A Room with a Window

2012 - Starting fresh

2012-01-02T13:15:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!! It is 2012 and despite the predictions I don't expect the world to end. Well, at least not in a big way. Certainly not everyone who woke up on January 1 of this year will be with us a year from now. And sadly there will be some disasters and tragedies - but I don't expect the Second Coming of Christ. Though, truth be told, that wouldn't be a bad thing. God have mercy on us all!

The year in review

2011 was a year full of unexpected events for me. One thing I had planned - a pilgrimage to the Holy Land - came off and was a true delight! I left my government job and endured some employment but I ended the year gainfully employed and hopeful for my future progress. And I made some improvements to my health.

Health

I ended 2010 with a few doctor visits testing and diagnosing a condition of Sleep Apnea. My doctor mentioned that my apnea was pretty mild and that if I were to lose 25-30 lbs. I might not need a CPAP machine at all. So even in December of 2010 I started making an effort to lose weight. I remembered the advice of another doctor - Eat less and exercise more! I did that and was shedding a few pounds. In February of 2011 I attended my first Weight Watchers meeting and found the program to work for me.

I weighed in at that meeting on February 23 at 253.2 lbs. As of my weigh-in on December 29, my weight is 174.8 lbs - a total loss of 78.4 pounds. The program works for me - tracking my food, watching my points, getting in activity and making better choices. I have friends who were successful with Weight Watchers and I was encouraged that it is a program to learn how to make better food choices. I'm eating real food - not buying meals from some company. At this point I am within 5 lbs of my goal weight!! Very excited about that! Commercial over!

This change in my weight has also required some changes in wardrobe. Initially I had my dress pants taken in and that worked for a while. But soon that wasn't enough. So I went shopping and bought several pairs of pants - I'm now wearing a size that I haven't worn since my college days!!

I couldn't have done this so well without the support of my partner George. Whenever Weight Watchers would talk about keeping your food interesting by using spices etc. George was ahead of the game. He is a creative cook and enjoys playing with new recipes and spices. He did have to learn to measure amounts because that is my constant question. How much is this? How many ounces is this?

Pilgrimage

In April of this year I traveled to the Holy Land with a group of men and women, members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ). We assembled in Philadelphia and flew to Tel Aviv and then took a bus to Jerusalem where we stayed in the Notre Dame Hotel, run by the Legionaries of Christ.

Our first stop was Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and we had Mass in the chapel of St. George. From there we visited Bethlehem University, run by the Christian Brothers and sponsored with monies donated by the EOHSJ. Next a visit to Shepherd Field.

There are three designations for places in the Holy Land - true, strong tradition and traditional.

True spots - the grotto of Bethlehem, Calvary, the Tomb of Christ, the Tomb of Lazarus, the site of the Annunciation, Mount Tabor, Caiaphas' house, the Upper Room - we know these are the actual spots where the event reported in the Bible took place.

Strong tradition -the Hill of the Beatitudes, the church of Dominus Flevit - where Christ wept for Jerusalem and some others - historians, scholars and archeologists agree that this is the likely spot.

Tradition - somewhere in this vicinity - maybe within 500 yards or so - is where the event took place - Shepherds Field in Bethlehem and where Christ taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer on the Mount of Olives. We aren't sure of the precise spot, but we know we are close.

We had a small group and excellent guides. There were some profound moments that touched my soul and brought a deeper understanding of the mystery of God's love for us all. We had a holy hour in the Church of All Nations - built over the spot (True) where Christ endured his Agony in the Garden. We also spent some time in the grove of olive trees where Christ was betrayed.

Another spot where we were able to spend some time in prayer and reflection was the Upper Room. This is the site where Christ and his disciples celebrated the Last Supper and Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist. It is also the place where Jesus appeared to the disciples following his Resurrection. And - about 50 days later, the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary and the Apostles on Pentecost.

Our guide talked about Christ and the Apostles as being a group of friends. I reflected on the friendship of Christ and the call to love others. I prayed for mercy for myself and for others.

Another amazing day was the glorious day we had a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. I particularly thought about my father. As much as he loved boats and fishing and being on the water, he would have loved thinking about St. Peter, the Fisherman. My dad was so present to me in the time we were on the water that I could see him.

Our last stop on the trip was Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation. Thanks to my mentor, Fr. Patrick J. Gillooly, I have long had a devotion to this moment in the life of the Virgin Mary and the life of our faith history. When all of God's plan came down to this moment of asking a 14 year old girl if she would be willing to be the mother of the Savior. Fr. Gillooly described how all the angels in Heaven held their breath, waiting to hear what her answer would be. For those who believe, we know that her answer was Yes - May it be done unto me according to your word.

I continue to hold moments from the pilgrimage in my heart and I am thankful that God has been so good to me!

Duties beckon for now - more on my year in review when I get back to the computer!

And so begins the month of August

2011-08-05T07:19:00.002-04:00

I'm sure by now my reader is wondering what has become of me. Did I leave for the beach and pull a Virginia Woolf? No - nothing that drastic. I've been plugging along. Looking for work, reading, applying for jobs, networking, chatting online with friends, tweeking my resume, going to Weight Watchers meetings and mostly staying close to home.

So - accomplishments! I enjoy reading and have worked my way through several books from my local library - which has the benefit of being about a mile away so it is a good walk over and back so I get some exercise too.

As for my Weight Watchers accomplishments - I passed the 50 lb mark and... as of last night I weighed in under 200 lbs - the first time I have been under 200 lbs in about 20 years! What made that even sweeter is that I had no idea if I had even lost any weight in the past week. The bathroom scales at home are much kinder than the scales at the Weight Watchers office and the scales at home have been stuck at 190 for about 3 weeks - so what a nice surprise to go in and learn of this success.

I wouldn't have made it this far without the support of George!!! So, many thanks!

Band -- our marching band has had a good summer and performed at many events. Now we are getting ready to head into our fall concert season. That's always fun! On a sad note one of our band members passed away rather suddenly in June. He was quite the musician and played in many ensembles within our band and without. Some of his friends organized an evening concert and memorial that was quite nice.

I did notice when I saw his dates that he was 58 years old when he died. I turned to a friend and said - okay this is the third friend of mine who has died at the age of 58. Steve replied that things happen in 3's so this will put an end to it. I said - well - just so the next round isn't people aged 53 as I'm looking at that in two months and it could take me and a bunch of my friends!

Family home - still hasn't sold - but I'm still hoping and praying! I haven't resorted to burying a statue of St. Joseph - maybe I could start by asking him for help!

Job front - My efforts have paid off somewhat. I started off the month with two interviews. One was a phone interview for a job at Georgetown Medical Library. I think it went well. I hope so. Next step for them is to weed the candidates and then invite the next round for on-site interviews. Like going into the semi-finals of a reality show. Would be nice to make it to the next round!

On Tuesday of this week I had an interview for a two-month temp job for a contractor at an agency near College Park, MD. That interview went well and they offered me the post. Starting Monday I'll be working - at least through the end of September so I'll be getting up and dressed and out of the house every day!

So - August is starting out as a really good month for me -- hope and pray things continue to get better!!

Split focus

2011-06-19T16:16:00.002-04:00

There is much to write in here and I will get on it. I am gainfully unemployed at the moment having left my last job at the beginning of May.

The job search is going well. At least there are openings. I applied for one job at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History. I talked to a librarian there and learned that they had 1100 applicants for a single job. "So," I said, "I won't be hearing from you anytime soon."

I have applied for government jobs as well as two positions at Catholic University - that would a 10-15 minute walk from my house!

But there is good news in all of this. I am hopeful that I will land in a job that is right for me - makes use of my skills and my interests. I'm told that the work environment at CUA is great!! At this point I am just waiting for an interview.

Other exciting news - I'm overdue with a write up about my trip to the Holy Land. I was on the ground in the Holy Land for 9 days - April 26 - May 4.

I was on a pilgrimage with members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. (Say that three times fast!)

The pilgrimage went very smoothly - we hit all the high spots - Calvary and the Tomb in Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, the home of Caiaphas (now the Church of St. Peter!), the Upper Room, the Garden of Olives and Gethsemane and the Wailing Wall. In Bethlehem we visited the site of the birth of Jesus and also visited Shepherds' Field.

After leaving Jerusalem we took the bus to Bethany and climbed down into the tomb of Lazarus. Then we headed north, stopping to renew our Baptismal promises at the Jordan River. We also stopped at the ruins of the Essene community near the Dead Sea.

The rest of our trip was centered in Tiberias and we made day trips to Mount Tabor, to Haifa and the Cave of Elijah - now a Carmelite Monastery, the home of St. Peter along the Sea of Galilee. We enjoyed a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee that was spectacular.

The last day of the pilgrimage took us to Nazareth and the grotto where Mary received the message from the angel Gabriel.

I will post some photos and tell some of what transpired while we were there. A magnificent trip!

Part of the process

2011-05-20T12:09:00.004-04:00

Several years ago I finally realized that my parents weren't going to live forever. Sad as that was it still didn't prepare me for the real grief that I experienced when each of them died.

After my mother died a few years ago, the four kids got together to discuss the future of the family home that we now shared equally. I have written about our home in other posts. Our great-grandfather, P.R. Lawyer, had the house built and then enlarged to accommodate his growing family and the arrival of his mother-in-law.

Over the years the house was home to other relatives and was always a gathering place for family and friends. My grandmother became the next owner after her father died. She married and raised her two children (my mother and my uncle). Eventually the house went to my parents and now it is ours.

Next came the realization that none of us could keep the house. Three of us already own homes and none of us can afford to buy, repair and maintain the house. So we sorted through what was there and negotiated what items we wanted from the house. Some are items that have just always been there. A rocking chair that our great-great-great-grandparents brought from Germany (according to my grandmother), a pitcher, a toby jug, a dresser, just to name a few.

My brother found someone who was willing to handle the sale of anything that we wanted to get rid of. So we empty out the house, organize our brother's things (one of us is living there) and clean the place to make it look nicer for potential buyers.

Now I have spent the last two weeks up there packing up dishes and all manner of things from the attic, the basement and the two floors of living space. My brothers and sister helped and even a neice and a nephew. Then the cleaning started.

By the time we were done with the second floor I was amazed and inspired. I saw again the home I had always loved and saw the potential for it to be a home or even a bed & breakfast. A place that a new family will love and cherish.

I'm posting some photos - but you'd have to have seen how it looked prior to our efforts these past two weeks.

Now - if you're looking to buy a late Victorian home in downtown Berkeley Springs, WV - let me know!

Upstairs Kitchen looking toward back door

Upstairs Kitchen looking toward stove and sink

Upstairs Kitchen looking toward back bedroom

Upstairs Back Bedroom

Upstairs Back Bedroom - at one time it was the family living room - hence the fireplace.

Knowing someone you never met.

2011-04-12T16:45:00.004-04:00

I had the good fortune of growing up in the same household with my maternal grandparents. Not only that, it was the same home in which my grandmother had been reared. There is mention of the house and its history elsewhere in this blog.

Over the years I heard many stories about my one great grandfather, Peter Randolph Lawyer generally referred to as P.R. Lawyer. His wife, Ida May, called him Dolph, but my grandmother always referred to him as Papa.

P.R. was born in the southern part of Morgan County in an area known as Oakland. This is always pronounced with equal emphasis on both syllables. His parents, James West and Margaret Jane Lawyer were farmers and lived in a typical home. (I will have to find my records with the exact dates, but P.R. was born about 1871.)

Life on a farm is never easy and in those days I'm sure there was a lot of work. But Papa Lawyer must have applied himself. He went to the local one-room school through about the eighth grade as far as I remember hearing. But that included lessons in the three 'Rs - Reading, Riting and Rithmatic, as well as history and penmanship.

Papa had a great love for music and instilled that love in his children. Over the years he sang in the church choir, played the organ, the coronet and even designed a few instruments.

My grandmother told me how at some point in his youth P.R. Lawyer headed west to seek his fortune. She never said where he landed, but I suspect he didn't get much past the Mississippi. Still he saw something of the country, but he missed his home. She said that especially in the evenings watching the sunset he grew homesick. So he headed back east.

P.R. did not want to be a farmer and instead moved into the growing town of Berkeley Springs and opened a jewelry store. In addition to jewelry he sold china, silver, watches and clocks, and music.

I never learned the story of how he met his wife, but I wonder if it was maybe at church or if he rented a room from his future mother-in-law. P.R. Lawyer and Ida May Casler were wed in the new Presbyterian Church in Berkeley Springs - the first couple to be married there.

P.R. had a house built on Independence Street and lived there with his new bride. My grandmother told me that her parents moved to Basic City, Virginia briefly. She was born in Berkeley Springs in 1891 and she gave me the impression that she moved with them to Basic City. But they didn't stay there for long.

