line. Kids today!

To those who haven't abandoned this blog forever...

Wow. It's been almost a month since I've posted anything! That's bad, I know. Really bad. Horrifyingly awful. (OK, enough.)

I guess my only excuse is that I've been in a bit of a career-related funk for a couple of weeks. (The weeks I didn't blog before that? Pure laziness.)

These are odd times in which to be a journalist: Newspapers are suffering, magazines are changing, freelance needs are in limbo.

For the past few years, I've been lucking out out in Freelanceville. I got on as a regular contributor to a national magazine; I had local newspaper assignments coming out my ears; and, of course, there was my beloved weekly column gig.

This year is different.

On the same day I wrote my final column for the King County Journal, I found out that the bureau I worked out of for the national magazine was closing. While I'm still busy enough, I'm starting to see the writing on the wall: It's time -- again -- to change focus.

Before I started my freelancing career, I worked full-time as a copy editor at a newspaper. After begging and pleading for years to get switched over to a writing position, it dawned on me one day: It's never going to happen. Never. They needed copy editors, and they didn't need writers. (Plus, I was already writing for them, so they already had everything they needed from me.) It was so obvious, but I hadn't been able to realize it until that moment.

Seconds later, I started to change my focus -- to put another plan in place and see what would happen. For the past three years, that plan has worked out well. Now, perhaps it's time to tweak it.

Here's the thing: When I was in my funk, I forgot about happy little ideas called self-reliance and optimism. I was stuck in worried-and-fearful mode: What if this particular gig goes away? I don't want it to!! Sob!

Well, today it hit me (just like it did the last time): Instead of waiting around for something to happen -- and begging the powers-that-be to help me -- I need to devise another route. As my mom has said many times, you have to make things happen for yourself.

Which is just about the best advice I've ever received.

Random column :)

Years ago, my mom told a stranger at a dinner party that her daughter lived in a condom.
She meant to say "condo," but she didn't, nor did she correct herself. This must have given the party guest a few giggles later on.
Even better, it's given our family yet another wacky memory to cherish. We're big on laughing at ourselves, which makes me think we were just born with that particular gene. (Well, the women were, at least; I can't think of a time my brothers or dad has ever walked into a room and said, "You will not believe what I just did.")
I'm not saying that I never get humiliated by my own actions, but that usually happens when the foible is minor. Those, I keep to myself. But the spectacular mistakes – the kind that I first hope nobody finds out about – those I can see the humor in. As they say, go big or go home.
One morning when we were kids, my mom took us to school in a truck that had a camper on the back. Driving toward the school's entrance, she failed to grasp that the camper was too tall to fit under the awning. Plop! The whole thing fell off the back.
My mom – who was wearing her pajamas – drove away in embarrassment, leaving the camper where she dropped it. And where it blocked all other cars from the driveway.
A few hours later, she got a call from her friend, whose daughter went to the same school.
"You won't believe what some STUPID PERSON did," she said.
My mom, in classic Lucy fashion, let out a wail and said, "It was me!"
Of course, she probably didn't immediately see the humor in this story; it probably had to gel for a day or two. Other times, it's instant. Several years ago, my mom and sister came out to visit me in Seattle. Finding ourselves in a posh neighborhood with an open house, we decided to go check it out.
At the door was a basket full of elastic booties. The realtor had put a sign up, asking everyone to please use them when they toured the home.
"I can't believe we have to wear these," said my mom as she began to put the bootie on her head.
It took everything I had not to pee in my pants. Imagine the look on the realtor's face if she'd come around the corner to see us in hairnets.
Of course, I've come to realize that the Lucy apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Last month, I went to a bridal shower at a friend's house in Austin. As I stood around chatting with a few people I barely know, one of them looked at the homeowner, Tom, and said, "So, I hear you're now commuting."
Me (thinking he said, "So, I hear you're now a comedian"): "Wow! That's so interesting!!!"
(Puzzled glances from the other partygoers)
Tom: "Yeah, so far it's going fine. I've been flying out to California twice a month." (Or something like that -- I was too caught up in the excitement of his comedy career to pay attention.)
Me: "That is so cool!"
Tom: "Uh, yeah. Last week I took a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, which was really nice."
Me: "Tell us some jokes!!!"
Tom (looking at me with fear in his eyes): "Well, the cost of living out there is incredible. We wouldn't be able to afford a shack in that area." (Again, I was barely listening. Too busy waiting for the punch line.)
Me (finally realizing that perhaps he's not on the standup circuit): "Did you say you're a comedian?"
Other guest: "No, I asked if he was COMMUTING!"
We all laughed, but I detected an expression of pity from a couple of the partygoers. Not that this bothered me; I come from a long line of crazy women who can easily tolerate such looks.
On the way home from the shower, I picked up the phone, called my mom and said, "You're not going to believe what I just did." Because sharing my silliness with her is always the best part.