My grandmother told me that there was a fire in Basic City. I don't know if P.R. lost the store, but business was bad. According to the Wikipedia article Basic City was hit hard in the depression of 1893. In fact Basic City is one of Virginia's Lost Cities. It was subsumed by the city of Waynesboro.

After moving back to Berkeley Springs, P.R. had a house built in the Wright's & Smith's addition to the Town of Bath. In October 1895 the Lawyer family, P.R. (Papa), Ida (Mama), and children Anna and Herbert moved into the home on South Green Street.

My grandmother told me that Papa had very particular ideas about how he wanted his home to be. Having grown up in a farm house he wanted a more formal home. They had a separate dining room and Papa took all of his meals in the dining room. He never ate in the kitchen. The upstairs had a center hallway. In the farm house one had to pass through one bedroom to get to another. He must have enjoyed his privacy.

The house faced west - looking at the ridge that ran alongside the town. On summer evenings P.R. would put a chair on the front porch roof outside his bedroom and sit and gaze at the stars. I don't know if he read up there or just sat, smoked a cigar and thought.

After a few years when double parlors became fashionable, P.R. had an addition built to the home. This was to accommodate a growing family - the birth of son Henry "Harry" Lawyer born in 1903 and to welcome Ida's mother, Anna Matilda (Ma) Casler.

In addition to running his business, P.R. was active in the community. He played in the Berkeley Springs Band, he was a charter member of the local Lodge of Freemasons and served as a Grand Master for a time. He was active in local politics and served as Mayor of the Town of Bath - Berkeley Springs is just the name of the post office. At one point he ran for a state senate seat but he did not win. P.R. had the misfortune of being a Democrat in a very Republican county.

P.R. had a phone line installed at the house on Green Street that was a direct line to a phone in his jewelry store. One day there was a fire in the summer kitchen. Ida was so shocked by it that she ran down the hill to get P.R. and never even thought about using the phone.

The family attended the Presbyterian church. Anna played the organ. She sang Alto and Herbert sang Tenor - Harry ended up being the Bass. The children attended school at Mount Wesley Academy which was just a few blocks away. Anna graduated in 1909.

When the US entered World War I Herbert served, playing euphonium in the band and running telephone cables. After his basic training he served in France. After he returned from the war he went to work as a salesman, first for Gold Medal Flour and then for many years for the H.J. Heinz Company. He and his wife Hazel Parlette Lawyer settled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Anna, my grandmother, helped her father in the store, gave piano lessons and played for the silent movies. She told me that she got paid 25¢ to play for the movies. If a vaudeville troupe came to town and needed a pianist then she would rehearse with them and play for the show and then she'd make big money - 50¢

Anna met her future husband, Edward F. Carroll, when he came to Berkeley Springs with a traveling semi-pro baseball team. The team moved on, but Eddie stayed and worked in the local Washington Hotel. Eddie courted Anna for about 10 years before P.R. gave his consent to let his only daughter get married.

There were two factors at work I think - one, P.R. was a Freemason and my grandfather was a Roman Catholic and I don't think P.R. wanted to see his daughter marry a Catholic. So I think some of my grandfather's work was in winning over P.R.

More than that P.R. didn't think that Anna needed to get married. He could provide everything she needed. Well - everything except children. Anna loved children and wanted a family of her own. So P.R. relented and Anna and Eddie were married in a simple ceremony in the parlor in the house on Green Street.

By this time Eddie was no longer working in Berkeley Springs. He was managing the Rappe Hotel in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. So Anna moved up there to set up house keeping. Given how attached the two were I can only imagine how much P.R. must have missed his little girl.

Don't get the idea that he was a soft-hearted type. He was strong-minded and used to getting his way. But he loved his family. In 1921 Anna was pregnant with her first child and she was living in Greensburg. P.R. ran the store without Anna there to help him. He had some health problems. He suffered from gout on occasion and that year came down with Bright's Disease.

During the summer P.R.'s condition worsened and they sent for Anna. But she was nearing the end of her pregnancy and the baby was due. In those days a woman had bed rest for several weeks following delivery, but Anna needed to get home.

As things happened she had a difficult labor and the baby was very weak. Each morning the nurse brought the baby in to my grandmother to nurse, but one morning my grandmother felt how cold the baby's hands and feet were. She warmed them, but called for the doctor. She knew that her son was dying and said to the doctor, "This is a Catholic baby. He needs to be baptized." The doctor sent the nurse to get some water, "and it doesn't need to be holy water!"

The doctor baptized my uncle as he lay in his mother's arms. Shortly after the baby died.

With little time to grieve Anna made ready for the train ride from Greensburg to Hancock and then a car ride the last six miles to Berkeley Springs. She said the ride in the car was the worst part given the roads and the condition of shock absorbers in those days.

Anna arrived in Berkeley Springs where she was able to help her mother care for P.R. during his last month. P.R. Lawyer passed away on October 4, 1921 in the home he built on Green Street.

Harry Lawyer was sent to learn watchmaking and he ran the store to support Ida. Anna bought her brothers' shares of the family home and continued to live there. She would live part of the time with her husband Eddie where he was working. They had two other children, both born in Greensburg, Edward Lawyer "Ned" Carroll and Margaret Anne "Margie", my mother.

They, like my sister, brothers and I grew up in the house that P.R. Lawyer built. None of us ever met them man, but we all felt as though we knew him. Ida lived in the home with her daughter and grandchildren. Harry and his wife Pearl lived next door with their four boys.

Ida passed away in 1952. Before she died she asked her only granddaughter, Margie, to move back to Berkeley Springs so that Anna wouldn't be alone. My mother honored her promise. After moving back to West Virginia Margie met Dwan McBee whom she had known when they were both much younger.

They dated and married and raised their family in the house on Green Street.

So why am I writing about this now? I'm not sure - I dreamed about Papa Lawyer last night and felt the need to write about him. I will check my dates and add them to this story.

Back by popular demand

2011-03-22T08:35:00.000-04:00

Greetings readers,

The Back by popular demand is a euphemism. After almost a year hiatus I doubt I have any readers. Prove me wrong?

So the past year has been a full one and I have learned much. In my current job - reviewing contracts for data and database services - I have learned about reading contracts and what goes into a good contract. The needs agencies have to publish and the relative willingness some vendors have to allow us to negotiate terms.

From colleagues I have observed much and learned as well. From associates at other libraries I have learned that somethings never change. By the way, I hear karma can be a bitch.

So on the whole it has been a good year. I lost a long time friend suddenly last fall and another friend passed away in February from cancer. Maybe the good do die young and I'll be stuck here until I'm over 100. Actually - that has been a goal - not so much in and of itself. I have a goal to live beyond 2063 when my home state of West Virginia celebrates it's Bi-centennial.

But I digress... It is Spring - Washington, DC's best season what with all the lovely parks, warm temperatures and low humidity, and the lovely Cherry Blossoms. In the spirit of renewal, I am renewing my blog and talking about topics related to the work of librarians.

Important topics from work and the ether:

Contracts for electronic resources and data

Resource sharing tools like Sharepoint

Customer outreach and liaison with customer groups

Creating new libraries

A year of change

More to come on all of this!! Spring is the air!!!

So much going on....

2010-04-29T12:09:00.002-04:00

Life continues to be busy. The new job - I'm just shy of my 3 monthiversary - is going well. They are keeping me really busy. That is a good thing, but it also requires an adjustment.

For the last year or so of my last job I did reference work as it came to me and very little else - so I got really adept at facebook and caught up on several shows thanks to Hulu. We had a news feed from CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, CSPAN etc. so I could have the news running. I remember one exciting day there was a high-speed chase in Texas or Florida.

For a while we had the feed from BBC - to get the BBC news. Only that was just in the morning - so I became addicted to several shows - Cash in the Attic, and the Queens of Clean who would go in an clean up disgusting apartments and homes.

So now I'm actually having to work - that is a good thing!

Band has been a delight. We performed one of my favorite pieces - Rhapsody in Blue. And I dedicated one tune to the memory of my wonderful friend Diana Smith.

Oh, my dear little librarian. You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make today worth remembering. - Prof. Harold Hill from The Music Man.

Dedicated to my dear friend and a librarian who strove to make every day worth remembering.

The piano soloist for Rhapsody in Blue, Annamaria Mottolo did an outstanding job! I learned that she is good friends with someone from my past. Peter Wilson was one of the two boys who played Oliver Twist in my college production of Oliver! that I stage managed during my senior year.

Now, out of the blue, I was asked to play in the pit band for a local production of Oliver!. So that will make for a really busy May - but it will be fun.

And tomorrow I join my friends in Marching Band to go to Rehoboth Beach for Band Camp!

My one-time mentor, Rev. Patrick J. Gillooly, used to say we have all eternity to rest. I'll need it I think!

Observations on the commute home

2010-04-22T18:00:00.002-04:00

Greetings friends!

Lot's has been going on and I feel the urge to write some of this down. So, after a couple of months of nothing much to say I think I'll be posting for a bit.

Yesterday I got on the Metro at Farragut North for my daily commute home. At Metro Center a man got on who drew my attention. The man was probably about my age, bearded, wore glasses but had that loopy thing around his neck like your Aunt Martha used to wear.

The reason I noticed him was that he was coughing. My guess it was probably bronchitis and allergis. He just seemed really fussy - coughing, and pulling out paper napkins to wipe his mouth and hands and blow his nose. Then stuff the napkin in his pocket. Then he fidgeted and coughed again, etc. Finally after two stops he seemed to settle down and pulled out a book and a small cardboard fan.

So now he was reading. Only a dad and his young son sat down in the seat next to him and the son said he wanted to read. So the dad pulled out a booklet that the boy had made in school that day and started reading. Aloud.

The coughing man started to look toward the dad and soon and seemed a bit annoyed now. The boy's reading aloud was bothering him.

And somewhere on the train a baby started to cry. Now I was mildly amused that this man who was very fussy and had distracted me (did I mention that?) was himself now distracted.

In resignation he put his book into his over-sized tote bag. I noticed something on the side of the bag. It was a promo for a company that provides services to libraries. So I was thinking this man is a librarian and he was getting annoyed by a child who was reading.

Sigh! But I was pleased to note that as the fussy man settled down to listen to the father and son, he was amused by the innocence of the boy's questions and comments.

There is hope for world yet.

Udates on my professional life

2010-02-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends!

It has been several months since I last posted. Needless to say much has happened. To start out with here is an update on my professional life - it is culled from two postings on Facebook so if you are a friend there this will look familiar.

I really want to thank everyone for their support. The past two years at my job have been unpleasant to say the least.

What started as a boss being passive/aggressive and not speaking to me for weeks on end turned into her false accusations and a security investigation. The investigation completely cleared me - but did nothing to compel her to work thing out with me. Her passive/aggressive behavior continued through my departure when she again refused to speak to me.

On February 1 I started a new chapter in my working life. I still feel a little numb. There's a lot to take in at a new job - a lot of decisions about benefits (the benefits are great - btw). It will take a little bit of time for me to feel actually settled in the new job - but the folks there are great. Certainly I will miss the wonderful friends I made on my last job - but now is the time to move on.

My friends who have heard the details of the last couple of years have been wonderfully supportive and I cannot thank you enough. A few of you know first hand of some of this. It is great to have third party confirmation.

The people at my new job are friendly and welcoming. Orientation took two mornings, but a continental breakfast was provided and on day one there was a free lunch!! yippee

The Library staff did much to help me feel welcome. They already set up my network and email accounts and my telephone. I continued to meet people and learn about library procedures etc.

The biggest challenge for me was realizing that this agency isn't like the rest of the federal government. I say goodbye to my govt. retirement plan (I'll still get the money when I retire), and start paying into the agency's own retirement plan and 401K. As I looked over the fine print, I learned that it takes 5 years to be fully vested and then I'll have just one more year until I'm eligible to retire. So this is my last federal job. I wasn't exactly ready to make that move - but here I am.

Then we got some snow and I had a forced holiday for almost a week. But I'm back in the office. I am continuing to get things set up and learning what I'll actually be doing. I'm learning more of the work environment and the corporate culture here (which is actually more like an academic culture.)

Yesterday I learned that my work day isn't quite as long as I had thought and an hour for lunch. And did I mention that my new boss isn't a sociopath, bi-polar, crazed, lying whack-job?

A Fabulous Friday

2009-08-14T14:11:00.003-04:00

Hi Folks - it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

A lovely day - a frabjous day even! Okay - not sure why I'm so profoundly happy today. Like Scrooge at the end of the book - I'm as giddy as a school boy.

In part - there's the anticipation of seeing family tomorrow for the big party at the Lawyer/Carroll/McBee homestead in Berkeley Springs, WV.

Last year after my mother passed away one of my cousins suggested having a big get-together before we sold the homestead to celebrate again the many years (114 or so?) that our family has lived there.

So tomorrow I'll gather with my sister and brothers and nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins and friends to toast the happy memories. Maybe we'll shed a tear - but mostly we'll enjoy the stories that we've grown up with.

Lots more going on too. It is official that in October my friend Diana's former pastor and his wife will travel to Iona Island in Scotland to scatter some of Diana's ashes. Diana passed away in March.

I used up all my frequent flyer miles to book my flights. I arrive in Glasgow on October 5 and will attempt to drive a car to Iona and stay there two nights. Then on my birthday I will take the train to London. It seemed like a good idea at the time - but I'll get to visit with a friend from band who lives there now. Then back to DC on Friday and a concert on Saturday. Good thing I'm taking the following week off.

That will be a somewhat solemn trip - but one that will help in many ways.

Hope you have a good weekend too!

Nostalgia - Back to school

2009-07-29T08:13:00.003-04:00

On Sunday I was looking through the newspaper and the advertisements and saw the first push for the Back to School sales.

Years ago I realized how much I like Autumn - in part because my birthday is in October. I find that things begin in Autumn - my life began, school starts, concert band practices start up. All very good things. I love the colors and the cooler weather.

But I also miss the preparation for Fall and school. Shopping for new clothes. Buying new pencils, pens, notebook paper and a notebook. Everything was crisp and new and clean.

Sometimes in mid-August when I have been driving to visit family in West Virginia, I'd see cars packed to the roof as kids were heading off/back to college. I was envious - I miss it so much. You got to see your friends whom you didn't see over the summer and hear what folks did. There were new friends to meet and get to know. There was a new schedule and maybe new teachers.

These days the closest thing to that is getting back to Concert band after the summer break. I'll take that - First rehearsal is August 3.

Joy is my Strength and Friends are my Comfort

2009-07-28T08:53:00.004-04:00

I was feeling a little down, but because I chose to take some positive action I am feeling better. And there has been some positive action. The boss is actually making a schedule for the Reference Desk. It isn't so much that I need to be on the Reference Desk - it is a matter of principle that I am included along with the other librarian on staff. And the book truck that was purchased solely to place in front of the window in my office to block my view of the entrance and to hide me from the view of patrons as they enter has been moved. So even less need to be on the Reference Desk - but again - the principle.

Not sure if we'll actually have a facilitation meeting, but that will only reflect badly on my boss. So far I'm getting something of what I want.

No other job prospects at the moment. I passed on one because the boss there is reportedly as bad as mine. The other job was one that was a bit beyond my interest.

And so much to be grateful for. Over the weekend I went with friends from the band to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to march in a parade and then on to Hershey Park. I had a wonderful time. Saw lots of friends - talked w/ my roomie Blake (who is a reader of this blog) and major time w/ fellow trombonist - Rob Heim.

I did go on one ride at Hershey Park and that was enough to confirm that I was not getting on the super-fast, upside down, 80-foot drop rides. Even though I think there's a really good cardiac unit at the closest hospital.

Sunday was spent napping and reading the paper. Last evening I met up with a new group of friends for a potluck dinner. Really nice group of people - really positive energy -- I needed that!!!

God is good!

No happy dance - back to facilitation

2009-07-21T10:20:00.000-04:00

Well - no happy dance at this time. I got official word that I wasn't selected for the job. I was sensing this, so last Friday I sat down and wrote up what was on my mind.

My continuing issues with my boss have deteriorated from a mild improvement. I was ignoring it because I was looking for another job. But now I have to face this mess. Maybe that's the real lesson here - to face this rather than leave.

This morning I sent off my missive to the boss and the facilitator. I'd post it here, but that would probably work against me. We'll see.

I remain an optimist and as the saying goes - Don't let the bastards get you down.

Friday update - still no dance

2009-07-17T16:02:00.002-04:00

Gee - good thing I didn't prepare my acceptance speech or choreograph the happy dance.

A week ago there was still no decision so it is still possible. My challenge is to prepare for the worst. And I have done that. I have a plan. If nothing else, it will give me something to do.

Tomorrow is a big day - lots of friends and family in town to celebrate George's 50th Birthday. So that is the focus right now.

Have a good weekend. Be safe and be kind.

Advice from Oscar nominees

2009-07-06T10:27:00.003-04:00

Years ago following the Academy Awards a nominee said that the reason winners don't usually have a prepared speech is because if you don't win - you have that speech rolling around in your head for the rest of the evening.

So I'm waiting for a phone call - hoping rather for a job offer, but I cannot let myself get too far ahead of myself. No happy dance until I get the call.

I wonder how chickens feel waiting for an egg to hatch?

July 1st - thoughts on many things

2009-07-01T13:49:00.002-04:00

Wow - what a week!

The litany of celebrity deaths in the past week - Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, Gale Storm, Fred Travalena - did I miss anyone?

July 4th is around the corner - but before that I have July 3rd - my mom's birthday - she turned 83 last year while in the hospital. A year ago I was driving back and forth to Winchester a couple of times a week.

On the job front - my boss is still crazy and I think it is time for them to re-adjust her meds. I had a job interview almost two weeks ago and it was really good. So now I am trying to remain positive yet dispassionate. I want to keep the positive energy flowing - but I don't want to be too disappointed if I don't get it. The optimism is winning.

I have explained it to a couple of people as - staying optimistic but not choreographing the happy dance yet.

At home things are going apace. We will celebrate George's 50th birthday this month and we have invited his brothers and other friends and family - so we're working on getting things cleaned up and throwing things away. That's very exciting to me - I've been wanting to clear out some of the clutter. In part because we'll eventually get some more stuff from the family home - but some of that will be a place to put things.

I'll keep you posted.

Another rainy day

2009-06-05T13:19:00.004-04:00

Last night we drove home in the rain and during the night I awoke to the sound of rain falling. This morning I walked to the Metro in the rain and it has been raining all day. Sigh.

I really don't mind - I like the rain. Alas I think the ground is getting a bit water-logged. But it is supposed to clear up for the weekend and be sunny.

It has been a thoughtful week for me. Tuesday was the third anniversary of the death of my father. I wasn't devestated - but I do miss him.

Wednesday was a pretty good day - I was enthused to realize that I am a really good librarian. I continue to work under the stress of a boss who is truly certifiable and continues to avoid me - actually that is a good combination. A patron was in and went on at length about it. All I could do was nod and smile.

So life goes on - and things are looking better. It is still raining - but I love to walk in the rain. Look for me when it's stormy - I can't complain.

Crayon therapy

2009-05-11T14:03:00.003-04:00

I did survive my vacation. I had a wonderful time in both San Francisco and Seattle as well as my brief visit to Portland, Oregon. I reconnected with several friends and made some new ones. I also ate a lot of good food and saw the sights in both cities.

On May 2nd as I made my trip back to the east coast - I had 2+ hour layover at O'Hare Airport. I almost said Chicago - but I was far from Chicago! So I looked for a restaurant that would allow me to sit down and relax with lunch. I even had a glass of wine.

This was a restaurant that has paper over the tablecloths and provides crayons. Not only am I presented with a blank canvas, I am given some colors - a very limited palette - to work with. And I have always found coloring to be a very therapeutic activity.

Just the smell of crayons will take me back to my childhood - when my life was simpler and involved lots more playtime than my adult life allows. I had forgotten how wonderful coloring is until several years ago I was on a work assignment in another city. I was there for two weeks. I had taken books to read etc. but that wasn't doing it for me. I was alone in the evenings and there wasn't much to do but watch television. So I walked to the nearby department store and bought a box of crayons and a coloring book. So each evening after dinner, I sat at the table in my room and watched television and colored.

Now I have a couple of coloring books and on occasion I will sit and color while I'm watching tv. it is very relaxing.

So back to the layover in O'Hare. My first drawing was of a village next to a lake. And then I drew the parrot above. I decided to keep that drawing and share it with others here.

If you are ever feeling overwhelmed with life - sit down with a box of crayons and a coloring book. Don't worry about coloring inside the lines. (Okay - I stay inside the lines - but not everyone needs to do that.) Color a few pictures - don't worry about where you start in the coloring book either. Find a picture that you want to color - one that says - this person is wearing a blue shirt and in no time at all you'll feel more relaxed.

I stole art from the SF Museum of Modern Art

2009-04-23T22:18:00.005-04:00

Well - before the Feds come knocking at my door - what I really did was take a few photos of some artwork at the MOMA.

I got there just in time for a guided tour of the William Kentridge exhibition. He is a South African artist who is multi-talented. A friend told me that she had heard a definition of a genius as one who looks at things and imagines them for other purposes. In one of Mr. Kentridge's film works his coffee pot turns into a spaceship. He works with a lot of commonplace items that were in his studio.

The museum also has paintings by Klee, Mondrian, Miro, Braques and Picasso. I took photos of Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo paintings.

Diego Rivera painting The Flower Carrier

Frieda Kahlo self portrait with her husband Diego Rivera
So I didn't really steal anything - and I paid admission and I bought a couple of things at the gift shop. So please, don't arrest me.

Surprises and disappointments

2009-04-23T20:37:00.003-04:00

So much of our happiness in life depends upon our expectations. The Prom is really just a nice dance - but if you stress about making it the most important night of your life - well then you are setting yourself up for failure. A wedding day is hopefully not "the happiest day of a bride's life". And if it is, that is pretty sad.

So yesterday was a day of disappointments for me. Not that I had any big expectations about anything. But as I was leaving the house yesterday I realized that my sunglasses were no where to be found. So I began checking the guy from the SF Band who gave me a ride home. He found sunglasses in his car, but not mine. I wonder what that's about. So I called someone else who had given me a ride to the restaurant and I'm still waiting to hear from her. Today I stopped by the restaurant and they didn't have the glasses. Sigh...

So yesterday I met a new friend who works at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. He showed me a couple of very cool exhibits and told me about his work there. Very ineteresting.

After lunch I took off in search of a couple of Victorian homes that I had read about. My trek - and it was a trek - 20 blocks each direction - took me past the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. One friend had referred to it as St. Maytag's another called the Agitator. It is a monstrous concrete structure that looks like the agitator from a washing machine. So hideous that it didn't warrant any photos. Suprisingly the interior has an imposing grandeur and allows for some quiet reflection. But they could have accomplished that with a lot less concrete. But it has survived one earthquake so far.

So off I went and found two of the houses that I had read about - neither were open for tours - I missed one by 20 minutes. But I got some good photos.

Atherton House - 1990 California Street

Haas-Lilienthal House - 2007 Franklin Street

The Atherton House is supposed to be haunted - I was hoping to find out if they were friendly spirits.

So minor disappointments that I wasn't able to tour either of the houses. But worse was my poor tired feet.

That evening I met up with fellow librarian Craig Cruz for a delicious dinner at Caffe Delle Stelle at the corner of Hayes and Gough Streets. Craig went off to hear the San Francisco Orchestra perform the Poulenc Organ Concerto. Another friend came by and gave me a ride home, taking me past the Painted Ladies of Nob Hill, through Japan Town, and then to the ocean and Cliff House.

So not a bad day after all.

San Francisco - by the Bay

2009-04-22T11:09:00.004-04:00

Greetings all - I am in surprisingly hot San Francisco, California. I arrived on Sunday afternoon and have been playing tourist and generally having fun.

On Sunday after an early flight that took me to Dallas and then over some beautiful desert and the Grand Canyon, I arrived and made my way to my temporary home in SF. The shuttle driver had other people to drop off so I had a scenic tour of SF, including Lombard Street.

Once settled in the Sunset neighborhood - west of downtown, I rested and then ventured out to meet a friend for dinner and we walked around the Castro neighborhood.

After a good night's sleep, I took off on Monday morning for the Mission District to tour the St. Francis Mission and the Basilica. The interior is quite impressive in an understated way.

That was the end of my sightseeing on Monday - the rest of the day I hung out with some friends.

Tuesday was a full day of sightseeing. I walked the Golden Gate Bridge (1.7 miles across). Then, if that wasn't enough, after lunch I walked from Fort Mason all the way up Russian Hill, then down and then up Telegraph Hill to the Coit Tower. Believe me - it didn't look that far on the map - and the map doesn't indicate the scale of the hills. My feet are still sore!

So today is going to be another quiet day!! I also managed to get some sun - thank goodness I bought a hat otherwise my little bald head would be burned!!

I'm a Hero

2009-04-14T07:53:00.003-04:00

Last Friday I was a hero. Okay - I didn't rescue a sea captain from pirates and I didn't rescue a baby from a burning building. I didn't even call 911 to report any number of crimes that were probably going on around the city.