My new hobby

What you see here is my first attempt at scrapbooking. Looking at it now, I realize it needs lots and lots and lots of work. Frankly, it's terrible. But that doesn't quell my enthusiasm for this sport! Or cult, whatever you want to call it!
My sister-in-law Margaret got me into it; she and her friends are expert scrappers and are teaching me the ropes. But there's so much to learn! (They have their own lingo, even. For example, did you know that the practice of stealing ideas for pages from other people is called "scraplifting"?) :)
Anyway, I'm greatly enjoying my Wednesday-morning scrapping sessions, mainly because we get to sit around and talk and laugh. And yes, occasionally get a page done.
I honestly feel like a whole new world has been opened up to me. And yes, I realize that sounds like the words of a cult member. :)

The new lingo

Last Saturday, I picked up Jake after he'd been at his friend Dylan's birthday party.
"Did he like the presents we got him?" I asked.
"Treppelduuun," Jake replied. Or at least that's what it sounded like to me.
"Um, what?" I asked.
""Treppelduuun."
"Jake, what are you saying?!"
"Triple Duh!" he exclaimed.
I'd never heard of this phrase before. Sure, "duh" has been around since the ancient '80s, but "tripple duh"? That's so hip and new!
Another new one (or at least new to me): Do you know the correct term for ringing someone's doorbell and running away? Ding dong dash. Very clever.
And finally, if you're ever in the presence of a first-grader and she or he says, "Lemonade, crunchy ice," be warned. It's a competition.
Emily taught it to me the other day. The rhyme contains hand movements and goes like this: "Lemonade (clap clap clap), crunchy ice (clap clap clap). Sip it once (clap clap clap), sip it twice (clap clap clap). Turn around (clap clap clap), touch the ground (clap clap clap). FREEZE."
I was thrown by the "freeze" until she whispered, "staring competition" and gazed at me with fierce intent.
I laughed and blinked, so I lost. But will I be more prepared next time? Triple duh.

Reasons I haven't blogged in ages

I've been writing my fingers to the bone! Below are links to stories from The Dallas Morning News that ran in the past week. Please click on any and all that interest you. :)

A breakdown of this season's Dancing With the Stars:
http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-dancing_0319glGLWKND.2ca738c.html

A story about Taylor Hicks that previewed his concert, followed by a review of said concert:
http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/music/stories/DN-hicks_0316gl.ART.State.Edition1.4469ee3.html

http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/overnight/stories/DN-hicks_0319gl.State.Edition1.40d77e5.html

A profile of the extras on the show Friday Night Lights (if you've never seen the show, you're missing out on greatness!!!), which filmed its finale in Dallas:
http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/television/stories/DN-fridaynight_0313gl.State.Edition1.28a3107.html

Quick recaps of last week's American Idol:
http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/television/stories/DN-idol_0315gl.ART.State.Edition1.445b5b0.html

And for something completely different, a story about the devastation of anorexia, as shown in a traveling exhibit that is now in Dallas:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving2/stories/DN-nh_thin_0313liv.ART.State.Edition1.22dbba9.html

I promise to blog again soon! I have two funny stories I've been wanting to share with you guys. :)
Happy Monday!
Darla