I was a hero in the late 20th and early 21st Century sense of the word. Since we're all entitled to our 15 minutes or so of fame - heck if a psychotic woman can be famous for being Octo-Mom then I deserve fame for my heroic act, don't I?

Yet I didn't call a press conference to announce my act of heroism - I'm doing that here now on my blog. I figured I'd wait and let the rapture of Easter pale a little before taking the spotlight for myself.

My act of heroism? The noble deed that I did? I was walking into the Brookland Metro station and saw a cellphone lying on the ground. I picked it up and handed it to the Metro staff person in the kiosk. (I like the word kiosk.) I'm expecting Pat Collins from Channel 4 News to contact me soon for an on-air interview.

Speaking of Octo-Mom -- didn't Spiderman defeat her? Or am I thinking of someone else?

Homily at Diana's Funeral

2009-04-09T11:13:00.002-04:00

I was looking around and the Holy Cross Brother, Robert Sevensky, OHC, who preached at my friend Diana's funeral on March 28, 2009, has posted the homily he gave.

It is a thoughtful homily, not a sentimental one. I was most touched by this observation.

Diana was indeed that. An integer. An entity. Complete. No matter how much or little you knew of Diana or about Diana, what you always got was… Diana.

It is worth the reading.

I'm a Libra Man

2009-04-09T09:35:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday George and I went to see After the Garden. During the show, Little Edie talks about how she is looking for her Libra Man - her ideal lover. She even searched the audience looking for a Libra Man - I didn't raise my hand in time for her to see me. Whew!

Last night I was at Urban Outfitters in Gallery Place and I was looking through a horoscope book reading about Libra - my zodiac sign. Amongst the many flattering things that are written about Librans - we are truly wonderful - I read some uncomfortable truths.

One of those is that we need friends and fear being lonely. Okay, I deal with lonely pretty well - but that is part of the problem for us Librans - we cope well enough that we don't tell our friends that we need them. And I have been feeling particularly friendless lately.

Friendless isn't the right term - forgive the hyperbole. I just don't feel very well connected to my friends. And there's what I call the Facebook effect.

This morning on my walk from the Metro I was again thinking about my friends Jack and Lorraine Hall. They moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia in the mid-1970s. I met them through a church choir. Jack and Lorraine were the same ages as my parents and they were lots of fun.

From the time I knew them I was spending many weekend evenings at their home. There was usually a big group of us - playing games - Jeopardy, Scrabble, etc. and laughing, singing and talking. It was never a big deal party - chips and sodas and cookies.

How does one do that? How do you make yourself open to friends so they want to come and visit? My family home was like that - people would just drop by. I talk with George about this - I want to have people over - but I want it informal - hanging out, playing the piano. Not something that requires three days of shopping and cooking.

Ah the irony - a couple of days ago my daily horoscope said that I should seek isolation. Good thing I don't believe in horoscopes!

After the Garden - and the oddities of life in DC

2009-04-05T21:37:00.004-04:00

I won tickets to see After the Garden - based on the one-week performance by Edith Bovier Beale - Little Edie of Grey Gardens fame.

George and I had been to see Grey Gardens, the musical, at Studio Theatre a couple of months ago. It is a good play about an interesting mother and daughter - aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

The show was quite entertaining and was performed in a back room at Miss Pinky's 2nd hand furniture store on 14th Street, NW. For starters we ran into someone I know from the band. Secondly - we recognized the accompanist from another musical at Studio Theatre.

But the audience was almost as entertaining and surreal as Little Edie. The seating was all patio furniture (After the Garden...) and George and I seated ourselves on a wicker sofa. Moments before the play started a woman and a large man decided to join us by squeezing onto the sofa. The woman introduced herself and sort of apologized. "I've just come from working out, so I may not smell as fresh as roses."

And then a man, well into his 40's entered wearing jeans and v-neck undershirt. Definitely too old to be dressed like that. He seated himself in the front row and introduced himself to some other men who were seated there. Throughout the show he seemed to mimic the gestures of Little Edie. Maybe he was an understudy or somehow part of the show. Or maybe he had dropped acid before he came in. The show is set on New Year's Eve 1977.

And that was my dose of culture for the weekend.

DC is a small town - lest anyone think otherwise. Prior to the play George and I walked up 14th Street just to kill time before the play started. We ran into Steve Sears, a friend of mine from Library school. I love Steve and wish we did things together. But I enjoyed catching up with him. He had been with some friends up on U Street and was heading...somewhere.

On Sunday evening George and I had plans to meet up with Harry Stubbs, an acquaintance of mine from FDIC days and a friend of Diana Smith's. Anyway we had made plans to meet up and George suggested a Thai restaurant on Connecticut Avenue.

We met at the appointed time and turned around and there was Diana's cousin Pam Smith and her husband Miguel Harvey! In one sense we weren't surprised at all and I decided that this was really supposed to happen. They are a delightful couple and it was a great joy to run into them and share dinner.

Diana had to run a lot of coordination for that one - and thanks!

April Fool's day etc.

2009-04-01T08:01:00.006-04:00

Hi friends. Gee several folks are actually reading this so I have to think a bit more carefully about what I write.

Thank heavens March is over! Though that lands us on April Fool's Day. According to Wikipedia the origin of this day lies in the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar or moving the first of the year or some such thing. I have an inkling it predates that.

On at least one occasion when Good Friday fell on April 1, my friend Diana and I both took it as spiritual sign - the Devil was fooled on Good Friday - seeing Christ on the Cross he was certain that Christ was a fool and that he, Satan, had won! But Easter Sunday proved him wrong. Death was fooled!

Diana enjoyed minor pranks. One year at the FDIC we went in the night before and set up several pranks - only one of which back-fired. We tied some chairs to tables, wrapped a desk in newspaper, strung paper clips together. Oh - and another time Diana made a mock-apple pie - using the recipe on the side of the Ritz Crackers box. Just Ritz crackers and sugar and water and no apples. edible and sweet - but kinda weird.

Diana was invited to dinner on April Fool's Day and brought dessert - a delicious-looking sponge cake. You guessed it. Much to the relief of her hosts' children there was a real cake in the car. We talked about dipping mushrooms in chocolate for people who loved chocolate truffles, but we both hate to waste food.

Now on to the etc. part:

As of today, the Washington Post has finally published Diana's obituary. The link should be good for a few weeks. It includes a photo provided by one of Diana's friends - Pat Petrash. I met Pat the evening before Diana died - again I'm glad that Diana has such wonderful friends. That is the picture posted here.

Finally - I have been thinking about a journey that Diana and I made to New York City in October, 1999 to see Dame Edna on the Royal Tour at the Booth Theatre. We took the bus up and stayed with friends and we had a grand time. Our tickets put us in the first row all the way to the side. But eventually Dame Edna engaged Diana in conversation as she did other members of the audience. At the end of the show the people that Dame Edna had been talking with were invited to take part in the show and Diana dutifully suffered through this and was rewarded with the photo here of herself with Dame Edna. A few years later I was able to get Dame Edna to autograph it for her after a performance in Washington, DC.

Remembering Diana

2009-03-31T19:49:00.001-04:00

Here are the remarks I made at the reception following Diana's funeral last Saturday. I was asked to cover her career.

Most of Diana’s professional life was with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – the FDIC. She was working for the Distilled Spirits Lobby when she got a phone call to come for an interview, prompting her to swap clothes with a co-worker so she could wear a dress for the meeting.

Diana served first as a Reference Librarian and then as the Assistant Chief Librarian and eventually as Chief Librarian. I first met Diana in January 1986 when I interviewed for a job at the FDIC.

I remember sitting down in the office she shared with her colleague Len, both desks and the shelves around them piled high with papers and books and the myriad tomes that Libraries had before the advent of databases and the internet.

My job at the FDIC began on March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. The team was very nice and fun to work with. Diana was friendly, witty, and we got to know each other better.

In September of that year she was planning a trip to Scotland with her father. She had not traveled with him before, but they got along well. He was the source of her wry sense of humor. Since she was going to be gone for about three weeks Diana asked me to house/cat sit for her. I agreed.

While Diana and her father were in Scotland her father had a sudden heart attack and died. So she was tending to all of that with the help of nice associate vicar.
After Diana returned to DC and got settled again, she invited me to dinner to thank me for my help as a house-sitter.

While sitting on the couch in her 42nd Street condo and drinking a beer I said to Diana, "There's this really awful joke that keeps going through my head."

Diana poked her head out of the kitchen and arched an eyebrow and said, "Do tell."

"Other than that, what did you think of the play Mrs. Lincoln?"

Fortunately Diana laughed and that cemented our friendship.

Over the years, Diana took on many responsibilities. She helped by writing policy and supervising part of the staff. She managed the Library’s database system – blazing new trails for herself and the staff. She worked well with all the staff and treated everyone fairly. Throughout it all Diana maintained her good humor and friendly nature.

In time her supervisor and friend Carole Cleland retired and Diana became the Chief Librarian. She continued to run things smoothly and let her staff do their jobs with the confidence that she would back them up.

Diana saw many changes at the agency in her 25 years there. She began working at a time when the FDIC was a quiet little agency through the build-up of staff during the thrift crisis of the late 1980’s. Following that she worked through years of down-sizing at the agency.

Diana worked with many people throughout the agency. She had many friends at all levels. She served as an advisor to the FDIC News – a staff monthly. Diana was an award-winning photographer as well.

For many years Diana was active at St. Alban’s Parish with the Grate Patrol – preparing meals for DC’s homeless a couple of times a month. At one point the FDIC recognized Diana for her community involvement. Diana told me how one evening she was on her way home when a homeless man asked her for some change. Diana directed him to McPherson Square where the van would be handing out meals to the hungry. The man muttered, “That food is rotten and it has roaches in it.”

Diana roused herself and said, “I’ll have you know that I cooked the food that is being served tonight and it is certainly not rotten, nor does it have roaches!”

At a time when the Library staff was threatened with outsourcing Diana led the offensive to defend the value of her staff - backing that up with research, statistics and written recommendations from patrons. Much to the consternation of her own bosses there was a lot of pressure brought to keep and support the library staff.

Diana took every advantage to educate her bosses at the FDIC of the scope and nature of library work. It was important to her that others recognized the value of the knowledge and skills of her staff and how the agency benefited from their dedication.

One of the reasons that Diana was such a pleasant co-worker is that she never took herself too seriously. While some people decorate their offices with their diplomas and awards – Diana displayed some of her own photographs, a Dewar’s Scotch ad, a Dame Edna poster, and her Sunday School graduation certificate.

Diana enjoyed her colleagues on the Library staff at the FDIC and regarded them as an extended family. She was our supervisor or boss, but also our big sister. She was approachable. She was willing to spot us $5 till payday on occasion. The library had a tradition of holding its own holiday party and inviting the staff to bring along children and grandchildren. She endured games of Monsters in the Library - children being chased to the sounds or roars (from the monsters) and screams and laughter from the children. She regarded her friend’s children much as her own nieces and nephews.

Diana was supportive of the staff when they were going through personal difficulties or illness. She was always a compassionate colleague, supervisor and friend. This is how I think most of us will remember her.

Celebrating Diana

2009-03-30T15:17:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday, March 28 - family and friends gathered at St. Alban's Episcopal Parish to remember, mourn, pray for and celebrate our wonderful friend Diana.

It was a perfect day for a funeral - very British weather - a good day for hats, raincoats, brollies and the like. My partner George and I found parking and entered the church. So many friends - Nancy Williams, Pat Petrash, Liz Callison, Harry Stubbs, Vivian Comer and her sons Ellis and Owen. Many more FDIC folks - Len, Dee, Alicia, Ellin, Reg and Daphne, Kathleen, Carole and George Cleland, Erika Teal and husband Jim, Roberta and Bill, Jim Marino and Pam McDonough, Dr. Ed Barrese Noreen Lewis, Caryl Austrian and I know I didn't see everyone.

There were other friends from different parts of Diana's life - Pete and Astrid, Philip Wong-Cross, Rick and Elmer. Diana's cousins - Jim Smith (on her father's side) and Chris (on their mothers' side).

We all gathered beneath the crossbeams of St. Albans as the organ rolled and the choir and clergy arrived. It was all very proper and Anglican - and a real celebration of the promise of the Gospel.

Diana had asked the choir to sing several George Herbert poems set to music by Ralph Vaughn Williams. These songs were interspersed throughout the service along with the rituals from the Book of Common Prayer and audience participation, i.e. hymn-singing.

The George Herbert poem that best sums things up is The Call

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life :
Such a Way, as gives us breath :
Such a Truth, as ends all strife :
And such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength :
Such a Light, as shows a feast :
Such a Feast, as mends in length :
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart :
Such a Joy, as none can move :
Such a Love, as none can part :
Such a Heart, as joyes in love.

The works of George Herbert can be found online.

Following the funeral there was procession to the columbarium on the north side of St. Albans where Diana's ashes and those of her mother Dorothy were columburied. Outdoors, Diana's cousin Chris found me and we said hello and met her daughter Liz. I didn't think to mention just how much she looks like her cousin Diana. Anyway Chris whispered - What happened to Iona and the Isle of Wight? I responded, I don't know. I'll have to ask.

So then into the Guild Hall for perhaps the grandest post-funeral reception I have been to. We were greeted with the happy sound of champagne corks popping. Appropriately, tea was being served in one location along with myriad little sandwiches and desserts. Elsewhere a table was spread with bowls of delicious strawberries, platters of cheeses and a seemingly bottomless bowl of shrimp. This was certainly Diana's kind of party!

Eventually people began to share their remembrances of Diana. I will post mine eventually, even though there is some repetition of what I have mentioned below.

It sort of all came back to a comment in the homily by Brother Robert Sevinsky, OHC. I paraphrase,

Diana had integrity, that is, she was an integer. She mattered. And while I realised that I didn't know everything about Diana's history, I knew Diana. And I know that perhaps none of us knew everything about her, still we all knew the same person. It was the same person of Diana whom we met at church, at work or on pilgrimage.

I will attempt to get a copy of his full homily.

One last thing - for now - when we entered Guild Hall, we were presented with copies of A Spiritual Miscellany - Tuesday Morning Homilies at St. Alban's Church by Diana Smith. These were produced by the help of members of St. Alban's Tuesday morning Eucharist community and members of the Friends of St. Benedict. I haven't read them all, but I was drawn to one - titled Valedictory written May 6, 2008, after visiting England for the last time.

Ascension Day has come and gone; I am not, as the disciples were, distraught, nor do I much care about the theology behind this major feast day. For once in my life I know I can't think my way out of this one. I'm sticking with abiding, with tending the flame.

Tracking my friend Diana online

2009-03-23T10:03:00.004-04:00

Interesting exercise.

I am searching the Internet for mentions of my friend Diana.

I have found a couple of mentions from her parish's online bulletin. One, a talk she gave in November 2006 about her piligrimage to the Holy Land and her remark on the moment of shared rationality and faith while at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem she knelt to put her hand on the star that marks the spot where Christ was born.

Another mentions that the Lectionary and Sacramentary that she donated in memory of her mother Dorothy were blessed.

Next I found her appeal to fellow Anglicans back in 2005 as she was looking for friends of St. Benedict worldwide.

Then I found this wry self-introduction:

Smith, Diana submitted April 2002

With pint of Old Peculier in hand, I'll step up to intro myself:

My name is Diana Smith. I live in Washington DC and attend St Alban's Parish, in the shadow of the Washington National Cathedral. Such proximity has led to many happy listmeets with cyberfriends from all over...and I'm delighted to see some of you in the pub. (I note that there is no dart board in the pub....!). I first found Anglican cyberfriends when I joined the Anglican List, then hosted by American University's computers, sometime maybe in 1995 or 94?

Born and raised in Austintascious, I'm a cradle Episcopalian who wandered off during the 60s and came back in the (not red) front door in 1985, swearing I wouldn't be involved in parish life. As I finish a 3-year term on vestry, I am the first to admit the power of God's grace in my life!

I'm owned by a 7 year old cat named Scamp, who lives up to his name. At the present time, I'm the Library Mistress for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures bank deposits. Pretty dry for someone who majored in British History! However, I've been offered a buyout and an "early out", ie, take the annunity and run, so I am engaged in serious vocational discernment.

My interests are reading and travel, esp to Great Britain and Ireland.

Although I'm very likely to lurk, I'm equally happy to be here!

Update - I found this today (April 9) on a Google Group - soc.culture.scottish

Hey folks--just want to commemorate the passing of one of my very good friends; we had met some time back when I first started working in Washington, and she was one of the few who truly understood my love of things Scottish--a devoted Angophile in the midst of the capital of the Murkins, she was seen to be a bit squirrel-cage also, a bit off center--but aren't most librarians and extreme bibliophiles?--but, despite the fact she had more teapots than the Mad Hatter, she was warm and supportive and a good friend to have around. She will be missed. Peace to her memory--JML, who will hoist some Earl Grey in her honor]

Living through change

2009-03-18T08:19:00.005-04:00

The past year has been pretty challenging.

A year ago I was serving as the president of DC's Different Drummers and we were going through the process of saying good bye to our director of 10 years, Scott Barker, and selecting a new director - Joe Bello.

At work I was enduring a great deal of unpleasantness including false accusations and other insanity.

My mother became ill and died and within the past week a wonderful friend who was in good health a year ago passed away.

So like everyone else who is still alive and breathing, I'm left to sort through it all and keep going.

Band - we have a new president who is doing an excellent job. It is actually kinda fun to see the differences in her approach from mine as well as renewed enthusiasm. I take some pride in my accomplishments that puts us on the road we are now and I'm happy to see others stepping up to do that work.

Work - things finally came to a head back in December and the situation is much better. The current challenge for me is to get over the resentments that have built up over the past year. Though I don't think I should assume that it couldn't happen again.

My family - my siblings and I have moved into changed relationships without our parents around. That too is interesting. My nieces and nephews are becoming adults and being responsible. And we are working to settle the estate. Anyone want to buy a house in West Virginia?

Diana - for now there's some hand-holding and messages with other friends of Diana. In a week or so we'll have her funeral. A priest friend agreed to tend to scattering Diana's ashes (and those of her late mother). If I can I'll go on that trip to England. Also I have asked if my band could perform a medley of tunes from The Music Man. It is Diana's favorite musical and it features a librarian as a lead character. That will be in the fall and will allow me some closure.

I'll make it through all this change. With a little help from my friends!!

Rest in Peace - Diana Smith - 1950-2009

2009-03-16T07:50:00.003-04:00

I got word that my friend Diana passed away in the wee small hours of Saturday morning, March 14. She was 58 1/2 years old.

God and others were good and I had a chance to stop by and see her after work. She was at home, in bed, her tabby cat Oscar sitting with her in bed. When I walked in and greeted Diana she opened her eyes and I take some comfort that she knew I was there and I was able to make my good-byes.

As one friend said - if God has a complaint department he figures that our friend was there in line on Saturday. Yes - we all know we'll eventually do this, but Diana should have had another 20 years or so. Maybe that's what Purgatory is - standing in line at the complaint desk until you realize you can just let it go and enter heaven and see God as He truly is. What blinding light!

The photo here is one I took on our one joint trip to England. We first went to Canterbury, then up into East Anglia and the villages of Woolpit, Ely, Walsingham and Norwich. This photo is at one of the Norman churches in East Anglia. My title for this has always been - Yoo-hoo, Vicar!.

We will miss you and look forward to joining you some day. Much love, thanks and appreciation.

More thoughts about Diana

2009-03-12T12:47:00.004-04:00

My dear friend Diana is leaving.

I have heard from a couple of friends that she has slipped into a coma (for lack of anything more comfortable to wear). There are a whole bunch of people who will be on the other side to bid her welcome and I pray I get there someday!

Despite being such a shy person, Diana has quite the circle of friends. She would steel herself to get up and address groups, though she didn't seem to fear reading at church or conducting services at the Washington Home. She even organized and presented a class at the Smithsonian on Tea Customs and the Tea Trade.

But Diana enjoyed smaller gatherings - she loved to have people over to dinner. I stuffed myself on many delicious Easter Sunday dinners at her table. Eating off her grandmother's china and leaving her father (the dishwasher) to clean up. The dishwasher and kitchen renovations were paid for by her inheritance following her father's death. See earlier post.

Sometimes Diana would endure parties. On a few occasions she would invite me to attend a party with her so she would have someone to talk to.

Do you remember how when we were young our parents would be going to a party and we wanted to go? A party is games, and cake and ice cream - who wouldn't want to go to a party? And my parents would respond, "It's not that kind of a party. You wouldn't have any fun."

Well, once I went to a party with Diana and I recalled my parents' comment. I wish I had asked them and stayed at home. The party was perfectly nice, the hosts were convivial, there was good food and copious amounts of wine. And there were lots of people, and had it not been for Diana's company I would have feigned illness and left.

Another occasion was a Halloween party. I'm not at my best for costume parties. Despite being a creative person, I have trouble coming up with costumes that I actually like. Or I have an idea that I am not able to bring to pass. But in 1991 I was ready. I had lots of advance warning on the invitation and I had been thinking of my costume. I actually made part of it. I would be Cardinal Richilieu - I needed something that would work with a beard.

So Diana and I were going together and she liked my idea. But what could her costume be that would tie into mine? She went to a local costume shop and started wandering around and got a bit of Pilgrim and a red feather for her hat. Her characterization gelled in her mind. She was a Musketeer - the daughter of Porthos. She was Pathos.

Saying good bye to a friend

2009-03-08T12:43:00.003-04:00

I started working in Washington, DC in March, 1985. I had a job at Arena Stage. Later that year I moved in with my godmother who worked for the Dept. of Defense. She steered me to work in the government and I have always been thankful for her guidance.

My first job in the government was at the FDIC Library. I interviewed the morning that the space shuttle Challenger exploded (though I only learned of that later in the day.) So I am always reminded of that date - January 28, 1986. That day I interviewed with Diana Smith who was the Assistant Chief Librarian at the time.

I remember sitting down in the office she shared with her colleague Len, both desks and the shelves around them piled high with papers and books and the myriad reference tomes that Libraries had before the advent of databases and the internet.

I wore a Harris Tweed jacket that had belonged to my father - I wish I knew what I ever did with that - and because it was winter - I was wearing boots. I so loved showing up for an interview carrying a winter coat and wearing boots. Thank goodness librarians are used to odd people!

My job at the FDIC began on March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. The team was very nice and fun to work with. Diana was friendly, witty, and we got to know each other better.

In September of that year she was planning a trip to Scotland with her father. She had not traveled with him before, but they got along well. He was the source of her wry sense of humor. Since she was going to be gone for about three weeks Diana asked me to house/cat sit for her. I agreed.

While Diana and her father were in Scotland her father had a sudden heart attack and died. So she was tending to all of that with the help of nice associate vicar. She got her father's remains cremated and then flew directly to Texas.

After Diana returned to DC and got settled again, she invited me to dinner to thank me for my help as a house-sitter. (By this time I had moved on to a job at a different agency.)

While sitting on the couch in her 42nd Street condo and drinking a beer I said to Diana, "There's this really awful joke that keeps going through my head."

Diana poked her head out of the kitchen and arched an eyebrow, "Do tell."

"Other than that, what did you think of the play Mrs. Lincoln?"

Diana smiled and laughed. She said that she had to remind herself that she and her father had enjoyed a wonderful week together in Scotland. Her father's doctor had said that he was in poor health and on borrowed time, but he was looking forward to the trip with her.

Diana was a great Anglophile and made regular trips to Great Britain. On one occasion I went with her and we visited Canterbury, and the East Anglia towns of Woolpit, Walsingham and Norwich. We had a marvelous time together and managed not to get on each others nerves - more a testament to her I think.

Over the years I have learned much from Diana and enjoyed many fun cultural and spiritual activities. We went to concerts, movies and plays together. We went to many wonderful restaurants. We got to know each others' families and enjoyed each others' company.

I learned about English tea from Diana and helped her with the classes she taught on "How to have a proper English Tea." We also discussed how to eject people from one's home after English Tea is over.

Diana also gave wonderful example of what it means to be a Christian. She was prayerful and scholarly in her approach to the Bible and liturgy. But she also worked for several years with her parish of St. Alban's preparing food for the homeless and on occasion helping to distribute the food. She helped her parish with all manner of spiritual, liturgical and community events.

And at some point she discovered - or was brought to - the Benedictine monks at Holy Cross Abbey in New York. The monks and the rule of St. Benedict gave a new direction to her travels to the UK and to her own spirituality.

And, as a good Christian should be, Diana has always been hopeful, generous, and loving. One Sunday afternoon she took me to the National Cathedral for the annual "Kirking of the Tartan". The day that the Cathedral becomes a Presbyterian church. A bagpipe band processed in followed by several venerable Scotsmen who later presented their equally venerable tartans to be blessed. (From the looks of them I think they had been blessed about 100 times!) Following a dreadful sermon Diana turned to me with a puzzled expression. "He never mentioned once that God actually loves any of us."

And Diana has always enjoyed a wonderful sense of humor. Her father and my father shared a sense of humor. They never met on this side of Heaven, but I hope that they have made friends by now.

Diana held an elegant dinner that became uproarious when someone took down the book of limericks that was on her shelf! She got complaints from the management at the Westchester one night when a party of Anglican friends went wild with hymn singing. And I was with Diana at the Booth Theatre in New York City when Dame Edna called her onto the stage.

Diana has been ill with cancer for less than a year and she won't be around much longer. It is hard to say good bye - but she has been a part of my life for almost 23 years and I expect her to stay a part of my life.

Thinking about friends

2009-02-19T08:17:00.004-05:00

This morning I got news that a wonderful man I used to work with passed away following some treatment for cancer of the throat.

Larry was a graphic designer at my old agency. He was a quiet man who went about his life and work without ever ruffling anyone's feathers. He was a good friend to many and he was very kind. He was also a good designer. He did some design work for an event for the band I played in.

Larry was gay, and he was quiet about that too.

And I'm thinking about my friend Diana whom I have known for about 23 years. She has cancer in her liver and elsewhere and is now in hospice care. I don't expect her to be around much longer.

Tell your friends how much you love them - now, today!

Profound moments in life

2009-02-10T10:26:00.003-05:00

The other day I was thinking about the special moments in my life. I was on my way to work and had been thinking about my dear friend Diana who is quite ill with cancer and I don't know how much longer she'll be around.

We had talked about our vicarious families - the children of friends and colleagues. Diana is an only child so she doesn't have the benefit of nieces and nephews as I do.

But I thought how some people put their wedding as the greatest day of their lives, or the births of children. I don't have that but I have accomplished a few significant moments - graduations, investiture as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

The most profound moments have been the quiet ones. Like Elijah on the mountaintop - God came in a gentle whisper. For me many of those moments included music. A non-exhaustive list in no particular order:

holding each of my newborn nieces and nephews
some moments of prayer
the Sanctus in the Mozart Requiem
singing Handel's Messiah
singing the Mahler 8th Symphony
performing Ticheli's American Elegy with the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band
the CPSB trip to Concord, New Hampshire
a weekend at the Ciskanik summer home in Pennsylvania
summer-rep theatre at WVU
the moment as the curtain opened in Oliver! - a show I stage managed my senior year
baking cookies with Nana
listening to Ma tell family stories
sitting atop a mountain in Germany
standing near the Grotto in Lourdes
lunch in Orvieto with Bart
many evenings at home with George
family walks in the woods with Uncle Stan and Uncle Gene
floating on the river
enjoying friends

Separated at Birth

2009-02-05T16:08:00.003-05:00

It occurred to me today that these two Washington, DC celebrities bear a striking resemblance.

On the left is NBC - WRC 4 Consumer reporter, Liz Crenshaw.

On the right is DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

Interesting.

The trouble with Facebook

2009-02-03T15:53:00.002-05:00

Remember back when you were in high school and on a Monday you heard your friends talking about some party they went to over the weekend. You were left thinking, Hmmm, all my friends were at this party. Why wasn't I invited? Why didn't I hear about it?

Okay, maybe you were always at the parties.

Recently some friends have posted photos on Facebook of parties they have attended. I look at the photos and see a bunch of my friends and the hosts are friends yet I wasn't invited.

I have thick enough skin to not think that it is a personal slight. But it still sucks not being one of the cool people.

sigh...

I've got a crush on you

2009-01-29T08:40:00.004-05:00

I recently completed a list on Facebook of 25 Random things and I mentioned that I still get crushes.

Crushes are great fun - it is tough on the emotions and all that - but there's a great feeling of being alive. There is intense delight at being around the object of the crush. And, there is such aching emptiness when he is not around.

Last week I ran into a friend whom I see on rare occasions. I had a serious crush on him a couple of years ago, but I wasn't really part of his circle of friends so my life went on and I didn't think about it much. Seeing him again brought all the emotion back in an instant. He truly makes me feel young - okay he makes really feel the age that I tend to think of myself. I'm 50 but generally think of myself as being around 25. That works until I'm around actual 25 year olds who call me Mister.

That being said - I have a couple other crushes. Some know who they are and some don't. Really it makes me happy to be around these friends and I am thrilled that I have such fun friends.

hugs!

Getting emotional

2009-01-28T15:57:00.004-05:00

2009 started quietly enough. Okay - I was at a party and eating and drinking too much - but once I got sick I felt much, much better.

For the past two years I served as President of DC's Different Drummers and enjoyed that and felt I did a pretty good job. But I had no interest in being President-for-life and I chose not to run for a third term. Not a big problem the folks who would be taking over are capable and talented and they'll do things differently than I did.

What surprised me was the sense of loss I felt when I went to rehearsal the next night and knew that things were different. I was a band member and nothing more. I'll get over it I thought (and I will). At the end of the week an email went out to all band members and I realized that I had no input toward the content. Maybe this is why several of our past presidents have moved out of town.

But I don't want to do that - well, I don't want to move period. But I don't want to withdraw from my friends in the band. First I'd miss them and second they'd get along without me and that would be another hurt.

Fortunately there was much ado about the Obama Inauguration and participation in the parade by the Lesbian and Gay Band Association. So that kept me busy. Once that was over and my company left and I got caught up on rest and chores the sense of loss returned.

As my partner says - I need to get over it. But it is different.

Adding to that we have a couple of pieces in the Spring concert that are only being played by a subset of the band. I understand the reasons, but I also feel as though I am missing out on a musical challenge. In the past we have hacked, slogged and rehearsed our way through some difficult pieces. Sure we grumbled (I am a trombone player!) but we buckled down and worked on the music. As we got to performance if I couldn't play a phrase, I didn't. But each time I stretched as a musician and got better. Now I'm missing that opportunity.

So I'll make the best of it and all will be well soon.

This post isn't about getting others to feel sorry for me. Just sharing what I'm feeling in case anyone notices that I'm not my usual cheerful self.

more to say about marching in the parade.

2009-01-22T15:57:00.002-05:00

In my last post I mentioned something that our Artistic Director said about military folks wishing us well. Here is his full account:

As you may recall, I got a little choked up trying to tell a story on
Tuesday morning, so here it is again for those who could not hear. When Kim and I were finished with our mandatory meeting on Monday evening, we were approached by a series of uniformed military personnel who wanted to shake our hands and wish us luck.
At first, I attributed this all to good relationship management
but it seemed that we were being approached by more folks than was strictly necessary for that, and I began to realize what these people were really saying to us.
And then, as we went to leave, one more young man chased us down the hallway so that he wouldn't miss his chance to shake our hands and wish us well.
There was an intensity to his well wishes that moved me past simple realization to a much deeper understanding of what our performance was going to mean for people who cannot live their lives as openly as I do in my protective bubble of San Francisco.

Marching in the Big Parade

2009-01-21T16:02:00.004-05:00

Greetings all,

It was such a big deal for the Lesbian and Gay Band Association (LGBA) Band to be part of the Inaugural parade yesterday. Most of the long day yesterday was spent sitting on buses, but we did get to march. Many things to share about it but here's the basics.

Two of the leaders of the group attended a tedious meeting on Monday afternoon to review parade procedures with the military folks who run the parade. After the meeting a number of the military folks came up to the two LGBA folks and thanked them (us) for being part of the parade. Our director said that he could tell they wanted to say more - but could not.

We pulled up to the Pentagon in four buses with a small, but visible sign (like every other bus), but ours read - Lesbian and Gay Band Association. We were the gay band and all the military folks around there knew it.

When we lined up at the Ellipse prior to stepping off and making our way up to start of the parade we warmed up and played our tunes, like every other band. Our leaders had chosen two Sousa marches, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Brand New Day from The Wiz, and Hold on I'm Comin' But it was the high school band from New Hampshire that was playing Strike Up the Band and Over the Rainbow.

Several times along a mostly empty parade route the announcers echoed our name - "Marking their first appearance in an Inaugural parade, the Lesbian and Gay Band Association - a network of Gay and Lesbian concert and marching bands from across the country. The military folks who lined the parade route saluted the American flag we carried as well as the Pride flag that marched along side it.

When we got to the White House the drum majors gave three whistles, the drums rolled off and we played The Washington Post March by Sousa. President and Mrs. Obama were standing in the well-lit booth along with Vice President and Mrs. Biden. Because of the lighting they looked huge inside the reviewing stand. They clapped along with the music and smiled and waved.

We finished our song and kept going to get to our buses. There were many people along Pennsylvania Avenue that had waited to watch and hear, so we played for them and they cheered us on.

When we finally got back to our buses and put instruments away we started checking our phones. Almost everyone had phone calls and text messages from friends and family. We were seen all over the country on CSPAN, MSNBC, Fox, CNN and others.

While it was a personally moving moment - believe me - we marched for everyone of our Lesbian and Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer and Questioning brothers and sisters. And we had some of our straight friends marching with us too! Our ages ranged from 20 years old to 76 years old, we marched black, white, latina/o, asian of all varieties. It was a humble moment to represent all of us and to be seen and heard.

Here's a link to what was on C-Span - http://www.tippytopple.com/LGBA_Inauguration.mp4

Peace to all!

Simple pleasures

2009-01-14T07:32:00.002-05:00

I knew that my down mood would pass. It is a little better. Simple things like a good night's sleep, the hug and support of a friend, the smile of a stranger, hearing another report on what a whack job a co-worker is - all work together to buoy my spirits.

As the Beatles tell us - It's getting better all the time --

Emotions are funny

2009-01-13T07:49:00.003-05:00

One of the things I have learned over the years is that sometimes you feel a certain way and like Teri Garr in Tootsie - I'm going to feel this way until I don't feel this way anymore.

On Sunday I stepped down as president of the band I play in - DC's Different Drummers. I served for two years and it was a lot of fun - but it is time for other people to do that. What has surprised me is the sadness I feel at giving it up.

Life goes on and I'll get over it. But today - I'm sad.

resolutions for 2009

2008-12-29T09:08:00.003-05:00

I never make New Year resolutions. But what the heck, it is slow at work...

Travel - namely get to the West Coast in 2009. I was hoping to get to Seattle for a conference last year, but my effort was thwarted. I also want to visit friends in San Francisco and So Cal.

New job - yeah - I spent all of 2008 applying for jobs and I have four open applications right now - just hoping to hear from any and all of them.

Socialize - go out with friends more. I either have band rehearsals or meetings or I'm at home. I'd like to go out w/ friends more.

Self-improvement - be a better friend, brother, uncle and partner. Listen more. be more generous. be quiet. Pray.

My grandmother - Anna Carroll

2008-12-18T09:13:00.004-05:00

I was fortunate enough to know all four of my grandparents. And though I never met my great-grandparents I feel as though I know them through the family stories.

Anna Lawyer Carroll - my mother's mother was born in January 1891. Her father was stern yet loved her and doted on her. As she grew up she learned to play the piano and organ and eventually taught piano lessons. She could sight-read piano music very well and for many years she played piano for the silent movies for $.25 a night. If a vaudeville troupe came into town and needed an accompanist she'd get paid $.50 for the show. That was big money she said!

I learned to read music and play the piano from Nana. The book she used was John Thompson's Teaching Little Fingers to Play. My lessons were never scheduled. Since we lived in the same household with my grandparents I would get a lesson or practice catch-as-catch-can.

In addition to the music lessons - and hearing the piano lessons of so many kids over the years I also helped my grandmother with cleaning and baking.

At Christmastime she would always bake a couple of fruitcakes. Not the usual awful kind. She would start with an applesauce cake recipe and then add about half the candied fruits and nuts that the recipe called for. Oh yeah and she'd sprinkle whiskey on the cake and then wrap it in a linen towel and sprinkle that with whiskey. All the cakes and cookies would be stored in the pantry.

In addition to the cakes there would also be fruit cookies, tole-house cookies, scotch cookies and sometimes chocolate cookies. I had such fun helping out in the kitchen - blending the butter and brown sugar. David, if you eat all the brown sugar and butter we won't have any for the cookies! I was also in charge of putting the cookies in the oven and rotating them. I also had the task of tasting them!!

I treasure all those memories and the recipes too!

thinking about Christmas

2008-12-17T07:51:00.003-05:00

It is Christmas time and I'm getting nostalgic. I was driving somewhere the other day and I had the radio tuned to a station that is playing non-stop holiday tunes. Yes some are awful and some are cheesy. But it got me to thinking about a time in my life when all those songs were new to me.

I thought about grade school chorus and learning "I'll have a blue Christmas without you". Mrs. Smallwood told us that it is without you, not withou chew.

In fourth grade I sang a solo of "Christmas in Killarney". My teacher, Mrs. Allemong introduced with her slightly country accent - Even in far away Arland people are celebrating Christmas. I wore a bright red shirt and my mother fashioned a big green bow. There's a line in the song How grand it feels to click your heels and join in the fun of the jigs and reels. I was supposed to click my heels when I sang that line. I was so nervous I forgot to move. Oh the poor parents and teachers who had to endure those programs every year!

It wasn't so bad - as a result of my star turn there I was invited to dress as a leprechaun the following March and welcome the pre-school kids who were coming to visit the school for the first time.

There's so much about this time of year that I love. Seeing the holiday decorations go up in my hometown. Making decorations at school. Writing letters to Santa and listening to Santa read the letters on the local radio station. Santa was always preceded by the "Christmas Basket of Music". Santa would then show up and talk about what the elves were doing and the polar bears and the reindeer. He'd talk about Mrs. Claus baking cookies.

Years later I learned that Santa was in reality a friend of the family - my dad's mentor. Mr. Capen would never strike you as the kind of person who would play Santa Claus - but he was wonderful. At some point Mr. Capen was sick and he asked my dad to take over. My dad said the kids would know that he wasn't Santa, so Mr. Capen invented Alvin the Elf who was helping out Santa for a few days. When Mr. Capen died my dad took over the program. He loved it. But the sponsor didn't want Alvin the Elf - he wanted Santa, so my dad became Santa. I think that is why he took to wearing a Santa hat every day from Thanksgiving through New Year.

One aside - my father had an insurance business and he would do his own radio spots for the business. A friend mentioned one day that her son, after hearing the business ad asked his mother, Why is Santa doing ads for the insurance company?

Last Saturday I was painting at home and I had the place to myself and I put the radio on to the station that plays Christmas songs. I heard Bing Crosby sing White Christmas and a bit later I heard Nat King Cole sing The Christmas Song. I thought about so many things and felt happy and sad and hopeful and cheerful and oh so loved by friends and family here and gone.

Thinking about donuts

2008-08-21T11:36:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting at work and I'm thinking about donuts. That's not a new thing. I love sweets and I have been working on keeping my weight down - so no donuts except on rare occasions.

But I'm not just thinking about donuts - I'm remembering donuts.

When I was a young teen - wow, that's a long time ago - I went on a trip with my mother. Maybe we were taking my sister some place and all I really remember is the drive back home. It was a sunny, warm day. We were in Keyser, West Virginia. And we stopped at the grocery store because Mother needed to do that.

I don't remember the conversation. I don't remember much details, but I do remember the donuts - raised donuts dusted with sugar granules. They were almost crunchy.

It was a good day. And I'm just sitting here at work remembering a good day.

Catching up on the Blogs

2008-08-15T09:36:00.003-04:00

Hey gang,

So I took the time on a verrry quiet Friday morning at work to catch up on my blog reading. Chad's ankle is healing. Matty is lusting after Jesse Metcalfe. (who wouldn't????) And he has some thoughtful posts on his girl Heidi and his friends.

Scott has his usual take on things political and biking. And is mourning the loss of a longtime friend - Ranger. Hell - I cried over my fish dying several years ago - I don't know what I'd do with a dog or a cat!!!!

And then I happened upon Mark Swope's quiet little announcement - Swoper's Ramblings: Tying the Knot. And then I finally got all choked up.

Much love to you all!! Great happiness and continued friendship!

What the obituary leaves out - cont'd

2008-07-30T14:25:00.003-04:00

Mother and Dad were married in April 1953 and honeymooned in Washington, DC and then on to Ocean City, Maryland where they managed to get sunburned.

They returned to Berkeley Springs - Mother working at Pennsylvania Glass Sand and Dad for People's Life Insurance. And in no time at all my mother was pregnant. Born just nine months and four days after their wedding, my sister Teresa entered on the scene. Less than 2 years later, my brother Stephen. Less than 2 years later, my brother Patrick, and less than 1 year later - yours truly.

My folks were living in the upstairs of the family home. They considered a move to Charleston, WV for a business opportunity, but their eyes were opened to that and they stayed in Berkeley Springs. They looked at building a house, but that didn't happen either. So we grew up in the same household as my mother's parents.

Living under the same roof as one's grandparents is a great experience. You learn so much. I learned about patience with older people. I learned some manners. I learned to bake cookies and play the piano. I also learned by watching my parents interact with my grandparents.

The biggest challenge was my grandfather who's memory was failing. These days he' likely be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. But in the mid-1960's we just called it going senile. For many years Papa would take us on walks around town. I remember him picking up litter and carrying it until we got to a trash can. I remember stopping in front of the Catholic church and genuflecting as we passed to reverence the Blessed Sacrament.

Eventually his failing mind and his temper got the better of him and he would lash out. I don't remember him ever being cruel, but I do remember my mother having to stand up to him a few times. Even then she was respectful. Over the years the following Bible verse would always bring that to mind.

...take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate with him; revile him not in the fullness of your strength. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, it will serve as a sin offering--it will take lasting root. Sirach 3:12-14

Once I was in school, Mother went back to work, this time as a medical secretary to Dr. Nichols. She loved that work and learned much from him. In addition to providing clerical service she learned much about medicine and was finally able to practice the nursing skills that she wanted to pursue a long time ago.

We grew, survived high school and moved out of the house. During all those years Mother and Dad provided for us with sacrifice and lots and lots of love and support. Dad finally started to slow his work schedule and later retired. He and Mother took a few trips - England, Hawaii, places in West Virginia. And Dad kept getting a bigger boat.

In 2003 we had a big shindig to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. That was quite the party!!

The last several years before my father died my folks spent their summers on the O'Carroll docked in Ridge, Maryland. I marvelled that after almost 50 years of marriage they still enjoyed spending their days together in a small boat. I visited them there several times.

Dad decided to sell the boat and he died in June, 2006. In the 2 years since then Mother has kept going and keeping busy. She lived to see one great-grandchild. She died on July 22 following surgery and a month of recovery that went very slowly and then not at all. All of us got to see her many times in the hospital and even to the day she died she was still beautiful.

Our family miss both of our parents. We got along with them and enjoyed their company. We shared many stories and jokes and much love. There was never any doubt of that. But how do you fit all that into an obituary?

What the obituary leaves out

2008-07-29T10:34:00.004-04:00

Margaret C. McBee, 83
1925-JULY 22, 2008

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Margaret Carroll McBee, 83, of Berkeley Springs, died Tuesday, July 22, 2008, at Winchester (Va.) Medical Center.

Born in 1925, in Greensburg, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Edward F. and Anna M. Carroll.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Carroll Dwan McBee, in 2006. They were married April 11, 1953.

She attended Catholic University.

She was employed as a secretary.

She was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Berkeley Springs.

She is survived by one daughter, Teresa A. McBee-Massimino of Shepherdstown, W.Va.; three sons, Stephen C. McBee and Patrick M. McBee, both of Berkeley Springs and David E. McBee of Washington D.C.; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

She was preceded in death by one brother, Edward L. Carroll.

A memorial service will be conducted at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul, Building Fund, 24 S. Mercer St., Berkeley Springs, WV 25411.

That was the obituary that ran in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail on July 24, 2008.

It doesn't say millions of things.

Mother actually had two brothers. The first-born died at about five days old following a complicated delivery. He was nursed and cared for in the hospital, but the morning that he died his mother (my grandmother) knew that he was dying and said to the doctor, This is a Catholic baby and he needs to be baptized. A year or so later my Uncle Ned was born in 1925 my mother was born.

My mother and uncle grew up next door to an aunt and uncle and their 4 boys who were like brothers to them as well. So being the only girl in the mix, my mother was in all the rough and tumble with them too. And she'd get into trouble. If they did something wrong - it was she who would have to 'fess up to her mother.

Fortunately Mother made friends with Mary Virginia Banks who lived down the street. They were born just 3 days apart and were like sisters. Mary Virginia is my godmother.

So, while it sounds like a small family - just two kids - it was much more than that. There was also Mary's sister Ruth and their brother Grove Lee, and further down the street was Marian Lee Wash. And the Shockey boys who lived up the hill. And Patty Mongan and Betty Cohill and the list of friends just kept growing.

Mother grew up active in the local parish of St. Vincent de Paul. She was in the very first First Communion class in 1931 and that is where she was married in 1953 to the man who was the love of her life - my dad, Dwan McBee.

But I'm ahead of myself. As a child my mother developed rheumatic fever and was home sick for 4 years. But she recovered and with the help of tutors she managed to get back in school, just 2 years behind her original classmates. And she had a near-miraculous recovery - well to hear my grandmother talk about it.

My mother wanted to be a nurse and went into a nursing program, but after a conflict with one of the teachers she withdrew from the program. She never did get to be a nurse and I think that is something she had some regrets about. But she went to Business school and trained as a secretary. She did some secretarial work in Berkeley Springs, but she ended up moving to Washington, DC and first worked at Pepco.

My Uncle Ned had gone to the Catholic University of America and studied Engineering. He looked after her though Mother was pretty independent. After a year or so she got a job working for the School of Engineering under Dean Anthony J. Scullen.

Among the stories that she would tell of her years there - dances and dates with lots of guys mostly - she talked about the work that she did. She also talked about going to the National Shrine or the Dominican House to go to Mass, pray the Rosary or go to Confession. She also metioned Fr. Fulton J. Sheen and talked about how the students would stand in the hallway outside his classes to listen to his lectures. And Dean Scullen and some friends would make bets on when he would be named Monsignor.

But Mother didn't stay in Washington, DC because her grandmother asked her to come back to Berkeley Springs to be with her mother (my grandmother). And that's what she did. But that's also when she met my father again. They had known each other in school, but Dad was 4 years younger. They met at a community Easter program and started dating. At Christmas they were engaged and married the following April.

More to come...

Getting careless

2008-07-24T11:46:00.003-04:00

Oscar Wilde - the Irish playwright, bon vivant and wit is quoted as saying

To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.

It seems I have grown careless. My mother Margie passed away quietly on Tuesday, July 22 following surgery over a month ago. She rallied somewhat over the month enough to know that we were there with her, but not enough to recover.

Thanks to all for your prayers and support. Thank you Chad for this post from Chaddyschad.

And thank you Matt for this post on your blog.

Requiescat in Pace

- David

Signs of Improvement

2008-07-14T08:52:00.002-04:00

Yea! I visited my mom briefly yesterday and she was awake and alert and breathing on her own. At least this gets her away from the edge of the roof and a lot closer to a window to climb back inside!!!

Thanks be to God!

The cat is on the roof

2008-07-08T11:03:00.002-04:00

Years ago a beloved priest in my home parish in West Virginia told the following story.

A man named Phil had always worked hard but had never taken even a day's vacation. So friends and family urged him to take a big trip and get away from work. His biggest concern was his cat and who would look after the cat. Phil's brother stepped up to the task and Phil was happily off on a long vacation.

His first day out, Phil called his brother and the first thing he asked about was the cat. The brother replied he was very sorry but the cat had gotten out of the house and ran out into the street and was hit by a car and killed.

Phil was devestated! Once he finally composed himself he told his brother that he really should think about how he gives bad news to people. Since Phil was going to be gone for several weeks the brother could have said something like, "The cat is on the roof." In a day or so you could add "We've had trouble getting the cat down from the roof." In that way I'd know that something was up and at least I'd be a bit prepared for the news.

The brother apologized and said he would work at being more considerate in the future. So Phil then asked about their mother.

After a pause, Phil's brother said "uh, Mom's on the roof."

My family has always liked that joke and it has been helpful at times to ease into bad news. To that end - my mother has been on the roof for about 3 weeks now and doesn't look as though she's climbing back in a window anytime soon.

Patience, grace and prayers are in order.

M is for the Million things she gave me

2008-06-17T08:23:00.002-04:00

Greetings all. We had a little scare yesterday - my mother, Margie, who will be 83 in a couple of weeks went to the hospital and ended up having surgery to remove a ruptured spleen. All signs are stable and she is doing okay - better once they remove the respirator tube. Thanks be to God!

Sigh.

Hallelujah

2008-05-26T08:11:00.002-04:00

I've always been a little behind the times. I know I've heard this tune because it has been used in a bunch of television programs. There have also been a bunch of covers of this song as well. This one is especially nice.

Wow is right!

2008-05-19T08:43:00.003-04:00

How do you compete with this? Yes it is a progressive state that has been in the Obama column for a long time. But what other candidate this year has come close to this kind of a turnout? 65,000 people - and another 15,000 who couldn't get into the park!. Read the full article from the New York Daily News.

The Play's the thing

2008-05-18T17:02:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my partner and I went to Studio Theatre to see History Boys. It is an award-winning play by Alan Bennet - performed in London and around the world. And a film was made with the original cast.

The production we saw was local to DC and we have seen Floyd King who plays Hector, and Tana Hicken who played Tottie in many plays at Studio, Arena Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre among others.

At one point I was struck by how different the experience of seeing a live production is from seeing even a really good film. The empathy with the actors - flesh and blood actors sharing the same physical, intimate space - is so different from watching a movie.

It is very hard for screen actors to draw us into the moment - and if we're watching the movie at home where so many things can distract us - it becomes even harder.

The play is the thing - and it was outstanding!

Project Runway for the Polygamist Sect

2008-05-09T14:27:00.002-04:00

Okay - I only saw part of one episode of Project Runway - so I at least know who Christian Siriano and Tim Gunn are. But this is too funny.

Parsing Clinton

2008-05-08T11:47:00.003-04:00

I was just reading this article from the Time Magazine website. And it quotes Senator Clinton from her victory speech in Indiana from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.

I thought she said - Full speed ahead, on to the White House. But they have it as Full speed ahead, onto the White House. Maybe that is her secrety strategy. She's not planning to win the nomination or the election - she's planning to climb the building and stake her claim from the rooftop.

Now that I'd like to see!

Time for an aria

2008-05-08T09:16:00.003-04:00

'Nuf said?

Fountain of youth - my virtual age - 28.3

2008-05-08T08:15:00.002-04:00

Well no wonder I feel young and still think of myself as being around 25. According to this Life Expectancy Calculator my virtual age is 28.3 -- not bad for someone who is just past 49.5!

There are a whole series of questions about health and lifestyle. According to that I should live to be 96.7 years old! I was hoping for 107 - but if I were to switch to a fat-free diet I'd probably make it.

Why 107 you ask? Because in 2063, the State of West Virginia will celebrate its Bicentennial and I'd like to be a part of that in my hometown - maybe as the oldest person there - that would be really cool!

Or I could make it till 2076 for my 100 year high school reunion - and the nation's Tricentennial. But that might be pushing things. Hope I can still play in the band!

Looks like we made it!

2008-05-07T13:16:00.002-04:00

I am thrilled and relieved that it looks like Senator Obama will be getting the nomination for the Democratic Party. I have never felt this strongly about a candidate - and I've been voting since Jimmy Carter's first run in 1976!

Taking pictures

2008-05-06T11:40:00.005-04:00

Okay - I know that Facebook and the new world of life online demands photos, but I'm more circumspect about taking photographs.

In 2002 I travelled to Australia with a group. There was discussion about how much film people were taking. I mentioned I had 7 rolls of film. Two of the women laughed and and said, "Amateur."

During the course of my travels I may have used 3 rolls of film. I had my camera with me most of the time, but there really wasn't a lot that I wanted to capture on film. I have a pretty good opinion of my skills as a photographer and pretty much all of my photos were worth keeping.

My Dad was a photographer who had a very good sense about how to frame a shot. He got some great photos and I learned a lot from looking at his photographs.

On a trip to France with some friends we stopped for lunch and there was a pretty church nearby (that applies to most any spot in France). One friend scoped out his photograph and took his picture. And I changed my perspective a little and took my photo and as soon as he saw what I did he said, "That's the photo I wanted to take."

Okay - so I added that just amaze my readers about what a clever guy I am! But in truth, as much as I like photographs, I don't always enjoy the distraction caused by taking them. Not every moment in life needs to be a Kodak Moment. Sometimes it is enough to just be there.

Politics is a horserace

2008-05-05T08:32:00.003-04:00

On Saturday a friend from the band and her husband hosted their annual Kentucky Derby Day party. It sounded like fun - I had a hat to wear and there would be yummy food to eat. I placed a modest bet on a horse Gayego - based on name. Later I looked a the odds.

I didn't know much about the line up for the Derby except that there was one filly in the field - Eight Belles. Apparently Sen. Hillary Clinton made much ado about the one filly in the race and was placing her bet on that horse.

Interestingly - the filly came in second to... Big Brown. So not only did the filly come in second, sadly it was injured and had to be euthanized. I do feel sorry about the horse. But as an analogy, I hope it holds up.

Middle Name Meme

2008-05-01T08:49:00.003-04:00

I saw this on a blot - Let me Tell you all about it, Sweetie and I thought it was fun

Use the first letter of your middle name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things…nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person you took this from had the same first initial. You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Middle name letter: E
Famous artist/band/musician: Elton John
Four-letter word: Edgy
U.S. state: Edward Island, Prince (not a US State, I know...)
Boy name: Edgar
Girl name: Ethelreda (St. - see Ely Cathedral)
Animal: Egret
Something in the kitchen: Electric skillet
Reason for being late: Euphoria
Body part: – Eyes
Drink: Egg cream
Something you shout: Egad!
Something you eat: Eggs Benedict

So long April, hello May

2008-04-30T15:45:00.003-04:00

Last year on another blog I celebrated the beginning of May with the lyrics to the Lusty Month of May from Camelot.

Today I a little more circmspect. April was a busy month preparing for a band concert and saying farewell to some friends. On top of that I have heard nothing from any of the jobs I have applied for. (Excuse the preposition.)

So I've had to be patient - and that is going okay - but life at my job hasn't been fun for a long time and that's just the way it is going to be.

So - I am looking forward to the new month of May - some beginnings and hopefully a renewed interest in things. Until then - I'm a little overwhelmed.

The new Donny & Marie

2008-03-31T13:22:00.006-04:00

Saturday night was a great fun - a bunch of the gals and guys from DCDD ventured out for Karaoke at Freddie's Beach Bar in Crystal City.

We laughed - we cried - we sang we danced. Oh - and we drank some too! But little did I realize that we had our own answer to Donny and Marie - Schotzie and Cissie do their take on I Got You Babe!

State Farm office gets it

2008-03-27T14:01:00.005-04:00

I'm stunned!

My partner and I have had auto insurance with GEICO for several years, but our homeowners has been with State Farm. When our car insurance came due again I thought I'd see if we could save some money with State Farm.

Yeah we did - increased coverage, discounts all around - but the woman I talked to understood that my partner and I have a relationship - even referring to him as a spouse. I'm incredibly happy about that!!! Wow!

Last night I lay dreaming...

2008-02-29T15:07:00.002-05:00

Hi fans,

A couple of weeks back I had a dream. I usually have pretty vivid dreams and I'm pretty good about remembering them. Anyway - I shared this with my sister to get her take on it.

I walked into a kitchen - not sure whose and I was apparently leaving and saying good bye. Ella Shipley was sitting at the table, wearing a red suit, cream-colored blouse and I walked around the table to give her a hug.

I said it was wonderful to see her and it had been a long time. (well duh - she's been dead for like 30 years!) And as I leaned over to hug her she said there would be some kind of crucifixion on September 25.

Sounded a bit ominous to me - but not frightening. Here's my sister's comment.

This is my take and it's worth just what you're paying for it - the house represents you, the kitchen is the room where things are "cooked up" or prepared.

"Ella" is one of your guardian angels who took that form because she represents someone you recognize as a wise teacher. The red suit was striking and caught your attention.

A crucifixion would represent a sacrifice and September 25 will be a day of creativity. I wouldn't interpret it as anything ominous, but perhaps a date or deadline for something that you're planning.

Needless to day - I've marked my calendar to remind me in case this turns out to be significant. I'm intrigued!

Start spreading the news....

2008-02-29T14:07:00.003-05:00

Greetings all,

Happy Leap Year Day!!! Here it is the end of the month. Some how I don't recall what I was doing four years ago.

Today I'm tying up loose ends at work and preparing for my two week visit to the Big Apple! I'll be working for two weeks at the Paley Center for Media and I'll be staying with a friend in Jersey City. Okay - it may not be the Waldorf Astoria - but he's letting me stay there for free.

I'll get to see some of my NYC band friends and see another good friend who used to live in DC. Plus I plan to see some librarian friends and who knows - maybe something will come of this for a job!

I could use that - life at my job is pretty miserable - my boss decided she hates me. About three months ago I came in after being off for a week of planned vacation and things were different. But I figure that she cannot get rid of me - so I keep doing my job and adhering to her bizarre demands. The longer I stay the more annoyed I figure that she'll be. Sometimes it is fun to be passive-aggressive.

Wish me luck as I try to make it in NYC. Maybe I'll be selected for a makeover on the Today Show!!! Heaven knows I could use it. Or I could just ask for help from my fasionista friend.

Ciao!

I'm so excite - cue the Pointer Sisters!

2008-01-16T10:22:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks. It isn't official yet - but it looks as though I'll finally get to do a two week internship in NYC. It will be at a museum where I've wanted to work since I first visited about 10 years ago.

This afternoon I'll talk to the manager of their Research Services about the internship. In a sense it will be a working vacation, but it will be a chance to get my foot in the door and network. Who knows - maybe even find a job opportunity!

I've already talked to one friend up there and I can stay at her apartment for one week - she'll be out of town. Yippee!

More later

A new year - a new start

2008-01-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

Greetings to any would-be readers,

I don't know that anyone ever sees this blog other than myself, so I figure I can safely speak my mind here.

For the first time in my working life I truly dread coming to work. In the past I have been bored or frustrated by work or colleagues. This is different. I have felt ill; I have lost sleep, and I am not the only one. One colleague is recovering from breast cancer. She had surgery last May, chemo and radiation thoughout the summer and fall and continues to have doctor's appointments. And she is feeling harrassed and dreads coming to work as well.

Many of the bosses where I work talk about being an engaged employee. If we're truly not happy then we should look for a new job. So that is what I am doing.

I have updated my resume and I have started to make contacts with other librarians and friends who work for other federal agencies.

So what job do I want? I have really enjoyed being a reference librarian. I enjoy the search for information and being able to assist people. I want to stay based in DC, but would love the opportunity to travel - NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, LA and elsewhere.

Salary is important - I would like to continue making at least my current salary because I figure I'll lose some benefits when I leave here.

So - that's my hope for the new year. Think positively!

My favorite commercial from the holidays

2007-12-20T07:52:00.001-05:00

This is the one television commercial that would often bring a tear to my eye. The guy's cute too!

Love the Christmas Tree

2007-12-11T08:51:00.001-05:00

sigh - slow going this week

2007-11-27T19:53:00.002-05:00

On Sunday I found a new guilty pleasure - Oreos Peanut Butter - chocolate cookie with Peanut Butter - delicious.

The downside is that feeling sad makes me want to eat stuff that is bad for me - like the whole package of Oreos w/ milk.

maybe in a little bit....

Blue Monday

2007-11-26T11:53:00.000-05:00

Hi folks - sorta having a crash after a holiday. It goes back before that - I attended the wedding of a friend from college and saw many old friends. That made for a nostalgic weekend.

Last week was Thanksgiving and I had a wonderful day with my family. laughed a lot and ate some yummy food.

So, now I'm down - kinda bummed through the whole weekend. Feeling lonely - my partner is busy with school work. That isn't a lot of fun for him, but at least it gives him something to do.

I wanted to get out and do something fun, but didn't think of anyone to call - just feeling a little friendless - sigh.

the mood will pass I know and I'll feel better!

or are you just happy to see me....

2007-04-12T10:10:00.000-04:00

This morning's Washington Post Express has a photo of the three members of the Duke Lacrosse Team who have been cleared of all charges. Yea! Rah!

I couldn't help but notice that one of the players seemed especially happy at the news.

Forgive me - I'm wicked!

300 - amazing!!

2007-04-04T16:06:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to see the movie 300, based on the Frank Miller graphic novel. Oh gods! It is wonderful - raucous, violent, and so many hunky men!!!

You must go see it!!

Still alive

2007-04-04T15:43:00.000-04:00

Greetings all,

Just as the cherry blossoms erupt around the Tidal Basin, Spring has finally returned to the nation's capital.

My life is so compartmentalized that I forget about this little blog and have added nothing to it. Meanwhile - my professional blog is growing regularly. Of course, I have no indication that anyone has ever read any of my postings. I take that back - I have had a couple of comments to my professional blog.

But let me get started once again on this blog. I'm so happy that Spring is here! As much as I love Winter - I was ready for warmth and color again!

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You (Johnny Depp)

2006-12-08T21:58:00.002-05:00

Hi gang - this song from Mariah Carey is my favorite of the newer Christmas songs - it is just so much fun. and I found this version on YouTube that is dedicated to one of my fave actors... Johnny Depp. sigh!

trombones behaving badly

2006-11-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

Greetings all,

Last night was another fun-filled rehearsal with DCDD. The co-hort was in great form as we created our own version of Hansel & Gretel meets Young Frankenstein!

Thanks guys!

Hope everyone has much to be thankful for this year!

Cheers!

- David

A Room with a Window

2006-11-14T08:15:00.000-05:00

It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started.

During a visit to a mental hospital, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a person should be admitted.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a room with a window?"